第14章

Onthenextmorningtherecameamessagetohimashewasdressing。MrWhartonwishedtospeaktohim。Wouldhecomedownbeforebreakfast，orwouldhecallonMrWhartoninStoneBuildings？Hesentdownwordthathewoulddothelatteratanhourtobefixed，andthendidnotshowhimselfinthebreakfast-

roomtillMrWhartonwasgone。’I’vegottogotoyourfatherto-day，’hesaidtohiswife，’andIthoughtitbestnottobegintillwecometotheregularbusiness。Ihopehedoesnotmeantobeunreasonable。’Tothisshemadenoanswer。’Ofcourseyouthinkthewantofreasonwillbeallonmyside。’

’Idon’tknowwhyyoushouldsayso。’

’BecauseIcanreadyourmind。Youdothinkso。You’vebeeninthesameboatwithyourfatherallyourlife，andyoucan’tgetoutofthatboatandgetintomine。Iwaswrongtocomeandlivehere。Ofcourseitwasnotthewaytowithdrawyoufromhisinfluence。’Shehadnothingtosaythatwouldnotangerhim，andwasthereforesilent。’Well。ImustdothebestIcanbymyself，Isuppose。Good-bye，’andsohewasoff。

’Iwanttoknow，’saidMrWharton，onwhomwasthrownbypremeditationonthepartofLopezthetaskofbeginningtheconversation，——’Iwanttoknowwhatisthenatureofyouroperation。Ihaveneverbeenquiteabletounderstandit。’

’IdonotknowthatIquiteunderstanditmyself，’saidLopezlaughing。

’Nomanalive，’continuedtheoldbarristeralmostsolemnly，’hasagreaterobjectiontothrusthimselfintoanotherman’saffairsthanIhave。AndIdidn’taskthequestionbeforeyourmarriage，——asperhapsIoughttohavedone，——Ishouldnotdosonow，wereitnotthatthedispositionofsomepartofmyearningsofmylifemustdependontheconditionofyouraffairs。’Lopezimmediatelyperceivedthatitbehovedhimtobeverymuchonthealert。Itmightbethatifheshowedhimselftobeverypoor，hisfather-in-lawwouldseethenecessityofassistinghimatonce，oritmightbe，thatunlesshecouldshowhimselftobeinprosperouscircumstances，hisfather-in-lawwouldnotassisthimatall。’Totellyoutheplaintruth，Iammindedtomakeanewwill。IhadofcoursemadearrangementsastomypropertybeforeEmily’smarriage。ThosearrangementsIthinkIshallnowalter。

IamgreatlydistressedwithEverett，andfromwhatIseeandfromafewwordsthathavedroppedfromEmily，Iamnot，totellyouthetruth，quitehappyastoyourposition。IfIunderstandrightlyyouareageneralmerchant，buyingandsellinggoodsinthemarket？’

’That’saboutit，sir。’

’Whatcapitalhaveyouinthebusiness？’

’Whatcapital？’

’Yes——howmuchdidyouputintoitatstarting？’

Lopezpausedamoment。Hehadgothiswife。Themarriagecouldnotbeundone。MrWhartonhadmoneyenoughforthemall，andwouldnotcertainlywouldnotdiscardhisdaughter。MrWhartoncouldplacehimonareallyequalfooting，andmightnotimprobablydosoifhecouldbemadetofeelsomeconfidenceinhisson-in-law。Atthismomenttherewasmuchdoubtwiththeson-in-lawwhetherhehadbetternottellthesimpletruth。’Ithasgoneinbydegrees，’hesaid。’AltogetherIhaveabout8，000

poundsinit。’Intruthhehadneverbeenpossessedofashilling。

’Doesthatincludethe3，000poundsyouhadfromme？’

’Yes。itdoes。’

’Thenyouhavemarriedmygirlandstartedintotheworldwithabusinessbasedon5，000pounds，andwhichhadsofarmiscarriedthatwithinamonthoftwoafteryourmarriageyouweredriventoapplytomeforfunds！’

’Iwantedmoneyforacertainpurpose。’

’Haveyouanypartner，MrLopez？’Thisaddresswasfelttobeveryominous。

’Yes。Ihaveapartnerwhoispossessedofcapital。HisnameisParker。’

’Thenhiscapitalisyourcapital。’

’Well——Ican’texplainit，butitisnotso。’

’Whatisthenameofyourfirm？’

’Wehaven’taregisteredname。’

’Haveyouaplaceofbusiness？’

’ParkerhasaplaceofbusinessinLittleTankardYard。’

MrWhartonturnedtoadirectoryandfoundoutParker’sname。

’MrParkerisastockbroker。Areyoualsoastockbroker？’

’No，——Iamnot。’

’Then，sir，itseemstomethatyouareacommercialadventurer。’

’Iamnotatallashamedofthename，MrWharton。AccordingtoyourmannerofreckoninghalfthebusinessoftheCityofLondonisdonebycommercialadventurers。Iwatchthemarketsandbuygoods，——andsellthemataprofit。MrParkerisamoneyedman，whohappensalsotobeastockbroker。Wecanveryeasilycallourselvesmerchants，andputupthenamesofLopezandParkeroverthedoor。’

’Doyousignbillstogether？’

’Yes。’

’AsLopezandParker？’

’No。Isignthemandhesignsthem。Itradealsobymyself，andso，Ibelieve，doeshe。’

’Oneotherquestion，MrLopez。Onwhatincomehaveyoupaidincome-taxforthelastthreeyears？’

’On2，000poundsayear，’saidLopez。Thiswasadirectlie。

’Canyoumakeoutanyscheduleshowingyourexactassetsandliabilitiesatthepresenttime？’

’CertainlyIcan。’

’Thendoso，andsendittomebeforeIgointoHertfordshire。

Mywillasitstandsatpresentwouldnotbetoyouradvantage。

ButIcannotchangeittillIknowmoreofyourcircumstancesthanIdonow。’Andsotheinterviewwasover。

CHAPTER45

MRSSEXTYPARKER。

ThoughMrWhartonandLopezmeteverydayforthenextweek，nothingmorewassaidabouttheschedule。Theoldmanwasthinkingaboutiteveryday，andsowasLopez。ButMrWhartonhadmadehisdemand，and，ashethought，nothingmorewastobesaidonthesubject。Hecouldnotcontinuethesubjectashewouldhavedonewithhisson。Butasdayafterdaypassedbyhebecamemoreandmoreconvincedthathisson-in-law’saffairswerenotinastatewhichcouldbeartoseethelight。Hehaddeclaredhispurposeofalteringhiswillintheman’sfavour，ifthemanwouldsatisfyhim。Andyetnothingwasdoneandnothingwassaid。

Lopezhadcomeamongthemandrobbedhimofhisdaughter。Sincethemanhadbecomeintimateinhishousehehadnotknownanhour’shappiness。Themanhaddestroyedalltheplansofhislife，brokenthroughhiscastle，andviolatedhisveryhearth。

Nodoubthehimselfhadvacillated。Hewasawareofthat。Nopresentmoodwassevereenoughinjudginghimself。Inhisdesolationhehadtriedtotakethemantohisheart，——hadbeenkindtohim，andhadevenopenedhishousetohim。Hehadtoldhimselfthatasthemanwasthehusbandofhisdaughterhehadbettermakethebestofit。Hehadendeavouredtomakethebestofit，butbetweenhimandthemanthereweresuchdifferencesthattheywerepolesasunder。Andnowitbecamecleartohimthatthemanwas，ashehaddeclaredtotheman’sface，nobetterthananadventurer！

Byhiswillasitatpresentstoodhehadlefttwo-thirdsofhispropertytoEverett，andone-thirdtohisdaughter，witharrangementsforsettlinghershareonherchildren，shouldshebemarriedandhavechildrenatthetimeofhisdeath。Thiswillhadbeenmademanyyearsago，andhehadlongsincedeterminedtoalterit，inorderthathemightdividehispropertyequallybetweenhischildren——buthehadpostponedthematter，intendingtogivealargeportionofEmily’ssharetoherdirectlyonhermarriagewithArthurFletcher。ShehadnotmarriedArthurFletcher——butitwasstillnecessarythatanewwillshouldbemade。

WhenhelefttownforHertfordshirehehadnotyetmadeuphismindhowthisshouldbedone。HehadatonetimethoughtthathewouldgivesomeconsiderablesumtoLopezatonce，knowingthattoamaninbusinesssuchassistancewouldbeuseful。Andhehadnotaltogetherabandonedthatidea，evenwhenhehadaskedfortheschedule。Hedidnotrelishthethoughtofgivinghishard-

earnedmoneytoLopez，butstilltheman’swifewashisdaughter，andhemustdothebestthathecouldforher。Hertasteinmarryingthemanwasinexplicabletohim。Butthatwasdone——

andnowhowmighthebestarrangehisaffairssoastoserveherinterests？

AboutthemiddleofAugusthewenttoHertfordshireandshetotheseasideinEssex，——tothelittleplacewhichLopezhadselected。Beforetheendofthemonththefather-in-lawwrotealinetohisson-in-law。

DEARLOPEZ，(notwithoutpremeditationhadhedepartedfromthesternnessofthat’MrLopez’，whichinhisangerhehadusedatthechambers。)

WhenwewerediscussingyouraffairsIaskedyouforascheduleofyourassetsandliabilities。IcanmakenonewarrangementofmypropertyuntilIreceivethis。

ShouldIdieleavingmypresentwillastheinstrumentunderwhichmypropertywouldbeconveyedtomyheirs，Emily’ssharewouldgointothehandsoftrusteesfortheuseofherselfandherpossiblechildren。Itellyouthisthatyoumayunderstandthatitisforyourowninteresttocomplywithmyrequisition。

Yours，A。WHARTON

Ofcoursequestionswereaskedhimastohowthenewlymarriedcoupleweregettingon。AtWhartonthesequestionsweremildandeasilyputoff。SirAluredwascontentedwithaslightshakeofhishead，andLadyWhartononlyremarkedforthefifthorsixthtimethatit’wasapity’。ButwhentheyallwenttoLongbarns，thedifficultybecamegreater。Arthurwasnotthere，andoldMrsFletcherwasinfullstrength。’SotheLopezeshavecometolivewithyouinManchesterSquare？’MrWhartonacknowledgedthatitwassowithanaffirmativegrunt。’Ihopehe’sapleasantinmate。’Therewasascornintheoldwoman’svoiceasshesaidthis，whichoughttohaveprovokedanyman。

’Moresothanmostmenwouldbe，’saidMrWharton。

’Oh，indeed！’

’Heiscourteousandforbearing，anddoesnotthinkthateverythingaroundhimshouldbesuitedtohisownpeculiarfancies。’

’Iamgladyouarecontentedwiththemarriage，MrWharton。’

’WhosaidthatIamcontentedwithit？Nooneoughttounderstandortosharemydiscontentsocordiallyasyourself，MrsFletcher——andnooneoughttobemorecharyofspeakingofit。YouandIhopedforotherthings，andoldpeopledonotliketobedisappointed。ButIneedn’tpaintthedevilblackerthanheis。’

’I’mafraidthat，asusual，heisratherblack。’

’Mother，’saidJohnFletcher，’thethinghasbeendoneandyoumightaswellletitbe。WeareallsorrythatEmilyhasnotcomenearertous，butshehasarighttochooseforherself，andIforonewish，——asdoesmybrotheralso，——thatshemaybehappyinthelotshehaschosen。’

’HisconducttoArthuratSilverbridgewassonice！，’saidthepertinaciousoldwoman。

’Nevermindhisconduct，mother。Whatisittous？’

’That’sallverywell，John，butaccordingtothatnobodyistotalkaboutanybody。’

’Iwouldmuchprefer，atanyrate，’saidMrWharton，’thatyouwouldnottalkaboutMrLopezinmyhearing。’

’Idon’tlikeLopez，youknow，’MrWhartonsaidtoJohnFletcherafterwards。’HowshoulditbepossiblethatIshouldlikesuchaman？Buttherecanbenogoodgotbycomplaints。Itisnotwhatyourmothersuffers，orwhatevilIcansuffer，——or，worseagain，whatArthurmaysuffer，thatmakesthesadnessofallthis。Whatwillbeherlife？Thatisthequestion。Anditistoonearme，tooimportanttome，fortheenduranceeitherofscornorpity。Iwasgladyouaskedyourmothertobesilent。’

’Icanunderstandit，’saidJohn。’Idonotthinkthatshewilltroubleyouagain。’

InthemeantimeLopezreceivedMrWharton’sletteratDovercourt，andhadtoconsiderwhatanswerheshouldgivetoit。Noanswercouldbesatisfactory，——unlesshecouldimposeafalseansweronhisfather-in-lawsoastomakeitcredible。Themorehethoughtofit，themorehebelievedthiswouldbeimpossible。Thecautiousoldlawyerwouldnotacceptunverifiedstatements。A

certainsumofmoney，——bynomeansilliberalatpresent，——hehadalreadyextractedfromtheoldman。Whathewantedwasafurtherandmuchlargergrant。ThoughMrWhartonwasoldhedidnotwanttohavetowaitforthedeathevenofanoldman。Thenexttwoorthreeyears，——probablytheverynextyear，——mightbetheturning-pointofhislife。Hehadmarriedthegirl，andoughttohavethegirl’sfortune，——downonthenail！Ashethoughtofthishecursedhisillluck。Thehusbandsofothergirlshadtheirfortunesconveyedtothemimmediatelyontheirmarriage。Whatwouldnot20，000poundsdoforhim，ifhecouldgetitintohishand？Andsohetaughthimselftoregardtheoldmanasarobberandhimselfasavictim。Whoamongusistherewhodoesnotteachhimselfthesamelesson？Andthentoohowcruelly，howdamnablyhehadbeenusedbytheDuchessofOmnium！

AndhowSextyParker，whosefortunehewasmakingforhim，whosefortuneheatanyrateintendedtomake，wastroublinghiminvariousways。’We’reinaboattogether，’Sextyhadsaid。

’You’vehadtheuseofmymoney，andbyheavensyouhaveitstill。Idon’tseewhyyoushouldbesostiff。DoyoubringyourmissustoDovercourt，andI’lltakemine，andlet’emknoweachother。’Therewasalittleargumentonthesubject，butSextyParkerhadthebestofit，andinthiswaythetriptoDovercourtwasarranged。

Lopezwasinaverygoodhumourwhenhetookhiswifedown，andhewalkedherroundtheterracesandesplanadesofthatnotsufficientlywell-knownmarineparadise，nowbiddingheradmiretheseaandnowlaughingatthefineryofthepeople，tillshebecamegraduallyfilledwiththeideathathewasmakinghimselfpleasant，shealsooughttodothesame。Ofcourseshewasnothappy。Thegildinghadsocompletelyandsorapidlybeenwashedoffheridolthatshecouldnotbeveryhappy。Butshealsocouldbegood-humoured。’Andnow，’saidhe，smiling，’Ihavegotsomethingforyoutodoforme，——somethingthatyouwillfindverydisagreeable。’

’Whatisit？Itwon’tbeverybad，I’msure。’

’Itwillbeverybad，I’mafraid。Myexcellentbuthorriblyvulgarpartner，SextyParker，whenhefoundthatIwascominghere，insistedonbringinghiswifeandchildrenalso。Iwantyoutoknowthem。’

’Isthatall？ShemustbeverybadindeedifIcan’tputupwiththat。’

’Inonesensesheisn’tbadatall。Ibelievehertobeanexcellentwoman，intentonspoilingherchildrenandgivingherhusbandagooddinnereveryday。ButIthinkyouwillfindthatsheis，——well，——notquitewhatyouwouldcallalady。’

’Ishan’tmindthatintheleast。I’llhelpherspoilthechildren。’

’Youcangetalessonthere，youknow，’hesaid，lookingintoherface。Thelittlejokewasonewhichayoungwifemighttakewithpleasurefromherhusband，butherlifehadalreadybeentoomuchembitteredforanysuchdelight。Yes。thetimewascomingwhenthattroublealsowouldbeaddedtoher。Shedreadedsheknewnotwhat，andhadoftentoldherselfthatitwouldbebetterthatsheshouldbechildless。

’Doyoulikehim？’shesaid。

’Likehim。No——Ican’tsayIlikehim。Heisuseful，andinonesensehonest。’

’Ishenothonestinallsenses？’

’That’salargeorder。Totellyouthetruth，Idon’tknowanymanwhois。’

’Everettishonest。’

’Helosesmoneyatplaywhichhecan’tpaywithoutassistancefromhisfather。Ifhisfatherhadrefused，wherewouldthenhavebeenhishonesty？Sextyisashonestasothers，Idaresay，butIshouldn’tliketotrusthimmuchfartherthanIcouldseehim。Ishan’tgouptotownto-morrow，andwe’llbothlookinonthemafterluncheon。’

Intheafternoonthecallwasmade。TheParkers，havingchildren，haddinedearly，andhewassittingoutonalittleporchsmokinghispipe，drinkingwhiskyandwater，andlookingatthesea。Hiseldestgirlwasstandingbetweenhislegs，andhiswife，withtheotherthreechildrenroundher，wassittingonthedoor-step。’I’vebroughtmywifetoseeyou，’saidLopez，holdinghishandtoMrsParker，assherosefromtheground。

’Itoldherthatyou’dbecoming，’saidSexty，’andshewantedmetoputoffmypipeandlittledropofdrink。butIsaidthatifMrsLopezwastheladyItookhertobeshewouldn’tbegrudgeahard-workingfellowhispipeandglassonaholiday。’

TherewasasoundnessofsenseinthiswhichmollifiedanyfeelingofdisgustwhichEmilymighthavefeltattheman’svulgarity。’Ithinkyouarequiteright，MrParker。Ishouldbeverysorryif，——if——’

’IfIwastoputmypipeout。Well，Iwon’t。You’lltakeaglassofsherry，Lopez？ThoughI’mdrinkingspiritsmyself。I

broughtdownahamperofsherrywine。Oh，nonsense——youmusttakesomething。That’sright，Jane。Letushavethestuffandtheglasses，andthentheycandoastheylike。’Lopezlitacigar，andallowedhishosttopouroutforhimaglassof’sherrywine’，whileMrsLopezwentintothehousewithMrsParkerandthechildren。

MrsParkeropenedherselfouttohernewfriendimmediately。Shehopedthattheytwomightsee’adealofeachother，——thatis，ifyoudon’tthinkit’stoopushing’。Sextus，shesaid，wassomuchaway，comingdowntoDovercourtonlyeveryotherday！Andthen，withinthehalfhourwhichwasconsumedbyLopezwithhiscigar，thepoorwomangotuponthegeneraltroublesofherlife。

DidMrsLopezthinkthat’allthisspeckelationwasjusttherightthing？’

’Idon’tthinkIknowanythingaboutit，MrsParker。’

’Butyouought——oughtn’tyou，now？Don’tyouthinkthatawifeoughttoknowwhatitisthatherhusbandisafter——speciallyifthere’schildren？Agoodbitofmoneywasmine，MrsLopez，andthoughIdon’tbegrudgeit，notonebit，ifanygoodistocomeoutofittohimorthem，awomandoesn’tlikewhatherfatherhasgivenhershouldbemadeducksanddrakesof。’

’Butaretheymakingducksanddrakes？’

’Whenhedon’ttellmeI’malwaysafeard。AndI’lltellyouwhatIknowjustaswellastwoandtwo。Whenhecomeshomealittleflustered，andthentakesmorethanhisregularallowance，he’sbeenatsomethingasdon’tquitesatisfyhim。He’sneverthatwaywhenhe’sdoneagoodday’sworkathisregularbusiness。Hetakestothechildrenthen，andhasoneglassafterhisdinner，andtellsmeallaboutit，——downtotheshillingsandpence。

Butit’sveryseldomhe’sthatwaynow。’

’Youmaythinkitveryodd，MrsParker，butIdon’tintheleastknowwhatmyhusbandis——inbusiness。’

’Andyouneverask？’

’Ihaven’tbeenverylongmarried，youknow，——onlyabouttwomonths。’

’I’dhadmyfustbythattime。’

’Onlyninemonths，Ithink，indeed。’

’Well。Iwasn’tverylongafterthat。ButItookcaretoknowwhatitwashewasa-doingofinthecitylongbeforethattime。

AndIdidusetoknoweverything，till——’Shewasgoingtosay，tillLopezhadcomeuponthescene。Butshedidnotwish，atanyrateasyet，tobeharshtohernewfriend。

’Ihopeitisallright，’saidEmily。

’Sometimeshe’sasthoughtheBankofEnglandwasallhisown。

Andthere’sbeenmoremoneycomeintothehouse——thatImustsay。Andthereisn’tanopen-handederonethanSextyanywhere。

He’dliketoseemeinasilkgowneverydayofmylife——andasforthechildren，there’snothingsmartenoughforthem。OnlyI’dsoonerhavealittleandsafe，thananythingeversofine，andneverbesurewhetheritwasn’tgoingtocometoanend。’

’ThereIagreewithyou，quite。’

’Idon’tsupposemenfeelsitaswedo。but，oh，MrsLopez，givemealittlesafe，sothatImayknowthatIshan’tseemychildrenwant。WhenIthinkswhatitwouldbetohavethemdarlings’littlebelliesempty，andnothinginthecupboard，I

getthatlowthatI’mnighfitforBedlam。’

Inthemeantimethetwomenoutsidetheporchwerediscussingtheiraffairsinsomewhatthesamespirit。AtlastLopezshowedthefriendWharton’sletter，andtoldhimoftheexpectedschedule。’Schedulebed-d，youknow，’saidLopez。’HowamItoputdownariseof12s。6datononKauriguminaschedule？Butwhenyoucometo2，000tonsit’s1，250pounds。’

’He’sveryold，isn’the？’

’Butasstrongasahorse。’

’He’sgotthemoney？’

’Yes——hehasgotitsafeenough。There’snodoubtaboutthemoney。’

’Whathetalksaboutisonlyawill。Nowyouwantthemoneyatonce。’

’OfcourseIdo——andhetalkstomeasifIweresomeoldfogywithanestateofmyown。Imustconcoctaletterandexplainmyviews。andthemoreIcanmakehimunderstandhowthingsreallyarethebetter。Idon’tsupposehewantstoseehisdaughtercometogrief。’

’Thenthesooneryouwriteitthebetter，’saidMrParker。

CHAPTER46

’HEWANTSTOGETRICHTOOQUICK。’

AstheystrolledhomeLopeztoldhiswifethathehadacceptedaninvitationtodinethenextdayattheParker’scottage。Indoingthishismannerwasnotquitesogentleaswhenhehadaskedhertocallonthem。Hehadbeenalittleruffledbywhathadbeensaid，andnowexhibitedhistemper。’Idon’tsupposeitwillbeverynice，’hesaid，’butwemayhavetoputupwithworsethingsthanthat。’

’Ihavemadenoobjection。’

’Butyoudon’tseemtotakeitverycordially。’

’IhadthoughtIhadgotonverywellwithMrsParker。Ifyoucaneatyourdinnerwiththem，I’msureIcan。Youdonotseemtolikehimaltogether，andIwishyouhadgotapartnermoretoyourtaste。’

’Tasteindeed！Whenyoucometothiskindofthingitisn’tamatteroftaste。Thefactis，thatIaminthefellow’shandstoanextentIdon’tliketothinkof，anddon’tseemywayoutofitunlessyourfatherwilldoasheoughttodo。Youaltogetherrefusetohelpmewithyourfather，andyoumust，therefore，putupwithSextyParkerandhiswife。ItisquiteonthecardsthatworsethingsmaycomeeventhanSextyParker。’Tothisshemadenoimmediateanswer，butwalkedon，increasingherpace，notonlyunhappy，butalsoveryangry。Itwasbecomingamatterofdoubttoherwhethershecouldcontinuetobeartherepeatedattacksaboutherfather’smoney。’Icanseehowitis，’hecontinued。

’Youthinkthatahusbandshouldbearallthetroublesoflife，andthatawifeshouldneverbemadetohearofthem。’

’Ferdinand，’shesaid，’IdeclareIdidnotthinkthatanymancouldbesounfairtoawomanasyouaretome。’

’Ofcourse！BecauseIhaven’tgotthousandsayeartospendonyouIamunfair。’

’Iamcontenttoliveinanywaythatyoumaydirect。Ifyouarepoor，Iamsatisfiedtobepoor。Ifyouareevenruined，Iamcontenttoberuined。’

’Whoistalkingaboutruin？’

’Ifyouareinwantofeverything，Ialsowillbeinwantandwillnevercomplain。WhateverourjointlotmaybringtousI

willendureandendeavourtoendurewithcheerfulness。ButI

willnotaskmyfatherformoney，eitherforyouorformyself。

Heknowswhatheoughttodo。Itrusthimimplicitly。’

’Andmenotatall。’

’Heis，Iknow，incommunicationwithyouaboutwhatshouldbedone。Icanonlysay，——tellhimeverything。’

’Mydear，thatisamatterinwhichitmaybepossiblethatI

understandmyowninterestbest。’

’Verylikely。Icertainlyunderstandnothing，forIdonotevenknowthenatureofyourbusiness。HowcanItellhimthatheoughttogiveyoumoney？’

’Youmighthaveaskedhimforyourown。’

’Ihavegotnothing。DidIevertellyouthatIhad？’

’Yououghttohaveknown。’

’DoyoumeanthatwhenyouaskedmetomarryyouIshouldhaverefusedyoubecauseIdidnotknowwhatmoneymypapawouldgiveme？Whydidyounotaskpapa？’

’HadIknownhimthenaswellasIdonowyoumaybequitesurethatIshouldhavedoneso。’

’Ferdinand，itwillbebetterthatweshouldnotspeakaboutmyfather。Iwillinallthingsstrivetodoasyouwouldhaveme，butIcannothearhimabused。Ifyouhaveanythingtosay，gotoEverett。’

’Yes——whenheissuchagamblerthatyourfatherwon’tevenspeaktohim。Yourfatherwillbefounddeadinbedsomeday，andallhismoneywillhavebeenlefttosomecursedhospital。’

Theywereattheirowndoorwhenthiswassaid，andshe，withoutfurtheranswer，wentuptoherbedroom。

Allthesebitterthingshadbeensaid，notbecauseLopezhadthoughtthathecouldfurtherhisownviewsbysayingthem——heknewindeedthathewasinjuringhimselfbyeverydisplayofill-

temper——butshewasinhispower，andSextyParkerwasrebelling。Hethoughtagooddealthatdayonthedelighthewouldhavein’kickingthatill-conditionedcur’，ifonlyhecouldaffordtokickhim。Butiswifewashisown，andshemustbetaughttoendurehiswill，andmustbemadetoknowthatthoughshewasnottobekicked，yetshewastobetormentedandill-used。Anditmightbepossiblethatheshouldcowherspiritsastobringhertoactassheshoulddirect。Still，ashewalkedalonealongthesea-shore，heknewthatitwouldbebetterforhimtocontrolhistemper。

OnthateveninghedidwritetoMrWharton，——asfollows，——andhedatedtheletterfromLittleTankardYard，sothatMrWhartonmightsupposethatthatwashisownplaceofbusiness，andthathewasthere，athiswork：

MYDEARSIR，Youhaveaskedforascheduleofmyaffairs，andIhavefounditquiteimpossibletogiveit。AsitwaswiththemerchantswhomShakespeareandtheotherdramatistsdescribed，——soitiswithme。Mycaravelsareoutatsea，andwillnotalwayscomehomeintime。Mypropertyatthismomentconsistsofcertainsharesofcargoesofjute，Kaurigum，guano，andsulphur，worthaltogetheratthepresentmomentsomethingover26，000pounds，ofwhichMrParkerpossessesahalf——butthenofthispropertyonlyaportionispaidfor，——perhapssomethingmorethanahalf。Fortheotherhalfourbillsareinthemarket。

ButinFebruarynextthesearticleswillprobablybesoldforconsiderablymorethan30，000pounds。IfIhad5，000

poundsplacedtomycreditnow，Ishouldbeworthabout15，000poundsbytheendofnextFebruary。Iamengagedinsundryothersmallerventures，allreturningprofits——

butinsuchaconditionofthingsitisimpossiblethatIshouldmakeaschedule。

Iamundoubtedlyintheconditionofamantradingbeyondhiscapital。Ihavebeentemptedbyfairoffers，andwhatIthinkImaycallsomethingbeyondanaverageunderstandingofsuchmatters，togointoventuresbeyondmymeans。Ihavestretchedmyarmouttoofar。InsuchapositionitisnotperhapsunnaturalthatIshouldaskawealthyfather-in-lawtoassistme。ItiscertainlynotunnaturalthatIshouldwishhimtodoso。

IdonotthinkIamamercenaryman。WhenImarriedyourdaughterIraisednoquestionofherfortune。BeingembarkedintradeInodoubtthoughtthathermeans，——

whatevertheymightbe，——wouldbejoinedwithmyown。I

knowthatasumof20，000pounds，withmyexpeditioususeofthemoney，wouldgiveusanobleincome。ButIwouldnotcondescendtoaskaquestionwhichmightleadtoasuppositionthatIwasmarryingherforhermoneyandnotbecauseIlovedher。

Younowknow，Ithink，allthatIcantellyou。IftherebeanyotherquestionsIwouldwillinglyanswerthem。ItiscertainlythecasethatEmily’sfortune，whateveryoumaychoosetogiveher，wouldbeofinfinitelygreaterusetomenow，——andconsequentlytoher，——thanatafuturedatewhichIsincerelypraymaybeverylongdeferred。

Believemetobe，youraffectionateson-in-lawFERDINANDLOPEZ

A。Wharton，Esq。

Thisletterhehimselftookuptotownonthefollowingday，andthereposted，addressingittoWhartonHall。Hedidnotexpectverygreatresultsfromit。Ashereaditover，hewaspainfullyawarethatallthistrashaboutcaravelsandcargoesofsulphurwouldnotgoveryfarwithMrWharton。Butitmightgofartherthannothing。HewasboundnottoneglectMrWharton’slettertohim。Whenamanisindifficultyaboutmoney，evenalie，——evenaliethatissuretobefoundouttobealie，——willservehisimmediateturnbetterthansilence。Thereisnothingthatthecourtshatesomuchascontempt——notevenperjury。AndLopezfeltthatMrWhartonwasthejudgebeforewhomhewasboundtoplead。

HereturnedtoDovercourtonthatday，andheandhiswifedinedwiththeParkers。NowomanofheragehadknownbetterwhatwerethemannersofladiesandgentlementhanEmilyWharton。ShehadthoroughlyunderstoodthatwheninHertfordshireshewassurroundedbypeopleofthatclass，andthatwhenshewaswithheraunt，MrsRoby，shewasnotquitesohappilyplaced。Nodoubtshehadbeenterriblydeceivedbyherhusband，——butthedeceithadcomefromthefactthathismannersgavenoindicationofhischaracter。WhenshefoundherselfinMrsParker’slittlesitting-room，withMrParkermakingfloridspeechestoher，sheknewthatshehadfallenamongpeopleforwhosesocietyshehadnotbeenintended。Butthiswasapart，andonlyaverytriflingpart，ofthepunishmentwhichshefeltthatshedeserved。Ifthat，andthingslikethat，wereall，shewouldbearthemwithoutamurmur。

’NowIcallDovercourtadoocednicelittleplace，’saidMrsParker，ashehelpedhertothe’bitfish’，whichhetoldherhehadbroughtdownwithhimfromLondon。

’Itisveryhealthy，Ishouldthink。

’Justthethingforthechildren，ma’am。You’venoneofyourown，MrsLopez，butthere’sagoodtimecoming。Youwereupto-

day，weren’tyou，Lopez。Anynews？’

’Thingsseemedtobeveryquietinthecity。’

’Tooquiet，I’mafraid。Ihatehaving’emquiet。YoumustcomeandseemeinLittleTankardYardsomeofthesedays，MrsLopez。

Wecangiveyouaglassofchampagneandthewingofachicken——

can’twe，Lopez？’

’Idon’tknow。It’smorethanyouevergaveme，’saidLopez，tryingtolookgood-humoured。

’Butyouain’talady。’

’Orme，’saidMrsParker。

’You’reonlyawife。IfMrsLopezwillmakeadayofitwe’lltreatherwellinthecity——won’twe，Ferdinand？’Ablackcloudcomeacross’Ferdinand’s’face，buthesaidnothing。Emilyofasuddendrewherselfupunconsciously，——andthenatoncerelaxedherfeaturesandsmiled。Ifherhusbandchosethatitshouldbeso，shewouldmakenoobjection。

’Uponmyhonour，Sexty，youareveryfamiliar，’saidMrsParker。

’It’sawaywehaveinthecity，’saidSexty。Sextyknewwhathewasabout。HispartnercalledhimSexty，andwhyshouldn’thecallhispartnerFerdinand？

’He’llcallyouEmilybeforelong，’saidLopez。

’WhenyoucallmywifeJane，Ishall，——andI’venoobjectioninlife。Idon’tseewhypeopleain’ttocalleachotherbytheirChristiannames。Takeaglassofchampagne，MrsLopez。I

broughtdownhalf-a-dozento-daysothatwemightbejolly。Carekilledacat。Whateverwecalleachother，I’mverygladtoseeyouhere，MrsLopez，andIhopeit’sthefirstofagreatmany。

Here’stoyourhealth。’

Itwasallhisordering，andifhebadeherdinewithacrossing-

sweepershewoulddoit。Butshecouldnotbutrememberthatnotlongsincehehadtoldherthathispartnerwasnotapersonwithwhomshecouldfitlyassociated。andshedidnotfailtoperceivethathemustbegoingdownintheworldtoadmitsuchassociationsforherafterhehadsospoken。AndasshesippedthemixturewhichSextycalledchampagne，shethoughtofHertfordshireandthebanksoftheWye，and——alas，alas，——shethoughtofArthurFletcher。Nevertheless，comewhatmight，shewoulddoherduty，eventhoughitmightcalluponhertositatdinnerwithMrParkerthreedaysintheweek。Lopezwasherhusband，andwouldbethefatherofherchild，andshewouldmakeherselfonewithhim。Itmatterednotwhatpeoplemightcallhim，——orevenher。Shehadactedonherownjudgementinmarryinghim，andhadbeenafool。andnowshewouldbearthepunishmentwithoutcomplaint。

WhendinnerwasoverMrsParkerhelpedtheservanttoremovethedinnerthingsfromthesinglesitting-room，andthetwomenwentouttosmoketheircigarsinthecoveredporch。MrsParkerherselftookoutthewhiskyandhotwater，andsugarandlemons，andthenreturnedtohavealittlematronlydiscoursewithherguest。’DoesMrLopezevertakeadroptoomuch？’

’Never，’saidMrsLopez。

’Perhapsitdon’taffecthimasitdoSexty。Heain’tadrinker——

certainlynot。Andhe’sonethatworkshardeverydayofhislife。Buthe’sgettingfondofittheselasttwelvemonths，andthoughhedon’ttakeverymuchithurrieshimandflurrieshim。

IfIspeaksatnighthegetscross——andinthemorningwhenhegetsup，whichhealwaysdoregular，thoughit’seversobadwithhim，thenIhaven’tthehearttoscoldhim。It’sveryhardsometimesforawifetoknowwhattodo，MrsLopez。’

’Yes，indeed。’Emilycouldnotbutthinkhowsoonsheherselfhadlearnedthatlesson。

’OfcourseI’danythingforSexty，——thefatherofmybairns，andhasalwaysbeenagoodhusbandtome。Youdon’tknowhim，ofcourse，butIdo。Arightgoodmanatbottom。butsoweak！’

’Ifhe，——ifhe，——injureshishealth，shouldn’tyoutalktohimaboutit？’

’Itisn’tthedrinkasistheevil，MrsLopez，butthatwhichmakeshimdrink。He’snotoneasgoesamuckermerelyforthepleasure。Whenthingsaregoingrighthe’llsitoutinourarbourathome，andsmokepipeafterpipe，playingwiththechildren，andoneglassofginandwaterwillseehimtobed。Tobacco，dry，doagreewithhim，Ithink。Butwhenhecomestothreeorfourgoesofhottoddy，Iknowit’snotasitshouldbe。’

’Youshouldrestrainhim，MrsParker。’

’OfcourseIshould——buthow？AmItowalkoffwiththebottleanddisgracehimbeforetheservantgirl？OramItoletthechildrenknowastheirfathertakestoomuch？IfIwasasmuchastomakeonefightofit，it’dbealloverPonder’sEndthathe’sadrunkard——whichheain’t。Restrainhim——ohyes！IfI

couldrestrainthatgamblinginsteadofregularbusiness。That’swhatIwouldliketorestrain。’

’Doeshegamble？’

’WhatisitbutgamblingthatheandMrLopezisa-doingtogether？Orcourse，ma’am，Idon’tknowyou，andyouaredifferentfromme。Iain’tfoolishenoughnottoknowallthat。

MyfatherstoodinSmithfieldandsoldhay，andyourfatherisagentlemanashasbeenhighupintheCourtsallhislife。Butit’syourhusbandisa-doingthis。’

’Oh，MrsParker！’

’Heisthen。Idon’tknowaboutcommerce，MrsLopez，becauseI’monlyawoman。butitcan’tbefair。Theygoesandbuysthingsthattheyhaven’tgotthemoneytopayfor，andthenwaitstoseeifthey’llturnuptrumps。Isn’tthatgambling？’

’Icannotsay。Idonotknow。’Shefeltnowthatherhusbandhadbeenaccused，andthatpartofthataccusationhadbeenlevelledatherself。Therewassomethinginhermannerofsayingthesefewwordswhichthepoorcomplainingwomanperceived，feelingimmediatelythatshehadbeeninhospitableandperhapsunjust。Sheputoutherhandsoftly，touchingtheotherwoman’sarm，andlookingupintoherguest’sface。’Ifthisisso，it’sterrible，’saidEmily。

’PerhapsIshouldn’tspeaksofree。’

’Oh，yes——foryourchildren，andyourself，andyourhusband。’

’It’sthem，——andhim。Ofcourseit’snotyourdoing，andMrLopez，I’msure，isaveryfinegentleman。Andifhegetswrongoneway，he’llgethimselfrightinanother。’UponhearingthisEmilyshookherhead。’Yourpapaisarichman，andwon’tseeyouandyourscometowant。There’snothingmoretocometomeorSextyletitbeeverso。’

’Whydoeshedoit？’

’Whydoeswhodoit？’

’Yourhusband。Whydon’tyouspeaktohimasyoudotome，andtellhimtomindonlyhisproperbusiness？’

’Nowyouareangrywithme。’

’Angry！No——indeedIamnotangry。Everywordthatyousayisgoodandtrue，andjustwhatyououghttosay。Iamnotangry。

butIamterrified。Iknownothingofmyhusband’sbusiness。I

cannottellyouthatyoushouldtrusttoit。Heisveryclever，but-’

’Butwhat，ma’am？’

’PerhapsIshouldsaythatheisambitious。’

’Youmeanhewantstogetrichtooquick，ma’am。’

’I’mafraidso。’

’Thenit’sjustthesamewithSexty。He’sambitioustoo。Butwhat’sthegoodofbeingambitious，MrsLopez，ifyouneverknowwhetheryou’reonyourheadoryourheels？Andwhat’sthegoodofbeingambitiousifyou’retogetintotheworkhouse？Iknowwhatthatmeans。There’soneortwoofthemsortofmengetsintoParliament，andhashousesasbigastheQueen’spalace，whilehundredsofthemhastheirwivesandchildreninthegutter。Whoeverhearsofthem？Nobody。Itdon’tbecomeanymantobeambitiouswhohasgotawifeandfamily。Ifhe’sabachelor，who，ofcourse，hecangototheColonies。There’sMaryJaneandthetwolittleonesrightdownonthesea，withtheirfeetinthewater。Sheweputonourhats，MrsLopez，andgoandlookafterthem？’TothispropositionEmilyassented，andthetwoladieswentoutafterthechildren。

’Mixyourselfanotherglass，’saidSextytohispartner。

’I’drathernot。Don’taskmeagain。YouknowIneverdrink，andIdon’tlikebeingpressed。’

’ByGeorge，——you’reparticular。’

’What’stheuseofteasingafellowtodoathinghedoesn’tlike？’

’Youwon’tmindmehavinganother？’

’Fiftyifyouplease，sothatI’mnotforcedtojoinyou。’

’Forced！It’sliberty’allhere，andyoucandoasyouplease。

Onlywhenafellowwilltakeadropwithme，he’sbettercompany。’

’ThenI’md-dbadcompany，andyou’dbettergetsomebodyelsetobejollywith。Totellyouthetruth，Sexty，Isuityoubetteratbusinessthanatthissortofthing。I’mlikeShylock，youknow。’

’Idon’tknowaboutShylock，butI’mblessedifIthinkyousuitmeverywellatanything。I’mputtingupwithadealofill-

usage，andwhenItrytobehappywithyou，youwon’tdrink，andyoutellmeaboutShylock。HewasaJew，wasn’the？’

’Thatisthegeneralidea。’

’Thenyouain’tmuchverylikehim，forthey’rethesortofpeoplethatalwayshasmoneyaboutthem。’

’Howdoyousupposehemadehismoneytobeginwith？Whatanassyouare！’

’That’strue，Iam。EversinceIbeganputtingmynameonthesamebitofpaperwithyours，I’vebeenanass。’

’You’llhavetobeoneabitlongeryet——unlessyoumeantothrowupeverything。Atthispresentmomentyouaresixorseventhousandpoundsricherthanyouwerebeforeyoufirstmetme。’

’IwishIcouldseethemoney。’

’That’slikeyou。What’stheuseofmoneyyoucansee？Howareyoutomakemoneyoutofmoneybylookingatit？Iliketoknowthatmymoneyisfructifying。’

’Iliketoknowthatit’sallthere，——andIdidknowitbeforeI

eversawyou。I’mblessedifIknowitnow。Godownandjointheladies，willyou？Youain’tmuchofacompanionuphere。’

ShortlyafterthatLopeztoldMrsParkerthathehadalreadybadeadieutoherhusband，andthenhetookhiswifetotheirownlodgings。

CHAPTER47

ASFORLOVE！

ThetimespentbyMrsLopezatDovercourtwasbynomeansoneofcompletehappiness。Herhusbanddidnotcomedownveryfrequently，allegingthathisbusinesskepthimintown，andthatthejourneywastoolong。Whenhedidcomeheannoyedhereitherbymorosenessortyranny，orbyanaffectationoflovinggood-

humour，whichwasthemoredisagreeablealternativeofthetwo。

Sheknewthathehadnotrighttobegood-humoured，andshewasquiteabletoappreciatethedifferencebetweenfictitiousloveandlovethatwasreal。HedidnotwhileshewasatDovercourtspeaktoheragaindirectlyaboutherfather’smoney，——buthegavehertounderstandthatherequiredfromherverycloseeconomy。ThenagainshereferredtothebroughamwhichsheknewwastobeinreadinessonherreturntoLondon，buthetoldherthathewasthebestjudgeofthat。Theeconomywhichhedemandedwasthatcomfortlessheartrendingeconomywhichnipsthepractiserateveryturn，butdoesnotbetrayitselftotheworldatlarge。Hewouldhavehersaveoutofherwasherwomanandlinendraper，andyethaveasmartgownandgoinabrougham。Hebegrudgedherpostagestamps，andstoppedthesubscriptionatMudie’s，thoughheinsistedonafrontseatintheDovercourtchurch，payinghalfaguineamoreforitthanhewouldforaplaceattheside。Andthenbeforetheirsojournattheplacehadcometoanendheleftherforawhileabsolutelypenniless，sothatwhenthebutcherandbakercalledfortheirmoneyshecouldnotpaythem。Thatwasadreadfulcalamitytoher，andofwhichshewashardlyabletomeasuretherealworth。Ithadneverhappenedtoherbeforetohavetorefuseanapplicationformoneythatwasdue。Inherfather’shousesuchathing，asfarassheknew，hadneverhappened。ShehadsometimesheardthatEverettwasimpecunious，butthathadsimplyindicatedanadditionalcalluponherfather。Whenthebutchercamethesecondtimeshewrotetoherhusbandinanagony。Shouldshewritetoherfatherforasupply？Shewassurethatherfatherwouldnotleavetheminactualwant。Thenhesentheracheque，enclosedinanangryletter。Applytoherfather！Hadshenotlearntasyetthatshewastoleanuponherfatheranylonger，butsimplyonhim？Andwasshesuchafoolastosupposethatatradesmancouldnotwaitamonthforhismoney？

Duringallthistimeshehadnofriend，——nopersontowhomshecouldspeak，——exceptMrsParker。MrsParkerwasveryopenandveryconfidentialaboutthebusiness，reallyknowingverymuchmoreaboutitthandidMrsLopez。Therewassomesympathyandconfidencebetweenherandherhusband，thoughtheyhadlatterlybeenmuchlessenedbySexty’sconduct。MrsParkertalkeddailyaboutthebusinessnowthathermouthhadbeenopened，andwasveryclearlyoftheopinionthatitwasnotagoodbusiness。

’Sextydon’tthinkitgoodhimself，’shesaid。

’Thenwhydoeshegoonwithit？’

’Businessisathing，MrsLopez，aspeoplecan’tdropoutofjustatamoment。Amangetshimselfentangled，andmustfreehimselfasbesthecan。Iknowhe’sterriblyafeard——andsometimeshedoessaysuchthingsofyourhusband！’Emilyshrunkalmostintoherselfassheheardthis。’Youmustn’tbeangry，forindeedit’sbetteryoushouldknowall。’

’I’mnotangry。onlyveryunhappy。Surely，MrParkercouldseparatehimselffromMrLopezifhepleased？’

’That’swhatIsaytohim。Giveitup，thoughitbeeversomuchasyou’vegottolosebyhim。Giveitup，andbeginagain。

You’vealwaysgotyourexperience，andifit’sonlyacrustyoucanearn，that’ssureandsafe。Butthenhedeclaresthathemeanstopullthrough，MrsLopez。Thereshouldn’tbenoneedofpullingthrough。Itshouldallcomejustofitsownaccord，——

littleandlittle，butsafe。’Then，whenthedaysoftheirmarineholidaywerecomingtoanend，——inthefirstweekinOctober，——thedaybeforethereturnoftheParkerstoPonder’sEnd，shemadeastrongappealtohernewfriend。’Youain’tafraidofhim，areyou？’

’Ofmyhusband？’saidMrsLopez。’Ihopenot。Whyshouldyouask？’

’Believeme，awomanshouldneverbeafraidof’em。IneverwouldgiveintobebulliedandmadelittleofbySexty。I’ddoa’mostanythingtomakehimcomfortable。I’msoft-hearted。Andwhynot，whenhe’sthefatherofmychildren？ButI’mnotgoingnottosayathingifIthinkitright，becauseI’mafeard。’

’IthinkIcouldsayanythingifIthoughtitright。’

’Thentellhimofmeandmybabes，——ashowIcanneverhaveaquietnightwhilethisisgoingon。Itisn’tthattheytwomenarefondofoneanother。Nothingofthesort。Nowyou——I’vegottobedownrightfondofyou，though，ofcourse，youthinkmecommon。’MrsLopezwouldnotcontradictherbutstoopedforwardandkissedhercheek。’I’mdownrightfondofyou，Iam，’

continuedMrsParker，snufflingandsobbing，’buttheytwomenareonlytogetherbecauseMrLopezwantstogamble，andParkerhasgotalittlemoneytogamblewith。’ThisaspectofthethingwassoterribletoMrsLopezthatshecouldonlyweepandhidherface。’Now，ifyouwouldtellhimthetruth！TellhimwhatI

say，andthatI’vebeena-sayingit！Tellhimit’sformychildrenI’ma-speaking，whowon’thavebreadintheirverymouthsiftheirfather’ssqueezeddrylikeasponge！Sure，ifyou’dtellhimthis，hewouldn’tgoon！’Thenshepausedamoment，lookingupintotheotherwoman’sface。’He’dhavesomebowelsofcompassion——wouldn’thenow？’

’I’lltry，’saidMrsLopez。

’Iknowyou’regoodandkind-hearted，mydear。Isawitinyoureyesfromtheveryfirst。Butthenmen，whentheygetonatmoney-making，——ormoney-losing，whichmakes’emworse，——areliketigersclawingoneanother。Theydon’tcarehowmanytheykills，sothattheyhasatleastbitforthemselves。Thereain’tnofearofGodinit，noryetnomercy，norereamorselofheart。

Itain’twhatIcallmanly，——notthatlongingafterotherfolk’smoney。Whenit’scomebyhardwork，asItellSexty，——bytheverysweatofhisbrow，——oh，——it’ssweetassweet。Whenhe’dtellmethathe’dmadehisthreepound，orhisfivepound，or，perhaps，histeninaday，and’dcalculateitup，howmuchit’dcometoifhedidthateveryday，andwherewecouldgoto，andwhatwecoulddoforthechildren，Ilovedtohearhimtalkaboutmoney。Butnow——！why，it’salteredthelooksofthemanaltogether。It’sjustasthoughhewasa-thirstingforblood。’

Thirstingforblood！Yes，indeed。ItwastheveryideathathadoccurredtoMrsLopezherselfwhenherhusbandbadeherto’getroundherfather’。No——itcertainlywasnotmanly。TherecertainlywasneitherthefearofGodinit，normercy。Yes——

shewouldtry。ButasforbowelsofcompassioninFerdinandLopez。she，theyoungwife，hadalreadyseenenoughofherhusbandtothinkthathewasnottobemovedbyanyprayersonthatside。Thenthetwowomenbadeeachotherfarewell。’ParkerhasbeentalkingofmygoingtoManchesterSquare，’saidMrsParker，’butIshan’t。What’dIbeinManchesterSquare？And，besides，there’dbetterbeanendofit。MrLopez’dturnSextyandmeoutofthehouseatamoment’snoticeifitwasn’tforthemoney。’

’It’spapa’shouse，’saidMrsLopez，not，however，meaningtomakeanattackuponherhusband。

’Isupposeso，butIshan’tcometotroublenoone，andweliveeversofaraway，atPonder’sEnd，——outoryourlinealtogether，MrsLopez。ButI’vetakentoyouandwillneverthinkillofyouinanyway——anddoasyousaidyouwould。’

’Iwilltry，’saidMrsLopez。

InthemeantimeLopezreceivedfromMrWhartonananswertohisletteraboutthemissingcaravels，whichdidnotpleasehim。

Hereistheletter：

MYDEARLOPEZ，Icannotsaythatyourstatementissatisfactory，norcanIreconcileittoyourassurancetomethatyouhavemadeatradeincomeforsomeyearspastof2，000poundsayear。Idonotknowmuchofbusiness，butIcannotimaginesucharesultfromsuchaconditionofthingsasyoudescribe。Haveyouanybooks。andifso，willyouallowthemtobeinspectedbyanyaccountantthatImayname？

Yousaythatasumof20，000poundswouldsuityourbusinessbetternowthanwhenIamdead。Verylikely。

Butwithsuchanaccountofthebusinessasthatyouhavegivenme，IdonotknowthatIfeeldisposedtoconfidemysavingsofmylifetoassistsoverydoubtfulanenterprise。OfcoursewhateverImaydotoyouradvantagewillbedoneforthesakeofEmilyandherchildren，shouldshehaveany。AsfarIcanseeatpresent，Ishallbestdomydutytoher，byleavingwhatImayhavetoleavetoher，totrustees，forherbenefitandthatofherchildren。

Yourstruly，A。WHARTON

This，ofcourse，didnottendtomollifythespiritofthemantowhomitwaswritten，ortomakehimgracioustowardshiswife。

HereceivedtheletterthreeweeksbeforethelodgingsatDovercourtweregivenup，——butduringthesethreeweekshewasverylittleattheplace，andwhentheredidnotmentiontheletter。Ontheseoccasionshesaidnothingaboutbusiness，butsatisfiedhimselfwithgivingstrictinjunctionsastoeconomy。

ThenhetookherbacktotownonthedayafterherpromisetoMrsParkerthatshewould’try’。MrsParkerhadtoldherthatnowomanoughttobeafraidtospeaktoherhusband，and，ifnecessary，tospeakroundlyonsuchsubjects。MrsParkerwascertainlynotahighlyeducatedlady，butshehadimpressedEmilywithanadmirationforherpracticalgoodsenseandproperfeeling。Theladywhowasaladyhadbeguntofeelthatinthetroublesofherlifeshemightfineamuchlesssatisfactorycompanionthantheladywhowasnotalady。ShewoulddoasMrsParkerhadtoldher。Shewouldnotbeafraid。Ofcourseitwasrightthatsheshouldspeakonsuchamatter。Sheknewherselftobeanobedientwife。Shehadborneallherunexpectedsorrowswithoutacomplaint，witharesolvethatshewouldbearallforhissake，——notbecauseshelovedhim，butbecauseshehadmadeherselfhiswife。Intowhatevercalamitieshemightfall，shewouldsharethem。Thoughheshouldbringherutterlyintothedirt，shewouldremaininthatdirtwithhim。Itseemedprobabletoherthatitmightbeso——thattheymighthavetogointothedirt——andifitwereso，shewouldstillbetruetohim。Shehadchosentomarryhim，andshewouldbeatruewife。But，assuch，shewouldnotbeafraidofhim。MrsParkerhadtoldherthat’awomanshouldneverbeafraidof’em’，andshebelievedinMrsParker。Inthiscase，too，itwasclearlyherdutytospeak，——fortheinjurybeingdonewasterrible，andmighttooprobablybecometragical。Howcouldsheenduretothinkofthatwomanandherchildren，shouldshecometoknowthatthehusbandofthewomanandthefatherofthechildrenhadbeenruinedbyherhusband？

Yes——shewouldspeaktohim。Butshedidfear。Itisallverywellforawomantotellherselfthatshewillencountersomeanticipateddifficultywithoutfear，——orforamaneither。Thefearcannotbeovercomebywill。Thething，however，maybedone，whetheritbeleadingaforlornhope，orspeakingtoanangryhusband，——inspiteoffear。Shewoulddoit。butwhenthemomentfordoingitcame，herveryhearttrembledwithinher。Hehadbeensomasterfulwithher，sopersistentinrepudiatingherinterference，soexactinginhisdemandsforobedience，socapableofmakinghermiserablebyhismorosenesswhenshefailedtocomplywithhiswishes，thatshecouldnotgotohertaskwithoutfear。Butshedidfeelthatsheoughtnottobeafraid，orthatherfears，atanyrate，shouldnotbeallowedtorestrainher。Awife，sheknew，shouldbepreparedtoyield，butyetwasentitledtobeherhusband’scounsellor。Anditwasnowthecasethatinthismattershewasconversantwithcircumstanceswhichwereunknowntoherhusband。ItwastoherthatMrsParker’sappealhadbeenmade，andwithadirectrequestfromthepoorwomanthatitshouldberepeatedtoherhusband’spartner。

ShefoundthatshecouldnotdoitonthejourneyhomefromDovercourt，noryetonthatevening。MrsDickRoby，whohadcomebackfromsojournatBoulogne，waswiththemintheSquare，andbroughtherdearfriendMrsLesliewithher，andalsoLadyEustace。ThereadermayrememberthatMrWhartonhadmettheseladiesatMrsDick’shousesomemonthsbeforehisdaughter’smarriage，buthecertainlyhadneveraskedthemintohisown。OnthisoccasionEmilyhadgiventhemnoinvitation，buthadbeentoldbyherhusbandthatherauntwouldprobablybringthemwithher。’MrsLeslieandLadyEustace！’sheexclaimedwithalittleshudder。’Isupposeyourauntmaybringacoupleoffriendswithhertoseeyou，thoughitisyourfather’shouse？’hehadreplied。Shehadsaidnomore，notdaringtohaveafightonthatsubjectatpresent，whiletheothermatterwaspressingonhermind。Theeveningpassedawaypleasantlyenough，shethought，toallexceptherself。MrsLeslieandLadyEustacehadtalkedagreatdeal，andherhusbandhadbornehimselfquiteasthoughhehadbeenawealthymanandtheownerofthehouseinManchesterSquare。InthecourseoftheeveningDickRobycameinandMajorPountney，whosincethelateaffairsatSilverbridgehadbecomeintimatewithLopez。Sothattherewasquiteaparty。

andEmilywasastonishedtohearherhusbanddeclarethathewasonlywatchingtheopportunityofanothervacancyinorderthathemightgetintotheHouse，andexposethemiserableduplicityoftheDukeofOmnium。Andyetthisman，withinthelastmonth，hadtakenawayhersubscriptionatMudie’s，andtoldherthatsheshouldn’twearthingsthatwantedwashing！ButhewasabletosaysoevermanyprettylittlethingstoLadyEustace，andhadgivenanewfantoMrsDick，andtalkedoftakingaboxforMrsLeslieatTheGaiety。

Butonthenextmorningbeforebreakfastshebegan。’Ferdinand，’

shesaid，’whileIwasatDovercourtIsawagooddealofMrsParker。’

’Icouldnothelpthat。Orratheryoumighthavehelpeditifyoupleased。Itwasnecessarythatyoushouldmeet，butIdidn’ttellyouthatyouweretoseeagreatdealofher。’

’Ilikedherverymuch。’

’ThenImustsayyou’vegotaveryoddtaste。Didyoulikehim？’

’No。Ididnotseeverymuchofhim，andIthinkthatthemannersofwomenarelessobjectionablethanthoseofmen。ButI

wanttotellyouwhatpassedbetweenherandme。’

’Ifitisaboutherhusband’sbusinesssheoughttohaveheldhertongue，andyouhadbetterholdyoursnow。’

Thiswasnotahappybeginning，butstillshewasdeterminedtogoon。’ItwasIthinkmoreaboutyourbusinessthanhis。’

’Thenitwasinfernalimpudenceonherpart，andyoushouldnothavelistenedtoherforamoment。’

’Youdonotwanttoruinherandherchildren？’

’WhathaveItodowithherandherchildren？Ididnotmarryher，andIamnottheirfather。Hehasgottolooktothat。’

’Shethinksyouareenticinghimintoriskswhichhecannotafford。’

’AmIdoinganythingforhimthatIain’tdoingformyself！Ifthereismoneymade，willnotheshareit？Ifmoneyhastobelost，ofcoursehemustdothesame。’Lopezstatinghiscaseomittedtosaythatwhatevercapitalwasnowbeingusedbelongedtohispartner。’Butwomenwhentheygettogethertalkallmannerofnonsense。IsitlikelythatIshallaltermycourseofactionbecauseyoutellmethatshetellsyouthathetellsherthatheislosingmoney？Heisahalf-heartedfellowwhoquailsateveryturnagainsthim。AndwhenheiscryingdrunkIdaresayhemakesapoormouthtoher。’

’Ithink，Ferdinand，itismorethanthat。Shesaysthat——’

’Totellthetruth，Emily，Idon’tgivead——whatshesays。Nowgivemesometea。’

Theroughnessofthisabsolutelyquelledher。Itwasnotnowthatshewasafraidofhim，butthatshewasknockeddownasthoughbyablow。Shehadbeenaltogethersounusedtosuchlanguagethatshecouldnotgetonwithhermatterinhand，lettingthebadwordpassbyherasanunmeaningexpletive。Shewearilypouredoutthecupofteaandsatherselfdownsilent。

Themanwastoostrongforher，andwouldbesoalways。Shetoldherselfatthismomentthatlanguagesuchasthatmustalwaysabsolutelysilenceher。Then，withinafewminutes，hedesiredher，quitecheerfully，toaskheruncleandaunttodinnerthedaybutonefollowing，andalsotoaskLadyEustaceandMrsLeslie。’Iwillpickupacoupleofmenwhichwillmakeusallright，’hesaid。

Thiswasineverywayhorribletoher。Herfatherhadbeenbackintown，hadnotbeenverywell，andhadbeenrecommendedtoreturntothecountry。Hehadconsequentlyremovedhimself，——

nottoHertfordshire，——buttoBrighton，andwasnowlivingatanhotel，almostwithinanhourofLondon。HadhebeenathomehecertainlywouldnothaveinvitedMrsLeslieandLadyEustacetohishouse。Hehadoftenexpressedafeelingofdisliketotheformerladyinthehearingofhisson-in-law，andhadridiculedhissister-in-lawforallowingherselftobeacquaintedwithLadyEustace，whosenamehadatonetimebeenverycommoninthemouthsofpeople。Emilyalsofeltthatshewashardlyentitledtogiveadinnerpartyinhishouseinhisabsence。And，afterallthatshehadlatelyheardaboutherhusband’spoverty，shecouldnotunderstandhowheshouldwishtoincurtheexpense。

’YouwouldnotaskMrsLesliehere！’shesaid。

’WhyshouldwenotaskMrsLeslie？’

’Papadislikesher。’

’Butpapa，asyoucallhim，isn’tgoingtomeether。’

’Hehassaidthathedoesn’tknowwhatdayhemaybehome。Andhedoesmorethandislikeher。Hedisapprovesofher。’

’Nonsense！Sheisyouraunt’sfriend。Becauseyourfatheronceheardsomecock-and-bullstoryabouther，andbecausehehasalwaystakenituponhimselftocriticizeyouraunt’sfriends，I

amnottobeciviltoapersonIlike。’

’But，Ferdinand，Idonotlikehermyself。Sheneverwasinthishousetillthatothernight。’

’Lookhere，mydear。LadyEustacecanbeusefultome，andI

cannotaskLadyEustacewithoutaskingherfriend。YoudoasI

bidyou，——orelseIshalldoitmyself。’

Shepausedforamoment，andthenshepositivelyrefused。’I

cannotbringmyselftoaskMrsLeslietodineinthishouse。Ifshecomestodinewithyou，ofcourseIshallsitatthetable，butshewillbesuretoseethatsheisnotwelcome。’

’ItseemstomethatyouaredeterminedtogoagainstmeineverythingIpropose。’

’Idon’tthinkyouwouldsaythatifyouknewhowmiserableyomademe。’

’Itellyouthatthatotherwomancanbeveryusefultome。’

’Inwhatwayuseful？’

’Areyoujealous，mydear？’

’CertainlynotofLadyEustace，——norofanywoman。Butitseemssooddthatsuchaperson’sservicesshouldberequired。’

’WillyoudoasItellyou，andaskthem？Youcangoroundandtellyourauntaboutit。SheknowsthatImeantoaskthem。

LadyEustaceisaveryrichwoman，andisdisposedtodoalittleincommerce。Nowdoyouunderstand？’

’Notintheleast，’saidEmily。

’Whyshouldn’tawomanwhohasmoneybuycoffeeaswellasbuyshares？’

’Doesshebuyshares？’

’ByGeorge，Emily，Ithinkyouareafool。’

’IdaresayIam，Ferdinand。Idonotintheleastknowwhatitallmeans。ButIdoknowthis，thatyououghtnot，inpapa’sabsence，toaskpeopletodineherewhomheparticularlydislikes，andwhomhewouldnotwishtohaveinthehouse。’

’YouthinkIamtobegovernedbyyouinsuchamatterasthat？’

’Idon’twanttogovernyou。’

’Youthinkthatawifeshoulddictatetoahusbandastothewayinwhichheistodohiswork，andthepartnershemaybeallowedtohaveinhisbusiness，andthepersonswhomhemayasktodinner！Becauseyouhavebeendictatingtomeonallthesematters。Now，lookhere，mydear。Astomybusiness，youhadbetterneverspeaktomeaboutitanymore。Ihaveendeavouredtotakeyouintomyconfidenceandtogetyoutoactwithme，butyouhavedeclinedthat，andhavepreferredtosticktoyourfather。Astomypartners，whetherImaychoosetohaveSextyParkerorLadyEustace，Iamabetterjudgethanyou。AndastoaskingMrsLeslieandLadyEustaceoranyotherpersonstodinner，asIamobligedtomakeeventherecreationoflifesubservienttowork，Imustclaimpermissiontohavemyownway。’

Shehadlistened，butwhenhepausedshemadenoreply。’DoyoumeantodoasIbidandasktheseladies？’

’Icannotdothat。Iknowthatitoughtnottobedone。Thisispapa’shouse，andwearelivinghereashisguests。’

’D——yourpapa！’hesaidasheburstoutoftheroom。Afteraquarterofanhourheputhisheadintotheroomandsawhersitting，likeastatue，exactlywherehehadlefther。’IhavewrittenthenotestoLadyEustaceandtoMrsLeslie，’hesaid。

’Youcan’tthinkitanysinatanyratetoaskyouraunt。’

’Iwillseemyaunt，’shesaid。

’AndrememberIamnotgoingtobeyourfather’sguestasyoucallit。Imeantopayforthedinnermyself，andtosendinmyownwines。Yourfathershallhavenothingtocomplainofonthathead。’

’CouldyounotaskthemtoRichmond，ortosomehotel？’shesaid。

’What，inOctober！IfyouthinkIamgoingtoliveinahouseinwhichIcan’tinviteafriendtodinner，youaremistaken。’Andwiththathetookhisdeparture。

Thewholethinghadnowbecomesohorribletoherthatshefeltunableanylongertoholdupherhead。Itseemedtohertobesacrilegethatthesewomenshouldcomeandsitinherfather’sroom，butwhenshespokeofherfatherherhusbandhadcursedhimwithscorn！Lopezwasgoingtosendfoodandwineintothehouse，whichwouldbegallandwormwoodtoherfather。Atonetimeshethoughtshewouldatoncewritetoherfatherandtellhimofitall，——orperhapstelegraphtohim。butshecouldnotdosowithoutlettingherhusbandknowwhatshehaddone，andthenhewouldhavejusticeonhissideincallingherdisobedient。Wereshetodothat，thenitwouldindeedbenecessarythatsheshouldtakepartagainstherhusband。