第4章

Heturnedtoherfather，andsawinhisfloridcountenancethatwhichspurredhimtobolddisclosure。

“Say，“heputittohim，asmantoman，“shestandsthereandsaysathinglikethat，andsheexpectsafellownottojerkherintohisarmsandsqueezethelifeoutofher！Idaren”tdoit，andI”mnotgoingtotry；but——well，yousaidhermotherwaslikeher，andIguessyouknowwhatI”mupagainst。”

Hutchinson”sgruntingchucklecontainedimplicationsofexultanttendernessandgratifiedpaternalpride。

“She”sth”veryspitandimageofhermother，“hesaid，“andshehadth”senseoftenwomenrolledintoone，andth”loveoftwenty。Youletherbe，andyou”reassafeasth”RockofAges。”

“DoyouthinkIdon”tknowthat？“answeredTembarom，hiseyesshiningalmosttomoisture。“Butwhathitsme，bythunder！isthatI”velostthechanceofseeingherworkoutthatfifteen-dollar-a-weekproposition，anditdrivesmecrazy。”

“Ishouldhavedownrightlikedtotryit，“saidLittleAnn，withspeculativereflection，andwhilesheknittedherbrowsinlovelyconsiderationoftheattractiveproblem，severalpreviouslyunknowndimplesdeclaredthemselvesabouthermouth。

“Ann，“Tembaromventured，“ifIgotoTempleBarholmandtryitayearandlearnallaboutit-”

“Itwouldtakemorethanayear，“saidAnn。

“Don”tmakeittwo，“Tembarompleaded。“I”llsitupatnightwithwettowelsroundmyheadtolearn；I”llspendfourteenhoursadaywithgirlsthatlooklikethepicturesinthe`Ladies”Pictorial”，orwhateveritisinEngland；I”llgivethemeverychanceinlife，ifyou”llletmeoffafterward。Theremustbeanotherlostheirsomewhere；let”sdighimupandthencomebacktolittleoldNewYorkandbehappy。Gee！Ann，“——lettinghimselfgoanddrawingnearertoher，——“howhappywecouldbeinoneofthoselittleflatsinHarlem！“

Shewasawarmlittlehumanthing，andatenderone，andwhenhecameclosetoher，glowingwithtempestuousboyisheagerness，hereyesgrewbluerbecausetheyweresuddenlywet，andshewasobligedtomovesoftlyback。

“Yes，“shesaid；“Iknowthoselittleflats。Anyonecould-”Shestoppedherself，becauseshehadbeengoingtoreveal。whatahomeawomancouldmakeinroomslikethecompartmentsinaworkbox。Sheknewandsawitall。Shedrewbackalittleagain，butsheputoutahandandlaiditonhissleeve。

“Whenyou”vehadquitetimeenoughtofindout，andknowwhattheotherthingmeans，I”lldowhateveryouwantmetodo，“shesaid。“Itwon”tmatterwhatitis。I”lldoit。”

“Shemeansthat，“Hutchinsonmumbledunsteadily，turningaside。“Sameashermotherwouldhavemeantit。Andshemeansitinmorewaysthanone。”

Andsoshedid。Thepromiseincludedquitefirmlythepossibilityofnotunnaturalchangesinhimselfsuchasyoungardorcouldnotforesee，eventhepossibilityofhisnewlifewithdrawinghimentirelyfromtheplaneonwhichrapturecouldmaterializeontwentydollarsaweekinaflatinHarlem。

CHAPTERIX

TypeasexoticasTembarom”swastohissolicitornaturallysuggestedproblems。Mr。Palfordfoundhischargebafflingbecause，accordingtoordinaryrules，ayoungmansorudimentaryshouldhavepresentednoproblemsnotperfectlyeasytoexplain。Itwashereinthathewasexotic。Mr。Palford，whowasnotgiventosubtleanalysisofdifferencesincharacterandtemperament，arguedprivatelythatanEnglishyouthwhohadbeenbroughtupinthestreetswouldhavebeenoneoftwoorthreethings。Hewouldhavebeensecretlyterrifiedandresentful，roughlyawkwardandresentful，orboastfullydelightedandgiventoacommonyouth”sexcitedlycommonswaggeratfindinghimselfsuddenlya“swell。”

Thisspecialkindofyouthwouldmostassuredlyhaveconstantlythoughtofhimselfasa“swell“andwouldhavelosthisheadaltogether，possiblywithresultsinthematterofconductinpublicwhichwouldhavebeeneithermaddeningorcrushingtothespiritofawell-bred，mature-mindedlegalgentlemantemporarilythrustintothepositionofbear-leader。

ButTembaromwasnoneofthesethings。Ifhewasterrified，hedidnotrevealhisanguish。Hewaswithoutdoubtnotresentful，butonthecontraryinterestedandcurious，thoughhecouldnotbesaidtobearhimselfasoneelated。Heindulgedinnofrolicsorextravagances。HesawtheHutchinsonsoffontheirsteamer，andsuppliedthemwithfruitandflowersandbookswithrespectfulmoderation。Hedidnotconducthimselfasabenefactorbestowingunknownluxuries，butasayoungmanonwhomunexpectedluckhadbestoweddecentopportunitiestoexpresshisfriendship。Infact，Palford”stasteapprovedofhisattitude。HewasevidentlymuchunderthespelloftheslightgirlwiththeManchesteraccentandsoberblueeyes，butshewasneitherflightynormeretricious，andwouldhavesenseenoughtogivenotroubleevenwhenhenaturallyforgotherintherevelationsofhisnewlife。Herfatheralsowasplainlyarespectableworking-man，withabluntLancashirepridewhichwouldkeephimfromintruding。

“Youcan”tbuttinandgetfreshwithamanlikethat，“Tembaromsaid。

“Moneywouldn”thelpyou。He”stooindependent。”

AfterthesteamerhadsailedawayitwasobservabletohissolicitorthatMr。TempleBarholmwasapparentlyoccupiedeveryhour。HedidnotexplainwhyheseemedtorushfromonepartofNewYorktoanotherandwhyheseemedtobeseekinginterviewswithpersonsitwasplainlydifficulttogetat。HewasevidentlyworkinghardtoaccomplishsomethingorotherbeforehelefttheUnitedStates，perhaps。Heaskedsomeastutelypracticalbusinessquestions；hisintentionseemingtobetogainadefiniteknowledgeofwhathisfutureresourceswouldbeandofhisfreedomtousethemashechose。

OnceortwiceMr。Palfordwasratheralarmedbythetendencyofhisquestions。HadheactuallysomeprodigiousAmericanschemeinview？Heseemedtooyoungandinexperiencedinthehandlingoflargesumsforsuchapossibility。Butyouthandinexperienceandsuddenlyinheritedwealthnotinfrequentlyledtorashadventures。SomethingwhichPalfordcalled“veryhandsome“wasdoneforMrs。Bowseandtheboarding-house。Mrs。Bowsewasevidentlynotproudenoughtoresentbeingmadesecureforafewyears”rent。Theextraordinarypagewasprovidedforafteralargeamountofeffortandexpenditureofenergy。

“Icouldn”tleaveGaltonhighanddry，“Tembaromexplainedwhenhecameinafterrushingabout。“IthinkIknowamanhemighttry，butI”vegottofindhimandputhimontothings。GoodLord！nobodyrushedabouttofindmeandoffermethejob。IhopethisfellowwantsitasbadasIdid。He”llbeupintheair。”Hediscoveredthewhere-

aboutsoftheyoungmaninquestion，andfindinghim，astheyoungsteralmosttearfullydeclared，“aboutdownandout，“hispropositionwasmetwiththegratitudetherelieffromaprospectofsomethingextremelylikestarvationwouldmentallyproduce。TembaromtookhimtoGaltonafterhavingtalkedhimoverindetail。

“He”shadaneducation，andyouknowhowmuchI”dhadwhenIbuttedintothepage，“hesaid。“Noonebutyouwouldhaveletmetryit。Youdiditonlybecauseyousaw——yousaw”

“Yes，Isaw，“answeredGalton，whoknewexactlywhathehadseenandwhofoundhisup-townsocialrepresentativeandhisnewsituationasinterestingasamusingandjusttouchedwiththepatheticelement。

GaltonwasatraveledmanandknewEnglandandseveralothercountrieswell。

“YousawthatafellowwantedthejobasmuchasIdidwouldbelikelytoputupagoodfighttoholditdown。IwasscaredoutofmylifewhenIstartedoutthatmorningoftheblizzard，butIcouldn”taffordtobescared。Iguesssoldierswhoarescaredfightlikethatwhentheyseebayonetscomingatthem。Youhaveto。”

“Iwonderhowoftenamanfindsoutthathedoesprettybigthingswhenbayonetsarecomingathim，“answeredGalton，whowasactuallyneglectinghisworkforafewminutessothathemightlookatandtalktohim，thisNewYorkdescendantofNormanlordsandSaxonkings。

“JoeBennetthadbeentryingtoliveofffree-lunchcountersforaweekwhenIfoundhim，“Tembaromexplained。“Youdon”tknowwhatthatis。He”llgoatthepageallright。I”mgoingtotakehimup-townandintroducehimtomyfriendsthereandgetthemtoboosthimalong。”

“Youmadefriends，“saidGalton。“Iknewyouwould。”

“Someofthebestever。Good-naturedandopen-handed。Well，youbet！

Onlytroublewastheywantedyoutoeatanddrinkeverythinginsight，andtheydidn”tquitelikeitwhenyoucouldn”tgetoutsideallthechampagnethey”dofferyou。”

Hebrokeintoabig，pleasedlaugh。

“WhenIwentinandtoldMunsbergheprettynearthrewafit。OfcoursehethoughtIwaskidding。ButwhenImadehimbelieveit，hewasasgladasifhe”dhadluckhimself。Itwasjustfinethewaypeopletookit。Tellyouwhat，ittakesgoodluck，orbadluck，toshowyouhowgood-naturedalotoffolksare。They”lltreatBennettandthepageallright；you”llsee。”

“They”llmissyou，“saidGalton。

“Ishallmissthem，“Tembaromansweredinavoicewitharatherdepresseddropinit。

“Ishallmissyou，“saidGalton。

Tembarom”sfacereddenedalittle。

“Iguessit”dseemratherfreshformetotellyouhowIshallmissyou，“hesaid。“IsaidthatfirstdaythatIdidn”tknowhowtotellyouhowI——well，howIfeltaboutyougivingamuttlikemethatbigchance。YouneverthoughtIdidn”tknowhowlittleIdidknow，didyou？“heinquiredalmostanxiously。

“Thatwasit——thatyoudidknowandthatyouhadthebackboneandthegoodspiritstogoinandwin，“Galtonreplied。“I”matiredman，andgoodspiritsandgoodtemperseemtomeaboutthebiggestassetsamancanbringintoathing。Ishouldn”thavedareddoitwhenIwasyourage。YoudeservedtheVictoriaCross，“headded，chuckling。

“What”stheVictoriaCross？“askedTembarom。

“You”llfindoutwhenyougotoEngland。”

“Well，I”mnotsupposingthatyoudon”tknowabouthowmanybillionthingsI”llhavetofindoutwhenIgotoEngland。”

“Therewillbeseveralthousand，“repliedGaltonmoderately；“butyou”lllearnaboutthemasyougoon。”

“Say，“saidTembarom，reflectively，“doesn”titseemqueertothinkofafellowhavingtokeepuphisspiritsbecausehe”sfallenintothreehundredandfiftythousandayear？Youwouldn”tthinkhe”dhaveto，wouldyou？“

“Butyoufindhehas？“queriedGalton，interestedly。

Tembarom”sliftedeyesweresohonestthattheyweretouching。

“Idon”tknowwhereI”mat，“hesaid。“I”mgoingtowakeupinanewplace——likepeoplethatdie。Ifyouknewwhatitwaslike，youwouldn”tminditsomuch；butyoudon”tknowablamedthing。It”snothavingseenasamplethatrattlesyou。”

“You”refondofNewYork？“

“GoodLord！it”salltheplaceIknowonearth，andit”sjustaboutgoodenoughforme，bygee！It”skeptmealivewhenitmighthavestarvedmetodeath。My！I”vehadgoodtimeshere，“headded，flushingwithemotion。“Goodtimes——whenIhadn”tawholemealaday！“

“You”dhavegoodtimesanywhere，“commentedGalton，alsowithfeeling。

“Youcarrythemoveryourshoulder，andyousharethemwithalotofotherpeople。”

HecertainlysharedsomewithJoeBennett，whomhetookup-townandintroducedrightandlefttohisfriendlypatrons，who，excitedbytheatmosphereofadventureandprosperity，receivedhimwithopenarms。

TohavebeenthechoiceofT。TembaromasamererepresentativeoftheEARTHwouldhavebeenagreatthingforBennett，buttobethechoiceoftheheroofaromanceofwildestopulencewasatremendoussend-

off。Hewasacceptedatonce，andwhenTembaromactually“stoodfor“abigfarewellsupperofhisownin“TheHall，“andnearlyhadhishandshakenoffbycongratulatingacquaintances，thefactthathekeptthenewaspirantbyhisside，sothatthewavesofhighpopularityflowedoverhimuntilhesometimeslosthisjoyfulbreath，establishedhimasasortofherohimself。

Mr。Palforddidnotknowofthisfestivity，ashealsofoundhewasnottoldofseveralotherthings。Thishecountedasafeatureofhisclient”sexoticism。Hisextraordinarylackofconcealmentofthingsvanityforbidsmanyfromconfessingcombineditselfwithaquitecheerfulpowertokeephisowncounselwhenhewas，forreasonsofhisown，soinclined。

“Hecankeephismouthshut，thatchap，“Hutchinsonhadsaidonce，andMr。Palfordrememberedit。“Mostofuscan”t。I”vegotanotionIcan；

butIdon”tmany”sthetimewhenIshould。There”salotmoreinhimthanyou”dthinkfor。He”snaughtbutalad，butheisnahalfsuchafoolashelooks。”

Hewasneitherhesitantnortimid，Mr。Palfordobserved。Inanentirelyunostentatiouswayhesoonrealizedthathismoneygavethingsintohishands。Heknewhecoulddomostthingshechosetodo，andthatthepowertodothemrestedinthesedayswithhimselfwithoutthenecessityofdetailedexplanationorappealtoothers，asinthecase，forinstance，ofthismysteriousfriendorprotegewhosenamewasStrangeways。OfthehistoryofhisacquaintancewithhimPalfordknewnothing，andthatheshouldchoosetoburdenhimselfwithahalf-wittedinvalid——inthesetermsthesolicitordescribedhim——

wassimplyin-explainable。Ifhehadaskedforadviceorbyhismannerleftanopeningfortheofferingofit，hewouldhavebeenmoststronglycounseledtotakehimtoapublicasylumandleavehimthere；

butadviceonthesubjectseemedthelastthinghedesiredoranticipated，andtalkabouthisfriendwaswhatheseemedleastlikelytoindulgein。Hemadenosecretofhisintentions，buthefranklytookchargeofthemashisownspecialbusiness，andlefttherestalone。

“Saynothingandsawwood，“Palfordhadoncebeenatriflepuzzledbyhearinghimremarkcasually，andheremembereditlater，asherememberedthecommentsofJosephHutchinson。TembaromhadexplainedhimselftoLittleAnn。

“You”llunderstand，“hesaid。“Itislikethis。IguessIfeellikeyoudowhenadogoracatinbigtroublejustlooksatyouasifyouwerealltheyhad，andtheyknowifyoudon”tstickbythemthey”llbekilled，anditjustdrivesthemcrazy。It”sthewaytheylookatyouthatyoucan”tstand。Ibelievesomethingwouldburstinthatfellow”sbrainifIlefthim。WhenhefoundoutIwasgoingtodoithe”djustletoutsomeawfulkindofayellI”dremembertillIdied。IdriedrightupalmostassoonasIspokeofhimtoPalford。Hecouldn”tseeanythingbutthathewascrazyandoughttobeputinanasylum。Well，he”snot。There”retimeswhenhetalkstomealmostsensible；onlyhe”salwayssoawfullowdowninhismindyou”reafraidtolethimgoon。Andhe”salittlebitbetterthanhewas。Itseemsqueertogettolikeamanthat”ssortofdotty，butItellyou，Ann，becauseyou”llunderstand——I”vegottosortoflikehim，andwanttoseeifIcanworkitoutforhimsomehow。Englandseemstosortofstickinhismind。IfIcan”tspendmymoneyinlivingthewayIwanttolive，——

buyingjewelryandclothesforthegirlI”dliketoseedressedlikeaqueen——I”mgoingtodothisjusttopleasemyself。I”mgoingtotakehimtoEnglandandkeephimquietandseewhat”llhappen。Thosebigdoctorsoughttoknowaboutallthereistoknow，andIcanpaythemanyoldthingtheywant。Byjings！isn”titthelimit——tosithereandsaythatandknowit”strue！“

BeyondtheexplainingofnecessarydetailtohimandpilotinghimtoEngland，Mr。Palforddidnotholdhimselfmanydegreesresponsible。

Histheoryofcorrectconductassumednoformofaltruism。Hehadformulateditevenbeforehereachedmiddleage。Oneofhisfixedruleswastoavoidtheerrorofallowingsympathyorsentimenttohamperhimwithanyunnecessaryburden。Naturaltendencyoftemperamenthadplacednoobstaclesinthewayofhiskeepingthisrule。ToburdenhimselfwiththeinstructionormodificationofthisunfortunatelyhopelessyoungNewYorkerwouldbeunnecessary。

Palford”ssummingupofhimwasthathewasofatypewithwhichnothingpalliativecouldbedone。Therehewas。Asunavoidablecircumstancesforcedonetotakehim，——commonness，slanginess，appallingignorance，andall，——onecouldnotleavehim。Fortunately，norespectablelegalfirmneedholditselfsponsorfora“nextofkin“

providedbyfateandthewildsofAmerica。

TheTempleBarholmestatehadnever，inMr。Palford”sgeneration，beenspeciallyagreeabletodealwith。ThelateMr。TempleTempleBarholmhadbeenaclientofeccentricandabominabletemper。Interviewswithhimhadbeenavoidedasmuchaspossible。Hisdomineeringinsolenceofbearinghadattimesbeenonthevergeofprecipitatingunheard-ofactions，becauseitwasalmostmorethangentlemanlylegalfleshandbloodcouldbear。Andnowappearedthisyoungman。

HerushedaboutNewYorkstrenuouslyattendingtobusinessconcerninghimselfandhisextraordinaryacquaintances，andonthedayofthesteamer”ssailinghepresentedhimselfatthelastmomentinanobviouslyjustpurchasedsuitofhorriblycutclothes。Atallevents，theircutwashorribleintheeyesofMr。Palford，whoacceptednocutbutthatofaWestEndtailor。Theywerebadlymadethingsenough，becausetheywereunconsideredgarmentsthatTembaromhadbarelyfoundtimetosnatchfroma“ready-made“counteratthelastmoment。Hehadbeentoomuch“rushed“byotherthingstorememberthathemusthavethemuntilalmosttoolatetogetthematall。Heboughtthemmerelybecausetheywereclothes，andwarmenoughtomakeavoyagein。Hepossessedamonsterulster，inwhich，toMr。Palford”smind，helookedlikeaflashyblack-leg。Hedidnotknowitwasflashy。Hisopportunitiesforcultivatingarefinedtasteinthematterofwardrobehadbeenlimited，andhehadwastednotimeinfastidiousconsiderationorregrets。Palforddidhimsomeinjusticeintakingitforgrantedthathischoiceofcostumewastheresultofdeliberatebadtaste。Itwasreallynotchoiceatall。Heneitherlikedhisclothesnordislikedthem。Hehadbeentoldheneededwarmgarments，andhehadacceptedtheadviceofthefirstsalesmanwhotookchargeofhimwhenhedroppedintothebigdepartmentstorehewasmostfamiliarwithbecauseitwasthecheapestintown。Evenwhenitwasnolongernecessarytobecheap，itwastime-savingandeasytogointoaplaceoneknew。

Thefactthathewasashewas，andthattheywerethesubjectsofcommentandobjectsofunabatedinterestthrough-outthevoyage，thatitwasproperthattheyshouldbecompanionsattableandondeck，filledMr。Palfordwithannoyedunease。

Ofcourseeveryoneonboardwasfamiliarwiththestoryofthediscoveryofthelostheir。Thenewspapershadreveledinit，andhadwovenromancesaboutitwhichmightwellhavecausedthedeceasedMr。

TempleBarholmtoturninhisgrave。AfterthefirstdayTembaromhadbeenpickedoutfromamongtheless-excitingpassengers，andwhenhewalkedthedeck，bookswereloweredintolapsoreyesfollowedhimovertheiredges。Hissteamer-chairbeingplacedinaprominentpositionnexttothatofapretty，effusiveSouthernwoman，themotherofthreedaughterswhoseeyesandeyelashesattractedattentionatthedistanceofadeck”slength，hewaswithoutunduedelayprovidedwithacquaintanceswhowerepreparedtofillhiseverymomentwithentertainment。

“ThethreeGazelles，“astheirmotherplayfullyconfidedtoTembaromherdaughterswerecalledinCharleston，weredestructivelylovely。

Theywereswayingreedsofgrace，andbeinginradiantspiritsattheprospectof“goingtoEurope，“werecompanionstolureamantoanydesperatelengths。Theylaughedincessantly，asthoughtheywerechimesofsilverbells；theyhadmagnolia-petalskinswhichneitherwindnorsunblemished；theyhadniceyoungmanners，andsoftmoodsinwhichtheirgazelleeyesmeltedandglowedandtheirlonglashesdrooped。Theycoulddance，theyplayedonguitars，andtheysang。Theywereasadorableastheywerelovelyandgay。

“Ifafellowwasgoingtofallinlove，“TembaromsaidtoPalford，“there”dbenowayoutofthisforhimunlessheclimbedtherigginganddraggedhisfoodupinabaskettillhegottoLiverpool。Ifhedidn”tgocrazyaboutIrene，he”dwakeupravingaboutHonora；andifhegotawayfromHonora，AdeliaLouisewouldhavehim`downonthemat。”“FromwhichMr。PalfordarguedthattheimpressionmadebythelittleMissHutchinsonwiththeManchesteraccenthadnotyethadtimetoobliterateitself。

TheGazelleswereofgenerousSouthernspirit，anddidnotsurroundtheirprizewithanybarrierofprecautionsagainstotheryoungpersonsofcharm。Theyintroducedhimtoonegirlafteranother，andinadayortwohewasthecenterofanimatedcircleswheneverheappeard。Thesingularthing，however，wasthathedidnotappearasoftenastheothermenwhowereonboard。HeseemedtostayagreatdealwithStrangeways，whosharedhissuiteofroomsandnevercameondeck。SometimestheGazellesprettilyreproachedhim。AdeliaLouisesuggestedtotheothersthathislackofadvantagesinthepasthadmadehimfeelratherawkwardandembarrassed；butPalfordknewhewasnotembarrassed。Heacceptedhisownlimitationstoosimplytobedisturbedbythem。Palfordwouldhavebeenextremelyboredbyhimifhehadbeenofthetypeofyoungoutsiderwhoisanxiouusabouthimselfandexpansiveinself-revelationandappealsforadvice；butsometimesTembarom”sairoffrankness，whichwasreallytheleastexpansivethingintheworldandrevealednothingwhatever，besidesconcealingeverythingitchose，madehimfeelhimselfalmostirritatinglybaffled。Itwouldhavebeenmorenaturalifhehadnotbeenabletokeepanythingtohimselfandhadreallytalkedtoomuch。

CHAPTERX

ThenecessarybusinessinLondonhavingbeentransacted，Tembaromwentnorthtotakepossessionofthehomeofhisforefathers。IthadrainedfortwodaysbeforeheleftLondon，anditrainedsteadilyallthewaytoLancashire，andwasrainingsteadilywhenhereachedTempleBarholm。Hehadneverseensuchrainbefore。Itwasthequiet，unmovedpersistenceofitwhichamazedhim。Ashesatintherailroadcarriageandwatchedtheslantinglinesofitsunabatingdownpour，hefeltthatMr。Palfordmustinevitablymakesomeremarkuponit。ButMr。Palfordcontinuedtoreadhisnewspapersundisturbedly，asthoughtheconditionofatmospheresurroundinghimwereentirelyaccustomedandnatural。Itwasofcoursenecessaryandproperthatheshouldaccompanyhisclienttohisdestination，butthecircumstancesofthecasemadethewholesituationquiteabnormal。ThroughoutthecenturieseachTempleBarholmhadsucceededtohisestateinanaturalandconventionalmanner。Hehadeitherbeenwelcomedorresentedbyhisneighbors，histenants，andhisfamily，andproperandfittingceremonieshadbeenobserved。Butherewasanheirwhomnobodyknew，whoseveryexistencenobodyhadevensuspected，ayoungmanwhohadbeenanoutcastinthestreetsofthehugeAmericancityofwhichluriddescriptionsaregiven。EveninNewYorkhecouldhaveproducednocircleotherthanMrs。Bowse”sboarding-houseandtheobjectsofinteresttotheup-townpage，sohebroughtnoonewithhim；forStrangewaysseemedtohavebeenmysteriouslydisposedofaftertheirarrivalinLondon。

NeverhadPalford&Grimbyontheirhandsaclientwhoseemedsoentirelyalone。What，Mr。Palfordaskedhimself，wouldhedointheenormityofTempleBarholm，whichalwaysstruckoneasbeingaplacealmostwithoutlimit。Butthat，afterall，wasneitherherenorthere。

Therehewas。Youcannotundertaketoprovideamanwithrelativesifhehasnone，orwithacquaintancesifpeopledonotwanttoknowhim。

Hispasthavingbeensoextraordinary，theneighborhoodwouldnaturallyberathershyofhim。Atfirst，throughmereforceofcustomandrespectforanoldname，punctilious，ifsomewhatalarmed，politenesswouldbeshownbymostpeople；butafterthefirstcallsallwoulddependuponhowmuchpeoplecouldstandofthemanhimself。

Theaspectofthecountryonawetwinter”sdaywasnotenlivening。

Theleaflessanddrippinghedgeslookedlikebundlesofsticks；thehugetrees，whichinJunewouldbemajesticbowersofgreenery，nowheldoutgreatskeletonarms，whichseemedtomenacebothearthandsky。Heavy-facedlaborerstrampedalongmuddylanes；cottageswithsoakedbitsofdeadgardenslookedlikehovels；big，melancholycart-

horses，draggingjoltingcartsalongthecountryroads，hungtheirheadsastheysplashedthroughthemire。

AsTembaromhadknownfewpersonswhohadeverbeenoutofAmerica，hehadnotheardthatEnglandwasbeautiful，andhesawnothingwhichledhimtosuspectitscharms。Londonhadimpressedhimasgloomy，dirty，andbehindthetimesdespiteitspretensions；thecountrystruckhimas“thelimit。”Hullygee！washegoingtobeexpectedtospendhislifeinthis！Shouldhebeobligedtospendhislifeinit。He”dfindthatoutprettyquick，andthen，iftherewasnohard-and-fastlawagainstit，himforlittleoldNewYorkagain，ifhehadtogiveupthewholethingandliveontenper。Ifhehadbeenacertainkindofyouth，hisdiscontentwouldhavegotthebetterofhim，andhemighthavetalkedagooddealtoMr。Palfordandsaidmanydisparagingthings。

“Butthemanwasbornhere，“hereflected。“Iguesshedoesn”tknowanythingelse，andthinksit”sallright。I”veheardofEnglishfellowswhodidn”tlikeNewYork。Helookslikethatkind。”

Hehadsuppliedhimselfwithnewspapersandtriedtoreadthem。Theircontentswereasunexcitingastherain-soddenlandscape。Therewerenohead-lineslikelytoarrestanyman”sattention。TherewasalotaboutParliamentandtheCourt，andoneofthemhadacolumnortwoaboutwhatlordsandladiesweredoing，asortofEnglishup-townordown-townpage。

Heknewthestuff，buttherewasnosnapinit，andtherewerenophotographsordescriptionsofdresses。Galtonwouldhaveturneditdown。Hecouldneverhavemadegoodifhehaddonenobetterthanthat。Hegrinnedtohimselfwhenhereadthatthekinghadtakenadriveandthatababyprincehadthemeasles。

“Iwonderwhatthey”dthinkoftheSundayEarth，“hementallyinquired。

Hewouldhavebeenmuchatseaifhehaddiscoveredwhattheyreallywouldhavethoughtofit。Theypassedthroughsmoke-vomitingmanufacturingtowns，wherehesawmanylegsseeminglybearingaboutumbrellas，butfewentirepeople；theywhizzedsmoothlypastdrenchedsuburbs，wetwoodlands，andendless-lookingbrownmoors，coveredwithdeadbrackenandbareandpricklygorse。Hethoughttheselastgreatdesolatestretchesworsethanalltherest。

Buttherailroadcarriagewasluxuriouslyupholsteredandcomfortable，thoughonecouldnotwalkaboutandstretchhislegs。Intheafternoon，Mr。Palfordorderedintea，andplainlyexpectedhimtodrinktwocupsandeatthinbreadandbutter。Hefeltinclinedtolaugh，thoughtheteawasallright，andsowasthebreadandbutter，andhedidnotfailhiscompanioninanyrespect。TheinclinationtolaughwasarousedbythethoughtofwhatJimBowlesandJuliuswouldsayiftheycouldseeoldT。T。withnothingtodoat4：30butputincreamandsugar，asthoughhewereatatea-partyonFifthAvenue。

But，gee！thisraindidgivehimtheWillies。Ifhewasgoingtobesorryforhimself，hemightbeginrightnow。Buthewasn”t。Hewasgoingtoseethisthingthrough。

Thetrainhadbeencontinuingitssmoothwhirthroughfields，woodedlands，andqueer，dead-and-alivelittlevillagesforsometimebeforeitdrewupatlastatasmallstation。Bereftbytheseasonofitsgardenbloomandgreencreepers，itlookedabareanduninvitinglittleplace。Onthetwobenchesagainstthewalloftheplatformanumberofwomensathuddledtogetherinthedampness。Severalofthemheldchildrenintheirlapsandallstaredveryhard，nudgingoneanotherashedescendedfromthetrain。Anumberofrusticsstoodabouttheplatform，givingitasomewhatcrowdedair。ItstruckTembaromthat，foranout-of-the-wayplace，thereseemedtobeagoodmanytravelers，andhewonderediftheycouldallbegoingaway。Hedidnotknowthattheywerethecuriouselementamongsuchaslivedintheimmediateneighborhoodofthestationandhadcomeoutmerelytoseehimonhisfirstappearance。Severalofthemtouchedtheirhatsashewentby，andhesupposedtheyknewPalfordandweresalutinghim。

Eachofthemwascurious，butnoonewasinaparticularlywelcomingmood。Therewas，indeed，noreasonforanticipatingenthusiasm。Itwas，however，buthumannaturethatthebucolicmindshouldbestiritselfalittleinthedesiretoobtainaviewofaTempleBarholmwhohadearnedhislivingbyblackingbootsandsellingnewspapers，unknowingthathewas“oneo”th”gentry。”

Whenhesteppedfromhisfirst-classcarriage，Tembaromfoundhimselfconfrontedbyaverystraight，clean-faced，andwell-builtyoungman，whoworealong，fawn-coloredliverycoatwithclaretfacingsandsilverbuttons。Hetouchedhiscockadedhat，andatoncetookuptheGladstonebags。Tembaromknewthathewasafootmanbecausehehadseensomethinglikehimoutsiderestaurants，theaters，andshopsinNewYork，buthewasnotsurewhetherheoughttotouchhisownhatornot。Heslightlylifteditfromhisheadtoshowtherewasnoillfeeling，andthenfollowedhimandMr。Palfordtothecarriagewaitingforthem。Itwasaseverebutsumptuousequipage，andthecoachmanwasaswelldressedandwellbuiltasthefootman。Tembaromtookhisplaceinitwithmanymentalreservations。

“Whataretheillustrationsonthedoors？“heinquired。

“TheTempleBarholmcoatofarms，“Mr。Palfordanswered。“Thepeopleatthestationareyourtenants。Membersofthefamilyofthestoutmanwiththebroadhathavelivedasyeomanfarmersonyourlandforthreehundredyears。”

Theywentontheirway，withmorerain，morerain，moredrippinghedges，moresoakedfields，andmorebare，huge-armedtrees。CLOP，CLOP，CLOP，soundedthehorses”hoofsalongtheroad，andfromhiscornerofthecarriageMr。Palfordtriedtomakepoliteconversation。

Facespeeredoutofthewindowsofthecottages，sometimesawholefamilygroupoffaces，allcrowdedtogether，eagertolook，fromthemotherwithababyinherarmstotheoldmanorwoman，plainlygrandfatherorgrandmother——sharp，childishlyround，orblearedoldeyes，allexcitedandanxioustocatchglimpses。

“Theyareverycurioustoseeyou，“saidMr。Palford。“Thosetwolaborersaretouchingtheirhatstoyou。Itwillbeaswelltorecognizetheirsalute。”

Atanumberofthecottagedoorsthegroupstooduponthethresholdandtouchedforeheadsorcurtsied。Tembaromsalutedagainandagain，andmorethanoncehisfriendlygrinshoweditself。Itmadehimfeelqueertodrivealong，turningfromsidetosidetoacknowledgeobeisances，ashehadseenawell-knownmilitaryheroacknowledgethemashedrovedownBroadway。

ThechiefstreetofthevillageofTempleBarholmwanderedalmostwithinhailingdistanceofthegreatentrancetothepark。Thegatesweresupportedbymassivepillars，onwhichcrouchedhugestonegriffins。Tembaromfeltthattheystaredsavagelyoverhisheadashewasdriventowardthemasforinspection，andindisdainfulsilenceallowedtopassbetweenthemastheystoodonguard，apparentlywiththehaughtiestmentalreservations。

Theparkthroughwhichthelongavenuerolledconcealeditsbeautytotheunaccustomedeye，showingonlymorebaretreesandsoddenstretchesofbrowngrass。Thehouseitself，asitloomedupoutofthethickeningrain-mist，appalledTembarombyitssizeandgloomilygraymassiveness。Beforeitwasspreadabroadterraceofstone，guardedbymoregriffinsofevenmoredisdainfulaspectthanthosewatchingoverthegates。Thestonenosesheldthemselvesrigidlyintheairasthereporteroftheup-townsocietypagepassedwithMr。Palfordupaflightofstepsbroadenoughtomakehimfeelasthoughheweregoingtochurch。Footmenwithpowderedheadsreceivedhimatthecarriagedoor，seemedtoassisthimtomove，toputonefootbeforetheotherforhim，tostandinrowsasthoughtheywereamilitaryguardreadytotakehimintocustody。

Thenhewasinside，standinginanenormoushallfilledwithfurnishingssuchashehadneverseenorheardofbefore。Carvedoak，suitsofarmor，stoneurns，portraits，anotherflightofchurchstepsmountingupwardtosurroundinggalleries，stained-glasswindows，tigers”andlions”heads，hornsoftremendoussize，strangeandbeautifulweapons，suggestedtohimthatthedreamhehadbeenlivinginforweekshadneverbeforebeensomuchadream。Hehadwalkedaboutasinavision，butamongfamiliarsurroundings。Mrs。Bowse”sboardersandhishallbedroomhadhelpedhimtoretainsomeholdoveractualexistence。ButherethereverentlysalutingvillagersstaringathimthroughwindowsasthoughhewereGeneralGrant，thehuge，stoneentrance，thedriveofwhatseemedtobetenmilesthroughthepark，thegloomymassofarchitectureloomingup，theregimentofliveriedmen-servants，withrespectfullyloweredbutexcitedlycuriouseyes，thedarkandsolemnrichnessinclosingandclaiminghim——allthiscreatedanatmospherewhollyunreal。Ashehadnotknownbooks，itsparallelhadnotbeensuggestedtohimbyliterature。Hehadliterallynotheardthatsuchthingsexisted。Sellingnewspapersandgivingeverymomenttothestruggleforlifeorliving，onedidnotcomewithintherangeofsplendors。Hehadindeedawakenedinthatotherworldofwhichhehadspoken。Andthoughhehadheardthattherewasanotherworld，hehadhadneithertimenoropportunitytomakementalpicturesofit。Hislifesofarhadexpresseditselfinanotherlanguageoffigures。ThefactthathehadinhisveinsthebloodoftheNormanlordsandSaxonkingsmayormaynothavehadsomethingtodowiththefactthathewasnotabashed，butbewildered。Thesamefactormayormaynothaveaidedhimtopreserveacertainstoic，outwardcomposure。Whoknowswhatremoteinfluencesexpressthemselvesincommonactsofmoderncommonlife？AsCassivellaunusobservedhissurroundingsashefollowedincaptivechainshisconqueror”striumphalcarthroughthestreetsofRome，sothekeen-eyedproductofNewYorkpavementlife“tookin“allabouthim。Existencehadforceduponhimthehabitofsharpobservance。Thefundamentalworkinglawofthingshadexpresseditselfinthesimplecolloquialism，“Keepyoureyeskinned，anddon”tgiveyourselfaway。”Inwhatphrasestheparallelofthisconciseadviceformulateditselfin55B。C。noclassichasyetexactlyinformedus，butdoubtlesssomethinglikeitwassaidinancientRome。Tembaromdidnotgivehimselfaway，andhetookrapid，ifuncertain，inventoryofpeopleandthings。Heremarked，forinstance，thatPalford”smannerofspeakingtoaservantwastotallydifferentfromthemannerheusedinaddressinghimself。Itwascourteous，butremote，asthoughhespokeacrossanacceptedchasmtobeingsofanotherrace。Therewasnohintofincivilityinit，butalsonohintofanypossibilitythatitcouldoccurtothepersonaddressedtohesitateorresent。Itwasasubtlething，andTembaromwonderedhowhedidit。

Theywereshownintoaroomthewallsofwhichseemedbuiltofbooks；

thefurniturewasrichandgraveandluxuriouslycomfortable。Afireblazedaswellasglowedinafinechimney，andatablenearitwassetwithaglitterofsplendidsilverurnandequipagefortea。

“Mrs。Butterworthwasafraidyoumightnothavebeenabletogettea，sir，“saidtheman-servant，whodidnotwearlivery，butwhosebutler”sairofestablishedauthoritywasmoreimpressivethananyfawncolorandclaretenrichedwithsilvercouldhaveencompassed。

Teaagain？Perhapsonewasobligedtodrinkitatregularintervals。

Tembaromforamomentdidnotawakentothefactthatthemanwasspeakingtohim，asthemasterfromwhomorderscame。HeglancedatMr。Palford。

“Mr。TempleBarholmhadteaafterweleftCrowly，“Mr。Palfordsaid。

“Hewillnodoubtwishtogotohisroomatonce，Burrill。”

“Yes，sir，“saidBurrill，withthatnoteofentireabsenceofcommentwithwhichTembaromlaterbecamefamiliar。“Pearsoniswaiting。”

ItwasnotunnaturaltowonderwhoPearsonwasandwhyhewaswaiting，butTembaromknewhewouldfindout。Therewasaslightreliefonrealizingthatteawasnotimperative。HeandMr。Palfordwereledthroughthehallagain。Thecarriagehadrolledaway，andtwofootmen，whoweretalkingconfidentiallytogether，atoncestoodatattention。

Thestaircasewasmoreimposingasonemounteditthanitappearedasonelookedatitfrombelow。ItsbreadthmadeTembaromwishtolayahandonabalustrade，whichseemedamileaway。Hehadneverparticularlywishedtotouchbalustradesbefore。Attheheadofthefirstflighthunganenormouspieceoftapestry，itsforestandhuntersandfalconersawakeningTembarom”scuriosity，asitlookedwhollyunlikeanypicturehehadeverseeninashop-window。Therewerepictureseverywhere，andnoneofthemlookedlikechromos。Mostofthepeopleintheportraitswereinfancydress。RumorsofaNewYorkmillionaireballhadgivenhimsomevagueideaoffancydress。A

lotofthemlookedlikefreaks。Hecaughtglimpsesofcorridorslightedbycurious，high，deepwindowswithleadedpanes。Itstruckhimthattherewasnoendtotheplace，andthattheremustberoomsenoughinitforahotel。

“Thetapestrychamber，ofcourse，Burrill，“heheardMr。Palfordsayinalowtone。

“Yes，sir。Mr。TempleBarholmalwaysusedit。”

Afewyardsfartheronadoorstoodopen，revealinganimmenseroom，richandgloomywithtapestry-coveredwallsanddarkoakfurniture。A

bedwhichlookedtoTembaromincrediblybig，withitscarvedoakcanopyandmassiveposts，hadapresidingpersonalityofitsown。Itwasmountedbysteps，anditshangingsandcoverlidwereofembossedvelvet，time-softenedtotheperfectionofpurplesandblues。Afireenrichedthecolorofeverything，anddiditsbesttodrivetheshadowsaway。Deepwindowsopenedeitherintotheleaflessboughsofclose-growingtreesoruponoutspreadspacesofheavilytimberedpark，wheregaunt，thoughmagnificent，barebranchesmenacedanddefied。A

slim，neatyoungman，witharatherpalefaceandatouchofanxietyinhisexpression，cameforwardatonce。

“ThisisPearson，whowillvaletyou，“exclaimedMr。Palford。

“Thankyou，sir，“saidPearsoninalow，respectfulvoice。Hismannerwascorrectnessitself。

ThereseemedtoMr。Palfordtobereallynothingelsetosay。Hewanted，infact，togettohisownapartmentandhaveahotbathandarestbeforedinner。

“WhereamI，Burrill？“heinquiredasheturnedtogodownthecorridor。

“Thecrimsonroom，sir，“answeredBurrill，andheclosedthedoorofthetapestrychamberandshutTembarominalonewithPearson。

CHAPTERXI

Forafewmomentsthetwoyoungmenlookedateachother，Pearson”sgazebeingoneofrespectfulnesswhichhopedtopropitiate，ifpropitiationwasnecessary，thoughPearsongreatlytrusteditwasnot。

Tembarom”swasthegazeofhastyinvestigationandinquiry。Hesuddenlythoughtthatitwouldhavebeen“alltothemerry“ifsomebodyhad“puthimonto“asortofideaofwhatwasdonetoafellowwhenhewas“valeted。”Avalet，hehadofcoursegathered，waitedononesomehowandlookedafterone”sclothes。Butweretherebychanceotherthingsheexpectedtodo，——manicureone”snailsorcutone”shair，——andhowoftendidhedoit，andwasthistheday？Hewasevidentlytheretodosomething，orhewouldn”thavebeenwaitingbehindthedoortopounceouttheminuteheappeared，andwhentheothertwowentaway，Burrillwouldn”thaveclosedthedoorassolemnlyasthoughheshutthepairofthemintogethertogetthroughsomesortofperformance。

“Here”swhereT。T。beginstofeellikeafool，“hethought。“Andhere”swherethere”snowayoutoflookinglikeone。Idon”tknowathing。”

Butpersonalvanitywasnotsostronginhimashealthyandnormalgoodtemper。DespitethefactthattheneatcorrectnessofPearson”sstyleandthefinishedexpressionofhisneatfacesuggestedthathewasofaclasswhichknewwiththemostfinishedexactnessallthatcustomandproprietydemandedonanyoccasiononwhich“valeting“initsmostoccultbranchesmightbedone，hewasonly“anotherfellow，“

afterall，andmustbehuman。SoTembaromsmiledathim。

“Hello，Pearson，“hesaid。“Howareyou？“

Pearsonslightlystarted。Itwasthetiniestpossiblestart，quiteinvoluntary，fromwhichherecoveredinstantly，toreplyinatoneofrespectfulgratefulness：

“Thankyou，sir，verywell；thankyou，sir。”

“That”sallright，“answeredTembarom，asenseofreliefbecausehe”d“gotstarted“increasingthefriendlinessofhissmile。“Iseeyougotmytrunkopen，“hesaid，glancingatsomearticlesofclothingneatlyarrangeduponthebed。

Pearsonwasslightlyalarmed。ItoccurredtohimsuddenlythatperhapsitwasnotthecustominAmericatoopenagentleman”sboxandlayouthisclothesforhim。Forspecialreasonshewasdesperatelyanxioustokeephisplace，andaboveallthingshefelthemustavoidgivingoffensebydoingthingswhich，bybeingtooEnglish，mightseemtocastshadesofdoubtontheentirecorrectnessofthecustomsofAmerica。Hehadknownillfeelingtoarisebetween“gentlemen”sgentlemen“intheservants”hallinthecaseofslightdifferencesincustoms，contestedwithabitternessoffeelingwhichhadmadethemalmostaninternationalquestion。TherehadnaturallybeenagreatdealoftalkaboutthenewMr。TempleBarholmandwhatmightbeexpectedofhim。Whenagentlemanwasnotagentleman，——thiswastheformofexpressionin“thehall，“——theLordonlyknewwhatwouldhappen。Andthisone，whohad，foralloneknew，beenborninaworkhouse，andhadbeenaboot-blackkickedaboutinAmericanstreets，——theydidnotknowTembarom，——andnearlystarvedtodeath，andfoundatlastinalowlodging-house，whatcouldheknowaboutdecentliving？Andtentoonehe”dbeAmericanenoughtoswaggerandblusterandpretendhekneweverythingbetterthananyoneelse，andlosehistemperfrightfullywhenhemademistakes，andtrytomakeotherpeopleseemtoblame。Setabeggaronhorseback，andwhodidn”tknowwhathewas？Therewerechancesenoughandtosparethatnotoneofthemwouldbeabletostandit，andthatinamonth”stimetheywouldallbelookingfornewplaces。

SowhileTembaromwasratherafraidofPearsonandmovedaboutinanawfulstateofuncertainty，PearsonwashorriblyafraidofTembarom，andwas，infact，insuchaconditionofnervousanxietythathewasobligedmorethanoncefurtivelytoapplytohisdamp，paleyoungforeheadhisexceedinglyfreshandspotlesspocket-handkerchief。

Inthefirstplace，therewasthewardrobe。WhatCOULDhedo？Howcouldheapproachthesubjectwithsufficientdelicacy？Mr。TempleBarholmhadbroughtwithhimonlyasteamertrunkandaGladstonebag，thelatterevidentlyboughtinLondon，tobestuffedwithhastilypurchasedhandkerchiefsandshirts，wornastheycameoutoftheshop，andasevidentlyboughtwithouttheslightestideaofthekindoflinenagentlemanshouldown。WhatmostterrifiedPearson，whowasofatimidandmostdelicate-mindednature，wasthathavingtheworkhouseandtheboot-blackingasabackground，thenewMr。TempleBarholmCOULDN”Tknow，asallthishadcomeuponhimsosuddenly。AndwasittobePearson”scalamitousdutytoexplaintohimthathehadNOTHING，thatheapparentlyKNEWnothing，andthatashehadnofriendswhoknew，amerecommonservantmusteducatehim，ifhedidnotwishtoseehimderidedandlookeddownuponandactually“cut“bygentlementhatWEREgentlemen？AllthistosaynothingofPearson”sownwell-

earnedreputationforknowledgeofcustom，intelligence，anddeftnessinturningouttheobjectsofhiscareinsuchformastobeareferenceinthemselveswhenanewplacewaswanted。Ofcoursesometimestherewereevenrealgentlemenwhoweremostcarelessandindifferenttoappearance，andwho，iflefttothemselves，wouldbuygarmentswhichmadethebloodruncoldwhenonerealizedthathisowncharacterandhopesforthefutureoftendependeduponhislatestemployer”soutwardaspect。ButtheulsterinwhichMr。TempleBarholmhadpresentedhimselfwasofacutandmaterialsuchasPearson”smostdiscouragedmomentshadneverforcedhimtocontemplate。Thelimitedwardrobeinthesteamertrunkwasallnewandallequallybad。Therewasnoeveningdress，noproperlinen，——notwhatPearsoncalled“proper，“——nopropertoiletappurtenances。WhatwasPearsoncalleduponbydutytodo？Ifhehadonlyhadtheinitiativetoanticipatethis，hemighthaveaskedpermissiontoconsultindarkestsecrecywithMr。Palford。Buthehadneverdreamedofsuchasituation，andapparentlyhewouldbeobligedtosendhisnewchargedowntohisfirstdinnerinthemajesticallydecorousdining-room，“beforealltheservants，“inasortofspeckledtweedcutaway，withabrownnecktie。

Tembarom，realizingwithoutdelaythatPearsondidnotexpecttobetalkedtoandbeingcheeredbythesightofthefire，satdownbeforeitinaneasy-chairthelikeofwhichforluxuriouscomforthehadneverknown。Hewas，infact，waitingfordevelopments。Pearsonwouldsayordosomethingshortlywhichwouldgivehimachanceto“catchon，“orperhapshe”dgooutoftheroomandleavehimtohimself，whichwouldbeathingtothankGodfor。Thenhecouldwashhisfaceandhands，brushhishair，andwaittillthedinner-bellrang。They”dbelikelytohaveone。They”dhavetoinaplacelikethis。

ButPearsondidnotgooutoftheroom。HemovedaboutbehindhimforashorttimewithfootfallsoalmostentirelysoundlessthatTembarombecameawarethat，ifitwentonlong，heshouldbenervous；infact，hewasnervousalready。Hewantedtoknowwhathewasdoing。Hecouldscarcelyresistthetemptationtoturnhisheadandlook；buthedidnotwanttogivehimselfawaymoreentirelythanwasunavoidable，and，besides，instincttoldhimthathemightfrightenPearson，wholookedfrightenedenough，inaneatandwell-manneredway，already。Hullygee！howhewishedhewouldgooutoftheroom！

Buthedidnot。ThereweregentlyglidingfootstepsofPearsonbehindhim，quietmovementswhichwouldhaveseemedstealthyiftheyhadbeenaburglar”s，softremovalsofarticlesfromonepartoftheroomtoanother，delicatebrushings，andalmostnoiselessfoldings。NowPearsonwasnearthebed，nowhehadopenedawardrobe，nowhewaslookingintothesteamertrunk，nowhehadstoppedsomewherebehindhim，withinafewyardsofhischair。Whyhadheceasedmoving？Whatwashelookingat？Whatkepthimquiet？

Tembaromexpectedhimtobeginstirringmysteriouslyagain；buthedidnot。Whydidhenot？Therereignedintheroomentiresilence；nosoftfootfalls，nobrushing，nofolding。Washedoingnothing？Hadhegotholdofsomethingwhichhadgivenhimafit？Therehadbeennosoundofafall；butperhapsevenifanEnglishvalethadafit，he”dhaveitsoquietlyandrespectfullythatonewouldn”thearit。Tembaromfeltthathemustbelookingatthebackofhishead，andhewonderedwhatwasthematterwithit。Washishaircutinawaysoun-Englishthatithadparalyzedhim？Thebackofhisheadbegantocreepunderaninvestigationsoprolonged。Nosoundatall，nomovement。Tembaromstealthilytookouthiswatch——goodoldWaterburyhewasn”tgoingtopartwith——andbegantowatchtheminute-hand。Ifnothinghappenedinthreeminuteshewasgoingtoturnround。One——two——three——andthesilencemadeitseemfifteen。HereturnedhisWaterburytohispocketandturnedround。

Pearsonwasnotdead。Hewasstandingquitestillandresigned，waiting。Itwashisbusinesstowait，nottointrudeordisturb，andhavingputeverythinginorderanddoneallhecoulddo，hewaswaitingforfurthercommands——insomesuspense，itmustbeadmitted。

“Hello！“exclaimedTembarom，involuntarily。

“ShallIgetyourbathready，sir？“inquiredPearson。“Doyoulikeithotorcold，sir？“

Tembaromdrewarelievedbreath。Hehadn”tdroppeddeadandhehadn”thadafit，andherewasoneofthethingsamandidwhenhevaletedyou——hegotyourbathready。Ahastyrecollectionofthemuch-used，paint-smearedtinbathonthefourthfloorofMrs。Bowse”sboarding-

housesprangupbeforehim。Everybodyhadtouseitinturn，andyouwaitedhoursforthechancetomakeadashintoit。Noonestoodstillandwaitedfifteenminutesuntilyougotgoodandreadytotellhimhecouldgoandturnonthewater。Geewhizz！

Beingrelievedhimself，herelievedPearsonbytellinghimhemight“fixit“forhim，andthathewouldhavehotwater。

“Verygood，sir。Thankyou，sir，“saidPearson，andsilentlylefttheroom。

ThenTembaromgotupfromhischairandbegantowalkaboutratherrestlessly。Anewalarmseizedhim。DidPearsonexpecttoWASHhimortostandroundandhandhimsoapandtowelsandthingswhilehewashedhimself？

Ifitwassupposedthatyouhadn”tthestrengthtoturnthefaucetsyourself，itmightbesupposedyoudidn”thavetheenergytouseaflesh-brushandtowels。Didvaletingincludeakindofshampooallover？

“Icouldn”tstandforthat，“hesaid。“I”dhavetotellhimthere”dbeennoTurkishbathsinmine，andI”mnottraineduptothem。WhenI”vegotontothiskindofthingabitmore，I”llmakehimunderstandwhatI”mNOTinfor；butIdon”twanttoscarethelifeoutofhimrightoff。Helookslikeagoodlittlefellow。”

ButPearson”sdutiesasvaletdidnotapparentlyincludegivinghimhisbathbysheerphysicalforce。Hewasdeft，calm，amenable。HeledTembaromdownthecorridortothebath-room，revealedtohimstoresofsumptuousbath-robesandtowels，hot-andcold-waterfaucets，sprays，andtonicessences。Heforgotnothingand，havingpreparedall，mutelyvanished，andreturnedtothebedroomtowait——andgazeintroubledwonderatthespeckledtweedcutaway。Therewasanappallingpossibility——hewasawarethathewasentirelyignorantofAmericancustoms——thattweedwasthefashionablehomeeveningwearintheStates。Tembarom，returningfromhisbathmuchrefreshedafterawarmplungeandacoldshower，evidentlyfeltthatasacostumeitwasallthatcouldbedesired。

“Willyouwear——these，sir，——thisevening？“Pearsonsuggested。

Itwassuggestiveofmorethanactualinquiry。Ifhehaddaredtohopethathismannermightsuggestanumberofthings！Forinstance，thatinEnglandgentlemenreallydidn”tweartweedintheeveningeveninprivate。Thatthroughsomeunforeseencircumstanceshisemployer”sevening-dresssuithadbeendelayed，butwouldofcoursearriveto-

morrow！

ButTembarom，physicallystimulatedbyhotandcoldwater，andreliefatbeingleftalone，wasbeginningtorecoverhisnaturalbuoyancy。

“Yes，I”llwear”em，“heanswered，snatchingathishairbrushandbeginningtobrushhisdamphair。Itwasawooden-backedbrushthatPearsonhadfoundinhisGladstonebagandshudderinglylaidinreadinessonthedressing-table。“Iguessthey”reallright，ain”tthey？“

“Oh，quiteright，sir，quite，“Pearsonventured”formorningwear。”

“Morning？“saidTembarom，brushingvigorously。“Notnight？“

“Black，sir，“mostdelicatelyhintedPearson，“is——moreusual——intheevening——inEngland。”Afterwhichheadded，“Sotospeak，“withavaguehopethatthemollifyingphrasemightcounteracttheeffectofanyapparentlyimpliedaspersiononcolorspreferredinAmerica。

Tembaromceasedbrushinghishair，andlookedathimingood-natureddesireforinformation。

“Frock-coatsorclaw-hammer？“heasked。Despitehisnaturalanxiety，andinthemidstofit，Pearsoncouldnotbutadmitthathehadanuncondemnatoryvoiceandasortofyoungwaywithhimwhichgaveonecourage。Buthewasnotquitesureof“claw-hammer。”

“Frock-coatsformorningdressandafternoonwear，sir，“heventured。

“Theeveningcut，asyouknow，is”

“Claw-hammer。Swallow-tail，Iguessyousayhere，“Tembaromendedforhim，quitewithouthintofrancor，hewasrejoicedtosee。

“Yes，sir，“saidPearson。

Theceremonyofdressingprovedafearsomethingasitwenton。

PearsonmovedaboutdeftlyandessayedtodothingsforthenewMr。

TempleBarholmwhichthenewMr。TempleBarholmhadneverheardofamannotdoingforhimself。HereachedforthingsPearsonwasabouttohandtohimorholdforhim。HeunceremoniouslyachievedservicesforhimselfwhichitwaspartofPearson”smanifestdutytoperform。Theygotintoeachother”sway；therewasevendangersometimesoftheirseemingtosnatchthingsfromeachother，toPearson”sunboundedhorror。Mr。TempleBarholmdidnotexpressanyirritationwhatsoevermisunderstandingstookplace，butheheldhismouthratherclose-shut，andPearson，notawarethathedidthisasaprecautionagainstopengrinningorshoutsoflaughterashefoundhimselfunabletoadjusthimselftohisattendant”smovements，thoughtitpossiblethathewassecretlyannoyedandregardedthewholematterwithdisfavor。Butwhenthedressingwasatanendandhestoodreadytogodowninallhisinnocentignoringofspeckledtweedandbrownnecktie，helookedneitherflurriednoroutofhumor，andheaskedaquestioninavoicewhichwasactuallyfriendly。Itwasaquestiondealingwithanincidentwhichhadarousedmuchinterestintheservants”hallassuggestingatouchofmystery。

“Mr。Strangewayscameyesterdayallright，didn”the？“heinquired。

“Yes，sir，“Pearsonanswered。“Mr。Hutchinsonandhisdaughtercamewithhim。Theycallher`LittleAnnHutchinson。”She”sasensiblelittlething，sir，andsheseemedtoknowexactlywhatyou”dwantdonetomakehimcomfortable。Mrs。Butterworthputhiminthewestroom，sir，andIvaletedhim。Hewasnotverywellwhenhecame，butheseemsbetterto-day，sir，onlyhe”sveryanxioustoseeyou。”

“That”sallright，“saidTembarom。“Youshowmehisroom。I”llgoandseehimnow。”

AndbeingledbyPearson，hewentwithoutdelay。

CHAPTERXII

ThechiefobjectiontoTempleBarholminTembarom”smindwasthatitwastoobigforanyhumanuse。Thatatleastwashowitstruckhim。

Theentrancewastoobig，thestairsweretoowide，theroomstoobroadandtoolongandtoohightoallowofeyesaccustomedtohallbedroomsadjustingtheirvisionwithoutdiscomfort。Thedining-roominwhichthenewownertookhisfirstmealincompanywithMr。Palford，andattendedbythelarge，seriousmanwhoworenoliveryandthreetallfootmenwhodid，wasofasizeandstatelinesswhichmadehimfeelhomesickforMrs。Bowse”sdining-room，withitstwohurried，incompetent，andoften-changedwaitressesanditsprevailingfriendlycustomofpushingthingsacrossthetabletosavetime。MealswerequicklydisposedofatMrs。Bowse”s。Everybodywasdueup-townordown-town，andregardedfoodasanunavoidable，becausenecessary，interferencewithmoreurgentbusiness。AtTempleBarholmonesathalfthenight——thiswastheimpressionmadeuponTembarom——watchingthingsbeingbroughtinandtakenoutoftheroom，carvedonahugebuffet，andpassedfromonemantoanother；andwhentheywerebroughtsolemnlytoyou，ifyouturnedthemdown，itseemedthatthewholeceremonyhadtobegonethroughwithagain。Allsortsofsilverknives，forks，andspoonsweregiventooneandtakenaway，andhalfadozensortsofglassesstoodbyyourplate；andifyoumadeamovetodoanythingforyourself，themanoutofliverystoppedyouasthoughyouweretoobigafooltobetrusted。Thefoodwasallright，butwhenyouknewwhatanythingwas，andwereinclinedtowelcomeitasanoldfriend，itwasgiventoyouinsomewaythatmadeyougetrattled。

Withalltheswelldishes，youhadnobutter-plate，andiceseemedscarce，andthedead，stillwaytheservantsmovedaboutgaveyouasortoffeelingthatyouwereatafuneralandthatitwasn”tdecenttotalksolongastheremainswereintheroom。Thehead-manandthefoot-menseemedtogetonbysigns，thoughTembaromneversawthemmakingany；andtheirfacesneverchangedforamoment。Onceortwicehetriedajoke，addressingittoMr。Palford，toseewhatwouldhappen。ButasMr。Palforddidnotseemtoseethehumorofit，andgavehimthe“glassyeye，“andneitherthehead-mannorthefootmenseemedtohearit，hethoughtthatperhapstheydidn”tknowitwasajoke；andiftheydidn”t，andtheythoughtanythingatall，theymustthinkhewasdippy。Thedinnerwasadeadly，thoughsumptuous，meal，andlongdrawnout，whenmeasuredbymealsatMrs。Bowse”s。Hedidnotknow，asMr。Palforddid，thatitwasperfect，andservedwithafinisheddexteritythatwasalsoperfection。

Mr。Palford，however，washimselfrelievedwhenitwasatanend。HehadsatatdinnerwiththelateMr。TempleBarholminhisday，andhadseenhimalsoservedbytheownersofimpassivecountenances；buthehadbeenawarethatwhatsoeverofsecretdislikeandresentmentwasconcealedbythem，therelaybehindtheirimmovabilityanacceptanceofthefactthatherepresented，eveninhismostobjectionablehumors，centuriesofaccustomednesstorespectfulserviceandofknowledgeofhisrightandpowertoclaimit。Thesolicitorwaskeenlyawareofthesilentcommentsbeingmadeuponthetweedsuitandbrownnecktieandonthemannerinwhichtheirwearerboldlychosethewrongforkorerroneouslymadeuseofaknifeorspoon。Laterintheevening，intheservants”hall，thecommentwouldnotbesilent，andtherecouldbenodoubtofwhatitscharacterwouldbe。Therewouldbelaughterandtherelatingofincidents。Housemaidsandstill-roommaidswouldgiggle，andkitchen-maidsandboot-boyswouldgrinandwhisperinserviletributetothewitticismsofthesuperiorservants。

Afterdinnertherestoftheeveningcouldatleastbespentintalkaboutbusinessmatters。TherestillremaineddetailstobeenlargeduponbeforePalfordhimselfreturnedtoLincoln”sInnandleftMr。

TempleBarholmtothecareofthestewardofhisestate。Itwasnotdifficulttotalktohimwhenthesolesubjectofconversationwasofabusinessnature。

BeforetheypartedforthenightthemysteryofthearrangementsmadeforStrangewayshadbeencleared。Infact，Mr。TempleBarholmmadenomysteryofthem。Hedidnotseemignorantofthefactthatwhathehadchosentodowasunusual，buthedidnotappearhamperedorembarrassedbytheknowledge。Hisremarksonthesubjectwereentirelycivilandwerefarfromactuallysuggestingthathissingularconductwaspurelyhisownbusinessandnoneofhissolicitor”s；butforamomentorsoMr。Palfordwasprivatelyjustatrifleannoyed。TheHutchinsonshadtraveledfromLondonwithStrangewaysintheircarethedaybefore。HewouldhavebeenunhappyanddisturbedifhehadbeenobligedtotravelwithMr。Palford，whowasastrangertohim，andMissHutchinsonhadasoothingeffectonhim。Strangewayswasforthepresentcomfortablyinstalledasaguestofthehouse，MissHutchinsonhavingtalkedtothehousekeeper，Mrs。Butterworth，andtoPearson。WhatthefutureheldforhimMr。TempleBarholmdidnotseemtofeelthenecessityofgoinginto。Helefthimbehindasasubject，andwentontalkingcheerfullyofotherthingsalmostasifhehadforgottenhim。

Theyhadtheircoffeeinthelibrary，andafterwardsatatthewriting-tableandlookedoverdocumentsandtalkeduntilMr。Palfordfeltthathecouldquitedecorouslyretiretohisbedroom。Hewasgladtoberelievedofhisduties，andTembaromwasamiablyresignedtopartingwithhim。

Tembaromdidnotgoup-stairsatoncehimself。Hesatbythefireandsmokedseveralpipesoftobaccoandthoughtthingsover。Therewerealotofthingstothinkover，andseveraldecisionstomake，andhethoughtitwouldbeagoodideatopasstheminreview。Thequietofthedeadsurroundedhim。Inahousethesizeofthistheservantswereprobablyhalfamileaway。They”dneedtrolleystogettoone，hethought，ifyourangfortheminahurry。Ifanarmedburglarmadeaquietentrywithoutyourknowingit，hecouldgetinsomeprettyroughworkbeforeanyoftheseventy-fivefootmencouldcometolendahand。

Hewasnotawarethatthereweretwoofthemstandinginwaitinginthehall，theirpowderedheadsclosetogether，sothattheirwhispersandchucklescouldbeheard。Asoundofmovementinthelibrarywouldhavebroughtthemupstandingtoadecorousattitudeofattentionconveyingtotheuninitiatedtheimpressionthattheyhadnotmovedforhours。

Sometimesashesatinthebigmoroccochair，T。Tembaromlookedgraveenough；sometimeshelookedasthoughhewasconfrontingproblemswhichneededpuzzlingoutandwithwhichhewasnotmakingmuchheadway；sometimeshelookedasthoughhewasthinkingoflittleAnnHutchinson，andnotinfrequentlyhegrinned。Herehewasuptotheneckinit，andhewasdarnedifheknewwhathewasgoingtodo。Hedidn”tknowasoul，andnobodyknewhim。Hedidn”tknowathingheoughttoknow，andhedidn”tknowanyonewhocouldtellhim。EventheHutchinsonshadneverbeeninsideaplacelikeTempleBarholm，andtheyweregoingbacktoManchesterafterafewweeks”stayatthegrandmother”scottage。

BeforehehadleftNewYorkhehadseenHadmanandsomeotherfellowsandgotthingsstarted，sothattherewasanevenchancethattheinventionwouldbeputonitsfeet。Hehadworkedhardandusedhisownpowertocontrolmoneyinthefutureasaleverwhichhadprovedtobeexactlywhatwasneeded。

Hadmanhadbeenspurredandalittlestartledwhenherealizedthemagnitudeofwhatreallycouldbedone，andsawalsothatthisslangy，moneyedyouthwasnotmerelyanenthusiasticfool，butsawintobusinessschemesprettysharplyandwasofamostdeterminedreadiness。WiththispowerrangingitselfonthesideofHutchinsonandhisinvention，itwasgoodbusinesstobegintomove，ifonedidnotwanttorunachanceofbeingleftoutinthecold。

HutchinsonhadgonetoManchester，andtherehadbeenbarelytimeforabriefbutcharacteristicinterviewbetweenhimandTembarom，whenherushedbacktoLondon。Tembaromfeltratherexcitedwhenherememberedit，recallingwhathehadfeltinconfrontingthestrugglesagainstemotionintheblunt-featured，redface，thebreaksintheroughvoice，thechargingupanddowntheroomlikeacuriouslyelatedbullinachinashop，andthebigefforttorestrainreliefandgratitudethedegreeofwhichmightseemtounder-valuethemeritsoftheinventionitself。

Onceortwicewhenhelookedserious，Tembaromwasthinkingthisover，andalsoonceortwicewhenhegrinned。Reliefandgratitudenotwithstanding，Hutchinsonhadkepthiminhisplace，andhadnotmadeunboundedeffortstoconcealhissenseoftheincongruityofhispositionasthecontrolleroffortunesandthelordofTempleBarholm，whichwasstillvaguelyflavoredwithindignation。

Whenhehadfinishedhislastpipe，Tembaromroseandknockedtheashesoutofit。

“NowforPearson，“hesaid。

HehadmadeuphismindtohaveatalkwithPearson，andtherewasnousewastingtime。Ifthingsdidn”tsuityou，thebestthingwastoseewhatyoucoulddotofixthemrightaway——ifitwasn”tagainstthelaw。Hewentoutintothehall，andseeingthetwofootmenstandingwaiting，hespoketothem。

“Say，Ididn”tknowyoufellowswerethere，“hesaid。“Areyouwaitingupforme？Well，youcangotobed，thesoonerthequicker。Goodnight。”Andhewentup-stairswhistling。

Theglowandrichnessandceremonialorderofpreparationinhisbedroomstruckhimassoonasheopenedthedoor。Everythingwhichcouldpossiblyhavebeenmadereadyforhismostluxuriouscomforthadbeenmadeready。Hedidnot，itistrue，caremuchforthehugebedwithitscarvedoakcanopyandmassivepillars。

“Butthelying-downpartlooksaboutallright，“hesaidtohimself。

Thefinelinen，thesoftpillows，thedownyblankets，wouldhavealluredevenamanwhowasnottired。Thecoveringhadbeenneatlyturnedbackandthesnowywhitenessopened。ThatwasEnglish，hesupposed。Theyhadn”tgotontothatatMrs。Bowse”s。

“ButIguessaplainlittleoldNewYorksleepwilldo，“hesaid。

“TempleBarholmornoTempleBarholm，Iguesstheycan”tchangethat。”

Thentheresoundedaquietknockatthedoor。Heknewwhoitwouldturnouttobe，andhewasnotmistaken。Pearsonstoodinthecorridor，wearinghisslightlyanxiousexpression，butreadyfororders。

Mr。TempleBarholmlookeddownathimwithafriendly，ifunusual，air。

“Say，Pearson，“heannounced，“ifyou”vecometowashmyfaceandputmyhairupincrimping-pins，youneedn”tdoit，becauseI”mnotusedtoit。Butcomeonin。”

IfhehadtoldPearsontoenterandclimbthechimney，itcannotbesaidthattheorderwouldhavebeenobeyeduponthespot，butPearsonwouldcertainlyhavehesitatedandexplainedwithrespectfuldelicacythefactthatthetaskwasnot“hisplace。”Hecameintotheroom。

“Icametosee，ifIcoulddoanythingfurtherand”makingacourageousonslaughtuponthesituationforwhichhehadbeenpreparinghimselfforhours”andalso——ifitisnottoolate——toventuretotroubleyouwithregardtoyourwardrobe。”Hecoughedalow，embarrassedcough。“Inunpacking，sir，Ifound——Ididnotfind”

“Youdidn”tfindmuch，didyou？“Tembaromassistedhim。

“Ofcourse，sir，“Pearsonapologized，“leavingNewYorksohurriedly，your——yourmanevidentlyhadnottimeto——er”

Tembaromlookedathimafewsecondslonger，asifmakinguphismindtosomething。Thenhethrewhimselfeasilyintothebigchairbythefire，andleanedbackinitwiththefrankestandbest-naturedsmilepossible。

“Ihadn”tanyman，“hesaid。“Say，Pearson，“wavinghishandtoanotherchairnearby，“supposeyoutakeaseat。”

LongandcarefultrainingcametoPearson”saidandsupportedhim，buthewasafraidthathelookednervous，andcertainlytherewasalackofentirecalminhisvoice。

“I——thankyou，sir，——IthinkI”dbetterstand，sir。”

“Why？“inquiredTembarom，takinghistobacco-pouchoutofhispocketandpreparingtofillanotherpipe。

“You”remostkind，sir，but——but”inimpassionedembarrassment”I

shouldreallyPREFERtostand，sir，ifyoudon”tmind。Ishouldfeelmore——moreat”ome，sir，“headded，droppinganhinhisagitation。

“Well，ifyou”dlikeitbetter，that”sallright，“yieldedMr。TempleBarholm，stuffingtobaccointothepipe。Pearsondartedtoatable，producedamatch，struckit，andgaveittohim。

“Thankyou，“saidTembarom，stillgood-naturedly。“ButthereareafewthingsI”veGOTtosaytoyouRIGHTnow。”

Pearsonhadreallydonehisbest，hisverybest，buthewasterrifiedbecauseofthecertaincircumstancesoncebeforereferredto。

“Ibegpardon，sir，“heappealed，“butIammostanxioustogivesatisfactionineveryrespect。”HeWAS，pooryoungman，horriblyanxious。“To-daybeingonlythefirstday，IdaresayIhavenotbeenallIshouldhavebeen。IhavenevervaletedanAmericangentlemanbefore，butI”msureIshallbecomeaccustomedtoeverythingQUITE

soon——almostimmediately。”

“Say，“brokeinTembarom，“you”re”wayoff。I”mnotcomplaining。

You”reallright。”

TheeasygoodtemperofhismannerwassosingularlyassuringthatPearson，unexplainableashefoundhimineveryotherrespect，knewthatthisatleastwastobedependedupon，andhedrewanalmostpalpablebreathofrelief。Somethingactuallyalluredhimintoapproachingwhathehadneverfeltitsafetoapproachbeforeunderlikecircumstances——aconfidentialdisclosure。

“Thankyou，sir：Iammostgrateful。The——factis，Ihopedespeciallytobeabletosettleinplacejustnow。I——I”mhopingtosaveupenoughtogetmarried，sir。”

“Youare？“Tembaromexclaimed。“Goodbusiness！SowasIbeforeallthis“——heglancedabouthim”fellontopofme。”

“I”vebeensavingforthreeyears，sir，andifIcanknowI”mapermanency——ifIcankeepthisplace”

“You”regoingtokeepitallright，“Tembaromcheeredhimupwith。“Ifyou”vegotanideayou”regoingtobefired，justyouforgetit。Cutitrightout。”

“Is——Ibegyourpardon，sir，“Pearsonaskedwithtimorousjoy，“butisthattheAmericanforsayingyou”llbegoodenoughtokeepmeon？“

Mr。TempleBarholmthoughtasecond。

“Is”keepmeon”theEnglishfor”letmestay”？“

“Yes，sir。”

“Thenwe”reallright。Let”sstartfromthere。I”mgoingtohaveaheart-to-hearttalkwithyou，Pearson。”

“Thankyou，sir，“saidPearsoninadeferentialmurmur。Butifhewasnotdissatisfied，whatwasgoingtohappen？

“It”llsaveusbothtrouble，andmemost。I”mnotoneofthosecleverClarencesthatcankeepupabluff，makingoutIknowthingsIdon”tknow。Icouldn”tdeceiveasettinghenoraBerlinwoolantimacassar。”

Pearsonswallowedsomethingwitheffort。

“Yousee，IfellintothisthingKERCHUNK，andI”mjustRATTLED——I”mrattled。”AsPearsonslightlycoughedagain，hetranslatedforhim，“That”sAmericanfor”Idon”tknowwhereI”mat”。”

“ThoseAmericanjokes，sir，areveryfunnyindeed，“answeredPearson，appreciatively。

“Funny！“thenewMr。TempleBarholmexclaimedevenaggrievedly。“Ifyouthinkthislay-outisanAmericanjoketome，Pearson，there”swhereyou”re”wayoff。Doyouthinkitamerryjestforafellowlikemetositupinahighchairinadining-roomlikeacathedralandnotknowwhetherheoughttobitehisownbreadornot？Andnotdaretostirtillthingsarehandedtohimbyfivehuskyfootmen？Ithoughtthatplain-clothesmanwasgoingtocutupmymeat，andslapmeonthebackifIchoked。”

Pearson”ssenseofhumorwasperhapsnotinordinate，butunseemlymirth，whichhehadswallowedatthereferencetothesettinghenandtheBerlinwoolantimacassar，momentarilygotthebetterofhim，despitehiseffortstocoughitdown，andbrokeforthinahoarse，ill-repressedsound。

“Ibegpardon，sir，“hesaidwithalaudableendeavortorecoverhisprofessionalbearing。“It”syour——Americanwayofexpressingitwhichmakesmeforgetmyself。Ibegpardon。”

Tembaromlaughedoutrightboyishly。

“Oh，cutthatout，“hesaid。“Say，howoldareyou？“

“Twenty-five，sir。”

“SoamI。Ifyou”dmetmethreemonthsago，beatingthestreetsofNewYorkforaliving，withholesinmyshoesandacelluloidcollaron，you”dhavelookeddownonme。Iknowyouwould。”

“Oh，no，sir，“mostfalselyinsistedPearson。

“Oh，yes，youwould，“protestedTembarom，cheerfully。“You”dhavesaidItalkedthroughmynose，andIshouldhavelaughedatyoufordroppingyourh”s。Nowyou”rerattledbecauseI”mMr。TempleTempleBarholm；butyou”renothalfasrattledasIam。”

“You”llgetoverit，sir，almostimmediately，“Pearsonassuredhim，hopefully。

“OfcourseIshall，“saidTembarom，withmuchcourage。“ButtostartrightI”vegottogetoverYOU。”

“Me，sir？“Pearsonbreathedanxiously。

“Yes。That”swhatIwanttogetoffmychest。Now，firstoff，youcameinheretotrytoexplaintomethat，owingtomyNewYorkvalethavingleftmyNewYorkwardrobebehind，I”venotgotanythingtowear，andsoIshallhavetobuysomeclothes。”

“Ifailedtofindanydress-shirts，sir，“beganPearson，hesitatingly。

Mr。TempleBarholmgrinned。

“Ialwaysfailedtofindthemmyself。Ineverhadadress-shirt。I

neverownedasuitofgladragsinmylife。”

“Gl——gladrags，sir？“stammeredPearson，uncertainly。

“Iknewyoudidn”tcatchonwhenIsaidthattoyoubeforedinner。I

meanclaw-hammeranddress-suitthings。Don”tyoubefrightened，Pearson。Ineverhadsixgoodshirtsatonce，ortwopairofshoes，ormorethanfourten-centhandkerchiefsatatimesinceIwasborn。AndwhenMr。PalfordyankedmeawayfromNewYork，hedidn”tsuspectafellowcouldbeinsuchastate。AndIdidn”tknowIwasinastate，anyhow。Iwastoobusytohuntuppeopletotellme，becauseIwasrushingsomethingimportantrightthrough，andIcouldn”tstop。IjustboughtthefirstthingsIseteyesonandcrammedthemintomytrunk。

There，Iguessyouknowthemostofthis，butyoudidn”tknowIknewyouknewit。Nowyoudo，andyouneedn”tbeafraidtohurtmyfeelingsbytellingmeIhaven”tadarnedthingIoughttohave。Youcangostraightahead。”

Asheleanedback，puffingawayathispipe，hehadthrownalegoverthearmofhischairforgreatercomfort，anditreallystruckhisvaletthathehadneverseenagentlemanmoreathisease，evenonewhoWASone。HiscasualcandidnessproducedsucharelieffromthesenseofstrainanduncertaintythatPearsonfeltthecolorreturningtohisface。Anopeninghadbeengivenhim，anditwaspossibleforhimtodohisduty。

“Ifyouwish，sir，Iwillmakealist，“heventuredfurther，“andtheproperfirmswillsendpersonstobringthingsdownfromLondononappro。”

“What”s”appro”theEnglishfor？“

“Approval，sir。”

“Goodbusiness！GoodoldPearson！“

“Thankyou，sir。ShallIattendtoitto-night，tobereadyforthemorningpost？“

“Infiveminutesyoushall。Butyouthrewmeoffthetrackabit。ThethingIwasreallygoingtosaywasmoreimportantthantheclothesbusiness。”

Therewassomethingelse，then，thoughtPearson，someotherunexpectedpointofview。

“Whathaveyoutodoforme，anyhow？“

“Valetyou，sir。”

“That”sEnglishforwashingmyfaceandcombingmyhairandputtingmysockson，ain”tit？“

“Well，sir，itmeansdoingallyourequire，andbeingalwaysinattendancewhenyouchange。”

“Howmuchdoyougetforit？“

“Thirtyshillingsaweek，sir。”

“Say，Pearson，“saidTembarom，withhonestfeeling，“I”llgiveyousixtyshillingsaweekNOTtodoit。”

Calmedthoughhehadfeltafewmomentsago，itcannotbedeniedthatPearsonwasaghast。Howcouldonebepreparedfordevelopmentsofsuchanorder？

“Nottodoit，sir！“hefaltered。“Butwhatwouldtheservantsthinkifyouhadnoonetovaletyou？“

“That”sso。Whatwouldtheythink？“Butheevidentlywasnotdismayed，forhesmiledwidely。“Iguesstheplainclothesmanwouldthrowafit。”

ButPearson”sviewwasmoreseriousandinvolvedaknowledgeofnotimprobablecomplications。Heknew“thehall“anditspointsofview。

“Icouldn”tdrawmywages，sir，“heprotested。“There”dbethegreatestdissatisfactionamongtheotherservants，sir，ifIdidn”tdomyduties。There”salwaysa——aslightjealousyofvaletsandladies”-

maids。Thegeneralideaisthattheydoverylittletoearntheirsalaries。I”veseenthemfairlyhated。”

“Isthatso？Well，I”llbedarned！“remarkedMr。TempleBarholm。Hegaveamomenttoreflection，andthencheeredupimmensely。

“I”lltellyouhowwe”llfixit。YoucomeupintomyroomandbringyourtattingorreadanewspaperwhileIdress。”Heopenlychuckled。

“Holysmoke！I”veGOTtoputonmyshirtandswearatmycollar-

buttonsmyself。IfI”minforhavingatrainednursedoitforme，it”llgivemetheWillies。Whenyoudancedaroundmebeforedinner”

Pearson”shorrorforcedhimtocommittheindiscretionofinterrupting。

“IhopeIdidn”tDANCE，sir，“heimplored。“Itriedtobeextremelyquiet。”

“Thatwasit，“saidTembarom。“Ishouldn”thavesaiddanced；Imeantcrept。IkeptthinkingIshouldtreadonyou，andIgotsonervoustowardtheendIthoughtIshouldjustbreakdownandsobonyourbosomandbegtobetakenbacktohomeandmother。”

“I”mextremelysorry，sir，Iam，indeed，“apologizedPearson，doinghisbestnottogivewaytohystericalgiggling。Howwasamantokeepadecentlystraightface，andifonedidn”t，wherewoulditend？Onethingafteranother。

“Itwasnotyourfault。Itwasmine。Ihaven”tathingagainstyou。

You”reafirst-ratelittlechap。”

“Iwilltrytobemoresatisfactoryto-morrow。”

Theremustbenolaughingaloud，evenifoneburstablood-vessel。Itwouldnotdo。PearsonhastilyconfrontedavisionofayoungfootmanorMr。Burrillhimselfpassingthroughthecorridorsonsomeerrandandhearingmasterandvaletshoutingtogetherinunseemlyandwhollyincomprehensiblemirth。Andthenextremarkwasworsethanever。

“No，youwon”t，Pearson，“Mr。TempleBarholmasserted。“There”swhereyou”rewrong。I”vegotnomoreuseforavaletthanIhaveforapairofstraight-frontcorsets。”

Thiscontainedasoberingsuggestion。

“Butyousaid，sir，that”

“Oh，I”mnotgoingtofireyou，“saidTembarom，genially。“I”ll”keepyouon”，butlittleWillieisgoingtoputonhisownsocks。Iftheservantshavetobepacified，youcomeuptomyroomanddoanythingyoulike。Lieonthebedifyouwantto；getajew”s-harpandplayonit——anyoldthingtopassthetime。AndI”llraiseyourwages。Whatdoyousay？Isitfixed？“