第7章

“IhadtoomuchtodoinNewYork，“saidTembarom。“There”salwayssomethingdoinginNewYork，youknow。”

Tummassilentlyregardedhimamomentorso。

“It”sapitythadidn”tgo，“hesaid。”Happentha”dneverha”coomback。”

Tembaromlaughedtheoutrightlaugh。

“Thankyou，“heanswered。

Tummaswasstillthinkingthematteroverandwasnotdisturbed。

“Iwasnathinkin”o”thee，“hesaidinanimpersonaltone。“Iwasthinkin”o”t”otherchap。Iftha”dgoni”steado”him，he”dha”beenherei”steado”thee。Eh，butit”sfunny。”Andhedrewadeepbreathlikeasighhavingitsbirthinprofundityofbaffledthought。

Bothheandhisevidentpointofviewwere“funny“intheLancashiresense，whichdoesnotimplyhumor，butstrangenessandtheunexplainable。Singularasthephrasingwas，Tembaromknewwhathemeant，andthathewasthinkingoftheoddityofchance。Tummashadobviouslyheardof“poorJem“andhadfeltaninterestinhim。

“You”retalkingaboutJemTempleBarholmIguess，“hesaid。PerhapstheinteresthehimselfhadfeltinthetragicstorygavehisvoiceatonesomewhatresponsivetoTummas”sownmood，forTummas，afteronemoreboringglance，lethimselfgo。Hisinterestinthisspecialsubjectwas，itrevealeditself，asortofobsession。ThehistoryofJemTempleBarholmhadbeentheonedramaofhisshortlife。

“Aye，Iwasthinkin”o”him，“hesaid。“Ishouldnaha”caredforth”

Klondikesomuchbutforhim。”

“ButhewentawayfromEnglandwhenyouwereababy。”

“Th”lasttoimehecoomtoTempleBarholmwurwhenIwurjustborn。

FoaksaidhecoomtoaxowdTempleBarholmifhe”dhelphimtopayhisdebts，an”th”owdchapawmostkickedhimouto”doors。Motherhadjusthadme，an”shewasweakan”poorlyan”sittin”atth”doorwi”

meinherarms，an”hepassedbyan”sawher。Hestoppedan”axedherhowshewasdoin”。An”whenhewasgoin”away，hegaveheragoldsovereign，an”hesays，`Putitinth”savin”s-bankforhim，an”keepittheertillhe”sabigladan”wantsit。”It”sbeeninth”savin”s-

bankeversin”。I”vegotawholepoundo”maownoutatinterest。

There”snotmanyladsha”gotthat。”

“Hemusthavebeenagood-naturedfellow，“commentedTembarom。“ItwasdarnedbadluckhimgoingtotheKlondike。”

“Itwasgoodluckforthee，“saidTummas，withresentment。

“Wasit？“wasTembarom”sunbiasedreply。“Well，Iguessitwas，onewayortheother。I”mnotkicking，anyhow。”

Tummasnaturallydidnotknowhalfhemeant。HewentontalkingaboutJemTempleBarholm，andashetalkedhischeeksflushedandhiseyeslighted。

“IwouldnaspendthatsovereignifIwasstarvin”。I”mgoingtoleaveittoAnnHutchinsoninmawillwhenIdee。I”veaxedquestionsabouthimreetandlefteversin”Icanremember，buttheer”snobodyknowsmuch。Mothersayshewasfinean”handsome，an”gentrythroughan”

through。Ifhe”dcoomintoth”property，he”dha”coomtoseemeagainI”lllayashillin”，becauseI”macripplean”Icannaspendhissovereign。Ifhe”dcoombackfromth”Klondike，happenhe”dha”towdmeaboutit。”Hepulledtheatlastowardhim，andlaidhisthinfingerontherubbedspot。“Hemunha”beenkilledsomewheerabouthere，“hesighed。“Somewheerhere。Eh，it”sfunny。”

Tembaromwatchedhim。Therewassomethingthatrathergaveyouthe“Willies“inthewaythislittlecrippleseemedtohavetakentothedeadmanandworriedalongalltheseyearsthinkinghimoverandaskingquestionsandstudyinguptheKlondikebecausehewaskilledthere。Itwasbecausehe”dmadeakindofstoryofit。He”denjoyeditinthewaypeopleenjoystoriesinanewspaper。Youalwayshadtogive”emakindofstory；youhadtomakeastoryevenifyouweretellingaboutamilk-wagonrunningaway。Innewspaperofficesyouheardthatwasthesecretofmakinggoodwithwhatyouwrote。Dishitupasifitwasasortofstory。

Henotinfrequentlyarrivedatastuteenoughconclusionsconcerningthings。Hehadarrivedatonenow。Shutoutevenfromthetamedramaofvillagelife，Tummas，bornwithanabnormaldesireforactionandafeverishcuriosity，hadhungeredandthirstedforthestoryinanyformwhatsoever。Hecaughtatfragmentsofhappenings，andcoloredanddissectedthemforthesatisfyingofunfedcravings。Thevanishedmanhadbeentheonetouchofpictorialformandcolorinhistenyearsofexistence。Youngandhandsomeandofthegentry，unfavoredbytheownerofthewealthwhichsomedaywouldbehisownpossession，stopping“gentry-way“atacottagedoortospeakgood-naturedlytoapaleyoungmother，handingoverthemagnificenceofawholesovereigntobesavedforanew-bornchild，goingawaytovaguelyunderstooddisgrace，leavinghisowncountrytohidehimselfindistantlands，meetingdeathamidsnowandiceandsurroundedbygold-mines，leavinghisemptyplacetobefilledbyaboot-blacknewsboy——truetherewasenoughtolieandthinkoverandtotrytofollowwiththehelpofmapsandexcitedquestions。

“IwishIcouldha”seenhim，“saidTummas。“I”dawmostgi”mysovereigntogetalookatthatpictureinth”galleryatTempleBarholm。”

“Whatpicture？“Tembaromasked。“Isthereapictureofhimthere？“

“Thereisnaoneo”him，butthere”soneo”aladasdeedtwohundredyear”agoastheysaywurth”spitan”imageonhimwhenhewuraladhissen。Oneo”th”owdservantstowdmotheritwurtheer。”

Thiswasanaturalstimulustointerestandcuriosity。

“Whichoneisit？Jinks！I”dliketoseeitmyself。Doyouknowwhichoneitis？There”shundredsofthem。”

“No，Idunnotknow，“wasTummas”sdispiritedanswer，“an”neitherdoesmother。Th”womanasknewleftwhenowdTempleBarholmdeed。”

“Tummas，“brokeinMrs。Hibblethwaitefromtheotherendoftheroom，towhichshehadreturnedaftertakingMissAliciaouttocomplainaboutthecopperinthe“wash-”us””“Tummas，tha”stbeentalkin”

likeamagpie。Tha”rtalottooboldan”readywi”thatongue。Th”

gentry”snoancomin”toseetheeifthaclacksth”headsofftheershowthers。”

“I”mafraidhealwaysdoestalkmorethanisgoodforhim，“saidMissAlicia。“Helooksquitefeverish。”

“HehasbeentalkingtomeaboutJemTempleBarholm，“explainedTembarom。“We”vehadaregularchintogether。HethinksaheapofpoorJem。”

MissAlicialookedstartled，andMrs。Hibblethwaitewasplainlyflusteredtremendously。Shequitelosthertemper。

“Eh，“sheexclaimed，“thawantsthayoungyedknockedoff，TummasHibblethwaite。He”sfairdaftaboutth”younggentlemanas——aswaskilled。HeaxesquestionsmonyadaytillI”dgivehimth”stickifhewasnaacripple。Hemoithersmetodeath。”

“I”llbringyousomeofthoseNewYorkpaperstolookat，“Tembaromsaidtotheboyashewentaway。

HewalkedbackthroughthevillagetoTempleBarholm，holdingMissAlicia”selbowinlight，affectionateguidanceandsupport，alittletoherembarrassmentandalsoalittletoherdelight。Untilhehadtakenherintothedining-roomthenightbeforeshehadneverseensuchathingdone。Therewasnoover-familiarityintheaction。Itmerelyseemedsomehowtosuggestlikingandawishtotakecareofher。

“Thatlittlefellowinthevillage，“hesaidafterasilenceinwhichitoccurredtoherthatheseemedthoughtful，“whatalittlefreakheis！He”sgotanideathatthere”sapictureinthegallerythat”ssaidtolooklikeJemTempleBarholmwhenhewasaboy。Haveyoueverheardanythingaboutit？Hesaysaservanttoldhismotheritwasthere。”

“Yes，thereisone，“MissAliciaanswered。“Isometimesgoandlookatit。Butitmakesmefeelverysad。ItisthehandsomeboywhowasapageinthecourtofCharlesII。Hediedinhisteens。HisnamewasMilesHugoCharlesJames。Jemcouldseethelikenesshimself。

SometimesforalittlejokeIusedtocallhimMilesHugo。”

“IbelieveIrememberhim，“saidTembarom。“IbelieveIaskedPalfordhisname。Imustgoandhavealookathimagain。Hehadn”tmuchbetterluckthanthefellowthatlookedlikehim，dyingasyoungasthat。”

CHAPTERXVII

Form，color，drama，anddiversotheradvantagesarenecessarytothecreationofanobjectofinterest。Presentingtotheworldnoneoftheseassets，MissAliciahadslippedthroughlifeascarcelyremarkedunit。Nolittleghostofprettinesshadattractedthewanderingeye，nosuggestionofagreeableordisagreeablepowerofself-assertionhadarrestedattention。Therehadbeennohourinherlifewhenshehadexpectedtocountasbeingoftheslightestconsequence。WhenshehadknockedatthedoorofthestudyatRowcroftVicarage，and“dearpapa“

hadexclaimedirritably：“Whoisthat？Whoisthat？“shehadalwaysreplied，“ItisonlyAlicia。”

Thisbeingthecase，hergradualawakeningtothesingularityofhernewsituationwasmentallyaprocessfullofdoubtsandsometimesofalarmedbewilderments。Ifinhergirlhoodacurate，evenacuratewithprominenteyesandarecedingchin，hadproposedtoherthatsheshouldfacewithhimafutureenrichedbytheprospectofbeingcalledupontobringupaprobablefamilyoftwelveononehundredandfiftypoundsayear，withbothparishandrectorybarkingandsnappingatherworn-downheels，shewouldhavebeensuretoasserttenderlythatshewasafraidshewas“notworthy。”Thiswasthenaturalhabitofhermind，andintheweekswhichfollowedthefoggyafternoonwhenTembarom“stakedouthisclaim“shedweltoftenuponherunworthinessofthebenefitsbestoweduponher。

Firsttheworldbelow-stairs，thenthevillage，andthenthecountyitselfawoketothefactthatthenewTempleTempleBarholmhad“takenherup。”Thefirsttendencyoftheworldbelow-stairswastoresenttheunwarrantedupliftingofapersonwhomtherehadbeenacertainluxuryinregardingwithdisdainandtreatingwithscarcelyveiledlackofconsideration。Tobeabletodothiswithapersonwho，afterallwassaidanddone，wasnotoneoftheservantclass，butasortofladyofbirth，wasnotunstimulating。Andbelow-stairsthesenseofpersonalrancoragainst“a”anger-on“isstrong。ThemealsservedinMissAlicia”sremotesitting-roomhadbeenservedatleisure，herteahadrarelybeenhot，andhermodestlytinkledbellirregularlyanswered。Oftenherfarfromliberallysuppliedfirehadgoneoutonchillydays，andshehadbeenafraidtoinsistonitsbeingrelighted。

HersoledefenseagainstinattentionwouldhavebeentocomplaintoMr。TempleBarholm，andwhenononeoccasionatooobviousneglecthadobligedhertogatherherquakingbeingtogetherinmereself-respectandsay，“Ifthiscontinuestooccur，William，IshallbeobligedtospeaktoMr。TempleBarholm，“Williamhadsolookedatherandsoillhidasecretsmilethatithadbeenalmosttantamounttohissaying，“I”djollywellliketoseeyou。”

Andnow！Sittingattheendofthetableoppositehim，ifyouplease！

Walkinghereandwalkingtherewithhim！Sittinginthelibraryorwhereverhewas，withhimtalkingandlaughingandmakingasmuchofherasthoughshewereanauntwithafortunetoleave，andwithhermakingasfreeintalkasthoughatlibertytosayanythingthatcameintoherhead！Well，thebeggarthathadfoundhimselfonhorsebackwassettinganotheronegallopingalongsideofhim。Inthemidstofthisnaturalresentmentitwas“abitupsetting，“asBurrillsaid，tofinditdawningupononethatabsoluteexactnessofceremonywasasmuchtoberequiredfor“her“asfor“him。”MissAliciahadlongfeltsecretlysurethatshewasspokenofas“her“intheservants”hall。

ThatbusinesslikesharpnesswhichPalfordhadobservedinhisclientaidedTembaromalwaystoseethingswithoutillusions。HeknewthatTherewasnoparticularreasonwhyhisarmyofservantsshouldregardhimforthepresentasmuchmorethananintruder；buthealsoknewthatifmenandwomenhademploymentwhichwasnotmadehardforthem，andwerewellpaidfordoing，theywerenotanxioustoloseit，andthemanwhopaidtheirwagesmightgiveorderswithsomecertaintyoffindingthemobeyed。Hewas“sharp“inmorewaysthanone。Heobservedshadeshemighthavebeenexpectedtooverlook。HeobservedacertainshadeinthedemeanorofthedomesticswhenattendingMissAlicia，anditwasashadewhichmarkedadifferencebetweenservicedoneforherandservicedoneforhimself。Thiswasonlyattheoutset，ofcourse，whenthesecretresentmentwasfelt；butheobservedit，mereshadethoughitwas。

HewalkedoutintothehallafterBurrillonemorning。Nothavingyetadjustedhimselftotherulethatwhenonewishedtospeaktoamanonerangabellandcalledhimback，fiftytimesifnecessary，hewalkedafterBurrillandstoppedhim。

“Thisisaprettygoodplaceforservants，ain”tit？“hesaid。

“Yes，sir。”

“Goodpay，goodfood，nottoomuchtodo？“

“Certainly，sir，“Burrillreplied，somewhatdisturbedbyacasualnesswhichyetsuggestedamethodofgettingatsomethingorother。

“Youandtherestofthemdon”twanttochange，doyou？“

“No，sir。ThereisnocomplaintwhateverasfarasIhaveheard。”

“That”sallright。”Mr。TempleBarholmhadputhishandsintohispockets，andstoodlookingnon-committalinasteadysortofway。

“There”ssomethingIwantthelotofyoutogetonto——rightaway。

MissTempleBarholmisgoingtostayhere。She”sgottohaveeverythingjustasshewantsit。She”sgottobepleased。She”stheladyofthehouse。See？“

“Ihope，sir，“Burrillsaidwithprofessionaldignity，“thatMissTempleBarholmhasnothadreasontoexpressanydissatisfaction。”

“I”mtheonethatwouldexpressit——quick，“saidTembarom。“Shewouldn”thavetimetogetinfirst。IjustwantedtomakesureI

shouldn”thavetodoit。Theotherfellowsareunderyou。You”vegotaheadonyourshoulders，Iguess。It”suptoyoutoput”emontoit。

That”sall。”

“Thankyou，sir，“saidBurrill。

Hismasterwentbackintothelibrarysmilinggenially，andBurrillstoodstillamomentorsogazingatthedoorheclosedbehindhim。

Besurethevillage，andfinallycirclesnotmadeupofcottagers，heardofthis，howsoevermysteriously。MissAliciawasnotawarethattheincidenthadoccurred。Shecouldnothelpobserving，however，thatthemannersoftheservantsofthehouseholdcuriouslyimproved；also，whenshepassedthroughthevillage，thatforeheadsweretouchedwithoutomissionandthecurtseysofplayingchildrenwereprompt。

Whenshedroppedintoacottage，housewivespolishedofftheseatsofchairsvigorouslybeforeofferingthem，andsymptomsandneedswereexplainedwitharespectfulfluencywhichattimesalmostsuggestedthatshemightbereliedontouseinfluence。

“I”mafraidIhavedonethevillagepeopleinjustice，“shesaidlenientlytoTembarom。“Iusedtothinkthemsodisrespectfulandunappreciative。IdaresayitwasbecauseIwassotroubledmyself。

I”mafraidone”sowntroublesdosometimesmakeoneunfair。”

“Well，yoursareover，“saidTembarom。“Andsoaremineaslongasyoustaybyme。”

NeverhadMissAliciabeentoLondon。Shehadremained，aswasdemandedofherbyherdutytodearpapa，atRowcroft，whichwasinSomersetshire。ShehadonlydreamedofLondon，andhadhadfifty-fiveyearsofdreaming。Shehadreadofgreatfunctions，andseenpicturesofsomeofthemintheillustratedpapers。ShehadloyallyendeavoredtofollowatadistancethedoingsofherMajesty，——shealwaysspokeofQueenVictoriareverentiallyas“herMajesty，“——sherejoicedwhenaprinceoraprincesswasbornorchristenedormarried，andbelievedthata“drawing-room“wasthemostawe-inspiring，brilliant，andimportantfunctioninthecivilizedworld，scarcelysecondtoParliament。London——noonebutherselforanelderlygentlewomanofhertypecouldhavetoldanyonethenatureofherthoughtsofLondon。

Let，therefore，thoseofvividimaginationmakeanefforttodepicttothemselvestheeffectproduceduponhermindbyTembarom”scasuallysuggestingatbreakfastonemorningthathethoughtitmightberatheragood“stunt“forthemtorunuptoLondon。Bymeregoodfortunesheescapeddroppingtheeggshehadjusttakenfromtheegg-stand。

“London！“shesaid。“Oh！“

“Pearsonthinksitwouldbeafirst-rateidea，“heexplained。“IguesshethinksthatifhecangetmeintotheswellclothingstoreshecanfixmeupasIoughttobefixed，ifI”mnotgoingtodisgracehim。I

shouldhatetodisgracePearson。Thenhecanseehisgirl，too，andI

wanthimtoseehisgirl。”

“Is——Pearson——engaged？“sheasked；butthethoughtwhichwasrepeatingitselfaloudtoherwas“London！London！“

“Hecallsit”keepingcompany”or”walkingout”“Tembaromanswered。

“She”sanicegirl，andhe”sdeadstuckonher。Willyougowithme，MissAlicia？“

“DearMr。TempleBarholm，“shefluttered，“tovisitLondonwouldbeaprivilegeIneverdreameditwouldbemygreatfortunetoenjoy——

never。”

“Goodbusiness！“heejaculateddelightedly。“That”sluckforme。Itgavemetheblues——whatIsawofit。Butifyouarewithme，I”llbetit”llbeasdifferentasafternoonteawasafterIgotholdofyou。

Whenshallwestart？To-morrow？“

Hersixteen-year-oldblushrepeateditself。

“Ifeelsosorry。Itseemsalmostundignifiedtomentionit，but——I

fearIshouldnotlooksmartenoughforLondon。Mywardrobeissoverylimited。Imustn”t，“sheaddedwithasweeteffortathumor，“dothenewMr。TempleBarholmdiscreditbylookingunfashionable。”

Hewasmoredelightedthanbefore。

“Say，“hebrokeout，“I”lltellyouwhatwe”lldo：we”llgotogetherandbuyeverything”suitable”insight。Thepairofus”llcomebackhereassuitableasBurrillandPearson。We”llpaintthetownred。”

Heactuallymeantit。Hewaslikeaboywithanewgame。HissenseofthedrearinessofLondonhaddisappeared。HeknewwhatitwouldbelikewithMissAliciaasacompanion。Hehadreallyseennothingoftheplacehimself，andhewouldfindouteverydarnedthingworthlookingat，andtakehertoseeit——theaters，shops，everyshowintown。Whentheyleftthebreakfast-tableitwasagreeduponthattheywouldmakethejourneythefollowingday。

Hedidnotopenlyrefertothefactthatamongtheplansfortheirroundoffestivitieshehadlaidoutforhimselftheattendingtooneortwopracticalpoints。HewasgoingtoseePalford，andhehadmadeanappointmentwithacelebratednervespecialist。Hedidnotdiscussthisforseveralreasons。OneofthemwasthathissummingupofMissAliciawasthatshehadhadtroubleenoughtothinkoverallherlittlelife，andthethingforafellowtodoforher，ifhelikedher，wastogiveheragoodtimeandmakeherfeelasifshewasatapicnicrightstraightalong——notletherevenhearofadarnedthingthatmightworryher。HehadsaidcomparativelylittletoheraboutStrangeways。Hisfirstmentionofhisconditionhadobviouslymadehersomewhatnervous，thoughshehadbeenfullofkindlyinterest。Shewasinprivatenotsorrythatitwasfeltbetterthatsheshouldnotdisturbthepatientbyavisittohisroom。Theabnormalityofhisconditionseemedjustslightlyalarmingtoher。

“But，oh，howgood，howcharitable，youare！“shehadmurmured。

“Good，“heanswered，thedevoutadmirationofhertoneratherpuzzlinghim。“Itain”tthat。Ijustwanttoseethethingthrough。Idroppedintoitbyaccident，andthenIdroppedintothisbyaccident，andthatmadeitaseasyasfallingoffalog。Ibelievehe”sgoingtogetwellsometime。IguessIkindoflikehimbecauseheholdsontomesoandbelievesI”mjustIt。Maybeit”sbecauseI”mstuckonmyself。”

HisvisittoStrangewayswaslongerthanusualthatafternoon。Heexplainedthesituationtohimsothatheunderstooditsufficientlynottoseemalarmedbyit。ThiswasoneoftheadvancesTembaromhadnoticedrecently，thathewaslesseasilyterrified，andseemedoccasionallytoseefactsintheirproperrelationtooneanother。

Sometimestheexperimentstriedonhimweresuccessful，sometimestheywerenot，butheneverresentedthem。

“Youaretryingtohelpmetoremember，“hesaidonce。“Ithinkyouwillsometime。”

“SureIwill，“saidTembarom。“You”rebettereveryday。”

PearsonwastoremaininchargeofhimuntiltowardtheendoftheLondonvisit。Thenhewastorunupforacoupleofdays，leavinginhisplaceayoungfootmantowhomtheinvalidhadbecomeaccustomed。

ThevisittoLondonwastoMissAliciaaperiodofenraptureddelirium。Thebeautifulhotelinwhichshewasestablished，theafternoonsattheTower，theNationalGallery，theBritishMuseum，theeveningsattheplay，duringwhichonesawthemostbrilliantanddistinguishedactors，themorningsintheshops，attendedasthoughonewereapersonoffortune，whatcouldbesaidofthem？AndthesacreddayonwhichshesawherMajestydriveslowlyby，glitteringhelmets，splendiduniforms，wavingplumes，andclankingswordsaccompanyingandguardingher，andgentlemenstandingstillwiththeirhatsoff，andeverybodylookingafterherwiththatnaturaltouchofawewhichroyaltyproperlyinspires！MissAlicia”sheartbeatrapidlyinherbreast，andsheinvoluntarilymadeacurtseyasthegreatladyinmourningdroveby。Shelostnoshadeofanyflavorofecstaticpleasureinanything，andwastoTembarom，whoknewnothingaboutshadesandflavors，indeedatouchingandendearingthing。

Hehadnevergotsomuchoutofanything。IfAnnhadjustbeenthere，well，thatwouldhavebeenthelimit。AnnwasonherwaytoAmericanow，andshewouldn”twritetohimorlethimwritetoher。Hehadtomakeafairtrialofit。Hecouldfindoutonlyinthatway，shesaid。

Itwasnottobedeniedthattheyouthandlonginginhimgavehimsomehalf-hourstofacewhichmadehimshuthimselfupinhisroomandstarehardatthewall，foldinghisarmstightlyashetiltedhischair。

TherearrivedadaywhenoneofthemostexaltedshopsinBondStreetwasinvadedbyanAmericanyoungmanofabearingthepeculiaritiesofwhichweresubtlycombinedwitharemotelysuggestedairofknowingthatifhecouldfindwhathewanted，therewasnodoubtastohispowertogetit。Whathewantedwasnotusual，andwasexplainedwithafranknesswhichmighthaveseemedunsophisticated，but，singularly，didnot。Hewantedtohaveaprivatetalkwithsomefemininepowerincharge，andshemustbesomeonewhoknewexactlywhatladiesoughttohave。

Beingshownintoaroom，suchafemininepowerwasbroughttohimandplacedathisservice。Shewasamiddle-agedperson，wearingbeautifullyfittedgarmentsandhavinganobservanteyeandadignifiedsuavityofmanner。ShelookedtheyoungAmericanoverwithaswiftinclusionofallpossibilities。Hewasbythistimewearingextremelywell-fittinggarmentshimself，butshewasatonceawarethathistailoredperfectionwasanewthingtohim。

Hewenttohispointwithoutapologeticexplanation。

“Youknowallthethingsanykindofaladyoughttohave，“hesaid——

“allthethingsthatwouldmakeanyonefeelcomfortableandasifthey”dgotplenty？Usefulthingsaswellasornamentalones？“

“Yes，sir，“shereplied，withrisinginterest。“Ihavebeenintheestablishmentthirtyyears。”

“Goodbusiness，“Tembaromreplied。Alreadyhefeltrelieved。“I”vegotarelation，alittleoldlady，andIwanthertofixherselfoutjustassheoughttobefixed。Now，whatI”mafraidofisthatshewon”tgeteverythingsheoughttounlessImanageitforhersomehowbeforehand。She”sgotintoahabitof——well，economizing。Nowthetime”spastforthat，andIwanthertogeteverythingawomanlikeyouwouldknowshereallywants，sothatshecouldlookherbest，livinginabigcountryhouse，witharelationthatthinksalotofher。”

Hepausedasecondorso，andthenwentfurther，fixingaclearandastonishinglyshrewdeyeupontheheadofthedepartmentlisteningtohim。

“Ifoundoutthiswasahigh-classplace，“heexplained。“ImadesureofthatbeforeIcamein。Inaplacethatwassecondorthirdclasstheremightbepeoplewho”dthinkthey”dcaughta”sucker”thatwouldtakeanythingthatwasunloadedontohim，becausehedidn”tknow。ThethingsareforMissTempleBarholm，andsheDOESknow。Ishallaskhertocomehereherselfto-morrowmorning，andIwantyoutotakecareofher，andshowherthebestyou”vegotthat”ssuitable。”Heseemedtoliketheword；herepeatedit”Suitable，“andquicklyrestrainedasudden，unexplainable，widesmile。

Theattendinglady”snamewasMrs。Mellish。Thirtyyears”experiencehadtaughthermanylessons。Shewasahardwomanandasharpone，butbeneathhersharphardnesslayasuppressedsenseoftheperfectintaste。Tohaveacustomerwithuncheckedresourcesputintoherhandstodoherbestbywasaninspiringincident。AquiverofenlightenmenthadcrossedhercountenancewhenshehadheardthenameofTempleBarholm。ShehadanewspaperknowledgeoftheoddTempleBarholmstory。ThiswasthenextofkinwhohadblackedbootsinNewYork，andtheobviousprobabilitythathewasafool，ifithadtakentheformofahope，hadbeenpromptlynippedinthebud。Thetypefromwhichhewasfurthestremovedwasthatofthefortune-intoxicatedyoungmanwhocouldbeobsequiouslyflatteredintobuyinganythingwhichcostmoneyenough。

“Notathing”stobeunloadedonherthatshedoesn”tlike，“headded，“andshe”snotagirlthatgoestopinkteas。She”sa——a——lady——andnotyoung——andusedtoquietways。”

TheevidentlyNewYorkword“unload“revealedhimtohishearerasbyaflash，thoughshehadneverhearditbefore。

“Wehaveexactlythethingswhichwillbesuitable，sir，“shesaid。“I

thinkIquiteunderstand。”Tembaromsmiledagain，and，thankingher，wentawaystillsmiling，becauseheknewMissAliciawassafe。

TherewereofcoursedifficultiesinthewayofpersuadingMissAliciathatherdutylayinthedirectionofspendingmorningsinthemostsumptuousofBondStreetshops，orderingforherselfanentirewardrobeonabasisofunlimitedresources。Tembaromwascalledupontoemploythemostadroitlysubtlereasoning，entirelyfoundedonhis“claim“andheraffectionatewillingnesstogivehimpleasure。

Hereallymadelovetoherinthewayajoyfulyoungfellowcanmakelovetohismotherorhisnicestaunt。Hemadeherfeelthatshecountedforsomuchinhisschemeofenjoymentthattodoasheaskedwouldbetoaddaglowtoit。

“Andtheywon”tspoilyou，“hesaid。“TheMellishwomanthat”sthebosshaspromisedthat。Iwouldn”thaveyouspoiledforafarm，“headdedheartily。

Andhespokethetruth。IfhehadbeentoldthathewascherishinghertypeasthoughitwereapricelessbitofoldSaxe，hewouldhavestaredblanklyandmadeajocularremark。Butitwasexactlythiswhichheactuallyclungtoandadored。HeevenhadasecondprivateinterviewwithMrs。Mellish，andaskedherto“keepherasmuchlikeshewas“aswaspossible。

Stimulatedbythesuppressedtouchofartisticfervor，Mrs。Mellishguessedatsomethingevenbeforeherclientarrived；butthemomentsheenteredtheshowroomallwasrevealedtoheratonce。TheveryhintofflushandtremorinMissAlicia”smannerwasanassistance。

SurroundedbyasmallandextremelyselectcourtcomposedofMrs。

Mellishandtwolow-voiced，deft-handedassistants，itwaswithafinelittleeffortthatMissAliciarestrainedherselffromexteriorsuggestionofherfeelingthattherewassomethingalmostimpiousinthinkingofpossessingtheexquisitestuffsandshadesdisplayedtoherinflowingbeautyoneveryside。Suchlinensandbatistesandlaces，suchdelicate，faintgraysandlavendersandsoft-fallingblacks！Ifshehadbeencapableofapproachingthethought，suchluxurymightevenhavehintedatguiltysplendor。

Mrs。Mellishbecamepossessedofan“idea“Tocreatethecostumeofanexquisite，early-Victorianoldladyinaplaydoneforthemostfashionableandpopularactormanagerofthemost“drawing-room“ofWestEndtheaters，whereonesawroyaltyintheroyalbox，withbouquetsoneveryside，theorchestrabreakingoffinthemiddleofastraintoplay“GodSavetheQueen，“andtheaudiencestandingupastheroyalpartycamein——thatwasheridea。Shecarrieditout，steeringMissAliciawithfinishedtactthroughtheshoalsandrapidsofhertimidities。Andtheresultwaswonderful；color，——or，rather，shades，——textures，andformsweremadesubservientbyrealgenius。

MissAlicia——asshewasturnedoutwhenthewardrobewascomplete——

mighthavebeenanelderlylittleduchessofsweetandmodestgoodtasteinthedressoffortyyearsearlier。Ittooktime，butsomeofthethingswerepreparedasthoughbymagic，andthenightthefirstboxesweredeliveredatthehotelMissAlicia，ongoingtobed，inkneelingdowntoherdevotionsprayedferventlythatshemightnotbe“ledastraybyfleshlydesires，“andthathergratitudemightbeacceptable，andnotstainedbyatoogreatjoy“inthethingswhichcorrupt。”

TheverynextdayoccurredRose。ShewastheyoungpersontowhomPearsonwasengaged，anditappearedthatifMissAliciawouldmakeuphermindtoobligeMr。TempleBarholmbyallowingthegirltocometoheraslady”s-maid，evenifonlytemporarily，shewouldbedoingamostkindandcharitablething。Shewasaverynice，well-behavedgirl，andunfortunatelyshehadfeltherselfforcedtoleaveherplacebecausehermistress”shusbandwasnotatallaniceman。HehadshownhimselfsofarfromnicethatPearsonhadbeenmostunhappy，andRosehadbeencompelledtogivenotice，thoughshehadnoothersituationinprospectandhermotherwasdependentonher。ThiswaswithoutdoubtnotMr。TempleBarholm”sexactphrasingofthestory，butitwaswhatMissAliciagathered，andwhatmovedherdeeply。Itwassocruelandsosad！Thatwickedman！Thatpoorgirl！Shehadneverhadalady”s-maid，andmightberatheratalossatfirst，butitwasonlylikeMr。TempleBarholm”skindhearttosuggestsuchawayofhelpingthegirlandpoorPearson。

SooccurredRose，aprettycreaturewhoseblueeyessuppressedgratefultearsasshetookMissAlicia”sinstructionsduringtheirfirstinterview。AndPearsonarrivedthesamenight，and，waitinguponTembarom，stoodbeforehim，andwithperfectrespect，choked。

“MightIthankyou，ifyouplease，sir，“hebegan，recoveringhimself——

“mightIthankyouandsayhowgrateful——Roseandme，sir”andchokedagain。

“Itoldyouitwouldbeallright，“answeredTembarom。“Itisallright。IwishIwasfixedlikeyouare，Pearson。”

WhentheCountessofMallowecalled，RosehadjustdressedMissAliciafortheafternooninoneofthemostperfectoftheevolutionsofMrs。

Mellish”sidea。Itwasadefinitecreation，asevenLadyMallowedetectedthemomenthereyesfelluponit。Itshuewasdull，softgray，andhowitmanagedtoconcedepointsandeludesuggestionsofmodesinterred，andyetremainwhatitdidremain，andaccordperfectlywiththesideringletsandthelacecapofMechlin，onlydressmakinggeniuscouldhaveexplained。ThemerewearingofitgaveMissAliciaasupportandcouragewhichshecouldscarcelybelievetobeherown。WhenthecardsofLadyMalloweandLadyJoanFayrewerebroughtuptoher，shewasabsolutelynotreallyfrightened；alittlenervousforamoment，perhaps，butfrightened，no。Afewweeksofreliefandease，ofcheeryconsideration，ofperfectlygoodtreatmentandgoodfoodandgoodclothes，hadbegunarebuildingoftheactualcellsofher。

LadyMalloweenteredalone。Shewasahandsomeperson，andastonishinglyyoungwhenconsideredasthemotherofadaughteroftwenty-seven。Sheworeawhiteveil，andlookedpinkthroughit。Shesweptintotheroom，andshookhandswithMissAliciawithdelicatewarmth。

“Wedonotreallyknoweachotheratall，“shesaid。“Itisdisgracefulhowlittlerelativesseeofoneanother。”

Thedisgrace，ifmeasuredbytheextentoftherelationship，wasnotimmense。PerhapsthisthoughtflickeredacrossMissAlicia”smindamonganumberofotherthings。Shehadheard“dearpapa“onLadyMallowe，and，howsoeverlackingingraces，thevicarofRowcrofthadnotlackedanacridshrewdness。MissAlicia”ssensitivelyself-

accusingsoulshrankbeforeahastyrealizationofthefactthatifhehadbeenpresentwhenthecardswerebroughtup，hewould，onglancingoverthemthroughhisspectacles，havejerkedoutimmediately：“Whatdoesthewomanwant？She”scometogetsomething。”MissAliciawishedshehadnotbeensoimmediatelybesetbythismentalvision。

LadyMallowehadcomeforsomething。ShehadcometobeamiabletoMissTempleBarholmandtoestablishrelationswithher。

“Joanshouldhavebeenheretomeetme，“sheexplained。“Herdressmakeriskeepingher，ofcourse。Shewillbesoannoyed。Shewantedverymuchtocomewithme。”

Itwasfurtherrevealedthatshemightarriveatanymoment，whichgaveMissAliciaanopportunitytoexpress，withprettygrace，thehopethatshewould，andhertrustthatshewasquitewell。

“Sheisalwayswell，“LadyMallowereturned。“Andsheisofcourseasinterestedasweallareinthisromanticthing。Itisperfectlydelicious，likeathree-volumednovel。”

“Itisromantic，“saidMissAlicia，wonderinghowmuchhervisitorkneworthoughtsheknew，andwhatcircumstanceswouldpresentthemselvestoherasdelicious。

“Ofcourseonehasheardonlytheusualtalkonealwayshearswheneverybodyischatteringaboutathing，“LadyMallowereplied，withapropitiatingsmile。“Noonereallyknowswhatistrueandwhatisn”t。

Butitisnicetonoticethatallthegossipspeakssowellofhim。Nooneseemstopretendthatheisanythingbutextremelynicehimself，notwithstandinghisdisadvantages。”

Shekeptafinehazeleye，surroundedbyalinewhichartisticallyrepresenteditselfasblacklashes，steadilyrestingonMissAliciaasshesaidthelastwords。

“Heis，“saidMissAlicia，withgentlefirmness，“nicerthanIhadeverimaginedanyyoungmancouldbe——farnicer。”

LadyMallowe”sglanceroundtheluxuriousprivatesitting-roomandovertheperfect“idea“ofMrs。Mellishwassoswiftastobealmostimperceptible。

“Howdelightful！“shesaid。“Hemustbeunusuallyagreeable，oryouwouldnothaveconsentedtostayandtakecareofhim。”

“IcannottellyouhowHAPPYIamtohavebeenaskedtostaywithhim，LadyMallowe，“MissAliciareplied，thegentlefirmnessbecomingasoftdignity。

“Whichofcourseshowsallthemorehowattractivehemustbe。Andinviewofthepastlackofadvantages，whatahelpyoucanbetohim！ItisquitewonderfulforhimtohavearelativeathandwhoisanEnglishwomanandfamiliarwiththingshewillfeelhemustlearn。”

Aperhapssingulartruthisthatbutfortheunmistakablenatureofthesurroundingsshequicklytookinthesignificanceof，andbutfortheperfectionofthecarryingoutofMrs。Mellish”sdelightfulidea，itismorethanprobablethatherlady-ship”smannerofapproachingMissAliciaandcertainsubjectsonwhichshedesiredenlightenmentwouldhavebeenmuchmoredirectandmuchlesspropitiatory。

Extraordinaryasitwas，“thecreature“——shethoughtofTembaromas“thecreature“——hadplainlybeensopleasedwiththechanceofbeingproperlycoachedthathehadputeverything，sotospeak，inthelittleoldwoman”shands。Shehadgotaholduponhim。Itwasquitelikelythattoregardherasadefinitefactorwouldonlybethepartofthemerestdiscretion。Shewasevidentlyquiteinlovewithhiminherearly-Victorian，spinsterway。Onehadtobeprudentwithwomenlikethatwhohadgotholdofamalecreatureforthefirsttimeintheirlives，andwerealmostunawareoftheirownpower。Theirveryunconsciousnessmadethemadangerousinfluence。

WithamasterlyreviewofthesefactsinhermindLadyMallowewentonwithafluentandpleasanttalk，throughthemediumofwhichshemanagedtoconveyalargenumberofthingsMissAliciawasfarfrombeingcleverenoughtorealizeshewastalkingabout。Shelightlywavedwingsofsuggestionacrossthescene，shedroppedinfinitesimalseedsinpassing，sheleftfaintechoesbehindher——thekindofechoesonewouldfindoneselflisteningtoandtryingtohearasdefinitelyformedsounds。Shehadbeenbalancingherselfonaprecariousplatformofrankandtitle，unsupportedbyanysordidfoundationofasolidnature，throughalifetimespentinLondon。Shehadlearnedtocatchfiercelyatstrawsofchance，andbitterlytoregretthefloatingpastoftheslightest，whichhadmadeofherafinishedproductofherkind。Shetalkedlightly，andwassometimesalmostwitty。Toherhearersheseemedtoknoweverybrilliantpersonageandtobefamiliarwitheverydazzlingthing。Sheknewwellwhatsocialhabitsandcustomsmeant，whattheirvalue，orlackofvalue，was。Therewerecustoms，sheimpliedskilfully，soestablishedbytimethatitwasimpossibletoignorethem。Relationships，forinstance，stoodforsomuchthatwasfineinEnglandthatonewassometimesquitetouchedbythefar-reachingnessoffamilyloyalty。Theheadofthehouseofagreatestaterepresentedacertainpowerinthematterofupholdingthedignityofhispossessions，ofcaringforhistenantry，ofstandingforproperhospitalityandfriendlyfamilyfeeling。Itwasquitebeautifulasoneoftensawit。ThroughoutthetalktherewereseveralreferencestoJoan，whoreallymustcomeinshortly，whichwereveryinterestingtoMissAlicia。LadyJoan，MissAliciaheardcasually，wasagreatbeauty。Herperfectionandherextremeclevernesshadmadeherperhapsatrifledifficile。Shehadnotdone——LadyMalloweputitwithalightnessofphrasingwhichwasdelicacyitself——whatshemighthavedone，witheveryexaltedadvantage，somanytimes。Shehadaprofoundnature。HereLadyMallowewavedaway，asitwere，aghostofasigh。SinceMissTempleBarholmwasarelative，shehadnodoubtheardoftheunfortunate，theverysadincidentwhichhermothersometimesfearedprejudicedthegirlevenyet。

“Youmean——poorJem！“brokeforthinvoluntarilyfromMissAlicia”slips。LadyMallowestaredalittle。

“Doyoucallhimthat？“sheasked。“Didyouknowhim，then？“

“Ilovedhim，“answeredMissAlicia，winkinghereyestokeepbackthemoistureinthem，“thoughitwasonlywhenhewasalittleboy。”

“Oh，“saidLadyMallowe，withasudden，singularsoftness，“ImusttellJoanthat。”

LadyJoanhadnotappearedevenaftertheyhadhadteaandhermotherwentaway，butsomehowMissAliciahadreachedavaguelyyearningfeelingforherandwishedverymuchthedressmakerhadreleasedher。

ShewasquitestirredwhenitrevealeditselfalmostatthelastmomentthatinafewweeksbothsheandLadyMalloweweretopayavisitatnogreatdistancefromTempleBarholmitself，andthatherladyshipwouldcertainlyarrangetodriveovertocontinueherdelightfulacquaintanceandtoseethebeautifuloldplaceagain。

“Inanycaseonemust，evenifhelivedinlonelystate，payone”srespectstotheheadofthehouse。Thetruthis，ofcourse，oneisextremelyanxioustomeethim，anditischarmingtoknowthatoneisnotmerelyinvadingtheprivacyofabachelor，“LadyMalloweputit。

“She”llcomeforYOU，“LittleAnnhadsoberlyremarked。

Tembaromrememberedthelookinherquiet，unresentfulblueeyeswhenhecameintodinnerandMissAliciarelatedtohimtheeventsoftheafternoon。

CHAPTERXVIII

Thespring，whentheytraveledbacktothenorth，wassoperceptiblynearerthatthefugitivesoftdaysstrayedinadvanceatintervalsthatwerebriefer。Theychoseonefortheirjourney，anditsclearsunshineandhintsatfaintgreennessweresoexhilaratingtoMissAliciathatshewasacompaniontomakeanyjourneyanaffairtorankwithholidaysandadventures。Thestrangeluxuryoftravelinginareservedfirst-classcarriage，ofbeingmadetimidbynosenseofunfitnessofdressorluggage，wouldhavefilledherwithgratefulrapture；butRose，journeyingwithPearsonafewcoachesbehind，appearedatthecarriagewindowateveryimportantstationtosay，“IsthereanythingImaydoforyou，ma”am？“Andtherereallyneverwasanythingshecoulddo，becauseMr。TempleBarholmrememberedeverythingwhichcouldmakehercomfortperfect。Inthemoodsofonewhosearchestheprospectforsuggestionsastopleasurehecangivetohimselfbydelightingadearchild，hehadfoundandboughtforheramostelegantlittledressing-bag，withtheneatestofplain-goldfittingsbeautifullyinitialed。Itreposeduponthecushionedseatnearher，andmadeherheartbeateverytimeshecaughtsightofitanew。Howwonderfulitwouldbeifpoordear，darlingmamacouldlookdownandseeeverythingandreallyknowwhathappinesshadbeenvouchsafedtoherunworthychild！

HavingavividrecollectionofthejourneymadewithMr。Palford，Tembaromfeltthathiswholeworldhadchangedforhim。Thelandscapehadaltereditsaspect。MissAliciapointedoutbitsoffresheninggrass，wassureofthebreakingofbrownleaf-buds，andmorethanoncebreathlesslysuspectedaprimroseinashelteredhedgecorner。A

country-bredwoman，withcountry-bredkeennessofeyeandacountry-

bredsenseoftheseasons”change，shesawsomuchthathehadneverknownthatshebegantomakehimseealso。Baretreeswouldbethick-

leavednesting-places，hedgeswouldbewhitewithhawthorn，andholdblueeggsandchirpsandsongs。Skylarkswouldspringoutofthefieldsandsoarintothesky，droppingcrystalchainsofjoyoustrills。Thecottagegardenswouldbefullofflowers，therewouldbepoppiesgleamingscarletinthecorn，andinbuttercup-timeallthegreengrasswouldbeasheetofshininggold。

“WhenitallhappensIshallbelikealittleEast-Sidertakenforadayinthecountry。Ishallbeaskingquestionsateverystep，“

Tembaromsaid。“TempleBarholmmustbeprettyfinethen。”

“Itissolovely，“saidMissAlicia，turningtohimalmostsolemnly，“thatsometimesitmakesonereallyloseone”sbreath。”

Helookedoutofthewindowwithsuddenwistfulness。

“IwishAnn”hebeganandthen，seeingtherepressedquestioninhereyes，madeuphismind。

HetoldheraboutLittleAnn。Hedidnotuseverymanywords，butsheknewagreatdealwhenhehadfinished。Andherspinstersoulwasthrilled。NeithershenorpoorEmilyhadeverhadanadmirer，anditwasnotconsideredrefinedforunsoughtfemalestodiscuss“suchsubjects。”Domesticdeliriumoverthejoyofanengagementinfamiliesinwhichdaughterswereadrugshehadseen。ItwasindeedinevitablethatthereshouldbemorerejoicingoveroneMissTimsonwhohadstrayedfromthefoldintothehavenofmarriagethanovertheninety-

nineMissesTimsonwhoremainedbehind。Butshehadneverknownintimatelyanyonewhowasinlove——reallyinlove。Mr。TempleBarholmmustbe。WhenhespokeofLittleAnnheflushedshylyandhiseyeslookedsotouchingandnice。Hisvoicesoundeddifferent，andthoughofcoursehisoddNewYorkexpressionswerealwaysratherpuzzling，shefeltasthoughshesawthingsshehadhadnopreviousknowledgeof——thingswhichthrilledher。

“Shemustbeavery——verynicegirl，“sheventuredatlength。“IamafraidIhaveneverbeenintooldMrs。Hutchinson”scottage。Sheisquitecomfortablyoffinherway，anddoesnotneedparishcare。I

wishIhadseenMissHutchinson。”

“Iwishshehadseenyou，“wasTembarom”sanswer。

MissAliciareflected。

“Shemustbeveryclevertohavesuch——sensibleviews，“sheremarked。

IfhehadremainedinNewYork，andtherehadbeennoquestionofhisinheritingTempleBarholm，themarriagewouldhavebeenmostsuitable。

Buthowever“superior“shemightbe，avisionofoldMrs。Hutchinson”sgranddaughterasthewifeofMr。TempleBarholm，andofnoisyoldMr。

Hutchinsonashisfather-in-lawwasastaggeringthing。

“Youthinktheyweresensible？“askedTembarom。“Well，sheneverdidanythingthatwasn”t。SoIguesstheywere。AndwhatshesaysGOES。I

wantedyoutoknow，anyhow。Iwouldn”tlikeyounottoknow。I”mtoofondofyou，MissAlicia。”Andheputhishandroundherneatgloveandsqueezedit。Thetearsofcoursecameintohertendereyes。

Emotionofanysortalwaysexpresseditselfinherinthisearly-

Victorianmanner。

“ThisLadyJoangirl，“hesaidsuddenlynotlongafterward，“isn”tshethekindthatI”mtogetusedto——thekindinthepictorialmagazineAnntalkedabout？Iboughtoneatthenews-standatthedepotbeforewestarted。Iwantedtogetontothepicturesandseewhattheydidtome。”

Hefoundthepaperamonghisbelongingsandregardeditwiththeexpressionofaseriousexplorer。Itopenedatapageofillustrationsofslimgoddessesincourtdresses。Byactualmeasurement，ifregardedaccordingtoscale，eachwasabouttenfeethigh；buttheirlonglines，combiningthemselveswithcourttrains，wavingplumes，andfallingveils，producedanawe-inspiringeffect。Tembaromgazedattheminabsorbedsilence。

“Isshesomethinglikeanyofthese？“heinquiredfinally。

MissAlicialookedthroughherglasses。

“Farmorebeautiful，Ibelieve，“sheanswered。“Theseareonlyfashion-plates，andIhaveheardthatsheisamoststrikinggirl。”

“Abeaut”fromBeautsville！“hesaid。“Sothat”swhatI”mupagainst！

Iwonderhowmuchusethatkindofagirlwouldhaveforme。”

Hegaveagooddealofattentiontothepaperbeforehelaiditaside。

Asshewatchedhim，MissAliciabecamegraduallyawareoftheexistenceofacertainhintofdeterminedsquarenessinhisboyishjaw。Itwasperhapsnotmuchmorethanahint，butitreallywasthere，thoughshehadnotnoticeditbefore。Infact，itusuallyhiditselfbehindhisslangyyouthfulnessandhisreadinessforanygoodcheer。

Onemayaswelladmitthatitsustainedhimduringhisnovitiateandaidedhimtopassthroughitwithoutignominyordisaster。HewasstrengthenedalsobyaprivateresolvetobearhimselfinsuchamanneraswouldatleastdodecentcredittoLittleAnnandhersuperiorknowledge。Withthecuriouseyesofservants，villagers，andsecretlyoutragedneighborhooduponhim，hewasshrewdenoughtoknowthathemighteasilybecomeaperennialfountofgrotesqueanecdote，tobeusedasalegitimatesourceofentertainmentincottagesovertheconsumptionofbeansandbacon，aswellasatgreathouseswhendinner-tabletalkthreatenedtobecomedullifnotenlivenedbysomespice。HewouldnothavethoughtofthisorbeendisturbedbyitbutforAnn。Sheknew，andhewasnotgoingtoletherbemetonherreturnfromAmericawithwhathecalled“alotoffunnydope“abouthim。

“Nogirlwouldlikeit，“hesaidtohimself。“Andthewayshesaidshe”caredtoomuch”justputituptometoseethatthefellowshecaresfordoesn”tlethimselfgetlaughedat。”

Thoughhestillcontinuedtobejocularonsubjectswhichtohisvaletseemedalmostsacred，Pearsonwasrelievedtofindthathisemployergraduallygavehimselfintohishandsinamannerquiteamenable。Inthetouchingwayinwhichnineoutoftennice，domesticatedAmericanmalesobeythebehestsofthewomentheyarefondof，hehadfollowedAnn”sdirectionstotheletter。GuidedbytheadeptPearson，hehadgonetothebestplacesinLondonandpurchasedthecorrectthings，returningtoTempleBarholmwithawardrobetowhichanygentlemanmightturnatanymomentwithoutaquestion。

“He”sgotgoodshoulders，thoughhedoesslouchabit，“PearsonsaidtoRose。“Andagentleman”sshouldersaremorethanhalfthebattle。”

WhatTembaromhimselffeltcheeredbywasthecertaintythatifAnnsawhimwalkingabouttheparkorthevillage，ordrivingoutwithMissAliciainthebiglandau，ortakingherintodinnereveryevening，orevengoingtochurchwithher，shewouldnothaveoccasiontoflushatsightofhim。

Thegoingtochurchwasoneofthedutiesofhispositionhefoundout。MissAlicia“puthimon“tothat。Itseemedthathehadtopresenthimselftothevillagers“asanexample。”IftheTempleBarholmpewswereempty，thevillagers，notbeingincitedtodevotionalexercisebyhisexaltedpresence，wouldfeelatlibertytoremainathome，andintheirreligiousundressofshirt-sleevessitandsmoketheirpipes，or，worsestill，gatherat“theHareandHounds“anddrinkbeer。Also，itwouldnotbe“atallproper“nottogotochurch。

Pearsonproducedaspecialcutofcostumeforthisceremony，andTembaromwalkedwithMissAliciaacrosstheparktothesquare-toweredNormanchurch。

InapositionofdignitytheTempleBarholmpewsover-lookedthecongregation。Therewasthegreatsquarepewforthefamily，withtwoothersforservants。Footmenandhouse-maidsgazedreverentiallyatprayer-books。Pearson，makingeverypreparationrespectfullytodeclarehimselfa“miserablesinner“whenthepropermomentarrived，couldscarcelyre-strainarapidsideglanceasthecorrectlycutandfittedandentirely“suitable“workofhishandsopenedthepew-doorforMissAlicia，followedherin，andtookhisplace。

Letnotthefactthathehadneverbeentochurchbeforebecountedagainsthim。Therewasnothingveryextraordinaryinthefact。Hehadfeltnoantipathytochurch-going，buthehadnotbychancefallenunderproselytinginfluence，andithadcertainlyneveroccurredtohimthathehadanyplaceamongthewell-dressed，comfortable-lookingpeoplehehadseenflockingintoplacesofworshipinNewYork。Asfarasreligiousobservanceswereconcerned，hewasanunadulteratedheathen，andwasallthemoretobecongratulatedonbeingaheathenofgenialtendencies。

Theverylargepew，underthestonefloorofwhichhisancestorshadsleptundisturbedlyforcenturies，interestedhimgreatly。Arecumbentmarblecrusaderinarmor，withfeetcrossedinthecustomarymanner，fittedintoasortofnicheinonesideofthewall。TherewerecarvedtabletsandmanyinscriptionsinLatinwheresoeveroneglanced。Theplacewaslikearoom。Aheavy，roundtable，onwhichlayprayer-

books，Bibles，andhymn-books，occupiedthemiddle。Aboutitwerearrangedbeautifuloldchairs，withhassockstokneelon。TowardaspeciallyimposingchairwitharmsMissAliciadirected，himwithaglance。Itwasapparentlyhisplace。HewasgoingtositdownwhenhesawMissAliciagentlypushforwardahassockwithherfoot，andkneelonit，coveringherfacewithherhandsasshebentherhead。Hehastilydrewforthhishassockandfollowedherexample。

Thatwasit，wasit？Itwasn”tonlyamatteroflisteningtoasermon；

youhadtodothings。Hehadbetterwatchoutandseethathedidn”tmissanything。Shedidn”tknowitwashisfirsttime，anditmightworryhertothelimitifhedidn”tputitoverallright。Oneofthethingshehadnoticedinherwasherfearofattractingattentionbyfailingtodoexactlythe“properthing。”Ifhemadeafoolofhimselfbykneelingdownwhenheoughttostandup，orlyingdownwhenheoughttosit，she”dgethotallover，thinkingwhatthevillagersortheotherpeoplewouldsay。Well，Annhadn”twantedhimtolookdifferentfromotherfellowsortomakebreaks。He”dlookoutfromstarttofinish。HedirectedawatchfuleyeatMissAliciathroughhisfingers。Sheremainedkneelingafewmoments，andthenveryquietlygotup。Herosewithher，andtookhisbigchairwhenshesatdown。Hebreathedmorefreelywhentheyhadgotthatfar。Thatwasthefirstround。

Itwasnotalargechurch，butagrayandsolemnimpressionofdignitybroodedoverit。Itwasdimwithlight，whichfellthroughstained-

glassmemorialwindowssetdeepinthethickstonewalls。ThesilencewhichreignedthroughoutitsspacesseemedtoTembaromofanewkind，differentfromthesilenceofthebighouse。Theoccasionalsubduedrustleofturnedprayer-bookleavesseemedtoaccentuateit；themostcarefulmovementcouldnotconcealitself；aslightcoughwasastartlingthing。Theway，Tembaromthought，theycouldgetthingsdead-stillinEnglishplaces！

Thechimes，whichhadbeenringingtheirlastsummonstothetardy，slackenedtheirfinalwarningnotes，becamestillslower，stopped。

Therewasaslightstirinthebenchesoccupiedbytheinfantschool。

Itsuggestedthatsomethingnewwasgoingtohappen。Fromsomeunseenplacecamethesoundofsingingvoices——boyishvoicesandthevoicesofmen。Tembarominvoluntarilyturnedhishead。Outoftheunseenplacecameaprocessioninwhiterobes。GreatScott！everyonewasstandingup！Hemuststandup，too。Theboysandmeninwhitegarmentsfiledintotheirseats。Anelderlyman，alsoinwhiterobes，separatedhimselffromthem，and，goingintohisspecialplace，kneeleddown。

Thenheroseandbegantoread：

“Whenthewickedmanturnethawayfromhiswickedness”

TembaromtooktheopenbookwhichMissAliciahadverydelicatelypushedtowardhim。Hereadthefirstwords，——thatwasplainsailing，——

thenheseemedtolosehisplace。MissAliciaturnedaleaf。Heturnedonealso。

“Dearlybelovedbrethren”

Thereyouwere。Thiswasoncemoreplainsailing。Hecouldfollowit。

WhatwasthematterwithMissAlicia？Shewaskneelingagain，everybodywaskneeling。Wherewasthehassock？Hewentdownuponhisknees，hopingMissAliciahadnotseenthathewasn”tgoingtokneelatall。Thenwhentheministersaid“Amen，“thecongregationsaidit，too，andhecameintoolate，sothathisvoicesoundedoutalone。Hemustwatchthat。Thentheministerknelt，andallthepeopleprayedaloudwithhim。Withthebookbeforehimhemanagedtogetinafterthefirstfewwords；buthewasnotreadywiththeresponses，andinthemiddleofthemeverybodystoodupagain。Andthentheorganplayed，andeveryonesang。Hecouldn”tsing，anyhow，andheknewhecouldn”tcatchontothekindofthingtheyweredoing。HehopedMissAliciawouldn”tmindhisstandingupandholdinghisbookanddoingnothing。Hecouldnothelpseeingthateyescontinuallyturnedtowardhim。They”dnoticeeverydarnedbreakhemade，andMissAliciawouldknowtheydid。Hefeltquitehotmorethanonce。HewatchedMissAlicialikeahawk；hesatdownandlistenedtoreading，hestoodupandlistenedtosinging；hekneeled，hetriedtochimeinwith“Amens“

andtokeepupwithMissAlicia”sbendingofheadandknee。Butthecreed，withitssuddenturntowardthealtar，caughthimunawares，helosthimselfwhollyinthepsalms，thecollectslefthimindeepwater，hopelessofeverfindinghisplaceagain，andthelitanybaffledhim，whenhewasbeginningtofeelsafe，bychangingfrom“miserablesinners“to“SpareusGoodLord“and“Webeseechtheetohearus。”Ifhecouldjusthavefoundtheplacehewouldhavebeenallright，butanhonestanxietytoberightexcitedhim，andthefearofembarrassingMissAliciabygoingwrongmadethemorningastrenuousthing。Hewassorelievedtofindhemightsitstillwhenthesermonbeganthathegavetheministeranattentionwhichmighthavemarkedhim，tothechancebeholder，asareligiousenthusiast。

Bythetimetheservicehadcometoanendthestatelypeaceoftheplacehadseemedtosinkintohisbeingandbecomepartofhimself。

Thevoiceoftheministerbestowinghisblessing，thevoicesofthewhite-clothedchoirfloatingupintothevaultedroof，stirredhimtoaremotepleasure。Helikedit，orheknewhewouldlikeitwhenheknewwhattodo。Thefilingoutofthechoristers，thesilentfinalprayer，thesoftrustleofpeoplerisinggentlyfromtheirknees，somehowactuallymovedhimbyitssuggestionofsomethingbeforeunknown。Hewasaheathenstill，butaheathenvaguelystirred。

HewasveryquietashewalkedhomeacrosstheparkwithMissAlicia。

“Howdidyouenjoythesermon？“sheaskedwithmuchsweetness。

“I”mnotusedtosermons，butitseemedallrighttome，“heanswered。“WhatI”vegottogetontoisknowingwhentostandupandwhentositdown。Iwasn”tmuchofawinneratitthismorning。I

guessyounoticedthat。”

Buthisoutwardbearinghadbeenmuchmorecomposedthanhisinwardanxietyhadallowedhimtobelieve。Hishesitationshadnotproducedthenoticeableeffecthehadfeared。

“Doyoumeanyouarenotquitefamiliarwiththeservice？“shesaid。

Poordearboy！hehadperhapsnotbeenabletogotochurchregularlyatall。

“I”mnotfamiliarwithanyservice，“heansweredwithoutprejudice。”I

neverwenttochurchbefore。”

Sheslightlystartedandthensmiled。

“Oh，youmeanyouhaveneverbeentotheChurchofEngland，“shesaid。

Thenhesawthat，ifhetoldhertheexacttruth，shewouldbefrightenedandshocked。Shewouldnotknowwhattosayorwhattothink。ToherunsophisticatedmindonlymurderersandthievesandcriminalsNEVERwenttochurch。Shejustdidn”tknow。Whyshouldshe？

Sohesmiledalso。

“No，I”veneverbeentotheChurchofEngland，“hesaid。

CHAPTERXIX

Thecountrywasdiscreetlyconservativeinitssocialattitude。ThegulfbetweenitandthenewownerofTempleBarholmwastoowideanddeeptobecrossedwithouteffortcombinedwithimmensementalagility。Itwasonthewhole，mucheasiernottobeginathingatallthantobeginitandfindonemusthastilysearchaboutfornottoonoticeablemethodsofendingit。Afewunimportant，tentativecallsweremade，andseveralladieswhohadremainedunawareofMissAliciaduringherfirstbenefactor”stimedroveovertoseewhatshewaslikeandperhapsbychancehearsomethingofinterest。OneortwoofthemwhosawTembaromwentawaypuzzledandamazed。Hedidnotdrophish”s，whichtheyhadofcourseexpected，andhewaswelldressed，andnotbad-looking；butitwasfrequentlyimpossibletounderstandwhathewastalkingabout，heusedsuchoddphrases。Heseemedgoodnaturedenough，andhiswaywithlittleoldMissTempleBarholmwasreallyquitenice，queerasitwas。Itwasqueerbecausehewasattentivetoherinamannerinwhichyoungmenwerenotusuallyattentivetototallyinsignificant，elderlydependents。

Tembaromderivedanextremelydilutedpleasurefromthevisits。ThefewpersonshesawremindedhiminvaryingdegreesofMr。Palford。

Theyhadnotbeforeseenanythinglikehisspecies，andtheydidnotknowwhattodowithhim。Healsodidnotknowwhattodowiththem。A

certaininelasticityfrustratedhimattheoutset。When，inobediencetoMissAlicia”sinstructions，hehadreturnedthevisits，hefelthehadnotgonefar。

Seriousapplicationenabledhimtofindhiswaythroughthechurchservice，andheaccompaniedMissAliciatochurchwithgreatregularity。Hebegantotakedownthebooksfromthelibraryshelvesandlookthemovergravely。Thedaysgraduallyceasedtoappearsolong，buthehadagreatdealoftimeonhishands，andhetriedtofindwaysoffillingit。HewonderedifAnnwouldbepleasedifhelearnedthingsoutofbooks。

WhenhetentativelyapproachedthesubjectofliteraturewithMissAlicia，sheglowedatthedelightfulprospectofhisreadingaloudtoherintheevenings——“readingimprovingthingslikehistoryandthepoets。”

“Let”stakeahackatitsomenight，“hesaidpleasantly。

Themoreafellowknew，thebetteritwasforhim，hesupposed；buthewondered，ifanythinghappenedandhewentbacktoNewYork，howmuch“improvingthings“andpoetrywouldhelpamanindoingbusiness。

ThefirsteveningtheybeganwithGray”s“Elegy，“andMissAliciafeltthatitdidnotexhilaratehim；shewasalsoobligedtoadmitthathedidnotreaditverywell。Butshefeltsurehewouldimprove。

Personallyshewastouchinglyhappy。Thesweetlydomesticpictureofthesituation，shesittingbythefirewithherknittingandhereadingaloud，movedanddelightedher。ThenexteveningshesuggestedTennyson”s“Maud。”Hewasnotasmuchstirredbyitasshehadhoped。

Hetookasomewhathumorousviewofit。

“Hehaditprettybad，hadn”the？“”hesaidofthedesperatelover。

“Oh，ifonlyyoucouldoncehaveheardSimsReevessing”ComeintotheGarden，Maud”！“shesighed。“Akindfriendoncetookmetohearhim，andIhavenever，neverforgottenit。”

ButMr。TempleBarholmnotablydidnotbelongtotheatmosphereofimpassionedtenors。

OnstillanothereveningtheytriedShakspere。MissAliciafeltthatafoundationofShaksperewouldbe“improving“indeed。Theybeganwith“Hamlet。”

Hefoundplay-readingdifficultandShaksperianlanguagebaffling，buthemadehiswaywithdeterminationuntilhereachedapointwherehesuddenlygrewquiteredandstopped。

“Say，haveyoureadthis？“heinquiredafterhishesitation。

“TheplaysofShakspereareapartofeveryyounglady”seducation，“

sheanswered；“butIamafraidIamnotatallaShaksperianscholar。”

“Ayounglady”seducation？“herepeated。“Geewhizz！“headdedsoftlyafterapause。

Heglancedoverapageorsohastily，andthenlaidthebookdown。

“Say，“hesuggested，withanevasiveair，“let”sgooverthat”Maud”

oneagain。It”s——well，it”seasiertoreadaloud。”

ThecrudeawkwardnessofhismannersuddenlymadeMissAliciaherselfflushanddropastitchinherknitting。Howdreadfulofhernottohavethoughtofthat！

“TheElizabethanagewas，Ifear，arathercoarseoneinsomerespects。EvenhistoryacknowledgesthatQueenElizabethherselfusedprofanelanguage。”Shefalteredandcoughedalittleapologeticcoughasshepickedupherstitchagain。

“IbetAnn”sneverseeninsideShakspere，“saidTembarom。Beforereadingaloudinthefuturehegavesomepreviouspersonalattentiontothepoemorsubjectdecidedupon。ItmaybeatoncefranklyadmittedthatwhenhereadalouditwasmoreforMissAlicia”sdelectationthanforhisown。Hesawhowmuchsheenjoyedthesituation。

Hiseffectoffranknessandconstantboyishtalkwassoinseparablefromherideaofhimthatshefounditapuzzlingthingtorealizethatshegraduallybegantofeelawareofacertainremotereserveinhim，orwhatmightperhapsbebetterdescribedasahabitofsilenceuponcertainsubjects。ShefeltitmarkedinthecaseofStrangeways。

ShesurmisedthathesawStrangewaysoftenandspentagooddealoftimewithhim，buthespokeofhimrarely，andsheneverknewexactlywhathoursweregiventohim。Sometimessheimaginedhefoundhimagreaterresponsibilitythanhehadexpected。Severaltimeswhenshebelievedthathehadspentpartofamorningorafternooninhisroom，hewasmoresilentthanusualandlookedpuzzledandthoughtful。Sheobserved，asMr。Palfordhad，thatthepicture-gallery，withitsportraitsofhisancestors，hadanattraction。Acertainrainydayheaskedhertogowithhimandlookthemover。ItwasinevitablethatsheshouldsoonwandertotheportraitofMilesHugoandremainstandingbeforeit。Tembaromfollowed，andstoodbyhersideinsilenceuntilhersadnessbrokeitsboundswithapatheticsigh。

“Washeverylikehim？“heasked。

Shemadeanunconscious，startledmovement。Forthemomentshehadforgottenhispresence，andshehadnotreallyexpectedhimtoremember。

“ImeanJem，“heansweredhersurprisedlook。“Howwashelikehim？

Wasthere”hehesitatedandlookedreallyinterested”washelikehiminanyparticularthing？“

“Yes，“shesaid，turningtotheportraitofMilesHugoagain。“Theybothhadthosehandsome，droopingeyes，withthelashescomingtogetheratthecorners。Thereissomethingveryfascinatingaboutthem，isn”tthere？IusedtonoticeitsomuchindearlittleJem。YouseehowmarkedtheyareinMilesHugo。”

“Yes，“Tembaromanswered。“Afellowwholookedthatwayatagirlwhenhemadelovetoherwouldgetastrangle-holt。Shewouldn”tforgethimsoon。”

“Itstrikesyouinthatway，too？“saidMissAlicia，shyly。“Iusedtowonderifitwas——notquiteniceofmetothinkofit。Butitdidseemthatifanyonedidlookatonelikethat”Maidenlyshynessovercameher。“PoorLadyJoan！“shesighed。

“There”sasortofcleftinhischin，thoughit”sagood，squarechin，“hesuggested。“Andthatsmileofhis——WereJem”s——？“

“Yes，theywere。Thelikenesswasquiteoddsometimes——quite。”

“Thosearethingsthatwouldn”tbelikelytochangemuchwhenhegrewup，“Tembaromsaid，drawingalittleclosertothepicture。“PoorJem！

Hewasupagainstithardandplenty。Hehadithardest。Thischaponlydied。”

Therewasnomistakinghissympathy。Heaskedsomanyquestionsthattheysatdownandtalkedinsteadofgoingthroughthegallery。HewasinterestedinthedetailofallthathadoccurredaftertheghastlymomentwhenJemhadrisenfromthecard-tableandstoodlookingaround，likesomebaiteddyinganimal，atthecircleofcruelfacesdrawinginabouthim。HowsoonhadheleftLondon？Wherehadhegonefirst？Howhadhebeenkilled？Hehadbeenburiedwithothersbeneathafallofearthandstones。Havingheardthismuch，Tembaromsawhecouldnotaskmorequestions。MissAliciabecamepale，andherhandstrembled。Shecouldnotbeartodiscussdetailssoharrowing。

“Say，Ioughtn”ttoletyoutalkaboutthat，“hebrokeout，andhepattedherhandandmadehergetupandfinishtheirwalkaboutthegallery。Heheldherelbowinhisownodd，nicewayasheguidedher，andthethingshesaid，andthethingshepretendedtothinkornottounderstand，weresoamusingthatinashorttimehehadmadeherlaugh。Sheknewhimwellenoughbythistimetobeawarethathewasintentionallyobliginghertoforgetwhatitonlydidherharmtoremember。Thatwashispracticalwayoflookingatit。

“Gettingagrouchonorbeingsorryforwhatyoucan”thelpcutsnoice，“hesometimessaid。“Whenitdoes，meforgettingupatdaybreakandkeepingatit！Butitdoesn”t，youbetyourlifeonthat。”

ShecouldseethathehadreallywantedtohearaboutJem，butheknewitwasbadforhertorecallthings，andhewouldnotallowhertodwellonthem，justassheknewhewouldnotallowhimselftodwellonlittleMissHutchinson，remotelyplacedamongthejoysofhisbelovedNewYork。

TwootherincidentsbesidesthevisittoMilesHugoafterwardmarkedthatdaywhenMissAlicialookedbackonit。Thefirstwashisunfoldingtoherhisplansforthehouse-party，whichwascharacteristicofhishabitofthinkingthingsoveranddecidingthembeforehetalkedaboutthem。

“IfI”mgoingtotrythethingout，asAnnsaysImust，“hebeganwhentheyhadgonebacktothelibraryafterlunch，“I”vegottogetgoing。

I”mnotseeinganyofthosePictorialgirls，andIguessI”vegottoseesome。”

“Youwillbeinvitedtodineatplaces，“saidMissAlicia，——

“presently，“sheaddedbravely，infact，withanairofgreaterconvictionthanshefelt。

“Ifit”snotthelawthatthey”vegottoinvitemeorgotojail，“

saidTembarom，“Idon”tblame”emfornotdoingitifthey”renotstuckonme。Andthey”renot；andit”snatural。ButI”vegottogetinmyfinework，ormyyear”llbeoverbeforeI”ve”foundoutformyself”asAnncalledit。There”swhereI”mat，MissAlicia——andI”vebeenthinkingofLadyJoanandhermother。Yousaidyouthoughtthey”dcomeandstayhereiftheywereproperlyasked。”

“Ithinktheywould，“answeredMissAliciawithherusualdelicacy。“I

thoughtIgatheredfromLadyMallowethat，asshewastobeintheneighborhood，shewouldliketoseeyouandTempleBarholm，whichshegreatlyadmires。”

“Ifyou”lltellmewhattodo，I”llgetherheretostayawhile，“hesaid，“andLadyJoanwithher。You”dhavetoshowmehowtowritetoaskthem；butperhapsyou”dwriteyourself。”

“TheywillbeatAsshaweHoltnextweek，“saidMissAlicia，“andwecouldgoandcallonthemtogether。WemightwritetotheminLondonbeforetheyleave。”

“We”lldoit，“answeredTembarom。Hismannerwasthatofapracticalyoungmanattackingmatter-of-factdetail。“FromwhatIhear，LadyJoanwouldsatisfyevenAnn。Theysayshe”sthebest-lookerontheslate。IfIseehereverydayIshallhaveseentheblue-ribbonwinner。Thenifshe”shere，perhapsothersofhersort”llcome，too；

andthey”llhavetoseemewhethertheylikeitornot——andIshallseethem。GoodLord！“headdedseriously，“I”dlet”emswarmallovermeandbitemeallsummerifitwouldfixAnn。”

Hestoodup，withhishandsthrustdeepinhispockets，andlookeddownatthefloor。

“IwishsheknewT。T。likeT。T。knowshimself，“hesaid。Itwasquitewistful。

ItwassowistfulandsoboyishthatMissAliciawasthrilledasheoftenthrilledher。

“Sheoughttobeaveryhappygirl，“sheexclaimed。

“She”sgoingtobe，“heanswered，“sureasyou”realive。Butwhatevershedoes，isright，andthisisasrightaseverythingelse。Soitjustgoes。”

Theywrotetheirlettersatonce，andsentthemoffbytheafternoonpost。TheletterMissAliciacomposed，andwhichTembaromcopied，hereadandreread，withvisionsofJimBowlesandJuliuslookingoverhisshoulder。IftheypickedituponBroadway，withhisnamesignedtoit，andreadit，they”dthrowafitoverit，laughing。Buthesupposedsheknewwhatyououghttowrite。

Ithadnot，indeed，themasculinetouch。WhenLadyMallowereadit，shelaughedseveraltimes。Sheknewquitewellthathehadnotknownwhattosay，and，allowingMissAliciatoinstructhim，hadfollowedherinstructionstotheletter。ButshedidnotshowthelettertoJoan，whowasdifficultenoughtomanagewithoutbeinggivensuchmaterialtocommentupon。

Thelettershadjustbeensenttothepostwhenavisitorwasannounced——CaptainPalliser。Tembaromrememberedthename，andrecalledalsocertainpointsconnectedwithhim。Hewastheonewhowasapromoterofschemes”Oneofthesmooth，cleveronesthatgetupcompanies，“LittleAnnhadsaid。

Thatinawell-bredandnottoopronouncedwayhelookedsmoothandclevermightbeadmitted。Hiseffectwasthatofheight，finishedslendernessofbuild，andextremelywell-cutgarments。Hewasnolongeryoung，andhehadsmooth，thinhairandalanguidlyobservantgrayeye。

“IhavebeenstayingatDetchworthGrange，“heexplainedwhenhehadshakenhandswiththenewTempleBarholmandMissAlicia。“Itgavemeanexcellentopportunitytocomeandpaymyrespects。”

Therewasahintofuncertaintyintheobservantgrayeye。Thefactwasthatherealizedinthespaceoffiveminutesthatheknewhisgroundevenlessthanhehadsupposedhedid。HehadnotspenthisweekatDetchworthGrangewithoutmakingmanyquietinvestigations，buthehadfoundoutnothingwhatever。Thenewmanwasanignoramus，butnoonehadyetseemedtothinkhimexactlyafool。Hewasnotexcitedbythenewgrandeursofhispositionandhewasnotashamedofhimself。CaptainPalliserwonderedifhewasperhapssharp——oneofthoseNewYorkersshrewdeventolight-fingerednessincleverscheming。Storiesofanewlycreatedmethodofbusinessdealinginvolvinganairofcandorandalmostprimitivegoodnature——anAmericanmethod——hadattractedCaptainPalliser”sattentionforsometime。AcertainYankeerawnessofmannerplayedapartasafactor，acruditywhichwouldthrowamanoffguardifhedidnotrecognizeit。

Thepersonwhoemployedthemethodwasofphilosophicalnon-

combativeness。TheNewYorkphrasewasthat“Hejolliedamanalong。”

Immenseschemeshadbeencarriedthroughinthatway。MeninLondon，inEngland，werenotsufficientlylightoftouchintheirjocularity。

Hewonderedifperhapsthisyoungfellow，withhisreadylaughandratherloose-jointed，casualwayofcarryinghimself，wasofthisdangerousnewschool。

What，however，couldheschemefor，beingtheownerofTempleBarholm”smoney？ItmaybementionedatoncethatCaptainPalliser”spasthadbeensuchashadfixedhiminthebeliefthateveryonewasschemingforsomething。Peoplewithmoneywantedmoreorwereprivatelyarrangingschemestopreventotherschemersfromgettinganyshadethebetterofthem。Debutanteswithshyeyesandslimfigureshadtheirlittleplanstoengineerdelicately。Sometimestheywerelargerplansthantheuninitiatedwouldhavesuspectedasexistinginthebrainsofcreaturesintheir”teens，sometimestheyweremerefantasticlittleideasconnectedwithdashingyoungmenorinnocentdanceswhichmustbesecuredorlovelyyoungrivalswhomustbeevaded。Youngmenhadalsodeftthingstodo——peopletoseeornottosee，reasonsforthemselvesbeingseenoravoidingobservation。Asyearsincreased，reasonsforschemesbecamemorenumerousandamazinglymorevaried。Womenwithdaughters，withsons，withhusbands，foundineachrelationshipanecessityforactive，ifquiet，manoeuvering。WomenlikeLadyMallowe——goodheaven！bywhatschemesdidnotthatwomanliveandhaveherbeing——andherdaughter”s——fromdaytoday！Withoutmoney，withoutafriendwhowasanatommoretobereliedonthanshewouldhavebeenherselfifanacquaintancehadneededheraid，heroutwardlywell-to-doandfashionableexistencewasahand-to-handfight。NowondershehadturnedastillratherbrillianteyeuponSirMosesMonaldini，thegreatIsraelitefinancier。

AllofthesetypespassedrapidlybeforehismentalvisionashetalkedtotheAmericanTempleBarholm。Whatcouldhewant，bychance？

Hemustwantsomething，anditwouldbediscreettofindoutwhatitchancedtobe。

Ifitwassocialsuccess，hewouldbebetteroffinLondon，whereinthesedaysyoucouldgetagoodrunforyourmoneyandcouldswingyourselfupfromonerungoftheladdertoanotherifyoupaidsomeonetoshowyouhow。Hehimselfcouldshowhimhow。Ayoungsterwhohadlivedthebeastlyhardlifehehadlivedwouldbelikelytofindexhilarationinmanythingsnotdifficulttopurchase。Itwasanoddthing，bytheway，thefancyhehadtakentothelittleearly-

Victorianspinster。Itwasnotquitenatural。Itperhapsdenotedtendencies——orlackoftendencies——itwouldalsobewelltoconsider。

PalliserwasasufficientlyfinishedproducthimselftobestruckgreatlybytheartisticperfectionofMissAlicia，andtowonderhowmuchthenewmanunderstoodit。

Hedidnottalktohimaboutschemes。HetalkedtohimofNewYork，whichhehadneverseenandhopedsometimeshortlytovisit。Theinformationhegainedwasnotofthekindhemostdesired，butitedifiedhim。Tembarom”sknowledgeofhighfinancewasastreetlad”sknowledgeofit，andhehimselfknewitslimitationsandprobableunreliability。Suchofhisfactsasresteduponthefoundationofexperiencedidnotincludemultimillionairesandtheirresources。

CaptainPalliserpassedlightlytoTempleBarholmanditsneighborhood。Heknewplacesandnames，andhadbeentoDetchworthmorethanonce。HehadnevervisitedTempleBarholm，andhisinterestsuggestedthathewouldliketowalkthroughthegardens。Tembaromtookhimout，andtheystrolledaboutforsometime。Evenanalertobserverwouldnothavesuspectedthefactthatastheystrolled，Tembaromslouchingatrifleandwithhishandsinhispockets，CaptainPalliserbearinghimselfwithlanguiddistinction，eachmanwassumminguptheotherandconsideringseriouslyhowfarandinwhatmannerhecouldbecountedasanasset。