第10章

T。Tembaromhimself，afterthedukehadestablishedhim，furnishedanunlimitedsourceofinterest。Hishouseholdbecameaperennialfountofquietdiscussion。LadyMalloweandherdaughterwerethemembersofitwhometwiththemostattention。Theyappearedtohavebecomemembersofitratherthanvisitors。Herladyshiphadplainlyelectedtoextendherstayevenbeyondtheperiodtowhichafondrelativemightfeelentitledtohospitality。Shehadbeenknowntoextendvisitsbeforewithgreatcleverness，butthisoneassumedanestablishedaspect。Shewasnotgoingaway，theneighborhooddecided，untilshehadachievedthatwhichshehadcometoaccomplish。Thepresentunconventionalatmosphereoftheplacenaturallysupportedher。Andhowprobableitseemed，takingintoconsiderationCaptainPalliser”sstory，thatMr。TempleBarholmwishedhertostay。LadyJoanwouldbeobligedtostayalso，ifhermotherintendedthatsheshould。ButthepoorAmerican——thereweresomeexpressionsofsympathy，thoughthesituationwasgreatlyaddedtobythefeature——

thepoorAmericanwasbeingtreatedbyLadyJoanasonlyshecouldtreataman。Itwasworthinvitingthewholepartytodinnerorteaorlunchmerelytoseethetwotogether。Themannerinwhichshemanagedtoignorehimandbescathingtohimwithoutapparentlyinfringingalawofcivility，andthenumberoflawsshesometimeschosetosweepasidewhenitwashermoodtodoso，wereextraordinary。Ifshehadnotbeenabeauty，withasortofmysticcharmforthemalecreature，surelyhewouldhavebrokenhischains。Buthedidnot。Whatwashegoingtodointheend？Whatwasshegoingtodo？WhatwasLadyMallowegoingtodoiftherewasnoendatall？Hewasnotasunhappy-

lookingaloverasonemighthaveexpected，theysaid。Hekeptuphisspiritswonderfully。Perhapsshewasnotalwaysasicilyindifferenttohimasshechosetoappearinpublic。TempleBarholmwasagreatestate，andSirMosesMonaldinihadbeenmentionedbyrumor。OfcoursetherewouldbesomethingratherstrangeandtragicinitifshecametoTempleBarholmasitsmistressinsuchsingularcircumstances。Buthecertainlydidnotlookdepressedordiscouraged。Sotheytalkeditoverastheylookedon。

“Howtheygossip！Howdelightfullytheygossip！“saidtheduke。“Butitissuchaperfectsubject。Theyhaveneverbeensoenthralledbefore。Dearyoungman！howgratefulweoughttobeforhim！“

Oneofthemostdiscussedfeaturesofthecasewastheduke”sowncultivationofthecentralfigure。Therewasanactualoddityaboutit。HedrovefromStoneHovertoTempleBarholmrepeatedly。HeinvitedTembaromtothecastleandhadlongtalkswithhim——long，comfortabletalksinsecluded，delightfulroomsorundergreattreesonalawn。Hewantedtohearanecdotesofhispast，todrawhimontogivinghispointsofview。Whenhespokeofhimtohisdaughters，hecalledhim“T。Tembarom，“buttheslightderisionofhisearliertonemodifieditself。

“Thatdelightfulyoungmanwillshortlybecomemyclosestintimate，“

hesaid。“Henotonlykeepsupmyspirits，butheopensupvistas。

Vistasafteraman”sseventy-secondbirthday！AttimesIcouldclasphimtomybreast。”

“Ilikehimfirstrate，“TembaromsaidtoMissAlicia。“Ilikedhimtheminutehegotuplaughinglikeanoldsportwhenhefelloutoftheponycarriage。”

Ashebecamemoreintimatewithhim，helikedhimstillbetter。

Obscuredthoughitwasbyairy，elderlypersiflage，hebegantocomeuponabackgroundofstabilityandpointsofviewwhollytobereliedoninhisnewacquaintance。Ithadevolveditselfoutoflongandvariedexperience，withtheaidofbrilliantmentality。Theoldpeer”sreasonswerealwayslogical。Helaughedatmostthings，butatafewhedidnotlaughatall。AfterseveralofthelongconversationsTembarombegantosaytohimselfthatthisseemedlikeamanyouneednotbeafraidtotalkthingsoverwith——thingsyoudidn”twanttospeakoftoeverybody。

“Seemstome，“hesaidthoughtfullytoMissAlicia，“he”sanoldfellowyoucouldtieto。I”vegotontoonethingwhenI”velistenedtohim：hetalksallhewantstoandlaughsalot，buthenevergiveshimselfaway。Hewouldn”tgiveanotherfellowawayeitherifhesaidhewouldn”t。Heknowshownotto。”

Therewasanafternoononwhichduringadrivetheytooktogetherthedukewasenlightenedastoseveralpointswhichhadgivenhimcauseforreflection，amongothersthestorybelovedofCaptainPalliserandhisaudiences。

“Iguessyou”veknownagoodmanywomen，“T。Tembaromremarkedonthisoccasionafterafewminutesofthought。“Livingallovertheworldasyou”vedone，you”dbelikelytocomeacrossawholeraftofthemonetimeandanother。”

“Awholeraftofthem，onetimeandanother，“agreedtheduke。“Yes。”

“You”velikedthem，haven”tyou？“

“Immensely。Sometimesatrifledisastrously。Findmeamoreabsolutelyinterestingobjectintheuniversethanawoman——anywoman——andI

willdevotetheremainderofmydecliningyearstothestudyofit，“

answeredhisgrace。

HesaiditwithadecisionwhichmadeT。Tembaromturntolookathim，andafterhislookdecidetoproceed。

“Haveyoueverknownabitofaslimthing“——hemadeanoddembracinggesturewithhisarm”thesizethatyoucouldpickupwithonehandandsetonyourkneeasifshewasachild“——thedukeremainedstill，knowingthiswasonlythebeginningandprickinguphisearsashetookarapidkaleidoscopicviewofallthe“Ladies“intheneighborhood，andashastilywavedthemaside”abitofathingthatsomewayseemstomeanitalltoyou——andmovestheworld？“Theconclusionwasonewhichbroughttheincongruoustouchofmaturityintohisface。

“Notoneofthe`Ladies，“”thedukewasmentallysummingthematterup。“CertainlynotLadyJoan，afterall。Not，Ithink，eventheyoungpersoninthedepartmentstore。”

Heleanedbackinhiscornerthebettertoinspecthiscompaniondirectly。

“Youhave，Isee，“herepliedquietly。“OnceImyselfdid。”(Hehadcriedout，“Ah！Heloise！“thoughhehadlaughedathimselfwhenheseemedfacinghisridiculoustragedy。)

“Yes，“confessedT。Tembarom。“Imetherattheboarding-housewhereI

lived。HerfatherwasaLancashiremanandaninventor。Iguessyou”veheardofhim；hisnameisJosephHutchinson。”

Thewholecountryhadheardofhim；morecountries，indeed，thanonehadheard。HewasthemanwhowasgoingtomakehisfortuneinAmericabecauseT。Tembaromhadstoodbyhiminhisextremity。HewouldmakeafortuneinAmericaandanotherinEnglandandpossiblyseveralothersontheContinent。Hehadlearnedtoreadinthevillageschool，andthegirlwashisdaughter。

“Yes，“repliedtheduke。

“Idon”tknowwhethertheoneyouknewhadthatquietlittlewayofseeingrightstraightintoathing，andmakingyouseeit，too，“saidTembarom。

“Shehad，“answeredtheduke，andanoddexpressionwaveredinhiseyesbecausehewaslookingbackwardacrossfortyyearswhichseemedahundred。

“That”swhatImeantbymovingtheworld，“T。Tembaromwenton。“Youknowshe”sRIGHT，andyou”vegottodowhatshesays，ifyouloveher。”

“Andyoualwaysdo，“saidtheduke”alwaysandforever。Thereareveryfew。Theyaretheelect。”

T。Tembaromtookitgravely。

“Isaidtoheroncethattherewasn”tmorethanoneofherintheworldbecausetherecouldn”tbeenoughtomaketwoofthatkind。I

wasn”tjoshingeither；Imeantit。It”sherquietlittlevoiceandherquiet，babyfiedeyesthatgetyouwhereyoucan”tmove。Andit”ssomethingelseyoudon”tknowanythingabout。It”sherneverdoinganythingforherself，butjustdoingitbecauseit”stherightthingforyou。”

Theduke”schinhadsunkalittleonhisbreast，andlookingbackacrossthehundredyears，heforgotforamomentwherehewas。Theoneherememberedhadbeenanotherman”swife，alittleangelbroughtupinaconventbywhite-soulednuns，passedoverbyherpeopletoanelderlyvaurienofgreatmagnificence，andshehadsentthestrong，laughing，impassionedyoungEnglishpeerawaybeforeitwastoolate，andwiththeyoung，youngeyesofherlookingupwardathiminthatwaywhichsaw“straightintoathing“andwiththatquietlittlevoice。Solongago！Solongago！

“Ah！Heloise！“hesighedunconsciously。

“Whatdidyousay？“askedT。Tembarom。Thedukecameback。

“IwasthinkingofthetimewhenIwasnineandtwenty，“heanswered。

“Itwasnotyesterdaynoreventhedaybefore。TheoneIknewdiedwhenshewastwenty-four。”

“Died！“saidTembarom。“GoodLord！“Hedroppedhisheadandevenchangedcolor。“Afellowcan”tgetontoathinglikethat。Itseemsasifitcouldn”thappen。Suppose”hecaughthisbreathhardandthenpulledhimselfup——“NothingcouldhappentoherbeforesheknewthatI”veprovedwhatIsaid——justprovedit，anddoneeverysinglethingshetoldmetodo。”

“Iamsureyouhave，“thedukesaid。

“It”sbecauseofthatIbegantosaythis。”Tembaromspokehurriedlythathemightthrustawaythesuddendarkthought。“You”reaman，andI”maman；farawayaheadofmeasyouare，you”reaman，too。Iwascrazytogethertomarrymeandcomeherewithme，andshewouldn”t。”

Theduke”seyeslightedanew。

“Shehadherreasons，“hesaid。

“Shelaid”emoutasifshe”dbeenmymotherinsteadofalittlered-

headedangelthatyouwantedtosnatchupandcrushuptoyousoshecouldn”tbreathe。Shedidn”twasteaword。ShejusttoldmewhatIwasupagainst。She”dlivedinthevillagewithhergrandmother，andsheknew。ShesaidI”dgottocomeandfindoutformyselfwhatnooneelsecouldteachme。ShetoldmeaboutthekindofgirlsI”dsee——

beautiesthatweredifferentfromanythingI”deverseenbefore。Anditwasuptometoseeallofthem——thebestofthem。”

“Ladies？“interjectedthedukegently。

“Yes。Withtitleslikethoseinnovels，shesaid，andclotheslikethoseintheLadies”Pictorial。Thekindofgirls，shesaid，thatwouldmakeherlooklikeahousemaid。Housemaidbedarned！“heexclaimed，suddenlygrowinghot。“I”veseenthewholelotofthem；

I”vedonemydarndesttogetnext，andthere”snotone”hestoppedshort。“Whyshouldanyofthemlookatme，anyhow？“headdedsuddenly。

“Thatwasnotherpoint，“remarkedtheduke。“Shewantedyoutolookatthem，andyouhavelooked。”T。Tembarom”seagernesswasinspiringtobehold。

“Ihave，haven”tI？“hecried。“ThatwaswhatIwantedtoaskyou。

I”vedoneasshesaid。Ihaven”tshirkedathing。I”vefollowedthemaroundwhenIknewtheyhadn”tanyuseonearthforme。Someofthemhavehandedmethelemonprettystraight。Whyshouldn”tthey？ButI

don”tbelievesheknewhowtoughitmightbeforafellowsometimes。”

“No，shedidnot，“thedukesaid。“Alsosheprobablydidnotknowthatinancientdaysofchivalryladiessentforththeirknightstobearbuffetingfortheirsakesinproofoffealty。Riseup，SirKnight！“

ThislastphraseofcourseT。Tembaromdidnotknowthepoeticsignificanceof。

TohishearerPalliser”sstorybecameanamusingthing，readinthelightofthismostdeliciousfrankness。ItwasPalliserhimselfwhoplayedthefool，andnotT。Tembarom，whohadsimplyknownwhathewanted，andhad，withbusinesslikedirectness，appliedhimselftofindingamethodofobtainingit。Theyoungwomenhegavehistimetomustbe“Ladies“becauseMissHutchinsonhadrequireditfromhim。Thefemaleflowerofthenoblehouseshadbeenpassedinreviewbeforehimtopractiseupon，sotospeak。Thehandsomertheywere，themoredangerouslycharming，thebetterMissHutchinsonwouldbepleased。Andhehadbeenregardedasapresumptuousaspirant。Itwasasituationforacomedy。Butthe“Ladies“wouldnotenjoyitiftheyweretold。

ItwasalsonottheDukeofStonewhowouldtellthem。Theycouldnotintheleastunderstandthesubtletyofthecomedyinwhichtheyhadunconsciouslytakenpart。AnnHutchinson”sgrandmothercurtsiedtotheminherstiffoldwaywhentheypassed。AnnHutchinsonhadgonetothevillageschoolandbeenpresentedwithprizesforneedleworkandgoodbehavior。Butwhatagirlshemustbe，theslimbitofathingwitharedhead！Whataclear-headedandfirmlittleperson！

Incourtshehadlearnedtowearacomposedcountenancewhenhewaspromptedtosmile，andheworeonenow。HeenjoyedthesocietyofT。

Tembaromincreasinglyeveryhour。Heprovidedhimwitheveryjoy。

Theirdrivewasalongone，andtheytalkedagooddeal。TheytalkedoftheHutchinsons，oftheinvention，ofthebusiness“deals“Tembaromhadenteredintoattheoutset，andoftheirtremendouslyencouragingresult。ItwasnotmererumorthatHutchinsonwouldendbybeingarichman。Thegirlwouldbeanheiress。Howcomplexherpositionwouldbe！Andbeingoftheelectwhounknowinglybearwiththemthepowerthat“movestheworld，“howwouldsheaffectTempleBarholmanditssurroundingneighborhood？

“IwishtoGodshewasherenow！“exclaimedTembarom，suddenly。

Ithadbeenaninterestingtalk，butnowandthenthedukehadwonderedif，asitwenton，hiscompanionwasaswhollyathiseaseaswasusualwithhim。Anoccasionalshadeofabsorptioninhisexpression，asifhewerethinkingoftwothingsatoncedespitehimself，ahintofrestlessness，revealedthemselvesoccasionally。Wastheresomethingmorehewasspeculatingonthepossibilityofsaying，somethingmoretotellorexplain？Iftherewas，lethimtakehistime。Hisaudience，atallevents，waspossessedofperceptions。Thissomewhatabruptexclamationmightopentheway。

“Thatiseasilyunderstood，mydearfellow，“repliedtheduke。

“There”stimeswhenyouwantalittlethinglikethatjusttotalkthingsoverwith，justtoask，becauseyou——you”redeadsureshe”dneverloseherheadandgiveherselfawaywithoutknowingshewasdoingit。Shecouldjustkeepstillandletthewavesrolloverherandbestandingtherereadyandquietwhenthetidehadpassed。It”sthekeepingyourmouthshutthat”ssohardformostpeople，thenotsayingadarnedthing，whateverhappens，tilljusttherighttime。”

“Womencannotoftendoit，“saidtheduke。“Veryfewmencan。”

“You”reright，“Tembaromanswered，andtherewasatrifleofanxietyinhistone。

“There”swomen，justthebestkind，thatyoudaren”ttellabigthingto。Notthatthey”dmeantogiveitaway——perhapstheywouldn”tknowwhentheydidit——butthey”dfeelsoanxiousthey”dget——they”dget”

“Rattled，“putintheduke，andknewwhohewasthinkingof。HesawMissAlicia”sdelicate，timidfaceashespoke。

T。Tembaromlaughed。

“That”sjustit，“heanswered。“Theywouldn”tgobackonyouforworlds，but——well，youhavetobecarefulwiththem。”

“He”sgotsomethingonhismind，“mentallycommentedtheduke。“Hewondersifhewilltellittome。”

“Andthere”stimeswhenyou”dgivehalfyou”vegottobeabletotalkathingoutandputituptosomeoneelseforawhile。Icoulddoitwithher。That”swhyIsaidIwishtoGodthatshewashere。”

“Youhavelearnedtoknowhowtokeepstill，“thedukesaid。“SohaveI。Welearneditindifferentschools，butwehavebothlearned。”

Ashewassayingthewords，hethoughthewasgoingtohearsomething；

whenhehadfinishedsayingthemheknewthathewouldwithoutadoubt。T。Tembarommadeaquickmoveinhisseat；helostashadeofcolorandclearedhisthroatashebentforward，castingaglanceatthebacksofthecoachmanandfootmanonthehighseatabovethem。

“Canthosefellowshearme？“heasked。

“No，“thedukeanswered；“ifyouspeakasyouarespeakingnow。”

“Youarethebiggestmanabouthere，“theyoungmanwenton。“YoustandforeverythingthatEnglishpeoplecarefor，andyouwerebornknowingallthethingsIdon”t。I”vebeencarryingabigloadforquiteawhile，andIguessI”mnotbigenoughtohandleitalone，perhaps。Anyhow，IwanttobesureI”mnotmakingfoolmistakes。TheworstofitisthatI”vegottokeepstillifI”mright，andI”vegottokeepstillifI”mwrong。I”vegottokeepstill，anyhow。”

“Ilearnedtoholdmytongueinplaceswhere，ifIhadnotheldit，I

mighthaveplungednationsintobloodshed，“thedukesaid。“Tellmeallyouchoose。”

Asaresultofwhich，bythetimetheirdrivehadendedandtheyreturnedtoStoneHover，hehadtoldhim，and，thedukesatinhiscornerofthecarriagewithanunusuallightinhiseyesandaflushofsomewhatexcitedcoloronhischeek。

“You”reaqueerfellow，T。Tembarom，“hesaidwhentheypartedinthedrawing-roomaftertakingtea。“Youexhilarateme。Youmakemelaugh。

IfIwereanemotionalperson，youwouldatmomentsmakemecry。

There”sanaffectinguprightnessaboutyou。You”reratherafinefellowtoo，”ponmylife。”Puttingawaxen，gout-knuckledoldhandonhisshoulder，andgivinghimafriendlypushwhichwashalfapat，headded，“Youare，byGod！“

Andafterhisguesthadlefthim，thedukestoodforsomeminutesgazingintothefirewithacomplicatedsmileandtheairofamanwhofindshimselfquaintlyenriched。

“Ihavehadambitionsinthecourseofmyexistence——severalofthem，“hesaid，“buteveninover-vaultingmomentsneverhaveI

aspiredtosuchanaltitudeasthis——tobe，asitwere，partofamelodrama。Onefeelsthatonescarcelydeservesit。”

CHAPTERXXVII

“Mr。TempleBarholmseemsinbetterspirits，“LadyMallowesaidtoCaptainPalliserastheywalkedontheterraceinthestarlightduskafterdinner。

CaptainPallisertookhiscigarfromhismouthandlookedattheglowingendofit。

“Hasitstruckyouthathehasbeeninlowspirits？“heinquiredspeculatively。“Onedoesnotusuallyconnecthimwithdepression。”

“Certainlynotwithdepression。He”sanextraordinarycreature。Onewouldthinkhewouldperishfromlackoftheairheisusedtobreathing——NewYorkair。”

“Heisnotperishing。He”stooshrewd，“returnedPalliser。“Hemayn”texactlylikeallthis，buthe”sgettingsomethingoutofit。”

“Heisnotgettingmuchofwhatheevidentlywantsmost。Iamoutofallpatience，“saidLadyMallowe。

HeracquaintancewithPalliserhadlastedthroughanumberofyears。

Theyarguedmostmattersfromthesamebasisofreasoning。Theywereattimesalmostcandidwitheachother。Itmaybeacknowledged，however，thatofthetwoLadyMallowewasthemoreinclinedtovergeonself-revelation。Thiswasofcoursebecauseshewasthelesscleverandhadmoretemper。Hertemper，shehad，nowandthen，ownedbitterlytoherself，hadplayedhertricks。CaptainPalliser”stemperneverdidthis。ItwasLadyMallowe”stemperwhichspokenow，butshedidnotintheleastmindhisknowingthatJoanwasexasperatingherbeyondendurance。Heknewthewholesituationwellenoughtobeawareofitwithoutspeechonherpart。Hehadwatchedsimilarsituationsseveraltimesbefore。

“Hermannertowardhimis，toresorttoNewYorkcolloquialisms，`thelimit”“Pallisersaidquietly。“IsityourideathathislessgoodspiritshavebeenduetoLadyJoan”singenuities？Theyareingenious，youknow。”

“Theyaredevilish，“exclaimedhermother。”Shetreadshiminthemireandsailsaboutprofessingtobeconductingherselfflawlessly。Sheistoocleverforme，“sheaddedwithbitterness。

Palliserlaughedsoftly。

“Butveryoftenyouhavebeentoocleverforher，“hesuggested。“Formypart，Idon”tquiteseehowyougotherhere。”

LadyMallowebecamenotalmost，butentirely，candid。

“Uponthewhole，Idon”tquiteknowmyself。Ibelieveshereallycameforsomemysteriousreasonofherown。”

“Thatisrathermyimpression，“saidPalliser。“Shehasgotsomethinguphersleeve，andsohashe。”

“He！“LadyMallowequiteejaculatedtheword。“Shealwayshas。That”sherabominablesecretiveway。Buthe！T。Tembaromwithsomethinguphissleeve！Onecan”timagineit。”

“Almosteverybodyhas。Ifoundthatoutlongyearsago，“saidPalliser，lookingathiscigarendagainasifconsultingit。“SinceI

arrivedattheconclusion，Ialwaystakeitforgranted，andlookoutforit。I”vebecomerathercleverinfollowingsuchthingsup，andI

havetakenanunusualinterestinT。Tembaromfromthefirst。”

LadyMalloweturnedherhandsomeface，muchsoftenedbyanenwreathinggauzescarf，towardhimanxiously。

“Doyouthinkhisdepression，orwhateveritis，meansJoan？“sheasked。

“Ifheisdepressedbyher，youneednotbediscouraged，“smiledPalliser。“Thetimetolosehopewouldbewhen，despiteheringenuities，hebecameentirelycheerful。But，“headdedafteramomentofpause，“Ihaveanideathereissomeotherlittlething。”

“DoyousupposethatsomeyoungwomanhehasleftbehindinNewYorkisdemandingherrights？“saidLadyMallowe，withannoyance。“ThatisexactlythekindofthingJoanwouldliketohear，andsoentirelynatural。Someshop-girlorother。”

“Quitenatural，asyousay；buthewouldscarcelyberunninguptoLondonandconsultingScotlandYardabouther，“Palliseranswered。

“ScotlandYard！“ejaculatedhiscompanion。“Howintheworlddidyoufindthatout？“

CaptainPalliserdidnotexplainhowhehaddoneit。Presumablyhisknowledgewasduetotheadroitnessofthesystemof“followingsuchthingsup。”

“ScotlandYardhasalsocometohim，“hewenton。“Didyouchancetoseeared-facedpersonwhospentamorningwithhimlastweek？“

“Helookedlikeabutcher，andIthoughthemightbeoneofhisfriends，“LadyMallowesaid。

“Irecognizedtheman。Heisanextremelycleverdetective，muchrespectedforhisresourcesinthematteroffollowingclueswhicharesoattenuatedastobescarcelycluesatall。”

“ClueshavenoconnectionwithJoan，“saidLadyMallowe，stillmoreannoyed。“AllLondonknowshermiserablestory。”

“Haveyou”CaptainPalliser”stonewasthoughtful，“——hasanyoneeverseenMr。Strangeways？“

“No。Canyouimagineanythingmoreabsurdlyromantic？Acreaturewithoutamemory，shutupinaremotewingofapalacelikethis，asifheweretheManwiththeIronMask。RomanceisnotquitecompatiblewithT。Tembarom。”

“Itissoincongruousthatithasentertainedmetothinkitoveragooddeal，“remarkedPalliser。“Heleaveseverythingtoone”simagination。Alloneknowsisthatheisn”tarelative；thatheisn”tmad，butonlytoonervoustoseeorbeseen。Queersituation。I”vefoundthereisalwaysareasonforthings；thequeerertheyare，themoresureitisthatthere”sareason。WhatisthereasonStrangewaysiskepthere，andwherewouldadetectivecomein？JustongeneralprinciplesI”mrathergoingintothesituation。There”sareason，anditwouldbeamusingtofinditout。Don”tyouthinkso？“

Hespokecasually，andLadyMallowe”sanswerwascasual，thoughsheknewfromexperiencethathewasnotascasualashechosetoseem。Hewascleverenoughalwaystohavecertainreasonsofhisownwhichformulatedthemselvesintointerestslargeandsmall。Heknewthingsaboutpeoplewhichwereuseful。Sometimesquitesmallthingswereuseful。Hewasalwayswellbehaved，andnoonehadeveraccusedhimofbringingpressuretobear；butitwasoftenpossibleforhimtosellthingsorbuythingsorbringaboutthingsincircumstanceswhichwouldhavepresenteddifficultiestootherpeople。LadyMalloweknewfromlongexperienceallabouttheexigenciesofcaseswhen“needsmust，“andshewasnotcritical。TempleBarholmastheestateofadistantrelativeandT。Tembaromasitsownerwerenotassetstodealwithindifferently。Whenamanmadearespectablelivingoutofpeoplewhocouldbepersuadedtoletyoumakeinvestmentsforthem，itwasnotanunbusinesslikeideatobeinthepositiontoadviseanindividualstrongly。

“It”squitenaturalthatyoushouldfeelaninterest，“sheanswered。

“Buttheromanticstrangeristooromantic，thoughIwillownScotlandYardisalittleodd。”

“Yes，thatisexactlywhatIthought，“saidPalliser。

Hehadinfactthoughtagooddealandfollowedthethingupinaquiet，amateurway，thoughwithannoyinglylittleresult。Occasionallyhehadfeltratherafoolforhispains，becausehehadbeenledtosofewfactsofimportanceandhadfoundhimselfsooftenconfrontedbyT。Tembarom”sentirelyfrankgrin。Hisownmentalattitudewasnotacomplexone。LadyMallowe”ssumminguphadbeencorrectenoughonthewhole。TempleBarholmoughttobeasubstantialasset，regardedinitsconnectionwithitspresentowner。Littledealingsinstocks——

sometimesratherlargeoneswhenluckwaswithhim——hadbroughtdesirablereturnstoCaptainPalliserthroughoutanumberofyears。

Justnowhewastakinganinterestinasomewhatimposingscheme，orwhatmightproveanimposingoneifitweremanagedproperlyandpresentedtotherightpersons。IfT。TembaromhadbeensufficientlyluredbythespiritofspeculationtoplungeintooldHutchinson”saffair，asheevidentlyhaddone，hewasplainlyofthetemperamentattractedbythegameofchance。Therehadbeennoreasonbutthatoftemperamentwhichcouldhaveledhimtoinvest。Hehadfoundhimselfsuddenlyamoneyedmanandhadlikedthegame。NeverhavingsomuchasheardofLittleAnnHutchinson，CaptainPallisernotunnaturallyarguedafterthiswise。Thereseemednovalidreasonwhy，ifavagueinventionhadallured，alessvaguescheme，managedinamorebusinesslikemanner，shouldnot。ThisMexicansilverandcopperminewasadazzlingthingtotalkabout。Hecouldgointodetails。Hehad，infact，allowedagooddealofdetailtotrailthroughhisconversationattimes。IthadnotbeendifficulttoaccomplishthisinhistalkswithLadyMalloweinhishost”spresence。LadyMallowewasalwaysreadytotalkofmines，gold，silver，orcopper。Ithappenedattimesthatonecouldmanagetosecureafewshareswithouttheactualpaymentofmoney。Therewerelittlehospitalitiesorsocialamiabilitiesnowandthenwhichmightberegardedasvaluereceived。

SoshehadmadeiteasyforCaptainPallisertotalk，andT。Tembaromhadheardmuchwhichwouldhavebeenofinteresttothekindofyoungmanheappearedtobe。Sometimeshehadlistenedabsorbedly，andonafewoccasionshehadaskedafewquestionswhichlaidhimcuriouslybareinhisroleofspeculator。Ifhehadnopracticalknowledgeofthewaysandmeansofgreatminingcompanies，heatleastprofessednone。Atallevents，iftherewasanylittlematterhepreferredtokeeptohimself，therewasnoharminmakingoneselffamiliarwithitsaspectandsignificance。Aman”sarguments，sofarashehimselfisconcerned，assumethecharacterwithwhichhisownchoiceofadjectivesandadverbslabelsthem。Thatis，ifhelabelsthem。Themostastutedonot。CaptainPalliserdidnot。Hedealtmerelywithreasoningprocesseswhichwereapplicabletothesubjectinhand，whatsoeveritsnature。Hewasapracticalmanoftheworld——agentleman，ofcourse。Itwasnecessarytoadjustmatterswithoutromantichair-splitting。Itwasallbytheway。

T。Tembaromhadattheoutsetseemedtopresent，sotospeak，nosurface。Palliserhadsoonceasedtobeatallsurethathissocialambitionsweretobereliedonasalever。Besideswhich，whentheoldDukeofStonetookdelightedpossessionofhim，dinedwithhim，drovewithhim，satandgossipedwithhimbythehour，therewasnotmuchonecouldofferhim。Strangewayshadatfirstmeantonlyeccentricity。

Alittlelaterhehadoccasionallyfaintlystirredcuriosity，andperhapsthefactthatBurrillenjoyedhimasagrievanceandamysteryhadstimulatedthestirring。Theveriestchancehadledhimtofindhimselfregardingtheopeningupofpossiblevistas。

Fromacertainwindowinacertainwingofthehouseamuch-praisedviewwastobeseen。NothingwasmorenaturalthanthatontheoccasionofacurioussunsetPallisershould，incomingfromhisroom，decidetotakealookatit。AshepassedthroughacorridorPearsoncameoutofaroomnearhim。

“HowisMr。Strangewaysto-day？“Palliserasked。

“Notquitesowell，Iamafraid，sir，“wastheanswer。

“Sorrytohearit，“repliedPalliser，andpassedon。

Onhisreturnhewalkedsomewhatslowlydownthecorridor。Asheturnedintoithethoughtheheardthemurmurofvoices。OnewasthatofT。Tembarom，andhewasevidentlyusingargument。Itsoundedasifhewerepersuadingsomeonetoagreewithhim，andthepersuasionwasearnest。HewasnotarguingwithPearsonorahousemaid。Whywashearguingwithhispensioner？Hisvoicewasaslowasitwaseager，andtheotherman”sreplieswerenottobeheard。OnlyjustafterPalliserhadpassedthedoortherebrokeoutanappealwhichwasasortofcry。

“No！MyGod，no！Don”tsendmeaway？Don”tsendmeaway！“

Onecouldnot，evenifsoinclined，standandlistennearadoorwhileservantsmightchancetobewanderingabout。Palliserwentonhiswaywithasenseofhavingbeenslightlystartled。

“Hewantstogetridofhim，andthefellowisgivinghimtrouble，“hesaidtohimself。“ThatvoiceisnotAmerican。Notintheleast。”Itsethimthinkingandobserving。WhenTembaromworethelookwhichwasnotalookofdepression，butofsomethingmorepuzzling，hethoughtthathecouldguessatitsreason。BythetimehetalkedwithLadyMallowehehadgonemuchfurtherthanhechosetoletherknow。

CHAPTERXXVIII

ThepopularityofCaptainPalliser”sstoryofthe“Ladies“hadbeengreatattheoutset，butwiththepassageoftimeithadoddlywaned。

Thishadresultedfromthestory”sceasingtodevelopitself，asthesimplestintelligencemighthaveanticipated，bymeansoftheonlypersoncapableofitsproperdevelopment。ThepersoninquestionwasofcourseT。Tembarom。Expectations，amusingexpectations，ofhimhadbeenraised，andhehadsingularlyfailedinthefulfillingofthem。

Theneighborhoodhad，sotospeak，stoodupontiptoe，——thefeminineportionofit，atleast，——lookingovershoulderstogetthefirstglimpsesofwhatwouldinevitablytakeplace。

Asweeksflewby，thestandingontiptoebecameathingofthepast。

Thewholethingflattenedoutmostdisappointingly。Noattackwhateverwasmadeuponthe“Ladies。”ThattheDukeofStonehadimmenselytakenupMr。TempleBarholmhadofcourseresultedinhisbeingacceptedinsuchamannerasgavehimmanyopportunitiestoencounteroneandall。

Heappearedatdinners，teas，andgardenparties。MissAlicia，whomhehadinsomeoccultmannerimpresseduponpeopleuntiltheyfoundthemselvesactuallypayingasortofcourttoher，wasalwayshiscompanion。

“Onerealizesonecannotpossiblyleaveheroutofanything，“hadbeensaid。“Hehassomehowestablishedherasifshewerehismotherorhisaunt——orhisinterpreter。Andsuchclothes，mydear，onedoesn”tbehold。WorthandPaquinandDoucetmustgosleeplessforweekstoinventthem。Theyarewithoutaflawinshadeorlineortexture。”

Whichwastrue，becauseMrs。MellishoftheBondStreetshophadbecomequiteobsessedbyherideaandcommittedextravagancesMissAliciaofferedupcontriteprayertoatonefor，whileTembarom，simplychortlinginhisglee，signedcheckstopayfortheirexquisiteembodiment。Thathewasnotreluctanttoavailhimselfofsocialopportunitieswasmademanifestbythefactthatheneverrefusedaninvitation。Heappeareduponanyspottowhichhospitalitybadehim，andunashamedlyplacedhimselfonrecordasaneophyteuponalmostalloccasions。Hiswell-cutclothesbeganintimetowearmoretheairofgarmentsbelongingtohim，buthishatmadeitselfremarkedbyitstrickofgettingpushedbackonhisheadortiltedonside，andhisNewYorkvoiceandaccentrangoutsharpandfinelynasalinthemidstoflow-pitched，throaty，ormellowEnglishenunciations。Hetalkedagooddealattimesbecausehefoundhimselftalkedtobypeoplewhoeitherwantedtodrawhimoutorgenuinelywishedtohearthethingshewouldbelikelytosay。

ThattheheroofPalliser”sstoryshouldsocomporthimselfastoprovideeitherdiversionorcauseforhaughtydispleasurewouldhavebeenonlyanaturaloutcomeofhisambitions。Inabriefperiodoftime，however，everyyoungwomanwhomighthaveexpectedtofindherselfanobjectofsuchambitionsrealizedthathismethodsofapproachandattackwerenotmarkedbytheusualcharacteristicsofaspirantsofhisclass。Heevidentlydesiredtoseeandbeseen。Hepresentedhimself，asitwere，forinspectionandconsideration，butwhilehewasattentive，hedidnotpressattentionsuponanyone。Hedidnotmakeadvancesintheordinarysenseoftheword。Heneveressayedflatteringorevenadmiringremarks。Hesaidqueerthingsatwhichoneoftencouldnothelpbutlaugh，buthesomehowworenoairofsayingthemwiththeintentionofofferingthemaswitticismswhichmightberegardedasallurements。Hedidnotogle，hedidnotsimperorshuffleaboutnervouslyandturnredorpale，aseagerandawkwardyouthshaveahabitofdoingunderthestressofunrequitedadmiration。Inthepresenceofacertainslightingnessoftreatment，whichheattheoutsetmetwithnotinfrequently，heconductedhimselfwithadetachedgoodnaturewhichseemedtotakebutsmallaccountofattitudeslessunoffendingthanhisown。Whentheslightingnessdisappearedfromsheerlackofanythingtoslight，hedidnotchangehismannerinanydegree。

“Heisnotintheleastforward，“BeatriceTalchestersaid，thetimearrivingwhensheandhersistersoccasionallytalkedhimoverwiththeirspecialfriends，theGranthams，“andheisnotforeverunderone”sfeet，asthepushingsortusuallyis。DoyourememberthoserichpeoplefromtheplacetheycalledTroy——theoneswhotookBurnabyforayear——andtheawfuleldestsonwhoperpetuallyinventedexcusesforcalling，bringingbooksandridiculousthings？“

“Thisonenevermakesanexcuse，“AmabelGranthamputin。

“Butheneverdeclinesaninvitation。Thereisnodoubtthathewantstoseepeople，“saidLadyHonora，withtheprettylittlenoseandthedimples。Shehadceasedtoturnuptheprettylittlenose，andsheshowedadimpleassheadded：“Gwyneddistremendouslytakenwithhim。

Sheisteachinghimtoplaycroquet。Theyspendhourstogether。”

“He”sbeginningtoplayaprettygoodgame，“saidGwynedd。“He”snotstupid，atallevents。”

“Ibelieveyouarethefirstchoice，ifheisreallychoosing，“AmabelGranthamdecided。“Ishouldliketoaskyouaquestion。”

“Askit，byallmeans，“saidGwynedd。

“Doesheeveraskyoutoshowhimhowtoholdhismallet，andthendoidioticthings，suchasmanagingtotouchyourhand？“

“Never，“wasGwynedd”sanswer。“TheyoungmanfromTroyusedtodoit，andthenbegpardonandturnred。”

“Idon”tunderstandhim，orIdon”tunderstandCaptainPalliser”sstory，“AmabelGranthamargued。“LucyandIarequiteoutoftherunning，butIhonestlybelievethathetakesasmuchnoticeofusashedoesofanyofyou。Ifhehasintentions，he”doesn”tactthepart”whichispureNewYorkofthefirstwater。”

“Hesaid，however，thatthethingsthatmatteredwerenotonlytitles，butlooks。Heaskedhowmanyofuswere”lookers。”Don”tbemodest，Amabel。NeitheryounorLucyareoutoftherunning，“Beatriceamiablysuggested。

“Ladiesfirst，“commentedAmabel，pertly。Therewasnoobjectiontobeingsupportedinone”ssuspicionthat，afterall，onewasa“looker。”

“Theremaybeasortofexplanation，“Honoraputtheideaforwardsomewhatthoughtfully。“CaptainPalliserinsiststhatheismuchshrewderthanheseems。Perhapsheiscautious，andislookingusalloverbeforehecommitshimself。”

“HeisaTempleBarholm，afterall，“saidGwynedd，withboldness。

“He”srathergoodlooking。HehasthenicestwhiteteethandthemostcheeringgrinIeversaw，andhe”sas”richasgreaseis”asIheardahousemaidsayoneday。I”mgettingquiteresignedtohisvoice，oritisimproving，Idon”tknowwhich。IfheonlyknewthemereABCofordinarypeoplelikeourselves，andhecommittedhimselftome，I

wouldn”tlaymyhandonmyheartandsaythatonemightnotthinkhimover。”

“Itoldyoushewastremendouslytakenwithhim，“saidhersister。

“It”scometothis。”

“But，“saidLadyGwynedd，“heisnotgoingtocommithimselftoanyofus，incredibleasitmayseem。TheonepersonhestaresatsometimesisJoanFayre，andheonlylooksatherasifhewerecuriousandwouldn”tobjecttofindingoutwhyshetreatshimsooutrageously。Heisn”tannoyed；he”sonlycurious。”

“He”sbeenadoredbysalesladiesinNewYork，“saidHonora，“andhecan”tunderstandit。”

“He”sbeenliked，“AmabelGranthamsummedhimup。“He”salikablething。He”sevenratheradear。I”vebeguntolikehimmyself。”

“Ihearyouarelearningtoplaycroquet，“theDukeofStoneremarkedtohimadayorsolater。“Howdoyoulikeit？“

“LadyGwyneddTalchesteristeachingme，“Tembaromanswered。“I”dlearntoironshirt-waistsifshewouldgivemelessons。She”soneofthetwothathavedimples，“headded，reflectioninhistone。“Iguessthat”llcount。Shouldn”tyouthinkitwould？“

“MissHutchinson？“queriedtheduke。

Tembaromnodded。

“Yes，it”salwaysher，“heansweredwithoutarayofhumor。“Ijustwanttostack”emup。”

“Youaredoingit，“thedukerepliedwithaslightlytwistedmouth。

Therewere，infact，momentswhenhemighthavefallenintofitsoflaughterwhileTembaromwasseriousnessitself。“Imust，however，callyourattentiontothefactthatthereissometimesinyourmannerahintofabusinesslikepursuitofafixedobjectwhichyoumustbewareof。TheLadyGwyneddsmightnotenjoythesituationiftheybegantosuspect。Iftheydecidedtofloutyou，——”tothrowyoudown”Ioughttosay——wherewouldlittleMissHutchinsonbe？“

Tembaromlookedstartledanddisturbed。

“Say，“heexclaimed，“doIeverlookthatway？Imustdobetterthanthat。Anyhow，itain”tallputon。I”mdoingmystunt，ofcourse，butIlikethem。They”remightynicetomewhenyouconsiderwhatthey”reupagainst。Andthosetwowiththedimples，——LadyGwynnedandLadyHonora，arejustpeaches。Anyfellowmight“——hestoppedandlookedseriousagain”That”swhythey”dcount，“headded。

Theywerehavingoneoftheiroddlongtalksunderaparticularlysplendidcopperbeechwhichprovidedtheshelteredout-of-doorcornerhisgracelikedbest。Whentheytooktheirseatstogetherinthisretreat，itwasmysteriouslyunderstoodthattheyweresettlingthemselvesdowntoenjoymentoftheirown，andmustnotbedisturbed。

“WhenIamcomfortableandentertained，“Moffat，thehousesteward，hadquotedhismasterassaying，“youmaymentionitifthecastleisinflames；butdonotannoymewithexcitementandflurry。Ringthebellinthecourtyard，andcalluptheservantstopassbuckets；butuntilthelawncatchesfire，Imustinsistonbeingleftalone。”

“Whatdearpapatalkstohimabout，andwhathetalksabouttodearpapa，“LadyCeliahadmorethanoncemurmuredinhergentlyremote，high-nosedway，“Icannotpossiblyimagine。SometimeswhenIhavepassedthemonmywaytothecroquetlawnIhavereallyseenthembothlookasabsorbedaspeopleinaplay。Ofcourseitisverygoodforpapa。Ithashadquiteamarkedeffectonhisdigestion。Butisn”titodd！“

“Iwish，“LadyEdithremarkedalmostwistfully，“thatIcouldgetonbetterwithhimmyselfconversationally。ButIdon”tknowwhattotalkabout，anditmakesmenervous。”

Theirfather，onthecontrary，foundinhimuniqueresources，andthisafternoonitoccurredtohimthathehadneversofarheardhimexpresshimselffreelyonthesubjectofPalliser。Ifledtodoso，hewouldprobablyrevealthathehadviewsofCaptainPalliserofwhichhemightnothavebeensuspected，andthemannerinwhichtheywouldunfoldthemselveswouldmorethanprobablybeilluminating。Thedukewas，infact，serenelysurethatherequiredneitherwarningnoradvice，andhehadnointentionofofferingeither。Hewantedtoheartheviews。

“Doyouknow，“hesaidashestirredhistea，“I”vebeenthinkingaboutPalliser，andithasoccurredtomemorethanoncethatIshouldliketohearjusthowhestrikesyou？“

“WhatIgotontofirstwashowIstruckhim，“answeredTembarom，withareasonableair。“Thatwasdeadeasy。”

Therewasnohintofanyvauntofsuperiorshrewdness。Hiswasmerelythelevel-tonedmannerofanobserveroffactsindetail。

“Hehasgivenyouanopportunityofseeingagooddealofhim，“thedukeadded。“Whatdoyougatherfromhim——unlesshehasmadeuphismindthatyoushallnotgatheranythingatall？“

“Afellowlikethatcouldn”tfixitthatway，howevermuchhewantedto，“Tembaromansweredagainreasonably。“Justhistryingtodoitwouldgivehimaway。”

“Youmeanyouhavegatheredthings？“

“Oh，I”vegatheredenough，thoughIdidn”tgoafterit。Ithungonthebushes。Anyhow，itseemedtomethatway。Iguessyourunupagainstthatkindeverywhere。There”sstacksoftheminNewYork——differentshapesandsizes。”

“IfyoumetamanofhisparticularshapeandsizeinNewYork，howwouldyoudescribehim？“thedukeasked。

“IshouldneverhavemethimwhenIwasthere。Hewouldn”thavecomemyway。He”dhavebeenonWallStreet，doinghigh-classbucket-shopbusiness，orhe”dhavehadaswellofficesellingcopper-mines——anyoldkindofminethat”sgoingtomaketenmillionaminute，thesortofdealhe”sinnow。Ifhe”dbeenthekindImighthaverunupagainst，“headdedwithdeliberation，“hewouldn”thavebeenaswelldressedoraswellspoken。He”dhavebeeneitherflashyordownatheel。You”dhavecalledhimacrook。”

Thedukeseemedpleasedwithhisteaas，afterhavingsippedit，heputitdownonthetableathisside。

“Acrook？“herepeated。“IwonderifthatwordisaltogetherAmerican？“

“It”snotcomplimentary，butyouaskedme，“saidTembarom。“ButI

don”tbelieveyouaskedmebecauseyouthoughtIwasn”tontohim。”

“Franklyspeaking，no，“answeredtheduke。“Doeshetalktoyouaboutthemammothminesandtherubberforests？“

“Say，that”swherehewinsoutwithme，“Tembaromrepliedadmiringly。

“HegetsinsuchfineworkthatIswitchhimontoitwheneverIwantcheeringup。Itmakesmesorterforgetthingsthatworrymejusttoseeamanactthepartrightuptothetopnotchthewayhedoesit。

Theverywayhisclothesfit，thestylehe”sgothishairbrushed，andthatswell，carelessloungeofhis，arehalfofthemake-up。Yousee，mostofuscouldn”tmistakehimforanythingelsebutjustwhathelookslike——agentlemanvisitingroundamonghisfriendsandamillionmilesfromwantingtobuttinwithbusiness。Thethingthatfirstgotmeinterestedwaswatchinghowheslidinthesortofguffhewantedyoutogetworkedupaboutandthinkover。Why，ifI”dbeenwhatI

lookliketohim，he”dhavehadmypilelongago，andhewouldn”tbeloafingroundhereanymore。”

“Whatdoyouthinkyoulookliketohim？“hishostinquired。

“IlookasifI”deatoutofhishand，“Tembaromanswered，quiteunbiasedbyanytouchofwoundedvanity。“Whyshouldn”tI？AndI”mnottryingtowakehimup，either。Iliketolookthatwaytohimandtohissort。Itgivesmeachancetowatchandgetwisetothings。He”sahigh-schooleducationinhimself。Iliketohearhimtalk。IaskedhimtocomeandstayatthehousesothatIcouldhearhimtalk。”

“Didheintroducethemammothminesinhisfirstcall？“thedukeinquired。

“Oh，Idon”tmeanthatkindoftalk。Ididn”tknowhowmuchgoodIwasgoingtogetoutofhimatfirst。ButhewasthekindIhadn”tknown，anditseemedlikehewaspartofthewholething——likethegirlswithtitlethatAnnsaidImustgetnextto。Andaneasywayofgettingnexttothemankindwastolethimcomeandstay。Hewantedto，allright。Iguessthat”sthewayheliveswhenhe”sdownonhisluck，gettinginvitedtostayatplaces。LikeLadyMallowe，“headded，quitewithoutprejudice。

“Youdosumthemup，don”tyou？“smiledtheduke。

“Well，Idon”tseehowIcouldhelpit，“hesaidimpartially。“They”reprintedinsixty-fourpointblack-face，seemstome。”

“Whatisthat？“thedukeinquiredwithinterest。Hethoughtitmightbeanewanddesirablebitofslang。“Idon”tknowthatone。”

“Biggesttypethereis，“grinnedTembarom。“It”sthekindthat”susedforhead-lines。That”snewspaper-officetalk。”

“Ah，technical，Isee。What，bytheway，isthesmallestletteringcalled？“hisgracefollowedup。

“Brilliant，“answeredTembarom。

“You，“remarkedtheduke，“arenotprintedinsixty-four-pointblack-

facesofarastheyareconcerned。Youarenotevenbrilliant。Theydon”tfindthemselvesabletosumyouup。Thatfactisoneofmyrecreations。”

“I”lltellyouwhy，“Tembaromexplainedwithhisclearlyunprejudicedair。“There”snothingmuchaboutmetosumup，anyhow。I”mtoosortofplainsailingandordinary。I”mnotmakingforanywherethey”dthinkI”dwanttogo。I”mnothidinganythingthey”dbesureI”dwanttohide。”

“BytheLord！you”renot！“exclaimedtheduke。

“WhenIfirstcamehere，everyoneofthemhadafoolideaI”dwanttopretendI”dneverseteyesonanewsboyoraboot-black，andthatI

couldn”tfindmywayinNewYorkwhenIgotoffFifthAvenue。Iusedtoseethemthinkingthey”dgottolookasiftheybelievedit，iftheywantedtokeepnext。WhenIjustletoutandshowedIdidn”tcareadarnandhadn”tsenseenoughtoknowthatitmattered，itnearlymadethemthrowafit。Theyhadtoturnroundandfixtheirfacesalloveragainandactlikeitwas”interesting。”That”swhatLadyMallowecallsit。Shesaysit”sso”interesting！”“

“Itis，“commentedtheduke。

“Well，youknowthat，butshedoesn”t。Notonyourlife！Iguessitmakesheraboutsicktothinkofitandhavetoplaythatit”sjustwhatyou”dwantallyourmenfriendstohavedone。Now，Palliser”hepausedandgrinnedagain。Hewassittinginamostcasualattitude，hishandsclaspedroundoneup-raisedknee，whichhenursed，balancinghimself。Itwasapositionofinformaleasewhichhadanairofassistingenjoyablereflection。

“Yes，Palliser？Don”tletusneglectPalliser，“hishostencouragedhim。

“He”sinaworsemix-upthantherestbecausehe”sgotmoretolose。

Ifhecouldworkthismammoth-minesonganddancewiththerightpeople，there”dbemoneyenoughinittoputhimonEasyStreet。

That”swherehe”saimingfor。Thecompany”sjustwhereithastohaveaboost。It”sjustGOTto。Ifitdoesn”t，there”llbeabustupthatmayendinfittingoutahigh-tonedpromoterorsoinastripedyellow-and-blackJerseysuitandsethimtobreakingrocksorplayingwithoakum。I”lltellyou，pooroldPallisergetstheWilliessometimesafterhe”sreadhismail。HeturnsthecolorofecrubabyIrish。That”sakindoflaceIgotadressmakertotellmeaboutwhenIwroteupreceptionsanddancesfortheSundayEarth。EcrubabyIrish——that”sPalliser”scolorafterhe”sreadhisletters。”

“Idaresaythefellow”sinadevilofamess，ifthetruthwereknown，“thedukesaid。

“Andhere”s”T。T。”hand-madeandhand-paintedforthepartofthekindofsuckerhewants。”T。Tembarom”smannerwasalmostsympatheticinitsappreciation。“IcantellyouI”mhavingarealgoodtimewithPalliser。ItlookedlikeI”djustdroppedfromheavenwhenhefirstsawme。Ifhe”dbeentheprayingkind，I”dhavebeenjustthesorthe”dhaveprayedforwhenhesaidhis`Now-I-lay-me”s”beforehewenttobed。Therewasn”tachanceinahundredthatIwasn”tafoolthathadhisheadswelledsothathe”dswallowanydarnedthingifyouhandedittohimsmoothenough。FirsttimehecalledheaskedmealotofquestionsaboutNewYorkbusiness。Thatwasprettysmartofhim。Hewantedtofindout，sortofcareless，howmuchIknew——orhowlittle。”

Thedukewasleaningbackluxuriouslyinhischairandgazingathimashemighthavegazedattheworkofanoldmasterofwhicheachlineandshadewasofabsorbinginterest。

“Icanseehim，“hesaid。“Icanseehim。”

“HefoundoutIknewnothing，“Tembaromcontinued。“Andwhatwastohinderhimtryingtoteachmesomething，bygee！Nothingontopofthegreenearth。Iwasthere，waitingwithmymouthopen，itseemedlike。”

“Andhehastried——inhisbestmanner？“saidhisgrace。

“Whathehasn”ttriedwouldn”tbeworthytrying，“Tembaromansweredcheerfully。“Sometimesitseemslikeashametowasteit。I”vegotsoIknowhowtostarthimwhenhedoesn”tknowI”mdoingit。Itellyou，he”sfine。Gentlemanly——that”shisway，youknow。High-tonedfriendthatjusthappenstoknowofagoodthingandthinksenoughofyouinasortofreservedwaytofeellikeit”sapitynottogiveyouachancetocomeinonthegroundfloor，ifyou”vegotthesensetoseethefavorhe”sfriendlyenoughtodoyou。It”ssuchafavorthatit”djustdisgustamanifyoucouldpossiblyturnitdown。Butofcourseyou”retotakeitorleaveit。It”snottohisinteresttopushit。

Lord，no！Whateveryoudidhiswayisthathe”dnotcondescendtosayadarnedword。High-tonedsilence，that”sall。”

TheDukeofStonewaschucklingverysoftly。Hischucklesratherbrokehiswordswhenhespoke。

“By——by——Jove！“hesaid。“You——youdoseeit，don”tyou？Youdoseeit。”

Tembaromnursedhiskneecomfortably。

“Why，“hesaid，“it”swhatkeepsmeup。Youknowalotmoreaboutmethananyoneelsedoes，butthere”sawholeraftofthingsIthinkaboutthatIcouldn”thangroundanyman”sneck。IfItriedtohangthemroundyours，you”dknowthatIwouldbehavingahellofatimehere，ifI”dletmyselfthinktoomuch。IfIdidn”tseeit，asyoucallit，ifIdidn”tseesomanythings，Imightbegintogetsorryformyself。Therewasapauseofasecond。“Gee！“hesaid，“Gee！thisnothearingathingaboutAnn！”

“GoodLord！mydearfellow，“thedukesaidhastily，“Iknow。Iknow。”

Tembaromturnedandlookedathim。

“You”vebeenthere，“heremarked。“You”vebeenthere，Ibet。”

“Yes，I”vebeenthere，“answeredtheduke。“I”vebeenthere——andcomeback。Butwhileit”sgoingon——youhavejustdescribedit。Amancanhaveahellofatime。”

“Hecan，“Tembaromadmittedunreservedly。“He”sgottokeepgoingtostandit。Well，Strangewaysgivesmesomeworktodo。AndI”vegotPalliser。He”salittlesunbeam。”

Aman-servantapproachingtosuggestapossibleneedofhotteastartedathearinghisgracebreakintoasuddenandplainlyinvoluntarycrowofglee。Hehadnotheardthatonebeforeeither。

PalliserasalittlesunbeambrighteningthepathwayofT。Tembarom，was，intheparticularexistingcircumstances，allthatcouldbedesiredoffinehumor。Itsomewhatrecalledthesituationofthe“Ladies“ofthenoblehousesofPevensy，Talchester，andStoneunconsciouslypassinginreviewforthesatisfactionoflittleMissHutchinson。Tembaromlaughedalittlehimself，buthewentonwithasortofseriousness“There”sonethingsureenough。I”vegotontoitbylisteningandworkingoutwhathewoulddobywhathedoesn”tknowhesays。Ifhecouldputthescrewsonmeinanyway，hewouldn”tholdback。It”dbeallquitepoliteandgentlemanly，buthe”ddoitallthesame。Andhe”sdead-surethateverybody”sgotsomethingthey”dliketohide——orget。That”swhatheworksthingsoutfrom。”

“Doeshethinkyouhavesomethingtohide——orget？“thedukeinquiredratherquickly。

“He”ssureofit。Buthedoesn”tknowyetwhetherit”sgetorhide。Henosesabout。Pearson”sseenhim。Heasksquestionsandplaysheain”tdoingitandain”tinterested，anyhow。”

“Hedoesn”tlikeyou，hedoesn”tlikeyou，“thedukesaidratherthoughtfully。“Hehasawayofconveyingthatyouarefarmoresubtlethanyouchoosetolook。HeisgiventoenlargingonthefactthatanairofentirefranknessisoneofthechiefassetsofcertainpromotersofhugeAmericanschemes。”

Tembaromsmiledthesmileofrecognition。

“Yes，“hesaid，“itlookslikethat”salongwayround，doesn”tit？

Butit”snotfartoT。T。whenyouwanttohitchontheconnection。

Anyhow，that”sthewayhemeansittolook。IfeverIwassuspectedofbeinginanymix-up，everybodywouldrememberhe”dsaidthat。”

“It”sveryamusin”，“saidtheduke。“It”sveryamusin”。”

Theyhadbecomeevengreaterfriendsandintimatesbythistimethanthealreadyastonishedneighborhoodsuspectedthemofbeing。Thattheyspentmuchtimetogetherinanamazingdegreeoffamiliaritywasthetalkofthecountry，infact，oneofthemostfrequentresourcesofconversation。Everybodyendeavoredtofindreasonforthesituation，butnonehadbeenpresentedwhichseemedofsufficientlylogicalconvincingness。Thedukewaseccentric，ofcourse。Thatwaseasytohitupon。Hewasamiablyperverseandgood-humoredlycynical。Hewasofcourseimmenselyamusedbytheincongruityoftheacquaintance。

Thisbeingthecase，whyexactlyhehadneverbeforechosenforhimselfacompanionequallyoutofthepictureitwasnoteasytoexplain。Therewereplow-boysorclerksoutofprovincialshopswhowouldsurelyhavebeenquiteasincongruouswhensurroundedbyducalsplendors。HemighthavegotayoungmanfromLiverpoolorBlackburnwhowouldhaveknownaslittleofpolitesocietyasMr。TempleBarholm；therewerefew，ofcourse，whocouldknowless。Buthehadnevershownthefaintestdesiretoseekoneout。Palliser，itistrue，suggesteditwasTembarom”s“cheek“whichstoodhimingoodstead。TheyoungmanfrombehindthecounterinaLiverpoolorBlackburnshopwouldprobablyhavebeenfrightenedtodeathandafraidtoopenhismouthinself-revelation，whereasTempleBarholmwassoentirelyabounderthathedidnotknowhewasone，andwasreadytomakeanassofhimselftoanyextent。Thefrankeststatementofthesituation，ifanyonehadsochosentoputit，wouldhavebeenthathewasregardedasasortofcourtfoolwithoutcaporbells。

Noonewasawareoftheoddconfidenceswhichpassedbetweentheweirdlydissimilarpair。Nooneguessedthattheoldpeersatandlistenedtostoriesofared-headed，slim-bodiedgirlinadingyNewYorkboarding-house，thathelikedthemsufficientlytoencouragetheirtelling，thathehadmadeamentalpictureofacertainlookinapairofmaternallyyearningandfearfullyconvincingroundyoungeyes，thatheknewtheburnishedfullnessandglowoftheredhairuntilhecouldimaginethefeelingofitstextureandabundantwarmthinthehand。Andthissubjectwasonlyoneofmany。Andofotherstheytalkedwithinterest，doubt，argument，speculation，holdingalivingthrill。

Thetapofcroquetmalletssoundedhollowandclearfromthesunkenlawnbelowthemassofshrubsbetweenthemandtheplayersasthedukerepeated。

“It”shugelyamusin”，“droppinghis“g，“whichwasnotoneofhisusualaffectations。

“Confoundit！“hesaidnext，wrinklingthethin，fineskinroundhiseyesinaspeculativesmile，“IwishIhadhadasonofmyownjustlikeyou。”

AllofTembarom”swhiteteethrevealedthemselves。

“I”dhavelikedtohavebeeninit，“hereplied，“butIshouldn”thavebeenlikeme。”

“Yes，youwould。”Thedukeputthetipsofhisfingersdelicatelytogether。“Youareofthekindwhichinallcircumstancesislikeitself。”Helookedabouthim，takingintheturreted，majesticageandmassofthecastle。“Youwouldhavebeenbornhere。Youwouldhavelearnedtorideyourponydowntheavenue。YouwouldhavegonetoEtonandtoOxford。Idon”tthinkyouwouldhavelearnedmuch，butyouwouldhavebeendecidedlyedifyingandcompanionable。Youwouldhavehadasenseofhumorwhichwouldhavemadeyoupopularinsocietyandatcourt。Ayoungfellowwhomakesthosepeoplelaughholdssuccessinhishand。TheywanttobemadetolaughasmuchasIdo。GoodGod！howtheyareobligedtobeboredandbehavedecentlyunderit！Youwouldhaveseenandknownmorethingstobehumorousaboutthanyouknownow。Idon”tthinkyouwouldhavebeenafoolaboutwomen，butsomeofthemwouldhavebeenfoolsaboutyou，becauseyou”vegotaway。Ihadonemyself。It”sallthemoredangerousbecauseit”spossibilitysuggestingwithoutbeingsentimental。Afriendlyyoungfellowalwayssuggestspossibilitieswithoutbeingawareofit。

“WouldIhavebeenLordTempleTempleBarholmorsomethingofthatsort？“Tembaromasked。

“YouwouldhavebeentheMarquisofBelcarey，“thedukereplied，lookinghimoverthoughtfully，“andyournamewouldprobablyhavebeenHughLawrenceGilbertHenryCharlesAdelbert，orwordstothateffect。”

“Aregularsix-shooter，“saidTembarom。

Thedukewasfollowingitupwithabsorptioninhiseyes。

“You”dhavegoneintotheGuards，perhaps，“hesaid，“anddrillwouldhavemadeyoucarryyourselfbetter。You”reagoodheight。You”dhavebeenawell-set-upfellow。Ishouldhavebeenratherproudofyou。I

canseeyouridingtothepalacewiththerestofthem，sabresandchainsclankingandglitteringandhelmetwithplumesstreaming。ByJove！Idon”twonderattheeffecttheyhaveonnursery-maids。Onasunnymorninginspringtheysuggestknightsinafairytale。”

“IshouldhavelikeditallrightifIhadn”tbeenborninBrooklyn，“

grinnedTembarom。“Butthatstartsyououtinadifferentway。Doyouthink，ifI”dbeenborntheMarquisofBel——what”shisname——IshouldhavebeenontoPalliser”slittlesonganddance，andhadasmuchfunoutofit？“

“Onmysoul，Ibelieveyouwould，“the，dukeanswered。“BrooklynorStoneHoverCastle，I”mhangedifyouwouldn”thavebeenYOU。”

CHAPTERXXIX

Afterthiscameapause。Eachmansatthinkinghisownthoughts，which，whilemarkedwithdifferenceinform，weredoubtlesssubtlyalikeinthelinetheyfollowed。DuringthesilenceT。Tembaromlookedoutatthelateafternoonshadowslengtheningthemselvesindarkeningvelvetacrossthelawns。

Atlasthesaid：

“InevertoldyouthatI”vebeenreadingsomeofthe”steenthousandbooksinthelibrary。Istarteditaboutamonthago。Andsomehowthey”vegotmegoing。”

Theslightlyliftedeyebrowsofhishostdidnotexpresssurprisesomuchasquestioninginterest。Thisman，atleast，haddiscoveredthatoneneedfindnocauseforastonishmentinanydiscoverythathehadbeendoingathingforsometimeforsomereasonorthroughsomepromptingofhisown，andhadsaidnothingwhateveraboutituntilhewaswhathecalled“goodandready。”Whenhewas“goodandready“heusuallyrevealedhimselftotheduke，buthewasnotequallyexpansivewithothers。

“No，youhavenotmentionedit，“hisgraceanswered，andlaughedalittle。“Youfrequentlyfailtomentionthings。WhenfirstwekneweachotherIusedtowonderifyouwerenaturallyasecretivefellow；

butyouarenot。Youalwayshaveareasonforyoursilences。”

“Ittookabouttenyearstokickthatintome——tengoodyears，I

shouldsay。”T。Tembaromlookedasifhewerelookingbackwardatmanyepisodesashesaidit。“Naturally，Iguess，Imusthavebeenaninnocent，blab-mouthedkid。Imeantnoharm，butIjustdidn”tknow。

Sometimesitlooksasifjustnotknowingisabouttheworstdiseaseyoucanbetroubledwith。Butifyoudon”tgetkilledfirst，youfindoutintimethatwhatyou”vegottoholdontohardandfastisthetrickof”sayingnothingandsawingwood。”“

Theduketookouthismemorandum-bookandbegantowritehastily。T。

Tembaromwasquiteaccustomedtothis。Heevenrepeatedhisaxiomforhim。

“Saynothingandsawwood，“hesaid。“It”sworthwritingdown。Itmeans”shutyourmouthandkeeponworking。”“

“Thankyou，“saidtheduke。“Itisworthwritingdown。Thankyou。”

“IdidnottalkaboutthebooksbecauseIwantedtogetusedtothembeforeIbegantotalk，“Tembaromexplained。“Iwantedtogetsomewhere。I”dneverreadabookthroughinmylifebefore。Neverwantedto。Neverhadoneandneverhadtime。Whennightcame，Iwasdog-tiredanddog-readytodropdownandsleep。”

Herewasasituationofinterest。Ayoungmanofodd，directshrewdness，whohadneverreadabookthroughinhisexistence，hadplungedsuddenlyintotheextraordinarilyvariedliteraryresourcesoftheTempleBarholmlibrary。Ifhehadbeenafoolorageniusonemighthaveguessedattheimpressionmadeonhim；beingT。Tembarom，onespeculatedwithsecretelation。Theprimitivenesshemightreveal，theprofunditieshemighttouchthesurfaceof，theunexpectedendshemightreach，suggestedtheopeningofvistas。

“Ihaveoftenthoughtthatifbooksattractedyouthelibrarywouldhelpyoutogetthroughagoodmanyofthehundredandthirty-sixhoursadayyou”vespokenof，andgetthroughthemprettydecently，“

commentedtheduke。

“That”swhat”shappened，“Tembaromanswered。“There”snotsomanynow。

Icancut”emoffinchunks。”

“Howdiditbegin？“

HelistenedwithmuchpleasurewhileTembaromtoldhimhowithadbegunandhowithadgoneon。

“I”dbeenhavingaprettybadtimeoneday。Strangewayshadbeenworse——adarnedsightworse——justwhenIthoughthewasbetter。I”dbeentryingtohelphimtothinkstraight；andsuddenlyImadeabreak，somehow，andmusthavetouchedexactlythewrongspring。ItseemedasifIsethimnearlycrazy。IhadtoleavehimtoPearsonrightaway。Thenitpouredrainsteadyforabouteighthours，andI

couldn”tgetoutand`takeawalk。”ThenIwentwanderingintothepicture-galleryandfoundLadyJoanthere，lookingatMilesHugo。Andsheorderedmeout，orblamednearit。”

“Youarestandingagooddeal，“saidtheduke。

“Yes，Iam——butsoisshe。”Hesethishardyoungjawandnursedhisknee，staringoncemoreatthevelvetshadows。“ThegirlinthebookI

pickedup”hebegan。

“Thefirstbook？“hishostinquired。

Tembaromnodded。

“Theveryfirst。Iwassmokingmypipeatnight，aftereveryoneelsehadgonetobed，andIgotupandbegantowanderaboutandstareatthenamesofthethingsontheshelves。Iwasthinkingoverawholeraftofthings——awholeraftofthem——andIdidn”tknowIwasdoingit，untilsomethingmademestopandreadanameagain。Itwasabookcalled`Good-by，Sweetheart，Good-by”andithitmestraight。I

wonderedwhatitwasabout，andIwonderedwhereoldTempleBarholmhadfishedupathinglikethat。Ineverheardhewasthatkind。”

“Hewasacantankerousoldbrute，“saidtheDukeofStonewithcandor，“buthechancedtobeanomnivorousnovel-reader。Nothingwastoosentimentalforhiminhislateryears。”

“Itookthethingoutandreadit，“Tembaromwenton，uneasily，theemotionofhisfirstnovel-readingstirringhimashetalked。“Itkeptmeuphalfthenight，andIhadn”tfinisheditthen。Iwantedtoknowtheend。”

“Benisonsuponthebooksofwhichonewantstoknowtheend！“thedukemurmured。

Tembarom”sinteresthadplainlynotterminatedwith“theend。”Itsfreshnessmadeiteasilyrevived。Therewasahintofemotionalindignationinhisrelationoftheplot。

“Itwasaboutacoupleoffoolswhoweredeadstuckoneachother——

dead。Therewasnomistakeaboutthat。Itwasallreal。Butwhatdotheydobutworkupafoolquarrelaboutnothing，andbreakawayfromeachother。Therewasalotofstuffaboutpride。Pridebedamned！

How”samangoingtobeproudandputonairswhenhelovesawoman？

How”sawomangoingtobeproudandstickoutaboutthingswhenshelovesaman？Atleast，that”sthewayithitme。”

“That”sthewayithitme——once，“remarkedhisgrace。

“Thereisonlyonce，“saidTembarom，doggedly。

“Occasionally，“saidhishost。“Occasionally。”

Tembaromknewwhathemeant。

“Thefellowwentaway，andneitherofthemwouldgivein。It”squeerhowrealitwaswhenyoureadit。Youwererighttherelookingon，andswallowinghardeveryfewminutes——thoughyouwereasmadashops。

Thegirlbegantodie——slow——andlaytheredayafterday，longingforhimtocomeback，andknowinghewouldn”t。Attheveryend，whentherewasscarcelyabreathleftinher，ayoungfellowwhowascrazyaboutherhimself，andalwayshadbeen，putoutafterthehard-headedfooltobringhimtoheranyhow。Thegirlhadaboutgiveninthen。Andshelayandwaitedhourafterhour，andtheyoungstercamebackbyhimself。Hecouldn”tbringthemanhe”dgoneafter。Hefoundhimgettingmarriedtoanicegirlhedidn”treallycareadarnfor。He”dsortofsethisteethanddoneit——justbecausehewasallinanddownandout，andafool。Thegirljustdroppedherheadbackonthepillowandlaythere，dead！Whatdoyouthinkofthat？“quitefiercely。“I

guessitwassentimentalallright，butitgotyoubythethroat。”

“”Good-bye，Sweetheart，Good-bye，“”hisgracequoted。“First-classtitle。Weareallsentimental。Andthatwasthefirst，wasit？“

“Yes，butitwasn”tthelast。Ibegantoreadtheothers。I”vebeenreadingthemeversince。Itellyou，forafellowthatknowsnothingit”saneasywayoffindingoutalotofthings。Youfindoutwhatdifferentkindsofpeoplethereare，andwhatdifferentkindsofways。

Ifyou”velivedinoneplace，andbeenupagainstnothingbutearningyourliving，youthinkthat”sallthereisofit——thatit”sthewholething。Butitisn”t，bygee！“Hisairbecamethoughtful。“I”vebeguntokindofgetontowhatallthismeans“——glancingabouthim”toyoupeople；andhowafellowlikeT。T。mustlooktoyou。I”vealwayssortofguessed，butreadingafewdozennovelshashelpedmetoseeWHY

it”sthatway。I”veyelledrightoutlaughingoveritmanyatime。

ThatfellowcalledThackeray——Ican”treadhisthingsrightstraightthrough——buthe”saneye-opener。”

“YouhavetriednothingBUTnovels？“hisenthralledhearerinquired。

“Notyet。Ishallcometotheothersintime。I”msortofhungryforthesethingsaboutPEOPLE。It”sthewaysthey”redifferentthatgetsmegoing。Therewasonethatstirredmeallup——butitwasn”tlikethatfirstone。Itwasaboutaman“——hespokeslowly，asifsearchingforwordsandparallels”well，Iguesshewasoneoftheearlysavageshere。ItreadasiftheywerelikethefirstIndiansinAmerica，onlystrongerandfiercer。WhenPalfordwasexplainingthingstomehe”djerkineverynowandthensomethingabout”comingoverwiththeConqueror”orbeinghere”beforetheConqueror。”Ididn”tknowwhatitmeant。IfoundoutinthisbookI”mtellingabout。ItgavemethewholethingsothatyouSAWit。Herewasthislittlecountry，withnooneinitbutthesefirstsavagefellowsit”dalwaysbelongedto。Theythoughtitwastheworld。”Therewasahumoroussenseofilluminationinhishalf-laugh。“ItwastheirNewYork，byjings，“heputin。“TheirlittleoldNewYorkthatthey”dneverbeenoutsideof！Andthenfirstonelotslamsin，andthenanother，andanother，andtriestotakeitfromthem。JuliusCaesarwasthefirstMr。Buttinski；andtheyfoughtlikehell。TheywerefightersfromFightersville，anyhow。Theyfoughteachother，tookeachother”scastlesandlandsandwivesandjewelry——justanyoldthingtheywanted。Theonlyjailswereprivateonesmeantfortheirparticularfriends。Andamanwashungonlywhenoneofhisneighborsgotmadenoughathim，andthenhehadtocatchhimfirstandruntheriskofbeingstrunguphimself，orhavehisheadchoppedoffandstuckuponaspikesomewhereforornament。Butfight！GoodLord！Theywereatitdayandnight。Diditforfun，justlikefolksgototheshow。Theydidn”tknowwhatfearwas。Neverheardofit。They”dgoaboutshoutingandbraggingandswaggering，withtheirheadshanginghalfoff。Andtheoneinthisbookwasthebulliestfighterofthelot。IguessI

don”tknowhowtopronouncehisname。ItbeganwithH。”

“WasitHerewardtheWake，bychance？“exclaimedhisauditor。

“HerewardtheLastoftheEnglish？“

“That”stheman，“criedTembarom。

“Anengagingruffianandthiefandmurderer，andatouchingonealso，“

commentedtheduke。“Youlikedhim？“Hereallywantedtoknow。

“Ilikethewayhewentafterwhathewantedtoget，andthewayhefoughtforhisbitofEngland。Bygee！Whenhewentrushingintoafight，shoutingandboastingandswinginghissword，Igothotinthecollar。ItwashisEngland。WhatwasoldBilldoingthereanyhow，darnhim！Thosechapsmadehimswimintheirbloodbeforetheylethimputthethingover。Goodbusiness！I”mgladtheygavehimallthatwascomingtohim——hotandstrong。”

Hissharpfacehadreddenedandhisvoicerosehighandnasal。Therewasalookofrousedbloodinhim。

“AreyouafighterfromFightersville？“thedukeasked，farfromunstirredhimself。Thesethingshadbecomemythstomostpeople，butherewasBroadwayinthemidstofthemunconsciouslysuggestingthatitmightnothavedoneillinthematterofswinging“Brain-Biter“

itself。Themodernentityslippedbackagainthroughthelengthenedlinksofbygonecenturies——backuntilitbecameT。Tembaromoncemore——

casualthoughshrewd；readyandjocular。HiseyesresumedtheirdryNewYorkhumorofexpressionastheyfixedthemselvesonhiswhollymodernquestioner。

“I”llfight，“hesaid，“forwhatI”vegottofightfor，butnotforadarnedthingelse。Notadarnedthing。”

“Butyouwouldfight，“smiledtheduke，grimly。“Didyouhappentorememberthatbloodlikethathascomedowntoyou？Itwassomedropofitwhichmadeyou`hotinthecollar”overthatengagingsavageroaringandslashingabouthimforhis`bitofEngland。””

Tembaromseemedtothinkitoutinterestedly。

“No，Ididnot，“heanswered。“ButIguessthat”sso。Iguessit”sso。

GreatJakes！Thinkofmeperhapsbeingsortofkintofellowsjustlikethat。Someway，youcouldn”thelplikinghim。Hewasalwaysmakingbigbreaksandbellowingout`TheWake！TheWake！”inseasonandoutofseason；butthewayhegotthere——justgotthere！“

Hewasoddlyinsympathywith“theearlysavageshere，“andasunderstandinglyputhimselfintotheirplacesashehadputhimselfintoGalton”s。HisNewYorkcomprehensionoftheirberserkerfurieswasapparentlywithoutlimit。StrongpartizanashewasofthelastoftheEnglish，however，headmittedthatWilliamofNormandyhad“gotinsomegoodwork，thoughitwasn”tsquare。”

“Hewasabigman，“heended。“Ifhehadn”tbeenthekindhewasI

don”tknowhowIshouldhavestooditwhentheHerewardfellowkneltdownbeforehim，andputhishandsbetweenhisandsworetobehisman。That”sthewaythebooksaidit。Itellyouthatmusthavebeentough——toughashell！“

From“Good-bye，Sweetheart“to“HerewardtheLastoftheEnglish“wasafarcry，buthehadgatheredacuriouscollectionofideasbytheway，andwithcharacteristiceverydayreasoninghadlinkedthemtohisownexperiences。

“ThewomenintheHerewardbookmademethinkofLadyJoan，“heremarked，suddenly。

“Torfreda？“thedukeasked。

Henoddedquiteseriously。

“Shehadwaysthatremindedmeofher，andIkeptthinkingtheymustbothhavehadthesamelookintheireyes——sortoffierceandhungry。

Torfredahadblackhairandwasawinnerastolooks；butpeoplewereafraidofherandcalledherawitch。Herewardwentmadoverherandshewentmadoverhim。Thatpartofitwas”wayoutofsight，itwassofine。Shehelpedhimwithhisfightsandtoldhimwhattodo，andtriedtokeephimfromdrinkingandbragging。Whateverhedid，sheneverstoppedbeingcrazyabouthim。Shemendedhismen”sclothes，andtookcareoftheirwounds，andlivedintheforestwithhimwhenhewasdrivenout。”

“ThatsoundsratherlikeMissHutchinson，“hishostsuggested，“thoughtheparallelbetweenaHarlemflatandanEnglishforestintheeleventhcenturyisnotexact。”

“Ithoughtthat，too，“Tembaromadmitted。“Annwouldhavedonethesamethings，butshe”dhavedonetheminherway。Ifthatfellowhadtakenhiswife”sadvice，hewouldn”thaveendedwithhisheadstickingonaspear。”

“Anotherlady，ifIrememberrightly，“saidtheduke。

“Helefther，thefool！“Tembaromanswered。“Andthere”swhereI

couldn”tgetawayfromseeingLadyJoan；JemTempleBarholmdidn”tgooffwithanotherwoman，butwhatTorfredawentthrough，thisonehasgonethrough，andshe”sgoingthroughityet。Shecan”tdressherselfinsackcloth，andcutoffherhair，andhideherselfawaywithabunchofnuns，astheotheronedid。Shehastostayandstickitout，howeverbaditis。That”sadarnedsightworse。ThedayafterI”dfinishedthebook，Icouldn”tkeepmyeyesoffher。Itriedtostopit，butitwasnouse。IkepthearingthatTorfredaonescreamingout，`Lost！Lost！Lost！”Itwasallinherface。”