第11章

“But，mygoodfellow，“protestedtheduke，despitefeelingatouchofthethrillagain，“unfortunately，shewouldnotsuspectyouoflookingatherbecauseyouwererecallingTorfredaandHerewardtheWake。Menstareatherforanotherreason。”

“That”swhatIknowabouthalfaswellagainasIknowanythingelse，“

answeredTembarom。Headded，withadeliberationholdingitsownmeaning，“That”swhatI”mcomingto。”

Thedukewaited。Whatwasithewascomingto？

“Readingthatnovelputmewisetothingsinanewway。She”sbeenwipingherfeetonmehardforagoodwhile，andIsortofmadeupmymindI”dgottoletheruntilIwassurewhereIwas。Iwon”tsayI

didn”tmindit，butIcouldstandit。Butthatnightshecaughtmelookingather，thewayshelookedbackatmemademeseeallofasuddenthatitwouldbeeasierforherifItoldherstraightthatshewasmistaken。”

“Thatsheismistakeninthinking——？“

“Whatshedoesthink。Shewouldn”thavethoughtitiftheoldladyhadn”tbeendrivinghermadbyhammeringitin。She”dhavehatedmeallright，andIdon”tblameherwhenIthinkofhowpoorJemwastreated；butshewouldn”thavethoughtthateverytimeItriedtobedecentandfriendlytoherIwasbuttinginandmakingasickfoolofmyself。She”sgottostaywherehermotherkeepsher，andshe”sgottolistentoher。Oh，hell！She”sgottobetold！“

Thedukesetthetipsofhisfingerstogether。

“Howwouldyoudoit？“heinquired。

“Juststraight，“repliedT。Tembarom。“There”snootherway。”

Fromtheoldworldlingbrokeforthaninvoluntarylowlaugh，whichwasasortofcackle。Sothiswaswhathewascomingto。

“Icannotthinkofanydeviousmethod，“hesaid，“whichwouldmakeitlessthanadelicatethingtodo。Abeautifulyoungwoman，whosehostyouare，hasfloutedyoufuriouslyforweeks，undertheimpressionthatyouareoffensivelyinlovewithher。Youproposetotellherthatherjudgmenthasbetrayedher，andthat，asyousay，`There”snothingdoing。”“

“Notadarnedthing，andneverhasbeen，“saidT。Tembarom。Helookedquitegraveandnotatallembarrassed。Heplainlydidnotseeitasasituationtoberegardedwithhumor。

“Ifshewilllisten”thedukebegan。

“Oh，she”lllisten，“putinTembarom。“I”llmakeher。”

Hiswasaself-contradictingcountenance，thedukereflected，ashetookhiminwithasomewhatlonglook。Onedidnotusuallyseeafacebuiltupofboyishnessandmaturity，simplenesswhichwasbaffling，andagoodnaturewhichcouldbehard。Atthemoment，itwasbothoftheselastatoneandthesametime。

“IknowsomethingofLadyJoanandIknowsomethingofyou，“hesaid，“butIdon”texactlyforeseewhatwillhappen。IwillnotsaythatI

shouldnotliketobepresent。”

“There”llbenobodypresentbutjustmeandher，“Tembaromanswered。

CHAPTERXXX

ThevisitsofLadyMalloweandCaptainPalliserhadhadtheirfeatures。Neitherofthepairhadcometooneofthemostimposing“places“inLancashiretolivealifeofhermit-likeseclusionanddullness。Theyhadarrivedwiththeintentionofavailingthemselvesofallsuchopportunitiesforentertainmentascouldbeguidedintheirdirectionbythedeftnessofexperience。Asaresult，therehadbeenhospitalitiesatTempleBarholmsuchasithadnotbeheldduringthelastgenerationatleast。T。Tembaromhadlookedon，aninterestedspectator，asthesefestivitieshadbeenadroitlyarrangedandmanagedforhim。Hehadnot，however，intheleastresentedactingasasortoffigureheadinthepositionofsponsorandhost。

“TheythinkIdon”tknowI”mnotdoingitallmyself，“washiseasymentalsumming-up。“They”vegottheideathatI”mpleasedbecauseI

believeI”mIt。Butthat”salltothemerry。It”swhatI”vesetmymindonhavinggoingonhere，andIcouldn”thavestarteditaswellmyself。Ishouldn”thaveknownhow。They”reteachingme。AllIhopeisthatAnn”sgrandmotheriskeepingtab。”

“DoyouandRoseknowoldMrs。Hutchinson？“hehadinquiredofPearsonthenightbeforethetalkwiththeduke。

“Well，nottosayexactlyknowher，sir，buteverybodyknowsofher。

Sheisamostremarkableoldperson，sir。”Then，afterwatchinghisfaceforamomentorso，headdedtentatively，“Wouldyouperhapswishustomakeheracquaintancefor——foranyreason？“

Tembaromthoughtthematteroverspeculatively。HehadlearnedthathisfirstlikingforPearsonhadbeenfoundeduponarock。Hewasalwaystobetrustedtounderstand，andalsotoapplyaquiteunusualintelligencetosuchmattersashebecameawareofwithouthavingbeentoldaboutthem。

“WhatI”dlikewouldbeforhertohearthatthere”splentydoingatTempleBarholm；thatpeoplearecomingandgoingallthetime；andthatthere”sladiestoburn——andmostofthemlookers，atthat，“washisanswer。

HowPearsonhaddiscoveredtheexoticsubtletiesofhismaster”ssituationandmentalattitudetowardit，onlythoseofhisclassandgiftedwithhisoccultpowerscouldexplainindetail。ThefactexiststhatPearsondidknowanimmensenumberofthingshisemployerhadnotmentionedtohim，andheldthemlockedinhisbosominhonoredsecurity，likealittlegentleman。Hemadehisreplywithapoliteconvictionwhichcarriedweight。

“ItwouldnotbenecessaryforeitherRoseormetomakeoldMrs。

Hutchinson”sacquaintancewithaviewtoinformingherofanythingwhichoccursontheestateorinthevillage，sir，“heremarked。“Mrs。

Hutchinsonknowsmoreofthingsthananyoneevertellsher。Shesitsinhercottagethere，andshejustknowsthingsandseesthroughpeopleinawaythat”dbealmostunearthly，ifshewasn”tagoodoldperson，andsorespectablethatthere”sthosethattouchestheirhatstoherasifshebelongedtothegentry。She”sgotablueeye，sir”

“Hasshe？“exclaimedTembarom。

“Yes，sir。Asblueasababy”s，sir，andasclear，thoughshe”spasteighty。Andtheytellmethere”saquiet，steadylookinitthatill-

doersdownrightquailbefore。It”sasifshewasakindofjudgethatsentencedthemwithoutspeaking。Theycan”tstandit。Oh，sir！youcandependuponoldMrs。Hutchinsonastowho”sbeenhere，andevenwhatthey”vethoughtaboutit。Thevillagejustflockstohertotellherthenewsandgetadviceaboutthings。She”dknow。”

ItwasasaresultofthisthatonhisreturnfromStoneHoverhedismissedthecarriageatthegatesandwalkedthroughthemtomakeavisitinthevillage。OldMrs。Hutchinson，sittingknittinginherchairbehindtheabnormallyflourishingfuchsias，geraniums，andcampanulacarpaticasinhercottage-window，lookedbetweenthebanked-

upflower-potstoseethatMr。TempleBarholmhadopenedherwicket-

gateandwaswalkingupthecleanbrickedpathtoherfrontdoor。WhenheknockedshecalledoutinthebroadLancashireshehadalwaysspoken，“Coomin！“Whenheenteredhetookoffhishatandlookedather，friendlybuthesitant，andwiththeexpressionofayoungmanwhohasnotquitemadeuphismindastowhatheisabouttoencounter。

“I”mTempleTempleBarholm，Mrs。Hutchinson，“heannounced。

“Iknowthat，“sheanswered。“Notthatthalooksloiketh”TempleBarholms，butI”vebeenwatchin”theewalkan”drivepasthereeversincethacoomtoth”place。”

Shewatchedhimsteadilywithanastonishinglylimpidpairofoldeyes。Theywereoldandyoungatthesametime；oldbecausetheyhelddeepsofwisdom，youngbecausetheyweresoaliveandfullofquestion。

“Idon”tknowwhetherIoughttohavecometoseeyouornot，“hesaid。

“Well，tha”stcoom，“shereplied，goingonwithherknitting。“Sittheedounandhaveabitofachat。”

“Say！“hebrokeout。“Ain”tyougoingtoshakehandswithme？“Heheldhishandoutimpetuously。Heknewhewasallrightifshe”dshakehands。

“Theer”snowtagenthatsurely，“sheanswered，withashrewdbitofasmile。Shegavehimherhand。“IfIwasnastiffinmylegs，it”smyplacetogetupan”mak”theeacurtsey，butth”rheumaticshasnorespectevenforth”lordo”th”manor。”

“Ifyougotupandmademeacurtsey，“Tembaromsaid，“Ishouldthrowafit。Say，Mrs。Hutchinson，IbetyouknowthataswellasIdo。”

Theshrewdbitofasmilelightedhereyesaswellastwinkledabouthermouth。

“Sittheedoun，“shesaidagain。

Sohesatdownandlookedatherasstraightasshelookedathim。

“Tha”dgiveagoodbit，“shesaidpresently，overherflashingneedles，“toknowhowmuchLittleAnn”stow”dmeaboutthee。”

“I”dgivealottoknowhowmuchit”dbesquaretoaskyoutotellmeabouther，“hegavebacktoher，hesitatingyeteager。

“Whatdoesthameanbysquare？“shedemanded。

“Imean`fair。”CanItalktoyouaboutheratall？IpromisedI”dstickitouthereanddoasshesaid。Shetoldmeshewasn”tgoingtowritetomeorletherfatherwrite。I”vepromised，andI”mnotgoingtofalldownwhenI”vesaidathing。”

“Sothacoomtoseehergrandmother？“

Hereddened，butheldhisheadup。

“I”mnotgoingtoaskhergrandmotherathingshedoesn”twantmetobetold。ButI”vebeenupagainstitprettyhardlately。IreadsomethingsintheNewYorkpapersaboutherfatherandhisinvention，andabouthertravelingroundwithhimandhelpinghimwithhisbusiness。”

“InGermanytheywur，“sheputin，forgettingherself。“They”rehavin”

bigdoin”soverth”invention。WhatJoe”u”ddowi”outth”lassI

cannatell。She”sdoin”everybito”th”managin”an”contrivin”wi”

themfurriners——buthe”llneverknowit。She”sgotachaptotravelwi”himascantalkawth”languagesunderth”sun。”

Herfaceflushedandshestoppedherselfsharply。

“I”mtalkin”abouthertothee！“shesaid。“Iwouldnaha”believedo”

mysen”。”

Hegotupfromhischair。

“IguessIoughtn”ttohavecome，“hesaid，restlessly。“Butyouhaven”ttoldmemorethanIgothereandthereinthepapers。Thatwaswhatstartedme。Itwaslikewatchingher。Icouldhearhertalkingandseethewayshewasdoingthingstillitdrovemehalfcrazy。Allofasudden，IjustgotwildandmadeupmymindI”dcomehere。I”vewantedtodoitmanyatime，butI”vekeptaway。”

“Thashowedsensei”doin”that，“remarkedMrs。Hutchinson。“She”dnotha”thowtwello”theeiftha”dcoomrunnin”tohergrandmothereverydayorso。Whatshelikesabouttheeisasshethinkstha”sgotastrongbackboneo”thyown。”

Shelookedupathimoverherknitting，lookedstraightintohiseyes，andtherewasthatinherownwhichmadehimreddenandfeelhispulsequicken。Itwasactuallysomethingwhichevenremotelysuggestedthatshewasnot——inthedeepsofherstrongoldmind——aswhollyunswervingasherwordsmightimply。Itwassomethingmoresubtlethanwords。Shewasnotkeepinghimwhollyinthedarkwhenshesaid“Whatshelikesaboutthee。”IfAnnsaidthingslikethattoher，hewasprettywelloff。

“Happenalookatalass”sgrandmother——whenthaconnagetatth”lasshersen——isabito”comfort，“sheadded。“Butdon”tthagowalkin”byheretolookinatth”windowtoooften。Shewouldnathinkwello”

thateither。”

“Say！There”sonethingI”mgoingtogetoffmychestbeforeIgo，“heannounced，“justonething。Shecangowhereshelikesanddowhatshelikes，butI”mgoingtomarryherwhenshe”sdoneit——unlesssomethingknocksmeontheheadandfinishesme。I”mgoingtomarryher。”

“Thaart，arttha？“laconically；buthereyeswerestillonhis，andthesomethingintheirdepthsbynomeansdiminished。

“I”mkeepingupmyendhere，andit”snoslouchofajob，butI”mnotforgettingwhatshepromisedforoneminute！AndI”mnotforgettingwhatherpromisemeans，“hesaidobstinately。

“Tha”dlikemetotellherthat？“shesaid。

“Ifshedoesn”tknowit，youtellingherwouldn”tcutanyice，“washisreply。“I”msayingitbecauseIwantyoutoknowit，andbecauseitdoesmegoodtosayitoutloud。I”mgoingtomarryher。”

“That”sforherandtheetosettle，“shecommented，impersonally。

“Itissettled，“heanswered。“There”snowayoutofit。WillyoushakehandswithmeagainbeforeIgo？“

“Aye，“sheconsented，“Iwill。”

Whenshetookhishandshehelditaminute。Herownwaswarm，andtherewasnolimpnessaboutit。Thesecretwhichhadseemedtoconcealitselfbehindhereyeshadsomedifficultyinkeepingitselfwhollyinthebackground。

“Sheknowsawtha”does，“shesaidcoolly，asifshewerenotsuddenlyrevealingimmensities。“Sheknowswhocoomsan”whogoes，an”whattheythinko”thee，an”howthagetsonwi””em。Nowgettheegone，lad，an”dunnotthacoombacktillherormesendsforthee。”

WithinanhourofthistimetheafternoonpostbroughttoLadyMallowealetterwhichshereadwithanexpressioninwhichherdaughterrecognizedrelief。Itwasinfactaletterforwhichshehadwaitedwithanxiety，andtheinvitationitcontainedwasatributetohersocialskillatitshighestwatermark。Inherlessheroicmoments，shehadfeltdoubtsofreceivingit，whichhadcausedshudderstoruntheentirelengthofherspine。

“I”mgoingtoBroomeHaughton，“sheannouncedtoJoan。

“When？“Joaninquired。

“Attheendoftheweek。Iaminvitedforafortnight。”

“AmIgoing？“Joanasked。

“No。YouwillgotoLondontomeetsomefriendswhoarecomingoverfromParis。”

Joanknewthatcommentwasunnecessary。BothsheandhermotherwereonintimatetermswiththesehypotheticalfriendswhosofrequentlyturnedupfromParisorelsewherewhenitwasnecessarythatsheshouldsuddenlygobacktoLondonandliveinsqualidseclusionintheunopenedhouse，withacharwomantoprovideherwithunderdoneorburntchops，andeggsateighteenashilling，whiletheshuttersofthefrontroomswereclosed，anddustydesolationreigned。Shekneweverydetailofthemelancholysqualorofit，thedragginghours，thenightsoflyingawakelisteningtotheoccasionalpassingofbelatedcabs，orthesqueaksandnibblingofmiceintheoldwalls。

“Ifyouhadconductedyourselfsensiblyyouneednothavegone，“

continuedhermother。“Icouldhavemadeanexcuseandleftyouhere。

Youwouldatleasthavebeensureofgoodfoodanddecentcomforts。”

“Afteryourvisit，arewetoreturnhere？“wasLadyJoan”ssolereply。

“Don”tlookatmelikethat，“saidLadyMallowe。“Ithoughtthecountrywouldfreshenyourcoloratleast；butyouaregoingoffmoreeveryday。YoulookliketheWitchofEndorsometimes。”

Joansmiledfaintly。Thiswasthebrandishingofanoldweapon，andsheunderstoodallitssignificance。Itmeantthatthetimeforopportunitieswasslippingpastherlikethewatersofarapidriver。

“IdonotknowwhatwillhappenwhenIleaveBroomeHaughton，“hermotheradded，anoteofraspeduncertaintyinhervoice。“Wemaybeobligedtocomehereforashorttime，orwemaygoabroad。”

“IfIrefusetocome，wouldyouletmestarvetodeathinPiersStreet？“Joaninquired。

LadyMallowelookedherover，feelingasortoffrenzyatthesightofher。Intruth，thefuturewasahideousthingtocontemplateifnorescueatallwasinsight。ItwouldbeworseforherthanforJoan，becauseJoandidnotcarewhathappenedordidnothappen，andshecareddesperately。Shehadindeedarrivedatamaddeningmoment。

“Yes，“shesnapped，fiercely。

AndwhenJoanfaintlysmiledagainsheunderstoodwhywomenofthelowerordersbeatoneanotheruntilpolicemeninterfere。SheknewperfectlywellthatthegirlhadsomehowfoundoutthatSirMosesMonaldiniwastobeatBroomeHaughton，andthatwhenhelefttherehewasgoingabroad。Sheknewalsothatshehadnotbeenabletoconcealthathisindifferencehadoflategivenhersomeghastlyhours，andthatherplayforthislagginginvitationhadbeenafranticallyboldone。Thatthemostingeniouseffortsanddeviceshadendedinsuccessonlyaftersuchdelaymadeitallthemorenecessarythatnostrawmustremainunseizedon。

“Icanwearsomeofyourthings，withalittlealteration，“shesaid。

“Rosewilldoitforme。Hatsandglovesandornamentsdonotrequirealtering。IshallneedthingsyouwillnotneedinLondon。Whereareyourkeys？“

LadyJoanroseandgotthemforher。Sheevenflushedslightly。Theywereoftenobligedtoborroweachother”spossessions，butforamomentshefeltherselfmovedbyasortofhardpity。

“Wearelikeratsinatrap，“sheremarked。“Ihopeyouwillgetout。”

“IfIdo，youwillbeleftinside。Getoutyourself！Getoutyourself！“saidLadyMalloweinafiercewhisper。

HerregretsatthenecessityoftheirleavingTempleBarholmwereexpressedwithfluenttouchingnessatthedinner-table。Thevisithadbeensodelightful。Mr。TempleBarholmandMissAliciahadbeensokind。Thelovelinessofthewholedearplacehadsoembracedthemthattheyfeltasiftheywereleavingahomeinsteadofendingadelightfulvisit。Itwasextraordinarywhataneffectthehousehadonone。Itwasasifonehadlivedinitalways——andalwayswould。Sofewplacesgaveonethesamefeeling。Theyshouldbothlookforward——

greedyasitseemed——tobeingallowedsometimetocomeagain。ShehaddecidedfromthefirstthatitwasnotnecessarytogotoanyextremeofcautionorsubtletywithherhostandMissAlicia。Hermethodofpavingthewayforfuturevisitswasperhapsmorethanashadetooelaborate。Shefelt，however，thatitsufficed。Forthemostpart，LadyJoansatwithlidsdroppedoverherburningeyes。Shetriedtoforceherselfnottolisten。Thiswasthekindofthingwhichmadehersickwithhumiliation。Howsoeverrudimentarythesepeoplewere，theycouldnotfailtocomprehendthatafootholdinthehousewasbeingbidfor。Theyshouldatleastseethatshedidnotjoininthebidding。Herownvisithadbeenfilledwithfeelingsatwarwithoneanother。Therehadbeenhourstoomanyinwhichshewouldhavebeenglad——evenwiththedingyhorrorsoftheclosedtownhousebeforeher——

tohaveflownfromthehundredthingswhichcalledouttoheroneveryside。Inthelong-pastthreemonthsofhappiness，Jemhaddescribedthemalltoher——therooms，gardens，pleachedwalks，pictures，theveryfurnitureitself。Shecouldenternoroom，walkinnospotshedidnotseemtoknow，andpassionatelyloveinspiteofherself。Shelovedthemsomuchthatthereweretimeswhensheyearnedtostayintheplaceatanycost，andotherswhenshecouldnotendurethemiseryitwokeinher——thepuremisery。Nowitwasoverforthetimebeing，andshewasfacingsomethingnew。Therewereendlessvarietiesofwretchedness。Shehadbeenwatchinghermotherforsomemonths，andhadunderstoodhervaryingmoodsoftemporaryelationorprolongedanxiety。EachonehadmeantsomephaseoftheepisodeofSirMosesMonaldini。ThepeoplewholivedatBroomeHaughtonwereenormouslyrichHebrews，whowererelatedtohim。Theyhadtakenthebeautifuloldcountry-seatandwerefillingitwithhugepartiesoftheirfriends。ThepartywhichLadyMallowewastojoinwouldnodoubtofferopportunitiesofthemostdesirablekind。Amongthisspecialclassofpeopleshewasagreatsuccess。Heramazinglyachievedtoilettes，herripegoodlooks，herairofbelongingtothegreatworld，impressedthemselvesimmensely。

T。TembaromthoughtheneverhadseenLadyJoanlookashandsomeasshelookedto-night。Thecoloronhercheekburned，hereyeshadadrivenlonelinessinthem。Shehadawonderfullybeautifulmouth，anditscurvedroopedinanewway。HewishedAnncouldgetherinacornerandsitdownandtalksensetoher。Herememberedwhathehadsaidtotheduke。Perhapsthiswasthetime。Ifshewasgoingaway，andhermothermeanttodragherbackagainwhenshewasready，itwouldmakeiteasierforhertoleavetheplaceknowingsheneednothatetocomeback。Butthedukewasn”tmakinganymisshitwhenhesaiditwouldn”tbeeasy。ShewasnotlikeAnn，whowouldfeelsomepityforthebiggestfoolonearthifshehadtothrowhimdownhard。

LadyJoanwouldfeelneithercompunctionsnorrelentings。Heknewthewayshecouldlookatafellow。Ifhecouldn”tmakeherunderstandwhathewasaimingat，theywouldbothbeworseoffthantheywouldbeifheleftthingsastheywere。But——thehardlineshoweditselfabouthismouth——hewasn”tgoingtoleavethingsastheywere。

Astheypassedthroughthehallafterdinner，LadyMalloweglancedataside-tableonwhichlaysomelettersarrivedbythelatepost。Animposingenvelopewasonthetopoftherest。Joansawherfacelightasshetookitup。

“IthinkthisisfromBroomeHaughton，“shesaid。“Ifyouwillexcuseme，Iwillgointothelibraryandreadit。Itmayrequireansweringatonce。”

Sheturnedhotandcold，poorwoman，andwentaway，sothatshemightbefreefromthedisasterofanaudienceifanythinghadgonewrong。

Itwouldbebettertobealoneevenifthingshadgoneright。TheletterwasfromSirMosesMonaldini。Grotesqueandignobleasitnaturallystrikestheuninitiatedasseeming，thesituationhaditstouchofhideouspathos。Shehadfoughtforherownhandforyears；

shecouldnotdig，andtobegshewasnotashamed；butatimehadcomewheneventhemostadroitbeggingbegantoborepeople。Theysawthroughit，andthenthereresultedstrainedrelations，slightstiffnessofmanner，eveninthemostusefulandamiablepersons，lackofdesiretobehospitable，orevencondescendinglygenerous。Coldshoulderswereturned，therewereominousthreateningsoficybackspresentingthemselves。Theverytradesmenhadfoundthisout，andcouldnotbepersuadedthattheadvertisementfurnishedbythefactthattwobeautifulwomenoffashionate，drank，andworethearticleswhichformedtheitemsintheirunpaidbills，wassufficientreturnfortheoutlayofcapitalrequired。EvenMrs。Mellish，whengraciouslyapproachedbythe“relativeofMissTempleBarholm，whoseperfectwardrobeyousupplied，“hadlistenedtoallseductionswithacivileyefixedunmovedlyandhadreferredtothe“rulesoftheestablishment。”Nearerandnearertheedgeoftheabysstheyearshadpushedthem，andnowifsomethingdidnothappen——something——

something——eventheincreasinglyshabbysmallhouseintownwouldbecomeathingofthepast。Andwhatthen？CouldanyonewondershesaidtoherselfthatshecouldhavebeatenJoanfuriously。Itwouldnotmattertoanyoneelseiftheydroppedoutoftheworldintosqualidoblivion——oh，sheknewthat——sheknewthatwithbittercertainty！——butoh，howitwouldmattertothem！——atleasttoherself。

ItwasallverywellforMudie”stopourforthstreamsofsentimentalnovelspreachingthehorrorsofgirlsmarryingformoney，butwhatwereyoutodo——whatinheaven”snamewereyoutodo？So，feelingterrifiedenoughactuallytoofferupaprayer，shetooktheimposinglyaddressedletterintothelibrary。

Themenhadcomeintothedrawing-roomwhenshereturned。Assheentered，Joandidnotglanceupfromthebookshewasreading，butatthefirstsoundofhervoicesheknewwhathadoccurred。

“IwasobligedtodashoffanotetoBroomeHaughtonsothatitwouldbereadyfortheearlypost，“LadyMallowesaid。Shewasatherbest。

Pallisersawthatsomeyearshadslippedfromhershoulders。Themomentwhichrelievesorevenpromisestorelievefearsdoesastonishingthings。Tembaromwonderedwhethershehadhadgoodnews，andMissAliciathoughtthathereveningdresswasmorebecomingthananyshehadeverseenherwearbefore。Herbrilliantairofsocialeasereturnedtoher，andshebegantotalkfluentlyofwhatwasbeingdoneinLondon，andtotouchlightlyuponthepossibilityoftakingpartingreatfunctions。Forsometimeshehadratherevadedtalkofthefuture。Palliserhadknownthatthefuturehadseemedtobeclosinginuponher，andleavingherstaringatahighblankwall。

Personswhosefortunatenameshadceasedtofalleasilyfromherlipsappearedagainuponthehorizon。MissAliciawasimpressedanewwiththefeelingthatshehadknowneverybrilliantorimportantpersonageinthebigworldofsocialLondon；thatshehadtakenpartineverydazzlingevent。Tembaromsomehowrealizedthatshehadbeenafraidofsomethingorother，andwasforsomereasonnotafraidanymore。Suchachange，whatsoeverthereasonforit，oughttohavehadsomeeffectonherdaughter。Surelyshewouldshareherluck，ifluckhadcometoher。

ButLadyJoansatapartandkepthereyesuponherbook。Thiswasoneofthethingssheoftenchosetodo，inspiteofhermother”sindignantprotest。

“Icameherebecauseyoubroughtme，“shewouldanswer。“Ididnotcometobeentertainingorpolite。”

Shewasreadingthisevening。SheheardeverywordofLadyMallowe”sagreeableandslightlyexcitedconversation。Shedidnotknowexactlywhathadhappened；butsheknewthatitwassomethingwhichhadbuoyedherupwithahopefulnesswhichexhilaratedheralmosttoomuch——asanextraglassofwinemighthavedone。Onceortwicesheevenlostherheadalittleandwasatrifleswaggering。T。Tembaromwouldnotrecognizetheslip，butJoansawPalliser”sfaintsmilewithoutlookingupfromherbook。Heobservedshadesintasteandbearing。

BeforeherownfutureJoansawtheblankwallofstonebuildingitselfhigherandhigher。IfSirMoseshadcapitulated，shewouldbecountedout。Withwhatdegreeofboldnesscouldamothercastherpennilessdaughterontheworld？Whatunendurableprovisionmakeforher？DaretheyofferapoundaweekandsendhertoliveintheslumsuntilshechosetomarrysomeHebrewfriendofherstep-father”s？Thatsheknewwouldbethefinalalternative。Acruellittlesmiletouchedherlips，asshereviewedthenumberofthingsshecouldnotdotoearnherliving。Shecouldnottakeinsewingorwashing，andtherewasnothingshecouldteach。Starvationormarriage。Thewallbuiltitselfhigherandyethigher。Whatahideousthingitwasforapennilessgirltobebroughtupmerelytobeabeauty，andinconsequencesupposablyagreatlady。Andyetifshewasborntoacertainrankandhadheightandfigure，alovelymouth，adelicatenose，unusualeyesandlashes，totrainhertobeadressmakerorahousemaidwouldbeastupidinvestmentofcapital。Ifnothingtragicinterferedandtherightmanwantedsuchagirl，shehadbeentrainedtopleasehim。Buttragicthingshadhappened，andbeforehergrewthewallwhileshepretendedtoreadherbook。

T。Tembaromwascomingtowardher。ShehadheardPallisersuggestagameofbilliards。

“Willyoucomeandplaybilliardswithus？“Tembaromasked。“Pallisersaysyouplaysplendidly。”

“Sheplaysbrilliantly，“putinLadyMallowe。“Come，Joan。”

“No，thankyou，“sheanswered。“Letmestayhereandread。”

LadyMalloweprotested。Shetriedanairofplayfulmaternalreproachbecauseshewasingoodspirits。JoansawPallisersmilingquietly，andtherewasthatinhissmilewhichsuggestedtoherthathewasthinkingheranobstinatefool。

“YouhadbettershowTempleBarholmwhatyoucando，“heremarked。

“Thiswillbeyourlastchance，asyouleavesosoon。Yououghtneverletalastchanceslipby。Ineverdo。”

Tembaromstoodstillandlookeddownatherfromhisgoodheight。HedidnotknowwhatPalliser”sspeechmeant，butaninstinctmadehimfeelthatitsomehowheldanugly，quiettaunt。

“WhatIwouldliketodo，“wastheunspokencruditywhichpassedthroughhismind，“wouldbetoswathimonthemouth。He”sgettingatherjustwhensheoughttobeletalone。”

“Wouldyoulikeitbettertostayhereandread？“heinquired。

“Muchbetter，ifyouplease，“washerreply。

“Thenthatgoes，“heanswered，andlefther。

Heswepttheothersoutoftheroomwithagood-naturedpromptnesswhichputanendtoargument。Whenhesaidofanything“Thenthatgoes，“itusuallydidso。

CHAPTERXXXI

WhenshewasaloneJoansatandgazednotatherwallbutatthepicturesthatcamebacktoheroutofapartofherlifewhichseemedtohavebeenlivedcenturiesago。Theywerethepicturesthatcamebackcontinuallywithoutbeingcalled，theclearnessofwhichalwaysstartledherafresh。Sometimesshethoughttheyspranguptoaddtohertorment，butsometimesitseemedasiftheycametosaveherfromherself——hermad，wickedself。Afterall，thereweremomentswhentoknowthatshehadbeenthegirlwhoseeighteen-year-oldhearthadleapedsowhensheturnedandmetJem”seyes，ashestoodgazingatherunderthebeech-tree，wassomethingtoclingto。ShehadbeenthatgirlandJemhadbeen——Jem。Andshehadbeenthegirlwhohadjoinedhiminthatyoung，ardentvowthattheywouldsaythesameprayersatthesamehoureachnighttogether。Ah！howyoungithadbeen——howYOUNG！Herthroatstraineditselfbecausesobsroseinit，andhereyeswerehotwiththeswelloftears。

Shecouldhearvoicesandlaughterandtheclickofballsfromthebilliard-room。HermotherandPalliserlaughedthemost，butsheknewthesoundofhermother”svoicewouldceasesoon，becauseshewouldcomebacktoher。Sheknewshewouldnotleaveherlong，andsheknewthekindofscenetheywouldpassthroughtogetherwhenshereturned。

Theoldthingswouldbesaid，theoldargumentsused，butanewonewouldbeadded。Itwasapleasantthingtowaithere，knowingthatitwascoming，andthatforallherfierceprideandfiercespiritshehadnodefense。Itwasatoncehorribleandridiculousthatshemustsitandlisten——andstareatthegrowingwall。ItwasasshecaughtherbreathagainstthechokingswelloftearsthatsheheardLadyMallowereturning。Shecameinwithanactualsweepacrosstheroom。

Hersocietyairhadfled，andshewasunadornedlyfuriouswhenshestoppedbeforeJoan”schair。Forafewsecondssheactuallyglared；

thenshebrokeforthinasuppressedundertone：

“Comeintothebilliard-room。Icommandit！“

Joanliftedhereyesfromherbook。Hervoicewasaslowashermother”s，butsteadier。

“No，“sheanswered。

“Isthisconducttocontinue？Isit？“LadyMallowepanted。

“Yes，“saidJoan，andlaidherbookonthetablenearher。Therewasnothingelsetosay。Wordsmadethingsworse。

LadyMallowehadlostherhead，butshestillspokeinthesuppressedvoice。

“YouSHALLbehaveyourself！“shecried，underherbreath，andactuallymadeapassionatehalf-starttowardher。“Youviolent-naturedvirago！

Theverylookonyourfaceisenoughtodriveonemad！“

“IknowIamviolent-natured，“saidJoan。“Butdon”tyouthinkitwisetorememberthatyoucannotmakethekindofsceneherethatyoucaninyourownhouse？Weareabad-temperedpair，andwebehaveratherlikefishwiveswhenweareinarage。Butwhenweareguestsinotherpeople”shouses”

LadyMallowe”stemperwasaselementalasanyBillingsgatecouldprovide。

“Youthinkyoucantakeadvantageofthat！“shesaid。“Don”ttrustyourselftoofar。DoyouimaginethatjustwhenallmightgowellformeIwillallowyoutospoileverything？“

“HowcanIspoileverything？“

“Bybehavingasyouhavebeenbehavingsincewecamehere——refusingtomakeahomeforyourself；byhangingroundmynecksothatitwillappearthatanyonewhotakesmemusttakeyoualso。”

“Thereareservantsoutside，“Joanwarnedher。

“Youshallnotstopme！“criedLadyMallowe。

“Youcannotstopyourself，“saidJoan。“Thatistheworstofit。Itisbadenoughwhenwestandandhissateachotherinastagewhisper；

butwhenyoulosecontroloveryourselfandraiseyourvoice”

“Icameinheretotellyouthatthisisyourlastchance。Ishallnevergiveyouanother。Doyouknowhowoldyouare？“

“Ishallsoonbetwenty-seven，“Joananswered。“IwishIwereahundred。Thenitwouldallbeover。”

“Butitwillnotbeoverforyearsandyearsandyears，“hermotherflungbackather。“Haveyouforgottenthattheveryragsyouweararenotpaidfor？“

“No，Ihavenotforgotten。”Thescenewasworkingitselfupontheoldlines，asJoanhadknownitwould。Hermotherneverfailedtosaythesamethings，everytimesuchascenetookplace。

“Youwillgetnomoresuchrags——paidorunpaidfor。Whatdoyouexpecttodo？Youdon”tknowhowtowork，andifyoudidnodecentwomanwouldemployyou。Youaretoogood-lookingandtoobad-

tempered。”

Joanknewshewasperfectlyright。Knowingit，sheremainedsilent，andhersilenceaddedtohermother”shelplessrage。Shemovedastepnearertoherandflungthejavelinwhichshealwaysknewwouldstrikedeep。

“Youhavemadeyourselfalaughing-stockforallLondonforyears。Youaremadaboutamanwhodisgracedandruinedhimself。”

Shesawthejavelinquiverasitstruck；butJoan”svoiceasitansweredherhadaqualityoflowanddeadlysteadiness。

“Youhavesaidthatathousandtimes，andyouwillsayitanotherthousand——thoughyouknowthestorywasalieandwasprovedtobeone。”

LadyMalloweknewherwaythoroughly。

“Whoremembersthedenials？WhattheworldremembersisthatJemTempleBarholmwasstampedasacheatandatrickster。Noonehastimetoremembertheotherthing。Heisdead——dead！Whenaman”sdeadit”stoolate。”

Shewasdesperateenoughtodriveherjavelinhomedeeperthanshehadeverchancedtodriveitbefore。Thetruth——theawfultruthsheutteredshookJoanfromheadtofoot。Shesprangupandstoodbeforeherinheart-wrungfury。

“Oh！Youareahideouslycruelwoman！“shecried。“Theysayeventigerscarefortheiryoung！Butyou——youcansaythatto_me_。”Whenaman”sdead，it”stoolate。”“

“It_is_toolate——itIStoolate！“LadyMallowepersisted。Whyhadnotshestruckthisnotebefore？Itwasbreakingherwill：“Iwouldsayanythingtobringyoutoyoursenses。”

Joanbegantomoverestlesslytoandfro。

“Oh，whatafoolIam！“sheexclaimed。“Asifyoucouldunderstand——asifyoucouldcare！“

Struggleasshemighttobedefiant，shewasbreaking，LadyMallowerepeatedtoherself。Shefollowedherasahuntermighthavefollowedayoungleopardesswithawoundinitsflank。

“Icameherebecauseit_is_yourlastchance。Palliserknewwhathewassayingwhenhemadeajokeofitjustnow。Heknewitwasn”tajoke。YoumighthavebeentheDuchessofMerthshire；youmighthavebeenLadySt。Maur，withahusbandwithmillions。Andhereyouare。

Youknowwhat”sbeforeyou——whenIamoutofthetrap。”

Joanlaughed。Itwasawildlittlelaugh，andshefelttherewasnosenseinit。

“ImightapplyforaplaceinMissAlicia”sHomeforDecayedGentlewomen，“shesaid。

LadyMallowenoddedherheadfiercely。

“Apply，then。TherewillbenoplaceforyouinthehomeIamgoingtolivein，“sheretorted。

Joanceasedmovingabout。Shewasabouttoheartheoneargumentthatwasnew。

“Youmayaswelltellme，“shesaid，wearily。

“IhavehadaletterfromSirMosesMonaldini。HeistobeatBroomeHaughton。Heisgoingtherepurposelytomeetme。Whathewritescanmeanonlyonething。Hemeanstoaskmetomarryhim。I”myourmother，andI”mnearlytwentyyearsolderthanyou；butyouseethatI”moutofthetrapfirst。”

“Iknewyouwouldbe，“answeredJoan。

“Hedetestsyou，“LadyMallowewenton。“Hewillnothearofyourlivingwithus——orevennearus。Hesaysyouareoldenoughtotakecareofyourself。Takemyadvice。Iamdoingyouagoodturningivingit。ThisNewYorknewsboyismadoveryou。Ifhehadn”tbeenweshouldhavebeenbundledoutofthehousebeforethis。Heneverhasspokentoaladybeforeinhislife，andhefeelsasifyouwereagoddess。Gointothebilliard-roomthisinstant，anddoallawomancan。Go！“Andsheactuallystampedherfootonthecarpet。

Joan”sthunder-coloredeyesseemedtogrowlargerasshestaredather。Herbreastlifteditself，andherfaceslowlyturnedpale。

Perhaps——shethoughtitwildly——peoplesometimesdiddieoffeelingslikethis。

“Hewouldcrawlatyourfeet，“hermotherwenton，pursuingwhatshefeltsurewasheradvantage。Shewassosureofitthatsheaddedwordsonlyafoolorawomanhalfhystericwithragewouldhaveadded。

“YoumightliveintheveryhouseyouwouldhavelivedinwithJemTempleBarholm，ontheincomehecouldhavegivenyou。”

Shesawthecrassnessofherblunderthenextmoment。Ifshehadhadanadvantage，shehadlostit。Wickedly，withoutatouchofmirth，Joanlaughedinherface。

“Jem”shouseandJem”smoney——andtheNewYorknewsboyinhisshoes，“

sheflungather。“T。Tembaromtolivewithuntilonelaydownonone”sdeathbed。T。Tembarom！“

Suddenly，somethingwasgivingwayinher，LadyMallowethoughtagain。

Joanslippedintoachairanddroppedherheadandhiddenfaceonthetable。

“Oh！Mother！Mother！“sheended。“Oh！Jem！Jem！“

Wasshesobbingortryingtochokesobbingback？Therewasnotimetobelost。Hermotherhadneverknownascenetoendinthiswaybefore。

“Crying！“therewasabsolutespiteinhervoice。“Thatshowsyouknowwhatyouareinfor，atallevents。ButI”vesaidmylastword。Whatdoesitmattertome，afterall？You”reinthetrap。I”mnot。Getoutasbestyoucan。I”vedonewithyou。”

Sheturnedherbackandwentoutoftheroom——asshehadcomeintoit——

withasweepJoanwouldhavesmiledatasrathervulgarifshehadseenit。Asachildinthenursery，shehadoftenseenthatherladyshipwasvulgar。

Butshedidnotseethesweepbecauseherfacewashidden。Somethinginherhadbrokenthistime，ashermotherhadfelt。Thatbitter，sordidtruth，drivenhomeasithadbeen，haddoneit。Whohadtimetorememberdenials，orliesprovedtobelies？Nobodyintheworld。Whohadtimetogivetothedefenseofadeadman？Therewasnottimeenoughtogivetolivingones。Itwastrue——true！Whenamanisdead，itistoolate。Thewallhadbuiltitselfuntilitreachedhersky；

butitwasnotthewallshebentherheadandsobbedover。ItwasthatsuddenlyshehadseenagainJem”sfaceashehadstoodwithslow-

growingpallor，andlookedroundattheringofeyeswhichstaredathim；Jem”sfaceashestrodebyherwithoutaglanceandwentoutoftheroom。Sheforgoteverythingelseonearth。Sheforgotwhereshewas。Shewaseighteenagain，andshesobbedinherarmsaseighteensobswhenitsheartistornfromit。

“OhJem！Jem！“shecried。“Ifyouwereonlyinthesameworldwithme！

Ifyouwerejustinthesameworld！“

Shehadforgottenallelse，indeed。Sheforgottoolong。Shedidnotknowhowlong。Itseemedthatnomorethanafewminuteshadpassedbeforeshewaswithoutwarningstruckwiththeshockoffeelingthatsomeonewasintheroomwithher，standingnearher，lookingather。

Shehadbeenmadnottorememberthatexactlythisthingwouldbesuretohappen，bysomeabominablechance。Hermovementassherosewasalmostviolent，shecouldnotholdherselfstill，andherfacewashorriblywetwithshameless，unconcealabletears。Shamelessshefeltthem——indecent——asortofnudityofthesoul。Ifithadbeenaservantwhohadintruded，orifithadbeenPalliseritwouldhavebeenintolerableenough。ButitwasT。Tembaromwhoconfrontedherwithhiscommonface，movedmysteriouslybysomefeelingsheresentedevenmorethansheresentedhispresence。Hewastoogrosslyignoranttoknowthatamanofbreeding，havingenteredbychance，wouldhaveturnedandgoneaway，professingnottohaveseen。Heseemedtothink——thedolt！——thathemustmakesomeapology。

“Say！LadyJoan！“hebegan。“Ibegyourpardon。Ididn”twanttobuttin。”

“Thengoaway，“shecommanded。“Instantly——instantly！“

Sheknewhemustseethatshespokealmostthroughherteethinherefforttocontrolhersobbingbreath。Buthemadenomovetowardleavingher。Heevendrewnearer，lookingatherinasortofmeditative，obstinateway。

“N-no，“hereplied，deliberately。“Iguess——Iwon”t。”

“Youwon”t？“LadyJoanrepeatedafterhim。“ThenIwill。”

Hemadeastrideforwardandlaidhishandonherarm。

“No。Notonyourlife。Youwon”t，either——ifIcanhelpit。Andyou”regoingtoLETmehelpit。”

Almostanyonebutherself——anyone，atleast，whodidnotresenthisveryexistence——wouldhavefeltthedropinhisvoicewhichsuddenlystruckthenoteofboyish，friendlyappealinthelastsentence。

“You”regoingtoLETme，“herepeated。

Shestoodlookingdownatthedaring，unconscioushandonherarm。

“Isuppose，“shesaid，withcuttingslowness，“thatyoudonoteven_know_thatyouareinsolent。Takeyourhandaway，“inarrogantcommand。

Heremoveditwithanunabashedhalf-smile。

“Ibegyourpardon，“hesaid。“Ididn”tevenknowI”dputitthere。Itwasabreak——butIwantedtokeepyou。”

Thathenotonlywantedtokeepher，butintendedtodosowasapparent。Hisairwasneitherroughnorbrutal，buthehadingeniouslyplacedhimselfintheoutletbetweenthebigtableandthewaytothedoor。Heputhishandsinhispocketsinhisvulgar，unconsciousway，andwatchedher。

“Say，LadyJoan！“hebrokeforth，inthefrankoutburstofamanwhowantstogetsomethingover。“IshouldbeafoolifIdidn”tseethatyou”reupagainstit——hard！What”sthematter？“Hisvoicedroppedagain。

Therewassomethinginthedropthistimewhich——perhapsbecauseofherrecentemotion——soundedtoheralmostasifhewereaskingthequestionwiththeprotectingsympathyofthetoneonewoulduseinspeakingtoachild。Howdarehe！ButitcamehometoherthatJemhadoncesaid“What”sthematter？“toherinthesameway。

“DoyouthinkitlikelythatIshouldconfideinyou？“shesaid，andinwardlyquakedatthememoryasshesaidit。

“No，“heanswered，consideringthemattergravely。“It”snotlikely——

thewaythingslooktoyounow。Butifyouknewmebetterperhapsitwouldbelikely。”

“IonceexplainedtoyouthatIdonotintendtoknowyoubetter，“shegaveanswer。

Henoddedacquiescently。

“Yes。Igotontothat。Andit”sbecauseit”suptomethatIcameoutheretotellyousomethingIwantyoutoknowbeforeyougoaway。I”mgoingtoconfideinyou。”

“CannotevenyouseethatIamnotinthemoodtoacceptconfidences？“

sheexclaimed。

“Yes，Ican。Butyou”regoingtoacceptthisone，“steadily。“No，“asshemadeaswiftmovement，“I”mnotgoingtoclearthewaytillI”vedone。”

“Iinsist！“shecried。“Ifyouwere”

Heputouthishand，butnottotouchher。

“Iknowwhatyou”regoingtosay。IfIwereagentleman——Well，I”mnotlayingclaimtothat——butI”masortofaman，anyhow，thoughyoumayn”tthinkit。Andyou”regoingtolisten。”

Shebegantostareathim。Itwasnottheridiculousboyishdropinhisvoicewhicharrestedherattention。Itwasafantastic，incongruous，whollydifferentthing。Hehadsuddenlydroppedhisslouchandstoodupright。Didherealizethathehadslunghiswordsatherasiftheywereanordergivenwiththeringofauthority？

“I”venotbuckedagainstanythingyou”vesaidordonesinceyou”vebeenhere，“hewenton，speakingfastandgrimly。“Ididn”tmeanto。I

hadmyreasons。TherewerethingsthatI”dhavegivenagooddealtosaytoyouandaskyouabout，butyouwouldn”tletme。Youwouldn”tgivemeachancetosquarethingsforyou——iftheycouldbesquared。

YouthrewmedowneverytimeItried！“

Hewastoowildlyincomprehensiblewithhischangesfromhumannesstofolly。Rememberingwhathehadattemptedtosayonthedayhehadfollowedherintheavenue，shewasinflamedagain。

“WhatinthenameofNewYorkslangdoesthatmean？“shedemanded。

“NevermindNewYork，“heanswered，coolaswellasgrim。“Afellowthat”slearnedslanginthestreetshaslearnedsomethingelseaswell。He”slearnedtokeephiseyesopen。He”sontoawayofseeingthings。AndwhatI”veseenisthatyou”resodoggonemiserablethat——

thatyou”realmostdownandout。”

Thistimeshespoketohiminthevoicewiththequalityofdeadlinessinitwhichshehadusedtohermother。

“Doyouthinkthatbecauseyouareinyourownhouseyoucanbeasintrusivelyinsultingasyouchoose？“shesaid。

“No，Idon”t，“heanswered。“WhatIthinkisquitedifferent。Ithinkthatifamanhasahouseofhisown，andthere”sanyoneinbigtroubleundertheroofofit——awomanmostofall——he”sacheapskateifhedon”tgetbusyandtrytohelp——justplain，straighthelp。”

Hesawinhereyesallherconcentrateddisdainofhim，buthewenton，stillobstinateandcoolandgrim。

“Iguess”help”istoobigawordjustyet。Thatmaycomelater，anditmayn”t。WhatI”mgoingtotryatnowismakingiteasierforyou——

justeasier。”

Hercontemptuousgestureregisterednoimpressiononhimashepausedamomentandlookedfixedlyather。

“Youjusthateme，don”tyou？“Itwasamerestatementwhichcouldn”thavebeenmoreimpersonaltohimselfifhehadbeenmadeofwood。

“That”sallright。Iseemlikealow-downintrudertoyou。Well，that”sallright，too。Butwhatain”tallrightiswhatyourmotherhassetyouontothinkingaboutme。You”dneverhavethoughtityourself。You”dhaveknownbetter。”

“What，“fiercely，“isthat？“

“ThatI”mmuttenoughtohaveamashonyou。”

Thecommonslangycrassnessofitwasakindofshock。Shecaughtherbreathandmerelystaredathim。Buthewasnotstaringather；hewassimplylookingstraightintoherface，anditamazinglyflasheduponherthattheextraordinarywordsweresoentirelyunembarrassedanddirectthattheywereactuallynotoffensive。

Hewasmerelytellinghersomethinginhisownway，notcaringtheleastabouthisowneffect，butabsolutelydeterminedthatsheshouldhearandunderstandit。

Hercaughtbreathendedinsomethingwhichwaslikeahalf-laugh。Hisqueer，sharp，incomprehensibleface，hisqueer，unmovedvoiceweretooextraordinarilyunlikeanythingshehadeverseenorheardbefore。

“Idon”twanttobebrash——andwhatIwanttosaymayseemkindofthatwaytoyou。Butitain”t。Anyhow，Iguessit”llrelieveyourmind。LadyJoan，you”realooker——you”reabeautfromBeautville。IfI

wereyourkind，andthingsweredifferent，I”dbecrazyaboutyou——

crazy！ButI”mnotyourkind——andthingsaredifferent。”Hedrewastepnearerstilltoherinhisintentness。“They”rethisdifferent。

Why，LadyJoan！I”mdeadstuckonanothergirl！“

Shecaughtherbreathagain，leaningforward。

“Another——！“

“Shesaysshe”snotalady；shethrewmedownjustbecauseallthisdarnedmoneycametome，“hehastenedon，andsuddenlyhewasimperturbablenolonger，butflushedandboyish，andmoreofNewYorkthanever。“She”salittlebitofaquietthingandshedropsherh”s，butgee——！You”realooker——you”reaqueenandshe”snot。ButLittleAnnHutchinson——Why，LadyJoan，asfarasthisboy”sconcerned“——andheoddlytouchedhimselfonthebreast”shemakesyoulooklikethirtycents。”

Joanquicklysatdownonthechairshehadjustleft。Sherestedanelbowonthetableandshadedherfacewithherhand。Shewasnotlaughing；shescarcelyknewwhatshewasdoingorfeeling。

“YouareinlovewithAnnHutchinson，“shesaid，inalowvoice。

“AmI？“heansweredhotly。“Well，Ishouldsmile！“Hedisdainedtosaymore。

Thenshebegantoknowwhatshefelt。Therecamebacktoherinflashesscenesfromthepastweeksinwhichshehaddoneherworstbyhim；inwhichshehadswepthimaside，loathedhim，setherfeetonhim，usedthedevicesofaningeniousdemontodiscomfitandshowhimathispoorestandleastready。Andhehadnotbeengivingathoughttothethingforwhichshehadstriventopunishhim。Andheplainlydidnotevenhateher。Hismindwasclear，aswaterisclear。Hehadcomebacktoherthiseveningtodoheragoodturn——agoodturn。

Knowingwhatshewascapableofinthewayofarroganceandvillainoustemper，hehaddeterminedtodoher——inspiteofherself——agoodturn。

“Idon”tunderstandyou，“shefaltered。

“Iknowyoudon”t。Butit”sonlybecauseI”msodeadeasytounderstand。There”snothingtofindout。I”mjustfriendly——friendly——

that”sall。”

“Youwouldhavebeenfriendswithme！“sheexclaimed。“Youwouldhavetoldme，andIwouldn”tletyou！Oh！“withanimpulsiveflingingoutofherhandtohim，“yougood——goodfellow！“

“Goodbedarned！“heanswered，takingthehandatonce。

“Youaregoodtotellme！Ihavebehavedlikeadeviltoyou。Butoh！

ifyouonlyknew！“

Hisfacebecamematureagain；buthetookamostinformalseatontheedgeofthetablenearher。

“Idoknow——partofit。That”swhyI”vebeentryingtobefriendswithyouallthetime。”Hesaidhisnextwordsdeliberately。“IfIwasthewomanJemTempleBarholmhadlovedwouldn”tithavedrivenmemadtoseeanothermaninhisplace——andrememberwhatwasdonetohim。I

neverevensawhim，but，goodGod！“——shesawhishandclenchitself——

“whenIthinkofitIwanttokillsomebody！Iwanttokillhalfadozen。Whydidn”ttheyknowitcouldn”tbetrueofafellowlikethat！“

Shesatupstifflyandwatchedhim。

“Do——you——feellikethat——abouthim？“

“DoI！“red-hotly。“Therewerementherethatknewhim！Therewerewomentherethatknewhim！Whywasn”ttherejustonetostandbyhim？

Amanthat”sbeensquareallhislifedoesn”tturnintoacard-sharpinanight。Damnfools！Ibegyourpardon，“hastily。Andthen，ashastilyagain：“No，Imeanit。Damnfools！“

“Oh！“shegasped，justonce。

Herpassionateeyesweresuddenlyblindedwithtears。Shecaughtathisclenchedhandanddraggedittoher，lettingherfacedroponitandcryinglikeachild。

Thewayhetookherutterbreakingdownwasjustlikehimandlikenooneelse。HeputtheotherhandonhershoulderandspoketoherexactlyashehadspokentoMissAliciaonthatfirstafternoon。

“Don”tyoumindme，LadyJoan，“hesaid。“Don”tyoumindmeabit。

I”llturnmyback。I”llgointothebilliard-roomandkeepthemplayinguntilyougetawayup-stairs。Nowweunderstandeachother，it”llbebetterforbothofus。”

“No，don”tgo！Don”t！“shebegged。“Itissowonderfultofindsomeonewhoseesthecrueltyofit。”Shespokefastandpassionately。“Noonewouldlistentoanydefenseofhim。MymothersimplyravedwhenI

saidwhatyouaresaying。”

“Doyouwant“——heputittoherwithacuriouscomprehendingofheremotion”totalkabouthim？Woulditdoyougood？“

“Yes！Yes！Ihavenevertalkedtoanyone。Therehasbeennoonetolisten。”

“Talkallyouwant，“heanswered，withimmensegentleness。“I”mhere。”

“Ican”tunderstanditevennow，buthewouldnotseeme！“shebrokeout。“Iwashalfmad。Iwrote，andhewouldnotanswer。IwenttohischamberswhenIheardhewasgoingtoleaveEngland。Iwenttobeghimtotakemewithhim，marriedorunmarried。Iwouldhavegoneonmykneestohim。Hewasgone！Oh，why？Why？“

“Youdidn”tthinkhe”dgonebecausehedidn”tloveyou？“heputittoherquiteliterallyandunsentimentally。“Youknewbetterthanthat？“

“HowcouldIbesureofanything！Whenhelefttheroomthatawfulnighthewouldnotlookatme！Hewouldnotlookatme！“

“SinceI”vebeenhereI”vebeenreadingalotofnovels，andI”vefoundoutalotofthingsaboutfellowsthatarenotthecommon，practicalkind。Now，hewasn”t。He”dlivedprettymuchlikeafellowinanovel，Iguess。What”sstruckmeaboutthatsortisthattheythinktheyhavetomakenoblesacrifices，andthey”lljustwalkalloverawomanbecausetheywon”tdoanythingtohurther。There”snotabitofsenseinit，butthatwaswhathewasdoing。Hebelievedhewasdoingthesquarethingbyyou——andyoumaybetyourlifeithurthimlikehell。Ibegyourpardon——butthat”stheword——justplainhell。”

“Iwasonlyagirl。Hewaslikeiron。Hewentawayalone。Hewaskilled，andwhenhewasdeadthetruthwastold。”

“That”swhatI”veremembered“——quiteslowly”everytimeI”velookedatyou。Bygee！I”dhavestoodanythingfromawomanthathadsufferedasmuchasthat。”

Itmadehercry——hisgenuineness——andshedidnotcareintheleastthatthetearsstreameddownhercheeks。Howhehadstoodthings！Howhehadborne，inthatodd，unimpressiveway，insolenceandarroganceforwhichsheoughttohavebeenbeatenandblackballedbydecentsociety！Shecouldscarcelybearit。

“Oh！tothinkitshouldhavebeenyou，“shewept，“justyouwhounderstood！“

“Well，“heansweredspeculatively，“Imightn”thaveunderstoodaswellifithadn”tbeenforAnn。Byjings！Iusedtolieawakeatnightsometimesthinking`supposingitbadbeenAnnandme！”I”dsortofworkitoutasitmighthavehappenedinNewYork——attheofficeoftheSundayEarth。Supposingsomefellowthat”dhadagrouchagainstmehadmanageditsothatGaltonthoughtI”dbeengettingawaywithmoneythatdidn”tbelongtome——fixingupmyexpenseaccount，orworse。AndGaltonwouldn”tlistentowhatIsaid，andfiredme；andIcouldn”tgetajobanywhereelsebecauseIwasdownandoutforgood。Andnobodywouldlisten。AndIwaskilledwithoutclearingmyself。AndLittleAnnwaslefttostandit——LittleAnn！OldHutchinsonwouldn”tlisten，Iknowthat。Anditwouldbeallshutupburninginherbiglittleheart——burning。AndT。T。dead，andnotawordtosayforhimself。Jehoshaphat！“——takingouthishandkerchiefandtouchinghisforehead”itusedtomakethecoldsweatstartoutonme。It”sdoingitnow。AnnandmemighthavebeenJemandyou。That”swhyI

understood。”

Heputouthishandandcaughthersandfranklysqueezedit——squeezedithard；andtheunconventionalclutchwasawonderfulthingtoher。

“It”sallrightnow，ain”tit？“hesaid。“We”vegotitstraightenedout。You”llnotbeafraidtocomebackhereifyourmotherwantsyouto。”Hestoppedforamomentandthenwentonwithsomethingofhesitation：“Wedon”twanttotalkaboutyourmother。Wecan”t。ButI

understandher，too。Folksaredifferentfromeachotherintheirways。She”sdifferentfromyou。I”ll——I”llstraightenitoutwithherifyoulike。”

“NothingwillneedstraighteningoutafterItellherthatyouaregoingtomarryLittleAnnHutchinson，“saidJoan，withahalf-smile。

“Andthatyouwereengagedtoherbeforeyousawme。”

“Well，thatdoessortoffinishthingsup，doesn”tit？“saidT。

Tembarom。

Helookedathersospeculativelyforamomentafterthisthatshewonderedwhetherhehadsomethingmoretosay。Hehad。

“There”ssomethingIwanttoaskyou，“heventured。

“Askanything。”

“Doyouknowanyone——justanyone——whohasaphoto——justanyoldphoto——ofJemTempleBarholm？“

Shewasratherpuzzled。

“Yes。Iknowawomanwhohaswornonefornearlyeightyears。Doyouwanttoseeit？“

“I”dgiveagooddealto，“washisanswer。

Shetookaflatlocketfromherdressandhandedittohim。

“Womendon”twearlocketsinthesedays。”Hecouldbarelyhearhervoicebecauseitwassolow。“ButI”venevertakenitoff。Iwanthimnearmyheart。It”sJem！“

Hehelditonthepalmofhishandandstoodunderthelight，studyingitasifhewantedtobesurehewouldn”tforgetit。

“It”s——sorterlikethatpictureofMilesHugo，ain”tit？“hesuggested。

“Yes。Peoplealwayssaidso。Thatwaswhyyoufoundmeinthepicture-

gallerythefirsttimewemet。”

“Iknewthatwasthereason——andIknewI”dmadeabreakwhenIbuttedin，“heanswered。Then，stilllookingatthephotograph，“You”dknowthisfaceagainmostanywhereyousawit，Iguess。”

“Therearenofaceslikeitanywhere，“saidJoan。

“Iguessthat”sso，“hereplied。“Andit”sonethatwouldn”tchangemucheither。Thankyou，LadyJoan。”

Hehandedbackthepicture，andsheputoutherhandagain。

“IthinkI”llgotomyroomnow，“shesaid。“You”vedoneastrangethingtome。You”vetakennearlyallthehatredandbitternessoutofmyheart。Ishallwanttocomebackherewhethermymothercomesornot——Ishallwantto。”

“Thesoonerthequicker，“hesaid。“AndsolongasI”mhereI”llbereadyandwaiting。”

“Don”tgoaway，“shesaidsoftly。“Ishallneedyou。”

“Isn”tthatgreat？“hecried，flushingdelightedly。“Isn”titjustgreatthatwe”vegotthingsstraightenedsothatyoucansaythat。

Gee！Thisisaqueeroldworld！There”ssuchalottodoinit，andsofewhoursintheday。Seemslikethereain”ttimetostoplongenoughtohateanybodyandkeepagrouchon。Afellow”sgottokeephustlingnottomissthethingsworthwhile。”

Thelikinginhereyeswasactuallywistful。

“That”syourwayofthinking，isn”tit？“shesaid。“Teachittomeifyoucan。Iwishyoucould。Good-night。”Shehesitatedasecond。“Godblessyou！“sheadded，quitesuddenly——almostfantasticasthewordssoundedtoher。Thatshe，JoanFayre，shouldbecallingdowndevoutbenisonsontheheadofT。Tembarom——T。Tembarom！

Hermotherwasinherroomwhenshereachedit。Shehadcomeupearlytolookoverherpossessions——andJoan”s——beforeshebeganherpacking。Thebed，thechairs，andtableswerespreadwithevening，morning，andwalking-dresses，andthemillinerycollectedfromtheircombinedwardrobes。Shewasexamininganxiouslyalaceappliquedandembroideredwhitecoat，andturnedaslightlyflushedfacetowardtheopeningdoor。

“Iamgoingoveryourthingsaswellasmyown，“shesaid。“IshalltakewhatIcanuse。YouwillrequirenothinginLondon。Youwillrequirenothinganywhereinfuture。Whatisthematter？“shesaidsharply，asshesawherdaughter”sface。

Joancameforwardfeelingitastrangethingthatshewasnotinthemoodtofight——tolashoutandbegladtodoit。

“CaptainPallisertoldmeasIcameupthatMr。TempleBarholmhadbeentalkingtoyou，“hermotherwenton。“Heheardyouhavingsomesortofsceneashepassedthedoor。Asyouhavemadeyourdecision，ofcourseIknowIneedn”thopethatanythinghashappened。”

“Whathashappenedhasnothingtodowithmydecision。Hewasn”twaitingforthat，“Joanansweredher。“Wewerebothentirelymistaken，Mother。”

“Whatareyoutalkingabout？“criedLadyMallowe，butshetemporarilylaidthewhitecoatonachair。“Whatdoyoumeanbymistaken？“

“Hedoesn”twantme——heneverdid，“Joanansweredagain。Ashadowofasmilehoveredoverherface，andtherewasnoderisioninit，onlyawarmingrecollectionofhisearnestnesswhenhehadsaidthewordsshequoted：“HeiswhattheycallinNewYork`deadstuckonanothergirl。””

LadyMallowesatdownonthechairthatheldthewhitecoat，andshedidnotpushthecoataside。

“Hetoldyouthatinhisvulgarslang！“shegaspeditout。“You——yououghttohavestruckhimdeadwithyouranswer。”

“ExceptpoorJemTempleBarholm，“wastheamazingreplyshereceived，“heistheonlyfriendIeverhadinmylife。”

CHAPTERXXXII

ItwasbusinessofseriousimportancewhichwastobringCaptainPalliser”svisittoaclose。HeexplaineditperfectlytoMissAliciaadayorsoafterLadyMalloweandherdaughterleftthem。HehadlatelybeenmostamiableinhismannertowardMissAlicia，andhadgivenhermuchvaluableinformationaboutcompaniesandstocks。HeratherunexpectedlyfounditimperativethatheshouldgotoLondonandBerlinto“seepeople“——dealersingreatfinancialschemeswhoweredeeplyinterestedinsolidbusinessspeculations，suchashisown，whichwerefundamentallydifferentfromallothersintheimpeccablefirmnessoftheirfoundations。

“Isupposehewillbeveryrichsomeday，“MissAliciaremarkedthefirstmorningsheandT。Tembaromtooktheirbreakfastalonetogetherafterhisdeparture。“Itwouldfrightenmetothinkofhavingasmuchmoneyasheseemslikelytohavequitesoon。”

“Itwouldscaremetodeath，“saidTembarom。Sheknewhewasmakingasortofjoke，butshethoughtthepointofitwashertremoratthethoughtofgreatfortune。

“Heseemedtothinkthatitwouldbeanexcellentthingforyoutoinvestin——I”mnotsurewhetheritwastheIndiaRubberTreeCompany，orthemahoganyforestsorthecopperminesthathavesomuchgoldandsilvermixedinthemthatitwillpayfortheexpenseofthedigging——

“shewenton。

“Iguessitwasthewholelot，“putinTembarom。

“Perhapsitwas。Theyareallgoingtomakeeverybodysorichthatitisquitebewildering。Heisverycleverinbusinessmatters。Andsokind。HeevensaidthatifIreallywishedithemightbeabletoinvestmyincomeformeandactuallytrebleitinayear。ButofcourseItoldhimthatmyincomewasyourgenerousgifttome，andthatitwasfarmorethansufficientformyneeds。”

Tembaromputdownhiscoffee-cupsosuddenlytolookatherthatshewasfearfulthatshehadappearedtodoCaptainPallisersomevagueinjustice。

“Iamsurehemeanttobemostobliging，dear，“sheexplained。“Iwasreallyquitetouched。Hesaidmostsympatheticallyanddelicatelythatwhenwomenwereunmarried，andunaccustomedtoinvestment，sometimesabusinessmancouldbeofusetothem。Heforgot“——affectionately——

“thatIhadyou。”

Tembaromregardedherwithtendercuriosity。SheoftenopenedupvistasforhimashehimselfopenedthemfortheDukeofStone。

“Ifyouhadn”thadme，wouldyouhavelethimtrebleyourincomeinayear？“heasked。

Herexpressionwasthatofasoft，woodlandrabbitoratrustingspinsterdove。

“Well，ofcourse，ifonewerequitealoneintheworldandhadonlyasmallincome，itwouldbenicetohaveitwonderfullyaddedtoinsuchashorttime，“sheanswered。“Butitwashisfriendlysolicitudewhichtouchedme。Ihavenotbeenaccustomedtosuchinteresteddelicacyonthepartof——ofgentlemen。”Herhesitancebeforethelastwordbeingtheresultoftraining，whichhadmadeherfeelthatitwasalittleboldfor“ladies“toreferquiteopenlyto“gentlemen。”

“Yousometimesreadinthenewspapers，“saidTembarom，butteringhistoast，“aboutladieswhoareallaloneintheworldwithalittleincome，butthey”renotoftenleftalonewithitlong。It”slikeyousaid——you”vegotme；butifthetimeevercomeswhenyouhaven”tgotmejustyoumakeadead-surethingofitthatyoudon”tletanysolicitousbusinessgentlemantrebleyourincomeinayear。Ifit”sanincomethatcomestomorethanfivecents，don”tyouhanditovertobemadeintofifteen。Fivecentsisaheapbetter——justplainfive。”

“Temple！“gaspedMissAlicia。“You——yousurelycannotmeanthatyoudonotthinkCaptainPalliseris——sincere！“

Tembaromlaughedoutright，hismosthilariousandcomfortinglaugh。Hehadnointentionofenlighteningherinsuchamanneraswouldleadheratoncetobeholdpicturesofhimasthepossiblevictimofappallingcatastrophes。Helikedhertoowellasshewas。

“Sincere？“hesaid。“He”ssinceredowntotheground——inwhathe”sreachingafter。Buthe”snotgoingtotrebleyourincome，normine。Ifheevermakesthatofferagain，youjusttellhimI”minterested，andthatI”lltalkitoverwithhim。”

“IcouldnothelpsayingtohimthatIdidn”tthinkyoucouldwantanymoremoneywhenyouhadsomuch，“sheadded，“buthesaidoneneverknewwhatmighthappen。HewasgreatlyinterestedwhenItoldhimyouhadoncesaidtheverysamethingyourself。”

Theirbreakfastwasatanend，andhegotup，laughingagain，ashecametoherendofthetableandputhisarmaroundhershouldersintheunconventionalyoungcaresssheadoredhimfor。

“It”snicetobebyourselvesagainforawhile，“hesaid。“Letusgoforawalktogether。Putonthelittlebonnetanddressthatarethecolorofamouse。Thoselittledudsjustgetme。Youlooksoprettyinthem。”

Thesixteen-year-oldblushranuptotherootsofhergrayside-

ringlets。Justimaginehisrememberingthecolorofherdressandbonnet，andthinkingthatanythingcouldmakeherlookpretty！Shewasoverwhelmedwithinnocentandgratefulconfusion。Therereallywasnooneelseintheleastlikehim。

“Youdolookwell，ma”am，“Rosesaid，whenshehelpedhertodress。

“You”vegotsuchanicecolor，andthattinybitofoldroseMrs。

Mellishputinthebonnetdoesbringitout。”

“Iwonderifitiswrongofmetobesopleased，“MissAliciathought。

“Imustmakeitasubjectofprayer，andasktobeaidedtoconquerahaughtyandvain-gloriousspirit。”

Shewaspatheticallyserious，havingbeentrainedtoaviewoftheGreatFirstCauseasfigurativelyembodiedintheimageofagigantic，irascible，omnipotentoldgentleman，especiallywroughttofurybyfemininefolliesconnectedwithbecomingheadgear。

“IthassometimesevenseemedtomethatourHeavenlyFatherhasaspecialobjectiontoladies，“shehadoncetimorouslyconfessedtoTembarom。“Isupposeitisbecausewearesomuchweakerthanmen，andsomuchmoregiventovanityandpettyvices。”

Hehadcaughtherinhisarmsandactuallyhuggedherthattime。Theirintimacyhadreachedthepointwheretheaffectionateoutburstdidnotalarmher。

“Say！“hehadlaughed。“It”snotthemenwhoaregoingtohavethebiggestpullwiththeauthoritieswhenfolkstrytogetintotheplacewherethingsareevenedup。WhatI”mgoingtoworkmypassagewithisalistofthefew”ladies”I”veknown。YouandAnnwillbeattheheadofit。Ishalljustslideitinatthebox-officewindowandsay，”Justlookoverthis，willyou？Thesewerefriendsofmine，andtheyweremightygoodtome。Iguessiftheydidn”tturnmedown，youneedn”t。Iknowthey”reinhere。Reservedseats。I”mnotexpectingtobeputwiththembutifI”mallowedtohangaroundwheretheyarethat”llbeheavenenoughforme。”“

“Iknowyoudon”tmeantobeirreverent，dearTemple，“shegasped。“I

amquitesureyoudon”t！Itis——itisonlyyourAmericanwayofexpressingyourkindthoughts。Andofcourse“——quitehastily”theAlmightymustunderstandAmericans——ashemadesomany。”Andhalffrightenedthoughshewas，shepattedhisarmwiththewarmthofcomfortinhersoulandmoistureinhereyes。Somehoworother，hewasalwayssocomforting。

Heheldherarmastheytooktheirwalk。Shehadbecomeusedtothatalso，andnolongerthoughtitodd。Itwasonlyoneofthewayshehadofmakingherfeelthatshewasbeingtakencareof。Theyhadnotbeenabletohavemanywalkstogethersincethearrivalofthevisitors，andthisoccasionwasatonceacauseofreliefandinwardrejoicing。

Theentiretruthwasthatshehadnotbeenaltogetherhappyabouthimoflate。Sometimes，whenhewasnottalkingandsayingamusingNewYorkthingswhichmadepeoplelaugh，heseemedalmosttoforgetwherehewasandtobethinkingofsomethingwhichbaffledandtriedhim。

Thewayinwhichhepulledhimselftogetherwhenherealizedthatanyonewaslookingathimwas，tohermind，themostdisturbingfeatureofhisfitsofabstraction。Itsuggestedthatifhereallyhadatroubleitwasaprivateoneonwhichhewouldnotlikehertointrude。Naturally，heradoringeyeswatchedhimoftenerthanheknew，andshetriedtofindplausibleandnottoopainfulreasonsforhismood。Healwaysmadelightofhisunaccustomednesstohisnewlife；

butperhapsitmadehimfeelmoreunrestfulthanhewouldadmit。

Astheywalkedthroughtheparkandthevillage，herheartwasgreatlywarmedbythewayinwhicheachpersontheymetgreetedhim。Theygreetednooneelseinthesameway，andyetitwasdifficulttoexplainwhatthedifferencewas。Theylikedhim——reallylikedhim，thoughhowhehadovercometheirnaturaldistrustofhisnewsboyandbootblackrecordnoonebuthimselfknew。Infact，shehadreasontobelievethatevenhehimselfdidnotknow——hadindeedneveraskedhimself。Theyhadgraduallybeguntolikehim，thoughnoneofthemhadeveraccusedhimofbeingagentlemanaccordingtotheirownacceptanceoftheword。Everymantouchedhiscaporforeheadwithafriendlygrinwhichspreaditselftheinstanthecaughtsightofhim。

Grinandsaluteweresynchronous。Itwasasifthereweresomeextremelyhumanjokebetweenthem。MissAliciahaddelightedlyrememberedaremarktheDukeofStonehadmadetoheronhisreturnfromoneoftheirlongdrives。

“Heisthemostpopularmaninthecounty，“hehadchuckled。“Ifwarbrokeoutandhewereinthearmy，hecouldraisearegimentathisowngateswhichwouldfollowhimwheresoeverhechosetoleadit——ifitwereintohottestHades。”

Tembaromwasrathersilentduringthefirstpartoftheirwalk，andwhenhespokeitwasofCaptainPalliser。

“He”safellowthat”sgotlotsofcuriosity。Iguesshe”saskedyoumorequestionsthanhe”saskedme，“hebeganatlast，andhelookedatherinterestedly，thoughshewasnotawareofit。

“Ithought”shehesitatedslightlybecauseshedidnotwishtobecritical”Isometimesthoughtheaskedmetoomany。”

“Whatwashetryingtogetontomostly？“

“HeaskedsomanythingsaboutyouandyourlifeinNewYork——butmore，Ithink，aboutyouandMr。Strangeways。HewasreallyquitepersistentonceortwiceaboutpoorMr。Strangeways。”

“Whatdidheask？“

“HeaskedifIhadseenhim，andifyouhadpreferredthatIshouldnot。HecallshimyourMystery，andthinksyourkeepinghimhereissoextraordinary。”

“Iguessitis——thewayhe”dlookatit，“Tembaromdroppedin。