第12章

“Hewassoanxioustofindoutwhathelookedlike。Heaskedhowoldhewasandhowtall，andwhetherhewasquitemadoronlyalittle，andwhereyoupickedhimup，andwhen，andwhatreasonyougavefornotputtinghiminsomerespectableasylum。IcouldonlysaythatI

reallyknewnothingabouthim，andthatIhadn”tseenhimbecausehehadadreadofstrangersandIwasalittletimid。”

Shehesitatedagain。

“Iwonder，“shesaid，stillhesitatingevenafterherpause，“IwonderifIoughttomentionaratherrudethingIsawhimdotwice？“

“Yes，youought，“Tembaromansweredpromptly；“I”veareasonforwantingtoknow。”

“Itwassuchasingularthingtodo——inthecircumstances，“shewentonobediently。“Heknew，asweallknow，thatMr。Strangewaysmustnotbedisturbed。OneafternoonIsawhimwalkslowlybackwardandforwardbeforethewestroomwindow。Hehadsomethinginhishandandkeptlookingup。Thatwaswhatfirstattractedmyattention——hisqueerwayoflookingup。Quitesuddenlyhethrewsomethingwhichrattledonthepanesofglass——itsoundedlikegravelorsmallpebbles。Icouldn”thelpbelievinghethoughtMr。Strangewayswouldbestartledintocomingtothewindow。”

Tembaromclearedhisthroat。

“Hedidthattwice，“hesaid。“Pearsoncaughthimatit，thoughPalliserdidn”tknowhedid。He”dhavedoneitthreetimes，ormorethanthat，perhaps，butIcasuallymentionedinthesmoking-roomonenightthatsomecuriousfoolofagardenerboyhadthrownsomestonesandfrightenedStrangeways，andthatPearsonandIwerewatchingforhim，andthatifIcaughthimIwasgoingtoknockhisblockoff——

bing！Hedidn”tdoitagain。Darnedfool！Whatdoeshethinkhe”safter？“

“Iamafraidheisrather——Ihopeitisnotwrongtosayso——butheisrathergiventogossip。AndIdaresaythatthetemptationtofindsomethingquitenewtotalkaboutwasagreatone。Sofewnewthingshappenintheneighborhood，and，asthedukesays，peoplearesobored——andheisboredhimself。”

“He”llbemoreboredifhetriesitagainwhenhecomesback，“

remarkedTembarom。

MissAlicia”ssurprisedexpressionmadehimlaugh。

“Doyouthinkhewillcomeback？“sheexclaimed。“Aftersuchalongvisit？“

“Oh，yes，he”llcomeback。He”llcomebackasoftenashecanuntilhe”sgotachunkofmyincometotreble——oruntilI”vedonewithhim。”

“Untilyou”vedonewithhim，dear？“inquiringly。

“Oh！well，“——casually”I”veasortofideathathemaytellmesomethingI”dliketoknow。I”mnotsure；I”monlyguessing。Butevenifheknowsithewon”ttellmeuntilhegetsgoodandreadyandthinksIdon”twanttohearit。Whathethinkshe”sgoingtogetatbyprowlingaroundissomethinghecangetmeinthecrackofthedoorwith。”

“Temple“——imploringly”areyouafraidhewishestodoyouaninjury？“

“No，I”mnotafraid。I”mjustwaitingtoseehimtakeachanceonit，“

andhegaveherarmanaffectionatesqueezeagainsthisside。Hewasalwaysimmenselymovedbyherlittlealarmsforhim。Theyremindedhim，inaremoteway，ofLittleAnncomingdownMrs。Bowse”sstaircasebearingwithherthetartancomforter。

Howcouldanyone——howcouldanyonewanttodohimaninjury？shebegantoprotestpathetically。Buthewouldnotlethergoon。HewouldnottalkanymoreofCaptainPalliserorallowhertotalkofhim。Indeed，hersecretfearwasthathereallyknewsomethinghedidnotwishhertobetroubledby，andperhapsthoughthehadsaidtoomuch。Hebegantomakejokesandledhertoothersubjects。HeaskedhertogototheHibblethwaites”cottageandpayavisittoTummas。Hehadlearnedtounderstandhisacceptedprivilegesinmakingofcottagevisitsbythistime；andwhenheclickedanywicket-gatethedoorwasopenbeforehehadtimetopassupthewicket-path。Theycalledatseveralcottages，andhenoddedatthewindowsofotherswherefacesappearedashepassedby。

Theyhadahappymorningtogether，andhetookherbacktoTempleBarholmbeaming，andforgettingCaptainPalliser”sexistence，forthetime，atleast。Intheafternoontheydroveouttogether，andafterdiningtheyreadthelastcopyoftheSundayEarth，whichhadarrivedthatday。HefoundquiteaninterestingparagraphaboutMr。Hutchinsonandtheinvention。LittleMissHutchinsonwasreferredtomostflatteringlybythewriter，whoalmostinferredthatshewasresponsiblenotonlyfortheinventorbutfortheinventionitself。

MissAliciafeltquiteproudofknowingsoprominentacharacter，andwonderedwhatitcouldbeliketoreadaboutoneselfinanewspaper。

Aboutnineo”clockhelaidhissheetoftheEarthdownandspoketoher。

“I”mgoingtoaskyoutodomeafavor，“hesaid。“Icouldn”taskitifweweren”talonelikethis。Iknowyouwon”tmind。”

Ofcourseshewouldn”tmind。Shewasmadehappierbythemereideaofdoingsomethingforhim。

“I”mgoingtoaskyoutogotoyourroomratherearly，“heexplained。

“IwanttotryasortofstuntonStrangeways。I”mgoingtobringhimdownstairsifhe”llcome。I”mnotsureIcangethimtodoit；buthe”sbeenaheapbetterlately，andperhapsIcan。”

“Ishesomuchbetterasthat？“shesaid。“Willitbesafe？“

Helookedasseriousasshehadeverseenhimlook——evenatriflemoreserious。

“Idon”tknowhowmuchbetterheis，“washisanswer。“Sometimesyou”dthinkhewasalmostallright。Andthen——！Thedoctorsaysthatifhecouldgetoverbeingafraidofleavinghisroomitwouldbeabigthingforhim。HewantshimtogotohisplaceinLondonsothathecanwatchhim。”

“Doyouthinkyoucouldpersuadehimtogo？“

“I”vetriedmylevelbest，butsofar——nothingdoing。”

Hegotupandstoodbeforethemantel，hisbackagainstit，hishandsinhispockets。

“I”vefoundoutonething，“hesaid。“He”susedtohouseslikethis。

Everynowandagainheletssomethingoutquitenatural。HeknewthatthefurnitureinhisroomwasJacobean-that”swhathecalledit-

andheknewitwasfinestuff。Hewouldn”thaveknownthatifhe”dbeenapiker。I”mgoingtotryifhewon”tletoutsomethingelsewhenheseesthingshere-ifhe”llcome。”

“Youhavesuchawonderfullyreasoningmind，dear，“saidMissAlicia，assherose。“Youwouldhavemadeagreatdetective，I”msure。”

“IfAnnhadbeenwithhim，“hesaid，rathergloomily，“she”dhavecaughtontoalotmorethanIhave。Idon”tfeelverychestyaboutthewayI”vemanagedit。”

MissAliciawentup-stairsshortlyafterward，andhalfanhourlaterTembaromtoldthefootmeninthehallthattheymightgotobed。Theexperimenthewasgoingtomakedemandedthattheplaceshouldbeclearedofanydisturbingpresence。Hehadbeenthinkingitoverforsometimepast。HehadsatintheprivateroomofthegreatnervespecialistinLondonandhadtalkeditoverwithhim。HehadtalkedofitwiththedukeonthelawnatStoneHover。Therehadbeenaflushofcolorintheolderman”scheek-bones，andhiseyeshadbeenalightashetookhispartinthediscussion。Hehadaddedthetouchofhisownpersonalitytoit，asalwayshappened。

“Wearehavingsomefinemoments，mygoodfellow，“hehadsaid，rubbinghishands。“Thisisextremelylikethefourthact。I”dliketobesurewhatcomesnext。”

“I”dliketobesuremyself，“Tembaromanswered。“It”sasifaflashoflightningcamesometimes，andthenthingscloudedup。AndsometimeswhenIamtryingsomethingouthe”llgetsoexcitedthatIdaren”tgoonuntilI”vetalkedtothedoctor。”

Itwastheexcitementhewasdubiousaboutto-night。Itwasnotpossibletobequitecertainastotheentiresafetyoftheplan；buttheremightbeachance-evenabigchance-ofwakeningsomecellfromitsdeadenedsleep。SirOrmsbywayhadtalkedtohimagooddealaboutbraincells，andhehadlistenedfaithfullyandlearnedmorethanhecouldputintoscientificEnglish。Gradually，duringthepastmonths，hehadbeencominguponstrangelyexcitinghintsofcuriouspossibilities。Theyhadbeenmerehintsatfirst，andhadseemedalmostabsurdintheirunbelievableness。Buteachonehadlinkeditselfwithanother，andledhimontofurtherwonderingandexploration。WhenMissAliciaandPalliserhadseenthathelookedabsorbedandbaffled，ithadbeenbecausehehadfrequentlyfoundhimself，tousehisownfiguresofspeech，“mixeduptobeattheband。”Hehadnotknownwhichwaytoturn；buthehadgoneonturningbecausehecouldnotescapefromhisownexcitedinterest，andtheinevitableemotionrousedbybeingcaughtinthewhirlofamelodrama。

Thatwaswhathe”ddroppedinto——awhackingbigplay。IthadbegunforhimwhenPalfordbuttedinthatnightandtoldhimhewasalostheir，withafortuneandanestateinEngland；andthecurtainhadbeenjerkingupanddowneversince。Buttherehadbeenthrillsinit，queerasitwas。Somethingdoingallthetime，bygee！

HesatandsmokedhispipeandwishedAnnwerewithhimbecauseheknewhewasnotascoolashehadmeanttobe。Hefeltacertaintinglingofexcitementinhisbody；andthiswasnotthetimetobeexcited。Hewaitedforsomeminutesbeforehewentup-stairs。ItwastruethatStrangewayshadbeenmuchbetterlately。Hehadseemedtofinditeasiertofollowconversation。Duringthepastfewdays，Tembaromhadtalkedtohiminamatter-of-factwayaboutthehouseanditsvariousbelongings。Hehadatlastseemedtowakentoaninterestinthepicture-gallery。Evidentlyheknewsomethingofpicture-

galleriesandportraits，andfoundhimselfrelievedbyhisownclearnessofthoughtwhenhetalkedofthem。

“Ifeelbetter，“hesaid，twoorthreetimes。“Thingsseemclearer——

nearer。”

“Goodbusiness！“exclaimedTembarom。“Itoldyouit”dbethatway。

Let”sholdontopictures。Itwon”tbeanytimebeforeyou”llberememberingwhereyou”veseensome。”

Hehadbeensecretlyratherstrungup；buthehadbeenverygradualinapproachinghisfinalsuggestionthatsomenight，wheneverythingwasquiet，theymightgoandlookatthegallerytogether。

“Whatyouneedistogetoutofthewayofwantingtostayinoneplace，“heargued。“Thedoctorsaysyou”vegottohaveachange，andevengoingfromoneroomtoanotherisafinething。”

Strangewayshadlookedathimanxiouslyforafewmoments，evensuspiciously，buthisfacehadclearedafterthelook。Hedrewhimselfupandpassedhishandoverhisforehead。

“Ibelieve-perhapsheisright，“hemurmured。

“Surehe”sright！“saidTembarom。“He”sthesortofchapwhooughttoknow。He”sbeenmadeintoabaronetforknowing。SirOrmsbyGalloway，byjings！That”snoslouchofanameOh，heknows，youbetyourlife！“

Thismorningwhenhehadseenhimhehadspokenoftheplanagain。Thevisitorshadgoneaway；theservantscouldbesentoutofsightandhearing；theycouldgointothelibraryandsmokeandhecouldlookatthebooks。Andthentheycouldtakealookatthepicture-galleryifhewasn”ttootired。Itwouldbeachangeanyhow。

To-night，ashewentupthehugestaircase，Tembarom”scalmnessofbeinghadnotincreased。Hewasawareofaquickenedpulseandofaslightdampnessonhisforehead。Thedeadsilenceofthehouseaddedtotheunusualnessofthings。Hecouldnotremembereverhavingbeensoanxiousbefore，exceptontheoccasionwhenhehadtakenhisfirstday”s“stuff“toGalton，andhadstoodwatchinghimashereadit。Hisforeheadhadgrowndampthen。ButheshowednooutwardsignsofexcitementwhenheenteredtheroomandfoundStrangewaysstanding，perfectlyattiredineveningdress。

Pearson，settingthingsinorderattheothersideoftheroom，wastakingnoteofhimfurtivelyoverhisshoulder。Quiteinthecasualmanneroftheordinaryman，hehadexpressedhisintentionofdressingfortheevening，andPearsonhadthankedhisstarsforthefactthatthenecessarygarmentswereathand。Fromthefirst，hehadnotinfrequentlyaskedforarticlessuchasonlytheresourcesofacompletemasculinewardrobecouldsupply；andononeoccasionhehadsuddenlywishedtodressfordinner，andthelameexcusesithadbeennecessarytomakehaddisturbedhimhorriblyinsteadofpacifyinghim。

Toexplainthathisconditionprecludedthenecessityoftheusualappurtenanceswouldhavebeenoutofthequestion。Hehadbeenangry。

WhatdidPearsonmean？Whatwasthematter？Hehadsaiditoverandoveragain，andthenhadsunkintoahopelesslybewilderedmood，andhadsathuddledinhisdressing-gownstaringatthefire。Pearsonhadbeensoharrowedbythesituationthatithadbeenhisownideatosuggesttohismasterthatallpossiblerequirementsshouldbeprovided。Therewereoccasionswhenitappearedthatthecloudoverhimliftedforapassingmoment，andagleamoflightrecalledtohimsomefamiliarusageofhispast。Whenhehadfinisheddressing，Pearsonhadbeenalmoststartledbytheamountofeffectproducedbythestraight，correctlycutlinesofblackandwhite。Themerechangeofclotheshadsuddenlychangedthemanhimself——had“donesomethingtohim，“Pearsonputit。Afterhisfirstglanceatthemirrorhehadstraightenedhimself，asifrecognizingthefaultofhisowncarriage。

Whenhecrossedtheroomitwaswiththeactionofamanwhohasbeentrainedtomovewell。Thegoodlooks，whichhadbeenalmosthiddenbehindaveilofuncertaintyofexpressionandstrainedfearfulness，becameobvious。Hewastall，andhisleanlimbsweresplendidlyhungtogether。Hisheadwasperfectlyset，andthebearingofhissquareshoulderswasasoldierlything。ItwasanextraordinarilyhandsomemanTembaromandPearsonfoundthemselvesgazingat。Eachglancedinvoluntarilyattheother。

“Nowthat”sfirst-rate！I”mgladyoufeellikecoming，“Tembaromplungedin。Hedidn”tintendtogivehimtoomuchtimetothink。

“Thankyou。Itwillbeachange，asyousaid，“Strangewaysanswered。

“Oneneedschange。”

Hisdeepeyeslookedsomewhatdeeperthanusual，buthismannerwasthatofanywell-bredmandoinganaccustomedthing。Ifhehadbeenanordinaryguestinthehouse，andhishosthaddroppedintohisroom，hewouldhavecomportedhimselfinexactlythesameway。

Theywenttogetherdownthecorridorasiftheyhadpasseddownittogetheradozentimesbefore。OnthestairwayStrangewayslookedatthetapestrieswiththeinterestofafamiliarizedintelligence。

“Itisabeautifuloldplace，“hesaid，astheycrossedthehall。

“Thatarmorwaswornbyacrusader。”Hehesitatedamomentwhentheyenteredthelibrary，butitwasonlyforamoment。Hewenttothehearthandtookthechairhishostofferedhim，and，lightingacigar，satsmokingit。IfT。Tembaromhadchancedtobeamanofananalyticalormetaphysicalorderofintellecthewouldhavefound，duringthepastmonth，manythingstoleadhimfarinmentalargumentconcerningtheweirdwonderofthehumanmind——ofitspowerwhereitspossessor，thebody，isconcerned，itssometimeclosenesstothesurfaceofsentientbeing，itssometimeremoteness。Hewouldhaveknown——awed，marvelingattheblacknessofthepitintowhichitcandescend——theunknownshadesthatmayenfolditandimprisonitsgropings。TheoldDukeofStonehadsatandponderedmanyanhouroverstorieshisfavoritecompanionhadrelatedtohim。Whatcuriousandsubtleprocesseshadthequeerfellownotbeenwatchinginthecloselyguardedquietoftheroomwherethestrangerhadspenthisdays；thestrangethingcoweringinitsdarkness；therayoflightpiercingthecloudonedayandseeminglostagainthenext；thestrugglestheimprisonedthingmadetocomeforth——tocryoutthatitwasbutimmured，notwhollyconquered，andthatsomehourwouldarrivewhenitwouldfightitswaythroughatlast。Tembaromhadnotenteredintopsychologicalresearch。Hehadbeenentirelyuncomplexinhisattitude，sittingdownbeforehisproblemasabesiegermighthavesatdownbeforeacastle。Thedukehadsometimeswonderedwhetheritwasnotagoodenoughthingthathehadbeensosimpleaboutit，merelycontinuingtobelievethebestwithanunswervingobstinacyandlendingahandwhenhecould。Aneverflaggingsympathyhadkepthimsingularlyalivetoeverychance，andnowandthenhehadilluminationswhichwouldhavedonecredittoaclevererman，andwhichthedukehadrubbedhishandsoverinhalf-amused，half-touchedelation。Howhehadkepthisheadlevelandheldtohispurpose！

T。Tembaromtalkedbutlittleashesatinhisbigchairandsmoked。

Bestlethimaloneandgivehimtimetogetusedtothenewness，hethought。Nothingmusthappenthatcouldgivehimajolt。Letthingssortofsinkintohim，andperhapsthey”dsethimtothinkingandleadhimsomewhere。Strangewayshimselfevidentlydidnotwanttalk。Heneverwanteditunlesshewasexcited。Hewasnotexcitednow，andhadsettleddownasifhewascomfortable。Havingfinishedonecigarhetookanother，andbegantosmokeitmuchmoreslowlythanhehadsmokedhisfirst。TheslownessbegantoarrestTembarom”sattention。

Thiswasthesmokingofamanwhowaseithergrowingsleepyorsinkingintodeepthought，becomingoblivioustowhathewasdoing。Sometimesheheldthecigarabsentlybetweenhisstrong，finefingers，seemingtoforgetit。Tembaromwatchedhimdothisuntilhesawitgoout，anditswhiteashdropontherugathisfeet。Hedidnotnoticeit，butsatsinkingdeeperanddeeperintohisownbeing，growingmoreremote。

Whatwasgoingonunderhisabsorbedstillness？Tembaromwouldnothavemovedorspoken“forablockofFifthAvenue，“hesaidinternally。Thedarkeyesseemedtobecomedarkeruntiltherewasonlyapin”spointoflighttobeseenintheirpupils。Itwasasifhewerelookingatsomethingatadistance——atastrangelylongdistance。

Twiceheturnedhisheadandappearedtolookslowlyroundtheroom，butnotasnormalpeoplelook——asifitalsowasatthestrange，longdistancefromhim，andheweresomewhereoutsideitswalls。Itwasanuncannythingtobeaspectatorto。

“Howdeadstilltheroomis！“Tembaromfoundhimselfthinking。

Itwas“deadstill。”Anditwasaqueerdealsitting，notdaringtomove——justwatching。Somethingwasboundtohappen，sure！Whatwasitgoingtobe？

Strangeways”cigardroppedfromhisfingersandappearedtorousehim。

Helookedpuzzledforamoment，andthenstoopedquitenaturallytopickitup。

“Iforgotitaltogether。It”sgoneout，“heremarked。

“Haveanother，“suggestedTembarom，movingtheboxnearertohim。

“No，thankyou。”Heroseandcrossedtheroomtothewallofbook-

shelves。AndTembarom”seyewascaughtagainbythefinenessofmovementandlinetheeveningclothesmademanifest。“Whataswellhelookedwhenhemovedaboutlikethat！Whataswell，byjings！“

Helookedalongthelineofshelvesandpresentlytookabookdownandopenedit。Heturnedoveritsleavesuntilsomethingarrestedhisattention，andthenhefelltoreading。Hereadseveralminutes，whileTembaromwatchedhim。Thesilencewasbrokenbyhislaughingalittle。

“Listentothis，“hesaid，andbegantoreadsomethinginalanguagetotallyunknowntohishearer。“Amanwhowritesthatsortofthingaboutawomanisanoldbounder，whetherhe”sapoetornot。There”sasmall，bitingspitefulnessaboutitthat”scattish。”

“Whodidit？“Tembarominquiredsoftly。Itmightbeagoodideatoleadhimon。

“Horace。Inspiteofhisgenius，hesometimesmakesyoufeelhewasratherablackguard。”

“Horace！“ForthemomentT。Tembaromforgothimself。“IalwaysheardhewasasortofY。M。C。A。oldguy——oldHoraceGreeley。TheTribunewasnoyellowjournalwhenhehadit。”

Hewassorryhehadspokenthenextmoment。Strangewayslookedpuzzled。

“TheTribune，“hehesitated。“TheRomanTribune？“

“No，NewYork。Hestartedit——oldHoracedid。Butperhapswe”renottalkingofthesameman。”

Strangewayshesitatedagain。

“No，Ithinkwe”renot，“heansweredpolitely。

“I”vemadeabreak，“thoughtTembarom。“Ioughttohavekeptmymouthshut。Imusttrytoswitchhimback。”

Strangewayswaslookingdownatthebackofthebookheheldinhishand。

“ThisonewastheLatinpoet，QuintusHoratiusFlaccus，65B。C。Youknowhim，“hesaid。

“Oh，thatone！“exclaimedTembarom，asifwithanairofimmenserelief。“WhatafoolIwastoforget！I”mgladit”shim。Willyougoonreadingandletmehearsomemore？He”sawinnerfromWinnersville——

thatHoraceis。”

Perhapsitwasasortofmiracle，accomplishedbyhisgreatdesiretohelptherightthingtohappen，tostaveoffanyshadowofthewrongthing。Whatsoeverthereason，Strangewayswaitedonlyamomentbeforeturningtohisbookagain。Itseemedtobealinkinsomechainslowlyformingitselftodraghimbackfromhiswanderings。AndT。Tembarom，lightlysweatingasafrightenedhorsewill，satsmokinganotherpipeandlisteningintentlyto“Satires“and“Lampoons，“readaloudintheLatinof65B。C。

“Bygee！“hesaidfaithfully，atintervals，whenhesawonthereader”sfacethatthemomentwasripe。“Heknewitall——oldHorace——

didn”the？“

Hehadsteeredhischargeback。Thingswerecomingalongthelinetohim。He”dlearnedLatinatoneofthesebigEnglishschools。BoysalwayslearnedLatin，thedukehadtoldhim。Theyjusthadto。Mostofthemhateditlikethunder，andtheyusedtobecanedwhentheydidn”treciteitright。Perhapsifhewentonhe”dbegintoremembertheschool。Aqueerpartofitwasthathedidnotseemtonoticethathewasnotreadinghisownlanguage。

Hedidnot，infact，seemtorememberanythinginparticular，butwentonquitenaturallyforsomeminutes。HehadreplacedHoraceontheshelfandwasonthepointoftakingdownanothervolumewhenhepaused，asifrecallingsomethingelse。

“Weren”twegoingtoseethepicture-gallery？“heinquired。“Isn”titgettinglate？Ishouldliketoseetheportraits。”

“Nohurry，“answeredT。Tembarom。“Iwasjustwaitingtillyouwereready。Butwe”llgorightaway，ifyoulike。”

Theywentwithoutfurtherceremony。Astheywalkedthroughthehallanddownthecorridorssidebyside，animaginativepersonmighthavefeltthatperhapstheeyesofanancientdarklingportraitorsolookeddownatthepaircuriously：thelong，looselybuiltNewYorkerratherslouchingalongbythesoldierly，almostromanticfigurewhich，inameasure，suggestedthatothersnotunlikeitmighthavetrodthesameoakenfloor，wearingruffanddoublet，orlacejabotandsword。

Therewasafarcrybetweenthetwo，buttheywalkedcloselyinfriendlyunion。Whentheyenteredthepicture-galleryStrangewayspausedamomentagain，andstoodpeeringdownitslength。

“Itisverydimlylighted。Howcanwesee？“hesaid。

“ItoldPearsontoleaveitdim，“Tembaromanswered。“Iwanteditjustthatwayatfirst。”

Hetried——andsucceededtolerablywell——tosayitcasually，asheledthewayaheadofthem。Heandthedukehadnottalkedtheschemeoverfornothing。Ashisgracehadsaid，theyhad“workedthethingup。”Astheymoveddownthegallery，themenandwomenintheirframeslookedlikeghostsstaringouttoseewhatwasabouttohappen。

“We”llturnupthelightsafterawhile，“T。Tembaromexplained，stillcasually。“There”sapicturehereIthinkagooddealof。I”vestoodandlookedatitprettyoften。ItremindedmeofsomeonethefirstdayIseteyesonit；butitwasquiteatimebeforeImadeupmymindwhoitwas。Itusedtodrivemehalfdottytryingtothinkitout。”

“Whichonewasit？“askedStrangeways。

“We”recomingtoit。Iwanttoseeifitremindsyouofanyone。AndI

wantyoutoseeitsudden。”“It”sgottobesudden，“hehadsaidtotheduke。“Ifit”sgoingtopanout，Ibelieveit”sgottobesudden。”

“That”swhyIhadtherestof”emleftdim。ItoldPearsontoleavealampIcouldturnupquick，“hesaidtoStrangeways。

Thelampwasonatablenearbyandwasshadedbyascreen。Hetookitfromtheshadowandlifteditsuddenly，sothatitsfullgleamfellupontheportraitofthehandsomeyouthwiththelacecollarandthedark，droopingeyes。Itwasdoneinasecond，withadramaticallyunexpectedswiftness。Hisheartjumpedupanddown。

“Who”sthat？“hedemanded，withabruptnesssosharp-pitchedthatthegalleryechoedwiththesound。“Who”sthat？“

Heheardahard，quickgasp，asoundwhichwasmomentarilyalittlehorrible，asiftheman”ssoulwasbeingjerkedoutofhisbody”sdepths。

“Whoishe？“hecriedagain。“Tellme。”

Afterthegasp，Strangewaysstoodstillandstared。Hiseyesweregluedtothecanvas，dropsofsweatcameoutonhisforehead，andhewasshuddering。Hebegantobackawaywithalookofgruesomestruggle。Hebackedandbacked，andstaredandstared。Thegaspcametwiceagain，andthenhisvoiceseemedtotearitselfloosefromsomepowerthatwasholdingitback。

“Th——at！“hecried。“Itis——it——isMilesHugo！“

Thelastwordswerealmostashout，andheshookasifhewouldhavefallen。ButT。Tembaromputhishandonhisshoulderandheldhim，breathingfasthimself。Gee！ifitwasn”tlikeathinginaplay！

“PageatthecourtofCharlestheSecond，“herattledoff。“Diedofsmallpoxwhenhewasnineteen。MilesHugo！MilesHugo！Youholdontothatforallyourworth。Andholdontome。I”llkeepyousteady。Sayitagain。”

“MilesHugo。”Thepoormajestic-lookingfellowalmostsobbedit。

“WhereamI？Whatisthenameofthisplace？“

“It”sTempleBarholminthecountyofLancashire，England。Holdontothat，too——likethunder！“

Strangewaysheldtheyoungman”sarmwithhandsthatclutched。Hedraggedathim。Hisnightmareheldhimyet；Tembaromsawit，butflashesoflightwereblindinghim。

“Who“——hepleadedinashakingandhollowwhisper”areyou？“

Herewasastumper！Byjings！Byjings！Andnotaminutetothinkitout。Buttheanswercameallright——allright！

“Myname”sTembarom。T。Tembarom。”Andhegrinnedhissplendidgrinfromsheersenseofrelief。“I”maNewYorker——Brooklyn。Iwasjustforkedinhereanyhow。Don”tyouwastetimethinkingoverme。YousitdownhereanddoyourdurndestwithMilesHugo。”

CHAPTERXXXIII

Tembaromdidnotlookasthoughhehadsleptparticularlywell，MissAliciathought，whentheymetthenextmorning；butwhensheaskedhimwhetherhehadbeendisappointedinhislastnight”sexperiment，heansweredthathehadnot。Theexperimenthadcomeoutallright，butStrangewayshadbeenagooddealworkedup，andhadnotbeenabletosleepuntildaylight。SirOrmsbyGallowaywastoarriveintheafternoon，andhe”dprobablygivehimsome-thingquieting。Hadthecomingdownstairsseemedtohelphimtorecallanything？MissAlicianaturallyinquired。Tembaromthoughtithad。HedrovetoStoneHoverandspentthemorningwiththeduke；heevenlunchedwithhim。HereturnedintimetoreceiveSirOrmsbyGalloway，however，anduntilthatgreatpersonageleft，theyweretogetherinMr。Strangeways”

rooms。

“IguessIshallgethimuptoLondontotheplacewhereSirOrmsbywantshim，“hesaidrathernervously，afterdinner。“I”mnotgoingtomissanychances。Ifhe”llgo，IcangethimawayquietlysometimewhenIcanfixitsothere”snooneabouttoworryhim。”

Shefeltthathehadnoinclinationtogomuchintodetail。Hehadneverhadthehabitofenteringintothedetailsconnectedwithhisstrangecharge。Shebelieveditwasbecausehefeltthesubjecttooabnormalnottoseemalittleawesometohersympathetictimidity。Shedidnotaskquestionsbecauseshewasafraidshecouldnotaskthemintelligently。Infact，theknowledgethatthisunknownmanwaslivingthroughhisstrugglewithhislostpastintheremoteroomsofthewestwing，almostasthoughhewereasecretprisoner，didseemalittleawesomewhenoneawokeinthemiddleofthedarknightandthoughtofit。

Duringthepassageofthenextfewweeks，TembaromwentuptoLondonseveraltimes。Onceheseemedcalledtheresuddenly，asitwasonlyduringdinnerthathetoldherhewasgoingtotakealatetrain，andshouldleavethehouseaftershehadgonetobed。Shefeltasthoughsomethingimportantmusthavehappened，andhopeditwasnothingdisturbing。

WhenhehadsaidthatCaptainPalliserwouldreturntovisitthem，herprivateimpression，despitehislaugh，hadbeenthatitmustsurelybesometimebeforethiswouldoccur。Butalittlemorethanthreeweekslaterheappeared，precededonlyhalfanhourbyatelegramaskingwhetherhemightnotspendanightwiththemonhiswayfarthernorth。

Hecouldnotatallunderstandwhythetelegram，whichhesaidhehadsentthedaybefore，hadbeendelayed。

AcertainfatiguedhaggardnessinhiscountenancecausedMissAliciatoaskwhetherhehadbeenill，andheadmittedthathehadatleastnotbeenwell，asaresultoflongandtoohurriedjourneys，andthestrenuousnessofextendedandprofoundlyseriousinterviewswithhiscapitalistandmagnates。

“Nomancanengineergiganticschemestosuccesswithoutfeelingthereactionwhenhisloaddropsfromhisshoulders，“heremarked。

“You”vecarrieditquitethrough？“inquiredTembarom。

“Wehavesetonfootoneofthelargest，mostsubstantiallycapitalizedcompaniesintheEuropeanbusinessworld，“Palliserreplied，withthecomposurewhichisalmostindifference。

“Good！“saidTembaromcheerfully。

Hewatchedhisguestagooddealduringtheday。Hewasabadcolorforamanwhohadjuststeeredclearofallshoalsandreachedthehighestpointofsuccess。Hehadahaggardeyeaswellasahaggardface。Itwasaterrifiedeyewhenitsdesperatedeterminationtohideitsterrorsdroppedfromitforaninstant，asaveilmightdrop。A

certainrestlessnesswasmanifestinhim，andhetalkedmorethanusual。HewasgoingtomakeavisitinNorthumberlandtoanelderlyladyofgreatpossessions。Itwastobevaguelygatheredthatshewassomewhatinterestedinthegreatcompany——theCedric。Shewasaremarkableoldpersonwhofoundacertainagreeableexcitementindabblinginstocks。Shewasrichenoughtobeinapositiontoregarditasasortofgame，andhehadbeenableonseveraloccasionstoaffordherentertainment。Hewouldremainafewdays，andspendhistimechieflyintellingherthedetailsofthegreatschemeandthemannerinwhichtheyweretobedeveloped。

“Ifshecanplaywiththingsthatway，she”llbesuretowantstockinit，“Tembaromremarked。

“Ifshedoes，shemustmakeuphermindquickly，“Pallisersmiled，“orshewillnotbeabletogetit。Itisnoteasytolayone”shandsonevennow。”

TembaromthoughtofcertainspeculatorsofentirelyinsignificantstandingofwhomhehadchancedtoseeandhearanecdotesinNewYork。

Mostofthemwereyouthsofobscureoriginwhosoldnewspapersorblackedboots，or“swapped“articlesthevalueofwhichlayinthedesiretheycouldexciteinotherpersonstopossessthem。Apopularmethodknownas“bluff“wastheirmosttrustedweapon，andevenattwelveandfifteenyearsofageTembaromhadalwaysregardeditassingularlyobvious。Healwaysdetested“bluff，“whatsoeveritsdisguise，andwasrathermystifiedbyitsingeniousfaithinitself。

“He”sgotbadlystung，“washisinternalcommentashesuckedathispipeandsmiledurbanelyatPalliseracrosstheroomastheysattogether。“He”scomeherewithsomesortofdealonthatheknowshecouldn”tworkwithanyonebutjustsuchafoolashethinksIam。I

guess，“headdedincomposedreflectiveness，“Idon”treallyknowhowbigafoolIdolook。”

Whatsoeverthedealwas，hewouldbelikelytoletitbeknownintime。

“He”llgetitoffhischestifhe”sgoingawayto-morrow，“decidedTembarom。“Ifthere”sanythinghe”sfoundout，he”lluseit。Ifitdoesn”tpanoutashethinksitwillhe”lljustfloatawaytohisoldlady。”

HegavePallisereverychance，talkingtohimandencouraginghimtotalk，evenaskinghimtolethimlookovertheprospectusofthenewcompanyandexplaindetailstohim，ashewasgoingtoexplainthemtotheoldladyinNorthumberland。Heopenedupavenues；butforatimePallisermadenoattempttostrolldownthem。Hiswalkwouldbeastroll，Tembaromknew，beingfamiliarwithhismethods。Hisaspectwouldbethatofamanbutlittleconcerned。Hewouldbecapableofaslightlyrudecoldnessifhefeltthatconcernonhispartwasinanydegreecountedasafactor。Tembaromwasaware，amongotherthings，thatinnocentpersonswouldfeelthatitwasincumbentuponthemtobeverycarefulintheirtreatmentofhim。Heseemedtobethinkingthingsoverbeforehedecideduponthepsychologicalmomentatwhichhewouldbegin，ifhebegan。Whenamanhadagooddealtoloseortowin，Tembaromrealizedthathewouldbelikelytoholdbackuntilhefeltsomethinglikesolidgroundunderhim。

AfterMissAliciahadleftthemforthenight，perhapshefelt，asaresultofthinkingthematterover，thathehadreachedafootholdofafirmnessatleastsomewhattobedependedupon。

“Whatachangeyouhavemadeinthatpoorwoman”slife！“hesaid，walkingtotheside-tableandhelpinghimselftoabrandyandsoda。

“Whatachange！“

“ItstruckmethatachangewasneededjustaboutthetimeIdroppedin，“answeredhishost。

“Allthesame，“suggestedPalliser，tolerantly，“youwereimmenselygenerous。Shewasn”tentitledtoexpectit，youknow。”

“Shedidn”texpectanything，notadarnedthing，“saidTembarom。“Thatwaswhathitme。”

Pallisersmiledacold，amiablesmile。Hisslim，neatlyfittedpersonlookedalittleshrunkenandlessstraightthanwasitshabit，anditsslacknesssuggesteditselfasbeingpartoftheharryandfatiguewhichmadehisfaceandeyeshaggardunderhispale，smoothhair。

“Doyoupurposetoprovideforthefutureofallyourindigentrelativeseventothethirdandfourthgeneration，mydearchap？“heinquired。

“Iwon”trefusetillI”masked，anyhow，“wastheanswer。

“Asked！“Palliserrepeated。“I”moneofthem，youknow，andLadyMalloweisanother。Therearelotsofus，whenwecomeoutofourholes。Ifit”sonlyamatterofasking，wemightalldescendonyou。”

Tembarom，smiling，wonderedwhethertheyhadn”tdescendedalready，andwhetherthedescenthadsofarbeenallthattheyhadanticipated。

Palliserstrolleddownhisopenedavenuewithanincidentalairwhichwasentirelycreditabletohistrainingofhimself。T。Tembaromacknowledgedthatmuch。

“Youaretoogenerous，“saidPalliser。“Youarethesortoffellowwhowillalwaysneedallhehas，andmore。Thewayyougoamongthevillagers！Youthinkyoumerelyslouchaboutandkeepitquiet，butyoudon”t。You”vesetanexamplenootherlandownercanexpecttoliveupto，orintendsto。It”stoolavish。It”spernicious，dearchap。I

haveheardallaboutthecottageyouaredoingoverforPearsonandhisbride。YouhadbetterinvestintheCedric。”

Tembaromwantedhimtogoon，iftherewasanythinginit。HemadehisfacelookasheknewPalliserhopeditwouldlookwhenthepsychologicalmomentcame。Itsexpressionwasnotadeterrent；infact，ithadacharacternotunlikelytoleadaneagerman，oronewhowasnotaswhollyexperiencedashebelievedhewas，torushdownasteephillintothesea，afterthemanneroftheswineintheparable。

HeavenknewPalliserdidnotmeantorush，andwasnotawarewhentherushbegan；buthehadreasontobesomuchmoreeagerthanheprofessedtobethatmomentarilyheswerved，despitehimself，andceasedtobecasual。

“Itisanenormousopportunity，“hesaid”timberlandsinMexico，youknow。IfyouhadspentyourlifeinEngland，youwouldrealizethattimberhasbecomeadesperatenecessity，andthatthedifficultieswhichexistinthewayofsupplyingthedemandarealmostinsuperable。

Theseforestsarevirtuallyboundless，andthecompanywhichcontrolsthem”

“That”sagoodspiel！“brokeinTembarom。

Itsoundedlikethecrudelyartlessinterruptionofapersonwhoseperceptionsleftmuchtobedesired。T。Tembaromknewwhatitsoundedlike。IfPalliserlosthistemper，hewouldgetoverthegroundfaster，andhewantedhimtogetovertheground。

“I”mafraidIdon”tunderstand，“herepliedratherstiffly。

“TherewasafellowIknewinNewYorkwhousedtoselltype-writers，andhehadathingtosayheusedtoreeloffwhenanyonelookedlikeacustomer。Heusedtocallithis”spiel。”“

Palliser”squickglanceathimaskedquestions，andhisstiffnessdidnotrelaxitself。

“IsthisNewYorkchaff？“heinquiredcoldly。

“No，“Tembaromsaid。“You”renotdoingitfortenper。Hewas“

“No，notexactly，“saidPalliser。“Neitherwouldyoubedoingitfortenperifyouwentintoit。”Hisvoicechanged。Hebecameslightlyhaughty。“Perhapsitwasamistakeonmyparttothinkyoumightcaretoconnectyourselfwithit。Youhavenot，ofcourse，beeninthepositiontocomprehendsuchmatters。”

“IfIwaswhatIlooklike，that”dstirmeupandmakemefeelbad，“

thoughtT。Tembarom，withcheerfulcomprehensionofthis，atleast。

“I”dhavetorushinandtrytoprovetohimthatIwasasaccustomedtobigbusinessasheis，andthatitdidn”trattleme。ThewaytodoitthatwouldcomemostnaturalwouldbetoshowIwasreadytobuyasbigablockofstockasanyotherfellow。”

Buttheexpressionofhisfacedidnotchange。Heonlygaveahalf-

awkwardsortoflaugh。

“IguessIcanlearn，“hesaid。

Palliserfeltthefootholdbecomefirmer。Thebounderwasinterested，but，afterabounder”sfashion，waseithernervousorimaginedthatashowofhesitationlookedshrewd。Theslighthitmadeathisinexperienceininvestmenthadirritatedhimandmadehimfeellesscock-sureofhimself。Aslightlyoffendedmannermightbethebestweapontorelyupon。

“Ithoughtyoumightcaretohavethethingmadecleartoyou，“hecontinuedindifferently。“Imeanttoexplain。Youmaytakethechanceorleaveit，asyoulike，ofcourse。Thatisnothingtomeatthisstageofthegame。But，afterall，weareasIsaid，relativesofasort，anditisagiganticopportunity。Supposewechangethesubject。

IsthattheSundayEarthIseebyyouonthetable？“Heleanedforwardtotakethepaper，asthoughthesubjectreallyweredropped；but，afteraseeminglynervoussuckortwoathispipe，Tembaromcametohisassistance。Itwouldn”tdotolethimquietdowntoomuch。

“I”mnoVanMorganbilt，“hesaidhesitatingly，“butIcanseethatit”sabigopportunity——forsomeoneelse。Let”shavealookovertheprospectusagain。”

PalliserpausedinhisunconcernedopeningofthecopyoftheSundayEarth。Hismannersomewhatdisgustedlyimpliedindecisionastowhetheritwasworthwhiletoallowoneselftobedroppedandtakenupbyturns。

“Doyoureallymeanthat？“heaskedwithacertainchillofvoice。

“Yes。Idon”tmindtryingtocatchontowhat”sdoinginanybigscheme。”

Palliserdidnotlayasidehissuggestionofcoldsemi-reluctancemorereadilythananymanwhoknewhisbusinesswouldhavelaiditaside。

Hismannerattheoutsetwasquiteperfect。Hissoleineptitudelayinhisfeelingatoogreatconfidenceintheexactqualityofhiscompanion”stype，ashesummeditup。Hedidnotcalculateonthevariationsfromalltypesometimesprovidedbycircumstances。

Heproducedhispaperswithouttooobviouseagerness。Hespreadthemuponthetable，andcoollyexaminedthemhimselfbeforebeginninghisexplanation。TherewasmoretoexplaintoaforeignerandoneunusedtoinvestmentthantherewouldbetoamanwhowasanEnglishmanandfamiliarwiththemethodsoflargecompanies，hesaid。Hewentintotechnicalities，sotospeak，andusedrapidlyandlightlysomeimposingwordsandphrases，towhichT。Tembaromlistenedattentively，butwithoutanyspecialairofillumination。Hedealtwithstatisticsandtheresultingprobabilities。HemadeapparenttheexistingconditionofEngland”sinabilitytosupplyanenormousandunceasingdemandfortimber。Hehadacquireddiversexcellentmethodsofstatinghiscasetothepartyofthesecondpart。

“Hemademefeelasifafellowhadbetterholdontoaboxofmatcheslikegrimdeath，andthatthetimewasn”toutofsightwhenyou”dhavetogivefifty-sevendollarsandahalfforatoothpick，“Tembaromafterwardssaidtotheduke。

WhatTembaromwasthinkingashelistenedtohimwasthathewasnotgettingoverthegroundwithmuchrapidity，andthatitwastimesomethingwasdoing。Hehadnotwatchedhimforweekswithoutlearningdiversofhisidiosyncrasies。

“IfhethoughtIwantedtoknowwhathethinksI”daheapratherNOT

know，he”dnevertellme，“hespeculated。“Ifhegetsabithotinthecollar，hemayletitout。Thingistostirhimup。He”slosthisnerveabit，andhe”llgetmadprettyeasy。”

Hewentonsmokingandlistening，andaskinganunenlightenedquestionnowandthen，inamannerwhichwasasfarfrombeingadeterrentasthelargelyunilluminatedexpressionofhisfacewas。

“Ofcoursemoneyiswanted，“Pallisersaidatlength。“Moneyisalwayswanted，andasmuchwhenaschemeisasuccessaswhenitisn”t。Goodnames，withacertaincharacter，arewanted。Thefactofyourinheritanceisknowneverywhere；andthefactthatyouareanAmericanisasortofguarantyofshrewdness。”

“Isit？“saidT。Tembarom。“Well，“headdedslowly，“IguessAmericansareprettygoodbusinessmen。”

Palliserthoughtthatthiswasevolvinguponperfectlynaturallines，ashehadanticipateditwould。Thefellowwasflatteredandpleased。

YoucouldalwaysreachanAmericanbyimplyingthathewasoneofthosewhospeciallyillustrateenviablenationalcharacteristics。

Hewentoninsmooth，casuallaudation：

“NoAmericantakesholdofaschemeofthissortuntilheknowsjollywellwhathe”sgoingtogetoutofit。Youwereshrewdenough，“headdedsignificantly，“aboutHutchinson”saffair。You`gotinonthegroundfloor”there。ThatwasNewYorkforethought，byJove！“

Tembaromshuffledalittleinhischair，andgrinnedafaint，pleasedgrin。

“I”mamanoftheworld，myboy——thebusinessworld，“Pallisercommented，hopingthatheconcealedhisextremesatisfaction。“IknowNewYork，thoughIhaven”tlivedthere。I”monlyhopingto。Yourairofingenuousignoranceisthecleverestthingaboutyou，“whichagreeableimplicationofthefactthathehadbeenprivatelyobservantandimpressedoughttohavefetchedthebounderifanythingwould。

T。Tembarom”sgrinwasnolongerfaint，butspreaditself。Palliser”sfirstimpressionwasthathehad“fetched“him。Butwhenheanswered，thoughtheverycrudenessofhiswordsseemedmerelytheresultofhisbetrayalintouttertactlessnessbysoothedvanity，therewassomething——ashadeofsomething——notentirelysatisfactoryinhisfaceandnasaltwang。

“Well，Iguess，“hesaid，“NewYorkDIDteachafellownottobuyagoldbrickoffeveryconmanthatcamealong。”

Palliserwasguiltyofamereghostofastart。Wastheresomethinginit，orwasheonlythegross，blunderingfoolhehadtrustedtohisbeing？Hestaredathimamoment，andsawthatthereWASsomethingunderthewordsandbehindhisprofessedlyflatteredgrin——somethingwhichmustbetreatedwithahighhand。

“Whatdoyoumean？“heexclaimedhaughtily。“Idon”tlikeyourtone。

DoyoutakeMEforwhatyoucalla`conman”？“

“GoodLord，no！“answeredTembarom；andhelookedstraightatPalliserandspokeslowly。“You”reagentleman，andyou”repayingmeavisit。

Youcouldnomoretryonagametodomeinmyownhousethan——well，thanIcouldTELLyouifI”dgotontoyouifIsawyoudoingit。

You”reagentleman。”

Palliserglaredbackintohisinfuriatinglycandideyes。Hewasafarcryfrombeingadullardhimself；hewassharpenoughto“catchon“totherevelationthatthesituationwasnotwhathehadthoughtit，thetypewasmorecomplexthanhehaddreamed。Thechaphadbeenplayingapart；hehadabsolutelybeen“jollyinghimalong，“aftertheNewYorkfashion。Hebecamepalewithhumiliatedrage，thoughheknewhisonlydefensewastocontrolhimselfandprofessnottoseethroughthetrick。Untilhecouldusehisbiglever，headdedtohimself。

“Oh，Isee，“hecommentedacridly。“Isupposeyoudon”trealizethatyourfiguresofspeechareunfortunate。”

“ThatcomesofNewYorkstreets，too，“Tembaromansweredwithdeliberation。“Butyoucan”tliveasI”velivedandbedeadeasy——notDEADeasy。”

Palliserhadlefthischair，andstoodincontemptuoussilence。

“YouknowhowafellowhatestobethoughtDEADeasy“——Tembaromactuallywenttotheinsolentlengthofsayingthewordswithatouchofcheerfulconfidingness”whenhe”sNOT。AndI”mnot。Haveanotherdrink。”

Therewasapause。Palliserbegantosee，orthoughthebegantosee，wherehestood。HehadcometoTempleBarholmbecausehehadbeendrivenintoacornerandhadadangerousfightbeforehim。Inanticipationofithehadbeenfollowingaclueforsometime，thoughattheoutsetithadbeenoneofincredibleslightness。Onlyhisabsolutefaithinhistheorythateverymanhadsomethingtogainorlose，whichheconcealeddiscreetly，hadledhimtoit。Heheldacardtoovaluabletobeusedatthebeginningofagame。Itspowermighthavelastedalongtime，andprovedaninfluencewithoutlimit。Heforboreanymentalreferencetoblackmail；thewordwasabsurd。Oneusedwhatfellintoone”shands。IfTembaromhadfollowedhisleadwithanydegreeofdocility，hewouldhavefeltitwisertosavehisammunitionuntilfurtherpressurewasnecessary。Butbehindhisridiculousrawness，hisfoolishjocularity，andhisprofessedlycandidgoodhumor，hadbeenhiddentheYankeetricksterwhowasfoolenoughtothinkhecouldplayhisgamethrough。Well，hecouldnot。

Duringthefewmoments”pausehesawthesituationasbyaphotographicflashlight。Heleanedoverthetableandsuppliedhimselfwithafreshbrandyandsodafromthetrayofsiphonsanddecanters。

Hegavehimselftimetotaketheglassupinhishand。

“No，“heanswered，“youarenot`deadeasy。”That”swhyIamgoingtobroachanothersubjecttoyou。”

Tembaromwasrefillinghispipe。

“Goahead，“hesaid。

“Who，bytheway，isMr。Strangeways？“

Hewasdeliberateandentirelyunemotional。SowasT。Tembaromwhen，withmatchappliedtohistobacco，herepliedbetweenpuffsashelightedit：

“Youcansearchme。Youcansearchhim，too，forthatmatter。Hedoesn”tknowwhoheishimself。”

“Badluckforhim！“remarkedPalliser，andallowedaslightpauseagain。Afteritheadded，“Diditeverstrikeyouitmightbegoodluckforsomebodyelse？“

“Somebodyelse？“Tembarompuffedmoreslowly，perhapsbecausehispipewaslighted。

Pallisertooksomebrandyinhissoda。

“Therearemen，youknow，“hesuggested，“whocanbesparedbytheirrelatives。Ihavesomemyself，byJove！“headdedwithalaugh。“Youkeephimratherdark，don”tyou？“

“Hedoesn”tliketoseepeople。”

“Doesheobjecttopeopleseeinghim？Isawhimoncemyself。”

“Whenyouthrewthegravelathiswindow？“

Palliserstaredcontemptuously。

“Whatareyoutalkingabout？Ididnotthrowstonesathiswindow，“helied。“I”mnotaschool-boy。”

“That”sso，“Tembaromadmitted。

“Isawhim，nevertheless。AndIcantellyouhegavemeratherastart。”

“Why？“

Palliserhalflaughedagain。Hedidnotmeantogotooquickly；hewouldletthethinggetonTembarom”snervesgradually。

“Well，I”mhangedifIdidn”ttakehimforamanwhoisdead。”

“Enoughtogiveanyfellowajolt，“Tembaromadmittedagain。

“Itgavemea`jolt。”Goodword，that。Butitwouldgiveyouabiggerone，mydearfellow，ifhewasthemanhelookedlike。”

“Why？“Tembaromaskedlaconically。

“HelookedlikeJemTempleBarholm。”

HesawTembaromstart。Therecouldbenodenyingit。

“Youthoughtthat？Honest？“hesaidsharply，asifforamomenthehadlosthishead。“Youthoughtthat？“

“Don”tbenervous。PerhapsIcouldn”thavesworntoit。Ididnotseehimveryclose。”

T。Tembarompuffedrapidlyathispipe，andonly，ejaculated：

“Oh！“

“Ofcoursehe”sdead。Ifhewasn”t，“——withashrugofhisshoulders，——

“LadyJoanFayrewouldbeLadyJoanTempleBarholm，andthepairwouldbebringingupaninterestingfamilyhere。”Helookedabouttheroom，andthen，asifsuddenlyrecallingthefact，added，“ByGeorge！you”dbesellingnewspapers，ormakingthem——whichwasit？——inNewYork！“

Itwasbynomeansunpleasingtoseethathehadmadehishitthere。

T。Tembaromswungaboutandwalkedacrosstheroomwithasuddenlyperturbedexpression。

“Say，“heputittohim，comingback，“areyouinearnest，orareyoujustsayingittogivemeajolt？“

Palliserstudiedhim。TheAmericansharpnesswasnotalwayssokeenasitsometimesseemed。Hisfacewouldhavebetrayedhisuneasinesstothedullestonlooker。

“Haveyouanyobjectiontomyseeinghiminhisownroom？“Palliserinquired。

“Itdoeshimharmtoseepeople，“Tembaromsaid，withnervousbrusqueness。“Itworrieshim。”

Pallisersmiledaquietbutfarfromagreeablesmile。Heenjoyedwhatheputintoit。

“Quiteso；besttokeephimquiet，“hereturned。“Doyouknowwhatmyadvicewouldbe？Puthiminacomfortablesanatorium。Alotofstupidinvestigationswouldendinnothing，ofcourse，butthey”dbeafrightfulbore。”

HethoughtitextraordinarilystupidinT。Tembaromtocomenearertohimwithananxiouseagernessentirelyunconcealed，ifhereallyknewwhathewasdoing。

“Areyousurethatifyousawhimcloseyou”dKNOW，sothatyoucouldsweartohim？“hedemanded。

“You”reextremelynervous，aren”tyou？“Palliserwatchedhimwithsmilingcoolness。“OfcourseJemTempleBarholmisdead；butI”venodoubtthatifIsawthismanofyours，Icouldswearhehadremaineddead——ifIwereasked。”

“Ifyouknewhimwell，youcouldmakemesure。Youcouldswearonewayoranother。IwanttobeSURE，“saidTembarom。

“SoshouldIinyourplace；couldn”tbetoosure。Well，sinceyouaskme，ICOULDswear。Iknewhimwellenough。Hewasoneofmymostintimateenemies。Whatdoyousaytolettingmeseehim？“

“IwouldifIcould，“Tembaromreplied，asifthinkingitover。“I

wouldifIcould。”

Pallisertreatedhimtothefarfrompleasingsmileagain。

“Butit”squiteimpossibleatpresent？“hesuggested。“Excitementisnotgoodforhim，andallthatsortofthing。Youwanttimetothinkitover。”

Tembarom”sslowlyutteredanswer，spokenasifhewerestillconsideringthematter，wasfarfrombeingtheonehehadexpected。

“Iwanttime；butthat”snotthereasonyoucan”tseehimrightnow。

Youcan”tseehimbecausehe”snothere。He”sgone。”

ThenitwasPalliserwhostarted，takentotallyunawareinamannerwhichdisgustedhimaltogether。Hehadtopullhimselfup。

“He”sgone！“herepeated。“YouarequickerthanIthought。You”vegothimsafelyaway，haveyou？Well，Itoldyouacomfortablesanatoriumwouldbeagoodidea。”

“Yes，youdid。”T。Tembaromhesitated，seemingtobethinkingitoveragain。“That”sso。”Helaidhispipeasidebecauseithadgoneout。

Hesuddenlysatdownatthetable，puttinghiselbowsonitandhisfaceinhishands，withaharriedeffectofwantingtothinkitoverinasortofwithdrawalfromhisimmediatesurroundings。Thiswasasitshouldbe。HisYankeereadinesshaddesertedhimaltogether。

“ByJove！youarenervous！“Pallisercommented。“It”snotsurprising，though。Icansympathizewithyou。”Withamarkedlycasualairhehimselfsatdownanddrewhisdocumentstowardhim。“Letustalkofsomethingelse，“hesaid。Hepreferredtobecasualandincidental，ifhewereallowed。Itwasalwaysbettertosuggestthingsandletthemsinkinuntilpeoplesawtheadvantageofconsideringthemandyou。Tomanageabusinessmatterwithoutopenargumentortoofrankadisplayofweaponswasatoncemorecomfortableandinbettertaste。

“Youaremakingagreatmistakeinnotgoingintothis，“hesuggestedamiably。“YoucouldgoinnowasyouwentintoHutchinson”saffair，`onthegroundfloor。”That”sagoodenoughphrase，too。Twentythousandpoundswouldmakeyouamillion。YouAmericansunderstandnothinglessthanmillions。”

ButT。Tembaromdidnottakehimup。Hemutteredinaworriedwayfrombehindhisshadinghands，“We”lltalkaboutthatlater。”

“Whynottalkaboutitnow，beforeanythingcaninterfere？“Palliserpersistedpolitely，almostgently。

Tembaromsprangup，restlessandexcited。Hehadplainlybeenplanningfastinhistemporaryseclusion。

“I”mthinkingofwhatyousaidaboutLadyJoan，“heburstforth。“Say，she”sgonethroughallthisJemTempleBarholmthingonce；itabouthalfkilledher。Ifanyoneraisedfalsehopesforher，she”dgothroughitallagain。Onceisenoughforanywoman。”

HiseffectatprofessingheatandstrongfeelingmadeasparkofamusementshowitselfinPalliser”seye。ItstruckhimasbeingpeculiarlyAmericaninitsaffectationofsentimentandchivalry。

“Isee，“hesaid。“It”sLadyJoanyou”redisturbedabout。Youwanttospareheranothershock，Isee。Youareaconsideratefellow，aswellasamanofbusiness。”

“Idon”twanthertobegintohopeif”

“Verygoodtasteonyourpart。”Palliser”spoliteapprovalwasadmirable，buthetappedlightlyonthepaperafterexpressingit。“I

don”twanttoseemtopressyouaboutthis，butdon”tyoufeelinclinedtoconsiderit？Icanassureyouthataninvestmentofthissortwouldbeagoodthingtodependoniftheunexpectedhappened。Ifyougavemeyourchecknow，itwouldbeCedricstockto-morrow，andquitesafe。Supposeyou”

“I——Idon”tbelieveyouwereright——aboutwhatyouthought。”Thesharp-featuredfacewaschangingfrompaletored。“You”dhavetobeabletosweartoit，anyhow，andIdon”tbelieveyoucan。”HelookedatPalliserineagerandanxiousuncertainty。“Ifyoucould，“hedraggedout，“Ishouldn”thaveacheck-book。Wherewouldyoubethen？“

“Ishouldbeincomfortablecircumstances，dearchap，andsowouldyouifyougavemethemoneyto-night，whileyoupossessacheck-book。Itwouldbeonlyasortoftemporaryloaninanycase，whateverturnedup。Theinvestmentwouldquadrupleitself。Butthereisnotimetobelost。Understandthat。”

T。Tembarombrokeoutintoasortofboyishresentment。

“Idon”tbelievehedidlooklikehim，anyhow，“hecried。“Ibelieveit”sallabluff。”Hiscrude-soundingyoungswaggerhadatouchoffinaldesperationinitasheturnedonPalliser。“I”mdeadsureit”sabluff。WhatafoolIwasnottothinkofthat！YouwanttobluffmeintogoingintothisCedricthing。Youcouldnomoreswearhewaslikehimthan——thanIcould。”

Theoutright，presumptuous，boldstrippingbareofhisphrasesinfuriatedPallisertoosuddenlyandtoomuch。Hesteppeduptohimandlookedintohiseyes。

“Bluffyou，youyoungbounder！“heflungoutathim。“You”relosingyourhead。You”renotinNewYorkstreetshere。Youaretalkingtoagentleman。No，“hesaidfuriously，“Icouldn”tswearthathewaslikehim，butwhatIcanswearinanycourtofjusticeisthatthemanI

sawatthewindowwasJemTempleBarholm，andnoothermanonearth。”

Whenhehadsaidit，hesawtheastonishingdoltchangehisexpressionutterlyagain，asifinaflash。Hestoodup，puttinghishandsinhispockets。Hisfacechanged，hisvoicechanged。

“Fine！“hesaid。“First-rate！That”swhatIwantedtogetonto。”

CHAPTERXXXIV

Afterthisclimaxtheinterviewwasnotsolongasitwasinteresting。

Twomenasfarapartasthepoles，asremotefromeachotherinmindandbody，intrainingandeducationorlackofit，indesiresandintentions，inpointsofviewandtrendofbeing，asnatureandcircumstancescouldmakethem，talkedinalanguageforeigntoeachotherofawildlystrangething。Palliser”sargumentsandpointsofaspectwerelessunknowntoT。TembaromthanhisownweretoPalliser。

Hehadseensomethingverylikethembefore，thoughtheyhaddevelopedindifferentsurroundingsandhadbeendifferentlyexpressed。Thecolloquialism“You”renotdoingthatforyourhealth“canbemadetocovermuchgroundinthewayofthestrippingbareofmotivesforaction。Thiswaswhat，inexcellentandwell-chosenEnglish，CaptainPalliserfranklysaidtohishost。OfnothingwhichT。Tembaromsaidtohiminhisownstatementdidhebelieveonewordorsyllable。Thestatementinquestionwasnotlongordetailed。Itwas，ofcourse，Pallisersaw，aridiculouslyimpudentflingingtogetherofafarragoofnonsense，transparentinitseffortbeyondbelief。Beforehehadlistenedfiveminuteswiththedistinctly“nasty“smile，heburstoutlaughing。

“Thatisagood`spiel”mydearchap，“hesaid。“It”sasgooda`spiel”asyourtypewriterfriendusedtorattleoffwhenhethoughthesawacustomer；butI”mnotacustomer。”

Tembaromlookedathiminterestedlyforabouttenseconds。Hishandswerethrustintohistrouserspockets，aswashisalmostinvariablecustom。Absorptionandspeculation，evenemotionandexcitement，wereusuallyexpressedinthisunconventionalmanner。

“Youdon”tbelieveadarnedwordofit，“washissoleobservation。

“Notadarnedword，“Pallisersmiled。“Youaretryinga`bluff”whichdoesn”tdocredittoyourusualsharpness。It”sabluffthatisactuallysilly。Itmakesyoulooklikeanass。”

“Well，it”strue，“saidTembarom；“it”strue。”

Palliserlaughedagain。

“Ionlysaiditmadeyoulooklikeanass，“heremarked。“Idon”tprofesstounderstandyoualtogether，becauseyouareanewspecies。

Yourcombinationofignoranceandsharpnessisn”teasytocalculateon。ButthereisonethingIhavefoundout，andthatis，thatwhenyouwanttoplayaparticularsharptrickyouarewillingtoletpeopletakeyouforafool。I”llownyou”vedeceivedmeonceortwice，evenwhenIsuspectedyou。I”veheardthat”soneofthemostsuccessfulmethodsusedintheAmericanbusinessworld。That”swhyI

onlysayyoulooklikeanass。Youareanassinsomerespects；butyouarelettingyourselflooklikeonenowforsomeshrewdend。Youeitherthinkyou”llslipoutofdangerbyitwhenImakethisdiscoverypublic，oryouthinkyou”llsomehowtrickmeintokeepingmymouthshut。”

“Ineedn”ttrickyouintokeepingyourmouthshut，“Tembaromsuggested。“There”sastraightwaytodothat，ain”tthere？“AndheindelicatelywavedhishandtowardthedocumentspertainingtotheCedricCompany。

Itwasstupidaswellasgross，inhishearer”sopinion。Ifhehadknownwhatwasgoodforhimhewouldhavebeencleverenoughtoignorethepracticalpresentationofhiscasemadehalfanhourorsoearlier。

“No，thereisnot，“Palliserreplied，withserenemendacity。“Nosuggestionofthatsorthasbeenmade。Mybusinesspropositionwasgivenoutonanentirelydifferentbasis。You，ofcourse，choosetoputyourpersonalconstructionuponit。”

“Geewhiz！“ejaculatedT。Tembarom。“Iwas”wayoff，wasn”tI？“

“Itoldyouthatprofessingtobeanasswouldn”tbegoodenoughinthiscase。Don”tgoonwithit，“saidPalliser，sharply。

“You”rethrowingbouquets。Letafellowbenatural，“saidTembarom。

“Thatisbluff，too，“Palliserrepliedmoresharplystill。“Iamnottakeninbyit，boldasitis。Eversinceyoucamehere，youhavebeenplayingthisgame。Itwasyourfool”sgrinandguffawandpretenseofgoodnaturethatfirstmademesuspectyouofhavingsomethingupyoursleeve。Youweretoounembarrassedandcandid。”

“Soyoubegantolookout，“Tembaromsaid，consideringhimcuriously，“justbecauseofthat。”Thensuddenlyhelaughedoutright，thefool”sguffaw。

ItsomehowgavePalliserasortofpuzzledshock。Itwassoheartythatitremotelysuggestedthatheappearedmoresecurethanseemedpossible。Hetriedtoreplytohimwithalanguidcontemptofmanner。

“Youthinkyouhavesometremendouslysharp`deal”inyourhand，“hesaid，“butyouhadbetterrememberyouareinEnglandwherefactsarelikesledge-hammers。Youcan”tdodgefromunderthemasyoucaninAmerica。Idaresayyouwon”tanswerme，butIshouldliketoaskyouwhatyouproposetodo。”

“Idon”tknowwhatI”mgoingtodoanymorethanyoudo，“wastheunilluminatinganswer。“Idon”tmindtellingyouthat。”

“Andwhatdoyouthinkhewilldo？“

“I”vegottowaittillIfindout。I”mdoingit。ThatwaswhatItoldyou。Whatareyougoingtodo？“headdedcasually。

“I”mgoingtoLincoln”sInnFieldstohaveaninterviewwithPalford&

Grimby。”

“That”sagoodenoughmove，“commentedTembarom，“ifyouthinkyoucanprovewhatyousay。You”vegottoprovethings，youknow。Icouldn”t，soIlaylowandwaited，justlikeItoldyou。”

“Ofcourse，ofcourse，“Palliserhimselfalmostgrinnedinhisderision。“Youhaveonlybeenwaiting。”

“Whenyou”vegottoproveathing，andhaven”tmuchtogoon，you”vegottowait，“saidT。Tembarom”towaitandkeepyourmouthshut，whateverhappens，andtoletyourselfbetakenforafoolorahorse-

thiefisn”tasgilt-edgedajobasitseems。Butproof”swhatit”sbesttohavebeforeyouringupthecurtain。You”dhavetohaveityourself。SowouldPalford&Grimbybeforeit”dbestone-coldsafetorushthingsandaccuseamanofapenitentiaryoffense。”

Hetookhisunconventionalhalf-seatontheedgeofthetable，withonefootonthefloorandtheotheronelightlyswinging。

“Palford&Grimbyarecleveroldducks，andtheyknowthatmuch。Thingthey”dknowbestwouldbethattosetaraftofliesgoingaboutamanwho”sgotmoneyenoughtodefendhimself，andtomakethempaybigdamagesforitafterward，wouldbeprettybumbusiness。Iguesstheyknowallaboutwhatproofstandsfor。Theymayhavetowait；somayyou，sameasIhave。”

PalliserrealizedthathewasinthepositionofamanstrikingatanadversarywhoseconstructionwasofIndia-rubber。Hestruckhome，butleftnobruiseanddrewnoblood，whichwasanirritatingthing。Helosthistemper。

“Proof！“hejerkedout。“Therewillbeproofenough，andwhenitismadepublic，youwillnotcontrolthemoneyyouthreatentouse。”

“Whenyougetproof，justyouletmehearaboutit，“T。Tembaromsaid。

“AndallthemoneyI”mthreateningonshallgowhereitbelongs，andI”llgobacktoNewYorkandsellpapersifIhaveto。Itwon”tcomeashardasyouthink。”

Theflippantinsolencewithwhichhebrazenedouthispretensethathehadnotlied，thathisridiculousromancewasactualandsimpletruth，suggesteddangerousreadinessofdeviceandsecretknowledgeofpowerwhichcouldbeadroitlyused。

“Youaremerelymarkingtime，“saidPalliser，rising，withcolddeterminationtobejuggledwithnolonger。“Youhavehiddenhimawaywhereyouthinkyoucandoasyoupleasewithamanwhoisaninvalid。

Thatisyourdodge。You”vegothimhiddensomewhere，andhisfriendshadbettergetathimbeforeitistoolate。”

“I”mnotansweringquestionsthisevening，andI”mnotgivingaddresses，thoughtherearenowitnessestotakethemdown。Ifhe”shiddenaway，he”swherehewon”tbedisturbed，“wasT。Tembarom”srejoinder。“Youmaylayyourbottomdollaronthat。”

Palliserwalkedtowardthedoorwithoutspeaking。Hehadalmostreacheditwhenhewhirledaboutinvoluntarily，arrestedbyashoutoflaughter。

“Say，“announcedTembarom，“youmayn”tknowit，butthislay-outwouldmakeafirst-rateturninavaudeville。YouthinkI”mlying，IlooklikeI”mlying，IguesseverywordIsaysoundslikeI”mlying。Toafellowlikeyou，Iguessitcouldn”thelpbutsoundthatway。AndI”mnotlying。That”swherethejokecomesin。I”mnotlying。I”venottoldyouallIknowbecauseit”snoneofyourbusinessandwouldn”thelp；butwhatIhavetoldyouisthestone-coldtruth。”

Hewaskeepingituptotheveryendwithadesperatedeterminationnottoletgohisholdofhisposeuntilhehadmadehisprivateshrewddeal，whatsoeveritwas。Atleast，soitstruckPalliser，whomerelysaid：

“I”mleavingthehousebythefirsttrainto-morrowmorning。”Hefixedacoldgrayeyeonthefool”sgrin。

“Sixforty-five，“saidT。Tembarom。“I”llorderthecarriage。Imightgoupmyself。”

Thedoorclosed。

Tembaromwaslookingcheerfulenoughwhenhewentintohisbedroom。Hehadbecomeusedtoitssizeandhadlearnedtofeelthatitwasagoodsortofplace。IthadthehallbedroomatMrs。Bowse”sboarding-house“beatentoafrazzle。”Therewasabouteverythinginitthatanymancouldhatchupanideahe”dliketohave。Hehadsleptluxuriouslyonthesplendidcarvedbedthroughlongnights，hehadlainawakeandthoughtoutthingsonit，hehadlainandwatchedthefire-lightflickeringontheceiling，ashethoughtaboutAnnandmadeplans，and“fixedup“theHarlemflatwhichcouldberunonfifteenper。HehadpickedoutthepiecesoffurniturefromtheSundayEarthadvertisementsheet，andhadsetthemintheirplaces。Healwayssawthesix-dollarmahogany-stainedtablesetforsupper，withAnnatoneendandhimselfattheother。Hehadgrownactuallyfondoftheoldroombecauseofthesilenceandcomfortofit，whichtendedtogiverealitytohisdreams。Pearson，whohadceasedtolookanxious，andwhohadacquiredfreshaccomplishmentsintheformofanentirelynewsetofduties，waswaiting，andhandedhimatelegram。

“Thisjustarrived，sir，“heexplained。“Jamesbroughtitherebecausehethoughtyouhadcomeup，andIdidn”tsenditdownbecauseIheardyouonthestairs。”

“That”sright。Thankyou，Pearson，“hismastersaid。

Hetoretheyellowenvelop，andreadthemessage。InamomentPearsonknewitwasnotanordinarymessage，andthereforeremainedmorethanordinarilyimpassiveofexpression。Hedidnotevenaskofhimselfwhatitmightconvey。

Mr。TempleBarholmstoodstillafewseconds，withthelookofamanwhomustthinkandthinkrapidly。

“WhatisthenexttraintoLondon，Pearson？“heasked。

“Thereisoneattwelvethirty-six，sir，“heanswered。“It”sthelasttillsixinthemorning。YouhavetochangeatCrowley。”

“You”realwaysready，Pearson，“returnedMr。TempleBarholm。“Iwanttogetthattrain。”

Pearsonwasalwaysready。Beforethelastwordwasquitespokenhehadturnedandopenedthebedroomdoor。

“I”llorderthedog-cart；that”squickest，sir，“hesaid。Hewasoutoftheroomandinagainalmostimmediately。ThenhewasatthewardrobeandtakingoutwhatMr。TempleBarholmcalledhis“grip，“butwhatPearsonknewasaGladstonebag。Itwasalwayskeptreadypackedforunexpectedemergenciesoftravel。

Mr。TempleBarholmsatatthetableanddrewpenandpapertowardhim。

Helookedexcited；helookedmoretroubledthanPearsonhadseenhimlookbefore。

“Thewire”sfromSirOrmsbyGalloway，Pearson，“hesaid。

“It”saboutMr。Strangeways。He”sdonewhatIusedtobealwayswatchingoutagainst：he”sdisappeared。”

“Disappeared，sir！“criedPearson，andalmostdroppedtheGladstonebag。“Ibegpardon，sir。Iknowthere”snotimetolose。”Hesteadiedthebagandwentonwithhistaskwithouteventurninground。

Hismasterwasinsomedifficulty。Hebegantowrite，andafterdashingoffafewwords，stopped，andtorethemup。

“No，“hemuttered，“thatwon”tdo。There”snotimetoexplain。”Thenhebeganagain，buttoreuphisnextlinesalso。

“Thatsaystoomuchandnotenough。It”dfrightenthelifeoutofher。”

Hewroteagain，andendedbyfoldingthesheetandputtingitintoanenvelop。

“ThisisamessageforMissAlicia，“hesaidtoPearson。“Giveittoherinthemorning。Idon”twanthertoworrybecauseIhadtogoinahurry。Tellhereverything”sgoingtobeallright；butyouneedn”tmentionthatanything”shappenedtoMr。Strangeways。”

“Yes，sir，“answeredPearson。

Mr。TempleBarholmwasalreadymovingabouttheroom，doingoddthingsforhimselfrapidly，andhewentonspeaking。

“IwantyouandRosetoknow，“hesaid，“thatwhateverhappens，youarebothfixedallright——bothofyou。I”veseentothat。”

“Thankyou，sir，“Pearsonfaltered，madeuneasybysomethingnewinhistone。“Yousaidwhateverhappened，sir”

“Whateveroldthinghappens，“hismastertookhimup。

“Nottoyou，sir。Oh，Ihope，sir，thatnothing”

Mr。TempleBarholmputacheerfulhandonhisshoulder。

“Nothing”sgoingtohappenthat”llhurtanyone。Thingsmaychange，that”sall。YouandRoseareallright，MissAlicia”sallright，I”mallright。Comealong。Gottocatchthattrain。””

Inthismannerhetookhisdeparture。