第14章

Tummas”seyesburnedtroublously。

“I”vegotreetdowntakenwi”th”otherun，“heanswered。“He”snoangentry，buthe”sth”reetmak”。I——Idunnotbelieveashimaswaskilledhascoomback。”

“NeitherdoI，“Palliseranswered，withamiabletolerance。“TheAmericangentlemanhadbettercomebackhimselfanddisproveit。WhenyouusedtotalkabouttheKlondike，heneversaidanythingtomakeyoufeelasifhedoubtedthattheothermanwasdead？“

“Nothim，“answeredTummas。

“Eh！Tummas，whatartthatalkin”about？“exclaimedMrs。

Hibblethwaite，whowasmendingattheotherendoftheroom。“Iheerdhimsaymysel，`Supposeth”storyhadn”tbeentruean”hewasalivesomewherenow，it”dmakeabigchange，wouldna”it？”An”helaughed。”

“Ineverheerdhim，“saidTummas，instoutdenial。

“Tha”slosin”thamoind，“commentedhismother。“AssoonasIheerdth”talkabouthimrunnin”awayan”takin”th”madgentlemanwi”himI

rememberedit。An”Irememberedashesatstillafteritandsaidnowtforaminuteorso，sameasifhewasthinkin”thingsover。Theerwassummatabitqueeraboutit。”

“Ineverheerdhim，“Tummasasserted，obstinately，andshuthismouth。

“Hewereasreadytotalkaboutth”poorgentlemanasmetwithth”

accidentasthawertthysel”，Tummas，“Mrs。Hibblethwaiteproceeded，movedbytheopportunityofferedforpresentingherviewsontheexcitingtopic。“He”daxtheeawsortso”questionsaboutwhattha”dfoundoutwi”pumpin”foak。He”daxmequestionsnowan”agenaboutwhathewasloiketolookat，an”howtallhewur。OnctheaxedmeifIrememberedwhatsoarto”chinhehadan”howhespoke。”

“Itwurtosettheegoin”an”pleaseme，“volunteeredTummas，grudgingly。“Hediditsameashe”dlookatth”maptopleasemean”

tellmetalesaboutth”news-ladsi”NewYork。”

Ithadnotseemedimprobablethatavillagecrippletiedtoasofawouldbereadyenoughtorelateallheknew，andperhapssomuchmorethatitwouldbenecessarytousediscretioninselectingstatementsofvalue。Todropinandgivehimasovereignandlethimtalkhadappearedsimple。Ladsofhisclasslikedtobelistenedto，enjoyedenlarginguponandrenderingdramaticsuchmaterialashadfallenintotheirhands。ButTummaswasaneccentric，andinstinctledhimtocloselikeanoysterbeforearemotesenseofsubtlyapproachingattack。Itwashismother，nothe，whohadprovidedinformation；butitwasnotsufficientlyspecializedtobeworthmuch。

“Whatdidthasayhe”drunawayfur？“Tummassaidtohisparentlater。

“He”snotoneo”th”runnin”awaysoart。”

“Hehasprobablybeencalledawaybybusiness，“remarkedCaptainPalliser，asherosetogoafterafewminutes”casualtalkwithMrs。

Hibblethwaite。“Itwasamistakenottoleaveanaddressbehindhim。

Yourmotherismistakeninsayingthathetookthemadgentlemanwithhim。Hehadhimremovedlateatnightsometimebeforehewenthimself。”

“Takthasov”rin”，“saidTummas，asPallisermovedaway。“Ididnashowtheeth”atlas。Thadidnawanttoseeit。”

“Iwillleavethesovereignforyourmother，“saidPalliser。“I”msorryyouarenotinabetterhumor。”

Hisinterestintheatlashadindeedbeenlimitedtohisideathatitwouldleadtosubjectsoftalkwhichmightcastilluminatingside-

lightsandpossiblyopenupavenuesandvistas。Tummas，however，havinginstinctivelyfoundhimdispleasing，hehadgainedbutlittle。

Avenuesandvistaswerenecessary——avenuesthroughwhichthestepsofPalfordandGrimbymightwander，vistaswhichtheymightexplorewithhesitating，investigatingglances。Sofar，thesceneremainedunpromisinglyblank。TheAmericanTempleBarholmhadsimplydisappeared，ashadhismysteriouscharge。Stepslikelytoleadtodefiniteresultscanscarcelybetakenhopefullyinthecaseofapersonwhohasseemedtemporarilytoceasetoexist。Youcannotinterrogatehim，youcannotdemandinformation，whatsoeverthefoundationsuponwhichrestyouraccusations，ifsuchaccusationcanbelaunchedonlyintothinairandthefactthatthereisnobodytoreplyto——toacknowledgeorindignantlyrefutethem——isinitselfaseriousbarriertoaccomplishment。Itwasalsotruethatonlyafewweekshadelapsedsincetheaccusedhad，sotospeak，dematerialized。

ItwasalsoimpossibletocalculateuponwhatanAmericanofhisclassandpeculiaritieswouldbelikelytodoinanycircumstanceswhatever。

Inprivateconference，PalfordandGrimbyfranklyadmittedtoeachotherthattheywouldalmosthavepreferredthatCaptainPallisershouldhavekepthisremarkablesuspicionstohimself，forthetimebeingatleast。Yetwhentheyhadadmittedthistheywereconfrontedbythedisturbingpossibility——suggestedbyPalliser——thatactualcrimehadbeenormightbecommitted。Theyhadheardunpleasantstoriesofprivatelunaticasylumsandtheirlike。Thingstoshudderatmightbegoingonattheverymomenttheyspoketoeachother。

Underthispossibility，nosupinenesswouldbeexcusable。Effortstotracethemissingmanmustatleastbemade。Effortsweremade，butwithnoresult。Painfulasitwastoreflectonthesubjectoftheasylums，carefulprivateinquirywasmade，informationwasquietlycollected，therewereevenvisitstogruesomelyquietplacesonvariouspolitepretexts。

“Ifalongerperiodoftimehadelapsed，“Mr。Palfordremarkedseveraltimes，withsomestiffnessofmanner，“weshouldfeelthatwehadmoresolidfoundationforourpremises。”

“Perfectlyright，“CaptainPalliseragreedwithhim，“butitislapseoftimewhichmaymeanlifeordeathtoJemTempleBarholm；soit”sperhapsaswelltobeonthesafesideandgoonquietlyfollowingsmallclues。Idaresayyouwouldfeelmorecomfortableyourselves。”

BothMr。PalfordandMr。Grimby，havingmadeanappointmentwithMissAlicia，arrivedoneafternoonatTempleBarholmtotalktoherprivately，therebycastingherintoastateofagonizedanxietywhichreducedhertopallor。

“Ourvisitismerelyoneofinquiry，MissTempleBarholm，“Mr。Palfordbegan。“Thereisperhapsnothingalarminginourclient”sabsence。”

“Inthenotewhichheleftmeheaskedmeto——feelnoanxiety，“MissAliciasaid。

“Heleftyouanoteofexplanation？Iwishwehadknownthisearlier！“

Mr。Palford”stonehadthenoteofrelievedexclamation。Perhapstherewasanentirelysimplesolutionofthepainfuldifficulty。

Buthishopehadbeentoosanguine。

“Itwasnotanoteofexplanation，exactly。Hewentawaytoosuddenlytohavetimetoexplain。”

Thetwomenlookedateachotherdisturbedly。

“Hehadnotmentionedtoyouhisintentionofgoing？“askedMr。

Grimby。

“Ifeelsurehedidnotknowhewasgoingwhenhesaidgood-night。HeremainedwithCaptainPallisertalkingforsometime。”MissAlicia”seyesheldwaveringandanxiousquestionasshelookedfromonetotheother。Shewonderedhowmuchmorethanherselfhervisitorsknew。“Hefoundatelegramwhenhewenttohisroom。ItcontainedmostdisquietingnewsaboutMr。Strangeways。He——hehadgotawayfromtheplacewhere”

“Gotaway！“Mr。Palfordwasagainexclamatory。“Washeinsomeinstitutionwherehewaskeptunderrestraint？“

MissAliciawaswhollyunabletoexplaintoherselfwhysomequalityinhismannerfilledherwithsuddendistress。

“Oh，Ithinknot！Surelynot！Surelynothingofthatsortwasnecessary。Hewasveryquietalways，andhewasgettingbettereveryday。Butitwasimportantthatheshouldbewatchedover。Hewasnodoubtunderthecareofaphysicianinsomequietsanatorium。”

“Somequietsanatorium！“Mr。Palford”sdisturbanceofmindwasmanifest。“Butyoudidnotknowwhere？“

“No。Indeed，Mr。TempleBarholmtalkedverylittleofMr。Strangeways。

IbelieveheknewthatitdistressedmetofeelthatIcouldbeofnorealassistanceas——asthecasewassopeculiar。”

Eachperturbedsolicitorlookedagainwithrapidquestionattheother。MissAliciasawtheexchangeofglancesand，sotospeak，brokedownunderthepressureoftheirunconcealedanxiety。Thelastfewweekswiththeirsuggestionofaccusationtoovaguetobemethadbeentoomuchforher。

“Iamafraid——IfeelsureyouknowsomethingIdonot，“shebegan。“I

ammostanxiousandunhappy。Ihavenotlikedtoaskquestions，becausethatwouldhaveseemedtoimplyadoubtofMr。TempleBarholm。

IhaveevenremainedathomebecauseIdidnotwishtohearthingsI

couldnotunderstand。Idonotknowwhathasbeensaid。Pearson，inwhomIhavethegreatestconfidence，feltthatMr。TempleBarholmwouldpreferthatIshouldwaituntilhereturned。”

“Doyouthinkhewillreturn？“saidMr。Grimby，amazedly。

“Oh！“thegentlecreatureejaculated。“Canyoupossiblythinkhewillnot？Why？Why？“

Mr。Palfordhadsharedhispartner”samazement。ItwasobviousthatshewasasignorantasababeofthedetailsofPalliser”sextraordinarystory。InheraffectionateconsiderationforTempleBarholmshehadactuallyshutherselfuplestsheshouldhearanythingsaidagainsthimwhichshecouldnotrefute。Shestoodinnocentlyobedienttohiswishes，liketheboyupontheburningdeck，awaitinghisreturnandhisversionofwhatsoeverhehadbeenaccusedof。Therewassomethingdelicatelyheroicinthelittle，slenderoldthing，withhertroubledeyesandhercapandherquiveringsideringlets。

“You，“sheappealed，“arehislegaladvisers，andwillbeabletotellmeifthereisanythinghewouldwishmetoknow。Icouldnotallowmyselftolistentovillagersorservants；butImayaskyou。”

“Wearefarfromknowingasmuchaswedesiretoknow，“Mr。Palfordreplied。

“Wecamehere，infact，“addedGrimby，“toaskquestionsofyou，MissTempleBarholm。”

“ThefactthatMissTempleBarholmhasnotallowedherselftobeprejudicedbyvillagegossip，whichisinvariablylargelyunreliable，willmakeheranexcellentwitness，“Mr。Palfordsaidtohispartner，withadeliberationwhichheldsuggestivesignificance。Eachman，infact，hadsuddenlyrealizedthatherignorancewouldleaveherabsolutelyunbiasedinheranswerstoanyquestionstheymightput，andthatitwasmuchbetterincross-examininganemotionalelderlyladythatsuchshouldbethecase。

“Witness！“MissAliciafoundthewordalarming。Mr。Palford”sbowwasapologeticallypalliative。

“Amerefigureofspeech，madam，“hesaid。

“Ireallyknowsolittleeveryoneelsedoesn”tknow。”MissAlicia”sprotesthadatouchofbewildermentinit。Whatcouldtheywishtoaskher？

“But，asweunderstandit，yourrelationswithMr。TempleBarholmweremostaffectionateandconfidential。”

“Wewereveryfondofeachother，“sheanswered。

“Forthatreasonhenodoubttalkedtoyoumorefreelythantootherpeople，“Mr。Grimbyputit。“Perhaps，Palford，itwouldbeaswelltoexplaintoMissTempleBarholmthatacuriousfeatureofthismatteristhatit——inaway——involvescertainpointsconcerningthelateMr。

TempleBarholm。”

MissAliciautteredapatheticexclamation。

“PoorJem——whodiedsocruelly！“

Mr。Palfordbenthisheadinacquiescence。

“PerhapsyoucantellmewhatthepresentMr。TempleBarholmknewofhim——howmuchheknew？“

“Itoldhimthewholestorythefirsttimewetookteatogether，“MissAliciareplied；and，betweenherrecollectionofthatstrangelyhappyafternoonandherwonderatitsconnectionwiththepresentmoment，shebegantofeeltimidanduncertain。

“Howdiditseemtoimpresshim？“

Sheremembereditallsowell——hisqueer，dearNewYorkwayofexpressinghiswarm-heartedindignationatthecrueltyofwhathadhappened。

“Oh，hewasverymuchexcited。Hewassosorryforhim。Hewantedtoknoweverythingabouthim。Heaskedmewhathelookedlike。”

“Oh！“saidPalford。“Hewantedtoknowthat？“

“Hewassofullofsympathy，“shereplied，herexplanationgainingwarmth。“WhenItoldhimthatthepictureofMilesHugointhegallerywassaidtolooklikeJemasaboy，hewantedverymuchtoseeit。

Afterwardwewentandsawittogether。Ishallalwaysrememberhowhestoodandlookedatit。Mostyoungmenwouldnothavecared。ButhealwayshadsuchatouchinginterestinpoorJem。”

“Youmeanthatheaskedquestionsabouthim——abouthisdeath，andsoforth？“wasMr。Palford”sinquiry。

“Aboutallthatconcernedhim。Hewasinterestedespeciallyinhislooksandmannerofspeakingandpersonality，sotospeak。Andintheawfulaccidentwhichendedhislife，thoughhewouldnotletmetalkaboutthatafterhehadaskedhisfirstquestions。”

“Whatkindofquestions？“suggestedGrimby。

“Onlyaboutwhatwasknownofthetimeandplace，andhowthesadstoryreachedEngland。Itusedtotouchmetothinkthattheonlypersonwhoseemedtocarewastheonewho——mighthavebeenexpectedtobealmostgladthetragicthinghadhappened。Buthewasnot。”

Mr。PalfordwatchedMr。Grimby，andMr。GrimbygavemorethanonedubiousanddistressedglanceatPalford。

“Hisinterestwasevident，“remarkedPalford，thoughtfully。“Andunusualunderthecircumstances。”

Foramomenthehesitated，thenputanotherquestion：“Didheeverseem——Ishouldsay，doyourememberanyoccasionwhenheappearedtothinkthat——theremightbeanyreasontodoubtthatMr。JamesTempleBarholmwasoneofthemenwhodiedintheKlondike？“

HefeltthatthroughthiswildquestioningtheyhadatleastreachedacertaintestimonysupportingCaptainPalliser”sviews；andhisinterestreluctantlyincreased。Itwasreluctantbecausetherecouldbenoshadowofaquestionthatthisinnocentspinsterladytoldtheabsolutetruth；and，thisbeingthecase，oneseemedtobedraggedtothevergeofdepthswhichmustinevitablybeexplored。MissAlicia”sexpressionwasthatofonewhoconscientiouslysearchedmemory。

“Idonotrememberthathereallyexpresseddoubt，“sheanswered，carefully。“Notexactlythat，but”

“Butwhat？“promptedPalfordasshehesitated。“Pleasetrytorecallexactlywhathesaid。Itismostimportant。”

Thefactthathismannerwasalmosteager，andthateagernesswasnothishabit，madehercatchherbreathandlookmorequestioningandpuzzledthanbefore。

“Onedayhecametomysitting-roomwhenheseemedratherexcited，“

sheexplained。“HehadbeenwithMr。Strangeways，whohadbeenworsethanusual。Perhapshewantedtodistracthimselfandforgetaboutit。

HeaskedmequestionsandtalkedaboutpoorJemforaboutanhour。Andatlasthesaid，`Doyousupposethere”sanysortofchancethatitmightn”tbetrue——thatstorythatcamefromtheKlondike？”HesaiditsothoughtfullythatIwasstartledandsaid，`Doyouthinktherecouldbesuchachance——doyou？”Andhedrewalongbreathandanswered，`Youwanttobesureaboutthingslikethat；you”vegottobesure。”Iwasalittleexcited，sohechangedthesubjectverysoonafterward，andIneverfeltquitecertainofwhathewasreallythinking。Youseewhathesaidwasnotsomuchanexpressionofdoubtasasortofquestion。”

AtouchoftheloftycondemnatorymadeMr。Palfordimpressive。

“IamcompelledtoadmitthatIfearthatitwasaquestionofwhichhehadalreadyguessedtheanswer，“hesaid。

AtthispointMissAliciaclaspedherhandsquitetightlytogetheruponherknees。

“Ifyouplease，“sheexclaimed，“Imustaskyoutomakethingsalittlecleartome。Whatdreadfulthinghashappened？Iwillregardanycommunicationasamostsacredconfidence。”

“Ithinkwemayaswell，Palford？“Mr。Grimbysuggestedtohispartner。

“Yes，“Palfordacquiesced。Hefeltthedifficultyofablankexplanation。“Weareinvolvedinamosttryingposition，“hesaid。“Wefeelthatgreatdiscretionmustbeuseduntilwehavereachedmoredefinitecertainty。Anextraordinary——infact，astartlingthinghasoccurred。Wearebeginning，asaresultofcumulativeevidence，tofeelthattherewasreasontobelievethattheKlondikestorywastobedoubted”

“ThatpoorJem——！“criedMissAlicia。

“Onebeginstobegravelyuncertainastowhetherhehasnotbeeninthishouseformonths，whetherhewasnotthemysteriousMr。

Strangeways！“

“Jem！Jem！“gaspedpoorlittleMissTempleBarholm，quitewhitewithshock。

“AndifhewasthemysteriousStrangeways，“Mr。Grimbyassistedtoshortenthematter，“theAmericanTempleBarholmapparentlyknewthefact，broughthimhereforthatreason，andforthesamereasonkepthimsecretedandunderrestraint。”

“No！No！“criedMissAlicia。“Never！Never！Ibegyounottosaysuchathing。Excuseme——Icannotlisten！Itwouldbewrong——ungrateful。

Excuseme！“Shegotupfromherseat，tremblingwithactualangerinhersenseofoutrage。Itwasaremarkablethingtoseethesmall，elderlycreatureangry，butthisremarkablethinghadhappened。Itwasasthoughshewereamotherdefendingheryoung。

“IlovedpoorJemandIloveTemple，and，thoughIamonlyawomanwhoneverhasbeentheleastclever，Iknowthemboth。Iknowneitherofthemcouldlieordoawicked，cunningthing。Templeisthesoulofhonor。”

Itwasquiteaninspirationaloutburst。Shehadneverbeforeinherlifesaidsomuchatonetime。Ofcoursetearsbegantostreamdownherface，whileMr。PalfordandMr。Grimbygazedatheringreatembarrassment。

“IfMr。StrangewayswaspoorJemcomebackalive，Templedidnotknow——

heneverknew。Allhedidforhimwasdoneforkindness”sake。I——I——

“Itwasinevitablethatsheshouldstammerbeforegoingtothislengthofviolence，andthatthewordsshouldburstfromher：“Iwouldswearit！“

ItwasreallyashocktobothPalfordandGrimby。ThataladyofMissTempleBarholm”sageandtrainingshouldvolunteertosweartoathingwasalmostalarming。Itwasalsoinratherunpleasingtaste。

“CaptainPalliserobligedMr。TempleTempleBarholmtoconfessthathehadknownforsometime，“Mr。Palfordsaidwithcoldregret。“Healsoinformedhimthatheshouldcommunicatewithuswithoutdelay。”

“CaptainPalliserisabadman。”MissAliciachokedbackagasptomaketheprotest。

“ItwasaftertheirinterviewthatMr。TempleBarholmalmostimmediatelyleftthehouse。”

“Withoutanyexplanationwhatever，“addedGrimby。

“Heleftafewlinesforme，“defendedMissAlicia。

“Wehavenotseenthem。”Mr。Palfordwasstillaswellascold。PoorlittleMissAliciatookthemoutofherpocketwithanunsteadyhand。

Theywerealwayswithher，andshecouldnotonsuchachallengeseemafraidtoallowthemtoberead。Mr。Palfordtookthemfromherwithaslightbowofthanks。Headjustedhisglassesandreadaloud，withpausesbetweenphraseswhichseemedsomewhattopuzzlehim。

“DearlittleMissAlicia：

“I”vegottolightoutofhereasquickasIcanmakeit。Ican”tevenstoptotellyouwhy。There”sjustonething——don”tgetrattled，MissAlicia。Whateveranyonesaysordoes，don”tgetrattled。

“Yoursaffectionately，“T。TEMBAROM。”

Therewasasilence，Mr。Palfordpassedthepapertohispartner，whogaveitcarefulstudy。AfterwardherefoldeditandhandeditbacktoMissAlicia。

“Inacourtoflaw，“wasMr。Palford”ssoleremark，“itwouldnotberegardedasevidenceforthedefendant。”

MissAlicia”stearswerestillstreaming，butsheheldherringletedheadwellup。

“Icannotstay！Ibegyourpardon，Idoindeed！“shesaid。“ButImustleaveyou。Yousee，“sheadded，withherfinelittletouchofdignity，“asyetthishouseisstillMr。TempleBarholm”shome，andIamthegratefulrecipientofhisbounty。Burrillwillattendyouandmakeyouquitecomfortable。”Withanobeisancewhichwaslikeaslightcurtsey，sheturnedandfled。

Inlessthananhourshewalkeduptheneatbrickedpath，andoldMrs。

Hutchinson，lookingout，sawherthroughthetiersofflower-potsinthewindow。HutchinsonhimselfwasinLondon，butAnnwasreadingattheothersideoftheroom。

“Here”spoorlittleowdMissTempleBarholmawinaflutter，“remarkedhergrandmother。“Tha”sgotsomeworkcutoutfortheeiftha”sgoingtoquiether。Oppenth”door，lass。”

Annopenedthedoor，andstoodbyitwithcalmthoughwelcomingdimples。

“MissHutchinson“——MissAliciabeganallatoncetorealizethattheydidnotknoweachother，andthatshehadflowntotherefugeofheryouthwithoutbeingatallawareofwhatshewasabouttosay。“Oh！

LittleAnn！“shebrokedownwithfranktears。“Mypoorboy！Mypoorboy！“

LittleAnndrewherinsideandclosedthedoor。

“There，MissTempleBarholm，“shesaid。“TherenowJustcomeinandsitdown。I”llgetyouagoodcupoftea。Youneedone。”

CHAPTERXXXVIII

TheDukeofStonehadbeensufficientlyoccupiedwithoneofhisslighterattacksofrheumaticgouttohavebeen，sotospeak，outoftherunninginthepastweeks。Hisindispositionhadnotcondemnedhimtotheusualdullness，however。Hehadsufferedlesspainthanwascustomary，andMrs。Braddlehadbeenmorethanusuallyinterestinginconversationonthoseoccasionswhen，inmakinghimverycomfortableinonewayoranother，shefeltthatameasureofentertainmentwouldaddtohiswell-being。Hisepicureanhabitofmindtendedtowardcausinghimtofindasubtlepleasureinthehearingofvariousversionsofanystorywhatever。HisintimacywithT。Tembaromhadfurnishedforthmanyanagreeablementalrepastforhim。HehadhadT。

Tembarom”sversionofhimself，theversionofthecounty，theversionoftheuneducatedclass，andhisownversion。Allofthesehadhadvaryingshadesoftheirown。HehadfoundacynicallyfineflavorinPalliser”sversion，whichhehadgatheredthroughtalkandprocessesofexclusionandinclusion。

“Thereisagooddealtobesaidforit，“hesummeditup。“It”splausibleonordinarysophisticatedgrounds。T。Tembaromwouldsay，`Itlookssortofthatway。””

AsMrs。Braddlehaddonewhatshecouldinthematterofexpoundingherviewsoftheuncertaintiesofthevillageattitude，hehadlistenedwithstimulatinginterest。Mrs。Braddle”sversiononthepassingofT。Tembaromstoodoutpicturesquelyagainstthebackgroundoftheversionwhichwashisown——theonefoundedonthesingularfactshehadsharedknowledgeofwiththechiefcharacterintheepisode。Hehadnot，likeMissAlicia，receivedacommunicationfromTembarom。Thisseemedtohimoneoftheattractivefeaturesoftheincident。Itprovidedopportunityforspeculation。Somewilddevelopmenthadcalledtheyoungsterawayinarattlinghurry。Ofwhathadhappenedsincehisdepartureheknewnomorethanthevillagersknew。Whathadhappenedforsomemonthsbeforehisgoinghehadwatchedwiththefeelingofanintelligentlyobservantspectatorataplay。Hehadbeenprovidedwithvariedemotionsbythefantasticdrama。Hehadsmiled；hehadfoundhimselfmovedonceortwice，andhehadfeltagooddealofthethrillofcuriousuncertaintyastowhatthecurtainwouldriseandfallon。Thesituationwassuchthatitwasimpossibletoguess。Resultscouldseemonlytofloatintheair。Onethingmighthappen；somightanother，somightadozenmore。WhathewishedreallytoattainwassomedegreeofcertaintyastowhatwaslikelytooccurinanycasetotheAmericanTempleBarholm。

Hefelt，thefirsttimehedroveovertocallonMissAlicia，thathisindispositionandconfinementtohisownhousehadrobbedhimofsomething。Theyhaddeprivedhimoftheopportunitytoobserveshadesofdevelopmentandtoheartheexpressingofviewsofthesituationasitstood。Hedroveoverwithviewsofhisownandwithanticipations。

Hehadreasontoknowthathewouldencounterinthedearladyindicationsofthefeelingthatshehadreachedacrisis。Therewasasenseofthiscrisisimpendingasonemountedtheterracestepsandenteredthehall。Themen-servantsendeavoredtowipefromtheircountenancesanyexpressiondenotingevenavagueknowledgeofit。Herecognizedtheirlaudabledeterminationtodoso。Burrillwasmonumentalintheunconsciousnessofhisoutwardbearing。

MissAlicia，sittingwaitingonFateinthelibrary，worepreciselytheaspecthehadknownshewouldwear。Shehadbeenlyingawakeatnightandshehadofcourseweptatintervals，sinceshebelongedtotheperiodthepopularfemaleviewofwhichhadbeenthatonlytheunfeelingdidnotsorelievethemselvesincrisesoftheaffections。

Hereyelidswereratherpinkandhernicelittlefacewastired。

“Itisvery，verykindofyoutocome，“shesaid，whentheyshookhands。“Iwonder“——herhesitancewastouchinginitsobviousappealtohimnottotakethewrongside”IwonderifyouknowhowdeeplytroubledIhavebeen？“

“Yousee，Ihavehadatouchofmyabominablegout，andmytreasureofaBraddlehasbeennursingmeandgossiping，“heanswered。“So，ofcourseIknowagreatdeal。Noneofittrue，Idaresay。IfeltImustcomeandseeyou，however。”

Helookedsoneatandentirelywithintheboundariesoffinishedandwell-dressedmodernityandevery-dayoccurrence，inhisperfectlyfittingclothes，beautifullyshiningboots，anddelicatefawngaiters，thatshefeltasortofsupportinhismereaspect。Themindconnectedsuchalmostdapperfreshnessandexcellenttasteonlywithunexaggeratedincidentsandabehaviorwhichalmostplacedthestampofabsurdityupontheimprobableincircumstance。Thevisionofdisorderlyandillegalpossibilitiesseemedactuallytofadeintoanunreality。

“IfMr。PalfordandMr。GrimbyknewhimasIknowhim——as——asyouknowhim”sheaddedwithafainthopefulness。

“Yes，iftheyknewhimasweknowhimthatwouldmakeadifferentmatterofit，“admittedtheduke，amiably。But，thoughtMissAlicia，hemightonlyhaveputitthatwaythroughconsiderationforherfeelings，andbecausehewasanextremelypolishedmanwhocouldnoteasilyrevealtoaladyadisagreeabletruth。Hedidnotspeakwiththenoteofnaturalindignationwhichshethoughtshemusthavedetectedifhehadfeltasshefeltherself。Hewasofcourseamanwhosemannerhadalwaysthefinishofcomposure。Hedidnotseemdisturbedorevenverycurious——onlykindandmostpolite。

“Ifweonlyknewwherehewas！“shebeganagain。“IfweonlyknewwhereMr。Strangewayswas！“

“MyimpressionisthatMessrs。Palford&Grimbywillprobablyfindthembothbeforelong，“heconsoledher。“Theyarenodoubtexcitingthemselvesunnecessarily。”

Hewasnotagitatedatall；shefelt。itwouldhavebeenkinderifhehadbeenalittleagitated。Hewasreallynotthekindofpersonwhosefeelingsappearedverydeep，beinggiventoalightandgracefulcynicismofspeechwhichdelightedpeople；soperhapsitwasnotnaturalthatheshouldexpressanyparticularemotioneveninacaseaffectingafriend——surelyhehadbeenTemple”sfriend。Butifhehadseemedalittledistressed，ordoubtfulorannoyed，shewouldhavefeltthatsheunderstoodbetterhisattitude。Asitwas，hemightalmosthavebeenontheotherside——abelieveroradisbeliever——ormerelyapersonlookingontoseewhatwouldhappen。Whentheysatdown，hisglanceseemedtoincludeherwithaninterestwhichwassympatheticbutratherasifshewereachildwhomhewouldliketopacify。Thisseemedespeciallysowhenshefeltshemustmakecleartohimthenatureofthecrisiswhichwaspending，ashehadfeltwhenheenteredthehouse。

“Youperhapsdonotknow“——theappealwhichhadshownitselfinhereyeswasinhervoice”thatthesolicitorshavedecided，afteragreatdealofseriousdiscussionandprivateinquiryinLondon，thatthetimehascomewhentheymusttakeopensteps。”

“Inthematterofinvestigation？“heinquired。

“TheyarecomingherethisafternoonwithCaptainPalliserto——toquestiontheservants，andsomeofthevillagers。Theywillquestionme，“alarmedly。

“Theywouldbesuretodothat，“——hereallyseemedquitetoenvelopherwithkindness”butIbegofyounottobealarmed。NothingyoucouldhavetosaycouldpossiblydoharmtoTempleBarholm。”Heknewitwasherfearofthiscontingencywhichterrifiedher。

“Youdofeelsureofthat？“sheburstforth，relievedly。“Youdo——

becauseyouknowhim？“

“Ido。Letusbecalm，dearlady。Letusbecalm。”

“Iwill！Iwill！“sheprotested。“ButCaptainPalliserhasarrangedthataladyshouldcomehere——aladywhodislikedpoorTempleverymuch。Shewasmostunjusttohim。”

“LadyJoanFayre？“hesuggested，andthenpausedwitharemotesmileasiflendinghimselfforthemomenttosomehumorhealonedetectedinthesituation。

“Shewillnotinjurehiscause，IthinkIcanassureyou。”

“Sheinsistedonmisunderstandinghim。Iamsoafraid”

TheappearanceofPearsonatthedoorinterruptedherandcausedhertorisefromherseat。Theneatyoungmanwaspaleandspokeinanervouslyloweredvoice。

“Ibegpardon，Miss。IbegyourGrace”spardonforintruding，but”

MissAliciamovedtowardhiminsuchamannerthathehimselfseemedtofeelthathemightadvance。

“Whatisit，Pearson？Haveyouanythingspecialtosay？“

“IhopeIamnottakingtoogreataliberty，Miss，butIdidcomeinforapurpose，knowingthathisGracewaswithyouandthinkingyoumightbothkindlyadviseme。ItisaboutMr。TempleBarholm，yourGrace”addressinghimasifininvoluntaryrecognitionofthefactthathemightpossiblyprovethegreatersupport。

“OurMr。TempleBarholm，Pearson？Wearebeingtoldtherearetwoofthem。”Theduke”sdelicateemphasisonthepossessivepronounwasdelightful，anditsomovedandencouragedsensitivelittlePearsonthathewasemboldenedtoanswerwithmodestfirmness：

“Yes，——ours。Thankyou，yourGrace。”

“Youfeelhimyourstoo，Pearson？“ashademoredelightfullystill。

“I——Itaketheliberty，yourGrace，ofbeingdeeplyattachedtohim，andmorethangrateful。”

“Whatdidyouwanttoaskadviceabout？“

“Thefamilysolicitors。CaptainPalliserandLadyJoanFayreandMr。

andMissHutchinsonaretobehereshortly，andIhavebeentoldIamtobequestioned。WhatIwanttoknow，yourGrace，is”Hepaused，andlookednolongerpalebutpainfullyredashegatheredhimselftogetherforhisanxiousoutburst”MustIspeakthetruth？“

MissAliciastartedalarmedly。

Thedukelookeddownatthedelicatefawngaiterscoveringhisfineinstep。Hisfleetingsmilewasnotthistimeanexternalone。

“Doyounotwishtospeakthetruth，Pearson？“

Pearson”smannercouldhavebeendescribedonlyasoneofobstinatefrankness。

“No，yourGrace。Idonot！YourGracemaymisunderstandme——butIdonot！“

HisGracetappedthegaiterswiththeslightebonycaneheheldinhishand。

“Isthis“——heputitwithimpartialcuriosity”becausethetruthmightbedetrimentaltoourMr。TempleBarholm？“

“Ifyouplease，yourGrace，“Pearsonmadeafirmstepforward，“whatisthetruth？“

“ThatiswhatMessrs。Palford&Grimbyseemdeterminedtofindout。

ProbablyonlyourMr。TempleBarholmcantellthem。”

“YourGrace，whatI”mthinkingofisthatifItellthetruthitmayseemtoprovesomethingthat”snotthetruth。”

“Whatkindsofthings，Pearson？“stillimpartially。

“IcanbeplainwithyourGrace。Thingslikethis：IwaswithMr。

TempleBarholmandMr。Strangewaysagreatdeal。They”llaskmeaboutwhatIheard。They”llaskmeifMr。Strangewayswaswillingtogoawaytothedoctor；ifhehadtobepersuadedandarguedwith。Well，hehadandhehadn”t，yourGrace。Atfirst，justthementionofitwouldupsethimsothatMr。TempleBarholmwouldhavetostoptalkingaboutitandquiethimdown。Butwhenheimproved——andhedidimprovewonderfully，yourGrace——hegotintothewayofsittingandthinkingitoverandlisteningquitequiet。ButifI”maskedsuddenly”

“Whatyouareafraidofisthatyoumaybeaskedpoint-blankquestionswithoutwarning？“hisGraceputitwiththeperspicacityofexperience。

“That”swhyIshouldbegratefulforadvice。MustItellthetruth，yourGrace，whenitwillmakethembelievethingsI”dsweararelies——

I”dswearit，yourGrace。”

“SowouldI，Pearson。”Hisserenelightnesswasofthemostbaffling，butcuriouslysupporting，order。“Thisbeingthecase，myadvicewouldbenottogointodetail。Letustellwhitelies——allofus——withoutashadowofhesitancy。MissTempleBarholm，evenyoumustdoyourbest。”

“Iwilltry——indeed，Iwilltry！“AndtheDukefelthertremulouslyardentassentactuallydelicious。

“There！we”llconsiderthatsettled，Pearson，“hesaid。

“Thankyou，yourGrace。Thankyou，Miss，“Pearson”srelievedgratitudevergedonthedevout。Heturnedtogo，andashedidsohisattentionwasarrestedbyanapproachheremarkedthroughawindow。

“Mr。andMissHutchinsonarearrivingnow，Miss，“heannounced，hastily。

“Theyaretobebroughtinhere，“saidMissAlicia。

Thedukequietlylefthisseatandwenttolookthroughthewindowwithfrankandunembarrassedinterestintheapproach。Hewent，infact，tolookatLittleAnn，andashewatchedherwalkuptheavenue，herfatherlumberingbesideher，heevidentlyfoundheraspectsufficientlyarresting。

“Ah！“heexclaimedsoftly，andpaused。“Whatalotofveryniceredhair，“hesaidnext。Andthen，“Nowonder！Nowonder！“

“That，Ishouldsay，“heremarkedasMissAliciadrewnear，“iswhatI

onceheardabadyoungmancall`adeservingcase。”“

Hewasconsciousthatshemighthavebeenprivatelyalittleshockedbysuchagedflippancy，butshewasatthemomentperturbedbysomethingelse。

“ThefactisthatIhaveneverspokentoHutchinson，“shefluttered。

“Thesechangesareveryconfusing。IsupposeIoughttosayMr。

Hutchinson，nowthatheissuchasuccessfulperson，andTemple”

“Withoutashadowofadoubt！“Thedukeseemedstruckbythehappinessoftheidea。“Theywillmakehimapeerpresently。Hemayaddressmeas”Stone”atanymoment。Onemustlearntoadjustone”sselfwithagility。`Theoldorderchangeth。”Ah！sheissmilingathimandIseethedimples。”

MissAliciamadeacleanbreastofit。

“Iwenttoher——Icouldnothelpit！“sheconfessed。“Iwasinsuchdistressanddarenotspeaktoanybody。Templehadtoldmethatshewassowonderful。Hesaidshealwaysunderstoodandknewwhattodo。”

“Didsheinthiscase？“heasked，smiling。

MissAlicia”smannerwasthatofonewhocouldexpresstheextentofheradmirationonlyindisconnectedphrases。

“Shewaslikealittlerock。Suchaquiet，firmway！Suchcalmcertainty！Oh，thecomfortshehasbeentome！Ibeggedhertocomehereto-day。Ididnotknowherfatherhadreturned。”

“Nodoubthewillhavetestimonytogivewhichwillbeofthegreatestassistance，“thedukesaidmostencouragingly。“Perhapshewillbeasortofrock。”

“I——Idon”tintheleastknowwhathewillbe！“sighedMissAlicia，evidentlyuncertaininherviews。

ButwhenthefatheranddaughterwereannouncedshefeltthathisGracewasreallyenchantinginthehappyfacilityofhismanner。Heatleastadjustedhimselfwithagility。Hutchinsonwasofcourselumbering。LackingthesupportofT。Tembarom”spresenceandincongruity，hehimselfwastheincongruousfeature。Hewouldhavebeenobligedtoblusterbywayofsustaininghimself，evenifhehadonlyfoundhimselfbeingpresentedtoMissAlicia；butwhenitwasrevealedtohimthathewasalsoconfrontedwiththegreatestpersonageoftheneighborhood，hebecameashotandredashehadbecomeduringcertainfatefulbusinessinterviews。Moreso，indeed。

“Th”otherchapshadn”tbeendukes；“andtoHutchinsontheoldorderhadnotyetsochangedthatadukewasnotanawkwardlyimpressivepersontofaceunexpectedly。

Theduke”smannerofshakinghandswithhim，however，waseventouchedwithanamiablesuggestionofappreciationofthevalueofamanofgenius。Hehadheardoftheinvention，infactknewsomequitetechnicalthingsaboutit。Herealizeditsimportance。Hehadcongratulationsfortheinventorandtheworldofinventionssogreatlybenefited。

“Lancashiremustbeproudofyoursuccess，Mr。Hutchinson。”Howagreeablyandwithwhateasehesaidit！

“Aye，it”sasuccessnow，yourGrace，“Hutchinsonanswered，“butI

mighthavewaitedagoodbitlongerifithadn”tbeenforthatladan”

hisboldbackingofme。”

“Mr。TempleBarholm？“saidtheduke。

“Aye。He”sgotth”wayofmakingfolksseethingsthattheycan”tseeevenwhenthey”rehittingtheminth”eyes。I”dthatlostheartI

couldneverhavedoneitmyself。”

“Butnowitisdone，“smiledhisGrace。“Delightful！“

“I”vegotthere——sameastheysayinNewYork——I”vegotthere，“saidHutchinson。

HesatdowninresponsetoMissAlicia”sinvitation。Hisuneasewaswonderfullydispelled。Hefelthimselfapersonofsufficientimportancetoaddressevenadukeasmantoman。

“What”sallthisromancin”talkaboutth”otherTempleBarholmcomin”

back，an”ourladknowin”an”hidin”himaway？An”Palliseran”th”

lawyersan”th”policebein”after”emboth？“

“Youhaveheardthewholestory？“fromtheduke。

“I”veheardnaughtelsesinceIcomeback。”

“Grandmotherknewagreatdealbeforewecamehome，“saidLittleAnn。

Theduketurnedhisattentiontoherwithanengagedsmile。Hislook，hisbow，hisbearing，inthemomentoftheirbeingpresentedtoeachother，hadseemedtoMissAliciathemostperfectthing。Hisfineeyehadnotobviouslywanderedwhilehetalkedtoherfather，butithadinfactbeentakingherinwithaninclusivenessnotlikelytomissagreeablepointsofdetail。

“Whatisheropinion，mayIask？“hesaid。“Whatdoesshesay？“

“Grandmotherisverysetinherways，yourGrace。”Thelimpidityofherblueeyeandaflickeringdimpleaddedmuchtothequaintcomprehensivenessofheranswer。“Shesaystheworld”sthatfulloffoolsthatiftheywereallkilledtheLordwouldhavetobeginagainwithanewAdamandEve。”

“ShehasentirefaithinMr。TempleBarholm——asyouhave，“putforwardhisGrace。

“Mine”snotfaithexactly。Iknowhim，“LittleAnnanswered，hertoneaslimpidashereyes。

“There”smorethanherhasfaithinhim，“brokeforthHutchinson。

“DangedifIdon”tliketh”waythemvillagechapsaretakingit。

They”rereadytofightoverit。Sincethey”vefoundoutwhatit”scometo，an”aboutth”lawyerscomin”down，they”retalkin”aboutgettin”

upakindo”demonstration。”

“Delightful！“ejaculatedhisGraceagain。Heleanedforward。“QuitewhatIshouldhaveexpected。There”sagooddealofbeerdrunk，I

suppose。”

“Plentyo”beer，butit”lldonoharm。”Hutchinsonbegantochuckle。

“They”retalkin”o”gettin”outth”fifean”drumbandan”marchin”

roundth”villagewithacalicobannerwith`VoteforT。Tembarom”

paintedonit，toshowwhattheythinkofhim。”

Thedukechuckledalso。

“Iwonderhowhe”smanagedit？“helaughed。“Theywouldn”tdoitforanyoftherestofus，youknow，thoughI”venodoubtwe”requiteasdeserving。Iam，Iknow。”

HutchinsonstoppedlaughingandturnedonMissAlicia。

“What”sthatyoungwomancomin”downherefor？“heinquired。

“LadyJoanwasengagedtoMr。JamesTempleBarholm，“MissAliciaanswered。

“Eh！Eh！“Hutchinsonjerkedout。“That”llturnherintoawildcat，I”llwarrant。She”lldoallth”harmshecan。I”mmuchobligedtoyouforlettin”uscome，ma”am。IwanttobewhereIcanstandbyhim。”

“Father，“saidLittleAnn，“whatyouhavegottorememberisthatyoumustn”tflyintoapassion。Youknowyou”vealwayssaiditneverdidanygood，anditonlysendsthebloodtoyourhead。”

“Youarenotnervous，MissHutchinson？“thedukesuggested。

“AboutMr。TempleBarholm？Icouldn”tbe，yourGrace。IfIwastoseetwopolicemenbringinghiminhandcuffedIshouldn”tbenervous。I

shouldknowthehandcuffsdidn”tbelongtohim，andthepolicemenwouldlookright-downsillytome。”

MissAliciaflutteredovertofoldherinherarms。

“Doletmekissyou，“shesaid。“Doletme，LittleAnn！“

LittleAnnhadrisenatoncetomeetherembrace。Sheputahandonherarm。

“Wedon”tknowanythingaboutthisreally，“shesaid。“We”veonlyheardwhatpeoplesay。Wehaven”theardwhathesays。I”mgoingtowait。”Theywerealllookingather，——thedukewithsuchmarkedinterestthatsheturnedtowardhimassheended。“AndifIhadtowaituntilIwasasoldasgrandmotherI”dwait——andnothingwouldchangemymind。”

“AndI”vebeenlyingawakeatnight！“softlywailedMissAlicia。

CHAPTERXXXIX

ItwasMr。Hutchinsonwho，havinganeyeonthewindow，firstannouncedanarrivingcarriage。

“Someof”em”scomin”fromthestation，“heremarked。“There”snoyoungwomanwith”em，thatIcanseefromhere。”

“IthoughtIheardwheels。”MissAliciawenttolookout，agitatedly。

“Itisthegentlemen。PerhapsLadyJoan”sheturneddesperatelytotheduke。“Idon”tknowwhattosaytoLadyJoan。Idon”tknowwhatshewillsaytome。Idon”tknowwhatsheiscomingfor，LittleAnn，dokeepnearme！“

ItwasaprettythingtoseeLittleAnnstrokeherhandandsootheher。

“Don”tbefrightened，MissTempleBarholm。Allyou”vegottodoistoanswerquestions，“shesaid。

“ButImightsaythingsthatwouldbewrong——thingsthatwouldharmhim。”

“No，youmightn”t，MissTempleBarholm。He”snotdoneanythingthatcouldbringharmonhim。”

TheDukeofStone，whohadseatedhimselfinT。Tembarom”sfavoritechair，whichoccupiedapointofvantage，seemedtoMr。PalfordandMr。Grimbywhentheyenteredtheroomtoweartheaspectofasortofpresidiaryaudience。Thesightofhiserectheadandclear-cut，ivory-

tintedoldface，withitsalert，whilewhollyunbiased，expression，somewhatstartledthemboth。Theyhadindeednotexpectedtoseehim，anddidnotknowwhyhehadchosentocome。Hispresencemightmeananyoneofseveralthings，andthefactthatheenjoyedareputationforquitealarmingastutenessofabrilliantkindpresentedelementsofprobableembarrassment。Ifhethoughtthattheyhadallowedthemselvestobeleduponawild-goosechase，hewouldexpresshisopinionswithtryingreadinessofphrase。

Hismannerofgreetingthem，however，expressednomorethanalightlyagreeabledetachmentfromanyviewwhatsoever。CaptainPalliserfeltthiscuriously，thoughhecouldnothavesaidwhathewouldhaveexpectedfromhimifhehadknownitwouldbehiswhimtoappear。

“Howdoyoudo？Howd”youdo？“HisGraceshookhandswiththeamiableeasewhichscarcelycommitsamaneventocasualinterest，afterwhichhetookhisseatagain。

“Howd”do，MissHutchinson？“saidPalliser。“Howd”do，Mr。

Hutchinson？Mr。Palfordwillbegladtofindyouhere。”

Mr。Palfordshookhandswithcorrectcivility。

“Iam，indeed，“hesaid。“ItwasinyourroominNewYorkthatIfirstsawMr。TempleTempleBarholm。”

“Aye，itwas，“respondedHutchinson，dryly。

“IthoughtLadyJoanwascoming，“MissAliciasaidtoPalliser。

“Shewillbeherepresently。Shecamedowninourtrain，butnotwithus。”

“What——whatisshecomingfor？“falteredMissAlicia。

“Yes，“putintheduke，“what，bytheway，isshecomingfor？“

“Iwroteandaskedhertocome，“wasPalliser”sreply。“Ihavereasontobelieveshemaybeabletorecallsomethingofvaluetotheinquirywhichisbeingmade。”

“That”sinteresting，“saidhisGrace，butwithnoairofparticipatingparticularly。Shedoesn”tlikehim，though，doesshe？Wouldn”tdotoputheronthejury。”

Hedidnotwaitforanyreply，butturnedtoMr。Palford。

“Allthisisdelightfullyportentous。Doyouknowitremindsmeofasceneinoneofthosenumerousplayswherethewrongmanhasmurderedsomebody——orhasn”tmurderedsomebody——andthewholecompanymustbecross-examinedbecausethecurtaincannotbebroughtdownuntiltherightmanisunmasked。Doletuscomeintothis，Mr。Palford；whatweknowseemssoinadequate。”

Mr。PalfordandMr。Grimbyeachfeltthattherelurkedinthismannerapossibilitythattheywerebeingregardedlightly。Alltheobjectionstotheirsituationloomedannoyinglylarge。

“Itis，ofcourse，anextraordinarystory，“Mr。Palfordsaid，“butifwearenotmistakeninourdeductions，wemayfindourselvesinvolvedinacausecelebrewhichwillsetallEnglandtalking。”

“Iamnotmistaken，“Palliserpresentedthecommentwithashortanddrylaugh。

“Thaseemsprettycock-sure！“Hutchinsonthrustin。

“Iam。NooneknewJemTempleBarbolmbetterthanIdidinthepast。

Wewereintimate——enemies。”Andhelaughedagain。

“Thasaystha”llswearth”chapthasawthroughth”windowwashim？“

saidHutchinson。

“I”dswearit，“withcomposure。

Thedukewasreflecting。Hewasagaintappingwithhiscanethegaitercoveringhisslender，shiningboot。

“IfMr。TempleTempleBarholmhadremainedherehisactionswouldhaveseemedlesssuspicious？“hesuggested。

ItwasPalliserwhoreplied。

“Orifhehadn”twhiskedtheothermanaway。Helosthisheadandplayedthefool。”

“Hedidn”tlosehishead，thatchap。It”sscrewedonth”rightway——

hisheadis，“gruntedHutchinson。

“Thecuriousfellowhasanumberoffriends，“thedukeremarkedtoPalfordandGrimby，inhisimpartialtone。“Iamhopingyouarenotthinkingofcross-examiningme。Ihavealwaysbeenconvincedthatundercross-examinationIcouldbeinducedtoinnocentlygiveevidencecondemnatorytobothsidesofanycasewhatever。Butwouldyoumindtellingmewhattheexactevidenceissofar？“

Mr。Palfordhadbeenopeningabudgetofpapers。

“Itisevidencewhichiscumulative，yourGrace，“hesaid。“Mr。TempleTempleBarholm”spositionwouldhavebeenafarlesssuspiciousone——

asyouyourselfsuggested——ifhehadremained，orifhehadn”tsecretlyremovedMr——Mr。Strangeways。”

“ThelastwasCaptainPalliser”ssuggestion，Ibelieve，“smiledtheduke。“Didheremovehimsecretly？Howsecretly，forinstance？“

“Atnight，“answeredPalliser。“MissTempleBarholmherselfdidnotknowwhenithappened。Didyou？“turningtoMissAlicia，whoatonceflushedandpaled。

“HeknewthatIwasrathernervouswhereMr。Strangewayswasconcerned。Iamsorrytosayhefoundthatoutalmostatonce。HeeventoldmeseveraltimesthatImustnotthinkofhim——thatIneedhearnothingabouthim。”Sheturnedtotheduke，herairofappealplainlyrepresentingafeelingthathewouldunderstandherconfession。“I

scarcelyliketosayit，butwrongasitwasIcouldn”thelpfeelingthatitwaslikehavinga——alunaticinthehouse。Iwasafraidhemightbemore——ill——thanTemplerealized，andthathemightsometimebecomeviolent。Ineveradmittedsomuchofcourse，butIwas。”

“Yousee，shewasnottold，“Pallisersummeditupsuccinctly。

“Evidently，“thedukeadmitted。“Iseeyourpoint。”Butheseemedtodisengagehimselffromallsenseofadmittingimplicationswithentirecalmness，asheturnedagaintoMr。Palfordandhispapers。

“Youweresayingthattheexactevidencewas——？“

Mr。Palfordreferredtoasheetofnotes。

“That——whetherbeforeorshortlyafterhisarrivalhereisnotatallcertain——Mr。TempleTempleBarholmbeganstronglytosuspecttheidentityofthepersonthenknownasStrangeways”

Palliseragainemittedtheshortanddrylaugh，andboththedukeandMr。Palfordlookedathiminquiringly。

“Hehad`gotonto”itbeforehebroughthim，“heansweredtheirglances。“Besureofthat。”

“Thenwhydidhebringhim？“thedukesuggestedlightly。

“Oh，well，“takinghiscuefromtheduke，andassumingcasuallightnessalso，“hewasobligedtocomehimself，andwasjollywellconvincedthathehadbetterkeephishandontheman，alsohiseye。

Itwasagood-enoughidea。Hecouldn”tleaveathinglikethatwanderingabouttheStates。Hecouldplaybenefactorsafelyinahouseofthesizeofthisuntilhewasreadyforaction。”

Thedukegaveamomenttoconsideringthematter——stilldetachedly。

“Itis，onthewhole，notunlikelythatsomethingofthesortmightsuggestitselftothecriminalmind，“hesaid。AndhisglanceatMr。

Palfordintimatedthathemightresumehisstatement。

“Wehavesecuredproofthatheappliedhimselftosecretinvestigation。HeisknowntohaveemployedScotlandYardtomakecertaininquiriesconcerningthemansaidtohavebeenkilledintheKlondike。HavingevidentlyreachedmorethansuspicionhebegantoendeavortopersuadeMr。StrangewaystolethimtakehimtoLondon。

Thisapparentlytooksometime。Themeresuggestionofremovalthrewtheinvalidintoastateofpainfulexcitement”

“DidPearsontellyouthat？“thedukeinquired。

“CaptainPalliserhimselfinpassingthedooroftheroomonedayheardcertainexpressionsofterrifiedpleading，“wasMr。Palford”sexplanation。

“Iheardenough，“Pallisertookitupcarelessly，“tomakeitworthwhiletoquestionPearson——whomusthaveheardagreatdealmore。

Pearsonwasorderedtoholdhistonguefromthefirst，buthewillhavetotellthetruthwhenheisasked。”

Thedukedidnotappeartoresenthisview。

“Pearsonwouldbelikelytoknowwhatwenton，“heremarked。“He”sanintelligentlittlefellow。”

“ThefactremainsthatinspiteofhisdistressandreluctanceMr。

Strangewayswasremovedprivately，andthereourknowledgeends。Hehasnotbeenseensince——andafewhoursafter，CaptainPalliserexpressedhisconviction，thatthepersonhehadseenthroughtheWestRoomwindowwasMr。JamesTempleBarholm，Mr。TempleTempleBarholmleftthehousetakingamidnighttrain，andleavingnoclueastohiswhere-aboutsorintentions。”

“Disappeared！“saidtheduke。“Wherehashebeenlookedfor？“

ThecountenanceofbothMr。Palfordandhispartyexpressedacertaindegreeofhesitance。

“Principallyinasylumsandso-calledsanatoriums，“Mr。Grimbyadmittedwithahintofreluctance。

“Placeswherethecuriosityofoutsidersisnotencouraged，“saidPalliserlanguidly。“Andwhereifapatientdiesinafitofmaniatherearealwaysrespectablewitnessestoexplainthathiscasewashopelessfromthefirst。”

Mr。Hutchinsonhadbeenbreathinghardoccasionallyashesatandlistened，andnowhespranguputteringasounddangerouslynearaviolentsnort。

“Artthaaccusin”thatlado”bein”blackvillainenoughtobereadytodobloodymurder？“hecriedout。

“Hewasinaverytightplace，Hutchinson，“Pallisershruggedhisshouldersashesaidit。“Butonemakessuggestionsatthisstage——notaccusations。”

ThatHutchinsonhadlosthisheadwasapparenttohisdaughteratleast。

“Tha”dbeinatightplace，myfinechap，ifIhadmyway，“heflungforthirately。“I”dliketogetthyheadundermyarm。”

TherollofapproachingwheelsreachedMissAlicia。

“There”sanothercarriage，“washeragitatedexclamation。“Oh，dear！

ItmustbeLadyJoan！“

LittleAnnleftherseattomakeherfatherreturntohis。

“Father，you”dbettersitdown，“shesaid，gentlypushinghimintherightdirection。“Whenyoucan”tproveathing”salie，it”sjustaswelltokeepquietuntilyoucan。”Andshekeptquietherself，thoughsheturnedandstoodbeforePalliserandspokewithcleardeliberateness。“Whatyoupretendtobelieveisnottrue，CaptainPalliser。It”sjustnottrue，“shegavetohim。

TheywerefacingandlookingateachotherwhenBurrillannouncedLadyJoanFayre。Sheenteredratherquicklyandlookedroundtheroomwithasweepingglance，takingthemallin。Shewenttothedukefirst，andtheyshookhands。

“Iamgladyouarehere！“shesaid。

“Iwouldnothavebeenoutofit，mydearyounglady，“heanswered，“`forafarm”That”saquotation。”

“Iknow，“shereplied，givingherhandtoMissAlicia，andtakinginPalliserandthesolicitorswithabowwhichwaslittlemorethananod。ThenshesawLittleAnn，andwalkedovertohertoshakehands。

“Iamgladyouarehere。Iratherfeltyouwouldbe，“washergreeting。“Iamgladtoseeyou。”

“Whethertha”rtgladtoseemeornotI”mgladI”mhere，“saidHutchinsonbluntly。“I”vejustbeenspeakingabito”mymind。”

“Now，Fatherlove！“LittleAnnputherhandonhisarm。

LadyJoanlookedhimover。Herhungryeyesweremorehungrythanever。

Shelookedlikeacreatureinafeverandwornbyit。

“IthinkIamgladyouareheretoo，“sheanswered。

Pallisersaunteredovertoher。Hehadapprovedtheduke”sairofbeingatoncedetachedandinquiring，andhedidnotintendtoweartheaspectofthepersonagewhoplaystheunpleasantpartofthepursuerandavenger。Whathesaidwas：

“Itwasgoodofyoutocome，LadyJoan。”

“DidyouthinkIwouldstayaway？“washeranswer。“ButIwilltellyouthatIdon”tbelieveitistrue。”

“Youthinkthatitistoogoodtobetrue？“

Herhoteyeshadrecordsinthemitwouldhavebeenimpossibleforhimtoreadorunderstand。Shehadbeensotorn；shehadpassedthroughsuchhourssinceshehadbeentoldthiswildthing。

“PardonmynottellingyouwhatIthink，“shesaid。“Nothingmatters，afterall，ifheisalive！“

“Exceptthatwemustfindhim，“saidPalliser。

“IfheisinthesameworldwithmeIshallfindhim，“fiercely。ThensheturnedagaintoAnn。“YouarethegirlT。Tembaromloves？“sheputittoher。

“Yes，mylady。”

“Ifhewaslost，andyouknewhewasontheearthwithyou，don”tyouknowthatyouwouldfindhim？“

“Ishouldknowhe”dcomebacktome，“LittleAnnansweredher。“That”swhat”hersmallfacelookedveryfineasinhersecondofhesitationaspiritedflushranoverit，“that”swhatyourmanwilldo，“quitefirmly。

Itwasamazingtoseehowthebitterfacechanged，asifonewordhadbroughtbackapassionatesofteningmemory。

“Myman！“Hervoicemelloweduntilitwasdeepandlow。“DidyoucallT。Tembaromthat，too？Oh，Iunderstandyou！KeepnearmewhileItalktothesepeople。”Shemadehersitdownbyher。

“Iknoweverydetailofyourletters。”SheaddressedPalliseraswellasPalford&Grimby，sweepingalldetailsaside。“Whatisityouwanttoaskme？“

“Thisisourposition，yourladyship，“Mr。Palfordfumbledalittlewithhispapersinspeaking。“Mr。TempleTempleBarholmandthepersonknownasMr。Strangewayshavebeensearchedforsofarwithoutresult。

InthemeantimewerealizethatthemoreevidenceweobtainthatMr。

TempleTempleBarholmidentifiedStrangewaysandactedfrommotive，themoresolidthefoundationuponwhichCaptainPalliser”sconvictionrests。Uptothispointwehaveonlyhisstatementwhichheispreparedtomakeonoath。Fortunately，however，heononeoccasionoverheardsomethingsaidtoyouwhichhebelieveswillbecorroborativeevidence。”

“Whatdidyouoverhear？“sheinquiredofPalliser。

Hertonewasnotpacificconsideringthat，logically，shemustbeonthesideoftheinvestigators。Butitwasherhabit，asCaptainPalliserremembered，toseemtoputmostpeopleonthedefensive。Hemeanttolookasuninvolvedastheduke，butitwasnotquitewithinhispower。Hismannerwassufficientlydeliberate。

“Oneevening，beforeyouleftforLondon，Iwasreturningfromthebilliard-room，andheardyouengagedinanimatedconversationwith——

ourhost。Myattentionwasarrested，firstbecause”asketchofasmileill-concealeditself，“youusuallyscarcelydeignedtospeaktohim，andsecondlybecauseIheardJemTempleBarholm”sname。”

“Andyou——？“neithereyesnormanneromittedthewordlistened。

Buttheslightliftofhisshoulderswasindifferentenough。

“Ilisteneddeliberately。Iwasconvincedthatthefellowwasacriminalimpostor，andIwantedevidence。”

“Ah！comenow，“remarkedthedukeamiably。“Nowwearegettingon。Didyougainany？“

“Ithoughtso。Merelyofthecumulativeorder，ofcourse，“Palliseransweredwithmoderation。“Thosewereearlydays。Heaskedyou，“

turningtoLadyJoanagain，“ifyouknewanyone——anyone——whohadanysortofaphotographofJem。Youhadoneandyoushowedittohim！“

Shewasquitesilentforamoment。Thehourcamebacktoher——theextraordinaryhourwhenhehadstoodinhisloungingfashionbeforeher，andthroughsomeodd，uncivilizedbutabsolutelyhumanforceofhisownhadmadeherlistentohim——andhadgoneontalkinginhisnasalvoiceuntilwithonecommon，crude，grotesquephrasehehadturnedherhideousworldupsidedown——changedthewholefaceofit——

sentthestonewallrisingbeforehercrumblingintodust，andseemedsomehowtosetherfree。Forthemomenthehadliftedaloadfromherthenatureofwhichshedidnotthinkhecouldunderstand——aloadofhatredandsilence。Shehadclutchedhishand，shehadpassionatelyweptonit，shecouldhavekissedit。Hehadtoldhershecouldcomebackandnotbeafraid。Asthestrangeepisoderosebeforeherdetailbydetail，sheliterallystaredatPalliser。

“Youdid，didn”tyou？“heinquired。

“Yes，“sheanswered。

Hermindwasinariot，becauseinthemidstofthingswhichmustbetrue，somethingwasfalse。Butwiththememoryofamyriadsubtleduplicitiesinherbrain，shehadneverseenanythingwhichcouldhaveapproachedathinglikethat。Hehadmadeherfeelmorehumanthananyoneintheworldhadevermadeherfeel——butJem。Hehadbeenabletodoitbecausehewashumanhimself——human。“I”mfriendly，“hehadsaidwithhisboy”slaugh”justfriendly。”

“Isawhimstart，thoughyoudidnot，“Pallisercontinued。“Hestoodandstudiedthelocketintently。”

Sherememberedperfectly。Hehadexamineditsocloselythathehadunconsciouslyknithisbrows。

“Hesaidsomethinginaratherlowvoice，“Pallisertookitup。“I

couldnotquitecatchitall。Itwassomethingabout`knowingthefaceagain。”Icanseeyouremember，LadyJoan。Canyourepeattheexactwords？“

Hedidnotunderstandthestrugglehesawinherface。Itwouldhavebeenimpossibleforhimtounderstandit。Whatshefeltwasthatifshelostholdonherstrangebeliefinthehonestyofthisonedecentthingshehadseenandfeltsoclosetoherthatitclearedtheairshebreathed，itwouldbeasifshehadfallenintoabottomlessabyss。Withoutknowingwhyshedidit，shegotupfromherchairasifshewereawitnessinacourt。

“Yes，Ican，“shesaid。“Yes，Ican；butIwishtomakeastatementformyself。WhetherJemTempleBarholmisaliveordead，CaptainPalliser，T。Tembaromhasdonehimnoharm。”

Thedukesatupdelicatelyalert。Hehadevidentlyfoundherworthlookingatandlisteningtofromtheoutset。

“Hear！Hear！“hesaidpleasantly。

“Whatweretheexactwords？“suggestedPalliser。

MissAliciawhohadbeenweepingonLittleAnn”sshoulder——almostonherlap——liftedherheadtolisten。Hutchinsonsethisjawandgrunted，andMr。Palfordclearedhisthroatmechanically。

“Hesaid，“andnoonebetterthanherselfrealizedhowominously“cumulative“thewordssounded，“thatamanwouldknowafacelikethatagain——whereverhesawit。”

“Whereverhesawit！“ejaculatedMr。Grimby。

Thereensuedamomentofentirepause。Itwasinevitable。Havingreachedthispointatakingofbreathwasnecessary。Eventhedukeceasedtoappearentirelydetached。AsMr。Palfordturnedtohispapersagaintherewasperhapsaslightfeelingofawkwardnessintheair。MissAliciahaddropped，terrorsmitten，intonewtears。

Theslightawkwardnesswas，onthewhole，ratheraddedtobyT。

Tembarom——asifserenelyintroducedbythehandofdramaitself——

openingthedoorandwalkingintotheroom。Hecameinwithamatter-

of-fact，butratherobstinate，air，andstoppedintheirmidst，lookingroundatthemasifcollectedlytakingthemallin。

Hutchinsonsprangtohisfeetwithakindofroar，hisbighandsplungingdeepintohistrouserspockets。

“Hereheis！Dangedifheisn”t！“hebellowed。“Now，lad，thalet”emhaveit！“

Whathewastoletthemhavedidnotensue，becausehisattitudewasnotoneofassault。

“Say，youareallhere，ain”tyou！“heremarkedobviously。“Goodbusiness！“

MissAliciagotupfromthesofaandcametremblingtowardhimasoneapproachesonerisenfromthedead，andhemadeabigstridetowardherandtookherinhisarms，pattinghershoulderinreproachfulconsolation。

“Say，youhaven”tdonewhatItoldyou——haveyou？“hesoothed。“You”veletyourselfgetrattled。”

“ButIknewitwasn”ttrue，“shesobbed。“Iknewitwasn”t。”

“Ofcourseyoudid，butyougotrattledallthesame。”Andhepattedheragain。

Thedukecameforwardwithadelightfullyeasyand——coulditbealmostjocose？——airofbearinghimself。PalfordandGrimbyremarkeditwithpaineddismay。Hewassounswervinginhisreadinessasheshookhands。

“Howwelldoneofyou！“hesaid。“Howwellarranged！ButI”mafraidyoudidn”tarrangeitatall。Ithasmerelyhappened。Wheredidyoucomefrom？“

“FromAmerica；gotbackyesterday。”T。Tembarom”shand-shakewasarobustheartygreeting。“It”sallright。”

“FromAmerica！“Theunitedvoicesofthesolicitorsexclaimedit。

JosephHutchinsonbrokeintoahugeguffaw，andhestampedinexultation。

“I”mdangedifbehasna”beentoAmerica！“hecriedout。“ToAmerica！“

“Oh！“MissAliciagaspedhysterically，“theygobackwardandforwardtoAmericalike——likelightning！“

LittleAnnhadnotrisenathisentrance，butsatstillwithherhandsclaspedtightlyonherlap。Herfacehadsomehowtheeffectofaflowergraduallybreakingintoextraordinarybloom。Theireyeshadoncemetandthensheremained，hersoulinherswhichwereuponhim，asshedrankineverywordheuttered。Hertimehadnotyetcome。

LadyJoanhadremainedstandingbythechair，whichafewmomentsbeforehermannerhadseemedtotransformintosomethinglikeawitnessstandinacourtofjustice。Herhungryeyeshadgrownhungriereachsecond，andherbreathcameandwentquickly。TheveryfaceshehadlookedupatonherlasttalkwithT。Tembarom——theoddlyhumanface——turnedonherashecametoher。Itwasjustasithadbeenthatnight——justascommonlyuncommonandbelievable。

“Say，LadyJoan！Youdidn”tbelieveallthatguff，didyou——Youdidn”t？“hesaid。

“No——no——no！Icouldn”t！“shecriedfiercely。

Hesawshewasshakingwithsuspense，andhepushedhergentlyintoachair。

“You”dbettersitdownaminute。You”reaboutallin，“hesaid。

Shemighthavebeenawomanwithanagueasshecaughthisarm，shakingitbecauseherhandsthemselvessoshook。

“Isittrue？“washerlowcry。“Ishealive——ishealive？“

“Yes，he”salive。”Andasheansweredhedrewcloseandsoplacedhimselfbeforeherthatheshieldedherfromtheothersintheroom。

Heseemedtomanagetoshutthemout，sothatwhenshedroppedherfaceonherarmsagainstthechair-backhershuddering，silentsobbingwashiddendecently。Itwasnotonlyhisbodywhichdidit，butsomeprotectingpowerwhichwasalmostphysicallyvisible。Shefeltitspreadbeforeher。

“Yes，he”salive，“hesaid，“andhe”sallright——thoughit”sbeenalongtimecoming，bygee！“

“He”salive。”Theyallheardit。ForamanofPalliser”smaketostandsilentinthemidstofmysteriousslowlyaccumulatingconvictionsthatsomeone——perilouslyofhisownrarelyinepttype——wasonthevergeoffeelingappallinglylikeafool——wasmomentarilyunendurable。Andnothinghadbeenexplained，afterall。

“Isthiswhatyoucall`bluff”inNewYork？“hedemanded。“You”vegotalottoexplain。YouadmitthatJemTempleBarholmisalive？“andrealizedhisasinineerrorbeforethewordswerefullyspoken。