第6章

Hehalted，withahandheldoutoverherarm，andshepausedaswell，inareluctant，tentativeway。"Idon\'tunderstandyou，"sheremarked，blankly。

"Letmeputitinthisway，"hebegan，knittinghisbrows，andmarshallingthethoughtsandphraseswithwhichhismindhadbeenbusy。"Thisisthequestion。

Youweresayingthatyouweren\'taskedtojoinmyBoard。

YouexplainedinthatwayhowIcoulddothingsforPlowden，andcouldn\'tdothemforyou。Oh，Iknowitwasajoke——butithaditsmeaning——atleasttome。NowIwanttoaskyou——ifIdecidetoformanotherCompany，averysmallandparticularCompany——ifIshoulddecidetoformit，Isay——couldIcometoyouandaskyoutojoinTHATBoard？

OfcourseIcouldask——butwhatImeanis——well，IguessyouknowwhatImean。"

Themetaphorhadseemedtohimamostingeniousandsatisfactoryvehicleforhispurpose，andithadbrokendownunderhimamidevidencesofconfusionwhichhecouldnotaccountfor。Allatoncehissenseofphysicalascendancyhadmeltedaway——disappeared。HelookedatLadyCressageforaninstant，andknewtherewassomethingshufflingandnervelessinthewayhisglancethenshiftedtothedimmountainchainbeyond。Hisheartflutteredsurprisinglyinsidehisbreast，duringthesilencewhichensued。

"Surelyyoumusthavesaideverythingnowthatyouwishedtosay，"sheobservedatlast。Shehadbeenstudyingintentlythetroddensnowatherfeet，anddidnotevennowlookup。Theconstraintofhermanner，andacertainpleadinghesitationinherwords，beganatoncetorestorehisself-command。"Donottalkofitanyfurther，Ibegofyou，"shewenton。

"We——wehavebeenlaggingbehindunconscionably。

Ifyouwishtopleaseme，letushurryforwardnow。

Andplease！——nomoretalkatall！"

"Butjustaword——you\'renotangry？"

Sheshookherheadveryslightly。

"AndyoudoknowthatI\'myourfriend——yoursolid，twenty-four-caratfriend？"

Afteramoment\'spause，shemadeanswer，almostinawhisper——"Yes——bemyfriend——ifitamusesyou，"——andledthewaywithprecipitatestepsdownthewindingroad。

CHAPTERXIII

TWOdayslater，ThorpeandhisyoungpeopletookanearlymorningtrainforGeneva——homewardbound。

Itwasentirelyeasytoaccepttheiruncle\'sdeclarationthaturgentbusinesssummonedhimtoLondon，yetJuliaandAlfred，whentheychancedtoexchangeglancesaftertheannouncement，readineachother\'seyestheformlessimpressionthattherewereotherthingsbesidebusiness。

Theiruncle，theyrealized，mustbeconcernedinlargeandprobablyventuresomeenterprises；butitdidnotfitwiththeirconceptionofhischaracterthatcommercialanxietiesshouldpossessthepowertoupsethim。

Andupsetheundeniablywas。

Theytracedhisdisturbance，inageneralway，tothemorningfollowingtheexcursionuptoGlionandCaux。

Hetoldthemthenthathehadsleptverybadly，andthattheymust"counthimout"oftheirplansfortheday。

HecontinuedtobecountedoutofwhatremainedoftheirstayatTerritet。Heprofessednottobeill，buthewasrestlessandpreoccupied。Heatelittle，butsmokedcontinuously，anddrankspiritsagooddeal，whichtheyhadnotseenhimdobefore。Nothingwouldinducehimtogoouteitherday。

Strangelyenough，thisdisturbanceoftheiruncle\'sequanimitysynchronizedwithanapparentchangeintheattitudeoftheirnewfriendsonthefloorbelow。

Thischangewas，indeed，moreapparentthandefinable。

Theladieswere，tothenicestscrutiny，askindlyandaffableasever，butthesenseofcomradeshiphadsomehowvanished。Insensibly，thetwopartieshadceasedtohaveimpulsesandtastesincommon。

Therewerenomoretripstogether——nomorefortuitousluncheonsorformaldinnersasagroup。

Theyoungpeoplelookedupatthefrontofthebighotelonthismorningofdeparture，aftertheyhadclamberedoverthedriftsintothesnow-bedeckedtrain，andopenedthewindowoftheircompartment。TheymadesurethattheycouldidentifythewindowsofMissMadden\'ssuite，andthatthecurtainsweredrawnaside——buttherewasnoothertokenofoccupancydiscernible。Theyhadsaidgood-byetothetwoladiesthepreviousevening，ofcourse——itlingeredintheirmindsasaratherperfunctoryceremony——butthishadnotpreventedtheirhopingforanotherfarewellglimpseoftheirfriends。Noonecametowaveahandfromthebalcony，however，andtheyoungsterslookedsomewhatdubiouslyateachotherasthetrainmoved。

Thenintuitivelytheyglancedtowardtheiruncle——andperceivedthathehadhishatpulledoverhiseyes，andwasstaringwithakindofmoodyscowlatthelakeopposite。

"Fortunately，itisaclearday，"saidJulia。"WeshallseeMontBlanc。"

Hervoiceseemedtohaveahollowandunnaturalsoundinherownears。Neitherherunclenorherbrotheransweredher。

Atbreakfast，meanwhile，intheapartmenttowardwhichtheyoungpeoplehadturnedtheirfarewellgazeinvain，MissMaddensippedhercoffeethoughtfullywhileshereadaletterspreaduponthetablebesideher。

"It\'sastheysaid，"sheobserved。"Youarenotallowedtodriveinthemountainswithyourownhorsesandcarriage。

ThatseemsratherquaintforamodelRepublic——doesn\'tit？"

"Idaresaythey\'requiteright，"LadyCressagereplied，listlessly。"It\'sintheinterestofsafety。

Peoplewhodonotknowthemountainswouldsimplygoandgetkilledinavalanchesandhurricanes——andallthat。

IsupposethatiswhattheGovernmentwishestoprevent。"

"Andyou\'reonthesideoftheGovernment，"saidtheother，withatwinkleinherbrowneyes。"Trulynow——youhatedthewholeideaofdrivingovertheSimplon。"

LadyCressageliftedherbrowsinwhimsicalassentasshenodded。

"ButdoyoulikethisRussianplananybetter？"

demandedCelia。"Iwishforonceyouwouldbeabsolutelycandidandopenwithme——andletmeknowtotheuttermostjustwhatyouthink。""\'Foronce\'？"queriedtheother。

Hertonewasplacidenough，butsheallowedthesignificanceofthequotationtobemarked。

"Oh，Ineverwhollyknowwhatyou\'rethinking，"

MissMaddendeclared。Sheputonasmiletoalleviatetheforceofherremarks。"Itisnotyoualone——Edith。Don\'tthinkthat！Butitisingrainedinyourcountry-women。

Youcan\'thelpit。It\'sinyourbloodtokeepthingsback。

I\'vemetnumbersofEnglishladieswho，I\'mreadytobelieve，wouldbeincapableoftellinganuntruth。

ButI\'venevermetoneofwhomIcouldbesurethatshewouldtellmethewholetruth。Don\'tyouseethiscaseinpoint，"shepursued，withalittlelaugh，"IcouldnotdragitoutofyouthatyoudislikedtheSimplonidea，solongastherewasachanceofourgoing。Immediatelywefindthatwecan\'tgo，youadmitthatyouhatedit。"

"Butyouwantedtogo，"objectedLadyCressage，quietly。

"Thatwastheimportantthing。WhatIwantedordidnotwanthadnothingtodowiththematter。"

Celia\'sfacecloudedmomentarily。"ThosearenotthekindofthingsIliketohearyousay，"sheexclaimed，withacertainvigour。"Theyputeverythinginquiteafalselight。IameverywhitasanxiousthatyoushouldbepleasedasthatIshould。Youknowthatwellenough。

I\'vesaiditathousandtimes——andhaveIeverdoneanythingtodisproveit？ButInevercanfindoutwhatyoudowant——whatreallywillpleaseyou！Youneverwillproposeanything；youneverwillbeentirelyfrankaboutthethingsIpropose。It\'sonlybywatchingyououtofthecornerofmyeyethatIcaneverguesswhetheranythingisaltogethertoyourlikingornot。"

Thediscussionseemedtobefollowinglinesfamiliartothemboth。"Thatisonlyanotherwayofsayingwhatyoudiscoveredlongago，"saidLadyCressage，passively——"thatIamdeficientintheenthusiasms。

Butoriginallyyouwereoftheopinionthatyouhadenthusiasmsenoughfortwo，andthatmylackofthemwouldredressthebalance，sotospeak。Ithoughtitwasaverylogicalopinionthen，and，frommyownpointofview，Ithinksonow。Butifitdoesnotworkinpractice，atleasttheresponsibilityofdefendingitisnotmine。"

"Delightful！"criedCelia，smilinggaylyassheputdownhercupagain。"YouaretheonlywomanI\'veeverknownwhowaswortharguingwith。ThemereoperationmakesmefeelasifIweregoingthroughOxford——orpassingthefinalJesuitexaminations。Heavenknows，Iwouldgetupargumentswithyoueveryday，forthepureenjoymentofthething——ifIweren\'teternallyafraidofsayingsomethingthatwouldhurtyourfeelings，andthenyouwouldn\'ttellme，butwouldnursethewoundinsilenceinthedark，andIshouldknowthatsomethingwaswrong，andhavetowatchyouforweekstomakeoutwhatitwas——anditwouldallbetoounhappy。

Butitcomesback，yousee，towhatIsaidbefore。

Youdon\'ttellmethings！"

Edithsmiledinturn，affectionatelyenough，butwithawistfulreserve。"Itisaconstitutionaldefect——evennational，accordingtoyou。HowshallIhopetochange，atthislateday？Butwhatisityouwantmetotellyou？——Iforget。"

"TheRussianthing。TogotoVienna，wherewegetourpassports，andthentoCracow，andthroughtoKief，whichtheysayisawfullywellworthwhile——andnextMoscow——andsoontoSt。Petersburg，intimetoseetheicebreakup。ItisonlyinwinterthatyouseethecharacteristicRussia：thatonehasalwaysheard。

Withthefursandthesledges，andthethreehorsesgallopingoverthesnow——itseemstomeitmustbethebestthinginEurope——ifyoucancallRussiaEurope。

That\'sthewayitpresentsitselftome——butthenIwasbroughtupinahalf-Arcticclimate，andIlovethatsortofthing——initsproperseason。Itisdifferentwithyou。

InEnglandyoudon\'tknowwhatarealwinteris。

AndsoIhavetomakequitesurethatyouthinkyouwouldliketheRussianexperiment。"

Theotherlaughedgently。"ButifIdon\'tknowwhatarealwinteris，howcanItellwhetherIwilllikeitornot？AllIdoknowisthatIamperfectlywillingtogoandfindout。Ohyes——truly——Ishouldlikeverymuchtogo。"

MissMaddensighedbriefly。"Allright，"shesaid，butwithanotableabsenceofconvictioninhertone。

Aspaceofsilenceensued，assheopenedandglancedthroughanothernote，theenvelopeofwhichhadbornenopostmark。

Shepoutedherlipsoverthecontentsofthismissive，andraisedhereyebrowsintokenofsurprise，butasshelaiditdownshelookedwithafranksmileathercompanion。

"It\'sfromouryoungfriend，"sheexplained，genially——

"thepainter-boy——Mr。D\'Aubigny。ItistoremindmeofapromisehesaysImade——thatwhenIcametoLondonheshouldpaintmyportrait。Idon\'tthinkIpromisedanythingofthekind——butIsupposethatisadetail。

It\'sallmyunfortunatehair。Theymusthavegonebythistime——theyweretogoveryearly，weren\'tthey？"

LadyCressageglancedattheclock。"Itwas8：40，Ithink——fullyhalfanhourago，"sheanswered，withapainstakingeffectofindifference。

"Curiousconglomeration"——musedtheother。"Theboyandgirlaresocivilized，andtheiruncleissorudimentary。

I\'mafraidtheyarespoilinghimjustasthemissionariesspoilthenoblesavage。Theyoughttogoawayandleavehimalone。Asabarbarianhewasrathereffective——buttheywillwhitewashhimandgildhimandmakeatamemonstrosityofhim。ButIsupposeit\'sinevitable。

Havingmadehisfortune，itistherulethathemustsetupasagentleman。WedoitmoresimplyinAmerica。

Onegenerationmakesthefortune，andleavesittothenextgenerationtoputonthefrills。Myfather，forexample，neveralteredintheslightestdegreethehabitsheformedwhenhewasapoorworkman。Tothedayofhisdeath，blessedoldman，heremainedwhathehadalwaysbeen——simple，pious，modest，hard-working，kindly，andthrifty——amodelpeasant。Nothingevertemptedhimahair\'s-breadthoutofthepathhehadbeenbredtowalkin。

Butsuchnobilityofmindandtemperwithitall！HeneverdreamedofsuggestingthatIshouldwalkinthesamepath。

FrommyearliestchildhoodIcannotrememberhiseverputtingalimitationuponmethatwasn\'tentirelysensibleandgenerous。Imusthavebeenanextremelytryingdaughter，butheneversaidso；heneverlookedoractedasifhethoughtso——ButIneverstopwhenIbegintalkingofmyfather。"

"It\'salwaysverysweettometohearyoutalkofhim，"

LadyCressageputin。"Oneknowssofewpeoplewhofeelthatwayabouttheirfathers！"

Celianoddedgravely，asifinbenevolentcommentuponsomethingthathadbeenleftunsaid。Thesightoftheyoungartist\'snoterecalledherearliersubject。

"Ofcoursethereisacertaindifference，"shewenton，carelessly，——"thisMr。Thorpeisnotatallapeasant，asthephrasegoes。Hestrikesone，sometimes，ashavingbeeneducated。"

"Oh，hewasatapublicschool，LordPlowdentellsme，"

saidtheother，withinterest。"Andhispeoplewerebooksellers——somewhereinLondon——sothathegotagoodsmatteringofliteratureandallthat。Hecertainlyhasmorerighttosetupasagentlemanthannineoutoftenofthenouveauxrichesoneseesflauntingaboutnowadays。

Andhecantalkverywellindeed——inadirect，practicalsortofway。Idon\'tquitefollowyouabouthisnieceandnephewspoilinghim。Ofcourseonecanseethattheyhavehadagreateffectuponhim。Heseesithimself——andhe\'sveryproudofit。Hetoldmeso，quitefrankly。

Butwhyshouldn\'titbeaniceeffect？"

"Oh，Idon\'tknow，"Celiareplied，idly。"Itseemedtomethathewasthekindofpiraticalbuccaneerwhooughtn\'ttobeshavedandpolishedandtaughtdrawing-roomtricks——I

feelthatmerelyintheinterestofthefitnessofthings。

Haveyoulookedintohiseyes——Imeanwhenthey\'vegotthatlack-lustreexpression？Youcanseeahundredthousanddeadmeninthem。"

"Iknowthelookyoumean，"saidLadyCressage，inalowvoice。

"NotthatIassumeheisgoingtokillanybody，"

pursuedMissMadden，withostensibleindifference，butfixingaglanceofarousedattentionuponhercompanion\'sface，"orthathehasanycriminalintentionswhatever。Hebehavesverycivillyindeed，andapparentlyhisnieceandnephewidolizehim。Heseemstobethesoulofkindnesstothem。

ItmaybethatI\'maltogetherwrongabouthim——onlyI

knowIhadtheinstinctofalarmwhenIcaughtthatsortofdullglazeinhiseye。ImetanAfricanexplorerayearago，orso，aboutwhoseexpeditionsdarkstoriesweretold，andhehadpreciselythatkindofeye。

Perhapsitwasthisthatputitintomyhead——butIhaveafeelingthatthisThorpeisanexceptionalsortofman，whowouldhavethecapacityinhimforterriblethings，ifthenecessityaroseforthem。"

"Iseewhatyoumean，"theotherrepeated。Shetoyedwiththebread-crumbsaboutherplate，andreflectivelywatchedtheirmanipulationintosquaresandtrianglesasshewenton。"Butmaythatnotbemerelythevisiblesignofanexceptionallystrongandmasterfulcharacter？

Andisn\'tit，afterall，theresultofcircumstanceswhethersuchacharactermakes，asyouputit，ahundredthousanddeadmen，orenrichesahundredthousandlivesinstead？Weagree，letussay，thatthisMr。Thorpeimpressesusbothasapowerfulsortofpersonality。

Thequestionarises，Howwillheusehispower？Onthatpoint，welookforevidence。Youseeadullglazeinhiseye，andyoudrawhostileconclusionsfromit。Ireplythatitmaymeannomorethanthatheissleepy。But，ontheotherhand，Ibringproofsthatareactivelyinhisfavour。

Heis，asyousay，idolizedbytheonlytwomembersofhisfamilythatwehaveseen——persons，moreover，whohavebeenbroughtupinwaysdifferenttohisown，andwhowouldnotstart，therefore，withprejudicesinhisfavour。

Beyondthat，Iknowoftwocasesinwhichhehasbehaved，orratherundertakentobehave，withreallylavishgenerosity——andinneithercasewasthereanyclaimuponhimofasubstantialnature。Heseemstome，infact，quitetoomuchdisposedtosharehisfortunewithTom，Dick，andHarry——anybodywhoexciteshissympathyorgetsintohisaffections。"Havingsaidthismuch，LadyCressagesweptthecrumbsasideandlookedup。"Sonow，"sheadded，withaflushedsmile，"sinceyouloveargumentssomuch，howdoyouanswerthat？"

Celiasmiledback。"Oh，Idon\'tansweritatall，"shesaid，andhervoicecarriedakindofquizzicalimplication。

"Yourproofsoverwhelmme。Iknownothingofhim——andyouknowsomuch！"

LadyCressageregardedhercompanionwithanovelearnestnessanddirectnessofgaze。"Ihadalong，longtalkwithhim——theafternoonwecamedownfromGlion。"

MissMaddenrose，andgoingtothemantellightedacigarette。

Shedidnotreturntothetable，butafterabriefpausecameandtookaneasy-chairbesideherfriend，whoturnedtofaceher。"MydearEdith，"shesaid，withgravity，"Ithinkyouwanttotellmeaboutthattalk——andsoI

begyoutodoso。ButifI\'mmistaken——whythenIbegyoutodonothingofthekind。"

Theotherthrewoutherhandswithagestureofweariedimpatience，andthenclaspedthemuponherknee。

"IseemnottoknowwhatIwant！Whatisthegoodoftalkingaboutit？Whatisthegoodofanything？"

"Now——now！"Celia\'sassumptionofamonitor\'stonehadreference，apparently，tosomethingunderstoodbetweenthetwo，forLadyCressagedeferredtoit，andevensummonedtheghostofasmile。

"Thereisreallynothingtotell，"shefaltered，hesitatingly——"

thatis，nothinghappened。Idon\'tknowhowtosayit——thetalkleftmymindinawhirl。Icouldn\'ttellyouwhy。

Itwasnoparticularthingthatwassaid——itseemedtobemorethethingsthatIthoughtofwhilesomethingelsewasbeingtalkedabout——butthewholeexperiencemadeamosttremendousimpressionuponme。I\'vetriedtostraightenitoutinmyownmind，butIcanmakenothingofit。

Thatiswhatdisturbsme，Celia。Nomanhaseverconfusedmeinthissillyfashionbefore。Nothingcouldbemoreidiotic。

I\'msupposedtoholdmyowninconversationwithpeopleof——well，withpeopleofacertainintellectualrank，——butthisman，whoisofhardlyanyintellectualrankatall，andwhorambledonwithoutanyspecialaimthatonecouldsee——hereducedmybraintoasortofporridge。

Isaidthemostextraordinarythingstohim——babblingrubbishwhichaschool-girlwouldbeashamedof。

Howisthattobeaccountedfor？Itrytoreasonitout，butIcan\'t。Canyou？"

"Nerves，"saidMissMadden，judicially。

"Oh，thatismeaningless，"theotherdeclared。

"Anybodycansay\'nerves。\'Ofcourse，allhumanthoughtandactionis\'nerves。\'"

"Butyoursisaspecialcaseofnerves，"Celiapursued，withgentleimperturbability。"IthinkIcanmakemymeaningcleartoyou——thoughtheparallelisn\'tpreciselyanelegantone。

Thefinestthoroughbreddogintheworld，ifitisbeatenviciouslyandcowedinitsyouth，willalwayshavealatenttaintofnervousness，apprehension，timidity——callitwhatyoulike。Well，itseemstomethere\'ssomethinglikethatinyourcase，Edith。Theyhurtyoutoocruelly，poorgirl。Iwon\'tsayitbrokeyournerve——butitmadeaflawinit。Justasasoldier\'soldwoundacheswhenthere\'sastormintheair——soyouroldhurtdistractsandupsetsyouundercertainpsychologicalconditions。

It\'saratherclumsyexplanation，butIthinkitdoesexplain。"

"Perhaps——Idon\'tknow，"Edithreplied，inatoneofmelancholyreverie。"Itmakesaverypoorcreatureoutofme，whateveritis。"

"Iratherlosepatience，Edith，"hercompanionadmonishedher，gravely。"Nobodyhasarighttobesodeficientincourageasyouallowyourselftobe。"

"ButI\'mnotacoward，"theotherprotested。

"Icouldbeasbraveasanybody——asbraveasyouare——ifachanceweregivenme。Butofwhatuseisbraveryagainstawalltwentyfeethigh？Ican\'tgetoverit。

Ionlywoundandcripplemyselfbytryingtotearitdown，orbreakthroughit——Ohyes，Iknowwhatyousay！Yousaythereisnowall——thatitisallanillusionofmine。

ButunfortunatelyI\'munabletotakethatview。

I\'vebatteredmyselfagainstittoolong——toosorely，Celia！"

Celiashruggedhershouldersincomment。"Oh，wewomenallhaveourwalls——ourlimitations——ifitcomestothat，"

shesaid，withakindofcompassionateimpatienceinhertone。

"Weareallridiculoustogether——fromthepointofviewofhumanliberty。Thefreewomanisafraud——amyth。

Sheisasemptyanabstractionasthe\'Liberty，Equality，Fraternity\'thattheFrenchputontheirpublicbuildings。

Iusedtohavethemostwonderfulvisionsofwhatindependencewouldmean。IthoughtthatwhenIwasabsolutelymyownmaster，withmymoneyandmycourageandmyfreemind，Iwoulddothingstoastonishallmankind。ButreallythemostIachieveistheoccasionalmildsurpriseofaGermanwaiter。Eventhatpallsononeafteratime。

Andifyouwereindependent，Edith——ifyouhadanyamountofmoney——whatdifferencedoyouthinkitwouldmaketoyou？

Whatcouldyoudothatyoudon\'tdo，orcouldn\'tdo，now？"

"Ah，now"——saidtheother，lookingupwithathinsmile——"nowisaninterval——anoasis。"

MissMadden\'slarge，handsome，clear-huedface，habituallysereneinitsexpression，lostsomethingincomposureassheregardedhercompanion。"Idon\'tknowwhyyoushouldsaythat，"sheobserved，gentlyenough，butwithaneffectofreproofinhertone。"Ihaveneverputlimitstotheconnection，inmyownmind——andithadn\'toccurredtomethatyouweredoingsoinyours。"

"ButI\'mnot，"interposedLadyCressage。

"ThenIunderstandyoulessthanever。Whydoyoutalkaboutan\'interval\'？Whatwastheotherword？——

\'oasis\'——asifthiswereabriefhaltforrefreshmentsandabreathing-spell，andthatpresentlyyoumustwanderforthintothedesertagain。Thatsuggestionisnoneofmine。

Weagreedthatwewouldlivetogether——\'poolourissues，\'

astheysayinAmerica。Iwantedacompanion；sodidyou。

Ihaveneverforaninstantregrettedthearrangement。

SomeofmyownshortcomingsinthematterIhaveregretted。

YouwerethemostbeautifulyoungwomanIhadeverseen，andyouweretalented，andyouseemedtolikeme——andI

promisedmyselfthatIwouldaddcheerfulnessandagayspirittoyourothergifts——andinthatIhavefailedwofully。

You\'renothappy。Iseethatonlytooclearly。"

"Iknow——I\'mawearinessandaboretoyou，"brokeintheother，despondingly。

"Thatispreciselywhatyou\'renot，"Celiawenton。

"Wemustn\'tusewordsofthatsort。Theydon\'tdescribeanythinginourlifeatall。ButIshouldbebetterpleasedwithmyselfifIcouldreallyputmyfingeronwhatitisthatisworryingyou。Evenifwedecidedtobreakupourestablishment，Ihavetoldyouthatyoushouldnotgobacktowhatyouregardaspoverty。

Uponthatscore，Ihadhopedthatyourmindwaseasy。

AsIsay，Ithinkyouattachmoreimportancetomoneythanthosewhohavetesteditspowerswouldagreeto——butthat\'sneitherherenorthere。Youdidnotgetonwellon600poundsayear——andthatisenough。Youshallneverhavelessthantwicethatamount，whetherwekeeptogetherornot——andifitoughttobethreetimestheamount，thatdoesn\'tmatter。

"Youdon\'tseemtorealize，Edith"——shespokewithincreasedanimation——"thatyouaremycaprice。YouarethepossessionthatIamproudestofandfondestof。

Thereisnothingelsethatappealstomeahundredthpartasmuchasyoudo。SinceIbecameindependent，theonerealsatisfactionIhavehadisinbeingabletodothingsforyou——tohaveyouwithme，andmakeyoushareinthebestthattheworldcanoffer。

Andifwithitallyouremainunhappy，whythenyouseeIdon\'tknowwhattodo。"

"Oh，Iknow——Ibehaveverybadly！"LadyCressagehadrisen，andwithvisibleagitationbegannowtopacetheroom。

"Ideservetobethrownintothelake——Iknowitwellenough！ButCelia——truly——I\'masincapableofunderstandingitasyouare。ItmustbethatIampossessedbydevils——likethepeopleintheNewTestament。

Perhapssomeonewillcomealongwhocancastthemout。

Idon\'tseemabletodoitmyself。Ican\'trulemyselfatall。ItneedsastrengthIhaven\'tgot！"

"Ah！"saidCelia，thoughtfully。TheexcitedsentenceswhichEdiththrewoverhershoulderasshewalkedappeared，uponexamination，tocontainasuggestion。

"Mydearchild，"sheaskedabruptly，afteramoment\'ssilence，"doyouwanttomarry？"

LadyCressagepausedatthemantel，andexchangedalongsteadfastglancewithherfriend。Thenshecameslowlyforward。"Ah，thatiswhatIdon\'tknow，"

sheanswered。Apparentlythereplywascandid。

MissMaddenpursedherlips，andfrownedalittleinthought。Then，atsomepassingreflection，shesmiledinapuzzledfashion。Atlastshealsorose，andwenttothemantelforanothercigarette。"NowI

amgoingtotalkplainly，"shesaid，withdecision。

"Sincethesubjectismentioned，lessharmwillbedonebyspeakingoutthanbykeepingstill。Thereisadebateinyourmindonthematter，isn\'tthere？"

Theotherlady，tall，slender，gentlyruminativeoncemore，stoodatthewindowandwithbowedheadlookeddownatthelake。"Yes——Isupposeitmightbecalledthat，"

shereplied，inalowvoice。

"Andyouhesitatetotellmeaboutit？Youwouldrathernot？"Celia，afteraninstant\'spause，wentonwithoutwaitingforananswer。"Ibegthatyouwon\'tassumemyhostilitytotheidea，Edith。Infact，I\'mnotsureIdon\'tthinkitwouldbethebestthingforyoutodo。Marriage，ahome，children——thesearegreatthingstoawoman。Wecansaythatshepaysthepriceofbondageforthem——buttoknowwhatthatsignifies，wemustaskwhatherfreedomhasbeenworthtoher。"

"Yes，"interposedtheother，fromthewindow。"WhathaveIdonewithmyfreedomthathasbeenworthwhile？"

"Notmuch，"murmuredCelia，underherbreath。

Shemovedforward，andstoodbesideEdith，withanarmroundherwaist。Theylookedtogetheratthelake。

"ItisLordPlowden，isitnot？"askedtheAmerican，asthesilencegrewconstrained。

LadyCressagelookedupalertly，andthenhesitatedoverherreply。"No，"shesaidatlast。Uponreflection，andwithadimsmileflickeringinherside-longglanceatCelia，sheadded，"Hewantstomarryyou，youknow。"

"Leavethatoutofconsideration，"saidCelia，composedly。

"Hehasneversaidso。Ithinkitwasmorehismother\'sideathanhis，ifitexistedatall。OfcourseIamnotmarryinghim，oranybodyelse。ButIsawatHadlowthatyouandhewere——whatshallIsay？——oldfriends。"

"Hemustmarrymoney，"theotherreplied。Inanunexpectedburstofcandourshewenton："HewouldhaveaskedmetomarryhimifIhadhadmoney。Thereisnoharmintellingyouthat。Itwasquiteunderstood——oh，twoyearsago。

AndIthinkIwishedIhadthemoney——then。"

"Andyoudon\'twishitnow？"

AslightshakeofEdith\'ssmall，shapelyheadservedforanswer。Afteralittle，shespokeinamusingtone：

"Heisgoingtohavemoneyofhisown，verysoon，butI

don\'tthinkitwouldattractmenow。Ilikehimpersonally，ofcourse，but——thereisnocareer，noambition，nofuture。"

"AViscounthasfutureenoughbehindhim，"observedCelia。

"Itdoesn\'tattractme，"theotherrepeated，vaguely。

"Heishandsome，andclever，andkindandallthat——buthewouldneverappealtoanyofthegreatemotions——norbecapableofthemhimselfHeistoosmooth，toowell-balanced，toomuchthegentleman。Thatexpressesitbadly——butdoyouseewhatImean？"

Celiaturned，andstudiedthebeautifulprofilebesideher，inasteady，comprehendinglook。

"Yes，IthinkIseewhatyoumean，"shesaid，withsignificanceinhertone。

LadyCressageflushed，andreleasedherselffromhercompanion\'sarm。"ButIdon\'tknowmyselfwhatImean！"

sheexclaimed，despairingly，asshemovedaway。"Idon\'tknow！——Idon\'tknow！"

CHAPTERXIV

ONthelastdayofFebruary，Mrs。Dabneywassurprisedifnotexhilaratedbyavisitfromhertwochildreninthelittlebook-shop。

"It\'sthelastdayintheworldthatIshouldhavethoughtyou\'d\'a\'comeouton，"shetoldthem，insalutation——andforcommenttheyallglancedalongthedarknarrowalleyofshelvestothestreetwindow。

Agloomyspectacleitwasindeed，withacoldrainslantingthroughthediscreditedremnantsofafog，whichtheeastwindhadbrokenup，butcouldnotdriveaway，andwithonlynowandagainapasser-bymovingacrossthedimvista，maskedbeneathanumbrella，orbentforwardwithchinburiedinturned-upcollar。Inthedoorwayoutsidethesulkyboystampedhisfeetandslappedhissideswithhisarmsinpantomimicmutinyagainstthetaskofguardingthebook-stalls\'drippingcovers，whichnobodywouldbemadenoughtopauseover，muchlesstolift。

"Idon\'tknowbutI\'doughttolettheboybringinthebooksandgohome，"shesaid，astheirvaguegazewasattractedbyhisgestures。"Butitisn\'tthreeyet——itseemsridiculoustocloseup。Still，ifyou\'dbemorecomfortableupstairs"

"Why，mamma！Theideaofmakingstrangersofus，"protestedJulia。Shestrovetomakehertonecheerful，butitseffectofrebukewasunmistakable。

Themother，leaningagainstthetalldesk，lookedblanklyatherdaughter。Thepallidflickerofthegas-jetoverheadmadeherlong，listlessfaceseemmoredevoidofcolourthanever。

"Butyouareasgoodasstrangers，aren\'tyou？"

sheobserved，coldly。"You\'vebeenbackintowntendaysandmore，andI\'vescarcelylaideyesuponeitherofyou。

Butdon\'tyouwanttositdown？Youcanputthoseparcelsontheflooranywhere。OrshallIdoitforyou？"

Alfredhadbeenloungingintheshadowedcorneragainstaheapofoldmagazinestiedinbundles。Hesprangupnowandclearedthechair，buthissisterdeclineditwithagesture。Hersmallfigurehadstraighteneditselfintoakindofhaughtyrigidity。

"Therehasbeensomuchtodo，mamma，"sheexplained，inaclear，coolvoice。"Wehavehadhundredsofthingstobuyandtoarrangeabout。Alltheresponsibilityforthehousekeepingrestsuponme——andAlfredhashisstudiotodo。

Butofcourseweshouldhavelookedinuponyousooner——andmuchoftener——ifwehadthoughtyouwantedus。Butreally，whenwecametoyou，theverydayafterourreturn，itwasimpossibleforustopretendthatyouweregladtoseeus。"

"Oh，Iwasgladenough，"Mrs。Dabneymadeanswer，mechanically。"Whyshouldn\'tIbeglad？AndwhyshouldyouthinkIwasn\'tglad？Didyouexpectmetoshoutanddance？"

"Butyousaidyouwouldn\'tcometoseeusinOvingtonSquare，"

Alfredremindedher。

"That\'sdifferent，"shedeclared。"WhatwouldIbedoinginOvingtonSquare？It\'sallrightforyoutobethere。

Ihopeyou\'llbehappythere。Butitwouldn\'taddanythingtoyourhappinesstohavemethere；itwouldbequitetheotherwayabout。Iknowthat，ifyouDON\'T。Thisismyplace，here，andIintendtosticktoit！"

Julia\'sbrighteyes，scanningtheapathetic，stubbornmaternalcountenance，hardenedbeyondtheirwont。

"Youtalkasiftherehadbeensomeclasswardeclared，"shesaid，withobviousannoyance。"YouknowthatUncleStormontwouldlikenothingbetterthantobeasnicetoyouasheistous。"

"UncleStormont！"Mrs。Dabney\'srepetitionofthewordswassurchargedwithhostilesarcasm。"ButhisnamewasStormontasmuchasitwasJoel，"brokeinAlfred，fromhisdarkcorner。"Hehasaperfectrighttousetheonehelikesbest。"

"Oh，Idon\'tdisputehisright，"shereplied，oncemoreinherpassionlessmonotone。"Everybodycancallthemselveswhatevertheyplease。It\'snoaffairofmine。Youandyoursisterspellyourfather\'snameinawaytosuityourselves：Ineverinterfered，didI？Youhaveyourownideasandyourowntastes。

Theyarequitebeyondme——butthey\'reallrightforyou。

Idon\'tcriticizethematall。WhatIsayisthatitisagreatmercyyourunclecamealong，withhispocketsfullofmoneytoenableyoutomakethemostofthem。

IfIwerereligiousIshouldcallthatprovidential。"

"Andthat\'swhatweDOcallit，"putinJulia，withvivacity。

"AndwhyshouldyoushutyourdoorsagainstthisProvidence，mamma？Justthinkofit！Wedon\'tinsistuponyourcomingtoliveatOvingtonSquareatall。Probably，asyousay，youwouldbehappierbyyourself——atleastforthepresent。

ButwhenUncleSt——whenunclesaysthere\'smorethanenoughmoneyforusall，andisonlytooanxiousforyoutolethimdothingsforyou——why，he\'syourownbrother！

It\'sasifIshouldrefusetoallowAlfredtodothingsforme。"

"Thatyouneverdid，"interposedtheyoungman，gayly。

"I\'llsaythatforyou，Jule。"

"Andneverwill，"sheassuredhim，withcheerfuldecision。

"Butno——mamma——can\'tyouseewhatwemean？Wehavedonewhatyouwantedustodo。Yousentusbothtomuchbetterschoolsthanyoucouldafford，fromthetimewewereofnoageatall——andwhenuncle\'smoneycameyousentustoCheltenham。Wedidyounodiscredit。

Weworkedverywell；webehavedourselvesproperly。

Wecamebacktoyouatlastwithfairreasontosupposethatyouwouldbe——Iwon\'tsayproud，butatleastwellsatisfiedwithus——andthenitturnedoutthatyoudidn\'tlikeusatall。"

"Ineversaidanythingofthesort，"themotherdeclared，withatouchofanimation。

"Ohno——youneversaidit，"Juliaadmitted，"butwhatelsecanwethinkyoumean？Ourunclesendsforustogoabroadwithhim，andyoubusyyourselfgettingmeready，andhavingnewfrocksmadeandallthat——andIneverhearasuggestionthatyoudon\'twantmetogo——"

"ButIdidwantyoutogo，"Mrs。Dabneyaffirmed。

"Well，then，whenIcomeback——whenwecomeback，andtellyouwhatsplendidandgenerousplansunclehasmadeforus，andhowhehastakenabeautifulfurnishedhouseandmadeitourhome，andsoon，——why，youwon\'tevencomeandlookatthehouse！"

"ButIdon\'twanttoseeit，"themotherretorted；obstinately。

"Well，then，youneedn\'t！"saidAlfred，rising。

"Nobodywillaskyouagain。""Ohyestheywill，"

urgedJulia，glancingmeaninglyfromonetotheother。

Allherlife，asitseemed，shehadbeenaccustomedtomediatebetweenthesetwounpliableandstubborntemperaments。

Fromherearliestchildhoodshehadunderstood，somehow，thattherewasaDabneyhabitofmind，whichwasbycomparisonsoftandifnotyielding，thenpolitic：

andsetoveragainstittherewasaThorpetemperfullofgnarledandtwistedhardnesses，andtenaciousasdeath。

InthedaysofhergrandfatherThorpe，whomsherememberedwithanalarmeddistinctness，therehadexistedakindoftacitideathathisnamealoneaccountedforandjustifiedthemostpersistentandstormybadtemper。

Thatoldmanwiththescowlingbrowsbulliedeverybody，suspectedeverybody，apparentlydislikedeverybody，vehementlydemandedhisownwillofeverybody——anditwasalltobeexplained，seemingly，bythefactthathewasaThorpe。

Afterhisdisappearancefromthescene——unlamented，tothebestofJulia\'sjuvenileperceptions——therehadbeenrelativelypeacefultimesinthebook-shopandthehomeoverhead，yettherehadexistedalwaysarecognizedlineofdemarcationrunningthroughthehousehold。Juliaandherfather——asmall，hollow-chested，round-shoulderedyoungman，withapale，anxiousfaceandingratiatingmanner，whohadenteredtheshopasanassistant，andremainedasason-in-law，andwasnowthethinnestofunsubstantialmemories——JuliaandthisfatherhadstoodupononesideofthisimpalpablelineasDabneys，otherwiseasmeekandtractablepersons，whowouldnotexpecttohavetheirownway。

AlfredandhismotherwereThorpes——thatistosay，peoplewhonecessarilyhadtheirownway。Theirdominationwasstainedbynoneoftheexcesseswhichhadrenderedthegrandfatherintolerable。Theirsurfacetemperwasintruthalmostsluggishlypacific。Underneath，however，uglycurrentsandsharprockswerewellknowntohaveapotentialexistence——anditwasthemissionoftheDabneystoseethatnowindofprovocationundulystirredthesedepths。

Worseeventhanthesepossibilitiesofviolence，however，sofarasevery-daylifewasconcerned，wasthestrainofobstinacywhichbelongedtotheThorpetemper。

Asortofpassivemulishnessitwas，impervioustoargument，immovableunderthemostsympatheticpressure，whichparticularlytriedtheDabneypatience。

ItseemedtoJulianow，assheinterposedhersoothinginfluencebetweenthesejarringforces，thatshehadspentwholeyearsofherlifeinpersonalinterventionsofthissort。

"Ohyestheywill，"sherepeated，andwarnedherbrotherintothebackgroundwithagesturehalf-pleadinghalf-peremptory。"Weareyourchildren，andwe\'renotbadorundutifulchildrenatall，andI\'msurethatwhenyouthinkitallover，mamma，you\'llseethatitwouldbeabsurdtoletanythingcomebetweenyouandus。"

"HowcouldIhelplettingitcome？"demandedthemother，listlesslyargumentative。"Youhadoutgrownmeandmywaysaltogether。Itwasnonsensetosupposethatyouwouldhavebeensatisfiedtocomebackandlivehereagain，overtheshop。Icouldn\'tthinkforthelifeofmewhatI

wasgoingtodowithyou。Butnowyourunclehastakenallthatintohisownhands。Hecangiveyouthekindofhomethatgoeswithyoureducationandyourideas——andwhatmoredoyouwant？Whyshouldyoucomebotheringme？"

"Howunjustyouare，mamma！"criedJulia，withaglazeoftearsuponherbrightglance。

Thewidowtookherelbowfromthedesk，and，slowlystraighteningherself，lookeddownuponherdaughter。

Herlongplainface，habituallygraveinexpression，conveyednohintofexceptionalemotion，butthefingersofthelarge，capablehandssheclaspedbeforeherwrithedrestlesslyagainstoneanother，andtherewasahusky-threatofcollapseinhervoiceasshespoke：

"Ifyoueverhavechildrenofyourown，"shesaid，"andyouslaveyourlifeouttobringthemupsothatthey\'llthinkthemselvesyourbetters，andtheyactaccordingly——thenyou\'llunderstand。Butyoudon\'tunderstandnow——andthere\'snogoodourtalkinganymoreaboutit。

Comeinwheneverit\'sconvenient——andyoufeellikeit。

Imustgobacktomybooksnow。"

Shetookupapenatthis，andopenedthecash-bookupontheblotter。Herchildren，surveyingherblankly，foundspeechdifficult。Withsomemurmuredwords，afteralittlepause，theybestowedaperfunctorykissuponherunresponsivecheek，andfiledoutintotherain。

Mrs。Dabneywatchedthemputuptheirumbrella，andmoveoffStrandwardbeneathit。Shecontinuedtolookforalongtime，inanaimless，ruminatingway，atthedismalprospectrevealedbythewindowandtheglassofthedoor。Theprematurenightwasclosinginmiserably，withincreasingrain，andadolefulwhistleofrisingwindroundthecorner。

Atlastsheshutuptheunconsideredcash-book，lightedanothergas-jet，andstridingtothedoor，rappedsharplyontheglass。

"Bringeverythingin！"shecalledtotheboy，andhelpedouthisapprehensionbyacomprehensivegesture。

Later，whenhehadcompletedhistask，andoneofthetwonarrowoutletsfromtheshopinfrontwassatisfactorilyblockedwiththewaresfromwithout，andalltheflooraboutreekedwiththegrimydrippingsoftheoilskins，Mrs。Dabneysummonedhimtothedeskintherear。

"Ithinkyoumaygohomenow，"shesaidtohim，withthelaconicabruptnesstowhichhewassowellaccustomed。

"Youhaveahome，haven\'tyou？"

RememberingtheexhaustiveenquirieswhichtheMissionpeoplehadmadeabouthimandhisbelongings，asapreliminarytohisgettingthisjob，hecouldnotbutbesurprisedatthemistress\'squestion。Inconfusionhenoddedassent，andjerkedhisfingertowardhiscap。

"Gotamother？"shepursued。Againhenodded，withaugmentedconfidence。

"Anddoyouthinkyourselfbetterthansheis？"

Theurchin\'sdirtyandunpleasantfacescreweditselfupinanxiousperplexityoverthisstrangequery。Thenitclearedashethoughthegraspedtheidea，andtherat-eyesheliftedtohergleamedwiththefellacutenessoftheDials。

"Ish\'dbesorryifIwasn\'t，"heanswered，inswift，raspingaccents。"She\'sarareoldboozer，sheis！It\'safaircursetoanhonestboylikeme，to\'ave——""Gohome！"

shebadehim，peremptorily——andfrownedafterhimasheduckedandscuttledfromtheshop。

Lefttoherself，Mrs。Dabneydidnotreopenthecash-

book——thewretchedday，indeed，hadbeenpracticallyablankinitshistory——butloiteredaboutinthewaninglightamongtheshelvesnearthedesk，alteringthepositionofbookshereandthere，andglancingcursorilythroughothers。

Onceortwiceshewenttothedoorandlookedoutupontherain-soakedstreet。Atradesman\'sassistant，opposite，wasrollingtheironshuttersdownforthenight。

Ifbusinessinhatswasoverfortheday，howmuchmoresoinbooks！Hershophadneverbeenfittedwithshutters——forwhatreasonshecouldnotguess。

Theopenedpagesofnumerousvolumesweredisplayedcloseagainstthewindow，butnoonehadeverbrokenapanetogetatthem。Apparentlyliteratureraisednodesiresinthecriminalbreast。Toclosetheshoptherewasnothingtodobutlockandboltthedoorandturnoutthelights。

Atlast，astheconvictionofnightfallforceditselfuponherfromthedrencheddarknessoutside，shebenttoputherhandtothekey。Then，withalittlestartofsurprise，shestooderect。Someonewasshuttinganumbrellainthedoorway，preparatorytoenteringtheshop。

Itwasherbrother，splashedandwettotheknees，butwithaglowingface，whopushedhiswayin，andconfrontedherwithabroadgrin。Therewassuchamasterfulairabouthim，thatwhenhejoviallythrewanarmroundhergauntwaist，andgatheredherupagainsthismoistshoulder，shesurprisedherselfbyahalf-laughingsubmission。

Hervocabularywasnotrichinphrasesforthiskindofemergency。"Domindwhatyou\'reabout！"shetoldhim，flushingnotunpleasurably。

"Shutuptheplace！"heanswered，withlordlygeniality。

"I\'vewalkedallthewayfromtheCityintherain。

Iwantedtheexertion——Icouldn\'thavesatinacab。

Comebackandbuildupthefire，andlet\'shaveatalk。

God！WhatthingsI\'vegottotellyou！"

"Thereisn\'tanyfiredownhere，"shesaid，apologetically，astheyedgedtheirwaythroughtherestrictedalleytotherear。"Theoldfireplacetookuptoomuchroom。

Sometimes，inverysharpweather，Ihaveanoil-stovein。

Usuallythegaswarmsitenough。Youdon\'tfindittoocold——doyou？——withyourcoaton？Orwouldyourathercomeupstairs？"

"Nevermindthecold，"hereplied，throwingalegoverthestoolbeforethedesk。"Ican\'tstaymore\'naminuteortwo。Whatdoyouthinkwe\'vedonetoday？"

Louisahadneverinherlifeseenherbrotherlooksowellashedidnow，sprawlingtriumphantlyuponthestoolundertheyellowgas-light。Hisstrong，heavily-featuredfacehadsomehowceasedtobecommonplace。

Ithadacquiredanindividualdistinctionofitsown。

Helookedupatherwithaclear，boldeye，inwhich，despiteitsglossofgood-humour，shediscernedanewauthority。

Thenervousandapprehensivelineshadsomehowvanishedfromthecountenance，andwiththem，oddlyenough，thatlethargic，heavyexpressionwhichhadbeentheircomplement。

Hewasallvigour，readiness，confidence，now。Shedeemedhimalmosthandsome，thiscurious，changeablebrotherofhers，ashebeatwithhisfistinameasuredwayuponthedesk-toptoemphasizehiswords，andfastenedhiscommandinggazeuponher。

"Wetookverynearlytwentythousandpoundsto-day，"

hewenton。"Thisisthetwenty-eighthofFebruary。

Afortnightagotodaywasthefirstsettlement。

Iwasn\'there，butSemplewas——andtheworkingofitisallinhishands。Hekeptasstillasamousethatfirstday。Theyhadtodelivertous26，000shares，andtheyhadn\'tgotone，butwedidn\'tmakeanyfuss。

Thepointwas，yousee，nottoletthemdreamthattheywerecaughtinatrap。Wedidn\'tevenputthepriceuptopar。TheyhadtocometoSemple，andsaytheredidn\'tseemtobeanysharesobtainablejustatthemoment，andwhatwouldhecarrythemoverat？Thatmeans，toletthempostponedeliveryforanotherfortnight。

Hewasassmoothassweet-oilwiththem，andagreedtocarrythemovertilltodaywithoutanychargeatall。

Buttodayitwasalittledifferent。Thepricewasuptenshillingsabovepar。Thatistosay，Semplearrangedwithajobber，onthequiet，d\'yesee？toofferthirtyshillingsforourone-poundshares。Thatofferfixedthemaking-upprice。Sothen，whentheywerestillwithoutsharesto-day，andhadtobecarriedoveragain，theyhadtopaytenshillings\'differenceoneachoftwenty-sixthousandshares，plusthedifferencebetweenparandthepricesthey\'dsoldat。Thatmakeswithinafewhundredsof20，000poundsincash，foroneday\'shaul。

D\'yesee？"

Shenoddedathim，expressively。Throughprevioustalksshehadreallyobtainedaninsightintotheoperation，anditinterestedhermorethanshewouldhavecaredtoconfess。

"Well，then，weputthat20，000poundsinourpockets，"

heproceededwithasteadyglowinhiseyes。"Afortnighthence，thatisMarch14th，weringthebellonthemagain，andtheymarchuptothecaptain\'sofficeandsettleasecondtime。

Nowwhathappensonthe14th？AjobbermakesthepriceforSempleagain，andthatsettlesthenewsumtheyhavetopayusindifferences。Itisforustosaywhatthatpriceshallbe。We\'lldecideonthatwhenthetimecomes。

Wemostprobablywilljustputitupanothertenshillings，andsotakeinjustasimple13，000pounds。It\'sbestinthelongrun，Isuppose，togoslow，withsmallriseslikethat，inordernottofrightenanybody。

SoSemplesays，atanyrate。"

"Butwhynotfrightenthem？"Louisaasked。"Ithoughtyouwantedtofrightenthem。Youwerefullofthatideaawhileago。"

Hesmiledgenially。"I\'velearnedsomenewwrinklessincethen。We\'llfrighten\'emstiffenough，beforewe\'rethroughwiththem。Butatthestartwejustgoeasy。

Iftheygotwordthattherewasa\'corner，\'therewouldbeadeadscareamongthejobbers。They\'dbeafraidtosellornameapriceforRubberConsolsunlesstheyhadthesharesinhand。Andthereareotherwaysinwhichthatwouldbeanuisance。Presently，ofcourse，weshallliberatesomefewshares，sothattheremaybesomeactualdealings。

Probablyacertainnumberofthe5，000whichwenttothegeneralpublicwillcomeintothemarkettoo。

Butofcourseyouseethatallsuchshareswillsimplygothroughoneoperationbeforetheycomebacktous。

SomeoneofthefourteenmenwearesqueezingwillsnapthemupandbringthemstraighttoSemple，togetfreefromthefortnightlytaxwearelevyingonthem。Inthatwayweshalleventuallyletoutsayhalfofthesefourteen\'shorts，\'orperhapsmorethanhalf。"

"Whatdoyouwanttodothatfor？"Thesister\'sgreyeyeshadcaughtametallicgleam，asiffromthetalkaboutgold。

"Whyletanybodyout？Whycan\'tyougoontakingtheirmoneyforever？"

Thorpenoddedcomplacently。"Yes——that\'swhatIaskedtoo。

Itseemedtomethemostnaturalthing，whenyou\'dgot\'eminthevise，tokeepthemthere。Butwhenyoucometoreflect——youcan\'tgetmoreoutofamanthanthereisinhim。Ifyoupresshimtoohard，hecanalwaysgobankrupt——andthenhe\'soutofyourreachaltogether，andyouloseeverythingthatyoucountedonmakingoutofhim。So，afteracertainpoint，eachoneofthefourteenmenwhomwe\'resqueezingmustbedealtwithonadifferentfooting。Weshallhavetowatchthemall，andstudytheirresources，astipsterswatchhorsesinthepaddock。

"Yousee，someofthemcanstandalossofahundredthousandpoundsbetterthanotherscouldlosetenthousand。

Allthatwehavetoknow。Wecantakeitasaprinciplethatnoneofthemwillgobankruptandlosehisplaceontheexchangeunlessheispressedtighttothewall。

Well，ourbusinessistolearnhowfareachfellowisfromthewalltostartwith。Thenwekeeptrackofhim，oneturnofthescrewafteranother，tillweseehe\'sgotjustenoughlefttobuyhimselfout。Thenwe\'lllethimout。See？"

"It\'scruel，isn\'tit？"shecommented，calmlymeditative，afteralittlepause。

"EverythingintheCityiscruel，"heassuredherwithalighttone。"Allspeculativebusinessiscruel。

Takeourcase，forexample。Iestimateinaroughwaythatthesefourteenmenwillhavetopayovertous，indifferencesandinfinalsales，saysevenhundredthousandpounds——maybeeighthundred。Well，now，notoneofthosefellowseverearnedasinglesovereignofthatmoney。

They\'vetakenthewholeofitfromothers，andtheseotherstookitfromothersstill，andsoonalmostindefinitely。

Thereisn\'tasovereignofitthathasn\'tbeenthroughtwentyhands，orfiftyforthatmatter，sincethelastmanwhohaddonesomehonestworkforitpartedcompanywithit。

Well——moneylikethatbelongstothosewhoareinpossessionofit，onlysolongastheyarestrongenoughtoholdontoit。Whensomeonestrongerstillcomesalong，hetakesitawayfromthem。Theydon\'tcomplain：theydon\'tcryandsayit\'scruel。Theyknowit\'stheruleofthegame。

Theyacceptit——andbeginatoncelookingoutforanewsetoffoolsandweaklingstorecoupthemselveson。

That\'sthewaytheCitygoes。"

Thorpehadconcludedhisphilosophicalremarkswithruminativeslowness。Ashelapsedintosilencenow，hefelltostudyinghisownhandsonthedesk-topbeforehim。

Hestretchedoutthefingers，curvedthemindifferentdegrees，thenclosedthemtightandturnedthebulkyhard-lookingfistsroundforinspectioninvaryingaspects。

"That\'sthekindofhand，"hebeganagain，thoughtfully，"thatbreakstheJewinthelongrun，ifthere\'sonlygritenoughbehindit。IusedtowatchthoseJews\'

hands，ayearago，whenIwasdiningandwiningthem。

They\'reallthinandwiryandfullofveins。Theirfingersareneverstill；theytwistroundandkeepstirringlikealobster\'sfeelers。Butthereaintanyrealstrengthin\'em。Theygetholdofmostofthethingsthataregoing，becausethey\'reeternallyonthemove。

It\'stheirhellishindustryandactivitythatgivesthemsuchapull，andmakesmostpeopleafraidofthem。

Butwhenahandlikethattakesthembythethroat"——hehelduphisrighthandashespoke，withthethickuncouthfingersandmassivethumbarchedmenacinglyinapowerfulmusculartension——"whenTHATtightensroundtheirneck，andtheyfeelthatthegripmeansbusiness——myGod！

whatgoodarethey？"

Helaughedcontemptuously，andslappedtherelaxedpalmonthedeskwithanoisewhichmadehissisterstart。

Apparentlythediversionrecalledsomethingtohermind。

"Therewasamaninhereaskingaboutyoutoday，"

sheremarked，inacasualfashion。"Saidhewasanoldfriendofyours。"

"Oh，yes，everybody\'smy\'oldfriend\'now，"heobservedwithbeamingindifference。"I\'malreadygettingheapsofinvitationstodinnersanddancesandallthat。

OnefellowinsistedonbookingmeforEasterforsomesalmonfishinghe\'sgotwaydowninCumberland。

ItoldhimIcouldn\'tcome，butheputmynamedownallthesame。Sayshiswifewillwritetoremindme。

Damnhiswife！Sempletellsmethatwhenoursqueezereallybeginsandtheyrealizethedesperatekindoftrapthey\'rein，they\'llsimplyshowerattentionsofthatsortonme。Hesaysthesocialpressuretheycancommand，foragameofthiskind，issomethingtremendous。

ButI\'mnottobetakeninbyitforasinglepennyworth，d\'yesee？Idinewithnobody！Ifishandshootandgoyachtingwithnobody！JuliaandAlfredandourownhomeinOvingtonSquare——that\'llbegoodenoughforme。

Bytheway——youhaven\'tbeenouttoseeusyet。

We\'reallsettlednow。Youmustcomeatonce——whynotwithme，now？"

Louisapaidnoheedtothissuggestion。Shehadbeenrummagingamongsomeloosepapersonthetopofthedesk，andshesteppedroundnowtoliftthelidandsearchaboutforsomethinginside。

"Heleftacardforyou，"shesaid，asshegropedamongthedesk\'scontents。"Idon\'tknowwhatIdidwithit。

Hewrotesomethingonit。"

"Oh，damnhim，andhiscardtoo，"Thorpeprotestedeasily。

"Idon\'twanttoseeeitherofthem。"

"HesaidheknewyouinMexico。Hesaidyou\'dhaddealingstogether。Heseemedtoactasifyou\'dwanttoseehim——butIdidn\'tknow。Ididn\'ttellhimyouraddress。"

Thorpehadlistenedtotheseapatheticsentenceswithoutmuchinterest，butthesumoftheirmessageappearedsuddenlytocatchhisattention。Hesatupright，andafteramoment\'sfrowningbrownstudy，lookedsharplyupathissister。

"Whatwashisname？"heaskedwithabruptness。

"Idon\'tintheleastremember，"shemadeanswer，holdingthedesk-topup，buttemporarilysuspendinghersearch。

"Hewasalittleman，five-and-fifty，Ishouldthink。

Hehadlonggreyhair——akindofQuaker-lookingman。

Hesaidhesawthenameoverthedoor，andherememberedyourtellinghimyourpeoplewerebooksellers。HeonlygotbackhereinEnglandyesterdayorthedaybefore。

Hesaidhedidn\'tknowwhatyou\'dbeendoingsinceyouleftMexico。Hedidn\'tevenknowwhetheryouwereinEnglandornot！"

Thorpehadbeenlookingwithabstractedintentnessatasetofgreen-boundcheapBritishpoetsjustatonesideofhissister\'shead。"Youmustfindthatcard！"

hetoldhernow，withavagueseverityinhisvoice。

"Iknowthenamewellenough，butIwanttoseewhathe\'swritten。Wasithisaddress，doyouremember？ThenameitselfwasTavender，wasn\'tit？GoodGod！Whyisitawomanneverknowswhereshe\'sputanything？EvenJuliaspendshourslookingforbutton-hooksorcorkscrewsorsomethingofthatsort，everydayofherlife！They\'vegotnothingintheworldtodoexceptknowwherethingsare，rightundertheirnose，andyetthat\'sjustwhattheydon\'tknowatall！"

"Oh，Ihaveagoodfewotherthingstodo，"sheremindedhim，asshefumbledagaininsidetheobscurityofthedesk。

"Icanputmyhandonanyoneoffourthousandbooksinstock，"shemildlyboastedoverhershoulder，"andthat\'ssomethingyouneverlearnedtodo。AndIcantellifasinglebookismissing——andIwouldn\'ttrustanyshopmanIeverknewtodothat。"

"Ohofcourse，you\'reanexception，"headmitted，underasenseofjustice。"ButIwishyou\'dfindthecard。"

"Iknowwhereitis，"shesuddenlyannounced，andforthwithclosedthedesk。Movingoffintotheremoterrecessesofthecrowdedinterior，shereturnedtothelightwiththebitofpasteboardinherhand。

"I\'dstuckitinthelittlemirroroverthewashstand，"

sheexplained。

Healmostsnatcheditfromher，andstoodupthebettertoexamineitunderthegas-light。"WhereisMontagueStreet？"

heasked，withroughdirectness。

"InBloomsbury——alongsidetheMuseum。That\'soneMontagueStreet——Idon\'tknowhowmanyotherstheremaybe。"

Thorpehadalreadytakenuphisumbrellaandwasbuttoninghiscoat。"Yes——Bloomsbury，"hesaidhurriedly。

"Thatwouldbehisform。Andyousayheknewnothingaboutmymovementsorwhereabouts——nothingabouttheCompany，eh？"Helookedathiswatchashespoke。

Evidentlythepresenceofthisstrangerhadexcitedhimagooddeal。

"No，"sheassuredhim，reflectively；"no，I\'msurehedidn\'t。Fromwhathesaid，hedoesn\'tknowhiswayaboutLondonverywell，oranywhereelse，forthatmatter，Ishouldsay。"

Thorpenodded，andputhisfingertohisforeheadwithameaninglook。"No——he\'sashadeoffintheupperstory，"

hetoldherinaconfidentialtone。"Still，it\'simportantthatIshouldseehim，"——andwithonlyahastyhand-shakehebustledoutoftheshop。

Bythelightofthestreetlampopposite，shecouldseehimonthepavement，inthepeltingrain，vehementlysignallingwithhisumbrellaforacab。