第9章

Shedidnotwant，andwouldnotknowwhattodowith，abiggershopthanshehad。Anaugmentationofhercapitalwouldbeofnouse，becausetherewasnoroominthecrowdedlittleshopforalargerstockthanitcontained。

Shewasentirelysatisfiedwiththedingyhomeoverhead，anddeclinedtothinkevenofmovingelsewhere。

Overandoveragainshemethispropositionswithasayingwhichhecouldrecallhavingparticularlyhatedontheirfather\'slips，——"It\'sillteachinganolddognewtricks。"

"Yououghttohavethemtaughtyouwithastick，"

hehadtoldherroundly，onthelastoccasion。

Shehadmerelyshruggedhergauntshouldersathim。

"Youthinkyoucanbullyeverybodyandmakethemcrawltoyou，——butthere\'snogoodyourtryingitonwithme，"

shehadtoldhim，andhehadpushedhiswayoutoftheshopalmoststampinghisfeet。Itwascleartohimatthatmomentthathewouldneverdarkenherdooragain。

Yetnow，onthisafternoonofthetenth，asheloungedwithacigarandaCitypaperinhisapartmentatthehotelafterluncheon，wonderingwhetheritweretoohottoissueforthforawalktothePark，theirrelevantideaofgoingroundtoseehissisterkeptcomingintohismind。

Heseatedhimselfandfastenedhisattentionuponthepaper，——butoffitslippedagaintotheoldbook-shop，andtothatcurious，cross-grainedfigure，itsmistress。

Heabandonedhimselftothinkingabouther——anddiscoveredthatacertainuniquequalityinherchallengedhisadmiration。

Shewastheonlyabsolutelydisinterestedpersonheknew——theonlycreatureintheworld，apparently，whodidnotdesiretomakesomethingoutofhim。Shewasnotatallwell-

off，——wasindeedratherpoorthanotherwise，——andherewasheronlybrotheramillionaire，andinherdumbwayshehadasisterlyaffectionforhim，andyetshecouldnotbearguedorcajoledintotouchingapennyofhismoney。

Surelytherecouldbenootherwomanlikeher。

Thorperealizedthatitwasadistinctiontohavesuchasister，——andbehindthisthoughtroseobscurelythesuggestionthattheremustbewonderfulbloodinaracewhichhadproducedsuchadaughter。Andforthatmatter，suchasontoo！Heliftedhishead，andlookedabstractedlybeforehim，asifheweregazingatsomeapotheosisofhimselfinamirror。

Hebeheldallatoncesomethingconcreteandpersonal，obtrudedintotheheartofhisreverie，thesightofwhichdimlyastoundedhim。Forthemoment，withopenedlipshestaredatit，——thenslowlybroughthimselftocomprehendwhathadhappened。Anoldmanhadbysomeoversightofthehotelservantsbeenallowedtoentertheroomunannounced。Hehadwanderedinnoiselessly，andhadmovedinapurblindfashiontothecentreoftheapartment。Thevaguenessoftheexpressiononhisfaceandofhismovementshintedatavacantmindortoomuchdrink，——butThorpegavenothoughttoeitherhypothesis。

Thefaceitself——no——yes——itwasthefaceofoldTavender。

"InthenameofGod！Whatareyoudoinghere？"Thorpegaspedatthisextraordinaryapparition。Stillstaring，hebegantopushbackhischairandputhisweightuponhisfeet。

"Well——Thorpe"——theotherbegan，thrustingforwardhisheadtolookthroughhisspectacles——"soitisyou，afterall。

Ididn\'tknowwhetherIwasgoingtofindyouornot。

Thisplacehasgotsomanyturnsandtwiststoit——"

"Butgoodheavens！"interposedthebewilderedThorpe。

Hehadrisentohisfeet。Hemechanicallytookthehandwhichtheotherhadextendedtohim。"Whatinhell"——hebegan，andbrokeoffagain。Thearomaofalcoholontheaircaughthissense，andhismindstoppedattheperceptionthatTavenderwasmoreorlessdrunk。Hestrovetospuritforward，tocompelittoencompassthemeaningsofthisnewcrisis，butalmostinvain。

"ThoughtI\'dlookyouup，"saidtheoldman，buoyantly。

"NobodyinLondonI\'dratherseethanyou。Howareyou，anyway？"

"Whatdidyoucomeoverfor？Whendidyougethere？"

Thorpeputthequestionsautomatically。Hisself-controlwasreturningtohim；hiscapablebrainpushedforwardnowundersomethinglikedisciplineddirection。

"WhyIguessIoweitalltoyou，"repliedTavender。

TracesoftheoldQuakereffectwhichhadbeensocharacteristicofhimstillhungabouthisgarbandmien，butthereshoneanewassuranceonhisbenignant，rubicundface。Prosperityhadvisiblyliberalizedandenheartenedhim。HeshookThorpe\'shandagain。

"Yes，sir——itmusthavebeenallthroughyou！"herepeated。

"Igotmycablethreeweeksago——\'HastentoLondon，urgentbusiness，expensesandliberalfeeguaranteed，RubberConsols\'——that\'swhatthecablesaid，thatis，thefirstoneandofcourseyou\'rethemanthatintroducedmetothoserubberpeople。Andsodon\'tyouseeIoweitalltoyou？"

Hisinsistenceuponhisobligationwassuddenlyalmosttearful。

Thorpethoughthardashereplied："Oh——that\'sallright。

I\'mverygladindeedtohavehelpedyoualong。

AndsoyoucameoverfortheRubberConsolspeople，eh？Well——that\'sgood。Seen\'emyet？Youhaven\'ttoldmewhenyoulanded。"

"CameupfromSouthamptonthismorning。Mybrother-in-lawwasdowntheretomeetme。WecameuptoLondontogether。"

"Yourbrother-in-law，"observedThorpe，meditatively。

Someshadowy，remoteimpressionofhavingforgottensomethingtroubledhismindforaninstant。"Isyourbrother-in-lawintherubberbusiness？"

"Extraor\'narything，"explainedTavender，beamingly，"hedon\'tknownomoreaboutthewholeaffairthantheman\'nthemoon。

Iaskedhimtoday——buthecouldn\'ttellmeanythingaboutthebusiness——whatitwasI\'dbeensentfor，oranything。"

"Buthe——heknewyou\'dbeensentfor，"Thorpecommenteduponbriefreflection。

"Why，hesentthesecondcablehimself——"

"Whatsecondcable？"

"Whyitwasthenextday，——ormaybeitwassentthatsamenight，andnotdeliveredtillmorning，——I

gotanothercable，thistimefrommybrother-in-law，tellingmetocablehimwhatshipIsailedonandwhen。

Soofcourseheknewallaboutit——butnowhesayshedon\'t。He\'sacurioussortoffellow，anyway。"

"Buthowishemixedupinit？"demandedThorpe，impatiently。

"Well，asnearlyasIcanfigureitout，heworksforoneofthementhat\'sattheheadofthisrubbercompany。

Itappearsthathehappenedtoshowthisman——he\'samanoftitle，bytheway——aletterIwrotetohimlastspring，whenIgotbacktoMexico——andsointhatwaythisman，whenhewantedmetocomeover，justtoldGaffersontocabletome。"

"Gafferson，"Thorperepeated，veryslowly，andwithalmostaneffectoflistlessness。Hewasconsciousofnosurprise；

itwasasifhehaddivinedallalongthesinistershadowsofLordPlowdenandLordPlowden\'sgardener，lurkingintheobscuritybehindthisegregiousoldassofaTavender。

"He\'satremendoushorticulturalsharp，"saidtheother。

"Probablyyou\'veheardtellofhim。He\'stakenmedalsfornewflowersandthingstillyoucan\'trest。

He\'soverat——whatdoyoucallit？——theRoyalAquarium，now，toseetheDahliaShow。Iwentovertherewithhim，butitdidn\'tseemtobemykindofashow，andsoIlefthimthere，andI\'mtolookinagainforhimat5：30。I\'mgoingdowntohisplaceinthecountrywithhimtonight，tomeethisboss——thenoblemanIspokeof。"

"That\'snice，"Thorpecommented，slowly。"Ienvyanybodywhocangetintothecountrythesedays。ButhowdidyouknowIwashere？""Thewomaninthebook-storetoldme——Iwenttherethefirstthing。YoumightbesureI\'dlookyouup。Nobodywaseverabetterfriendthanyou\'vebeentome，Thorpe。AnddoyouknowwhatIwantyoutodo？Iwantyoutocomerightbangout，now，andhaveadrinkwithme。"

"Iwasthinkingofsomethingofthesortmyself，"

thebigmanreplied。"I\'llgetmyhat，andbewithyouinaminute。"

Inthenextroomherelinquishedhiscountenancetoafrownoffierceperplexity。Morethanaminutepassedinthisscowlingpreoccupation。Thenhisfacelightenedwiththereliefofanidea，andhesteppedconfidentlybackintotheparlour。

"Comealong，"hesaid，jovially。"We\'llhaveadrinkdownstairs，andthenwe\'lldriveuptoHanoverSquareandseeifwecan\'tfindafriendofmineathisclub。"

Intheofficebelowhestoppedlongenoughtosecureaconsiderablerollofbank-notesinexchangeforacheque。

Alittlelater，ahansomdepositedthecoupleatthedooroftheAsianClub，andThorpe，intheouterhallwayofthisinstitution，clickedhisteethinsatisfactionatthenewsthatGeneralKervickwasonthepremises。

TheGeneral，havingbeenfoundbyaboyandbroughtdown，extendedtohisguestsahospitalitywhichwasnonethelessurbanefortheevidencesofsurprisewithwhichitwasseasoned。HeconcealedsoindifferentlyhisinabilitytoaccountforTavender，thattheanxiousThorpegrewannoyedwithhim，buthappilyTavender\'sperceptionswerelesssubtle。Hegazedabouthiminhisdim-eyedwaywithchildlikeinterest，andbabbledcheerfullyoverhisliquor。HehadnotbeeninsideaLondonclubbefore，andhisglimpseofthereading-room，where，isolated，purple-faced，retiredoldEmpire-makerssatsnortinginthesilence，theirgoutyfeetproppeduponfoot-rests，theirwhitebrowsscowlingoverthepagesofFrenchnovels，particularlyimpressedhim。Itwasanewandhalcyonvisionofthewaytospendone\'sdecliningyears。

Andthebigsmoking-room——wheretheleathercushionsweresolowandsosoft，andtheconnectionbetweenthebellsandthewaiterswassoefficient——thatwasevenbetter。

ThorpepresentlymadeanexcusefortakingKervickapart。

"Ibroughtthisoldjackasshereforapurpose，"hesaidinlow，gravelymandatorytones。"Hethinkshe\'sgotanappointmentat5：30thisafternoon——buthe\'swrong。

Hehasn\'t。He\'snotgoingtohaveanyappointmentatall——foralongtimeyet。Iwantyoutogethimdrunk，therewherehesits，andthentakehimawaywithyou，andgethimdrunkerstill，andthentakeatrainwithhimsomewhere——anystationbutCharingCrossorthatline——andIdon\'tcarewhereyoulandwithhim——ScotlandorIrelandorFrance——whateveryoulike。Here\'ssomemoneyforyou——andyoucanwritetomeformore。Idon\'tcarewhatyousaytohim——makeupanyyarnyoulike——onlykeephimpacified，andkeephimawayfromLondon，anddon\'tletalivingsoultalktohim——tillIgiveyoutheword。

You\'llletmeknowwhereyouare。I\'llgetawaynow——andmind，General，agooddealdependsonthewayyoupleasemeinthisthing。"

Thesoldier\'srichly-floridfaceandintent，bulgingblueeyesexpressedvividcomprehension。Henoddedwitheloquenceasheslippedthenotesintohistrouserspocket。

"Absolutely，"hemurmuredwithmartialbrevity，fromunderhiswhite，tightmoustache。

WithonlyavaguewordortwoofmeaninglessexplanationtoTavender，Thorpetookhisdeparture，andwalkedbacktothehotel。Fromwhathehadlearnedandsurmised，itwasnotdifficulttoputthepiecesofthepuzzletogether。

Thisridiculousoldfool，herememberednow，hadreproachedhimself，whenhewasinEnglandbefore，forhisuncivilneglectofhisbrother-in-law。Bysomeabsurdchance，thisdamnedbrother-in-lawhappenedtobeGafferson。

Itwasclearenoughthat，whenhereturnedtoMexico，TavenderhadwrittentoGafferson，explainingtheunexpectedpressureofbusinesswhichhadtakenupallhistimeinEngland。Probablyhehadbeenidiotenoughtorelatewhatheofcourseregardedasthemostwonderfulpieceofgoodnews——howtheworthlessconcessionhehadbeendeludedintobuyinghadbeenboughtbackfromhim。

Aslikelyasnothehadevenidentifiedtheconcession，andgivenThorpe\'snameasthatofthemanwhohadfirstimpoverishedandthenmysteriouslyenrichedhim。Atallevents，hehadclearlymentionedthathehadacommissiontoreportupontheRubberConsolsproperty，andhadsaidenoughelsetocreatetheimpressionthattherewerecriminalsecretsconnectedwithitssaletotheLondonCompany。

Therestwaseasy。Gafferson，knowingLordPlowden\'srelationtotheCompany，hadshownhimTavender\'sletter。

LordPlowden，meditatinguponit，hadseenawaytobenasty——andhadvindictivelyplungedintoit。HehadbroughtTavenderfromMexicotoLondon，tousehimasaweapon。

Allthiswasasobviousasthenoseonone\'sface。

Butaweaponforwhat？Thorpe，asthisquestionputitselfinhismind，haltedbeforeashop-windowfullofsoft-huedsilkfabrics，tomuseuponananswer。

Thedelicatetintsandsurfacesofwhatwasbeforehiseyesseemedsomehowtoconnectthemselveswiththesubject。

Plowdenhimselfwasdelicately-tintedandrefinedoftexture。

Vindictivenesswastooplainandcoarseanemotiontoswaysuchacomplicatedandpolishedorganism。

Hereasoneditout，ashestoodwithlack-lustregazebeforetheplate-glassfront，aloofamongathrongofeagerandtalkativewomenwhopressedaroundhim——thatPlowdenwouldnothavespenthismoneyonamereimpulseofmischief-making。Hewouldbecountinguponsomethingmoretangiblethanrevenge——somethingthatcouldbecountedandweighedandconvertedintoabank-balance。Hesmiledwhenhereachedthisconclusion——greatlysurprisingandconfusingamatronlyladyintowhosecorrectfacehechancedtobelookingattheinstant——andturningslowly，continuedhiswalk。

Attheofficeofthehotel，hemuchregrettednothavingdriveninstead，forhelearnedthatSemplehadtwicetelephonedfromtheCityforhim。Itwaslateintheafternoon——henotedwithsatisfactionthattheclockshowedittobealreadypastthehouroftheTavender-Gaffersonappointment，——buthehadSemple\'sofficecalledup，uponthechancethatsomeonemightbethere。Theclerkhadnotconsumedmorethantenminutesinthepreliminariesoffindingoutthatnoonewasthere——ThorpemeanwhilepassingsavagecommentstotheotherclerksabouttheBritishofficialconceptionofthetelephoneasaninstrumentofdisciplineandhumiliation——whenSemplehimselfappearedinthedoorway。

TheBrokergaveanexclamationofreliefatseeingThorpe，andthen，apparentlyindifferenttothedisplayofexcitementhewasexhibiting，drewhimaside。

"Comesomewherewherewecantalk，"hewhisperednervously。

ThorpehadneverseenthelittleScotchmaninsuchaflurry。

"We\'llgouptomyrooms，"hesaid，andledthewaytothelift。

Upstairs，Sempleboltedthedoorofthesitting-roombehindthem，andsatisfiedhimselfthattherewasnooneintheadjoiningbedroom。Then，unburdeninghimselfwithanothersigh，hetossedasidehishat，andlookedkeenlyupatthebigman。"There\'sthedeviltopay，"

hesaidbriefly。

Thorpehadafleetingprideinthelethargic，composedfronthewasabletopresent。"Allright，"

hesaidwithforcedplacidity。"Ifhe\'sgottobepaid，we\'llpayhim。"Hecontinuedtosmilealittle。

"It\'snahjoke，"theotherhastenedtowarnhim。

"Ihaveitfromtwodifferentquarters。AnapplicationhasbeenmadetotheStockExchangeCommittee，thisafternoon，tointerveneandstopourbusiness，onthegroundoffraud。

Itcomesverrastraighttome。"

ThorperegardedhisBrokercontemplatively。Thenewsfittedwithprecisionintowhathehadpreviouslyknown；

itwasrenderedaltogetherharmlessbytheprecautionshehadalreadytaken。"Well，keepyourhairon，"

hesaid，quietly。"Iftherewerefiftyapplications，theywouldn\'tmattertheworthofthatsoda-watercork。

Won\'tyouhaveadrink？"

Semple，uponreflection，saidhewould。Theunmovedequipoiseofthebigmanvisiblyreassuredhim。Hesippedathisbubblingtumblerandsmackedhisthinlips。

"Man，I\'vehadanawfulfright，"hesaidatlast，inthetoneofonewhoseeaseofmindisreturning。

"Igaveyoucreditformorenerve，"observedtheother，eyeinghiminnotunkindlyfashionoverhisglass。

"You\'vebeensoplumbfullofsandallthewhile——Ididn\'tthinkyou\'dweakennow。Why，we\'rewithintwodaysofhome，now——andforyoutogetrattledatthislatehour——yououghttobeashamedofyourself"

TheScotchmanlookedintothebottomofhisglass，asheturneditthoughtfullyround。"I\'mrelievedtoseethewayyoutakeit，"hesaid，afterapause。

Withincreasedhesitationhewentdrylyon："I\'veneverenquiredminutelyintothecircumstancesoftheflotation。

Ithasnotseemedtobemybusinesstodoso，anduponadviceImaysaythattheCommitteewouldnotholdthatsuchwasmybusiness。Mypositionisquiteclear，uponthatpoint。"

"Oh，perfectly，"Thorpeassented。"Itcouldn\'tpossiblybeanyofyourbusiness——eitherthen，ornow。"Hegaveasignificanttouchofemphasistotheselasttwowords。

"Precisely，"saidSemple，withaglanceofswiftcomprehension。

"YoumustnotthinkIamaskinganyintrusivequestions。

Ifyoutellmethat——thatthereisnogroundforuneasiness——I

amverrapleasedindeedtoaccepttheassurance。

Thatisampleinformationformypurposes。"

"Youcantakeitfromme，"Thorpetoldhim。Hepickeduparedbookfromasidetable，andturnedoveritspageswithhisthickthumb。"ThisiswhatRule59says，"

hewenton："\'NOAPPLICATIONWHICHHASFORITSOBJECTTO

ANNULANYBARGAININTHESTOCKEXCHANGESHALLBEENTERTAINED

BYTHECOMMITTEE，UNLESSUPONASPECIFICALLEGATIONOF

FRAUDORWILFULMISREPRESENTATION。\'Shallbeentertained，d\'yesee？Theycan\'tevenconsideranythingofthesort，becauseitsays\'specific，\'andItellyouplainlythatanything\'specific\'isentirelyoutofthequestion。"

TheBrokerliftedhissandybrowsinmomentaryapprehension。

"Ifitturnsupontheprecisedefinitionofaword，"

heremarked，doubtingly。

"Ah，yes，——butitdoesn\'t，"Thorpereassuredhim。

"Seehere——I\'lltellyousomething。You\'renotaskinganyquestions。That\'sasitshouldbe。AndI\'mnotforcinginformationuponyouwhichyoudon\'tneedinyourbusiness。

That\'sasitshouldbe，too。Butinbetweenthesetwo，there\'sacertainmarginoffactsthatthere\'snoharminyourknowing。Aschemetoblackmailmeisonfoot。

It\'sratherafool-scheme，ifyouaskme，butitmighthavebeenanuisanceifithadbeensprungonusunawares。

Ithappened，however，thatItwiggedthisschemeabouttwohoursago。Itwasthedamnedestbitofluckyoueverheardof——"

"Youdon\'thaveluck，"putinSemple，appreciatively。

"Othermenhaveluck。Youhavesomethingelse——Idon\'tgiveitaname。"

Thorpesmileduponhim，andwenton。"Itwiggedit，anyway。

Iwentout，andIdrovethebiggestkindofspikethroughthatfool-scheme——plumbthroughitsheart。

Tomorrowacertainmanwillcometome——oh，Icouldalmosttellyouthekindofneck-tiehe\'llwear——andhe\'llputuphisblufftome，andI\'llhearhimout——andthen——thenI\'llletthefloordropoutfromunderhim。"

"Aye！"saidSemple，withrelish。

"Stayanddinewithmetonight，"Thorpeimpulsivelysuggested，"andwe\'llgotosomeMusicHallafterward。There\'saknock-aboutpantomimeoutfitattheCanterbury——MartinettiIthinkthenameis——that\'sdamnedgood。Yougetplentyoflaugh，andnotiresomeblabtolistento。TheolderIget，themoreIthinkofpeoplethatkeeptheirmouthsshut。"

"Aye，"observedSempleagain。

CHAPTERXX

INtheBoardRoom，nextday，ThorpeawaitedthecomingofLordPlowdenwiththesereneconfidenceofaprophetwhonotonlyknowsthatheisinspired，buthashadanillicitglimpseintotheworkingsofthemachineryofevents。

Hesatmotionlessathisdesk，likeabigspiderforwhotimehasnomeaning。Beforehimlaytwonewspapers，foldedsoastoexposeparagraphsheavilyindicatedbybluepencil-marks。Theywerenotfinancialjournals，andforthatreasonitwasimprobablethathewouldhaveseentheseparagraphs，iftheSecretaryoftheCompanyhadnotmarkedthem，andbroughtthemtohim。

Thatofficialhadbeenvastlymoreflutteredbythemthanhefounditpossibletobe。Inslightly-varyinglanguage，thesetwoitemsembeddedinso-calledmoneyarticlesreportedtherumourthatachargeoffraudhadariseninconnectionwiththeRubberConsolscorner，andthatsensationaldisclosureswerebelievedtobeimpending。

Thorpelookedwithadulled，abstractedeyeatthesepapers，lyingonthedesk，andespeciallyatthebluepencil-linesuponthem，asheponderedmanythings。Theirstatement，thusscatteredbroadcasttothepublic，seemedatoncetointroduceanewelementintothesituation，andtoleaveitunchanged。Thatinfluenceofsomesorthadbeenexertedtogetthisstoryintothesepapers，itdidnotoccurtohimforaninstanttodoubt。

Tohisview，allthingsthatwereputintopaperswereputthereforapurpose——itwouldexpresshisnotionmoreclearly，perhaps，tosayforaprice。

OfthemethodsofFleetStreet，hewasprofoundlyignorant，buthisimpressionsofthemwereallcynical。

Uponreflection，however，itseemedunlikelytohimthatLordPlowdenhadsecuredtheinsertionoftheserumours。

SofarasThorpecouldfathomthatnobleman\'sgame，itsaimswouldnotbeservedbyprematurepublicityofthiskind。

Gradually，theoutlinesofamoreprobablecombinationtookshapeinhisthoughts。Therewereleftinthegripofthe"corner"nowonlytwovictims，——RostockerandAronson。

Theyowedthisinvidiousdifferentiationtoanumberofcauses：theyhadbeenthechiefsellersofstock，beingbetweenthemresponsibleforthedeliveryof8，500RubberConsolsshares，whichtheycouldnotget；

theyweremenoflargerfortunethantheother"shorts，"

andthereforecouldwithsafetybesqueezedlongest；

whatwasfortunateforhimunderthecircumstances，theywerethetwomenagainstwhomThorpe\'spersonalgrudgeseemedabletomaintainitselfmosteasily。

Forthesereasons，theyhadalreadybeenmulctedindifferencestotheextentof，inroundnumbers，165，000pounds。

Onthemorrow，thetwelfthofSeptember，itwasThorpe\'splantoallowthemtobuyinthesharestheyneeded，at22or23poundspershare——whichwouldtakefromthemnearly200，000poundsmore。Hehadsatisfiedhimselfthattheycould，andwouldifnecessary，paythisenormousransomfortheirfinalescapefromthe"corner。"Partlybecauseitwasnotsocertainthattheycouldpaymore，partlybecausehewassatiatedwithspoilsandtiredofthestrainofthebusiness，hehaddecidedtopermitthisescape。

Herealizednow，however，thattheyontheirsidehadplannedtoescapewithoutpayinganyfinalransomatall。

Thatwasclearlythemeaningoftheseparagraphs，andoftherepresentationswhichhadyesterdaybeenmadetotheStockExchangeCommittee。Hehadadditionalknowledgetodayofthecharacteroftheserepresentations。

Nothingdefinitehadbeenalleged，butsomeofthemembersoftheCommitteehadbeeninformallynotified，soSemplehadthismorninglearned，thataspecificchargeoffraud，supportedbyunanswerableproof，wastobebroughtagainsttheRubberConsolsmanagementonthemorrow。

Thorpereasonedoutnow，stepbystep，whatthatmeant。

LordPlowdenhadsoughtoutRostockerandAronson，andhadtoldthemthathehaditinhispowerignominiouslytobreakthe"corner。"Hecouldhardlyhavetoldthemtheexactnatureofhispower，becauseuntilheshouldhaveseenTavenderhedidnothimselfknowwhatitwas。Buthehadgiventhemtounderstandthathecouldprovefraud，andthey，scentinginthisthechanceofsaving200，000pounds，andseeingthattimewassoterriblyshort，hadhastenedtotheCommitteemenwiththisvaguedeclarationthat，onthemorrow，theycouldprove——theydidnotpreciselyknowwhat。Yes——plainlyenough——thatwaswhathadhappened。

AnditwouldbethesetwoJew"wreckers，"eagertoinvesttheirspeculativenotificationtotheCommitteewithasmuchofanairofformalityaspossible，whohadcausedtheallusionstoittobepublishedinthesepapers。

Thorpe\'slustrelesseyesuddenlytwinkledwithmirthashereachedthisconclusion；hisheavyfacebrightenedintoagrinofdelight。AvisionofLordPlowden\'sabsurdpredicamentrosevividlybeforehim，andhechuckledaloudatit。

Itseemedonlythemostnaturalthingintheworldthat，atthisinstant，aclerkshouldopenthedoorandnodwithmeaningtothemaster。Thevisitorwhomhehadwarnedthepeopleintheouterofficeheexpected，hadarrived。

ThorpewasstilllaughingtohimselfwhenLordPlowdenentered。

"Hallo！Howd\'yedo！"hecalledouttohimfromwherehesatathisdesk。

Thehilarityofthemannerintowhichhehadbeenbetrayed，upontheinstantsurprisedandratherconfusedhim。

HehadnotbeenaltogetherclearastohowheshouldreceivePlowden，butcertainlyawarmjovialityhadnotoccurredtohimasappropriate。

Thenoblemanwasevenmoretakenaback。Hestaredmomentarilyatthebigman\'sbeamingmask，andthen，withnervousawkwardness，executedaseriesofchangesinhisownfacialexpressionanddemeanour。Heflushedred，openedhislipstosay"Ah！"andthentwistedthemintoadoubtingandseeminglypainfulsmile。Helookedwithverybright-eyedintentnessatThorpe，asheadvanced，andsomewhatspasmodicallyputouthishand。

ItoccurredtoThorpenottoseethishand。"Howareyou！"

herepeatedinamoremechanicalvoice，andwithdrewhissmile。LordPlowdenfidgetedonhisfeetforabrief，embarrassedintervalbeforethedesk，andthendroppedintoachairatitsside。Withadeliberateeffortatnonchalance，hecrossedhislegs，andcaressedtheankleonhiskneewithacarelesshand。"Anythingnew？"

heasked。

Thorpelolledbackinhisarm-chair。"I\'mgoingtobeabletogetawayinafewdays\'time，"hesaid，indifferently。

"IexpecttofinallywindupthebusinessontheStockExchangetomorrow。"

"Ah——yes，"commentedPlowden，vacantly。Heseemedtobesearchingafterthoughtswhichhadwanderedastray。

"Yes——ofcourse。"

"Yes——ofcourse，"Thorpesaidafterhim，withalatenttouchofsignificance。

Theotherlookedupquickly，thenglancedawayagain。

"It\'sallgoingasyouexpected，isit？"heasked。

"BetterthanIexpected，"Thorpetoldhim，energetically。

"Muchbetterthananybodyexpected。"

"Hah！"saidPlowden。Afteramoment\'sreflectionhewentonhesitatingly："Ididn\'tknow。Isawsomethinginoneofthepapersthismorning，——oneofthemoneyarticles，——whichspokeasifthereweresomedoubtabouttheresult。

That\'swhyIcalled。"

"Well——it\'sdamnedgoodofyoutocomeround，andshowsuchafriendlyinterest。"Thorpe\'svoiceseemedcandidenough，buttherewasanenigmaticsomethinginhisglancewhicharousedtheother\'sdistrust。

"I\'mafraidyoudon\'ttakeverymuchstockinthe\'friendlyinterest，\'"hesaid，withaconstrainedlittlelaugh。

"I\'mnottakingstockinanythingnewjustnow，"

repliedThorpe，lendinghimselflazilytotheother\'smetaphor。

"I\'mloadeduptothegunnelsalready。"

Aminuteofratheroppressivesilenceensued。

ThenPlowdenventureduponanopening。"Allthesame，itWASwithanideaof，——perhapsbeingofusetoyou，——

thatIcamehere，"heaffirmed。"Inwhatway？"Thorpeputthequeryalmostlistlessly。

LordPlowdenturnedhishandsandlethisdarkeyessparkleinagestureofamiableuncertainty。

"Thatdependeduponwhatwasneeded。Igottheimpressionthatyouwereintrouble——thepaperspokeasiftherewerenodoubtofit——andIimaginedthatquiteprobablyyouwouldbegladtotalkwithmeaboutit。"

"Quiteright，"saidThorpe。"SoIshould。"

Thiscomprehensiveassuranceseemednot，however，tofacilitateconversation。Thenoblemanlookedatthepatternofthesockontheanklehewasnursing，andknittedhisbrowsinperplexity。"WhatiftheCommitteeoftheStockExchangedecidetointerfere？"heaskedatlast。

"Oh，thatwouldknockmesky-high，"Thorpeadmitted。

"Approximately，howmuchmayonetake\'sky-high\'tomean？"

Thorpeappearedtocalculate。"Almostanythinguptoaquarterofamillion，"heanswered。

"Hah！"saidLordPlowdenagain。"Well——Iunderstand——

I\'mgiventounderstand——thatverylikelythatiswhattheCommitteewilldecide。"

"Doesitsaythatinthepapers？"askedThorpe。

Heessayedaneffectofconcern。"Wheredidyouseethat？"

"Ididn\'tseeit，"theotherexplained。"It——itcametome。"

"God！"saidThorpe。"That\'llbeawful！Butareyoureallyinearnest？Isthatwhatyouhear？Anddoesitcomeatallstraight？"

LordPlowdennoddedportentously。"Absolutelystraight，"

hesaid，withgravity。

Thorpe，afteramomentarystareofwhatlookedlikebewilderment，wasseentoclutchatastraw。"Butwhatwasityouweresaying？"hedemanded，witheagerness。

"Youtalkedabouthelp——aminuteago。Didyoumeanit？Haveyougotaplan？Istheresomethingthatyoucando？"

Plowdenweighedhiswords。"Itwouldbenecessarytohaveaverycompleteunderstanding，"heremarked。

"Whateveryoulike，"exclaimedtheother。

"Pardonme——itwouldhavetobeagooddealmoredefinitethanthat，"Plowdendeclared。"A\'burntchild\'——youknow。"

Thebigmantappedmusinglywithhisfinger-nailsonthedesk。"Wewon\'tquarrelaboutthat，"hesaid。

"ButwhatI\'dliketoknowfirst，——youneedn\'tgiveanythingawaythatyoudon\'twantto，——butwhat\'syourplan？Yousaythatthey\'vegotmeinahole，andthatyoucangetmeout。""Ineffect——yes。"

"ButhowdoyouknowthatIcan\'tgetmyselfout？Whatdoyouknowaboutthewholethinganyway？SupposingI

tellyouthatIlaughatit——thatthere\'snomoregroundforraisingthesuspicionoffraudthanthereisfor——forsuspectingthatyou\'vegotwingsandcanfly。"

"I——Idon\'tthinkyou\'lltellmethat，"saidPlowden，placidly。

"Wellthen，supposingIdon\'ttellyouthat，"

theotherresumed，argumentatively。"SupposingIsayinsteadthatitcan\'tbeproved。IftheCommitteedoesn\'thaveproofNOW，——withintwenty-oneortwenty-twohours，——

theycan\'tdoanythingatail。Tomorrowissettlingday。

Allalong，I\'vesaidIwouldwindupthethingtomorrow。

Themarket-pricehasbeenmadeformebythejobbersyesterdayandtoday。I\'mallreadytoendthewholebusinesstomorrow——closeitallout。Andafterthat\'sdone，whatdoIcareabouttheStockExchangeCommittee？Theycaninvestigateandbedamned！Whatcouldtheydotome？"

"Ithinkamancanalwaysbearrestedandindicted，andsenttopenalservitude，"saidLordPlowden，withacertainsolemnityoftone。"Thereareevenwell-knowninstancesofextradition。"

Thorpeburiedhischindeepinhiscollar，andregardedhiscompanionwithafixedgaze，inwhichthelatterdetectedsignsoftrepidation。"ButabouttheCommittee——andtomorrow，"hesaidslowly。"Whatdoyousayaboutthat？Howcantheyactinthatlightningfashion？

Andevenifproofscouldbegot，howdoyousupposetheyaretobegotonthedropofthehat，ataminute\'snotice？"

"Thecaseisofsufficientimportancetowarrantaspecialmeetingtomorrowmorning，"theotherrejoined。

"Onehour\'snotice，postedintheHouse，issufficient，Ibelieve。AnythreemembersoftheCommitteecancallsuchameeting，andIunderstandthatsevenmakeaquorum。

Youwillseethatameetingcouldbeheldatnoontomorrow，andwithinhalfanhourcouldmakeyouaruinedman。"

"Idon\'tknow——wouldyoucallitquiteruined？"

commentedThorpe。"Ishouldstillhaveafewsovereignstogoonwith。"

"Acriminalprosecutionwouldbepracticallyinevitable——aftersuchadisclosure，"Plowdenremindedhim，withaugmentedseverityoftone。

"Don\'tmixthetwothingsup，"theotherurged。

Thereseemedtothelistenertobesupplicationinthevoice。

"It\'stheactionoftheCommitteethatyousaidyoucouldinfluence。That\'swhatweweretalkingabout。

Yousaytherewillbeaspecialmeetingatnoontomorrow——

"Isaidtherecouldbeone，"Plowdencorrectedhim。

"Allright。ThereCANbeone。Anddoyousaythattherecanbeproof，——proofagainstmeoffraud，——producedatthatmeeting？"

"Yes——Isaythat，"thenoblemanaffirmed，quietly。

"Andfurtherstill——doyousaythatitrestswithyouwhetherthatproofshallbeproducedornot？"

LordPlowdenlookedintotheimpassive，deep-eyedgazewhichcoveredhim，andlookedawayfromitagain。

"Ihaven\'tputitinjustthatform，"hesaid，hesitatingly。

"Butinessentials——yes，thatmaybetakenastrue。"

"Andwhatisyourfigure？Howmuchdoyouwantforholdingthisproofofyoursback，andlettingmefinishscoopingthemoneyofyourHebrewfriendsAronsonandRostocker？"

Thepeerraisedhishead，andshotakeenlyenquiringglanceattheother。"Aretheymyfriends？"heasked，withchallenginginsolence。

"I\'mboundtoassumethatyouhavebeendealingwiththem，justasyouaredealingwithme。"Thorpeexplainedhismeaningdispassionately，asifthetransactionwereentirelycommonplace。"Youtellthemthatyou\'reinapositiontoproduceproofagainstme，andaskthemwhatthey\'llgiveforit。Thennaturallyenoughyoucometome，andaskwhatI\'llbewillingtopaytohavetheproofsuppressed。

IquiteunderstandthatImustbidagainstthesemen——andofcourseItakeitforgrantedthat，sinceyouknowtheirfigure，you\'vearrangedinyourmindwhatmineistobe。Iquiteunderstand，too，thatIamtopaymorethantheyhaveoffered。Thatisonaccountof\'friendlyinterest。\'"

"Sinceyoualludetoit，"LordPlowdenobserved，withacertaincalmloftinessoftone，"thereisnoharminsayingthatyouWILLpaysomethingonthatoldscore。

Onceyouthrustthepromiseofsomethinglikeahundredthousandpoundspositivelyuponme。Youinsistedonmybelievingit，andIdidso，likeafool。Icametoyoutoredeemthepromise，andyoulaughedinmyface。

Verywell。Itismyturnnow。Iholdthewhip-hand，andI

shouldbeanassnottorememberthings。Ishallwantthatentireonehundredthousandpoundsfromyou，andfiftythousandaddedtoit\'onaccountofthe\'friendlyinterest，\'

asyousointelligentlyexpressedit。"

Thorpe\'schinburrowedstilldeeperuponhisbreast。

"It\'sanoutrage，"hesaidwithfeeling。Thenheadded，intonesofdejectedresignation："Whenwillyouwantit？"

"AtthemomentwhenthepaymentsofRostockerandAronsonaremadetoyou，ortoyourbankersoragents，"LordPlowdenreplied，withpreparedfacility。Hehadevidentlygivenmuchthoughttothispartoftheproceedings。"AndofcourseIshallexpectyoutodrawupnowanagreementtothateffect。

Ihappentohaveastampedpaperwithmethistime。

Andifyoudon\'tmind，wewillhaveitproperlywitnessed——

thistime。"

Thorpelookedathimwithadisconcertinglyleadenstare，thewhilehethoughtoverwhathadbeenproposed。

"That\'srightenough，"heannouncedatlast，"butIshallexpectyoutodosomewritingtoo。Sincewe\'redealingonthisbasis，theremustbenodoubtabouttheguaranteethatyouwillperformyourpartofthecontract。"

"Theperformanceitself，sincepaymentisconditionaluponit——"beganPlowden，buttheotherinterruptedhim。

"No，Iwantsomethingbetterthanthat。Here——givemeyourstampedpaper。"Hetookthebluishsheet，and，withouthesitation，wroteseverallinesrapidly。"Here——thisismypromise，"

hesaid，"topayyou150，000pounds，uponyoursatisfactoryperformanceofacertainundertakingtobeseparatelynominatedinadocumentcalled\'A，\'whichwewilljointlydrawupandagreetoandsign，anddepositwhereveryoulike——forsafekeeping。Now，ifyou\'llsithere，andwriteoutformeasimilarthing——thatinconsiderationofmypromiseof150，000pounds，youcovenanttoperformtheundertakingtobenominatedinthedocument\'A\'——andsoon。"

LordPlowdentreatedasamatterofcoursethereadyandbusiness-likesuggestionoftheother。Takinghisplaceatthedeskinturn，hewroteoutwhathadbeensuggested。

Thorpetouchedabell，andtheclerkwhocameinperfunctorilyattestedthesignaturesuponbothpapers。

Eachprincipalfoldedandpocketedthepledgeoftheother。

"Now，"saidThorpe，whenhehadseatedhimselfagainatthedesk，"weareallrightsofarasprotectionagainsteachothergoes。Ifyoudon\'tmind，Iwilldrawupasuggestionofwhattheseparatedocument\'A\'shouldsetforth。Ifyoudon\'tlikeit，youcanwriteone。"

Hetookmoretimetothistask，frowninglaboriouslyoverthefreshsheetoffoolscap，andscreeningfromobservationwithhishandwhathewaswriting。Finally，thetaskseemedfinishedtohismind。Hetookupthepaper，glancedthroughitoncemore，andhandeditinsilencetotheother。

Insilencealso，andwithanexpressionofarrestedattention，LordPlowdenreadtheselines：

"Theundertakingreferredtointhetwodocumentsofevendate，signedrespectivelybyLordPlowdenandStormontThorpe，istotheeffectthatatsomehourbetweenelevenA。M。

andthreeP。M。ofSeptember12th，instant，LordPlowdenshallproducebeforeaspecialmeetingoftheCommitteeoftheStockExchange，thepersonofoneJeromeP。Tavender，toexplaintosaidCommitteehisshareintheblackmailingschemeofwhichLordPlowden，overhisownsignature，hasfurnisheddocumentaryevidence。"

Thenoblemancontinuedtolookdownatthepaper，afterthepowertoholditwithoutshakinghadlefthishand。

Therecameintohisface，minglingwithandvitiatingitsrichnaturalhuesofhealth，akindofgreyshadow。

Itwasasifclaywasrevealingitselfbeneathfadedpaint。

Hedidnotlifthiseyes。

Thorpehadbeenpreparedtohailthisconsummationofhistrickwithboisterousandscornfulmirth。

Evenwhilethevictimwasdecipheringthefatalpaper，hehadrestrainedwithimpatiencethedesiretoburstoutintobitterlaughter。ButnowtherewassomethingintheaspectofPlowden\'scollapsewhichseemedtoforbidtriumphantderision。Hewastakinghisblowsolikeagentleman，——ashen-paleandquivering，butclingingtoahigh-breddignityofsilence，——thattheimpulsetoexhibitequallygoodmannerspossessedThorpeupontheinstant。

"Well——youseehowlittlebusinessyou\'vegot，settingyourselftobuckagainstagrown-upman。"

Heofferedtheobservationinthetoneoftheschool-

teacher，affectedlyphilosophicalbutsecretlyjubilant，whoharanguesadefeatedandhumiliatedurchinuponhisfolly。

"Oh，chuckit！"growledLordPlowden，staringstillatthecalamitouspaper。

Thorpeacceptedingoodparttheintimationthatsilencewasafterallmostdecorous。Heputhisfeetuponthecornerofthedesk，andtippingbackhischair，surveyedthediscomfitedViscountimpassively。

Heforboreeventosmile。

"SothisswineofaTavendercamestraighttoyou！"

LordPlowdenhadfoundwordsatlast。Ashespoke，heliftedhisface，andmadeashowoflookingtheotherintheeye。

"Oh，thereareahundredthingsinyourowngame，even，thatyouhaven\'taninklingof，"Thorpetoldhim，lightly。"I\'vebeenwatchingeverymoveyou\'vemade，seeingfurtheraheadinyourowngamethanyoudid。

Why，itwastooeasy！Itwaslikeplayingdraughtswithagirl。Iknewyouwouldcometoday，forexample。

ItoldthepeopleouttherethatIexpectedyou。"

"Yes-s，"saidtheother，withruefulbewilderment。

"Youseemtohavebeenratheronthespot——Iconfess。"

"Onthespot？Allovertheplace！"Thorpeliftedhimselfslightlyinhischair，andputmoreanimationintohisvoice。

"It\'sthemistakeyoupeoplemake！"hedeclaredoracularly。

"YouthinkthatamancancomeintotheCitywithoutapenny，andformgreatcombinationsandcarrythroughagreatscheme，andwageafightwiththesmartestsetofscoundrelsontheLondonStockExchangeandbeat\'em，andmakeforhimselfabigfortune——andstillbeafool！Youimaginethatamanlikethatcanbeplayedwith，andhoodwinkedbyamateurslikeyourself。It\'stooridiculous！"

TheperceptionthatapparentlyThorpeborelittleornomalicehadbeguntospreadthroughPlowden\'sconsciousness。

Itwasalmostmoresurprisingtohimthantherevelationofhisfailurehadbeen。Heaccustomedhimselftothethoughtgradually，andashedidsothecouragecreptbackintohisglance。Hebreathedmoreeasily。

"Youareright！"headmitted。Itcosthimnothingtogiveamaximumoffervidconvictiontothetoneofhiswords。

Thebigbrute\'sprideinhisownbrainsandpowerwasstillhisweakestpoint。"Youareright！Ididplaythefool。

Anditwasallthemorestupid，becauseIwasthefirstmaninLondontorecognizetheimmenseforcesinyou。

Isaidtoyouattheveryoutset，\'Youaregoingtogofar。

Youaregoingtobeagreatman。\'Yourememberthat，don\'tyou？"

Thorpenodded。"Yes——Irememberit。"

Thenobleman，uponreflection，drewalittlesilverboxfromhispocket，andextractedamatch。"Doyoumind？"

heasked，andscarcelywaitingforatokenofreply，struckaflameuponthesoleofhisshoe，andappliedittothesheetoffoolscaphestillheldinhishand。

Thetwomenwatcheditcurlandblackenafterithadbeentossedinthegrate，withoutaword。

ThisincidenthadtheeffectofrecallingtoThorpetheessentialsofthesituation。Hehadallowedthetalktodrifttoapointwhereitbecamealmostaffable。

Hesatuprightwithasuddendetermination，andputhisfeetfirmlyonthefloor，andknittedhisbrowsinausterity。

"Itwasnotonlyadirtytrickthatyoutriedtoplayme，"hesaid，inanaltered，harshtone，"butitwasafool-trick。ThatdrunkenoldbumofaTavenderwritessomelunaticnonsenseorothertoGafferson，andhe\'saworseidioteventhanTavenderis，andonthestrengthofwhatoneoftheseclownsthinkshesurmisestheotherclownmeans，yougoandspendyourmoney，——moneyI

gaveyou，bytheway，——inbringingTavenderoverhere。

Youdothisonthedoublechance，we\'llsay，ofusinghimagainstmeforrevengeandprofitcombined，orofpeddlinghimtomeforastillbiggerprofit。

Youseeit\'sallatmyfingers\'ends。"

LordPlowdennoddedanunqualifiedassent。

"Wellthen——Tavenderarrives。Whatdoyoudo？Areyouatthewharftomeethim？Haveyousaidtoyourself：\'I\'vesetouttofightoneofthesmartestandstrongestmeninEngland，andI\'vegottokeepeveryatomofwitsaboutme，andstraineverynervetotheutmost，andwatcheverypointofthegameasatigerwatchesasnake\'？Notabitofit！

Yousnoozeinbed，andyousendGafferson——Gafferson！——themud-headoftheearth！tomeetyourTavender，andloafaboutwithhiminLondon，andbringhimdownbyaslowtraintoyourplaceintheevening。MyGod！You\'veonlygottwocleardayslefttodothewholethingin——andyoudon\'tevencomeuptotowntogetreadyforthem！YousendGafferson——andhegoesofftoseeaflower-show——

MotherofMoses！thinkofit！aFLOWER-show！——andyourTavenderaudIarelefttotakeastrolltogether，andtalkoveroldtimesandarrangeaboutnewtimes，andsoon，toourhearts\'content。Really，it\'stooeasy！Youmakemetired！"

Thenoblemanofferedawan，appealingshadowofasmile。

"Iconfesstoacertaindegreeofwearinessmyself，"

hesaid，humbly。

Thorpelookedathiminhisoldapathetic，leadenfashionforalittle。"ImaytellyouthatifyouHADgotholdofTavender，"hedecidedtotellhim，"heshouldn\'thavebeenofthefaintestusetoyou。IknowwhatitwasthathewrotetoGafferson，——Icouldn\'tunderstanditwhenhefirsttoldme，butafterwardsIsawthroughit，——anditwasmerelyamaudlinmisapprehensionofhis。

He\'dgotthreeorfourthingsallmixeduptogether。

You\'venevermetyourfriendTavender，Ibelieve？You\'denjoyhimatHadlowHouse。Hesmellsofrumahundredyardsoff。Whatlittlebrainhe\'sgotleftissoakedinit。

ThefirsttimeIwasevercampingwithhim，Ihadtolickhimfordrinkingthemethylatedspiritswewereusingwithourtinstove。Oh，you\'dhavelikedhim！"

"Evidently，"saidLordPlowden，uponreflection，"itwasallamostunfortunateand——ah——mostdeplorablemistake。"

Withinspiration，hemadeboldtoadd："Themostamazingthing，though——tomymind——isthatyoudon\'tseem——whatshallIsay？——particularlyenragedwithmeaboutit。"

"Yes——thatsurprisesme，too，"Thorpemeditativelyadmitted。

"Iwasentitledtokillyou——crushyoutojelly。

AnyothermanIwould。Butyou，——Idon\'tknow，——Idofunnythingswithyou。"

"Iwishyouwouldgivemeadrink，now——asoneofthem，"

Plowdenventuredtosuggest，withuneasypleasantry。

Thorpesmiledalittleasherose，andheavilymovedacrosstheroom。Hesetoutuponthebigofficialtableinthemiddle，thatmockinglypretentiousreminderofaBoardwhichnevermet，adecanterandtwoglassesandsomerecumbent，round-bottomedbottles。HehandedoneoftheselasttoPlowden，asthelatterstrolledtowardthetable。

"Youknowhowtoopenthese，don\'tyou？"hesaid，languidly。

"SomehowInevercouldmanageit。"

Thenoblemansubmissivelytookthebottle，andpickedwithawkwardnessatitswireandcork，andallatonceachievedaprematureandnotover-successfulexplosion。

Hewipedhisdrippingcuffinsilence，whenthetumblersweresupplied。

"Well——here\'sbetterlucktoyounexttime，"Thorpesaid，liftinghisglass。TheaudaciousironyofhiswordsfilledPlowdenwithaninstantpurpose。

"Whatonearthdidyouroundonmeinthatwayfor，Thorpe——whenIwasherelast？"Heputthequestionwithbraveryenough，butatsightoftheother\'sunresponsivefacegrewsuddenlytimorousaudexplanatory。"NomanwasevermoreastoundedintheworldthanIwas。TothisdayI\'masunabletoaccountforitasababeunborn。

WhatconceivablethinghadIdonetoyou？"

Thorpeslowlythoughtofsomethingthathadnotoccurredtohimbefore，andseizeduponitwithacertainsatisfaction。

"Thatdaythatyoutookmeshooting，"hesaid，withthetoneofonefinallyexposingalong-nursedgrievance，"youstayedinbedforhoursafteryouknewIwasupandwaitingforyou——andwhenwewentout，youhadaservanttocarryachairforyou，butI——byGod！——Ihadtostandup。"

"Heavensabove！"ejaculatedPlowden，inunfeignedamazement。

"Thesearelittlethings——meretrifles，"continuedThorpe，dogmatically，"butwithmenofmytemperandmake-upthosearejustthethingsthataggravateandrankleandhurt。

Maybeit\'sfoolish，butthat\'sthekindofmanIam。

Yououghttohavehadtheintelligencetoseethat——andnotletthesestupidlittlethingshappentoannoyme。

Whyjustthinkwhatyoudid。IwasgoingtodoGodknowswhatforyou——makeyourfortuneandeverythingelse，——andyoudidn\'tshowconsiderationenoughformetogetoutofbedatadecenthour——muchlessseetoitthatIhadachairifyouweregoingtohaveone。"

"Uponmyword，Ican\'ttellhowashamedandsorryIam，"

LordPlowdenassuredhim，withferventcontritioninhisvoice。

"Well，thosearethethingstoguardagainst，"

saidThorpe，approachingadismissalofthesubject。

"Peoplewhoshowconsiderationforme；peoplewhotakepainstodothelittlepleasantthingsforme，andseethatI\'mnotannoyedandworriedbytrifles——they\'rethepeoplethatI，onmyside，dothebigthingsfor。

Icanbethebestfriendintheworld，butonlytothosewhoshowthattheycareforme，anddowhattheyknowI\'lllike。Idon\'twanttoadiesaboutme，butIdowantpeoplewhofeelboundtome，andareaskeenaboutmeandmyfeelingsandinterestsastheyareabouttheirown。"

"Itisdelightfullyfeudal——allthis，"commentedthenobleman，smilinglyaddressingtheremarktonobodyinparticular。

ThenhelookedatThorpe。"Letmebeoneofthem——oneofthepeopleyouspeakof，"hesaid，withdirectness。

Thorpereturnedhislookwiththegood-naturedbeginningsofagrin。"Butwhatwouldyoubegoodfor？"

hequeried，inabanteringtone。"PeopleIhaveaboutmehavetobeofsomeuse。Theyrequiretohaveheadsontheirshoulders。Why——justthinkwhatyou\'vedone。

Idon\'tmeansomuchaboutyourlettingTavenderslipthroughyourfingers——althoughthatwasabouttheworstI

everheardof。Buthereinthisroom，atthatdeskthere，youallowedmetobounceyouintowritingandsigningapaperwhichyououghttohavehadyourhandcutoffratherthanwrite，muchlesssign。Youcomeheretryingtoworkthemostdifficultanddangerouskindofabluff，——knowingallthewhilethatthewitnessyoudependedentirelyuponhaddisappeared，youhadn\'ttheremotestideawhere，——andyouactuallyletmeleadyouintogivingmeyoursignaturetoyourowndeclarationthatyouareblackmailingme！Thinkingitallover——youknow——I

can\'tseethatyouwouldbeofmuchhelptomeintheCity。"

LordPlowdenjoinedperforceinthelaughterwithwhichthebigmanenjoyedhisownpleasantry。

Hismirthhadsomesuperficialsignsofshamefacedness，butitwashopefulunderneath。"TheCity！"heechoed，withmeaning。"That\'sthecurseofit。WhatdoIknowabouttheCity？WhatbusinesshaveIintheCity？Asyousaid，I\'mtheamateur。Astrongmanlikeyoucanmakemeseemanykindofaridiculousfoolhelikes，withtheturnofhishand。Iseethatrightenough。

ButwhatamItodo？Ihavetomakeashotatsomething。

I\'msorottenpoor！"

Thorpehadretiredagainbehindthebarrierofdull-

eyedabstraction。Heseemednottohaveheardthisappealingexplanation。

Theotherpreservedsilenceinturn，andevenmadeapretenceoflookingatsomepamphletsonthetable，asatokenofhisboundlessdeferencetothemaster\'smood。

"Idon\'tknow。I\'llsee，"thebigmanmutteredatlast，doubtfully。

LordPlowdenfeltwarrantedintakinganoptimisticviewofthesevaguewords。"It\'sawfullygoodofyou"——

hebegan，lamely，andthenpaused。"Iwonder，"——hetookupanewthoughtwithamoresolicitoustone，——"IwonderifyouwouldmindreturningtomethatidioticpaperIsigned。"

Thorpeshookhishead。"Notjustnow，atanyrate，"

hesaid，stillmusingly。Withhisheadbowed，hetookafewrestlesssteps。

"Butyouaregoingto——tohelpme！"theotherremarked，withanairofconfidence。Hehadtakenuphishat，inresponsetothetacitwarningofhiscompanion\'smanner。

Thorpelookedathimcuriously，andhesitatedoverhisanswer。Itwasasurprisingandalmostunaccountableconclusionfortheinterviewtohavereached。Hewasinsomevaguewayashamedofhimself，buthewasexplicitlyandcontemptuouslyashamedforPlowden，andtheimpulsetosaysowasstrongwithinhim。Thishandsomeyounggentlemanoftitleoughtnottobeescapingwiththisrestoredbuoyancyofmien，andthiscomplacencyofspirit。

Hehaddeservedtobepunishedwithaheavyhand，andherehewasblithelymakingcertainofnewbenefitsinstead。

"Idon\'tknow——I\'llsee，"Thorpemoodilyrepeated——andtherewasnomoretobesaid。

CHAPTERXXI

INthenoonhourofthefollowingdaywasenactedthebrieffinalsceneinthedramaofthe"RubberConsolscorner。"

Forlongweeks，Mr。StormontThorpehadgivenmuchthoughttothisapproachingclimaxofhisgreatadventure——lookingforwardtoitbothasthecrowningeventofhislife，andasthedawnofanewexistenceinsomenovel，enchantedworld。Itwastobringhistriumph，andevenmore，hisrelease。ItwasatoncetocrownhimasaheroandchieftainamongCitymen，andtransfigurehimintoabeingforwhomallCitythingswereanabomination。

Inhiswakinghours，theconflictbetweentheseaimsdidnotspeciallyforceitselfuponhisattention：hemusedupon，andspunfanciesabout，eitheroneindifferently，andtheyseemednotatallirreconcilable。Buthisdreamswerefullofwarfare，——wearilysaturatedwithstrife，andendlessendeavourtodothingswhichcouldnotbedone，andpanic-strickenterrorsbeforetheshadowofshapelesscalamities，——untilhedreadedtogotosleep。Thenhediscoveredthatanextratwoglassesofwhiskey-and-waterwouldsolvethatparticulardifficulty，andsendhimintoprompt，leadenslumber——buttheearlymorningsremainedastorturingasever。Inthetwilightheawokeoppressedandsickatheartwithgloom——andthendozedatintervalsthroughfantasticnewordealsofanguishandshameandfear，tillitwasdecentlypossibletogetup。

Then，indeed，thebigcoldspongeonhisheadandspinescatteredthesefoolishtroubleslikechaff，andrestoredtohimhiscitizenshipamongtherealities。Hedressedwithreturningequanimity，andwasalmostcheerfulbythetimehethrusthisrazorintothehotwater。

Yetincreasinglyhewasconsciousofthewearandstrainofitall，andincreasinglythedate，Septembertwelfth，loomedbeforehimwithaportentousindividualityofitsown。

Thisdaygrewtomeansomuchmoretohimthanhadalltheotherdaysofthedeadyearstogetherthathewokeinthedarknessofitsopeninghours，anddidnotgetsatisfactorilytosleepagain。Hisvigil，however，wasfortheoncefreefromgrief。Hedrowsilyawaitedthemorninginvaguementalcomfort；hehadrecurringhaphazardindolentglimpsesofaprotectingfactstandingguardjustoutsidetheportalsofconsciousness——thefactthatthegreatdaywashere。Heroseearly，breakfastedwell，andwalkedbytheEmbankmenttotheCity，whereattenhehadafewwordswithSemple，andafterwardcausedhimselftobedeniedtoordinarycallers。

HepacedupanddowntheBoardRoomforthebetterpartoftheensuingtwohours，luxuriatinginthegeneralsenseofsatisfactionintheproximityoftheclimax，ratherthanpretendingtohimselfthathewasthinkingoutitsdetails。

HehadprovidedinhisplansofthedayforavisitfromMessrs。RostockerandAronson，whichshouldconstitutethedramaticfinaleofthe"corner，"andhelookedforwardtothismeetingwithacertaineagernessofexpectation。

Yetevenherehethoughtbroadlyofthesceneasawhole，andaskedhimselfnoquestionsaboutwordsandphrases。

Itseemedtobetakenforgrantedinhismindthatthesceneitselfwouldbetheatricallyimpressive，evenspectacular。

Intheevent，thislong-awaitedculminationprovedtobedisappointinglyflatandcommonplace。ItwasoverbeforeThorpehadsaidanyconsiderableproportionofthethingshesawafterwardthathehadintendedtosay。

Thetwomencameashehadexpectedtheywould——

andtheyboughttheirwayoutofthetragic"corner"

atpreciselythepricehehadnominatedinhismind。

Buthardlyanythingelsewentashehaddimlyprefiguredit。

Mr。Rostockerwasayellow-hairedman，andMr。AronsonwasasdarkasaMoor，andnophysicalresemblanceoffeaturesorformsuggesteditselftothecomparingeye，yetThorpeevennow，whentheystoodbrusquelysilentbeforehim，withtheircarefully-brushedhatspulleddownovertheireyes，stucktoitinhisownmindthatitwashardtotellthemapart。Totheend，therewassomethingimpersonalinhisfeelingtowardthem。