第11章

"It\'sthewaywe\'retaughtatschool，"hehazarded，genially。

"Inallthearithmeticssixbeatsfive，andsevenbeatssix。"

"They\'rewrong，"Thorpedeclared，andthenconsentedtolaughinagrudging，doggedwayathisfriend\'sfacialconfessionofpuzzlement。"WhatImeanis——what\'sthegoodofpilingupmoney，whileyoucan\'tpileuptheenjoymentsitwillbuy？Whatwillamilliongiveyou，thatthefifthofit，orthetenthofit，won\'tgiveyoujustaswell？"

"Aye，"saidSemple，withagleamofcomprehensioninhisglance。

"Soyou\'vecometothatframeofmind，haveyou？

Whydoesamangoonandshootfivehundredpheasants，whenhecaneatonlyone？"

"Oh，ifyoulikethemeremakingofmoney，I\'venothingmoretosay，"Thorperesponded，withatouchofresentment。

"I\'vealwaysthoughtofyouasamanlikemyself，whowantedtomakehispileandthenenjoyhimself。"

TheScotchmanlaughedjoyously。"Enjoymyself！Likeyou！"

hecried。"Man，you\'reasdolefulasamuteatalaird\'sfuneral！What\'scomeoveryou？Iknowwhatitis。

YougoandtakeacourseofGermanwaters——"

"Oh，thatbedamned！"Thorpeobjected，gloomily。"ItellyouI\'mallright。Only——only——God！I\'veagreatnotiontogoandgetdrunk。"

ColinSempleviewedhiscompanionwithamoresympatheticexpression。"I\'msorryyou\'resohipped，"hesaid，ingentletones。"Itcan\'tbemorethansomepassingwhimsy。

You\'reinnorealtrouble，areyou？——nofamilytrouble？"

Thorpeshookhishead。"Thewholethingisrot！"

heaffirmed，enigmatically。

"Whatwholething？"Thebrokerperchedontheedgeofhisdesk，andwithpatientphilosophytookhimup。

"Doyoumeaneightythousandayearisrot？Thatdependsuponthemanwhohasit。"

"Iknowthatwellenough，"brokeintheother，heavily。

"That\'swhatI\'mkickingabout。I\'mnogood！"

Semple，lookingattentivelydownuponhim，pursedhislipsinreflection。"That\'snotthecase，"heobservedwithargumentativecalmness。"You\'reagreatdealofgood。

I\'mnotsosurethatwhatyou\'vebeentryingtodoisanygood，though。Come！——Ireadyoulikelargeprint。

You\'vesetouttolivethelifeofarichcountrysquire——andithasn\'tcomeoff。Itcouldn\'tcomeoff！I

neverbelieveditwould。Youhaven\'tthetasteforitinbredinyourbones。Youhaven\'tthethousandlittlehabitsandintereststhattheytakeinwiththeirmother\'smilk，andthatmakesuchalifepossible。

Whenyoulookatahedge，youdon\'tthinkofitassomethingtoworryliveanimalsoutof。Whenyouseeoneofyourlabourers，youdon\'tcarewhohisfatherwas，orwhichdairymaidhisuncleoughttohavemarried，ifhehadwantedtogetacertaincottage。Youdon\'twanttoknowthenameofeverybodywhoseroofyoucansee；

muchlesscouldyourememberthem，andtalkaboutthem，andlistentogossipaboutthem，yearafteryear。

Itisn\'tapassioninyourbloodtoridetohounds，andtoshoot，andallthat。Itdoesn\'tcometoyoubytradition——andyouhaven\'tthevacancyofmindwhichmightbeasubstitutefortradition。Whatareyoudoinginthecountry，then？Justeatingtoomuch，andsittingabout，andgettingfatandstupid。Ifyouwantthetruth，thereitisforyou。"

Thorpe，puttingouthislipsjudicially，inclineduponreflectiontotheviewthatthiswasthetruth。

"That\'sallright，asfarasitgoes，"heassented，withhesitation。"Butwhatthehellelseisthere？"

ThelittleScotchmanhadgrowntoointerestedinhisdiagnosistodropitinanincompletestate。"Ayearago，"hewenton，"youhadwonyourvictorieslikeaveritableNapoleon。

Youhadeverythinginyourownhands；Napoleonhimselfwasnotmorethemasterofwhathesawabouthimthanyouwere。

Andthenwhatdidyoudo？YouvoluntarilyretiredyourselftoyourElba。Itwasn\'tthatyouwerebeatenanddriventherebyothers；youwentofyourownaccord。

Haveyoueverthought，Thorpe，ofthis？Napoleonwasthegreatestmanofhisage——oneofthegreatestmenofallages——notonlyinwarbutinahundredotherways。

HespentthelastsixyearsofhislifeatSt。Helena——inexcellenthealthandwithcompanionsthathetalkedfreelyto——andinalltheextraordinarilycopiousreportsofhisconversationsthere，wedon\'tgetasinglesentenceworthrepeating。Ifyoureadit，you\'llseehetalkedlikeadull，ordinarybody。Thegreatnesshadentirelyevaporatedfromhim，themomenthewasputonanislandwherehehadnothingtodo。"

"Yes-s，"saidThorpe，thoughtfully。Heacceptedtheapplicationwithoutanyqualmsaboutthesplendourofthecomparisonitrestedupon。Hehaddonethegreatthings，justasSemplesaid，andtherewasnoroomforfalsemodestyabouttheminhismind。"Thetroubleis，"hebegan，"thatIdidwhatIhadalwaysthoughtIwantedtodomost。

IwasquitecertaininmymindthatthatwaswhatIwanted。

AndifwesaynowthatIwaswrong——ifweadmitthatthatwasn\'twhatIreallywanted——whythen，GodknowswhatitisIDOwant。I\'llbehangedifIdo！"

"ComebacktotheCity，"Sempletoldhim。"That\'swhereyoubelong。"

"No——no！"Thorpespokewithemphasis。"That\'swhereyou\'realloff。Idon\'tbelongintheCityatall。

Ihatethewholeoutfit。Whatthedevilamusementwoulditbetometotakeothermen\'smoneyawayfromthem？

I\'dbewantingallthewhiletogiveitbacktothem。

AndcertainlyIwouldn\'tgetanyfunoutoftheirtakingmymoneyawayfromme。Besides，itdoesn\'tentertainme。

I\'venotasteatallforit。Ineverlookatafinancialpapernow。IcouldnomoreinterestmyselfinallthatstuffagainthanIcouldfly。That\'sthehellofit——tobeinterestedinanything。"

"Goinforpolitics，"theothersuggested，withlesswarmth。

"Yes，Iknow，"Thorpecommented，withalingeringtone。

"PerhapsIoughttothinkmoreaboutthat。Bytheway，what\'sPlowdendoing？I\'velostalltrackofhim。"

"Abroadsomewhere，Ifancy，"Semplereplied。Hismannerexhibitedaprofoundindifference。"Whenhismotherdiedhecameintosomething——Idon\'tknowhowmuch。

Idon\'tthinkI\'veseenhimsince——andthatmusthavebeensixmonthsandmoreago。"

"Yes。Iheardaboutitatthetime，"theothersaid。

"Itmustbeaboutthat。Hissisterandbrother——theyoungPlowdens——they\'recomingtousattheendoftheweek，Ibelieve。Youdidn\'thititoffparticularlywithPlowden，eh？"

Sempleemittedacontemptuouslittlelaugh。"Ididnotquarrelwithhim——ifyoumeanthat，"hesaid，"buteventopleaseyou，Thorpe，Icouldn\'tbringmyselftoputmybackintothejobofmakingmoneyforhim。

Hewastreatedfairly——evengenerously，d\'yemind。

Ishouldthink，alltold，hehadsomethirtythousandpoundsforhisshares，andthat\'sahundredtimesasmuchasIhadapleasureinseeinghimget。Eachmancanwearhisownparasites，butit\'sataskforhimtostandanotherman\'s。IshookyourLordPlowdenoff，whenthechancecame。"

"THAT\'Sallright，"Thorpeassuredhim，easily。"Inevertoldyouthathewasanygood。Imerelyfeltlikegivinghimalegup——becausereallyatthestarthewasofusetome。Ididowehimsomething……ItwasathishousethatImetmywife。"

"Aye，"saidSemple，withdispassionatebrevity。

CHAPTERXXIV

WHENhehadpartedwithSemple，atacornerwherethebusybroker，whohadwalkedoutwithhim，obviouslyfidgetedtogetaway，ThorpecouldthinkofnooneelseintheCitywhomhedesiredtosee。

Acalluponhisbankerswould，heknew，bemadeanoccasionofextremelypleasantcourtesybythoseaffablepeople，butuponreflectionitseemedscarcelyworththetrouble。

Hewasinamoodforindolentsauntering，andhemadethelongstretchoftheHolbornthoroughfareinaleisurelyfashion，turningoffwhenthewhimseizedhimintooddcourtsandalley-waystoseewhattheywerelike。Afterluncheon，hecontinuedhisramble，passingatlastfromSt。Giles，throughavenueswhichhadnotexistedintheLondonofhisboyhood，totheneighbourhoodoftheDials。

Herealsothelandmarksseemedallchanged，buttherewasstillenoughostentatioussqualoranddisordertoidentifythedistrict。Heobserveditanditsinhabitantswithacertainnewcuriosity。Anotablealterationforthebetterhadcomeoverhisspirits。

Itmightbethechampagneatluncheon，oritmightbethemereoperationofafranktalkwithSemple，thathaddissipatedhisgloom。Atalleventsitwasgone——andhestrolledalonginquiteplacidcontentment，takinginthepanoramaofLondon\'smoreintimatelifewiththeinterestofaLondonerwhohasobtainedafreshcountryeye。

Hewhohadseenmostoftheworld，andnotcaredmuchaboutthespectacle，foundhimselfnowconsciouslyenjoyingobservationashehadnotsupposeditpossibletodo。

Hesurrenderedhimselftotheexperiencewithanovelsenseofhavingfoundsomethingworthwhile——andfoundit，moreover，underhisverynose。Insomedull，meaninglessfashionhehadalwaysknownthispartofLondon，andbeenfamiliarwithitsexternalaspects。

Nowsuddenlyheperceivedthatthepowerhadcometohimofseeingitallinadifferentway。Theobjectshebeheld，inanimateandotherwise，hadspecificnewmeaningsforhim。

Hismindwasstirredpleasurablybythethingstheysaidtohim。

Helookedatallthecontentsofthewindowsashepassed；

atthebarrowsofthecostersandhawkerscrowdinguptheside-streets；atthecoarse-haired，bare-headedgirlsandwomenstandingaboutintheirshawlsandbigwhiteaprons；attheweaklingbabiesintheirarmsoraboutthethick，clumsyfoldsoftheirstainedskirts；

atthegrimy，shufflingfiguresoftheirmen-folk，againsttheaccustomedbackgroundofthepublic-housecorner，withitshalf-opendoor，anditsfly-blowntheatre-billsinthewindows；atthedriversofthevansandcarts，sleepilyoverlookingthehugehorses，gigantictothenearviewassomesurvivalfromtheageofmammoths，whichpushedgingerly，ploddingly，theirtuftedfeetoverthegreasystones；atfoulinteriorswherethroughtheblacknessonediscernedbentoldhagspickingoverrefuse；

atthefaceswhich，ashepassed，madesomespecialhumanappealtohim——facesblurredwithdrink，facespallidwithunder-feeding，faceswornintomasksbythetensionoftrouble，facessweetenedbyresignation，facesaglowwithdevil-may-careglee……helooked，asitwere，intothepulsingheartofsomethingwhichhadscarcelyseemedalivetohimbefore。

Eventually，hefoundhimselfhaltingatthedoorofhissister\'sbook-shop。Anewboystoodguardoverthestockexposedontheshelfandstandsoutside，andhelookedstonilyatthegreatman；itwasevidentthathewasasfarfromsuspectinghisgreatnessashisrelationship。ItpleasedThorpeforalittletotakeuponebookafteranother，andpretendtoreadfromit，andforcetheboytowatchhimhard。Hehadalmostthetemptationtocovertlyslipavolumeintohispocket，andseewhattheladwoulddo。

Itwasremarkable，hereflectedwithsatisfaction——thisnewcapacitywithinhimtofinddramaintrifles。

Therefloatedintohismindtherecollectionofsomeabsurdsquabblehehadhadwithhissisteraboutthesignoverhead。

Hesteppedbackafewpacesandlookedupatit。

Thereweretheoldwords——"Thorpe，Bookseller"——rightenough，buttheyseemedtostandforthwithanovelprominence。

Uponasecondglance，hesawthattheboardhadbeenrepainted。

Atthishelaughedaloud。Thedetailsoftheepisodecamebacktohimnow。Forsomereason，ornoreasonatall——hecouldnotnowimaginewhatonearthcouldhavepromptedhim——hehadlastspringcausedhissistertobeinformedofhiswishthatherownname，Dabney，shouldbesubstitutedforthatofThorpeonhersign。

ItwastoJuliathathehadconfidedthismission，anditwasJuliawho，inaround-aboutway，haddisclosedtohimpresentlyhermother\'sdeepresolutiontodonothingofthesort。Helaughedagainattheaddeddefiancethatthisrefurbishingoftheoldsignexpressed，andstillwasgrinningbroadlyasheenteredtheshopandpushedhiswayalongtotherear。

Shestoodbesideherdeskassheseemedtohavestoodeversincehecouldrememberher——tall，placid，dull-eyed，self-sufficient，exhalingasitwereakindofstubbornyetcompetentlistlessness。Herlong，mannishcountenanceexpressedanundoubtedinterestinhispresence，whensherecognizedhim，buthehadnoclearperceptionwhetheritwaspleasedorotherwise。Intheirinfrequentlatter-dayencountershehaddroppedthehabitofkissingher，andtherewascertainlynohintinhermannerofexpecting，muchlessinviting，itsrenewalnow——butuponasuddenimpulsehedrewhertohimwithanarmflungroundhergauntwaist，smackedhislipswitheffusionuponhercheek。

Hersurprise，asshewithdrewherselfsomewhatforcefullyfromhisembrace，wasplainenough。"Well！"sheexclaimedvaguely，andthenlookedathim。"You\'regettingfatter。"

"NoI\'mnot，"herejoined，withtheearnestnessbelongingtoanimportanttopic。"PeoplethinkIam——butit\'smerelytheloosenessoftheseclothes。There\'sreallynodifferencesinceIwasherelast。"

Theglancetheyexchangedwassofullofthetacitcommentthatthislastvisitwasalongtimeago，thatThorpeputitintowords。"Let\'ssee——thatwasjustbeforeChristmas，wasn\'tit？"hesaid。

"Somethinglikethat，"sheresponded。"Youweregoingtogetmarriedinaweekortwo，Iremember，andTHAT

wasinJanuary，wasn\'tit？Iwastakingstock，Iknow。"

Henoddedinturn。Thethoughtthathisonlysisterrecalledhismarriagemerelyasadate，likearoyalanniversaryorabank-holiday，andheldherselfimplacablyalooffromallcontactwithhisdomesticlife，annoyedhimafresh。

"You\'reanawfulgoat，nottocomenearus，"hefeltimpelled，inbrotherlyfrankness，totellher。

Sheputoutherlips，andwaggedherheadalittle，inagesturewhichitflashedacrosshimhisownmirrormightoftenhaverecorded。"Ithoughtthatwasallsettledanddonewithlongago，"shesaid，moodily。

"Oh，Iwon\'tworryyouwithit，Lou，"heobserved，withreassuringkindnessoftone。"Ineverfeltsomuchlikebeingnicetoyouinmylife。"

Sheseemedsurprisedatthis，too，andregardedhimwithaheavynewfixityofgaze。Noverbalcomment，apparently，occurredtoher。

"JuliaandAlfredallright？"hequeried，cheerfully。

"Idaresay，"shemadebriefanswer。

"Buttheywritetoyou，don\'tthey？"

"SHEdoes——sometimes。Theyseemtobedoingthemselvesverywell，fromwhatshesays。"

"She\'dwriteoftener，ifyou\'danswerherletters，"

hetoldher，intonesofconfidentialreproach。

"Oh，Idon\'twritelettersunlessI\'vegotsomethingtosay，"

sheanswered，asiftheexplanationwereample。

TheyoungpeopleweredomiciledforthetimebeingatDusseldorf，whereAlfredhadthoughthewouldmostliketobeginhisContinentalstudent-career，andwhereJulia，uponthemoreorlesscolourablepretextoflearningthelanguage，mightenjoythemingledfreedomandoccupationofahomeofherown。

Theyhadtakenahouseforthesummerandautumn，andwoulddothesameinDresdenorMunich，lateron，forthewinter。

"WhatIwouldreallyhaveliked，"Thorpeconfidedtohissisternow，"wastohavehadthembothlivewithme。

Theywouldhavebeenaswelcomeasthedayislong。

Icouldsee，ofcourse，inAlfred\'scase，thatifhe\'ssetonbeinganartist，heoughttostudyabroad。

EventhebestEnglishartists，hesays，dothatatthebeginning。Soitwasallrightforhimtogo。

ButJulia——itwasdifferentwithher——Iwasratherkeenaboutherstaying。MywifewasjustaskeenasIwas。

ShetookthegreatestfancytoJuliafromtheverystart——andsofarasIcouldsee，Julialikedherallright。

Infact，IthoughtJuliawouldwanttostay——butsomehowshedidn\'t。"

"Shealwaysspokeveryhighlyofyourwife，"Mrs。Dabneyaffirmedwithjudicialfairness。"Ithinkshedoeslikeherverymuch。"

"WellthenwhatdidshewanttohykeofftoliveamongthoseDutchmenfor，whenoneofthebesthousesinEnglandwasopentoher？"Thorpedemanded。

"Youmustn\'taskme，"hermotherresponded。Hertoneseemedtocarrythesuggestionthatbysilenceshecouldbestprotectherdaughter\'sinterests。

"Idon\'tbelieveyouknowanymoreaboutitthanIdo，"

washisimpulsivecomment。

"Idaresaynot，"shereplied，withindifference。

"Probablyshedidn\'tfancylivinginsobigahouse——

althoughheavenknowsherideasarebigenoughaboutmostthings。"

"Didshesayso？"Thorpeaskedabruptly。

Thewidowshookherheadwithdispassionatecandour。

"Shedidn\'tsayanythingtomeaboutit，onewayortheother。

Iformedmyownimpressions——that\'sall。It\'safreecountry。

Everybodycanformtheirimpressions。"

"Iwishyou\'dtellmewhatyoureallythink，"Thorpeurgedher，mildlypersuasive。"YouknowhowfondIamofJulia，andhowlittleIwanttodoheraninjustice。"

"Oh，shewouldn\'tfeelTHATway，"Louisaobserved，vaguely。

"Ifyouaskmeplain，Ithinkitwasdullforher。"

"Well，"saidThorpe，uponreflection，"Ishouldn\'tbesurprisedifitwas。Ihadn\'tthoughtofthat。

Butstill——whysheandmywifecouldbecompanyforeachother。"

"Youtalkasiflifewasmerelyalongrailwayjourney，"

shetoldhim，inanunexpectedflightofmetaphor。

"Twowomencoopedupinalonesomecountryhousemaybealittlelesslonelythanoneofthembyherselfwouldbe——butnotmuch。It\'snoneofmybusiness——buthowyourwifemusthateit！"

Helaughedeasily。"Ah，that\'swhereyou\'rewrong，"

hesaid。"Shedoesn\'tcareaboutanythingbutgardening。

That\'sherhobby。She\'scrazyaboutit。We\'velaidoutmoreinnewgreenhousesalone，notcountingtheplants，thanwouldrebuildthisbuilding。I\'mnotsuretheheatingapparatuswouldn\'tcometothat，alone。Andthentheplants！

Whatdoyouthinkofsixandeightguineasforasingleroot？Thosearetheamaryllises——andifyoucometoorchids，youcanpayhundredsifyoulike。Well，that\'sherpassion。

That\'swhatshereallyloves。"

"That\'swhatsheseizesupontokeepherfromjustdyingofloneliness，"Louisaretorted，obstinately，andatasignofdissentfromherbrothershewenton。"Oh，IknowwhatI\'mtalkingabout。Ihavethreeorfourcustomers——ladiesinthecountry，andoneofthemisaladyoftitle，too——andtheyordergardeningbooksandotherbooksthroughme，andwhentheygetuptotown，onceayearorso，theycomehereandtheytalktomeaboutit。Andthereisn\'toneofthemthatatthebottomofherheartdoesn\'thateit。

They\'dratherdodgebussesatCharingCrosscorneralldaylong，thanraiseflowersasbigascheeses，iftheyhadtheirownway。Buttheydon\'thavetheirownway，andtheymusthavesomethingtooccupythemselveswith——andtheytaketogardening。IdaresayI\'devendoitmyselfifIhadtoliveinthecountry，whichthankGodIdon\'t！"

"That\'sbecauseyoudon\'tknowanythingaboutthecountry，"

hetoldher，buttheretort，evenwhileitjustifieditself，hadahollowsoundinhisownears。"AllyouknowoutsideofLondonisMargate。"

"IwenttoYarmouthandLowestoftthissummer，"

sheinformedhim，crushingly。

Somehowhelackedthehearttolaugh。"Iknowwhatyoumean，Lou，"hesaid，withanaffectionateattemptatplacation。

"Isupposethere\'sagooddealinwhatyousay。Itisdull，outthereatmyplace，ifyouhavetoomuchofit。

Perhapsthat\'sagoodhintaboutmywife。Itneveroccurredtome，butitmaybeso。Butthedeuceofitis，whatelseistheretodo？WetriedahouseinLondon，duringtheSeason——"

"Yes，Isawinthepapersyouwerehere，"shesaidimpassively，incommentuponhisembarrassedpause。

"Ididn\'tlookyouup，becauseIdidn\'tthinkyouwantedmuchtoseeme"——heexplainedwithacertainawkwardness——"butbye-gonesareallbye-gones。Wetookatownhouse，butwedidn\'tlikeit。Itwasoneendlessprocessionofstupidandtiresomecallsanddinnersandparties；

wegotawfullysickofit，andsworewewouldn\'ttryitagain。Wellthereyouare，don\'tyousee？It\'sstupidinHertfordshire，andit\'sstupidhere。Ofcourseonecantravelabroad，butthat\'snogoodformorethanafewmonths。

OfcourseitwouldbedifferentifIhadsomethingtodo。

ItellyouGod\'struth，Lou——sometimesIfeelasifI

wasreallyhappierwhenIwasapoorman。Iknowit\'sallrot——Ireallywasn\'t——butsometimesitSEEMSasifIwas。"

Shecontemplatedhimwithaleadenkindofgaze。

"Didn\'titeveroccurtoyoutodosomegoodwithyourmoney？"

shesaid，withslowbluntness。Then，asiffearingapossiblemisconception，sheaddedmorerapidly："Idon\'tmeanamongyourownfamily。We\'reaclannishpeople，weThorpes；we\'dalwayshelpourownfleshandblood，evenifwekickedthemwhileweweredoingit——butI

meanoutside，intheworldatlarge。"

"WhathaveIgottodowiththeworldatlarge？Ididn\'tmakeit；I\'mnotresponsibleforit。"Hemutteredthephraseslightlyenough，butacertainfatuityinthemseemedtoattracthisattentionwhenheheardtheirsound。

"I\'vegivenbetweenfiveandsixthousandpoundstoLondonhospitalswithinthepresentyear，"headded，straighteninghimself。"Iwonderyoudidn\'tseeit。

Itwasinallthepapers。"

"Hospitals！"

Itwasimpossibletoexaggeratethescornwhichhervoiceimportedintotheword。Helookedatherwithunfeignedsurprise，andthentookintheimpressionthatshewasuponasubjectwhichexceptionallyinterestedher。

Certainlythedisplayofsomethingapproachinganimationinherglanceandmannerwasabnormal。

"Isaid\'dosomeGOODwithyourmoney，\'"sheremindedhim，stillwithavibrationoffeelinginhertone。"Youmustliveinthecountry，ifyouthinkLondonhospitalsaredeservingobjects。Theycouldn\'tfoolLondonersonthatpoint，notiftheyhadgotthePrincetogoonhishandsandknees。

Andyougiveafewbigchequestothem，"shewenton，meditatively，"andyouneveraskhowthey\'remanaged，orwhatringsarerunningthemfortheirownbenefit，orhowyourmoneyisspent——andyouthinkyou\'vedoneanoble，philanthropicthing！Ohno——Iwasn\'ttalkingabouthumbugcharity。Iwastalkingaboutdoingsomegenuinegoodintheworld。"

Heputhislegoverthehighstool，andpushedhishatbackwithasmile。"Allright，"hesaid，genially。

"Whatdoyoupropose？"

"Idon\'tproposeanything，"shetoldhim，afteramoment\'shesitation。"Youmustworkthatoutforyourself。

Whatmightseemimportanttomemightnotinterestyouatall——andifyouweren\'tinterestedyouwouldn\'tdoanything。ButthisIdosaytoyou，Joel——andI\'vesaidittomyselfeverydayforthislastyearormore，andhadyouinmindallthetime，too——ifIhadmadeagreatfortune，andIsataboutinpurpleandfinelinendoingnothingbutamusemyselfinidlenessandselfishness，lettingmyrichesaccumulateandmultiplythemselveswithoutbeingofusetoanybody，IshouldbeASHAMEDtolookmyfellow-creaturesintheface！Youwerebornhere。

YouknowwhatLondonslumsarelike。YouknowwhatClareMarketwaslike——it\'sbadenoughstill——andwhattheSevenDialsandDruryLaneandadozenotherplacesroundhereareliketothisday。That\'sonlywithinastone\'sthrow。

HaveyouseenCharlesBooth\'sfiguresabouttheLondonpoor？Ofcourseyouhaven\'t——anditdoesn\'tmatter。

YouKNOWwhattheyarelike。Butyoudon\'tcare。

Themiseryandignoranceandfilthandhopelessnessoftwoorthreehundredthousandpeopledoesn\'tinterestyou。

Yousituponyourmoney-bagsandsmile。Ifyouwantthetruth，I\'mashamedtohaveyouforabrother！"

"Well，I\'mdamned！"wasThorpe\'sdelayedandpuzzledcommentuponthisoutburst。Helookedlongathissister，inblankastonishment。"Sincewhenhaveyoubeentakenthisway？"heaskedatlast，mechanicallyjocular。

"That\'sallright，"shedeclaredwithdefensiveinconsequence。

"It\'sthewayIfeel。It\'sthewayI\'vefeltfromthebeginning。"

Hewasplainlysurprisedoutofhisequanimitybythisunlooked-fordemonstrationonhissister\'spart。

Hegotoffthestoolandwalkedaboutinthelittleclearedspaceroundthedesk。Whenhespoke，itwastouttersomethingwhichhecouldtracetonomentalprocessofwhichhehadbeenconscious。

"Howdoyouknowthatthatisn\'twhatI\'vefelttoo——fromthebeginning？"hedemandedofher，almostwithtruculence。

"YousayIsitonmymoney-bagsandsmile——youabusemewithdoingnogoodwithmymoney——howdoyouknowIhaven\'tbeenstudyingthesubjectallthiswhile，andmakingmyplans，andgettingreadytoact？Youneverdidbelieveinme！"

Shesniffedathim。"Idon\'tbelieveinyounow，atallevents，"shesaid，bluntly。

Heassumedtheexpressionofamisunderstoodman。

"Why，thisveryday"——hebegan，andagainwasawarethatthoughtswerecomingup，ready-shapedtohistongue，whichwerequitestrangerstohisbrain——"thiswholedayI\'vebeengoinginchbyinchovertheverygroundyoumention；I\'vebeenonfootsincemorning，seeingallthecornersandalleysofthatwholedistrictformyself，watchingthepeopleandthethingstheybuyandthewaytheylive——andthinkingoutmyplansfordoingsomething。

Idon\'tclaimanycreditforit。Itseemstomenomorethanwhatamaninmypositionoughttodo。ButIownthattocomein，actuallytiredoutfromatramplikethat，andgetblown-upbyone\'sownsisterforselfishnessandheartlessnessandmiserlinessandalltherestofit——I

mustsay，that\'sabitrum。"

Louisadidnotwinceunderthisreproachasshemighthavebeenexpectedtodo，norwasthereanyperceptibleameliorationintheheavyfrownwithwhichshecontinuedtoregardhim。

Butherwords，utteredaftersomeconsideration，cameinatoneofvoicewhichrevealedadesiretoavoidoffense。

"Itwon\'tmattertoyou，yourgettingblown-upbyme，ifyou\'rereallyoccupyingyourmindwiththatsortofthing。

You\'retoousedtoitforthat。"

Hewouldhavelikedalesscautiousacceptanceofhisassurancesthanthis——butafterall，onedidnotlooktoLouisaforenthusiasms。ThedepthoffeelingshehaddisclosedonthissubjectofLondon\'spoorstillastonishedhim，butprincipallynowbecauseofitsunlikelysource。

Ifshehadbeennotoriouslyofanaltruisticandfree-handeddisposition，hecouldhaveunderstoodit。

Butshehadbeenalwaysthehard，dry，unemotionalone；

bycomparisonwithher，hefelthimselftobeavolatileandevensentimentalperson。Ifshehadsuchviewsasthese，itbecamecleartohimthathisownviewswereevenmuchadvanced。

"It\'satremendoussubject，"hesaid，withlooselargenessofmanner。"Onlyamanwhoworkshardatitcanrealizehowcomplicateditis。Theonlywayistostartwiththeunderstandingthatsomethingisgoingtobedone。

Nomatterhowmanydifficultiesthereareintheway，SOMETHING\'SGOINGTOBEDONE！Ifastrongmanstartsoutwiththat，whythenhecanfighthiswaythrough，andpushthedifficultiesasideorbendthemtosuithispurpose，andaccomplishsomething。"

Mrs。Dabney，listeningtothis，foundnothinginittoquarrelwith——yetsomehowremained，ifnotskeptical，thenpassivelyunconvinced。"Whatareyourplans？"

sheaskedhim。

"Oh，it\'stoosoontoformulateanything，"hetoldher，withpreparedreadiness。"Itisn\'tathingtorushintoinahurry，withhalfbakedtheoriesandlimitedinformation。

Greatresults，permanentresults，areneverobtainedthatway。"

"Ihopeitisn\'tanyPeabodymodel-dwellingthing。"

"Oh，nothinglikeitintheleast，"heassuredher，andmadeamentalnotetofindoutwhatitwasshehadreferredto。

"TheLord-Rowtonhousesarebetter，theysay，"

shewenton，"butitseemstomethattherealthingisthatthereshouldn\'tbeallthisimmensenumberofpeoplewithonlyfourpenceorfivepenceintheirpocket。

That\'swheretherealmischieflies。"

Henoddedcomprehendingly，buthesitatedoverfurtherwords。

Thensomethingoccurredtohim。"Lookhere！"hesaid。

"Ifyou\'reaskeenaboutallthis，areyougametogiveupthisfootlingoldshop，anddevoteyourtimetocarryingoutmyplans，whenI\'velicked\'emintoshape？"

Shebeganshakingherhead，butthensomethingseemedalsotooccurtoher。"It\'llbetimeenoughtosettlethatwhenwegettoit，won\'tit？"sheobserved。

"No——you\'vegottopromisemenow，"hetoldher。

"WellthatIwon\'t！"sheanswered，roundly。

"You\'dseethewhole——thewholeschemecometonothing，wouldyou？"——hescoldedather——"ratherthanabateajotofyourconfoundedmulishness。"

"Aha！"shecommented，withacertainalertnessofperceptionshiningthroughthestolidityofhermien。

"Iknewyouwerehumbugging！Ifyou\'dmeantwhatyousaid，youwouldn\'ttalkaboutitscomingtonothingbecauseI

won\'tdothisorthat。Ioughttohaveknownbetter。

I\'malwaysagoosewhenIbelievewhatyoutellme。"

Acertainabstractjusticeinherreproachimpressedhim。

"Noyou\'renot，Lou，"hereplied，coaxingly。"Ireallymeanitall——everywordofit——andmore。Itonlyoccurredtomethatitwouldallgobetter，ifyouhelped。

Can\'tyouunderstandhowIshouldfeelthat？"

Sheseemedinagrudgingwaytoacceptanewhisprofessionsofsincerity，butsheresistedallattemptstoextractanypromise。"Idon\'tbelieveincrossingabridgetillIgettoit，"shedeclared，when，onthepointofhisdeparture，helastraisedthequestion，andithadtobeleftatthat。

Hetookwithhimsomesmallbooksshehadtiedinaparcel，andtoldhimtoread。Shehadspokensoconfidentlyoftheirilluminatingvalue，thathefoundhimselfquitecommittedtotheirperusal——andalmosttotheirendorsement。

HehadthoughtduringthedayofrunningdowntoNewmarket，fortheCesarewitchwastoberunonthemorrow，andsomeonehadtoldhimthatthatwasworthseeing。

Bythetimehereachedhishotel，however，anentirelynewprojecthadpossessedhismind。Hepackedhisbag，andtookthenexttrainforhome。

CHAPTERXXV

"IDIDN\'Taskyourfather，afterall，"wasoneofthethingsthatThorpesaidtohiswifenextday。Hehadthemannerofoneannouncingaconcession，albeitinanaffablespirit，andshereceivedtheremarkwithascant，silentnod。

Twodayslaterherecurredtothesubject。Theywereagainupontheterrace，wherehehadbeenlounginginaneasy-chairmostoftheday，withthebookshissisterhadbidhimreadonatablebesidehim。Hehadglancedthroughsomeoftheminadesultoryfashion，cuttingpagesatrandomhereandthere，butforthemostparthehadlookedstraightbeforehimatthebroadlandscape，mellowingnowintosoftbrownsandyellowsunderthemild，vagueOctobersun。Hehadnotthoughtmuchofthebooks，buthehadacertainnewsenseofenjoymentinthefruitsofthisplacid，abstractedruminationwhichperhapstheyhadhelpedtoinduce。

"Aboutyourfather，"hesaidnow，ashiswife，whohadcomeouttospeakwithhimonsomeothermatter，wasturningtogoawayagain："I\'mafraidIannoyedyoutheotherdaybywhatIsaid。"

"Ihavenorecollectionofit，"shetoldhim，withtranquilpoliteness，overhershoulder。

Hefoundhimselfallatoncekeenlydesirousofaconversationonthistopic。"ButIwantyoutorecollect，"

hesaid，asherosetohisfeet。Therewasasuggestionofurgencyinhistonewhicharrestedherattention。

Shemovedslowlytowardthechair，andafteralittleperchedherselfupononeofitsbigarms，andlookedupathimwhereheleantagainsttheparapet。

"I\'vethoughtofitagooddeal，"hewenton，inhaltingexplanation。Hispurposeseemedclearertohimthanweretherightphrasesinwhichtodefineit。

"IpersistedinsayingthatI\'ddosomethingyoudidn\'twantmetodo——somethingthatwasagooddealmoreyouraffairthanmine——andI\'veblamedmyselfforit。

Thatisn\'tatallwhatIwanttodo。"

Herfaceaswellashersilenceshowedhertobeatalossforanappropriatecomment。Shewasplainlysurprised，andseeminglyembarrassedaswell。"I\'msureyoualwayswishtobenice，"shesaidatlast。Thewordsandtonewerealikegracious，buthedetectedinthemsomewhereaperfunctorynote。

"Oh——nice！"heechoed，inasuddenstressofimpatiencewiththeword。"Damnbeing\'nice\'！Anybodycanbe\'nice。\'I\'mthinkingofsomethingtenthousandtimesbiggerthanbeing\'nice。\'"

"Iwithdrawthewordimmediately——unreservedly，"sheputin，withasmileinwhichhereadthatgenialmockeryheknewsowell。

"Youlaughatme——wheneverItrytotalkseriously，"

heobjected。

"Ilaugh？"shequeried，withanupwardglanceofdemurelysimulatedamazement。"Impossible！IassureyouI\'veforgottenhow。"

"Ah，nowwegettoit！"hebrokeout，withenergy。

"You\'rereallyfeelingaboutitjustasIam。

You\'renotsatisfiedwithwhatwe\'redoing——withthelifewe\'releading——anymorethanIam。Iseethat，plainenough，now。Ididn\'tdreamofitbefore。SomehowI

gottheideathatyouwereenjoyingitimmensely——thegreenhousesandgardensandallthatsortofthing。

Anddoyouknowwhoitwasthatputmeright——thattoldmeyouhatedit？"

"Oh，don\'tletustalkofhim！"Edithexclaimed，swiftly。

Thorpelaughed。"You\'rewrong。Itwasn\'tyourfather。

Ididn\'tseehim。No——itwasmysister。She\'sneverseenyou，butallthesamesheknewenoughtogivemepoints。

ShetoldmeIwasafooltosupposeyouwerehappyhere。"

"Howcleverofher！"Acertainbanteringsmileaccompaniedthewords，butontheinstantitfadedaway。Shewentonwithamusinggravity。"I\'msorryIdon\'tgettoknowyoursister。Sheseemsanextremelyrealsortofperson。

Icanunderstandthatshemightbedifficulttolivewith——I

daresayallgenuinecharactersare——butshe\'sveryreal。

Although，apparently，conversationisn\'therstrongpoint，stillIenjoytalkingwithher。"

"Howdoyoumean？"Thorpeasked，knittinghisbrowsinpuzzlement。

"Oh，Ioftengotohershop——ordidwhenIwasintown。

Iwentalmostimmediatelyafterour——ourreturntoEngland。

Iwashalfafraidshewouldrecognizeme——theportraitsinthepapers，youknow——butapparentlyshedidn\'t。Andit\'ssplendid——thewayshesaysabsolutelynothingmorethanit\'snecessarytosay。Andhercandour！Ifshethinksbooksarebadshesaysso。Fancythat！"

Hestillfrowneduneasilyashelookeddownather。

"Younevermentionedtomethatyouhadgonethere，"

hetoldher，asifinreproach。

"Ah，itwascomplicated，"Edithexplained。"Sheobjectstoknowingme——IthinksecretlyIrespectheragreatdealforthat——andthereforethereissomethingclandestineaboutmygettingtoknowher——andIcouldnotbesurehowitwouldimpressyou，andreallyitseemedsimplestnottomentionit。"

"Itisn\'tthatalone，"hedeclared，grave-facedstill，butwithasoftervoice。"DoyourememberwhatIsaidtheotherday？Itwouldmakeallthedifferenceintheworldtome，if——ifyouwerereally——actuallymyotherhalf！"

Thephrasewhichhehadcaughtatseemed，asitfellupontheair，toimpregnateitwithsomebenumbingquality。

Thehusbandandwifelookeddumbly，almostvacantlyatoneanother，forwhatappearedalongtime。

"Imean"——allatonceThorpefoundtongue，andevenasortoffluencyasheprogressed——"Imean，ifyousharedthingsreallywithme！Oh，I\'mnotcomplaining；youmustn\'tthinkthat。Theagreementwemadeatthestart——you\'vekeptyourpartofitperfectly。You\'vedonebetterthanthat：

you\'vekeptstillaboutthefactthatitmadeyouunhappy。"

"Ohno，"sheinterposed，gently。"Itisnotthefactthatithasmademeunhappy。"

"Well——discontented，then，"heresumed，withoutpause。

"Hereweare。Wedothethingwewanttodo——wemakethekindofhomeforourselvesthatwe\'veagreedwewouldlike——andthenitturnsoutthatsomehowitdoesn\'tcomeuptoexpectations。Yougettiredofit。

Isuppose，ifthetruthwereknown，I\'mbywayofbeingtiredofittoo。Well，ifyoulookatit，thatfactisthemostimportantthingintheworldforbothofus。

It\'stheonethingthatweoughttobemostanxioustodiscuss，andexaminefranklyinallitsbearings——inordertoseeifwecan\'tbetterit——butthat\'spreciselythethingthatdoesn\'tgettalkedaboutbetweenus。

Youwouldneverhavetoldmethatyouwereunhappy——"

"Youusethewordagain，"sheremindedhim，awansmilesofteningherprotest。

Thorpestoodup，andtookaslowsteptowardthechair。

Heheldherglancewithhisown，ashestoodthen，hisheadbent，gravelyregardingher。

"Doyoutellmethatyouarehappy？"heasked，withsoberdirectness。

Sheflutteredherhandsinalittlerestrainedgestureofcomment。"Youconsideronlytheextremes，"shetoldhim。

"Betweenblackandwhitetherearesomanycoloursandshadesandhalf-tones！Thewholespectrum，infact。Hardlyanybody，Ishouldthink，getsovertheedgeintothetrueblackorthetruewhite。Therearealwaystints，modifications。

Peoplearealwaysinsidethecolour-scheme，sotospeak。

TheworstthatcanbesaidofmeisthatImaybeintheblues——inthelight-blues——butitisfairtorememberthattheyphotographwhite。"

Thoughtherewasanimpulsewithinhimtoresentthisastrifling，heresistedit，andjudiciallyconsideredherallegory。"Thatistosay"——hebeganhesitatingly。

"TotheobserverIamhappy。TomyselfIamnotunhappy。"

"Whywon\'tyoutellme，Edith，justwhereyouare？"

Thesoundofhernamewassomewhatunfamiliartotheirdiscourse。Theintonationwhichhisvoicegavetoitnowcausedhertolookupquickly。

"IfIcouldtellmyself，"sheansweredhim，afteraninstant\'sthought，"praybelievethatIwouldtellyou。"

Thewayseemedforthemomentblockedbeforehim，andhesighedheavily。"Iwanttogetnearertoyou，"hesaid，withgloom，"andIdon\'t！"

Itoccurredtohertoremark："YoutakeexceptiontomyphraseologywhenIsayyoualwaystrytobe\'nice，\'butI\'msureyouknowwhatImean。"Sheofferedhimthisassurancewithatentativesmile，intowhichhegazedmoodily。

"Youdidn\'tthinkIwas\'nice\'whenyouconsentedtomarryme，"hewassuddenlyinspiredtosay。"Ican\'timagineyourapplyingthatwordtometheninyourmind。

Godknowswhatitwasyoudidsaytoyourselfaboutme，butyouneversaidIwas\'nice。\'Thatwasthelastwordthatwouldhavefittedmethen——andnowit\'stheonlyoneyoucanthinkof。"Thehintthatsomehowhehadstumbleduponacluetothemysteriesenvelopinghimrosetoprominenceinhismindashespoke。

Theyearhadwroughtabafflingdifferenceinhim。

Helackedsomethingnowthatthenhehadpossessed，buthewaspowerlesstodefineit。

Heseatedhimselfagaininthechair，andputhishandthroughherarmtokeepherwhereshelightlyrestedbesidehim。"Willyoutellme，"hesaid，withakindofsombregentleness，"whatthewordisthatyouwouldhaveusedthen？Iknowyouwouldn\'t——couldn\'t——havecalledme\'nice。\'Whatwouldyouhavecalledme？"

Shepausedinsilenceforalittle，thenslippedfromthechairandstooderect，stillleavingherwristwithintherestrainingcurveofhisfingers。"Isuppose，"

shesaid，musingly——"IsupposeIshouldhavesaid\'powerful\'or\'strong。\'"Thenshereleasedherarm，andinturnmovedtotheparapet。

"AndIamweaknow——Iam\'nice，\'"hereflected，mechanically。

Intheprofilehesaw，asshelookedawayatthevastdistanthorizon，therewassomethingpensive，evensad。

Shedidnotspeakatonce，andashegazedathermorenarrowlyitseemedasifherlipswerequivering。

Anewsenseofhergreatbeautycametohim——andwithitahintthatfortheinstantatleastherguardwasdown。

Hesprangtohisfeet，andstoodbesideher。

"YouAREgoingtobeopenwithme——Edith！"hepleaded，softly。

Sheturnedfromhimalittle，asiftohidethesignsofheragitation。"Oh，whatistheretosay？"shedemanded，inatonewhichwasalmostawail。"Itisnotyourfault。

I\'mnotblamingyou。"

"WHATisnotmyfault？"hepersistedwithpatientgentleness。

Suddenlysheconfrontedhim。Therewerethetracesoftearsuponherlashes，andserenityhadfledfromherface。

"Itisamistake——ablunder，"shebegan，hurriedly。"Itakeitalluponmyownshoulders。Iwastheonewhodidit。

Ishouldhavehadmorejudgment——moregoodsense！"

"Youarenottellingme，areyou，"heaskedwithgravity，"thatyouaresorryyoumarriedme？"

"Iseitherofusglad？"sheretorted，breathlessly。

"Whatistheretobegladabout？Youareboredtodeath——youconfessit。AndI——well，itisnotwhatIthoughtitwouldbe。Ideceivedmyself。Idonotreproachyou。"

"No，youkeepsayingthat，"heobserved，withgloomyslownessofutterance。"Butwhatisityoureproachyourselfwith，then？Wemightaswellhaveitout。"

"Yes，"sheassented，withaswiftreversiontocalm。

Hereyesmethiswithaglancewhichhadinitanimplacablefrankness。"ImarriedonemanbecausehewouldbeabletomakemeaDuchess。Imarriedanotherbecausehehadeightythousandayear。ThatisthekindofbeastIam。Thereisbadbloodinme。Youknowmyfather；thatisquiteenough。Iamhisdaughter；

thatexplainseverything。"

Theexaggerationofhertoneandwordsproducedacuriouseffectuponhim。Hestaredatherforalittle，perceivingslowlythatanewpersonagewasbeingrevealedtohim。Themaskofdelicately-balancedcynicism，ofamiablypoliteindifference，hadbeenlifted；

therewasawomanoffleshandbloodbeneathit，afterall——awomantowhomhecouldtalkontermsofintimacy。

"Rubbish！"hesaid，andhisbigfacelightenedintoagenial，paternalsmile。"Youdidn\'tmarrymeformymoneyatall！

Whatnonsense！Isimplycamealongandcarriedyouoff。

Youcouldn\'thelpyourself。ItwouldhavebeenthesameifIhadn\'thadsixpence。"

Tohissharpscrutinythereseemedtoflickerinhereyesakindofansweringgleam。Thenshehastilyavertedherglance，andinthisactiontootherewasawarrantforhismountingconfidence。

"Thetroublehasbeen，"hedeclared，"thatI\'vebeentoomuchafraidofyou。I\'vethoughtthatyouweremadeofsomuchfinerstuffthanIam，thatyoumustn\'tbetouched。

Thatwasallamistake。Iseeitrightenoughnow。

YouAREfinerthanIam——Godknowsthere\'snodisputeaboutthat——butthat\'snoreasonwhyIshouldhavehungupsignsof\'Handsoff！\'allaroundyou，andbeenfrightenedbythemmyself。Ihadthecheektocaptureyouandcarryyouoff——andIoughttohavehadtheplucktomakeyoulovemeafterward，andkeepitup。Andthat\'swhatI\'mgoingtodo！"

Tothisdeclarationsheofferednoimmediatereply，butcontinuedtogazewithavaguelymeditativeairupontheexpanseoflandscapespreadbelowthem。

Hethrewahastyglanceoverthewindowsbehindhim，andthenwithassurancepassedhisarmroundherwaist。

Hecouldnotsaythattherewasanyresponsiveyieldingtohisembrace，buthedidaffirmtohimselfwithnewconviction，ashelookeddownuponthefairsmallheadathisshoulder，withitslovelypale-brownhairdrawnsoftlyoverthetemples，anditsglimpseofthematchlessprofileinclinedbeneath——thatitwasallright。

Hewaitedforalongtime，withajoyouspatience，forhertospeak。Themerefactthatshestoodbeneathhisengirdlingarm，andgavenothoughttothepotentialservants\'-eyesbehindthem，wasenoughforpresenthappiness。

Heregardedtheillimitablepicturecommandedfromhisterracewithrefreshedeyes；itwasonceagainthefinestviewinEngland——andsomethingmuchmorethanthatbeside。

Atlast，abruptly，shelaughedaloud——asilvery，amusedlittlelaughunderherbreath。"Howcomedyandtragedytreadforeveroneachother\'sheels！"sheremarked。

Hertonewasphilosophicallygay，butuponreflectionhedidnotwhollylikeherwords。

"Therewasn\'tanytragedy，"hesaid，"andthereisn\'tanycomedy。"

Shelaughedagain。"Oh，don\'tsaythatthisdoesn\'tappealtoyoursenseofhumour！"sheurged，withmockfervour。

Thorpesighedinsuchunaffecteddepressionatthis，thatsheseemedtouchedbyhismood。Withoutstirringfromhishold，sheliftedherface。"Don\'tthinkI\'mhateful，"

shebadehim，andhereyeswereverykind。"There\'smoretruthinwhatyou\'vebeensayingthanevenyouimagine。

Itreallywasn\'tthemoney——orImeanitmighteasilyhavebeenthesameiftherehadbeennomoney。ButhowshallI

explainit？Iamattractedbyabig，bold，strongpirate，letussay，butassoonashehascarriedmeoff——thatisthephraseforit——thenhestraightwayrenouncescrimeandbecomesalaw-abiding，peacefulcitizen。

Mybuccaneertransformshimself，undermyveryeyes，intoanalderman！Doyousaythereisnocomedyinthat——andtragedytoo？"

"Oh，putitthatwayandit\'sallright，"hedeclared，afteramoment\'sconsideration。"I\'vegotasmuchfuninmeasanybodyelse，"hewenton，"onlyyourjokeshaveawayofraisingblistersonme，somehow。Butthat\'salldonewithnow。That\'sbecauseIdidn\'tknowyou——wasfrightenedofyou。ButIaintscaredanymore。

Everythingisdifferent！"

Withacertaingraciousnessoflingeringmovement，shewithdrewherselffromhisclasp，andfacedhimwithadoubtfulsmile。"Ah，don\'tbetoosure，"shemurmured。

"Everythingisdifferent！"herepeated，withconfidentemphasis。

"Don\'tyouseeyourselfitis？"

"Yousayitis，"shereplied，hesitatingly，"butthatalonedoesn\'tmakeitso。Theassertionthatlifeisn\'temptydoesn\'tfillit。"

"Ah，butNOWyouwilltalkwithmeaboutallthat，"

hebrokeintriumphantly。"We\'vebeenstandingoffwithoneanother。We\'vebeenofnohelptoeachother。Butwe\'llchangethat，now。We\'lltalkovereverythingtogether。

We\'llmakeupourmindsexactlywhatwewanttodo，andthenI\'lltuckyouundermyarmandwe\'llsetoutanddoit。"

Shesmiledwithkindlytoleranceforhisnew-bornenthusiasm。

"Don\'tcountonmefortoomuchwisdomorinvention，"

shewarnedhim。"Ifthingsaretobedone，youarestilltheonewhowillhavetodothem。Butundoubtedlyyouareatyourbestwhenyouaredoingthings。Thisreallyhasbeennosortoflifeforyou，here。"

Hegatheredherarmintohis。"Comeandshowmeyourgreenhouses，"

hesaid，andbeganwalkingtowardtheendoftheterrace。

"It\'llturnouttohavebeenallrightforme，thisyearthatI\'vespenthere，"hecontinued，astheystrolledalong。

Therewasadelightfulconsciousnessofnewintimacyconveyedbytheverytouchofherarm，whichfilledhistonewithbuoyancy。"I\'vebeenlearningallsortsoftrickshere，andgettingmyselfintoyourwaysoflife。It\'sallbeengoodtraining。IneverywayI\'mabettermanthanIwas。"

Theyhaddescendedfromtheterracetoagardenpath，andapproachednowalongglassstructure，throughthepanesofwhichmassesofsoftcolour——whites，yellows，pinks，mauves，andstrangedullreds——weredimlyperceptible。

"Thechrysanthemumsarenotuptomuchthisyear，"

Edithobserved，astheydrewneartothedoorofthishouse。

"Collinsdidthemverybadly——ashedidmostotherthings。

Butnextyearitwillbeverydifferent。GaffersonisthebestchrysanthemummaninEngland。Thatisheintherenow，Ithink。"

Thorpestoppedshort，andstaredather，thewhilethesuggestionsstirredbythesoundofthisnameslowlyshapedthemselves。

"Gafferson？"heaskedher，withablankcountenance。

"Mynewhead-gardener，"sheexplained。"HewasatHadlow，andafterpooroldLadyPlowdendied——why，surelyyourememberhimthere。Youspokeabouthim——you\'dknownhimsomewhere——intheWestIndies，wasn\'tit？"

Helookedintovacancywiththeaspectofonestupefied。

"DidI？"hemumbledautomatically。

Then，withsuddendecision，heswungroundonthegravel。

"I\'vegotakindofheadachecomingon，"hesaid。"Ifyoudon\'tmind，wewon\'tgoinsideamongtheflowers。"

CHAPTERXXVI

THORPEwalkedalong，intheremoterout-of-the-waypartsofthegreatgardens，asthefirstshadowsofeveningbegantodullthedaylight。Foralongtimehemovedaimlesslyabout，sickatheartandbenumbedofmind，inthestupidoppressionofabaddream。

Thereranthroughallhisconfusedthoughtstheexasperatingconsciousnessthatitwasnonsensetobefrightened，orevendisturbed；that，intruth，nothingwhateverhadhappened。Buthecouldnotlayholdofittoanycomfortingpurpose。Someperverseforcewithinhiminsistedonraisingnewphantomsinhispath，anddirectinghisreluctantgazetotheirunpleasantshapes。

Forgottenterrorspushedthemselvesuponhisrecollection。

ItwasasifhestoodagainintheBoardRoom，withthetelegramtellingofoldTavender\'sdeathinhishands，waitingtoheartheknockofScotlandYarduponthedoor。

ThecomingofGaffersontookonakindofsupernaturalaspect，whenThorperecalleditscircumstances。Hisowncuriousmentalferment，whichhadmadethispresentweekaperiodapartinhislife，hadbegunintheveryhourofthisman\'sapproachtothehouse。Hismemoryreconstructedavividpictureofthatapproach——oftheoldramshacklevillagetrap，andtheboyandthebagsandtheyellowtintrunk，andthatdecent，red-bearded，plebeianfigure，socommonplaceandyetsoelusivelysuggestiveofsomethingoutoftheordinary。Itseemedtohimnowthathehadatthetimediscernedacertainfatefulqualityintheapparition。

AndheandhiswifehadactuallybeentalkingofoldKervickatthemoment！Itwastheirdisagreementoverhimwhichhadpreventedherexplainingaboutthenewhead-gardener。Therewasaneffectoftheuncannyinallthis。

AndwhatdidGaffersonwant？Howmuchdidheknow？TheideathatperhapsoldKervickhadfoundhimout，andpatchedupwithhimaschemeofblackmail，occurredtohim，andintheunrealatmosphereofhismood，becameathingofsubstance。

Withblackmail，however，onecouldalwaysdeal；itwasalmostarelieftoseethecomplicationassumethatguise。

ButifGaffersonwasintentuponrevengeandexposureinstead？Withsuchaslug-like，patient，tenaciousfool，wasthatnotmorelikely？

Reasonableargumentspresentedthemselvestohismindeverandagain：hiswifehadknownofGafferson\'swork，andthoughthighlyofit，andhadbeeninapositiontolearnofhisleavingHadlow。Whatmorenaturalthanthatsheshouldhastentoemployhim？Andwhatwasit，afterall，thatGaffersoncouldpossiblyknoworprove？Hisbrother-in-lawhadgoneoff，andgottoodrunktolive，andhaddied。WhatinthenameofallthatwassensiblehadthistodowithThorpe？WhyshoulditevenbesupposedthatGaffersonassociatedThorpewithanyphaseofthebusiness？Andifhehadanynotionofahostilemovement，whyshouldhehavedelayedactionsolong？Whyindeed！

Reassurancedidnotcometohim，butatlastanimpulsetodefiniteactionturnedhisfootstepstowardtheclusterofgreenhousesinthedeepeningshadowofthemansion。

HewouldfindGafferson，andprobethisbusinesstotheuttermost。Iftherewasdiscoverableintheman\'smannerorglancetheleastevidenceofamalevolentintention——hewouldknowwhattodo。Ah，whatwasitthathewoulddo？Hecouldnotsay，beyondthatitwouldbebadforGafferson。Heinstinctivelyclenchedthefistsinthepocketsofhisjacketashequickenedhispace。

Insidethecongeriesofglazedhouseshewassomewhatatsea。

Itwasstilllightenoughtomakeone\'swayaboutinthepassagesbetweenthestagings，buthehadnoideaofthegeneralplanofthebuildings，anditseemedtohimthathefrequentlygotbacktoplaceshehadtraversedbefore。

Thereweretwoorthreesubordinategardenersinoraboutthehouses，butuponreflectionheforboretoquestionthem。

Hetriedtoassumeanidlyindifferentairashesaunteredpast，noddingalmostimperceptibleacknowledgmentoftheforefingerstheyjerkedupwardinsalutation。

Hecameatlastuponalockeddoor，thekeyofwhichhadbeenremoved。Thefactvaguelysurprisedhim，andhelookedwithawakenedinterestthroughthepanesofthisdoor。

Theairinsideseemedslightlythickened——andthenhiseyecaughttheflickerofaflame，straightahead。

Itwasnothingbutthefumigationofahouse；theburningspiritsinthelampunderneaththebrazierwerefillingthestructurewithvapoursfataltoallinsectlife。

Intwoorthreehoursthemenwouldcomeandopenthedoorsandwindowsandventilatetheplace。Theoperationwasquitefamiliartohim；ithadindeedinterestedhimmorewhenhefirstsawitdonethanhadanythingelseconnectedwiththegreenhouses。

Hisabstractedgazehappenedtotakenoteofthefactthatthedoor-keywashangingonanailoverhead，andthensuddenlythisseemedtoberelatedtosomethingelseinhisthoughts——someobscureimpressionormemorywhichevadedhim。

Continuingtolookatthekey，acertainrecollectionallatonceassumedgreatdefinitenessinhismind：itcametohimthatthelabelsonthispatentfumigatortheywereusingwarnedpeopleagainstexposingthemselvestoitsfumesmorethanwasabsolutelynecessary。Thatmeant，ofcourse，thattheirfullforcewouldkillahumanbeing。

Itwasveryinteresting。Helookedthroughtheglassagain，butcouldnotseethattheairwasanythicker。

Thelampstillburnedbrightly。

Heturnedaway，andbeheldaman，inanoldcapandapron，atthefurtherendofthepalm-househewasin，doingsomethingtoaplant。ThorpenotedthefactthathefeltnosurpriseinseeingthatitwasGafferson。

Somehowthesightofthekey，andofthepoison-spreadingflameinsidethelockeddoor，seemedtohavepreparedhimforthespectacleofGaffersoncloseathand。

Hemovedforwardslowlytowardthehead-gardener，andluminousplansroseinhismind，ready-madeateachstep。Hecouldstranglethisannoyingfool，orsmotherhim，intonon-resistinginsensibility，andthenputhiminsidethatdeath-house，andletitbesupposedthathehadbeenasphyxiatedbyaccident。

Themenwhentheycamebackwouldfindhimthere。

Butah！theywouldknowthattheyhadnotlefthimthere；

theywouldhaveseenhimoutside，nodoubt，afterthefirehadbeenlighted。Well，thekeycouldbeleftintheunlockeddoor。Thenitcouldbesupposedthathehadrashlyentered，andbeenovercomebythevapours。

Heapproachedthemansilently，hisbrainarrangingthedetailsofthedeedwithcalmcelerity。