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diff --git a/298-h/298-h.htm b/298-h/298-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4c4aba1 --- /dev/null +++ b/298-h/298-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,14502 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Market-Place, by Harold Frederic + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Market-Place, by Harold Frederic + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Market-Place + +Author: Harold Frederic + +Release Date: July 6, 2008 [EBook #298] +Last Updated: March 14, 2018 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARKET-PLACE *** + + + + +Produced by John Hamm, and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE MARKET-PLACE + </h1> + <h2> + by Harold Frederic + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER XXVII </a> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER I + </h2> + <p> + THE battle was over, and the victor remained on the field—sitting + alone with the hurly-burly of his thoughts. + </p> + <p> + His triumph was so sweeping and comprehensive as to be somewhat shapeless + to the view. He had a sense of fascinated pain when he tried to define to + himself what its limits would probably be. Vistas of unchecked, expanding + conquest stretched away in every direction. He held at his mercy + everything within sight. Indeed, it rested entirely with him to say + whether there should be any such thing as mercy at all—and until he + chose to utter the restraining word the rout of the vanquished would go on + with multiplying terrors and ruin. He could crush and torture and despoil + his enemies until he was tired. The responsibility of having to decide + when he would stop grinding their faces might come to weigh upon him later + on, but he would not give it room in his mind to-night. + </p> + <p> + A picture of these faces of his victims shaped itself out of the flames in + the grate. They were moulded in a family likeness, these phantom visages: + they were all Jewish, all malignant, all distorted with fright. They + implored him with eyes in which panic asserted itself above rage and + cunning. Only here and there did he recall a name with which to label one + of these countenances; very few of them raised a memory of individual + rancour. The faces were those of men he had seen, no doubt, but their + persecution of him had been impersonal; his great revenge was equally so. + As he looked, in truth, there was only one face—a composite mask of + what he had done battle with, and overthrown, and would trample implacably + under foot. He stared with a conqueror's cold frown at it, and gave an + abrupt laugh which started harsh echoes in the stillness of the Board + Room. Then he shook off the reverie, and got to his feet. He shivered a + little at the sudden touch of a chill. + </p> + <p> + A bottle of brandy, surrounded by glasses, stood on the table where the + two least-considered of his lieutenants, the dummy Directors, had left it. + He poured a small quantity and sipped it. During the whole eventful day it + had not occurred to him before to drink; the taste of the neat liquor + seemed on the instant to calm and refresh his brain. With more + deliberation, he took a cigar from the broad, floridly-decorated open box + beside the bottle, lit it, and blew a long draught of smoke thoughtfully + through his nostrils. Then he put his hands in his pockets, looked again + into the fire, and sighed a wondering smile. God in heaven! it was + actually true! + </p> + <p> + This man of forty found himself fluttering with a novel exhilaration, + which yet was not novel. Upon reflection, he perceived that he felt as if + he were a boy again—a boy excited by pleasure. It surprised as much + as it delighted him to experience this frank and direct joy of a child. He + caught the inkling of an idea that perhaps his years were an illusion. He + had latterly been thinking of himself as middle-aged; the grey hairs + thickening at his temples had vaguely depressed him. Now all at once he + saw that he was not old at all. The buoyancy of veritable youth bubbled in + his veins. He began walking up and down the room, regarding new halcyon + visions with a sparkling eye. He was no longer conscious of the hated foe + beneath his feet; they trod instead elastic upon the clouds. + </p> + <p> + The sound of someone moving about in the hallway outside, and of trying a + door near by, suddenly caught his attention. He stood still and listened + with alertness for a surprised instant, then shrugged his shoulders and + began moving again. It must be nearly seven o'clock; although the + allotment work had kept the clerks later than usual that day, everybody + connected with the offices had certainly gone home. He realized that his + nerves had played him a trick in giving that alarmed momentary start—and + smiled almost tenderly as he remembered how notable and even glorious a + warrant those nerves had for their unsettled state. They would be all + right after a night's real rest. He would know how to sleep NOW, thank + God! + </p> + <p> + But yes—there was somebody outside—and this time knocking with + assurance at the right door, the entrance to the outer office. After a + second's consideration, he went into this unlighted outer office, and + called out through the opaque glass an enquiry. The sound of his voice, as + it analyzed itself in his own ears, seemed unduly peremptory. The answer + which came back brought a flash of wonderment to his eyes. He hurriedly + unlocked and opened the door. + </p> + <p> + “I saw the lights in what I made out to be the Board Room,” said the + newcomer, as he entered. “I assumed it must be you. Hope I don't interrupt + anything.” + </p> + <p> + “Nothing could have given me greater pleasure, Lord Plowden,” replied the + other, leading the way back to the inner apartment. “In fact, I couldn't + have asked anything better.” + </p> + <p> + The tone of his voice had a certain anxious note in it not quite in + harmony with this declaration. He turned, under the drop-light overhanging + the Board-table, and shook hands with his guest, as if to atone for this + doubtful accent. “I shake hands with you again,” he said, speaking + rapidly, “because this afternoon it was what you may call formal; it + didn't count. And—my God!—you're the man I owe it all to.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, you mustn't go as far as that—even in the absence of + witnesses,” replied Lord Plowden, lightly. “I'll take off my coat for a + few minutes,” he went on, very much at his ease. “It's hot in here. It's + by the merest chance I happened to be detained in the City—and I saw + your lights, and this afternoon we had no opportunity whatever for a quiet + talk. No—I won't drink anything before dinner, but I'll light a + cigar. I want to say to you, Thorpe,” he concluded, as he seated himself + “that I think what you've done is very wonderful. The Marquis thinks so + too—but I shouldn't like to swear that he understands much about + it.” + </p> + <p> + The implication that the speaker did understand remained in the air like a + tangible object. Thorpe took a chair, and the two men exchanged a silent, + intent look. Their faces, dusky red on the side of the glow from the fire, + pallid where the electric light fell slantwise upon them from above, had + for a moment a mysterious something in common. Then the tension of the + glance was relaxed—and on the instant no two men in London looked + less alike. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden was familiarly spoken of as a handsome man. Thorpe had even + heard him called the handsomest man in England—though this seemed in + all likelihood an exaggeration. But handsome he undoubtedly was—tall + without suggesting the thought of height to the observer, erect yet + graceful, powerfully built, while preserving the effect of slenderness. + His face in repose had the outline of the more youthful guardsman-type—regular, + finely-cut, impassive to hardness. When he talked, or followed with + interest the talk of others, it revealed almost an excess of animation. + Then one noted the flashing subtlety of his glance, the swift facility of + his smile and comprehending brows, and saw that it was not the guardsman + face at all. His skin was fresh-hued, and there was a shade of warm brown + in his small, well-ordered moustasche, but his hair, wavy and worn longer + than the fashion, seemed black. There were perceptible veins of grey in + it, though he had only entered his thirty-fifth year. He was dressed + habitually with the utmost possible care. + </p> + <p> + The contrast between this personage and the older man confronting him was + abrupt. Thorpe was also tall, but of a burly and slouching figure. His + face, shrouded in a high-growing, dust-coloured beard, invited no + attention. One seemed always to have known this face—thick-featured, + immobile, undistinguished. Its accessories for the time being were even + more than ordinarily unimpressive. Both hair and beard were ragged with + neglect. His commonplace, dark clothes looked as if he had slept in them. + The hands resting on his big knees were coarse in shape, and roughened, + and ill-kept. + </p> + <p> + “I couldn't have asked anything better than your dropping in,” he repeated + now, speaking with a drag, as of caution, on his words. “Witnesses or no + witnesses, I'm anxious to have you understand that I realize what I owe to + you.” + </p> + <p> + “I only wish it were a great deal more than it is,” replied the other, + with a frank smile. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it'll mount up to considerable, as it stands,” said Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + He could hear that there was a kind of reservation in his voice; the + suspicion that his companion detected it embarrassed him. He found himself + in the position of fencing with a man to whom all his feelings impelled + him to be perfectly open. He paused, and was awkwardly conscious of + constraint in the silence which ensued. “You are very kind to put it in + that way,” said Lord Plowden, at last. He seemed also to be finding words + for his thoughts with a certain difficulty. He turned his cigar round in + his white fingers meditatively. “I gather that your success has been + complete—as complete as you yourself could have desired. I + congratulate you with all my heart.” + </p> + <p> + “No—don't say my success—say our success,” put in Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + “But, my dear man,” the other corrected him, “my interest, compared with + yours, is hardly more than nominal. I'm a Director, of course, and I'm not + displeased that my few shares should be worth something instead of + nothing, but——” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe lifted one of his heavy hands. “That isn't my view of the thing at + all. To be frank, I was turning over in my mind, just awhile ago, before + you came in, some way of arranging all that on a different footing. If + you'll trust it to me, I think you'll find it's all right.” + </p> + <p> + Something in the form of this remark seemed to restore to Lord Plowden his + accustomed fluency of speech. + </p> + <p> + “I came here to say precisely that thing,” he began—“that I do trust + it to you. We have never had any very definite talk on the subject—and + pray don't think that I want to go into details now. I'd much rather not, + in fact. But what I do want to say to you is this: I believe in you. I + feel sure that you are going to go far, as the saying is. Well, I want to + tie myself to your star. Do you see what I mean? You are going to be a + power in finance. You are going to be able to make and unmake men as you + choose. I should be very much obliged indeed if you would make me.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe regarded the handsome and titled man of fashion with what seemed to + the other a lethargic gaze. In truth, his mind was toiling with strenuous + activity to master, in all its bearings, the significance of what had been + said. This habit of the abstracted and lack-lustre eye, the while he was + hard at work thinking, was a fortuitous asset which he had never up to + that time learned that he possessed. Unconsciously, he dampened the + spirits of his companion. + </p> + <p> + “Don't imagine I'm trying to force myself upon you,” Lord Plowden said, + growing cool in the face of this slow stare. “I'm asking nothing at all. I + had the impulse to come and say to you that you are a great man, and that + you've done a great thing—and done it, moreover, in a very great + way.” + </p> + <p> + “You know how it was done!” The wondering exclamation forced itself from + Thorpe's unready lips. He bent forward a little, and took a new visual + hold, as it were, of his companion's countenance. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden smiled. “Did you think I was such a hopeless duffer, then?” + he rejoined. + </p> + <p> + For answer, Thorpe leant back in his chair, crossed his legs, and patted + his knee contentedly. All at once his face had lightened; a genial + speculation returned to his grey eyes. + </p> + <p> + “Well, I was in a curious position about you, you see,” he began to + explain. The relief with which he spoke was palpable. “I could not for the + life of me make up my mind whether to tell you about it or not. Let's see—this + is Thursday; did I see you Tuesday? At any rate, the scheme didn't dawn on + me myself until toward evening Tuesday. But yesterday, of course, I could + have told you—and again this afternoon—but, as I say, I + couldn't make up my mind. Once I had it on the tip of my tongue—but + somehow I didn't. And you—you never gave me a hint that you saw what + was going on.” + </p> + <p> + Again Lord Plowden smiled. “I voted with you,” he put in softly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed, and relit his cigar. “Well, I couldn't have asked anything + better than this,” he declared once again. “It beats all the rest put + together, to my mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps I don't quite follow your meaning,” commented the other + tentatively. + </p> + <p> + “Why man,” Thorpe explained, hesitating a little in his choice of words, + but speaking with evident fervour; “I was more anxious about you—and + the way you'd take it—than about anything else. I give you my word I + was. I couldn't tell at all how you'd feel about the thing. You might + think that it was all right, and then again you might round on me—or + no, I don't mean quite that—but you might say it wasn't good enough + for you, and wash your hands of the whole affair. And I can't tell you + what a relief it is to find that you—that you're satisfied. Now I + can go ahead.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes—ahead,” said the younger man, thoughtfully. “Do you mind + telling me—you see I'm quite in the dark as to details—how + much further ahead we are likely to go? I comprehend the general nature of + our advance—but how far off is the goal you have in sight?” + </p> + <p> + “God knows!” answered Thorpe, with a rising thrill of excitement in his + voice. “I don't give it any limit. I don't see why we should stop at all. + We've got them in such a position that—why, good heavens! we can + squeeze them to death, crush them like quartz.” He chuckled grimly at the + suggestion of his simile. “We'll get more ounces to the ton out of our + crushings than they ever heard of on the Rand, too.” + </p> + <p> + “Might I ask,” interposed the other, “who may 'they' be?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe hesitated, and knitted his brows in the effort to remember names. + “Oh, there are a lot of them,” he said, vaguely. “I think I told you of + the way that Kaffir crowd pretended to think well of me, and let me + believe they were going to take me up, and then, because I wouldn't give + them everything—the very shirt off my back—turned and put + their knife into me. I don't know them apart, hardly—they've all got + names like Rhine wines—but I know the gang as a whole, and if I + don't lift the roof clean off their particular synagogue, then my name is + mud.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden smiled. “I've always the greatest difficulty to remember that + you are an Englishman—a Londoner born,” he declared pleasantly. “You + don't talk in the least like one. On shipboard I made sure you were an + American—a very characteristic one, I thought—of some curious + Western variety, you know. I never was more surprised in my life than when + you told me, the other day, that you only left England a few years ago.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, hardly a 'few years'; more like fifteen,” Thorpe corrected him. He + studied his companion's face with slow deliberation. + </p> + <p> + “I'm going to say something that you mustn't take amiss,” he remarked, + after a little pause. “If you'd known that I was an Englishman, when we + first met, there on the steamer, I kind o' suspect that you and I'd never + have got much beyond a nodding acquaintance—and even that mostly on + my side. I don't mean that I intended to conceal anything—that is, + not specially—but I've often thought since that it was a mighty good + thing I did. Now isn't that true—that if you had taken me for one of + your own countrymen you'd have given me the cold shoulder?” + </p> + <p> + “I dare say there's a good deal in what you say,” the other admitted, + gently enough, but without contrition. “Things naturally shape themselves + that way, rather, you know. If they didn't, why then the whole position + would become difficult. But you are an American, to all intents and + purposes.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no—I never took any step towards getting naturalized,” Thorpe + protested. “I always intended to come back here. Or no, I won't say that—because + most of the time I was dog-poor—and this isn't the place for a poor + man. But I always said to myself that if ever I pulled it off—if I + ever found my self a rich man—THEN I'd come piking across the + Atlantic as fast as triple-expansion engines would carry me.” + </p> + <p> + The young man smiled again, with a whimsical gleam in his eye. “And you + ARE a rich man, now,” he observed, after a momentary pause. + </p> + <p> + “We are both rich men,” replied Thorpe, gravely. + </p> + <p> + He held up a dissuading hand, as the other would have spoken. “This is how + it seems to me the thing figures itself out: It can't be said that your + name on the Board, or the Marquis's either, was of much use so far as the + public were concerned. To tell the truth, I saw some time ago that they + wouldn't be. Titles on prospectuses are played out in London. I've rather + a notion, indeed, that they're apt to do more harm than good—just at + present, at least. But all that aside—you are the man who was civil + to me at the start, when you knew nothing whatever about my scheme, and + you are the man who was good to me later on, when I didn't know where to + turn for a friendly word. Very well; here I am! I've made my coup! And I'd + be a sweep, wouldn't I? to forget to-day what I was so glad to remember a + week ago. But you see, I don't forget! The capital of the Company is + 500,000 pounds, all in pound shares. We offered the public only a fifth of + them. The other four hundred thousand shares are mine as vendor—and + I have ear-marked in my mind one hundred thousand of them to be yours.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden's face paled at the significance of these words. “It is too + much—you don't reflect what it is you are saying,” he murmured + confusedly. “Not a bit of it,” the other reassured him. “Everything that + I've said goes.” + </p> + <p> + The peer, trembling a little, rose to his feet. “It is a preposterously + big reward for the merest act of courtesy,” he insisted. “Of course it + takes my breath away for joy—and yet I feel I oughtn't to be + consenting to it at all. And it has its unpleasant side—it buries me + under a mountain of obligation. I don't know what to do or what to say.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, leave the saying and doing to me, then,” replied Thorpe, with a + gesture before which the other resumed his seat. “Just a word more—and + then I suppose we'd better be going. Look at it in this way. Your + grandfather was Lord Chancellor of England, and your father was a General + in the Crimea. My grandfather kept a small second-hand book-shop, and my + father followed him in the business. In one sense, that puts us ten + thousand miles apart. But in another sense, we'll say that we like each + other, and that there are ways in which we can be of immense use to each + other, and that brings us close together. You need money—and here it + is for you. I need—what shall I say?—a kind of friendly lead + in the matter of establishing myself on the right footing, among the right + people—and that's what you can do for me. Mind—I'd prefer to + put it all in quite another way; I'd like to say it was all niceness on + your part, all gratitude on mine. But if you want to consider it on a + business basis—why there you have it also—perfectly plain and + clear.” + </p> + <p> + He got up as he finished, and Lord Plowden rose as well. The two men shook + hands in silence. + </p> + <p> + When the latter spoke, it was to say: “Do you know how to open one of + those soda-water bottles? I've tried, but I can never get the trick. I + think I should like to have a drink—after this.” + </p> + <p> + When they had put down their glasses, and the younger man was getting into + his great-coat, Thorpe bestowed the brandy and cigars within a cabinet at + the corner of the room, and carefully turned a key upon them. + </p> + <p> + “If you're going West, let me give you a lift,” said Lord Plowden, hat in + hand. “I can set you down wherever you like. Unfortunately I've to go out + to dinner, and I must race, as it is, to get dressed.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. “No, go along,” he bade him. “I've some odds and + ends of things to do on the way.” + </p> + <p> + “Then when shall I see you?”—began the other, and halted suddenly + with a new thought in his glance. “But what are you doing Saturday?” he + asked, in a brisker tone. “It's a dies non here. Come down with me + to-morrow evening, to my place in Kent. We will shoot on Saturday, and + drive about on Sunday, if you like—and there we can talk at our + leisure. Yes, that is what you must do. I have a gun for you. Shall we + say, then—Charing Cross at 9:55? Or better still, say 5:15, and we + will dine at home.” + </p> + <p> + The elder man pondered his answer—frowning at the problem before him + with visible anxiety. “I'm afraid I'd better not come—it's very good + of you all the same.” + </p> + <p> + “Nonsense,” retorted the other. “My mother will be very glad indeed to see + you. There is no one else there—unless, perhaps, my sister has some + friend down. We shall make a purely family party.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe hesitated for only a further second. “All right. Charing Cross, + 5:15,” he said then, with the grave brevity of one who announces a + momentous decision. + </p> + <p> + He stood still, looking into the fire, for a few moments after his + companion had gone. Then, going to a closet at the end of the room, he + brought forth his coat and hat; something prompted him to hold them up, + and scrutinize them under the bright light of the electric globe. He put + them on, then, with a smile, half-scornful, half-amused, playing in his + beard. + </p> + <p> + The touch of a button precipitated darkness upon the Board Room. He made + his way out, and downstairs to the street. It was a rainy, windy October + night, sloppy underfoot, dripping overhead. At the corner before him, a + cabman, motionless under his unshapely covered hat and glistening rubber + cape, sat perched aloft on his seat, apparently asleep. Thorpe hailed him, + with a peremptory tone, and gave the brusque order, “Strand!” as he + clambered into the hansom. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II + </h2> + <p> + “LOUISA, the long and short of it is this,” said Thorpe, half an hour + later: “you never did believe in me, as a sister should do.” + </p> + <p> + He was seated alone with this sister, in a small, low, rather + dismally-appointed room, half-heartedly lighted by two flickering gasjets. + They sat somewhat apart, confronting a fireplace, where only the laid + materials for a fire disclosed themselves in the cold grate. Above the + mantel hung an enlarged photograph of a scowling old man. Thorpe's gaze + recurred automatically at brief intervals to this portrait—which + somehow produced the effect upon him of responsibility for the + cheerlessness of the room. There were other pictures on the walls of which + he was dimly conscious—small, faded, old prints about Dido and + AEneas and Agamemnon, which seemed to be coming back to him out of the + mists of his childhood. + </p> + <p> + Vagrant impressions and associations of this childhood strayed with quaint + inconsequence across the field of his preoccupied mind. The peculiar odour + of the ancient book-shop on the floor below remained like snuff in his + nostrils. Somewhere underneath, or in the wainscoting at the side, he + could hear the assiduous gnawing of a rat. Was it the same rat, he + wondered with a mental grin, that used to keep him awake nights, in one of + the rooms next to this, with that same foolish noise, when he was a boy? + </p> + <p> + “I know you always say that,” replied Louisa, impassively. + </p> + <p> + She was years older than her brother, but, without a trace of artifice or + intention, contrived to look the younger of the two. Her thick hair, drawn + simply from her temples into a knot behind, was of that palest brown which + assimilates grey. Her face, long, plain, masculine in contour and spirit, + conveyed no message as to years. Long and spare of figure, she sat upright + in her straight-backed chair, with her large, capable hands on her knees. + </p> + <p> + “I believed in you as much as you'd let me,” she went on, indifferently, + almost wearily. “But I don't see that it mattered to you whether I did or + didn't. You went your own way: you did what you wanted to do. What had I + to do with it? I don't suppose I even knew what part of the world you were + in more than once in two or three years. How should I know whether you + were going to succeed, when I didn't even know what it was you were at? + Certainly you hadn't succeeded here in London—but elsewhere you + might or you might not—how could I tell? And moreover, I don't feel + that I know you very well; you've grown into something very different from + the boy Joel that left the shop—it must be twenty years ago. I can + only know about you and your affairs what you tell me.” + </p> + <p> + “But my point is,” pursued Thorpe, watching her face with a curiously + intent glance, “you never said to yourself: 'I KNOW he's going to succeed. + I KNOW he'll be a rich man before he dies.'” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head dispassionately. Her manner expressed fatigued failure + to comprehend why he was making so much of this purposeless point. + </p> + <p> + “No—I don't remember ever having said that to myself,” she admitted, + listlessly. Then a comment upon his words occurred to her, and she spoke + with more animation: “You don't seem to understand, Joel, that what was + very important to you, didn't occupy me at all. You were always talking + about getting rich; you kept the idea before you of sometime, at a stroke, + finding yourself a millionaire. That's been the idea of your life. But + what do I know about all that? My work has been to keep a roof over my + head—to keep the little business from disappearing altogether. It's + been hard enough, I can tell you, these last few years, with the big + jobbers cutting the hearts out of the small traders. I had the invalid + husband to support for between three and four years—a dead weight on + me every week—and then the children to look after, to clothe and + educate.” + </p> + <p> + At the last word she hesitated suddenly, and looked at him. “Don't think + I'm ungrateful”—she went on, with a troubled effort at a smile—“but + I almost wish you'd never sent me that four hundred pounds at all. What it + means is that they've had two years at schools where now I shan't be able + to keep them any longer. They'll be spoiled for my kind of life—and + they won't have a fair chance for any other. I don't know what will become + of them.” + </p> + <p> + The profound apprehension in the mother's voice did not dull the gleam in + Thorpe's eyes. He even began a smile in the shadows of his unkempt + moustache. + </p> + <p> + “But when I sent that money, for example, two years ago, and over,” he + persisted, doggedly—“and I told you there'd be more where that came + from, and that I stood to pull off the great event—even then, now, + you didn't believe in your innermost heart that I knew what I was talking + about, did you?” + </p> + <p> + She frowned with impatience as she turned toward him. “For heaven's sake, + Joel,” she said, sharply—“you become a bore with that stupid + nonsense. I want to be patient with you—I do indeed sympathize with + you in your misfortunes—you know that well enough—but you're + very tiresome with that eternal harping on what I believed and what I + didn't believe. Now, are you going to stop to supper or not?—because + if you are I must send the maid out. And there's another thing—would + it be of any help to you to bring your things here from the hotel? You can + have Alfred's room as well as not—till Christmas, at least.” + </p> + <p> + “Supposing I couldn't get my luggage out of the hotel till I'd settled my + bill,” suggested Thorpe tentatively, in a muffled voice. + </p> + <p> + The practical woman reflected for an instant. “I was thinking,” she + confessed then, “that it might be cheaper to leave your things there, and + buy what little you want—I don't imagine, from what I've seen, that + your wardrobe is so very valuable—but no, I suppose the bill ought + to be paid. Perhaps it can be managed; how much will it be?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe musingly rose to his feet, and strolled over to her chair. With his + thick hands on his sister's shoulders he stooped and kissed her on the + forehead. + </p> + <p> + “You believe in me now, anyway, eh, Lou?” he said, as he straightened + himself behind her. + </p> + <p> + The unaccustomed caress—so different in character from the + perfunctory salute with which he had greeted her on his arrival from + foreign parts, six months before—brought a flush of pleased surprise + to her plain face. Then a kind of bewilderment crept into the abstracted + gaze she was bending upon the fireless grate. Something extraordinary, + unaccountable, was in the manner of her brother. She recalled that, in + truth, he was more than half a stranger to her. How could she tell what + wild, uncanny second nature had not grown up in him under those outlandish + tropical skies? He had just told her that his ruin was absolute—overwhelming—yet + there had been a covert smile in the recesses of his glance. Even now, she + half felt, half heard, a chuckle from him, there as he stood behind her! + </p> + <p> + The swift thought that disaster had shaken his brain loomed up and + possessed her. She flung herself out of the chair, and, wheeling, seized + its back and drew it between them as she faced him. It was with a stare of + frank dismay that she beheld him grinning at her. + </p> + <p> + “What”—she began, stammering—“What is the matter, Joel?” + </p> + <p> + He permitted himself the luxury of smiling blankly at her for a further + moment. Then he tossed his head, and laughed abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “Sit down, old girl,” he adjured her. “Try and hold yourself together, now—to + hear some different kind of news. I've been playing it rather low down on + you, for a fact. Instead of my being smashed, it's the other way about.” + </p> + <p> + She continued to confront him, with a nervous clasp upon the chair-back. + Her breathing troubled her as she regarded him, and tried to take in the + meaning of his words. + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean—you've been lying to me about—about your + Company?” she asked, confusedly. + </p> + <p> + “No—no—not at all,” he replied, now all genial heartiness. “No—what + I told you was gospel truth—but I was taking a rise out of you all + the same.” He seemed so unaffectedly pleased by his achievement in kindly + duplicity that she forced an awkward smile to her lips. + </p> + <p> + “I don't understand in the least,” she said, striving to remember what he + had told her. “What you said was that the public had entirely failed to + come in—that there weren't enough applications for shares to pay + flotation expenses—those were your own words. Of course, I don't + pretend to understand these City matters—but it IS the case, isn't + it, that if people don't subscribe for the shares of a new company, then + the company is a failure?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, that may be said to be the case—as a general rule,” he nodded + at her, still beaming. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then—of course—I don't understand,” she owned. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know as you'll understand it much more when I've explained it to + you,” he said, seating himself, and motioning her to the other chair. “But + yes, of course you will. You're a business woman. You know what figures + mean. And really the whole thing is as simple as A B C. You remember that + I told you——” + </p> + <p> + “But are you going to stop to supper? I must send Annie out before the + shops close.” + </p> + <p> + “Supper? No—I couldn't eat anything. I'm too worked up for that. + I'll get something at the hotel before I go to bed, if I feel like it. But + say!”—the thought suddenly struck him—“if you want to come out + with me, I'll blow you off to the swaggerest dinner in London. What d'ye + say?” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head. “I shall have some bread and cheese and beer at nine. + That's my rule, you know. I don't like to break it. I'm always queer next + day if I do. But now make haste and tell me—you're really not broken + then? You have really come out well?” + </p> + <p> + For answer he rose, and drew himself to his full height, and spread his + bulky shoulders backward. His grey-blue eyes looked down upon her with a + triumphant glow. + </p> + <p> + “Broken?” he echoed her word, with emphasis. “My dear Louisa, I'm not the + sort that gets broken. I break other people. Oh, God, how I shall break + them!” + </p> + <p> + He began pacing up and down on the narrow rug before the fender, excitedly + telling his story to her. Sometimes he threw the words over his shoulder; + again he held her absorbed gaze with his. He took his hands often from his + pockets, to illustrate or enforce by gestures the meaning of his speech—and + then she found it peculiarly difficult to realize that he was her brother. + </p> + <p> + Much of the narrative, rambling and disconnected, with which he prefaced + this story of the day, was vaguely familiar to her. He sketched now for + her in summary, and with the sonorous voice of one deeply impressed with + the dramatic values of his declamation, the chronicle of his wanderings in + strange lands—and these he had frequently told her about before. + Soon she perceived, however, that he was stringing them together on a new + thread. One after another, these experiences of his, as he related them, + turned upon the obstacles and fatal pitfalls which treachery and malice + had put in his path. He seemed, by his account, to have been a hundred + times almost within touch of the goal. In China, in the Dutch Indies, in + those remoter parts of Australia which were a waterless waste when he knew + them and might have owned them, and now were yielding fabulous millions to + fellows who had tricked and swindled him—everywhere he had missed by + just a hair's breadth the golden consummation. In the Western hemisphere + the tale repeated itself. There had been times in the Argentine, in Brazil + just before the Empire fell, in Colorado when the Silver boom was on, in + British Columbia when the first rumours of rich ore were whispered about—many + times when fortune seemed veritably within his grasp. But someone had + always played him false. There was never a friendship for him which could + withstand the temptation of profitable treason. + </p> + <p> + But he had hung dauntlessly on. He had seen one concession slipping + through his fingers, only to strain and tighten them for a clutch at + another. It did not surprise his hearer—nor indeed did it + particularly attract her attention—that there was nowhere in this + rapid and comprehensive narrative any allusion to industry of the + wage-earning sort. Apparently, he had done no work at all, in the + bread-winner's sense of the word. This was so like Joel that it was taken + for granted in his sister's mind. All his voyages and adventures and + painful enterprises had been informed by the desire of the buccaneer—the + passion to reap where others had sown, or, at the worst, to get something + for nothing. + </p> + <p> + The discursive story began to narrow and concentrate itself when at last + it reached Mexico. The sister changed her position in her chair, and + crossed her knees when Tehuantepec was mentioned. It was from that place + that Joel had sent her the amazing remittance over two years ago. + Curiously enough, though, it was at this point in his narrative that he + now became vague as to details. There were concessions of rubber forests + mentioned, and the barter of these for other concessions with money to + boot, and varying phases of a chronic trouble about where the true + boundary of Guatemala ran—but she failed clearly to understand much + about it all. His other schemes and mishaps she had followed readily + enough. Somehow when they came to Mexico, however, she saw everything + jumbled and distorted, as through a haze. Once or twice she interrupted + him to ask questions, but he seemed to attach such slight importance to + her comprehending these details that she forbore. Only one fact was it + necessary to grasp about the Mexican episode, apparently. When he quitted + Tehuantepec, to make his way straight to London, at the beginning of the + year, he left behind him a rubber plantation which he desired to sell, and + brought with him between six and seven thousand pounds, with which to pay + the expenses of selling it. How he had obtained either the plantation or + the money did not seem to have made itself understood. No doubt, as his + manner indicated when she ventured her enquiries, it was quite irrelevant + to the narrative. + </p> + <p> + In Mexico, his experience had been unique, apparently, in that no villain + had appeared on the scene to frustrate his plans. He at least mentioned no + one who had wronged him there. When he came to London, however, there were + villains and to spare. He moved to the mantel, when he arrived at this + stage of the story, and made clear a space for his elbow to rest among the + little trinkets and photographs with which it was burdened. He stood still + thereafter, looking down at her; his voice took on a harsher note. + </p> + <p> + Much of this story, also, she knew by heart. This strange, bearded, + greyish-haired brother of hers had come very often during the past + half-year to the little book-shop, and the widow's home above it, his + misshapen handbag full of papers, his heart full of rage, hope, grief, + ambition, disgust, confidence—everything but despair. It was true, + it had never been quite real to her. He was right in his suggestion that + she had never wholly believed in him. She had not been able to take + altogether seriously this clumsy, careworn, shabbily-dressed man who + talked about millions. It was true that he had sent her four hundred + pounds for the education of her son and daughter; it was equally true that + he had brought with him to London a sum which any of his ancestors, so far + as she knew about them, would have deemed a fortune, and which he treated + as merely so much oil, with which to lubricate the machinery of his great + enterprise. She had heard, at various times, the embittered details of the + disappearance of this money, little by little. Nearly a quarter of it, all + told, had been appropriated by a sleek old braggart of a company-promoter, + who had cozened Joel into the belief that London could be best approached + through him. When at last this wretch was kicked downstairs, the effect + had been only to make room for a fresh lot of bloodsuckers. There were + so-called advertising agents, so-called journalists, so-called “men of + influence in the City,”—a swarm of relentless and voracious harpies, + who dragged from him in blackmail nearly the half of what he had left, + before he summoned the courage and decision to shut them out. + </p> + <p> + Worse still, in some ways, were the men into whose hands he stumbled next—a + group of City men concerned in the South African market, who impressed him + very favourably at the outset. He got to know them by accident, and at the + time when he began to comprehend the necessity of securing influential + support for his scheme. Everything that he heard and could learn about + them testified to the strength of their position in the City. Because they + displayed a certain amiability of manner toward him and his project, he + allowed himself to make sure of their support. It grew to be a certainty + in his mind that they would see him through. He spent a good deal of money + in dinners and suppers in their honour, after they had let him understand + that this form of propitiation was not unpleasant to them. They chaffed + him about some newspaper paragraphs, in which he was described as the + “Rubber King,” with an affable assumption of amusement, under which he + believed that he detected a genuine respect for his abilities. + </p> + <p> + Finally, when he had danced attendance upon them for the better part of + two months, he laid before them, at the coffee-and-cigars stage of a + dinner in a private room of the Savoy, the details of his proposition. + They were to form a Syndicate to take over his property, and place it upon + the market; in consideration of their finding the ready money for this + exploitation, they were to have for themselves two-fifths of the shares in + the Company ultimately to be floated. They listened to these details, and + to his enthusiastic remarks about the project itself, with rather + perfunctory patience, but committed themselves that evening to nothing + definite. It took him nearly a week thereafter to get an answer from any + of them. Then he learned that, if they took the matter up at all, it would + be upon the basis of the Syndicate receiving nine-tenths of the shares. + </p> + <p> + He conceived the idea, after he had mastered his original amazement, that + they named these preposterous terms merely because they expected to be + beaten down, and he summoned all his good nature and tact for the task of + haggling with them. He misunderstood their first show of impatience at + this, and persevered in the face of their tacit rebuffs. Then, one day, a + couple of them treated him with overt rudeness, and he, astonished out of + his caution, replied to them in kind. Suddenly, he could hardly tell why + or how, they were all enemies of his. They closed their office doors to + him; even their clerks treated him with contemptuous incivility. + </p> + <p> + This blow to his pride enraged and humiliated him, curiously enough, as no + other misadventure of his life had done. + </p> + <p> + Louisa remembered vividly the description he had given to her, at the + time, of this affair. She had hardly understood why it should disturb him + so profoundly: to her mind, these men had done nothing so monstrous after + all. But to him, their offense swallowed up all the other indignities + suffered during the years of his Ishmaelitish wanderings. A sombre lust + for vengeance upon them took root in his very soul. He hated nobody else + as he hated them. How often she had heard him swear, in solemn vibrating + tones, that to the day of his death his most sacred ambition should be + their punishment, their abasement in the dust and mire! + </p> + <p> + And now, all at once, as she looked up at him, where he leant against the + mantel, these vagabond memories of hers took point and shape. It was about + these very men that he was talking. + </p> + <p> + “And think of it!” he was saying, impressively. “It's magnificent enough + for me to make this great hit—but I don't count it as anything at + all by comparison with the fact that I make it at their expense. You + remember the fellows I told you about?” he asked abruptly, deferring to + the confused look on her face. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—you make it out of them,” she repeated, in an uncertain voice. + It occurred to her that she must have been almost asleep. “But did I miss + anything? Have you been telling what it is that you have made?” + </p> + <p> + “No—that you shall have in good time. You don't seem to realize it, + Louisa. I can hardly realize it myself. I am actually a very rich man. I + can't tell how much I've got—in fact, it can be almost as much as I + like—half a million pounds, I suppose, at the start, if I want to + make it that much. Yes—it takes the breath away, doesn't it? But + best of all—a thousand times best of all—practically every + dollar of it comes out of those Kaffir swine—the very men that tried + to rob me, and that have been trying to ruin me ever since. I tell you + what I wish, Louise—I wish to God there could only be time enough, + and I'd take it all in half-sovereigns—two millions of them, or + three millions—and just untwist every coin, one by one, out from + among their heart-strings. Oh—but it'll be all right as it is. It's + enough to make a man feel religious—to think how those thieves are + going to suffer.” + </p> + <p> + “Well” she said, slowly after reflection, “it all rather frightens me.” + </p> + <p> + As if the chill in the air of the cheerless room had suddenly accentuated + itself, she arose, took a match-box from the mantel, and, stooping, lit + the fire. + </p> + <p> + He looked down at the tall, black-clad figure, bent in stiff awkwardness + over the smoking grate, and his eyes softened. Then he took fresh note of + the room—the faded, threadbare carpet, the sparse old furniture that + had seemed ugly to even his uninformed boyish taste, the dingy walls and + begrimed low ceiling—all pathetic symbols of the bleak life to which + she had been condemned. + </p> + <p> + “Frightens you?” he queried, with a kind of jovial tenderness, as she got + to her feet; “frightens you, eh? Why, within a month's time, old lady, + you'll be riding in the Park in your own carriage, with niggers folding + their arms up behind, and you'll be taking it all as easy and as natural + as if you'd been born in a barouche.” + </p> + <p> + He added, in response to the enquiry of her lifted brows: “Barouche? + That's what we'd call in England a landau.” + </p> + <p> + She stood with a foot upon the fender, her tired, passive face inclined + meditatively, her rusty old black gown drawn back by one hand from the + snapping sparks. “No,” she said, slowly, joyless resignation mingling with + pride in her voice. “I was born here over the shop.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, good God! so was I,” he commented, lustily. “But that's no reason + why I shouldn't wind up in Park Lane—or you either.” + </p> + <p> + She had nothing to say to this, apparently. After a little, she seated + herself again, drawing her chair closer to the hearth. “It's years since + I've lit this fire before the first of November,” she remarked, with the + air of defending the action to herself. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, we're celebrating,” he said, rubbing his hands over the reluctant + blaze. “Everything goes, tonight!” + </p> + <p> + Her face, as she looked up at him, betrayed the bewilderment of her mind. + “You set out to tell me what it was all about,” she reminded him. “You see + I'm completely in the dark. I only hear you say that you've made a great + fortune. That's all I know. Or perhaps you've told me as much as you care + to.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, not at all,” he reassured her, pulling his own chair toward him with + his foot, and sprawling into it with a grunt of relief. “If you'll draw me + a glass of that beer of yours, I'll tell you all about it. It's not a + thing for everybody to know, not to be breathed to a human being, for that + matter—but you'll enjoy it, and it'll be safe enough with you.” + </p> + <p> + As she rose, and moved toward a door, he called merrily after her: “No + more beer when that keg runs dry, you know. Nothing but champagne!” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III + </h2> + <p> + THORPE took a long, thoughtful pull at the beer his sister brought him. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, I didn't know I was so thirsty,” he said, when he put the glass down. + “Truth is—I've lost track of myself altogether since—since the + big thing happened. I seem to be somebody else—a comparative + stranger, so to speak. I've got to get acquainted with myself, all over + again. You can't imagine what an extraordinary feeling it is—this + being hit every few minutes with the recollection that you're worth half a + million. It's like being struck over the head. It knocks you down. There + are such thousands of things to do—you dance about, all of a + flutter. You don't know where to begin.” + </p> + <p> + “Begin where you left off,” suggested Louisa. “You were going to tell me + how—how 'the big thing' happened. You're always coming to it—and + never getting any further.” + </p> + <p> + Nodding comprehension of the rebuke's justification, he plunged forthwith + into the tale. + </p> + <p> + “You remember my telling you at the time how I got my Board together. I'm + speaking now of the present Company—after I'd decided to be my own + promoter, and have at least some kind of 'a look-in' for my money. There + wasn't much money left, by the way; it was considerably under three + thousand. But I come to that later. First there was the Board. Here was + where that Lord Plowden that I told you about—the man that came over + on the ship with me—came in. I went to him. I—God! I was + desperate—but I hadn't much of an idea he'd consent. But he did! He + listened to me, and I told him how I'd been robbed, and how the Syndicate + would have cut my throat if I hadn't pulled away,—and he said, 'Why, + yes, I'll go on your Board.' Then I told him more about it, and presently + he said he'd get me another man of title—a sky-scraper of a title + too—to be my Chairman. That's the Marquis of Chaldon, a tremendous + diplomatic swell, you know, Ambassador at Vienna in his time, and Lord + Lieutenant and all sorts of things, but willing to gather in his five + hundred a year, all the same.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you mean that YOU pay HIM five hundred pounds a year?” asked the + sister. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I've got a live Markiss who works for me at ten quid a week, and a + few extras. The other Directors get three hundred. This Lord Plowden is + one of them—but I'll tell you more about him later on. Then there's + Watkin, he's a small accountant Finsbury way; and Davidson, he's a + wine-merchant who used to belong to a big firm in Dundee, but gets along + the best way he can on a very dicky business here in London, now. And then + there's General Kervick, awfully well-connected old chap, they say, but I + guess he needs all he can get. He's started wearing his fur-coat already. + Well, that's my Board. I couldn't join it, of course, till after allotment—that's + because I'm the vendor, as they call it—but that hasn't interfered + at all with my running the whole show. The Board doesn't really count, you + know. It only does what I want it to do. It's just a form that costs me + seventeen hundred a year, that's all.” + </p> + <p> + “Seventeen hundred a year,” she repeated, mechanically. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then we got out the prospectus, d'ye see. Or first, there were + other things to be done. I saw that a good broker's name counted for a lot + on a prospectus. I picked out one that I'd heard was reasonable—it'd + been a splendid name if I could have got it—but he calmly said his + price was two thousand pounds, all cash down—and I came away. + Finally I got a fellow who hadn't done much of anything yet, and so wasn't + so stiff about his figure. He agreed to take 500 pounds cash, and 2,000 in + shares. It was God's luck that I hit on him, for he turned out, at the + pinch, to be the one man in a million for me. But I'll tell you about him + later. He's the Broker, mind; you mustn't forget him. Well, then, he and I + got a Solicitor—he took 200 pounds cash, but he had to have 2,000 + shares—and the firm of Auditors—they were 100 pounds cash and + 1,000 shares. Every company has to have these people pasted on to it, by + law. Oh yes, and then you must have your Bankers. You don't pay them + anything, though, thank God! Well, then, there was the machinery complete, + all ready to start. I took a handsome set of offices, and furnished them + up to the nines—but that I was able to do pretty well on credit. You + see, ready money was getting short. + </p> + <p> + “And now came the biggest pull of all. There was the press to be worked.” + </p> + <p> + He spoke as if there were no other papers in London but the financial + journals. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't sleep much while that was being fixed up. You've got no more + idea of what the press means, Louisa, than you have of—of a coil of + snakes thawing out hungry in the spring. Why, if one blackmailer came to + me, I swear a hundred did. They scared the life out of me, the first month + or so. And then there's a swarm of advertising agents, who say they can + keep these blackmailers off, if you'll make it worth their while. But they + all wanted too much money for me—and for a while I was at my wits' + ends. At last I got a fellow—he's not behaved so badly, all things + considered—who had some sporting blood in his veins, and he was + willing to do the whole thing for 5,000 pounds, if I could pay 1,500 + pounds down, and the rest in shares. But that was just what I couldn't do, + you see, so finally he took 1,000 pounds down and 5,000 in shares—and + as I say he's done it tolerably well. There was one editor that I had to + square personally—that is to say, 100 pounds cash—it had to be + in sovereigns, for notes could be traced—and a call of 2,000 shares + at par,—he's the boss pirate that everybody has to square—and + of course there were odd ten-pound notes here and there, but as a rule I + just opened the door and fired the black-mailers out. The moment a fellow + came in, and handed me his card, and said he had proofs of two kinds of + articles in his pocket, one praising me, one damning me, I told him to go + and see my advertising agent, and if he wouldn't do that, then to go to + hell. That's the way you've got to talk in the City,” he added, as if in + apologetic explanation. + </p> + <p> + Louisa looked impassively at her brother. “Oh, I've heard the expression + as far west as the Strand,” she remarked. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then came the issue. That was last Saturday. You saw the prospectus + in Saturday morning's papers, and in the weeklies. The list was to be kept + open, it said, till Wednesday morning—that was yesterday. That is to + say, during all that time, people could apply for shares.” + </p> + <p> + “Which they didn't do—according to your account,” the sister + suggested, dryly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe passed his fingers through his roughened hair, and eyed her with a + momentary quizzical gleam in his eye. Then he became serious again. The + recollection of what he was now to narrate brought a frown to his brows. + </p> + <p> + “On Tuesday afternoon,” he began, with portentous deliberation—“Or + no, first I must explain something. You see, in bringing out a company, + you can't put up too stout a bluff. I mean, you've got to behave as if you + were rolling in wealth—as if everything was coming your way, and + fortunes were to be made by fastening to you. I don't know that it often + fools anybody very much, but it's part of the game, and you must play it. + Well, accordingly, my Broker goes on 'change Saturday morning, and has his + jobber shout out that he'll buy 'Rubber Consols'—that's what our + shares are called on the street—at an eighth premium; that is to + say, he offered to buy for twenty-two-and-six what we were offering to the + public for twenty shillings. Of course, you see, the object of that was to + create the impression that there was a regular God-almighty rush for our + shares. As I say, I don't know whether that ever fooled anybody—but + at least there was the chance that it might start up some dealing in the + shares—and all those things help. Besides, you got the sales noticed + in the papers, and that might start up applications from the public. Well, + the Broker bought 1,000 shares this way on Saturday. On Monday, when it + might still be possible to change the luck, he bought 3,500 more, still at + that premium of an eighth. He bought some Tuesday morning too—say + 4,000. Well, now, keep those figures in your head, and keep an eye on the + Broker. He's worth watching—as you'll see.” + </p> + <p> + “What's his name?” asked the sister, with an accession of alertness in her + face. “You call him 'Broker'—and that doesn't mean anything to me. + They're all brokers, aren't they?” + </p> + <p> + “Semple—Colin Semple, that's his name. He's a young Scotchman—father's + a Presbyterian minister. He's a little, insignificant runt of a chap to + look at—but I learned a long time ago not to judge a singed cat by + his looks. However—where was I?” + </p> + <p> + “You were going to tell about Tuesday afternoon, weren't you?” + </p> + <p> + He nodded gravely, and straightened himself, drawing a long breath in + preparation for the dramatic recital before him. “On Tuesday afternoon,” + he began again, with impressive slowness, “I was walking on Throgmorton + Street, about four o'clock. It was raining a little—it had been + raining on and off all day—a miserable, rotten sort of a day, with + greasy mud everywhere, and everybody poking umbrellas into you. I was out + walking because I'd 'a' cut my throat if I'd tried to stay in the office + another ten minutes. All that day I hadn't eaten anything. I hadn't slept + worth speaking of for three nights. The whole game was up for me. I was + worse than ruined. I had half a crown in my pocket. I had ten or twelve + pounds in the bank—and they wouldn't let me overdraw a farthing. I + tell you, I was just plumb busted. + </p> + <p> + “There came along in the gutter a sandwich-man. I'd seen the cuss before + during the day, walking up and down near my offices. I took notice of him, + because he was the raggedest, dirtiest, most forlorn-looking cripple you + ever saw in your life. Now I read what was on his boards. It was the bill + of a paper that I had refused to be bled by, and there it was in big + letters: 'The Rubber Bubble Burst!' 'Thorpe's Audacity Punished!' Those + were the words. I can see them with my eyes shut. I stood there, looking + at the fellow, and I suppose there was something in the way I looked, for + he stopped too. Of course, he didn't know me from Adam, but all the same, + I'm damned if he didn't wink his eye at me—as if we two had a joke + between us. And at that I burst out laughing—I simply roared with + laughter, like a boy at a pantomime—and I took that last half-crown + out of my pocket, and I gave it to the sandwich-man. God! you should have + seen his face.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't particularly mind, Joel,” said his sister, “but I never heard you + swear so much before.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, what the—what the deuce!” he protested, impatiently. “Don't + interrupt me now! Well, I went on down the street. The members of the + Stock Exchange were coming out of 'the house,' and making up little groups + on the pavement. They do business inside, you know, until closing time—this + day it happened to be four o'clock—and then they come out and deal + in the street with one another, with the kerb-stone mob, who are not + allowed inside, standing round to watch the thing. I came along into the + thick of these fellows; they were yelling out all sorts of things—'East + Rands,' 'Oroyas,' 'Lake View Centrals,' and what not, but these went in + one ear and out the other. If there ever was a man with no stomach for the + market it was me. But then someone roared out: + </p> + <p> + “'At seven-eighths, sell Rubber Consols! Sell five hundred Rubber at + seven-eighths! Sell five hundred at three-quarters! At three-quarters you + have 'em! Rubber Consols! Sell a thou. at three-quarters!' + </p> + <p> + “This thing went into my brain like a live coal. I stopped and looked up + at the fellow—and by God, it was one of the men I've been talking + about—one of those Kaffir scoundrels. I wish I was better at + remembering names—but I knew his face. There were some of the others + around him, and they laughed at me, and he laughed at me. Oh, they had a + heap of fun out of me—for a minute or two. Pretty good fun, too! I + guess they'll remember it quite a while.” + </p> + <p> + “Go on!” Louisa adjured him. The obvious proximity of the dramatic climax + drew her forward in her chair, and brought a glow of expectation to her + eyes. + </p> + <p> + “I got myself away from that crowd somehow—I think I was afraid if I + stayed I'd strangle the one who was shouting on the steps—and I went + toward my office. But when I got to the door, I didn't have the courage to + go in. I'd furnished it better, I suppose, than any other office in Austin + Friars, and I had a kind of feeling that the sight of those carpets, and + oak-tables and desks, and brass-railings and so on would make me sick. I + owed for 'em all, bear in mind——” + </p> + <p> + “But—Joel,” the sister interposed. “One thing I don't understand. + How many people had applied for shares? You haven't mentioned that.” + </p> + <p> + A fleeting smile lighted up the saturnine gloom of his present mood. “It + was hardly worth mentioning,” he answered, with bitter mirth. “Between + five and six thousand shares were subscribed, all told. I think the + withdrawals by telegraph brought it down to practically five thousand. We + offered a hundred thousand, you know.—But let me go on with my + story. I stood there, in front of our street-door, in a kind of trance. + The words of that Jew—'Sell Rubber Consols at three-quarters!'—buzzed + inside my head as if they would burst it open. I turned—and I + happened to see my Broker—the Scotchman, Semple, you know—coming + along toward me. Right at that minute, like a flash, something dawned on + me. In less than a second, I saw the whole damned rotten outfit turned + upside down, with me on top. I made a jump, and ran to meet Semple. + </p> + <p> + “'How many shares of ours have you bought?' I asked him, with a grip tight + on his arm. + </p> + <p> + “The little chap was looking mighty sick. He figured up in his mind. 'I'm + afraid it's eight thousand five hundred, all told,' he said, in a sort of + Presbyterian whimper. + </p> + <p> + “'Well—how would these gentlemen go about it to deliver their goods—that + is, supposing we got a settlement?' + </p> + <p> + “I asked him this, and kept my eye on his face. He looked puzzled for a + minute. Then he put out his lip. Then he shot me a glance as sharp as a + razor, and we looked into one another's eyes. + </p> + <p> + “'They were shouting them out to me at three-quarters, a minute ago,' I + told him. + </p> + <p> + “He was onto the game like lightning. 'Wait for me in the office,' he + whispered. 'We'll go nap on this!' + </p> + <p> + “With that he was off like a streak. He stopped running just before he got + to the corner, though, and began walking slowly, sauntering along, you + know, as if his mind was on nothing but second-hand books. I watched him + out of sight—and then I went back, and up to the offices. The + furniture didn't scare me a bit this time. Why, I stopped and felt of the + brass-railing just outside the Board Room, and I said to myself—'Pshaw! + We could have you of solid gold, if we wanted to.'” + </p> + <p> + He paused here, and regarded his sister with what she felt was intended to + be a significant look. She shrank from the confession that its meaning was + Greek to her. “Well—and what next?” she asked, guardedly. + </p> + <p> + “Semple came back in twenty minutes or so—and the next morning he + was at it again—and what with him and his jobber, by George, on the + quiet, they picked up nearly eighteen thousand of our shares. Some they + paid fifteen shillings for, some they got at twelve-and-six and even ten. + That doesn't matter; it's of no more importance than the coppers you give + to crossing-sweepers. The thing was to get the shares—and by God + we've got them! Twenty-six thousand two hundred shares, that's what we've + got. Now, do you see what that means?” + </p> + <p> + “Why yes,” she answered, with a faint-hearted assumption of confidence. + “Of course, you know the property is so good that you'll make a profit on + the shares you've bought far below their value. But I don't think I quite + see——” + </p> + <p> + He interrupted her with an outburst of loud laughter. “Don't think you + quite see?” he gurgled at her, with tears of pleasure in his eye. “Why, + you dummy, you haven't got the faintest glimmer of a notion of what it's + all about. The value of the property's got nothing in the world to do with + it. That's neither here nor there. If there wasn't any such property in + existence, it would be just the same.” + </p> + <p> + He had compassion upon her blank countenance, at this, and explained more + gently: “Why, don't you see, Lou, it's this way. This is what has + happened. We've got what's called a corner on the bears. They're caught + short, and we can squeeze them to our hearts' content. What—you + don't understand now? Why, see here! These fellows who've sold twenty-six + thousand of our shares—they haven't got them to sell, and they can't + get them. That is the point—they can't get them for love nor money—they + must pay me my own price for them, or be ruined men. The moment they + realize the situation, they will begin offering a premium for Rubber + Consols. The price of a one-pound share will be two pounds, then four—six—ten—twenty—thirty—whatever + I want to drive it to.” + </p> + <p> + Louisa stared up at him with wide open eyes. It seemed to her that she + understood now. It was very exciting. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” he went on, taking approving note of the new light of + comprehension in her glance, “we did something that Tuesday afternoon + beside buy up these shares. Semple rushed off to his office, and he and + his clerks got up a lot of dummy applications for shares, made out in all + the different names they could be safe in using, and they put these into + the bank with the application money—Semple found that—and next + day he went and saw the advertising agent and the solicitor and the + auditors—and got them to pool the shares that I've promised to give + them. A pool? That means they agree to transfer their shares to me as + trustee, and let me deal with them as I like—of course to their + advantage. In any case, their shares are vendor's shares, and couldn't be + dealt with in this transaction. So you see the thing is hermetically + sealed. Nobody can get a share except from me, and at my price. But these + fellows that have sold them—they've got to have them, don't you see. + They had their little temporary joke with me on the street that afternoon—and + now they must walk up to the captain's office and settle. They've got to + pay me at least half a million pounds for that few minutes' fun of theirs. + I may make it a good deal more; I don't know yet.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, Joel!” she groaned at him, in awed stupefaction. His rather languid + indecision as to whether half a million was going to be enough, impressed + her more powerfully than had any detail of his narrative. + </p> + <p> + In a few comprehensive sentences he finished up for her what there was to + tell. “This afternoon my Board met to allot the shares. They saw the + applications, amounting in all to over ninety thousand shares. It took + their breath away—they had heard that things were going quite the + other way with us. They were so tickled that they asked no questions The + allotment went through like a greased pig. About 5,000 shares went to + those who had actually applied for them, and 88,000 were solemnly given to + the dummy applicants. Of course, there wasn't a whisper about these + dummies. Nobody winked so much as an eyelash. But I've found since that + one of the directors—that Lord Plowden I told you about—was + onto the thing all the while. But he's all right. Everybody's all right. + Of course the dummies' shares still stand in their names—on paper—but + in reality I've got them all in my safe—in my pocket you might say. + They are really mine, you understand. So now there's nothing for us to do + but to apply to the Stock Exchange for a special settlement date, and + meanwhile lie quiet and watch the Jews stew in their own juice. Or fry in + their own fat, eh? That's better.” + </p> + <p> + “But,” she commented slowly, “you say there are no shares to be bought—and + yet as I understand it, there are those five thousand that were sent out + to the people who really applied.” + </p> + <p> + “Bravo, Lou!” he answered her jovially. “You actually do understand the + thing. You've put your finger straight on the point. It is true that those + shares are out against us—or might be turned against us if they + could be bought up. But in reality, they don't count at all. In the first + place, you see, they're scattered about among small holders, country + clergymen and old maids on an annuity and so on—all over the + country. Even if these people were all traced, and hunted up, suppose it + was worth the trouble and expense, they wouldn't sell. The bigger the + price they were offered, the more mulish they would be about holding. + That's always the way with them. But even if they did all sell, their five + thousand would be a mere drop in the bucket. There would be over twenty + thousand others to be accounted for. That would be quite enough for my + purposes. Oh, I figured all that out very carefully. My own first notion + was to have the dummies apply for the whole hundred thousand, and even a + little over. Then, you see, we might have allotted everything to the + dummies, and sent back the money and applications of the genuine ones. But + that would have been rather hard to manage with the Board. The Markiss + would have said that the returns ought to be made pro rata—that is, + giving everybody a part of what they applied for—and that would have + mixed everything up. And then, too, if anybody suspected anything, why the + Stock Exchange Committee would refuse us a special settlement—and, + of course, without that the whole transaction is moonshine. It was far too + risky, and we didn't send back a penny.” + </p> + <p> + “It's all pretty risky, I should think,” she declared as she rose. “I + should think you'd lie awake more than ever now—now that you've + built your hopes so high and it'd be so awful to have them come to + nothing.” + </p> + <p> + He smilingly shook his head. “No, it can no more fail than that gas can + fail to burn when you put a light to it. It's all absolute. My + half-million is as right as if it were lying to my credit in the Bank of + England. Oh, that reminds me,” he went on in a slightly altered tone—“it's + damned comical, but I've got to ask you for a little money. I've only got + about seven pounds at my bank, and just at the minute it would give me + away fearfully to let Semple know I was hard up. Of course he'd let me + have anything I wanted—but, you can see—I don't like to ask + him just at the moment.” + </p> + <p> + She hesitated visibly, and scanned his face with a wistful gaze. “You're + quite sure, Joel?”—she began—“and you haven't told me—how + long will it be before you come into some of this money?” + </p> + <p> + “Well,”—he in turn paused over his words—“well, I suppose that + by next week things will be in such shape that my bank will see I'm good + for an overdraft. Oh heavens, yes! there'll be a hundred ways of touching + some ready. But if you've got twenty or thirty pounds handy just now—I + tell you what I'll do, Lou. I'll give you a three months bill, paying one + hundred pounds for every sovereign you let me have now. Come, old lady: + you don't get such interest every day, I'll bet.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't want any interest from you, Joel,” she replied, simply. “If + you're sure I can have it back before Christmas, I think I can manage + thirty pounds. It will do in the morning, I suppose?” + </p> + <p> + He nodded an amused affirmative. “Why—you don't imagine, do you,” he + said, “that all this gold is to rain down, and none of it hit you? + Interest? Why of course you'll get interest—and capital thrown in. + What did you suppose?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't ask anything for myself,” she made answer, with a note of + resolution in her voice. “Of course if you like to do things for the + children, it won't be me who'll stand in their light. They've been spoiled + for my kind of life as it is.” + </p> + <p> + “I'll do things for everybody,” he affirmed roundly. “Let's see—how + old is Alfred?” + </p> + <p> + “He'll be twenty in May—and Julia is fourteen months older than he + is.” + </p> + <p> + “Gad!” was Thorpe's meditative comment. “How they shoot up! Why I was + thinking she was a little girl.” “She never will be tall, I'm afraid,” + said the literal mother. “She favours her father's family. But Alfred is + more of a Thorpe. I'm sorry you missed seeing them last summer—but + of course they didn't stop long with me. This was no place for them—and + they had a good many invitations to visit schoolfellows and friends in the + country. Alfred reminds me very much of what you were at his age: he's got + the same good opinion of himself, too—and he's not a bit fonder of + hard work.” + </p> + <p> + “There's one mighty big difference between us, though,” remarked Thorpe. + “He won't start with his nose held down to the grindstone by an old father + hard as nails. He'll start like a gentleman—the nephew of a rich + man.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm almost afraid to have such notions put in his head,” she replied, + with visible apprehension. “You mustn't encourage him to build too high + hopes, Joel. It's speculation, you know—and anything might happen to + you. And then—you may marry, and have sons of your own.” + </p> + <p> + He lifted his brows swiftly—as if the thought were new to his mind. + A slow smile stole into the little wrinkles about his eyes. He opened his + lips as if to speak, and then closed them again. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” he said at last, abruptly straightening himself, and casting an + eye about for his coat and hat. “I'll be round in the morning—on my + way to the City. Good-bye till then.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV + </h2> + <p> + IN Charing Cross station, the next afternoon, Mr. Thorpe discovered by the + big clock overhead that he had arrived fully ten minutes too soon. This + deviation from his deeply-rooted habit of catching trains at the last + possible moment did not take him by surprise. He smiled dryly, aud nodded + to the illuminated dial, as if they shared the secret of some quaint + novelty. This getting to the station ahead of time was of a piece with + what had been happening all day—merely one more token of the general + upheaval in the routine of his life. + </p> + <p> + From early morning he had been acutely conscious of the feeling that his + old manners and usages and methods of thought—the thousand familiar + things that made up the Thorpe he had been—were becoming strange to + him. They fitted him no longer; they began to fall away from him. Now, as + he stood here on the bustling platform, it was as if they had all + disappeared—been left somewhere behind him outside the station. With + the two large bags which the porter was looking after—both of a + quite disconcerting freshness of aspect—and the new overcoat and + shining hat, he seemed to himself a new kind of being, embarked upon a + voyage of discovery in the unknown. + </p> + <p> + Even his face was new. A sudden and irresistible impulse had led him to + the barber-shop in his hotel at the outset; he could not wait till after + breakfast to have his beard removed. The result, when he beheld it in the + mirror, had not been altogether reassuring. The over-long, thin, tawny + moustasche which survived the razor assumed an undue prominence; the jaw + and chin, revealed now for the first time in perhaps a dozen years, seemed + of a sickly colour, and, in some inexplicable way, misshapen. Many times + during the day, at his office, at the restaurant where he lunched, at + various outfitters' shops which he had visited, he had pursued the task of + getting reconciled to this novel visage in the looking-glass. The little + mirrors in the hansom cabs had helped him most in this endeavour. Each + returned to him an image so different from all the others—some + cadaverous, some bloated, but each with a spontaneous distortion of its + own—that it had become possible for him to strike an average + tolerable to himself, and to believe in it. + </p> + <p> + His sister had recognized him upon the instant, when he entered the old + book-shop to get the money promised overnight, but in the City his own + clerks had not known him at first. There was in this an inspiring + implication that he had not so much changed his appearance as revived his + youth. The consciousness that he was in reality still a young man spread + over his mind afresh, and this time he felt that it was effacing all + earlier impressions. Why, when he thought of it, the delight he had had + during the day in buying new shirts and handkerchiefs and embroidered + braces, in looking over the various stocks of razors, toilet articles, + studs and sleeve-links, and the like, and telling the gratified tradesmen + to give him the best of everything—this delight had been + distinctively boyish. He doubted, indeed, if any mere youth could have + risen to the heights of tender satisfaction from which he reflected upon + the contents of his portmanteaus. To apprehend their full value one must + have been without them for such a weary time! He had this wonderful + advantage—that he supplemented the fresh-hearted joy of the youth in + nice things, with the adult man's knowledge of how bald existence could be + without them. It was worth having lived all those forty obscure and mostly + unpleasant years, for this one privilege now of being able to appreciate + to the uttermost the touch of double-silk underwear. + </p> + <p> + It was an undoubted pity that there had not been time to go to a good + tailor. The suit he had on was right enough for ordinary purposes, and his + evening-clothes were as good as new, but the thought of a costume for + shooting harassed his mind. He had brought along with him, for this + eventful visit, an old Mexican outfit of yellowish-grey cloth and leather, + much the worse for rough wear, but saved from the disreputable by its + suggestion of picturesque experiences in a strange and romantic country. + At least it had seemed to him, in the morning, when he had packed it, to + be secure in this salvation. Uneasy doubts on the subject had soon risen, + however, and they had increased in volume and poignancy as his conceptions + of a wardrobe expanded in the course of the day's investigations and + purchases. He had reached the point now of hoping that it would rain + bitterly on the morrow. + </p> + <p> + It was doubly important to keep a close look-out for Lord Plowden, since + he did not know the name of the station they were to book for, and time + was getting short. He dwelt with some annoyance upon his oversight in this + matter, as his watchful glance ranged from one entrance to another. He + would have liked to buy the tickets himself, and have everything in + readiness on the arrival of his host. As it was, he could not even tell + the porter how his luggage was to be labelled, and there was now less than + two minutes! He moved forward briskly, with the thought of intercepting + his friend at the front of the station; then halted, and went back, upon + the recollection that while he was going out one way, Plowden might come + in by the other. The seconds, as they passed now, became severally painful + to his nerves. The ringing of a bell somewhere beyond the barrier provoked + within him an impulse to tearful profanity. + </p> + <p> + Then suddenly everything was all right. A smooth-faced, civilly-spoken + young man came up, touched his hat, and asked: “Will you kindly show me + which is your luggage, sir?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, even while wondering what business of his it was, indicated the + glaringly new bags—and then only half repressed a cry of pleasure at + discovering that Lord Plowden stood beside him. + </p> + <p> + “It's all right; my man will look out for your things,” said the latter, + as they shook hands. “We will go and get our places.” + </p> + <p> + The fat policeman at the gate touched his helmet. A lean, elderly man in a + sort of guard's uniform hobbled obsequiously before them down the + platform, opened to them a first-class compartment with a low bow and a + deprecatory wave of the hand, and then impressively locked the door upon + them. “The engine will be the other way, my Lord, after you leave Cannon + Street,” he remarked through the open window, with earnest deference. “Are + there any of your bags that you want in the compartment with you?” + </p> + <p> + Plowden had nodded to the first remark. He shook his head at the second. + The elderly man at this, with still another bow, flapped out a green flag + which he had been holding furled behind his back, and extended it at arm's + length. The train began slowly to move. Mr. Thorpe reflected to himself + that the peerage was by no means so played-out an institution as some + people imagined. + </p> + <p> + “Ho-ho!” the younger man sighed a yawn, as he tossed his hat into the rack + above his head. “We shall both be the better for some pure air. London + quite does me up. And you—you've been sticking at it months on end, + haven't you? You look rather fagged—or at all events you did + yesterday. You've smartened yourself so—without your beard—that + I can't say I'd notice it to-day. But I take it every sensible person is + glad to get away from London.” + </p> + <p> + “Except for an odd Sunday, now and then, I haven't put my nose outside + London since I landed here.” Thorpe rose as he spoke, to deposit his hat + also in the rack. He noted with a kind of chagrin that his companion's was + an ordinary low black bowler. “I can tell you, I SHALL be glad of the + change. I would have bought the tickets,” he went on, giving words at + random to the thought which he found fixed on the surface of his mind, “if + I'd only known what our station was.” + </p> + <p> + Plowden waved his hand, and the gesture seemed to dismiss the subject. He + took a cigar case from his pocket, and offered it to Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + “It was lucky, my not missing the train altogether,” he said, as they + lighted their cigars. “I was up late last night—turned out late this + morning, been late all day, somehow—couldn't catch up with the clock + for the life of me. Your statement to me last night—you know it + rather upset me.” + </p> + <p> + The other smiled. “Well, I guess I know something about that feeling + myself. Why, I've been buzzing about today like a hen with her head cut + off. But it's fun, though, aint it, eh? Just to happen to remember every + once in a while, you know, that it's all true! But of course it means a + thousand times more to me than it does to you.” + </p> + <p> + The train had come to a stop inside the gloomy, domed cavern of Cannon + Street. Many men in silk hats crowded to and fro on the platform, and a + number of them shook the handle of the locked door. There was an effect of + curses in the sound of their remarks which came through the closed window. + Mr. Thorpe could not quite restrain the impulse to grin at them. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, that's where you mistake,” said Plowden, contemplating the mouthful + of smoke he slowly blew forth. “My dear man, you can't imagine anybody to + whom it would mean more than it does to me—I hope none of those + fellows have a key. They're an awful bore on this train. I almost never go + by it, for that reason. Ah, thank God we're off!—But as I was + saying, this thing makes a greater difference to me than you can think of. + I couldn't sleep last night—I give you my word—the thing upset + me so. I take it you—you have never had much money before; that is, + you know from experience what poverty is?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded with eloquent gravity. + </p> + <p> + “Well—but you”—the other began, and then paused. “What I mean + is,” he resumed, “you were never, at any rate, responsible to anybody but + yourself. If you had only a sovereign a day, or a sovereign a week, for + that matter, you could accommodate yourself to the requirements of the + situation. I don't mean that you would enjoy it any more than I should—but + at least it was open to you to do it, without attracting much attention. + But with me placed in my ridiculous position—poverty has been the + most unbearable torture one can imagine. You see, there is no way in which + I can earn a penny. I had to leave the Army when I was twenty-three—the + other fellows all had plenty of money to spend, and it was impossible for + me to drag along with a title and an empty pocket. I daresay that I ought + to have stuck to it, because it isn't nearly so bad now, but twelve years + ago it was too cruel for any youngster who had any pride about him—and, + of course, my father having made rather a name in the Army, that made it + so much harder for me. And after that, what was there? Of course, the bar + and medicine and engineering and those things were out of the question, in + those days at least. The Church?—that was more so still. I had a try + at politics—but you need money there as much as anywhere else—money + or big family connections. I voted in practically every division for four + years, and I made the rottenest speeches you ever heard of at Primrose + League meetings in small places, and after all that the best thing the + whips could offer me was a billet in India at four hundred a year, and + even that you took in depreciated rupees. When I tried to talk about + something at home, they practically laughed in my face. I had no leverage + upon them whatever. They didn't care in the least whether I came up and + voted or stopped at home. Their majority was ten to one just the same—yes, + twenty to one. So that door was shut in my face. I've never been inside + the House since—except once to show it to an American lady last + summer—but when I do go again I rather fancy”—he stopped for + an instant, and nodded his handsome head significantly—“I rather + fancy I shall turn up on the other side.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm a Liberal myself, in English politics,” interposed Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + Plowden seemed not to perceive the connection. They had left London Bridge + behind, and he put his feet up on the cushions, and leant back + comfortably. “Of course there was the City,” he went on, speaking + diagonally across to his companion, between leisurely intervals of + absorption in his cigar. “There have been some directors' fees, no doubt, + and once or twice I've come very near to what promised to be a big thing—but + I never quite pulled it off. Really, without capital what can one do?—I'm + curious to know—did you bring much ready money with you to England?” + </p> + <p> + “Between six and seven thousand pounds.” + </p> + <p> + “And if it's a fair question—how much of it have you got left?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had some momentary doubts as to whether this was a fair question, + but he smothered them under the smile with which he felt impelled to + answer the twinkle in Plowden's eyes. “Oh, less than a hundred,” he said, + and laughed aloud. + </p> + <p> + Plowden also laughed. “By George, that's fine!” he cried. “It's splendid. + There's drama in it. I felt it was like that, you know. Something told me + it was your last cartridge that rang the bell. It was that that made me + come to you as I did—and tell you that you were a great man, and + that I wanted to enlist under you. Ah, that kind of courage is so rare! + When a man has it, he can stand the world on its head.” “But I was plumb + scared, all the while, myself,” Thorpe protested, genially. “Courage? I + could feel it running out of my boots.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes, but that's the great thing,” insisted the other. “You didn't + look as if you were frightened. From all one could see, your nerve was + sublime. And nothing else matters—it was sublime.” + </p> + <p> + “Curious—that thing happened to me once before,” commented Thorpe, + with ruminating slowness. “It was out on the plains, years ago, and I was + in pretty hard luck, and was making my way alone from Tucson north, and + some cowboys held me up, and were going to make kindling wood of me, they + being under the impression that I was a horse-thief they were looking + after. There was five or six minutes there when my life wasn't worth a + last year's bird's-nest—and I tell you, sir, I was the scaredest man + that ever drew the breath of life. And then something happened to be said + that put the matter right—they saw I was the wrong man—and + then—why then they couldn't be polite enough to me. They half + emptied their flasks down my throat, and they rode with me all the way to + the next town, and there they wanted to buy everything liquid in the place + for me. But what I was speaking of—do you know, those fellows got a + tremendous notion of my nerve. It wasn't so much that they told me so, but + they told others about it. They really thought I was game to the core—when + in reality, as I tell you, I was in the deadliest funk you ever heard of.” + </p> + <p> + “That's just it,” said Plowden, “the part of you which was engaged in + making mental notes of the occasion thought you were frightened; we will + say that it was itself frightened. But the other part of you, the part + that was transacting business, so to speak—that wasn't in the least + alarmed. I fancy all born commanders are built like that. Did you ever see + General Grant?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “What reminded me of him—there is an account in his Memoirs of how + he felt when he first was given a command, at the beginning of the Civil + War. He was looking about for the enemy, who was known to be in the + vicinity, and the nearer he got to where this enemy probably was, the more + he got timid and unnerved, he says, until it seemed as if cowardice were + getting complete mastery of him. And then suddenly it occurred to him that + very likely the enemy was just as afraid of him as he was of the enemy, + and that moment his bravery all returned to him. He went in and gave the + other man a terrible thrashing. It doesn't apply to your case, + particularly—but I fancy that all really brave men have those inner + convictions of weakness, even while they are behaving like lions. Those + must have been extraordinarily interesting experiences of yours—on + the plains. I wish I could have seen something of that part of America + when I was there last year. Unfortunately, it didn't come my way.” + </p> + <p> + “I thought I remembered your saying you'd been West.” + </p> + <p> + Plowden smiled. “I'm afraid I did think it was West at the time. But since + my return I've been warned that I mustn't call Chicago West. That was as + far as I went. I had some business there, or thought I had. When my father + died, that was in 1884, we found among his papers a lot of bonds of some + corporation purporting to be chartered by the State of Illinois. Our + solicitors wrote several letters, but they could find out nothing about + them, and there the matter rested. Finally, last year, when I decided to + make the trip, I recollected these old bonds, and took them with me. I + thought they might at least pay my expenses. But it wasn't the least good. + Nobody knew anything about them. It seems they related to something that + was burned up in the Great Fire—either that, or had disappeared + before that time. That fire seems to have operated like the Deluge—it + cancelled everything that had happened previously. My unhappy father had a + genius for that kind of investment. I shall have great pleasure in showing + you tomorrow, a very picturesque and comprehensive collection of + Confederate Bonds. Their face value is, as I remember it, eighty thousand + dollars—that is, sixteen thousand pounds. I would entertain with joy + an offer of sixteen shillings for the lot. My dear father bought them—I + should not be surprised to learn that he bought them at a premium. If they + ever touched a premium for a day, that is certainly the day that he would + have hit upon to buy. Oh, it was too rare! Too inspired! He left nearly a + hundred thousand pounds' worth of paper—that is, on its face—upon + which the solicitors realized, I think it was thirteen hundred pounds. + It's hard to imagine how he got them—but there were actually bonds + among them issued by Kossuth's Hungarian Republic in 1848. Well—now + you can see the kind of inheritance I came into, and I have a brother and + sister more or less to look after, too.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had been listening to these details with an almost exaggerated + expression of sympathy upon his face. The voice in which he spoke now + betrayed, however, a certain note of incredulity. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I see that well enough,” he remarked. “But what I don't perhaps + quite understand—well, this is it. You have this place of yours in + the country, and preserve game and so on—but of course I see what + you mean. It's what you've been saying. What another man would think a + comfortable living, is poverty to a man in your position.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, the place,” said Plowden. “It isn't mine at all. I could never have + kept it up. It belongs to my mother. It was her father's place; it has + been in their family for hundreds of years. Her father, I daresay you + know, was the last Earl of Hever. The title died with him. He left three + daughters, who inherited his estates, and my mother, being the eldest, got + the Kentish properties. Of course Hadlow House will come to me eventually, + but it is hers during her lifetime. I may speak of it as my place, but + that is merely a facon de parler; it isn't necessary to explain to + everybody that it's my mother's. It's my home, and that's enough. It's a + dear old place. I can't tell you how glad I am that you're going to see + it.” + </p> + <p> + “I'm very glad, too,” said the other, with unaffected sincerity. + </p> + <p> + “All the ambitions I have in the world,” the nobleman went on, sitting + upright now, and speaking with a confidential seriousness, “centre round + Hadlow. That is the part of me that I'm keen about. The Plowdens are + things of yesterday. My grandfather, the Chancellor, began in a very small + way, and was never anything more than a clever lawyer, with a loud voice + and a hard heart, and a talent for money-making and politics. He got a + peerage and he left a fortune. My father, for all he was a soldier, had a + mild voice and a soft heart. He gave a certain military distinction to the + peerage, but he played hell-and-tommy with the fortune. And then I come: I + can't be either a Chancellor or a General, and I haven't a penny to bless + myself with. You can't think of a more idiotic box for a man to be in. But + now—thanks to you—there comes this prospect of an immense + change. If I have money at my back—at once everything is different + with me. People will remember then promptly enough that I am a Hadlow, as + well as a Plowden. I will make the party whips remember it, too. It won't + be a Secretary's billet in India at four hundred a year that they'll offer + me, but a Governorship at six thousand—that is, if I wish to leave + England at all. And we'll see which set of whips are to have the honour of + offering me anything. But all that is in the air. It's enough, for the + moment, to realize that things have really come my way. And about that—about + the success of the affair—I suppose there can be no question + whatever?” + </p> + <p> + “Not the slightest,” Thorpe assured him. “Rubber Consols can go up to any + figure we choose to name.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden proffered the cigar case again, and once more helped himself + after he had given his companion a light. Then he threw himself back + against the cushions, with a long sigh of content. “I'm not going to say + another word about myself,” he announced, pleasantly. “I've had more than + my legitimate innings. You mustn't think that I forget for a moment the + reverse of the medal. You're doing wonderful things for me. I only wish it + were clearer to me what the wonderful things are that I can do for you.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that'll be all right,” said the other, rather vaguely. + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps it's a little early for you to have mapped out in your mind just + what you want to do,” Plowden reflected aloud. “Of course it has come + suddenly upon you—just as it has upon me. There are things in plenty + that we've dreamed of doing, while the power to do them was a long way + off. It doesn't at all follow that these are the things we shall proceed + to do, when the power is actually in our hands. But have you any plans at + all? Do you fancy going into Parliament, for example?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” answered Thorpe, meditatively. “I think I should like to go into + Parliament. But that would be some way ahead. I guess I've got my plans + worked out a trifle more than you think. They may not be very definite, as + regards details, but their main direction I know well enough. I'm going to + be an English country gentleman.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden visibly winced a little at this announcement. He seemed + annoyed at the consciousness that he had done so, turning abruptly first + to stare out of the window, then shifting his position on the seat, and at + last stealing an uneasy glance toward his companion. Apparently his tongue + was at a loss for an appropriate comment. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had lost none of these unwilling tokens of embarrassment. Plowden + saw that at once, but it relieved even more than it surprised him to see + also that Thorpe appeared not to mind. The older man, indeed, smiled in + good-natured if somewhat ironical comprehension of the dumb-show. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that'll be all right, too,” he said, with the evident intention of + reassurance. “I can do it right enough, so far as the big things are + concerned. It'll be in the little things that I'll want some steering.” + </p> + <p> + “I've already told you—you may command me to the utmost of my + power,” the other declared. Upon reflection, he was disposed to be ashamed + of himself. His nerves and facial muscles had been guilty of an + unpardonable lapse into snobbishness—and toward a man, too, who had + been capable of behaviour more distinguished in its courtesy and + generosity than any he had encountered in all the “upper circles” put + together. He recalled all at once, moreover, that Thorpe's “h's” were + perfect—aud, for some occult reason, this completed his confusion. + </p> + <p> + “My dear fellow”—he began again, confronting with verbal awkwardness + the other's quizzical smile—“don't think I doubt anything about you. + I know well enough that you can do anything—be anything—you + like.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed softly. + </p> + <p> + “I don't think you know, though, that I'm a public-school man,” he said. + </p> + <p> + Plowden lifted his brows in unfeigned surprise. “No—I didn't know + that,” he admitted, frankly. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I'm a Paul's Pigeon,” Thorpe went on, “as they called them in my + day. That's gone out now, I'm told, since they've moved to the big + buildings in Hammersmith. I did very well at school, too; came out in the + first fourteen. But my father wouldn't carry the thing any further. He + insisted on my going into the shop when I left St. Paul's and learning the + book-business. He had precisely the same kind of dynastic idea, you know, + that you fellows have. His father and his grand-father had been + booksellers, and he was going to hand on the tradition to me, and my son + after me. That was his idea. And he thought that Paul's would help this—but + that Oxford would kill it. + </p> + <p> + “Of course, he was right there—but he was wrong in supposing there + was a bookseller in me. I liked the books well enough, mind you—but + damn the people that came to buy them, I couldn't stand it. You stood two + hours watching to see that men didn't put volumes in their pockets, and at + the end of that time you'd made a profit of ninepence. While you were + doing up the parcel, some fellow walked off with a book worth + eighteen-pence. It was too slow for me. I didn't hit it off with the old + man, either. We didn't precisely quarrel, but I went off on my own hook. I + hung about London for some years, trying this thing and that. Once I + started a book-shop of my own—but I did no good here. Finally I + turned it up altogether, and went to Australia. That was in 1882. I've + been in almost every quarter of the globe since; I've known what it was to + be shipwrecked in a monsoon, and I've lain down in a desert not expecting + to get up again, with my belt tightened to its last hole for hunger—but + I can't remember that I ever wished myself back in my father's book-shop.” + </p> + <p> + Plowden's fine eyes sparkled his appreciation of the other's mood. He was + silent for a moment, then lifted his head as if something had occurred to + him. “You were speaking of the plan that you should succeed to your + father's business—and your son after you—you're not married, + are you?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe slowly shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “Our station is the next,” said the younger man. “It's a drive of + something under two miles. You'd better light another cigar.” He added, as + if upon a casual afterthought: “We can both of us think of marrying now.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V + </h2> + <p> + FOR the next two hours, Thorpe's thoughts were almost wholly occupied with + various phases of the large subject of domestic service. He seemed + suddenly to have been transported to some region populated exclusively by + clean-shaven men in brown livery. One of these was holding a spirited + horse outside the station, and when Lord Plowden had taken the reins, and + Thorpe had gathered the rugs about his knees and feet, this menial + silently associated himself with the young man who had accompanied them + from town, on the back seat of the trap. With these people so close behind + him, Thorpe felt that any intimate conversation was out of the question. + Indeed, talk of any sort was not invited; the big horse burst forth with + high, sprawling strides upon a career through the twilight, once the main + road was reached, which it taxed all Plowden's energies to regulate. He + kept up a continual murmuring monologue to the animal—“So—so—quiet, + my pet,—so—so—easy, my beauty—-so—so”—and + his wrists and gloved hands were visibly under a tremendous tension of + strain, as they held their own against the rigid arched neck and mouth of + steel. Thorpe kept a grip on the side of the trap, and had only a modified + pleasure in the drive. The road along which they sped seemed, in the + gathering dusk, uncomfortably narrow, and he speculated a good deal as to + how frightened the two mutes behind him must be. But silence was such a + law of their life that, though he strained his ears, he could not so much + as hear them sigh or gasp. + </p> + <p> + It seemed but a very few minutes before they turned off, with but the most + fleeting diminution of pace, upon a private road, which speedily developed + into an avenue of trees, quite dark and apparently narrower than ever. + Down this they raced precipitately, and then, coming out all at once upon + an open space, swung smartly round the crescent of a gravel road, and + halted before what seemed to be the door of a greenhouse. Thorpe, as he + stood up in the trap, got an uncertain, general idea of a low, + pale-coloured mansion in the background, with lights showing behind + curtains in several widely separated windows; what he had taken to be a + conservatory revealed itself now to be a glass gallery, built along the + front of the central portion of this house. + </p> + <p> + A profusion of hospitable lights—tall wax-candles in brackets among + the vines against the trellised wall—gave to this outlying entrance + what the stranger felt to be a delightful effect. Its smooth tiled floor, + comfortably bestrewn with rugs, was on a level with the path outside. + There were low easy-chairs here, and a little wicker table bearing books + and a lady's work-basket. Further on, giant chrysanthemum blooms were + massed beneath the clusters of pale plumbago-flowers on the trellis. + Directly in front, across the dozen feet of this glazed vestibule, the + broad doorway of the house proper stood open—with warm lights + glowing richly upon dark woods in the luxurious obscurity within. + </p> + <p> + What Thorpe noted most of all, however, was the servants who seemed to + swarm everywhere. The two who had alighted from the trap had contrived + somehow mysteriously to multiply themselves in the darkness. All at once + there were a number of young men—at the horse's head, at the back + and sides of the trap, at the first doorway, and the second, and beyond—each + presenting such a smooth-faced, pallid, brown-clad replica of all the + others that Thorpe knew he should never be able to tell them apart. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden paused for a moment under the candle-light to look at his + watch. “We did it in a bit over eight minutes,” he remarked, with obvious + satisfaction. “With four people and heavy roads that's not so bad—not + so bad. But come inside.” + </p> + <p> + They moved forward through the wide doorway into an apartment the like of + which Thorpe had not seen before. It was a large, square room, with a big + staircase at the end, which separated and went off to right and left, + half-way up its visible course. Its floor was of inlaid woods, old and + uneven from long use, and carpeted here and there by the skins of tigers + and leopards. There were many other suggestions of the chase about the + room: riding boots, whips, spurs, and some stands of archaic weapons + caught the eye at various points; the heads of foxes and deer peeped out + on the blackened panels of the walls, from among clusters of hooks crowded + with coats, hats, and mackintoshes. At the right, where a fire glowed and + blazed under a huge open chimney-place, there were low chairs and divans + drawn up to mark off a space for orderly domestic occupation. The + irregularity of every thing outside—the great table in the centre of + the hall strewn with an incongruous litter of caps, books, flasks, + newspapers, gloves, tobacco-pouches; the shoes, slippers, and leggings + scattered under the benches at the sides—all this self-renewing + disorder of a careless household struck Thorpe with a profound surprise. + It was like nothing so much as a Mexican ranch—and to find it in the + ancestral home of an English nobleman, filled to overflowing with + servants, amazed him. + </p> + <p> + The glances that he cast about him, however, were impassive enough. His + mind was charged with the ceaseless responsibility of being astonished at + nothing. A man took his hat, and helped him off with his coat. Another + moved toward the staircase with his two bags. + </p> + <p> + “If you will follow Pangbourn,” said his host, indicating this second + domestic, “he will look after you. You would like to go up and change now, + wouldn't you? There's a fire in your room.” + </p> + <p> + Thus dismissed, he went up the stairs in the wake of his portmanteaus, + taking the turning to the left, and then proceeding by a long, low + passage, round more than one corner, to what he conceived to be a wing of + the house. The servant ushered him into a room—and, in despite of + himself, he sighed with pleasure at the sight of it. The prettiest and + most charming of rooms it seemed to him to be—spacious and quaintly + rambling in shape, with a delicately-figured chintz repeating the dainty + effects of the walls upon the curtains and carpet and bed-hangings and + chair-covers, and with a bright fire in the grate throwing its warm, cozy + glow over everything. He looked at the pictures on the walls, at the + photographs and little ornaments on the writing desk, and the high posts + and silken coverlet of the big bed, and, secure in the averted face of the + servant, smiled richly to himself. + </p> + <p> + This servant, kneeling, had unstrapped and opened the new bags. Thorpe + looked to see him quit the room, this task accomplished, and was conscious + of something like dismay at the discovery that he intended to unpack them + as well. Pangbourn began gravely to unwrap one paper parcel after another + and to assort their contents in little heaps on the sofa beside him. He + did it deftly, imperturbably, as if all the gentlemen he had ever seen + carried their belongings in packages done up by tradesmen. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's impulse to bid him desist framed itself in words on the tip of + his tongue—but he did not utter these words. After circling idly, + hands in pockets, about the man and the bags for a little time, he + invented something which it seemed better for him to say. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know what you'll be able to make of those things,” he remarked, + casually. “My man has been buying them today—and I don't know what + he mayn't have forgotten. My whole outfit of that sort of thing went + astray or was stolen at some station or other—the first part of the + week—I think it must have been Leeds.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, sir,” said Pangbourn, without emotion. “They're very careless, sir.” + </p> + <p> + He went on impassively, shaking out the black garments and spreading them + on the bed, laying out a shirt and tie beside them, and arranging the + razors, strop, and brushes on the dressing-table. He seemed to foresee + everything—for there was not an instant's hesitation in the + clock-like assiduity of his movements, as he bestowed handkerchiefs, in + one drawer, socks in another, hung pyjamas before the fire, and set the + patent-leather pumps against the fender. Even the old Mexican + shooting-suit seemed in no way to disconcert him. He drew forth its + constituent elements as with a practised hand; when he had hung them up, + sombrero and all, in the wardrobe against the wall, they had the trick of + making that venerable oaken receptacle look as if it had been fashioned + expressly for them. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's earlier uneasiness quite lost itself in his admiration for + Pangbourn's resourceful dexterity. The delighted thought that now he would + be needing a man like this for himself crossed his mind. Conceivably he + might even get this identical Pangbourn—treasure though he were. + Money could command everything on this broad globe—and why not + Pangbourn? He tentatively felt of the coins in his pocket, as it became + apparent that the man's task was nearing completion—and then frowned + at himself for forgetting that these things were always reserved for the + end of a visit. + </p> + <p> + “Will you dress now, sir?” asked Pangbourn. His soft, distinct enunciation + conveyed the suggestion of centuries of training. + </p> + <p> + “Eh?” said Thorpe, finding himself for the moment behind the other's + thought. + </p> + <p> + “Shall you require me any further, sir?” the man reframed the question, + deferentially. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! Oh—no,” replied Thorpe. “No—I'll get along all right.” + </p> + <p> + Left to himself, he began hurriedly the task of shaving and dressing. The + candles on either side of the thick, bevelled swinging mirror presented a + somewhat embarrassing contrast to the electric light he was used to—but + upon second thought he preferred this restrained aristocratic glimmer. + </p> + <p> + He had completed his toilet, and was standing at the bay-window, with his + shoulder holding back the edge of the curtain, looking out upon the + darkened lawn and wondering whether he ought to go downstairs or wait for + someone to summon him, when he heard a knock at his door. Before he could + answer, the door opened, and he made out in the candle-and firelight that + it was Lord Plowden who had come in. He stepped forward to meet his host + who, clad now in evening-clothes, was smoking a cigarette. + </p> + <p> + “Have they looked after you all right?” said Plowden, nonchalantly. “Have + a cigarette before we go down? Light it by the candle. They never will + keep matches in a bedroom.” + </p> + <p> + He seated himself in an easy-chair before the fire, as he spoke, and + stretched out his shining slippers toward the grate. “I thought I'd tell + you before we went down”—he went on, as Thorpe, with an elbow on the + mantel, looked down at his handsome head—“my sister has a couple of + ladies visiting her. One of them I think you know. Do you remember on + shipboard a Miss Madden—an American, you know—very tall and + fine, with bright red hair—rather remarkable hair it was?” + </p> + <p> + “I remember the lady,” said Thorpe, upon reflection, “but we didn't meet.” + He could not wholly divest his tone of the hint that in those days it by + no means followed that because he saw ladies it was open to him to know + them. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden smiled a little. “Oh, you'll like her. She's great fun—if + she's in the mood. My mother and sister—I had them call on her in + London last spring—and they took a great fancy to her. She's got no + end of money, you know—at least a million and a half—dollars, + unfortunately. Her parents were Irish—her father made his pile in + the waggon business, I believe—but she's as American as if they'd + crossed over in—what was it, the 'Sunflower'?—no, the + 'Mayflower.' Marvelous country for assimilation, that America is! You + remember what I told you—it's put such a mark on you that I should + never have dreamt you were English.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe observed his companion, through a blue haze of smoke, in silence. + This insistence upon the un-English nature of the effect he produced was + not altogether grateful to his ears. + </p> + <p> + “The other one,” continued Plowden, “is Lady Cressage. You'll be + interested in her—because a few years ago she was supposed to be the + most beautiful woman in London. She married a shocking bounder—he + would have been Duke of Glastonbury, though, if he had lived—but he + was drowned, and she was left poor as a church mouse. Oh! by the way!” he + started up, with a gleam of aroused interest on his face—“it didn't + in the least occur to me. Why, she's a daughter of our General Kervick. + How did he get on the Board, by the way? Where did you pick him up?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe bent his brows in puzzled lines. “Why, you introduced me to him + yourself, didn't you?” he asked, slowly. + </p> + <p> + Plowden seemed unaffectedly surprised at the suggestion, as he turned it + over in his mind. “By George! I think you're right,” he said. “I'd quite + forgotten it. Of course I did. Let me see—oh yes, I reconstruct it + readily enough now. Poor old chappie—he needs all he can get. He was + bothering her about money—that was it, I remember now—but what + an idiot I was to forget it. But what I was saying—there's no one + else but my mother and sister, and my brother Balder. He's a youngster—twenty + or thereabouts—and he purports to be reading for his exams for the + Army. If they opened his head, though, I doubt if they'd find anything but + cricket and football, unless it might be a bit of golf. Well—that's + the party. I thought you might like to have a notion of them in advance. + If you've finished your cigarette”—he threw his own into the grate, + and rose as he spoke—“we may as well be moving along. By the way,” + he concluded, as they walked toward the door, “I've an idea that we won't + say anything, just at the moment, about our great coup. I should like to + keep it as a little surprise—for my mother and sister, you know.” + </p> + <p> + Some two hours later, Thorpe found the leisure and the restored equanimity + needful for a dispassionate survey of his surroundings. He had become + temporarily detached from the group over by the fireplace in the big + drawing-room and was for the first time that evening very much at his + ease. It was all much simpler, upon experiment, than he had feared. He + stood now in a corner of the ornate apartment, whither he had wandered in + examining the pictures on the walls, and contemplated with serenity the + five people whom he had left behind him. He was conscious of the + conviction that when he rejoined them, it would be on a new footing of + assured equality. He knew now the exact measure of everything. + </p> + <p> + The Hon. Balder Plowden—a tall, heavily-built youth, with enormous + shoulders and thick, hard hands, and pale straw-coloured hair and brows + and eyelashes—had amiably sauntered beside him, and was elucidating + for his benefit now, in slow, halting undertones, some unfathomable + mystery connected with the varying attitude of two distinct breeds of + terriers toward rats. Across the room, just within reach of the flickering + ruddy firelight from the hearth, the American guest, Miss Madden, was + seated at the piano, playing some low and rather doleful music. Thorpe + bent his head, and assumed an air of attention, but in truth he listened + to neither the Honourable Balder nor the piano. His thoughts were + concentrated jealously upon his own position in this novel setting. He + said to himself that it was all right. Old Lady Plowden had seemed to like + him from the start. The genial, if somewhat abstracted, motherliness of + her welcome had been, indeed, his sheet anchor throughout the evening. She + had not once failed to nod her head and smile and twinkle her little kind + eyes through their spectacles at him, whenever by word or look he had + addressed her. Nor did his original half-suspicion, that this was her + manner to people in general, justify itself upon observation. She was + civil, even excessively civil, to the other two guests, but these ladies + did not get the same eager and intent smile that he could command. He + reasoned it out that Plowden must have said something pleasant to his + mother about him—perhaps even to the point of explaining that he was + to be the architect of their fortunes—but he did not like to ascribe + all her hospitable warmth to that. It was dear to him to believe that she + liked him on his own merits—and he did believe it, as his softened + glance rested upon her where she sat almost facing him in her padded, + wicker chair—small, white-haired, rosy-cheeked, her intelligent face + radiating a kind of alert placidity which somehow made him feel at home. + </p> + <p> + He had not been as much at home with the others. The Honourable Balder, of + course, didn't count; nobody paid attention to him, and least of all a + busy Rubber King. He gave not much more heed to the American—the + tall young woman with the red hair and the million and a half of dollars. + She was plainly a visitor like himself, not at all identified with the + inner life of the household. He fancied, moreover, that she in no way + desired to be thus identified. She seemed to carry herself with a + deliberate aloofness underlying her surface amiability. Then he had spoken + his few words with her, once or twice, he had got this effect of stony + reserve close beneath her smile and smooth words. True, this might mean + only that she felt herself out of her element, just as he did—but to + him, really it did not matter what she felt. A year ago—why, yes, + even a fortnight ago—the golden rumour of millions would have shone + round her auburn hair in his eyes like a halo. But all that was changed. + Calculated in a solidified currency, her reported fortune shrank to a mere + three hundred thousand pounds. It was a respectable sum for a woman to + have, no doubt, but it did nothing to quicken the cool indifference with + which he considered her. + </p> + <p> + The two other young women were different. They were seated together on a + sofa, so placed as regarded his point of view, that he saw only in part + the shadowed profiles of the faces they turned toward the piano. Although + it was not visible to him, the posture of their shoulders told him that + they were listening to the music each holding the other's hand. This tacit + embrace was typical in his mind of the way they hung together, these two + young women. It had been forced upon his perceptions all the evening, that + this fair-haired, beautiful, rather stately Lady Cressage, and the small, + swarthy, round-shouldered daughter of the house, peering through her + pince-nez from under unduly thick black brows, formed a party of their + own. Their politeness toward him had been as identical in all its little + shades of distance and reservation as if they had been governed from a + single brain-centre. It would be unfair to them to assume from their + manner that they disliked him, or were even unfavourably impressed by him. + The finesse of that manner was far too delicate a thing to call into use + such rough characterizations. It was rather their action as a unit which + piqued his interest. He thought he could see that they united upon a + common demeanour toward the American girl, although of course they knew + her much better than they knew him. It was not even clear to him that + there were not traces of this combination in their tone toward Plowden and + the Honourable Balder. The bond between them had twisted in it strands of + social exclusiveness, and strands of sex sympathy. + </p> + <p> + He did not analyze all this with much closeness in his thoughts, but the + impressions of it were distinct enough to him. He rather enjoyed these + impressions than otherwise. Women had not often interested him + consecutively to any large degree, either in detail or as a whole. He had + formulated, among other loose general notions of them, however, the idea + that their failure to stand by one another was one of their gravest + weaknesses. This proposition rose suddenly now in his mind, and claimed + his attention. It became apparent to him, all at once, that his opinions + about women would be henceforth invested with a new importance. He had + scarcely before in his life worn evening dress in a domestic circle which + included ladies—certainly never in the presence of such certificated + and hall-marked ladies as these. His future, however, was to be filled + with experiences of this nature. Already, after this briefest of ventures + into the new life, he found fresh conceptions of the great subject + springing up in his thoughts. In this matter of women sticking together, + for example—here before his eyes was one of the prettiest instances + of it imaginable. As he looked again at the two figures on the sofa, so + markedly unlike in outward aspect, yet knit to each other in such a + sisterly bond, he found the spectacle really touching. + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage had inclined her classic profile even more toward the piano. + Thorpe was not stirred at all by the music, but the spirit of it as it was + reflected upon this beautiful facial outline—sensitive, + high-spirited, somewhat sad withal—appealed to something in him. He + moved forward cautiously, noiselessly, a dozen restricted paces, and + halted again at the corner of a table. It was a relief that the Honourable + Balder, though he followed along, respected now his obvious wish for + silence. But neither Balder nor anyone else could guess that the music + said less than nothing to his ears—that it was the face that had + beckoned him to advance. + </p> + <p> + Covertly, with momentary assurances that no one observed him, he studied + this face and mused upon it. The white candle-light on the shining wall + beyond threw everything into a soft, uniform shadow, this side of the + thread of dark tracery which outlined forehead and nose and lips and chin. + It seemed to him that the eyes were closed, as in reverie; he could not be + sure. + </p> + <p> + So she would have been a Duchess if her husband had lived! He said to + himself that he had never seen before, or imagined, a face which belonged + so indubitably beneath a tiara of strawberry leaves in diamonds. The pride + and grace and composure, yes, and melancholy, of the great lady—they + were all there in their supreme expression. And yet—why, she was no + great lady at all. She was the daughter of his old General Kervick—the + necessitous and haughtily-humble old military gentleman, with the grey + moustache and the premature fur coat, who did what he was told on the + Board without a question, for a pitiful three hundred a year. Yes—she + was his daughter, and she also was poor. Plowden had said so. + </p> + <p> + Why had Plowden, by the way, been so keen about relieving her from her + father's importunities? He must have had it very much at heart, to have + invented the roundabout plan of getting the old gentleman a directorship. + But no—there was nothing in that. Why, Plowden had even forgotten + that it was he who suggested Kervick's name. It would have been his + sister, of course, who was evidently such chums with Lady Cressage, who + gave him the hint to help the General to something if he could. And when + you came to think of it, these aristocrats and military men and so on, had + no other notion of making money save by directorships. Clearly, that was + the way of it. Plowden had remembered Kervick's name, when the chance + arose to give the old boy a leg up, and then had clean forgotten the + circumstance. The episode rather increased his liking for Plowden. + </p> + <p> + He glanced briefly, under the impulse of his thought, to where the peer + sat, or rather sprawled, in a big low chair before the fire. He was so + nearly recumbent in it, indeed, that there was nothing to be seen of him + but an elbow, and two very trim legs extended to the brass fender. + Thorpe's gaze reverted automatically to the face of General Kervick's + daughter. He wondered if she knew about the Company, and about him, and + about his ability to solidify to any extent her father's financial + position. Even more, upon reflection, he wondered whether she was very + fond of her father; would she be extremely grateful to one who should + render him securely comfortable for life? Miss Madden rose from the piano + before Thorpe noted that the music had ceased. There came from the others + a soft but fervent chorus of exclamations, the sincerity and enthusiasm of + which made him a little ashamed. He had evidently been deaf to something + that deeply moved the rest. Even Balder made remarks which seemed to be + regarded as apposite. + </p> + <p> + “What IS it?” asked Lady Cressage, with obvious feeling. “I don't know + when anything has touched me so much.” + </p> + <p> + “Old Danish songs that I picked up on the quai in Paris for a franc or + two,” replied Miss Madden. “I arranged and harmonized them—and, + oddly enough, the result is rather Keltic, don't you think?” + </p> + <p> + “We are all of us Kelts in our welcome to music—and musicians—like + this,” affirmed Lord Plowden, who had scrambled to his feet. + </p> + <p> + With sudden resolution, Thorpe moved forward and joined the conversation. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI + </h2> + <p> + THORPE'S life-long habit of early rising brought him downstairs next + morning before anybody else in the house, apparently, was astir. At all + events, he saw no one in either the hall or the glass vestibule, as he + wandered about. Both doors were wide open, however, to the mild, damp + morning air. He found on one of the racks a cap that was less + uncomfortable than the others, and sauntered forth to look about him. + </p> + <p> + His nerves were by no means in so serene a state as his reason told him + they ought to be. The disquieting impression of bad dreams hung about him. + The waking hour—always an evil time for him in these latter days of + anxiety—had been this morning a peculiarly depressing affair. It had + seemed to him, in the first minutes of reviving consciousness, that he was + a hopelessly ruined and discredited man; the illusion of disaster had + been, indeed, so complete and vivid that, even now, more than an hour + later, he had not shaken off its effects. + </p> + <p> + He applied his mental energies, as he strolled along the gravel paths, to + the task of reassuring himself. There were still elements of chance in the + game, of course, but it was easy enough, here in the daylight, to + demonstrate that they had been cut down to a minimum—that it was + nonsense to borrow trouble about them. He reviewed the situation in + painstaking detail, and at every point it was all right, or as nearly all + right as any human business could be. He scolded himself sharply for this + foolish susceptibility to the intimidation of nightmares. “Look at + Plowden!” he bade his dolorous spirit. “See how easy he takes things.” + </p> + <p> + It was undeniable that Lord Plowden took things very easily indeed. He had + talked with eloquence and feeling about the miseries and humiliations of a + peerage inadequately endowed with money, but no traces of his sufferings + were visible to Thorpe's observant eye. The nobleman himself looked the + very image of contented prosperity—handsome, buoyant, light-hearted, + and, withal, the best-groomed man in London. And this ancestral home of + his—or of his mother's, since he seemed to insist upon the + distinction—where were its signs of a stinted income? The place was + overrun with servants. There was a horse which covered a distance of + something like two miles in eight minutes. Inside and out, Hadlow House + suggested nothing but assured plenty. Yet its master told the most + unvarying tales of poverty, and no doubt they were in one sense true. What + he wished to fix his mind upon, and to draw strength for himself from, was + the gay courage with which these Plowdens behaved as if they were rich. + </p> + <p> + The grounds at the front of the house, hemmed in by high hedges and trees + from what seemed to be a public road beyond, were fairly spacious, but the + sleek decorum of their arrangement, while it pleased him, was scarcely + interesting. He liked better to study the house itself, which in the + daylight revealed itself as his ideal of what a historic English + country-house of the minor class should be. + </p> + <p> + There had been a period in his youth when architecture had attracted him + greatly as offering a congenial and lucrative career. Not much remained to + him now of the classifications and phraseology which he had gone to the + trouble of memorizing, in that far-off time, but he still looked at + buildings with a kind of professional consciousness. Hadlow House said + intelligible things to him, and he was pleased with himself for + understanding them. It was not new in any part, apparently, but there was + nothing pretentious in its antiquity. It had never been a castle, or a + fortified residence. No violent alteration in habits or needs + distinguished its present occupants from its original builders. It had + been planned and reared as a home for gentle people, at some + not-too-remote date when it was already possible for gentle people to have + homes, without fighting to defend them. One could fancy that its calm and + infinitely comfortable history had never been ruffled from that day to + this. He recalled having heard it mentioned the previous evening that the + house stood upon the site of an old monastery. No doubt that accounted for + its being built in a hollow, with the ground-floor on the absolute level + of the earth outside. The monks had always chosen these low-lying + sheltered spots for their cloisters. Why should they have done so? he + wondered—and then came to a sudden mental stop, absorbed in a + somewhat surprised contemplation of a new version of himself. He was + becoming literary, historical, bookish! His mind had begun to throw open + again, to abstract thoughts and musings, its long-closed doors. He had + read and dreamed so much as a lad, in the old book-shop! For many years + that boyhood of eager concern in the printed page had seemed to him to + belong to somebody else. Now, all at once, it came back to him as his own + possession; he felt that he could take up books again where he had dropped + them, perhaps even with the old rapt, intent zest. + </p> + <p> + Visions rose before him of the magnificent library he would gather for + himself. And it should be in no wise for show—the gross ostentation + of the unlettered parvenu—but a genuine library, which should + minister to his own individual culture. The thought took instant hold upon + his interest. By that road, his progress to the goal of gentility would be + smooth and simple. He seemed not to have reasoned it out to himself in + detail before, but now, at all events, he saw his way clearly enough. Why + should he be tormented with doubts and misgivings about himself, as if he + had come out of the gutter? + </p> + <p> + Why indeed? He had passed through—and with credit, too—one of + the great public schools of England. He had been there on a footing of + perfect equality, so far as he saw, with the sons of aristocratic families + or of great City potentates. And as to birth, he had behind him three + generations at least of scholarly men, men who knew the contents, as well + as the commercial value, of the books they handled. + </p> + <p> + His grandfather had been a man of note in his calling. The tradition of + Lord Althorp's confidence in him, and of how he requited it by securing + Caxton's “Golden Legend” for the library of that distinguished collector, + under the very nose of his hot rival, the Duke of Marlborough, was + tenderly cherished as an heirloom in the old shop. And Thorpe's father, + too, though no such single achievement crowned his memory, had been the + adviser and, as one might say, the friend of many notable writers and + patrons of literature. The son of such forbears needed only money to be + recognized by everybody as a gentleman. + </p> + <p> + On his mother's side, now that he thought of it, there was something + perhaps better still than a heritage of librarians' craft and tastes. His + mother's maiden name was Stormont, and he remembered well enough the + solemnity with which she had always alluded to the fact, in the course of + domestic discussions. Who the Stormonts were he could not recall that he + had ever learned, but his mother had been very clear indeed about their + superiority to the usual ruck of people. He would ask his sister whether + she knew anything about them. In the meantime there was no denying that + Stormont was a fine-sounding name. He reflected that it was his own middle + name—and, on the instant, fancy engraved for him a card-plate on + which appeared the legend—“Mr. Stormont Thorpe.” + </p> + <p> + It was an inspiration! “Joel” he had not used for so many years that now, + after six months' familiarity with it on his sister's lips, he could not + get accustomed to it. The colourless and non-committal style of “J. S. + Thorpe,” under which he had lived so long, had been well enough for the + term of his exile—the weary time of obscure toil and suspense. But + now, in this sunburst of smiling fortune, when he had achieved the right + to a name of distinction—here it was ready to his hand. A fleeting + question as to whether he should carry the “J” along as an initial put + itself to his mind. He decided vigorously against it. He had always had a + prejudice against men who, in the transatlantic phrase, parted either + their hair or their names in the middle. + </p> + <p> + He had made his unheeding way past the house to the beginning of the + avenue of trees, which he remembered from the previous evening's drive. To + his right, an open space of roadway led off in the direction of the + stables. As he hesitated, in momentary doubt which course to take, the + sound of hoofs in the avenue caught his ear, and he stood still. In a + moment there came into view, round a curve in the leafy distance, two + horses with riders, advancing at a brisk canter. Soon he perceived that + the riders were ladies; they drew rein as they approached him, and then it + was to be seen that they were the pair he had judged to be such close + friends last night—Lady Cressage and the daughter of the house. + </p> + <p> + They smiled and nodded down at him, as he lifted his cap and bowed. Their + cheeks were glowing and their eyes sparkling with the exhilaration of + their ride. Even the Hon. Winifred looked comely and distinguished in his + eyes, under the charm of this heightened vivacity. She seemed to carry + herself better in the saddle than she did out of it; the sweep of her + habit below the stirrup lent dignity to her figure. + </p> + <p> + But her companion, whose big chestnut mount was pacing slowly toward the + stepping-block—how should he bring within the compass of thought the + impressions he had had of her as she passed? There seemed to have been no + memory in his mind to prepare him for the beauty of the picture she had + made. Slender, erect, exquisitely-tailored, she had gone by like some + queen in a pageant, gracious yet unapproachable. He stared after her, + mutely bewildered at the effect she produced upon him—until he saw + that a groom had run from the stable-yard, and was helping the divinity to + dismount. The angry thought that he might have done this himself rose + within him—but there followed swiftly enough the answering + conviction that he lacked the courage. He did not even advance to proffer + his services to the other young lady, while there was still time. The + truth was, he admitted ruefully to himself, they unnerved him. + </p> + <p> + He had talked freely enough to them, or rather to the company of which + they made part, the previous evening. There had been an hour or more, + indeed, before the party broke up, in which he had borne the lion's share + of the talk—and they had appeared as frankly entertained as the + others. In fact, when he recalled the circle of faces to which he had + addressed his monologue of reminiscences—curious experiences and + adventures in Java and the Argentine, in Brazil and the Antilles and + Mexico and the far West—it was in the face of Lady Cressage that he + seemed to discern the most genuine interest. + </p> + <p> + Why should she frighten him, then, by daylight? The whimsical theory that + the wine at dinner had given him a spurious courage occurred to him. He + shrugged his shoulders at it, and, with his hands in his pockets, turned + toward the stables. + </p> + <p> + The stable-yard is, from some points of view, the prettiest thing about + Hadlow. There is a big, uneven, grass-grown space, in the centre of which, + from a slight mound, springs an aged oak of tremendous girth and height. + All around this enclosure are buildings of the same pale yellowish brick + as the mansion itself, but quaintly differing one from another in design + and size. Stables, carriage-houses, kennels, a laundry, a brewery, and + half a dozen structures the intention of which is now somewhat uncertain—some + flat-topped, some gabled, others with turrets, or massive grouped + chimneys, or overhanging timbered upper stories—form round this + unkempt, shadowed green a sort of village, with a communal individuality + of its own. + </p> + <p> + A glance shows its feudal relation to, and dependence upon, the great + house behind which it nestles; some of the back-kitchens and offices of + this great house, indeed, straggle out till they meet and merge themselves + into this quadrangle. None the less, it presents to the enquiring gaze a + specific character, of as old a growth, one might think, as the oak + itself. Here servants have lived, it may be, since man first learned the + trick of setting his foot on his brother's neck. Plainly enough, the + monks' servants lived and worked here; half the buildings on the side + nearest the house belong to their time, and one of them still bears a + partially-defaced coat of arms that must have belonged to an Abbot. And + when lay lord succeeded cleric, only the garb and vocabulary of servitude + were altered in this square. Its population crossed themselves less, and + worked much harder, but they remained in a world of their own, adjacent + aud subject to the world of their masters, yet separated from it by oh! + such countless and unthinkable distances. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe sauntered along the side of the stables. He counted three men and a + boy who visibly belonged to this department. The dog-cart of the previous + evening had been run out upon the brick-pavement which drained the + stables, and glistened with expensive smartness now beneath the sponge of + one of the hostlers. Under cover, he discerned two other carriages, and + there seemed to be at least half a dozen horses. The men who, in the half + gloom of the loose-boxes, were busy grooming these animals made a curious + whistling noise as they worked. Everybody in the yard touched a forelock + to him as he passed. + </p> + <p> + From this quaint, old-world enclosure he wandered at his leisure, through + an open gate in the wall at the back, into the gardens behind the house. + There was not much in the way of flowers to look at, but he moved about + quite unconscious of any deprivation. A cluster of greenhouses, massed + against the southern side of the mansion, attracted his listless fancy, + and he walked toward what appeared to be an entrance to them. The door was + locked, but he found another further on which opened to his hand. The air + was very hot and moist inside, and the place was so filled with + broad-leaved, umbrageous tropical plants that he had to stoop to make his + way through to the end. The next house had a more tolerable atmosphere, + and contained some blossoms to which he gave momentary attention. In the + third house, through the glass-door, he could see a man—evidently a + gardener—lifting some pots to a shelf overhead. + </p> + <p> + The thought occurred to him that by entering into conversation with this + man, he might indirectly obtain a hint as to the usual breakfast-hour at + Hadlow. It was now nearly ten o'clock, and he was getting very hungry. + Would they not ring a bell, or sound a gong, or something? he wondered. + Perhaps there had been some such summons, and he had not heard it. It + might be the intelligent thing for him to return to the house, at all + events, and sit in the hall where the servants could see him, in case the + meal was in progress. + </p> + <p> + Looking idly through the glass at the gardener, meanwhile, it suddenly + dawned upon him that the face and figure were familiar. He stared more + intently at the man, casting about in his memory for a clue to his + identity. It came to him that the person he had in mind was a fellow named + Gafferson, who had kept an impoverished and down-at-the-heels sort of + hotel and general store on the road from Belize to Boon Town, in British + Honduras. Yes, it undoubtedly was Gafferson. What on earth was he doing + here? Thorpe gave but brief consideration to this problem. It was of more + immediate importance to recall the circumstances of his contact with the + man. He had made Gafferson's poor shanty of an hotel his headquarters for + the better part of a month—the base of supplies from which he made + numerous prospecting tours into the mountains of the interior. Had he paid + his bill on leaving? Yes, there was no doubt about that. He could even + recall a certain pity for the unbusiness-like scale of charges, and the + lack of perception of opportunity, which characterized the bill in + question. He remembered now his impression that Gafferson would never do + any good. It would be interesting to know what kind of an impression he, + in turn, had produced on his thriftless host. At any rate, there was no + good reason why he should not find out. He opened the door and went in. + </p> + <p> + The gardener barely looked up from his occupation, and drew aside to let + the newcomer pass with no sign of a gesture toward his cap. Thorpe halted, + and tried to look at the pots on the staging as if he knew about such + things. + </p> + <p> + “What are you doing?” he asked, in the tentative tone of one who is in no + need of information, but desires to be affable. + </p> + <p> + “Drying off the first lot of gloxinias,” answered the other. “Some people + put 'em on their sides, but I like 'em upright, close to the glass. It + stands to reason, if you think about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, certainly,” said Thorpe, with conviction. In his mind he contrasted + the independence of Gafferson's manner with the practised servility of the + stable-yard—and thought that he liked it—and then was not so + sure. He perceived that there was no recognition of him. The gardener, as + further desultory conversation about his work progressed, looked his + interlocutor full in the face, but with a placid, sheep-like gaze which + seemed to be entirely insensible to variations in the human species. + </p> + <p> + “How did you ever get back here to England?” Thorpe was emboldened to ask + at last. In comment upon the other's stare of puzzled enquiry, he went on: + “You're Gafferson, aren't you? I thought so. When I last saw you, you were + running a sort of half-way house, t'other side of Belize. That was in + '90.” + </p> + <p> + Gafferson—a thick-set, squat man of middle age, with a straggling + reddish beard—turned upon him a tranquil but uninformed eye. “I + suppose you would have been stopping at Government House,” he remarked. + “That was in Sir Roger Goldsworthy's time. They used to come out often to + see my flowers. And so you remembered my name. I suppose it was because of + the Gaffersoniana hybrids. There was a good bit in the papers about them + last spring.” Thorpe nodded an assent which it seemed better not to put + into words. “Well, it beats all,” he mused aloud. “Why, man, there's gold + in those mountains! You had an inside track on prospecting, placed as you + were. And there's cocoa—and some day they'll coin money in rubber, + too. All that country's waiting for is better communications. And you were + on the spot, and knew all the lay of the land—and yet here you are + back in England, getting so much a month for messing about in the mud.” + </p> + <p> + He saw swiftly that his reflections had carried him beyond his earlier + limit, and with rapidity decided upon frankness. “No, I wasn't in the + Governor's outfit at all. I was looking for gold then—with + occasionally an eye on rubber. I stopped at your place. Don't you remember + me? My name's Thorpe. I had a beard then. Why, man, you and one of your + niggers were with me three or four days once, up on the ridge beyond the + Burnt Hills—why, you remember, the nigger was from San Domingo, and + he was forever bragging about the San Domingo peppers, and saying those on + the mainland hadn't enough strength to make a baby wrinkle his nose, and + you found a pepper coming through the swamp, and you tipped me the wink, + and you handed that pepper to the nigger, and it damned near killed him. + Hell! You must remember that!” + </p> + <p> + “That would have been the Chavica pertusum,” said Gafferson, thoughtfully. + He seemed to rouse himself to an interest in the story itself with some + difficulty. “Yes—I remember it,” he admitted, finally. “I shouldn't + have known you though. I'm the worst in the world about remembering + people. It seems to be growing on me. I notice that when I go up to London + to the shows, I don't remember the men that I had the longest talks with + the time before. Once you get wrapped up in your flowers, you've got no + room in your head for anything else—that's the way of it.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe considered him with a ruminating eye. “So this is the sort of thing + you really like, eh? You'd rather be doing this, eh? than making your pile + in logwood and mahogany out there, or floating a gold mine?” Gafferson + answered quite simply: “I wasn't the kind to ever make a pile. I got led + into going out there when I was a youngster, and there didn't seem to be + any good in trying to get back, but I wasn't making more than a bare + living when you were there, and after that I didn't even do that much. It + took me a good many years to find out what my real fancy was. I hated my + hotel and my store, but I was crazy about my garden. Finally an American + gentleman came along one day, and he put up at my place, and he saw that I + was as near ruined as they make 'em, and he says to me, 'You're no good to + run a hotel, nor yet a store, and this aint your country for a cent. What + you're born for is to grow flowers. You can't afford to do it here, + because nobody'll pay you for it, but you gather up your seeds and roots + and so on, and come along with me to Atlanta, Georgia, and I'll put fat on + your bones.' + </p> + <p> + “That's what he said to me, and I took him at his word, and I was with him + two years, and then I thought I'd like to come to England, and since then + I've worked my way up here, till now I take a Royal Horticultural medal + regular, and there's a clematis with salmon-coloured bars that'll be in + the market next spring that's named after my master. And what could I ask + more 'n that?” + </p> + <p> + “Quite right,” said Thorpe. “What time do they have breakfast here?” + </p> + <p> + The gardener's round, phlegmatic, florid countenance had taken on a mild + glow of animation during his narrative. It relapsed into lethargy at the + advent of this new topic. + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me they eat at all hours,” he said. “But if you want to see + his Lordship,” he went on, considering, “about noon would be your best + time.” + </p> + <p> + “See his Lordship!” repeated Thorpe, with an impatient grin. “Why I'm a + guest here in the house. All I want is something to eat.” + </p> + <p> + “A guest,” Gafferson repeated in turn, slowly. There was nothing + unpleasant in the intonation, and Thorpe's sharp glance failed to detect + any trace of offensive intention in his companion's fatuous visage. Yet it + seemed to pass between the two men that Gafferson was surprised, and that + there were abundant grounds for his surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Why, yes,” said Thorpe, with as much nonchalance as he could summon, + “your master is one of my directors. I've taken a fancy to him, and I'm + going to make a rich man of him. He was keen about my seeing his place + here, and kept urging me to come, and so finally I've got away over Sunday + to oblige him. By the way—I shall buy an estate in the country as + soon as the right thing offers, and I shall want to set up no end of + gardens and greenhouses and all that. I see that I couldn't come to a + better man than you for advice. I daresay I'll put the whole arrangement + of it in your hands. You'd like that, wouldn't you?” + </p> + <p> + “Whatever his Lordship agrees to,” the gardener replied, sententiously. He + turned to the staging, and took up one of the pots. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe swung on his heel, and moved briskly toward the further door, which + he could see opened upon the lawn. He was conscious of annoyance with this + moon-faced, dawdling Gafferson, who had been afforded such a splendid + chance of profiting by an old acquaintanceship—it might even be + called, as things went in Honduras, a friendship—and who had so + clumsily failed to rise to the situation. The bitter thought of going back + and giving him a half-crown rose in Thorpe's inventive mind, and he paused + for an instant, his hand on the door-knob, to think it over. The gratuity + would certainly put Gafferson in his place, but then the spirit in which + it was offered would be wholly lost on his dull brain. And moreover, was + it so certain that he would take it? He had not said “sir” once, and he + had talked about medals with the pride of a scientist. The rules were + overwhelmingly against a gardener rejecting a tip, of course, but if there + was no more than one chance in twenty of it, Thorpe decided that he could + not afford the risk. + </p> + <p> + He quitted the greenhouse with resolution, and directed his steps toward + the front of the mansion. As he entered the hall, a remarkably tuneful and + resonant chime filled his ears with novel music. He looked and saw that a + white-capped, neatly-clad domestic, standing with her back to him beside + the newel-post of the stairs, was beating out the tune with two padded + sticks upon some strips of metal ranged on a stand of Indian workmanship. + The sound was delightful, but even more so was the implication that it + betokened breakfast. + </p> + <p> + With inspiration, he drew forth the half-crown which he had been fingering + in his pocket, and gave it to the girl as she turned. “That's the kind of + concert I like,” he declared, bestowing the patronage of a jovial smile + upon her pleased and comely face. “Show me the way to this breakfast that + you've been serenading about.” + </p> + <p> + Out in the greenhouse, meanwhile, Gafferson continued to regard blankly + the shrivelled, fatty leaves of the plant he had taken up. “Thorpe,” he + said aloud, as if addressing the tabid gloxinia—“Thorpe—yes—I + remember his initials—J. S. Thorpe. Now, who's the man that told me + about him? and what was it he told me?” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII + </h2> + <p> + THE experiences of the breakfast room were very agreeable indeed. Thorpe + found himself the only man present, and, after the first few minutes of + embarrassment at this discovery, it filled him with surprised delight to + note how perfectly he was at his ease. He could never have imagined + himself seated with four ladies at a table—three of them, moreover, + ladies of title—and doing it all so well. + </p> + <p> + For one thing, the ladies themselves had a morning manner, so to speak, + which differed widely from the impressions he had had of their deportment + the previous evening. They seemed now to be as simple and fresh and + natural as the unadorned frocks they wore. They listened with an air of + good-fellowship to him when he spoke; they smiled at the right places; + they acted as if they liked him, and were glad of his company. + </p> + <p> + The satisfied conviction that he was talking well, and behaving well, + accompanied him in his progress through the meal. His confession at the + outset of his great hunger, and of the sinister apprehensions which had + assailed him in his loitering walk about the place, proved a most + fortuitous beginning; after that, they were ready to regard everything he + said as amusing. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, when we're by ourselves,” the kindly little old hostess explained to + him, “my daughter and I breakfast always at nine. That was our hour + yesterday morning, for example. But when my son is here, then it's + farewell to regularity. We put breakfast back till ten, then, as a kind of + compromise between our own early habits and his lack of any sort of + habits. Why we do it I couldn't say—because he never comes down in + any event. He sleeps so well at Hadlow—and you know in town he + sleeps very ill indeed—and so we don't dream of complaining. We're + only too glad—for his sake.” + </p> + <p> + “And Balder,” commented the sister, “he's as bad the other way. He gets up + at some unearthly hour, and has his tea and a sandwich from the + still-room, and goes off with his rod or his gun or the dogs, and we never + see him till luncheon.” + </p> + <p> + “I've been on the point of asking so many times,” Miss Madden interposed—“is + Balder a family name, or is it after the Viking in Matthew Arnold's poem?” + </p> + <p> + “It was his father's choice,” Lady Plowden made answer. “I think the + Viking explanation is the right one—it certainly isn't in either + family. I can't say that it attracted me much—at first, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, but it fits him so splendidly,” said Lady Cressage. “He looks the + part, as they say. I always thought it was the best of all the soldier + names—and you have only to look at him to see that he was + predestined for a soldier from his cradle.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish the Sandhurst people would have a good long look at him, then,” + put in the mother with earnestness underlying the jest of her tone. “The + poor boy will never pass those exams in the world. It IS ridiculous, as + his father always said. If there ever was a man who was made for a + soldier, it's Balder. He's a gentleman, and he's connected by tradition + with the Army, and he's mad about everything military—and surely + he's as clever as anybody else at everything except that wretched matter + of books, and even there it's only a defect of memory—and yet that + suffices to prevent his serving his Queen. And all over England there are + young gentlemen like that—the very pick of the hunting-fields, + strong and brave as lions, fit to lead men anywhere, the very men England + wants to have fighting her battles—and they can't get places in the + Army because—what was it Balder came to grief over last time?—because + they can't remember whether it's Ispahan or Teheran that's the capital of + Persia. + </p> + <p> + “They are the fine old sort that would go and capture both places at the + point of the bayonet—and find out their names afterward—but it + seems that's not what the Army wants nowadays. What is desired now is + superior clerks, and secretaries and professors of languages—and + much good they will do us when the time of trouble comes!” + </p> + <p> + “Then you think the purchase-system was better?” asked the American lady. + “It always seemed to me that that must have worked so curiously.” + </p> + <p> + “Prefer it?” said Lady Plowden. “A thousand times yes! My husband made one + of the best speeches in the debate on it—one do I say?—first + and last he must have made a dozen of them. If anything could have kept + the House of Lords firm, in the face of the wretched Radical outcry, it + would have been those speeches. He pointed out all the evils that would + follow the change. You might have called it prophetic—the way he + foresaw what would happen to Balder—or not Balder in particular, of + course, but that whole class of young gentlemen. + </p> + <p> + “As he said, you have only to ask yourself what kind of people the lower + classes naturally look up to and obey and follow. Will they be ordered + about by a man simply because he knows Greek and Latin and Hebrew? Do they + respect the village schoolmaster, for example, on account of his learning? + Not in the very slightest! On the contrary, they regard him with the + greatest contempt. The man they will serve is the man whose birth gives + him the right to command them, or else the man with money in his pockets + to make it worth their while. These two are the only leaders they + understand. And if that's true here in England, in times of peace, among + our own people, how much truer must it be of our soldiers, away from + England, in a time of war?” + </p> + <p> + “But, mamma,” the Hon. Winifred intervened, “don't you see how badly that + might work nowadays? now that the good families have so little money, and + all the fortunes are in the hands of stockjobbing people—and so on? + It would be THEIR sons who would buy all the commissions—and I'm + sure Balder wouldn't get on at all with that lot.” + </p> + <p> + Lady Plowden answered with decision and great promptness. “You see so + little of the world, Winnie dear, that you don't get very clear ideas of + its movements. The people who make fortunes in England are every whit as + important to its welfare as those who inherit names, and individually I'm + sure they are often much more deserving. Every generation sniffs at its + nouveaux riches, but by the next they have become merged in the + aristocracy. It isn't a new thing in England at all. It has always been + that way. Two-thirds of the peerage have their start from a wealthy + merchant, or some other person who made a fortune. They are really the + back-bone of England. You should keep that always in mind.” + </p> + <p> + “Of course—I see what you mean”—Winnie replied, her dark cheek + flushing faintly under the tacit reproof. She had passed her twenty-fifth + birthday, but her voice had in it the docile self-repression of a + school-girl. She spoke with diffident slowness, her gaze fastened upon her + plate. “Of course—my grandfather was a lawyer—and your point + is that merchants—and others who make fortunes—would be the + same.” + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said Lady Plowden. “And do tell us, Mr. Thorpe”—she + turned toward where he sat at her right and beamed at him over her + spectacles, with the air of having been wearied with a conversation in + which he bore no part—“is it really true that social discontent is + becoming more marked in America, even, than it is with us in England?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm not an American, you know,” he reminded her. “I only know one or two + sections of the country—and those only as a stranger. You should ask + Miss Madden.” + </p> + <p> + “Me?” said Celia. “Oh, I haven't come up for my examinations yet. I'm like + Balder—I'm preparing.” + </p> + <p> + “What I should like Mr. Thorpe to tell us,” suggested Lady Cressage, + mildly, “is about the flowers in the tropics—in Java, for example, + or some of the West Indies. One hears such marvelous tales about them.” + </p> + <p> + “Speaking of flowers,” Thorpe suddenly decided to mention the fact; “I met + out in one of the greenhouses here this morning, an old acquaintance of + mine, the gardener, Gafferson. The last time I saw him, he was running the + worst hotel in the world in the worst country in the world—out in + British Honduras.” + </p> + <p> + “But he's a wonderful gardener,” said Lady Cressage. “He's a magician; he + can do what he likes with plants. It's rather a hobby of mine—or + used to be—and I never saw his equal.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe told them about Gafferson, in that forlorn environment on the + Belize road, and his success in making them laugh drew him on to other + pictures of the droll side of life among the misfits of adventure. The + ladies visibly dallied over their tea-cups to listen to him; the charm of + having them all to himself, and of holding them in interested + entertainment by his discourse—these ladies of supremely refined + associations and position—seemed to provide an inspiration of its + own. He could hear that his voice was automatically modulating itself to + their critical ears. His language was producing itself with as much + delicacy of selection as if it came out of a book—and yet preserving + the savour of quaint, outlandish idiom which his listeners clearly liked. + Upon the instant when Lady Plowden's gathering of skirts, and glance + across the table, warned him that they were to rise, he said deliberately + to himself that this had been the most enjoyable episode of his whole + life. + </p> + <p> + There were cigar boxes on the fine old oak mantel, out in the hall, and + Winnie indicated them to him with the obvious suggestion that he was + expected to smoke. He looked her over as he lit his cigar—where she + stood spreading her hands above the blaze of the logs, and concluded that + she was much nicer upon acquaintance than he had thought. Her slight + figure might not be beautiful, but beyond doubt its lines were ladylike. + The same extenuating word applied itself in his mind to her thin and + swarthy, though distinguished, features. They bore the stamp of caste, and + so did the way she looked at one through her eye-glasses, from under those + over-heavy black eyebrows, holding her head a little to one side. Though + it was easy enough to guess that she had a spirit of her own, her gentle, + almost anxious, deference to her mother had shown that she had it under + admirable control. + </p> + <p> + He had read about her in a peerage at his sister's book-shop the previous + day. Unfortunately it did not give her age, but that was not so important, + after all. She was styled Honourable. She was the daughter of one Viscount + and the sister of another. Her grandfather had been an Earl, and the book + had shown her to possess a bewildering number of relationships among + titled folks. All this was very interesting to him—and somewhat + suggestive. Vague, shapeless hints at projects rose in his brain as he + looked at her. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid you think my brother has odd notions of entertaining his + guests,” she remarked to him, over her shoulder. The other ladies had not + joined them. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'm all right,” he protested cordially. “I should hate to have him + put himself out in the slightest.” Upon consideration he added: “I suppose + he has given up the idea of shooting to-day.” + </p> + <p> + “I think not,” she answered.” The keeper was about this morning, that is—and + he doesn't often come unless they are to go out with the guns. I suppose + you are very fond of shooting.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—I've done some—in my time,” Thorpe replied, cautiously. + It did not seem necessary to explain that he had yet to fire his first gun + on English soil. “It's a good many years,” he went on, “since I had the + time and opportunity to do much at it. I think the last shooting I did was + alligators. You hit 'em in the eye, you know. But what kind of a hand I + shall make of it with a shot-gun, I haven't the least idea. Is the + shooting round I here pretty good?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't think it's anything remarkable. Plowden says my brother Balder + kills all the birds off every season. Balder's by way of being a + crack-shot, you know. There are some pheasants, though. We saw them flying + when we were out this morning.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe wondered if it would be possible to consult her upon the question + of apparel. Clearly, he ought to make some difference in his garb, yet the + mental vision of him-self in those old Mexican clothes revealed itself now + as ridiculously impossible. He must have been out of his mind to have + conceived anything so preposterous as rigging himself out, among these + polished people, like a cow-puncher down on his luck. + </p> + <p> + “I wonder when your brother will expect to start,” he began, uneasily. + “Perhaps I ought to go and get ready.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, here comes his man,” remarked the sister. A round-faced, + smooth-mannered youngster—whom Thorpe discovered to be wearing + cord-breeches and leather leggings as he descended the stairs—advanced + toward him and prefaced his message by the invariable salutation. “His + Lordship will be down, sir, in ten minutes—and he hopes you'll be + ready, sir,” the valet said. + </p> + <p> + “Send Pangbourn to this gentleman's room,” Miss Winnie bade him, and with + a gesture of comprehensive submission he went away. + </p> + <p> + The calm readiness with which she had provided a solution for his + difficulties impressed Thorpe greatly. It would never have occurred to him + that Pangbourn was the answer to the problem of his clothes, yet how + obvious it had been to her. These old families did something more than + fill their houses with servants; they mastered the art of making these + servants an integral part of the machinery of existence. Fancy having a + man to do all your thinking about clothes for you, and then dress you, + into the bargain. Oh, it was all splendid. + </p> + <p> + “It seems that we're going shooting,” Thorpe found himself explaining, a + few moments later in his bedroom, to the attentive Pangbourn. He decided + to throw himself with frankness upon the domestic's resourceful + good-feeling. “I haven't brought anything for shooting at all. Somehow I + got the idea we were going to do rough riding instead—and so I + fetched along some old Mexican riding-clothes that make me feel more at + home in the saddle than anything else would. You know how fond a man gets + of old, loose things like that. But about this shooting—I want you + to fix me out. What do I need? Just some breeches and leggings, eh? You + can manage them for me, can't you?” + </p> + <p> + Pangbourn could and did—and it was upon his advice that the Mexican + jacket was utilized to complete the out-fit. Its shape was beyond doubt + uncommon, but it had big pockets, and it looked like business. Thorpe, as + he glanced up and down his image in the tall mirror of the wardrobe, felt + that he must kill a large number of birds to justify the effect of + pitiless proficiency which this jacket lent to his appearance. + </p> + <p> + “We will find a cap below, sir,” Pangbourn announced, with serenity, and + Thorpe, who had been tentatively fingering the big, flaring sombrero, + thrust it back upon its peg as if it had proved too hot to handle. + </p> + <p> + Downstairs in the hall there was more waiting to be done, and there was + nobody now to bear him company. He lit another cigar, tried on various + caps till he found a leathern one to suit him, and then dawdled about the + room and the adjoining conservatory for what seemed to him more than half + an hour. This phase of the aristocratic routine, he felt, did not commend + itself so warmly to him as did some others. Everybody else, however, + seemed to regard it as so wholly a matter of course that Plowden should do + as he liked, that he forbore formulating a complaint even to himself. + </p> + <p> + At last, this nobleman's valet descended the stairs once more. “His + Lordship will be down very shortly now, sir,” he declared—“and will + you be good enough to come into the gun-room, sir, and see the keeper?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe followed him through a doorway under the staircase—the + existence of which he had not suspected—into a bare-looking + apartment fitted like a pantry with shelves. After the semi-gloom of the + hall, it was almost glaringly lighted. The windows and another door + opened, he saw, upon a court connected with the stable-yard. By this + entrance, no doubt, had come the keeper, a small, brown-faced, + brown-clothed man of mature years, with the strap of a pouch over his + shoulder, who stood looking at the contents of the shelves. He + mechanically saluted Thorpe in turn, and then resumed his occupation. + There were numerous gun cases on the lower shelf, and many boxes and bags + above. + </p> + <p> + “Did his Lordship say what gun?” the keeper demanded of the valet. He had + a bright-eyed, intent glance, and his tone conveyed a sense of some broad, + impersonal, out-of-doors disdain for liveried house-men. + </p> + <p> + The valet, standing behind Thorpe, shrugged his shoulders and eloquently + shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “Do you like an 'ammerless, sir?” the keeper turned to Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + To his intense humiliation, Thorpe could not make out the meaning of the + query. “Oh, anything'll do for me,” he said, awkwardly smiling. “It's + years since I've shot—I daresay one gun'll be quite the same as + another to me.” + </p> + <p> + He felt the knowing bright eyes of the keeper taking all his measurements + as a sportsman. “You'd do best with 'B,' sir, I fancy,” the functionary + decided at last, and his way of saying it gave Thorpe the notion that “B” + must be the weapon that was reserved for school-boys. He watched the + operation of putting the gun together, and then took it, and laid it over + his arm, and followed the valet out into the hall again, in dignified + silence. To the keeper's remark—“Mr. Balder has its mate with him + today, sir,” he gave only a restrained nod. + </p> + <p> + There were even now whole minutes to wait before Lord Plowden appeared. He + came down the stairs then with the brisk, rather impatient air of a busy + man whose plans are embarrassed by the unpunctuality of others. He was + fully attired, hob-nailed shoes, leggings, leather coat and cap, gloves, + scarf round his throat and all—and he behaved as if there was not a + minute to lose. He had barely time to shake perfunctorily the hand Thorpe + offered him, and utter an absent-minded “How are you this morning?” + </p> + <p> + To the valet, who hurried forward to open the outer door, bearing his + master's gun and a camp-stool, he said reproachfully, “We are very late + today, Barnes.” They went out, and began striding down the avenue of trees + at such a pace that the keeper and his following of small boys and dogs, + who joined them near the road, were forced into a trot to keep up with it. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had fancied, somehow, that a day's shooting would afford + exceptional opportunities for quiet and intimate talk with his host, but + he perceived very soon that this was not to be the case. They walked + together for half a mile, it is true, along a rural bye-road first and + then across some fields, but the party was close at their heels, and + Plowden walked so fast that conversation of any sort, save an occasional + remark about the birds and the covers between him and the keeper, was + impracticable. The Hon. Balder suddenly turned up in the landscape, + leaning against a gate set in a hedgerow, and their course was deflected + toward him, but even when they came up to him, the expedition seemed to + gain nothing of a social character. The few curt words that were + exchanged, as they halted here to distribute cartridges and hold brief + consultation, bore exclusively upon the subject in hand. + </p> + <p> + The keeper assumed now an authority which Thorpe, breathing heavily over + the unwonted exercise and hoping for nothing so much as that they would + henceforth take things easy, thought intolerable. He was amazed that the + two brothers should take without cavil the arbitrary orders of this + elderly peasant. He bade Lord Plowden proceed to a certain point in one + direction, and that nobleman, followed by his valet with the gun and the + stool, set meekly off without a word. Balder, with equal docility, vaulted + the gate, and moved away down the lane at the bidding of the keeper. + Neither of them had intervened to mitigate the destiny of their guest, or + displayed any interest as to what was going to become of him. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe said to himself that he did not like this—and though + afterward, when he had also climbed the gate and taken up his station + under a clump of trees at the autocrat's behest, he strove to soothe his + ruffled feelings by the argument that it was probably the absolutely + correct deportment for a shooting party, his mind remained unconvinced. + Moreover, in parting from him, the keeper had dropped a blunt injunction + about firing up or down the lane, the tone even more than the matter of + which nettled him. + </p> + <p> + To cap all, when he presently ventured to stroll about a little from the + spot on which he had been planted, he caught a glimpse against the skyline + of the distant Lord Plowden, comfortably seated on the stool which his + valet had been carrying. It seemed to Thorpe at that moment that he had + never wanted to sit down so much before in his life—and he turned on + his heel in the wet grass with a grunt of displeasure. + </p> + <p> + This mood vanished utterly a few moments later. The remote sounds had + begun to come to him, of boys shouting and dogs barking, in the recesses + of the strip of woodland which the lane skirted, and at these he hastened + back to his post. It did not seem to him a good place, and when he heard + the reports of guns to right and left of him, and nothing came his way, he + liked it less than ever; it had become a matter of offended pride with + him, however, to relieve the keeper of no atom of the responsibility he + had taken upon himself. If Lord Plowden's guest had no sport, the blame + for it should rest upon Lord Plowden's over-arrogant keeper. Then a noise + of a different character assailed his ears, punctuated as it were by + distant boyish cries of “mark!” These cries, and the buzzing sound as of + clockwork gone wrong which they accompanied and heralded, became all at + once a most urgent affair of his own. He strained his eyes upon the + horizon of the thicket—and, as if by instinct, the gun sprang up to + adjust its sight to this eager gaze, and followed automatically the + thundering course of the big bird, and then, taking thought to itself, + leaped ahead of it and fired. Thorpe's first pheasant reeled in the air, + described a somersault, and fell like a plummet. + </p> + <p> + He stirred not a step, but reloaded the barrel with a hand shaking for + joy. From where he stood he could see the dead bird; there could never + have been a cleaner “kill.” In the warming glow of his satisfaction in + himself, there kindled a new liking of a different sort for Plowden and + Balder. He owed to them, at this belated hour of his life, a novel delight + of indescribable charm. There came to him, from the woods, the shrill + bucolic voice of the keeper, admonishing a wayward dog. He was conscious + of even a certain tenderness for this keeper—and again the cry of + “mark!” rose, strenuously addressed to him. + </p> + <p> + Half an hour later the wood had been cleared, and Thorpe saw the rest of + the party assembling by the gate. He did not hurry to join them, but when + Lord Plowden appeared he sauntered slowly over, gun over arm, with as + indifferent an air as he could simulate. It pleased him tremendously that + no one had thought it worth while to approach the rendezvous by way of the + spot he had covered. His eye took instant stock of the game carried by two + of the boys; their combined prizes were eight birds and a rabbit, and his + heart leaped within him at the count. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Thorpe?” asked Plowden, pleasantly. The smell of gunpowder and the + sight of stained feathers had co-operated to brighten and cheer his mood. + “I heard you blazing away in great form. Did you get anything?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe strove hard to give his voice a careless note. “Let some of the + boys run over,” he said slowly. “There are nine birds within sight, and + there are two or three in the bushes—but they may have got away.” + </p> + <p> + “Gad!” said Balder. + </p> + <p> + “Magnificent!” was his brother's comment—and Thorpe permitted + himself the luxury of a long-drawn, beaming sigh of triumph. + </p> + <p> + The roseate colouring of this triumph seemed really to tint everything + that remained of Thorpe's visit. He set down to it without hesitation the + visible augmentation of deference to him among the servants. The + temptation was very great to believe that it had affected the ladies of + the house as well. He could not say that they were more gracious to him, + but certainly they appeared to take him more for granted. In a hundred + little ways, he seemed to perceive that he was no longer held mentally at + arm's length as a stranger to their caste. Of course, his own restored + self-confidence could account for much of this, but he clung to the + whimsical conceit that much was also due to the fact that he was the man + of the pheasants. + </p> + <p> + Sunday was bleak and stormy, and no one stirred out of the house. He was + alone again with the ladies at breakfast, and during the long day he was + much in their company. It was like no other day he had ever imagined to + himself. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow, in the morning train by which he returned alone to town, + his mind roved luxuriously among the fragrant memories of that day. He had + been so perfectly at home—and in such a home! There were some things + which came uppermost again and again—but of them all he dwelt most + fixedly upon the recollection of moving about in the greenhouses and + conservatories, with that tall, stately, fair Lady Cressage for his guide, + and watching her instead of the flowers that she pointed out. Of what she + had told him, not a syllable stuck in his mind, but the music of the voice + lingered in his ears. + </p> + <p> + “And she is old Kervick's daughter!” he said to himself more than once. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII + </h2> + <p> + IT may be that every other passenger in that morning train to London + nursed either a silent rage, or declaimed aloud to fellow-sufferers in + indignation, at the time consumed in making what, by the map, should be so + brief a journey. In Thorpe's own compartment, men spoke with savage irony + of cyclists alleged to be passing them on the road, and exchanged dark + prophecies as to the novelties in imbecility and helplessness which the + line would be preparing for the Christmas holidays. The old joke about + people who had gone travelling years before, and were believed to be still + lost somewhere in the recesses of Kent, revived itself amid gloomy + approbation. The still older discussion as to whether the South Eastern or + the Brighton was really the worst followed naturally in its wake, and + occupied its accustomed half-hour—complicated, however, upon this + occasion, by the chance presence of a loquacious stranger who said he + lived on the Chatham-and-Dover, and who rejected boisterously the idea + that any other railway could be half so bad. + </p> + <p> + The intrusion of this outsider aroused instant resentment, and the + champions of the South Eastern and the Brighton, having piled up + additional defenses in the shape of personal recollections of delay and + mismanagement quite beyond belief, made a combined attack upon the + newcomer. He was evidently incapable, their remarks implied, of knowing a + bad railway when he saw one. To suggest that the characterless and + inoffensive Chatham-and-Dover, so commonplace in its tame virtues, was to + be mentioned in the same breath with the daringly inventive and + resourceful malefactors whose rendezvous was London Bridge, showed either + a weak mind or a corrupt heart. Did this man really live on the Dover line + at all? Angry countenances plainly reflected the doubt. + </p> + <p> + But to Thorpe the journey seemed short enough—almost too short. The + conversation interested him not at all; if he had ever known the Southern + lines apart, they were all one to him now. He looked out of the window, + and could have sworn that he thought of nothing but the visit from which + he was returning. + </p> + <p> + When he alighted at Cannon Street, however, it was to discover that his + mind was full of a large, new, carefully-prepared project. It came to him, + ready-made and practically complete, as he stood on the platform, + superintending the porter's efforts to find his bags. He turned it over + and over in his thoughts, in the hansom, more to familiarize himself with + its details than to add to them. He left the cab to wait for him at the + mouth of a little alley which delves its way into Old Broad Street through + towering walls of commercial buildings, old and new. + </p> + <p> + Colin Semple was happily in his office—a congeries of small, huddled + rooms, dry and dirty with age, which had a doorway of its own in a corner + of the court—and Thorpe pushed on to his room at the end like one + who is assured of both his way and his welcome. + </p> + <p> + The broker was standing beside a desk, dictating a letter to a clerk who + sat at it, and with only a nod to Thorpe he proceeded to finish this task. + He looked more than once at his visitor as he did so, in a preoccupied, + impersonal way. To the other's notion, he seemed the personification of + business—without an ounce of distracting superfluous flesh upon his + wiry, tough little frame, without a trace of unnecessary politeness, or + humour, or sensibility of any sort. He was the machine perfected and fined + down to absolute essentials. He could understand a joke if it was useful + to him to do so. He could drink, and even smoke cigarettes, with a natural + air, if these exercises seemed properly to belong to the task he had in + hand. Thorpe did not conceive him doing anything for the mere human reason + that he liked to do it. There was more than a touch of what the rustic + calls “ginger” in his hair and closely-cropped, pointed beard, and he had + the complementary florid skin. His eyes—notably direct, confident + eyes—were of a grey which had in it more brown than blue. He wore a + black frock-coat, buttoned close, and his linen produced the effect of a + conspicuous whiteness. + </p> + <p> + He turned as the clerk left the room, and let his serious, thin lips relax + for an instant as a deferred greeting. “Well?” he asked, impassively. + </p> + <p> + “Have you got a quarter-of-an-hour?” asked Thorpe in turn. “I want a talk + with you.” + </p> + <p> + For answer, Semple left the room. Returning after a minute or two, he + remarked, “Go ahead till we're stopped,” and seated himself on the corner + of the desk with the light inconsequence of a bird on a twig. Thorpe + unbuttoned his overcoat, laid aside his hat, and seated himself. + </p> + <p> + “I've worked out the whole scheme,” he began, as if introducing the + product of many sleepless nights' cogitations. “I'm going to leave England + almost immediately—go on the Continent and loaf about—I've + never seen the Continent.” + </p> + <p> + Semple regarded him in silence. “Well?” he observed at last. + </p> + <p> + “You see the idea, don't you?” Thorpe demanded. + </p> + <p> + The broker twitched his shoulders slightly. “Go on,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “But the idea is everything,” protested the other. “We've been thinking of + beginning the campaign straight away—but the true game now is to lie + low—silent as the grave. I go away now, d'ye see? Nothing particular + is said about it, of course, but in a month or two somebody notices that + I'm not about, and he happens to mention it to somebody else—and so + there gets to be the impression that things haven't gone well with me, + d'ye see? On the same plan, I let all the clerks at my office go. The + Secretary'll come round every once in a while to get letters, of course, + and perhaps he'll keep a boy in the front office for show, but practically + the place'll be shut up. That'll help out the general impression that I've + gone to pieces. Now d'ye see?” + </p> + <p> + “It's the Special Settlement you're thinking of,” commented Semple. + </p> + <p> + “Of course. The fellows that we're going to squeeze would move heaven and + hell to prevent our getting that Settlement, if they got wind of what was + going on. The only weak point in our game is just there. Absolutely + everything hangs on the Settlement being granted. Naturally, then, our + play is to concentrate everything on getting it granted. We don't want to + raise the remotest shadow of a suspicion of what we're up to, till after + we're safe past that rock. So we go on in the way to attract the least + possible attention. You or your jobber makes the ordinary application for + a Special Settlement, with your six signatures and so on; and I go abroad + quietly, and the office is as good as shut up, and nobody makes a peep + about Rubber Consols—and the thing works itself. You do see it, + don't you?” + </p> + <p> + “I see well enough the things that are to be seen,” replied Semple, with a + certain brevity of manner. “There was a sermon of my father's that I + remember, and it had for its text, 'We look not at the things which are + seen, but at the things which are not seen.'” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, pondering this for a moment, nodded his head. “Semple,” he said, + bringing his chair forward to the desk, “that's what I've come for. I want + to spread my cards on the table for you. I know the sum you've laid out + already, in working this thing. We'll say that that is to be paid back to + you, as a separate transaction, and we'll put that to one side. Now then, + leaving that out of consideration, what do you think you ought to have out + of the winnings, when we pull the thing off? Mind, I'm not thinking of + your 2,000 vendor's shares——” + </p> + <p> + “No—I'm not thinking much of them, either,” interposed Semple, with + a kind of dry significance. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, they'll be all right,” Thorpe affirmed. He laughed unconsciously as + he did so. “No, what I want to get at is your idea of what should come to + you, as a bonus, when I scoop the board.” + </p> + <p> + “Twenty thousand pounds,” said Semple, readily. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's slow glance brightened a trifle. “I had thought thirty would be a + fairer figure,” he remarked, with an effort at simplicity. + </p> + <p> + The broker put out his under-lip. “You will find people rather disposed to + distrust a man who promises more than he's asked,” he remarked coldly. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I know what you mean,” Thorpe hurried to say, flushing + awkwardly, even though the remark was so undeserved; “but it's in my + nature. I'm full of the notion of doing things for people that have done + things for me. That's the way I'm built. Why”—he halted to consider + the advisability of disclosing what he had promised to do for Lord + Plowden, and decided against it—“why, without you, what would the + whole thing have been worth to me? Take one thing alone—the money + for the applications—I could have no more got at it than I could at + the Crown Jewels in the Tower. I've wondered since, more than once—if + you don't mind the question—how did you happen to have so much ready + money lying about.” + </p> + <p> + “There are some Glasgow and Aberdeen folk who trust me to invest for + them,” the broker explained. “If they get five per cent. for the four + months, they'll be very pleased. And so I shall be very pleased to take + thirty thousand instead of twenty—if it presents itself to your mind + in that way. You will give me a letter to that effect, of course.” + </p> + <p> + “Of course,” assented Thorpe. “Write it now, if you like.” He pushed his + chair forward, closer to the desk, and dipped a pen in the ink. “What I + want to do is this,” he said, looking up. “I'll make the promise for + thirty-two thousand, and I'll get you to let me have two thousand in cash + now—a personal advance. I shall need it, if I'm to hang about on the + Continent for four months. I judge you think it'll be four months before + things materialize, eh?” + </p> + <p> + “The Special Settlement, in the natural order of events, would come + shortly after the Christmas holidays. That is nearly three months. Then + the work of taking fort-nightly profits will begin—and it is for you + to say how long you allow that to go on.” + </p> + <p> + “But about the two thousand pounds now,” Thorpe reminded him. + </p> + <p> + “I think I will do that in this way,” said Semple, kicking his small legs + nonchalantly. “I will buy two thousand fully-paid shares of you, for cash + down, NOT vendor's shares, you observe—and then I will take your + acknowledgment that you hold them for me in trust up to a given date. In + that way, I would not at all weaken your market, and I would have a stake + in the game.” “Your stake's pretty big, already,” commented Thorpe, + tentatively. + </p> + <p> + “It's just a fancy of mine,” said the other, with his first smile. “I like + to hold shares that are making sensational advances. It is very exciting.” + </p> + <p> + “All right,” said Thorpe, in accents of resignation. He wrote out two + letters, accepting the wording which Semple suggested from his perch on + the desk, and then the latter, hopping down, took the chair in turn and + wrote a cheque. + </p> + <p> + “Do you want it open?” he asked over his shoulder. “Are you going to get + it cashed at once?” + </p> + <p> + “No—cross it,” said the other. “I want it to go through my bankers. + It'll warm their hearts toward me. I shan't be going till the end of the + week, in any event. I suppose you know the Continent by heart.” + </p> + <p> + “On the contrary, very little indeed. I've had business in Frankfort once, + and in Rotterdam once, and in Paris twice. That is all.” + </p> + <p> + “But don't you ever do anything for pleasure?” Thorpe asked him, as he + folded the cheque in his pocket-book. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes—many things,” responded the broker, lightly. “It's a + pleasure, for example, to buy Rubber Consols at par.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, if you call it buying,” said Thorpe, and then softened his words with + an apologetic laugh. “I didn't tell you, did I? I've been spending + Saturday and Sunday with Plowden—you know, the Lord Plowden on my + Board.” + </p> + <p> + “I know of him very well,” observed the Scotchman. + </p> + <p> + “Has he a place that he asks people down to, then? That isn't the usual + form with guinea-pigs.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but, he isn't the guinea-pig variety at all,” Thorpe asserted, + warmly. “He's really a splendid fellow—with his little oddities, + like the rest of us, of course, but a decent chap all through. Place? I + should think he HAD got a place! It's one of the swellest old + country-houses you ever saw—older than hell, you know—and it's + kept up as if they had fifty thousand a year. Do you happen to know what + his real income is supposed to be?” + </p> + <p> + Semple shook his head. He had taken his hat, and was smoothing it deftly + with the palm of his hand. + </p> + <p> + “I asked,” Thorpe went on, “because he had so much to say about his + poverty. To hear him talk, you'd think the bailiffs were sitting on his + doorstep. That doesn't prevent his having fast horses, and servants all + over the place, and about the best shooting I've seen in the South of + England. As luck would have it, I was in wonderful form. God! how I + knocked the pheasants!” A clerk showed his head at the door, with a + meaning gesture. “I must go now,” said Semple, briskly, and led the way + out to another room. He halted here, and dismissed his caller with the + brief injunction, “Don't go away without seeing me.” + </p> + <p> + It was the noon-hour, and the least-considered grades of the City's slaves + were in the streets on the quest for cheap luncheons. Thorpe noted the + manner in which some of them studied the large bill of fare placarded + beside a restaurant door; the spectacle prompted him luxuriously to rattle + the gold coins remaining in his pocket. He had been as anxious about pence + as the hungriest of those poor devils, only a week before. And now! He + thrust up the door in the roof of the cab, and bade the driver stop at his + bank. Thence, after some brief but very agreeable business, and a hurried + inspection of the “Court” section of a London Directory, he drove to a + telegraph station and despatched two messages. They were identical in + terms. One sought General Kervick at his residence—he was in + lodgings somewhere in the Hanover Square country—and the other + looked for him at his club. Both begged him to lunch at the Savoy at two + o'clock. + </p> + <p> + There was time and to spare, now. Thorpe dismissed the cab at his hotel—an + unpretentious house in Craven Street, and sent his luggage to his rooms. + There were no letters for him on the board in the hallway, and he + sauntered up to the Strand. As by force of habit, he turned presently into + a side-street, and stopped opposite the ancient book-shop of his family. + </p> + <p> + In the bright yet mellow light of the sunny autumn noontide, the blacks + and roans and smoked drabs of the low old brick front looked more dingy to + his eye than ever. It spoke of antiquity, no doubt, but it was a dismal + and graceless antiquity of narrow purposes and niggling thrift. It was so + little like the antiquity, for example, of Hadlow House, that the two + might have computed their age by the chronological systems of different + planets. Although his sister's married name was Dabney, and she had been + sole proprietor for nearly a dozen years, the sign over the doorway bore + still its century-old legend, “Thorpe, Bookseller.” + </p> + <p> + He crossed the street, and paused for a moment to run an eye over the + books and placards exposed on either side of the entrance. A small boy + guarded these wares, and Thorpe considered him briefly, with curious + recollections of how much of his own boyhood had been spent on that very + spot. The lad under observation had a loutish and sullen face; its + expression could not have been more devoid of intellectual suggestions if + he had been posted in a Wiltshire field to frighten crows with a rattle, + instead of being set here in the highway of the world's brain-movement, an + agent of students and philosophers. Thorpe wondered if in his time he + could have looked such a vacant and sour young fool. No—no. That + could not be. Boys were different in his day—and especially boys in + book-shops. They read something and knew something of what they handled. + They had some sort of aspirations, fitful and vague as these might be, to + become in their time bookmen also. And in those days there still were + bookmen—widely-informed, observant, devoted old bookmen—who + loved their trade, and adorned it. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe reflected that, as he grew older, he was the better able to + apprehend the admirable qualities of that departed race of literature's + servants. Indeed, it seemed that he had never adequately realized before + how proud a man might well be of descending from a line of such men. The + thought struck him that very likely at this identical doorway, two + generations back, a poor, out-at-the-elbows, young law-student named + Plowden had stood and turned over pages of books he could not dream of + buying. Perhaps, even, he had ventured inside, and deferentially picked + acquaintance with the Thorpe of the period, and got bookish advice and + friendly counsel for nothing. It was of no real significance that the + law-student grew to be Lord Chancellor, and the bookseller remained a + book-seller; in the realm of actual values, the Thorpes were as good as + the Plowdens. + </p> + <p> + A customer came out of the shop, and Thorpe went in, squeezing his way + along the narrow passage between the tall rows of books, to the small open + space at the end. His sister stood here, momentarily occupied at a high + desk. She did not look up. + </p> + <p> + “Well—I visited his Lordship all right.” He announced his presence + thus genially. + </p> + <p> + “I hope you're the better for it,” she remarked, turning to him, after a + pause, her emotionless, plain face. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, immensely,” he affirmed, with robust jocularity. “You should have + seen the way they took to me. It was 'Mr. Thorpe' here and 'Mr. Thorpe' + there, all over the place. Ladies of title, mind you—all to myself + at breakfast two days running. And such ladies—finer than silk. Oh, + it's clear as daylight—I was intended for a fashionable career.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled in a faint, passive way. “Well—they say 'better late than + never,' you know.” “And after all, IS it so very late?” he said, adopting + her phrase as an expression of his thought. “I'm just turned forty, and I + feel like a boy. I was looking at that 'Peerage' there, the other day—and + do you know, I'm sixteen years younger than the first Lord Plowden was + when they made him a peer? Why he didn't even get into the House of + Commons until he was seven-and-forty.” + </p> + <p> + “You seem to have the Plowden family on the brain,” she commented. + </p> + <p> + “I might have worse things. You've no idea, Lou, how nice it all is. The + mother, Lady Plowden—why she made me feel as if I was at the very + least a nephew of hers. And so simple and natural! She smiled at me, and + listened to me, and said friendly things to me—why, just as anybody + might have done. You'll just love her, when you know her.” + </p> + <p> + Louisa laughed in his face. “Don't be a fool, Joel,” she adjured him, with + a flash of scornful mirth. He mingled a certain frowning impatience with + the buoyancy of his smile. “Why, of course, you'll know her,” he + protested. “What nonsense you're thinking of! Do you suppose I'm going to + allow you to mess about here with second-hand almanacs, and a sign in your + window of 'threepence in the shilling discount for cash,' while I'm a + millionaire? It's too foolish, Lou. You annoy me by supposing such a + thing!” + </p> + <p> + “There's no good talking about it at all,” she observed, after a little + pause. “It hasn't come off yet, for one thing. And as I said the other + night, if you want to do things for the children, that's another matter. + They're of an age when they can learn whatever anybody chooses to teach + them.” + </p> + <p> + “Where are they now?” he asked. Upon the instant another plan began to + unfold itself in the background of his mind. + </p> + <p> + “They're both at Cheltenham, though they're at different places, of + course. I was recommended to send Julia there—one of our old + customers is a Governor, or whatever it's called—and he got special + terms for her. She was rather old, you know, to go to school, but he + arranged it very nicely for her—and there is such a good boys' + college there, it seemed the wisest thing to send Alfred too. Julia is to + finish at Christmas-time—and what I'm going to do with her afterward + is more than I know.” + </p> + <p> + “Is she pretty?” the uncle of Julia enquired. + </p> + <p> + “She's very nice,” the mother answered, with vague extenuation in her + tone. “I don't know about her looks—she varies so much. Sometimes I + think she's pretty—and then again I can't think it. She's got good + features, and she holds herself well, and she's very much the lady—rather + too much, I think, sometimes—but it all depends upon what you call + pretty. She's not tall, you know. She takes after her father's family. The + Dabneys are all little people.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe seemed not to care about the Dabneys. “And what's Alfred like?” he + asked. + </p> + <p> + “He wants to be an artist!” There was a perceptible note of apprehension + in the mother's confession. + </p> + <p> + “Well—why shouldn't he—if he's got a bent that way?” demanded + Thorpe, with reproof in his tone. “Did you want him to be a shop-keeper?” + </p> + <p> + “I should like to see him a doctor,” she replied with dignity. “It was + always my idea for him.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, it's no good—even as an idea,” he told her. “Doctors are like + parsons—they can't keep up with the times. The age is outgrowing + them. Only the fakirs in either profession get anything out of it, + nowadays. It's all mystery and sleight-of-hand and the confidence trick—medicine + is—and if you haven't got just the right twist of the wrist, you're + not in it. But an artist stands on his merits. There is his work—done + by his own hands. It speaks for itself. There's no deception—it's + easy enough to tell whether it's good or bad. If the pictures are good, + people buy them. If they're bad, people don't buy them. Of course, it + won't matter to Alfred, financially speaking, whether his pictures sell + well or not. But probably he'd give it up, if he didn't make a hit of it. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know that there's any crying need that he should do anything. My + own idea for him, perhaps, would be the Army, but I wouldn't dream of + forcing it on him against his will. I had a bitter enough dose of that, + myself, with father. I'd try to guide a youngster, yes, and perhaps argue + with him, if I thought he was making a jack of himself—but I + wouldn't dictate. If Alfred thinks he wants to be an artist, in God's name + let him go ahead. It can be made a gentlemanly trade—and the main + thing is that he should be a gentleman.” + </p> + <p> + Louisa had listened to this discourse with apathetic patience. “If you + don't mind, I don't know that I do,” she said when it was finished. + “Perhaps he wouldn't have made a good doctor; he's got a very quick + temper. He reminds me of father—oh, ever so much more than you do. + He contradicts everything everybody says. He quite knows it all.” + </p> + <p> + “But he's a good fellow, isn't he?” urged Thorpe. “I mean, he's got his + likable points? I'm going to be able to get along with him?” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't get along with him very well,” the mother admitted, reluctantly, + “but I daresay with a man it would be different. You see, his father was + ill all those four years, and Alfred hated the shop as bad as you did, and + perhaps in my worry I blamed him more than was fair. I want to be fair to + him, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “But is he a gentleman? That puts it in a word,” Thorpe insisted. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, mercy yes,” Louisa made ready answer. “My only fear is—whether + you won't find him too much of a gentleman.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe knitted his brows. “I only hope we're talking about the same + thing,” he said, in a doubtful tone. Before she could speak, he lifted his + hand. “Never mind—I can see for myself in ten minutes more than you + could tell me in a lifetime. I've got a plan. I'm going on the Continent + in a few days' time, to stay for three or four months. I've got nothing + special to do—just to travel about and see things and kill time—I + shall probably go to Italy and Switzerland and Paris and the Rhine and all + sorts of places—and it occurred to me that I'd take the two + youngsters with me. I could get acquainted with them, that way, and they'd + be company for me. I've been lonesome so long, it would feel good to have + some of my own flesh and blood about me—and I suppose they'd be + tickled to death to go.” + </p> + <p> + “Their schooling and board are paid for up to Christmas,” Mrs. Dabney + objected, blankly. + </p> + <p> + “Bah!” Thorpe prolonged the emphatic exclamation into something + good-natured, and ended it with an abrupt laugh. “What on earth difference + does that make? I could go and buy their damned colleges, and let the kids + wear them for breastpins if I wanted to. You said the girl was going to + quit at Christmas in any case. Won't she learn more in four months + travelling about on the Continent, than she would trotting around in her + own tracks there at Cheltenham? + </p> + <p> + “And it's even more important for the boy. He's of an age when he ought to + see something of the world, and I ought to see something of him. Whatever + he's going to do, it's time that he began getting his special start for + it.” He added, upon a luminous afterthought: “Perhaps his seeing the old + Italian picture galleries and so on will cure him of wanting to be an + artist.” + </p> + <p> + The mother's air displayed resigned acquiescence rather than conviction. + “Well—if you really think it's best,” she began, “I don't know that + I ought to object. Goodness knows, I don't want to stand in their way. + Ever since you sent that four hundred pounds, it hasn't seemed as if they + were my children at all. They've scarcely listened to me. And now you + come, and propose to take them out of my hands altogether—and all I + can say is—I hope you feel entirely justified. And so, shall I write + them to come home? When do you think of starting? Julia ought to have some + travelling clothes.” + </p> + <p> + “I can wait till you get her ready—only you must hurry up about it.” + </p> + <p> + Remembering something, he took out his cheque-book, and spread it on the + desk. “I will give you back that thirty,” he said, as he wrote, “and + here's a hundred to get the youngsters ready. You won't waste any time, + will you? and if you want more tell me.” + </p> + <p> + A customer had entered the shop, and Thorpe made it the occasion for + leaving. + </p> + <p> + His sister, looking after her brother with the cheque in her hand, was + conscious of a thought which seemed to spell itself out in visible letters + before her mental vision. “Even now I don't believe in him,” the + impalpable legend ran. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX + </h2> + <p> + GENERAL KERVICK was by habit a punctual man, and Thorpe found him + hovering, carefully gloved and fur-coated, in the neighbourhood of the + luncheon-room when he arrived. It indeed still lacked a few minutes of the + appointed hour when they thus met and went in together. They were + fortunate enough to find a small table out on the balcony, sufficiently + removed from any other to give privacy to their conversation. + </p> + <p> + By tacit agreement, the General ordered the luncheon, speaking French to + the waiter throughout. Divested of his imposing great-coat, he was seen to + be a gentleman of meagre flesh as well as of small stature. He had the + Roman nose, narrow forehead, bushing brows, and sharply-cut mouth and chin + of a soldier grown old in the contemplation of portraits of the Duke of + Wellington. His face and neck were of a dull reddish tint, which seemed at + first sight uniformly distributed: one saw afterward that it approached + pallor at the veined temples, and ripened into purple in minute patches on + the cheeks and the tip of the pointed nose. Against this flushed skin, the + closely-cropped hair and small, neatly-waxed moustache were very white + indeed. It was a thin, lined, care-worn face, withal, which in repose, and + particularly in profile, produced an effect of dignified and philosophical + melancholy. The General's over-prominent light blue eyes upon occasion + marred this effect, however, by glances of a bold, harsh character, which + seemed to disclose unpleasant depths below the correct surface. His manner + with the waiters was abrupt and sharp, but undoubtedly they served him + very well—much better, in truth, than Thorpe had ever seen them + serve anybody before. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe observed his guest a good deal during the repast, and formed + numerous conclusions about him. He ate with palpable relish of every dish, + and he emptied his glass as promptly as his host could fill it. There was + hardly a word of explanation as to the purpose of their meeting, until the + coffee was brought, and they pushed back their chairs, crossed their legs, + and lighted cigars. + </p> + <p> + “I was lucky to catch you with my wire, at such short notice,” Thorpe said + then. “I sent two, you know—to your chambers and your club. Which of + them found you?” + </p> + <p> + “Chambers,” said the General. “I rarely dress till luncheon time. I read + in bed. There's really nothing else to do. Idleness is the curse of my + life.” + </p> + <p> + “I've been wondering if you'd like a little occupation—of a + well-paid sort,” said Thorpe slowly. He realized that it was high time to + invent some pretext for his hurried summons of the General. + </p> + <p> + “My dear sir,” responded the other, “I should like anything that had money + in it. And I should very much like occupation, too—if it were, of + course, something that was—was suitable to me.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Thorpe, meditatively. “I've something in my mind—not at + all definite yet—in fact, I don't think I can even outline it to you + yet. But I'm sure it will suit you—that is, if I decide to go on + with it—and there ought to be seven or eight hundred a year for you + in it—for life, mind you.” + </p> + <p> + The General's gaze, fastened strenuously upon Thorpe, shook a little. + “That will suit me very well,” he declared, with feeling. “Whatever I can + do for it”—he let the sentence end itself with a significant + gesture. + </p> + <p> + “I thought so,” commented the other, trifling with the spoon in his cup. + “But I want you to be open with me. I'm interested in you, and I want to + be of use to you. All that I've said, I can do for you. But first, I'm + curious to know everything that you can tell me about your circumstances. + I'm right in assuming, I suppose, that you're—that you're not any + too well-fixed.” + </p> + <p> + The General helped himself to another little glass of brandy. His mood + seemed to absorb the spirit of the liqueur. “Fixed!” he repeated with a + peevish snap in his tone. “I'm not 'fixed' at all, as you call it. Good + God, sir! They no more care what becomes of me than they do about their + old gloves. I gave them name and breeding and position—and + everything—and they round on me like—like cuckoos.” His pale, + bulging eyes lifted their passionless veil for an instant as he spoke, and + flashed with the predatory fierceness of a hawk. + </p> + <p> + Intuition helped Thorpe to guess whom “they” might mean. The temper + visibly rising in the old man's mind was what he had hoped for. He + proceeded with an informed caution. “Don't be annoyed if I touch upon + family matters,” he said. “It's a part of what I must know, in order to + help you. I believe you're a widower, aren't you, General?” + </p> + <p> + The other, after a quick upward glance, shook his head resentfully. “Mrs. + Kervick lives in Italy with HER son-in-law—and her daughter. He is a + man of property—and also, apparently, a man of remarkable credulity + and patience.” He paused, to scan his companion's face. “They divide him + between them,” he said then, from clenched teeth—“and I—mind + you—I made the match! He was a young fellow that I found—and I + brought him home and introduced him—and I haven't so much as an + Italian postage-stamp to show for it. But what interest can you possibly + take in all this?” The unamiable glance of his eyes was on the instant + surcharged with suspicion. + </p> + <p> + “How many daughters have you?” Thorpe ventured the enquiry with inward + doubts as to its sagacity. + </p> + <p> + “Three,” answered the General, briefly. It was evident that he was also + busy thinking. + </p> + <p> + “I ask because I met one of them in the country over Sunday,” Thorpe + decided to explain. + </p> + <p> + The old soldier's eyes asked many questions in the moment of silence. + “Which one—Edith?—that is, Lady Cressage?” he enquired. “Of + course—it would have been her.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded. “She made a tremendous impression upon me,” he observed, + watching the father with intentness as he let the slow words fall. + </p> + <p> + “Well she might,” the other replied, simply. “She's supposed to be the + most beautiful woman in England.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—I guess she is,” Thorpe assented, while the two men eyed each + other. + </p> + <p> + “Is the third sister unmarried?” it occurred to him to ask. The tone of + the question revealed its perfunctory character. + </p> + <p> + “Oh—Beatrice—she's of no importance,” the father replied. “She + goes in for writing, and all that—she's not a beauty, you know—she + lives with an old lady in Scotland. The oldest daughter—Blanche—she + has some good looks of her own, but she's a cat. And so you met Edith! May + I ask where it was?” + </p> + <p> + “At Hadlow House—Lord Plowden's place, you know.” + </p> + <p> + The General's surprise at the announcement was undoubted. “At Plowden's!” + he repeated, and added, as if half to himself, “I thought that was all + over with, long ago.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish you'd tell me about it,” said Thorpe, daringly. “I've made it + plain to you, haven't I? I'm going to look out for you. And I want you to + post me up, here, on some of the things that I don't understand. You + remember that it was Plowden who introduced you to me, don't you? It was + through him that you got on the Board. Well, certain things that I've seen + lead me to suppose that he did that in order to please your daughter. Did + you understand it that way?” + </p> + <p> + “It's quite likely, in one sense,” returned the General. He spoke with + much deliberation now, weighing all his words. “He may have thought it + would please her; he may not have known how little my poor affairs + concerned her.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, then,” pursued Thorpe, argumentatively, “he had an object in + pleasing her. Let me ask the question—did he want to marry her?” + </p> + <p> + “Most men want to marry her,” was the father's non-committal response. His + moustache lifted itself in the semblance of a smile, but the blue eyes + above remained coldly vigilant. + </p> + <p> + “Well—I guess that's so too,” Thorpe remarked. He made a fleeting + mental note that there was something about the General which impelled him + to think and talk more like an American than ever. “But was HE specially + affected that way?” + </p> + <p> + “I think,” said Kervick, judicially, “I think it was understood that if he + had been free to marry a penniless wife, he would have wished to marry + her.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you know,” Thorpe began again, with a kind of diffident hesitation—“do + you happen to have formed an idea—supposing that had been the case—would + she have accepted him?” “Ah, there you have me,” replied the other. “Who + can tell what women will accept, and what they will refuse? My daughter + refused Lord Lingfield—and he is an Under-Secretary, and will be + Earl Chobham, and a Cabinet Minister, and a rich man. After that, what are + you to say?” + </p> + <p> + “You speak of her as penniless,” Thorpe remarked, with a casual air. + </p> + <p> + “Six hundred a year,” the father answered. “We could have rubbed along + after a fashion on it, if she had had any notions at all of taking my + advice. I'm a man of the world, and I could have managed her affairs for + her to her advantage, but she insisted upon going off by herself. She + showed not the slightest consideration for me—but then I am + accustomed to that.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe smiled reflectively, and the old gentleman read in this an + encouragement to expand his grievances. + </p> + <p> + “In my position,” he continued, helping himself to still another tiny + glass, “I naturally say very little. It is not my form to make complaints + and advertise my misfortunes. I daresay it's a fault. I know it kept me + back in India—while ever so many whipper-snappers were promoted over + my head—because I was of the proud and silent sort. It was a + mistake, but it was my nature. I might have put by a comfortable provision + for my old age, in those days, if I had been willing to push my claims, + and worry the Staff into giving me what was my due. But that I declined to + do—and when I was retired, there was nothing for me but the ration + of bread and salt which they serve out to the old soldier who has been too + modest. I served my Queen, sir, for forty years—and I should be + ashamed to tell you the allowance she makes me in my old age. But I do not + complain. My mouth is closed. I am an English gentleman and one of Her + Majesty's soldiers. That's enough said, eh? Do you follow me? And about my + family affairs, I'm not likely to talk to the first comer, eh? But to you + I say it frankly—they've behaved badly, damned badly, sir. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Kervick lives in Italy, at the cost of HER son-in-law. He has large + estates in one of the healthiest and most beautiful parts; he has a + palace, and more money than he knows what to do with—but it seems + that he's not my son-in-law. I could do with Italy very well—but + that doesn't enter into anyone's calculations. No! let the worn-out old + soldier sell boot-laces on the kerb! That's the spirit of woman-kind. And + my daughter Edith—does she care what becomes of me? Listen to me—I + secured for her the very greatest marriage in England. She would have been + Duchess of Glastonbury today if her husband had not played the fool and + drowned himself.” + </p> + <p> + “What's that you say?” put in Thorpe, swiftly. + </p> + <p> + “It was as good as suicide,” insisted the General, with doggedness. His + face had become a deeper red. “They didn't hit it off together, and he + left in a huff, and went yachting with his father, who was his own + sailing-master—and, as might be expected, they were both drowned. + The title would have gone to her son—but no, of course, she had no + son—and so it passed to a stranger—an outsider that had been + an usher in a school, or something of that sort. You can fancy what a blow + this was to me. Instead of being the grandfather of a Duke, I have a + childless widow thrust back upon my hands! Fine luck, eh? And then, to cap + all, she takes her six hundred a year and goes off by herself, and gives + me the cold shoulder completely. What is it Shakespeare says? 'How sharper + than a serpent's teeth'——” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe brought his fist down upon the table with an emphasis which + abruptly broke the quotation in half. He had been frowning moodily at his + guest for some minutes, relighting his cigar more than once meanwhile. He + had made a mental calculation of what the old man had had to drink, and + had reassured himself as to his condition. His garrulity might have an + alcoholic basis, but his wits were clear enough. It was time to take a new + line with him. + </p> + <p> + “I don't want to hear you abuse your daughter,” he admonished him now, + with a purpose glowing steadily in his firm glance. “Damn it all, why + shouldn't she go off by herself, and take care of her own money her own + way? It's little enough, God knows, for such a lady as she is. Why should + you expect her to support you out of it? No—sit still! Listen to + me!”—he stretched out his hand, and laid it with restraining + heaviness upon the General's arm—“you don't want to have any row + with me. You can't afford it. Just think that over to yourself—you—can't + afford—it.” + </p> + <p> + Major-General Kervick's prominent blue eyes had bulged forth in rage till + their appearance had disconcerted the other's gaze. They remained still + too much in the foreground, as it were, and the angry scarlets and violets + of the cheeks beneath them carried an unabated threat of apoplexy—but + their owner, after a moment's silence, made a sign with his stiff white + brows that the crisis was over. “You must remember that—that I have + a father's feelings,” he gasped then, huskily. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded, with a nonchalance which was not wholly affected. He had + learned what he wanted to know about this veteran. If he had the fierce + meannesses of a famished old dog, he had also a dog's awe of a stick. It + was almost too easy to terrorize him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I make allowances for all that,” Thorpe began, vaguely. “But it's + important that you should understand me. I'm this sort of a man: whatever + I set out to do, and put my strength into it, that I do! I kill every + pheasant I fire at; Plowden will tell you that! It's a way I have. To + those that help me, and are loyal to me, I'm the best friend in the world. + To those that get in my way, or try to trip me up, I'm the devil—just + plain devil. Now then—you're getting three hundred a year from my + Company, that is to say from me, simply to oblige my friend Plowden. You + don't do anything to earn this money; you're of no earthly use on the + Board. If I chose, I could put you off at the end of the year as easily as + I can blow out this match. But I propose not only to keep you on, but to + make you independent. Why do I do that? You should ask yourself that + question. It can't be on account of anything you can do for the Company. + What else then? Why, first and foremost, because you are the father of + your daughter.” + </p> + <p> + “Let me tell you the kind of man I am,” said the General, inflating his + chest, and speaking with solemnity. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I know the kind of man you are,” Thorpe interrupted him, coolly. “I + want to talk now.” + </p> + <p> + “It was merely,” Kervick ventured, in an injured tone, “that I can be as + loyal as any man alive to a true friend.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I'll be the true friend, then,” said Thorpe, with impatient + finality. “And now this is what I want to say. I'm going to be a very rich + man. You're not to say so to anybody, mind you, until the thing speaks for + itself. We're keeping dark for a few months, d'ye see?—lying low. + Then, as I say, I shall be a very rich man. Well now, I wouldn't give a + damn to be rich, unless I did with my money the things that I wanted to + do, and got the things with it that I wanted to get. Whatever takes my + fancy, that's what I'll do.” + </p> + <p> + He paused for a moment, mentally to scrutinize a brand-new project which + seemed, by some surreptitious agency, to have already taken his fancy. It + was a curious project; there were attractive things about it, and + objections to it suggested themselves as well. + </p> + <p> + “I may decide,” he began speaking again, still revolving this hypothetical + scheme in his thoughts—“I may want to—well, here's what occurs + to me as an off-chance. I take an interest in your daughter, d'ye see? and + it seems a low-down sort of thing to me that she should be so poor. Well, + then—I might say to you, here's two thousand a year, say, made over + to you in your name, on the understanding that you turn over half of it, + say, to her. She could take it from you, of course, as her father. You + could say you made it out of the Company. Of course it might happen, later + on, that I might like to have a gentle hint dropped to her, d'ye see, as + to where it really came from. Mind, I don't say this is what is going to + be done. It merely occurred to me.” + </p> + <p> + After waiting for a moment for some comment, he added a second thought: + “You'd have to set about making friends with her, you know. In any case, + you'd better begin at that at once.” + </p> + <p> + The General remained buried in reflection. He lighted a cigarette, and + poured out for himself still another petit verre. His pursed lips and + knitted brows were eloquent of intense mental activity. + </p> + <p> + “Well, do you see any objections to it?” demanded Thorpe, at last. + </p> + <p> + “I do not quite see the reasons for it,” answered the other, slowly. “What + would you gain by it?” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean—gain?” put in the other, with peremptory + intolerance of tone. + </p> + <p> + General Kervick spread his hands in a quick little gesture. These hands + were withered, but remarkably well-kept. “I suppose one doesn't do + something for nothing,” he said. “I see what I would gain, and what she + would gain, but I confess I don't see what advantage you would get out of + it.” + </p> + <p> + “No-o, I daresay you don't,” assented Thorpe, with sneering serenity. “But + what does that matter? You admit that you see what you would gain. That's + enough, isn't it?” + </p> + <p> + The older man's veined temples twitched for an instant. He straightened + himself in his chair, and looked hard at his companion. There was a + glistening of moisture about his staring eyes. + </p> + <p> + “It surely isn't necessary—among gentlemen”—he began, + cautiously picking his phrases—“to have quite so much that's + unpleasant, is it?” + </p> + <p> + “No—you're right—I didn't mean to be so rough,” Thorpe + declared, with spontaneous contrition. Upon the instant, however, he + perceived the danger that advantage might be taken of his softness. “I'm a + plain-spoken man,” he went on, with a hardening voice, “and people must + take me as they find me. All I said was, in substance, that I intended to + be of service to you—and that that ought to interest you.” + </p> + <p> + The General seemed to have digested his pique. “And what I was trying to + say,” he commented deferentially, “was that I thought I saw ways of being + of service to you. But that did not seem to interest you at all.” + </p> + <p> + “How—service?” Thorpe, upon consideration, consented to ask. + </p> + <p> + “I know my daughter so much better than you do,” explained the other; “I + know Plowden so much better; I am so much more familiar with the whole + situation than you can possibly be—I wonder that you won't listen to + my opinion. I don't suggest that you should be guided by it, but I think + you should hear it.” + </p> + <p> + “I think so, too,” Thorpe declared, readily enough. “What IS your + opinion?” + </p> + <p> + General Kervick sipped daintily at his glass, and then gave an embarrassed + little laugh. “But I can't form what you might call an opinion,” he + protested, apologetically, “till I understand a bit more clearly what it + is you propose to yourself. You mustn't be annoyed if I return to that—'still + harping on my daughter,' you know. If I MUST ask the question—is it + your wish to marry her?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked blankly at his companion, as if he were thinking of + something else. When he spoke, it was with no trace of consciousness that + the question had been unduly intimate. + </p> + <p> + “I can't in the least be sure that I shall ever marry,” he replied, + thoughtfully. “I may, and I may not. But—starting with that proviso—I + suppose I haven't seen any other woman that I'd rather think about + marrying than—than the lady we're speaking of. However, you see it's + all in the air, so far as my plans go.” + </p> + <p> + “In the air be it,” the soldier acquiesced, plausibly. “Let us consider it + as if it were in the air—a possible contingency. This is what I + would say—My—'the lady we are speaking of' is by way of being + a difficult lady—'uncertain, coy, and hard to please' as Scott says, + you know—and it must be a very skilfully-dressed fly indeed which + brings her to the surface. She's been hooked once, mind, and she has a + horror of it. Her husband was the most frightful brute and ruffian, you + know. I was strongly opposed to the marriage, but her mother carried it + through. But—yes—about her—I think she is afraid to + marry again. If she does ever consent, it will be because poverty has + broken her nerve. If she is kept on six hundred a year, she may be + starved, so to speak, into taking a husband. If she had sixteen hundred—either + she would never marry at all, or she would be free to marry some handsome + young pauper who caught her fancy. That would be particularly like her. + You would be simply endowing some needy fellow, beside losing her for + yourself. D'ye follow me? If you'll leave it to me, I can find a much + better way than that—better for all of us.” + </p> + <p> + “Hm!” said Thorpe, and pondered the paternal statement. “I see what you + mean,” he remarked at last. “Yes—I see.” + </p> + <p> + The General preserved silence for what seemed a long time, deferring to + the reverie of his host. When finally he offered a diversion, in the form + of a remark about the hour, Thorpe shook himself, and then ponderously + rose to his feet. He took his hat and coat from the waiter, and made his + way out without a word. + </p> + <p> + At the street door, confronting the waning foliage of the Embankment + garden, Kervick was emboldened to recall to him the fact of his presence. + “Which way are you going?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” Thorpe answered absently. “I think—I think I'll take + a walk on the Embankment—by myself.” + </p> + <p> + The General could not repress all symptoms of uneasiness. “But when am I + to see you again?” he enquired, with an effect of solicitude that defied + control. + </p> + <p> + “See me?” Thorpe spoke as if the suggestion took him by surprise. + </p> + <p> + “There are things to be settled, are there not?” the other faltered, in + distressed doubt as to the judicious tone to take. “You spoke, you know, + of—of some employment that—that would suit me.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook himself again, and seemed by an effort to recall his + wandering attention. “Oh yes,” he said, with lethargic vagueness—“I + haven't thought it out yet. I'll let you know—within the week, + probably.” + </p> + <p> + With the briefest of nods, he turned and crossed the road. Walking + heavily, with rounded shoulders and hands plunged deep in his overcoat + pockets, he went through the gateway, and chose a path at random. To the + idlers on the garden benches who took note of him as he passed, he gave + the impression of one struggling with nausea. To his own blurred + consciousness, he could not say which stirred most vehemently within him, + his loathing for the creature he had fed and bought, or his bitter + self-disgust. + </p> + <p> + The General, standing with exaggerated exactness upon the doorstep, had + followed with his bulging eyes the receding figure. He stood still + regarding the gateway, mentally summarizing the events of the day, after + the other had vanished. At last, nestling his chin comfortably into the + fur of his collar, he smiled with self-satisfaction. “After all,” he said + to himself, “there are always ways of making a cad feel that he is a cad, + in the presence of a gentleman.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X + </h2> + <p> + ON a Sunday afternoon, early in February, Thorpe journeyed with his niece + and nephew from Bern to Montreux. + </p> + <p> + The young people, with maps and a guide-book open, sat close together at + the left side of the compartment. The girl from time to time rubbed the + steam from the window with a napkin out of the lunch-basket. They both + stared a good deal through this window, with frequent exclamations of + petulance. + </p> + <p> + “Isn't it too provoking!” cried the girl, turning to her uncle at last. + “This is where we are now—according to Baedeker: 'As the train + proceeds we enjoy a view of the Simmen-Thal and Freiburg mountains to the + left, the Moleson being conspicuous.' And look at it! For all one can see, + we might as well be at Redhill.” + </p> + <p> + “It is pretty hard luck,” Thorpe assented, passively glancing past her at + the pale, neutral-tinted wall of mist which obscured the view. “But hang + it all—it must clear up some time. Just you have patience, and + you'll see some Alps yet.” + </p> + <p> + “Where we're going,” the young man interposed, “the head-porter told me it + was always cloudier than anywhere else.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't think that can be so,” Thorpe reasoned, languidly, from his + corner. “It's a great winter resort, I'm told, and it rather stands to + reason, doesn't it? that people wouldn't flock there if it was so bad as + all that.” + </p> + <p> + “The kind of people we've seen travelling in Switzerland,” said the girl—“they + would do anything.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe smiled, with tolerant good humour. “Well, you can comfort yourself + with the notion that you'll be coming again. The mountains'll stay here, + all right,” he assured her. The young people smiled back at him, and with + this he rearranged his feet in a new posture on the opposite seat, lighted + another cigar, and pillowed his head once more against the hard, red-plush + cushion. Personally, he did not in the least resent the failure of the + scenery. + </p> + <p> + For something more than three months, this purposeless pleasure-tour had + been dragging him about from point to point, sleeping in strange beds, + eating extraordinarily strange food, transacting the affairs of a + sight-seer among people who spoke strange languages, until he was + surfeited with the unusual. It had all been extremely interesting, of + course, and deeply improving—but he was getting tired of talking to + nobody but waiters, and still more so of having nothing to do which he + could not as well leave undone if he chose. After a few days more of + Switzerland—for they had already gazed with blank faces at this + universal curtain of mist from such different points of view as Lucerne, + Interlaken, and Thun—it was clear to him that they would, as he + phrased it, to himself, make a break for home. Unless, indeed, something + happened at Montreux. Ah, would anything happen at Montreux? For four days + his mind had been automatically reverting to that question; it lurked + continually in the background of his thoughts, now, as he smoked and idly + ruminated, on his way southward through the fog. + </p> + <p> + All the rest of the prolonged trip had been without any specific motive, + so far as he was concerned. The youngsters had planned all its routes and + halts and details of time and connections, and he had gone along, with + cheerful placidity, to look at the things they bade him observe, and to + pay the bills. Perhaps in all things their tastes had not been his tastes. + He would have liked more of Paris, he fancied, and less of the small Dutch + and North German towns which they seemed to fancy so much. Still, the beer + was good—and really their happiness, as a spectacle, had given him + more satisfaction than a thousand miles of boulevards could have done. + </p> + <p> + He liked this niece and nephew of his more than he could ever have + imagined himself liking any young people. They had been shy with him at + the outset—and for the first week his experiment had been darkened + by the belief that, between themselves, they did not deem him quite good + enough. He had been wise enough, then, to have it out with the girl—she + was the one to whom he felt it easiest to talk frankly—and had + discovered, to his immense relief, that they conceived him to be regarding + them as encumbrances. At breakfast next morning, with tactful geniality, + he set everything right, and thereafter they were all extremely happy + together. + </p> + <p> + So far as he could judge, they were very superior young people, both + intellectually and spiritually. The girl spoke French, and her brother + German, with what seemed to him remarkable proficiency. Their young minds + were the repositories of an astounding amount of information: they knew + who Charles the Bold was; they pointed out to their uncle the distinction + between Gothic and Romanesque arches; they explained what was the matter + with the Anabaptists; they told him that the story of the Bishop and the + rats at Bingen was a baseless myth, and that probably there had never been + any such man as William Tell. Nor did they get all this out of the + guide-books which they pored over with such zest. It was impossible not to + see that they were familiar with large numbers of the subjects that these + books discussed, and that the itinerary which they marked out had + reference to desires and interests that they had cultivated for + themselves. + </p> + <p> + Julia, upon even first sight, made a much pleasanter impression than her + mother's hesitating description had prepared him for. As he came to know + her well, he ceased to remember that there was a question in any mind as + to her being a pretty girl. There was less colour in her face than he + could have wished. Her smooth, pallid skin, almost waxen in texture, had a + suggestion of delicate health which sometimes troubled him a little, but + which appealed to the tenderness in his nature all the time. The face was + unduly thin, perhaps, but this, and the wistful glance of the large grey + eyes in repose, made up an effect that Thorpe found touched him a good + deal. Even when she was in visibly high spirits, the look in these eyes + seemed to him to be laying claim to his protection. She could be merry + upon occasion, in a gentle and tranquil way, and as her self-confidence + expanded under the shelter of their growing intimacy, she disclosed to her + uncle plenty of initiative and individuality—but what he felt in her + most was a peculiarly sweet and girlish trustfulness, which made him like + himself more than he had ever done before. He could feel that he was at + his very best—a hitherto unsuspected best—when Julia was + about. He wanted to buy for her everything in the windows upon which she + bestowed the most casual approving glance. It was a delight merely to look + at her, and to meditate upon the felicity of being able to do things for + so charming a girl. + </p> + <p> + Alfred made a less direct demand upon his uncle's admiration, but he was a + very good fellow all round. He was big and fair and muscular, and nothing + about him but his spectacles seemed in Thorpe's mind to be related to his + choice of art as a profession. That so robust and hearty a young fellow + should wish to put paint on a canvas with small brushes, was to the uncle + an unaccountable thing. It was almost as if he had wanted to knit, or do + embroidery. Of the idleness and impatience of discipline which his mother + had seemed to allege against him, Thorpe failed to detect any signs. The + young man was never very late in the morning, and, beside his tireless + devotion to the task of hunting up old pictures in out-of-the-way places, + did most of the steward's work of the party with intelligence and + precision. He studied the time-tables, audited the hotel-bills, looked + after the luggage, got up the street-maps of towns and the like, to such + good purpose that they never lost a train, or a bag, or themselves. Truly, + an excellent young man. Thorpe noted with especial satisfaction his fine, + kindly big-brother attitude toward his sister Julia—and it was + impossible for him to avoid the conviction that Louisa was a simpleton not + to appreciate such children. They did not often allude to their mother; + when they did, it was in language the terms of which seemed more + affectionate than the tone—and Thorpe said often to himself that he + did not blame them. It was not so much that they had outgrown their + mother's point of view. They had never occupied it. + </p> + <p> + The journey, so far as Thorpe comprehended its character, had been shaped + with about equal regard for Julia's interest in the romance of history, + and Alfred's more technical and practical interest in art. Each had + sufficient sympathy with the tastes of the other, however, to prevent any + tendency to separation. They took their uncle one day to see where William + the Silent was assassinated, and the next to observe how Rembrandt's + theory of guild portrait-painting differed from Van der Helst's, with a + common enthusiasm. He scrutinized with patient loyalty everything that + they indicated to him, and not infrequently they appeared to like very + much the comments he offered. These were chiefly of a sprightly nature, + and when Julia laughed over them he felt that she was very near to him + indeed. + </p> + <p> + Thus they saw Paris together—where Thorpe did relinquish some of the + multiplied glories of the Louvre to sit in front of a cafe by the Opera + House and see the funny people go past—and thence, by Bruges and + Antwerp, to Holland, where nobody could have imagined there were as many + pictures as Thorpe saw with his own weary eyes. There were wonderful old + buildings at Lubeck for Julia's eyes to glisten over, and pictures at + Berlin, Dresden, and Dusseldorf for Alfred. + </p> + <p> + The assumption existed that the excursion into the Thuringenwald to see + the memorials of Luther was especially for the uncle's benefit, and he + tried solicitously to say or look nothing which might invalidate it. There + were other places in Germany, from Mainz to Munich, which he remembered + best by their different beers. They spent Christmas at Vienna, where Julia + had heard that its observance was peculiarly insisted upon, and then they + saw the Tyrol in its heaviest vesture of winter snows, and beautiful old + Basle, where Alfred was crazier about Holbein than he had been at Munich + over Brouwer. Thorpe looked very carefully at the paintings of both men, + and felt strengthened in his hopes that when Alfred got a little older he + would see that this picture business was not the thing for a young + gentleman with prospects to go into. + </p> + <p> + It was at Basle that Thorpe received a letter from London which directly + altered the plans of the party. He had had several other letters from + London which had produced no such effect. Through Semple, he had followed + in outline the unobtrusive campaign to secure a Special Settlement, and + had learned that the Stock Exchange Committee, apparently without + opposition, had granted one for the first week in February. + </p> + <p> + Even this news, tremendously important as it was, did not prompt Thorpe to + interfere with the children's projects. There was no longer any point in + remaining away from London; there were, indeed, numerous reasons for a + prompt return. But he was loth to deprive the youngsters of that descent + into smiling, sunlit Italy upon which they had so fondly dwelt in fancy, + and after all Semple could do all that was needful to be done for another + month. + </p> + <p> + So they went to Basle, and here it was that another kind of letter came. + It was in a strange hand, at once cramped and fluttering, which puzzled + the recipient a good deal; it was a long time before even the signature + unravelled itself. Then he forced himself to decipher it, sentence by + sentence, with a fierce avidity. It was from General Kervick. + </p> + <p> + The next morning Thorpe astonished his young companions by suggesting an + alteration in their route. In a roundabout and tentative fashion—in + which more suspicious observers must have detected something shamefaced—he + mentioned that he had always heard a great deal about Montreux as a + winter-resort. The fact that he called it Montroox raised in Julia's mind + a fleeting wonder from whom it could be that he had heard so much about + it, but it occurred to neither her nor her brother to question his entire + good faith. Their uncle had displayed, hitherto, a most comforting freedom + from discrimination among European towns; he had, indeed, assured them + many times that they were all one to him. That he should suddenly turn up + now with a favourite winter-resort of his own selection surprised them + considerably, but, upon reflection, it also pleased them. He had humoured + all their wishes with such unfailing and bountiful kindness, that it was a + delight to learn that there was something he wanted to do. They could not + finish their breakfast till the guide-book had been brought to the table. + </p> + <p> + “Oh! How splendid!” Julia had cried then. “The Castle of Chillon is + there!” + </p> + <p> + “Why of course!” said Thorpe, complacently. + </p> + <p> + They laughed gayly at him for pretending that he had known this, and he as + good-humouredly accepted their banter. He drew a serious long breath of + relief, however, when their backs were turned. It had gone off much better + than he had feared. + </p> + <p> + Now, on this Sunday afternoon, as the train made its sure-footed way + across the mountains, the thought that he was actually to alight at + Montreux at once fascinated and depressed him. He was annoyed with himself + for suffering it to get such a hold upon his mind. What was there in it, + anyway? There was a big hotel there, and he and his youngsters were to + stop at it, and if he accidentally encountered a certain lady who was also + stopping there—and of course the meeting would bear upon its face + the stamp of pure chance—what of it? + </p> + <p> + And if he did meet her, thus fortuitously—what would happen then? No + doubt a lady of her social position met abroad great numbers of people + that she had met at home. It would not in any way surprise her—this + chance encounter of which he thought so much. Were there sufficient + grounds for imagining that it would even interest her? He forced his mind + up to this question, as it were, many times, and invariably it shied and + evaded the leap. + </p> + <p> + There had been times, at Hadlow House, when Lady Cressage had seemed + supremely indifferent to the fact of his existence, and there had been + other times when it had appeared manifest that he pleased her—or + better, perhaps, that she was willing to take note of how much she pleased + him. It must have been apparent to her—this fact that she produced + such an impression upon him. He reasoned this out satisfactorily to + himself. These beautiful women, trained from childhood for the conquest of + a rich husband, must have cultivated an extraordinary delicacy of + consciousness, in such matters. They must have developed for themselves + what might be called a sixth sense—a power of feeling in the air + what the men about were thinking of them. More than once he had caught a + glimmer of what he felt to be the operation of this sense, in the company + of Lady Cressage. He could not say that it had been discernible in her + glance, or her voice, or her manner, precisely, but he was sure that he + had seen it, somehow. + </p> + <p> + But even assuming all this—admitting that in October, on a wet + Sunday, in the tedium of a small country-house party, she had shown some + momentary satisfaction in the idea that he was profoundly impressed by her—did + it at all follow that in February, amid the distractions of a fashionable + winter-resort, and probably surrounded by hosts of friends, she would pay + any attention to him whatever? The abject fear that she might not even + remember him—might not know him from Adam when he stood before her—skulked + about in the labyrinths of his mind, but he drove it back whenever it + showed itself. That would be too ignominious. + </p> + <p> + The young people at the other side of the compartment, forever wiping the + window with the napkin, and straining their eyes to see the invisible, + diverted his unsettled attention. A new perception of how much he liked + them and enjoyed having them with him, took hold of his thoughts. It had + not occurred to him before, with any definiteness, that he would be + insupportably lonely when the time came to part with them. + </p> + <p> + Now, when he dwelt upon it, it made him feel sad and old. + </p> + <p> + He said to himself at once, with decision, that there need be no parting + at all. He would take a house without delay, and they should live with + him. He could not doubt that this would be agreeable to them; it would + solve every problem for him. + </p> + <p> + His fancy sketched out the natural and legitimate extensions of this + project. There would be, first of all, a house in town—a furnished + house of a modest sort, having no pretension save to provide a cheerful + temporary shelter for three people who liked one another. Here the new + household would take shape, and get its right note of character. + Apparently Louisa would not be urged to form part of this household. He + said to himself with frankness that he didn't want her, and there had been + nothing to indicate that her children would pine for her. She showed good + sense when she said that her place was in the shop, and in her ancestral + home over the shop. No doubt there would be a certain awkwardness, visible + to others if not to themselves, about her living in one part of London and + her children in another. But here also her good sense would come on;—and, + besides, this furnished house in town would be a mere brief overture to + the real thing—the noble country mansion he was going to have, with + gardens and horses and hounds and artificial lakes and deer parks and + everything. Quite within the year he would be able to realize this + consummation of his dreams. + </p> + <p> + How these nice young people would revel in such a place—and how they + would worship him for having given it to them for a home! His heart warmed + within him as he thought of this. He smiled affectionately at the picture + Julia made, polishing the glass with vehement circular movements of her + slight arm, and then grimacing in comic vexation at the deadly absence of + landscape outside. Was there ever a sweeter or more lovable girl in this + world? Would there have to be some older woman to manage the house, at the + beginning? he wondered. He should like it immensely if that could be + avoided. Julia looked fragile and inexperienced—but she would be + twenty-one next month. Surely that was a mature enough age for the slight + responsibility of presiding over servants who should be the best that + money could buy. Many girls were married, and given households of their + own to manage, when they were even younger. + </p> + <p> + This reflection raised an obstacle against the smooth-flowing current of + his thoughts. Supposing that Julia got the notion of marrying—how + miserable that would make everything. Very likely she would never do any + such thing; he had observed in her no shadow of a sign that a thought of + matrimony had ever crossed her brain. Yet that was a subject upon which, + of course, she could not be asked to give pledges, even to herself. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe tried to take a liberal view of this matter. He argued to himself + that there would be no objection at all to incorporating Julia's husband + into the household, assuming that she went to the length of taking one, + and that he was a good fellow. On this latter point, it was only the + barest justice to Julia's tastes and judgment to take it for granted that + he would be a good fellow. Yet the uncle felt uneasily that this would + alter things for the worse. The family party, with that hypothetical young + man in it, could never be quite so innocently and completely happy as—for + instance—the family party in this compartment had been during these + wonderful three months. + </p> + <p> + Mechanically he rubbed the window beside him, and turned to look out with + a certain fixedness—as if he might chance to catch a glimpse of the + bridegroom with whom Julia would have it in her power to disturb the + serenity of their prospective home. A steep white cliff, receding sullenly + against the dim grey skyline; a farmhouse grotesquely low for its size, + crouching under big shelving galleries heaped with snow; an opening in + front, to the right, where vaguely there seemed to be a valley into which + they would descend—he saw these things. They remained in his mind + afterward as a part of something else that he saw, with his mental vision, + at the same moment—a strikingly real and vivid presentment of Lady + Cressage, attired as he had seen her in the saddle, her light hair blown + about a little under her hat, a spot of colour in the exquisite cheek, the + cold, impersonal dignity of a queen in the beautiful profile. + </p> + <p> + The picture was so actual for the instant that he uttered an involuntary + exclamation—and then looked hastily round to see whether his + companions had heard it. Seemingly they had not; he lolled again upon the + comfortless cushion, and strove to conjure up once more the apparition. + Nothing satisfactory came of the effort. Upon consideration, he grew + uncertain as to whether he had seen anything at all. At the most it was a + kind of half-dream which had visited him. He yawned at the thought, and + lighted a fresh cigar. All at once, his mind had become too indolent to do + any more thinking. A shapeless impression that there would be a good many + things to think over later on flitted into his brain and out again. + </p> + <p> + “Well, how are the mountains using you, now?” he called out to his niece. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I could shake them!” she declared. “Listen to this: 'A view of + singular beauty, embracing the greater part of the Lake of Geneva, and the + surrounding mountains, is suddenly disclosed.' That's where we are now—or + were a minute ago. You can see that there is some sort of valley in front + of us—but that is all. If I could only see one mountain with snow on + it——” + </p> + <p> + “Why, it's all mountains and all snow, when you come to that,” Thorpe + insisted, with jocose perversity. “You're on mountains yourself, all the + time.” + </p> + <p> + “You know what I mean,” she retorted. “I want to see something like the + coloured pictures in the hotels.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, probably it will be bright sunlight tomorrow,” he said, for perhaps + the twentieth time that day. + </p> + <p> + “There—that looks like water!” said Alfred. “See? just beyond the + village. Yes, it is water. There's your Lake of Geneva, at all events.” + </p> + <p> + “But it isn't the right colour,” protested Julia, peering through the + glass. “It's precisely like everything else: it's of no colour at all. And + they always paint it such a lovely blue! Really, uncle, the Swiss + Government ought to return you your money.” + </p> + <p> + “You wait till you see it tomorrow—or next day,” said the uncle, + vaguely. He closed his eyes, and welcomed a drowsy mood. As he went off to + sleep, the jolting racket of the train mellowed itself into a murmur of + “tomorrow or next day, tomorrow or next day,” in his ears. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI + </h2> + <p> + FROM their windows, high up and at the front of the big hotel, Julia + looked down upon the Lake of Geneva. She was in such haste to behold it + that she had not so much as unbuttoned her gloves; she held her muff still + in her hand. After one brief glance, she groaned aloud with vexation. + </p> + <p> + Beyond the roadway, and the deserted miniature pier of Territet, both + dishevelled under melting and mud-stained snow, there lay a patch of water—motionless, + inconspicuous, of a faded drab colour—which at some small distance + out vaguely ceased to look like water and, yet a little further out, + became part and parcel of the dull grey mist. Save for the forlorn masts + of a couple of fishing boats, beached under the shelter of the pier, there + was no proof in sight that this was a lake at all. It was as uninspiring + to the eye as a pool of drippings from umbrellas in a porch. + </p> + <p> + While her uncle and brother occupied themselves with the luggage being + brought up by the porters, she opened a window and stepped out upon the + tiny balcony. A flaring sign on the inner framework of this balcony + besought her in Swiss-French, in the interests of order, not to feed the + birds. The injunction seemed meaningless to her until she perceived, over + by the water, several gulls lazily wheeling about. They were almost as + grey as the fog they circled in. Suddenly they seemed to perceive her in + turn, and, swerving sharply, came floating toward the hotel, with harsh, + almost menacing cries. She hurried in, and shut the window with decision. + It seemed to her that the smile with which, as she turned, she was able to + meet her uncle's look, was a product of true heroism. + </p> + <p> + Apparently this smile did not altogether delude him. “Oh, now, you mustn't + get down on your luck,” he adjured her. “We're going to be awfully cozy + here. Have you seen your room? It's just there, in a little alley to the + right of the door. They say it has an even finer view than these windows. + Oh, you needn't laugh—this is the best view in the world, I'm told + by those who know. And as a winter-resort, why——” + </p> + <p> + “I say, look here!” The interruption came from Alfred, who, having gone + out on one of the balconies, put in his head now to summon them. “Come + here! Here's some fun.” + </p> + <p> + He pointed out to Thorpe the meaning of the inscription on the sign, and + then pulled him forward to observe its practical defiance. A score of big + gulls were flapping and dodging in excited confusion close before them, + filling their ears with a painful clamour. Every now and again, one of the + birds, recovering its senses in the hurly-burly, would make a curving + swoop downward past the rows of windows below, and triumphantly catch in + its beak something that had been thrown into the air. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, leaning over his railing, saw that a lady on a balcony one floor + below, and some yards to the left, was feeding the birds. She laughed + aloud as she did so, and said something over her shoulder to a companion + who was not visible. + </p> + <p> + “Well, that's pretty cool,” he remarked to his niece, who had come to + stand beside him. “She's got the same sign down there that we've got. I + can see it from here. Or perhaps she can't read French.” + </p> + <p> + “Or perhaps she isn't frightened of the hotel people,” suggested the girl. + She added, after a little, “I think I'll feed them myself in the morning. + I certainly shall if the sun comes out—as a sort of Thanksgiving + festival, you know.” + </p> + <p> + Her uncle seemed not to hear her. He had been struck by the exceptional + grace of the gestures with which the pieces of bread were flung forth. The + hands and wrists of this lady were very white and shapely. The movements + which she made with them, all unaware of observation as she was, and + viewed as he viewed them from above, were singularly beautiful in their + unconstraint. It was in its way like watching some remarkable fine + dancing, he thought. He could not see much of her face, from his perch, + but she was tall and fashionably clad. There was a loose covering of black + lace thrown over her head, but once, as she turned, he could see that her + hair was red. Even in this fleeting glimpse, the unusual tint attracted + his attention: there was a brilliancy as of fire in it. Somehow it seemed + to make a claim upon his memory. He continued to stare down at the + stranger with an indefinable sense that he knew something about her. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly another figure appeared upon the balcony—and in a flash he + comprehended everything. These idiotic, fighting gluttons of gulls had + actually pointed out to him the object of his search. It was Lady Cressage + who stood in the doorway, there just below him—and her companion, + the red-haired lady who laughed hotel-rules to scorn, was the American + heiress who had crossed the ocean in his ship, and whom he had met later + on at Hadlow. What was her name—Martin? No—Madden. He + confronted the swift impression that there was something odd about these + two women being together. At Hadlow he had imagined that they did not like + each other. Then he reflected as swiftly that women probably had their own + rules about such matters. He seemed to have heard, or read, perhaps, that + females liked and disliked each other with the most capricious + alternations and on the least tangible of grounds. At all events, here + they were together now. That was quite enough. + </p> + <p> + The two ladies had gone in, and closed their window. The sophisticated + birds, with a few ungrateful croaks of remonstrance, had drifted away + again to the water. His niece had disappeared from his elbow. Still Thorpe + remained with his arms folded on the railing, his eyes fixed on the vacant + balcony, below to the left. + </p> + <p> + When at last he went inside, the young people were waiting for him with + the project of a stroll before dinner. The light was failing, but there + was plenty of time. They had ascertained the direction in which Chillon + lay; a servant had assured them that it was only a few minutes' walk, and + Alfred was almost certain that he had seen it from the window. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe assented with a certain listlessness, which they had never noted in + his manner before, but when Julia begged him not to stir if he were in the + slightest degree tired, he replied honestly enough that he would do + anything rather than be left alone. Then, of course, they said, there + should be no walk, but to this he would not listen. The party trooped + downstairs, accordingly, and out into the street. The walking was vile, + but, as Julia had long ago said, if they were to be deterred by slush they + would never get anywhere or see anything. + </p> + <p> + It proved to be too late and too dark to either enter the castle or get + much of an idea of its exterior. Returning, they paused again to look into + the lighted window of the nice little book-shop. The numerous photographs + of what they were entitled to behold from the windows of their hotel + seemed more convincing than photographs usually were. As the young people + inspected them, they became reassured. It was not credible that such a + noble vista would forever deny itself to such earnest pilgrims. When their + uncle introduced this time his ancient formula about the certainty of + brilliant sunshine in the morning, they somehow felt like believing him. + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I really think it must change,” Julia declared, with her + fascinated glance upon the photographs. + </p> + <p> + Alfred looked at his watch. “We'd better get along to the hotel, hadn't + we?” he suggested. + </p> + <p> + “By the way”—Thorpe began, with a certain uneasiness of manner—“speaking + of dinner, wouldn't you like to dine at the big table d'hote, instead of + up in our sitting-room?” + </p> + <p> + “If you're tired of our dining alone—by all means,” answered Julia, + readily. There was obvious surprise, however, in both her look and tone. + </p> + <p> + “Tired nothing!” he assured her. “I like it better than anything else in + the world. But what I mean is—I was thinking, seeing that this is + such a great winter-resort, and all the swagger people of Europe come here—that + probably you youngsters would enjoy seeing the crowd.” + </p> + <p> + Julia's glance, full of affectionate appreciation, showed how wholly she + divined his spirit of self-sacrifice. “We wouldn't care in the least for + it,” she declared. “We enjoy being a little party by ourselves every whit + as much as you do—and we both hate the people you get at table + d'hotes—and besides, for that matter, if there are any real swells + here, you may be sure they dine in their own rooms.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course!” Thorpe exclaimed swiftly, in palpable self-rebuke. “I + don't know what I could have been thinking of. Of course they would dine + in their rooms.” + </p> + <p> + Next morning, Thorpe rose earlier than ever—with the impression of a + peculiarly restless and uncomfortable night behind him. It was not until + he had shaved and dressed that he noted the altered character of the air + outside. Although it was not fully daylight yet, he could see the outlines + of the trees and vinerows on the big, snow-clad hill, which monopolized + the prospect from his window, all sharp and clear cut, as if he were + looking at them through an opera-glass. He went at once to the + sitting-room, and thrust the curtains aside from one of the windows. + </p> + <p> + A miracle had been wrought in the night. The sky overhead was serenely + cloudless; the lake beneath, stirring softly under some faint passing + breeze, revealed its full breadth with crystalline distinctness. Between + sky and water there stretched across the picture a broad, looming, + dimly-defined band of shadow, marked here and there at the top by little + slanting patches of an intensely glowing white. He looked at this darkling + middle distance for a moment or two without comprehension. Then he turned + and hurriedly moved to the door of Julia's room and beat upon it. + </p> + <p> + “Get up!” he called through the panels. “Here's your sunrise—here's + your Alpine view. Go to your window and see it!” + </p> + <p> + A clear voice, not unmirthful, replied: “I've been watching it for half an + hour, thanks. Isn't it glorious?” + </p> + <p> + He was more fortunate at the opposite door, for Alfred was still asleep. + The young man, upon hearing the news, however, made a toilet of unexampled + brevity, and came breathlessly forth. Thorpe followed him to the balcony, + where he stood collarless and uncombed, with the fresh morning breeze + blowing his hair awry, his lips parted, his eyes staring with what the + uncle felt to be a painful fixedness before him. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had seen many mountains in many lands. They did not interest him + very much. He thought, however, that he could see now why people who had + no mountains of their own should get excited about Switzerland. He + understood a number of these sentimental things now, for that matter, + which had been Greek to him three months before. Unreceptive as his + philistinism may have seemed to these delightful youngsters, it was + apparent enough to him that they had taught him a great deal. If he could + not hope to share their ever-bubbling raptures and enthusiasms, at least + he had come to comprehend them after a fashion, and even to discern + sometimes what it was that stirred them. + </p> + <p> + He watched his nephew now—having first assured himself by a + comprehensive downward glance that no other windows of the hotel-front + were open. The young man seemed tremendously moved, far too much so to + talk. Thorpe ventured once some remarks about the Mexican mountains, which + were ever so much bigger, as he remembered them, but Alfred paid no heed. + He continued to gaze across the lake, watching in rapt silence one facet + after another catch the light, and stand out from the murky gloom, + radiantly white, till at last the whole horizon was a mass of shining + minarets and domes, and the sun fell full on his face. Then, with a + long-drawn sigh, he turned, re-entered the room, and threw himself into a + chair. + </p> + <p> + “It's too good!” he declared, with a half-groan. “I didn't know it would + be like that.” + </p> + <p> + “Why nothing's too good for us, man,” his uncle told him. + </p> + <p> + “THAT is,” said the boy, simply, and Thorpe, after staring for a moment, + smiled and rang the bell for breakfast. + </p> + <p> + When Julia made her appearance, a few minutes later, the table was already + laid, and the waiter was coming in with the coffee. + </p> + <p> + “I thought we'd hurry up breakfast,” her uncle explained, after she had + kissed him and thanked him for the sunrise he had so successfully + predicted—“because I knew you'd both be crazy to get out.” + </p> + <p> + He had not over-estimated their eagerness, which was so great, indeed, + that they failed to note the excessive tranquility of his own demeanour. + He ate with such unusual deliberation, on this exciting morning, that they + found themselves at the end of their repast when, apparently, he had but + made a beginning. + </p> + <p> + “Now you mustn't wait for me at all,” he announced to them then. “I'm a + little tired this morning—and I think I'd just like to lie around + and smoke, and perhaps read one of your novels. But you two must get your + things on and lose no time in getting out. This is the very best time of + day, you know—for Alpine scenery. I'd hate to have you miss any of + it.” + </p> + <p> + Under his kindly if somewhat strenuous insistence, they went to their + rooms to prepare for an immediate excursion. He was so anxious to have + them see all there was to be seen that, when Julia returned, properly + cloaked and befurred, and stood waiting at the window, he scolded a + little. + </p> + <p> + “What on earth is that boy doing?” he exclaimed, with a latent snarl in + his tone which was novel to her ear. “He'll keep you here till noon!” + </p> + <p> + “He's shaving, I think. He won't be long,” she replied, with great + gentleness. After a moment's pause, she turned from the window and came + gayly forward. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I forgot: I was going to feed the birds. There are several of them + out there now.” As she spoke, she busily broke up some of the rolls on the + table. Her face was bright with the pleasure of the thought. + </p> + <p> + “If you don't much mind, Julia,” her uncle began, with almost pleading + intonations, “I rather think I wouldn't feed those birds. The rule is + there before our eyes, you know—and it's always been my idea that if + you're at a hotel it's the correct thing to abide by its rules. It's just + an idea of mine—and I daresay, if you think about it, you'll feel + the same way.” + </p> + <p> + The girl freed the last remaining bread-crumb from her gloves. “Why, of + course, uncle,” she said, with promptitude. + </p> + <p> + Although there was no hint of protest in her tone or manner, he felt + impelled to soften still further this solitary demonstration of his + authority. “You see I've been all round the world, my little girl,” he + explained, haltingly, “and when a man's done that, and knocked about + everywhere, he's apt to get finicking and notional about trifles every + once in a while.” + </p> + <p> + “You're less so than anybody I ever knew,” she generously interposed. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no I'm not. You don't know me well enough yet; that's what's the + matter. And you see, Julia—another thing just because you saw that + lady throwing out bread, that aint a very good reason why you should do + it. You don't know what kind of a person she may be. Girls have got to be + so frightfully careful about all that sort of thing.” + </p> + <p> + Julia offered a constrained little laugh in comment. “Oh, you don't know + how careful I can be,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “But you're not annoyed?” he entreated her—and for answer she came + behind him, and rested an arm on his shoulder, and patted it. He stroked + her hand with his own. “That's something like the nicest niece in the + world!” he exclaimed, with fervour. + </p> + <p> + When at last she and her brother had gone, he made short work of his + breakfast, and drank his coffee at a gulp. A restless activity suddenly + informed his movements. He lit a cigar, and began pacing up and down the + room, biting his lips in preoccupation as he went. After a little, he + opened a window, and ventured cautiously as far out on the balcony as was + necessary to obtain a view of the street below. Eventually, he identified + his nephew and niece among the pedestrians beneath him, and he kept them + in sight till, after more than one tiresome halt at a shop window, they + disappeared round a bend in the road. Then he turned and came back into + the room with the buoyant air of a man whose affairs are prospering. + </p> + <p> + He smiled genially to himself as he gathered from the table in one + capacious hand all the pieces of bread his beloved niece had broken up, + and advanced again to the open window. Waiting here till one of the dingy + gulls moving aimlessly about was headed toward him, he tossed out a + fragment. The bird dashed at it with a scream, and on the instant the + whole squawking flock were on wing. He suffered the hubbub to proceed + unappeased for a little while he kept a watchful though furtive eye on + that balcony to the left, below. Unhappily he could not get out far enough + to see whether the inner curtains of its window were drawn. He threw + another bit of bread, and then looked at his watch. It was a few minutes + past nine. Surely people travelling to see scenery would be up by this + hour. + </p> + <p> + The strategy of issuing just enough bread to keep the feathered concourse + in motion commended itself to his mind. As a precautionary measure, he + took all the rolls remaining on the table, and put them in the drawer of a + desk by the window. It even occurred to him to ring for more bread, but + upon consideration that seemed too daring. The waiter would be + sufficiently surprised at the party's appetites as it was. + </p> + <p> + Half an hour later, his plan of campaign suddenly yielded a victory. Lady + Cressage appeared on her balcony, clad in some charming sort of morning + gown, and bareheaded. She had nothing in her hands, and seemed indifferent + to the birds, but when Thorpe flung forth a handful of fragments into the + centre of their whirling flock, she looked up at him. It was the anxious + instant, and he ventured upon what he hoped was a decorous compromise + between a bow and a look of recognition. + </p> + <p> + She was in no haste to answer either. He could see rather than hear that + she said something to her invisible companion within, the while she + glanced serenely in the general direction of his balcony. It seemed to him + that the answer to her remark, whatever it was, must have exerted a direct + influence upon his destiny, for Lady Cressage all at once focussed her + vague regard upon him, and nodded with a reasonably gracious smile. + </p> + <p> + “It's wonderful luck to find you here,” he called down to her. Having + played their part, he wished now that the birds were at Jericho. Their + obstreperous racket made conversation very difficult. Apparently she made + him an answer, but he could catch nothing of it. + </p> + <p> + “I'm here with my niece and nephew,” he shouted down. “I don't hear what + you say. May I come down and pay my respects—later on? What is your + number, and when may I come?” + </p> + <p> + These questions, as he flashed them in review through his mind, seemed to + be all right from the most exacting social point of view. Doubtless it was + equally all right that, before replying, she should consult her companion, + as she did at some length. Then she replied—and he had no difficulty + now in hearing her above the birds—that it would be very nice of him + to come, say, in an hour's time. She told him the number—and then + almost abruptly went in. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, during this hour that ensued, smoked with volcanic energy. He + tried to interest himself in one after another of half a dozen Tauchnitz + novels his niece carried about, with a preposterous absence of success. He + strove to arrange in some kind of sequence the things that he should say, + when this momentous interview should begin, but he could think of nothing + which did not sound silly. It would be all right, he argued to himself in + the face of this present mental barrenness; he always talked well enough + on the spur of the moment, when the time came—and still was not + reassured. + </p> + <p> + He wondered if both ladies would be there to receive him, and decided that + they would probably regard that as indispensable to the proprieties. In + that case, their conversation would necessarily be of the most casual and + general character. He would tell them a good deal about his niece, he + foresaw. A man travelling about with a niece—and such a delightfully + lady-like and engaging little niece—would take on some added + interest and dignity, he perceived, in the eyes of ladies travelling + alone. He essayed to estimate just how much they would probably like + Julia. Of course he would say nothing about her mother and the book-shop; + a vague allusion to a widowed sister would be ample on that head. But + there could be confident references to Cheltenham; he knew from what Julia + had said that it suggested the most satisfactory social guarantees, if + taken strictly by itself. And then so much would depend upon Julia + herself! If she succeeded in striking up a friendship with them—ah, + then everything would be all right. Perhaps they would take a fancy to + Alfred too! He was a boy, of course, but conceivably the fact that he + wanted to paint, and knew about pictures, would appeal to them. He seemed + to have heard somewhere that artists were the very devil among women. + </p> + <p> + At last the weary time of waiting had worn itself out, somehow, and, after + a final polishing before his glass, he went down, and found his right + corridor, and knocked at the door. A pleasant voice bade him enter, and, + hat and gloves in hand, he went in. + </p> + <p> + As he had imagined, both ladies were present. He had not been prepared, + however, for the fact that it was the American who played the part of + hostess. It was she who received him, and invited him to sit down, and + generally made him free of the apartment. When he shook hands with Lady + Cressage, there was somehow an effect of the incidental in the ceremony, + as if she were also a guest. + </p> + <p> + Nothing could have been simpler or more pleasing than the little visit + turned out to be. Miss Madden had suddenly grown tired of the snowless and + dripping English winter, and had as promptly decided to come to + Switzerland, where the drifts ought to be high enough, and the frosts + searching enough, in all conscience. They had selected Territet, because + it was familiar to her, and because it was on the way to Martigny and + Brieg, and she had had a notion of crossing either the Simplon or the St. + Bernard in winter. As she found now, the St. Bernard was quite + impracticable, but admittedly a post road was kept open over the Simplon. + It was said now that she would not be allowed to proceed by this, but it + often happened that she did the things that she was not allowed to do. The + hotel-people at both Brieg and Berisal had written refusing to let their + horses attempt the Simplon journey, and they were of course quite within + their rights, but there were other horses in Switzerland. One surely could + buy horses—and so on. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe also had his turn at autobiography. He told rather whimsically of + his three months' experiences at the tail of the juvenile whirligigs, and + his auditors listened to them with mild smiles. He ventured upon numerous + glowing parentheses about Julia, and they at least did not say that they + did not want to know her. They heard with politeness, too, what he could + contrive to drag in about his artist-nephew, and said it must be very + pleasant for him to have such nice company. At least Miss Madden said + this: her companion, as he thought it over afterward, seemed hardly to + have said anything at all. She answered the few remarks which he found it + possible to direct to her, but the responses took no hold upon his memory. + He fancied that she was bored, or unhappy, or both. + </p> + <p> + Finally, in the midst of commonplaces which, to his apprehension, were + verging upon flatness, a bold inspiration disclosed itself—as + splendid as the Dent du Midi revealing its glaciers above the mounting + sunrise—in his brain. + </p> + <p> + “We should all be charmed if you would come up and dine with us tonight,” + he said, under the abrupt impulsion of this idea. “It's been such an age + since we wanderers have had the privilege of company at our table!” + </p> + <p> + The felicity of these phrases from his lips attracted his admiring + attention, even while he waited in suspense for an answer to them. + </p> + <p> + The ladies exchanged a look. “Yes,” said Miss Madden, after the slightest + of pauses, “we shall be very happy.” + </p> + <p> + Shortly thereafter Thorpe took his leave, and went downstairs and out. He + wandered about till luncheon time, observing the mountains across the lake + from various standpoints, and, as it were, with new eyes. He was + interested in them in a curious new fashion; they seemed to say things to + him. His lip curled once at the conceit that he was one of the Alps + himself. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII + </h2> + <p> + IT did not happen until three days later that Thorpe's opportunity to + speak alone with Lady Cressage came. + </p> + <p> + In this brief period, the two parties seemed to have become fused in a + remarkable intimacy. This was clearly due to the presence of the young + people, and Thorpe congratulated himself many times each day upon the + striking prescience he had shown in bringing them. + </p> + <p> + Both the ladies unaffectedly liked Julia; so much so that they seemed + unwilling to make any plans which did not include her. Then it was only a + matter of course that where she went her brother should go—and a + further logical step quite naturally brought in their willing uncle. If he + had planned everything, and now was ordering everything, it could not have + gone more to his liking. + </p> + <p> + Certain side speculations lent a savour to the satisfaction with which he + viewed this state of affairs. He found many little signs to confirm the + suspicion that the two ladies had been the readier to make much of Julia + because they were not overkeen about each other's society. The bright, + sweet-natured girl had come as a welcome diversion to a couple who in + seclusion did battle with tendencies to yawn. He was not quite convinced, + for that matter, that the American lady always went to that trouble. She + seemed to his observation a wilful sort of person, who would not be + restrained by small ordinary considerations from doing the things she + wanted to do. Her relations with her companion afforded him food for much + thought. Without any overt demonstrations, she produced the effect of + ordering Lady Cressage about. This, so far as it went, tended to prejudice + him against her. On the other hand, however, she was so good to Julia, in + a peculiarly frank and buoyant way which fascinated the girl, that he + could not but like her. And she was very good to Alfred too. + </p> + <p> + There was, indeed, he perceived, a great deal of individuality about the + friendship which had sprung up between Miss Madden and his nephew. She was + years his senior—he settled it with himself that the American could + not be less than seven-and-twenty,—yet Alfred stole covert glances + of admiration at her, and seemed to think of nothing but opportunities for + being in her company as if—as if—Thorpe hardly liked to + complete the comparison in his own thoughts. Alfred, of course, said it + was all on account of her wonderful hair; he rather went out of his way to + dilate upon the enthusiasm her “colour scheme”—whatever that might + mean—excited in him as an artist. The uncle had moments of profound + skepticism about this—moments when he uneasily wondered whether it + was not going to be his duty to speak to the young man. For the most part, + however, he extracted reassurance from Miss Madden's demeanour toward the + lad. She knew, it seemed, a vast deal about pictures; at least she was + able to talk a vast deal about them, and she did it in such a calmly + dogmatic fashion, laying down the law always, that she put Alfred in the + position of listening as a pupil might listen to a master. The humility + with which his nephew accepted this position annoyed Thorpe upon occasion, + but he reasoned that it was a fault on the right side. Very likely it + would help to keep the fact of the lady's seniority more clearly before + the youngster's mind, and that would be so much gained. + </p> + <p> + And these apprehensions, after all, were scarcely to be counted in the + balance against the sense of achieved happiness with which these halcyon + days kept Thorpe filled. The initiatory dinner had gone off perfectly. He + could have wished, indeed, that Julia had a smarter frock, and more rings, + when he saw the imposing costumes and jewelled throats and hands of his + guests—but she was a young girl, by comparison, he reflected, and + there could be no doubt that they found her charming. As for Alfred, he + was notably fine-looking in his evening-clothes—infinitely more like + the son of a nobleman, the gratified uncle kept saying to himself, than + that big dullard, the Honourable Balder. It filled him with a new pleasure + to remember that Alfred had visiting cards presenting his name as + D'Aubigny, which everybody of education knew was what the degenerate + Dabney really stood for. The lad and his sister had united upon this + excellent change long ago at Cheltenham, and oddly enough they had + confessed it to their uncle, at the beginning of the trip, with a show of + trepidation, as if they feared his anger. With radiant gayety he had + relieved their minds by showing them his card, with “Mr. Stormont Thorpe” + alone upon it. At the dinner table, in the proudest moment of his life, he + had made himself prouder still by thinking how distinguished an appearance + his and Alfred's cards would make together in the apartment below next + day. + </p> + <p> + But next day, the relations between the two parties had already become too + informal for cards. Julia went down to see them; they came up to see + Julia. Then they all went for a long walk, with luncheon at Vevey, and + before evening Alfred was talking confidently of painting Miss Madden. + Next day they went by train to St. Maurice, and, returning after dark, + dined without ceremony together. This third day—the weather still + remaining bright—they had ascended by the funicular road to Glion, + and walked on among the swarming luegers, up to Caux. Here, after + luncheon, they had wandered about for a time, regarding the panorama of + lake and mountains. Now, as the homeward descent began, chance led the two + young people and Miss Madden on ahead. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe found himself walking beside Lady Cressage. He had upon his arm her + outer wrap, which she said she would put on presently. To look at the view + he must glance past her face: the profile, under the graceful fur cap, was + so enriched by glowing colour that it was, to his thought, as if she were + blushing. + </p> + <p> + “How little I thought, a few months ago,” he said, “that we should be + mountaineering together!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, no one knows a day ahead,” she responded, vaguely. “I had probably + less notion of coming to Switzerland then than you had.” + </p> + <p> + “Then you don't come regularly?” + </p> + <p> + “I have never seen either Germany or Switzerland before. I have scarcely + been out of England before.” + </p> + <p> + “Why now”—he paused, to think briefly upon his words—“I took + it for granted you were showing Miss Madden around.” + </p> + <p> + “It 's quite the other way about,” she answered, with a cold little laugh. + “It is she who is showing me around. It is her tour. I am the chaperone.” + Thorpe dwelt upon the word in his mind. He understood what it meant only + in a way, but he was luminously clear as to the bitterness of the tone in + which it had been uttered. + </p> + <p> + “No—it didn't seem as if it were altogether—what I might call—YOUR + tour,” he ventured. They had seen much of each other these past few days, + but it was still hard for him to make sure whether their freedom of + intercourse had been enlarged. + </p> + <p> + The slight shrug of the shoulders with which, in silence, she commented + upon his remark, embarrassed him. For a moment he said nothing. He went on + then with a renewed consciousness of risk. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't be annoyed with me,” he urged. “I've been travelling with + that dear little niece of mine and her brother, so long, that I've got + into a habit of watching to notice if the faces I see round me are happy. + And when they're not, then I have a kind of fatherly notion of + interfering, and seeing what's wrong.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled faintly at this, but when he added, upon doubtful inspiration—“By + the way, speaking of fathers, I didn't know at Hadlow that you were the + daughter of one of my Directors”—this smile froze upon the instant. + </p> + <p> + “The Dent du Midi is more impressive from the hotel, don't you think?” she + remarked, “than it is from here.” + </p> + <p> + Upon consideration, he resolved to go forward. “I have taken a great + interest in General Kervick,” he said, almost defiantly. “I am seeing to + it that he has a comfortable income—an income suitable to a + gentleman of his position—for the rest of his life.” + </p> + <p> + “He will be very glad of it,” she remarked. + </p> + <p> + “But I hoped that you would be glad of it too,” he told her, bluntly. A + curious sense of reliance upon his superiority in years had come to him. + If he could make his air elderly and paternal enough, it seemed likely + that she would defer to it. “I'm talking to you as I would to my niece, + you know,” he added, plausibly. + </p> + <p> + She turned her head to make a fleeting survey of his face, as if the point + of view took her by surprise. “I don't understand,” she said. “You are + providing an income for my father, because you wish to speak to me like an + uncle. Is that it?” + </p> + <p> + He laughed, somewhat disconsolately. “No—that isn't it,” he said, + and laughed again. “I couldn't tell, you know, that you wouldn't want to + talk about your father.” “Why, there's no reason in the world for not + talking of him,” she made haste to declare. “And if he's got something + good in the City, I'm sure I'm as glad as anyone. He is the sort that + ought always to have a good deal of money. I mean, it will bring out his + more amiable qualities. He does not shine much in adversity—any more + than I do.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe felt keenly that there were fine things to be said here—but + he had confidence in nothing that came to his tongue. “I've been a poor + man all my life—till now,” was his eventual remark. + </p> + <p> + “Please don't tell me that you have been very happy in your poverty,” she + adjured him, with the dim flicker of a returning smile. “Very likely there + are people who are so constituted, but they are not my kind. I don't want + to hear them tell about it. To me poverty is the horror—the + unmentionable horror!” + </p> + <p> + “There never was a day that I didn't feel THAT!” Thorpe put fervour into + his voice. “I was never reconciled to it for a minute. I never ceased + swearing to myself that I'd pull myself out of it. And that's what makes + me sort of soft-hearted now toward those—toward those who haven't + pulled themselves out of it.” + </p> + <p> + “Your niece says you are soft-hearted beyond example,” remarked Lady + Cressage. + </p> + <p> + “Who could help being, to such a sweet little girl as she is?” demanded + the uncle, fondly. + </p> + <p> + “She is very nice,” said the other. “If one may say such a thing, I fancy + these three months with her have had an appreciable effect upon you. I'm + sure I note a difference.” + </p> + <p> + “That's just what I've been saying to myself!” he told her. He was visibly + delighted with this corroboration. “I've been alone practically all my + life. I had no friends to speak of—I had no fit company—I + hadn't anything but the determination to climb out of the hole. Well, I've + done that—and I've got among the kind of people that I naturally + like. But then there came the question of whether they would like me. I + tell you frankly, that was what was worrying the heart out of me when I + first met you. I like to be confessing it to you now—but you + frightened me within an inch of my life. Well now, you see, I'm not scared + of you at all. And of course it's because Julia's been putting me through + a course of sprouts.” + </p> + <p> + The figure was lost upon Lady Cressage, but the spirit of the remarks + seemed not unpleasant to her. “I'm sure you're full of kindness,” she + said. “You must forget that I snapped at you—about papa.” “All I + remember about that is,” he began, his eye lighting up with the thought + that this time the opportunity should not pass unimproved, “that you said + he didn't shine much in adversity—-any more than you did. Now on + that last point I disagree with you, straight. There wouldn't be any place + in which you wouldn't shine.” + </p> + <p> + “Is that the way one talks to one's niece?” she asked him, almost + listlessly. “Such flattery must surely be bad for the young.” Her words + were sprightly enough, but her face had clouded over. She had no heart for + the banter. + </p> + <p> + “Ah”—he half-groaned. “I only wish I knew what was the right way to + talk to you. The real thing is that I see you're unhappy—and that + gets on my nerve—and I should like to ask you if there wasn't + something I could do—and ask it in such a way that you'd have to + admit there was—and I don't know enough to do it.” + </p> + <p> + He had a wan smile for thanks. “But of course there is nothing,” she + replied, gently. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, there must be!” he insisted. He had no longer any clear notions as to + where his tongue might not lead him. “There must be! You said I might talk + to you as I would to Julia.” + </p> + <p> + “Did I?” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I'm going to, anyway,” he went on stoutly, ignoring the note of + definite dissent in her interruption. “You ARE unhappy! You spoke about + being a chaperone. Well now, to speak plainly, if it isn't entirely + pleasant for you with Miss Madden—why wouldn't you be a chaperone + for Julia? I must be going to London very soon—but she can stay + here, or go to Egypt, or wherever she likes—and of course you would + do everything, and have everything—whatever you liked, too.” + </p> + <p> + “The conversation is getting upon rather impossible grounds, I'm afraid,” + she said, and then bit her lips together. Halting, she frowned a little in + the effort of considering her further words, but there was nothing severe + in the glance which she lifted to him as she began to speak. “Let us walk + on. I must tell you that you misconceive the situation entirely. Nobody + could possibly be kinder or more considerate than Miss Madden. Of course + she is American—or rather Irish-American, and I'm English, and our + notions and ways are not always alike. But that has nothing to do with it. + And it is not so much that she has many thousands a year, and I only a few + hundreds. That in itself would signify nothing—and if I must take + help from somebody I would rather take it from Celia Madden than anybody + else I know—but this is the point, Mr. Thorpe. I do not eat the + bread of dependence gracefully. I pull wry faces over it, and I don't try + very much to disguise them. That is my fault. Yes—oh yes, I know it + is a fault—but I am as I am. And if Miss Madden doesn't mind—why”—she + concluded with a mirthless, uncertain laugh—“why on earth should + you?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, why should I?” he echoed, reflectively. “I should like desperately to + tell you why. Sometime I will tell you.” + </p> + <p> + They walked on in silence for a brief space. Then she put out her hand for + her wrap, and as she paused, he spread it over her shoulders. + </p> + <p> + “I am amazed to think what we have been saying to each other,” she said, + buttoning the fur as they moved on again. “I am vexed with myself.” + </p> + <p> + “And more still with me,” he suggested. + </p> + <p> + “No-o—but I ought to be. You've made me talk the most shocking + rubbish.” + </p> + <p> + “There we disagree again, you know. Everything you've said's been perfect. + What you're thinking of now is that I'm not an old enough friend to have + been allowed to hear it. But if I'm not as old a friend as some, I wish I + could make you feel that I'm as solid a friend as any—as solid and + as staunch and as true. I wish I could hear you say you believed that.” + </p> + <p> + “But you talk of 'friends,'” she said, in a tone not at all responsive—“what + is meant by 'friends'? We've chanced to meet twice—and once we + barely exchanged civilities, and this time we've been hotel acquaintances—hardly + more, is it?—and you and your young people have been very polite to + me—and I in a silly moment have talked to you more about my affairs + than I should—I suppose it was because you mentioned my father. But + 'friends' is rather a big word for that, isn't it?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe pouted for a dubious moment. “I can think of a bigger word still,” + he said, daringly. “It's been on the tip of my tongue more than once.” + </p> + <p> + She quickened her pace. The air had grown perceptibly colder. The distant + mountains, visible ever and again through the bare branches, were of a + dark and cheerless blue, and sharply defined against the sky. It was not + yet the sunset hour, and there were no mists, but the light of day seemed + to be going out of the heavens. He hurried on beside her in depressed + silence. + </p> + <p> + Their companions were hidden from view in a convolution of the winding + road, but they were so near that their voices could be heard as they + talked. Frequently the sound of laughter came backward from them. + </p> + <p> + “They're jolly enough down there,” he commented at last, moodily. + </p> + <p> + “That's a good reason for our joining them, isn't it?” Her tone was at + once casual and pointed. + </p> + <p> + “But I don't want to join them!” he protested. “Why don't you stay with me—and + talk?” “But you bully me so,” she offered in explanation. + </p> + <p> + The phrase caught his attention. Could it be that it expressed her real + feeling? She had said, he recalled, that he had made her talk. Her + complaint was like an admission that he could overpower her will. If that + were true—then he had resources of masterfulness still in reserve + sufficient to win any victory. + </p> + <p> + “No—not bully you,” he said slowly, as if objecting to the word + rather than the idea. “That wouldn't be possible to me. But you don't know + me well enough to understand me. I am the kind of man who gets the things + he wants. Let me tell you something: When I was at Hadlow, I had never + shot a pheasant in my life. I used to do tolerably well with a rifle, but + I hardly knew anything about a shot-gun, and I don't suppose I'd ever + killed more than two or three birds on the wing—and that was ages + ago. But I took the notion that I would shoot better than anybody else + there. I made up my mind to it—and I simply did it, that's all. I + don't know if you remember—but I killed a good deal more than both + the others put together. I give you that as an example. I wanted you to + think that I was a crack shot—and so I made myself be a crack shot.” + </p> + <p> + “That is very interesting,” she murmured. They did not seem to be walking + quite so fast. + </p> + <p> + “Don't think I want to brag about myself,” he went on. “I don't fancy + myself—in that way. I'm not specially proud of doing things—it's + the things themselves that I care for. If some men had made a great + fortune, they would be conceited about it. Well, I'm not. What I'm keen + about is the way to use that fortune so that I will get the most out of it—the + most happiness, I mean. The thing to do is to make up your mind carefully + what it is that you want, and to put all your power and resolution into + getting it—and the rest is easy enough. I don't think there's + anything beyond a strong man's reach, if he only believes enough in + himself.” + </p> + <p> + “But aren't you confusing two things?” she queried. The subject apparently + interested her. “To win one's objects by sheer personal force is one + thing. To merely secure them because one's purse is longer than other + people's—that's quite another matter.” + </p> + <p> + He smiled grimly at her. “Well, I'll combine the two,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Then I suppose you will be altogether irresistible,” she said, lightly. + “There will be no pheasants left for other people at all.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't mind being chaffed,” he told her, with gravity. “So long as + you're good-natured, you can make game of me all you like. But I'm in + earnest, all the same. I'm not going to play the fool with my money and my + power. I have great projects. Sometime I'll tell you about them. They will + all be put through—every one of them. And you wouldn't object to + talking them over with me—would you?” + </p> + <p> + “My opinion on 'projects' is of no earthly value—to myself or anyone + else.” + </p> + <p> + “But still you'd give me your advice if I asked it?” he persisted. + “Especially if it was a project in which you were concerned?” + </p> + <p> + After a moment's constrained silence she said to him, “You must have no + projects, Mr. Thorpe, in which I am concerned. This talk is all very wide + of the mark. You are not entitled to speak as if I were mixed up with your + affairs. There is nothing whatever to warrant it.” + </p> + <p> + “But how can you help being in my projects if I put you there, and keep + you there?” he asked her, with gleeful boldness. “And just ask yourself + whether you do really want to help it. Why should you? You've seen enough + of me to know that I can be a good friend. And I'm the kind of friend who + amounts to something—who can and will do things for those he likes. + What obligation are you under to turn away that kind of a friend, when he + offers himself to you? Put that question plainly to yourself.” + </p> + <p> + “But you are not in a position to nominate the questions that I am to put + to myself,” she said. The effort to import decision into her tone and + manner was apparent. “That is what I desire you to understand. We must not + talk any more about me. I am not the topic of conversation.” + </p> + <p> + “But first let me finish what I wanted to say,” he insisted. “My talk + won't break any bones. You'd be wrong not to listen to it—because + it's meant to help you—to be of use to you. This is the thing, Lady + Cressage: You're in a particularly hard and unpleasant position. Like my + friend Plowden”—he watched her face narrowly but in vain, in the + dull light, for any change at mention of the name—“like my friend + Plowden you have a position and title to keep up, and next to nothing to + keep it up on. But he can go down into the City and make money—or + try to. He can accept Directorships and tips about the market and so on, + from men who are disposed to be good to him, and who see how he can be of + use to them—and in that way he can do something for himself. But + there is the difference: you can't do these things, or you think you + can't, which is the same thing. You're all fenced in; you're surrounded by + notice-boards, telling you that you mustn't walk this way or look that + way; that you mustn't say this thing or do the other. Now your friend down + ahead there—Miss Madden—she doesn't take much stock in + notice-boards. In fact, she feeds the gulls, simply because she's + forbidden to do it. But you—you don't feed any gulls, and yet you're + annoyed with yourself that you don't. Isn't that the case? Haven't I read + you right?” + </p> + <p> + She seemed to have submitted to his choice of a topic. There was no touch + of expostulation in the voice with which she answered him. “I see what you + think you mean,” she said. + </p> + <p> + “Think!” he responded, with self-confident emphasis. “I'm not 'thinking.' + I'm reading an open book. As I say, you're not contented—you're not + happy; you don't try to pretend that you are. But all the same, though you + hate it, you accept it. You think that you really must obey your + notice-boards. Now what I tell you you ought to do is to take a different + view. Why should you put up all this barbed wire between yourself and your + friends? It doesn't do anybody else any good—and it does you harm. + Why, for example, should Plowden be free to take things from me, and you + not?” + </p> + <p> + She glanced at him, with a cold half-smile in her eye. “Unfortunately I + was not asked to join your Board.” + </p> + <p> + He pressed his lips tightly together, and regarded her meditatively as he + turned these words over in his mind. “What I'm doing for Plowden,” he said + with slow vagueness meanwhile, “it isn't so much because he's on the + Board. He's of no special use to me there. But he was nice to me at a time + when that meant everything in the world to me—and I don't forget + things of that sort. Besides, I like him—and it pleases me to let + him in for a share of my good fortune. See? It's my way of enjoying + myself. Well now, I like you too, and why shouldn't I be allowed to let + you in also for a share of that good fortune? You think there's a + difference, but I tell you it's imaginary—pure moonshine. Why, the + very people whose opinion you're afraid of—what did they do + themselves when the South African craze was on? I'm told that the scum of + the earth had only to own some Chartered shares, and pretend to be 'in the + know' about them—and they could dine with as many duchesses as they + liked. I knew one or two of the men who were in that deal—I wouldn't + have them in my house—but it seems there wasn't any other house they + couldn't go to in London.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, there were many houses,” she interposed. “It wasn't a nice + exhibition that society made of itself—one admits that,—but it + was only one set that quite lost their heads. There are all kinds of sets, + you know. And—I don't think I see your application, in any event. + The craze, as you call it, was all on a business basis. People ran after + those who could tell them which shares were going up, and they gambled in + those shares. That was all, wasn't it?” + </p> + <p> + Still looking intently at her, he dismissed her query with a little shake + of the head. “'On a business basis,'” he repeated, as if talking to + himself. “They like to have things 'on a business basis.'” + </p> + <p> + He halted, with a hand held out over her arm, and she paused as well, in a + reluctant, tentative way. “I don't understand you,” she remarked, blankly. + </p> + <p> + “Let me put it in this way,” he began, knitting his brows, and marshalling + the thoughts and phrases with which his mind had been busy. “This is the + question. You were saying that you weren't asked to join my Board. You + explained in that way how I could do things for Plowden, and couldn't do + them for you. Oh, I know it was a joke—but it had its meaning—at + least to me. Now I want to ask you—if I decide to form another + Company, a very small and particular Company—if I should decide to + form it, I say—could I come to you and ask you to join THAT Board? + Of course I could ask—but what I mean is—well, I guess you + know what I mean.” + </p> + <p> + The metaphor had seemed to him a most ingenious and satisfactory vehicle + for his purpose, and it had broken down under him amid evidences of + confusion which he could not account for. All at once his sense of + physical ascendancy had melted away—disappeared. He looked at Lady + Cressage for an instant, and knew there was something shuffling and + nerveless in the way his glance then shifted to the dim mountain chain + beyond. His heart fluttered surprisingly inside his breast, during the + silence which ensued. + </p> + <p> + “Surely you must have said everything now that you wished to say,” she + observed at last. She had been studying intently the trodden snow at her + feet, and did not even now look up. The constraint of her manner, and a + certain pleading hesitation in her words, began at once to restore his + self-command. “Do not talk of it any further, I beg of you,” she went on. + “We—we have been lagging behind unconscionably. If you wish to + please me, let us hurry forward now. And please!—no more talk at + all!” + </p> + <p> + “But just a word—you're not angry?” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head very slightly. + </p> + <p> + “And you do know that I'm your friend—your solid, twenty-four-carat + friend?” + </p> + <p> + After a moment's pause, she made answer, almost in a whisper—“Yes—be + my friend—if it amuses you,”—and led the way with precipitate + steps down the winding road. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIII + </h2> + <p> + TWO days later, Thorpe and his young people took an early morning train + for Geneva—homeward bound. + </p> + <p> + It was entirely easy to accept their uncle's declaration that urgent + business summoned him to London, yet Julia and Alfred, when they chanced + to exchange glances after the announcement, read in each other's eyes the + formless impression that there were other things beside business. Their + uncle, they realized, must be concerned in large and probably venturesome + enterprises; but it did not fit with their conception of his character + that commercial anxieties should possess the power to upset him. And upset + he undeniably was. + </p> + <p> + They traced his disturbance, in a general way, to the morning following + the excursion up to Glion and Caux. He told them then that he had slept + very badly, and that they must “count him out” of their plans for the day. + He continued to be counted out of what remained of their stay at Territet. + He professed not to be ill, but he was restless and preoccupied. He ate + little, but smoked continuously, and drank spirits a good deal, which they + had not seen him do before. Nothing would induce him to go out either day. + </p> + <p> + Strangely enough, this disturbance of their uncle's equanimity + synchronized with an apparent change in the attitude of their new friends + on the floor below. This change was, indeed, more apparent than definable. + The ladies were, to the nicest scrutiny, as kindly and affable as ever, + but the sense of comradeship had somehow vanished. Insensibly, the two + parties had ceased to have impulses and tastes in common. There were no + more trips together—no more fortuitous luncheons or formal dinners + as a group. + </p> + <p> + The young people looked up at the front of the big hotel on this morning + of departure, after they had clambered over the drifts into the + snow-bedecked train, and opened the window of their compartment. They made + sure that they could identify the windows of Miss Madden's suite, and that + the curtains were drawn aside—but there was no other token of + occupancy discernible. They had said good-bye to the two ladies the + previous evening, of course—it lingered in their minds as a rather + perfunctory ceremony—but this had not prevented their hoping for + another farewell glimpse of their friends. No one came to wave a hand from + the balcony, however, and the youngsters looked somewhat dubiously at each + other as the train moved. Then intuitively they glanced toward their uncle—and + perceived that he had his hat pulled over his eyes, and was staring with a + kind of moody scowl at the lake opposite. + </p> + <p> + “Fortunately, it is a clear day,” said Julia. “We shall see Mont Blanc.” + </p> + <p> + Her voice seemed to have a hollow and unnatural sound in her own ears. + Neither her uncle nor her brother answered her. + </p> + <p> + At breakfast, meanwhile, in the apartment toward which the young people + had turned their farewell gaze in vain, Miss Madden sipped her coffee + thoughtfully while she read a letter spread upon the table beside her. + </p> + <p> + “It's as they said,” she observed. “You are not allowed to drive in the + mountains with your own horses and carriage. That seems rather quaint for + a model Republic—doesn't it?” + </p> + <p> + “I daresay they're quite right,” Lady Cressage replied, listlessly. “It's + in the interest of safety. People who do not know the mountains would + simply go and get killed in avalanches and hurricanes—and all that. + I suppose that is what the Government wishes to prevent.” + </p> + <p> + “And you're on the side of the Government,” said the other, with a twinkle + in her brown eyes. “Truly now—you hated the whole idea of driving + over the Simplon.” + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage lifted her brows in whimsical assent as she nodded. + </p> + <p> + “But do you like this Russian plan any better?” demanded Celia. “I wish + for once you would be absolutely candid and open with me—and let me + know to the uttermost just what you think.” “'For once'?” queried the + other. Her tone was placid enough, but she allowed the significance of the + quotation to be marked. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I never wholly know what you're thinking,” Miss Madden declared. She + put on a smile to alleviate the force of her remarks. “It is not you alone—Edith. + Don't think that! But it is ingrained in your country-women. You can't + help it. It's in your blood to keep things back. I've met numbers of + English ladies who, I'm ready to believe, would be incapable of telling an + untruth. But I've never met one of whom I could be sure that she would + tell me the whole truth. Don't you see this case in point,” she pursued, + with a little laugh, “I could not drag it out of you that you disliked the + Simplon idea, so long as there was a chance of our going. Immediately we + find that we can't go, you admit that you hated it.” + </p> + <p> + “But you wanted to go,” objected Lady Cressage, quietly. “That was the + important thing. What I wanted or did not want had nothing to do with the + matter.” + </p> + <p> + Celia's face clouded momentarily. “Those are not the kind of things I like + to hear you say,” she exclaimed, with a certain vigour. “They put + everything in quite a false light. I am every whit as anxious that you + should be pleased as that I should. You know that well enough. I've said + it a thousand times—and have I ever done anything to disprove it? + But I never can find out what you do want—what really will please + you! You never will propose anything; you never will be entirely frank + about the things I propose. It's only by watching you out of the corner of + my eye that I can ever guess whether anything is altogether to your liking + or not.” + </p> + <p> + The discussion seemed to be following lines familiar to them both. “That + is only another way of saying what you discovered long ago,” said Lady + Cressage, passively—“that I am deficient in the enthusiasms. But + originally you were of the opinion that you had enthusiasms enough for + two, and that my lack of them would redress the balance, so to speak. I + thought it was a very logical opinion then, and, from my own point of + view, I think so now. But if it does not work in practice, at least the + responsibility of defending it is not mine.” + </p> + <p> + “Delightful!” cried Celia, smiling gayly as she put down her cup again. + “You are the only woman I've ever known who was worth arguing with. The + mere operation makes me feel as if I were going through Oxford—or + passing the final Jesuit examinations. Heaven knows, I would get up + arguments with you every day, for the pure enjoyment of the thing—if + I weren't eternally afraid of saying something that would hurt your + feelings, and then you wouldn't tell me, but would nurse the wound in + silence in the dark, and I should know that something was wrong, and have + to watch you for weeks to make out what it was—and it would all be + too unhappy. But it comes back, you see, to what I said before. You don't + tell me things!” + </p> + <p> + Edith smiled in turn, affectionately enough, but with a wistful reserve. + “It is a constitutional defect—even national, according to you. How + shall I hope to change, at this late day? But what is it you want me to + tell you?—I forget.” + </p> + <p> + “The Russian thing. To go to Vienna, where we get our passports, and then + to Cracow, and through to Kief, which they say is awfully well worth while—and + next Moscow—and so on to St. Petersburg, in time to see the ice + break up. It is only in winter that you see the characteristic Russia: + that one has always heard. With the furs and the sledges, and the three + horses galloping over the snow—it seems to me it must be the best + thing in Europe—if you can call Russia Europe. That's the way it + presents itself to me—but then I was brought up in a half-Arctic + climate, and I love that sort of thing—in its proper season. It is + different with you. In England you don't know what a real winter is. And + so I have to make quite sure that you think you would like the Russian + experiment.” + </p> + <p> + The other laughed gently. “But if I don't know what a real winter is, how + can I tell whether I will like it or not? All I do know is that I am + perfectly willing to go and find out. Oh yes—truly—I should + like very much to go.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden sighed briefly. “All right,” she said, but with a notable + absence of conviction in her tone. + </p> + <p> + A space of silence ensued, as she opened and glanced through another note, + the envelope of which had borne no postmark. She pouted her lips over the + contents of this missive, and raised her eyebrows in token of surprise, + but as she laid it down she looked with a frank smile at her companion. + </p> + <p> + “It's from our young friend,” she explained, genially—“the + painter-boy—Mr. D'Aubigny. It is to remind me of a promise he says I + made—that when I came to London he should paint my portrait. I don't + think I promised anything of the kind—but I suppose that is a + detail. It's all my unfortunate hair. They must have gone by this time—they + were to go very early, weren't they?” + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage glanced at the clock. “It was 8:40, I think—fully half + an hour ago,” she answered, with a painstaking effect of indifference. + </p> + <p> + “Curious conglomeration”—mused the other. “The boy and girl are so + civilized, and their uncle is so rudimentary. I'm afraid they are spoiling + him just as the missionaries spoil the noble savage. They ought to go away + and leave him alone. As a barbarian he was rather effective—but they + will whitewash him and gild him and make a tame monstrosity of him. But I + suppose it's inevitable. Having made his fortune, it is the rule that he + must set up as a gentleman. We do it more simply in America. One + generation makes the fortune, and leaves it to the next generation to put + on the frills. My father, for example, never altered in the slightest + degree the habits he formed when he was a poor workman. To the day of his + death, blessed old man, he remained what he had always been—simple, + pious, modest, hard-working, kindly, and thrifty—a model peasant. + Nothing ever tempted him a hair's-breadth out of the path he had been bred + to walk in. But such nobility of mind and temper with it all! He never + dreamed of suggesting that I should walk in the same path. From my + earliest childhood I cannot remember his ever putting a limitation upon me + that wasn't entirely sensible and generous. I must have been an extremely + trying daughter, but he never said so; he never looked or acted as if he + thought so.—But I never stop when I begin talking of my father.” + </p> + <p> + “It's always very sweet to me to hear you talk of him,” Lady Cressage put + in. “One knows so few people who feel that way about their fathers!” + </p> + <p> + Celia nodded gravely, as if in benevolent comment upon something that had + been left unsaid. The sight of the young artist's note recalled her + earlier subject. “Of course there is a certain difference,” she went on, + carelessly,—“this Mr. Thorpe is not at all a peasant, as the phrase + goes. He strikes one, sometimes, as having been educated.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, he was at a public school, Lord Plowden tells me,” said the other, + with interest. “And his people were booksellers—somewhere in London—so + that he got a good smattering of literature and all that. He certainly has + more right to set up as a gentleman than nine out of ten of the nouveaux + riches one sees flaunting about nowadays. And he can talk very well indeed—in + a direct, practical sort of way. I don't quite follow you about his niece + and nephew spoiling him. Of course one can see that they have had a great + effect upon him. He sees it himself—and he's very proud of it. He + told me so, quite frankly. But why shouldn't it be a nice effect?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I don't know,” Celia replied, idly. “It seemed to me that he was the + kind of piratical buccaneer who oughtn't to be shaved and polished and + taught drawing-room tricks—I feel that merely in the interest of the + fitness of things. Have you looked into his eyes—I mean when they've + got that lack-lustre expression? You can see a hundred thousand dead men + in them.” + </p> + <p> + “I know the look you mean,” said Lady Cressage, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “Not that I assume he is going to kill anybody,” pursued Miss Madden, with + ostensible indifference, but fixing a glance of aroused attention upon her + companion's face, “or that he has any criminal intentions whatever. He + behaves very civilly indeed, and apparently his niece and nephew idolize + him. He seems to be the soul of kindness to them. It may be that I'm + altogether wrong about him—only I know I had the instinct of alarm + when I caught that sort of dull glaze in his eye. I met an African + explorer a year ago, or so, about whose expeditions dark stories were + told, and he had precisely that kind of eye. Perhaps it was this that put + it into my head—but I have a feeling that this Thorpe is an + exceptional sort of man, who would have the capacity in him for terrible + things, if the necessity arose for them.” + </p> + <p> + “I see what you mean,” the other repeated. She toyed with the bread-crumbs + about her plate, and reflectively watched their manipulation into squares + and triangles as she went on. “But may that not be merely the visible sign + of an exceptionally strong and masterful character? And isn't it, after + all, the result of circumstances whether such a character makes, as you + put it, a hundred thousand dead men, or enriches a hundred thousand lives + instead? We agree, let us say, that this Mr. Thorpe impresses us both as a + powerful sort of personality. The question arises, How will he use his + power? On that point, we look for evidence. You see a dull glaze in his + eye, and you draw hostile conclusions from it. I reply that it may mean no + more than that he is sleepy. But, on the other hand, I bring proofs that + are actively in his favour. He is, as you say, idolized by the only two + members of his family that we have seen—persons, moreover, who have + been brought up in ways different to his own, and who would not start, + therefore, with prejudices in his favour. Beyond that, I know of two cases + in which he has behaved, or rather undertaken to behave, with really + lavish generosity—and in neither case was there any claim upon him + of a substantial nature. He seems to me, in fact, quite too much disposed + to share his fortune with Tom, Dick, and Harry—anybody who excites + his sympathy or gets into his affections.” Having said this much, Lady + Cressage swept the crumbs aside and looked up. “So now,” she added, with a + flushed smile, “since you love arguments so much, how do you answer that?” + </p> + <p> + Celia smiled back. “Oh, I don't answer it at all,” she said, and her voice + carried a kind of quizzical implication. “Your proofs overwhelm me. I know + nothing of him—and you know so much!” + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage regarded her companion with a novel earnestness and + directness of gaze. “I had a long, long talk with him—the afternoon + we came down from Glion.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden rose, and going to the mantel lighted a cigarette. She did not + return to the table, but after a brief pause came and took an easy-chair + beside her friend, who turned to face her. “My dear Edith,” she said, with + gravity, “I think you want to tell me about that talk—and so I beg + you to do so. But if I'm mistaken—why then I beg you to do nothing + of the kind.” + </p> + <p> + The other threw out her hands with a gesture of wearied impatience, and + then clasped them upon her knee. “I seem not to know what I want! What is + the good of talking about it? What is the good of anything?” + </p> + <p> + “Now—now!” Celia's assumption of a monitor's tone had reference, + apparently, to something understood between the two, for Lady Cressage + deferred to it, and even summoned the ghost of a smile. + </p> + <p> + “There is really nothing to tell,”—she faltered, hesitatingly—“that + is, nothing happened. I don't know how to say it—the talk left my + mind in a whirl. I couldn't tell you why. It was no particular thing that + was said—it seemed to be more the things that I thought of while + something else was being talked about—but the whole experience made + a most tremendous impression upon me. I've tried to straighten it out in + my own mind, but I can make nothing of it. That is what disturbs me, + Celia. No man has ever confused me in this silly fashion before. Nothing + could be more idiotic. I'm supposed to hold my own in conversation with + people of—well, with people of a certain intellectual rank,—but + this man, who is of hardly any intellectual rank at all, and who rambled + on without any special aim that one could see—he reduced my brain to + a sort of porridge. I said the most extraordinary things to him—babbling + rubbish which a school-girl would be ashamed of. How is that to be + accounted for? I try to reason it out, but I can't. Can you?” + </p> + <p> + “Nerves,” said Miss Madden, judicially. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that is meaningless,” the other declared. “Anybody can say 'nerves.' + Of course, all human thought and action is 'nerves.'” + </p> + <p> + “But yours is a special case of nerves,” Celia pursued, with gentle + imperturbability. “I think I can make my meaning clear to you—though + the parallel isn't precisely an elegant one. The finest thoroughbred dog + in the world, if it is beaten viciously and cowed in its youth, will + always have a latent taint of nervousness, apprehension, timidity—call + it what you like. Well, it seems to me there's something like that in your + case, Edith. They hurt you too cruelly, poor girl. I won't say it broke + your nerve—but it made a flaw in it. Just as a soldier's old wound + aches when there's a storm in the air—so your old hurt distracts and + upsets you under certain psychological conditions. It's a rather clumsy + explanation, but I think it does explain.” + </p> + <p> + “Perhaps—I don't know,” Edith replied, in a tone of melancholy + reverie. “It makes a very poor creature out of me, whatever it is.” + </p> + <p> + “I rather lose patience, Edith,” her companion admonished her, gravely. + “Nobody has a right to be so deficient in courage as you allow yourself to + be.” + </p> + <p> + “But I'm not a coward,” the other protested. “I could be as brave as + anybody—as brave as you are—if a chance were given me. But of + what use is bravery against a wall twenty feet high? I can't get over it. + I only wound and cripple myself by trying to tear it down, or break + through it.—Oh yes, I know what you say! You say there is no wall—that + it is all an illusion of mine. But unfortunately I'm unable to take that + view. I've battered myself against it too long—too sorely, Celia!” + </p> + <p> + Celia shrugged her shoulders in comment. “Oh, we women all have our walls—our + limitations—if it comes to that,” she said, with a kind of + compassionate impatience in her tone. “We are all ridiculous together—from + the point of view of human liberty. The free woman is a fraud—a + myth. She is as empty an abstraction as the 'Liberty, Equality, + Fraternity' that the French put on their public buildings. I used to have + the most wonderful visions of what independence would mean. I thought that + when I was absolutely my own master, with my money and my courage and my + free mind, I would do things to astonish all mankind. But really the most + I achieve is the occasional mild surprise of a German waiter. Even that + palls on one after a time. And if you were independent, Edith—if you + had any amount of money—what difference do you think it would make + to you? What could you do that you don't do, or couldn't do, now?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, now”—said the other, looking up with a thin smile—“now is + an interval—an oasis.” + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden's large, handsome, clear-hued face, habitually serene in its + expression, lost something in composure as she regarded her companion. “I + don't know why you should say that,” she observed, gently enough, but with + an effect of reproof in her tone. “I have never put limits to the + connection, in my own mind—and it hadn't occurred to me that you + were doing so in yours.” + </p> + <p> + “But I'm not,” interposed Lady Cressage. + </p> + <p> + “Then I understand you less than ever. Why do you talk about an + 'interval'? What was the other word?—'oasis'—as if this were a + brief halt for refreshments and a breathing-spell, and that presently you + must wander forth into the desert again. That suggestion is none of mine. + We agreed that we would live together—'pool our issues,' as they say + in America. I wanted a companion; so did you. I have never for an instant + regretted the arrangement. Some of my own shortcomings in the matter I + have regretted. You were the most beautiful young woman I had ever seen, + and you were talented, and you seemed to like me—and I promised + myself that I would add cheerfulness and a gay spirit to your other gifts—and + in that I have failed wofully. You're not happy. I see that only too + clearly.” + </p> + <p> + “I know—I'm a weariness and a bore to you,” broke in the other, + despondingly. + </p> + <p> + “That is precisely what you're not,” Celia went on. “We mustn't use words + of that sort. They don't describe anything in our life at all. But I + should be better pleased with myself if I could really put my finger on + what it is that is worrying you. Even if we decided to break up our + establishment, I have told you that you should not go back to what you + regard as poverty. Upon that score, I had hoped that your mind was easy. + As I say, I think you attach more importance to money than those who have + tested its powers would agree to—but that's neither here nor there. + You did not get on well on 600 pounds a year—and that is enough. You + shall never have less than twice that amount, whether we keep together or + not—and if it ought to be three times the amount, that doesn't + matter. + </p> + <p> + “You don't seem to realize, Edith”—she spoke with increased + animation—“that you are my caprice. You are the possession that I am + proudest of and fondest of. There is nothing else that appeals to me a + hundredth part as much as you do. Since I became independent, the one real + satisfaction I have had is in being able to do things for you—to + have you with me, and make you share in the best that the world can offer. + And if with it all you remain unhappy, why then you see I don't know what + to do.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I know—I behave very badly!” Lady Cressage had risen, and with + visible agitation began now to pace the room. “I deserve to be thrown into + the lake—I know it well enough! But Celia—truly—I'm as + incapable of understanding it as you are. It must be that I am possessed + by devils—like the people in the New Testament. Perhaps someone will + come along who can cast them out. I don't seem able to do it myself. I + can't rule myself at all. It needs a strength I haven't got!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah!” said Celia, thoughtfully. The excited sentences which Edith threw + over her shoulder as she walked appeared, upon examination, to contain a + suggestion. + </p> + <p> + “My dear child,” she asked abruptly, after a moment's silence, “do you + want to marry?” + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage paused at the mantel, and exchanged a long steadfast glance + with her friend. Then she came slowly forward. “Ah, that is what I don't + know,” she answered. Apparently the reply was candid. + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden pursed her lips, and frowned a little in thought. Then, at + some passing reflection, she smiled in a puzzled fashion. At last she also + rose, and went to the mantel for another cigarette. “Now I am going to + talk plainly,” she said, with decision. “Since the subject is mentioned, + less harm will be done by speaking out than by keeping still. There is a + debate in your mind on the matter, isn't there?” + </p> + <p> + The other lady, tall, slender, gently ruminative once more, stood at the + window and with bowed head looked down at the lake. “Yes—I suppose + it might be called that,” she replied, in a low voice. + </p> + <p> + “And you hesitate to tell me about it? You would rather not?” Celia, after + an instant's pause, went on without waiting for an answer. “I beg that you + won't assume my hostility to the idea, Edith. In fact, I'm not sure I + don't think it would be the best thing for you to do. Marriage, a home, + children—these are great things to a woman. We can say that she pays + the price of bondage for them—but to know what that signifies, we + must ask what her freedom has been worth to her.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” interposed the other, from the window. “What have I done with my + freedom that has been worth while?” + </p> + <p> + “Not much,” murmured Celia, under her breath. She moved forward, and stood + beside Edith, with an arm round her waist. They looked together at the + lake. + </p> + <p> + “It is Lord Plowden, is it not?” asked the American, as the silence grew + constrained. + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage looked up alertly, and then hesitated over her reply. “No,” + she said at last. Upon reflection, and with a dim smile flickering in her + side-long glance at Celia, she added, “He wants to marry you, you know.” + </p> + <p> + “Leave that out of consideration,” said Celia, composedly. “He has never + said so. I think it was more his mother's idea than his, if it existed at + all. Of course I am not marrying him, or anybody else. But I saw at Hadlow + that you and he were—what shall I say?—old friends.” + </p> + <p> + “He must marry money,” the other replied. In an unexpected burst of + candour she went on: “He would have asked me to marry him if I had had + money. There is no harm in telling you that. It was quite understood—oh, + two years ago. And I think I wished I had the money—then.” + </p> + <p> + “And you don't wish it now?” + </p> + <p> + A slight shake of Edith's small, shapely head served for answer. After a + little, she spoke in a musing tone: “He is going to have money of his own, + very soon, but I don't think it would attract me now. I like him + personally, of course, but—there is no career, no ambition, no + future.” + </p> + <p> + “A Viscount has future enough behind him,” observed Celia. + </p> + <p> + “It doesn't attract me,” the other repeated, vaguely. “He is handsome, and + clever, and kind and all that—but he would never appeal to any of + the great emotions—nor be capable of them himself He is too smooth, + too well-balanced, too much the gentleman. That expresses it badly—but + do you see what I mean?” + </p> + <p> + Celia turned, and studied the beautiful profile beside her, in a steady, + comprehending look. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I think I see what you mean,” she said, with significance in her + tone. + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage flushed, and released herself from her companion's arm. “But + I don't know myself what I mean!” she exclaimed, despairingly, as she + moved away. “I don't know!—I don't know!” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIV + </h2> + <p> + ON the last day of February, Mrs. Dabney was surprised if not exhilarated + by a visit from her two children in the little book-shop. + </p> + <p> + “It's the last day in the world that I should have thought you'd 'a' come + out on,” she told them, in salutation—and for comment they all + glanced along the dark narrow alley of shelves to the street window. A + gloomy spectacle it was indeed, with a cold rain slanting through the + discredited remnants of a fog, which the east wind had broken up, but + could not drive away, and with only now and again a passer-by moving + across the dim vista, masked beneath an umbrella, or bent forward with + chin buried in turned-up collar. In the doorway outside the sulky boy + stamped his feet and slapped his sides with his arms in pantomimic mutiny + against the task of guarding the book-stalls' dripping covers, which + nobody would be mad enough to pause over, much less to lift. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know but I'd ought to let the boy bring in the books and go + home,” she said, as their vague gaze was attracted by his gestures. “But + it isn't three yet—it seems ridiculous to close up. Still, if you'd + be more comfortable upstairs—” + </p> + <p> + “Why, mamma! The idea of making strangers of us,” protested Julia. She + strove to make her tone cheerful, but its effect of rebuke was + unmistakable. + </p> + <p> + The mother, leaning against the tall desk, looked blankly at her daughter. + The pallid flicker of the gas-jet overhead made her long, listless face + seem more devoid of colour than ever. + </p> + <p> + “But you are as good as strangers, aren't you?” she observed, coldly. + “You've been back in town ten days and more, and I've scarcely laid eyes + upon either of you. But don't you want to sit down? You can put those + parcels on the floor anywhere. Or shall I do it for you?” + </p> + <p> + Alfred had been lounging in the shadowed corner against a heap of old + magazines tied in bundles. He sprang up now and cleared the chair, but his + sister declined it with a gesture. Her small figure had straightened + itself into a kind of haughty rigidity. + </p> + <p> + “There has been so much to do, mamma,” she explained, in a clear, cool + voice. “We have had hundreds of things to buy and to arrange about. All + the responsibility for the housekeeping rests upon me—and Alfred has + his studio to do. But of course we should have looked in upon you sooner—and + much oftener—if we had thought you wanted us. But really, when we + came to you, the very day after our return, it was impossible for us to + pretend that you were glad to see us.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I was glad enough,” Mrs. Dabney made answer, mechanically. “Why + shouldn't I be glad? And why should you think I wasn't glad? Did you + expect me to shout and dance?” + </p> + <p> + “But you said you wouldn't come to see us in Ovington Square,” Alfred + reminded her. + </p> + <p> + “That's different,” she declared. “What would I be doing in Ovington + Square? It's all right for you to be there. I hope you'll be happy there. + But it wouldn't add anything to your happiness to have me there; it would + be quite the other way about. I know that, if you DON'T. This is my place, + here, and I intend to stick to it!” + </p> + <p> + Julia's bright eyes, scanning the apathetic, stubborn maternal + countenance, hardened beyond their wont. “You talk as if there had been + some class war declared,” she said, with obvious annoyance. “You know that + Uncle Stormont would like nothing better than to be as nice to you as he + is to us.” + </p> + <p> + “Uncle Stormont!” Mrs. Dabney's repetition of the words was surcharged + with hostile sarcasm. “But his name was Stormont as much as it was Joel,” + broke in Alfred, from his dark corner. “He has a perfect right to use the + one he likes best.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I don't dispute his right,” she replied, once more in her passionless + monotone. “Everybody can call themselves whatever they please. It's no + affair of mine. You and your sister spell your father's name in a way to + suit yourselves: I never interfered, did I? You have your own ideas and + your own tastes. They are quite beyond me—but they're all right for + you. I don't criticize them at all. What I say is that it is a great mercy + your uncle came along, with his pockets full of money to enable you to + make the most of them. If I were religious I should call that + providential.” + </p> + <p> + “And that's what we DO call it,” put in Julia, with vivacity. “And why + should you shut your doors against this Providence, mamma? Just think of + it! We don't insist upon your coming to live at Ovington Square at all. + Probably, as you say, you would be happier by yourself—at least for + the present. But when Uncle St—when uncle says there's more than + enough money for us all, and is only too anxious for you to let him do + things for you—why, he's your own brother! It's as if I should + refuse to allow Alfred to do things for me.” + </p> + <p> + “That you never did,” interposed the young man, gayly. “I'll say that for + you, Jule.” + </p> + <p> + “And never will,” she assured him, with cheerful decision. “But no—mamma—can't + you see what we mean? We have done what you wanted us to do. You sent us + both to much better schools than you could afford, from the time we were + of no age at all—and when uncle's money came you sent us to + Cheltenham. We did you no discredit. We worked very well; we behaved + ourselves properly. We came back to you at last with fair reason to + suppose that you would be—I won't say proud, but at least well + satisfied with us—and then it turned out that you didn't like us at + all.” + </p> + <p> + “I never said anything of the sort,” the mother declared, with a touch of + animation. + </p> + <p> + “Oh no—you never said it,” Julia admitted, “but what else can we + think you mean? Our uncle sends for us to go abroad with him, and you busy + yourself getting me ready, and having new frocks made and all that—and + I never hear a suggestion that you don't want me to go——” + </p> + <p> + “But I did want you to go,” Mrs. Dabney affirmed. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, when I come back—when we come back, and tell you what + splendid and generous plans uncle has made for us, and how he has taken a + beautiful furnished house and made it our home, and so on,—why, you + won't even come and look at the house!” + </p> + <p> + “But I don't want to see it,” the mother retorted; obstinately. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, you needn't!” said Alfred, rising. “Nobody will ask you + again.” “Oh yes they will,” urged Julia, glancing meaningly from one to + the other. All her life, as it seemed, she had been accustomed to mediate + between these two unpliable and stubborn temperaments. From her earliest + childhood she had understood, somehow, that there was a Dabney habit of + mind, which was by comparison soft and if not yielding, then politic: and + set over against it there was a Thorpe temper full of gnarled and twisted + hardnesses, and tenacious as death. In the days of her grandfather Thorpe, + whom she remembered with an alarmed distinctness, there had existed a kind + of tacit idea that his name alone accounted for and justified the most + persistent and stormy bad temper. That old man with the scowling brows + bullied everybody, suspected everybody, apparently disliked everybody, + vehemently demanded his own will of everybody—and it was all to be + explained, seemingly, by the fact that he was a Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + After his disappearance from the scene—unlamented, to the best of + Julia's juvenile perceptions—there had been relatively peaceful + times in the book-shop and the home overhead, yet there had existed always + a recognized line of demarcation running through the household. Julia and + her father—a small, hollow-chested, round-shouldered young man, with + a pale, anxious face and ingratiating manner, who had entered the shop as + an assistant, and remained as a son-in-law, and was now the thinnest of + unsubstantial memories—Julia and this father had stood upon one side + of this impalpable line as Dabneys, otherwise as meek and tractable + persons, who would not expect to have their own way. + </p> + <p> + Alfred and his mother were Thorpes—that is to say, people who + necessarily had their own way. Their domination was stained by none of the + excesses which had rendered the grandfather intolerable. Their surface + temper was in truth almost sluggishly pacific. Underneath, however, ugly + currents and sharp rocks were well known to have a potential existence—and + it was the mission of the Dabneys to see that no wind of provocation + unduly stirred these depths. Worse even than these possibilities of + violence, however, so far as every-day life was concerned, was the strain + of obstinacy which belonged to the Thorpe temper. A sort of passive + mulishness it was, impervious to argument, immovable under the most + sympathetic pressure, which particularly tried the Dabney patience. It + seemed to Julia now, as she interposed her soothing influence between + these jarring forces, that she had spent whole years of her life in + personal interventions of this sort. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes they will,” she repeated, and warned her brother into the + background with a gesture half-pleading half-peremptory. “We are your + children, and we're not bad or undutiful children at all, and I'm sure + that when you think it all over, mamma, you'll see that it would be absurd + to let anything come between you and us.” + </p> + <p> + “How could I help letting it come?” demanded the mother, listlessly + argumentative. “You had outgrown me and my ways altogether. It was + nonsense to suppose that you would have been satisfied to come back and + live here again, over the shop. I couldn't think for the life of me what I + was going to do with you. But now your uncle has taken all that into his + own hands. He can give you the kind of home that goes with your education + and your ideas—and what more do you want? Why should you come + bothering me?” + </p> + <p> + “How unjust you are, mamma!” cried Julia, with a glaze of tears upon her + bright glance. + </p> + <p> + The widow took her elbow from the desk, and, slowly straightening herself, + looked down upon her daughter. Her long plain face, habitually grave in + expression, conveyed no hint of exceptional emotion, but the fingers of + the large, capable hands she clasped before her writhed restlessly against + one another, and there was a husky-threat of collapse in her voice as she + spoke: + </p> + <p> + “If you ever have children of your own,” she said, “and you slave your + life out to bring them up so that they'll think themselves your betters, + and they act accordingly—then you'll understand. But you don't + understand now—and there's no good our talking any more about it. + Come in whenever it's convenient—and you feel like it. I must go + back to my books now.” + </p> + <p> + She took up a pen at this, and opened the cash-book upon the blotter. Her + children, surveying her blankly, found speech difficult. With some + murmured words, after a little pause, they bestowed a perfunctory kiss + upon her unresponsive cheek, and filed out into the rain. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Dabney watched them put up their umbrella, and move off Strandward + beneath it. She continued to look for a long time, in an aimless, + ruminating way, at the dismal prospect revealed by the window and the + glass of the door. The premature night was closing in miserably, with + increasing rain, and a doleful whistle of rising wind round the corner. At + last she shut up the unconsidered cash-book, lighted another gas-jet, and + striding to the door, rapped sharply on the glass. + </p> + <p> + “Bring everything in!” she called to the boy, and helped out his + apprehension by a comprehensive gesture. + </p> + <p> + Later, when he had completed his task, and one of the two narrow outlets + from the shop in front was satisfactorily blocked with the wares from + without, and all the floor about reeked with the grimy drippings of the + oilskins, Mrs. Dabney summoned him to the desk in the rear. + </p> + <p> + “I think you may go home now,” she said to him, with the laconic + abruptness to which he was so well accustomed. “You have a home, haven't + you?” + </p> + <p> + Remembering the exhaustive enquiries which the Mission people had made + about him and his belongings, as a preliminary to his getting this job, he + could not but be surprised at the mistress's question. In confusion he + nodded assent, and jerked his finger toward his cap. + </p> + <p> + “Got a mother?” she pursued. Again he nodded, with augmented confidence. + </p> + <p> + “And do you think yourself better than she is?” + </p> + <p> + The urchin's dirty and unpleasant face screwed itself up in anxious + perplexity over this strange query. Then it cleared as he thought he + grasped the idea, and the rat-eyes he lifted to her gleamed with the fell + acuteness of the Dials. “I sh'd be sorry if I wasn't,” he answered, in + swift, rasping accents. “She's a rare old boozer, she is! It's a fair + curse to an honest boy like me, to 'ave—” “Go home!” she bade him, + peremptorily—and frowned after him as he ducked and scuttled from + the shop. + </p> + <p> + Left to herself, Mrs. Dabney did not reopen the cash-book—the + wretched day, indeed, had been practically a blank in its history—but + loitered about in the waning light among the shelves near the desk, + altering the position of books here and there, and glancing cursorily + through others. Once or twice she went to the door and looked out upon the + rain-soaked street. A tradesman's assistant, opposite, was rolling the + iron shutters down for the night. If business in hats was over for the + day, how much more so in books! Her shop had never been fitted with + shutters—for what reason she could not guess. The opened pages of + numerous volumes were displayed close against the window, but no one had + ever broken a pane to get at them. Apparently literature raised no desires + in the criminal breast. To close the shop there was nothing to do but lock + and bolt the door and turn out the lights. At last, as the conviction of + nightfall forced itself upon her from the drenched darkness outside, she + bent to put her hand to the key. Then, with a little start of surprise, + she stood erect. Someone was shutting an umbrella in the doorway, + preparatory to entering the shop. + </p> + <p> + It was her brother, splashed and wet to the knees, but with a glowing + face, who pushed his way in, and confronted her with a broad grin. There + was such a masterful air about him, that when he jovially threw an arm + round her gaunt waist, and gathered her up against his moist shoulder, she + surprised herself by a half-laughing submission. + </p> + <p> + Her vocabulary was not rich in phrases for this kind of emergency. “Do + mind what you're about!” she told him, flushing not unpleasurably. + </p> + <p> + “Shut up the place!” he answered, with lordly geniality. “I've walked all + the way from the City in the rain. I wanted the exertion—I couldn't + have sat in a cab. Come back and build up the fire, and let's have a talk. + God! What things I've got to tell you!” + </p> + <p> + “There isn't any fire down here,” she said, apologetically, as they edged + their way through the restricted alley to the rear. “The old fireplace + took up too much room. Sometimes, in very sharp weather, I have an + oil-stove in. Usually the gas warms it enough. You don't find it too cold—do + you?—with your coat on? Or would you rather come upstairs?” + </p> + <p> + “Never mind the cold,” he replied, throwing a leg over the stool before + the desk. “I can't stay more 'n a minute or two. What do you think we've + done today?” + </p> + <p> + Louisa had never in her life seen her brother look so well as he did now, + sprawling triumphantly upon the stool under the yellow gas-light. His + strong, heavily-featured face had somehow ceased to be commonplace. It had + acquired an individual distinction of its own. He looked up at her with a + clear, bold eye, in which, despite its gloss of good-humour, she discerned + a new authority. + </p> + <p> + The nervous and apprehensive lines had somehow vanished from the + countenance, and with them, oddly enough, that lethargic, heavy expression + which had been their complement. He was all vigour, readiness, confidence, + now. She deemed him almost handsome, this curious, changeable brother of + hers, as he beat with his fist in a measured way upon the desk-top to + emphasize his words, and fastened his commanding gaze upon her. + </p> + <p> + “We took very nearly twenty thousand pounds to-day,” he went on. “This is + the twenty-eighth of February. A fortnight ago today was the first + settlement. I wasn't here, but Semple was—and the working of it is + all in his hands. He kept as still as a mouse that first day. They had to + deliver to us 26,000 shares, and they hadn't got one, but we didn't make + any fuss. The point was, you see, not to let them dream that they were + caught in a trap. We didn't even put the price up to par. They had to come + to Semple, and say there didn't seem to be any shares obtainable just at + the moment, and what would he carry them over at? That means, to let them + postpone delivery for another fortnight. He was as smooth as sweet-oil + with them, and agreed to carry them over till today without any charge at + all. But today it was a little different. The price was up ten shillings + above par. That is to say, Semple arranged with a jobber, on the quiet, + d'ye see? to offer thirty shillings for our one-pound shares. That offer + fixed the making-up price. So then, when they were still without shares + to-day, and had to be carried over again, they had to pay ten shillings' + difference on each of twenty-six thousand shares, plus the difference + between par and the prices they'd sold at. That makes within a few + hundreds of 20,000 pounds in cash, for one day's haul. D'ye see?” + </p> + <p> + She nodded at him, expressively. Through previous talks she had really + obtained an insight into the operation, and it interested her more than + she would have cared to confess. + </p> + <p> + “Well, then, we put that 20,000 pounds in our pockets,” he proceeded with + a steady glow in his eyes. “A fortnight hence, that is March 14th, we ring + the bell on them again, and they march up to the captain's office and + settle a second time. Now what happens on the 14th? A jobber makes the + price for Semple again, and that settles the new sum they have to pay us + in differences. It is for us to say what that price shall be. We'll decide + on that when the time comes. We most probably will just put it up another + ten shillings, and so take in just a simple 13,000 pounds. It's best in + the long run, I suppose, to go slow, with small rises like that, in order + not to frighten anybody. So Semple says, at any rate.” + </p> + <p> + “But why not frighten them?” Louisa asked. “I thought you wanted to + frighten them. You were full of that idea a while ago.” + </p> + <p> + He smiled genially. “I've learned some new wrinkles since then. We'll + frighten 'em stiff enough, before we're through with them. But at the + start we just go easy. If they got word that there was a 'corner,' there + would be a dead scare among the jobbers. They'd be afraid to sell or name + a price for Rubber Consols unless they had the shares in hand. And there + are other ways in which that would be a nuisance. Presently, of course, we + shall liberate some few shares, so that there may be some actual dealings. + Probably a certain number of the 5,000 which went to the general public + will come into the market too. But of course you see that all such shares + will simply go through one operation before they come back to us. Some one + of the fourteen men we are squeezing will snap them up and bring them + straight to Semple, to get free from the fortnightly tax we are levying on + them. In that way we shall eventually let out say half of these fourteen + 'shorts,' or perhaps more than half.” + </p> + <p> + “What do you want to do that for?” The sister's grey eyes had caught a + metallic gleam, as if from the talk about gold. “Why let anybody out? Why + can't you go on taking their money for ever?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded complacently. “Yes—that's what I asked too. It seemed + to me the most natural thing, when you'd got 'em in the vise, to keep them + there. But when you come to reflect—you can't get more out of a man + than there is in him. If you press him too hard, he can always go bankrupt—and + then he's out of your reach altogether, and you lose everything that you + counted on making out of him. So, after a certain point, each one of the + fourteen men whom we're squeezing must be dealt with on a different + footing. We shall have to watch them all, and study their resources, as + tipsters watch horses in the paddock. + </p> + <p> + “You see, some of them can stand a loss of a hundred thousand pounds + better than others could lose ten thousand. All that we have to know. We + can take it as a principle that none of them will go bankrupt and lose his + place on the exchange unless he is pressed tight to the wall. Well, our + business is to learn how far each fellow is from the wall to start with. + Then we keep track of him, one turn of the screw after another, till we + see he's got just enough left to buy himself out. Then we'll let him out. + See?” + </p> + <p> + “It's cruel, isn't it?” she commented, calmly meditative, after a little + pause. + </p> + <p> + “Everything in the City is cruel,” he assured her with a light tone. “All + speculative business is cruel. Take our case, for example. I estimate in a + rough way that these fourteen men will have to pay over to us, in + differences and in final sales, say seven hundred thousand pounds—maybe + eight hundred. Well, now, not one of those fellows ever earned a single + sovereign of that money. They've taken the whole of it from others, and + these others took it from others still, and so on almost indefinitely. + There isn't a sovereign of it that hasn't been through twenty hands, or + fifty for that matter, since the last man who had done some honest work + for it parted company with it. Well—money like that belongs to those + who are in possession of it, only so long as they are strong enough to + hold on to it. When someone stronger still comes along, he takes it away + from them. They don't complain: they don't cry and say it's cruel. They + know it's the rule of the game. They accept it—and begin at once + looking out for a new set of fools and weaklings to recoup themselves on. + That's the way the City goes.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had concluded his philosophical remarks with ruminative slowness. + As he lapsed into silence now, he fell to studying his own hands on the + desk-top before him. He stretched out the fingers, curved them in + different degrees, then closed them tight and turned the bulky + hard-looking fists round for inspection in varying aspects. + </p> + <p> + “That's the kind of hand,” he began again, thoughtfully, “that breaks the + Jew in the long run, if there's only grit enough behind it. I used to + watch those Jews' hands, a year ago, when I was dining and wining them. + They're all thin and wiry and full of veins. Their fingers are never + still; they twist round and keep stirring like a lobster's feelers. But + there aint any real strength in 'em. They get hold of most of the things + that are going, because they're eternally on the move. It's their hellish + industry and activity that gives them such a pull, and makes most people + afraid of them. But when a hand like that takes them by the throat”—he + held up his right hand as he spoke, with the thick uncouth fingers and + massive thumb arched menacingly in a powerful muscular tension—“when + THAT tightens round their neck, and they feel that the grip means business—my + God! what good are they?” + </p> + <p> + He laughed contemptuously, and slapped the relaxed palm on the desk with a + noise which made his sister start. Apparently the diversion recalled + something to her mind. + </p> + <p> + “There was a man in here asking about you today,” she remarked, in a + casual fashion. “Said he was an old friend of yours.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, everybody's my 'old friend' now,” he observed with beaming + indifference. “I'm already getting heaps of invitations to dinners and + dances and all that. One fellow insisted on booking me for Easter for some + salmon fishing he's got way down in Cumberland. I told him I couldn't + come, but he put my name down all the same. Says his wife will write to + remind me. Damn his wife! Semple tells me that when our squeeze really + begins and they realize the desperate kind of trap they're in, they'll + simply shower attentions of that sort on me. He says the social pressure + they can command, for a game of this kind, is something tremendous. But + I'm not to be taken in by it for a single pennyworth, d'ye see? I dine + with nobody! I fish and shoot and go yachting with nobody! Julia and + Alfred and our own home in Ovington Square—that'll be good enough + for me. By the way—you haven't been out to see us yet. We're all + settled now. You must come at once—why not with me, now?” + </p> + <p> + Louisa paid no heed to this suggestion. She had been rummaging among some + loose papers on the top of the desk, and she stepped round now to lift the + lid and search about for something inside. + </p> + <p> + “He left a card for you,” she said, as she groped among the desk's + contents. “I don't know what I did with it. He wrote something on it.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, damn him, and his card too,” Thorpe protested easily. “I don't want + to see either of them.” + </p> + <p> + “He said he knew you in Mexico. He said you'd had dealings together. He + seemed to act as if you'd want to see him—but I didn't know. I + didn't tell him your address.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had listened to these apathetic sentences without much interest, + but the sum of their message appeared suddenly to catch his attention. He + sat upright, and after a moment's frowning brown study, looked sharply up + at his sister. + </p> + <p> + “What was his name?” he asked with abruptness. + </p> + <p> + “I don't in the least remember,” she made answer, holding the desk-top up, + but temporarily suspending her search. “He was a little man, + five-and-fifty, I should think. He had long grey hair—a kind of + Quaker-looking man. He said he saw the name over the door, and he + remembered your telling him your people were booksellers. He only got back + here in England yesterday or the day before. He said he didn't know what + you'd been doing since you left Mexico. He didn't even know whether you + were in England or not!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had been looking with abstracted intentness at a set of green-bound + cheap British poets just at one side of his sister's head. “You must find + that card!” he told her now, with a vague severity in his voice. “I know + the name well enough, but I want to see what he's written. Was it his + address, do you remember? The name itself was Tavender, wasn't it? Good + God! Why is it a woman never knows where she's put anything? Even Julia + spends hours looking for button-hooks or corkscrews or something of that + sort, every day of her life! They've got nothing in the world to do except + know where things are, right under their nose, and yet that's just what + they don't know at all!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I have a good few other things to do,” she reminded him, as she + fumbled again inside the obscurity of the desk. “I can put my hand on any + one of four thousand books in stock,” she mildly boasted over her + shoulder, “and that's something you never learned to do. And I can tell if + a single book is missing—and I wouldn't trust any shopman I ever + knew to do that.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh of course, you're an exception,” he admitted, under a sense of + justice. “But I wish you'd find the card.” + </p> + <p> + “I know where it is,” she suddenly announced, and forthwith closed the + desk. Moving off into the remoter recesses of the crowded interior, she + returned to the light with the bit of pasteboard in her hand. “I'd stuck + it in the little mirror over the washstand,” she explained. + </p> + <p> + He almost snatched it from her, and stood up the better to examine it + under the gas-light. “Where is Montague Street?” he asked, with rough + directness. + </p> + <p> + “In Bloomsbury—alongside the Museum. That's one Montague Street—I + don't know how many others there may be.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had already taken up his umbrella and was buttoning his coat. “Yes—Bloomsbury,” + he said hurriedly. “That would be his form. And you say he knew nothing + about my movements or whereabouts—nothing about the Company, eh?” He + looked at his watch as he spoke. Evidently the presence of this stranger + had excited him a good deal. + </p> + <p> + “No,” she assured him, reflectively; “no, I'm sure he didn't. From what he + said, he doesn't know his way about London very well, or anywhere else, + for that matter, I should say.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded, and put his finger to his forehead with a meaning look. “No—he's + a shade off in the upper story,” he told her in a confidential tone. + “Still, it's important that I should see him,”—and with only a hasty + hand-shake he bustled out of the shop. + </p> + <p> + By the light of the street lamp opposite, she could see him on the + pavement, in the pelting rain, vehemently signalling with his umbrella for + a cab. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XV + </h2> + <p> + “We've got a spare room here, haven't we?” Thorpe asked his niece, when + she came out to greet him in the hall of their new home in Ovington + Square. He spoke with palpable eagerness before even unbuttoning his damp + great-coat, or putting off his hat. “I mean it's all in working order + ready for use?” + </p> + <p> + “Why yes, uncle,” Julia answered, after a moment's thought. “Is someone + coming?” + </p> + <p> + “I think so,” he replied, with a grunt of relief. He seemed increasingly + pleased with the project he had in mind, as she helped him off with his + things. The smile he gave her, when she playfully took his arm to lead him + into the adjoining library, was clearly but a part of the satisfied grin + with which he was considering some development in his own affairs. + </p> + <p> + He got into his slippers and into the easy-chair before the bright fire + and lit a cigar with a contented air. + </p> + <p> + “Well, my little girl?” he said, with genial inconsequence, and smiled + again at her, where she stood beside the mantel. + </p> + <p> + “It will be such a lark to play the hostess to a stranger!” she exclaimed. + “When is he coming?—I suppose it is a 'he,'” she added, less + buoyantly. + </p> + <p> + “Oh—that fellow,” Thorpe said, as if he had been thinking of + something else. “Well—I can't tell just when he will turn up. I only + learned he was in town—or in England—a couple of hours ago. I + haven't seen him yet at all. I drove round to his lodgings, near the + British Museum, but he wasn't there. He only comes there to sleep, but + they told me he turned in early—by nine o'clock or so. Then I went + round to a hotel and wrote a note for him, and took it back to his + lodgings, and left it for him. I told him to pack up his things as soon as + he got it, and drive here, and make this his home—for the time being + at least.” + </p> + <p> + “Then it's some old friend of yours?” said the girl. “I know I shall like + him.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed somewhat uneasily. “Well—yes—he's a kind of a + friend of mine,” he said, with a note of hesitation in his voice. “I don't + know, though, that you'll think much of him. He aint what you'd call a + ladies' man.” + </p> + <p> + He laughed again at some thought the words conjured up. “He's a curious, + simple old party, who'd just like a comfortable corner somewhere by + himself, and wouldn't expect to be talked to or entertained at all. If he + does come, he'll keep to himself pretty well. He wouldn't be any company + for you. I mean,—for you or Alfred either. I think he's a Canadian + or West Indian,—British subject, at all events,—but he's lived + all his life in the West, and he wouldn't know what to do in a + drawing-room, or that sort of thing. You'd better just not pay any + attention to him. Pass the time of day, of course, but that's all.” + </p> + <p> + Julia's alert, small-featured face expressed some vague disappointment at + what she heard, but her words were cheerful enough. “Oh of course—whatever + he likes best,” she said. “I will tell Potter to make everything ready. I + suppose there's no chance of his being here in time for dinner?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head, and then lifted his brows over some new perplexity. + “I guess he'd want to eat his meals out, anyway,” he said, after some + thought. “I don't seem to remember much about him in that respect—of + course, everything was so different in camp out in Mexico—but I + daresay he wouldn't be much of an ornament at the table. However, that'll + be all right. He's as easy to manage as a rabbit. If I told him to eat on + the roof, he'd do it without a murmur. You see it's this way, Julia: he's + a scientific man—a kind of geologist, and mining expert and rubber + expert—and chemical expert and all sort of things. I suppose he must + have gone through college—very likely he'll turn out to have better + manners than I was giving him credit for. I've only seen him in the rough, + so to speak. We weren't at all intimate then,—but we had dealings + together, and there are certain important reasons why I should keep close + in touch with him while he's here in London. But I'll try and do that + without letting you be bothered.” “What an idea!” cried Julia. “As if that + wasn't what we had the house for—to see the people you want to see.” + </p> + <p> + Her uncle smiled rather ruefully, and looked in a rather dubious way at + his cigar. “Between you and me and the lamp-post, Jule,” he said, with a + slow, whimsical drawl, “there isn't a fellow in the world that I wanted to + see less than I did him. But since he's here—why, we've got to make + the best of it.” + </p> + <p> + After dinner, Thorpe suffered the youngsters to go up to the drawing-room + in the tacit understanding that he should probably not see them again that + night. He betook himself then once more to the library, as it was called—the + little, cozy, dark-panelled room off the hall, where the owner of the + house had left two locked bookcases, and where Thorpe himself had + installed a writing-desk and a diminutive safe for his papers. The chief + purpose of the small apartment, however, was indicated by the two big, + round, low-seated easy-chairs before the hearth, and by the cigar boxes + and spirit-stand and tumblers visible behind the glass of the cabinet + against the wall. Thorpe himself called the room his “snuggery,” and spent + many hours there in slippered comfort, smoking and gazing contentedly into + the fire. Sometimes Julia read to him, as he sat thus at his ease, but + then he almost invariably went to sleep. + </p> + <p> + Now, when he had poured out some whiskey and water and lit a cigar, the + lounging chairs somehow did not attract him. He moved about aimlessly in + the circumscribed space, his hands in his pockets, his burly shoulders + rounded, his face dulled and heavy as with a depression of doubt. The + sound of the piano upstairs came intermittently to his ears. Often he + ascended to the drawing-room to hear Julia play—and more often + still, with all the doors open, he enjoyed the mellowed murmur of her + music here at his ease in the big chair. But tonight he had no joy in the + noise. More than once, as he slouched restlessly round the room, the + notion of asking her to stop suggested itself, but he forbore to put it + into action. Once he busied himself for a time in kneeling before his + safe, and scrutinizing in detail the papers in one of the bundles it + contained. + </p> + <p> + At last—it was after ten o'clock, and the music above had ceased—the + welcome sounds of cab-wheels without, and then of the door-bell, came to + dispel his fidgeting suspense. On the instant he straightened himself, and + his face rearranged its expression. He fastened upon the door of the room + the controlled, calm glance of one who is easily confident about what is + to happen. + </p> + <p> + “Quaker-looking” was not an inapt phrase for the person whom the maid + ushered into the room through this door. He was a small, thin, elderly + man, bowed of figure and shuffling in gait. His coat and large, + low-crowned hat, though worn almost to shabbiness, conveyed an indefinable + sense of some theological standard, or pretence to such a standard. His + meagre face, too, with its infinity of anxious yet meaningless lines, and + its dim spectacled eyes, so plainly overtaxed by the effort to discern + anything clearly, might have belonged to any old village priest grown + childish and blear-eyed in the solitude of stupid books. Even the blotches + of tell-tale colour on his long nose were not altogether unclerical in + their suggestion. A poor old man he seemed, as he stood blinking in the + electric light of the strange, warm apartment—a helpless, worn old + creature, inured through long years to bleak adverse winds, hoping now for + nothing better in this world than present shelter. + </p> + <p> + “How do you do, Mr. Thorpe,” he said, after a moment, with nervous + formality. “This is unexpectedly kind of you, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Why—not at all!” said Thorpe, shaking him cordially by the hand. + “What have we got houses for, but to put up our old friends? And how are + you, anyway? You've brought your belongings, have you? That's right!” He + glanced into the hall, to make sure that they were being taken upstairs, + and then closed the door. “I suppose you've dined. Take off your hat and + coat! Make yourself at home. That's it—take the big chair, there—so! + And now let's have a look at you. Well, Tavender, my man, you haven't + grown any younger. But I suppose none of us do. And what'll you have to + drink? I take plain water in mine, but there's soda if you prefer it. And + which shall it be—Irish or Scotch?” + </p> + <p> + Mr. Tavender's countenance revealed the extremity of his surprise and + confusion at the warmth of this welcome. It apparently awed him as well, + for though he shrank into a corner of the huge chair, he painstakingly + abstained from resting his head against its back. Uncovered, this head + gained a certain dignity of effect from the fashion in which the thin, + iron-grey hair, parted in the middle, fell away from the full, + intellectual temples, and curled in meek locks upon his collar. A vague + resemblance to the type of Wesley—or was it Froebel?—might + have hinted itself to the observer's mind. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's thoughts, however, were not upon types. “Well”—he said, + from the opposite chair, in his roundest, heartiest voice, when the other + had with diffidence suffered himself to be served, and had deferentially + lighted on one side the big cigar pressed upon him—“Well—and + how's the world been using you?” + </p> + <p> + “Not very handsomely, Mr. Thorpe,” the other responded, in a hushed, + constrained tone. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, chuck the Misters!” Thorpe bade him. “Aren't we old pals, man? You're + plain Tavender, and I'm plain Thorpe.” + </p> + <p> + “You're very kind,” murmured Tavender, still abashed. For some minutes he + continued to reply dolefully, and with a kind of shamefaced reluctance, to + the questions piled upon him. He was in evil luck: nothing had gone well + with him; it had been with the greatest difficulty that he had scraped + together enough to get back to London on the chance of obtaining some + expert commission; practically he possessed nothing in the world beyond + the clothes on his back, and the contents of two old carpet-bags—these + admissions, by degrees, were wormed from him. + </p> + <p> + “But have you parted with the concession, then, that you bought from me?” + Thorpe suddenly asked him. “Help yourself to some more whiskey!” + </p> + <p> + Tavender sighed as he tipped the decanter. “It isn't any good,” he + answered, sadly. “The Government repudiates it—that is, the Central + Government at Mexico. Of course, I never blamed you. I bought it with my + eyes open, and you sold it in perfect good faith. I never doubted that at + all. But it's not worth the paper it's written on—that's certain. + It's that that busted me—that, and some other things.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—well!” said Thorpe, blankly. His astonishment was obviously + genuine, and for a little it kept him silent, while he pondered the novel + aspects of the situation thus disclosed. Then his eyes brightened, as a + new path outlined itself. + </p> + <p> + “I suppose you've got the papers?—the concession and my transfer to + you and all that?” he asked, casually. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes,” replied Tavender. He added, with a gleam of returning + self-command—“That's all I have got.” + </p> + <p> + “Let's see—what was it you paid me?—Three thousand eight + hundred pounds, wasn't it?” + </p> + <p> + Tavender made a calculation in mental arithmetic. “Yes, something like + that. Just under nineteen thousand dollars,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” remarked Thorpe, with slow emphasis, “I won't allow you to suffer + that way by me. I'll buy it back from you at the same price you paid for + it.” + </p> + <p> + Tavender, beginning to tremble, jerked himself upright in his chair, and + stared through his spectacles at his astounding host. “You say”—he + gasped—“you say you'll buy it back!” + </p> + <p> + “Certainly,” said Thorpe. “That's what I said.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I never heard of such a thing!” the other faltered with + increasing agitation. “No—you can't mean it. It isn't common sense!” + </p> + <p> + “It's common decency,” replied the big man, in his most commanding manner. + “It's life and death to you—and it doesn't matter a flea-bite to me. + So, since you came to grief through me, why shouldn't I do the fair thing, + and put you back on your legs again?” + </p> + <p> + Tavender, staring now at those shrunken legs of his, breathed heavily. The + thing overwhelmed him. Once or twice he lifted his head and essayed to + speak, but no speech came to his thin lips. He moistened them eventually + with a long deliberate pull at his glass. + </p> + <p> + “This much ought to be understood, however,” Thorpe resumed, reflecting + upon his words as he went along. “If I'm to buy back a dead horse, like + that, it's only reasonable that there should be conditions. I suppose + you've seen by this time that even if this concession of ours was + recognized by the Government there wouldn't be any money in it to speak + of. I didn't realize that two years ago, any more than you did, but it's + plain enough now. The trade has proved it. A property of rubber trees has + no real value—so long as there's a wilderness of rubber trees all + round that's everybody's property. How can a man pay even the interest on + his purchase money, supposing he's bought a rubber plantation, when he has + to compete with people who've paid no purchase money at all, but just get + out as much as they like from the free forest? You must know that that is + so.” + </p> + <p> + Tavender nodded eloquently. “Oh yes, I know that is so. You can prove it + by me.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe grinned a little. “As it happens, that aint what I need to have you + prove,” he said, dryly. “Now WE know that a rubber property is no good—but + London doesn't know it. Everybody here thinks that it's a great business + to own rubber trees. Why, man alive, do you know”—the audacity of + the example it had occurred to him to cite brought a gratified twinkle to + his eyes as he went on—“do you know that a man here last year + actually sold a rubber plantation for four hundred thousand pounds—two + millions of dollars! Not in cash, of course, but in shares that he could + do something with—and before he's done with it, I'm told, he's going + to make twice that amount of money out of it. That'll show you what London + is like.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I suppose they do those things,” remarked Tavender, vaguely. + </p> + <p> + “Well—my point is that perhaps I can do something or other with this + concession of yours here. I may even be able to get my money back on it. + At any rate I'll take my chances on it—so that at least you shan't + lose anything by it. Of course, if you'd rather try and put it on the + market yourself, why go ahead!” There was a wistful pathos in the way + Tavender shook his head. “Big money doesn't mean anything to me any more,” + he said, wearily. “I'm too old and I'm too tired. Why—four—five—yes, + half a dozen times I've had enough money to last me comfortably all my + life—and every time I've used it as bait to catch bigger money with, + and lost it all. I don't do that any more! I've got something the matter + with me internally that takes the nerve all out of me. The doctors don't + agree about it, but whatever its name is I've got it for keeps. Probably I + shan't live very long”—Thorpe recalled that the old man had always + taken a gloomy view of his health after the third glass—“and if you + want to pay me the nineteen thousand dollars, or whatever it is, why I + shall say 'God bless you,' and be more than contented.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, there's something more to it than that,” observed Thorpe, with an + added element of business-like briskness in his tone. “If I let you out in + this way—something, of course, you could never have dreamed would + happen—you must do some things for me. I should want you, for + example, to go back to Mexico at once. Of course, I'd pay your expenses + out. Or say, I'd give you a round four thousand pounds to cover that and + some other things too. You wouldn't object to that, would you?” + </p> + <p> + The man who, two hours before, had confronted existence with the change of + his last five-pound note in his pocket, did not hesitate now. “Oh no, that + would be all right,” with reviving animation, he declared. He helped + himself again from the cut-glass decanter. “What would you want me to do + there?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, a report on the concession for a starter,” Thorpe answered, with + careful indifference. “I suppose they still know your name as an + authority. I could make that all right anyway. But one thing I ought to + speak of—it might be rather important—I wouldn't like to have + you mention to anybody that the concession has at any time been yours. + That might tend to weaken the value of your report, don't you see? Let it + be supposed that the concession has been my property from the start. You + catch my point, don't you? There never was any such thing as a transfer of + it to you. It's always been mine!” + </p> + <p> + Tavender gave his benefactor a purblind sort of wink. “Always belonged to + you? Why of course it did,” he said cheerfully. + </p> + <p> + The other breathed a cautious prolonged sigh of relief “You'd better light + a fresh one, hadn't you?” he asked, observing with a kind of contemptuous + tolerance the old man's efforts to ignite a cigar which had more than once + unrolled like a carpenter's shaving in his unaccustomed fingers, and was + now shapelessly defiant of both draught and suction. Tavender laughed to + himself silently as he took a new cigar, and puffed at the match held by + his companion. The air of innocence and long-suffering meekness was + falling rapidly away from him. He put his shabby boots out confidently to + the fender and made gestures with his glass as he talked. + </p> + <p> + “My mistake,” he declared, in insistent tones, “was in not turning down + science thirty years ago and going in bodily for business. Then I should + have made my pile as you seem to have done. But I tried to do something of + both. Half the year I was assaying crushings, or running a level, or + analyzing sugars, for a salary, and the other half I was trying to do a + gamble with that salary on the strength of what I'd learned. You can't + ring the bell that way. You've got to be either a pig or a pup. You can't + do both. Now, for instance, if I'd come to London when you did, and + brought my money with me instead of buying your concession with it——” + </p> + <p> + “Why, what good do you suppose you would have done?” Thorpe interrupted + him with good-natured brusqueness. “You'd have had it taken from you in a + fortnight! Why, man, do you know what London is? You'd have had no more + chance here than a naked nigger in a swamp-full of alligators.” + </p> + <p> + “You seem to have hit it off,” the other objected. “This is as fine a + house as I was ever in.” + </p> + <p> + “With me it's different,” Thorpe replied, carelessly. “I have the talent + for money-making. I'm a man in armour. The 'gators can't bite me, nor yet + the rattle-snakes.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—men are made up differently,” Tavender assented, with + philosophical gravity. Then he lurched gently in the over-large chair, and + fixed an intent gaze upon his host. “What did you make your money in?” he + demanded, not with entire distinctness of enunciation. “It wasn't rubber, + was it?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. “There's no money in rubber. I'm entirely in + finance—on the Stock Exchange—dealing in differences,” he + replied, with a serious face. + </p> + <p> + The explanation seemed wholly acceptable to Tavender. He mused upon it + placidly for a time, with his reverend head pillowed askew against the + corner of the chair. Then he let his cigar drop, and closed his eyes. + </p> + <p> + The master of the house bent forward, and noiselessly helped himself to + another glass of whiskey and water. Then, sinking back again, he eyed his + odd guest meditatively as he sipped the drink. He said to himself that in + all the miraculous run of luck which the year had brought him, this was + the most extraordinary manifestation of the lot. It had been so easy to + ignore the existence of this tiresome and fatuous old man, so long as he + was in remote Mexico, that he had practically forgotten him. But he should + not soon forget the frightened shock with which he had learned of his + presence in London, that afternoon. For a minute or two, there in his + sister's book-shop, it had seemed as if he were falling through the air—as + if the substantial earth had crumbled away from under him. But then his + nerve had returned to him, his resourceful brain had reasserted itself. + With ready shrewdness he had gone out, and met the emergency, and made it + the servant of his own purposes. + </p> + <p> + He could be glad now, unreservedly glad, that Tavender had come to London, + that things had turned out as they had. In truth, he stood now for the + first time on solid ground. When he thought of it, now, the risk he had + been running all these months gave him a little sinking of the heart. Upon + reflection, the performance of having sold the same property first to + Tavender in Mexico and then to the Rubber Consols Company in London might + be subject to injurious comment, or worse. The fact that it was not a real + property to begin with had no place in his thoughts. It was a concession—and + concessions were immemorially worth what they would fetch. But the other + thing might have been so awkward—and now it was all right! + </p> + <p> + For an hour and more, till the fire burnt itself out and the guest's + snoring became too active a nuisance, Thorpe sat lost in this + congratulatory reverie. Then he rose, and sharply shaking Tavender into a + semblance of consciousness, led him upstairs and put him to bed. + </p> + <p> + Three days later he personally saw Tavender off at Waterloo station by the + steamer-train, en route for Southampton and New York. The old man was in + childlike good spirits, looking more ecclesiastical than ever in the new + clothes he had been enabled to buy. He visibly purred with content + whenever his dim eyes caught sight of the new valise and steamer trunk, + which belonged to him, on the busy platform. + </p> + <p> + “You've been very kind to me, Thorpe,” he said more than once, as they + stood together beside the open door of the compartment. “I was never so + hospitably treated before in my life. Your attention to me has been + wonderful. I call you a true friend.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that's all right! Glad to do it,” replied the other, lightly. In + truth he had not let Tavender stray once out of his sight during those + three days. He had dragged him tirelessly about London, showing him the + sights from South Kensington Museum to the Tower, shopping with him, + resting in old taverns with him, breakfasting, lunching, aud dining with + him—in the indefatigable resolution that he should strike up no + dangerous gossiping acquaintance with strangers. The task had been + tiresome in the extreme—but it had been very well worth while. + </p> + <p> + “One thing I'm rather sorry about,” Tavender remarked, in apologetic + parenthesis—“I ought to have gone down and seen that brother-in-law + of mine in Kent. He's been very good to me, and I'm not treating him very + well. I wrote to tell him I was coming—but since then I haven't had + a minute to myself. However, I can write to him and explain how it + happened. And probably I'll be over again sometime.” + </p> + <p> + “Why, of course,” said Thorpe, absently. The allusion to the + brother-in-law in Kent had escaped his notice, so intent was he upon a new + congeries of projects taking vague shape in his mind. + </p> + <p> + “Think of yourself as my man out there,” he said now, slowly, following + the clue of his thoughts. “There may be big things to do. Write to me as + often as you can. Tell me everything that's going on. Money will be no + object to me—you can have as much as you like—if things turn + up out there that are worth taking up. But mind you say nothing about me—or + any connection you've ever had with me. You'll get a letter from the + Secretary of a Company and the Chairman asking for a report on a certain + property, and naming a fee. You simply make a good report—on its + merits. You say nothing about anything else—about me, or the history + of the concession, or its validity, or anything. I mustn't be alluded to + in any way. You quite understand that?” + </p> + <p> + “Trust me!” said the old man, and wrung his benefactor's hand. + </p> + <p> + It was indeed with a trustful eye that Thorpe watched the train draw out + of the station. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVI + </h2> + <p> + THE week following the August Bank Holiday is very rarely indeed a busy or + anxious time in the City. In the ordinary course of things, it serves as + the easy-going prelude—with but casual and inattentive visits + eastward, and with only the most careless glances through the financial + papers—to the halcyon period of the real vacation. Men come to the + City during this week, it is true, but their thoughts are elsewhere—on + the moors, on the blue sea, on the glacier or the fiord, or the pleasant + German pine forests. + </p> + <p> + To the great mass of City people; this August in question began in a + normal enough fashion. To one little group of operators, however, and to + the widening circle of brokers, bankers, and other men of affairs whose + interests were more or less involved with those of this group, it was a + season of keen perturbation. A combat of an extraordinary character was + going on—a combat which threatened to develop into a massacre. Even + to the operators who, unhappily for themselves, were principals in this + fight, it was a struggle in the dark. They knew little about it, beyond + the grimly-patent fact that they were battling for their very lives. The + outer ring of their friends and supporters and dependents knew still less, + though their rage and fears were perhaps greater. The “press” seemed to + know nothing at all. This unnatural silence of the City's mouthpieces, + usually so resoundingly clamorous upon the one side and the other when a + duel is in progress, gave a sinister aspect to the thing. The papers had + been gagged and blindfolded for the occasion. This in itself was of + baleful significance. It was not a duel which they had been bribed to + ignore. It was an assassination. + </p> + <p> + Outwardly there was nothing to see, save the unofficial, bald statement + that on August 1st, the latest of twelve fortnightly settlements in this + stock, Rubber Consols had been bid for, and carried over, at 15 pounds for + one-pound shares. The information concerned the public at large not at + all. Nobody knew of any friend or neighbour who was fortunate enough to + possess some of these shares. Readers here and there, noting the figures, + must have said to themselves that certain lucky people were coining money, + but very little happened to be printed as to the identity of these people. + Stray notes were beginning to appear in the personal columns of the + afternoon papers about a “Rubber King” of the name of Thorpe, but the + modern exploitation of the world's four corners makes so many “kings” that + the name had not, as yet, familiarized itself to the popular eye. + </p> + <p> + City men, who hear more than they read, knew in a general way about this + “Rubber King.” He was an outsider who had come in, and was obviously + filling his pockets; but it was a comforting rule that outsiders who did + this always got their pockets emptied for them again in the long run. + There seemed nothing about Thorpe to suggest that he would prove an + exception to the rule. He was investing his winnings with great freedom, + so the City understood, and his office was besieged daily by promoters and + touts. They could clean out his strong-box faster than the profits of his + Rubber corner could fill it. To know such a man, however, could not but be + useful, and they made furtive notes of his number in Austin Friars on + their cuffs, after conversation had drifted from him to other topics. + </p> + <p> + As to the Rubber corner itself, the Stock Exchange as a whole was + apathetic. When some of the sufferers ventured cautious hints about the + possibility of official intervention on their behalf, they were laughed at + by those who did not turn away in cold silence. Of the fourteen men who + had originally been caught in the net drawn tight by Thorpe and Semple, + all the conspicuous ones belonged to the class of “wreckers,” a class + which does not endear itself to Capel Court. + </p> + <p> + Both Rostocker and Aronson, who, it was said, were worst hit, were men of + great wealth, but they had systematically amassed these fortunes by + strangling in their cradles weak enterprises, and by undermining and + toppling over other enterprises which would not have been weak if they had + been given a legitimate chance to live. Their system was legal enough, in + the eyes alike of the law and of the Stock Exchange rules. They had an + undoubted right to mark out their prey and pursue it, and bring it down, + and feed to the bone upon it. But the exercise of this right did not make + them beloved by the begetters and sponsors of their victims. When word + first went round, on the last day of February, that a lamb had + unexpectedly turned upon these two practised and confident wolves, and had + torn an ear from each of them, and driven them pell-mell into a “corner,” + it was received on all sides with a gratified smile. + </p> + <p> + Later, by fortnightly stages, the story grew at once more tragic and more + satisfactory. Not only Rostocker and Aronson, but a dozen others were in + the cul de sac guarded by this surprising and bloody-minded lamb. Most of + the names were well-known as those of “wreckers.” In this category + belonged Blaustein, Ganz, Rothfoere, Lewis, Ascher, and Mendel, and if + Harding, Carpenter, and Vesey could not be so confidently classified, at + least their misfortune excited no particular sympathy. Two other names + mentioned, those of Norfell and Pinney, were practically unknown. + </p> + <p> + There was some surprise, however, at the statement that the old and + respected and extremely conservative firm of Fromentin Bros. was entangled + in the thing. Egyptian bonds, minor Levantine loans, discounts in the + Arabian and Persian trades—these had been specialties of the + Fromentins for many years. Who could have expected to find them caught + among the “shorts” in Mexican rubber? It was Mexico, wasn't it, that these + Rubber Consols purported to be connected with? + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's Company, upon its commercial merits, had not been considered at + all by the gentlemen of the Stock Exchange, at the time of its flotation. + Men vaguely and with difficulty recalled the fact of its prospectus, when + the “corner” in its shares was first talked about. They looked it up in + their lists and files, later on, but its terms said nothing to them. + Nobody discussed the value of the assets owned by this Company, or the + probability of its paying a dividend—even when the price bid for its + shares was making the most sensational upward leaps. How Thorpe stood with + his shareholders, or whether he had any genuine shareholders behind him at + all, was seen by the keen eyes of Capel Court to be beside the question. + Very likely it was a queer affair, if the truth were known—but at + least it had substance enough in it to be giving the “wreckers” a lively + time. + </p> + <p> + By the end of July it was understood that the fight was better worth + watching than anything that had been seen in a long time. The only trouble + was that there was so little to see. The papers said nothing. The + sufferers were the reverse of garrulous. The little red Scotchman, Semple, + who was the visible avenging sword of the “corner,” was more imperturbably + silent than anybody else. His fellow-members in the “House” watched him + now, however, with a new respect. They discovered unsuspected elements of + power in his thin, tight mouth, in the direct, cold glances of his + brown-grey eyes, in the very way he carried his head and wore his hat. He + came to be pointed out, and nodded about behind his back, more than anyone + else in the “House,” and important men sought his acquaintance, with an + awkward show of civility, who were notorious for their rude exclusiveness. + </p> + <p> + It might be, of course, that his “corner” would break under him at any + fortnightly settlement, but already he had carried it much further than + such things often went, and the planning of the coup had been beyond doubt + Napoleonic. + </p> + <p> + Had this small sandy Scot planned it, or was he merely the weapon in + Thorpe's hand? Both views had their supporters on the Exchange, but after + the wrench of August 1st, when with an abrupt eighty-shilling rise the + price of Rubber Consols stood at 15 pounds, and it was to be computed that + Semple had received on that single day nearly 75,000 pounds in differences + and “backwardation,” a story was set afloat which gave Thorpe the + undivided credit of the invention. It was related as coming from his own + lips that he had schemed it all out to be revenged upon a group of Jewish + operators, against whom he had a grievance. In confirmation of this tale, + it was pointed out that, of the seven men still held pinned in the fatal + “corner,” six were Jews—and this did, upon first glance, look + significant. But then it was objected, upon reflection, that Blaustein and + Ascher had both been permitted to make their escape, and this hardly + justified the theory of an implacable anti-Semitic vendetta. The objection + seemed reasonable, but it was met in turn by the point that Blaustein and + Ascher had been bled white, as Bismarck's phrase went, before they were + released, whereas the five Christians had been liberated with relatively + moderate fines. Upon the whole, a certain odour of the Judenhetze clung + thereafter about the “corner” in Rubber Consols. + </p> + <p> + On an afternoon of the following week, Mr. Stormont Thorpe was alone in + the Board Room of the offices in Austin Friars. He had risen from the + great roller-topped desk over between the windows, and walked now with a + lethargic, tired step to and fro before the empty fireplace, yawning more + than once, and stretching out his arms in the supreme gesture of fatigue. + After a dozen listless rounds, something occurred to him. He moved with a + certain directness of purpose to the cabinet in the corner, unlocked it, + and poured out for himself a tumbler of brandy and soda. He drank it + without a pause, then turned again, and began pacing up and down as + before, his hands clasped behind him, his head bent in thought. + </p> + <p> + The intervening six months had effected visible changes in the outer man. + One noted most readily that the face had grown fuller in its lower parts, + and was far less browned than formerly. The large, heavy countenance, with + its square jaws masked now under increased flesh, its beginnings of a + double-chin, and its slightly flabby effect of pallor, was no longer + lacking in individual distinction. It was palpably the visage of a + dictator. The moustache had been cut down to military brevity, and the + line of mouth below it was eloquent of rough power. The steady grey eyes, + seemingly smaller yet more conspicuous than before, revealed in their + glance new elements of secretiveness, of strategy supported by abundant + and confident personal force. + </p> + <p> + The man himself seemed scarcely to have grown stouter. He held himself + more compactly, as it were; seemed more the master of all his physical + expressions. He was dressed like a magnate who was also a person of taste. + There was a flower in the lapel of his well-shaped frock-coat, and the + rustle of his starched and spotless white waistcoat murmured pleasantly of + refined toilets. + </p> + <p> + “The Marquis of Chaldon—and a gentleman, with him.” + </p> + <p> + The announcement, from a clerk who had noiselessly opened the door, + imposed itself with decorum upon Thorpe's reverie. + </p> + <p> + “Who is the gentleman with him?” Thorpe began austerely to ask, after an + instant's hesitation. But this briefest of delays had brought the callers + into plain view behind the clerk, and with a slight gesture the master + assented to their entrance. + </p> + <p> + This large apartment was no longer called the Board Room by anybody. By + tacit processes, it had become Mr. Thorpe's room. Not even the titular + Chairman of the Company, the renowned and eminent Lord Chaldon, + ex-Ambassador and ex-Viceroy, entered this chamber now with any assumption + of proprietorship in it. No hint of a recollection that there were such + things as the Company and the Board, or that he was nominally the head of + both, expressed itself in his Lordship's demeanour as he advanced, his + hand a little extended. + </p> + <p> + The noble Chairman was white of beard and hair, and extremely courteous of + manner—a small, carefully-clad, gracious old gentleman, whose mild + pink countenance had, with years of anxiety about ways and means, disposed + itself in lines which produced a chronic expression of solicitude. A + nervous affection of the eyelids lent to this look, at intervals, a + beseeching quality which embarrassed the beholder. All men had liked him, + and spoken well of him throughout his long and hard-worked career. Thorpe + was very fond of him indeed, and put a respectful cordiality into his + grasp of the proffered hand. Then he looked, with a certain thinly-veiled + bluntness of enquiry, past the Marquis to his companion. + </p> + <p> + “You were very kind to give me the appointment,” said Lord Chaldon, with a + little purring gloss of affability upon the earnestness of his tone. “I + wish very much to introduce to you my friend, my old friend I may say, + Monsieur Alexandre Fromentin. We slept together under the same tent, in + the Persian country beyond Bagdad—oh, it must have been quite forty + years ago. We were youngsters looking to win our first spurs then—I + in my line, he in his. And often since we have renewed that old friendship—at + many different places—India, and Constantinople, and Egypt. I wish + heartily to commend him to your—your kindness.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had perfunctorily shaken hands with the stranger—a tall, + slender, sharp-faced, clean-shaven, narrow-shouldered man, who by these + accounts of his years ought not to have such excessively black hair. He + bowed in a foreign fashion, and uttered some words which Thorpe, though he + recognized them as English in intent, failed to follow. The voice was that + of an elderly man, and at a second glance there were plenty of proofs that + he might have been older than the Marquis, out there in Persia, forty + years ago. But Thorpe did not like old men who dyed their hair, and he + offered his visitors chairs, drawn up from the table toward his desk, with + a certain reserve of manner. Seating himself in the revolving chair at the + desk itself, he put the tips of his fingers together, and looked this + gentleman with the Continental name and experience in the face. + </p> + <p> + “Is there something you wish me to do?” he asked, passively facilitating + the opening of conversation. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, my God! 'Something'!”—repeated the other, with a fluttering + gesture of his hands over his thin, pointed knees—“everything, Mr. + Thorpe!” + </p> + <p> + “That's a tolerably large order, isn't it?” Thorpe asked, calmly, moving a + slow, inscrutable glance from one to the other of his callers. + </p> + <p> + “I could ask for nothing that would be a greater personal favour—and + kindness”—Lord Chaldon interposed. His tone bore the stress of + sincerity. + </p> + <p> + “That means a great deal to me, as you know, my Lord,” replied Thorpe, + “but I don't in the least understand—what is it that your friend + wants?” + </p> + <p> + “Only that I shall not be buried in a bankrupt's grave,” the suppliant + answered, with a kind of embittered eagerness of utterance. “That I shall + not see disgraced the honoured name that my father and his father + bequeathed to my care!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's large, composed countenance betrayed a certain perplexity. “There + must be a mistake,” he observed. “I don't even know this name of yours. I + never heard it before.” + </p> + <p> + The other's mobile face twisted itself in a grimace of incredulity. He had + a conspicuously wide mouth, and its trick of sidelong extension at this + moment was very unpleasant. “Ah, Herr Je! He never heard it,” he + ejaculated, turning nervously to the Marquis. “Would to the good God you + never had!” he told Thorpe, with suppressed excitement. + </p> + <p> + Lord Chaldon, his own voice shaken a little, interposed with an + explanation. “My friend is the head—the respected head—of the + firm of Fromentin Brothers. I think you have—have dealings with + them.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, after a furtive instant of bewilderment, opened his mouth. “Oh! I + see,” he said. “I know what you mean now. With the French pronunciation, I + didn't recognize the name. I've always heard it called 'Fromen'-tin' here + in London. Oh, yes, of course—Fromen'tin Brothers.” + </p> + <p> + His lips shut tight again at this. The listeners had caught no helpful + clue from the tone of his words. They exchanged a glance, and then M. + Fromentin spoke. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Thorpe,” he began, slowly, with an obvious effort at self-repression. + “It is a very simple story. Our house is an old one. My father's + grandfather organized the finance of the commissariat of General Bonaparte + in Egypt. He created the small beginnings of the carpet and rug + importation from Asia Minor. His son, and in turn his son, followed him. + They became bankers as well as importers. They helped very greatly to + develop the trade of the Levant. They were not avaricious men, or usurers. + It is not in our blood. Your Chairman, Lord Chaldon, who honours me so + highly by calling me his friend—he will assure you that we have a + good name in the East. Our banks have befriended the people, and never + oppressed or injured them. For that reason—I will say perhaps for + that reason—we have never become a very rich house. It is possible + to name bankers who have made large fortunes out of Egypt. It was + different with us. Lord Chaldon will tell you that of our own free will—my + two brothers and I—of our own choice we consented to lose a fifth of + all our possessions, rather than coin into gold by force the tears and + blood of the wretched fellaheen.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I have never known a more honourable or humane action,” put in + the Marquis, fervently. + </p> + <p> + “And then my brothers die—Polydor, who lived mostly at Smyrna, and + whose estate was withdrawn from the business by his widow, and Augustin, + who lived here in London after 1870, and died—it is now six years + ago. He left a son, Robert, who is my nephew, and my partner. He is now of + an age—perhaps thirty years. He was a small child when he came to + London—he has become more English than the English themselves. His + activity and industry are very great; he forms plans of such magnitude and + numbers that they would compel his grandfather to turn in his coffin. I am + in indifferent health. I live much at Homburg and Marienbad and at Cairo. + Practically speaking, I have retired from business. There remain branches + of our house—in several places—but the London house has become + the centre of all things—and Robert has become the London house. + This I make plain to your mind, do I, Mr. Thorpe?” + </p> + <p> + The other, with his chin sunk within the collar of his white waistcoat, + and scrutinizing the narrator with a steadfast though impassive glance, + made the faintest possible nod of assent. + </p> + <p> + “I had great confidence in Robert,” the old man went on. His eyes were + dimming with tears, and his voice quavered uncertainly. “His plans seemed + wise, even if they risked more than formerly. The conditions of business + are wholly altered since my youth—and it was best, I thought, to + make Robert free to act under these conditions, which he understood much + better than I could pretend to do. Thus it was that when he said it was + necessary for Fromentin Brothers to belong to the Stock Exchange, I did + not object. He was active and bold and clever, and he was in the thick of + the fight. Therefore he should be the judge in all things. And that is our + ruin. In the time of the South African excitement, he won a great deal of + money. Then he lost it all and more. Then gambling began, and his fortunes + went now up, now down, but always, as his books show to me now—sinking + a little on the average. He grew more adventurous—more careless. He + put many small counters upon different numbers on the table. You know what + I mean? And in an accursed moment, because other gamblers were doing the + same, he sold two thousand of your shares, without having them in his + hands. Voila! He wishes now to put a bullet through his brain. He proposes + that as the fitting end of Fromentin Freres.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, his chin on his breast, continued to regard the melancholy figure + opposite with a moody eye. It seemed a long minute before he broke the + tense silence by a sigh of discomfort. “I do not discuss these things with + anybody,” he said then, coldly. “If I had known who you were, I don't + think you'd have got in.” + </p> + <p> + The Marquis of Chaldon intuitively straightened himself in his chair, and + turned toward the speaker a glance of distressed surprise. + </p> + <p> + “Or no—I beg your pardon,” Thorpe hastened to add, upon the instant + hint of this look—“that doesn't convey my meaning. Of course, our + Chairman brings whom he pleases. His friends—as a matter of course—are + our friends. What I should have said was that if this had been mentioned + beforehand to me, I should have explained that it wasn't possible to + discuss that particular business.” + </p> + <p> + “But—pardon me”—said Lord Chaldon, in a quiet, very gentle, + yet insistent voice, which seemed now to recall to its listeners the fact + that sovereigns and chancellors had in their day had attentive ears for + its tones—“pardon me, but why should it not be possible?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe frowned doubtfully, and shifted his position in his chair. “What + could I say, if it were discussed?” he made vague retort. “I'm merely one + of the Directors. You are our Chairman, but you see he hasn't found it of + any use to discuss it with you. There are hard and fast rules about these + things. They run their natural course. You are not a business man, my Lord——” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I think I may be called a 'business man,'” interposed the nobleman, + suavely. “They would tell you so in Calcutta, I think, and in Cairo too. + When one considers it, I have transacted a great deal of business—on + the behalf of other people. And if you will permit me—I do not + impute indirection, of course—but your remark seems to require a + footnote. It is true that I am Chairman of the Board on which you are a + Director—but it is not quite the whole truth. I as Chairman know + absolutely nothing about this matter. As I understand the situation, it is + not in your capacity as a Director that you know anything about it either. + Yet——” + </p> + <p> + He paused, as if suddenly conscious of some impropriety in this domestic + frankness before a third party, and Thorpe pounced through his + well-mannered hesitation with the swiftness of a bird of prey. + </p> + <p> + “Let me suggest,” he said roundly, lifting his head and poising a hand to + hold attention, while he thought upon what it was he should suggest—“this + is what I would say. It seems rather irregular, doesn't it? to debate the + matter in the presence of an outsider. You see it yourself. That is partly + what I meant. Now I have met Mr. Fromentin,” he gave the name its English + vowels with an obstinate emphasis, “and I have heard his statement. You + have heard it too. If he wishes to lay more facts before us, why, well and + good. But then I would suggest that he leave the matter in our hands, to + discuss and look into between ourselves. That seems to you the proper + course, doesn't it, Lord Chaldon?” + </p> + <p> + The French banker had been studying with strained acuteness the big + lymphatic mask of the Director, with sundry sharp glances aside at the + Chairman. The nervous changes on his alert, meagre old face showed how + intently he followed every phase of their talk. A certain sardonic + perception of evil in the air curled on his lip when he saw the Marquis + accede with a bow and wave of the hand to Thorpe's proposition. Then he + made his bow in turn, and put the best face possible upon the matter. + </p> + <p> + “Naturally I consult your convenience—and the proprieties,” he said, + with an effect of proud humility. “There are but a few other facts to + submit. My nephew has already paid, in differences upon those accursed two + thousand shares, a sum of nearly 30,000 pounds. I have the figures in my + pocket—but they are fixed in my head as well. Twenty-eight thousand + five hundred, those differences already amount to, not to speak of + interest. At the last settlement, August 1st, the price per share was 15 + pounds. That would make 30,000 pounds more, if we bought now—or a + total of practically 60,000 pounds. Eh bien! I beg for the privilege of + being allowed to buy these shares now. It is an unpleasant confession to + make, but the firm of Fromentin Freres will be made very poor by this loss + of 60,000 pounds. It was not always so, but it is so now. My nephew Robert + has brought it into that condition. You see my shame at this admission. + With all my own means, and with his sister's marriage portion, we can make + up this sum of 30,000 pounds, and still enable the firm to remain in + existence. I have gone over the books very painstakingly, since I arrived + in London. It can be kept afloat, and it can be brought back to safe and + moderately profitable courses—if nothing worse happens. With another + six weeks like the last, this will not be at all possible. We shall have + the cup of dishonour thrust between our teeth. That will be the end of + everything.” + </p> + <p> + M. Fromentin finished in tremulous, grave tones. After looking with + blurred eyes for a moment into Thorpe's face, he bowed his head, and + softly swayed the knees upon which his thin, dark hands maintained their + clutch. Not even the revelation of hair quite white at the roots, unduly + widening the track of parting on the top of his dyed head, could rob this + movement of its mournful dignity. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, after a moment's pause, took a pencil and paper from the desk, and + made a calculation. He bit his lips and frowned at the sight of these + figures, and set down some others, which seemed to please him no more. + Then, with a sudden gesture as of impatience, he rose to his feet. + </p> + <p> + “How much is that sister's marriage portion you spoke of?” he asked, + rather brusquely. + </p> + <p> + The French gentleman had also risen. He looked with an air of astonishment + at his questioner, and then hardened his face. “I apologize for mentioning + it,” he said, with brevity. “One does not speak of family affairs.” + </p> + <p> + “I asked you how much it was,” pursued Thorpe, in a masterful tone. “A man + doesn't want to rob a girl of her marriage portion.” + </p> + <p> + “I think I must not answer you,” the other replied, hesitatingly. “It was + the fault of my emotion to introduce the subject. Pray leave the young + lady out of account.” + </p> + <p> + “Then I've nothing more to say,” Thorpe declared, and seated himself again + with superfluous energy. He scowled for a little at the disorder of his + desk, and then flung forth an angry explanation. “If you evade fair + questions like that, how can you expect that I will go out of my way to + help you?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, permit me, Mr. Thorpe”—the Marquis intervened soothingly—“I + think you misapprehend. My friend, I am sure, wished to evade nothing. He + had the idea that he was at fault in—in alluding to a purely + domestic matter as—as a—what shall I say?—as a plea for + your consideration.” He turned to the old banker. “You will not refuse to + mention the sum to me, will you, my friend?” + </p> + <p> + M. Fromentin shrugged his shoulders. “It is ten thousand pounds,” he + replied, almost curtly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe was seemingly mollified. “Very well, then,” he said. “I will sell + you 2,000 shares at ten pounds.” + </p> + <p> + The others exchanged a wondering look. + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” the banker stammered—“I see your meaning. You will + forgive me—it is very well meant indeed by you—but it was not + my proposition. The market-price is fifteen pounds—and we were + prepared to pay it.” Thorpe laughed in a peremptory, gusty way. “But you + can't pay more than I ask!” he told him, with rough geniality. “Come, if I + let you and your nephew in out of the cold, what kind of men-folk would + you be to insist that your niece should be left outside? As I said, I + don't want her money. I don't want any woman's money. If I'm going to be + nice to the rest of the family, what's the objection to my being nice to + her?” + </p> + <p> + “Monsieur,” said the Frenchman, after an instant's reflection, “I offer + none. I did not at the moment perceive the spirit of your words, but I + recognize now that it was delicacy itself. I tender you the most profound + thanks—for ALL the family.” + </p> + <p> + After some further conversation the elder Fromentin took his departure. + Lord Chaldon apparently proposed to accompany him, but Thorpe begged him + to remain, and he put aside his hat once more and resumed his seat. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe walked about a little, with his hands in his pockets, in a restless + way. “If it isn't unpleasant to you, I think I'll light a cigar,” he said + suddenly, and moved over to the cabinet. He poured out a drink of neat + brandy, as well, and furtively swallowed it. Then he came back, preceded + by a cloud of smoke. + </p> + <p> + “It went terribly against the grain,” he said, with a rueful laugh. “I'd + sworn to let no Jew off with an inch of hide left on him—and here + three of them have been wheedled out of my grip already.” + </p> + <p> + “Jews?” exclaimed the Marquis, much puzzled. “Did you—did you think + Fromentin was a Jew? God bless me! he's no more one than I am! Why, not + even so much, for there IS a Herschell in my pedigree. Why, dear man, they + were Crusaders!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe smiled somewhat sheepishly. “I never noticed much,” he said. “It + was a foreign-looking name. I took it for granted.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Chaldon bent his brows a little. “Yes-s”—he murmured, + meditatively. “I've heard it mentioned that your enterprise was suspected + of an anti-Semitic twist. Do you mind my talking a little with you about + that?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, not at all,” the other answered with languid acquiescence, as he + seated himself. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVII + </h2> + <p> + LORD CHALDON'S instructive little monologue on the subject of the Hebrew + in finance afforded Thorpe a certain pleasure, which was in its character, + perhaps, more social than intellectual. + </p> + <p> + It was both a flattering and striking experience to have so eminent a man + at the side of one's desk, revealing for one's guidance the secrets of + sovereigns and cabinets. Great names were mentioned in the course of this + dissertation—mentioned with the authoritative ease of one who dined + with princes and prime ministers—and Thorpe felt that he shared in + the distinction of this familiarity with the august. He was in the + position of paying a salary to this courtly old nobleman and statesman, + who could tell him of his own intimate knowledge how Emperors conversed + with one another; how the Pope fidgeted in his ornate-carved chair when + the visitor talked on unwelcome topics; how a Queen and an opera-bouffe + dancer waged an obscure and envenomed battle for the possession of a + counting-house strong box, and in the outcome a nation was armed with + inferior old muskets instead of modern weapons, and the girl got the + difference expressed in black pearls. + </p> + <p> + These reminiscences seemed to alter the atmosphere, and even the + appearance, of the Board Room. It was almost as if the apartment itself + was becoming historic, like those chambers they pointed out to the tourist + wherein crowned heads had slept. The manner of the Marquis lent itself + charmingly to this illusion. He spoke in a facile, mellifluous voice, and + as fluently as if he had been at work for a long time preparing a + dissertation on this subject, instead of taking it up now by chance. In + his tone, in his gestures, in the sustained friendliness of his facial + expressions, there was a palpable desire to please his auditor—and + Thorpe gave more heed to this than to the thread of the discourse. The + facts that he heard now about the Jewish masters of international finance + were doubtless surprising and suggestive to a degree, but somehow they + failed to stimulate his imagination. Lord Chaldon's statesmanlike + discussion of the uses to which they put this vast power of theirs; his + conviction that on the whole they were beneficent; his dread of the + consequences of any organized attempt to take this power away from them, + and put it into other and less capable hands—no doubt it was all + very clever and wise, but Thorpe did not care for it. + </p> + <p> + At the end he nodded, and, with a lumbering movement, altered his position + in his chair. The fixed idea of despoiling Rostocker, Aronson, Ganz, + Rothfoere, Lewis, and Mendel of their last sixpence had been in no wise + affected by this entertaining homily. There appeared to be no need of + pretending that it had been. If he knew anything of men and their manners, + his titled friend would not object to a change of topic. + </p> + <p> + “Lord Chaldon,” he said abruptly, “we've talked enough about general + matters. While you're here, we might as well go into the subject of the + Company. Our annual meeting is pretty nearly due—but I think it + would be better to have it postponed. You see, this extraordinary + development of dealing in our shares on the Stock Exchange has occupied my + entire attention. There has been no time for arranging the machinery of + operations on our property in Mexico. It's still there; it's all right. + But for the time being, the operations in London are so much more + important. We should have nothing to tell our shareholders, if we brought + them together, except that their one-pound shares are worth fifteen + pounds, and they know that already.” + </p> + <p> + The Marquis had listened with a shrewdly attentive eye upon the speaker's + face. The nervous affection of his eyelids gave him now a minute of + blinking leisure in which to frame his comment. “I have not heard that my + shares are worth fifteen pounds,” he said then, with a direct, meaning + little smile. + </p> + <p> + “No,” Thorpe laughed, leaning comfortably back in his chair. “That's what + I want to talk to you about. You see, when the Company was started, it was + impossible to foresee that this dealing in our ordinary shares would swamp + everything else. If things had taken their usual course, and we had paid + our attention to Mexico instead of to the London Stock Exchange, my + deferred vendor's shares, two thousand of which you hold, would by this + time be worth a good bit. As it is, unfortunately, they are outside of the + deal. They have nothing to do with the movement of the ordinary shares. + But of course you understand all that.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Chaldon assented by an eloquent nod, at once resigned and hopeful. + </p> + <p> + “Well—that is contrary to all my expectations—and intentions,” + Thorpe resumed. “I don't want you to suffer by this unlooked-for change in + the shape of things. You hold two thousand shares—only by accident + they're the wrong kind of shares. Very well: I'll make them the right kind + of shares. I'll have a transfer sent to you tomorrow, so that you can + return those vendor's shares to me, and in exchange for them I'll give you + two thousand fully-paid ordinary shares. You can sell these at once, if + you like, or you can hold them on over one more settlement, whichever you + please.” + </p> + <p> + “This is very munificent,” remarked Lord Chaldon, after an instant's + self-communion. His tone was extremely gracious, but he displayed none of + the enthusiastic excitement which Thorpe perceived now that he had looked + for. The equanimity of Marquises, who were also ex-Ambassadors, was + evidently a deeper-rooted affair than he had supposed. This elderly and + urbane diplomat took a gift of thirty thousand pounds as he might have + accepted a superior cigar. + </p> + <p> + A brief pause ensued, and was ended by another remark from the nobleman: + “I thought for the moment of asking your advice—on this question of + selling,” he continued. “But it will be put more appropriately, perhaps, + in this way: Let me leave it entirely in your hands. Whatever you do will + be right. I know so little of these things—and you know so much.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe put out his lips a trifle, and looked away for an instant in + frowning abstraction. “If it were put in that way—I think I should + sell,” he said. “It's all right for me to take long chances—it's my + game—but there's no reason why you should risk things. But let me + put it in still another way,” he added, with the passing gleam of a new + thought over the dull surface of his eye. “What do you say to our making + the transaction strictly between ourselves? Here are shares to bearer, in + the safe there. I say that two thousand of them are yours: that makes them + yours. I give you my cheque for thirty thousand pounds—here, now, if + you like—and that makes them mine again. The business is finished + and done with—inside this room. Neither of us is to say anything + about it to a soul. Does that meet your views?” + </p> + <p> + The diplomat pondered the proposition—again with a lengthened + perturbation of the eyelids. “It would be possible to suggest a variety of + objections, if one were of a sophistical turn of mind,” he said at last, + smilingly reflective. “Yet I see no really insuperable obstacle in the + path.” He thought upon it further, and went on with an enquiring upward + glance directed suddenly at Thorpe: “Is there likely to be any very + unpleasant hubbub in the press—when it is known that the annual + meeting has been postponed?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head with confidence. “No—you need have no fear of + that. The press is all right. It's the talk of the City, I'm told—the + way I've managed the press. It isn't often that a man has all three of the + papers walking the same chalk-line.” + </p> + <p> + The Marquis considered these remarks with a puzzled air. Then he smiled + faintly. “I'm afraid we're speaking of different things,” he suggested. + “Apparently you refer to the financial papers. I had scarcely given them a + thought. It does not seem to me that I should mind particularly what they + said about me—but I should care a great deal about the other press—the + great public press.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, what do they know about these things?” said Thorpe, lightly. “So far + as I can see, they don't know about anything, unless it gets into the + police court, or the divorce court, or a court of some kind. They're the + funniest sort of papers I ever saw. Seems as if they didn't think anything + was safe to be printed until it had been sworn to. Why anybody should be + afraid of them is more than I can see.” + </p> + <p> + “Nevertheless,” persisted his Lordship, blandly, “I should greatly dislike + any public discussion of our Company's affairs. I hope it is quite clear + that that can be avoided.” + </p> + <p> + “Absolutely!” Thorpe told him, with reassuring energy. “Why, discussions + don't make themselves. Somebody has to kick before anything gets + discussed. And who is to kick here? The public who hold the shares are not + likely to complain because they've gone up fifteen hundred or two thousand + per cent. And who else has any interest in what the Company, as a Company, + does?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, that is a question which has occurred to me,” said Lord Chaldon, “and + I shall be glad if it is already answered. The only people likely to + 'kick,' as you put it so simply, would be, I take it, Directors and other + officers of the Company who find themselves holding a class of shares + which does not participate in the present rise. I speak with some + confidence—because I was in that position myself until a few minutes + ago—and I don't mind confessing that I had brought myself to + contemplate the contingency of ultimately being compelled to—to + 'kick' a little. Of course, so far as I am concerned, events have put me + in a diametrically different frame of mind. If I came prepared—I + won't say to curse, but to—to criticize—I certainly remain to + bless. But you see my point. I of course do not know what you have done as + regards the other members of the Board.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't care about them,” said Thorpe, carelessly. “You are the one that + I wished to bring in on the ground-floor. The others don't matter. Of + course, I shall do something for them; they shan't be allowed to make + trouble—even supposing that it would be in their power to make + trouble, which isn't the case. But it won't be done by any means on the + same scale that—” he paused abruptly, and the two men tacitly + completed his sentence in the glance they exchanged. + </p> + <p> + The Marquis of Chaldon rose, and took up his hat and stick. “If you will + post it to me—in a registered letter—my town house—please,” + he remarked, with a charmingly delicate hesitation over the phrases. Then + he put out his hand: “I need not say how fully I appreciate your great + kindness to my old friend Fromentin. It was a noble action—one I + shall always reflect upon with admiration.” + </p> + <p> + “I hope you won't mention it, though,” said Thorpe, as they shook hands; + “either that or—or anything else.” + </p> + <p> + “I shall preserve the most guarded—the most diplomatic secrecy,” his + Lordship assured him, as they walked toward the door. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe opened this door, and stepped aside, with a half bow, to facilitate + the exit of the Marquis, who bent gracious acknowledgment of the courtesy. + Then, with an abrupt start of surprise, the two men straightened + themselves. Directly in front of them, leaning lightly against the + brass-rail which guarded the entrance to the Board Room, stood Lord + Plowden. + </p> + <p> + A certain sense of confusion, unwelcome but inevitable, visibly enveloped + this chance meeting. The Marquis blinked very hard as he exchanged a + fleeting hand-shake with the younger nobleman, and murmured some + indistinguishable commonplaces. Then, with a graceful celerity, which was + more than diplomatic, he disappeared. Thorpe, with more difficulty, + recovered a sort of stolidity of expression that might pass for composure. + He in turn gave his hand to the newcomer, and nodded to him, and achieved + a doubtful smile. + </p> + <p> + “Come in!” he said, haltingly. “Where did you drop from? Glad to see you! + How are all your people?” + </p> + <p> + A moment later the young Viscount was seated in the chair which the + elderly Marquis had vacated. He presented therein a figure which, in its + way, was perhaps as courtly as the other had been—but the way was + widely different. Lord Plowden's fine, lithe form expressed no deference + in its easy postures. His handsome face was at no pains to assume + conciliatory or ingratiating aspects. His brilliant brown eyes sparkled a + confident, buoyant gaze full into the heavy, lethargic countenance of the + big man at the desk. + </p> + <p> + “I haven't bothered you before,” he said, tossing his gloves into his hat, + and spreading his frock-coat out by its silk lapels. He crossed his legs, + and sat back with a comfortable smile. “I knew you were awfully busy—and + I kept away as long as I could. But now—well, the truth is—I'm + in rather of a hole. I hope you don't mind my coming.” + </p> + <p> + “Why not at all,” said Thorpe, laconically. After a momentary pause he + added: “The Marquis has just been consulting me about the postponement of + the annual meeting. I suppose you agree with us—that it would be + better to put it off. There's really nothing to report. Of course, you + know more about the situation than he does—between ourselves. The + shareholders don't want a meeting; it's enough for them that their shares + are worth fifteen or twenty times what they paid for them. And certainly + WE don't need a meeting, as things stand now.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah yes—how do things stand now?” asked Lord Plowden, briskly. + </p> + <p> + “Well,”—Thorpe eyed his visitor with a moody blankness of gaze, his + chin once more buried in his collar—“well, everything is going all + right, as far as I can see. But, of course, these dealings in our shares + in the City have taken up all my time—so that I haven't been able to + give any attention to starting up work in Mexico. That being the case, I + shall arrange to foot all the bills for this year's expenses—the + rent, the Directors' fees and clerk-hire and so on—out of my own + pocket. It comes, all told, to about 2,700 pounds—without counting + my extra 1,000 pounds as Managing Director. I don't propose to ask for a + penny of that, under the circumstances—and I'll even pay the other + expenses. So that the Company isn't losing a penny by our not getting to + work at the development of the property. No one could ask anything fairer + than that.—And are your mother and sister quite well?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, very well indeed, thanks,” replied the other. He relapsed abruptly + into a silence which was plainly preoccupied. Something of the radiant + cheerfulness with which his face had beamed seemed to have faded away. + </p> + <p> + “I'm in treaty for a house and a moor in the Highlands”—Thorpe went + on, in a casual tone—“in fact, I'm hesitating between three or four + places that all seem to be pretty good—but I don't know whether I + can get away much before the twentieth. I hope you can contrive to come + while I'm there. I should like it very much if you would bring your mother + and sister—and your brother too. I have a nephew about his age—a + fine young fellow—who'd be company for him. Why can't you say now + that you'll all come?” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden emerged from his brown study with the gleam of some new idea + on his face. “I might bring my sister,” he said. “My mother hates + Scotland. She doesn't go about, either, even in England. But I daresay + Winnie would enjoy it immensely. She has a great opinion of you, you + know.” + </p> + <p> + “I only saw her that once,” Thorpe remarked. Some thought behind his words + lent a musing effect to the tone in which they were uttered. The brother's + contemplative smile seemed a comment upon this tone. + </p> + <p> + “Women are curious creatures,” he said. “They take fancies and dislikes as + swiftly and irresponsibly as cloud-shadows shift and change on a + mountain-side in April. But I happen to know that my sister does like you + immensely. So does my mother,” he added, with another little smile. He + continued to regard Thorpe's face, but there was an increasing uncertainty + in his glance. “You've put on flesh, haven't you?” he ventured, after a + brief pause. There was the implication in his voice and manner that he + observed changes which disconcerted him. + </p> + <p> + “Not much, I guess,” replied the other, carelessly. “I've been sticking to + the City pretty closely. That's all. There's nothing that a fortnight's + rest won't put right. I should like it first-rate to have you and your + sister come. I'll let you know which place I decide upon. Very likely you + can manage to bring her at the same time that some other ladies will be + there. I expect Lady Cressage and Miss Madden, you know.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden stared at his friend. “Are they back? Have they returned to + England?” he asked, confusedly. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, didn't you know?” Thorpe pursued, with an accession of amiability. He + visibly had pleasure in the disclosure of the other's ignorance. “They've + been in London for two or three weeks. That is, Miss Madden has been + taking flying trips to see cathedrals and so on, but Lady Cressage has + stayed in town. Their long journeyings have rather done her up.” He looked + Plowden straight in the eye, and added with an air of deliberation: “I'm + rather anxious about her health.” + </p> + <p> + The nobleman frankly abandoned his efforts to maintain an undisturbed + front. “You—are—anxious,” he repeated, frowning in displeased + wonderment. + </p> + <p> + “Why yes—why not?” demanded Thorpe, with a sudden growl in his + voice. As he covered the handsome Viscount with his heavy, intent gaze, + impulses of wrath stirred within him. Why should this fop of a lordling + put on this air of contemptuous incredulity? “What is there so amazing + about that? Why shouldn't I be anxious?” + </p> + <p> + The peremptory harshness of his manner, and the scowl on his big, lowering + face, brought a sort of self-control back to the other. He shrugged his + shoulders, with an attempt at nonchalance. “Why not indeed!” he said, as + lightly as he could. With hands on knees, he bent forward as if to rise. + “But perhaps I'd better come in another day,” he suggested, tentatively. + “I'm interrupting you.” + </p> + <p> + “No—sit still,” Thorpe bade him, and then, with chin settled more + determinedly than ever in his cravat, sat eyeing him in a long, dour + silence. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden found it impossible to obtain from this massive, apathetic + visage any clue to the thoughts working behind it. He chanced to recall + the time when he had discussed with Thorpe the meaning and values of this + inscrutable expression which the latter's countenance could assume. It had + seemed interesting and even admirable to him then—but then he had + not foreseen the possibility that he himself might some day confront its + adamantine barrier with a sinking heart. All at once he could bear this + implacable sphinx-gaze no longer. + </p> + <p> + “I'm sure some other day would be better,” he urged, with an open overture + to propitiation in his tone. “You're not in the mood to be bothered with + my affairs today.” + </p> + <p> + “As much today as any other,” Thorpe answered him, slowly. + </p> + <p> + The other sat suddenly upright—and then upon a moment's reflection + rose to his feet. “I don't in the least know what to make of all this,” he + said, with nervous precipitancy. “If I've offended you in any way, say so, + and I will apologize at once. But treatment of this sort passes my + comprehension.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe in truth did not himself comprehend it much more clearly. Some + strange freak of wilfulness impelled him to pursue this unintelligible + persecution. “I've said nothing about any offense,” he declared, in a + hard, deliberate voice. “It is your own word. All the same—I mention + the name of a lady—a lady, mind you, whom I met under your own roof—and + you strike attitudes and put on airs as if—as if I wasn't good + enough!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, upon my word, that's all rubbish!” the other broke in. “Nothing could + have been further from my thoughts, I assure you. Quite naturally I was + surprised for the moment at a bit of unexpected news—but that was + all. I give you my word that was all.” + </p> + <p> + “Very well, then,” Thorpe consented grudgingly to mutter. + </p> + <p> + He continued his sullen scrutiny of the man standing before him, noting + how the vivacity of his bearing had deteriorated in these few minutes. He + had cut such a gallant figure when he entered the room, with his sparkling + eye and smile, his almost jaunty manner, his superior tailor's plumage—and + now he was such a crestfallen and wilted thing! Remembering their last + conversation together—remembering indeed how full of liking for this + young nobleman he had been when they last met—Thorpe paused to + wonder at the fact that he felt no atom of pity for him now. What was his + grievance? What had Plowden done to provoke this savage hostility? Thorpe + could not tell. He knew only that unnamed forces dragged him forward to + hurt and humiliate his former friend. Obscurely, no doubt, there was + something about a woman in it. Plowden had been an admirer of Lady + Cressage. There was her father's word for it that if there had been money + enough he would have wished to marry her. There had been, as well, the + General's hint that if the difficulty of Plowden's poverty were removed, + he might still wish to marry her—a hint which Thorpe discovered to + be rankling with a sudden new soreness in his mind. Was that why he hated + Plowden? No—he said to himself that it was not. He was going to + marry Lady Cressage himself. Her letter, signifying delicately her assent + to his proposal, had come to him that very morning—was in his pocket + now. What did he care about the bye-gone aspirations of other would-be + suitors? And, as for Plowden, he had not even known of her return to + London. Clearly there remained no communications of any sort between them. + It was not at all on her account, he assured himself, that he had turned + against Plowden. But what other reason could there be? He observed his + visitor's perturbed and dejected mien with a grim kind of satisfaction—but + still he could not tell why. + </p> + <p> + “This is all terribly important to me,” the nobleman said, breaking the + unpleasant silence. His voice was surcharged with earnestness. “Apparently + you are annoyed with something—what it may be I can't for the life + of me make out. All I can say is”—and he broke off with a helpless + gesture which seemed to imply that he feared to say anything. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe put out his lips. “I don't know what you mean,” he said, brusquely. + </p> + <p> + “What I mean”—the other echoed, with bewildered vagueness of glance. + “I'm all at sea. I don't in the least grasp the meaning of anything. You + yourself volunteered the declaration that you would do great things for + me. 'We are rich men together'—those were your own words. I urged + you at the time to go slowly—to consider carefully whether you + weren't being too generous. I myself said to you that you were + ridiculously exaggerating what you called your obligation to me. It was + you who insisted upon presenting me with 100,000 shares.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, they are here ready for you,” said Thorpe, with calculated + coldness. “You can have them whenever you please. I promised them to you, + and set them aside for you. You can take them away with you now, if you + like. What are you kicking up this fuss for, then? Upon my word!—you + come here and suggest to me that I made promises to you which I've + broken!” + </p> + <p> + Plowden looked hard at him, as he turned over in his mind the purport of + these words. “I see what you are doing,” he said then. “You turn over to + me 100,000 vendor's deferred shares. Thanks! I have already 1,000 of them. + I keep them in the same box with my father's Confederate bonds.” + </p> + <p> + “What the hell do you mean?” Thorpe broke in with explosive warmth, + lifting himself in his chair. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, come now, Thorpe,” Plowden retorted, “let's get this talk on an + intelligent, common-sense footing.” He had regained something of his + self-control, and keenly put forward now to help him all his persuasive + graces of eye and speech. He seated himself once more. “I'm convinced that + you want to be good to me. Of course you do! If I've seemed here for a + minute or two to think otherwise, it was because I misunderstood things. + Don't let there be any further misunderstandings! I apologize for doing + you the momentary injustice of suspecting that you were going to play off + the vendor's shares on me. Of course you said it—but it was a joke.” + </p> + <p> + “There seems to be a joke somewhere, sure enough,” said Thorpe, in dryly + metallic tones—“but it isn't me who's the joker. I told you you + should have 100,000 of my 400,000 shares, didn't I? I told you that in so + many words. Very well, what more do you want? Here they are for you! I + keep my promise to the letter. But you—you seem to think you're + entitled to make a row. What do you mean by it?” + </p> + <p> + “Just a little word”—interposed Plowden, with strenuous calmness of + utterance—“what you say may be true enough—yes, I admit it is + true as far as it goes. But was that what either of us had in our minds at + the time? You know it wasn't! You had just planned a coup on the Stock + Exchange which promised you immense rewards. I helped you to pass a bogus + allotment through our Board—without which your coup wouldn't have + been worth a farthing. You were enthusiastically grateful to me then. In + the excitement of the moment you promised me a quarter of all you should + make. 'WE ARE BOTH RICH MEN!' I remember those very words of yours. They + have never been out of my mind. We discussed the things that we would each + do, when we came into this wealth. It was taken for granted in all our + talk that your making money meant also my making money. That was the + complete understanding—here in London, and while you were at my + house. You know it as well as I do. And I refuse to suppose that you + seriously intend to sit there and pretend that you meant to give me + nothing but an armful of waste paper. It would be too monstrous!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe rapped with his nails on the desk, to point the force of his + rejoinder: “How do you account for the fact, my Lord”—he gave his + words a chillingly scornful precision of utterance—“that I + distinctly mentioned 400,000 vendor's shares of mine, 100,000 of which I + promised to turn over to you? Those were the specific terms, were they + not? You don't deny it? Then what are you talking about?” + </p> + <p> + “I account for it in this way”—said Plowden, after a moment's + baffled reflection: “at that time you yourself hadn't grasped the + difference between the two classes of shares. You thought the vendor's + shares would play a part in the game. Ah! I see I've hit the mark! That + was the way of it!—And now here, Thorpe! Let all that's been said be + bye-gones! I don't want any verbal triumph over you. You don't want to + wrong me—and yourself too—by sticking to this quibble about + vendor's shares. You intended to be deuced good to me—and what have + I done that you should round on me now? I haven't bothered you before. I + came today only because things are particularly rotten, financially, just + now. And I don't even want to hold you to a quarter—I leave that + entirely to you. But after all that's been said and done—I put it to + you as one man to another—you are morally bound to help me out.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?—'all that's been said and done'?” Thorpe asked the + question in some confusion of moods. Perhaps it was the ethical force of + Lord Plowden's appeal, perhaps only a recurring sense of his earlier + affection for the man—but for the moment he wavered in his purpose. + </p> + <p> + The peer flushed a little, as he looked at the floor, revolving possible + answers to this query. His ear had been quick to seize the note of + hesitation in Thorpe's tone. He strove anxiously to get together + considerations which should tip the fluttering balance definitely his way. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” he began slowly, “I hardly know how to put it. Of course there + was, in the first place, the immense expectation of fortune which you gave + me, and which I'm afraid I've more than lived up to. And then, of course, + others shared my expectations. It wasn't a thing one could very well keep + to oneself. My mother and my sister—especially my sister—they + were wonderfully excited about it. You are quite the hero in their eyes. + And then—you remember that talk we had, in which you said I could + help you—socially, you know. I did it a little, just as a start, but + of course there's no end to what could be done. You've been too busy + heretofore, but we can begin now whenever you like. I don't mind telling + you—I've had some thoughts of a possible marriage for you. In point + of blood and connections it would be such a match as a commoner hasn't + made before in my memory—a highly-cultivated and highly-bred young + lady of rank—and settlements could be made so that a considerable + quantity of land would eventually come to your son. I needn't tell you + that land stands for much more than money, if you happen to set your mind + on a baronetcy or a peerage. Of course—I need scarcely say—I + mention this marriage only as something which may or may not attract you,—it + is quite open to you to prefer another,—but there is hardly anything + of that sort in which I and my connections could not be of use to you.” + </p> + <p> + Even more by the tone and inflection of these words than by the phrases + themselves, Thorpe divined that he was being offered the hand of the Hon. + Winifred Plowden in marriage. He recalled vividly the fact that once the + shadow of some such thought had floated through his own brain; there had + been a moment—it seemed curiously remote, like a dream-phantom from + some previous state of existence—when he had dwelt with personal + interest upon her inheritance from long lines of noblemen, and her + relation to half the peerage. Then, swiftly, illogically, he disliked the + brother of this lady more than ever. + </p> + <p> + “All that is talking in the air,” he said, with abrupt decision. “I see + nothing in it. You shall have your vendor's shares, precisely as I + promised you. I don't see how you can possibly ask for anything more.” He + looked at the other's darkling face for a moment, and then rose with + unwieldy deliberation. “If you're so hard up though,” he continued, + coldly, “I don't mind doing this much for you. I'll exchange the thousand + vendor's shares you already hold the ones I gave you to qualify you at the + beginning—for ordinary shares. You can sell those for fifteen + thousand pounds cash. In fact, I'll buy them of you now. I'll give you a + cheque for the amount. Do you want it?” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden, red-faced and frowning, hesitated for a fraction of time. + Then in constrained silence he nodded, and Thorpe, leaning ponderously + over the desk, wrote out the cheque. His Lordship took it, folded it up, + and put it in his pocket without immediate comment. + </p> + <p> + “Then this is the end of things, is it?” he asked, after an awkward + silence, in a voice he strove in vain to keep from shaking. + </p> + <p> + “What things?” said the other. + </p> + <p> + Plowden shrugged his shoulders, framed his lips to utter something which + he decided not to say, and at last turned on his heel. “Good day,” he + called out over his shoulder, and left the room with a flagrant air of + hostility. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, wandering about the apartment, stopped after a time at the + cabinet, and helped himself to a drink. The thing most apparent to him was + that of set purpose he had converted a friend into an enemy. Why had he + done this? He asked himself the question in varying forms, over his brandy + and soda, but no convincing answer came. He had done it because he had + felt like doing it. It was impossible to trace motives further than that. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XVIII + </h2> + <p> + “EDITH will be down in a very few moments,” Miss Madden assured Thorpe + that evening, when he entered the drawing-room of the house she had taken + in Grafton Street. + </p> + <p> + He looked into her eyes and smiled, as he bowed over the hand she extended + to him. His glance expressed with forceful directness his thought: “Ah, + then she has told you!” + </p> + <p> + The complacent consciousness of producing a fine effect in evening-clothes + had given to Mr. Stormont Thorpe habitually now a mildness of manner, + after the dressing hour, which was lacking to his deportment in the + day-time. The conventional attire of ceremony, juggled in the hands of an + inspired tailor, had been brought to lend to his ponderous figure a + dignity, and even something of a grace, which the man within assimilated + and made his own. It was an equable and rather amiable Thorpe whom people + encountered after nightfall—a gentleman who looked impressive enough + to have powerful performances believed of him, yet seemed withal an + approachable and easy-going person. Men who saw him at midnight or later + spoke of him to their womenkind with a certain significant reserve, in + which trained womankind read the suggestion that the “Rubber King” drank a + good deal, and was probably not wholly nice in his cups. + </p> + <p> + This, however, could not be said to render him less interesting in any + eyes. There was indeed about it the implication of a generous nature, or + at the least of a blind side—and it is not unpleasant to discover + these attributes in a new man who has made his half-million, and has, or + may have, countless favours to bestow. + </p> + <p> + It was as if his tongue instead of his eyes had uttered the exclamation—“Ah, + then she has told you!”—for Miss Madden took it as having been + spoken. “I'm not disposed to pretend that I'm overjoyed about it, you + know,” she said to him bluntly, as their hands dropped, and they stood + facing each other. “If I said I congratulated you, it would be only the + emptiest form. And I hate empty forms.” + </p> + <p> + “Why should you think that I won't make a good husband?” Thorpe asked the + question with a good-natured if peremptory frankness which came most + readily to him in the presence of this American lady, herself so outspoken + and masterful. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know that I specially doubt it,” she replied. “I suppose any man + has in him the makings of what is called a good husband—if the + conditions are sufficiently propitious.” + </p> + <p> + “Well then—what's the matter with the conditions?” he demanded, + jocosely. + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden shrugged her shoulders slightly. Thorpe noted the somewhat + luxuriant curves of these splendid shoulders, and the creamy whiteness of + the skin, upon which, round the full throat, a chain of diamonds lay as + upon satin—and recalled that he had not seen her before in what he + phrased to himself as so much low-necked dress. The deep fire-gleam in her + broad plaits of hair gave a wonderful brilliancy to this colouring of brow + and throat and bosom. He marvelled at himself for discovering only now + that she also was beautiful—and then thrilled with pride at the + thought that henceforth his life might be passed altogether among + beautiful women, radiant in gems and costly fabrics, who would smile upon + him at his command. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I have no wish to be a kill-joy,” she protested. “I'm sure I hope all + manner of good results from the—the experiment.” + </p> + <p> + “I suppose that's what it comes to,” he said, meditatively. “It's all an + experiment. Every marriage in the world must be that—neither more + nor less.” + </p> + <p> + “With all the experience of the ages against its coming out right.” She + had turned to move toward a chair, but looked now over her shoulder at + him. “Have you ever seen what seemed to you an absolutely happy marriage + in your life?” + </p> + <p> + Upon reflection he shook his head. “I don't recall one on the spur of the + minute,” he confessed. “Not the kind, I mean, that you read about in + books. But I've seen plenty where the couple got along together in a good, + easy, comfortable sort of way, without a notion of any sort of + unpleasantness. It's people who marry too young who do most of the + fighting, I imagine. After people have got to a sensible age, and know + what they want and what they can get along without, why then there's no + reason for any trouble. We don't start out with any school-boy and + school-girl moonshine.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, there's a good deal to be said for the moonshine,” she interrupted + him, as she sank upon the sofa. + </p> + <p> + “Why certainly,” he assented, amiably, as he stood looking down at her. + “The more there is of it, the better—if it comes naturally, and + people know enough to understand that it is moonshine, and isn't the + be-all and end-all of everything.” + </p> + <p> + “There's a lover for you!” Miss Madden cried, with mirth and derision + mingled in her laugh. + </p> + <p> + “Don't you worry about me,” he told her. “I'm a good enough lover, all + right. And when you come to that, if Edith is satisfied, I don't precisely + see what——” + </p> + <p> + “What business it is of mine?” she finished the sentence for him. “You're + entirely right. As you say, IF she's satisfied, no one else has anything + to do with it.” + </p> + <p> + “But have you got any right to assume that she isn't satisfied?” he asked + her with swift directness—“or any reason for supposing it?” + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden shook her head, but the negation seemed qualified by the + whimsical smile she gave him. “None whatever,” she said—and on the + instant the talk was extinguished by the entrance of Lady Cressage. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's vision was flooded with the perception of his rare fortune as he + went to meet her. He took the hand she offered, and looked into the smile + of her greeting, and could say nothing. Her beauty had gathered to it new + forces in his eyes—forces which dazzled and troubled his glance. The + thought that this exquisite being—this ineffable compound of feeling + and fine nerves and sweet wisdom and wit and loveliness—belonged to + him seemed too vast for the capacity of his mind. He could not keep + himself from trembling a little, and from diverting to a screen beyond her + shoulder a gaze which he felt to be overtly dimmed and embarrassed. + </p> + <p> + “I have kept you waiting,” she murmured. + </p> + <p> + The soft sound of her voice came to his ears as from a distance. It bore + an unfamiliar note, upon the strangeness of which he dwelt for a detached + instant. Then its meaning broke in upon his consciousness from all sides, + and lighted up his heavy face with the glow of a conqueror's self-centred + smile. He bent his eyes upon her, and noted with a controlled exaltation + how her glance in turn deferred to his, and fluttered beneath it, and + shrank away. He squared his big shoulders and lifted his head. Still + holding her jewelled hand in his, he turned and led her toward the sofa. + Halting, he bowed with an exaggerated genuflection and flourish of his + free hand to Miss Madden, the while he flashed at her a glance at once of + challenge and of deprecation. Through the sensitized contact of the other + hand, he felt that the woman he held bowed also, and in his own spirit of + confused defiance and entreaty. The laugh he gave then seemed to dispel + the awkwardness which had momentarily hung over the mocking salutation. + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden laughed too. “Oh, I surrender,” she said. “You drag + congratulations from me.” + </p> + <p> + Some quality in the tone of this ungracious speech had the effect of + putting the party at its ease. Lady Cressage seated herself beside her + friend on the sofa, and gently, abstractedly, patted one of her hands. + Thorpe remained on his feet, looking down at the pair with satisfied + cheerfulness. He tool, a slip of paper from his pocket, to support a + statement he was making. + </p> + <p> + “I'm forever telling you what a strain the City is on a man in my + position,” he said—“and today I had the curiosity to keep an account + of what happened. Here it is. I had thirty callers. Of those, how many do + you suppose came to see me on my own business? Just eight. That is to say, + their errands were about investments of mine, but most of them managed to + get in some word about axes of their own to grind. All the rest made no + pretence at all of thinking about anybody but themselves. I've classified + them, one by one, here. + </p> + <p> + “First, there were six men who wanted me to take shares of one sort or + another, and I had to more or less listen to what they tried to make out + their companies were like. They were none of them any good. Eight + different fellows came to me with schemes that haven't reached the company + stage. One had a scheme for getting possession of a nigger republic in the + West Indies by raising a loan, and then repudiating all the previous + loans. Another wanted me to buy a paper for him, in which he was to + support all my enterprises. Another wanted to start a bank—I + apparently to find the money, and he the brains. One chap wanted me to + finance a theatrical syndicate—he had a bag full of photographs of + an actress all eyes and teeth and hair,—and another chap had a + scheme all worked out for getting a concession from Spain for one of the + Caroline Islands, and putting up a factory there for making porpoise-hide + leather. + </p> + <p> + “Then there were three inventors—let's see, here they are—one + with a coiled wire spring for scissors inside a pocket-knife, and one with + a bottle, the whole top of which unscrews instead of having a cork or + stopper, and one with an electrical fish-line, a fine wire inside the + silk, you know, which connects with some battery when a fish bites, and + rings a bell, and throws out hooks in various directions, and does all + sorts of things. + </p> + <p> + “Well then, there was a man who wanted me to take the chairmanship of a + company, and one who wanted me to guarantee an overdraft at his bank, and + two who wanted to borrow money on stock, and one parson-fellow who tried + to stick me for a subscription to some Home or other he said he had for + children in the country. He was the worst bounder of the lot. + </p> + <p> + “Well, there's twenty-seven people—and twenty of them strangers to + me, and not worth a penny to me, and all trying to get money out of me. + Isn't that a dog's life for one?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know,” said Miss Madden, contemplatively. “A lady may have twice + that number of callers in an afternoon—quite as great strangers to + all intents and purposes—and not even have the satisfaction of + discovering that they had any object whatever in calling. At least your + people had some motive: the grey matter in their brain was working. And + besides, one of them might have had something to say which you would + value. I don't think that ever happens among a lady's callers; does it, + Edith?” + </p> + <p> + Edith smiled, pleasantly and yet a little wistfully, but said nothing. + </p> + <p> + “At any rate,” Thorpe went on, with a kind of purpose gathering in his + eyes, “none of those fellows cost me anything, except in time. But then I + had three callers, almost in a bunch, and one of them took out of me + thirty thousand pounds, and another fifteen thousand pounds, and the third—an + utter stranger he was—he got an absolute gratuity of ten thousand + pounds, besides my consent to a sale which, if I had refused it, would + have stood me in perhaps forty or fifty thousand pounds more. You ladies + may thank your stars you don't have that kind of callers!” + </p> + <p> + The sound of these figures in the air brought a constrained look to the + faces of the women. Seemingly they confronted a subject which was not to + their liking. The American, however, after a moment's pause, took it up in + an indifferent manner. + </p> + <p> + “You speak of an 'absolute gratuity.' I know nothing of London City + methods—but isn't ten thousand pounds a gratuity on a rather large + scale?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe hesitated briefly, then smiled, and, with slow deliberation, drew + up a chair and seated himself before them. “Perhaps I don't mind telling + you about it,” he began, and paused again. “I had a letter in my mail this + morning,” he went on at last, giving a sentimental significance to both + tone and glance—“a letter which changed everything in the world for + me, and made me the proudest and happiest man above ground. And I put that + letter in my pocket, right here on the left side—and it's there now, + for that matter”—he put his hand to his breast, as if under the + impulse to verify his words by the production of the missive, and then + stopped and flushed. + </p> + <p> + The ladies, watching him, seemed by their eyes to condone the mawkishness + of the demonstration which had tempted him. There was indeed a kind of + approving interest in their joint regard, which he had not experienced + before. + </p> + <p> + “I had it in my pocket,” he resumed, with an accession of mellow emotion + in his voice, “and none of the callers ever got my thoughts very far from + that letter. And one of these was an old man—a French banker who + must be seventy years old, but dyes his hair a kind of purple black—and + it seems that his nephew had got the firm into a terrible kind of scrape, + selling 2,000 of my shares when he hadn't got them to sell and couldn't + get them—and the old man came to beg me to let him out at present + market figures. He got Lord Chaldon—he's my Chairman, you know—to + bring him, and introduce him as his friend, and plead for him—but I + don't think all that, by itself, would have budged me an atom. But then + the old man told how he was just able to scrape together money enough to + buy the shares he needed, at the ruling price, and he happened to mention + that his niece's marriage portion would have to be sacrificed. Well, then, + do you know, that letter in my pocket said something to me....And—well, + that's the story. The girl' s portion, I wormed it out of him, was ten + thousand...and I struck that much off the figure that I allowed him to buy + his shares, and save his firm, for....It was all the letter that did it, + mind you!” + </p> + <p> + He concluded the halting narrative amid a marked silence. The ladies + looked at him and at each other, but they seemed surprised out of their + facility of comment. In this kind of flustered hush, the door was opened + and dinner was announced. + </p> + <p> + Miss Madden welcomed the diversion by rising with ostentatious vigour. “I + will take myself out,” she declared, with cheerful promptness leading the + way. Lady Cressage took the arm Thorpe offered her, and gave no token of + comprehending that her wrist was being caressingly pressed against his + side as they moved along. + </p> + <p> + At the little table shining in the centre of the dark, cool dining-room, + talk moved idly about among general topics. A thunderstorm broke over the + town, at an early stage of the dinner, and the sound of the rushing + downpour through the open windows, and the breath of freshness which + stirred the jaded air, were pleasanter than any speech. Thoughts roved + intuitively country-ward, where the long-needed rain would be dowering the + landscape with new life—where the earth at sunrise would be green + again, and buoyant in reawakened energy, and redolent with the perfumes of + sweetest summer. They spoke of the fields and the moors with the longing + of tired town-folk in August. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, when I get away”—said Thorpe, fervently, “it seems to me that I + don't want ever to come back. These last few weeks have got terribly on my + nerve. And really—why should I come back? I've been asking myself + the question—more today than ever before. Of course everything has + been different today. But if I'm to get any genuine good out of my—my + fortune—I must pull away from the City altogether sometime—and + why not now? Of course, some important things are still open—and + they have to be watched night and day—but after all, Semple—that's + my Broker—he could do it for me. At the most, it won't last more + than another six weeks. There is a settlement-day next week, the 15th, and + another a fortnight after, on the 29th, and another on September 12th. + Well, those three days, if they're worked as I intend they shall be, and + nothing unforeseen happens, will bring in over four hundred thousand + pounds, and close the 'corner' in Rubber Consols for good. Then I need + never see the City again, thank God! And for that matter—why, what + is six weeks? It's like tomorrow. I'm going to act as if I were free + already. The rain fills me full of the country. Will you both come with me + tomorrow or next day, and see the Pellesley place in Hertfordshire? By the + photographs it's the best thing in the market. The newest parts of it are + Tudor—and that's what I've always wanted.” + </p> + <p> + “How unexpected you are!” commented Miss Madden. “You are almost the last + person I should have looked to for a sentiment about Tudor foundations.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe put out his lips a trifle. “Ah, you don't know me,” he replied, in + a voice milder than his look had promised. “Because I'm rough and + practical, you mustn't think I don't know good things when I see them. + Why, all the world is going to have living proof very soon”—he + paused, and sent a smile surcharged with meaning toward the silent member + of the trio—“living proof that I'm the greatest judge of perfection + in beauty of my time.” + </p> + <p> + He lifted his glass as he spoke, and the ladies accepted with an + inclination of the head, and a touch of the wine at their lips, his tacit + toast. “Oh, I think I do know you,” said Celia Madden, calmly discursive. + “Up to a certain point, you are not so unlike other men. If people appeal + to your imagination, and do not contradict you, or bore you, or get in + your way, you are capable of being very nice indeed to them. But that + isn't a very uncommon quality. What is uncommon in you—at least that + is my reading—is something which according to circumstances may be + nice, or very much the other way about. It's something which stands quite + apart from standards of morals or ethics or the ordinary emotions. But I + don't know, whether it is desirable for me to enter into this extremely + personal analysis.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, go on,” Thorpe urged her. He watched her face with an almost + excited interest. + </p> + <p> + “Well—I should say that you possessed a capacity for sudden and + capricious action in large matters, equally impatient of reasoning and + indifferent to consequences, which might be very awkward, and even tragic, + to people who happened to annoy you, or stand in your road. You have the + kind of organization in which, within a second, without any warning or + reason, a passing whim may have worked itself up into an imperative law—something + you must obey.” + </p> + <p> + The man smiled and nodded approvingly: “You've got me down fine,” he said. + </p> + <p> + “I talk with a good deal of confidence,” she went on, with a cheerless, + ruminative little laugh, “because it is my own organization that I am + describing, too. The difference is that I was allowed to exploit my + capacity for mischief very early. I had my own way in my teens—my + own money, my own power—of course only of a certain sort, and in a + very small place. But I know what I did with that power. I spread trouble + and misery about me—always of course on a small scale. Then a group + of things happened in a kind of climax—a very painful climax—and + it shook the nonsense out of me. My brother and my father died—some + other sobering things happened...and luckily I was still young enough to + stop short, and take stock of myself, and say that there were certain + paths I would never set foot on again—and stick to it. But with you—do + you see?—power only comes to you when you are a mature man. + Experiences, no matter how unpleasant they are, will not change you now. + You will not be moved by this occurrence or that to distrust yourself, or + reconsider your methods, or form new resolutions. Oh no! Power will be + terrible in your hands, if people whom you can injure provoke you to cruel + courses——” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, dear—dear!” broke in Lady Cressage. “What a distressing Mrs. + Gummidge-Cassandra you are, Celia! Pray stop it!” + </p> + <p> + “No—she's right enough,” said Thorpe, gravely. “That's the kind of + man I am.” + </p> + <p> + He seemed so profoundly interested in the contemplation of this portrait + which had been drawn of him, that the others respected his reflective + silence. He sat for some moments, idly fingering a fork on the table, and + staring at a blotch of vivid red projected through a decanter upon the + cloth. + </p> + <p> + “It seems to me that's the only kind of man it's worth while to be,” he + added at last, still speaking with thoughtful deliberation. “There's + nothing else in the world so big as power—strength. If you have + that, you can get everything else. But if you have it, and don't use it, + then it rusts and decays on your hands. It's like a thoroughbred horse. + You can't keep it idle in the stable. If you don't exercise it, you lose + it.” + </p> + <p> + He appeared to be commenting upon some illustration which had occurred to + his own mind, but was not visible to his auditors. While they regarded + him, he was prompted to admit them to his confidence. + </p> + <p> + “There was a case of it today,” he said, and then paused. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” put in Miss Madden. “The fact that some Frenchwoman, of whom + you had never heard before, was going to lose her marriage portion caught + your attention, and on the instant you presented her with $10,000, an + exercise of power which happens to be on the generous side—but still + entirely unreasoning, and not deserving of any intellectual respect. And + here's the point: if it had happened that somebody else chanced to produce + an opposite impression upon you, you would have been capable of taking + $50,000 away from him with just as light a heart.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's face beamed with repressed amusement. “As a matter of fact it was + that kind of case I was going to mention. I wasn't referring to the girl + and her marriage portion. A young man came to me today—came into my + room all cock-a-whoop, smiling to himself with the notion that he had only + to name what he wanted, and I would give it to him—and——” + </p> + <p> + He stopped abruptly, with a confused little laugh. He had been upon the + brink of telling about Lord Plowden's discomfiture, and even now the story + itched upon his tongue. It cost him an effort to put the narrative aside, + the while he pondered the arguments which had suddenly reared themselves + against publicity. When at last he spoke, it was with a glance of + conscious magnanimity toward the lady who had consented to be his wife. + </p> + <p> + “Never mind,” he said, lightly. “There wasn't much to it. The man annoyed + me, somehow—and he didn't get what he came for—that's all.” + </p> + <p> + “But he was entitled to get it?” asked Celia Madden. Thorpe's lips pouted + over a reply. “Well—no,” he said, with a kind of reluctance. “He got + strictly what he was entitled to—precisely what I had promised him—and + he wrung up his nose at that—and then I actually gave him 15,000 + pounds he wasn't entitled to at all.” + </p> + <p> + “I hardly see what it proves, then,” Edith Cressage remarked, and the + subject was dropped. + </p> + <p> + Some two hours later, Thorpe took his departure. It was not until he was + getting into the hansom which had been summoned, that it all at once + occurred to him that he had not for a moment been alone with his + betrothed. Upon reflection, as the cab sped smoothly forward, this seemed + odd to him. He decided finally that there was probably some social rule + about such things which he didn't understand. + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + In the drawing-room of the house in Grafton Street which he had quitted, + the two ladies sat with faces averted from each other, in constrained + silence. + </p> + <p> + Edith Cressage rose at last, and took a few aimless steps, with her hands + at her hair. “Well—I'm embarked—fairly under way!” she said, + in clear-cut, almost provocative tones. + </p> + <p> + “I don't at all know what to say,” her companion replied, slowly. “I fancy + that you exaggerate my disapproval. Perhaps it ought not even to be called + disapproval at all. It is only that I am puzzled—and a little + frightened.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I am frightened too,” said the other, but with eagerness rather than + trepidation in her voice. “That is why I did not give you the signal to + leave us alone. I couldn't quite get up the nerve for it. But would you + believe it?—that is one of the charms of the thing. There is an + excitement about it that exhilarates me. To get happiness through terror—you + can't understand that, can you?” + </p> + <p> + “I'm trying. I think I'm beginning to understand,” said Miss Madden, + vaguely. + </p> + <p> + “Did you ever set yourself to comprehending why Marie Stuart married + Bothwell?” asked Edith, looking down upon the other with illuminating + fixity. “You have it all—all there. Marie got tired of the smooth + people, the usual people. There was the promise of adventure, and risk, + and peril, and the grand emotions with the big, dark brute.” + </p> + <p> + “It isn't a happy story—this parallel that you pick out,” commented + Celia, absently. + </p> + <p> + “Happy! Pah!” retorted Edith, with spirit. “Who knows if it wasn't the + only really happy thing in her life? The snobs and prigs all scold her and + preach sermons at her—they did it in her lifetime: they do it now——” + “Oh come, I'm neither a snob nor a prig,” put in Celia, looking up in her + turn, and tempering with a smile the energy of her tone—“I don't + blame her for her Bothwell; I don't criticize her. I never was even able + to mind about her killing Darnley. You see I take an extremely liberal + view. One might almost call it broad. But if I had been one of her ladies—her + bosom friends—say Catherine Seton—and she had talked with me + about it—I think I should have confessed to some forebodings—some + little misgivings.” + </p> + <p> + “And do you know what she would have said?” Edith's swift question, put + with a glowing face and a confident voice, had in it the ring of assured + triumph. “She would have answered you: 'My dearest girl, all my life I + have done what other people told me to do. In my childhood I was given in + marriage to a criminal idiot. In my premature widowhood I was governed by + a committee of scoundrels of both sexes until another criminal idiot was + imposed upon me as a second husband. My own personality has never had the + gleam of a chance. I have never yet done any single thing because I wanted + to do it. Between first my politician-mother and her band of tonsured + swindlers, and then my cantankerous brother and his crew of snarling and + sour-minded preachers, and all the court liars and parasites and spies + that both sides surrounded me with, I have lived an existence that isn't + life at all. I purport to be a woman, but I have never been suffered to + see a genuine man. And now here is one—or what I think to be one—and + I'm given to understand that he is a pirate and a murderer and an + unspeakable ruffian generally—but he takes my fancy, and he has + beckoned to me to come to him, and so you will kindly get me my hat and + jacket and gloves.' That's what she would have said to you, my dear.” + </p> + <p> + “And I”—said Celia, rising after a moment's pause, and putting her + hand upon Edith's arm—“I would have answered, 'Dearest lady, in + whatever befalls, I pray you never to forget that I am to the end your + fond and devoted and loyal servant.'” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XIX + </h2> + <p> + AUGUST wore itself out in parched tedium, and a September began which + seemed even more unbearable in town,—and still Thorpe did not get + away from London. + </p> + <p> + So far as the payment of an exorbitant rent in advance, and the receipt of + innumerable letters from a restless and fussy steward whom he had not yet + seen, went as evidence, he knew himself to be the tenant in possession of + a great shooting in Morayshire. He had several photographs of what was + called the lodge, but looked like something between a mansion and a + baronial castle, on the mantel of the Board Room. The reflection that this + sumptuous residence had been his for a month, and that it daily stood + waiting for him, furnished and swept and provisioned for his coming, did + nothing to help the passing of time in the hot, fagged City. More than + once he had said resolutely that, on the morrow, or at the worst the next + day, he would go—but in the event he had not gone. In the last week + of August he had proceeded to the length of sending his niece and nephew + Northward, and shutting up the house in Ovington Square, and betaking + himself to the Savoy Hotel. This had appeared at the time to be almost + equivalent to his getting away himself,—to be at least a first stage + in the progress of his own journey. But at the hotel he had stuck fast,—and + now, on the tenth of September, was no nearer the moors and the + deer-forest than he had been a month before. + </p> + <p> + A novel sense of loneliness,—of the fatuity of present existence,—weighed + grievously upon him. The ladies of Grafton Street had left town upon a + comprehensive itinerary of visits which included the Malvern country, and + a ducal castle in Shropshire, and a place in Westmoreland. There was + nothing very definite about the date of their coming to him in Scotland. + The lady who had consented to marry him had, somehow, omitted to promise + that she would write to him. An arrangement existed, instead, by which she + and his niece Julia were to correspond, and to fix between themselves the + details of the visit to Morayshire. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe hardly went to the point of annoyance with this arrangement. He was + conscious of no deep impulse to write love-letters himself, and there was + nothing in the situation which made his failure to receive love-letters + seem unnatural. The absence of moonshine, at least during this preliminary + season, had been quite taken for granted between them, and he did not + complain even to himself. There was even a kind of proud satisfaction for + him in the thought that, though he had all but completed the purchase of + the noble Pellesley estate for Edith Cressage, he had never yet kissed + her. The reserve he imposed upon himself gave him a certain aristocratic + fineness in his own eyes. It was the means by which he could feel himself + to be most nearly her equal. But he remained very lonely in London, none + the less. + </p> + <p> + It is true that a great deal of society was continually offered to him, + and even thrust upon him. In the popular phrase, London was empty, but + there seemed to be more people than ever who desired Mr. Stormont Thorpe' + s presence at their dinner-tables, or their little theatre or card or + river parties. He clung sullenly to his rule of going nowhere, but it was + not so simple a matter to evade the civilities and importunities of those + who were stopping at the hotel, or who came there to waylay him at the + entrance, or to encounter him in the restaurant. He could not always + refuse to sit down at tables when attractively-dressed and vivacious women + made room for him, or to linger over cigars and wine with their husbands + and escorts later on. + </p> + <p> + An incessant and spirited court was paid to him by many different groups + of interested people who were rarely at the pains to dissemble their aims. + He formed a manner for the reception of these advances, compounded of + joviality, cynicism, and frank brutality, which nobody, to his face at + least, resented. If women winced under his mocking rudenesses of speech + and smile, if men longed to kill him for the cold insolence of his refusal + to let them inside his guard, they sedulously kept it from him. The + consciousness that everybody was afraid of him,—that everybody would + kneel to him, and meekly take insult and ignominy from him, if only hope + remained to them of getting something out of him,—hardened like a + crust upon his mind. + </p> + <p> + It was impossible to get a sense of companionship from people who cringed + to him, and swallowed his affronts and cackled at his jokes with equal + docility. Sometimes he had a passing amusement in the rough pleasantries + and cruelties which they drew from him. There were two or three bright + Jewish women, more gayly clever and impudent, perhaps, than beautiful, + with whom he found it genuine fun to talk, and concerning whom he was + perpetually conceiving projects which could not have been discussed with + their husbands, and as perpetually doing nothing to test their + feasibility. But these diversions were in their essence unsubstantial. + There was not even the semblance of a real friendship among them,—and + loneliness became an increasing burden. + </p> + <p> + His sister at the old book-shop exasperated him nowadays to a degree which + often provoked within him the resolution to have done with her. He had a + score of projects for her betterment, each capable of as many variations + and eager adaptations to suit her fancy, but to them all and sundry she + opposed a barrier of stupidly passive negation. There was nothing she + wanted done for her. She would not exchange the work she had been brought + up in for a life of idleness. She did not want, and would not know what to + do with, a bigger shop than she had. An augmentation of her capital would + be of no use, because there was no room in the crowded little shop for a + larger stock than it contained. She was entirely satisfied with the dingy + home overhead, and declined to think even of moving elsewhere. Over and + over again she met his propositions with a saying which he could recall + having particularly hated on their father's lips,—“It's ill teaching + an old dog new tricks.” + </p> + <p> + “You ought to have them taught you with a stick,” he had told her roundly, + on the last occasion. + </p> + <p> + She had merely shrugged her gaunt shoulders at him. “You think you can + bully everybody and make them crawl to you,—but there's no good your + trying it on with me,” she had told him, and he had pushed his way out of + the shop almost stamping his feet. It was clear to him at that moment that + he would never darken her door again. + </p> + <p> + Yet now, on this afternoon of the tenth, as he lounged with a cigar and a + City paper in his apartment at the hotel after luncheon, wondering whether + it were too hot to issue forth for a walk to the Park, the irrelevant idea + of going round to see his sister kept coming into his mind. He seated + himself and fastened his attention upon the paper,—but off it + slipped again to the old book-shop, and to that curious, cross-grained + figure, its mistress. He abandoned himself to thinking about her—and + discovered that a certain unique quality in her challenged his admiration. + She was the only absolutely disinterested person he knew—the only + creature in the world, apparently, who did not desire to make something + out of him. She was not at all well-off,—was indeed rather poor than + otherwise,—and here was her only brother a millionaire, and in her + dumb way she had a sisterly affection for him, and yet she could not be + argued or cajoled into touching a penny of his money. Surely there could + be no other woman like her. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe realized that it was a distinction to have such a sister,—and + behind this thought rose obscurely the suggestion that there must be + wonderful blood in a race which had produced such a daughter. And for that + matter, such a son too! He lifted his head, and looked abstractedly before + him, as if he were gazing at some apotheosis of himself in a mirror. + </p> + <p> + He beheld all at once something concrete and personal, obtruded into the + heart of his reverie, the sight of which dimly astounded him. For the + moment, with opened lips he stared at it,—then slowly brought + himself to comprehend what had happened. An old man had by some oversight + of the hotel servants been allowed to enter the room unannounced. He had + wandered in noiselessly, and had moved in a purblind fashion to the centre + of the apartment. The vagueness of the expression on his face and of his + movements hinted at a vacant mind or too much drink,—but Thorpe gave + no thought to either hypothesis. The face itself—no—yes—it + was the face of old Tavender. + </p> + <p> + “In the name of God! What are you doing here?” Thorpe gasped at this + extraordinary apparition. Still staring, he began to push back his chair + and put his weight upon his feet. + </p> + <p> + “Well—Thorpe”—the other began, thrusting forward his head to + look through his spectacles—“so it is you, after all. I didn't know + whether I was going to find you or not. This place has got so many turns + and twists to it——” + </p> + <p> + “But good heavens!” interposed the bewildered Thorpe. He had risen to his + feet. He mechanically took the hand which the other had extended to him. + “What in hell”—he began, and broke off again. The aroma of alcohol + on the air caught his sense, and his mind stopped at the perception that + Tavender was more or less drunk. He strove to spur it forward, to compel + it to encompass the meanings of this new crisis, but almost in vain. + </p> + <p> + “Thought I'd look you up,” said the old man, buoyantly. “Nobody in London + I'd rather see than you. How are you, anyway?” + </p> + <p> + “What did you come over for? When did you get here?” Thorpe put the + questions automatically. His self-control was returning to him; his + capable brain pushed forward now under something like disciplined + direction. + </p> + <p> + “Why I guess I owe it all to you,” replied Tavender. Traces of the old + Quaker effect which had been so characteristic of him still hung about his + garb and mien, but there shone a new assurance on his benignant, rubicund + face. Prosperity had visibly liberalized and enheartened him. He shook + Thorpe's hand again. “Yes, sir—it must have been all through you!” + he repeated. “I got my cable three weeks ago—'Hasten to London, + urgent business, expenses and liberal fee guaranteed, Rubber Consols'—that's + what the cable said, that is, the first one and of course you're the man + that introduced me to those rubber people. And so don't you see I owe it + all to you?” + </p> + <p> + His insistence upon his obligation was suddenly almost tearful. Thorpe + thought hard as he replied: “Oh—that's all right. I'm very glad + indeed to have helped you along. And so you came over for the Rubber + Consols people, eh? Well—that's good. Seen 'em yet? You haven't told + me when you landed.” + </p> + <p> + “Came up from Southampton this morning. My brother-in-law was down there + to meet me. We came up to London together.” “Your brother-in-law,” + observed Thorpe, meditatively. Some shadowy, remote impression of having + forgotten something troubled his mind for an instant. “Is your + brother-in-law in the rubber business?” + </p> + <p> + “Extraor'nary thing,” explained Tavender, beamingly, “he don't know no + more about the whole affair than the man 'n the moon. I asked him today—but + he couldn't tell me anything about the business—what it was I'd been + sent for, or anything.” + </p> + <p> + “But he—he knew you'd been sent for,” Thorpe commented upon brief + reflection. + </p> + <p> + “Why, he sent the second cable himself——” + </p> + <p> + “What second cable?” + </p> + <p> + “Why it was the next day,—or maybe it was sent that same night, and + not delivered till morning,—I got another cable, this time from my + brother-in-law, telling me to cable him what ship I sailed on and when. So + of course he knew all about it—but now he says he don't. He's a + curious sort of fellow, anyway.” + </p> + <p> + “But how is he mixed up in it?” demanded Thorpe, impatiently. + </p> + <p> + “Well, as nearly as I can figure it out, he works for one of the men + that's at the head of this rubber company. It appears that he happened to + show this man—he's a man of title, by the way—a letter I wrote + to him last spring, when I got back to Mexico—and so in that way + this man, when he wanted me to come over, just told Gafferson to cable to + me.” + </p> + <p> + “Gafferson,” Thorpe repeated, very slowly, and with almost an effect of + listlessness. He was conscious of no surprise; it was as if he had divined + all along the sinister shadows of Lord Plowden and Lord Plowden's + gardener, lurking in the obscurity behind this egregious old ass of a + Tavender. + </p> + <p> + “He's a tremendous horticultural sharp,” said the other. “Probably you've + heard tell of him. He's taken medals for new flowers and things till you + can't rest. He's over at—what do you call it?—the Royal + Aquarium, now, to see the Dahlia Show. I went over there with him, but it + didn't seem to be my kind of a show, and so I left him there, and I'm to + look in again for him at 5:30. I'm going down to his place in the country + with him tonight, to meet his boss—the nobleman I spoke of.” + </p> + <p> + “That's nice,” Thorpe commented, slowly. “I envy anybody who can get into + the country these days. But how did you know I was here?” “The woman in + the book-store told me—I went there the first thing. You might be + sure I'd look you up. Nobody was ever a better friend than you've been to + me, Thorpe. And do you know what I want you to do? I want you to come + right bang out, now, and have a drink with me.” + </p> + <p> + “I was thinking of something of the sort myself,” the big man replied. + “I'll get my hat, and be with you in a minute.” + </p> + <p> + In the next room he relinquished his countenance to a frown of fierce + perplexity. More than a minute passed in this scowling preoccupation. Then + his face lightened with the relief of an idea, and he stepped confidently + back into the parlour. + </p> + <p> + “Come along,” he said, jovially. “We'll have a drink downstairs, and then + we'll drive up to Hanover Square and see if we can't find a friend of mine + at his club.” + </p> + <p> + In the office below he stopped long enough to secure a considerable roll + of bank-notes in exchange for a cheque. A little later, a hansom deposited + the couple at the door of the Asian Club, and Thorpe, in the outer hallway + of this institution, clicked his teeth in satisfaction at the news that + General Kervick was on the premises. + </p> + <p> + The General, having been found by a boy and brought down, extended to his + guests a hospitality which was none the less urbane for the evidences of + surprise with which it was seasoned. He concealed so indifferently his + inability to account for Tavender, that the anxious Thorpe grew annoyed + with him, but happily Tavender's perceptions were less subtle. He gazed + about him in his dim-eyed way with childlike interest, and babbled + cheerfully over his liquor. He had not been inside a London club before, + and his glimpse of the reading-room, where, isolated, purple-faced, + retired old Empire-makers sat snorting in the silence, their gouty feet + propped up on foot-rests, their white brows scowling over the pages of + French novels, particularly impressed him. It was a new and halcyon vision + of the way to spend one's declining years. And the big smoking-room—where + the leather cushions were so low and so soft, and the connection between + the bells and the waiters was so efficient—that was even better. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe presently made an excuse for taking Kervick apart. “I brought this + old jackass here for a purpose,” he said in low, gravely mandatory tones. + “He thinks he's got an appointment at 5:30 this afternoon—but he's + wrong. He hasn't. He's not going to have any appointment at all—for + a long time yet. I want you to get him drunk, there where he sits, and + then take him away with you, and get him drunker still, and then take a + train with him somewhere—any station but Charing Cross or that line—and + I don't care where you land with him—Scotland or Ireland or France—whatever + you like. Here's some money for you—and you can write to me for + more. I don't care what you say to him—make up any yarn you like—only + keep him pacified, and keep him away from London, and don't let a living + soul talk to him—till I give you the word. You'll let me know where + you are. I'll get away now—and mind, General, a good deal depends on + the way you please me in this thing.” + </p> + <p> + The soldier's richly-florid face and intent, bulging blue eyes expressed + vivid comprehension. He nodded with eloquence as he slipped the notes into + his trousers pocket. “Absolutely,” he murmured with martial brevity, from + under his white, tight moustache. + </p> + <p> + With only a vague word or two of meaningless explanation to Tavender, + Thorpe took his departure, and walked back to the hotel. From what he had + learned and surmised, it was not difficult to put the pieces of the puzzle + together. This ridiculous old fool, he remembered now, had reproached + himself, when he was in England before, for his uncivil neglect of his + brother-in-law. By some absurd chance, this damned brother-in-law happened + to be Gafferson. It was clear enough that, when he returned to Mexico, + Tavender had written to Gafferson, explaining the unexpected pressure of + business which had taken up all his time in England. Probably he had been + idiot enough to relate what he of course regarded as the most wonderful + piece of good news—how the worthless concession he had been deluded + into buying had been bought back from him. As likely as not he had even + identified the concession, and given Thorpe's name as that of the man who + had first impoverished and then mysteriously enriched him. At all events, + he had clearly mentioned that he had a commission to report upon the + Rubber Consols property, and had said enough else to create the impression + that there were criminal secrets connected with its sale to the London + Company. The rest was easy. Gafferson, knowing Lord Plowden's relation to + the Company, had shown him Tavender's letter. Lord Plowden, meditating + upon it, had seen a way to be nasty—and had vindictively plunged + into it. He had brought Tavender from Mexico to London, to use him as a + weapon. All this was as obvious as the nose on one's face. + </p> + <p> + But a weapon for what? Thorpe, as this question put itself in his mind, + halted before a shop-window full of soft-hued silk fabrics, to muse upon + an answer. The delicate tints and surfaces of what was before his eyes + seemed somehow to connect themselves with the subject. Plowden himself was + delicately-tinted and refined of texture. Vindictiveness was too plain and + coarse an emotion to sway such a complicated and polished organism. He + reasoned it out, as he stood with lack-lustre gaze before the plate-glass + front, aloof among a throng of eager and talkative women who pressed + around him—that Plowden would not have spent his money on a mere + impulse of mischief-making. He would be counting upon something more + tangible than revenge—something that could be counted and weighed + and converted into a bank-balance. He smiled when he reached this + conclusion—greatly surprising and confusing a matronly lady into + whose correct face he chanced to be looking at the instant—and + turning slowly, continued his walk. + </p> + <p> + At the office of the hotel, he much regretted not having driven instead, + for he learned that Semple had twice telephoned from the City for him. It + was late in the afternoon—he noted with satisfaction that the clock + showed it to be already past the hour of the Tavender-Gafferson + appointment,—but he had Semple's office called up, upon the chance + that someone might be there. The clerk had not consumed more than ten + minutes in the preliminaries of finding out that no one was there—Thorpe + meanwhile passing savage comments to the other clerks about the British + official conception of the telephone as an instrument of discipline and + humiliation—when Semple himself appeared in the doorway. + </p> + <p> + The Broker gave an exclamation of relief at seeing Thorpe, and then, + apparently indifferent to the display of excitement he was exhibiting, + drew him aside. + </p> + <p> + “Come somewhere where we can talk,” he whispered nervously. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had never seen the little Scotchman in such a flurry. “We'll go up + to my rooms,” he said, and led the way to the lift. + </p> + <p> + Upstairs, Semple bolted the door of the sitting-room behind them, and + satisfied himself that there was no one in the adjoining bedroom. Then, + unburdening himself with another sigh, he tossed aside his hat, and looked + keenly up at the big man. “There's the devil to pay,” he said briefly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had a fleeting pride in the lethargic, composed front he was able + to present. “All right,” he said with forced placidity. “If he's got to be + paid, we'll pay him.” He continued to smile a little. + </p> + <p> + “It's nah joke,” the other hastened to warn him. “I have it from two + different quarters. An application has been made to the Stock Exchange + Committee, this afternoon, to intervene and stop our business, on the + ground of fraud. It comes verra straight to me.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe regarded his Broker contemplatively. The news fitted with precision + into what he had previously known; it was rendered altogether harmless by + the precautions he had already taken. “Well, keep your hair on,” he said, + quietly. “If there were fifty applications, they wouldn't matter the worth + of that soda-water cork. Won't you have a drink?” + </p> + <p> + Semple, upon reflection, said he would. The unmoved equipoise of the big + man visibly reassured him. He sipped at his bubbling tumbler and smacked + his thin lips. “Man, I've had an awful fright,” he said at last, in the + tone of one whose ease of mind is returning. + </p> + <p> + “I gave you credit for more nerve,” observed the other, eyeing him in not + unkindly fashion over his glass. “You've been so plumb full of sand all + the while—I didn't think you'd weaken now. Why, we're within two + days of home, now—and for you to get rattled at this late hour—you + ought to be ashamed of yourself.” + </p> + <p> + The Scotchman looked into the bottom of his glass, as he turned it + thoughtfully round. “I'm relieved to see the way you take it,” he said, + after a pause. With increased hesitation he went dryly on: “I've never + enquired minutely into the circumstances of the flotation. It has not + seemed to be my business to do so, and upon advice I may say that the + Committee would not hold that such was my business. My position is quite + clear, upon that point.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, perfectly,” Thorpe assented. “It couldn't possibly be any of your + business—either then, or now.” He gave a significant touch of + emphasis to these last two words. + </p> + <p> + “Precisely,” said Semple, with a glance of swift comprehension. “You must + not think I am asking any intrusive questions. If you tell me that—that + there is no ground for uneasiness—I am verra pleased indeed to + accept the assurance. That is ample information for my purposes.” + </p> + <p> + “You can take it from me,” Thorpe told him. He picked up a red book from a + side table, and turned over its pages with his thick thumb. “This is what + Rule 59 says,” he went on: “'NO APPLICATION WHICH HAS FOR ITS OBJECT TO + ANNUL ANY BARGAIN IN THE STOCK EXCHANGE SHALL BE ENTERTAINED BY THE + COMMITTEE, UNLESS UPON A SPECIFIC ALLEGATION OF FRAUD OR WILFUL + MISREPRESENTATION.' Shall be entertained, d'ye see? They can't even + consider anything of the sort, because it says 'specific,' and I tell you + plainly that anything 'specific' is entirely out of the question.” + </p> + <p> + The Broker lifted his sandy brows in momentary apprehension. “If it turns + upon the precise definition of a word,” he remarked, doubtingly. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, yes,—but it doesn't,” Thorpe reassured him. “See here—I'll + tell you something. You're not asking any questions. That's as it should + be. And I'm not forcing information upon you which you don't need in your + business. That's as it should be, too. But in between these two, there's a + certain margin of facts that there's no harm in your knowing. A scheme to + blackmail me is on foot. It's rather a fool-scheme, if you ask me, but it + might have been a nuisance if it had been sprung on us unawares. It + happened, however, that I twigged this scheme about two hours ago. It was + the damnedest bit of luck you ever heard of——” + </p> + <p> + “You don't have luck,” put in Semple, appreciatively. “Other men have + luck. You have something else—I don't give it a name.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe smiled upon him, and went on. “I twigged it, anyway. I went out, + and I drove the biggest kind of spike through that fool-scheme—plumb + through its heart. Tomorrow a certain man will come to me—oh, I + could almost tell you the kind of neck-tie he'll wear—and he'll put + up his bluff to me, and I'll hear him out—and then—then I'll + let the floor drop out from under him.” + </p> + <p> + “Aye!” said Semple, with relish. + </p> + <p> + “Stay and dine with me tonight,” Thorpe impulsively suggested, “and we'll + go to some Music Hall afterward. There's a knock-about pantomime outfit at + the Canterbury—Martinetti I think the name is—that's damned + good. You get plenty of laugh, and no tiresome blab to listen to. The + older I get, the more I think of people that keep their mouths shut.” + </p> + <p> + “Aye,” observed Semple again. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XX + </h2> + <p> + IN the Board Room, next day, Thorpe awaited the coming of Lord Plowden + with the serene confidence of a prophet who not only knows that he is + inspired, but has had an illicit glimpse into the workings of the + machinery of events. + </p> + <p> + He sat motionless at his desk, like a big spider for who time has no + meaning. Before him lay two newspapers, folded so as to expose paragraphs + heavily indicated by blue pencil-marks. They were not financial journals, + and for that reason it was improbable that he would have seen these + paragraphs, if the Secretary of the Company had not marked them, and + brought them to him. That official had been vastly more fluttered by them + than he found it possible to be. In slightly-varying language, these two + items embedded in so-called money articles reported the rumour that a + charge of fraud had arisen in connection with the Rubber Consols corner, + and that sensational disclosures were believed to be impending. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked with a dulled, abstracted eye at these papers, lying on the + desk, and especially at the blue pencil-lines upon them, as he pondered + many things. Their statement, thus scattered broadcast to the public, + seemed at once to introduce a new element into the situation, and to leave + it unchanged. That influence of some sort had been exerted to get this + story into these papers, it did not occur to him for an instant to doubt. + To his view, all things that were put into papers were put there for a + purpose—it would express his notion more clearly, perhaps, to say + for a price. Of the methods of Fleet Street, he was profoundly ignorant, + but his impressions of them were all cynical. Upon reflection, however, it + seemed unlikely to him that Lord Plowden had secured the insertion of + these rumours. So far as Thorpe could fathom that nobleman's game, its + aims would not be served by premature publicity of this kind. + </p> + <p> + Gradually, the outlines of a more probable combination took shape in his + thoughts. There were left in the grip of the “corner” now only two + victims,—Rostocker and Aronson. They owed this invidious + differentiation to a number of causes: they had been the chief sellers of + stock, being between them responsible for the delivery of 8,500 Rubber + Consols shares, which they could not get; they were men of larger fortune + than the other “shorts,” and therefore could with safety be squeezed + longest; what was fortunate for him under the circumstances, they were the + two men against whom Thorpe's personal grudge seemed able to maintain + itself most easily. + </p> + <p> + For these reasons, they had already been mulcted in differences to the + extent of, in round numbers, 165,000 pounds. On the morrow, the twelfth of + September, it was Thorpe's plan to allow them to buy in the shares they + needed, at 22 or 23 pounds per share—which would take from them + nearly 200,000 pounds more. He had satisfied himself that they could, and + would if necessary, pay this enormous ransom for their final escape from + the “corner.” Partly because it was not so certain that they could pay + more, partly because he was satiated with spoils and tired of the strain + of the business, he had decided to permit this escape. + </p> + <p> + He realized now, however, that they on their side had planned to escape + without paying any final ransom at all. + </p> + <p> + That was clearly the meaning of these paragraphs, and of the + representations which had yesterday been made to the Stock Exchange + Committee. He had additional knowledge today of the character of these + representations. Nothing definite had been alleged, but some of the + members of the Committee had been informally notified, so Semple had this + morning learned, that a specific charge of fraud, supported by + unanswerable proof, was to be brought against the Rubber Consols + management on the morrow. Thorpe reasoned out now, step by step, what that + meant. Lord Plowden had sought out Rostocker and Aronson, and had told + them that he had it in his power ignominiously to break the “corner.” He + could hardly have told them the exact nature of his power, because until + he should have seen Tavender he did not himself know what it was. But he + had given them to understand that he could prove fraud, and they, scenting + in this the chance of saving 200,000 pounds, and seeing that time was so + terribly short, had hastened to the Committeemen with this vague + declaration that, on the morrow, they could prove—they did not + precisely know what. Yes—plainly enough—that was what had + happened. And it would be these two Jew “wreckers,” eager to invest their + speculative notification to the Committee with as much of an air of + formality as possible, who had caused the allusions to it to be published + in these papers. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's lustreless eye suddenly twinkled with mirth as he reached this + conclusion; his heavy face brightened into a grin of delight. A vision of + Lord Plowden's absurd predicament rose vividly before him, and he chuckled + aloud at it. + </p> + <p> + It seemed only the most natural thing in the world that, at this instant, + a clerk should open the door and nod with meaning to the master. The + visitor whom he had warned the people in the outer office he expected, had + arrived. Thorpe was still laughing to himself when Lord Plowden entered. + </p> + <p> + “Hallo! How d'ye do!” he called out to him from where he sat at his desk. + </p> + <p> + The hilarity of the manner into which he had been betrayed, upon the + instant surprised and rather confused him. He had not been altogether + clear as to how he should receive Plowden, but certainly a warm joviality + had not occurred to him as appropriate. + </p> + <p> + The nobleman was even more taken aback. He stared momentarily at the big + man's beaming mask, and then, with nervous awkwardness, executed a series + of changes in his own facial expression and demeanour. He flushed red, + opened his lips to say “Ah!” and then twisted them into a doubting and + seemingly painful smile. He looked with very bright-eyed intentness at + Thorpe, as he advanced, and somewhat spasmodically put out his hand. + </p> + <p> + It occurred to Thorpe not to see this hand. “How are you!” he repeated in + a more mechanical voice, and withdrew his smile. Lord Plowden fidgeted on + his feet for a brief, embarrassed interval before the desk, and then + dropped into a chair at its side. With a deliberate effort at nonchalance, + he crossed his legs, and caressed the ankle on his knee with a careless + hand. “Anything new?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe lolled back in his arm-chair. “I'm going to be able to get away in + a few days' time,” he said, indifferently. “I expect to finally wind up + the business on the Stock Exchange tomorrow.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah—yes,” commented Plowden, vacantly. He seemed to be searching + after thoughts which had wandered astray. “Yes—of course.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—of course,” Thorpe said after him, with a latent touch of + significance. + </p> + <p> + The other looked up quickly, then glanced away again. “It's all going as + you expected, is it?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Better than I expected,” Thorpe told him, energetically. “Much better + than anybody expected.” + </p> + <p> + “Hah!” said Plowden. After a moment's reflection he went on hesitatingly: + “I didn't know. I saw something in one of the papers this morning,—one + of the money articles,—which spoke as if there were some doubt about + the result. That's why I called.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—it's damned good of you to come round, and show such a + friendly interest.” Thorpe's voice seemed candid enough, but there was an + enigmatic something in his glance which aroused the other's distrust. + </p> + <p> + “I'm afraid you don't take very much stock in the 'friendly interest,'” he + said, with a constrained little laugh. + </p> + <p> + “I'm not taking stock in anything new just now,” replied Thorpe, lending + himself lazily to the other's metaphor. “I'm loaded up to the gunnels + already.” + </p> + <p> + A minute of rather oppressive silence ensued. Then Plowden ventured upon + an opening. “All the same, it WAS with an idea of,—perhaps being of + use to you,—that I came here,” he affirmed. “In what way?” Thorpe + put the query almost listlessly. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden turned his hands and let his dark eyes sparkle in a gesture + of amiable uncertainty. “That depended upon what was needed. I got the + impression that you were in trouble—the paper spoke as if there were + no doubt of it—and I imagined that quite probably you would be glad + to talk with me about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Quite right,” said Thorpe. “So I should.” + </p> + <p> + This comprehensive assurance seemed not, however, to facilitate + conversation. The nobleman looked at the pattern of the sock on the ankle + he was nursing, and knitted his brows in perplexity. “What if the + Committee of the Stock Exchange decide to interfere?” he asked at last. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that would knock me sky-high,” Thorpe admitted. + </p> + <p> + “Approximately, how much may one take 'sky-high' to mean?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe appeared to calculate. “Almost anything up to a quarter of a + million,” he answered. + </p> + <p> + “Hah!” said Lord Plowden again. “Well—I understand—I'm given + to understand—that very likely that is what the Committee will + decide.” + </p> + <p> + “Does it say that in the papers?” asked Thorpe. He essayed an effect of + concern. “Where did you see that?” + </p> + <p> + “I didn't see it,” the other explained. “It—it came to me.” + </p> + <p> + “God!” said Thorpe. “That'll be awful! But are you really in earnest? Is + that what you hear? And does it come at all straight?” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden nodded portentously. “Absolutely straight,” he said, with + gravity. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, after a momentary stare of what looked like bewilderment, was seen + to clutch at a straw. “But what was it you were saying?” he demanded, with + eagerness. “You talked about help—a minute ago. Did you mean it? + Have you got a plan? Is there something that you can do?” + </p> + <p> + Plowden weighed his words. “It would be necessary to have a very complete + understanding,” he remarked. + </p> + <p> + “Whatever you like,” exclaimed the other. + </p> + <p> + “Pardon me—it would have to be a good deal more definite than that,” + Plowden declared. “A 'burnt child'—you know.” + </p> + <p> + The big man tapped musingly with his finger-nails on the desk. “We won't + quarrel about that,” he said. “But what I'd like to know first,—you + needn't give anything away that you don't want to,—but what's your + plan? You say that they've got me in a hole, and that you can get me out.” + “In effect—yes.” + </p> + <p> + “But how do you know that I can't get myself out? What do you know about + the whole thing anyway? Supposing I tell you that I laugh at it—that + there's no more ground for raising the suspicion of fraud than there is + for—for suspecting that you've got wings and can fly.” + </p> + <p> + “I—I don't think you'll tell me that,” said Plowden, placidly. + </p> + <p> + “Well then, supposing I don't tell you that,” the other resumed, + argumentatively. “Supposing I say instead that it can't be proved. If the + Committee doesn't have proof NOW,—within twenty-one or twenty-two + hours,—they can't do anything at all. Tomorrow is settling day. All + along, I've said I would wind up the thing tomorrow. The market-price has + been made for me by the jobbers yesterday and today. I'm all ready to end + the whole business tomorrow—close it all out. And after that's done, + what do I care about the Stock Exchange Committee? They can investigate + and be damned! What could they do to me?” + </p> + <p> + “I think a man can always be arrested and indicted, and sent to penal + servitude,” said Lord Plowden, with a certain solemnity of tone. “There + are even well-known instances of extradition.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe buried his chin deep in his collar, and regarded his companion with + a fixed gaze, in which the latter detected signs of trepidation. “But + about the Committee—and tomorrow,” he said slowly. “What do you say + about that? How can they act in that lightning fashion? And even if proofs + could be got, how do you suppose they are to be got on the drop of the + hat, at a minute's notice?” + </p> + <p> + “The case is of sufficient importance to warrant a special meeting + tomorrow morning,” the other rejoined. “One hour's notice, posted in the + House, is sufficient, I believe. Any three members of the Committee can + call such a meeting, and I understand that seven make a quorum. You will + see that a meeting could be held at noon tomorrow, and within half an hour + could make you a ruined man.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't know—would you call it quite ruined?” commented Thorpe. “I + should still have a few sovereigns to go on with.” + </p> + <p> + “A criminal prosecution would be practically inevitable—after such a + disclosure,” Plowden reminded him, with augmented severity of tone. + </p> + <p> + “Don't mix the two things up,” the other urged. There seemed to the + listener to be supplication in the voice. “It's the action of the + Committee that you said you could influence. That's what we were talking + about. You say there will be a special meeting at noon tomorrow—— + </p> + <p> + “I said there could be one,” Plowden corrected him. + </p> + <p> + “All right. There CAN be one. And do you say that there can be proof,—proof + against me of fraud,—produced at that meeting?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I say that,” the nobleman affirmed, quietly. + </p> + <p> + “And further still—do you say that it rests with you whether that + proof shall be produced or not?” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden looked into the impassive, deep-eyed gaze which covered him, + and looked away from it again. “I haven't put it in just that form,” he + said, hesitatingly. “But in essentials—yes, that may be taken as + true.” + </p> + <p> + “And what is your figure? How much do you want for holding this proof of + yours back, and letting me finish scooping the money of your Hebrew + friends Aronson and Rostocker?” + </p> + <p> + The peer raised his head, and shot a keenly enquiring glance at the other. + “Are they my friends?” he asked, with challenging insolence. + </p> + <p> + “I'm bound to assume that you have been dealing with them, just as you are + dealing with me.” Thorpe explained his meaning dispassionately, as if the + transaction were entirely commonplace. “You tell them that you're in a + position to produce proof against me, and ask them what they'll give for + it. Then naturally enough you come to me, and ask what I'll be willing to + pay to have the proof suppressed. I quite understand that I must bid + against these men—and of course I take it for granted that, since + you know their figure, you've arranged in your mind what mine is to be. I + quite understand, too, that I am to pay more than they have offered. That + is on account of 'friendly interest.'” + </p> + <p> + “Since you allude to it,” Lord Plowden observed, with a certain calm + loftiness of tone, “there is no harm in saying that you WILL pay something + on that old score. Once you thrust the promise of something like a hundred + thousand pounds positively upon me. You insisted on my believing it, and I + did so, like a fool. I came to you to redeem the promise, and you laughed + in my face. Very well. It is my turn now. I hold the whip-hand, and I + should be an ass not to remember things. I shall want that entire one + hundred thousand pounds from you, and fifty thousand added to it 'on + account of the 'friendly interest,' as you so intelligently expressed it.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe's chin burrowed still deeper upon his breast. “It's an outrage,” he + said with feeling. Then he added, in tones of dejected resignation: “When + will you want it?” + </p> + <p> + “At the moment when the payments of Rostocker and Aronson are made to you, + or to your bankers or agents,” Lord Plowden replied, with prepared + facility. He had evidently given much thought to this part of the + proceedings. “And of course I shall expect you to draw up now an agreement + to that effect. I happen to have a stamped paper with me this time. And if + you don't mind, we will have it properly witnessed—this time.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked at him with a disconcertingly leaden stare, the while he + thought over what had been proposed. “That's right enough,” he announced + at last, “but I shall expect you to do some writing too. Since we're + dealing on this basis, there must be no doubt about the guarantee that you + will perform your part of the contract.” + </p> + <p> + “The performance itself, since payment is conditional upon it—” + began Plowden, but the other interrupted him. + </p> + <p> + “No, I want something better than that. Here—give me your stamped + paper.” He took the bluish sheet, and, without hesitation, wrote several + lines rapidly. “Here—this is my promise,” he said, “to pay you + 150,000 pounds, upon your satisfactory performance of a certain + undertaking to be separately nominated in a document called 'A,' which we + will jointly draw up and agree to and sign, and deposit wherever you like—for + safe keeping. Now, if you'll sit here, and write out for me a similar + thing—that in consideration of my promise of 150,000 pounds, you + covenant to perform the undertaking to be nominated in the document 'A'—and + so on.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden treated as a matter of course the ready and business-like + suggestion of the other. Taking his place at the desk in turn, he wrote + out what had been suggested. Thorpe touched a bell, and the clerk who came + in perfunctorily attested the signatures upon both papers. Each principal + folded and pocketed the pledge of the other. + </p> + <p> + “Now,” said Thorpe, when he had seated himself again at the desk, “we are + all right so far as protection against each other goes. If you don't mind, + I will draw up a suggestion of what the separate document 'A' should set + forth. If you don't like it, you can write one.” + </p> + <p> + He took more time to this task, frowning laboriously over the fresh sheet + of foolscap, and screening from observation with his hand what he was + writing. Finally, the task seemed finished to his mind. He took up the + paper, glanced through it once more, and handed it in silence to the + other. + </p> + <p> + In silence also, and with an expression of arrested attention, Lord + Plowden read these lines: + </p> + <p> + “The undertaking referred to in the two documents of even date, signed + respectively by Lord Plowden and Stormont Thorpe, is to the effect that at + some hour between eleven A.M. and three P.M. of September 12th, instant, + Lord Plowden shall produce before a special meeting of the Committee of + the Stock Exchange, the person of one Jerome P. Tavender, to explain to + said Committee his share in the blackmailing scheme of which Lord Plowden, + over his own signature, has furnished documentary evidence.” + </p> + <p> + The nobleman continued to look down at the paper, after the power to hold + it without shaking had left his hand. There came into his face, mingling + with and vitiating its rich natural hues of health, a kind of grey shadow. + It was as if clay was revealing itself beneath faded paint. He did not + lift his eyes. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had been prepared to hail this consummation of his trick with + boisterous and scornful mirth. Even while the victim was deciphering the + fatal paper, he had restrained with impatience the desire to burst out + into bitter laughter. But now there was something in the aspect of + Plowden's collapse which seemed to forbid triumphant derision. He was + taking his blow so like a gentleman,—ashen-pale and quivering, but + clinging to a high-bred dignity of silence,—that the impulse to + exhibit equally good manners possessed Thorpe upon the instant. + </p> + <p> + “Well—you see how little business you've got, setting yourself to + buck against a grown-up man.” + </p> + <p> + He offered the observation in the tone of the school-teacher, affectedly + philosophical but secretly jubilant, who harangues a defeated and + humiliated urchin upon his folly. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, chuck it!” growled Lord Plowden, staring still at the calamitous + paper. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe accepted in good part the intimation that silence was after all + most decorous. He put his feet up on the corner of the desk, and tipping + back his chair, surveyed the discomfited Viscount impassively. He forbore + even to smile. + </p> + <p> + “So this swine of a Tavender came straight to you!” Lord Plowden had found + words at last. As he spoke, he lifted his face, and made a show of looking + the other in the eye. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, there are a hundred things in your own game, even, that you haven't + an inkling of,” Thorpe told him, lightly. “I've been watching every move + you've made, seeing further ahead in your own game than you did. Why, it + was too easy! It was like playing draughts with a girl. I knew you would + come today, for example. I told the people out there that I expected you.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes-s,” said the other, with rueful bewilderment. “You seem to have been + rather on the spot—I confess.” + </p> + <p> + “On the spot? All over the place!” Thorpe lifted himself slightly in his + chair, and put more animation into his voice. + </p> + <p> + “It's the mistake you people make!” he declared oracularly. “You think + that a man can come into the City without a penny, and form great + combinations and carry through a great scheme, and wage a fight with the + smartest set of scoundrels on the London Stock Exchange and beat 'em, and + make for himself a big fortune—and still be a fool! You imagine that + a man like that can be played with, and hoodwinked by amateurs like + yourself. It's too ridiculous!” + </p> + <p> + The perception that apparently Thorpe bore little or no malice had begun + to spread through Plowden's consciousness. It was almost more surprising + to him than the revelation of his failure had been. He accustomed himself + to the thought gradually, and as he did so the courage crept back into his + glance. He breathed more easily. + </p> + <p> + “You are right!” he admitted. It cost him nothing to give a maximum of + fervid conviction to the tone of his words. The big brute's pride in his + own brains and power was still his weakest point. “You are right! I did + play the fool. And it was all the more stupid, because I was the first man + in London to recognize the immense forces in you. I said to you at the + very outset, 'You are going to go far. You are going to be a great man.' + You remember that, don't you?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded. “Yes—I remember it.” + </p> + <p> + The nobleman, upon reflection, drew a little silver box from his pocket, + and extracted a match. “Do you mind?” he asked, and scarcely waiting for a + token of reply, struck a flame upon the sole of his shoe, and applied it + to the sheet of foolscap he still held in his hand. The two men watched it + curl and blacken after it had been tossed in the grate, without a word. + </p> + <p> + This incident had the effect of recalling to Thorpe the essentials of the + situation. He had allowed the talk to drift to a point where it became + almost affable. He sat upright with a sudden determination, and put his + feet firmly on the floor, and knitted his brows in austerity. + </p> + <p> + “It was not only a dirty trick that you tried to play me,” he said, in an + altered, harsh tone, “but it was a fool-trick. That drunken old bum of a + Tavender writes some lunatic nonsense or other to Gafferson, and he's a + worse idiot even than Tavender is, and on the strength of what one of + these clowns thinks he surmises the other clown means, you go and spend + your money,—money I gave you, by the way,—in bringing Tavender + over here. You do this on the double chance, we'll say, of using him + against me for revenge and profit combined, or of peddling him to me for a + still bigger profit. You see it's all at my fingers' ends.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden nodded an unqualified assent. + </p> + <p> + “Well then—Tavender arrives. What do you do? Are you at the wharf to + meet him? Have you said to yourself: 'I've set out to fight one of the + smartest and strongest men in England, and I've got to keep every atom of + wits about me, and strain every nerve to the utmost, and watch every point + of the game as a tiger watches a snake'? Not a bit of it! You snooze in + bed, and you send Gafferson—Gafferson!—the mud-head of the + earth! to meet your Tavender, and loaf about with him in London, and bring + him down by a slow train to your place in the evening. My God! You've only + got two clear days left to do the whole thing in—and you don't even + come up to town to get ready for them! You send Gafferson—and he + goes off to see a flower-show—Mother of Moses! think of it! a + FLOWER-show!—and your Tavender aud I are left to take a stroll + together, and talk over old times and arrange about new times, and so on, + to our hearts' content. Really, it's too easy! You make me tired!” + </p> + <p> + The nobleman offered a wan, appealing shadow of a smile. “I confess to a + certain degree of weariness myself,” he said, humbly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked at him in his old apathetic, leaden fashion for a little. “I + may tell you that if you HAD got hold of Tavender,” he decided to tell + him, “he shouldn't have been of the faintest use to you. I know what it + was that he wrote to Gafferson,—I couldn't understand it when he + first told me, but afterwards I saw through it,—and it was merely a + maudlin misapprehension of his. He'd got three or four things all mixed up + together. You've never met your friend Tavender, I believe? You'd enjoy + him at Hadlow House. He smells of rum a hundred yards off. What little + brain he's got left is soaked in it. The first time I was ever camping + with him, I had to lick him for drinking the methylated spirits we were + using with our tin stove. Oh, you'd have liked him!” + </p> + <p> + “Evidently,” said Lord Plowden, upon reflection, “it was all a most + unfortunate and—ah—most deplorable mistake.” With inspiration, + he made bold to add: “The most amazing thing, though—to my mind—is + that you don't seem—what shall I say?—particularly enraged + with me about it.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—that surprises me, too,” Thorpe meditatively admitted. “I was + entitled to kill you—crush you to jelly. Any other man I would. But + you,—I don't know,—I do funny things with you.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish you would give me a drink, now—as one of them,” Plowden + ventured to suggest, with uneasy pleasantry. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe smiled a little as he rose, and heavily moved across the room. He + set out upon the big official table in the middle, that mockingly + pretentious reminder of a Board which never met, a decanter and two + glasses and some recumbent, round-bottomed bottles. He handed one of these + last to Plowden, as the latter strolled toward the table. + </p> + <p> + “You know how to open these, don't you?” he said, languidly. “Somehow I + never could manage it.” + </p> + <p> + The nobleman submissively took the bottle, and picked with awkwardness at + its wire and cork, and all at once achieved a premature and not + over-successful explosion. He wiped his dripping cuff in silence, when the + tumblers were supplied. + </p> + <p> + “Well—here's better luck to you next time,” Thorpe said, lifting his + glass. The audacious irony of his words filled Plowden with an instant + purpose. + </p> + <p> + “What on earth did you round on me in that way for, Thorpe—when I + was here last?” He put the question with bravery enough, but at sight of + the other's unresponsive face grew suddenly timorous aud explanatory. “No + man was ever more astounded in the world than I was. To this day I'm as + unable to account for it as a babe unborn. What conceivable thing had I + done to you?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe slowly thought of something that had not occurred to him before, + and seized upon it with a certain satisfaction. + </p> + <p> + “That day that you took me shooting,” he said, with the tone of one + finally exposing a long-nursed grievance, “you stayed in bed for hours + after you knew I was up and waiting for you—and when we went out, + you had a servant to carry a chair for you, but I—by God!—I + had to stand up.” + </p> + <p> + “Heavens above!” ejaculated Plowden, in unfeigned amazement. + </p> + <p> + “These are little things—mere trifles,” continued Thorpe, + dogmatically, “but with men of my temper and make-up those are just the + things that aggravate and rankle and hurt. Maybe it's foolish, but that's + the kind of man I am. You ought to have had the intelligence to see that—and + not let these stupid little things happen to annoy me. Why just think what + you did. I was going to do God knows what for you—make your fortune + and everything else,—and you didn't show consideration enough for me + to get out of bed at a decent hour—much less see to it that I had a + chair if you were going to have one.” + </p> + <p> + “Upon my word, I can't tell how ashamed and sorry I am,” Lord Plowden + assured him, with fervent contrition in his voice. + </p> + <p> + “Well, those are the things to guard against,” said Thorpe, approaching a + dismissal of the subject. “People who show consideration for me; people + who take pains to do the little pleasant things for me, and see that I'm + not annoyed and worried by trifles—they're the people that I, on my + side, do the big things for. I can be the best friend in the world, but + only to those who show that they care for me, and do what they know I'll + like. I don't want toadies about me, but I do want people who feel bound + to me, and are as keen about me and my feelings and interests as they are + about their own.” + </p> + <p> + “It is delightfully feudal—all this,” commented the nobleman, + smilingly addressing the remark to nobody in particular. Then he looked at + Thorpe. “Let me be one of them—one of the people you speak of,” he + said, with directness. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe returned his look with the good-natured beginnings of a grin. “But + what would you be good for?” he queried, in a bantering tone. “People I + have about me have to be of some use. They require to have heads on their + shoulders. Why—just think what you've done. I don't mean so much + about your letting Tavender slip through your fingers—although that + was about the worst I ever heard of. But here in this room, at that desk + there, you allowed me to bounce you into writing and signing a paper which + you ought to have had your hand cut off rather than write, much less sign. + You come here trying to work the most difficult and dangerous kind of a + bluff,—knowing all the while that the witness you depended entirely + upon had disappeared, you hadn't the remotest idea where,—and you + actually let me lead you into giving me your signature to your own + declaration that you are blackmailing me! Thinking it all over—you + know—I can't see that you would be of much help to me in the City.” + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden joined perforce in the laughter with which the big man + enjoyed his own pleasantry. His mirth had some superficial signs of + shamefacedness, but it was hopeful underneath. “The City!” he echoed, with + meaning. “That's the curse of it. What do I know about the City? What + business have I in the City? As you said, I'm the amateur. A strong man + like you can make me seem any kind of a ridiculous fool he likes, with the + turn of his hand. I see that right enough. But what am I to do? I have to + make a shot at something. I'm so rotten poor!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe had retired again behind the barrier of dull-eyed abstraction. He + seemed not to have heard this appealing explanation. + </p> + <p> + The other preserved silence in turn, and even made a pretence of looking + at some pamphlets on the table, as a token of his boundless deference to + the master's mood. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know. I'll see,” the big man muttered at last, doubtfully. + </p> + <p> + Lord Plowden felt warranted in taking an optimistic view of these vague + words. “It's awfully good of you”—he began, lamely, and then paused. + “I wonder,”—he took up a new thought with a more solicitous tone,—“I + wonder if you would mind returning to me that idiotic paper I signed.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. “Not just now, at any rate,” he said, still + musingly. With his head bowed, he took a few restless steps. + </p> + <p> + “But you are going to—to help me!” the other remarked, with an air + of confidence. He had taken up his hat, in response to the tacit warning + of his companion's manner. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked at him curiously, and hesitated over his answer. It was a + surprising and almost unaccountable conclusion for the interview to have + reached. He was in some vague way ashamed of himself, but he was + explicitly and contemptuously ashamed for Plowden, and the impulse to say + so was strong within him. This handsome young gentleman of title ought not + to be escaping with this restored buoyancy of mien, and this complacency + of spirit. He had deserved to be punished with a heavy hand, and here he + was blithely making certain of new benefits instead. + </p> + <p> + “I don't know—I'll see,” Thorpe moodily repeated—and there was + no more to be said. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXI + </h2> + <p> + IN the noon hour of the following day was enacted the brief final scene in + the drama of the “Rubber Consols corner.” + </p> + <p> + For long weeks, Mr. Stormont Thorpe had given much thought to this + approaching climax of his great adventure—looking forward to it both + as the crowning event of his life, and as the dawn of a new existence in + some novel, enchanted world. It was to bring his triumph, and even more, + his release. It was at once to crown him as a hero and chieftain among + City men, and transfigure him into a being for whom all City things were + an abomination. In his waking hours, the conflict between these aims did + not specially force itself upon his attention: he mused upon, and spun + fancies about, either one indifferently, and they seemed not at all + irreconcilable. But his dreams were full of warfare,—wearily + saturated with strife, and endless endeavour to do things which could not + be done, and panic-stricken terrors before the shadow of shapeless + calamities,—until he dreaded to go to sleep. Then he discovered that + an extra two glasses of whiskey-and-water would solve that particular + difficulty, and send him into prompt, leaden slumber—but the early + mornings remained as torturing as ever. In the twilight he awoke oppressed + and sick at heart with gloom—and then dozed at intervals through + fantastic new ordeals of anguish and shame and fear, till it was decently + possible to get up. + </p> + <p> + Then, indeed, the big cold sponge on his head and spine scattered these + foolish troubles like chaff, and restored to him his citizenship among the + realities. He dressed with returning equanimity, and was almost cheerful + by the time he thrust his razor into the hot water. Yet increasingly he + was conscious of the wear and strain of it all, and increasingly the date, + September twelfth, loomed before him with a portentous individuality of + its own. + </p> + <p> + This day grew to mean so much more to him than had all the other days of + the dead years together that he woke in the darkness of its opening hours, + and did not get satisfactorily to sleep again. His vigil, however, was for + the once free from grief. He drowsily awaited the morning in vague mental + comfort; he had recurring haphazard indolent glimpses of a protecting fact + standing guard just outside the portals of consciousness—the fact + that the great day was here. He rose early, breakfasted well, and walked + by the Embankment to the City, where at ten he had a few words with + Semple, and afterward caused himself to be denied to ordinary callers. He + paced up and down the Board Room for the better part of the ensuing two + hours, luxuriating in the general sense of satisfaction in the proximity + of the climax, rather than pretending to himself that he was thinking out + its details. He had provided in his plans of the day for a visit from + Messrs. Rostocker and Aronson, which should constitute the dramatic finale + of the “corner,” and he looked forward to this meeting with a certain + eagerness of expectation. Yet even here he thought broadly of the scene as + a whole, and asked himself no questions about words and phrases. It seemed + to be taken for granted in his mind that the scene itself would be + theatrically impressive, even spectacular. + </p> + <p> + In the event, this long-awaited culmination proved to be disappointingly + flat and commonplace. It was over before Thorpe had said any considerable + proportion of the things he saw afterward that he had intended to say. The + two men came as he had expected they would—and they bought their way + out of the tragic “corner” at precisely the price he had nominated in his + mind. But hardly anything else went as he had dimly prefigured it. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Rostocker was a yellow-haired man, and Mr. Aronson was as dark as a + Moor, and no physical resemblance of features or form suggested itself to + the comparing eye, yet Thorpe even now, when they stood brusquely silent + before him, with their carefully-brushed hats pulled down over their eyes, + stuck to it in his own mind that it was hard to tell them apart. To the + end, there was something impersonal in his feeling toward them. They, for + their part, coldly abstained from exhibiting a sign of feeling about him, + good, bad, or indifferent. + </p> + <p> + It was the man with the fair hair and little curly flaxen beard who spoke: + “How do you do! I understand that we can buy eight thousand five hundred + Rubber Consols from you at 'twenty-three.'” + </p> + <p> + “No—twenty-five,” replied Thorpe. + </p> + <p> + The dark man spoke: “The jobbers' price is twenty-three.” + </p> + <p> + “To carry over—yes,” Thorpe answered. “But to buy it is + twenty-five.” + </p> + <p> + The two sons of the race which invented mental arithmetic exchanged an + alert glance, and looked at the floor for an engrossed instant. + </p> + <p> + “I don't mind telling you,” Thorpe interposed upon their silence, “I put + on that extra two pounds because you got up that story about applying to + the Stock Exchange Committee on a charge of fraud.” + </p> + <p> + “We didn't get up any story,” said Rostocker, curtly. + </p> + <p> + “You tried to plant it on us,” Aronson declared. + </p> + <p> + “One of your own Directors put it about. I thought it was a fake at the + time.” + </p> + <p> + This view of the episode took Thorpe by surprise. As it seemed, in + passing, to involve a compliment to his own strategic powers, he accepted + it without comment. “Well—it is twenty-five, anyway,” he told them, + with firmness. + </p> + <p> + “Twenty-four,” suggested Aronson, after another momentary pause. + </p> + <p> + “Not a shilling less than twenty-five,” Thorpe insisted, with quiet + doggedness. + </p> + <p> + “We can always pay our creditors and let you whistle,” Rostocker reminded + him, laconically. + </p> + <p> + “You can do anything you like,” was the reply, “except buy Rubber Consols + under twenty-five. It doesn't matter a fig to me whether you go bankrupt + or not. It would suit me as well to have you two 'hammered' as to take + your money.” Upon the spur of a sudden thought he drew out his watch. “In + just two minutes' time to a tick, the price will be thirty.” + </p> + <p> + “Let's be 'hammered' then!” said Aronson to his companion, with simulated + impulsiveness. + </p> + <p> + Rostocker was the older and stronger man, and when at last he spoke it was + with the decision of one in authority. “It is your game,” he said, with + grave imperturbability. “Eight thousand five hundred at twenty-five. Will + you deliver at the Credit Lyonnais in half an hour?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded, impassively. Then a roving idea of genial impertinence + brought a gleam to his eye. “If you should happen to want more Rubber + Consols at any time,” he said, with a tentative chuckle, “I could probably + let you have them at a reduced price.” + </p> + <p> + The two received the pleasantry without a smile, but to Thorpe's + astonishment one of them seemed to discern something in it beside banter. + It was Rostocker who said: “Perhaps we may make a deal with you,” and + apparently meant it. + </p> + <p> + They went out at this, ignoring ceremony upon their exit as stolidly as + they had done upon their entrance, and a moment later Thorpe called in the + Secretary, and despatched a messenger to bring Semple from Capel Court. + The formalities of this final transfer of shares had been dictated to the + former, and he had gone off on the business, before the Broker arrived. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe stood waiting near the door, and held out his hand with a + dramatically significant gesture when the little Scotchman entered. “Put + her there!” he exclaimed heartily, with an exuberant reversion to the + slang of remote transatlantic bonhomie. + </p> + <p> + “Yeh've done it, then!” said Semple, his sharp face softening with + pleasure at the news. “Yeh've pulled it off at twenty-three!” + </p> + <p> + The other's big countenance yielded itself to a boyish grin. + “Twenty-FIVE!” he said, and laughed aloud. “After you left this morning, + it kind o' occurred to me that I'd raise it a couple of pounds. I found I + was madder about those pieces in the newspapers than I thought I was, and + so I took an extra seventeen thousand pounds on that account.” + </p> + <p> + “God above!” Semple ejaculated, with a satisfaction through which signs of + an earlier fright were visible. “It was touch-and-go if you didn't lose it + all by doing that! You risked everything, man!” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe ponderously shrugged his shoulders. “Well—I did it, anyhow, + and it came off,” was his comment. Then, straightening himself, he drew a + long, long breath, and beamed down at the little man. “Think of it! God! + It's actually all over! And NOW perhaps we won't have a drink! Hell! Let's + send out for some champagne!” His finger was hovering over the bell, when + the Broker's dissuading voice arrested it. “No, no!” Semple urged. “I + wouldn't touch it. It's no fit drink for the daytime—and it's a + scandal in an office. Your clerks will aye blab it about hither and yon, + and nothing harms a man's reputation more in the City.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, to hell with the City!” cried Thorpe, joyously. “I'm never going to + set foot in it again. Think of that! I mean it!” + </p> + <p> + None the less, he abandoned the idea of sending out for wine, and + contented himself with the resources of the cabinet instead. After some + friendly pressure, Semple consented to join him in a brandy-and-soda, + though he continued to protest between sips that at such an hour it was an + indecent practice. + </p> + <p> + “It's the ruin of many a strong man,” he moralized, looking rather + pointedly at Thorpe over his glass. “It's the principal danger that besets + the verra successful man. He's too busily occupied to take exercise, and + he's too anxious and worried to get his proper sleep—but he can + always drink! In one sense, I'm not sorry to think that you're leaving the + City.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it never hurts me,” Thorpe said, indifferently accepting the + direction of the homily. “I'm as strong as an ox. But all the same, I + shall be better in every way for getting out of this hole. Thank God, I + can get off to Scotland tomorrow. But I say, Semple, what's the matter + with your visiting me at my place there? I'll give you the greatest + shooting and fishing you ever heard of.” + </p> + <p> + The Broker was thinking of something else. “What is to be the precise + position of the Company, in the immediate future?” he asked. + </p> + <p> + “Company? What Company?” + </p> + <p> + Semple smiled grimly. “Have you already forgotten that there is such a + thing?” he queried, with irony. “Why, man, this Company that paid for this + verra fine Board-table,” he explained, with his knuckles on its red baize + centre. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed amusedly. “I paid for that out of my own pocket,” he said. + “For that matter everything about the Company has come out of my pocket——” + </p> + <p> + “Or gone into it,” suggested the other, and they chuckled together. + </p> + <p> + “But no—you're right,” Thorpe declared. “Some thing ought to be + settled about the Company, I suppose. Of course I wash my hands of it—but + would anybody else want to go on with it? You see its annual working + expenses, merely for the office and the Board, foot up nearly 3,000 + pounds. I've paid these for this year, but naturally I won't do it again. + And would it be worth anybody else's while to do it? Yours, for example?” + </p> + <p> + “Have you had any explanations with the other Directors?” the Broker + asked, thoughtfully. + </p> + <p> + “Explanations—no,” Thorpe told him. “But that's all right. The + Marquis has been taken care of, and so has Plowden. They're game to agree + to anything. And let's see—Kervick is entirely my man. That leaves + Watkin and Davidson—and they don't matter. They're mere guinea-pigs. + A few hundreds apiece would shut them up, if you thought it was worth + while to give them anything at all.” + </p> + <p> + “And about the property,—the rubber plantation,—that the + Company was formed to acquire and develop. I suppose there really is such + a plantation?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, yes, it's all there right enough,” Thorpe said, briefly. + </p> + <p> + “It's no good, though, is it?” the Broker asked, with affable directness. + </p> + <p> + “Between ourselves, it isn't worth a damn,” the other blithely assured + him. + </p> + <p> + The Scotchman mused with bent brows. “There ought still to be money in + it,” he said, with an air of conviction. + </p> + <p> + “By the way,” it occurred to Thorpe to mention, “here's something I didn't + understand. I told Rostocker here, just as a cheeky kind of joke, that + after he and Aronson had got their eight thousand five hundred, if they + thought they'd like still more shares, I'd let 'em have 'em at a bargain—and + he seemed to take it seriously. He did for a fact. Said perhaps he could + make a deal with me.” + </p> + <p> + “Hm-m!” said Semple, reflectively. “I'll see if he says anything to me. + Very likely he's spotted some way of taking the thing over, and + reorganizing it, and giving it another run over the course. I'll think it + out. And now I must be off. Aren't you lunching?” + </p> + <p> + “No—I'll have the boy bring in some sandwiches,” Thorpe decided. “I + want my next meal west of Temple Bar when I get round to it. I've soured + on the City for keeps.” + </p> + <p> + “I wouldn't say that it had been so bad to you, either,” Semple smilingly + suggested, as he turned to the door. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe grinned in satisfied comment. “Hurry back as soon as you've finally + settled with Rostocker and the other fellow,” he called after him, and + began pacing the floor again. + </p> + <p> + It was nearly four o'clock when these two men, again together in the Board + Room, and having finished the inspection of some papers on the desk, sat + upright and looked at each other in tacit recognition that final words + were to be spoken. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Semple,” Thorpe began, after that significant little pause, “I want + to say that I'm damned glad you've done so well for yourself in this + affair. You've been as straight as a die to me,—I owe it as much to + you as I do to myself,—and if you don't think you've got enough even + now, I want you to say so.” + </p> + <p> + He had spoken in tones of sincere liking, and the other answered him in + kind. “I have more than I ever dreamed of making in a lifetime when I came + to London,” he declared. “If my father were alive, and heard me tell him + that in one year, out of a single transaction, I had cleared over + sixty-five thousand pounds, he'd be fit to doubt the existence of a + Supreme Being. I'm obliged to you for your good words, Thorpe. It's not + only been profitable to work with you, but it has been a great education + and a great pleasure as well.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded his appreciation. “I'm going to ask a favour of you,” he + said. “I want to leave the general run of my investments and interests + here in your hands, to keep track of I don't want to speculate at all, in + the ordinary meaning of the word. Even after I bury a pot of money in + non-productive real estate, I shall have an income of 50,000 pounds at the + very least, and perhaps twice as much. There's no fun in gambling when + you've got such a bank as that behind you. But if there are good, wise + changes to be made in investments, or if things turn up in the way of + chances that I ought to know about, I want to feel that you're on the spot + watching things and doing things in my interest. And as it won't be + regular broker's work, I shall want to pay you a stated sum—whatever + you think is right.” + </p> + <p> + “That will arrange itself easily enough,” said Semple. “I shall have the + greatest pleasure in caring for whatever you put in my hands. And I think + I can promise that it will be none the worse for the keeping.” + </p> + <p> + “I don't need any assurance on that score,” Thorpe declared, cordially. + “You're the one sterling, honest man I've known in the City.” + </p> + <p> + It was the Broker's turn to make a little acknowledging bow. His eyes + gleamed frank satisfaction at being so well understood. “I think I see the + way that more money can be made out of the Company,” he said, abruptly + changing the subject. “I've had but a few words with Rostocker about it—but + it's clear to me that he has a plan. He will be coming to you with a + proposition.” + </p> + <p> + “Well, he won't find me, then,” interposed Thorpe, with a comfortable + smile. “I leave all that to you.” + </p> + <p> + “I suspect that his plan,” continued Semple, “is to make a sub-rosa offer + of a few shillings for the majority of the shares, and reconstitute the + Board, and then form another Company to buy the property and good-will of + the old one at a handsome price. Now if that would be a good thing for him + to do, it would be a good thing for me to do. I shall go over it all + carefully, in detail, this evening. And I suppose, if I see my way clear + before me, than I may rely upon your good feeling in the matter. I would + do all the work and assume all the risk, and, let us say, divide any + profits equally—you in turn giving me a free hand with all your + shares, and your influence with the Directors.” + </p> + <p> + “I'll do better still,” Thorpe told him, upon brief reflection. + “Reconstitute the Board and make Lord Plowden Chairman,—I don't + imagine the Marquis would have the nerve to go on with it,—and I'll + make a free gift of my shares to you two—half and half. You'll find + him all right to work with,—if you can only get him up in the + morning,—and I've kind o' promised him something of the sort. Does + that suit you?” Semple's countenance was thoughtful rather than + enthusiastic. “I'm more skeptical about Lords than you are,” he observed, + “but if he's amenable, and understands that his part is to do what I tell + him to do, I've no doubt we shall hit it off together.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, absolutely!” said Thorpe, with confidence. “I'll see to it that he + behaves like a lamb. You're to have an absolutely free hand. You're to do + what you like,—wind the Company up, or sell it out, or rig it up + under a new name and catch a new set of gudgeons with it,—whatever + you damned please. When I trust a man, I trust him.” + </p> + <p> + The two friends, their faces brightened and their voices mellowed by this + serene consciousness of their mutual trust in each other's loyalty and + integrity, dwelt no further upon these halcyon beginnings of a fresh plan + for plundering the public. They spoke instead on personal topics—of + the possibility of Semple's coming to Scotland during the autumn, and of + the chance of Thorpe's wintering abroad. All at once Thorpe found himself + disclosing the fact of his forthcoming marriage, though he did not mention + the name of the lady's father, and under the gracious stress of this + announcement they drank again, and clinked glasses fervently. When Semple + at last took his leave, they shook hands with the deep-eyed earnestness of + comrades who have been through battle and faced death together. + </p> + <p> + It was not until Thorpe stood alone that the full realizing sense of what + the day meant seemed to come to him. Fruition was finally complete: the + last winnowing of the great harvest had been added to the pile. Positively + nothing remained for him but to enter and enjoy! + </p> + <p> + He found it curiously difficult to grasp the thought in its entirety. He + stood the master of unlimited leisure for the rest of his life, and of + power to enrich that life with everything that money could buy,—but + there was an odd inability to feel about it as he knew he ought to feel. + </p> + <p> + Somehow, for some unaccountable reason, an absurd depression hovered about + over his mind, darkening it with formless shadows. It was as if he were + sorry that the work was all finished—that there was nothing more for + him to do. But that was too foolish, and he tried to thrust it from him. + He said with angry decision to himself that he had never liked the work; + that it had all been unpleasant and grinding drudgery, tolerable only as a + means to an end; that now this end had been reached, he wanted never to + lay eyes on the City again. + </p> + <p> + Let him dwell instead upon the things he did want to lay eyes upon. Some + travel no doubt he would like, but not too much; certainly no more than + his wife would cheerfully accept as a minimum. He desired rather to rest + among his own possessions. To be lord of the manor at Pellesley Court, + with his own retinue of servants and dependents and tenants, his own + thousands of rich acres, his own splendid old timber, his own fat stock + and fleet horses and abundant covers and prize kennels—THAT was what + most truly appealed to him. It was not at all certain that he would hunt; + break-neck adventure in the saddle scarcely attracted him. But there was + no reason in the world why he should not breed racing horses, and create + for himself a distinguished and even lofty position on the Turf. He had + never cared much about races or racing folk himself, but when the Prince + and Lord Rosebery and people like that went in for winning the Derby, + there clearly must be something fascinating in it. + </p> + <p> + Then Parliament, of course; he did not waver at all from his old if vague + conception of a seat in Parliament as a natural part of the outfit of a + powerful country magnate. And in a hundred other ways men should think of + him as powerful, and look up to him. He would go to church every Sunday, + and sit in the big Squire's pew. He would be a magistrate as a matter of + course, and he would make himself felt on the County Council. He would + astonish the county by his charities, and in bad years by the munificence + of his reductions in rents. Perhaps if there were a particularly bad + harvest, he would decline all over his estate to exact any rent whatever. + Fancy what a noble sensation that would make! A Duke could do no more. + </p> + <p> + It was very clear to him now that he desired to have children of his own,—say + two at least, a son and a daughter, or perhaps a son and two daughters: + two little girls would be company for each other. As he prefigured these + new beings, the son was to exist chiefly for purposes of distinction and + the dignity of heirship, and the paternal relations with him would be + always somewhat formal, and, though affectionate, unexpansive. But the + little girls—they would put their arms round their father's neck, + and walk out with him to see the pigs and the dogs, and be the darlings of + his heart. He would be an old man by the time they grew up. + </p> + <p> + A beatific vision of himself took form in his mind—of himself + growing grey and pleasurably tired, surrounded by opulence and the + demonstrative respect of everybody, smiling with virtuous content as he + strolled along between his two daughters, miracles of beauty and + tenderness, holding each by a hand. + </p> + <p> + The entrance of a clerk broke abruptly upon this daydream. He had a + telegram in his hand, and Thorpe, rousing himself with an effort, took the + liver-coloured envelope, and looked blankly at it. Some weird apprehension + seized upon him, as if he belonged to the peasant class which + instinctively yokes telegrams and calamities together. He deferred to this + feeling enough to nod dismissal to the clerk, and then, when he was again + alone, slowly opened the message, and read it: + </p> + <p> + “Newcastle-on-Tyne, September 12. Our friend died at Edinboro this + morning. See you at hotel this evening.—Kervick.” + </p> + <p> + What Thorpe felt at first was that his two daughters had shrunk from him + with swift, terrible aversion: they vanished, along with every phase of + the bright vision, under a pall of unearthly blackness. He stood in the + centre of a chill solitude, staring stupidly at the coarse, soft paper. + </p> + <p> + The premonition, then, had justified itself! Something had told him that + the telegram was an evil thing. A vaguely superstitious consciousness of + being in the presence of Fate laid hold upon him. His great day of triumph + had its blood-stain. A victim had been needful—and to that end poor + simple, silly old Tavender was a dead man. Thorpe could see him,—an + embarrassing cadaver eyed by strangers who did not know what to do with + it,—fatuous even in death. + </p> + <p> + A sudden rage at Kervick flamed up. He clearly had played the fool—clumsily + over-plying the simpleton with drink till he had killed him. The shadow of + murder indubitably hung over the thing. And then—the crass + witlessness of telegraphing! Already, doubtless, the police of Edinborough + were talking over the wires with Scotland Yard. A reference to a death in + Edinborough, in a telegram from Newcastle—it was incredible that + this should escape the eye of the authorities. Any minute might bring a + detective through that door there—following into the Board Room with + his implacable scent the clue of blood. Thorpe's fancy pictured this + detective as a momentarily actual presence—tall, lean, cold-eyed, + mysteriously calm and fatally wise, the omniscient terror of the magazine + short-stories. + </p> + <p> + He turned faint and sick under a spasm of fright. The menace of enquiry + became something more than a threat: he felt it, like the grip of a + constable upon his arm. Everything would be mercilessly unravelled. The + telegram of the idiot Kervick would bring the police down upon him like a + pack of beagles. The beliefs and surmises of the idiot Gafferson would + furnish them with the key to everything. He would have his letter from + Tavender to show to the detectives—and the Government's smart + lawyers would ferret out the rest. The death of Tavender—they could + hardly make him responsible for that; but it was the dramatic feature of + this death which would inspire them all to dig up everything about the + fraud. It was this same sensational added element of the death, too, which + would count with a jury. They were always gross, sentimental fools, these + juries. They would mix up the death and the deal in Rubber Consols, and in + their fat-headed confusion would say “Penal Servitude—fourteen + years.” Or no, it was the Judge who fixed that. But the Judges were fools, + too; they were too conceited, too puffed up with vanity, to take the + trouble to understand. He groaned aloud in a nightmare of helplessness. + </p> + <p> + The sound of his own voice, moaning in his ears, had a magical effect upon + him. He lifted his head, gazed about him, and then flushed deeply. His + nerveless cowardice had all at once become unbelievable to himself. With a + shamed frown he straightened himself, and stood thus for a long minute, + engrossed in the definite task of chasing these phantoms from his mind. + Once a manly front was displayed to them, they slunk away with miraculous + facility. He poured out some brandy, and sipped it neat, and laughed + scornfully, defiantly, aloud. + </p> + <p> + He had over half a million—with power and force and courage enough + to do with it what he liked. He had fought luck undauntedly, unwearyingly, + during all those years when his hands were empty. Was he to tremble and + turn tail now, when his hands were full, when he was armoured and weaponed + at every point? He was amazed and hurt, and still more enraged, at that + fit of girlish weakness which had possessed him. He could have beaten + himself with stripes for it. But it could never happen again—never, + never! + </p> + <p> + He told himself that with proud, resolute reiteration, as he got his hat + and stick, and put in his pockets one or two papers from the desk, and + then glanced about the Board Room for what was, most likely, the last + time. Here he had won his great victory over Fate, here he had put his + enemies under his feet, and if innocent simpletons had wandered into the + company of these foes, it mattered not a whit to him that they also had + been crushed. Figuratively, he turned his back upon them now; he left + them, slain and trampled, in the Board Room behind him. They no longer + concerned him. + </p> + <p> + Figuratively, too, as he walked with firmness to the door, he stepped over + the body of old Tavender, upon the threshold, and bestowed upon it a + downward mental glance, and passed on. By the time he reached the street, + the memory of Tavender had become the merest shred of a myth. As he strode + on, it seemed to him that his daughters came again, and took his hands, + and moved lovingly beside him—lovingly and still more admiringly + than before. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXII + </h2> + <p> + BY the autumn of the following year, a certain small proportion of the + people inhabiting the district in Hertfordshire which set its clocks by + the dial over the stable-tower of Pellesley Court had accustomed + themselves to give the place its new name of High Thorpe. These were for + the most part the folk of peculiarly facile wits and ready powers of + adaptation, like pushing small tradesmen, and the upper servants in county + houses. An indolent and hazy compromise upon Pellesley Thorpe had drifted + into use by perhaps a larger number. To the puzzled conservatism of the + abiding huge majority nearest to the soil—the round-backed, lumpish + men who tie strings round their corduroys under the knee, and the strong, + cow-faced women who look at passers-by on the road from the doors of dark + little cottages, over radiant patches of blossoming garden—it seemed + safest to drop family names altogether, and call it merely the Court. + </p> + <p> + It stood proudly upon what was rather a notable elevation for those flat + parts—a massive mansion of simple form, built of a grey stone which + seemed at a distance almost white against the deep background of yews and + Italian pines behind it. For many miles seaward this pale front was a + landmark. From the terrace-walk at its base, one beheld a great expanse of + soft green country, sloping gently away for a long distance, then + stretching out upon a level which on misty days was interminable. In + bright weather, the remote, low-lying horizon had a defining line of + brownish-blue—and this stood for what was left of a primitive + forest, containing trees much older than the Norman name it bore. It was a + forest which at some time, no doubt, had extended without a break till it + merged into that of Epping—leagues away to the south. The modern + clearance and tillage, however, which separated it now from Epping had + served as a curiously effective barrier—more baffling than the + Romans and Angles in their turn had found the original wildwood. No + stranger seemed ever to find his way into that broad, minutely-cultivated + fertile plain which High Thorpe looked down upon. No railway had pushed + its cheapening course across it. Silent, embowered old country roads and + lanes netted its expanse with hedgerows; red points of tiled roofs, + distinguishable here and there in clusters among the darker greens of + orchards, identified the scattered hamlets—all named in Domesday + Book, all seemingly unchanged since. A grey square church-tower emerging + from the rooks' nests; an ordered mass of foliage sheltering the distant + gables and chimneys of some isolated house; the dim perception on occasion + that a rustic waggon was in motion on some highway, crawling patiently + like an insect—of this placid, inductive nature were all the added + proofs of human occupation that the landscape offered. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Stormont Thorpe, on an afternoon of early October, yawned in the face + of this landscape—and then idly wondered a little at the mood which + had impelled him to do so. At the outset of his proprietorship he had + bound himself, as by a point of honour, to regard this as the finest view + from any gentleman's house in England. During the first few months his + fidelity had been taxed a good deal, but these temptations and struggles + lay now all happily behind him. He had satisfactorily assimilated the + spirit of the vista, and blended it with his own. Its inertia, when one + came to comprehend it, was undeniably magnificent, and long ago he had + perceived within himself the growth of an answering repose, a responsive + lethargy, which in its full development was also going to be very fine. + Practically all the land this side of the impalpable line where trees and + houses began to fade into the background belonged to him; there were whole + villages nestling half-concealed under its shrubberies which were his + property. As an investment, these possessions were extremely + unremunerative. Indeed, if one added the cost of the improvements which + ought to be made, to the expenditure already laid out in renovations, it + was questionable if for the next twenty years they would not represent a + deficit on the income-sheet. But, now that he had laid hold of the local + character, it pleased him that it should be so. He would not for the world + have his gentle, woolly-minded, unprofitable cottagers transformed into + “hustlers”; it would wound his eye to see the smoke of any commercial + chimney, the smudge of any dividend-paying factory, staining the pure + tints of the sylvan landscape. He had truly learned to love it. + </p> + <p> + Yet now, as he strolled on the terrace with his first after-luncheon + cigar, he unaccountably yawned at the thing he loved. Upon reflection, he + had gone to bed rather earlier the previous evening than usual. He had not + been drinking out of the ordinary; his liver seemed right enough. He was + not conscious of being either tired or drowsy. He looked again at the view + with some fixity, and said to himself convincingly that nothing else in + England could compare with it. It was the finest thing there was anywhere. + Then he surprised himself in the middle of another yawn—and halted + abruptly. It occurred to him that he wanted to travel. + </p> + <p> + Since his home-coming to this splendid new home in the previous January, + at the conclusion of a honeymoon spent in Algiers and Egypt, he had not + been out of England. There had been a considerable sojourn in London, it + is true, at what was described to him as the height of the Season, but + looking back upon it, he could not think of it as a diversion. It had been + a restless, over-worked, mystifying experience, full of dinners to people + whom he had never seen before, and laborious encounters with other people + whom he did not particularly want to see again. There had been no physical + comfort in it for him, and little more mental satisfaction, for Londoners, + or rather people in London, seemed all to be making an invidious + distinction in their minds between him and his wife. The fact that she + continued to be called Lady Cressage was not of itself important to him. + But in the incessant going about in London, their names were called out + together so often that his ear grew sensitive and sore to the touch of the + footmen's reverberations. The meaning differentiation which the voices of + the servants insisted upon, seemed inevitably reflected in the glance and + manner of their mistresses. More than anything else, that made him hate + London, and barred the doors of his mind to all thoughts of buying a + town-house. + </p> + <p> + His newly-made wife, it is true, had not cared much for London, either, + and had agreed to his decision against a town-house almost with animation. + The occasion of their return from the hot bustle of the metropolis to + these cool home shades—in particular the minute in which, at a bend + in the winding carriage-way down below, they had silently regarded + together the spectacle uplifted before them, with the big, welcoming + house, and the servants on the terrace—had a place of its own in his + memory. Edith had pressed his arm, as they sat side by side in the landau, + on the instant compulsion of a feeling they had in common. He had never, + before or since, had quite the same assurance that she shared an emotion + with him. + </p> + <p> + He was very far, however, from finding fault with his wife. It was in the + nature of the life he chose to lead that he should see a great deal of + her, and think a great deal about her, and she bore both tests admirably. + If there was a fault to be found, it was with himself for his inability to + altogether understand her. She played the part she had undertaken to play + with abundant skill and discretion and grace, and even with an air of nice + good-fellowship which had some of the aspects of affection. He was vaguely + annoyed with himself for having insight enough to perceive that it was a + part she was playing, and yet lacking the added shrewdness to divine what + her own personal attitude to her role was like. He had noticed sometimes + the way good women looked at their husbands when the latter were talking + over their heads—with the eager, intent, non-comprehending + admiration of an affectionate dog. This was a look which he could not + imagine himself discovering in his wife's eves. It was not conceivable to + him that he should talk over her head. Her glance not only revealed an + ample understanding of all he said, but suggested unused reserves of + comprehension which he might not fathom. It was as if, intellectually no + less than socially, she possessed a title and he remained an + undistinguished plebeian. + </p> + <p> + He made no grievance, however, even in his own thoughts, of either + inequality. She had been charmingly frank and fair about the question of + the names, when it first arose. The usage had latterly come to be, she + explained, for a widow bearing even a courtesy title derived from her late + husband, to retain it on marrying again. It was always the easiest course + to fall in with usage, but if he had any feelings on the subject, and + preferred to have her insist on being called Mrs. Thorpe, she would meet + his wishes with entire willingness. It had seemed to him, as to her, that + it was wisest to allow usage to settle the matter. Some months after their + marriage there appeared in the papers what purported to be an + authoritative announcement that the Queen objected to the practice among + ladies who married a second time, of retaining titles acquired by the + earlier marriages, and that the lists of precedency at Buckingham Palace + would henceforth take this into account. Lady Cressage showed this to her + husband, and talked again with candour on the subject. She said she had + always rather regretted the decision they originally came to, and even now + could wish that it might be altered, but that to effect a change in the + face of this newspaper paragraph would seem servile—and in this as + in most other things he agreed with her. As she said, they wanted nothing + of Buckingham Palace. + </p> + <p> + She wanted equally little, it seemed, of the society which the + neighbouring district might afford. There was a meagre routine of formal + calls kept in languid operation, Thorpe knew, but it was so much in the + background that he never came in contact with it. His own notions of the + part he ought to take in County affairs had undergone a silent and + unnoted, yet almost sweeping, change. What little he saw of the gentry and + strong local men with whom he would have to work, quietly undermined and + dismantled all his ambitions in that direction. They were not his sort; + their standards for the measurement of things were unintelligible to him. + He did not doubt that, if he set himself about it, he could impose his + dominion upon them, any more than he doubted that, if he mastered the + Chinese language, he could lift himself to be a Mandarin, but the one + would be as unnatural and unattractive an enterprise as the other. He came + to be upon nodding terms with most of the “carriage-people” round about; + some few he exchanged meaningless words with upon occasion, and understood + that his wife also talked with, when it was unavoidable, but there his + relationship to the County ended, and he was well pleased that it should + be so. It gave him a deep satisfaction to see that his wife seemed also + well pleased. + </p> + <p> + He used the word “seemed” in his inmost musings, for it was never quite + certain what really did please and displease her. It was always puzzling + to him to reconcile her undoubted intellectual activity with the practical + emptiness of the existence she professed to enjoy. In one direction, she + had indeed a genuine outlet for her energies, which he could understand + her regarding in the light of an occupation. She was crazier about flowers + and plants than anybody he had ever heard of, and it had delighted him to + make over to her, labelled jocosely as the bouquet-fund, a sum of money + which, it seemed to him, might have paid for the hanging-gardens of + Babylon. It yielded in time—emerging slowly but steadily from a + prodigious litter of cement and bricks and mortar and putty, under the + hands of innumerable masons, carpenters, glaziers, plumbers, and + nondescript subordinates, all of whom talked unwearyingly about nothing at + all, and suffered no man to perform any part of his allotted task without + suspending their own labours to watch him—an imposing long line of + new greenhouses, more than twenty in number. The mail-bag was filled + meanwhile with nurserymen's catalogues, and the cart made incessant + journeys to and from Punsey station, bringing back vast straw-enwrapped + baskets and bundles and boxes beyond counting, the arrival and unpacking + of which was with Edith the event of the day. About the reality of her + engrossed interest in all the stages of progress by which these + greenhouses became crowded museums of the unusual and abnormal in + plant-life, it was impossible to have any suspicion. And even after they + were filled to overflowing, Thorpe noted with joy that this interest + seemed in no wise to flag. She spent hours every day under the glass, + exchanging comments and theories with her gardeners, and even pulling + things about with her own hands, and other hours she devoted almost as + regularly to supervising the wholesale alterations that had been begun in + the gardens outside. There were to be new paths, new walls with a southern + exposure, new potting sheds, new forcing pits, new everything—and in + the evenings she often worked late over the maps and plans she drew for + all this. Thorpe's mind found it difficult to grasp the idea that a lady + of such notable qualities could be entirely satisfied by a career among + seeds and bulbs and composts, but at least time brought no evidences of a + decline in her horticultural zeal. Who knew? Perhaps it might go on + indefinitely. + </p> + <p> + As for himself, he had got on very well without any special inclination or + hobby. He had not done any of the great things that a year ago it had + seemed to him he would forthwith do—but his mind was serenely + undisturbed by regrets. He did not even remember with any distinctness + what these things were that he had been going to do. The routine of life—as + arranged and borne along by the wise and tactful experts who wore the + livery of High Thorpe—was abundantly sufficient in itself. He slept + well now in the morning hours, and though he remained still, by + comparison, an early riser, the bath and the shaving and slow dressing + under the hands of a valet consumed comfortably a good deal of time. + Throughout the day he was under the almost constant observation of people + who were calling him “master” in their minds, and watching to see how, in + the smallest details of deportment, a “master” carried himself, and the + consciousness of this alone amounted to a kind of vocation. The house + itself made demands upon him nearly as definite as those of the servants. + It was a house of huge rooms, high ceilings, and grandiose fireplaces and + stairways, which had seemed to him like a royal palace when he first + beheld it, and still produced upon him an effect of undigestible largeness + and strangeness. It was as a whole not so old as the agents had + represented it, by some centuries, but it adapted itself as little to his + preconceived notions of domesticity as if it had been built by Druids. The + task of seeming to be at home in it had as many sides to it as there were + minutes in the day—and oddly enough, Thorpe found in their study and + observance a congenial occupation. Whether he was reading in the library—where + there was an admirable collection of books of worth—or walking over + the home-farms, or driving in his smart stanhope with the coachman behind, + or sitting in formal costume and dignity opposite his beautiful wife at + the dinner-table, the sense of what was expected of him was there, + steadying and restraining, like an atmospheric pressure. + </p> + <p> + Thus far they had had few visitors, and had accepted no invitations to + join house-parties elsewhere. They agreed without speaking about it that + it was more their form to entertain than to be entertained, and certain + people were coming to them later in the month. These were quite wholly of + Edith's set and selection, for Thorpe had no friends or acquaintances + outside her circle for whose presence he had any desire—and among + these prospective guests were a Duke and a Duchess. Once, such a fact + would have excited Thorpe's imagination. He regarded it now as something + appropriate under the circumstances, and gave it little further thought. + His placid, satisfied life was not dependent upon the stir of guests + coming and going, even though they were the great of the earth. He walked + on his spacious terrace after luncheon—a tall, portly, well-groomed + figure of a man, of relaxed, easy aspect, with his big cigar, and his + panama hat, and his loose clothes of choice fabrics and exquisite + tailoring—and said to himself that it was the finest view in England—and + then, to his own surprise, caught himself in the act of yawning. + </p> + <p> + From under the silk curtains and awning of a window-doorway at the end of + the terrace, his wife issued and came toward him. Her head was bare, and + she had the grace and fresh beauty of a young girl in her simple light + gown of some summery figured stuff. + </p> + <p> + “What do you say to going off somewhere—tomorrow if you like—travelling + abroad?” he called out, as she approached him. The idea, only a moment old + in his mind, had grown to great proportions. “How can we?” she asked, upon + the briefest thought. “THEY are coming at the end of the week. This is + Monday, and they arrive on the 12th—that's this Saturday.” + </p> + <p> + “So soon as that!” he exclaimed. “I thought it was later. H-m! I don't + know—I think perhaps I'll go up to London this evening. I'm by way + of feeling restless all at once. Will you come up with me?” + </p> + <p> + She shook her head. “I can't think of anything in London that would be + tolerable.” + </p> + <p> + He gave a vague little laugh. “I shall probably hate it myself when I get + there,” he speculated. “There isn't anybody I want to see—there + isn't anything I want to do. I don' t know—perhaps it might liven me + up.” + </p> + <p> + Her face took on a look of enquiring gravity. “Are you getting tired of + it, then?” She put the question gently, almost cautiously. + </p> + <p> + He reflected a little. “Why—no,” he answered, as if reasoning to + himself. “Of course I'm not. This is what I've always wanted. It's my idea + of life to a 't.' Only—I suppose everything needs a break in it now + and then—if only for the comfort of getting back into the old rut + again.” + </p> + <p> + “The rut—yes,” she commented, musingly. “Apparently there's always a + rut.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe gave her the mystified yet uncomplaining glance she knew so well in + his eyes. For once, the impulse to throw hidden things up into his range + of view prevailed with her. + </p> + <p> + “Do you know,” she said, with a confused half-smile at the novelty of her + mood for elucidation, “I fancied a rut was the one thing there could be no + question about with you. I had the notion that you were incapable of ruts—and + conventional grooves. I thought you—as Carlyle puts it—I + thought you were a man who had swallowed all the formulas.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe looked down at his stomach doubtfully. “I see what you mean,” he + said at last, but in a tone without any note of conviction. + </p> + <p> + “I doubt it,” she told him, with light readiness—“for I don't see + myself what I mean. I forget indeed what it was I said. And so you think + you'll go up to town tonight?” + </p> + <p> + A sudden comprehension of what was slipping away from his grasp aroused + him. “No—no,” he urged her, “don't forget what it was you said! I + wish you'd talk more with me about that. It was what I wanted to hear. You + never tell me what you're really thinking about.” She received the + reproach with a mildly incredulous smile in her eyes. “Yes—I know—who + was it used to scold me about that? Oh”—she seemed suddenly reminded + of something—“I was forgetting to mention it. I have a letter from + Celia Madden. She is back in England; she is coming to us Saturday, too.” + </p> + <p> + He put out his lips a trifle. “That's all right,” he objected, “but what + has it got to do with what we were talking about?” + </p> + <p> + “Talking about?” she queried, with a momentarily blank countenance. “Oh, + she used to bully me about my deceit, and treachery, and similar crimes. + But I shall be immensely glad to see her. I always fight with her, but I + think I like her better than any other woman alive.” + </p> + <p> + “I like her too,” Thorpe was impelled to say, with a kind of solemnity. + “She reminds me of some of the happiest hours in my life.” + </p> + <p> + His wife, after a brief glance into his face, laughed pleasantly, if with + a trace of flippancy. “You say nice things,” she observed, slightly + inclining her head. “But now that Celia is coming, it would be as well to + have another man. It's such dreadfully short notice, though.” + </p> + <p> + “I daresay your father could come, all right,” Thorpe suggested. “I'd + rather have him than almost anyone else. Would you mind asking him—or + shall I?” + </p> + <p> + An abrupt silence marked this introduction of a subject upon which the + couple had differed openly. Thorpe, through processes unaccountable to + himself, had passed from a vivid dislike of General Kervick to a habit of + mind in which he thoroughly enjoyed having him about. The General had been + twice to High Thorpe, and on each occasion had so prolonged his stay that, + in retrospect, the period of his absence seemed inconsiderable. The master + now, thinking upon it in this minute of silence, was conscious of having + missed him greatly. He would not have been bored to the extremity of + threatening to go to London, if Kervick had been here. The General was a + gentleman, and yet had the flexible adaptability of a retainer; he had + been trained in discipline, and hence knew how to defer without becoming + fulsome or familiar; he was a man of the world and knew an unlimited + number of racy stories, and even if he repeated some of them unduly, they + were better than no stories at all. And then, there was his matchless, + unfailing patience in playing chess or backgammon or draughts or bezique, + whatever he perceived that the master desired. + </p> + <p> + “If you really wish it,” Edith said at last, coldly. + </p> + <p> + “But that's what I don't understand,” Thorpe urged upon her with some + vigour. “If I like him, I don't see why his own daughter——” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, need we discuss it?” she broke in, impatiently. “If I'm an unnatural + child, why then I am one, and may it not be allowed to pass at that?” A + stormy kind of smile played upon her beautifully-cut lips as she added: + “Surely one's filial emotions are things to be taken for granted—relieved + from the necessity of explanation.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe grinned faintly at the hint of pleasantry, but he did not + relinquish his point. “Well—unless you really veto the thing—I + think I'd like to tell him to come,” he said, with composed obstinacy. + Upon an afterthought he added: “There's no reason why he shouldn't meet + the Duke, is there?” + </p> + <p> + “No specific reason,” she returned, with calm coolness of tone and manner. + “And certainly I do not see myself in the part of Madame Veto.” + </p> + <p> + “All right then—I'll send him a wire,” said Thorpe. His victory made + him uneasy, yet he saw no way of abandoning it with decorum. + </p> + <p> + As the two, standing in a silence full of tacit constraint, looked + aimlessly away from the terrace, they saw at the same instant a vehicle + with a single horse coming rather briskly up the driveway, some hundreds + of yards below. It was recognizable at once as the local trap from Punsey + station, and as usual it was driven by a boy from the village. Seated + beside this lad was a burly, red-bearded man in respectable clothes, who, + to judge from the tin-box and travelling-bags fastened on behind, seemed + coming to High Thorpe to stay. + </p> + <p> + “Who on earth is that?” asked Thorpe, wonderingly. The man was obviously + of the lower class, yet there seemed something about him which invited + recognition. + </p> + <p> + “Presumably it's the new head-gardener,” she replied with brevity. + </p> + <p> + Her accent recalled to Thorpe the fact that there had been something + disagreeable in their conversation, and the thought of it was unpleasant + to him. “Why, I didn't know you had a new man coming,” he said, turning to + her with an overture of smiling interest. + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she answered, and then, as if weighing the proffered propitiation + and rejecting it, turned slowly and went into the house. + </p> + <p> + The trap apparently ended its course at some back entrance: he did not see + it again. He strolled indoors, after a little, and told his man to pack a + bag for London, and order the stanhope to take him to the train. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIII + </h2> + <p> + IN the early morning, long before any of the hotel people had made + themselves heard moving about, Thorpe got up. + </p> + <p> + It was a long time since he had liked himself and his surroundings so + little. The bed seemed all right to the eye, and even to the touch, but he + had slept very badly in it, none the less. The room was luxuriously + furnished, as was the entire suite, but it was all strange and + uncomfortable to his senses. The operation of shaving and dressing in + solitude produced an oppression of loneliness. He regretted not having + brought his man with him for this reason, and then, upon meditation, for + other reasons. A person of his position ought always to have a servant + with him. The hotel people must have been surprised at his travelling + unattended—and the people at High Thorpe must also have thought it + strange. It flashed across his mind that no doubt his wife had most of all + thought it strange. How would she explain to herself his sudden, + precipitate journey to London alone? Might she not quite naturally put an + unpleasant construction upon it? It was bad enough to have to remember + that they had parted in something like a tiff; he found it much worse to + be fancying the suspicions with which she would be turning over his + mysterious absence in her mind. + </p> + <p> + He went downstairs as speedily as possible and, discovering no overt signs + of breakfast in the vicinity of the restaurant, passed out and made his + way to the Embankment. This had been a favourite walk of his in the old + days—but he considered it now with an unsympathetic eye. It seemed a + dry and haggard and desolate-looking place by comparison with his former + impressions of it. The morning was grey-skied, but full of a hard quality + of light, which brought out to the uncompromising uttermost the + dilapidated squalor of the Surrey side. The water was low, and from the + mud and ooze of the ugly opposite shore, or perhaps from the discoloured + stream itself, there proceeded a smell which offended his unaccustomed + nostril. A fitful, gusty wind was blowing from the east, and ever and + again it gathered dust in eddying swoops from the roadway, and flung it in + his face. + </p> + <p> + He walked on toward the City, without any conscious purpose, and with no + very definite reflections. It occurred to him that if his wife did impute + to him some unworthy motive in stealing off to London, and made herself + unhappy in doing so—that would at least provide the compensation of + showing that she cared. The thought, however, upon examination, contained + very meagre elements of solace. He could not in the least be sure about + any of the workings of her mind. There might be more or less annoyance + mixed up this morning with the secret thoughts she had concerning him—or + she might not be bothering her head about him at all. This latter + contingency had never presented itself so frankly to him before. He looked + hard at it, and saw more semblances of probability about it than he liked. + It might very well be that she was not thinking about him one way or the + other. + </p> + <p> + A depressing consciousness that practically nobody need think about him + pervaded his soul. Who cared what he said or did or felt? The City had + forgotten his very existence. In the West End, only here and there some + person might chance to remember his name as that of some rich bounder who + had married Lady Cressage. Nowhere else in England, save one dull strip of + agricultural blankness in a backward home county, was there a human being + who knew anything whatever about him. And this was his career! It was for + this that he had planned that memorable campaign, and waged that amazing + series of fortnightly battles, never missing victory, never failing at any + point of the complicated strategy, and crowning it all with a culminating + triumph which had been the wonder and admiration of the whole financial + world! A few score of menials or interested inferiors bowed to him; he + drove some good horses, and was attentively waited upon, and had a + never-failing abundance of good things to eat and drink aud smoke. Hardly + anything more than that, when you came to think of it—and the + passing usufruct of all these things could be enjoyed by any fool who had + a ten-pound note in his pocket! + </p> + <p> + What gross trick had the fates played on him? He had achieved power—and + where was that power? What had he done with it? What COULD he do with it? + He had an excess of wealth, it was true, but in what way could it command + an excess of enjoyment? The very phrase was a paradox, as he dimly + perceived. There existed only a narrow margin of advantage in favour of + the rich man. He could eat and drink a little more and a little better + than the poor man; he could have better clothes, and lie abed later in the + morning, and take life easier all round—but only within hard and + fast bounds. There was an ascertained limit beyond which the millionaire + could no more stuff himself with food and wine than could the beggar. It + might be pleasant to take an added hour or two in bed in the morning, but + to lie in bed all day would be an infliction. So it ran indefinitely—this + thin selvedge of advantage which money could buy—with deprivation on + the one side, and surfeit on the other. Candidly, was it not true that + more happiness lay in winning the way out of deprivation, than in + inventing safeguards against satiety? The poor man succeeding in making + himself rich—at numerous stages of the operation there might be made + a moral snap-shot of the truly happy man. But not after he had reached the + top. Then disintegration began at once. The contrast between what he + supposed he could do, and what he finds it possible to do, is too vast to + be accepted with equanimity. + </p> + <p> + It must be said that after breakfast—a meal which he found in an + Italian restaurant of no great cleanliness or opulence of pretension, and + ate with an almost novel relish—Thorpe took somewhat less gloomy + views of his position. He still walked eastward, wandering into warehouse + and shipping quarters skirting the river, hitherto quite unknown to him, + and pursuing in an idle, inconsequent fashion his meditations. He + established in his mind the proposition that since an excess of enjoyment + was impossible—since one could not derive a great block of happiness + from the satisfaction of the ordinary appetites, but at the most could + only gather a little from each—the desirable thing was to multiply + as much as might be those tastes and whims and fancies which passed for + appetites, and thus expand the area of possible gratification. + </p> + <p> + This seemed very logical indeed, but it did not apply itself to his + individual needs with much facility. What did he want to do that he had + not done? It was difficult for him to say. Perhaps it was chandlers' signs + and windows about him, and the indefinable seafaring preoccupation + suggested by the high-walled, narrow streets, which raised the question of + a yacht in his mind. Did he want a yacht? He could recall having once + dwelt with great fondness upon such a project: doubtless it would still be + full of attractions for him. He liked the water, and the water liked him—and + he was better able now than formerly to understand how luxurious existence + can be made in modern private ships. He decided that he would have a yacht—and + then perceived that the decision brought no exhilaration. He was no + happier than before. He could decide that he would have anything he chose + to name—and it would in no whit lighten his mood. The yacht might be + as grand as High Thorpe, and relatively as spacious and well ordered, but + would he not grow as tired of the one as he had of the other? + </p> + <p> + He stopped short at this blunt self-expression of something he had never + admitted to himself. Was he indeed tired of High Thorpe? He had assured + his wife to the contrary yesterday. He reiterated the assurance to his own + mind now. It was instead that he was tired of himself. He carried a + weariness about with him, which looked at everything with apathetic eyes, + and cared for nothing. Some nameless paralysis had settled upon his + capacity for amusement and enjoyment, and atrophied it. He had had the + power to expand his life to the farthest boundaries of rich experience and + sensation, and he had deliberately shrunk into a sort of herbaceous + nonentity, whom nobody knew or cared about. He might have had London at + his beck and call, and yet of all that the metropolis might mean to a + millionaire, he had been able to think of nothing better than that it + should send old Kervick to him, to help beguile his boredom with dominoes + and mess-room stories! Pah! He was disgusted with himself. + </p> + <p> + Striking out a new course, with the Monument as his guide, he presently + came into a part of the City which had a certain familiarity for him. He + walked up St. Swithin's Lane, looking at the strange forms of foreign + fruit exposed at the shop-doors, and finding in them some fleeting + recurrence of the hint that travel was what he needed. Then he stopped, to + look through the railings and open gateway at an enclosure on the left, + and the substantial, heavily-respectable group of early Victorian + buildings beyond. Some well-dressed men were standing talking in one of + the porches. The stiff yellowish-stucco pilasters of this entrance, and + the tall uniformed figure of the porter in the shadow, came into the + picture as he observed it; they gave forth a suggestion of satisfied + smugness—of orderly but altogether unillumined routine. Nothing + could be more commonplace to the eye. + </p> + <p> + Yet to his imagination, eighteen months before, what mysterious marvels of + power had lurked hidden behind those conventional portals! Within those + doors, in some inner chamber, sat men whose task it was to direct the + movements of the greatest force the world had ever known. They and their + cousins in Paris and Frankfort, or wherever they lived, between them + wielded a vaster authority than all the Parliaments of the earth. They + could change a government, or crush the aspirations of a whole people, or + decide a question of peace or war, by the silent dictum of their little + family council. He remembered now how he had stood on this same spot, and + stared with fascinated gaze at this quadrangle of dull houses, and + pondered upon what it must feel like to be a Rothschild—and that was + only a little over a year ago! + </p> + <p> + There was no sense of fascination whatever in his present gaze. He found + himself regarding instead, with a kind of detached curiosity, the little + knot of men in frock-coats and silk-hats who stood talking in the doorway. + It was barely ten o'clock, yet clearly business was proceeding within. One + of these persons whom he beheld might be a Rothschild, for aught he knew; + at any rate, it was presumable that some of them were on the premises. He + had heard it said that the very head of the house listened to quotations + from the tape while he ate his luncheon, and interrupted his conversations + with the most important of non-commercial callers, to make or refuse + bargains in shares offered by brokers who came in. What impulse lay behind + this extraordinary devotion to labour? Toward what conceivable goal could + it be striving? + </p> + <p> + To work hard and risk great things for the possession of a fortune, in + order to enjoy it afterward—he could understand how that attracted + men. But to possess already the biggest of human fortunes, and still work—that + baffled him. He wished he knew some of those men in there, especially if + they belonged to the place. It would be wonderfully interesting to get at + the inner point of view of New Court. + </p> + <p> + A little later, in Colin Semple's office, he sat down to await the coming + of that gentleman. “Then he doesn't get here so early nowadays?” he + suggested to the head-clerk who, with instant recognition and exaggerated + deference, had ushered him into this furthermost private room. It pleased + him to assume that prosperity had relaxed the Scotchman's vigilance. + </p> + <p> + “Oh yes, sir,” the clerk replied. “A bit earlier if anything, as a rule. + But I think he is stopping at his solicitors on his way to the City. I + hope you are very well, sir.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes—I'm very fit—thanks,” Thorpe said, listlessly, and the + other left him. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Semple, when at last he arrived, bustled into the room with unaffected + gratification at the news he had heard without. “Well, well, Thorpe man!” + he cried, and shook hands cordially. “This is fine! If I'd only known you + were in town! Why wouldn't you have told me you were coming? I'd never + have kept you waiting.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed wearily. “I hardly knew I was in town myself. I only ran up + last night. I thought it would amuse me to have a look round—but + things seem as dull as ditchwater.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh no,” said Semple, “the autumn is opening verra well indeed. There are + more new companies, and a better public subscription all round, than for + any first week of October I remember. Westralians appear bad on the face + of things, it's true—but don't believe all you hear of them. There's + more than the suspicion of a 'rig' there. Besides, you haven't a penny in + them.” + </p> + <p> + “I wasn't thinking of that,” Thorpe told him, with comprehensive + vagueness. “Well, I suppose you're still coining money,” he observed, + after a pause. + </p> + <p> + “Keeping along—keeping along,” the broker replied, cheerfully. “I + canna complain.” Thorpe looked at him with a meditative frown. “Well, what + are you going to do with it, after you've got it?” he demanded, almost + with sharpness. + </p> + <p> + The Scotchman, after a surprised instant, smiled. “Oh, I'll just keep my + hands on it,” he assured him, lightly. + </p> + <p> + “That isn't what I mean,” Thorpe said, groping after what he did mean, + with sullen tenacity, among his thoughts. His large, heavy face exhibited + a depressed gravity which attracted the other's attention. + </p> + <p> + “What's the matter?” Semple asked quickly. “Has anything gone wrong with + you?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe slowly shook his head. “What better off do you think you'll be with + six figures than you are with five?” he pursued, with dogmatic insistence. + </p> + <p> + Semple shrugged his shoulders. He seemed to have grown much brighter and + gayer of mood in this past twelvemonth. Apparently he was somewhat + stouter, and certainly there was a mellowed softening of his sharp glance + and shrewd smile. It was evident that his friend's mood somewhat + nonplussed him, but his good-humour was unflagging. + </p> + <p> + “It's the way we're taught at school,” he hazarded, genially. “In all the + arithmetics six beats five, and seven beats six.” + </p> + <p> + “They're wrong,” Thorpe declared, and then consented to laugh in a + grudging, dogged way at his friend's facial confession of puzzlement. + “What I mean is—what's the good of piling up money, while you can't + pile up the enjoyments it will buy? What will a million give you, that the + fifth of it, or the tenth of it, won't give you just as well?” + </p> + <p> + “Aye,” said Semple, with a gleam of comprehension in his glance. “So + you've come to that frame of mind, have you? Why does a man go on and + shoot five hundred pheasants, when he can eat only one?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, if you like the mere making of money, I've nothing more to say,” + Thorpe responded, with a touch of resentment. “I've always thought of you + as a man like myself, who wanted to make his pile and then enjoy himself.” + </p> + <p> + The Scotchman laughed joyously. “Enjoy myself! Like you!” he cried. “Man, + you're as doleful as a mute at a laird's funeral! What's come over you? I + know what it is. You go and take a course of German waters——” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, that be damned!” Thorpe objected, gloomily. “I tell you I'm all + right. Only—only—God! I've a great notion to go and get + drunk.” + </p> + <p> + Colin Semple viewed his companion with a more sympathetic expression. “I'm + sorry you're so hipped,” he said, in gentle tones. “It can't be more than + some passing whimsy. You're in no real trouble, are you?—no family + trouble?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. “The whole thing is rot!” he affirmed, + enigmatically. + </p> + <p> + “What whole thing?” The broker perched on the edge of his desk, and with + patient philosophy took him up. “Do you mean eighty thousand a year is + rot? That depends upon the man who has it.” + </p> + <p> + “I know that well enough,” broke in the other, heavily. “That's what I'm + kicking about. I'm no good!” + </p> + <p> + Semple, looking attentively down upon him, pursed his lips in reflection. + “That's not the case,” he observed with argumentative calmness. “You're a + great deal of good. I'm not so sure that what you've been trying to do is + any good, though. Come!—I read you like large print. You've set out + to live the life of a rich country squire—and it hasn't come off. It + couldn't come off! I never believed it would. You haven't the taste for it + inbred in your bones. You haven't the thousand little habits and interests + that they take in with their mother's milk, and that make such a life + possible. When you look at a hedge, you don't think of it as something to + worry live animals out of. When you see one of your labourers, you don't + care who his father was, or which dairymaid his uncle ought to have + married, if he had wanted to get a certain cottage. You don't want to know + the name of everybody whose roof you can see; much less could you remember + them, and talk about them, and listen to gossip about them, year after + year. It isn't a passion in your blood to ride to hounds, and to shoot, + and all that. It doesn't come to you by tradition—and you haven't + the vacancy of mind which might be a substitute for tradition. What are + you doing in the country, then? Just eating too much, and sitting about, + and getting fat and stupid. If you want the truth, there it is for you.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe, putting out his lips judicially, inclined upon reflection to the + view that this was the truth. “That's all right, as far as it goes,” he + assented, with hesitation. “But what the hell else is there?” + </p> + <p> + The little Scotchman had grown too interested in his diagnosis to drop it + in an incomplete state. “A year ago,” he went on, “you had won your + victories like a veritable Napoleon. You had everything in your own hands; + Napoleon himself was not more the master of what he saw about him than you + were. And then what did you do? You voluntarily retired yourself to your + Elba. It wasn't that you were beaten and driven there by others; you went + of your own accord. Have you ever thought, Thorpe, of this? Napoleon was + the greatest man of his age—one of the greatest men of all ages—not + only in war but in a hundred other ways. He spent the last six years of + his life at St. Helena—in excellent health and with companions that + he talked freely to—and in all the extraordinarily copious reports + of his conversations there, we don't get a single sentence worth + repeating. If you read it, you'll see he talked like a dull, ordinary + body. The greatness had entirely evaporated from him, the moment he was + put on an island where he had nothing to do.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes-s,” said Thorpe, thoughtfully. He accepted the application without + any qualms about the splendour of the comparison it rested upon. He had + done the great things, just as Semple said, and there was no room for + false modesty about them in his mind. “The trouble is,” he began, “that I + did what I had always thought I wanted to do most. I was quite certain in + my mind that that was what I wanted. And if we say now that I was wrong—if + we admit that that wasn't what I really wanted—why then, God knows + what it is I DO want. I'll be hanged if I do!” + </p> + <p> + “Come back to the City,” Semple told him. “That's where you belong.” + </p> + <p> + “No—no!” Thorpe spoke with emphasis. “That's where you're all off. I + don't belong in the City at all. I hate the whole outfit. What the devil + amusement would it be to me to take other men's money away from them? I'd + be wanting all the while to give it back to them. And certainly I wouldn't + get any fun out of their taking my money away from me. Besides, it doesn't + entertain me. I've no taste at all for it. I never look at a financial + paper now. I could no more interest myself in all that stuff again than I + could fly. That's the hell of it—to be interested in anything.” + </p> + <p> + “Go in for politics,” the other suggested, with less warmth. + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I know,” Thorpe commented, with a lingering tone. “Perhaps I ought + to think more about that. By the way, what's Plowden doing? I've lost all + track of him.” + </p> + <p> + “Abroad somewhere, I fancy,” Semple replied. His manner exhibited a + profound indifference. “When his mother died he came into something—I + don't know how much. I don't think I've seen him since—and that must + have been six months and more ago.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes. I heard about it at the time,” the other said. “It must be about + that. His sister and brother—the young Plowdens—they're coming + to us at the end of the week, I believe. You didn't hit it off + particularly with Plowden, eh?” + </p> + <p> + Semple emitted a contemptuous little laugh. “I did not quarrel with him—if + you mean that,” he said, “but even to please you, Thorpe, I couldn't bring + myself to put my back into the job of making money for him. He was treated + fairly—even generously, d'ye mind. I should think, all told, he had + some thirty thousand pounds for his shares, and that's a hundred times as + much as I had a pleasure in seeing him get. Each man can wear his own + parasites, but it's a task for him to stand another man's. I shook your + Lord Plowden off, when the chance came.” + </p> + <p> + “THAT'S all right,” Thorpe assured him, easily. “I never told you that he + was any good. I merely felt like giving him a leg up—because really + at the start he was of use to me. I did owe him something....It was at his + house that I met my wife.” + </p> + <p> + “Aye,” said Semple, with dispassionate brevity. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXIV + </h2> + <p> + WHEN he had parted with Semple, at a corner where the busy broker, who had + walked out with him, obviously fidgeted to get away, Thorpe could think of + no one else in the City whom he desired to see. A call upon his bankers + would, he knew, be made an occasion of extremely pleasant courtesy by + those affable people, but upon reflection it seemed scarcely worth the + trouble. + </p> + <p> + He was in a mood for indolent sauntering, and he made the long stretch of + the Holborn thoroughfare in a leisurely fashion, turning off when the whim + seized him into odd courts and alley-ways to see what they were like. + After luncheon, he continued his ramble, passing at last from St. Giles, + through avenues which had not existed in the London of his boyhood, to the + neighbourhood of the Dials. Here also the landmarks seemed all changed, + but there was still enough ostentatious squalor and disorder to identify + the district. He observed it and its inhabitants with a certain new + curiosity. A notable alteration for the better had come over his spirits. + It might be the champagne at luncheon, or it might be the mere operation + of a frank talk with Semple, that had dissipated his gloom. At all events + it was gone—and he strolled along in quite placid contentment, + taking in the panorama of London's more intimate life with the interest of + a Londoner who has obtained a fresh country eye. + </p> + <p> + He who had seen most of the world, and not cared much about the spectacle, + found himself now consciously enjoying observation as he had not supposed + it possible to do. He surrendered himself to the experience with a novel + sense of having found something worth while—and found it, moreover, + under his very nose. In some dull, meaningless fashion he had always known + this part of London, and been familiar with its external aspects. Now + suddenly he perceived that the power had come to him of seeing it all in a + different way. The objects he beheld, inanimate and otherwise, had + specific new meanings for him. His mind was stirred pleasurably by the + things they said to him. + </p> + <p> + He looked at all the contents of the windows as he passed; at the barrows + of the costers and hawkers crowding up the side-streets; at the + coarse-haired, bare-headed girls and women standing about in their shawls + and big white aprons; at the weakling babies in their arms or about the + thick, clumsy folds of their stained skirts; at the grimy, shuffling + figures of their men-folk, against the accustomed background of the + public-house corner, with its half-open door, and its fly-blown + theatre-bills in the windows; at the drivers of the vans and carts, + sleepily overlooking the huge horses, gigantic to the near view as some + survival from the age of mammoths, which pushed gingerly, ploddingly, + their tufted feet over the greasy stones; at foul interiors where through + the blackness one discerned bent old hags picking over refuse; at the + faces which, as he passed, made some special human appeal to him—faces + blurred with drink, faces pallid with under-feeding, faces worn into masks + by the tension of trouble, faces sweetened by resignation, faces aglow + with devil-may-care glee...he looked, as it were, into the pulsing heart + of something which had scarcely seemed alive to him before. + </p> + <p> + Eventually, he found himself halting at the door of his sister's + book-shop. A new boy stood guard over the stock exposed on the shelf and + stands outside, and he looked stonily at the great man; it was evident + that he was as far from suspecting his greatness as his relationship. It + pleased Thorpe for a little to take up one book after another, and pretend + to read from it, and force the boy to watch him hard. He had almost the + temptation to covertly slip a volume into his pocket, and see what the lad + would do. It was remarkable, he reflected with satisfaction—this new + capacity within him to find drama in trifles. + </p> + <p> + There floated into his mind the recollection of some absurd squabble he + had had with his sister about the sign overhead. He stepped back a few + paces and looked up at it. There were the old words—“Thorpe, + Bookseller”—right enough, but they seemed to stand forth with a + novel prominence. Upon a second glance, he saw that the board had been + repainted. At this he laughed aloud. The details of the episode came back + to him now. For some reason, or no reason at all—he could not now + imagine what on earth could have prompted him—he had last spring + caused his sister to be informed of his wish that her own name, Dabney, + should be substituted for that of Thorpe on her sign. It was to Julia that + he had confided this mission, and it was Julia who, in a round-about way, + had disclosed to him presently her mother's deep resolution to do nothing + of the sort. He laughed again at the added defiance that this refurbishing + of the old sign expressed, and still was grinning broadly as he entered + the shop and pushed his way along to the rear. + </p> + <p> + She stood beside her desk as she seemed to have stood ever since he could + remember her—tall, placid, dull-eyed, self-sufficient, exhaling as + it were a kind of stubborn yet competent listlessness. Her long, mannish + countenance expressed an undoubted interest in his presence, when she + recognized him, but he had no clear perception whether it was pleased or + otherwise. In their infrequent latter-day encounters he had dropped the + habit of kissing her, and there was certainly no hint in her manner of + expecting, much less inviting, its renewal now—but upon a sudden + impulse he drew her to him with an arm flung round her gaunt waist, + smacked his lips with effusion upon her cheek. + </p> + <p> + Her surprise, as she withdrew herself somewhat forcefully from his + embrace, was plain enough. “Well!” she exclaimed vaguely, and then looked + at him. “You're getting fatter.” + </p> + <p> + “No I'm not,” he rejoined, with the earnestness belonging to an important + topic. “People think I am—but it's merely the looseness of these + clothes. There's really no difference since I was here last.” + </p> + <p> + The glance they exchanged was so full of the tacit comment that this last + visit was a long time ago, that Thorpe put it into words. “Let's see—that + was just before Christmas, wasn't it?” he said. + </p> + <p> + “Something like that,” she responded. “You were going to get married in a + week or two, I remember, and THAT was in January, wasn't it? I was taking + stock, I know.” + </p> + <p> + He nodded in turn. The thought that his only sister recalled his marriage + merely as a date, like a royal anniversary or a bank-holiday, and held + herself implacably aloof from all contact with his domestic life, annoyed + him afresh. “You're an awful goat, not to come near us,” he felt impelled, + in brotherly frankness, to tell her. + </p> + <p> + She put out her lips, and wagged her head a little, in a gesture which it + flashed across him his own mirror might often have recorded. “I thought + that was all settled and done with long ago,” she said, moodily. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I won't worry you with it, Lou,” he observed, with reassuring + kindness of tone. “I never felt so much like being nice to you in my + life.” + </p> + <p> + She seemed surprised at this, too, and regarded him with a heavy new + fixity of gaze. No verbal comment, apparently, occurred to her. + </p> + <p> + “Julia and Alfred all right?” he queried, cheerfully. + </p> + <p> + “I daresay,” she made brief answer. + </p> + <p> + “But they write to you, don't they?” + </p> + <p> + “SHE does—sometimes. They seem to be doing themselves very well, + from what she says.” + </p> + <p> + “She'd write oftener, if you'd answer her letters,” he told her, in tones + of confidential reproach. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I don't write letters unless I've got something to say,” she + answered, as if the explanation were ample. + </p> + <p> + The young people were domiciled for the time being at Dusseldorf, where + Alfred had thought he would most like to begin his Continental + student-career, and where Julia, upon the more or less colourable pretext + of learning the language, might enjoy the mingled freedom and occupation + of a home of her own. They had taken a house for the summer and autumn, + and would do the same in Dresden or Munich, later on, for the winter. + </p> + <p> + “What I would really have liked,” Thorpe confided to his sister now, “was + to have had them both live with me. They would have been as welcome as the + day is long. I could see, of course, in Alfred's case, that if he's set on + being an artist, he ought to study abroad. Even the best English artists, + he says, do that at the beginning. So it was all right for him to go. But + Julia—it was different with her—I was rather keen about her + staying. My wife was just as keen as I was. She took the greatest fancy to + Julia from the very start—and so far as I could see, Julia liked her + all right. In fact, I thought Julia would want to stay—but somehow + she didn't.” + </p> + <p> + “She always spoke very highly of your wife,” Mrs. Dabney affirmed with + judicial fairness. “I think she does like her very much.” + </p> + <p> + “Well then what did she want to hyke off to live among those Dutchmen for, + when one of the best houses in England was open to her?” Thorpe demanded. + </p> + <p> + “You mustn't ask me,” her mother responded. Her tone seemed to carry the + suggestion that by silence she could best protect her daughter's + interests. + </p> + <p> + “I don't believe you know any more about it than I do,” was his impulsive + comment. + </p> + <p> + “I daresay not,” she replied, with indifference. “Probably she didn't + fancy living in so big a house—although heaven knows her ideas are + big enough about most things.” + </p> + <p> + “Did she say so?” Thorpe asked abruptly. + </p> + <p> + The widow shook her head with dispassionate candour. “She didn't say + anything to me about it, one way or the other. I formed my own impressions—that's + all. It's a free country. Everybody can form their impressions.” + </p> + <p> + “I wish you'd tell me what you really think,” Thorpe urged her, mildly + persuasive. “You know how fond I am of Julia, and how little I want to do + her an injustice.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, she wouldn't feel THAT way,” Louisa observed, vaguely. “If you ask me + plain, I think it was dull for her.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said Thorpe, upon reflection, “I shouldn't be surprised if it was. + I hadn't thought of that. But still—why she and my wife could be + company for each other.” + </p> + <p> + “You talk as if life was merely a long railway journey,” she told him, in + an unexpected flight of metaphor. “Two women cooped up in a lonesome + country house may be a little less lonely than one of them by herself + would be—but not much. It's none of my business—but how your + wife must hate it!” + </p> + <p> + He laughed easily. “Ah, that's where you're wrong,” he said. “She doesn't + care about anything but gardening. That's her hobby. She's crazy about it. + We've laid out more in new greenhouses alone, not counting the plants, + than would rebuild this building. I'm not sure the heating apparatus + wouldn't come to that, alone. And then the plants! What do you think of + six and eight guineas for a single root? Those are the amaryllises—and + if you come to orchids, you can pay hundreds if you like. Well, that's her + passion. That's what she really loves.” + </p> + <p> + “That's what she seizes upon to keep her from just dying of loneliness,” + Louisa retorted, obstinately, and at a sign of dissent from her brother + she went on. “Oh, I know what I'm talking about. I have three or four + customers—ladies in the country, and one of them is a lady of title, + too—and they order gardening books and other books through me, and + when they get up to town, once a year or so, they come here and they talk + to me about it. And there isn't one of them that at the bottom of her + heart doesn't hate it. They'd rather dodge busses at Charing Cross corner + all day long, than raise flowers as big as cheeses, if they had their own + way. But they don't have their own way, and they must have something to + occupy themselves with—and they take to gardening. I daresay I'd + even do it myself if I had to live in the country, which thank God I + don't!” + </p> + <p> + “That's because you don't know anything about the country,” he told her, + but the retort, even while it justified itself, had a hollow sound in his + own ears. “All you know outside of London is Margate.” + </p> + <p> + “I went to Yarmouth and Lowestoft this summer,” she informed him, + crushingly. + </p> + <p> + Somehow he lacked the heart to laugh. “I know what you mean, Lou,” he + said, with an affectionate attempt at placation. “I suppose there's a good + deal in what you say. It is dull, out there at my place, if you have too + much of it. Perhaps that's a good hint about my wife. It never occurred to + me, but it may be so. But the deuce of it is, what else is there to do? We + tried a house in London, during the Season——” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, I saw in the papers you were here,” she said impassively, in comment + upon his embarrassed pause. + </p> + <p> + “I didn't look you up, because I didn't think you wanted much to see me”—he + explained with a certain awkwardness—“but bye-gones are all + bye-gones. We took a town house, but we didn't like it. It was one endless + procession of stupid and tiresome calls and dinners and parties; we got + awfully sick of it, and swore we wouldn't try it again. Well there you + are, don't you see? It's stupid in Hertfordshire, and it's stupid here. Of + course one can travel abroad, but that's no good for more than a few + months. Of course it would be different if I had something to do. I tell + you God's truth, Lou—sometimes I feel as if I was really happier + when I was a poor man. I know it's all rot—I really wasn't—but + sometimes it SEEMS as if I was.” + </p> + <p> + She contemplated him with a leaden kind of gaze. “Didn't it ever occur to + you to do some good with your money?” she said, with slow bluntness. Then, + as if fearing a possible misconception, she added more rapidly: “I don't + mean among your own family. We're a clannish people, we Thorpes; we'd + always help our own flesh and blood, even if we kicked them while we were + doing it—but I mean outside, in the world at large.” + </p> + <p> + “What have I got to do with the world at large? I didn't make it; I'm not + responsible for it.” He muttered the phrases lightly enough, but a certain + fatuity in them seemed to attract his attention when he heard their sound. + “I've given between five and six thousand pounds to London hospitals + within the present year,” he added, straightening himself. “I wonder you + didn't see it. It was in all the papers.” + </p> + <p> + “Hospitals!” + </p> + <p> + It was impossible to exaggerate the scorn which her voice imported into + the word. He looked at her with unfeigned surprise, and then took in the + impression that she was upon a subject which exceptionally interested her. + Certainly the display of something approaching animation in her glance and + manner was abnormal. + </p> + <p> + “I said 'do some GOOD with your money,'” she reminded him, still with a + vibration of feeling in her tone. “You must live in the country, if you + think London hospitals are deserving objects. They couldn't fool Londoners + on that point, not if they had got the Prince to go on his hands and + knees. And you give a few big cheques to them,” she went on, meditatively, + “and you never ask how they're managed, or what rings are running them for + their own benefit, or how your money is spent—and you think you've + done a noble, philanthropic thing! Oh no—I wasn't talking about + humbug charity. I was talking about doing some genuine good in the world.” + </p> + <p> + He put his leg over the high stool, and pushed his hat back with a smile. + “All right,” he said, genially. “What do you propose?” + </p> + <p> + “I don't propose anything,” she told him, after a moment's hesitation. + “You must work that out for yourself. What might seem important to me + might not interest you at all—and if you weren't interested you + wouldn't do anything. But this I do say to you, Joel—and I've said + it to myself every day for this last year or more, and had you in mind all + the time, too—if I had made a great fortune, and I sat about in + purple and fine linen doing nothing but amuse myself in idleness and + selfishness, letting my riches accumulate and multiply themselves without + being of use to anybody, I should be ASHAMED to look my fellow-creatures + in the face! You were born here. You know what London slums are like. You + know what Clare Market was like—it's bad enough still—and what + the Seven Dials and Drury Lane and a dozen other places round here are + like to this day. That's only within a stone's throw. Have you seen + Charles Booth's figures about the London poor? Of course you haven't—and + it doesn't matter. You KNOW what they are like. But you don't care. The + misery and ignorance and filth and hopelessness of two or three hundred + thousand people doesn't interest you. You sit upon your money-bags and + smile. If you want the truth, I'm ashamed to have you for a brother!” + </p> + <p> + “Well, I'm damned!” was Thorpe's delayed and puzzled comment upon this + outburst. He looked long at his sister, in blank astonishment. “Since when + have you been taken this way?” he asked at last, mechanically jocular. + </p> + <p> + “That's all right,” she declared with defensive inconsequence. “It's the + way I feel. It's the way I've felt from the beginning.” + </p> + <p> + He was plainly surprised out of his equanimity by this unlooked-for + demonstration on his sister's part. He got off the stool and walked about + in the little cleared space round the desk. When he spoke, it was to utter + something which he could trace to no mental process of which he had been + conscious. + </p> + <p> + “How do you know that that isn't what I've felt too—from the + beginning?” he demanded of her, almost with truculence. “You say I sit on + my money-bags and smile—you abuse me with doing no good with my + money—how do you know I haven't been studying the subject all this + while, and making my plans, and getting ready to act? You never did + believe in me!” + </p> + <p> + She sniffed at him. “I don't believe in you now, at all events,” she said, + bluntly. + </p> + <p> + He assumed the expression of a misunderstood man. “Why, this very day”—he + began, and again was aware that thoughts were coming up, ready-shaped to + his tongue, which were quite strangers to his brain—“this whole day + I've been going inch by inch over the very ground you mention; I've been + on foot since morning, seeing all the corners and alleys of that whole + district for myself, watching the people and the things they buy and the + way they live—and thinking out my plans for doing something. I don't + claim any credit for it. It seems to me no more than what a man in my + position ought to do. But I own that to come in, actually tired out from a + tramp like that, and get blown-up by one's own sister for selfishness and + heartlessness and miserliness and all the rest of it—I must say, + that's a bit rum.” + </p> + <p> + Louisa did not wince under this reproach as she might have been expected + to do, nor was there any perceptible amelioration in the heavy frown with + which she continued to regard him. But her words, uttered after some + consideration, came in a tone of voice which revealed a desire to avoid + offense. “It won't matter to you, your getting blown-up by me, if you're + really occupying your mind with that sort of thing. You're too used to it + for that.” + </p> + <p> + He would have liked a less cautious acceptance of his assurances than this—but + after all, one did not look to Louisa for enthusiasms. The depth of + feeling she had disclosed on this subject of London's poor still + astonished him, but principally now because of its unlikely source. If she + had been notoriously of an altruistic and free-handed disposition, he + could have understood it. But she had been always the hard, dry, + unemotional one; by comparison with her, he felt himself to be a volatile + and even sentimental person. If she had such views as these, it became + clear to him that his own views were even much advanced. + </p> + <p> + “It's a tremendous subject,” he said, with loose largeness of manner. + “Only a man who works hard at it can realize how complicated it is. The + only way is to start with the understanding that something is going to be + done. No matter how many difficulties there are in the way, SOMETHING'S + GOING TO BE DONE! If a strong man starts out with that, why then he can + fight his way through, and push the difficulties aside or bend them to + suit his purpose, and accomplish something.” + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Dabney, listening to this, found nothing in it to quarrel with—yet + somehow remained, if not skeptical, then passively unconvinced. “What are + your plans?” she asked him. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, it's too soon to formulate anything,” he told her, with prepared + readiness. “It isn't a thing to rush into in a hurry, with half baked + theories and limited information. Great results, permanent results, are + never obtained that way.” + </p> + <p> + “I hope it isn't any Peabody model-dwelling thing.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, nothing like it in the least,” he assured her, and made a mental note + to find out what it was she had referred to. + </p> + <p> + “The Lord-Rowton houses are better, they say,” she went on, “but it seems + to me that the real thing is that there shouldn't be all this immense + number of people with only fourpence or fivepence in their pocket. That's + where the real mischief lies.” + </p> + <p> + He nodded comprehendingly, but hesitated over further words. Then + something occurred to him. “Look here!” he said. “If you're as keen about + all this, are you game to give up this footling old shop, and devote your + time to carrying out my plans, when I've licked 'em into shape?” + </p> + <p> + She began shaking her head, but then something seemed also to occur to + her. “It'll be time enough to settle that when we get to it, won't it?” + she observed. + </p> + <p> + “No—you've got to promise me now,” he told her. + </p> + <p> + “Well that I won't!” she answered, roundly. + </p> + <p> + “You'd see the whole—the whole scheme come to nothing, would you?”—he + scolded at her—“rather than abate a jot of your confounded + mulishness.” + </p> + <p> + “Aha!” she commented, with a certain alertness of perception shining + through the stolidity of her mien. “I knew you were humbugging! If you'd + meant what you said, you wouldn't talk about its coming to nothing because + I won't do this or that. I ought to have known better. I'm always a goose + when I believe what you tell me.” + </p> + <p> + A certain abstract justice in her reproach impressed him. “No you're not, + Lou,” he replied, coaxingly. “I really mean it all—every word of it—and + more. It only occurred to me that it would all go better, if you helped. + Can't you understand how I should feel that?” + </p> + <p> + She seemed in a grudging way to accept anew his professions of sincerity, + but she resisted all attempts to extract any promise. “I don't believe in + crossing a bridge till I get to it,” she declared, when, on the point of + his departure, he last raised the question, and it had to be left at that. + He took with him some small books she had tied in a parcel, and told him + to read. She had spoken so confidently of their illuminating value, that + he found himself quite committed to their perusal—and almost to + their endorsement. He had thought during the day of running down to + Newmarket, for the Cesarewitch was to be run on the morrow, and someone + had told him that that was worth seeing. By the time he reached his hotel, + however, an entirely new project had possessed his mind. He packed his + bag, and took the next train for home. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXV + </h2> + <p> + “I DIDN'T ask your father, after all,” was one of the things that Thorpe + said to his wife next day. He had the manner of one announcing a + concession, albeit in an affable spirit, and she received the remark with + a scant, silent nod. + </p> + <p> + Two days later he recurred to the subject. They were again upon the + terrace, where he had been lounging in an easy-chair most of the day, with + the books his sister had bid him read on a table beside him. He had + glanced through some of them in a desultory fashion, cutting pages at + random here and there, but for the most part he had looked straight before + him at the broad landscape, mellowing now into soft browns and yellows + under the mild, vague October sun. He had not thought much of the books, + but he had a certain new sense of enjoyment in the fruits of this placid, + abstracted rumination which perhaps they had helped to induce. + </p> + <p> + “About your father,” he said now, as his wife, who had come out to speak + with him on some other matter, was turning to go away again: “I'm afraid I + annoyed you the other day by what I said.” + </p> + <p> + “I have no recollection of it,” she told him, with tranquil politeness, + over her shoulder. + </p> + <p> + He found himself all at once keenly desirous of a conversation on this + topic. “But I want you to recollect,” he said, as he rose to his feet. + There was a suggestion of urgency in his tone which arrested her + attention. She moved slowly toward the chair, and after a little perched + herself upon one of its big arms, and looked up at him where he leant + against the parapet. + </p> + <p> + “I've thought of it a good deal,” he went on, in halting explanation. His + purpose seemed clearer to him than were the right phrases in which to + define it. “I persisted in saying that I'd do something you didn't want me + to do—something that was a good deal more your affair than mine—and + I've blamed myself for it. That isn't at all what I want to do.” + </p> + <p> + Her face as well as her silence showed her to be at a loss for an + appropriate comment. She was plainly surprised, and seemingly embarrassed + as well. “I'm sure you always wish to be nice,” she said at last. The + words and tone were alike gracious, but he detected in them somewhere a + perfunctory note. + </p> + <p> + “Oh—nice!” he echoed, in a sudden stress of impatience with the + word. “Damn being 'nice'! Anybody can be 'nice.' I'm thinking of something + ten thousand times bigger than being 'nice.'” + </p> + <p> + “I withdraw the word immediately—unreservedly,” she put in, with a + smile in which he read that genial mockery he knew so well. + </p> + <p> + “You laugh at me—whenever I try to talk seriously,” he objected. + </p> + <p> + “I laugh?” she queried, with an upward glance of demurely simulated + amazement. “Impossible! I assure you I've forgotten how.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, now we get to it!” he broke out, with energy. “You're really feeling + about it just as I am. You're not satisfied with what we're doing—with + the life we're leading—any more than I am. I see that, plain enough, + now. I didn't dream of it before. Somehow I got the idea that you were + enjoying it immensely—the greenhouses and gardens and all that sort + of thing. And do you know who it was that put me right—that told me + you hated it?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, don't let us talk of him!” Edith exclaimed, swiftly. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe laughed. “You're wrong. It wasn't your father. I didn't see him. No—it + was my sister. She's never seen you, but all the same she knew enough to + give me points. She told me I was a fool to suppose you were happy here.” + </p> + <p> + “How clever of her!” A certain bantering smile accompanied the words, but + on the instant it faded away. She went on with a musing gravity. “I'm + sorry I don't get to know your sister. She seems an extremely real sort of + person. I can understand that she might be difficult to live with—I + daresay all genuine characters are—but she's very real. Although, + apparently, conversation isn't her strong point, still I enjoy talking + with her.” + </p> + <p> + “How do you mean?” Thorpe asked, knitting his brows in puzzlement. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I often go to her shop—or did when I was in town. I went almost + immediately after our—our return to England. I was half afraid she + would recognize me—the portraits in the papers, you know—but + apparently she didn't. And it's splendid—the way she says absolutely + nothing more than it's necessary to say. And her candour! If she thinks + books are bad she says so. Fancy that!” + </p> + <p> + He still frowned uneasily as he looked down at her. “You never mentioned + to me that you had gone there,” he told her, as if in reproach. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, it was complicated,” Edith explained. “She objects to knowing me—I + think secretly I respect her a great deal for that—and therefore + there is something clandestine about my getting to know her—and I + could not be sure how it would impress you, and really it seemed simplest + not to mention it.” + </p> + <p> + “It isn't that alone,” he declared, grave-faced still, but with a softer + voice. “Do you remember what I said the other day? It would make all the + difference in the world to me, if—if you were really—actually + my other half!” + </p> + <p> + The phrase which he had caught at seemed, as it fell upon the air, to + impregnate it with some benumbing quality. The husband and wife looked + dumbly, almost vacantly at one another, for what appeared a long time. + </p> + <p> + “I mean”—all at once Thorpe found tongue, and even a sort of fluency + as he progressed—“I mean, if you shared things really with me! Oh, + I'm not complaining; you mustn't think that. The agreement we made at the + start—you've kept your part of it perfectly. You've done better than + that: you've kept still about the fact that it made you unhappy.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh no,” she interposed, gently. “It is not the fact that it has made me + unhappy.” + </p> + <p> + “Well—discontented, then,” he resumed, without pause. “Here we are. + We do the thing we want to do—we make the kind of home for ourselves + that we've agreed we would like—and then it turns out that somehow + it doesn't come up to expectations. You get tired of it. I suppose, if the + truth were known, I'm by way of being tired of it too. Well, if you look + at it, that fact is the most important thing in the world for both of us. + It's the one thing that we ought to be most anxious to discuss, and + examine frankly in all its bearings—in order to see if we can't + better it—but that's precisely the thing that doesn't get talked + about between us. You would never have told me that you were unhappy——” + </p> + <p> + “You use the word again,” she reminded him, a wan smile softening her + protest. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe stood up, and took a slow step toward the chair. He held her glance + with his own, as he stood then, his head bent, gravely regarding her. + </p> + <p> + “Do you tell me that you are happy?” he asked, with sober directness. + </p> + <p> + She fluttered her hands in a little restrained gesture of comment. “You + consider only the extremes,” she told him. “Between black and white there + are so many colours and shades and half-tones! The whole spectrum, in + fact. Hardly anybody, I should think, gets over the edge into the true + black or the true white. There are always tints, modifications. People are + always inside the colour-scheme, so to speak. The worst that can be said + of me is that I may be in the blues—in the light-blues—but it + is fair to remember that they photograph white.” + </p> + <p> + Though there was an impulse within him to resent this as trifling, he + resisted it, and judicially considered her allegory. “That is to say”—he + began hesitatingly. + </p> + <p> + “To the observer I am happy. To myself I am not unhappy.” + </p> + <p> + “Why won't you tell me, Edith, just where you are?” + </p> + <p> + The sound of her name was somewhat unfamiliar to their discourse. The + intonation which his voice gave to it now caused her to look up quickly. + </p> + <p> + “If I could tell myself,” she answered him, after an instant's thought, + “pray believe that I would tell you.” + </p> + <p> + The way seemed for the moment blocked before him, and he sighed heavily. + “I want to get nearer to you,” he said, with gloom, “and I don't!” + </p> + <p> + It occurred to her to remark: “You take exception to my phraseology when I + say you always try to be 'nice,' but I'm sure you know what I mean.” She + offered him this assurance with a tentative smile, into which he gazed + moodily. + </p> + <p> + “You didn't think I was 'nice' when you consented to marry me,” he was + suddenly inspired to say. “I can't imagine your applying that word to me + then in your mind. God knows what it was you did say to yourself about me, + but you never said I was 'nice.' That was the last word that would have + fitted me then—and now it's the only one you can think of.” The hint + that somehow he had stumbled upon a clue to the mysteries enveloping him + rose to prominence in his mind as he spoke. The year had wrought a + baffling difference in him. He lacked something now that then he had + possessed, but he was powerless to define it. + </p> + <p> + He seated himself again in the chair, and put his hand through her arm to + keep her where she lightly rested beside him. “Will you tell me,” he said, + with a kind of sombre gentleness, “what the word is that you would have + used then? I know you wouldn't—couldn't—have called me 'nice.' + What would you have called me?” + </p> + <p> + She paused in silence for a little, then slipped from the chair and stood + erect, still leaving her wrist within the restraining curve of his + fingers. “I suppose,” she said, musingly—“I suppose I should have + said 'powerful' or 'strong.'” Then she released her arm, and in turn moved + to the parapet. + </p> + <p> + “And I am weak now—I am 'nice,'” he reflected, mechanically. + </p> + <p> + In the profile he saw, as she looked away at the vast distant horizon, + there was something pensive, even sad. She did not speak at once, and as + he gazed at her more narrowly it seemed as if her lips were quivering. A + new sense of her great beauty came to him—and with it a hint that + for the instant at least her guard was down. He sprang to his feet, and + stood beside her. + </p> + <p> + “You ARE going to be open with me—Edith!” he pleaded, softly. + </p> + <p> + She turned from him a little, as if to hide the signs of her agitation. + “Oh, what is there to say?” she demanded, in a tone which was almost a + wail. “It is not your fault. I'm not blaming you.” + </p> + <p> + “WHAT is not my fault?” he persisted with patient gentleness. + </p> + <p> + Suddenly she confronted him. There were the traces of tears upon her + lashes, and serenity had fled from her face. “It is a mistake—a + blunder,” she began, hurriedly. “I take it all upon my own shoulders. I + was the one who did it. I should have had more judgment—more good + sense!” + </p> + <p> + “You are not telling me, are you,” he asked with gravity, “that you are + sorry you married me?” + </p> + <p> + “Is either of us glad?” she retorted, breathlessly. “What is there to be + glad about? You are bored to death—you confess it. And I—well, + it is not what I thought it would be. I deceived myself. I do not reproach + you.” + </p> + <p> + “No, you keep saying that,” he observed, with gloomy slowness of + utterance. “But what is it you reproach yourself with, then? We might as + well have it out.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” she assented, with a swift reversion to calm. Her eyes met his with + a glance which had in it an implacable frankness. “I married one man + because he would be able to make me a Duchess. I married another because + he had eighty thousand a year. That is the kind of beast I am. There is + bad blood in me. You know my father; that is quite enough. I am his + daughter; that explains everything.” + </p> + <p> + The exaggeration of her tone and words produced a curious effect upon him. + He stared at her for a little, perceiving slowly that a new personage was + being revealed to him. The mask of delicately-balanced cynicism, of + amiably polite indifference, had been lifted; there was a woman of flesh + and blood beneath it, after all—a woman to whom he could talk on + terms of intimacy. + </p> + <p> + “Rubbish!” he said, and his big face lightened into a genial, paternal + smile. “You didn't marry me for my money at all! What nonsense! I simply + came along and carried you off. You couldn't help yourself. It would have + been the same if I hadn't had sixpence.” + </p> + <p> + To his sharp scrutiny there seemed to flicker in her eyes a kind of + answering gleam. Then she hastily averted her glance, and in this action + too there was a warrant for his mounting confidence. + </p> + <p> + “The trouble has been,” he declared, “that I've been too much afraid of + you. I've thought that you were made of so much finer stuff than I am, + that you mustn't be touched. That was all a mistake. I see it right enough + now. You ARE finer than I am—God knows there's no dispute about that—but + that's no reason why I should have hung up signs of 'Hands off!' all + around you, and been frightened by them myself. I had the cheek to capture + you and carry you off—and I ought to have had the pluck to make you + love me afterward, and keep it up. And that's what I'm going to do!” + </p> + <p> + To this declaration she offered no immediate reply, but continued to gaze + with a vaguely meditative air upon the expanse of landscape spread below + them. He threw a hasty glance over the windows behind him, and then with + assurance passed his arm round her waist. He could not say that there was + any responsive yielding to his embrace, but he did affirm to himself with + new conviction, as he looked down upon the fair small head at his + shoulder, with its lovely pale-brown hair drawn softly over the temples, + and its glimpse of the matchless profile inclined beneath—that it + was all right. + </p> + <p> + He waited for a long time, with a joyous patience, for her to speak. The + mere fact that she stood beneath his engirdling arm, and gave no thought + to the potential servants'-eyes behind them, was enough for present + happiness. He regarded the illimitable picture commanded from his terrace + with refreshed eyes; it was once again the finest view in England—and + something much more than that beside. + </p> + <p> + At last, abruptly, she laughed aloud—a silvery, amused little laugh + under her breath. “How comedy and tragedy tread forever on each other's + heels!” she remarked. Her tone was philosophically gay, but upon + reflection he did not wholly like her words. + </p> + <p> + “There wasn't any tragedy,” he said, “and there isn't any comedy.” + </p> + <p> + She laughed again. “Oh, don't say that this doesn't appeal to your sense + of humour!” she urged, with mock fervour. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe sighed in such unaffected depression at this, that she seemed + touched by his mood. Without stirring from his hold, she lifted her face. + “Don't think I'm hateful,” she bade him, and her eyes were very kind. + “There's more truth in what you've been saying than even you imagine. It + really wasn't the money—or I mean it might easily have been the same + if there had been no money. But how shall I explain it? I am attracted by + a big, bold, strong pirate, let us say, but as soon as he has carried me + off—that is the phrase for it—then he straightway renounces + crime and becomes a law-abiding, peaceful citizen. My buccaneer transforms + himself, under my very eyes, into an alderman! Do you say there is no + comedy in that—and tragedy too?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, put it that way and it's all right,” he declared, after a moment's + consideration. “I've got as much fun in me as anybody else,” he went on, + “only your jokes have a way of raising blisters on me, somehow. But that's + all done with now. That's because I didn't know you—was frightened + of you. But I aint scared any more. Everything is different!” + </p> + <p> + With a certain graciousness of lingering movement, she withdrew herself + from his clasp, and faced him with a doubtful smile. “Ah, don't be too + sure,” she murmured. + </p> + <p> + “Everything is different!” he repeated, with confident emphasis. “Don't + you see yourself it is?” + </p> + <p> + “You say it is,” she replied, hesitatingly, “but that alone doesn't make + it so. The assertion that life isn't empty doesn't fill it.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but NOW you will talk with me about all that,” he broke in + triumphantly. “We've been standing off with one another. We've been of no + help to each other. But we'll change that, now. We'll talk over everything + together. We'll make up our minds exactly what we want to do, and then + I'll tuck you under my arm and we'll set out and do it.” + </p> + <p> + She smiled with kindly tolerance for his new-born enthusiasm. “Don't count + on me for too much wisdom or invention,” she warned him. “If things are to + be done, you are still the one who will have to do them. But undoubtedly + you are at your best when you are doing things. This really has been no + sort of life for you, here.” + </p> + <p> + He gathered her arm into his. “Come and show me your greenhouses,” he + said, and began walking toward the end of the terrace. “It'll turn out to + have been all right for me, this year that I've spent here,” he continued, + as they strolled along. There was a delightful consciousness of new + intimacy conveyed by the very touch of her arm, which filled his tone with + buoyancy. “I've been learning all sorts of tricks here, and getting myself + into your ways of life. It's all been good training. In every way I'm a + better man than I was.” + </p> + <p> + They had descended from the terrace to a garden path, and approached now a + long glass structure, through the panes of which masses of soft colour—whites, + yellows, pinks, mauves, and strange dull reds—were dimly + perceptible. + </p> + <p> + “The chrysanthemums are not up to much this year,” Edith observed, as they + drew near to the door of this house. “Collins did them very badly—as + he did most other things. But next year it will be very different. + Gafferson is the best chrysanthemum man in England. That is he in there + now, I think.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe stopped short, and stared at her, the while the suggestions stirred + by the sound of this name slowly shaped themselves. + </p> + <p> + “Gafferson?” he asked her, with a blank countenance. + </p> + <p> + “My new head-gardener,” she explained. “He was at Hadlow, and after poor + old Lady Plowden died—why, surely you remember him there. You spoke + about him—you'd known him somewhere—in the West Indies, wasn't + it?” + </p> + <p> + He looked into vacancy with the aspect of one stupefied. “Did I?” he + mumbled automatically. + </p> + <p> + Then, with sudden decision, he swung round on the gravel. “I've got a kind + of headache coming on,” he said. “If you don't mind, we won't go inside + among the flowers.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVI + </h2> + <p> + THORPE walked along, in the remoter out-of-the-way parts of the great + gardens, as the first shadows of evening began to dull the daylight. For a + long time he moved aimlessly about, sick at heart and benumbed of mind, in + the stupid oppression of a bad dream. + </p> + <p> + There ran through all his confused thoughts the exasperating consciousness + that it was nonsense to be frightened, or even disturbed; that, in truth, + nothing whatever had happened. But he could not lay hold of it to any + comforting purpose. Some perverse force within him insisted on raising new + phantoms in his path, and directing his reluctant gaze to their unpleasant + shapes. Forgotten terrors pushed themselves upon his recollection. It was + as if he stood again in the Board Room, with the telegram telling of old + Tavender's death in his hands, waiting to hear the knock of Scotland Yard + upon the door. + </p> + <p> + The coming of Gafferson took on a kind of supernatural aspect, when Thorpe + recalled its circumstances. His own curious mental ferment, which had made + this present week a period apart in his life, had begun in the very hour + of this man's approach to the house. His memory reconstructed a vivid + picture of that approach—of the old ramshackle village trap, and the + boy and the bags and the yellow tin trunk, and that decent, red-bearded, + plebeian figure, so commonplace and yet so elusively suggestive of + something out of the ordinary. It seemed to him now that he had at the + time discerned a certain fateful quality in the apparition. And he and his + wife had actually been talking of old Kervick at the moment! It was their + disagreement over him which had prevented her explaining about the new + head-gardener. There was an effect of the uncanny in all this. + </p> + <p> + And what did Gafferson want? How much did he know? The idea that perhaps + old Kervick had found him out, and patched up with him a scheme of + blackmail, occurred to him, and in the unreal atmosphere of his mood, + became a thing of substance. With blackmail, however, one could always + deal; it was almost a relief to see the complication assume that guise. + But if Gafferson was intent upon revenge and exposure instead? With such a + slug-like, patient, tenacious fool, was that not more likely? + </p> + <p> + Reasonable arguments presented themselves to his mind ever and again: his + wife had known of Gafferson's work, and thought highly of it, and had been + in a position to learn of his leaving Hadlow. What more natural than that + she should hasten to employ him? And what was it, after all, that + Gafferson could possibly know or prove? His brother-in-law had gone off, + and got too drunk to live, and had died. What in the name of all that was + sensible had this to do with Thorpe? Why should it even be supposed that + Gafferson associated Thorpe with any phase of the business? And if he had + any notion of a hostile movement, why should he have delayed action so + long? Why indeed! + </p> + <p> + Reassurance did not come to him, but at last an impulse to definite action + turned his footsteps toward the cluster of greenhouses in the deepening + shadow of the mansion. He would find Gafferson, and probe this business to + the uttermost. If there was discoverable in the man's manner or glance the + least evidence of a malevolent intention—he would know what to do. + Ah, what was it that he would do? He could not say, beyond that it would + be bad for Gafferson. He instinctively clenched the fists in the pockets + of his jacket as he quickened his pace. Inside the congeries of glazed + houses he was somewhat at sea. It was still light enough to make one's way + about in the passages between the stagings, but he had no idea of the + general plan of the buildings, and it seemed to him that he frequently got + back to places he had traversed before. There were two or three + subordinate gardeners in or about the houses, but upon reflection he + forbore to question them. He tried to assume an idly indifferent air as he + sauntered past, nodding almost imperceptible acknowledgment of the + forefingers they jerked upward in salutation. + </p> + <p> + He came at last upon a locked door, the key of which had been removed. The + fact vaguely surprised him, and he looked with awakened interest through + the panes of this door. The air inside seemed slightly thickened—and + then his eye caught the flicker of a flame, straight ahead. It was nothing + but the fumigation of a house; the burning spirits in the lamp underneath + the brazier were filling the structure with vapours fatal to all insect + life. In two or three hours the men would come and open the doors and + windows and ventilate the place. The operation was quite familiar to him; + it had indeed interested him more when he first saw it done than had + anything else connected with the greenhouses. + </p> + <p> + His abstracted gaze happened to take note of the fact that the door-key + was hanging on a nail overhead, and then suddenly this seemed to be + related to something else in his thoughts—some obscure impression or + memory which evaded him. Continuing to look at the key, a certain + recollection all at once assumed great definiteness in his mind: it came + to him that the labels on this patent fumigator they were using warned + people against exposing themselves to its fumes more than was absolutely + necessary. That meant, of course, that their full force would kill a human + being. It was very interesting. He looked through the glass again, but + could not see that the air was any thicker. The lamp still burned + brightly. + </p> + <p> + He turned away, and beheld a man, in an old cap and apron, at the further + end of the palm-house he was in, doing something to a plant. Thorpe noted + the fact that he felt no surprise in seeing that it was Gafferson. Somehow + the sight of the key, and of the poison-spreading flame inside the locked + door, seemed to have prepared him for the spectacle of Gafferson close at + hand. He moved forward slowly toward the head-gardener, and luminous plans + rose in his mind, ready-made at each step. He could strangle this annoying + fool, or smother him, into non-resisting insensibility, and then put him + inside that death-house, and let it be supposed that he had been + asphyxiated by accident. The men when they came back would find him there. + But ah! they would know that they had not left him there; they would have + seen him outside, no doubt, after the fire had been lighted. Well, the key + could be left in the unlocked door. Then it could be supposed that he had + rashly entered, and been overcome by the vapours. He approached the man + silently, his brain arranging the details of the deed with calm celerity. + </p> + <p> + Then some objections to the plan rose up before him: they dealt almost + exclusively with the social nuisance the thing would entail. There was to + be a house-party, with that Duke and Duchess in it, of whom his wife + talked so much, and it would be a miserable kind of bore to have a + suffocated gardener forced upon them as a principal topic of conversation. + Of course, too, it would more or less throw the whole household into + confusion. And its effect upon his wife!—the progress of his + thoughts was checked abruptly by this suggestion. A vision of the shock + such a catastrophe might involve to her—or at the best, of the gross + unpleasantness she would find in it—flashed over his mind, and then + yielded to a softening, radiant consciousness of how much this meant to + him. It seemed to efface everything else upon the instant. A profoundly + tender desire for her happiness was in complete possession. Already the + notion of doing anything to wound or grieve her appeared incredible to + him. + </p> + <p> + “Well, Gafferson,” he heard himself saying, in one of the more reserved + tones of his patriarchal manner. He had halted close to the inattentive + man, and stood looking down upon him. His glance was at once tolerant and + watchful. + </p> + <p> + Gafferson slowly rose from his slouching posture, surveyed the other while + his faculties in leisurely fashion worked out the problem of recognition, + aud then raised his finger to his cap-brim. “Good-evening, sir,” he said. + </p> + <p> + This gesture of deference was eloquently convincing. Thorpe, after an + instant's alert scrutiny, smiled upon him. “I was glad to hear that you + had come to us,” he said with benevolent affability. “We shall expect + great things of a man of your reputation.” + </p> + <p> + “It'll be a fair comfort, sir,” the other replied, “to be in a place where + what one does is appreciated. What use is it to succeed in hybridizing a + Hippeastrum procera with a Pancratium Amancaes, after over six hundred + attempts in ten years, and then spend three years a-hand-nursing the + seedlings, and then your master won't take enough interest in the thing to + pay your fare up to London to the exhibition with 'em? That's what 'ud + break any man's heart.” + </p> + <p> + “Quite true,” Thorpe assented, with patrician kindliness. “You need fear + nothing of that sort here, Gafferson. We give you a free hand. Whatever + you want, you have only to let us know. And you can't do things too well + to please us.” “Thank you, sir,” said Gafferson, and really, as Thorpe + thought about it, the interview seemed at an end. + </p> + <p> + The master turned upon his heel, with a brief, oblique nod over his + shoulder, and made his way out into the open air. Here, as he walked, he + drew a succession of long consolatory breaths. It was almost as if he had + emerged from the lethal presence of the fumigator itself. He took the + largest cigar from his case, lighted it, and sighed smoke-laden new relief + as he strolled back toward the terrace. + </p> + <p> + But a few minutes before he had been struggling helplessly in the coils of + an evil nightmare. These terrors seemed infinitely far behind him now. He + gave an indifferent parting glance backward at them, as one might over his + after-breakfast cigar at the confused alarms of an early awakening hours + before. There was nothing worth remembering—only the shapeless and + foolish burden of a bad dream. + </p> + <p> + The assurance rose within him that he was not to have any more such + trouble. With a singular clearness of mental vision he perceived that the + part of him which brought bad dreams had been sloughed off, like a + serpent's skin. There had been two Thorpes, and one of them—the + Thorpe who had always been willing to profit by knavery, and at last in a + splendid coup as a master thief had stolen nearly a million, and would + have shrunk not at all from adding murder to the rest, to protect that + plunder—this vicious Thorpe had gone away altogether. There was no + longer a place for him in life; he would never be seen again by mortal + eye....There remained only the good Thorpe, the pleasant, well-intentioned + opulent gentleman; the excellent citizen; the beneficent master, to whom, + even Gafferson like the others, touched a respectful forelock. + </p> + <p> + It passed in the procession of his reverie as a kind of triumph of virtue + that the good Thorpe retained the fortune which the bad Thorpe had stolen. + It was in all senses a fortunate fact, because now it would be put to + worthy uses. Considering that he had but dimly drifted about heretofore on + the outskirts of the altruistic impulse, it was surprisingly plain to him + now that he intended to be a philanthropist. Even as he mentioned the word + to himself, the possibilities suggested by it expanded in his thoughts. + His old dormant, formless lust for power stirred again in his pulses. What + other phase of power carried with it such rewards, such gratitudes, such + humble subservience on all sides as far as the eye could reach—as + that exercised by the intelligently munificent philanthropist? + </p> + <p> + Intelligence! that was the note of it all. Many rich people dabbled at the + giving of money, but they did it so stupidly, in such a slip-shod fashion, + that they got no credit for it. Even millionaires more or less in public + life, great newspaper-owners, great brewer-peers, and the like, men who + should know how to do things well, gave huge sums in bulk for public + charities, such as the housing of the poor, and yet contrived somehow to + let the kudos that should have been theirs evaporate. He would make no + such mistake as that. + </p> + <p> + It was easy enough to see wherein they erred. They gave superciliously, + handing down their alms from a top lofty altitude of Tory superiority, and + the Radicals down below sniffed or growled even while they grudgingly took + these gifts—that was all nonsense. These aristocratic or + tuft-hunting philanthropists were the veriest duffers. They laid out + millions of pounds in the vain attempt to secure what might easily be had + for mere thousands, if they went sensibly to work. Their vast benefactions + yielded them at the most bare thanks, or more often no thanks at all, + because they lacked the wit to lay aside certain little trivial but + annoying pretensions, and waive a few empty prejudices. They went on, year + after year, tossing their fortunes into a sink of contemptuous + ingratitude, wondering feebly why they were not beloved in return. It was + because they were fools. They could not, or they would not, understand the + people they sought to manipulate. + </p> + <p> + What could not a man of real brain, of real breadth and energy and force + of character, do in London with two hundred thousand pounds? Why, he could + make himself master of the town! He could break into fragments the + political ascendency of the snob, “semi-detached” villa classes, in half + the Parliamentary divisions they now controlled. He could reverse the + partisan complexion of the Metropolitan delegation, and lead to + Westminster a party of his own, a solid phalanx of disciplined men, + standing for the implacable Democracy of reawakened London. With such a + backing, he could coerce ministries at will, and remake the politics of + England. The role of Great Oliver himself was not too hopelessly beyond + the scope of such a vision. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe threw his cigar-end aside, and then noted that it was almost dark. + He strode up to the terrace two steps at a time, and swung along its + length with a vigour and exhilaration of movement he had not known, it + seemed to him, for years. He felt the excitement of a new incentive + bubbling in his veins. + </p> + <p> + “Her Ladyship is in her sitting-room, sir,” a domestic replied to his + enquiry in the hall. The title arrested his attention from some fresh + point of view, and he pondered it, as he made his way along the corridor, + and knocked at a door. At the sound of a voice he pushed open the door, + and went in. + </p> + <p> + Lady Cressage, looking up, noted, with aroused interest, a marked change + in his carriage. He stood aggressively erect, his big shoulders squared, + and his head held high. On his massive face there was the smile, at once + buoyant and contained, of a strong man satisfied with himself. + </p> + <p> + Something impelled her to rise, and to put a certain wistfulness of + enquiry into her answering smile. + </p> + <p> + “Your headache is better then?” she asked him. + </p> + <p> + He looked puzzled for a moment, then laughed lightly. “Oh—yes,” he + answered. Advancing, he caught her suddenly, almost vehemently, in his + arms, aud covered the face that was perforce upturned with kisses. When + she was released from this overwhelming embrace, and stood panting and + flushed, regarding him with narrowed, intent eyes, in which mystification + was mellowed by the gleam of not-displeased curiosity, he preferred a + request which completed her bewilderment. + </p> + <p> + “Mrs. Thorpe,” he began, with significant deliberation, but smiling with + his eyes to show the tenderness underlying his words—“would you mind + if we didn't dress for dinner this evening, and if we dined in the little + breakfast-room—or here, for that matter—instead of the big + place?” + </p> + <p> + “Why, not at all, if you wish it,” she answered readily enough, but + viewing him still with a puzzled glance. + </p> + <p> + “I'm full of new ideas,” he explained, impulsively impatient of the + necessity to arrange a sequence among his thoughts. “I see great things + ahead. It's all come to me in a minute, but I couldn't see it clearer if + I'd thought it out for a year. Perhaps I was thinking of it all the time + and didn't know it. But anyhow, I see my way straight ahead. You don't + know what it means to me to have something to do. It makes another man of + me, just to think about it. Another man?—yes, twenty men! It's a + thing that can be done, and by God! I'm going to do it!” + </p> + <p> + She beheld in his face, as she scrutinized it, a stormy glow of the man's + native, coarse, imperious virility, reasserting itself through the mask of + torpor which this vacuous year had superimposed. The large features were + somehow grown larger still; they dominated the countenance as rough bold + headlands dominate a shore. It was the visage of a conqueror—of a + man gathering within himself, to expend upon his fellows, the appetites, + energies, insensibilities, audacities of a beast of prey. Her glance + fluttered a little, and almost quailed, before the frank barbarism of + power in the look he bent upon her. Then it came to her that something + more was to be read in this look; there was in it a reservation of + magnanimity, of protection, of entreating invitation, for her special + self. He might tear down with his claws, and pull to pieces and devour + others; but his mate he would shelter and defend and love with all his + strength. An involuntary trembling thrill ran through her—and then + she smiled up at him. + </p> + <p> + “What is it you're going to do?” she asked him, mechanically. Her mind + roved far afield. + </p> + <p> + “Rule England!” he told her with gravity. + </p> + <p> + For the moment there seemed to her nothing positively incongruous in the + statement. To look at him, as he loomed before her, uplifted by his + refreshed and soaring self-confidence, it appeared not easy to say what + would be impossible to him. + </p> + <p> + She laughed, after a fleeting pause, with a plainer note of + good-fellowship than he had ever heard in her voice before. “Delightful,” + she said gayly. “But I'm not sure that I quite understand the—the + precise connection of morning-dress and dinner in a small room with the + project.” He nodded pleased comprehension of the spirit in which she took + him. “Just a whim,” he explained. “The things I've got in mind don't fit + at all with ceremony, and that big barn of a room, and men standing about. + What I want more than anything else is a quiet snug little evening with + you alone, where I can talk to you and—and we can be together by + ourselves. You'd like it, wouldn't you?” + </p> + <p> + She hesitated, and there was a novel confession of embarrassment in her + mantling colour and down-spread lashes. It had always to his eyes been, + from the moment he first beheld it, the most beautiful face in the world—exquisitely + matchless in its form and delicacy of line and serene yet sensitive grace. + But he had not seen in it before, or guessed that there could come to it, + this crowning added loveliness of feminine confusion. + </p> + <p> + “You would like it, wouldn't you?” he repeated in a lower, more strenuous + tone. + </p> + <p> + She lifted her eyes slowly, and looked, not into his, but over his + shoulder, as in a reverie, half meditation, half languorous dreaming. She + swayed rather than stepped toward him. + </p> + <p> + “I think,” she answered, in a musing murmur,—“I think I shall like—everything.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XXVII + </h2> + <p> + THORPE found the Duke of Glastonbury a much more interesting person to + watch and to talk with, both during the dinner Saturday evening and later, + than he had anticipated. + </p> + <p> + He was young, and slight of frame, and not at all imposing in stature, but + he bore himself with a certain shy courtliness of carriage which had a + distinction of its own. His face, with its little black moustache and + large dark eyes, was fine upon examination, but in some elusively foreign + way. There lingered a foreign note, too, in the way he talked. His speech + was English enough to the ear, it was true, but it was the considered + English of a book, and its phrases had a deftness which was hardly native. + He looked, if not a sad young man, then one conscious always of sufficient + reasons for sadness, but one came, after a time, to see that the mood + beneath was not melancholy. It had even its sprightly side, which shone + out irregularly in his glance and talk, from a sober mean of amiable + weariness. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe knew his extraordinary story—that of a poor tutor, earning + his living in ignorance of the fact that he had a birthright of any sort, + who had been miraculously translated into the heir, not only to an ancient + title but to vast collateral wealth. He had been born and reared in + France, and it was there that the heralds of this stupendous change in his + affairs had found him out. There was a good deal more to the story, + including numerous unsavoury legends about people now many years dead, and + it was impossible to observe the young Duke and not seem to perceive signs + that he was still nervously conscious of these legends. The story of his + wife—a serene, grey-eyed, rather silent young person, with a pale + face of some beauty, and with much purity and intellect—was strange + enough to match. She also had earned her own living, as a private + secretary or type-writing girl, or something of the sort, and her husband + had deliberately chosen her after he had come into his title. One might + study her very closely, however, and catch no hint that these facts in any + degree disconcerted her. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe studied her a good deal, in a furtive way, with a curiosity born of + his knowledge that the Duke had preferred her, when he might have married + his widowed cousin, who was now Thorpe's own wife. How he had come to know + this, he could never have told. He had breathed it in, somehow, with the + gossip-laden atmosphere of that one London season of his. It was patent + enough, too, that his wife—his Edith—had not only liked this + ducal youngster very much, but still entertained toward him a considerable + affection. She had never dissembled this feeling, and it visibly informed + her glance and manner now, at her own table, when she turned to speak with + him, where he sat at her right hand. Thorpe had never dreamed of thinking + ill of his wife's friendship, even when her indifference to what he + thought had been most taken for granted. Now that this was all changed, + and the amazing new glory of a lover had enveloped him, he had a distinct + delight in watching the myriad charming phases of her kind manner, + half-sisterly, half-motherly, toward the grave-faced young man. It was all + a part of the delicious change which these past few days had wrought in + her, this warm and supple softness of mien, of eye and smile and voice. + </p> + <p> + But how the Duke, if really he had had a chance to marry Edith, could have + taken the type-writer instead, baffled speculation. Thorpe gave more + attention to this problem, during dinner, than he did to the conversation + of the table. His exchange of sporadic remarks with the young Duchess + beside him was indeed an openly perfunctory affair, which left him + abundant leisure to contemplate her profile in silence, while she turned + to listen to the general talk, of which Miss Madden and the Hon. Winifred + Plowden bore the chief burden. The talk of these ladies interested him but + indifferently, though the frequent laughter suggested that it was amusing. + He looked from his wife to the Duchess and back again, in ever-recurring + surprise that the coronet had been carried past Edith. And once he looked + a long time at his wife and the Duke, and formulated the theory that she + must have refused him. No doubt that was why she had been sympathetically + fond of him ever since, and was being so nice to him now. Yes—clearly + that was it. He felt upon this that he also liked the Duke very much. + </p> + <p> + It was by no means so apparent that the Duke liked him. Both he and his + Duchess, indeed, were scrupulously and even deferentially polite, but + there was a painstaking effect about it, which, seemingly, they lacked the + art altogether to conceal. It seemed to Thorpe that the other guests + unconsciously took their cue from this august couple, and all exposed + somewhat the effort their civility to him involved. At another time the + suspicion of this would have stung him. He had only to glance across the + table to where his wife sat now, and it was all right. What other people + thought of him—how other people liked or disliked him—was of + no earthly importance. Whenever he chose to exert himself, he could compel + from them the behaviour that he desired. It was their dull inability to + read character which prompted them to regard him as merely a rich outsider + who had married Edith Cressage. He viewed with a comfortable tolerance + this infirmity of theirs. When the time came, if he wanted to do so, he + could awaken them to their delusion as by forked lightning and the burst + of thunder. + </p> + <p> + The whim came to him, and expanded swiftly into a determination, to + contrive some intimate talk forthwith with the Duke. The young man seemed + both clever and sensible, and in a way impressionable as well. Thorpe + thought that he would probably have some interesting things to say, but + still more he thought of him as a likely listener. It would be the easier + to detach him from the company, since the occasion was one of studied + informality. The Duke did not go about in society, in the ordinary sense + of the word, and he would not have come to High Thorpe to meet a large + party. He was here as a kinsman and friend of his hostess for a quiet + week; and the few other guests fitted readily enough into the picture of a + family gathering. The spirit of domesticity had indeed so obviously + descended upon the little group in the drawing-room, an hour or so after + dinner, that Thorpe felt it quite the natural thing to put his arm through + that of the Duke and lead him off to his personal smoking-room. He even + published his intention by audibly bidding the Hon. Balder Plowden to + remain with the ladies. + </p> + <p> + When the two had seated themselves in soft, low easy-chairs, and the host + had noted with pleasure that his guest had no effeminate qualms in the + matter of large rich cigars, a brief silence ensued. + </p> + <p> + “I am very anxious to get your views on a certain subject,” Thorpe was + inspired to begin, bluntly pushing preliminaries aside. “If a man of + fortune wishes to do genuine good with his money, here in England, how + should he best go about it?” + </p> + <p> + The Duke looked up at his questioner, with a sudden flash of surprise on + his dark, mobile face. He hesitated a moment, and smiled a little. “You + ask of me the sum of human wisdom,” he said. “It is the hardest of all + problems; no one solves it.” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe nodded his big head comprehendingly. “That's all the more reason + why it ought to be solved,” he declared, with slow emphasis. + </p> + <p> + The other expressed by look and tone an augmented consciousness of the + unexpected. “I did not know,” he remarked cautiously, “that this was a + matter in which you were specially concerned. It pleases me very much to + hear it. Even if the solution does not come, it is well to have as many as + possible turning the problem over in their minds.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, but I'm going to solve it!” Thorpe told him, with round confidence. + </p> + <p> + The Duke pulled contemplatively at his cigar for a little. “Do not think + me a cynic,” he began at last. “You are a man of affairs; you have made + your own way; you should be even more free from illusions than I am. If + you tell me that these good things can be done, I am the last one to + dispute you. But I have seen near at hand experiments of exceptional + importance, on a very grand scale, and the result does not encourage me. I + come to doubt indeed if money has any such power in these affairs as we + think it has—for that matter, if it has any power at all. The + shifting of money can always disorganize what is going on at the moment—change + it about and alter it in many ways—but its effect is only temporary. + As soon as the pressure is released, the human atoms rearrange themselves + as they were before, and the old conditions return. I think the only force + which really makes any permanent difference is character—and yet + about even that I am not sure. The best man I have ever known—and in + many respects the ablest—devoted untold energy and labour, and much + money, too, to the service of a few thousand people in Somerset, on land + of his own, upon a theory wonderfully elaborated and worked out. Perhaps + you have heard of Emanuel Torr and his colony, his System?” + </p> + <p> + Thorpe shook his head. + </p> + <p> + “He had worked tremendously for years at it. He fell ill and went away—and + in a day all the results of his labours and outlay were flat on the + ground. The property is mine now, and it is farmed and managed again in + the ordinary way, and really the people there seem already to have + forgotten that they had a prophet among them. The marvelous character of + the man—you look in vain for any sign of an impress that it left + upon them. I never go there. I cannot bear those people. I have sometimes + the feeling that if it were feasible I should like to oppress them in some + way—to hurt them.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh! 'the people' are hogs, right enough,” Thorpe commented genially, “but + they ARE 'the people,' and they're the only tools we've got to work with + to make the world go round.” + </p> + <p> + “But if you leave the world alone,” objected the Duke, “it goes round of + itself. And if you don't leave it alone, it goes round just the same, + without any reference whatever to your exertions. Some few men are always + cleverer or noisier or more restless than the others, and their activity + produces certain deviations and peculiarities in their generation. The + record of these—generally a very faulty and foolish record—we + call history. We say of these movements in the past that some of them were + good and some were bad. Our sons very likely will differ totally from us + about which were good and which were bad; quite possibly, in turn, their + sons may agree with us. I do not see that it matters. We cannot treat + anything as final—except that the world goes round. We appear out of + the darkness at one edge of it; we are carried across and pitched off into + the darkness at the other edge of it. We are certain about nothing else.” + </p> + <p> + “Except that some of us have to pay for our ride, and others don't,” put + in Thorpe. The tone in which he spoke made his meaning so clear that his + Grace sat up. + </p> + <p> + “Ah, you think we do not pay?” he queried, his countenance brightening + with the animation of debate. “My dear sir, we pay more than anyone else. + Our fares are graduated, just as our death-duties are. No doubt there are + some idle and stupid, thick-skinned rich fellows, who escape the + ticket-collector. But for each of them there are a thousand idle poor + fellows who do the same. You, for example, are a man of large wealth. I, + for my sins, carry upon my back the burden of a prodigious fortune. Could + we not go out now, and walk down the road to your nearest village, and + find in the pub, there a dozen day-labourers happier than we are? Why—it + is Saturday night. Then I will not say a dozen, but as many as the tap + will hold. It is not the beer alone that makes them happy. Do not think + that. It is the ability to rest untroubled, the sense that till Monday + they have no more responsibility than a tree-toad. Does the coming of + Sunday make that difference to you or to me? When night comes, does it + mean to us that we are to sleep off into oblivion all we have done that + day, and begin life afresh next morning? No-o! We are the tired people; + the load is never lifted from our backs. Ah, do we not pay indeed!” + </p> + <p> + “Oh-ho!” ejaculated Thorpe. He had been listening with growing + astonishment to the other's confession. He was still surprised as he + spoke, but a note of satisfaction mounted into his voice as he went on. + “You are unhappy, too! You are a young man, in excellent health; you have + the wife you want; you understand good tobacco; you have a son. That is a + great deal—but my God! think what else you've got. You're the Duke + of Glastonbury—one of the oldest titles in England. You're one of + the richest men in the country—the richest in the old peerage, at + any rate, I'm told. And YOU'RE not happy!” + </p> + <p> + The other smiled. “Ah, the terms and forms survive,” he said, with a kind + of pedagogic affability, “after the substance has disappeared. The + nobleman, the prince, was a great person in the times when he monopolized + wealth. It enabled him to monopolize almost everything else that was + pleasant or superb. He had the arts and the books and the musicians and + the silks and velvets, and the bath-tubs—everything that made + existence gorgeous—all to himself. He had war to amuse himself with, + and the seven deadly sins. The barriers are down now. Everything which + used to be exclusively the nobleman's is now within everybody's reach, + including the sins. And it is not only that others have levelled up to + him; they have levelled him down. He cannot dress now more expensively + than other people. Gambling used to be recognized as one of his normal + relaxations, but now, the higher his rank, the more sharply he is scolded + for it. Naturally he does not know what to do with himself. As an + institution, he descends from a period when the only imaginable use for + wealth was to be magnificent with it. But now in this business age, where + the recognized use of wealth is to make more wealth, he is so much out of + place that he has even forgotten how to be magnificent. There are some + illustrated articles in one of the magazines, giving photographs of the + great historic country-houses of England. You should see the pictures of + the interiors. The furniture and decorations are precisely what a Brixton + dressmaker would buy, if she suddenly came into some money.” + </p> + <p> + “All the same,” Thorpe stuck to his point, “you are not happy.” + </p> + <p> + The Duke frowned faintly, as if at the other's persistency. Then he + shrugged his shoulders and answered in a lighter tone. “It hardly amounts + to that, I think. I confess that there are alleviations to my lot. In the + opinion of the world I am one of its most fortunate citizens—and it + is not for me to say that the world is altogether wrong. The chief point + is—I don't know if you will quite follow me—there are limits + to what position and fortune can give a man. And so easily they may + deprive him of pleasures which poorer men enjoy! I may be wrong, but it + seems impossible to me that any rich man who has acres of gardens and + vineries and glass can get up the same affection for it all that the + cottager will have for his little flower-plot, that he tends with his own + hands. One seems outside the realities of life—a mere spectator at + the show.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but why not DO things?” Thorpe demanded of him. “Why merely stand, as + you say, and look on?” + </p> + <p> + The other leant his head back again. “Pray what do you recommend?” he + asked almost listlessly. + </p> + <p> + “Why—politics, for example.” + </p> + <p> + The Duke nodded, with an air of according to the suggestion a certain + respect. “Unhappily I am too much of a foreigner,” he commented. “I know + Englishmen and their affairs too imperfectly. Sometime—perhaps.” + </p> + <p> + “And philanthropic work—you don't care about that,” pursued the + other. + </p> + <p> + “Oh—we go not so far as that,” said his Grace, with a deprecatory + wave of the hands. “My wife finds many interests in it, only she would not + like to have you call it philanthropical. She is London-born, and it is a + great pleasure to her to be of assistance to poorer young women in London, + who have so little done for them by the community, and can do so little + for themselves. I am much less skeptical about that particular work, I may + tell you, than about philanthropy in general. In fact, I am quite clear + that it is doing good. At least it is doing a kindness, and that is a + pleasant occupation. We are really not so idle as one might think. We work + at it a good deal, my wife and I.” + </p> + <p> + “So am I London-born,” Thorpe remarked, with a certain irrelevancy. After + a moment's pause he turned a sharply enquiring glance upon his guest. + “This thing that you're doing in London—does it give you any 'pull' + there?” “Pull?” repeated the other helplessly. + </p> + <p> + “If there was something you wanted the people of London to do, would they + do it for you because of what you've been doing for them—or for + their girls?” + </p> + <p> + The Duke looked puzzled for a moment. “But it isn't conceivable that I + should want London to do anything—unless it might be to consume its + own smoke,” he observed. + </p> + <p> + “Quite so!” said Thorpe, rising bulkily to his feet, but signifying by a + gesture that his companion was to remain seated. He puffed at his cigar + till its tip gleamed angrily through the smoke about him, and moved a few + steps with his hands in his pockets. “That is what I wanted to get at. Now + I'm London-born, I've got the town in my blood. The Thorpes have been + booksellers there for generations. The old name is over the old shop + still. I think I know what Londoners are like; I ought to. It's my belief + that they don't want gifts. They'll take 'em, but it isn't what they want. + They're a trading people—one of the oldest in the world. Commercial + traditions, the merchant's pride—these are bred in their bones. They + don't want something for nothing. They like an honest bargain—fair + on both sides. 'You help me and I'll help you.' And it's the only way you + can do anything worth doing.” + </p> + <p> + “Well,” said the Duke, passively. + </p> + <p> + Thorpe halted, and still with the cigar between his teeth, looked down at + him. + </p> + <p> + “I can go into London, and study out the things that are to be done—that + need to be done—and divide these into two parts, those that belong + to private enterprise and those that ought to be done publicly. And I can + say to Londoners—not in so many words, mind you, but in a way the + sharper ones will understand: 'Here, you fellows. I'll begin doing out of + my own pocket one set of these things, and you in turn must put yourselves + at my back, and stand by me, and put me in a position where I can make the + Government do this other set of things.' That will appeal to them. A poor + man couldn't lead them any distance, because he could always be killed by + the cry that he was filling his pockets. They will believe in a man whose + ambition is to win an earldom and five thousand a year out of politics, + but they will stone to death the man who merely tries to get a few + hundreds a year out of it for his wife and children. And a man like you + can't do anything in London, because they can't see that there's anything + you want in return—and besides, in their hearts, they don't like + your class. Don't forget it! This is the city that chopped off the king's + head!” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, but this is also the city,” retorted the other, with placid pleasure + in his argument, “which decked itself in banners and ribbons to welcome + back the son of that same king. And if you think of it, he was rather a + quaint thing in sons, too.” + </p> + <p> + “It was the women did that,” Thorpe affirmed with readiness. “They get + their own way once in a while, when the men are tired out, and they have + their little spell of nonsense and monkey-shines, but it never lasts long. + Charles II. doesn't matter at all—but take my word for it, his + father matters a great deal. There was a Thorpe among the judges who voted + to behead him. I am descended in a straight line from him.” + </p> + <p> + His Grace shrugged his slight shoulders again. “It happens that my + ancestors had extremely large facilities for doing unpleasant things, and, + God knows, they did them—but I don't quite see what that goes to + prove, now.” + </p> + <p> + “No, you don't grasp the idea,” said Thorpe, resignedly. After a moment's + pause he took the cigar from his lips, and straightened himself “All the + same,” he declared roundly, “I am going to do the trick. London has been + waiting for an organizer—a leader—for a hundred years. The + right kind of a man, going the right way to work, can stand London on its + head, as surely as I can burn this cigar. And I'm going to have a try at + it.” + </p> + <p> + “It is very interesting,” remarked the Duke, with vagueness. “But—are + the ladies waiting for us? And if so, aren't we keeping them up + unconscionably?” + </p> + <p> + As if in comment upon his words, there was the sound of a faint rap at the + door. Then it opened, and through the dense blue haze of the room they saw + some shadowed forms softly indistinct save where the light from the + ceiling outside shone down upon a group of coiffured heads. A noise of + mingled coughing and laughter specifically completed the introduction. + </p> + <p> + “Oh, I'm—it's unendurable in there,” spoke the voice of the hostess. + “We WERE coming in to smoke with you,” she called out through the cloud, + “since you wouldn't stop with us.” + </p> + <p> + “Come along!” answered Thorpe, cheerily. He strode to the end of the room + and raised a window. From the same corner he turned on some added lights. + </p> + <p> + Under this more effective illumination, the lady of the house advanced, + with Miss Madden and the Hon. Winifred close behind her. “Frank has gone + to bed,” she explained to the Duke, who had risen. Then she turned to her + husband a bright-eyed glance: “You don't mind—our coming?” she + asked. + </p> + <p> + “Mind!” he called out, with robust impressiveness. “Mind!” As if to + complete the expression of his meaning, he threw his arm loosely about + her, where she stood, and brought her to his side. They remained standing + thus, before the fireplace, after the others were all seated. + </p> + <p> + “Mr. Thorpe has been outlining to me the most wonderful plans,” said the + Duke, looking from one face to another, with a reserved smile. “It seems + that philanthropy fails unless it is combined with very advanced politics. + It is a new idea to me—but he certainly states it with vigour. Do + you understand it, Edith?” + </p> + <p> + “Oh, perfectly,” replied the wife, smilingly. “I am his first convert. + Behold in me the original disciple.” + </p> + <p> + “The worst of that is,” commented Thorpe, with radiant joviality, “she + would subscribe to any other new doctrine of mine just as readily.” He + tightened the arm encircling her by a perceptible trifle. “Wouldn't you, + sweetheart?” he demanded. + </p> + <p> + She seemed in nowise embarrassed by these overt endearments. There was + indeed the dimmest suggestion in her face and voice of a responsive mood. + “Really,” she began, with a soft glance, half-deprecation, half-pride, + bent upon the others, and with thoughtful deliberation,—“really the + important thing is that he should pursue some object—have in view + something that he is determined to master. Without that, he is not + contented—not at his best. He should have been a soldier. He has a + passion for battle in his blood. And now that he sees something he is + eager to do—I am very glad. It makes it none the less acceptable + that good is to come from it.” + </p> + <p> + “I still maintain,” said Miss Madden, interpolating her words through the + task of lighting a cigarette, and contriving for them an effect of + drollery which appealed to Thorpe most of all—“I shall always + insist, just the same, that crime was his true vocation.” + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Market-Place, by Harold Frederic + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARKET-PLACE *** + +***** This file should be named 298-h.htm or 298-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/9/298/ + +Produced by John Hamm, and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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