\"Well,\"saidVizard,\"youmustadmititishardheshouldlosehisownmoney。AndyetIownIammostanxioustogethimawayfromthisplace。
Indeed,Ihaveaproject;Iwanthimtorusticateafewmonthsatourplace,whileIsetmylawyertolookintohisaffairsandseeifhisestatecannotbecleared。I\'llbeboundthefarmsareunderlet。WhatdoestheAdmirableCrichtonknowaboutsuchtrifles?\"
FannylookedatZoe,whosecolorwasrisinghighatallthis。\"Well!\"
saidshe,\"whenyougentlemenfallinlove_witheachother,_youcertainlyarefaithfulcreatures。\"
\"Becausewecancountonfidelityinreturn,\"saidVizard。Hethoughtalittle,andsaid,\"Well,astotheotherthing——youleaveittome。Letusunderstandoneanother。Nothingwesawatthegambling-tableistobementionedbyus。\"
\"No。\"
\"CrichtonistobetakentoEnglandforhisgood。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"AndIamtobegratefultoyouforyourco-operationinthis。\"
\"Youcan,ifyoulike。\"
\"Andyouwillsecureanagreeablecompanionfortherestofthetour,eh?——mydiplomaticcousinandmysilentsister。\"
\"Yes;butitistoobadofyoutoseethroughapoorgirl,andherlittlegame,likethat。Iownheisacharmingcompanion。\"
Fanny\'scunningeyestwinkled,andZoeblushedcrimsontoseehernoblebrothermanipulatedbythisartfulminxandthenflatteredforhisperspicacity。
Fromthatmomentarevulsiontookplaceinhermind,andpridefoughtfuriouslywithlove——foratime。
ThiswassoonmadeapparenttoFannyDover。Whentheyretired,Zoelookedverygloomy;soFannyasked,rathersharply,\"Well,whatisthematternow?Didn\'tIdoitcleverly?\"
\"Yes,yes,toocleverly。Oh,Fanny,Ibegintorevoltagainstmyself。\"
\"Thisisnice!\"saidFanny。\"Goon,dear。ItisjustwhatIoughttohaveexpected。Youwerethere。Youhadonlytointerfere。Youdidn\'t。Andnowyouarediscontented。\"
\"Notwithyou。Spareme。Youarenottoblame,andIamveryunhappy。I
amlosingmyself-respect。Oh,ifthisgoeson,Ishallhatehim!\"
\"Yes,dear——forfiveminutes,andthenlovehimdouble。Come,don\'tdeceiveyourself,anddon\'ttormentyourself。Allyourtrouble,weshallleaveitbehindusto-morrow,andeveryhourwilltakeusfurtherfromit。\"
Withthispracticalviewofmatters,shekissedZoeandhurriedtobed。
ButZoescarcelyclosedhereyesallnight。
Severnedidnotreachthehoteltillpasteleveno\'clock,andwentstraighttohisownroom。
CHAPTERX。
ASHMEADaccompaniedMademoiselleKloskingtoherapartment。Itwaslighted,andtheclothlaidforsupperunderthechandelier,asnow-whiteHamburgdamask。Ashmeadtookthewinningsoutofhispocket,andproudlypiledthegoldandcrumplednotesinoneprodigiousmassuponthelinen,thatshonelikesatin,andmadethegoldlookdoublyinviting。Thenhedrewbackandgloatedonit。TheKlosking,too,stoodandeyedthepileofwealthwithamazementandacertainreverence。\"Letmecountit,\"saidAshmead。Hedidso,anditcametofourthousandninehundredandeighty-onepounds,Englishmoney。\"Andtothink,\"saidhe,\"ifyouhadtakenmyadviceyouwouldnothaveapennyofthis!\"
\"I\'lltakeyouradvicenow,\"saidshe。\"Iwillnevergambleagain。\"
\"Well,takemyadvice,andlockuptheswagbeforeacreatureseesit。
Homburgisfullofthieves。\"
Shecomplied,andtookawaythemoneyinanapkin。
Ashmeadcalledafterhertoknowmightheordersupper。
\"Ifyouwillbesokind。\"
Ashmeadrejoicedatthisunguardedpermission,andorderedasupperthatmadeKarlstare。
TheKloskingreturnedinabouthalfanhour,cladinacrisp_peignoir。_
Ashmeadconfrontedher。\"Ihaveorderedabottleofchampagne,\"saidhe。
Heranswersurprisedhim。\"Youhavedonewell。Wemustnowbegintoprovethetruthoftheoldproverb,\'Cequivientdelaflutes\'envaautambour。\'\"
AtsupperMr。Ashmeadwasthechiefdrinker,and,byanaturalconsequence,thechiefspeaker:heheldoutbrilliantprospects;hefavoredtheKloskingwithadiscourseonadvertising。Notalentavailedwithoutit;largeposters,pictures,window-cards,etc。;butashertalentwassuperlative,hemustnowendeavortokeepupwithitbyinventioninhisline——thepuffcircumstantial,thepuffpoetic,thepuffanecdotal,thepuffcontroversial,alltendingtoblowthefameoftheKloskingineveryeye,andringitineveryear。\"Youtakemyadvice,\"
saidhe,\"anddevotethismoney,everypennyofit,toPublicity。Don\'tyoutouchasingleshinerforanythingthatdoesnotreturnahundredpercent。Publicitydoes,whenthearticleisprime。\"
\"Youforget,\"saidshe,\"thismoneydoesnotallbelongtome。Anothercanclaimhalf;thegentlemanwithwhomweareinpartnership。\"
Ashmeadlookedliterallyblue。\"Nonsense!\"saidhe,roughly。\"Hecanonlyclaimhisfiftypounds。\"
\"Nay,myfriend。Itooktwoequalsums:onewashis,onemine。\"
\"Thathasnothingtodowithit。Hetoldmetobetforhim。Ididn\'t;andIshalltakehimbackhisfiftypoundsandsayso。Iknowwheretofindhim。\"
\"Where?\"
\"Thatismybusiness。Don\'tyougomadnow,andbreakmyheart。\"
\"Well,myfriend,wewilltalkofittomorrowmorning。Itcertainlyisnotveryclear;andperhaps,afterIhaveprayedandslept,Imayseemoreplainlywhatisright。\"
Ashmeadobservedshewaspale,andaskedher,withconcern,ifshewasill。
\"No,notill,\"saidshe,\"butwornout。Myfriend,Iknewnotatthetimehowgreatwasmyexcitement;butnowIamconsciousthatthisafternoonI
havelivedaweek。Myverykneesgivewayunderme。\"
Uponthisadmission,Ashmeadhurriedhertobed。
Shesleptsoundlyforsomehours;but,havingonceawakened,shefellintoahalf-sleeplessstate,andwasfullofdreamsandfancies。Thesepreyedonherso,thatsheroseanddispatchedaservanttoAshmead,withalineinpencilbegginghimtotakeanearlybreakfastwithher,atnineo\'clock。
Assoonaseverhecameshebeganuponthetopicoflastnight。Shehadthoughtitover,andsaid,frankly,shewasnotwithouthopesthegentleman,ifhewasreallyagentleman,mightbecontentedwithsomethinglessthanhalf。Butshereallydidnotseehowshecouldrefusehimsomeshareofherwinnings,shouldhedemandit。\"Thinkofit,\"saidshe。\"Thepoormanloses——fourhundredpounds,Ithinkyousaid。Thenhesays,\'Betyouforme,\'andgoesaway,trustingtoyourhonor。Hisluckchangesinmyhands。Ishetoloseallwhenheloses,andwinnothingwhenhewins,merelybecauseIamsofortunateastowinmuch?However,weshallhearwhat_he_says。Yougavehimyouraddress。\"
\"IsaidIwasat\'TheGoldenStar,\'\"growledAshmead,inatonethatplainlyshowedhewasvexedwithhimselfforbeingsocommunicative。
\"Thenhewillpayusavisitassoonashehears:soIneedgivemyselfnofurthertrouble。\"
\"Whyshouldyou?Waittillhecomes,\"saidcraftyAshmead。
InaKloskingcolored。Shefeltherfriendwastemptingher,andfeltshewasnotquitebeyondthepoweroftemptation。
\"Whatwashelike?\"saidshe,toturntheconversation。
\"ThehandsomestyoungfellowIeversaw。\"
\"Young,ofcourse?\"
\"Yes,quiteaboy。Atleast,helookedaboy。Tobesure,histalkwasnotlikeaboy\'s;veryprecocious,Ishouldsay。\"
\"Whatapity,tobegingamblingsoyoung!\"
\"Oh,heisallright。Ifheloseseveryfarthingofhisown,hewillmarrymoney。Anywomanwouldhavehim。Youneversawsuchacurleddarling。\"
\"Darkorfair?\"
\"Fair。Pink-and-white,likeagirl;ahandlikealady。\"
\"Indeed。Fineeyes?\"
\"Splendid!\"
\"Whatcolor?\"
\"Idon\'tknow。Lordblessyou,amandoesnotexamineanotherman\'seyes,likeyouladies。However,nowIthinkofit,therewasonecuriousthingIshouldknowhimbyanywhere。\"
\"Andwhatwasthat?\"
\"Well,yousee,hishairwasbrown;butjustabovetheforeheadhehadgotonelockthatwaslikeyourown——golditself。\"
Whilehesaidthis,theKlosking\'sfaceunderwentthemostrapidandstrikingchanges,andatlastshesatlookingathimwildly。
Itwassometimebeforehenoticedher,andthenhewasquitealarmedatherstrangeexpression。\"Whatisthematter?\"saidhe。\"Areyouill?\"
\"No,no,no。Onlyalittle——astonished。Suchathingasthatisveryrare。\"
\"Thatitis。Ineversawacasebefore。\"
\"Notone,inallyourlife?\"askedshe,eagerly。
\"Well,no;notthatIremember。\"
\"Excusemeaminute,\"saidInaKlosking,andwenthurriedlyfromtheroom。
Ashmeadthoughthermannerverystrange,butconcludedshewasalittleunhingedbyyesterday\'sexcitement。Moreover,therefacedhimanomeletofenormoussize,andsavory。Hethoughtthisworthytodivideaman\'sattentionevenwiththegreatcreature\'stantrums。Hedevotedhimselftoit,anditoccupiedhimsoagreeablythathedidnotobservetheconductofMademoiselleKloskingonherreturn。Sheplacedthreephotographssoftlyonthetable,notveryfarfromhim,andthenresumedherseat;
buthereyeneverlefthim:andshegavemonosyllabicandalmostimpatientrepliestoeverythinghemumbledwithhismouthfullofomelet。
Whenhehaddonehisomelet,henoticedthephotographs。Theywereallcolored。Hetookoneup。Itwasanelderlywoman,sweet,venerable,andfair-haired。HelookedatIna,andatthephotograph,andsaid,\"Thisisyourmother。\"
\"Itis。\"
\"Itisangelic——asmightbeexpected。\"
Hetookupanother。
\"Thisisyourbrother,Isuppose。Stop。Haloo!——whatisthis?Aremyeyesmakingafoolofme?\"
Heheldoutthephotographatarm\'slength,andstaredfromittoher。
\"Why,madam,\"saidhe,inanawestruckvoice,\"thisisthegentleman——theplayer——I\'dsweartohim。\"
Inastartedfromherseatwhilehespoke。\"Ah!\"shecried,\"Ithoughtso——myEdward!\"andsatdown,tremblingviolently。
Ashmeadrantoher,andsprinkledwaterinherface,forsheseemedreadytofaint:butshemurmured,\"No,no!\"andsoonthecolorrushedintoherface,andsheclaspedherhandstogether,andcried,\"Ihavefoundhim!\"
andsoonthestormofvaryingemotionsendedintearsthatgaveherrelief。
Itwasalongtimebeforeshespoke;butwhenshedid,herspiritandhernaturalstrengthofcharactertooktheupperhand。
\"Whereishe?\"saidshe,firmly。
\"Hetoldmehewasatthe\'Russie。\'\"
\"Wewillgothereatonce。Whenisthenexttrain?\"
Ashmeadlookedathiswatch。\"Intenminutes。Wecanhardlydoit。\"
\"Yes,wecan。Orderacarriagethisinstant。Iwillbereadyinoneminute。\"
Theycaughtthetrain,andstarted。
Astheyglidedalong,Ashmeadbeggedhernottoacttoohurriedly,andexposeherselftoinsult。
\"Whowilldareinsultme?\"
\"Nobody,Ihope。Still,Icannotbearyoutogointoastrangehotelhuntingthisman。Itismonstrous;butIamafraidyouwillnotbewelcome。Somethinghasjustoccurredtome;thereasonheranoffsosuddenlywas,hesawyoucoming。Therewasamirroropposite。Ah,weneednothavefearedhewouldcomebackforhiswinnings。Idiot——villain!\"
\"Youstabmetotheheart,\"saidIna。\"Heranawayatsightofme?Ah,Jesu,pityme!WhathaveIdonetohim?\"
HonestAshmeadhadmuchadonottoblubberatthispatientcryofanguish,thoughthewomanherselfshednotearjustthen。Buthisjudgmentwasundimmedbypassion,andhegaveherthebenefit。\"Takemyadvice,\"saidhe,\"andworkitthisway。ComeinaclosecarriagetothesidestreetthatisnearesttheRussie。I\'llgointothehotelandaskforhimbyhisname——whatishisname?\"
\"Mr。EdwardSeverne。\"
\"AndsaythatIwasafraidtostakehismoney,butafriendofmine,thatisaboldplayer,undertookit,andhadagreatrunofluck。\'Thereismoneyowingyou,\'saysI,\'andmyfriendhasbroughtit。\'Thenheissuretocome。Youwillhaveyourveildown,I\'llopenthecarriage-door,andtellhimtojumpin,and,whenyouhavegothimyoumustmakehimhearreason。I\'llgiveyouagoodchance——I\'llshutthecarriage-door。\"
Inasmiledathisingenuity——herfirstsmilethatday。\"Youareindeedafriend,\"saidshe。\"Hefearsreproaches,but,whenhefindsheiswelcome,hewillstaywithme;andheshallhavemoneytoplaywith,andamusehimselfhowhelikes。Ikepttootightareinonhim,poorfellow!
Mygoodmothertaughtmeprudence。\"
\"Yes,but,\"saidAshmead,\"youmustpromisemeonething:nottolethimknowhowmuchmoneyyouhavewon,andnottogo,likeagoose,andgivehimalotatonce。Itneverpaystopartwithpowerinthiswickedworld。
Yougivehimtwentypoundsadaytoplaywithwheneverheiscleanedout。
Thenthemoneywilllastyourtime,andhewillneverleaveyou。\"
\"Oh,howcold-heartedandwiseyouare!\"saidshe。\"Butsuchahumiliatingpositionfor_him!\"_
\"Don\'tyoubesilly。Youwon\'tkeephimanyotherway。\"
\"IwillbeaswiseasIcan,\"sighedIna。\"Ihavehadabitterlesson。
Onlybringhimtome,andthen,whoknows?Iamachange:mylovemayrevivehis,andnoneofthesepitiableprecautionsmaybeneeded。Theywouldlowerusboth。\"
Ashmeadgroanedaloud。\"Isee,\"saidhe。\"He\'llsooncleanyouout。Ah,well!hecan\'trobyouofyourvoice,andhecan\'trobyouofyourAshmead。\"
TheysoonreachedFrankfort。Ashmeadputherintoacarriageasagreed,andwenttotheRussie。
Inasat,withherveildown,inthecarriage,andwaitedAshmead\'sreturnwithSeverne。Hewasalongtimecoming。Shebegantodoubt,andthentofear,andwonderwhyhewassolong。
Atlasthecameinsight。
Hewasalone。
Ashedrewnearershesawhisfacewasthoroughlydowncast。
\"Mydearfriend,\"hefaltered,\"youareoutofluckto-day。\"
\"Hewillnotcomewithyou?\"
\"Oh,hewouldcomefastenough,ifhewasthere;butheisgone。\"
\"Gone!ToHomburg?\"
\"No。Unfortunately,heisgonetoEngland。Wentoff,bythefasttrain,anhourago。\"
Inafellbackinsilence,justasifshehadbeenstruckintheface。
\"HeistravelingwithanEnglishfamily,andtheyhavegonestraighthome。Herearetheirnames。Ilookedinthevisitors\'book,andtalkedtotheservant,andall。Mr。Vizard,MissVizard——\"
\"Vizard?\"
\"Yes——MissMaitland,MissDover。See,Iwrotethemalldown。\"
\"Oh,Iamunfortunate!WhywasIeverborn?\"
\"Don\'tsaythat,don\'tsaythat。Itisannoying:butweshallbeabletotracehimnow;and,besides,Iseeotherwaysofgettingholdofhim。\"
Inabrokeinuponhistalk。\"Takemetothenearestchurch,\"shecried。
\"Man\'swordsarevain。Ah,Jesu,letmecrytothee!\"
Hetookhertothenearestchurch。Shewentin,andprayedforfulltwohours。Shecameout,paleandlistless,andAshmeadgotherhomehowhecould。Herverybodyseemedallcrushedandlimp。Ashmeadlefther,sadathearthimself。
SolongasshewasinsightAshmeadcouldthinkonlyofhermisery:butthemomentshewasoutofsight,herememberedthetheater。ShewasannouncedforRosinathatverynight。Hesawtroubleofallsortsbeforehim。Herantothetheater,ingreatalarm,andtoldthemanagershehadbeentakenveryill。Hemustchangethebill。
\"Impossible!\"wasthereply。\"Ifshecan\'tsing,Iclose。\"
Ashmeadwentbackto\"TheStar。\"
Inawasinherbedroom。
Hesentinaline,\"Canyousingtonight?Ifnothesayshemustclose。\"
Thereplycamebackinratheratremblinghand。\"Isuffertoomuchbyfalsehoodtobreakfaithmyself。Ishallpraytillnight:andthenI
shallsing。IfIdieonthestage,allthebetterforme。\"
Wasnotthisagreatsoul?
CHAPTERXI。
THATsamemorningourEnglishpartysnatchedahastybreakfastintravelingattire。Severnewasnotthere;butsentwordtoVizardheshouldbethereintime。
Thisfilledthecup。Zoe\'swoundedpridehadbeenrisinghigherandhigherallthenight,andshecamedownratherpale,frombrokenrest,andsternlyresolved。ShehadafewseriouswordswithFanny,andsketchedheroutalittlemapofconduct,whichshowedthatshehadthoughtthematterwellover。
Butherplanbidfairtobederanged:Severnewasnotatthestation:
thencameachange。Zoewasrestless,andcastanxiousglances。
Butatthesecondbellhedartedintothecarriage,asifhehadjustdispatchedsomewonderfulbusinesstogetthereintime。Whilethetrainwasstarting,hebusiedhimselfinarranginghisthings;but,oncestarted,heputonhissunnylookandpreparedtobe,asusual,thelifeandsouloftheparty。
But,foronce,hemetafrost。Zoewaswrappedinimpenetrable_hauteur,_
andFannyinpoliteindifference。Neverwaslossoffavormoreablymarkedwithouttheleastill-breeding,andnogoodhandlegiventoseekanexplanation。
Nodoubtastraightforwardman,withjusticeonhisside,wouldhaveaskedthemplumplywhetherhehadbeensounfortunateastooffend,andhow;andthiswaswhatZoesecretlywished,howevershemightseemtorepelit。ButSevernewastoocraftyforthat。Hehadlearnedtheartofwaiting。
Afterafeweffortsatconversationandsmoothrebuffs,heputonasurprised,mortified,andsorrowfulair,andawaitedtheattack,whichhefeltwouldcomesoonorlate。
Thisskillfulinertiabaffledthefair,inaman;inawoman,theymighthaveexpectedit;and,afterafewhours,Zoe\'spatiencebegantowearout。
Thetrainstoppedfortwentyminutes,and,evenwhiletheyweresnatchingalittlerefreshment,thedarklocksandtheblondecameveryclosetogether;andZoe,exasperatedbyherownwoundedprideandthesullentorporofherlover,gaveFannyfreshinstructions,whichnobodywasbetterqualifiedtocarryoutthanthatyounglady,asnobodywasbetterabletobafflefemalestrategythanthegentleman。
Thistime,however,theladieshadcertainadvantages,tobalancehissubtletyandhishabitofstatinganything,trueorfalse,thatsuitedhisimmediatepurpose。
Theyopenedverycat-like。Fannyaffectedtobeoutgrowingherill-humor,andvolunteeredacivilwordortwotoSeverne。ThereuponZoeturnedsharplyawayfromFanny,asifshedisapprovedherconduct,andtookabook。Thiswasprettysly,anddone,Isuppose,toremoveallideaofconcertbetweenthefairassailants;whereasitwasasecretsignalfortheconcerttocomeintooperation,itbeingFanny\'sparttoplayuponSeverne,andZoe\'stowatch,fromhercorner,everylineamentofhisfaceunderfire。
\"By-the-way,Mr。Severne,\"saidFanny,aproposofachurchonahilltheywereadmiring,\"didyougetyourwinnings?\"
\"Mywinnings!Youaresarcastical。\"
\"AmI?ReallyIdidnotintendtobe。\"
\"No,no;forgiveme;butthatdidseemalittlecruel。MissDover,Iwasaheavyloser。\"
\"Notwhilewewerethere。Theladyandgentlemanwhoplayedwithyourmoneywon,oh,suchadeal!\"
\"Thedeviltheydid!\"
\"Yes。Didyounotstaybehind,lastnight,togetit?WeneversawyouattheRussie。\"
\"Iwasveryill。\"
\"Bleedingatthenose?\"
\"No。Thatalwaysrelievesmewhenitcomes。Iamsubjecttofaintingfits:onceIlayinsensiblesolongtheyweregoingtoburyme。Now,dopraytellmewhatmakesyoufancyanybodywonalotwithmymoney。\"
\"Well,Iwill。Youknowyouleftfiftypoundsforafriendtobetwith。\"
Severnestared;butwastooeagerforinformationtoquestionherhowsheknewthis。\"Yes,Idid,\"saidhe。
\"Andyoureallydon\'tknowwhatfollowed?\"
\"Goodheavens!howcanI?\"
\"Well,then,asyouranout——tofaint,MademoiselleKloskingcamein,justasshedidattheopera,youknow,thetimebefore,whenyouranout——tobleed。Sheslippedintoyourchair,theverymomentyouleftit;
andyourfriendwiththeflamingneck-tietoldheryouhadsethimtobetwithyourmoney。By-the-by,Mr。Severne,howonearthdoyouandMademoiselleKlosking,whohavebothsomuchtasteindress,cometohaveamutualfriend,vulgarityinperson,withavelveteencoatandanimpossibleneck-tie?\"
\"Whatareyoutalkingabout,MissDover?IdojustknowMademoiselleKlosking;ImetherinsocietyinVienna,twoyearsago:butthatcadI
commissionedtobetformeIneversawbeforeinmylife。Youarekeepingmeontenter-hooks。Mymoney——mymoney——mymoney!Ifyouhaveaheartinyourbosom,tellmewhatbecameofmymoney。\"
Hewasviolent,forthefirsttimesincetheyhadknownhim,andhiseyesflashedfire。
\"Well,\"saidFanny,beginningtobepuzzledandratherfrightened,\"thisman,whoyou_say_wasanewacquaintance——\"
\"WhomI_say?_DoyoumeantotellmeIamaliar?\"Hefumbledeagerlyinhisbreast-pocket,andproducedacard。\"There,\"saidhe,\"thisisthecardhegaveme,\'Mr。JosephAshmead。\'Now,maythistraindashoverthenextviaduct,andtakeyouandMissVizardtoheaven,andmetohell,ifIeversawMr。JosephAshmead\'sfacebefore。THEMONEY!——THEMONEY!\"
Heutteredthisfuriously,and,itisacuriousfact;butZoeturnedred,andFannypale。ItwasreallyinquiteacowedvoiceMissDoverwentontosay,\"La!don\'tflyoutlikethat。Well,then,themanrefusedtobetwithyourmoney;sothenMademoiselleKloskingsaidshewould;andsheplayed——oh,howshedidplay!Shedoubled,anddoubled,anddoubled,hundredsuponhundreds。Shemadeamountainofgoldandapyramidofbank-notes;andsheneverstoppedtillshebrokethebank——there!\"
\"Withmymoney?\"gaspedSeverne。
\"Yes;withyourmoney。Yourfriendwiththeloudtiepocketedit;Ibegyourpardon,notyourfriend——onlyhers。Harringtonsaysheisher_cherami。\"_
\"Themoneyismine!\"heshrieked。\"Idon\'tcarewhoplayedwithit,itismine。AndthefellowhadtheimpudencetosendmebackmyfiftypoundstotheRussie。\"
\"What!yougavehimyouraddress?\"thiswithaninvoluntaryglanceofsurpriseatZoe。
\"Ofcourse。DoyouthinkIleaveamanfiftypoundstoplaywith,anddon\'tgivehimmyaddress?Hehaswonthousandswithmymoney,andsentmebackmyfifty,forablind,thethief!\"
\"Well,reallyitistoobad,\"saidFanny。\"But,there——I\'mafraidyoumustmakethebestofit。Ofcourse,theirsendingbackyourfiftypoundsshowstheymeantokeeptheirwinnings。\"
\"Youtalklikeawoman,\"saidhe;then,grindinghisteeth,andstretchingoutalongmusculararm,hesaid,\"I\'lltaketheblackguardbythethroatandtearitoutofhim,thoughItearhislifeoutalongwithit。\"
AllthistimeZoehadbeenlookingathimwithconcern,andevenwithadmiration。Heseemedmorebeautifulthanever,toher,undertheinfluenceofpassion,andmoreofaman。
\"Mr。Severne,\"saidshe,\"becalm。Fannyhasmisledyou,withoutintendingit。Shedidnothearallthatpassedbetweenthosetwo;Idid。
Thevelveteenandneck-tiemanrefusedtobetwithyourmoney。ItwasMademoiselleKloskingwhobet,andwithherownmoney。Shetooktwenty-fivepoundsofherown,andtwenty-fivepoundsofyours,andwontwoorthreehundredinafewmoments。Surely,asagentleman,youcannotaskaladytodomorethanrepayyouyourtwenty-fivepounds。\"
SevernewasalittlecowedbyZoe\'sinterference。Hestoodhisground;
butsullenly,insteadofviolently。
\"MissVizard,ifIwereweakenoughtotrustaladywithmymoneyatagamblingtable,Ishouldexpectfoulplay;forIneverknewaladyyetwhowouldnotcheat_atcards,_ifshecould。Itrustedmymoneytoatradesmantobetwith。Ifhetakesafemalepartner,thatisnobusinessofmine;heisresponsibleallthesame,andI\'llhavemymoney。\"
Hejumpedupattheword,andlookedoutatthewindow;heevenfumbledwiththedoor,andtriedtoopenit。
\"Youhadbetterjumpout,\"saidFanny。
\"Andthentheywouldkeepmymoneyforgood。No;\"saidhe,\"I\'llwaitfortheneareststation。\"Hesunkbackintohisseat,lookingunutterablethings。
Fannylookedratherruefulatfirst;thenshesaid,spitefully,\"Youmustbeverysureofyourinfluencewithyouroldsweetheart。Youforgetshehasgotanothernow——atradesman,too。Hewillsticktothemoney,andmakehersticktoit。Theirsendingthefiftypoundsshowsthat。\"
Zoe\'seyeswereonhimwithmicroscopicpower,and,withallhisself-command,shesawhimwinceandchangecolor,andgiveothersignsthatthisshafthadtoldinmanyways。
Heshuthiscountenancethenextmoment;butithadopened,andZoewasonfirewithjealousyandsuspicion。
FluctuatingFannyregrettedtheturnthingshadtaken。Shedidnotwanttoloseapleasantmalecompanion,andshefeltsureZoewouldbeunhappy,andcrosstoher,ifhewent。\"Surely,Mr。Severne,\"shesaid,\"youwillnotdesertusandgobackforsosmallachance。Why,weareahundredandfiftymilesfromHomburg,andallthenearertodearoldEngland。There,there——wemustbekindertoyou,andmakeyouforgetthismisfortune。\"
Thusspokethetrimmer。Thereplytookherbysurprise。
\"AndwhosefaultisitthatIamobligedtogetoutahundredandfiftymilesfromHomburg?Youknewallthis。Youcouldhavegotmeadelayofafewhourstogoandgetmydue。YouknowIamapoorman。Withallyourcleverness,youdon\'tknowwhatmademepoor,oryouwouldfeelsomeremorse,perhaps;butyouknowIampoorwhenmostIcouldwishIwererich。Youhaveheardthatoldwomanthereflingmypovertyinmyteeth;
yetyoucouldkeepthisfromme——justtoassistacheatandplayuponthefeelingsofafriend。Now,whatgoodhasthatdoneyou,toinflictmiseryonmeinsport,onamanwhonevergaveyouamoment\'spainifhecouldhelpit?\"
Fannylookedruefullythiswayandthat,herfacebegantowork,andshelaiddownherarms,ifaladycanbesaidtodothatwholaysdownastrongweaponandtakesupastronger;inotherwords,sheburstoutcrying,andsaidnomore。Yousee,shewaspoorherself。
Severnetooknonoticeofher;hewasaccustomedtomakewomencry。Hethrusthisheadoutofthewindowinhopesofseeingastationnear,andhiswholebeingwasrestlessasifhewouldliketojumpout。
Whilehewasinthisconditionofmindandbody,thehandhehadoncekissedsotenderly,andshockedMissMaitland,passedanenvelopeoverhisshoulder,withtwolineswrittenonitinpencil:
\"IfyouGOBACKTOHOMBURG,obligeMEBYREMAININGthere。\"
Thisdemandsanexplanation;butitshallbebrief。
Fanny\'sshrewdhint,thatthemoneycouldonlybeobtainedfromMdlle。
Klosking,hadpiercedZoethroughandthrough。Hermindgraspedallthathadhappened,allthatimpended,and,wiselydecliningtotryandaccountfor,orreconcile,allthejarringdetails,shesettled,withawoman\'sbroadinstinct,that,somehoworother,hisgoingbacktoHomburgmeantgoingbacktoMademoiselleKlosking。Whetherthatladywouldbuyhimornot,shedidnotknow。Butgoingbacktohermeantgoingajourneytoseearival,withconsequencesillimitable。
Shehadcourage;shehadpride;shehadjealousy。Sheresolvedtoloseherlover,orhavehimalltoherself。Sharehimshewouldnot,norevenendurethetortureofthedoubt。
Shetookanenvelopeoutofhersatchel,andwiththepencilattachedtoherchatelainewrotethefatalwords,\"IfyougobacktoHomburg,obligemebyremainingthere。\"
Atthismomentshewasnotgoadedbypiqueoranypettyfeeling。Indeed,hisreproachtoFannyhadtouchedheralittle,anditwaswiththetearinhereyeshecametotheresolution,andhandedhimthatline,whichtoldhimsheknewhervalue,and,costwhatitmight,wouldpartwithanymanforeverratherthansharehimwiththeKloskingoranyotherwoman。
Severnetooktheline,eyedit,realizedit,fellbackfromthewindow,anddroppedintohisseat。ThisgaveZoeaconsolingsenseofpower。Shehadseenherloverragingandrestless,andwantingtojumpout,yetnowbeheldhimliterallyfelledwithawordfromherhand。
Heleanedhisheadinhishandinasortofbroken-down,collapsed,doggedwaythatmovedherpity,thoughhardlyherrespect。
By-and-byitstruckherasaverygravethingthathedidnotreplybyword,norevenbylook。Hecoulddecidewithaglance,andwhydidhehesitate?WashereallybalancingheragainstMademoiselleKloskingweightedwithashareofhiswinnings?
Thisdoubtwaswormwoodtoherprideandself-respect;buthiscrushedattitudeallayedinsomedegreethemereirritationhisdoubtcaused。
Theminutespassedandthemiles:stillthatbrokenfiguresatbeforeher,withhisfacehiddenbyhiswhitehand。
Zoe\'scouragebegantofalter。Misgivingsseizedher。Shehadmadethatamatteroflovewhich,afterall,toaman,mightbeamerematterofbusiness。Hewaspoor,too,andshehadthrustherjealousybetweenhimandmoney。Hemighthavehispridetoo,andrebelagainstheraffront。
Asforhisthoughts,underthatcrushedexterior,whichheputonforablind,theyweresodeliberateandcalculatingthatIshallnotmixthemonthispagewiththatpureandgenerouscreature\'s。Anothertimewilldotorevealhissordidarithmetic。AsforZoe,shesettleddownintowishing,withallherheart,shehadnotsubmittedherloversoimperiouslytoatest,theseverityofwhichshenowsawshehadunderrated。
Presentlythespeedofthetrainbegantoslacken——alltoosoon。Shenowdreadedtolearnherfate。Wasshe,orwasshenot,worthafewthousandpoundsreadymoney?
Asignal-postwaspast,provingthattheywereabouttoenterastation。
Yetanother。Nowthewheelswerehardlyturning。Nowtheplatformwasvisible。Yethenevermovedhiswhite,delicate,womanishfingersfromhisforehead,butremainedstillabsorbed,andlookedundecided。
Atlastthemotionentirelyceased。Then,assheturnedherheadtoglean,ifpossible,thenameoftheplace,hestoleafurtiveglanceather。Shewaspallid,agitated。Heresolveduponhiscourse。
Assoonasthetrainstopped,heopenedthedoorandjumpedout,withoutawordtoZoe,orevenalook。
Zoeturnedpaleasdeath。\"Ihavelosthim,\"saidshe。
\"No,no,\"criedFanny。\"See,hehasnottakenhiscaneandumbrella。\"
_\"They_willnotkeephimfromflyingtohismoneyandher,\"moanedZoe。
\"Didyounotsee?Heneveroncelookedatme。Hecouldnot。Iamsickatheart。\"
ThissetFannyfluttering。\"There,letmeouttospeaktohim。\"
\"Sitquiet,\"saidZoe,sternly。
\"No;no。Ifyoulovehim——\"
\"Idolovehim——passionately。And_therefore_I\'lldieratherthansharehimwithanyone。\"
\"Butitisdreadfultobefixedhere,andnotallowedtomovehandorfoot。\"
\"Itisthelotofwomen。Letmefeelthehandofafriend,thatisall;
forIamsickatheart。\"
Fannygaveherherhand,andallthesympathyhershallownaturehadtobestow。
Zoesatmotionless,grippingherfriend\'shandalmostconvulsively,astatueoffemalefortitude。
Thissuspensecouldnotlastlong。Theofficialsorderedthetravelerstothecarriages;doorswereopenedandslammed;theenginegaveasnort,andonlyatthatmomentdidMr。EdwardSevernetearthedooropenandboltintothecarriage。
Oh,itwaspitiable,butlovely,toseethebloodrushintoZoe\'sface,andthefireintohereye,andthesweetmouthexpandinasmileofjoyandtriumph!
Shesatamoment,almostparalyzedwithpleasure,andthencasthereyesdown,lesttheirfireshouldproclaimherfeelingstooplainly。