第12章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"T. Tembarom",免费读到尾

  “Hewassoanxioustofindoutwhathelookedlike。Heaskedhowoldhewasandhowtall,andwhetherhewasquitemadoronlyalittle,andwhereyoupickedhimup,andwhen,andwhatreasonyougavefornotputtinghiminsomerespectableasylum。IcouldonlysaythatI

  reallyknewnothingabouthim,andthatIhadn”tseenhimbecausehehadadreadofstrangersandIwasalittletimid。”

  Shehesitatedagain。

  “Iwonder,“shesaid,stillhesitatingevenafterherpause,“IwonderifIoughttomentionaratherrudethingIsawhimdotwice?“

  “Yes,youought,“Tembaromansweredpromptly;“I”veareasonforwantingtoknow。”

  “Itwassuchasingularthingtodo——inthecircumstances,“shewentonobediently。“Heknew,asweallknow,thatMr。Strangewaysmustnotbedisturbed。OneafternoonIsawhimwalkslowlybackwardandforwardbeforethewestroomwindow。Hehadsomethinginhishandandkeptlookingup。Thatwaswhatfirstattractedmyattention——hisqueerwayoflookingup。Quitesuddenlyhethrewsomethingwhichrattledonthepanesofglass——itsoundedlikegravelorsmallpebbles。Icouldn”thelpbelievinghethoughtMr。Strangewayswouldbestartledintocomingtothewindow。”

  Tembaromclearedhisthroat。

  “Hedidthattwice,“hesaid。“Pearsoncaughthimatit,thoughPalliserdidn”tknowhedid。He”dhavedoneitthreetimes,ormorethanthat,perhaps,butIcasuallymentionedinthesmoking-roomonenightthatsomecuriousfoolofagardenerboyhadthrownsomestonesandfrightenedStrangeways,andthatPearsonandIwerewatchingforhim,andthatifIcaughthimIwasgoingtoknockhisblockoff——

  bing!Hedidn”tdoitagain。Darnedfool!Whatdoeshethinkhe”safter?“

  “Iamafraidheisrather——Ihopeitisnotwrongtosayso——butheisrathergiventogossip。AndIdaresaythatthetemptationtofindsomethingquitenewtotalkaboutwasagreatone。Sofewnewthingshappenintheneighborhood,and,asthedukesays,peoplearesobored——andheisboredhimself。”

  “He”llbemoreboredifhetriesitagainwhenhecomesback,“

  remarkedTembarom。

  MissAlicia”ssurprisedexpressionmadehimlaugh。

  “Doyouthinkhewillcomeback?“sheexclaimed。“Aftersuchalongvisit?“

  “Oh,yes,he”llcomeback。He”llcomebackasoftenashecanuntilhe”sgotachunkofmyincometotreble——oruntilI”vedonewithhim。”

  “Untilyou”vedonewithhim,dear?“inquiringly。

  “Oh!well,“——casually”I”veasortofideathathemaytellmesomethingI”dliketoknow。I”mnotsure;I”monlyguessing。Butevenifheknowsithewon”ttellmeuntilhegetsgoodandreadyandthinksIdon”twanttohearit。Whathethinkshe”sgoingtogetatbyprowlingaroundissomethinghecangetmeinthecrackofthedoorwith。”

  “Temple“——imploringly”areyouafraidhewishestodoyouaninjury?“

  “No,I”mnotafraid。I”mjustwaitingtoseehimtakeachanceonit,“

  andhegaveherarmanaffectionatesqueezeagainsthisside。Hewasalwaysimmenselymovedbyherlittlealarmsforhim。Theyremindedhim,inaremoteway,ofLittleAnncomingdownMrs。Bowse”sstaircasebearingwithherthetartancomforter。

  Howcouldanyone——howcouldanyonewanttodohimaninjury?shebegantoprotestpathetically。Buthewouldnotlethergoon。HewouldnottalkanymoreofCaptainPalliserorallowhertotalkofhim。Indeed,hersecretfearwasthathereallyknewsomethinghedidnotwishhertobetroubledby,andperhapsthoughthehadsaidtoomuch。Hebegantomakejokesandledhertoothersubjects。HeaskedhertogototheHibblethwaites”cottageandpayavisittoTummas。Hehadlearnedtounderstandhisacceptedprivilegesinmakingofcottagevisitsbythistime;andwhenheclickedanywicket-gatethedoorwasopenbeforehehadtimetopassupthewicket-path。Theycalledatseveralcottages,andhenoddedatthewindowsofotherswherefacesappearedashepassedby。

  Theyhadahappymorningtogether,andhetookherbacktoTempleBarholmbeaming,andforgettingCaptainPalliser”sexistence,forthetime,atleast。Intheafternoontheydroveouttogether,andafterdiningtheyreadthelastcopyoftheSundayEarth,whichhadarrivedthatday。HefoundquiteaninterestingparagraphaboutMr。Hutchinsonandtheinvention。LittleMissHutchinsonwasreferredtomostflatteringlybythewriter,whoalmostinferredthatshewasresponsiblenotonlyfortheinventorbutfortheinventionitself。

  MissAliciafeltquiteproudofknowingsoprominentacharacter,andwonderedwhatitcouldbeliketoreadaboutoneselfinanewspaper。

  Aboutnineo”clockhelaidhissheetoftheEarthdownandspoketoher。

  “I”mgoingtoaskyoutodomeafavor,“hesaid。“Icouldn”taskitifweweren”talonelikethis。Iknowyouwon”tmind。”

  Ofcourseshewouldn”tmind。Shewasmadehappierbythemereideaofdoingsomethingforhim。

  “I”mgoingtoaskyoutogotoyourroomratherearly,“heexplained。

  “IwanttotryasortofstuntonStrangeways。I”mgoingtobringhimdownstairsifhe”llcome。I”mnotsureIcangethimtodoit;buthe”sbeenaheapbetterlately,andperhapsIcan。”

  “Ishesomuchbetterasthat?“shesaid。“Willitbesafe?“

  Helookedasseriousasshehadeverseenhimlook——evenatriflemoreserious。

  “Idon”tknowhowmuchbetterheis,“washisanswer。“Sometimesyou”dthinkhewasalmostallright。Andthen——!Thedoctorsaysthatifhecouldgetoverbeingafraidofleavinghisroomitwouldbeabigthingforhim。HewantshimtogotohisplaceinLondonsothathecanwatchhim。”

  “Doyouthinkyoucouldpersuadehimtogo?“

  “I”vetriedmylevelbest,butsofar——nothingdoing。”

  Hegotupandstoodbeforethemantel,hisbackagainstit,hishandsinhispockets。

  “I”vefoundoutonething,“hesaid。“He”susedtohouseslikethis。

  Everynowandagainheletssomethingoutquitenatural。HeknewthatthefurnitureinhisroomwasJacobean-that”swhathecalledit-

  andheknewitwasfinestuff。Hewouldn”thaveknownthatifhe”dbeenapiker。I”mgoingtotryifhewon”tletoutsomethingelsewhenheseesthingshere-ifhe”llcome。”

  “Youhavesuchawonderfullyreasoningmind,dear,“saidMissAlicia,assherose。“Youwouldhavemadeagreatdetective,I”msure。”

  “IfAnnhadbeenwithhim,“hesaid,rathergloomily,“she”dhavecaughtontoalotmorethanIhave。Idon”tfeelverychestyaboutthewayI”vemanagedit。”

  MissAliciawentup-stairsshortlyafterward,andhalfanhourlaterTembaromtoldthefootmeninthehallthattheymightgotobed。Theexperimenthewasgoingtomakedemandedthattheplaceshouldbeclearedofanydisturbingpresence。Hehadbeenthinkingitoverforsometimepast。HehadsatintheprivateroomofthegreatnervespecialistinLondonandhadtalkeditoverwithhim。HehadtalkedofitwiththedukeonthelawnatStoneHover。Therehadbeenaflushofcolorintheolderman”scheek-bones,andhiseyeshadbeenalightashetookhispartinthediscussion。Hehadaddedthetouchofhisownpersonalitytoit,asalwayshappened。

  “Wearehavingsomefinemoments,mygoodfellow,“hehadsaid,rubbinghishands。“Thisisextremelylikethefourthact。I”dliketobesurewhatcomesnext。”

  “I”dliketobesuremyself,“Tembaromanswered。“It”sasifaflashoflightningcamesometimes,andthenthingscloudedup。AndsometimeswhenIamtryingsomethingouthe”llgetsoexcitedthatIdaren”tgoonuntilI”vetalkedtothedoctor。”

  Itwastheexcitementhewasdubiousaboutto-night。Itwasnotpossibletobequitecertainastotheentiresafetyoftheplan;buttheremightbeachance-evenabigchance-ofwakeningsomecellfromitsdeadenedsleep。SirOrmsbywayhadtalkedtohimagooddealaboutbraincells,andhehadlistenedfaithfullyandlearnedmorethanhecouldputintoscientificEnglish。Gradually,duringthepastmonths,hehadbeencominguponstrangelyexcitinghintsofcuriouspossibilities。Theyhadbeenmerehintsatfirst,andhadseemedalmostabsurdintheirunbelievableness。Buteachonehadlinkeditselfwithanother,andledhimontofurtherwonderingandexploration。WhenMissAliciaandPalliserhadseenthathelookedabsorbedandbaffled,ithadbeenbecausehehadfrequentlyfoundhimself,tousehisownfiguresofspeech,“mixeduptobeattheband。”Hehadnotknownwhichwaytoturn;buthehadgoneonturningbecausehecouldnotescapefromhisownexcitedinterest,andtheinevitableemotionrousedbybeingcaughtinthewhirlofamelodrama。

  Thatwaswhathe”ddroppedinto——awhackingbigplay。IthadbegunforhimwhenPalfordbuttedinthatnightandtoldhimhewasalostheir,withafortuneandanestateinEngland;andthecurtainhadbeenjerkingupanddowneversince。Buttherehadbeenthrillsinit,queerasitwas。Somethingdoingallthetime,bygee!

  HesatandsmokedhispipeandwishedAnnwerewithhimbecauseheknewhewasnotascoolashehadmeanttobe。Hefeltacertaintinglingofexcitementinhisbody;andthiswasnotthetimetobeexcited。Hewaitedforsomeminutesbeforehewentup-stairs。ItwastruethatStrangewayshadbeenmuchbetterlately。Hehadseemedtofinditeasiertofollowconversation。Duringthepastfewdays,Tembaromhadtalkedtohiminamatter-of-factwayaboutthehouseanditsvariousbelongings。Hehadatlastseemedtowakentoaninterestinthepicture-gallery。Evidentlyheknewsomethingofpicture-

  galleriesandportraits,andfoundhimselfrelievedbyhisownclearnessofthoughtwhenhetalkedofthem。

  “Ifeelbetter,“hesaid,twoorthreetimes。“Thingsseemclearer——

  nearer。”

  “Goodbusiness!“exclaimedTembarom。“Itoldyouit”dbethatway。

  Let”sholdontopictures。Itwon”tbeanytimebeforeyou”llberememberingwhereyou”veseensome。”

  Hehadbeensecretlyratherstrungup;buthehadbeenverygradualinapproachinghisfinalsuggestionthatsomenight,wheneverythingwasquiet,theymightgoandlookatthegallerytogether。

  “Whatyouneedistogetoutofthewayofwantingtostayinoneplace,“heargued。“Thedoctorsaysyou”vegottohaveachange,andevengoingfromoneroomtoanotherisafinething。”

  Strangewayshadlookedathimanxiouslyforafewmoments,evensuspiciously,buthisfacehadclearedafterthelook。Hedrewhimselfupandpassedhishandoverhisforehead。

  “Ibelieve-perhapsheisright,“hemurmured。

  “Surehe”sright!“saidTembarom。“He”sthesortofchapwhooughttoknow。He”sbeenmadeintoabaronetforknowing。SirOrmsbyGalloway,byjings!That”snoslouchofanameOh,heknows,youbetyourlife!“

  Thismorningwhenhehadseenhimhehadspokenoftheplanagain。Thevisitorshadgoneaway;theservantscouldbesentoutofsightandhearing;theycouldgointothelibraryandsmokeandhecouldlookatthebooks。Andthentheycouldtakealookatthepicture-galleryifhewasn”ttootired。Itwouldbeachangeanyhow。

  To-night,ashewentupthehugestaircase,Tembarom”scalmnessofbeinghadnotincreased。Hewasawareofaquickenedpulseandofaslightdampnessonhisforehead。Thedeadsilenceofthehouseaddedtotheunusualnessofthings。Hecouldnotremembereverhavingbeensoanxiousbefore,exceptontheoccasionwhenhehadtakenhisfirstday”s“stuff“toGalton,andhadstoodwatchinghimashereadit。Hisforeheadhadgrowndampthen。ButheshowednooutwardsignsofexcitementwhenheenteredtheroomandfoundStrangewaysstanding,perfectlyattiredineveningdress。

  Pearson,settingthingsinorderattheothersideoftheroom,wastakingnoteofhimfurtivelyoverhisshoulder。Quiteinthecasualmanneroftheordinaryman,hehadexpressedhisintentionofdressingfortheevening,andPearsonhadthankedhisstarsforthefactthatthenecessarygarmentswereathand。Fromthefirst,hehadnotinfrequentlyaskedforarticlessuchasonlytheresourcesofacompletemasculinewardrobecouldsupply;andononeoccasionhehadsuddenlywishedtodressfordinner,andthelameexcusesithadbeennecessarytomakehaddisturbedhimhorriblyinsteadofpacifyinghim。

  Toexplainthathisconditionprecludedthenecessityoftheusualappurtenanceswouldhavebeenoutofthequestion。Hehadbeenangry。

  WhatdidPearsonmean?Whatwasthematter?Hehadsaiditoverandoveragain,andthenhadsunkintoahopelesslybewilderedmood,andhadsathuddledinhisdressing-gownstaringatthefire。Pearsonhadbeensoharrowedbythesituationthatithadbeenhisownideatosuggesttohismasterthatallpossiblerequirementsshouldbeprovided。Therewereoccasionswhenitappearedthatthecloudoverhimliftedforapassingmoment,andagleamoflightrecalledtohimsomefamiliarusageofhispast。Whenhehadfinisheddressing,Pearsonhadbeenalmoststartledbytheamountofeffectproducedbythestraight,correctlycutlinesofblackandwhite。Themerechangeofclotheshadsuddenlychangedthemanhimself——had“donesomethingtohim,“Pearsonputit。Afterhisfirstglanceatthemirrorhehadstraightenedhimself,asifrecognizingthefaultofhisowncarriage。

  Whenhecrossedtheroomitwaswiththeactionofamanwhohasbeentrainedtomovewell。Thegoodlooks,whichhadbeenalmosthiddenbehindaveilofuncertaintyofexpressionandstrainedfearfulness,becameobvious。Hewastall,andhisleanlimbsweresplendidlyhungtogether。Hisheadwasperfectlyset,andthebearingofhissquareshoulderswasasoldierlything。ItwasanextraordinarilyhandsomemanTembaromandPearsonfoundthemselvesgazingat。Eachglancedinvoluntarilyattheother。

  “Nowthat”sfirst-rate!I”mgladyoufeellikecoming,“Tembaromplungedin。Hedidn”tintendtogivehimtoomuchtimetothink。

  “Thankyou。Itwillbeachange,asyousaid,“Strangewaysanswered。

  “Oneneedschange。”

  Hisdeepeyeslookedsomewhatdeeperthanusual,buthismannerwasthatofanywell-bredmandoinganaccustomedthing。Ifhehadbeenanordinaryguestinthehouse,andhishosthaddroppedintohisroom,hewouldhavecomportedhimselfinexactlythesameway。

  Theywenttogetherdownthecorridorasiftheyhadpasseddownittogetheradozentimesbefore。OnthestairwayStrangewayslookedatthetapestrieswiththeinterestofafamiliarizedintelligence。

  “Itisabeautifuloldplace,“hesaid,astheycrossedthehall。

  “Thatarmorwaswornbyacrusader。”Hehesitatedamomentwhentheyenteredthelibrary,butitwasonlyforamoment。Hewenttothehearthandtookthechairhishostofferedhim,and,lightingacigar,satsmokingit。IfT。Tembaromhadchancedtobeamanofananalyticalormetaphysicalorderofintellecthewouldhavefound,duringthepastmonth,manythingstoleadhimfarinmentalargumentconcerningtheweirdwonderofthehumanmind——ofitspowerwhereitspossessor,thebody,isconcerned,itssometimeclosenesstothesurfaceofsentientbeing,itssometimeremoteness。Hewouldhaveknown——awed,marvelingattheblacknessofthepitintowhichitcandescend——theunknownshadesthatmayenfolditandimprisonitsgropings。TheoldDukeofStonehadsatandponderedmanyanhouroverstorieshisfavoritecompanionhadrelatedtohim。Whatcuriousandsubtleprocesseshadthequeerfellownotbeenwatchinginthecloselyguardedquietoftheroomwherethestrangerhadspenthisdays;thestrangethingcoweringinitsdarkness;therayoflightpiercingthecloudonedayandseeminglostagainthenext;thestrugglestheimprisonedthingmadetocomeforth——tocryoutthatitwasbutimmured,notwhollyconquered,andthatsomehourwouldarrivewhenitwouldfightitswaythroughatlast。Tembaromhadnotenteredintopsychologicalresearch。Hehadbeenentirelyuncomplexinhisattitude,sittingdownbeforehisproblemasabesiegermighthavesatdownbeforeacastle。Thedukehadsometimeswonderedwhetheritwasnotagoodenoughthingthathehadbeensosimpleaboutit,merelycontinuingtobelievethebestwithanunswervingobstinacyandlendingahandwhenhecould。Aneverflaggingsympathyhadkepthimsingularlyalivetoeverychance,andnowandthenhehadilluminationswhichwouldhavedonecredittoaclevererman,andwhichthedukehadrubbedhishandsoverinhalf-amused,half-touchedelation。Howhehadkepthisheadlevelandheldtohispurpose!

  T。Tembaromtalkedbutlittleashesatinhisbigchairandsmoked。

  Bestlethimaloneandgivehimtimetogetusedtothenewness,hethought。Nothingmusthappenthatcouldgivehimajolt。Letthingssortofsinkintohim,andperhapsthey”dsethimtothinkingandleadhimsomewhere。Strangewayshimselfevidentlydidnotwanttalk。Heneverwanteditunlesshewasexcited。Hewasnotexcitednow,andhadsettleddownasifhewascomfortable。Havingfinishedonecigarhetookanother,andbegantosmokeitmuchmoreslowlythanhehadsmokedhisfirst。TheslownessbegantoarrestTembarom”sattention。

  Thiswasthesmokingofamanwhowaseithergrowingsleepyorsinkingintodeepthought,becomingoblivioustowhathewasdoing。Sometimesheheldthecigarabsentlybetweenhisstrong,finefingers,seemingtoforgetit。Tembaromwatchedhimdothisuntilhesawitgoout,anditswhiteashdropontherugathisfeet。Hedidnotnoticeit,butsatsinkingdeeperanddeeperintohisownbeing,growingmoreremote。

  Whatwasgoingonunderhisabsorbedstillness?Tembaromwouldnothavemovedorspoken“forablockofFifthAvenue,“hesaidinternally。Thedarkeyesseemedtobecomedarkeruntiltherewasonlyapin”spointoflighttobeseenintheirpupils。Itwasasifhewerelookingatsomethingatadistance——atastrangelylongdistance。

  Twiceheturnedhisheadandappearedtolookslowlyroundtheroom,butnotasnormalpeoplelook——asifitalsowasatthestrange,longdistancefromhim,andheweresomewhereoutsideitswalls。Itwasanuncannythingtobeaspectatorto。

  “Howdeadstilltheroomis!“Tembaromfoundhimselfthinking。

  Itwas“deadstill。”Anditwasaqueerdealsitting,notdaringtomove——justwatching。Somethingwasboundtohappen,sure!Whatwasitgoingtobe?

  Strangeways”cigardroppedfromhisfingersandappearedtorousehim。

  Helookedpuzzledforamoment,andthenstoopedquitenaturallytopickitup。

  “Iforgotitaltogether。It”sgoneout,“heremarked。

  “Haveanother,“suggestedTembarom,movingtheboxnearertohim。

  “No,thankyou。”Heroseandcrossedtheroomtothewallofbook-

  shelves。AndTembarom”seyewascaughtagainbythefinenessofmovementandlinetheeveningclothesmademanifest。“Whataswellhelookedwhenhemovedaboutlikethat!Whataswell,byjings!“

  Helookedalongthelineofshelvesandpresentlytookabookdownandopenedit。Heturnedoveritsleavesuntilsomethingarrestedhisattention,andthenhefelltoreading。Hereadseveralminutes,whileTembaromwatchedhim。Thesilencewasbrokenbyhislaughingalittle。

  “Listentothis,“hesaid,andbegantoreadsomethinginalanguagetotallyunknowntohishearer。“Amanwhowritesthatsortofthingaboutawomanisanoldbounder,whetherhe”sapoetornot。There”sasmall,bitingspitefulnessaboutitthat”scattish。”

  “Whodidit?“Tembarominquiredsoftly。Itmightbeagoodideatoleadhimon。

  “Horace。Inspiteofhisgenius,hesometimesmakesyoufeelhewasratherablackguard。”

  “Horace!“ForthemomentT。Tembaromforgothimself。“IalwaysheardhewasasortofY。M。C。A。oldguy——oldHoraceGreeley。TheTribunewasnoyellowjournalwhenhehadit。”

  Hewassorryhehadspokenthenextmoment。Strangewayslookedpuzzled。

  “TheTribune,“hehesitated。“TheRomanTribune?“

  “No,NewYork。Hestartedit——oldHoracedid。Butperhapswe”renottalkingofthesameman。”

  Strangewayshesitatedagain。

  “No,Ithinkwe”renot,“heansweredpolitely。

  “I”vemadeabreak,“thoughtTembarom。“Ioughttohavekeptmymouthshut。Imusttrytoswitchhimback。”

  Strangewayswaslookingdownatthebackofthebookheheldinhishand。

  “ThisonewastheLatinpoet,QuintusHoratiusFlaccus,65B。C。Youknowhim,“hesaid。

  “Oh,thatone!“exclaimedTembarom,asifwithanairofimmenserelief。“WhatafoolIwastoforget!I”mgladit”shim。Willyougoonreadingandletmehearsomemore?He”sawinnerfromWinnersville——

  thatHoraceis。”

  Perhapsitwasasortofmiracle,accomplishedbyhisgreatdesiretohelptherightthingtohappen,tostaveoffanyshadowofthewrongthing。Whatsoeverthereason,Strangewayswaitedonlyamomentbeforeturningtohisbookagain。Itseemedtobealinkinsomechainslowlyformingitselftodraghimbackfromhiswanderings。AndT。Tembarom,lightlysweatingasafrightenedhorsewill,satsmokinganotherpipeandlisteningintentlyto“Satires“and“Lampoons,“readaloudintheLatinof65B。C。

  “Bygee!“hesaidfaithfully,atintervals,whenhesawonthereader”sfacethatthemomentwasripe。“Heknewitall——oldHorace——

  didn”the?“

  Hehadsteeredhischargeback。Thingswerecomingalongthelinetohim。He”dlearnedLatinatoneofthesebigEnglishschools。BoysalwayslearnedLatin,thedukehadtoldhim。Theyjusthadto。Mostofthemhateditlikethunder,andtheyusedtobecanedwhentheydidn”treciteitright。Perhapsifhewentonhe”dbegintoremembertheschool。Aqueerpartofitwasthathedidnotseemtonoticethathewasnotreadinghisownlanguage。

  Hedidnot,infact,seemtorememberanythinginparticular,butwentonquitenaturallyforsomeminutes。HehadreplacedHoraceontheshelfandwasonthepointoftakingdownanothervolumewhenhepaused,asifrecallingsomethingelse。

  “Weren”twegoingtoseethepicture-gallery?“heinquired。“Isn”titgettinglate?Ishouldliketoseetheportraits。”

  “Nohurry,“answeredT。Tembarom。“Iwasjustwaitingtillyouwereready。Butwe”llgorightaway,ifyoulike。”

  Theywentwithoutfurtherceremony。Astheywalkedthroughthehallanddownthecorridorssidebyside,animaginativepersonmighthavefeltthatperhapstheeyesofanancientdarklingportraitorsolookeddownatthepaircuriously:thelong,looselybuiltNewYorkerratherslouchingalongbythesoldierly,almostromanticfigurewhich,inameasure,suggestedthatothersnotunlikeitmighthavetrodthesameoakenfloor,wearingruffanddoublet,orlacejabotandsword。

  Therewasafarcrybetweenthetwo,buttheywalkedcloselyinfriendlyunion。Whentheyenteredthepicture-galleryStrangewayspausedamomentagain,andstoodpeeringdownitslength。

  “Itisverydimlylighted。Howcanwesee?“hesaid。

  “ItoldPearsontoleaveitdim,“Tembaromanswered。“Iwanteditjustthatwayatfirst。”

  Hetried——andsucceededtolerablywell——tosayitcasually,asheledthewayaheadofthem。Heandthedukehadnottalkedtheschemeoverfornothing。Ashisgracehadsaid,theyhad“workedthethingup。”Astheymoveddownthegallery,themenandwomenintheirframeslookedlikeghostsstaringouttoseewhatwasabouttohappen。

  “We”llturnupthelightsafterawhile,“T。Tembaromexplained,stillcasually。“There”sapicturehereIthinkagooddealof。I”vestoodandlookedatitprettyoften。ItremindedmeofsomeonethefirstdayIseteyesonit;butitwasquiteatimebeforeImadeupmymindwhoitwas。Itusedtodrivemehalfdottytryingtothinkitout。”

  “Whichonewasit?“askedStrangeways。

  “We”recomingtoit。Iwanttoseeifitremindsyouofanyone。AndI

  wantyoutoseeitsudden。”“It”sgottobesudden,“hehadsaidtotheduke。“Ifit”sgoingtopanout,Ibelieveit”sgottobesudden。”

  “That”swhyIhadtherestof”emleftdim。ItoldPearsontoleavealampIcouldturnupquick,“hesaidtoStrangeways。

  Thelampwasonatablenearbyandwasshadedbyascreen。Hetookitfromtheshadowandlifteditsuddenly,sothatitsfullgleamfellupontheportraitofthehandsomeyouthwiththelacecollarandthedark,droopingeyes。Itwasdoneinasecond,withadramaticallyunexpectedswiftness。Hisheartjumpedupanddown。

  “Who”sthat?“hedemanded,withabruptnesssosharp-pitchedthatthegalleryechoedwiththesound。“Who”sthat?“

  Heheardahard,quickgasp,asoundwhichwasmomentarilyalittlehorrible,asiftheman”ssoulwasbeingjerkedoutofhisbody”sdepths。

  “Whoishe?“hecriedagain。“Tellme。”

  Afterthegasp,Strangewaysstoodstillandstared。Hiseyesweregluedtothecanvas,dropsofsweatcameoutonhisforehead,andhewasshuddering。Hebegantobackawaywithalookofgruesomestruggle。Hebackedandbacked,andstaredandstared。Thegaspcametwiceagain,andthenhisvoiceseemedtotearitselfloosefromsomepowerthatwasholdingitback。

  “Th——at!“hecried。“Itis——it——isMilesHugo!“

  Thelastwordswerealmostashout,andheshookasifhewouldhavefallen。ButT。Tembaromputhishandonhisshoulderandheldhim,breathingfasthimself。Gee!ifitwasn”tlikeathinginaplay!

  “PageatthecourtofCharlestheSecond,“herattledoff。“Diedofsmallpoxwhenhewasnineteen。MilesHugo!MilesHugo!Youholdontothatforallyourworth。Andholdontome。I”llkeepyousteady。Sayitagain。”

  “MilesHugo。”Thepoormajestic-lookingfellowalmostsobbedit。

  “WhereamI?Whatisthenameofthisplace?“

  “It”sTempleBarholminthecountyofLancashire,England。Holdontothat,too——likethunder!“

  Strangewaysheldtheyoungman”sarmwithhandsthatclutched。Hedraggedathim。Hisnightmareheldhimyet;Tembaromsawit,butflashesoflightwereblindinghim。

  “Who“——hepleadedinashakingandhollowwhisper”areyou?“

  Herewasastumper!Byjings!Byjings!Andnotaminutetothinkitout。Buttheanswercameallright——allright!

  “Myname”sTembarom。T。Tembarom。”Andhegrinnedhissplendidgrinfromsheersenseofrelief。“I”maNewYorker——Brooklyn。Iwasjustforkedinhereanyhow。Don”tyouwastetimethinkingoverme。YousitdownhereanddoyourdurndestwithMilesHugo。”

  CHAPTERXXXIII

  Tembaromdidnotlookasthoughhehadsleptparticularlywell,MissAliciathought,whentheymetthenextmorning;butwhensheaskedhimwhetherhehadbeendisappointedinhislastnight”sexperiment,heansweredthathehadnot。Theexperimenthadcomeoutallright,butStrangewayshadbeenagooddealworkedup,andhadnotbeenabletosleepuntildaylight。SirOrmsbyGallowaywastoarriveintheafternoon,andhe”dprobablygivehimsome-thingquieting。Hadthecomingdownstairsseemedtohelphimtorecallanything?MissAlicianaturallyinquired。Tembaromthoughtithad。HedrovetoStoneHoverandspentthemorningwiththeduke;heevenlunchedwithhim。HereturnedintimetoreceiveSirOrmsbyGalloway,however,anduntilthatgreatpersonageleft,theyweretogetherinMr。Strangeways”

  rooms。

  “IguessIshallgethimuptoLondontotheplacewhereSirOrmsbywantshim,“hesaidrathernervously,afterdinner。“I”mnotgoingtomissanychances。Ifhe”llgo,IcangethimawayquietlysometimewhenIcanfixitsothere”snooneabouttoworryhim。”

  Shefeltthathehadnoinclinationtogomuchintodetail。Hehadneverhadthehabitofenteringintothedetailsconnectedwithhisstrangecharge。Shebelieveditwasbecausehefeltthesubjecttooabnormalnottoseemalittleawesometohersympathetictimidity。Shedidnotaskquestionsbecauseshewasafraidshecouldnotaskthemintelligently。Infact,theknowledgethatthisunknownmanwaslivingthroughhisstrugglewithhislostpastintheremoteroomsofthewestwing,almostasthoughhewereasecretprisoner,didseemalittleawesomewhenoneawokeinthemiddleofthedarknightandthoughtofit。

  Duringthepassageofthenextfewweeks,TembaromwentuptoLondonseveraltimes。Onceheseemedcalledtheresuddenly,asitwasonlyduringdinnerthathetoldherhewasgoingtotakealatetrain,andshouldleavethehouseaftershehadgonetobed。Shefeltasthoughsomethingimportantmusthavehappened,andhopeditwasnothingdisturbing。

  WhenhehadsaidthatCaptainPalliserwouldreturntovisitthem,herprivateimpression,despitehislaugh,hadbeenthatitmustsurelybesometimebeforethiswouldoccur。Butalittlemorethanthreeweekslaterheappeared,precededonlyhalfanhourbyatelegramaskingwhetherhemightnotspendanightwiththemonhiswayfarthernorth。

  Hecouldnotatallunderstandwhythetelegram,whichhesaidhehadsentthedaybefore,hadbeendelayed。

  AcertainfatiguedhaggardnessinhiscountenancecausedMissAliciatoaskwhetherhehadbeenill,andheadmittedthathehadatleastnotbeenwell,asaresultoflongandtoohurriedjourneys,andthestrenuousnessofextendedandprofoundlyseriousinterviewswithhiscapitalistandmagnates。

  “Nomancanengineergiganticschemestosuccesswithoutfeelingthereactionwhenhisloaddropsfromhisshoulders,“heremarked。

  “You”vecarrieditquitethrough?“inquiredTembarom。

  “Wehavesetonfootoneofthelargest,mostsubstantiallycapitalizedcompaniesintheEuropeanbusinessworld,“Palliserreplied,withthecomposurewhichisalmostindifference。

  “Good!“saidTembaromcheerfully。

  Hewatchedhisguestagooddealduringtheday。Hewasabadcolorforamanwhohadjuststeeredclearofallshoalsandreachedthehighestpointofsuccess。Hehadahaggardeyeaswellasahaggardface。Itwasaterrifiedeyewhenitsdesperatedeterminationtohideitsterrorsdroppedfromitforaninstant,asaveilmightdrop。A

  certainrestlessnesswasmanifestinhim,andhetalkedmorethanusual。HewasgoingtomakeavisitinNorthumberlandtoanelderlyladyofgreatpossessions。Itwastobevaguelygatheredthatshewassomewhatinterestedinthegreatcompany——theCedric。Shewasaremarkableoldpersonwhofoundacertainagreeableexcitementindabblinginstocks。Shewasrichenoughtobeinapositiontoregarditasasortofgame,andhehadbeenableonseveraloccasionstoaffordherentertainment。Hewouldremainafewdays,andspendhistimechieflyintellingherthedetailsofthegreatschemeandthemannerinwhichtheyweretobedeveloped。

  “Ifshecanplaywiththingsthatway,she”llbesuretowantstockinit,“Tembaromremarked。

  “Ifshedoes,shemustmakeuphermindquickly,“Pallisersmiled,“orshewillnotbeabletogetit。Itisnoteasytolayone”shandsonevennow。”

  TembaromthoughtofcertainspeculatorsofentirelyinsignificantstandingofwhomhehadchancedtoseeandhearanecdotesinNewYork。

  Mostofthemwereyouthsofobscureoriginwhosoldnewspapersorblackedboots,or“swapped“articlesthevalueofwhichlayinthedesiretheycouldexciteinotherpersonstopossessthem。Apopularmethodknownas“bluff“wastheirmosttrustedweapon,andevenattwelveandfifteenyearsofageTembaromhadalwaysregardeditassingularlyobvious。Healwaysdetested“bluff,“whatsoeveritsdisguise,andwasrathermystifiedbyitsingeniousfaithinitself。

  “He”sgotbadlystung,“washisinternalcommentashesuckedathispipeandsmiledurbanelyatPalliseracrosstheroomastheysattogether。“He”scomeherewithsomesortofdealonthatheknowshecouldn”tworkwithanyonebutjustsuchafoolashethinksIam。I

  guess,“headdedincomposedreflectiveness,“Idon”treallyknowhowbigafoolIdolook。”

  Whatsoeverthedealwas,hewouldbelikelytoletitbeknownintime。

  “He”llgetitoffhischestifhe”sgoingawayto-morrow,“decidedTembarom。“Ifthere”sanythinghe”sfoundout,he”lluseit。Ifitdoesn”tpanoutashethinksitwillhe”lljustfloatawaytohisoldlady。”

  HegavePallisereverychance,talkingtohimandencouraginghimtotalk,evenaskinghimtolethimlookovertheprospectusofthenewcompanyandexplaindetailstohim,ashewasgoingtoexplainthemtotheoldladyinNorthumberland。Heopenedupavenues;butforatimePallisermadenoattempttostrolldownthem。Hiswalkwouldbeastroll,Tembaromknew,beingfamiliarwithhismethods。Hisaspectwouldbethatofamanbutlittleconcerned。Hewouldbecapableofaslightlyrudecoldnessifhefeltthatconcernonhispartwasinanydegreecountedasafactor。Tembaromwasaware,amongotherthings,thatinnocentpersonswouldfeelthatitwasincumbentuponthemtobeverycarefulintheirtreatmentofhim。Heseemedtobethinkingthingsoverbeforehedecideduponthepsychologicalmomentatwhichhewouldbegin,ifhebegan。Whenamanhadagooddealtoloseortowin,Tembaromrealizedthathewouldbelikelytoholdbackuntilhefeltsomethinglikesolidgroundunderhim。

  AfterMissAliciahadleftthemforthenight,perhapshefelt,asaresultofthinkingthematterover,thathehadreachedafootholdofafirmnessatleastsomewhattobedependedupon。

  “Whatachangeyouhavemadeinthatpoorwoman”slife!“hesaid,walkingtotheside-tableandhelpinghimselftoabrandyandsoda。

  “Whatachange!“

  “ItstruckmethatachangewasneededjustaboutthetimeIdroppedin,“answeredhishost。

  “Allthesame,“suggestedPalliser,tolerantly,“youwereimmenselygenerous。Shewasn”tentitledtoexpectit,youknow。”

  “Shedidn”texpectanything,notadarnedthing,“saidTembarom。“Thatwaswhathitme。”

  Pallisersmiledacold,amiablesmile。Hisslim,neatlyfittedpersonlookedalittleshrunkenandlessstraightthanwasitshabit,anditsslacknesssuggesteditselfasbeingpartoftheharryandfatiguewhichmadehisfaceandeyeshaggardunderhispale,smoothhair。

  “Doyoupurposetoprovideforthefutureofallyourindigentrelativeseventothethirdandfourthgeneration,mydearchap?“heinquired。

  “Iwon”trefusetillI”masked,anyhow,“wastheanswer。

  “Asked!“Palliserrepeated。“I”moneofthem,youknow,andLadyMalloweisanother。Therearelotsofus,whenwecomeoutofourholes。Ifit”sonlyamatterofasking,wemightalldescendonyou。”

  Tembarom,smiling,wonderedwhethertheyhadn”tdescendedalready,andwhetherthedescenthadsofarbeenallthattheyhadanticipated。

  Palliserstrolleddownhisopenedavenuewithanincidentalairwhichwasentirelycreditabletohistrainingofhimself。T。Tembaromacknowledgedthatmuch。

  “Youaretoogenerous,“saidPalliser。“Youarethesortoffellowwhowillalwaysneedallhehas,andmore。Thewayyougoamongthevillagers!Youthinkyoumerelyslouchaboutandkeepitquiet,butyoudon”t。You”vesetanexamplenootherlandownercanexpecttoliveupto,orintendsto。It”stoolavish。It”spernicious,dearchap。I

  haveheardallaboutthecottageyouaredoingoverforPearsonandhisbride。YouhadbetterinvestintheCedric。”

  Tembaromwantedhimtogoon,iftherewasanythinginit。HemadehisfacelookasheknewPalliserhopeditwouldlookwhenthepsychologicalmomentcame。Itsexpressionwasnotadeterrent;infact,ithadacharacternotunlikelytoleadaneagerman,oronewhowasnotaswhollyexperiencedashebelievedhewas,torushdownasteephillintothesea,afterthemanneroftheswineintheparable。

  HeavenknewPalliserdidnotmeantorush,andwasnotawarewhentherushbegan;buthehadreasontobesomuchmoreeagerthanheprofessedtobethatmomentarilyheswerved,despitehimself,andceasedtobecasual。

  “Itisanenormousopportunity,“hesaid”timberlandsinMexico,youknow。IfyouhadspentyourlifeinEngland,youwouldrealizethattimberhasbecomeadesperatenecessity,andthatthedifficultieswhichexistinthewayofsupplyingthedemandarealmostinsuperable。

  Theseforestsarevirtuallyboundless,andthecompanywhichcontrolsthem”

  “That”sagoodspiel!“brokeinTembarom。

  Itsoundedlikethecrudelyartlessinterruptionofapersonwhoseperceptionsleftmuchtobedesired。T。Tembaromknewwhatitsoundedlike。IfPalliserlosthistemper,hewouldgetoverthegroundfaster,andhewantedhimtogetovertheground。

  “I”mafraidIdon”tunderstand,“herepliedratherstiffly。

  “TherewasafellowIknewinNewYorkwhousedtoselltype-writers,andhehadathingtosayheusedtoreeloffwhenanyonelookedlikeacustomer。Heusedtocallithis”spiel。”“

  Palliser”squickglanceathimaskedquestions,andhisstiffnessdidnotrelaxitself。

  “IsthisNewYorkchaff?“heinquiredcoldly。

  “No,“Tembaromsaid。“You”renotdoingitfortenper。Hewas“

  “No,notexactly,“saidPalliser。“Neitherwouldyoubedoingitfortenperifyouwentintoit。”Hisvoicechanged。Hebecameslightlyhaughty。“Perhapsitwasamistakeonmyparttothinkyoumightcaretoconnectyourselfwithit。Youhavenot,ofcourse,beeninthepositiontocomprehendsuchmatters。”

  “IfIwaswhatIlooklike,that”dstirmeupandmakemefeelbad,“

  thoughtT。Tembarom,withcheerfulcomprehensionofthis,atleast。

  “I”dhavetorushinandtrytoprovetohimthatIwasasaccustomedtobigbusinessasheis,andthatitdidn”trattleme。ThewaytodoitthatwouldcomemostnaturalwouldbetoshowIwasreadytobuyasbigablockofstockasanyotherfellow。”

  Buttheexpressionofhisfacedidnotchange。Heonlygaveahalf-

  awkwardsortoflaugh。

  “IguessIcanlearn,“hesaid。

  Palliserfeltthefootholdbecomefirmer。Thebounderwasinterested,but,afterabounder”sfashion,waseithernervousorimaginedthatashowofhesitationlookedshrewd。Theslighthitmadeathisinexperienceininvestmenthadirritatedhimandmadehimfeellesscock-sureofhimself。Aslightlyoffendedmannermightbethebestweapontorelyupon。

  “Ithoughtyoumightcaretohavethethingmadecleartoyou,“hecontinuedindifferently。“Imeanttoexplain。Youmaytakethechanceorleaveit,asyoulike,ofcourse。Thatisnothingtomeatthisstageofthegame。But,afterall,weareasIsaid,relativesofasort,anditisagiganticopportunity。Supposewechangethesubject。

  IsthattheSundayEarthIseebyyouonthetable?“Heleanedforwardtotakethepaper,asthoughthesubjectreallyweredropped;but,afteraseeminglynervoussuckortwoathispipe,Tembaromcametohisassistance。Itwouldn”tdotolethimquietdowntoomuch。

  “I”mnoVanMorganbilt,“hesaidhesitatingly,“butIcanseethatit”sabigopportunity——forsomeoneelse。Let”shavealookovertheprospectusagain。”

  PalliserpausedinhisunconcernedopeningofthecopyoftheSundayEarth。Hismannersomewhatdisgustedlyimpliedindecisionastowhetheritwasworthwhiletoallowoneselftobedroppedandtakenupbyturns。

  “Doyoureallymeanthat?“heaskedwithacertainchillofvoice。

  “Yes。Idon”tmindtryingtocatchontowhat”sdoinginanybigscheme。”

  Palliserdidnotlayasidehissuggestionofcoldsemi-reluctancemorereadilythananymanwhoknewhisbusinesswouldhavelaiditaside。

  Hismannerattheoutsetwasquiteperfect。Hissoleineptitudelayinhisfeelingatoogreatconfidenceintheexactqualityofhiscompanion”stype,ashesummeditup。Hedidnotcalculateonthevariationsfromalltypesometimesprovidedbycircumstances。

  Heproducedhispaperswithouttooobviouseagerness。Hespreadthemuponthetable,andcoollyexaminedthemhimselfbeforebeginninghisexplanation。TherewasmoretoexplaintoaforeignerandoneunusedtoinvestmentthantherewouldbetoamanwhowasanEnglishmanandfamiliarwiththemethodsoflargecompanies,hesaid。Hewentintotechnicalities,sotospeak,andusedrapidlyandlightlysomeimposingwordsandphrases,towhichT。Tembaromlistenedattentively,butwithoutanyspecialairofillumination。Hedealtwithstatisticsandtheresultingprobabilities。HemadeapparenttheexistingconditionofEngland”sinabilitytosupplyanenormousandunceasingdemandfortimber。Hehadacquireddiversexcellentmethodsofstatinghiscasetothepartyofthesecondpart。

  “Hemademefeelasifafellowhadbetterholdontoaboxofmatcheslikegrimdeath,andthatthetimewasn”toutofsightwhenyou”dhavetogivefifty-sevendollarsandahalfforatoothpick,“Tembaromafterwardssaidtotheduke。

  WhatTembaromwasthinkingashelistenedtohimwasthathewasnotgettingoverthegroundwithmuchrapidity,andthatitwastimesomethingwasdoing。Hehadnotwatchedhimforweekswithoutlearningdiversofhisidiosyncrasies。

  “IfhethoughtIwantedtoknowwhathethinksI”daheapratherNOT

  know,he”dnevertellme,“hespeculated。“Ifhegetsabithotinthecollar,hemayletitout。Thingistostirhimup。He”slosthisnerveabit,andhe”llgetmadprettyeasy。”

  Hewentonsmokingandlistening,andaskinganunenlightenedquestionnowandthen,inamannerwhichwasasfarfrombeingadeterrentasthelargelyunilluminatedexpressionofhisfacewas。

  “Ofcoursemoneyiswanted,“Pallisersaidatlength。“Moneyisalwayswanted,andasmuchwhenaschemeisasuccessaswhenitisn”t。Goodnames,withacertaincharacter,arewanted。Thefactofyourinheritanceisknowneverywhere;andthefactthatyouareanAmericanisasortofguarantyofshrewdness。”

  “Isit?“saidT。Tembarom。“Well,“headdedslowly,“IguessAmericansareprettygoodbusinessmen。”

  Palliserthoughtthatthiswasevolvinguponperfectlynaturallines,ashehadanticipateditwould。Thefellowwasflatteredandpleased。

  YoucouldalwaysreachanAmericanbyimplyingthathewasoneofthosewhospeciallyillustrateenviablenationalcharacteristics。

  Hewentoninsmooth,casuallaudation:

  “NoAmericantakesholdofaschemeofthissortuntilheknowsjollywellwhathe”sgoingtogetoutofit。Youwereshrewdenough,“headdedsignificantly,“aboutHutchinson”saffair。You`gotinonthegroundfloor”there。ThatwasNewYorkforethought,byJove!“

  Tembaromshuffledalittleinhischair,andgrinnedafaint,pleasedgrin。

  “I”mamanoftheworld,myboy——thebusinessworld,“Pallisercommented,hopingthatheconcealedhisextremesatisfaction。“IknowNewYork,thoughIhaven”tlivedthere。I”monlyhopingto。Yourairofingenuousignoranceisthecleverestthingaboutyou,“whichagreeableimplicationofthefactthathehadbeenprivatelyobservantandimpressedoughttohavefetchedthebounderifanythingwould。

  T。Tembarom”sgrinwasnolongerfaint,butspreaditself。Palliser”sfirstimpressionwasthathehad“fetched“him。Butwhenheanswered,thoughtheverycrudenessofhiswordsseemedmerelytheresultofhisbetrayalintouttertactlessnessbysoothedvanity,therewassomething——ashadeofsomething——notentirelysatisfactoryinhisfaceandnasaltwang。

  “Well,Iguess,“hesaid,“NewYorkDIDteachafellownottobuyagoldbrickoffeveryconmanthatcamealong。”

  Palliserwasguiltyofamereghostofastart。Wastheresomethinginit,orwasheonlythegross,blunderingfoolhehadtrustedtohisbeing?Hestaredathimamoment,andsawthatthereWASsomethingunderthewordsandbehindhisprofessedlyflatteredgrin——somethingwhichmustbetreatedwithahighhand。

  “Whatdoyoumean?“heexclaimedhaughtily。“Idon”tlikeyourtone。

  DoyoutakeMEforwhatyoucalla`conman”?“

  “GoodLord,no!“answeredTembarom;andhelookedstraightatPalliserandspokeslowly。“You”reagentleman,andyou”repayingmeavisit。

  Youcouldnomoretryonagametodomeinmyownhousethan——well,thanIcouldTELLyouifI”dgotontoyouifIsawyoudoingit。

  You”reagentleman。”

  Palliserglaredbackintohisinfuriatinglycandideyes。Hewasafarcryfrombeingadullardhimself;hewassharpenoughto“catchon“totherevelationthatthesituationwasnotwhathehadthoughtit,thetypewasmorecomplexthanhehaddreamed。Thechaphadbeenplayingapart;hehadabsolutelybeen“jollyinghimalong,“aftertheNewYorkfashion。Hebecamepalewithhumiliatedrage,thoughheknewhisonlydefensewastocontrolhimselfandprofessnottoseethroughthetrick。Untilhecouldusehisbiglever,headdedtohimself。

  “Oh,Isee,“hecommentedacridly。“Isupposeyoudon”trealizethatyourfiguresofspeechareunfortunate。”

  “ThatcomesofNewYorkstreets,too,“Tembaromansweredwithdeliberation。“Butyoucan”tliveasI”velivedandbedeadeasy——notDEADeasy。”

  Palliserhadlefthischair,andstoodincontemptuoussilence。

  “YouknowhowafellowhatestobethoughtDEADeasy“——Tembaromactuallywenttotheinsolentlengthofsayingthewordswithatouchofcheerfulconfidingness”whenhe”sNOT。AndI”mnot。Haveanotherdrink。”

  Therewasapause。Palliserbegantosee,orthoughthebegantosee,wherehestood。HehadcometoTempleBarholmbecausehehadbeendrivenintoacornerandhadadangerousfightbeforehim。Inanticipationofithehadbeenfollowingaclueforsometime,thoughattheoutsetithadbeenoneofincredibleslightness。Onlyhisabsolutefaithinhistheorythateverymanhadsomethingtogainorlose,whichheconcealeddiscreetly,hadledhimtoit。Heheldacardtoovaluabletobeusedatthebeginningofagame。Itspowermighthavelastedalongtime,andprovedaninfluencewithoutlimit。Heforboreanymentalreferencetoblackmail;thewordwasabsurd。Oneusedwhatfellintoone”shands。IfTembaromhadfollowedhisleadwithanydegreeofdocility,hewouldhavefeltitwisertosavehisammunitionuntilfurtherpressurewasnecessary。Butbehindhisridiculousrawness,hisfoolishjocularity,andhisprofessedlycandidgoodhumor,hadbeenhiddentheYankeetricksterwhowasfoolenoughtothinkhecouldplayhisgamethrough。Well,hecouldnot。

  Duringthefewmoments”pausehesawthesituationasbyaphotographicflashlight。Heleanedoverthetableandsuppliedhimselfwithafreshbrandyandsodafromthetrayofsiphonsanddecanters。

  Hegavehimselftimetotaketheglassupinhishand。

  “No,“heanswered,“youarenot`deadeasy。”That”swhyIamgoingtobroachanothersubjecttoyou。”

  Tembaromwasrefillinghispipe。

  “Goahead,“hesaid。

  “Who,bytheway,isMr。Strangeways?“

  Hewasdeliberateandentirelyunemotional。SowasT。Tembaromwhen,withmatchappliedtohistobacco,herepliedbetweenpuffsashelightedit:

  “Youcansearchme。Youcansearchhim,too,forthatmatter。Hedoesn”tknowwhoheishimself。”

  “Badluckforhim!“remarkedPalliser,andallowedaslightpauseagain。Afteritheadded,“Diditeverstrikeyouitmightbegoodluckforsomebodyelse?“

  “Somebodyelse?“Tembarompuffedmoreslowly,perhapsbecausehispipewaslighted。

  Pallisertooksomebrandyinhissoda。

  “Therearemen,youknow,“hesuggested,“whocanbesparedbytheirrelatives。Ihavesomemyself,byJove!“headdedwithalaugh。“Youkeephimratherdark,don”tyou?“

  “Hedoesn”tliketoseepeople。”

  “Doesheobjecttopeopleseeinghim?Isawhimoncemyself。”

  “Whenyouthrewthegravelathiswindow?“

  Palliserstaredcontemptuously。

  “Whatareyoutalkingabout?Ididnotthrowstonesathiswindow,“helied。“I”mnotaschool-boy。”

  “That”sso,“Tembaromadmitted。

  “Isawhim,nevertheless。AndIcantellyouhegavemeratherastart。”

  “Why?“

  Palliserhalflaughedagain。Hedidnotmeantogotooquickly;hewouldletthethinggetonTembarom”snervesgradually。

  “Well,I”mhangedifIdidn”ttakehimforamanwhoisdead。”

  “Enoughtogiveanyfellowajolt,“Tembaromadmittedagain。

  “Itgavemea`jolt。”Goodword,that。Butitwouldgiveyouabiggerone,mydearfellow,ifhewasthemanhelookedlike。”

  “Why?“Tembaromaskedlaconically。

  “HelookedlikeJemTempleBarholm。”

  HesawTembaromstart。Therecouldbenodenyingit。

  “Youthoughtthat?Honest?“hesaidsharply,asifforamomenthehadlosthishead。“Youthoughtthat?“

  “Don”tbenervous。PerhapsIcouldn”thavesworntoit。Ididnotseehimveryclose。”

  T。Tembarompuffedrapidlyathispipe,andonly,ejaculated:

  “Oh!“

  “Ofcoursehe”sdead。Ifhewasn”t,“——withashrugofhisshoulders,——

  “LadyJoanFayrewouldbeLadyJoanTempleBarholm,andthepairwouldbebringingupaninterestingfamilyhere。”Helookedabouttheroom,andthen,asifsuddenlyrecallingthefact,added,“ByGeorge!you”dbesellingnewspapers,ormakingthem——whichwasit?——inNewYork!“

  Itwasbynomeansunpleasingtoseethathehadmadehishitthere。

  T。Tembaromswungaboutandwalkedacrosstheroomwithasuddenlyperturbedexpression。

  “Say,“heputittohim,comingback,“areyouinearnest,orareyoujustsayingittogivemeajolt?“

  Palliserstudiedhim。TheAmericansharpnesswasnotalwayssokeenasitsometimesseemed。Hisfacewouldhavebetrayedhisuneasinesstothedullestonlooker。

  “Haveyouanyobjectiontomyseeinghiminhisownroom?“Palliserinquired。

  “Itdoeshimharmtoseepeople,“Tembaromsaid,withnervousbrusqueness。“Itworrieshim。”

  Pallisersmiledaquietbutfarfromagreeablesmile。Heenjoyedwhatheputintoit。

  “Quiteso;besttokeephimquiet,“hereturned。“Doyouknowwhatmyadvicewouldbe?Puthiminacomfortablesanatorium。Alotofstupidinvestigationswouldendinnothing,ofcourse,butthey”dbeafrightfulbore。”

  HethoughtitextraordinarilystupidinT。Tembaromtocomenearertohimwithananxiouseagernessentirelyunconcealed,ifhereallyknewwhathewasdoing。

  “Areyousurethatifyousawhimcloseyou”dKNOW,sothatyoucouldsweartohim?“hedemanded。

  “You”reextremelynervous,aren”tyou?“Palliserwatchedhimwithsmilingcoolness。“OfcourseJemTempleBarholmisdead;butI”venodoubtthatifIsawthismanofyours,Icouldswearhehadremaineddead——ifIwereasked。”

  “Ifyouknewhimwell,youcouldmakemesure。Youcouldswearonewayoranother。IwanttobeSURE,“saidTembarom。

  “SoshouldIinyourplace;couldn”tbetoosure。Well,sinceyouaskme,ICOULDswear。Iknewhimwellenough。Hewasoneofmymostintimateenemies。Whatdoyousaytolettingmeseehim?“

  “IwouldifIcould,“Tembaromreplied,asifthinkingitover。“I

  wouldifIcould。”

  Pallisertreatedhimtothefarfrompleasingsmileagain。

  “Butit”squiteimpossibleatpresent?“hesuggested。“Excitementisnotgoodforhim,andallthatsortofthing。Youwanttimetothinkitover。”

  Tembarom”sslowlyutteredanswer,spokenasifhewerestillconsideringthematter,wasfarfrombeingtheonehehadexpected。

  “Iwanttime;butthat”snotthereasonyoucan”tseehimrightnow。

  Youcan”tseehimbecausehe”snothere。He”sgone。”

  ThenitwasPalliserwhostarted,takentotallyunawareinamannerwhichdisgustedhimaltogether。Hehadtopullhimselfup。

  “He”sgone!“herepeated。“YouarequickerthanIthought。You”vegothimsafelyaway,haveyou?Well,Itoldyouacomfortablesanatoriumwouldbeagoodidea。”

  “Yes,youdid。”T。Tembaromhesitated,seemingtobethinkingitoveragain。“That”sso。”Helaidhispipeasidebecauseithadgoneout。

  Hesuddenlysatdownatthetable,puttinghiselbowsonitandhisfaceinhishands,withaharriedeffectofwantingtothinkitoverinasortofwithdrawalfromhisimmediatesurroundings。Thiswasasitshouldbe。HisYankeereadinesshaddesertedhimaltogether。

  “ByJove!youarenervous!“Pallisercommented。“It”snotsurprising,though。Icansympathizewithyou。”Withamarkedlycasualairhehimselfsatdownanddrewhisdocumentstowardhim。“Letustalkofsomethingelse,“hesaid。Hepreferredtobecasualandincidental,ifhewereallowed。Itwasalwaysbettertosuggestthingsandletthemsinkinuntilpeoplesawtheadvantageofconsideringthemandyou。Tomanageabusinessmatterwithoutopenargumentortoofrankadisplayofweaponswasatoncemorecomfortableandinbettertaste。

  “Youaremakingagreatmistakeinnotgoingintothis,“hesuggestedamiably。“YoucouldgoinnowasyouwentintoHutchinson”saffair,`onthegroundfloor。”That”sagoodenoughphrase,too。Twentythousandpoundswouldmakeyouamillion。YouAmericansunderstandnothinglessthanmillions。”

  ButT。Tembaromdidnottakehimup。Hemutteredinaworriedwayfrombehindhisshadinghands,“We”lltalkaboutthatlater。”

  “Whynottalkaboutitnow,beforeanythingcaninterfere?“Palliserpersistedpolitely,almostgently。

  Tembaromsprangup,restlessandexcited。Hehadplainlybeenplanningfastinhistemporaryseclusion。

  “I”mthinkingofwhatyousaidaboutLadyJoan,“heburstforth。“Say,she”sgonethroughallthisJemTempleBarholmthingonce;itabouthalfkilledher。Ifanyoneraisedfalsehopesforher,she”dgothroughitallagain。Onceisenoughforanywoman。”

  HiseffectatprofessingheatandstrongfeelingmadeasparkofamusementshowitselfinPalliser”seye。ItstruckhimasbeingpeculiarlyAmericaninitsaffectationofsentimentandchivalry。

  “Isee,“hesaid。“It”sLadyJoanyou”redisturbedabout。Youwanttospareheranothershock,Isee。Youareaconsideratefellow,aswellasamanofbusiness。”

  “Idon”twanthertobegintohopeif”

  “Verygoodtasteonyourpart。”Palliser”spoliteapprovalwasadmirable,buthetappedlightlyonthepaperafterexpressingit。“I

  don”twanttoseemtopressyouaboutthis,butdon”tyoufeelinclinedtoconsiderit?Icanassureyouthataninvestmentofthissortwouldbeagoodthingtodependoniftheunexpectedhappened。Ifyougavemeyourchecknow,itwouldbeCedricstockto-morrow,andquitesafe。Supposeyou”

  “I——Idon”tbelieveyouwereright——aboutwhatyouthought。”Thesharp-featuredfacewaschangingfrompaletored。“You”dhavetobeabletosweartoit,anyhow,andIdon”tbelieveyoucan。”HelookedatPalliserineagerandanxiousuncertainty。“Ifyoucould,“hedraggedout,“Ishouldn”thaveacheck-book。Wherewouldyoubethen?“

  “Ishouldbeincomfortablecircumstances,dearchap,andsowouldyouifyougavemethemoneyto-night,whileyoupossessacheck-book。Itwouldbeonlyasortoftemporaryloaninanycase,whateverturnedup。Theinvestmentwouldquadrupleitself。Butthereisnotimetobelost。Understandthat。”

  T。Tembarombrokeoutintoasortofboyishresentment。

  “Idon”tbelievehedidlooklikehim,anyhow,“hecried。“Ibelieveit”sallabluff。”Hiscrude-soundingyoungswaggerhadatouchoffinaldesperationinitasheturnedonPalliser。“I”mdeadsureit”sabluff。WhatafoolIwasnottothinkofthat!YouwanttobluffmeintogoingintothisCedricthing。Youcouldnomoreswearhewaslikehimthan——thanIcould。”

  Theoutright,presumptuous,boldstrippingbareofhisphrasesinfuriatedPallisertoosuddenlyandtoomuch。Hesteppeduptohimandlookedintohiseyes。

  “Bluffyou,youyoungbounder!“heflungoutathim。“You”relosingyourhead。You”renotinNewYorkstreetshere。Youaretalkingtoagentleman。No,“hesaidfuriously,“Icouldn”tswearthathewaslikehim,butwhatIcanswearinanycourtofjusticeisthatthemanI

  sawatthewindowwasJemTempleBarholm,andnoothermanonearth。”

  Whenhehadsaidit,hesawtheastonishingdoltchangehisexpressionutterlyagain,asifinaflash。Hestoodup,puttinghishandsinhispockets。Hisfacechanged,hisvoicechanged。

  “Fine!“hesaid。“First-rate!That”swhatIwantedtogetonto。”

  CHAPTERXXXIV

  Afterthisclimaxtheinterviewwasnotsolongasitwasinteresting。

  Twomenasfarapartasthepoles,asremotefromeachotherinmindandbody,intrainingandeducationorlackofit,indesiresandintentions,inpointsofviewandtrendofbeing,asnatureandcircumstancescouldmakethem,talkedinalanguageforeigntoeachotherofawildlystrangething。Palliser”sargumentsandpointsofaspectwerelessunknowntoT。TembaromthanhisownweretoPalliser。

  Hehadseensomethingverylikethembefore,thoughtheyhaddevelopedindifferentsurroundingsandhadbeendifferentlyexpressed。Thecolloquialism“You”renotdoingthatforyourhealth“canbemadetocovermuchgroundinthewayofthestrippingbareofmotivesforaction。Thiswaswhat,inexcellentandwell-chosenEnglish,CaptainPalliserfranklysaidtohishost。OfnothingwhichT。Tembaromsaidtohiminhisownstatementdidhebelieveonewordorsyllable。Thestatementinquestionwasnotlongordetailed。Itwas,ofcourse,Pallisersaw,aridiculouslyimpudentflingingtogetherofafarragoofnonsense,transparentinitseffortbeyondbelief。Beforehehadlistenedfiveminuteswiththedistinctly“nasty“smile,heburstoutlaughing。

  “Thatisagood`spiel”mydearchap,“hesaid。“It”sasgooda`spiel”asyourtypewriterfriendusedtorattleoffwhenhethoughthesawacustomer;butI”mnotacustomer。”

  Tembaromlookedathiminterestedlyforabouttenseconds。Hishandswerethrustintohistrouserspockets,aswashisalmostinvariablecustom。Absorptionandspeculation,evenemotionandexcitement,wereusuallyexpressedinthisunconventionalmanner。

  “Youdon”tbelieveadarnedwordofit,“washissoleobservation。

  “Notadarnedword,“Pallisersmiled。“Youaretryinga`bluff”whichdoesn”tdocredittoyourusualsharpness。It”sabluffthatisactuallysilly。Itmakesyoulooklikeanass。”

  “Well,it”strue,“saidTembarom;“it”strue。”

  Palliserlaughedagain。

  “Ionlysaiditmadeyoulooklikeanass,“heremarked。“Idon”tprofesstounderstandyoualtogether,becauseyouareanewspecies。

  Yourcombinationofignoranceandsharpnessisn”teasytocalculateon。ButthereisonethingIhavefoundout,andthatis,thatwhenyouwanttoplayaparticularsharptrickyouarewillingtoletpeopletakeyouforafool。I”llownyou”vedeceivedmeonceortwice,evenwhenIsuspectedyou。I”veheardthat”soneofthemostsuccessfulmethodsusedintheAmericanbusinessworld。That”swhyI

  onlysayyoulooklikeanass。Youareanassinsomerespects;butyouarelettingyourselflooklikeonenowforsomeshrewdend。Youeitherthinkyou”llslipoutofdangerbyitwhenImakethisdiscoverypublic,oryouthinkyou”llsomehowtrickmeintokeepingmymouthshut。”

  “Ineedn”ttrickyouintokeepingyourmouthshut,“Tembaromsuggested。“There”sastraightwaytodothat,ain”tthere?“AndheindelicatelywavedhishandtowardthedocumentspertainingtotheCedricCompany。

  Itwasstupidaswellasgross,inhishearer”sopinion。Ifhehadknownwhatwasgoodforhimhewouldhavebeencleverenoughtoignorethepracticalpresentationofhiscasemadehalfanhourorsoearlier。

  “No,thereisnot,“Palliserreplied,withserenemendacity。“Nosuggestionofthatsorthasbeenmade。Mybusinesspropositionwasgivenoutonanentirelydifferentbasis。You,ofcourse,choosetoputyourpersonalconstructionuponit。”

  “Geewhiz!“ejaculatedT。Tembarom。“Iwas”wayoff,wasn”tI?“

  “Itoldyouthatprofessingtobeanasswouldn”tbegoodenoughinthiscase。Don”tgoonwithit,“saidPalliser,sharply。

  “You”rethrowingbouquets。Letafellowbenatural,“saidTembarom。

  “Thatisbluff,too,“Palliserrepliedmoresharplystill。“Iamnottakeninbyit,boldasitis。Eversinceyoucamehere,youhavebeenplayingthisgame。Itwasyourfool”sgrinandguffawandpretenseofgoodnaturethatfirstmademesuspectyouofhavingsomethingupyoursleeve。Youweretoounembarrassedandcandid。”

  “Soyoubegantolookout,“Tembaromsaid,consideringhimcuriously,“justbecauseofthat。”Thensuddenlyhelaughedoutright,thefool”sguffaw。

  ItsomehowgavePalliserasortofpuzzledshock。Itwassoheartythatitremotelysuggestedthatheappearedmoresecurethanseemedpossible。Hetriedtoreplytohimwithalanguidcontemptofmanner。

  “Youthinkyouhavesometremendouslysharp`deal”inyourhand,“hesaid,“butyouhadbetterrememberyouareinEnglandwherefactsarelikesledge-hammers。Youcan”tdodgefromunderthemasyoucaninAmerica。Idaresayyouwon”tanswerme,butIshouldliketoaskyouwhatyouproposetodo。”

  “Idon”tknowwhatI”mgoingtodoanymorethanyoudo,“wastheunilluminatinganswer。“Idon”tmindtellingyouthat。”

  “Andwhatdoyouthinkhewilldo?“

  “I”vegottowaittillIfindout。I”mdoingit。ThatwaswhatItoldyou。Whatareyougoingtodo?“headdedcasually。

  “I”mgoingtoLincoln”sInnFieldstohaveaninterviewwithPalford&

  Grimby。”

  “That”sagoodenoughmove,“commentedTembarom,“ifyouthinkyoucanprovewhatyousay。You”vegottoprovethings,youknow。Icouldn”t,soIlaylowandwaited,justlikeItoldyou。”

  “Ofcourse,ofcourse,“Palliserhimselfalmostgrinnedinhisderision。“Youhaveonlybeenwaiting。”

  “Whenyou”vegottoproveathing,andhaven”tmuchtogoon,you”vegottowait,“saidT。Tembarom”towaitandkeepyourmouthshut,whateverhappens,andtoletyourselfbetakenforafoolorahorse-

  thiefisn”tasgilt-edgedajobasitseems。Butproof”swhatit”sbesttohavebeforeyouringupthecurtain。You”dhavetohaveityourself。SowouldPalford&Grimbybeforeit”dbestone-coldsafetorushthingsandaccuseamanofapenitentiaryoffense。”

  Hetookhisunconventionalhalf-seatontheedgeofthetable,withonefootonthefloorandtheotheronelightlyswinging。

  “Palford&Grimbyarecleveroldducks,andtheyknowthatmuch。Thingthey”dknowbestwouldbethattosetaraftofliesgoingaboutamanwho”sgotmoneyenoughtodefendhimself,andtomakethempaybigdamagesforitafterward,wouldbeprettybumbusiness。Iguesstheyknowallaboutwhatproofstandsfor。Theymayhavetowait;somayyou,sameasIhave。”

  PalliserrealizedthathewasinthepositionofamanstrikingatanadversarywhoseconstructionwasofIndia-rubber。Hestruckhome,butleftnobruiseanddrewnoblood,whichwasanirritatingthing。Helosthistemper。

  “Proof!“hejerkedout。“Therewillbeproofenough,andwhenitismadepublic,youwillnotcontrolthemoneyyouthreatentouse。”

  “Whenyougetproof,justyouletmehearaboutit,“T。Tembaromsaid。

  “AndallthemoneyI”mthreateningonshallgowhereitbelongs,andI”llgobacktoNewYorkandsellpapersifIhaveto。Itwon”tcomeashardasyouthink。”

  Theflippantinsolencewithwhichhebrazenedouthispretensethathehadnotlied,thathisridiculousromancewasactualandsimpletruth,suggesteddangerousreadinessofdeviceandsecretknowledgeofpowerwhichcouldbeadroitlyused。

  “Youaremerelymarkingtime,“saidPalliser,rising,withcolddeterminationtobejuggledwithnolonger。“Youhavehiddenhimawaywhereyouthinkyoucandoasyoupleasewithamanwhoisaninvalid。

  Thatisyourdodge。You”vegothimhiddensomewhere,andhisfriendshadbettergetathimbeforeitistoolate。”

  “I”mnotansweringquestionsthisevening,andI”mnotgivingaddresses,thoughtherearenowitnessestotakethemdown。Ifhe”shiddenaway,he”swherehewon”tbedisturbed,“wasT。Tembarom”srejoinder。“Youmaylayyourbottomdollaronthat。”

  Palliserwalkedtowardthedoorwithoutspeaking。Hehadalmostreacheditwhenhewhirledaboutinvoluntarily,arrestedbyashoutoflaughter。

  “Say,“announcedTembarom,“youmayn”tknowit,butthislay-outwouldmakeafirst-rateturninavaudeville。YouthinkI”mlying,IlooklikeI”mlying,IguesseverywordIsaysoundslikeI”mlying。Toafellowlikeyou,Iguessitcouldn”thelpbutsoundthatway。AndI”mnotlying。That”swherethejokecomesin。I”mnotlying。I”venottoldyouallIknowbecauseit”snoneofyourbusinessandwouldn”thelp;butwhatIhavetoldyouisthestone-coldtruth。”

  Hewaskeepingituptotheveryendwithadesperatedeterminationnottoletgohisholdofhisposeuntilhehadmadehisprivateshrewddeal,whatsoeveritwas。Atleast,soitstruckPalliser,whomerelysaid:

  “I”mleavingthehousebythefirsttrainto-morrowmorning。”Hefixedacoldgrayeyeonthefool”sgrin。

  “Sixforty-five,“saidT。Tembarom。“I”llorderthecarriage。Imightgoupmyself。”

  Thedoorclosed。

  Tembaromwaslookingcheerfulenoughwhenhewentintohisbedroom。Hehadbecomeusedtoitssizeandhadlearnedtofeelthatitwasagoodsortofplace。IthadthehallbedroomatMrs。Bowse”sboarding-house“beatentoafrazzle。”Therewasabouteverythinginitthatanymancouldhatchupanideahe”dliketohave。Hehadsleptluxuriouslyonthesplendidcarvedbedthroughlongnights,hehadlainawakeandthoughtoutthingsonit,hehadlainandwatchedthefire-lightflickeringontheceiling,ashethoughtaboutAnnandmadeplans,and“fixedup“theHarlemflatwhichcouldberunonfifteenper。HehadpickedoutthepiecesoffurniturefromtheSundayEarthadvertisementsheet,andhadsetthemintheirplaces。Healwayssawthesix-dollarmahogany-stainedtablesetforsupper,withAnnatoneendandhimselfattheother。Hehadgrownactuallyfondoftheoldroombecauseofthesilenceandcomfortofit,whichtendedtogiverealitytohisdreams。Pearson,whohadceasedtolookanxious,andwhohadacquiredfreshaccomplishmentsintheformofanentirelynewsetofduties,waswaiting,andhandedhimatelegram。

  “Thisjustarrived,sir,“heexplained。“Jamesbroughtitherebecausehethoughtyouhadcomeup,andIdidn”tsenditdownbecauseIheardyouonthestairs。”

  “That”sright。Thankyou,Pearson,“hismastersaid。

  Hetoretheyellowenvelop,andreadthemessage。InamomentPearsonknewitwasnotanordinarymessage,andthereforeremainedmorethanordinarilyimpassiveofexpression。Hedidnotevenaskofhimselfwhatitmightconvey。

  Mr。TempleBarholmstoodstillafewseconds,withthelookofamanwhomustthinkandthinkrapidly。

  “WhatisthenexttraintoLondon,Pearson?“heasked。

  “Thereisoneattwelvethirty-six,sir,“heanswered。“It”sthelasttillsixinthemorning。YouhavetochangeatCrowley。”

  “You”realwaysready,Pearson,“returnedMr。TempleBarholm。“Iwanttogetthattrain。”

  Pearsonwasalwaysready。Beforethelastwordwasquitespokenhehadturnedandopenedthebedroomdoor。

  “I”llorderthedog-cart;that”squickest,sir,“hesaid。Hewasoutoftheroomandinagainalmostimmediately。ThenhewasatthewardrobeandtakingoutwhatMr。TempleBarholmcalledhis“grip,“butwhatPearsonknewasaGladstonebag。Itwasalwayskeptreadypackedforunexpectedemergenciesoftravel。

  Mr。TempleBarholmsatatthetableanddrewpenandpapertowardhim。

  Helookedexcited;helookedmoretroubledthanPearsonhadseenhimlookbefore。

  “Thewire”sfromSirOrmsbyGalloway,Pearson,“hesaid。

  “It”saboutMr。Strangeways。He”sdonewhatIusedtobealwayswatchingoutagainst:he”sdisappeared。”

  “Disappeared,sir!“criedPearson,andalmostdroppedtheGladstonebag。“Ibegpardon,sir。Iknowthere”snotimetolose。”Hesteadiedthebagandwentonwithhistaskwithouteventurninground。

  Hismasterwasinsomedifficulty。Hebegantowrite,andafterdashingoffafewwords,stopped,andtorethemup。

  “No,“hemuttered,“thatwon”tdo。There”snotimetoexplain。”Thenhebeganagain,buttoreuphisnextlinesalso。

  “Thatsaystoomuchandnotenough。It”dfrightenthelifeoutofher。”

  Hewroteagain,andendedbyfoldingthesheetandputtingitintoanenvelop。

  “ThisisamessageforMissAlicia,“hesaidtoPearson。“Giveittoherinthemorning。Idon”twanthertoworrybecauseIhadtogoinahurry。Tellhereverything”sgoingtobeallright;butyouneedn”tmentionthatanything”shappenedtoMr。Strangeways。”

  “Yes,sir,“answeredPearson。

  Mr。TempleBarholmwasalreadymovingabouttheroom,doingoddthingsforhimselfrapidly,andhewentonspeaking。

  “IwantyouandRosetoknow,“hesaid,“thatwhateverhappens,youarebothfixedallright——bothofyou。I”veseentothat。”

  “Thankyou,sir,“Pearsonfaltered,madeuneasybysomethingnewinhistone。“Yousaidwhateverhappened,sir”

  “Whateveroldthinghappens,“hismastertookhimup。

  “Nottoyou,sir。Oh,Ihope,sir,thatnothing”

  Mr。TempleBarholmputacheerfulhandonhisshoulder。

  “Nothing”sgoingtohappenthat”llhurtanyone。Thingsmaychange,that”sall。YouandRoseareallright,MissAlicia”sallright,I”mallright。Comealong。Gottocatchthattrain。””

  Inthismannerhetookhisdeparture。

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