THEbattlewasover,andthevictorremainedonthefield——sittingalonewiththehurly-burlyofhisthoughts。
Histriumphwassosweepingandcomprehensiveastobesomewhatshapelesstotheview。Hehadasenseoffascinatedpainwhenhetriedtodefinetohimselfwhatitslimitswouldprobablybe。Vistasofunchecked,expandingconqueststretchedawayineverydirection。
Heheldathismercyeverythingwithinsight。Indeed,itrestedentirelywithhimtosaywhetherthereshouldbeanysuchthingasmercyatall——anduntilhechosetouttertherestrainingwordtheroutofthevanquishedwouldgoonwithmultiplyingterrorsandruin。Hecouldcrushandtortureanddespoilhisenemiesuntilhewastired。
Theresponsibilityofhavingtodecidewhenhewouldstopgrindingtheirfacesmightcometoweighuponhimlateron,buthewouldnotgiveitroominhismindto-night。
Apictureofthesefacesofhisvictimsshapeditselfoutoftheflamesinthegrate。Theyweremouldedinafamilylikeness,thesephantomvisages:theywereallJewish,allmalignant,alldistortedwithfright。
Theyimploredhimwitheyesinwhichpanicasserteditselfaboverageandcunning。Onlyhereandtheredidherecallanamewithwhichtolabeloneofthesecountenances;
veryfewofthemraisedamemoryofindividualrancour。
Thefaceswerethoseofmenhehadseen,nodoubt,buttheirpersecutionofhimhadbeenimpersonal;
hisgreatrevengewasequallyso。Ashelooked,intruth,therewasonlyoneface——acompositemaskofwhathehaddonebattlewith,andoverthrown,andwouldtrampleimplacablyunderfoot。Hestaredwithaconqueror\'scoldfrownatit,andgaveanabruptlaughwhichstartedharshechoesinthestillnessoftheBoardRoom。Thenheshookoffthereverie,andgottohisfeet。Heshiveredalittleatthesuddentouchofachill。
Abottleofbrandy,surroundedbyglasses,stoodonthetablewherethetwoleast-consideredofhislieutenants,thedummyDirectors,hadleftit。Hepouredasmallquantityandsippedit。Duringthewholeeventfuldayithadnotoccurredtohimbeforetodrink;thetasteoftheneatliquorseemedontheinstanttocalmandrefreshhisbrain。
Withmoredeliberation,hetookacigarfromthebroad,floridly-decoratedopenboxbesidethebottle,litit,andblewalongdraughtofsmokethoughtfullythroughhisnostrils。Thenheputhishandsinhispockets,lookedagainintothefire,andsighedawonderingsmile。
Godinheaven!itwasactuallytrue!
Thismanoffortyfoundhimselfflutteringwithanovelexhilaration,whichyetwasnotnovel。Uponreflection,heperceivedthathefeltasifhewereaboyagain——aboyexcitedbypleasure。Itsurprisedasmuchasitdelightedhimtoexperiencethisfrankanddirectjoyofachild。Hecaughttheinklingofanideathatperhapshisyearswereanillusion。Hehadlatterlybeenthinkingofhimselfasmiddle-aged;thegreyhairsthickeningathistempleshadvaguelydepressedhim。
Nowallatoncehesawthathewasnotoldatall。
Thebuoyancyofveritableyouthbubbledinhisveins。
Hebeganwalkingupanddowntheroom,regardingnewhalcyonvisionswithasparklingeye。Hewasnolongerconsciousofthehatedfoebeneathhisfeet;theytrodinsteadelasticupontheclouds。
Thesoundofsomeonemovingaboutinthehallwayoutside,andoftryingadoornearby,suddenlycaughthisattention。
Hestoodstillandlistenedwithalertnessforasurprisedinstant,thenshruggedhisshouldersandbeganmovingagain。
Itmustbenearlyseveno\'clock;althoughtheallotmentworkhadkepttheclerkslaterthanusualthatday,everybodyconnectedwiththeofficeshadcertainlygonehome。
Herealizedthathisnerveshadplayedhimatrickingivingthatalarmedmomentarystart——andsmiledalmosttenderlyasherememberedhownotableandevengloriousawarrantthosenerveshadfortheirunsettledstate。
Theywouldbeallrightafteranight\'srealrest。
HewouldknowhowtosleepNOW,thankGod!
Butyes——therewassomebodyoutside——andthistimeknockingwithassuranceattherightdoor,theentrancetotheouteroffice。Afterasecond\'sconsideration,hewentintothisunlightedouteroffice,andcalledoutthroughtheopaqueglassanenquiry。Thesoundofhisvoice,asitanalyzeditselfinhisownears,seemedundulyperemptory。Theanswerwhichcamebackbroughtaflashofwondermenttohiseyes。Hehurriedlyunlockedandopenedthedoor。
\"IsawthelightsinwhatImadeouttobetheBoardRoom,\"
saidthenewcomer,asheentered。\"Iassumeditmustbeyou。
HopeIdon\'tinterruptanything。\"
\"Nothingcouldhavegivenmegreaterpleasure,LordPlowden,\"
repliedtheother,leadingthewaybacktotheinnerapartment。
\"Infact,Icouldn\'thaveaskedanythingbetter。\"
Thetoneofhisvoicehadacertainanxiousnoteinitnotquiteinharmonywiththisdeclaration。Heturned,underthedrop-lightoverhangingtheBoard-table,andshookhandswithhisguest,asiftoatoneforthisdoubtfulaccent。
\"Ishakehandswithyouagain,\"hesaid,speakingrapidly,\"becausethisafternoonitwaswhatyoumaycallformal;
itdidn\'tcount。And——myGod!——you\'rethemanIoweitallto。\"
\"Oh,youmustn\'tgoasfarasthat——evenintheabsenceofwitnesses,\"repliedLordPlowden,lightly。\"I\'lltakeoffmycoatforafewminutes,\"hewenton,verymuchathisease。\"It\'shotinhere。It\'sbythemerestchanceIhappenedtobedetainedintheCity——andIsawyourlights,andthisafternoonwehadnoopportunitywhateverforaquiettalk。No——Iwon\'tdrinkanythingbeforedinner,butI\'lllightacigar。Iwanttosaytoyou,Thorpe,\"heconcluded,asheseatedhimself\"thatIthinkwhatyou\'vedoneisverywonderful。
TheMarquisthinkssotoo——butIshouldn\'tliketoswearthatheunderstandsmuchaboutit。\"
Theimplicationthatthespeakerdidunderstandremainedintheairlikeatangibleobject。Thorpetookachair,andthetwomenexchangedasilent,intentlook。
Theirfaces,duskyredonthesideoftheglowfromthefire,pallidwheretheelectriclightfellslantwiseuponthemfromabove,hadforamomentamysterioussomethingincommon。Thenthetensionoftheglancewasrelaxed——andontheinstantnotwomeninLondonlookedlessalike。
LordPlowdenwasfamiliarlyspokenofasahandsomeman。
ThorpehadevenheardhimcalledthehandsomestmaninEngland——thoughthisseemedinalllikelihoodanexaggeration。
Buthandsomeheundoubtedlywas——tallwithoutsuggestingthethoughtofheighttotheobserver,erectyetgraceful,powerfullybuilt,whilepreservingtheeffectofslenderness。
Hisfaceinreposehadtheoutlineofthemoreyouthfulguardsman-type——regular,finely-cut,impassivetohardness。
Whenhetalked,orfollowedwithinterestthetalkofothers,itrevealedalmostanexcessofanimation。
Thenonenotedtheflashingsubtletyofhisglance,theswiftfacilityofhissmileandcomprehendingbrows,andsawthatitwasnottheguardsmanfaceatall。
Hisskinwasfresh-hued,andtherewasashadeofwarmbrowninhissmall,well-orderedmoustasche,buthishair,wavyandwornlongerthanthefashion,seemedblack。
Therewereperceptibleveinsofgreyinit,thoughhehadonlyenteredhisthirty-fifthyear。Hewasdressedhabituallywiththeutmostpossiblecare。
Thecontrastbetweenthispersonageandtheoldermanconfrontinghimwasabrupt。Thorpewasalsotall,butofaburlyandslouchingfigure。Hisface,shroudedinahigh-growing,dust-colouredbeard,invitednoattention。Oneseemedalwaystohaveknownthisface——thick-featured,immobile,undistinguished。
Itsaccessoriesforthetimebeingwereevenmorethanordinarilyunimpressive。Bothhairandbeardwereraggedwithneglect。Hiscommonplace,darkclotheslookedasifhehadsleptinthem。Thehandsrestingonhisbigkneeswerecoarseinshape,androughened,andill-kept。
\"Icouldn\'thaveaskedanythingbetterthanyourdroppingin,\"herepeatednow,speakingwithadrag,asofcaution,onhiswords。\"Witnessesornowitnesses,I\'manxioustohaveyouunderstandthatIrealizewhatIowetoyou。\"
\"Ionlywishitwereagreatdealmorethanitis,\"
repliedtheother,withafranksmile。
\"Oh,it\'llmountuptoconsiderable,asitstands,\"
saidThorpe。
Hecouldhearthattherewasakindofreservationinhisvoice;thesuspicionthathiscompaniondetecteditembarrassedhim。Hefoundhimselfinthepositionoffencingwithamantowhomallhisfeelingsimpelledhimtobeperfectlyopen。Hepaused,andwasawkwardlyconsciousofconstraintinthesilencewhichensued。
\"Youareverykindtoputitinthatway,\"saidLordPlowden,atlast。Heseemedalsotobefindingwordsforhisthoughtswithacertaindifficulty。Heturnedhiscigarroundinhiswhitefingersmeditatively。\"Igatherthatyoursuccesshasbeencomplete——ascompleteasyouyourselfcouldhavedesired。Icongratulateyouwithallmyheart。\"
\"No——don\'tsaymysuccess——sayoursuccess,\"putinThorpe。
\"But,mydearman,\"theothercorrectedhim,\"myinterest,comparedwithyours,ishardlymorethannominal。
I\'maDirector,ofcourse,andI\'mnotdispleasedthatmyfewsharesshouldbeworthsomethinginsteadofnothing,but——\"
Thorpeliftedoneofhisheavyhands。\"Thatisn\'tmyviewofthethingatall。Tobefrank,Iwasturningoverinmymind,justawhileago,beforeyoucamein,somewayofarrangingallthatonadifferentfooting。
Ifyou\'lltrustittome,Ithinkyou\'llfindit\'sallright。\"
SomethingintheformofthisremarkseemedtorestoretoLordPlowdenhisaccustomedfluencyofspeech。
\"Icameheretosaypreciselythatthing,\"hebegan——\"thatIdotrustittoyou。Wehaveneverhadanyverydefinitetalkonthesubject——andpraydon\'tthinkthatIwanttogointodetailsnow。I\'dmuchrathernot,infact。
ButwhatIdowanttosaytoyouisthis:Ibelieveinyou。Ifeelsurethatyouaregoingtogofar,asthesayingis。Well,Iwanttotiemyselftoyourstar。
DoyouseewhatImean?Youaregoingtobeapowerinfinance。Youaregoingtobeabletomakeandunmakemenasyouchoose。Ishouldbeverymuchobligedindeedifyouwouldmakeme。\"
Thorperegardedthehandsomeandtitledmanoffashionwithwhatseemedtotheotheralethargicgaze。Intruth,hismindwastoilingwithstrenuousactivitytomaster,inallitsbearings,thesignificanceofwhathadbeensaid。
Thishabitoftheabstractedandlack-lustreeye,thewhilehewashardatworkthinking,wasafortuitousassetwhichhehadneveruptothattimelearnedthathepossessed。Unconsciously,hedampenedthespiritsofhiscompanion。
\"Don\'timagineI\'mtryingtoforcemyselfuponyou,\"
LordPlowdensaid,growingcoolinthefaceofthisslowstare。
\"I\'maskingnothingatall。Ihadtheimpulsetocomeandsaytoyouthatyouareagreatman,andthatyou\'vedoneagreatthing——anddoneit,moreover,inaverygreatway。\"
\"Youknowhowitwasdone!\"ThewonderingexclamationforceditselffromThorpe\'sunreadylips。Hebentforwardalittle,andtookanewvisualhold,asitwere,ofhiscompanion\'scountenance。
LordPlowdensmiled。\"DidyouthinkIwassuchahopelessduffer,then?\"herejoined。
Foranswer,Thorpeleantbackinhischair,crossedhislegs,andpattedhiskneecontentedly。Allatoncehisfacehadlightened;agenialspeculationreturnedtohisgreyeyes。
\"Well,Iwasinacuriouspositionaboutyou,yousee,\"
hebegantoexplain。Thereliefwithwhichhespokewaspalpable。\"Icouldnotforthelifeofmemakeupmymindwhethertotellyouaboutitornot。Let\'ssee——thisisThursday;didIseeyouTuesday?Atanyrate,theschemedidn\'tdawnonmemyselfuntiltowardeveningTuesday。
Butyesterday,ofcourse,Icouldhavetoldyou——andagainthisafternoon——but,asIsay,Icouldn\'tmakeupmymind。
OnceIhaditonthetipofmytongue——butsomehowIdidn\'t。
Andyou——younevergavemeahintthatyousawwhatwasgoingon。\"
AgainLordPlowdensmiled。\"Ivotedwithyou,\"heputinsoftly。
Thorpelaughed,andrelithiscigar。\"Well,Icouldn\'thaveaskedanythingbetterthanthis,\"hedeclaredonceagain。
\"Itbeatsalltherestputtogether,tomymind。\"
\"PerhapsIdon\'tquitefollowyourmeaning,\"commentedtheothertentatively。
\"Whyman,\"Thorpeexplained,hesitatingalittleinhischoiceofwords,butspeakingwithevidentfervour;
\"Iwasmoreanxiousaboutyou——andthewayyou\'dtakeit——
thanaboutanythingelse。IgiveyoumywordIwas。
Icouldn\'ttellatallhowyou\'dfeelaboutthething。
Youmightthinkthatitwasallright,andthenagainyoumightroundonme——orno,Idon\'tmeanquitethat——
butyoumightsayitwasn\'tgoodenoughforyou,andwashyourhandsofthewholeaffair。AndIcan\'ttellyouwhatareliefitistofindthatyou——thatyou\'resatisfied。
NowIcangoahead。\"
\"Ah,yes——ahead,\"saidtheyoungerman,thoughtfully。
\"Doyoumindtellingme——youseeI\'mquiteinthedarkastodetails——howmuchfurtheraheadwearelikelytogo?Icomprehendthegeneralnatureofouradvance——
buthowfaroffisthegoalyouhaveinsight?\"
\"Godknows!\"answeredThorpe,witharisingthrillofexcitementinhisvoice。\"Idon\'tgiveitanylimit。
Idon\'tseewhyweshouldstopatall。We\'vegottheminsuchapositionthat——why,goodheavens!wecansqueezethemtodeath,crushthemlikequartz。\"
Hechuckledgrimlyatthesuggestionofhissimile。
\"We\'llgetmoreouncestothetonoutofourcrushingsthantheyeverheardofontheRand,too。\"
\"MightIask,\"interposedtheother,\"whomay\'they\'be?\"
Thorpehesitated,andknittedhisbrowsintheefforttoremembernames。\"Oh,therearealotofthem,\"
hesaid,vaguely。\"IthinkItoldyouofthewaythatKaffircrowdpretendedtothinkwellofme,andletmebelievetheyweregoingtotakemeup,andthen,becauseIwouldn\'tgivethemeverything——theveryshirtoffmyback——turnedandputtheirknifeintome。
Idon\'tknowthemapart,hardly——they\'veallgotnameslikeRhinewines——butIknowthegangasawhole,andifI
don\'tlifttheroofcleanofftheirparticularsynagogue,thenmynameismud。\"
LordPlowdensmiled。\"I\'vealwaysthegreatestdifficultytorememberthatyouareanEnglishman——aLondonerborn,\"
hedeclaredpleasantly。\"Youdon\'ttalkintheleastlikeone。OnshipboardImadesureyouwereanAmerican——averycharacteristicone,Ithought——ofsomecuriousWesternvariety,youknow。Ineverwasmoresurprisedinmylifethanwhenyoutoldme,theotherday,thatyouonlyleftEnglandafewyearsago。\"
\"Oh,hardlya\'fewyears\';morelikefifteen,\"Thorpecorrectedhim。Hestudiedhiscompanion\'sfacewithslowdeliberation。
\"I\'mgoingtosaysomethingthatyoumustn\'ttakeamiss,\"
heremarked,afteralittlepause。\"Ifyou\'dknownthatI
wasanEnglishman,whenwefirstmet,thereonthesteamer,Ikindo\'suspectthatyouandI\'dneverhavegotmuchbeyondanoddingacquaintance——andeventhatmostlyonmyside。
Idon\'tmeanthatIintendedtoconcealanything——thatis,notspecially——butI\'veoftenthoughtsincethatitwasamightygoodthingIdid。Nowisn\'tthattrue——thatifyouhadtakenmeforoneofyourowncountrymenyou\'dhavegivenmethecoldshoulder?\"
\"Idaresaythere\'sagooddealinwhatyousay,\"
theotheradmitted,gentlyenough,butwithoutcontrition。
\"Thingsnaturallyshapethemselvesthatway,rather,youknow。Iftheydidn\'t,whythenthewholepositionwouldbecomedifficult。ButyouareanAmerican,toallintentsandpurposes。\"
\"Oh,no——Inevertookanysteptowardsgettingnaturalized,\"
Thorpeprotested。\"Ialwaysintendedtocomebackhere。
Orno,Iwon\'tsaythat——becausemostofthetimeI
wasdog-poor——andthisisn\'ttheplaceforapoorman。
ButIalwayssaidtomyselfthatifeverIpulleditoff——ifIeverfoundmyselfarichman——THENI\'dcomepikingacrosstheAtlanticasfastastriple-expansionengineswouldcarryme。\"
Theyoungmansmiledagain,withawhimsicalgleaminhiseye。\"AndyouAREarichman,now,\"heobserved,afteramomentarypause。
\"Wearebothrichmen,\"repliedThorpe,gravely。
Heheldupadissuadinghand,astheotherwouldhavespoken。
\"Thisishowitseemstomethethingfiguresitselfout:
Itcan\'tbesaidthatyournameontheBoard,ortheMarquis\'seither,wasofmuchusesofarasthepublicwereconcerned。Totellthetruth,Isawsometimeagothattheywouldn\'tbe。TitlesonprospectusesareplayedoutinLondon。I\'veratheranotion,indeed,thatthey\'reapttodomoreharmthangood——justatpresent,atleast。
Butallthataside——youarethemanwhowasciviltomeatthestart,whenyouknewnothingwhateveraboutmyscheme,andyouarethemanwhowasgoodtomelateron,whenIdidn\'tknowwheretoturnforafriendlyword。
Verywell;hereIam!I\'vemademycoup!AndI\'dbeasweep,wouldn\'tI?toforgetto-daywhatIwassogladtorememberaweekago。Butyousee,Idon\'tforget!ThecapitaloftheCompanyis500,000pounds,allinpoundshares。
Weofferedthepubliconlyafifthofthem。Theotherfourhundredthousandsharesaremineasvendor——andI
haveear-markedinmymindonehundredthousandofthemtobeyours。\"
LordPlowden\'sfacepaledatthesignificanceofthesewords。
\"Itistoomuch——youdon\'treflectwhatitisyouaresaying,\"hemurmuredconfusedly。\"Notabitofit,\"
theotherreassuredhim。\"EverythingthatI\'vesaidgoes。\"
Thepeer,tremblingalittle,rosetohisfeet。\"Itisapreposterouslybigrewardforthemerestactofcourtesy,\"
heinsisted。\"Ofcourseittakesmybreathawayforjoy——andyetIfeelIoughtn\'ttobeconsentingtoitatall。
Andithasitsunpleasantside——itburiesmeunderamountainofobligation。Idon\'tknowwhattodoorwhattosay。\"
\"Well,leavethesayinganddoingtome,then,\"repliedThorpe,withagesturebeforewhichtheotherresumedhisseat。
\"Justawordmore——andthenIsupposewe\'dbetterbegoing。
Lookatitinthisway。YourgrandfatherwasLordChancellorofEngland,andyourfatherwasaGeneralintheCrimea。Mygrandfatherkeptasmallsecond-handbook-shop,andmyfatherfollowedhiminthebusiness。
Inonesense,thatputsustenthousandmilesapart。
Butinanothersense,we\'llsaythatwelikeeachother,andthattherearewaysinwhichwecanbeofimmenseusetoeachother,andthatbringsusclosetogether。
Youneedmoney——andhereitisforyou。Ineed——whatshallIsay?——akindoffriendlyleadinthematterofestablishingmyselfontherightfooting,amongtherightpeople——andthat\'swhatyoucandoforme。
Mind——I\'dprefertoputitallinquiteanotherway;
I\'dliketosayitwasallnicenessonyourpart,allgratitudeonmine。Butifyouwanttoconsideritonabusinessbasis——whythereyouhaveitalso——perfectlyplainandclear。\"
Hegotupashefinished,andLordPlowdenroseaswell。
Thetwomenshookhandsinsilence。
Whenthelatterspoke,itwastosay:\"Doyouknowhowtoopenoneofthosesoda-waterbottles?I\'vetried,butIcannevergetthetrick。IthinkIshouldliketohaveadrink——afterthis。\"
Whentheyhadputdowntheirglasses,andtheyoungermanwasgettingintohisgreat-coat,Thorpebestowedthebrandyandcigarswithinacabinetatthecorneroftheroom,andcarefullyturnedakeyuponthem。
\"Ifyou\'regoingWest,letmegiveyoualift,\"
saidLordPlowden,hatinhand。\"Icansetyoudownwhereveryoulike。UnfortunatelyI\'vetogoouttodinner,andImustrace,asitis,togetdressed。\"
Thorpeshookhishead。\"No,goalong,\"hebadehim。
\"I\'vesomeoddsandendsofthingstodoontheway。\"
\"ThenwhenshallIseeyou?\"——begantheother,andhaltedsuddenlywithanewthoughtinhisglance。\"ButwhatareyoudoingSaturday?\"heasked,inabriskertone。
\"It\'sadiesnonhere。Comedownwithmeto-morrowevening,tomyplaceinKent。WewillshootonSaturday,anddriveaboutonSunday,ifyoulike——andtherewecantalkatourleisure。Yes,thatiswhatyoumustdo。
Ihaveagunforyou。Shallwesay,then——CharingCrossat9:55?Orbetterstill,say5:15,andwewilldineathome。\"
Theeldermanponderedhisanswer——frowningattheproblembeforehimwithvisibleanxiety。\"I\'mafraidI\'dbetternotcome——it\'sverygoodofyouallthesame。\"
\"Nonsense,\"retortedtheother。\"Mymotherwillbeverygladindeedtoseeyou。Thereisnooneelsethere——unless,perhaps,mysisterhassomefrienddown。
Weshallmakeapurelyfamilyparty。\"
Thorpehesitatedforonlyafurthersecond。\"Allright。
CharingCross,5:15,\"hesaidthen,withthegravebrevityofonewhoannouncesamomentousdecision。
Hestoodstill,lookingintothefire,forafewmomentsafterhiscompanionhadgone。Then,goingtoaclosetattheendoftheroom,hebroughtforthhiscoatandhat;
somethingpromptedhimtoholdthemup,andscrutinizethemunderthebrightlightoftheelectricglobe。Heputthemon,then,withasmile,half-scornful,half-amused,playinginhisbeard。
ThetouchofabuttonprecipitateddarknessupontheBoardRoom。
Hemadehiswayout,anddownstairstothestreet。
Itwasarainy,windyOctobernight,sloppyunderfoot,drippingoverhead。Atthecornerbeforehim,acabman,motionlessunderhisunshapelycoveredhatandglisteningrubbercape,satperchedaloftonhisseat,apparentlyasleep。
Thorpehailedhim,withaperemptorytone,andgavethebrusqueorder,\"Strand!\"asheclamberedintothehansom。
CHAPTERII
\"LOUISA,thelongandshortofitisthis,\"saidThorpe,halfanhourlater:\"youneverdidbelieveinme,asasistershoulddo。\"
Hewasseatedalonewiththissister,inasmall,low,ratherdismally-appointedroom,half-heartedlylightedbytwoflickeringgasjets。Theysatsomewhatapart,confrontingafireplace,whereonlythelaidmaterialsforafiredisclosedthemselvesinthecoldgrate。Abovethemantelhunganenlargedphotographofascowlingoldman。
Thorpe\'sgazerecurredautomaticallyatbriefintervalstothisportrait——whichsomehowproducedtheeffectuponhimofresponsibilityforthecheerlessnessoftheroom。
Therewereotherpicturesonthewallsofwhichhewasdimlyconscious——small,faded,oldprintsaboutDidoandAEneasandAgamemnon,whichseemedtobecomingbacktohimoutofthemistsofhischildhood。
Vagrantimpressionsandassociationsofthischildhoodstrayedwithquaintinconsequenceacrossthefieldofhispreoccupiedmind。Thepeculiarodouroftheancientbook-shoponthefloorbelowremainedlikesnuffinhisnostrils。
Somewhereunderneath,orinthewainscotingattheside,hecouldheartheassiduousgnawingofarat。Wasitthesamerat,hewonderedwithamentalgrin,thatusedtokeephimawakenights,inoneoftheroomsnexttothis,withthatsamefoolishnoise,whenhewasaboy?
\"Iknowyoualwayssaythat,\"repliedLouisa,impassively。
Shewasyearsolderthanherbrother,but,withoutatraceofartificeorintention,contrivedtolooktheyoungerofthetwo。Herthickhair,drawnsimplyfromhertemplesintoaknotbehind,wasofthatpalestbrownwhichassimilatesgrey。Herface,long,plain,masculineincontourandspirit,conveyednomessageastoyears。
Longandspareoffigure,shesatuprightinherstraight-backedchair,withherlarge,capablehandsonherknees。
\"Ibelievedinyouasmuchasyou\'dletme,\"shewenton,indifferently,almostwearily。\"ButIdon\'tseethatitmatteredtoyouwhetherIdidordidn\'t。Youwentyourownway:youdidwhatyouwantedtodo。WhathadItodowithit?Idon\'tsupposeIevenknewwhatpartoftheworldyouwereinmorethanonceintwoorthreeyears。
HowshouldIknowwhetheryouweregoingtosucceed,whenIdidn\'tevenknowwhatitwasyouwereat?Certainlyyouhadn\'tsucceededhereinLondon——butelsewhereyoumightoryoumightnot——howcouldItell?Andmoreover,Idon\'tfeelthatIknowyouverywell;you\'vegrownintosomethingverydifferentfromtheboyJoelthatlefttheshop——itmustbetwentyyearsago。Icanonlyknowaboutyouandyouraffairswhatyoutellme。\"
\"Butmypointis,\"pursuedThorpe,watchingherfacewithacuriouslyintentglance,\"youneversaidtoyourself:
\'IKNOWhe\'sgoingtosucceed。IKNOWhe\'llbearichmanbeforehedies。\'\"
Sheshookherheaddispassionately。Hermannerexpressedfatiguedfailuretocomprehendwhyhewasmakingsomuchofthispurposelesspoint。
\"No——Idon\'tremembereverhavingsaidthattomyself,\"
sheadmitted,listlessly。Thenacommentuponhiswordsoccurredtoher,andshespokewithmoreanimation:
\"Youdon\'tseemtounderstand,Joel,thatwhatwasveryimportanttoyou,didn\'toccupymeatall。Youwerealwaystalkingaboutgettingrich;youkepttheideabeforeyouofsometime,atastroke,findingyourselfamillionaire。That\'sbeentheideaofyourlife。
ButwhatdoIknowaboutallthat?Myworkhasbeentokeeparoofovermyhead——tokeepthelittlebusinessfromdisappearingaltogether。It\'sbeenhardenough,Icantellyou,theselastfewyears,withthebigjobberscuttingtheheartsoutofthesmalltraders。
Ihadtheinvalidhusbandtosupportforbetweenthreeandfouryears——adeadweightonmeeveryweek——andthenthechildrentolookafter,toclotheandeducate。\"
Atthelastwordshehesitatedsuddenly,andlookedathim。\"Don\'tthinkI\'mungrateful\"——shewenton,withatroubledeffortatasmile——\"butIalmostwishyou\'dneversentmethatfourhundredpoundsatall。
Whatitmeansisthatthey\'vehadtwoyearsatschoolswherenowIshan\'tbeabletokeepthemanylonger。
They\'llbespoiledformykindoflife——andtheywon\'thaveafairchanceforanyother。Idon\'tknowwhatwillbecomeofthem。\"
Theprofoundapprehensioninthemother\'svoicedidnotdullthegleaminThorpe\'seyes。Heevenbeganasmileintheshadowsofhisunkemptmoustache。
\"ButwhenIsentthatmoney,forexample,twoyearsago,andover,\"hepersisted,doggedly——\"andItoldyouthere\'dbemorewherethatcamefrom,andthatIstoodtopulloffthegreatevent——eventhen,now,youdidn\'tbelieveinyourinnermostheartthatIknewwhatIwastalkingabout,didyou?\"
Shefrownedwithimpatienceassheturnedtowardhim。
\"Forheaven\'ssake,Joel,\"shesaid,sharply——\"youbecomeaborewiththatstupidnonsense。Iwanttobepatientwithyou——Idoindeedsympathizewithyouinyourmisfortunes——youknowthatwellenough——butyou\'reverytiresomewiththateternalharpingonwhatIbelievedandwhatIdidn\'tbelieve。Now,areyougoingtostoptosupperornot?——becauseifyouareImustsendthemaidout。
Andthere\'sanotherthing——woulditbeofanyhelptoyoutobringyourthingsherefromthehotel?YoucanhaveAlfred\'sroomaswellasnot——tillChristmas,atleast。\"
\"SupposingIcouldn\'tgetmyluggageoutofthehoteltillI\'dsettledmybill,\"suggestedThorpetentatively,inamuffledvoice。
Thepracticalwomanreflectedforaninstant。
\"Iwasthinking,\"sheconfessedthen,\"thatitmightbecheapertoleaveyourthingsthere,andbuywhatlittleyouwant——Idon\'timagine,fromwhatI\'veseen,thatyourwardrobeissoveryvaluable——butno,Isupposethebilloughttobepaid。Perhapsitcanbemanaged;
howmuchwillitbe?\"
Thorpemusinglyrosetohisfeet,andstrolledovertoherchair。Withhisthickhandsonhissister\'sshouldershestoopedandkissedherontheforehead。
\"Youbelieveinmenow,anyway,eh,Lou?\"hesaid,ashestraightenedhimselfbehindher。
Theunaccustomedcaress——sodifferentincharacterfromtheperfunctorysalutewithwhichhehadgreetedheronhisarrivalfromforeignparts,sixmonthsbefore——
broughtaflushofpleasedsurprisetoherplainface。
Thenakindofbewildermentcreptintotheabstractedgazeshewasbendinguponthefirelessgrate。
Somethingextraordinary,unaccountable,wasinthemannerofherbrother。Sherecalledthat,intruth,hewasmorethanhalfastrangertoher。Howcouldshetellwhatwild,uncannysecondnaturehadnotgrownupinhimunderthoseoutlandishtropicalskies?Hehadjusttoldherthathisruinwasabsolute——overwhelming——yettherehadbeenacovertsmileintherecessesofhisglance。
Evennow,shehalffelt,halfheard,achucklefromhim,thereashestoodbehindher!
Theswiftthoughtthatdisasterhadshakenhisbrainloomedupandpossessedher。Sheflungherselfoutofthechair,and,wheeling,seizeditsbackanddrewitbetweenthemasshefacedhim。Itwaswithastareoffrankdismaythatshebeheldhimgrinningather。
\"What\"——shebegan,stammering——\"Whatisthematter,Joel?\"
Hepermittedhimselftheluxuryofsmilingblanklyatherforafurthermoment。Thenhetossedhishead,andlaughedabruptly。
\"Sitdown,oldgirl,\"headjuredher。\"Tryandholdyourselftogether,now——tohearsomedifferentkindofnews。
I\'vebeenplayingitratherlowdownonyou,forafact。
Insteadofmybeingsmashed,it\'stheotherwayabout。\"
Shecontinuedtoconfronthim,withanervousclaspuponthechair-back。Herbreathingtroubledherassheregardedhim,andtriedtotakeinthemeaningofhiswords。
\"Doyoumean——you\'vebeenlyingtomeabout——aboutyourCompany?\"sheasked,confusedly。
\"No——no——notatall,\"hereplied,nowallgenialheartiness。
\"No——whatItoldyouwasgospeltruth——butIwastakingariseoutofyouallthesame。\"Heseemedsounaffectedlypleasedbyhisachievementinkindlyduplicitythatsheforcedanawkwardsmiletoherlips。
\"Idon\'tunderstandintheleast,\"shesaid,strivingtorememberwhathehadtoldher。\"Whatyousaidwasthatthepublichadentirelyfailedtocomein——thatthereweren\'tenoughapplicationsforsharestopayflotationexpenses——thosewereyourownwords。Ofcourse,Idon\'tpretendtounderstandtheseCitymatters——butitISthecase,isn\'tit,thatifpeopledon\'tsubscribeforthesharesofanewcompany,thenthecompanyisafailure?\"
\"Yes,thatmaybesaidtobethecase——asageneralrule,\"
henoddedather,stillbeaming。
\"Well,then——ofcourse——Idon\'tunderstand,\"sheowned。
\"Idon\'tknowasyou\'llunderstanditmuchmorewhenI\'veexplainedittoyou,\"hesaid,seatinghimself,andmotioninghertotheotherchair。\"Butyes,ofcourseyouwill。
You\'reabusinesswoman。Youknowwhatfiguresmean。
AndreallythewholethingisassimpleasABC。YourememberthatItoldyou——\"
\"Butareyougoingtostoptosupper?ImustsendAnnieoutbeforetheshopsclose。\"
\"Supper?No——Icouldn\'teatanything。I\'mtooworkedupforthat。I\'llgetsomethingatthehotelbeforeI
gotobed,ifIfeellikeit。Butsay!\"——thethoughtsuddenlystruckhim——\"ifyouwanttocomeoutwithme,I\'llblowyouofftotheswaggerestdinnerinLondon。
Whatd\'yesay?\"
Sheshookherhead。\"Ishallhavesomebreadandcheeseandbeeratnine。That\'smyrule,youknow。Idon\'tliketobreakit。I\'malwaysqueernextdayifIdo。
Butnowmakehasteandtellme——you\'rereallynotbrokenthen?Youhavereallycomeoutwell?\"
Foranswerherose,anddrewhimselftohisfullheight,andspreadhisbulkyshouldersbackward。Hisgrey-blueeyeslookeddownuponherwithatriumphantglow。
\"Broken?\"heechoedherword,withemphasis。
\"MydearLouisa,I\'mnotthesortthatgetsbroken。
Ibreakotherpeople。Oh,God,howIshallbreakthem!\"
Hebeganpacingupanddownonthenarrowrugbeforethefender,excitedlytellinghisstorytoher。
Sometimeshethrewthewordsoverhisshoulder;
againheheldherabsorbedgazewithhis。Hetookhishandsoftenfromhispockets,toillustrateorenforcebygesturesthemeaningofhisspeech——andthenshefounditpeculiarlydifficulttorealizethathewasherbrother。
Muchofthenarrative,ramblinganddisconnected,withwhichheprefacedthisstoryoftheday,wasvaguelyfamiliartoher。Hesketchednowforherinsummary,andwiththesonorousvoiceofonedeeplyimpressedwiththedramaticvaluesofhisdeclamation,thechronicleofhiswanderingsinstrangelands——andthesehehadfrequentlytoldheraboutbefore。Soonsheperceived,however,thathewasstringingthemtogetheronanewthread。
Oneafteranother,theseexperiencesofhis,asherelatedthem,turnedupontheobstaclesandfatalpitfallswhichtreacheryandmalicehadputinhispath。Heseemed,byhisaccount,tohavebeenahundredtimesalmostwithintouchofthegoal。InChina,intheDutchIndies,inthoseremoterpartsofAustraliawhichwereawaterlesswastewhenheknewthemandmighthaveownedthem,andnowwereyieldingfabulousmillionstofellowswhohadtrickedandswindledhim——everywherehehadmissedbyjustahair\'sbreadththegoldenconsummation。
IntheWesternhemispherethetalerepeateditself。
TherehadbeentimesintheArgentine,inBraziljustbeforetheEmpirefell,inColoradowhentheSilverboomwason,inBritishColumbiawhenthefirstrumoursofrichorewerewhisperedabout——manytimeswhenfortuneseemedveritablywithinhisgrasp。Butsomeonehadalwaysplayedhimfalse。Therewasneverafriendshipforhimwhichcouldwithstandthetemptationofprofitabletreason。
Buthehadhungdauntlesslyon。Hehadseenoneconcessionslippingthroughhisfingers,onlytostrainandtightenthemforaclutchatanother。Itdidnotsurprisehishearer——norindeeddiditparticularlyattractherattention——thattherewasnowhereinthisrapidandcomprehensivenarrativeanyallusiontoindustryofthewage-earningsort。Apparently,hehaddonenoworkatall,inthebread-winner\'ssenseoftheword。ThiswassolikeJoelthatitwastakenforgrantedinhissister\'smind。
Allhisvoyagesandadventuresandpainfulenterpriseshadbeeninformedbythedesireofthebuccaneer——thepassiontoreapwhereothershadsown,or,attheworst,togetsomethingfornothing。
ThediscursivestorybegantonarrowandconcentrateitselfwhenatlastitreachedMexico。Thesisterchangedherpositioninherchair,andcrossedherkneeswhenTehuantepecwasmentioned。ItwasfromthatplacethatJoelhadsenthertheamazingremittanceovertwoyearsago。
Curiouslyenough,though,itwasatthispointinhisnarrativethathenowbecamevagueastodetails。
Therewereconcessionsofrubberforestsmentioned,andthebarteroftheseforotherconcessionswithmoneytoboot,andvaryingphasesofachronictroubleaboutwherethetrueboundaryofGuatemalaran——butshefailedclearlytounderstandmuchaboutitall。Hisotherschemesandmishapsshehadfollowedreadilyenough。
SomehowwhentheycametoMexico,however,shesaweverythingjumbledanddistorted,asthroughahaze。
Onceortwicesheinterruptedhimtoaskquestions,butheseemedtoattachsuchslightimportancetohercomprehendingthesedetailsthatsheforbore。OnlyonefactwasitnecessarytograspabouttheMexicanepisode,apparently。WhenhequittedTehuantepec,tomakehiswaystraighttoLondon,atthebeginningoftheyear,heleftbehindhimarubberplantationwhichhedesiredtosell,andbroughtwithhimbetweensixandseventhousandpounds,withwhichtopaytheexpensesofsellingit。
Howhehadobtainedeithertheplantationorthemoneydidnotseemtohavemadeitselfunderstood。Nodoubt,ashismannerindicatedwhensheventuredherenquiries,itwasquiteirrelevanttothenarrative。
InMexico,hisexperiencehadbeenunique,apparently,inthatnovillainhadappearedonthescenetofrustratehisplans。
Heatleastmentionednoonewhohadwrongedhimthere。
WhenhecametoLondon,however,therewerevillainsandtospare。Hemovedtothemantel,whenhearrivedatthisstageofthestory,andmadeclearaspaceforhiselbowtorestamongthelittletrinketsandphotographswithwhichitwasburdened。Hestoodstillthereafter,lookingdownather;hisvoicetookonaharshernote。
Muchofthisstory,also,sheknewbyheart。Thisstrange,bearded,greyish-hairedbrotherofhershadcomeveryoftenduringthepasthalf-yeartothelittlebook-shop,andthewidow\'shomeaboveit,hismisshapenhandbagfullofpapers,hisheartfullofrage,hope,grief,ambition,disgust,confidence——everythingbutdespair。Itwastrue,ithadneverbeenquiterealtoher。Hewasrightinhissuggestionthatshehadneverwhollybelievedinhim。
Shehadnotbeenabletotakealtogetherseriouslythisclumsy,careworn,shabbily-dressedmanwhotalkedaboutmillions。Itwastruethathehadsentherfourhundredpoundsfortheeducationofhersonanddaughter;
itwasequallytruethathehadbroughtwithhimtoLondonasumwhichanyofhisancestors,sofarassheknewaboutthem,wouldhavedeemedafortune,andwhichhetreatedasmerelysomuchoil,withwhichtolubricatethemachineryofhisgreatenterprise。Shehadheard,atvarioustimes,theembittereddetailsofthedisappearanceofthismoney,littlebylittle。Nearlyaquarterofit,alltold,hadbeenappropriatedbyasleekoldbraggartofacompany-promoter,whohadcozenedJoelintothebeliefthatLondoncouldbebestapproachedthroughhim。
Whenatlastthiswretchwaskickeddownstairs,theeffecthadbeenonlytomakeroomforafreshlotofbloodsuckers。
Therewereso-calledadvertisingagents,so-calledjournalists,so-called\"menofinfluenceintheCity,\"——aswarmofrelentlessandvoraciousharpies,whodraggedfromhiminblackmailnearlythehalfofwhathehadleft,beforehesummonedthecourageanddecisiontoshutthemout。
Worsestill,insomeways,werethemenintowhosehandshestumblednext——agroupofCitymenconcernedintheSouthAfricanmarket,whoimpressedhimveryfavourablyattheoutset。Hegottoknowthembyaccident,andatthetimewhenhebegantocomprehendthenecessityofsecuringinfluentialsupportforhisscheme。EverythingthatheheardandcouldlearnaboutthemtestifiedtothestrengthoftheirpositionintheCity。Becausetheydisplayedacertainamiabilityofmannertowardhimandhisproject,heallowedhimselftomakesureoftheirsupport。
Itgrewtobeacertaintyinhismindthattheywouldseehimthrough。Hespentagooddealofmoneyindinnersandsuppersintheirhonour,aftertheyhadlethimunderstandthatthisformofpropitiationwasnotunpleasanttothem。
Theychaffedhimaboutsomenewspaperparagraphs,inwhichhewasdescribedasthe\"RubberKing,\"withanaffableassumptionofamusement,underwhichhebelievedthathedetectedagenuinerespectforhisabilities。
Finally,whenhehaddancedattendanceuponthemforthebetterpartoftwomonths,helaidbeforethem,atthecoffee-and-cigarsstageofadinnerinaprivateroomoftheSavoy,thedetailsofhisproposition。
TheyweretoformaSyndicatetotakeoverhisproperty,andplaceituponthemarket;inconsiderationoftheirfindingthereadymoneyforthisexploitation,theyweretohaveforthemselvestwo-fifthsofthesharesintheCompanyultimatelytobefloated。Theylistenedtothesedetails,andtohisenthusiasticremarksabouttheprojectitself,withratherperfunctorypatience,butcommittedthemselvesthateveningtonothingdefinite。Ittookhimnearlyaweekthereaftertogetananswerfromanyofthem。
Thenhelearnedthat,iftheytookthematterupatall,itwouldbeuponthebasisoftheSyndicatereceivingnine-tenthsoftheshares。
Heconceivedtheidea,afterhehadmasteredhisoriginalamazement,thattheynamedthesepreposteroustermsmerelybecausetheyexpectedtobebeatendown,andhesummonedallhisgoodnatureandtactforthetaskofhagglingwiththem。Hemisunderstoodtheirfirstshowofimpatienceatthis,andperseveredinthefaceoftheirtacitrebuffs。Then,oneday,acoupleofthemtreatedhimwithovertrudeness,andhe,astonishedoutofhiscaution,repliedtotheminkind。Suddenly,hecouldhardlytellwhyorhow,theywereallenemiesofhis。
Theyclosedtheirofficedoorstohim;eventheirclerkstreatedhimwithcontemptuousincivility。
Thisblowtohisprideenragedandhumiliatedhim,curiouslyenough,asnoothermisadventureofhislifehaddone。
Louisarememberedvividlythedescriptionhehadgiventoher,atthetime,ofthisaffair。Shehadhardlyunderstoodwhyitshoulddisturbhimsoprofoundly:tohermind,thesemenhaddonenothingsomonstrousafterall。Buttohim,theiroffenseswallowedupalltheotherindignitiessufferedduringtheyearsofhisIshmaelitishwanderings。
Asombrelustforvengeanceuponthemtookrootinhisverysoul。Hehatednobodyelseashehatedthem。
Howoftenshehadheardhimswear,insolemnvibratingtones,thattothedayofhisdeathhismostsacredambitionshouldbetheirpunishment,theirabasementinthedustandmire!
Andnow,allatonce,asshelookedupathim,whereheleantagainstthemantel,thesevagabondmemoriesofherstookpointandshape。Itwasabouttheseverymenthathewastalking。
\"Andthinkofit!\"hewassaying,impressively。\"It\'smagnificentenoughformetomakethisgreathit——butIdon\'tcountitasanythingatallbycomparisonwiththefactthatImakeitattheirexpense。YourememberthefellowsItoldyouabout?\"
heaskedabruptly,deferringtotheconfusedlookonherface。
\"Yes——youmakeitoutofthem,\"sherepeated,inanuncertainvoice。Itoccurredtoherthatshemusthavebeenalmostasleep。\"ButdidImissanything?
Haveyoubeentellingwhatitisthatyouhavemade?\"
\"No——thatyoushallhaveingoodtime。Youdon\'tseemtorealizeit,Louisa。Icanhardlyrealizeitmyself。
Iamactuallyaveryrichman。Ican\'ttellhowmuchI\'vegot——infact,itcanbealmostasmuchasIlike——
halfamillionpounds,Isuppose,atthestart,ifIwanttomakeitthatmuch。Yes——ittakesthebreathaway,doesn\'tit?Butbestofall——athousandtimesbestofall——practicallyeverydollarofitcomesoutofthoseKaffirswine——theverymenthattriedtorobme,andthathavebeentryingtoruinmeeversince。ItellyouwhatIwish,Louise——IwishtoGodtherecouldonlybetimeenough,andI\'dtakeitallinhalf-sovereigns——twomillionsofthem,orthreemillions——andjustuntwisteverycoin,onebyone,outfromamongtheirheart-strings。Oh——butit\'llbeallrightasitis。It\'senoughtomakeamanfeelreligious——tothinkhowthosethievesaregoingtosuffer。\"
\"Well\"shesaid,slowlyafterreflection,\"itallratherfrightensme。\"
Asifthechillintheairofthecheerlessroomhadsuddenlyaccentuateditself,shearose,tookamatch-
boxfromthemantel,and,stooping,litthefire。
Helookeddownatthetall,black-cladfigure,bentinstiffawkwardnessoverthesmokinggrate,andhiseyessoftened。
Thenhetookfreshnoteoftheroom——thefaded,threadbarecarpet,thesparseoldfurniturethathadseemeduglytoevenhisuninformedboyishtaste,thedingywallsandbegrimedlowceiling——allpatheticsymbolsofthebleaklifetowhichshehadbeencondemned。
\"Frightensyou?\"hequeried,withakindofjovialtenderness,asshegottoherfeet;\"frightensyou,eh?Why,withinamonth\'stime,oldlady,you\'llberidingintheParkinyourowncarriage,withniggersfoldingtheirarmsupbehind,andyou\'llbetakingitallaseasyandasnaturalasifyou\'dbeenborninabarouche。\"
Headded,inresponsetotheenquiryofherliftedbrows:
\"Barouche?That\'swhatwe\'dcallinEnglandalandau。\"
Shestoodwithafootuponthefender,hertired,passivefaceinclinedmeditatively,herrustyoldblackgowndrawnbackbyonehandfromthesnappingsparks。
\"No,\"shesaid,slowly,joylessresignationminglingwithprideinhervoice。\"Iwasbornhereovertheshop。\"
\"Well,goodGod!sowasI,\"hecommented,lustily。
\"Butthat\'snoreasonwhyIshouldn\'twindupinParkLane——oryoueither。\"
Shehadnothingtosaytothis,apparently。Afteralittle,sheseatedherselfagain,drawingherchairclosertothehearth。\"It\'syearssinceI\'velitthisfirebeforethefirstofNovember,\"sheremarked,withtheairofdefendingtheactiontoherself。
\"Oh,we\'recelebrating,\"hesaid,rubbinghishandsoverthereluctantblaze。\"Everythinggoes,tonight!\"
Herface,asshelookedupathim,betrayedthebewildermentofhermind。\"Yousetouttotellmewhatitwasallabout,\"
sheremindedhim。\"YouseeI\'mcompletelyinthedark。
Ionlyhearyousaythatyou\'vemadeagreatfortune。
That\'sallIknow。Orperhapsyou\'vetoldmeasmuchasyoucareto。\"
\"Why,notatall,\"hereassuredher,pullinghisownchairtowardhimwithhisfoot,andsprawlingintoitwithagruntofrelief。\"Ifyou\'lldrawmeaglassofthatbeerofyours,I\'lltellyouallaboutit。
It\'snotathingforeverybodytoknow,nottobebreathedtoahumanbeing,forthatmatter——butyou\'llenjoyit,andit\'llbesafeenoughwithyou。\"
Assherose,andmovedtowardadoor,hecalledmerrilyafterher:\"Nomorebeerwhenthatkegrunsdry,youknow。
Nothingbutchampagne!\"
CHAPTERIII
THORPEtookalong,thoughtfulpullatthebeerhissisterbroughthim。
\"Ah,Ididn\'tknowIwassothirsty,\"hesaid,whenheputtheglassdown。\"Truthis——I\'velosttrackofmyselfaltogethersince——sincethebigthinghappened。
Iseemtobesomebodyelse——acomparativestranger,sotospeak。I\'vegottogetacquaintedwithmyself,alloveragain。Youcan\'timaginewhatanextraordinaryfeelingitis——thisbeinghiteveryfewminuteswiththerecollectionthatyou\'reworthhalfamillion。
It\'slikebeingstruckoverthehead。Itknocksyoudown。
Therearesuchthousandsofthingstodo——youdanceabout,allofaflutter。Youdon\'tknowwheretobegin。\"
\"Beginwhereyouleftoff,\"suggestedLouisa。\"Youweregoingtotellmehow——how\'thebigthing\'happened。
You\'realwayscomingtoit——andnevergettinganyfurther。\"
Noddingcomprehensionoftherebuke\'sjustification,heplungedforthwithintothetale。
\"YouremembermytellingyouatthetimehowIgotmyBoardtogether。I\'mspeakingnowofthepresentCompany——afterI\'ddecidedtobemyownpromoter,andhaveatleastsomekindof\'alook-in\'formymoney。Therewasn\'tmuchmoneyleft,bytheway;itwasconsiderablyunderthreethousand。
ButIcometothatlater。FirsttherewastheBoard。
HerewaswherethatLordPlowdenthatItoldyouabout——themanthatcameoverontheshipwithme——camein。
Iwenttohim。I——God!Iwasdesperate——butIhadn\'tmuchofanideahe\'dconsent。Buthedid!Helistenedtome,andItoldhimhowI\'dbeenrobbed,andhowtheSyndicatewouldhavecutmythroatifIhadn\'tpulledaway,——andhesaid,\'Why,yes,I\'llgoonyourBoard。\'
ThenItoldhimmoreaboutit,andpresentlyhesaidhe\'dgetmeanothermanoftitle——asky-scraperofatitletoo——tobemyChairman。That\'stheMarquisofChaldon,atremendousdiplomaticswell,youknow,AmbassadoratViennainhistime,andLordLieutenantandallsortsofthings,butwillingtogatherinhisfivehundredayear,allthesame。\"
\"DoyoumeanthatYOUpayHIMfivehundredpoundsayear?\"
askedthesister。
\"Yes,I\'vegotaliveMarkisswhoworksformeattenquidaweek,andafewextras。TheotherDirectorsgetthreehundred。ThisLordPlowdenisoneofthem——butI\'lltellyoumoreabouthimlateron。Thenthere\'sWatkin,he\'sasmallaccountantFinsburyway;andDavidson,he\'sawine-merchantwhousedtobelongtoabigfirminDundee,butgetsalongthebestwayhecanonaverydickybusinesshereinLondon,now。Andthenthere\'sGeneralKervick,awfullywell-connectedoldchap,theysay,butIguessheneedsallhecanget。He\'sstartedwearinghisfur-coatalready。Well,that\'smyBoard。Icouldn\'tjoinit,ofcourse,tillafterallotment——that\'sbecauseI\'mthevendor,astheycallit——butthathasn\'tinterferedatallwithmyrunningthewholeshow。TheBoarddoesn\'treallycount,youknow。ItonlydoeswhatIwantittodo。
It\'sjustaformthatcostsmeseventeenhundredayear,that\'sall。\"
\"Seventeenhundredayear,\"sherepeated,mechanically。
\"Well,thenwegotouttheprospectus,d\'yesee。
Orfirst,therewereotherthingstobedone。Isawthatagoodbroker\'snamecountedforalotonaprospectus。
IpickedoutonethatI\'dheardwasreasonable——it\'dbeenasplendidnameifIcouldhavegotit——buthecalmlysaidhispricewastwothousandpounds,allcashdown——andI
cameaway。FinallyIgotafellowwhohadn\'tdonemuchofanythingyet,andsowasn\'tsostiffabouthisfigure。
Heagreedtotake500poundscash,and2,000inshares。
ItwasGod\'sluckthatIhitonhim,forheturnedout,atthepinch,tobetheonemaninamillionforme。
ButI\'lltellyouabouthimlater。He\'stheBroker,mind;
youmustn\'tforgethim。Well,then,heandIgotaSolicitor——hetook200poundscash,buthehadtohave2,000
shares——andthefirmofAuditors——theywere100poundscashand1,000shares。Everycompanyhastohavethesepeoplepastedontoit,bylaw。Ohyes,andthenyoumusthaveyourBankers。Youdon\'tpaythemanything,though,thankGod!Well,then,therewasthemachinerycomplete,allreadytostart。Itookahandsomesetofoffices,andfurnishedthemuptothenines——butthatIwasabletodoprettywelloncredit。Yousee,readymoneywasgettingshort。
\"Andnowcamethebiggestpullofall。Therewasthepresstobeworked。\"
HespokeasiftherewerenootherpapersinLondonbutthefinancialjournals。
\"Ididn\'tsleepmuchwhilethatwasbeingfixedup。You\'vegotnomoreideaofwhatthepressmeans,Louisa,thanyouhaveof——ofacoilofsnakesthawingouthungryinthespring。
Why,ifoneblackmailercametome,Iswearahundreddid。
Theyscaredthelifeoutofme,thefirstmonthorso。
Andthenthere\'saswarmofadvertisingagents,whosaytheycankeeptheseblackmailersoff,ifyou\'llmakeitworththeirwhile。Buttheyallwantedtoomuchmoneyforme——andforawhileIwasatmywits\'ends。AtlastIgotafellow——he\'snotbehavedsobadly,allthingsconsidered——whohadsomesportingbloodinhisveins,andhewaswillingtodothewholethingfor5,000pounds,ifIcouldpay1,500poundsdown,andtherestinshares。
ButthatwasjustwhatIcouldn\'tdo,yousee,sofinallyhetook1,000poundsdownand5,000inshares——andasI
sayhe\'sdoneittolerablywell。TherewasoneeditorthatIhadtosquarepersonally——thatistosay,100poundscash——ithadtobeinsovereigns,fornotescouldbetraced——andacallof2,000sharesatpar,——he\'sthebosspiratethateverybodyhastosquare——andofcoursetherewereoddten-poundnoteshereandthere,butasaruleI
justopenedthedoorandfiredtheblack-mailersout。
Themomentafellowcamein,andhandedmehiscard,andsaidhehadproofsoftwokindsofarticlesinhispocket,onepraisingme,onedamningme,Itoldhimtogoandseemyadvertisingagent,andifhewouldn\'tdothat,thentogotohell。That\'sthewayyou\'vegottotalkintheCity,\"
headded,asifinapologeticexplanation。
Louisalookedimpassivelyatherbrother。\"Oh,I\'veheardtheexpressionasfarwestastheStrand,\"sheremarked。
\"Well,thencametheissue。ThatwaslastSaturday。
YousawtheprospectusinSaturdaymorning\'spapers,andintheweeklies。Thelistwastobekeptopen,itsaid,tillWednesdaymorning——thatwasyesterday。
Thatistosay,duringallthattime,peoplecouldapplyforshares。\"
\"Whichtheydidn\'tdo——accordingtoyouraccount,\"
thesistersuggested,dryly。
Thorpepassedhisfingersthroughhisroughenedhair,andeyedherwithamomentaryquizzicalgleaminhiseye。
Thenhebecameseriousagain。Therecollectionofwhathewasnowtonarratebroughtafrowntohisbrows。
\"OnTuesdayafternoon,\"hebegan,withportentousdeliberation——\"Orno,firstImustexplainsomething。
Yousee,inbringingoutacompany,youcan\'tputuptoostoutabluff。Imean,you\'vegottobehaveasifyouwererollinginwealth——asifeverythingwascomingyourway,andfortunesweretobemadebyfasteningtoyou。
Idon\'tknowthatitoftenfoolsanybodyverymuch,butit\'spartofthegame,andyoumustplayit。
Well,accordingly,myBrokergoeson\'changeSaturdaymorning,andhashisjobbershoutoutthathe\'llbuy\'RubberConsols\'——that\'swhatoursharesarecalledonthestreet——ataneighthpremium;thatistosay,heofferedtobuyfortwenty-two-and-sixwhatwewereofferingtothepublicfortwentyshillings。Ofcourse,yousee,theobjectofthatwastocreatetheimpressionthattherewasaregularGod-almightyrushforourshares。
AsIsay,Idon\'tknowwhetherthateverfooledanybody——butatleasttherewasthechancethatitmightstartupsomedealingintheshares——andallthosethingshelp。
Besides,yougotthesalesnoticedinthepapers,andthatmightstartupapplicationsfromthepublic。
Well,theBrokerbought1,000sharesthiswayonSaturday。
OnMonday,whenitmightstillbepossibletochangetheluck,hebought3,500more,stillatthatpremiumofaneighth。HeboughtsomeTuesdaymorningtoo——say4,000。Well,now,keepthosefiguresinyourhead,andkeepaneyeontheBroker。He\'sworthwatching——asyou\'llsee。\"
\"What\'shisname?\"askedthesister,withanaccessionofalertnessinherface。\"Youcallhim\'Broker\'——andthatdoesn\'tmeananythingtome。They\'reallbrokers,aren\'tthey?\"
\"Semple——ColinSemple,that\'shisname。He\'sayoungScotchman——father\'saPresbyterianminister。He\'salittle,insignificantruntofachaptolookat——butIlearnedalongtimeagonottojudgeasingedcatbyhislooks。
However——wherewasI?\"
\"YouweregoingtotellaboutTuesdayafternoon,weren\'tyou?\"
Henoddedgravely,andstraightenedhimself,drawingalongbreathinpreparationforthedramaticrecitalbeforehim。
\"OnTuesdayafternoon,\"hebeganagain,withimpressiveslowness,\"IwaswalkingonThrogmortonStreet,aboutfouro\'clock。Itwasrainingalittle——ithadbeenrainingonandoffallday——amiserable,rottensortofaday,withgreasymudeverywhere,andeverybodypokingumbrellasintoyou。IwasoutwalkingbecauseI\'d\'a\'
cutmythroatifI\'dtriedtostayintheofficeanothertenminutes。AllthatdayIhadn\'teatenanything。
Ihadn\'tsleptworthspeakingofforthreenights。
Thewholegamewasupforme。Iwasworsethanruined。
Ihadhalfacrowninmypocket。Ihadtenortwelvepoundsinthebank——andtheywouldn\'tletmeoverdrawafarthing。
Itellyou,Iwasjustplumbbusted。
\"Therecamealonginthegutterasandwich-man。I\'dseenthecussbeforeduringtheday,walkingupanddownnearmyoffices。Itooknoticeofhim,becausehewastheraggedest,dirtiest,mostforlorn-lookingcrippleyoueversawinyourlife。NowIreadwhatwasonhisboards。
ItwasthebillofapaperthatIhadrefusedtobebledby,andthereitwasinbigletters:\'TheRubberBubbleBurst!\'
\'Thorpe\'sAudacityPunished!\'Thosewerethewords。
Icanseethemwithmyeyesshut。Istoodthere,lookingatthefellow,andIsupposetherewassomethinginthewayIlooked,forhestoppedtoo。
Ofcourse,hedidn\'tknowmefromAdam,butallthesame,I\'mdamnedifhedidn\'twinkhiseyeatme——asifwetwohadajokebetweenus。AndatthatIburstoutlaughing——I
simplyroaredwithlaughter,likeaboyatapantomime——andItookthatlasthalf-crownoutofmypocket,andIgaveittothesandwich-man。God!youshouldhaveseenhisface。\"
\"Idon\'tparticularlymind,Joel,\"saidhissister,\"butIneverheardyouswearsomuchbefore。\"
\"Oh,whatthe——whatthedeuce!\"heprotested,impatiently。
\"Don\'tinterruptmenow!Well,Iwentondownthestreet。
ThemembersoftheStockExchangewerecomingoutof\'thehouse,\'andmakinguplittlegroupsonthepavement。
Theydobusinessinside,youknow,untilclosingtime——thisdayithappenedtobefouro\'clock——andthentheycomeoutanddealinthestreetwithoneanother,withthekerb-stonemob,whoarenotallowedinside,standingroundtowatchthething。Icamealongintothethickofthesefellows;theywereyellingoutallsortsofthings——\'EastRands,\'\'Oroyas,\'\'LakeViewCentrals,\'
andwhatnot,butthesewentinoneearandouttheother。