“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。