e age of twenty-one, aman ought not to be o

mpunity. But, at thirty, having become anuncomfortable mixture of future and past, it is

tchers' ball. The dawn was breaking as I let myself in. The airw

across the grey street a dingy black cat, moving furtively alongt

, and the reaction after theemotions

d proposed toCynthia Drassilis. And I can honest

to the question. Certainly I had never tried to do sofive years ago when I had loved Audrey Blake. I had let myself becarried on from day to

rey, for she in her

ed comfort, and Icould afford to have it. From the moment I came of age andrelieved my trustees of the care of my money, I wrapped myself incomfort as in a garment. I wallowed i

actually say in so many words, 'Thisbeggar-maid shall be my queen', I said it plainly and often in mymanner. She was the daughter of a dissolute, evil-tempered artistwhom I had met at a Bohemian club. He made a living by paintingan occasional picture, illustrating an occasional magazine-story,but mainly by doing advertisement work. A

ealthy son-in-law. Mr Blake jumped atme. It was one of his last acts on this earth. A w

r with the removalof the bread-winner the only flaw in my Cophetua pose hadvanished: and it gave Audrey a gr

had escaped, by a letter from her, handed to meone night at the club, where I was si

the point. She had bee

t dynamited my life. In asense it killed me. The man I had been died that night, regretted,I imagine, by fe

styin ruins about my ears, face to face with the fact that, even

ettled down beside meand began to talk. He was a small man, but he possessed a voice towhich one had to list

the incredible. I had taken Audrey's unalterable affectionfor granted. She was the natural complement to my scheme ofcomfort. I wanted her;

d, and my self-satisfaction was in ribbons--andsomething deeper than self-satisf

hile this man t

intimes of trouble than silent sympathy. Up to a certain point i

answer. Before I leftthe club that night, the first mad frenzy, in which I could havebeen capable of anythi

to London, and settled down again to a life which,superficially, was much the same as the one I had led in the daysbefore I knew Audrey

le. The shock of Audrey'sdeparture had had that effect upon me. It is always the bad niggerwho gets religion

goist I had been thorough in my egoism;and now, fate having bludgeoned that vice out of m

of greed and querulousness. Sloane Squareand South Kensington are full of women in her situation. Theirposition resembles that of the Ancient Mariner. 'Water, watereverywhere, and not a drop to drink.' For 'water' in their casesubstitute 'money'. Mrs Drassilis was connected

a horror to be avoided in conversation andthought, but far enough to render them cold

olicitor whom Hugo had suddenly presented to thefamily one memorable summer as his bride. He considered that, bydoubling the income derived from Hugo

thenon-receipt of which had spoiled her temper, her looks, an

speak of Cynthia as hard. I never found her so myself,though heaven knows she

sosmoothly into one another that I had no inclination to fall in

of that curiosity, that sense of something beyond thatmakes for love. We h

all I asked Cynthia to ma

ville Gifford, it was Audrey who was responsible. She hadmade me human, capable of

cause was certainl

ot one, and in the personal paragraphs of the colouredsporting weeklies, as 'Tanky'. I had seen him frequently atrestaurants. Once, at the Empire, somebody had introduced me tohim; but, as he had not been sober at the moment, he had missedany intellectual pleasu

silis intr

have already

ared gl

't rem

not su

f my eye Iobserved a look of fuddled displeasure come

y of her dress gainedan added dignity from comparison with the rank glitter of hermother's. She wore unrel

ter,' she said, lo

ow. I'm

shing, what?' s

ab's wa

ord?' said Mrs Drassilis. 'I willt

s,' I heard a voic

nky Gifford, and I understood. I had seen that stuffed-fishlook on his fa

l take my cab,' I said to Mr

e that the sharp note inher voice was lost o

she said. 'Mr Gifford,

r Burns. You will meet

to call a

nd them, she turned on me

extraordinarily tactl

rfect fool. Ha

sorry,'

devoted

'm s

do you

ry for

beginning tothump. We were both furiously angry. It was a moment that had beencoming for years, and we both knew i

as clutching ather self-control as it slipped from

reat f

hink it friendly to tr

rd is a sample

do you

e ch

ar? I have noticed it for a long time. Because Ihave given you the run of the house

me--' I

. You trade on the factthat you have known

l her chan

r entered to say that

carelessrapture which had carried us through the opening stages of theconflict, and discussion of the subject on a less

statue in black, was dancing with Tanky Gifford. They wereopposite m

erself and moved q

said under her breat

loneliness, seemed by his expression to beendeavouring to bring his mind to bear on the m

we had reached the little

She was lookin

dear!'

at journey in the cab, thosedances

s very

to me with a tired smile. Th

myself s

yes shining. All the weariness

oked a

my voice had had no ring of conviction. And then I saw what itwas. Th

my thought

n brother and sister,

ll to

ged tonight? You

nd ofadmiration and pity which I had always felt for her. I wanted withall my heart to help her, to take her away from her dreadfulsurroundings, to make her happy. But did I want her

ars older now than when I hadwanted A

mind again

hanged toni

t down and

nt against somebody. And then I

from the flask whichSmith, my man, had fil

pression

that made for uneasiness, a sorto

Ihad undertaken to give her happiness. Was I certain that I coul

could not recover--poetrywas as near as I

n the solid earth. To theend of the chap

ture aseries of years of intolerable dullness. She was t

ning a man of thirty, in excellent health, cannot poseto himself for long

n more admirably suited to each other. As for that firstdisaster, which I had been magnifying into a life-tragedy, what ofit? An inciden

desk, unlocked it, an

ngle-minded and decisive--I wavered. I hadintended to tear the thing in pieces without

andchallenged mine. How well I remembered them, those Irish-blue eyesunder their expressive, rather heavy brows. How e

ur-in-the-morning tribute to the pathos of theflying years, or did she really fill m

ograph inits drawer was one. I felt that this thing could n

I was in bed. Hours seemedto pass whil

coherent thought was s

, if those Irish eyeswere to haunt me till my d

tting ready to call atMarlow Square and info

ent of the interview to some extent;but the recollection of my last night's encounter with Mr

greeted me as I un

at you? I want you to

ust starti

lph. Askfor Mrs Ford's suite. It's very important. I'll tell

. A walk of a couple of minutes took me there. Mrs Ford'ssuite was

aid. 'You're a dea

me, a something strangein the atmosphere. Last night seemed a long way off and somehow alittle unreal. I suppose I must have shown this in my manner, forshe suddenly broke wha

in a lovely dress, you asked me to marry you. Now yousee me again in cold bloo

sed to smile. She was looking

he said, 'ar

ia,' I said, 'what's

sure?' sh

ion of two large eyeslooking at me out of

ssed C

e to coverit up.' She was not responsive. 'You're in a ver

been t

ing has gone wrong.' A

her--is your mother

hted. She always

lf-restraint t

t?' I said. 'Tire

as simple

ell

ficult to put

'T

on the table, her face turnedawa

me just because you're sorry forme? Don't speak. I can tell you now if you will just let me saystraight out what's in my mind. We have known each other for

dear

't answered

wo minutes ago whe

do lo

'Y

now sheturned and looked into my eyes with an abrupt intens

e me as much as you

thither, trying to recall an occasion when I could havementioned Audrey to h

level-headed, and I have more than a grain inme. I was shaken. Ever since I had aske

ied. 'What do you k

d her face

affect you very stron

overed

ll tell you that awound, long after it has he

it has rea

--when you can hardly remember ho

said n

u hear about-

d been engagedto be married to a girl named Audrey Blake. He was to have beenyour best man, he said, but one day y

d: 'that is al

fair, Peter. I mean--the sortof thing

s not doing it well. It washurting me ex

impossible,' I said, 'unless h

hat. You know what

I said,

and took me by the should

y say you have forgotten

s,' I

r me--that curious sensation o

not stand

,' I

word. It was as if somesubconscious p

Pet

er face; as she raised it to

little laugh. Her who

the girl who had looked so grav

ou are! You've crushedme. I expect you used

ut them back on their shelf directly I have no further immediateuse

ster?' I ask

o'--she turned me round

taken no particular notice of it. I now gave it acloser glance. It was a portrait,

our troubles, don'twe! Who _is_ this yo

Mrs Ford's son.

. Does he really squint likethat, or

's the loss of that boy tha

as sh

wfully sorry. I woul

t he is dead to her. The courtgave

he c

ife of Elmer Ford, th

divorced a

I s

s gazing at

n his way,' she said. 'They callhi

Why i

s have for him. Ever so manyatte

d and looked

aid. I went down to the country,wh

hat on earth

s breakingher heart about not being able to see him, so I

or I felt as if my brain were giving way. The perfect calmnesswith

're jo

I sto

The law! It's a pena

he's just an unscrupulousfinancier, without a thought above money. To think of a boygrowing up in

pling feebly with the le

ng, you know! The law doesn'ttake any

through

ve been afraid

I had not consider

would. If I asked you

ng, you know! It's such a

it. Do you d

I could think o

is quite different from thesort of kidnapping you naturally look on as horrible? It's justtaking a boy awa

e pa

o it for me, Pe

aid feebly. 'It's done. You

ean to me if you agree to try? I'm only human, I can't help, atthe bottom of my heart, still being a little jealous of thisAud

me, holding my arm an

with renewed intensity. Lifehad ceased to be a rather grey, orderly business in which daysucceeded day c

o it, Peter?

sumably mine,

dear o

on the arm of it, laidher hand on mine and

, 'I'll tell you wha

ng to have been extremely confident that thatessential part of her plans, my consent to

o be a distorted dream, fromwhich I vaguely hoped that I might shortly waken, and took shapeas a re

be sent to a preparatoryschool, and that I was to insinuate myself into this school and,watching my opportun

his school when--or if--found, struck me as extremely thin. Iwas to pose, Cynthia told me, as a young man of private means,anxious to learn the business, with a view to setting up a schoolof his o

it to

'A man who wantsto set up a school has got to be a

ot your

ny rate, I've for

ody with money canstart a school, even if he doe

me it was true. The proprietor of a preparatoryschool, if he is a man of wealth,

id. 'Here's the realdifficulty. How are you go

tly easy. Ogden's going to Mr Abney's. SansteadHouse is the name of the place. It's in

ger brother, Augustus

his family well some years ag

know him? He was up

emed int

of a man is h

t. Rather an ass. I hav

I've only met him once. He

y wh

nd,anyhow, if you say you know Lord Mountry it will make it s

is business? Have you told hi

Abney anything we like. By the way, Peter, you will haveto pay a premium o

made my only stand

rely an amateur performance. I'm doing this for you, and I'llstand

ed at me r

eter,' she said, after a slight

tting, twodays later, in stately conference at his club

g intonation,and a general air of hushed importance, as of one in constantcommunication with the Great. There was in h

es at a table in thesmoking-room when an elderly gentleman shuffled past, giving a nodin transit. My compani

,' he said in an under

d Ronald Stokeshaye, was one

dal spirit still glowed to so

me to b

of us, Mr Burns, to enter

to look as

esh young lives develop--and ofhelping them to develop--under one's eyes; in any case, I may say,there is the exceptional interest of being in a position to mouldthe growing minds of lads who will some day take thei

I said I th

you told me? Ah, I haveyour letter here. J

atepupil, Lord Rollo?--no, he would have been since your time.

both cricket andRugby football? Excellent. _Men

r carefully and repla

ather, tolearn the--ah--the ropes, the business? You have

e what

f the professionwhich would stand you in good stead when you decide to set up yourown school. School-mastering is a profession, which cannot betaught adequately except in practice.

y,' I said.

see that he wasrelieved. I think he had exp

t the endof last term. I was about to go to the Agency for

sgoing to rob him of a boy, who, while no moulding of his growingmind could make him into a hereditary legislator, did undoubte

knew enoughLatin and Greek to teach the rudiments of t

be delight

us consider that as--ah

y with an ash-tray. I wondered what was the matter,and then it came to

onscience. After all, the whole thing wasreally a question of hard cash. By kidnapping Ogden

roughly atfourteen. That is to say, in any event Sanstead House could onlyharbour him for one year. Mr Abney's fees I had

ney beamed upon me. Over tea and muffins we becamevery friendly. In half an h

nt door. He smiled down at mebenev

od-bye,' he said. 'We sha

ed my rooms, I

some books for me first thingtomorro

stened h

atin G

es,

reek G

es,

old's Easy Pro

es,

esar's Ga

t name

Cae

sir. Anythin

hat will

y good

mered fro

ught me mad, and is consequentlynever