frankness,
his
modesty
,
his
off-hand
way
of
telling
his
own
adventures
without
making
himself
the
hero
of
his
stories
.
Before
the
evening
was
over
Dick
began
to
realise
that
Nihilists
were
not
quite
so
black
as
they
are
sometimes
painted
,
and
that
there
are
other
countries
besides
England
where
progressive
measures
are
desirable
.
The
brothers
were
both
interested
,
and
tried
very
hard
to
get
more
particulars
of
Nihilist
doctrines
,
but
as
they
grew
more
curious
Litvinoff
became
more
reticent
.
As
he
rose
to
go
he
said
,
—
'
Well
,
if
you
want
to
hear
a
more
explicit
statement
of
our
wrongs
,
our
principles
,
and
our
hopes
,
and
you
do
n't
mind
rubbing
shoulders
with
English
workmen
for
an
hour
or
two
—
and
if
you
're
not
too
strict
Sabbatarians
,
by-the-way
—
you
might
come
down
to
a
Radical
club
in
Soho
.
I
am
going
to
speak
there
at
eight
on
Sunday
evening
.
I
shall
be
very
glad
if
you
'll
come
;
but
do
n't
come
if
you
think
it
will
bore
you
.
'
'
I
shall
like
it
awfully
,
'
said
Dick
.
'
You
'll
go
,
wo
n't
you
,
Roland
?
'
'
Of
course
I
will
.
'
'
We
might
have
dinner
together
,
'
said
Litvinoff
.
'
Come
down
to
Morley
's
;
we
'll
dine
at
six
.
'
This
offer
was
too
tempting
to
be
refused
.
It
presented
an
admirable
opportunity
for
making
an
afternoon
call
on
the
Stanleys
,
and
the
brothers
closed
with
it
with
avidity
,
and
their
new
acquaintance
took
his
leave
.
When
Dick
was
alone
he
opened
a
letter
which
had
been
brought
to
him
during
the
evening
.
He
read
:
—
'
15
Spray
's
Buildings
,
Porson
Street
,
W.C.
'
Dear
Mr
Richard
,
—
I
promised
to
write
to
you
but
I
did
not
mean
to
see
you
again
.
But
it
was
a
great
comfort
to
meet
a
face
I
knew
,
and
I
feel
I
must
see
you
again
,
if
it
's
only
to
ask
you
so
many
questions
about
them
all
at
home
.
I
do
not
seem
to
have
said
half
I
ought
to
have
said
the
other
night
.
If
you
really
care
to
see
me
again
,
I
shall
be
in
on
Monday
afternoon
.
Go
straight
up
the
stairs
until
you
get
to
the
very
top
—
it
's
the
right-hand
door
.
I
beg
you
not
to
say
you
have
seen
me
—
to
Mr
Roland
or
to
anyone
else
.
—
Yours
respectfully
,
'
Alice
Hatfield
.
'
This
letter
revived
his
doubts
,
but
he
was
very
glad
of
the
chance
of
seeing
her
again
,
and
he
determined
not
to
be
deterred
from
pressing
the
question
which
he
had
at
heart
by
any
pain
which
it
might
cause
her
or
himself
.
Jealousy
,
curiosity
,
regard
for
the
girl
—
all
these
urged
him
to
learn
the
truth
,
and
besides
them
all
a
certain
sense
of
duty
.
If
her
sorrow
had
come
to
her
through
his
brother
it
surely
was
all
the
more
incumbent
on
him
to
see
that
her
material
sufferings
,
at
any
rate
,
were
speedily
ended
.
If
not
...
.
Men
almost
always
move
from
very
mixed
motives
,
and
of
these
motives
they
only
acknowledge
one
to
be
their
spring
of
action
.
This
sense
of
duty
was
the
one
motive
which
Dick
now
admitted
to
himself
.
At
any
rate
he
did
not
mean
to
think
any
more
about
it
till
Monday
came
,
so
he
thrust
the
letter
into
his
pocket
,
and
let
his
fancy
busy
itself
with
Clare
Stanley
after
its
wonted
fashion
.
It
found
plenty
of
occupation
in
the
anticipation
of
that
Sunday
afternoon
call
.
When
the
call
was
made
Mr
Stanley
was
asleep
,
and
though
he
roused
himself
to
welcome
them
he
soon
relapsed
into
the
condition
which
is
peculiar
to
the
respectable
Briton
on
Sunday
afternoons
.
Miss
Stanley
was
particularly
cheerful
,
but
as
soon
as
she
heard
where
they
intended
to
spend
the
evening
,
the
conversation
took
a
turn
so
distinctly
Russian
,
as
to
be
almost
a
forestalment
of
the
coming
evening
's
entertainment
.
Nihilism
in
general
and
Nihilist
counts
in
particular
seemed
to
be
the
only
theme
on
which
she
would
converse
for
two
minutes
at
a
time
.
Roland
made
a
vigorous
effort
to
lead
the
conversation
to
things
English
,
but
it
was
a
dead
failure
.
Dick
sought
to
elicit
Miss
Stanley
's
opinion
of
the
reigning
actress
,
but
this
,
as
he
might
have
foreseen
,
only
led
to
a
detailed
account
of
that
adventure
in
which
the
principal
part
of
hero
had
been
played
by
a
Russian
,
a
Nihilist
,
or
a
count
,
and
there
were
all
the
favoured
subjects
at
once
over
again
.
The
young
men
felt
that
the
visit
had
not
been
a
distinct
success
,
and
when
Clare
woke
her
father
up
to
beg
him
to
take
her
to
that
Radical
club
in
Soho
,
even
his
explosive
refusal
and
anathematising
of
Radicals
as
pests
of
society
failed
to
reconcile
the
Ferriers
to
their
lady
's
new
enthusiasm
.
The
conversation
at
dinner
,
however
,
was
a
complete
change
.
Count
Litvinoff
appeared
to
feel
no
interest
in
life
,
save
in
the
question
of
athletics
at
the
English
universities
;
but
on
this
topic
he
managed
to
be
so
entertaining
that
his
guests
quite
forgot
,
in
his
charm
as
talker
,
the
irritation
he
had
caused
them
to
feel
when
he
was
merely
the
subject
of
someone
else
's
talk
.
When
dinner
was
over
,
and
the
three
started
to
walk
to
Soho
,
they
were
all
on
the
very
best
of
terms
with
themselves
and
each
other
.
Would
one
of
them
have
been
quite
so
much
at
ease
if
he
had
known
that
the
announcement
of
the
coming
lecture
had
been
seen
in
the
paper
by
Alice
Hatfield
,
and
that
she
—
not
being
much
by
way
of
going
to
church
—
had
made
up
her
mind
to
be
there
?
SUNDAY
EVENING
IN
SOHO
THE
average
English
citizen
and
his
wife
have
a
certain
method
of
spending
Sunday
which
admits
of
no
variation
,
and
is
as
essential
to
their
religion
as
any
doctrine
which
that
religion
inculcates
.
Indeed
,
it
is
very
often
the
only
tribute
which
they
pay
to
those
supernatural
powers
who
are
supposed
to
smile
upon
virtue
and
to
frown
upon
vice
.
When
church
and
chapel
—
St
Waltheof
's
and
Little
Bethel
—
unite
in
teaching
that
ceremonial
observance
is
at
least
as
important
as
moral
practice
,
is
it
to
be
wondered
at
that
their
congregations
,
feeling
that
it
would
be
more
than
human
to
combine
the
two
,
choose
to
move
along
the
line
of
least
resistance
?
It
is
comparatively
easy
,
though
perhaps
somewhat
tiresome
,
especially
in
hot
weather
,
to
get
up
only
a
little
late
on
Sunday
mornings
,
instead
of
a
good
deal
late
,
as
the
'
natural
man
'
would
prefer
to
do
;
to
assume
a
more
or
less
solemn
aspect
at
the
breakfast-table
;
to
wear
garments
of
unusual
splendour
,
which
do
not
see
daylight
during
the
week
,
and
in
assuming
them
to
feel
tremors
of
uneasiness
lest
they
should
be
outshone
by
Mr
Jones
'
wife
,
Mr
Smith
's
daughter
,
Mr
Brown
's
sister
,
or
Mr
Robinson
's
maiden
aunt
.
It
is
not
quite
so
easy
,
but
still
possible
,
to
sit
for
two
hours
on
a
narrow
seat
,
evidently
made
by
someone
who
knew
he
would
never
have
to
sit
on
it
,
and
to
keep
awake
(
in
the
old
pews
this
was
not
imperative
)
,
while
a
preacher
,
whom
one
does
not
care
for
,
talks
,
in
language
one
does
not
understand
,
on
subjects
in
which
one
takes
not
the
slightest
interest
.
And
then
,
as
a
compensation
,
one
has
the
heavy
early
dinner
and
the
afternoon
sleep
,
in
itself
almost
a
religious
exercise
.
Perhaps
one
's
ungodly
neighbours
curse
the
day
they
were
born
as
they
hear
one
,
after
tea
,
playing
long-drawn
hymn
tunes
on
a
harmonium
,
till
the
bells
begin
to
go
for
evening
'
worship
'
;
then
one
's
wife
goes
to
put
on
her
bonnet
(
which
has
been
lying
in
state
all
day
on
the
best
bed
,
covered
with
a
white
handkerchief
)
,
and
one
goes
to
one
's
'
sitting
'
again
with
a
delicious
sense
that
the
worse
of
it
is
over
.
All
this
is
not
so
difficult
,
and
an
eternity
of
bliss
is
cheap
at
the
price
—
distinctly
.
But
to
refrain
from
sanding
the
sugar
or
watering
the
milk
—
especially
for
a
'
family
man
,
'
who
has
'
others
to
think
of
besides
himself
'
—
to
keep
one
's
hand
from
this
,
and
one
's
tongue
from
evil-speaking
,
lying
and
slandering
,
to
keep
one
's
body
in
temperance
and
soberness
,
to
be
true
and
just
in
all
one
's
dealings
—
this
would
be
not
only
difficult
but
absurd
,
nowadays
.
There
are
a
good
many
who
try
to
carry
out
the
moral
teachings
and
let
the
ceremonial
observances
alone
,
and
there
are
far
more
who
disregard
the
one
and
the
other
;
and
for
both
these
classes
there
are
ways
of
spending
Sunday
evening
of
which
the
strict
Sabbatarian
has
no
conception
.
Among
others
are
the
entertainments
provided
by
working
men
's
clubs
.
These
are
not
the
wildest
form
of
dissipation
;
but
,
as
a
rule
,
they
have
some
practical
bearing
on
this
world
and
its
affairs
and
,
though
rather
solid
pudding
,
are
appreciated
by
the
audiences
,
mostly
working
men
,
who
have
a
strong
and
increasing
taste
for
solids
,
and
no
small
discernment
in
the
matter
of
flavours
.
To-night
the
dish
provided
for
the
Agora
Club
was
a
Russian
one
,
and
was
likely
to
be
highly
spiced
.
'
Do
you
expect
a
large
audience
?
'
Richard
Ferrier
asked
Litvinoff
,
as
they
walked
along
.
'
I
hope
so
,
'
he
said
.
'
I
can
always
speak
better
to
a
full
room
.
Perhaps
the
physical
heat
does
something
to
grease
one
's
tongue
;
and
then
,
again
,
in
a
large
audience
,
you
're
sure
to
have
some
people
who
agree
with
you
,
and
you
and
they
reflect
enthusiasm
backwards
and
forwards
between
you
.
We
're
close
there
now
,
'
he
added
,
as
they
turned
down
a
narrow
street
of
high
,
unhappy-looking
houses
.
'
How
in
the
world
do
you
come
to
be
lecturing
at
a
place
like
this
?
How
do
you
know
anything
about
it
?
'
asked
Roland
.
'
There
is
a
freemasonry
among
the
soldiers
of
Liberty
which
holds
good
all
over
the
world
,
and
we
who
serve
her
are
pledged
to
carry
her
light
into
the
darkest
corners
.
'
If
this
seemed
somewhat
rhetorical
to
the
young
Englishmen
,
they
were
ready
enough
to
excuse
it
in
a
foreigner
,
and
especially
in
a
foreigner
who
was
about
to
make
a
speech
.
It
did
occur
to
Dick
that
the
locality
in
which
they
were
at
the
moment
was
a
dark
corner
which
stood
as
much
in
need
of
the
services
of
the
Metropolitan
Gas
Company
as
of
those
of
the
torch-bearers
of
Freedom
;
but
there
was
light
enough
in
the
room
into
which
Count
Litvinoff
soon
led
them
.
It
was
long
and
rather
low
,
not
unlike
a
certain
type
of
dissenting
meeting-room
.
At
one
end
was
a
platform
,
on
which
stood
two
wooden
chairs
,
and
a
deal
table
which
had
upon
it
a
tumbler
,
a
bottle
of
water
,
and
a
small
wooden
hammer
,
similar
to
those
used
by
auctioneers
.
The
room
was
well
filled
—
so
well
filled
that
all
the
wooden
forms
and
chairs
were
occupied
,
and
even
the
standing
room
was
so
much
taken
up
that
the
three
young
men
found
a
little
difficulty
in
working
their
way
to
the
upper
end
of
the
room
.
Roland
noticed
,
with
some
surprise
,
that
among
the
audience
were
several
women
,
who
seemed
quite
as
much
at
home
there
as
the
husbands
and
brothers
with
whom
they
had
come
.
The
two
Ferriers
were
placed
on
a
seat
facing
the
platform
,
which
Litvinoff
at
once
ascended
,
in
company
with
the
chairman
.
The
two
were
received
with
cheers
and
applause
,
which
redoubled
when
the
chairman
in
his
opening
remarks
referred
to
the
count
as
'
one
who
had
suffered
and
worked
for
years
for
the
cause
he
was
about
to
advocate
.
'
Much
as
the
Ferriers
had
already
wondered
at
Litvinoff
's
mastery
of
English
,
they
wondered
still
more
after
the
first
ten
minutes
on
his
speech
.
It
is
one
thing
to
carry
on
a
social
conversation
in
a
tongue
not
one
's
own
;
it
is
another
and
a
widely
different
thing
to
be
able
to
hold
a
foreign
audience
,
and
to
sway
and
move
it
,
to
rouse
its
enthusiasm
and
to
thrill
it
with
horror
,
at
one
's
will
and
pleasure
.
Yet
such
was
the
power
of
this
young
Russian
rebel
.
He
spoke
without
notes
,
and
without
the
slightest
hesitation
.
His
voice
in
the
opening
sentences
was
very
low
,
but
so
clear
as
to
be
heard
distinctly
all
over
the
room
.
The
first
part
of
his
address
was
simply
a
narrative
.
In
a
calm
,
unimpassioned
way
he
told
his
hearers
the
story
,
from
its
beginning
,
of
a
struggle
for
freedom
;
he
told
them
how
a
movement
which
had
begun
in
a
spirit
of
love
,
enthusiasm
,
and
self-sacrifice
,
had
been
turned
by
blind
tyranny
and
brutal
oppression
into
one
of
wild
vengeance
and
bitter
relentless
hatred
.
He
told
them
how
,
for
a
chance
expression
of
sympathy
with
the
down-trodden
peasants
;
for
the
possession
of
a
suppressed
book
;
sometimes
even
for
less
than
these
offences
,
for
having
incurred
the
personal
spite
of
some
members
of
the
police
,
aged
men
and
tender
girls
had
been
,
and
were
,
at
that
moment
while
he
spoke
to
them
,
being
delivered
over
to
the
torture
chambers
of
the
Russian
monarch
,
to
be
scourged
and
starved
,
to
be
devoured
by
disease
and
riven
by
madness
.
He
told
them
how
tyranny
always
had
treated
—
how
while
it
exists
,
tyranny
always
will
treat
the
sons
of
men
.
Then
,
when
many
among
his
audience
had
broken
out
into
groans
of
indignation
and
cries
of
'
Shame
!
'
the
usual
note
of
an
indignant
English
audience
,
the
speaker
dropped
the
narrative
tone
and
became
argumentative
.
Here
,
when
he
justified
the
Nihilists
'
'
deeds
of
death
'
as
the
lawful
punishment
of
criminals
—
punishment
inflicted
by
the
only
power
that
has
the
right
to
execute
vengeance
,
the
outraged
spirit
of
man
—
he
seemed
to
lose
for
a
moment
the
sympathy
of
some
of
his
hearers
,
and
certainly
of
the
Ferriers
,
who
like
most
Englishmen
,
believed
in
the
efficacy
of
Parliamentary
reforms
,
and
also
forgot
,
like
most
Englishmen
,
that
these
patent
remedies
for
all
the
ills
of
life
are
hardly
applicable
to
nations
that
have
no
parliament
.
With
the
ready
apprehension
of
a
true
orator
,
Litvinoff
saw
the
slight
shade
of
coldness
as
it
passed
over
some
of
the
upturned
faces
before
him
,
and
,
with
a
consummate
skill
that
was
the
result
either
of
long
practice
or
oratorical
genius
,
he
changed
,
without
seeming
to
change
,
the
argumentative
and
defensive
attitude
for
one
of
stern
and
glowing
denunciation
.
His
voice
rang
through
the
room
now
like
a
trumpet-call
.
A
very
little
of
this
sort
of
thing
was
sufficient
to
rouse
the
men
before
him
to
stormy
approbation
,
and
Richard
whispered
to
his
brother
that
if
any
Russian
dignitary
were
to
come
in
just
then
,
while
the
speaker
was
in
the
full
tide
of
his
invective
,
he
would
have
very
much
the
sort
of
reception
that
was
given
to
the
Austrian
woman-flogging
general
some
years
ago
by
the
stalwart
draymen
of
Messrs
Barclay
+
Perkins
.
Apparently
satisfied
with
the
applause
of
his
audience
,
in
which
he
seemed
to
delight
and
revel
,
Litvinoff
turned
from
the
present
and
the
past
,
and
invited
his
hearers
to
look
with
him
into
the
future
,
'
not
only
of
Russia
,
but
of
mankind
,
'
he
said
;
'
what
the
world
might
be
—
what
it
would
be
.
'
Then
were
done
into
rhetorical
English
the
concluding
pages
of
that
famous
Russian
pamphlet
,
'
A
Prophetic
Vision
'
—
the
pamphlet
for
whose
sake
Russian
peasants
had
braved
the
spydom
of
the
police
,
and
to
hear
which
read
aloud
by
some
of
their
fellows
who
could
read
,
they
had
crowded
together
at
nights
in
outhouses
and
sheds
,
by
the
dim
light
of
tallow
candles
—
the
pamphlet
for
whose
possession
St
Petersburg
and
Moscow
students
had
quarrelled
and
almost
fought
,
knowing
all
the
time
that
the
mere
fact
of
its
being
found
upon
their
persons
or
among
their
belongings
meant
certain
imprisonment
,
and
possible
death
—
the
pamphlet
,
in
short
,
the
discovery
of
whose
authorship
three
years
back
had
sent
Count
Litvinoff
and
his
luckless
secretary
flying
for
the
Austrian
frontier
.
It
was
certainly
a
pleasant
vision
this
of
the
Russian
noble
,
whether
it
was
prophetic
or
no
,
a
dream
of
a
time
when
men
would
no
longer
sow
for
other
men
to
reap
,
when
the
fruits
of
the
earth
would
be
the
inheritance
of
all
the
earth
's
children
,
and
not
only
of
her
priests
and
her
rulers
;
when
,
in
fact
,
rulers
would
be
no
more
,
for
all
would
rule
and
each
would
obey
;
when
every
man
would
do
as
he
liked
,
and
every
man
would
like
to
do
well
.
All
this
seemed
very
high-flown
and
remote
to
the
young
university
critics
on
the
front
seats
,
though
even
they
were
moved
for
a
moment
or
two
,
by
the
vibrating
tones
of
the
speaker
,
out
of
the
attitude
of
English
stolidity
which
they
had
carefully
kept
up
during
the
evening
.
But
those
behind
them
were
less
reserved
,
and
perhaps
more
credulous
—
more
given
to
believing
in
visions
;
and
when
Litvinoff
sat
down
,
the
walls
of
the
Agora
rang
again
and
again
with
the
cheers
of
a
sympathetic
and
delighted
audience
.
When
the
chairman
had
announced
that
'
Mr
'
Litvinoff
would
be
happy
to
answer
any
questions
that
might
be
sug
gested
by
the
lecture
,
there
was
a
moment
or
two
of
that
awkward
silence
which
always
occurs
on
these
occasions
,
when
everyone
feels
that
there
are
at
least
half-a-dozen
questions
he
would
like
to
ask
,
but
experiences
the
greatest
possible
difficulty
in
putting
even
one
into
an
intelligible
shape
.
At
length
a
man
in
one
of
the
far
corners
of
the
room
rose
to
put
a
question
.
His
accent
showed
him
to
be
a
foreigner
,
but
that
was
not
a
very
remarkable
thing
in
Soho
.
He
had
a
scrubby
chin
and
dirty
linen
,
two
other
characteristics
not
uncommon
in
that
region
.
After
a
preliminary
cough
he
explained
that
his
question
was
rather
personal
than
general
,
and
he
quite
allowed
that
the
lecturer
was
not
bound
to
answer
it
;
but
he
said
that
,
having
been
in
Russia
,
he
could
bear
testimony
to
the
truth
of
all
that
had
been
said
that
evening
,
and
that
while
in
the
south
of
Russia
he
had
come
across
a
small
pamphlet
,
called
'
A
Prophetic
Vision
,
'
which
he
had
been
told
had
been
written
by
a
Count
Michael
Litvinoff
.
Some
parts
of
the
address
to-night
had
reminded
him
of
that
excellent
pamphlet
,
and
he
thought
it
would
be
interesting
to
the
audience
to
know
whether
the
author
of
that
pamphlet
was
the
speaker
of
the
evening
.
Litvinoff
rose
at
once
.
'
I
had
no
idea
,
'
he
said
,
'
that
the
little
brochure
would
ever
be
heard
of
outside
the
country
for
whose
children
it
was
written
;
but
since
the
question
is
asked
me
so
frankly
to-night
,
I
will
answer
as
frankly
—
Yes
,
I
wrote
it
.
'
An
approving
murmur
ran
through
the
room
,
and
the
foreigner
rose
again
.
He
was
sorry
again
to
trouble
Citizen
Litvinoff
,
but
was
he
right
in
supposing
(
it
had
been
so
reported
)
that
the
discovery
of
this
pamphlet
by
the
Russian
Government
had
occasioned
Count
Litvinoff
's
exile
?
Litvinoff
was
very
pale
as
he
answered
,
—
'
Yes
;
it
was
that
unhappy
pamphlet
which
deprived
me
of
the
chance
of
serving
my
country
on
the
scene
of
action
,
and
which
lost
me
a
life
I
valued
above
my
own
—
that
of
a
fellow-countryman
of
the
audience
which
I
have
the
pleasure
of
addressing
to-night
—
my
secretary
and
friend
,
whom
I
loved
more
than
a
brother
.
'
His
voice
trembled
as
he
ended
.
There
was
another
round
of
applause
,
and
,
no
more
questions
being
forthcoming
,
the
meeting
broke
up
,
and
people
stood
talking
together
in
little
groups
.
Richard
was
discussing
a
knotty
economic
point
with
a
sturdy
carpenter
and
trades
unionist
,
and
Roland
,
close
by
,
was
earnestly
questioning
a
French
Communist
to
whom
Litvinoff
had
introduced
him
,
and
was
receiving
an
account
of
the
so-called
murder
of
the
hostages
very
different
from
any
which
had
appeared
in
the
daily
papers
of
the
period
,
when
the
Count
came
up
to
them
.
'
Excuse
me
,
'
he
said
,
'
I
am
désolé
;
but
I
shall
be
unable
to
stay
longer
.
You
will
be
able
,
doubtless
,
to
pilot
yourselves
back
to
civilisation
,
and
will
pardon
my
abrupt
departure
.
I
have
just
seen
someone
going
out
of
the
door
whom
I
've
been
trying
to
catch
for
the
last
three
months
,
and
I
'm
off
in
pursuit
.
'
And
he
was
off
.
As
he
passed
a
small
knot
of
youths
outside
the
door
they
looked
after
him
,
and
one
of
them
said
with
a
laugh
,
'
Blest
if
I
do
n't
believe
he
's
after
that
handsome
gal
.
What
chaps
these
foreigners
are
for
the
ladies
.
'
The
discerning
youth
was
right
.
He
was
after
that
girl
—
but
though
he
followed
her
and
watched
her
into
the
house
where
she
lived
,
he
did
not
speak
to
her
.
'
Think
twice
before
you
speak
once
is
a
good
rule
,
'
he
said
to
himself
,
as
he
turned
westwards
,
'
and
I
know
where
she
lives
,
at
any
rate
.
'
Even
discussions
on
political
economy
,
and
historical
revelations
by
those
who
helped
to
make
the
history
,
must
come
to
an
end
at
last
,
and
the
Ferriers
came
away
,
after
Dick
had
received
a
pressing
invitation
from
the
chairman
to
address
the
club
,
and
to
choose
his
own
subject
,
and
Roland
,
who
had
suddenly
conceived
a
passion
for
foreigners
of
a
revolutionary
character
,
had
made
an
appointment
with
his
Communist
acquaintance
for
an
evening
in
the
week
.
As
they
passed
down
the
street
,
two
men
standing
under
a
lamp
looked
at
them
with
interest
.
One
was
the
man
who
had
put
the
questions
regarding
the
pamphlet
.
The
other
was
a
foreigner
too
,
though
he
was
clean
in
his
attire
and
had
not
a
scrubby
chin
,
but
a
long
,
light
silky
beard
.
He
wore
the
slouch
hat
so
much
affected
by
the
High
Church
Clergy
,
and
which
is
popularly
supposed
to
mark
any
non-clerical
wearer
as
a
man
of
revolutionary
views
.
He
was
tall
,
and
pale
,
and
thin
,
and
had
very
deeply-set
hollow
eyes
,
which
he
kept
fixed
on
the
retreating
millowners
till
they
turned
the
corner
and
went
out
of
sight
.
Then
he
said
,
in
a
Hungarian
dialect
,
—
'
Our
pamphlet-writing
friend
does
n't
seem
to
choose
his
friends
solely
among
the
poor
and
needy
;
and
that
is
politic
to
say
the
least
of
it
.
'
'
Money
seeks
money
,
'
growled
the
other
,
'
and
he
has
plenty
.
'
'
Not
so
much
as
you
'd
suppose
.
The
greater
part
of
the
Litvinoff
property
is
quite
out
of
his
reach
.
Our
"
little
father
"
takes
good
care
of
that
.
'
'
That
which
he
has
he
takes
care
to
keep
,
'
said
the
other
.
'
I
'm
not
so
sure
;
at
anyrate
,
he
uses
his
tongue
,
which
is
a
good
one
,
in
our
cause
.
Speeches
like
that
are
good
.
A
man
who
can
speak
so
is
not
to
be
sneered
at
,
and
I
'm
certain
he
could
not
speak
like
that
unless
he
felt
some
of
it
at
least
.
He
has
done
us
good
service
before
,
and
he
will
again
.
The
Mantle
of
the
Prophet
fits
him
uncommonly
well
.
'
'
YOU
LIE
!
'
'
Morley
's
Hotel
,
Sunday
Evening
.
DEAR
MR
FERRIER
,
—
You
were
so
full
of
Russia
yesterday
afternoon
that
you
made
me
forget
to
say
to
you
what
might
have
saved
you
the
trouble
of
answering
this
by
post
.
Will
you
and
your
brother
dine
with
us
(
papa
says
)
to-morrow
evening
at
seven
?
I
hope
you
enjoyed
yourselves
last
night
.
I
am
sure
I
should
have
done
if
I
had
been
there
.
With
papa
's
and
my
kind
regards
to
you
and
Mr
Roland
,
—
I
am
,
dear
Mr
Ferrier
,
yours
very
truly
,
'
Clare
Stanley
.
'
P.S.
—
Count
Litvinoff
,
your
interesting
Russian
friend
,
will
be
here
.
'
Miss
Stanley
smiled
to
herself
rather
wickedly
as
she
folded
this
note
.
She
had
noticed
that
her
interest
in
the
Russian
acquaintance
did
not
seem
to
enhance
theirs
,
and
she
thought
to
herself
that
whatever
the
dinner
might
be
at
which
those
three
assisted
,
it
certainly
would
not
be
dull
for
her
.
In
Derbyshire
,
where
her
amusements
were
very
limited
,
she
would
have
thought
twice
before
permitting
herself
to
risk
offending
the
masters
of
Thornsett
,
but
here
that
risk
only
seemed
to
offer
a
new
form
of
amusement
.
But
experimenting
on
the
feelings
of
these
gentlemen
was
an
entertainment
which
was
somehow
not
quite
so
enthralling
as
it
had
been
,
and
she
now
longed
,
not
for
a
fresh
world
to
conquer
—
here
was
one
ready
to
her
hand
—
but
for
the
power
to
conquer
it
.
She
would
have
given
something
to
be
able
to
believe
that
she
had
anything
like
the
same
power
over
this
hero
of
romance
,
whom
fate
had
thrown
in
her
way
,
as
she
had
over
the
excellent
but
commonplace
admirers
with
whom
she
had
amused
herself
for
the
last
year
.
Litvinoff
had
distinctly
told
her
that
the
goddess
of
his
idolatry
,
the
one
mistress
of
his
heart
,
was
Liberty
,
and
though
this
statement
was
modified
in
her
mind
by
her
recollection
of
certain
glances
cast
at
herself
,
she
yet
believed
in
it
enough
to
feel
a
not
unnatural
desire
to
enter
into
competition
with
that
goddess
.
Her
classical
studies
taught
her
that
women
had
competed
successfully
with
such
rivals
,
and
she
was
not
morbidly
self-distrustful
,
especially
when
a
looking-glass
was
near
her
.
With
the
letter
in
her
hand
she
glanced
at
the
mirror
over
the
mantelpiece
,
and
the
fair
vision
of
dark-brown
lashes
,
gold-brown
waving
hair
,
delicate
oval
face
,
and
well-shaped
if
rather
large
mouth
,
might
have
reassured
her
had
she
felt
any
doubts
of
her
own
attractions
.
But
the
glance
she
cast
at
herself
over
her
shoulder
was
one
of
saucy
triumph
,
and
the
smile
with
which
she
sealed
her
letter
one
of
conscious
power
.
Would
she
have
been
gratified
if
she
could
have
seen
the
effect
of
her
note
?
It
was
not
at
all
with
the
sort
of
expression
you
would
expect
to
see
on
the
face
of
a
man
who
had
just
received
a
dinner
invitation
transmitted
through
the
lady
of
his
heart
from
that
lady
's
papa
,
that
Richard
Ferrier
passed
the
note
over
to
his
brother
next
morning
.
'
Here
you
are
,
'
he
said
.
'
Bouquet
de
Nihilist
,
trebly
distilled
.
'
'
Well
,
do
n't
let
's
go
,
then
.
'
'
Why
,
I
thought
you
were
so
fond
of
the
Count
.
I
wonder
you
do
n't
jump
at
it
.
I
thought
it
would
please
you
.
'
'
So
I
do
like
him
—
he
's
a
splendid
speaker
;
but
I
did
n't
come
to
London
to
spend
all
my
days
and
nights
with
him
,
any
more
than
you
did
.
Besides
,
I
'm
engaged
for
to-night
.
'
'
Oh
,
are
you
?
Well
,
I
think
I
shall
go
.
'
'
You
'd
better
leave
it
alone
.
You
wo
n't
stand
much
chance
beside
a
man
with
such
a
moustache
as
that
.
Besides
,
he
sings
,
do
n't
you
know
?
and
with
all
your
solid
and
admirable
qualities
,
Richard
,
you
're
not
a
nightingale
.
'
'
Nor
yet
a
runaway
rebel
.
'
'
I
say
,
you
'd
better
look
a
little
bit
after
your
epithets
.
Litvinoff
does
n't
look
much
of
the
running-away
sort
.
According
to
what
I
heard
last
night
,
he
can
use
a
revolver
with
effect
on
occasion
.
By
the
way
,
Richard
,
'
he
went
on
,
more
seriously
,
'
I
believe
I
saw
a
face
at
that
club
I
knew
,
but
it
was
only
for
a
minute
,
and
I
lost
sight
of
it
,
and
I
could
n't
be
sure
.
'
'
Who
did
you
think
it
was
?
'
'
Little
Alice
.
'
'
Think
—
you
think
!
'
said
his
brother
,
turning
fiercely
on
him
.
'
Do
you
mean
to
say
you
did
n't
know
?
'
'
Know
?
Of
course
not
,
or
I
should
say
so
.
What
the
deuce
do
you
mean
?
'
'
I
should
like
to
ask
you
what
the
deuce
you
mean
by
even
debating
whether
or
no
to
accept
that
invitation
when
you
know
you
've
no
earthly
right
to
go
near
Miss
Stanley
—
'
'
You
'd
better
mention
your
ideas
to
Mr
Stanley
.
I
do
n't
in
the
least
know
what
you
're
driving
at
—
and
I
do
n't
care
;
but
since
you
choose
to
bring
her
name
in
,
I
shall
throw
over
my
other
engagement
and
go
to
Morley
's
to-night
.
'
'
You
can
go
to
the
devil
if
you
choose
!
'
said
Dick
,
who
seemed
to
have
entirely
lost
his
self-control
,
and
he
flung
out
,
slamming
the
door
behind
him
.
Clare
's
note
was
bearing
more
fruit
than
she
desired
or
anticipated
in
setting
the
brothers
not
so
much
against
Litvinoff
as
against
each
other
,
for
what
but
her
letter
could
have
stirred
Dick
's
temper
to
this
sudden
and
unpremeditated
outbreak
?
What
but
her
note
and
Dick
's
comments
thereon
could
have
ruffled
Roland
's
ordinarily
even
nature
in
this
way
?
It
is
always
a
mistake
to
play
with
fire
;
but
people
,
girls
especially
,
will
not
believe
this
until
they
have
burned
their
own
fingers
,
and
,
en
passant
,
more
of
other
people
's
valuables
than
they
can
ever
estimate
.
'
I
wish
I
had
spoken
to
that
girl
yesterday
,
'
said
Count
Litvinoff
to
himself
;
'
it
would
have
saved
my
turning
out
this
vile
afternoon
.
If
fate
has
given
England
freedom
,
she
has
taken
care
to
accompany
the
gift
with
a
fair
share
of
fog
.
I
wish
I
could
help
worrying
about
other
people
's
troubles
.
It
is
very
absurd
,
but
I
ca
n't
get
on
with
my
work
for
thinking
of
that
poor
tired
little
face
.
Hard
up
,
she
looked
,
too
.
Ah
,
well
!
so
shall
I
be
very
soon
,
unless
something
very
unexpected
turns
up
.
I
'll
go
now
,
and
earn
an
easy
conscience
for
this
evening
.
'
He
threw
down
his
pen
and
rose
.
The
article
on
the
Ethics
of
Revolution
on
which
he
was
engaged
had
made
but
small
progress
that
afternoon
.
He
had
felt
ever
since
lunch
that
go
out
he
must
sooner
or
later
,
and
the
prospect
was
dispiriting
.
He
glanced
out
of
his
window
as
he
put
on
his
fur-lined
coat
.
From
the
windows
of
Morley
's
Hotel
the
view
on
a
fine
day
is
about
as
cheerful
as
any
that
London
can
present
—
though
one
may
have
one
's
private
sentiments
respecting
the
pepper-boxes
which
emphasise
the
bald
ugliness
of
the
National
Gallery
,
and
though
one
may
sometimes
wish
that
the
slave
of
the
lamp
would
bring
St
George
's
Hall
from
Liverpool
and
drop
it
on
that
splendid
site
.
But
this
was
not
a
fine
day
.
It
was
a
gloomy
,
damp
,
foggy
,
depressing
,
suicidal
day
.
The
fog
had
,
with
its
usual
adroitness
,
managed
to
hide
the
beauties
of
everything
,
and
to
magnify
the
uglinesses
.
Nelson
was
absolutely
invisible
,
and
the
lions
looked
like
half-drowned
cats
.
Litvinoff
shuddered
as
he
lighted
a
large
cigar
and
pulled
his
gloves
on
.
'
This
is
a
detestable
climate
,
'
he
said
,
as
he
drew
the
first
whiffs
;
'
but
London
is
about
the
only
place
I
know
where
good
cigars
can
be
had
at
a
price
to
fit
the
pocket
of
an
exile
.
I
suppose
I
shall
soon
have
to
leave
this
palatial
residence
,
and
become
one
of
the
out-at-elbows
gentlemen
who
make
life
hideous
in
Leicester
Square
and
Soho
.
'
Like
many
men
who
have
lived
lonely
lives
,
Michael
Litvinoff
had
an
inveterate
habit
of
soliloquy
.
It
had
been
strengthened
by
his
life
at
the
ancestral
mansion
on
the
Litvinoff
estate
,
and
had
not
grown
less
in
his
years
of
solitary
wanderings
.
His
walk
to-day
was
not
a
pleasant
one
,
and
more
than
once
he
felt
inclined
to
turn
back
.
But
he
persevered
,
and
when
he
reached
the
house
which
he
had
seen
her
enter
he
asked
a
woman
on
the
ground
floor
if
Miss
Hatfield
lived
there
.
'
There
's
a
young
person
named
Hatfield
in
the
front
attic
,
'
was
the
reply
,
as
the
informant
stared
with
all
her
eyes
at
the
Count
,
who
was
certainly
an
unusual
sort
of
apparition
in
Spray
's
Buildings
.
As
he
strode
up
the
dirty
,
rotten
stairs
,
stumbling
more
than
once
,
he
thought
to
himself
,
as
Dick
had
done
,
that
Alice
did
not
make
her
new
life
profitable
,
whatever
it
was
.
'
Poor
girl
!
'
he
thought
;
'
if
she
's
of
the
same
mind
now
as
she
was
when
I
saw
her
last
,
I
suppose
I
must
find
an
opportunity
of
doing
good
by
stealth
.
'
The
house
,
though
poor
enough
,
did
not
seem
to
be
one
of
those
overcrowded
dens
of
which
we
have
heard
so
much
lately
,
and
which
a
Royal
Commission
is
to
set
right
,
as
a
Royal
Commission
always
does
set
everything
right
.
Or
perhaps
the
lodgers
were
birds
of
prey
,
who
only
came
home
to
roost
at
uncertain
hours
;
or
beasts
of
burden
,
who
were
only
stabled
at
midnight
to
be
harnessed
again
at
sunrise
.
At
anyrate
,
the
Count
saw
no
one
on
the
stairs
,
and
he
saw
no
one
in
the
front
attic
either
.
Not
only
no
one
,
but
no
thing
.
The
door
and
window
were
both
open
.
The
room
appeared
to
have
been
swept
and
garnished
,
but
was
absolutely
empty
of
everything
but
fog
.
There
was
another
door
opposite
,
but
it
was
closed
and
locked
.
'
She
's
evidently
not
here
.
We
'll
try
lower
down
.
'
But
before
he
had
time
to
turn
he
heard
a
foot
on
the
stairs
,
coming
up
with
the
light
and
springy
tread
which
is
the
result
of
good
and
well-fitting
boots
,
and
which
does
not
mark
those
who
walk
through
life
,
from
the
cradle
to
the
grave
,
shod
in
boots
several
sizes
too
large
and
several
pounds
too
heavy
.
He
glanced
over
the
broken
banisters
,
and
recoiled
hastily
.
'
The
gentle
Roland
,
by
all
that
's
mysterious
!
'
he
said
,
'
Now
,
what
on
earth
can
he
want
here
?
At
anyrate
,
he
'd
better
not
see
me
.
'
The
landing
on
which
he
stood
was
very
dark
,
and
there
was
a
heap
of
lumber
,
old
boxes
,
a
hopelessly
broken
chair
,
a
tub
,
and
some
boards
.
Litvinoff
crept
behind
them
,
and
in
his
black
coat
and
the
obscurity
of
the
dusky
landing
and
the
dark
afternoon
he
felt
himself
secure
.
He
had
hardly
taken
up
this
position
when
Roland
Ferrier
's
head
appeared
above
the
top
stair
,
to
be
followed
cautiously
by
the
rest
of
him
.
He
cast
a
puzzled
look
round
the
empty
attic
,
tried
the
closed
door
,
and
,
turning
,
went
downstairs
again
.
Litvinoff
was
just
coming
out
of
his
not
over
savoury
lurking-place
when
he
heard
a
voice
on
the
landing
below
,
which
was
not
Roland
's
.
'
Parbleu
!
'
he
said
to
himself
;
'
it
rains
Ferriers
here
this
afternoon
.
Here
's
the
engaging
Richard
,
and
evidently
not
in
the
best
of
tempers
.
'
He
evidently
was
not
—
if
one
might
judge
by
his
voice
,
which
was
icy
with
contempt
as
he
said
sneeringly
,
'
So
this
was
the
engagement
you
were
going
to
put
off
,
was
it
?
'
'
Yes
,
it
was
.
At
least
I
am
here
to
put
off
an
engagement
;
but
I
do
n't
know
what
you
know
about
it
,
'
said
Roland
,
'
and
I
do
n't
know
what
you
mean
by
following
me
about
like
this
.
What
business
have
you
here
?
This
is
n't
Aspinshaw
,
that
you
need
dog
my
footsteps
.
'
'
I
came
here
to
try
and
find
out
whether
my
father
's
son
was
a
scoundrel
or
not
,
and
you
've
answered
the
question
for
me
by
being
here
.
'
'
Upon
my
word
,
'
said
Roland
's
voice
,
'
I
think
you
must
be
out
of
your
mind
.
'
It
is
n't
often
that
the
thought
which
would
restrain
comes
into
one
's
mind
at
the
moment
when
restraint
is
most
needed
;
but
just
then
Dick
did
think
of
his
father
and
his
dying
wishes
,
and
the
remembrance
helped
him
to
speak
more
calmly
than
he
would
otherwise
have
done
.
'
Once
for
all
,
then
,
will
you
tell
me
why
you
are
here
,
Roland
?
'
'
Yes
,
I
will
,
though
I
do
n't
acknowledge
your
right
to
question
me
.
I
had
an
appointment
,
with
that
Frenchman
we
met
last
night
,
for
this
evening
,
but
I
've
lost
his
address
.
I
knew
it
was
in
this
court
,
and
I
was
walking
about
on
the
chance
of
finding
him
,
when
I
'm
almost
sure
I
saw
Litvinoff
come
in
here
.
I
made
after
him
,
feeling
sure
he
was
going
to
the
same
place
as
I
was
.
'
'
And
where
is
Litvinoff
?
'
'
He
seems
to
have
disappeared
,
or
else
I
was
mistaken
.
Now
,
what
have
you
got
to
say
?
'
'
This
.
You
lie
!
'
It
sounded
hardly
like
Richard
's
voice
,
so
hoarse
and
choked
with
passion
was
it
;
and
so
full
of
insult
and
scorn
that
Roland
at
last
lost
control
of
himself
.
'
Stand
back
,
you
raving
maniac
,
'
he
said
,
'
and
let
me
pass
!
The
same
roof
must
n't
cover
us
two
any
longer
,
and
do
n't
speak
again
to
me
this
side
of
the
grave
.
'
The
listener
,
leaning
forward
eagerly
to
catch
every
word
,
heard
Roland
's
foot
dash
down
the
staircase
.
There
was
a
moment
of
perfect
silence
,
and
then
came
a
long-drawn
sigh
from
Richard
Ferrier
.
'
Now
then
,
young
man
,
what
's
all
this
to-do
about
?
I
should
like
to
know
what
you
mean
by
quarrelling
in
places
that
do
n't
belong
to
you
,
and
terrifying
respectable
married
women
out
of
their
seven
senses
.
'
It
was
a
shrill
woman
's
voice
that
spoke
,
and
a
door
opened
on
the
landing
where
young
Ferrier
stood
.
'
I
'm
very
sorry
,
madam
,
'
said
Richard
,
in
tones
calm
enough
now
.
'
I
did
n't
intend
to
disturb
anyone
.
Will
you
kindly
tell
me
if
anyone
lives
here
named
Hatfield
?
'
'
There
was
a
young
woman
of
that
name
in
the
front
attic
,
but
she
left
sudden
this
morning
.
'
'
Do
you
know
where
she
's
gone
?
'
'
No
,
I
do
n't
.
'
'
Does
anyone
in
the
house
know
?
'
'
No
.
I
'm
the
landlady
,
and
she
'd
have
told
me
if
she
told
anyone
.
'
'
Thank
you
,
'
he
said
,
and
turned
to
pass
down
the
staircase
.
'
Stay
,
though
,
'
he
said
;
'
have
you
any
Frenchmen
lodging
here
?
'
'
I
do
n't
want
no
dratted
furriners
here
,
and
I
have
n't
got
none
,
thank
God
!
'
'
Of
course
not
,
'
said
Ferrier
to
himself
,
and
strode
downstairs
.
'
No
foreigners
here
?
Do
n't
be
too
sure
,
my
good
woman
,
'
Litvinoff
muttered
to
himself
,
as
he
heard
the
landlady
's
door
close
to
a
continued
accompaniment
of
reiterated
objections
in
that
lady
's
shrill
treble
.
'
I
'd
better
get
out
of
this
house
of
mystery
at
once
.
I
trust
that
the
outraged
female
proprietor
of
this
staircase
will
not
demand
my
blood
.
Well
,
whatever
happens
,
I
suppose
we
shall
not
see
the
amiable
brothers
to-night
,
and
that
will
mean
a
tête-à-tête
,
'
he
added
,
as
he
came
out
from
his
dusty
retirement
,
and
carefully
removed
all
traces
of
the
same
from
his
clothes
.
When
he
found
himself
once
more
in
the
chill
,
foggy
,
outside
air
,
he
looked
up
and
down
the
court
,
and
smiled
.
'
The
situation
becomes
interesting
,
'
he
said
to
himself
,
'
and
demands
another
of
these
very
excellent
cigars
.
'
AT
SPRAY
'S
BUILDINGS
.
IT
seemed
a
very
long
walk
home
to
Alice
Hatfield
,
after
that
Sunday
evening
lecture
.
She
felt
almost
as
though
she
could
never
reach
her
lodging
.
It
was
such
weary
work
to
keep
putting
one
tired
foot
before
the
other
.
And
somehow
she
was
so
much
more
easily
tired
now
than
she
used
to
be
in
her
Derbyshire
home
,
where
she
had
been
used
to
breast
the
steepest
hills
without
even
a
quickened
breath
.
She
wished
she
had
not
gone
;
she
had
derived
no
pleasure
from
the
evening
,
and
had
only
gained
a
sharper
heartache
from
the
sight
of
a
certain
face
,
which
had
been
,
and
was
still
for
that
matter
,
the
dearest
face
in
the
world
to
her
.
She
felt
re-awakened
too
in
her
a
liking
for
a
different
life
among
different
surroundings
;
the
life
she
had
given
up
of
her
own
free
will
three
months
ago
.
She
had
been
much
alone
in
that
other
life
,
it
is
true
,
and
her
thoughts
had
not
made
solitude
sweet
;
but
she
had
seen
him
sometimes
,
and
now
she
was
quite
alone
—
always
—
save
for
the
few
slight
acquaintances
she
had
made
in
the
house
where
she
lived
.
In
that
other
life
,
which
now
looked
brighter
than
it
had
ever
done
when
it
was
hers
,
she
had
been
racked
and
tortured
by
her
conscience
,
which
had
at
last
forced
her
to
try
and
silence
it
by
renouncing
what
she
had
sacrificed
everything
to
gain
,
and
by
voluntarily
adopting
this
strange
,
hard
way
of
living
.
But
now
that
that
gloomy
monitor
was
on
her
side
,
it
failed
to
give
that
comfort
and
support
which
one
is
taught
to
expect
from
it
.
'
Be
virtuous
and
you
will
be
happy
,
'
say
the
copy-books
.
A
somewhat
higher
authority
(
Professor
Huxley
)
thinks
otherwise
.
'
Virtue
is
undoubtedly
beneficent
,
'
he
says
,
'
but
the
man
is
to
be
envied
to
whom
her
ways
seem
in
any
wise
playful
;
and
though
she
may
not
talk
much
about
suffering
and
self-denial
,
her
silence
on
that
topic
may
be
accounted
for
on
the
principle
ça
va
sans
dire
.
She
is
an
awful
goddess
,
whose
ministers
are
the
furies
,
and
whose
highest
reward
is
peace
.
'
Alice
Hatfield
had
n't
read
Huxley
,
but
if
she
had
she
would
have
agreed
with
him
in
this
;
and
now
it
seemed
as
though
the
furies
were
driving
her
along
the
streets
towards
that
miserable
home
of
hers
,
where
,
so
far
,
no
dove
of
peace
had
folded
its
wings
.
It
is
given
to
all
of
us
,
at
one
time
or
another
,
to
repent
—
more
or
less
—
of
the
evil
;
but
many
of
us
also
know
what
it
is
to
look
back
,
with
something
like
remorse
,
on
what
we
believe
to
have
been
the
good
.
And
good
and
evil
,
get
so
mixed
up
sometimes
,
when
we
have
often
heard
the
world
's
'
right
'
skilfully
controverted
and
made
to
seem
wrong
,
by
the
tongue
whose
eloquence
once
made
wrong
seem
to
us
right
.
Alice
had
to
collect
all
her
energies
to
enable
her
to
climb
the
steep
dark
stairs
which
led
to
her
room
,
and
when
she
had
gained
it
at
last
,
and
had
lighted
her
little
benzoline
lamp
,
she
sank
down
on
her
chair
bedstead
,
exhausted
and
breathless
.
What
a
hateful
room
it
was
;
how
cold
,
and
cheerless
,
and
wretched
.
The
few
poor
articles
of
furniture
did
not
relieve
its
bareness
in
the
least
.
There
was
no
fire
,
of
course
,
and
her
little
lamp
quite
failed
to
light
up
the
dark
corners
.
There
must
be
something
wrong
with
that
lamp
—
it
was
going
out
surely
—
the
room
was
growing
so
dark
;
or
was
it
her
eyes
from
which
the
power
of
seeing
was
going
?
The
room
seemed
to
swim
before
her
sight
,
and
a
feeling
of
deadly
faintness
came
over
her
,
a
horrible
sensation
of
going
through
the
floor
.
She
staggered
to
her
feet
and
drank
some
water
,
which
gave
her
strength
to
go
unsteadily
down
to
the
floor
below
,
and
to
knock
at
the
landlady
's
door
.
'
Oh
,
I
am
so
ill
—
so
ill
!
I
think
I
'm
dying
,
'
she
said
,
holding
out
both
hands
as
the
woman
appeared
;
'
help
me
.
'
Then
she
knew
no
more
.
Her
troubles
,
her
tiredness
,
her
regrets
,
her
very
self
,
all
were
swallowed
up
in
the
horror
of
great
darkness
that
overwhelmed
her
.
'
Here
's
a
nice
set
out
,
'
grumbled
Mrs
Fludger
,
as
her
lodger
fell
at
her
feet
;
'
as
if
one
had
n't
enough
troubles
o
'
one
's
own
—
what
with
Jenny
being
out
o
'
work
,
and
the
master
on
the
booze
since
Friday
.
Jenny
!
'
'
Here
I
am
.
'
Miss
Jenny
Fludger
,
a
muscular
young
woman
,
with
her
hair
in
a
long
beaded
net
,
responded
to
the
call
,
and
lent
her
help
in
carrying
Alice
back
to
her
room
.
Then
the
unsympathetic
hands
of
the
two
women
undressed
the
girl
and
laid
her
in
her
bed
.
Then
they
looked
meaningly
at
each
other
.
'
If
she
do
n't
soon
come
round
I
'll
send
Joe
for
the
doctor
,
'
said
the
mother
.
'
You
never
knows
what
may
happen
.
'
Then
Mrs
Fludger
dashed
cold
water
in
the
patient
's
face
,
slapped
her
hands
with
a
vigour
that
would
have
brought
tears
to
her
eyes
had
she
been
conscious
,
and
made
a
horrible
smell
with
the
benzoline
lamp
and
a
pigeon
's
feather
hastily
begged
from
a
lodger
who
had
leanings
ornithological
.
Alice
showing
no
signs
of
being
affected
by
the
application
of
these
generally
efficacious
remedies
,
Mrs
Fludger
decided
that
this
was
a
case
of
'
going
off
'
quite
beyond
her
experience
,
and
feeling
the
responsibility
too
much
to
be
borne
alone
,
she
despatched
her
third
son
in
quest
of
a
doctor
,
regardless
of
Miss
Jenny
's
opinion
that
the
lodger
was
'
shamming
.
'
Joe
Fludger
was
not
particularly
pleased
at
being
sent
.
He
was
busy
just
then
shaking
up
a
mangy
kitten
and
a
recently-acquired
guinea-pig
in
a
box
,
with
a
view
of
getting
them
to
fight
,
which
they
showed
no
signs
of
doing
,
and
he
did
not
care
to
relinquish
this
enthralling
pastime
until
he
had
compassed
his
end
.
He
put
his
two
'
pets
'
into
one
pocket
,
hoping
that
that
position
would
urge
them
to
fulfil
their
destiny
and
have
it
out
,
and
as
he
met
several
friends
,
and
felt
it
incumbent
on
him
to
exhibit
his
treasures
to
each
of
them
,
it
was
some
time
before
he
carried
out
his
instructions
,
and
brought
medical
science
,
as
represented
by
Dr
Moore
,
to
15
Spray
's
Buildings
.
But
even
when
the
doctor
did
at
last
stand
by
her
bedside
,
Alice
was
still
insensible
.
He
raised
her
eyelids
,
felt
her
pulse
,
asked
one
or
two
brief
questions
,
and
then
stood
holding
her
hand
till
she
sighed
,
and
moved
slightly
.
'
She
's
coming
round
,
'
he
said
.
'
Not
married
,
I
see
,
'
he
added
,
glancing
at
the
hand
he
held
,
on
which
shone
no
golden
circle
,
not
even
the
brass
substitute
which
takes
its
place
occasionally
,
when
times
are
very
hard
.
'
Not
as
I
ever
heard
of
,
'
said
Miss
Jenny
with
a
toss
of
the
net
,
which
drew
down
upon
her
a
glance
of
disapproval
from
the
old
doctor
,
and
a
sharp
recommendation
from
her
mother
to
go
downstairs
.
'
Give
the
girl
air
;
there
's
too
many
of
us
here
a'ready
.
'
Miss
Fludger
withdrew
with
a
gesture
expressive
of
a
sovereign
contempt
for
faints
in
general
,
and
this
collapse
in
particular
.
'
How
does
this
poor
thing
get
her
living
?
'
asked
the
doctor
;
'
she
looks
as
if
she
got
it
honestly
.
'
He
,
being
an
observant
man
,
glanced
as
he
spoke
at
the
roughened
forefinger
of
her
left
hand
,
and
then
round
the
bare
,
dreary
attic
.
'
Lord
!
doctor
,
how
should
I
know
?
Do
you
think
I
puts
all
my
lodgers
through
their
cataclysm
before
I
takes
'
em
in
?
'
said
Mrs
Fludger
,
with
some
general
recollection
of
the
days
when
she
went
to
Sunday
school
.
Mrs
Fludger
did
not
always
manage
to
hit
on
the
right
word
to
express
the
meaning
she
intended
to
convey
,
but
she
always
found
a
word
something
like
the
right
one
,
and
a
word
which
really
had
a
place
in
the
English
dictionary
;
she
had
a
rare
dexterity
in
the
finding
of
such
words
,
and
a
fine
confidence
in
the
use
of
them
,
which
made
them
answer
her
purpose
admirably
.
'
You
're
better
now
,
are
n't
you
?
'
said
the
doctor
,
as
Alice
opened
her
eyes
.
'
Here
's
a
shilling
,
ma'am
:
can
you
send
for
some
brandy
?
'
Mrs
Fludger
would
go
herself
.
Such
an
admirable
opportunity
for
having
'
two
penn'orth
'
at
the
'
Hope
'
was
not
to
be
let
slip
.
'
Do
n't
be
frightened
,
'
he
said
,
as
the
landlady
left
the
room
.
'
It
's
only
the
doctor
.
You
've
been
overdoing
it
—
working
too
hard
,
and
eating
too
little
.
'
'
But
I
never
felt
like
that
before
,
'
said
Alice
slowly
and
faintly
.
'
I
thought
I
was
going
to
die
.
'
'
Have
n't
you
anyone
belonging
to
you
?
You
ought
to
be
with
friends
just
now
.
'
'
No
.
I
'm
quite
alone
,
quite
alone
.
Why
just
now
?
'
'
My
dear
child
,
do
n't
you
know
why
?
'
She
did
not
answer
,
but
looked
at
him
with
large
,
frightened
,
questioning
eyes
;
and
before
Mrs
Fludger
returned
with
a
shrunken
shilling's-worth
in
a
ginger-beer
bottle
,
Alice
had
learned
that
that
which
she
had
feared
,
till
a
sort
of
hope
had
grown
out
of
the
very
intensity
of
her
fear
—
that
which
had
seemed
almost
too
terrible
to
be
possible
—
was
to
be
.
She
now
had
that
certainty
which
is
a
spring
of
secret
happiness
to
so
many
women
,
to
some
only
a
fresh
care
and
anxiety
,
and
to
some
,
alas
!
the
sign
and
token
of
social
banishment
—
the
warrant
of
disgrace
and
despair
.
Doctor
Moore
spoke
kindly
,
and
with
no
note
of
censure
in
his
voice
.
He
had
a
naturally
tender
heart
,
and
long
years
of
practice
in
a
poor
neighbourhood
had
developed
his
sympathies
,
instead
of
blunting
them
,
as
,
unfortunately
,
happens
in
too
many
cases
.
He
was
an
old
man
now
,
and
this
was
an
old
story
to
him
;
but
his
eyes
were
still
sharp
enough
to
see
that
the
girl
before
him
did
not
belong
to
that
class
of
patients
to
whom
such
an
announcement
would
have
meant
little
more
than
a
temporary
inconvenience
and
a
trifling
subsequent
expense
.
He
thought
to
himself
that
he
would
look
in
in
the
morning
and
see
the
girl
again
.
There
had
been
a
look
in
her
eyes
as
she
listened
to
him
that
made
him
feel
that
she
wanted
looking
after
.
'
Give
her
some
hot
brandy-and-water
,
and
let
her
go
to
sleep
—
that
's
the
best
thing
for
her
,
'
he
said
to
Mrs
Fludger
as
he
came
away
.
The
landlady
accompanied
him
downstairs
in
a
halo
of
apology
for
having
'
such
like
'
in
her
house
,
and
when
she
had
lighted
him
out
she
climbed
once
more
,
protesting
,
to
the
attic
,
and
having
administered
the
brandy
as
prescribed
,
came
away
,
after
bidding
the
girl
'
good-night
'
not
unkindly
.
But
,
all
the
same
,
she
made
up
her
mind
that
Alice
must
go
.
If
the
girl
had
come
there
as
'
Mrs
'
Anybody
—
and
worn
a
ring
,
no
questions
would
have
been
asked
by
Mrs
Fludger
.
There
would
then
have
been
the
alternative
of
supposing
that
the
Mr
in
the
case
was
in
the
seafaring
way
,
or
was
enjoying
a
holiday
upon
the
breezy
slopes
of
Dartmoor
.
But
as
she
had
chosen
to
neglect
the
payment
of
that
slight
tribute
to
the
proprieties
which
even
this
neighbourhood
demanded
,
there
was
no
help
for
it
—
she
must
go
.
Besides
,
there
might
be
difficulties
about
rent
,
and
even
a
want
of
money
for
the
necessaries
of
life
—
and
Mrs
Fludger
was
afraid
to
trust
her
tender
heart
.
Even
forty
years
of
being
pinched
and
'
druv
'
had
not
quite
dried
up
the
milk
of
human
kindness
in
her
bosom
,
and
she
felt
that
she
would
rather
not
have
a
lodger
who
would
excite
her
sympathy
and
possibly
make
demands
upon
her
pocket
.
This
habit
of
'
not
trusting
our
tender
hearts
'
is
not
confined
to
the
class
to
which
Mrs
Fludger
belonged
.
Others
who
have
larger
means
of
meeting
probable
drafts
on
their
'
tenderness
'
have
also
a
way
of
pushing
misery
out
of
sight
,
or
handing
it
over
to
the
emollient
remedies
of
a
Royal
Commission
,
which
,
of
course
,
goes
thoroughly
into
the
matter
.
Does
it
?
The
Royal
Commissioners
do
not
find
their
shoulders
any
easier
under
the
burden
we
have
shifted
on
to
them
than
we
found
ours
,
and
not
being
able
to
shift
the
weight
again
,
they
skilfully
dissolve
it
,
and
give
it
us
back
in
the
solution
of
a
wordy
report
.
