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oneself　away　to。　　And；　after　all；　this　sort　of　speech　was　what　he



had　come　there　to　hear。　　As；　however；　he　had　made　a　movement　he　re…



settled　himself　comfortably　and　said；　with　very　creditable



indifference；　that　yes　…　she　was；　rather。　　Especially　amongst　a　lot



of　over…dressed　frumps。　　There　wasn't　one　woman　under　forty　there。







〃Is　that　the　way　to　speak　of　the　cream　of　our　society；　the　'top　of



the　basket；'　as　the　French　say；〃　the　Editor　remonstrated　with　mock



indignation。　　〃You　aren't　moderate　in　your　expressions　…　you　know。〃







〃I　express　myself　very　little；〃　interjected　Renouard　seriously。







〃I　will　tell　you　what　you　are。　　You　are　a　fellow　that　doesn't　count



the　cost。　　Of　course　you　are　safe　with　me；　but　will　you　never



learn。　。　。　。〃







〃What　struck　me　most；〃　interrupted　the　other；　〃is　that　she　should



pick　me　out　for　such　a　long　conversation。〃







〃That's　perhaps　because　you　were　the　most　remarkable　of　the　men



there。〃







Renouard　shook　his　head。







〃This　shot　doesn't　seem　to　me　to　hit　the　mark；〃　he　said　calmly。



〃Try　again。〃







　〃Don't　you　believe　me？　　Oh；　you　modest　creature。　　Well；　let　me



assure　you　that　under　ordinary　circumstances　it　would　have　been　a



good　shot。　　You　are　sufficiently　remarkable。　　But　you　seem　a　pretty



acute　customer　too。　　The　circumstances　are　extraordinary。　　By　Jove



they　are！〃







He　mused。　　After　a　time　the　Planter　of　Malata　dropped　a　negligent　…







〃And　you　know　them。〃







〃And　I　know　them；〃　assented　the　all…knowing　Editor；　soberly；　as



though　the　occasion　were　too　special　for　a　display　of　professional



vanity；　a　vanity　so　well　known　to　Renouard　that　its　absence



augmented　his　wonder　and　almost　made　him　uneasy　as　if　portending



bad　news　of　some　sort。







〃You　have　met　those　people？〃　he　asked。







〃No。　　I　was　to　have　met　them　last　night；　but　I　had　to　send　an



apology　to　Willie　in　the　morning。　　It　was　then　that　he　had　the



bright　idea　to　invite　you　to　fill　the　place；　from　a　muddled　notion



that　you　could　be　of　use。　　Willie　is　stupid　sometimes。　　For　it　is



clear　that　you　are　the　last　man　able　to　help。〃







〃How　on　earth　do　I　come　to　be　mixed　up　in　this　…　whatever　it　is？〃



Renouard's　voice　was　slightly　altered　by　nervous　irritation。　　〃I



only　arrived　here　yesterday　morning。〃















CHAPTER　II















His　friend　the　Editor　turned　to　him　squarely。　　〃Willie　took　me　into



consultation；　and　since　he　seems　to　have　let　you　in　I　may　just　as



well　tell　you　what　is　up。　　I　shall　try　to　be　as　short　as　I　can。



But　in　confidence　…　mind！〃







He　waited。　　Renouard；　his　uneasiness　growing　on　him　unreasonably；



assented　by　a　nod；　and　the　other　lost　no　time　in　beginning。



Professor　Moorsom　…　physicist　and　philosopher　…　fine　head　of　white



hair；　to　judge　from　the　photographs　…　plenty　of　brains　in　the　head



too　…　all　these　famous　books　…　surely　even　Renouard　would　know。　。　。



。







Renouard　muttered　moodily　that　it　wasn't　his　sort　of　reading；　and



his　friend　hastened　to　assure　him　earnestly　that　neither　was　it　his



sort　…　except　as　a　matter　of　business　and　duty；　for　the　literary



page　of　that　newspaper　which　was　his　property　（and　the　pride　of　his



life）。　　The　only　literary　newspaper　in　the　Antipodes　could　not



ignore　the　fashionable　philosopher　of　the　age。　　Not　that　anybody



read　Moorsom　at　the　Antipodes；　but　everybody　had　heard　of　him　…



women；　children；　dock　labourers；　cabmen。　　The　only　person　（besides



himself）　who　had　read　Moorsom；　as　far　as　he　knew；　was　old　Dunster；



who　used　to　call　himself　a　Moorsomian　（or　was　it　Moorsomite）　years



and　years　ago；　long　before　Moorsom　had　worked　himself　up　into　the



great　swell　he　was　now；　in　every　way。　。　。　Socially　too。　　Quite　the



fashion　in　the　highest　world。







Renouard　listened　with　profoundly　concealed　attention。　　〃A



charlatan；〃　he　muttered　languidly。







〃Well　…　no。　　I　should　say　not。　　I　shouldn't　wonder　though　if　most



of　his　writing　had　been　done　with　his　tongue　in　his　cheek。　　Of



course。　　That's　to　be　expected。　　I　tell　you　what：　　the　only　really



honest　writing　is　to　be　found　in　newspapers　and　nowhere　else　…　and



don't　you　forget　it。〃







The　Editor　paused　with　a　basilisk　stare　till　Renouard　had　conceded



a　casual：　　〃I　dare　say；〃　and　only　then　went　on　to　explain　that　old



Dunster；　during　his　European　tour；　had　been　made　rather　a　lion　of



in　London；　where　he　stayed　with　the　Moorsoms　…　he　meant　the　father



and　the　girl。　　The　professor　had　been　a　widower　for　a　long　time。







〃She　doesn't　look　just　a　girl；〃　muttered　Renouard。　　The　other



agreed。　　Very　likely　not。　　Had　been　playing　the　London　hostess　to



tip…top　people　ever　since　she　put　her　hair　up；　probably。







〃I　don't　expect　to　see　any　girlish　bloom　on　her　when　I　do　have　the



privilege；〃　he　continued。　　〃Those　people　are　staying　with　the



Dunster's　INCOG。；　in　a　manner；　you　understand　…　something　like



royalties。　　They　don't　deceive　anybody；　but　they　want　to　be　left　to



themselves。　　We　have　even　kept　them　out　of　the　paper　…　to　oblige



old　Dunster。　　But　we　shall　put　your　arrival　in　…　our　local



celebrity。〃







〃Heavens！〃







〃Yes。　　Mr。　G。　Renouard；　the　explorer；　whose　indomitable　energy；



etc。；　and　who　is　now　working　for　the　prosperity　of　our　country　in



another　way　on　his　Malata　plantation　。　。　。　And；　by　the　by；　how's



the　silk　plant　…　flourishing？〃







〃Yes。〃







〃Did　you　bring　any　fibre？〃







〃Schooner…full。〃







〃I　see。　　To　be　transhipped　to　Liverpool　for　experimental



manufacture；　eh？　　Eminent　capitalists　at　home　very　much　interested；



aren't　they？〃







〃They　are。〃







A　silence　fell。　　Then　the　Editor　uttered　slowly　…　〃You　will　be　a



rich　man　some　day。〃







Renouard's　face　did　not　betray　his　opinion　of　that　confident



prophecy。　　He　didn't　say　anything　till　his　friend　suggested　in　the



same　meditative　voice　…







〃You　ought　to　interest　Moorsom　in　the　affair　too　…　since　Willie　has



let　you　in。〃







〃A　philosopher！〃







〃I　suppose　he　isn't　above　making　a　bit　of　money。　　And　he　may　be



clever　at　it　for　all　you　know。　　I　have　a　notion　that　he's　a　fairly



practical　old　cove。　。　。　。　Anyhow；〃　and　here　the　tone　of　the　speaker



took　on　a　tinge　of　respect；　〃he　has　made　philosophy　pay。〃







Renouard　raised　his　eyes；　repressed　an　impulse　to　jump　up；　and　got



out　of　the　arm…chair　slowly。　　〃It　isn't　perhaps　a　bad　idea；〃　he



said。　　〃I'll　have　to　call　there　in　any　case。〃







He　wondered　whether　he　had　managed　to　keep　his　voice　steady；　its



tone　unconcerned　enough；　for　his　emotion　was　strong　though　it　had



nothing　to　do　with　the　business　aspect　of　this　suggestion。　　He



moved　in　the　room　in　vague　preparation　for　departure；　when　he　heard



a　soft　laugh。　　He　spun　about　quickly　with　a　frown；　but　the　Editor



was　not　laughing　at　him。　　He　was　chuckling　across　the　big　desk　at



the　wall：　　a　preliminary　of　some　speech　for　which　Renouard；



recalled　to　himself；　waited　silent　and　mistrustful。







〃No！　　You　would　never　guess！　　No　one　would　ever　guess　what　these



people　are　after。　　Willie's　eyes　bulged　out　when　he　came　to　me　with



the　tale。〃







〃They　always　do；〃　remarked　Renouard　with　disgust。　　〃He's　stupid。〃







〃He　was　startled。　　And　so　was　I　after　he　told　me。　　It's　a　search



party。　　They　are　out　looking　for　a　man。　　Willie's　soft　heart's



enlisted　in　the　cause。〃







Renouard　repeated：　　〃Looking　for　a　man。〃







He　sat　down　suddenly　as　if　on　purpose　to　stare。　　〃Did　Willie　come



to　you　to　borrow　the　lantern；〃　he　asked　sarcastically；　and　got　up



again　for　no　apparent　reason。







〃What　lantern？〃　snapped　the　puzzled　Editor；　and　his　face　darkened



with　suspicion。　　〃You；　Renouard；　are　always　alluding　to　things　that



aren't　clear　to　me。　　If　you　were　in　politics；　I；　as　a　party



journalist；　wouldn't　trust　you　further　than　I　could　see　you。　　Not



an　inch　further。　　You　are　such　a　sophisticated　beggar。　　Listen：



the　man　is　the　man　Miss　Moorsom　was　engaged　to　for　a　year。　　He



couldn't　have　been　a　nobody；　anyhow。　　But　he　doesn't　seem　to　have



been　very　wise。　　Hard　luck　for　the　young　lady。〃







He　spoke　with　feeling。　　It　was　clear　that　what　he　had　to　tell



appealed　to　his　sentiment。　　Yet；　as　an　experienced　man　of　the



world；　he　marked　his　amused　wonder。　　Young　man　of　good　family　and



connections；　going　everywhere；　yet　not　merely　a　man　about　town；　but



with　a　foot　in　the　two　big　F's。







Renouard　lounging　aimlessly　in　the　room　turned　round：　　〃And　what



the　devil's　that？〃　he　asked　faintly。







〃Why　Fashion　and　Finance；〃　explained　the　Editor。　　〃That's　how　I



call　it。　　There　are　the　three　R's　at　the　bottom　of　the　social



edifice　and　the　two　F's　on　the　top。　　See？〃







〃Ha！　Ha！　　Excellent！　　Ha！　Ha！〃　Renouard　laughed　with　ston