within the tides-第4节

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







〃Ha！　Ha！　　Excellent！　　Ha！　Ha！〃　Renouard　laughed　with　stony　eyes。







〃And　you　proceed　from　one　set　to　the　other　in　this　democratic　age；〃



the　Editor　went　on　with　unperturbed　complacency。　　〃That　is　if　you



are　clever　enough。　　The　only　danger　is　in　being　too　clever。　　And　I



think　something　of　the　sort　happened　here。　　That　swell　I　am



speaking　of　got　himself　into　a　mess。　　Apparently　a　very　ugly　mess



of　a　financial　character。　　You　will　understand　that　Willie　did　not



go　into　details　with　me。　　They　were　not　imparted　to　him　with　very



great　abundance　either。　　But　a　bad　mess　…　something　of　the　criminal



order。　　Of　course　he　was　innocent。　　But　he　had　to　quit　all　the



same。〃







〃Ha！　Ha！〃　Renouard　laughed　again　abruptly；　staring　as　before。　　〃So



there's　one　more　big　F　in　the　tale。〃







〃What　do　you　mean？〃　inquired　the　Editor　quickly；　with　an　air　as　if



his　patent　were　being　infringed。







〃I　mean　…　Fool。〃







〃No。　　I　wouldn't　say　that。　　I　wouldn't　say　that。〃







〃Well　…　let　him　be　a　scoundrel　then。　　What　the　devil　do　I　care。〃







〃But　hold　on！　　You　haven't　heard　the　end　of　the　story。〃







Renouard；　his　hat　on　his　head　already；　sat　down　with　the　disdainful



smile　of　a　man　who　had　discounted　the　moral　of　the　story。　　Still　he



sat　down　and　the　Editor　swung　his　revolving　chair　right　round。　　He



was　full　of　unction。







〃Imprudent；　I　should　say。　　In　many　ways　money　is　as　dangerous　to



handle　as　gunpowder。　　You　can't　be　too　careful　either　as　to　who　you



are　working　with。　　Anyhow　there　was　a　mighty　flashy　burst　up；　a



sensation；　and　…　his　familiar　haunts　knew　him　no　more。　　But　before



he　vanished　he　went　to　see　Miss　Moorsom。　　That　very　fact　argues　for



his　innocence　…　don't　it？　　What　was　said　between　them　no　man　knows



…　unless　the　professor　had　the　confidence　from　his　daughter。　　There



couldn't　have　been　much　to　say。　　There　was　nothing　for　it　but　to



let　him　go　…　was　there？　…　for　the　affair　had　got　into　the　papers。



And　perhaps　the　kindest　thing　would　have　been　to　forget　him。



Anyway　the　easiest。　　Forgiveness　would　have　been　more　difficult；　I



fancy；　for　a　young　lady　of　spirit　and　position　drawn　into　an　ugly



affair　like　that。　　Any　ordinary　young　lady；　I　mean。　　Well；　the



fellow　asked　nothing　better　than　to　be　forgotten；　only　he　didn't



find　it　easy　to　do　so　himself；　because　he　would　write　home　now　and



then。　　Not　to　any　of　his　friends　though。　　He　had　no　near　relations。



The　professor　had　been　his　guardian。　　No；　the　poor　devil　wrote　now



and　then　to　an　old　retired　butler　of　his　late　father；　somewhere　in



the　country；　forbidding　him　at　the　same　time　to　let　any　one　know　of



his　whereabouts。　　So　that　worthy　old　ass　would　go　up　and　dodge



about　the　Moorsom's　town　house；　perhaps　waylay　Miss　Moorsom　's



maid；　and　then　would　write　to　'Master　Arthur'　that　the　young　lady



looked　well　and　happy；　or　some　such　cheerful　intelligence。　　I　dare



say　he　wanted　to　be　forgotten；　but　I　shouldn't　think　he　was　much



cheered　by　the　news。　　What　would　you　say？〃







Renouard；　his　legs　stretched　out　and　his　chin　on　his　breast；　said



nothing。　　A　sensation　which　was　not　curiosity；　but　rather　a　vague



nervous　anxiety；　distinctly　unpleasant；　like　a　mysterious　symptom



of　some　malady；　prevented　him　from　getting　up　and　going　away。







〃Mixed　feelings；〃　the　Editor　opined。　　〃Many　fellows　out　here



receive　news　from　home　with　mixed　feelings。　　But　what　will　his



feelings　be　when　he　hears　what　I　am　going　to　tell　you　now？　　For　we



know　he　has　not　heard　yet。　　Six　months　ago　a　city　clerk；　just　a



common　drudge　of　finance；　gets　himself　convicted　of　a　common



embezzlement　or　something　of　that　kind。　　Then　seeing　he's　in　for　a



long　sentence　he　thinks　of　making　his　conscience　comfortable；　and



makes　a　clean　breast　of　an　old　story　of　tampered　with；　or　else



suppressed；　documents；　a　story　which　clears　altogether　the　honesty



of　our　ruined　gentleman。　　That　embezzling　fellow　was　in　a　position



to　know；　having　been　employed　by　the　firm　before　the　smash。　　There



was　no　doubt　about　the　character　being　cleared　…　but　where　the



cleared　man　was　nobody　could　tell。　　Another　sensation　in　society。



And　then　Miss　Moorsom　says：　　'He　will　come　back　to　claim　me；　and



I'll　marry　him。'　　But　he　didn't　come　back。　　Between　you　and　me　I



don't　think　he　was　much　wanted　…　except　by　Miss　Moorsom。　　I　imagine



she's　used　to　have　her　own　way。　　She　grew　impatient；　and　declared



that　if　she　knew　where　the　man　was　she　would　go　to　him。　　But　all



that　could　be　got　out　of　the　old　butler　was　that　the　last　envelope



bore　the　postmark　of　our　beautiful　city；　and　that　this　was　the　only



address　of　'Master　Arthur'　that　he　ever　had。　　That　and　no　more。　　In



fact　the　fellow　was　at　his　last　gasp　…　with　a　bad　heart。　　Miss



Moorsom　wasn't　allowed　to　see　him。　　She　had　gone　herself　into　the



country　to　learn　what　she　could；　but　she　had　to　stay　downstairs



while　the　old　chap's　wife　went　up　to　the　invalid。　　She　brought　down



the　scrap　of　intelligence　I've　told　you　of。　　He　was　already　too　far



gone　to　be　cross…examined　on　it；　and　that　very　night　he　died。　　He



didn't　leave　behind　him　much　to　go　by；　did　he？　　Our　Willie　hinted



to　me　that　there　had　been　pretty　stormy　days　in　the　professor's



house；　but　…　here　they　are。　　I　have　a　notion　she　isn't　the　kind　of



everyday　young　lady　who　may　be　permitted　to　gallop　about　the　world



all　by　herself　…　eh？　　Well；　I　think　it　rather　fine　of　her；　but　I



quite　understand　that　the　professor　needed　all　his　philosophy　under



the　circumstances。　　She　is　his　only　child　now　…　and　brilliant　…



what？　　Willie　positively　spluttered　trying　to　describe　her　to　me；



and　I　could　see　directly　you　came　in　that　you　had　an　uncommon



experience。〃







Renouard；　with　an　irritated　gesture；　tilted　his　hat　more　forward　on



his　eyes；　as　though　he　were　bored。　　The　Editor　went　on　with　the



remark　that　to　be　sure　neither　he　（Renouard）　nor　yet　Willie　were



much　used　to　meet　girls　of　that　remarkable　superiority。　　Willie



when　learning　business　with　a　firm　in　London；　years　before；　had



seen　none　but　boarding…house　society；　he　guessed。　　As　to　himself　in



the　good　old　days；　when　he　trod　the　glorious　flags　of　Fleet　Street；



he　neither　had　access　to；　nor　yet　would　have　cared　for　the　swells。



Nothing　interested　him　then　but　parliamentary　politics　and　the



oratory　of　the　House　of　Commons。







He　paid　to　this　not　very　distant　past　the　tribute　of　a　tender；



reminiscent　smile；　and　returned　to　his　first　idea　that　for　a



society　girl　her　action　was　rather　fine。　　All　the　same　the



professor　could　not　be　very　pleased。　　The　fellow　if　he　was　as　pure



as　a　lily　now　was　just　about　as　devoid　of　the　goods　of　the　earth。



And　there　were　misfortunes；　however　undeserved；　which　damaged　a



man's　standing　permanently。　　On　the　other　hand；　it　was　difficult　to



oppose　cynically　a　noble　impulse　…　not　to　speak　of　the　great　love



at　the　root　of　it。　　Ah！　　Love！　　And　then　the　lady　was　quite　capable



of　going　off　by　herself。　　She　was　of　age；　she　had　money　of　her　own；



plenty　of　pluck　too。　　Moorsom　must　have　concluded　that　it　was　more



truly　paternal；　more　prudent　too；　and　generally　safer　all　round　to



let　himself　be　dragged　into　this　chase。　　The　aunt　came　along　for



the　same　reasons。　　It　was　given　out　at　home　as　a　trip　round　the



world　of　the　usual　kind。







Renouard　had　risen　and　remained　standing　with　his　heart　beating；



and　strangely　affected　by　this　tale；　robbed　as　it　was　of　all



glamour　by　the　prosaic　personality　of　the　narrator。　　The　Editor



added：　　〃I've　been　asked　to　help　in　the　search　…　you　know。〃







Renouard　muttered　something　about　an　appointment　and　went　out　into



the　street。　　His　inborn　sanity　could　not　defend　him　from　a　misty



creeping　jealousy。　　He　thought　that　obviously　no　man　of　that　sort



could　be　worthy　of　such　a　woman's　devoted　fidelity。　　Renouard；



however；　had　lived　long　enough　to　reflect　that　a　man's　activities；



his　views；　and　even　his　ideas　may　be　very　inferior　to　his



character；　and　moved　by　a　delicate　consideration　for　that　splendid



girl　he　tried　to　think　out　for　the　man　a　character　of　inward



excellence　and　outward　gifts　…　some　extraordinary　seduction。　　But



in　vain。　　Fresh　from　months　of　solitude　and　from　days　at　sea；　her



splendour　presented　itself　to　him　absolutely　unconquerable　in　its



perfection；　unless　by　her　own　folly。　　It　was　easier　to　suspect　her



of　this　than　to　imagine　in　the　man　qualities　which　would　be　worthy



of　her。　　Easier　and　less　degrading。　　Because　folly　may　be　generous



…　could　be　nothing　else　but　generosity　in　her；　whereas　to　imagine



her　subjugated　by　something　common　was　intolerable。







Because　of　the　force　of　the　physical　impression　he　had　received



from　her　personality　（and　such　impressions　are