第5章

Thesearcherssoonbegantoreturn,baffled。Afewshepherds,theonlypersonsinthevicinity,hadbeenaskedwhethertheyhadseenayoungladyandalaborer。Someofthemhadseenayoungwomanwithabasketofclothes,ifthatmoutbeher。SomethoughtthatPhilMartinthecarrierwouldseeherifanybodywould。Noneofthemhadanypositiveinformationtogive。

Astheafternoonworeon,andpartyafterpartyreturnedtiredandunsuccessful,depressionreplacedexcitement;conversation,nolongertumultuous,wascarriedoninwhispers,andsomeofthelocalvisitorsslippedawaytotheirhomeswithagrowingconvictionthatsomethingunpleasanthadhappened,andthatitwouldbeaswellnottobemixedupinit。Mr。Jansenius,thoughafewwordsfromhiswifehadsurprisedandsomewhatcalmedhim,wasstillpitiablyrestlessanduneasy。

Atlastthepolicearrived。Atsightoftheiruniformsexcitementrevived;therewasageneralconvictionthatsomethingeffectualwouldbedonenow。Buttheconstableswereonlymortal,andinafewmomentsawhisperspreadthattheywerefooled。Theydoubtedeverythingtoldthem,andexpressedtheircontemptforamateursearchingbyenteringonafreshinvestigation,pryingwiththegreatestcareintotheleastprobableplaces。TwoofthemwentofftothechalettolookforSmilash。ThenFairholme,sunburnt,perspiring,anddusty,butstillenergetic,broughtbacktheexhaustedremnantofhisparty,withasullenboy,whoscowleddefiantlyatthepolice,evidentlybelievingthathewasabouttobedeliveredintotheircustody。

Fairholmehadbeeneverywhere,and,havingseennothingofthemissingpair,hadcometotheconclusionthattheywerenowhere。

Hehadaskedeverybodyforinformation,andhadletthemknowthathemeanttohaveittoo,ifitwastobehad。Butitwasnottobehad。Thesoleresortofhislaborwastheevidenceoftheboywhomhedidn"tbelieve。

""Im！"saidtheinspector,notquitepleasedbyFairholme"szeal,andyetoverbornebyit。"You"reWickens"sboy,ain"tyou？"

"Yes,IamWickens"sboy,"saidthewitness,partlyfierce,partlylachrymose,"andIsayIseenhim,andifanyonesezI

didn"tseehim,he"salie。"

"Come,"saidtheinspectorsharply,"giveusnoneofyourcheek,buttelluswhatyousaw,oryou"llhavetodealwithmeafterwards。"

"Idon"tcarewhoIdealwith,"saidtheboy,atbay。"Ican"tbetookforseein"him,becausethere"snoloraginit。Iwasinthegravelpitinthecanalmeadow——"

"Whatbusinesshadyouthere？"saidtheinspector,interrupting。

"Igotleavetobethere,"saidtheboyinsolently,butreddening。

"Whogaveyouleave？"saidtheinspector,collaringhim。"Ah,"headded,asthecaptiveburstintotears,"Itoldyouyou"dhavetodealwithme。Nowholdyournoise,andrememberwhereyouareandwhoyou"respeakin"to;andperhapsImayn"tlockyouupthistime。Tellmewhatyousawwhenyouweretrespassin"inthemeadow。"

"Isorayoung"omenandaman。AndIseeherkissin"him;andthegentlemanwon"tbelieveme。"

"Youmeanyousawhimkissingher,morelikely。"

"No,Idon"t。Iknowwotitistohaveagirlkissyouwhenyoudon"twant。AndIgevascreechtofriken"em。Andhecalledmeandgevmetuppence,andsez,"Yougotothedevil,"hesez,"anddon"ttellnooneyouseenmehere,orelse,"hesez,"Imightbetemptedtodrowndyou,"hesez,"andwotashockthatwouldbetoyourparents！""Oh,yes,verylikely,"Isez,jes"likethat。

ThenIwentaway,becauseheknowsMr。Wickens,andIwasafeerdofhistellingonme。"

Theboybeingnowsubdued,questionswereputtohimfromallsides。Buthispowersofobservationanddescriptionwentnofurther。Ashewasanxioustopropitiatehiscaptors,heansweredasoftenaspossibleintheaffirmative。Mr。Janseniusaskedhimwhethertheyoungwomanhehadseenwasalady,andhesaidyes。

Wasthemanalaborer？Yes——afteramoment"shesitation。Howwasshedressed？Hehadn"ttakennotice。Hadsheredflowersinherhat？Yes。Hadsheagreendress？Yes。Weretheflowersinherhatyellow？（Agatha"squestion。）Yes。Washerdresspink？Yes。Sureitwasn"tblack？Noanswer。

"Itoldyouhewasaliar,"saidFairholmecontemptuously。

"Well,Iexpecthe"sseensomething,"saidtheinspector,"butwhatitwas,orwhoitwas,ismorethanIcangetoutofhim。"

Therewasapause,andtheylookedaskanceuponWickens"sboy。

HisaccountofthekissingmadeitalmostaninsulttotheJanseniusestoidentifywithHenriettathepersonhehadseen。

Janesuggesteddraggingthecanal,butwassilencedbyanindignant"sh—sh—sh,"accompaniedbyapprehensiveandsympatheticglancesatthebereavedparents。Shewasdisplacedfromthefocusofattentionbytheappearanceofthetwopolicemenwhohadbeensenttothechalet。Smilashwasbetweenthem,apparentlyaprisoner。Atadistance,heseemedtohavesufferedsomefrightfulinjurytohishead,butwhenhewasbroughtintothemidstofthecompanyitappearedthathehadtwistedaredhandkerchiefabouthisfaceasiftosootheatoothache。HehadaparticularlyhangdogexpressionashestoodbeforetheinspectorwithhisheadbowedandhiscountenanceavertedfromMr。

Jansenius,who,attemptingtoscrutinizehisfeatures,couldseenothingbutapatchofredhandkerchief。

OneofthepolicemendescribedhowtheyhadfoundSmilashintheactofenteringhisdwelling;howhehadrefusedtogiveanyinformationortogotothecollege,andhaddefiedthemtotakehimthereagainsthiswill;andhow,ontheiratlastproposingtosendfortheinspectorandMr。Jansenius,hehadcalledthemasses,andconsentedtoaccompanythem。Thepolicemanconcludedbydeclaringthatthemanwaseitherdrunkordesigning,ashecouldnotorwouldnotspeaksensibly。

"Lookhere,governor,"beganSmilashtotheinspector,"Iamacommonman——nocommonergoin",asyoumayseefor——"

"That"s"im,"criedWickens"sboy,suddenlystruckwithasenseofhisownimportanceasawitness。"That"s"imthattheladykissed,andthatgevmetuppenceandthreatenedtodrowndme。"

"Andwitha"umbleandcontrite"artdoIregretthatIdidnotdrowndyou,youyoungrascal,"saidSmilash。"Itain"tmannerstointerruptamanwho,thoughcommon,mightbeyourfatherforyearsandwisdom。"

"Holdyourtongue,"saidtheinspectortotheboy。"Now,Smilash,doyouwishtomakeanystatement？Becareful,forwhateveryousaymaybeusedagainstyouhereafter。"

"Ifyouwastoleadmestraightawaytothescaffold,colonel,I

couldtellyounomorethanthetruth。IfanymancansaythathehasheardJeffSmilashtellalie,lethimstandforth。"

"Wedon"twanttohearaboutthat,"saidtheinspector。"Asyouareastrangerintheseparts,nobodyhereknowsanybadofyou。

Nomoredotheyknowanygoodofyouneither。"

"Colonel,"saidSmilash,deeplyimpressed,"youhaveapenetratingmind,andyouknowabadcharacteratsight。Nottodeceiveyou,Iamthatgiventolying,andlaziness,andself—indulgenceofallsorts,thattheonlyexcuseIcanfindformyselfisthatitisthenatureoftheracesotobe;formostmenisjustasbadasme,andsomeof"emworsenIdonotspeakpers"naltoyou,governor,nortothehonorablegentlemenhereassembled。Butthenyou,colonel,areahinspectorofpolice,whichItaketobemorethanmerelyhuman;andastothegentlemenhere,agentlemanain"taman——leastwaysnotacommonman——thecommonmanbein"buttheslavewotfeedsandclothesthegentlemanbeyondthecommon。"

"Come,"saidtheinspector,unabletofollowtheseobservations,"youareacleverdodger,butyoucan"tdodgeme。Haveyouanystatementtomakewithreferencetotheladythatwaslastseeninyourcompany？"

"Takeastatementaboutalady！"saidSmilashindignantly。"Farbethethoughtfrommymind！"

"Whathaveyoudonewithher？"saidAgatha,impetuously。"Don"tbesilly。"

"You"renotboundtoanswerthat,youknow,"saidtheinspector,alittleputoutbyAgatha"stakingadvantageofherirresponsibleunofficialpositiontocomesodirectlytothepoint。"Youmayifyoulike,though。Ifyou"vedoneanyharm,you"dbetterholdyourtongue。Ifnot,you"dbettersayso。"

"Iwillsettheyounglady"smindatrestrespectingherhonorablesister,"saidSmilash。"Whentheyoungladycaughtsightofmeshefainted。Bein"butayoungman,andnotusedtoladies,IwillnotdenybutthatIwereabitscared,andthatmymindwerenotopentothesensiblestconsiderations。Whensheunveilsherorbs,sotospeak,sheketchesmeroundtheneck,notknowin"mefromAdamthefatherofusall,andsez,"Bringmesomewater,anddon"tletthegirlsseeme。"Throughnot"avin"

theintelligencetothinkformyself,Idonejustwhatshetoldme。Iupswithherinmyarms——shebein"alightweightandaslenderfigure——andmakesforthecanalasfastasIcould。WhenIgotthere,Ilaysheronthebankandgoesforthewater。Butwhatwithfactories,andpollutions,andhighcivilizationsofonesortandanother,Englishcanalwaterain"tfittosprinkleonalady,muchlessforhertodrink。Justthen,asluckwouldhaveit,abargecamealongandtookheraboard,and——"

"Tosuchathing,"saidWickens"sboystubbornly,emboldenedbywitnessingtheeffronteryofoneapparentlyofhisownclass。"I

soryoutwostandin"together,andherakissin"ofyou。Thereworn"snobarge。"

"Isthemaidenmodestyofabornladytobedisbelievedonthewordofacommonboythatonlywalkstheearthbythesufferanceofthelandlordsandmoneylordshehelpstofeed？"criedSmilashindignantly。"Why,youyounginfidel,aladyain"tmadeofcommonbricklikeyou。Shedon"tknowwhatakissmeans,andifshedid,isitlikelythatshe"dkissmewhenafinemanliketheinspectorherewouldbeonlytoohappytoobligeher。Fie,forshame！Thebargewereredandyellow,withagreendragonforafigurehead,andawhitehorsetowin"ofit。Perhapsyou"recolor—blind,andcan"tdistinguishredandyellow。Thebargeewasmovedtocompassionbythesightofthepoorfaintin"lady,andtheofferof"arf—a—crown,andhehadamotherthatactedasamothershould。Therewasacabininthatbargeaboutasbigasthelockerwhereyourladyshipkeepsyourjamandpickles,andinthatlockerthebargeelives,quitedomestic,withhiswifeandmotherandfivechildren。ThemcanalboatsiswhatyoumaycallthewoodenwallsofEngland。"

"Come,getonwithyourstory,"saidtheinspector。"Weknowwhatbargesisaswellasyou。"

"Iwishmoreknewof"em,"retortedSmilash;"perhapsit"udlightenyourworkabit。However,asIwassayin",wewentrightdownthecanaltoLyvern,wherewegotoff,andtheladyshetooktherailwayomnibusandwentawayinit。Withthenobleopenhandednessofherclass,shegavemesixpence;hereitis,inproofthatmywordsistrue。AndIwishhersafehome,andifI

wasontherackIcouldtellnomore,exceptthatwhenIgotbackIwerelaidhandsonbytheseherebobbies,contrarytotheBritishconstitooshun,andifyourladyshipwillkindlygotowherethatconstitooshuniswrotedown,andfindoutwotitsezaboutmyrightsandliberties——forIhavebeentoldthattheworking—manhashisliberties,andhavemyselfseenplentytookwithhim——youwillobligeacommonchapmorethanhiseducationwillenablehimtoexpress。"

"Sir,"criedMr。Janseniussuddenly,"willyouholdupyourheadandlookmeintheface？"

Smilashdidso,andimmediatelystartedtheatrically,exclaiming,"WhomdoIsee？"

"Youwouldhardlybelieveit,"hecontinued,addressingthecompanyatlarge,"butIamwellbeknowntothishonorablegentleman。Iseeituponyourlips,governor,toaskaftermymissus,andIthankyouforyourcondescendinginterest。Sheiswell,sir,andmyresidencehereisfullyagreeduponbetweenus。

Whatlittlecloudmayhaveroseuponourdomestichorizonhaspastaway;and,governor"———hereSmilash"svoicefellwithgraveremphasis——"themasinterferesbetwixtmanandwifenowwillincuranevvyresponsibility。HereIam,suchasyouseeme,andhereI

meantostay,likewisesuchasyouseeme。Thatis,ifwhatyoumaycalldestinypermits。Fordestinyisarumthing,governor。I

cameherethinkingitwasthelastplaceintheworldIshouldeverseteyesonyouin,andblowmeifyouain"ta"mostthefirstpersonIpopson。"

"Idonotchoosetobeapartytothismummeryof——"

"Askingyourleavetotakethewordoutofyourmouth,governor,Imakeyouapartytonothink。Respectingmypastconduct,youmayoutwithitoryoumaykeepittoyourself。AllIsayisthatifyououtwithsomeofitIwilloutwiththerest。Allornone。

YouarefreetotelltheinspectorherethatIamabad"un。Hispenetratingmindhavediscoveredthatalready。Butifyougointonamesandparticulars,youwillnotonlybeactingagainstthewishesofmymissus,butyouwillleadtomytellin"thewholestoryrightoutaforeeveryonehere,andthengoin"awaywherenoonewon"tneverfindme。"

"Ithinkthelesssaidthebetter,"saidMrs。Jansenius,uneasilyobservantofthecuriosityandsurprisethisdialoguewascausing。"Butunderstandthis,Mr。——"

"Smilash,dearlady;JeffSmilash。"

"Mr。Smilash,whateverarrangementyoumayhavemadewithyourwife,ithasnothingtodowithme。Youhavebehavedinfamously,andIdesiretohaveaslittleaspossibletosaytoyouinfuture！Idesiretohavenothingtosaytoyou——nothing"saidMr。

Jansenius。"Ilookonyourconductasaninsulttome,personally。Youmayliveinanyfashionyouplease,andwhereyouplease。AllEnglandisopentoyouexceptoneplace——myhouse。

Come,Ruth。"Heofferedhisarmtohiswife;shetookit,andtheyturnedaway,lookingaboutforAgatha,who,disgustedatthegapingcuriosityoftherest,hadpointedlywithdrawnbeyondearshotoftheconversation。

MissWilsonlookedfromSmilash——whohadwatchedMr。Jansenius"sexplosionofwrathwithfriendlyinterest,asifitconcernedhimasacuriousspectatoronly——tohertwovisitorsastheyretreated。"Pray,doyouconsiderthisman"sstatementsatisfactory？"shesaidtothem。"Idonot。"

"Iamfartoocommonamantobeabletomakeanystatementthatcouldsatisfyamindcultivatedasyourshasbeen,"saidSmilash,"butIwould"umblypintouttoyouthatthereisaboyyonderwithatelegramtryingtoshovehisselfthroughthe"ibornthrong。"

"MissWilson！"criedtheboyshrilly。

Shetookthetelegram;readit;andfrowned。"Wehavehadallourtroublefornothing,ladiesandgentlemen,"shesaid,withsuppressedvexation。"Mrs。TrefusissaysherethatshehasgonebacktoLondon。Shehasnotconsidereditnecessarytoaddanyexplanation。"

Therewasageneralmurmurofdisappointment。

"Don"tloseheart,ladies,"saidSmilash。"Shemaybedrownedormurderedforallweknow。Anyonemaysendatelegraminafalsename。Perhapsit"saplant。Let"shopeforyoursakesthatsomelittleaccident——ontherailway,forinstance——mayhappenyet。"

MissWilsonturneduponhim,gladtofindsomeonewithwhomshemightjustlybeangry。"Youhadbettergoaboutyourbusiness,"

shesaid。"Anddon"tletmeseeyouhereagain。"

"Thisis"ard,"saidSmilashplaintively。"Myintentionswasnothingbutgood。ButIknowwotitis。It"sthatyoungvarminta—sayingthattheyoungladykissedme。"

"Inspector,"saidMissWilson,"willyouobligemebyseeingthatheleavesthecollegeassoonaspossible？"

"Where"smywages？"heretortedreproachfully。"Where"smylawfulwages？Iamsu"prisedataladylikeyou,chockfullo"moralscienceandpoliticaleconomy,wantingtoputapoormanoff。

Where"syourwagesfund？Where"syourremuneratorycapital？"

"Don"tyougivehimanything,ma"am,"saidtheinspector。"Themoneyhe"shadfromtheladywillpayhimverywell。Moveonhere,orwe"llprecioussoonhurryyou。"

"Verywell,"grumbledSmilash。"Ibargainedforninepence,andwhatwiththeroller,andopeningthesodawater,andshovingthemheavytablesabout,therewasadecompositionoftissueinmetothetuneoftwoshillings。ButallIaskistheninepence,andlettheladykeeptheoneandthreppenceastherewardofabstinence。Exploitationoflaborattherateofahundredandtwenty—fivepercent。,thatis。Come,giveusninepence,andI"llgostraightoff。"

"Hereisashilling,"saidMissWilson。"Nowgo。"

"Threppencechange！"criedSmilash。"Honestyhaseverbeen——"

"Youmaykeepthechange。"

"Youhaveanoble"art,lady;butyou"reflyinginthefaceofthelawofsupplyanddemand。Ifyoukeeppayin"atthisrate,there"llbearushoflaborerstothecollege,andcompetition"llsoonbringyoudownfromashillingtosixpence,letaloneninepence。That"sthewaywagesgodownanddeathratesgoesup,worseluckforthelikesofhus,ashastosellourselveslikepigsinthemarket。"

Hewasabouttocontinuewhenthepolicemantookhimbythearm,turnedhimtowardsthegate,andpointedexpressivelyinthatdirection。Smilashlookedvacantlyathimforamoment。Then,withawinkatFairholme,hewalkedgravelyaway,amidgeneralstaringandsilence。

CHAPTERV

WhathadpassedbetweenSmilashandHenriettaremainedunknownexcepttothemselves。AgathahadseenHenriettaclaspinghisneckinherarms,buthadnotwaitedtoheartheexclamationof"Sidney,Sidney,"whichfollowed,nortoseehimpressherfacetohisbreastinhisanxietytostiflehervoiceashesaid,"Mydarlinglove,don"tscreechIimploreyou。Confoundit,weshallhavethewholepackhereinamoment。Hush！"

"Don"tleavemeagain,Sidney,"sheentreated,clingingfastertohimashisperplexedgaze,wanderingtowardstheentrancetotheshrubbery,seemedtoforsakeher。Adinofvoicesinthatdirectionprecipitatedhisirresolution。

"Wemustrunaway,Hetty,"hesaid"Holdfastaboutmyneck,anddon"tstrangleme。Nowthen。"Heliftedheruponhisshoulderandranswiftlythroughthegrounds。Whentheywerestoppedbythewall,heplacedheratopofit,scrabbledover,andmadeherjumpintohisarms。Thenhestaggeredawaywithheracrossthefields,gaspingoutinreplytotheinarticulateremonstranceswhichburstfromherashestumbledandreeledateveryhillock,"Yourweightisincreasingattherateofastoneasecond,mylove。Ifyoustoopyouwillbreakmyback。Oh,Lord,here"saditch！"

"Letmedown,"screamedHenriettainanecstasyofdelightandapprehension。"Youwillhurtyourself,and——Oh,DOtake——"

Hestruggledthroughadryditchasshespoke,andcameoutuponagrassyplacethatborderedthetowpathofthecanal。Here,onthebankofahollowwherethemosswasdryandsoft,heseatedher,threwhimselfproneonhiselbowsbeforeher,andsaid,panting:

"NessuscarryingoffDejanirawasnothingtothis！Whew！Well,mydarling,areyougladtoseeme？"

"But——"

"Butmenobuts,unlessyouwishmetovanishagainandforever。

WretchthatIam,IhavelongedforyouunspeakablymorethanoncesinceIranawayfromyou。Youdidn"tcare,ofcourse？"

"Idid。Idid,indeed。Whydidyouleaveme,Sidney？"

"Lestaworsethingmightbefall。Come,don"tletuswasteinexplanationsthefewminuteswehaveleft。Givemeakiss。"

"Thenyouaregoingtoleavemeagain。Oh,Sidney——"

"Nevermindto—morrow,Hetty。Belikethesunandthemeadow,whicharenotintheleastconcernedaboutthecomingwinter。Whydoyoustareatthatcursedcanal,blindlydraggingitsloadoffilthfromplacetoplaceuntilitpitchesitintothesea——justasacrowdedstreetpitchesitsloadintothecemetery？StareatME,andgivemeakiss。"

Shegavehimseveral,andsaidcoaxingly,withherarmstilluponhisshoulder:"Youonlytalkthatwaytofrightenme,Sidney;I

knowyoudo。"

"Youarethebrightsunofmysenses,"hesaid,embracingher。"I

feelmyheartandbrainwitherinyoursmile,andIflingthemtoyouforyourpreywithexultation。HowhappyIamtohaveawifewhodoesnotdespisemefordoingso——whoratherlovesmethemore！"

"Don"tbesilly,"saidHenrietta,smilingvacantly。Then,stungbyahalfintuitionofhismeaning,sherepulsedhimandsaidangrily,"YOUdespiseME。"

"NotmorethanIdespisemyself。Indeed,notsomuch;formanyemotionsthatseembasefromwithinseemlovablefromwithout。"

"Youintendtoleavemeagain。Ifeelit。Iknowit。"

"Youthinkyouknowitbecauseyoufeelit。Notabadreason,either。"

"ThenyouAREgoingtoleaveme？"

"Doyounotfeelitandknowit？Yes,mycherishedHetty,I

assuredlyam。"

Shebrokeintowildexclamationsofgrief,andhedrewherheaddownandkissedherwithatenderactionwhichshecouldnotresist,andawryfacewhichshedidnotsee。

"MypoorHetty,youdon"tunderstandme。"

"Ionlyunderstandthatyouhateme,andwanttogoawayfromme。"

"Thatwouldbeeasytounderstand。ButthestrangenessisthatI

LOVEyouandwanttogoawayfromyou。Notforever。Onlyforatime。"

"ButIdon"twantyoutogoaway。Iwon"tletyougoaway,"shesaid,atraceoffiercenessminglingwithherentreaty。"Whydoyouwanttoleavemeifyouloveme？"

"HowdoIknow？IcannomoretellyouthewhysandwhereforesofmyselfthanIcanliftmyselfupbythewaistbandandcarrymyselfintothenextcounty,assomeonechallengedaspeculatorinperpetualmotiontodo。Iamtoomuchapessimisttorespectmyownaffections。Doyouknowwhatapessimistis？"

"Amanwhothinkseverybodyasnastyashimself,andhatesthemforit。"

"So,orthereabout。ModernEnglishpolitesociety,mynativesphere,seemstomeascorruptasconsciousnessofcultureandabsenceofhonestycanmakeit。Acanting,lie—loving,fact—hating,scribbling,chattering,wealth—hunting,pleasure—hunting,celebrity—huntingmob,that,havinglostthefearofhell,andnotreplaceditbytheloveofjustice,caresfornothingbutthelion"sshareofthewealthwrungbythreatofstarvationfromthehandsoftheclassesthatcreateit。Ifyouinterruptmewithasillyspeech,Hetty,Iwillpitchyouintothecanal,anddieofsorrowformylostloveafterwards。YouknowwhatIam,accordingtotheconventionaldescription:agentlemanwithlotsofmoney。Doyouknowthewickedoriginofthatmoneyandgentility？"

"Oh,Sidney;haveyoubeendoinganything？"

"No,mybestbeloved;Iamagentleman,andhavebeendoingnothing。Thatamancandosoandnotstarveisnowadaysnotevenaparadox。EveryhalfpennyIpossessisstolenmoney;butithasbeenstolenlegally,and,whatisofsomepracticalimportancetoyou,IhavenomeansofrestoringittotherightfulownersevenifIfeltinclinedto。Doyouknowwhatmyfatherwas？"

"Whatdifferencecanthatmakenow？Don"tbedisagreeableandfullofridiculousfads,Sidneydear。Ididn"tmarryyourfather。"

"No;butyoumarried——onlyincidentally,ofcourse——myfather"sfortune。Thatnecklaceofyourswaspurchasedwithhismoney;andIcanalmostfancystainsofblood"

"Stop,Sidney。Idon"tlikethissortofromancing。It"sallnonsense。DObenicetome。"

"Therearestainsofsweatonit,Iknow。"

"Younastywretch！"

"Iamthinking,notofyou,mydaintyone,butoftheunfortunatepeoplewhoslavethatwemayliveidly。Letmeexplaintoyouwhywearesorich。Myfatherwasashrewd,energetic,andambitiousManchesterman,whounderstoodanexchangeofanysortasatransactionbywhichonemanshouldloseandtheothergain。Hemadeithisobjecttomakeasmanyexchangesaspossible,andtobealwaysthegainingpartyinthem。Idonotknowexactlywhathewas,forhewasashamedbothofhisantecedentsandofhisrelatives,fromwhichIcanonlyinferthattheywerehonest,and,therefore,unsuccessfulpeople。However,heacquiredsomeknowledgeofthecottontrade,savedsomemoney,borrowedsomemoreonthesecurityofhisreputationforgettingthebetterofotherpeopleinbusiness,and,asheaccuratelytoldmeafterwards,startedFORHIMSELF。Heboughtafactoryandsomerawcotton。Nowyoumustknowthataman,bylaboringsometimeonapieceofrawcotton,canturnitintoapieceofmanufacturedcottonfitformakingintosheetsandshiftsandthelike。Themanufacturedcottonismorevaluablethantherawcotton,becausethemanufacturecostswearandtearofmachinery,wearandtearofthefactory,rentofthegrounduponwhichthefactoryisbuilt,andhumanlabor,orwearandtearoflivemen,whichhastobemadegoodbyfood,shelter,andrest。Doyouunderstandthat？"

"Weusedtolearnallaboutitatcollege。Idon"tseewhatithastodowithus,sinceyouarenotinthecottontrade。"

"Youlearnedasmuchasitwasthoughtsafetoteachyou,nodoubt;butnotquiteall,Ishouldthink。Whenmyfatherstartedforhimself,thereweremanymeninManchesterwhowerewillingtolaborinthisway,buttheyhadnofactorytoworkin,nomachinerytoworkwith,andnorawcottontoworkon,simplybecauseallthisindispensableplant,andthematerialsforproducingafreshsupplyofit,hadbeenappropriatedbyearliercomers。Sotheyfoundthemselveswithgapingstomachs,shiveringlimbs,,andhungrywivesandchildren,inaplacecalledtheirowncountry,inwhich,nevertheless,everyscrapofgroundandpossiblesourceofsubsistencewastightlylockedupinthehandsofothersandguardedbyarmedsoldiersandpolicemen。Inthishelplesscondition,thepoordevilswerereadytobegforaccesstoafactoryandtorawcottononanyconditionscompatiblewithlife。Myfatherofferedthemtheuseofhisfactory,hismachines,andhisrawcottononthefollowingconditions:Theyweretoworklongandhard,earlyandlate,toaddfreshvaluetohisrawcottonbymanufacturingit。Outofthevaluethuscreatedbythem,theyweretorecouphimforwhathesuppliedthemwith:

rent,shelter,gas,water,machinery,rawcotton——everything,andtopayhimforhisownservicesassuperintendent,manager,andsalesman。Sofarheaskednothingbutjustremuneration。Butafterthishadbeenpaid,abalanceduesolelytotheirownlaborremained。"Outofthis,"saidmyfather,"youshallkeepjustenoughtosaveyoufromstarving,andoftherestyoushallmakemeapresenttorewardmeformyvirtueinsavingmoney。SuchisthebargainIpropose。Itis,inmyopinion,fairandcalculatedtoencouragethriftyhabits。Ifitdoesnotstrikeyouinthatlight,youcangetafactoryandrawcottonforyourselves;youshallnotusemine。"Inotherwords,theymightgotothedevilandstarve——Hobson"schoice！——foralltheotherfactorieswereownedbymenwhoofferednobetterterms。TheManchesterianscouldnotbeartostarveortoseetheirchildrenstarve,andsotheyacceptedhistermsandwentintothefactory。Theterms,yousee,didnotadmitoftheirbeginningtosaveforthemselvesashehaddone。Well,theycreatedgreatwealthbytheirlabor,andlivedonverylittle,sothatthebalancetheygavefornothingtomyfatherwaslarge。Heboughtmorecotton,andmoremachinery,andmorefactorieswithit;employedmorementomakewealthforhim,andsawhisfortuneincreaselikearollingsnowball。Heprosperedenormously,buttheworkmenwerenobetteroffthanatfirst,andtheydarednotrebelanddemandmoreofthemoneytheyhadmade,fortherewerealwaysplentyofstarvingwretchesoutsidewillingtotaketheirplacesontheoldterms。Sometimeshemetwithacheck,as,forinstance,when,inhiseagernesstoincreasehisstore,hemadethemenmanufacturemorecottonthanthepublicneeded;orwhenhecouldnotgetenoughofrawcotton,ashappenedduringtheCivilWarinAmerica。Thenheadaptedhimselftocircumstancesbyturningawayasmanyworkmenashecouldnotfindcustomersorcottonfor;andthey,ofcourse,starvedorsubsistedoncharity。Duringthewar—timeabigsubscriptionwasgotupforthesepoorwretches,andmyfathersubscribedonehundredpounds,inspite,hesaid,ofhisowngreatlosses。Thenheboughtnewmachines;and,aswomenandchildrencouldworktheseaswellasmen,andwerecheaperandmoredocile,heturnedawayaboutseventyoutofeveryhundredofhisHANDS（sohecalledthemen）,andreplacedthembytheirwivesandchildren,whomademoneyforhimfasterthanever。Bythistimehehadlongagogivenupmanagingthefactories,andpaidcleverfellowswhohadnomoneyoftheirownafewhundredsayeartodoitforhim。Healsopurchasedsharesinotherconcernsconductedonthesameprinciple;pocketeddividendsmadeincountrieswhichhehadnevervisitedbymenwhomhehadneverseen;boughtaseatinParliamentfromapoorandcorruptconstituency,andhelpedtopreservethelawsbywhichhehadthriven。Afterwards,whenhiswealthgrewfamous,hehadlessneedtobribe;formodernmenworshiptherichasgods,andwillelectamanasoneoftheirrulersfornootherreasonthanthatheisamillionaire。Heapedgentility,livedinapalaceatKensington,andboughtapartofScotlandtomakeadeerforestof。Itiseasyenoughtomakeadeerforest,astreesarenotnecessarythere。Yousimplydriveoffthepeasants,destroytheirhouses,andmakeadesertoftheland。However,myfatherdidnotshootmuchhimself;hegenerallylettheforestoutbytheseasontothosewhodid。Hepurchasedawifeofgentlebloodtoo,withtheunsatisfactoryresultnowbeforeyou。ThatishowJesseTrefusis,apoorManchesterbagman,contrivedtobecomeaplutocratandgentlemanoflandedestate。AndalsohowI,whoneverdidastrokeofworkinmylife,amoverburdenedwithwealth;whilstthechildrenofthemenwhomadethatwealthareslavingastheirfathersslaved,orstarving,orintheworkhouse,oronthestreets,orthedeuceknowswhere。Whatdoyouthinkofthat,mylove？"

"Whatistheuseofworryingaboutit,Sidney？Itcannotbehelpednow。Besides,ifyourfathersavedmoney,andtheotherswereimprovident,hedeservedtomakeafortune。"