第18章

Lookatit。Thereisn’tanotherhousequitelikeitinEngland。

Itisworthlookingover。“

“Itismostimpressive，“Hamelagreed，“andwonderfullybeautiful。

Itseemsodd，“headded，withalaugh，“thatyoushouldcareaboutthislittleshantyhere，withallthebeautifulroomsyoumusthaveofyourown。“

“It’sNaboth’svineyard，“Mr。Fentolingroaned。“Now，Mr。Hamel，youaregoingtobegracious，aren’tyou？Letusleavethequestionofyourlittlehabitationherealoneforthepresent。Comebackwithme。Mynieceshallgiveyousometea，andyoushallchooseyourroomfromforty。Youcansleepinahauntedchamber，orahistoricalchamber，inQueenElizabeth’sroom，aVictorianchamber，oraLouisQuinzeroom。Allmypeoplehavespenttheirsubstanceinfurniture。Don’tlookatyourbag。Clothesareunnecessary。I

cansupplyyouwitheverything。Or，ifyoupreferit，IcansendafastcarintoNorwichforyourownthings。Comeandbemyguest，please。“

Hamelhesitated。HehadnottheslightestdesiretogotoSt。

David’sHall，andthoughhestrovetoignoreit，hewasconsciousofanaversionofwhichhewasheartilyashamedforthisstrangefragmentofhumanity。Ontheotherhand，hismission，theactualmissionwhichhadbroughthimdowntotheseparts，couldcertainlybestbeservedbyanentreeintotheHallitself-andtherewasthegirl，whomhefeltsurebelongedthere。Hehadneverforamomentbeenabletodismissherfromhisthoughts。Herstill，coldface，thedelicateperfectionofherclothesandfigure，thegreyeyeswhichhadresteduponhissocuriously，hauntedhim。Hewasdesperatelyanxioustoseeheragain。Ifherefusedthisinvitation，ifherejectedMr。Fentolin’sprofferedfriendship，itwouldbeallthemoredifficult。

“Youarereallyverykind，“hebeganhesitatingly-

“Itissettled，“Mr。Fentolininterrupted，“settled。Meekins，youcanridebackagain。Ishallnotpaintto-day。Mr。Hamel，youwillwalkbymyside，willyounot？Icanrunmylittlemachinequiteslowly。Yousee，Ihaveanelectricbattery。Itneedschargingoften，butIhaveadynamoofmyown。Youneversawavehiclelikethisinallyourtravellings，didyou？“

Hamelshookhishead。

“Anelectricalbath-chair，“Mr。Fentolincontinued。“Practicehasmademeremarkablyskilfulinitsmanipulation。Yousee，Icansteertoaninch。“

Hewasalreadyturningaround。Hamelrosetohisfeet。

“Youarereallyverykind，“hesaid。“IshouldliketocomeupandseetheHall，atanyrate，butinthemeantime，aswearehere，couldIjustlookovertheinsideofthislittleplace？Ifoundthelargeshedwherethelifeboatusedtobekept，lockedup。“

Mr。Fentolinwasmanoeuvringhiscarriage。HisbackwastowardsHamel。

“Byallmeans，“hedeclared。“Wewillgointogether。IhavehadtheentrancewidenedsothatIcanridestraightintothesitting-room。Butwait。“

Hepausedsuddenly。Hefeltinallhispockets。

“Dearme，“heexclaimed，“IfindthatIhaveleftthekeys！Wewillcomedownalittlelater，ifyoudonotmind，Mr。Hamel。Orto-morrow，perhaps。Youwillnotmind？Itisverycarelessofme，butseeingyouabouttheplaceandimaginingthatyouwereanintruder，mademeangry，andIstartedoffinahurry。Nowwalkbymysideuptothehouse，please，andtalktome。Itissointerestingformetomeetmen，“hewenton，astheystartedalongthestraightpath，“whodothingsinlife；whogotoforeigncountries，meetstrangepeople，andhavenewexperiences。Ihavebeenagoodmanyyearslikethis，youknow。“

“Itisagreataffliction，“Hamelmurmuredsympathetically。

“InmyyouthIwasanathlete，“Mr。Fentolincontinued。“IplayedcricketfortheVarsityandformycounty。Ihunted，too，andshot。

Ididallthethingsamanlovestodo。Imightstillshoot，theytellme，butmystrengthhasebbedaway。Iamtooweaktoliftagun，tooweakeventohandleafishing-rod。Ihavejustafewhobbiesinlifewhichkeepmealive。Areyouapolitician，Mr。

Hamel？“

“Notintheleast，“Hamelreplied。“IhavebeenoutofEnglandtoolongtokeepintouchwithpolitics。“

“Naturally，“Mr。Fentolinagreed。“Itamusesmetofollowthecourseofevents。IhaveagoodmanyfriendsinLondonandabroadwhoarekindtome，whokeepmeinformed，sendmeoddbitsofinformationnotavailableforeveryone，anditamusesmetoputthesethingstogetherinmymindandtotryandplaytheprophet。

IwasintheForeignOfficeonce，youknow。Itakeupmypapereverymorning，anditisoneofmychiefintereststoseehownearmyownspeculationscometothetruth。Justnowforexample，therearestrangethingsdoingontheContinent。“

“InAmerica，“Hamelremarked，“theyaffecttolookuponEnglandasadoomedPower。“

“Notaltogethersupineyet，“Mr。Fentolinobserved，“yeteventhislastgenerationhasseenweakening。Wehavelostsomuchself-reliance。Perhapsitishavingthesegrown-upchildrenwhowethinkcantakecareofus-CanadaandAustralia，andtheothers。

However，wewillnottalkofpolitics。Itboresyou，Icansee。

Wewilltryandfindsomeothersubject。Nowtellme，don’tyouthinkthisisingenious？“

TheyhadreachedthefootofthehilluponwhichtheHallwassituated。Infrontofthem，underneaththeterrace，wasalittleirongate，heldopennowbyMeekins，whohadgoneonaheadanddismountedfromhisbicycle。

“IhaveasubterraneanwayfromhereintotheHall，“Mr。Fentolinexplained。“Comewithme。Youwillonlyhavetostoopalittle，anditmayamuseyou。Youneednotbeafraid。Thereareelectriclightseverytenyards。Iturnthemonwiththisswitch-see。“

Mr。Fentolintouchedabuttoninthewall，andtheplacewasatoncebrilliantlyilluminated。Alittlerowoflightsfromtheceilingandthewallsstretchedawayasfarasonecouldsee。Theypassedthroughtheirongates，whichshutbehindthemwithaclick。

Stoopingalittle，Hamelwasstillabletowalkbythesideofthemaninthechair。Theytraversedaboutahundredyardsofsubterraneanway。Hereandthereafungushungdownfromthewall，otherwiseitwasbeautifullykeptanddry。Byandby，withalittleturn，theycametoaninclineandanotherirongate，heldopenforthembyafootman。Mr。Fentolinspedupthelastfewfeetintothegreathail，whichseemedmoreimposingthaneverbyreasonofthisunexpectedentrance。Hamel，blinkingalittle，steppedtohisside。

“Welcome！“Mr。Fentolincriedgaily。“Welcome，myfriendMr。Hamel，toSt。David’sHall！“

Duringthenexthalf-hour，Hamelwasintroducedtoluxuriestowhich，inageneralway，hewasentirelyunaccustomed。Oneman-servantwasbusypreparinghisbathinaroomleadingoutofhissleepingapartment，whileanotherbroughthimachoiceofeveningclothesandsuperintendedhisdisrobing。Hamel，alwaysobservant，studiedhissurroundingswithkeeninterest。Hefoundhimselfinaqueerlymixedatmosphereofluxuriousmodernityandstatelyantiquity。Hisfour-poster，thehugecouchatthefootofhisbed，andallthefurnitureabouttheroom，wasoftheQueenAnneperiod。Thebathroomwhichcommunicatedwithhisapartmentwasthelatesttriumphoftheplumber’sart-aroomwithfloorandwallsofwhitetiles，thebathitselfalittlesunkenandtwicetheordinarysize。

Hedispensedsofarashecouldwiththeservicesofthemenanddescended，assoonashewasdressed，intothehall。Meekinswaswaitingatthebottomofthestairs，dressednowinsomberblack。

“Mr。Fentolinwillbegladifyouwillstepintohisroom，sir，“heannounced，leadingtheway。

Mr。Fentolinwasseatedinhischair，readingtheTimesinacornerofhislibrary。Shapedblockshadbeenplacedbehindandinfrontofthewheelsofhislittlevehicle，topreventitfrommoving。A

shadedreading-lampstoodonthetablebyhisside。Hedidnotatoncelookup，andHamelglancedaroundwithgenuineadmiration。

Theshelveswhichlinedthewallsandthewingedcaseswhichprotrudedintotheroomwerefilledwithbooks。Therewasalargeoaktablewithbeautifullycarvedlegs，piledwithallsortsofmodernreviewsandmagazines。Alogfirewasburninginthebigoakengrate。Theperfumefromagreatbowloflavenderseemedtominglecuriouslyyetpleasantlywiththehalfmustyodouroftheoldleather-houndvolumes。Themassivechimneypiecewasofblackoak，andaboveitwerecarvedthearmsoftheHouseofFentolin。

Thewallswereoak-panelledtotheceiling。

“Refreshed，Ihope，byyourbathandchange，mydearvisitor？“theheadofthehouseremarked，ashelaiddownhispaper。“Drawachairuphereandjoinmeinaglassofvermouth。Youneednotbeafraidofit。Itcomestomefromthemakerasaspecialfavour。

Hamelacceptedaquaintly-cutwine-glassfulloftheamberliquid。

Mr。Fentolinsippedhiswiththeairofaconnoisseur。

“This，“hecontinued，“isoneofourinformaldays。Thereisnooneinthehousesavemysister-in-law，niece，andnephew，andapoorinvalidgentlemanwho，Iamsorrytosay，isconfinedtohisbed。Mysister-in-lawisalso，Iregrettosay，indisposed。Shedesiredmetopresentherexcusestoyouandsayhowgreatlysheislookingforwardtomakingyouracquaintanceduringthenextfewdays。“

Hamelbowed。

“ItisverykindofMrs。Fentolin，“hemurmured。

“Ontheseoccasions，“Mr。Fentolincontinued，“wedonotmakeuseofadrawing-room。Myniecewillcomeinherepresently。Youarelookingatmybooks，Isee。Areyou，byanychance，abibliophile？

Ihaveacaseofmanuscriptsherewhichmightinterestyou。

Hamelshookhishead。

“Onlyintheabstract，Ifear，“heanswered。“IhavescarcelyopenedaseriousbooksinceIwasatOxford。“

“Whatwasyouryear？“Mr。Fentolinasked。

“FourteenyearsagoIleftMagdalen，“Hamelreplied。“Ihadmadeupmymindtoheanengineer，andIwentovertotheBostonInstituteofTechnology。“

Mr。Fentolinnoddedappreciatively。