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。"