Onthenextmorningtherecameamessagetohimashewasdressing。MrWhartonwishedtospeaktohim。Wouldhecomedownbeforebreakfast，orwouldhecallonMrWhartoninStoneBuildings？Hesentdownwordthathewoulddothelatteratanhourtobefixed，andthendidnotshowhimselfinthebreakfast-
　　roomtillMrWhartonwasgone。’I’vegottogotoyourfatherto-day，’hesaidtohiswife，’andIthoughtitbestnottobegintillwecometotheregularbusiness。Ihopehedoesnotmeantobeunreasonable。’Tothisshemadenoanswer。’Ofcourseyouthinkthewantofreasonwillbeallonmyside。’
　　’Idon’tknowwhyyoushouldsayso。’
　　’BecauseIcanreadyourmind。Youdothinkso。You’vebeeninthesameboatwithyourfatherallyourlife，andyoucan’tgetoutofthatboatandgetintomine。Iwaswrongtocomeandlivehere。Ofcourseitwasnotthewaytowithdrawyoufromhisinfluence。’Shehadnothingtosaythatwouldnotangerhim，andwasthereforesilent。’Well。ImustdothebestIcanbymyself，Isuppose。Good-bye，’andsohewasoff。
　　’Iwanttoknow，’saidMrWharton，onwhomwasthrownbypremeditationonthepartofLopezthetaskofbeginningtheconversation，——’Iwanttoknowwhatisthenatureofyouroperation。Ihaveneverbeenquiteabletounderstandit。’
　　’IdonotknowthatIquiteunderstanditmyself，’saidLopezlaughing。
　　’Nomanalive，’continuedtheoldbarristeralmostsolemnly，’hasagreaterobjectiontothrusthimselfintoanotherman’saffairsthanIhave。AndIdidn’taskthequestionbeforeyourmarriage，——asperhapsIoughttohavedone，——Ishouldnotdosonow，wereitnotthatthedispositionofsomepartofmyearningsofmylifemustdependontheconditionofyouraffairs。’Lopezimmediatelyperceivedthatitbehovedhimtobeverymuchonthealert。Itmightbethatifheshowedhimselftobeverypoor，hisfather-in-lawwouldseethenecessityofassistinghimatonce，oritmightbe，thatunlesshecouldshowhimselftobeinprosperouscircumstances，hisfather-in-lawwouldnotassisthimatall。’Totellyoutheplaintruth，Iammindedtomakeanewwill。IhadofcoursemadearrangementsastomypropertybeforeEmily’smarriage。ThosearrangementsIthinkIshallnowalter。
　　IamgreatlydistressedwithEverett，andfromwhatIseeandfromafewwordsthathavedroppedfromEmily，Iamnot，totellyouthetruth，quitehappyastoyourposition。IfIunderstandrightlyyouareageneralmerchant，buyingandsellinggoodsinthemarket？’
　　’That’saboutit，sir。’
　　’Whatcapitalhaveyouinthebusiness？’
　　’Whatcapital？’
　　’Yes——howmuchdidyouputintoitatstarting？’
　　Lopezpausedamoment。Hehadgothiswife。Themarriagecouldnotbeundone。MrWhartonhadmoneyenoughforthemall，andwouldnotcertainlywouldnotdiscardhisdaughter。MrWhartoncouldplacehimonareallyequalfooting，andmightnotimprobablydosoifhecouldbemadetofeelsomeconfidenceinhisson-in-law。Atthismomenttherewasmuchdoubtwiththeson-in-lawwhetherhehadbetternottellthesimpletruth。’Ithasgoneinbydegrees，’hesaid。’AltogetherIhaveabout8，000
　　poundsinit。’Intruthhehadneverbeenpossessedofashilling。
　　’Doesthatincludethe3，000poundsyouhadfromme？’
　　’Yes。itdoes。’
　　’Thenyouhavemarriedmygirlandstartedintotheworldwithabusinessbasedon5，000pounds，andwhichhadsofarmiscarriedthatwithinamonthoftwoafteryourmarriageyouweredriventoapplytomeforfunds！’
　　’Iwantedmoneyforacertainpurpose。’
　　’Haveyouanypartner，MrLopez？’Thisaddresswasfelttobeveryominous。
　　’Yes。Ihaveapartnerwhoispossessedofcapital。HisnameisParker。’
　　’Thenhiscapitalisyourcapital。’
　　’Well——Ican’texplainit，butitisnotso。’
　　’Whatisthenameofyourfirm？’
　　’Wehaven’taregisteredname。’
　　’Haveyouaplaceofbusiness？’
　　’ParkerhasaplaceofbusinessinLittleTankardYard。’
　　MrWhartonturnedtoadirectoryandfoundoutParker’sname。
　　’MrParkerisastockbroker。Areyoualsoastockbroker？’
　　’No，——Iamnot。’
　　’Then，sir，itseemstomethatyouareacommercialadventurer。’
　　’Iamnotatallashamedofthename，MrWharton。AccordingtoyourmannerofreckoninghalfthebusinessoftheCityofLondonisdonebycommercialadventurers。Iwatchthemarketsandbuygoods，——andsellthemataprofit。MrParkerisamoneyedman，whohappensalsotobeastockbroker。Wecanveryeasilycallourselvesmerchants，andputupthenamesofLopezandParkeroverthedoor。’
　　’Doyousignbillstogether？’
　　’Yes。’
　　’AsLopezandParker？’
　　’No。Isignthemandhesignsthem。Itradealsobymyself，andso，Ibelieve，doeshe。’
　　’Oneotherquestion，MrLopez。Onwhatincomehaveyoupaidincome-taxforthelastthreeyears？’
　　’On2，000poundsayear，’saidLopez。Thiswasadirectlie。
　　’Canyoumakeoutanyscheduleshowingyourexactassetsandliabilitiesatthepresenttime？’
　　’CertainlyIcan。’
　　’Thendoso，andsendittomebeforeIgointoHertfordshire。
　　Mywillasitstandsatpresentwouldnotbetoyouradvantage。
　　ButIcannotchangeittillIknowmoreofyourcircumstancesthanIdonow。’Andsotheinterviewwasover。
　　CHAPTER45
　　MRSSEXTYPARKER。
　　ThoughMrWhartonandLopezmeteverydayforthenextweek，nothingmorewassaidabouttheschedule。Theoldmanwasthinkingaboutiteveryday，andsowasLopez。ButMrWhartonhadmadehisdemand，and，ashethought，nothingmorewastobesaidonthesubject。Hecouldnotcontinuethesubjectashewouldhavedonewithhisson。Butasdayafterdaypassedbyhebecamemoreandmoreconvincedthathisson-in-law’saffairswerenotinastatewhichcouldbeartoseethelight。Hehaddeclaredhispurposeofalteringhiswillintheman’sfavour，ifthemanwouldsatisfyhim。Andyetnothingwasdoneandnothingwassaid。
　　Lopezhadcomeamongthemandrobbedhimofhisdaughter。Sincethemanhadbecomeintimateinhishousehehadnotknownanhour’shappiness。Themanhaddestroyedalltheplansofhislife，brokenthroughhiscastle，andviolatedhisveryhearth。
　　Nodoubthehimselfhadvacillated。Hewasawareofthat。Nopresentmoodwassevereenoughinjudginghimself。Inhisdesolationhehadtriedtotakethemantohisheart，——hadbeenkindtohim，andhadevenopenedhishousetohim。Hehadtoldhimselfthatasthemanwasthehusbandofhisdaughterhehadbettermakethebestofit。Hehadendeavouredtomakethebestofit，butbetweenhimandthemanthereweresuchdifferencesthattheywerepolesasunder。Andnowitbecamecleartohimthatthemanwas，ashehaddeclaredtotheman’sface，nobetterthananadventurer！
　　Byhiswillasitatpresentstoodhehadlefttwo-thirdsofhispropertytoEverett，andone-thirdtohisdaughter，witharrangementsforsettlinghershareonherchildren，shouldshebemarriedandhavechildrenatthetimeofhisdeath。Thiswillhadbeenmademanyyearsago，andhehadlongsincedeterminedtoalterit，inorderthathemightdividehispropertyequallybetweenhischildren——buthehadpostponedthematter，intendingtogivealargeportionofEmily’ssharetoherdirectlyonhermarriagewithArthurFletcher。ShehadnotmarriedArthurFletcher——butitwasstillnecessarythatanewwillshouldbemade。
　　WhenhelefttownforHertfordshirehehadnotyetmadeuphismindhowthisshouldbedone。HehadatonetimethoughtthathewouldgivesomeconsiderablesumtoLopezatonce，knowingthattoamaninbusinesssuchassistancewouldbeuseful。Andhehadnotaltogetherabandonedthatidea，evenwhenhehadaskedfortheschedule。Hedidnotrelishthethoughtofgivinghishard-
　　earnedmoneytoLopez，butstilltheman’swifewashisdaughter，andhemustdothebestthathecouldforher。Hertasteinmarryingthemanwasinexplicabletohim。Butthatwasdone——
　　andnowhowmighthebestarrangehisaffairssoastoserveherinterests？
　　AboutthemiddleofAugusthewenttoHertfordshireandshetotheseasideinEssex，——tothelittleplacewhichLopezhadselected。Beforetheendofthemonththefather-in-lawwrotealinetohisson-in-law。
　　DEARLOPEZ，notwithoutpremeditationhadhedepartedfromthesternnessofthat’MrLopez’，whichinhisangerhehadusedatthechambers。
　　WhenwewerediscussingyouraffairsIaskedyouforascheduleofyourassetsandliabilities。IcanmakenonewarrangementofmypropertyuntilIreceivethis。
　　ShouldIdieleavingmypresentwillastheinstrumentunderwhichmypropertywouldbeconveyedtomyheirs，Emily’ssharewouldgointothehandsoftrusteesfortheuseofherselfandherpossiblechildren。Itellyouthisthatyoumayunderstandthatitisforyourowninteresttocomplywithmyrequisition。
　　Yours，A。WHARTON
　　Ofcoursequestionswereaskedhimastohowthenewlymarriedcoupleweregettingon。AtWhartonthesequestionsweremildandeasilyputoff。SirAluredwascontentedwithaslightshakeofhishead，andLadyWhartononlyremarkedforthefifthorsixthtimethatit’wasapity’。ButwhentheyallwenttoLongbarns，thedifficultybecamegreater。Arthurwasnotthere，andoldMrsFletcherwasinfullstrength。’SotheLopezeshavecometolivewithyouinManchesterSquare？’MrWhartonacknowledgedthatitwassowithanaffirmativegrunt。’Ihopehe’sapleasantinmate。’Therewasascornintheoldwoman’svoiceasshesaidthis，whichoughttohaveprovokedanyman。
　　’Moresothanmostmenwouldbe，’saidMrWharton。
　　’Oh，indeed！’
　　’Heiscourteousandforbearing，anddoesnotthinkthateverythingaroundhimshouldbesuitedtohisownpeculiarfancies。’
　　’Iamgladyouarecontentedwiththemarriage，MrWharton。’
　　’WhosaidthatIamcontentedwithit？Nooneoughttounderstandortosharemydiscontentsocordiallyasyourself，MrsFletcher——andnooneoughttobemorecharyofspeakingofit。YouandIhopedforotherthings，andoldpeopledonotliketobedisappointed。ButIneedn’tpaintthedevilblackerthanheis。’
　　’I’mafraidthat，asusual，heisratherblack。’
　　’Mother，’saidJohnFletcher，’thethinghasbeendoneandyoumightaswellletitbe。WeareallsorrythatEmilyhasnotcomenearertous，butshehasarighttochooseforherself，andIforonewish，——asdoesmybrotheralso，——thatshemaybehappyinthelotshehaschosen。’
　　’HisconducttoArthuratSilverbridgewassonice！，’saidthepertinaciousoldwoman。
　　’Nevermindhisconduct，mother。Whatisittous？’
　　’That’sallverywell，John，butaccordingtothatnobodyistotalkaboutanybody。’
　　’Iwouldmuchprefer，atanyrate，’saidMrWharton，’thatyouwouldnottalkaboutMrLopezinmyhearing。’
　　’Idon’tlikeLopez，youknow，’MrWhartonsaidtoJohnFletcherafterwards。’HowshoulditbepossiblethatIshouldlikesuchaman？Buttherecanbenogoodgotbycomplaints。Itisnotwhatyourmothersuffers，orwhatevilIcansuffer，——or，worseagain，whatArthurmaysuffer，thatmakesthesadnessofallthis。Whatwillbeherlife？Thatisthequestion。Anditistoonearme，tooimportanttome，fortheenduranceeitherofscornorpity。Iwasgladyouaskedyourmothertobesilent。’
　　’Icanunderstandit，’saidJohn。’Idonotthinkthatshewilltroubleyouagain。’
　　InthemeantimeLopezreceivedMrWharton’sletteratDovercourt，andhadtoconsiderwhatanswerheshouldgivetoit。Noanswercouldbesatisfactory，——unlesshecouldimposeafalseansweronhisfather-in-lawsoastomakeitcredible。Themorehethoughtofit，themorehebelievedthiswouldbeimpossible。Thecautiousoldlawyerwouldnotacceptunverifiedstatements。A
　　certainsumofmoney，——bynomeansilliberalatpresent，——hehadalreadyextractedfromtheoldman。Whathewantedwasafurtherandmuchlargergrant。ThoughMrWhartonwasoldhedidnotwanttohavetowaitforthedeathevenofanoldman。Thenexttwoorthreeyears，——probablytheverynextyear，——mightbetheturning-pointofhislife。Hehadmarriedthegirl，andoughttohavethegirl’sfortune，——downonthenail！Ashethoughtofthishecursedhisillluck。Thehusbandsofothergirlshadtheirfortunesconveyedtothemimmediatelyontheirmarriage。Whatwouldnot20，000poundsdoforhim，ifhecouldgetitintohishand？Andsohetaughthimselftoregardtheoldmanasarobberandhimselfasavictim。Whoamongusistherewhodoesnotteachhimselfthesamelesson？Andthentoohowcruelly，howdamnablyhehadbeenusedbytheDuchessofOmnium！
　　AndhowSextyParker，whosefortunehewasmakingforhim，whosefortuneheatanyrateintendedtomake，wastroublinghiminvariousways。’We’reinaboattogether，’Sextyhadsaid。
　　’You’vehadtheuseofmymoney，andbyheavensyouhaveitstill。Idon’tseewhyyoushouldbesostiff。DoyoubringyourmissustoDovercourt，andI’lltakemine，andlet’emknoweachother。’Therewasalittleargumentonthesubject，butSextyParkerhadthebestofit，andinthiswaythetriptoDovercourtwasarranged。
　　Lopezwasinaverygoodhumourwhenhetookhiswifedown，andhewalkedherroundtheterracesandesplanadesofthatnotsufficientlywell-knownmarineparadise，nowbiddingheradmiretheseaandnowlaughingatthefineryofthepeople，tillshebecamegraduallyfilledwiththeideathathewasmakinghimselfpleasant，shealsooughttodothesame。Ofcourseshewasnothappy。Thegildinghadsocompletelyandsorapidlybeenwashedoffheridolthatshecouldnotbeveryhappy。Butshealsocouldbegood-humoured。’Andnow，’saidhe，smiling，’Ihavegotsomethingforyoutodoforme，——somethingthatyouwillfindverydisagreeable。’
　　’Whatisit？Itwon’tbeverybad，I’msure。’
　　’Itwillbeverybad，I’mafraid。Myexcellentbuthorriblyvulgarpartner，SextyParker，whenhefoundthatIwascominghere，insistedonbringinghiswifeandchildrenalso。Iwantyoutoknowthem。’
　　’Isthatall？ShemustbeverybadindeedifIcan’tputupwiththat。’
　　’Inonesensesheisn’tbadatall。Ibelievehertobeanexcellentwoman，intentonspoilingherchildrenandgivingherhusbandagooddinnereveryday。ButIthinkyouwillfindthatsheis，——well，——notquitewhatyouwouldcallalady。’
　　’Ishan’tmindthatintheleast。I’llhelpherspoilthechildren。’
　　’Youcangetalessonthere，youknow，’hesaid，lookingintoherface。Thelittlejokewasonewhichayoungwifemighttakewithpleasurefromherhusband，butherlifehadalreadybeentoomuchembitteredforanysuchdelight。Yes。thetimewascomingwhenthattroublealsowouldbeaddedtoher。Shedreadedsheknewnotwhat，andhadoftentoldherselfthatitwouldbebetterthatsheshouldbechildless。
　　’Doyoulikehim？’shesaid。
　　’Likehim。No——Ican’tsayIlikehim。Heisuseful，andinonesensehonest。’
　　’Ishenothonestinallsenses？’
　　’That’salargeorder。Totellyouthetruth，Idon’tknowanymanwhois。’
　　’Everettishonest。’
　　’Helosesmoneyatplaywhichhecan’tpaywithoutassistancefromhisfather。Ifhisfatherhadrefused，wherewouldthenhavebeenhishonesty？Sextyisashonestasothers，Idaresay，butIshouldn’tliketotrusthimmuchfartherthanIcouldseehim。Ishan’tgouptotownto-morrow，andwe’llbothlookinonthemafterluncheon。’
　　Intheafternoonthecallwasmade。TheParkers，havingchildren，haddinedearly，andhewassittingoutonalittleporchsmokinghispipe，drinkingwhiskyandwater，andlookingatthesea。Hiseldestgirlwasstandingbetweenhislegs，andhiswife，withtheotherthreechildrenroundher，wassittingonthedoor-step。’I’vebroughtmywifetoseeyou，’saidLopez，holdinghishandtoMrsParker，assherosefromtheground。
　　’Itoldherthatyou’dbecoming，’saidSexty，’andshewantedmetoputoffmypipeandlittledropofdrink。butIsaidthatifMrsLopezwastheladyItookhertobeshewouldn’tbegrudgeahard-workingfellowhispipeandglassonaholiday。’
　　TherewasasoundnessofsenseinthiswhichmollifiedanyfeelingofdisgustwhichEmilymighthavefeltattheman’svulgarity。’Ithinkyouarequiteright，MrParker。Ishouldbeverysorryif，——if——’
　　’IfIwastoputmypipeout。Well，Iwon’t。You’lltakeaglassofsherry，Lopez？ThoughI’mdrinkingspiritsmyself。I
　　broughtdownahamperofsherrywine。Oh，nonsense——youmusttakesomething。That’sright，Jane。Letushavethestuffandtheglasses，andthentheycandoastheylike。’Lopezlitacigar，andallowedhishosttopouroutforhimaglassof’sherrywine’，whileMrsLopezwentintothehousewithMrsParkerandthechildren。
　　MrsParkeropenedherselfouttohernewfriendimmediately。Shehopedthattheytwomightsee’adealofeachother，——thatis，ifyoudon’tthinkit’stoopushing’。Sextus，shesaid，wassomuchaway，comingdowntoDovercourtonlyeveryotherday！Andthen，withinthehalfhourwhichwasconsumedbyLopezwithhiscigar，thepoorwomangotuponthegeneraltroublesofherlife。
　　DidMrsLopezthinkthat’allthisspeckelationwasjusttherightthing？’
　　’Idon’tthinkIknowanythingaboutit，MrsParker。’
　　’Butyouought——oughtn’tyou，now？Don’tyouthinkthatawifeoughttoknowwhatitisthatherhusbandisafter——speciallyifthere’schildren？Agoodbitofmoneywasmine，MrsLopez，andthoughIdon’tbegrudgeit，notonebit，ifanygoodistocomeoutofittohimorthem，awomandoesn’tlikewhatherfatherhasgivenhershouldbemadeducksanddrakesof。’
　　’Butaretheymakingducksanddrakes？’
　　’Whenhedon’ttellmeI’malwaysafeard。AndI’lltellyouwhatIknowjustaswellastwoandtwo。Whenhecomeshomealittleflustered，andthentakesmorethanhisregularallowance，he’sbeenatsomethingasdon’tquitesatisfyhim。He’sneverthatwaywhenhe’sdoneagoodday’sworkathisregularbusiness。Hetakestothechildrenthen，andhasoneglassafterhisdinner，andtellsmeallaboutit，——downtotheshillingsandpence。
　　Butit’sveryseldomhe’sthatwaynow。’
　　’Youmaythinkitveryodd，MrsParker，butIdon’tintheleastknowwhatmyhusbandis——inbusiness。’
　　’Andyouneverask？’
　　’Ihaven’tbeenverylongmarried，youknow，——onlyabouttwomonths。’
　　’I’dhadmyfustbythattime。’
　　’Onlyninemonths，Ithink，indeed。’
　　’Well。Iwasn’tverylongafterthat。ButItookcaretoknowwhatitwashewasa-doingofinthecitylongbeforethattime。
　　AndIdidusetoknoweverything，till——’Shewasgoingtosay，tillLopezhadcomeuponthescene。Butshedidnotwish，atanyrateasyet，tobeharshtohernewfriend。
　　’Ihopeitisallright，’saidEmily。
　　’Sometimeshe’sasthoughtheBankofEnglandwasallhisown。
　　Andthere’sbeenmoremoneycomeintothehouse——thatImustsay。Andthereisn’tanopen-handederonethanSextyanywhere。
　　He’dliketoseemeinasilkgowneverydayofmylife——andasforthechildren，there’snothingsmartenoughforthem。OnlyI’dsoonerhavealittleandsafe，thananythingeversofine，andneverbesurewhetheritwasn’tgoingtocometoanend。’
　　’ThereIagreewithyou，quite。’
　　’Idon’tsupposemenfeelsitaswedo。but，oh，MrsLopez，givemealittlesafe，sothatImayknowthatIshan’tseemychildrenwant。WhenIthinkswhatitwouldbetohavethemdarlings’littlebelliesempty，andnothinginthecupboard，I
　　getthatlowthatI’mnighfitforBedlam。’
　　Inthemeantimethetwomenoutsidetheporchwerediscussingtheiraffairsinsomewhatthesamespirit。AtlastLopezshowedthefriendWharton’sletter，andtoldhimoftheexpectedschedule。’Schedulebed-d，youknow，’saidLopez。’HowamItoputdownariseof12s。6datononKauriguminaschedule？Butwhenyoucometo2，000tonsit’s1，250pounds。’
　　’He’sveryold，isn’the？’
　　’Butasstrongasahorse。’
　　’He’sgotthemoney？’
　　’Yes——hehasgotitsafeenough。There’snodoubtaboutthemoney。’
　　’Whathetalksaboutisonlyawill。Nowyouwantthemoneyatonce。’
　　’OfcourseIdo——andhetalkstomeasifIweresomeoldfogywithanestateofmyown。Imustconcoctaletterandexplainmyviews。andthemoreIcanmakehimunderstandhowthingsreallyarethebetter。Idon’tsupposehewantstoseehisdaughtercometogrief。’
　　’Thenthesooneryouwriteitthebetter，’saidMrParker。
　　CHAPTER46
　　’HEWANTSTOGETRICHTOOQUICK。’
　　AstheystrolledhomeLopeztoldhiswifethathehadacceptedaninvitationtodinethenextdayattheParker’scottage。Indoingthishismannerwasnotquitesogentleaswhenhehadaskedhertocallonthem。Hehadbeenalittleruffledbywhathadbeensaid，andnowexhibitedhistemper。’Idon’tsupposeitwillbeverynice，’hesaid，’butwemayhavetoputupwithworsethingsthanthat。’
　　’Ihavemadenoobjection。’
　　’Butyoudon’tseemtotakeitverycordially。’
　　’IhadthoughtIhadgotonverywellwithMrsParker。Ifyoucaneatyourdinnerwiththem，I’msureIcan。Youdonotseemtolikehimaltogether，andIwishyouhadgotapartnermoretoyourtaste。’
　　’Tasteindeed！Whenyoucometothiskindofthingitisn’tamatteroftaste。Thefactis，thatIaminthefellow’shandstoanextentIdon’tliketothinkof，anddon’tseemywayoutofitunlessyourfatherwilldoasheoughttodo。Youaltogetherrefusetohelpmewithyourfather，andyoumust，therefore，putupwithSextyParkerandhiswife。ItisquiteonthecardsthatworsethingsmaycomeeventhanSextyParker。’Tothisshemadenoimmediateanswer，butwalkedon，increasingherpace，notonlyunhappy，butalsoveryangry。Itwasbecomingamatterofdoubttoherwhethershecouldcontinuetobeartherepeatedattacksaboutherfather’smoney。’Icanseehowitis，’hecontinued。
　　’Youthinkthatahusbandshouldbearallthetroublesoflife，andthatawifeshouldneverbemadetohearofthem。’
　　’Ferdinand，’shesaid，’IdeclareIdidnotthinkthatanymancouldbesounfairtoawomanasyouaretome。’
　　’Ofcourse！BecauseIhaven’tgotthousandsayeartospendonyouIamunfair。’
　　’Iamcontenttoliveinanywaythatyoumaydirect。Ifyouarepoor，Iamsatisfiedtobepoor。Ifyouareevenruined，Iamcontenttoberuined。’
　　’Whoistalkingaboutruin？’
　　’Ifyouareinwantofeverything，Ialsowillbeinwantandwillnevercomplain。WhateverourjointlotmaybringtousI
　　willendureandendeavourtoendurewithcheerfulness。ButI
　　willnotaskmyfatherformoney，eitherforyouorformyself。
　　Heknowswhatheoughttodo。Itrusthimimplicitly。’
　　’Andmenotatall。’
　　’Heis，Iknow，incommunicationwithyouaboutwhatshouldbedone。Icanonlysay，——tellhimeverything。’
　　’Mydear，thatisamatterinwhichitmaybepossiblethatI
　　understandmyowninterestbest。’
　　’Verylikely。Icertainlyunderstandnothing，forIdonotevenknowthenatureofyourbusiness。HowcanItellhimthatheoughttogiveyoumoney？’
　　’Youmighthaveaskedhimforyourown。’
　　’Ihavegotnothing。DidIevertellyouthatIhad？’
　　’Yououghttohaveknown。’
　　’DoyoumeanthatwhenyouaskedmetomarryyouIshouldhaverefusedyoubecauseIdidnotknowwhatmoneymypapawouldgiveme？Whydidyounotaskpapa？’
　　’HadIknownhimthenaswellasIdonowyoumaybequitesurethatIshouldhavedoneso。’
　　’Ferdinand，itwillbebetterthatweshouldnotspeakaboutmyfather。Iwillinallthingsstrivetodoasyouwouldhaveme，butIcannothearhimabused。Ifyouhaveanythingtosay，gotoEverett。’
　　’Yes——whenheissuchagamblerthatyourfatherwon’tevenspeaktohim。Yourfatherwillbefounddeadinbedsomeday，andallhismoneywillhavebeenlefttosomecursedhospital。’
　　Theywereattheirowndoorwhenthiswassaid，andshe，withoutfurtheranswer，wentuptoherbedroom。
　　Allthesebitterthingshadbeensaid，notbecauseLopezhadthoughtthathecouldfurtherhisownviewsbysayingthem——heknewindeedthathewasinjuringhimselfbyeverydisplayofill-
　　temper——butshewasinhispower，andSextyParkerwasrebelling。Hethoughtagooddealthatdayonthedelighthewouldhavein’kickingthatill-conditionedcur’，ifonlyhecouldaffordtokickhim。Butiswifewashisown，andshemustbetaughttoendurehiswill，andmustbemadetoknowthatthoughshewasnottobekicked，yetshewastobetormentedandill-used。Anditmightbepossiblethatheshouldcowherspiritsastobringhertoactassheshoulddirect。Still，ashewalkedalonealongthesea-shore，heknewthatitwouldbebetterforhimtocontrolhistemper。
　　OnthateveninghedidwritetoMrWharton，——asfollows，——andhedatedtheletterfromLittleTankardYard，sothatMrWhartonmightsupposethatthatwashisownplaceofbusiness，andthathewasthere，athiswork：
　　MYDEARSIR，Youhaveaskedforascheduleofmyaffairs，andIhavefounditquiteimpossibletogiveit。AsitwaswiththemerchantswhomShakespeareandtheotherdramatistsdescribed，——soitiswithme。Mycaravelsareoutatsea，andwillnotalwayscomehomeintime。Mypropertyatthismomentconsistsofcertainsharesofcargoesofjute，Kaurigum，guano，andsulphur，worthaltogetheratthepresentmomentsomethingover26，000pounds，ofwhichMrParkerpossessesahalf——butthenofthispropertyonlyaportionispaidfor，——perhapssomethingmorethanahalf。Fortheotherhalfourbillsareinthemarket。
　　ButinFebruarynextthesearticleswillprobablybesoldforconsiderablymorethan30，000pounds。IfIhad5，000
　　poundsplacedtomycreditnow，Ishouldbeworthabout15，000poundsbytheendofnextFebruary。Iamengagedinsundryothersmallerventures，allreturningprofits——
　　butinsuchaconditionofthingsitisimpossiblethatIshouldmakeaschedule。
　　Iamundoubtedlyintheconditionofamantradingbeyondhiscapital。Ihavebeentemptedbyfairoffers，andwhatIthinkImaycallsomethingbeyondanaverageunderstandingofsuchmatters，togointoventuresbeyondmymeans。Ihavestretchedmyarmouttoofar。InsuchapositionitisnotperhapsunnaturalthatIshouldaskawealthyfather-in-lawtoassistme。ItiscertainlynotunnaturalthatIshouldwishhimtodoso。
　　IdonotthinkIamamercenaryman。WhenImarriedyourdaughterIraisednoquestionofherfortune。BeingembarkedintradeInodoubtthoughtthathermeans，——
　　whatevertheymightbe，——wouldbejoinedwithmyown。I
　　knowthatasumof20，000pounds，withmyexpeditioususeofthemoney，wouldgiveusanobleincome。ButIwouldnotcondescendtoaskaquestionwhichmightleadtoasuppositionthatIwasmarryingherforhermoneyandnotbecauseIlovedher。
　　Younowknow，Ithink，allthatIcantellyou。IftherebeanyotherquestionsIwouldwillinglyanswerthem。ItiscertainlythecasethatEmily’sfortune，whateveryoumaychoosetogiveher，wouldbeofinfinitelygreaterusetomenow，——andconsequentlytoher，——thanatafuturedatewhichIsincerelypraymaybeverylongdeferred。
　　Believemetobe，youraffectionateson-in-lawFERDINANDLOPEZ
　　A。Wharton，Esq。
　　Thisletterhehimselftookuptotownonthefollowingday，andthereposted，addressingittoWhartonHall。Hedidnotexpectverygreatresultsfromit。Ashereaditover，hewaspainfullyawarethatallthistrashaboutcaravelsandcargoesofsulphurwouldnotgoveryfarwithMrWharton。Butitmightgofartherthannothing。HewasboundnottoneglectMrWharton’slettertohim。Whenamanisindifficultyaboutmoney，evenalie，——evenaliethatissuretobefoundouttobealie，——willservehisimmediateturnbetterthansilence。Thereisnothingthatthecourtshatesomuchascontempt——notevenperjury。AndLopezfeltthatMrWhartonwasthejudgebeforewhomhewasboundtoplead。
　　HereturnedtoDovercourtonthatday，andheandhiswifedinedwiththeParkers。NowomanofheragehadknownbetterwhatwerethemannersofladiesandgentlementhanEmilyWharton。ShehadthoroughlyunderstoodthatwheninHertfordshireshewassurroundedbypeopleofthatclass，andthatwhenshewaswithheraunt，MrsRoby，shewasnotquitesohappilyplaced。Nodoubtshehadbeenterriblydeceivedbyherhusband，——butthedeceithadcomefromthefactthathismannersgavenoindicationofhischaracter。WhenshefoundherselfinMrsParker’slittlesitting-room，withMrParkermakingfloridspeechestoher，sheknewthatshehadfallenamongpeopleforwhosesocietyshehadnotbeenintended。Butthiswasapart，andonlyaverytriflingpart，ofthepunishmentwhichshefeltthatshedeserved。Ifthat，andthingslikethat，wereall，shewouldbearthemwithoutamurmur。
　　’NowIcallDovercourtadoocednicelittleplace，’saidMrsParker，ashehelpedhertothe’bitfish’，whichhetoldherhehadbroughtdownwithhimfromLondon。
　　’Itisveryhealthy，Ishouldthink。
　　’Justthethingforthechildren，ma’am。You’venoneofyourown，MrsLopez，butthere’sagoodtimecoming。Youwereupto-
　　day，weren’tyou，Lopez。Anynews？’
　　’Thingsseemedtobeveryquietinthecity。’
　　’Tooquiet，I’mafraid。Ihatehaving’emquiet。YoumustcomeandseemeinLittleTankardYardsomeofthesedays，MrsLopez。
　　Wecangiveyouaglassofchampagneandthewingofachicken——
　　can’twe，Lopez？’
　　’Idon’tknow。It’smorethanyouevergaveme，’saidLopez，tryingtolookgood-humoured。
　　’Butyouain’talady。’
　　’Orme，’saidMrsParker。
　　’You’reonlyawife。IfMrsLopezwillmakeadayofitwe’lltreatherwellinthecity——won’twe，Ferdinand？’Ablackcloudcomeacross’Ferdinand’s’face，buthesaidnothing。Emilyofasuddendrewherselfupunconsciously，——andthenatoncerelaxedherfeaturesandsmiled。Ifherhusbandchosethatitshouldbeso，shewouldmakenoobjection。
　　’Uponmyhonour，Sexty，youareveryfamiliar，’saidMrsParker。
　　’It’sawaywehaveinthecity，’saidSexty。Sextyknewwhathewasabout。HispartnercalledhimSexty，andwhyshouldn’thecallhispartnerFerdinand？
　　’He’llcallyouEmilybeforelong，’saidLopez。
　　’WhenyoucallmywifeJane，Ishall，——andI’venoobjectioninlife。Idon’tseewhypeopleain’ttocalleachotherbytheirChristiannames。Takeaglassofchampagne，MrsLopez。I
　　broughtdownhalf-a-dozento-daysothatwemightbejolly。Carekilledacat。Whateverwecalleachother，I’mverygladtoseeyouhere，MrsLopez，andIhopeit’sthefirstofagreatmany。
　　Here’stoyourhealth。’
　　Itwasallhisordering，andifhebadeherdinewithacrossing-
　　sweepershewoulddoit。Butshecouldnotbutrememberthatnotlongsincehehadtoldherthathispartnerwasnotapersonwithwhomshecouldfitlyassociated。andshedidnotfailtoperceivethathemustbegoingdownintheworldtoadmitsuchassociationsforherafterhehadsospoken。AndasshesippedthemixturewhichSextycalledchampagne，shethoughtofHertfordshireandthebanksoftheWye，and——alas，alas，——shethoughtofArthurFletcher。Nevertheless，comewhatmight，shewoulddoherduty，eventhoughitmightcalluponhertositatdinnerwithMrParkerthreedaysintheweek。Lopezwasherhusband，andwouldbethefatherofherchild，andshewouldmakeherselfonewithhim。Itmatterednotwhatpeoplemightcallhim，——orevenher。Shehadactedonherownjudgementinmarryinghim，andhadbeenafool。andnowshewouldbearthepunishmentwithoutcomplaint。
　　WhendinnerwasoverMrsParkerhelpedtheservanttoremovethedinnerthingsfromthesinglesitting-room，andthetwomenwentouttosmoketheircigarsinthecoveredporch。MrsParkerherselftookoutthewhiskyandhotwater，andsugarandlemons，andthenreturnedtohavealittlematronlydiscoursewithherguest。’DoesMrLopezevertakeadroptoomuch？’
　　’Never，’saidMrsLopez。
　　’Perhapsitdon’taffecthimasitdoSexty。Heain’tadrinker——
　　certainlynot。Andhe’sonethatworkshardeverydayofhislife。Buthe’sgettingfondofittheselasttwelvemonths，andthoughhedon’ttakeverymuchithurrieshimandflurrieshim。
　　IfIspeaksatnighthegetscross——andinthemorningwhenhegetsup，whichhealwaysdoregular，thoughit’seversobadwithhim，thenIhaven’tthehearttoscoldhim。It’sveryhardsometimesforawifetoknowwhattodo，MrsLopez。’
　　’Yes，indeed。’Emilycouldnotbutthinkhowsoonsheherselfhadlearnedthatlesson。
　　’OfcourseI’danythingforSexty，——thefatherofmybairns，andhasalwaysbeenagoodhusbandtome。Youdon’tknowhim，ofcourse，butIdo。Arightgoodmanatbottom。butsoweak！’
　　’Ifhe，——ifhe，——injureshishealth，shouldn’tyoutalktohimaboutit？’
　　’Itisn’tthedrinkasistheevil，MrsLopez，butthatwhichmakeshimdrink。He’snotoneasgoesamuckermerelyforthepleasure。Whenthingsaregoingrighthe’llsitoutinourarbourathome，andsmokepipeafterpipe，playingwiththechildren，andoneglassofginandwaterwillseehimtobed。Tobacco，dry，doagreewithhim，Ithink。Butwhenhecomestothreeorfourgoesofhottoddy，Iknowit’snotasitshouldbe。’
　　’Youshouldrestrainhim，MrsParker。’
　　’OfcourseIshould——buthow？AmItowalkoffwiththebottleanddisgracehimbeforetheservantgirl？OramItoletthechildrenknowastheirfathertakestoomuch？IfIwasasmuchastomakeonefightofit，it’dbealloverPonder’sEndthathe’sadrunkard——whichheain’t。Restrainhim——ohyes！IfI
　　couldrestrainthatgamblinginsteadofregularbusiness。That’swhatIwouldliketorestrain。’
　　’Doeshegamble？’
　　’WhatisitbutgamblingthatheandMrLopezisa-doingtogether？Orcourse，ma’am，Idon’tknowyou，andyouaredifferentfromme。Iain’tfoolishenoughnottoknowallthat。
　　MyfatherstoodinSmithfieldandsoldhay，andyourfatherisagentlemanashasbeenhighupintheCourtsallhislife。Butit’syourhusbandisa-doingthis。’
　　’Oh，MrsParker！’
　　’Heisthen。Idon’tknowaboutcommerce，MrsLopez，becauseI’monlyawoman。butitcan’tbefair。Theygoesandbuysthingsthattheyhaven’tgotthemoneytopayfor，andthenwaitstoseeifthey’llturnuptrumps。Isn’tthatgambling？’
　　’Icannotsay。Idonotknow。’Shefeltnowthatherhusbandhadbeenaccused，andthatpartofthataccusationhadbeenlevelledatherself。Therewassomethinginhermannerofsayingthesefewwordswhichthepoorcomplainingwomanperceived，feelingimmediatelythatshehadbeeninhospitableandperhapsunjust。Sheputoutherhandsoftly，touchingtheotherwoman’sarm，andlookingupintoherguest’sface。’Ifthisisso，it’sterrible，’saidEmily。
　　’PerhapsIshouldn’tspeaksofree。’
　　’Oh，yes——foryourchildren，andyourself，andyourhusband。’
　　’It’sthem，——andhim。Ofcourseit’snotyourdoing，andMrLopez，I’msure，isaveryfinegentleman。Andifhegetswrongoneway，he’llgethimselfrightinanother。’UponhearingthisEmilyshookherhead。’Yourpapaisarichman，andwon’tseeyouandyourscometowant。There’snothingmoretocometomeorSextyletitbeeverso。’
　　’Whydoeshedoit？’
　　’Whydoeswhodoit？’
　　’Yourhusband。Whydon’tyouspeaktohimasyoudotome，andtellhimtomindonlyhisproperbusiness？’
　　’Nowyouareangrywithme。’
　　’Angry！No——indeedIamnotangry。Everywordthatyousayisgoodandtrue，andjustwhatyououghttosay。Iamnotangry。
　　butIamterrified。Iknownothingofmyhusband’sbusiness。I
　　cannottellyouthatyoushouldtrusttoit。Heisveryclever，but-’
　　’Butwhat，ma’am？’
　　’PerhapsIshouldsaythatheisambitious。’
　　’Youmeanhewantstogetrichtooquick，ma’am。’
　　’I’mafraidso。’
　　’Thenit’sjustthesamewithSexty。He’sambitioustoo。Butwhat’sthegoodofbeingambitious，MrsLopez，ifyouneverknowwhetheryou’reonyourheadoryourheels？Andwhat’sthegoodofbeingambitiousifyou’retogetintotheworkhouse？Iknowwhatthatmeans。There’soneortwoofthemsortofmengetsintoParliament，andhashousesasbigastheQueen’spalace，whilehundredsofthemhastheirwivesandchildreninthegutter。Whoeverhearsofthem？Nobody。Itdon’tbecomeanymantobeambitiouswhohasgotawifeandfamily。Ifhe’sabachelor，who，ofcourse，hecangototheColonies。There’sMaryJaneandthetwolittleonesrightdownonthesea，withtheirfeetinthewater。Sheweputonourhats，MrsLopez，andgoandlookafterthem？’TothispropositionEmilyassented，andthetwoladieswentoutafterthechildren。
　　’Mixyourselfanotherglass，’saidSextytohispartner。
　　’I’drathernot。Don’taskmeagain。YouknowIneverdrink，andIdon’tlikebeingpressed。’
　　’ByGeorge，——you’reparticular。’
　　’What’stheuseofteasingafellowtodoathinghedoesn’tlike？’
　　’Youwon’tmindmehavinganother？’
　　’Fiftyifyouplease，sothatI’mnotforcedtojoinyou。’
　　’Forced！It’sliberty’allhere，andyoucandoasyouplease。
　　Onlywhenafellowwilltakeadropwithme，he’sbettercompany。’
　　’ThenI’md-dbadcompany，andyou’dbettergetsomebodyelsetobejollywith。Totellyouthetruth，Sexty，Isuityoubetteratbusinessthanatthissortofthing。I’mlikeShylock，youknow。’
　　’Idon’tknowaboutShylock，butI’mblessedifIthinkyousuitmeverywellatanything。I’mputtingupwithadealofill-
　　usage，andwhenItrytobehappywithyou，youwon’tdrink，andyoutellmeaboutShylock。HewasaJew，wasn’the？’
　　’Thatisthegeneralidea。’
　　’Thenyouain’tmuchverylikehim，forthey’rethesortofpeoplethatalwayshasmoneyaboutthem。’
　　’Howdoyousupposehemadehismoneytobeginwith？Whatanassyouare！’
　　’That’strue，Iam。EversinceIbeganputtingmynameonthesamebitofpaperwithyours，I’vebeenanass。’
　　’You’llhavetobeoneabitlongeryet——unlessyoumeantothrowupeverything。Atthispresentmomentyouaresixorseventhousandpoundsricherthanyouwerebeforeyoufirstmetme。’
　　’IwishIcouldseethemoney。’
　　’That’slikeyou。What’stheuseofmoneyyoucansee？Howareyoutomakemoneyoutofmoneybylookingatit？Iliketoknowthatmymoneyisfructifying。’
　　’Iliketoknowthatit’sallthere，——andIdidknowitbeforeI
　　eversawyou。I’mblessedifIknowitnow。Godownandjointheladies，willyou？Youain’tmuchofacompanionuphere。’
　　ShortlyafterthatLopeztoldMrsParkerthathehadalreadybadeadieutoherhusband，andthenhetookhiswifetotheirownlodgings。
　　CHAPTER47
　　ASFORLOVE！
　　ThetimespentbyMrsLopezatDovercourtwasbynomeansoneofcompletehappiness。Herhusbanddidnotcomedownveryfrequently，allegingthathisbusinesskepthimintown，andthatthejourneywastoolong。Whenhedidcomeheannoyedhereitherbymorosenessortyranny，orbyanaffectationoflovinggood-
　　humour，whichwasthemoredisagreeablealternativeofthetwo。
　　Sheknewthathehadnotrighttobegood-humoured，andshewasquiteabletoappreciatethedifferencebetweenfictitiousloveandlovethatwasreal。HedidnotwhileshewasatDovercourtspeaktoheragaindirectlyaboutherfather’smoney，——buthegavehertounderstandthatherequiredfromherverycloseeconomy。ThenagainshereferredtothebroughamwhichsheknewwastobeinreadinessonherreturntoLondon，buthetoldherthathewasthebestjudgeofthat。Theeconomywhichhedemandedwasthatcomfortlessheartrendingeconomywhichnipsthepractiserateveryturn，butdoesnotbetrayitselftotheworldatlarge。Hewouldhavehersaveoutofherwasherwomanandlinendraper，andyethaveasmartgownandgoinabrougham。Hebegrudgedherpostagestamps，andstoppedthesubscriptionatMudie’s，thoughheinsistedonafrontseatintheDovercourtchurch，payinghalfaguineamoreforitthanhewouldforaplaceattheside。Andthenbeforetheirsojournattheplacehadcometoanendheleftherforawhileabsolutelypenniless，sothatwhenthebutcherandbakercalledfortheirmoneyshecouldnotpaythem。Thatwasadreadfulcalamitytoher，andofwhichshewashardlyabletomeasuretherealworth。Ithadneverhappenedtoherbeforetohavetorefuseanapplicationformoneythatwasdue。Inherfather’shousesuchathing，asfarassheknew，hadneverhappened。ShehadsometimesheardthatEverettwasimpecunious，butthathadsimplyindicatedanadditionalcalluponherfather。Whenthebutchercamethesecondtimeshewrotetoherhusbandinanagony。Shouldshewritetoherfatherforasupply？Shewassurethatherfatherwouldnotleavetheminactualwant。Thenhesentheracheque，enclosedinanangryletter。Applytoherfather！Hadshenotlearntasyetthatshewastoleanuponherfatheranylonger，butsimplyonhim？Andwasshesuchafoolastosupposethatatradesmancouldnotwaitamonthforhismoney？
　　Duringallthistimeshehadnofriend，——nopersontowhomshecouldspeak，——exceptMrsParker。MrsParkerwasveryopenandveryconfidentialaboutthebusiness，reallyknowingverymuchmoreaboutitthandidMrsLopez。Therewassomesympathyandconfidencebetweenherandherhusband，thoughtheyhadlatterlybeenmuchlessenedbySexty’sconduct。MrsParkertalkeddailyaboutthebusinessnowthathermouthhadbeenopened，andwasveryclearlyoftheopinionthatitwasnotagoodbusiness。
　　’Sextydon’tthinkitgoodhimself，’shesaid。
　　’Thenwhydoeshegoonwithit？’
　　’Businessisathing，MrsLopez，aspeoplecan’tdropoutofjustatamoment。Amangetshimselfentangled，andmustfreehimselfasbesthecan。Iknowhe’sterriblyafeard——andsometimeshedoessaysuchthingsofyourhusband！’Emilyshrunkalmostintoherselfassheheardthis。’Youmustn’tbeangry，forindeedit’sbetteryoushouldknowall。’
　　’I’mnotangry。onlyveryunhappy。Surely，MrParkercouldseparatehimselffromMrLopezifhepleased？’
　　’That’swhatIsaytohim。Giveitup，thoughitbeeversomuchasyou’vegottolosebyhim。Giveitup，andbeginagain。
　　You’vealwaysgotyourexperience，andifit’sonlyacrustyoucanearn，that’ssureandsafe。Butthenhedeclaresthathemeanstopullthrough，MrsLopez。Thereshouldn’tbenoneedofpullingthrough。Itshouldallcomejustofitsownaccord，——
　　littleandlittle，butsafe。’Then，whenthedaysoftheirmarineholidaywerecomingtoanend，——inthefirstweekinOctober，——thedaybeforethereturnoftheParkerstoPonder’sEnd，shemadeastrongappealtohernewfriend。’Youain’tafraidofhim，areyou？’
　　’Ofmyhusband？’saidMrsLopez。’Ihopenot。Whyshouldyouask？’
　　’Believeme，awomanshouldneverbeafraidof’em。IneverwouldgiveintobebulliedandmadelittleofbySexty。I’ddoa’mostanythingtomakehimcomfortable。I’msoft-hearted。Andwhynot，whenhe’sthefatherofmychildren？ButI’mnotgoingnottosayathingifIthinkitright，becauseI’mafeard。’
　　’IthinkIcouldsayanythingifIthoughtitright。’
　　’Thentellhimofmeandmybabes，——ashowIcanneverhaveaquietnightwhilethisisgoingon。Itisn’tthattheytwomenarefondofoneanother。Nothingofthesort。Nowyou——I’vegottobedownrightfondofyou，though，ofcourse，youthinkmecommon。’MrsLopezwouldnotcontradictherbutstoopedforwardandkissedhercheek。’I’mdownrightfondofyou，Iam，’
　　continuedMrsParker，snufflingandsobbing，’buttheytwomenareonlytogetherbecauseMrLopezwantstogamble，andParkerhasgotalittlemoneytogamblewith。’ThisaspectofthethingwassoterribletoMrsLopezthatshecouldonlyweepandhidherface。’Now，ifyouwouldtellhimthetruth！TellhimwhatI
　　say，andthatI’vebeena-sayingit！Tellhimit’sformychildrenI’ma-speaking，whowon’thavebreadintheirverymouthsiftheirfather’ssqueezeddrylikeasponge！Sure，ifyou’dtellhimthis，hewouldn’tgoon！’Thenshepausedamoment，lookingupintotheotherwoman’sface。’He’dhavesomebowelsofcompassion——wouldn’thenow？’
　　’I’lltry，’saidMrsLopez。
　　’Iknowyou’regoodandkind-hearted，mydear。Isawitinyoureyesfromtheveryfirst。Butthenmen，whentheygetonatmoney-making，——ormoney-losing，whichmakes’emworse，——areliketigersclawingoneanother。Theydon’tcarehowmanytheykills，sothattheyhasatleastbitforthemselves。Thereain’tnofearofGodinit，noryetnomercy，norereamorselofheart。
　　Itain’twhatIcallmanly，——notthatlongingafterotherfolk’smoney。Whenit’scomebyhardwork，asItellSexty，——bytheverysweatofhisbrow，——oh，——it’ssweetassweet。Whenhe’dtellmethathe’dmadehisthreepound，orhisfivepound，or，perhaps，histeninaday，and’dcalculateitup，howmuchit’dcometoifhedidthateveryday，andwherewecouldgoto，andwhatwecoulddoforthechildren，Ilovedtohearhimtalkaboutmoney。Butnow——！why，it’salteredthelooksofthemanaltogether。It’sjustasthoughhewasa-thirstingforblood。’
　　Thirstingforblood！Yes，indeed。ItwastheveryideathathadoccurredtoMrsLopezherselfwhenherhusbandbadeherto’getroundherfather’。No——itcertainlywasnotmanly。TherecertainlywasneitherthefearofGodinit，normercy。Yes——
　　shewouldtry。ButasforbowelsofcompassioninFerdinandLopez。she，theyoungwife，hadalreadyseenenoughofherhusbandtothinkthathewasnottobemovedbyanyprayersonthatside。Thenthetwowomenbadeeachotherfarewell。’ParkerhasbeentalkingofmygoingtoManchesterSquare，’saidMrsParker，’butIshan’t。What’dIbeinManchesterSquare？And，besides，there’dbetterbeanendofit。MrLopez’dturnSextyandmeoutofthehouseatamoment’snoticeifitwasn’tforthemoney。’
　　’It’spapa’shouse，’saidMrsLopez，not，however，meaningtomakeanattackuponherhusband。
　　’Isupposeso，butIshan’tcometotroublenoone，andweliveeversofaraway，atPonder’sEnd，——outoryourlinealtogether，MrsLopez。ButI’vetakentoyouandwillneverthinkillofyouinanyway——anddoasyousaidyouwould。’
　　’Iwilltry，’saidMrsLopez。
　　InthemeantimeLopezreceivedfromMrWhartonananswertohisletteraboutthemissingcaravels，whichdidnotpleasehim。
　　Hereistheletter：
　　MYDEARLOPEZ，Icannotsaythatyourstatementissatisfactory，norcanIreconcileittoyourassurancetomethatyouhavemadeatradeincomeforsomeyearspastof2，000poundsayear。Idonotknowmuchofbusiness，butIcannotimaginesucharesultfromsuchaconditionofthingsasyoudescribe。Haveyouanybooks。andifso，willyouallowthemtobeinspectedbyanyaccountantthatImayname？
　　Yousaythatasumof20，000poundswouldsuityourbusinessbetternowthanwhenIamdead。Verylikely。
　　Butwithsuchanaccountofthebusinessasthatyouhavegivenme，IdonotknowthatIfeeldisposedtoconfidemysavingsofmylifetoassistsoverydoubtfulanenterprise。OfcoursewhateverImaydotoyouradvantagewillbedoneforthesakeofEmilyandherchildren，shouldshehaveany。AsfarIcanseeatpresent，Ishallbestdomydutytoher，byleavingwhatImayhavetoleavetoher，totrustees，forherbenefitandthatofherchildren。
　　Yourstruly，A。WHARTON
　　This，ofcourse，didnottendtomollifythespiritofthemantowhomitwaswritten，ortomakehimgracioustowardshiswife。
　　HereceivedtheletterthreeweeksbeforethelodgingsatDovercourtweregivenup，——butduringthesethreeweekshewasverylittleattheplace，andwhentheredidnotmentiontheletter。Ontheseoccasionshesaidnothingaboutbusiness，butsatisfiedhimselfwithgivingstrictinjunctionsastoeconomy。
　　ThenhetookherbacktotownonthedayafterherpromisetoMrsParkerthatshewould’try’。MrsParkerhadtoldherthatnowomanoughttobeafraidtospeaktoherhusband，and，ifnecessary，tospeakroundlyonsuchsubjects。MrsParkerwascertainlynotahighlyeducatedlady，butshehadimpressedEmilywithanadmirationforherpracticalgoodsenseandproperfeeling。Theladywhowasaladyhadbeguntofeelthatinthetroublesofherlifeshemightfineamuchlesssatisfactorycompanionthantheladywhowasnotalady。ShewoulddoasMrsParkerhadtoldher。Shewouldnotbeafraid。Ofcourseitwasrightthatsheshouldspeakonsuchamatter。Sheknewherselftobeanobedientwife。Shehadborneallherunexpectedsorrowswithoutacomplaint，witharesolvethatshewouldbearallforhissake，——notbecauseshelovedhim，butbecauseshehadmadeherselfhiswife。Intowhatevercalamitieshemightfall，shewouldsharethem。Thoughheshouldbringherutterlyintothedirt，shewouldremaininthatdirtwithhim。Itseemedprobabletoherthatitmightbeso——thattheymighthavetogointothedirt——andifitwereso，shewouldstillbetruetohim。Shehadchosentomarryhim，andshewouldbeatruewife。But，assuch，shewouldnotbeafraidofhim。MrsParkerhadtoldherthat’awomanshouldneverbeafraidof’em’，andshebelievedinMrsParker。Inthiscase，too，itwasclearlyherdutytospeak，——fortheinjurybeingdonewasterrible，andmighttooprobablybecometragical。Howcouldsheenduretothinkofthatwomanandherchildren，shouldshecometoknowthatthehusbandofthewomanandthefatherofthechildrenhadbeenruinedbyherhusband？
　　Yes——shewouldspeaktohim。Butshedidfear。Itisallverywellforawomantotellherselfthatshewillencountersomeanticipateddifficultywithoutfear，——orforamaneither。Thefearcannotbeovercomebywill。Thething，however，maybedone，whetheritbeleadingaforlornhope，orspeakingtoanangryhusband，——inspiteoffear。Shewoulddoit。butwhenthemomentfordoingitcame，herveryhearttrembledwithinher。Hehadbeensomasterfulwithher，sopersistentinrepudiatingherinterference，soexactinginhisdemandsforobedience，socapableofmakinghermiserablebyhismorosenesswhenshefailedtocomplywithhiswishes，thatshecouldnotgotohertaskwithoutfear。Butshedidfeelthatsheoughtnottobeafraid，orthatherfears，atanyrate，shouldnotbeallowedtorestrainher。Awife，sheknew，shouldbepreparedtoyield，butyetwasentitledtobeherhusband’scounsellor。Anditwasnowthecasethatinthismattershewasconversantwithcircumstanceswhichwereunknowntoherhusband。ItwastoherthatMrsParker’sappealhadbeenmade，andwithadirectrequestfromthepoorwomanthatitshouldberepeatedtoherhusband’spartner。
　　ShefoundthatshecouldnotdoitonthejourneyhomefromDovercourt，noryetonthatevening。MrsDickRoby，whohadcomebackfromsojournatBoulogne，waswiththemintheSquare，andbroughtherdearfriendMrsLesliewithher，andalsoLadyEustace。ThereadermayrememberthatMrWhartonhadmettheseladiesatMrsDick’shousesomemonthsbeforehisdaughter’smarriage，buthecertainlyhadneveraskedthemintohisown。OnthisoccasionEmilyhadgiventhemnoinvitation，buthadbeentoldbyherhusbandthatherauntwouldprobablybringthemwithher。’MrsLeslieandLadyEustace！’sheexclaimedwithalittleshudder。’Isupposeyourauntmaybringacoupleoffriendswithhertoseeyou，thoughitisyourfather’shouse？’hehadreplied。Shehadsaidnomore，notdaringtohaveafightonthatsubjectatpresent，whiletheothermatterwaspressingonhermind。Theeveningpassedawaypleasantlyenough，shethought，toallexceptherself。MrsLeslieandLadyEustacehadtalkedagreatdeal，andherhusbandhadbornehimselfquiteasthoughhehadbeenawealthymanandtheownerofthehouseinManchesterSquare。InthecourseoftheeveningDickRobycameinandMajorPountney，whosincethelateaffairsatSilverbridgehadbecomeintimatewithLopez。Sothattherewasquiteaparty。
　　andEmilywasastonishedtohearherhusbanddeclarethathewasonlywatchingtheopportunityofanothervacancyinorderthathemightgetintotheHouse，andexposethemiserableduplicityoftheDukeofOmnium。Andyetthisman，withinthelastmonth，hadtakenawayhersubscriptionatMudie’s，andtoldherthatsheshouldn’twearthingsthatwantedwashing！ButhewasabletosaysoevermanyprettylittlethingstoLadyEustace，andhadgivenanewfantoMrsDick，andtalkedoftakingaboxforMrsLeslieatTheGaiety。
　　Butonthenextmorningbeforebreakfastshebegan。’Ferdinand，’
　　shesaid，’whileIwasatDovercourtIsawagooddealofMrsParker。’
　　’Icouldnothelpthat。Orratheryoumighthavehelpeditifyoupleased。Itwasnecessarythatyoushouldmeet，butIdidn’ttellyouthatyouweretoseeagreatdealofher。’
　　’Ilikedherverymuch。’
　　’ThenImustsayyou’vegotaveryoddtaste。Didyoulikehim？’
　　’No。Ididnotseeverymuchofhim，andIthinkthatthemannersofwomenarelessobjectionablethanthoseofmen。ButI
　　wanttotellyouwhatpassedbetweenherandme。’
　　’Ifitisaboutherhusband’sbusinesssheoughttohaveheldhertongue，andyouhadbetterholdyoursnow。’
　　Thiswasnotahappybeginning，butstillshewasdeterminedtogoon。’ItwasIthinkmoreaboutyourbusinessthanhis。’
　　’Thenitwasinfernalimpudenceonherpart，andyoushouldnothavelistenedtoherforamoment。’
　　’Youdonotwanttoruinherandherchildren？’
　　’WhathaveItodowithherandherchildren？Ididnotmarryher，andIamnottheirfather。Hehasgottolooktothat。’
　　’Shethinksyouareenticinghimintoriskswhichhecannotafford。’
　　’AmIdoinganythingforhimthatIain’tdoingformyself！Ifthereismoneymade，willnotheshareit？Ifmoneyhastobelost，ofcoursehemustdothesame。’Lopezstatinghiscaseomittedtosaythatwhatevercapitalwasnowbeingusedbelongedtohispartner。’Butwomenwhentheygettogethertalkallmannerofnonsense。IsitlikelythatIshallaltermycourseofactionbecauseyoutellmethatshetellsyouthathetellsherthatheislosingmoney？Heisahalf-heartedfellowwhoquailsateveryturnagainsthim。AndwhenheiscryingdrunkIdaresayhemakesapoormouthtoher。’
　　’Ithink，Ferdinand，itismorethanthat。Shesaysthat——’
　　’Totellthetruth，Emily，Idon’tgivead——whatshesays。Nowgivemesometea。’
　　Theroughnessofthisabsolutelyquelledher。Itwasnotnowthatshewasafraidofhim，butthatshewasknockeddownasthoughbyablow。Shehadbeenaltogethersounusedtosuchlanguagethatshecouldnotgetonwithhermatterinhand，lettingthebadwordpassbyherasanunmeaningexpletive。Shewearilypouredoutthecupofteaandsatherselfdownsilent。
　　Themanwastoostrongforher，andwouldbesoalways。Shetoldherselfatthismomentthatlanguagesuchasthatmustalwaysabsolutelysilenceher。Then，withinafewminutes，hedesiredher，quitecheerfully，toaskheruncleandaunttodinnerthedaybutonefollowing，andalsotoaskLadyEustaceandMrsLeslie。’Iwillpickupacoupleofmenwhichwillmakeusallright，’hesaid。
　　Thiswasineverywayhorribletoher。Herfatherhadbeenbackintown，hadnotbeenverywell，andhadbeenrecommendedtoreturntothecountry。Hehadconsequentlyremovedhimself，——
　　nottoHertfordshire，——buttoBrighton，andwasnowlivingatanhotel，almostwithinanhourofLondon。HadhebeenathomehecertainlywouldnothaveinvitedMrsLeslieandLadyEustacetohishouse。Hehadoftenexpressedafeelingofdisliketotheformerladyinthehearingofhisson-in-law，andhadridiculedhissister-in-lawforallowingherselftobeacquaintedwithLadyEustace，whosenamehadatonetimebeenverycommoninthemouthsofpeople。Emilyalsofeltthatshewashardlyentitledtogiveadinnerpartyinhishouseinhisabsence。And，afterallthatshehadlatelyheardaboutherhusband’spoverty，shecouldnotunderstandhowheshouldwishtoincurtheexpense。
　　’YouwouldnotaskMrsLesliehere！’shesaid。
　　’WhyshouldwenotaskMrsLeslie？’
　　’Papadislikesher。’
　　’Butpapa，asyoucallhim，isn’tgoingtomeether。’
　　’Hehassaidthathedoesn’tknowwhatdayhemaybehome。Andhedoesmorethandislikeher。Hedisapprovesofher。’
　　’Nonsense！Sheisyouraunt’sfriend。Becauseyourfatheronceheardsomecock-and-bullstoryabouther，andbecausehehasalwaystakenituponhimselftocriticizeyouraunt’sfriends，I
　　amnottobeciviltoapersonIlike。’
　　’But，Ferdinand，Idonotlikehermyself。Sheneverwasinthishousetillthatothernight。’
　　’Lookhere，mydear。LadyEustacecanbeusefultome，andI
　　cannotaskLadyEustacewithoutaskingherfriend。YoudoasI
　　bidyou，——orelseIshalldoitmyself。’
　　Shepausedforamoment，andthenshepositivelyrefused。’I
　　cannotbringmyselftoaskMrsLeslietodineinthishouse。Ifshecomestodinewithyou，ofcourseIshallsitatthetable，butshewillbesuretoseethatsheisnotwelcome。’
　　’ItseemstomethatyouaredeterminedtogoagainstmeineverythingIpropose。’
　　’Idon’tthinkyouwouldsaythatifyouknewhowmiserableyomademe。’
　　’Itellyouthatthatotherwomancanbeveryusefultome。’
　　’Inwhatwayuseful？’
　　’Areyoujealous，mydear？’
　　’CertainlynotofLadyEustace，——norofanywoman。Butitseemssooddthatsuchaperson’sservicesshouldberequired。’
　　’WillyoudoasItellyou，andaskthem？Youcangoroundandtellyourauntaboutit。SheknowsthatImeantoaskthem。
　　LadyEustaceisaveryrichwoman，andisdisposedtodoalittleincommerce。Nowdoyouunderstand？’
　　’Notintheleast，’saidEmily。
　　’Whyshouldn’tawomanwhohasmoneybuycoffeeaswellasbuyshares？’
　　’Doesshebuyshares？’
　　’ByGeorge，Emily，Ithinkyouareafool。’
　　’IdaresayIam，Ferdinand。Idonotintheleastknowwhatitallmeans。ButIdoknowthis，thatyououghtnot，inpapa’sabsence，toaskpeopletodineherewhomheparticularlydislikes，andwhomhewouldnotwishtohaveinthehouse。’
　　’YouthinkIamtobegovernedbyyouinsuchamatterasthat？’
　　’Idon’twanttogovernyou。’
　　’Youthinkthatawifeshoulddictatetoahusbandastothewayinwhichheistodohiswork，andthepartnershemaybeallowedtohaveinhisbusiness，andthepersonswhomhemayasktodinner！Becauseyouhavebeendictatingtomeonallthesematters。Now，lookhere，mydear。Astomybusiness，youhadbetterneverspeaktomeaboutitanymore。Ihaveendeavouredtotakeyouintomyconfidenceandtogetyoutoactwithme，butyouhavedeclinedthat，andhavepreferredtosticktoyourfather。Astomypartners，whetherImaychoosetohaveSextyParkerorLadyEustace，Iamabetterjudgethanyou。AndastoaskingMrsLeslieandLadyEustaceoranyotherpersonstodinner，asIamobligedtomakeeventherecreationoflifesubservienttowork，Imustclaimpermissiontohavemyownway。’
　　Shehadlistened，butwhenhepausedshemadenoreply。’DoyoumeantodoasIbidandasktheseladies？’
　　’Icannotdothat。Iknowthatitoughtnottobedone。Thisispapa’shouse，andwearelivinghereashisguests。’
　　’D——yourpapa！’hesaidasheburstoutoftheroom。Afteraquarterofanhourheputhisheadintotheroomandsawhersitting，likeastatue，exactlywherehehadlefther。’IhavewrittenthenotestoLadyEustaceandtoMrsLeslie，’hesaid。
　　’Youcan’tthinkitanysinatanyratetoaskyouraunt。’
　　’Iwillseemyaunt，’shesaid。
　　’AndrememberIamnotgoingtobeyourfather’sguestasyoucallit。Imeantopayforthedinnermyself，andtosendinmyownwines。Yourfathershallhavenothingtocomplainofonthathead。’
　　’CouldyounotaskthemtoRichmond，ortosomehotel？’shesaid。
　　’What，inOctober！IfyouthinkIamgoingtoliveinahouseinwhichIcan’tinviteafriendtodinner，youaremistaken。’Andwiththathetookhisdeparture。
　　Thewholethinghadnowbecomesohorribletoherthatshefeltunableanylongertoholdupherhead。Itseemedtohertobesacrilegethatthesewomenshouldcomeandsitinherfather’sroom，butwhenshespokeofherfatherherhusbandhadcursedhimwithscorn！Lopezwasgoingtosendfoodandwineintothehouse，whichwouldbegallandwormwoodtoherfather。Atonetimeshethoughtshewouldatoncewritetoherfatherandtellhimofitall，——orperhapstelegraphtohim。butshecouldnotdosowithoutlettingherhusbandknowwhatshehaddone，andthenhewouldhavejusticeonhissideincallingherdisobedient。Wereshetodothat，thenitwouldindeedbenecessarythatsheshouldtakepartagainstherhusband。