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。\"
