第8章
"Well，"saidVizard，"youmustadmititishardheshouldlosehisownmoney。AndyetIownIammostanxioustogethimawayfromthisplace。
Indeed，Ihaveaproject；Iwanthimtorusticateafewmonthsatourplace，whileIsetmylawyertolookintohisaffairsandseeifhisestatecannotbecleared。I"llbeboundthefarmsareunderlet。WhatdoestheAdmirableCrichtonknowaboutsuchtrifles?"
FannylookedatZoe，whosecolorwasrisinghighatallthis。"Well!"
saidshe，"whenyougentlemenfallinlove_witheachother，_youcertainlyarefaithfulcreatures。"
"Becausewecancountonfidelityinreturn，"saidVizard。Hethoughtalittle，andsaid，"Well，astotheotherthing——youleaveittome。Letusunderstandoneanother。Nothingwesawatthegambling-tableistobementionedbyus。"
"No。"
"CrichtonistobetakentoEnglandforhisgood。"
"Yes。"
"AndIamtobegratefultoyouforyourco-operationinthis。"
"Youcan，ifyoulike。"
"Andyouwillsecureanagreeablecompanionfortherestofthetour，eh?——mydiplomaticcousinandmysilentsister。"
"Yes；butitistoobadofyoutoseethroughapoorgirl，andherlittlegame，likethat。Iownheisacharmingcompanion。"
Fanny"scunningeyestwinkled，andZoeblushedcrimsontoseehernoblebrothermanipulatedbythisartfulminxandthenflatteredforhisperspicacity。
Fromthatmomentarevulsiontookplaceinhermind，andpridefoughtfuriouslywithlove——foratime。
ThiswassoonmadeapparenttoFannyDover。Whentheyretired，Zoelookedverygloomy；soFannyasked，rathersharply，"Well，whatisthematternow?Didn"tIdoitcleverly?"
"Yes，yes，toocleverly。Oh，Fanny，Ibegintorevoltagainstmyself。"
"Thisisnice!"saidFanny。"Goon，dear。ItisjustwhatIoughttohaveexpected。Youwerethere。Youhadonlytointerfere。Youdidn"t。Andnowyouarediscontented。"
"Notwithyou。Spareme。Youarenottoblame，andIamveryunhappy。I
amlosingmyself-respect。Oh，ifthisgoeson，Ishallhatehim!"
"Yes，dear——forfiveminutes，andthenlovehimdouble。Come，don"tdeceiveyourself，anddon"ttormentyourself。Allyourtrouble，weshallleaveitbehindusto-morrow，andeveryhourwilltakeusfurtherfromit。"
Withthispracticalviewofmatters，shekissedZoeandhurriedtobed。
ButZoescarcelyclosedhereyesallnight。
Severnedidnotreachthehoteltillpasteleveno"clock，andwentstraighttohisownroom。
CHAPTERX。
ASHMEADaccompaniedMademoiselleKloskingtoherapartment。Itwaslighted，andtheclothlaidforsupperunderthechandelier，asnow-whiteHamburgdamask。Ashmeadtookthewinningsoutofhispocket，andproudlypiledthegoldandcrumplednotesinoneprodigiousmassuponthelinen，thatshonelikesatin，andmadethegoldlookdoublyinviting。Thenhedrewbackandgloatedonit。TheKlosking，too，stoodandeyedthepileofwealthwithamazementandacertainreverence。"Letmecountit，"saidAshmead。Hedidso，anditcametofourthousandninehundredandeighty-onepounds，Englishmoney。"Andtothink，"saidhe，"ifyouhadtakenmyadviceyouwouldnothaveapennyofthis!"
"I"lltakeyouradvicenow，"saidshe。"Iwillnevergambleagain。"
"Well，takemyadvice，andlockuptheswagbeforeacreatureseesit。
Homburgisfullofthieves。"
Shecomplied，andtookawaythemoneyinanapkin。
Ashmeadcalledafterhertoknowmightheordersupper。
"Ifyouwillbesokind。"
Ashmeadrejoicedatthisunguardedpermission，andorderedasupperthatmadeKarlstare。
TheKloskingreturnedinabouthalfanhour，cladinacrisp_peignoir。_
Ashmeadconfrontedher。"Ihaveorderedabottleofchampagne，"saidhe。
Heranswersurprisedhim。"Youhavedonewell。Wemustnowbegintoprovethetruthoftheoldproverb，"Cequivientdelaflutes"envaautambour。""
AtsupperMr。Ashmeadwasthechiefdrinker，and，byanaturalconsequence，thechiefspeaker:heheldoutbrilliantprospects；hefavoredtheKloskingwithadiscourseonadvertising。Notalentavailedwithoutit；largeposters，pictures，window-cards，etc。；butashertalentwassuperlative，hemustnowendeavortokeepupwithitbyinventioninhisline——thepuffcircumstantial，thepuffpoetic，thepuffanecdotal，thepuffcontroversial，alltendingtoblowthefameoftheKloskingineveryeye，andringitineveryear。"Youtakemyadvice，"
saidhe，"anddevotethismoney，everypennyofit，toPublicity。Don"tyoutouchasingleshinerforanythingthatdoesnotreturnahundredpercent。Publicitydoes，whenthearticleisprime。"
"Youforget，"saidshe，"thismoneydoesnotallbelongtome。Anothercanclaimhalf；thegentlemanwithwhomweareinpartnership。"
Ashmeadlookedliterallyblue。"Nonsense!"saidhe，roughly。"Hecanonlyclaimhisfiftypounds。"
"Nay，myfriend。Itooktwoequalsums:onewashis，onemine。"
"Thathasnothingtodowithit。Hetoldmetobetforhim。Ididn"t；andIshalltakehimbackhisfiftypoundsandsayso。Iknowwheretofindhim。"
"Where?"
"Thatismybusiness。Don"tyougomadnow，andbreakmyheart。"
"Well，myfriend，wewilltalkofittomorrowmorning。Itcertainlyisnotveryclear；andperhaps，afterIhaveprayedandslept，Imayseemoreplainlywhatisright。"
Ashmeadobservedshewaspale，andaskedher，withconcern，ifshewasill。
"No，notill，"saidshe，"butwornout。Myfriend，Iknewnotatthetimehowgreatwasmyexcitement；butnowIamconsciousthatthisafternoonI
havelivedaweek。Myverykneesgivewayunderme。"
Uponthisadmission，Ashmeadhurriedhertobed。
Shesleptsoundlyforsomehours；but，havingonceawakened，shefellintoahalf-sleeplessstate，andwasfullofdreamsandfancies。Thesepreyedonherso，thatsheroseanddispatchedaservanttoAshmead，withalineinpencilbegginghimtotakeanearlybreakfastwithher，atnineo"clock。
Assoonaseverhecameshebeganuponthetopicoflastnight。Shehadthoughtitover，andsaid，frankly，shewasnotwithouthopesthegentleman，ifhewasreallyagentleman，mightbecontentedwithsomethinglessthanhalf。Butshereallydidnotseehowshecouldrefusehimsomeshareofherwinnings，shouldhedemandit。"Thinkofit，"saidshe。"Thepoormanloses——fourhundredpounds，Ithinkyousaid。Thenhesays，"Betyouforme，"andgoesaway，trustingtoyourhonor。Hisluckchangesinmyhands。Ishetoloseallwhenheloses，andwinnothingwhenhewins，merelybecauseIamsofortunateastowinmuch?However，weshallhearwhat_he_says。Yougavehimyouraddress。"
"IsaidIwasat"TheGoldenStar，""growledAshmead，inatonethatplainlyshowedhewasvexedwithhimselfforbeingsocommunicative。
"Thenhewillpayusavisitassoonashehears:soIneedgivemyselfnofurthertrouble。"
"Whyshouldyou?Waittillhecomes，"saidcraftyAshmead。
InaKloskingcolored。Shefeltherfriendwastemptingher，andfeltshewasnotquitebeyondthepoweroftemptation。
"Whatwashelike?"saidshe，toturntheconversation。
"ThehandsomestyoungfellowIeversaw。"
"Young，ofcourse?"
"Yes，quiteaboy。Atleast，helookedaboy。Tobesure，histalkwasnotlikeaboy"s；veryprecocious，Ishouldsay。"
"Whatapity，tobegingamblingsoyoung!"
"Oh，heisallright。Ifheloseseveryfarthingofhisown，hewillmarrymoney。Anywomanwouldhavehim。Youneversawsuchacurleddarling。"
"Darkorfair?"
"Fair。Pink-and-white，likeagirl；ahandlikealady。"
"Indeed。Fineeyes?"
"Splendid!"
"Whatcolor?"
"Idon"tknow。Lordblessyou，amandoesnotexamineanotherman"seyes，likeyouladies。However，nowIthinkofit，therewasonecuriousthingIshouldknowhimbyanywhere。"
"Andwhatwasthat?"
"Well，yousee，hishairwasbrown；butjustabovetheforeheadhehadgotonelockthatwaslikeyourown——golditself。"
Whilehesaidthis，theKlosking"sfaceunderwentthemostrapidandstrikingchanges，andatlastshesatlookingathimwildly。
Itwassometimebeforehenoticedher，andthenhewasquitealarmedatherstrangeexpression。"Whatisthematter?"saidhe。"Areyouill?"
"No，no，no。Onlyalittle——astonished。Suchathingasthatisveryrare。"
"Thatitis。Ineversawacasebefore。"
"Notone，inallyourlife?"askedshe，eagerly。
"Well，no；notthatIremember。"
"Excusemeaminute，"saidInaKlosking，andwenthurriedlyfromtheroom。
Ashmeadthoughthermannerverystrange，butconcludedshewasalittleunhingedbyyesterday"sexcitement。Moreover，therefacedhimanomeletofenormoussize，andsavory。Hethoughtthisworthytodivideaman"sattentionevenwiththegreatcreature"stantrums。Hedevotedhimselftoit，anditoccupiedhimsoagreeablythathedidnotobservetheconductofMademoiselleKloskingonherreturn。Sheplacedthreephotographssoftlyonthetable，notveryfarfromhim，andthenresumedherseat；
buthereyeneverlefthim:andshegavemonosyllabicandalmostimpatientrepliestoeverythinghemumbledwithhismouthfullofomelet。
Whenhehaddonehisomelet，henoticedthephotographs。Theywereallcolored。Hetookoneup。Itwasanelderlywoman，sweet，venerable，andfair-haired。HelookedatIna，andatthephotograph，andsaid，"Thisisyourmother。"
"Itis。"
"Itisangelic——asmightbeexpected。"
Hetookupanother。
"Thisisyourbrother，Isuppose。Stop。Haloo!——whatisthis?Aremyeyesmakingafoolofme?"
Heheldoutthephotographatarm"slength，andstaredfromittoher。
"Why，madam，"saidhe，inanawestruckvoice，"thisisthegentleman——theplayer——I"dsweartohim。"
Inastartedfromherseatwhilehespoke。"Ah!"shecried，"Ithoughtso——myEdward!"andsatdown，tremblingviolently。
Ashmeadrantoher，andsprinkledwaterinherface，forsheseemedreadytofaint:butshemurmured，"No，no!"andsoonthecolorrushedintoherface，andsheclaspedherhandstogether，andcried，"Ihavefoundhim!"
andsoonthestormofvaryingemotionsendedintearsthatgaveherrelief。
Itwasalongtimebeforeshespoke；butwhenshedid，herspiritandhernaturalstrengthofcharactertooktheupperhand。
"Whereishe?"saidshe，firmly。
"Hetoldmehewasatthe"Russie。""
"Wewillgothereatonce。Whenisthenexttrain?"
Ashmeadlookedathiswatch。"Intenminutes。Wecanhardlydoit。"
"Yes，wecan。Orderacarriagethisinstant。Iwillbereadyinoneminute。"
Theycaughtthetrain，andstarted。
Astheyglidedalong，Ashmeadbeggedhernottoacttoohurriedly，andexposeherselftoinsult。
"Whowilldareinsultme?"
"Nobody，Ihope。Still，Icannotbearyoutogointoastrangehotelhuntingthisman。Itismonstrous；butIamafraidyouwillnotbewelcome。Somethinghasjustoccurredtome；thereasonheranoffsosuddenlywas，hesawyoucoming。Therewasamirroropposite。Ah，weneednothavefearedhewouldcomebackforhiswinnings。Idiot——villain!"
"Youstabmetotheheart，"saidIna。"Heranawayatsightofme?Ah，Jesu，pityme!WhathaveIdonetohim?"
HonestAshmeadhadmuchadonottoblubberatthispatientcryofanguish，thoughthewomanherselfshednotearjustthen。Buthisjudgmentwasundimmedbypassion，andhegaveherthebenefit。"Takemyadvice，"saidhe，"andworkitthisway。ComeinaclosecarriagetothesidestreetthatisnearesttheRussie。I"llgointothehotelandaskforhimbyhisname——whatishisname?"
"Mr。EdwardSeverne。"
"AndsaythatIwasafraidtostakehismoney，butafriendofmine，thatisaboldplayer，undertookit，andhadagreatrunofluck。"Thereismoneyowingyou，"saysI，"andmyfriendhasbroughtit。"Thenheissuretocome。Youwillhaveyourveildown，I"llopenthecarriage-door，andtellhimtojumpin，and，whenyouhavegothimyoumustmakehimhearreason。I"llgiveyouagoodchance——I"llshutthecarriage-door。"
Inasmiledathisingenuity——herfirstsmilethatday。"Youareindeedafriend，"saidshe。"Hefearsreproaches，but，whenhefindsheiswelcome，hewillstaywithme；andheshallhavemoneytoplaywith，andamusehimselfhowhelikes。Ikepttootightareinonhim，poorfellow!
Mygoodmothertaughtmeprudence。"
"Yes，but，"saidAshmead，"youmustpromisemeonething:nottolethimknowhowmuchmoneyyouhavewon，andnottogo，likeagoose，andgivehimalotatonce。Itneverpaystopartwithpowerinthiswickedworld。
Yougivehimtwentypoundsadaytoplaywithwheneverheiscleanedout。
Thenthemoneywilllastyourtime，andhewillneverleaveyou。"
"Oh，howcold-heartedandwiseyouare!"saidshe。"Butsuchahumiliatingpositionfor_him!"_
"Don"tyoubesilly。Youwon"tkeephimanyotherway。"
"IwillbeaswiseasIcan，"sighedIna。"Ihavehadabitterlesson。
Onlybringhimtome，andthen，whoknows?Iamachange:mylovemayrevivehis，andnoneofthesepitiableprecautionsmaybeneeded。Theywouldlowerusboth。"
Ashmeadgroanedaloud。"Isee，"saidhe。"He"llsooncleanyouout。Ah，well!hecan"trobyouofyourvoice，andhecan"trobyouofyourAshmead。"
TheysoonreachedFrankfort。Ashmeadputherintoacarriageasagreed，andwenttotheRussie。
Inasat，withherveildown，inthecarriage，andwaitedAshmead"sreturnwithSeverne。Hewasalongtimecoming。Shebegantodoubt，andthentofear，andwonderwhyhewassolong。
Atlasthecameinsight。
Hewasalone。
Ashedrewnearershesawhisfacewasthoroughlydowncast。
"Mydearfriend，"hefaltered，"youareoutofluckto-day。"
"Hewillnotcomewithyou?"
"Oh，hewouldcomefastenough，ifhewasthere；butheisgone。"
"Gone!ToHomburg?"
"No。Unfortunately，heisgonetoEngland。Wentoff，bythefasttrain，anhourago。"
Inafellbackinsilence，justasifshehadbeenstruckintheface。
"HeistravelingwithanEnglishfamily，andtheyhavegonestraighthome。Herearetheirnames。Ilookedinthevisitors"book，andtalkedtotheservant，andall。Mr。Vizard，MissVizard——"
"Vizard?"
"Yes——MissMaitland，MissDover。See，Iwrotethemalldown。"
"Oh，Iamunfortunate!WhywasIeverborn?"
"Don"tsaythat，don"tsaythat。Itisannoying:butweshallbeabletotracehimnow；and，besides，Iseeotherwaysofgettingholdofhim。"
Inabrokeinuponhistalk。"Takemetothenearestchurch，"shecried。
"Man"swordsarevain。Ah，Jesu，letmecrytothee!"
Hetookhertothenearestchurch。Shewentin，andprayedforfulltwohours。Shecameout，paleandlistless，andAshmeadgotherhomehowhecould。Herverybodyseemedallcrushedandlimp。Ashmeadlefther，sadathearthimself。
SolongasshewasinsightAshmeadcouldthinkonlyofhermisery:butthemomentshewasoutofsight，herememberedthetheater。ShewasannouncedforRosinathatverynight。Hesawtroubleofallsortsbeforehim。Herantothetheater，ingreatalarm，andtoldthemanagershehadbeentakenveryill。Hemustchangethebill。
"Impossible!"wasthereply。"Ifshecan"tsing，Iclose。"
Ashmeadwentbackto"TheStar。"
Inawasinherbedroom。
Hesentinaline，"Canyousingtonight?Ifnothesayshemustclose。"
Thereplycamebackinratheratremblinghand。"Isuffertoomuchbyfalsehoodtobreakfaithmyself。Ishallpraytillnight:andthenI
shallsing。IfIdieonthestage，allthebetterforme。"
Wasnotthisagreatsoul?
CHAPTERXI。
THATsamemorningourEnglishpartysnatchedahastybreakfastintravelingattire。Severnewasnotthere；butsentwordtoVizardheshouldbethereintime。
Thisfilledthecup。Zoe"swoundedpridehadbeenrisinghigherandhigherallthenight，andshecamedownratherpale，frombrokenrest，andsternlyresolved。ShehadafewseriouswordswithFanny，andsketchedheroutalittlemapofconduct，whichshowedthatshehadthoughtthematterwellover。
Butherplanbidfairtobederanged:Severnewasnotatthestation:
thencameachange。Zoewasrestless，andcastanxiousglances。
Butatthesecondbellhedartedintothecarriage，asifhehadjustdispatchedsomewonderfulbusinesstogetthereintime。Whilethetrainwasstarting，hebusiedhimselfinarranginghisthings；but，oncestarted，heputonhissunnylookandpreparedtobe，asusual，thelifeandsouloftheparty。
But，foronce，hemetafrost。Zoewaswrappedinimpenetrable_hauteur，_
andFannyinpoliteindifference。Neverwaslossoffavormoreablymarkedwithouttheleastill-breeding，andnogoodhandlegiventoseekanexplanation。
Nodoubtastraightforwardman，withjusticeonhisside，wouldhaveaskedthemplumplywhetherhehadbeensounfortunateastooffend，andhow；andthiswaswhatZoesecretlywished，howevershemightseemtorepelit。ButSevernewastoocraftyforthat。Hehadlearnedtheartofwaiting。
Afterafeweffortsatconversationandsmoothrebuffs，heputonasurprised，mortified，andsorrowfulair，andawaitedtheattack，whichhefeltwouldcomesoonorlate。
Thisskillfulinertiabaffledthefair，inaman；inawoman，theymighthaveexpectedit；and，afterafewhours，Zoe"spatiencebegantowearout。
Thetrainstoppedfortwentyminutes，and，evenwhiletheyweresnatchingalittlerefreshment，thedarklocksandtheblondecameveryclosetogether；andZoe，exasperatedbyherownwoundedprideandthesullentorporofherlover，gaveFannyfreshinstructions，whichnobodywasbetterqualifiedtocarryoutthanthatyounglady，asnobodywasbetterabletobafflefemalestrategythanthegentleman。
Thistime，however，theladieshadcertainadvantages，tobalancehissubtletyandhishabitofstatinganything，trueorfalse，thatsuitedhisimmediatepurpose。
Theyopenedverycat-like。Fannyaffectedtobeoutgrowingherill-humor，andvolunteeredacivilwordortwotoSeverne。ThereuponZoeturnedsharplyawayfromFanny，asifshedisapprovedherconduct，andtookabook。Thiswasprettysly，anddone，Isuppose，toremoveallideaofconcertbetweenthefairassailants；whereasitwasasecretsignalfortheconcerttocomeintooperation，itbeingFanny"sparttoplayuponSeverne，andZoe"stowatch，fromhercorner，everylineamentofhisfaceunderfire。
"By-the-way，Mr。Severne，"saidFanny，aproposofachurchonahilltheywereadmiring，"didyougetyourwinnings?"
"Mywinnings!Youaresarcastical。"
"AmI?ReallyIdidnotintendtobe。"
"No，no；forgiveme；butthatdidseemalittlecruel。MissDover，Iwasaheavyloser。"
"Notwhilewewerethere。Theladyandgentlemanwhoplayedwithyourmoneywon，oh，suchadeal!"
"Thedeviltheydid!"
"Yes。Didyounotstaybehind，lastnight，togetit?WeneversawyouattheRussie。"
"Iwasveryill。"
"Bleedingatthenose?"
"No。Thatalwaysrelievesmewhenitcomes。Iamsubjecttofaintingfits:onceIlayinsensiblesolongtheyweregoingtoburyme。Now，dopraytellmewhatmakesyoufancyanybodywonalotwithmymoney。"
"Well，Iwill。Youknowyouleftfiftypoundsforafriendtobetwith。"
Severnestared；butwastooeagerforinformationtoquestionherhowsheknewthis。"Yes，Idid，"saidhe。
"Andyoureallydon"tknowwhatfollowed?"
"Goodheavens!howcanI?"
"Well，then，asyouranout——tofaint，MademoiselleKloskingcamein，justasshedidattheopera，youknow，thetimebefore，whenyouranout——tobleed。Sheslippedintoyourchair，theverymomentyouleftit；
andyourfriendwiththeflamingneck-tietoldheryouhadsethimtobetwithyourmoney。By-the-by，Mr。Severne，howonearthdoyouandMademoiselleKlosking，whohavebothsomuchtasteindress，cometohaveamutualfriend，vulgarityinperson，withavelveteencoatandanimpossibleneck-tie?"
"Whatareyoutalkingabout，MissDover?IdojustknowMademoiselleKlosking；ImetherinsocietyinVienna，twoyearsago:butthatcadI
commissionedtobetformeIneversawbeforeinmylife。Youarekeepingmeontenter-hooks。Mymoney——mymoney——mymoney!Ifyouhaveaheartinyourbosom，tellmewhatbecameofmymoney。"
Hewasviolent，forthefirsttimesincetheyhadknownhim，andhiseyesflashedfire。
"Well，"saidFanny，beginningtobepuzzledandratherfrightened，"thisman，whoyou_say_wasanewacquaintance——"
"WhomI_say?_DoyoumeantotellmeIamaliar?"Hefumbledeagerlyinhisbreast-pocket，andproducedacard。"There，"saidhe，"thisisthecardhegaveme，"Mr。JosephAshmead。"Now，maythistraindashoverthenextviaduct，andtakeyouandMissVizardtoheaven，andmetohell，ifIeversawMr。JosephAshmead"sfacebefore。THEMONEY!——THEMONEY!"
Heutteredthisfuriously，and，itisacuriousfact；butZoeturnedred，andFannypale。ItwasreallyinquiteacowedvoiceMissDoverwentontosay，"La!don"tflyoutlikethat。Well，then，themanrefusedtobetwithyourmoney；sothenMademoiselleKloskingsaidshewould；andsheplayed——oh，howshedidplay!Shedoubled，anddoubled，anddoubled，hundredsuponhundreds。Shemadeamountainofgoldandapyramidofbank-notes；andsheneverstoppedtillshebrokethebank——there!"
"Withmymoney?"gaspedSeverne。
"Yes；withyourmoney。Yourfriendwiththeloudtiepocketedit；Ibegyourpardon，notyourfriend——onlyhers。Harringtonsaysheisher_cherami。"_
"Themoneyismine!"heshrieked。"Idon"tcarewhoplayedwithit，itismine。AndthefellowhadtheimpudencetosendmebackmyfiftypoundstotheRussie。"
"What!yougavehimyouraddress?"thiswithaninvoluntaryglanceofsurpriseatZoe。
"Ofcourse。DoyouthinkIleaveamanfiftypoundstoplaywith，anddon"tgivehimmyaddress?Hehaswonthousandswithmymoney，andsentmebackmyfifty，forablind，thethief!"
"Well，reallyitistoobad，"saidFanny。"But，there——I"mafraidyoumustmakethebestofit。Ofcourse，theirsendingbackyourfiftypoundsshowstheymeantokeeptheirwinnings。"
"Youtalklikeawoman，"saidhe；then，grindinghisteeth，andstretchingoutalongmusculararm，hesaid，"I"lltaketheblackguardbythethroatandtearitoutofhim，thoughItearhislifeoutalongwithit。"
AllthistimeZoehadbeenlookingathimwithconcern，andevenwithadmiration。Heseemedmorebeautifulthanever，toher，undertheinfluenceofpassion，andmoreofaman。
"Mr。Severne，"saidshe，"becalm。Fannyhasmisledyou，withoutintendingit。Shedidnothearallthatpassedbetweenthosetwo；Idid。
Thevelveteenandneck-tiemanrefusedtobetwithyourmoney。ItwasMademoiselleKloskingwhobet，andwithherownmoney。Shetooktwenty-fivepoundsofherown，andtwenty-fivepoundsofyours，andwontwoorthreehundredinafewmoments。Surely，asagentleman，youcannotaskaladytodomorethanrepayyouyourtwenty-fivepounds。"
SevernewasalittlecowedbyZoe"sinterference。Hestoodhisground；
butsullenly，insteadofviolently。
"MissVizard，ifIwereweakenoughtotrustaladywithmymoneyatagamblingtable，Ishouldexpectfoulplay；forIneverknewaladyyetwhowouldnotcheat_atcards，_ifshecould。Itrustedmymoneytoatradesmantobetwith。Ifhetakesafemalepartner，thatisnobusinessofmine；heisresponsibleallthesame，andI"llhavemymoney。"
Hejumpedupattheword，andlookedoutatthewindow；heevenfumbledwiththedoor，andtriedtoopenit。
"Youhadbetterjumpout，"saidFanny。
"Andthentheywouldkeepmymoneyforgood。No；"saidhe，"I"llwaitfortheneareststation。"Hesunkbackintohisseat，lookingunutterablethings。
Fannylookedratherruefulatfirst；thenshesaid，spitefully，"Youmustbeverysureofyourinfluencewithyouroldsweetheart。Youforgetshehasgotanothernow——atradesman，too。Hewillsticktothemoney，andmakehersticktoit。Theirsendingthefiftypoundsshowsthat。"
Zoe"seyeswereonhimwithmicroscopicpower，and，withallhisself-command，shesawhimwinceandchangecolor，andgiveothersignsthatthisshafthadtoldinmanyways。
Heshuthiscountenancethenextmoment；butithadopened，andZoewasonfirewithjealousyandsuspicion。
FluctuatingFannyregrettedtheturnthingshadtaken。Shedidnotwanttoloseapleasantmalecompanion，andshefeltsureZoewouldbeunhappy，andcrosstoher，ifhewent。"Surely，Mr。Severne，"shesaid，"youwillnotdesertusandgobackforsosmallachance。Why，weareahundredandfiftymilesfromHomburg，andallthenearertodearoldEngland。There，there——wemustbekindertoyou，andmakeyouforgetthismisfortune。"
Thusspokethetrimmer。Thereplytookherbysurprise。
"AndwhosefaultisitthatIamobligedtogetoutahundredandfiftymilesfromHomburg?Youknewallthis。Youcouldhavegotmeadelayofafewhourstogoandgetmydue。YouknowIamapoorman。Withallyourcleverness，youdon"tknowwhatmademepoor，oryouwouldfeelsomeremorse，perhaps；butyouknowIampoorwhenmostIcouldwishIwererich。Youhaveheardthatoldwomanthereflingmypovertyinmyteeth；
yetyoucouldkeepthisfromme——justtoassistacheatandplayuponthefeelingsofafriend。Now，whatgoodhasthatdoneyou，toinflictmiseryonmeinsport，onamanwhonevergaveyouamoment"spainifhecouldhelpit?"
Fannylookedruefullythiswayandthat，herfacebegantowork，andshelaiddownherarms，ifaladycanbesaidtodothatwholaysdownastrongweaponandtakesupastronger；inotherwords，sheburstoutcrying，andsaidnomore。Yousee，shewaspoorherself。
Severnetooknonoticeofher；hewasaccustomedtomakewomencry。Hethrusthisheadoutofthewindowinhopesofseeingastationnear，andhiswholebeingwasrestlessasifhewouldliketojumpout。
Whilehewasinthisconditionofmindandbody，thehandhehadoncekissedsotenderly，andshockedMissMaitland，passedanenvelopeoverhisshoulder，withtwolineswrittenonitinpencil:
"IfyouGOBACKTOHOMBURG，obligeMEBYREMAININGthere。"
Thisdemandsanexplanation；butitshallbebrief。
Fanny"sshrewdhint，thatthemoneycouldonlybeobtainedfromMdlle。
Klosking，hadpiercedZoethroughandthrough。Hermindgraspedallthathadhappened，allthatimpended，and，wiselydecliningtotryandaccountfor，orreconcile，allthejarringdetails，shesettled，withawoman"sbroadinstinct，that，somehoworother，hisgoingbacktoHomburgmeantgoingbacktoMademoiselleKlosking。Whetherthatladywouldbuyhimornot，shedidnotknow。Butgoingbacktohermeantgoingajourneytoseearival，withconsequencesillimitable。
Shehadcourage；shehadpride；shehadjealousy。Sheresolvedtoloseherlover，orhavehimalltoherself。Sharehimshewouldnot，norevenendurethetortureofthedoubt。
Shetookanenvelopeoutofhersatchel，andwiththepencilattachedtoherchatelainewrotethefatalwords，"IfyougobacktoHomburg，obligemebyremainingthere。"
Atthismomentshewasnotgoadedbypiqueoranypettyfeeling。Indeed，hisreproachtoFannyhadtouchedheralittle，anditwaswiththetearinhereyeshecametotheresolution，andhandedhimthatline，whichtoldhimsheknewhervalue，and，costwhatitmight，wouldpartwithanymanforeverratherthansharehimwiththeKloskingoranyotherwoman。
Severnetooktheline，eyedit，realizedit，fellbackfromthewindow，anddroppedintohisseat。ThisgaveZoeaconsolingsenseofpower。Shehadseenherloverragingandrestless，andwantingtojumpout，yetnowbeheldhimliterallyfelledwithawordfromherhand。
Heleanedhisheadinhishandinasortofbroken-down，collapsed，doggedwaythatmovedherpity，thoughhardlyherrespect。
By-and-byitstruckherasaverygravethingthathedidnotreplybyword，norevenbylook。Hecoulddecidewithaglance，andwhydidhehesitate?WashereallybalancingheragainstMademoiselleKloskingweightedwithashareofhiswinnings?
Thisdoubtwaswormwoodtoherprideandself-respect；buthiscrushedattitudeallayedinsomedegreethemereirritationhisdoubtcaused。
Theminutespassedandthemiles:stillthatbrokenfiguresatbeforeher，withhisfacehiddenbyhiswhitehand。
Zoe"scouragebegantofalter。Misgivingsseizedher。Shehadmadethatamatteroflovewhich，afterall，toaman，mightbeamerematterofbusiness。Hewaspoor，too，andshehadthrustherjealousybetweenhimandmoney。Hemighthavehispridetoo，andrebelagainstheraffront。
Asforhisthoughts，underthatcrushedexterior，whichheputonforablind，theyweresodeliberateandcalculatingthatIshallnotmixthemonthispagewiththatpureandgenerouscreature"s。Anothertimewilldotorevealhissordidarithmetic。AsforZoe，shesettleddownintowishing，withallherheart，shehadnotsubmittedherloversoimperiouslytoatest，theseverityofwhichshenowsawshehadunderrated。
Presentlythespeedofthetrainbegantoslacken——alltoosoon。Shenowdreadedtolearnherfate。Wasshe，orwasshenot，worthafewthousandpoundsreadymoney?
Asignal-postwaspast，provingthattheywereabouttoenterastation。
Yetanother。Nowthewheelswerehardlyturning。Nowtheplatformwasvisible。Yethenevermovedhiswhite，delicate，womanishfingersfromhisforehead，butremainedstillabsorbed，andlookedundecided。
Atlastthemotionentirelyceased。Then，assheturnedherheadtoglean，ifpossible，thenameoftheplace，hestoleafurtiveglanceather。Shewaspallid，agitated。Heresolveduponhiscourse。
Assoonasthetrainstopped，heopenedthedoorandjumpedout，withoutawordtoZoe，orevenalook。
Zoeturnedpaleasdeath。"Ihavelosthim，"saidshe。
"No，no，"criedFanny。"See，hehasnottakenhiscaneandumbrella。"
_"They_willnotkeephimfromflyingtohismoneyandher，"moanedZoe。
"Didyounotsee?Heneveroncelookedatme。Hecouldnot。Iamsickatheart。"
ThissetFannyfluttering。"There，letmeouttospeaktohim。"
"Sitquiet，"saidZoe，sternly。
"No；no。Ifyoulovehim——"
"Idolovehim——passionately。And_therefore_I"lldieratherthansharehimwithanyone。"
"Butitisdreadfultobefixedhere，andnotallowedtomovehandorfoot。"
"Itisthelotofwomen。Letmefeelthehandofafriend，thatisall；
forIamsickatheart。"
Fannygaveherherhand，andallthesympathyhershallownaturehadtobestow。
Zoesatmotionless，grippingherfriend"shandalmostconvulsively，astatueoffemalefortitude。
Thissuspensecouldnotlastlong。Theofficialsorderedthetravelerstothecarriages；doorswereopenedandslammed；theenginegaveasnort，andonlyatthatmomentdidMr。EdwardSevernetearthedooropenandboltintothecarriage。
Oh，itwaspitiable，butlovely，toseethebloodrushintoZoe"sface，andthefireintohereye，andthesweetmouthexpandinasmileofjoyandtriumph!
Shesatamoment，almostparalyzedwithpleasure，andthencasthereyesdown，lesttheirfireshouldproclaimherfeelingstooplainly。