第16章

Bettysawthedoubtinhereyes，andinameasure，guessedatitsmeaning。Thetimetopauseforargumenthad，howevernotarrived。Therewastoomuchtobeinvestigated，toomuchtobeseen。Shesweptheronherway。Theywanderedonthroughsomefortyrooms，moreorless；theyopeneddoorsandclosedthem；theyunbarredshuttersandletthesunstreaminondustanddampnessandcobwebs。ThecomprehensionofthesituationwhichBettygainedwasasvaluableasitwasenlightening。

Thedescentintothelowerpartofthehousewasanewexperience。Bettyhadnotbeforeseenhuge，flaggedkitchens，vaultedservants’halls，stonepassages，butteriesanddairies。

Thesubstantialmasonryofthewallsandarchedceilings，thestonestairway，andtheseeminglyendlessoffices，wereinterestinglyremoteinideafromsuchdomesticmodernitiesaschanceviewsofup—to—dateAmericanhouseholdworkingshadprovidedher。

Inthehugekitchenitself，anelderlywoman，rollingpastry，pausedtocurtsytothem，withstolidcuriosityinherheavy—

featuredface。Inhercharacteras"single—handed"cook，Mrs。NoakeshadsentupuninvitingmealstoLadyAnstruthersforseveralyears，butshehadnotseenherladyshipbelowstairsbefore。Andthiswastheunexpectedarrival——theyoungladytherehadbeen"talkof"fromthemomentofherappearance。Mrs。Noakesadmittedwiththegrudgingnessofapersonofuncheerfultemperament，thatlookslikethatalwayswouldmaketalk。AcertaindegreeofvaguementalilluminationledhertoagreewithRobert，thefootman，thatthestranger’seffectivenesswas，perhaps，also，notaltogetheramatterofgoodlooks，andcertainlyitwasnotanaffairofclothes。Herbrightishbluedress，ofroughcloth，wasnothingparticular，notwithstandingthefitofit。Therewas"somethingelseabouther。"Shelookedroundtheplace，notwiththecasualindifferenceofafineyounglady，carelesslycurioustoseewhatshehadnotseenbefore，butwithanalert，questioninginterest。

"Whatabigplace，"shesaidtoherladyship。"Whatsubstantialwalls！Whathugejointsmusthavebeenroastedbeforesuchafireplace。"

Shedrewneartotheenormous，antiquatedcookingplace。

"Peoplewerenotverypracticalwhenthiswasbuilt，"shesaid。"Itlooksasifitmustwasteagreatdealofcoal。Isit————？"shelookedatMrs。Noakes。"Doyoulikeit？"

TherewasapracticaldirectnessinthequestionforwhichMrs。Noakeswasnotprepared。Untilthismoment，ithadapparentlymatteredlittlewhethershelikedthingsornot。

Theconditionofherimplementsoftradewasoneofhergrievances——theancientfireplaceandovensthebitterest。

"It’soutoforder，miss，"sheanswered。"Andtheydon’tuse’emlikethisinthesedays。"

"Ithoughtnot，"saidMissVanderpoel。

Shemadeotherinquiriesasdirectandsignificantoftheobservingeye，andherpassagethroughthelowerpartoftheestablishmentleftMrs。Noakesandhercompanionsinastrangebutnotunpleasurablestateofferment。

"Thinkofayoungladythat’sneverhadnothingtodowithkitchens，goingstraighttothatshamefuloldfireplace，andseeingwhatitmeanttothewomanthat’sgottouseit。

`Doyoulikeit？’shesays。Ifshe’dbeenacookherself，shecouldn’thaveputitstraighter。She’sgoteyes。"

"She’sbeenusingthemallovertheplace，saidRobert。

"Herandherladyship’sbeenintoroomsthat’snotbeenopenedforyears。"

"Moreshametothemthatshouldhaveopened’em，"

remarkedMrs。Noakes。"Herladyship’sapoor，listlessthing——

butherspiritwasbrokenlongago。

"Thisonewillmenditforher，perhaps，"saidthemanservant。"Iwonderwhat’sgoingtohappen。"

"Well，she’sgotalookwithher——thenewone——asifwhereshewasthingswouldbelikelytohappen。Youlookout。

Theplacewon’tseemsodeadandaliveifwe’vegotsomethingtothinkofandexpect。"

"WhoarethesolicitorsSirNigelemploys？"Bettyhadaskedhersister，whentheirpilgrimagethroughthehousehadbeencompleted。

Messrs。Townlinson&Sheppard，afirmwhichforseveralgenerationshadtransactedthelegalbusinessofmuchmoreimportantestatesthanStornham，helditsaffairsinhand。

LadyAnstruthersknewnothingofthem，butthattheyevidentlydidnotapproveoftheconductoftheirclient。Nigelwasfrequentlyangrywhenhespokeofthem。Itcouldbegatheredthattheyhadrefusedtoallowhimtodothingshewishedtodo——sellthings，orborrowmoneyonthem。

"IthinkwemustgotoLondonandseethem，"Bettysuggested。

Rosywasagitated。Whyshouldoneseethem？Whatwastheretobespokenof？Theirgoing，Bettyexplainedwouldbeasortofvisitofceremony——inameasureaprecaution。

SinceSirNigelwasapparentlynottobereached，havinggivennoclueastowhereheintendedtogo，itmightbediscreettoconsultMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppardwithregardtothethingsitmightbewelltodo——therepairsitappearednecessarytomakeatonce。IfMessrs。Townlinson&

Sheppardapprovedofthedoingofsuchwork，SirNigelcouldnotresenttheiraction，andsaythatinhisabsencelibertieshadbeentaken。Suchacourseseemedbusinesslikeanddignified。

ItwaswhatBettyfeltthatherfatherwoulddo。

Nothingcouldbecomplainedof，whichwasdonewiththeknowledgeandunderthesanctionofthefamilysolicitors。

"Thenthereareotherthingswemustdo。Wemustgotoshopsandtheatres。Itwillbegoodforyoutogotoshopsandtheatres，Rosy。"

"Ihavenothingbutragstowear，"answeredLadyAnstruthers，reddening。

"Thenbeforewegowewillhavethingssentdown。

Peoplecanbesentfromtheshopstoarrangewhatwewant。"

Themagicofthename，standingforgreatwealth，could，itwastrue，bringtothem，notonlythecontentsofshops，butthepeoplewhoshowedthem，andwerereadytocarryoutanyorders。ThenameofVanderpoelalreadystood，inLondon，forinexhaustibleresource。Yes，itwassimpleenoughtosendforpolitelysubservientsaleswomentobringwhatonewanted。

Thebeingremindedinevery—daymattersofthestillrealexistenceofthepowerofthismagicwasthefirststepintherebuildingofLadyAnstruthers。Torealisethatthewonderfulandyetsimplenecromancywasgraduallyencirclingheragain，haditsparallelinthetakingofatonic，whoseeffectwascumulative。Sheherselfdidnotrealisetheworkingofit。

ButBettyregardeditwithinterest。Shesawitwasgoodforher，merelytolookonattheunpackingoftheNewYorkboxes，whichthemaid，sentforfromLondon，broughtdownwithher。

Asthewomanremoved，fromtrayaftertray，thetissue—

paper—enfoldedlayersofgarments，LadyAnstrutherssatandwatchedherwithnormal，simplyfeminineinterestgrowinginhereyes。Thethingsweremadewiththeabsenceofanylimitinexpenditure，thefreedomwithdelicatestuffsandpricelesslaceswhichbelongedonlytoherfaintmemoriesofalostpast。

Nothinghadlimitedthetimespentintheembroideringofthisapparentlysimplelinenfrockandcoat；nothinghadrestrainedthehandholdingthescissorswhichhadcutintothelacewhichadornedinappliquesandfilmyfrillsthisexquisitelycharmingballdress。

"Itislookingbacksofar，"shesaid，wavingherhandtowardsthemwithanoddgesture。"Tothinkthatitwasoncealllike——likethat。"

Shegotupandwenttothethings，turningthemover，andtouchingthemwithasoftness，almostexpressingacaress。

Thenamesofthemakersstampedonbandsandcollars，thenamesofthestreetsinwhichtheirshopsstood，movedher。

Sheheardagaintheoncefamiliarrattleofwheels，andtherushandroarofNewYorktraffic。

Bettycarriedonthewholematterwithlightness。Shetalkedeasilyandcasually，givinglocalcolourtowhatshesaid。

Shedescribedtheabnormallyrapidgrowthoftheplaceshersisterhadknowninherteens，thenewbuildings，newtheatres，newshops，newpeople，thelatermodeofliving，muchofitlearnedfromEngland，throughtheunceasingweavingoftheShuttle。

"Changing——changing——changing。Thatiswhatitisalwaysdoing——America。Wehavenotreachedreposeyet。Onewondershowlongitwillbebeforeweshall。Nowwearealwayshurryingbreathlesslyafterthenextthing——thenewone——whichwealwaysthinkwillbethebetterone。Othercountriesbuiltthemselvesslowly。Inthedaysoftheirbuilding，thepaceoflifewasamarch。WhenAmericawasborn，themarchhadalreadybeguntohasten，andasanationwebegan，inourfirsthour，atthequickeningspeed。Nowthepaceisarace。NewYorkisakaleidoscope。Imyselfcanrememberitawhollydifferentthing。Onepassesdownastreetoneday，andthenextthereisagreatgapwheresomebuildingisbeingtorndown——afewdayslater，atallstructureofsomesortistouchingthesky。Itiswonderful，butitdoesnottendtocalmthemind。ThatiswhywecrosstheAtlanticsomuch。Thesober，quiet—lovingbloodourforbearsbroughtfromoldercountriesgoesinsearchofrest。Mixedwithotherthings，Ifeelinmyownbeingaresentmentagainstnewnessanddisorder，andaninsistenceontheatmosphereoflong—establishedthings。"

ButforyearsLadyAnstruthershadbeenlivingintheatmosphereoflong—establishedthings，andfeltnoinsistenceuponit。Sheyearnedtohearofthegreat，changingWesternworld——ofthegreat，changingcity。Bettymusttellherwhatthechangeswere。Whatwerethedifferencesinthestreets——

wherehadthenewbuildingsbeenplaced？HowhadFifthAvenueandMadisonAvenueandBroadwayaltered？WerenotGramercyParkandMadisonSquarestillgreenwithgrassandtrees？Wasitalldifferent？Wouldshenotknowtheoldplacesherself？Thoughitseemedalifetimesinceshehadseenthem，theyearswhichhadpassedwerereallynotsomany。

ItwasgoodforhertotalkandbetalkedtointhismannerBettysaw。Stillhandlinghersubjectlightly，shepresentedpictureafterpicture。Someofthemwereofthewonderful，feverishcityitself——theplacequitepassionatelylovedbysome，aspassionatelydislikedbyothers。Sheherselfhadfallenintothehabit，assheleftchildhoodbehindher，oflookingatitwithinterestedwonder——atitsriotoflifeandpower，ofhugeschemes，andalmostsuperhumanlabours，offortunessocolossalthattheyseemedmonstrositiesintheirrelationtotheworld。PeoplewhoinRosalie’sgirlhoodhadlivedinbiguglybrownstonefronts，hadbuiltforthemselvesorfortheirchildren，housessuchas，inothercountries，wouldhavebelongedtonoblesandprinces，spendingfortunesupontheirbuilding，fillingthemwithtreasuresbroughtfromforeignlands，frompalaces，fromartgalleries，fromcollectors。

Sometimesstrangepeoplebuiltsuchhousesandlivedstrangelavish，ostentatiouslivesinthem，forminganoverstrained，abnormal，pleasure—chasingworldoftheirown。ThepassingofeventenyearsinNewYorkcounteditselfalmostasageneration；

thefashions，customs，belongingsoftwentyyearsagoworeanairofalmostpicturesqueantiquity。

"Itdoesnottakelongtomakean`oldNewYorker，’"

shesaid。"Eachdaybringssomanynewones。"

Therewere，indeed，manynewones，LadyAnstruthersfound。Peoplewhohadbeenpoorhadbecomehugelyrich，afewwhohadbeenrichhadbecomepoor，possessionswhichhadbeenlargehadswelledtounnaturalproportions。OutoftheWesthadrisenfortunesmoremonstrousthanallothers。

Asshetoldonestoryafteranother，Bettinarealised，asshehaddoneoftenbefore，thatitwasimpossibletoenterintodescriptionofthelifeandmovementsoftheplace，withoutitscuriouslyinvolvingsomeconnectionwiththehugewealthofit——withitsinfluence，itsrise，itsswelling，orwaning。

"Somehowonecannotfreeone’sselffromit。Thisistheageofwealthandinvention——butofwealthbeforeallelse。

Sometimesoneistired——tiredofit。"

"Youwouldnotbetiredofitif——well，ifyouwereI，saidLadyAnstruthersratherpathetically。

"Perhapsnot，"Bettyanswered。"Perhapsnot。"

Sheherselfhadseenpeoplewhowerenottiredofitinthesenseinwhichshewas——themenandwomen，withwornorintentlyanxiousfaces，hasteningwiththecrowdsuponthepavements，allhasteningsomewhere，inchaseofthatsmallportionofthewealthwhichtheyearnedbytheirlabourastheirdailyshare；thesamemenandwomensurgingtowardselevatedrailroadstations，toseizeonplacesinthehomeward—

boundtrains；orstandingintired—lookinggroups，waitingfortheapproachofanalreadyoverfullstreetcar，inwhichtheymustbepackedtogether，andswingtothehangingstraps，tokeepupontheirfeet。Theirwayofbeingwearyofitwouldbedifferentfromhers，theywouldbewearyonlyofhearingofthemountainsofitwhichrolledthemselvesup，asitseemed，inobediencetosomeirresistible，occultforce。

OnthedayafterStornhamvillagehadlearnedthatherladyshipandMissVanderpoelhadactuallygonetoLondon，thedignifiedfirmofTownlinson&Sheppardreceivedavisitwhichcreatedsomeslightsensationintheirestablishment，thoughithadnotbeenentirelyunexpected。Ithad，indeed，beenheraldedbyanotefromMissVanderpoelherself，whohadaskedthattheappointmentbemade。MenofMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppard’sindubitablerankintheirprofessioncouldnotfailtoknowthesignificanceoftheVanderpoelname。

Theyknewandunderstooditsweightperfectlywell。WhentheirclienthadmarriedoneofReubenVanderpoel’sdaughters，theyhadfeltthatextraordinarygoodfortunehadbefallenhimandhisestate。TheirprivateopinionhadbeenthatMr。

Vanderpoel’sknowledgeofhisson—in—lawmusthavebeenlimited，orthathehadcuriouslylaxAmericanviewsofpaternalduty。Thefirmwashighlyreputable，longestablishedstrictlyconservative，andsomewhatinsularinitspointofview。Itdidnotunderstand，orseektounderstand，America。

IthadexcellentreasonsforthoroughlyunderstandingSirNigelAnstruthers。Itsopinionsofhimitreservedtoitself。

IfMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppardhadbeenaskedtogiveadaughterintotheirclient’skeeping，theywouldhaveflatlyrefusedtoacceptthehonourproposed。Mr。Townlinsonhad，indeed，atthetimeofthemarriage，admittedinstrictconfidencetohispartnerthatforhisparthewouldhavesomewhatpreferredtofollowadaughterofhisowntohertomb。Afterthemarriagethefirmhadfoundthesituationconfusingandun—English。TherehadbeentroublewithSirNigel，whohadplainlybeendisappointed。AtfirstithadappearedthattheAmericanmagnatehadshownastutenessinrefrainingfromleavinghisson—in—lawafreehand。LadyAnstruthers’fortunewasherownandnotherhusband’s。Mr。

Townlinson，payingavisittoStornhamandfindingthebrideagentle，childish—lookinggirl，whosemostmarkedexpressionwasoneofgrowingtimorousness，hadreturnedwithagraveface。Heforesawtheresult，ifherfamilydidnotstandbyherwithfirmness，whichhealsoforesawherhusbandwouldpreventifpossible。Itbecameapparentthatthefamilydidnotstandbyher——orwerecleverlykeptatadistance。

Therewasalongillness，whichseemedtoendintheseclusionfromtheworld，broughtaboutbybrokenhealth。

ThenitwascertainthatwhatMr。Townlinsonhadforeseenhadoccurred。Theinexperiencedgirlhadbeenbulliedintosubmission。SirNigelhadgainedthefreehand，whateverthemeanshehadchosentoemploy。Mostimproper——mostimproper，thewholeaffair。Hehadagreatdealofmoney，butnoneofitwasusedforthebenefitoftheestate——hisdeformedboy’sestate。Advice，dignifiedremonstrance，resultedonlyinmostdisagreeablescenes。Messrs。

Townlinson&Sheppardcouldnotexceedcertainlimits。Themannerinwhichthemoneywasspentwasdiscreditable。Therewereavenuesarespectablefirmknewonlybyrumour，therewereinsanegamblingspeculations，whichcouldonlyendindisaster，therewerethingsonecouldnotdecentlyconcernone’sselfwith。LadyAnstruthers’familyhaddoubtlessbecomeindignantanddisgusted，andhaddroppedthewholeaffair。

Sadforthepoorwoman，butnotunnatural。

AndnowappearsaMissVanderpoel，whowishestoappointaninterviewwithMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppard。

Whatdoesshewishtosay？Thefamilyisapparentlytakingthematterup。IsthisladyanelderorayoungersisterofLadyAnstruthers？IssheanolderwomanofthatstrongandrathertryingAmericantypeonehearsof，orissheyoungerthanherladyship，apretty，indignant，totallyunpracticalgirl，outragedbythestateofaffairsshehasdiscovered，foolishlycomingtodemandofMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppardanexplanationofthingstheyarenotresponsiblefor？Willshe，perhaps，losehertemper，andaccuseandreproach，oreven——mostunpleasanttocontemplate——shedhystericaltears？

ItfelltoMr。TownlinsontoreceiveherintheabsenceofMr。Sheppard，whohadbeencalledtoNorthamptonshiretoattendtogreataffairs。Hewasastout，gravemanwithaheavy，well—cutface，and，whenBettinaenteredhisroom，hiscourteousreceptionofherreservedhisviewofthesituationentirely。

ShewasnotofthematureandratheralarmingAmericantypehehadimaginedpossible，hefeltsomereliefinmarkingatonce。Shewasalsonotthepretty，fashionableyoungladywhomighthavecometoscoldhim，andasksilly，irrationalquestions。

Hisordinarilyratherunilluminedcountenancechangedsomewhatinexpressionwhenshesatdownandbegantospeak。

Mr。Townlinsonwasimpressedbythefactthatitwasatonceunmistakablyevidentthatwhatsoeverherreasonforcoming，shehadnotpresentedherselftoaskirrelevantorunreasonablequestions。LadyAnstruthers，sheexplainedwithoutsuperfluousphrase，hadnodefiniteknowledgeofherhusband’swhereabouts，andithadseemedpossiblethatMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppardmighthavereceivedsomeinformationmorerecentthatherown。TheimpersonalframingofthisinquirystruckMr。Townlinsonasbeinginremarkablygoodtaste，sinceitconveyednocondemnationofSirNigel，andnodesiretoinvolveMr。Townlinsoninexpressingany。Itrefrainedevenfromimplyingthatthesituationwasanunusualone，whichmightbeopentocriticism。Excellentreserveandgreatcleverness，Mr。Townlinsoncommentedinwardly。Therewerecertainlyfewyoungladieswhowouldhaveclearlyrealisedthatasolicitorcannotbecalledupontocommithimself，untilhehashadtimetoweighmattersanddecideuponthem。Hislongandvariedexperiencehadincludedinterviewsinwhichcharming，emotionalwomenhadexpectedhimatonceto"takesides。"MissVanderpoelexhibitednosignsofexpectinganythingofthiskind，evenwhenshewentonwithwhatshehadcometosay。StornhamCourtanditssurroundingsweredepreciatingseriouslyinvaluethroughneedofradicalrepairsetc。Hersister’scomfortwasnaturallyinvolved，and，asMr。

Townlinsonwouldfullyunderstand，hernephew’sfuture。

Thesoonertheprocessofdilapidationwasarrested，thebetterandwiththelessdifficulty。Thepresenttimewaswithoutdoubtbetterthananindefinitefuture。MissVanderpoel，havingfortunatelybeenabletocometoStornham，wasgreatlyinterested，andnaturallydesirousofseeingtheworkbegun。Herfatheralsowouldbeinterested。SinceitwasnotpossibletoconsultSirNigel，ithadseemedpropertoconsulthissolicitorsinwhosehandstheestatehadbeenforsolongatime。Shewasaware，itseemed，thatnotonlyMr。

Townlinson，butMr。Townlinson’sfather，andalsohisgrandfather，hadlegallyrepresentedtheAnstruthers，aswellasmanyotherfamilies。Asthereseemednonecessityforanystructuralchanges，andtheworkdonewassuchascouldonlyrescueandincreasethevalueoftheestate，couldtherebeanyobjectiontoitsbeingbegunwithoutdelay？

Certainlyanunusualyounglady。ItwouldbeinterestingtodiscoverhowwellsheknewSirNigel，sinceitseemedthatonlyaknowledgeofhim——histemper，hisbitter，irritablevanity，couldhaverevealedtoherthenecessityoftheprecautionshewastakingwithoutevenintimatingthatitwasaprecaution。Extraordinarilyclevergirl。

Mr。Townlinsonworeanairofquiet，business—likereflection。

"Youareaware，MissVanderpoel，thatthepresentincomefromtheestateisnotsuchaswouldjustifyanythingapproachingtherequiredexpenditure？"

"Yes，Iamawareofthat。Theexpensewouldbeprovidedforbymyfather。"

"MostgenerousonMr。Vanderpoel’spart，"Mr。Townlinsoncommented。"Theestatewould，ofcourse，increasegreatlyinvalue。"

CircumstanceshadpreventedherfatherfromvisitingStornham，MissVanderpoelexplained，andthishadledtohisbeingignorantofaconditionofthingswhichhemighthaveremedied。

Shedidnotexplainwhattheparticularcircumstanceswhichhadseparatedthefamilieshadbeen，butMr。Townlinsonthoughtheunderstood。Theconditionexistingcouldberemediednow，ifMessrs。Townlinson&Sheppardsawnoobstaclesotherthanscarcityofmoney。

Mr。Townlinson’ssummingupofthematterexpressedineffectthathesawnone。Theestatehadbeenafineoneinitsday。Duringthelastsixtyyearsithadbecomemuchimpoverished。Withconservativedecorumofmanner，headmittedthattherehadnotbeen，sinceSirNigel’smarriage，sufficientreasonfortheneglectofdilapidations。ThefirmhadstronglyrepresentedtoSirNigelthatcertainresourcesshouldnotbedivertedfromtheproperobjectofrestoringtheproperty，whichwasentaileduponhisson。Theson’sfutureshouldbeyondallhavebeenconsideredinthedispensingofhismother’sfortune。

He，bythistime，comprehendedfullythatheneedrestrainnodignifiedexpressionofopinioninhisspeechwiththisyounglady。Shehadcometoconsultwithhimwithasclearaviewoftheproprietiesanddiscretionsdemandedbyhispositionashehadhimself。Andyeteach，beforethecloseoftheinterview，understoodthepointofviewoftheother。

Whatherecognisedwasthat，thoughshehadnotseenSirNigelsinceherchildhood，shehadinsomeastonishingwayobtainedanextraordinaryinsightintohischaracter，anditwasthiswhichhadledhertotakeherpresentstep。Shemightnotrealiseallshemighthavetocontendwith，butherconservativeandformalactionhadsurroundedherandhersisterwithacertainbarrierofconventionalprotection，atonceself—controlled，dignified，andastutelyintelligent。

"Since，asyousay，nostructuralchangesareproposed，suchasanownermightresent，andasLadyAnstruthersisthemotheroftheheir，andasLadyAnstruthers’fatherundertakestodefrayallexpenditure，nosanemancouldobjecttotherestorationoftheproperty。Todosowouldbetocausepublicopiniontoexpressitselfstronglyagainsthim。Suchactionwouldplacehimgrosslyinthewrong。"Thenheaddedwithdeliberation，realisingthathewascommittinghimself，andfeelingfirmlywillingtodosoforreasonsofhisown，"SirNigelisamanwhoobjectsstronglytoputtinghimself——publicly——inthewrong。"

"Thankyou，"saidMissVanderpoel。

Hehadsaidthisofintentionforherenlightenment，andshewasawarethathehaddoneso。

"ThiswillnotbethefirsttimethatAmericanfortuneshaverestoredEnglishestates，"Mr。Townlinsoncontinuedamiably。"Therehavebeenmanynotablecasesoflateyears。

Weshallbehappytoplaceourselvesatyourdisposalatalltimes，MissVanderpoel。Weareobligedtoyouforyourconsiderationinthematter。"

"Thankyou，"saidMissVanderpoelagain。"IwishedtobesurethatIshouldnotbeinfringinganyEnglishruleIhadnoknowledgeof。"

"Youwillbeinfringingnone。Youhavebeenmostcorrectandcourteous。"

BeforeshewentawayMr。Townlinsonfeltthathehadbeengreatlyenlightenedastowhatayoungladymightknowandbe。Shegavehimsingularlycleardetailsastowhatwasproposed。Therewassomuchtobedonethathefoundhimselfopeninghiseyesslightlyonceortwice。But，ofcourse，ifMr。Vanderpoelwaspreparedtospendmoneyinalavishmanner，itwasalltothegoodsofarastheestatewasconcerned。Theywerestupendous，thesepeople，andafteralltheheirwashisgrandson。Andhowstrikingitwasthatwithallthispowerandreadinesstouseit，wasevidentlycombined，eveninthisbeautifulyoungperson，theclearestbusinesssenseofthesituation。WhatwasdonewouldbeforthecomfortofLadyAnstruthersandthefutureofherson。SirNigel，beingunabletoselleitherhouseorlands，couldnotundoit。