Our Friend the Charlatan

ol, the imperious Wrybolt having insisted on sending him away as soon as he had recovered from his cold, on a pretence that the boy ought not to lose any part of the new term. "It is really very hard

ill. Shall we say Thursday? I am not at all pleased with Mr. Wrybolt's behaviour. Indeed it seems to me very high-handed, very! And I told him very plainly what I thought. You can have no idea how galling is a woman's position left at the mercy of a trustee-a stran

led in riding to hounds two or three years ago. This afternoon he showed a front all amiability. He had come, he began by declaring, to let Mrs. Woolstan know that the son of a common friend of theirs had just, on his advice, been sent to the same school as Leonard; the boys would be friends, and make each other feel at home. This news Mrs. Woolstan received with some modification of her aloofness; she was very glad; after all, perhaps it had been a wise thing to send Leonard off with little warning; she would only have made herself miserable in the anticipation of parting with him. That, said Mr. Wrybolt, was exactly what he had himself felt. He was quite sure that in a few days Mrs. Woolstan would see that all was for the best. The fact of the matter was that Len's tutor, though no doubt a very competent man, had been guilty of indiscretion in unsettling the boy's ideas on certain very important subjects. Well, admitted the mother, perhaps it was so; she would say no more; Mr. Wrybolt, as a man of the wo

murest sadness. Never, never could she marry again; the past was always with her, and the future imposed upon her the most solemn of duties. She lived for the memory of her husband and for the prospects of her child. Naturally, Mr. Wrybolt turned at first an incredulous ear; he urged his suit, simply and directly, with persuasion derived partly from the realm of sentiment, partly from Lombard Street-the latter

ever-nay, more than ever? She could never forget his nobly generous impulse. But let him reflect on her broken life, her immutable sadness; he would understand how much she would have wronged such a man as he in taking advantage of that moment's heroic weakness. To this effusive epistle came spe

ntinuing to think constantly of it, but for the present felt she would prefer not to troub

f her son, he plainly gave no heed; his replies were mechanical. When she asked him for an account of what he had been doing down in the country, he answered with broken scraps of uninteresting information. Thus passed the quarter of an hour

reat deal t

sinking into a disheartened silence. "I bega

ience. Pr

e window made it pleasant here by this bright fireside. Lashmar stretched his legs, smiled at the gimcracks shelved and niched above the mantelpiece, and began talking. His description of Lady Ogram was amusing, but not disresp

r. She must be sickened with toadyism, and I could see she found my way a refreshing contrast. It made clear to her at once that I met her in a perfectly independent spi

ht? She must have tak

y keen on political and social science. It happens, too, that she's looking

-fact voice, his eyes turned to the fire. Upon his hea

a-quiver with joyous excitement. "

it; there's nothing startling in the suggestion. It

is splendi

a thing to scream about, but to talk over quietly an

ross. Tell me more about it

Robb on the lines suggested by Breakspeare. As she listened, Mrs. Woolstan had much ado to

tion be?" she asked

. Possibly not even next

friends with everybody. You only need to be known. How I should like to hear you make a speec

me to hear the declaration of the poll.-Meanwhile," he added, "suppose we think for a moment of the trifli

an's counte

lf that you didn't seriously trouble about it. Of course you will get

ips. Dyce did not look at her. He had thrust his hands into his tro

ur circumstances?" Iris

thing about them from-my friend. Naturall

ndidate don't you think she will very like

; the speaker ha

thing in the world. My independence is the first consideration. You mustn't imagine that I clutch at this opportunity. Nothing of the kind. It's an opening, perhaps; but in any case I should have found one before long. I don't even know yet whether Hollingford will

aimed Iris, in a pained voice. "Ho

ery freedom with which I speak to you might lead you to misjudge me

"This is dreadful. How could such a thought

with an impatient gesture. "I detest this

idled a

ery ordinary voice. And I don't know why

way to nervou

uted no thought whatever to you. All I said was, that I must take care not to be misunderstood. And I

s a point of colour on her freckled cheeks

quite as men do, I see no great harm in it. I don't think mannishness is a very nice quality. Aft

to laugh fo

; one gets so easily off the track, and runs one doesn't know where. What was I saying? Oh, simply that I couldn't b

er such power to shape a man's fortunes. For some time now, Iris had imagined herself an influence in Lashmar's life, had dreamed that her influence might prevail over all other. In marrying, she had sacrificed herself to an illusory hope; but she was now an experienced woman, able to di

ou think me capable of rising to the higher plane. Perh

l, admitted a superfluous sensitiveness, assured his companion that he prized her sympathy, counted seriously upon her advice; in

aid at length with some embarrassment, "you c

ce, with a quic

re really friends should be just as men are with each oth

won't have any woman for

ay in which I can be of use to you. It happens that I have rather more money than I want for my o

; trying to brave it out, she achieved only an unconscious archness of eye and lip which made her for the mo

l you by your name, just to show that I take our friendship seriously. If I could borrow from anyone I

at the "go

ed, in a note of persistence. "Would you r

! That would de

but I could help you over a year, perhaps. Wouldn't you rather go back to Rivenoak with a feeling of complete independence?-I

ers there is just that difference a man can go to work and earn; a woman generally can't do anything of the kind. That's why it seems unjust to t

ing you, why should you refuse me? You know very well-at least, I hope you do-that I should never have hinted at such a thing if we had been just ordinary acquaintances. We're trying to be more sensible than everyday people. And just when there com

he was rosily self-conscious, though, this time, not exactly shamefac

be accepted straightaway. All I can say now is that I'm very grateful to you. No one ever ga

er arms crossed. "Do as you like. You said disagreeable things, and

nds in his pockets, "you know perfectly well-perfectly well

start

Ogram's house, and act and speak as if you were independent. What sort

ul argument. He raised his brows,

ut, after all, to be a silly, ordinary woman, and it's horribly unjust. If you go away

ked uncomfortable, then stepped

said Iris, wit

oo, resume