Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

TO LUNCH WITH LORD ASCOT. 281
man with carte blanche in the way of invention, to give the cause
for a man's actions. I have thought and thought, and I cannot
for the life of me tell you why Lord Welter answered Lord Saltire like that, whether it was from deep cunning or merely from
recklessness. If it was cunning, it was cunning of a high order.
It was genius. The mixture of respect and kindness towards the
person, and of carelessness about his favor was - well - very creditable. Lord Saltire did not think he was acting, and his opinion
is of some value, I believe. But then, we must remember that he
was prepared to think the best of Lord Welter that day, and must
make allowances. I am not prepared with an opinion; let every
man form his own. I only know that Lord Saltire tapped his
teeth with his snuff-box, and remained silent. Lord Welter,
whether consciously or no, was nearer the half of a million of
money than he had ever been before.
But Adelaide's finer sense was offended at her husband's
method of proceeding. For one instant, when she heard him
say what he did, she could have killed him. " Recklessj brutal,
selfish," she said fiercely to herself, "throwing a duke's fortune
to the winds by sheer obstinacy." (At this time she picked up
Lady Ascot's spectacles, and was playfully placing them on her
venerable nose.) " I wish I had never seen him. He is maddening. If he only had some brains, where might we not be? " But
the conversation of that morning came to her mind with a jar,
and the suspicion with it, that he had more brains of a sort than
she; that, though they were on a par in morality, there was a
strength about him, against which her finesse was worthless. She
knew she could never deceive Lord Saltire, and there was Lord
Saltire tapping him on the knee with his snuff-box, and talking
earnestly and confidentially to him. She was beginning to respect her husband. He dared face that terrible old man with his
hundreds of thousands; she trembled in his presence.
Let us leave her, fooling our dear old friend to the top of her
bent, and hear what the men were saying.
"I know you have been, as they say now,'very fast,'" said
Lord Saltire, drawing nearer to him. "I don't want to ask any
questions which don't concern me. You have sense enough to
know that it is worth your while to stand well with me. Will
you answer me a few questions which do concern me?"
"I can make no promises, Lord Saltire. Let me hear what
they are, will you?"
"Why," said Lord Saltire, "about Charles Ravenshoe."
"About Charles! " said Lord Welter, looking up at Lord Saltire. "0 yes; any number. I have nothing to conceal there.
Of course you will know everything. I had sooner you knew it
from me than another."