CHAPTER XXX
關燈
小
中
大
hematWickhamPlace.Justassomepeopleceasetoattendwhenbooksarementioned,soTibby’sattentionwanderedwhen“personalrelations”cameunderdiscussion.OughtMargarettoknowwhatHelenknewtheBaststoknow?Similarquestionshadvexedhimfrominfancy,andatOxfordhehadlearnedtosaythattheimportanceofhumanbeingshasbeenvastlyoverratedbyspecialists.Theepigram,withitsfaintwhiffoftheeighties,meantnothing.Buthemighthaveletitoffnowifhissisterhadnotbeenceaselesslybeautiful.
“Yousee,Helen—haveacigarette—Idon’tseewhatI’mtodo.”
“Thenthere’snothingtobedone.Idaresayyouareright.Letthemmarry.Thereremainsthequestionofcompensation.”
“Doyouwantmetoadjudicatethattoo?Hadyounotbetterconsultanexpert?”
“Thispartisinconfidence,”saidHelen.“IthasnothingtodowithMeg,anddonotmentionittoher.Thecompensation—IdonotseewhoistopayitifIdon’t,andIhavealreadydecidedontheminimumsum.AssoonaspossibleIamplacingittoyouraccount,andwhenIaminGermanyyouwillpayitoverforme.Ishallneverforgetyourkindness,Tibbikins,ifyoudothis.”
“Whatisthesum?”
“Fivethousand.”
“GoodGodalive!”saidTibby,andwentcrimson.
“Now,whatisthegoodofdriblets?Togothroughlifehavingdoneonething—tohaveraisedonepersonfromtheabyssnotthesepunygiftsofshillingsandblankets—makingthegreymoregrey.Nodoubtpeoplewillthinkmeextraordinary.”
“Idon’tcareaniotawhatpeoplethink!”criedhe,heatedtounusualmanlinessofdiction.“Butit’shalfwhatyouhave.”
“Notnearlyhalf.”Shespreadoutherhandsoverhersoiledskirt.“Ihavefartoomuch,andwesettledatChelsealastspringthatthreehundredayearisnecessarytosetamanonhisfeet.WhatIgivewillbringinahundredandfiftybetweentwo.Itisn’tenough.”Hecouldnotrecover.Hewasnotangryorevenshocked,andhesawthatHelenwouldstillhaveplentytoliveon.Butitamazedhimtothinkwhathaycockspeoplecanmakeoftheirlives.Hisdelicateintonationswouldnotwork,andhecouldonlyblurtoutthatthefivethousandpoundswouldmeanagreatdealofbotherforhimpersonally.
“Ididn’texpectyoutounderstandme.”
“I?Iunderstandnobody.”
“Butyou’lldoit?”
“Apparently.”
“Ileaveyoutwocommissions,then.Thefirstcon
