Francis William Lauderdale Adams

“ She had left a gas-jet turned full on.
I bolted the door, and began pulling off my coat, when I felt the emptiness inside me again. I sat down on the unsteady chair, and began thinking about what had occurred to me to-day; but I soon gave it up: rose and, for a moment, stood irresolute whether to go out and get some food, or to ask this woman, Mrs. Smith, for some, or to get into bed without any? At last I thought I would get into bed. Sleep, cool quiet sleep, would calm and refresh me. ”

“ It is surprising that the world, which I had somehow or other always supposed to be one great witness to the justice of God, seems to be after all rather more like a great stage on which the drama of Might over Right is perpetually being played. ”

“ Now does pure Right ever come off best? that is, does pure Right ever win by its own unadulterated purity? I rather doubt it. For, surely, when Right is crowned victor, there are certain laws which, having been observed, have brought this about, and consequently Wrong, if it only knows how to observe these laws, is crowned victor also. ”

“ I at once went in to see Craven about it.
I came out from the short interview a little puzzled. He had heard from Colonel James, he said. He gave me enough money for my fare second-class to London and a few shillings over. I might start when I liked. I told him (I don't know why) that I thought I should take the early morning train, as Colonel James had mentioned it as one that would do.
As I was dressing for tea, it suddenly occurred to me that I had heard somewhere about a train which left Glastonbury about six and got into London pretty late that night.—Why not go by it? As well as not! ”

“ I remember once in second lesson so losing patience with myself that, unconscious of the presence of anyone, I let fly with my foot at a form in front of me, which went over with a loud bang on to the boards in a small dust-cloud, and as I sat motionless frowning at my book, and answered nothing to the questions Craven asked me about the matter, was given the lesson to write out twice, and afterwards was called up and spoken to on the subject. ”

“ He half-smilingly asked if any of us knew Italian? No one did. But I recalled some words of mine to Rayne, and determined that I would learn Italian. After second lesson, then, I went down to the school bookseller, and bought of him a little Italian dictionary and grammar. The man knew nothing of Italian literature, nor did I: I could not even remember any of the names Rayne had quoted, except Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio. But all at once I thought of Macaulay's Essay on Machiavelli and of some words therein, and asked the man if he had a Machiavelli. ”

“ Good men are good, because they couldn't be happy bad. Bad men are bad because they couldn't be happy good. Men who are the most unselfish are the most selfish: the very pain that their unselfishness causes them is their pleasure. ”

“ Well, ah, it is so, and every hour is bringing in worse information on the, ah, matter. It is, you may perhaps see, Mr. Leicester, quite impossible for you to continue your career at—Glastonbury. Every penny of your father's money has—gone. ”

“ The doctor says too that it has done him good.—But I really must go out now! Excuse this final scrawl. I have hopes of a storm to-night. Love of course from the daddy. In haste, dear Bertram,—Truly yours, Rayne Cholmeley.
'P.S.—As we're on the move I'll send you an address to send your answer to in a little. R. C.'
(The part about her standing up bare-headed in the boat thrilled me: the rest was almost interestless.)
One day at the end of second lesson Craven came upon a piece of Italian in one of his books of reference, and could not translate it all. ”

“ I slowly took off my greatcoat, and then sat down in a chair by the table facing him, he remaining standing. After a pause:
'You have rather taken me by surprise, Mr. Leicester,' he said, 'I, ah, did not expect you till to-morrow morning: as you have said, as you have said.—Did Dr. Craven give you any information about the, ah, reason for your journey?' (Looking up at me as before.) 'No? he did not?—Very well. He acted wisely. I have every possible reason to believe that Dr. Craven is a man of distinguished, ah, fore-thought.' (He kept on inserting 'ah's' in that way all the while.) ”

“ Some way on in February, one Saturday afternoon just after dinner, to me, sitting up in the bedroom looking through some of the De Oratore for 'third lesson,' enter Armstrong, who throws me a letter and exit. I pick it up: recognise Colonel James's handwriting: open and read it. He must request my presence in London immediately on important matters. I could apply to Dr. Craven for the necessary funds. There was a train arrived in London to-morrow about one. ”

“ She had. I found that there was a train left Glastonbury at 5.55 or so, and got into London at about eight. I looked at the clock. It was twenty minutes to six now. I would try it!
I had bought a glazed black bag last holidays, as being a useful sort of thing for a peripatetic to have. I got a clean night-gown, a clean shirt, a couple of collars, a pair of socks, and some handkerchiefs out of my linen locker: went back into my room: fished the black bag from under my bed: packed in the things I wanted: took my great-coat off the peg,and started away. ”

“ I put bag and hat on to a dark-red mahogany chair by an umbrella stand, and went up. The man ushered me in through an open door to the right. I entered. The first thing I saw was the part of a large low red-clothed table under the light of a red-shaded lamp: then, a rather thin old gentleman standing on the right side of the hearthrug with his back to the fire. He raised his head. There was a light-flash on his glasses.
He spoke,
'Mr. Leicester?' he said. ”