In the meantime Lopez received Mr Wharton's letter at Dovercourt, and had to consider what answer he should give to it.No answer could be satisfactory,--unless he could impose a false answer on his father-in-law so as to make it credible.The more he thought of it, the more he believed this would be impossible.The cautious old lawyer would not accept unverified statements.Acertain sum of money,--by no means illiberal at present,--he had already extracted from the old man.What he wanted was a further and much larger grant.Though Mr Wharton was old he did not want to have to wait for the death even of an old man.The next two or three years,--probably the very next year,--might be the turning-point of his life.He had married the girl, and ought to have the girl's fortune,--down on the nail! As he thought of this he cursed his ill luck.The husbands of other girls had their fortunes conveyed to them immediately on their marriage.What would not 20,000 pounds do for him, if he could get it into his hand? And so he taught himself to regard the old man as a robber and himself as a victim.Who among us is there who does not teach himself the same lesson? And then too how cruelly, how damnably he had been used by the Duchess of Omnium!
And how Sexty Parker, whose fortune he was making for him, whose fortune he at any rate intended to make, was troubling him in various ways.'We're in a boat together,' Sexty had said.
'You've had the use of my money, and by heavens you have it still.I don't see why you should be so stiff.Do you bring your missus to Dovercourt, and I'll take mine, and let 'em know each other.' There was a little argument on the subject, but Sexty Parker had the best of it, and in this way the trip to Dovercourt was arranged.
Lopez was in a very good humour when he took his wife down, and he walked her round the terraces and esplanades of that not sufficiently well-known marine paradise, now bidding her admire the sea and now laughing at the finery of the people, till she became gradually filled with the idea that he was making himself pleasant, she also ought to do the same.Of course she was not happy.The gilding had so completely and so rapidly been washed off her idol that she could not be very happy.But she also could be good-humoured.'And now,' said he, smiling, 'I have got something for you to do for me,--something that you will find very disagreeable.'
'What is it? It won't be very bad, I'm sure.'
'It will be very bad, I'm afraid.My excellent but horribly vulgar partner, Sexty Parker, when he found that I was coming here, insisted on bringing his wife and children also.I want you to know them.'
'Is that all? She must be very bad indeed if I can't put up with that.'
'In one sense she isn't bad at all.I believe her to be an excellent woman, intent on spoiling her children and giving her husband a good dinner every day.But I think you will find that she is,--well,--not quite what you would call a lady.'
'I shan't mind that in the least.I'll help her spoil the children.'
'You can get a lesson there, you know,' he said, looking into her face.The little joke was one which a young wife might take with pleasure from her husband, but her life had already been too much embittered for any such delight.Yes; the time was coming when that trouble also would be added to her.She dreaded she knew not what, and had often told herself that it would be better that she should be childless.
'Do you like him?' she said.
'Like him.No;--I can't say I like him.He is useful, and in one sense honest.'
'Is he not honest in all senses?'
'That's a large order.To tell you the truth, I don't know any man who is.'
'Everett is honest.'
'He loses money at play which he can't pay without assistance from his father.If his father had refused, where would then have been his honesty? Sexty is as honest as others, I dare say, but I shouldn't like to trust him much farther than I could see him.I shan't go up to town to-morrow, and we'll both look in on them after luncheon.'
In the afternoon the call was made.The Parkers, having children, had dined early, and he was sitting out on a little porch smoking his pipe, drinking whisky and water, and looking at the sea.His eldest girl was standing between his legs, and his wife, with the other three children round her, was sitting on the door-step.'I've brought my wife to see you,' said Lopez, holding his hand to Mrs Parker, as she rose from the ground.
