"O no, I suppose not; but I want to know what they say."
So they had supper; and after supper she watched while he sat reading it; as leaf after leaf was turned over, from the close-written and close-lying package in Winthrop"s hand to the array of pages that had already been turned back and lay loose piled on the table; while Winthrop"s pencil now and then made an admonitory note in the margin. How his sister admired him! -- and at last forgot the bill in studying the face of the bill-reader. It was very little changed from its old wont; and what difference there might be, was not the effect of a business life. The cool and invariable self-possession and self-command of the character had kept and promised to keep him _himself_, in the midst of these and any other concerns, however entangling or engrossing. The change, if any, was traceable to somewhat else; or to somewhat else Winnie laid it, -- though she would not have called it a change, but only an added touch of perfection. She could not tell, as she looked, what that touch had done; if told, perhaps it might be, that it had added sweetness to the gravity and gravity to the sweetness that was there before. How Winnie loved that broad brow, and the very hand it rested on! All the well-known lines of calmness and strength about the face her eye went over and over again; she had quite forgotten Mr. Ryle; and she saw Winthrop folding up the voluminous "answer," and she hardly cared to ask what was in it. She watched the hands that were doing it. _They_ seemed to speak his character, too; she thought they did; calmness and decision were in the very fingers. Before her curiosity had recovered itself enough to speak, Mr. Herder came in.
They talked for awhile about other things; and then Winthrop told him of the answer.
"You have it!" cried the naturalist. "And what do they say?"
"Nothing, fully and honestly."
"Ah ha! -- And do they grant -- do they allow anything of your charges, that you made in your bill?"
"Yes -- in a vague and unsatisfactory way, they do."
"Vague --?" said the naturalist.
"Not open and clear. But the other day in the street I was stopped by Mr. Brick --"
"Who is Brick?" said Mr. Herder.
"He is Ryle"s lawyer. He stopped me a few days ago and told me there was one matter in the answer with which perhaps I would not be satisfied -- which perhaps I should not think sufficiently full; but he said, he, who had drawn the answer, _knew_, personally, all about it; and he a.s.sured me that the answer in this matter granted all, and more, than I could gain in any other way; and that if I carried the proceedings further, in hopes to gain more for my client, the effect would only be an endless delay."
"Do they offer to give him _something?_" said the naturalist.
"The answer does make disclosures, which though, as I said, vague and imperfect, still promise to give him something."
"And you think it might be more?"
"Brick a.s.sures me, on his own knowledge, that by going on with the matter we shall only gain an endless lawsuit."
"What do you think, Wint"rop?"
"I want you to give this paper to Mr. Lansing, and ask him what _he_ thinks. Ask him to read it, and tell him what Brick says; and then let him make up his mind whether we had better go on or not."
"I do not care for n.o.body"s mind but yours," said the naturalist.
"Let us have Mr. Lansing"s first."
So Mr. Herder carried away the answer to Mr. Lansing, and in a few days came back to report progress.
"He has read it," said Mr. Herder, "and he says he do not make anything of it at all. He leaves the whole thing wiz you."
"Does he understand what is hinted at by these half disclosures?"
"He says he does not understand nozing of it -- he knows not what they mean -- he does not know whether to go on, whether to stop here. He says, and I say, you judge and do what you please."
"I confess, Mr. Herder, that Mr. Brick"s kind warning has made me suspicious of his and his princ.i.p.al"s good faith; and my will would be to go on."
"Go on, then!" said the naturalist -- "I say so too -- go on! I do not trust that Brick no more than you do; and Mr. Ryle, _him_ I do not trust. Now what will you do next?"
"Take exceptions to the answer, where it seems to be insufficient, and make them answer again."
"Exception --?" said the naturalist.
In answer to which Winthrop went into explanations at some length; from which at least this much was clearly made out by Mr. Herder and Winnie, -- that the cause would come to a hearing probably in May, before Chancellor Justice; when Winthrop and Mr. Brick would stand openly pitted against each other and have an opportunity of trying their mutual strength, or the strength of their principles; when also it would, according to the issue of said conflict, be decided whether the Ryles must or not reply to Winthrop"s further demands upon them.
"And this Chancellor Justice -- is he good man?" said Mr.
Herder.
"As good a man as I want to argue before," said Winthrop. "I ask no better. All is safe in that quarter."
That all was safe in another quarter, both Mr. Herder and Winnie felt sure; and both looked eagerly forward to May; both too with very much the same feeling of pride and interest in their champion.
Winnie"s heart jumped again at hearing a few days after, that Mr. Satterthwaite had put his affairs into Winthrop"s hands; partly, Winthrop said he supposed, out of friendship for him, and partly out of confidence in him. It was rather a mark of the former, that he insisted upon paying a handsome retaining fee.
"Now where"s Mr. Cool and his affairs?" said Winnie.
"I suppose Mr. Cool is at Coldstream, where he keeps "cool"
all the year round, I understand."
"But he promised to put _his_ affairs into your hands."
"Then he"ll do it. Perhaps they keep cool too."
"I wish May would be here," said Winnie.
Winthrop was at the table one evening, -- while it still wanted some weeks of the May term, -- writing, as usual, with heaps of folio papers scattered all about him; writing fast; and Winnie was either reading or looking at him, who was the book she loved best to study; when Rufus came in. Both looked up and welcomed him smilingly; but then Winthrop went on with his writing; while Winnie"s book was laid down. She had enough else now to do. Rufus took a seat by the fire and did as she often did, -- looked at Winthrop.
"Are you always writing?" said he somewhat gloomily.
"Not always," said Winthrop. "I sometimes read, for variety."
"Law papers?"
"Law papers -- when I can"t read anything else."
"That"s pretty much all the time, isn"t it?"
"O no," said Winnie; -- "he reads a great deal to me -- we were reading a while ago, before you came in -- we read every evening."
Rufus brought his attention round upon her, not, as it seemed, with perfect complacency.
"What time does this girl go to bed?"
How Winnie"s face changed. Winthrop answered without stopping his pen. --
"When she is tired of sitting up -- not until then."
"She ought to have a regular hour -- and an early one."