With his instinctive politeness Louis turned to improve the fire.
And as he poked among the coals he said, in the way of amiable conversation--
"How"s South Africa?"
"All right," replied Julian, who hated to impart his sensations. If Julian had witnessed Napoleon"s retreat from Moscow he would have come to the Five Towns and, if questioned--not otherwise--would have said that it was all right.
Louis, however, suspected that his brevity was due to Julian"s resentment of any inquisitiveness concerning his doings in South Africa; and he therefore at once abandoned South Africa as a subject of talk, though he was rather curious to know what, indeed, Julian had been about in South Africa for six mortal months. n.o.body in the Five Towns knew for certain what Julian had been about in South Africa. It was understood that he had gone there as a commercial traveller for his own wares, when his business was in a highly unsatisfactory condition, and that he had meant to stay for only a month. The excursion had been deemed somewhat mad, but not more mad than sundry other deeds of Julian. Then Julian"s manager, Foulger, had (it appeared) received authority to a.s.sume responsible charge of the manufactory until further notice. From that moment the business had prospered: a result at which n.o.body was surprised, because Foulger was notoriously a "good man" who had hitherto been baulked in his ideas by an obstinate young employer.
In a community of stiff-necked employers, Julian already held a high place for the quality of being stiff-necked. Jim Horrocleave, for example, had a queer, murderous manner with customers and with "hands," but Horrocleave was friendly towards scientific ideas in the earthenware industry, and had even given half a guinea to the fund for encouraging technical education in the district. Whereas Julian Maldon not only terrorized customers and work-people (the latter nevertheless had a sort of liking for him), but was bitingly scornful of "cranky chemists," or "Germans," as he called the scientific educated experts.
He was the pure essence of the British manufacturer. He refused to make what the market wanted, unless the market happened to want what he wanted to make. He hated to understand the reasons underlying the processes of manufacture, or to do anything which had not been regularly done for at least fifty years. And he accepted orders like insults. The wonder was, not that he did so little business, but that he did so much. Still, people did respect him. His aunt Maldon, with her skilled habit of finding good points in mankind, had thought that he must be remarkably intelligent because he was so rude.
Beyond a vague rumour that Julian had established a general pottery agency in Cape Town with favourable prospects, no further news of him had reached England. But of course it was admitted that his inheritance had definitely saved the business, and also much improved his situation in the eyes of the community ... And now he had achieved a reappearance which in mysteriousness excelled even his absence.
"So you see we"re installed here," said Louis, when he had finished with the fire.
"Aye!" muttered Julian dryly, and shut his lips.
Louis tried no more conversational openings. He was afraid. He waited for Julian"s initiative as for an earthquake; for he knew now at the roots of his soul that the phrasing of the note was misleading, and that Julian had come to charge him with having misappropriated the sum of nine hundred and sixty-five pounds. He had, in reality, surmised as much on first reading the note, but somehow he had managed to put away the surmise as absurd and incredible.
After a formidable silence Julian said savagely--
"Look here. I"ve got something to tell you. I"ve written it all down, and I thought to send it ye by post. But after I"d written it I said to myself I"d tell it ye face to face or I"d die for it. And so here I am."
"Oh!" Louis murmured. He would have liked to be genially facetious, but his mouth was dried up. He could not ask any questions. He waited.
"Where"s missis?" Julian demanded.
Louis started, not instantly comprehending.
"Rachel? She"s--she"s in bed. She"d gone to bed before you sent round."
"Well, I"ll thank ye to get her up, then!" Julian p.r.o.nounced. "She"s got to hear this at first hand, not at second." His gaze expressed a frank distrust of Louis.
"But--"
At this moment Rachel came into the parlour, apparently fully dressed.
Her eyes were red, but her self-control was complete.
Julian glared at Louis as at a trapped liar.
"I thought ye said she was in bed."
"She was," said Louis. He could find nothing to say to his wife.
Rachel nonchalantly held out her hand.
"So you"ve come," she said.
"Aye!" said Julian gruffly, and served Rachel"s hand as he had served Louis".
She winced without concealment.
"Was it you we saw going down Moorthorne Road to-night?" she asked.
"It was," said Julian, looking at the carpet.
"Well, why didn"t you come in then?"
"I couldn"t make up my mind, if you must know."
"Aren"t you going to sit down?"
Julian sat down.
Louis reflected that women were astonishing and incalculable, and the discovery seemed to him original, even profound. Imagine her tackling Julian in this fashion, with no preliminaries! She might have seen Julian last only on the previous day! The odalisque had vanished in this chill and matter-of-fact housewife.
"And why were you at the "Three Tuns"?" she went on.
Julian replied with extraordinary bitterness--
"I was at the "Three Tuns" because I was at the "Three Tuns.""
"I see you"ve grown a beard," said Rachel.
"Happen I have," said Julian. "But what I say is, I"ve got something to tell you two. I"ve written it all down and I thought to post it to ye. But after I"d written it I says to myself, "I"ll tell "em face to face or I"ll die for it.""
"Is it about that money?" Rachel inquired.
"Aye!"
"Then Mr. Batchgrew did write and tell you about it. Won"t you take that great, thick overcoat off?"
Julian jumped up as if in fury, pulled off the overcoat with violent gestures, and threw in on the Chesterfield. Then he sat down again, and, sticking out his chin, stared inimically at Louis.
Louis" throat was now so tight that he was nervously obliged to make the motion of swallowing. He could look neither at Rachel nor at Julian. He was nonplussed. He knew not what to expect nor what he feared. He could not even be sure that what he feared was an accusation. "I am safe. I am safe," he tried to repeat to himself, deeply convinced, nevertheless, against his reason, that he was not safe. The whole scene, every aspect of it, baffled and inexpressibly dismayed him.
Julian still stared, with mouth open, threatening. Then he slapped his knee.
"Nay!" said he. "I shall read it to ye." And he drew some sheets of foolscap from his pocket. He opened the sheets, and frowned at them, and coughed. "Nay!" said he. "There"s nothing else for it. I must smoke."
And he produced a charred pipe which might or might not have been the gift of Mrs. Maldon, filled it, struck a match on his boot, and turbulently puffed outrageous quant.i.ties of smoke. Louis, with singular courage, lit a cigarette, which gave him a little ease of demeanour, if not confidence.
II
And then at length Julian began to read--
""Before I went to South Africa last autumn I found myself in considerable business difficulties. The causes of said difficulties were bad trade, unfair compet.i.tion, and price-cutting at home and abroad, especially in Germany, and the modern spirit of unrest among the working-cla.s.ses making it impossible for an employer to be master on his own works. I was not insolvent, but I needed capital, the life-blood of industry. In justice to myself I ought to explain that my visit to South Africa was very carefully planned and thought out. I had a good reason to believe that a lot of business in door-furniture could be done there, and that I could obtain some capital from a customer in Durban. I point this out merely because trade rivals have tried to throw ridicule upon me for going out to South Africa when I did. I must ask you to read carefully"--you see, this was a letter to you," he interjected--"read carefully all that I say. I will now proceed."