A VALIANT IGNORANCE A VALIANT IGNORANCE A Novel BY MARY ANGELA DICKENS AUTHOR OF “CROSS CURRENTS,” “A MERE CYPHER,” ETC. “Thy gold is brass!” PRINCE HOHENSTIEL SCHWANGAU _IN THREE VOLUMES_ VOL. III. London MACMILLAN & CO. AND NEW YORK 1894 A VALIANT IGNORANCE CHAPTER I It was not generally known among his acquaintances that Marston Loring had come back from Africa accompanied by a new friend; this new friend was not introduced by Loring at either of his clubs, and yet the two met at least once every day. He was a man named Alfred Ramsay; a small, insignificant-looking man, with sandy hair, which had turned--in streaks--the peculiar grey which such hair assumes, and small, dull eyes that never seemed to move in his head. It was nearly three o’clock on the afternoon following that on which Loring had called on Mrs. Romayne, and he and his new friend were together in his chambers in the Temple. Mr. Ramsay had been there several times before, and he was sitting now in an arm-chair in the sunshine with an air of total want of interest in his surroundings, which was characteristic of him. Loring was walking up and down the room thoughtfully. “Romayne!” observed Ramsay. “Not a particularly good name on the market! It belonged to a first-class swindler twenty years ago--William Romayne. This young gentleman is no connexion, I suppose?” The remark broke a short silence, and Loring stopped in his walk and leant back against the mantelpiece as he answered. “Yes,” he said tersely, “he’s his son. He has never been in his father’s line, though--I doubt whether he knows anything about him, though it’s an odd thing that he shouldn’t! As to the name, why, it’s an old story, and won’t affect any one nowadays, I take it. The point is that he has this respectable capital, and is--exceedingly keen on increasing it.” There was a dryness in Loring’s voice as he said the last words, which implied a great deal more than did his words. And it was apparently to that significance that the other man replied. “A chip of the old block,” said Ramsay musingly. “I wonder, now, how far it goes?” The last words were spoken very slowly, and the dull eyes looked straight before them. Loring looked down at him with a cynical smile just touching his lips. He knew considerably more about his new friend’s character than he would have chosen to put into words, and he could guess, not inaccurately, what was passing in his mind at the moment. And the realisation of the shadowy possibilities with which Ramsay was occupied was no part of Marston Loring’s designs. He made no direct answer.