'Then the name of the Longworths is nothing to you--the good name, I
mean?'
'The good name of the Longworths, my dear sir, is everything to me; but
I fancy it will be able to take care of itself without any assistance
from you.'
There was silence for a few moments. Then Wentworth said, in a voice of
suppressed anguish:
'I thought, Mr. Longworth, one of your family was a scoundrel; I now wish
to say I believe the epithet covers uncle as well as nephew. You have had
a chance to repair the mischief a member of your family has done. You
have answered me with contempt. You have not shown the slightest
indication of wishing to make amends.'
He unlocked the door.
'Come, now,' said old Mr. Longworth, rising, 'that will do, that will do,
Mr. Wentworth.' Then he pressed an electric bell, and, when the clerk
appeared, he said: 'Show this gentleman the door, please, and if ever he
calls here again, do not admit him.'
And so George Wentworth, clenching his hands with rage, was shown to the
door. He had the rest of the day to ponder on the fact that an angry man
seldom accomplishes his purpose.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The stormy interview with Wentworth disturbed the usual serenity of Mr.
Longworth's temper. He went home earlier than was customary with him
that night, and the more he thought over the attack, the more
unjustifiable it seemed. He wondered what his nephew had really done,
and tried to remember what Wentworth had charged against him. He could
not recollect, the angrier portions of the interview having, as it were,
blotted the charges from his mind. There remained, however, a very
bitter resentment against Wentworth. Mr. Longworth searched his
conscience to see if he could be in the least to blame, but he found
nothing in the recollections of his dealings with the young men to
justify him in feeling at all responsible for the disaster that had
overtaken them. He read his favourite evening paper with less than his
usual interest, for every now and then the episode in his office would
occur to him. Finally he said sharply:
'Edith!'
'Yes, father,' answered his daughter.
'You remember a person named Wentworth, whom you had here the evening
William went away?'
'Yes, father.'
'Very well. Never invite him to this house again.'
'What has he been doing?' asked the young woman in rather a tremulous
voice.
'I desire you also never to ask anyone connected with him--that man
Kenyon, for instance,' continued her father, ignoring her question.
'I thought,' she answered, 'that Mr. Kenyon was not in this country at
present.'
'He is not, but he will be back again, I suppose. At any rate, I wish to
have nothing more to do with those people. You understand that?'
'Yes, father.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account