Little Journey in the World eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 339 pages of information about Little Journey in the World.

Little Journey in the World eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 339 pages of information about Little Journey in the World.

“Not for himself—­” began Henderson, mischievously.

“That will do.”  She stopped him.  “Or that he ever had any intention—­”

“I don’t see how he could resist such—­”

“Stuff!  See here, Mr. Rodney!” The girl sprang up, seized a plaque from the table, held it aloft in one hand, took half a dozen fascinating, languid steps, advancing and retreating with the grace of a Nautch girl, holding her dress with the other hand so as to allow a free movement.  “Do you think I’d ever do that for John the Lyon’s head on a charger?”

Then her mood changed to the domestic, as she threw herself into an easy-chair and said:  “After all, I’m rather sorry he has gone.  He was a man you could trust; that is, if you wanted to trust anybody—­I wish I had been made good.”

When Henderson bade her good-night it was with the renewed impression that she was a very diverting comrade.

“I’m sort of sorry for you,” she said, and her eyes were not so serious as to offend, as she gave him her hand, “for when you are married, you know, as the saying is, you’ll want some place to spend your evenings.”  The audacity of the remark was quite obscured in the innocent frankness and sweetness of her manner.

What Henderson had to show Hollowell in his office had been of a nature greatly to interest that able financier.  It was a project that would have excited the sympathy of Carmen, but Henderson did not speak of it to her—­though he had found that she was a safe deposit of daring schemes in general—­on account of a feeling of loyalty to Margaret, to whom he had never mentioned it in any of his daily letters.  The scheme made a great deal of noise, later on, when it came to the light of consummation in legislatures and in courts, both civil and criminal; but its magnitude and success added greatly to Henderson’s reputation as a bold and fortunate operator, and gave him that consideration which always attaches to those who command millions of money, and have the nerve to go undaunted through the most trying crises.  I am anticipating by saying that it absolutely ruined thousands of innocent people, caused widespread strikes and practical business paralysis over a large region; but those things were regarded as only incidental to a certain sort of development, and did not impair the business standing, and rather helped the social position, of the two or three men who counted their gains by millions in the operation.  It furnished occupation and gave good fees to a multitude of lawyers, and was dignified by the anxious consultation of many learned judges.  A moralist, if he were poor and pessimistic, might have put the case in a line, and taken that line from the Mosaic decalogue (which was not intended for this new dispensation); but it was involved in such a cloud of legal technicalities, and took on such an aspect of enterprise and development of resources, and what not, that the general public mind was completely befogged about it.  I am charitable enough to suppose that if the scheme had failed, the public conscience is so tender that there would have been a question of Henderson’s honesty.  But it did not fail.

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Project Gutenberg
Little Journey in the World from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.