into all that concerned Jane; he conversed privately with the old man for a couple of hours at a time, and these dialogues, for some reason or other, he made a point of reporting to Sidney.  According to these reports—­and Sidney did not wholly discredit them—­Michael was coming to have a far better opinion of his son than formerly, was even disposed to speak with him gravely of his dearest interests.

‘We talked no end about you, Sidney, last night,’ said Joseph on one occasion, with the smile, whereby he meant to express the last degree of friendly intelligence.

And Sidney, though anxiously desiring to know the gist of the conversation, in this instance was not gratified.  He could not bring himself to put questions, and went away in a mood of vague annoyance which Joseph had the especial power of exciting.

With the Byasses, Joseph was forming an intimacy; of this too Sidney became aware, and it irritated him.  The exact source of this irritation he did not at first recognise, but it was disclosed at length unmistakably enough, and that on the occasion of the visit recently described.  Bessie’s pleasantry, which roused him in so unwonted a manner, could bear, of course, but one meaning; as soon as he heard it, Sidney saw as in a flash that one remaining aspect of his position which had not as yet attracted his concern.  The Byasses had learnt, or had been put in the way of surmising, that Michael Snowdon was wealthy; instantly they passed to the reflection that in marrying Jane their old acquaintance would be doing an excellent stroke of business.  They were coarse-minded, and Bessie could even venture to jest with him on this detestable view of his projects.  But was it not very likely that they derived their information from Joseph Snowdon?  And if so, was it not all but certain that Joseph had suggested to them this way of regarding Sidney himself?

So when Jane’s face appeared at the door he held himself in stubborn disregard of her.  A thing impossible to him, he would have said a few minutes ago.  He revenged himself upon Jane.  Good; in this way he was likely to make noble advances.

The next evening he was due at the Snowdons’, and for the very first time he voluntarily kept away.  He posted a note to say that the business of his removal had made him irregular; he would come next week, when things were settled once more.

Thus it came to pass that he sat wretchedly in his unfamiliar room and groaned about ‘that accursed money.’  His only relief was in bursts of anger.  Why had he not the courage to go to Michael and say plainly what he thought?  ’You have formed a wild scheme, the project of a fanatic.  Its realisation would be a miracle, and in your heart you must know that Jane’s character contains no miraculous possibilities.  You are playing with people’s lives, as fanatics always do.  For Heaven’s sake, bestow your money on the practical folks who make a solid business of relieving distress!