Victor sketched one or two of the traits allusively to the hearer acquainted with them.  They received strong colouring from midday’s Old Veuve in his blood.  His voice and words had a swing of conviction:  they imparted vinousness to a heart athirst.

The histrionic self-deceiver may be a persuasive deceiver of another, who is again, though not ignorant of his character, tempted to swallow the nostrums which have made so gallant a man of him:  his imperceptible sensible playing of the part, on a substratum of sincereness, induces fascinatingly to the like performance on our side, that we may be armed as he is for enjoying the coveted reality through the partial simulation of possessing it.  And this is not a task to us when we have looked our actor in the face, and seen him bear the look, knowing that he is not intentionally untruthful; and when we incline to be captivated by his rare theatrical air of confidence; when it seems as an outside thought striking us, that he may not be altogether deceived in the present instance; when suddenly an expectation of the thing desired is born and swims in a credible featureless vagueness on a misty scene:  and when we are being kissed and the blood is warmed.  In fine, here as everywhere along our history, when the sensations are spirited up to drown the mind, we become drift-matter of tides, metal to magnets.  And if we are women, who commonly allow the lead to men, getting it for themselves only by snaky cunning or desperate adventure, credulity—­the continued trust in the man—­is the alternative of despair.

‘But, Victor, I must ask,’ Nataly said:  ’you have it through Simeon Fenellan; you have not yourself received the letter from her lawyer?’

’My knowledge of what she would do near the grave—­poor soul, yes!  I shall soon be hearing.’

‘You do not, propose to enter this place until—­until it is over?’

’We enter this place, my love, without any sort of ceremony.  We live there independently, and we can we have quarters there for our friends.  Our one neighbour is London—­there!  And at Lakelands we are able to entertain London and wife;—­our friends, in short; with some, what we have to call, satellites.  You inspect the house and grounds to-morrow—­sure to be fair.  Put aside all but the pleasant recollections of Craye and Creckholt.  We start on a different footing.  Really nothing can be simpler.  Keeping your town-house, you are now and then in residence at Lakelands, where you entertain your set, teach them to feel the charm of country life:  we have everything about us; could have had our own milk and cream up to London the last two months.  Was it very naughty?—­I should have exploded my surprise!  You will see, you will see to-morrow.’

Nataly nodded, as required.  ‘Good news from the mines?’ she said.

He answered:  ’Dartrey is—­yes, poor fellow!  Dartrey is confident, from the yield of stones, that the value of our claim counts in a number of millions.  The same with the gold.  But gold-mines are lodgeings, not homes.’