‘Instead——?  Well?’

‘What I have told you.’

’Which I interpret thus:  that you have permission to redeem your character, if possible, in the eyes of a woman you have grievously misled.’

Godwin frowned.

‘Who suggested this to you, Earwaker?’

’You; no one else.  I don’t even know who the woman is of whom you speak.’

’Grant you are right.  As an honest man, I should never have won her faintest interest.’

’It is absurd for us to talk about it.  Think in the way that is most helpful to you,—­that, no doubt, is a reasonable rule.  Let us have done with all these obscurities, and come to a practical question.  Can I be of any use to you?  Would you care, for instance, to write an article now and then on some scientific matter that has a popular interest?  I think I could promise to get that kind of thing printed for you.  Or would you review an occasional book that happened to be in your line?’

Godwin reflected.

‘Thank you,’ he replied, at length.  ’I should be glad of such work —­if I can get into the mood for doing it properly.  That won’t be just yet; but perhaps when I have found a place’——­

‘Think it over.  Write to me about it.’

Peak glanced round the room.

‘You don’t know how glad I am,’ he said, ’that your prosperity shows itself in this region of bachelordom.  If I had seen you in a comfortable house, married to a woman worthy of you—­I couldn’t have been sincere in my congratulations:  I should have envied you so fiercely.’

’You’re a strange fellow.  Twenty years hence—­as you said just now —­you will one way or another have got rid of your astounding illusions.  At fifty—­well, let us say at sixty—­you will have a chance of seeing things without these preposterous sexual spectacles.’

’I hope so.  Every stage of life has its powers and enjoyments.  When I am old, I hope to perceive and judge without passion of any kind.  But is that any reason why my youth should be frustrated?  We have only one life, and I want to live mine throughout.’

Soon after this Peak rose.  He remembered that the journalist’s time was valuable, and that he no longer had the right to demand more of it than could be granted to any casual caller.  Earwaker behaved with all friendliness, but their relations had necessarily suffered a change.  More than a year of separation, spent by the one in accumulating memories of dishonour, had given the other an enviable position among men; Earwaker had his place in the social system, his growing circle of friend, his congenial labour; perhaps—­ notwithstanding the tone in which he spoke of marriage—­his hopes of domestic happiness.  All this with no sacrifice of principle.  He was fortunate in his temper, moral and intellectual; partly directing circumstances, partly guided by their pressure, he advanced on the way of harmonious development.  Nothing great would come of his endeavours, but what he aimed at he steadily perfected.  And this in spite of the adverse conditions under which he began his course.  Nature had been kind to him; what more could one say?