第110章

"He has written to you， then， and told you all about it？""He has written to me， certainly， and I have answered him.""No doubt. Well， Lucy， I had intended to be kind to your Mr Hamel， but， as you are probably aware， I was not enabled to carry out my intentions. He seems to be a very independent sort of young man.""He is independent， I think."

"I have not a word to say against it. If a man can be independent it is so much the better. If a man can do everything for himself， so as to require neither to beg nor to borrow， it will be much better for him. But， my dear， you must understand that a man cannot be independent with one hand， and accept assistance with the other， at one and the same time.""That is not his character， I am sure，" said Lucy， striving to hide her indignation while she defended her lover's character.

"I do not think it is. Therefore he must remain independent， and I can do nothing for him.""He knows that， Uncle Tom."

"Very well. Then there's an end of it. I only want to make you understand that I was willing to assist him， but that he was unwilling to be assisted. I like him all the better for it， but there must be an end of it.""I quite understand， Uncle Tom."

"Then there's one other thing I've got to say. He accused me of having threatened to turn you out of my house. Now， my dear -- " Hereupon Lucy struggled to say a word， hardly knowing what word she ought to say， but he interrupted her -- "Just hear me out till I've done， and then there need not be another word about it. I never threatened to turn you out.""Not you， Uncle Tom，" she said， endeavouring to press his arm with her hand.

"If your aunt said a word in her anger you should not have made enough of it to write and tell him.""I thought she meant me to go， and then I didn't know whom else to ask.""Neither I nor she， nor anybody else， ever intended bo turn you out. I have meant to be kind to you both -- to you and Ayala；and if things have gone wrong I cannot say that it has been my fault. Now， you had better stay here， and not say a word more about it till he is ready to take you. That can't be yet for a long time. He is making， at present， not more than two hundred a year. And I am sure it must be quite as much as he can do to keep a coat on his back with such an income as that. You must make up your mind to wait -- probably for some years. As I told you before， if a man chooses to have the glory of independence he must also bear the inconvenience. Now， my dear， let there be an end of this， and never say again that I want to turn you out of my house."第一章

TOM TRINGLE SENDS A CHALLENGE

The next six weeks went on tranquilly at Merle Park without a word spoken about Hamel. Sir Thomas， who was in the country as little as possible， showed his scorn to his son-in-law simply by the paucity of his words， speaking to him， when he did speak to him， with a deliberate courtesy which Mr Traffick perfectly understood. It was that dangerous serenity which so often presages a storm. "There is something going to be up with your father，"he said to Augusta. Augusta replied that she had never seen her father so civil before. "It would be a great convenience"， continued the Member of Parliament， "if he could be made to hold his tongue till Parliament meets； but I'm afraid that's too good to expect."In other respects things were comfortable at Merle Park， though they were not always comfortable up in London. Tom， as the reader knows， was misbehaving himself sadly at the Mountaineers. This was the period of unlimited champagne， and of almost total absence from Lombard Street. It was seldom that Sir Thomas could get hold of his son， and when he did that broken-hearted youth would reply to his expostulations simply by asserting that if his father would induce Ayala to marry him everything should go straight in Lombard Street. Then came the final blow. Tom was of course expected at Merle Park on Christmas Eve， but did not make his appearance either then or on Christmas Day. Christmas fell on a Wednesday， and it was intended that the family should remain in the country till the following Monday. On the Thursday Sir Thomas went up to town to make inquiries respecting his heir， as to whom Lady Tringle had then become absolutely unhappy. In London he heard the disastrous truth. Tom， in his sportive mood， had caused serious inconvenience to a most respectable policeman， and was destined to remain another week in the hands of the Philistines.

Then， for a time， all the other Tringle troubles were buried and forgotten in this great trouble respecting Tom. Lady Tringle was unable to leave her room during the period of incarceration.

Mr Traffick promised to have the victim liberated by the direct interference of the Secretary of State， but failed to get anything of the kind accomplished. The girls were completely cowed by the enormity of the misfortune； so that Tom's name was hardly mentioned except in sad and confidential whispers. But of all the sufferers Sir Thomas suffered the most. To him it was a positive disgrace， weighing down every moment of his life. At Travers and Treason he could not hold up his head boldly and open his mouth loudly as had always been his wont. At Travers and Treason there was not a clerk who did not know that "the governor" was an altered man since this misfortune had happened to the hope of the firm. What passed between Sir Thomas and his son on the occasion has already been told in a previous chapter. That Sir Thomas， on the whole， behaved with indulgence must be acknowledged；but he felt that his son must in truth absent himself from Lombard Street for a time.

Tom had been advised by his father to go forth and see the world.