and were offered to him as the legitimately-won fruits of a politic
life. While others deemed him mad, or merely reckless, wild, a creature
living for the day, he enjoyed the conceit of being a profound schemer,
in which he was fortified by a really extraordinary adroitness to take
advantage of occurrences: and because he was prompt in an emergency,
and quick to profit of a crisis, he was deluded to imagine that he had
created it. Such a man would be with difficulty brought to surrender his
prize.

Again, there was his love for me. 'Pater est, Pamphile;--difficile
est.' How was this vast conceit of a not unreal paternal love to be
encountered? The sense of honour and of decency might appeal to him
personally; would either of them get a hearing if he fancied them to
be standing in opposition to my dearest interests? I, unhappily, as the
case would be sure to present itself to him, appeared the living example
of his eminently politic career. After establishing me the heir of one
of the wealthiest of English commoners, would he be likely to forego any
desperate chance of ennobling me by the brilliant marriage? His dreadful
devotion to me extinguished the hope that he would, unless I should
happen to be particularly masterful in dealing with him. I heard his
nimble and overwhelming volubility like a flood advancing. That could be
withstood, and his arguments and persuasions. But by what steps could I
restrain the man himself? I said 'the man,' as Janet did. He figured
in my apprehensive imagination as an engine more than as an individual.
Lassitude oppressed me. I felt that I required every access of strength
possible, physical besides moral, in anticipation of our encounter,
and took a swim in sea-water, which displaced my drowsy fit, and some
alarming intimations of cowardice menacing a paralysis of the will: I
had not altogether recovered from my gipsy drubbing. And now I wanted to
have the contest over instantly. It seemed presumable that my father had
slept at my lodgings. There, however, the report of him was, that he
had inspected the rooms, highly complimented the owner of them, and
vanished.

Returning to the pier, I learnt that he had set sail in his hired yacht
for the sister town on the Solent, at an early hour:--for what purpose?
I knew of it too late to intercept it. One of the squire's horses
trotted me over; I came upon Colonel Hibbert Segrave near the
Club-house, and heard that my father was off again: