ncy. 'I can do
nothing for you in return.'

'You can.'

She looked anxiously at him, for his voice sounded ominous.

'What?'

'You can acknowledge that you never did me justice.'

'It's true that I didn't,' she answered languidly; speaking as though
the concession mattered little.

Barmby brightened. His hands were upon his knees; he raised his chin,
and smiled at vacancy.

'You thought me unworthy of you. You can confess to me that you were
mistaken.'

'I didn't know you as I do now,' fell from the expressionless lips.

'Thank you for saying that! Well, then, your anxiety is at an end. You
are not in the hands of a mercenary enemy, but of a man whose principles
forbid him to do anything ignoble, who has an ideal of life, the result
of much study and thought. You have never heard me speak about religion,
but you would be gravely mistaken if you thought I had no religious
convictions. Some day I shall treat that subject before our Society,
and it is probable that my views will give rise to a good deal of
discussion. I have formed a religion for myself; when I write my essay,
I think I shall call it "The Religion of a Man of Business." One of
the great evils of the day is the vulgar supposition that commerce has
nothing to do with religious faith. I shall show how utterly wrong
that is. It would take too long to explain to you my mature views of
Christianity. I am not sure that I recognise any of the ordinary dogmas;
I think I have progressed beyond them. However, we shall have many
opportunities of talking about these things.'

Nancy uttered a mere 'Yes.' She was looking at Tarrant's letter on the
side-table, and wishing to be alone that she might read it again.

'In the meantime,' Samuel pursued, 'whatever difficulty arises, confide
it to me. Probably you will wish to tell me more before long; you know
that I am not unworthy to be your adviser. And so let us shake hands, in
sign of genuine friendship.'

Nancy gave her fingers, which felt very cold upon Barmby's warm, moist
palm.

'This conversation has been trying to you,' he said, 'but relief of mind
will soon follow. If anything occurs to me that may help to soothe you,
I will write.'

'Thank you.'

'At the beginning of our interview you didn't think it would end like
this?'

There was something of the boy in Samuel, perhaps the wholesomest
part of him. Having manifested his admirable qualities, he felt a
light-hearted pleasure in asking for ren