, and if she does come back it'll be with an American husband and
he master of Kilgobbin. I know what America is, it never lets go of the
man or woman it catches hold of."

"You're not far wrong there," said Pinckney. "You see, life is set to a
faster pace in America than over here and once you learn to step that pace
you feel coming back here as if you were living in a country where people
are hobbled. At least that's my experience. Then the air is different.
There's somehow a feeling of morning in America that goes through the
whole day--almost--here, afternoon begins somewhere about eleven."

Hennessey yawned, and the two men, rising from the table, left the room
and crossed the hall to the library.

Here, after a while, Hennessey bade the other good night and departed for
bed, whilst Pinckney, leaning back in his armchair, fell into a lazy and
contemplative mood, his eyes wandering from point to point.

All this business was very new to him. Pinckney had inherited his father's
brains as well as his money. He had discovered that a large fortune
requires just as much care and attention as a large garden and that a man
can extract just as much interest and amusement and the physical health
that comes from both, out of money-tending as out of flower and vegetable
growing. Knowing all about cotton and nearly everything about wheat, he
managed occasionally to do a bit of speculative dealing without the least
danger of burning his fingers. Self-reliant and self-assured, knowing his
road and all its turnings, he had moved through life up to this with the
ease of a well-oiled and almost frictionless mechanism.

But here was a new thing of which he had never dreamed. Here was another
destiny suddenly thrust into his charge and another person's property to
be conserved and dealt with. Never, never, did he dream when acceding to
Berknowles' request, of the troubles, little difficulties and causes of
indecision that were preparing to meet him.

Up till now, one side of his character had been almost unknown to him. He
had been quite unaware that he possessed a conscience most painfully
sensitive with regard to the interests of others, a conscience that would
prick him and poison his peace were he to leave even little things undone
in the fulfilment of the trust he had undertaken so lightheartedly.

Possessing a keen eye for men he began to recognise now why Berknowles had
not chosen the easy-going Hennessey to look after Phy