ledge he had used to such disastrous effect, and then to
Pateley, who had taken it from him.

It is unpleasant enough for a child, at a time of life generally
familiar with humiliation and chastisement, to see the moment nearing
when his guilt will be discovered: but it is horrible for a man who is
approaching old age, who is dignified and respected, suddenly to find
himself in the position of having something to conceal, of being
actually afraid of facing the judgment and incurring the censure of a
younger man. And at that moment Gore felt as if he almost hated the man
whose hand could hurl such a thunderbolt. Then his thoughts turned to
Pateley, to the probable result of his operations in the City. In the
other greater anxiety which he himself had suddenly imported into his
life, that first care, which yet was important enough, of the "Equator,"
had almost sunk out of sight. Would the mine turn out to be a gold mine
after all? What would Pateley be able to do? Would he be able to make
enough to cover his liabilities? and his head swam as he tried to
remember what these might amount to.

In the meantime Rendel, in a very different frame of mind from that of
his father-in-law, or, indeed, from that of his own of the night before,
filled with a buoyant thrill of expectation, with the sense that
something was going to happen, that everything might be going to happen,
was looking out into life as one who looks from a watch tower waiting on
fortune and circumstances, waiting confident and well-equipped without a
misgiving. The day was big with fate: a day on which new developments
might continue for himself, the thrill of excitement of the night
before, the sense of being in the foreground, of being actually hurried
along in the front between the two giants who were leading the way. The
dining-room was ablaze with sunshine as he came into it, and in the
morning light sat Rachel, looking up at him with a smile when he came
into the room.

"What an excellent world it is, truly!" said Rendel, as he came across
the room.

"I am glad it is to your liking," she answered.

"You look very well this morning," said Rendel, looking at her, "which
means very pretty."

"I don't feel so especially pretty," said Rachel, with something between
a smile and a sigh.

"Don't you? Don't have any illusions about your appearance," said
Rendel. "Don't suppose yourself to be plain, please."

"I am not so sure," said Rachel, as she began p