"

A flush rose in Faversham's pale cheek.

"Mr. Melrose talked of hiring one yesterday," he said, unwillingly. "How
far are you?"

They fell into talk about Duddon and the neighbourhood, avoiding any
further discussion of Melrose. Then Faversham described his accident, and
spoke warmly of Undershaw, an occupation in which Tatham heartily joined.

"I owe my life to him," said Faversham; adding with sudden sharpness, "I
suppose I must count it an advantage!"

"That would be the common way of looking at it!" laughed Tatham. "What
are you doing just now?"

"Nothing in particular. I am one of the large tribe of briefless
barristers. I suppose I've never given enough of my mind to it. The fact
is I don't like the law--never have. I've tried other things--fatal, of
course!--but they haven't come off, or at least only very moderately.
But, as you may suppose--I'm not exactly penniless. I have a few
resources--just enough to live on--without a wife."

Tatham felt a little awkward. Faversham's tone was already that of a man
to some extent disappointed and embittered.

"You had always so much more brains than the rest of us," he said
cordially. "You'll be all right."

"It's not brains that matter nowadays--it's money. What do you get by
brains? A civil service appointment--and a pension of seven hundred a
year. What's the good of slaving for that?"

Faversham turned to his companion with a smile, in which however there
was no good-humour. It made Tatham disagreeably conscious of his own
wealth.

"Well, of course, there are the prizes--"

"A few. So few that they don't count. A man may grind for years, and get
passed over or forgotten--just by a shave--at the end. I've seen that
happen often. Or you get on swimmingly for a while, and everybody
supposes you're going to romp in; and then something crops up you never
thought of. Some boss takes a dislike to you--or you make a mistake, and
cut your own throat. And there you are--pulled!"

Tatham was silent a moment, his blunt features expressing some
bewilderment. Then he said--awkwardly:

"So you don't really know what you're going to take up?"

Faversham lit another cigarette.

"Oh, well, I have some friends--and some ideas. If I once get a foothold,
a beginning--I daresay I could make money like other people. Every idiot
one meets seems to be doing it."

"Do you want to go into politics--or something of that kind?"

"I want to remain my own master, and do the