his mother had joined him there. He remained
there till we reached Liverpool--I never saw him. His mother, after a
little, at his request, left him alone. All the world went above to
look at the land and chatter about our tragedy, but the poor lady spent
the day, dismally enough, in her room. It seemed to me intolerably long;
I was thinking so of vague Porterfield and of my prospect of having to
face him on the morrow. Now of course I knew why she had asked me if I
should recognise him; she had delegated to me mentally a certain
pleasant office. I gave Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Gotch a wide berth--I
couldn't talk to them. I could, or at least I did a little, to Mrs.
Nettlepoint, but with too many reserves for comfort on either side, for
I foresaw that it would not in the least do now to mention Jasper to
her. I was obliged to assume by my silence that he had had nothing to do
with what had happened; and of course I never really ascertained what he
_had_ had to do. The secret of what passed between him and the strange
girl who would have sacrificed her marriage to him on so short an
acquaintance remains shut up in his breast. His mother, I know, went to
his door from time to time, but he refused her admission. That evening,
to be human at a venture, I requested the steward to go in and ask him
if he should care to see me, and the attendant returned with an answer
which he candidly transmitted. 'Not in the least!' Jasper apparently was
almost as scandalised as the captain.

At Liverpool, at the dock, when we had touched, twenty people came on
board and I had already made out Mr. Porterfield at a distance. He was
looking up at the side of the great vessel with disappointment written
(to my eyes) in his face--disappointment at not seeing the woman he
loved lean over it and wave her handkerchief to him. Every one was
looking at him, every one but she (his identity flew about in a moment)
and I wondered if he did not observe it. He used to be lean, he had
grown almost fat. The interval between us diminished--he was on the
plank and then on the deck with the jostling officers of the
customs--all too soon for my equanimity. I met him instantly however,
laid my hand on him and drew him away, though I perceived that he had no
impression of having seen me before. It was not till afterwards that I
thought this a little stupid of him. I drew him far away (I was
conscious of Mrs. Peck and Mrs. Gotch looking at us as we passed) into
the empt