look. He was ready to fight them. He was so
certain that he would have to fight. He had shown them Jules
Reveillaud's letter.

He said, "Look here, we've got to get it straight. It isn't any use
going on like this. I'm afraid I wasn't very honest about Germany."

"Weren't you?" said Anthony. "Let me see, I think you said you'd take it
on your way to China and Japan."

"Did I? I tried to be straight about it. I thought I was giving it a
fair chance. But that was before I'd seen Reveillaud."

"Well," said Anthony, "now that you have seen him, what is it exactly
that you want to do?"

Michael told him.

"You can make it easy for me. Or you can make it hard. But you can't
stop me."

"What makes you think I want to stop you?"

"Well--you want me to go into the business, though I told you years ago
there was only one thing I should ever be any good at. And I see your
point. I can't earn my living at it. That's where I'm had. Still, I
think Lawrence Stephen will give me work, and I can rub along somehow."

"Without my help, you mean?"

"Well, yes. Why _should_ you help me? You've wasted tons of money on me
as it is. Nicky's earning his own living, and he's got a wife, too.
Why not me?"

"Because you can't do it, Michael."

"I can. I don't mind roughing it. I could live on a hundred a year--or
less, if I don't marry."

"Well, I don't mean you to try. You needn't bother about what you can
live on and what you can't live on. It was all settled last night. Your
mother and I talked it over. We don't want you to go into the business.
We don't want you to take work from Mr. Stephen. We want you to be
absolutely free to do your own work, under the best possible conditions,
whether it pays or not. Nothing in the world matters to us but your
happiness. You're to have a hundred and fifty a year when you're living
at home and two hundred and fifty when you're living abroad. I suppose
you'll want to go abroad sometimes. I can't give you a bigger allowance,
because I have to help Nicky--"

Michael covered his face with his hands.

"Oh--don't, Daddy. You do make me feel a rotten beast."

"We should feel rottener beasts," said Frances, "if we stood in your
way."

"Then," said Michael (he was still incredulous), "you do care?"

"Of course we care," said Anthony.

"I don't mean for me--for _it_?"

"My dear Mick," said Frances, "we care for It almost as much as we care
for you. We're sorry about Germany though. German