art and his brain and his soul that others might knew
the light in them. I saw and heard a man offer up his life that others
might know some gleam of happiness in THEIR lives. It was wonderful! It
was heroic! It was God-like!"

"If I ever hear of you doing such a thing again, you shall go back to
London the next day."

"That sounds exactly as though my dead father were speaking."

"I'll not be made a laughing-stock by you."

"You make yourself one as your father did before you. A Kingsnorth!
What has your name meant? Because one of our forefathers cheated the
world into giving him a fortune, by buying his goods for more than they
were worth, we have tried to canonise him and put a halo around the
name of Kingsnorth. To me it stands for all that is mean and selfish
and vain and ignorant. The power of money over intellect. How did we
become owners of this miserable piece of land? A Kingsnorth swindled
its rightful owner. Lent him money on usury, bought up his bills and
his mortgages and when he couldn't pay foreclosed on him. No wander
there's a curse on the village and on us!"

Kingsnorth tried to speak, but she stopped him:

"Wait a moment. It was a good stroke of business taking this estate
away. Oh yes, it was a good stroke of business. Our name has been built
up on 'good strokes of business.' Well, I tell you it's a BAD stroke of
business when human lives are put into the hands of such creatures as
we Kingsnorths have proved ourselves!"

"Stop!" cried Nathaniel, outraged to the innermost sanctuary of his
being. "Stop! You don't speak like one of our family. It is like
listening to some heretic--some--"

"I don't feel like one of your family. YOU are a KINGSNORTH. _I_ am my
MOTHER'S child. My poor, gentle, patient mother, who lived a life of
unselfish resignation: who welcomed death, when it came to her, as a
release from tyranny. Don't call ME a Kingsnorth. I know the family too
well. I know all the name means to the people who have suffered through
YOUR FAMILY."

"After this--the best thing--the only thing--is to separate," said
Nathaniel.

"Whenever you wish."

"I'll make you an allowance."

"Don't let it be a burden."

"I've never been so shocked--so stunned--"

"I am glad. From my cradle I've been shocked and stunned--in my home.
It's some compensation to know you are capable of the feeling, too.
Frankly, I didn't think you were."

"We'll talk no more of this," and Nathaniel began to pace the