Denry blushed, quite probably for the last time in his life. And he saw
with fresh clearness how great he was, and how large he must loom in the
life of the town. He perceived that he had been too modest.

V

You could not be elected to the Sports Club all in a minute. There were
formalities; and that these formalities were complicated and took time
is simply a proof that the club was correctly exclusive and worth
belonging to. When at length Denry received notice from the "Secretary
and Steward" that he was elected to the most sparkling fellowship in the
Five Towns, he was positively afraid to go and visit the club. He wanted
some old and experienced member to lead him gently into the club and
explain its usages and introduce him to the chief _habitues_. Or
else he wanted to slip in unobserved while the heads of clubmen were
turned. And then he had a distressing shock. Mrs Codleyn took it into
her head that she must sell her cottage property. Now, Mrs Codleyn's
cottage property was the back-bone of Denry's livelihood, and he could
by no means be sure that a new owner would employ him as rent-collector.
A new owner might have the absurd notion of collecting rents in person.
Vainly did Denry exhibit to Mrs Codleyn rows of figures, showing that
her income from the property had increased under his control. Vainly did
he assert that from no other form of investment would she derive such a
handsome interest. She went so far as to consult an auctioneer. The
auctioneer's idea of what could constitute a fair reserve price shook,
but did not quite overthrow her. At this crisis it was that Denry
happened to say to her, in his new large manner: "Why! If I could
afford, I'd buy the property off you myself, just to show you...!" (He
did not explain, and he did not perhaps know himself, what had to be
shown.) She answered that she wished to goodness he would! Then he said
wildly that he _would_, in instalments! And he actually did buy the
Widow Hullins's half-a-crown-a-week cottage for forty-five pounds, of
which he paid thirty pounds in cash and arranged that the balance should
be deducted gradually from his weekly commission. He chose the Widow
Hullins's because it stood by itself--an odd piece, as it were, chipped
off from the block of Mrs Codleyn's realty. The transaction quietened
Mrs Codleyn. And Denry felt secure because she could not now dispense
with his services without losing her security for fifteen pounds. (He
still