old Chad was at sight of him thinking of him as older: he wanted to
put him up for the night just because he was ancient and weary. It
could never be said the tenant of these quarters wasn't nice to him; a
tenant who, if he might indeed now keep him, was probably prepared to
work it all still more thoroughly. Our friend had in fact the
impression that with the minimum of encouragement Chad would propose to
keep him indefinitely; an impression in the lap of which one of his own
possibilities seemed to sit. Madame de Vionnet had wished him to
stay--so why didn't that happily fit? He could enshrine himself for
the rest of his days in his young host's chambre d'ami and draw out
these days at his young host's expense: there could scarce be greater
logical expression of the countenance he had been moved to give. There
was literally a minute--it was strange enough--during which he grasped
the idea that as he WAS acting, as he could only act, he was
inconsistent. The sign that the inward forces he had obeyed really
hung together would be that--in default always of another career--he
should promote the good cause by mounting guard on it. These things,
during his first minutes, came and went; but they were after all
practically disposed of as soon as he had mentioned his errand. He had
come to say good-bye--yet that was only a part; so that from the moment
Chad accepted his farewell the question of a more ideal affirmation
gave way to something else. He proceeded with the rest of his business.
"You'll be a brute, you know--you'll be guilty of the last infamy--if
you ever forsake her."

That, uttered there at the solemn hour, uttered in the place that was
full of her influence, was the rest of his business; and when once he
had heard himself say it he felt that his message had never before been
spoken. It placed his present call immediately on solid ground, and
the effect of it was to enable him quite to play with what we have
called the key. Chad showed no shade of embarrassment, but had none
the less been troubled for him after their meeting in the country; had
had fears and doubts on the subject of his comfort. He was disturbed,
as it were, only FOR him, and had positively gone away to ease him off,
to let him down--if it wasn't indeed rather to screw him up--the more
gently. Seeing him now fairly jaded he had come, with characteristic
good humour, all the way to meet him, and what Strether thereupon
supremely mad