Her deep expectancy irritated him too. He had
anticipated that, however, and was aware that her trust and confidence in
him were alike profound. Perhaps a shadow of fear, distrust or uneasiness
had pleased him better. He was snugly back in his tub of impersonality from
which he liked to view the fools' show drift pass. His last experiment in
the actively objective had ruined a girl and promised to produce a fine
picture. And that was the end of it. No fellow-creature could ever share
this cynic's barrel with him.
Presently Joan departed upon her long tramp home. She had gone to convey a
message to one of Thomasin Tregenza's friends at Paul. And when the girl
left him, with a promise to come at all costs upon the next sunny morning,
Barron began to think about money again. He found that the larger the
imaginary figures, the smaller shadow of discomfort clouded his thoughts.
So he decided upon an act of princely generosity, as the result of which
resolve peace returned and an unruffled mind. For the musty conventionality
of his conclusion, it merely served as a peg upon which to hang thoughts
not necessary to set down here.
CHAPTER TWO
THE PARTING
Joan had only told her lover a part of what happened in her home when
Thomasin broke her suspicions to Gray Michael. He had taken the matter very
seriously indeed, delivered a stern homily and commanded his daughter to
read the Book of Ecclesiasticus through thrice.
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