You ladies may thank your stars you don't have that kind
of callers!"
The sound of these figures in the air brought a constrained
look to the faces of the women. Seemingly they
confronted a subject which was not to their liking.
The American, however, after a moment's pause, took it
up in an indifferent manner.
"You speak of an 'absolute gratuity.' I know nothing
of London City methods--but isn't ten thousand pounds
a gratuity on a rather large scale?"
Thorpe hesitated briefly, then smiled, and, with slow deliberation,
drew up a chair and seated himself before them. "Perhaps I
don't mind telling you about it," he began, and paused again.
"I had a letter in my mail this morning," he went on at last,
giving a sentimental significance to both tone and glance--"a
letter which changed everything in the world for me,
and made me the proudest and happiest man above ground.
And I put that letter in my pocket, right here on the left
side--and it's there now, for that matter"--he put his hand
to his breast, as if under the impulse to verify his words
by the production of the missive, and then stopped and flushed.
The ladies, watching him, seemed by their eyes to condone
the mawkishness of the demonstration which had tempted him.
There was indeed a kind of approving interest in their
joint regard, which he had not experienced before.
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