"
He appeared to be commenting upon some illustration
which had occurred to his own mind, but was not visible
to his auditors. While they regarded him, he was prompted
to admit them to his confidence.
"There was a case of it today," he said, and then paused.
"Precisely," put in Miss Madden. "The fact that
some Frenchwoman, of whom you had never heard before,
was going to lose her marriage portion caught your attention,
and on the instant you presented her with $10,000,
an exercise of power which happens to be on the generous
side--but still entirely unreasoning, and not deserving
of any intellectual respect. And here's the point: if it
had happened that somebody else chanced to produce an
opposite impression upon you, you would have been capable
of taking $50,000 away from him with just as light a heart."
Thorpe's face beamed with repressed amusement. "As a matter
of fact it was that kind of case I was going to mention.
I wasn't referring to the girl and her marriage portion.
A young man came to me today--came into my room all
cock-a-whoop, smiling to himself with the notion that he
had only to name what he wanted, and I would give it
to him--and----"
He stopped abruptly, with a confused little laugh.
He had been upon the brink of telling about Lord
Plowden's discomfiture, and even now the story itched
upon his tongue.
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