THE METHODS OF MR. AMES
 
 BT FREDERIC C4RREL 
 
 JOHN JOHNS 
 
 AN EDUCATION 
 
 THE CITY 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF PAULINE KESSLER 
 
 THE REALIZATION OF JUSTUS MORAN 
 
 HOUSES OF IGNORANCE 
 
 MARCUS AND FAUSTINA
 
 The Methods 
 of Mr. Ames 
 
 FREDERIC CARREL 
 
 NEW YORK 
 MITCHELL KENNERLEY
 
 Copyright 1908, by Mitchell Kennerlej
 
 The Methods of Mr. Ames 
 
 THE shriek of the steam syren announced the en- 
 trance of the Channel steamer into Dover harbour as 
 Ames stood upon the deck amid a crowd of passen- 
 gers. This, then, was England, the land which he 
 had quitted as a boy, and which, as a man, he had 
 come to seek again. 
 
 The spring sun shone through a whisk of cloud 
 on the high stone pier, but the sky, Ames thought, 
 was pale, contrasting badly with the firmament of 
 Florence, which he had left three days before. 
 
 No matter, this was the land where he was born. 
 It was here that a new era of his life was to begin, 
 where the passage from poverty to wealth was des- 
 tined to be made, if the prospects which had been 
 held out to him were true. !As the vessel stopped, 
 he moved with the crowd of passengers towards the 
 exit. Landing presently, he passed into the station, 
 and after a short halt at the Customs took a seat in 
 the London train. 
 
 From the carriage window, at the beginning of 
 the journey, he observed the scene. The harsh slate 
 roofs and the uniformity of the red-brick houses, 
 the mist of coal smoke which hovered round the out- 
 skirts of the town, then the bright green meadows 
 and the foliage of the trees and hedges, revived mem- 
 ories which were almost lost. The same aspect of the 
 
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 2 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 outer world had met his gaze when as a boy he had 
 left with his widowed mother flying from poverty at 
 home. His boyhood had been passed in the clement 
 atmosphere of Florence, and when he had left the 
 University of Rome, equipped with the knowledge 
 which it had to give, he had drifted into art, for 
 which he had an aptitude. He was thinking of de- 
 voting himself to it entirely when two events, one 
 following hard upon the other, had turned his foot- 
 steps towards England. Throughout their exile, 
 while they were living in a state approaching want, 
 his mother had maintained that one day they would 
 be affluent, and that all the stings of poverty would 
 be removed. But he had scarcely heeded her, think- 
 ing that the contingency on which she based her 
 hopes was too remote to be worth considering. And 
 yet that contingency, it seemed, had turned into a 
 reality. A railway accident had killed a father and 
 a son, and two days after his mother's death he had 
 been made aware that he was the next-of-kin. At 
 first he had scarcely credited the news, thinking his 
 uncle in Australia, from whom he never heard, almost 
 mythical. But the letters from the solicitors were 
 so definite and categorical, that at length he had 
 resolved to come. 
 
 The life of straitened means which he had led in 
 Florence, the limitations of desire which it imposed, 
 the humiliations which he had suffered, and his tem- 
 peramental love of elegance, all made him realise 
 how great a change in the scope of his existence' 
 would come about if the fortune, as to which the law- 
 yers wrote, were his. Society, which had frowned 
 on him so long, would smile upon him now, perhaps.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 3 
 
 The train reached the outskirts of the metropolis, 
 and Ames gazed with wonder at the field of roofs and 
 chimney tops which form the sad approach to Char- 
 ing Cross. Then he closed his eyes until the train 
 had reached the station. 
 
 At first he had been undecided as to the choice of 
 a hotel. He had heard that London now possessed 
 inns of great magnificence, but he thought it wiser, 
 until his position was assured, to select a small hotel 
 in Jermyn Street which he knew. 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as he had gone through the 
 ordeal of the luggage, he took a cab. The aspect 
 of London in that quarter of the capital is sufficiently 
 imposing, and Ames looked at the series of Doric or 
 Corinthian temples of the clubs with a certain ad- 
 miration. He noticed further on the fulness of the 
 thoroughfares, and the lively pace at which the 
 people walked. 
 
 There was plenty of vitality, he thought, in a race 
 that walked so fast, and he wondered that he was 
 not more in sympathy with this activity. It must 
 be, he concluded, that the life of Italy had modified 
 his natural proclivities, and that was also why he felt 
 somewhat a stranger in his native land. No matter, 
 he would adapt himself to English life, no doubt, and 
 if he could not, well then he would depart. 
 
 The cab stopped at the hotel, and it was not long 
 before he had been given a comfortable room looking 
 out upon the quiet street. He retired early, and 
 when he woke the next morning the sun was shining, 
 illumining the smoke-grimed walls of the houses 
 opposite. He took this as a good omen, and dressed 
 with a feeling of expectancy.
 
 4 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 He opened his window, and the air was fresh and 
 stimulating. Glistening hansoms with rubbered 
 wheels glided swiftly, almost silently, along. The 
 passers on the pavement walked with an air of 
 strength and capability. This was a city of many 
 possibilities, and he hurried down to breakfast so that 
 he might lose no time in becoming acquainted with it. 
 
 The office of the solicitors was in Chancery Lane, 
 and as it was still early he set out on foot for his 
 destination, after inquiring the road he should take. 
 As a boy, he had visited London once or twice, and 
 as soon as he found himself in Trafalgar Square he 
 felt that he was upon known ground. If the streets 
 had seemed thronged the night before, they seemed 
 invaded now. Truly this was a busy place. Pass- 
 ing along the narrow Strand, noticing the strange 
 disharmonies of divergent architectures, and the pres- 
 ence of the old at the side of the new, he reached the 
 blackening pile of the Tudoresque Law Courts, ob- 
 serving with a smile the obstruction which obscured 
 their view. Reaching the narrow lane in which the 
 lawyers carry on their trade, he found the number 
 readily. Winston & Morris was written large upon a 
 brass plate of the ground-floor office which he entered. 
 He asked a clerk whose head appeared at an open 
 wicket if he could see either of the partners. He was 
 eyed suspiciously at first and asked if he had made a 
 previous appointment. But when he announced his 
 name the clerk at once descended from his stool, and 
 with an air of excessive deference opened the door of 
 an inner room, in which he requested him to wait a 
 moment. Mr. Winston would receive him soon. And 
 while he waited, seated in a low arm-chair in a small
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 5 
 
 room lined with deed-boxes, he could hear the clerks 
 discussing something in low tones. Once he caught 
 the words : " I should like to be in his shoes," and, 
 presuming that they related to himself, he concluded 
 that he must be held to be in a fortunate position. 
 So much the better if it was so, but he was quite 
 determined that he would not allow his pulse to beat 
 one second faster than its wont. If wealth was his,, 
 he would accept the life which it afforded. If not, 
 then, without regret, he would continue his career. 
 
 Presently the clerk reappeared and, with the same 
 deference which he had shown at first, requested him 
 to step into the adjoining room. Here he found a 
 man of fifty with a shaven, legal face and keen, grey 
 eyes which scrutinised him keenly, but approvingly. 
 
 " You've come at last, Mr. Ames," he said. " I 
 have seldom seen an heir so unconcerned." 
 
 Ames smiled, and Winston added: 
 
 " Since my last letter the whole affair has been 
 completed. On the smallest computation, the for- 
 tune of your uncle amounts to close upon eight hun- 
 dred thousand pounds!" 
 
 Unmoved, Ames said: 
 
 " And is it genuine? " 
 
 " Oh, absolutely ; the bulk is in Colonial Stock." 
 
 *' Then I must consider myself as rich? " 
 
 " Oh, very affluent indeed. You are distinctly to 
 be envied." 
 
 Then he explained to Ames that not only was the 
 fortune in Colonial Bonds, but that the bulk of it 
 was lodged in London, so that all that was required 
 to send him into possession was his signature to sun- 
 dry deeds and the receipt of a reply from Melbourne,
 
 6 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 which would probably come in about a month. In 
 the meantime he would be happy to act as Ames' 
 banker. A clerk was called and Ames signed a num- 
 ber of documents and papers. 
 
 Then Winston asked: 
 
 " For how much shall I have you a cheque made 
 out?" 
 
 But Ames had a profound dislike to borrow. 
 * "I am not in need of money now." 
 
 " As you like, of course. But tell me, do you 
 know many people here? " 
 
 " Our friends in London all deserted us because 
 we were so poor." 
 
 " Oh, they'll be delighted to receive you now." 
 
 " Indeed? " 
 
 " You will want a club. Shall I put you up for 
 mine? " 
 
 " Thank you exceedingly. Not yet." 
 
 Winston could not suppress a cough of slight im- 
 patience. 
 
 " We have a fair share of the peerage." 
 
 But Ames was silent. Why should he give rea- 
 sons? He had done so long enough, and since this 
 power was his, it amused and pleased him to exercise 
 it now. For the rest, he must be better informed 
 than he was before taking steps in his new career. 
 
 This closed the interview. Ames, after promising 
 to call in a week for some additional formalities, 
 withdrew. When he found himself in the street 
 again, he felt surprised that he was not conscious 
 of more joy. True, he experienced a comfortable 
 feeling of assured existence, and many plans of 
 pleasurable life suggested themselves to him as if
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 7 
 
 competing for adoption. Nevertheless, there was no 
 exuberance, and he concluded that if this was the 
 case it must be either that there was something in the 
 atmosphere that calmed emotion, or else that the 
 effect of early disappointment had been to deaden 
 enthusiasm in his nature. He looked at the passers 
 in the street, wondering if they would have felt dif- 
 ferent in his position, what any of those busy men 
 who seemed so eagerly engaged in the struggle for 
 the daily bread would have done if he had found 
 himself, as the clerk expressed it, in his shoes. Some, 
 perhaps, would have gone mad, others would have 
 at once indulged in all the pleasures which they had 
 been hitherto denied, rushed round the country in 
 a motor car, gambled, or founded a museum to per- 
 petuate their name, or done a hundred other partly 
 wise and partly foolish things. And no doubt a 
 little later on he would also do some semi-wise and 
 semi-foolish things since life was an alternation of 
 wisdom and of folly. But for the moment he wanted 
 to do no more than observe, so that he might dis- 
 cover the course to take that led directly and securely 
 to the end for which men seemed to him to live, for 
 power. With the greatest wealth, he knew, there 
 might be unhappiness if the possessor did not act 
 astutely or with what the Machiavellian ethics (with 
 which one of his professors had almost secretly im- 
 bued him) termed virtti. Yes, in this age, as in that 
 of Machiavelli, a man must have that peculiar com- 
 bination of astuteness, nerve strength, patience, and 
 determination which was called virtil. And he was 
 well resolved that, as far as in him lay, he would 
 display that quality.
 
 8 THE METHODS OF. MR. AMES 
 
 He walked along, looking around with what 
 seemed to him an increasing interest in men and 
 things, realising that now that he was privileged to 
 be a spectator in the theatre of existence, freed from 
 the necessity of toil, there was an interest in life of 
 a kind which he had not previously experienced. The 
 anxiety of sustenance had been removed. All these 
 people whom he met looked more or less careworn. 
 For many of them, no doubt, the daily wage was 
 hard to earn and worry was their lot. Well, he 
 was relieved of that, and if he failed to make life 
 yield its best, he would only have himself to 
 blame. 
 
 It was nearly one o'clock before he found himself 
 at Charing Cross again, and as he was feeling some- 
 what hungry, he entered the nearest hotel, which 
 happened to be the " Grand," and lunched. 
 
 Then, as he had a plan for the afternoon and 
 wanted to execute it, he sauntered back to his hotel, 
 went up to his room, and drew from his valise a 
 slip of paper on which were written a few names 
 and addresses. These were the people whom his 
 mother used to know and of whom he had vaguely 
 heard from time to time in Florence. He gazed at 
 the little list and wondered whether the persons 
 named in it existed still, and, if so, whether they 
 were to be found at the same addresses now. They 
 were people of substance, he remembered, and it was 
 likely that they had not changed their residences. 
 He had found most of them in the Court Directory 
 the night before; but as the volume was three years 
 old it was clearly unreliable. Anyway, it would not 
 take long to ascertain.
 
 THE METHODS OF. MR. AMES 9 
 
 As it was still early, he spent an hour reading the 
 papers which he had bought upon the way, admir- 
 ing the skill which those of rival politics displayed 
 in welding facts into harmony with each of their 
 political contentions. What curious minds these 
 writers must possess, he thought, since they could 
 twist the truth so skilfully to suit their ends! In 
 one paper the virtue of the Government was praised 
 in terms that could scarcely fail to rouse a generous 
 enthusiasm in the reader's breast. In another, the 
 same Government was proved to be a body of inca- 
 pables, guided by no good motives. Which was 
 right? One or neither? He had neglected English 
 politics abroad, but he promised himself that he 
 would lose no time in studying their trend. 
 
 When he had finished his reflections he left his 
 room, went out, and hailing a hansom, ordered the 
 driver to take him to the first address upon his 
 list. 
 
 This was a house in Eaton Square, high-porticoed, 
 imposing. He rang the bell and asked if Mrs. Pen- 
 ton was at home. The servant thought she was en- 
 gaged, but after inquiring his name he showed him 
 into a room on the ground floor, furnished as a 
 library. Here Ames waited half an hour, reading 
 the titles of the volumes on the shelves, historical and 
 sporting, gazing at the mezzotints which hung upon 
 the walls, and at length, when he had begun to think 
 that he had been forgotten, and was in the act of 
 going out, the butler appeared again and requested 
 him to follow him upstairs. In the handsome draw- 
 ing-room into which he was shown, some twenty per- 
 sons of both sexes, seated at little tables, were play-
 
 10 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 ing cards. No one looked up as he entered, but 
 presently from the farther window corner an elderly 
 man advanced. 
 
 " You are the son of Mrs. Mary Ames ? " 
 
 Ames assented, and Penton, scruthiising him, led 
 him to a recess at the end of the room farthest from 
 the card-tables and asked him to sit down. 
 
 " It's a great many years since I saw your mother, 
 who left England, if I remember rightly, after your 
 father's death when you were quite a boy. And how 
 and where is your mother now? " 
 
 " My mother died at Florence a few months ago." 
 
 " Indeed," said Penton, with feigned concern. 
 " I'm sorry to hear it." 
 
 He added in a half-suspicious tone: 
 
 " You were educated, I suppose, in Italy ? " 
 
 "Yes, in Italy." 
 
 " And what are you doing now? " 
 
 " Hitherto I've studied art." 
 
 " Art ! " Penton repeated in a tone of something 
 like deprecation. " And is that what has brought 
 you here? " 
 
 " I've come on business." 
 
 " And where are you staying? " 
 
 " At James's Hotel in Jermyn Street." 
 
 "Oh," said Penton in a tone which seemed to de- 
 note ignorance of the status of the establishment 
 which Ames had named. 
 
 For a moment Penton reflected, and, while he was 
 doing so, Ames observed him closely, noticing that 
 his hair and his moustache were black, although he 
 knew that he must be sixty; that his face, though 
 puffed somewhat unhealthily, was free from wrin-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 11 
 
 kles ; that his figure was so faultless that he seemed 
 to be wearing stays. 
 
 Penton said at length : 
 
 " We have a bridge party here this afternoon, as 
 you perceive, and so I'm not quite free. I suppose 
 you do not play ? " 
 
 This was said in a tone which conveyed the im- 
 pression to Ames that Penton was extremely doubt- 
 ful whether his means permitted him to play. He 
 added loftily: 
 
 " We play for guineas." 
 
 But just as Ames was declaring his ignorance of 
 bridge, a game ended and the players rose. 
 
 Penton made a sign to one of them, a tall, dark, 
 handsome girl, to come to him. 
 
 " This is Mr. Ames," he said to her, " of whose 
 mother you have sometimes heard me speak." 
 
 " Oh, yes, of course," the young girl said in a 
 careless manner ; " we must have met when we were 
 small." Then, without waiting to say more or to 
 hear more about the visitor, she was about to hurry 
 away again, when something in Ames' physiognomy 
 made her look at him a second time. Ames' face was 
 worth a second look. Regular in feature, with dark 
 waved hair, dark blue eyes, and a skin made brown 
 by the sun of Italy, it was a face which could not 
 pass unnoticed. For the rest, Ames was above the 
 middle height, was well proportioned, and undoubt- 
 edly a type of manly beauty. 
 
 " Have you come to stay ? " she asked. 
 
 " Perhaps." 
 
 She was about to say more, but a new table had 
 been formed, and she was called to take a place at it.
 
 12 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " I am afraid they will be also wanting me," said 
 Penton, " so I hope you will excuse me. You will 
 generally find us in on Sunday afternoons." 
 
 This was said with an air of nonchalance, which 
 [Ames did not fail to notice, and with a simple " thank 
 you " he took leave. 
 
 When he reached the street he hailed a han- 
 som, gave to the driver the next address upon his 
 list, and reflected upon the visit he had just 
 made. 
 
 Evidently he was unwelcome, or only to be wel- 
 comed when it was ascertained what his circumstances 
 were. Why did these people hold so much to wealth? 
 Was it that they lacked it in spite of their apparent 
 affluence, or was it that they shrank from poverty? 
 Well, he would have time to ascertain. 
 
 The house at which he next alighted was in Cad- 
 ogan Place, a house of moderate dimensions, though 
 freshly painted and well kept. 
 
 A maid opened the door, and Ames inquired if 
 Mrs. Beauchamp was at home. 
 
 Upon her reply in the affirmative, he gave his name 
 and was shown up to the drawing-room. 
 
 Here, reclining on a sofa, he found a woman of 
 thirty, dressed in black. Ip the half light of the 
 curtained windows she appeared a handsome blonde, 
 with a full and shapely figure. 
 
 She looked with some surprise at the unknown vis- 
 itor, but as soon as he had described himself, she 
 said: "Of course I know you. Please sit down. 
 Your mother used to send me sweetmeats when I was 
 a little girl at school." 
 
 Ames felt that his reception here was a little better
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 13 
 
 than at the Pentons'. Perhaps he had lighted on a 
 future friend, if friends existed still. 
 
 For a moment each surveyed the other. He asked 
 at length : " Your husband? " 
 
 But she interrupted him : " My husband died two 
 years ago." 
 
 He looked at her again, seeking a sign of sorrow 
 on her face, but seeing none, he professed his igno- 
 rance of her bereavement, his regret. 
 
 They chatted. " And so you have come back," 
 she said, " and now, no doubt, you won't return. 
 You will take a flat in town." 
 
 He said : " Is that what you would counsel me 
 to do?" 
 
 " Yes ; there are some nice ones quite near here." 
 
 " Are they cheap or dear? " 
 
 " Oh, well, I suppose they're rather dear, but you 
 won't mind that if they're really nice, I shouldn't 
 think." 
 
 Ames could not repress a smile. 
 
 " I suppose," she said, " you haven't anything to 
 do? No profession, nothing of that kind, I mean? " 
 
 Ames smiled again. 
 
 " No, nothing of that kind." 
 
 " Dear me," she said, with increasing interest, 
 " how you resemble a portrait of your mother which 
 we used to have at home ! " 
 
 " And you," he answered, " how you resemble one 
 of a Madonna in the gallery at Rome." 
 
 She laughed. " You have not seen me well." 
 
 But he shook his head. No, no, he was in earnest. 
 
 " Do you know," she said, " I think we're likely 
 to be friends."
 
 14 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " / thought so from the first ! " 
 
 Then, as if she had still a final hesitation, she in- 
 quired : 
 
 " And where are you staying now ? " 
 
 He told her, and she said : 
 
 "I had a friend who stayed there also. It's a 
 nice and quiet little place, I know." 
 
 Two ladies were announced the Misses Norton- 
 Young and Ames observed them closely. 
 
 One, the elder, a handsome blonde, was a womanish 
 girl of some few years less than thirty, with a whit- 
 ened face and blue-grey languid eyes. The other, 
 taller and slighter, was a dark-haired beauty five 
 years younger, tall and well-proportioned. Both 
 were dressed with taste, better than the widow, whose 
 gown left much to be desired. 
 
 Ames was introduced, and when they heard that 
 he came from Florence they professed to take a 
 sudden interest in him. 
 
 " From Florence," said the elder. " I went there 
 a few years ago, and I was so charmed that I wrote 
 pages upon pages all about it till my editor would 
 have no more." 
 
 " Mr. Ames," said the hostess, " is an artist." She 
 hastened to add : " Not a professional, you know." 
 
 " We like artists," the younger said. " Melton 
 Thomas is a friend of ours." As she spoke, Ames 
 noticed an appearance of fatigue upon her face 
 the tired look of late hours and town life. They 
 talked of art, and Ames discovered that both sisters 
 had perceptions above the common level, that their 
 conversation, though somewhat affected now and 
 then, was on the whole intelligent. Nevertheless, they
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 15 
 
 were a species of young girl which seemed to him 
 apart. There was so little maidenly in their de- 
 meanour. 
 
 Mrs. Beauchamp said to the youngest suddenly : 
 
 " Sybil, you are not looking well to-day. I do 
 believe you've been over-smoking." 
 
 Sybil shrugged her shoulders. 
 
 " A packet in four and twenty hours. Surely 
 that's not much ! " 
 
 But Mrs. Beauchamp shook her head. 
 
 " It would be far too much for me. What does 
 your mother say? " 
 
 " Oh, mothers say nothing now, poor dears." 
 
 There was a laugh, and some fresh visitors arrived, 
 and for some time Ames chatted with the sisters. 
 Then he took leave. Sybil and her sister Maud left 
 at the same time, and in the hall Sybil said : 
 
 " On Sundays we receive the unconventional at 
 Pembridge Square. Will you not come? " 
 
 " Assuredly I will." 
 
 When he left the house he looked at his watch. 
 It was only a few minutes after five, and as the next 
 house on his list was in Kensington he jumped into 
 another hansom. On the drive he thought of the 
 people whom he had just seen. The sisters interested 
 him, because they had not sought to know his means ; 
 but perhaps, when he came to know them better, their 
 unconventionality would turn out to be spurious. 
 Well, it would be amusing to find out ; Sybil was un- 
 doubtedly nice-looking. 
 
 The house at which he next stopped was a large 
 one at Queen's Gate. It was one at which he had 
 often heard his mother say receptions were often
 
 16 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 held, where all the talent, all the wit and beauty that 
 London had were to be met. It was a house he felt 
 a certain curiosity to see. 
 
 He rang and asked a full-cheeked butler if Lady 
 Smeaton was at home. 
 
 The man answered that her ladyship was in and 
 asked him to enter a small reception-room on the 
 ground floor, inquiring his name. 
 
 Thinking that his name might be mispronounced, 
 Ames thought it better to adopt the Continental way, 
 and gave his card. He was not kept waiting long. 
 The butler came with an altered air and said : " Lady 
 Smeaton is engaged, sir." 
 
 Ames repressed a smile and left. 
 
 They would not receive him, that was plain. The 
 recollection of his father's ruin lingered still, and 
 they did not even think it worth the trouble to in- 
 quire whether the son was in the same straits as the 
 father. This was amusing and instructive. He won- 
 dered what their attitude would be when they learned 
 the true state of affairs. 
 
 As it was too late to do more that afternoon, he 
 strolled back to his hotel through Piccadilly, notic- 
 ing the houses and wondering where he would pitch 
 his tent. 
 
 Since his income was five-and-twenty-thousand, he 
 could afford to choose a not too modest habitation, 
 but he was quite resolved that, wherever it might be, 
 it must be at some distance from the turmoil of the 
 streets. In noise he could not think with all the 
 clearness which was needful for success. Therefore, 
 he must have a quiet residence. And, after all, he 
 was not rich. There were many men in London who
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 17 
 
 were far richer than he, and therefore he must not 
 consider himself more powerful than in reality he 
 was. Nevertheless, it was certain that he was supe- 
 rior in monetary strength to the majority of men. 
 
 When he reached the Circus, as it was still early, 
 he wandered down Waterloo Place until he reached 
 the Park, when his attention was attracted by a 
 stately row of mansions. They pleased him, but un- 
 fortunately none of these houses seemed to be let. 
 Perhaps, however, one might be for sale. This he 
 would ascertain.
 
 n 
 
 THREE weeks passed, during which Ames was busily 
 engaged in making himself familiar with the topog- 
 raphy of London and with its life, thinking it essen- 
 tial to his plan that he should be well acquainted with 
 the place in which his youth seemed destined to be 
 spent. He was also in negotiation for a house in 
 Carlton Terrace. He paid no more visits, thinking 
 that his first experience had shown him sufficiently 
 conclusively that a man without a known position, 
 or, in other words, an ascertained source of wealth, 
 was little better than a cipher in the society which 
 he had seen. Once or twice he had been tempted to 
 call at the Norton-Youngs' ; but reflection, and the 
 perusal of a novel dealing with the manners of so- 
 ciety, had convinced him that he would do better to 
 postpone his visit until he was effectually placed 
 upon the pedestal which fate or luck, or whatever 
 agency controls the lot of men, had given him. 
 
 One day, as he was reading one of the journals 
 devoted exclusively to society, he chanced upon a 
 paragraph relating to himself. It ran: 
 
 " London society is about to gain a recruit of sub- 
 stance in the person of Mr. Ames, who, as next-of- 
 kin, has succeeded to the estate of a relative in Mel- 
 bourne, valued at a million. Mr. Ames, we under- 
 stand, was educated in Italy, where he has resided 
 until now." 
 
 IS
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 19 
 
 A few days after this, and as a result of it, he 
 thought, invitations began to pour upon him. Not 
 only were there lying on his table letters from Mrs. 
 Penton, the widow, and from Lady Smeaton (the 
 latter excusing herself for having been unable to re- 
 ceive him when he called), but the remainder of his 
 list of friends those whom he had left uninvited 
 had written to him to tell of their joy at his return, 
 although it was a mystery to him how they had dis- 
 covered his address. Ha, ha! he was of sufficient 
 interest for people to be at pains to find out where 
 he lived! 
 
 Beside the letters on his table was the ground plan 
 of the house he meant to buy and a letter from 
 Winston informing him that all was ready for the 
 final stage in his affairs, and, what was more, that 
 gold had been discovered on the property. This 
 might be only a mere spec, but the thing was worth 
 investigation, and Ames thought, as he read the letter 
 for the second time : " What if I were some day 
 rich!" 
 
 As soon as the first moneys were paid into his bank 
 Ames left his modest room in Jermyn Street and took 
 a furnished flat in Whitehall Court while the mansion 
 which he had acquired was being rapidly prepared. 
 Then, when he had drawn up a scheme of furnishing 
 in accordance with his taste, and with certain ends 
 which he had in view, thinking that he was now upon 
 a basis which would postulate him suitably, he went 
 into the London world. 
 
 The first invitation he accepted was the Smeatons', 
 because he argued that in an aristocratic country 
 it was vitally important to make an entrance high
 
 20 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 up in the social scale. They had behaved to him like 
 the egotists they were, but since they had made some 
 sort of apology, and since they were needful to his 
 social welfare, it would be unwise of him to keep away 
 from them. Money certainly might do much, but 
 perhaps there was still left some proper pride which 
 not even money could offend without danger to that 
 social favour without which the world, from a certain 
 point of view, was a somewhat dreary place. 
 
 On the night of the Smeatons' dinner, therefore, 
 he dressed with care, glancing at himself when he had 
 finished in the long glass which stood in a corner of 
 a bedroom hung with crimson silk, the bedroom of 
 the owner, a luxurious mondaine, who had gone to 
 Egypt to recruit her health. 
 
 A hansom took him to Queen's Gate, and as he 
 ascended the steps of the portico a smile stole over 
 his face a smile of derision, not unmingled with 
 contempt. 
 
 The same servant opened the door and silently ad- 
 mitted him, relieved him of his coat and hat, and led 
 the way upstairs. 
 
 In a large drawing-room about a dozen people 
 were assembled. Most of the ladies were seated on 
 a wide settee, and most of the men stood talking to 
 them. When Ames was announced there was a slight 
 lull in the conversation and several glances were di- 
 rected to the new arrival. It was evident that he 
 was known and was expected, by others than the 
 hosts, to be there that night. A man who appeared 
 to be past the prime of life, followed by a woman who 
 was considerably younger, advanced towards Ames. 
 The host's face was neither more nor less distin-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 21 
 
 guished than that of the average man of education. 
 His figure was well preserved and his bearing digni- 
 fied. His wife, who was superbly robed in roseate 
 silk, struck Ames as being exceptionally handsome, al- 
 though he was puzzled to account for her apparent 
 youth, except on the hypothesis that she was a second 
 wife. 
 
 It was the host spoke first. 
 
 " Delighted to see you, Mr. Ames. It is a real 
 pleasure for me to welcome the son of my old friend." 
 
 This was said with the utmost cordiality, in a 
 tone which offered recognition, patronage, encour- 
 agement. The hostess endorsed, with emphasis, her 
 husband's welcome, looking at Ames with interest, 
 inquiring how long he had been in England and ex- 
 pressing her pleasure that he had been able to be 
 there that night. 
 
 Then she introduced him to the greater number 
 of her guests, some of whom remembered his name, 
 they said, and there were among them scientists and 
 soldiers and leaders of society of whom he had often 
 heard in Italy, so that he became aware that he was 
 in an atmosphere of talent and celebrity. And 
 among the ladies, the last to whom he was conducted, 
 and whom he was asked to take into dinner, was, to 
 his surprise, Lucy Penton. 
 
 " I need not introduce," the hostess said, and Ames 
 had scarcely taken a seat at the side of the young 
 girl when dinner was announced. 
 
 On the way downstairs Lucy Penton said: 
 
 " You only came to see us once ! " 
 
 " But I have regretted ever since that I could not 
 come again."
 
 23 THE METHODS OF. MR. AMES 
 
 She said in a tone of consideration : 
 
 " Of course just now you must be very busy." 
 
 He looked at her as the strong light of a lamp 
 at the foot of the staircase fell upon her, deciding 
 that she was unquestionably fair. 
 
 " Yes, I am busy preparing to receive my friends." 
 
 " Somebody told me you had taken a large house." 
 
 " You shall judge of its size when you are my 
 guest, as I hope you soon will be." 
 
 At table Ames was placed at the right of the 
 hostess and opposite a man who he knew was a poli- 
 tician as soon as he heard his name. 
 
 The politician was saying to a pale-faced lady 
 next to him who, Ames learned later, was a novelist : 
 
 " The question which you ask me is not difficult 
 to answer. On our side is the greatest justice, and 
 the greatest justice must prevail." 
 
 Lady Smeaton, hearing this, said: 
 
 " Mr. Stanley thinks that on the Radical side is 
 the greatest virtue. What is your opinion, Mr. 
 Ames?" 
 
 Thus appealed to, Ames replied: 
 
 " The greatest virtue seems to me to be upon the 
 side of those who govern with the greatest skill, and 
 the greatest skill in government appears to me to be 
 the most masterly pursuit of the best ends." 
 
 The politician looked at Ames above his glasses. 
 
 " And which do you consider the best ends ? " 
 
 The answer came at once: 
 
 " Those that are the best expression of the com- 
 mon will." 
 
 ** That is a wide, an elastic principle." 
 
 Ames smiled. He had wished to abstain from pro-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 23 
 
 pounding any definite doctrine and had used a phrase 
 which seemed to him to suit all purposes. 
 
 The politician looked at him with a certain inter- 
 est and Lady Smeaton said: 
 
 *' You are an opportunist, Mr. Ames, I see." 
 And Ames contented himself with smiling once 
 again. Then, not wishing to embark upon a further 
 exposition of his views, he addressed Lucy Penton: 
 " You are not troubled by politics, I fancy." 
 "I know that we are Tories, and that's all." 
 " Why should you know more ? " 
 " No ; we women have other things to do ? " 
 " You are busy brightening our lives ! " 
 " I can see you come from Italy." 
 " Therefore, will you not excuse me? " 
 "I don't mind a bit. Englishmen, real English- 
 men, I mean, so often think it beneath their dignity 
 to say nice things. You are so different.'* 
 
 Ames thought, " She tries to flatter," and replied : 
 " Nice things may be also true." 
 As the dinner progressed, Ames took a leading 
 part in the conversation, and he noticed with amuse- 
 ment that his opinions were listened to with partic- 
 ular attention, although he felt quite sure that if 
 any of the listeners had been accused of giving a 
 special hearing to a rich man he would have dis- 
 played some virtuous indignation. 
 
 Even the hostess was at pains to be amiable to 
 him, inquiring his tastes and excusing him from strict 
 obedience to fashion whenever he seemed inclined to 
 be independent. Golf and bridge appeared, however, 
 to be obligatory, and Ames, knowing this, had al- 
 ready engaged two good professionals to teach him
 
 24 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the secrets of the games, seeing that they were pass- 
 ports to social recognition. He did not know what 
 riches a man must have to be released from the obli- 
 gations they imposed ; but it seemed to him they must 
 be vastly greater than those which he possessed. 
 Well, this was tyranny ; but those who submitted pa- 
 tiently to tyranny could one day tyrannise them- 
 selves. 
 
 When the ladies left, Ames found himself still the 
 object of attention. Lord Smeaton asked him for 
 information as to places of resort in Italy, but as he 
 inquired the conditions reigning in hotels of the first 
 magnitude which Ames had never entered, Ames, for 
 the first time in the evening, found himself somewhat 
 at a loss for a reply. But his host smoothed the 
 way for him. Of course as a resident he had not 
 lived in the hotels, only in a villa, and when Ames 
 thought of his little flat he could scarcely repress a 
 smile. He gave an evasive answer, and turned the 
 subject by asking Lord Smeaton if he yachted, 
 guessing that the pastime might be beyond his means. 
 The answer was : 
 " No; do you intend to yacht? " 
 And Ames replied : " Oh, certainly." 
 And then the politician took an interest in him, 
 inquiring of him if he intended to identify himself 
 with any party, allowing him to understand that he 
 would be happy to introduce him to the leaders of 
 his own, and Ames answered that he would reflect, 
 and, generally, Lord Smeaton advertised him to his 
 guests so that by the time the smoke was ended he 
 had become known to several important men. 
 
 And later, in the drawing-room, he was given
 
 THE METHODS OF. MR. 'AMES 25 
 
 much attention by the hostess, who spoke to him of 
 functions in perspective and suggested to him the 
 best course to pursue. And then Penton, from whom 
 he had separated at dinner, came and took him into 
 a corner of the room to ask him to have lunch with 
 him next day to meet an ambassador, an honour 
 which he declined. 
 
 And as the evening progressed, he spoke to many, 
 and always he obtained the most encouraging accueil, 
 so that when the evening ended he felt that it had 
 been successful, as successful as it possibly could be. 
 
 The following week was occupied, almost entirely, 
 in superintending the furnishing of his new abode, 
 which, with the aid of a French artist, he was trans- 
 forming into a home of many capabilities. 
 
 On the ground floor was the dining-room, a large 
 room furnished massively in chiselled oak, and on the 
 same floor a library, the shelves of which were filled 
 exclusively with books of reference, lexicons and 
 atlases, histories and manuals of science, so that 
 the owner might at any time be quickly able to ob- 
 tain sound knowledge, when in ignorance or doubt. 
 But on the right, in the deep shadow of the cur- 
 tained window, was a volume bound in red, in the 
 centre of which was a small plate. This, when 
 pressed, opened a door in the wall of books and ad- 
 mitted to a room furnished in Arab style, with wide 
 divans in deep recesses half screened by Moorish 
 work. In the centre of the marble floor stood an 
 onyx fountain and round the room lay mats and 
 prayer carpets of fine texture. As the room had been 
 built out into the garden, the daylight entered it 
 by a domed roof with stained-glass windows and
 
 26 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 arabesques. Around the base a skilfully intertwined 
 inscription ran : " Saj to the man who hath trouble 
 that trouble doth not linger. Just as joy vanisheth, 
 so vanisheth also sorrow." Around the room were 
 octagonal inlaid tables and from the centre of the 
 dome hung a large brass Moorish lamp. The only 
 entrance to the room was through the bookcase door, 
 but on one side of it, in the wall behind a gold em- 
 broidered hanging, was a door which led into a some- 
 what small but luxuriously furnished chamber. The 
 room could be used as a studio by sliding away the 
 red panels of the dome and admitting the light 
 through the white glass behind it. 
 
 In addition to this, on the ground floor of the 
 house, was a species of reception-room with a pol- 
 ished parquet floor, thickly curtained windows, and 
 a few arm-chairs and sofas. On the first floor was 
 the large, square drawing-room, on which the deco- 
 rators, unrestricted as to cost, had lavished all their 
 skill. Ames had not interfered with them in this, 
 except in the choice of the Aubusson carpet; and 
 the room was not only a model of First Empire fur- 
 nishing, but, by the addition of cushions and knick- 
 knacks, it had been made to seem as though a woman 
 had had a hand in its arrangement. Although it was 
 a bachelor's, there was nothing in the room to indi- 
 cate the fact. 
 
 On the next floor, to which access was obtained 
 by an electric lift, was a bedroom almost equal in 
 size to the drawing-room, and sumptuous with a 
 carved oak bedstead, lounges, secretaires and presses. 
 This room communicated with another which was 
 fitted as a parlour, and was known as the red room
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 27 
 
 by reason of the exclusive use of red which had been 
 made in its decoration. It, in turn, communicated 
 with another, called the blue room, painted and fur- 
 nished entirely in blue, and each of these rooms had 
 doors which opened on to the landing. On the floor 
 above were a series of bedrooms and small sitting- 
 rooms, and which in a sense constituted a separate 
 flat. 
 
 They were designed for guest rooms, but Ames 
 had by no means yet decided to devote them to his 
 friends, especially as he had no intention of receiv- 
 ing visitors to stay. Above this were the servants' 
 rooms, and a second studio built out upon the roof. 
 Throughout the house the thickest felt had been 
 placed beneath the carpets, so that the noise of foot- 
 steps was inaudible. Sand, also, had been laid be- 
 tween the floors, so that no sounds should pass from 
 one room to another, and in order that no music 
 should be heard from the adjoining house the wall 
 of partition had at great expense been specially 
 treated and prepared. From the other walls no such 
 sounds could proceed, since the house was at the 
 corner of the street. As far as is possible in London, 
 silence was assured. The engagement of the servants 
 was no easy matter. Ames wanted a good chef, but 
 as all the best in London were retained he was obliged 
 to content himself with the pupil of a " master," who 
 was said to be a promising vatel. For his valet he 
 engaged a Roman, the servant of an Italian count, 
 who had lived some time in England, because he 
 found him gifted with quick perceptions, and for 
 the additional reason that he spoke both French and 
 English well. He gave him high wages, but he
 
 28 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 warned him that he would expect from him unwaver- 
 ing fidelity and absolute discretion. For a time he 
 hesitated as to whether he should engage a house- 
 keeper, but on reflection he decided that the presence 
 of an elderly and probably censorious female in the 
 house would not be to his taste. The government of 
 the household, he resolved, was to be entrusted to his 
 secretary, who, however, was to dwell outside. 
 
 The choice of this secretary also gave him some 
 little trouble. He had deemed that such a person 
 was essential to his comfort to relieve him of nerve- 
 impairing correspondence; and he knew quite well 
 that, in the eyes of a reverential world, the possession 
 of a private scribe would increase his prestige 
 greatly. 
 
 An advertisement in The Times had brought him 
 the usually large number of replies, from which he 
 had selected six as worthy of attention ; and on the 
 day before he took up residence in Carlton Terrace 
 he set aside the morning to receive the applicants. 
 Some of these were too old, some too uncongenial, 
 others were scarcely qualified, or possessed creden- 
 tials which did not seem authentic, but the last to 
 call was the man who appeared best fitted for the 
 post. 
 
 As he came into the room, Ames scanned him nar- 
 rowly. A thin though well-built man of some forty 
 years, with grey eyes, a well-shaped forehead, and a 
 face of the medallion type, his outward aspect was 
 distinctly in his favour. He was dressed with neat- 
 ness, also, and with a sobriety which was quite con- 
 sistent with the post he sought. 
 
 Ames glanced from the credentials and diplomas
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 29 
 
 which the applicant had handed silently to him, to 
 the applicant himself, and vice versa, judging both. 
 He said at length : 
 
 " You graduated in London, Mr. Sims ; you have 
 edited a paper, and are the author of a book, yet 
 you seek the post of secretary to me. Pray, why?" 
 
 " The paper failed, the book was not successful." 
 
 " Could you not try again ? " 
 
 "I cannot wait." 
 
 " You are engaged. The post is not one which de- 
 mands much mental effort. But it requires tact. 
 We shall see if you possess it. Good-bye, and come 
 to me at Carlton Terrace at ten o'clock to-morrow." 
 Ames waved his hand as a sign that the interview 
 was over. 
 
 Sims withdrew with a pleased, thought somewhat 
 puzzled, air, Now that his foot was, as he called it, 
 in the stirrup, it was no part of Ames' intention to 
 waste time. The season was advancing and there was 
 yet much to do to make himself completely comfort- 
 able. Therefore, as soon as he had given a few 
 indications of his habits to the servants, and espe- 
 cially to the cook, who spoke to him deferentially in 
 the third person, and who showed him a packet of 
 menus illustrative of his culinary skill, he sent a tele- 
 gram accepting a very pressing invitation from the 
 widow to dine with her that evening. After this he 
 spent the remainder of the afternoon in a visit to 
 his tailor and in buying some bronze ornaments which 
 were needed, he considered, for the completion of his 
 home. 
 
 Mrs. Beauchamp received him alone in a little 
 boudoir adjoining the drawing-room in which he had
 
 30 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 seen her first, and it struck him, as he entered, that 
 she and the little room were both draped in rose silk. 
 
 " You have come at last," she said. " I had al- 
 most begun to think it was a parti pris! " 
 
 He took a seat upon the sofa at her side, observ- 
 ing the elaborateness of her costume, the care with 
 which her hair had been arranged. 
 
 " The only decision I had taken," he replied, " was 
 to come to you as soon as I had a moment free." 
 
 " A moment free ! As if a man like you is not the 
 master of his time ! " 
 
 " But I have, in a sense, been working, so that 
 when you come to see me you should find my dwelling 
 to your taste ! " 
 
 She said in an admirative tone: 
 
 " I hear it is magnificent ! " 
 
 Ames shook his head. 
 
 She said : 
 
 " I have no one to meet you. A young couple 
 whom I think you would have liked just telephoned 
 to say they cannot come. I am so sorry." 
 
 " But 7 am not sorry." 
 
 She gave him a side glance : " Why ? " 
 
 " Because alone we can get to know each other 
 better." 
 
 " Do you not know me yet? " 
 
 " Not yet." 
 
 " I'm not so enigmatic." 
 
 Ames thought: " That's true." He said: 
 
 " Are not all women enigmatic ? " 
 
 " No, not to men like you." 
 
 " You credit me with too much penetration." 
 
 " There's penetration in your eyes."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 31 
 
 Ames laughed. 
 
 " Eyes frequently deceive ! " 
 
 The maid announced the dinner and they passed 
 into the dining-room, in entering which Ames' at- 
 tention was struck by a marble bust which stood 
 upon a pedestal in the large bay window. 
 
 " Doubtless," he thought, " that noble Roman is 
 her husband " ; but he did not ask, thinking that she 
 might talk too long upon the subject if it was once 
 raised and having a dislike to listen to the conjugal 
 reminiscences of widows. 
 
 They spoke of generalities at first, Ames wonder- 
 ing how long she would delay the attack which he 
 felt was imminent. 
 
 She said at length: 
 
 " How happy you must be ! " 
 
 "Happy?" 
 
 " With all that wealth ! If I were rich, I feel that 
 life would be a fete." 
 
 " It must be one already. You have good health, 
 and, if I may say so beauty. What more can a 
 woman want ? " 
 
 " A woman brought up as I have been requires two 
 things sympathy and a certain luxury to relieve 
 life of its stodginess ! " 
 
 " Sympathy you cannot fail to have ; luxury is 
 certainly your due." 
 
 " How blandly you say that ! " 
 
 Ames thought : " She would like me to say it con 
 amore." 
 
 " I speak," he said, " with absolute conviction," 
 which committed him to nothing. 
 
 The dinner was over.
 
 32 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 " If you like," she said, " we'll have the coffee up 
 there in my room." 
 
 They left the dining-room, and the coffee was 
 served them in the small boudoir. 
 
 " I suppose," she said, as she leaned back on the 
 couch, " the women are spoiling you already ? " 
 
 He gazed at her. 
 
 " I should like to be spoiled by you! " 
 
 This pleased her, for she said in a softened tone: 
 
 " And I by you." 
 
 This was maladroit, for it brought back his in- 
 stinctive caution, which under the influence of her 
 attractions he had somewhat relaxed. She seemed to 
 offer herself too openly to be taken, fed, pampered, 
 and amused. 
 
 Nevertheless he said, with assumed enthusiasm: 
 
 " We have known each other such a little time, 
 and yet I ask myself what is there that I would not 
 do to make you happy." 
 
 Her eyes beamed, and he continued: 
 
 " When I first saw you I felt that we should be 
 friends." 
 
 " Yes, friends," she said, with an air which seemed 
 to say : " I should think we might be more." 
 
 " The time of my coming coincided so .aptly with 
 the period of your loneliness that it seemed as though 
 fate had arranged it all." 
 
 A servant entered, handed a letter to her mistress, 
 and withdrew. Mrs. Beauchamp glanced at the hand- 
 writing and turned pale. 
 
 " Will you excuse me? " she asked as she broke 
 the seal. 
 
 The contents of the letter seemed to throw her 
 into still greater perturbation, for she rose and
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 33 
 
 went up to the mantel, against which she leaned, 
 * while the letter dropped from between her fingers. 
 
 "Why are you so silent?" he asked presently. 
 , *' Have you had bad news ? " 
 
 " Calamitous ! " 
 
 " Will you not confide in me? " 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 But he insisted: 
 
 " Tell me what trouble that bit of paper brings." 
 
 She took up the letter and handed it to him. 
 
 " I know I may have confidence in you." 
 
 He read the letter, which ran thus: 
 
 " MADAM, On behalf of our clients, Messrs. Sims 
 & Grove of Bond Street, we beg to inform you that 
 unless their account for millinery, amounting to 134 
 18s. 3d., be settled before the end of the present 
 week, we shall commence proceedings against you 
 for recovery. Yours truly, WILCOX & BROWN." 
 
 Ames said : " If you will let me be your banker 
 the little bill will be settled not later than to-morrow 
 morn." 
 
 " Oh," she said, with unfeigned delight, " how 
 kind, how truly kind of you ! But could I, how could 
 I accept? What would you think of me? What 
 should I think of myself? " 
 
 " I should think of you as a friend whom it had 
 been my good fortune to be able to assist, and you 
 would think of yourself as a friend who was nat- 
 urally entitled to the little service." 
 
 " Oh," she cried again, " you are so delicate, so 
 generous. I feel I could almost kiss you." 
 
 He made a sign to her to resume her place upon
 
 34 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the sofa, and when she had done so he said com- 
 posedly : 
 
 " I pray you, do not restrain that happy inclina- 
 tion." 
 
 And after playing a moment's hesitation she kissed 
 him on his cheek. 
 
 " What will you think of me? " she cried. " What 
 will you think of me? I assure you I have always 
 led a decent life ! " 
 
 He smiled, computing the conflict of motives 
 which she was then experiencing, perceiving how 
 afraid she was lest she had spoiled her matrimonial 
 chances by this monetary obligation. 
 
 What should he do with her? Make her his mis- 
 tress, as it would be easy to do in her dependent 
 state? No, no ; that would commit him far too much. 
 It was easy to form a tie of that description, but 
 difficult to break it, and at the outset of his career 
 the prospect of such a liaison did not seem to him 
 attractive. To make her his wife never for a mo- 
 ment crossed his mind. From the matrimonial point 
 of view, widows appeared to him too second-hand. 
 
 Thinking that he had been there long enough he 
 rose, and as he did so a look of deep concern be- 
 trayed itself upon her face. 
 
 " You are not going? " 
 
 " Alas, I must." 
 
 " Someone awaits you? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Already!" 
 
 Ames burst out laughing. 
 
 " None of any consequence, but some letters of 
 much."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 35 
 
 " Is it true that you are going to stand for Shad- 
 ley? " 
 
 " Perhaps." 
 
 " How I shall watch your progress ! How I shall 
 long to see you in ! " 
 
 " If I succeed, my success will be in a large share 
 due to your encouragement." 
 
 She sighed. 
 
 " I am never quite sure that you are in earnest." 
 
 There was so much sincerity in the tone in which 
 she said this that Ames looked at her a moment with 
 more consideration. 
 
 As though she had guessed that she had made a 
 more favourable impression, she continued: 
 
 " Wait till you know me better. You will believe 
 in me much more than you do now." 
 
 But Ames held out his hand. 
 
 " Good-night." 
 
 As she said good-night, she murmured : " It's only 
 a loan, you know." 
 
 And he replied : 
 
 " It's whatever you wish that it should be ! " 
 
 When he reached his flat, a friend was awaiting 
 him, a young man of about his age whom he had 
 known in Italy and whom he had met by accident in 
 Piccadilly. 
 
 " Morgan, I'm glad to see you, but I'm busy. I 
 must write letters, Morgan, in time for the midnight 
 post." 
 
 " Oh, don't mind me. Of what importance is a 
 man with nothing to do, and little to spend, out 
 of whose meagre pittance the Government exacts its 
 due."
 
 36 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Certainly, Morgan, you'll never be of much im- 
 portance if you talk like that. Why don't you marry 
 and increase your wealth? " 
 
 " Where is the moneyed girl who would consent? " 
 
 " I shall look one out." 
 
 " Ames, you are a king. You can control the fate 
 of others. Happy man ! " 
 
 "You know the Pentons. What do you say to 
 Lucy?" 
 
 " Not a penny of her own. All show." 
 
 " Well then, come to me a little later on." 
 
 " Ames, you would do me a great kindness. I 
 don't want to spend my life in solitude. Yet the 
 years are going and I find no mate." 
 
 But Ames had begun his correspondence and was 
 scarcely listening. Presently the servant entered: 
 
 " A lady has come to see you, sir, and is waiting 
 in the hall." 
 
 Ames rose and went out of the room, finding in 
 the ante-chamber a heavily veiled lady in a black 
 silk cloak. As soon as she lifted her veil he recog- 
 nised the pretty features of an actress to whom he 
 had been introduced a few days previously at an 
 actors' club. 
 
 " You asked me to come and see you," she said, 
 " and here I am. I'm rather late, but I could not 
 leave the theatre sooner." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said Ames, " I remember well. I re- 
 member the talk we had and how much I enjoyed it. 
 How good of you to come and see me, you, whose face 
 must bring you numbers of intense admirers. But 
 I am sad. I have a letter to compose which will keep 
 me up all night. I cannot give you the attention
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 37 
 
 you deserve. In my room there is a man athirst 
 for woman's sympathy. I shall introduce you and 
 you will soon be friends." 
 
 But the lady became angry. 
 
 " Thanks, if you cannot spare the time I'll go. I 
 can't think how I came." 
 
 Ames thought : " I can. You came because you 
 heard of the dear legacy." 
 
 He took her arm. 
 
 " Do not oppose the way of things. Be reason- 
 able, be sociable." 
 
 He led her, half pacified, into the room. 
 
 " Here, dear Morgan, is a lady of much charm. 
 Miss Dora Devereux lives not far from you, and I 
 beg that you will see her home. Good-night, good- 
 night." So saying, he bowed them out. 
 
 When the door was closed he lit a cigarette and 
 reflected for a few moments. He had resisted two 
 temptations. Why? Because he had foreseen that 
 if he yielded to the first he would be hampered, and 
 secondly, because he desired to give himself a lesson 
 in self-restraint. 
 
 And although he felt a vague sense of frustration, 
 yet he was pleased with himself, thinking he had 
 acted with virtH. 
 
 He spent two hours writing a letter to a Welsh- 
 man in South Wales of whose skill as an election 
 agent he had heard much praise, and when he had 
 finished he went to bed and slept composedly. 
 
 The next morning he took up his residence at 
 Carlton Terrace, and was in his study when his sec- 
 retary arrived. 
 
 " Mr. Sims, here is a cheque which you will please
 
 38 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 cash at the bank. Then with the proceeds you will 
 go and pay this bill." 
 
 He handed Sims Mrs. Beauchamp's bill and cheque. 
 
 " And mind, Mr. Sims, not a word of the source 
 from whence the payment comes not a syllable, 
 But obtain a stamped receipt." 
 
 " Good," said Sims. " I shall carry out your in- 
 structions to the letter." 
 
 " That is as I like them carried out. And when 
 you return you will write to the people on this list 
 and invite them here to dinner on the twenty-fifth." 
 
 Sims took the list and placed it in his pocket. 
 
 "As soon as I return I shall attend to it." 
 
 Ames spent the morning roaming about his house, 
 giving a final coup d'ceil to the decorations, making, 
 with the aid of the servants, some slight alterations. 
 But when he had finished and sat down to lunch in 
 his sumptuous dining-room, he could not help con- 
 fessing to himself that he felt dull. The weather with- 
 out was grey, the sky was a mere disc. It seemed as 
 though a panoply hung over London. Ames was de- 
 cidedly morose. But he reasoned with himself. What 
 was a single day in the six-and-twenty thousand of 
 which life was commonly composed? The next day 
 would be better than the present one, perhaps, and if 
 it was not, then one really must expect to suffer in a 
 life which in the best of circumstances was undoubt- 
 edly a very imperfect state. 
 
 He had many projects, too, on hand, and they 
 would take his thoughts away, he hoped, from the 
 drabness of existence on such days as this. During 
 the time that intervened before his dinner, he lunched 
 much at clubs, was put down by Penton for his own,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 89 
 
 and while he was waiting to enter it, became a mem- 
 ber of the Berkshire, which, in want of members, ac- 
 cepted him at once. And at length he decided he 
 would visit the Norton- Youngs. 
 
 He found them at home on a Sunday afternoon, in 
 the modest house in a cul-de-sac in Kensington. He 
 was shown through the hall into a large room which, 
 being on the level of the basement, was reached by 
 a flight of stairs from the hall floor. The room 
 resembled in some respects a studio. The rugs and 
 divans were placed in irregular order. There were 
 recesses and curtained nooks. An easel stood in one 
 corner and in another a grand piano. There were 
 tables with books and tea. 
 
 As he walked down the flight of stairs, Sybil, at- 
 tired in a black gauze dress with short sleeves, show- 
 ing her well-shaped arms, rose to greet him, followed 
 by her sister Maud. They welcomed him as though 
 he had been an old friend and introduced him to two 
 visitors, a tall and broad-faced Irishman named 
 Bryan, a dramatic critic, and a thin and pale-faced 
 man of five-and-twenty, Arthur Bently, the famous 
 drawer in black and white, whose art was, in Ames' 
 opinion, of a degraded character. It was evident to 
 Ames from the first that he was in a society of a 
 somewhat latitudinarian class, where money was per- 
 haps not quite everything, a society which valued 
 talent most, and although he told himself that talent 
 had its equivalent in money, and was often solely 
 valued for the money it procured, still there was a 
 difference between these people and some of those 
 whom he had met of late. 
 
 All were smoking cigarettes, except Maud, who
 
 40 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 was smoking a short cigar while sipping a liqueur 
 in a small red glass. 
 
 As she saw that Ames observed her, she said with 
 a quiet smile: 
 
 " Don't be alarmed. It's a habit I acquired in 
 Vienna." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 "I am not alarmed. Cigars and cigarettes are 
 made from the same plant." 
 
 Maud threw herself back on the divan and puffed, 
 while Sybil observed Ames attentively. 
 
 The conversation which had been in progress when 
 Ames entered was resumed. 
 
 Bryan was saying: 
 
 " No, there is a comical dearth of brains among 
 the playwrights. For myself, I shall contract an 
 illness if I have to sit out many of the dreary things 
 they put before us now. I wonder that the public 
 can be found to pay for seats." 
 
 The draughtsman said: 
 
 "It's wonderful." 
 
 " What do you think, Mr. Ames ? " Maud asked. 
 
 " I think that the public being a product of the 
 nation, just as is the dramatist, the one is suited to 
 the other." 
 
 " That," said Sybil, " is severe on our British 
 taste." 
 
 "British taste in some things is infallible," said 
 [Ames. 
 
 " But not in art? " asked Maud, with a heavy 
 smile. 
 
 Ames, however, had suddenly become interested in 
 a Persian cat who was displaying herself upon a 
 rug, and he made no answer to the question.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 41 
 
 " Is this gentleman not English ? " inquired the 
 artist with a frown. 
 
 " Oh, yes," said Sybil, " but Italianised." 
 
 " A beauty," Ames exclaimed to Maud, as he 
 stroked the cat. 
 
 " Yes," she said. " I love him as my life ! " 
 
 " A little more," the critic interposed, exchanging 
 glances with the elder sister. 
 
 Ames turned from the cat and sat back in his 
 chair, observing Maud and Bryan and conjecturing. 
 Suddenly he perceived the deep brown orbs of Sybil 
 fixed upon him and he rose and took a chair that was 
 nearer to her so that he was on her left while the 
 artist was on her right. 
 
 " You think me a barbarian," he said, " but no, I 
 am not that. When I came into your charming 
 home, into this cultured atmosphere, I felt that I 
 was glad to be in England." 
 
 " Yes, but," said Sybil, " we are accused of being 
 much too uncontinental." 
 
 " If there were more like you, how bright this 
 London would appear ! " 
 
 Sybil smiled indulgently, and as he looked at her 
 sitting with her legs crossed, leaning back slightly in 
 her chair, he made up his mind that she was a richly 
 seductive type of womanhood, a very brilliant 
 specimen. 
 
 The artist said: 
 
 " The world is becoming cosmopolitan, and yet in 
 art there is, and always will be, nationality. We 
 express the fatherland in every stroke we make. 
 Turner expressed London as no foreign artist ever 
 could have done. Foreign critics say that in the 
 little things I draw I am distinctly insular."
 
 43 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Oh, yes, you are," said Sybil. " You even stand 
 indeed on an island by yourself ! " 
 
 Bently looked at her somewhat suspiciously, as 
 though uncertain whether the remark was made in 
 jest or earnest. 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " Do we not all stand on islands ? the island of our 
 personality, of our self-esteem, the island of our I's? 
 How can any one of us completely realise the other? 
 And it is well we cannot, for if we could there would 
 be an end of the misunderstandings which give inter- 
 est to life. I prefer to live, I think, in an imperfect 
 rather than in a perfect world." 
 
 " I also," Sybil said. " I don't care for perfec- 
 tion." 
 
 " Perhaps," said Bently, " familiarity, in your 
 case, breeds contempt." 
 
 She answered with a frown: 
 
 " You know I don't like compliments. If I were 
 perfect I should be as I'm not." 
 
 " If you were not as you are," said Ames, " it 
 would be a pity." 
 
 " Now, that's the kind of compliment I like," she 
 said, turning to the artist. 
 
 " I see," he said, with something of offended pride. 
 "I shall remember for another time. Now, I must 
 say good-bye." 
 
 He left, and Ames and Sybil were alone, Bryan 
 and Maud having withdrawn to the recess at the 
 extreme end of the room. 
 
 " I'm glad you came this afternoon," she said. " I 
 was feeling nervish, and you've done me good. Now 
 tell me all about yourself, your tastes, and aims."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 43 
 
 " My tastes ? I like the things you like. My 
 aims? In process of formation." 
 
 " What an unusual man you are ! " 
 
 " Have I the misfortune to displease you? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " When first I saw you at Mrs. Beauchamp's 
 house," Ames said, " I judged that your perceptions 
 were of a higher order, your senses delicate, refined. 
 And as I look at you I see that I was right. Your 
 nerves respond to the slightest stimulus, your emo- 
 tions are intense, your tastes eclectic ; you belong to 
 the aristocracy of Nature." 
 
 She answered: 
 
 " You seem to know me better than I know my- 
 self." 
 
 " Do you think we shall become friends ? " 
 
 " Why not ? There's only one thing about you 
 that I don't quite like. You seem to have abandoned 
 painting. Why ? " 
 
 " Because I have grown lazy." 
 
 " And so have I. People have taken me out into 
 the world of brilliant laziness and I have no longer 
 the inclination to take up a brush. Some day, I tell 
 myself, I shall return to my old loves; but that day 
 never comes." 
 
 It never will." 
 
 *' How do you know? " 
 
 " Because you have joined those who never toil or 
 spin and the example is contagious." 
 
 "No, they live but to enjoy. And yet they are 
 always at the head of things," 
 
 " Yes, always." 
 
 She said:
 
 44 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " You will stay to dinner, won't you? My mother 
 will be there!" 
 
 But he, not wishing to inf eodate himself, declined, 
 giving as a pretext an engagement at his club. He 
 did not know before that she possessed a mother, and 
 on the whole he was not quite sure that he was glad 
 to learn the fact. Mothers were matrimonially coer- 
 cive, and he did not want to be coerced. Nevertheless 
 she was excessively attractive, and he said : 
 
 " During the season you have plenty of engage- 
 ments, naturally ? " 
 
 She smiled. 
 
 " Well, even the prince invites me now." 
 
 " Oh, then your prospects are extensive ! " 
 
 " They would be were I other than I am." 
 
 " Being as you are, I hope that you will come to 
 my receptions later on." 
 
 She said disappointedly : 
 
 " Well, of course, if you invite me I shall come, 
 if I am free." 
 
 " If I knew when you were free, I should arrange 
 my dates to coincide." 
 
 She acknowledged this with a shake of her head 
 of dubious meaning. 
 
 " Come again when you like, I shall be glad to see 
 you." 
 
 This was said with a little condescension, and 
 upon this Ames took leave. 
 
 The invitations to the first dinner party at Carl- 
 ton Terrace were all accepted, and when the night 
 arrived all those who had accepted them arrived. 
 Ames, alone, received them in his drawing-room. 
 They were what he designated in his mind as a first
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 45 
 
 provisional muster, inasmuch as they were the best 
 he could procure from the circle of acquaintance 
 which he had had time to form. The Pentons came in 
 force, as well as a Member to whom they had intro- 
 duced him and who was to support his candidature 
 later on. There were some of the leading bachelors 
 of his club, an Italian professor and his wife who 
 were at that moment spending a month in London, 
 and, in addition to others of minor social value, there 
 were the Smeatons, who, in Ames' opinion, were the 
 most important people of the evening. Mrs. Beau- 
 champ he had omitted. She was a debtor, and for 
 all he knew might not only be his debtor, but that 
 of others also, and therefore, since monetary consid- 
 erations were supreme, she could not be considered 
 socially eligible. 
 
 On his right at dinner was Lady Smeaton. Mrs. 
 Penton was on his left; Lucy being some distance 
 down the table, next to the politician. 
 
 " And so," said Mrs. Penton, " you are going to 
 live in this big house by yourself. I call that quite 
 original." 
 
 " It is," said Lady Smeaton ; " but Mr. Ames 
 would be nothing if not original." 
 
 " If my home were smaller, it would be unworthy 
 of my friends." 
 
 " A very nice way of excusing your magnificence." 
 
 " The truth is," said the Italian upon Mrs. Pen- 
 ton's left, " the time is approaching when, with the 
 rise of socialism, we shall be forced to ask permission 
 to possess. For some time I thought I was quite 
 safe in depositing my modest savings here in Eng- 
 land, but I now see that they will not always be safe."
 
 $6 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Penton, who was seated not far down the table, 
 said: 
 
 " I'm thinking of transferring my shekels to Con- 
 stantinople. I fancy that they may be safer there 
 than here." 
 
 " And I," said his wife, " am thinking of digging 
 a small hole in the ground." 
 
 Ames thought : " There wouldn't be much to put 
 in it." 
 
 He said: 
 
 " Be not afraid. As democracy obtains its ends, 
 it is caught in the net of property. Each of those 
 who clamour for equality of ownership will be glad 
 to modify his views as soon as he accedes to owner- 
 ship. I say modify, because of all these democratic 
 efforts something must remain. Whether we like it 
 or not, we shall be made to clip a portion of our 
 wings." 
 
 " And yet," said Lady Smeaton, " those people 
 talk of justice." 
 
 " Justice for each class," suggested Ames, " may 
 be that which brings it the most advantages." 
 
 " Well, that is as it should be. We shall go on 
 fighting for advantage to the end." 
 
 " Yes," said Penton, " for we must. We cannot 
 help ourselves." 
 
 " It almost makes me wish," said Lady Smeaton, 
 " that I had been born a hundred years ago." 
 
 " I'm sure," said Ames, " that none of us wish 
 that." 
 
 A little later, when Ames went up to the drawing- 
 room, he found Lucy Penton in a corner looking at 
 a medallion portrait of a lady painted on ivory and
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 47 
 
 framed in gold, which was visible through the glass 
 door of a cabinet. 
 
 " That is your mother, is it not ? " she asked, and 
 he assented. 
 
 " What a beautiful old lady ! " 
 
 His mother, although not plain, was certainly not 
 beautiful. His own beauty he had inherited from 
 his father. 
 
 The excessive panegyric sounded in his ears as 
 comic. 
 
 He said : " Is not the execution exquisite ? It 
 was done by a friend of mine at Florence." 
 
 " A lady? " she inquired. 
 
 " A man a mere artistic man ! " 
 
 *' I noticed from the first," she said, " it was a 
 masterpiece." 
 
 And he concluded : " Insincerity thy name is Pen- 
 ton." 
 
 She said in a low tone: 
 
 "How well you spoke at dinner. You said ex- 
 actly what I think." 
 
 " In that case," he replied, " my thoughts in- 
 crease in value in my estimation." 
 
 She said : 
 
 "Aren't you lonely in this great big house? " 
 
 At first he was inclined to answer " No," but think- 
 ing that this would sound unnecessarily independent 
 and aloofish and knowing that the negative would 
 make it difficult for her to proceed with what he 
 called argumentum ad matrimonmm, he simply mur- 
 mured: "Yes." 
 
 He knew she could not say : " Why don't you 
 marry?" and the position was thus left enigmatic,
 
 48 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 as he wished that it should be. And for a moment, 
 as she was silent, he contemplated her, thinking that 
 it was a pity that a girl so handsome should be com- 
 pelled to flatter, vexed with her for supposing that 
 he could be influenced by tactics such as these. Then 
 he left her to talk to his other guests and particu- 
 larly to a pale young man, the son of a ruined earl, 
 who was said to have the entree into the houses of 
 the greatest magnitude. His name was the Hon. 
 Stephen Moore, and Ames, who thought much of his 
 importance, prevented him from being bullied by a 
 general. 
 
 Moore in gratitude presently said: 
 
 " I should really like to introduce you to a friend 
 of mine, to Lady Ventner." 
 
 " Good ! " said Ames, " that is the woman whom I 
 particularly wish to know." 
 
 An appointment was therefore made. 
 
 When the party broke up a little later, Ames was 
 standing in the hall, waiting to take a final leave of 
 his guests, when Lucy Penton glided up to him. 
 
 Covering her white neck with a boa, she ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Mr. Ames, I wonder if you would do me a great 
 favour. We bought a mezzotint the other day and 
 I should so like to compare it with your own to see 
 if it is really by Bartolozzi. Do you think I might 
 call to-morrow afternoon, just for a minute, with 
 mamma, and bring it ? " 
 
 Ames expressed himself delighted with the propo- 
 sition, suggesting they should come to tea, to which 
 she readily agreed.
 
 Ill 
 
 THE next day was a rainy one. Ames stayed in all 
 the morning dictating letters to his secretary and 
 reading a treatise on the principles of politics by a 
 professor, smiling at times as he realised how far 
 aloof this academic person was from the politics of 
 actual experience, as they were to be studied day by 
 day, and wondering to what extent legislators were 
 ever guided by the lofty views the book contained, 
 certain that if he entered Parliament he would find 
 them quite unknown. 
 
 As four o'clock approached, he could not repress 
 a certain agitation. Lucy was seductive. He per- 
 ceived in her rare beauty of proportion. She was 
 of the richest womanhood. He knew quite well that 
 the mezzotint was only an excuse and he felt almost 
 flattered that she should seek a pretext for his sake. 
 For his sake or for his fortune's sake? Ah! that 
 was the question which he well perceived it would be 
 difficult if not impossible to answer. 
 
 On the stroke of four, as he was sitting in the 
 library, Giacomo came to announce Miss Lucy 
 Penton. 
 
 " Alone ? " inquired Ames. 
 
 " Si signor. La signora e sola" 
 
 Somewhat surprised, Ames ascended to the draw- 
 ing-room, where he found Lucy unfolding a parcel 
 in her lap. 
 
 49
 
 50 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Mother could not come," she said. " She wasn't 
 very well, and so I've had to beard the lion in his 
 den." 
 
 " For you the lion, as you are pleased to call him, 
 shall become a lamb." 
 
 " Oh, but I prefer him to remain a lion, especially 
 as I'm not afraid." 
 
 And she looked at him provokingly, meeting his 
 glance for a moment and then continuing to remove 
 the tissue paper from the mezzotint. 
 
 " There," she said, " there is the object for which 
 I want to ask advice." 
 
 He took from her the circular picture, examined 
 it, pronounced it spurious and offered to prove it so 
 by comparison with a genuine Bartolozzi down below. 
 They descended to the library where he soon con- 
 vinced her of the truth of his assertion. 
 
 " It was father bought the wretched thing," she 
 said, " not I." 
 
 He led her to a seat, rang and ordered tea. 
 
 " Do you know," he said presently, observing her 
 as she poured the tea, " you remind me of a portrait 
 of a lady in the gallery of Florence, which excites 
 the admiration of all who see it." 
 
 In reality she reminded him far more of a Bava- 
 rian beauty whom he had once known in Rome, but 
 as he thought that no one woman can ever hear an- 
 other praised with equanimity he gave the compli- 
 ment the Florentine complexion. 
 
 " Do you mean that really? I've often been told 
 such things before, by people who, for what I cared, 
 might as well not have said them. But with you it's 
 different."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 51 
 
 " Do you really honour me by caring a little what 
 I think?" 
 
 " Well, of course I do. Are you not superior to 
 most of the men I meet ? " 
 
 Ames was somewhat disconcerted. This praise 
 did not touch his vanity which he kept sternly in 
 subjection ; but it seemed to turn the tables on him 
 and left him almost at a loss for a reply. 
 
 Perceiving this, she said: 
 
 " It's unusual, is it not, for a woman to be frank? " 
 
 " It enhances her attractiveness, I think." 
 
 " Do you know," she said, " I feel an irresistible 
 desire to confide in you. You don't seem the kind 
 of man that would betray a woman." 
 
 " No, certainly." 
 
 " I was sure of it ; but before I begin, if you've 
 no objection, I'll light a cigarette." She had pro- 
 duced a gold case from her pocket, saying : 
 
 " Please don't offer me any. I'm accustomed to 
 my special brand. Will you not try it ? " 
 
 He took a cigarette from her and he watched her 
 as she lit the little gold-tipped cylinder. 
 
 Instinctively, he associated the smoking habit on 
 the part of women with laxity or a decided tendency 
 towards it. It indicated, he considered, a dislike 
 of 'self -restraint, a desire to find satisfaction some- 
 how, to counteract the stress of nervous tension, to 
 temporarily calm the working of strong passions. 
 
 " My father is forcing me to marry an old man." 
 
 She paused to see the effect her words had made ; 
 but Ames' face betrayed no indication of his 
 thoughts. 
 
 " Forcing? " he repeated.
 
 52 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Yes, and of course you wonder why. Things 
 with us are not as they seem, do you understand? 
 I'm to be the saviour of the family." 
 
 " The old man being rich? " 
 
 She nodded. 
 
 Suddenly he felt conscious of emotion. That this 
 superb creature should be sacrificed, and made to 
 endure a marriage contradictory to nature, seemed to 
 him, if tine, a crime, and one which he would like to 
 hinder. But how? By marrying her himself, as 
 she had evidently come there to suggest? Was she 
 not as rare a sample of the other sex as he would ever 
 find? Just as suddenly as he experienced it, he 
 quelled the feeling that was drawing him towards 
 her. He wanted to know more. 
 
 " That would be unheard of, monstrous," he de- 
 clared, taking a seat nearer to her and gazing into 
 her face. " You are entitled to a share of the joy of 
 life and you must not be thus sacrificed." 
 
 " You speak as though you had a choice, but I 
 have none and the time is short. My father's cred- 
 itors are pressing." 
 
 " What are his liabilities? " 
 
 " Not very much. Five or six thousand pounds." 
 
 " If he were relieved, would you still think of this 
 marriage ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 He started slightly. He had expected a different 
 answer. 
 
 "Whj?" 
 
 " Because I must be married." 
 
 He gazed at her again. Was this a comedy she 
 was playing to lead him on to matrimony or was
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 53 
 
 there some serious cause which rendered it imperative 
 that she should, as she said, be married? 
 
 " But why," he asked, " since you must marry, 
 should you marry age instead of youth? " 
 
 " Because youth will not do what age will." 
 
 " And what is the compulsion ? " 
 
 " Ah ! now you ask me too much. For the rest, 
 it cannot matter at all to you." 
 
 " It does, for I desire nothing more than to see 
 you happy." 
 
 " What, I wonder, would you do to make me so ? " 
 
 Why could he not say " marry you " ? He often 
 asked himself that question after she had left him. 
 Was it that, looking into her eyes as he did then, he 
 read, or thought he read, that she was no longer what 
 she was credited with being? No, the ancient preju- 
 dice against the breach of maidenhood affected him 
 but little. It was based upon a metaphysical con- 
 ception of the marriage state and such conceptions 
 were quite foreign to his mind. As long, he thought, 
 as the remarriage of divorced women was accepted, 
 and he saw no reason why it should not be, it was 
 impossible to logically ban the marriage of those 
 women who by accident or folly, from love or through 
 deception, had lost the quality of the jeune file, 
 especially when there were no visible results. Of 
 course it depended somewhat upon what was sought 
 in marriage. If the principal end was offspring, 
 then no doubt the question was a little complicated, 
 but he had never yet been conscious of the paternal 
 instinct and he doubted greatly whether it existed 
 strongly in the men of the present age. And this 
 suspicion of her, after all, was perhaps unfounded,
 
 54 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 although as he looked at her, and noticed the slight 
 abandonment with which she leaned back in her chair, 
 and something indefinable in the expression of her 
 face, it seemed to him by no means without cause. 
 Also, circumstances played an important part in the 
 determination of what might and might not be done. 
 Much could be excused to a woman who possessed 
 good nature, and much especially to one of Lucy's 
 charm. 
 
 " What would I do? " he asked. " All in my power 
 to help you to forget your troubles all." 
 
 She rose and threw her cigarette into the grate 
 impatiently. 
 
 " But nothing to prevent them. Good ! " 
 
 She stood before him in the full power of her 
 beauty, and for a moment he felt an impulse to take 
 her in his arms, agreeing to her terms. But no, he 
 would not place that chain around his neck at the 
 outset of his career, not knowing into what complica- 
 tions it might lead him, determined that his better 
 reason should not be obscured by the sex impulsion 
 strong within him at that moment. ^Esthetically 
 she might be perfect, but there were other qualities 
 and attributes he felt himself entitled to demand 
 before he took a step which brought him and his 
 private life under the segis of the obsolete and ill- 
 made laws that regulated marriage in the land. He 
 did not want to place his peace of mind at the mercy 
 of a woman brought up in the environment in which 
 she had been reared. 
 
 During the silence which ensued he, too, rose, and 
 as he did so he was in arm's length of the button 
 which, when pressed, admitted to the Eastern room.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 55 
 
 He believed she would have followed him down there, 
 but no, that was not his policy, that wasn't what he 
 wished to do. He said at length : 
 
 " But they may not be troubles after all. Per- 
 haps the marriage which you contemplate is the 
 wisest step that you can take, and one that will 
 eventually lead to happiness." 
 
 Her eyes flashed, but she repressed her indignation. 
 
 " You know very well it won't." 
 
 And he felt guilty, recognising that he had been 
 insincere. 
 
 "Shall I tell you what they'll do to me?" she 
 asked. " They'll make me wicked. I'm not that yet, 
 but it will come. Then I shall make others suffer 
 you, perhaps, some day." 
 
 " After all," she added, " you act as only a rich 
 man can. If I were in your place no doubt I should 
 do the same. !As the Germans say, Es lebe das 
 Leben." 
 
 She said this in a tone of indifference, but it was 
 plain to Ames that she herself was suffering. Well, 
 he did not like to make women suffer, but there was 
 such a thing as duty towards oneself. 
 
 There was a knock at the door and Giacomo en- 
 tered, bearing a slip of paper which he gave to 
 Ames. 
 
 On it was written the name of Mrs. Beauchamp. 
 
 " In the blue room," Ames directed, and Giacomo 
 left. 
 
 " I wonder now what you really think of me? " she 
 asked. 
 
 " Were I to be frank I should praise you so ex- 
 ceedingly that you might take it as an exaggeration
 
 56 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 if, as I expect, you are not fully conscious of your 
 worth." 
 
 " You're cleverer with words than I." 
 
 Ames did not like sophistry, but she forced him, 
 he considered, to resort to it as the only means of 
 avoiding giving her offence. 
 
 She added : " You'll come to my wedding, I sup- 
 pose. It will be truly a white affair. Even the 
 bridegroom will be in the right note since his hair is 
 as white as snow." 
 
 Ames did not like to hear her talk like this, and 
 it scarcely seemed to him good taste. He was an- 
 noyed with her for spoiling with her speech the 
 prestige of her beauty. 
 
 " Had you not said," he exclaimed, somewhat 
 bluntly, " that it was urgent you should marry this 
 old man, I should have asked you to let me be your 
 banker, so that you might gain time." 
 
 " It's kind of you, but it's urgent and it must be 
 done." 
 
 " In that case there's no more to be said about it." 
 
 "No. Good-bye." 
 
 She put on her cloak hastily, and refusing a cab 
 went out into the rain. 
 
 When the door had closed he returned to the 
 library, where he remained for some time, thinking 
 of her with feelings of regret for something valuable 
 lost and at the same time anger for her action in 
 coming to him there, because he realised that this, 
 together with the mysterious " must," had turned 
 him away from her, had caused the inhibition which 
 he had experienced. 
 
 Had it then come to this? Was the desire for
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 57 
 
 wealth so overpowering that none of the old scruples 
 stood before it? Ah, this was decadence indeed! 
 
 He mused morosely for some time until he was 
 roused by Giacomo. 
 
 " Does the signer not wish to see the lady in the 
 blue room? " 
 
 A smile stole over Ames* face. Of course he did. 
 There was no better antidote to regret for one woman 
 than the society of another. He jumped to his feet 
 at once. 
 
 " I'll go. And look here, Giacomo, if any more 
 ladies come to-day, I'm out." 
 
 He ascended the stairs with some alacrity. 
 
 Edith Beauchamp was walking up and down the 
 room in evident impatience. 
 
 " At last you've come," she said. " I was begin- 
 ning to think you had forgotten me." 
 
 " Could I be guilty of so great a crime? " 
 
 " I came," she continued, " because I couldn't delay 
 thanking you for what you did for me. Oh, you 
 dear, rich man ! " 
 
 She took his hand and pressed it and he led her to 
 the sofa-chair. 
 
 " How delightful of you to visit me," he said* 
 taking a seat beside her and admiring her form. 
 
 " It's a dreadful thing for me to do, I know, or 
 rather it was until quite lately, when women can do 
 anything they please. At any rate, I felt that I 
 might not have an opportunity of seeing you for 
 months if I waited till you called. For you must by 
 this time be beseiged with invitations. What a beau- 
 tiful house you have ! And you live here all alone? " 
 
 " Yes, all alone."
 
 58 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " How the women must be courting you, and one 
 especially." 
 
 "Which one?" 
 
 " Lucy Penton naturally." 
 
 "Why naturally?" 
 
 " Oh, because she's desperate." 
 
 " Why desperate ? " 
 
 " Surely you've heard of her affair with Baron 
 Engelstein. No? Oh, well, you'll hear it at your 
 club." 
 
 " Please tell me," Ames inquired, " is virtue quite 
 extinct? " 
 
 " No, when there's money to support it." 
 
 " It rests then on a financial basis ? " 
 
 " Don't you think it always has ? " 
 
 Ames laughed. 
 
 "Your philosophy, dear Mrs. Beauchamp, is 
 deeper far than mine." 
 
 " You needn't call me Mrs. Beauchamp, need you ? 
 It sounds so formal." 
 
 " Do you like dispensing with formalities ? " 
 
 Oh, yes." 
 
 He placed his arm around her waist and she burst 
 out laughing. 
 
 " Really you take one at one's word." 
 
 " But it was irresistible. Are you not superior 
 to all the women that one meets ? " 
 
 Lucy's phrase, altered to suit the circumstance, 
 appeared to him a useful one, and he was amused to 
 find that she was disposed to take it seriously. Never- 
 theless she said: 
 
 " Do you really think that ? I wonder if you 
 are in earnest. It's always so difficult to know."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. r AMES 59 
 
 " Can one help being earnest in saying such things 
 to you? " 
 
 " When you dined with me the other day, I did 
 not think that you would ever say them." 
 
 " Did I seem cold ? Ah ! well, it was the weather 
 or the effect of politics." 
 
 She rested her head upon his shoulder. 
 
 " I don't know how you manage it, but with you 
 I am at once unarmed." 
 
 Then he felt the intoxication creeping over him 
 of which he had so much disgust. An entanglement 
 with this widow? Whither would it lead him? Not 
 probably into any inextricable situation. She had 
 no tie, nor he. Yes, but there was the contingency 
 of progeny, that which in plays and novels was con- 
 stantly ignored. Peuh! it was slight in the present 
 case, no doubt. 
 
 She perceived his hesitation, and, as though afraid 
 that she had lost an advantage gained, she said: 
 
 " You are very thoughtful. Why ? " 
 
 " I was thinking," he said slowly, " that you are 
 the most seductive example of your sex that I have 
 seen for a long time. You represent that union of 
 beauty, amenity, and charm which is all too rare 
 to-day." 
 
 " Now, do you mean that truly and are you really 
 glad to have me here? " 
 
 " Can you for a moment doubt it ? " 
 
 " Oh ! " she said, abandoning herself, " I liked you 
 from the first." 
 
 Then in tender tones they exchanged confidences, 
 said the little things that real lovers say, experienced 
 the joy of saying them.
 
 60 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Several times he had seen her glance at the half- 
 open door of the inner room, and just as he was 
 asking himself what he should do he heard a knock at 
 the outer door. His first impulse was to take no heed 
 of it. A second thought prevailed. 
 
 " One moment," he said, leaving her and going to 
 the door. 
 
 It was Giacomo with a telegram. 
 
 Ames tore open the red envelope. The message 
 was from his agent, announcing the discovery of yet 
 another auriferous deposit. He felt his power sud- 
 denly increase and just as suddenly his old disin- 
 clination to be tied. 
 
 He hesitated. Then he said : " Excuse me for a 
 minute," and he went out on the landing, closing the 
 door behind him. 
 
 He stood there a few seconds. Then he called: 
 
 " Giacomo, a warm bath." He followed the valet 
 to the bathroom, and when all was ready directed him 
 to ask Sims to come up. Then, undressing rapidly, 
 he slipped into the long, deep bath and immersed him- 
 self up to his mouth in the warm water. 
 
 And as soon as the sedative effect had been pro- 
 duced he laughed complacently. 
 
 It was not difficult. The amorous delirium might 
 be quelled by means which were purely physical. By 
 the action of hot water, the fire could be thus extin- 
 guished and the mind regain its calm. It was won- 
 derful how Nature could be coerced! And poets 
 thought they understood it ! Ah ! 
 
 Then, presently, when Sims appeared, he made him 
 produce his notebook, saying he desired to dictate 
 his electoral address.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 61 
 
 " Of all the ills from which we suffer, there is 
 none that is more severely felt than the inequality 
 which too palpably exists in the distribution of ad- 
 vantages. And by advantage I mean not only actual 
 metallic wealth, but all those sweet amenities of life, 
 such as light and space, and air and recreation, 
 which have hitherto been the privilege of small minor- 
 ities. Well, it is this ill which, in the measure of my 
 power, I am determined to combat. I do not care 
 under what Regime it may be, I do not pause to think. 
 I only know that side by side are plethora and death, 
 and my object is to destroy the one in favour of the 
 other. Property " 
 
 He paused a moment at the word, because he 
 realised that he was treating of a mighty god. 
 " Property must in the future be held on other terms 
 than those which have hitherto prevailed. I regard 
 property as that benefit which is entrusted to us by 
 Nature for the comfort and the progress of society. 
 There are few so poor that they do not possess some 
 property, but what is essential is that all should pos- 
 sess property in real accordance with their reason- 
 able needs." 
 
 Sims, as he wrote this, looked up with an expression 
 of surprise. 
 
 " You think that socialism, Sims ? " 
 
 " Well, it's very much like it. What else could it 
 be? " 
 
 " A lot of things, according as it is interpreted. 
 You know in Shadley, the operatives, who constitute 
 the population, have been reading socialism lately. 
 I must, therefore, take this into account. When 
 once I am elected, it will be time enough to speak
 
 62 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 more clearly and to interpret my present words in a 
 convenient sense." 
 
 " Convenient to whom ? " the scribe inquired. 
 
 " Convenient to myself." 
 
 Sims grimly smiled and the dictation was continued 
 until Ames declared his soaking was completed and 
 he wanted to get out. 
 
 " Now, Sims, as soon as I've dressed and left, I've 
 a mission which I'd like you to perform. I want you 
 to go up to the blue room and inform the lady who 
 is fretting there that business of capital importance 
 has called me hence. Say I regret, of course, and do 
 the thing in form." 
 
 He added, as Sims was leaving: 
 
 " And look here, don't go and fall in love with her, 
 or she'll surely ruin you." 
 
 Sims said: "Ruin me? That would indeed be 
 difficult." 
 
 " Why ? You are my secretary. You are not 
 without prospects. Only try to be more cheerful, 
 Sims, for you depress me sometimes, and that I do 
 not like." " 
 
 A gleam of hope passed over the secretary's face 
 as he closed the door. 
 
 With the aid of Giacomo, Ames was not long dress- 
 ing, and when he was dressed he went out into the 
 street. The rain had ceased and the sky was clear- 
 ing. It was nearly six o'clock. 
 
 Ames passed up Regent Street enjoying the even- 
 ing breeze and smoking a cigarette. 
 
 He was perfectly calm and rational, that he ad- 
 mitted to himself, but he also recognised that he was 
 somewhat dull, oppressed by a sense of loss of oppor-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 63 
 
 tunity. He had conquered the desire, but he could 
 not overcome the feeling of regret which had 
 survived. 
 
 Such a handsome woman and of such easy morals ! 
 That was not to be met with every day, perhaps, 
 and he had placed too much restraint upon himself, 
 it might be, in the pursuance of his aims. 
 
 As he was thinking thus, he perceived in front of 
 him a fair-haired girl in a blue serge dress. In an 
 instant her figure satisfied his sense of symmetry. 
 The back was straight, the waist in strict proportion, 
 the hips as ample as Nature, in her generic aims, in- 
 tended they should be. She was walking briskly and 
 the heels of her boots clattered gaily on the pavement. 
 Impelled by curiosity, Ames quickened his pace and 
 overtook her. Her face did not belie her figure. 
 Fresh and firm and classical, it seemed to Ames 
 seductive. He noticed that she was carrying a small 
 brown paper parcel, somewhat as though she were a 
 milliner's assistant which, in spite of her well-bred air, 
 he fancied that she was. 
 
 As he passed her, she did not look at him, and he 
 slackened his pace so that she might overtake him, 
 wishing to see her a second time. She slackened hers, 
 so that it was not until he stopped a moment before 
 a shop window that she overtook him. He followed 
 her half-way up the Quadrant, until at length he saw 
 her disappear in a shop which, as far as he could 
 understand, sold only corsets. 
 
 Now this, Ames deemed, was awkward. If she had 
 entered one of the large drapers' shops where the 
 public circulated freely he would certainly have fol- 
 lowed her. But how should he enter this veritable
 
 64 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 gynseceum, on what pretext, or in what guise? Silly 
 that he was! Could he not say that he was an 
 emissary ? Were there not ladies in the country who 
 asked men to shop for them at times? Of course, it 
 must be so, and whether it was or not he meant to 
 assume it was. 
 
 He waited a few minutes to concoct his story and 
 to allow time, as he calculated, to the girl to divest 
 herself of her street apparel should she be a seller. 
 Then he pushed the swing door and went in. He 
 found himself in a large shop with counters on either 
 side, behind which stood girl assistants, and a stair- 
 case opposite the door leading to the floor above. 
 About the place were corsets, apparently of fine 
 quality. Upon a table stood the model of a female 
 bust in stays. As he entered, a richly dressed lady 
 with grey hair advanced with dignity. 
 
 " I have come," Ames said, " to inquire about 
 measurements for a lady in the country who would 
 wish to have a corset made by you." 
 
 " Certainly," the stately lady said, calling up the 
 stairs : 
 
 " Miss Claire, will you please come down ? " 
 
 Almost immediately, the assistant named appeared, 
 and at once Ames recognised the girl whom he had 
 just seen in the street. 
 
 " This gentleman would like our instructions for 
 self -measurement." 
 
 Another customer came in and she left Ames with 
 Miss Claire, who opened a drawer and produced from 
 it a booklet entitled : " Instruction for Self -Measur- 
 ing. Blythe & Geraldine." 
 
 " The lady must be particular," she said, after
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 65 
 
 explaining the system, " to take the side measure- 
 ments in three places." 
 
 She spoke with a slightly foreign accent, keeping 
 her eyes fixed upon the diagram she was explaining 
 and thus afforded Ames an opportunity of studying 
 her beauty. In this moment of enthusiasm, he 
 thought that no artist in the world had ever had a 
 finer model. 
 
 " Your system," he said, " appears to exhibit sym- 
 metry of form to excellent advantage, but now sup- 
 posing that the lady's figure were not symmetrical, 
 would it not accentuate the blemish ? " 
 
 She smiled. 
 
 " In that case, sir, we put in pads." 
 
 Ames laughed. 
 
 " Good. I shall say that, if required, you'll mould 
 the lady to the shape she likes." 
 
 Miss Claire appeared uncertain whether she should 
 take this as f acetiousness or sarcasm. 
 
 " I assure you, sir," she said, " we will give her 
 satisfaction." 
 
 This was proffered with commercial caution, Ames 
 considered, and it amused him somewhat. 
 
 " If I may say," he pursued, " that the young lady 
 who explained the system to me is herself an exponent 
 of it, and if I describe her, I am quite sure that my 
 friend will have no further hesitation." 
 
 The colour of Miss Claire's face heightened as soon 
 as she perceived his meaning. 
 
 " Of course," she said, after some hesitation, " we 
 all wear what is here." 
 
 Suddenly Ames asked : 
 
 " You are French, I think? "
 
 66 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Well, Anglo-French. My father was French, 
 my mother partly English." 
 
 He spoke to her in French, and she replied in 
 a perfect idiom. 
 
 " I shall call in a day or two to let you know," he 
 said, after a pause. " And when I come, I shall ask 
 for you, and if you are not in I shall call again." 
 
 As he said this he looked at her admiringly, and 
 she smiled half -timidly. 
 
 When he found himself in the street again he 
 marvelled at himself. He had deserted one woman 
 because he desired to keep free from love intrigues, 
 and half-an-hour afterwards he was embarked upon 
 an amorous adventure! It was true then that this 
 sex impulsion could not be subdued. Kill it, and it 
 arose from its own ashes. 
 
 He walked down Regent Street again and home. 
 
 As he reached his door, Sims was leaving for the 
 day. 
 
 " How did she take it? " Ames inquired. 
 
 " Well enough at first, but when she heard that 
 you made no appointment, and that you hadn't prom- 
 ised to write, she seemed inclined to cry." 
 
 Ames shrugged his shoulders. He was not dis- 
 posed to commiserate with this consolable. Besides, 
 she was his debtor, a debtor that could never pay, and, 
 according to the world's view, she had lost a great 
 deal of her rights to be respected. Did he adopt 
 the world's views then? Apparently, when it suited 
 his convenience. He did not esteem himself the more 
 for that, and wondered if he would grow as mean as 
 the majority of those he met.
 
 IV 
 
 THE next day towards four o'clock Moore arrived. 
 
 " So you are going," said Ames, " to conduct me 
 to the shrine at which I'm told there are many wor- 
 shippers." 
 
 " Yes, for the lady is attractive, clever, and in a 
 privileged position." 
 
 " What of her husband? " 
 
 " Mad." 
 
 "Really?" 
 
 " Well, practically. He sits up in his castle all 
 day long blowing soap bubbles with his keeper when 
 he isn't catching flies." 
 
 " How long has he been like that? " 
 
 " Five years." 
 
 " And how does the lady take it ? " 
 
 " With philosophy." 
 
 As they sped along in the electric brougham, 
 Moore told Ames more stories of his friends in the 
 higher sets, and it was singular that all of whom he 
 spoke appeared to have some disability or care, or 
 to be in danger from some cause or another, and 
 above all to be in a large degree the authors of their 
 own misfortune. And he asked himself why, endowed 
 as they were with advantages over the common lot, 
 they could not lead more reasonable lives. 
 
 As they were approaching Loundes Square, Ames 
 inquired : 
 
 67
 
 68 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " And are the Ventners rich ? " 
 
 "Well, to me they seem rich enough, but I could 
 quite conceive that to you they might seem poor." 
 
 "How much?" 
 
 " About four thousand, I have heard." 
 
 " What an injustice ! " 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " To those who have only forty." 
 
 " Then do you consider yourself unjust? " 
 
 " Exceedingly." 
 
 Moore laughed with incredulity and the brougham 
 stopped before the house in Portman Square. 
 
 " She expects us," Moore whispered as they went 
 up the stairs ; " and is, I think, quite curious to see 
 you." 
 
 In a large drawing-room, almost buried in a high- 
 walled sofa, they found a woman whom Ames judged 
 to be thirty. Light hair, slightly golden, a skin of 
 fine texture and of extreme whiteness, a face that 
 was more elegant than beautiful, a slight figure, 
 fairly well proportioned; these were the characteris- 
 tics which Ames rapidly observed as he was intro- 
 duced. 
 
 " I have heard of you, Mr. Ames," she said, " as 
 having lived in Italy." 
 
 The last words were said with a certain air of lan- 
 guor, as though she were already somewhat tired by 
 the stress of life. 
 
 " Yes, I lived there many years yes, many happy 
 years." 
 
 He said this with studied earnestness, because he 
 had observed that women took an interest in earnest 
 men. Then they spoke of Italy, which Lady Ventner
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 69 
 
 knew from north to south, and which Moore also 
 knew. 
 
 " And now tell me, Mr. Ames, what has made you 
 leave that lovely land for England ? " 
 
 " From a climatic point of view, I admit that it 
 seems folly, but in England there are compensations 
 such as one might seek in vain in Italy." 
 
 Lady Ventner smiled. She asked: 
 
 " Do you practise much locomotion ? " 
 
 As Ames looked somewhat perplexed, she explained 
 her meaning: 
 
 " By locomotion of course I mean motoring, 
 yachting, travelling, tobogganing, punting." 
 
 " Yes, I'm beginning to do some of these things. 
 I wonder why ? " 
 
 " Because everybody does them. You would be 
 a brave man indeed if you dared abstain." 
 
 " What would you think of such a man ? " 
 
 "I should admire his courage and deplore his 
 fate." 
 
 " I suppose it would be terrible indeed? " 
 
 " Appalling." 
 
 " Mr. Ames," Moore said, " is about to become a 
 politician. He is going to contest Shadley at the 
 bye election." 
 
 Lady Ventner moved somewhat in her chair and 
 appeared to regard Ames with fresh interest. 
 
 " On which side? " she inquired quickly. 
 
 " Oh ! can you ask that question ? On the ancient 
 side, which must always be victorious in the end." 
 
 " Of course it must, and not all the * isms ' in the 
 world can alter that. It is arranged by Nature that 
 there shall always be one section of society endowed
 
 70 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 with the privileges that life can give, a section that 
 increases the value of existence and offers a model 
 for imitation. It is a party with a settled policy. 
 It has the prestige of tradition. It is consistent with 
 itself, faithful to its ideals. Its aims are dignified 
 and high. In England it is the only one that is 
 truly national." 
 
 Ames perceived at once that he was in the pres- 
 ence of a woman for whom the politics of her own 
 class were a settled creed and whose anger would be 
 soon excited by any expression of divergence from 
 them. He classed these people as fanatics, but they 
 were in possession of much power and refinement. 
 They must be humoured and encouraged to develop 
 their conceptions and their misconceptions. Only 
 in this way was it possible to deal with them success- 
 fully. 
 
 He said: 
 
 " Yes, you are right ; it is consistent." 
 
 " I'm glad you think so, and I shall be pleased to 
 introduce you to the leaders, most of whom are 
 friends of mine." 
 
 This was precisely what Ames did not desire. He 
 did not want to be infeodated at the start. He was 
 anxious to preserve his independence. Besides, he 
 was not really on her side, which, historically, might 
 not be the most ancient. However, he thanked her 
 for her offer, knowing the wide range of excuses at 
 his disposal when the time arrived. To his satisfac- 
 tion, the conversation changed, and he observed that, 
 if she were bigoted in politics, she was singularly 
 free from prejudice in other things. Her sense per-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 71 
 
 ceptions were extremely fine. In herself she was an 
 object of virtu. She belonged to a higher type. 
 
 Was she indulgent or severe in regard to laxity? 
 The question was important, because the answer to 
 it must reveal, he thought, the fundamental nature 
 of the woman. Wishing to test her, he brought the 
 conversation round to some of the delinquencies of 
 modern life, and observed that she refrained from 
 magnifying them, from condemning or excusing, and 
 when individuals were concerned she evinced no haste 
 to blame, no evident delight to censure such as he 
 had frequently detected in inferiorities. Her atti- 
 tude was decidedly patrician, and he was glad that 
 he had come that afternoon. Other visitors arrived, 
 and presently Ames and Moore withdrew. When 
 they were in the brougham again Moore inquired 
 what Ames thought of the lady whom they had just 
 visited, and the reply was : 
 
 " Charming. I am much indebted to you, Moore, 
 for introducing me." 
 
 " Oh ! she's only one. I hope to take you to some 
 more big houses." 
 
 Ames knew the value of these introductions into 
 the influential world, and he was not slow to express 
 his thanks. Moore, however, coughed a little, and 
 after a preamble as to the extreme expensiveness of 
 modern life he said, with evident embarrassment: 
 
 " In order to keep pace, and in spite of my small 
 income, I bought a little car about six months ago, 
 and the wretched manufacturers are actually press- 
 ing me for the payment of the balance. I wondered 
 whether I did not know if "
 
 72 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Ames interrupted him. Taking his arm affec- 
 tionately, he said: 
 
 " My dear fellow, you have only to name the sum." 
 
 '* Two hundred and fifty," murmured Moore. 
 
 " The postman shall bring them to you to-morrow 
 morning." 
 
 "Oh! it is really too good of you to offer this; 
 but of course I could only accept it as a loan." 
 
 " Repayable at whatever date you please." 
 
 " Thanks very much. You relieve me from a very 
 great strain indeed." 
 
 Inwardly Ames smiled. Even Moore! he thought. 
 What a pity ! For the poor man would never again 
 be happy in his company, and he felt that he him- 
 self, however much he might not wish to do so, would 
 look upon him with a certain lack of interest, with 
 embarrassment, with disapproval. Why must men 
 do these things? For his part, in the most strait- 
 ened period of his youth, he had never borrowed. But 
 this was, of course, no loan. It was in reality a deal. 
 The money was paid for the introduction, since it 
 was almost sure that it would never be repaid. And 
 why must Moore have a motor when he had only a 
 pittance on which to live? No doubt it was to en- 
 able him to pass for richer than he was and thus to 
 advance his prospects. So that all was barter, and 
 society appeared to be one huge exchange? Well, 
 at the base of all the motives was that of sustenance, 
 and those who could not pursue it in the way that 
 was considered right must either do so by methods 
 that were called wrong or perish. Cruel alternative 
 of a defective social state! 
 
 Moore said presently:
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 73 
 
 " In you, I know, I can have explicit confidence. 
 You will divulge to no one the fact of this advance." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " To no one," thinking : " The poor fellow is 
 trying to minimise the loss of his prestige." 
 
 They chatted of other things, and when they 
 reached the house Ames, without inviting his friend 
 to enter, said good-bye to him in the street, as Moore 
 refused to be driven back to his own rooms. 
 
 A letter sent by messenger was awaiting Ames 
 from Edith: 
 
 " After the happy time we passed together yester- 
 day, I expected to see you again ere this. I waited 
 for you until late last night and again this morning, 
 but you have not come and I am left to wonder what 
 has happened. Your secretary told me that you had 
 been called away, but he did not say for what. Do 
 let me have a line to tell me you are coming ! Why 
 not dine with me to-night? Your place will be laid 
 for you, and I do trust you will not leave it empty. 
 I am feeling very lonely and depressed. It would 
 be a charity if you would come and cheer me. 
 
 " EDITH." 
 
 The letter was in a plaintive note and it almost 
 touched him. It was true, no doubt, that she was 
 fretting a little from love, perhaps, but more from 
 disappointment. In any case, the letter disturbed 
 his equanimity for a few moments. The idea of an 
 evening passed with this attractive woman was se- 
 ductive and it seemed a waste of opportunity to stay 
 away. Yes; but it was just this kind of woman that
 
 74 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 became a chain not easy to shake off, and he was well 
 determined that he would retain his liberty. 
 
 Therefore, after a short struggle with himself, he 
 tore the letter into pieces. He would not reply. It 
 was a brutal course, perhaps, to take; but brutality 
 was sometimes unavoidable in life, and it often proved 
 to be better in the long run for its object than amen- 
 ity. The merit of silence, in this case, was to check 
 her enterprise more surely than it could be checked 
 by any other means. The compunction that he felt 
 in acting thus must be suppressed, and the suppres- 
 sion of it exercised and proved his power of self -disci- 
 pline. 
 
 And then, when he came to confess to himself, as 
 he was fond of doing, he recognised that the memory 
 of Claire had much to do with his determination. For 
 in respect to Claire, the danger was, or seemed to him, 
 less great. She was not in society and consequently 
 did not possess the powers it bestowed. To pursue her 
 was perhaps what the French called s'encanailler, al- 
 though when he thought of her grace and distinction 
 he found it difficult to use the term. 
 
 What somewhat held him back was the energy re- 
 quired to conduct the enterprise in the way he 
 wished, for he felt already that wealth had made him 
 lazy. 
 
 Nevertheless, in the morning, after breakfast, he 
 left his house and walked to Jermyn Street, to execute 
 a project he had formed in the waking hours of the 
 night. When he reached the discreet and narrow thor- 
 oughfare which had been his home on his arrival he 
 looked around for a few moments, then entered a 
 house above the door of which was written " Apart-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 75 
 
 merits." He was shown a bedroom and a sitting-room, 
 both well furnished. 
 
 " I take them for three months," said Ames, pro- 
 ducing a banknote, " and pay for them at once. 
 Please write out a receipt for the three months' rent 
 to Mr. Ames." 
 
 This was done and Ames returned to Carlton Ter- 
 race. He had acquired another home of many capa- 
 bilities, a place where he could model when the fancy 
 took him, where he could write and mature plans. 
 
 For the next few days Ames was busily engaged 
 preparing for the first meeting of his electors and 
 had little time for love affairs. 
 
 Invitations also were beginning to reach him in 
 increasing numbers. Even the Norton- Youngs, who 
 were generally somewhat indifferent, asked him 
 rather pressingly to come to a reception they were 
 holding soon. 
 
 There was an invitation to the wedding of Lucy 
 Penton to a German count, whose age, Ames had 
 been told, was sixty-five. Cynical, Ames reflected, as 
 he placed the card upon the mantel. Life must be 
 lived, had she not said, and its chances must be 
 taken? Yes, but life should never be betrayed! 
 
 There was one invitation which he accepted read- 
 ily that which came from Lady Ventner, because 
 he thought that she, at least, could have no interested 
 motive to pursue, and also because he liked her for 
 her charm. 
 
 But he was beginning to find that the state of 
 being rich had certain disadvantages which he would 
 never have suspected. At his club he found that 
 he was obliged to choose his friends in two classes,
 
 76 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the rich, or the parasital poor ; because the independ- 
 ent and high-souled poor avoided him, not wishing, 
 as he thought, to be confounded with the parasital 
 class, knowing also that they could not keep his pace. 
 And yet they were the men for whom alone he had 
 some admiration. As for the rich, they seemed to 
 him for the most part arrogant and largely engaged 
 in ruining their health by their excesses. When he 
 was poor, many of them had seemed fools to him, 
 and now that he was rich they seemed fools still. 
 They irritated him by always presupposing that he 
 did as they, that he invariably followed the pre- 
 scribed course. 
 
 There was only one member of the club, however, 
 that could not well be classed in any of the cate- 
 gories. His name was Craig, and no one knew his 
 income. He was the author of some philosophic 
 works that no one in the club had ever read, but 
 which were held in some esteem, it was understood, by 
 the learned world. On account of his logic and his 
 powers of analysis he was listened to, although by 
 not a few he was disliked and feared. 
 
 The day before the meeting Ames had been speak- 
 ing to a rich newspaper proprietor named Richards, 
 who had been explaining to him the scope of his 
 rotary machines and causing to germ in his mind the 
 idea of a journal of his own. Stout and alcoholic, 
 this man was nevertheless a clever mystifier of the 
 public that had made him rich. One of his many 
 papers professed to take the part of the humble and 
 the poor, and most of the economic news that it dis- 
 cussed was carefully arranged in such a way that 
 the readers should be kept alive to the injustice of
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 77 
 
 the employer and the simple honesty of the employed, 
 although his own men bitterly complained of the way 
 in which he treated them. The initiated knew that 
 his true aim was to lead the people back into the 
 hands of capital as soon as he had gained their con- 
 fidence, and the reason why he was a member of the 
 Berkshire Club was that this establishment had no 
 very settled politics, having become confused in its 
 political allegiance some time before on the Irish 
 issue. 
 
 As Ames was listening to this magnate, amused 
 at his self-sufficiency, Craig joined them. 
 
 " I was telling Mr. Ames," said Richards, " that 
 when he gets into Parliament we shall expect much 
 of him." 
 
 " In Parliament," Craig said, " as far as my ob- 
 servation goes, an individual can achieve little. He 
 is powerless if he stands alone, and as a partisan he 
 is not free." 
 
 Then adjusting his glasses and scrutinising Ames, 
 he asked after a momentary pause: 
 
 " May I inquire why you seek to enter Parlia- 
 ment? " 
 
 Ames saw the trap and he replied : 
 
 " Chiefly because it is considered distinction to be 
 there." 
 
 " And do you consider it as such? " 
 
 " My own opinion is of no importance in the 
 matter." 
 
 " That of the maj ority, you think, suffices." 
 
 " For my purpose, yes, it does." 
 
 " So far as it goes," said Craig, " that is satis- 
 factory. If you are elected, there will at least be
 
 78 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 one member who will not ask us to believe that he 
 is there for his country's good." 
 
 " You appear to have no faith in the system. 
 Could you tell us how it is to be reformed ? " 
 
 " Not with human nature as it is." 
 
 *' Then should we not accept what we cannot 
 mend?" 
 
 " I do not think so." 
 
 " What then can we do ? " 
 
 " Endeavour to devise another that will afford no 
 opportunity to * human nature ' to confuse and spoil 
 it a system that would attract the men that the 
 present one repels." 
 
 " Which men," said Richards, " are of course 
 philosophers." 
 
 " I am surprised," said Craig, " to hear you use 
 a word so obsolete." 
 
 With this he moved away, and Richards said : 
 
 " Unpractical, high-stilted person ! " 
 
 " Quite out of place, I should imagine," Ames re- 
 marked, with a quiet smile, " in the Berkshire Club." 
 
 As he walked home Ames thought of this conver- 
 sation. This man perceived the weakness of the po- 
 litical machine. Many, no doubt, perceived it also, 
 but he differed from them by the impulse which com- 
 pelled him to proclaim a truth which others veiled. 
 This man must lead a life saddened by his percep- 
 tions and, what was more, he must incur the odium 
 or the enmity of those who took things as they were 
 and derived profit from them. Well, there had al- 
 ways been, and probably would always be, men who 
 had the instinct of perfectibility, who never were, 
 and never could be, satisfied with the inferiority
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 79 
 
 which passed current as superiority. And he him- 
 self, was he of these? He did not know. The future 
 would decide. 
 
 Although busy with these reflections, he was con- 
 scious that an impulse which he could not resist had 
 directed his steps to Regent Street. In a few mo- 
 ments he found himself before the shop of Blythe & 
 Geraldine, and as he stood hesitating as to whether 
 he should enter, the door opened, and Claire came 
 out. 
 
 She recognised him instantly. 
 
 '* You were coming in ? " she asked. 
 
 " Yes, about that order. It's to you alone I pre- 
 fer to explain the thing. If you are leaving, I must 
 come again." 
 
 " I will return," she said, with a pleasant smile, 
 and they pushed the swing doors simultaneously. In 
 an instant she had divested herself of her hat and 
 stood behind the counter facing him. 
 
 " Well," said Ames, " I have heard from my rela- 
 tive who's coming to town for a flying visit, and 
 thinks it better that you should measure her. Can 
 you come to 9 Jermyn Street on Friday next at six 
 o'clock?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly. What name? " 
 
 " Ames." 
 
 The young girl wrote the appointment in a book, 
 and Ames, preserving a serious demeanour to avoid 
 suspicion, withdrew after a remark about the fine- 
 ness of the day. 
 
 Why was it that when he found himself in the 
 street again he was discontented with himself? Ac- 
 customed to self-analysis, he recognised that under
 
 80 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the influence of sex impulsion he had had recourse 
 to subterfuge, and he was conscious of a feeling that 
 in his privileged position he ought to have been able 
 to dispense with that. Oh! but he would be frank 
 with her as soon as he had an opportunity, and all 
 love enterprises required certain preparations which 
 could not always be sincere. 
 
 Thinking thus, he walked to his rooms in Jermyn 
 Street, where, although it was late, he ordered tea 
 and questioned the proprietor as to the possibility of 
 having meals should he require them. 
 
 That evening he spent with Jones, his agent, lis- 
 tening to his report of the tendencies and occupa- 
 tions of the inhabitants of his constituency, and 
 reading parliamentary debates. 
 
 " What chance have I? " he inquired of the middle- 
 aged, round-headed Welshman who was in charge of 
 his political affairs. 
 
 " Every chance," was the reply. " They must 
 have a man who will contribute largely to their char- 
 ities and institutions, for they are well-nigh bank- 
 rupt now." 
 
 "Then you think they will elect me for my 
 purse? " 
 
 "Well, of course they might have other reasons, 
 but that will be a weighty factor in the case." 
 
 " Quite so ; it has become the only one in life." 
 
 Jones said: 
 
 " If it were not for that, the socialist might have 
 a chance. A good many of the electors have social- 
 istic tendencies." 
 
 " I hope," said Ames, " I shall know how to con- 
 ciliate these worthy people."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 81 
 
 " From what I have seen, Mr. Ames, I should think 
 you would. You have the power of appearing to be 
 upon all sides at once." 
 
 " Sides? Now, Jones, confess that sides are only 
 make-believe! You yourself care no more for one 
 side than another." 
 
 " Oh, really, Mr. Ames ! " 
 
 " You know you don't. Admit it honestly." 
 
 Jones laughed. 
 
 "Well, you see I'm like an organ that was made 
 to play one tune. If I were put in the other camp 
 to-morrow I should be quite lost." 
 
 " But suppose my competitor offered you a thou- 
 sand pounds to go to him, do you think you'd hesi- 
 tate? " 
 
 " Oh, what a supposition ! " 
 
 " Say plainly, No." 
 
 " Of course when a man has a wife and 
 family " 
 
 " Yes, Jones, I have observed that the possession 
 of a wife and family is held to condone much." 
 
 " You will learn what it means some day, Mr. 
 Ames." 
 
 " Perhaps, Jones ; although I think it doubtful."
 
 ON the evening of the meeting, Ames drove down 
 to the hall in Shadley. He had embarked upon this 
 business without knowing whether he was fitted for 
 it or being sure that he could speak. He told him- 
 self, however, that if he was unable to creditably 
 address an audience of such limited intelligence as 
 that which he knew would gather there to-night he 
 must be very dull indeed, and that he was by no 
 means ready to admit. 
 
 Entering the ante-room, he conversed with the 
 chairman, a local magnate and M. P., as well as with 
 a few supporters whom the former had procured, 
 and presently they all ascended the platform. 
 
 The room was already almost full, and Ames, who 
 was greeted with applause, saw before him an audi- 
 ence which, as far as he could judge, belonged, for 
 the most part, to the skilled artisan and the trading 
 classes, with a row or two of the aristocracy in 
 front. 
 
 As he was surveying these foremost rows, he per- 
 ceived a lady whom he thought he knew. Surely 
 beneath that veil was the face of Edith! Extraor- 
 dinary boldness on her part to be there ! Almost at 
 the same instant he became aware that speaking to 
 her was Sybil Norton-Young. Both were dressed in 
 black and both seemed to avoid looking in his direc- 
 tion. Ah ! well, if they liked to lose an evening thus 
 he had no objection. But how strange of Edith not 
 
 82
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 83 
 
 to take offence ! Did she mean to " fasten on " to 
 him, he wondered. That, of all things, was what he 
 would not brook. 
 
 The chairman introduced the candidate in a short 
 address, in which he dwelt upon the needs of the con- 
 stituency, the wish and ability of Ames to meet them. 
 He had had an opportunity of ascertaining the po- 
 litical ideals which Mr. Ames had set before him, and 
 he could assure the audience that they were of the 
 soundest character. 
 
 When Ames rose he was greeted with loud ap- 
 plause, which, however, having been arranged before- 
 hand by the agent, was far from general. He told 
 the gathering that he met them as a friend who, in 
 return for the honour they had done him in coming 
 there that night, would endeavour to explain to them 
 frankly, and without reticence, his views of the situ- 
 ation and his projects for reform. Then, in an ora- 
 tion which lasted for well-nigh half an hour, he un- 
 folded before them in a tone of conversation the pol- 
 icy which he had. constructed in his mind since he 
 first resolved to enter politics. Ostensibly a Radical, 
 because he had observed that in England the Radi- 
 cal stood conveniently between Liberalism and So- 
 cialism, and was the most able to move as the bal- 
 ance of power swayed; he did not dwell upon party 
 principles, but applied himself to the task of prov- 
 ing his ability to deal with economic ills, the only 
 ones which, as he well knew, the electors of his times 
 held serious, and his speech was so carefully de- 
 vised to meet the needs of the classes without strik- 
 ing at the vital interest of any of them, that it was 
 often quoted afterwards as a model of non-commit-
 
 84 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 ment. And although he himself thought it a piece 
 of sophistry, of which he might have been ashamed 
 if he had not held all politics to be little more than 
 sophistry, it was a remarkable success, and won him, 
 before he resumed his seat, the favour of an audience 
 whom his wealth had already well disposed. 
 
 This caused him satisfaction, because it proved 
 that he had the faculty of speech, and therefore the 
 power to persuade and to direct. Speech was the 
 avenue to influence, and influence was needful to the 
 attainment of that gratified self-love which appeared 
 to be the chiefest end of action in the world. 
 
 When the meeting was over, he descended to the 
 hall to speak with some of the important tradesmen 
 of the district, who gathered round him in a ring. 
 As he was listening to their views, propounded in a 
 naive dogmatic manner that amused him, he could 
 see the two ladies whom he knew standing near the 
 door, as if uncertain whether to go or stay, and 
 apparently engaged in arguing the point. Once or 
 twice during the address he had caught the gaze of 
 Sybil fixed upon him with an earnestness that seemed 
 sincere. He felt a certain inclination to speak to 
 her, but none at all to speak with Edith, who had 
 assumed an air half sly, half sullen, whenever he 
 had glanced in her direction. 
 
 At length he saw them leave, and he concluded 
 that they had felt ashamed to stay. 
 
 He was forced to talk to his supporters for ten 
 minutes more, and when at length he reached the 
 vestibule he found the two ladies standing at the 
 door, looking at the rain, which was falling in tor- 
 rents, and waiting for a cab.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 85 
 
 Going up to them he said: 
 
 " As you have done me the honour to come here, 
 will you not allow me to drive you home ? There are 
 no cabs on a night like this." 
 
 Sybil answered promptly: 
 
 '* Thank you ; we were beginning to despair." 
 
 Edith remained silent, although endeavouring to 
 smile. 
 
 The brougham was in waiting, and they entered 
 it at once. Ames, whose presence of mind was rarely 
 at fault, realised at once that if he deposited Sybil 
 first he would be left alone with Edith, and as this 
 perspective did not please him he told the footman 
 to drive first to Edith's, and then to the Norton- 
 Youngs'. But Edith had partly overheard. 
 
 " Where did you tell him to go first ? " she asked. 
 
 " To your house," he answered, in his softest tone. 
 
 " But it's ever so much further from here than 
 Sybil's," she protested. 
 
 " Is it really ? " he asked, as though he were learn- 
 ing a new fact. " But my chauffeur's knowledge of 
 short cuts is wonderful, and he will have already 
 remedied my error in his mind. What a wretched 
 evening ! " 
 
 Edith said no more, but as the street lights fell 
 upon her features he could see that they were con- 
 tracted, and when they reached her house, she 
 alighted with a mere " good-night." 
 
 Sybil said, as soon as they were alone: "Your 
 speech was really excellent!" And he told her how 
 pleased he had been to perceive her there that night 
 and how much he hoped that, in the future, they 
 would often meet.
 
 86 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " You pleased us from the first," she said, " be- 
 cause you were not like the other Croesuses one 
 comes across. Call whenever you are able. Both my 
 sister and myself are of bachelor proclivities, if that's 
 of any interest to you." 
 
 He seized this opportunity to say : 
 
 " I love your frankness, and I understand that 
 you, with your artistic nature and your freedom 
 from conventionality, should have no inclination for 
 what is really an irksome state. I share that senti- 
 ment myself." 
 
 " But," he murmured after a pause, " if we are 
 celibates from choice, that is no reason why we should 
 not be friends in the fullest, most sympathetic, and, 
 if I may say so, the most affectionate of ways." 
 
 He looked into her face again to judge the impres- 
 sion he had made. And then continued : 
 
 " What is there in this life worth hoping for if 
 not for friendship of this kind? We cannot live 
 without the solace of such ties." 
 
 " Indeed we cannot," she exclaimed, carried away 
 by his persuasiveness. 
 
 Then he told her that as soon as he could spare 
 time from politics he would call often if she would 
 allow him, and that would afford an opportunity of 
 pursuing the ideal friendship which they had begun 
 that night. But at this she seemed a little disap- 
 pointed, as though she thought the time he spoke of 
 somewhat too remote, and he, perceiving this, con- 
 tinued : 
 
 " In the meantime, I hope to come and spend at 
 least one happy evening shortly at your house." 
 
 " Yes, come," she said, " and soon."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 87 
 
 They had reached the Norton-Youngs', and she 
 alighted. Ames desired nothing more than to spend 
 the remainder of the evening with her. He felt cer- 
 tain that she would have allowed him to do so if he 
 had given the slightest indication of his wish; but 
 the voice of what he called his Daimon, or familiar 
 spirit, sounded in his ears, and he refrained. 
 
 " Good-night," he said, pressing her hand affec- 
 tionately. 
 
 " Good-night," she answered, giving him a last 
 look as she unlatched the door. 
 
 The evening, he reflected as he drove home, had 
 been successful. The meeting had been very satis- 
 factory and his encounter with the two women had 
 been just as he could have wished that it should be. 
 
 He wondered whether he should permit himself to 
 think that Sybil was more earnest than the rest. Per- 
 haps, since she did not seek marriage. There was 
 here a mystery, however, which he must solve when 
 he had time. 
 
 The next morning, as he was reading the report of 
 his meeting in the morning papers, Giacomo entered, 
 bearing a card which he handed to his master. 
 
 Ames read, " Mr. Francis Elford," and said to 
 Giacomo: 
 
 " Show him in." 
 
 Ames gave a nod of recognition to the dark- 
 complexioned man of middle age who stepped into 
 the room. 
 
 " You remember me at Rome ? " the latter said. 
 
 Again Ames moved his head. 
 
 " Ah ! those were the good times when we used 
 to live in that large house near the Corso. But that
 
 88 THE METHODS OF MR. IAMES 
 
 was seven years ago, and since that I have met with 
 nothing but misfortune. My mining ventures all 
 proved bad and my wife went off with an Italian 
 officer. I am in the sorest straits, and I thought, 
 for the sake of the old times when we were together 
 at the school of art, that you would help me. I'm 
 trying to start an agency for clerks, but it requires 
 a little outlay, and I am without funds." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " I remember you, my friend, when you were rich. 
 The last time I saw you in the street you invited me 
 to dinner, saying that you would write and name 
 the day. That day you never named and never 
 meant to name. But such treatment you considered 
 good enough for me. And now you come and ask 
 me to assist you ! " 
 
 Elford began a protest, but Ames stopped him : 
 
 " Not another word. I know your type. Through 
 the ages it has never changed. Here is a five-pound 
 note. Take it or leave it, as you please." 
 
 Elford had grown crimson. Evidently a struggle 
 was taking place in him between his remaining pride 
 and his desire to obtain the money. Finally he 
 took the note and withdrew with a muttered 
 " Thanks." 
 
 When he was gone, Ames called Giacomo. 
 
 " Never again admit that man." 
 
 When the Friday came, Ames passed the afternoon 
 at his rooms in Jermyn Street, reading a French play 
 which had been sent to him by its author, and ar- 
 ranging the modelling stand which he had procured. 
 When six o'clock approached, after instructing the 
 valet to admit a lady asking for the name of Ames,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 89 
 
 he waited, not without some flutter of excitement, for 
 the arrival of the corsetiere. It seemed to him almost 
 wonderful that he should have laid this plot the first 
 of the kind that he had ever laid and he reasoned 
 that he must be more than ordinarily beneath the 
 influence of the sex impulsion which had made him 
 scheme like this. He would not admit that he had 
 any settled end in view. He had asked her to come 
 there because he felt that he would like to be with 
 her alone, to talk to her, to study her, and, no doubt, 
 make love to her. But there was to be no trap. She 
 would be free to go. 
 
 At length he heard a ring, and presently Claire 
 entered, bearing a small parcel. 
 
 She started slightly when she saw there was no 
 one in the room but Ames. 
 
 " I regret to say," said Ames, " that the lady has 
 not yet arrived. I should have let you know before. 
 It is inexcusable of me to have given you the trouble 
 of coming here in vain." 
 
 She answered : 
 
 " Oh ! it is no trouble. Perhaps you will let us 
 know when the lady is in town." 
 
 With this she was withdrawing, when Ames 
 stopped her. 
 
 " Do not go so soon. Give me your parcel and 
 let me beg of you to take a seat. I saw from the 
 first that you were a lady." 
 
 He waited to see what effect the latter part of this 
 little speech had had, well knowing the psychology 
 of class. 
 
 She said, abandoning the packet with some hesi- 
 tation and taking the proffered chair:
 
 90 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " My father was a French master and a Bachdier- 
 es-Lettres. My mother was an artist's daughter." 
 
 "I knew," exclaimed Ames, with increased con- 
 viction, " that I was not wrong." 
 
 " But," she continued, " my father died while I 
 was still at school, and I lost my mother, with whom 
 I lived, three years ago. Then I went into business. 
 That is my history." 
 
 "I, too," said Ames, "have lost both parents, 
 and I, too, would no doubt have been in business 
 had I not been left some little means." 
 
 Then they chatted for a while, he telling her of 
 his love for art, of his travels, and she listening to 
 him with apparent interest, until at length, looking 
 at the clock, she suddenly exclaimed: 
 
 " It's getting late ; I must be going, or they'll 
 wonder what I have been doing since the lady was 
 not there." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 "We'll soon get over that. Let me ask you to 
 take your own measurements and order a corset upon 
 it. I'm certain it will fit." 
 
 "Oh! I'm afraid you don't quite realise how fig- 
 ures differ. With our system, one-sixteenth of an 
 inch would spoil it all. We really must wait till the 
 lady comes." 
 
 As she was moving towards the door, Ames said: 
 
 " I will be frank with you. There is no lady. I 
 have no relative in the wide world. I invented this 
 little fiction simply because, ever since the day I saw 
 you first, I have been longing to know you, and I 
 could think of no better means. Oh, do not be 
 alarmed! You run no danger here. Take your
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 91 
 
 measurements and satisfy your people. Then, let 
 us part friends." 
 
 " Really, I am embarrassed. Do you mean to say 
 that you contrived all this simply because you 
 wanted to know me? " 
 
 " Purely on that account. I would contrive a 
 great deal more for the same pleasure." 
 
 " And do you insist upon my sending you a cor- 
 set? " 
 
 " I earnestly request that you will be so kind." 
 
 Unable to repress a smile, she said: 
 
 " I need not measure, for I know the figures well, 
 but really it is the first time I have ever taken such 
 an order." 
 
 Gazing at her beauty, he inquired: 
 
 " Do you live at your place in Regent Street ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; I live with a friend in Chelsea." 
 
 "Do you like the Opera?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; I love it." 
 
 " Will you let me take you there to-morrow 
 night? " 
 
 " I should so much like to go with you because, 
 although I've known you for such a little time, I've 
 confidence in you. But it's overlate, and my 
 friend " 
 
 " Will not object when she knows that you are 
 with me? " 
 
 She still hesitated for some moments, then con- 
 sented, and so it was arranged. He would wait for 
 her in St. James's Park, since it was Saturday and 
 her afternoon was free. Then they would dine to- 
 gether and go to Covent Garden, where Melba was 
 to sing.
 
 92 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 "But dress?" she asked. 
 
 " Oh, we will take the places where it's not en- 
 forced." 
 
 She assented to this readily, and then, with cheeks 
 aglow, she offered her hand to him as she said good- 
 bye. He pressed it warmly, but discreetly, retain- 
 ing it a moment while he gazed into her face. Then, 
 when she had gone, he lit a cigarette. He had suc- 
 ceeded in inspiring confidence and the interview had 
 been as he desired. He was excessively attracted and 
 he knew he was embarked upon an adventure which 
 might lead him far. But it must not take him far- 
 ther than he wished to go. In this affair, as in the 
 rest, he must never fail to dominate himself. 
 
 Punctually at six next day Ames was in St. 
 James's Park, walking by the water's edge and glanc- 
 ing around in search of Claire. The sun, shining 
 through a somewhat murky atmosphere, shed a pale 
 gold light upon the gardens. The trees in their 
 summer foliage stood out against a thinly clouded 
 sky. Boys rowed upon the artificial lake and the 
 ducks scrimmaged for the bread-crumbs thrown them 
 by the children on the shore. An urchin fished for 
 minnows with a string. The place was sufficiently 
 reposeful, and Ames, in a happy, expectant mood, 
 strolled up and down the bank, occasionally looking 
 at his watch. 
 
 At length he saw a girl in dark blue silk coming 
 towards him on one of the side paths. He recog- 
 nised at once the symmetry and grace of Claire, and 
 as she drew nearer he noticed the pleasure which her 
 face betrayed. He knew quite well that particular 
 expression which women's countenances assume when
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 93 
 
 they are in the society of men from whom they expect 
 love or sustenance, or both. 
 
 He led her to a seat. It was so charming of her 
 to have come, so good to have had confidence in him, 
 so kind! He knew they would be friends. He had 
 known it from the first, and now he felt as though 
 they were already old, old friends. 
 
 She listened to him approvingly and thoughtfully, 
 and when he had finished told him some of her af- 
 fairs, of her life when she was a schoolgirl with 
 her parents, and the hardships which they had en- 
 dured, of her choice of the business in which he had 
 discovered her, because it was one that was conducted 
 entirely by women, and in which the tyrannous shop- 
 walker was unknown. She had risen since she had 
 been there, she said. In a month or two, perhaps 
 she would be premiere. 
 
 " How nice it must be," said Ames, " to pass one's 
 days in enhancing and correcting Nature ! " 
 
 " But it's no easy task. There are ladies who are 
 never pleased." 
 
 " Not even when you attend to them? " 
 
 0h, no." 
 
 *' They would like to equal you, and as they can- 
 not, they're dissatisfied ! " 
 
 She laughed. 
 
 " If you pay compliments like that I shall begin 
 to fear that you're not sincere." 
 
 " And that would be very wrong." 
 
 " I hope so." 
 
 He looked at her for some moments without speak- 
 ing, feeling himself drawn towards her by a magnet- 
 ism which it seemed wrong to check, asking himself
 
 94 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 whether it would not be wise to secure so healthy 
 and so beautiful a woman for a wife. Would the 
 heavens fall if he married out of caste? 
 
 " But," she said, " there has been in my life a 
 great misfortune." 
 
 " A great misfortune? " he repeated, scanning her 
 anew. 
 
 "Yes, but I cannot tell it you. Some day, per- 
 liaps. Not now." 
 
 She had grown so serious that Ames thought it 
 "better to refrain from pressing her, although he was 
 excessively perplexed. He told himself that it would 
 not be very long before he ascertained what this mys- 
 terious misfortune was. They chatted for an hour 
 longer, and then, when it was time to seek the res- 
 taurant, they strolled up to Piccadilly Circus, thence 
 to Garrard Street, in which was the French hotel 
 at which they were to dine. 
 
 All the while she was somewhat apprehensive lest 
 she should be seen by some of her colleagues in the 
 shop, or by one of the principals themselves. 
 
 " The girls," she said, " would worry me to death 
 to know who my gentleman was." 
 
 He did not like the term " my gentleman," so he 
 ordered the dinner without replying. 
 
 But when, a little later, he looked at her as she 
 sat before him, her face a little flushed by the cham- 
 pagne, he could not help admitting that she was 
 physically as fine a type as it was possible to see. 
 At all events, her face was perfect. 
 
 But although Claire sustained the conversation, 
 there came a stage during the meal when neither 
 seemed able to find fresh themes. Many occurred to
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 95 
 
 Ames, but he dismissed them as unsuited to her scope, 
 and for a brief moment he realised how drab exist- 
 ence might become when linked to that of a woman 
 whose mind had been trained in the warping sphere 
 of trade. 
 
 When the dinner was over, they walked through 
 the French quarter to the Opera, where Ames had 
 secured seats. As they were going up the staircase 
 she asked him what the performance was. Not hav- 
 ing thought of ascertaining, he did not know; but 
 when they reached their places, and he procured a 
 programme, he exclaimed: 
 
 " It's Faust." 
 
 She started slightly. 
 
 " Do you not like Faust? " he asked. 
 
 " I like the music." 
 
 "Not the story?" 
 
 *' It makes me sad." 
 
 He reflected for a moment. Then, to change the 
 theme, he said: 
 
 " Look at that lady down there in that box and 
 tell me what you think of her." 
 
 He handed her a glass and Claire looked through 
 it at a woman glittering with diamonds who was 
 leaning back in her chair and gazing at the stalls. 
 
 " Oh ! I know her. We make her corsets. That's 
 Lady Ventner. Very elegant indeed ! " 
 
 " Is that the lady whose husband's mad ? " 
 
 " I believe he is. But of course she does not 
 speak to us of that. One day she asked me, I re- 
 member, to look at her figure and to tell her frankly 
 if I could detect a fault. And I really could not." 
 
 Ames, looking through the glass, studied the pure
 
 96 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 curves of the neck and shoulders and the fine pose 
 of the head. 
 
 He said: " She's rather thin." 
 
 She laughed. 
 
 *' Are you fond of massive beauty? " 
 
 He whispered : 
 
 " No, I think that beauty should be just like 
 yours." 
 
 This seemed to please her, but it did not raise 
 the colour of her cheeks as he expected that it would, 
 at least as far as he could see in the imperfect light. 
 They watched the people entering the boxes and the 
 stalls until the orchestra began the overture. Then 
 they listened to the music, following the setting to 
 it of the Faust legend, with its philosophy of evil, 
 the longing of the withered doctor for the joys of 
 love and his transformation with the aid of Satan 
 into the youthful cavalier who leads the humble Mar- 
 guerite astray. 
 
 The prima donna, who was young and sympa- 
 thetic, played the role with great simplicity and 
 charm. 
 
 " Non monsieur, je ne suis ni demoiselle ni belle, 
 Et je n'ai pas besoin de bras de cavalier." 
 
 Ames noticed that Claire looked down at times, 
 and once during a love duo he was certain that her 
 eyes were moist. 
 
 "Why," she asked in the entr'acte, "why must 
 that beautiful Faust with such a lovely voice be 
 wicked? " 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " Because there would have been no drama if he
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 97 
 
 had been good." Then drawing near to her he mur- 
 mured : " Do you not see that in this Faust story 
 there is a profound realisation of the love impulse, 
 of the yearning which no one can escape? Faust is 
 not really evil, but he is driven by this force too 
 strongly for his power of resistance. He is at- 
 tracted by the innocence and charm of Marguerite, 
 and he is blind to the consequences which may ensue. 
 And so it always is. When we are under the spell 
 of love, we cannot think of anything beyond; we 
 must fulfil our destiny. Here, in this story, then, 
 is a mingling of true philosophy with ancient super- 
 stition. Satan and hell are fictions of bygone days. 
 Love only is eternal." 
 
 " But," she said, " I hope you don't approve of 
 the way Faust acted towards Marguerite? " 
 
 " No, of course it would never do if it became the 
 rule." 
 
 But when the last scene came, and Faust's sonor- 
 ous damnation was accomplished, Ames, moved in 
 spite of himself by the ancient blame attaching to 
 all Fausts, could not repress a feeling of dissatis- 
 faction with himself for being engaged upon an 
 enterprise which could not well be reconciled with 
 any of the long-accepted views of commendable con- 
 duct. This feeling lasted until they reached the 
 street, but it disappeared when he took her arm, and 
 they walked along in quiet sympathy. 
 
 But Ames realised that in his position, with his 
 schemes for the future, he must not lose time in 
 aimless courting. He must discover, and that very 
 night, what his relations to this enchantress were 
 to be. Therefore, when they reached King William
 
 98 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Street, and she declared that she must hurry to catch 
 the last of the Chelsea cars, he whispered : 
 
 " Miss that car. It is still early. I cannot bear 
 the thought of losing you so soon. At home, the 
 supper is all laid. I entreat you come and sup with 
 me. Then I will take you home." 
 
 '* How can you ask me to do that ? " 
 
 " Did you not say that you have confidence in 
 me?" 
 
 "I had." 
 
 *' I cannot guess what I have done to lose that 
 confidence?" 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 "I believe in your good intentions, but you ex- 
 plained to me just now that impulses may sometimes 
 be beyond control." 
 
 " But mine are not, so you may safely come. I 
 certainly shall not think you a true friend if you 
 refuse." 
 
 He had already hailed a passing hansom, and he 
 succeeded in inducing her to enter it in spite of her 
 reluctance. 
 
 " Let us," he said, as they drove along, " be really 
 friends." 
 
 But she did not answer, remaining taciturn 
 throughout the drive, gazing abstractedly into the 
 street until they reached the house. Then when they 
 alighted and he unlatched the door she stepped in 
 listlessly. 
 
 As he said, the supper was already laid, and he 
 asked her at once to take a seat at the round table, 
 on which he had been careful to have placed a few 
 of Benoist's edibles and some vintage wine.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 99 
 
 " My man has gone to bed," he said, " so we shall 
 have to serve ourselves." 
 
 She scarcely ate what he placed upon her plate 
 and did not drink the glass of Pommery he poured 
 for her. She answered, somewhat briefly, the re- 
 marks he made. He saw that she was not happy, 
 and he realised that all that he might say to a woman 
 in her frame of mind would be of no effect. 
 
 As soon as the meal was over, therefore, he rose 
 and led her to an arm-chair. Then, placing himself 
 upon a stool beside her and looking up into her 
 face, he said: 
 
 " I asked you to come here because of my desire 
 to be with you as long as possible, because of my 
 esteem for you, my deep affection." 
 
 And in reality he was sincere. He felt at that 
 moment drawn towards her irresistibly. 
 
 " And if I hesitated," she answered, " it was not 
 because I did not want to come, but because I feared 
 you would think less of me for coming." 
 
 "Ah, what a wrong idea! Do you then care a 
 little for what I think? " 
 
 " Oh, yes a great deal." 
 
 He drew closer to her. 
 
 "Claire may I not call you Claire? how good 
 it is of you to grace my bachelor's retreat! By 
 your presence here the place seems changed, and I 
 myself seem changed. Instead of sitting over in that 
 corner with a stupid book, I am lying at your side, 
 my eyes rejoiced by the sight of so much beauty! 
 Ah! why are you not here always? Why can you 
 not be always here? " 
 
 She said:
 
 100 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " I am fond of clearness. I entreat you to say 
 at once what you desire that I should be to you." 
 
 He was surprised by the directness of the ques- 
 tion and was inclined to take it as a bid for matri- 
 mony. Nevertheless he answered promptly, but with 
 a mental reservation: 
 
 " Whatever you wish to be." 
 
 He perceived that this answer had embarrassed 
 her, which was what it was meant to do. 
 
 She said after a long pause : 
 
 " I will not be your mistress, and I may not be 
 your wife." 
 
 Suspecting the truth, he simply asked : 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 ** Because I am not as you think and it is not in 
 my nature to deceive." 
 
 He took her hand and whispered : 
 
 " Tell me all your little trouble, as a friend." 
 
 A tear glistened in her eye. 
 
 " Oh, no ; you will think so ill of me." 
 
 "That, never!" he exclaimed, and again he mur- 
 mured: "Tell me." 
 
 " Three years ago," she said, in a low tone and 
 with evident suffering, " I was engaged to a Belgian 
 artist. The wedding was arranged, the date was 
 fixed. A week before, he asked me to go for a day 
 upon the river. I trusted him, and went. He in- 
 duced me to stay longer than a day and then he left 
 me." 
 
 Ames, only partially surprised, inquired: 
 
 " And is that all? " 
 
 She understood his meaning. 
 
 " .Yes, that is all quite all."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 101 
 
 "And since?" 
 
 " I have had no love affairs." 
 
 He gazed into her face and was convinced she 
 spoke the truth. On the whole, the information did 
 not trouble him. Indeed, it was somewhat welcome, 
 because it relieved him of a responsibility which he 
 was not anxious to assume. 
 
 " How frank of you to tell me," he exclaimed ; 
 "but surely in such a case you have no cause for 
 self-reproach. You trusted and you were deceived." 
 
 " But I do reproach myself, and greatly." 
 
 " Listen to me," he said. " You cannot live like 
 that, ever at work without the consolation which all 
 human beings need, without the incense which your 
 beauty merits." 
 
 But she had sprung up from her chair. 
 
 "Oh, no, no; not that!" 
 
 She had taken up her jacket and was moving to 
 the door. 
 
 "Well, but," he inquired, "what?" 
 
 " I know I am illogical. I cannot help it. Thank 
 you for the Opera. Good-night." 
 
 Perceiving that she was determined, he opened the 
 door for her, then followed her to the front door, 
 which he unlatched. 
 
 A hansom was passing at that moment. She hailed 
 it, and while Ames looked on in silence she jumped 
 into it, gave her address to the driver, and after a 
 second " good-night," accompanied by a saddened 
 smile, drove off. 
 
 Ames returned to his parlour, and, throwing him- 
 self into an arm-chair, burst out into a laugh. 
 
 Marriage! She wanted marriage, that was clear,
 
 102 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 and he realised that if there were a thousand Claires, 
 one more enchanting than another, nothing would 
 induce him to marry one of them. But he was angry 
 with her for having come, and, having come, for 
 having gone; angry with himself for having been so 
 deeply stirred and for being left with nothing more 
 substantial than the recollection of her beauty. 
 
 He rose and paced the room. It was very well, 
 but, while all around him were daily partaking of 
 the feast of love, he, with his famous prudence or 
 his virtue, was positively starving, and when, for 
 once, he was about to do what was, after all, an 
 unwise thing, thisr was how it ended. 
 
 He looked at the supper-table and at the chair 
 in which she had sat. Then, with a shrug, he put 
 on his coat and left. This, he determined, would 
 be the last episode of its kind in his career. He had 
 given way for a moment to the impulses of youth. 
 In future he would be more circumspect what the 
 world in its hypocrisy would call more moral.
 
 VI 
 
 WHEN he awoke the next morning, Ames jumped 
 out of bed, performed some exercises with a pair of 
 clubs, and mentally pulled himself together, deter- 
 mined to shake dff the experience of the previous 
 night. Had he followed an inclination that was 
 strong within him he would have written to Claire 
 for another meeting, but that, his inner judgment 
 told him, would have been unwise. Besides, was he 
 not to dine that night with Lady Ventner? And 
 would she not provide the best of antidotes to 
 Claire? 
 
 All that day he worked with Sims on the journal- 
 istic scheme, which took a large place in his thoughts 
 as the days went by, receiving the visits of master 
 printers and describing to them the paper which he 
 wished to found. Then, in the evening, he went to 
 Portman Square. Lady Ventner received him with a 
 shade of coldness in her cordiality. 
 
 " First," she said, " I must explain that the couple 
 whom I had invited to meet you have at the last 
 moment wired that owing to a loss they could not 
 come. That is why you see me here alone." 
 
 She continued after a slight pause : 
 
 " Since I saw you last, I've read your speech at 
 Shadley. After I had read it, I almost resolved to 
 quarrel with you. I was surprised that, consider- 
 ing what you said when you were here, you should 
 have uttered anything so red, so socialistic. It's 
 
 103
 
 104. THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 simply inconceivable that a man like you should be 
 your own enemy and ours." 
 
 Ames saw by her expression that she was in earn- 
 est. 
 
 " May I ask if you read that speech attentively ? " 
 
 " Of course I did." 
 
 " And you did not perceive its dual aim ? " 
 
 " Really, I must ask you to explain ! " 
 
 " I would not explain to many, but I will to you. 
 Power is passing from your hands into the hands 
 of others, and in politics power is the real object 
 of pursuit. If you run with the possessors of it 
 you can hope to guide it, in a certain measure, to 
 your ends. If you oppose it you are stultified or 
 crushed. Not wishing to be either, I lean, appar- 
 ently, at present to the side of the growing strength, 
 the side with which your own must some day compro- 
 mise or coalesce." 
 
 " Never ! " she cried, with indignation. " Never 
 shall we compromise with the curs who wish to drag 
 us down, with the tyrants who are wanting to re- 
 duce us all to slavery ; who would make the world 
 one great drab place of mediocrity; and I'm aston- 
 ished that you, with your artistic tastes, with the 
 means which you possess of gratifying them, should 
 even for one moment lean towards these faineants. 
 What little they possess has come to them from the 
 suffrage system which was framed before it was ever 
 thought that these bandits would arise. But we can 
 alter that. We can make laws, if necessary, to 
 check this socialism, if not to stamp it out, and it's 
 to men like you we look to make such laws. Instead 
 of that, you talk of countenancing this heresy for
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 105 
 
 some far-distant end. Now I warn you that if you 
 wish to be with us, to have a place in our set, you'll 
 have to say, and clearly, whi-ch side you're really 
 on." 
 
 Her face was flushed, and he perceived again that 
 the spirit of partisanship was strong within her. He 
 said, after a slight pause: 
 
 " Let us not talk of politics. Life, after all, has 
 better things. And even if we do talk of politics, 
 let us not take them too much to heart." 
 
 " But I do take them very much to heart. Are 
 we not attacked in our very vitals? Do they not 
 threaten to dispossess us to take from us all that 
 makes life sweet? " 
 
 Ames laughed. 
 
 " You need not be afraid of that. Their leaders 
 are too fond of the sweets of life and don't want to 
 be dispossessed themselves." 
 
 " Oh ! then you do not take them altogether seri- 
 ously? " 
 
 " Not more than they take themselves." 
 
 " I certainly admire the way in which you dispose 
 of them, but I'm beginning to suspect that there 
 isn't much that you think important." 
 
 " There, if I may say so, you are wrong. I should 
 think it of supreme importance if I gained your 
 friendship, and that is why I'm anxious that no 
 politics should come between us. With your own 
 artistic sense, which is evidenced by every one of 
 your surroundings, you surely feel that politics must 
 always be subordinate to art." 
 
 " But if we lose our means, how can we indulge in 
 art?"
 
 106 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " It is precisely those very means that I am work- 
 ing to preserve to you." 
 
 " Mr. Ames, you are astonishing ! One cannot 
 tell what you really mean ! " 
 
 Ames thought, " As long as you cannot, I am 
 satisfied." He said: 
 
 " It's very simple. I mean precisely what I say." 
 
 "But what you say is not explicit." 
 
 " Forgive me, I will try to speak more clearly in 
 the future." 
 
 The dinner was announced. 
 
 In the fine Corinthian dining-room Ames sat at 
 the side of his hostess in a sufficiently happy frame 
 of mind. It pleased him to be in this handsome 
 house, with this well-born woman, who, in the light of 
 the table lamp, her neck encircled by a string of 
 pearls, looked soft and delicate and pretty. Once 
 the conversation had deflected from the theme of 
 politics, he did his best to prevent it from returning, 
 and he spoke of the newest books and plays, perceiv- 
 ing, as before, that her judgment on these things 
 was sound. 
 
 After a while he said : 
 
 " And you live in this large house quite alone ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; I have a companion, Miss Sinclair, who 
 happens to be away at present. You, I think, are 
 quite alone ? " 
 
 " Unfortunately, quite." 
 
 "Unfortunately?" 
 
 " Yes, I say unfortunately, because I am con- 
 vinced that it is not wise to be quite alone in life." 
 
 Probably the presence of the servants prevented 
 her from continuing upon this theme. She was si-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 107 
 
 lent for some moments, then she spoke about the 
 weather. In the drawing-room, later, she showed 
 him photographs of her relatives and friends, most 
 of whom bore titles. Of a stately old lady with 
 white hair she said: 
 
 " This is my mother, who died five years ago." 
 Of a man of military aspect : " This is my father, 
 who was killed in hunting." Showing the portrait 
 of a man of middle age who resembled her, she said : 
 " This is my brother, the late Lord Yare," and 
 placing in his hand the portrait of a lady : " This 
 is my friend, Lady Blake." 
 
 And Ames, who, though of good descent, had no 
 nobility on his ancestral tree, looked at the photo- 
 graphs, conscious of a vexatious feeling of dimin- 
 ished personality. It was quite extraordinary how 
 great was the power of these little words of titular 
 distinction to lend a halo to the people bearing 
 them! 
 
 " And this ? " he asked, pointing to the framed 
 portrait of a man of middle age which stood upon 
 a cabinet. 
 
 " That," she answered, not without constraint, 
 " that is my husband." 
 
 There was a silence while Ames examined closely 
 the somewhat drawn and tired features and the 
 rather vague expression of the eyes. 
 
 " How is he? " he inquired. 
 
 She left the photos and took a low arm-chair. 
 
 " He is to-day as he was yesterday, as he will be 
 in twenty years, should he live as long quite mad. 
 That is the tragedy of my existence." 
 
 " Forgive me," said Ames, taking a seat beside
 
 108 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 her, "for having touched upon a painful subject. 
 I did not know I had only vaguely heard." 
 
 " His father was mad before him." 
 
 Ames thought : " And yet you married him ! " 
 He said : 
 
 " I sympathise with you sincerely. Yours is a 
 cruel case ! " 
 
 He gazed into her face and then continued: 
 
 "And are you not sometimes lonely, dull?" 
 
 " Of course I have many friends." 
 
 " And true ones ? " 
 
 "Yes, I think so." 
 
 " Then you are very fortunate." 
 
 " Have you no friends ? " 
 
 " Many call themselves my friends, but I do not 
 call them mine." 
 
 " Perhaps you ask too much of friendship." 
 
 But suddenly Ames had risen from his chair, re- 
 treated a few yards away from her, and then ex- 
 claimed enthusiastically : 
 
 " Oh, if you would only let me ! " 
 
 She looked at him for an explanation. 
 
 "If you would only let me paint your portrait? 
 In my experience I have never seen a face that would 
 so well repay an artist's pains. I can see in my 
 mind the picture I could make of you. It would 
 be the best that I have ever made, because it has 
 never been my fortune, up to now, to meet a face 
 that so perfectly united the requirements of my 
 especial genre. I thought your type had not sur- 
 vived the court of Louis XIV. I see that I was mis- 
 taken. Now, will you consent? " 
 
 She said at once:
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 109 
 
 " Oh, yes, with the greatest pleasure. I feel, I 
 know that you would paint me just as I should 
 wish to be." 
 
 " Just as you really are." 
 
 And it was soon arranged. She would give him 
 at least two sittings in each week until the season 
 closed, and he would do his utmost to succeed. 
 
 There remained, however, the important question 
 of the place. Ames said that although, if she wished 
 it, he would come to her, it would certainly be more 
 in the picture's interest if she would come to him, 
 since he possessed a studio with the needful light and 
 the appliances. 
 
 She agreed that the argument was valid, yet she 
 had some scruples. " What if she were seen ? " 
 
 " Almost as soon as you enter my house," he 
 said, "you become invisible to anyone but me." 
 
 " That sounds like a tale of * The Arabian 
 Nights.' " 
 
 " Well, come and see." 
 
 She promised she would come, stipulating only 
 that she would not be kept waiting for a moment 
 when she came. 
 
 " I have a man," he said, " who is the incarnation 
 of discretion." 
 
 " And you won't talk politics while painting? " 
 
 "No." 
 
 Then they settled the details of costume and the 
 arrangement of the hair, and he stayed an hour 
 chatting with her, doing his utmost to amuse her. 
 Surely this enterprise was choicer than any that had 
 been offered him before, and he hoped that it would 
 end in a satisfactory and pleasurable way.
 
 110 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 When he reached home that night, two letters were 
 awaiting him. One was from Sybil, reproaching him 
 with having failed to come to her without so much 
 as sending an excuse. The other was from Edith, 
 and was an ultimatum. If he did not come and dine 
 with her on the day named, she would consider that 
 he intended to insult her. 
 
 He smiled as he sat down in the library to think 
 the matter out. It was true that he had been guilty 
 of great rudeness towards Sybil, but in reality he 
 had forgotten all about her invitation in the pre- 
 occupations of the preceding week; and as to Edith 
 well, he did not want to go. It was significant, 
 he thought, that both these women should have 
 deigned to write to him again, that they should not 
 have treated him in future with the cold contempt 
 all women knew so well at times how to display. It 
 was significant of the extraordinary power of the 
 purse. Some amends, however, he must make, or 
 these incensed ladies would surely seek to be avenged. 
 Therefore he decided to write to both of them, 
 inviting them for a cruise upon his yacht in 
 August and promising to call whenever he had 
 time. 
 
 The fact was, as he recognised for the second time, 
 his existence was growing far too complicated. It 
 would be well if he could simplify it, but he saw no 
 chance of doing that. Its complexity, he feared, 
 would not diminish but increase. That was a pen- 
 alty he had to pay for using his wealth as he was 
 doing now. 
 
 On the following afternoon he called at Jermyn 
 Street, where the valet handed him a parcel.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 111 
 
 He opened it and found a pair of stays, with a 
 bill from Blythe & Geraldine. 
 
 Not a word from Claire. Merely the dry account. 
 He would act in the same way. Repressing his desire 
 to go to Regent Street and pay, in order to have an 
 opportunity of seeing her again, he gave the money 
 to the valet, and asked him to settle the transaction. 
 
 Those men were fools who could not shake off a 
 love infatuation. Such men, he thought, were de- 
 clining in numbers in the present age, when the phe~ 
 nomenon of love was scientifically viewed. All really 
 forceful men, since the world began, had shaken 
 themselves free. The old-style love tale or romance 
 would soon grow obsolete. 
 
 The next day, which was appointed for the first 
 sitting, Ames after instructing Giacomo as to the 
 visit he was expecting and ordering him to remain 
 in readiness in the hall to open the door as soon as 
 he heard a knock; after having prepared his canvas 
 and his tools waited in the library for his visitor. 
 Punctually at three o'clock she came in a motor car, 
 wearing a veil that rendered her unrecognisable. 
 
 Immediately she was shown into the library. Im- 
 mediately, also, as soon as the door was closed, she 
 was led by Ames through the bookcase panel into 
 the Eastern room. 
 
 " Oh, how beautiful ! " she exclaimed, as she looked 
 down from the gallery ; " but how mysterious ! Do 
 you paint many ladies' portraits here? " 
 
 " On my word of honour," he said earnestly, " you 
 are the first that has ever entered." 
 
 This appeared to please her, and she descended the 
 flight of stairs with a girlish step.
 
 112 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " I never saw anything in the East more truly 
 Oriental ! " she exclaimed, as she examined the carved 
 wood and the arabesques, and glanced at the gilded 
 dome. 
 
 " Here is your seat," he said, pointing to a square 
 divan in the centre of the room, before which stood 
 an easel, and drawing aside the red panes of the 
 upper lights by means of a rope. 
 
 He helped her to take off her motor coat and veil, 
 offered her a mirror to enable her to arrange her hair. 
 Then he settled the position and the pose, and when 
 all was ready he began to sketch. He had purposely 
 set to work at once in order to inspire confidence, 
 but when he stood before his easel, pencil in hand, 
 he talked to her quite freely. It was so good of her 
 to come; to give him this rare opportunity, which 
 any artist would most surely envy ! 
 
 " Do you know," he said, " since I left you the 
 other night, I have been thinking of little but your 
 portrait." 
 
 " Of my portrait ? " she repeated, with a smile. 
 
 He whispered: 
 
 "Of yourself!" 
 
 " Of myself ! " she reiterated, with a sudden move- 
 ment of her body, " and pray, what? " 
 
 He laid down his pencil. 
 
 " I was thinking that you are the most complete 
 expression of your sex that I have ever met." 
 
 She did not look displeased, although she said : 
 
 " I stipulated that you should not talk politics, 
 but I think I should have also pledged you to abstain 
 from well, from saying what you are saying now. 
 I do not like to be rated higher than my worth."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. [AMES 113 
 
 *' Oh ! " he protested, with a gesture of denial, 
 " that is so utterly impossible." 
 
 She rose from her seat, looked at his sketch of 
 her a moment, and then walked around the room. 
 Ames feared that she might be offended, but pres- 
 ently she stopped before a coffee stand, took a cig- 
 arette from a tray upon it, lit it, and then sank upon 
 the cushions of a divan in a deep niche. 
 
 Ames experienced again his old dislike of female 
 smoking; especially on the part of one who was so 
 truly an object of virtii. It seemed to rob her sud- 
 denly of a portion of her charm. Why must they 
 smoke? When would they learn that the habit must 
 impair their nerves, and that injured nerves means 
 lengthened faces, tired eyes and brains? Smoking 
 also, if they only knew it, tended to repel the male. 
 
 " No doubt," she said at length, " you're used to 
 saying such things to women, and you're only half 
 sincere." 
 
 He rose with a bound and stood before her. 
 
 " Surely you don't want to offend me? " 
 
 " Well, well," she said, " perhaps you mean it. I 
 suppose I am distrustful. One becomes so in this 
 life. And then I have been unfortunate." 
 
 "Unfortunate?" 
 
 " Is it not a misfortune to be in my position ? " 
 
 " Yes," he answered, taking a seat beside her, 
 " but it is one that cries aloud for compensation." 
 
 " Compensation ? I have often been offered that." 
 
 " And you refused it? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 He drew nearer to her. 
 
 " But would you refuse it now? "
 
 114. THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 She closed her eyes and sent a puff of smoke. 
 
 He thought : " I wonder if she came here solely for 
 the portrait." 
 
 However, as she was silent, he continued: 
 
 " Do you not feel, do you not know, that there are 
 no two people in the world more fitted to console each 
 other for the ills of life than we? Did you not guess 
 that at our first meeting? " 
 
 Still she was silent, breathing deeply. 
 
 " Believe me," he pursued, " the meeting of affini- 
 ties is rare." 
 
 " I wonder," he thought, as he was saying this, 
 " if she has been told all this before ? " 
 
 She threw away her cigarette and said, to his 
 astonishment, like Edith: 
 
 " I liked you from the first ! " 
 
 " Really ? " he said. " How happy you have made 
 me. Ah! how happy we will be." 
 
 He had spoken as he had in obedience to a neces- 
 sity of youth; but soon he added up the cost. She 
 was at least five years older than he, and was of the 
 type, perhaps, that easily became what in French was 
 called crampon, a grappling, which, once fixed, could 
 not be shaken off. 
 
 She told him of her sorrows, how she had had 
 four years of married life, and then her husband had 
 been taken ill; how his condition had of late become 
 so bad that it was almost certain he would have to 
 be removed to private care ; how hard it was for her 
 to deal with agents and with lawyers who were work- 
 ing for their interests far more than hers. But now 
 that she had found him he would help her. He was 
 so intelligent, sagacious, so far above the level of
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 115 
 
 most -men she met, and they would arrange a happy 
 life, a life quite full of satisfaction, and perhaps the 
 future would be kind to them. 
 
 Ames, who had as yet committed himself to noth- 
 ing definite, felt the rivets fastening upon him, but 
 it could not be helped. He was embarked upon this 
 enterprise, and he did not want at this stage to re- 
 treat. Indeed he felt a little proud of his after- 
 noon's achievement. Men of his- age, it seemed, must 
 woo. It was a duty they owed distinctly to them- 
 selves. 
 
 She gazed into his eyes. 
 
 " I'm afraid we shall fight dreadfully about poli- 
 tics. No matter, it won't be a real fight with real 
 enmity. I felt that even the other day when I lec- 
 tured you at home, and I don't despair of making 
 you see the error of your ways." 
 
 " Yes, that is it," said Ames, with a suppressed 
 smile, " you will try to show me I am wrong, and I 
 will only like you all the more for doing so. We 
 shall be famous friends." 
 
 She looked at him again. 
 
 " I suppose you have been getting spoiled by 
 many women ? " 
 
 " In future, I hope I shall have eyes for only one." 
 
 " That is, you. know, what I expect." 
 
 This time, however, he felt the rivet keenly, and 
 for a moment he looked around as though seeking an 
 escape. His* movement was perceived by her, and a 
 slight frown creased her brow. The charm was 
 broken. He took up his pencil again and went on 
 with the portrait. He had promised nothing.
 
 vn 
 
 THE next day Ames attended the wedding of Lucy 
 Penton at St. George's. He entered the church just 
 as the bridal pair were walking down the aisle, the 
 ceremony over. 
 
 She had well described it as a white wedding. 
 She was in white, defiant beneath her veil. The sex- 
 agenarian was practically all white, save for his black 
 coat and boots. 
 
 Mentally, Ames shrugged his shoulders. He did 
 not like the sight of thwarted nature. The man was 
 a fool and the woman a seller of herself. How could 
 society, that banned irregularity, permit irregularity 
 so great? For what could be more irregular than 
 this discrepancy of age? 
 
 After contemplating a moment the crowd of on- 
 lookers, who seemed to think the whole thing natural, 
 he jumped into his motor and drove to Eaton Square. 
 He found Mr. and Mrs. Penton, beaming with the 
 satisfaction of having accomplished a sound financial 
 operation, receiving the congratulations of their 
 friends with a beatific air. 
 
 Presently the bride and bridegroom stood in the 
 centre of the drawing-room, objects, Ames thought, 
 of the intensest ridicule, but kingly and queenly, for 
 all that, as they received the handshakes of their 
 friends. 
 
 When Ames approached, Lucy looked at him with 
 a half-scornful, half-cynical expression, and when 
 
 116
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 117 
 
 he congratulated her she merely introduced him to 
 her husband. 
 
 Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Why not? 
 The series of contrasts would be amusing. 
 
 " In August might I venture to inquire," he began, 
 " if you will be in England? " 
 
 " Oh, yes," she answered, " we are only going to 
 Twyford." 
 
 " If a cruise to Venice might tempt you, you would 
 be cordially welcomed on- my yacht. I have a little 
 party." 
 
 He glanced at the bridegroom, who seemed hesi- 
 tant. Lucy, however, answered promptly : 
 
 " We should like it very much. Thank you, we 
 will come if you will let us know the date." 
 
 He promised he would write and presently with- 
 drew. 
 
 When he reached the hall, he suddenly found him- 
 self face to face with Edith, whose acceptance of his 
 invitation he had received the day before. 
 
 She looked at him reproachfully, although sub- 
 missively. 
 
 " It was kind of you to ask me," she said, " al- 
 though I must confess I did not expect you would. 
 You have shown me so very plainly how negligible 
 lam!" 
 
 She was looking well that afternoon, full and 
 shapely in her plain dress of grey silk. 
 
 " If I had done that," he said, " I should stand 
 condemned in my own eyes. But really you are mis- 
 taken. I have for you the deepest of regards." 
 
 " I suppose I must make an effort to believe. An 
 omnipotence like you must always be believed."
 
 118 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 He laughed and left. 
 
 The six weeks which intervened before the break-up 
 of the season were the busiest that Ames had ever 
 passed, although, in order to give himself time to 
 elaborate his plans, he kept aloof from races, 
 theatres, and bridge parties ; yet he was so occupied 
 with his political and journalistic ventures that he 
 had little time to spare for the social functions to 
 which he was increasingly invited. Moore had taken 
 him round to several families of high importance 
 in the social world, after borrowing an additional two 
 hundred pounds, and especially to a house in which 
 he had met a mother and a daughter who had inter- 
 ested him. 
 
 Elaine Hurst and her mother lived at Lancaster 
 Gate in a quiet house at the corner of the square. 
 They entertained but little, preferring to spend the 
 surplus of their somewhat modest means in charity, 
 to which the mother, a type of refined benignity, gave 
 the greater portion of her time. Elaine was what 
 Ames considered a success of nature, physically and 
 morally. Although he only saw her twice, he was 
 convinced beyond all doubt: (1) that she was perma- 
 nently amiable; (2) entirely unselfish and disinter- 
 ested; and (3) intellectually superior. Beyond this, 
 purity itself. To visit her, he thought, was to take 
 a bath in purity. Altogether, in an age of deca- 
 dence, they were rarae aves in the land. Here, his 
 wealth would avail him nothing. If he had wished 
 to marry her and she had wished to marry him, such a 
 marriage would have been sound and good. But for 
 the present he did not care for matrimony. In his 
 thoughts, he placed her on a shelf where some day
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 119 
 
 he might look for her. On his present moral plane 
 she was far above him. Besides, with her tendency 
 to part with her possessions, his wealth, his talis- 
 man, would not be safe. Moreover there was Con- 
 stance, who was in some sense an entanglement. 
 
 Yes, there was no doubt that his friendship was 
 not to be considered lightly, and he could readily 
 conceive that it might develop into something 
 troublesome. However, for the time, he was quite 
 satisfied. It was the necessary responsibility to take 
 at that especial juncture. It brightened his exist- 
 ence and it had a good effect upon his nerves. 
 
 Nevertheless he saw with some apprehension that 
 Constance had conceived for him a veritable passion, 
 had become infatuated with him to the point of folly. 
 And he thought it wonderful that this should be, 
 considering how passive, unemotional she had at first 
 appeared. But with women it was not always safe 
 to judge by outward signs. 
 
 Twice a week she sat to him, and once a week she 
 insisted on his dining with her at her house, whether 
 she had guests or not. 
 
 Ames had no desire to complete the portrait which 
 he had begun ; but she kept him to the work, de- 
 claiming that she must have it in the Academy next 
 year, and that she would love that everyone should 
 see her name and his together in this way. 
 
 One afternoon, the work accomplished, as they 
 were sipping the Turkish coffee which Ames had 
 made with his own hands so that not even Giacomo 
 should be admitted into the room, while she was lying, 
 somewhat languidly, on the divan, smoking the 
 eternal cigarette, she said:
 
 120 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 "Do you know that I see great things in the 
 future for us both." 
 
 Inwardly he winced. Why was she always talking 
 of the future when the present was alone of interest 
 to him? 
 
 " If only," she continued, " I were quite con- 
 vinced that you were thoroughly sincere." 
 
 " Sincere in what? " he asked himself. 
 
 " You see, with your means and with my connec- 
 tions, there is nothing that should be beyond our 
 reach." 
 
 Now, really, he felt grateful to her for the 
 undoubted stimulus to action which she gave him, and 
 he would not be unmindful of his debt, but if she must 
 persist in this arrangement of futurity, she would 
 end by causing him ennui. 
 
 " As much as I dare," she pursued, " I'm talking 
 of you. I actually spoke to a Liberal peer about 
 you yesterday, and he said that he would like to 
 know you and, as you're aware, I'm on friendly terms 
 with the Princess ! " 
 
 She was displaying vistas to him, that he knew, 
 and of course there was no doubt that she was 
 influential. 
 
 " You are so good," he said. 
 
 She pursued after a pause : 
 
 " I was reading a book the other day, a novel by 
 Alexandra Parks. It's the most revolutionary thing 
 I ever read. She preaches nothing less than absolute 
 free love, the gratification of desire, regardless of the 
 consequence. She ridicules conventions and sets 
 herself to break down all restraint. Her men and 
 women are unfaithful just when they feel they want
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 to be, and she excuses them, because they are fulfill- 
 ing their duty to themselves ! Have you read any of 
 her books? " 
 
 " Yes," said Ames, " I read a part of one at the 
 club not long ago. The woman has keen percep- 
 tions, is a consistent realist, and an artist in the use 
 of words. But the theories which she endeavours 
 to advance concerning sex relations, appear to me 
 to be insufficiently thought out. After all, we can't 
 be quite as fickle as the little dogs ! " 
 
 " I'm glad to hear you say so. I'm convinced 
 myself that there must be fixed relations between men 
 and women, bonds that bind them to each other, if 
 we are to have any manner of society at all." 
 
 " You're right, quite right." 
 
 Suddenly she asked: 
 
 " Talking of Alexandra Parks' ideas, what do you 
 think are the obligations of a wife married to a man 
 who's hopelessly insane ? " 
 
 " The case is quite exceptional. The obligations 
 of such a wife seem almost nil." 
 
 " That's what I tell myself. I heard to-day that 
 he is worse." 
 
 " How long do you suppose he will survive? " 
 
 " Ah ! that I do not know. Perhaps some years. 
 I cannot tell." 
 
 Ames had resumed his place before his easel, and 
 began to give some touches to the portrait with his 
 brush. Could he bring himself to see, in the original, 
 the woman destined one day to be his wife? Un- 
 doubtedly a marriage with her would be of social 
 value, but, on the other hand, he did not think that 
 nowadays there were many social bars which riches
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 could not break, and after all, although she was a 
 dainty and attractive creature, he was not inclined 
 to think that she would suit. She seemed to have 
 some love for him, but even that might prove, upon 
 analysis, to be impure. 
 
 After she had left that afternoon he received a 
 letter from his solicitor, whose advice he had asked 
 through Sims about the transfer of some shares, and 
 also as to the position of the Ventners. Winston, 
 who knew, or had means of ascertaining, " how it 
 was " with everyone, replied that the estates were 
 mortgaged heavily and almost tenantless ; that Lady 
 Ventner was dependent chiefly for her income on the 
 rental of some houses in Belgravia, the leases of 
 which were falling in. This threw much light on 
 her behaviour, Ames considered, and confirmed sus- 
 picions which had recently been forming in his mind. 
 It seemed now almost certain that she was that mix- 
 ture of interest and pallid love which appeared to 
 him too common in the British Isles. Again, it 
 seemed, he was being chiefly or partly wooed for his 
 possessions. 
 
 His possessions? When he came to make a care- 
 ful calculation, he discovered that his income was 
 not greatly in excess of his expenditure, which in- 
 creased by leaps and bounds. It was true that his 
 mines were constantly developing, but on the other 
 hand, his journal, in the first years of its life, would 
 prove, no doubt, a sink. His yacht and his election 
 were items of his budget of no small importance, and 
 it was not a sound position to be spending income 
 at his present rate. Happily the outlay, or a portion 
 of it, was designed to reproduce. One day in the
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 123 
 
 midst of his election, after he had spent the morning 
 down at Shadley, breathing its stale air, he managed 
 to find time to go to Jermyn Street, where he wished 
 to engage in some private study quite unknown to 
 Sims or to his election friends. There, upon the 
 hearth, was the arm chair in which the goddess had 
 sat that evening of the Opera, and there, on the 
 side table, a little parcel, which contained the corset 
 moulded to her form ! How he would have liked to 
 see her once again, for none of the women he had met 
 possessed a moiety of her charm. But the price 
 she asked was more than he could bring himself to 
 pay. Curious, the scheme whereby men could not 
 without the greatest effort rid their mind of the 
 obsession of the woman who had once attracted them ! 
 Women knew this weakness of the other sex and used 
 it for their ends. And women's ends were, after all, 
 the ends of Nature which cared only for the conserva- 
 tion of the race and impelled men to preserve it by 
 the frenzy they called love. And as he was thinking 
 thus he remembered the words of an old song : 
 
 "Love was all a hum." 
 
 Yes, love might well be that; but it would never 
 do to tell that to a woman, for the man who did would 
 forfeit her esteem. Women were trained to believe 
 in the transcendental nature of the passion, and their 
 faith was fed, unto satiety, by scribes and poets. 
 
 But perhaps it was well that this delirium of 
 youth, which he himself, with all his discipline, ex- 
 perienced, was thus maintained. Love, after all, 
 was but desire, and a sentiment which somehow must 
 pervade the universe since even atoms loved, since
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 they were attracted to each other by an influence 
 that could not be explained. 
 
 Dismissing these thoughts from his mind, he sat 
 down to his writing-table and began to make an 
 outline of his last electoral address before the poll. 
 But the noise of footsteps overhead disturbed him. 
 An art critic lived on the floor above and he was 
 pacing up and down his room with a short quick step. 
 Finding it difficult to concentrate his thoughts, Ames 
 rose and imitated the art critic. After a few min- 
 utes, tired of this aimless pacing, he stopped before 
 the window and looked into the street. Presently he 
 saw a lady whom he recognised at once, in spite of 
 a thick veil, as Sybil. To his surprise, instead of 
 passing on, she stopped before the door, which she 
 seemed to open with her own latchkey. A moment 
 afterwards, he heard her enter and ascend the stairs. 
 Then a door on the first floor closed and the noise of 
 the footsteps ceased. 
 
 " Ah, well," he thought, " there is indeed a uni- 
 versal atomicity." 
 
 Sybil 1 And she was coming for the cruise upon 
 the yacht! (What a curious collection there would 
 be upon that yacht!) But after all, this affair was 
 her private business and not his, and he had no right 
 to reproach her for it. Possibly too much attention 
 was bestowed on love affairs, which were not of 
 course the only ones in life, and later, when he had 
 more time, he would endeavour to determine the exact 
 place they should occupy in life.
 
 vm 
 
 Ox the eve of his election, Ames told his audience of 
 his deep concern for the welfare of the district, in 
 which no human power would have caused him to 
 reside, of his sympathy with their aims and aspira- 
 tions, of which, not long ago, he had never heard, 
 and of his fixed intention to procure for them the 
 benefits which he was far from thinking they 
 deserved. Never in his life had he felt so insincere. 
 And what could he do but utter this election cant, 
 the current coin of politics ? He knew that if he had 
 abstained from doing so his chances of success would 
 have been jeopardised, in spite of all his liberality 
 in the matter of new schools. 
 
 Therefore he pursued his policy of cant. 
 
 In the division which he was contesting the inhabi- 
 tants were for the greater part tradesmen with pro- 
 gressive tendencies stopping short of socialism, of 
 which they had no little dread, and Ames' nuance 
 suited them. Perceiving that their chance was 
 slight, the socialists, after a talk with Ames, who had 
 demonstrated to them how all roads lead to Rome, 
 withdrew their candidate, and the only adversary 
 Ames had was a Unionist deficient in the power of 
 clear speech. 
 
 All the afternoon of the election day, Ames sat 
 in his committee-rooms at the hotel, talking with his 
 supporters and deriving much amusement as he saw 
 the fever of excitement into which they worked them- 
 
 125
 
 126 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 selves in his especial cause, wondering how they could 
 be so naive. It was fortunate for him, he thought, 
 that there were still men in the world who took things 
 seriously and who could fret and fight over a political 
 campaign in the success of which none but the paid 
 agents had any interest that was in the least direct. 
 Truly, as a French moralist had said, instinctive 
 effort led men on. 
 
 " Well, Jones," Ames said, as the agent hurried 
 in at three o'clock, " how is it going now ? " 
 
 " As far as I can see we're winning." And the 
 local magnate, who was standing by, expressed the 
 same opinion. 
 
 Ames remained quite calm. In accordance with 
 his method, he had accustomed himself to think of 
 failure as a quite probable result, and had determined, 
 in advance, the move by which he should oppose it. 
 All was therefore for the best in the world which was 
 planned for the ease and comfort of beati possidentes. 
 
 At half -past five the contest was decided. 
 
 Ames was elected by a large majority. 
 
 The figures were placed before him on the table 
 and the fanatics, as he deemed them, who composed 
 his council, gathered round him to congratulate him, 
 and to shake his hand. 
 
 Presently there were sounds of cheers in the street 
 below and Ames went out upon the balcony and gave 
 a short address, in which he thanked the crowd of 
 his electors for the confidence they had reposed in 
 him and renewed his promises of zeal. 
 
 Then followed a banquet, which seemed to Ames 
 unutterably tedious and commonplace, and before 
 midnight he was at home again. A legislator! Gia-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 127 
 
 como was still up. " lo son diputato," he informed 
 him ; but the man already knew, and offered his con- 
 gratulations in the best Italian style, bringing him 
 a pile of letters and of telegrams. 
 
 Constance, who had preferred to keep away, had 
 sent him a long letter. He was the cleverest of men ! 
 Her thoughts had been with him all the day. She 
 only wished that she could be with him at that hour, 
 but prudence had to be observed, especially as her 
 companion had returned. Ah, if he had only been 
 elected on the other side ! But she was not distressed 
 on that account. The time would come when he 
 would change his views. 
 
 He tore the letter into little pieces with a gesture 
 of annoyance. He did not like her meddling with 
 his affairs and he resolved that henceforth he should 
 tell her none of them. 
 
 There were telegrams from Sybil and from Edith 
 in ordinary terms. But the message Lucy sent him 
 struck him as peculiar. It ran: 
 
 " Congratulations, but I wonder if you're happy. 
 
 " LUCY." 
 
 Why did she wonder that? His happiness did 
 not concern her. Happy? It was pretty certain 
 she was not. He opened a few more telegrams and 
 then, as he was tired, went to bed. 
 
 The next day he rose early. He had had enough 
 for the last week of politics and politicians, and as 
 he had made arrangements for a meeting of his fol- 
 lowers the next day he was free for four-and-twenty 
 hours at least. Therefore, after breakfasting and
 
 128 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 informing Giacomo that he would be away till late, 
 he left his house and took the train for Brighton, 
 where he passed the time in swimming and in walking, 
 enjoying the fresh sea air after the atmosphere of 
 London and amusing himself by watching the divers 
 on the pier. While he was doing this, however, the 
 sea washed in a dark thick object, which was soon 
 observed to be the body of a man. As the police on 
 the shore drew it in, and placed it on a cart near to 
 Ames, a boy sang out : " When you've got to the end 
 of this life, you've nothing to do but to die." 
 
 Ames returned to the Parade. He had not reached 
 the " end of the world," as yet, and he did not wish 
 to die, although he could quite conceive that the 
 time might come when lassitude would overtake him 
 and he wouldn't cling quite so tenaciously to life. 
 Surely in the process of continued cogitation, of 
 incessant churning of the same ideas, the mind must 
 tire. Ah, well! these were the experiences of future 
 years and it was useless to anticipate them. 
 
 Thinking thus, he was sauntering along towards 
 Kemp Town, when suddenly he heard a woman's 
 voice pronouncing his name. Turning around he 
 found himself face to face with Dora Devereux, the 
 little actress whom he remembered having introduced 
 one night to Morgan. 
 
 "I've just been reading all about you in the 
 paper and I didn't think to see you here." 
 
 She opened the journal she was carrying and 
 showed him a portrait of himself. 
 
 Although he had purposely abstained from reading 
 a newspaper that morning, he was interested and 
 amused to see himself thus portrayed.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 129 
 
 " And you ? " he asked, " how is life treating 
 you?" 
 
 " I'm married to the husband you provided." 
 
 " 7 provided ! " 
 
 " To your friend Morgan, with whom you paired 
 me off that night. Oh ! I was in a fine rage then, but 
 I suppose I ought to thank you now. He's not a 
 bad fellow, though he's rather slow." 
 
 Ames laughed outright. Morgan had committed 
 the biggest piece of folly that any man could well 
 commit. 
 
 " Why did you not let me know ? " he asked. 
 
 "Oh! Teddy didn't like." 
 
 Ames thought : " He wasn't proud of the 
 espousal." 
 
 " And are you living here ? " he asked. 
 
 " Staying for a week or two. I'm acting at the 
 theatre." 
 
 " And where is Teddy? " 
 
 " Gone to town until to-morrow, so I'm quite alone. 
 Won't you come and lunch with me? My rooms 
 are over there." 
 
 And she pointed to a square on the other side of 
 the Parade. 
 
 Ames thought : " She's ready to be faithless to her 
 simpleton," and he declined her invitation, blaming 
 himself for having acted thoughtlessly in introduc- 
 ing Morgan to her.
 
 r A FEW days after this, the necessary formalities 
 gone through, Ames took his seat at Westminster. 
 A queer place he thought this House at first, full of 
 illogicalities and strange complexities. The cham- 
 ber could not hold more than a portion of the mem- 
 bers at a time, and the most important questions were 
 discussed to empty benches. The Cabinet was an 
 oligarchy which treated the remainder of the throng 
 with a lofty scorn and the party whips were the auto- 
 crats who ruled the rank and file. An anachronistic 
 person in a wig presided over the debates whenever 
 they took place, and there was a certain cleverness 
 to be attained in catching this person's eye. The 
 duties of the private member were for the most part 
 ambulatory, since his time was chiefly occupied in 
 moving in and out of lobbies whenever a division was 
 announced. How the business of the nation could 
 be conducted in this fashion was at first a mystery to 
 Ames; but he perceived at length that there was an 
 inwardness which had to be understood. All the 
 same, he had been educated in a school of clear ideas, 
 and this obscurity annoyed him. He was not very 
 well received by the party to which he was acknow- 
 ledged to belong, because they had some doubts as to 
 his loyalty, and for a week and more he felt like a 
 stranger in the land. The weight of the traditions 
 pressed upon him, and he realised acutely that if 
 he was to rise out of the common crowd, out of the 
 
 130
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 131 
 
 flock of sheep, who voted at the party's call, he must 
 exert himself in no half-hearted way. 
 
 He soon perceived that the quality most needful 
 for success was that of clear and interesting speech, 
 because it was essential, above all things, to induce 
 the House to listen, and that they would not do to 
 dullards, stammerers, or bores. Next, it was neces- 
 sary to advocate a set of principles, and to shut the 
 mind to all ideas that did not harmonise with them. 
 Finally, it was of great importance to be versed in 
 the methods of procedure. All this was plain to him, 
 and he did not need it pointed out. One thing struck 
 him as insufferable the evening sittings. Was he 
 to give up all his evenings to this legislative task? 
 And if so, for how long? Truly he felt that wealth 
 should have preserved him from this tie. 
 
 Gradually, as it became known that he was about 
 to found a paper, he was more sought after, and 
 some ministers looked on him with more favour than 
 they had shown at first. 
 
 By the end of the first fortnight he was, therefore, 
 in a fair way of becoming known. His desire was 
 to make acquaintances in every camp, although he 
 soon perceived how difficult it was to do so, without 
 exciting a whole series of suspicions. It amused him 
 at times to sit in a corner and to watch the play of 
 motives as the speakers spoke, and to extract from 
 what they said the grains of truth. A curious study, 
 also, were the Labourites, these men who, from the 
 mine, the workshop, or the desk, had been promoted 
 to the dignity of legislators. A few had minds 
 which were capable of taking a comprehensive view 
 of things, but the majority were men of one idea
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the interest of class. They viewed all questions 
 through the spectacles of Labour. One night, a 
 loquacious demagogue, who had been drawing a pic- 
 ture of the wrongs and hardships of plate-layers 
 and mechanics, suddenly exclaimed in a high-pitched 
 tone : " And I 'ope, gentlemen, that you will never 
 'ave to bear such hills." The Whigs remained im- 
 passive, but the cavaliers upon the other side laughed 
 heartily. Incensed, the speaker shouted : " You 
 may laugh just now, but the time may come when you 
 may 'ollow," and hereupon the Tory benches were 
 entirely convulsed. 
 
 In the meantime, Constance was not idle. Since 
 Ames had been elected, she had been more than ever 
 fervent in her cult of him, and had organised a little 
 dinner, to partake of which she had succeeded in 
 securing the Opposition leader. Ames, of course, 
 was glad to meet this mandarin, although he would 
 have much preferred the meeting to take place in 
 another house. At dinner Ames was seated opposite 
 the statesman, and next to a German, baroness who 
 was passing a month in England. 
 
 " Mr. Ames," said Constance, addressing the ex- 
 Premier, " can scarcely be unknown to you by sight, 
 since you sit opposite each other, over there at West- 
 minster." 
 
 Burleigh glanced at Ames. 
 
 " Yes, I have noticed Mr. Ames. Mr. Ames, if I 
 am not mistaken, is the founder of a new organ." 
 
 Constance assented: 
 
 " And a future convert to our views." 
 
 Inwardly annoyed, Ames yet contrived a smile. 
 
 " Our views," he said, " are chiefly formed by
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 133 
 
 education, bent, and the circumstances of early life. 
 Can they ever be changed? " 
 
 The great man said: 
 
 * They should not." 
 
 " Now, really, Mr. Burleigh," Constance said, 
 " do you mean to say you do not think that all the 
 Whigs should cross the floor? " 
 
 " Oh, no, for if they did we should all be of one 
 mind, and be in danger of becoming indolent from 
 want of the stimulus which opposition gives. We 
 should have no critics, and would grow too self-con- 
 tented. It would not do at all." 
 
 The Baroness declared: 
 
 " There must be strife in politics." 
 
 But the leader did not wish to dwell upon the 
 theme, and therefore he began a conversation upon 
 art with the lady on his right. Nevertheless, when 
 the dinner was over, and the men remained a short 
 time in the dining-room, Ames easily perceived that 
 he was of interest to Burleigh, who put him a few 
 veiled questions, skilfully designed to ascertain the 
 poh'tical complexion of his future journal. But 
 Ames replied in general terms and Burleigh's curi- 
 osity remained unsatisfied. Ames said, however, as 
 they were rising: 
 
 " I liked your speech last night immensely. That 
 is a question upon which we must be all agreed, and 
 really there are more such questions than is com- 
 monly supposed." 
 
 Burleigh assented somewhat dubiously, and there- 
 upon they went upstairs. 
 
 It was singular, Ames thought, that this great 
 man did not in the least impress him. Was it that
 
 134 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 he was incapable of thinking much of politicians? 
 Perhaps. They certainly appeared to him parochi- 
 ally flat, and even those who were supposed to be 
 the philosophers had replaced the universal view of 
 things that the philosopher must take by one which 
 was confined within the walls of party principle. 
 Burleigh had wielded power, if any man had, in the 
 State. He had grown grey and bent in Parliament, 
 and he did not look as though he had derived much 
 satisfaction from it. Probably it was because the 
 power was responsible and bridled, and not that fuU 
 free exercise of a man's own will which was so grate- 
 ful to the mind. And he asked himself if this was 
 the kind of power he was working to obtain. Well, 
 no. It was too intermittent and too circumscribed. 
 It had but the semblance of omnipotence. 
 
 It was plain to him, however, that, since he was 
 a member, he must sometimes speak, whether he liad 
 anything he really wished to say or not. 
 
 Accordingly, one night, when a question of educa- 
 tion came before the House, he contrived to draw 
 attention to himself by speaking for fifteen minutes, 
 not on the religious issue, which he preferred to let 
 alone, but on the general inferiority of the instruc- 
 tion given in the schools the State provided or helped 
 the public to provide. 
 
 He had made himself acquainted with the system 
 by sending Sims to take notes, and had become con- 
 vinced that, with few exceptions, the boys the school 
 turned out were lacking in the most essential ele- 
 ments of science, and knew nothing about conduct. 
 
 Many, in handling this theme, would have caused 
 the House to yawn, but Ames knew by instinct how
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 135 
 
 to invest his themes with interest, and the result was 
 he was listened to less, he knew, for what he said 
 than for the way in which he said it. While he was 
 speaking, he felt himself sincere. He really wanted 
 the reforms which he had been recommending; but 
 when he was walking home that night he asked him- 
 self if he cared very much about them, if there really 
 was such a virtue as sincerity when the welfare of 
 others was at stake? How often he had pondered 
 over " yours sincerely " at the bottom of a letter 
 which was all equivocation! How many times had 
 he not seen that sincerity to self was all that was in 
 view ? 
 
 One evening as he was walking up Whitehall 
 after dining at the House, feeling singularly en- 
 ervated from the closeness of the evening, suddenly, 
 while he was noticing the throng of employees of 
 both sexes hurrying homewards with the quick step 
 of home-going slaves, he perceived among them 
 Claire. She was walking slower than the rest with a 
 somewhat tired gait. At that moment, in the twi- 
 light, at the side of the old Palace, she appeared to 
 him more exquisitely feminine than ever. 
 
 She perceived him instantly and held out her hand 
 to him at once with a smile of pleasure. 
 
 " At last," he said, " like this, by chance, we meet 
 again." 
 
 " I was beginning to think," she said, " that we 
 never should." 
 
 " Did you hope we never should ? " 
 
 She shook her head and looked away. 
 
 " And how are you getting on ? " he asked. 
 
 " I have been made premiere"
 
 136 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Yes, she had sterling qualities, he thought, would 
 make a good and honest wife for anyone who had the 
 courage to cast out prejudice and take her. 
 
 " I have often thought of you," he said, " since 
 you left me that evening all alone. TJiat little 
 parcel which they sent is lying on the table still 
 unpacked, suggesting ah! suggesting you." 
 
 " I should never have gone," she answered, " and 
 I have repented often since." 
 
 " It was so good of you to come." 
 
 As he said this he gazed at her, wondering whether 
 she had found out who he was. 
 
 " Do you read the papers ? " he inquired. 
 
 " The French ones, yes. The English ones at 
 times." 
 
 No, she had not read of his election or she would 
 have spoken of it. She was far too frank to have 
 concealed her knowledge. 
 
 " Why do you ask me that ? " she asked. 
 
 " Because I thought you might have seen that a 
 Belgian artist was killed in a duel the other day at 
 Liege." 
 
 " It was the man of whom I spoke. There seems 
 a fate in store for such as he." 
 
 " The Fausts," suggested Ames. 
 
 "TheFausts!" 
 
 " Well, you must not lose heart. / don't. I'm 
 going for a voyage shortly till the autumn. When 
 I return, I've a great plan for your happiness, a 
 plan which has just been formed within." 
 
 And saying this he pointed to his head. 
 
 She looked at him as if in doubt. At length she 
 said:
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 137 
 
 " I'm living now with a lady over there in 
 Battersea." 
 
 Ames produced his pocket-book. 
 
 " Please tell me the address." 
 
 She told him and he wrote it down. 
 
 " Good-bye, and remember, I'm your friend." 
 
 He pressed her hand, and as he held it for a 
 moment, loath to relinquish it, a brougham passed, 
 and in it a lady in evening dress, whom he recognised 
 as Constance. 
 
 Well, she had seen or not seen. Probably she 
 had seen, since she was looking out of the carriage 
 window, and possibly she might ask questions. No 
 matter, he would know how to answer them. She had 
 no right to assert authority, as she tended constantly 
 to do. 
 
 His anticipations were fulfilled, for the following 
 morning, when he returned home from his daily 
 ride, he was informed by Giacomo, with an air of 
 mystery, that a lady in motor dress, whom he had 
 taken on himself to ask into the library, although she 
 had refused to give her name, was waiting. 
 
 " Good," said Ames, and passed into the room, 
 where Constance stood leaning against the mantel 
 with her foot upon the fender. 
 
 " My dear friend," he exclaimed, in a half- 
 reproachful tone, " how excessively imprudent ! " 
 
 " No one but your Giacomo knew me, and he could 
 not recognise me through my veil." 
 
 He waited for her to announce the object of her 
 early call, but she avoided doing so, speaking of the 
 dinner she had been to on the previous night, where 
 she had met the fascinating Prince von Lindenbach,
 
 138 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the young and handsome Austrian about whom the 
 women were now raving. At length she said, as she 
 lit a cigarette : 
 
 " By the way, as I was driving up Whitehall last 
 night, I saw you speaking with some young woman." 
 
 Ames said simply: 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 His taciturnity annoyed her and she asked with 
 some acerbity : 
 
 "Who was she?" 
 
 " A lady who possesses my particular esteem." 
 
 This vexed her more. 
 
 " That does not tell me who she is." 
 
 " No, and I'm afraid that's all the information I 
 can give. I may add, however, that my relations 
 with her are entirely platonic." 
 
 He spoke in a stiff and formal tone which conveyed 
 to her his irritation. There were no ties between 
 them that could warrant her inquisitorial attitude. 
 Anxiety betrayed itself a moment on her counte- 
 nance. She threw away her cigarette and came and 
 placed herself beside him as he leaned against the 
 books. 
 
 " Forgive me, I was indiscreet." 
 
 The matter ended, but that very evening he called 
 at Sybil's, wishing to spend some time in the society 
 of one to whom he was in no way bound, as a change 
 from the interview with Constance. 
 
 Sybil regarded him, he thought, with a real admira- 
 tion for his political success and he regarded her with 
 unfeigned interest. But while he was in conversa- 
 tion with her and her sister a visitor came in, a stout 
 man with a short beard and a conquering air, whom 
 she introduced as Mr. Dalston, the art critic.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 139 
 
 Ames recognised in this description his neighbour 
 of Jermyn Street, whose name indeed he had once 
 seen on a letter in the hall, and it amused him, know- 
 ing what he knew, to watch the couple pretending 
 to be unfamiliar with each other. He plainly saw, 
 however, that, whatever their relations might have 
 been, Sybil was beginning to grow tired of the man. 
 Perhaps the presence of Ames or the potential which 
 he represented, was the reason why she seemed so in- 
 attentive to this artistic judge; for he knew as well 
 as anyone the dynamic influence of wealth. One 
 thing was certain, he would not have this scribe upon 
 the yacht. It would be good for Sybil to be away 
 from him. He wanted her on board for her magnifi- 
 cent appearance, but he did not want her followers. 
 This man, moreover, was too arrogant and his artistic 
 canons were diametrically opposed to Ames'. Be- 
 sides, it was evident that none but a richer man than 
 this appeared to be could give Sybil that elegant 
 environment to which she was entitled by the right 
 of beauty. 
 
 What masterpiece of painting was not in need of 
 a frame to set it off? It was a pity, however, to 
 see this girl wasting her youth in a situation that 
 appeared to be without an issue, and he must really 
 see what could be done for her. It was fortunate 
 that, if he had the power of doing evil, he had also 
 that of doing good. 
 
 He stayed only an hour, and when he left, Sybil 
 came with him to the door, and as she said good-bye 
 she gave him a long and earnest glance, such, he 
 thought, as women keep for men of wealth and power.
 
 THE weeks that intervened before the voyage were 
 spent by Ames in the study of the history of politics, 
 in preparing projects for the winter, and in seeing 
 the men who wished to write and to conduct his 
 journal, which was not to start until the first months 
 of the following year. Strictly he knew that he 
 should not leave before the session was quite over, 
 but as he did not mean to suffer in the cause of 
 politics he decided that he would give himself per- 
 mission to depart. He was quite sure his electors 
 would not lose much by his absence. And if they 
 were not pleased he really did not care. 
 
 One day he telegraphed to his captain to come up 
 from Southampton, and a fair man, stoutly built, 
 with light blue eyes and a sunburnt face, arrived next 
 day. He was scarcely more than thirty, but had done 
 much service in the merchant navy, and held a supe- 
 rior certificate. Ames, who had not yet seen the 
 yacht, examined with him the plans which the builder 
 had supplied, and received abundant explanations. 
 When the engines had been discussed, Ames took the 
 sheet on which the cabins were planned out and asked : 
 
 " What is this large room here? " 
 
 " That," replied Barnes, " is the largest of the state 
 rooms. It is either for the owner or his leading 
 guest." 
 
 " But," said Ames, " it communicates, it seems, 
 with another sleeping chamber." 
 
 140
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 141 
 
 Barnes assented, and the owner further asked : 
 " Is there not a little cabin I might have at the 
 farther end?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, right aft a pretty little room." 
 "That," thought Ames, "will be for me, the 
 other for her ladyship," and this conception so con- 
 tented him that he invited Barnes to dine with him 
 that night, to the captain's evident surprise. It was 
 well, thought Ames, to please the man to whose skill 
 you intended to entrust your life, and in any case one 
 must become accustomed to the levelling of class dis- 
 tinctions which the future had in store. And after 
 dinner, when they were seated in a box at the Alham- 
 bra, looking at the ballet with its tone of moving 
 flesh, Ames suddenly asked the captain: 
 
 " Are you married, Barnes ? " Saying, when 
 Barnes replied he was a bachelor, " Ah ! well, there is 
 yet time," revolving for a moment a little project in 
 his mind. 
 
 A few days before the date fixed for the departure, 
 Ames went down to Southampton. He found his 
 vessel to his satisfaction a handsome steamer, 
 painted white and gold, and admirably planned for 
 comfort. His own French chef, who wanted a change 
 of air, had come, and therefore Ames had no anxiety 
 as to the fare. A doctor, whose acquaintance Ames 
 had made one evening at his club, had promised to 
 join the party, so that if anyone were taken ill there 
 would be aid at hand. The naming of the yacht had 
 given him some trouble. Although she had not said 
 so, he knew that Constance half expected he would 
 have given her her name. But that he had not wished 
 to do, since everyone's suspicions would have been
 
 14,2 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 aroused thereby. Therefore, he christened her 
 the Exe, the true significance of which he only 
 knew. 
 
 On the morning fixed for the departure, Ames sat 
 upon the bridge in a basket-chair, looking at the 
 vessels in the harbour and reflecting. It was not, 
 after all, a very brilliant party he had brought to- 
 gether, in spite of the additions he had made in the 
 last two weeks of a poet, a musician, and a mother 
 with two girls. No matter, the cruise was not to be 
 a long one. After Venice they would go to the 
 Piraeus : then they would return. 
 
 The first to reach the yacht were the mother and 
 two girls. They had been asked to lend propriety, 
 and they had accepted eagerly, on the chance of win- 
 ning the great prize which the owner represented. 
 They were the widow and the daughters of a general, 
 and had some pains to live up to the standard of their 
 friends. 
 
 They were given a cabin aft, as they were good 
 sailors, and did not mind the plunging of the ship. 
 The mother, Mrs. Laird, was still young and prepos- 
 sessing. The daughters, Kate and Cissy, were two 
 fair-haired, blue-eyed maidens, not ill-favoured, quite 
 alert and fresh, but painfully uneducated. Ames 
 considered. If they had only known how poorly he 
 esteemed them, how useless were their little flatteries 
 and smiles, they might not have employed their 
 summer thus. 
 
 Constance was the next to come. 
 
 Dressed in a blue costume, she alighted from a cab 
 upon the dock, attended by her maid. She was look- 
 ing serious, and when Ames went on shore to meet
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 143 
 
 her she greeted him in forced and somewhat languid 
 tones. 
 
 " I've chosen you a cabin which I hope you'll like," 
 he said, as they reached the deck. " It's the largest 
 in the ship." He thought it better not to go down 
 with her, leaving to the stewardess the duty of con- 
 ducting her below. After this, the guests arrived in 
 quick succession: Moore, whom Ames had wired for 
 the day before, thinking that he might be useful; 
 Edith, Sybil, the poet Stephenson, a pale young man 
 of means, with a taste for versifying; Miss Olane, 
 the pianist ; finally the newly married Lucy and her 
 husband, and the doctor eleven altogether, an ill- 
 sorted lot, Ames thought, wondering if they would 
 manage to enjoy each other's company. 
 
 At five in the afternoon, Ames gave the signal to 
 depart, and slowly the Exe began to steam among the 
 white-sailed yachts down the broad Solent, in her 
 course towards the sea. The evening was fine and 
 cool, and the guests remained for some time on the 
 deck, watching the crafts and the river banks. Ames 
 and the Count had a conversation on " Protection." 
 Sybil and Edith spoke together upon gowns, while 
 Lucy joined the group of Mrs. Laird, with the 
 remainder of the party. But an hour before the 
 dinner the guests began to disappear below, and at 
 length Ames found himself alone on the after-deck 
 with Constance, who had stayed there, as he knew, 
 to speak to him. In a low tone she began, as soon as 
 he approached: 
 
 " You've given me a nice room. Where is yours ? " 
 
 " That is mine which I have given you." 
 
 " And where do you sleep yourself? "
 
 144 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " In a small place over there." 
 
 She reflected. Then she said: 
 
 " There is a cabin vacant at the side of mine." 
 
 " I know, and if you like, you can give it to your 
 maid." 
 
 She said no more for a few moments, but he could 
 see that she was troubled. 
 
 " This, I suppose," she said, " is to be a cruise of 
 strict propriety." 
 
 " No, of anticipation." 
 
 " I see," she said, and bit her lip. 
 
 " On board ship," he explained, " one must be 
 careful." 
 
 She shrugged her shoulders. He pursued: 
 
 " I thought of your reputation. There's not much 
 privacy on board a yacht." 
 
 " As you will," she said, with some impatience. 
 " We live in changing times." 
 
 He saw that she was hurt, and he felt a little 
 grateful to her for letting the subject drop. She 
 was evidently ready to begin an intimacy which he 
 was anxious to avoid. 
 
 He tried to interest her in the scenery the effects 
 of the setting sun, and the gilding of the meadows 
 and the darkening of the trees. In vain. She lis- 
 tened absently, and presently withdrew. 
 
 At dinner in the state room Mrs. Laird took the 
 bottom of the table, facing Ames, who had Con- 
 stance on his right, and Lucy on his left. If it 
 were possible, Lucy had improved, Ames thought. 
 Her face was graver, but more dignified. She was 
 magnificent in her low-necked dress with a string of 
 pearls around her neck, and Constance, older and
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 145 
 
 less handsome, suffered by the contrast. The two 
 women scrutinised each other somewhat closely and 
 both remained, throughout the meal, reserved. Ames, 
 in spirits, chatted easily, amused to see the eyes of 
 the women fixed upon him when he spoke, as though 
 his words had been oracular. 
 
 The conversation turned upon the chances of fine 
 weather through the voyage. The night was calm, 
 that all agreed, but the Bay of Biscay might be tur- 
 bulent, even in a lightish breeze. And then there 
 were joking speculations as to the numbers that 
 would come to table should the wind arise. 
 
 " In such a case," the doctor said, " ladies are 
 generally taken with neuralgia ! " 
 
 But the Laird girls knew that they could dine in 
 any hurricane, and Moore declared that he was 
 never incommoded by the sea. The subject ended, 
 because Mrs. Laird considered it inopportune at din- 
 ner. The Count was in an anecdotal mood, and in- 
 sisted upon telling stories, in a German accent, of 
 his travels in the East, with true Teutonic self-lauda- 
 tion. While he did so, Ames observed his wife, who 
 listened with perceptible indifference to the stories, 
 that she must have often heard. From the conversa- 
 tion he had had with him Ames had found this hus- 
 band naively vain, wrong-headed to no small degree, 
 loquacious to excess, and he felt inclined to pity 
 Lucy, tied to such a man. Well, she had sold her- 
 self for station and for comfort, and society was 
 but a mart where all was compromise and barter. 
 
 The conversation turned on Venice. Constance 
 and Lucy had been there before, but Sybil never, and 
 they both expressed surprise that a girl of her ar-
 
 146 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 tistic tendencies should not have seen the gem of 
 gems. But Ames, knowing Sybil to be poor, and 
 unable to spend much in travelling, came promptly 
 to her rescue by declaring that, in spite of all its 
 charm, Venice did not attract some minds. Edith, 
 who was next to Moore, owned frankly that she had 
 never seen the city of the Doges, and the poet, who 
 had already been there twice, promised her that she 
 would be enchanted with its sights. Constance knew 
 a lady who resided there the greater portion of the 
 year in a fine old palace full of ancient memories, 
 and Lucy said she would not mind living there her- 
 self. 
 
 Ames listened to their talk, thinking how colour- 
 less it was, glad when it was time to quit the table. 
 
 When the party went on deck again, the ship was 
 quitting the coast of England, and dashing out into 
 the ocean swiftly. There was no moon, and some 
 heavy clouds obscured most of the stars. Some of 
 the guests formed groups to sit and chat, while 
 others preferred to roam about the vessel. Ames, glad 
 to escape them for a while, went and smoked with 
 Barnes in his little cabin on the bridge, and it was 
 nearly ten before he left him. 
 
 He had scarcely reached the deck when he found 
 himself face to face with Lucy, whom he could just 
 distinguish in the dim light from the cabin window. 
 The Count, the Lairds, and Moore were playing 
 bridge in the card-room in the stern, and the deck 
 appeared deserted. 
 
 " You could not be accused," said Lucy, " of too 
 much attention to your guests. They haven't seen 
 you all the evening."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 147 
 
 " I have been thinking of their safety, all the 
 same," he answered. " I've been questioning the 
 skipper as to the behaviour of the Exe." 
 
 " The Exe! Why did you give her such a name? " 
 
 " Because, not being married, I could not give a 
 wife's name to the ship as many do. And so I called 
 her X, the unknown quantity." 
 
 " How prudent, and how wise ! " 
 
 Her tone was bitter, and though he could not see 
 her face, he imagined its expression. They were 
 leaning over the ship's side, and he drew a little 
 nearer to her. 
 
 " Tell me," he inquired, " are you happy ? " 
 
 "Happy? You know very well I cannot be! Oh, 
 please don't think that I am wretched. No one is 
 wretched nowadays. It's not worth while. With 
 wealth, it's scarcely possible, but when you speak of 
 happiness in the special sense you mean, I can only 
 think you are sarcastic." 
 
 " Why did you marry him ? " Ames asked. 
 
 " Because he, alone, would marry me ; because 
 marriage has become a mere arrangement of con- 
 venience dependent upon money. Women marry now 
 for the sake of having recognisable establishments, 
 and of keeping the pace of wealth. We are all af- 
 flicted with the same disease." 
 
 " You admit it is one ? " 
 
 " Yes ; incurable." 
 
 " And do you think that love, affinity, attraction, 
 preference are dead? " 
 
 " I did not say so." 
 
 " No, you could not. You are too richly feminine 
 to think so."
 
 148 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " What do you know of me? " she asked, somewhat 
 defiantly. 
 
 " I know that you were never meant for the part 
 you have been made to play, and that the playing 
 it has cost you more than you care to own." 
 
 " Peugh ! there are means of getting consolation." 
 " Yes, but you may find they are inadequate." 
 " You talk prophetically. One would say you 
 knew the man I could have loved." 
 " I do." 
 
 She was silent for a moment. Then she asked: 
 " Have you, by chance, become as vain as the man 
 I married? " 
 
 " If you think so, I am sorry. It may be I've 
 become presumptuous and too fond of stating the 
 crude truth." 
 
 " Well, and after you have stated it, what then ? " 
 " Alas ! I have no more to add." 
 " Remorseless, as you always were ! " 
 This word remorseless caused him to experience a 
 slight emotion. Here was a woman, after all, a 
 woman of his class, who really had some love for 
 him, for him and not for his possessions. It seemed 
 a waste of something rare to throw away such love, 
 but his Daimon murmured no. He must not take 
 what was so plainly offered. Love was a matter of 
 time and opportunity. If he had not asked her on 
 the yacht she would have gradually forgotten him, 
 as she must at length forget. She was ready now to 
 do rash things, because she was beneath the influ- 
 ence of sex, which was but strong in youth, which 
 age destroyed. 
 
 He remembered the day when she had left him in
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 149 
 
 the library making him understand that he might 
 repent some day. She thought that the power of 
 her beauty would one day bring him to her feet. 
 Alas! she judged him of the common clay; but he 
 was of another composition. He loved something 
 more than love. His passions were controllable. At 
 the same time, she was far more beautiful than Con- 
 stance, although much less influential. 
 
 Disturbed, in spite of himself, he said at 
 length : 
 
 " No, I am far from that, and I am truly sorry 
 that you should be dissatisfied with things as they 
 present themselves. Believe me, a little opti- 
 mism " 
 
 But she did not heed him. 
 
 " Good-night. It's far too cold up here. I'm 
 going down." 
 
 In an instant she was gone, and he remained for 
 some time longer, looking out into the darkness and 
 trying to calm his somewhat ruffled feelings. 
 
 What was it that had caused him to reject her? 
 An inspiration towards another order of morality, 
 or an anticipation of the better things the future 
 had in store? Both, perhaps, but certainly the lat- 
 ter. He had a constant feeling that high opportu- 
 nities were still before him, opportunities of greater 
 power than he now possessed. 
 
 He left the place where he was standing, and be- 
 gan to pace the deck. Suddenly he heard his name 
 pronounced, and on a bench behind the funnel he 
 recognised two women's forms. Edith and Sybil 
 were side by side. 
 
 " I must apologise," he said, " for this obscurity.
 
 150 THE METHODS OP MR. AMES 
 
 By some extraordinary oversight the lighting of the 
 deck has been neglected." 
 
 " Oh, never mind," said Edith ; " there are some 
 on board who much prefer it so. Your poet over 
 there and Miss Olane are having a fine time. But 
 won't you take a seat ? " 
 
 " Yes, between you, if you'll let me." 
 
 They separated so that he might sit between them. 
 
 " Now," he said, as he leaned back, " am I not 
 in paradise ? To my finger tips I feel your presence. 
 There is a magic in the number three." 
 
 " I've no doubt," Edith ventured, " that you feel 
 safer with two than with one." 
 
 She had divined his thoughts. He revelled in the 
 feeling of security. 
 
 " Yes," said Sybil, " Mr. Ames' peculiarities are 
 becoming known." 
 
 This was a pointed hit. He easily perceived that 
 if his methods became known there would perhaps be 
 an end to their success. It was wonderful how keen 
 these women were! Therefore, calling sophistry to 
 his assistance, he declared: 
 
 " Security ! Is there security in any enterprise, 
 in any tie, in any bond? No, my friends, believe me, 
 all is hazard, and the wise man is not he who takes 
 no risks. There is something in our nature that 
 compels us to be hazardous. It is imprudent of us 
 three to sit like this quite close together on this 
 bench. A slanderer might pass and damage our 
 reputations. We are always at the mercy of events. 
 But do not let us talk of this. Do you not feel that 
 we are human beings before we are men and women ; 
 that, above all, we are friends, and that it is a pleas-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 151 
 
 ant thing to sit here on this summer's night and 
 dream? " 
 
 He took their hands and joined them, placing them 
 between his own. 
 
 " Now, can you not feel that a current of warm 
 sympathy has been established? " 
 
 Neither answered, but after a moment Sybil drew 
 her hand away. 
 
 " Strange man," she said, and rose and left. 
 
 "Edith," he said, "you'd better follow her; it's 
 getting late." 
 
 " Oh, very well ! " the widow answered, in a tone 
 of disappointment. " Your majesty shall be 
 obeyed." 
 
 She left and he continued his deck walk. He had 
 protected himself as skilfully as he knew how that 
 evening, but in doing so he had, he feared, very 
 nearly offended these three women. But women were 
 so easily offended! Not to worship at their shrine 
 was an offence ; not to eagerly accept encouragement 
 to woo when it was offered was another, and the 
 greatest crime of all, it seemed, was to be independ- 
 ent of them. 
 
 He withdrew to his cabin and to bed. 
 
 The next morning when he went on deck the 
 wind was fresh and the sea perturbed. The ship, 
 caught in the great Atlantic waves, was rolling some- 
 what heavily. A seaman said that there was more 
 wind to come. 
 
 Moore presently appeared. 
 
 " How much did you win last night ? " asked 
 Ames. 
 
 " Only a few pounds ! The people here are afraid
 
 152 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 to play. The Count is the only one, I do believe, 
 who can afford it." 
 
 " The rest were probably afraid of your superior 
 skill. I wish, Moore, you would talk to the women 
 more. They seem to be getting dull." 
 
 Moore smiled. " They're disappointed." 
 
 " Yes, why don't you marry one of them ? " 
 
 " They're all as poor as I am myself." 
 
 " Do you not know that the best wife for a poor 
 man is sometimes a poor woman? " 
 
 " No, I don't." 
 
 " It's true. A rich one may escape, become tyran- 
 nical. A poor one will often stay and scheme and 
 plot, and work for the good of the conjux." 
 
 " I'd take the risks of the rich one, if I had the 
 chance." 
 
 " Tell me," said Ames, " have you ever met a man 
 who wouldn't ? " 
 
 " Rarely, and when I have he was a weak example 
 of his kind." 
 
 "And so you're fortune-hunting, Moore?" 
 
 " If you like to put it in that way yes." 
 
 " I know a hideous old lady who is extraordinarily 
 rich. She's a monster. Do you think that such a 
 one would suit ? " 
 
 Moore hesitated for a moment. Then he asked: 
 
 "How much?" 
 
 "Oh! millions." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 Ames looked at the horizon. Was there in the 
 present world a man or woman in a thousand who 
 was not attacked by the prevalent auritis, by the 
 strange disease which threatened to destroy the fibres
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 153 
 
 of human dignity, and to render men incapable of 
 any but one fixed pursuit? He did not think so, and 
 he was by no means sure that he was himself quite 
 free from this subtle malady which might be con- 
 tagious. 
 
 " Very well," Ames said, " I'll bear the fact in 
 mind. I forgot to say the monster is engaged." 
 
 Moore shrugged his shoulders, but it was plain 
 that he was annoyed. Ames took up a glass and 
 looked at a vessel which was passing. She was a 
 magnificent steam-yacht, larger and faster than the 
 Exe, and on the deck he could see only two ladies. 
 Probably the men were all below. There, he thought, 
 was an example. The greater fortune bought the 
 finer yacht. As he was thinking thus, the Stars and 
 Stripes were suddenly displayed at the stern of the 
 passing yacht. This was a salute, which the Exe 
 immediately returned. Ames could not see the ladies 
 well for the pitching of the ship, but one of them, 
 apparently in yachting dress, was fair, and both 
 were young. 
 
 They were soon past, however, and he thought no 
 more about them. The heavy sea lasted almost till 
 they reached Gibraltar, and the life on board was 
 much disorganised at meals. Edith, whom nothing 
 could affect, and the two Laird girls were the only 
 ladies present. The remainder could not trust them- 
 selves at table, and passed a great deal of their time 
 in their own cabins. 
 
 Constance was particularly indisposed, and was 
 only able to come up at intervals and mostly in the 
 afternoon, in spite of the doctor's treatment. 
 
 Sybil and Edith were much together, and Ames
 
 * 
 154. THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 overheard the former say : " I wish I'd never come 
 upon this wretched cruise." And he fell to wonder- 
 ing why she had accepted his invitation. A chance 
 to be worked out, no doubt, was what had induced 
 her to be there, and now that she had found it worth- 
 less she was regretting her critic and envying her 
 sister, who had gone to Etretat with her. And when 
 he thought that at first he had been attracted by 
 what he took to be her artist's nature, he asked him- 
 self how long he would continue to accept appear- 
 ances as realities. The elder of the Laird girls, 
 however, came up to Ames and said : 
 
 " What a delightful trip we're having! It was 50 
 kind of you to ask us. How splendid it must be to 
 have a ship like this to take you where you want 
 to go! There's nothing I love like travel." 
 
 " Later on," Ames answered, " when your Prince 
 Charmant appears, he'll take you in his airship any- 
 where you wish to go." 
 
 She pouted her lips at this and ran back to her 
 mother. 
 
 On the evening before they reached the Rock the 
 wind abated and the sea was somewhat smoother. 
 Constance was able to stay on deck, and Ames had 
 a seat placed for her on the bridge, where the mo- 
 tion was less felt. 
 
 When it was getting dark he came and sat beside 
 her, thinking that if he did not, she would be too 
 much hurt. 
 
 " What have you been doing," she inquired, with 
 a suspicious glance, " while I was chained to my 
 bed down there? " 
 
 " Not flirting, anyway," he answered.
 
 I 
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 155 
 
 " I'm glad to hear it, for I had been asking my- 
 self why you had invited Lucy." 
 
 He reassured her. As far as he himself was con- 
 cerned Lucy was sacred to her Graf. 
 
 But even this answer did not satisfy her alto- 
 gether. 
 
 " Sometimes I think," she said, " that you're not 
 really fond of women." 
 
 He looked up at the sky. 
 
 " What man is not? " 
 
 " When we get to Venice," she inquired, " do you 
 intend to go to a hotel? " 
 
 " I have not thought about it, but it might be 
 done." 
 
 " Of course," she murmured, and he smiled. 
 
 " Look," he said, pointing to the west ; " look at 
 that conflagration! Is it not superb? What are 
 all the efforts at embellishment which we call art 
 compared to that great painting by the hand of 
 nature? What, also, are our little joys and pains, 
 our little loves and hates, in the whole cosmic scheme? 
 To us it seems of the most profound and solemn 
 moment whether we are loved or love, and nature does 
 not care a jot for our loves, well knowing that it 
 will continue to paint pictures like that one in the 
 sky eternally, whether our race should live or die. 
 Therefore, it has always seemed to me that we should 
 not take life too seriously; that we should never 
 chafe at disappointments ; that we should always be 
 prepared to take life as it comes, with its pleasures 
 and its pains, saying to ourselves that just as for 
 all the pleasures there is limit, so for all the pains 
 there is a term. That is what we must impress upon
 
 156 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 our minds in order that we may be always ready for 
 events as they present themselves. If we do this, we 
 become proof against regret and we obtain the mas- 
 tery of circumstance." 
 
 But Constance said : 
 
 " You are in a philosophical mood again. You're 
 often in that mood, it seems to me. Whether we 
 are something or nothing in the universe, our own 
 concerns must be of the deepest interest to us. 
 Women, at all events, will always think so." 
 
 " Women," he repeated, " will always think so 
 yes!" 
 
 Then she began to tell him of her plans for the 
 coming winter, of her dinners of well-chosen friends 
 and of a little trip to Paris which she wished to make 
 at Christmas. Perhaps he would come also. 
 
 " To Paris ! " he exclaimed. " You forget that it 
 is fuU of English." 
 
 " Really," she said, " your prudence is sublime. 
 There are hotels on the left bank of the Seine where 
 no one that one knows is ever to be met." 
 
 " Sorry places they must be ! " 
 
 She moved impatiently, but at that moment Barnes 
 appeared upon the bridge, and Ames, glad of the 
 opportunity to interrupt his talk with Constance, 
 began to ask him questions as to the working of the 
 ship and the time at which the land would be in 
 sight. Barnes answered the questions clearly, but 
 he was evidently intimidated by the presence there of 
 Constance, who treated him with condescension. 
 
 The next morning, shortly before nine, the Exe 
 anchored in the harbour of Gibraltar. Before they 
 went on shore, Ames called a meeting of his guests
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 157 
 
 to inquire how long they wished to stay upon the 
 Rock, and, as they were unanimous in their desire to 
 remain there only for the day, he decided to resume 
 the voyage when the sun had set. The morning was 
 spent in a ramble through the town so dwarfed by 
 the gigantic Rock, and in the afternoon half the 
 party went to see the fortress, while the remainder 
 took a carriage and were driven to the Cork woods 
 on the Spanish side. 
 
 Constance, Lucy, Edith, the doctor, and Ames 
 composed this party, which was served with tea be- 
 neath the trees. 
 
 Ames had hit upon this means of killing the ermul 
 which had begun to show itself upon the faces of 
 these disappointed women, and the plan succeeded 
 fairly well. When the latter reached the yacht 
 again, however, and heard that Moore had taken his 
 tea at the Governor's, they seemed to envy him, so 
 that Ames concluded that Edith and Lucy, at all 
 events, regretted the way they had spent their after- 
 noon. This was an indication to be noted. 
 
 The next morning the vessel was steaming swiftly 
 through the waters of the inland sea and making a 
 straight course to Italy. The sky was brighter and 
 the tossing of the ship had ceased. The guests re- 
 gained a great deal of their equanimity and were be- 
 ginning to make projects for amusement later on. 
 The musicians played in the evening after dinner 
 and the poet gave some recitations, upon which occa- 
 sions Ames became invisible. They passed Stromboli 
 in the night and found it in activity. The doctor 
 and the Count, who were both geologists, engaged in 
 a discussion on volcanoes which lasted from ten
 
 158 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 o'clock to twelve. Ames studied navigation with the 
 captain. 
 
 At length they entered the Adriatic, and towards 
 five one afternoon sighted the gilded domes of Venice. 
 The Exe took up a berth not far from the entrance 
 of the port, with her stern towards the quay. As 
 she was getting into position, Ames perceived that 
 she would be greatly dwarfed by a magnificent steam 
 yacht at the side of which she was to lie, and on a 
 closer inspection of this vessel he felt sure that she 
 was the great white yacht which had passed them 
 on the Atlantic. She was flying the American flag, 
 and on the deck he thought were the two ladies 
 whom he had seen through the telescope. 
 
 One of them, the younger, seemed less than five- 
 and-twenty. Her round face, quite American in form 
 and expression, was surmounted by a wealth of light 
 waved hair. In her figure, Ames was unable to detect 
 a serious fault. Her companion appeared to be 
 about thirty, equally American in aspect, though 
 of the dark Southern type. What the relations be- 
 tween them were Ames could not divine, although he 
 fancied that the younger of the two was the more 
 important. As the ropes were being fastened, both 
 the ladies were watching the operation, glancing 
 occasionally at the party on the Exe, and once Ames 
 became conscious that the younger one was looking 
 at him interestedly. Just, however, as he was glanc- 
 ing in her direction, Constance appeared upon the 
 scene. 
 
 " Isn't it time," she said, " to think of where we 
 are to stay? I've spoken to the rest, and some of 
 them would like to go to the Grand Hotel, which
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 159 
 
 is on the Grand Canal, and gayer than this dock. 
 I've had my letters addressed there." 
 
 " As you will," he answered, and finally it was ar- 
 ranged that those who wished could stay upon the 
 yacht, while the rest, comprising only Lucy and her 
 husband, would remain at the hotel. 
 
 Accordingly, Constance, Lucy, and the Count went 
 on to take rooms, Ames having said that he must 
 stay to see the master of the port. When they had 
 left, and the party had gone on shore, to be wafted 
 round the town in gondolas, Ames remained upon 
 the yacht. 
 
 The young American, he learnt from the port 
 authorities, was the daughter of the multi-millionaire 
 Josiah Yorks, who had died, Ames knew, a few years 
 previously. Her ship, the Lohengrin, was one of 
 the finest yachts that had ever entered Venice. She 
 had retired below after the entrance of the Exe, but 
 after Ames had obtained this information she ap- 
 peared again, dressed in a light summer costume, 
 with a wide straw hat. Evidently she was going 
 into town, and was awaiting her companion. 
 
 Ames raised his hat. 
 
 *' I beg your pardon, but I fear we have blocked 
 your way to the landing stairs. I'm very sorry, but 
 we had to go where we were sent." 
 
 This was the best means of introduction he could 
 think of, and it succeeded, for she answered, smiling: 
 
 " It does not matter a little bit. We shall just 
 go round to the other steps." 
 
 " I think," said Ames, " you passed us in the At- 
 lantic. My yacht is a slower boat than yours." 
 
 " Why, yes, we do go fast."
 
 160 'THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Ames was about to make another remark, when 
 the elder lady came up from below, all ready dressed 
 to go on shore. 
 
 " Well," said the younger, " we must be off now 
 to the museum." 
 
 But just as she was leaving, she turned and gave 
 a little nod to Ames : " Good-bye." 
 
 He watched them leave the ship, and then he went 
 on shore. 
 
 , Proceeding along the labyrinth of narrow streets 
 and little squares, overpoweringly close on this Au- 
 gust afternoon, he reached the Grand Hotel, and 
 just as he was entering the vestibule he met Con- 
 stance, who was leaving hurriedly. 
 
 " I was going to telegraph," she said. " What 
 do you think has happened? My husband died last 
 night ! " 
 
 " Really," said Ames, " how disappointing, just as 
 you are on a pleasure trip." 
 
 " Yes, and I must return at once to see to my 
 affairs." 
 
 "Oh, must you?" 
 
 Pleased at her departure, Ames said: 
 
 " I suppose you'll go back overland." 
 
 " To-night." 
 
 He left the hotel with her, and when they were in 
 the street, she said: 
 
 " Ah ! what a change this makes in my existence. 
 Now I am quite free." 
 
 " Yes, yes, quite free," he echoed. 
 
 She gave him a sharp glance. 
 
 " Is that all you have to say? " 
 
 " By no means. I should add that when we meet
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 161 
 
 again, after the trying time through which you will 
 have to pass, there will no longer be the little feel- 
 ing of restraint which perhaps afflicted us before. A 
 widow and a bachelor ! " 
 
 " Is that what we are destined to remain ? " 
 
 " I do not know. I am unable to foretell the 
 future." 
 
 They had reached a church with a wide peristyle, 
 and she ascended its steps, making him a sign to 
 follow her. 
 
 " Throughout the voyage," she said, in a tone of 
 suppressed anger, " your manner has been strange. 
 You know you have kept away from me, and what 
 you have just said about the future confirms my 
 apprehensions. Take care ! I'm not a woman to be 
 trifled with." 
 
 " And I am no man to be threatened." 
 
 She saw that she had gone too far, and somewhat 
 changed her tone. 
 
 " Before I leave, I ask you to assure me that I 
 may trust your loyalty." 
 
 "Have I ever promised anything?" he asked. 
 
 ** No, you are far too cautious, but you know, as 
 well as I, that there are tacit promises between us." 
 
 " Now that's a theory I can't admit. In the haz- 
 ard of London life we met for a season, and we 
 helped each other to exist as friends. That season 
 may be prolonged in the coming winter, or it may 
 end, should either of us wish it. There is no tie, no 
 bond; we are both free." 
 
 " Oh, that is it ! You speak more plainly now. 
 I have worked to advance your interests. You have 
 been my sole solicitude; you know that I looked for-
 
 162 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 ward to be your wife some day, and now you actu- 
 ally tell me that our more than ordinary friendship 
 was only of the kind which is contracted or aban- 
 doned, as one pleases." 
 
 " That is very nearly what it is, and what it must 
 be." 
 
 Pain and disappointment were so plainly marked 
 upon her features that he felt a slight remorse. 
 
 " All may be as it was before," he said, in a soft- 
 ened tone ; " who knows ? " 
 
 She was silent for some moments, evidently strug- 
 gling with conflicting feelings, and he knew quite 
 well that her pride and interest were warring with 
 each other. After all, she was not without some 
 prospects of her own. She was well connected and 
 had influential friends. Someone would eventually 
 wed her. 
 
 " I'm astonished at myself," she said at length, 
 " that I should be urging you to do what you seem 
 to hesitate to shrink from doing." 
 
 " It's always an unwise thing," he answered, " to 
 exercise constraint." 
 
 At this she seemed to take a resolution. 
 
 "You're right. I shall lower myself no more in 
 my own esteem. If, when you return, you come to 
 me, ready and anxious to act as you know you 
 should, I will receive you with my former fondness. 
 If you come to talk of freedom, stay away." 
 
 " I shall remember your words," he said, " and 
 act as nature prompts." 
 
 They left the church and walked in silence to the 
 post office, where Constance sent some telegrams to 
 England. She had resumed her air of the grande
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 163 
 
 dame, which she had laid aside when with him, and 
 her tone was cold. When she left the office, she 
 held out her hand to him. 
 
 *' I must go back to the Grand, where I shall 
 spend the day. My train will start at eight. Shall 
 I see you at the station ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 Then, undisturbed, Ames strolled about the city 
 for an hour, making purchases in the shops, and 
 leaving his card on an absent friend. As he was 
 walking through the arcades of the Piazza of St. 
 Mark, he suddenly met Lucy with her Count. She 
 said at once: 
 
 " Mr. Ames, we have to thank you, oh ! so much, 
 for the delightful cruise, and to say that we've de- 
 cided to return by land. You see we want to visit 
 the Italian lakes, and think this a good opportunity." 
 
 The Count confirmed what his wife had said, and 
 Ames could only signify regret. He knew quite well 
 that if Lucy took this course it was because she 
 had discovered she had made a faulty calculation, 
 and like most women was averse to spending time un- 
 profitably. After a remark concerning Constance, 
 and the expression of a hope that Ames would dine 
 with them before the Exe left Venice, they hurried 
 away to see the pigeons fed, and Ames resumed his 
 walk. 
 
 He had a feeling that things were going well that 
 afternoon. It was a pity of course to lose the sight 
 of the beautiful Lucy, but Sybil was left, who had 
 almost equal points. He looked at his watch. It 
 was still early. He hastened to the quay, engaged 
 a gondola with two men, to whom he offered double
 
 164 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 fare if they went fast, and he was soon speeding 
 rapidly through the historic waterway to the pic- 
 ture gallery. Would they still be there? he won- 
 dered, as he entered the building. No, like Amer- 
 icans, they would probably despatch sights quickly. 
 Hurrying through the rooms without looking at 
 the pictures, which, for the rest, he knew, he was 
 about to conclude that the owner of the Lohengrin 
 had left, when he suddenly perceived her with her 
 companion in a corner, busily engaged in reading 
 " Baedeker." 
 
 Moving round by the side of the room, apparently 
 engrossed in a study of the pictures, he reached the 
 place where they were standing. 
 
 Raising his hat, he said : 
 
 " We meet again, ! " 
 
 " That's so," she answered, laughing, while her 
 companion smiled. 
 
 " Is this your first sight of these masters ? " he 
 inquired. 
 
 " Yes, and it won't be quite the last. Are you 
 fond of art?" 
 
 " Extremely. In fact, I think that I may say, 
 Anch 10 son pittore." 
 
 " Oh, then," she said, " you're like my friend here, 
 Miss Vandek." 
 
 The lady thus alluded to explained: 
 
 " Oh, water colours only." 
 
 " I suppose," said Ames, " that you have travelled 
 greatly and seen the art collections of the world? " 
 
 " Well, yes, I've been twice round this globe, and 
 I think I've seen about all that's worth seeing." 
 
 " Twice already ! You must be fond of travel."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 165 
 
 " I just love locomotion." 
 
 " And speed, no doubt." 
 
 " There's not a motor in existence that is fast 
 enough for me." 
 
 " At Venice, I'm afraid, you can't get much amuse- 
 ment in the way of motoring ! " 
 
 " You haven't seen my motor boat ? It's the terror 
 of the place." 
 
 Ames laughed. Here was a really typical exem- 
 plar of the century of speed. 
 
 " Of course, you know," she added, " I like gon- 
 dolas, too. To go about in one is just like slipping 
 back three hundred years. It's all right for a week 
 or so." 
 
 " It's a pity, Ada," said Miss Vandek, " you don't 
 like quietude for a little longer than a week. You're 
 much too fond of rush ! " 
 
 But Ada gave a careless laugh. 
 
 " Oh, please, now, Susan, don't begin to preach ! " 
 
 Ames asked if their stay was to be long in Venice, 
 and they replied that in consequence of some repairs 
 to the yacht's engine they would stay a week at the 
 very least, especially as Senator Wigan and his wife, 
 who travelled with them, had left for Padua the 
 night before, and were going to Verona. Ames said 
 that he, also, had some guests, but that a few of them 
 were leaving him. He, also, would remain a week. 
 
 " We don't yet know your name," said Ada Yorks, 
 and Ames produced his card. 
 
 She took it, and after reading it exclaimed: 
 
 " M. P. ! Well, Mr. Ames, that's just as it should 
 be. If a man's to be a politician, the younger he 
 can start the better. And so, as we've got to shop,
 
 166 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 as you say in England, good-bye for the present. 
 We're going to Murano this afternoon; I wonder if 
 you'd like to come ? " 
 
 Ames said that nothing would please him more 
 than to visit the island she had named, and it was 
 arranged that he should call for them at three. 
 
 They left, and Ames, after sauntering through 
 the gallery and thinking over his chat with this 
 vivacious person, was satisfied beyond measure with 
 it, and he went back to his gondola with heightened 
 spirits, telling the men they need not row so fast, 
 and enjoying the urban scene. 
 
 In several canals he noticed warehouses that had 
 once been palaces, and told himself that in these 
 mansions had once lived the men who had practised 
 virtu. Ah, well ! he wondered if they had been happy. 
 No doubt they had those of them, at least, with 
 whom the system had agreed. Did it agree with 
 him? The future must be left to answer that. In 
 the meantime he was pleased with the results he had 
 obtained. 
 
 When he reached the Exe, the lunch was already 
 served. As he took his seat, he quickly noticed a 
 certain change in the complexion of the party. Edith 
 and the doctor, side by side, were in joyous conver- 
 sation, while Sybil and the poet appeared to be on 
 the best of terms. The Lairds, on the other hand, 
 looked glum, although Moore spoke to them, and 
 Miss Olane appeared distressed. A process of nat- 
 ural selection was going on, Ames thought, and it 
 was not to the liking of a section. They spoke of 
 the places they had visited, and then someone said: 
 
 "That yacht, we heard in town, belongs to Ada
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 167 
 
 Yorks, the daughter of the great financial king. 
 She's an orphan, fabulously rich, and moves about 
 the world like that." 
 
 " Yes," said Moore, " I've obtained an introduc- 
 tion to her." 
 
 Ames had suddenly begun a conversation with the 
 elder Laird girl, and appeared not to have heard this 
 said ; but he took heed of Moore's remark and real- 
 ised that he must play his cards with skill. The 
 men of the party looked annoyed, and were no doubt 
 envying Moore's luck. Ames felt quite sure that the 
 presence of this affluent American would disturb their 
 equanimity and interfere with the interests of the 
 other women of his party. It was not long before 
 he had a proof of this, for presently Edith, who 
 seldom criticised, declared that she had seen this Ada 
 Yorks, and thought her horribly bad form. Sybil 
 shrugged her shoulders and went on talking with 
 the poet about art, and as Ames looked at her he 
 could not help admitting that little round-faced Ada 
 would never be compared with her. Ah! but Ada 
 Yorks was fresh. 
 
 As soon as the lunch was over, Ames disappeared 
 into his cabin, telling the steward that he wished 
 to rest awhile and that he must not be disturbed. 
 By the time of his appointment, he hoped that all 
 his guests would have gone on shore; but when he 
 went on deck he found it in the solitary occupation 
 of Stephen Moore, who was busily engaged in draw- 
 ing on a pair of grey suede gloves. 
 
 " Moore," he said, " I've a special favour to ask 
 you." 
 
 " Granted, my dear Ames, of course."
 
 168 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " I want to ask you to go at once for me to 30 
 Via Santo Stefano and to inquire if an artist of 
 the name of Allard lives there still, and if he does 
 to bring him back with you if you find him in. He 
 will remember me, since we were at school together, 
 and I want to speak to him at once, if he's still alive. 
 Should he have left, try to ascertain where he has 
 gone. I would go myself but have an appointment 
 presently. I shall probably be back by the time that 
 you return." 
 
 Moore was visibly disgusted, yet he forced himself 
 to say: 
 
 " Of course if it is urgent " 
 
 "Oh, it is!" 
 
 " In that case, I had better go at once ; thirty, 
 you said the number was." 
 
 " Yes ; so much obliged ! " 
 
 'As Moore was moving down the ladder to the 
 boat he turned and gave Ames a suspicious glance. 
 However, he said nothing, and presently he climbed 
 the steps of the landing stage and moved away to the 
 gondola station. As soon as he was out of sight 
 Ames had himself conveyed to the Lohengrin, and he 
 reached the deck just as the ladies were appear- 
 ing. 
 
 " Miss Vandek has been scolding me," said Ada, 
 " for taking you away from your guests the very 
 day you have arrived." 
 
 " My guests," Ames answered, " are having so 
 good a time in Venice that they can't begrudge me 
 the great enjoyment which you have offered me this 
 afternoon." 
 
 She smiled.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 169 
 
 " Come along down, then, and, Susan, no more 
 preaching." 
 
 The motor boat awaited them at the foot of the 
 companion ladder, and in a few moments they were 
 tearing through the lagoons, past island citadels and 
 monasteries, towards their destination. 
 
 " A wonderful boat," said Ames, as he noticed the 
 speed at which they travelled. " It braces the body 
 and improves the will to go through the air so fast." 
 
 " Well, now that's exactly what I think," said 
 Ada. " Mr. Ames, you've got a sense of things." 
 
 Encouraged by his success, Ames then continued: 
 
 " And, after all, we must be of our age. The 
 feature of these times is speed. The laggards have 
 no business in them. All new means of locomotion 
 give us greater power over space." 
 
 He called this talking largely, but he knew Amer- 
 icans were fond of rather high-flown speech. 
 
 " Of course," she said ; " particularly when we 
 know that in another century we'll be pitied for our 
 sluggishness in this." 
 
 Then she fell to speaking of her life in Boston, of 
 the Englishmen who came out there from time to 
 time, " on spec," laughing heartily at the meaning 
 which she seemed to give the term, asking her com- 
 panion if she remembered that " poor Lord Blankly," 
 who had spent a winter " of research." 
 
 " Do you share," asked Ames, " the fondness of 
 a section of your countrywomen for the nobility of 
 Britain?" 
 
 " I'm glad you've asked the question," she replied, 
 " so that I may tell you right out, no. My father 
 was republican in thought as much as name, and he
 
 170 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 made me promise that I wouldn't imitate the silly 
 girls at home who worship lords. He needn't have 
 done that. I'm not that kind of paste." 
 
 " I guessed it," Ames exclaimed enthusiastically. 
 " You struck me as so different ! " 
 
 They reached the island, landed and visited its 
 church, which Miss Vandek admired, but which Ada 
 thought deserving of only a hasty glance. Then 
 they went to the glass factory, and were shown the 
 process by which the famed Venetian glasswork is 
 produced, the artificers at their furnaces, and the 
 vases, necklaces, and ornaments, as they passed 
 through their hands. This interested Ada, who in 
 very fair Itah'an questioned a young workman with 
 bared chest and arms as to the blowing of the glass, 
 a feat which he performed repeatedly for her espe- 
 cial benefit. Then, afterwards, they inspected the 
 museum of finished wares and made some purchases. 
 And while Miss Vandek was buying an epergne, 
 Ames and Ada strolled a little lower down the gallery. 
 
 " I cannot say how glad I am that we have met," 
 he said, as they stopped before a glass case full of 
 lamps. " The people on the yacht were so monoto- 
 nous ! " 
 
 " You have some very pretty women on the yacht, 
 at all events," she said. 
 
 Ames assented dubiously. 
 
 "Prettiness I like combined with vivacity and 
 charm." 
 
 " Some day," she declared, " you must tell me all 
 about yourself, and I will tell you all about 7m/self." 
 
 " My story is soon told. I was educated here in 
 Italy. I studied art, became an artist, when a rela-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 171 
 
 tive died who left me what I think you call a pile. 
 Since then I have become a politician, and I lead a 
 bachelor's existence." 
 
 " My history is not much longer. I was brought 
 up in Boston, was my father's only child, and when 
 he died I, too, inherited. Since then I've done noth- 
 ing but take myself from place to place, seeking I 
 don't know what." 
 
 " Seeking happiness, perhaps, like most of us." 
 
 " Yes ; happiness that a few only find." 
 
 " Often because they fail to seize it when it is 
 within their grasp." 
 
 But it was not in her nature to dwell on serious 
 subjects long, and she soon exclaimed: 
 
 " I do declare, they've actually made a little man ! " 
 and she pointed to an impish figure in the cabinet 
 which had been moulded seemingly in glass. 
 
 " A perfect little devil," Ames ventured, and they 
 laughed. 
 
 " It's strange," he said, " I only know you since 
 this morning, and yet it seems to me I've known you 
 all my life." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Ames, I've much the same impression 
 about you." 
 
 " That cannot be a mere effect of chance." 
 
 " PVaps not." 
 
 " To-morrow night," said Ames, " is the Feast of 
 the Redentore, and if you and Miss Vandek will do 
 me the great honour to come and dine with us on 
 board the Exe we'll go afterwards in gondolas to 
 hear the band on the laguna and to see the illumina- 
 tions." 
 
 Ada clapped her hands.
 
 172 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " With pleasure, Mr. Ames," and she immediately 
 ran off to her companion to acquaint her with the 
 news, causing the glass to rattle in the cases as 
 she ran. Miss Vandek accepted the invitation gra- 
 ciously, and they left the glass works with the project 
 in their minds. 
 
 On the steps of the church they saw a beggar 
 woman with a child, and Ames asked himself what 
 Ada Yorks would do at such a sight. 
 
 She simply asked her companion for her purse, 
 opened it, saw that it contained a few gold pieces, 
 and emptied it into the lap of the poor woman. 
 
 " Santa Maria! " the latter exclaimed, and was 
 about to rise, when Ames folio wed .Ada's example and 
 emptied his own purse into the woman's apron. She 
 placed her child upon the pavement, gathered up 
 the coins, rose and overwhelmed them with her grati- 
 tude, kissing their hands repeatedly. Never, prob- 
 ably, since the Middle Ages, when purse-flinging was 
 a princely practice, had a beggar of Murano had 
 so much. 
 
 "Is it not pleasant," Ames said, as they moved 
 away, " to be able to command this means of giving 
 
 joy?" 
 
 " It is. It makes one feel just regal." 
 
 ** We are two potentates," Ames ventured. 
 
 * e Yes, and that's all right. Since we both possess, 
 we can be friends without suspecting each other of 
 cupidity." 
 
 They reached the boat and embarked again. As 
 it was still early, Ada proposed a trip in the other 
 direction, towards the Lido, and they started off at 
 the same pace, making deep furrows in the water
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 173 
 
 and attracting the attention even of the passing gon- 
 doliers, accustomed, nevertheless, to foreign eccen- 
 tricities. 
 
 Ames had asked to be landed at a stage near the 
 post office, as he had a telegram to send, and accord- 
 ingly he landed there after an extremely cordial leave- 
 taking with both ladies. 
 
 At the post office he telegraphed to Winston as 
 to the family of Yorks, merely for form's sake, be- 
 cause he knew, as all the world did, of their colossal 
 wealth. Then, after a short stroll on the piazza, 
 he went back to the ship. 
 
 There he found Moore pacing the deck again and 
 looking extraordinarily gloomy. 
 
 Without looking at Ames, he said : 
 
 " I did your errand. The man died last Septem- 
 ber." 
 
 " Dead ! " said Ames. " And I wanted to set him 
 up in life." 
 
 Moore did not reply, and when Ames thanked him, 
 he said, still without taking his eyes off the 
 deck: 
 
 " Pleased to be of service to you, I'm sure." 
 
 Ames left his friend, informed the steward that he 
 would not be there for dinner, and forthwith went on 
 shore. He dined at a restaurant on the piazza, and 
 afterwards walked to the station. Constance was 
 already there, and in deep mourning. She was graver 
 than he had ever seen her, and had not cast off her 
 hauteur. 
 
 " I scarcely expected you," she said. " I thought 
 that, as you left me alone all day, you might find it 
 too much trouble to come here."
 
 174 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 He excused himself as best he could ; there was no 
 appointment, and he had been busy. 
 
 " I have been thinking much of you to-day," she 
 said. " You are standing on the edge of a social 
 precipice. I should be sorry if you fell into it, but 
 if you do you will have no one but yourself to blame." 
 
 " I should be so much obliged," he said, " if you 
 would be more explicit." 
 
 " You think that wealth can brave and accomplish 
 everything. Well, wait and see." 
 " One thing is certain, that without it, the other 
 power, ancient prestige, declines and becomes impo- 
 tent." 
 
 " It is wonderful how you calculate. One would 
 think you were a trader's son." 
 
 " No, my father knew nothing about trade, unfor- 
 tunately. He could not calculate. Therefore it 
 must be supposed he was more of a gentleman than 
 I." 
 
 *' You are cynical," she said. " You think, no 
 doubt, you can afford to be." 
 
 " Really, I have no such thought." 
 
 " Is it possible that you should be so cold ! " 
 
 " If my temperature were taken now, it would be 
 found to be above the normal." 
 
 She turned from him with impatience. 
 
 " Listen," he said. " In the present case there is 
 nothing to be done but trust in the natural tendency 
 of human things to arrange themselves in the best 
 way possible. There are few of us who can mould 
 destiny. It is foolish to fret for disappointment. 
 Love is an antique passion no longer to be faund in 
 real life, and you know, as well as I, that we have
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 175 
 
 often scoffed at it ourselves. Go back to your inter- 
 ests. Tend them well, and if, as I am sorry to feel 
 sure, they are defective, then remember that in me, 
 if you like, you have a friend." 
 
 She looked upon the ground and seemed to strug- 
 gle with conflicting feelings. He guessed what was 
 passing in her mind. He had let her know that he 
 knew her need, and she was troubled that he knew. 
 
 Her maid appeared. It was time to take seats 
 in the express, and they walked together to it. 
 
 Suddenly Constance had become mute. To some 
 inquiries he made as to her journey, she assented with 
 a nod, and when the signal was given for departure 
 she stood at the carriage window and held out her 
 hand to him without looking into his face, withdraw- 
 ing the moment the train started. In another mo- 
 ment the express had disappeared, and Ames was 
 walking back. It was a pity he was leaving her, 
 he thought, for she really was an ornamental person, 
 but he knew full well that he could never have made 
 up his mind to marry her. No doubt, had he done 
 so, she might have aided his advancement, but her 
 aid would have been of a kind he did not like. It 
 would have meant trammelled power and perpetual 
 subservience. No, she was not the woman he re- 
 quired. No, she would not suit. Possibly she would 
 become vindictive later on. Well, he must take his 
 chance of that. That was a danger of the fight. 
 He returned to the Exe and went to bed. 
 
 The next day at lunch he announced the Redentore 
 party. He had engaged gondolas, he said, and had 
 invited " our neighbours," as He called them, who 
 were to dine with them before they left.
 
 176 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 The announcement was received with no astonish- 
 ment, but with some enigmatic smiles. The majority 
 appeared to know what was arranged. Moore, Ames 
 thought, must after all have introduced himself. 
 Well, never mind, the chances of Stephen Moore were 
 not of a too formidable kind. He felt again, how- 
 ever, that the women of the party were incensed 
 against him and that nothing but their interests 
 prevented them from showing that they were. 
 
 Edith remarked at length: 
 
 " I did not know, Mr. Ames, you were acquainted 
 with Miss Yorks." 
 
 " Nor I," said Sybil languidly. 
 
 " Indeed? " Ames said. " Well, then, I am." 
 
 They perceived by his manner that he was not 
 inclined for banter and they said no more. They 
 could not well afford, he knew, to quarrel with their 
 host. There was always an advantage in dispensing 
 hospitality. 
 
 In the afternoon Ames, with the Lairds, strolled 
 through the shopping thoroughfares and visited the 
 Doge's Palace, while the doctor and Edith, Sybil, 
 and the poet went off on an excursion to the Lido, 
 where they wished to bathe. But as he was waiting 
 for the family outside a milliner's, where they were 
 making purchases, he was confronted by Lucy. 
 
 He raised his hat and was about to greet her, 
 when she stopped, looked into his eyes, and said in a 
 low tone, " I hate you ! " and passed along. 
 
 At first he was inclined to follow her, but was 
 restrained by a realisation of the danger of that 
 course. If she said she hated, it was plain that she 
 still loved, and he had only to take pains to win her.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 177 
 
 No, he would not do that in spite of her transcendent 
 beauty, in comparison with which all others sank to 
 insignificance. Nevertheless the hate would easily 
 really be hate if not converted, and therefore it was 
 evident that there were rocks ahead. He was incur- 
 ring enmities of no uncertain kind. No matter; he 
 was not afraid. It was his fate in life to disappoint, 
 and he must be resigned to doing so. 
 
 In the evening, after he had given special instruc- 
 tions to his chef for the baptism of an ice as glace 
 a la Ada YorJcs, he waited on the deck for his two 
 guests. 
 
 They came as the clock struck seven, Ada in a 
 white muslin dress, which made her look so girlish 
 and so simple that it was impossible to think her the 
 possessor of the revenue of ten ambassadors, and 
 Miss Vandek in a rose silk gown, which suited 
 her. 
 
 When he had introduced them to the party, notic- 
 ing how eager the latter were, in spite of all, to meet 
 her, Ames led Ada down to dinner, while the doctor 
 was deputed to conduct her friend. 
 
 Moore, whom Ada had seen before that day ap- 
 parently, was left to his own devices. The meal was 
 gay. The cheer was excellent and Ames maintained 
 the conversation at a level it had not reached before, 
 appealing to Ada, on his right, for confirmation of 
 what he said, and doing his utmost to amuse her. 
 He knew quite well that the contrast was too plain 
 between his vivacity that night and the somewhat 
 sober air which he had worn upon the voyage, but 
 he did not care, convinced he was on the most aus- 
 picious track.
 
 178 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 When the dessert was over, a seaman came in to 
 announce that the gondolas were waiting. 
 
 The party went on deck, and Ames distributed the 
 guests in the two crafts. Edith, Sybil, with the poet 
 and Moore, formed one party, while the Lairds and 
 the doctor, the two guests and Ames composed the 
 other. Moore had endeavoured to join the latter, 
 but Ames had firmly intimated that he wished him to 
 look after the other ladies, especially as he could 
 speak Italian, which the doctor could not. 
 
 Then they started along the lagoons beneath a 
 starlit sky, their craft bedecked with Chinese lan- 
 terns, their men singing boatmen's songs. Ames was 
 seated at the end of the gondola close to Ada. The 
 doctor, the Lairds, and Miss Vandek were rather 
 nearer to the centre of the boat. Ada was more 
 thoughtful than she had been the previous day, al- 
 though she seemed to be greatly pleased. They 
 reached the large pontoon, on which the band had 
 already begun to play, and took a place with the 
 other gondolas amid the crowd of boats which clus- 
 tered round it, filled with people of all nationalities. 
 The sound of the music enabled Ames to speak with 
 Ada without being overheard. She said: 
 
 " I had a visit from your friend this morning. 
 Indeed, he called yesterday afternoon after we re- 
 turned, but I could not see him." 
 
 " Well," said Ames, " what do you think of him? " 
 
 " Oh ! I've seen his type before. I've a large col- 
 lection of them in Boston. They don't all call them- 
 selves ' The Honourables.' I should say a man with 
 such a title ought to be the very best principled of 
 men."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 179 
 
 " And should you imagine that he was as you 
 describe? " 
 
 " I think," she answered, laughing, " he has too 
 great a fondness for the chase. No doubt he inher- 
 ited that from his ancestors." 
 
 Ames joined in the laugh at the expense of Moore, 
 who, in the other boat, was casting furtive glances 
 at Ames and Ada. 
 
 " I am afraid," said Ames, " that in your position 
 you must conceive a poor idea of our sex." 
 
 " Not of you, Mr. Ames, at any rate," she an- 
 swered. 
 
 At that moment Ames made up his mind. That 
 was all the encouragement he needed. Yes, his wife 
 was found. 
 
 " Thank you for saying so," he said, with pur- 
 posive simplicity. 
 
 The band was playing an air from Rigoletto and 
 the boats were gathering around the illuminated 
 stand in ever-increasing numbers. The air was close 
 and still. He murmured: 
 
 " I'm oppressed with a fear lest we should 
 lose you soon! How long shall you remain in 
 Venice? " 
 
 " Well, Senator Wigan and his wife will be back in 
 about three days, and then we're going to Algiers." 
 
 " It is as I feared," Ames said despondingly. " In 
 a few days you will have vanished from my sight." 
 
 " Unless you come with us." 
 
 " With how much pleasure ! But my party ? I 
 have promised to take them on to Greece ! " 
 
 " Send them along to the Piraeus in your little boat 
 in charge of Mr. Moore."
 
 180 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Certainly," said Ames. " A capital idea ! It 
 shall be done." 
 
 Then they exchanged glances, and Ames felt sure 
 that she understood what the future was to be. 
 
 The night of the Redentore had been successful. 
 The Lairds might glance at him reproachfully. 
 Moore, in the other boat, might glare. If there was 
 any confidence to be placed in the gestures of rich 
 girls, he was as good as her accepted suitor. Of that 
 he had no doubt, and he was satisfied. A dominant 
 position was assured. It was agreed that no men- 
 tion of the plan should be made to anyone until the 
 arrival of the senatorial pair who were, as she ex- 
 plained, her second parents, and to whom she was 
 eager to introduce him soon. 
 
 They stayed an hour longer, listening to the music 
 and looking at the scene, and as they were reaching 
 the yachts on the return journey Ada asked: 
 
 " Why do you call your ship the Exe? " 
 
 " Because Exe once represented the unknown. 
 Now she shall be rechristened a name which begins 
 with A." 
 
 She smiled approvingly. 
 
 " I named mine Lohengrin in ignorance of whom 
 Lohengrin should be. But now I think I've ascer- 
 tained. Come early to-morrow morning and we'll 
 have a spin on the lagoon." 
 
 He pressed her hand, and with his party moved 
 round to the Exe. With wonderful unanimity, Ames 
 thought, all his guests descended to their cabins as 
 soon as they stepped on board, and he was left to 
 pace the deck alone. There, in that vessel which 
 loomed large and black in the half obscurity, would
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 181 
 
 soon be sleeping the potential maiden with whom he 
 was to pass his days in future. Did he love her? he 
 inquired of himself. .Well, he had a warm regard, and 
 that was ample for the purposes of nature. Love 
 was a sentiment for spendthrifts in most cases. Even 
 kings habitually dispensed with it, when they made 
 dynastic marriages, and who was he that he should 
 demand more than they obtained? Luxury and power 
 were benefits which lasted and ennobled. Love alone 
 decayed. When would those foolish novelists perceive 
 how far they were from the spirit of the times? 
 
 The next three days were spent in excursions to 
 the islands and in visits to museums, and each after- 
 noon Ames took tea on board the Lohengrin. Moore, 
 who had been restless and depressed since the night 
 of the Redentore, was invited on one of these occa- 
 sions. 
 
 " What I can't make out," he said to Ames, as 
 they were going together to the American vessel, 
 " is how you came to know Miss Yorks." 
 
 "Is it not mysterious?" said Ames, with a quiet 
 smile. 
 
 " I suppose you mean to marry her." 
 " Marry, Moore? Do you think that would be a 
 good idea ? " 
 
 " Of course, from a cumulative point of view." 
 " From many other points of view, I hope." 
 They reached the vessel. Ada said as they took 
 seats beneath the awning on the after-deck : 
 " Why, Mr. Moore, you're looking ill ! " 
 " Perhaps the climate does not suit me." 
 " You'll find the air in Greece much better than on 
 these lagoons. I remember after a walk on the
 
 182 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Acropolis I had an appetite which was quite phenom- 
 enal. Please give my love to the dear old stones." 
 
 " I wish," said Moore, " that you were coming 
 srith us." 
 
 Ada smiled. 
 
 " It's kind of you to say so, but we are going 
 in the contrary direction." 
 
 " Spain ? " Moore ventured. 
 
 " No ; somewhere, it may be, in North Africa." 
 
 Ames could not help admiring the resourcefulness 
 of Ada, and more than ever he considered her a fit- 
 ting partner. He was destined to become, perhaps, 
 an adept in virtik. 
 
 At length the Wigans came back from Vienna, and 
 on the evening of their return Ames dined on board 
 the Lohengrin. He found the senator an intelligent 
 and well-bred man of sound and moderate ideas, and 
 at once he was on the best of terms with him. His 
 wife was not less intelligent, and although both were 
 grey, they looked still young. Ada explained that 
 Ames was coming with them to Algiers, while his own 
 yacht went on to Greece, because he might require 
 to return to England sooner than he had anticipated 
 and at Algiers he was within easy call. The Wigans 
 accepted this explanation easily, and the whole thing 
 was arranged. 
 
 The start had been fixed for six o'clock next morn- 
 ing, and Ada asked if that would be too early for 
 Ames. But he declared that it would suit him ad- 
 mirably, that in the early morning they would ob- 
 tain a view of Venice which would be unsurpassed. 
 
 When Ames returned to the Exe the whole party 
 had gone to the theatre at the Lido and would not
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 183 
 
 be back for at least two hours. What should he do? 
 Should he wait and tell them of his leaving the next 
 morning? If he did, he would but encounter the 
 veiled sarcasms of the women, and, besides, he was 
 already tired and wanted to " turn in." What could 
 he do more for all these people than to place a yacht 
 at their disposal ? If any of them were too squeamish 
 to accept such hospitality in the absence of the host, 
 well, then they might go on or back by train. In 
 his position, not one of them would have refused 
 Ada's invitation. Therefore, why should he? As 
 he was thinking thus Barnes, who had been spending 
 the evening on shore, came up the side. 
 
 " Barnes," he said, " I'm leaving you to-morrow 
 early. I'm going back on the Lohengrin. Now I 
 want you to stay a few more days, say three, in 
 Venice, and to take my party on to the Piraeus, where 
 you can remain a fortnight if they like. Then come 
 straight back to Southampton. Here is a sum for 
 ordinary expenses. My agents at Southampton will 
 pay the crew upon arrival. If you will come down 
 to my cabin I will give you a line for Mr. Moore. " 
 
 Barnes took the notes which Ames handed him, and 
 with a quiet smile followed the owner down below. 
 
 Ames wrote a short letter to Moore, in which he 
 asked him to inform the guests of his departure, to 
 express his hope that they would excuse him, and 
 that they would have a pleasant cruise. 
 
 When he had written this, however, an inhibition 
 prevented him from signing it. He read it over twice 
 and then he tore it up. 
 
 " No, Barnes, I leave this matter entirely to you. 
 As soon as Mr. Moore appears on deck you will
 
 184 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 please inform him that I am gone off on the Lohen- 
 grin, and that I hope that he and the other guests 
 will continue the cruise as planned. That's all. And, 
 Barnes, should they be very much annoyed and leave 
 the ship, then of course you will return at once. In 
 case of need you can address me Poste Restante, 
 Algiers ; but there's no necessity to say where I have 
 gone. Do you understand? " 
 
 " Oh, quite," said the captain. " I suppose I may 
 say you're sorry? " 
 
 Ames reflected for a moment. 
 
 " Yes, you may say that. Good-night, Barnes. 
 I'm very satisfied with you. Some day perhaps you 
 may have a bigger vessel to command. You must 
 come and see me when I'm back in town." 
 
 Barnes shook hands with Ames and left, after 
 wishing his master a pleasant journey on that splen- 
 did ship. 
 
 The next morning Ames was up at five, and with 
 the aid of the steward, whom he warned the night 
 before, was soon dressed and packed. At a quarter 
 before six, while all was quiet on the yacht, he had 
 himself and his luggage taken to the Lohengrin, 
 which was already under steam. The American cap- 
 tain received him cordially, and he stood upon the 
 bridge with him to watch the vessel quit the port. 
 Silently she left her moorings at the side of the 
 sleeping Exe, glided out into the waterway and was 
 soon at full speed on the Adriatic. Ames cast a 
 last look at the island city, on which the morning sun 
 was shedding a rich light. There, midst the towers 
 and cupolas, were the women who had wanted to 
 appropriate him, and presently they would wake to
 
 THE METHODS OF, MR. AMES 185 
 
 find that the last remains of a forlorn hope had van- 
 ished ! That was how wealth made destiny ! He was 
 thinking thus when suddenly he became aware that 
 Ada was standing by his side. 
 
 " So early ! " he exclaimed, as he pressed her hand. 
 
 " Why, yes. I couldn't let you come to my house 
 and feel dull." 
 
 " So kind and so considerate." 
 
 They looked at Venice and he spoke of its former 
 greatness, of the golden days of the Republic, when 
 its fleets were powerful and its possessions vast. 
 There Eastern and Western art were joined, there 
 the fruits of the world were gathered. Then came 
 Napoleon, and the proud city fell before him; next 
 the unity of Italy, and Venice acquired a new strength 
 in becoming part of the whole empire. 
 
 She listened to him attentively, and when he had 
 finished speaking she remarked with a little laugh : 
 
 " Yes, unity is strength." 
 
 The next few days were days of much amenity for 
 Ames. Relieved of the presence of the women he had 
 left behind, he was able to give himself up entirely to 
 his new plans. He was treated by all on board with 
 the utmost courtesy and he felt completely satisfied 
 with the step which he had taken. Winston had 
 replied before he left that all was as well as it possibly 
 could be with the Yorks estate, and therefore there 
 was not a single cloud on the horizon. Even Miss 
 Vandek, whose attitude towards him had at first been 
 rather more reserved than he had liked, became ex- 
 tremely amiable and took great pains to insure his 
 comfort on the yacht. 
 
 The senator, at first, was inclined to be somewhat
 
 186 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 inquisitorial, but Ames was careful to furnish him 
 with proofs of his bona fides, as well as to give him a 
 description of his mines, which entirely convinced the 
 magnate, who was himself the owner of extensive 
 mineral deposits. 
 
 Ada, in the satisfaction of having him on board, 
 grew almost pretty, and he would often look at her 
 and tell himself that after all she was by no means 
 destitute of charm. 
 
 At meals the senator would generally talk politics 
 with Ames, who took advantage of the opportunity 
 to learn the working of the political system in the 
 United States, a subject on which he was somewhat 
 ignorant. 
 
 " You should not," Wigan said, " give too much 
 power to your ministers in England. Neither in 
 France nor in America are they allowed to be so 
 absolute. It is a great mistake, a great mistake." 
 
 " I am entirely of your opinion," Ames replied ; 
 " and if a movement were originated to curtail that 
 power I would be the first to join it." 
 
 " Even," Ada asked, " if you were a minister 
 yourself? " 
 
 " In that case, of course, it would be impossible." 
 
 After the midday meal, the day after the de- 
 parture, both the senator and his wife took a siesta 
 and Ames and Ada were left alone on the upper deck 
 where the coffee was usually served. 
 
 Ames thought it well to change the tacit under- 
 standing that existed between them into an explicit 
 one. He said: 
 
 " Since I met you, I have had but one desire, one 
 intention, and one aim."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 187 
 
 Calmly she inquired: 
 
 "What is that?" 
 
 " To ask you if you will accept me as your hus- 
 band? " 
 
 " Why, yes, of course," she answered. 
 
 He took her hand and pressed it to his lips. The 
 bond was sealed. The future dynasty was founded. 
 He was conscious of the feeling of repose which great 
 decisions give. 
 
 A little later, when the Wigans came on deck, Ada 
 told them what had been arranged. 
 
 " Mr. Ames and I," she said, " have become en- 
 gaged and I'm quite sure that no one in the world 
 can raise objections. Mr. Ames is rich and so am I. 
 Together, I reckon, we should make a stir." 
 
 This was not idealistically put, Ames thought, 
 but never mind, it would be a marriage of a modern 
 type. Mrs. Wigan expressed herself delighted, but 
 her husband was a little more reserved. No doubt, 
 Ames thought, he meant to use the telegraph con- 
 cerning him as soon as he got on shore. He was at 
 liberty to do so, since he was no adventurer, but a 
 very substantial man. 
 
 At Algiers they stayed at a hotel at Mustapha, 
 and Ada had scarcely landed when she ordered a 
 motor, and accompanied by Ames and Miss Vandek, 
 began to explore the country. Each day after a 
 ramble through the arcades or a visit to the Moorish 
 quarter of the town, where they obtained occasional 
 glimpses into Arab life which Ada kodaked, they 
 went for what she called a run. These runs, how- 
 ever, were not to Ames' taste, and he did not think 
 they ought to be included in the contract. He did
 
 188 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 not object to motoring at reasonable speeds, but 
 Ada, in her rage for swiftness, was never tired of 
 urging the chauffeur to approach the maximum. 
 Ames felt that he had yet much to do in life and did 
 not want to run the risk of spoiling or ending his 
 career for the sake of mere velocity, and he was sur- 
 prised that she, with her own prospects, should be 
 ever ready thus to jeopardise her life. He suggested 
 once or twice that the pace was dangerous, but in 
 vain. She seemed unable to resist the fascination 
 of high speed, and Ames resolved that after they were 
 married he would abandon such imprudences at once. 
 One night, too, at a ball given at the palace of the 
 Governor, she danced so wildly with the son of an 
 Algerian chief, who had been educated at Marseilles, 
 that Ames began to fear there must be in her compo- 
 sition some element of impetuosity which he would 
 have to study and, if possible, to eliminate. Miss 
 Vandek, seemingly so calm, appeared accustomed to 
 Ada's speed and, it was scarcely doubtful, derived 
 enjoyment from it, and this caused Ames to meditate 
 on the extraordinary contradictions of the female 
 nature. 
 
 After they had been a week in Algiers, the senator's 
 attitude towards Ames became more than ever 
 friendly. It was evident, Ames thought, he had ob- 
 tained information on his score and was satisfied with 
 it. There appeared to be but to fix the time and 
 details of the wedding. Ada said that at that period 
 of the year most of her friends were in Europe and 
 would not return before November, which month 
 would be inconvenient for Ames' affairs, and it was 
 ultimately agreed that the best place for the func-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 189 
 
 tion would be in Paris, and the most fitting time 
 October. All her friends would gather round her in 
 Paris in the autumn, Ada said. In fact she had 
 a relative who lived there all the year and who pos- 
 sessed a mansion in the Avenue Kleber. Paris was 
 the centre of the world and it was impossible to make 
 a better choice. That would give time, the senator 
 observed, for the transaction between the lawyers on 
 both sides of the Atlantic, and he proposed, with 
 Ada's sanction, that the " contracting parties " 
 should keep their respective fortunes, but that each 
 should execute a deed bestowing on the other the 
 totality of things possessed at his or her demise, so 
 long as they were man and wife when that event oc- 
 curred. Ames, after some reflection, consented to 
 this plan, and then the senator disclosed to him the 
 vastness of the Yorks estate. Ada, he said, had 
 never yet spent more than a small share of her income, 
 which exceeded five hundred thousand pounds. With 
 what Ames had, he said, they would be one of the 
 richest couples in the world. 
 
 All that was satisfactory, Ames thought, and after 
 it was settled he gave himself up to pure enjoyment, 
 feeling that the world was meant to be a pleasant 
 place for him. 
 
 One day, as he was motoring with the two ladies, 
 they passed at a high speed through the negro village 
 on the outskirts of the town, and as they were ap- 
 proaching a white-walled hut a negro child rushed 
 out and crossed the road in front of them, escaping 
 the wheels by a hair's breadth. The parents, hear- 
 ing the child's shriek of terror, came out and made 
 threatening gestures at the car, which Ames had
 
 190 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 caused to stop. They found, however, that no harm 
 was done, and with Oriental mentability began at 
 once to laugh. During the incident, Ames had 
 watched his future wife. She had appeared un- 
 moved. 
 
 When they started away again, she said : " It 
 was only a little black ! " and when he observed : " I 
 suppose you do not rank blacks very highly in the 
 human scale ? " she answered : " No, my great-grand- 
 father was a planter and I think I regard them some- 
 what with his eyes." 
 
 Upon this Ames reflected on the singular hap- 
 hazardness of marriage which committed a man or a 
 woman to the perpetuation of an unknown or a half- 
 known heredity. What surprises might there not be 
 in store for the newly married? He had often been 
 of opinion that a record should be kept of the char- 
 acteristics of individuals and that it should be open 
 to those about to marry, for many generations back. 
 
 At length it was decided to cross to France, and 
 accordingly they embarked again on the Lohengrin, 
 reaching Marseilles the day after their departure. A 
 day was spent in seeing this cosmopolis, the meeting 
 ground of half the peoples of the earth, and in visit- 
 ing the famed Corniche, which Ada said was finer 
 than any on the Riviera proper. Then they took 
 the express for Paris, where they separated. Ada 
 went to stay with her aunt in the Avenue Kleber, while 
 Ames and the Wigans took rooms at the Elysee 
 Palace. 
 
 And then began for Ames a life of shopping and 
 of entertainment. The days were spent in purchas- 
 ing the most beautiful things that money could pro-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 191 
 
 cure in jewelry, in furniture, and ornaments, while 
 the nights were passed at the theatre, of which Ada 
 was extremely fond, at the Opera, or in dining at the 
 houses of Ada's friends. Ames himself made no visits 
 among the English colony, having previously, when a 
 student, had experience of its narrowness and cant, 
 and he did not call at the Embassy. He was much, 
 however, in the society of scientific men and of artists, 
 the only men, he thought, whom he might envy, and 
 of a different type from the political politicians with 
 whom he would have, it seemed, to pass his life. 
 
 One day after a tour in the Latin Quarter, as he 
 was crossing the Pont des Arts, he perceived an 
 emaciated man in faded, worn-out clothes, gazing 
 dejectedly at the flowing stream. Recognising an 
 old school companion, he placed his hand upon his 
 shoulder. 
 
 "Mair!" 
 
 The man turned and gazed at Ames a moment 
 before he recognised him. At length he muttered: 
 
 "Ames!" 
 
 As he seemed unable to say more, Ames questioned 
 him as to his life and circumstances and gradually 
 elicited his story of misfortune. After leaving 
 Rome, he had come to Paris and had given himself 
 up, heart and soul, to painting. But either because 
 he had not enough talent, or because he had been 
 unable to obtain the recognition which was not will- 
 ingly bestowed on foreigners, he had been unsuccess- 
 ful, had fallen to a state of penury and could no 
 longer even buy materials. 
 
 " Well," said Ames, when he had heard his story, 
 " you're a lucky man ! "
 
 192 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Lucky ! " repeated Mair, with a deprecating ges- 
 ture. " How can you say that? " 
 
 " Yes, lucky I repeat, lucky in meeting me." 
 
 Mair looked up for an explanation, which was 
 quickly given him. 
 
 " I, Mair, am well provided with the essentials of 
 existence. I am an M. P., I am about to start a 
 journal. Can you write? " 
 
 It was a few moments before Mair replied. 
 
 " You are prosperous ! You are an M. P. ! Ah, 
 well! Ah, well! You ask me if I can write. You 
 remember that in the old days I wrote for an art 
 journal, but alas ! after a year it stopped." 
 
 " Give up art and take to criticising it. You will 
 not be the first man who has done that. If you can 
 in any way satisfy my editor, you will be art critic 
 and will have a retaining salary until we start." 
 
 Mair grasped Ames' hand. 
 
 " Is it possible ! " he said. " I was going to throw 
 myself in there to-night." 
 
 And saying this he pointed to the Seine, on which 
 the carcass of a dog was floating. 
 
 " Instead of that," said Ames, " go and get a new 
 outfit, feed up a little at Duval and then take a 
 train for London. Here is five hundred francs. 
 Come to me when you have brightened up, at the 
 Elysee Palace." 
 
 Saying this he thrust the note into Mair's hand 
 and hurried along across the bridge, as he was 
 already late for his appointment with Ada and her 
 aunt at the milliner's in the Rue Royale. He had 
 been able to make one man happy that afternoon, 
 and he felt somewhat elated at the thought.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 193 
 
 Ada wanted his advice about an evening dress that 
 she was ordering because, she said, he was an artist 
 and she was not. At the fashionable modiste's, they 
 had just finished an elaborate and sumptuous dinner 
 gown for the Queen of Albain, and they permitted 
 Ada to see it as an especial favour. Mrs. Adams, 
 her aunt, a somewhat portly lady of fifty-five, with 
 silvery hair and a pleasant face, thought the garment 
 wonderful and Ames, appealed to, pronounced it in 
 the best of taste. 
 
 Upon this Ada declared that she would like one not 
 on the same model, but upon similar lines of elabora- 
 tion and profuseness. The proprietor of the estab- 
 lishment said " Certainly," but added that he felt 
 himself obliged to state the price, which was ex- 
 cessive. 
 
 " Well," said Ada, " I can at least afford as much 
 as queens," and Ames wondered if she was going to 
 develop this purse-pride, for it was not to his taste. 
 But of course there was no knowing what she, or any 
 woman, would develop in the course of her career. 
 Ada had declared that in addition to a country house 
 in England, for which they would search as soon 
 'as they were married, she required a chateau near 
 Paris and a villa at Mentone, and consequently the 
 consideration of the plans of properties and visits 
 to those estates that were near Paris took up some 
 time. Finally a country house at Noisy, in which 
 Napoleon was said to have passed a week, attracted 
 Ada's fancy and she acquired it, as it stood, with a 
 considerable wealth of antique furniture. Ames 
 knew quite well that she would seldom if ever use it, 
 but the price was very moderate and he did not wish
 
 194 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 to contradict her at that stage. The villa at Men- 
 tone, or perhaps at Bordighera, would be chosen 
 later on. 
 
 A few days before the marriage, Mrs. Adams gave 
 a dinner in her palatial house and to it she invited all 
 the sommites she knew. There were a minister and 
 an explorer, two generals and a famous doctor, or, 
 as the Paris papers called him, a prince of science, 
 and their wives. The doctor and the minister were 
 French, and the others were American, and there 
 was a Spanish poet and an English peer, besides two 
 couples from New York. Ames was profoundly 
 bored, although he found a little compensation for 
 the dulness of an evening among a host of strangers 
 by having a long conversation with the minister on 
 the trade relations of the two countries. The men, 
 however, spoke to him with something akin to defer- 
 ence and the women looked at him with admiration. 
 Probably, Ames thought, if he had been an ogre, or a 
 caput mortuum, they would have done the same. A 
 multi-millionaire was so eminently worth knowing ! 
 
 When the evening was over and the guests had left, 
 Ames stayed behind to take leave of his fiancee, who 
 declared that he had scarcely spoken to her all 
 through the dinner ; so immersed had he been in poli- 
 tics. He knew that this was true, but curiously 
 enough it had not occurred to him to speak to her. 
 When he had anyone more intellectual to speak to, 
 all Ada's charm seemed to sink into insignificance. 
 He realised, however, that he must be careful not to 
 fall into habits of neglect, because, although Ada's 
 mental furniture was strictly limited, she possessed 
 in such an eminent degree the power of acquiring and
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 195 
 
 using the results obtained by the knowledge and the 
 cleverness of others that she must be held to rank, 
 in some way, with them. 
 
 Therefore he made profound apologies. He did 
 not know how he could have been so wanting as to 
 allow himself to be monopolised by that politician. 
 His excuse was that he was a minister of the Republic, 
 and therefore worthy of an attentive hearing. 
 
 Ada forgave him readily, especially when he had 
 complimented her upon her gown, and he knew well 
 that, in her own way, she was very much in love with 
 him no doubt, he thought, for the superior physique 
 which his mirror told him he possessed. Women 
 loved manly beauty, although, when poor, they would 
 marry ugliness with little hesitation for the sake of 
 sustenance. And in truth life was one long struggle, 
 first for maintenance, and then for pleasure. 
 
 Now and then he thought of Constance, not with- 
 out a certain feeling of regret. The English papers 
 had announced his approaching marriage, but she 
 had remained silent. Yes, for she had some dignity, 
 and that was well. He admired dignity in women. No 
 doubt she would be revengeful if she could afford to 
 be independent, but really, in a soft age like the 
 present, none had sufficient energy for so profitless 
 a sentiment as vengeance. 
 
 From Barnes he received a letter dated from the 
 Piraeus. The whole party, after taking counsel, 
 had decided to continue the voyage as originally 
 planned, and they desired to convey their thanks 
 through him for the pleasant trip which they were 
 having. There was, Ames knew, a certain sarcasm 
 in this method of conveying thanks through Barnes.
 
 196 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 It was the irony of poverty, and he felt that it was 
 fully merited. All the same, he would have thought 
 more of them if they had left the ship en bloc on his 
 desertion. But this, no doubt, their pockets would 
 not let them do. Ah, well! it was all for the best 
 in the best of worlds, and perhaps, relieved of his 
 presence and the envy of his wealth, some of his 
 guests might find mates on that yacht. If so, would 
 he not deserve their gratitude? 
 
 On the morning of the marriage, Ames awoke with 
 what he described to himself afterwards as a neutral 
 feeling. He was neither very glad nor very sorry 
 that it was his wedding day. In some respects he 
 regarded himself as sacrificed, in others as a lucky 
 man. At all events, he was resolved that he would 
 go through the experience with philosophic calm and 
 watch the march of destiny with a balanced mind. 
 He had been somewhat puzzled to select a friend to 
 support him on his wedding day. When he came to 
 think about it, he realised that he had no friends in 
 the truest acceptation of the term. In his youth at 
 Florence, he had been too poor to have friends of 
 his own class and his rise in London had been too 
 rapid to allow him to form well-tried friendships. 
 Therefore, Mair, his former fellow-student, would 
 serve as well as anyone he knew in the character of 
 friend. No doubt his air was still too solemn, but 
 he had certainly enormously improved since the day 
 he found him on the bridge. 
 
 Mair came early, before he had finished dressing, 
 and Ames inspected him. He was fairly well turned 
 out, and Ames complimented him on his appearance.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 197 
 
 telling him that if he would only brace up the muscles 
 of his face he would be one of the best of best men. 
 Mair said he would endeavour to play his part to 
 Ames' satisfaction, but was sorry that he hadn't had 
 more time for resuscitation. 
 
 But Ames took a small phial from his toilet table 
 and handed it to him. 
 
 " Smell that." 
 
 Mair removed the stopper and inhaled the per- 
 fume, pronouncing it to be of extraordinary strength 
 and fragrance. 
 
 " Does it not," asked Ames, " go right up to the 
 brain and create a sense of ease and luxury, of sweet- 
 ness and delight? A Florentine perfumer, a con- 
 summate artist, made it from a hundred flowers. In- 
 hale it, it will comfort you." 
 
 Then, after Mair had taken a deep draught of ~the 
 perfume, Ames produced a little red decanter from a 
 drawer and a small liqueur glass. 
 
 " Here," he said, " is an elixir made by the monks 
 of San Lorenzo half a century ago. Pour out a 
 glass and drink it, then tell me if it has not given you 
 new life? " 
 
 Mair did as he was bid. 
 
 " It's wonderful," he said. " It sends a thrill of 
 bien etre through the body. It exhilarates, exalts! 
 Do you not take any? " 
 
 " No, I have no need for it. I'm not at all down- 
 hearted, I assure you, Mair. Please take another 
 glass." 
 
 Mair helped himself again and then pronounced 
 himself quite fit.
 
 198 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " In that case," Ames said, " I beg that you will 
 go and ask downstairs if the Smeatons did arrive 
 last night." 
 
 Mair left, and Ames began to take up letters from 
 a pile which lay upon the table. There were con- 
 gratulations from his political committee announcing 
 the sending two days previously of a casket, and 
 some letters of regret at inability to come from some 
 of his more recently formed acquaintances to whom he 
 had sent invitation cards for form, and there was a 
 note from Lady Smeaton, which he had received the 
 day before, informing him that she and her husband 
 would undoubtedly be there, as they were going to 
 San Remo and would stay in Paris for the 
 ceremony. This was satisfactory. The Smeatons 
 were the only guests for whom he cared, and he 
 knew that Ada, in spite of all her independence, 
 would be glad to see them there that day. Of the 
 yacht party, to whom he had sent no invitations, 
 lest they might have come and disturbed him by their 
 presence, only Edith had written him a line. She, 
 alone, had said that she was not surprised to hear of 
 the event and hoped he would be happy. All the rest 
 were dumb. Well, it was better so. A new life 
 was beginning for him now and he could not see that 
 they had any place in it. He thrust aside the letters 
 and thought over the programme of the day. First 
 there were the civil marriages at the two consulates 
 and then the religious ceremony at the American 
 church. He remembered with a smile that the sen- 
 ator had thought he might desire to be also married 
 at the English church, and that he had had some 
 difficulty in making him understand that all churches
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 199 
 
 were alike to him and that one church service was 
 enough for anyone upon his wedding day. 
 
 Mair returned and announced that the Smeatons 
 had arrived and were staying on the floor above. He 
 brought a telegram which had just come in. Ames 
 opened the blue envelope and read, " Poor arriviste." 
 There was no signature, but the missive came from 
 London. " Arriviste! " He knew the French term 
 well. It was one for which there was no equivalent 
 in English. An arriviste was an individual whose 
 only aim was to obtain the good things of this life, 
 regardless of all sentiment or even decency in the 
 process of obtainment. The sender of that telegram 
 desired to diminish him in his own eyes. Arriviste! 
 He did not like the word, and " poor," in any case, 
 was out of place. Of course this was an epithet called 
 forth by envy or disappointment. Where was the 
 man or woman in these days who was not an arriviste 
 at heart ? He had not found one yet. Only, not all 
 succeeded at the game. 
 
 How very foolish of the sender to waste substance 
 in wiring this senseless word ! Mair was an arriviste. 
 All men were ! 
 
 " Have you ever been married, Mair ? " he inquired 
 suddenly. 
 
 "Married? How should I? Unless it had been 
 to a model. For years I met no other women." 
 
 " Then you cannot tell me how one ought to feel 
 upon the wedding day." 
 
 "Joyous, I should suppose." 
 
 " Quite so." 
 
 Mair laughed. 
 
 " You don't seem very sure about it."
 
 200 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Oh, yes, I am. I'm not demonstrative, you know. 
 You're certain that the Smeatons have arrived ? " 
 
 " The manager just told me so himself." 
 
 " Good, good," Ames thought. He scarcely knew 
 a couple he disliked more thoroughly than the pair 
 and yet he was immensely pleased that they were 
 coming to his wedding. No one that he knew would 
 be more useful to support him against the coalition 
 which would doubtless form against him later on, and 
 he had invited them as a manner of insurance against 
 it. It was very necessary in life to look ahead. He 
 was thinking thus when a waiter entered and an- 
 nounced Lord Smeaton. 
 
 Ames finished his dressing speedily and passed into 
 the sitting-room, where he welcomed his visitor effu- 
 sively. His coming was a real mark of kindness and 
 one that he would not readily forget. 
 
 " Really, I congratulate you," Smeaton said. " An 
 admirable match, and I hear the young lady's very 
 charming, very charming." 
 
 Ames knew very well that Ada's charm was the 
 last of Smeaton's thoughts. If he had spoken 
 plainly, he would have said, " I hear the lady's 
 fabulously rich," but the cant of disinterestedness, 
 the intensest of all cants, forbade him. 
 
 " Your marriage has created a great stir in town," 
 said Smeaton. " It's the talk of the clubs. You're 
 a very much envied man." 
 
 " They should not envy," Ames said. " It's ex- 
 tremely bad for the digestion." 
 
 Smeaton did not stay long and presently Ames, 
 accompanied by Mair, set out on foot for the British 
 consulate. It was a fine October morning and the
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 201 
 
 air in the Champs Elysees was fresh and crisp. A 
 few white clouds, high up in the blue sky, floated 
 across the avenue, which was quiet and majestic at 
 that hour. 
 
 " Do you see, Mair," said Ames, " marriage in our 
 present social system is an unavoidable necessity. 
 The bachelor is at a constant disadvantage. His' 
 celibacy is an unpardonable offence in the eyes of 
 marriageable women as well as in those of their 
 mothers, fathers, brothers, and the rest. He disap- 
 points all hopes and aspirations. He is viewed as a 
 rebel against a social law. The women end by shun- 
 ning him and do their best to ostracise him too. When 
 he is married, Mair, the conditions are all changed. 
 He has chosen a woman for the post of wife, and in 
 monogamy, as he can do no more, society is satisfied. 
 That is one of the reasons why I am walking down 
 with you this morning to the Rue St. Honore to tie 
 myself in marriage. It is a bondage, doubtless, but 
 a bondage which is in reality a freedom." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said Mair, " we must accept things 
 as they are established, if we would lead happy lives." 
 
 " Exactly, Mair ; happiness is in a large degree 
 dependent upon that." 
 
 They reached the consulate in the ancient palace 
 of Pauline Borghese, and were shown into the room 
 where the registration was to be effected, and after 
 waiting a few moments they were joined by the 
 Wigans, and finally by Ada and her aunt. 
 
 Ada, in a walking dress, was in a laughing mood 
 and seemed to take the whole thing lightly. The 
 remainder of the party, including Ames, were serious. 
 
 Presently the Consul, a man of military bearing,
 
 202 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 entered, and the formalities of a civil marriage at the 
 consulate were speedily gone through. 
 
 When he had performed his office, the Consul, 
 throwing off his official air, congratulated the young 
 pair, and Ada said : 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Consul, for not wasting time. 
 I didn't know one could be married quite so soon." 
 
 The Consul laughed and the party left. 
 
 Two motor cars awaited them in the street. Ada 
 and her aunt and friends drove off in the first, while 
 Ames and Mair followed them in the second. 
 
 In a very short space of time they alighted at the 
 consulate of the United States, where the same cere- 
 mony was performed. 
 
 Ames and Ada parted at the door. 
 
 " Good-bye, dear Lohy, until this afternoon," she 
 said, " and, Mr. Mair, just see that he's in the 
 church ten minutes before me." 
 
 Ames dismissed his motor, preferring to return to 
 the hotel on foot. On the way Mair said : 
 
 " It's my turn to congratulate you, now. Really 
 you are an enviable man. But why did she call you 
 Lohy?" 
 
 Ames laughed out heartily : 
 
 " Lohy is short for Lohengrin, a playful fancy of 
 no particular importance, a term I might say, of 
 endearment. Women have these little ways, and I 
 assure you, Mair, it's best to humour them." 
 
 "What I admire," said Mair, "is your excessive 
 calm. When you gave your signature just now, you 
 seemed as cool as the traditional cucumber." 
 
 " I was. I am always calm. Fortunately I can 
 afford to be."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 203 
 
 " Ah ! that is it," said Mair. " You are like one 
 of those great liners that move composedly through 
 the roughest sea." 
 
 "Yes, it's perfectly unjust that I should be thus 
 privileged, but it's the case, and, as you said, one 
 must accept things as they are." 
 
 When they reached the hotel, Ames lunched with 
 Mair in his room, and at two o'clock they set out for 
 the church. 
 
 As they stepped out of the brougham, a little crowd 
 of Anglo-Saxons greeted Ames with a cheer. After 
 raising his hat to them, he passed into the fine edifice 
 erected by the Americans for their cult. 
 
 The building was already full. The union of so 
 much wealth had attracted a large audience. Ames 
 took the place assigned to him at the altar of the 
 church and looked around admiring the architecture 
 and the floral decorations. A very good frame, he 
 thought, for the ceremony and much less banal than 
 he had expected it would be. 
 
 Presently Mair whispered: 
 
 " Now she's coming," and a moment afterwards 
 Ames saw Ada in a cloud of lace and satin coming 
 up the aisle, leaning on the arm of the senator. 
 
 Ought he not, he inquired of himself, to have 
 experienced emotion at this juncture? Perhaps, but 
 at any rate he did not. Was it that the bride was 
 commonplace? He did not know, but he could not 
 help realising that she did not possess the qualities 
 of Constance in the matter of refinement. Well, well, 
 a Constance was not always to be found thus gilded. 
 As he was thinking this, he turned round slightly, 
 and perceived Lord Smeaton in the front pew gazing
 
 204 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 at him with an expression of approval, and he knew 
 quite well that his approval would have been less 
 marked had Constance been the bride. 
 
 After a service to which Ames paid but little heed, 
 the minister united him to Ada in the spiritual 
 fashion, and pronounced a few words of exhortation 
 and advice. Then to the strains of the organ Ames 
 led his bride away. It was all over. He had 
 accepted her and she had accepted him coram publico. 
 They were trebly married. Now for the conjugal 
 life. 
 
 When they were seated in the brougham and were 
 driving off, Ada said enthusiastically : 
 
 "Lohy, wasn't it just fine? " 
 
 " Superb, Ada," he replied, wishing she would be 
 a trifle less American. 
 
 " That's the best minister," she pursued, " that I 
 ever saw in my life." 
 
 "Oh, wonderful," Ames said resignedly. 
 
 "And are you going to be a good husband? " she 
 inquired. " You know I take this marriage busi- 
 ness seriously." 
 
 " An excellent husband, Ada, I anticipate. I also 
 take this marriage business, as you call it, with the 
 utmost gravity." 
 
 As the drive was a very short one to the aunt's 
 house in the Avenue Kleber no more was said, and 
 presently Ames and his bride ascended the marble 
 staircase of the mansion and proceeded to the fine 
 Louis XIV. salon, where they took up their position 
 in the centre in the attitude which had seemed to 
 Ames so pompous at Lucy's wedding. Ada, how- 
 ever, appeared to enter into the spirit of the thing,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 205 
 
 and gave a hearty handshake to her friends as they 
 came up to congratulate. 
 
 Lady Smeaton was affectionate, telling her how 
 much she was looking forward to seeing her in Lon- 
 don, and promising her a wonderful season in the 
 coming year. Lord Smeaton was at pains to say 
 nice things to her, and she afterwards declared him 
 to be charming. The aunt made use of the oppor- 
 tunity to get herself invited to the Smeatons* when 
 she was next in London. 
 
 Ames, with an amused smile, performed his part as 
 well as he was able, studying the men and women as 
 they shook his hand and detecting, on the counte- 
 nances of many, that reverence for wealth which he 
 had so often seen of late. But there was another 
 expression which he knew as well, that which he had 
 seen so often in his pauper days, the expression of 
 contempt for poverty. He did not think that a man 
 who had experienced such disdain could ever con- 
 template society through any spectacles save those 
 of irony. 
 
 When the reception was over and only the intimate 
 friends remained, the senator came up to Ames. 
 
 " I've only one regret, Mr. Ames," he said, " and 
 that is that you're not a citizen of the United 
 States, because we're going to lose our little Ada 
 now." 
 
 The poor man looked quite sorrowful and Ames 
 did not believe that he was grieving for the. dollars 
 which were going out to England, and he conceived 
 for Wigan the feeling of esteem which was the first 
 he had experienced for anyone that day. 
 
 " Mr. Wigan," he said sincerely, " we shall often
 
 206 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 meet again. The Atlantic becomes narrower each 
 year." 
 
 This senator had sterling qualities, and when he 
 came to London he would receive him well. 
 
 Then the party dined together early and, after 
 much leave-taking and good wishes, Ames and Ada 
 left to take the night express for Biarritz. 
 
 It was all definitely over now. Ames felt himself 
 in partnership and he had a sense on the one hand of 
 security, on the other of diminished personality. He 
 wasn't now alone in life, but yet, it might be possible, 
 he was too much accompanied. It was now to be 
 seen how this conjugal arrangement was to work. 
 
 He passed his arm through hers and they both 
 looked out of the carriage window at the traffic in 
 the streets. 
 
 Then he whispered some endearing phrases in her 
 ear and in gratitude she pressed his hand. 
 
 " Oh, Lohy, what a splendid time we two will 
 have ! " 
 
 This wasn't quite poetic, Ames reflected, but no 
 matter, and it might be partly true. There was 
 after all but one such day as this in a man's whole 
 life and he ought to make the best of it. 
 
 In her neat brown travelling dress she looked 
 almost pretty, and really, after all, her figure was 
 extremely good. She satisfied, to some extent, those 
 aspirations which are common to all men. It was 
 curious, he thought, how little-girlish she had sud- 
 denly become as she leaned against him in the 
 brougham, and it was difficult to realise that only a 
 short time since she was a strong-willed, independent
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 207 
 
 person, moving about the world, in a sense, alone. 
 Would she return, a little later, to her former state? 
 He thought it probable. With women one never 
 could tell. 
 
 They reached the station and presently they took 
 their place in the wagon-lit.
 
 XI 
 
 A WEEK afterwards, Ames and his wife were sitting 
 in a sheltered nook on the terrace of the Hotel Conti- 
 nental. It was a fine October afternoon. The sky 
 was almost cloudless and the huge waves of the Gulf 
 of Gascony were breaking proudly on the shore. 
 A saline breeze was blowing from the sea. Ada was 
 gazing, dreamily, Ames thought, at the horizon, 
 along which a vessel in full sail was moving swiftly. 
 Perhaps, he thought, she was growing idealistic and 
 he studied her, wondering what thoughts were pass- 
 ing in her mind. She hadn't spoilt him in the matter 
 of idealism, certainly. She had been natural, but 
 unemotional, fatalistic and withal rather common- 
 place. Perhaps she was about to change. 
 
 She undeceived him quickly, saying: 
 
 " I don't like that red-haired chauffeur that we 
 had to-day." 
 
 Ames prized the man for his excessive prudence, 
 and he answered : 
 
 " He may be slow, Ada, but he's sure, and we do 
 not want to be annihilated, do we, quite so soon ? " 
 
 "That's true," she said reflectively. "To- 
 morrow, Lohy, we will get horses and we'll ride." 
 
 Ames readily agreed to this and he promised he 
 would make inquiries as to the possibility of finding 
 mounts. 
 
 He said after a short pause: 
 
 "You're looking rather serious, Ada. Why?" 
 
 208
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 209 
 
 " Oh, nothing," she replied. " Marriage makes 
 one rather quiet. Don't you think so, Lohy ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do. One has a sense of human destiny. 
 One feels oneself identified with Nature. There is 
 a strong realisation of the chain of life; a greater 
 comprehension of men and things. See those great 
 white waves breaking over yonder on the beach. The 
 noise they make is grateful to our ears, because we 
 are in harmony with Nature's scheme. A week ago, 
 no doubt, we should have been distressed." 
 
 " Say, Lohy," Ada said, " that mackerel maitre 
 d'hbtel we had for breakfast has given me a mighty 
 indigestion." 
 
 Ames, brought down to earth at once, remarked: 
 
 " Ah, yes, we are all so human ! " 
 
 "If that's all you've got to say, Lohy, when I 
 give you such a piece of news, it isn't much." 
 
 Ames rose. 
 
 I'll fetch the doctor." 
 
 " Sit down, you silly Lohy. It's all over now." 
 
 " Marvellous creature ! " Ames reflected. " The 
 philosophising was too much for her and she found 
 a speedy way to stop it." 
 
 As he relapsed into silence, completely at a loss 
 for anything to say, she turned and looked at him. 
 
 " You're very clever, Lohy, much cleverer than I. 
 You see, when I was a girl, I hated books. I liked 
 to learn all about the world without them. Now 
 perhaps you think me stupid, but if you do you're 
 wrong. I can think and reason straight enough, 
 only I'm not elaborate, you understand, that's all. 
 And besides, in our partnership, I want to leave the 
 cleverness to you and I'll admire you and praise you
 
 210 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 for it. You're my hero. I want you to be Prime 
 Minister at least." 
 
 "For the country's benefit?" Ames asked, "or 
 for your private satisfaction ? " 
 
 " For my own contentment." 
 
 It was curious, Ames thought, how women loved 
 to strut in borrowed plumes. It would be nice to be 
 the wife of the Prime Minister, and no doubt she 
 thought her father's millions ought to purchase the 
 position. 
 
 " Suppose now, Ada, I were to give up politics. 
 What would you say to that? " 
 
 "I would say it was very, very foolish of you. 
 Why, some day, I want you to be made a lord." 
 
 " Now, that surprises me," said Ames. " You said 
 at Venice that you did not care for lords, that you 
 were thoroughly republican." 
 
 " That's so, as long as one lives in the States ; but 
 we're going to dwell in an aristocratic land, where 
 we, as commoners, will have to take back places. I 
 sha'n't quite love being sat upon by all those titled 
 women." 
 
 At that moment she appeared to Ames as a future 
 menace to his will. If she wanted to push him on a 
 road he did not wish to take she would have to learn 
 to bridle that desire. 
 
 " Very well," said Ames, " I'll make a note of 
 that." 
 
 A waiter brought the mail. Ada eagerly seized 
 the journals and opened them to see if they con- 
 tained a notice of the wedding. To her delight, she 
 found that most of the Paris correspondents of the 
 London papers had devoted a little space to it.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 211 
 
 " They say how I was dressed," she said. " They 
 don't say how I looked. I suppose they thought me 
 plain." 
 
 " They ought to have said," Ames ventured, " that 
 you were looking at your best." 
 
 " How could they," she replied, " since they never 
 set eyes on me before? " 
 
 " The Press is omniscient," he said, with a stifled 
 sigh. 
 
 Yes, there was no doubt about it now ; much of her 
 independence had departed. Soon she would be all 
 on show. She was preparing to climb, he saw that 
 plainly, and to climb in a way that he probably 
 wouldn't like. Well, well, he would have to see to it. 
 
 They rose presently and descended to the beach, 
 stopping to witness the landing of some wreckage. 
 Then, as Ada was not interested in seeing the spars 
 hauled in, they moved along towards the point, not 
 finding much to say. Suddenly Ames perceived an 
 Englishman walking in the contrary direction, whom 
 he recognised as Burleigh. Raising his hat slightly 
 and making a formal bow, the leader passed them 
 without stopping. 
 
 "Who was that?" asked Ada. 
 
 And Ames replied : 
 
 " The Opposition leader." 
 
 " Well, he just looked freezing," she remarked. 
 
 Ames assented with a nod. He felt certain that 
 the rigidity of Burleigh was the first sign of the 
 enmity of Constance. He would have to maintain 
 himself against her influence. No matter, the 
 stronger the opposing forces which would be arrayed 
 against him, the greater would be his fighting zeal.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 " What you've got to do, Lohy," Ada said, " is to 
 become popular." 
 
 This continued " edging on " annoyed him. Who 
 could have suspected that she would develop such 
 proclivities? 
 
 "Popular?" he repeated. " Popularity connotes 
 unpopularity. To be popular with one category of 
 men is to be unpopular with another,' and therefore 
 it is better, when one talks of being popular, to dis- 
 tinctly state with whom." 
 
 " Well, I mean with the" people in the front, of 
 course." 
 
 " But those in the front to-day may be in the rear 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " Not quite so soon as that." 
 
 " When a socialist becomes a member of a Cabinet 
 he changes sides, whatever he may say, and the 
 transition, Ada, is simply instantaneous." 
 
 " Oh, well, you mustn't puzzle me. I admitted 
 you were cleverer than I am." 
 
 It was curious, Ames thought, that women must 
 express opinions whether they understood the ques- 
 tion in dispute or not. Undeveloped creatures, only 
 a few were guided by anything but instinct. 
 
 A few days after this, they drove in a horse landau 
 to St. Jean de Luz. Ames, feeling a return of the 
 artistic spirit, wanted to make a sketch in the Basque 
 country, and accordingly he selected a landscape 
 which appeared to him of excessive beauty. Alight- 
 ing from the carriage, he chose a spot beneath a tree 
 and began to sketch. Ada alighted, also, and at 
 first endeavoured to take an interest in her hus- 
 band's task. It was not long, however, before she
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 213 
 
 yawned. " How long, Lohy, do you think it will 
 take you to fix that up ? " 
 
 " About an hour, I should say," he answered. 
 
 Her expression of dismay, as she let herself fall 
 upon the ground beside him, caused him to tell her 
 that if she had not patience to remain she had better 
 go on in the carriage and take him up on her return. 
 To this she assented readily, and in another moment 
 she was out of sight. 
 
 This, Ames thought, was marriage, an association 
 in which, except at certain times, two beings bored 
 each other. That, at all events, was what must 
 happen when their tastes were different. He went 
 on sketching, anxious to do justice to the scene before 
 him and forgetful of the time. When he had finished, 
 the sun was already low ; he looked at his watch and 
 found that nearly two hours had elapsed since Ada 
 left him. Why was she not there? Had anything 
 befallen her? Really, he hoped not. Because, al- 
 though she was a Philistine, she was his wife, and in 
 her own way was attached to him, he thought. He 
 looked about him. The place was entirely deserted. 
 He deliberated with himself as to what course he 
 should pursue, and being unable to arrive at a deci- 
 sion, he sat by the roadside, reflecting somewhat sadly 
 on the accidents of life. At length he heard the roar 
 of an approaching motor, and presently he saw a 
 huge vehicle coming up the road. To his surprise, 
 Ada occupied the seat beside the driver, and there 
 was another lady in the rear. 
 
 "Am I a little late?" she asked. "You see, I 
 met Mr. and Mrs. Palmer of New York, who are stay- 
 ing at Biarritz, and who kindly offered me a ride,
 
 214 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 so I sent away that two-horsed van that brought us, 
 and we've been for a delightful spin." 
 
 Then she introduced Ames to the Palmers, who 
 asked him to return with them. He took the vacant 
 seat, and they started off at a high speed. To Ames, 
 this conduct on Ada's part seemed inconsciente, as 
 the French denote it. She must have allowed the 
 Palmers to take her for quite a long drive, although 
 she knew that she had promised to return to him in 
 an hour's time. And although while sitting at the 
 side of Mrs. Palmer, whose husband he considered 
 was imperilling their lives by the rate at which he 
 drove, he appeared contented, he was in reality dis- 
 pleased, and he began to think that his wife pre- 
 sented all the aspects of a problem which would be 
 difficult to solve. To have a wife of this kind was, 
 no doubt, the price he had to pay for marrying with- 
 out affinity. 
 
 They stayed three weeks at Biarritz, and when the 
 day of departure came Ames was by no means sorry. 
 He wanted to get back to his own home and his own 
 affairs, especially the latter, which were suffering 
 from his prolonged absence. They stayed two nights 
 in Paris at the Avenue Kleber and then set out for 
 England. It was a grey November afternoon when 
 they stepped on shore at Dover, and Ada, who had 
 only been to England in the summer time, declared 
 it damp and dull, and Ames thought of his own im- 
 pressions when he had landed less than a year be- 
 fore. 
 
 " Courage, Ada," he remarked, as they stepped 
 into the reserved compartment. " You'll want some 
 later on."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 215 
 
 " As long as I am with you," she said, with a ten- 
 der look, " I shall be all right." 
 
 On the journey she was somewhat restless, walking 
 from one end of the carriage to the other, stopping 
 occasionally before the window to look at the fields 
 and meadows. 
 
 " It's a nice house that we're going to, I think 
 you said," she inquired of her husband. 
 
 " Decidedly. But of course it's not a palace." 
 
 " But we might afford one, Lohy." 
 
 " We might afford a lot of things which it wouldn't 
 be wise to buy." 
 
 " Why not, if they are nice? " 
 
 " You see," said Ames, " wealth is power, and if 
 we part with our wealth unnecessarily we shall be- 
 come weak, and others will gain a hold upon us which 
 they do not now possess." 
 
 " Yes, but what's the good of power if it's bottled 
 up? There's a lot of power comes from the posses- 
 sion of a palace." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " I know of only four palaces in London, and I'm 
 afraid they're not to let." 
 
 She kissed him. 
 
 " Well, I'm only joking." 
 
 The approach to London was lugubrious. Sud- 
 denly the train dashed into a bank of fog, and the 
 atmosphere grew denser as they advanced. Ada was 
 silent for some moments. Then she asked: 
 
 " How do you breathe in this metropolis ? " 
 
 " I don't exactly know, Ada. I am about as new 
 to this as you are yourself." 
 
 They reached the Charing Cross bridge, and Ames
 
 216 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 vainly attempted to point out to her where the 
 Houses of Parliament lay. 
 
 She asked: 
 
 " And can they really speak in such a fog? " 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " They pump it out." 
 
 They reached the station after a long wait outside. 
 Sims was there to meet them, and Ames introduced 
 him to his bride, who, however, was too much occu- 
 pied in coughing to give much heed to him. Ames 
 exchanged a few words with Sims in a low tone, and 
 then led Ada to the motor brougham which was 
 waiting. 
 
 In a few moments they were at Carlton Terrace, 
 and at home. 
 
 All the servants lined the hall to welcome their 
 mistress, and Giacomo made a low and stately bow. 
 The clief, in the name of the rest, expressed good 
 wishes, and Ada thanked them for their welcome. 
 
 Her first act was to enter the dining-room, walk 
 to the window and look out into the street, in which 
 the lamps were but dimly visible, and as Ames joined 
 her she remarked : 
 
 " I reckon we'll want a country house." 
 
 " And to think," said Ames, " that there are imbe- 
 ciles who love this atmosphere ! " 
 
 Then Ames took her to her room, which he had 
 ordered to be redecorated in the colours she liked 
 best, and she expressed herself as perfectly delighted 
 with it. 
 
 " But where is yours ? " she asked, and he replied : 
 " Oh ! mine is on the next floor. This is the only 
 decent room on this."
 
 THE METHODS OE MR. AMES 
 
 " They build their houses in a funny way in Eng- 
 land," she remarked. 
 
 " Yes," he answered, with conviction. * 4 That's 
 what I always thought." 
 
 At dinner that evening they were alone. Ada was 
 somewhat quiet, and appeared scarcely at her ease in 
 the new surroundings. 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " I believe, Ada, you are experiencing the mental 
 douche of London, the sobering influence which new- 
 comers feel." 
 
 " Is that it, Lohy? Thank you for telling me. I 
 didn't know." 
 
 There was a suspicion of sarcasm in her tone which 
 did not escape his notice, and he fancied that he 
 knew the cause. 
 
 At dessert she said: 
 
 " You had a surprise in store for me, what is it? " 
 
 "Finish your coffee, Ada, and come and see." 
 
 They rose and passed into the library, where she 
 looked at the mezzotints and glanced at the books. 
 He said: 
 
 " I am going now to conduct you to the East." 
 
 Then he opened the bookcase door and they en- 
 tered the Eastern room. 
 
 She exclaimed when she saw the beautiful pavilion, 
 lighted with yellow and red lamps suspended from the 
 dome: 
 
 " Now, I do call this fine." 
 
 As they descended the flight of stairs, a strain 
 of Oriental music greeted them, although there were 
 no musicians to be seen. He led her to a recess, 
 from whence the whole room was visible, and placed
 
 218 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 cushions for her on the soft divan. Then they lis- 
 tened to the melody full of cadences and rhythm, 
 which seemed to come from a curtained niche on 
 the opposite side. 
 
 Ada was silently waiting for an explanation, and 
 presently from behind a curtain there appeared two 
 men in gabardines and turbans, both playing the 
 Egyptian oude. They were followed by two young 
 and handsome Eastern women, gorgeously attired in 
 silks and sequins, who, to the sound of the music, 
 began an Oriental dance. Ames, through the agency 
 of Sims, had ordered them from the Eldorado, where 
 they were performing with a troupe. 
 
 " Lohy," she inquired, " are you a magician ? " 
 
 He laughed. 
 
 " No, this is my private studio, and these are 
 dancers from the music hall hard by." 
 
 They watched the slow and rhythmic movements 
 of the dancers for some time, and when they had fin- 
 ished, Ames led them up the stairs and placed them 
 in the hands of Giacomo. There was no more secrecy 
 now, since he was married and, for the moment, fairly 
 well contented with the state. He had initiated Sims 
 by correspondence. When he returned to Ada he 
 found her busily engaged in examining the place. 
 She had just discovered the unfinished portrait of 
 Constance, although it was hidden away in a recess. 
 It was foolish of him to have left it there, but he 
 had not foreseen that she would be so inquisitive. 
 
 She said: 
 
 " Why, that's the lady who was with you on the 
 Exe when you arrived at Venice. Do you mean to 
 say, Lohy, that you painted her down here?"
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 219 
 
 " I began to paint her, but I didn't finish it, and 
 now I never shall." 
 
 " No, I wouldn't let you, not for worlds. I want 
 you to paint me. But not down here. This place 
 is too mysterious. I don't know what you used it 
 for." 
 
 " For the best of purposes, I can assure you, Ada. 
 But never mind, I'll paint you on the roof. I have 
 another studio up there."
 
 AMES now commenced to lead a somewhat strenuous 
 existence. The preparation of his journal and that 
 of the next political campaign occupied him fully. 
 He engaged an editor, a man whom he judged not 
 only intellectually, but also physically fitted for the 
 post, a man who had a wife and family to keep and 
 who wouldn't be too much troubled by his convic- 
 tions, for he regarded with some amusement those 
 journalists who would rather die than sacrifice a 
 particle of political allegiance. 
 
 " I want," he told him, " the paper to be earnest, 
 very earnest; but I do not wish it to be in any way 
 dogmatic. You, Mr. Edwards, must know well that 
 truth can never dwell exclusively with one political 
 regime. We are formed, however, to seek truth, and 
 therefore we must support that side or party which 
 at a given time appears to have the greatest share 
 of it. Of course when I speak of truth, I mean an 
 approximation." 
 
 Edwards said: 
 
 " But I'm afraid, if we vary in our politics, we 
 shall fall between two stools. The paper will not 
 pay." 
 
 "Whether the paper pays or not," said Ames, 
 " is to me a matter of secondary importance. Never- 
 theless, I think it will, for we must take care that its 
 brilliancy will be great enough to cause it to be 
 largely read. I shall be responsible for the political
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 221 
 
 direction. It's possible that some may think the title 
 should have been The Weathercock, but let them 
 think. Sooner or later, they will come to understand 
 our views. I rely upon our foreign news to make us 
 indispensable to those who wish to be well informed 
 of what is going on outside of the British Isles." 
 
 " Of course," said Edwards, " if we can afford to 
 be independent of the parties, we can go ahead, but 
 it will be the first thing of the kind that has been 
 seen." 
 
 " Which means that you consider it a rich man's 
 folly. Well, I think you will be mistaken. By the 
 way, have you sampled Mair, whom I sent to you the 
 other day ? " 
 
 " Yes, and I think he will suit." 
 
 And so it was decided. Ames gave to Edwards the 
 direction of the journal, subject to his right of over- 
 rule, and it was expressly understood that Edwards 
 accepted the editorship on this condition. Ames de- 
 rived much satisfaction from the thought that his 
 will would be supreme. 
 
 Socially, also, there was much to do. 'Although 
 it was now winter, invitations poured in upon the 
 newly married pair, and a wise selection of the best 
 houses had to be effected. All the people whom 
 Ames had met took care to call on Ada, with the ex- 
 ception of Constance, Lucy, and Sybil, who main- 
 tained a rigid silence. In spite of the unceremonious 
 way in which they had been treated on the yacht, all 
 the other guests, excepting Moore, came to Carlton 
 Terrace. Edith had become engaged to the doctor 
 and was already busily employed in preparing a 
 London practice for him. There was even a rumour
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 that Sybil was to marry the poet of means, although 
 this was unconfirmed. Ames smiled paternally when 
 he heard this news. Really it was to him that this 
 mating was to be attributed. It was a pity if Lucy 
 was to be lost in matrimony because, aesthetically, 
 she was hard to match, and he realised that he had 
 still a lurking fondness for her which might easily 
 increase. 
 
 Ada was soon popular. Her unconventionally 
 and lack of prejudice were allowed to pass, because 
 of her superior wealth, and Lady Smeaton took her 
 socially beneath her wing. 
 
 Nevertheless, Ada could not grow accustomed to 
 the winter atmosphere and gloom of London, and it 
 was not long before she began to seek a country 
 house in one of the adjacent counties. This was 
 not, she discovered, to be found too easily, especially 
 as she demanded that it should have the name and 
 the outward aspect of a castle with, if possible, a 
 moat. Ames, however, objected to the moat, which 
 he said was an anachronism and a nuisance in the 
 present day, and they were contemplating building a 
 castle in Sussex when the bankruptcy of a ruined 
 earl enabled them to buy a seat in Kent with extensive 
 lands. This possessed the advantage of not being 
 too far from London. The motor, Ada said, would 
 be the hyphen which would connect Kingslake Castle 
 with Carlton Terrace. The furnishing, which was 
 to be magnificent, was to be finished before the end 
 of the first month of the year. 
 
 The day before the opening of Parliament in Janu- 
 ary the first number of Ames' journal was issued from 
 its palatial offices in Aldwich to a somewhat expect-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 223 
 
 ant world. The night before, Ames had given a ban- 
 quet to the staff, to the poor men who were going to 
 sit up all night, night after night, to serve his ends, 
 and he made them a speech in which he exhorted them 
 to diligence in the cause of independence and of 
 truth. Radicals they were, no doubt, in the sense that 
 they meant to reach the root of things, but they 
 were always to remember that their Radicalism was 
 contingent upon the right direction of the party 
 which upheld that doctrine, the right direction as 
 interpreted in the editorial room. The paper was 
 to be brilliant and original, and it was not to bow 
 the knee too often to the idols of the day. Neverthe- 
 less, they were to remember that the public, taken 
 as a whole, was dense and sheeplike and that they 
 must not perplex or startle it too much. If any of 
 them were at any time in doubt as to the policy to 
 be pursued, Mr. Edwards and himself would be ever 
 ready to explain. In politics, the voting list would 
 clearly indicate to them his views from day to day. 
 At the outset it was essential to avoid direct expres- 
 sion of the paper's policy. 
 
 From this conclave, the Press was rigorously ex- 
 cluded. It was the gathering, as Ames himself 
 declared, of a band of workers who would leave their 
 mark in the annals of their time. Although they 
 were all paid higher salaries than was the rule, Ames 
 pitied them in secret. There would be some, no doubt, 
 who would use the paper as the stepping stone, but 
 the majority were hopelessly condemned to nerve- 
 wearing and brain-wrecking toil for the remainder of 
 their lives, whether they stayed with him or not. 
 
 Mair was at the banquet in the best of spirits.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 He was thinking of taking a studio in Chelsea, and 
 was delighted that he had returned to England, 
 where his work would be more appreciated than 
 abroad. But Ames said to him : 
 
 " My friend, take my advice. Criticise but don't 
 produce." 
 
 The first number, which was a numerical success, 
 was written from a lofty standpoint; its articles 
 denoted clearly the intention of the founder to exam- 
 ine and to probe in the public interest. It appeared 
 as a menace to the upholders of inconsistencies and 
 shams. It was imbued with a scientific spirit. 
 
 The congratulations which Ames received upon 
 it were mostly from men of independent minds, for 
 the servants of custom and men of reverential ten- 
 dencies were inclined to look at it askance. It was 
 something that they dared not imitate, something 
 that they did not like to see. 
 
 When Ames went to the House in the evening, one 
 of the first men he met was Burleigh, who passed him 
 with the merest nod. And even those of the party to 
 which he was supposed to belong, whose acquaintance 
 he had made, kept somewhat aloof from him as 
 though suspicious. The demagogues, themselves, 
 were cautious and reserved in speaking with him, al- 
 though it was evident that they were not without 
 some distant hopes of his espousal of their cause. 
 All, in fact, to whatever party they belonged, ap- 
 peared afraid to be either his friends or enemies, and 
 owing to a peculiar mental twist this attitude of 
 theirs caused him satisfaction. Sooner or later, he 
 believed, they would have to recognise him as the 
 power that he was.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 225 
 
 Through an Irishman, with whom he had formed 
 a kind of friendship in the previous session, he learnt 
 that all sorts of rumours were afloat as to his inten- 
 tions and that the Tories, for some unknown reason, 
 were especially opposed to him. They were afraid, 
 Ames thought, that he was about to use the wealth 
 which all knew him to possess against the moneyed 
 class. They might have waited a little longer, he 
 considered, before forming that conclusion. 
 
 It was plain to Ames that although profit on the 
 journalistic undertaking was not what he sought, 
 it was, nevertheless, essential that his organ should 
 be widely read if it was to be influential. Conse- 
 quently, after the first few numbers, he directed that 
 the paper should be as little political as possible in 
 its leading articles, for a while, at least, until he had 
 had time to take his bearings. This plan succeeded 
 fairly well and gradually he increased the number of 
 his acquaintances on the side which he was understood 
 to favour. He had observed the extraordinary value 
 of dinner invitations in procuring friends, and conse- 
 quently he inaugurated fortnightly dinners, which, 
 on account of his chefs genius, were soon held to be 
 the best in London. At these dinners, Ada did her 
 best to second him in the task of entertaining, but it 
 was evident to Ames that secretly she thought them 
 tiresome. She wanted him to rise in the political 
 world, but quickly and without all this diplomacy. 
 She complained excessively of the custom of night 
 sittings at the House. Why could they not do, as in 
 France, so at Westminster, and get the whole thing 
 over before seven? 
 
 One afternoon, when Ada had gone out shopping
 
 226 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 and Ames was engaged with Sims, Barnes called. He 
 had come up from Southampton for a week, he said, 
 and wanted to speak to Ames about the yachts. It 
 had been arranged that the American officers and 
 crew of the Lohengrin should be sent back to Amer- 
 ica, and that Barnes should take command in the 
 ensuing season. The Exe, it was decided, should be 
 sold. When Ames saw Barnes he said: 
 
 " You are the very man I wished to see. Call for 
 me to-night at nine, and we will go to the House 
 together." 
 
 Barnes came at the appointed time and Ames left 
 with him at once. 
 
 " Barnes," he said, as they were walking down the 
 street, " I want to introduce you to one of the most 
 beautiful, most honest, and most charming women in 
 the world; so before we go down to the House we'll 
 take a hansom and drive to the lady's residence." 
 
 They entered a passing hansom and drove to Bat- 
 tersea. On the way Ames said : 
 
 " And, Barnes, if you do not become at once en- 
 chanted to the extent of wishing to marry her, if she 
 is still free, you are not the man I take you for." 
 
 Barnes coughed" 
 
 " May I ask, Mr. Ames, if the lady is an intimate 
 friend of yours ? " 
 
 " I understand you, Barnes. You fear I may be 
 wishing to get rid of an encumbrance. Be reassured, 
 I have had no intimate relations with this paragon, 
 and once I thought of marrying her myself." 
 
 They reached the block of flats, euphemistically 
 called mansions, and ascended a cold stone staircase 
 to the third floor.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 227 
 
 Ames rang the bell, and an elderly maid appeared. 
 
 " Is Miss Claire Dubois in ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, sir," the maid replied. 
 
 " Say that Mr. Ames is here." 
 
 A moment afterwards they were shown into a small 
 parlour tastefully and comfortably furnished. 
 
 " See," said Ames, " there's a piano and an easel. 
 The ladies who live here have plainly some artistic 
 tendencies, although I fear but little leisure to indulge 
 in them. There on the sofa is a piece of needlework 
 in course of execution. It is clear they are indus- 
 trious, and wherever there's industry, depend upon it, 
 Barnes, there's worth. Look how charmingly those 
 chrysanthemums are placed in those red vases on the 
 mantel." 
 
 Barnes assented readily, but it was evident that he 
 was still a little exercised in mind. Presently Claire 
 entered, statuesque, superb, in a black cloth dress, 
 and immediately Ames felt a sharp pang of regret. 
 Possibly some of the women he had met had equal 
 beauty, but none had this especial charm. It really 
 would seem sacrilege if she were thrown away on 
 Barnes, who, although an excellent and healthy man, 
 did not appear sufficiently refined. 
 
 Ames made Claire a low bow: 
 
 " You see," he said, " I have returned, and I have 
 taken the liberty of bringing with me a friend, who 
 accompanied me on my journey, and whom I wish to 
 introduce to you. Captain Barnes is a skilful navi- 
 gator of our merchant navy, and a member of the 
 Naval Reserve." 
 
 Claire said: 
 
 " It is kind of you to come and see me, and to
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 bring Captain Barnes. What have you been doing 
 since we met ? " 
 
 Ames looked down at the floor and slowly 
 answered : 
 
 " I have been getting married." 
 
 Claire started. 
 
 " Oh, then it was you, after all ! I read of the 
 wedding in the Paris paper, but I did not think that 
 it was yours. They called you Membre du, Parle- 
 ment." 
 
 Still looking at the floor, Ames said : 
 
 I am." 
 
 For a few moments there was a silence. Claire 
 seemed unable to find words, and Ames was at a loss 
 for anything to say. 
 
 She said at length in a faltering tone : 
 
 " I must congratulate you, Mr. Ames. The news 
 is a surprise to me. I did not know. You did not 
 say. But now I understand." 
 
 There was a veiled reproach in these few words, 
 and Ames knew that it was merited. 
 
 " I love at times," he said, " to be plain Mr. 
 Ames. It enables me to ascertain how much or how 
 little to esteem new friends." 
 
 She looked at him a moment almost timidly; then 
 she rose. 
 
 " Excuse me a moment, I will call my friend." 
 
 Barnes had been a silent witness of this little scene, 
 and as soon as the door was closed he glanced at 
 Ames for an explanation. 
 
 "Well, well," said Ames, "I affirm what I said 
 just now. My relations with this goddess were en- 
 tirely platonic."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 229 
 
 Claire returned with her friend, a schoolmistress 
 of some thirty years, with whom Ames chatted for a 
 little time, while Barnes conversed with Claire. Ames 
 observed, however, that throughout the visit Claire's 
 attitude was reserved and almost apprehensive. She 
 had confessed to him, and possibly she did not trust 
 him now. How wrong of her, how wrong! When 
 he rose to leave, he complimented her upon her 
 charming home. Was she still with the same firm? 
 Yes? Some day, he prophesied, she would set up 
 for herself and prosper. If there was anything he 
 could do for her to advance her interests, he hoped 
 she would not fail to write. She thanked him, smil- 
 ing faintly, and then Barnes and he withdrew. 
 
 When they were in the hansom again, driving to 
 the House, Ames asked Barnes his impression. Barnes 
 said: 
 
 " She's lovely," and Ames sighed. 
 
 " Ah ! Barnes, if you gain her, you're the most 
 fortunate of men. A woman of that type has it in 
 her power to bestow the greatest joy, the highest 
 satisfaction that a man on earth can know." 
 
 Barnes was silent for a moment. Then he said: 
 
 " Excuse me, if I ask you, is she altogether 
 straight ? " 
 
 " Cautious navigator," Ames replied, " I declare 
 to you that there is nothing crooked in her nature. 
 There has been, it is true, a misfortune in her life, 
 unmerited and cruel, and she would marry no man 
 without confessing it. But one misfortune and one 
 only. Literally the deception of one day, and the 
 man who could not pardon it to such a creature 
 would be a prejudiced, short-sighted individual."
 
 230 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " She inspires confidence," said Barnes, after think- 
 ing the matter out. 
 
 " Of course she does ; if you don't return to Bat- 
 tersea on Sunday you'll make a great mistake." 
 
 Barnes simply said: 
 
 " I shall." 
 
 Then they spoke of the yachts and Ames gave 
 instructions for the overhauling of the Lohengrin, 
 saying that his wife was talking of a voyage to the 
 Pacific later on, although he did not think that his 
 engagements would permit him to proceed so far. 
 
 They reached the House, where Ames, who had 
 previously given Barnes his ticket for the gallery, left 
 him in the hall. 
 
 Ames was by no means in an even frame of mind. 
 The sight of Claire had disturbed him greatly, and 
 he almost reproached himself with having betrayed 
 himself in acting as he had that evening. He had 
 given away a prize which he might, by assiduity, have 
 gained. There really must be a moral impulse in 
 him after all. If he had no leanings towards a better 
 standard of morality, he would never have conceived 
 the vast contempt which he entertained for so many 
 of the men and women who were to be met with in 
 society. Very likely some might think that his 
 morality was a mere calculation of self-interest, but 
 these would be the people who were only able to dis- 
 cern the less recondite motives by which men were 
 guided. He must banish this regret for Claire. 
 He pulled himself together as he had done before 
 and entered the deliberative chamber with a firm 
 step, determined to seek in politics a change of 
 thought. It was his policy in Parliament to select
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 231 
 
 those questions for debate which concerned the wel- 
 fare of the masses, and especially that class which 
 might be considered philanthropic and non-partisan. 
 
 It happened that night that the question before 
 the House, upon his entry, was the housing of the 
 poor, a question which he had already studied. He 
 therefore rose, when he found an opportunity, and 
 delivered a speech which, although somewhat brief, 
 was sound in logic and excellent in style. It con- 
 tained more penetration than any which had preceded 
 it and it was so well received that even the leader of 
 the Government, who happened to be present, looked 
 at Ames approvingly. As soon as the discussion 
 ended, Ames left the House and walked to the office 
 of his paper, where he dictated a trenchant criticism 
 of unsanitary homes. 
 
 Then, after an interview with Edwards and an in- 
 spection of the machines, he walked home slowly, 
 fairly contented with himself. He found Ada in the 
 drawing-room, asleep in a low arm-chair before the 
 fire, an unopened book upon her lap. 
 
 He stood beside her for some moments gazing at 
 her full round face, expressive of nothing in particu- 
 lar, and he reflected on the hazards of human circum- 
 stances that had made her so phenomenally rich. 
 One of the most striking marks of difference between 
 men and animals was this power of the former 
 to possess and when possessing to procure advan- 
 tage. 
 
 She opened her eyes slowly and when she saw him 
 standing by her side exclaimed: 
 
 " Oh, Lohy, I dreamed that you were at the House 
 and speaking."
 
 232 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " That's where I was, Ada, and that's what I was 
 doing." 
 
 " I should think they must be surprised down there 
 to see a man like you to speak up." 
 
 " A man like me? " 
 
 " Why, yes, of course. A handsome man. Poli- 
 ticians are usually ugly." 
 
 Ames laughed. Women were always thinking of 
 personal appearance and seldom of mental fitness. 
 But no doubt that was how Nature worked through 
 them. 
 
 " I forgot to tell you, Lohy, that I held a kind of 
 court this afternoon. It's wonderful how people 
 adulate one here, especially the men." 
 
 " Indeed," said Ames. " Pray tell me who was 
 here." 
 
 " Well, there was the nephew of the Smeatons, 
 Captain Fortescue and Dr. Frith. They all made 
 love to me when they had a chance." 
 
 "Of course, you're joking, Ada." 
 
 " No, no, I'm not. They didn't fall down on their 
 knees and make a declaration no ; but they went on 
 complimenting mightily. I thought them comic, 
 seeing that we've only just been three months mar- 
 ried. It struck me all the same, that in this country, 
 if a husband neglects his wife, she's got a remedy at 
 hand." 
 
 To Ames this was a ray of light. 
 
 'Already the money hunters were at work, trying 
 to enter into Ada's favour in view of eventualities. 
 In such a case, they thought, no doubt, that even the 
 barest chance should be exploited. What a servitude 
 this marriage was ! She had warned him plainly that
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 233 
 
 if he flagged in his attention there was a remedy at 
 hand. One must always be on the watch for Cap- 
 tains Fortescue, and Doctors Frith, the poachers on 
 their friends' preserves ! Life truly was a constant 
 struggle against the hostile enterprises of the neigh- 
 bour! 
 
 He sat on the arm of her chair and took her hand. 
 
 " It's not my little Ada these maurauders should 
 pursue, for she is not neglected, is she? " 
 
 The expression of Ada's face betrayed uncer- 
 tainty. First she pouted and then she smiled. 
 
 " Yes and no, and no and yes." 
 
 " Surely, Ada," Ames protested, " you know I 
 can't be always at your side." 
 
 " Not for the whole of the four-and-twenty hours 
 no." 
 
 Ames understood her meaning. This marriage 
 state was indubitably tyrannous. 
 
 " Come, Ada, you must allow your husband to have 
 some prudence and a little wisdom." 
 
 " Of course I will, dear Lohy. I'm not quite blind. 
 I know you're working hard with that brain of yours 
 all day, because you think I want you to become a 
 minister. But soon, I hope, we'll spend the week-ends 
 down in Kent, and then " 
 
 " And then," said Ames, with an amused smile, " it 
 will be different." 
 
 She placed his hand against her cheek and, looking 
 at him, said: 
 
 " Lohy, you're my type, my everything, and when 
 those bandits come again they'll just perceive that 
 I'm a Boston girl." 
 
 Yes, Ames thought, it was impossible to doubt that
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 she was still in love with him, and he did not think 
 that he ran much risk from the speculative band 
 who had been there that day. It was not a little 
 touching that she should think he was striving there 
 at Westminster solely to please her. In spite of her 
 sharpness, there was a certain nai'veness in her char- 
 acter which showed itself in such interviews as these. 
 
 However, he was in a mood that night to be con- 
 ciliatory, and therefore he inquired of her what ar- 
 rangements she had made for going down to Kings- 
 lake and what she had decided for the furnishing of 
 her own boudoir, listening with apparent interest to 
 all she said. They would have a happy time down 
 there, he said, and really it would do her good to 
 get away for a little time from the used-up air of 
 London. 
 
 At length, as it was growing late, he assisted her 
 to rise, and arm-in-arm they went upstairs together.
 
 xni 
 
 FOR the next three months, Ames lived a town and 
 country life. From the Friday night to the Monday 
 afternoon he stayed at Kingslake, where he amused 
 himself by constructing a laboratory at the end of 
 the park, in which it pleased his fancy to study the 
 behaviour of the elements under all conditions that 
 he could conceive. If he was going to lead a lengthy 
 family life with Ada, he wanted some occupation of 
 this kind, both as a change from politics and as a 
 refuge from excessive conjugality. Ada, on her 
 part, did her best to act the chatelaine and was at 
 pains to make acquaintances amongst the neigh- 
 bours. But she was continually upon wheels, dash- 
 ing into the adjacent counties, running to the sea, 
 seldom succeeding in inducing Ames to motor with 
 her. Miss Vandek, however, came to stay with her 
 from time to time, and Ames invited the Smeatons 
 now and then. On the whole, the time passed pleas- 
 antly enough, Ames thought, in their ancestral hall, 
 which Ada had had hung with Gobelin tapestry and 
 ornamented with knights in armour, specially pro- 
 cured from antiquaries in Paris. Ames marvelled 
 that a being so particularly modern should delight 
 in these relics of a former age, but he said nothing 
 on the subject, although he knew that the Smeatons, 
 who possessed some coats of mail which had been 
 worn by their own ancestors, must be amused when 
 they beheld these acquisitions. One thing troubled 
 
 235 
 
 \
 
 236 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Ames, however. Ada insisted on hunting at least 
 once a week, and though he did not care for it, he was 
 obliged to accompany her or allow her to go alone. 
 
 In such matters she did not heed a word he said, 
 and he knew quite well that it was useless to demur. 
 She had been far too much accustomed to have her 
 own way when a child. One day she was presented 
 with the brush, and bore the trophy home in triumph. 
 Ames took it from her in the hall, placed it in the 
 headpiece of one of the knights in armour, as a 
 plume, and hurried off to his chemistry, reflecting on 
 the survival of the hunting instinct in the people of 
 the present day. 
 
 Kingslake Castle, with its towers and its turrets, 
 its fine baronial dming-hall, its terraces, and lawns, 
 was all very well, Ames thought, for a day or two a 
 week, but his proper sphere was London, where his 
 interests were centred, and where he must always 
 pass the major portion of his time so long as he 
 wished to play an active part in life. 
 
 His journal was now fairly launched, and he was 
 well contented with his staff, who followed his in- 
 structions carefully. Edwards had been successful 
 in obtaining some outside contributors whose names 
 bore weight, and it seemed that a time must come 
 when, owing to an increase of advertisements, the 
 paper would be self-supporting. He had been pri- 
 vately informed that its influence was felt in the 
 world of politics in spite of the prudential limits of 
 its political contents. This caused him satisfaction, 
 because it proved that his direction had been wise. 
 One afternoon, as he was writing in the room which 
 was reserved for him at the office of the paper, Edith
 
 THE METHODS OF. MR. AMES 237 
 
 called, and he received her. She was looking 
 in the full bloom of womanhood, and her straight 
 and well-fleshed frame was good to see, Ames 
 thought. He had not met her since he had left her 
 with the party on the yacht, not having been at 
 home when she had called on Ada. 
 
 She entered somewhat timidly, but, reassured by 
 his cordiality, began : 
 
 " I came to ask you yet another favour. You 
 know I am engaged to Dr. Hope, but doctors hi 
 these days have a struggle to exist. Now, my fiance 
 is clever with his pen, and I came, without consult- 
 ing him, to know if you would let him write some 
 medical reviews and articles." 
 
 Ames said at once that she might send Hope to 
 the office when she liked or he would speak to him 
 about the matter the next time he met him at the 
 club. 
 
 " So you thought you'd marry," Ames said, with 
 a smile. " An excellent idea, and one I have myself 
 adopted." 
 
 " Yes, and how magnificently ! " 
 
 Ames asked her if she had seen Constance. She 
 answered that she had not, but had heard that she 
 was still living in her large house in solitary state 
 with two maidservants and no carriage. It was said 
 that on her husband's death the estate had been 
 partly liquidated to pay debts and that a pittance 
 only had remained for her. Nevertheless, she was 
 still supported by her biggest friends and was said 
 to be extremely influential at the league. 
 
 " Oh," said Edith, with a sigh, " she was one of 
 the many who were disappointed on that yacht."
 
 238 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Indeed," said Ames, as though learning a new 
 fact. " I'm sorry that any should have been disap- 
 pointed. All were so charming, all ! " 
 
 She smiled somewhat enigmatically, and, as he 
 seemed busy, left. Constance had not appealed to 
 him like Edith and had preferred to suffer poverty 
 alone. He admired that, and she rose greatly in his 
 estimation. He would have liked to go to her and 
 to spend an afternoon with her, but that was no 
 longer possible. He might not be received, and, even 
 if he were, his visit might lead to complications, and 
 besides, he was not free. This was a project which 
 must be cast into his basket of impracticable aims. 
 
 Edith had said that Constance was now an influ- 
 ential member of the political organisation which 
 was of all the most ultra-montane, and he could well 
 imagine that her party bias had quadrupled since 
 his marriage, because with women thwarted love in- 
 creases all forms of bigotry. He had not inquired 
 of Edith about Lucy, because he had been told that 
 she had turned her back on England and had decided 
 to reside in future in Berlin and in the south of 
 France. Lucy was wise in her generation. There 
 were reasons, doubtless, why she ought not to re- 
 main at home. What Sybil was doing he might 
 have asked, although he did not think that Edith 
 knew. Sybil had become mysterious of late, but no 
 doubt she was pursuing the eternal game of suste- 
 nance and pleasure. Anyway, she had not come to 
 worship at Ada's shrine, and that was one point in 
 her favour. It was evident that the bevy of beauty 
 which he had encountered at the outset was becoming 
 dispersed or else estranged. He was sorry, but the
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 239 
 
 world was wide and the opportunities of life were 
 many. Nevertheless, all there was at present to sat- 
 isfy his love for beauty was his wife, and certainly 
 that was not overmuch. He supposed that later on 
 he would develop an instinct of paternity, but of that 
 he had not yet been conscious, and he could scarcely 
 understand how Ada could ever be a mother unless 
 she modified herself and gave up hunting foxes to 
 the death, which it would not be easy, he foresaw, 
 to make her do. Did he wish for offspring? Well, 
 he did not think the world a very happy place of 
 sojourn at its present stage for the majority of men 
 and women, and if he had been poor, or even mod- 
 erately meaned, he would certainly have had com- 
 punction for the introduction of new beings into it. 
 But under the circumstances, it seemed to him, his 
 progeny would have a remarkably pleasant time on 
 earth, which would compensate for the inevitable 
 penalty of death. It would have been easy for him 
 to found a family outside the pale of matrimony with 
 some woman set apart, whose physical attractions 
 satisfied his aspirations. But he was fond of order 
 in existence, and, in reality, of justice, and he did 
 not think that he possessed the right to bring into 
 the world those who could not bear his name, how- 
 ever well he might provide for them. Besides, the 
 existence of secret loves always became known and 
 diminished a man's prestige and power, because it 
 gave the right to others to impair the fabric upon 
 which his status rested. At the same time, he ad- 
 mitted that the strict observance of legality might 
 limit the expansiveness and life-zest of a nature like 
 his own. Why was there always this antithesis be-
 
 240 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 tween the natural impulsion of men and the neces- 
 sities of social life? 
 
 Towards the middle of April Ada at length decided 
 to return to town. The season was advancing, and 
 it was time that she attended to its demands. With 
 Ames, she had drawn up a lengthy programme of 
 the hospitality which was to be dispensed at Carlton 
 Terrace. There were to be two balls and six re- 
 ceptions, besides the usual fortnightly dinners, which, 
 however, were to be larger and more sumptuous than 
 before. She was determined that before the session 
 ended she would have the Premier at their table. In 
 the summer holidays they would cruise to the Pacific 
 and return via New York. 
 
 On the day preceding the departure from Kings- 
 lake, Ada had invited some of the neighbours to a 
 farewell dinner, as well as Lady Smeaton, who had 
 promised to come from Folkestone, where she had 
 been staying. Ames, having some affairs to settle at 
 the Castle, came down by an early train and Ada met 
 him at the station. Ada was in the best of spirits 
 and was looking almost pretty in her dress of white 
 coachman's cloth which one of the four dogs that ac- 
 companied her had marked with his muddy paw. 
 
 Dismissing the car, they walked through the lanes 
 of budding trees together to the house, enjoying the 
 air of the fine spring morning. 
 
 Leaning on Ames' arm, Ada inquired the news of 
 the last few days, and he told her what had been 
 going on at Westminster and the successes which 
 his journal had achieved. He was much amused 
 when she asked him why his paper did not publish 
 a portrait of himself instead of the ugly faces which
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 appeared in it from day to day, and when he replied 
 that newspaper proprietors were usually modest she 
 burst into a laugh. 
 
 " I tell you, Lohy, modesty's no good." 
 
 Then she talked of her small affairs, of the orders 
 she had given to restock the park with deer and of 
 certain changes in the servants' livery. She would 
 like to have a bear pit made and to obtain some nice 
 white bears to fill it, but that could wait until the 
 winter. She was so glad he had come home early, 
 because she always liked to see as much of him as 
 possible, and after lunch she intended going for a 
 spin. It was a shame that he would never go with 
 her! 
 
 At luncheon she maintained her buoyancy, drink- 
 ing freely the sparkling Rhine wine, of which she was, 
 Ames thought, too fond, and making jokes in Italian 
 at the expense of the portly butler who had fallen 
 in the wine cellar and had a strip of sticking plaster 
 straight across his nose. 
 
 Ames listened indulgently to her chatter; but 
 before he left her he told her to be careful on the 
 motor drive and to return in time to make herself 
 look well at dinner. She kissed him, promising that 
 she would do her best to be as prudent as he wished. 
 
 For the next hour Ames was busy with the gar- 
 dener, giving instructions for the replanting of the 
 rosery and the introduction in the greenhouse of 
 exotic plants. He was about to retire to his work- 
 shop when the noise of the motor sounded in the 
 avenue. It was Ada leaving for her drive. She was 
 steering the great refulgent car herself, with the 
 chauffeur at her side. She waved her hand to him,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 and in another moment she had disappeared behind 
 the pines in a turn of the winding path. 
 
 Strange creature, Ames reflected, but not without 
 some pleasing ways. Perhaps, as she grew older, 
 she would become more balanced, but at present cer- 
 tainly she was too much, as the French said, " in 
 the air." 
 
 He passed some time engaged in working out an 
 algebraic problem which had exercised his mind for 
 some days past, and afterwards in performing some 
 experiments which, however, he found to be somewhat 
 difficult without assistants and additional appliances. 
 Then he sauntered through the park, realising how 
 impossible it was for any man to develop one-tenth 
 part of the germs of knowledge given in the encyclo- 
 paedic courses of the universities. No wealth could 
 grant him time to take up more than one or two 
 pursuits, and it was unwise to crowd life with too 
 many interests. 
 
 Thinking thus, he reached the house, just as the 
 declining sun, glowing with a rich red light, was 
 illuminating the window panes and casting the 
 shadows of the gables on the ground. 
 
 As he had an hour to spare before he dressed for 
 dinner, he amused himself by placing on their shelves 
 some of the books which he had sent to form a 
 library, in the largest of the smaller rooms on the 
 ground floor. As he was doing this, he came across 
 " II Principe " and stopped to read a passage here 
 and there. Although written for another age, the 
 work contained some principles which were easily 
 applicable in this, as he had proved, he thought. The 
 question was, however: Did the putting into prac-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 243 
 
 tice of such principles conduct a man to happiness? 
 The answer must depend, he judged, on what was 
 meant by happiness. If happiness consisted in su- 
 premacy, position, free exercise of will, then he 
 thought he was on the road to its attainment. But 
 if it was the gratification, in its highest form, of the 
 love desire, then he had not reached it. At the same 
 time, he knew well that love was evanescent, while 
 the advantages which he possessed would certainly 
 endure. Some men there were to whom all these 
 things accrued together, but the number of such 
 men was small. Besides, while seeking for ideal loves 
 a man might pass his life unloved, and that might 
 have a bad effect upon him. As soon as he had ar- 
 ranged the volumes to his satisfaction, he left the 
 study and ascended to his room. He had not heard 
 the sound of Ada's motor while he had been with 
 his books; but he concluded that she had returned 
 and entered, as she often did, by the small door in 
 the rear. By the time that he had finished dressing 
 the tower clock struck the half-hour after six. He 
 therefore crossed the landing to his wife's room to 
 see if she was making progress with her toilet. He 
 knocked at the door. There was no answer. He 
 turned the handle and the room was empty. He de- 
 scended to the hall and asked the first servant whom 
 he met if Mrs. Ames had returned. The answer was 
 a negative, and he went into the drawing-room, won- 
 dering how Ada could be so thoughtless as to stay 
 out so late. Lady Smeaton had arrived and seemed 
 somewhat surprised at Ada's absence, which Ames 
 excused as best he could. She had stayed to tea, 
 no doubt, at the Glendovers', and had not well timed
 
 244 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the homeward drive. He spoke for some time with 
 his guest, who told him the latest news of the set to 
 which he, or more correctly Ada, now belonged, and 
 he endeavoured to appear interested in the informa- 
 tion he received, although he was unable to refrain 
 from often glancing at the clock. It seemed incred- 
 ible that Ada should forget her duties thus ! 
 
 Presently the other guests arrived in quick suc- 
 cession: the parson, a thin ecclesiastic with a phe- 
 nomenally long nose, a man whom Ames detested for 
 his meddlesome proclivities, but whom Ada liked ; the 
 baronet who owned the next estate, and whom Ames 
 thought an imbecile; a magistrate who delighted in 
 harsh sentences ; the chairman of a railway company, 
 a good example of high feeding, and finally a gen- 
 eral, who had just retired from the service and had 
 come to live in the vicinity. All, except the parson, 
 came with their wives, who on account of their prox- 
 imity to town were not at all provincial in their 
 dress. 
 
 There was at once a hum of conversation in the 
 drawing-room. Ames said nothing to the last ar- 
 rivals of Ada's absence, but he went out to the hall 
 and despatched a servant to the village to endeavour 
 to obtain tidings of the missing car. He stood him- 
 self a moment at the door, looking out into the half 
 obscurity and wondering. Suddenly he remembered 
 that the doctor who had been invited had not yet 
 arrived. Perhaps, however, he had been called away. 
 
 He returned to the drawing-room, where the 
 guests were still busy talking, and in answer to Lady 
 Smeaton's question as to whether Ada had returned, 
 he said:
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 245 
 
 " In a few moments, I feel confident, she will be 
 here." 
 
 Nevertheless the hour of the dinner was already 
 past, and there was as yet no sign of Ada. After 
 a while the conversation flagged and the guests began 
 to look at Ames inquiringly. Ames rose, and as he 
 was moving to the door a servant entered with a 
 grave face. 
 
 "Sir, will you please come?" he said, and Ames 
 went out. 
 
 A man was carrying up the stairs a woman 
 wrapped in a motor cloak with the hood drawn, fol- 
 lowed by two maid-servants, who were weeping. At 
 the foot of the staircase stood Dr. Richards, the 
 invited guest. He seized Ames' hand and held it. 
 
 " Mrs. Ames," he said, " has met with a grave 
 accident. As I was driving through the common, 
 coming here, I was told that the car had overturned 
 and had fallen down the bank. I hurried to the spot. 
 Both your wife and the chauffeur were uncon- 
 scious." 
 
 " My wife," said Ames, " is dead. I read it in 
 your face." And he ascended to Ada's room, fol- 
 lowed by the silent doctor. 
 
 There, on the great oak bed, they had placed 
 Ada. Her eyes were closed. There was a scar upon 
 her face. Her light dress was besmeared with blood. 
 It was all over. She had driven for the last time! 
 
 Ames seized her hand. It was already cold. Poor 
 little wayward child, he thought, a victim of the 
 folly of her age! Although his eyes were dry, he 
 was conscious of a pang. He had lost a good com- 
 panion, and one who was attached to him.
 
 246 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " How long," he asked the doctor, " did she sur- 
 vive? " 
 
 " Death," answered Richards, " must have been in- 
 stantaneous from concussion. If you will excuse me 
 I will go to the chauffeur, who is in need of all that 
 I can do. I shall make the necessary arrangements." 
 
 Saying this, he left, and Ames remained for a few 
 moments gazing at the pale and lifeless form. A 
 very short lease of life, he thought; very short in- 
 deed ! 
 
 He left the room, and on the landing he found 
 Lady Smeaton and the parson. In answer to their 
 condolences he said: 
 
 " The motor has made another victim ! " And 
 on the parson asking if he might enter the mortuary 
 chamber, he answered: 
 
 " Yes, please go and pray." 
 
 Then he went to his own room, wrote telegrams to 
 Ada's relatives and friends, and after giving a few 
 directions to the housekeeper, and observing for a 
 moment the departure of the guests, he unlocked a 
 cabinet in which he kept the great elixir he had 
 given Mair upon his wedding day. He had not 
 needed it on that occasion, but now, somewhat un- 
 nerved, as he acknowledged himself to be, he judged 
 it to be necessary. Drawing out the flask, he filled 
 a glass with the liqueur, which he drank leisurely. 
 Then, after walking up and down the room for a 
 short time, he undressed and went to bed. 
 
 The next morning when he awoke, the sun was 
 streaming through the windows and the birds were 
 singing loudly in the trees. As he opened his eyes 
 and saw the glad spring aspect of the morning he
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 247 
 
 could scarcely realise that Ada had taken leave of 
 life and that a new era in his existence was about 
 to dawn. He had slept so peacefully all night that 
 it seemed at first that the events of the day before 
 must be a dream. However, he quickly shook off 
 the illusion, sprang out of bed, and began to use 
 his clubs. By physical means, most trouble could be 
 overcome. 
 
 During the next four days he passed through a 
 period of unrest and of gloom. There were formal- 
 ities to be gone through, demeanour to be maintained, 
 and Ada's aunt to be received, and the letters and 
 telegrams that showered in disturbed him, so that he 
 had Sims down to answer those that needed a reply. 
 
 Mrs. Adams was inconsolable. Her little Ada, 
 whom she had nursed when she was a babe! 
 
 " But why did you let her go for those motor 
 drives ? " she asked. 
 
 And Ames replied: 
 
 " Because she had a passion for locomotion which 
 nothing but imprisonment could check." 
 
 " Did you warn her of the danger of high speed? " 
 the aunt inquired. 
 
 " Often ; and not later than yesterday I asked her 
 to be careful." 
 
 Mrs. Adams said no more, but it was evident that 
 she was scarcely satisfied and she maintained towards 
 him an attitude of slightly marked reserve which 
 vexed him. If she had any arriere pensee he wished 
 she would speak out, and unless she did he would 
 not be sorry when she left. 
 
 After the funeral was over, after Ada, embalmed, 
 had been laid to rest in a temporary receptacle in
 
 248 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the village churchyard, pending the erection of a 
 sumptuous mausoleum, and when those invited to the 
 ceremony had departed, Ames sat down to dinner, 
 accompanied by Mair, whom he had asked to stay 
 with him until to-morrow. 
 
 " Mair," he said, " six months ago you saw me 
 wedded, and to-day you see me once again a celibate. 
 The wheel of destiny turns swiftly, does it not, at 
 times?" 
 
 " In your case, certainly ; but then you are so 
 totally exceptional. I often think you are a kind 
 of superman." 
 
 " I lay no claim to supermanliness. Circumstances 
 make me what I am." 
 
 Mair shook his head. 
 
 " You shape them." 
 
 Ames frowned. 
 
 " Not all." 
 
 Mair saw that he had committed an indiscretion, 
 and hastened to add in a grave tone: 
 
 " Of course, I know, not all." 
 
 " I am sorry she has gone," said Ames. " She was 
 a lively little lady and I should have passed my life 
 with her. But now with whom am I to pass my 
 life? " 
 
 " I should suppose," said Mair, " that when the 
 time comes there will only be an embarrassment of 
 choice." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; you think like all the rest that because 
 a man is rich he can obtain the moon. Relinquish 
 that idea. A poor man sometimes gets what a Croesus 
 sighs for vainly." 
 
 " That's true," said Mair, " although few people
 
 THE METHODS OB! MR. AMES 249 
 
 will believe it now. I remember once in Paris there 
 was a girl art student who was so beautiful and 
 charming that all the youngsters were in love with 
 her. A wealthy young financier offered to marry 
 her, but she refused him for an artist poorer than 
 herself." 
 
 " Of course, Mair, such things happen. I believe 
 I know a young girl now quite capable of refusing 
 a millionaire." 
 
 " Such a woman would be worth an infinitude to 
 win." 
 
 " That is as I see it, Mair. I'm glad that you 
 agree with me." 
 
 When the dinner was over, Ames proposed that 
 they should go and ascertain how the chauffeur was, 
 and accordingly they went round to the stables, at 
 the side of which was the garage and the house where 
 the injured servant lived. As they reached it, the 
 doctor was just leaving. 
 
 " The poor fellow has just died," he said. " His 
 sufferings were dreadful." 
 
 " His wife," said Ames, " shall be provided for, as 
 well as his two boys." 
 
 They walked back to the house together, and 
 Richards spoke of Ada. 
 
 " So good-tempered, such a happy nature ! We 
 shall never have her equal. Two beds she endowed 
 at our cottage hospital ! " 
 
 " And I," said Ames, " endow to her memory two 
 more." 
 
 Richards thanked him warmly. 
 
 " What a blessing there are people in the world 
 like you ! "
 
 250 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " There is a growing party," Ames remarked, 
 " which holds that we are parasites." 
 
 But the doctor was no socialist. 
 
 " That's what they are themselves." 
 
 They entered the house, and Richards rested a 
 few moments in the library. 
 
 " I should think," Ames said, " that you must 
 realise at times what a waste of life is constantly 
 produced, seeing that you are present at the ending 
 up of so many men and women. Do you not some- 
 times feel that it is all a vain expenditure which 
 might just as well not be incurred? " 
 
 But Richards shook his head. 
 
 " No, in all this birth and death I see a purpose." 
 
 "Indeed?" said Ames. "Would you kindly tell 
 me what it is ? " 
 
 " It cannot be expressed in words, but, depend 
 upon it, we are moving to a goal." 
 
 " Can you, by using millions of years as days, 
 assign a date for its attainment? " 
 
 " No, I cannot." 
 
 " Then you must allow me to be sceptical ! " 
 
 Richards heaved a sigh. 
 
 " Surely you are not a pessimist ! " 
 
 " I am no 1st of any kind. I merely seek for in- 
 formation." 
 
 Mair said: 
 
 " Schopenhauer thought that we and our earth 
 are disturbing uselessly the happy rest of nothing- 
 ness, and sometimes he seems to me to be not alto- 
 gether wrong; only I can't perceive much happiness 
 in the rest of the frigid ether." 
 
 " Yes," said Ames. " That was a mere jeu d'esprit
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 251 
 
 on the part of the philosopher of Frankfort. The 
 fact is, we must either be content to consider our- 
 selves as far more important in the scheme of things 
 than we probably are, or fall into indifference con- 
 cerning life, its motives, and its aims. If we adopt 
 the latter course, we shall soon feel inclined to quit. 
 At any rate, if there is ever to be found a key to the 
 enigma, it won't be in our time." 
 
 The doctor closed the argument. 
 
 " Well, well, since we can't help being born, we 
 may as well take comfort by supposing that we live 
 for a good end ! " 
 
 The next morning Ames returned to town. In 
 the afternoon he was busy at his office, and so occu- 
 pied that he forgot his personal affairs. But when 
 he returned to his house for dinner and he found 
 himself at the table he could not help feeling lonely. 
 There, at his side, was the place which she had lately 
 filled. On the mantel was a card-case she had used. 
 He must be growing sentimental to be noticing such 
 things, he thought, and when the meal was over he 
 surprised himself, roaming about the house as though 
 in search for something that he missed. He reached 
 the bedroom that had been his wife's. Here there 
 were further traces of her presence, and he fancied 
 that her form was slightly marked in the great white 
 bed. 
 
 He withdrew and went down to the library, where 
 he tried to read, but could not. He threw down the 
 book and engaged in a discussion with himself. Had 
 he, or had he not, sufficiently dissuaded her from 
 those motor risks? Ought he, or ought he not, to 
 have imprisoned her rather than let her take them?
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Perhaps he ought; but if he had, what would have 
 happened? She would have complained of cruelty 
 and returned to her old proclivities as soon as she 
 was free. Nevertheless, he felt that he was arguing 
 thus in order to convince himself that he had acted 
 well; but at the bottom of his mind there lurked a 
 scruple. There could be little doubt that he should 
 have used more zeal in urging her to give up the 
 pursuit which had caused her death. Well, if he 
 had loved her more, no doubt he would have been 
 more zealous, but he had married, in the main, for 
 increased wealth, and of course in doing so he had 
 done what was not reconcilable with very strict mo- 
 rality. But was there anyone who would have acted 
 better in the present age? At all events, he was 
 sorry she had gone, because he thought he would 
 have grown attached to her more closely as the years 
 went by, since there was scarcely a stronger force 
 than that of habit. And again, if she had married 
 some spendthrift, as she might easily have done, her 
 enormous wealth might have been dissipated idly, 
 whereas now it would be well applied. It was for- 
 tunate that from the first he had declined to drive 
 with her, or he might have been annihilated, too, and 
 the money might have reverted to some distant trans- 
 atlantics, who would probably have used it to less 
 purpose. 
 
 Suddenly he remembered her unfinished portrait 
 in the upper studio. Should he finish it from mem- 
 ory? He did not think so, because women would be 
 women, and her successor, when she came, would no 
 doubt seek to banish it from sight. And that would 
 cause him pain and excite his stern displeasure. No,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 253 
 
 Ada must live in his memory alone; but there she 
 would always occupy a premier position, and really, 
 after all, her immolation on the altar of velocity was 
 not his fault. Consoled with this reflection, he 
 called for his hat and coat, and walked up to the 
 club. 
 
 Craig was the only member in the smoking-room. 
 Seated before a window, the blind of which had not 
 been drawn, he was looking out into the street, philos- 
 ophising, no doubt, Ames thought, upon the move- 
 ment in it. When he saw Ames, he said: 
 
 " Well, legislator, director of the public mind, 
 Dives, and I know not what besides, how is it with 
 you? I have not seen you for some time, but I have 
 watched your progress. First, member of uncertain 
 hue, pleading the cause of the lowly, then originator 
 of an esoteric journal, are you not the kind of man 
 the rulers must eventually recompense to bring you 
 into line? What is it that you ask of them? Say 
 and it shall be given, whether merited or not." 
 
 Ames took a seat beside the club philosopher. 
 
 " Mr. Craig, I gather from what you say that 
 you are quite convinced I am about to follow the 
 ancient path of the self-seeker, of the man whose 
 self-love craves the reverence of all, and who takes 
 any means to gain it. You have seen me seizing the 
 opportunities that offered themselves to me, but until 
 you know how I intend to use them I do not think 
 you would be wise to draw conclusions." 
 
 Craig turned in his chair and stared at Ames. 
 
 " Might it be possible that you are an exception 
 to the rule? But, no, no, no ! if you were, they'd find 
 the way to rid themselves of you, and then you'd
 
 254s THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 have to go into the camp of the hungry men, a place 
 where Dives cannot live." 
 
 " Now supposing," Ames said, with a smile, " that 
 I were much less complex than you think, that I 
 were simply seeking justice on its own account, what 
 would you say to that ? " 
 
 " I should say that you were a phenomenon that 
 had not been hitherto produced." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " Wait and see."
 
 XIV 
 
 AMES passed the summer quietly in strict attention 
 to his work, which grew from day to day. He was 
 becoming known. The story of his colossal wealth 
 had got abroad, and he was regarded as a man of 
 almost transcendental monetary force, who was to 
 be ranked high up among the fortuned few. 
 
 The Smeatons, who had a niece just " coming 
 out," endeavoured to attract him to their house, but 
 unsuccessfully. He wished to devote himself, for a 
 time, entirely to business. When all had been or- 
 dained according to his ideas, then it would be time 
 to come into the world again. And also he wanted 
 a little time to reflect on certain principles which 
 might require to be modified. 
 
 One of his principal relaxations consisted in visit- 
 ing art galleries, and having received an invitation 
 to an exhibition of a Polish artist who was quickly 
 rising into fame, he walked to Bond Street to inspect 
 it. He was pleased with the painter's talent, espe- 
 cially in the delineation of scenes of Polish history, 
 and was walking through the rooms, in the contented 
 frame of mind into which he was usually thrown by 
 the sight of creditable art, when he suddenly found 
 himself face to face with Sybil. He almost started 
 when he saw her. What a change had taken place in 
 her! Instead of the firm and classic countenance 
 which he had once so much admired, he saw a face 
 
 253
 
 256 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 that was drawn and marked, with eyes that had lost 
 their lustre. 
 
 She smiled almost scornfully as he raised his hat, 
 but stopped. 
 
 " So we meet again," she said ; " I suppose you 
 think I should have come to call some time ago, but 
 the fact is, after the yacht experience, I felt a little 
 shy. I compliment you on the way you managed 
 that; you're skilful, very. People talk about your 
 skill." 
 
 " The yacht affair," he said, " is ancient history. 
 If people talk about my skill, I must feel flattered, 
 so long as they talk in a good sense. If otherwise, 
 I shall know how to defend myself." 
 
 " Will you call in the police? " 
 
 Ames made an impatient movement. 
 
 " Let's cease this trifling. Tell me how you are 
 and how it is with you. Did I not hear some talk 
 of an engagement? " 
 
 ** I have been very ill, as you can see by my face, 
 of course. My sister's dead, and there's no engage- 
 ment." 
 
 " Bad news," said Ames. " I wish I knew what I 
 could do for you." 
 
 She looked into his face a moment. 
 
 "Peugh! You simply talk to talk." 
 
 This seemed to him a fitting opportunity to end 
 the interview. She really was too rude. Without 
 replying, therefore, he raised his hat, and was pass- 
 ing on, when she called him back. 
 
 " Excuse me," she said, " I didn't mean to be so 
 harsh, but really I have had too much of late to 
 suffer from your sex."
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 257 
 
 " Yes, you are passing through a crisis. You 
 are paying the penalty of having infringed the laws 
 of established order. Oh, do not think I blame you! 
 Youth sometimes makes demands which cannot be 
 refused. Unfortunately, there comes a time of reck- 
 oning when the existence of convention is keenly 
 realised. But do not let convention trouble you. It 
 is only made by those who break its rules in secret. 
 You seem to me to have conceived a grudge against 
 the world. Do not increase that feeling, or it will 
 bring retaliation on you. Rather change it into a 
 courageous independence that will carry you along 
 through life." 
 
 She said : 
 
 " You give me good advice, but what do you know 
 of me?" 
 
 " More than you suspect, but I am the most dis- 
 creet of men." 
 
 She reflected for a moment, troubled. 
 
 " Why are you in mourning? " she asked at length. 
 
 " Have you not heard that I have lost my 
 wife?" 
 
 She shook her head. No, she had not heard. 
 Lately she had kept aloof from every one and had 
 scarcely read the papers. At once, however, he ap- 
 peared to possess more interest for her. 
 
 " Bad news, as you said just now. We are both 
 alone, apparently, in life. Will you not come and 
 dine with me to-night at my club, * The Origo ' ? " 
 
 At once Ames saw the trap. No, no. Sybil had 
 lost her beauty. She would never regain it now, 
 and he was not disposed to make the effort needful 
 to defend himse'lf against her. Women in her state
 
 258 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 were generally desperate and ready to attach them- 
 selves like limpets to a man of means. He excused 
 himself on the plea of business at the House, and at 
 once her countenance, on which a gleam of hope had 
 passed, resumed its tired and dejected air. 
 
 " Good-bye," she said ; " you know where I am to 
 be found." 
 
 He pressed her hand, assuring her that he would 
 always be glad to hear of her welfare, always ready 
 to counsel her in any difficulty. Then he left the 
 gallery, congratulating himself greatly on having 
 avoided so dangerous a shoal. Because, although 
 Sybil was by nature of the good class, he knew quite 
 well how easily adversity and disappointment might 
 force her to the bad category. 
 
 In Bond Street he met Penton, who appeared to 
 have grown younger. He was coming to call on 
 Ames, he said, to ask him if he would become a 
 director in a great financial company of which he 
 was the chairman, and which was formed to deal in 
 American securities. As Ames was so skilful an 
 administrator, he would like to have him on the 
 Board. He would send him the particulars. The 
 dividend was expected to be nothing less than twenty- 
 five per cent. 
 
 " My dear Penton," Ames said in his softest tone, 
 " I value my liberty too much." 
 
 " You mean, of course, your time." 
 
 " No, no, my liberty, my freedom from incarcera- 
 tion; and I sincerely trust, if you embark upon this 
 enterprise, you won't lose yours. Turn your back 
 upon the city, Penton, while there is yet time. Tell 
 me, how is the Grafin ? "
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 259 
 
 Penton was inclined to be offended, but he con- 
 quered his ruffled feelings, and replied: 
 
 " Oh! just as you like, of course. I don't go into 
 things without being sure they're sound. My daugh- 
 ter is in Berlin and at the Court. She is about to 
 make a tour around the world." 
 
 After this he said good-bye with an air of offended 
 dignity. Ames thought : " If he gets among the 
 city wolves, they'll certainly devour him, unless he be 
 a wolf himself ! " 
 
 When he reached his house, Sims handed him a 
 letter which had just arrived. It was from Smeaton, 
 who had put Ames up for a social club to which he 
 himself belonged, and it informed him that he had 
 been blackballed. It was incomprehensible, Smeaton 
 said, because his candidates had always hitherto got 
 in. Ames must have some secret enemy, or such a 
 thing could never have occurred. Annoyed, Ames 
 tore the letter into little pieces. Smeaton was quite 
 right, there was an enmity at work against him, and 
 this was a fresh manifestation of its strength. And, 
 for the rest, it was Smeaton's fault that this had 
 happened, since it was at his instance he became a 
 candidate. It was tiresome that these Smeatons could 
 not leave him to his own devices. 
 
 He had observed, also, that a portion of the Oppo- 
 sition Press spoke of him, when it did not ignore 
 him altogether, in a way that was quite unusual, 
 and this was the more strange as he knew the deep 
 respect in which men of wealth were generally held. 
 There was an etiquette to be observed among Press 
 people, and if it was laid aside whenever he was in 
 question, then something must be wrong. In a satiri-
 
 260 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 cal weekly he was travestied as Signer Amores, the 
 Dark Party. Even when he made a large donation 
 to the funds of a new hospital, the fact was chron- 
 icled by the adverse journals in the smaller type. He 
 put the matter eventually into the hands of Sims, 
 who was a patient and keen investigator, possessing 
 his entire confidence. One day, also, he received a 
 letter of blackmail. If he did not pay five thousand 
 pounds, the orgies of his secret room should be re- 
 vealed. This he put in the wastepaper basket. It 
 seemed clear to him that a legend was in process of 
 formation, and he realised that the vocation of mil- 
 lionaire was not without its cares. There was noth- 
 ing illicit in his life, and it was really a sign of very 
 bad times indeed, if he was to be accused of crimes 
 which he never had committed. His " secret room " 
 was a freak of his earlier fancy, but he could quite 
 well see how it might be used against him. When 
 he was not at work, he certainly felt dull. He had 
 scarcely added to his list of friends, not because 
 there were no candidates for his friendship, but be- 
 cause his early experience of life had made him wary. 
 Of course there were hosts of facile pleasures in his 
 reach, and it was possible that his bodily health 
 might benefit by a limited indulgence in them; but 
 he was convinced that they would leave a lassitude 
 of thought behind them which would spoil the mental 
 state in which he liked to dwell. Soon, he supposed, 
 he would have to think of finding a companion of 
 the other sex. When he remembered, however, the 
 smoking, drinking, gambling women which the age 
 produced, he shrank from a project of that kind. 
 Were there no other women to be met? Of course
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 261 
 
 there were, if only one sought well. Had he not met 
 the true type once ? Yes, but a year, or thereabouts, 
 had passed since then, and perhaps she was no longer 
 free. 
 
 It was a Sunday afternoon as he reflected thus, 
 and suddenly he rang the bell. 
 
 " Giacomo, quick ! my hat and gloves." 
 
 In another moment he was in a hansom and on 
 his way to Bayswater. At Gloucester Gate he 
 alighted at the Hursts' door, and as he rang he 
 could not help feeling guilty. He had given the 
 Hursts no intimation of his marriage and had acted 
 for many months as though oblivious that they lived. 
 Therefore, it was not without some qualms of con- 
 science that he told the maid his name and followed 
 her upstairs. 
 
 In the drawing-room Mrs. Hurst and her daughter 
 were talking to a visitor whose back was turned. The 
 visitor rose as he entered, and to his surprise he 
 witnessed Moore. 
 
 There was a moment of embarrassment, both on 
 the part of the Hursts and Moore. At length the 
 former greeted him with a subdued politeness with 
 a shade of coolness. Moore, however, merely bowed, 
 without offering his hand. Ames noticed that the 
 Hursts were dressed in mourning. 
 
 Moore continued his conversation with Elaine. 
 Ames, therefore, spoke to Mrs. Hurst. As well as he 
 could, he explained to her that his marriage had 
 taken place abroad and that his wife had not yet 
 made the acquaintance of all his friends when she 
 met with her fatal accident. He felt that the excuse 
 was lame, but he was somewhat disconcerted by the
 
 262 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 formality of the reception which he was receiving 
 (Elaine having scarcely glanced in his direction), 
 and he was unable to construct a better one in strict 
 conformity with truth. And while he was asking 
 Mrs. Hurst how she had passed the London winter, 
 and learning from her that they had been to the 
 Riviera after the death of her aged father, he heard 
 Elaine tell Moore that they would spend the summer 
 at some place in France. The young girl, more in- 
 teresting than ever with her air of candour, was tell- 
 ing Moore of her experiences at a bazaar at which he 
 had been present, and it was evident from what she 
 said that they were in the habit of meeting often 
 and were on the whole on more intimate terms than 
 previously. It looked very much as if Moore was 
 paying court, although it was hard to believe that 
 he should do so, considering the modest means which 
 the Hursts were known to have. He sustained the 
 conversation with the mother while thinking the mat- 
 ter out. Why, after all, should they be so reserved 
 with him? They were much too high-minded and 
 urbane to take serious offence at his neglect of them, 
 and if they were thus shy it must be that they, too, 
 had been influenced against him. Suddenly an idea 
 struck him. Ha, the influence wasn't far to seek! 
 The influence was Moore's. Moore had a grudge 
 against him on account of Ada, and had no doubt 
 been damaging him here, and perhaps elsewhere. It 
 was curious conduct for a debtor, but it was part, 
 perhaps, of the new behaviour. Well, now that he 
 felt sure of this, he would know how to shape his 
 course. He strove to interest the mother by speak- 
 ing of London charities, and he asked her advice as
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 263 
 
 to the most deserving. To what hospitals should he 
 be a donor or to what institutions? The plan suc- 
 ceeded, for Mrs. Hurst at once and gladly began to 
 give him counsel, speaking enthusiastically of a home 
 for girls in Shoreditch of which she was a patroness, 
 and of a children's hospital in Kennington which 
 she had helped to found. Both were in need of funds, 
 she said, and Ames immediately invited her to name 
 the amount that he should give. She hesitated, 
 scarcely daring, so she owned, to say how much was 
 requisite to place both the establishments in a satis- 
 factory position. Ames pressed her, and she con- 
 fessed at length that the hospital needed three thou- 
 sand pounds and the home about fifteen hundred. 
 
 " You will greatly oblige me," said Ames, smiling, 
 " by putting my name down for these sums." 
 
 She thanked him warmly. He was the greatest 
 benefactor they had had! Ah, what a joy she would 
 experience when she told the committees of his gift! 
 She was so overcome with gratitude that Elaine, per- 
 ceiving her emotion, interrupted her conversation 
 with Moore and turned towards her. 
 
 " Mr. Ames," the mother said, " has promised all 
 we want at Shoreditch and at Kennington ! " 
 
 Thoughtful for a moment, Elaine said quietly: 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Ames ; thank you very much 
 indeed." 
 
 Moore, however, gave Ames a rapid glance of 
 irritation. 
 
 Pursuing the advantage he had gained, Ames, 
 addressing Elaine, declared that it gave him the 
 greatest satisfaction to be able to assist a little in 
 that way, and almost in the same breath proceeded
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 to inquire how she had liked her stay on the Riviera 
 and whether the wind had been as cold as usual down 
 there, continuing on other topics and endeavouring 
 to bring her beneath the influence which he knew he 
 exercised on women. Then, when he judged that he 
 had produced a good effect, he rose. 
 
 To his delight, Mrs. Hurst expressed a hope that 
 he would come again to see them soon. Elaine gave 
 her hand with some timidity, but her attitude was 
 far more cordial than it had been on his entrance. 
 
 When he found himself in the street again, he 
 walked slowly down towards the park, thinking of 
 his visit, but he had not gone far before he was over- 
 taken. Moore, almost out of breath, was at his side. 
 
 " I should like a few words with you," Moore said, 
 in a tone which he seemed to struggle to keep calm. 
 
 " Very good," Ames answered, stopping and 
 facing him. 
 
 " You have called on the Hursts again," continued 
 Moore, " and no doubt you mean to pay more visits. 
 Now, I should like to warn you that if you come 
 with any intentions regarding Miss Hurst, you will 
 have me as your rival. I should think it would be 
 sufficient that I should tell you this for you to re- 
 linquish any project you may have formed in this 
 direction. You have already balked me once, and I 
 presume you will not attempt the feat a second time. 
 If I am mistaken, and you intend to thwart me, then 
 I promise you that you will have no easy task. As 
 for my small indebtedness to you, the sum will be 
 repaid not later than to-morrow morning." 
 
 " It is unfortunate," Ames said, unmoved, " that 
 we should both take a fancy to the same ladies, the
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 265 
 
 more so as I have no intention of giving the assur- 
 ance you demand." 
 
 Moore started. 
 
 " Very well ; I know now how to act. You think, 
 no doubt, your wealth can always win, but wealth is 
 sometimes powerless against a damaged reputation." 
 
 " If my reputation's damaged," Ames said quickly, 
 " there must have been a damager. I'm seeking him 
 and hope to find him soon. I think that you, per- 
 haps, might give me his address." 
 
 Moore abruptly broke away and quickly disap- 
 peared down the adjacent street. Poor Moore, Ames 
 thought, how desperate his case must be ! Would it 
 be right to come between him and Elaine? Right! 
 Of course it would, for she deserved a better husband 
 and one that would do more good in the world than 
 this idler ever could. Of what use was a man like 
 that in the social hive ? Why, none ! He should seek 
 some gilded widow for a wife. He certainly did not 
 deserve Elaine. It was ridiculous that he should 
 ask him to desist. Surely the young girl might be 
 left to make her choice. 
 
 He walked across the park in the cool July even- 
 ing. Then he dined at his club, where he spent the 
 evening in a quiet corner making plans. 
 
 The next morning after he had sent a cheque to 
 Mrs. Hurst and was reading the papers, Barnes 
 called to see him to ascertain what arrangements 
 were to be made in respect of the voyage to the 
 Pacific, about which Ames had written him some 
 weeks before. 
 
 Barnes walked into the library with a light step, 
 and Ames said after a moment's scrutiny:
 
 266 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " You've good news to announce. I see it in your 
 face." 
 
 " Yes. I'm to be married in a week to Claire.' 5 
 
 " I knew it. Tell me how it came about." 
 
 Then Barnes told of his betrothal. Having care- 
 fully observed Claire for some time and grown more 
 and more attached to her as he perceived how well 
 she bore out Ames' testimony, he had at length de- 
 cided to propose, and had been accepted. 
 
 She would not abandon her employment, for a time 
 at least, and later on she spoke of establishing her- 
 self in Bond Street as a Court modiste. 
 
 " That is," said Barnes, with a quiet smile, " if 
 she isn't too much occupied with other duties." 
 
 Ames frowned at this. 
 
 " Let her follow out her plan. She will make you 
 rich and yet preserve her charm. Never forget that 
 over-population is an evil." 
 
 Barnes laughed, and they talked about the voyage. 
 Was it to be to the Pacific? If so, he would have 
 to see to charts and stores, as well as to obtaining a 
 picked creWo 
 
 Ames said; 
 
 " The day before yesterday it was to be to the 
 Pacific, but now I do not know. In the Channel or 
 around the world." 
 
 Barnes hesitated. 
 
 " Around the world ! " 
 
 " Yes, and there will be no women on the ship 
 this time, and, Barnes, I want the name changed to 
 the Exe." 
 
 The master sighed. 
 
 " Very well, Mr. Ames. I shall prepare for all
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 267 
 
 eventualities. I should like a fortnight for the 
 honeymoon, but of course I shall hold myself at your 
 disposal. I owe much to you for having found me 
 such a wife." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " Hasten the wedding if you can and take your 
 fifteen days." 
 
 Barnes thanked him. A little later, as he was 
 leaving, he lingered for a moment at the door, as if 
 embarrassed. At length he said : 
 
 " I should like to tell you, Mr. Ames, that Claire 
 and I would be greatly honoured if you would come 
 to our wedding." 
 
 But Ames replied at once with a gesture of refusal. 
 
 " No, Barnes, that I cannot do. It would upset 
 me to behold so great a prize forever lost. Besides 
 I have a matrimonial project of my own on hand, 
 and that takes up my time." 
 
 As Barnes appeared surprised, he added : 
 
 " Oh ! there's nothing definite as yet. It's all in 
 a distant future. Good-bye. I'll send you a pres- 
 ent soon." 
 
 Barnes thanked him and withdrew. 
 
 The captain had scarcely left when Giacomo en- 
 tered with a letter. Ames opened the envelope and 
 found that it contained a cheque from Moore for 
 four hundred and fifty pounds in payment of the 
 debt. He at once endorsed and crossed it, after 
 which he sent it to Barnes together with a slip of 
 paper, on which he wrote: 
 
 " A wedding present from the owner of the Exe." 
 Poof! there was an end of that matter and of a 
 youthful love.
 
 268 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 The next day Ames received a letter of graceful 
 thanks from Mrs. Hurst, but to his surprise no 
 invitation to dinner or to lunch, and no renewed 
 expression of her hope that he would call to see 
 them soon. Moore, no doubt, had been at work 
 already, and perhaps the fate of Elaine was decided. 
 Ah, well, it would be a pity if that were so ; for he 
 would never meet another girl of equal worth. He 
 fell to wondering how soon he might reasonably call 
 again, and passed an unhappy afternoon, going at 
 length to the House for dinner in a discontented 
 frame of mind. Fortunately his inventive faculty 
 was good and it was not long before he had discov- 
 ered a pretext to call before the week was at an 
 end. 
 
 In the meantime he was busy putting things in 
 order before the season ended, and attended meet- 
 ings of his political committee, to whom he hinted 
 that he might need a lengthy holiday at no very 
 distant date. He had decided to go to Bayswater 
 on the Friday, and on the Thursday afternoon, after 
 Edwards had lunched with him, and he was at work 
 with Sims, Giacomo entered with the air of mystery 
 that Ames knew well. Discreet as ever, he had writ- 
 ten on a piece of paper: 
 
 " A lady, who gives the name of Ventner, desires 
 to see the signer on important business. I have 
 shown her to the drawing-room." 
 
 " Good," said Ames, " in half an hour." And he 
 continued his correspondence, apparently uncon- 
 cerned, although he was a little exercised in mind, 
 unable to divine what pretext had brought Constance 
 there thus openly.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 269 
 
 At length, when he had given his instructions for 
 the last letter, he rose and went upstairs. 
 
 Constance was still waiting. She was little 
 changed, although her face was thinner. Ames 
 greeted her without much warmth, and silently. She 
 said after a moment's hesitation : 
 
 " You have not forgotten that a year ago I al- 
 lowed you to paint my portrait. Would you be kind 
 enough to tell me what has become of the picture, 
 which was almost finished then? If it has been de- 
 stroyed, so much the better. If not, I want an assur- 
 ance that it will be, as I do not wish it to be seen 
 in your possession." 
 
 Ames thought the pretext weak. It was evident 
 she had not come for that, and he must be very 
 cautious. He replied: 
 
 " The portrait is still down there in the studio. 
 It's entirely at your disposal." 
 
 " Thank you," she said, making a movement 
 towards the door. " I shall send for it to-day." 
 
 Ames made no attempt to induce her to remain 
 longer; she lingered, however, of her own accord. 
 
 " Is it possible," she asked, " that after the friend- 
 ship there existed once between us, you should re- 
 ceive me in this way ? " 
 
 " You see," he said, " that after your severity at 
 Venice, and the want of confidence which you have 
 just shown, I am embarrassed." 
 
 " Would any woman in my place," she asked, 
 " have acted otherwise? " 
 
 Thinking that he had now to sustain a feminine 
 attack, he invited her to take a seat. 
 
 " I no more know how another woman would have
 
 270 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 acted in your place than another man in mine; but 
 I am sure that all that happened, being planned by 
 fate, was unavoidable. I am, as you perceive, a 
 strong determinist." 
 
 With a sigh, she said: 
 
 "You have not changed!" She added: "If I 
 were in your place, I should try, at least, to react 
 against the social fate which seems to be awaiting 
 you." 
 
 Interested at once, Ames said : 
 
 "The social fate? Perhaps you can inform me 
 who its authors are." 
 
 " You need not look at me like that, for I'm not 
 one of them. No, I have opposed you politically, as 
 I always did, and shall, but it is not I who have 
 put into circulation the reports." 
 
 " The reports? What are they? " 
 
 " They're varied, and I would rather be excused 
 from mentioning them. At any rate, they are suf- 
 ficient to make your progress in society extremely 
 difficult, if not impossible." 
 
 " Do you believe them ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Do you know who spread them first ? " 
 
 "I do." 
 
 " Can you deny it's Moore ? " 
 
 " I can't." 
 
 Ames rose and walked to the end of the room. 
 Then he returned and resumed his seat. 
 
 " You see," said Constance, " he's not so harmless 
 as he looks. For many years he's been suffering the 
 sting of poverty, and it has made him inwardly en- 
 raged. When you defeated his hopes at Venice and
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 271 
 
 carried away the prize, he seems to have vowed ven- 
 geance, and you know how easy it is for a man like 
 him to damage by insinuation, without ever making 
 a specific charge, leaving it to the scandal lovers to 
 complete the mischief which they've done. And now 
 your only chances are the agency of time (say, 
 twenty years), or of someone of position who will 
 take up your cause." 
 
 Ames saw that she was offering the protection of 
 her influence and rank, and he knew that the offer 
 was not without value. He knew also that if he 
 accepted it she would require a reward which he was 
 not disposed to pay, and suddenly his old rancour 
 against the class that had despised him formerly 
 revived. 
 
 " This," he said, " is your society ? " 
 
 But she prevented him from saying more. 
 
 " Oh ! don't sneer at society, for if you do, not 
 even your wealth will save you from a fall, and woe 
 to the man who's ostracised." 
 
 " I'm sorry I can't agree with you," he said. " The 
 more I see of your society, the more I am convinced 
 that wealth, or money, if you like it better, can 
 break down all its barriers, all its rules. It was 
 because I learnt that lesson well in early life that I 
 grew mercenary. A rich man triumphs over your 
 society ; a poor man has to grovel to it, or suffer 
 its derision and contempt. Do you think that I am 
 troubled by these fictions? I shall know how to 
 defend myself alone." 
 
 " I like your courage," she said thoughtfully. " I 
 always liked you for your qualities, and, in spite of 
 your treatment of me ? I sincerely trust you won't be
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 made a victim. I, too, have lately felt the bitterness 
 of straitened means, and although I have been well 
 supported by my friends, I have realised how inevi- 
 tably one gets left behind when poor. Ah! I have 
 passed through many trials since we parted on the 
 station over there at Venice; but the crudest of all 
 was your abandonment." 
 
 " Really," said Ames, " I must protest. That is 
 not the term to use. Abandonment suggests associa- 
 tion, and you know well that there was nothing of 
 the sort between us." 
 
 " How you quarrel about words ! And how un- 
 gracious you are still towards me! I have had to 
 repress my pride to speak as I have spoken, and I 
 meet with nothing but unkindness." 
 
 She looked discouraged, and for a moment he felt 
 sorry for her. 
 
 " Well, well," he said at length, " let us not quarrl 
 about anything. It was good of you to warn me 
 of the danger to which you thought I was exposed, 
 and after the holidays, if you will allow me, I will 
 come and see you." 
 
 Her face brightened. " After the holidays ! Why 
 not before, when you know that you will be so wel- 
 come." 
 
 "You see," continued Ames, already regretting 
 his imprudence, " I'm very busy. Politics and jour- 
 nalism claim me. At the season's end there's much 
 to attend to, I assure you." 
 
 " Where are you going in the yacht this year ? " 
 
 " To Honolulu or to France, if not around the 
 world." 
 
 "Alone?"
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 273 
 
 " Alone." 
 
 " What do you think of me for staying here so 
 long? " 
 
 " I take it as a special mark of your esteem." 
 
 " And I consider it a sign of my infatuation." 
 
 He reflected for a moment. It must be as she 
 said and she was as a moth that hovered round the 
 combination of his wealth and person. If she was 
 reasonable, he might be able to advance her interests, 
 but if she had the fixed idea of marriage with him, 
 then he could do nothing for her. As he did not 
 answer her last remark, she seemed to take his silence 
 as a condemnation, and she rose. 
 
 " I shall stay no longer. If you have the least 
 good feeling you will come to see me soon. Good- 
 bye." 
 
 Really, he thought, when she was gone, it was a 
 pity to see so nice a woman reduced to such sad 
 straits. Why hadn't she found a man to wed her? 
 Doubtless she soon would, and with this reflection he 
 returned to work. 
 
 On the Friday afternoon, the day, he remembered, 
 when the Hursts were usually at home, he drove to 
 Bayswater. As he rang the bell he had a slight 
 misgiving, which the elderly maid who opened the 
 door confirmed. Mrs. and Miss Hurst, she said, had 
 left for Dieppe the day before. 
 
 Greatly disappointed, Ames drove home at once. 
 
 " Giacomo, pack my things. We leave for Dieppe 
 to-night." 
 
 At daybreak the next morning Ames and his man 
 stood on the deck of the steamer watching her en- 
 trance into harbour. The town, still plunged in
 
 274 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 half obscurity, looked calm and peaceful, and more 
 like a maritime port than the fashionable resort 
 which it becomes in the summer months. The sky 
 was clear and the air was fresh, and Ames felt in- 
 vigorated and expectant. Why had he come here? 
 Why had he thus pursued Elaine when he need not 
 have sought a wife again so soon? When, in spite 
 of all that Constance said about the slanderers, he 
 knew that, as Mair had once remarked, he had but 
 the embarrassment of choice? Why? Because 
 Elaine possessed the qualities which alone could make 
 the marriage state acceptable, according to his view, 
 and because Elaines were rare. After landing, he 
 drove to the hotel on the sea front, which he had 
 heard recommended as the best, and there took rooms. 
 In London he had not liked to ask the servants where 
 the Hursts were staying, knowing well that in a 
 place like Dieppe the visitors were to be met each 
 day on the promenades. 
 
 After resting a few hours he quitted the hotel 
 and took a stroll upon the front. It was the bath- 
 ing hour, and there was the usual scene of Gallic sea- 
 side life, a little marred by the shingly nature of 
 the beach. Ames remained upon the walk above, 
 watching for a moment, not without some interest, 
 the clever swimming of two boys who were playing 
 ball upon the water. Suddenly, as he resumed his 
 stroll, he perceived two ladies and a gentleman com- 
 ing in his direction, whom he quickly recognised as 
 the Hursts and Moore. He was not surprised, for 
 he had anticipated this move on the part of Moore. 
 Well, that made the enterprise more strenuous! As 
 soon as the Hursts perceived him, their faces ex-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 275 
 
 pressed extreme surprise, while Moore's became con- 
 gested. Raising his hat with great composure, Ames 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " How pleased I am to meet you here ! " and then, 
 turning to Moore, he said in a tone of unconcern: 
 " Good-morning, Moore." 
 
 Mrs. Hurst spoke to him in a tone that, although 
 cordial, was almost grave, and Elaine appeared per- 
 plexed. They talked of Dieppe and its attractions, 
 and Mrs. Hurst explained that they had decided, 
 somewhat hurriedly, to come there, as the weather 
 had become so hot in town, and her daughter had 
 been suffering. Elaine, however, declared that she 
 had only been a little tired and was already quite 
 restored. 
 
 During this conversation Moore had maintained a 
 rigid silence, and Ames fully realised how strained 
 the situation must become. Determined, however, to 
 face it boldly he asked Elaine if they were going 
 townwards, and as she replied that they were just 
 returning to their hotel, he said: 
 
 " And so am I to mine. If you will allow me, I 
 will accompany you." And as the Hursts could not 
 refuse this offer, they started off together. Ames 
 was careful to preserve the place he had secured at 
 Elaine's side and to keep up a continued conversa- 
 tion, while Moore was forced to place himself upon 
 the other flank at the other side of Mrs. Hurst. 
 The walk, however, was a short one. When they 
 reached the door of Ames' hotel the ladies stopped 
 and were taking leave, when Ames said: 
 
 " Oh ! but I live here, too." 
 
 Elaine started slightly as she heard this, and
 
 276 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 Moore gave Ames a glance of almost open enmity. 
 Then the Hursts said au revoir to Moore and en- 
 tered, followed at once by Ames, who thought that 
 fortune was upon his side that morning. 
 
 It was the hour of the midday breakfast, and as 
 they were somewhat late the ladies declared that they 
 would take their seats in the dining-room forthwith. 
 Still Ames followed, and as the maitre d'hotel showed 
 them to their side table, he lingered a moment with 
 them until Mrs. Hurst, unable to do otherwise, sug- 
 gested that he should sit with them, as he was alone. 
 Ames readily complied, congratulating himself 
 greatly on having gained a good strategical posi- 
 tion. 
 
 Throughout the meal he was careful to maintain 
 a calm and dignified demeanour, befitting a man of 
 serious disposition, while at the same time he did 
 his best to interest Elaine, who, to his surprise, was 
 so well versed in politics that he was able to touch 
 upon that topic with advantage. Elaine spoke 
 clearly, without hesitation, and Ames perceived with 
 satisfaction that she reasoned well. 
 
 " What strikes me always," she said presently, " is 
 the waste of time in Parliament. While you are 
 quarrelling over party trifles, really important ques- 
 tions, which affect the welfare of the people, are 
 neglected or enormously delayed. Cannot politicians 
 realise what their duty is ? " 
 
 " If I may be permitted to allude to myself," 
 Ames said, " I should like to say that I have hitherto 
 done what little I could for the people's good." 
 
 " I know," she acquiesced, without, however, de- 
 parting from her reserve, " for I remember reading
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 277 
 
 your last speech. Do you intend to continue taking 
 up such questions ? " 
 
 " Most certainly, when opportunities present them- 
 selves. But Parliament is a place where the best 
 intentions are too often balked." 
 
 " That I can quite well understand." 
 
 " But in the end, there is no doubt that justice 
 must prevail, just as in the life of the world truth 
 must ultimately triumph over falsity and calumny." 
 
 He had launched this dictum with deliberate de- 
 sign. It was time he took up arms against the lies 
 which had been spread. 
 
 There was a silence for some moments; both the 
 mother and the daughter looked down at their plates. 
 Ames added: 
 
 " And I speak feelingly, for it has been my lot to 
 be assailed by calumny. For some time I disregarded 
 it ; but now I have decided to defend myself. Pardon 
 me from troubling you with this." 
 
 He looked so earnest and so wronged that the 
 Hursts seemed inclined to be sympathetic. Mrs. 
 Hurst said at length: 
 
 " For my part, as far as I am able, I make a 
 rule of turning a deaf ear to calumny, and I am 
 always sorry when I meet with it." 
 
 " That," said Ames, " is the attitude I take my- 
 self. But let us talk no more of such shortcomings 
 on this delightful morning." 
 
 And he proceeded to relate to them an incident 
 that had occurred a few days previously at West- 
 'minster. This amused them and the luncheon ended 
 with a greater cordiality than had been shown at 
 first.
 
 278 THE METHODS OE MR. AMES 
 
 Nevertheless, when they rose from the table, the 
 ladies said, " Good-bye for the present," without any 
 mention of their plans for the afternoon, and Ames, 
 a little disconcerted, repaired to the smoking-room, 
 where an elderly Frenchman, with an air of opulence, 
 was talking somewhat loudly to a younger man, ap- 
 parently untroubled by the presence of others in 
 the room. As Ames was seated near them, he could 
 not help, while smoking a cigarette, overhearing 
 their conversation. The elder of the two was say- 
 ing: 
 
 " To tell the truth, I am beginning to be tired of 
 my island. It's a perfect paradise, and as you know, 
 while there, I'm king ; but the voyage takes too long, 
 and really nothing compensates for the loss of Paris." 
 
 The younger asked : 
 
 " Then do you think of selling it? " 
 
 The answer was: 
 
 "Well, yes, if I can find a purchaser." 
 
 They talked of other things, but Ames' interest 
 had been aroused and he determined to know more 
 about this island. The idea of such a place as this 
 to seek when tired of the life at home was certainly 
 seductive. After finishing his cigarette he went into 
 the hall, and stayed there for some time, wondering 
 what he should do to advance his aims. The owner 
 of the island passed him presently and he inquired of 
 the hall porter who that gentleman might be. The 
 man replied at once: 
 
 " That's Monsieur Roux, the coffee king." 
 
 Deciding that he would seek an opportunity to 
 speak to Roux, Ames lingered in the hall a little 
 longer, but at length, having told himself that if the
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 279 
 
 Hursts should find him there they might think him 
 too importunate, he took his hat and left. He would 
 no doubt meet his friends again. 
 
 Strolling round the town, he amused himself as 
 best he could by looking at the shops and at the 
 crowds of visitors who thronged the streets. Then 
 he walked towards the Casino, where a concert was 
 to be held that afternoon. As he was passing a hotel 
 of somewhat modest aspect, Moore was in the act 
 of leaving it. 
 
 " I wish to speak to you," Moore said at once. 
 
 " Very good," said Ames, and they moved away 
 from the hotel door to the sea front, which was only 
 a few hundred yards lower down the street. Then 
 Moore commenced: 
 
 " In spite of what I told you not a week ago, you 
 have followed the Hursts here." 
 
 " It seems to me," said Ames, " that you have 
 done the same." 
 
 Without noticing this remark, Moore continued: 
 
 " If you think that you are going to triumph, as 
 you did before, you're wrong, for I'm prepared to 
 stop at nothing to prevent you." 
 
 "A threat?" Ames asked. 
 
 " You may interpret it in whatever way you 
 please." 
 
 " After slander, intimidation. You're moving fast, 
 my friend, upon a dangerous road." 
 
 "What do you mean by slander?" 
 
 " Do you imagine that I do not know who is the 
 leader of the campaign of calumny against me ? " 
 
 " I resent such an insinuation." 
 
 " Don't. My sources of information are too good.
 
 280 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 It is, as I said before, unfortunate that we should 
 both have thought of the same lady ; but I am will- 
 ing to abide by the choice she makes. If you are not, 
 then we shall have to deal with you in the way most 
 suited to people of your tendencies. I presume you 
 do not mean to exhibit them before her." 
 
 " No. But fortunately we're in France." 
 
 " Yes, the land of * satisfactions.* Go home and 
 cool your head, Moore, you're in a bad condition." 
 
 Exasperated by this counsel, Moore said: 
 
 " I advise you to take care. This business may 
 be a bit more serious than you appear to think." 
 
 " I don't ignore its gravity. Before I came I was 
 prepared for it. But what would you have? One 
 must take life as it is." 
 
 Saying this, he moved away from Moore, who 
 stood some time looking after him. 
 
 Yes, thought Ames, as he walked along the front, 
 the situation was by no means an enchanting one. 
 This heated fool might be capable of much, and 
 might spoil both their chances. Truly, this time he 
 had need of all his skill. 
 
 When he reached the gate of the Casino, moved 
 by a sudden inspiration, he took a ticket and went 
 into the concert-room. He had only been there a 
 few minutes when Elaine and her mother entered, 
 taking a seat immediately in front of him, so that 
 he was able to exchange a few words with them before 
 the beginning of the performance and to enjoy the 
 sight of Elaine while it was taking place. Yes, truly 
 even to the outward eye, she was eminently fitted for 
 the post he wished to offer her. 
 
 When the concert was over, he joined the ladies
 
 THE METHODS OE MR. AMES 281 
 
 and walked with them on the promenade. Would 
 they come for a country drive the next day? he 
 asked. He had been told that the country was worth 
 seeing, and it would make a change from the marine 
 view. Mrs. Hurst accepted readily. Elaine, how- 
 ever, appeared somewhat reluctant, although she was 
 of course obliged to acquiesce in the arrangement. 
 They soon returned to their hotel, and saying they 
 would meet at dinner, retired to their rooms. 
 
 A few hours later, as Ames was dressing, he said to 
 Giacomo : 
 
 " In case I should, by any chance, be shot or, 
 otherwise destroyed while here, you'll take me to 
 Kingslake as soon as possible." 
 
 Giacomo, who was in the act of folding a pair of 
 trousers, stopped and raised his hands in mute as- 
 tonishment. 
 
 " Yes," continued Ames ; " I have a rival here for 
 the hand of a young lady, and one can't be quite 
 sure what he'll do." 
 
 " I know the gentleman," said Giacomo, with a 
 look of quick intelligence. " I saw him on the cliffs 
 this afternoon. He was walking fast and talking 
 to himself." 
 
 " Poor man," said Ames, " he takes it tragically ! " 
 And for a moment he felt sorry for his rival whose 
 mental equilibrium, it really seemed, was seriously; 
 disturbed. He did not think the danger which he 
 ran was great, because he was seldom taken unawares, 
 but it was just as well to look ahead. As Marcus 
 Aurelius had once said, the life of any man was at 
 the mercy of his slave. 
 
 When the dinner-bell sounded Ames went down to
 
 282 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 the hall. There he found the Hursts and Moore, 
 who had been asked to dine with them. Ames, whose 
 cover was laid at the Hursts' table, took his seat 
 with them, and they made, as he said, a square. 
 Moore spoke much and endeavoured to appear in the 
 highest spirits, but it was evident to Ames that his 
 exuberance was quite fictitious. For the rest, he was 
 by no means a good conversationalist, and suffered in 
 comparison with Ames, who now and then forced 
 Elaine's approval by the cogency and truth of his 
 remarks. Towards the end of the meal, Mrs. Hurst, 
 to Ames' satisfaction, found an opportunity to say, 
 in allusion to a scandalous report which had ap- 
 peared in the morning's paper as to a statesman, that 
 she was never influenced by rumours of that kind, 
 which, in the majority of cases, proved to be un- 
 founded. 
 
 Ames glanced at Moore as she said this, but Moore 
 looked down. There was no doubt, Ames thought, 
 that his cause was now. in the ascendant. 
 
 After dinner the ladies, who did not go to the 
 Casino in the evening, withdrew to the drawing-room. 
 They were followed by Moore, but Ames excused 
 himself, as a packet of letters had just arrived for 
 him from London. 
 
 There was a letter from Sims, and he read it in 
 the hall. His secretary informed him that he now 
 possessed a clue to the reports. In regard to the 
 " secret room," he had ascertained that the story 
 had been spread by the Orientals who had danced 
 that night for Ada's delectation. Distorted and 
 magnified it had circulated in a shady set, whence 
 had emanated, no doubt, the letter of blackmail. For
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. f AMES 283 
 
 all the other legends, one individual was primarily 
 responsible. It was he who, in clubs where he met 
 editors, at houses where he came in contact with po- 
 litical opponents, had persistently discredited his 
 former friend. That man was Stephen Moore. He, 
 Sims, had learnt all this from a friend of his, the 
 secretary of a Tory lord; Ames shrugged his shoul- 
 ders, opened a few more letters, and then went into 
 the small fumoir, where he discovered Roux smoking 
 a long cigar. Beginning a conversation with him 
 about Dieppe, he told him that he had heard him 
 speak, the previous day, about an island which was, 
 he understood, for sale. At the same time, he gave 
 his card to the coffee magnate and asked for some 
 particulars. Roux willingly described the property 
 and its locality. It was a fertile, healthful island of 
 some twenty miles from end to end, and some fifteen 
 miles from side to side. There was a population of 
 about a thousand, peaceful and industrious. The 
 owner of it was, to a large extent, an independent 
 sovereign. It was a happy and peaceful spot. The 
 price was two million francs. 
 Ames said: 
 
 " I shall go to see it as soon as I have time." 
 Returning to the drawing-room, a long room pro- 
 fusely gilded and lighted brilliantly, he crossed it 
 to the place where the Hursts were sitting, followed 
 by the glances of many English visitors who had 
 already learnt his name. Mrs. Hurst was talking to 
 an old French lady and Moore was speaking to 
 Elaine. From the expression of the tatter's face, 
 Ames judged that whatever Moore had said had not 
 been well received, and this view was confirmed when
 
 284 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 she made room for him on the sofa at her side, some- 
 what engagingly. Perceiving this, Moore suddenly 
 became silent, but sat with his arms crossed and his 
 eyes fixed on Ames, who related his interview with 
 Roux, asking Elaine what she thought of his acquir- 
 ing the island as a place where one might rest for a 
 period each year and obtain a respite from the evils 
 of civilisation. Elaine thought that the plan was 
 good, but doubted whether the evils he alluded to 
 might not be replaced by others equally distressful. 
 
 ** You are right," said Ames, " for throughout 
 history men have made afflictions for themselves, and 
 there is not much reason to suppose that a retro- 
 grade society would be better than our own. But 
 one might imagine that it was, and that would be 
 consoling. In any case one might experiment." 
 
 " That, certainly," Elaine said, " would be inter- 
 esting, and I almost wish that I had such experiments 
 to make myself." 
 
 " If I acquire the island, I hope that you will come 
 and make them." 
 
 Elaine smiled and they talked of other things. 
 Moore answered her when she addressed him, but 
 refrained from fresh remarks as though he wished, 
 by his attitude, to show his strong distaste of Ames' 
 society. The party, however, broke up at ten and 
 Ames retired to his room. 
 
 The next day after breakfast, a landau drew up at 
 the hotel door, and presently the Hursts and Ames 
 drove off in it. As they were passing through the 
 town, Mrs. Hurst said : 
 
 " Mr. Moore is not with us this afternoon. Might 
 I ask if you are no longer friends ? "
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 285 
 
 Ames' face grew grave. 
 
 " No," he answered, " we are no longer friends." 
 There was a silence. The mother and daughter ex- 
 changed glances. Ames said at length : " Of his be- 
 haviour towards me I prefer to say nothing. For 
 the rest, I believe he's in ill health." 
 
 " He certainly seemed strange at dinner," Mrs. 
 Hurst said. " I conjectured something was amiss 
 last night as you never appeared to address each 
 other." 
 
 No more was said upon the subject, but there was 
 an evident embarrassment which somewhat wore off, 
 however, under the influence of the country scenes. 
 Elaine confessed that she was fond of the sight of 
 the fields and meadows, and her pleasure was indeed 
 apparent. 
 
 At length they reached the village which was to 
 be the limit of the drive, and after visiting the church, 
 Mrs. Hurst returned to the carriage, while Elaine 
 and Ames ascended an eminence whence a view of 
 the adjacent country was to be obtained. 
 
 This, Ames thought, was an opportunity he must 
 not lose. Accordingly, when they had reached the 
 summit and had looked around, he said: 
 
 " Miss Hurst, I'm going to ask you a question, 
 on your answer to which my happiness depends. 
 Will you will you be my wife? " 
 
 Elaine started as though she had been struck. 
 
 "Mr. Ames! Did you not know that I had no 
 intention " 
 
 " Of marrying? I guessed it. But that did not 
 deter me, for I am convinced that if you persevered 
 in that intention you would defeat more hopes than
 
 286 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 you would have the heart to crush. We need com- 
 panions in this life, believe me. When I met you a 
 year ago, you seemed to me upon a higher plane than 
 I judged myself to be, or I would have said then 
 what I am saying now, for from the first I recognised 
 your qualities. But since that time I have found 
 that my aims in life most surely coincide with yours, 
 and I have thought that I might venture to offer 
 myself to you as a sincere co-operator and a devoted 
 husband. What is there that we might not accom- 
 plish, if united, for the good of others? I en- 
 treat you to reflect before you give me your deci- 
 sion." 
 
 She looked from one side to the other, as though 
 she wanted to escape, but at length she said : 
 
 " Thank you, but I cannot give the answer you 
 desire. I will only promise to reflect, but even now 
 I realise that my answer must be no." 
 
 Ames said: 
 
 " If there is any other obstacle than that which 
 I surmised, I beg of you to tell me what it is, so that 
 I may at least be able to combat it." 
 
 " No, there is no other that is serious. Although 
 I have not known you long, I am convinced that you 
 are worthy of esteem." 
 
 Ames was disappointed. He would rather have 
 had to oppose the rumours than this dislike to 
 marriage. 
 
 " At least," he said after a pause, " will you not 
 tell me if my chances are as great as Moore's ? " 
 
 " Mr. Moore now knows that he has none." 
 
 Ames perceived a slight encouragement in this 
 reply. Evidently Moore had tried his fortune that
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 287 
 
 very morning and had failed. Doubtless he had been 
 told so on the spot. 
 
 Nevertheless Ames was puzzled and the situation 
 was embarrassing. He said as a last venture: 
 
 " It may be that you think my present act is pre- 
 mature, considering how recent is the loss I have 
 sustained." 
 
 " I confess that I had some such feeling." 
 
 " My excuse is this. I feared that if I hesitated 
 I might be forestalled." 
 
 He felt almost inclined to burst forth into entreaty 
 in the style which women were supposed to like. But 
 he refrained because he judged that, with Elaine, 
 such methods would have no effect. This resistance 
 on her part proved her worth and intensified his wish 
 to wed her, since there were few women in the present 
 day who would have evinced it, considering his wealth. 
 At the same time, it was annoying, and might lead to 
 complications. More than ever he was convinced 
 that she was of sterling value, a woman upon whose 
 good behaviour he could count. But she had notions 
 in her head about celibacy and it was not impossible 
 they might prevail against the racial spirit after all. 
 
 As she made no reply to his explanation he said: 
 
 " Let us talk no more of this to-day, but allow 
 me to hope that you will try to think of me as 
 worthy of your trust." 
 
 They descended the hill again and rejoined Mrs. 
 Hurst who was wondering what had kept them so 
 long up there, and Ames informed her that they had 
 been seeing vistas of surpassing charm. 
 
 They returned to Dieppe, where Ames took leave 
 of the ladies for the day upon arrival at the hotel, as
 
 288 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 he would, he said, be dining out that night. Then he 
 retired to his room. 
 
 Giacomo followed him. 
 
 *' Signor ! I was in the town this afternoon and 
 I saw him enter the shop of an armourer. I could 
 not see what he bought, but when he came out he 
 was carrying a little box. Thank God! the signer 
 has returned in safety." 
 
 Ames grew serious. What was this man about to 
 do? To suppress himself or him? Either would 
 be disagreeable and something must be done to stop 
 him. 
 
 Ames took an extreme decision. He left his room, 
 and descended the stairs again. Then he made his 
 way to Moore's hotel and inquired at the office if 
 Moore was in. The proprietor despatched a waiter 
 to ascertain. Some time elapsed before the man 
 returned. Then he came and whispered something 
 to the proprietor. The latter, who had been busy 
 with his accounts, rose from his chair at once and 
 approaching Ames said that he feared Mr. Moore 
 was ill. 
 
 " In that case," said Ames, " as I am his friend, 
 I will go to see him. Please send for the nearest 
 doctor." 
 
 The proprietor bowed and, after doing as he had 
 been requested, accompanied Ames upstairs. 
 
 In a small room on the third floor, which the pro- 
 prietor unlocked, they found Moore lying, half un- 
 dressed, upon his bed, with his head between two 
 pillows, the upper one of which he was holding down. 
 The floor was strewn with clothes and the mirror on 
 the mantel had been badly broken. On the dressing-
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 289 
 
 table was a revolver. Moore was groaning, and as 
 they had entered noiselessly he had not heard 
 them. 
 
 Ames walked to the end of the room, seized the 
 weapon and unloaded its five chambers, while the 
 hotel-keeper examined his broken glass. In the mean- 
 time Moore's legs moved convulsively and his right 
 hand clutched the pillow with a nervous grip. Ames 
 quickly realised the situation. Moore was going 
 through a crisis. His nerves had broken down 
 before he had brought himself to use the arm either 
 against himself or against another and he was now 
 plunged in an acute depression which had not yet 
 reached the suicidal stage. He was clinging to life 
 although he was very weary of its conditions and the 
 result was a conflict which must sorely strain the 
 brain and nerves. Suddenly Moore threw away 
 the pillow and started up, but when he saw Ames 
 and the proprietor standing near him, he sank 
 again upon the bed. 
 
 " You here ! " he muttered, and closed his eyes 
 again. 
 
 Ames judged it better not to speak to him. He 
 made a sign to the proprietor to that effect and they 
 stood for some time waiting the arrival of the doctor. 
 
 When the latter came, the case was explained to 
 him, for Moore refused to speak, and he soon con- 
 firmed Ames' conclusions. In the corridor, he told 
 Ames that there was a complete breakdown. The 
 excitement was excessive and it would be well that 
 Moore should have someone with him for the next 
 few days, after which he might go to recuperate in 
 Switzerland. There was no doubt that he was and
 
 290 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 had long been neurasthenic. But the crisis was al- 
 ready passed. 
 
 " You will find that for the present his mind is 
 in abeyance." 
 
 The doctor left after promising to send sedatives 
 and Ames arranged with the proprietor for an atten- 
 dant who would discreetly watch the patient. Be- 
 fore he left, he stood over Moore a moment, saying : 
 
 " Remember, Moore, that I'm your friend. We're 
 friends now in misfortune." 
 
 Moore looked up a moment when he heard this, 
 but immediately he dropped his head again upon the 
 pillow, heaving a deep sigh. Then Ames left, after 
 placing the revolver in the hands of the proprietor. 
 
 There was an end of that matter. Moore could 
 be dealt with now and, although he did not love him, 
 he knew that a man in his state could not be blamed 
 in the ancient way, even for the calumnies which, in 
 his disappointment and irritation, he had been the 
 means of spreading. The same man, Moore, under 
 prosperous conditions, would no doubt have been a 
 normal individual, but the constant need of means 
 to keep up the position which his birth had given 
 him had brought him to this state. So that, as 
 usual, one had to come to the conclusion that human 
 destinies were dependent mainly on possession or 
 on non-possession. 
 
 Ames dined that evening at a restaurant, and after 
 a stroll upon the front returned to Moore's hotel, 
 where he learnt from the proprietor that the patient 
 had been put to bed and was sleeping soundly after 
 the opiate which the doctor had prescribed. No 
 doubt he would be better the next morning.
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 291 
 
 " To-morrow," Ames said, " I hope to bring him 
 news that will go a long way to restore him." 
 
 The next morning Ames rose early, and as eight 
 o'clock was striking ke was at Moore's hotel. He 
 found Moore still asleep. He awoke, however, pres- 
 ently, and looked at Ames with some timidity. 
 
 " You've come again," he said. " But, of course, 
 you know, I'm all right now." 
 
 Ames said that he was glad to hear this, although 
 he knew from Moore's drawn features that it was 
 illusory. 
 
 " I heard what you said last night," Moore mut- 
 tered. "Have you been rejected, too?" 
 
 Ames assented, but Moore shook his head. 
 
 " In the end you will succeed. I did think you 
 were rich enough already without that." 
 
 "Without what?" Ames asked. 
 
 " Well, you must know that they have inherited." 
 
 But Ames confessed his ignorance. He said at 
 length : 
 
 " Ah, well, one cannot help inheriting. You your- 
 self may be an heir some day." 
 
 "Never," said Moore dejectedly. "There is no 
 chance of that. My brother is about as poor as I 
 and has a host of children. I am condemned to lead 
 a stinted life or give up living. Indeed I feel half 
 dead already." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said Ames, " you are depressed ; but 
 what would you say if your uncle gave you a respect- 
 able annuity ? " 
 
 Moore tried to laugh. 
 
 " He's far too stingy, and he's somewhat pinched 
 himself."
 
 292 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 " Not so much, perhaps, as you suspect. I shall 
 write to him and I feel confident the thing can be 
 arranged. How old are you ? " 
 
 "I'm thirty-six," Moore answered with alacrity. 
 
 Ames looked up at the ceiling, apparently engaged 
 in a calculation. 
 
 " Six hundred a year, with what you have, would 
 enable you to cut some figure in the world." 
 
 " Yes, it would relieve me from anxiety. It would 
 indeed be an enormous boon." 
 
 " Very well then, I shall see to it. All you have 
 to do now is to get well and take the train for Swit- 
 zerland and climb the nerves away. To-morrow night 
 I'll go with you as far as Paris." 
 
 Moore brightened visibly. He said: 
 
 " If you can arrange it so that I accept it from 
 my uncle, and from no one else, I shall have to thank 
 you greatly." 
 
 " Good-bye," said Ames, amused at the way in 
 which Moore protected his self-love. 
 
 " I shall attend to the thing at once. In the 
 meantime just keep quiet and I'll call in the after- 
 noon." 
 
 Humming a tune, Ames left the place and returned 
 to his room to write. Truly the balm of gold was 
 wonderful! This helpless creature, unable to earn 
 a living, and desiring ardently to live, had been partly 
 cured by the prospect of a larger income. Well, 
 he had been the means of introducing him to Elaine 
 and that was worth a sacrifice. It would never do, 
 of course, if there were many to indemnify in this 
 way, for the robustest fortune would not stand the 
 strain. But fortunately Moores were somewhat
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 298 
 
 scarce and he might not meet another. Thinking 
 thus, he wrote a letter to the uncle, explaining that 
 in consequence of an indebtedness to Moore he wished 
 to purchase an annuity for him which, for reasons 
 to be ultimately explained, must ostensibly proceed 
 from him (the uncle). Winston the solicitor, to 
 whom he was writing, would arrange it all. 
 
 When he had written the two letters, he gave 
 them to Giacomo to post with a sigh of relief. He 
 was tired of Moore and vowed that if he caused him 
 further trouble after this, he would deal with him in 
 a very different way. 
 
 At the midday breakfast, he took his place as 
 usual, though not without embarrassment, at the side 
 table. He found the Hursts, as always, cordial ; but 
 he sought in vain, in Elaine's face, the trace of an 
 encouragement. Surely she was not going to be 
 obdurate. If so, that would delay his plans. But 
 in the end must she not yield? Could women long 
 resist the male attack? No, he did not think so. 
 To ascertain the direction of the mind, he asked 
 them if they would like, by chance, to make a 
 Channel cruise, to Jersey or to Brittany? If so, 
 he would have his yacht up from Southampton as 
 soon as his captain had finished his honeymoon, in a 
 few days' time. But as Mrs. Hurst declared that 
 she was by no means a good sailor and declined his 
 offer, thanking him, there was nothing to be done in 
 that direction. 
 
 That afternoon the Hursts did not appear upon 
 the front and Ames was inclined to take this as a bad 
 omen. Perhaps, after all, this enterprise would fail 
 and he would have to choose between celibacy and its
 
 294 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 opportunism or marriage with some spendthrift 
 schemer, and he walked about taking interest in noth- 
 ing and almost glad when it was time to go to 
 Moore's hotel. 
 
 He found the neurasthenic somewhat better, 
 though listless, lying on his back with his legs arched. 
 He told him that he had written as he had promised. 
 If Moore felt well enough, they would start for Paris 
 the next morning as he was beginning to have had 
 enough of Dieppe. 
 
 Moore said: 
 
 " I'm in your hands," and it was agreed that they 
 would take the early train. 
 
 That evening Ames announced his departure the 
 next morning, watching the effect the announcement 
 had upon Elaine and perceiving only a slight expres- 
 sion of surprise upon her countenance. She asked 
 however : 
 
 " Do you leave for good? " 
 
 And he replied: 
 
 " For no more than a day ! " 
 
 Then he related Moore's indisposition briefly and 
 somewhat superficially, omitting the dramatic inci- 
 dents, saying that on hearing of it he had gone to 
 see him and that they had not only become reconciled 
 but had travelled as far as Paris in each other's 
 company, and this explanation was accepted. 
 
 That evening he spent in his own room, but the 
 next morning he started at eight, conducted his late 
 enemy to Paris, put him in the train for Switzerland 
 and took the night express to Dieppe. Moore had 
 become clay in the potter's hands. 
 
 The next morning as Ames was leaving the hotel,
 
 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 295 
 
 he met Elaine who was about to join her mother on 
 the beach. 
 
 "Back already!" she exclaimed, as they started 
 off together. 
 
 " Do you think," he said, by way of answer, " that 
 I could stay away an hour more than was imperative 
 when my fate was in the balance? " 
 
 At this she became grave. 
 
 " I ought to tell you that it's just as I anticipated. 
 I've thought and thought and yet I have not found 
 it in me to say yes." 
 
 " At least you have not decided to say no. Take 
 all the time you need, for could I ever want any one 
 but you? " 
 
 They reached the place where Mrs. Hurst was sit- 
 ting and no more was said, but for the next few 
 days Ames applied himself with all his skill to con- 
 quering her shyness, telling her stories of his youth 
 in Florence and the brave acts of his mother strug- 
 gling against poverty to give him the education 
 which had enabled him to hold his place in life; en- 
 deavouring by every means he knew to engage her 
 interest and to make her think of him the best com- 
 panion she could have. 
 
 At length a week passed thus, and although she 
 became more friendly, yet there was no sign of her 
 acceptance of his offer. At last he took decisive 
 action. Going one morning to the post office, he 
 telegraphed to Barnes to come at once to Dieppe. 
 Then he announced to Elaine his intended cruise 
 around the world. He wanted to give her full time 
 to reflect, he said, when he found an opportunity, 
 and he begged of her to give him leave to send a
 
 296 THE METHODS OF MR. AMES 
 
 message from each port. She agreed to this and 
 when the yacht arrived and she saw that he was 
 really going, then she seemed to him regretful. Ac- 
 companied by her mother she witnessed his departure, 
 and just before the vessel moved off from the pier 
 she said, with a little smile: 
 
 " At least I promise that on your return you'll 
 find me just as disengaged as now." 
 
 He stood long upon the bridge, waving his hat 
 to her, convinced that his cause was good. As soon 
 as the ship was well outside the harbour, he turned 
 to Barnes: 
 
 " Now, Barnes, around the globe as fast as 
 possible."
 
 XV 
 
 IN January, Ames returned. After a rapid voyage, 
 via Suez, Bengal, Melbourne, staying a short time 
 only in each port, and inspecting the island which he 
 decided to acquire, the Exe reached Southampton, 
 and Ames' first act was to take the train for London 
 and to drive to Bayswater. He had not failed to 
 cable to Elaine, giving her his impressions of things 
 seen and expressing his hope that he was not forgot- 
 ten. At the Cape he had received from her a few. 
 words of thanks and of encouragement. 
 
 He found her well disposed towards him on his 
 arrival and finally, after a week's endeavours, he 
 broke down her resistance. 
 
 The marriage took place in the spring and by it 
 Ames, as he himself declared, was established on a 
 solid, definite basis. The reports faded. Thence- 
 forward his influence continued to grow steadily. He 
 purchased two established journals and, in spite of 
 the hostility of Constance, who eventually married 
 Burleigh, he acquired weight in politics. In the 
 House, he became a severe critic of the acts of min- 
 isters and a combatant for equity. 
 
 On one occasion he was offered a seat in the Cabi- 
 net itself. But he declined, preferring to exercise 
 his influence untrammelled. Later the bait of title 
 was held out to him. This also he refused and with 
 his wife's approval. In the position which he had 
 chosen for himself he was invulnerable, and he never 
 
 297
 
 298 THE METHODS OF MR. 'AMES 
 
 ceased to feel his old distrust of the class which had 
 despised him in the days of poverty. Some of the 
 wealth he had acquired through his marriage with 
 Ada was spent in charity, because he did not know its 
 origin. The roving spirit became strong within him, 
 and with or without his wife, who fulfilled his highest 
 expectations, and who bore him children, he would 
 roam about the world in search of new sensations, 
 enjoying the illusion that humanity was better in 
 distant latitudes where it was less intimately known 
 to him, and passing months at times upon his Adri- 
 atic island, patriarchally. Life, he considered, was 
 a boon, but he realised that it was far too great a 
 burden for too many and he was quite prepared for 
 a reapportionment of its advantages whenever the 
 time came.
 
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