The sneering emphasis the last words were spoken with remained fixed in my mind long after he took his departure; and, indeed, so completely did the whole seem like a dream to me that were it not for the fragments of the miniature that lay upon the ground where he had crushed them with his heel, I could scarcely credit myself that I was awake.
My first impulse was to seek Power, upon whose judgment and discretion I could with confidence rely.
I had not long to wait; for scarcely had I thrown my cloak around me, when he rode up. He had just seen, Hammersley, and learned something of our interview.
“Why, Charley, my dear fellow, what is this? How have you treated poor Hammersley?”
“Treated him! Say, rather, how has he treated me!”
I here entered into a short but accurate account of our meeting, during which Power listened with great composure; while I could perceive, from the questions he asked, that some very different impression had been previously made upon his mind.
“And this was all that passed?”
“All.”
“But what of the business at Lisbon?”
“I don’t understand.”