‘Indeed, perhaps we do,’ assented her slave. Then, turning to her brother, ‘Well, once more I congratulate you. I shall talk of your article incessantly, as soon as it appears. And I shall pester every one of my acquaintances to buy Reardon’s books—though it’s no use to him, poor fellow. Still, he would have died more contentedly if he could have foreseen this. By-the-by, Biffen will be profoundly grateful to you, I’m sure.’
‘I’m doing what I can for him, too. Run your eye over these slips.’
Whelpdale exhausted himself in terms of satisfaction.
‘You deserve to get on, my dear fellow. In a few years you will be the Aristarchus of our literary world.’
When the visitor rose to depart, Jasper said he would walk a short distance with him. As soon as they had left the house, the future Aristarchus made a confidential communication.
‘It may interest you to know that my sister Maud is shortly to be married.’
‘Indeed! May I ask to whom?’
‘A man you don’t know. His name is Dolomore—a fellow in society.’
‘Rich, then, I hope?’
‘Tolerably well-to-do. I dare say he has three or four thousand a year!’