"Have you done with your last piece of work at the West?"
"No — I'm going back there to finish it. O, I'm going back there — I've only come here now to sign some papers and make some arrangements; I shall come finally, I suppose, about May, or April. I've been corresponding with Haye lately."
"About what?"
"About this! What should I correspond with him about? By the way, what an infernal piece of folly this marriage is!"
"Not mixed up with your business, is it?"
"No, of course; how should it? but I am tremendously surprised. Aren't you?"
"People of my temperament never are, you know."
"People of your temperament — have a corner for their thoughts," said Rufus. "Well, there's one chance gone for you, Governor."
"Which it does not appear that I ever had."
"No indeed, that's very true. Well, about my business. — Haye has advocated my leaving the country and coming here. And he knows what he is about, Winthrop; he is a capital man of business. He says he can put me in a way of doing well for myself in a very short time here, and he recommended my coming."