He went with him to the door, and, beginning to suffer afresh
at the wrong he had done Barker, he detained him at the threshold.
"If you still wish to see a publisher, Mr. Barker, I will gladly go
with you."
"Oh, not at all, not at all. I guess I don't want to see any
publisher this afternoon. Well, good afternoon!" He turned away from
Sewell's remorseful pursuit, and clumsily hurrying down the steps,
he walked up the street and round the next corner. Sewell stood
watching him in rueful perplexity, shading his eyes from the mild
October sun with his hand; and some moments after Barker had
disappeared, he remained looking after him.
When he rejoined the ladies in the dining-room they fell into a
conscious silence.
"Have you been telling, Lucy?" he asked.
"Yes, I've been telling, David. It was the only way. Did you offer
to go with him to a publisher again?"
"Yes, I did. It was the only way," said Sewell.
Miss Vane and his wife both broke into a cry of laughter. The former
got her breath first. "So _that_ was the origin of the famous
sermon that turned all our heads grey with good resolutions." Sewell
assented with a sickly grin. "What in the world _made_ you
encourage him?"
"My goodness of heart, which I didn't take the precaution of mixing
with goodness of head before I used it."
Everything was food for Miss Vane's laugh, even this confession.
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