Page:The Novels and Tales of Henry James, Volume 2 (New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1907).djvu/528

THE AMERICAN "Of my deplorable father.

"You forget that with you I'm used to surprises!" Newman gaily pursued.

"The very scantest consideration we owe his memory," the Marquis continued, "makes us desire he should n't he held up to the world as the author of an elaborately malignant attack on the reputation of a wife whose only fault was that she had been submissive to repeated outrage."

"Oh, I see! It's for your father's sake!" And Newman laughed the laugh in which he indulged when he was, if not most amused, at any rate most pleased—an intimate noiseless laugh with closed lips.

But M. de Bellegarde's gravity held good. "There are a few of his particular friends for whom the knowledge of so unfortunate an inspiration would be a real grief. Even say we firmly established by medical evidence the presumption of a mind disordered by fever, il en resterait quelque chose. At the best it would look ill in him. Very ill!"

"Don't try medical evidence," said Newman. "Don't touch the doctors and they won't touch you. I don't mind your knowing that I've not written to either of the gentlemen present at the event."

He flattered himself he saw signs in his visitor's discoloured mask that this information was extremely pertinent. The Marquis remained, however, irreducibly argumentative. "For instance Madame d'Outreville, of whom you spoke yesterday. I can imagine nothing that would shock her more."

"Oh, I'm quite prepared to shock Madame 498