‘You are right that the book is useful. It proves to be so once again. It has served several of my purposes.’
Sir Jesse was not in time to find his glasses. Regan had hers in her hand and looked at the photograph. She looked also at Ridley’s hand, saw that its grasp was firm, threw one glance at her husband and returned to the hearth.
Ridley moved on and held the photograph under the eyes of Fulbert, his wife and his three eldest children. Hope left her place and came and looked at it; Paul followed her example; Isabel summoned her courage and did the same. Sir Jesse, who by now had guessed its character, came up and confirmed his suspicion and moved away. Regan kept her eyes down and wore an inscrutable expression. Faith glanced at her parents and turned aside, as if she would not yield to curiosity.
The photograph was of a man and a woman, sitting in a loverlike attitude, with their arms entwined: Sir Jesse and the mother of the Marlowes.
Ridley’s voice was heard again.
‘You see I am not the only man who can go astray. I found that photograph amongst some business papers. It was taken years ago in South America, and it tells us what happened there. I took it with the intention of destroying it, but you set me another example. I will show that I am not the only person with the temptations of a man, and not the only one who can yield to them.’
‘Why did you not fulfil your intention?’ said Regan from the hearth.
Luce beckoned to Isabel and Venice and James, and led them to the door, bending to say a word to Regan.
‘Grandma, some of us are too young to understand. And some of us are of an age when we must understand. These three are in between.’
Regan nodded and smiled, her face almost placid.
The three children left the room, Isabel at once startled and satisfied, James too puzzled even to be curious, Venice baffled and tormented, but encouraged by the promise in her sister’s eyes.
‘If you judge me, so do I judge you,’ said Ridley to Sir Jesse. ‘And I say you are worse than I.’
He turned and went with bent head to the door, and seemed to thrust his way through it, as though it offered some tangible resistance. As he moved his hands the photograph fell; he groped for it, and Gavin, still angry and watchful, darted on it and surrendered it to Fulbert. Faith watched her brother go, and then moved slowly and as if hardly of her own will to Daniel and Graham, and revealed the subject of her words by a sudden glance at Sir Jesse. Fulbert returned to his children and the photographs scattered on the floor.
‘Well, which picture would you like?’ he said, resuming his seat and bending towards Nevill.
Nevill gathered up the photographs and poured them over Fulbert’s knees.
‘They are all Father’s,’ he said.
‘He may see a photograph as a sinister object,’ said Graham.
‘I didn’t tear the paper,’ said Gavin.
‘We know you did not, my boy,’ said Eleanor.
‘Gavin took great care,’ said Nevill.
‘I feel grateful to Gavin,’ said Daniel. ‘He has ended the necessity of feeling pity for Ridley.’
‘I don’t know, Daniel,’ said Luce. ‘Is our pity any less? Of course we have other feelings.’
‘Which picture do you like best?’ said Fulbert, to Nevill.
‘He will have that one Mr Ridley had.’
‘Father has it in his pocket,’ said Gavin.
‘Perhaps he has a pencil too,’ said Nevill.
‘I will find you one tomorrow,’ said Fulbert.
‘Grandpa spoke in a loud voice,’ said Nevill, ‘loud and angry. Mr Ridley did too.’
Sir Jesse sank into a chair at the sound of his name, as if it gave him some sort of release, and sat with his head and shoulders bent, with a suggestion that he was a broken man.
‘Who will live in the new house?’ said Gavin. ‘Now that Mother is not going to marry Mr Ridley.’
‘Mother will marry hum,’ said Nevill, ‘and have a nice house and not this one.’
‘Other people will live in it,’ said Honor.
‘Not other people,’ said Nevill.’ Mr Ridley wouldn’t let them.’
‘Perhaps he will live in it alone.’
‘No, not alone. He would be very angry.’
‘Which do you like best, Mr Ridley or Father?’ said Gavin suddenly to Eleanor, seeking to remedy his own situation by bringing forward hers.
‘Father is my husband,’ said Eleanor, without hesitation, ‘and we have always loved each other, and we always shall. But Ridley was good to me when I thought Father could not return, and I shall always be grateful to him. Some day you will understand.’
‘I understand now,’ said Honor. ‘He kept it a secret about Father’s coming back, so that he could marry you before people knew. He yielded to temptation.’
‘Now I think you may run away,’ said Eleanor, stroking her hair.
‘What did Mr Ridley do?’ said Gavin, in a low tone to his sister.
‘I will tell you when we are upstairs.’
‘Now you may run away,’ said Eleanor again. ‘You will always feel kindly to him.’
‘I haven’t said I shall,’ said Gavin.
‘I have no antipathy to him,’ said Honor.
‘Now I said you could run away,’ said Eleanor. ‘You may kiss Father before you go.’
‘He will kiss Mother too,’ said Nevill, coming up to her. ‘And Mr Ridley come back soon, and never go away again.’
‘Now I said you could run away.’
‘Do you think you were right, dear?’ said Hope.
‘Tell Hatton and Mullet that I will come up later and see them,’ said Fulbert, as he parted from his children.
‘He will tell them,’ said Nevill, and ran before the others from the room.
‘I think I ought to go home, Mother,’ said Faith. ‘I have a feeling that someone should be with Ridley.’
‘I am glad you take the noble course, dear. It improves our family average. And it seems to need it.’
Faith went with a grave face towards the door. Sir Jesse rose and without looking at anyone did the same, as if he found it easier to follow a lead. Regan got up a minute later, and putting her knitting easily together, smiled on the company and followed. Paul came from the back of the room, as if released from some bondage.
‘Well, I am going to take my wife away,’ said Fulbert. ‘I have a leaning towards my own armchair. It is many months since I have sat in it. And if I leave her, other people form designs upon her. I have been happy in having my friends to welcome me. And I wish you joy of your gossip; it should be a good one.’
‘It should be wonderful,’ said Hope, coming quickly to the centre of the group. ‘And as we all have a relation disgraced, it will not be spoiled by personal embarrassment. I have not dared to dwell on our own family dishonour.’
‘Perhaps we never shall,’ said Paul. ‘Then we shall be saved a great deal. Poor boy! Poor boy!’
‘The exposure of two people upon one occasion must be very rare,’ said Daniel.
‘We so seldom get any exposure at all,’ said Paul.
‘It is better for it all to happen together,’ said Graham. ‘Better for the exposed people, I mean.’
‘They are saved from that sense of loneliness,’ said Hope. ‘Men’s lives are evidently what they are supposed to be. And some have the misfortune to be found out. It is all true.’
‘People should keep their darker times to themselves,’ said Daniel.
‘They are certainly not well advised to be photographed at one of them,’ said Paul.
‘Would it be better not to talk about it?’ said Faith.
‘Nothing could be so bad,’ said Hope. ‘And it is because you think so that you have not gone to Ridley.’
‘I thought we should all be going soon, Mother.’