"but it doesn t, my dear child, very greatly en
lighten me. You don t, you know, really tell me
anything. It's so vague that what am I to think
but that you may very well be mistaken? What
has he done, if no one can name it?"

"He has done everything."

"Oh everything! Everything's nothing."

"Well then," said Kate, " he has done some par
ticular thing. It's known only, thank God, not
to us. But it has been the end of him. You could
doubtless find out with a little trouble. You can
ask about."

Densher for a moment said nothing; but the
next moment he made it up. " I wouldn't find out
for the world, and I'd rather lose my tongue than
put a question."

"And yet it's a part of me," said Kate.

"A part of you?"

"My father's dishonour." Then she sounded
for him, but more deeply than ever yet, her note
of proud, still pessimism. " How can such a thing
as that not be the great thing in one's life?"

She had to take from him again, on this, one of
his long looks, and she took it to its deepest, its
headiest dregs. " I shall ask you, for the great
thing in your life," he said, " to depend on me a little
more." After which, just hesitating, " Doesn't he
belong to some club? " he inquired.

She had a grave headshake. " He used to to ??
many."

[[77]]

p076 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p077w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p078

v?