And yet he dreaded to arrive, lest a wound in the child's
leg should have maliciously decided to fester in order to put him in
the wrong. He was now as apprehensive concerning that wound as Nellie
herself had been at tea-time.
But, in his mind, above the dark gulf of anxiety, there floated
brighter thoughts. Despite his fears and his remorse as a father, he
laughed aloud in the deserted street when he remembered Mr. Bryany's
visage of astonishment upon uncreasing the note. Indubitably he had
made a terrific and everlasting impression upon Mr. Bryany. He was
sending Mr. Bryany out of the Five Towns a different man. He had
taught Mr. Bryany a thing or two. To what brilliant use had he turned
the purely accidental possession of a hundred-pound note! One of his
finest inspirations--an inspiration worthy of the great days of
his youth! Yes, he had had his hour that evening, and it had been a
glorious one. Also, it had cost him a hundred pounds, and he did
not care; he would retire to bed with a net gain of two hundred and
forty-one pounds instead of three hundred and forty-one pounds--that
was all!
For he did not mean to take up the option. The ecstasy was cooled
now and he saw clearly that London and theatrical enterprises therein
would not be suited to his genius. In the Five Towns he was on his own
ground; he was a figure; he was sure of himself.
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