therefore
absolutely honest. And he called his creditors together while he could
yet pay them twenty shillings in the pound. It was a noble act, rare
enough in the Five Towns and in other parts of England. But he received
no praise for it. He had only done what every man in his position ought
to do. If Horace had failed for ten times the sum that his debts
actually did amount to, and then paid two shillings in the pound
instead of twenty, he would have made a stir in the world and been
looked up to as no ordinary man of business.

Having settled his affairs in this humdrum, idiotic manner, Horace took
a third-class return to Llandudno. Sidney and Ella were staying at the
hydro with the strange Welsh name, and he found Sidney lolling on the
sunshiny beach in front of the hydro discoursing on the banjo to
himself. When asked where his wife was, Sidney replied that she was
lying down, and was obliged to rest as much as possible.

Horace, ashamed to trouble this domestic idyl, related his misfortunes
as airily as he could.

And Sidney said he was awfully sorry, and had no notion how matters
stood, and could he do anything for Horace? If so, Horace might--

'No,' said Horace. 'I'm all right. I've very fortunately got an
excellent place as manager in a big new manufactory in Germany.' (This
is how we deal with German competition in the Five Towns.)

'Germany?' cried Sidney.

'Yes,' said Horace; 'and I start the day after tomorrow.'

'Well,' said Sidney, 'at any rate you'll stay the night.'

'Thanks,' said Horace, 'you're very kind. I will.'

So they went into the hydro together, Sidney caressing his wonderful
new pearl-inlaid banjo; and Horace talked in low tones to Ella as she
lay on the sofa. He convinced Ella that his departure to Germany was
the one thing he had desired all his life, because it was not good that
Ella should be startled, shocked, or grieved.

They dined well.

But in the night Sidney had a recurrence of his old illness--a bad
attack; and Horace sat up through the dark hours, fetched the doctor,
and bought things at the chemist's. Towards morning Sidney was better.
And Horace, standing near the bed, gazed at his stepbrother and tried
in his stupid way to read the secrets beneath that curly hair. But he
had no success. He caught himself calculating how much Sidney had cost
him, at periods of his career when he could ill spare money; and,
having caught himself, he was angry with himself for such