55
"All at once my mother drew me from my gloomy thoughts.
"'You are not going to the office to-day, if you do not feel well,' said she, after a while."
"What! you were in trade then, were you?"
"Yes, my father had left me a very profitable business, and a most trustworthy and excellent manager who for years had been the soul of the house. I was then twenty-two, and my part in the concern was to pocket the lion's share of the profits. Still, I must say I not only had never been lazy, but, moreover, was rather serious for a young man of my age, and, above all, in my circumstances. I had but one hobby—a most harmless one. I was fond of old majolica, old fans, and old lace, of which I have now a rather fine collection."
"The finest one I ever saw."
"Well, I went to the office as usual, but do what I could it was quite impossible for me to settle down to any kind of work.
"Teleny's vision was mixing itself up with whatever I happened to be doing, muddling every-
