ruin their affairs were in apparently confusion owing to barking s reckless speculations while to add to the � the far horizon general confusion that young man had broken down utterly from nervous and was at the present time incapable of the slightest mental or physical exertion things were at a under these terrible circumstances sir barking wrote i turn to you my good friend as a person intimately acquainted with the operation of our firm your experience may be of service to us in this crisis and in virtue of the many benefits you have received from us in the past i claim your assistance in my own name and that of my partners i offer to you in your former position but with enlarged powers it has always been my endeavour as you are well aware to reward merit and to treat those in our employment with generosity and consideration you will be glad i am sure to embrace this opportunity of in some small measure your debt towards me and mine more followed to the same effect neither the taste of the writer nor his manner of expression was happy of this was quite sensible patronage especially after his period of independence was far from agreeable to him yet behind the the and phrases his ear detected a very human cry of fear and cry for help should he doing his best to that fear and render that help he rose still holding the letter in his hand and paced the room of his own ability to render effective help were he allowed freedom of action entertained little doubt � always supposing that the situation did not prove even worse than he had present reason for supposing it was not difficult to see how the trouble had come about the senior partners into false security by prosperity had grown and sooner in their opinion might the stars fall from i than the august house of barking prove of the far horizon s foundation or capable of to hint at this even as a remote possibility was little short of their amiable nephew meanwhile had regarded them as a flock of fat eminently fitted for he let them complacently hiss and congratulate themselves upon their worldly wisdom and conspicuous while all the time silently diligently now awakening suddenly to the fact of their they were in a terrible taking very sore poor birds and quite past that feathers grow again if the system is sound and the health to these purse proud middle aged gentlemen presented a spectacle at once pathetic and humorous in their present sad plight a calm head and clear judgment might do much to their position and a calm head and cool judgment he was confident of possessing only was he after all disposed to place these useful possessions at their service for in the last nine months habits and outlook had changed the were altered it would be far harder to return to the monotonous routine of business life now � even though a fine revenge a delicate of coals of fire accompanied that return � than it had been to part company with it last year loneliness the induced by absence of definite employment no longer oppressed him holy church had cured all that giving him a definite place and definite purpose beautiful duties of prayer and worship the restrained yet continuous excitement of the pushing forward of soul and spirit upon the fair strange daily journey towards the far horizon and the friendship of almighty god his retirement had become very dear to him since it afforded scope for the conscious of that journey s state of mind j the far horizon in short was that of the lover who any and every outside demand which may even his attention from the object of his love street the glass and mahogany walled and the moral atmosphere of them � money getting and of this world worldly � were not these to the journey upon which he had set forth and the habit of mind necessary to the successful of it there was st john too and the closer relation of friendship into which he had just entered with her this must not be neglected and thinking of her he could not but think of that younger son of the great house barking and his dealings with her � enjoying her as long as it suited him to do so leaving her as soon as his passion cooled and a more advantageous social connection presented itself towards the handsome young soldier was it must be owned somewhat merciless why should he go to the rescue of this young s family and indirectly his marriage and increase its promise of happiness by helping to secure him an otherwise vanishing fortune let him pay the price of his pleasures and become a such a admitted he personally could face with entire resignation and yet � yet � on closer examination were not these reasons against undertaking the work offered him based upon personal personal rather than upon plain right and wrong and consequently were they not to justify and refusal that earlier dream of his on the night following his dismissal last year came back to him with its touching memories of the narrow town garden behind the old house in holland street � the golden the shallow stone basin beloved of poor dear and his s box the far horizon infernal machine and very crude methods of the age old quarrel between capital and labour on that occasion the lonely little boy though at risk of grave injury to himself had not hesitated to save the ill favoured grey cat � which bore in speech and appearance so queer a likeness to sir barking � f rom the ugly fate awaiting it he had gathered it in his arms pitying and striving to heal it was the child by instinct finer nobler more 