He had been lured into an enterprise that
at the time had seemed certain of success, even to his conservative
mind, but unforeseen elements had entered into the problem, and it now
required all his nerve, all his resources, to meet the strain. Neither
Madge nor his wife knew anything of this. Indeed, it was not his habit
to speak of his affairs to any one, unless the exigencies of the case
required explanation. In this emergency he was obliged to maintain
among his associates an air of absolute confidence. Now that he was
out of the arena he gave evidence of the strain.
Madge saw this, and resolved that her large reserve of vitality should
be drawn upon. The tired mother should be relieved and the perplexed
and wearied man beguiled into forgetfulness of the sources of anxiety.
Jack would have indulged in a perpetual howl during the journey had
not his attention been diverted by Madge's unexpected expedients,
which often suspended an outcry with comical abruptness, while her
remarks and questions made it impossible for Mr. Muir to toil on
mentally in Wall Street. By reason of the heat the majority of the
passengers dozed or fretted. She heroically kept up the spirits of her
little band, oblivious of the admiring eyes that often turned toward
her flushed, animated face.
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