CHAPTER XVIII.
George Wentworth was a very much better man than John Kenyon to undertake
the commercial task they hoped to accomplish. Wentworth had mixed with
men, and was not afraid of them. Although he had suffered keenly from the
little episode on the steamer, and although at that trying time he
appeared to but poor advantage so far as an exhibition of courage was
concerned, the reason was largely because the blow had been dealt him by
a woman, and not by a man. If one of Wentworth's fellow-men so far forgot
himself as to make an insulting or cutting remark to him, Wentworth
merely shrugged his shoulders and thought no more about it. On the other
hand, notwithstanding his somewhat cold and calm exterior, John Kenyon
was as sensitive as a child, and a rebuff such as he received from the
Longworths was enough to depress him for a week. He had been a student
all his life, and had not yet learnt the valuable lesson of knowing how
to look at men's actions with an eye to proportion. Wentworth said to
himself that nobody's opinion amounted to very much, but Kenyon knew too
little of his fellows to have arrived at this comforting conclusion.
George Wentworth closed his door when he was alone, drew the mass of
papers, which Kenyon had left, towards him on his desk, and proceeded
systematically to find a flaw in them if possible. He said to himself: 'I
must attack this thing without enthusiasm, and treat Kenyon as if he were
a thief.
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