"
"We won't quarrel about that," rejoined Alexander, with a merry
look. "But come now, why don't you let a fellow hear from you now
and then? What are you doing? Going back among the Muscovites?"
"Straight back to Odessa, yes."
"I may look you up there some day, if Biddy can spare me for a few
weeks. A glimpse of the bear--it might be useful to me. Terrible
savages I suppose?"
Piers laughed impatiently, and gave no other answer.
"Well, the one thing I really wanted to say, Piers--you _must_ let
me say it--I, for one, shall take a strong stand about your moral
rights in this business here, Of course your claim is every bit as
good as ours; only a dunder-headed jackass would see it in any other
way. Daniel quite agrees with me. The difficulty will be that woman.
A terrible woman! She regards you as sealed for perdition by the
mere fact of your birth. But you will hear from us, old boy, be sure
of that. Give me your Muscovite address."
Piers carelessly gave it. He was paying hardly any attention to his
brother's talk, and would have felt it waste of energy to reassert
what he had said in the formal conclave. Weariness had come upon him
after these days of grief and indignant tumult; he wanted to be
alone.
The portrait for which he had asked was very quickly found. It lay
in a drawer, locked away among other mementoes of the past. With a
shock of disappointment, Piers saw that the old photograph had faded
almost to invisibility.
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