Scotland,
Spain, and France, the artist in him painted pictures for
Warburton--painted with old ableness and abandon, and, Warburton
thought, with a new subtlety. The friend hugged his knees and enjoyed
it like a well-done play. Here was Rullock's ancient spirit, grown
more richly appealing! Trouble at least had not downed him. Warburton,
who in the past year had been thrown in contact with a number whom it
had downed, and who had suffered depression thereby, felt gratitude to
Ian Rullock for being larger, not smaller, than usual.
At last, the fire still burning, Ian warmed and refreshed, they
wheeled from retrospect into the present. Warburton revealed how
thoroughly shattered were Stewart hopes.
"I begin to see, Rullock, that we've simply passed those things by. We
can't go back to that state of mind and affairs."
"I don't want to go back."
"I like to hear you say that. I hear so much whining the other way!
Well, as a movement it's over.... And the dead are dead, and the
scarred and impoverished will have to pick themselves up."
"Quite so. Is there any immediate helping hand?"
"King Louis gives a pension. It's not much, but it keeps one from
starving. And as for you, I've in keeping a packet for you from
England. It reached me through Goodworth, the India merchant. I've a
notion that your family will manage to put in your hand some annual
amount.
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