Darius, Big James, and Edwin stared in the morning sunshine at the
aperture of the window and listened.
"Nay!" said Big James, after an eternity. "He's saved it! He's saved
th' old shop! But by gum--by gum--"
Darius turned to Edwin, and tried to say something; and then Edwin saw
his father's face working into monstrous angular shapes, and saw the
tears spurt out of his eyes, and was clutched convulsively in his
father's shirt-sleeved arms. He was very proud, very pleased, but he
did not like this embrace; it made him feel ashamed. He thought how
Clara would have sniggered about it and caricatured it afterwards, had
she witnessed it. And although he had incontestably done something
which was very wonderful and very heroic, and which proved in him the
most extraordinary presence of mind, he could not honestly glorify
himself in his own heart, because it appeared to him that he had acted
exactly like an automaton. He blankly marvelled, and thought the
situation agreeably thrilling, if somewhat awkward. His father let him
go. Then all Edwin's feelings gave place to an immense stupefaction at
his father's truly remarkable behaviour. What! His father emotional!
He had to begin to revise again his settled views.