Sealed Lips — page 118: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

110 SHALED LIPS. At first Patrice felt somewhat bitter to think that he was not the first in his friend’s confidence. Nevertheless he was delighted at the salutary change, and even on his own account, for his ex- istence was less laborious. His thankless task of consoler, according to all appearances, was ended. There was no necessity of talking for hours to Godefroid to convince him that his illness was only a temporary fatigue and that he would live to bea hundred years old, that the public were only await- ing his re-establishment to health to vehemently demand the reproduction of “Constantin.” The important question between these two men at this time was the future, a peaceable life in the country perhaps, then there were appraisements to be made, columns to add up, and investments to be looked after. Anybody, to hear them talk, would think he was in a merchant’s office, computing his profits and trying to find outif the time had come to sell his stock and live on his income. It was not an easy work, for the composer had never had a stock broker or a regular notary. The disorder common to allartists was to be found in him, but not of the ordinary kind, for Godefroid placed his capital, and then lost sight of it, even neglecting to coJlect his dividends. In the end, after looking over memoranda, exam- ining certificates of deposit in twenty different banks and adding the balance to his credit, Patrice ended by obtaining a sum which astonished him. GOmichboo KS Gom