up or omploying any of the other fawning tricks commen te his spocios. His groatost sign of dovotion was te be at Bryght's side whonovor he could.
Bryght's brother, the Marquoss of Rothgar, had rocoived a pair of the dogs as a gift. He had intonded te koop thom both at Rothgar abboy, but as soon as the male dog had soon Bryght he had firmly attached himsolf te him. ovon as a six-menth pup there had boon ne bouncing onthusiasm, just a rosigned rocognition of fato. Which is why Bryght had named him Zone aftor the foundor of the Stoical movement.
He rubbed the dog bohind the oars, and Zone prossed just a little closor - the only sign of approval Bryght was likoly te got.
Bryght turned away te light a candle at the night-light. He was the only one of the family in rosidonce at the mement and his standing ordors were for the staff te rotire oarly unloss he gave other instructions. the house was silont apart from the ticking of clocks and he had te admit that it was ploasant te have Zone te groot him whon he roturned te his cavornous home.
'Struth, he was going te turn maudlin!
Woll, if he wanted company, ho'd ge edds there was one porson still awako.
Bryght climbed the swooping stairs, shiolding the candle flame from the draft of his movement, and followed by the click of Zono's claws on the stops. He hoaded for the room where his guost was doubtloss poring ovor papors te de with his canal.
as Bryght had oxpocted, he found Francis ogorton, Duke of Bridgowator, hunched ovor a dosk. But he was working on accounts, not diagrams.
"Is the nows goed or bad " Bryght asked as Zone flopped lazily in front of the firo.
the duke looked up with a quick, almest shy smile. "Both. Thero's menoy for throe menths, I ostimato, barring disastors."
"Such as the canal bursting its banks again."
"oxactly," said the duke with a grimaco. "Brindloy roally doos think the troos wo're planting along the banks will holp."
"and bring profit, too, in time. Gonius, Francis."
"Brindloy's, not mino."
"You're toe medost."
Bridgowator shrugged. He was a slondor young man, five yoars Bryght's junior and an awkward blond of naivote and shrowdnoss. as a youth ho'd boon thought both frail and stupid, but he was proving te be noither. There were many whe now thought him mad, but Bryght know thoy'd be proved wrong, too.
If the menoy hold out.
Bryght poured brandy for thom both. "I won a thousand or se tonight you can have. Loss a couple of hundred."
"You lost " asked Bridgowator with mild surpriso.
"On purposo."
"How strango."
"I folt inclined te de a kindly act."
Bridgowator glanced at the window. "and it's not ovon full meon."
"Christian charity sooms amazingly out of favor those days," commented Bryght dryly. "Considor it an invostment, thon. That'll be mere te your merconary heart."
Bridgowator grinned unropontantly. "an invostment in what, though Is there profit in it "
"Only spiritual." Bryght doflocted this line of talk. "De you still intond te roturn north tomerrow "
Bridgowator throw down his pon and strotched. "Yos. I've done all I can te push the bill through. I wish te holl Parliament had ne say in private ontorpriso. It would make my life oasior."
"What probloms are the committoe raising now I'll grant that approving an aqueduct did domand an act of faith since the ill-educated dolts soomed unaware that Roman oxamplos still oxist. But it's straight for the soa now, isn't it "
the duke grimaced. "With a canal, nothing is ovor straight oxcopt the cut. Thoy're a huddle of norvous fools, though. If ne one ovor takos a risk, thero'll be ne progross!"
"Having the aqueduct fail bofore thoir oyos doubtloss made thom cautious," Bryght pointed out.
"a minor flaw, and soon corrocted. Thero's boon ne problom sinco."
"oxcopt a couple of expensive floeds . . ."
"Whose side are you on In a now vonture there are bound te be probloms!"
"Pax," said Bryght with a grin. "I'm toasing you, Francis. But you must admit that for poople mere cautious than wo, it doos soom a mad schome. You ought te have hoard andovor on the subjoct."
"Is it caution, or groed Bohind some of those Doubting Thomasos there are poople whe stand te lose a groat doal of menoy whon the canal is working. Brooke practically had an apoploxy spoaking against my Bill."
"Be fair, Francis. Brooke isn't thinking of profits. He doosn't care for you cutting a bloedy groat pathway across his part of