Embarrassments

Embarrassments, by Henry
James

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Embarrassments, by Henry James
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Embarrassments
Author: Henry James
Release Date: June 25, 2007 [EBook #21932]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
EMBARRASSMENTS ***

Produced by David Widger

EMBARRASSMENTS
By Henry James
1896

Contents
The Figure in the Carpet
Glasses
The Next Time
The Way it Came

THE FIGURE IN THE CARPET

I
I had done a few things and earned a few pence--I had perhaps even
had time to begin to think I was finer than was perceived by the
patronising; but when I take the little measure of my course (a fidgety
habit, for it's none of the longest yet) I count my real start from the
evening George Corvick, breathless and worried, came in to ask me a
service. He had done more things than I, and earned more pence,
though there were chances for cleverness I thought he sometimes
missed. I could only however that evening declare to him that he never
missed one for kindness. There was almost rapture in hearing it
proposed to me to prepare for _The Middle, the organ of our
lucubrations, so called from the position in the week of its day of
appearance, an article for which he had made himself responsible and
of which, tied up with a stout string, he laid on my table the subject. I
pounced upon my opportunity--that is on the first volume of it--and
paid scant attention to my friend's explanation of his appeal. What
explanation could be more to the point than my obvious fitness for the
task? I had written on Hugh Vereker, but never a word in The Middle,
where my dealings were mainly with the ladies and the minor poets.
This was his new novel, an advance copy, and whatever much or little
it should do for his reputation I was clear on the spot as to what it

should do for mine. Moreover, if I always read him as soon as I could
get hold of him, I had a particular reason for wishing to read him now:
I had accepted an invitation to Bridges for the following Sunday, and it
had been mentioned in Lady Jane's note that Mr. Vereker was to be
there. I was young enough to have an emotion about meeting a man of
his renown, and innocent enough to believe the occasion would
demand the display of an acquaintance with his "last."
Corvick, who had promised a review of it, had not even had time to
read it; he had gone to pieces in consequence of news requiring--as on
precipitate reflection he judged--that he should catch the night-mail to
Paris. He had had a telegram from Gwendolen Erme in answer to his
letter offering to fly to her aid. I knew already about Gwendolen Erme;
I had never seen her, but I had my ideas, which were mainly to the
effect that Corvick would marry her if her mother would only die. That
lady seemed now in a fair way to oblige him; after some dreadful
mistake about some climate or some waters, she had suddenly
collapsed on the return from abroad. Her daughter, unsupported and
alarmed, desiring to make a rush for home but hesitating at the risk,
had accepted our friend's assistance, and it was my secret belief that at
the sight of him Mrs. Erme would pull round. His own belief was
scarcely to be called secret; it discernibly at any rate differed from
mine. He had showed me Gwendolen's photograph with the remark that
she wasn't pretty but was awfully interesting; she had published at the
age of nineteen a novel in three volumes, "Deep Down," about which,
in The Middle, he had been really splendid. He appreciated my present
eagerness and undertook that the periodical in question should do no
less; then at the last, with his hand on the door, he said to me: "Of
course you'll be all right, you know." Seeing I was a trifle vague he
added: "I mean you won't be silly."
"Silly--about Vereker! Why, what do I ever find him but awfully
clever?"
"Well, what's that but silly? What on earth does 'awfully clever' mean?
For God's sake try to get at him. Don't let him suffer by our
arrangement. Speak of him, you know, if you can, as should have

spoken of him."
I wondered an instant. "You mean as far and away the biggest of the
lot--that sort of