The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change: Scaling Ecological Energetics From Organism To The Biosphere 1st Edition David E. Reichle
The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change: Scaling Ecological Energetics From Organism To The Biosphere 1st Edition David E. Reichle
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The Global
Carbon Cycle and
Climate Change
Scaling Ecological Energetics from
Organism to Biosphere
David E. Reichle
Associate Director, retired
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Elsevier
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Notices
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experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional
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Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in
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ISBN: 978-0-12-820244-9
Figure 3.1 Energy exchange of the Earth and atmosphere for the northern hemisphere
(100 units ¼ 0.485 cal cm2 min1) based upon a solar constant value of
1.94 cal cm2 min1 17
Figure 3.2 Global map of global horizontal radiation on the earth’s surface, kWm2. 19
Figure 3.3 Radiation exchange for a leaf. 19
Figure 3.4 The boundary layer between a leaf and its environment. 25
Figure 3.5 The oak forest of Virelles-Blaimont energy balance from 25 May to 24
October, 1967 (cal cm2). So, extraatmosphere solar radiation on a
horizontal surface (short waves); aSo, extraatmospheric solar radiation
reflected by Earth-atmosphere system; Soabs, solar radiation absorbed by
atmosphere; S, direct solar radiation on a horizontal surface; U,
extraatmospheric upward radiation (long waves); D, diffuse scattered
radiation on a horizontal surface (short waves); G, global radiation on a
horizontal surface (S þ D) (short waves); Te, terrestrial radiation (long
waves); A, atmospheric radiation (long waves); aS, reflected solar
radiation; aD, reflected diffuse radiation, aG, reflected global radiation;
aNA, reflected atmospheric radiation; apG, global radiation utilized in net
photosynthesis; Q1, short-wave radiation balance (G - aG); Q2, long-wave
radiation balance (A - Te); Q, short- and long-wave radiation balance
(G - aG þ A - aNA - Te); QG, sensible heat flux in soil; QV, sensible heat
flux in vegetation; K, sensible heat turbulent flux; V, latent heat in
evapotranspiration; QR, latent heat in water condensation; Qh, advective
sensible heat; Qprec, sensible heat flux in precipitation water. Parameters of
the stand (per ha): biomass, 156 ton; net primary production (ground), 14.6
ton. Exchange aerial surfaces (ha ha1): foliage (2 faces) of trees, 14; bark
of trees, 2; herb layer, 2; litter, 1.5; total exchange surfaces (except litter,
18 haha1). Figures in brackets are estimated values (metric ton ¼ 106 g). 35
Figure 3.6 Energy exchange for a lizard in its natural desert environment, showing the
energy flows to the desert surface and to the lizard. 37
Figure 3.7 Core-shell (two-layer) model for a lizard and a schematic representation of
the thermal energy flows with its environment (Porter et al., 1973). 39
Figure 3.8 Model predicted seasonal behavior patterns for the desert iguana,
Diposaurus dorsalis, compared to behavioral observations shown as
solid bars. 40
Figure 4.1 Electromagnetic wavelength distribution of radiant energy. 44
Figure 4.2 Schematic of a chloroplast from a plant cell. 46
Figure 4.3 Photosystem II, the photolysis of H2O, and Photosystem I, producer of
ATP and NADPH, both occurring in the thylakoid membrane of the
chloroplast. 47
Figure 4.4 The Calvin cycle. Atoms are: black - carbon, white - hydrogen,
red - oxygen, pink - phosphorus. 48
Figure 4.5 ADP-ATP cycle fueled by the glycolysis of a glucose substrate. 50
xiii
xiv List of figures
Figure 5.1 Relationship between enthalpy (H), free energy (G), and entropy (S). 56
Figure 5.2 Summary of anaerobic respiration: the metabolic pathway of glycolysis. 60
Figure 5.3 The citric acid or Kreb’s cycle. 61
Figure 5.4 Radioactive elimination curve for two cryptozoan species (Parcoblatta sp.,
the wood roach, and Sphaeroderus stenostomus, a snail-feeding carabid
ground beetle) fed with 134Cs isotope-tagged food. 70
Figure 5.5 Idealized relationship between the metabolic rate of a mouse and
environmental temperature. BMR, basal metabolic rate; MR, maximal
rate; Tlc, lower critical temperature; Tuc, upper critical temperature; Tb,
body temperature. 75
Figure 5.6 Energy flow in an organism showing the categories of energy allocation
and loss. 76
Figure 6.1 Chemical reaction rate plotted against temperature, C, change. 81
Figure 6.2 Comparison of respiration and photosynthesis with temperature. 82
Figure 6.3 Response of ectotherms and endotherms to increasing temperature. 83
Figure 6.4 The phenology, leaf expansion and senescence, and biomass growth
components of a soybean simulation model interact dynamically and
demonstrate how each are influenced by weather variables. TDM, Total
above ground dry matter, RDM, Below ground dry matter, LDM, Leaf dry
matter, STDM, Stem dry matter, SDM, Seed dry matter, CG, Crop growth,
SG, Seed Growth, MG, Relative maturity group, Stem Term, Stem
termination type (Indeterminate vs Semi-determinate), RH, Relative
humidity, ET, Reference evapotranspiration, Irrig., Irrigation. 90
Figure 6.5 Flowering phenophases in a temperate deciduous forest. 91
Figure 6.6 Phenological degree-day summation predicting flowering for 133 species
of vascular plants in an oak-hickory forest at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. 92
Figure 7.1 Scheme of matter and/or energy flow for a food chain or trophic level. MR,
total material removed by the organism or population; NU, material
removed, but not consumed; C, consumption; FU, rejecta; F, egesta; U,
excreta; A, assimilation; D, digested energy/material; P, production; Pg,
production due to body growth; Pr, production due to reproduction; R,
respiration; DB, changes in mass of the individual or population; E,
elimination. Nomenclature after Petrusewicz and Macfadyen, 1970. 98
Figure 7.2 The time delays between peaks of radioactivity concentrations in trophic
levels reflect the temporal delay in the flux of energy along food chains. 99
Figure 7.3 Fluctuation of biomass and numbers of a hypothetical population in time.
Assumptions are: a life span of 3 years, one litter per year, maturation in
1 year, completion of growth of young in 4 months, and a stable
population and reproductive rate from year to year. The insert shows
partitioning of biomass for net production per year. The net production
exceeds the biomass peak because of the production of animals dying prior
to the time of biomass peak. BO, biomass of current generation; B1,2 . n,
cumulative biomass from earlier generations; EO, elimination and MR,
material removed by predation. 104
Figure 7.4 Food web showing the interactions between organisms across trophic
levels in the Lake Ontario ecosystem. Primary producers are outlined in
green, primary consumers in orange, secondary consumers in blue, and
tertiary (apex) consumers in purple. Arrows point from an organism that is
consumed to the organism that consumes it. 105
Figure 7.5 A stylized trophic level pyramid with the area in each level representing
biomass or chemical energy content. 108
Figure 7.6 Ecological pyramids comparing biomass and energy for trophic levels
from different aquatic ecosystems. Notation: C1, primary consumer; C2,
secondary consumer; C3, tertiary consumer; P, Producer; S, saprotroph. 109
List of figures xv
Table 2.1 Units of measure for energy in its various forms and transformations. 6
Table 3.1 Transmission (langleys min1) of direct solar radiation through a canopy of
red pine plantation. 20
Table 3.2 Total emissivity, ε, all wavelengths and short-wave absorptivity of common
bodies occurring in the natural environment (Handbook of Chemistry and
Physics). 23
Table 3.3 Typical albedo values for environmental surfaces on earth. 24
Table 3.4 Typical thermal conductivities of environmental media, biological
constituents, and other reference materials at ordinary temperatures. 25
Table 3.5 Convection coefficients (cal cm2 min1 oC) for free convection in laminar
flow. DT is the temperature difference in oC between the surface of the object
and the surrounding air. L is the dimension of the plate in the direction of
flow. 26
Table 3.6 Rates of heat transfer (cal.cm2min1) for forced convection across a flat
plate as a model for a plant leaf in the environment. Values
(cal.cm2min1) are a function of the temperature differential between
surface and air, dimension of the surface, and wind speed. 27
Table 4.1 The energy value of different wavelengths of solar radiation. 45
Table 4.2 Efficiencies of photosynthetic radiant energy conversion into biomass by
plants. 53
Table 5.1 Summary of aerobic respiration: The efficiency of ATP production by
glycolysis. 62
Table 5.2 Thermal equivalents (kcal L1) for different compounds. 64
Table 5.3 Heats of combustion to H2O (L) and CO2 (g) at 25 C and constant pressure. 66
Table 5.4 Energy values for plant parts and animal taxa. 68
Table 5.5 Food assimilation for different foods and by different trophic level
consumers reported in the scientific literature. 69
Table 5.6 Values for the body weight exponential function, b, for different animal
types. 72
Table 5.7 The relationship between food energy and heat production, the calorigenic
effect or specific dynamic action (SDA), in a dog fed 100 kcal day-1 of
lean meat (protein) [columns 1-4], compared with the food energy and heat
production equivalents to be obtained from a pure fat [columns 5-6] or
carbohydrate [columns 7-8] diet. 73
Table 5.8 Comparison of dietary energy utilization in the domestic pig and cow (values
are % food energy ingested). 77
Table 5.9 Rate of production and production efficiency in relation to dietary energy
intake in farmed animals. 78
xvii
xviii List of tables
Table 6.1 The development time of sea urchin eggs as a function of temperature
demonstrates how energy (heat) affects biological processes, and how
acclimation to warmer summer temperatures, or cooler winter temperatures,
affects development. Natural populations of Paracentrotus lividus range
between 13 C28 C. 85
Table 6.2 Some examples of adaptive strategies of plants and animals to their energy
environment. 86
Table 6.3 Some aspects of an energy budget for hummingbirds. 88
Table 7.1 Comparison of productivity between mouse, deer, and elephant. 104
Table 7.2 Ecological energetic efficiencies. 110
Table 7.3 Values reported for ecological energetic efficiencies for different trophic
levels. 112
Table 7.4 Calculated ingestion, production, respiration, and egestion by heterotrophs in
a grassland ecosystem in kcal m2 yr1 per 100 kcal m1 yr1 net annual
primary production. 113
Table 7.5 Ecological energetic efficiencies for three different ecosystems
(cal cm2 yr1). 116
Table 8.1 Comparison of the carbon budgets of five aquatic ecosystems: Spartina Salt
Marsh, GA (Teal, 1962); Silver Springs, FL (Odum, 1957); oligotrophic
Lake Eckarfjärden, Sweden (Andersson and Kumblad, 2006); Lake
Washington, WA (Eggers et al., 1978); eutrophic Lake Lawrence, MI
(Wetzel and Rich, 1973). Units are: fluxes in kg C m2 yr1, standing crop in
kg C m1). 132
Table 8.2 Mean values and ranges for GPP, RE, and NEP for aquatic ecosystems Values
are g O2 m2 day1). 142
Table 8.3 Comparison of the carbon budgets of eight terrestrial ecosystems: Spruce
Forest, Sweden (Karlberg et al., 2007); Mesic Tulip Poplar forest, TN
(Reichle et al., 1973); Oak-Pine forest, NY (Woodwell and Botkin, 1970);
Tropical Rain Forest, Thailand (Tan et al., 2010); Shortgrass Prairie, CO
(Andrews et al., 1974); Tundra (after Reichle, 1975); Agricultural
ecosystems values from L. Ryszkowski (Reichle, 1981). Units are: fluxes in
kg C m2 yr1, standing crop in kg C m2). 143
Table 8.4 Comparative metabolic parameters for six different forest ecosystems. All
values above the dotted line are in kg C m2 and kg C m2 yr1; values
below the dotted line are dimensionless indices. 147
Table 8.5 Comparison carbon fluxes of five forest ecosystem using eddy covariance:
WB¼Walker Branch; TN, MMSF ¼ Morgan Monroe State Forest, IN;
HF¼Harvard Forest, MA; UMBS¼University of Michigan Biological
Station, MI; WC¼Willow Creek, WI. Units are: fluxes in kg C m2 yr1,
standing crop in kg Cm2. 150
Table 9.1 Conversion factors of units of measure for mass and energy values. 159
Table 9.2 Summary of global area, annual net primary production (NPP), plant carbon
content, and soil carbon content in broadly categorized terrestrial
ecosystems. 162
Table 9.3 Primary production and biomass estimates for the biosphere. 164
Table 9.4 Net primary productivity in the ocean. 167
Table 9.5 Secondary production (NSP) by consumers in different ecosystems. Values
are for specific consumer groups, except where indicated by
“A” ¼ productivity for the entire animal trophic level. 170
Table 9.6 Various estimates of total global production in carbon and energy units. 172
Table 9.7 Ranking of the net primary productivity of the biomes based upon the values
reported by the references cited in Chapter 8 and Tables 9.2 and 9.3. 173
List of tables xix
Table 9.8 Biomass of ecosystems of the main biomes each with distinct vegetative
structure. Metric ton ha1 (¼ 102 g m2). 176
Table 10.1 Values, and uncertainties of parameters, in the global carbon cycle. 189
Table 10.2 Units of measure for the global carbon cycle. 191
Table 10.3 Atmospheric carbon dioxide fluxes (Gt C yr1 or 1015 g C yr1). Errors
represent standard deviation of uncertainty estimates and not interannual
variability which is larger. The atmospheric increase (first line) results from
fluxes to and from the atmosphere: positive fluxes are inputs to the
atmosphere (emissions); negative fluxes are losses from the atmosphere
(sinks); and numbers in parentheses are ranges. Note that the total sink of
anthropogenic CO2 is well constrained. Thus, the ocean-to-atmosphere and
land-to-atmosphere fluxes are negatively correlated: if one is larger the other
must be smaller to match the total sink, and vice versa. 194
Table 10.4 Estimated oceanic carbon pools. 195
Table 10.5 Carbon in major pools of the biosphere. Contemporary estimates using
Whittaker & Likens, 1973 and IPCC 2014 in parentheses. Percentages of
total carbon pools (columns 2 and 3) are based upon Reiner’s 1973
calculation using Bolin’s 1970 values. 198
Table 10.6 Carbon balance in terrestrial detritus by biome (Schlesinger, 1979). 200
Table 10.7 Simplified global carbon inventory and budget estimates for recent, early
Holocene times. Values here are 1015 g C yr1. 203
Table 11.1 Internet sources of data relative to the issue of climate change. 211
Table 11.2 Methane sources and sinks, both natural and anthropogenic (Schlesinger,
1997; after Prather et al., 1995). Units are 1012 g CH4 yr1. 219
Table 11.3 Warming increases ( C) projected by the radiative forcing functions resulting
from different assumptions of GHG emission scenarios. 242
Table 11.4 Estimated global NPP by terrestrial ecosystems. 242
Table 11.5 Future sea level rise (in meters) projected from different radiative forcing
function scenarios from assumptions of different GHG emissions. 248
Table 12.1 Historical timeline of milestones in establishing international climate policy. 261
Table 12.2 Cumulative CO2 emissions limits from a 2011 emissions baseline necessary
to limit global warming to <1.5 C and <2 C, with associated probabilities. 263
Table 12.3 The lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity sources: greenhouse gas
emissions per kilowatt. 266
Table 12.4 The potential of different terrestrial biomes to sequester carbon that might be
sustained over a 25e50 year period. 270
Table 12.5 Relative concentration pathways (RCPs) with pathway descriptions and
integrated assessment models used by IPCC for the year 2100. 277
Table 12.6 Future sea level rise (in meters) projected from different radiative forcing
function scenarios from assumptions of different GHG emissions. 279
Table 12.7 Projected annual economic damage estimates (in 2015 $) in the United States
by 2090. 280
Table 12.8 Estimated global macro-economic costs in 2030 relative to the baseline for
least-cost trajectories toward different, long-term stabilization levels. 281
Author Bio
xxi
Foreword
xxiii
xxiv Foreword
SUGGESTED READING
Coleman, D.C., 2010. Big Ecology: The Emergence of Ecosystem Science. Univ. Calif. Press,
Berkeley-Los Angeles-London, p. 236. https://epdf.pub/big-ecology-the-emergence-of-
ecosystem-science.html.
Egerton, F.N., 2017. History of Ecological Sciences, Part 59: Niches, Biomes, Ecosystems,
and Systems. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320227603_History_of_Ecological_
Sciences_Part_59_Niches_Biomes_Ecosystems_and_Systems/.
Foreword xxv
Odum, E.P., 1959. Fundamentals of Ecology, 2nd Ed. W. B. Sanders Co., Philadelphia and London,
p. 546.
Reichle, D.E., Auerbach, S.I., 2003. U.S. RadioecologicL Research Programs of the Atomic
Energy Commission in the 1950s. ORNL/TM-2003/280. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak
Ridge, TN. http://www.osti.gov/bridge/.
Smith, F.E., 1968. The international biological program and the science of ecology. Proc. Nat’l
Acad. Sci. USA 60 (1), 5e11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539127/.
Acknowledgments
xxvii
Chapter 1
An introduction to ecological
energetics and the global
carbon cycle
physical chemistry is the calorie (¼ 4.184 J). The calorie is the heat energy
required to raise the temperature of one gram of water from 14.5 oC to 15.5oC.
The calorie is defined as being equal to 4.1840 absolute joules. The calorie is a
relatively small unit of measure, and for most chemical and biological cal-
culations the kilocalorie (103 calories) is used. The kilocalorie (kcal) is the unit
which is typically used in discussing dietary intake and is often written as
Calorie. A Calorie equals 103 calories, or a kcal.
Calories and Joules. A calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of
1 g of water through 1 C (also expressed as 4.1868 J, the unit of energy in the
International System of Units). A joule is the energy expended when 1 kg is
moved 1 m by a force of 1 Newton (N). Use of joules is now recommended by
international convention and is the preferred standard unit to measure heat
(FAO, 2003). Nutritionists and food scientists concerned with large amounts of
energy generally use kiloJoules (kJ ¼ 103 J) or megaJoules (MJ ¼ 106 J). For
many decades, food energy has been expressed in calories, and studies in the
field of ecological energetics have traditionally used calories as the measure for
energy. In order to retain consistency with research reported in the scientific
literature, values used for energy in this book are in calories. The conversion
factors for joules and calories are: 1 cal ¼ 4.184 J and 1 J ¼ 0.239 cal.
TABLE 2.1 Units of measure for energy in its various forms and
transformations.
“At any rate, I shall make the best of my web,” said his wife,
springing up. “I am going to take Mr. Jessop into my confidence.”
“Are you? Well, I suppose it will be best.”
“Yes, of course it will; I am going to write to him now. The very first
doctor in London is to come and see you; and, as soon as you can
be moved, you go into the country—that I insist upon.”
“I go into the country, do I?” with a grim smile. He was saying to
himself, as he looked at her eager anxious face, that the only country
he would ever go into now would be down to the old burying-place of
the Wynne family. At least his relations could not refuse him
admission there, or close that door—the door of the family vault—in
his face.
And when he was at rest, under the walls of the old grey church,
Madeline, as a widow, would be as much her father’s heiress and
housekeeper as if she had never been a wife. In fact, her days of
misfortune would enhance her domestic worth, at least she had
learnt the value of money! As for himself, he was reduced to such a
low ebb, mentally and physically, that death would be a release. To
return to life—with a capital L—and to take up his heavy load, and
plod on and on like an omnibus horse, was not an alluring prospect.
Madeline’s future was safe, and he would rather be under the green
sod, with all the dead and gone Wynnes—when, after life’s fitful
fever, they slept well.
It will be seen from this that Mr. Wynne was in a bad way—too
weak, too hopeless, even to care to struggle back to health. But
Madeline had now sufficient energy for two. Hope pervaded her
young veins, decision and prompt action were its outcome, and
money was power.
In the first place, she scribbled a hasty note to Mr. Jessop, and
begged him to call on them that evening without fail. This she
despatched by a little boy, paying a precious sixpence to save time.
Then she descended like a whirlwind upon Mrs. Kane, and begged
to see her for a moment alone. She had made a bold resolve—there
was no alternative. She was about to take Mrs. Kane—the insolent,
the red-faced, the incredulous—into her confidence. She had
Hobson’s choice, and, in fact, was at her wits’ end. Supposing
inquiries were made, supposing Mrs. Harper wrote and asked
awkward questions, and who so ready to answer them—unless
previously prepared, previously bribed, previously flattered, by being
let into the secret—as Mrs. Kane?
“Mrs. Kane,” said Madeline, knocking at that lady’s door, the door
of her own sanctum, “I have something to say to you in private.”
“Bless me, Mrs. Wynne, how white your face is!” exclaimed the
other tartly, having been just about to sit down to her supper—tripe
and bottled stout. “Whatever is the matter now? Not the bailiffs—that
I do hope.”
“No, no, no; quite the contrary.” Then, struck by a happy thought,
“How much do we owe you, Mrs. Kane?”
“Ah, owe me!” rather staggered. “Let’s see, thirteen weeks, at ten
shillings, is six pounds ten; then the coal——Here,” making a raid on
a rickety writing-table, “I have it all down,” searching among some
papers. “Yes, here it is. Coal, one pound one, kindling wood,
matches, postage on a parcel—total, eight pounds, thirteen and
sevenpence-halfpenny. Are you going to settle it?” she asked briskly.
“Yes, I am,” replied Madeline, now drawing out her full, her
overflowing purse. What courage, what confidence were conferred
by the very feel of its contents! Mrs. Kane gazed at it with eyes as
distended as those of a bull frog, and with her mouth half-open. “A
ten-pound note, Mrs. Kane.” And Mrs. Wynne tendered one as she
spoke.
“So I see,” in a milder key. “I’ll get you change, and, though I says
it as shouldn’t, it’s not everybody, you know yourself, who would
have——”
“Yes, quite true, I know all that already, thank you, Mrs. Kane.
Never mind the change just now, it can go towards the milk bill. What
I wanted to speak to you about is to tell you a family secret—which
concerns me.”
“A family secret! Laws, Mrs. Wynne!” suddenly seating herself with
a plunge, and looking at her lodger with a countenance of gratified
anticipation, “whatever can it be?”
“Promise, on your solemn word of honour, not to tell any one.”
“Oh, I’m as safe as a church; no one will get anything out of me”—
mentally resolving to tell her niece and husband without any churlish
delay—“unless it’s something not on the square.”
“It is quite on the square; you need not fear. Once I was a Miss
West.”
“So you told me,” nodding her head.
“I was at school near Riverside for a good many years. My father
is an Australian merchant—very rich.”
“Oh, indeed!” in a comfortable tone.
“But for two years he had not been heard of, we thought that he
was dead, and I became a teacher at school. Mr. Wynne saw me
there, and paid me attention, which displeased Mrs. Harper very
much. I was sent away, and we were married. We have been here
ever since.”
“So you have,” agreed Mrs. Kane, as much as to say, “And it’s
highly to your credit!”
“Well, now my father has written at last; he is coming home,
immensely rich. He has not heard of my marriage.”
“Laws, you don’t say so!” in a tone of admiration and
astonishment.
“No one has heard of it, you see. I had no friends. And if my father
knew that I had married a poor man, he would be dreadfully angry—
at least at first. I went down to Mrs. Harper’s; she showed me his
letter. She thinks I am not married, for,” holding up her bare left hand,
“I pawned my rings to pay my railway fare.”
“Oh, my goodness! Did you really, now?”
“And she took it for granted that I was still Miss West. I confessed
nothing. I told her I had lived here for fourteen months, that I worked
at law stationery, and was very poor, and she was apparently
satisfied; but, all the same, I firmly believe she will write and ask you
all about me. Neither she nor my father must know of my marriage—
yet. And now, are you quite prepared? I am Miss West, you know,
who has lived with you since last January year. You understand, Mrs.
Kane?”
“Oh yes!” with an expressive wink. “A nice, quiet, respectable
young lady—never going nowhere, keeping no company, and I only
wishes I had a dozen like her. I’ll give it her all pat, you be quite
certain,” said her landlady, rubbing her bare fat arms with the liveliest
delight at her own rôle in the piece. “But how about Mr. Wynne and
the baby?” she asked slyly.
“You need not mention them. It will be all right later on, when I see
my father and prepare him, you know. But now I am obliged to keep
him in the dark. Mrs. Harper would not have given me my money,
had she known. It’s only for a short time that I am forced to resume
my old name, and I assure you, Mrs. Kane, that it’s not very
pleasant.”
“Ay, well now, I think it’s rather a joke—something like a play at the
Adelphi, where in the end the father comes in and blesses the young
couple, and they all live together, happy as sand-boys, ever after.
That will be your case, you’ll see!” emphatically.
“I hope so, but I doubt it,” returned her lodger. “I will be content if
my husband recovers his health. Money is nothing in comparison to
health.”
“Ay, may be so; but money is a great comfort all the same,” said
Mrs. Kane, squeezing the note affectionately in her hand, and
wondering how many more of the same quality were in Mrs. Wynne’s
purse—“a great comfort!”
“Well then, now you know all, Mrs. Kane,” said the other, rising, “I
can depend on you? You will be our friend in this matter, and, believe
me, you will be no loser.”
“Certainly you can’t say fairer nor that, can you, ma’am?—though,
as far as I’m concerned, I’m always delighted to oblige a lady for
nothing, and I always fancied you from the first time I saw you in the
hall, and you knocked over that pot of musk, and so Maria will tell
you. As for the secret, wild horses would not tear it from me; and I’m
that interested in you, as I couldn’t express to you, and allus was—
you ask Maria—just as if you was my own daughter. I can’t say fairer
nor that, can I?”
And opening the door with a wide flourish, she waved Madeline
through, who, rather staggered by this unexpected compliment,
passed quickly into the lobby, and with a farewell nod, hurried back
to her family in the upper regions, and set about preparing tea. She
also made preparations for the expected visit of their chief
counsellor, Mr. Henry Jessop.