第2章

ButMr。Emerson，contriteandunhappy，hurriedawaytoapologizetotheRev。CuthbertEager。Lucy，apparentlyabsorbedinalunette，couldhearthelectureagaininterrupted，theanxious，aggressivevoiceoftheoldman，thecurt，injuredrepliesofhisopponent。Theson，whotookeverylittlecontretempsasifitwereatragedy，waslisteningalso。

"Myfatherhasthateffectonnearlyeveryone，"heinformedher。

"Hewilltrytobekind。”

"Ihopewealltry，"saidshe，smilingnervously。

"Becausewethinkitimprovesourcharacters。Butheiskindtopeoplebecausehelovesthem；andtheyfindhimout，andareoffended，orfrightened。”

"Howsillyofthem!"saidLucy，thoughinherheartshesympathized；"Ithinkthatakindactiondonetactfully——"

"Tact!"

Hethrewuphisheadindisdain。Apparentlyshehadgiventhewronganswer。Shewatchedthesingularcreaturepaceupanddownthechapel。Forayoungmanhisfacewasrugged，and——untiltheshadowsfelluponit——hard。Enshadowed，itsprangintotenderness。ShesawhimonceagainatRome，ontheceilingoftheSistineChapel，carryingaburdenofacorns。Healthyandmuscular，heyetgaveherthefeelingofgreyness，oftragedythatmightonlyfindsolutioninthenight。Thefeelingsoonpassed；itwasunlikehertohaveentertainedanythingsosubtle。

Bornofsilenceandofunknownemotion，itpassedwhenMr。

Emersonreturned，andshecouldre-entertheworldofrapidtalk，whichwasalonefamiliartoher。

"Wereyousnubbed？"askedhissontranquilly。

"ButwehavespoiltthepleasureofIdon"tknowhowmanypeople。

Theywon"tcomeback。”

"……fullofinnatesympathy……quicknesstoperceivegoodinothers……visionofthebrotherhoodofman……”ScrapsofthelectureonSt。Franciscamefloatingroundthepartitionwall。

"Don"tletusspoilyours，"hecontinuedtoLucy。"Haveyoulookedatthosesaints？"

"Yes，"saidLucy。"Theyarelovely。DoyouknowwhichisthetombstonethatispraisedinRuskin？"

Hedidnotknow，andsuggestedthattheyshouldtrytoguessit。

George，rathertoherrelief，refusedtomove，andsheandtheoldmanwanderednotunpleasantlyaboutSantaCroce，which，thoughitislikeabarn，hasharvestedmanybeautifulthingsinsideitswalls。Therewerealsobeggarstoavoid。andguidestododgeroundthepillars，andanoldladywithherdog，andhereandthereapriestmodestlyedgingtohisMassthroughthegroupsoftourists。ButMr。Emersonwasonlyhalfinterested。Hewatchedthelecturer，whosesuccesshebelievedhehadimpaired，andthenheanxiouslywatchedhisson。

"Whywillhelookatthatfresco？"hesaiduneasily。"Isawnothinginit。”

"IlikeGiotto，"shereplied。"Itissowonderfulwhattheysayabouthistactilevalues。ThoughIlikethingsliketheDellaRobbiababiesbetter。”

"Soyouought。Ababyisworthadozensaints。Andmybaby"sworththewholeofParadise，andasfarasIcanseehelivesinHell。”

Lucyagainfeltthatthisdidnotdo。

"InHell，"herepeated。"He"sunhappy。”

"Oh，dear!"saidLucy。

"Howcanhebeunhappywhenheisstrongandalive？Whatmoreisonetogivehim？Andthinkhowhehasbeenbroughtup——freefromallthesuperstitionandignorancethatleadmentohateoneanotherinthenameofGod。Withsuchaneducationasthat，I

thoughthewasboundtogrowuphappy。”

Shewasnotheologian，butshefeltthatherewasaveryfoolisholdman，aswellasaveryirreligiousone。Shealsofeltthathermothermightnotlikehertalkingtothatkindofperson，andthatCharlottewouldobjectmoststrongly。

"Whatarewetodowithhim？"heasked。"HecomesoutforhisholidaytoItaly，andbehaves——likethat；likethelittlechildwhooughttohavebeenplaying，andwhohurthimselfuponthetombstone。Eh？Whatdidyousay？"

Lucyhadmadenosuggestion。Suddenlyhesaid:

"Nowdon"tbestupidoverthis。Idon"trequireyoutofallinlovewithmyboy，butIdothinkyoumighttryandunderstandhim。Youarenearerhisage，andifyouletyourselfgoIamsureyouaresensible。Youmighthelpme。Hehasknownsofewwomen，andyouhavethetime。Youstophereseveralweeks，Isuppose？

Butletyourselfgo。Youareinclinedtogetmuddled，ifImayjudgefromlastnight。Letyourselfgo。Pulloutfromthedepthsthosethoughtsthatyoudonotunderstand，andspreadthemoutinthesunlightandknowthemeaningofthem。ByunderstandingGeorgeyoumaylearntounderstandyourself。Itwillbegoodforbothofyou。”

TothisextraordinaryspeechLucyfoundnoanswer。

"Ionlyknowwhatitisthat"swrongwithhim；notwhyitis。”

"Andwhatisit？"askedLucyfearfully，expectingsomeharrowingtale。

"Theoldtrouble；thingswon"tfit。”

"Whatthings？"

"Thethingsoftheuniverse。Itisquitetrue。Theydon"t。”

"Oh，Mr。Emerson，whateverdoyoumean？"

Inhisordinaryvoice，sothatshescarcelyrealizedhewasquotingpoetry，hesaid:

""Fromfar，fromeveandmorning，Andyontwelve-windedsky，ThestuffoflifetoknitmeBlewhither:hereamI"

GeorgeandIbothknowthis，butwhydoesitdistresshim？Weknowthatwecomefromthewinds，andthatweshallreturntothem；thatalllifeisperhapsaknot，atangle，ablemishintheeternalsmoothness。Butwhyshouldthismakeusunhappy？Letusratherloveoneanother，andworkandrejoice。Idon"tbelieveinthisworldsorrow。”

MissHoneychurchassented。

"Thenmakemyboythinklikeus。MakehimrealizethatbythesideoftheeverlastingWhythereisaYes——atransitoryYesifyoulike，butaYes。”

Suddenlyshelaughed；surelyoneoughttolaugh。Ayoungmanmelancholybecausetheuniversewouldn"tfit，becauselifewasatangleorawind，oraYes，orsomething!

"I"mverysorry，"shecried。"You"llthinkmeunfeeling，but——but——"Thenshebecamematronly。"Oh，butyoursonwantsemployment。

Hashenoparticularhobby？Why，Imyselfhaveworries，butIcangenerallyforgetthematthepiano；andcollectingstampsdidnoendofgoodformybrother。PerhapsItalyboreshim；yououghttotrytheAlpsortheLakes。”

Theoldman"sfacesaddened，andhetouchedhergentlywithhishand。Thisdidnotalarmher；shethoughtthatheradvicehadimpressedhimandthathewasthankingherforit。Indeed，henolongeralarmedheratall；sheregardedhimasakindthing，butquitesilly。Herfeelingswereasinflatedspirituallyastheyhadbeenanhouragoesthetically，beforeshelostBaedeker。ThedearGeorge，nowstridingtowardsthemoverthetombstones，seemedbothpitiableandabsurd。Heapproached，hisfaceintheshadow。Hesaid:

"MissBartlett。”

"Oh，goodgraciousme!"saidLucy，suddenlycollapsingandagainseeingthewholeoflifeinanewperspective。"Where？Where？"

"Inthenave。”

"Isee。ThosegossipinglittleMissAlansmusthave——"Shecheckedherself。

"Poorgirl!"explodedMr。Emerson。"Poorgirl!"

Shecouldnotletthispass，foritwasjustwhatshewasfeelingherself。

"Poorgirl？Ifailtounderstandthepointofthatremark。I

thinkmyselfaveryfortunategirl，Iassureyou。I"mthoroughlyhappy，andhavingasplendidtime。Praydon"twastetimemourningoverme。There"senoughsorrowintheworld，isn"tthere，withouttryingtoinventit。Good-bye。Thankyoubothsomuchforallyourkindness。Ah，yes!theredoescomemycousin。Adelightfulmorning!SantaCroceisawonderfulchurch。”

Shejoinedhercousin。

ChapterIII:Music，Violets，andtheLetter"S"

ItsohappenedthatLucy，whofounddailyliferatherchaotic，enteredamoresolidworldwhensheopenedthepiano。Shewasthennolongereitherdeferentialorpatronizing；nolongereitherarebeloraslave。Thekingdomofmusicisnotthekingdomofthisworld；itwillacceptthosewhombreedingandintellectandculturehavealikerejected。Thecommonplacepersonbeginstoplay，andshootsintotheempyreanwithouteffort，whilstwelookup，marvellinghowhehasescapedus，andthinkinghowwecouldworshiphimandlovehim，wouldhebuttranslatehisvisionsintohumanwords，andhisexperiencesintohumanactions。

Perhapshecannot；certainlyhedoesnot，ordoessoveryseldom。

Lucyhaddonesonever。

Shewasnodazzlingexecutante；herrunswerenotatalllikestringsofpearls，andshestrucknomorerightnotesthanwassuitableforoneofherageandsituation。Norwasshethepassionateyounglady，whoperformssotragicallyonasummer"seveningwiththewindowopen。Passionwasthere，butitcouldnotbeeasilylabelled；itslippedbetweenloveandhatredandjealousy，andallthefurnitureofthepictorialstyle。Andshewastragicalonlyinthesensethatshewasgreat，forshelovedtoplayonthesideofVictory。Victoryofwhatandoverwhat——

thatismorethanthewordsofdailylifecantellus。ButthatsomesonatasofBeethovenarewrittentragicnoonecangainsay；

yettheycantriumphordespairastheplayerdecides，andLucyhaddecidedthattheyshouldtriumph。

AverywetafternoonattheBertolinipermittedhertodothethingshereallyliked，andafterlunchsheopenedthelittledrapedpiano。Afewpeoplelingeredroundandpraisedherplaying，butfindingthatshemadenoreply，dispersedtotheirroomstowriteuptheirdiariesortosleep。ShetooknonoticeofMr。Emersonlookingforhisson，norofMissBartlettlookingforMissLavish，norofMissLavishlookingforhercigarette-case。Likeeverytrueperformer，shewasintoxicatedbythemerefeelofthenotes:theywerefingerscaressingherown；

andbytouch，notbysoundalone，didshecometoherdesire。

Mr。Beebe，sittingunnoticedinthewindow，ponderedthisillogicalelementinMissHoneychurch，andrecalledtheoccasionatTunbridgeWellswhenhehaddiscoveredit。Itwasatoneofthoseentertainmentswheretheupperclassesentertainthelower。

Theseatswerefilledwitharespectfulaudience，andtheladiesandgentlemenoftheparish，undertheauspicesoftheirvicar，sang，orrecited，orimitatedthedrawingofachampagnecork。

Amongthepromiseditemswas"MissHoneychurch。Piano。

Beethoven，"andMr。BeebewaswonderingwhetheritwouldbeAdelaida，orthemarchofTheRuinsofAthens，whenhiscomposurewasdisturbedbytheopeningbarsofOpusIII。Hewasinsuspenseallthroughtheintroduction，fornotuntilthepacequickensdoesoneknowwhattheperformerintends。Withtheroaroftheopeningthemeheknewthatthingsweregoingextraordinarily；inthechordsthatheraldtheconclusionheheardthehammerstrokesofvictory。Hewasgladthatsheonlyplayedthefirstmovement，forhecouldhavepaidnoattentiontothewindingintricaciesofthemeasuresofnine-sixteen。Theaudienceclapped，nolessrespectful。ItwasMr。Beebewhostartedthestamping；itwasallthatonecoulddo。

"Whoisshe？"heaskedthevicarafterwards。

"Cousinofoneofmyparishioners。Idonotconsiderherchoiceofapiecehappy。Beethovenissousuallysimpleanddirectinhisappealthatitissheerperversitytochooseathinglikethat，which，ifanything，disturbs。”

"Introduceme。”

"Shewillbedelighted。SheandMissBartlettarefullofthepraisesofyoursermon。”

"Mysermon？"criedMr。Beebe。"Whyeverdidshelistentoit？"

Whenhewasintroducedheunderstoodwhy，forMissHoneychurch，disjoinedfromhermusicstool，wasonlyayoungladywithaquantityofdarkhairandaverypretty，pale，undevelopedface。

Shelovedgoingtoconcerts，shelovedstoppingwithhercousin，shelovedicedcoffeeandmeringues。Hedidnotdoubtthatshelovedhissermonalso。ButbeforeheleftTunbridgeWellshemadearemarktothevicar，whichhenowmadetoLucyherselfwhensheclosedthelittlepianoandmoveddreamilytowardshim:

"IfMissHoneychurchevertakestoliveassheplays，itwillbeveryexcitingbothforusandforher。”

Lucyatoncere-entereddailylife。

"Oh，whatafunnything!Someonesaidjustthesametomother，andshesaidshetrustedIshouldneverliveaduet。”

"Doesn"tMrs。Honeychurchlikemusic？"

"Shedoesn"tmindit。Butshedoesn"tlikeonetogetexcitedoveranything；shethinksIamsillyaboutit。Shethinks——I

can"tmakeout。Once，youknow，IsaidthatIlikedmyownplayingbetterthananyone"s。Shehasnevergotoverit。Ofcourse，Ididn"tmeanthatIplayedwell；Ionlymeant——"

"Ofcourse，"saidhe，wonderingwhyshebotheredtoexplain。

"Music——"saidLucy，asifattemptingsomegenerality。Shecouldnotcompleteit，andlookedoutabsentlyuponItalyinthewet。

ThewholelifeoftheSouthwasdisorganized，andthemostgracefulnationinEuropehadturnedintoformlesslumpsofclothes。

Thestreetandtheriverweredirtyyellow，thebridgewasdirtygrey，andthehillsweredirtypurple。SomewhereintheirfoldswereconcealedMissLavishandMissBartlett，whohadchosenthisafternoontovisittheTorredelGallo。

"Whataboutmusic？"saidMr。Beebe。

"PoorCharlottewillbesopped，"wasLucy"sreply。

TheexpeditionwastypicalofMissBartlett，whowouldreturncold，tired，hungry，andangelic，witharuinedskirt，apulpyBaedeker，andaticklingcoughinherthroat。Onanotherday，whenthewholeworldwassingingandtheairranintothemouth。

likewine，shewouldrefusetostirfromthedrawing-room，sayingthatshewasanoldthing，andnofitcompanionforaheartygirl。

"MissLavishhasledyourcousinastray。ShehopestofindthetrueItalyinthewetIbelieve。”

"MissLavishissooriginal，"murmuredLucy。Thiswasastockremark，thesupremeachievementofthePensionBertoliniinthewayofdefinition。MissLavishwassooriginal。Mr。Beebehadhisdoubts，buttheywouldhavebeenputdowntoclericalnarrowness。

Forthat，andforotherreasons，heheldhispeace。

"Isittrue，"continuedLucyinawe-strucktone，"thatMissLavishiswritingabook？"

"Theydosayso。”

"Whatisitabout？"

"Itwillbeanovel，"repliedMr。Beebe，"dealingwithmodernItaly。LetmereferyouforanaccounttoMissCatharineAlan，whouseswordsherselfmoreadmirablythananyoneIknow。”

"IwishMissLavishwouldtellmeherself。Westartedsuchfriends。ButIdon"tthinksheoughttohaverunawaywithBaedekerthatmorninginSantaCroce。Charlottewasmostannoyedatfindingmepracticallyalone，andsoIcouldn"thelpbeingalittleannoyedwithMissLavish。”

"Thetwoladies，atallevents，havemadeitup。”

HewasinterestedinthesuddenfriendshipbetweenwomensoapparentlydissimilarasMissBartlettandMissLavish。Theywerealwaysineachother"scompany，withLucyaslightedthird。MissLavishhebelievedheunderstood，butMissBartlettmightrevealunknowndepthsofstrangeness，thoughnotperhaps，ofmeaning。

WasItalydeflectingherfromthepathofprimchaperon，whichhehadassignedtoheratTunbridgeWells？Allhislifehehadlovedtostudymaidenladies；theywerehisspecialty，andhisprofessionhadprovidedhimwithampleopportunitiesforthework。GirlslikeLucywerecharmingtolookat，butMr。Beebewas，fromratherprofoundreasons，somewhatchillyinhisattitudetowardstheothersex，andpreferredtobeinterestedratherthanenthralled。

Lucy，forthethirdtime，saidthatpoorCharlottewouldbesopped。TheArnowasrisinginflood，washingawaythetracesofthelittlecartsupontheforeshore。Butinthesouth-westtherehadappearedadullhazeofyellow，whichmightmeanbetterweatherifitdidnotmeanworse。Sheopenedthewindowtoinspect，andacoldblastenteredtheroom，drawingaplaintivecryfromMissCatharineAlan，whoenteredatthesamemomentbythedoor。

"Oh，dearMissHoneychurch，youwillcatchachill!AndMr。Beebeherebesides。WhowouldsupposethisisItaly？Thereismysisteractuallynursingthehot-watercan；nocomfortsorproperprovisions。”

Shesidledtowardsthemandsatdown，self-consciousasshealwayswasonenteringaroomwhichcontainedoneman，oramanandonewoman。

"Icouldhearyourbeautifulplaying，MissHoneychurch，thoughI

wasinmyroomwiththedoorshut。Doorsshut；indeed，mostnecessary。Noonehastheleastideaofprivacyinthiscountry。

Andonepersoncatchesitfromanother。”

Lucyansweredsuitably。Mr。BeebewasnotabletotelltheladiesofhisadventureatModena，wherethechambermaidburstinuponhiminhisbath，exclaimingcheerfully，"Faniente，sonovecchia。”Hecontentedhimselfwithsaying:"Iquiteagreewithyou，MissAlan。TheItaliansareamostunpleasantpeople。Theypryeverywhere，theyseeeverything，andtheyknowwhatwewantbeforeweknowitourselves。Weareattheirmercy。Theyreadourthoughts，theyforetellourdesires。Fromthecab-driverdownto——toGiotto，theyturnusinsideout，andIresentit。Yetintheirheartofheartstheyare——howsuperficial!Theyhavenoconceptionoftheintellectuallife。HowrightisSignoraBertolini，whoexclaimedtometheotherday:"Ho，Mr。Beebe，ifyouknewwhatIsufferoverthechildren"sedjucaishion。HI

won"t"avemylittleVictoriertaughtbyahignorantItalianwhatcan"texplainnothink!""

MissAlandidnotfollow，butgatheredthatshewasbeingmockedinanagreeableway。HersisterwasalittledisappointedinMr。

Beebe，havingexpectedbetterthingsfromaclergymanwhoseheadwasbaldandwhoworeapairofrussetwhiskers。Indeed，whowouldhavesupposedthattolerance，sympathy，andasenseofhumourwouldinhabitthatmilitantform？

Inthemidstofhersatisfactionshecontinuedtosidle，andatlastthecausewasdisclosed。Fromthechairbeneathhersheextractedagun-metalcigarette-case，onwhichwerepowderedinturquoisetheinitials"E。L。”

"ThatbelongstoLavish。”saidtheclergyman。"Agoodfellow，Lavish，butIwishshe"dstartapipe。”

"Oh，Mr。Beebe，"saidMissAlan，dividedbetweenaweandmirth。

"Indeed，thoughitisdreadfulforhertosmoke，itisnotquiteasdreadfulasyousuppose。Shetooktoit，practicallyindespair，afterherlife"sworkwascarriedawayinalandslip。

Surelythatmakesitmoreexcusable。”

"Whatwasthat？"askedLucy。

Mr。Beebesatbackcomplacently，andMissAlanbeganasfollows:

"Itwasanovel——andIamafraid，fromwhatIcangather，notaverynicenovel。Itissosadwhenpeoplewhohaveabilitiesmisusethem，andImustsaytheynearlyalwaysdo。Anyhow，sheleftitalmostfinishedintheGrottooftheCalvaryattheCapucciniHotelatAmalfiwhileshewentforalittleink。Shesaid:"CanIhavealittleink，please？"ButyouknowwhatItaliansare，andmeanwhiletheGrottofellroaringontothebeach，andthesaddestthingofallisthatshecannotrememberwhatshehaswritten。Thepoorthingwasveryillafterit，andsogottemptedintocigarettes。Itisagreatsecret，butIamgladtosaythatsheiswritinganothernovel。ShetoldTeresaandMissPoletheotherdaythatshehadgotupallthelocalcolour——thisnovelistobeaboutmodernItaly；theotherwashistorical——butthatshecouldnotstarttillshehadanidea。

FirstshetriedPerugiaforaninspiration，thenshecamehere——

thismustonnoaccountgetround。Andsocheerfulthroughitall!Icannothelpthinkingthatthereissomethingtoadmireineveryone，evenifyoudonotapproveofthem。”

MissAlanwasalwaysthusbeingcharitableagainstherbetterjudgment。Adelicatepathosperfumedherdisconnectedremarks，givingthemunexpectedbeauty，justasinthedecayingautumnwoodstheresometimesriseodoursreminiscentofspring。Shefeltshehadmadealmosttoomanyallowances，andapologizedhurriedlyforhertoleration。

"Allthesame，sheisalittletoo——Ihardlyliketosayunwomanly，butshebehavedmoststrangelywhentheEmersonsarrived。”

Mr。BeebesmiledasMissAlanplungedintoananecdotewhichheknewshewouldbeunabletofinishinthepresenceofagentleman。

"Idon"tknow，MissHoneychurch，ifyouhavenoticedthatMissPole，theladywhohassomuchyellowhair，takeslemonade。ThatoldMr。Emerson，whoputsthingsverystrangely——"

Herjawdropped。Shewassilent。Mr。Beebe，whosesocialresourceswereendless，wentouttoordersometea，andshecontinuedtoLucyinahastywhisper:

"Stomach。HewarnedMissPoleofherstomach-acidity，hecalledit——andhemayhavemeanttobekind。ImustsayIforgotmyselfandlaughed；itwassosudden。AsTeresatrulysaid，itwasnolaughingmatter。ButthepointisthatMissLavishwaspositivelyATTRACTEDbyhismentioningS。，andsaidshelikedplainspeaking，andmeetingdifferentgradesofthought。Shethoughttheywerecommercialtravellers——"drummers"wasthewordsheused——andallthroughdinnershetriedtoprovethatEngland，ourgreatandbelovedcountry，restsonnothingbutcommerce。Teresawasverymuchannoyed，andleftthetablebeforethecheese，sayingasshedidso:"There，MissLavish，isonewhocanconfuteyoubetterthanI，"andpointedtothatbeautifulpictureofLordTennyson。ThenMissLavishsaid:"Tut!TheearlyVictorians。"

Justimagine!"Tut!TheearlyVictorians。"Mysisterhadgone，andIfeltboundtospeak。Isaid:"MissLavish，IamanearlyVictorian；atleast，thatistosay，IwillhearnobreathofcensureagainstourdearQueen。"Itwashorriblespeaking。I

remindedherhowtheQueenhadbeentoIrelandwhenshedidnotwanttogo，andImustsayshewasdumbfounded，andmadenoreply。But，unluckily，Mr。Emersonoverheardthispart，andcalledinhisdeepvoice:"Quiteso，quiteso!IhonourthewomanforherIrishvisit。"Thewoman!Itellthingssobadly；butyouseewhatatanglewewereinbythistime，allonaccountofS。

havingbeenmentionedinthefirstplace。Butthatwasnotall。

AfterdinnerMissLavishactuallycameupandsaid:"MissAlan，I

amgoingintothesmoking-roomtotalktothosetwonicemen。

Come，too。"Needlesstosay，Irefusedsuchanunsuitableinvitation，andshehadtheimpertinencetotellmethatitwouldbroadenmyideas，andsaidthatshehadfourbrothers，allUniversitymen，exceptonewhowasinthearmy，whoalwaysmadeapointoftalkingtocommercialtravellers。”

"Letmefinishthestory，"saidMr。Beebe，whohadreturned。

"MissLavishtriedMissPole，myself，everyone，andfinallysaid:"Ishallgoalone。"Shewent。Attheendoffiveminutesshereturnedunobtrusivelywithagreenbaizeboard，andbeganplayingpatience。”

"Whateverhappened？"criedLucy。

"Nooneknows。Noonewilleverknow。MissLavishwillneverdaretotell，andMr。Emersondoesnotthinkitworthtelling。”

"Mr。Beebe——oldMr。Emerson，isheniceornotnice？Idosowanttoknow。”

Mr。Beebelaughedandsuggestedthatsheshouldsettlethequestionforherself。

"No；butitissodifficult。Sometimesheissosilly，andthenI

donotmindhim。MissAlan，whatdoyouthink？Ishenice？"

Thelittleoldladyshookherhead，andsigheddisapprovingly。

Mr。Beebe，whomtheconversationamused，stirredherupbysaying:

"Iconsiderthatyouareboundtoclasshimasnice，MissAlan，afterthatbusinessoftheviolets。”

"Violets？Oh，dear!Whotoldyouabouttheviolets？Howdothingsgetround？Apensionisabadplaceforgossips。No，IcannotforgethowtheybehavedatMr。Eager"slectureatSantaCroce。

Oh，poorMissHoneychurch!Itreallywastoobad。No，Ihavequitechanged。IdoNOTliketheEmersons。Theyarenotnice。”

Mr。Beebesmilednonchalantly。HehadmadeagentleefforttointroducetheEmersonsintoBertolinisociety，andtheefforthadfailed。Hewasalmosttheonlypersonwhoremainedfriendlytothem。MissLavish，whorepresentedintellect，wasavowedlyhostile，andnowtheMissAlans，whostoodforgoodbreeding，werefollowingher。MissBartlett，smartingunderanobligation，wouldscarcelybecivil。ThecaseofLucywasdifferent。ShehadgivenhimahazyaccountofheradventuresinSantaCroce，andhegatheredthatthetwomenhadmadeacuriousandpossiblyconcertedattempttoannexher，toshowhertheworldfromtheirownstrangestandpoint，tointerestherintheirprivatesorrowsandjoys。Thiswasimpertinent；hedidnotwishtheircausetobechampionedbyayounggirl:hewouldratheritshouldfail。Afterall，heknewnothingaboutthem，andpensionjoys，pensionsorrows，areflimsythings；whereasLucywouldbehisparishioner。

Lucy，withoneeyeupontheweather，finallysaidthatshethoughttheEmersonswerenice；notthatshesawanythingofthemnow。Eventheirseatsatdinnerhadbeenmoved。

"Butaren"ttheyalwayswaylayingyoutogooutwiththem，dear？"

saidthelittleladyinquisitively。

"Onlyonce。Charlottedidn"tlikeit，andsaidsomething——quitepolitely，ofcourse。”

"Mostrightofher。Theydon"tunderstandourways。Theymustfindtheirlevel。”

Mr。Beeberatherfeltthattheyhadgoneunder。Theyhadgivenuptheirattempt——ifitwasone——toconquersociety，andnowthefatherwasalmostassilentastheson。Hewonderedwhetherhewouldnotplanapleasantdayforthesefolkbeforetheyleft——

someexpedition，perhaps，withLucywellchaperonedtobenicetothem。ItwasoneofMr。Beebe"schiefpleasurestoprovidepeoplewithhappymemories。

Eveningapproachedwhiletheychatted；theairbecamebrighter；

thecoloursonthetreesandhillswerepurified，andtheArnolostitsmuddysolidityandbegantotwinkle。Therewereafewstreaksofbluish-greenamongtheclouds，afewpatchesofwaterylightupontheearth，andthenthedrippingfacadeofSanMiniatoshonebrilliantlyinthedecliningsun。

"Toolatetogoout，"saidMissAlaninavoiceofrelief。"Allthegalleriesareshut。”

"IthinkIshallgoout，"saidLucy。"Iwanttogoroundthetowninthecirculartram——ontheplatformbythedriver。”

Hertwocompanionslookedgrave。Mr。Beebe，whofeltresponsibleforherintheabsenceofMissBartlett，venturedtosay:

"Iwishwecould。UnluckilyIhaveletters。Ifyoudowanttogooutalone，won"tyoubebetteronyourfeet？"

"Italians，dear，youknow，"saidMissAlan。

"PerhapsIshallmeetsomeonewhoreadsmethroughandthrough!"

Buttheystilllookeddisapproval，andshesofarconcededtoMr。

Beebeastosaythatshewouldonlygoforalittlewalk，andkeeptothestreetfrequentedbytourists。

"Sheoughtn"treallytogoatall，"saidMr。Beebe，astheywatchedherfromthewindow，"andsheknowsit。IputitdowntotoomuchBeethoven。”

ChapterIV:FourthChapterMr。Beebewasright。Lucyneverknewherdesiressoclearlyasaftermusic。Shehadnotreallyappreciatedtheclergyman"swit，northesuggestivetwitteringsofMissAlan。Conversationwastedious；shewantedsomethingbig，andshebelievedthatitwouldhavecometoheronthewind-sweptplatformofanelectrictram。

Thisshemightnotattempt。Itwasunladylike。Why？Whyweremostbigthingsunladylike？Charlottehadonceexplainedtoherwhy。

Itwasnotthatladieswereinferiortomen；itwasthattheyweredifferent。Theirmissionwastoinspireotherstoachievementratherthantoachievethemselves。Indirectly，bymeansoftactandaspotlessname，aladycouldaccomplishmuch。

Butifsherushedintothefrayherselfshewouldbefirstcensured，thendespised，andfinallyignored。Poemshadbeenwrittentoillustratethispoint。

Thereismuchthatisimmortalinthismedievallady。Thedragonshavegone，andsohavetheknights，butstillshelingersinourmidst。ShereignedinmanyanearlyVictoriancastle，andwasQueenofmuchearlyVictoriansong。Itissweettoprotectherintheintervalsofbusiness，sweettopayherhonourwhenshehascookedourdinnerwell。Butalas!thecreaturegrowsdegenerate。

Inherheartalsotherearespringingupstrangedesires。Shetooisenamouredofheavywinds，andvastpanoramas，andgreenexpansesofthesea。Shehasmarkedthekingdomofthisworld，howfullitisofwealth，andbeauty，andwar——aradiantcrust，builtaroundthecentralfires，spinningtowardstherecedingheavens。Men，declaringthatsheinspiresthemtoit，movejoyfullyoverthesurface，havingthemostdelightfulmeetingswithothermen，happy，notbecausetheyaremasculine，butbecausetheyarealive。BeforetheshowbreaksupshewouldliketodroptheaugusttitleoftheEternalWoman，andgothereashertransitoryself。

Lucydoesnotstandforthemedievallady，whowasratheranidealtowhichshewasbiddentolifthereyeswhenfeelingserious。Norhassheanysystemofrevolt。Hereandtherearestrictionannoyedherparticularly，andshewouldtransgressit，andperhapsbesorrythatshehaddoneso。Thisafternoonshewaspeculiarlyrestive。Shewouldreallyliketodosomethingofwhichherwell-wishersdisapproved。Asshemightnotgoontheelectrictram，shewenttoAlinari"sshop。

TheresheboughtaphotographofBotticelli"s"BirthofVenus。”

Venus，beingapity，spoiltthepicture，otherwisesocharming，andMissBartletthadpersuadedhertodowithoutit。(Apityinartofcoursesignifiedthenude。)Giorgione"s"Tempesta，"the"Idolino，"someoftheSistinefrescoesandtheApoxyomenos，wereaddedtoit。Shefeltalittlecalmerthen，andboughtFraAngelico"s"Coronation，"Giotto"s"AscensionofSt。John，"someDellaRobbiababies，andsomeGuidoReniMadonnas。Forhertastewascatholic，andsheextendeduncriticalapprovaltoeverywell-knownname。

Butthoughshespentnearlysevenlire，thegatesoflibertyseemedstillunopened。Shewasconsciousofherdiscontent；itwasnewtohertobeconsciousofit。"Theworld，"shethought，"iscertainlyfullofbeautifulthings，ifonlyIcouldcomeacrossthem。”ItwasnotsurprisingthatMrs。Honeychurchdisapprovedofmusic，declaringthatitalwaysleftherdaughterpeevish，unpractical，andtouchy。

"Nothingeverhappenstome，"shereflected，assheenteredthePiazzaSignoriaandlookednonchalantlyatitsmarvels，nowfairlyfamiliartoher。Thegreatsquarewasinshadow；thesunshinehadcometoolatetostrikeit。Neptunewasalreadyunsubstantialinthetwilight，halfgod，halfghost，andhisfountainplasheddreamilytothemenandsatyrswhoidledtogetheronitsmarge。TheLoggiashowedasthetripleentranceofacave，whereinmanyadeity，shadowy，butimmortal，lookingforthuponthearrivalsanddeparturesofmankind。Itwasthehourofunreality——thehour，thatis，whenunfamiliarthingsarereal。Anolderpersonatsuchanhourandinsuchaplacemightthinkthatsufficientwashappeningtohim，andrestcontent。

Lucydesiredmore。

Shefixedhereyeswistfullyonthetowerofthepalace，whichroseoutofthelowerdarknesslikeapillarofroughenedgold。

Itseemednolongeratower，nolongersupportedbyearth，butsomeunattainabletreasurethrobbinginthetranquilsky。Itsbrightnessmesmerizedher，stilldancingbeforehereyeswhenshebentthemtothegroundandstartedtowardshome。

Thensomethingdidhappen。

TwoItaliansbytheLoggiahadbeenbickeringaboutadebt。

"Cinquelire，"theyhadcried，"cinquelire!"Theysparredateachother，andoneofthemwashitlightlyuponthechest。Hefrowned；hebenttowardsLucywithalookofinterest，asifhehadanimportantmessageforher。Heopenedhislipstodeliverit，andastreamofredcameoutbetweenthemandtrickleddownhisunshavenchin。

Thatwasall。Acrowdroseoutofthedusk。Ithidthisextraordinarymanfromher，andborehimawaytothefountain。

Mr。GeorgeEmersonhappenedtobeafewpacesaway，lookingatheracrossthespotwherethemanhadbeen。Howveryodd!Acrosssomething。Evenasshecaughtsightofhimhegrewdim；thepalaceitselfgrewdim，swayedaboveher，fellontohersoftly，slowly，noiselessly，andtheskyfellwithit。

Shethought:"Oh，whathaveIdone？"

"Oh，whathaveIdone？"shemurmured，andopenedhereyes。

GeorgeEmersonstilllookedather，butnotacrossanything。Shehadcomplainedofdullness，andlo!onemanwasstabbed，andanotherheldherinhisarms。

TheyweresittingonsomestepsintheUffiziArcade。Hemusthavecarriedher。Herosewhenshespoke，andbegantodusthisknees。Sherepeated:

"Oh，whathaveIdone？"

"Youfainted。”

"I——Iamverysorry。”

"Howareyounow？"

"Perfectlywell——absolutelywell。”Andshebegantonodandsmile。

"Thenletuscomehome。There"snopointinourstopping。”

Heheldouthishandtopullherup。Shepretendednottoseeit。

Thecriesfromthefountain——theyhadneverceased——rangemptily。

Thewholeworldseemedpaleandvoidofitsoriginalmeaning。

"Howverykindyouhavebeen!Imighthavehurtmyselffalling。

ButnowIamwell。Icangoalone，thankyou。”

Hishandwasstillextended。

"Oh，myphotographs!"sheexclaimedsuddenly。

"Whatphotographs？"

"IboughtsomephotographsatAlinari"s。Imusthavedroppedthemoutthereinthesquare。”Shelookedathimcautiously。"Wouldyouaddtoyourkindnessbyfetchingthem？"

Headdedtohiskindness。Assoonashehadturnedhisback，LucyarosewiththerunningofamaniacandstoledownthearcadetowardstheArno。

"MissHoneychurch!"

Shestoppedwithherhandonherheart。

"Yousitstill；youaren"tfittogohomealone。”

"Yes，Iam，thankyousoverymuch。”

"No，youaren"t。You"dgoopenlyifyouwere。”

"ButIhadrather——"

"ThenIdon"tfetchyourphotographs。”

"Ihadratherbealone。”

Hesaidimperiously:"Themanisdead——themanisprobablydead；

sitdowntillyouarerested。”Shewasbewildered，andobeyedhim。"Anddon"tmovetillIcomeback。”

Inthedistanceshesawcreatureswithblackhoods，suchasappearindreams。Thepalacetowerhadlostthereflectionofthedecliningday，andjoineditselftoearth。HowshouldshetalktoMr。Emersonwhenhereturnedfromtheshadowysquare？Againthethoughtoccurredtoher，"Oh，whathaveIdone？"——thethoughtthatshe，aswellasthedyingman，hadcrossedsomespiritualboundary。

Hereturned，andshetalkedofthemurder。Oddlyenough，itwasaneasytopic。ShespokeoftheItaliancharacter；shebecamealmostgarrulousovertheincidentthathadmadeherfaintfiveminutesbefore。Beingstrongphysically，shesoonovercamethehorrorofblood。Sherosewithouthisassistance，andthoughwingsseemedtoflutterinsideher，shewalkedfirmlyenoughtowardstheArno。Thereacabmansignalledtothem；theyrefusedhim。

"Andthemurderertriedtokisshim，yousay——howveryoddItaliansare!——andgavehimselfuptothepolice!Mr。BeebewassayingthatItaliansknoweverything，butIthinktheyareratherchildish。WhenmycousinandIwereatthePittiyesterday——Whatwasthat？"

Hehadthrownsomethingintothestream。

"Whatdidyouthrowin？"

"ThingsIdidn"twant，"hesaidcrossly。

"Mr。Emerson!"

"Well？"

"Wherearethephotographs？"

Hewassilent。

"Ibelieveitwasmyphotographsthatyouthrewaway。”

"Ididn"tknowwhattodowiththem，"hecried。andhisvoicewasthatofananxiousboy。Herheartwarmedtowardshimforthefirsttime。"Theywerecoveredwithblood。There!I"mgladI"vetoldyou；andallthetimeweweremakingconversationIwaswonderingwhattodowiththem。”Hepointeddown-stream。"They"vegone。”Theriverswirledunderthebridge，"Ididmindthemso，andoneissofoolish，itseemedbetterthattheyshouldgoouttothesea——Idon"tknow；Imayjustmeanthattheyfrightenedme。

Thentheboyvergedintoaman。"Forsomethingtremendoushashappened；Imustfaceitwithoutgettingmuddled。Itisn"texactlythatamanhasdied。”

SomethingwarnedLucythatshemuststophim。

"Ithashappened，"herepeated，"andImeantofindoutwhatitis。”

"Mr。Emerson——"

Heturnedtowardsherfrowning，asifshehaddisturbedhiminsomeabstractquest。

"Iwanttoaskyousomethingbeforewegoin。”

Theywereclosetotheirpension。Shestoppedandleantherelbowsagainsttheparapetoftheembankment。Hedidlikewise。

Thereisattimesamagicinidentityofposition；itisoneofthethingsthathavesuggestedtouseternalcomradeship。Shemovedherelbowsbeforesaying:

"Ihavebehavedridiculously。”

Hewasfollowinghisownthoughts。

"Iwasneversomuchashamedofmyselfinmylife；Icannotthinkwhatcameoverme。”

"Inearlyfaintedmyself，"hesaid；butshefeltthatherattituderepelledhim。

"Well，Ioweyouathousandapologies。”

"Oh，allright。”

"And——thisistherealpoint——youknowhowsillypeoplearegossiping——ladiesespecially，Iamafraid——youunderstandwhatI

mean？"

"I"mafraidIdon"t。”

"Imean，wouldyounotmentionittoanyone，myfoolishbehaviour？"

"Yourbehaviour？Oh，yes，allright——allright。”

"Thankyousomuch。Andwouldyou——"

Shecouldnotcarryherrequestanyfurther。Theriverwasrushingbelowthem，almostblackintheadvancingnight。Hehadthrownherphotographsintoit，andthenhehadtoldherthereason。Itstruckherthatitwashopelesstolookforchivalryinsuchaman。Hewoulddohernoharmbyidlegossip；hewastrustworthy，intelligent，andevenkind；hemightevenhaveahighopinionofher。Buthelackedchivalry；histhoughts，likehisbehaviour，wouldnotbemodifiedbyawe。Itwasuselesstosaytohim，"Andwouldyou——"andhopethathewouldcompletethesentenceforhimself，avertinghiseyesfromhernakednessliketheknightinthatbeautifulpicture。Shehadbeeninhisarms，andherememberedit，justasherememberedthebloodonthephotographsthatshehadboughtinAlinari"sshop。Itwasnotexactlythatamanhaddied；somethinghadhappenedtotheliving:theyhadcometoasituationwherecharactertells，andwherechildhoodentersuponthebranchingpathsofYouth。

"Well，thankyousomuch，"sherepeated，"Howquicklytheseaccidentsdohappen，andthenonereturnstotheoldlife!"

"Idon"t。”

Anxietymovedhertoquestionhim。

Hisanswerwaspuzzling:"Ishallprobablywanttolive。”

"Butwhy，Mr。Emerson？Whatdoyoumean？"

"Ishallwanttolive，Isay。”

Leaningherelbowsontheparapet，shecontemplatedtheRiverArno，whoseroarwassuggestingsomeunexpectedmelodytoherears。

ChapterV:PossibilitiesofaPleasantOutingItwasafamilysayingthat"youneverknewwhichwayCharlotteBartlettwouldturn。”ShewasperfectlypleasantandsensibleoverLucy"sadventure，foundtheabridgedaccountofitquiteadequate，andpaidsuitabletributetothecourtesyofMr。GeorgeEmerson。SheandMissLavishhadhadanadventurealso。TheyhadbeenstoppedattheDaziocomingback，andtheyoungofficialsthere，whoseemedimpudentanddesoeuvre，hadtriedtosearchtheirreticulesforprovisions。Itmighthavebeenmostunpleasant。FortunatelyMissLavishwasamatchforanyone。

Forgoodorforevil，Lucywaslefttofaceherproblemalone。

Noneofherfriendshadseenher，eitherinthePiazzaor，lateron，bytheembankment。Mr。Beebe，indeed，noticingherstartledeyesatdinner-time，hadagainpassedtohimselftheremarkof"ToomuchBeethoven。”Butheonlysupposedthatshewasreadyforanadventure，notthatshehadencounteredit。Thissolitudeoppressedher；shewasaccustomedtohaveherthoughtsconfirmedbyothersor，atallevents，contradicted；itwastoodreadfulnottoknowwhethershewasthinkingrightorwrong。

Atbreakfastnextmorningshetookdecisiveaction。Thereweretwoplansbetweenwhichshehadtochoose。Mr。BeebewaswalkinguptotheTorredelGallowiththeEmersonsandsomeAmericanladies。WouldMissBartlettandMissHoneychurchjointheparty？

Charlottedeclinedforherself；shehadbeenthereintherainthepreviousafternoon。ButshethoughtitanadmirableideaforLucy，whohatedshopping，changingmoney，fetchingletters，andotherirksomeduties——allofwhichMissBartlettmustaccomplishthismorningandcouldeasilyaccomplishalone。

"No，Charlotte!"criedthegirl，withrealwarmth。"It"sverykindofMr。Beebe，butIamcertainlycomingwithyou。Ihadmuchrather。”

"Verywell，dear，"saidMissBartlett，withafaintflushofpleasurethatcalledforthadeepflushofshameonthecheeksofLucy。HowabominablyshebehavedtoCharlotte，nowasalways!Butnowsheshouldalter。Allmorningshewouldbereallynicetoher。

Sheslippedherarmintohercousin"s，andtheystartedoffalongtheLung"Arno。Theriverwasalionthatmorninginstrength，voice，andcolour。MissBartlettinsistedonleaningovertheparapettolookatit。Shethenmadeherusualremark，whichwas"HowIdowishFreddyandyourmothercouldseethis，too!"

Lucyfidgeted；itwastiresomeofCharlottetohavestoppedexactlywhereshedid。

"Look，Lucia!Oh，youarewatchingfortheTorredelGalloparty。