第5章
Yetthesmirkingoldwomen，howeverwrongindividually，wereraciallycorrect。Thespiritofthegenerationshadsmiledthroughthem，rejoicingintheengagementofCecilandLucybecauseitpromisedthecontinuanceoflifeonearth。ToCecilandLucyitpromisedsomethingquitedifferent——personallove。
HenceCecil"sirritationandLucy"sbeliefthathisirritationwasjust。
"Howtiresome!"shesaid。"Couldn"tyouhaveescapedtotennis？"
"Idon"tplaytennis——atleast，notinpublic。Theneighbourhoodisdeprivedoftheromanceofmebeingathletic。SuchromanceasIhaveisthatoftheIngleseItalianato。”
"IngleseItalianato？"
"Eundiavoloincarnato!Youknowtheproverb？"
Shedidnot。NordiditseemapplicabletoayoungmanwhohadspentaquietwinterinRomewithhismother。ButCecil，sincehisengagement，hadtakentoaffectacosmopolitannaughtinesswhichhewasfarfrompossessing。
"Well，"saidhe，"Icannothelpitiftheydodisapproveofme。
Therearecertainirremovablebarriersbetweenmyselfandthem，andImustacceptthem。”
"Weallhaveourlimitations，Isuppose，"saidwiseLucy。
"Sometimestheyareforcedonus，though，"saidCecil，whosawfromherremarkthatshedidnotquiteunderstandhisposition。
"How？"
"Itmakesadifferencedoesn"tit，whetherwefullyfenceourselvesin，orwhetherwearefencedoutbythebarriersofothers？"
Shethoughtamoment，andagreedthatitdidmakeadifference。
"Difference？"criedMrs。Honeychurch，suddenlyalert。"Idon"tseeanydifference。Fencesarefences，especiallywhentheyareinthesameplace。”
"Wewerespeakingofmotives，"saidCecil，onwhomtheinterruptionjarred。
"MydearCecil，lookhere。”Shespreadoutherkneesandperchedhercard-caseonherlap。"Thisisme。That"sWindyCorner。Therestofthepatternistheotherpeople。Motivesareallverywell，butthefencecomeshere。”
"Weweren"ttalkingofrealfences，"saidLucy，laughing。
"Oh，Isee，dear——poetry。”
Sheleantplacidlyback。CecilwonderedwhyLucyhadbeenamused。
"Itellyouwhohasno"fences，"asyoucallthem，"shesaid，"andthat"sMr。Beebe。”
"Aparsonfencelesswouldmeanaparsondefenceless。”
Lucywasslowtofollowwhatpeoplesaid，butquickenoughtodetectwhattheymeant。ShemissedCecil"sepigram，butgraspedthefeelingthatpromptedit。
"Don"tyoulikeMr。Beebe？"sheaskedthoughtfully。
"Ineversaidso!"hecried。"Iconsiderhimfarabovetheaverage。Ionlydenied——"Andhesweptoffonthesubjectoffencesagain，andwasbrilliant。
"Now，aclergymanthatIdohate，"saidshewantingtosaysomethingsympathetic，"aclergymanthatdoeshavefences，andthemostdreadfulones，isMr。Eager，theEnglishchaplainatFlorence。Hewastrulyinsincere——notmerelythemannerunfortunate。Hewasasnob，andsoconceited，andhedidsaysuchunkindthings。”
"Whatsortofthings？"
"TherewasanoldmanattheBertoliniwhomhesaidhadmurderedhiswife。”
"Perhapshehad。”
"No!"
"Why"no"？"
"Hewassuchaniceoldman，I"msure。”
Cecillaughedatherfeminineinconsequence。
"Well，Ididtrytosiftthething。Mr。Eagerwouldnevercometothepoint。Heprefersitvague——saidtheoldmanhad"practically"murderedhiswife——hadmurderedherinthesightofGod。”
"Hush，dear!"saidMrs。Honeychurchabsently。"Butisn"titintolerablethatapersonwhomwe"retoldtoimitateshouldgoroundspreadingslander？Itwas，Ibelieve，chieflyowingtohimthattheoldmanwasdropped。Peoplepretendedhewasvulgar，buthecertainlywasn"tthat。”
"Pooroldman!Whatwashisname？"
"Harris，"saidLucyglibly。
"Let"shopethatMrs。Harristherewarn"tnosichperson，"saidhermother。
Cecilnoddedintelligently。
"Isn"tMr。Eageraparsonoftheculturedtype？"heasked。
"Idon"tknow。Ihatehim。I"veheardhimlectureonGiotto。I
hatehim。Nothingcanhideapettynature。IHATEhim。”
"Mygoodnessgraciousme，child!"saidMrs。Honeychurch。"You"llblowmyheadoff!Whateveristheretoshoutover？IforbidyouandCeciltohateanymoreclergymen。”
Hesmiled。TherewasindeedsomethingratherincongruousinLucy"smoraloutburstoverMr。Eager。ItwasasifoneshouldseetheLeonardoontheceilingoftheSistine。Helongedtohinttoherthatnotherelayhervocation；thatawoman"spowerandcharmresideinmystery，notinmuscularrant。Butpossiblyrantisasignofvitality:itmarsthebeautifulcreature，butshowsthatsheisalive。Afteramoment，hecontemplatedherflushedfaceandexcitedgestureswithacertainapproval。Heforeboretorepressthesourcesofyouth。
Nature——simplestoftopics，hethought——layaroundthem。Hepraisedthepine-woods，thedeeplastsofbracken，thecrimsonleavesthatspottedthehurt-bushes，theserviceablebeautyoftheturnpikeroad。Theoutdoorworldwasnotveryfamiliartohim，andoccasionallyhewentwronginaquestionoffact。Mrs。
Honeychurch"smouthtwitchedwhenhespokeoftheperpetualgreenofthelarch。
"Icountmyselfaluckyperson，"heconcluded，"WhenI"minLondonIfeelIcouldneverliveoutofit。WhenI"minthecountryIfeelthesameaboutthecountry。Afterall，Idobelievethatbirdsandtreesandtheskyarethemostwonderfulthingsinlife，andthatthepeoplewholiveamongstthemmustbethebest。It"struethatinninecasesoutoftentheydon"tseemtonoticeanything。Thecountrygentlemanandthecountrylabourerareeachintheirwaythemostdepressingofcompanions。
YettheymayhaveatacitsympathywiththeworkingsofNaturewhichisdeniedtousofthetown。Doyoufeelthat，Mrs。
Honeychurch？"
Mrs。Honeychurchstartedandsmiled。Shehadnotbeenattending。
Cecil，whowasrathercrushedonthefrontseatofthevictoria，feltirritable，anddeterminednottosayanythinginterestingagain。
Lucyhadnotattendedeither。Herbrowwaswrinkled，andshestilllookedfuriouslycross——theresult，heconcluded，oftoomuchmoralgymnastics。ItwassadtoseeherthusblindtothebeautiesofanAugustwood。
""Comedown，Omaid，fromyondermountainheight，""hequoted，andtouchedherkneewithhisown。
Sheflushedagainandsaid:"Whatheight？"
""Comedown，Omaid，fromyondermountainheight，Whatpleasurelivesinheight(theshepherdsang)。
Inheightandinthesplendourofthehills？"
LetustakeMrs。Honeychurch"sadviceandhateclergymennomore。What"sthisplace？"
"SummerStreet，ofcourse，"saidLucy，androusedherself。
Thewoodshadopenedtoleavespaceforaslopingtriangularmeadow。Prettycottageslineditontwosides，andtheupperandthirdsidewasoccupiedbyanewstonechurch，expensivelysimple，acharmingshingledspire。Mr。Beebe"shousewasnearthechurch。Inheightitscarcelyexceededthecottages。Somegreatmansionswereathand，buttheywerehiddeninthetrees。ThescenesuggestedaSwissAlpratherthantheshrineandcentreofaleisuredworld，andwasmarredonlybytwouglylittlevillas——
thevillasthathadcompetedwithCecil"sengagement，havingbeenacquiredbySirHarryOtwaytheveryafternoonthatLucyhadbeenacquiredbyCecil。
"Cissie"wasthenameofoneofthesevillas，"Albert"oftheother。ThesetitleswerenotonlypickedoutinshadedGothiconthegardengates，butappearedasecondtimeontheporches，wheretheyfollowedthesemicircularcurveoftheentrancearchinblockcapitals。"Albert"wasinhabited。Historturedgardenwasbrightwithgeraniumsandlobeliasandpolishedshells。HislittlewindowswerechastelyswathedinNottinghamlace。"Cissie"
wastolet。Threenotice-boards，belongingtoDorkingagents，lolledonherfenceandannouncedthenotsurprisingfact。Herpathswerealreadyweedy；herpocket-handkerchiefofalawnwasyellowwithdandelions。
"Theplaceisruined!"saidtheladiesmechanically。"SummerStreetwillneverbethesameagain。”
Asthecarriagepassed，"Cissie"s"dooropened，andagentlemancameoutofher。
"Stop!"criedMrs。Honeychurch，touchingthecoachmanwithherparasol。"Here"sSirHarry。Nowweshallknow。SirHarry，pullthosethingsdownatonce!"
SirHarryOtway——whoneednotbedescribed——cametothecarriageandsaid"Mrs。Honeychurch，Imeantto。Ican"t，Ireallycan"tturnoutMissFlack。”
"AmInotalwaysright？Sheoughttohavegonebeforethecontractwassigned。Doesshestillliverentfree，asshedidinhernephew"stime？"
"ButwhatcanIdo？"Heloweredhisvoice。"Anoldlady，soveryvulgar，andalmostbedridden。”
"Turnherout，"saidCecilbravely。
SirHarrysighed，andlookedatthevillasmournfully。HehadhadfullwarningofMr。Flack"sintentions，andmighthaveboughttheplotbeforebuildingcommenced:buthewasapatheticanddilatory。HehadknownSummerStreetforsomanyyearsthathecouldnotimagineitbeingspoilt。NottillMrs。Flackhadlaidthefoundationstone，andtheapparitionofredandcreambrickbegantorisedidhetakealarm。HecalledonMr。Flack，thelocalbuilder，——amostreasonableandrespectfulman——whoagreedthattileswouldhavemademoreartisticroof，butpointedoutthatslateswerecheaper。Heventuredtodiffer，however，abouttheCorinthiancolumnswhichweretoclinglikeleechestotheframesofthebowwindows，sayingthat，forhispart，helikedtorelievethefacadebyabitofdecoration。SirHarryhintedthatacolumn，ifpossible，shouldbestructuralaswellasdecorative。
Mr。Flackrepliedthatallthecolumnshadbeenordered，adding，"andallthecapitalsdifferent——onewithdragonsinthefoliage，anotherapproachingtotheIonianstyle，anotherintroducingMrs。
Flack"sinitials——everyonedifferent。”ForhehadreadhisRuskin。Hebuilthisvillasaccordingtohisdesire；andnotuntilhehadinsertedanimmovableauntintooneofthemdidSirHarrybuy。
ThisfutileandunprofitabletransactionfilledtheknightwithsadnessasheleantonMrs。Honeychurch"scarriage。Hehadfailedinhisdutiestothecountry-side，andthecountry-sidewaslaughingathimaswell。Hehadspentmoney，andyetSummerStreetwasspoiltasmuchasever。Allhecoulddonowwastofindadesirabletenantfor"Cissie"——someonereallydesirable。
"Therentisabsurdlylow，"hetoldthem，"andperhapsIamaneasylandlord。Butitissuchanawkwardsize。Itistoolargeforthepeasantclassandtoosmallforanyonetheleastlikeourselves。”
CecilhadbeenhesitatingwhetherheshoulddespisethevillasordespiseSirHarryfordespisingthem。Thelatterimpulseseemedthemorefruitful。
"Yououghttofindatenantatonce，"hesaidmaliciously。"Itwouldbeaperfectparadiseforabankclerk。”
"Exactly!"saidSirHarryexcitedly。"ThatisexactlywhatI
fear，Mr。Vyse。Itwillattractthewrongtypeofpeople。Thetrainservicehasimproved——afatalimprovement，tomymind。Andwhatarefivemilesfromastationinthesedaysofbicycles？"
"Ratherastrenuousclerkitwouldbe，"saidLucy。
Cecil，whohadhisfullshareofmediaevalmischievousness，repliedthatthephysiqueofthelowermiddleclasseswasimprovingatamostappallingrate。Shesawthathewaslaughingattheirharmlessneighbour，androusedherselftostophim。
"SirHarry!"sheexclaimed，"Ihaveanidea。Howwouldyoulikespinsters？"
"MydearLucy，itwouldbesplendid。Doyouknowanysuch？"
"Yes；Imetthemabroad。”
"Gentlewomen？"heaskedtentatively。
"Yes，indeed，andatthepresentmomenthomeless。Iheardfromthemlastweek——MissTeresaandMissCatharineAlan。I"mreallynotjoking。Theyarequitetherightpeople。Mr。Beebeknowsthem，too。MayItellthemtowritetoyou？"
"Indeedyoumay!"hecried。"Herewearewiththedifficultysolvedalready。Howdelightfulitis!Extrafacilities——pleasetellthemtheyshallhaveextrafacilities，forIshallhavenoagents"fees。Oh，theagents!Theappallingpeopletheyhavesentme!Onewoman，whenIwrote——atactfulletter，youknow——askinghertoexplainhersocialpositiontome，repliedthatshewouldpaytherentinadvance。Asifonecaresaboutthat!AndseveralreferencesItookupweremostunsatisfactory——peopleswindlers，ornotrespectable。Andoh，thedeceit!Ihaveseenagooddealoftheseamysidethislastweek。Thedeceitofthemostpromisingpeople。MydearLucy，thedeceit!"
Shenodded。
"Myadvice，"putinMrs。Honeychurch，"istohavenothingtodowithLucyandherdecayedgentlewomenatall。Iknowthetype。
Preservemefrompeoplewhohaveseenbetterdays，andbringheirloomswiththemthatmakethehousesmellstuffy。It"sasadthing，butI"dfarratherlettosomeonewhoisgoingupintheworldthantosomeonewhohascomedown。”
"IthinkIfollowyou，"saidSirHarry；"butitis，asyousay，averysadthing。”
"TheMissesAlanaren"tthat!"criedLucy。
"Yes，theyare，"saidCecil。"Ihaven"tmetthembutIshouldsaytheywereahighlyunsuitableadditiontotheneighbourhood。”
"Don"tlistentohim，SirHarry——he"stiresome。”
"It"sIwhoamtiresome，"hereplied。"Ioughtn"ttocomewithmytroublestoyoungpeople。ButreallyIamsoworried，andLadyOtwaywillonlysaythatIcannotbetoocareful，whichisquitetrue，butnorealhelp。”
"ThenmayIwritetomyMissesAlan？"
"Please!"
ButhiseyewaveredwhenMrs。Honeychurchexclaimed:
"Beware!Theyarecertaintohavecanaries。SirHarry，bewareofcanaries:theyspittheseedoutthroughthebarsofthecagesandthenthemicecome。Bewareofwomenaltogether。Onlylettoaman。”
"Really——"hemurmuredgallantly，thoughhesawthewisdomofherremark。
"Mendon"tgossipovertea-cups。Iftheygetdrunk，there"sanendofthem——theyliedowncomfortablyandsleepitoff。Ifthey"revulgar，theysomehowkeepittothemselves。Itdoesn"tspreadso。Givemeaman——ofcourse，providedhe"sclean。”
SirHarryblushed。NeitherhenorCecilenjoyedtheseopencomplimentstotheirsex。Eventheexclusionofthedirtydidnotleavethemmuchdistinction。HesuggestedthatMrs。Honeychurch，ifshehadtime，shoulddescendfromthecarriageandinspect"Cissie"forherself。Shewasdelighted。Naturehadintendedhertobepoorandtoliveinsuchahouse。Domesticarrangementsalwaysattractedher，especiallywhentheywereonasmallscale。
CecilpulledLucybackasshefollowedhermother。
"Mrs。Honeychurch，"hesaid，"whatifwetwowalkhomeandleaveyou？"
"Certainly!"washercordialreply。
SirHarrylikewiseseemedalmosttoogladtogetridofthem。Hebeamedatthemknowingly，said，"Aha!youngpeople，youngpeople!"
andthenhastenedtounlockthehouse。
"Hopelessvulgarian!"exclaimedCecil，almostbeforetheywereoutofearshot，"Oh，Cecil!"
"Ican"thelpit。Itwouldbewrongnottoloathethatman。”
"Heisn"tclever，butreallyheisnice。”
"No，Lucy，hestandsforallthatisbadincountrylife。InLondonhewouldkeephisplace。Hewouldbelongtoabrainlessclub，andhiswifewouldgivebrainlessdinnerparties。Butdownhereheactsthelittlegodwithhisgentility，andhispatronage，andhisshamaesthetics，andeveryone——evenyourmother——istakenin。”
"Allthatyousayisquitetrue，"saidLucy，thoughshefeltdiscouraged。"Iwonderwhether——whetheritmatterssoverymuch。”
"Itmatterssupremely。SirHarryistheessenceofthatgarden-party。Oh，goodness，howcrossIfeel!HowIdohopehe"llgetsomevulgartenantinthatvilla——somewomansoreallyvulgarthathe"llnoticeit。GENTLEFOLKS!Ugh!withhisbaldheadandretreatingchin!Butlet"sforgethim。”
ThisLucywasgladenoughtodo。IfCecildislikedSirHarryOtwayandMr。Beebe，whatguaranteewastherethatthepeoplewhoreallymatteredtoherwouldescape？Forinstance，Freddy。
Freddywasneitherclever，norsubtle，norbeautiful，andwhatpreventedCecilfromsaying，anyminute，"ItwouldbewrongnottoloatheFreddy"？Andwhatwouldshereply？FurtherthanFreddyshedidnotgo，buthegaveheranxietyenough。ShecouldonlyassureherselfthatCecilhadknownFreddysometime，andthattheyhadalwaysgotonpleasantly，except，perhaps，duringthelastfewdays，whichwasanaccident，perhaps。
"Whichwayshallwego？"sheaskedhim。
Nature——simplestoftopics，shethought——wasaroundthem。SummerStreetlaydeepinthewoods，andshehadstoppedwhereafootpathdivergedfromthehighroad。
"Aretheretwoways？"
"Perhapstheroadismoresensible，aswe"regotupsmart。”
"I"drathergothroughthewood，"saidCecil，Withthatsubduedirritationthatshehadnoticedinhimalltheafternoon。"Whyisit，Lucy，thatyoualwayssaytheroad？Doyouknowthatyouhaveneveroncebeenwithmeinthefieldsorthewoodsincewewereengaged？"
"Haven"tI？Thewood，then，"saidLucy，startledathisqueerness，butprettysurethathewouldexplainlater；itwasnothishabittoleaveherindoubtastohismeaning。
Sheledthewayintothewhisperingpines，andsureenoughhedidexplainbeforetheyhadgoneadozenyards。
"Ihadgotanidea——Idaresaywrongly——thatyoufeelmoreathomewithmeinaroom。”
"Aroom？"sheechoed，hopelesslybewildered。
"Yes。Or，atthemost，inagarden，oronaroad。Neverintherealcountrylikethis。”
"Oh，Cecil，whateverdoyoumean？Ihaveneverfeltanythingofthesort。YoutalkasifIwasakindofpoetesssortofperson。”
"Idon"tknowthatyouaren"t。Iconnectyouwithaview——acertaintypeofview。Whyshouldn"tyouconnectmewitharoom？"
Shereflectedamoment，andthensaid，laughing:
"Doyouknowthatyou"reright？Ido。Imustbeapoetessafterall。WhenIthinkofyouit"salwaysasinaroom。Howfunny!"
Tohersurprise，heseemedannoyed。
"Adrawing-room，pray？Withnoview？"
"Yes，withnoview，Ifancy。Whynot？"
"I"drather，"hesaidreproachfully，"thatconnectedmewiththeopenair。”
Shesaidagain，"Oh，Cecil，whateverdoyoumean？"
Asnoexplanationwasforthcoming，sheshookoffthesubjectastoodifficultforagirl，andledhimfurtherintothewood，pausingeverynowandthenatsomeparticularlybeautifulorfamiliarcombinationofthetrees。ShehadknownthewoodbetweenSummerStreetandWindyCornereversinceshecouldwalkalone；
shehadplayedatlosingFreddyinit，whenFreddywasapurple-facedbaby；andthoughshehadbeentoItaly，ithadlostnoneofitscharm。
Presentlytheycametoalittleclearingamongthepines——anothertinygreenalp，solitarythistime，andholdinginitsbosomashallowpool。
Sheexclamed，"TheSacredLake!"
"Whydoyoucallitthat？"
"Ican"trememberwhy。Isupposeitcomesoutofsomebook。It"sonlyapuddlenow，butyouseethatstreamgoingthroughit？
Well，agooddealofwatercomesdownafterheavyrains，andcan"tgetawayatonce，andthepoolbecomesquitelargeandbeautiful。ThenFreddyusedtobathethere。Heisveryfondofit。”
"Andyou？"
Hemeant，"Areyoufondofit？"Butsheanswereddreamily，"I
bathedhere，too，tillIwasfoundout。Thentherewasarow。”
Atanothertimehemighthavebeenshocked，forhehaddepthsofprudishnesswithinhim。Butnow？withhismomentarycultofthefreshair，hewasdelightedatheradmirablesimplicity。Helookedatherasshestoodbythepool"sedge。Shewasgotupsmart，asshephrasedit，andsheremindedhimofsomebrilliantflowerthathasnoleavesofitsown，butbloomsabruptlyoutofaworldofgreen。
"Whofoundyouout？"
"Charlotte，"shemurmured。"Shewasstoppingwithus。Charlotte——
Charlotte。”
"Poorgirl!"
Shesmiledgravely。Acertainscheme，fromwhichhithertohehadshrank，nowappearedpractical。
"Lucy!"
"Yes，Isupposeweoughttobegoing，"washerreply。
"Lucy，IwanttoasksomethingofyouthatIhaveneveraskedbefore。”
Attheseriousnoteinhisvoiceshesteppedfranklyandkindlytowardshim。
"What，Cecil？"
"Hithertonever——noteventhatdayonthelawnwhenyouagreedtomarryme——"
Hebecameself-consciousandkeptglancingroundtoseeiftheywereobserved。Hiscouragehadgone。
"Yes？"
"UptonowIhaveneverkissedyou。”
Shewasasscarletasifhehadputthethingmostindelicately。
"No——moreyouhave，"shestammered。
"ThenIaskyou——mayInow？"
"Ofcourse，youmay，Cecil。Youmightbefore。Ican"trunatyou，youknow。”
Atthatsuprememomenthewasconsciousofnothingbutabsurdities。Herreplywasinadequate。Shegavesuchabusiness-likelifttoherveil。Asheapproachedherhefoundtimetowishthathecouldrecoil。Ashetouchedher，hisgoldpince-nezbecamedislodgedandwasflattenedbetweenthem。
Suchwastheembrace。Heconsidered，withtruth，thatithadbeenafailure。Passionshouldbelieveitselfirresistible。Itshouldforgetcivilityandconsiderationandalltheothercursesofarefinednature。Aboveall，itshouldneveraskforleavewherethereisarightofway。Whycouldhenotdoasanylabourerornavvy——nay，asanyyoungmanbehindthecounterwouldhavedone？Herecastthescene。Lucywasstandingflowerlikebythewater，herushedupandtookherinhisarms；sherebukedhim，permittedhimandreveredhimeverafterforhismanliness。Forhebelievedthatwomenreveremenfortheirmanliness。
Theyleftthepoolinsilence，afterthisonesalutation。Hewaitedforhertomakesomeremarkwhichshouldshowhimherinmostthoughts。Atlastshespoke，andwithfittinggravity。
"Emersonwasthename，notHarris。”
"Whatname？"
"Theoldman"s。”
"Whatoldman？"
"ThatoldmanItoldyouabout。TheoneMr。Eagerwassounkindto。”
Hecouldnotknowthatthiswasthemostintimateconversationtheyhadeverhad。
ChapterX:CecilasaHumouristThesocietyoutofwhichCecilproposedtorescueLucywasperhapsnoverysplendidaffair，yetitwasmoresplendidthanherantecedentsentitledherto。Herfather，aprosperouslocalsolicitor，hadbuiltWindyCorner，asaspeculationatthetimethedistrictwasopeningup，and，fallinginlovewithhisowncreation，hadendedbylivingtherehimself。Soonafterhismarriagethesocialatmospherebegantoalter。Otherhouseswerebuiltonthebrowofthatsteepsouthernslopeandothers，again，amongthepine-treesbehind，andnorthwardonthechalkbarrierofthedowns。MostofthesehouseswerelargerthanWindyCorner，andwerefilledbypeoplewhocame，notfromthedistrict，butfromLondon，andwhomistooktheHoneychurchesfortheremnantsofanindigenousaristocracy。Hewasinclinedtobefrightened，buthiswifeacceptedthesituationwithouteitherprideorhumility。"Icannotthinkwhatpeoplearedoing，"shewouldsay，"butitisextremelyfortunateforthechildren。”Shecalledeverywhere；hercallswerereturnedwithenthusiasm，andbythetimepeoplefoundoutthatshewasnotexactlyoftheirmilieu，theylikedher，anditdidnotseemtomatter。WhenMr。
Honeychurchdied，hehadthesatisfaction——whichfewhonestsolicitorsdespise——ofleavinghisfamilyrootedinthebestsocietyobtainable。
Thebestobtainable。Certainlymanyoftheimmigrantswereratherdull，andLucyrealizedthismorevividlysinceherreturnfromItaly。Hithertoshehadacceptedtheiridealswithoutquestioning——theirkindlyaffluence，theirinexplosivereligion，theirdislikeofpaper-bags，orange-peel，andbrokenbottles。ARadicaloutandout，shelearnttospeakwithhorrorofSuburbia。Life，sofarasshetroubledtoconceiveit，wasacircleofrich，pleasantpeople，withidenticalinterestsandidenticalfoes。
Inthiscircle，onethought，married，anddied。Outsideitwerepovertyandvulgarityforevertryingtoenter，justastheLondonfogtriestoenterthepine-woodspouringthroughthegapsinthenorthernhills。But，inItaly，whereanyonewhochoosesmaywarmhimselfinequality，asinthesun，thisconceptionoflifevanished。Hersensesexpanded；shefeltthattherewasnoonewhomshemightnotgettolike，thatsocialbarrierswereirremovable，doubtless，butnotparticularlyhigh。Youjumpoverthemjustasyoujumpintoapeasant"solive-yardintheApennines，andheisgladtoseeyou。Shereturnedwithneweyes。
SodidCecil；butItalyhadquickenedCecil，nottotolerance，buttoirritation。Hesawthatthelocalsocietywasnarrow，but，insteadofsaying，"Doesthatverymuchmatter？"herebelled，andtriedtosubstituteforitthesocietyhecalledbroad。HedidnotrealizethatLucyhadconsecratedherenvironmentbythethousandlittlecivilitiesthatcreateatendernessintime，andthatthoughhereyessawitsdefects，herheartrefusedtodespiseitentirely。Nordidherealizeamoreimportantpoint——
thatifshewastoogreatforthissociety，shewastoogreatforallsociety，andhadreachedthestagewherepersonalintercoursewouldalonesatisfyher。Arebelshewas，butnotofthekindheunderstood——arebelwhodesired，notawiderdwelling-room，butequalitybesidethemansheloved。ForItalywasofferingherthemostpricelessofallpossessions——herownsoul。
Playingbumble-puppywithMinnieBeebe，niecetotherector，andagedthirteen——anancientandmosthonourablegame，whichconsistsinstrikingtennis-ballshighintotheair，sothattheyfalloverthenetandimmoderatelybounce；somehitMrs。
Honeychurch；othersarelost。Thesentenceisconfused，butthebetterillustratesLucy"sstateofmind，forshewastryingtotalktoMr。Beebeatthesametime。
"Oh，ithasbeensuchanuisance——firsthe，thenthey——nooneknowingwhattheywanted，andeveryonesotiresome。”
"Buttheyreallyarecomingnow，"saidMr。Beebe。"IwrotetoMissTeresaafewdaysago——shewaswonderinghowoftenthebutchercalled，andmyreplyofonceamonthmusthaveimpressedherfavourably。Theyarecoming。Iheardfromthemthismorning。
"IshallhatethoseMissAlans!"Mrs。Honeychurchcried。"Justbecausethey"reoldandsillyone"sexpectedtosay"Howsweet!"
Ihatetheir"if"-ingand"but"-ingand"and"-ing。AndpoorLucy——serveherright——worntoashadow。”
Mr。Beebewatchedtheshadowspringingandshoutingoverthetennis-court。Cecilwasabsent——onedidnotplaybumble-puppywhenhewasthere。
"Well，iftheyarecoming——No，Minnie，notSaturn。”Saturnwasatennis-ballwhoseskinwaspartiallyunsewn。Wheninmotionhisorbwasencircledbyaring。"Iftheyarecoming，SirHarrywillletthemmoveinbeforethetwenty-ninth，andhewillcrossouttheclauseaboutwhitewashingtheceilings，becauseitmadethemnervous，andputinthefairwearandtearone——Thatdoesn"tcount。ItoldyounotSaturn。”
"Saturn"sallrightforbumble-puppy，"criedFreddy，joiningthem。"Minnie，don"tyoulistentoher。”
"Saturndoesn"tbounce。”
"Saturnbouncesenough。”
"No，hedoesn"t。”
"Well；hebouncesbetterthantheBeautifulWhiteDevil。”
"Hush，dear，"saidMrs。Honeychurch。
"ButlookatLucy——complainingofSaturn，andallthetime"sgottheBeautifulWhiteDevilinherhand，readytoplugitin。
That"sright，Minnie，goforher——getherovertheshinswiththeracquet——getherovertheshins!"
Lucyfell，theBeautifulWhiteDevilrolledfromherhand。
Mr。Beebepickeditup，andsaid:"ThenameofthisballisVittoriaCorombona，please。”Buthiscorrectionpassedunheeded。
Freddypossessedtoahighdegreethepoweroflashinglittlegirlstofury，andinhalfaminutehehadtransformedMinniefromawell-manneredchildintoahowlingwilderness。UpinthehouseCecilheardthem，and，thoughhewasfullofentertainingnews，hedidnotcomedowntoimpartit，incasehegothurt。Hewasnotacowardandborenecessarypainaswellasanyman。Buthehatedthephysicalviolenceoftheyoung。Howrightitwas!
Sureenoughitendedinacry。
"IwishtheMissAlanscouldseethis，"observedMr。Beebe，justasLucy，whowasnursingtheinjuredMinnie，wasinturnliftedoffherfeetbyherbrother。
"WhoaretheMissAlans？"Freddypanted。
"TheyhavetakenCissieVilla。”
"Thatwasn"tthename——"
Herehisfootslipped，andtheyallfellmostagreeablyontothegrass。Anintervalelapses。
"Wasn"twhatname？"askedLucy，withherbrother"sheadinherlap。
"Alanwasn"tthenameofthepeopleSirHarry"sletto。”
"Nonsense，Freddy!Youknownothingaboutit。”
"Nonsenseyourself!I"vethisminuteseenhim。Hesaidtome:
"Ahem!Honeychurch，""——Freddywasanindifferentmimic——""ahem!
ahem!Ihaveatlastprocuredreallydee-sire-rebeltenants。"I
said，"ooray，oldboy!"andslappedhimontheback。”
"Exactly。TheMissAlans？"
"Rathernot。MorelikeAnderson。”
"Oh，goodgracious，thereisn"tgoingtobeanothermuddle!"Mrs。
Honeychurchexclaimed。"Doyounotice，Lucy，I"malwaysright？I
saiddon"tinterferewithCissieVilla。I"malwaysright。I"mquiteuneasyatbeingalwaysrightsooften。”
"It"sonlyanothermuddleofFreddy"s。Freddydoesn"tevenknowthenameofthepeoplehepretendshavetakenitinstead。”
"Yes，Ido。I"vegotit。Emerson。”
"Whatname？"
"Emerson。I"llbetyouanythingyoulike。”
"WhataweathercockSirHarryis，"saidLucyquietly。"IwishI
hadneverbotheredoveritatall。”
Thenshelayonherbackandgazedatthecloudlesssky。Mr。
Beebe，whoseopinionofherrosedaily，whisperedtohisniecethatTHATwastheproperwaytobehaveifanylittlethingwentwrong。
MeanwhilethenameofthenewtenantshaddivertedMrs。
Honeychurchfromthecontemplationofherownabilities。
"Emerson，Freddy？DoyouknowwhatEmersonstheyare？"
"Idon"tknowwhetherthey"reanyEmersons，"retortedFreddy，whowasdemocratic。Likehissisterandlikemostyoungpeople，hewasnaturallyattractedbytheideaofequality，andtheundeniablefactthattherearedifferentkindsofEmersonsannoyedhimbeyondmeasure。
"Itrusttheyaretherightsortofperson。Allright，Lucy"——shewassittingupagain——"Iseeyoulookingdownyournoseandthinkingyourmother"sasnob。Butthereisarightsortandawrongsort，andit"saffectationtopretendthereisn"t。”
"Emerson"sacommonenoughname，"Lucyremarked。
Shewasgazingsideways。Seatedonapromontoryherself，shecouldseethepine-cladpromontoriesdescendingonebeyondanotherintotheWeald。Thefurtheronedescendedthegarden，themoregloriouswasthislateralview。
"Iwasmerelygoingtoremark，Freddy，thatItrustedtheywerenorelationsofEmersonthephilosopher，amosttryingman。Pray，doesthatsatisfyyou？"
"Oh，yes，"hegrumbled。"Andyouwillbesatisfied，too，forthey"refriendsofCecil；so——elaborateirony——"youandtheothercountryfamilieswillbeabletocallinperfectsafety。”
"CECIL？"exclaimedLucy。
"Don"tberude，dear，"saidhismotherplacidly。"Lucy，don"tscreech。It"sanewbadhabityou"regettinginto。”
"ButhasCecil——"
"FriendsofCecil"s，"herepeated，""andsoreallydee-sire-
rebel。Ahem!Honeychurch，Ihavejusttelegraphedtothem。""
Shegotupfromthegrass。
ItwashardonLucy。Mr。Beebesympathizedwithherverymuch。
WhileshebelievedthathersnubabouttheMissAlanscamefromSirHarryOtway，shehadborneitlikeagoodgirl。Shemightwell"screech"whensheheardthatitcamepartlyfromherlover。
Mr。Vysewasatease——somethingworsethanatease:hetookamaliciouspleasureinthwartingpeople。Theclergyman，knowingthis，lookedatMissHoneychurchwithmorethanhisusualkindness。
Whensheexclaimed，"ButCecil"sEmersons——theycan"tpossiblybethesameones——thereisthat——"hedidnotconsiderthattheexclamationwasstrange，butsawinitanopportunityofdivertingtheconversationwhilesherecoveredhercomposure。Hediverteditasfollows:
"TheEmersonswhowereatFlorence，doyoumean？No，Idon"tsupposeitwillprovetobethem。ItisprobablyalongcryfromthemtofriendsofMr。Vyse"s。Oh，Mrs。Honeychurch，theoddestpeople!Thequeerestpeople!Forourpartwelikedthem，didn"twe？"HeappealedtoLucy。"Therewasagreatsceneoversomeviolets。TheypickedvioletsandfilledallthevasesintheroomoftheseveryMissAlanswhohavefailedtocometoCissieVilla。
Poorlittleladies!Soshockedandsopleased。ItusedtobeoneofMissCatharine"sgreatstories。"Mydearsisterlovesflowers，"itbegan。Theyfoundthewholeroomamassofblue——vasesandjugs——andthestoryendswith"Soungentlemanlyandyetsobeautiful。"Itisallverydifficult。Yes，IalwaysconnectthoseFlorentineEmersonswithviolets。”
"Fiasco"sdoneyouthistime，"remarkedFreddy，notseeingthathissister"sfacewasveryred。Shecouldnotrecoverherself。
Mr。Beebesawit，andcontinuedtodiverttheconversation。
"TheseparticularEmersonsconsistedofafatherandason——thesonagoodly，ifnotagoodyoungman；notafool，Ifancy，butveryimmature——pessimism，etcetera。Ourspecialjoywasthefather——suchasentimentaldarling，andpeopledeclaredhehadmurderedhiswife。”
InhisnormalstateMr。Beebewouldneverhaverepeatedsuchgossip，buthewastryingtoshelterLucyinherlittletrouble。
Herepeatedanyrubbishthatcameintohishead。
"Murderedhiswife？"saidMrs。Honeychurch。"Lucy，don"tdesertus——goonplayingbumble-puppy。Really，thePensionBertolinimusthavebeentheoddestplace。That"sthesecondmurdererI"veheardofasbeingthere。WhateverwasCharlottedoingtostop？
By-the-by，wereallymustaskCharlotteheresometime。”
Mr。Beebecouldrecallnosecondmurderer。Hesuggestedthathishostesswasmistaken。Atthehintofoppositionshewarmed。Shewasperfectlysurethattherehadbeenasecondtouristofwhomthesamestoryhadbeentold。Thenameescapedher。Whatwasthename？Oh，whatwasthename？Sheclaspedherkneesforthename。
SomethinginThackeray。Shestruckhermatronlyforehead。
LucyaskedherbrotherwhetherCecilwasin。
"Oh，don"tgo!"hecried，andtriedtocatchherbytheankles。
"Imustgo，"shesaidgravely。"Don"tbesilly。Youalwaysoverdoitwhenyouplay。”
Assheleftthemhermother"sshoutof"Harris!"shiveredthetranquilair，andremindedherthatshehadtoldalieandhadneverputitright。Suchasenselesslie，too，yetitshatteredhernervesandmadeherconnecttheseEmersons，friendsofCecil"s，withapairofnondescripttourists。Hithertotruthhadcometohernaturally。Shesawthatforthefutureshemustbemorevigilant，andbe——absolutelytruthful？Well，atallevents，shemustnottelllies。Shehurriedupthegarden，stillflushedwithshame。AwordfromCecilwouldsootheher，shewassure。
"Cecil!"
"Hullo!"hecalled，andleantoutofthesmoking-roomwindow。Heseemedinhighspirits。"Iwashopingyou"dcome。Iheardyouallbear-gardening，butthere"sbetterfunuphere。I，evenI，havewonagreatvictoryfortheComicMuse。GeorgeMeredith"sright——
thecauseofComedyandthecauseofTrutharereallythesame；
andI，evenI，havefoundtenantsforthedistressfulCissieVilla。Don"tbeangry!Don"tbeangry!You"llforgivemewhenyouhearitall。”
Helookedveryattractivewhenhisfacewasbright，andhedispelledherridiculousforebodingsatonce。
"Ihaveheard，"shesaid。"Freddyhastoldus。NaughtyCecil!I
supposeImustforgiveyou。JustthinkofallthetroubleItookfornothing!CertainlytheMissAlansarealittletiresome，andI"dratherhavenicefriendsofyours。Butyououghtn"ttoteaseoneso。”
"Friendsofmine？"helaughed。"But，Lucy，thewholejokeistocome!Comehere。”Butsheremainedstandingwhereshewas。"DoyouknowwhereImetthesedesirabletenants？IntheNationalGallery，whenIwasuptoseemymotherlastweek。”
"Whatanoddplacetomeetpeople!"shesaidnervously。"Idon"tquiteunderstand。”
"IntheUmbrianRoom。Absolutestrangers。TheywereadmiringLucaSignorelli——ofcourse，quitestupidly。However，wegottalking，andtheyrefreshedmenot——alittle。TheyhadbeentoItaly。”
"But，Cecil——"proceededhilariously。
"Inthecourseofconversationtheysaidthattheywantedacountrycottage——thefathertolivethere，thesontorundownforweek-ends。Ithought，"WhatachanceofscoringoffSirHarry!"andItooktheiraddressandaLondonreference，foundtheyweren"tactualblackguards——itwasgreatsport——andwrotetohim，makingout——"
"Cecil!No，it"snotfair。I"veprobablymetthembefore——"
Heboreherdown。
"Perfectlyfair。Anythingisfairthatpunishesasnob。Thatoldmanwilldotheneighbourhoodaworldofgood。SirHarryistoodisgustingwithhis"decayedgentlewomen。"Imeanttoreadhimalessonsometime。No，Lucy，theclassesoughttomix，andbeforelongyou"llagreewithme。Thereoughttobeintermarriage——allsortsofthings。Ibelieveindemocracy——"
"No，youdon"t，"shesnapped。"Youdon"tknowwhatthewordmeans。”
Hestaredather，andfeltagainthatshehadfailedtobeLeonardesque。"No，youdon"t!"
Herfacewasinartistic——thatofapeevishvirago。
"Itisn"tfair，Cecil。Iblameyou——Iblameyouverymuchindeed。
YouhadnobusinesstoundomyworkabouttheMissAlans，andmakemelookridiculous。YoucallitscoringoffSirHarry，butdoyourealizethatitisallatmyexpense？Iconsideritmostdisloyalofyou。”
Shelefthim。
"Temper!"hethought，raisinghiseyebrows。
No，itwasworsethantemper——snobbishness。AslongasLucythoughtthathisownsmartfriendsweresupplantingtheMissAlans，shehadnotminded。Heperceivedthatthesenewtenantsmightbeofvalueeducationally。Hewouldtoleratethefatheranddrawouttheson，whowassilent。IntheinterestsoftheComicMuseandofTruth，hewouldbringthemtoWindyCorner。
ChapterXI:InMrs。Vyse"sWell-AppointedFlatTheComicMuse，thoughabletolookafterherowninterests，didnotdisdaintheassistanceofMr。Vyse。HisideaofbringingtheEmersonstoWindyCornerstruckherasdecidedlygood，andshecarriedthroughthenegotiationswithoutahitch。SirHarryOtwaysignedtheagreement，metMr。Emerson，whowasdulydisillusioned。TheMissAlansweredulyoffended，andwroteadignifiedlettertoLucy，whomtheyheldresponsibleforthefailure。Mr。Beebeplannedpleasantmomentsforthenew-comers，andtoldMrs。HoneychurchthatFreddymustcallonthemassoonastheyarrived。Indeed，soamplewastheMuse"sequipmentthatshepermittedMr。Harris，neveraveryrobustcriminal，todroophishead，tobeforgotten，andtodie。
Lucy——todescendfrombrightheaventoearth，whereonthereareshadowsbecausetherearehills——Lucywasatfirstplungedintodespair，butsettledafteralittlethoughtthatitdidnotmattertheveryleast。Nowthatshewasengaged，theEmersonswouldscarcelyinsultherandwerewelcomeintotheneighbourhood。AndCecilwaswelcometobringwhomhewouldintotheneighbourhood。ThereforeCecilwaswelcometobringtheEmersonsintotheneighbourhood。But，asIsay，thistookalittlethinking，and——soillogicalaregirls——theeventremainedrathergreaterandrathermoredreadfulthanitshouldhavedone。
ShewasgladthatavisittoMrs。Vysenowfelldue；thetenantsmovedintoCissieVillawhileshewassafeintheLondonflat。
"Cecil——Cecildarling，"shewhisperedtheeveningshearrived，andcreptintohisarms。
Cecil，too，becamedemonstrative。HesawthattheneedfulfirehadbeenkindledinLucy。Atlastshelongedforattention，asawomanshould，andlookeduptohimbecausehewasaman。
"Soyoudoloveme，littlething？"hemurmured。
"Oh，Cecil，Ido，Ido!Idon"tknowwhatIshoulddowithoutyou。”
Severaldayspassed。ThenshehadaletterfromMissBartlett。
Acoolnesshadsprungupbetweenthetwocousins，andtheyhadnotcorrespondedsincetheypartedinAugust。ThecoolnessdatedfromwhatCharlottewouldcall"theflighttoRome，"andinRomeithadincreasedamazingly。Forthecompanionwhoismerelyuncongenialinthemediaevalworldbecomesexasperatingintheclassical。Charlotte，unselfishintheForum，wouldhavetriedasweetertemperthanLucy"s，andonce，intheBathsofCaracalla，theyhaddoubtedwhethertheycouldcontinuetheirtour。LucyhadsaidshewouldjointheVyses——Mrs。Vysewasanacquaintanceofhermother，sotherewasnoimproprietyintheplanandMissBartletthadrepliedthatshewasquiteusedtobeingabandonedsuddenly。Finallynothinghappened；butthecoolnessremained，and，forLucy，wasevenincreasedwhensheopenedtheletterandreadasfollows。IthadbeenforwardedfromWindyCorner。
"TunbridgeWells，September。
"DearestLucia，"Ihavenewsofyouatlast!MissLavishhasbeenbicyclinginyourparts，butwasnotsurewhetheracallwouldbewelcome。
PuncturinghertirenearSummerStreet，anditbeingmendedwhileshesatverywoebegoneinthatprettychurchyard，shesawtoherastonishment，adooropenoppositeandtheyoungerEmersonmancomeout。Hesaidhisfatherhadjusttakenthehouse。HeSAIDhedidnotknowthatyoulivedintheneighbourhood(？)。HeneversuggestedgivingEleanoracupoftea。DearLucy，Iammuchworried，andIadviseyoutomakeacleanbreastofhispastbehaviourtoyourmother，Freddy，andMr。Vyse，whowillforbidhimtoenterthehouse，etc。Thatwasagreatmisfortune，andI
daresayyouhavetoldthemalready。Mr。Vyseissosensitive。I
rememberhowIusedtogetonhisnervesatRome。Iamverysorryaboutitall，andshouldnotfeeleasyunlessIwarnedyou。
"Believeme，"Youranxiousandlovingcousin，Charlotte。”
Lucywasmuchannoyed，andrepliedasfollows:
"BeauchampMansions，S。W。
"DearCharlotte，"Manythanksforyourwarning。WhenMr。Emersonforgothimselfonthemountain，youmademepromisenottotellmother，becauseyousaidshewouldblameyoufornotbeingalwayswithme。Ihavekeptthatpromise，andcannotpossiblytellhernow。IhavesaidbothtoherandCecilthatImettheEmersonsatFlorence，andthattheyarerespectablepeople——whichIdothink——andthereasonthatheofferedMissLavishnoteawasprobablythathehadnonehimself。SheshouldhavetriedattheRectory。Icannotbeginmakingafussatthisstage。Youmustseethatitwouldbetooabsurd。IftheEmersonsheardIhadcomplainedofthem，theywouldthinkthemselvesofimportance，whichisexactlywhattheyarenot。Iliketheoldfather，andlookforwardtoseeinghimagain。Asfortheson，Iamsorryforhimwhenwemeet，ratherthanformyself。TheyareknowntoCecil，whoisverywellandspokeofyoutheotherday。WeexpecttobemarriedinJanuary。
"MissLavishcannothavetoldyoumuchaboutme，forIamnotatWindyCorneratall，buthere。Pleasedonotput"Private"
outsideyourenvelopeagain。Nooneopensmyletters。
"Yoursaffectionately，"L。M。Honeychurch。”