第2章
ThereoughttobepeopleatPardons。LadyConant"squiteright。"
"Iwasthinkingmoreofthewoodsandtheroads。Icoulddoublethevalueoftheplaceinsixmonths。"
"Whatdotheywantforit？"Sheshookherhead，andherloosenedhairfellglowinglyabouthercheeks。
"Seventy-fivethousanddollars。They"lltakesixty-eight。"
"Lessthanhalfwhatwepaidforouroldyachtwhenwemarried。
Andwedidn"thaveagoodtimeinher。Youwere——"
"Well，IdiscoveredIwastoomuchofanAmericantobecontenttobearichman"sson。Youaren"tblamingmeforthat？"
"Oh，no。Onlyitwasaverybusinesslikehoneymoon。Howfarareyoualongwiththedeal，George？"
"Icanmailthedepositonthepurchasemoneyto-morrowmorning，andwecanhavethethingcompletedinafortnightorthreeweeks——ifyousayso。"
"FriarsPardon——FriarsPardon!"Sophiechantedrapturously，herdarkgrayeyesbigwithdelight。"Allthefarms？GaleAnstey，BurntHouse，Rocketts，theHomeFarm，andGriffons？Sureyou"vegot"emall？"
"Sure。"Hesmiled。
"Andthewoods？HighPardonsWood，LowerPardons，Suttons，Dutton"sShaw，Reuben"sGhyll，Maxey"sGhyll，andboththeOakHangers？Sureyou"vegot"emall？"
"Everylaststick。Why，youknowthemaswellasIdo。"Helaughed。"Theysaythere"sfivethousand——athousandpounds"
worthoflumber——timbertheycallit——intheHangersalone。"
"Mrs。Cloke"sovenmustbemendedfirstthing，andthekitchenroof。IthinkI"llhaveallthiswhitewashed，"Sophiebrokein，pointingtotheceiling。"Thewholeplaceisascandal。LadyConantisquiteright。George，whendidyoubegintofallinlovewiththehouse？Inthegreenroomthatfirstday？Idid。"
"I"mnotinlovewithit。Onemustdosomethingtomarktimetillone"sfitforwork。"
"Orwhenwestoodundertheoaks，andthedooropened？Oh!OughtItogotopoorIggulden"sfuneral？"Shesighedwithutterhappiness。
"Wouldn"ttheycallitalibertynow？"saidhe。
"ButIlikedhim。"
"Butyoudidn"townhimatthedateofhisdeath。"
"Thatwouldn"tkeepmeaway。Only，theymadesuchafussaboutthewatching"——shecaughtherbreath——"itmightbeostentatiousfromthatpointofview，too。Oh，George"——shereachedforhishand——"we"retwolittleorphansmovinginworldsnotrealized，andweshallmakesomebadbreaks。Butwe"regoingtohavethetimeofourlives。"
"We"llrunuptoLondonto-morrow，andseeifwecanhurrythoseEnglishlawsolicitors。Iwanttogettowork。"
Theywent。TheysufferedmanythingseretheyreturnedacrossthefieldsinaflyoneSaturdaynight，nursingatwobytwo-and-a-halfboxofdeedsandmaps——lawfulownersofFriarsPardonandthefivedecayedfarmstherewith。
"Idomostsincerely"opeandtrustyou"llbe"appy，Madam，"Mrs。
Clokegasped，whenshewastoldthenewsbythekitchenfire。
"Goodness!Itisn"tamarriage!"Sophieexclaimed，alittleawed；
fortothemthejoke，whichtoanAmericanmeanswork，wasonlyjustbeginning。
"Ifit"stookinaproperspirit"——Mrs。Cloke"seyeturnedtowardheroven。
"Sendandhavethatmendedto-morrow，"Sophiewhispered。
"Wecouldn"t"elpnoticing，"saidClokeslowly，"fromthetimesyouwalkedthere，thatyouan"yourladywasdrawntoit，but——butIdon"tknowasweeverpreciselythought——"Hiswife"sglancecheckedhim。
"Thatwewerethatsortofpeople，"saidGeorge。"Wearen"tsureofitourselvesyet。"
"Perhaps，"saidCloke，rubbinghisknees，"justforthesakeofsayingsomething，perhapsyou"llparkit？"
"What"sthat？"saidGeorge。
"TurnitallintoafineparklikeVioletHill"——hejerkedathumbtowestward——"thatMr。Sangresbought。Itwasfourfarms，andMr。Sangresmadeafineparkofthem，withaherdoffallerdeer。"
"Thenitwouldn"tbeFriarsPardon，"saidSophie。"Wouldit？"
"Idon"tknowasI"veeverheardPardonswaseveranythingbutwheatan"wool。Onlysomegentlemensaythatparksarelesstroublethantenants。"Helaughednervously。"Butthegentry，o"
course，theykeeponprettymuchastheywasusedto。"
"Isee，"saidSophie。"HowdidMr。Sangresmakehismoney？"
"Ineverrightlyheard。Itwaspepperan"spices，oritmayha"
beengloves。No。GloveswasSirReginaldLissatMarleyEnd。
SpiceswasMr。Sangres。He"saBraziliangentleman——verysunburntlike。"
"Besureo"onething。Youwon"t"aveanytrouble，"saidMrs。
Cloke，justbeforetheywenttobed。
NowthenewsofthepurchasewastoldtoMr。andMrs。Clokealoneat8P。M。ofaSaturday。Noneleftthefarmtilltheysetoutforchurchnextmorning。Yetwhentheyreachedthechurchandwereabouttoslipasideintotheirusualseats，alittlebeyondthefont，wheretheycouldseethered-furredtailsofthebellropeswaggleandtwistatringingtime，theyweresweptforwardirresistibly，aClokeoneitherflank(andyettheyhadnotwalkedwiththeClokes)，upontheever-retiringbosomofablack-gownedverger，whousheredthemintoaroomofapewattheheadoftheleftaisle，underthepulpit。
"This，"hesighedreproachfully，"isthePardons"Pew，"andshutthemin。
Theycouldseelittlemorethanthechoirboysinthechancel，buttotherootsofthehairoftheirneckstheyfeltthecongregationbehindmercilesslydevouringthembylook。
"Whenthewickedmanturnethaway。"Thestrong，alienvoiceofthepriestvibratedunderthehammer-beamroof，andalonelinessunfeltbeforeswampedtheirhearts，astheysearchedforplacesintheunfamiliarChurchofEnglandservice。TheLord"sPrayer"OurFather，whichart"——setthesealonthatdesolation。Sophiefoundherselfthinkinghowinotherlandstheirpurchasewouldlongerethishavebeendiscussedfromeverypointofviewinadozenprints，forgettingthatGeorgeformonthshadnotbeenallowedtoglanceatthoseblackandbellowinghead-lines。Herewasnothingbutsilence——notevenhostility!Thegamewasuptothem；theotherplayershidtheircardsandwaited。Suspense，shefelt，wasintheair，andwhenhersightcleared，saw，indeed，amuraltabletofafootlessbirdbroodinguponthecarvenmotto，"
Wayteawhyle——wayteawhyle。"
AttheLitanyGeorgehadtroublewithanunstablehassock，anddrewtheslipofcarpetunderthepewseat。Sophiepushedherendbackalso，andshuthereyesagainstaburningthatfeltliketears。Whensheopenedthemshewaslookingathermother"smaidenname，fairlycarvedonablueflagstoneonthepewfloor:
EllenLashmar。ob。1796。aetat27。
ShenudgedGeorgeandpointed。Sheltered，astheykneeled，theylookedformoreknowledge，buttherestoftheslabwasblank。
"Everhearofher？"hewhispered。
"Neverknewanyofuscamefromhere。"
"Coincidence？"
"Perhaps。Butitmakesmefeelbetter，"andshesmiledandwinkedawayatearonherlashes，andtookhishandwhiletheyprayedfor"allwomenlabouringofchild"——not"intheperilsofchildbirth"；andthesparrowswhohadfoundtheirwaythroughtheguardsbehindtheglasswindowschirpedabovethefadedgiltandalabasterfamilytreeoftheConants。
Thebaronet"spewwasontherightoftheaisle。Afterserviceitsinhabitantsmovedforthwithouthaste，butsoastoblockeffectivelyaduskypersonwithalargefamilywhochampedintheirrear。
"Spices，Ithink，"saidSophie，deeplydelightedastheSangresclosedupaftertheConants。"Let"emgetaway，George。"
Butwhentheycameoutmanyfolkwhoseeyeswereonestilllingeredbythelychgate。
"IwanttoseeifanymoreLashmarsareburiedhere，"saidSophie。
"Notnow。Thisseemstobeshowday。Comehomequickly，"hereplied。
Agroupoffamilies，theClokesalittleapart，openedtoletthemthrough。Themensalutedwithjerkynods，thewomenwithremnantsofacurtsey。OnlyIggulden"sson，hismotheronhisarm，liftedhishatasSophiepassed。
"Yourpeople，"saidtheclearvoiceofLadyConantinherear。
"Isupposeso，"saidSophie，blushing，fortheywerewithintwoyardsofher；butitwasnotaquestion。
"Thenthatchildlooksasifitwerecomingdownwithmumps。Yououghttotellthemothersheshouldn"thavebroughtittochurch。"
"Ican"tleave"erbehind，mylady，"thewomansaid。"She"dsetthe"ouseafireinaminute，she"sthatforwardwiththematches。
Ain"tyou，Maudiedear？"
"HasDr。Dallasseenher？"
"Notyet，mylady。"
"Hemust。Youcan"tgetaway，ofcourse。M-m!Myidioticmaidiscominginforherteethto-morrowattwelve。Sheshallpickherup——atGaleAnstey，isn"tit？——ateleven。"
"Yes。Thankyouverymuch，mylady。"
"Ioughtn"ttohavedoneit，"saidLadyConantapologetically，"buttherehasbeennooneatPardonsforsolongthatyou"llforgivemypoaching。Now，can"tyoulunchwithus？Thevicarusuallycomestoo。Idon"tusethehorsesonaSunday"——sheglancedattheBrazilian"ssilver-platedchariot。"It"sonlyamileacrossthefields。"
"You——you"reverykind，"saidSophie，hatingherselfbecauseherliptrembled。
"Mydear，"thecompellingtonedroppedtoasoothinggurgle，"d"yousupposeIdon"tknowhowitfeelstocometoastrangecounty——countryIshouldsay——awayfromone"sownpeople？WhenI
firstlefttheShires——I"mShropshire，youknow——Icriedforadayandanight。Butfrettingdoesn"tmakelonelinessanybetter。
Oh，here"sDora。Shedidsprainherlegthatday。"
"I"maslameasatreestill，"saidthetallmaidenfrankly。"Yououghttogooutwiththeotter-hounds，Mrs。Chapin。Ibelievethey"redrawingyourwaternextweek。"
SirWalterhadalreadyledoffGeorge，andthevicarcameupontheothersideofSophie。Therewasnoescapingtheswiftprocessionortheleisurelylunch，wheretalkcameandwentinlow-voicededdiesthathadthevillagefortheircentre。SophieheardthevicarandSirWalteraddressherhusbandlightlyasChapin!(ShealsorememberedmanywomenknowninapreviouslifewhohabituallyaddressedtheirhusbandsasMr。Such-an-one。)
AfterlunchLadyConanttalkedtoherexplicitlyofmaternityasthatisachievedincottagesandfarm-housesremotefromaid，andofthedutytheretoofthemistressofPardons。
Agateinabeechhedge，reachedacrosstriplelawns，letthemoutbeforetea-timeintotheunkemptsouthsideoftheirland。
"Iwantyourhand，please，"saidSophieassoonastheyweresafeamongthebeechbolesandthelawlesshollies。"D"youremembertheoldmaidin"ProvidenceandtheGuitar"whoheardtheCommissaryswear，andhardlyreckonedherselfamaidenladyafterward？BecauseI"marelativeofhers。LadyConantis——"
"DidyoufindoutanythingabouttheLashmars？"heinterrupted。
"Ididn"task。I"mgoingtowritetoAuntSydneyaboutitfirst。
Oh，LadyConantsaidsomethingatlunchabouttheirhavingboughtsomelandfromsomeLashmarsafewyearsago。Ifounditwasatthebeginningoflastcentury。"
"Whatdidyousay？"
"Isaid，"Really，howinteresting!"Likethat。I"mnotgoingtopushmyselfforward。I"vebeenhearingaboutMr。Sangres"seffortsinthatdirection。Andyou？Icouldn"tseeyoubehindtheflowers。Wasitverydeepwater，dear？"
Georgemoppedabrowalreadybrownedbyoutdoorexposures。
"Ohno——deadeasy，"heanswered。"I"veboughtFriarsPardontopreventSirWalter"sbirdsstraying。"
Acockpheasantscutteredthroughthedryleavesandexplodedalmostundertheirfeet。Sophiejumped。
"That"soneof"em，"saidGeorgecalmly。
"Well，yournervesarebetter，atanyrate，"saidshe。"Didyoutell"emyou"dboughtthethingtoplaywith？"
"No。Thatwaswheremynervebrokedown。Ionlymadeonebadbreak——Ithink。IsaidIcouldn"tseewhyhiringlandtomentofarmwasn"tasmuchabusinesspropositionasanythingelse。"
"Andwhatdidtheysay？"
"Theysmiled。Ishallknowwhatthatsmilemeanssomeday。Theydon"twastetheirsmiles。D"youseethattrackbyGaleAnstey？"
Theylookeddownfromtheedgeofthehangeroveracup-likehollow。PeoplebytwosandthreesintheirSundaybestfiledslowlyalongthepathsthatconnectedfarmtofarm。
"I"veneverseensomanyonourlandbefore，"saidSophie。"Whyisit？"
"Toshowuswemustn"tshutuptheirrightsofway。"
"Thosecow-trackswe"vebeenusingcrosslots？"saidSophieforcibly。
"Yes。Anyoneof"emwouldcostustwothousandpoundseachinlegalexpensestoclose。"
"Butwedon"twantto，"shesaid。
"Thewholecommunitywouldfightifwedid。"
"Butit"sourland。Wecandowhatwelike。"
"It"snotourland。We"veonlypaidforit。Webelongtoit，anditbelongstothepeople——ourpeopletheycall"em。I"vebeentolunchwiththeEnglishtoo。"
Theypassedslowlyfromonebracken-dottedfieldtothenext——flushedwithprideofownership，plottingalterationsandrestorationsateachturn；haltingintheirtrackstoargue，spreadingaparttoembracetwoviewsatonce，orclosingintoconsiderone。Couplesmovedoutoftheirway，butsmilingcovertly。
"Weshallmakesomebadbreaks，"hesaidatlast。
"Together，though。Youwon"tletanyoneelsein，willyou？"
"Exceptthecontractors。Thissyndicatehandles，thispropositionbyitslittlelone。"
"Butyoumightfeelthewantofsomeone，"sheinsisted。
"Ishall——butitwillbeyou。It"sbusiness，Sophie，butit"sgoingtobegoodfun。"
"PleaseGod，"sheansweredflushing，andcriedtoherselfastheywentbacktotea。"It"sworthit。Oh，it"sworthit。"
TherepairingandmovingintoFriarsPardonwasbusinessofthemostvariedandsearching，butalldoneEnglishfashion，withoutfriction。Timeandmoneyalonewereasked。TherestlayinthehandsofbeneficentadvisersfromLondon，orspirits，maleandfemale，calledupbyMr。andMrs。Clokefromthewastesofthefarms。InthecentrestoodGeorgeandSophie，alittleaghast，theirinterestsreachingoutoneveryside。
"Iain"tsayin"anythingagainstLondoners，"saidCloke，self-appointedclerkoftheouterworks，consultingengineer，headoftheimmigrationbureau，andsuperintendentofwoodsandforests；"butyourownpeoplewon"tgoabouttomakemorethanafairprofitoutofyou。"
"Howisonetoknow？"saidGeorge。
"Fiveyearsfromnow，orsoon，maybe，you"llbelookin"overyourfirstyear"saccounts，and，knowin"whatyou"llknowthen，you"llsay:"Well，BillyBeartup"——orOldClokeasitmightbe——"didmeproperwhenIwasnew。"Nomanlikestohavethatsortofthinglaidupagainsthim。"
"IthinkIsee，"saidGeorge。"Butfiveyearsisalongtimetolookahead。"
"IdoubtifthatoakBillyBeartupthrowedinReuben"sGhyllwillbefitforherdrawin-roomfloorinlessthanseven，"Clokedrawled。
"Yes，that"smywork，"saidSophie。(BillyBeartupofGriffons，awoodmanbytrainingandbirth，atenantfarmerbymisfortuneofmarriage，hadlaidhisbroadaxeatherfeetamonthbefore。)
"SorryifI"vecommittedyoutoanothereternity。"
"Andweshan"tevenknowwherewe"vegonewrongwithyournewcarriagedrivebeforethattimeeither，"saidCloke，everanxioustokeepthebalancetruewithanounceortwoinSophie"sfavour。
ThepastfourmonthshadtaughtGeorgebetterthantoreply。Thecarriageroadwindingupthehillwashispresentkeeninterest。
Theysetofftolookatit，andtheimportedAmericanscraperwhichhadblightedthenonetoosunnysoulof"Skim"Winsh，thecarter。
ButyoungIgguldenwasinchargenow，andunderhisguidance，BullerandRoberts，thegreathorses，movedmountains。
"Youlif"herlikethat，an"youtipherlikethat，"heexplainedtothegang。"MyunclehewasroadmasterinConnecticut。"
"Aretheyroadsyonder？"saidSkim，sittingunderthelaurels。
"Nobetterthanaccommodationroads。Dirt，theycall"em。They"dsuityou，Skim。"
"Why？"saidtheincautiousSkim。
"Causeyou"dtakenohurtwhenyoufalloutofyourcartdrunkonaSaturday，"wastheanswer。
"Ididn"tlasttimeneither，"Skimroared。
Aftertheloudlaugh，oldWhybarneofGaleAnsteypipedfeebly，"Well，dirtornodirt，there"snodenyin"Chapinknowsagoodjobwhenheseesit。"Edon"tbuildonedayanddee-stroythenext，likethatniggerSangres。"
"SHE"stheonethatknowsherownmind，"saidPinky，brothertoSkimWinsh，andaNapoleonamongcarterswhohadhelpedtobringthegrandpianoacrossthefieldsintheautumnrains。
"Shehadoughtto，"saidIggulden。"Whoa，Buller!She"saLashmar。Theyneverwasdouble-thinking。"
"Oh，youfoundthat？Hastheanswercomefromyouruncle？"saidSkim，doubtfulwhethersoremotealandasAmericahadposts。
Theotherslookedathimscornfully。Skimwasalwaysadaybehindthefair。Igguldenrestedfromhislabours。"She"saLashmarrightenough。Istarteduptowritetomyuncle——atonce——themonthaftershesaidherfolkscamefromVeeringHoller。"
"Wherethereain"tanyroads？"Skiminterrupted，butnonelaughed。
"MyunclehemarriedanAmericanwomanforhissecond，andshetookituplikealikethecoroner。She"saLashmaroutoftheoldLashmarplace，"foretheysoldtoConants。Sheain"tnoTootHillLashmar，noranyo"theCrayfordlot。Herfolkcomeoutofthegroundhere，neitherchalknorforest，butwildishers。TheysailedovertoAmerica——I"vegotitallwritdownbymyuncle"swoman——ineighteenhundredan"nothing。Myunclesaysthey"reallslowbegetterslike。"
"Wouldtheybegentryyondernow？"Skimasked。
"Nah——there"snogentryinAmerica，nomatterhowlongyou"rethere。It"sagainsttheirlaw。There"sonlyrichandpoorallowed。They"vebeenlawyersandsuchlikeoveryonderforahundredyearsbutshe"saLashmarforallthat。"
"Lord!What"sahundredyears？"saidWhybarne，whohadseenseventy-eightofthem。
"An"theywritetoo，fromyonder——myuncle"swomanwrites——thatyoucanstilltell"embyheadmark。Theirhair"sfoxy-redstill——an"theythrowoutwhentheywalk。He"sin-toed-treadslikeagipsy；butyouwatch，an"you"llsee"erthrow，out——likeacolt。"
"Yourtracewantstakingup。"Pinky"slargeearshadcaughtthesoundofvoices，andasthetwobrokethroughthelaurelsthemenwerehardatwork，theireyesonSophie"sfeet。
ShehadbeenlessfortunateinherinquiriesthanIggulden，forherAuntSydneyofMeriden(abadgedandcertificatedDaughteroftheRevolutiontoboot)answeredherinquirieswithatwo-pageddiscourseonpatriotism，theleafletsofaVillageImprovementSociety，ofwhichshewaspresident，andademandforanoverduesubscriptiontoaFactoryGirls"ReadingCircle。SophieburneditallintheOrpheusandEurydicegrate，andkeptherowncounsel。
"WhatIwanttoknow，"saidGeorge，whenSpringwascoming，andthegardensneededthought。"iswhowilleverpaymeformylabour？I"veputinatleasthalfamilliondollars"worthalready。"
"Sureyou"renottakingtoomuchoutofyourself？"hiswifeasked。
"Oh，no；Ihaven"tbeenconsciousofmyselfallwinter。"HelookedathisbrownEnglishgaitersandsmiled。"It"sallbehindmenow。IbelieveIcouldsitdownandthinkofallthat——thosemonthsbeforewesailed。"
"Don"t——ah，don"t!"shecried。
"ButImustgobackoneday。Youdon"twanttokeepmeoutofbusinessalways——ordoyou？"Heendedwithanervouslaugh。
Sophiesighedasshedrewherownground-ash(ofoldIggulden"scutting)fromthehallrack。
"Aren"tyouoverdoingittoo？Youlookalittletired，"hesaid。
"Youmakemetired。I"mgoingtoRockettstoseeMrs。ClokeaboutMary。"(Thiswasthesisterofthetelegraphist，promotedtobesewing-maidatPardons。)"Coming？"
"I"mdueatBurntHousetoseeaboutthenewwell。Bytheway，there"sasorethroatatGaleAnstey——"
"That"smyprovince。Don"tinterfere。TheWhybarnechildrenalwayshavesorethroats。Theydoitforjujubes。"
"KeepawayfromGaleAnsteytillImakesure，honey。Clokeoughttohavetoldme。"
"Thesepeopledon"ttell。Haven"tyoulearntthatyet？ButI"llobey，melord。Seeyoulater!"
Shesetoffafoot，forwithinthethreemainroadsthatboundedtheblunttriangleoftheestate(evenbynightonecouldscarcelyhearthecartsonthem)，wheelswerenotusedexceptforfarmwork。Thefootpathsservedallotherpurposes。Andthoughatfirsttheyhadplannedimprovements，theyhadsoonfalleninwiththecustomsoftheirhiddenkingdom，andmovedaboutthesoft-footedwaysbywoodland，hedgerow，andshawasfreelyastherabbits。Indeed，forthemostpartSophiewalkedbareheadedbeneathherhelmetofchestnuthair；butshehadbeenplaguedoflatebyvaguetoothaches，whichsheexplainedtoMrs。Cloke，whoaskedsomequestions。HowitcameaboutSophieneverknew，butafterawhilebeholdMrs。Cloke"sarmwasaboutherwaist，andherheadwasonthatdeepbosombehindtheshutkitchendoor。
"Mydear!Mydear!"theelderwomanalmostsobbed。"An"d"youmeantotellmeyouneversuspicioned？Why——why——wherewasyouevertaughtanythingatall？Ofcourseitis。It"swhatwe"vebeenonlywaitin"for，allofus。TimeandagainI"vesaidtoLady——"shecheckedherself。"An"nowweshallbeasweshouldbe。"
"But——but——but——"Sophiewhimpered。
"An"toseeyoubuildin"yournestsobusy——pianosandbooks——an"
neverthinkin"ofanursery!"
"NomoreIdid。"Sophiesatboltupright，andbegantolaugh。
"Timeenoughyet。"Thefingerstappedthoughtfullyonthebroadknee。"But——theymustbestrange-mindedfolkoveryonderwithyou!Haveyouthoughttosendforyourmother？Shedead？Mydear，mydear!Nevermind!She"llbehappywheresheknows。"TisGod"swork。An"wewasonlywaitin"forit，foryou"veneverfailedinyourdutyyet。Itain"tyourway。WhatdidyousayaboutmyMary"sdoings？"Mrs。Cloke"sfacehardenedasshepressedherchinonSophie"sforehead。"Ifanyofyourgirlsthinkstobe"avearbitrarynow，I"ll——Buttheywon"t，mydear。I"llseetheydotheirdutytoo。Besureyou"ll"avenotrouble。"
WhenSophiewalkedbackacrossthefieldsheavenandearthchangedaboutherasonthedayofoldIggulden"sdeath。Foraninstantshethoughtofthewideturnofthestaircase，andthenewivory-whitepaintthatnocoffincornercouldscar，butpresently，theshadowpassedinapurewonderandbewildermentthatmadeherreel。Sheleanedagainstoneoftheirnewgatesandlookedovertheirlandsforsomeotherstay。
"Well，"shesaidresignedly，halfaloud，"wemusttrytomakehimfeelthatheisn"tathirdinourparty，"andturnedthecornerthatlookedoverFriarsPardon，giddy，sick，andfaint。
Ofasuddenthehousetheyhadboughtforawhimstoodupasshehadneverseenitbefore，low-fronted，broad-winged，ample，preparedbycourseofgenerationsforallsuchthings。Asithadsteadiedherwhenitlaydesolate，sonowthatithadmeaningfromtheirfewmonthsoflifewithin，itsoothedandpromisedgood。Shewentaloneandquicklyintothehall，andkissedeitherdoor-post，whispering:"Begoodtome。Youknow!You"veneverfailedinyourdutyyet。"
WhenthematterwasexplainedtoGeorge，hewouldhavesailedatoncetotheirownland，butthisSophieforbade。
"Idon"twantscience，"shesaid。"Ijustwanttobeloved，andthereisn"ttimeforthatathome。Besides，"sheadded，lookingoutofthewindow，"itwouldbedesertion。"
GeorgewasforcedtosoothehimselfwithlinkingFriarsPardontothetelegraphsystemofGreatBritainbytelephone——three-quartersofamileofpoles，putinbyWhybarneandafewfriends。Oneofthesewasaforeignerfromthenextparish。Saidhewhenthelinewasbeingrun:"There"sanoldellumrightinourroad。Shallusthrowher？"
"TootHillparishfolk，neithergracenorgoodluck，Godhelp"em。"OldWhybarneshoutedthelocalproverbfromthreepolesdowntheline。"Weain"tgoin"tolayanyaxe-irontocoffin-woodherenottillweknowwhereweareyetawhile。Swinground"er，swinground!"
Tothisday，then，thatsuddenkinkinthestraightlineacrosstheupperpastureremainsamysterytoSophieandGeorge。NorcantheytellwhySkimWinsh，whocametohiscottageunderDuttonShawmostmusicallydrunkat10。45P。MofeverySaturdaynight，ashisfatherhaddonebeforehim，sangnomoreatthebottomofthegardensteps，whereSophiealwaysfearedhewouldbreakhisneck。Thepathwasundoubtedlyanancientrightofway，andat10。45P。M。onSaturdaysSkimremembereditwashisdutytoposteritytokeepitopen——tillMrs。Clokespoketohimonce。ShespokelikewisetoherdaughterMary，sewingmaidatPardons，andtoMary"sbestnewfriend，thefive-foot-sevenimportedLondonhouse-maid，whotaughtMarytotrimhats，andfoundthecountrydullish。
Buttherewasnonoise——atnotimewasthereanynoise——andwhenSophiewalkedabroadshemetnooneinherpathunlessshehadsignifiedawishthatway。Thentheyappearedtoprotestthatallwaswellwiththemandtheirchildren，theirchickens，theirroofs，theirwater-supply，andtheirsonsinthepoliceortherailwayservice。
"Butdon"tyoufinditdull，dear？"saidGeorge，loyallydoinghisbestnottoworryasthemonthswentby。
"I"vebeensobusyputtingmyhouseinorderIhaven"thadtimetothink，"saidshe。"Doyou？"
"No——no。IfIcouldonlybesureofyou。"
Sheturnedonthegreendrawing-room"scouch(itwasEmpire，notHeppelwhiteafterall)，andlaidasidealistoflinenandblankets。
"Ithaschangedeverything，hasn"tit？"shewhispered。
"Oh，Lord，yes。ButIstillthinkifwewentbacktoBaltimore"
"Andmissedourfirstrealsummertogether。Nothankyou，melord。"
"Butwe"reabsolutelyalone。"
"Isn"tthatwhatI"mdoingmybesttoremedy？Don"tyouworry。I
likeit——likeittothemarrowofmylittlebones。Youdon"trealizewhatherhousemeanstoawoman。Wethoughtwewerelivinginitlastyear，butwehadn"tbegunto。Don"tyourejoiceinyourstudy，George？"
"Ipreferbeingherewithyou。"Hesatdownonthefloorbythecouchandtookherhand。
"Seven，"shesaid，astheFrenchclockstruck。"Yearbeforelastyou"djustbecomingbackfrombusiness。"
Hewincedattherecollection，thenlaughed。"Business!I"vebeenatworktensolidhoursto-day。"
"Wheredidyoulunch？WiththeConants？"
"No；atDuttonShaw，sittingonalog，withmyfeetinaswamp。
Butwe"vefoundoutwheretheoldspringis，andwe"regoingtopipeitdowntoGaleAnsteynextyear。"
"I"llcomeandseeto-morrow。Oh，pleaseopenthedoor，dear。I
wanttolookdownthepassage。Isn"tthatcornerbythestair-headlovelywherethesunstrikesin？"Shelookedthroughhalf-closedeyesatthevistaofivory-whiteandpalegreenallsteepedinliquidgold。
"There"sastepoutofJaneElphick"sbedroom，"shewenton——"andhisfirststepintheworldoughttobeup。Ishouldn"twonderifthosepeoplehadn"tputitthereonpurpose。George，willitmakeanyoddstoyouifhe"sagirl？"
Heanswered，ashehadmanytimesbefore，thathisinterestwashiswife，notthechild。
"Thenyou"retheonlypersonwhothinksso。"Shelaughed。"Don"tbesilly，dear。It"sexpected。Iknow。It"smyduty。Ishan"tbeabletolookourpeopleinthefaceifIfail。"
"Whatconcernisitoftheirs，confound"em!"
"You"llsee。Luckilythetraditionofthehouseisboys，Mrs。
Clokesays，soI"mprovidedfor。Shallyoueverbegintounderstandthesepeople？Ishan"t。"
"Andweboughtitforfun——forfun!"hegroaned。"Andhereweareheldupforgoodnessknowsbowlong!"
"Why？Wereyouthinkingofsellingit？"Hedidnotanswer。"DoyourememberthesecondMrs。Chapin？"shedemanded。
Thiswasabold，brazenlittleblack-browedwoman——awidowforchoice——whoonSophie"sdeathwasguilefullytomarryGeorgeforhiswealthandruinhiminayear。Georgebeingbusy，Sophiehadinventedhersometwoyearsafterhermarriage，andconceivedshewasaloneamongwivesinsodoing。
"Youaren"tgoingtobringherupagain？"heaskedanxiously。
"IonlywanttosaythatIshouldhateanyonewhoboughtPardonstentimesworsethanIusedtohatethesecondMrs。Chapin。Thinkwhatwe"veputintoitofourtwoselves。"
"Atleastacoupleofmilliondollars。IknowIcouldhavemade——"Hebrokeoff。
"Thebeasts!"shewenton。"They"dbesuretobuildared-bricklodgeatthegates，andcutthelawnupforbeddingout。Youmustleaveinstructionsinyourwillthathe"snevertodothat，George，won"tyou？"
Helaughedandtookherhandagainbutsaidnothingtillitwastimetodress。Thenhemuttered"Whatthedeviluseisaman"scountrytohimwhenhecan"tdobusinessinit？"
FriarsPardonstoodfaithfultoitstradition。Attheappointedtimewasborn，notthatthirdintheirpartytowhomSophiemeanttobesokind，butagodling；inbeauty，itwasmanifest，excellingEros，asinwisdomConfucius；anenhancerofdelights，arenewerofcompanionshipsandaninterpreterofDestiny。ThislastGeorgedidnotrealisetillhemetLadyConantstridingthroughDuttonShawafewdaysaftertheevent。
"Mydearfellow，"shecried，andslappedhimheartilyontheback，"Ican"ttellyouhowgladweallare。Oh，she"llbeallright。(There"sneverbeenanytroubleoverthebirthofanheiratPardons。)Nowwherethedooceisit？"Shefeltlargelyinherleather-boundskirtanddrewoutasmallsilvermug。"Isentanotetoyourwifeaboutit，butmysillyassofagroomforgottotakethis。Youcansavemeatramp。Givehermylove。"ShemarchedoffamidherguardofgraveAiredales。