第4章

"ButIdon"tknowyou。Iwonderatyour——"shehesitatedatthewordwhichoccurredtoher,but,beingunabletothinkofabetterone,usedit——"atyourcheek。"

Helaughed,andshewatchedhimtakeacoupleofturnswiththeroller。Presently,refreshinghimselfbyalookather,hecaughtherlookingathim,andsmiled。Hissmilewascommonplaceincomparisonwiththeoneshegavehiminreturn,inwhichhereyes,herteeth,andthegoldengraininhercomplexionseemedtoflashsimultaneously。Hestoppedrollingimmediately,andrestedhischinonthehandleoftheroller。

"Ifyouneglectyourwork,"saidshemaliciously,youwon"thavethegrassreadywhenthepeoplecome。"

"Whatpeople？"hesaid,takenaback。

"Oh,lotsofpeople。Mostlikelysomewhoknowyou。TherearevisitorscomingfromLondon:myguardian,myguardianess,theirdaughter,mymother,andaboutahundredmore。"

"Fourinall。Whataretheycomingfor？Toseeyou？"

"Totakemeaway,"shereplied,watchingforsignsofdisappointmentonhispart。

Theywereatonceforthcoming。"Whatthedeucearetheygoingtotakeyouawayfor？"hesaid。"Isyoureducationfinished？"

"No。Ihavebehavedbadly,andIamgoingtobeexpelled。"

Helaughedagain。"Come！"hesaid,"youarebeginningtoinventintheSmilashmanner。Whathaveyoudone？"

"Idon"tseewhyIshouldtellyou。Whathaveyoudone？"

"I！Oh,Ihavedonenothing。Iamonlyanunromanticgentleman,hidingfromaromanticladywhoisinlovewithme。"

"Poorthing,"saidAgathasarcastically。"Ofcourse,shehasproposedtoyou,andyouhaverefused。"

"Onthecontrary,Iproposed,andsheaccepted。ThatiswhyI

havetohide。"

"Youtellstoriescharmingly,"saidAgatha。"Good—bye。HereisMissCarpentercomingtohearwhatwearetakingabout。"

"Good—bye。Thatstoryofyourbeingexpelledbeats——Mightacommonmanmakesoboldastoinquirewherethewhiteningmachineis,Miss？"

ThiswasaddressedtoJane,whohadcomeupwithsomeoftheothers。AgathaexpectedtoseeSmilashpresentlydiscovered,forhisdisguisenowseemedtransparent;shewonderedhowtherestcouldbeimposedonbyit。Twoo"clock,strikingjustthen,remindedheroftheimpendinginterviewwithherguardian。A

tremorshookher,andshefeltacravingforsomesolitaryhiding—placeinwhichtoawaitthesummons。Butitwasapointofhonorwithhertoappearperfectlyindifferenttohertrouble,soshestayedwiththegirls,laughingandchattingastheywatchedSmilashintentlymarkingoutthecourtsandsettingupthenets。

Shemadetheotherslaughtoo,forherhiddenexcitement,sharpenedbyirrepressibleshootingsofdread,stimulatedher,andtheromanceofSmilash"sdisguisegaveherasensationofdreaming。Herimaginationwasalreadybusyuponadrama,ofwhichshewastheheroineandSmilashthehero,though,withtherealmanbeforeher,shecouldnotindulgeherselfbyattributingtohimquiteasmuchgloomygrandeurofcharacterastoawhollyidealpersonage。Theplotwassimple,andanoldfavoritewithher。Oneofthemwastolovetheotherandtodiebroken—heartedbecausethelovedonewouldnotrequitethepassion。ForAgatha,prompttoridiculesentimentalityinhercompanions,andgiftedwithaninfectiousspiritoffarce,secretlyturnedforimaginativeluxurytovisionsofdespairanddeath;andoftenenduredthemortificationofthesuccessfulclownwhobelieves,whilstthepublicroarwithlaughterathim,thathewasbornatragedian。Therewasmuchinhernature,shefelt,thatdidnotfindexpressioninherpopularrepresentationofthesoldierinthechimney。

Bythreeo"clockthelocalvisitorshadarrived,andtenniswasproceedinginfourcourts,rolledandpreparedbySmilash。Thetwocurateswerethere,withafewlaygentlemen。Mrs。Miller,thevicar,andsomemothersandotherchaperonslookedonandconsumedlightrefreshments,whichwerebroughtoutupontraysbySmilash,whohadborrowedandputonalargewhiteapron,andwasmakinghimselfofficiouslybusy。

AtaquarterpastthehouramessagecamefromMissWilson,requestingMissWylie"sattendance。Thevisitorswereatalosstoaccountforthesuddendistractionoftheyoungladies"

attentionwhichensued。Janealmostburstintotears,andansweredJosephsrudelywhenheinnocentlyaskedwhatthematterwas。Agathawentawayapparentlyunconcerned,thoughherhandshookassheputasideherracket。

Inaspaciousdrawing—roomatthenorthsideofthecollegeshefoundhermother,aslightwomaninwidow"sweeds,withfadedbrownhair,andtearfuleyes。WithherwereMrs。Janseniusandherdaughter。ThetwoelderladieskeptseverelysilentwhilstAgathakissedthem,andMrs。Wyliesniffed。HenriettaembracedAgathaeffusively。

"Where"sUncleJohn？"saidAgatha。"Hasn"thecome？"

"HeisinthenextroomwithMissWilson,"saidMrs。Janseniuscoldly。"Theywantyouinthere。"

"Ithoughtsomebodywasdead,"saidAgatha,"youalllooksofunereal。Now,mamma,putyourhandkerchiefbackagain。IfyoucryIwillgiveMissWilsonapieceofmymindforworryingyou。"

"No,no,"saidMrs。Wylie,alarmed。"Shehasbeensonice！"

"Sogood！"saidHenrietta。

"Shehasbeenperfectlyreasonableandkind,"saidMrs。

Jansenius。

"Shealwaysis,"saidAgathacomplacently。"Youdidn"texpecttofindherinhysterics,didyou？"

"Agatha,"pleadedMrs。Wylie,"don"tbeheadstrongandfoolish。"

"Oh,shewon"t;Iknowshewon"t,"saidHenriettacoaxingly。

"Willyou,dearAgatha？"

"Youmaydoasyoulike,asfarasIamconcerned,"saidMrs。

Jansenius。"ButIhopeyouhavemoresensethantothrowawayyoureducationfornothing。"

"Yourauntisquiteright,"saidMrs。Wylie。"AndyourUncleJohnisveryangrywithyou。HewillneverspeaktoyouagainifyouquarrelwithMissWilson。"

"Heisnotangry,"saidHenrietta,"butheissoanxiousthatyoushouldgetonwell。"

"Hewillnaturallybedisappointedifyoupersistinmakingafoolofyourself,"saidMrs。Jansenius。

"AllMissWilsonwantsisanapologyforthedreadfulthingsyouwroteinherbook,"saidMrs。Wylie。"You"llapologize,dear,won"tyou？"

"Ofcourseshewill,"saidHenrietta。

"Ithinkyouhadbetter,"saidMrs。Jansenius。

"PerhapsIwill,"saidAgatha。

"That"smyowndarling,"saidMrs。Wylie,catchingherhand。

"Andperhaps,again,Iwon"t。"

"Youwill,dear,"urgedMrs。Wylie,tryingtodrawAgatha,whopassivelyresisted,closertoher。"Formysake。Toobligeyourmother,Agatha。Youwon"trefuseme,dearest？"

Agathalaughedindulgentlyatherparent,whohadlongagowornoutthisformofappeal。ThensheturnedtoHenrietta,andsaid,"Howisyourcarosposo？IthinkitwashardthatIwasnotabridesmaid。"

TheredinHenrietta"scheeksbrightened。Mrs。JanseniushastenedtointerposeadryreminderthatMissWilsonwaswaiting。

"Oh,shedoesnotmindwaiting,"saidAgatha,"becauseshethinksyouareallatworkgettingmeintoaproperframeofmind。Thatwasthearrangementshemadewithyoubeforeshelefttheroom。

MammaknowsthatIhavealittlebirdthattellsmethesethings。

Imustsaythatyouhavenotmademefeelanygoody—goodiersofar。However,aspoorUncleJohnmustbedreadfullyfrightenedanduncomfortable,itisonlykindtoputanendtohissuspense。

Good—bye！"Andshewentoutleisurely。Butshelookedinagaintosayinalowvoice:"Prepareforsomethingthrilling。Ifeeljustinthehumortosaythemostawfulthings。"Shevanished,andimmediatelytheyheardhertappingatthedoorofthenextroom。

Mr。Janseniuswasindeedawaitingherwithmisgiving。Havingdiscoveredearlyinhiscareerthathisdignifiedpersonandfinevoicecausedpeopletostandinsomeaweofhim,andtomovehimintothechairatpublicmeetings,hehadgrownsoaccustomedtodeferencethatanyapproachtofamiliarityorirreverencedisconcertedhimexceedingly。Agatha,ontheotherhand,havingfromherchildhoodheardUncleJohnquotedaswisdomandauthorityincarnate,hadbeguninhertenderyearstoscoffathimasapompousandpurseproudcitymerchant,whosesordidmindwasunabletocopewithhertranscendentalaffairs。Shehadhabituallyterrifiedhermotherbyridiculinghimwithanabsolutecontemptofwhichonlychildhoodandextremeignorancearecapable。Shehadfelthumiliatedbyhiskindnesstoher（hewasagenerousgiverofpresents）,and,withtheinstinctofananarchist,hadtakendisparagementofhisadviceanddefianceofhisauthorityasthesignswherefromshemightinfersurelythatherfacewasturnedtothelight。Theresultwasthathewasalittletiredofherwithoutbeingquiteconsciousofit;andshenotatallafraidofhim,andalittletooconsciousofit。

Whensheenteredwithherbrightestsmileinfullplay,MissWilsonandMr。Jansenius,seatedatthetable,lookedsomewhatliketwoculpritsabouttobeindicted。MissWilsonwaitedforhimtospeak,deferringtohisimposingpresence。Buthewasnotready,sosheinvitedAgathatositdown。

"Thankyou,"saidAgathasweetly。"Well,UncleJohn,don"tyouknowme？"

"IhaveheardwithregretfromMissWilsonthatyouhavebeenverytroublesomehere,"hesaid,ignoringherremark,thoughsecretlyputoutbyit。

"Yes,"saidAgathacontritely。"Iamsoverysorry。"

Mr。Jansenius,whohadbeenledbyMissWilsontoexpecttheutmostcontumacy,lookedtoherinsurprise。

"Youseemtothink,"saidMissWilson,consciousofMr。

Jansenius"smovement,andannoyedbyit,"thatyoumaytransgressoverandoveragain,andthensetyourselfrightwithus,"（MissWilsonneverspokeofoffencesasagainstherindividualauthority,butasagainsttheschoolcommunity）"bysayingthatyouaresorry。Youspokeinaverydifferenttoneatourlastmeeting。"

"Iwasangrythen,MissWilson。AndIthoughtIhadagrievance——everybodythinkstheyhavethesameone。Besides,wewerequarrelling——atleastIwas;andIalwaysbehavebadlywhenIquarrel。Iamsoverysorry。"

"Thebookwasaseriousmatter,"saidMissWilsongravely。"Youdonotseemtothinkso。"

"IunderstandAgathatosaythatsheisnowsensibleofthefollyofherconductwithregardtothebook,andthatsheissorryforit,"saidMr。Jansenius,instinctivelyincliningtoAgatha"spartyasthestrongeroneandtheleastdependentonhiminapecuniarysense。Haveyouseenthebook？"saidAgathaeagerly。

"No。MissWilsonhasdescribedwhathasoccurred。"

"Oh,doletmegetit,"shecried,rising。"ItwillmakeUncleJohnscreamwithlaughing。MayI,MissWilson？"

"There！"saidMissWilson,indignantly。"ItisthisincorrigibleflippancyofwhichIhavetocomplain。MissWylieonlyvariesitbydownrightinsubordination。"

Mr。Janseniustoowasscandalized。Hisfinecolormountedattheideaofhisscreaming。"Tut,tut！"hesaid,"youmustbeserious,andmorerespectfultoMissWilson。Youareoldenoughtoknowbetternow,Agatha——quiteoldenough。"

Agatha"smirthvanished。"WhathaveIsaidWhathaveIdone？"

sheasked,afaintpurplespotappearinginhercheeks。

"Youhavespokentriflinglyof——ofthevolumebywhichMissWilsonsetsgreatstore,andproperlyso。"

"Ifproperlyso,thenwhydoyoufindfaultwithme？"

"Come,come,"roaredMr。Jansenius,deliberatelylosinghistemperasalastexpedienttosubdueher,"don"tbeimpertinent,Miss。"

Agatha"seyesdilated;evanescentflushesplayeduponhercheeksandneck;shestampedwithherheel。"UncleJohn,"shecried,"ifyoudaretoaddressmelikethat,Iwillneverlookatyou,neverspeaktoyou,noreverenteryourhouseagain。Whatdoyouknowaboutgoodmanners,thatyoushouldcallmeimpertinent？Iwillnotsubmittointentionalrudeness;thatwasthebeginningofmyquarrelwithMissWilson。ShetoldmeIwasimpertinent,andI

wentawayandtoldherthatshewaswrongbywritingitinthefaultbook。Shehasbeenwrongallthrough,andIwouldhavesaidsobeforebutthatIwantedtobereconciledtoherandtoletbygonesbebygones。Butifsheinsistsonquarrelling,Icannothelpit。"

"Ihavealreadyexplainedtoyou,Mr。Jansenius,"saidMissWilson,concentratingherresentmentbyanefforttosuppressit,"thatMissWyliehasignoredalltheopportunitiesthathavebeenmadeforhertoreinstateherselfhere。Mrs。MillerandIhavewaivedmerelypersonalconsiderations,andIhaveonlyrequiredasimpleacknowledgmentofthisoffenceagainstthecollegeanditsrules。"

"IdonotcarethatforMrs。Miller,"saidAgatha,snappingherfingers。"AndyouarenothalfsogoodasIthought。"

"Agatha,"saidMr。Jansenius,"Idesireyoutoholdyourtongue。"

Agathadrewadeepbreath,satdownresignedly,andsaid:"There！

Ihavedone。Ihavelostmytemper;sonowwehavealllostourtempers。"

"Youhavenorighttoloseyourtemper,Miss,"saidMr。

Jansenius,followingupafanciedadvantage。

"Iamtheyoungest,andtheleasttoblame,"shereplied。"Thereisnothingfurthertobesaid,Mr。Jansenius,"saidMissWilson,determinedly。"IamsorrythatMissWyliehaschosentobreakwithus。"

"ButIhavenotchosentobreakwithyou,andIthinkitveryhardthatIamtobesentaway。NobodyherehastheleastquarrelwithmeexceptyouandMrs。Miller。Mrs。Millerisannoyedbecauseshemistookmeforhercat,asifthatwasmyfault！Andreally,MissWilson,Idon"tknowwhyyouaresoangry。AllthegirlswillthinkIhavedonesomethinginfamousifIamexpelled。

Ioughttobeletstayuntiltheendoftheterm;andastotheRec——thefaultbook,youtoldmemostparticularlywhenIfirstcamethatImightwriteinitornotjustasIpleased,andthatyouneverdictatedorinterferedwithwhatwaswritten。AndyettheveryfirsttimeIwriteawordyoudisapproveof,youexpelme。Nobodywilleverbelievenowthattheentriesarevoluntary。"

MissWilson"sconscience,alreadysmittenbythecoarsenessandabsenceofmoralforceintheechoofherown"Youareimpertinent,"fromthemouthofMr。Jansenius,tookfreshalarm。

"Thefaultbook,"shesaid,"isforthepurposeofrecordingself—reproachalone,andisnotavehicleforaccusationsagainstothers。"

"IamquitesurethatneitherJanenorGertrudenorIreproachedourselvesintheleastforgoingdownstairsaswedid,andyetyoudidnotblameusforenteringthat。Besides,thebookrepresentedmoralforce——atleastyoualwayssaidso,andwhenyougaveupmoralforce,Ithoughtanentryshouldbemadeofthat。OfcourseIwasinarageatthetime,hutwhenIcametomyselfIthoughtIhaddoneright,andIthinksostill,thoughitwouldperhapshavebeenbettertohavepasseditover。"

"WhydoyousaythatIgaveupmoralforce？"

"Tellingpeopletoleavetheroomisnotmoralforce。Callingthemimpertinentisnotmoralforce。"

"YouthinkthenthatIamboundtolistenpatientlytowhateveryouchoosetosaytome,howeverunbecomingitmaybefromoneinyourpositiontooneinmine？"

"ButIsaidnothingunbecoming,"saidAgatha。Then,breakingoffrestlessly,andsmilingagain,shesaid:"Oh,don"tletusargue。

Iamverysorry,andverytroublesome,andveryfondofyouandofthecollege;andIwon"tcomebacknexttermunlessyoulike。"

"Agatha,"saidMissWilson,shaken,"theseexpressionsofregardcostyousolittle,andwhentheyhaveeffectedtheirpurpose,aresosoonforgottenbyyou,thattheyhaveceasedtosatisfyme。Iamveryreluctanttoinsistonyourleavingusatonce。Butasyourunclehastoldyou,youareoldandsensibleenoughtoknowthedifferencebetweenorderanddisorder。Hithertoyouhavebeenonthesideofdisorder,anelementwhichwashardlyknownhereuntilyoucame,asMrs。Trefusiscantellyou。Nevertheless,ifyouwillpromisetobemorecarefulinfuture,Iwillwaiveallpastcauseofcomplaint,andattheendofthetermIshallbeabletojudgeastoyourcontinuingamongus。"

Agatharose,beaming。"DearMissWilson,"shesaid,"youaresogood！Ipromise,ofcourse。Iwillgoandtellmamma。"

Beforetheycouldaddawordshehadturnedwithapirouettetothedoor,andfled,presentingherselfamomentlaterinthedrawing—roomtothethreeladies,whomshesurveyedwithawhimsicalsmileinsilence。

"Well？"saidMrs。Janseniusperemptorily。

"Well,dear？"saidMrs。Trefusis,caressingly。

Mrs。Wyliestifledasobandlookedimploringlyatherdaughter。

"Ihadnoendoftroubleinbringingthemtoreason,"saidAgatha,afteraprovokingpause。"Theybehavedlikechildren,andIwaslikeanangel。Iamtostay,ofcourse。"

"Blessingsonyou,mydarling,"falteredMrs。Wylie,attemptingakiss,whichAgathadexterouslyevaded。

"Ihavepromisedtobeverygood,andstudious,andquiet,anddecorousinfuture。Doyouremembermycastanetsong,Hetty？

""Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！

lalalalalalalalalalala！""

Andshedancedabouttheroom,snappingherfingersinsteadofcastanets。

"Don"tbesorecklessandwicked,mylove,"saidMrs。Wylie。"Youwillbreakyourpoormother"sheart。"

MissWilsonandMr。Janseniusenteredjustthen,andAgathabecamemotionlessandgazedabstractedlyatavaseofflowers。

MissWilsoninvitedhervisitorstojointhetennisplayers。Mr。

JanseniuslookedsternlyanddisappointedlyatAgatha,whoelevatedherlefteyebrowanddepressedherrightsimultaneously;

buthe,shakinghisheadtosignifythathewasnottobeconciliatedbyfacialfeats,howeverdifficultorcontrarytonature,wentoutwithMissWilson,followedbyMrs。JanseniusandMrs。Wylie。

"HowisyourHubby？"saidAgathathen,brusquely,toHenrietta。

Mrs。Trefusis"seyesfilledwithtearssoquicklythat,asshebentherheadtohidethem,theyfell,sprinklingAgatha"shand。

"Thisissuchadearoldplace,"shebegan。"Theassociationsofmygirlhood——"

"WhatisthematterbetweenyouandHubby？"demandedAgatha,interruptingher。"Youhadbettertellme,orIwillaskhimwhenImeethim。"

"Iwasabouttotellyou,onlyyoudidnotgivemetime。"

"Thatisamostawfulcram,"saidAgatha。"Butnomatter。Goon。"

Henriettahesitated。Herdignityasamarriedwoman,andtherealityofhergrief,revoltedagainsttheshallowacutenessoftheschoolgirl。ButshefoundherselfnobetterabletoresistAgatha"sdomineeringthanshehadbeeninherchildhood,andmuchmoredesirousofobtaininghersympathy。Besides,shehadalreadylearnttotellthestoryherselfratherthanleaveitsnarrationtoothers,whoseaccountsdidnot,shefelt,puthercaseintheproperlight。SoshetoldAgathaofhermarriage,herwildloveforherhusband,hiswildloveforher,andhismysteriousdisappearancewithoutleavingwordorsignbehindhim。Shedidnotmentiontheletter。

"Haveyouhadhimsearchedfor？"saidAgatha,repressinganinclinationtolaugh。

"Butwhere？HadItheremotestclue,Iwouldfollowhimbarefoottotheendoftheworld。"

"Ithinkyououghttosearchalltherivers——youwouldhavetodothatbarefoot。Hemusthavefalleninsomewhere,orfallendownsomeplace。"

"No,no。DoyouthinkIshouldbehereifIthoughthislifeindanger？Ihavereasons——Iknowthatheisonlygoneaway。"

"Oh,indeed！Hetookhisportmanteauwithhim,didhe？PerhapshehasgonetoParistobuyyousomethingniceandgiveyouapleasantsurprise。"

"No,"saidHenriettadejectedly。"HeknewthatIwantednothing。"

"ThenIsupposehegottiredofyouandranaway。"

Henrietta"speculiarscarletblushflowedrapidlyoverhercheeksassheflungAgatha"sarmaway,exclaiming,"Howdareyousayso！

Youhavenoheart。Headoredme。"

"Bosh！"saidAgatha。"Peoplealwaysgrowtiredofoneanother。I

growtiredofmyselfwheneverIamleftalonefortenminutes,andIamcertainthatIamfonderofmyselfthananyonecanbeofanotherperson。"

"Iknowyouare,"saidHenrietta,painedandspiteful。"Youhavealwaysbeenparticularlyfondofyourself。"

"Verylikelyheresemblesmeinthatrespect。Inthatcasehewillgrowtiredofhimselfandcomeback,andyouwillbothcooliketurtledovesuntilherunsawayagain。Ugh！Serveyourightforgettingmarried。Iwonderhowpeoplecanbesomadastodoit,withtheexampleoftheirmarriedacquaintancesallwarningthemagainstit。"

"Youdon"tknowwhatitistolove,"saidHenrietta,plaintively,andyetpatronizingly。"Besides,wewerenotlikeothercouples。"

"Soitseems。Butnevermind,takemywordforit,hewillreturntoyouassoonashehashadenoughofhisowncompany。Don"tworrythinkingabouthim,butcomeandhaveagameatlawntennis。"

Duringthisconversationtheyhadleftthedrawing—roomandmadeadetourthroughthegrounds。Theywerenowapproachingthetenniscourtsbyapathwhichwoundbetweentwolaurelhedgesthroughtheshrubbery。Meanwhile,Smilash,waitingontheguestsinhiswhiteapronandgloves（whichhehadpositivelyrefusedtotakeoff,allegingthathewasacommonman,withcommonhandssuchasbornladiesandgentlemencouldnotbeexpectedtotakemeatanddrinkfrom）,hadbehavedhimselfirreproachablyuntilthearrivalofMissWilsonandhervisitors,whichoccurredashewasreturningtothetablewithanemptytray,movingsoswiftlythathenearlycameintocollisionwithMrs。Jansenius。Insteadofapologizing,hechangedcountenance,hastilyheldupthetraylikeashieldbeforehisface,andbegantowalkbackwardfromher,stumblingpresentlyagainstMissLindsay,whowasrunningtoreturnaball。Withoutheedingherangrylookandcurtrebuke,hehalfturned,andsidledawayintotheshrubbery,whencethetraypresentlyroseintotheair,flewacrossthelaurelhedge,anddescendedwithapealofstagethunderonthestoopedshouldersofJosephs。MissWilson,afteraskingthehousekeeperwithsomeasperitywhyshehadallowedthatmantointerfereintheattendance,explainedtothegueststhathewastheidiotofthecountryside。Mr。Janseniuslaughed,andsaidthathehadnotseentheman"sface,butthathisfigureremindedhimforciblyofsomeone;hecouldnotjustthenrecollectexactlywhom。

Smilash,makingoffthroughtheshrubbery,foundtheendofhispathblockedbyAgathaandayoungladywhoseappearancealarmedhimmorethanhadthatofMrs。Jansenius。Heattemptedtoforcehistraythroughthehedge,butinvain;thelaurelwasimpenetrable,andthenoisehemadeattractedtheattentionoftheapproachingcouple。Hemadenofurtherefforttoescape,butthrewhisborrowedapronoverhisheadandstoodboltuprightwithhisbackagainstthebushes。

"Whatisthatmandoingthere？"saidHenrietta,stoppingmistrustfully。

Agathalaughed,andsaidloudly,sothathemighthear:"ItisonlyaharmlessmadmanthatMissWilsonemploys。Heisfondofdisguisinghimselfinsomesillywayandtryingtofrightenus。

Don"tbeafraid。Comeon。"

Henriettahungback,butherarmwaslinkedinAgatha"s,andshewasdrawnalonginspiteofherself。Smilashdidnotmove。Agathastrolledoncoolly,andasshepassedhim,adroitlycaughttheapronbetweenherfingerandthumbandtwitcheditfromhisface。

InstantlyHenriettautteredapiercingscream,andSmilashcaughtherinhisarms。

"Quick,"hesaidtoAgatha,"sheisfainting。Runforsomewater。

Run！"AndhebentoverHenrietta,whoclungtohimfrantically。

Agatha,bewilderedbytheeffectofherpracticaljoke,hesitatedamoment,andthenrantothelawn。

"Whatisthematter？"saidFairholme。

"Nothing。Iwantsomewater——quick,please。Henriettahasfaintedintheshrubbery,thatisall。"

"Pleasedonotstir,"saidMissWilsonauthoritatively,"youwillcrowdthepathanddelayusefulassistance。MissWard,kindlygetsomewaterandbringittous。Agatha,comewithmeandpointoutwhereMrs。Trefusisis。Youmaycometoo,MissCarpenter;youaresostrong。Therestwillpleaseremainwheretheyare。"

Followedbythetwogirls,shehurriedintotheshrubbery,whereMr。Janseniuswasalreadylookinganxiouslyforhisdaughter。Hewastheonlypersontheyfoundthere。SmilashandHenriettaweregone。

Atfirsttheseekers,merelypuzzled,didnothingbutquestionAgathaincredulouslyastotheexactspotonwhichHenriettahadfallen。ButMr。Janseniussoonmadethemunderstandthatthepositionofaladyinthehandsofahalf—wittedlaborerwasoneofdanger。Hisagitationinfectedthem,andwhenAgathaendeavoredtoreassurehimbydeclaringthatSmilashwasadisguisedgentleman,MissWilson,supposingthistobeamererepetitionofherformeridleconjecture,toldhersharplytoholdhertongue,asthetimewasnotonefortalkingnonsense。

Thenewsnowspreadthroughthewholecompany,andtheexcitementbecameintense。Fairholmeshoutedforvolunteerstomakeupasearchingparty。Allthemenpresentresponded,andtheywereabouttorushtothecollegegatesinabodywhenitOccurredtothecooleramongthemthattheyhadbetterdivideintoseveralparties,inorderthatsearchmightbemadeatonceindifferentquarters。Tenminutesofconfusionfollowed。Mr。JanseniusstartedseveraltimesinquestofHenrietta,and,whenhehadgoneafewsteps,returnedandbeggedthatnomoretimeshouldbewasted。Josephs,whosefaithwassimple,retiredtopray,anddidgood,asfarasitwent,bywithdrawingonevoicefromthedinofplans,objections,andsuggestionswhichtherestweremaking;

eachpersontryingtobeheardabovetheothers。

AtlastMissWilsonquelledtheprevailinganarchy。Servantsweresenttoalarmtheneighborsandcallinthevillagepolice。

DetachmentsweresentinvariousdirectionsunderthecommandofFairholmeandotherenergeticspirits。Thegirlsformedpartiesamongthemselves,whichwerereinforcedbymaledesertersfromthepreviouslevies。MissWilsonthenwentindoorsandconductedasearchthroughtheinteriorofthecollege。Onlytwopersonswereleftonthetennisground——AgathaandMrs。Jansenius,whohadbeensurprisinglycalmthroughout。

"Youneednotbeanxious,"saidAgatha,whohadbeenstandingaloofsinceherrebuffbyMissWilson。"Iamsurethereisnodanger。Itismostextraordinarythattheyhavegoneaway;butthemanisnomoremadthanIam,andIknowheisagentlemanHetoldmeso。"

"Letushopeforthebest,"saidMrs。Jansenius,smoothly。"I

thinkIwillsitdown——Ifeelsotired。Thanks。"（Agathahadhandedherachair。）"Whatdidyousayhetoldyou——thisman？"

AgatharelatedthecircumstancesofheracquaintancewithSmilash,adding,atMrs。Jansenius"srequest,aminutedescriptionofhispersonalappearance。Mrs。Janseniusremarkedthatitwasverysingular,andthatshewassureHenriettawasquitesafe。Shethenpartookofclaret—cupandsandwiches。

Agatha,thoughgladtofindsomeonedisposedtolistentoher,waspuzzledbyheraunt"scoolness,andwasevengoadedintopointingoutthatthoughSmilashwasnotalaborer,itdidnotfollowthathewasanhonestman。ButMrs。Janseniusonlysaid:

"Oh,sheissafe——quitesafe！Atleast,ofcourse,Icanonlyhopeso。Weshallhavenewspresently,"andtookanothersandwich。