第8章

MissWilson,atalossforareply,regrettedthatshehadnot,beforelettinghimgainsofaronher,dismissedhimsummarilyinsteadoftoleratingadiscussionwhichshedidnotknowhowtoendwithdignity。Herelievedherbyaddingunexpectedly:

"Yoursystemwasthecauseofmyabsurdmarriage。Mywifeacquiredadegreeofcultureandreasonablenessfromhertrainingherewhichmadeherseemasuperiorbeingamongthechattererswhoformthefemaleseasoninginordinarysociety。Iadmiredherdarkeyes,andwasonlytoogladtoseizetheexcusehereducationofferedmeforbelievingheramatchformeinmindaswellasinbody。"

MissWilson,astonished,determinedtotellhimcoldlythathertimewasvaluable。Butcuriositytookpossessionofherintheactofutterance,andthewordsthatcamewere,"Whowasshe？"

"HenriettaJansenius。SheisHenriettaTrefusis,andIamSidneyTrefusis,atyourmercy。IseeIhavearousedyourcompassionatlast。"

"Nonsense！"saidMissWilsonhastily;forhersurprisewasindeedtingedbyafeelingthathewasthrownawayonHenrietta。

"Iranawayfromherandadoptedthisretreatandthisdisguiseinordertoavoidher。Theusualrebuketohumanforethoughtfollowed。Iranstraightintoherarms——orrathersheranintomine。Yourememberthescene,andwereprobablypuzzledbyit。"

"Youseemtothinkyourmarriagecontractaverylightmatter,Mr。Trefusis。MayIaskwhosefaultwastheseparation？Hers,ofcourse。"

"Ihavenothingtoreproachherwith。Iexpectedtofindhertemperhasty,butitwasnotso——herbehaviorwasunexceptionable。Sowasmine。Ourblisswasperfect,butunfortunately,Iwasnotmadefordomesticbliss——atalleventsI

couldnotendureit——soIfled,andwhenshecaughtmeagainI

couldgivenoexcuseformyflight,thoughImadeitcleartoherthatIwouldnotresumeourconnubialrelationsjustyet。Wepartedonbadterms。Ifullyintendedtowriteherasweetlettertomakeherforgivemeinspiteofherself,butsomehowtheweekshaveslippedawayandIamstillfullyintending。Shehasneverwritten,andIhaveneverwritten。Thisisaprettystateofthings,isn"tit,MissWilson,afterallheradvantagesundertheinfluenceofmoralforceandthemovementforthehighereducationofwomen？"

"Byyourownadmission,thefaultseemstolieuponyourmoraltrainingandnotuponhers。"

"Thefaultwasintheconditionsofourassociation。Whytheyshouldhaveattractedmesostronglyatfirst,andrepelledmesohorriblyafterwards,isoneofthosedevil"sriddleswhichwillnotbeanswereduntilweshallhavetracedalltheyetunsuspectedreactionsofourinveteratedishonesty。ButIamwastingyourtime,Ifear。YousentforSmilash,andIhaverespondedbypracticallyannihilatinghim。Inpublic,however,youmuststillbearwithhisantics。Onemomentmore。Ihadforgottentoaskyouwhetheryouareinterestedintheshepherdwhosewifeyoushelteredonthenightofthestorm？"

"Heassuredme,beforehetookhiswifeaway,thathewascomfortablysettledinalodginginLyvern。"

"Yes。Verycomfortablysettledindeed。Forhalf—a—crownaweekheobtainedpermissiontoshareaspaciousdrawing—roomwithtwootherfamiliesinaten—roomedhouseinnotmuchbetterrepairthanhisblown—downhovel。Thishouseyieldstoitslandlordovertwohundredayear,orrathermorethantherentofacommodiousmansioninSouthKensington。Itisatroublesomerenttocollect,butontheotherhandthereisnoexpenditureforrepairsorsanitation,whicharenotconsiderednecessaryintenementhouses。Ourfriendhastowalkthreemilestohisworkandthreemilesback。Exerciseisacapitalthingforastudentoracityclerk,buttoashepherdwhohasbeeninthefieldsallday,alongwalkattheendofhisworkissomewhattoomuchofagoodthing。Hebeggedforanincreaseofwagestocompensatehimforthelossofthehut,butSirJohnpointedouttohimthatifhewasnotsatisfiedhisplacecouldbeeasilyfilledbylessexorbitantshepherds。SirJohnevencondescendedtoexplainthatthelawsofpoliticaleconomybindemployerstobuylaborinthecheapestmarket,andourpoorfriend,justasignorantofeconomicsasSirJohn,ofcoursedidnotknowthatthiswasuntrue。However,aslaborisactuallysopurchasedeverywhereexceptinDowningStreetandafewotherprivilegedspots,I

suggestedthatourfriendshouldgotosomeplacewherehismarketpricewouldbehigherthaninmerryEngland。Hewaswillingenoughtodoso,butunablefromwantofmeans。SoIlenthimatrifle,andnowheisonhiswaytoAustralia。Workmenarethegeesethatlaythegoldeneggs,buttheyflyawaysometimes。

Ihearagongsounding,toremindmeofthefightoftimeandthevalueofyourshareofit。Good—morning！"

MissWilsonwassuddenlymovednottolethimgowithoutanappealtohisbetternature。"Mr。Trefusis,"shesaid,"excuseme,butareyounot,inyourgenerositytoothersalittleforgetfulofyourdutytoyourself;and——"

"Thefirstandhardestofallduties！"heexclaimed。"Ibegyourpardonforinterruptingyou。Itwasonlytopleadguilty。"

"Icannotadmitthatitisthefirstofallduties,butitissometimesperhapsthehardest,asyousay。Still,youcouldsurelydoyourselfmorejusticewithoutanygreateffort。Ifyouwishtolivehumbly,youcandosowithoutpretendingtobeanuneducatedmanandwithouttakinganirritatingandabsurdname。

WhyonearthdoyoucallyourselfSmilash？"

"Iconfessthatthenamehasbeenafailure。Itookgreatpains,inconstructingit,tosecureapleasantimpression。Itisnotamereinvention,butacompoundofthewordssmileandeyelash。A

smilesuggestsgoodhumor;eyelashessoftentheexpressionandaretheonlyfeaturesthatneverblemishaface。HenceSmilashisasoundthatshouldcheerandpropitiate。Yetitexasperates。Itisreallyveryoddthatitshouldhavethateffect,unlessitisthatitraisesexpectationswhichIamunabletosatisfy。"

MissWilsonlookedathimdoubtfully。Heremainedperfectlygrave。Therewasapause。Then,asifshehadmadeuphermindtobeoffended,shesaid,"Good—morning,"shortly。

"Good—morning,MissWilson。Thesonofamillionaire,likethesonofaking,isseldomfreefrommentaldisease。Iamjustmadenoughtobeamountebank。IfIwerealittlemadder,IshouldperhapsreallybelievemyselfSmilashinsteadofmerelyactinghim。Whetheryouaskmetoforgetmyselfforamoment,ortoremembermyselfforamoment,IreplythatIamthesonofmyfather,andcannot。Withmyegotism,mycharlatanry,mytongue,andmyhabitofhavingmyownway,Iamfitfornocallingbutthatofsaviourofmankind——justofthesorttheylike。"Afteranimpressivepauseheturnedslowlyandlefttheroom。

"Iwonder,"hesaid,ashecrossedthelanding,"whether,byjudiciouslylosingmyway,Icancatchaglimpseofthatgirlwhoislikeagoldenidol？"

Downstairs,onhiswaytothedoor,hesawAgathacomingtowardshim,occupiedwithabookwhichshewastossinguptotheceilingandcatching。Hermelancholyexpression,habitualinherlonelymoments,showedthatshewasnotamusingherself,butgivingventtoherrestlessness。Ashergazetravelledupward,followingtheflightofthevolume,itwasarrestedbySmilash。Thebookfelltothefloor。Hepickeditupandhandedittoher,saying:

"And,ingoodtime,hereisthegoldenidol！"

"What？"saidAgatha,confused。

"Icallyouthegoldenidol,"hesaid。"WhenweareapartI

alwaysimagineyourfaceasafaceofgold,witheyesandteethofbdellium,orchalcedony,oragate,oranywonderfulunknownstonesofappropriatecolors。"

Agatha,witlessanddumb,couldonlylookdowndeprecatingly。

"Youthinkyououghttobeangrywithme,andyoudonotknowexactlyhowtomakemefeelthatyouareso。Isthatit？"

"No。Quitethecontrary。Atleast——Imeanthatyouarewrong。I

amthemostcommonplacepersonyoucanimagine——ifyouonlyknew。

NomatterwhatImaylook,Imean。"

"Howdoyouknowthatyouarecommonplace？"

"OfcourseIknow,"saidAgatha,hereyeswanderinguneasily。

"Ofcourseyoudonotknow;youcannotseeyourselfasothersseeyou。Forinstance,youhaveneverthoughtofyourselfasagoldenidol。"

"Butthatisabsurd。Youarequitemistakenaboutme。"

"Perhapsso。Iknow,however,thatyourfaceisnotreallymadeofgoldandthatithasnotthesamecharmforyouthatithasforothers——forme。"

"Imustgo,"saidAgatha,suddenlyinhaste。

"Whenshallwemeetagain？"

"Idon"tknow,"shesaid,withagrowingsenseofalarm。"I

reallymustgo。"

"Believeme,yourhurryisonlyimaginary。DoyoufancythatyouarebehavinginamannerquiteubduedardorthataffectedAgathastrangely。"Butfirsttellmewhetheritisnewtoyouornot。"

"Itisnotanemotionatall。Ididnotsaythatitwas。"

"Donotbeafraidofit。Itisonlybeingalonewithamanwhomyouhavebewitched。Youwouldbemistressofthesituationifyouonlyknewhowtomanagealover。Itisfareasierthanmanagingahorse,orskating,orplayingthepiano,orhalfadozenotherfeatsofwhichyouthinknothing。"

Agathacoloredandraisedherhead。

"Forgiveme,"hesaid,interruptingtheaction。"Iamtryingtooffendyouinordertosavemyselffromfallinginlovewithyou,andIhavenotthehearttoletmyselfsucceed。Onyourlife,donotlistentomeorbelieveme。Ihavenorighttosaythesethingstoyou。SomefiendentersintomewhenIamatyourside。

Youshouldwearaveil,Agatha。"

Sheblushed,andstoodburningandtingling,herpresenceofmindgone,andherchiefsensationoneofrelieftohear——forshedidnotdaretosee——thathewasdeparting。Herconsciousnesswasinadeliciousconfusion,withtheonedefinitethoughtinitthatshehadwonherloveratlast。ThetoneofTrefusis"svoice,richwithtruthandearnestness,hisquickinsight,andhispassionatewarningtohernottoheedhim,convincedherthatshehadenteredintoarelationdestinedtoinfluenceherwholelife。

"Andyet,"shesaidremorsefully,"Icannotlovehimashelovesme。Iamselfish,cold,calculating,worldly,andhavedoubteduntilnowwhethersuchathingaslovereallyexisted。IfIcouldonlylovehimrecklesslyandwholly,ashelovesme！"

Smilashwasalsosoliloquizingashewentonhisway。

"NowIhavemadethepoorchild——whowassoanxiousthatIshouldnotmistakeherforasupernaturallygiftedandlovelywomanashappyasanangel;andsoisthatfinegirlwhomtheycallJaneCarpenter。Ihopetheywon"texchangeconfidencesonthesubject。"

CHAPTERVIII

Mrs。TrefusisfoundherparentssounsympatheticonthesubjectofhermarriagethatshelefttheirhouseshortlyafterhervisittoLyvern,andwenttoresidewithahospitablefriend。Unabletoremainsilentuponthematterconstantlyinherthoughts,shediscussedherhusband"sflightwiththisfriend,andelicitedanopinionthatthebehaviorofTrefusiswasscandalousandwicked。

Henriettacouldnotbearthis,andsoughtshelterwitharelative。Thesamediscussionarising,therelativesaid:

"Well,Hetty,ifIamtospeakcandidly,ImustsaythatIhaveknownSidneyTrefusisforalongtime,andheistheeasiestpersontogetonwithIevermet。Andyouknow,dear,thatyouareverytryingsometimes。"

"Andso,"criedHenrietta,burstingintotears,"aftertheinfamouswayhehastreatedmeIamtobetoldthatitisallmyownfault。"

Sheleftthehousenextday,havingobtainedanotherinvitationfromadiscreetladywhowouldnotdiscussthesubjectatall。

Thisprovedquiteintolerable,andHenriettawenttostaywithheruncleDanielJansenius,ajollyandindulgentman。Heopinedthatthingswouldcomerightassoonasbothpartiesgrewmoresensible;and,astowhichofthemwas,infault,hisverdictwas,sixofoneandhalfadozenoftheother。Wheneverhesawhisniecepensiveortearfulhelaughedatherandcalledheragrasswidow。Henriettafoundthatshecouldendureanythingratherthanthis。Declaringthattheworldwashatefultoher,shehiredafurnishedvillainSt。John"sWood,whithershemovedinDecember。But,sufferingmuchtherefromloneliness,shesoonwroteapatheticlettertoAgatha,entreatinghertospendtheapproachingChristmasvacationwithher,andpromisinghereveryluxuryandamusementthatboundlessaffectioncouldsuggestandboundlessmeansprocure。Agatha"sreplycontainedsomeunlooked—forinformation。

"AltonCollege,Lyvern,"14thDecember。

"DearestHetty:Idon"tthinkIcandoexactlywhatyouwant,asImustspendXmaswithMammaatChiswick;butIneednotgetthereuntilXmasEve,andwebreakuphereonyesterdayweek,the20th。SoIwillgostraighttoyouandbringyouwithmetoMamma"s,whereyouwillspendXmasmuchbetterthanmopinginastrangehouse。Itisnotquitesettledyetaboutmyleavingthecollegeafterthisterm。Youmustpromisenottotellanyone;butIhaveanewfriendhere——alover。NotthatIaminlovewithhim,thoughIthinkveryhighlyofhim——youknowIamnotaromanticfool;butheisverymuchinlovewithme;andIwishI

couldreturnitashedeserves。TheFrenchsaythatonepersonturnsthecheekandtheotherkissesit。Ithasnotgotquitesofarasthatwithus;indeed,sincehedeclaredwhathefelthehasonlybeenabletosnatchafewwordswithmewhenIhavebeenskatingorwalking。Buttherehasalwaysbeenatleastonewordorlookthatmeantagreatdeal。

"Andnow,whodoyouthinkheis？Hesaysheknowsyou。Canyouguess？Hesaysyouknowallhissecrets。Hesaysheknowsyourhusbandwell;thathetreatedyouverybadly,andthatyouaregreatlytobepitied。Canyouguessnow？Hesayshehaskissedyou——forshame,Hetty！Haveyouguessedyet？Hewasgoingtotellmesomethingmorewhenwewereinterrupted,andIhavenotseenhimsinceexceptatadistance。Heisthemanwithwhomyouelopedthatdaywhenyougaveusallsuchafright——Mr。Sidney。I

wasthefirsttopenetratehisdisguise;andthatverymorningI

hadtaxedhimwithit,andhehadconfessedit。Hesaidthenthathewashidingfromawomanwhowasinlovewithhim;andIshouldnotbesurprisedifitturnedouttobetrue;forheiswonderfullyoriginal——infactwhatmakesmelikehimisthatheisbyfarthecleverestmanIhaveevermet;andyethethinksnothingofhimself。Icannotimaginewhatheseesinmetocarefor,thoughheisevidentlyensnaredbymycharms。Ihopehewon"tfindouthowsillyIam。Hecalledmehisgoldenidol——"

Henrietta,withascreamofrage,toretheletteracross,andstampeduponit。Whentheparoxysmsubsidedshepickedupthepieces,heldthemtogetherasaccuratelyashertremblinghandscould,andreadon。

"——butheisnotallhoney,andwillsaythemostseverethingssometimesifhethinksheoughtto。HehasmademesoashamedofmyignorancethatIamresolvedtostayhereforanothertermatleast,andstudyashardasIcan。Ihavenotbegunyet,asitisnotworthwhileattheeleventhhourofthisterm;butwhenI

returninJanuaryIwillsettoworkinearnest。Soyoumayseethathisinfluenceovermeisanentirelygoodone。Iwilltellyouallabouthimwhenwemeet;forIhavenotimetosayanythingnow,asthegirlsarebotheringmetogoskatingwiththem。Hepretendstobeaworkman,andputsonourskatesforus;

andJaneCarpenterbelievesthatheisinlovewithher。Janeisexceedinglykindhearted;butshehasatalentformakingherselfridiculousthatnothingcansuppress。Theiceislovely,andtheweatherjolly;wedonotmindthecoldintheleast。Theyarethreateningtogowithoutme——good—bye！

"Everyouraffectionate"Agatha。"

Henriettalookedroundforsomethingsharp。Shegraspedapairofscissorsgreedilyandstabbedtheairwiththem。Thenshebecameconsciousofhermurderousimpulse,andsheshudderedatit;butinamomentmoreherjealousysweptbackuponher。Shecried,asifsuffocating,"Idon"tcare;Ishouldliketokillher！"Butshedidnottakeupthescissorsagain。

Atlastsherangthebellviolentlyandaskedforarailwayguide。Onbeingtoldthattherewasnotoneinthehouse,shescoldedhermaidsounreasonablythatthegirlsaidpertlythatifsheweretobespokentolikethatsheshouldwishtoleavewhenhermonthwasup。ThischeckbroughtHenriettatohersenses。Shewentupstairsandputonthefirstcloakathand,whichwasfortunatelyaheavyfurone。Thenshetookherbonnetandpurse,leftthehouse,hailedapassinghansom,andbadethecabmandrivehertoSt。Pancras。

WhenthenightcametheairatLyvernwaslikeironintheintensecold。Thetreesandthewindseemedice—bound,asthewaterwas,andsilence,stillness,andstarlight,frozenhard,broodedoverthecountry。Atthechalet,Smilash,indifferenttothepriceofcoals,keptuparoaringfirethatglowedthroughtheuncurtainedwindows,andtantalizedthechilledwayfarerwhodidnothappentoknow,astheherdsmenoftheneighborhooddid,thathewaswelcometoenterandwarmhimselfwithoutriskofrebufffromthetenant。Smilashwasinhighspirits。Hehadbecomeaproficientskater,andfrostyweatherwasnowaluxurytohim。Itbracedhim,anddroveawayhisgloomyfits,whilsthissympathieswerekeptawakeandhisindignationmaintainedatanexhilaratingpitchbythesufferingsofthepoor,who,unabletoaffordfiresorskating,warmedthemselvesinsuchswelteringheatasovercrowdingproducesinallseasons。

ItwasSmilash"scustomtomakeahotdrinkofoatmealandwaterforhimselfathalf—pastnineo"clockeachevening,andtogotobedatten。Heopenedthedoortothrowoutsomewaterthatremainedinthesaucepanfromitslastcleansing。Itfrozeasitfelluponthesoil。Helookedatthenight,andshookhimselftothrowoffanoppressivesensationofbeingclaspedintheicyribsoftheair,forthemercuryhaddescendedbelowthefamiliarregionofcrispandcracklycoldandmarkedatemperatureatwhichthenumbatmosphereseemedonthepointofcongealingintoblacksolidity。Nothingwasstirring。

"ByGeorge！"hesaid,"thisisoneofthosenightsonwhicharichmandaren"tthink！"

Heshutthedoor,hastenedbacktohisfire,andsettoworkathiscaudle,whichhewatchedandstirredwithasolicitudethatwouldhaveamusedaprofessedcook。Whenitwasdonehepoureditintoalargemug,whereitsteamedinvitingly。Hetookupsomeinaspoonandblewuponittocoolit。Tap,tap,tap,tap！

hurriedlyatthedoor。

"Nicenightforawalk,"hesaid,puttingdownthespoon;thenshouting,"Comein。"

Thelatchroseunsteadily,andHenrietta,withfrozentearsonhercheeks,andanunintelligibleexpressionofwretchednessandrage,appeared。Afteraninstantofamazement,hesprangtoherandclaspedherinhisarms,andshe,againstherwill,andprotestingvoicelessly,stumbledintohisembrace。

"Youarefrozentodeath,"heexclaimed,carryinghertothefire。"Thissealjacketislikeasheetofice。Soisyourface"

（kissingit）。"Whatisthematter？Whydoyoustruggleso？"

"Letmego,"shegasped,inavehementwhisper。"Ih——hateyou。"

"Mypoorlove,youaretoocoldtohateanyone——evenyourhusband。YoumustletmetakeofftheseatrociousFrenchboots。

Yourfeetmustbeperfectlydead。"

Bythistimehervoiceandtearswerethawinginthewarmthofthechaletandofhiscaresses。"Youshallnottakethemoff,"

shesaid,cryingwithcoldandsorrow。"Letmealone。Don"ttouchme。Iamgoingaway——straightback。Iwillnotspeaktoyou,nortakeoffmythingshere,nortouchanythinginthehouse。"

"No,mydarling,"hesaid,puttingherintoacapaciouswoodenarmchairandbusilyunbuttoningherboots,"youshalldonothingthatyoudon"twishtodo。Yourfeetarelikestones。Yes,yes,mydear,Iamawretchunworthytolive。Iknowit。"

"Letmealone,"shesaidpiteously。"Idon"twantyourattentions。Ihavedonewithyouforever。"

"Come,youmustdrinksomeofthisnastystuff。Youwillneedstrengthtotellyourhusbandalltheunpleasantthingsyoursoulischargedwith。Takejustalittle。"

Sheturnedherfaceawayandwouldnotanswer。Hebroughtanotherchairandsatdownbesideher。"Mylost,forlorn,betrayedone——"

"Iam,"shesobbed。"Youdon"tmeanit,butIam。"

"Youarealsomydearestandbestofwives。Ifyoueverlovedme,Hetty,do,formyoncedearsake,drinkthisbeforeitgetscold。"

Shepouted,sobbed,andyieldedtosomegentleforcewhichheused,asachildallowsherselftobehalfpersuaded,halfcompelled,totakephysic。

"Doyoufeelbetterandmorecomfortablenow？"hesaid。

"No,"shereplied,angrywithherselfforfeelingboth。

"Then,"hesaidcheerfully,asifshehadutteredaheartyaffirmative,"Iwillputsomemorecoalsonthefire,andweshallbeassnugaspossible。Itmakesmewildlyhappytoseeyouatmyfireside,andtoknowthatyouaremyownwife。"

"Iwonderhowyoucanlookmeinthefaceandsayso,"shecried。

"IshouldwonderatmyselfifIcouldlookatyourfaceandsayanythingelse。Oatmealisacapitalrestorative;allyourenergyiscomingback。There,thatwillmakeamagnificentblazepresently。"

"Ineverthoughtyoudeceitful,Sidney,whateverotherfaultsyoumighthavehad。"

"Precisely,mylove。Iunderstandyourfeelings。Murder,burglary,intemperance,ortheminorvicesyoucouldhaveborne;

butdeceityoucannotabide。"

"Iwillgoaway,"shesaiddespairingly,withafreshburstoftears。"Iwillnotbelaughedatandbetrayed。Iwillgobarefooted。"Sheroseandattemptedtoreachthedoor;butheinterceptedherandsaid:

"Mylove,thereissomethingseriousthematter。Whatisit？

Don"tbeangrywithme。"

Hebroughtherbacktothechair。ShetookAgatha"sletterfromthepocketofherfurcloak,andhandedittohimwithafaintattempttobetragic。

"Readthat,"shesaid。"Andneverspeaktomeagain。Allisoverbetweenus。"

Hetookitcuriously,andturnedittolookatthesignature。

"Aha！"hesaid,"mygoldenidolhasbeenmakingmischief,hasshe？"

"There！"exclaimedHenrietta。"Youhavesaidittomyface！Youhaveconvictedyourselfoutofyourownmouth！"

"Waitamoment,mydear。Ihavenotreadtheletteryet。"

Heroseandwalkedtoandfrothroughtheroom,reading。Shewatchedhim,angrilyconfidentthatsheshouldpresentlyseehimchangecountenance。Suddenlyhedroopedasifhisspinehadpartlygivenway;andinthisungracefulattitudehereadtheremainderoftheletter。Whenhehadfinishedhethrewitonthetable,thrusthishandsdeepintohispockets,androaredwithlaughter,huddlinghimselftogetherasifhecouldconcentratethejokebycollectinghimselfintothesmallestpossiblecompass。Henrietta,speechlesswithindignation,couldonlylookherfeelings。Atlasthecameandsatdownbesideher。

"Andso,"hesaid,"onreceivingthisyourushedoutinthecoldandcameallthewaytoLyvern。Now,itseemstomethatyoumusteitherlovemeverymuch——"

"Idon"t。Ihateyou。"

"Orelseloveyourselfverymuch。"

"Oh！"Andsheweptafresh。"Youareaselfishbrute,andyoudojustasyoulikewithoutconsideringanyoneelse。Nooneeverthinksofme。Andnowyouwon"teventakethetroubletodenythatshamefulletter。"

"WhyshouldIdenyit？Itistrue。Doyounotseetheironyofallthis？IamusemyselfbypayingafewcomplimentstoaschoolgirlforwhomIdonotcaretwostrawsmorethanforanyagreeableandpassablycleverwomanImeet。Nevertheless,I

occasionallyfeelapangofremorsebecauseIthinkthatshemaylovemeseriously,althoughIamonlyplayingwithher。IpitythepoorheartIhavewantonlyensnared。And,allthetime,sheispityingmeforexactlythesamereason！Sheisconscience—strickenbecausesheisonlyindulgingintheluxuryofbeingadored"byfarthecleverestmanshehasevermet,"andisasheart—wholeasIam！Ha,ha！Thatisthebasisofthereligionofloveofwhichpoetsarethehigh—priests。Eachworshipperknowsthathisownloveiseitheratransientpassionorashamcopiedfromhisfavoritepoem;buthebelieveshonestlyintheloveofothersforhim。Ho,ho！Isitnotasillyworld,mydear？"

"YouhadnorighttomakelovetoAgatha。Youhavenorighttomakelovetoanyonebutme;andIwon"tbearit。"

"YouareangrybecauseAgathahasinfringedyourmonopoly。Alwaysmonopoly！Why,yousillygirl,doyousupposethatIbelongtoyou,bodyandsoul？——thatImaynotbemovedexceptbyyouraffection,orthinkexceptofyourbeauty？"

"Youmaycallmeasmanynamesasyouplease,butyouhavenorighttomakelovetoAgatha。"

"Mydearest,Idonotrecollectcallingyouanynames。Ithinkyousaidsomethingaboutaselfishbrute。"

"Ididnot。Youcalledmeasillygirl。"

"But,mylove,youare。"

"AndsoYOUare。Youarethoroughlyselfish。"

"Idon"tdenyit。Butletusreturntooursubject。Whatdidwebegintoquarrelabout？"

"Iamnotquarrelling,Sidney。Itisyou。"

"Well,whatdidIbegintoquarrelabout？"

"AboutAgathaWylie。"

"Oh,pardonme,Hetty;Icertainlydidnotbegintoquarrelabouther。Iamveryfondofher——moreso,itappears,thansheisofme。Onemoment,Hetty,beforeyourecommenceyourreproaches。

WhydoyoudislikemysayingprettythingstoAgatha？"

Henriettahesitated,andsaid:"Becauseyouhavenorightto。Itshowshowlittleyoucareforme。"

"Ithasnothingtodowithyou。ItonlyshowshowmuchIcareforher。"

"Iwillnotstayheretobeinsulted,"saidHetty,herdistressreturning。"Iwillgohome。"

"Notto—night;thereisnotrain。"

"Iwillwalk。"

"Itistoofar。"

"Idon"tcare。Iwillnotstayhere,thoughIdieofcoldbytheroadside。"

"Mycherishedone,Ihavebeenannoyingyoupurposelybecauseyoushowbyyourangerthatyouhavenotceasedtocareforme。Iaminthewrong,asIusuallyam,anditisallmyfault。Agathaknowsnothingaboutourmarriage。"

"Idonotblameyousomuch,"saidHenrietta,sufferinghimtoplaceherheadonhisshoulder;"butIwillneverspeaktoAgathaagain。Shehasbehavedshamefullytome,andIwilltellherso。"

"Nodoubtshewillopinethatitisallyourfault,dearest,andthatIhavebehavedadmirably。BetweenyouIshallstandexonerated。Andnow,sinceitistoocoldforwalking,sinceitislate,sinceitisfartoLyvernandfarthertoLondon,Imustimprovisesomeaccommodationforyouhere。"

"But——"

"Butthereisnohelpforit。Youmuststay。"

CHAPTERIX

NextdaySmilashobtainedfromhiswifeapromisethatshewouldbehavetowardsAgathaasiftheletterhadgivennooffence。