第12章

Theresultisthatthetradesmenarebecomingbetterartiststhanthey,andnaturallyso;forwhere,asinphotography,thedrawingcountsfornothing,thethoughtandjudgmentcountforeverything;whereasintheetchinganddaubingprocesses,wheregreatmanualskillisneededtoproduceanythingthattheeyecanendure,theexecutioncountsformorethanthethought,andifafellowonlyfittocarrybricksupaladderorthelikehasambitionandperseveranceenoughtotrainhishandandpushintothevan,youcannotaffordtoputhimbackintohisproperplace,becausethoroughlytrainedhandsaresoscarce。Considertheproofofthisthatyouhaveinliterature。Ourbooksaremanuallytheworkofprintersandpapermakers;youmaycutanauthor"shandoffandheisasgoodanauthorasbefore。Whatistheresult？Thereismoreimaginationinanynumberofapennyjournalthaninhalf—a—dozenoftheRoyalAcademyroomsintheseason。Noauthorcanlivebyhisworkandbeasempty—headedasanaveragesuccessfulpainter。Again,considerourimplementsofmusic——ourpianofortes,forexample。Nobodybutanacrobatwillvoluntarilyspendyearsatsuchadifficultmechanicalpuzzleasthekeyboard,andsowehavetotakeourimpressionsofBeethoven"ssonatasfromacrobatswhoviewitheachotherintherapidityoftheirprestos,orthestayingpoweroftheirleftwrists。Thoughtfulmenwillnotspendtheirlivesacquiringsleight—of—hand。Inventapianowhichwillrespondasdelicatelytotheturningofahandleasourpresentonesdotothepressureofthefingers,andtheacrobatswillbedrivenbacktotheircarpetsandtrapezes,becausethesolefacultynecessarytotheexecutantmusicianwillbethemusicalfaculty,andnootherwillenablehimtoobtainahearing。"

Thecompanyweresomewhatovercomebythisunexpectedlecture。

SirCharles,feelingthatsuchviewsboreadverselyonhim,andweresomehowiconoclasticandlow—lived,wasabouttomakeapeevishretort,whenErskineforestalledhimbyaskingTrefusiswhatideahehadformedofthefutureofthearts。Herepliedpromptly。"Photographyperfectedinitsrecentlydiscoveredpowerofreproducingcoloraswellasform！Historicalpicturesreplacedbyphotographsoftableauxvivantsformedandarrangedbytrainedactorsandartists,andusedchieflyfortheinstructionofchildren。Nine—tenthsofpaintingasweunderstanditatpresentextinguishedbythecompetitionofthesephotographs,andtheremainingtenthonlyholdingitsownagainstthembydintofextraordinaryexcellence！Ourmistunedandunplayableorgansandpianofortesreplacedbyharmoniousinstruments,asmanageableasbarrelorgans！Worksoffictionsupersededbyinterestingcompanyandconversation,andmadeobsoletebythehumanmindoutgrowingthechildishnessthatdelightsinthetalestoldbygrownupchildrensuchasnovelistsandtheirlike！Anendtothesillyconfusion,undertheonenameofArt,ofthetomfooleryandmake—believeofourplay—hourswiththehighermethodsofteachingmentoknowthemselves！Everyartistanamateur,andaconsequentreturntothehealthyolddispositiontolookoneverymanwhomakesartameansofmoney—gettingasavagabondnottobeentertainedasanequalbyhonestmen！"

"Inwhichcaseartistswillstarve,andtherewillbenomoreart。"

"Sir,"saidTrefusis,excitedbytheword,"I,asaSocialist,cantellyouthatstarvationisnowimpossible,exceptwhere,asinEngland,masterlessmenareforciblypreventedfromproducingthefoodtheyneed。Andyou,asanartist,cantellmethatatpresentgreatartistsinvariablydostarve,exceptwhentheyarekeptalivebycharity,privatefortune,orsomedrudgerywhichhinderstheminthepursuitoftheirvocation。"

"Oh！"saidErskine。"ThenSocialistshavesomelittlesympathywithartistsafterall。"

"Ifear,"saidTrefusis,repressinghimselfandspeakingquietlyagain,"thatwhenaSocialisthearsofahundredpoundspaidforadrawingwhichAndreadelSartowasgladtosellfortenpence,hisheartisnotwrungwithpityfortheartist"simaginarylossasthatofamoderncapitalistis。Yetthatistheonlywaynowadaysofenlistingsympathyfortheoldmasters。Frightfuldisability,tobeoutofthereachofthedearestmarketwhenyouwanttosellyourdrawings！But,"headded,givinghimselfashake,andturningroundgaily,"Ididnotcomeheretotalkshop。So——pendingthedeluge——letusenjoyourselvesafterourmanner。"

"No,"saidJane。"PleasegoonaboutArt。It"ssucharelieftohearanyonetalkingsensiblyaboutit。Ihateetching。Itmakesyoureyessore——atleasttheacidgetsintoSirCharles"s,andthedifferencebetweenthefirstandsecondstatesisnothingbutimagination,exceptthatthelaststateisworsethanthe——here"sluncheon！"

Theywentdownstairsthen。TrefusissatbetweenAgathaandLadyBrandon,towhomheaddressedallhisconversation。Theychattedwithoutmuchinterruptionfromthebusinessofthetable;forJane,despiteheramplitude,hadasmallappetite,andwasfearfulofgrowingfat;whilstTrefusiswassystematicallyabstemious。SirCharleswasunusuallysilent。Hewasafraidtotalkaboutart,lestheshouldbecontradictedbyTrefusis,who,healreadyfelt,caredlessandperhapsknewmoreaboutitthanhe。HavingpreviouslycommentedtoAgathaonthebeautyoftheripeningspring,andinquiredwhetherherjourneyhadfatiguedher,hehadsaidasmuchashecouldthinkofatafirstmeeting。

Forherpart,shewasintentonTrefusis,who,thoughhemustknow,shethought,thattheywereallhostiletohimexceptJane,seemedasconfidentnowaswhenhehadbefooledherlongago。

Thatthoughtsetherteethonedge。Shedidnotdoubtthesincerityofherantipathytohimevenwhenshedetectedherselfintheactofprotestinginwardlythatshewasnotgladtomeethimagain,andthatshewouldnotspeaktohim。Gertrude,meanwhile,wasgivingshortanswerstoErskineandlisteningtoTrefusis。ShehadgatheredfromthedomesticsquabblesofthelastfewdaysthatLadyBrandon,againstherhusband"swill,hadinvitedanotoriousdemagogue,therichsonofasuccessfulcotton—spinner,tovisittheBeeches。Shehadmadeuphermindtosnubanysuchman。Butonrecognizingthelong—forgottenSmilash,shehadbeenastonished,andhadnotknownwhattodo。So,toavoiddoinganythingimproper,shehadstoodstillysilentanddonenothing,asthecustomofEnglishladiesinsuchcasesis。

Subsequently,hisunconsciousself—assertionhadwroughtwithheraswiththeothers,andherintentionofsnubbinghimhadfadedintothelimboofprojectsabandonedwithouttrial。Erskinealonewasfreefromtheinfluenceoftheintruder。Hewishedhimselfelsewhere;butbesideGertrudethepresenceorabsenceofanyotherpersontroubledhimverylittle。

"HowaretheJanseniuses？"saidTrefusis,suddenlyturningtoAgatha。

"Theyarequitewell,thankyou,"shesaidinmeasuredtones。

"ImetJohnJanseniusinthecitylately。YouknowJansenius？"headdedparentheticallytoSirCharles。"Cotman"sbank——thelastCotmandiedoutofthefirmbeforewewereborn。TheChairmanoftheTranscanadianRailwayCompany。"

"Iknowthename。Iamseldominthecity。"

"Naturally,"assentedTrefusis;"forwhowouldsaddenhimselfbypushinghiswaythroughacrowdofsuchslaves,ifhecouldhelpit？ImeanslavesofMammon,ofcourse。TorunthegauntletoftheirfacesinCornhillisenoughtodiscourageathoughtfulmanforhours。Well,Jansenius,beinghighinthecourtofMammon,islookingoutforagoodpostinthehouseholdforhisson。

Jansenius,by—the—byeisMissWylie"sguardianandthefatherofmylatewife。"

Agathafeltinclinedtodenythis;but,asitwastrue,shehadtoforbear。ResolvedtoshowthattherelationsbetweenherfamilyandTrefusiswerenotcordialones,sheaskeddeliberately,"DidMr。Janseniusspeaktoyou？"

Gertrudelookedup,asifshethoughtthisscarcelyladylike。

"Yes,"saidTrefusis。"Wearethebestfriendsintheworld——asgoodaspossible,atanyrate。HewantedmetosubscribetoafundforrelievingthepoorattheeastendofLondonbyassistingthemtoemigrate。"

"Ipresumeyousubscribedliberally,"saidErskine。"Itwasanopportunityofdoingsomepracticalgood。"

"Ididnot,"saidTrefusis,grinningatthesarcasm。"ThisTranscanadianRailwayCompany,havinggotagreatdealofsparelandfromtheCanadiangovernmentfornothing,thoughtitwouldbeagoodideatosettleBritishworkmenonitandscrewrentoutofthem。PlentyofBritishworkmen,supplantedintheiremploymentbymachinery,orcheapforeignlabor,oronethingoranother,werequitewillingtogo;butastheycouldn"taffordtopaytheirpassagestoCanada,theCompanyappealedtothebenevolenttopayforthembysubscription,asthechangewouldimprovetheirmiserablecondition。IdidnotseewhyIshouldpaytoprovidearichcompanywithtenantfarmers,andItoldJanseniusso。Heremarkedthatwhenmoneyandnottalkwasrequired,theworkmenofEnglandsoonfoundoutwhoweretheirrealfriends。"

"Iknownothingaboutthesequestions,"saidSirCharles,withanairofconclusiveness;"butIseenoobjectiontoemigration"Thefactis,"saidTrefusis,"theideaofemigrationisadangerousoneforus。Familiarizetheworkmanwithit,andsomedayhemaycometoseewhatacapitalthingitwouldbetopackoffme,andyou,withthepeerage,andthewholetribeofunprofitableproprietorssuchasweare,toSt。Helena;makingusahandsomepresentoftheislandbywayofindemnity！Wearesucharestless,unhappylot,thatIdoubtwhetheritwouldnotproveagoodthingforustoo。Theworkmenwouldlosenothingbutthecontemplationofourelegantpersons,exquisitemanners,andrefinedtastes。Theymightprovideagainstthatlossbypickingoutafewofustokeepforornament"ssake。NonationwithasenseofbeautywouldbanishLadyBrandon,orMissLindsay,orMissWylie。"

"Suchnonsense！"saidJane。

"YouwouldhardlybelievehowmuchIhavespentinsendingworkmenoutofthecountryagainstmyownviewofthecountry"sinterest,"continuedTrefusis,addressingErskine。"WhenImakeaconvertamongtheworkingclasses,thefirstthinghedoesistomakeaspeechsomewheredeclaringhisnewconvictions。Hisemployerimmediatelydischargeshim——"giveshimthesack"isthetechnicalphrase。Thesackistheswordofthecapitalist,andhungerkeepsitsharpforhim。Hisshieldisthelaw,madeforthepurposebyhisownclass。Thusequipped,hegivestheworstofittomypoorconvert,whocomesruinedtomeforassistance。

AsIcannotaffordtopensionhimforlife,Igetridofhimbyassistinghimtoemigrate。Sometimesheprospersandrepaysme;

sometimesIhearnomoreofhim;sometimeshecomesbackwithhishabitsunsettled。OnemanwhomIsenttoAmericamadehisfortune,buthewasnotasocialdemocrat;hewasaclerkwhohadembezzled,andwhoappliedtomeforassistanceundertheimpressionthatIconsidereditrathermeritorioustorobthetillofacapitalist。"

"HewasapracticalSocialist,infact,"saidErskine。

"Onthecontrary,hewasasomewhattoograspingIndividualist。

Howbeit,Ienabledhimtomakegoodhisdefalcation——inthecitytheyconsideradefalcationmadegoodwhenthemoneyisreplaced——andtogotoNewYork。Irecommendedhimnottogothere;butheknewbetterthanI,forhemadeafortunebyspeculatingwithmoneythatexistedonlyintheimaginationofthosewithwhomhedealt。Heneverrepaidme;heisprobablyfartoogoodamanofbusinesstopaymoneythatcannotbeextractedfromhimbyanappealtothelawortohiscommercialcredit。Mr。

Erskine,"addedTrefusis,loweringhisvoice,andturningtothepoet,"youarewrongtotakepartwithhuckstersandmoney—huntersagainstyourownnature,eventhoughtheattackuponthemisledbyamanwhoprefersphotographytoetching。"

"ButIassureyou——Youquitemistakeme,"saidErskine,takenaback。"I——"

Hestopped,lookedtoSirCharlesforsupport,andthensaidairily:"Idon"tdoubtthatyouarequiteright。Ihatebusinessandmenofbusiness;andastosocialquestions,Ihaveonlyonearticleofbelief,whichis,thatthesolerefinerofhumannatureisfineart。"

"WhereasIbelievethatthesolerefinerofartishumannature。

Artriseswhenmenrise,andgrovelswhenmengrovel。Whatisyouropinion？"

"Iagreewithyouinmanyways,"repliedSirCharlesnervously;

foralackofinterestinhisfellow—creatures,andanexcessofinterestinhimself,hadpreventedhimfromobtainingthatpowerofdealingwithsocialquestionswhich,hefelt,abaronetoughttopossess,andhewasconsequentlyafraidtodifferfromanyonewhoalludedtothemwithconfidence。"Ifyoutakeaninterestinart,IbelieveIcanshowyouafewthingsworthseeing。"

"Thankyou。InreturnIwillsomedayshowyouaremarkablecollectionofphotographsIpossess;manyofthemtakenbyme。I

venturetothinktheywillteachyousomething。"

"Nodoubt,"saidSirCharles。"Shallwereturntothegallery？I

haveafewtreasurestherethatphotographyisnotlikelytosurpassforsometimeyet。"

"Let"sgothroughtheconservatory,"saidJane。"Don"tyoulikeflowers,Mr。Smi——Inevercanrememberyourpropername。"

"Extremely,"saidTrefusis。

Theyroseandwentoutintoalonghothouse。HereLadyBrandon,findingErskineatherside,andSirCharlesbeforeherwithGertrude,lookedroundforTrefusis,withwhomsheintendedtoenjoyatriflingflirtationundercoverofshowinghimtheflowers。Hewasoutofsight;butsheheardhisfootstepsinthepassageontheoppositesideofthegreenhouse。Agathawasalsoinvisible。Jane,notdaringtorearrangetheirprocessionlestherdesignshouldbecomeobvious,hadtowalkonwithErskine。

Agathahadturnedunintentionallyintotheoppositealleytothatwhichtheothershadchosen。Whenshesawwhatshehaddone,andfoundherselfvirtuallyalonewithTrefusis,whohadfollowedher,sheblamedhimforit,andwasabouttoretraceherstepswhenhesaidcoolly:

"WereyoushockedwhenyouheardofHenrietta"ssuddendeath？"

Agathastruggledwithherselfforamoment,andthensaidinasuppressedvoice:"Howdareyouspeaktome？"

"Whynot？"saidhe,astonished。

"Iamnotgoingtoenterintoadiscussionwithyou。YouknowwhatImeanverywell。"

"Youmeanthatyouareoffendedwithme;thatisplainenough。

ButwhenIpartwithayoungladyongoodterms,andafteralapseofyears,duringwhichweneithermeetnorcorrespond,sheasksmehowIdarespeaktoher,Iamnaturallystartled。"

"Wedidnotpartongoodterms。"

Trefusisstretchedhiseyebrows,asiftostretchhismemory。"Ifnot,"hesaid,"Ihaveforgottenit,onmyhonor。Whendidwepart,andwhathappened？Itcannothavebeenanythingveryserious,orIshouldrememberit。"

HisforgetfulnesswoundedAgatha。"Nodoubtyouarewellaccustomedto——"Shecheckedherself,andmadeasuccessfulsnatchathernormalmannerwithgentlemen。"Iscarcelyrememberwhatitwas,nowthatIbegintothink。Sometrifle,Isuppose。

Doyoulikeorchids？"

"Theyhavenothingtodowithouraffairsatpresent。Youarenotinearnestabouttheorchids,andyouaretryingtorunawayfromamistakeinsteadofclearingitup。Thatisashort—sightedpolicy,always。"

Agathagrewalarmed,forshefelthisoldinfluenceoverherreturning。"Idonotwishtospeakofit,"shesaidfirmly。

Herfirmnesswaslostonhim。"Idonotevenknowwhatitmeansyet,"hesaid,"andIwanttoknow,forIbelievethereissomemisunderstandingbetweenus,anditisthetrickofyoursextoperpetuatemisunderstandingsbyforbiddingallallusionstothem。

Perhaps,leavingLyvernsohastily,Iforgottofulfilsomepromise,ortosayfarewell,orsomethingofthatsort。ButdoyouknowhowsuddenlyIwascalledaway？IgotatelegramtosaythatHenriettawasdying,andIhadonlytimetochangemyclothes——youremembermydisguise——andcatchtheexpress。And,afterall,shewasdeadwhenIarrived。"

"Iknowthat,"saidAgathauneasily。"Pleasesaynomoreaboutit。"

"Notifitdistressesyou。JustletmehopethatyoudidnotsupposeIblamedyouforyourshareinthematterorthatItoldtheJanseniusesofit。Ididnot。Yes,Ilikeorchids。Aplantthatcansubsistonascrapofboardisaninstanceofnaturalecon——"

"YOUblameME！"criedAgatha。"_I_nevertoldtheJanseniuses。

WhatwouldtheyhavethoughtofyouifIhad？"

"Farworseofyouthanofme,howeverunjustly。Youweretheimmediatecauseofthetragedy;Ionlytheremoteone。Janseniusisnotfar—seeingwhenhisfeelingsaretouched。Fewmenare。"

"Idon"tunderstandyouintheleast。Whattragedydoyoumean？"

"Henrietta"sdeath。Icallitatragedyconventionally。

Seriously,ofcourse,itwascommonplaceenough。"

Agathastoppedandfacedhim。"Whatdoyoumeanbywhatyousaidjustnow？YousaidthatIwastheimmediatecauseofthetragedy,andyousaythatyouweretalkingofHenrietta"s——ofHenrietta。I

hadnothingtodowithherillness。"

Trefusislookedatherasifconsideringwhetherhewouldgoanyfurther。Then,watchingherwiththecuriosityofavivisector,hesaid:"Strangetosay,Agatha,"（sheshrankproudlyattheword）,"Henriettamighthavebeenalivenowbutforyou。Iamverygladsheisnot;soyouneednotreproachyourselfonmyaccount。ShediedofajourneyshemadetoLyverningreatexcitementanddistress,andinintenselycoldweather。Youcausedhertomakethatjourneybywritingheraletterwhichmadeherjealous。"

"Doyoumeantoaccuseme——"

"No;stop！"hesaidhastily,thevivisectingspiritinhimexorcisedbyhershakingvoice;"Iaccuseyouofnothing。Whydoyounotspeakhonestlytomewhenyouareatyourease？Ifyouconfessyourrealthoughtsonlyundertorture,whocanresistthetemptationtotortureyou？Onemustchargeyouwithhomicidetomakeyouspeakofanythingbutorchids。"

ButAgathahaddrawnthenewinferencefromtheoldfacts,andwouldnotbetalkedoutofrepudiatingit。"Itwasnotmyfault,"

shesaid。"Itwasyours——altogetheryours。"

"Altogether,"heassented,relievedtofindherindignantinsteadofremorseful。

Shewasnottobesoothedbyaverbalacquiescence。"Yourbehaviorwasmostunmanly,andItoldyouso,andyoucouldnotdenyit。Youpretendedthatyou——Youpretendedtohavefeelings——YoutriedtomakemebelievethatOh,Iamafooltotalktoyou;youknowperfectlywellwhatImean。"

"Perfectly。ItriedtomakeyoubelievethatIwasinlovewithyou。HowdoyouknowIwasnot？"

Shedisdainedtoanswer;butashewaitedcalmlyshesaid,"Youhadnorighttobe。"

"ThatdoesnotprovethatIwasnot。Come,Agatha,youpretendedtolikemewhenyoudidnotcaretwostrawsaboutme。Youconfessedasmuchinthatfatalletter,whichIhavesomewhereathome。Ithasagreatrentrightacrossit,andthemarkofherheel;shemusthavestampedonitinherrage,poorgirl！SothatIcanshowyourownhandfortheverydeceptionyouaccusedme——withoutproof——ofhavingpracticedonyou。"

"Youareclever,andcantwistthings。Whatpleasuredoesitgiveyoutomakememiserable？"

"Ha！"heexclaimed,inanabrupt,sardoniclaugh。"Idon"tknow;

youbewitchme,Ithink。"

Agathamadenoreply,butwalkedonquicklytotheendoftheconservatory,wheretheotherswerewaitingforthem。

"Wherehaveyoubeen,andwhathaveyoubeendoingallthistime？"saidJane,asTrefusiscameup,hurryingafterAgatha。"I

don"tknowwhatyoucallit,butIcallitperfectlydisgraceful！"

SirCharlesreddenedathiswife"sbadtaste,andTrefusisrepliedgravely:"Wehavebeenadmiringtheorchids,andtalkingaboutthem。MissWylietakesaninterestinthem。"

CHAPTERXIII

OnemorningGertrudegotaletterfromherfather:

"MyDearGerty:IhavejustreceivedabillforL110fromMadameSmithforyourdresses。MayIaskyouhowlongthissortofthingistogoon？IneednottellyouthatIhavenotthemeanstosupportyouinsuchextravagance。Iam,asyouknow,alwaysanxiousthatyoushouldgoaboutinastyleworthyofyourposition,butunlessyoucanmanagewithoutcallingonmetopayawayhundredsofpoundseveryseasontoMadameSmith,youhadbettergiveupsocietyandstayathome。Ipositivelycannotaffordit。AsfarasIcansee,goingintosocietyhasnotdoneyoumuchgood。IhadtoraiseL500lastmonthonFranklands;anditistoobadifImustraisemoretopayyourdressmaker。Youmightatleastemploysomecivilperson,oronewhosechargesaremoderate。MadameSmithtellsmethatshewillnotwaitanylonger,andchargesL50forasingledress。Ihopeyoufullyunderstandthattheremustbeanendtothis。

"IhearfromyourmotherthatyoungErskineiswithyouatBrandon"s。Idonotthinkmuchofhim。Heisnotwelloff,norlikelytogeton,ashehastakentopoetryandsoforth。IamtoldalsothatamannamedTrefusisvisitsattheBeechesagooddealnow。Hemustbeafool,forhecontestedthelastBirminghamelection,andcameoutatthefootofthepollwiththirty—twovotesthroughcallinghimselfaSocialDemocratorsomesuchforeignrubbish,insteadofsayingoutlikeamanthathewasaRadical。Isupposethenamestuckinhisthroat,forhismotherwasoneoftheHowardsofBreconcastle;sohehasgoodbloodinhim,thoughhisfatherwasnobody。Iwishhehadyourbillstopay;hecouldbuyandsellmetentimesover,afterallmytwenty—fiveyears"service。

"AsIamthinkingofgettingsomethingdonetothehouse,Ihadratheryoudidnotcomebackthismonth,ifyoucanpossiblyholdonatBrandon"s。Remembermetohim,andgiveourkindregardstohiswife。Ishouldbeobligedifyouwouldgathersomehemlockleavesandsendthemtome。Iwantthemformyointment;thestuffthechemistssellisnogood。Yourmother"seyesarebadagain;andyourbrotherBerkeleyhasbeengambling,andseemstothinkIoughttopayhisdebtsforhim。Iamgreatlyworriedoveritall,andIhopethat,untilyouhavesettledyourself,youwillbemorereasonable,andnotruntheseeverlastingbillsuponme。Youareenjoyingyourselfoutofreachofalltheunpleasantness;butitbearshardlyupon"Youraffectionatefather,"C。B。LINDSAY。"

AfaintsketchofthelinesTimeintendedtoengraveonGertrude"sbrowappearedthereasshereadtheletter;butshehastenedtogivetheadmiral"skindregardstoherhostandhostess,anddiscussedhermother"shealthfeelinglywiththem。

Afterbreakfastshewenttothelibrary,andwroteherreply:

"BRANDONBEECHES,"Tuesday。

"DearPapa:ConsideringthatitismorethanthreeyearssinceyoupaidMadameSmithlast,andthatthenherbill,whichincludedmycourtdress,wasonlyL150,IcannotseehowIcouldpossiblyhavebeenmoreeconomical,unlessyouexpectmetogoinrags。IamsorrythatMadameSmithhasaskedforthemoneyatsuchaninconvenienttime,butwhenIbeggedyoutopayhersomethinginMarchlastyearyoutoldmetokeepherquietbygivingheragoodorder。Iamnotsurprisedathernotbeingverycivil,asshehasplentyoftradesmen"sdaughtersamonghercustomerswhopayhermorethanL300ayearfortheirdresses。I

amwearingaskirtatpresentwhichIgottwoyearsago。

"SirCharlesisgoingtotownonThursday;hewillbringyouthehemlock。Tellmammathatthereisanoldwomanherewhoknowssomewonderfulcureforsoreeyes。Shewillnottellwhattheingredientsare,butitcureseveryone,andthereisnouseingivinganoculisttwoguineasfortellingusthatreadinginbedisbadfortheeyes,whenweknowperfectlywellthatmammawillnotgiveupdoingit。IfyoupayBerkeley"sdebts,donotforgetthatheowesmeL3。

"Anotherschoolfellowofmineisstayingherenow,andIthinkthatMr。Trefusiswillhavethepleasureofpayingherbillssomeday。HeisagreatpetofLadyBrandon"s。SirCharleswasangryatfirstbecausesheinvitedhimhere,andwewereal1surprisedatit。Themanhasabadreputation,andheadedamobthatthrewdownthewallsofthepark;andwehardlythoughthewouldbecoolenoughtocomeafterthat。Buthedoesnotseemtocarewhetherwewanthimornot;andhecomeswhenhelikes。Ashetalkscleverly,wefindhimagodsendinthisdullplace。Itisreallynotsuchaparadiseasyouseemtothink,butyouneednotbeafraidofmyreturninganysoonerthanIcanhelp。

"Youraffectionatedaughter,"GertrudeLindsay。

WhenGertrudehadclosedthisletter,andtornupherfather"s,shethoughtlittlemoreabouteither。Theymighthavemadeherunhappyhadtheyfoundherhappy,butashopelessdiscontentwashernormalstate,andenjoymentbutarareaccident,recriminatorypassageswithherfatheronlyputherintoabadhumor,anddidnotintheleastdisappointorhumiliateher。

Forthesakeofexercise,sheresolvedtocarryherlettertothevillagepostofficeandreturnalongtheRiversideRoad,wherebyshehadseenhemlockgrowing。Shetookcaretogooutunobserved,lestAgathashouldvolunteertowalkwithher,orJanedeclareherintentionofdrivingtothepostofficeintheafternoon,andsulkfortherestofthedayunlessthetriptothevillagewerepostponeduntilthen。Shetookwithher,asaprotectionagainsttramps,abigSt。BernarddognamedMax。Thisanimal,whichwasyoungandenthusiastic,hadtakenastrongfancytoher,andhadexpresseditfranklyandboisterously;andshe,whoseaffectionshadbeenstarvedinherhomeandinsociety,hadencouragedhimwithmorekindnessthanshehadevershowntoanyhumanbeing。

Inthevillage,havingpostedherletter,sheturnedtowardsalanethatledtotheRiversideRoad。Max,unawareofherreasonforchoosingthelongestwayhome,remonstratedbyhaltinginthemiddleofthelane,wagginghistailrapidly,andutteringgruffbarks。

"Don"tbestupid,sir,"saidGertrudeimpatiently。"Iamgoingthisway。"

Max,apparentlyunderstanding,rushedafterher,passedher,anddisappearedinacloudofdustraisedbyhisefforttocheckhimselfwhenhehadleftherfarenoughbehind。Whenhecamebackshekissedhisnose,andranaracewithhimuntilshetoowaspanting,andhadtostandstilltorecoverherbreath,whilstheboundedabout,barkingferociously。Shehadnotformanyyearsenjoyedsuchafrolic,andthethoughtofthispresentlybroughttearstohereyes。RatherpeevishlyshebadeMaxbequiet,walkedslowlytocoolherself,andputuphersunshadetoavertfreckles。

Thesunwasnowatthemeridian。OnaslopetoGertrude"srighthand,Sallust"sHouse,withitscinnamon—coloredwallsandyellowfrieze,gaveaforeignairtotheotherwiseveryEnglishlandscape。Shepassedbywithoutrememberingwholivedthere。

Furtherdown,onsomewastelandseparatedfromtheroadbyadryditchandalowmudwall,aclusterofhemlocks,nearlysixfeethigh,poisonedtheairwiththeirodor。Shecrossedtheditch,tookapairofgardeningglovesfromherplaitedstrawhand—basket,andbusiedherselfwiththehemlockleaves,pullingthetenderones,separatingthemfromthestalk,andfillingthebasketwiththeweb。SheforgotMaxuntilanimpressionofdeadsilence,asiftheearthhadstopped,causedhertolookroundinvaguedread。Trefusis,withhishandabandonedtothedog,whowastryinghowmuchofithecouldcramintohismouth,wasstandingwithinafewyardsofher,watchingherintently。

Gertrudeturnedpale,andcameouthastilyfromamongthebushes。

Thenshehadastrangesensationasifsomethinghadhappenedhighaboveherhead。Therewasathreateninggrowl,acommandingexclamation,andanunaccountablepause,attheexpirationofwhichshefoundherselfsupineonthesward,withherparasolbetweenhereyesandthesun。AsuddenscoopofMax"swetwarmtongueinherrightearstartledherintoactivity。Shesatup,andsawTrefusisonhiskneesathersideholdingtheparasolwithanunconcernedexpression,whilstMaxwassnuffingatherinrestlessanxietyopposite。

"Imustgohome,"shesaid。"Imustgohomeinstantly。"

"Notatall,"saidTrefusis,soothingly。"Theyhavejustsentwordtosaythateverythingissettledsatisfactorilyandthatyouneednotcome。"

"Havethey？"shesaidfaintly。Thenshelaydownagain,anditseemedtoherthataverylongtimeelapsed。SuddenlyrecollectingthatTrefusishadsupportedhergentlywithhishandtopreventherfallingbacktoorudely,sheroseagain,andthistimegotuponherfeetwithhishelp。

"Imustgohome,"shesaidagain。"Itisamatteroflifeordeath。"