第13章

"No,no,"hesaidsoftly。"Itisallright。Youmaydependonme。"

Shelookedathimearnestly。Hehadtakenherhandtosteadyher,forshewasswayingalittle。"Areyousure,"shesaid,graspinghisarm。"Areyouquitesure？"

"Absolutelycertain。YouknowIamalwaysright,doyounot？"

"Yes,oh,yes;youhavealwaysbeentruetome。You——"Herehersensescamebackwitharush。Droppinghishandasifithadbecomeredhot,shesaidsharply,"Whatareyoutalkingabout？"

"Idon"tknow,"hesaid,resuminghisindifferentmannerwithalaugh。"Areyoubetter？LetmedriveyoutotheBeeches。Mystableiswithinastone"sthrow;Icangetatrapoutintenminutes。"

"No,thankyou,"saidGertrudehaughtily。"Idonotwishtodrive。"Shepaused,andaddedinsomebewilderment,"Whathashappened？"

"Youfainted,and——"

"Ididnotfaint,"saidGertrudeindignantly。"Ineverfaintedinmylife。"

"Yes,youdid。"

"Pardonme,Mr。Trefusis。Ididnot。"

"Youshalljudgeforyourself。IwascomingthroughthisfieldwhenIsawyougatheringhemlock。HemlockisinterestingonaccountofSocrates,andyouwereinterestingasayoungladygatheringpoison。SoIstoppedtolookon。Presentlyyoucameoutfromamongthebushesasifyouhadseenasnakethere。Thenyoufellintomyarms——whichledmetosupposethatyouhadfainted——andMax,concludingthatitwasallmyfault,nearlysprangatmythroat。Youwereoverpoweredbythescentofthewater—hemlock,whichyoumusthavebeeninhalingfortenminutesormore。"

"Ididnotknowthattherewasanydanger,"saidGertrude,crestfallen。"IfeltverytiredwhenIcameto。ThatwaswhyI

laysolongthesecondtime。Ireallycouldnothelpit。"

"Youdidnotlieverylong。"

"NotwhenIfirstfell;thatwasonlyafewseconds,Iknow。ButImusthavelaintherenearlytenminutesafterIrecovered。"

"Youwerenearlyaminuteinsensiblewhenyoufirstfell,andwhenyourecoveredyouonlyrestedforaboutonesecond。Afterthatyouraved,andIinventedsuitableanswersuntilyousuddenlyaskedmewhatIwastalkingabout。"

Gertrudereddenedalittleasthepossibilityofherhavingravedindiscreetlyoccurredtoher。"Itwasverysillyofmetofaint,"

shesaid。

"Youcouldnothelpit;youareonlyhuman。IshallwalkwithyoutotheBeeches。"

"Thankyou;Iwillnottroubleyou,"shesaidquickly。

Heshookhishead。"Idonotknowhowlongtheeffectofthatabominablewater—weedmaylast,"hesaid,"andIdarenotleaveyoutowalkalone。IfyoupreferitIcansendyouinatrapwithmygardener,butIhadratheraccompanyyoumyself。"

"Youaregivingyourselfagreatdealofunnecessarytrouble。I

willwalk。Iamquitewellagainandneednoassistance。"

Theystartedwithoutanotherword。Gertrudehadtoconcentrateallherenergytoconcealfromhimthatshewasgiddy。Numbnessandlassitudecreptuponher,andshewasbeginningtohopethatshewasonlydreamingitallwhenherousedherbysaying,"Takemyarm。"

"No,thankyou。"

"Donotbesosenselesslyobstinate。Youwillhavetoleanonthehedgeforsupportifyourefusemyhelp。IamsorryIdidnotinsistongettingthetrap。"

Gertrudehadnotbeenspokentointhistonesinceherchildhood。

"Iamperfectlywell,"shesaidsharply。"Youarereallyveryofficious。"

"Youarenotperfectlywell,andyouknowit。However,ifyoumakeabravestruggle,youwillprobablybeabletowalkhomewithoutmyassistance,andtheeffortmaydoyougood。"

"Youareveryrude,"shesaidperemptorily。

"Iknowit,"herepliedcalmly。"Youwillfindthreeclassesofmenpolitetoyou——slaves,menwhothinkmuchoftheirmannersandnothingofyou,andyourlovers。Iamnoneofthese,andthereforegiveyoubackyourillmannerswithinterest。Whydoyouresistyourgoodangelbysuppressingthosenaturalandsincereimpulseswhichcometoyouoftenenough,andsometimesbringalookintoyourfacethatmighttameabear——alookwhichyouhastentoextinguishasathiefdarkenshislanternatthesoundofafootstep。"

"Mr。Trefusis,Iamnotaccustomedtobelectured。"

"ThatiswhyIlectureyou。Ifeltcurioustoseehowyourgoodbreeding,bywhichIthinkyousetsomestore,wouldserveyouinentirelynovelcircumstances——thoseofamanspeakinghismindtoyou,forinstance。Whatistheresultofmyexperiment？InsteadofrebukingmewiththesweetnessanddignitywhichIcouldnot,inspiteofmypastobservation,helpexpectingfromyou,youchurlishlyrepelmyofferoftheassistanceyouneed,tellmethatIamveryrude,veryofficious,and,inshort,dowhatyoucantomakemypositiondisagreeableandhumiliating。"

Shelookedathimhaughtily,buthisexpressionwasvoidofoffenceorfear,andhecontinued,unanswered。

"Iwouldbearallthisfromaworkingwomanwithoutremonstrance,forshewouldowemenogracesofmannerormorals。Butyouarealady。Thatmeansthatmanyhavestarvedanddrudgedinuncleanlydiscomfortinorderthatyoumayhavewhiteandunbrokenhands,finegarments,andexquisitemanners——thatyoumaybealivingfountainofthoseinfluencesthatsoftenournaturesandlives。

Whensuchacostlythingasaladybreaksdownatthefirsttouchofafirmhand,Ifeeljustifiedincomplaining。"

Gertrudewalkedonquickly,andsaidbetweenherteeth,"Idon"twanttohearanyofyourabsurdviews,Mr。Trefusis。"

Helaughed。"Myunfortunateviews！"hesaid。"WheneverImakeaninconvenientremarkitisalwayssetasideasanexpressionofcertaindangerouscrazeswithwhichIamsupposedtobeafflicted。WhenIpointouttoSirCharlesthatoneofhisfavoriteartistshasnotaccuratelyobservedsomethingbeforeattemptingtodrawit,hereplies,"Youknowourviewsdifferonthesethings,Trefusis。"WhenItoldMissWylie"sguardianthathisemigrationschemewaslittlebetterthanafraud,hesaid,"Youmustexcuseme,butIcannotenterintoyourpeculiarviews。"OneofmyviewsatpresentisthatMissLindsayismoreamiableundertheinfluenceofhemlockthanunderthatofthesocialsystemwhichhasmadehersounhappy。"

"Well！"exclaimedGertrude,outraged。Then,afterapause,"IwasundertheimpressionthatIhadacceptedtheescortofagentleman。"Then,afteranotherpause,Trefusisbeingquiteundisturbed,"HowdoyouknowthatIamunhappy？"

"Byacertaindefectinyourcountenance,whichlacksthecrowningbeautyofhappiness;andacertaindefectinyourvoicewhichwillneverdisappearuntilyoulearntoloveorpitythosetowhomyouspeak。"

"Youarewrong,"saidGertrude,withcalmdisdain。"Youdonotunderstandmeintheleast。Iamparticularlyattachedtomyfriends。"

"ThenIhaveneverseenyouintheircompany。"

"Youarestillwrong。"

"Thenhowcanyouspeakasyoudo,lookasyoudo,actasyoudo？"

"Whatdoyoumean？HOWdoIlookandact？"

"LikeoneoftherailingsofBelgraveSquare,cursedwithconsciousnessofitself,fearsofthejudgmentoftheotherrailings,anddoubtsoftheirfitnesstostandinthesamerowwithit。Youarecold,mistrustful,crueltonervousorclumsypeople,andmoreafraidofthecriticismsofthosewithwhomyoudanceanddinethanofyourconscience。Allofwhichpreventsyoufromlookinglikeanangel。"

"Thankyou。Doyouconsiderpayingcomplimentstheperfectionofgentlemanlybehavior？"

"HaveIbeenpayingyoumany？Thatlastremarkofminewasnotmeantasone。Onmyhonor,theangelswillnotdisappointmeiftheyarenolovelierthanyoushouldbeifyouhadthatlookinyourfaceandthattoneinyourvoiceIspokeofjustnow。Itcanhardlydispleaseyoutohearthat。IfIwereparticularlyhandsomemyself,Ishouldliketobetoldso。"

"IamsorryIcannottellyouso。"

"Oh！Ha！ha！Whataretort,MissLindsay！Youarenotsorryeither;youareratherglad。"

Gertrudeknewit,andwasangrywithherself,notbecauseherretortwasfalse,butbecauseshethoughtitunladylike。"Youhavenorighttoannoyme,"sheexclaimed,inspiteofherself。

"Nonewhatever,"hesaid,humbly。"IfIhavedoneso,forgivemebeforewepart。Iwillgonofurtherwithyou;Maxwillgivethealarmifyoufaintintheavenue,whichIdon"tthinkyouarelikelytodo,asyouhaveforgottenallaboutthehemlock。"

"Oh,howmaddening！"shecried。"Ihaveleftmybasketbehind。"

"Nevermind;Iwillfinditandhaveitfilledandsenttoyou。"

"Thankyou。Iamsorrytotroubleyou。"

"Notatall。Ihopeyoudonotwantthehemlocktohelpyoutogetridoftheburdenoflife。"

"Nonsense。Iwantitformyfather,whousesitformedicine。"

"Iwillbringitmyselfto—morrow。Isthatsoonenough？"

"Quite。Iaminnohurry。Thankyou,Mr。Trefusis。Good—bye。"

Shegavehimherhand,andevensmiledalittle,andthenhurriedaway。Hestoodwatchingherasshepassedalongtheavenueunderthebeeches。Once,whenshecameintoabandofsunlightatagapinthetrees,shemadesoprettyafigureinherspringdressofvioletandwhitethathiseyeskindledashegazed。Hetookouthisnote—book,andenteredhernameandthedate,withabriefmemorandum。

"Ihavethawedher,"hesaidtohimselfasheputuphisbook。

"SheshalllearnalessonortwotohandontoherchildrenbeforeIhavedonewithher。Atrifleunderbred,too,orshewouldnotinsistsomuchonherbreeding。Henriettausedtowearadresslikethat。Iamgladtoseethatthereisnodangerofhertakingtomepersonally。"

Heturnedaway,andsawacronepassing,bendingbeneathabundleofsticks。Heeyeditcuriously;andshescowledathimandhurriedon。

"Hallo,"hesaid。

Shecontinuedforafewsteps,buthercouragefailedherandshestopped。

"YouareMrs。Hickling,Ithink？"

"Yes,pleaseyourworship。"

"YouarethewomanwhocarriedawayanoldwoodengatethatlayonSirCharlesBrandon"slandlastwinteranduseditforfirewood。Youwereimprisonedforsevendaysforit。"

"Youmaysendmethereagainifyoulike,"sheretorted,inacrackedvoice,assheturnedatbay。"ButtheLordwillmakemeevenwithyousomeday。Cursedbethemthatoppressthepoorandneedy;itisoneofthesevendeadlysins。"

"Thosegreenlathsonyourbackaretheremainderofmygardengate,"hesaid。"YoutookthefirsthalflastSaturday。Nexttimeyouwantfuelcometothehouseandaskforcoals,andletmygatesalone。Isupposeyoucanenjoyafirewithoutstealingthecombustibles。Stow256paymeformygatebytellingmesomethingIwanttoknow。"

"Andakindgentlemantoo,sir;blessings。"

"Whatisthehemlockgoodfor？"

"Thehemlock,kindgentleman？Fortheevil,sir,tobesure。"

"Scrofulousulcers！"heexclaimed,recoiling。"Thefatherofthatbeautifulgirl！"Heturnedhomeward,andtrudgedalongwithhisheadbent,muttering,"Allrottentothebone。Oh,civilization！

civilization！civilization！"

CHAPTERXIV

"WhathascomeoverGertrude？"saidAgathaonedaytoLadyBrandon。

"Why？Isanythingthematterwithher？"

"Idon"tknow;shehasnotbeenthesamesinceshepoisonedherself。Andwhydidshenottellaboutit？ButforTrefusisweshouldneverhaveknown。"

"Gertrudealwaysmadesecretsofthings。"

"Shewasinaviletemperfortwodaysafter;andnowsheisquitechanged。Shefallsintolongreveries,anddoesnothearawordofwhatisgoingonaround。Thenshestartsintolifeagain,andbegsyourpardonwiththegreatestsweetnessfornotcatchingwhatyouhavesaid。"

"Ihateherwhensheispolite;itisnotnaturaltoher。Astohergoingtosleep,thatistheeffectofthehemlock。Weknowamanwhotookaspoonfulofstrychnineinabath,andheneverwasthesameafterwards。"

"IthinksheismakinguphermindtoencourageErskine,"saidAgatha。"WhenIcameherehehardlydaredspeaktoher——atleast,shealwayssnubbedhim。Nowsheletshimtalkasmuchashelikes,andactuallysendshimonmessagesandallowshimtocarrythingsforher。"

"Yes。IneversawanybodylikeGertrudeinmylife。InLondon,ifmenwereattentivetoher,shesatonthemforbeingofficious;

andiftheyletheraloneshewasangryatbeingneglected。

Erskineisquitegoodenoughforher,Ithink。"

HereErskineappearedatthedoorandlookedroundtheroom。

"She"snothere,"saidJane。

"IamseekingSirCharles,"hesaid,withdrawingsomewhatstiffly。

"Whatalie！"saidJane,discomfitedbyhisreceptionofherjest。"HewastalkingtoSirCharlestenminutesagointhebilliardroom。Menaresuchconceitedfools！"

Agathahadstrolledtothewindow,andwaslookingdiscontentedlyattheprospect,asshehadoftendoneatschoolwhenalone,andsometimesdidnowinsociety。Thedooropenedagain,andSirCharlesappeared。He,too,lookedround,butwhenhisrovingglancereachedAgatha,itcastanchor;andhecamein。

"Areyoubusyjustnow,MissWylie？"heasked。

"Yes,"saidJanehastily。"Sheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"

"Really,Jane,"hesaid,"IthinkyouareoldenoughtowriteyourletterswithouttroublingMissWylie。"

"WhenIdowritemyownlettersyoualwaysfindfaultwiththem,"

sheretorted。

"Ithoughtperhapsyoumighthaveleisuretotryoveraduetwithme,"hesaid,turningtoAgatha。

"Certainly,"shereplied,hopingtosmoothmattersbyhumoringhim。"Theletterwilldoanytimebeforeposthour。"

Janereddened,andsaidshortly,"Iwillwriteitmyself,ifyouwillnot。"

SirCharlesquitelosthistemper。"Howcanyoubesodamnablyrude？"hesaid,turninguponhiswife。"WhatobjectionhaveyoutomysingingduetswithMissWylie？"

"Nicelanguagethat！"saidJane。"IneversaidIobjected;andyouhavenorighttodragherawaytothepianojustwhensheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"

"IdonotwishMissWylietodoanythingexceptwhatpleasesherbest。Itseemstomethatwritingletterstoyourtradespeoplecannotbeaverypleasantoccupation。"

"Praydon"tmindme,"saidAgatha。"Itisnottheleasttroubletome。IusedtowriteallJane"slettersforheratschool。

SupposeIwritetheletterfirst,andthenwecanhavetheduet。

Youwillnotmindwaitingfiveminutes？"

"Icanwaitaslongasyouplease,ofcourse。ButitseemssuchanabsurdabuseofyourgoodnaturethatIcannothelpprotest！"

"Oh,letitwait！"exclaimedJane。"SucharidiculousfusstomakeaboutaskingAgathatowritealetter,justbecauseyouhappentowanthertoplayyouyourduets！Iamcertainsheisheartilysickandtiredofthem。"

Agatha,toescapethealtercation,wenttothelibraryandwrotetheletter。Whenshereturnedtothedrawing—room,shefoundnoonethere;butSirCharlescameinpresently。

"Iamsosorry,MissWylie,"hesaid,asheopenedthepianoforher,"thatyoushouldbeincommodedbecausemywifeissillyenoughtobejealous。"

"Jealous！"

"Ofcourse。Idiocy！"

"Oh,youaremistaken,"saidAgatha,incredulously。"Howcouldshepossiblybejealousofme？"

"Sheisjealousofeverybodyandeverything,"herepliedbitterly,"andshecaresfornobodyandfornothing。YoudonotknowwhatIhavetoenduresometimesfromher。"

Agathathoughthermostdiscreetcoursewastositdownimmediatelyandbegin"Iwouldthatmylove。"Whilstsheplayedandsang,shethoughtoverwhatSirCharleshadjustletslip。

Shehadfoundhimapleasantcompanion,light—hearted,fondofmusicandfun,politeandconsiderate,appreciativeofhertalents,quick—wittedwithoutbeingoppressivelyclever,and,asamarriedman,disinterestedinhisattentions。Butitnowoccurredtoherthatperhapstheyhadbeenagooddealtogetheroflate。

SirCharleshadbythistimewanderedfromhispartintohers;

andhenowrecalledhertothemusicbystoppingtoaskwhetherhewasright。Knowingbyexperiencewhathisdifficultywaslikelytobe,shegavehimhisnoteandwenton。TheyhadnotbeensinginglongwhenJanecamebackandsatdown,expressingahopethatherpresencewouldnotdisturbthem。Itdiddisturbthem。Agathasuspectedthatshehadcometheretowatchthem,andSirCharlesknewit。Besides,LadyBrandon,evenwhenhermindwastranquil,washabituallyrestless。Shecouldnotspeakbecauseofthemusic,and,thoughsheheldanopenbookinherhand,shecouldnotreadandwatchsimultaneously。Shegaped,andleanedtooneendofthesofauntil,onthepointofoverbalancing"sherecoveredherselfwithaprodigiousbounce。

Thefloorvibratedathereverymovement。Atlastshecouldkeepsilencenolonger。

"Oh,dear！"shesaid,yawningaudibly。"Itmustbefiveo"clockattheveryearliest。"

Agathaturnedrounduponthepiano—stool,feelingthatmusicandLadyBrandonwereincompatible。SirCharles,forhisguest"ssake,triedhardtorestrainhisexasperation。

"Probablyyourwatchwilltellyou,"hesaid。

"Thankyoufornothing,"saidJane。"Agatha,whereisGertrude？"

"HowcanMissWyliepossiblytellyouwheresheis,Jane？Ithinkyouhavegonemadto—day。"

"SheismostlikelyplayingbilliardswithMr。Erskine,"saidAgatha,interposingquicklytoforestallaretortfromJane,withitsusualsequelofadomesticsquabble。

"IthinkitisverystrangeofGertrudetopassthewholedaywithChesterinthebilliardroom,"saidJanediscontentedly。

"Thereisnottheslightestimproprietyinherdoingso,"saidSirCharles。"IfourhospitalitydoesnotplaceMissLindsayabovesuspicion,themoreshameforus。Howwouldyoufeelifanyoneelsemadesucharemark？"

"Oh,stuff！"saidJanepeevishly。"Youarealwayspreachinglongrigmarolesaboutnothingatall。IdidnotsaytherewasanyimproprietyaboutGertrude。Sheistoopropertobepleasant,inmyopinion。"

SirCharles,unabletotrusthimselffurther,frownedandlefttheroom,Janespeedinghimwithacontemptuouslaugh。

"Don"teverbesuchafoolastogetmarried,"shesaid,whenhewasgone。Shelookedupasshespoke,andwasalarmedtoseeAgathaseatedonthepianoforte,withheranklesswingingintheoldschoolfashion。

"Jane,"shesaid,surveyingherhostesscoolly,"doyouknowwhatIwoulddoifIwereSirCharles？"

Janedidnotknow。

"Iwouldgetabigstick,beatyoublackandblue,andthenlockyouuponbreadandwaterforaweek。"

Janehalfrose,redandangry。"Wh——why？"shesaid,relapsinguponthesofa。

"IfIwereaman,Iwouldnot,formerechivalry"ssake,letawomantreatmelikeatroublesomedog。Youwantasoundthrashing。"

"I"dliketoseeanybodythrashme,"saidJane,risingagainanddisplayingherformidablepersonerect。Thensheburstintotears,andsaid,"Iwon"thavesuchthingssaidtomeinmyownhouse。Howdareyou？"

"Youdeserveitforbeingjealousofme,"saidAgatha。

Jane"seyesdilatedangrily。"I！——I！——jealousofyou！"Shelookedround,asifforamissile。Notfindingone,shesatdownagain,andsaidinavoicestifledwithtears,"J——JealousofYOU,indeed！"

"Youhavegoodreasontobe,forheisfonderofmethanofyou。"

Janeopenedhermouthandeyesconvulsively,butonlyutteredagasp,andAgathaproceededcalmly,"Iampolitetohim,whichyouneverare。WhenhespeakstomeIallowhimtofinishhissentencewithoutexpressing,asyoudo,aforegoneconclusionthatitisnotworthattendingto。Idonotyawnandtalkwhilstheissinging。Whenheconverseswithmeonartorliterature,aboutwhichheknowstwiceasmuchasIdo,andatleasttentimesasmuchasyou"（Janegaspedagain）"Idonotmakeasillyanswerandturntomyneighborattheothersidewitharemarkaboutthetablesortheweather。Whenheiswillingtobepleased,ashealwaysis,Iamwillingtobepleasant。Andthatiswhyhelikesme。"

"HedoesNOTlikeyou。Heisthesametoeveryone。"

"Excepthiswife。Helikesmesomuchthatyou,likeagreatgooseasyouare,cameupheretowatchusatourduets,andmadeyourselfasdisagreeableasyoupossiblycouldwhilstIwasmakingmyselfcharming。Thepoormanwasashamedofyou。"

"Hewasn"t,"saidJane,sobbing。"Ididn"tdoanything。Ididn"tsayanything。Iwon"tbearit。Iwillgetadivorce。Iwill——"

"Youwillmendyourwaysifyouhaveanysenseleft,"saidAgatharemorselessly。"Donotmakesuchanoise,orsomeonewillcometoseewhatisthematter,andIshallhavetogetdownfromthepiano,whereIamverycomfortable。"

"Itisyouwhoarejealous。"

"Oh,isit,Jane？IhavenotallowedSirCharlestofallinlovewithmeyet,butIcandosoveryeasily。Whatwillyouwagerthathewillnotkissmebeforeto—morrowevening？"

"Itwillbeverymeanandnastyofyouifhedoes。YouseemtothinkthatIcanbetreatedlikeachild。"

"Soyouareachild,"saidAgatha,descendingfromherperchandpreparingtogo。"Anoccasionalslappingdoesyougood。"

"ItisnothingtoyouwhetherIagreewithmyhusbandornot,"

saidJanewithsuddenfierceness。

"Notifyouquarrelwithhiminprivate,aswellbredcouplesdo。

Butwhenitoccursinmypresenceitmakesmeuncomfortable,andIobjecttobeingmadeuncomfortable。"

"YouwouldnotbehereatallifIhadnotaskedyou。"

"Justthinkhowdullthehousewouldbewithoutme,Jane！"

"Indeed！Itwasnotdullbeforeyoucame。Gertrudealwaysbehavedlikealady,atleast。"

"Iamsorrythatherexamplewassoutterlylostonyou。"

"Iwon"tbearit,"saidJanewithasobandaplungeuponthesofathatmadethelustresofthechandeliersrattle。"Iwouldn"thaveaskedyouifIhadthoughtyoucouldbesohateful。Iwillneveraskyouagain。"

"IwillmakeSirCharlesdivorceyouforincompatibilityoftemperandmarryme。ThenIshallhavetheplacetomyself。"

"Hecan"tdivorcemeforthat,thankgoodness。Youdon"tknowwhatyou"retalkingabout。"

Agathalaughed。"Come,"shesaidgood—humoredly,"don"tbeanoldass,Jane。Washyourfacebeforeanyoneseesit,andrememberwhatIhavetoldyouaboutSirCharles。"

"Itisveryhardtobecalledanassinone"sownhouse。"

"Itishardertobetreatedasone,likeyourhusband。Iamgoingtolookforhiminthebilliardroom。"

Janeranafterher,andcaughtherbythesleeve。

"Agatha,"shepleaded,"promisemethatyouwon"tbemean。Saythatyouwon"tmakelovetohim。"

"Iwillconsideraboutit,"repliedAgathagravely。

Janeutteredagroanandsankintoachair,whichcreakedattheshock。Agathaturnedonthethreshold,andseeinghershakingherhead,pressinghereyes,andtappingwithherheelinarestrainedfrenzy,saidquickly,"HerearetheWaltons,andtheFitzgeorges,andMr。Trefusiscomingupstairs。Howdoyoudo,Mrs。Walton？LadyBrandonwillbeSOgladtoseeyou。Good—evening,Mr。Fitzgeorge。"

Janesprangup,wipedhereyes,and,withherhandsonherhair,smoothingit,rushedtoamirror。Novisitorsappearing,sheperceivedthatshewas,forperhapsthehundredthtimeinherlife,thevictimofanimposturedevisedbyAgatha。She,gratifiedbythesuccessofherattempttoregainheroldascendancyoverJane——shehadmadeitwithmisgiving,notwithstandingherapparentconfidence——wentdownstairstothelibrary,whereshefoundSirCharlesgloomilytryingtodrownhisdomestictroublesinartcriticism。

"Ithoughtyouwereinthebilliardroom,"saidAgatha。

"Ionlypeepedin,"hereplied;"butasIsawsomethingparticulargoingon,Ithoughtitbesttoslipaway,andIhavebeenaloneeversince。"

ThesomethingparticularwhichSirCharleshadnotwishedtointerruptwasonlyagameofbilliards。