第17章

Ondescending,heatedandangry,tothedrawing—room,shefoundAgathatherealone,lookingoutofwindowasifthelandscapewereespeciallyunsatisfactorythistime。

"Selfishlittlebeasts！"exclaimedJane,makingaminiaturewhirlwindwithherskirtsasshecamein。"Charlieisaperfectlittlefiend。Hespendsallhistimethinkinghowhecanannoyme。Ugh！He"sjustlikehisfather。"

"Thankyou,mydear,"saidSirCharlesfromthedoorway。

Janelaughed。"Iknewyouwerethere,"shesaid。"Where"sGertrude？"

"Shehasgoneout,"saidSirCharles。

"Nonsense！Shehasonlyjustcomeinfromdrivingwithme。"

"Idonotknowwhatyoumeanbynonsense,"saidSirCharles,chafing。"IsawherwalkingalongtheRiversideRoad。Iwasinthevillageroad,andshedidnotseeme。Sheseemedinahurry。"

"Imetheronthestairsandspoketoher,"saidAgatha,"butshedidn"thearme。"

"Ihopesheisnotgoingtothrowherselfintotheriver,"saidJane。Then,turningtoherhusband,sheadded:"Haveyouheardthenews？"

"TheonlynewsIhaveheardisfromthispaper,"saidSirCharles,takingoutajournalandflingingitonthetable。

"ThereisaparagraphinitstatingthatIhavejoinedsomeinfernalSocialisticleague,andIamtoldthatthereisanarticleinthe"Times"onthespreadofSocialism,inwhichmynameismentioned。ThisisallduetoTrefusis;andIthinkhehasplayedmeamostdishonorabletrick。Iwilltellhimso,too,whennextIseehim。"

"YouhadbetterbecarefulwhatyousayofhimbeforeAgatha,"

saidJane。"Oh,youneednotbealarmed,Agatha;Iknowallaboutit。Hetoldusinthelibrary。Wewentoutthismorning——GertrudeandI——andwhenwecamebackwefoundMr。TrefusisandAgathatalkingverylovinglytooneanotherontheconservatorysteps,newlyengaged。"

"Indeed！"saidSirCharles,disconcertedanddispleased,buttryingtosmile。"Imaythencongratulateyou,MissWylie？"

"Youneednot,"saidAgatha,keepinghercountenanceaswellasshecould。"Itwasonlyajoke。Atleastitcameaboutinajest。

Hehasnorighttosaythatweareengaged。"

"Stuffandnonsense,"saidJane。"Thatwon"tdo,Agatha。Hehasgoneofftotelegraphtohissolicitor。Heisquiteinearnest。"

"Iamagreatfool,"saidAgatha,sittingdownandtwistingherhandsperplexedly。"IbelieveIsaidsomething;butIreallydidnotintendto。HesurprisedmeintospeakingbeforeIknewwhatI

wassaying。AprettymessIhavegotmyselfinto！"

"Iamgladyouhavebeenoutwittedatlast,"saidJane,laughingspitefully。"YouneverhadanypityformewhenIcouldnotthinkoftheproperthingtosayatamoment"snotice。"

Agathaletthetauntpassunheeded。Hergazewanderedanxiously,andatlastsettledappealinglyuponSirCharles。"WhatshallI

do？"shesaidtohim。

"Well,MissWylie,"hesaidgravely,"ifyoudidnotmeantomarryhimyoushouldnothavepromised。Idon"twishtobeunsympathetic,andIknowthatitisveryhardtogetridofTrefusiswhenhemakesuphismindtoactsomethingoutofyou,butstill——"

"Nevermindher,"saidJane,interruptinghim。"Shewantstomarryhimjustasbadlyashewantstomarryher。Youwouldbepreciouslydisappointedifhecriedoff,Agatha;forallyourinterestingreluctance。"

"Thatisnotso,really,"saidAgathaearnestly。"IwishIhadtakentimetothinkaboutit。Isupposehehastoldeverybodybythistime。"

"Maywethenregarditassettled？"saidSirCharles。

"Ofcourseyoumay,"saidJanecontemptuously。

"PrayallowMissWylietospeakforherself,Jane。IconfessIdonotunderstandwhyyouarestillindoubt——ifyouhavereallyengagedyourselftohim。"

"IsupposeIaminforit,"saidAgatha。"Ifeelasifthereweresomefatalobjection,ifIcouldonlyrememberwhatitis。IwishIhadneverseenhim。"

SirCharleswaspuzzled。"Idonotunderstandladies"waysinthesematters,"hesaid。"However,asthereseemstobenodoubtthatyouandTrefusisareengaged,Ishallofcoursesaynothingthatwouldmakeitunpleasantforhimtovisithere;butImustsaythathehas——tosaytheleast——beeninconsideratetomepersonally。Isignedapaperathishouseontheimplicitunderstandingthatitwasstrictlyprivate,andnowhehastrumpeteditforthtothewholeworld,andpubliclyassociatedmynamenotonlywithhisown,butwiththoseofpersonsofwhomI

knownothingexceptthatIwouldrathernotbeconnectedwiththeminanyway。"

"Whatdoesitmatter？"saidJane。"Nobodycarestwopence。"

"_I_care,"saidSirCharlesangrily。"NosensiblepersoncanaccusemeofexaggeratingmyownimportancebecauseIvaluemyreputationsufficientlytoobjecttomyapprovalbeingpubliclycitedinsupportofacausewithwhichIhavenosympathy。"

"PerhapsMr。Trefusishashadnothingtodowithit,"saidAgatha。"Thepaperspublishwhatevertheyplease,don"tthey？"

"That"sright,Agatha,"saidJanemaliciously。"Don"tletanyonespeakillofhim。"

"Iamnotspeakingillofhim,"saidSirCharles,beforeAgathacouldretort。"Itisamerematteroffeeling,andIshouldnothavementionedithadIknownthealteredrelationsbetweenhimandMissWylie。"

"Praydon"tspeakofthem,"saidAgatha。"Ihaveamindtorunawaybythenexttrain。"

SirCharles,tochangethesubject,suggestedaduet。

MeanwhileErskine,returningthroughthevillagefromhismorningride,hadmetTrefusis,andattemptedtopasshimwithanod。ButTrefusiscalledtohimtostop,andhedismountedreluctantly。

"JustawordtosaythatIamgoingtobemarried,"saidTrefusis。

"To——？"ErskinecouldnotaddGertrude"sname。

"TooneofourfriendsattheBeeches。Guesstowhich。"

"ToMissLindsay,Ipresume。"

"Whatinthefiend"snamehasputitintoallyourheadsthatMissLindsayandIareparticularlyattachedtooneanother？"

exclaimedTrefusis。"YOUhavealwaysappearedtometobethemanforMissLindsay。IamgoingtomarryMissWylie。"

"Really！"exclaimedErskine,withasensationofsuddenlythawingafterabitterfrost。

"Ofcourse。Andnow,Erskine,youhavetheadvantageofbeingapoorman。Donotletthatsplendidgirlmarryformoney。Ifyougofurtheryouarelikelytofareworse;andsoisshe。"Thenhenoddedandwalkedaway,leavingtheotherstaringafterhim。

"Ifhehasjiltedher,heisascoundrel,"saidErskine。"IamsorryIdidn"ttellhimso。"

HemountedandrodeslowlyalongtheRiversideRoad,partlysuspectingTrefusisofsomemystification,butincliningtobelieveinhim,and,inanycase,totakehisadviceastoGertrude。Theconversationhehadoverheardintheavenuestillperplexedhim。HecouldnotreconcileitwithTrefusis"sprofessionofdisinterestednesstowardsher。

Hisbicyclecarriedhimnoiselesslyonitsindia—rubbertirestotheplacebywhichthehemlockgrewandtherehesawGertrudesittingonthelowearthenwallthatseparatedthefieldfromtheroad。Herstrawbag,withherscissorsinit,laybesideher。Herfingerswereinterlaced,andherhandsrested,palmsdownwards,onherknee。Herexpressionwasrathervacant,andsolittlesuggestiveofanyseriousemotionthatErskinelaughedashealightedclosetoher。

"Areyoutired？"hesaid。

"No,"shereplied,notstartled,andsmilingmechanically——anunusualcondescensiononherpart。

"Indulginginaday—dream？"

"No。"Shemovedalittletoonesideandconcealedthebasketwithherdress。

Hebegantofearthatsomethingwaswrong。"Isitpossiblethatyouhaveventuredamongthosepoisonousplantsagain？"hesaid。

"Areyouill？"

"Notatall,"shereplied,rousingherselfalittle。"Yoursolicitudeisquitethrownaway。Iamperfectlywell。"

"Ibegyourpardon,"hesaid,snubbed。"Ithought——Don"tyouthinkitdangeroustositonthatdampwall？"

"Itisnotdamp。Itiscrumblingintodustwithdryness。"Anunnaturallaugh,withwhichsheconcluded,intensifiedhisuneasiness。

Hebeganasentence,stopped,andtogaintimetorecoverhimself,placedhisbicycleintheoppositeditch;aproceedingwhichshewitnessedwithimpatience,asitindicatedhisintentiontostayandtalk。She,however,wasthefirsttospeak;

andshedidsowithacallousnessthatshockedhim。

"Haveyouheardthenews？"

"Whatnews？"

"AboutMr。TrefusisandAgatha。Theyareengaged。"

"SoTrefusistoldme。Imethimjustnowinthevillage。Iwasverygladtohearit。"

"Ofcourse。"

"ButIhadaspecialreasonforbeingglad。"

"Indeed？"

"Iwasdesperatelyafraid,beforehetoldmethetruth,thathehadotherviews——viewsthatmighthaveprovedfataltomydearesthopes。"

Gertrudefrownedathim,andthefrownrousedhimtobraveher。

Helosthisself—command,alreadyshakenbyherstrangebehavior。

"YouknowthatIloveyou,MissLindsay,"hesaid。"Itmaynotbeaperfectlove,but,humanlyspeaking,itisatrueone。Ialmosttoldyousothatdaywhenwewereinthebilliardroomtogether;

andIdidaverydishonorablethingthesameevening。WhenyouwerespeakingtoTrefusisintheavenueIwasclosetoyou,andI

listened。"

"Thenyouheardhim,"criedGertrudevehemently。"Youheardhimswearthathewasinearnest。"

"Yes,"saidErskine,trembling,"andIthoughthemeantinearnestinlovingyou。Youcanhardlyblamemeforthat:Iwasinlovemyself;andloveisblindandjealous。IneverhopedagainuntilhetoldmethathewastobemarriedtoMissWylie。MayI

speaktoyou,nowthatIknowIwasmistaken,orthatyouhavechangedyourmind？"

"Orthathehaschangedhismind,"saidGertrudescornfully。

Erskine,withanewanxietyforhersake,checkedhimself。Herdignitywasdeartohim,andhesawthatherdisappointmenthadmadeherrecklessofit。"Donotsayanythingtomenow,MissLindsay,lest——"

"WhathaveIsaid？WhathaveItosay？"

"Nothing,exceptonmyownaffairs。Iloveyoudearly。"

Shemadeanimpatientmovement,asifthatwereaveryinsignificantmatter。

"Youbelieveme,Ihope,"hesaid,timidly。

Gertrudemadeanefforttorecoverherhabitualladylikereserve,butherenergyfailedbeforeshehaddonemorethanraiseherhead。Sherelapsedintoherlistlessattitude,andmadeafaintgestureofintolerance。

"Youcannotbequiteindifferenttobeingloved,"hesaid,becomingmorenervousandmoreurgent。"Yourexistenceconstitutesallmyhappiness。Iofferyoumyservicesanddevotion。Idonotaskanyreward。"（Hewasnowspeakingveryquicklyandalmostinaudibly。）"Youmayacceptmylovewithoutreturningit。Idonotwant——seektomakeabargain。IfyouneedafriendyoumaybeabletorelyonmemoreconfidentlybecauseyouknowIloveyou。"

"Oh,youthinkso,"saidGertrude,interruptinghim;"butyouwillgetoverit。Iamnotthesortofpersonthatmenfallinlovewith。Youwillsoonchangeyourmind。"

"Notthesort！Oh,howlittleyouknow！"hesaid,becomingeloquent。"Ihavehadplentyoftimetochange,butIamasfixedasever。Ifyoudoubt,waitandtryme。Butdonotberoughwithme。Youpainmemorethanyoucanimaginewhenyouarehastyorindifferent。Iaminearnest。"

"Ha,ha！Thatiseasilysaid。"

"Notbyme。Ichangeinmyjudgmentofotherpeopleaccordingtomyhumor,butIbelievesteadfastlyinyourgoodnessandbeauty——asifyouwereanangel。IaminearnestinmyloveforyouasIaminearnestformyownlife,whichcanonlybeperfectedbyyouraidandinfluence。"

"YouaregreatlymistakenifyousupposethatIamanangel。"

"Youarewrongtomistrustyourself;butitiswhatIowetoyouandnotwhatIexpectfromyouthatItrytoexpressbyspeakingofyouasanangel。Iknowthatyouarenotanangeltoyourself。

Butyouaretome。"

Shesatstubbornlysilent。

"Iwillnotpressyouforananswernow。Iamcontentthatyouknowmymindatlast。Shallwereturntogether？"

Shelookedroundslowlyatthehemlock,andfromthattotheriver。Thenshetookupherbasket,rose,andpreparedtogo,asifundercompulsion。

"Doyouwantanymorehemlock？"hesaid。"Ifso,Iwillplucksomeforyou。"

"Iwishyouwouldletmealone,"shesaid,withsuddenanger。Sheadded,alittleashamedofherself,"Ihaveaheadache。"

"Iamverysorry,"hesaid,crestfallen。

"ItisonlythatIdonotwishtobespokento。Ithurtsmyheadtolisten。"

HemeeklytookhisbicyclefromtheditchandwheeleditalongbesidehertotheBeecheswithoutanotherword。Theywentinthroughtheconservatory,andpartedinthedining—room。Beforeleavinghimshesaidwithsomeremorse,"Ididnotmeantoberude,Mr。Erskine。"

Heflushed,murmuredsomething,andattemptedtokissherhand。

Butshesnatcheditawayandwentoutquickly。Hewasstungbythisrepulse,andstoodmortifyinghimselfbythinkingofituntilhewasdisturbedbytheentranceofamaid—servant。

LearningfromherthatSirCharleswasinthebilliardroom,hejoinedhimthere,andaskedhimcarelesslyifhehadheardthenews。

"AboutMissWylie？"saidSirCharles。"Yes,Ishouldthinkso。I

believethewholecountryknowsit,thoughtheyhavenotbeenengagedthreehours。Haveyouseenthese？"Andhepushedacoupleofnewspapersacrossthetable。

Erskinehadtomakeseveraleffortsbeforehecouldread。"Youwereafooltosignthatdocument,"hesaid。"Itoldyousoatthetime。"

"Ireliedonthefellowbeingagentleman,"saidSirCharleswarmly。"IdonotseethatIwasafool。Iseethatheisacad,andbutforthisbusinessofMissWylie"sIwouldlethimknowmyopinion。Letmetellyou,Chester,thathehasplayedfastandloosewithMissLindsay。Thereisadeuceofarowupstairs。ShehasjusttoldJanethatshemustgohomeatonce;MissWyliedeclaresthatshewillhavenothingtodowithTrefusisifMissLindsayhasapriorclaimtohim,andJaneisannoyedathisadmiringanybodyexceptherself。Itservesmeright;myinstinctwarnedmeagainstthefellowfromthefirst。"Justthenluncheonwasannounced。Gertrudedidnotcomedown。Agathawassilentandmoody。JanetriedtomakeErskinedescribehiswalkwithGertrude,buthebaffledhercuriositybyomittingfromhisaccounteverythingexceptitscommonplaces。

"Ithinkherconductverystrange,"saidJane。"Sheinsistsongoingtotownbythefouro"clocktrain。Iconsiderthatit"snotpolitetome,althoughshealwaysmadeapointofherperfectmanners。Ineverheardofsuchathing！"

Whentheyhadrisenfromthetable,theywenttogethertothedrawing—room。TheyhadhardlyarrivedtherewhenTrefusiswasannounced,andhewasintheirpresencebeforetheyhadtimetoconcealtheexpressionofconsternationhisnamebroughtintotheirfaces。

"Ihavecometosaygood—bye,"hesaid。"IfindthatImustgototownbythefouro"clocktraintopushmyarrangementsinperson;

thetelegramsIhavereceivedbreathenothingbutdelay。Haveyouseenthe"Times"？"

"Ihaveindeed,"saidSirCharles,emphatically。

"Youareinsomeotherpapertoo,andwillbeinhalf—a—dozenmoreinthecourseofthenextfortnight。Menwhohavecommittedthemselvestoanopinionarealwaysintroublewiththenewspapers;somebecausetheycannotgetintothem,othersbecausetheycannotkeepout。Ifyouhadputforwardathunderingrevolutionarymanifesto,notadailypaperwouldhavedaredalludetoit:thereisnocowardicelikeFleetStreetcowardice！

Imustrunoff;IhavemuchtodobeforeIstart,anditisgettingonforthree。Good—bye,LadyBrandon,andeverybody。"

HeshookJane"shand,dealtnodstotherestrapidly,makingnodistinctioninfavorofAgatha,andhurriedaway。TheystaredafterhimforamomentandthenErskineranoutandwentdownstairstwostepsatatime。Neverthelesshehadtorunasfarastheavenuebeforeheovertookhisman。

"Trefusis,"hesaidbreathlessly,"youmustnotgobythefouro"clocktrain。"

"Whynot？"

"MissLindsayisgoingtotownbyit。"

"Somuchthebetter,mydearboy;somuchthebetter。Youarenotjealousofmenow,areyou？"

"Lookhere,Trefusis。Idon"tknowandIdon"taskwhattherehasbeenbetweenyouandMissLindsay,butyourengagementhasquiteupsether,andsheisrunningawaytoLondoninconsequence。Ifshehearsthatyouaregoingbythesametrainshewillwaituntilto—morrow,andIbelievethedelaywouldbeverydisagreeable。Willyouinflictthatadditionalpainuponher？"

Trefusis,evidentlyconcerned,lookingdoubtfullyatErskine,andponderedforamoment。"Ithinkyouareonawrongscentaboutthis,"hesaid。"MyrelationswithMissLindsaywerenotofasentimentalkind。Haveyousaidanythingtoher——onyourownaccount,Imean？"

"Ihavespokentoheronbothaccounts,andIknowfromherownlipsthatIamright。"

Trefusisutteredalowwhistle。

"ItisnotthefirsttimeIhavehadtheevidenceofmysensesinthematter,"saidErskinesignificantly。"Praythinkofitseriously,Trefusis。Forgivemytellingyoufranklythatnothingbutyourownutterwantoffeelingcouldexcuseyouforthewayinwhichyouhaveactedtowardsher。"

Trefusissmiled。"Forgivemeinturnformyinquisitiveness,"hesaid。"Whatdoesshesaytoyoursuit？"

Erskinehesitated,showingbyhismannerthathethoughtTrefusishadnorighttoaskthequestion。"Shesaysnothing,"heanswered。

"Hm！"saidTrefusis。"Well,youmayrelyonmeastothetrain。

Thereismyhanduponit。"

"Thankyou,"saidErskinefervently。Theyshookhandsandparted,Trefusiswalkingawaywithagrinsuggestiveofanythingbutgoodfaith。

CHAPTERXVII

Gertrude,unawareoftheextenttowhichshehadalreadybetrayedherdisappointment,believedthatanxietyforherfather"shealth,whichsheallegedasthemotiveofhersuddendeparture,wasanexcuseplausibleenoughtoblindherfriendstoheroverpoweringreluctancetospeaktoAgathaorendureherpresence;toherfierceshrinkingfromthesortofpityusuallyaccordedtoajiltedwoman;and,aboveall,toherdreadofmeetingTrefusis。Shehadforsometimepastthoughtofhimasanuprightandperfectmandeeplyinterestedinher。Yet,comparativelyliberalashereducationhadbeen,shehadnoideaofanyinterestofmaninwomanexistingapartfromadesiretomarry。Hehad,inhisseriousmoments,striventomakehersensibleofthebasenesshesawinherworldliness,flatteringherbyhisapparentconviction——whichsheshared——thatshewascapableofahigherlife。Almostinthesamebreath,astrainofgallantrywhichwasincorrigibleinhim,andtowhichhishumorandhistendernesstowomenwhomhelikedgavevarietyandcharm,wouldsuperveneuponhisseriousnesswitharapiditywhichherfarlessflexibletemperamentcouldnotfollow。Henceshe,thinkinghimstillinearnestwhenhehadswervedintofloridromance,hadbeendangerouslymisled。Hehadnoconscientiousscruplesinhislove—making,becausehewasunaccustomedtoconsiderhimselfaslikelytoinspireloveinwomen;andGertrudedidnotknowthatherbeautygavetoanhourspentalonewithheratransientcharmwhichfewmenofimaginationandaddresscouldresist。She,whohadlivedinthemarriagemarketsinceshehadleftschool,lookeduponlove—makingasthemostseriousbusinessoflife。Tohimitwasonlyapleasantsortoftrifling,enhancedbyadashofsadnessinthereflectionthatitmeantsolittle。

Oftheceremoniesattendingherdeparture,theonethatcosthermostwasthekissshefeltboundtoofferAgatha。Shehadbeenjealousofheratcollege,whereshehadesteemedherselfthebetterbredofthetwo;butthatopinionhadhardlyconsoledherforAgatha"ssuperiorquicknessofwit,dexterityofhand,audacity,aptnessofresource,capacityforformingorfollowingintricateassociationsofideas,andconsequentpowertodazzleothers。HerjealousyofthesequalitieswasnowbarbedbytheknowledgethattheyweremuchnearerakinthanherowntothoseofTrefusis。ItmatteredlittletoherhowsheappearedtoherselfincomparisonwithAgatha。Butitmatteredthewholeworld（shethought）thatshemustappeartoTrefusissoslow,stiff,cold,andstudied,andthatshehadnomeanstomakehimunderstandthatshewasnotreallyso。Forshewouldnotadmitthejusticeofimpressionsmadebywhatshedidnotintendtodo,howeverhabituallyshedidit。Shehadatheorythatshewasnotherself,butwhatshewouldhavelikedtobe。AstotheonequalityinwhichshehadalwaysfeltsuperiortoAgatha,andwhichshecalled"goodbreeding,"Trefusishadsofardestroyedherconceitinthat,thatshewasbeginningtodoubtwhetheritwasnothercardinaldefect。

Shecouldnotbringherselftoutterawordassheembracedherschoolfellow;andAgathawastongue—tiedtoo。Buttherewasmuchremorsefultendernessinthefeelingsthatchokedthem。TheirsilencewouldhavebeenawkwardbutfortheloquacityofJane,whotalkedenoughforallthree。SirCharleswaswithout,inthetrap,waitingtodriveGertrudetothestation。Erskineinterceptedherinthehallasshepassedout,toldherthatheshouldbedesolatewhenshewasgone,andbeggedhertorememberhim,asimplepetitionwhichmovedheralittle,andcausedhertonotethathisdarkeyeshadapleadingeloquencewhichshehadobservedbeforeinthekangaroosattheZoologicalSociety"sgardens。

OnthewaytothetrainSirCharlesworriedthehorseinordertobeexcusedfromconversationonthesoresubjectofhisguest"ssuddendeparture。Hehadmadeafewremarksontheskittishnessofyoungponies,andontheweather,andthatwasalluntiltheyreachedthestation,aprettybuildingstandingintheopencountry,withaviewoftheriverfromtheplatform。Thereweretwoflieswaiting,twoporters,abookstall,andarefreshmentroomwithaneglectedbeautypiningbehindthebar。SirCharleswaitedinthebookingofficetopurchaseaticketforGertrude,whowentthroughtotheplatform。ThefirstpersonshesawtherewasTrefusis,closebesideher。

"Iamgoingtotownbythistrain,Gertrude,"hesaidquickly。

"Letmetakechargeofyou。Ihavesomethingtosay,forIhearthatsomemischiefhasbeenmadebetweenuswhichmustbestoppedatonce。You——"

JustthenSirCharlescameout,andstoodamazedtoseetheminconversation。

"IthappensthatIamgoingbythistrain,"saidTrefusis。"I

willseeafterMissLindsay。"

"MissLindsayhashermaidwithher,"saidSirCharles,almoststammering,andlookingatGertrude,whoseexpressionwasinscrutable。

"WecangetintothePullmancar,"saidTrefusis。"Thereweshallbeasprivateasinacornerofacrowdeddrawing—room。Imaytravelwithyou,mayInot？"hesaid,seeingSirCharles"sdisturbedlook,andturningtoherforexpresspermission。

Shefeltthattodenyhimwouldbetothrowawayherlastchanceofhappiness。Neverthelesssheresolvedtodoit,thoughsheshoulddieofgriefonthewaytoLondon。Assheraisedherheadtoforbidhimthemoreemphatically,shemethisgaze,whichwasgraveandexpectant。Foraninstantshelostherpresenceofmind,andinthatinstantsaid,"Yes。Ishallbeveryglad。"

"Well,ifthatisthecase,"saidSirCharles,inthetoneofonewhosesympathyhadbeenalienatedbyanunpardonableoutrage,"

therecanbenouseinmywaiting。IleaveyouinthehandsofMr。Trefusis。Good—bye,MissLindsay。"

Gertrudewinced。Unkindnessfromamanusuallykindprovedhardtobearatparting。ShewasofferinghimherhandinsilencewhenTrefusissaid:

"Waitandseeusoff。Ifwechancetobekilledonthejourney——whichisalwaysprobableonanEnglishrailway——youwillreproachyourselfafterwardsifyoudonotseethelastofus。

Hereisthetrain;itwillnotdelayyouaminute。TellErskinethatyousawmehere;thatIhavenotforgottenmypromise,andthathemayrelyonme。Getinatthisend,MissLindsay。"

"Mymaid,"saidGertrudehesitating;forshehadnotintendedtotravelsoexpensively。"She——"

"Shecomeswithustotakecareofme;Ihaveticketsforeverybody,"saidTrefusis,handingthewomanin。

"But——"

"Takeyourseats,please,"saidtheguard。"Goingbythetrain,sir？"

"Good—bye,SirCharles。GivemylovetoLadyBrandon,andAgatha,andthedearchildren;andthankssomuchforaverypleasant——"

Herethetrainmovedoff,andSirCharles,melting,smiledandwavedhishatuntilhecaughtsightofTrefusislookingbackathimwithagrinwhichseemed,underthecircumstances,soSatanic,thathestoppedasifpetrifiedinthemidstofhisgesticulations,andstoodwithhisarmoutlikeasemaphore。

Thedrivehomerestoredhimsomewhat,butheweestillfullofhissurprisewhenherejoinedAgatha,hiswife,andErskineinthedrawing—roomattheBeeches。Themomentheentered,hesaidwithoutpreface,"ShehasgoneoffwithTrefusis。"

Erskine,whohadbeenreading,startedup,clutchinghisbookasifabouttohurlitatsomeone,andcried,"Washeatthetrain？"

"Yes,andhasgonetotownbyit。"

"Then,"saidErskine,flingingthebookviolentlyonthefloor,"heisascoundrelandaliar。"

"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatharising,whilstJanestaredopen—mouthedathim。

"Ibegyourpardon,MissWylie,Iforgotyou。Hepledgedmehishonorthathewouldnotgobythattrain。Iwill。"Hehurriedfromtheroom。SirCharlesrushedafterhim,andovertookhimatthefootofthestairs。

"Whereareyougoing？Whatdoyouwanttodo？"

"Iwillfollowthetrainandcatchitatthenextstation。Icandoitonmybicycle。"

"Nonsense！you"remad。Theyhavethirty—fiveminutesstart;andthetraintravelsforty—fivemilesanhour。"

Erskinesatdownonthestairsandgazedblanklyattheoppositewall。

"Youmusthavemistakenhim,"saidSirCharles。"Hetoldmetotellyouthathehadnotforgottenhispromise,andthatyoumayrelyonhim。"

"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatha,comingdown,followedbyLadyBrandon。