第6章

That’sthewaythewillisdonein’eaven。That’swotIarstforalldaylong——forittobedoneonearthasitisin’eaven。’WhatcouldIsay？CouldItellherthatthewilloftheDeityontheearthhecreatedwasonlythewilltodoevil——togivepain——tocrushthecreaturemadeinHisownimage。Whatelsedowemeanwhenwesayunderallhorrorandagonythatbefalls，`ItisGod’swill——God’swillbedone。’

BaseunbelieverthoughIam，Icouldnotspeakthewords。Oh，shehassomethingwehavenot。Herpoor，littlemisspentlifehaschangeditselfintoashiningthing，thoughitshinesandglowsonlyinthishideousplace。

Sheherselfdoesnotknowofitsshining。ButDrunkenBetwouldstaggeruptoherroomandasktobetoldwhatshecalledher`pantermine’

stories。Ihaveseenhertheresittinglistening——listeningwithstrangequietonheranddullyearninginhersoddeneyes。Sowouldotherandworsewomengotoher，andI，whohadstruggledwiththem，couldseethatshehadreachedsomeremotelongingintheirbeingswhichIhadnevertouched。Intimetheseedwouldhavestirredtolife——itisbeginningtostirevennow。Duringthemonthssinceshecamebacktothecourt——thoughtheyhavelaughedather——bothmenandwomenhavebeguntoseeherasacreatureweirdlysetapart。Mostofthemfeelsomethinglikeaweofher;theyhalfbelieveherprayerstobebewitchments，buttheywantthemontheirside。

Theyhaveneverwantedmine。ThatIhaveknown——KNOWN。ShebelievesthatherDeityisinAppleBlossomCourt——inthedireholesitspeoplelivein，onthebrokenstairway，ineverynookandawfulcrannyofit——

agreatGlorywewillnotsee——onlywaitingtobecalledandtoanswer。

Do_I_believeit——doyou——doanyofthoseanointedofuswhopreacheachdaysoglibly`GodisEVERYWHERE’？

Whoistheonewhobelieves？IfthereweresuchamanhewouldgoaboutasMosesdidwhen`Hewistnotthathisfaceshone。’"

Theyhadgoneouttogetherandwerestandinginthefoginthecourt。Thecurateremovedhishatandpassedhishandkerchiefoverhisdampforehead，hisbreathcomingandgoingalmostsobbingly，hiseyesstaringstraightbeforehimintotheyellownessofthehaze。

"Who，"hesaidafteramomentofsingularsilence，"whoareyou？"

AntonyDarthesitatedafewseconds，andattheendofhispauseheputhishandintohisovercoatpocket。

"IfyouwillcomeupstairswithmetotheroomwherethegirlGladlives，Iwilltellyou，"hesaid，"butbeforewegoIwanttohandsomethingovertoyou。"

Thecurateturnedanamazedgazeuponhim。

"Whatisit？"heasked。

Dartwithdrewhishandfromhispocket，andthepistolwasinit。

"Icameoutthismorningtobuythis，"hesaid。"Iintended——nevermindwhatIintended。Awrongturntakeninthefogbroughtmehere。Takethisthingfrommeandkeepit。"

Thecuratetookthepistolandputitintohisownpocketwithoutcomment。

Inthecourseofhislaborshehadseendesperatemenanddesperatethingsmanytimes。Hehadevenbeen——atmoments——adesperatemanthinkingdesperatethingshimself，thoughnohumanbeinghadeversuspectedthefact。Thismanhadfacedsometragedy，hecouldsee。

Hadhebeenonthevergeofacrime——hadhelookedmurderintheeyes？

Whathadmadehimpause？WasitpossiblethatthedreamofJinnyMontaubynbeingintheairhadreachedhisbrain——hisbeing？

Helookedalmostappealinglyathim，butheonlysaidaloud:

"Letusgoupstairs，then。"

Sotheywent。

AstheypassedthedooroftheroomwherethedeadwomanlayDartwentinandspoketoMissMontaubyn，whowasstillthere。

"Iftherearethingswantedhere，"

hesaid，"thiswillbuythem。"Andheputsomemoneyintoherhand。

Shedidnotseemsurprisedattheincongruityofhisshabbinessproducingmoney。

"Well，now，"shesaid，"IWAS

wonderin’an’askin’。I’dlike’ercleanan’nice，an’there’smilkwantedbadforthebiby。"

IntheroomtheymountedtoGladwastryingtofeedthechildwithbreadsoftenedintea。Pollysatnearherlookingonwithrestless，eagereyes。Shehadneverseenanythingofherownbabybutitslimpnewbornanddeadbodybeingcarriedawayoutofsight。Shehadnotevendaredtoaskwhatwasdonewithsuchpoorlittlecarrion。Thetyrannyofthelawoflifemadeherwanttopawandtouchthislatelybornthing，asheragonyhadgivenhernofruitofherownbodytotouchandpawandnuzzleandcaressasmothercreatureswillwhethertheybewomenortigressesordovesorfemalecats。

"Letmeholdher，Glad，"shehalfwhimpered。"Whenshe’sfedletmegethertosleep。"

"Allright，"Gladanswered;"wecouldlookafter’erbetweenuswellenough。"

Thethiefwasstillsittingonthehearth，butbeingfullfedandcomfortableforthefirsttimeinmanyaday，hehadrestedhisheadagainstthewallandfallenintoprofoundsleep。

"Wot’sup？"saidGladwhenthetwomencamein。"Isanythin’

’appenin’？"

"Ihavecomeupheretotellyousomething，"Dartanswered。"Letussitdownagainroundthefire。Itwilltakealittletime。"

GladwitheagereyesonhimhandedthechildtoPollyandsatdownwithoutamoment’shesitance，avidofwhatwastocome。Shenudgedthethiefwithfriendlyelbowandhestartedupawake。

"’E’sgotsomethin’totellus，"

sheexplained。"Thecurick’scomeupto’earit，too。Sit’ere，Polly，"

withelbowjerktowardthebundleofsacks。"It’sgotitsstummickfullan’it’llgotosleepfastenough。"

Sotheysatagainintheweirdcircle。Neitherthestrangenessofthegroupnorthesqualorofthehearthwereofanaturetobenewthingstothecurate。HiseyesfixedthemselvesonDart’sface，asdidtheeyesofthethief，thebeggar，andtheyoungthingofthestreet。Nooneglancedawayfromhim。

Histellingofhisstorywasalmostmonotonousinitssemi—reflectivequietnessoftone。Thestrangenesstohimself——thoughitwasastrangenessheacceptedabsolutelywithoutprotest——layinhistellingitatall，andinasenseofhisknowledgethateachofthesecreatureswouldunderstandandmysteriouslyknowwhatdepthshehadtouchedthisday。

"JustbeforeIleftmylodgingsthismorning，"hesaid，"IfoundmyselfstandinginthemiddleofmyroomandspeakingtoSomethingaloud。IdidnotknowIwasgoingtospeak。IdidnotknowwhatI

wasspeakingto。Iheardmyownvoicecryoutinagony，`Lord，Lord，whatshallIdotobesaved？’"

Thecuratemadeasuddenmove—

mentinhisplaceandhissallowyoungfaceflushed。Buthesaidnothing。

Glad’ssmallandsharpcountenancebecamecurious。

"`Speak，Lord，thyservant’eareth，’"shequotedtentatively。

"No，"answeredDart;"itwasnotlikethat。Ihadneverthoughtofsuchthings。Ibelievednothing。

IwasgoingouttobuyapistolandwhenIreturnedintendedtoblowmybrainsout。"

"Why？"askedGlad，withpassionatelyintenteyes;"why？"

"BecauseIwaswornoutanddonefor，andalltheworldseemedwornoutanddonefor。AndamongotherthingsIbelievedIwasbeginningslowlytogomad。"

Fromthethiefthereburstforthalowgroanandheturnedhisfacetothewall。

"I’vebeenthere，"hesaid;"I’mneartherenow。"

Darttookupspeechagain。

"Therewasnoanswer——none。

AsIstoodwaiting——Godknowsforwhat——thedeadstillnessoftheroomwaslikethedeadstillnessofthegrave。

AndIwentoutsayingtomysoul，`Thisiswhathappenstothefoolwhocriesaloudinhispain。’"

"I’vecriedaloud，"saidthethief，"andsometimesitseemedasifananswerwascoming——butIalwaysknewitneverwould！"inatorturedvoice。

"’Tain’tfairtoarstthatwye，"

Gladputinwithshrewdlogic。

"MissMontaubynsheallersknowsitWILLcome——an’itdoes。"

"Something——notmyself——turnedmyfeettowardthisplace，"saidDart。

"Iwasthrustfromonethingtoanother。Iwasforcedtoseeandhearthingscloseathand。IthasbeenasifIwasunderaspell。Thewomanintheroombelow——thewomanlyingdead！"Hestoppedasecond，andthenwenton:"Thereistoomuchthatiscryingoutaloud。AmansuchasIam——ithasFORCEDitselfuponme——cannotleavesuchthingsandgivehimselftothedust。IcannotexplainclearlybecauseIamnotthinkingasIamaccustomedtothink。Achangehascomeuponme。Ishallnotusethepistol——asImeanttouseit。"

Gladmadeafriendlyclutchatthesleeveofhisshabbycoat。

"RightO！"shecried。"That’sit！YoubuckupsimeasItoldyer。

Y’ain’tstonybrokean’there’s’allersto—morrer。"

AntonyDart’sexpressionwasweirdlyretrospective。

"Ididnotthinksothismorning，"

heanswered。

"Butthereis，"saidthegirl。

"Ain’ttherenow，curick？There’saloto’workinyeryet;yercoulddoallsortso’thingsify’ain’ttooproud。I’ll’elpyer。So’llthecurick。Y’ain’tfoundoutyetwhatalittlefolkscanliveontillluckturns。Me，I’mgoin’totryMissMontaubyn’swye。Le’sbothtry。Le’sbelievethingsiscomin’。

Le’sget’ertotalktoussomemore。"

Thecuratewasthinkingthethingoverdeeply。

"Yersee，"Gladenlargedcheerfully，"yerlookalmostlikeagentleman。

P’rapsyercanwriteagood’andan’spellallright。Canyer？"

"Yes。"

"Ithink，perhaps，"thecuratebeganreflectively，"particularlyifyoucanwritewell，Imightbeabletogetyousomework。"

"Idonotwantwork，"Dartansweredslowly。"AtleastIdonotwantthekindyouwouldbelikelytoofferme。"

Thecuratefeltashock，asifcoldwaterhadbeendashedoverhim。

Somehowithadnotonceoccurredtohimthatthemancouldbeoneoftheeducateddegenerateviciousforwhomnopowertohelplayinanyhands——yethewasnotthecommonvagrant——andhewasplainlyonthepointofproducinganexcuseforrefusingwork。

Theotherman，seeinghisstartandhisamazed，troubledflush，putoutahandandtouchedhisarmapologetically。

"Ibegyourpardon，"hesaid。

"OneofthethingsIwasgoingtotellyou——Ihadnotfinished——wasthatIAMwhatiscalledagentleman。

Iamalsowhattheworldknowsasarichman。IamSirOliverHolt。"

Eachmemberofthepartygazedathimaghast。Itwasanenormousnametoclaim。Eventhetwofemalecreaturesknewwhatitstoodfor。Itwasthenamewhichrepresentedthegreatestwealthandpowerintheworldoffinanceandschemesofbusiness。

Itstoodforfinancialinfluencewhichcouldchangethefaceofnationalfortunesandbringaboutcrises。Itwasknownthroughouttheworld。YesterdaythenewspaperrumorthatitsownerhadmysteriouslyleftEnglandhadcausedmenon’Changetodiscusspossibilitiestogetherwithloweredvoices。

Gladstaredatthecurate。Forthefirsttimeshelookeddisturbedandalarmed。

"Blimme，"sheejaculated，"’e’sgoneoff’isnut，porechap！——’e’sgoneoffit！"

"No，"themananswered，"youshallcometome"——hehesitatedasecondwhileashadepassedoverhiseyes——"TO—MORROW。Andyoushallsee。"

Herosequietlytohisfeetandthecuraterosealso。Abnormalastheclimaxwas，itwastobeseenthattherewasnomistakeabouttherevelation。Themanwasacreatureofauthorityandusedtocarryingconvictionbyhisunsupportedword。

Thatmadeitself，bysomeclear，unspokenmethod，plain。

"YouareSirOliverHolt！Andafewhoursagoyouwereonthepointof——"

"Endingitall——inanobscurelodging。Afterwardtheearthwouldhavebeenshovelledontoawork—

housecoffin。Itwasanawfulthing。"

Heshookoffapassionateshudder。

"Therewasnowealthonearththatcouldgivemeamoment’sease——

sleep——hope——life。ThewholeworldwasfullofthingsIloathedthesightandthoughtof。Thedoctorssaidmyconditionwasphysical。Perhapsitwas——perhapsto—dayhasstrangelygivenahealthfuljolttomynerves——perhapsIhavebeendraggedawayfromtheagonyofmorbidityandplungedintonewintenseemotionswhichhavesavedmefromthelastthingandtheworst——SAVED

me！"

Hestoppedsuddenlyandhisfaceflushed，andthenquiteslowlyturnedpale。

"SAVEDME！"herepeatedthewordsasthecuratesawtheawedbloodcreepinglyrecede。"Whoknows，whoknows！Howmanyexplanationsoneisreadytogivebeforeonethinksofwhatwesaywebelieve。

Perhapsitwas——theAnswer！"

Thecuratebowedhisheadreverently。

"Perhapsitwas。"

ThegirlGladsatclingingtoherknees，hereyeswideandawedandwithasuddengushofhysterictearsrushingdownhercheeks。

"That’sthewye！That’sthewye！"shegulpedout。"Noonewon’tneverbelieve——theywon’t，NEVER。That’swhatshesees，MissMontaubyn。Youdon’t，’Edon’t，"

withajerktowardthecurate。"I

ain’tnothin’butME，butblimmeifI

don’t——blimme！"

SirOliverHoltgrewpalerstill。

HefeltashehaddonewhenJinnyMontaubyn’spoordresssweptagainsthim。Hisvoiceshookwhenhespoke。

"SodoI，"hesaidwithasuddendeepcatchofthebreath;"itwastheAnswer。"

InafewmomentsmorehewenttothegirlPollyandlaidahandonhershoulder。

"Ishalltakeyouhometoyourmother，"hesaid。"Ishalltakeyoumyselfandcareforyouboth。Sheshallknownothingyouareafraidofherhearing。Ishallaskhertobringupthechild。Youwillhelpher。"

Thenhetouchedthethief，whogotupwhiteandshakingandwitheyesmoistwithexcitement。

"Youshallneverseeanothermanclaimyourthoughtbecauseyouhavenottimeormoneytoworkitout。

Youwillgowithme。Thereareto—morrowsenoughforyou！"

Gladstillsatclingingtoherkneesandwithtearsrunning，buttheuglinessofhersharp，smallfacewasathinganangelmighthavepausedtosee。

"Youdon’twanttogoawayfromhere，"SirOliversaidtoher，andsheshookherhead。

"No，notme。ItoldyerwotI

wanted。Lemmedoit。"

"Youshall，"heanswered，"andIwillhelpyou。"

ThethingswhichdevelopedinAppleBlossomCourtlater，thethingswhichcametoeachofthosewhohadsatintheweirdcircleroundthefire，therevelationsofnewexistencewhichcametoherself，arousednoamazementinJinnyMontaubyn’smind。Shehadaskedandbelievedallthings——andallthiswasbutanotheroftheAnswers。