第1章

AWAKENING

ThroughthemassiveskylightilluminatingthehallatRobinHill，theJulysunlightatfiveo’clockfelljustwherethebroadstairwayturned;andinthatradiantstreaklittleJonForsytestood，blue—

linen—suited。Hishairwasshining，andhiseyes，frombeneathafrown，forhewasconsideringhowtogodownstairs，thislastofinnumerabletimes，beforethecarbroughthisfatherandmotherhome。

Fouratatime，andfiveatthebottom？Stale！Downthebanisters？

Butinwhichfashion？Onhisface，feetforemost？Verystale。Onhisstomach，sideways？Paltry！Onhisback，withhisarmsstretcheddownonbothsides？Forbidden！Oronhisface，headforemost，inamannerunknownasyettoanybuthimself？SuchwasthecauseofthefrownontheilluminatedfaceoflittleJon……

InthatSummerof1909thesimplesoulswhoeventhendesiredtosimplifytheEnglishtongue，had，ofcourse，nocognizanceoflittleJon，ortheywouldhaveclaimedhimforadisciple。Butonecanbetoosimpleinthislife，forhisrealnamewasJolyon，andhislivingfatheranddeadhalf—brotherhadusurpedofoldtheothershortenings，JoandJolly。AsafactlittleJonhaddonehisbesttoconformtoconventionandspellhimselffirstJhon，thenJohn;nottillhisfatherhadexplainedthesheernecessity，hadhespelledhisnameJon。

Uptillnowthatfatherhadpossessedwhatwasleftofhisheartbythegroom，Bob，whoplayedtheconcertina，andhisnurse"Da，"whoworethevioletdressonSundays，andenjoyedthenameofSpragginsinthatprivatelifelivedatoddmomentsevenbydomesticservants。

Hismotherhadonlyappearedtohim，asitwereindreams，smellingdelicious，smoothinghisforeheadjustbeforehefellasleep，andsometimesdockinghishair，ofagoldenbrowncolour。Whenhecuthisheadopenagainstthenurseryfendershewastheretobebledover;andwhenhehadnightmareshewouldsitonhisbedandcuddlehisheadagainstherneck。Shewaspreciousbutremote，because"Da"

wassonear，andthereishardlyroomformorethanonewomanatatimeinaman’sheart。Withhisfather，too，ofcourse，hehadspecialbondsofunion;forlittleJonalsomeanttobeapainterwhenhegrewup——withtheonesmalldifference，thathisfatherpaintedpictures，andlittleJonintendedtopaintceilingsandwalls，standingonaboardbetweentwostep—ladders，inadirty—whiteapron，andalovelysmellofwhitewash。HisfatheralsotookhimridinginRichmondPark，onhispony，Mouse，so—calledbecauseitwasso—coloured。

LittleJonhadbeenbornwithasilverspooninamouthwhichwasrathercurlyandlarge。Hehadneverheardhisfatherorhismotherspeakinanangryvoice，eithertoeachother，himself，oranybodyelse;thegroom，Bob，Cook，Jane，Bellaandtheotherservants，even"Da，"whoalonerestrainedhiminhiscourses，hadspecialvoiceswhentheytalkedtohim。Hewasthereforeofopinionthattheworldwasaplaceofperfectandperpetualgentilityandfreedom。

Achildof1901，hehadcometoconsciousnesswhenhiscountry，justoverthatbadattackofscarletfever，theBoerWar，waspreparingfortheLiberalrevivalof1906。Coercionwasunpopular，parentshadexaltednotionsofgivingtheiroffspringagoodtime。Theyspoiledtheirrods，sparedtheirchildren，andanticipatedtheresultswithenthusiasm。Inchoosing，moreover，forhisfatheranamiablemanoffifty—two，whohadalreadylostanonlyson，andforhismotherawomanofthirty—eight，whosefirstandonlychildhewas，littleJonhaddonewellandwisely。Whathadsavedhimfrombecomingacrossbetweenalapdogandalittleprig，hadbeenhisfather’sadorationofhismother，forevenlittleJoncouldseethatshewasnotmerelyjusthismother，andthatheplayedsecondfiddletoherinhisfather’sheart:Whatheplayedinhismother’sheartheknewnotyet。

Asfor"Auntie"June，hishalf—sister（butsooldthatshehadgrownoutoftherelationship）shelovedhim，ofcourse，butwastoosudden。Hisdevoted"Da，"too，hadaSpartantouch。Hisbathwascoldandhiskneeswerebare;hewasnotencouragedtobesorryforhimself。Astothevexedquestionofhiseducation，littleJonsharedthetheoryofthosewhoconsideredthatchildrenshouldnotbeforced。HeratherlikedtheMademoisellewhocamefortwohourseverymorningtoteachhimherlanguage，togetherwithhistory，geographyandsums;norwerethepianolessonswhichhismothergavehimdisagreeable，forshehadawayofluringhimfromtunetotune，nevermakinghimpractiseonewhichdidnotgivehimpleasure，sothatheremainedeagertoconverttenthumbsintoeightfingers。

Underhisfatherhelearnedtodrawpleasure—pigsandotheranimals。

Hewasnotahighlyeducatedlittleboy。Yet，onthewhole，thesilverspoonstayedinhismouthwithoutspoilingit，though"Da"

sometimessaidthatotherchildrenwoulddohima"worldofgood。"

Itwasadisillusionment，then，whenattheageofnearlysevensheheldhimdownonhisback，becausehewantedtodosomethingofwhichshedidnotapprove。ThisfirstinterferencewiththefreeindividualismofaForsytedrovehimalmostfrantic。Therewassomethingappallingintheutterhelplessnessofthatposition，andtheuncertaintyastowhetheritwouldevercometoanend。Supposesheneverlethimgetupanymore！Hesufferedtortureatthetopofhisvoiceforfiftyseconds。Worsethananythingwashisperceptionthat"Da"hadtakenallthattimetorealisetheagonyoffearhewasenduring。Thus，dreadfully，wasrevealedtohimthelackofimaginationinthehumanbeing。

Whenhewasletupheremainedconvincedthat"Da"haddoneadreadfulthing。Thoughhedidnotwishtobearwitnessagainsther，hehadbeencompelled，byfearofrepetition，toseekhismotherandsay:"Mum，don’tlet’Da’holdmedownonmybackagain。"

Hismother，herhandsheldupoverherhead，andinthemtwoplaitsofhair——"couleurdefeuillemorte，"aslittleJonhadnotyetlearnedtocallit——hadlookedathimwitheyeslikelittlebitsofhisbrownvelvettunic，andanswered:

"No，darling，Iwon’t。"

She，beinginthenatureofagoddess，littleJonwassatisfied;

especiallywhen，fromunderthedining—tableatbreakfast，wherehehappenedtobewaitingforamushroom，hehadoverheardhersaytohisfather:

"Then，willyoutell’Da，’dear，orshallI？She’ssodevotedtohim";andhisfather’sanswer:

"Well，shemustn’tshowitthatway。Iknowexactlywhatitfeelsliketobehelddownonone’sback。NoForsytecanstanditforaminute。"

Consciousthattheydidnotknowhimtobeunderthetable，littleJonwasvisitedbythequitenewfeelingofembarrassment，andstayedwherehewas，ravagedbydesireforthemushroom。

Suchhadbeenhisfirstdipintothedarkabyssesofexistence。

Nothingmuchhadbeenrevealedtohimafterthat，tilloneday，havinggonedowntothecow—houseforhisdrinkofmilkfreshfromthecow，afterGarratthadfinishedmilking，hehadseenClover’scalf，dead。Inconsolable，andfollowedbyanupsetGarratt，hehadsought"Da";butsuddenlyawarethatshewasnotthepersonhewanted，hadrushedawaytofindhisfather，andhadrunintothearmsofhismother。

"Clover’scalf’sdead！Oh！Oh！Itlookedsosoft！"

Hismother’sclasp，andher:

"Yes，darling，there，there！"hadstayedhissobbing。ButifClover’scalfcoulddie，anythingcould——notonlybees，flies，beetlesandchickens——andlooksoftlikethat！Thiswasappalling——

andsoonforgotten！

Thenextthinghadbeentositonabumblebee，apoignantexperience，whichhismotherhadunderstoodmuchbetterthan"Da";

andnothingofvitalimportancehadhappenedafterthattilltheyearturned;when，followingadayofutterwretchedness，hehadenjoyedadiseasecomposedoflittlespots，bed，honeyinaspoon，andmanyTangerineoranges。Itwasthenthattheworldhadflowered。To"Auntie"Juneheowedthatflowering，fornosoonerwashealittlelameduckthanshecamerushingdownfromLondon，bringingwithherthebookswhichhadnurturedherownBerserkerspirit，borninthenotedyearof1869。Aged，andofmanycolours，theywerestoredwiththemostformidablehappenings。OftheseshereadtolittleJon，tillhewasallowedtoreadtohimself;whereuponshewhiskedbacktoLondonandleftthemwithhiminaheap。Thosebookscookedhisfancy，tillhethoughtanddreamedofnothingbutmidshipmenanddhows，pirates，rafts，sandal—woodtraders，ironhorses，sharks，battles，Tartars，RedIndians，balloons，NorthPolesandotherextravagantdelights。Themomenthewassufferedtogetup，heriggedhisbedforeandaft，andsetoutfromitinanarrowbathacrossgreenseasofcarpet，toarock，whichheclimbedbymeansofitsmahoganydrawerknobs，tosweepthehorizonwithhisdrinkingtumblerscrewedtohiseye，insearchofrescuingsails。Hemadeadailyraftoutofthetowelstand，theteatray，andhispillows。HesavedthejuicefromhisFrenchplums，bottleditinanemptymedicinebottle，andprovisionedtheraftwiththerumthatitbecame;alsowithpemmicanmadeoutoflittlesaved—upbitsofchickensatonanddriedatthefire;andwithlimejuiceagainstscurvy，extractedfromthepeelofhisorangesandalittleeconomisedjuice。HemadeaNorthPoleonemorningfromthewholeofhisbedclothesexceptthebolster，andreacheditinabirch—barkcanoe（inprivatelifethefender），afteraterribleencounterwithapolarbearfashionedfromthebolsterandfourskittlesdressedupin"Da’s"nightgown。Afterthat，hisfather，seekingtosteadyhisimagination，broughthimIvanboe，Bevis，abookaboutKingArthur，andTomBrown’sSchooldays。Hereadthefirst，andforthreedaysbuilt，defendedandstormedFrontdeBoeuf’scastle，takingeverypartinthepieceexceptthoseofRebeccaandRowena;withpiercingcriesof:"Enavant，deBracy！"andsimilarutterances。AfterreadingthebookaboutKingArthurhebecamealmostexclusivelySirLamoracdeGalis，because，thoughtherewasverylittleabouthim，hepreferredhisnametothatofanyotherknight;andherodehisoldrocking—horsetodeath，armedwithalongbamboo。Bevishefoundtame;besides，itrequiredwoodsandanimals，ofwhichhehadnoneinhisnursery，excepthistwocats，FitzandPuckForsyte，whopermittednoliberties。ForTomBrownhewasasyettooyoung。

Therewasreliefinthehousewhen，afterthefourthweek，hewaspermittedtogodownandout。

ThemonthbeingMarchthetreeswereexceptionallylikethemastsofships，andforlittleJonthatwasawonderfulSpring，extremelyhardonhisknees，suits，andthepatienceof"Da，"whohadthewashingandreparationofhisclothes。Everymorningthemomenthisbreakfastwasover，hecouldbeviewedbyhismotherandfather，whosewindowslookedoutthatway，comingfromthestudy，crossingtheterrace，climbingtheoldoaktree，hisfaceresoluteandhishairbright。Hebeganthedaythusbecausetherewasnottimetogofarafieldbeforehislessons。Theoldtree’svarietyneverstaled;

ithadmainmast，foremast，top—gallantmast，andhecouldalwayscomedownbythehalyards——orropesoftheswing。Afterhislessons，completedbyeleven，hewouldgotothekitchenforathinpieceofcheese，abiscuitandtwoFrenchplums——provisionenoughforajolly—

boatatleast——andeatitinsomeimaginativeway;then，armedtotheteethwithgun，pistols，andsword，hewouldbegintheseriousclimbingofthemorning，encounteringbythewayinnumerableslavers，Indians，pirates，leopards，andbears。Hewasseldomseenatthathourofthedaywithoutacutlassinhisteeth（likeDickNeedham）

amidtherapidexplosionofcoppercaps。Andmanywerethegardenershebroughtdownwithyellowpeasshotoutofhislittlegun。Helivedalifeofthemostviolentaction。

"Jon，"saidhisfathertohismother，undertheoaktree，"isterrible。I’mafraidhe’sgoingtoturnoutasailor，orsomethinghopeless。Doyouseeanysignofhisappreciatingbeauty？"

"Notthefaintest。"

"Well，thankheavenhe’snoturnforwheelsorengines！Icanbearanythingbutthat。ButIwishhe’dtakemoreinterestinNature。"

"He’simaginative，Jolyon。"

"Yes，inasanguinaryway。Doesheloveanyonejustnow？"

"No;onlyeveryone。ThereneverwasanyonebornmorelovingormorelovablethanJon。"

"Beingyourboy，Irene。"

AtthismomentlittleJon，lyingalongabranchhighabovethem，broughtthemdownwithtwopeas;butthatfragmentoftalklodged，thick，inhissmallgizzard。Loving，lovable，imaginative，sanguinary！

Theleavesalsowerethickbynow，anditwastimeforhisbirthday，which，occurringeveryyearonthetwelfthofMay，wasalwaysmemorableforhischosendinnerofsweetbread，mushrooms，macaroons，andgingerbeer。

Betweenthateighthbirthday，however，andtheafternoonwhenhestoodintheJulyradianceattheturningofthestairway，severalimportantthingshadhappened。

"Da，"wornoutbywashinghisknees，ormovedbythatmysteriousinstinctwhichforcesevennursestodeserttheirnurslings，lefttheverydayafterhisbirthdayinfloodsoftears"tobemarried"——ofallthings——"toaman。"LittleJon，fromwhomithadbeenkept，wasinconsolableforanafternoon。Itoughtnottohavebeenkeptfromhim！Twolargeboxesofsoldiersandsomeartillery，togetherwithTheYoungBuglers，whichhadbeenamonghisbirthdaypresents，cooperatedwithhisgriefinasortofconversion，andinsteadofseekingadventuresinpersonandriskinghisownlife，hebegantoplayimaginativegames，inwhichheriskedthelivesofcountlesstinsoldiers，marbles，stonesandbeans。Oftheseformsof"chairacanon"hemadecollections，and，usingthemalternately，foughtthePeninsular，theSevenYears，theThirtyYears，andotherwars，aboutwhichhehadbeenreadingoflateinabigHistoryofEuropewhichhadbeenhisgrandfather’s。Healteredthemtosuithisgenius，andfoughtthemalloverthefloorinhisdaynursery，sothatnobodycouldcomein，forfearingofdisturbingGustavusAdolphus，KingofSweden，ortreadingonanarmyofAustrians。BecauseofthesoundofthewordhewaspassionatelyaddictedtotheAustrians，andfindingthereweresofewbattlesinwhichtheyweresuccessfulhehadtoinventtheminhisgames。HisfavouritegeneralswerePrinceEugene，theArchdukeCharlesandWallenstein。TillyandMack（"music—hallturns"heheardhisfathercallthemoneday，whateverthatmightmean）onereallycouldnotloveverymuch，Austrianthoughtheywere。

Foreuphonicreasons，too，hedotedonTurenne。

Thisphase，whichcausedhisparentsanxiety，becauseitkepthimindoorswhenheoughttohavebeenout，lastedthroughMayandhalfofJune，tillhisfatherkilleditbybringinghometohimTomSawyerandHuckleberryFinn。Whenhereadthosebookssomethinghappenedinhim，andhewentoutofdoorsagaininpassionatequestofariver。

TherebeingnoneonthepremisesatRobinHill，hehadtomakeoneoutofthepond，whichfortunatelyhadwaterlilies，dragonflies，gnats，bullrushes，andthreesmallwillowtrees。Onthispond，afterhisfatherandGarratthadascertainedbysoundingthatithadareliablebottomandwasnowheremorethantwofeetdeep，hewasallowedalittlecollapsiblecanoe，inwhichhespenthoursandhourspaddling，andlyingdownoutofsightofIndianJoeandotherenemies。Ontheshoreofthepond，too，hebuilthimselfawigwamaboutfourfeetsquare，ofoldbiscuittins，roofedinbyboughs。Inthishewouldmakelittlefires，andcookthebirdshehadnotshotwithhisgun，huntinginthecoppiceandfields，orthefishhedidnotcatchinthepondbecausetherewerenone。ThisoccupiedtherestofJuneandthatJuly，whenhisfatherandmotherwereawayinIreland。Heledalonelylifeof"makebelieve"duringthosefiveweeksofsummerweather，withgun，wigwam，waterandcanoe;and，howeverhardhisactivelittlebraintriedtokeepthesenseofbeautyaway，shedidcreepinonhimforasecondnowandthen，perchingonthewingofadragon—fly，glisteningonthewaterlilies，orbrushinghiseyeswithherblueasheJayonhisbackinambush。

"Auntie"June，whohadbeenleftincharge，hada"grown—up"inthehouse，withacoughandalargepieceofputtywhichhewasmakingintoaface;soshehardlyevercamedowntoseehiminthepond。

Once，however，shebroughtwithhertwoother"grown—ups。"LittleJon，whohappenedtohavepaintedhisnakedselfbrightblueandyellowinstripesoutofhisfather’swater—colourbox，andputsomeduck’sfeathersinhishair，sawthemcoming，and——ambushedhimselfamongthewillows。Ashehadforeseen，theycameatoncetohiswigwamandkneltdowntolookinside，sothatwithablood—curdlingyellhewasabletotakethescalpsof"Auntie"Juneandthewoman"grown—up"inanalmostcompletemannerbeforetheykissedhim。Thenamesofthetwogrown—upswere"Auntie"Hollyand"Uncle"Val，whohadabrownfaceandalittlelimp，andlaughedathimterribly。Hetookafancyto"Auntie"Holly，whoseemedtobeasistertoo;buttheybothwentawaythesameafternoonandhedidnotseethemagain。

Threedaysbeforehisfatherandmotherweretocomehome"Auntie"

Junealsowentoffinagreathurry，takingthe"grown—up"whocoughedandhispieceofputty;andMademoisellesaid:"Poorman，hewasvereeill。Iforbidyoutogointohisroom，Jon。"LittleJon，whorarelydidthingsmerelybecausehewastoldnotto，refrainedfromgoing，thoughhewasboredandlonely。Intruththedayofthepondwaspast，andhewasfilledtothebrimofhissoulwithrestlessnessandthewantofsomething——notatree，notagun——

somethingsoft。ThoselasttwodayshadseemedmonthsinspiteofCastUpbytheSea，whereinhewasreadingaboutMotherLeeandherterriblewreckingbonfire。Hehadgoneupanddownthestairsperhapsahundredtimesinthosetwodays，andoftenfromthedaynursery，wherehesleptnow，hadstolenintohismother’sroom，lookedateverything，withouttouching，andonintothedressing—

room;andstandingononelegbesidethebath，likeSlingsby，hadwhispered:

"Ho，ho，ho！Dogmycats！"mysteriously，tobringluck。Then，stealingback，hehadopenedhismother’swardrobe，andtakenalongsniffwhichseemedtobringhimnearerto——hedidn’tknowwhat。

Hehaddonethisjustbeforehestoodinthestreakofsunlight，debatinginwhichoftheseveralwaysheshouldslidedownthebanisters。Theyallseemedsilly，andinasuddenlanguorhebegandescendingthestepsonebyone。Duringthatdescenthecouldrememberhisfatherquitedistinctly——theshortgreybeard，thedeepeyestwinkling，thefurrowbetweenthem，thefunnysmile，thethinfigurewhichalwaysseemedsotalltolittleJon;buthismotherhecouldn’tsee。Allthatrepresentedherwassomethingswayingwithtwodarkeyeslookingbackathim;andthescentofherwardrobe。

Bellawasinthehall，drawingasidethebigcurtains，andopeningthefrontdoor。LittleJonsaid，wheedling"Bella！"

"Yes，MasterJon。"

"Dolet’shaveteaundertheoaktreewhentheycome;Iknowthey’dlikeitbest。"

"Youmeanyou’dlikeitbest。"

LittleJonconsidered。

"No，theywould，topleaseme。"

Bellasmiled。"Verywell，I’lltakeitoutifyou’llstayquiethereandnotgetintomischiefbeforetheycome。"

LittleJonsatdownonthebottomstep，andnodded。Bellacameclose，andlookedhimover。

"Getup！"shesaid。

LittleJongotup。Shescrutinizedhimbehind;hewasnotgreen，andhiskneesseemedclean。

"Allright！"shesaid。"My！Aren’tyoubrown？Givemeakiss！"

AndlittleJonreceivedapeckonhishair。

"Whatjam？"heasked。"I’msotiredofwaiting。"

"Gooseberryandstrawberry。"

Num！Theywerehisfavourites！

Whenshewasgonehesatstillforquiteaminute。ItwasquietinthebighallopentoitsEastendsothathecouldseeoneofhistrees，abrigsailingveryslowlyacrosstheupperlawn。Intheouterhallshadowswereslantingfromthepillars。LittleJongotup，jumpedoneofthem，andwalkedroundtheclumpofirisplantswhichfilledthepoolofgrey—whitemarbleinthecentre。Theflowerswerepretty，butonlysmelledaverylittle。Hestoodintheopendoorwayandlookedout。Suppose！——supposetheydidn’tcome！Hehadwaitedsolongthathefelthecouldnotbearthat，andhisattentionslidatoncefromsuchfinalitytothedustmotesinthebluishsunlightcomingin:Thrustinghishandup，hetriedtocatchsome。Bellaoughttohavedustedthatpieceofair！Butperhapstheyweren’tdust——onlywhatsunlightwasmadeof，andhelookedtoseewhetherthesunlightoutofdoorswasthesame。Itwasnot。Hehadsaidhewouldstayquietinthehall，buthesimplycouldn’tanymore;andcrossingthegravelofthedrivehelaydownonthegrassbeyond。Pullingsixdaisieshenamedthemcarefully，SirLamorac，SirTristram，SirLancelot，SirPalimedes，SirBors，SirGawain，andfoughtthemincouplestillonlySirLamorac，whomhehadselectedforaspeciallystoutstalk，hadhisheadon，andevenhe，afterthreeencounters，lookedwornandwaggly。Abeetlewasmovingslowlyinthegrass，whichalmostwantedcutting。Everybladewasasmalltree，roundwhosetrunkthebeetlehadtoglide。LittleJonstretchedoutSirLamorac，feetforemost，andstirredthecreatureup。Itscuttledpainfully。LittleJonlaughed，lostinterest，andsighed。Hisheartfeltempty。Heturnedoverandlayonhisback。

Therewasascentofhoneyfromthelimetreesinflower，andintheskythebluewasbeautiful，withafewwhitecloudswhichlookedandperhapstastedlikelemonice。HecouldhearBobplaying:"WaydownupondeSuwanneeribber"onhisconcertina，anditmadehimniceandsad。Heturnedoveragainandputhiseartotheground——Indianscouldhearthingscomingeversofar——buthecouldhearnothing——onlytheconcertina！Andalmostinstantlyhedidhearagrindingsound，afainttoot。Yes！itwasacar——coming——coming！Uphejumped。

Shouldhewaitintheporch，orrushupstairs，andastheycamein，shout:"Look！"andslideslowlydownthebanisters，headforemost？

Shouldhe？Thecarturnedinatthedrive。Itwastoolate！Andheonlywaited，jumpingupanddowninhisexcitement。Thecarcamequickly，whirred，andstopped。Hisfathergotout，exactlylikelife。HebentdownandlittleJonbobbedup——theybumped。Hisfathersaid"Blessus！Well，oldman，youarebrown！"Justashewould;andthesenseofexpectation——ofsomethingwanted——bubbledunextinguishedinlittleJon。Then，withalong，shylookhesawhismother，inabluedress，withabluemotorscarfoverhercapandhair，smiling。Hejumpedashighaseverhecould，twinedhislegsbehindherback，andhugged。Heheardhergasp，andfeltherhuggingback。Hiseyes，verydarkbluejustthen，lookedintohers，verydarkbrown，tillherlipsclosedonhiseyebrow，and，squeezingwithallhismight，heheardhercreakandlaugh，andsay:

"Youarestrong，Jon！"

Hesliddownatthat，andrushedintothehall，draggingherbythehand。

Whilehewaseatinghisjambeneaththeoaktree，henoticedthingsabouthismotherthathehadneverseemedtoseebefore，hercheeksforinstancewerecreamy，thereweresilverthreadsinherdarkgoldyhair，herthroathadnoknobinitlikeBella’s，andshewentinandoutsoftly。Henoticed，too，somelittlelinesrunningawayfromthecornersofhereyes，andanicedarknessunderthem。Shewaseversobeautiful，morebeautifulthan"Da"orMademoiselle，or"Auntie"Juneoreven"Auntie"Holly，towhomhehadtakenafancy;evenmorebeautifulthanBella，whohadpinkcheeksandcameouttoosuddenlyinplaces。Thisnewbeautifulnessofhismotherhadakindofparticularimportance，andheatelessthanhehadexpectedto。

Whenteawasoverhisfatherwantedhimtowalkroundthegardens。

Hehadalongconversationwithhisfatheraboutthingsingeneral，avoidinghisprivatelife——SirLamorac，theAustrians，andtheemptinesshehadfelttheselastthreedays，nowsosuddenlyfilledup。HisfathertoldhimofaplacecalledGlensofantrim，whereheandhismotherhadbeen;andofthelittlepeoplewhocameoutofthegroundtherewhenitwasveryquiet。LittleJoncametoahalt，withhisheelsapart。

"Doyoureallybelievetheydo，Daddy？""No，Jon，butIthoughtyoumight。"

"Why？"

"You’reyoungerthanI;andthey’refairies。"LittleJonsquaredthedimpleinhischin。

"Idon’tbelieveinfairies。Ineverseeany。""Ha！"saidhisfather。

"DoesMum？"

Hisfathersmiledhisfunnysmile。

"No;sheonlyseesPan。"

"What’sPan？"

"TheGoatyGodwhoskipsaboutinwildandbeautifulplaces。"

"WasheinGlensofantrim？"

"Mumsaidso。"

LittleJontookhisheelsup，andledon。

"Didyouseehim？"

"No;IonlysawVenusAnadyomene。"

LittleJonreflected;VenuswasinhisbookabouttheGreeksandTrojans。ThenAnnawasherChristianandDyomenehersurname？

Butitappeared，oninquiry，thatitwasoneword，whichmeantrisingfromthefoam。

"DidsherisefromthefoaminGlensofantrim？"

"Yes;everyday。"

"Whatisshelike，Daddy？"

"LikeMum。"

"Oh！Thenshemustbe……"buthestoppedatthat，rushedatawall，scrambledup，andpromptlyscrambleddownagain。Thediscoverythathismotherwasbeautifulwasonewhichhefeltmustabsolutelybekepttohimself。Hisfather’scigar，however，tooksolongtosmoke，thatatlasthewascompelledtosay:

"IwanttoseewhatMum’sbroughthome。Doyoumind，Daddy？"

Hepitchedthemotivelow，toabsolvehimfromunmanliness，andwasalittledisconcertedwhenhisfatherlookedathimrightthrough，heavedanimportantsigh，andanswered:

"Allright，oldman，yougoandloveher。"

Hewent，withapretenceofslowness，andthenrushed，tomakeup。

Heenteredherbedroomfromhisown，thedoorbeingopen。Shewasstillkneelingbeforeatrunk，andhestoodclosetoher，quitestill。

Shekneltupstraight，andsaid:

"Well，Jon？"

"IthoughtI’djustcomeandsee。"

Havinggivenandreceivedanotherhug，hemountedthewindow—seat，andtuckinghislegsupunderhimwatchedherunpack。Hederivedapleasurefromtheoperationsuchashehadnotyetknown，partlybecauseshewastakingoutthingswhichlookedsuspicious，andpartlybecausehelikedtolookather。Shemoveddifferentlyfromanybodyelse，especiallyfromBella;shewascertainlytherefinedest—lookingpersonhehadeverseen。Shefinishedthetrunkatlast，andkneltdowninfrontofhim。

"Haveyoumissedus，Jon？"

LittleJonnodded，andhavingthusadmittedhisfeelings，continuedtonod。

"Butyouhad’Auntie’June？"

"Oh！shehadamanwithacough。"

Hismother’sfacechanged，andlookedalmostangry。Headdedhastily:

"Hewasapoorman，Mum;hecoughedawfully;I——Ilikedhim。"

Hismotherputherhandsbehindhiswaist。

"Youlikeeverybody，Jon？"

LittleJonconsidered。

"Uptoapoint，"hesaid:"AuntieJunetookmetochurchoneSunday。"

"Tochurch？Oh！"

"Shewantedtoseehowitwouldaffectme。""Anddidit？"

"Yes。Icameoverallfunny，soshetookmehomeagainveryquick。

Iwasn’tsickafterall。Iwenttobedandhadhotbrandyandwater，andreadTheBoysofBeechwood。Itwasscrumptious。"

Hismotherbitherlip。

"Whenwasthat？"

"Oh！about——alongtimeago——Iwantedhertotakemeagain，butshewouldn’t。YouandDaddynevergotochurch，doyou？"

"No，wedon’t。"

"Whydon’tyou？"

Hismothersmiled。

"Well，dear，webothofuswentwhenwewerelittle。Perhapswewentwhenweweretoolittle。"

"Isee，"saidlittleJon，"it’sdangerous。"