第15章

Swithinenteredquietly，andlookedroundtheroom。Seeingwithunexpectedpleasurethatshewastherealone，hecameoverandkissedher。Herdiscomposureatsomeforegoneeventwassoonobvious。

’Hasmystayingcausedyouanytrouble？’heaskedinawhisper。

’Whereisyourbrotherthismorning？’

Shesmiledthroughherperplexityasshetookhishand。’Theoddestthingshappentome，dearSwithin，’shesaid。’Doyouwishparticularlytoknowwhathashappenednow？’

’Yes，ifyoudon’tmindtellingme。’

’Idomindtellingyou。ButImust。AmongotherthingsIamresolvingtogivewaytoyourrepresentations，——inpart，atleast。

ItwillbebesttotelltheBishopeverything，andmybrother，ifnototherpeople。’

’Iamtrulygladtohearit，Viviette，’saidhecheerfully。’Ihavefeltforalongtimethathonestyisthebestpolicy。’

’Iatanyratefeelitnow。Butitisapolicythatrequiresagreatdealofcourage！’

’Itcertainlyrequiressomecourage，——Ishouldnotsayagreatdeal;

andindeed，asfarasIamconcerned，itdemandslesscouragetospeakoutthantoholdmytongue。’

’But，yousillyboy，youdon’tknowwhathashappened。TheBishophasmademeanofferofmarriage。’

’Goodgracious，whatanimpertinentoldman！Whathaveyoudoneaboutit，dearest？’

’Well，Ihavehardlyacceptedhim，’shereplied，laughing。’ItisthiseventwhichhassuggestedtomethatIshouldmakemyrefusalareasonforconfidingoursituationtohim。’

’Whatwouldyouhavedoneifyouhadnotbeenalreadyappropriated？’

’That’saninscrutablemystery。Heisaworthyman;buthehasverypronouncedviewsabouthisownposition，andsomeotherundesirablequalities。Still，whoknows？Youmustblessyourstarsthatyouhavesecuredme。Nowletusconsiderhowtodrawupourconfessiontohim。IwishIhadlistenedtoyouatfirst，andallowedyoutotakehimintoourconfidencebeforehisdeclarationarrived。Hemaypossiblyresenttheconcealmentnow。However，thiscannotbehelped。’

’Itellyouwhat，Viviette，’saidSwithin，afterathoughtfulpause，’iftheBishopissuchanearthlysortofmanasthis，amanwhogoesfallinginlove，andwantingtomarryyou，andsoon，Iamnotdisposedtoconfessanythingtohimatall。Ifanciedhimaltogetherdifferentfromthat。’

’Buthe’snonetheworseforit，dear。’

’Ithinkheis——tolecturemeandloveyou，allinonebreath！’

’Still，that’sonlyapassingphase;andyoufirstproposedmakingaconfidantofhim。’

’Idid……Verywell。ThenwearetotellnobodybuttheBishop？’

’AndmybrotherLouis。Imusttellhim;itisunavoidable。HesuspectsmeinawayIcouldneverhavecreditedofhim！’

Swithin，aswasbeforestated，hadarrangedtostartforGreenwichthatmorning，permissionhavingbeenaccordedhimbytheAstronomer—

RoyaltoviewtheObservatory;andtheirfinaldecisionwasthat，ashecouldnotaffordtimetositdownwithher，andwritetotheBishopincollaboration，eachshould，duringtheday，composeawell—consideredletter，disclosingtheirpositionfromhisandherownpointofview;LadyConstantineleadinguptoherconfessionbyherrefusaloftheBishop’shand。ItwasnecessarythatsheshouldknowwhatSwithincontemplatedsaying，thatherstatementsmightpreciselyharmonize。Heultimatelyagreedtosendherhisletterbythenextmorning’spost，when，havingreadit，shewouldinduecoursedespatchitwithherown。

AssoonashehadbreakfastedSwithinwenthisway，promisingtoreturnfromGreenwichbytheendoftheweek。

Viviettepassedtheremainderofthatlongsummerday，duringwhichheryounghusbandwasrecedingtowardsthecapital，inanalmostmotionlessstate。Atsomeinstantsshefeltexultantattheideaofannouncinghermarriageanddefyinggeneralopinion。Atanotherherheartmisgaveher，andshewastormentedbyafearlestSwithinshouldsomedayaccuseherofhavinghamperedhisdeliberately—

shapedplanoflifebyherintrusiveromanticism。Thatwasoftenthetrickofmenwhohadsealedbymarriage，intheirinexperiencedyouth，aloveforthosewhomtheirmaturerjudgmentwouldhaverejectedastooobviouslydisproportionateinyears。

However，itwasnowtoolatefortheselugubriousthoughts;and，bracingherself，shebegantoframethenewreplytoBishopHelmsdale——theplain，unvarnishedtalethatwastosupplanttheundivulginganswerfirstwritten。Shewasengagedonthisdifficultproblemtilldaylightfadedinthewest，andthebroad—facedmoonedgedupwards，likeaplateofoldgold，overtheelmstowardsthevillage。BythattimeSwithinhadreachedGreenwich;herbrotherhadgonesheknewnotwhither;andsheandlonelinessdweltsolely，asbefore，withinthewallsofWellandHouse。

Atthishourofsunsetandmoonrisethenewparlourmaidentered，toinformherthatMr。Cecil’sheadclerk，fromWarborne，particularlywishedtoseeher。

Mr。Cecilwashersolicitor，andsheknewofnothingwhateverthatrequiredhisinterventionjustatpresent。Buthewouldnothavesentatthistimeofdaywithoutexcellentreasons，andshedirectedthattheyoungmanmightbeshowninwhereshewas。Onhisentrythefirstthingshenoticedwasthatinhishandhecarriedanewspaper。

’Incaseyoushouldnothaveseenthisevening’spaper，LadyConstantine，Mr。Cecilhasdirectedmetobringittoyouatonce，onaccountofwhatappearsthereinrelationtoyourladyship。Hehasonlyjustseenithimself。’

’Whatisit？Howdoesitconcernme？’

’Iwillpointitout。’

’Readityourselftome。ThoughIamafraidthere’snotenoughlight。’

’Icanseeverywellhere，’saidthelawyer’sclerksteppingtothewindow。Foldingbackthepaperheread:——

’"NEWSFROMSOUTHAFRICA。

’"CAPETOWN，May17（viaPlymouth）。——AcorrespondentoftheCapeChroniclestatesthathehasinterviewedanEnglishmanjustarrivedfromtheinterior，andlearnsfromhimthataconsiderablemisapprehensionexistsinEnglandconcerningthedeathofthetravellerandhunter，SirBlountConstantine——"’

’O，he’sliving！Myhusbandisalive，’shecried，sinkingdowninnearlyafaintingcondition。

’No，mylady。SirBlountisdeadenough，Iamsorrytosay。’

’Dead，didyousay？’

’Certainly，LadyConstantine;thereisnodoubtofit。’

Shesatup，andherintensereliefalmostmadeitselfperceptiblelikeafreshatmosphereintheroom。’Yes。Thenwhatdidyoucomefor？’sheaskedcalmly。

’ThatSirBlounthasdiedisunquestionable，’repliedthelawyer’sclerkgently。’Buttherehasbeensomemistakeaboutthedateofhisdeath。’

’HediedofmalariousfeveronthebanksoftheZouga，October24，18——。’

’No;heonlylayilltherealongtimeitseems。Itwasacompanionwhodiedatthatdate。ButI’llreadtheaccounttoyourladyship，withyourpermission:——

’"Thedeceaseofthissomewhateccentricwandererdidnotoccuratthetimehithertosupposed，butonlyinlastDecember。ThefollowingistheaccountoftheEnglishmanalludedto，givenasnearlyaspossibleinhisownwords:DuringtheillnessofSirBlountandhisfriendbytheZouga，threeoftheservantswentaway，takingwiththemaportionofhisclothingandeffects;anditmustbetheywhospreadthereportofhisdeathatthistime。Afterhiscompanion’sdeathhemended，andwhenhewasstrongenoughheandI

travelledontoahealthierdistrict。IurgedhimnottodelayhisreturntoEngland;buthewasmuchagainstgoingbackthereagain，andbecamesoroughinhismannertowardsmethatwepartedcompanyatthefirstopportunityIcouldfind。IjoinedapartyofwhitetradersreturningtotheWestCoast。IstayedhereamongthePortugueseformanymonths。IthenfoundthatanEnglishtravellingpartyweregoingtoexploreadistrictadjoiningthatwhichIhadformerlytraversedwithSirBlount。Theysaidtheywouldbegladofmyservices，andIjoinedthem。WhenwehadcrossedtheterritorytotheSouthofUlunda，anddrewneartoMarzambo，IheardtidingsofamanlivingtherewhomIsuspectedtobeSirBlount，althoughhewasnotknownbythatname。BeingsonearIwasinducedtoseekhimout，andfoundthathewasindeedthesame。Hehaddroppedhisoldnamealtogether，andhadmarriedanativeprincess——"’

’Marriedanativeprincess！’saidLadyConstantine。

’That’swhatitsays，mylady，——"marriedanativeprincessaccordingtotheritesofthetribe，andwaslivingveryhappilywithher。HetoldmeheshouldneverreturntoEnglandagain。HealsotoldmethathavingseenthisprincessjustafterIhadlefthim，hehadbeenattractedbyher，andhadthereupondecidedtoresidewithherinthatcountry，asbeingalandwhichaffordedhimgreaterhappinessthanhecouldhopetoattainelsewhere。Heaskedmetostaywithhim，insteadofgoingonwithmyparty，andnotrevealhisrealtitletoanyofthem。AftersomehesitationIdidstay，andwasnotuncomfortableatfirst。ButIsoonfoundthatSirBlountdrankmuchhardernowthanwhenIhadknownhim，andthathewasattimesverygreatlydepressedinmindathisposition。OnemorninginthemiddleofDecemberlastIheardashotfromhisdwelling。

HiswiferushedfranticallypastmeasIhastenedtothespot，andwhenIenteredIfoundthathehadputanendtohimselfwithhisrevolver。Hisprincesswasbroken—heartedallthatday。WhenwehadburiedhimIdiscoveredinhishousealittleboxdirectedtohissolicitorsatWarborne，inEngland，andanoteformyself，sayingthatIhadbettergetthefirstchanceofreturningthatoffered，andrequestingmetotaketheboxwithme。ItissupposedtocontainpapersandarticlesforfriendsinEnglandwhohavedeemedhimdeadforsometime。"’

Theclerkstoppedhisreading，andtherewasasilence。’ThemiddleoflastDecember，’sheatlengthsaid，inawhisper。’Hastheboxarrivedyet？’

’Notyet，mylady。Wehavenofurtherproofofanything。Assoonasthepackagecomestohandyoushallknowofitimmediately。’

Suchwastheclerk’smission;and，leavingthepaperwithher，hewithdrew。Theintelligenceamountedtothusmuch:that，SirBlounthavingbeenalivetillatleastsixweeksafterhermarriagewithSwithinSt。Cleeve，SwithinSt。Cleevewasnotherhusbandintheeyeofthelaw;thatshewouldhavetoconsiderhowhermarriagewiththelattermightbeinstantlyrepeated，toestablishherselflegallyasthatyoungman’swife。

XXXIII

NextmorningViviettereceivedavisitfromMr。Cecilhimself。Heinformedherthattheboxspokenofbytheservanthadarrivedquiteunexpectedlyjustafterthedepartureofhisclerkonthepreviousevening。Therehadnotbeensufficienttimeforhimtothoroughlyexamineitasyet，buthehadseenenoughtoenablehimtostatethatitcontainedletters，datedmemorandainSirBlount’shandwriting，notesreferringtoeventswhichhadhappenedlaterthanhissupposeddeath，andotherirrefragableproofsthattheaccountinthenewspaperswascorrectastothemainfact——thecomparativelyrecentdateofSirBlount’sdecease。

Shelookedup，andspokewiththeirresponsiblehelplessnessofachild。

’Onreviewingthecircumstances，IcannotthinkhowIcouldhaveallowedmyselftobelievethefirsttidings！’shesaid。

’Everybodyelsebelievedthem，andwhyshouldyounothavedoneso？’

saidthelawyer。

’Howcamethewilltobepermittedtobeproved，astherecould，afterall，havebeennocompleteevidence？’sheasked。’IfIhadbeentheexecutrixIwouldnothaveattemptedit！AsIwasnot，I

knowverylittleabouthowthebusinesswaspushedthrough。Inaveryunseemlyway，Ithink。’

’Well，no，’saidMr。Cecil，feelinghimselfmorallycalledupontodefendlegalprocedurefromsuchimputations。’Itwasdoneintheusualwayinallcaseswheretheproofofdeathisonlypresumptive。

Theevidence，suchasitwas，waslaidbeforethecourtbytheapplicants，yourhusband’scousins;andtheservantswhohadbeenwithhimdeposedtohisdeathwithaparticularitythatwasdeemedsufficient。Theirerrorwas，notthatsomebodydied——forsomebodydiddieatthetimeaffirmed——butthattheymistookonepersonforanother;thepersonwhodiedbeingnotSirBlountConstantine。ThecourtwasofopinionthattheevidenceleduptoareasonableinferencethatthedeceasedwasactuallySirBlount，andprobatewasgrantedonthestrengthofit。Astherewasadoubtabouttheexactdayofthemonth，theapplicantswereallowedtoswearthathediedonorafterthedatelastgivenofhisexistence——which，inspiteoftheirerrorthen，hasreallycometrue，now，ofcourse。’

’Theylittlethinkwhattheyhavedonetomebybeingsoreadytoswear！’shemurmured。

Mr。Cecil，supposinghertoalludeonlytothepecuniarystraitsinwhichshehadbeenprematurelyplacedbythewilltakingeffectayearbeforeitsduetime，said，’True。Ithasbeentoyourladyship’sloss，andtotheirgain。Buttheywillmakeamplerestitution，nodoubt:andallwillbewoundupsatisfactorily。’

LadyConstantinewasfarfromexplainingthatthiswasnothermeaning;and，aftersomefurtherconversationofapurelytechnicalnature，Mr。Cecilleftherpresence。

Whenshewasagainunencumberedwiththenecessityofexhibitingaproperbearing，thesensethatshehadgreatlysufferedinpocketbytheunduehasteoftheexecutorsweigheduponhermindwithapressurequiteinappreciablebesidethegreatergravityofherpersonalposition。Whatwasherpositionaslegateetohersituationasawoman？Herfacecrimsonedwithaflushwhichshewasalmostashamedtoshowtothedaylight，asshehastilypennedthefollowingnotetoSwithinatGreenwich——certainlyoneofthemostinformaldocumentsshehadeverwritten。

’WELLAND，Thursday。

’OSwithin，mydearSwithin，whatIhavetotellyouissosadandsohumiliatingthatIcanhardlywriteit——andyetImust。Thoughwearedearertoeachotherthanalltheworldbesides，andasfirmlyunitedasifwewereone，Iamnotlegallyyourwife！SirBlountdidnotdietillsometimeafterweinEnglandsupposed。Theservicemustberepeatedinstantly。Ihavenotbeenabletosleepallnight。IfeelsofrightenedandashamedthatIcanscarcelyarrangemythoughts。Thenewspaperssentwiththiswillexplain，ifyouhavenotseenparticulars。Docometomeassoonasyoucan，thatwemayconsultonwhattodo。Burnthisatonce。

’YourVIVIETTE。’

Whenthenotewasdespatchedsherememberedthattherewasanotherhardlylessimportantquestiontobeanswered——theproposaloftheBishopforherhand。Hiscommunicationhadsunkintonothingnessbesidethemomentousnewsthathadsogreatlydistressedher。Thetworeplieslaybeforeher——theoneshehadfirstwritten，simplydecliningtobecomeDr。Helmsdale’swife，withoutgivingreasons;

thesecond，whichshehadelaboratedwithsomuchcareonthepreviousday，relatinginconfidentialdetailthehistoryofherloveforSwithin，theirsecretmarriage，andtheirhopesforthefuture;askinghisadviceonwhattheirprocedureshouldbetoescapethestricturesofacensoriousworld。ItwasthelettershehadbarelyfinishedwritingwhenMr。Cecil’sclerkannouncednewstantamounttoadeclarationthatshewasnowifeatall。

Thisepistleshenowdestroyed——andwiththelessreluctanceinknowingthatSwithinhadbeensomewhataversetotheconfessionassoonashefoundthatBishopHelmsdalewasalsoavictimtotendersentimentconcerningher。Thefirst，inwhich，atthetimeofwriting，thesuppressioveriwastoostrongforherconscience，hadnowbecomeanhonestletter，andsadlyfoldingitshesentthemissiveonitsway。

Thesenseofherundefinablepositionkeptherfrommuchreposeonthesecondnightalso;butthefollowingmorningbroughtanunexpectedletterfromSwithin，writtenaboutthesamehourasherstohim，anditcomfortedhermuch。

Hehadseentheaccountinthepapersalmostassoonasithadcometoherknowledge，andsentthislinetoreassureherintheperturbationshemustnaturallyfeel。Shewasnottobealarmedatall。Theytwowerehusbandandwifeinmoralintentandantecedentbelief，andthelegalflawwhichaccidenthadsocuriouslyuncoveredcouldbemendedinhalf—an—hour。HewouldreturnonSaturdaynightatlatest，butasthehourwouldprobablybefaradvanced，hewouldaskhertomeethimbyslippingoutofthehousetothetoweranytimeduringserviceonSundaymorning，whentherewouldbefewpersonsaboutlikelytoobservethem。Meanwhilehemightprovisionallystatethattheirbestcourseintheemergencywouldbe，insteadofconfessingtoanybodythattherehadalreadybeenasolemnizationofmarriagebetweenthem，toarrangetheirre—marriageinasopenamanneraspossible——asifitwerethejust—reachedclimaxofasuddenaffection，insteadofaharkingbacktoanolddeparture——prefacingitbyapublicannouncementintheusualway。

Thisplanofapproachingtheirsecondunionwithalltheshowandcircumstanceofanewthing，recommendeditselftoherstrongly，butforoneobjection——thatbysuchacoursetheweddingcouldnot，withoutappearinglikeanactofunseemlyhaste，takeplacesoquicklyasshedesiredforherownmoralsatisfaction。Itmighttakeplacesomewhatearly，sayinthecourseofamonthortwo，withoutbringingdownuponherthechargeoflevity;forSirBlount，anotoriouslyunkindhusband，hadbeenoutofhersightfouryears，andinhisgravenearlyone。Butwhatshenaturallydesiredwasthatthereshouldbenomoredelaythanwaspositivelynecessaryforobtaininganewlicense——twoorthreedaysatlongest;andinviewofthiscelerityitwasnexttoimpossibletomakeduepreparationforaweddingofordinarypublicity，performedinherownchurch，fromherownhouse，withafeastandamusementsforthevillagers，ateafortheschoolchildren，abonfire，andotherofthoseproclamatoryaccessorieswhich，bymeetingwonderhalf—way，depriveitofmuchofitsintensity。Itmustbeadmitted，too，thatsheevennowshrankfromtheshockofsurprisethatwouldinevitablybecausedbyheropenlytakingforhusbandsuchamereyouthofnopositionasSwithinstillappeared，notwithstandingthatinyearshewasbythistimewithinatrifleofone—and—twenty。

Thestraightforwardcoursehad，nevertheless，somuchtorecommendit，sowellavoidedthedisadvantageoffuturerevelationwhichaprivaterepetitionoftheceremonywouldentail，thatassumingshecoulddependuponSwithin，assheknewshecoulddo，goodsensecounselleditsseriousconsideration。

Shebecamemorecomposedatherqueersituation:hourafterhourpassed，andthefirstspasmodicimpulseofwomanlydecorum——nottoletthesungodownuponherpresentimproperstate——wasquitecontrollable。Shecouldregardthestrangecontingencythathadarisenwithsomethinglikephilosophy。Thedayslippedby:shethoughtoftheawkwardnessoftheaccidentratherthanofitshumiliation;and，lovingSwithinnowinafarcalmerspiritthanatthatpastdatewhentheyhadrushedintoeachother’sarmsandvowedtobeoneforthefirsttime，sheeverandanoncaughtherselfreflecting，’Wereitnotthatformyhonour’ssakeImustre—marryhim，Ishouldperhapsbeanoblerwomaninnotallowinghimtoencumberhisbrightfuturebyaunionwithmeatall。’

Thisthought，atfirstartificiallyraised，aslittlemorethanamentalexercise，becamebystagesagenuineconviction;andwhileherheartenforced，herreasonregrettedthenecessityofabstainingfromself—sacrifice——thebeingobliged，despitehiscuriousescapefromthefirstattempt，tolimeSwithin’syoungwingsagainsolelyforhercredit’ssake。

However，thedeedhadtobedone;Swithinwastobemadelegallyhers。Selfishnessinaconjunctureofthissortwasexcusable，andevenobligatory。Takingbrighterviews，shehopedthatuponthewholethisyokingoftheyoungfellowwithher，aportionlesswomanandhissenior，wouldnotgreatlyendangerhiscareer。Insuchamoodnightovertookher，andshewenttobedconjecturingthatSwithinhadbythistimearrivedintheparish，wasperhapsevenatthatmomentpassinghomewardbeneathherwalls，andthatinlessthantwelvehoursshewouldhavemethim，haveventilatedthesecretwhichoppressedher，andhavesatisfactorilyarrangedwithhimthedetailsoftheirreunion。

XXXIV

Sundaymorningcame，andcomplicatedherpreviousemotionsbybringinganewandunexpectedshocktominglewiththem。Thepostmanhaddeliveredamongotherthingsanillustratednewspaper，sentbyahandshedidnotrecognize;andonopeningthecoverthesheetthatmethereyesfilledherwithahorrorwhichshecouldnotexpress。Theprintwasonewhichdrewlargelyonitsimaginationforitsengravings，anditalreadycontainedanillustrationofthedeathofSirBlountConstantine。Inthisworkofarthewasrepresentedasstandingwithhispistoltohismouth，hisbrainsbeinginprocessofflyinguptotheroofofhischamber，andhisnativeprincessrushingterror—strickenawaytoaremotepositioninthethicketofpalmswhichneighbouredthedwelling。

Thecruderealismofthepicture，possiblyharmlessenoughinitseffectuponothers，overpoweredandsickenedher。Byacuriousfascinationshewouldlookatitagainandagain，tilleverylineoftheengraver’sperformanceseemedreallyatranscriptfromwhathadhappenedbeforehiseyes。Withsuchdetailsfreshinherthoughtsshewasgoingoutofthedoortomakearrangementsforconfirming，byrepetition，hermarriagewithanother。Nointervalwasavailableforseriousreflectiononthetragedy，orforallowingthesofteningeffectsoftimetooperateinhermind。Itwasasthoughherfirsthusbandhaddiedthatmoment，andshewaskeepinganappointmentwithanotherinthepresenceofhiscorpse。

SorevivedwastheactualityofSirBlount’srecentlifeanddeathbythisincident，thatthedistressofherpersonalrelationswithSwithinwasthesingleforceintheworldwhichcouldhavecoercedherintoabandoningtohimtheintervalshewouldfainhavesetapartforgettingoverthesenewandpainfulimpressions。Self—pityforill—usageaffordedhergoodreasonsforceasingtoloveSirBlount;buthewasyettoocloselyintertwinedwithherpastlifetobedestructibleontheinstantasamemory。

Buttherewasnochoiceofoccasionsforhernow，andshesteadilywaitedforthechurchbellstoceasechiming。Atlastallwassilent;thesurroundingcottagershadgatheredthemselveswithinthewallsoftheadjacentbuilding。TabithaLark’sfirstvoluntarythendronedfromthetowerwindow，andLadyConstantineleftthegardeninwhichshehadbeenloitering，andwenttowardsRings—HillSpeer。

Thesenseofhersituationobscuredthemorningprospect。Thecountrywasunusuallysilentundertheintensifyingsun，thesonglessseasonofbirdshavingjustsetin。Choosingherpathamidtheeftsthatwerebaskingupontheouterslopesoftheplantationshewoundherwayupthetree—shroudedcamptothewoodencabininthecentre。

Thedoorwasajar，butonenteringshefoundtheplaceempty。Thetowerdoorwasalsopartlyopen;andlisteningatthefootofthestairssheheardSwithinabove，shiftingthetelescopeandwheelingroundtherumblingdome，apparentlyinpreparationforthenextnocturnalreconnoitre。Therewasnodoubtthathewoulddescendinaminuteortwotolookforher，andnotwishingtointerrupthimtillhewasreadyshere—enteredthecabin，whereshepatientlyseatedherselfamongthebooksandpapersthatlayscatteredabout。

Shedidasshehadoftendonebeforewhenwaitingthereforhim;

thatis，sheoccupiedhermomentsinturningoverthepapersandexaminingtheprogressofhislabours。Thenotesweremostlyastronomical，ofcourse，andshehadmanagedtokeepsufficientlyabreastofhimtocatchthemeaningofagoodmanyofthese。Thelitteronthetable，however，wassomewhatmoremarkedthismorningthanusual，asifithadbeenhurriedlyoverhauled。Amongtherestofthesheetslayanopennote，and，intheentireconfidencethatexistedbetweenthem，sheglancedoverandreaditasamatterofcourse。

Itwasamostbusiness—likecommunication，andbeyondtheaddressanddatecontainedonlythefollowingwords:——

’DEARSIR，——Webegleavetodrawyourattentiontoaletterweaddressedtoyouonthe26thult。，towhichwehavenotyetbeenfavouredwithareply。Asthetimeforpaymentofthefirstmoietyofthesixhundredpoundsperannumsettledonyoubyyourlateuncleisnowathand，weshouldbeobligedbyyourgivingdirectionsastowhereandinwhatmannerthemoneyistobehandedovertoyou，andshallalsobegladtoreceiveanyotherdefiniteinstructionsfromyouwithregardtothefuture。——Weare，dearSir，yoursfaithfully，HANNERANDRAWLES。’

’SWITHINST。CLEEVE，Esq。’

AnincomeofsixhundredayearforSwithin，whomshehadhithertounderstoodtobepossessedofanannuityofeightypoundsattheoutside，withnoprospectofincreasingthesumbutbyhardwork！

Whatcouldthiscommunicationmean？Hewhosecustomanddelightitwastotellherallhisheart，hadbreathednotasyllableofthismattertoher，thoughitmettheverydifficultytowardswhichtheirdiscussionsinvariablytended——howtosecureforhimacompetencythatshouldenablehimtoestablishhispursuitsonawiderbasis，andthrowhimselfintomoredirectcommunionwiththescientificworld。Quitebewilderedbythelackofanyexplanationsherosefromherseat，andwiththenoteinherhandascendedthewindingtower—steps。

Reachingtheupperaperturesheperceivedhimunderthedome，movingmusinglyaboutasifhehadneverbeenabsentanhour，hislighthairfrillingoutfromundertheedgeofhisvelvetskull—capasitwasalwayswonttodo。Noquestionofmarriageseemedtobedisturbingthemindofthisjuvenilehusbandofhers。Theprimummobileofhisgravitationwasapparentlytheequatorialtelescopewhichshehadgivenhim，andwhichhewascarefullyadjustingbymeansofscrewsandclamps。Hearinghermovementsheturnedhishead。

’Ohereyouare，mydearViviette！Iwasjustbeginningtoexpectyou，’heexclaimed，comingforward。’Ioughttohavebeenlookingoutforyou，butIhavefoundalittledefecthereintheinstrument，andIwantedtosetitrightbeforeeveningcomeson。

Asaruleitisnotagoodthingtotinkeryourglasses;butIhavefoundthatthediffraction—ringsarenotperfectcircles。IlearntatGreenwichhowtocorrectthem——sokindtheyhavebeentomethere！——andsoIhavebeenlooseningthescrewsandgentlyshiftingtheglass，tillIthinkthatIhaveatlastmadetheilluminationequalallround。Ihavesomuchtotellyouaboutmyvisit;onethingis，thattheastronomicalworldisgettingquiteexcitedaboutthecomingTransitofVenus。Thereistobearegularexpeditionfittedout。HowIshouldliketojoinit！’

Hespokeenthusiastically，andwitheyessparklingatthementalimageofthesaidexpedition;andasitwasrathergloomyinthedomeherolleditroundonitsaxis，tilltheshutteredslitforthetelescopedirectlyfacedthemorningsun，whichthereuponfloodedtheconcaveinterior，touchingthebrightmetal—workoftheequatorial，andlightingupherpale，troubledface。

’ButSwithin！’shefaltered;’mylettertoyou——ourmarriage！’

’Oyes，thismarriagequestion，’headded。’Ihadnotforgottenit，dearViviette——oratleastonlyforafewminutes。’

’Canyouforgetit，Swithin，foramoment？Ohowcanyou！’shesaidreproachfully。’Itissuchadistressingthing。Itdrivesawayallmyrest！’

’ForgottenisnotthewordIshouldhaveused，’heapologized。

’Temporarilydismisseditfrommymind，isallImeant。Thesimplefactis，thatthevastnessofthefieldofastronomyreduceseveryterrestrialthingtoatomicdimensions。Donottrouble，dearest。

Theremedyisquiteeasy，asIstatedinmyletter。Wecannowbemarriedinaprosypublicway。Yes，earlyorlate——nextweek，nextmonth，sixmonthshence——justasyouchoose。Saythewordwhen，andIwillobey。’

Theabsenceofallanxietyorconsternationfromhisfacecontrastedstrangelywithhers，whichatlasthesaw，and，lookingatthewritingsheheld，inquired——

’Butwhatpaperhaveyouinyourhand？’

’Aletterwhichtomeisactuallyinexplicable，’saidshe，hercuriosityreturningtotheletter，andoverridingfortheinstantherimmediateconcerns。’Whatdoesthisincomeofsixhundredayearmean？Whyhaveyounevertoldmeaboutit，dearSwithin？ordoesitnotrefertoyou？’

Helookedatthenote，flushedslightly，andwasabsolutelyunabletobeginhisreplyatonce。

’Ididnotmeanyoutoseethat，Viviette，’hemurmured。