第16章

’Whynot？’

’Ithoughtyouhadbetternot，asitdoesnotconcernmefurthernow。Thesolicitorsarelabouringunderamistakeinsupposingthatitdoes。Ihavetowriteatonceandinformthemthattheannuityisnotminetoreceive。’

’Whatastrangemysteryinyourlife！’shesaid，forcingaperplexedsmile。’Somethingtobalancethetragedyinmine。Iamabsolutelyinthedarkastoyourpasthistory，itseems。AndyetIhadthoughtyoutoldmeeverything。’

’Icouldnottellyouthat，Viviette，becauseitwouldhaveendangeredourrelations——thoughnotinthewayyoumaysuppose。

Youwouldhavereprovedme。You，whoaresogenerousandnoble，wouldhaveforbiddenmetodowhatIdid;andIwasdeterminednottobeforbidden。’

’Todowhat？’

’Tomarryyou。’

’WhyshouldIhaveforbidden？’

’MustItell——whatIwouldnot？’hesaid，placinghishandsuponherarms，andlookingsomewhatsadlyather。’Well，perhapsasithascometothisyououghttoknowall，sinceitcanmakenopossibledifferencetomyintentionsnow。Weareoneforever——legalblundersnotwithstanding;forhappilytheyarequicklyreparable——

andthisquestionofadevisefrommyuncleJocelynonlyconcernedmewhenIwasasingleman。’

Thereupon，withobviouslynoconsiderationofthepossibilitiesthatwerereopenedofthenullityoftheirmarriagecontract，herelatedindetail，andnotwithoutmisgivingforhavingconcealedthemsolong，theeventsthathadoccurredonthemorningoftheirwedding—

day;howhehadmetthepostmanonhiswaytoWarborneafterdressinginthecabin，andhowhehadreceivedfromhimtheletterhisdeadunclehadconfidedtohisfamilylawyers，informinghimoftheannuity，andoftheimportantrequestattached——thatheshouldremainunmarrieduntilhisfive—and—twentiethyear;howincomparisonwiththepossessionofherdearselfhehadreckonedtheincomeasnought，abandonedallideaofitthereandthen，andhadcomeontotheweddingasifnothinghadhappenedtointerruptforamomenttheworkingoutoftheirplan;howhehadscarcelythoughtwithanyclosenessofthecircumstancesofthecasesince，untilremindedofthembythisnoteshehadseen，andapreviousoneofalikesortreceivedfromthesamesolicitors。

’OSwithin！Swithin！’shecried，burstingintotearsassherealizeditall，andsinkingontheobserving—chair;’Ihaveruinedyou！yes，Ihaveruinedyou！’

Theyoungmanwasdismayedbyherunexpectedgrief，andendeavouredtosootheher;butsheseemedtouchedbyapoignantremorsewhichwouldnotbecomforted。

’Andnow，’shecontinued，assoonasshecouldspeak，’whenyouareoncemorefree，andinaposition——actuallyinapositiontoclaimtheannuitythatwouldbethemakingofyou，Iamcompelledtocometoyou，andbeseechyoutoundoyourselfagain，merelytosaveme！’

’Nottosaveyou，Viviette，buttoblessme。Youdonotaskmetore—marry;itisnotaquestionofalternativesatall;itismystraightcourse。Idonotdreamofdoingotherwise。IshouldbewretchedifyouthoughtforonemomentIcouldentertaintheideaofdoingotherwise。’

Butthemorehesaidtheworsehemadethematter。Itwasastateofaffairsthatwouldnotbeardiscussionatall，andtheunsophisticatedviewhetookofhiscourseseemedtoincreaseherresponsibility。

’Whydidyouruncleattachsuchacruelconditiontohisbounty？’

shecriedbitterly。’O，helittlethinkshowhardhehitsmefromthegrave——me，whohaveneverdonehimwrong;andyou，too！

Swithin，areyousurethathemakesthatconditionindispensable？

Perhapshemeantthatyoushouldnotmarrybeneathyou;perhapshedidnotmeantoobjectinsuchacaseasyourmarrying（forgivemeforsayingit）alittleaboveyou。’

’Thereisnodoubtthathedidnotcontemplateacasewhichhasledtosuchhappinessasthishasdone，’theyouthmurmuredwithhesitation;forthoughhescarcelyrememberedawordofhisuncle’sletterofadvice，hehadadimapprehensionthatitwascouchedintermsalludingspecificallytoLadyConstantine。

’Areyousureyoucannotretainthemoney，andbemylawfulhusbandtoo？’sheaskedpiteously。’O，whatawrongIamdoingyou！Ididnotdreamthatitcouldbeasbadasthis。IknewIwaswastingyourtimebylettingyouloveme，andhamperingyourprojects;butI

thoughttherewerecompensatingadvantages。ThiswreckingofyourfutureatmyhandsIdidnotcontemplate。Youaresurethereisnoescape？Haveyouhisletterwiththeconditions，orthewill？Letmeseetheletterinwhichheexpresseshiswishes。’

’IassureyouitisallasIsay，’hepensivelyreturned。’EvenifIwerenotlegallyboundbytheconditionsIshouldbemorally。’

’Buthowdoesheputit？Howdoeshejustifyhimselfinmakingsuchaharshrestriction？Doletmeseetheletter，Swithin。Ishallthinkitawantofconfidenceifyoudonot。Imaydiscoversomewayoutofthedifficultyifyouletmelookatthepapers。

Eccentricwillscanbeevadedinallsortsofways。’

Stillhehesitated。’Iwouldratheryoudidnotseethepapers，’hesaid。

Butshepersistedasonlyafondwomancan。Herconvictionwasthatshewho，asawomanmanyyearshissenior，shouldhaveshownherloveforhimbyguidinghimstraightintothepathsheaimedat，hadblockedhisattemptedcareerforherownhappiness。Thismadehermoreintentthanevertofindoutadevicebywhich，whileshestillretainedhim，hemightalsoretainthelife—interestunderhisuncle’swill。

Herentreatieswereatlengthtoopotentforhisresistance。

Accompanyingherdownstairstothecabin，heopenedthedeskfromwhichtheotherpapershadbeentaken，andagainsthisbetterjudgmenthandedhertheominouscommunicationofJocelynSt。Cleevewhichlayintheenvelopejustasithadbeenreceivedthree—

quartersofayearearlier。

’Don’treaditnow，’hesaid。’Don’tspoilourmeetingbyenteringintoasubjectwhichisvirtuallypastanddonewith。Takeitwithyou，andlookitoveratyourleisure——merelyasanoldcuriosity，remember，andnotasastilloperativedocument。Ihavealmostforgottenwhatthecontentsare，beyondthegeneraladviceandstipulationthatIwastoremainabachelor。’

’Atanyrate，’sherejoined，’donotreplytothenoteIhaveseenfromthesolicitorstillIhavereadthisalso。’

Hepromised。’Butnowaboutourpublicwedding，’hesaid。’Likecertainroyalpersonages，weshallhavehadthereligiousriteandthecivilcontractperformedonindependentoccasions。Willyoufixtheday？Whenisittobe？andshallittakeplaceataregistrar’soffice，sincethereisnonecessityforhavingthesacredpartoveragain？’

’I’llthink，’repliedshe。’I’llthinkitover。’

’Andletmeknowassoonasyoucanhowyoudecidetoproceed。’

’Iwillwriteto—morrow，orcome。Idonotknowwhattosaynow。I

cannotforgethowIamwrongingyou。ThisisalmostmorethanIcanbear！’

TodiverthermindhebegantalkingaboutGreenwichObservatory，andthegreatinstrumentstherein，andhowhehadbeenreceivedbytheastronomers，andthedetailsoftheexpeditiontoobservetheTransitofVenus，togetherwithmanyothersubjectsofthesort，towhichshehadnotpowertolendherattention。

’Imustreachhomebeforethepeopleareoutofchurch，’sheatlengthsaidwearily。’IwishnobodytoknowIhavebeenoutthismorning。’AndforbiddingSwithintocrossintotheopeninhercompanyshelefthimontheedgeoftheisolatedplantation，whichhadlatterlyknownhertreadsowell。

XXXV

LadyConstantinecrossedthefieldandtheparkbeyond，andfoundonpassingthechurchthatthecongregationwasstillwithin。Therewasnohurryforgettingindoors，theopenwindowsenablinghertohearthatMr。Torkinghamhadonlyjustgivenouthistext。Soinsteadofenteringthehouseshewentthroughthegarden—doortotheoldbowling—green，andsatdowninthearbourthatLouishadoccupiedwhenheoverheardtheinterviewbetweenSwithinandtheBishop。Notuntilthendidshefindcouragetodrawouttheletterandpapersrelatingtothebequest，whichSwithininacriticalmomenthadhandedtoher。

HadhebeeneversolittleolderhewouldnothaveplacedthatunconsideredconfidenceinViviettewhichhadledhimtogivewaytohercuriosity。Buttheinfluenceoverhimwhicheightornineoutnumberingyearslentherwasimmenselyincreasedbyherhigherpositionandwiderexperiences，andhehadyieldedthepoint，asheyieldedallsocialpoints;whilethesameconditionsexemptedhimfromanydeepconsciousnessthatitwashisdutytoprotectherevenfromherself。

ThepreambleofDr。St。Cleeve’sletter，inwhichhereferredtohispleasureathearingoftheyoungman’spromiseasanastronomer，disturbedhernotatall——indeed，somewhatprepossessedherinfavouroftheoldgentlemanwhohadwrittenit。Thefirstitemofwhathecalled’unfavourablenews，’namely，theallusiontotheinadequacyofSwithin’sincometothewantsofascientificman，whoselinesofworkwerenotcalculatedtoproducepecuniaryemolumentformanyyears，deepenedthecastofherfacetoconcern。

Shereachedtheseconditemoftheso—calledunfavourablenews;andherfaceflushedasshereadhowthedoctorhadlearnt’thattherewassomethinginyourpathworsethannarrowmeans，andthatsomethingisawoman。’

’Tosaveyou，ifpossible，fromruinontheseheads，’shereadon，’Itakethepreventivemeasuresentailedbelow。’

Andthenfollowedtheannouncementofthe600poundsayearsettledontheyouthforlife，onthesingleconditionthatheremainedunmarriedtilltheageoftwenty—five——justasSwithinhadexplainedtoher。Shenextlearntthatthebequestwasforadefiniteobject—

—thathemighthaveresourcessufficienttoenablehimtotravelinaninexpensiveway，andbeginastudyofthesouthernconstellations，which，accordingtotheshrewdoldman’sjudgment，wereaminenotsothoroughlyworkedasthenorthern，andthereforetoberecommended。Thiswasfollowedbysomesentenceswhichhitherinthefacelikeaswitch:——

’Theonlyotherpreventivestepinmypoweristhatofexhortation……SwithinSt。Cleeve，don’tmakeafoolofyourself，asyourfatherdid。Ifyourstudiesaretobeworthanything，believemetheymustbecarriedonwithoutthehelpofawoman。Avoidher，andeveryoneofthesex，ifyoumeantoachieveanyworthything。

Eschewallofthatsortformanyayearyet。Moreover，Isay，theladyofyouracquaintanceavoidinparticular……Shehas，inadditiontoheroriginaldisqualificationasacompanionforyou（thatis，thatofsex），thesetwospecialdrawbacks:sheismucholderthanyourself——’

LadyConstantine’sindignantflushforsookher，andpaledespairsucceededinitsstead。Alas，itwastrue。Handsome，andinherprime，shemightbe;butshewastoooldforSwithin！

’Andsheissoimpoverished……Beyondthis，frankly，Idon’tthinkwellofher。Idon’tthinkwellofanywomanwhodotesuponamanyoungerthanherself……Tocaretobethefirstfancyofayoungfellowlikeyoushowsnogreatcommonsenseinher。Ifshewereworthhersaltshewouldhavetoomuchpridetobeintimatewithayouthinyourunassuredposition，tosaynomore。’

（Viviette’sfacebythistimetingledhotagain。）’Sheisoldenoughtoknowthataliaisonwithhermay，andalmostcertainlywould，beyourruin;and，ontheotherhand，thatamarriagewouldbepreposterous——unlesssheisacompletefool;andinthatcasethereisevenmorereasonforavoidingherthanifshewereinherfewsenses。

’Awomanofhonourablefeeling，nephew，wouldbecarefultodonothingtohinderyouinyourcareer，asthisputtingofherselfinyourwaymostcertainlywill。YetIhearthatsheprofessesagreatanxietyonthissamefutureofyoursasaphysicist。Thebestwayinwhichshecanshowtherealityofheranxietyisbyleavingyoutoyourself。’

Leavinghimtohimself！Shepaledagain，asifchilledbyaconvictionthatinthistheoldmanwasright。

’She’llblabyourmostsecretplansandtheoriestoeveryoneofheracquaintance，andmakeyouappearridiculousbyannouncingthembeforetheyarematured。Ifyouattempttostudywithawoman，you’llberuledbyhertoentertainfanciesinsteadoftheories，air—castlesinsteadofintentions，qualmsinsteadofopinions，sicklyprepossessionsinsteadofreasonedconclusions……

’Anexperiencedwomanwakingayoungman’spassionsjustatamomentwhenheisendeavouringtoshineintellectually，isdoinglittlelessthancommittingacrime。’

Thusmuchtheletter;anditwasenoughforher，indeed。Theflushesofindignationwhichhadpassedoverher，asshegatheredthisman’sopinionofherself，combinedwithflushesofgriefandshamewhensheconsideredthatSwithin——herdearSwithin——wasperfectlyacquaintedwiththiscynicalviewofhernature;that，rejectitashemight，andasheunquestionablydid，suchthoughtsofherhadbeenimplantedinhim，andlayinhim。Stifledastheywere，theylayinhimlikeseedstoodeepforgermination，whichaccidentmightsomedaybringnearthesurfaceandaerateintolife。

Thehumiliationofsuchapossibilitywasalmosttoomuchtoendure;

themortification——shehadknownnothinglikeittillnow。Butthiswasnotall。Theresucceededafeelingincomparisonwithwhichresentmentandmortificationwerehappymoods——amiserableconvictionthatthisoldmanwhospokefromthegravewasnotaltogetherwronginhisspeaking;thathewasonlyhalfwrong;thathewas，perhaps，virtuallyright。Onlythosepersonswhoarebynatureaffectedwiththatreadyesteemforothers’positionswhichinducesanundervaluingoftheirown，fullyexperiencethedeepsmartofsuchconvictionsagainstself——thewishforannihilationthatisengenderedinthemomentofdespair，atfeelingthatatlengthwe，ourbestandfirmestfriend，ceasetobelieveinourcause。

Viviettecouldhearthepeoplecomingoutofchurchontheothersideofthegardenwall。Theirfootstepsandtheircheerfulvoicesdiedaway;thebellrangforlunch;andshewentin。Butherlifeduringthatmorningandafternoonwaswhollyintrospective。Knowingthefullcircumstancesofhissituationassheknewthemnow——asshehadneverbeforeknownthem——oughtshetomakeherselfthelegalwifeofSwithinSt。Cleeve，andsosecureherownhonouratanypricetohim？suchwastheformidablequestionwhichLadyConstantinepropoundedtoherstartledunderstanding。Asasubjectivelyhonestwomanalone，beginninghercharityathome，therewasnodoubtthatsheought。SaveThyselfwassoundOldTestamentdoctrine，andnotaltogetherdiscountenancedintheNew。

Butwastherealineofconductwhichtranscendedmereself—

preservation？andwoulditnotbeanexcellentthingtoputitinpracticenow？

ThatshehadwrongedSt。Cleevebymarryinghim——thatshewouldwronghiminfinitelymorebycompletingthemarriage——therewas，inheropinion，nodoubt。Sheinherexperiencehadsoughtouthiminhisinexperience，andhadledhimlikeachild。Sheremembered——asifithadbeenherfault，thoughitwasinfactonlyhermisfortune—

—thatshehadbeentheonetogoforthelicenseandtakeupresidenceintheparishinwhichtheywerewedded。Hewasnowjustone—and—twenty。Withouther，hehadalltheworldbeforehim，sixhundredayear，andleavetocutasstraightaroadtofameasheshouldchoose:withher，thisstorywasnegatived。

Nomoneyfromhisuncle;nopowerofadvancement;butabondagewithawomanwhosedisparityofyears，thoughimmaterialjustnow，wouldoperateinthefutureasawetblanketuponhissocialambitions;

andthatcontentwithlifeasitwaswhichshehadnoticedmorethanonceinhimlatterly，acontentimperillinghisscientificspiritbyabstractinghiszealforprogress。

Itwasimpossible，inshort，toblindherselftotheinferencethatmarriagewithherhadnotbenefitedhim。Mattersmightimproveinthefuture;buttotakeuponherselfthewholeliabilityofSwithin’slife，asshewoulddobydeprivinghimofthehelphisunclehadoffered，wasafearfulresponsibility。Howcouldshe，anunendowedwoman，replacesuchassistance？HisrecentvisittoGreenwich，whichhadmomentarilyrevivedthatzestforhispursuitthatwasnowlessconstantthanheretofore，shouldbyrightsbesupplementedbyothersuchexpeditions。Itwouldbetruebenevolencenottodeprivehimofmeanstocontinuethem，soastokeephisardouralive，regardlessofthecosttoherself。

Itcouldbedone。BytheextraordinaryfavourofauniqueaccidentshehadnowanopportunityofredeemingSwithin’sseriouslycompromisedfuture，andrestoringhimtoastatenoworsethanhisfirst。Hisannuitycouldbeenjoyedbyhim，histravelsundertaken，hisstudiespursued，hishighvocationinitiated，byonelittlesacrifice——thatofherself。Sheonlyhadtorefusetolegalizetheirmarriage，topartfromhimforever，andallwouldbewellwithhimthenceforward。Thepaintohimwouldafterallbebutslight，whateveritmightbetohiswretchedViviette。

Theineptnessofretaininghimathersidelaynotonlyinthefactitselfofinjurytohim，butinthelikelihoodofhislivingtoseeitassuch，andreproachingherforselfishnessinnotlettinghimgointhisunprecedentedopportunityforcorrectingamoveprovedtobefalse。Hewishedtoexaminethesouthernheavens——perhapshisuncle’sletterwasthefatherofthewish——andtherewasnotellingwhatgoodmightnotresulttomankindatlargefromhisexploitsthere。Whyshouldshe，tosavehernarrowhonour，wastethewidepromiseofhisability？

Thatinimmolatingherselfbyrefusinghim，andleavinghimfreetoworkwondersforthegoodofhisfellow—creatures，shewouldinallprobabilityaddtothesumofhumanfelicity，consoledherbyitsbreadthasanideaevenwhileittorturedherbymakingherselfthescapegoatorsingleunitonwhomtheevilwouldfall。Oughtapossiblylargenumber，Swithinincluded，toremainunbenefitedbecausetheoneindividualtowhomhisreleasewouldbeaninjurychancedtobeherself？Lovebetweenmanandwoman，whichinHomer，Moses，andotherearlyexhibitorsoflife，ismeredesire，hadforcenturiespastsofarbroadenedastoincludesympathyandfriendship;surelyitshouldinthisadvancedstageoftheworldincludebenevolencealso。Ifso，itwasherdutytosetheryoungmanfree。

Thusshelaboured，withagenerositymoreworthyeventhanitsobject，tosinkherloveforherowndecorumindevotiontotheworldingeneral，andtoSwithininparticular。Tocounselheractivitiesbyherunderstanding，ratherthanbyheremotionsasusual，washardworkforatenderwoman;butshestrovehard，andmadeadvance。Theself—centredattitudenaturaltooneinhersituationwasbecomingdisplacedbythesympatheticattitude，which，thoughithadtobeartificiallyfosteredatfirst，gaveher，bydegrees，acertainsweetsensethatshewasrisingaboveself—love。

Thatmaternalelementwhichhadfromtimetotimeevinceditselfinheraffectionfortheyouth，andwasimpartedbyhersuperiorripenessinexperienceandyears，appearednowagain，asshedrewnearertheresolvenottosecureproprietyinherownsocialconditionattheexpenseofthisyouth’searthlyutility。

Unexpectedlygrandfruitsaresometimesforcedforthbyharshpruning。TheilliberalletterofSwithin’sunclewassuggestingtoLadyConstantineanaltruismwhosethoroughnesswouldprobablyhaveamazedthatqueeroldgentlemanintoawithdrawaloftheconditionsthathadinducedit。ToloveSt。Cleevesofarbetterthanherselfasthiswastosurpasstheloveofwomenasconventionallyunderstood，andasmostlyexisting。

Before，however，clinchingherdecisionbyanydefinitestepsheworriedherlittlebrainbydevisingeverykindofingeniousscheme，inthehopeoflightingononethatmightshowherhowthatdecisioncouldbeavoidedwiththesamegoodresult。Buttosecureforhimtheadvantagesoffered，andtoretainhimlikewise;reflectiononlyshowedittobeimpossible。

YettolethimgoFOREVERwasmorethanshecouldendure，andatlengthshejumpedatanideawhichpromisedsomesortofimprovementonthatdesign。Shewouldproposethatreunionshouldnotbeentirelyabandoned，butsimplypostponed——namely，tillafterhistwenty—fifthbirthday——whenhemightbeherhusbandwithout，atanyrate，thelosstohimoftheincome。Bythistimehewouldapproximatetoaman’sfulljudgment，andthatpainfulaspectofherasonewhohaddeludedhisrawimmaturitywouldhavepassedforever。

Theplansomewhatappeasedherdisquietedhonour。Toletamarriagesinkintoabeyanceforfourorfiveyearswasnottonullifyit;andthoughshewouldleaveittohimtomoveitssubstantiationattheendofthattime，withoutpresentstipulations，shehadnotmuchdoubtupontheissue。

Theclockstruckfive。Thissilentmentaldebatehadoccupiedherwholeafternoon。Perhapsitwouldnothaveendednowbutforanunexpectedincident——theentryofherbrotherLouis。Hecameintotheroomwhereshewassitting，orratherwrithing，andafterafewwordstoexplainhowhehadgotthereandaboutthemistakeinthedateofSirBlount’sdeath，hewalkedupclosetoher。Hisnextremarkswereapologeticinform，butinessencetheywerebitternessitself。

’Viviette，’hesaid，’IamsorryformyhastywordstoyouwhenI

lastleftthishouse。Ireadilywithdrawthem。Mysuspicionstookawrongdirection。IthinknowthatIknowthetruth。YouhavebeenevenmadderthanIsupposed！’

’Inwhatway？’sheaskeddistantly。

’Ilatelythoughtthatunhappyyoungmanwasonlyyourtoo—favouredlover。’

’Youthoughtwrong:heisnot。’

’Heisnot——Ibelieveyou——forheismore。Inowampersuadedthatheisyourlawfulhusband。Canyoudenyit！’

’Ican。’

’Onyoursacredword！’

’Onmysacredwordheisnotthateither。’

’Thankheavenforthatassurance！’saidLouis，exhalingabreathofrelief。’IwasnotsopositiveasIpretendedtobe——butIwantedtoknowthetruthofthismystery。SinceyouarenotfetteredtohiminthatwayIcarenothing。’

Louisturnedaway;andthataffordedheranopportunityforleavingtheroom。Thosefewwordswerethelastgrainsthathadturnedthebalance，andsettledherdoom。

ShewouldletSwithingo。Allthevoicesinherworldseemedtoclamourforthatconsummation。Themorning’smortification，theafternoon’sbenevolence，andtheevening’sinstinctsofevasionhadjoinedtocarrythepoint。

Accordinglyshesatdown，andwrotetoSwithinasummaryofthethoughtsabovedetailed。

’Weshallseparate，’sheconcluded。’Youtoobeyyouruncle’sordersandexplorethesouthernskies;Itowaitasonewhocanimplicitlytrustyou。Donotseemeagaintilltheyearshaveexpired。Youwillfindmestillthesame。Iamyourwifethroughalltime;theletterofthelawisnotneededtoreassertitatpresent;whiletheabsenceofthelettersecuresyourfortune。’

NothingcanexpresswhatitcostLadyConstantinetomarshalherarguments;butshedidit，andvanquishedself—comfortbyasenseofthegeneralexpediency。Itmayunhesitatinglybeaffirmedthattheonlyignoblereasonwhichmighthavedictatedsuchastepwasnon—

existent;thatistosay，aseriousdeclineinheraffection。

Tenderlyshehadlovedtheyouthatfirst，andtenderlyshelovedhimnow，astimeandherafter—conductproved。

Womenthemostdelicategetusedtostrangemoralsituations。EveprobablyregainedhernormalsweetcomposureaboutaweekaftertheFall。OnfirstlearningofheranomalouspositionLadyConstantinehadblushedhot，andherpureinstinctshadpromptedhertolegalizehermarriagewithoutamoment’sdelay。Heavenandearthweretobemovedatoncetoeffectit。Dayafterdayhadpassed;herunionhadremainedunsecured，andtheideaofitsnullityhadgraduallyceasedtobestrangetoher;tillitbecameoflittleaccountbesideherboldresolvefortheyoungman’ssake。

XXXVI

TheimmediateeffectuponSt。Cleeveofthereceiptofherwell—

reasonedargumentforretrocessionwas，naturally，abitterattackuponhimselfforhavingbeenguiltyofsuchcruelcarelessnessastoleaveinherwaythelawyer’sletterthathadfirstmadeherawareofhisuncle’sprovisionforhim。Immatureashewas，hecouldrealizeViviette’spositionsufficientlywelltoperceivewhatthepoorladymustsufferathavingsuddenlythrustuponhertheresponsibilityofrepairingherownsituationasawifebyruininghisasalegatee。True，itwasbythepurestinadvertencethathispendingsacrificeofmeanshadbeendiscovered;butheshouldhavetakenspecialpainstorendersuchamishapimpossible。Ifonthefirstoccasion，whenarevelationmighthavebeenmadewithimpunity，hewouldnotputitinthepowerofhergoodnaturetorelievehispositionbyrefusinghim，heshouldhaveshowndoublecarenottodosonow，whenshecouldnotexercisethatbenevolencewithoutthelossofhonour。

Withayoungman’sinattentiontoissueshehadnotconsideredhowsharpherfeelingsasawomanmustbeinthiscontingency。Ithadseemedtheeasiestthingintheworldtoremedythedefectintheirmarriage，andthereforenothingtobeanxiousabout。Andinhisinnocenceofanythoughtofappropriatingthebequestbytakingadvantageoftheloopholeinhismatrimonialbond，heundervaluedtheimportanceofconcealingtheexistenceofthatbequest。

TheloomingfearofunhappinessbetweenthemrevivedinSwithinthewarmemotionsoftheirearlieracquaintance。AlmostbeforethesunhadsethehastenedtoWellandHouseinsearchofher。Theairwasdisturbedbystiffsummerblasts，productiveofwindfallsandprematuredescentsofleafage。Itwasanhourwhenunripeapplesshowerdowninorchards，andunbrownedchestnutsdescendintheirhusksupontheparkglades。Therewasnohelpforitthisafternoonbuttocalluponherinadirectmanner，regardlessofsuspicions。

Hewasthunderstruckwhen，whilewaitinginthefullexpectationofbeingadmittedtoherpresence，theanswerbroughtbacktohimwasthatshewasunabletoseehim。

Thishadneverhappenedbeforeinthewholecourseoftheiracquaintance。Butheknewwhatitmeant，andturnedawaywithavaguedisquietude。HedidnotknowthatLadyConstantinewasjustabovehishead，listeningtohismovementswiththeliveliestemotions，and，whileprayingforhimtogo，longingforhimtoinsistonseeingherandspoilall。Butthefaintestsymptombeingalwayssufficienttoconvincehimofhavingblundered，heunwittinglytookheratherword，andwentrapidlyaway。

However，hecalledagainthenextday，andshe，havinggainedstrengthbyonevictoryoverherself，wasenabledtorepeatherrefusalwithgreaterease。Knowingthistobetheonlycoursebywhichherpointcouldbemaintained，sheclungtoitwithstrenuousandreligiouspertinacity。

Thusimmuredandself—controllingshepassedaweek。Herbrother，thoughhedidnotliveinthehouse（preferringthenearestwatering—placeatthistimeoftheyear），wascontinuallycomingthere;andonedayhehappenedtobepresentwhenshedeniedherselftoSwithinforthethirdtime。Louis，whodidnotobservethetearsinhereyes，wasastonishedanddelighted:shewascomingtohersensesatlast。Believingnowthattherehadbeennothingmorebetweenthemthanatoo—plainlyshownpartialityonherpart，heexpressedhiscommendationofherconducttoherface。Atthis，insteadofowningtoitsadvantagealso，hertearsburstforthoutright。

Notknowingwhattomakeofthis，Louissaid——

’Well，Iamsimplyupholdingyouinyourcourse。’

’Yes，yes;Iknowit！’shecried。’Anditismydeliberatelychosencourse。Iwishhe——SwithinSt。Cleeve——wouldgoonhistravelsatonce，andleavetheplace！Sixhundredayearhasbeenlefthimfortravelandstudyofthesouthernconstellations;andIwishhewoulduseit。Youmightrepresenttheadvantagetohimofthecourseifyoucaredto。’

LouisthoughthecoulddonobetterthanletSwithinknowthisassoonaspossible。AccordinglywhenSt。Cleevewaswritinginthehutthenextdayheheardthecrackleoffootstepsoverthefir—

needlesoutside，andjumpedup，supposingthemtobehers;but，tohisdisappointment，itwasherbrotherwhoappearedatthedoor。

’Excusemyinvadingthehermitage，St。Cleeve，’hesaidinhiscarelessway，’butIhaveheardfrommysisterofyourgoodfortune。’

’Mygoodfortune？’

’Yes，inhavinganopportunityforroving;andwithatraveller’sconceitIcouldn’thelpcomingtogiveyouthebenefitofmyexperience。Whendoyoustart？’

’Ihavenotformedanyplanasyet。Indeed，Ihadnotquitebeenthinkingofgoing。’

Louisstared。

’Notgoing？ThenImayhavebeenmisinformed。WhatIhaveheardisthatagoodunclehaskindlybequeathedyouasufficientincometomakeasecondIsaacNewtonofyou，ifyouonlyuseitashedirects。’

Swithinbreathedquickly，butsaidnothing。

’Ifyouhavenotdecidedsotomakeuseofit，letmeimploreyou，asyourfriend，andonenearlyoldenoughtobeyourfather，todecideatonce。Suchachancedoesnothappentoascientificyouthonceinacentury。’

’Thankyouforyourgoodadvice——foritisgoodinitself，Iknow，’

saidSwithin，inalowvoice。’ButhasLadyConstantinespokenofitatall？’

’ShethinksasIdo。’

’Shehasspokentoyouonthesubject？’

’Certainly。Morethanthat;itisatherrequest——thoughIdidnotintendtosayso——thatIcometospeaktoyouaboutitnow。’