第15章

"ThisisatrickIlearnedfromtheRussiansafterPlevna;theyhadmylittlefinger，soIdeservedsomethinginexchange。"Helookedround;hiseyes，hiswholeface，seemedtotwinkle。"Iassureyouitwasworthit——makesallthedifference。Try！"Hepouredoffthetea。

"HadyouasympathywiththeTurks？"

"Theweakerside——"Hepausedabruptly，thenadded:"Butitwasnotthat。"Overhisfaceinnumerablecrow’s—feethadsuddenlyappeared，hiseyestwitched;hewentonhurriedly，"Ihadtofindsomethingtodojustthen——itwasnecessary。"Hestaredintohisglass;anditwassometimebeforeIventuredtoaskifhehadseenmuchfighting。

"Yes，"herepliedgravely，"nearlytwentyyearsaltogether;IwasoneofGaribaldi’sMillein’60。"

"SurelyyouarenotItalian？"

Heleanedforwardwithhishandsonhisknees。"IwasinGenoaatthattimelearningbanking;Garibaldiwasawonderfulman！Onecouldnothelpit。"Hespokequitesimply。"Youmightsayitwaslikeseeingalittlemanstanduptoaringofgreathulkingfellows;I

went，justasyouwouldhavegone，ifyou’dbeenthere。Iwasnotlongwiththem——ourwarbegan;Ihadtogobackhome。"Hesaidthisasiftherehadbeenbutonewarsincetheworldbegan。"In’60，"hemused，"till’65。Justthinkofit！Thepoorcountry。Why，inmyState，SouthCarolina——Iwasthroughitall——nobodycouldbesparedthere——wewereonetothree。"

"Isupposeyouhavealoveoffighting？"

"H’m！"hesaid，asifconsideringtheideaforthefirsttime。

"SometimesIfoughtforaliving，andsometimes——becauseIwasobliged;onemusttrytobeagentleman。Butwon’tyouhavesomemore？"

Irefusedmoreteaandtookmyleave，carryingawaywithmeapictureoftheoldfellowlookingdownfromthetopofthesteepstaircase，onehandpressedtohisback，theothertwistingupthoselittlewhitemoustaches，andmurmuring，"Takecare，mydearsir，there’sastepthereatthecorner。"

"Tobeagentleman！"Irepeatedinthestreet，causinganoldFrenchladytodropherparasol，sothatforabouttwominuteswestoodbowingandsmilingtoeachother，thenseparatedfullofthebestfeeling。

II

AweeklaterIfoundmyselfagainseatednexthimataconcert。InthemeantimeIhadseenhimnowandthen，butonlyinpassing。Heseemeddepressed。Thecornersofhislipsweretightened，histannedcheekshadagreyishtinge，hiseyeswererestless;and，betweentwonumbersoftheprogramme，hemurmured，tappinghisfingersonhishat，"Doyoueverhavebaddays？Yes？Notpleasant，arethey？"

ThensomethingoccurredfromwhichallthatIhavetotellyoufollowed。Therecameintotheconcert—halltheheroineofoneofthoseromances，crimes，follies，orirregularities，callitwhatyouwill，whichhadjustattractedthe"world’s"stare。Shepasseduswithherpartner，andsatdowninachairafewrowstoourright。

Shekeptturningherheadround，andateveryturnIcaughtthegleamofheruneasyeyes。Someonebehindussaid:"Thebrazenbaggage！"

Mycompanionturnedfullround，andglaredatwhoeveritwaswhohadspoken。Thechangeinhimwasquiteremarkable。Hislipsweredrawnbackfromhisteeth;hefrowned;thescaronhistemplehadreddened。

"Ah！"hesaidtome。"Thehueandcry！Contemptible！HowIhateit！Butyouwouldn’tunderstand——！"hebrokeoff，andslowlyregainedhisusualairofself—obliteration;heevenseemedashamed，andbegantryingtobrushhismoustacheshigherthanever，asifawarethathisheathadrobbedthemofneatness。

"I’mnotmyself，whenIspeakofsuchmatters，"hesaidsuddenly;andbeganreadinghisprogramme，holdingitupsidedown。Aminutelater，however，hesaidinapeculiarvoice:"Therearepeopletobefoundwhoobjecttovivisectinganimals;butthevivisectionofawoman，whomindsthat？Willyoutellmeit’sright，thatbecauseofsometragedylikethis——believeme，itisalwaysatragedy——weshouldhuntdownawoman？Thatherfellow—womenshouldmakeanoutcastofher？

Thatwe，whoaremen，shouldmakeapreyofher？IfIthoughtthat……"Againhebrokeoff，staringveryhardinfrontofhim。

"Itiswewhomakethemwhattheyare;andevenifthatisnotso——

why！ifIthoughttherewasawomanintheworldIcouldnottakemyhatoffto——I——I——couldn’tsleepatnight。"Hegotupfromhisseat，putonhisoldstrawhatwithtremblingfingers，and，withoutaglanceback，wentout，stumblingoverthechair—legs。

Isatthere，horriblydisturbed;thewords，"Onemusttrytobeagentleman！"hauntingme。WhenIcameout，hewasstandingbytheentrancewithonehandonhishipandtheotheronhisdog。Inthatattitudeofwaitinghewassuchapatientfigure;thesunglareddownandshowedthethreadbarenatureofhisclothesandthethinnessofhisbrownhands，withtheirlongforgersandnailsyellowfromtobacco。Seeingmehecameupthestepsagain，andraisedhishat。

"Iamgladtohavecaughtyou;pleaseforgetallthat。"Iaskedifhewoulddomethehonourofdiningatmyhotel。

"Dine？"herepeatedwiththesortofsmileachildgivesifyouofferhimaboxofsoldiers;"withthegreatestpleasure。Iseldomdineout，butIthinkIcanmusterupacoat。Yes——yes——andatwhattimeshallIcome？Athalf—pastseven，andyourhotelis——？Good！I

shallbethere。Freda，miacara，youwillbealonethisevening。

Youdonotsmokecaporal，Ifear。Ifinditfairlygood;thoughithastoomuchbite。"HewalkedoffwithFreda，puffingathisthinrollofcaporal。

Onceortwicehestopped，asifbewilderedorbesetbysomesuddendoubtormemory;andeverytimehestopped，Fredalickedhishand。

Theydisappearedroundthecornerofthestreet，andIwenttomyhoteltoseeaboutdinner。OnthewayImetJulesleFerrier，andaskedhimtocometoo。

"Myfaith，yes！"hesaid，withtherosypessimismcharacteristicoftheFrencheditor。"Manmustdine！"

Athalf—pastsixweassembled。My"Cosmopolitan"wasinanoldfrock—coatbraidedroundtheedges，buttonedhighandtight，definingmorethaneverthesharplinesofhisshouldersandtheslightkinkofhisback;hehadbroughtwithhim，too，adark—peakedcapofmilitaryshape，whichhehadevidentlyselectedasmorefittingtothecoatthanastrawhat。Hesmelledslightlyofsomeherb。

Wesatdowntodinner，anddidnotrisefortwohours。Hewasacharmingguest，praisedeverythingheate——notwithcommonplaces，butinwordsthatmadeyoufeelithadgivenhimrealpleasure。Atfirst，wheneverJulesmadeoneofhiscausticremarks，helookedquitepained，butsuddenlyseemedtomakeuphismindthatitwasbark，notbite;andthenateachofthemhewouldturntomeandsay，"Aha！that’sgood——isn’tit？"Witheveryglassofwinehebecamemoregentleandmoregenial，sittingveryupright，andtightlybuttoned—in;whilethelittlewhitewingsofhismoustacheseemedabouttoleavehimforabetterworld。

Inspiteofthemostleadingquestions，however，wecouldnotgethimtotalkabouthimself，forevenJules，mostcynicalofmen，hadrecognisedthathewasaheroofromance。Hewouldanswergentlyandprecisely，andthensittwistinghismoustaches，perfectlyunconsciousthatwewantedmore。Presently，asthewinewentalittletohishead，histhin，highvoicegrewthinner，hischeeksbecameflushed，hiseyesbrighter;attheendofdinnerhesaid:"I

hopeIhavenotbeennoisy。"

Weassuredhimthathehadnotbeennoisyenough。"You’relaughingatme，"heanswered。"SurelyI’vebeentalkingallthetime！"

"MonDieu！"saidJules，"wehavebeenlookingforsomefablesofyourwars;butnothing——nothing，notenoughtofeedafrog！"

Theoldfellowlookedtroubled。

"Tobesure！"hemused。"Letmethink！thereisthataboutColhounatGettysburg;andthere’sthestoryofGaribaldiandtheMiller。"

Heplungedintoatale，notatallabouthimself，whichwouldhavebeenextremelydull，butfortheconvictioninhiseyes，andthewayhestoppedandcommented。"Soyousee，"heended，"that’sthesortofmanGaribaldiwas！Icouldtellyouanothertaleofhim。"

CatchinganintrospectivelookinJules’seye，however，Iproposedtakingourcigarsovertothecafeopposite。

"Delightful！"theoldfellowsaid:"Weshallhaveabandandthefreshair，andclearconsciencesforourcigars。Icannotlikethissmokinginaroomwherethereareladiesdining。"

Hewalkedoutinfrontofus，smokingwithanairofgreatenjoyment。

Jules，glowingabovehiscandidshirtandwaistcoat，whisperedtome，"MoncherGeorges，howheisgood！"thensighed，andaddeddarkly:

"Thepoorman！"

Wesatdownatalittletable。Closeby，thebranchesofaplane—

treerustledfaintly;theirleaveshunglifeless，speckledlikethebreastsofbirds，orblackagainstthesky;then，caughtbythebreeze，flutteredsuddenly。

Theoldfellowsat，withheadthrownback，asmileonhisface，comingnowandthenoutofhisenchanteddreamstodrinkcoffee，answerourquestions，orhumthetunethatthebandwasplaying。Theashofhiscigargrewverylong。OneofthosebizarrefiguresinOrientalgarb，who，nightafternight，offertheirdoubtfulwaresatagreatprice，appearedinthewhiteglareofalamp，lookedwithafurtivesmileathisface，andglidedback，discomfitedbyitsunconsciousness。Itwasanightfordreams！Afaint，half—easternscentintheair，ofblacktobaccoandspice;fewpeopleasyetatthelittletables，thewaitersleisurely，thebandsoft！Whatwashedreamingof，thatoldfellow，whosecigar—ashgrewsolong？Ofyouth，ofhisbattles，ofthosethingsthatmustbedonebythosewhotrytobegentlemen;perhapsonlyofhisdinner;anywayofsomethinggildedinvaguefashionasthelightwasgildingthebranchesoftheplane—tree。

Julespulledmysleeve:"Hesleeps。"Hehadsmilinglydroppedoff;

thecigar—ash——thatfeatherytowerofhisdreams——hadbrokenandfallenonhissleeve。Heawoke，andfelltodustingit。

Thelittletablesroundusbegantofill。Oneofthebandsmenplayedaczardasontheczymbal。TwoyoungFrenchmen，talkingloudly，satdownattheadjoiningtable。Theywerediscussingtheladywhohadbeenattheconcertthatafternoon。

"It’sabet，"saidoneofthem，"butthere’sthepresentman。Itakethreeweeks，that’senoughelleestdeclassee;cen’estquelepremierpas——’

Myoldfriend’scigarfellonthetable。"Monsieur，"hestammered，"youspeakofaladyso，inapublicplace？"

Theyoungmanstaredathim。"Whoisthisperson？"hesaidtohiscompanion。

MyguesttookupJules’sglovethatlayonthetable;beforeeitherofuscouldraiseafinger，hehadswungitinthespeaker’sface。

"Enough！"hesaid，and，droppingtheglove，walkedaway。

Wealljumpedtoourfeet。IleftJulesandhurriedafterhim。Hisfacewasgrim，hiseyesthoseofacreaturewhohasbeenstruckonarawplace。Hemadeamovementofhisfingerswhichsaidplainly。

"Leaveme，ifyouplease！"

Iwentbacktothecafe。Thetwoyoungmenhaddisappeared，sohadJules，buteverythingelsewasgoingonjustasbefore;thebandsmanstilltwangingouthisczardas;thewaitersservingdrinks;theorientalstryingtoselltheircarpets。Ipaidthebill，soughtoutthemanager，andapologised。Heshruggedhisshoulders，smiledandsaid:"Aneccentric，yourfriend，nichtwahr？"CouldhetellmewhereM。LeFerrierwas？Hecouldnot。IlefttolookforJules;

couldnotfindhim，andreturnedtomyhoteldisgusted。Iwassorryformyoldguest，butvexedwithhimtoo;whatbusinesshadhetocarryhisQuixotismtosuchanunpleasantlength？Itriedtoread。

Eleveno’clockstruck;thecasinodisgorgedastreamofpeople;thePlaceseemedfulleroflifethanever;thenslowlyitgrewemptyandquitedark。Thewhimseizedmetogoout。Itwasastillnight，verywarm，veryblack。Ononeoftheseatsamanandwomansatembraced，onanotheragirlwassobbing，onathird——strangesight——apriestdozed。Ibecameawareofsomeoneatmyside;itwasmyoldguest。

"Ifyouarenottootired，"hesaid，"canyougivemetenminutes？"

"Certainly;willyoucomein？"

"No，no;letusgodowntotheTerrace。Ishan’tkeepyoulong。"

Hedidnotspeakagaintillwereachedaseatabovethepigeon—

shootinggrounds;there，inadarknessdenserforthestringoflightsstillburninginthetown，wesatdown。

"Ioweyouanapology，"hesaid;"firstintheafternoon，thenagainthisevening——yourguest——yourfriend’sglove！Ihavebehavedasnogentlemanshould。"Hewasleaningforwardwithhishandsonthehandleofastick。Hisvoicesoundedbrokenanddisturbed。

"Oh！"Imuttered。"It’snothing！"’

"Youareverygood，"hesighed;"butIfeelthatImustexplain。I

considerIowethistoyou，butImusttellyouIshouldnothavethecourageifitwerenotforanotherreason。YouseeIhavenofriend。"Helookedatmewithanuncertainsmile。Ibowed，andaminuteortwolaterhebegan……

III

"YouwillexcusemeifIgobackratherfar。Itwasin’74，whenI

hadbeenillwithCubanfever。TokeepmealivetheyhadputmeonboardashipatSantiago，andattheendofthevoyageIfoundmyselfinLondon。Ihadverylittlemoney;Iknewnobody。Itellyou，sir，therearetimeswhenit’shardforafightingmantogetanythingtodo。Peoplewouldsaytome:’Afraidwe’venothingforamanlikeyouinourbusiness。’Itriedpeopleofallsorts;butitwastrue——I

hadbeenfightinghereandtheresince’60，Iwasn’tfitforanything——"Heshookhishead。"IntheSouth，beforethewar，theyhadasaying，Iremember，aboutadogandasoldierhavingthesamevalue。ButallthishasnothingtodowithwhatIhavetotellyou。"

Hesighedagainandwenton，moisteninghislips:"IwaswalkingalongtheStrandoneday，verydisheartened，whenIheardmynamecalled。It’saqueerthing，that，inastrangestreet。Bytheway，"

heputinwithdryceremony，"youdon’tknowmyname，Ithink:itisBrune——RogerBrune。AtfirstIdidnotrecognisethepersonwhocalledme。Hehadjustgotoffanomnibus——asquare—shoulderedmanwithheavymoustaches，androundspectacles。ButwhenheshookmyhandIknewhimatonce。HewasamancalledDalton，whowastakenprisoneratGettysburg;oneofyouEnglishmenwhocametofightwithus——amajorintheregimentwhereIwascaptain。Wewerecomradesduringtwocampaigns。IfIhadbeenhisbrotherhecouldn’thaveseemedmorepleasedtoseeme。Hetookmeintoabarforthesakeofoldtimes。Thedrinkwenttomyhead，andbythetimewereachedTrafalgarSquareIwasquiteunabletowalk。Hemademesitdownonabench。Iwasinfact——drunk。It’sdisgracefultobedrunk，buttherewassomeexcuse。NowItellyou，sir"（allthroughhisstoryhewasalwaysmakinguseofthatexpression，itseemedtoinfusefreshspiritintohim，tohelphismemoryinobscureplaces，togivehimthemasteryofhisemotions;itwaslikethepieceofpaperanervousmanholdsinhishandtohelphimthroughaspeech），"thereneverwasamanwithafinersoulthanmyfriendDalton。Hewasnotclever，thoughhehadreadmuch;andsometimesperhapshewastoofondoftalking。Buthewasagentleman;helistenedtomeasifI

hadbeenachild;hewasnotashamedofme——andittakesagentlemannottobeashamedofadrunkenmaninthestreetsofLondon;GodknowswhatthingsIsaidtohimwhileweweresittingthere！Hetookmetohishomeandputmetobedhimself;forIwasdownagainwithfever。"Hestopped，turnedslightlyfromme，andputhishanduptohisbrow。"Well，thenitwas，sir，thatIfirstsawher。IamnotapoetandIcannottellyouwhatsheseemedtome。Iwasdelirious，butIalwaysknewwhenshewasthere。Ihaddreamsofsunshineandcornfields，ofdancingwavesatsea，youngtrees——neverthesamedreams，neveranythingforlongtogether;andwhenIhadmysensesI

wasafraidtosaysoforfearshewouldgoaway。She’dbeinthecorneroftheroom，withherhairhangingaboutherneck，abrightgoldcolour;sheneverworkedandneverread，butsatandtalkedtoherselfinawhisper，orlookedatmeforalongtimetogetheroutofherblueeyes，alittlefrownbetweenthem，andherupperlipclosedfirmonherlowerlip，whereshehadanuneventooth。Whenherfathercame，she’djumpupandhangontohisneckuntilhegroaned，thenrunaway，butpresentlycomestealingbackontiptoe。Iusedtolistenforherfootstepsonthestairs，thentheknock，thedoorflungbackoropenedquietly——younevercouldtellwhich;andhervoice，withalittlelisp，’Areyoubettertoday，Mr。Brune？Whatfunnythingsyousaywhenyou’redelirious！Fathersaysyou’vebeeninheapsofbattles！"’

Hegotup，pacedrestlesslytoandfro，andsatdownagain。"I

remembereverywordasifitwereyesterday，allthethingsshesaid，anddid;I’vehadalongtimetothinkthemover，yousee。Well，I

musttellyou，thefirstmorningthatIwasabletogetup，Imissedher。Daltoncameinherplace，andIaskedhimwhereshewas。’Mydearfellow，’heanswered，’I’vesentEilieawaytoheroldnurse’sinndownontheriver;she’sbetterthereatthistimeofyear。’Welookedateachother，andIsawthathehadsentherawaybecausehedidn’ttrustme。Iwashurtbythis。Illnessspoilsone。Hewasright，hewasquiteright，forallheknewaboutmewasthatIcouldfightandhadgotdrunk;butIamveryquick—tempered。Imadeupmymindatoncetoleavehim。ButIwastooweak——hehadtoputmetobedagain。TheverynextmorninghecameandproposedthatIshouldgointopartnershipwithhim。Hekeptafencing—schoolandpistol—

gallery。ItseemedlikethefingerofGod;andperhapsitwas——whoknows？"Hefellintoareverie，andtakingouthiscaporal，rolledhimselfacigarette;havinglightedit，hewentonsuddenly:"There，intheroomabovetheschool，weusedtositintheevenings，oneoneachsideofthegrate。Theroomwasonthesecondfloor，Iremember，withtwowindows，andaviewofnothingbutthehousesopposite。Thefurniturewascoveredupwithchintz。Thethingsonthebookshelfwereneverdisturbed，theywereEilie’s——half—brokencaseswithbutterflies，adeadfroginabottle，ahorse—shoecoveredwithtinfoil，someshellstoo，andacardboardboxwiththreespeckledeggsinit，andthesewordswrittenonthelid:’Missel—

thrushfromLucy’stree——secondfamily，onlyoneblown。’"Hesmokedfiercely，withpuffsthatwerelikesharpsighs。

"Daltonwaswrappedupinher。Hewasnevertiredoftalkingtomeabouther，andIwasnevertiredofhearing。Wehadanumberofpupils;butintheeveningwhenwesatthere，smoking——ourtalkwouldsoonerorlater——comeroundtoher。Herbedroomopenedoutofthatsitting——room;hetookmeinonceandshowedmeanarrowlittleroomthewidthofapassage，freshandwhite，withaphotographofhermotherabovethebed，andanemptybasketforadogorcat。"Hebrokeoffwithavexedair，andresumedsternly，asiftryingtobindhimselftothenarrationofhismoreimportantfacts:"Shewasthenfifteen——hermotherhadbeendeadtwelveyears——abeautiful，face，hermother’s;ithadbeenherdeaththatsentDaltontofightwithus。Well，sir，onedayinAugust，veryhotweather，heproposedarunintothecountry，andwhoshouldmeetusontheplatformwhenwearrivedbutEilie，inabluesun—bonnetandfrock—flaxblue，herfavouritecolour。IwasangrywithDaltonfornottellingmethatweshouldseeher;myclotheswerenotquite——myhairwantedcutting。

Itwasblackthen，sir，"headded，tracingapatterninthedarknesswithhisstick。"Shehadalittledonkey—cart;shedrove，and，whilewewalkedoneoneachside，shekeptlookingatmefromunderhersunbonnet。Imusttellyouthatsheneverlaughed——hereyesdanced，hercheekswouldgopink，andherhairshakeaboutonherneck，butsheneverlaughed。Heroldnurse，Lucy，averybroad，goodwoman，hadmarriedtheproprietoroftheinninthevillagethere。Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethatinn:sweetbriaruptotheroof！Andthescent——Iamverysusceptibletoscents！"Hisheaddrooped，andthecigarettefellfromhishand。Atrainpassingbeneathsentupashowerofsparks。Hestarted，andwenton:"Wehadourlunchintheparlour——Irememberthatroomverywell，forIspentthehappiestdaysofmylifeafterwardsinthatinn……Wewentintoameadowafterlunch，andmyfriendDaltonfellasleep。Awonderfulthinghappenedthen。Eiliewhisperedtome，’Let’shaveajollytime。’

Shetookmeforthemostgloriouswalk。Theriverwascloseby。

Alovelystream，yourriverThames，socalmandbroad;itislikethespiritofyourpeople。Iwasbewitched;Iforgotmyfriend，I

thoughtofnothingbuthowtokeephertomyself。Itwassuchaday！

Therearedaysthatarethedevil’s，butthatwastrulyoneofGod’s。

Shetookmetoalittlepondunderanelm—tree，andwedraggedit，wetwo，anhour，forakindoftinyredwormtofeedsomecreaturethatshehad。Wefoundtheminthemud，andwhileshewasbendingover，thecurlsgotinhereyes。Ifyoucouldhaveseenherthen，Ithink，sir，youwouldhavesaidshewaslikethefirstsightofspring……

Wehadteaafterwards，alltogether，inthelonggrassundersomefruit—trees。IfIhadtheknackofwords，therearethingsthatI

couldsay。"Hebent，asthoughindeferencetothoseunspokenmemories。"Twilightcameonwhileweweresittingthere。Awonderfulthingistwilightinthecountry！Itbecametimeforustogo。

Therewasanavenueoftreescloseby——likeachurchwithawindowattheend，wheregoldenlightcamethrough。Iwalkedupanddownitwithher。’Willyoucomeagain？’shewhispered，andsuddenlysheliftedupherfacetobekissed。Ikissedherasifshewerealittlechild。Andwhenwesaidgood—bye，hereyeswerelookingatmeacrossherfather’sshoulder，withsurpriseandsorrowinthem。’Whydoyougoaway？’theyseemedtosay……ButImusttellyou，"hewentonhurriedly，"ofathingthathappenedbeforewehadgoneahundredyards。Weweresmokingourpipes，andI，thinkingofher——whenoutshesprangfromthehedgeandstoodinfrontofus。Daltoncriedout，’Whatareyouhereforagain，youmadgirl？’Sherusheduptohimandhuggedhim;butwhenshelookedatme，herfacewasquitedifferent——careless，defiant，asonemightsay——ithurtme。I

couldn’tunderstandit，andwhatonedoesn’tunderstandfrightensone。

IV

"Timewenton。Therewasnoswordsman，orpistol—shotlikemeinLondon，theysaid。Wehadasmanypupilsasweliked——itwastheonlypartofmylifewhenIhavebeenabletosavemoney。Ihadnochancetospendit。Wegavelessonsallday，andintheeveningweretootiredtogoout。ThatyearIhadthemisfortunetolosemydearmother。Ibecamearichman——yes，sir，atthattimeImusthavehadnotlessthansixhundredayear。

"ItwasalongtimebeforeIsawEilieagain。ShewentabroadtoDresdenwithherfather’ssistertolearnFrenchandGerman。Itwasintheautumnof1875whenshecamebacktous。Shewasseventeenthen——abeautifulyoungcreature。"Hepaused，asiftogatherhisforcesfordescription，andwenton。

"Tall，asayoungtree，witheyeslikethesky。Iwouldnotsayshewasperfect，butherimperfectionswerebeautifultome。Whatisitmakesyoulove——ah！sir，thatisveryhiddenandmysterious。Shehadneverlostthetrickofclosingherlipstightlywhensherememberedheruneventooth。Youmaysaythatwasvanity，butinayounggirl——

andwhichofusisnotvain，eh？’Oldmenandmaidens，youngmenandchildren！’

"AsIsaid，shecamebacktoLondontoherlittleroom，andintheeveningswasalwaysreadywithourtea。Youmustn’tsupposeshewashousewifely;thereissomethinginmethatneveradmiredhousewifeliness——afinequality，nodoubt，still——"Hesighed。

"No，"heresumed，"Eiliewasnotlikethat，forshewasneverquitethesametwodaystogether。Itoldyouhereyeswerelikethesky——

thatwastrueofallofher。Inonething，however，atthattime，shealwaysseemedthesame——inloveforherfather。Forme！Idon’tknowwhatIshouldhaveexpected;butmypresenceseemedtohavetheeffectofmakingherdumb;Iwouldcatchherlookingatmewithafrown，andthen，asiftomakeuptoherownnature——andamorelovingnaturenevercameintothisworld，thatIshallmaintaintomydyingday——shewouldgotoherfatherandkisshim。WhenItalkedwithhimshepretendednottonotice，butIcouldseeherfacegrowcoldandstubborn。Iamnotquick;anditwasalongtimebeforeI

understoodthatshewasjealous，shewantedhimalltoherself。I’veoftenwonderedhowshecouldbehisdaughter，forhewastheverysoulofjusticeandaslowmantoo——andshewasasquickasabird。

ForalongtimeafterIsawherdislikeofme，Irefusedtobelieveit——ifonedoesnotwanttobelieveathingtherearealwaysreasonswhyitshouldnotseemtrue，atleastsoitiswithme，andIsupposewithallselfishmen。

"Ispenteveningaftereveningthere，when，ifIhadnotthoughtonlyofmyself，Ishouldhavekeptaway。ButonedayIcouldnolongerbeblind。

"ItwasaSundayinFebruary。IalwayshadaninvitationonSundaystodinewiththeminthemiddleoftheday。Therewasnooneinthesitting—room;butthedoorofEilie’sbedroomwasopen。Iheardhervoice:’Thatman，alwaysthatman！’Itwasenoughforme，Iwentdownagainwithoutcomingin，andwalkedaboutallday。

"ForthreeweeksIkeptaway。TotheschoolofcourseIcameasusual，butnotupstairs。Idon’tknowwhatItoldDalton——itdidnotsignifywhatyoutoldhim，healwayshadatheoryofhisown，andwaspersuadedofitstruth——averysingle—mindedman，sir。

"ButnowIcometothemostwonderfuldaysofmylife。Itwasanearlyspringthatyear。Ihadfallenawayalreadyfrommyresolution，andusedtoslinkup——seldom，it’strue——andspendtheeveningwiththemasbefore。OneafternoonIcameuptothesitting—

room;thelightwasfailing——itwaswarm，andthewindowswereopen。

Intheairwasthatfeelingwhichcomestoyouonceayear，inthespring，nomatterwhereyoumaybe，inacrowdedstreet，oraloneinaforest;onlyonce——afeelinglike——butIcannotdescribeit。

"Eiliewassittingthere。Ifyoudon’tknow，sir，Ican’ttellyouwhatitmeanstobenearthewomanoneloves。Shewasleaningonthewindowsill，staringdownintothestreet。Itwasasthoughshemightbelookingoutforsomeone。Istood，hardlybreathing。Sheturnedherhead，andsawme。Hereyeswerestrange。Theyseemedtoaskmeaquestion。ButIcouldn’thavespokenfortheworld。Ican’ttellyouwhatIfelt——Idarednotspeak，orthink，orhope。Ihavebeeninnineteenbattles——severaltimesinpositionsofsomedanger，whentheliftingofafingerperhapsmeantdeath;butIhaveneverfeltwhatIwasfeelingatthatmoment。Iknewsomethingwascoming;andIwasparalysedwithterrorlestitshouldnotcome！"Hedrewalongbreath。

"Theservantcameinwithalightandbrokethespell。AllthatnightIlayawakeandthoughtofhowshehadlookedatme，withthecolourcomingslowlyupinhercheeks"ItwasthreedaysbeforeIpluckedupcouragetogoagain;andthenIfelthereyesonmeatonce——shewasmakinga’cat’scradle’withabitofstring，butIcouldseethemstealingupfromherhandstomyface。Andshewentwanderingabouttheroom，fingeringateverything。Whenherfathercalledout:’What’sthematterwithyou，Elie？’shestaredathimlikeachildcaughtdoingwrong。Ilookedstraightatherthen，shetriedtolookatme，butshecouldn’t;andaminutelatershewentoutoftheroom。GodknowswhatsortofnonsenseItalked——Iwastoohappy。

"Thenbeganourlove。Ican’ttellyouofthattime。OftenandoftenDaltonsaidtome:’What’scometothechild？NothingIcandopleasesher。’Alltheloveshehadgivenhimwasnowforme;buthewastoosimpleandstraighttoseewhatwasgoingon。Howmanytimeshaven’tIfeltcriminaltowardshim！Butwhenyou’rehappy，withthetideinyourfavour，youbecomeacowardatonce……

V

"Well，sir，"hewenton，"weweremarriedonhereighteenthbirthday。

ItwasalongtimebeforeDaltonbecameawareofourlove。Butonedayhesaidtomewithaverygravelook:

"’Eiliehastoldme，Brune;Iforbidit。She’stooyoung，andyou’re——tooold！’Iwasthenforty—five，myhairasblackandthickasarook’sfeathers，andIwasstrongandactive。Iansweredhim:

’Weshallbemarriedwithinamonth！’Wepartedinanger。ItwasaMaynight，andIwalkedoutfarintothecountry。There’snoremedyforanger，or，indeed，foranything，sofineaswalking。OnceI

stopped——itwasonacommon，withoutahouseorlight，andthestarsshininglikejewels。Iwashotfromwalking，Icouldfeelthebloodboilinginmyveins——Isaidtomyself’Old，areyou？’AndIlaughedlikeafool。Itwasthethoughtoflosingher——Iwishedtobelievemyselfangry，butreallyIwasafraid;fearandangerinmeareverymuchthesame。Afriendofmine，abitofapoet，sir，oncecalledthem’thetwoblackwingsofself。’Andsotheyare，sotheyare……！

ThenextmorningIwenttoDaltonagain，andsomehowImadehimyield。I’mnotaphilosopher，butithasoftenseemedtomethatnobenefitcancometousinthislifewithoutanequallosssomewhere，butdoesthatstopus？No，sir，notoften……

"Weweremarriedonthe3othofJune1876，intheparishchurch。TheonlypeoplepresentwereDalton，Lucy，andLucy’shusband——abig，red—facedfellow，withblueeyesandagoldenbeardpartedintwo。

Ithadbeenarrangedthatweshouldspendthehoneymoondownattheirinnontheriver。Mywife，DaltonandI，wenttoarestaurantforlunch。Shewasdressedingrey，thecolourofapigeon’sfeathers。"

Hepaused，leaningforwardoverthecrutchhandleofhisstick;