第4章

CHAPTERXV。

BUTMR。COURTLAND——AH，NEVERMIND！

Mr。AyrtonentertainedhisdaughterwithadescriptionofthesceneintheHouseincidentaltotheannihilationofMr。Apthomas。Heratherthoughthimselfthathiscounter-questionhadbeenneat。Hehadbeencongratulatedonitbyquiteanumberofhisfriendsinthetearoom，andsixmessageshadbeendeliveredtohimbyrepresentativesofthepresstotheeffectthatifhecouldprovidethemwiththeexacttextofhiscounter-questiontheywouldbegreatlyobliged。

“Theymeantoreportitinfull?“saidPhyllis。Shehadanampleexperienceofthedecimationofhisquestionsaswellasspeechesbythemembersofthepressgallery。Theyhadreducedittoascience。

“Iammuchmistakeniftheydon"tcommentonitaswell，“saidherfather。“PoorApthomas！healonesatglumandmutewhileeveryonearoundhimwasconvulsed。”

“IhopethatMr。Courtlandwillnotfeelhurtatwhathasoccurred，“

saidPhyllisdoubtfully。

“Mr。Courtland?WhoisMr。Courtland?WhathasMr。Courtlandtosaytothematter?Whatbusinessisitofhis，Ishouldliketoknow。”

“Well，consideringthathewastheoriginalsubjectofthequestions，thoughImustconfessthathedidn"tremainlongso，Idon"tthinkitaltogetherunreasonabletowonderwhathewillthinkaboutthewholeepisode，“remarkedPhyllis。

“Ah，youalwaysdotakeanoriginalviewofsuchincidents，“saidherfatherindulgently。“ItissolikeawomantotryanddragpoorCourtlandintothebusiness。YououghttoknowbetterthantofancythatanyinterestattachestotheoriginalsubjectofaquestionintheHouse。You"llbesuggestingnextthatsomecreditshouldbegiventotheyouthswhopassbrilliantexaminationsinthings，andthatallshouldnotbeabsorbedbytheirgrinders。”

“I"mnotsosillyasthat，papa，“saidshe。“No；butMr。Courtland——

Ah，nevermind。”

Hedidnotmind。

Itsohappened，however，thatseveralofthenewspaperswhichcommentedonthequestionsandcounter-questionsthenextdayintroducedthenameofMr。HerbertCourtlandandhisexplorations；

though，ofcourse，mostattentionwasdirectedtowhatMr。Ayrton"spartycalledthebrilliant，andtheotherpartytheflippant，methodsofMr。Ayrton。HisreferencetotheNewGuineapigsomethoughtatrifletoopersonaltobeingoodtaste，butifpoliticiansrefrainedfrompersonalitiesandwerepunctiliousinmattersoftaste，whatchancewouldtheyhaveof“scoring，“andwherewouldthecaricaturistsbe?Thereputationofapoliticianissteadilybuiltupnowadays，notbyconsistency，certainly；notbybrilliantrhetoric；notevenbytheunscrupulousexerciseofafacultyfororganizingimpromptu“scenes，“

butbythewearingofanecktie，oraboot，orawaistcoatthatissusceptibleofcaricature。Averyordinaryyoungmanhasbeforenowbeenliftedintofamebythetwistsofhismustache，andanotheroflessthanmediocreabilityhasbeenpreventedfromsinkinginthefloodofforgetfulnessbythekindlyeffortsofacaricaturistwhosupportedhimbyasimplelockonhisscalp。ThusitwasthatMr。

Apthomasfoundhimselffamousbeforeaweekhadpassed，throughthecircumstanceofbeingrepresentedintheleadingjournalofcaricatureasaguineapig，flying，withthespoilofbubbleboardsofdirectorsunderhisarm，fromtheattackofanumberofquaint-lookingmammalswearingcollarsinscribed“ACCURACY，““CORRECTBALANCESHEETS，“

“LEGITIMATESPECULATIONS，“andotherphrasesthatsuggestedtheneedfortheoldguineapigtogivewaytoanewbreed。Underneaththepicturewasprintedaportionofthecounter-questionofMr。Ayrton，andoppositetoitweresomeverseswithajinglingrefrainthateveryonecouldremember，andwhicheveryonequotedduringthenextfewdays。

ThefirmofpublisherswhohadbeenfortunateenoughtosecuretheissueofMr。Courtland"snewbookweredelighted。IfMr。Ayrtoncouldonlyhaveseenhiswaytointroducetheirnamesandtheiraddressinhiscounter-question，theircupofhappinesswouldhavebeencomplete，theysaid。Theymanaged，however，toinducetheproprietorsofayoungladywhowasreputedtobethevulgarestandmostfascinatingofallmusic-hallartistes，tointroduceMr。Courtland"snameintooneofthemovablestanzasofhermostpopularlyric:thosestanzaswhicharechangedfromweektoweek，soastotouchuponthetopicswhichareuppermostintheminds——well，notexactlytheminds——ofthepublic。Itisscarcelynecessarytosaythatthisformofadvertisementisworthcolumnsofthedailypapers；andifMr。Courtlandhadonlyshownhimselfappreciativeofhisbestinterestsandhadchangedthetitleofhisbookto“TheLandoftheNewGuineaPig，“insteadof“TheQuestoftheMeteor-Bird，“theywouldhavegonetopresswithanextrathousandcopies。

ButevenasitwastheyknewthatbetweenthememberofParliamentandthemusic-hallyoungladythesaleofthebookwasacertainty。Theircalculationswerenotatfault。ThepublisherssentaliberalsubscriptiontotheNonconformistEasternMission，whoseagentshadstimulatedpubliccuriosityinMr。Courtland"snewbookbysuggestingthathehadcarriedout，single-handed，oneofthemostatrociousmassacresofrecentyears；andadiamondbroochtothemusic-hallyoungladywhohadsokindlyworkedinthereferencetothebookafterdancingoneofhermostdaringhornpipesintheuniformofamidshipman；theydoubledthelinesoftheirannouncementsintheadvertisingcolumnsofthepaperthathadissuedthecartoonoftheNewGuineaPig，and，finally，theysentapresentationcopyof“TheQuestoftheMeteor-Bird，“toMr。Ayrton。

Then，aseveryonewashummingthelinesofthemusic-hallyounglady:

“FromthelandoffarNewGuineaCamealittlepig-a-ninny，“

thedailypaperswereboundtogivetwo-columnreviewstothebookonthedayofitspublication；andastherodwhichMosescastdownbeforePharaohswallowedupthewrigglingrodsofthemagicians，theinterestattachingtoMr。Courtland"sbookabsorbedthatwhichattachedtoalltheotherbooksoftheseason，including“RevisedVersions，“thoughthepublishersofthelattermovedheavenandearth(thatistosay，thebishopandthepeople"schurchwarden)togettheRev。GeorgeHollandprosecuted。Ifeitherhadbeensusceptibletoreason，andhadgotupacaseagainsttheirauthor，thepublishersdeclaredthatMr。Courtland"sbookwouldnothavehadachancewith“RevisedVersions。”TobesuretheyadmittedthatthereportthatMr。

Hollandhadbeenthrownoverbytheladywhohadpromisedtomarryhimhadgivenajerkforwardtothesales；butwhenMr。GeorgeHollandhadbeensoidioticallyblindtohisbestinterestsand(incidentally)thebestinterestsofhispublishers，astocontradictthissuggestionofincipientmartyrdom，andthusanexcellentadvertisementhadbeenlost，andeveryonewas，inaweekortwo，talkingabout“TheQuestoftheMeteor-Bird，“whileonlyafewcontinuedshakingtheirheadsover“RevisedVersions。”

Meantime，however，Mr。CourtlandthoughtitwelltocalluponMr。

AyrtoninordertothankhimforhiskindnessinreplyingintheHouseofCommonssoeffectivelytothequestionsputtothevariousministersbyMr。Apthomas；andMr。AyrtonhadaskedMr。Courtlandtodinner，andMr。Courtlandhadacceptedtheinvitation，MissAyrtonbeggingMrs。Lintontobeoftheparty，andMrs。Lintonyieldingtoherpetitionwithoutdemur。

CHAPTERXVI。

WOULDITBEWELLWITHMYHUSBAND?

Itwasontheirwaybackfromthislittledinner-partythatMr。

CourtlandconfessedtoEllaLintonthathehadcometothinkofherdearestfriendasamostcharmingandoriginalgirl；shehadneveroncereferredtohisachievementsinNewGuinea，norhadsheaskedhimtowritehisnameinherbirthdaybook。Yes，shewasnotasothergirls。

“I"msodelightedtohearyousaysomuch，“saidElla。“Oh，Bertie！

whynotmakeyourselfhappywithasweetgirlsuchasshe，andgivenomorethoughttosuchabsurditiesasyouhavebeenindulgingin?

Believeme，youdon"tknowsowellasIdoinwhatdirectionyourhappinesslies。”

“Idon"tknowanythingabouthappiness，“saidhe。“Idon"tseemtocaremuch，either。WhenImadeupmymindtofindthemeteor-bird，don"tyousupposethatthereweremanypeoplewhotoldmethat，evenifitwasfound，itwasquiteunlikelythatitwouldbemoresucculenteatingthanaDorkingchicken?I"msuretheywereright。Yousee，I

didn"tgotoNewGuineainsearchofabarndoorfowl。Idon"twantdomestichappiness，Idon"twantanythingbutyou——youaremymeteor-

bird。Ifound，aftermyfirstvisittoNewGuinea，thatitwasimpossibleformetorestuntilIhadfoundthemeteor-bird。Ihavefoundthatitisimpossibleformetolivewithoutyou，mybeloved。”

“Youwillhavetolearntolivewithoutme，“saidshe，layingherhanduponhis。Theyhadnowreachedherhouse，sothatnoimmediatereplywaspossible。Hedidnotattempttomakeareplyuntiltheyhadgoneintoasmalldrawingroom，andshehadflungoffherwrap。Theywerealone。

Thenhekneltontherugbeforeherandtookbothherhandsinhisown——ahandineachofhishands——astheylayonherdress。Hisfacewasclosetohers:shewasinalowchair。Eachcouldhearthesoundoftheother"sbreathing——thesoundoftheother"sheart-beats。Thatduetwentonforsomeminutes——themostperfectmusicinlife——themusicwhichislifeitself——themusicbywhichmanbecomesimmortal。

“Donotholdmeanylonger，Bertie，“saidshe。“Kissmeandgoaway——

away。Oh，whyshouldyouevercomeback?Ibelievethat，ifyoulovedme，youwouldgoawayandnevercomeback。Oh，whatisthisfarcethatisbeingplayedbetweenus?Itisunworthyofeitherofus！“

“Afarce?Atragedy！“saidhe。“Iwantyou，Ella。ItoldyouthatI

couldnotlivewithoutyou。”

“Youwantme?Youwantme，Bertie?“saidshe。Tearswereinhereyesandinhervoice，fortherewastoherapassionofpathosinthosewordsofhis。“Youwantme，andyouknowthatitisonlymysoulthatshallbelostifIgivemyselftoyou。Godhasdecreedthatonlythesoulofthewomanpaysthepenaltyoftheman"slongingforher。”

“Yousoulshallbesaved，notlost，“saidhe。“Atpresentitisyoursoulthatisinperil，whenyougiveyoursweetnesstothemanwhomyouhaveceasedtolove——ah！whomyouneverloved。Youwillsaveyoursoulwithme。”

“Ishallloseitforalleternity，“saidshe。“DoyouthinkthatI

complain?DoyoufancyforamomentthatIgrumbleatthedecreeofGod，orthatIrailagainstitasunjust?“

“Youareawoman。”

“Iamawoman，andthereforeyouknowIwillonedaybereadytolosemysoulforyou，Bertie，mylove。Oh，mydear，dearlove，yousayyouwantme?“

“Oh，myGod！“

Hehadsprungtohisfeetandwaspacingtheroombeforeher。

“Yousaythatyouwantme。Oh，mylove，mylove，doyoufancyforamomentthatyourlongingformeisanythingtobecomparedtomylongingforyou?“

“Mybeloved，mybeloved！“

Hisarmswereabouther。Hislipswereuponhers。Shekissedhimashekissedher。

Thensheturnedherheadawaysothathiskissesfelluponhercheekinsteadofhermouth。Sheturneditstillfartherandtheyfelluponherneck——itwasexquisiteinitsshape——andlaytherelikeredrose-

leavesclingingtoacarvedmarblepillar。

“Wait，“shesaid。“Wait；letmetalktoyou。”

Sheuntwinedhisarmsfromabouther——thetearswerestillinhereyesasshetriedtofacehim。

“Whyshouldyoustillhavetears?“saidhe。“Ifanythingstoodbetweenusandlove，theremightberoomfortears，butnothingstandsbetweenusnow。Iamyours，youaremine。”

“Thatistheboastofamanwhoseesonlythebeginningofalove；

minearethetearsofawomanwhoseesitsend，andknowsthatitisnotfaroff。”

“Howcanyousaythat?Theend?theendoflovesuchasours?Oh，Ella！“

“Oh，listentome，mylove！IamashamedofthepartIhaveplayedduringthepastsixmonths——sinceweweretogetherontheArno，andyouareashamed，too。”

“Iamnotashamed。Ihavenoreasontobeashamed。”

“No；youarenotashamedofthepartyouhaveplayed；butyouareashamedofme，Bertie。”

“Ohyou?I——ashamedofyou?Oh，mydarling，ifyoutalklongerinthatstrainIwillbeashamedofyou。”

“Youareashamedofme——Ihavesometimesfeltit。AmanwithaheartsuchasIknowyourstobe，cannotbutbeashamedofawoman，who，thoughthewifeofanotherman，allowshimtokissher——yes，andwhogiveshimkissforkiss。Oh，goaway——goaway！Ihavehadenoughofyourlove——enoughofyourkisses，enoughshame！Goaway！Ineverwishtoseeyouagain——tokissyouagain。”

Shehadwalkedtotheotherendoftheroom，andstoodunderaVenetianmirror——itshonelikeamonstrousjewelaboveherhead——

lookingathim，herhandsclenched，hereyesflashingthroughthetearsthathadnotyetfallen。

Hehadhadnoexperienceofwomenandtheirmoods，andhewasconsequentlyamazedatherattitude。Hetookasteptowardher。

“No——no，“shecriedangrily。“Iwillnothaveanymoreofyou。ItellyouthatIhavehadenough。IfindnowthatwhatImistookforlovewasjusttheopposite。IbelievethatIhateyou。No——no，Bertie，notthat，itcannotbethat，only——Oh，IknownowthatitisnothateforyouthatIfeel——itishateformyself，hateforthecreaturewhoishatefulenoughtostandbetweenyouandthehappinesswhichyouhaveearnedbypatience，byconstancy，byself-control。Yes，Ihatethecreaturewhoisidioticenoughtoputhonorbetweenus，toputreligionbetweenus，toputhersoul"ssalvationbetweenus。”

“Ella，Ella，whywillyounottrustme?“hesaid，whenshehadflungherselfintoachair。Hewasstandingoverherwithhishandsclaspedbehindhim。Hewasbeginningtounderstandsomethingofhernature；ofthenatureofthewomantowhomlovehascomeasathiefinthenight。

Hewasbeginningtoperceivethatshehad，inherignorance，beenreadytoentertainlovewithoutknowingwhatwasentailedbyentertaininghim。“Ifyouwouldonlytrustme，allwouldbewell。”

Shealmostleapedfromherchair。

“Wouldit?“shecried。“Wouldallbewell?Woulditbewellwithmysoul?Woulditbewellwithbothofusinthefuture?Woulditbewellwithmyhusband?“

Helaughed。

“Iknowyourhusband，“hesaid。

“AndIknowhim，too，“saidshe。“HecaresformenomorethanIcareforhim，buthehasneverbeenotherwisethankindtome。Ithinkofhim——Ithinkofhim。Iknowthenamethatmengivetothemanwhotriestomakehisfriend"swifelovehim。Itisnotmyhusbandwhohasearnedthatname，Mr。Courtland。”

Helookedintoherface，buthespokenoword。Evenhe——thelover——wasbeginningtosee，asinaglass，darkly，somethingoftheconflictthatwasgoingonintheheartofthewomanbeforehim。Shehadutteredwordsagainsthim，andtheyhadstunghim，andyethehadafeelingthat，ifhehadputhisarmsaboutheragain，shewouldhaveheldhimclosetoherasshehaddonebefore；shewouldhavegivenhimkissforkissasshehaddonebefore。Itisthedecreeofnaturethatthelovershallthinkofhimselfonly；buthadhenottoldPhyllisthathisbeliefwasthatNatureandSatanwerethesame?Hewassometimesabletosay，“/Retrome，Sathana/“——notalways。Hesaiditnow，butnotboldly，notloudly——inawhisper。ThebestwayofputtingSatanbehindoneistorunawayfromhim。Resistthedevil，andhewillfleefromyou。Yes，but，onthewhole，itissafertoshowhimacleanpairofheelsthantoenteronanargumentwithhim，hopingthathewillbeamenabletologic。HerbertCourtlandsaidhis，“/Retrome/，“inawhisper，halfhoping，asthegentlewomanwiththemuffinsforsalehoped，thathewouldescapenotice。Forafewmomentsheceasedtothinkofhimself。Hethoughtofthatbeautifulthingbeforehim——shewastall，andherrosywhitefleshwasasapeachthathasreacheditsonehourofripeness——hethoughtofherandpitiedher。

Hehadnotthehearttoputhisarmsabouther，thoughheknewthattodosowouldbetogivehimallthehappinessforwhichhelonged。Whatwashethatheshouldstandbyandseethatstruggletearingherheartasunder?

“Mypoorchild！“saidhe，andthenherepeatedhiswords，“Mypoorchild！Itwouldhavebeenbetterifwehadnevercometogether。Wearegoingtopartnow。”

Shelookedathimandlaughedinhisface。

Hedidnotknowwhatthismeant。Hadshebeensimplyactingapartallalong?Hadshebeenplayingacomedypartallthewhilehewasthinkingthatagreattragedywasbeingenacted?Orwasitpossiblethatshewasmockinghim?thatherlaughwasthelaughofthejailerwhohearsaprisonerannouncehisintentionofwalkingoutofhiscell?

“Good-by，“saidhe。

Shefixedhereyesuponhisface，thenshelaughedagain。

Henowknewwhatshemeantbyherlaugh。

“Perhapsyoumaythinkthatyouhavetoofirmaholduponmetogivemeachanceofpartingfromyou，“saidhe。“Youmayberight；butifyoutellmetogoIshalltryandobeyyou。Butthinkwhatitmeansbeforeyoutellmetoleaveyouforever。”

Shedidthinkwhatitmeant。Shelookedathim，andshethoughtofhispassingawayfromherforevermore。Shewonderedwhatherlifewouldbewhenheshouldhavepassedoutofit。Ablank?Oh，worsethanablank，forshewouldhaveeverpresentwithhertherecollectionofhowhehadoncestoodbeforeherashewasstandingnow——tall，withhisbrownhandsclenched，andapalenessunderlyingthetanofhisface。“Thebravestmanalive“——thatwaswhatPhyllishadcalledhim，andPhyllishadbeenright。Hewasamanwhohadfoughthiswaysingle-handedthroughsuchperilsasmadethosewhomerelyreadaboutthemthrobwithanxiety。

Thiswasthemanofwhomsheknewthatshewouldeverretainamemory——thiswasthemanwhomshewasreadytosendbacktotheuttermostendsoftheearth。

Andthiswastobetherewardofhisdevotiontoher！Whatwasshethatshecoulddothisthing?Whatwasshethatsheshouldrefrainfromsacrificingherselfforhim?Shehadknownwomenwhohadsacrificedthemselvestomen——suchmen！Wretchedthings！Notlikethatmanofmenwhostoodbeforeherwithsuchalookonhisfaceasithadworn，sheknew，inthemostdesperatemomentsofhislife，whenthenextmomentmightbringdeathtohim——deathfromanarrow——fromawildbeast——fromahurricane。

Whatcouldshedo?

Shedidnothing。

Shemadenoefforttosaveherself。

Ifhehadputhisarmsaboutherandhadcarriedherawayfromherhusband"shousetotheuttermostendsoftheearth，shewouldnothaveresisted。Itwasnotinherpowertoresist。

Anditwasbecausehesawthishewentaway，leavingherstandingwiththatlovelyVenetianmirrorglitteringinsilverandrubyandemeraldjustaboveherhead。

“Youhavebeenright；Ihavebeenwrong，“saidhe。“Don"ttrytospeak，Ella。Don"ttrytokeepme。Iknowhowyouloveme，andIknowthatifIaskyoutokeepmeyouwillkeepmeuntilyoudie。Forgivemeformyselfishness，mybeloved。Good-by。”

Shefelthimapproachherandshefeltthehandsthathelaiduponherbareshoulders——oneoneachsideofherneck。Sheclosedhereyesasheputhisfacedowntohersandkissedheronthemouth——notwithrapturous，passionatelips，butstillwithwarmandtremblinglips。

Shedidnotknowwherethekissended，shedidnotknowwhenhishandsweretakenoffhershoulders。Shekepthereyesclosedandhermouthsealed。Shedidnotevengivehimafarewellkiss。

Whensheopenedhereyesshefoundherselfaloneintheroom。

Andthentherecametoherearsthesoundofthedoublewhistleforahansom。Shestoodsilentlytherelisteningtothedrivingupofthevehicle——sheevenheardthesoundoftheclosingoftheapronandthenthetinklingofthehorse"sbellsdwindlingintothedistance。

Asenseoflonelinesscametoherthatwasoverwhelminginitsforce。

“Fool！fool！fool！“shecried，throughhersetteeth。“WhathaveI

done?Senthimaway?Senthimaway?Mybeloved！——mybestbeloved——mymanofmen。Gone——gone！Oh，fool！fool！“

ShethrewherselfonasofaandstaredattheWatteaugroupofmasqueradingshepherdsandshepherdessesonthegreatSevresvasethatstoodonapedestalnearher。Themasksatthejoiningofthehandleswereofgrinningsatyrs。Theywereleeringather，shethought。Theyalonewereawareofthegoodreasontherewasforsatyrstogrin。A

womanhadjustsentawayfromher，forever，thebravestmaninalltheworld——thosewerePhyllis"words——akingofmen——theonemanwholovedherandwhomsheloved。Shehadpretendedtohimthatshewassubjecttotheinfluencesofreligion，ofhonor，ofduty！Whathypocrisy！Theyknewit，thoseleeringcreatures——theyknewthatshecarednothingforreligion，thatsheregardedhonoranddutyaswordsofnomeaningwhensuchwordsasloveanddevotionwereintheair。

Shelookedatthesatyrmasks，andhadanyonebeenpresentintheroom，thatonewouldhaveseenthatherlovelyfacebecamegraduallydistorteduntiltheexpressionitworewaspreciselythesameasthatuponthemasks——anexpressionthathaditsaudibleequivalentinthelaughwhichbrokefromher。

Shelaybackonherbroadcushions。Oneofthestrandsofhersplendidhairhadbecomeloose，andaftercoilingoverhalfayardofthebrocadedsilkofacushion，twisteditswaydowntothefloor。Shelayback，pointingonefingeratthefaceonthevaseandlaughingthatsatyr-laugh。

“Weknow——weknow——weknow！“shecried，andhervoicewaslikethatofadrunkenwoman。“Weknowall——youandI——weknowthehypocrisy——thepretenseofreligion——ofhonor——duty——ahusband！Ah，ahusband！thatisthefunniestofall——thathusband！Weknowhowlittlewecareforthemall。”

Shecontinuedlaughinguntilhercushionslippedfromunderherhead。

Shehalfrosetostraightenit，andatthatinstantshecaughtaglimpseofherfaceinthecentersilveredpaneloftheVenetianmirror。Thecryofhorrorthatbrokefromheratthatinstantseemedpartofherlaugh。Itwouldnothaveoccurredtoanyonewhomighthavehearditthatitwasotherwisethanconsistentwiththeincongruity，sotospeak，oftheexistingelementsofthescene。Thehideousleerofthethingwithhorns，lookingdownattheexquisitepictureofthe/fetechampetre/——thedistortedfeaturesofthewoman"sfaceinthecenteroftherubyandemeraldandsapphireoftheVenetianmirror——

thecryofhorrormixedwiththelaughofthewomanwhomockedatreligionandhonorandpurity——allwereconsistentlyincongruous。

Inanotherinstantshewaslyingonthesofawithherfacedowntothecushion，tryingtoforgetallthatshehadseeninthemirror。Shewepthertearsonthebrocadedsilkforhalfanhour，andthensheslippedfromwhereshewaslyingtillherkneeswereonthefloor。

Withahandclutchingeachsideofthecushionshegotridofherpassioninprayer。

“Oh，God！God！keephimawayfromme！keephimawayfromme！“washerprayer；anditwaspossiblythebestthatshecouldhaveuttered。

“Keephimawayfromme！keephimawayfromme！Don"tletmysoulbelost！Keephimawayfromme！“

Whenshestruggledtoherfeet，atlast，shestoodinfrontofthemirroronceagain。

Shenowsawafacepurifiedofallpassionbytearsandprayer，whereshehadseenthesoullessfaceofaPagan"sorgy。

Shewentupstairstoherbedandwentasleep，thankingGodthatshehadhadthestrengthtosendhimaway；thatshehadhadstrengthsufficienttostandwhereshehadstoodintheroom，silent，whilehehadputhisarmsonherbareshouldersandkissedheronthemouth，saying“Good-by。”

ShefeltthatshehadeveryreasontothankGodforthatstrength，forsheknewthatithadbeengiventoheratthatmoment；ithadnotsprungfromwithinherownheart；herhearthadbeencryingouttohim，“Stay，stay，stay！“herhearttooknoaccountofhonororpurityorahusband。

Yes，shefeltthatthestrengthwhichhadcometoheratthatmomenthadbeentheespecialgiftofGod，andshewasthankfultoGodforit。

ThatconsciousnessofgratitudetoGodwasherlastsensationbeforefallingasleep；and，whenmorningcame，herfirstsensationwasthatofhavingalettertowrite。Beforeshehadbreakfastedshehadwrittenherletterandsentittobeposted。

Thiswastheletter:

“MYONELOVE:Iwasafool——oh，suchafool！HowcouldIhavedoneit?HowcouldIhavesentyouawayinsuchcoldnesslastnight?

Believeme，itwasnotIwhodidit。HowcouldIhavedoneit?Youknowthatmyloveforyouislimitless。Youknowthatitismylife。Itellyouthatmyloveforyoulaughsatsuchlimitsasarelaiddownbyreligionandhonor。WhyshouldIprotest?Myloveislove，andtherecanbenolovewherethereareanylimits。

“CometomeonThursday。Ishallbeathomeafterdinner，atnine，andseeifIamnotnowinmyrightmind。Cometome；cometome，Bertie，mylove。”

CHAPTERXVII。

WHATAMITHATISHOULDDOTHISTHING?

“Atlast！“

Hesatwiththeletterbeforehimafterhehadbreakfasted，andperhapsforatime，sayaminuteorso，hecaughtaglimpseofthenatureofthewomanwhohadwrittenthoselinestohim。Ifhehadnothadsomeappreciationofhernaturehewouldhavespentanhourortwo——perhapsadayortwo——tryingtoreconcileherattitudeofthepreviousnightwiththetoneofherletter。Hedidnot，however，wastehistimeoversuchanendeavor。Heknewthatshelovedhim，andthatshedidnotloveherhusband。Heknewthatshehadallowedhimtokissher，andithadbeenapuzzletohimforsomemonthswhyshehadnotcometohisarmsforever——hemeanthertobehisownpropertyforever。

Hehadbeenamazedtohearherallude，asshehaddoneonthepreviousnight，tosuchabstractionsashonor，religion，herhusband。Hecouldnotseewhattheyhadtodowiththematterinhand。Hecouldnotseewhysuchconsiderationsshouldbepotenttoexercisearestraininginfluenceontheintentionsofamanandawomanwholoveeachother。

Well，nowitwouldappearthatshehadcasttothewindsallsuchconsiderationsasshehadenumerated，andwaspreparedtoliveundertheruleoflovealone，anditwasathissuggestionshewasdoingso。

Foramomentortwohesawherasshewas:awomaninthemidstofaseethingocean，throwingupherhandsandfindinganabsolutereliefingoingdown——down——downintoveryhell。Foramomentortwohisheartwasfullofpityforher。Whocouldbeaspectatorofawoman"sstrugglesforlifeinthemidstofthatturbulentseaofpassionwhichwasoverwhelmingher，andrefrainfromfeelingpity?Thatletterwhichlaybeforehimrepresentedtheagonizingcryofadrowningcreature；

onewhomthelongstrugglehasmadedelirious；onewholooksforwardtogoingdownwiththedelightbornofdelirium。

Herecollectedapicturewhichhehadonceseen——thepictureofadrowningwoman。Hesawitnowbeforehimwithhideousvividness，andthefaceofthewomanwasthefaceofEllaLinton。Theagonyofthatlastfightwithanelementthatwasoverpowering，overwhelminginitsruthlessstrength，wasshownuponeveryfeature，andhissoulwasfilledwithpity。

Hesprangtohisfeetandcrushedtheletterintohispocket。Hefeltnoneoftheexultationofthehuntsman——onlysadnessatthefateofthehuntedthingthatlayathisfeet。Oncebeforethesamefeelinghadcomeoverhim。Itwaswhen，afterthelongstruggleuptheriver，throughtheforests，swamps，junglegrassthatcutthebodyofamanasthoughitweresharpwire，hefiredhisshotandthemeteor-birdfellathisfeet。Afterthefirstfewpantingbreathsthatcametohimhehadstoodleaningonhisgun，lookingdownatthatbeautifulthingwhichhehaddeprivedoflife。

“WhatamIthatIshouldhavedonethisthing?“hehadaskedhimselfonthatevening，whiletheblackshadyelledaroundhimlikedevils。

“WhatamIthatIshoulddothisthing?“washiscrynow，asthevoiceofmanydemonssoundedinhisears。

Whatwashethatheshouldrejoiceatreceivingthatletterfromthewomanoverwhoseheadthewaterswereclosing?

Heorderedhishorseand，mountingit，rodetowherehecouldputittothegallop。Somentrytoleavebehindthemthesneeringdemonsofconscienceandself-reproach。Someofthemsucceedindoingso，butfindthepairwaitingforthemontheirowndoorstep。HerbertCourtlandgallopedhishorseintermittentlyforanhourortwo，andthenrodeleisurelybacktohisrooms。Hefeltthathehadgotthebetterofthosetwoenemiesofhiswhohadbeenirritatinghim。Heheardtheirvoicesnolonger。Hehadlostthem(hefancied)，becausetherehadcometohimanothervoicethatsaid:

“Iloveher——Iloveher。”

AndwhensoeverthatvoicecomestoamanasitcametoHerbertCourtlanditdrownsallothervoices。Hewouldlovehertotheendofhislife。Theirlifetogetherwouldbethereallifeforwhichmenandwomenhavecomeintotheworld。Hewouldgotoher，andsofarfromallowinghertosinkbeneaththewatersdowntohell，hisarmswouldbearoundhertobearherupuntil——well，isitnotgenerallyconcededthatloveisheavenandheavenislove?

Heseatedhimselfatadeskandwrotetoheranimpassionedline。Hewouldgotoher，hesaid。IfdeathshouldcometohimthenextdayhewouldstillthankGodforhavinggivenhimanhouroflife。

Thatwaswhathesaid——all。Itexpressedprettywellwhathefeltheshouldfeel。ThatreferencetoGodshewould，ofcourse，understand。

GodwastohimaFigureofSpeech。HehadsaidasmuchtoPhyllisAyrton。ButthenhehadsaidthathehadregardedGodtomeanthePowerbywhichmenwereable(sometimes)successfullytocombattheinfluencesofnature。ButhadhenotjustthenmadeuphismindtoyieldtothatpassionwhichGod，asaPrinciple，hasthegreatestdifficultyinopposing?Why，then，shouldheexpectthatEllawouldunderstandpreciselywhathemeantinsayingthathewouldthankGodforhishouroflife，hishouroflove?

Hewouldhavehadconsiderabledifficultyinexplainingthisapparentdiscrepancybetweenhisschemeofphilosophyandhislifeasaman，hadPhyllisaskedhimtodoso；andPhylliswouldcertainlyhaveaskedhimtodosohadshebecomeacquaintedwiththecontentsofhislettertoherfriendElla；thoughPhyllis"father，havingacquiredsomeknowledgeofmenaswellasofphrases，wouldnothaveaskedforanyexplanation，knowingthataman"sphilosophyis，initsrelationtoaman"slife，agooddeallessimportantthanthefuseistoabomb。Hewouldhaveknownthataschemeofphilosophynomorebringswisdomintoaman"slifethanatelescopebringsthemoonnearertotheearth。Hewouldhaveknownthatforamantobuildupadoctrineofphilosophyaroundhimself，hopingthatthedevilwillkeepontheothersideofthepaling，isasridiculousasitistoraiseastockadeofrosesagainstatiger。

HerbertCourtland，however，thoughtneitherofphilosophicalconsistencynoroftheadvantagesofhavingonone"ssideasoundPrinciple。Hethoughtofthestockadeofroses，nottokeepoutthebeastbuttokeeplovein。Theywouldlivetogetherinthemidstofrosesforever，andthougheachmightpossiblylosesomethingbythetransaction，yetwhattheymightlosewasnothingcomparedtowhattheyshouldcertainlywin。Ofthathewascertain，andthereforehepostedhisimpassionedlinewithalightheart。

ThatwasonTuesday。Hehadstilltwodaysthathemightemploythinkingovertheenterprisetowhichhewascommitted；andhecertainlymadethemostofhistimeinthisdirection。Nowandagain，ashethoughtofwhatwasinstoreforhim——forher——hefeltasifhewereliftedofftheearth，andatothertimeshefeltthathewascrushedintotheearth——crushedintoituntilhehadbecomeincapableofanythoughtthatwasnotoftheearth，earthy。Atsuchmomentshefeltinclinedtowalkdowntothedocksandstepaboardthefirstvesselthatwassailingeastwardorwestwardornorthwardorsouthward。Thenitwasthathefoundbutthescantiestcomfortintheconsiderationofthelovelinessoflove。Glorifyinglife！No，corruptinglifeuntillifeismoreputridthandeath。

Thatwaswhatlovewas——somethingtoflyfrom。Butstillhedidnotflyfromthevisionthatcametohimwhenhefoundhimselfaloneafterspendingtheeveningsinbrilliantcompany——avisionofthelovelywomanwhowaswaitingforhim！Whathadshesaid?Hersoul——hersoulwouldbelostforevermore?

Well，thatshowedthatshewasawoman，atanyrate，andhelovedherallthebetterforherwomanliness。HeknewverywellthatifGodisaFigureofSpeechwithmen，thelosingofasoulisafigureofspeechwithwomen。Theexpressionmeansonlythattheyhavelostthechanceofdrinkinganumberofcupsofteaindrawingroomswhosedoorsarenowshuttothem。ThatwaswhatEllameant，nodoubt。Ifshewereopenlytosetatdefiancecertainofthoselawsbytheaidofwhichsocietywaskepttogetherwithamoderatedegreeofconsistency，shewouldbetreatedasanoutlaw。

Afterall，suchafatewasnotwithoutitsbrightside。SomehappinessmayremaintohumanbeingsinthatworldwhichisonthehithersideofLondondrawingrooms；anditwouldbehisaiminlifetoseethatshehadallthehappinessthattheworldcouldgiveher。

Pah！Hefelthissentimentbecomingatriflebrackish。Helovedher，andshelovedhim。Thatwasmorethanallthelawsandtheprofitsofsocietytothem。Thatwasthebeginningandtheendofthewholematter——theoriginofthesin(peoplecalleditasin)andtheexculpationofthesinners。Therewasnothingmoretobesaidorthoughtaboutthematter。Thosewholovedwouldunderstand。Thosewhodidnotunderstandwouldcondemn，andtheexistenceofeitherclasswasofnoearthlyimportancetohimselfortoElla。

WhenheawokeontheThursdaymorningthefeelingofexultationofwhichhewasconsciouswasnotwithoutanoteofdepression。SoithadbeenwhentheobjectofhisexplorationsinNewGuineahadbeenattained，andhelookeddownatthatexquisitething——thatdeadsplendorathisfeet。

Hewonderediftheattainmentofeverygreatobjectwhichamanmayhaveinlifebringsaboutafeelingofsadnessthatalmostneutralizestheexultation。AshepickeduphislettershehadafearthatamongthemtheremightbeonefromElla，tellinghimthatshehadcometotheconclusionthatshehadwrittentoohastilythoselineswhichhehadreceivedonTuesday——that，onconsideration，shewasunwillingtolosehersoulforloveofhim。

Nosuchletter，however，wasamonghiscorrespondence。(Coulditbepossiblethathewasdisappointedonaccountofthis?)HereceivedanintimationfromBerlinoftheconferringofanorderuponhiminrecognitionofhisexplorationofaterritoryinwhichGermanywassogreatlyinterested。HereceivedanintimationfromViennathatagoldmedalhadbeenvotedtohimbyoneofthelearnedsocietiesinrecognitionofhiscontributionstobiologicalscience。Hereceivedanintimationfromhispublishersthattheyhadjustgonetopresswithanotherthousand(thetwelfth)ofhisbook，andhereceivedthirteencardsofinvitationtovariousfunctionstotakeplaceinfromthreetosixweeks"time，butnolinedidhereceivefromElla。

Shewashisforeverandever，whetherhersoulwouldbelostorsavedinconsequence。

Heratherthoughtthatitwouldbelost；butthatdidnotmatter。Shewashisforeverandever。

CHAPTERXVIII。

HERBERTCOURTLANDISAMANWHOHASLIVEDWITHHONOR。

Itwasalongday。

TowardeveningherecollectedthathehadtoleavecardsuponhishostandhostessoftheMondayprevious，butitwaspastsixo"clockwhenhefoundhimselfatthetopofthestepsofMr。Ayrton"shouse。BeforehisringhadbeenrespondedtoavictoriadroveupwithPhyllis，andinamomentshewasonthestepbesidehim。

Shelookedradiantinthecostumewhichshewaswearing。Hethoughthehadneverseenaloveliergirl——hewascertainthathehadneverseenabetter-dressedgirl。(Mr。Courtlandwasnotcleverenoughtoknowthatitisonlythebeautifulgirlswhoseemwelldressedintheeyesofmen。)Therewasacertainfranknessinherfacethatmadeitveryinteresting——thefranknessofachildwholooksintothefaceoftheworldandwondersatitsreticence。Hefelthersoftgrayeyesrestinguponhisface，assheshookhandswithhimandbeggedhimtogoinandhaveteawithher。Hefeltstrangelyuneasyunderhereyesthisevening，andhisself-possessionfailedhimsofarastomakeitimpossibleforhimtoexcusehimself。Itdidnotoccurtohimtosaythathecouldnotdrinkteawithheronaccountofhavinganappointmentwhichhecouldnotbreakthroughwithoutthemostdeplorableresults。Hefelthimselfledbyherintooneofherdrawingrooms，andsittingwithhisbacktothewindowwhileherfrankeyesremainedonhisface，asking(sohethought)forthenearestapproachtotheirfranknessinresponse，thatamanwhohaslivedintheworldofmendareoffertoamaidenwhoseworldiswithinherself。

“Oh，yes！IgottheusualnotificationoftheOrderoftheBaldEagle，“saidhe，inreplytoherinquiry。“IshallwearitnextmyheartuntilIdie。Thenewspapersannouncedthehonorthathadbeendonetomethesamemorning。”

“Youcannotkeepanythingoutofthepapers，“saidPhyllis。

“Evenifyouwantto——aconditionwhichdoesn"tapplytomycase，“

saidhe。“Mypublishersadmittedtomelastweekthattheywouldn"tresteasyifanynewspaperappearedduringthenextmonthwithoutmynamebeinginitscolumnsinsomeplace。”

“I"msuretheyweredelightedatthedevelopmentofthe/SpiritualAneroid"s/attackuponyou，“saidPhyllis。

“TheytoldmeIwasamademan，“saidhe。

Shethrewbackherhead——itwasherway——andlaughed。Herlaughter——

allthegraceofgirlhoodwasinitsring；itwasgirlhoodmadeaudible——waslighteningherfairfaceasshelookedathim。

“Howfunny！“shecried。“YoufightyourwaythroughtheNewGuineaforests；youareindailyperilofyourlife；youopenupanewcountry，andyetyouarenotamademanuntilyouareattackedbyawretchednewspaper。”

“Thatisthestandpointofthepeoplewhosellbooks，soyoumaydependuponitsbeingthestandpointofthepeoplewhobuybooks，“

saidhe。

“Icanquitebelieveit，“saidshe。“Mr。Geraint，thenovelist，tookmedowntodinneratMrs。Lemuel"slastnight，andhetoldmethattheonlythingthatwillmakepeoplebuybooksisseeingtheauthor"sportraitinsomeoftheillustratedpapers，orhearingfromsomeoftheinterviewswhicharepublishedregardinghimthathenevercouldtakesugarinhiscoffee。Thereviewsofhisbooksarereadonlybyhisbrotherauthors，andtheyneverbuyabook，Mr。Geraintsays；buttheinterviewsarereadbythegenuinebuyers。”

“Mr。Geraintknowshispublic，I"msure。”

“Ifancyhedoes。Hewouldbeveryamusingifhedidn"taimsopersistentlyatgoingonebetterthansomeoneelseinhisanecdotes。

Peopleweretalkingatdinneraboutyourhavingmassacredthenativeswithdynamite——youdid，youknow，Mr。Courtland。”

“Oh，yes；Ihaveadmittedsomuchlongago。Therewasnohelpforit。”

“Well，ofcourseeveryonewaslaughingwhenpapatoldhowthemassacrecameabout，andthisannoyedMr。Geraintandinducedhimtotellastoryaboutapoorwomanwhofanciedthatmelinitewasasortoffoodforchildrenthatcausedtheirportraitstoappearintheadvertisements；sosheboughtatinofitandgaveitalltoherlittleboyatonemeal。Itsohappened，however，thathebecamerestlessduringthenightandfelloutofhiscradle。Thathappenedayearago，Mr。Geraintsaid，andyetthestreetisn"tquitereadyfortrafficyet。”

“ThatlittleanecdoteofMr。Geraintmakesmefeelverymeek。IfatanytimeIamtemptedtothinkwithprideuponmydynamitemassacre，I

shallrememberMr。Geraint"sstory，andhangmyhead。”

“WewereallamusedatMr。Geraint"slivelyimagination，butmuchmoresowhenMr。Topham，theunder-secretary，shookhisheadgravely，andsaidinhismostdignifiedmanner，thathethoughtthereportedoccurrence——themeliniteincident——quiteimprobable。Hewasgoingontoexplainthatthecompositionoftheexplosivedifferedsomateriallyfromthatofthefoodthatitwouldbealmostimpossibleforanymothertotaketheonefortheother，whenourhostessrose。”

“Mr。Tophammusthavebeendisappointed。Asademonstratoroftheobvioushehasprobablynoequalevenamongtheunder-secretaries。Youdiscussedhimprettyfreelyinthedrawingroomafterward，Imayventuretosuggest。”

“No；wediscussedyou，Mr。Courtland。”

“Amostunprofitabletopic。Fromwhatstandpoint——dynamitemassacres?“

“Fromthestandpointofheredity，ofcourse。Canyouimagineanytopicbeingdiscussedinadrawingroom，nowadays，fromanyotherstandpoint?Therewasadearoldladypresent，Mrs。Haddon，andshesaidshehadbeenafriendofyourmother"s。”

“Soshewas；Irecollectherverywell。Ishouldliketogoseeher。”

“Shetoldusagreatdealaboutyourmother，andyoursister——asistertowhomyouweregreatlyattached。”

Phyllis"voicehadbecomelowandserious；everytonesuggestedsympathy。

“Ihadsuchasister，“saidheslowly。Hiseyeswerenotturnedtowardher。TheywerefixeduponalittlemodelofSt。CatherineofSiena，——avirginamongtheclouds，——whichwassetinthepanelofanoldcabinetbesidehim。“Ihadsuchasister——Rosamund；sheisdead。”

“Mrs。Haddontoldusso，“saidPhyllis。“Shetalkedaboutyourmother，andyoursister，andoftheinfluencewhichtheyhadhaduponyourlife——yourcareer。”

“Theyarebothdead，“saidhe。

“Theydidnotlivetoseeyourtriumph；thatiswhatyourtonesuggests，“saidshe。“ThatiswhatMrs。Haddonsaid——thetearswereinhereyes——lastnight，Mr。Courtland。Iwishyoucouldhaveheardher。

Iwishyoucouldhaveheardwhatshesaidwhensomeonemadeacommonplaceremarkastohowsaditwastheyweredead。”

“Whatdidshesay，MissAyrton?“

“Shesaid，"No，no；pleasedonottalkaboutdeathovertakingsuchasthey。Themother，whotransmitshernaturetotheson，renewsherlifeinhim；itisnothe，buthismother，wholives。"Andthensheasked，"DoyousupposethatHerbertCourtlandeversetsoutonanyofhisgreatenterpriseswithoutthinkingofhismotherandsister，withoutfeelingthathemustdosomethingworthyofthem，somethingfortheirsake?Andyoutalkofthemasiftheyweredead——asiftheyhadpassedawayforeverfromtheconcernsofearth！"Thatiswhatshesaid，Mr。

Courtland。”

Hehadbentforwardonhislowseat，andwasleaninghisheadononeofhishands。Hehadhiseyesfixedontheparquetofthefloor。Hewasmotionless。Hedidnotspeakaword。

“Mrs。Haddonsaidsomethingmore，“Phylliscontinued，afterapause。

Hervoicehadfallenstillanothertone。“"Yes，"shesaid，asifmusing，"dead——dead！Amanisashismotherhasmadehim。Heiswithherfromthemomentsheloveshisfather。Sheisevermorethinkingofhim；heisprecioustoherbeforethemysteryofhisbirthisrevealedtoher。Hegrowsupbyherside，andlovesherbecauseheknowsthatsheunderstandshim。Shedoesunderstandhim，andsheunderstandshisfatherbetterbyunderstandingherson。"Shesaidthat，Mr。Courtland，andIfeltthatshehadspokenoneofthegreatesttruthsofthismysteriouslifeofours。Thenshesaid，"HerbertCourtlandisamanwhohaslivedwithhonortohimself，withhonortothememoryofhismother，andofhissister，whomheloved。Heisaman，andhehasnotmerelyattaineddistinctionintheworld；ifheiswithoutfear，heisalsowithoutreproach；andaskhimifhehasnotbeenstrengthenedinhisfightwithwhateverofbasemayhaverisenupwithinhim，beingaman，fromdaytoday，bythethoughtthathissisterisonewithhim；

thathispurityofheartandofactisthepurityofhismotherandhissister，uponwhichnostainmustevercome。"Thatwasallshesaid，Mr。Courtland。”

Therewasalongpauseaftershehadspoken。Hesattherewithhisheadbent，hisfingersinterlaced。Hehadhiseyesfixeduponthefloor。HiscupofteastooduntastedbesidehimonalittleAlgeriantable。

Andshe——asshelookedathimhersofteyesbecamedimwithtears。Sheknewthatthewordswhichshehadspoken，thewordswhichshehadrepeatedastheywerespokenbytheladywhomshehadmetthepreviousnight，hadawakenedmanymemorieswithinhim。Shetoohadhermemories。Sheknewthattherewasacertaingratefulnessinthemidstofthebitternessofsuchmemories。

Thatwasallsheknew。

Andthetearscontinuedtowelluptohereyesuntilshewasawarethathehadrisenfromhisseatandwasstandinginfrontofher。Shedrewherhandacrosshereyes。Shesawamovementinhislips。Theyweretrembling，butnosoundcamefromthem。Thehandthathestretchedouttoherwastremblingalso。Sheputherownintoit。Heheldherhandtightlyforamoment，thendroppeditsuddenlyandalmostfledfromtheroom，withoututteringaword。

Forafewmomentsshestoodwherehehadlefther，andthenshewenttoasofaandseatedherselfuponit。Thetearsthathadcometohereyesbefore，nowbegantofall；shethought，girlthatshewas，thatshecouldunderstandwhatwerethefeelingsofthemanwhohadjustpartedfromher。Shethoughtthathewasovercomeatthereflectionthatthedistinctionwhichhehadwonintheworldcouldnotbesharedbythosewhomheloved，thosewhowouldhavevaluedfarmorethanhedidthehonorthatwasbeingdonetohim。

Thepityofit！Oh，thepityofit！

EllahadtoldheronedaywhentheyhadtalkedtogetheraboutHerbertCourtland，thathehadnorelationalive，thathestoodaloneintheworld。Theinformationhadnotmeantmuchtoherthen；butwhenshehadheardMrs。Haddonspeakonthepreviouseveningabouthisattachmenttohismotherandhissister，sherememberedwhatEllahassaid，andherheartwasfullofpityforhim。ShehadmadeuphermindtotellhimallthatMrs。Haddonhadsaid，forsurelymoresympatheticwordshadneverbeenspoken；andheropportunityhadcomesoonerthansheexpected。TheirchattogetherhadlednaturallyuptoMrs。Haddon，andshehadbeenabletorepeattohimalmostwordforwordallthathismother"sfriendhadsaid。

Herheartfeltforhim。Surelythesweetestrewardthatcancometoamanwhohastoiledandfoughtandconqueredwasdeniedtothemanwhohadjustpartedfromher。Hehadtoiledandconquered；butnotforhimwasthejoyofseeingprideonthefaceofthosewhoclaimedhimastheirkin。Hisfatherhadbeenkilledwhenhehadchargedwithabrigadethroughthelinesofastubbornenemy——everyoneknewthestory。Hismotherandsisterhaddiedwhenhewasbeginningtomakeanameforhimself。Hehadgoneforthfromthelonelinessofhishometothelonelinessofthetropicalforest；andhehadreturnedtothelonelinessofLondon。

Shefeltthatshehaddonewelltorepeattohimthewordsofhismother"sfriend。Thosewordshadaffectedhimdeeply。Theycouldnotbutbeasourceofcomforttohimwhenhewasoverwhelmedwiththethoughtofhisloneliness。Theywouldmakehimfeelthathispositionwasunderstoodbysomepeoplewhowereabletothinkofhimapartfromthegreatworkwhichhehadaccomplished。

Thusthemaidensatmusinginthesilentroomaftershehaddriedhertearsofpityforthemanwhoanhourbeforehadsauntereduptoherdoorthinking，notofthemelancholyisolationofhispositionintheworld，butsimplythattwohoursofthelongestdayofhislifemustpassbeforehecouldkissthelipsofthewomanwhohadgivenherselfuptohim。

Hermaidfoundherstillseatedonthesofa，andventuredtoremindherthattimewasfugitive，andthatifmademoisellestillretainedherintentionofgoingtoLadyEarlscourt"sdinnerparty，——LadyEarlscourtwasgivingadinnerpartyapparentlyforthepurposeofcelebratingherhusband"sdepartureforacruiseinNorwegianfjordsinhisyacht，——itwouldbeabsolutelynecessaryformademoiselletopermitherselftobedressedwithoutdelay。

Phyllissprangupwithalittlelaughthatsoundedlikealargesigh，andsaidifFidelewouldhavethekindnesstoswitchonthelightsinthedressingroom，shewouldnotbekeptwaitingamoment。

Themaidhurriedupstairs，andmademoisellerepairedtoanapartmentwhereshecouldremove，sofaraswaspossible，thefootmarksleftbythosetearswhichshehadshedwhenshehadreflecteduponthelonelinesstowhichMr。HerbertCourtlandwasdoomedfor(probably)

theremainderofhislife。

Mademoisellehadadreadoftheacutenessofvisionwithwhichhermaidwasendowed。ShewasnotaltogethersurethatFidelewouldbecapableofunderstandingtheemotionthathadforcedthosetearstohereyes。

Butthatwasjustwhereshewaswrong。Fidelewascapableofunderstandingthatparticularemotionagooddealbetterthanmademoiselleunderstoodit。

CHAPTERXIX。

THEYHAVESOULSTOBESAVED。

WhenLordEarlscourtwasathometheonlytwotopicsthatweredebarredfromthedinnertablewerereligionandpolitics；butwhenLordEarlscourtwasabsenttheseweretheonlytwotopicsadmittedatthedinnertable。LadyEarlscourthadviews，well-defined，clearlyoutlined，onbothreligionandpolitics，andshegreatlyregrettedthattherestillremainedsomepeopleintheworldwhoheldotherviewsonbothsubjects；itwasverysad——forthem；andshefeltthatitwasclearlyherdutytoendeavorbyallthelegitimatemeansinherpower——say，dinnerpartiesforeight——toreducethenumberofthesepersons。Itwasrumoredthatinthecountryshehadshownherselfreadytoeffectherexcellentobjectbyillegitimatemeans——say，jellyandflannelpetticoats——aswell。

Sheworedistinctlyevangelicalboots，though，intheabsenceofherhusband，shehadexpressedherwillingnesstodiscusstheadvantagesoftheconfessional。Shehad，however，declined，inthepresenceofherhusband，toentertainthedogmaofinfallibility:thoughsheadmittedthatthecardinalswereshowy；shewouldhavelikedoneaboutherhouse，say，asafootman。ShethoughttherewasagreatdealinBuddhism(shehadread“TheLightofAsia“nearlythrough)，andshebelievedthattheRev。GeorgeHollandhadbeenbadlytreatedbyPhyllisAyrton。Sheadmittedhavingbeenyoungonce——onlyonce；butnooneseemedtorememberitagainsther，soshewasobligedtotalkaboutitherself，whichshedidwiththelightnessofaseriouswomanofthirty-two。Whenamanhadassuredherthatshewasstillhandsome，shehadshakenherheaddeprecatingly，andhadignoredhisexistenceeverafter。ShehadherdoubtsregardingthejusticeofeternalpunishmentfortemporarylapsesintheWestEnd，butshesympathizedwiththemissionarywhosaid:“ThankGodwehavestillgotourhellintheEastEnd。”SheknewthatallmenarealikeinthesightofHeaven，butshethoughtthatthelicensingjusticesshouldbemoreparticular。

Shebelievedthatthereweresomegoodmen。

ShehadmorethanoncetalkedseriouslytoPhyllisonthesubjectofGeorgeHolland。Ofcourse，GeorgeHollandhadbeenindiscreet；theviewsexpressedinhisbookhadshockedhisbestfriends，butthinkhowfamousthatbookhadmadehim，inspiteofthepublicationofMr。

Courtland"s“QuestoftheMeteor-Bird。”WasPhyllisnotactingunkindly，nottosayindiscreetly，inthrowingoveramanwho，itwasrumored，wasabouttostartanewreligion?Sheherself，LadyEarlscourtadmitted，hadbeenveryangrywithGeorgeHollandforwritingsomethingthatthenewspapersfoundittotheiradvantagetoabusesoheartily；andLordEarlscourt，beingasingularlysensitiveman，hadbeengreatlyworriedbythecommentswhichhadbeenpasseduponhisdiscriminationinintrustingtoaclergymanwhocouldbringhimselftowrite“RevisedVersions“acureofsuchimportantsoulsasweretobefoundatSt。Chad"s。Hehad，infact，beensoharassed——hewasasingularlysensitiveman——thathehadfounditabsolutelynecessarytorunacrosstoParisfromtimetotimeforachangeofscene。(Thiswasperfectlytrue。LordEarlscourthadgonemorethanoncetoParisforachangeofscene，andhadfoundit；LadyEarlscourtwasthirty-two，andworeevangelicalboots。)But，ofcourse，sinceGeorgeHolland"senterprisehadturnedoutsowellsocially，peoplewhoentertainedcouldnotbehardonhim。Therewasthenewreligiontobecountedupon。Itwasjustaslikelyasnotthathewouldactuallystartanewreligion，andyoucan"tbeharduponamanwhostartsanewreligion。TherewasBuddha，forinstance，——thatwasalongtimeago，tobesure；butstilltherehewas，themostimportantfactortobeconsideredinattemptingtosolvethegreatquestionofthereconcilementofthereligionsoftheEast，——Buddha，andWesley，andEdwardIrving，andConfucius，andGeneralBooth；ifyoutookthemallseriouslywherewouldyoube?

“Oh，no，mydearPhyllis！“continuedLadyEarlscourt；“youmustnotpersistinyourill-treatmentofMr。Holland。Ifyoudohemaymarrysomeoneelse。”

Phyllisshookherhead。

“Ihopehewill，indeed，“saidshe。“Hecertainlywillnevermarryme。”

“Donotbeobdurate，“saidLadyEarlscourt。“Hemaynotreallybelieveinallthatheputintothatbook。”

“Thenthereisnoexcuseforhispublishingit，“saidPhyllispromptly。

“Butifhedoesn"tactuallyholdtheviewswhichhehasformulatedinthatbook，youcannotconsistentlyrejecthimonthepleathatheisnotquite——well，notquitewhatyouandIcallorthodox。”

Thiscontentionwastooplaintobecombatedbythegirl。Shedidnotforamomentseeherwayoutoftheamazinglogicofthelady。Quiteaminutehadpassedbeforeshesaid:

“Ifhepropoundssuchviewswithouthavingafirmconvictionthattheyaretrue，hehasactedacontemptiblepart，LadyEarlscourt。Ithinkfartoohighlyofhimtoentertainforasinglemomenttheideathatheisnotsincere。”

“Butifyoubelievethatheissincere，whyshouldyousaythatyouwillnotmarryhim?“

“Iwouldnotmarryanatheist，howeversincerehemightbe。”

“Anatheist！ButMr。Hollandisnotanatheist；onthecontrary，heactuallybelievesthattherearetwoGods；oneworshipedoftheJewslongago，theotherbyusnowadays。Anatheist！Oh，no！“

“I"mafraidthatIcan"texplaintoyou，dearLadyEarlscourt。”

OncemorePhyllisshookherheadwithsomedegreeofsadness。Shefeltthatitwouldindeedbeimpossibleforhertoexplaintothisladyoflogicthatshebelievedthetruthtobeahorizonline，andthatanyopinionwhichwasalittleabovethislinewasasabhorrentasanythatwasalittlebelowit。

“Ifyouarestubborn，GodmaymarryyoutoaDissenteryet，“saidLadyEarlscourtsolemnly。

Phyllissmiledandshookherheadagain。

“Oh，youneedn"tshakeyourhead，mydear，“resumedLadyEarlscourt。

“I"veknownofsuchjudgmentsfallingongirlsbeforenow——yes，whentheDissenterswerewelloff。ButnoDissenterridesstraighttohounds。”

Phyllislaughed。

“Morelogic，“shesaid，andshookhandswithherfriend。

“Thatgirlhasanothermaninhereye，“saidherfriendsagaciously，whenPhyllishadleftheroppositeherowntea-table。“ButIdon"tdespair；ifwecanonlypersuadeourbishoptoprosecuteGeorgeHolland，shemayreturntohimallright。”

SheinvariablyreferredtothebishopasifhewereamemberoftheEarlscourthousehold；butitwasunderstoodthatthebishophadneveractuallyacceptedtheresponsibilitiesincidentaltosuchaposition；

thoughhehadhisviewsonthesubjectofLadyEarlscourt"scook。

ThisinterviewhadtakenplaceaweekbeforethedinnerpartyforwhichPhylliswascarefullydressedbyhermaidFidelewhileHerbertCourtlandwaswalkingawayfromthehouse。Inspiteofherlogic，LadyEarlscourtnowandagainstumbledacrossthetruth。WhenitoccurredtoherthatPhyllishadanothermaninhereye，——thephrasewasLadyEarlscourt"sanditservedverywelltoexpresshermeaning，——shehadmadesomecarefulinquiriesonthesubjectofthegirl"smalevisitors，andshehad，ofcourse，foundoutthatnoothermanoccupiedthatenviableposition；nosocialoculistwouldberequiredtoremovetheelementwhich，inLadyEarlscourt"sestimation，causedPhyllis"

visiontobedistorted。

GeorgeHollandwasatthedinner。PhyllishadbeenaskedveryquietlybythehostessifshewouldmindbeingtakeninbyGeorgeHolland；ifshehadtheleastfeelingonthematter，SirLionelGreatorexwouldnotmindtakingherinsteadofMrs。Vernon-Brooke。ButPhyllishadsaidthatofcourseshewouldbedelightedtositbesideMr。Holland。

Mr。Hollandwasoneofherbestfriends。

“Ishiscasesohopelessasthat?“saidLadyEarlscourt，inalowvoice，andPhyllissmiledinresponse——thesmileoftheguestwhenthehostesshadmadeapoint。

WhenLadyEarlscourthadindiscreetly，butconfidentially，explainedtosomeofhergueststhepreviousweekthatshemeantherlittledinnerpartytobethemeansofreunitingMr。HollandandMissAyrton，oneofthem——hewasaman——smiledandsaid，whenshehadgoneaway，thatshewasasingularlyunobservantwoman，orshewouldhaveknownthatthebestwayofbringingtwopeopletogetheristokeepthemasmuchapartaspossible。Therewaswisdomintheparadox，hedeclared；

foreveryoneshouldknowthatitwasonlywhenamanandawomanwerefarapartthattheycametoappreciateeachother。

Itseemed，indeed，thattherewassometruthinwhatthatmansaid，forPhyllis，beforetheicepuddingappeared，hadcometotheconclusionthatGeorgeHollandwasaveryuninterestingsortofman。

Tobesure，hehadnottalkedabouthimself，——hewasnotsuchafoolastodothat:hehadtalkedabouthertotheexclusionofalmosteveryothertopic——hehadbeenwiseenoughtodothat，——butinspiteofall，hehadnotsucceededinarousingherinterest。Hehadnotsucceededinmakingherthinkofthepresentwhenherthoughtshadbeendwellingonthepast——notthedistantpast，notthepastoftwomonthsago，whentheyhadbeenlovers，butthepastoftwohoursago，whenshehadwatchedtheeffectofherwordsuponHerbertCourtland。

ShechattedawaytoGeorgeHollandverypleasantly——aspleasantlyasusual——sopleasantlyastocausesomeofherfellow-gueststosmileandwhispersignificantlytooneanother，suggestingtheimpossibilityoftwopersonswhogotonsowelltogetherasMr。HollandandMissAyrtonbeingseparatedbyabarriersopaltryasanengagementbrokenoffbytheyoungwomanforconscience"sake。

Butwhenthesignificantsmilesofthesepersonswereforceduponthenoticeoftheirhostess，shedidnotsmile；shewasaladywithareallyremarkablelackofknowledge；butsheknewbetterthantoacceptthepleasantchatofGeorgeHollandandPhyllisAyrtonasanindicationthatthe/statusquoantebellum/——tomakeuseoftheexpressivephraseofdiplomacy——hadbeenre-establishedbetweenthem。

OnlywhenGeorgeHollandventuredtoexpresshisadmirationofMr。

Ayrton"sadroitnessindealingwiththefoolishquestionofthegentlemanfromWalesdidhesucceedininterestingMissAyrton。

“WhataveryfoolishletterthosemissionariessenthomeregardingtheexplorationsofMr。Courtland！“saidhe。“DidtheyhopetojeopardizethepopularityofMr。Courtlandbysuggestingthathehadmassacredanumberofcannibals?“

“Isupposethatwastheirobject，“saidPhyllis。

“Theymustbesingularlyfoolishpersons，evenformissionaries，“saidtheRev。GeorgeHolland。

“Evenformissionaries?“Phyllisrepeated。“Oh，Iforgotthatyouarenobelieverintheadvantagesofmissionstothepeoplewhomwecallheathen。ButIhavenotbeenabletobringmyselftoagreewithyouthere。Theyhavesoulstobesaved。”

“Thatisquitelikely，“saidhe。“Butthemethodsofthemissionaries，generallyspeaking，havenottendedinthatdirection。Hencethemissionaryasacomestibleismorehighlyesteemedbythenativesthanthemissionaryasareformer。Theyrarelyunderstandthenativesthemselves，andtheynearlyalwaysfailtomakethemselvesintelligibletothenatives。ItwouldappearthatthetwofoolishpersonswhowrotethatletteraboutMr。Courtlandmadebutapoorattemptatunderstandingeventheirowncountrymen，iftheyfanciedthatanyrumorofamassacreofcannibals——nay，anyproofofsuchamassacre——wouldhaveanappreciableeffectuponthepopularityofthemanwhobroughthomethemeteor-bird。”

“Youdon"tthinkthatthepublicgenerallywouldbelievethestory?“

saidPhyllis。

“Ithinkitextremelyunlikelythattheywouldbelieveit，“hereplied。“ButeveniftheybelievedeverywordofittheywouldnotceasetobelieveinMr。Courtland"sbravery。Whatisahecatombofcannibalscomparedtothediscoveryofthemeteor-bird，——thatis，intheeyesofthegeneralpublic，orforthatmatter，theNonconformistpublicwhoturnuptheireyesatthesuggestionofamassacreofnativesofanislandthatisalmostasunknowntothemasIrelanditself?Thepeopleofthiscountryofoursrespectbraverymorethananyothervirtue，andI"mnotaltogethersurethattheyaregenerallyastrayinthismatter。TheChristianfaithisfoundeduponbravery，andthesamefaithhasinspiredcountlessactsofbravemenandwomen。

Oh，no！Mr。Courtlandwillnotsufferfromtheattacksofthesefoolishpersons。”

“Isawhimthis——ashorttimeago，“saidPhyllis，“andhetoldmethathispublishersweredelightedattheresultoftheagitationwhichthatnewspapertriedtogetupagainsthim:theysaiditwassellinghisbook。”

“IsawyoutalkingwithMr。Courtlandafterthefirstproductionof"Cagliostro。"Ienviedyou——andhim，“saidMr。Holland。“Iwonderifhewasreallyplacedintheunfortunatepositionofhavingtomassacreahordeofcannibals。”

Phyllislaughed，andforthwithtoldhimthetruthasithadbeencommunicatedtoherregardingthedynamiteoutrageupontheunsuspectingnatives，andGeorgeHollandwasgreatlyamusedatthestory——muchmorehighlyamused，itwouldhaveoccurredtosomepersons，thanaclergymanshouldbeatsucharecital。ButthenGeorgeHollandwasnotasotherclergymen。Hewasquitedevoidoftheaffectationsofhiscloth。Hedidnotconsideritnecessarytoputthetipsofhisfingerstogetherandshowmoreofthewhiteportionofthepupilofhiseyethanastraight-forwardgazeentailed，whenpeopletalkedoftheoverflowingofariverinChinaandtheconsequentdrowningofaquarterofamillionofmen——thatistosay，Chinamen。

HewasnomoreaffectedbysuchtidingsthantheEmperorofChina。Hewasinfinitelymoreaffectedwhenhereadofthecold-bloodedmassacrebyDavid，sometimeKingofIsrael，inordertopurchaseforhimselfawomanforwhomhehadconceivedaliking。HeknewthatthemajorityofclergymenconsideredittobetheirdutytopreachfuneralserviceoverthedrownedChinamen，andtoimpressupontheirhearersthatDavidwasamanafterGod"sownheart。HealsoknewthatthemajorityofclergymenpreachedannualsermonsinaidofthemissionarieswhodidsomeyachtingintheSouthSeas，andhadbroughtintoexistencethesinofnakednessamongthenatives，inorderthattheymightbethemoreeasilyswindledbythoseChristianswhosoldthemshoddyforcalico，topurgethemoftheirsin。GeorgeHollandcouldnotseehiswaytofollowtheexampleofhisbrethreninthisrespect。HedidnotthinkthattheDayofJudgmentwouldwitnesstheinaugurationofanygreatschemeofeternalpunishmentfortheheatheninhisblindnesswhohadbeennakedallhislifewithoutknowingit。Heknewthattheheatheninhisblindnesshadcuriosityenoughathiscommandtoinquireofthemissionariesifthewhitebeachcomberandhisbottleofsquare-facerepresentedtheproductofcenturiesofChristianity，andiftheydidnot，whythemissionariesdidnotevangelizethebeachcomberandhisbottleoffthefaceoftheearth。

Phyllis，beingwellawareofGeorgeHolland"sviews，wasnotshockedatthesoundofhislaughteratthetruestoryofMr。Courtland"sdynamiteoutrageatNewGuinea；butallthesame，shewasgladthatshewasnotgoingtomarryhim。

Hehadnot，however，beenaltogetheruninterestinginhereyeswhilesittingbesideher，andthatwassomethingtorecordinhisfavor。

Shedrovehomeearly，andrunningupstairsfoundherselffacetofacewithEllaLinton。