第8章

InaquarterofanhourshewassurveyingherselfinhermirrorjustasPhyllishadbeendoinganhoursooner；onlyonherfacewasaverydifferentexpressionfromthatwhichPhyllishadworn。Hereyeswerebrilliantastheyneverhadbeenbefore，exceptonce；herfacewasnotpale，butfullofsoftcolor，asifshewerestandingbeneaththeshadowofamightyrose-leafwiththesunlightabove。Herneckandarmswereofthesamedelicatetinge。Hersmileshegaveasshesurveyedherselfwasasmileoftriumph，verydifferentfromtheexpressiononpoorPhyllis"featuresassheflungherhatacrosstheroom。

“Mine，mine，mine！“shewhispered，noddingwithasmileatthelovelythingsofullofwarmlifethatfacedherwithasmile。“Heismine——

hehascomebacktome，Iwillkeephim。Ishallbeabletokeephim，Ithink。”

Shehadscarcelyenteredthedrawingroombeforehewasbesideher，andhehadscarcelyenteredbeforeaservantannouncedthatdinnerwasserved。Theywereseatedatthedinnertablebeforetheyhadexchangedhalfadozenwords——beforeshehadtimetoaskhimwhyhehadreturned。

Andatthetable，withaservantateachend，whatcouldtheysay?

Well，shegaveindetail，withtheaccuracyofarailwaytime-table，thehoursofthedepartureofthevariousguests，downtothelastdepartedguest，whochancedtobeMissAyrton。Yes，shewasobligedtogouptotowntobepresentatthatimportantfunctionwhichwastobegiveninthepresenceofRoyalty，though，she，Mrs。Linton，wasconvincedthatPhylliswouldmuchpreferremaininginthemidstofthatexquisitequietudewhichseemedtobefoundonlyuptheriver。

ShehadwantedherdearPhyllistostayuntilthemorrow，butpoorPhyllis"senseofdutyhadbeen，asunfortunatelyitalwayswas，toogreatforherinclination。

“Unfortunately?“saidHerbert。

“DidIsayunfortunately?“shecried。“Howfunny！Imeantofcourse，unfortunatelyforherfriends——formyselfinthisparticularcase。

But，afterall，wehadadelightfulweektogether。Ithasdoneusallgood——evenyou。”

“Whythe"even"?“heasked，withalaugh。

“Oh，well，becauseyouarenotexpectedtofeelthefatiguesofaLondonseason。Andthenyoumustrememberthatyouhadayachtingcruisewhichmusthavedoneyouaworldofgood，“sheadded，withasmilebornofthemoodwhichwasonher——amoodofjoyandlaughteranddaring。Shefeltthatshecouldsayanythingshepleasedtosaytohimnow；shecouldhavereferredwithalaughtohisrunningawayonthatstrangecruiseofhis。

“Yes，“hesaid，“itdidmeagreatdealofgood。”

Hespokeslowly，andherquickeardetectedatoneofgravityinhisvoice。Whatcouldhemean?Oh，yes。

“Ihopethatthatlastphaseoftheminewillsoonbesettled，“saidshe。“Itwasthatwhichcurtailedyourcruise，youwillremember。”

“Icertainlydoremember。”

“Ihopethebusinesswillsoonbesettledonewayoranother。Idon"tthinkthisrunningtoParissofrequentlyisgoodforStephen。Haven"tyounoticedhowpoorlyhehasbeenlookingoflate?“

“Hedidn"tseemtometobeparticularlyrobust。ButIthinkthathepulledhimselftogetherwhilehewashere。Oh，yes！anotherweekwillseeusfreefromthisbusiness。”

“Andwithanextramillionorsoinyourpockets。”

“Well，somethinginthatway。”

Thatwashowtheytalkedwhiletheservantswerepresent——aboutbusinessandmoneyandmattersthatmaybediscussedinthepresenceofservants。

Thentheywenttogetherintothedrawingroom。Itwasnotyetdarkenoughforthecandlestobelighted。Theexquisitesummertwilightwashangingovertheriverandthebanksopposite，woodedfromthewater"sedgetothesummit。Itwasthehourofdelicatebluetouchedwithpinkabouttheborders。Thehourofpurpleandsilverstarshadnotyetcome。

Shethrewopenoneofthewindowsonitshinges，andinamomenttheroomwasfloodedwiththeperfumeoftherosesofthegarden。Shestoodintheopeningofthewindowandseemedtodrinkinthegardenscentsbeforetheyfloatedintotheroom。Thenfromsomesecretnestlingplaceinthedarkdepthsoftheclippedhedgetherecametheeven-songofablackbird。Itwasrepliedtofromthedistance；andthesilencethatfollowedonlyseemedtobesilence。Itwasasilencemadevocalbythebendingofathousandnotes——allmusical。Theblackbirds，thethrushes，therobinsmadeupachorusofharmonyassoothingtothesoulassilence。Thencamethecooingsofthewoodpigeons。Theoccasionalshriekofapeacockwastheonlynoteoutofharmonywiththefeelingbreathedbythetwilight。

Shestoodattheopenwindow，herbackturnedtohim，forsometime。

Hefeltslightlyembarrassed。Herattitudesomehowsuggestedtohimanimprisonment；hewascaptured；shewasstandingbetweenhimandtheopenair；shewasbarringhispassage。

Suddenlysheturned。Withhermovementthereseemedtofloatintotheroomagreatbreathofrose-scent。Itwasonlythatthelightshowedhimmoreclearlyatthatmomenttheglowingwhitenessofherneckandshouldersandarms。

“Whyhaveyoucomeback?“shecried，almostpiteously。

“Surelyyouknowwhy，Ella，“saidhe。

“Iknownothing:amanisonethingonedayandquitetheoppositethenextday。HowcanIknowanythingofwhatisinyourmindto-day——inyourheartto-day?“

“Icamebackthinkingtofindherherestill——Ifanciedthatyousaidshewouldstayuntilyouwerereturningto-morrow。”

“Youcamebackforher?“

“Icamebacktoseeher——IfindthatIcannotlivewithoutseeingher。”

“Youhaveonlyfoundthatoutsinceyoulefthereyesterdaymorning?“

“OnlysinceIlefthere。ItoldyouthatIwasnotsureofmyself。

ThatiswhyIwentaway。”

“Youwentawaytomakesureofyourself，andnowyoureturntomakesureofher?“

“Ah，ifIcouldbutthinkthat！IfIcouldonlybeassureofherasI

amofmyself。ButwhatamIthatIshoulddaretohope?Oh，sheisaboveallwomankind——acrownofgirlhood！WhatamIthatIshouldasktowearthiscrownofgirlhood?“

“Youareakingofmen，Bertie。Onlyforthekingofmenissuchacrown。”

Shelaughedasshestoodlookingathimassheleanedagainstthehalfopendoorofthewindow，onehandbeingontheframeworkaboveherhead。

“Ella，youknowher！“hecried，facingher。Shebegantoswinggentlytotheextentofaninchortwo，stillleaningontheedgeofthehingedwindow。Shewaslookingathimthroughhalf-closed，curiouseyes。“Ella，youknowher——shehasalwaysbeenyourfriend；tellmeifIshouldspeaktoherorifIshouldgobacktotheworkthatIhavebeguninNewGuinea。”

“Wouldyoubeguidedbyme，Bertie?“sheasked，suddenlyceasinghermovementwiththewindowandgoingveryclosetohimindeed——soclosethathecouldfeelthegraciouswarmthofherfaceandbareneckandshoulders。“Wouldyoubeguidedbyme，Iwonder?“

“HaveInotbeenguidedbyyouuptothepresent，Ella?“saidhe。

“ShouldIbehereto-nightifitwerenotforyourgoodness?Ilaughedsometimeago——howlongagoitseems！——whenyoutoldme——yousaiditwasyourdearestwish——Ididnotthenbelieveitpossible——“

“AnddoyoufancythatIbelieveditpossible?“sheasked，withsomesadnessinhervoice。

“GreatHeavens！Ella，doyoumeantotellmethatyou——Oh，no，itisimpossible！Youknewme。”

“IfanciedthatIknewyou，Bertie。IfanciedthatIknewmyself。”

“Ella，Ella，forGod"ssakedon"tletusdriftagain。Haveyounorecollectionofthatterribletimethroughwhichwebothpassed——thatordealbyfire。Ella，wewerepluckedfromthefire——shepluckedusfromtheveryfireofhellitself——oh，don"tletusdriftinthatdirectionagain！“

Hehadwalkedawayfromher。Hewasbeginningtorecalltoovividlytheolddays，undertheinfluenceofhergraciouspresencesoclosetohim——notsocloseasithadbeen，butstillcloseenoughtobringbackoldmemories。

“Comehereandstandbesideme，Bertie，“saidshe。

Afteramoment"shesitationhewenttoher，slowly，notwiththeraptureofalover——notwiththeoldpassiontremblinginhishands，onhislips。

Hewenttoher。

Sheputherhandsbehindherandlookedathiminthefaceforalongtime。Theeven-songsofthebirdsmixedwiththescentoftheroses；

theblueshadowofthetwilightwasdarkeningoverthetreesatthefootofhergarden。

“Doyouremembertheoleanders?“shesaid。“Ineverbreatheinsuchatwilightasthiswithoutseeingbeforemetheoleandersoutlinedagainstitsblue。ItwasverysweetatthatoldplaceontheArno。”

“Ella，Ella——forGod"ssake——“

“Youtoldmethatterriblesecretofyourlife——thatyoulovedme。I

wonderifIknewwhatitmeant，Bertie?ItoldyouthatIlovedyou:

thatwasmoreterriblestill。Iwonderifyouknewwhatthatmeant，Bertie?“

Hedidnotspeak。

Thebird"ssongsoutsidewerebecomingsofterandmoreintermittent。

Shegaveasuddencryasifstungwithpain，andstartedawayfromthewindow。Shethrewherselfdownonthecouch，buryingherfaceinthepillows——hecouldseethroughthedimroomthewhitenessofherarms。

Shewasbreathingconvulsively；butshewasnotsobbing。

Heremainedbesidetheopenwindow。He，too，wasnotbreathingsoregularlyashehadbreathedashorttimebefore。

Heheardthesighthatcamefromherassheraisedherheadfromthepillow。

Thenshesaid:

“Iwonderifyoueverreallylovedme，Bertie。”

“Oh，myGod！“

“Iwonderifyoueverlovedme；andIwonderifIeverlovedyouuntilthismoment。”

Therewasasilence。Outsidetherewasalittlewhisperofmovingwings，butnovoiceofbird。

Therewasasilence，andoutofitalowvoicecriedsoftly，softly:

“Bertie，Bertie，mylove，cometome。”

Hetookasteptowardher，asecondstep——andthenhestood，rigid，breathless，forheheardanothersoftvoicethatsaid:

“/Hishonoristhehonorofhismotherandhissister，uponwhichnostainmustcome。/“

Heheardthatvoice，andwithacryhecoveredhisfacewithhishands，andturning，fledthroughtheopenwindowintothegarden。

Shelaythereonhercouch，thatlovelywhitecreaturewhohadbeensavedsoasbyfire。Therearetwofires:theoneisthefirethatconsumestheheartuntilallthatisleftofitisthedustofashes；

theotheristhefirethatpurifiesthesoulevenuntoitssalvation；

andyetbothfiresburnalike，sothatmenandwomenknownotwhichisburningwithinthem。

Didsheknowthatshewassavedsoasbyfire?

Shelaughedasthoughhecouldstillhearher；butafterherlaughtherecameafewmomentsofoverwhelmingbitternessthatsentheronherkneesbythesideofthecouchinself-abasement。

“Killme——killme，OGod！“shewailed。“Killme，forIamnotfittolive！“

Butshewasspared。

Afteratimeshefoundstrengthtorise。Sheseemedsurprisedtofindthattheroomwasindarkness。Shestruckalight，andinafewminutesadozencandleswereflaringroundthewalls；andthenshewentmechanicallytoclosethewindow。Onesideshehadjustfastenedwhenitseemedtoherthatsheheardthesoundofvoicesapproaching。

Shelistened，herheadbentforwardthroughthesideofthewindowthatremainedunclosed。

Yes，theirvoicesweresoundingclearlythroughthestillnight——hisvoiceand——whattrickwasbeingplayeduponherbyherhearing?

Phyllis"voice?HowcoulditbePhyllis"voice?PhyllishadreturnedtoLondon。Oh，itwassometrick！Hernerveswereplayingsometrickuponher——theywereoutoforder，theywerebeyondhercontrol。

Phyllis"voice——GreatHeavens！itwasPhyllisherselfwhowaswalkingthroughthegardenbyhisside！

Ellastoodattheopensideofthewindowstaringoutatthem。Theystoodatthefootofthehalfdozenstepsthatleaduptothewindow。

Phyllislaughed，——wasthereatraceofmockeryinherlaugh?——buthewassilent。

“Idon"twonderatyourfancyingthatIamaghost，Ella，“criedthegirl。“IfeelthatIdeservetobetreatedasdiscourteouslyasmostpoorghostsaretreatedwhentheyvisittheirfriends。Youneveryetheardofaghostbeingaskedtostaytodinner，didyou，Mr。

Courtland?Butaghostmayfairlyclaimtobeaskedtoenterthehouseofherdearestfriend，especiallyafteradoublerailwayjourney。”

EllahadnotmovedfromherplaceattheopenspaceofthewindowwhilePhylliswasspeaking，butthemomentthatthegirl"slaughsounded，shetoolaughed。SherandownthestepsandputherarmsaboutPhyllis，kissingherontheface。

“Thisismorethanthemostexactingofghostscouldreasonablelookfor，“criedPhyllis。“Oh，Ella！I"msogladthatIfollowedmyownimpulseandcamebacktoyou。Ithoughtyouwerehereallalone——howcouldIknowthatMr。Courtlandwouldreturninthemeantimetocompletehisvisit?——andwhenIlookedoutonthedustandthesmokeofthetownandthoughtofthis——this——thisexquisitestillness，——youcanjusthearthewateroftheweir，——thisgarden，thisscentofroses，butchieflywhenIthoughtofyousittinginyourloneliness——Well，isitanywonderthatIamherenow?——youimploredofmetostay，youknow，Ella。”

“Itisnowonderindeed，beingwhatyouare——agoodangel，mygoodangel，Phyllis，“criedthewoman。“Oh，dearest，youarewelcome！WhydidyouleavemePhyllis?Whydidyouleaveme?Oh，thegoodangelscanneverbetrusted。Youshouldnothaveleftmetomyself，dear。I

amonlyawoman。Ah，youdon"tyetknowwhatawomanis。Thatistheworstofangelsandmen；theydon"tknowwhatawomanis。Comeintothehouse，Phyllis。Comein，Herbert。Howdidyoumanagetomeet?“

“YouknowIwentouttothegarden——“saidtheman。

“Yes；Iknewthat——youleftmealone，“saidthewoman，andshegavealaugh。

“Istrolledfromthegardentotheroad——IhadtoaskthepeopleattheOldBelltokeeparoomforme，ofcourse。”

“Ofcourse。”

“AndjustoutsidetheinnIcamefacetofacewithMissAyrton"sfly。

MissAyrtonwasgoodenoughtogetoutandwalkwithme，sendingtheflyonwithhermaid。Itoldthemantowaitinordertotakemyportmanteautotheinn。Itmustbeatthehalldoornow。Weenteredbythegardengate。”

“Nothingcouldbesimpler，“saidElla。Theyhadbythistimewalkedupthestepsintothedrawingroom。“Nothingcouldbesimpler。”ThensheturnedtoPhyllis。“Buthowdidyoucontrivetoevadethegreatfunctionto-night?“

“Papadidnotfeelverywell，“saidPhyllis，“andIknowthathewasonlytoogladofanexcusetostayathome。”

“Andyouforsookyoursickfathertocometome?Oh，mydearPhyllis，whathaveyoudone?“

“IfyouaskmeinconfidenceIshouldsaythatpapaisnotquitesoillastostandinneedofanurse，“shewhispered。“Oh，no！Makeyourmindeasy。Ihaveneglectednodutyincomingtoyou。”

“Exceptyourdutytoyourself；youcouldnothavehadtimetotakeanydinnerathome。Ishallhaveyouaservants"hallsupperintenminutes。”

“Pleasegetnothingforme。Ihadacapitalsortofdinnerathome。

ButIshoulddearlylikeacupoftea。”

“Itwillbereadyforyouthemomentyoureturnfromtakingoffyourhat。I"llgoupwithyoutoyourroom；Mr。CourtlandknowsthatevenI

makemyselfathomeinthishouse。Hewillpardonus。”

“Imustn"tkeeptheflywaitingformyportmanteau，“saidMr。

Courtland。“Ifyouwillallowme，Ishalllooktoitnow，andsaygood-night。”

“What！Oh，youmustn"tthinkofrunningoffinthisway，“saidElla。

“Whatreasonhadyouforreturningatallifyourunoffatthishour?“

“Itisgettingquitelate。Imustn"tkeepthegoodpeopleoftheOldBelluponmyaccount，“saidhe。“Besides，amanrepresentsacertaininharmoniouselementuponsuchanoccasionasthis。MissAyrtonreturnedexpectingtobewithyoualone。Iknowthedisabilitiesofamanquitewell。Yes，Imustsaygood-night。”

“Nonsense！Praytalktohim，Phyllis，“criedElla。“Youmaymakehimamenabletoreason。”

ButPhyllisstoodmutewithherhandonthehandleofthedoor；sheonlysmiled，andthereisneitherreasonnorargumentinasmile。

“Good-night！“saidhe。

“Oh，well，ifyoureallyhavenothingtosaytoeitherofus，——toeitherPhyllisorme，——youhadbettergo，Isuppose，“saidElla，givinghimherhand，butshedidnotlookathiminthefacewhilehishandwastouchinghers。

Curiouslyenough，neitherdidPhyllislookathimaswasherwont。

Andsoheleftthemthatnight。

CHAPTERXXXIV。

GIVEHIMBACKTOME——GIVEHIMBACKTOME！

Theyseemedtohavebeenpartedformonthsinsteadofhours，somuchhadtheytosaytoeachother，andsorapidlydidtheysayit。

Rapidly?——feverishlyrather。Phyllishadonlytoremoveherhatandsmoothherhairatplaces，disorderingitatothers，inordertobeallright；buthalfanhourhadgonebybeforetheywentdownstairs，arminarm，afterthemannerofgirlswhohavebeentalkingfeverishlyandkissingeverynowandagain。

ItwasmadnessforPhyllistothinkofteaatthathourofthenight，Elladeclared；butsheknewPhyllis"fanciesinthepast——sheknewthatwhatwouldsetothergirls"nervesinmotion，wouldonlyhavetheeffectofsoothinghers。SoPhyllisdrankherteaandatehercakeinthedrawingroom，andEllalaybackonthesofaandwatchedherwithacuriousinterestinhereyes。

“Iamsogladthatwearespendingtogetherinthiswaythelastnightofourdelightfulweek，“saidPhyllis。“Whatalovelyweekithasbeen！andthecharmofitis，ofcourse，tobefoundinthefactthatithasbeenstolenfromthebestpartoftheseason。Inanothermonthitwouldnotbenearlysodelightful——everyonewillbehurryingofftotheriverorelsewhere。”

“Suchaweekisoneoftheincidentsthatapersonplansbutthatrarelycomesoffaccordingtoone"sviews，“saidElla。“ItoldyouwhenIsetmyheartuponHurleywhatmyideawas。”

“Andyouhavecertainlyrealizeditduringthisweek。Whatapityitisthatthisisourlastnighttogether！“

“Doyouknow，Phyllis，thewayyousaidthatsuggestedtomethatyoumeant"WhatapityitisthatHerbertCourtlandisnotoneofourpartyto-night"！“

Ellawasstilllyingonthebroadpillowsofthecouch，herhandsclaspedatthebackofherhead。ShewasstillwatchingPhyllisthroughherhalf-closedeyes。

“IwasnotthinkingaboutMr。CourtlandintheleastwhenIspoke。HowcanyoufancythatIshouldbesoinsincere?Isayitisdelightfulforus，youandmeonly，mind，tobetogetherto-night，becausewecansayjustwhateveroccurstous——Ithoughtwecould，youknow；butsinceyoumadethathorridsuggestionIthinkImusttakebackallthatIsaid。Itis，afterall，notnearlysonicetobealonewithyouasonewouldimagine。”

“Thatwas，I"mafraid，theconclusionthatHerbertCourtlandcametosometimeago，“saidElla。“Hewasalonewithmehere——yes，forsomeminutes；butheleftme——heleftmeandfoundyou。”

“Itwassofunny！“criedPhyllis。“Whowouldhavethoughtofseeingsuchafigure——bareheadedandineveningdress——ontheroad?Iknewhimatonce，however。Andhewaswalkingsoquicklytoo——walkingasif——asif——“

“Asifthedevilwerebehindhim——that"showmenputit，“saidElla。

“Itwouldneverdoforustosaythat，ofcourse，butinthisparticularcasewemightventureonitforthesakeofstrictaccuracy；thedevilwasbehindhim。Heescapedfromitbytheaidofhisgoodangel。Didn"thecallyouhisgoodangelonce，myPhyllis?“

“Yes，hecalledmesoonce，“saidPhyllis。“ButwhyshouldwetalkaboutMr。Courtland?Whyshouldwetalkaboutanybodyto-night?

DearestElla，letustalkaboutourselves。Youareofmoreinteresttomethananyoneintheworld，andIknowthatIamofmoreinteresttoyouthantoanyoneelse。Letustalkaboutourselves。”

“Certainlyweshalltalkaboutourselves，“saidElla。“Tobegin，I

shouldlikeverymuchtoknowifyouwereawarethatHerberthadreturnedtothishouseafterhisdayortwointown。”

Phyllisundoubtedlycoloredbeforeshesaid，withalaugh:

“Didn"tyoupromisetotalksolelyaboutourselves?Ideclinetotalkonanyothertopic。”

Shearosefromwhereshehadbeensittingbeforeacupofteaatalittletablethatalsoheldcake，andthrewherselfbackinafancifulseatshapedlikeashell。

“Thatbeingso，Ishouldlikeverymuchtoknowhowyoulearnedthathemeanttoreturn，“pursuedElla。

“Youarebecomingquitehorrid，andIexpectedyoutobesonice，“

saidPhyllis，poutingveryprettily。

“AndIexpectedyoutoconfideinme，“saidEllareproachfully。“I

havebeenwatchingyouforsometime——notmerelyduringthepastweek，butlongbefore；andIhaveseen——whatIhaveseen。Hecouldnothavetoldyouthathemeanttoreturn——youmusthavecrossedeachotherinthetrains。Howdidyouknow，mydeargirl?Letmecoaxitoutofyou。”

Phyllismadenoanswerforsometime；shewasexamining，withanewlyacquired，butveryintenseinterest，thetextureofthesheenoftheblousewhichshewaswearing。Atlastsheraisedhereyes，andsawhowEllawaslookingather。Thenshesaidslowly:

“Isawhiminthetrainthatwasleavingwhenourtrainarrived。”

“Heavens！thatisaconfession！“criedEllaquitemerrily。

“Youforceditfromme，“saidPhyllis。“Butwhyshouldtherebeanymysterybetweenus?I"msureImaytellyouallthesecretsofmylife。Suchastheyare，youknowthemalready。”

“Theyaresafeinmykeeping。MydearPhyllis，don"tyouknowthatithasalwaysbeenmydearesthopetoseeyouandHerbertCourtland——

well，interestedineachother?Isawthathewasinterestedinyoulongago；butIwasn"tsureofyou。ThatisjustwhyIwassoanxiousforyoutocomedownherefortheweekwehavejustpassed。Iwantedtobringyoubothtogether。Iwantedtoseeyouinlovewitheachother；Iwantedtoseeyoubothmarried。”

“Ella——Ella！“

“Iwantedit，Itellyou，notbecauseIlovedyou，thoughyouknowthatIloveyoubetterthananyoneintheworld。”

“DearestElla！“

“NotbecauseIknewthatyouandhewouldbehappy，butbecauseI

wishedtosnatchmyownsoulfromperdition。Ithinkitissafenow——

butoh，myGod！itislikethesoulsofmanyothermortals——savedinspiteofmyself！Phyllis，youhavebeenmysalvation。Youareagirl；

youcannotunderstandhownearawomanmaygotothebottomlesspitthroughtheloveofaman。Youfancythatloveliftsonetotheheavenofheavens；thatitmeanspurity——self-sacrifice。Well，thereisalovethatmeanspurity；andthereisalovethatmeansself-sacrifice。

Self-sacrifice:thatis，thatawomanisreadytosacrificeherself——

herlife——hersoul——forthemanwhomsheloves。Itellyou——I，whoknowthetruth——I，whohavebeenatthebrink。Itisnotthatthepitisdeartous；itisthatthemanisdeartous，andwemustgowithhim，——whereverhegoes，——evendownintohellitselfwithhim。”

“Oh，Ella，Ella！thisistheloveofthesatyr。ItisnottheloveoftheonewhoismadeintheimageofGod。”

“Letitbewhatitis；itisapowerthathastobereckoneduponsolongasweremaincreaturesoftheearth，earthy。”

“Itisathingthatweshouldbeatintotheearthfromwhichitcame。”

Thegirlhadsprungtoherfeet，andwasspeakingwithwhitefaceandclenchedhands。“Downintotheearth“——shestampeduponthefloor——

“evenifwehavetothrowourbodiesintothegraveintowhichwetrampleit。Woman，Itellyouthattheotherlove，——thelovewhichisthetruth，——isstrongerthantheloveofthesatyr。”

“Isit?isit，Phyllis?Yes，sometimes。Yes；itwasawordthatyouspokeinhishearingthatsavedhim——him——Herbert——andthatsavedmethatnightwhenIcametoyou——whenIwaitedforyou——youdidnotknowanythingofwhyIcame。Iwilltellyounow——“

“No，no，no！Oh，Ella！forGod"ssake，tellmenothing！IthinkIknowallthatIwanttoknow；andIknowthatyouhadstrengthgiventoyoubyGodtocometomethatnight。Ihadnottogotoyou。ButIhavecometoyouto-night。Wearetogether，youandI；andwearethesameaswhenweweregirlstogether——oh，justthesame！Whoshallcomebetweenus，Ella?“

“Who?Who?Youcameheretosaveme。Iknewit。Butyouhadsavedmebeforeyoucame。Phyllis，inthisveryroomIwasalonewithhim。I

wasmad——madwithjealousyatthethoughtoflosinghim——thoughIknewthatIhadlosthim——Iwasmad！Thepassionbreathedfromtheroses——

thetwilightfullofthememoriesofthespringwespenttogetherinItaly——alltookpossessionofmyheart——mysoul。Iwhisperedtohimtocometome——tocometome。Andhecame。”

Thecrythegirlgave，asshecoveredherfacewithherhandsanddroppedbackintoherchair，wasverypitiful。

“Hecametome——butonlyonestep——onelittlestep，Phyllis；thentherecamebeforehiseyesavisionofyourface——hefeltyourhand——

coolasalily——uponhiswrist——heheardyourvoicespeakingintohisear；heturnedandfled——fledthroughthatwindow——fledfromthedemonthathadtakenpossessionofthisroom——Isaidsotoyou。”

“ThankGod——oh，Ella，thankGod！“

“Thatismycry——thankGod——thankGod；andyet——andyet——Godhelpme！

Ifeelreadytothrowmyselfatyourfeetandsay"Givehimbacktome！Givehimbacktome！"“

Shehadstoodwithherhandsclaspedaboveherheadatherfirstutteranceofthatimploration——“Givehimbacktome！“Thenshethrewherselfonherkneesandpassionatelycaughtboththegirl"shandsinherown，crying，“Givehimbacktome！“

Phyllisflungherarmsaboutherneck，andbowedherownheaddowntotheshoulderofthewomanwhomshelovedandpitied。

Andthen——

Thenthroughthesilenceofthehouse——thehourwasalmostmidnight——

theresoundedtheloudandcontinuousringingofabell。

Itwasonlytheusualvisitors"bellofthehouse；butitseffectatthathourwasstartling——shocking！

Thetwowomenwereontheirfeet，waitinginsilence，butwithwildlybeatinghearts，forwhatwascoming——theyfeltthatsomethingterriblewascoming。Thebellhadanominousjangle。Theyheardthefootstepsoftheoneservantwhoremaineduptoputoutthelights，goingtoanswerthesummonsofthebell——theyheardaman"svoicespeakinginalowtoneinthehall——theyheardaman"sstepsapproachthedooroftheirroom。Thedooropened，andMr。Ayrtonappearedbeforethem。

Heclosedthedoorslowly，andstoodtherestaringnotathisdaughter，butatEllaLinton。OnhisfacewasanexpressionthatPhyllishadneverseenonitbefore。Itfrightenedher。Shecouldnotspeak。

Hestoodthere，withhiseyesfixeduponEllaLinton——rigid——silentasafigurethatsymbolizesDeath。

Thesilencebecameappalling。

“ForGod"ssakespeak，ifyouareliving！“criedEllainawhispertremulouswithterror。

Hedidnotspeak——hestoodthere，staringather。

“Whatdoeshemean?Whatdoeshemean?“saidthewoman，afteranotherdreadfulpause。“Whydoeshestandthere，Phyllis，staringatme?

Why——Oh，myGod！Iseeit——Iseeitonhisface——myhusband——

Stephen——dead——heisdead——youcametobringthenewstome。Look，Phyllis，hecannotsay"No"——hewouldsay"No"unlessIhadguessedthetruth——hewouldsayit——hewouldhavesomepity。Isitthetruth?

Man——speak——sayyes，orno——forGod"ssake！forGod"ssake！“

Shehadtakenhalfadozenrapidstepstohimandgraspedhimbythearm，gazingintohisface。

Hebowedhishead。

Sheflunghisarmfromher，andburstintoalaugh。

“Ah，Phyllis！Iseeitallnow。HewasthemanIloved——Iknowitnow——hewasthemanIloved。ItwasforhimIcriedoutjustnow——"Givehimbacktome——givehimbacktome！"“

Thewildshriekwithwhichshecriedthewordsthesecondtimerangthroughthehouse。Shefelluponherknees，clutchingatPhyllis"handasbefore，andthen，makingamotionasifabouttorise，shefellbackandlaywithherwhitefaceturnedtotheceiling，herwhitearmsstretchedlimplyoutoneachsideofherlikethearmsofacrucifiedwoman。

Servantscamewithrestoratives。

CHAPTERXXXV。

IFGODWOULDONLYGIVEMEANOTHERCHANCE！

“Poorcreature！Poorcreature！“saidMr。Ayrton。HehadjustreturnedfromtheroomtowhichtheyhadcarriedElla。Phylliswaslyingonthesofawithherfacedowntothepillow。“Poorcreature！Noonecouldhavehadanyideathatshewassoattachedtohim！ShewillbeoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。Hefelldownintheclubbetweennineandten。Hisheart。SirJosephwasnotsurprised。Hesaidhehadtoldhimashorttimeagothathehadnotsixmonthstolive。Hecannothavelethiswifeknow。Well，well，perhapsitwasforthebest。Hismancametomeinaterriblestate。Howwasittobebrokentoher?I

justmanagedtocatchthelasttrain。Hemusthavebeenworthoveramillion。ShewillbeoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。EveninAmericaawomanwiththree-quartersofamillionisreckonedmoderatelywelloff。Poorcreature！Ah！theshornlamb！——thewindistempered。"Inthemidstoflife——"DearPhyllis！youmustnotallowyourselftobreakdown。Yoursympatheticnatureishardtocontrol，I

know，butstill——oh，mychild！“

ButPhyllisrefusedtobecomforted。Shelaysobbingonthepillow，andwhenherfatherputhisarmaboutherandraisedher，sheputherheadonhisshoulder，crying:

“Heisgonefrommeforever——heisgonefrommeforever！Oh，Iamthecruelestwomanonearth！ItisnotforherterribleblowthatIamcrying，itisbecauseIhavelosthim——Iseeit——Ihavelosthim！“

Herfatherbecamefrightened。Whatintheworldcouldshemeanbytalkingaboutthemanbeinggonefromher?Hehadneverheardofawoman"ssympathyextendingtosuchlimitsascausedhertofeelapersonaldeprivationwhendeathhadtakenanotherwoman"shusband。

“Oh，Iamselfish——cruel——heartless！“sobbedPhyllis。“Ithoughtofmyself，notofher。Heishers；hewillbegivenbacktoherassheprayed——sheprayedsotomebeforeyouappearedatthedoor，papa。

"Givehimbacktome！Givehimbacktome！"thatwasherprayer。”

“Mydearestchild，youmustnottalkthatway，“saidthefather。

“Come，Phyllis，yourstrengthhasbeenovertaxed。Youmustgotobedandtrytosleep。”

Shestillmoanedabouthercruelty——herselfishness，untilthedoctorwhohadbeensentforandhadbeenwithEllainherroom，appearedinordertoletthemknowthatMrs。Lintonhadregainedconsciousness。

Theblowhad，ofcourse，beenaterribleone:butshewasyoung，andNaturewouldsoonreassertherself，hedeclared，whateverhemeantbythat。Hethoughtitstrange，hesaid，thatMrs。Lintonhadnotbeenawareofherhusband"sweakness。Tohim，thephysician，theconditionoftheunfortunategentlemanhadbeenapparentfromthefirstmomenthehadseenhim。Hehadexpectedtohearofhisdeathanyday。HeconcludedbyadvisingPhyllistogotobedandhaveaslongasleepaspossible。HewouldreturninthemorningandseeifMrs。LintonmighttraveltoLondon。

Phylliswenttoherroom，andherfatherwenttotheonewhichhadbeenpreparedforhim。Foraminuteortwoheremainedthoughtful。

Whatcouldhisdaughterhavemeantbythoseself-accusations?Afterashorttime，however，hesmiled。Thepoorthinghadbeenupsetbytheshockingnewsofthedeathofthehusbandofherdearestfriend。Shewassympathetictoquiteaphenomenaldegree。Thatsympathywhichfeltherfriend"slossasthoughitwerewhollyherownwascertainlynottobemetwitheveryday。

InthemorningPhyllisshowedtracesofhavingspentabadnight。Butshespokerationallyandnotinthewildwayinwhichshehadspokenbeforeretiring，andherfatherfeltthattherewasnoneedforhimtobeuneasyinregardtohercondition。Heallowedhertogotothesideofherfriend，Ella，andashewasleavingthemtogetherineachother"sarms，heheardEllasay:

“Ah，Phyllis，Iknowitnow。Hewasthemanwhohadallmylove——all——

all！Ah，ifGodwouldonlygivemeanotherchance——onemorechance！“

Mr。Ayrtonhadheardthatpassionateappealforanotherchanceuponmorethanonepreviousoccasion。HehadheardthehusbandwhohadtorturedhiswifetodeathmakeapassionateappealtoGodtogivehimanotherchance。HeknewthatGodhadnevergivenhimanotherchancewiththesamewife；butGodhadgivenhimanotherwifeinthecourseoftime——awifewhowasnotmadeonthespirituallinesofthosewhodiebytorture；awifewhowasabletoformulatealistofherownrights，andtherightsofhersisters，andwhopossessedaWill。

Themanwhowantedanotherchancehadnochancewithsuchawoman。

Hehadheardthewife，whohaddesertedherhusbandinfavoroftheteetotalplatform，cryoutforanotherchance，whenherhusbandhaddiedawayfromher。ButGodhadcompassionuponthehusband。Shedidnotgethimback。

HepitiedwithallhisheartthepoorwomanwhowouldbeoneoftherichestwomeninEnglandinthecourseofadayortwo，andhesaidsotoMr。Courtlandwhenhecalledearlyinthemorning。Mr。Courtlanddidnotremainforlonginthehouse。ItmighthavebeenassumedthatsointimateafriendofMr。andMrs。Linton"swouldbeanacceptablevisitortothewidow；butMr。Courtlandknewbetter。Hehurriedawaytotownwithoutevenaskingtoseeher。HeonlybeggedofMr。Ayrtontolethimknowifhecouldbeofanyuseintown——thereweredetails——ghastly；buthewouldtakecarethattherewasnoinquest。

PhylliswentuptotownwithpoorElla，andremainedbyhersideinthatdarkenedhousethroughalltheterribledaysthatfollowed。Mr。

Linton"sdeathhadanappreciableinfluenceuponthequarter"srevenueofthecountry。Theprobatedutypaidbytheexecutorswasalargefortuneinitself，andEllawas，asMr。Ayrtonhadpredictedshewouldbe，oneoftherichestwomeninEngland。Thehundredthousandpoundsbequeathedtosomeunostentatiouscharities——charitiesthatexistedforthecauseofcharity，notforthebenefitoftheofficialstaff——

madenodifferenceworthspeakingofinthepositionofMrs。LintonasoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。

ButthecodiciltothewillwhichsurprisedmostpeoplewasthatwhichplacedinthehandsofMrs。LintonandtheRev。GeorgeHollandasjointtrusteesthesumofsixtythousandpounds，forthebuildingandendowmentofachurch，thecharacterandaimsofwhichwouldbeinsympathywiththeprinciplesrecentlyformulatedbytheRev。GeorgeHollandinhisbookentitled“RevisedVersions，“andinhismagazinearticleentitled“TheEnemytoChristianity，“thedetailstobedecidedbytheRev。GeorgeHollandandMrs。Lintonasjointtrustees。

Thecodicilwas，ofcourse，averyrecentone；butitwasexecutedinproperform；itrequiredtwopagesofengrossingtomakethetestator"sdesiresplaintoeveryintelligencethathadreceivedathoroughtraininginlegaltechnicalities。Itwassusceptibleofagooddealofinterpretationtoanordinaryintelligence。

WhenitwasexplainedtoMrs。Linton，shealsowasatfirstagooddealsurprised。Itreadverylikeajestofsomesubtlety:forshehadnoideathatherhusbandhadtheslightestfeelingonewayoranotheronthesubjectofthedevelopmentofoneChurchoranother；andasfortheestablishmentofanentirelynewChurch——yes，itstruckheratfirstthathersolicitorwasmakingaboldandcertainlyquiteanunusualattempttocheerherupinherbereavementbybringingunderhernoticeajestoftheorder/pachydermato/。

Butsoonitdawneduponherthatherhusbandmeantagooddealbythiscodicilofhis。

“Iamgettingtounderstandhimbettereveryday，“shesaidtoPhyllis。“HeknewthatIlovedhimandhimonly。Hehasgivenmethisworktodo，andwithGod"shelpIwilldoitthoroughly。YoudidnotbelieveinthevalueofGeorgeHolland"sdoctrines。NeitherdidI:I

neverthoughtaboutthem。Iwillacceptmyhusband"sjudgmentregardingthem，andperhapsImaythinkaboutthemlateron。OurChurchwillbethemostpotentinfluenceforgoodthatthecenturyhasyetseen。Yes，Iwillthrowmyselfheartandsoulintothework。Afterall，itmustbeadmittedthattheChurchhasneverdoneitsdutyasaChurch。”

Phyllissaidnothing。

ButtheRev。GeorgeHollandhadagooddealtosayonthesubjectofthecodicil，whenhewasalonewithMrs。Linton，afewdayslater。HehadbynomeansmadeuphismindtoseverhisconnectionwiththedearoldmotherChurch，hesaid。Hecouldnotseethattherewasanyneedforhistakingsoseriousastep——anirrevocablestep。Itwashisfeelingatthatmoment，hedeclared，thathemightbeabletoeffecttheobjectofhislife——whichwas，ofcourse，thereformoftheChurch——betterbyremainingwithinitswallsthanbyseveringhimselffromit。Hemusttaketimetoconsiderhisposition。

HeleftMrs。Lintongreatlydisappointed。IthadbeenherbeliefthatMr。Hollandwouldjumpatthechance——thatwasthephrasewhichsheemployedinexpressingherdisappointmenttoPhyllis——ofbecomingthefounderofabrand-newreligion。

ShewasgreatlydisappointedinMr。Holland。IfBuddhaorEdwardIrving，orsomeoftheotherfoundersofnewreligionshadhadsuchachanceofferedtotheminearlylife，wouldtheynothaveembracediteagerly?sheasked。

AnditwastobesuchastrikingChurch！Shehadmadeuphermindtothat。Itwastobealastingmemorialtothelargenessofsoulofherhusband——tohisappreciationoftherequirementsofthethinkingmenandwomenoftheage。Shehadmadeuphermindalreadyastothecharacterofthepaintedwindows。Thechurchwoulditself，ofcourse，bethepurestGothic。Asfortheservices，sheratherthoughtthatthesimplicityoftheEarlyChurchmightbeeffectivelycombinedwithsomeofthemoststrikingelementsofModernRitualism。However，thatwouldhavetobedecidedlateron。

ButwhenthebishopheardofthecodicilhehadanotherinterviewwithGeorgeHolland，andimpartedtothatyoungclerichisopinionthatheshouldavailhimselfoftheopportunityofferedtohimoftryingwhatwouldundoubtedlybeamostinterestingexperiment，andonetothecarryingoutofwhichalltruechurchmenwouldlookforwardmosthopefully。Whocouldsay，heinquired，ifthelargerfreedomwhichwouldbeenjoyedbyanearnest，sincere，andhighlyintellectualclergyman，notinimmediatecontactwiththeEstablishment，mightnotavailhimtoperfectsuchaschemeofreformaswouldeventuallybeadoptedbytheChurch?

ThatinterviewwasveryhelpfultoGeorgeHollandinmakinguphismindonthesubjectofthenewChurch。Heresignedhispastorate，greatlytotheregretofthechurchwardens；thoughnoexpressionofsuchregretwaseverheardfromthebishop。

Butthenabishopissupposedtohavehisfeelingthoroughlyundercontrol。

ThishappenedthreeweeksafterthedeathofStephenLinton，andduringtheseweeksHerbertCourtlandhadneveronceaskedtoseeEllaLinton。

CHAPTERXXXVI。

MARRIAGEISTHEPICTURESQUEGATEWAYLEADING

TOACOMMONPLACEESTATE。

SosoonasPhyllisAyrtonhadreturnedhome，shegotaletterfromHerbertCourtland，askingherifshewouldbegoodenoughtogranthimaninterview。Sherepliedatoncethatitwouldpleaseherverymuchtoseehimonthefollowingafternoon——shewasgoingtoScotlandwithherfatherinaweek，ifParliamenthadrisenbythattime。

Hecametoher。Shewasaloneinthedrawingroomwhereshehadalwaysreceivedhimpreviously。

Theservanthadscarcelylefttheroombeforehehadtoldherhehadcometotellherthathelovedher——toaskherifhemighthopetohavesomeofherloveinreturn。

Hehadnotseatedhimself，norhadshe。Theyremainedstandingtogetherinthemiddleoftheroom。Hehadnotevenretainedherhand。

“Whyhaveyoucometome——to/me/?“sheaskedhim。Herfacewaspaleandherlips，whenhehadbeenspeakingtoher，werefirmlyset。

“Ihavecometoyou，notbecauseIamworthyofthepricelessgiftofyourlove，“saidhe，“butbecauseyouhavetaughtmenotmerelytoloveyou——youhavetaughtmewhatloveitselfis。Youhavesavedmysoul。”

“No，no！donotsaythat；itpainsme，“shecried。

“Icannotbutsayit；itisthetruth。Youhavesavedmefromadegradationsuchasyoucouldnotunderstand。GreatGod！howshouldI

feelto-dayifyouhadnotcomeforwardtosaveme?“

Hewalkedawayfromher。Hestoodwithhisbackturnedtoher，lookingoutofthewindow。

Sheremainedwherehehadlefther。Shedidnotspeak。Whyshouldshespeak?

Hesuddenlyfacedheronceagain。Theexpressionuponhisfaceastonishedher。Shehadneverbeforeseenamansocompletelyinthepowerofastrongemotion。Shesawhimmakingtheattempttospeak，butnotsucceedingforsometime。Herheartwasfullofpityforhim。

“You——youcannotunderstand，“hemanagedtosay。“Youcannotunderstand，andIcannot，Idarenot，trytoexplainanythingoftheperilfromwhichyousnatchedme。Youknownothingofthebaseness，thecruelty，ofamanwhoallowshimselftobeswayedbyhisownpassions。Butyousavedme——yousavedme！“

“IthankGodforthat，“shesaidslowly。“Butyoumustnotcometometoaskmeformylove。Itisnottomeyoushouldcome。Itisforherwhowasreadytosacrificeeverythingforyou。Youmustgotoherwhenthetimecomes，notnow——shehasnotrecoveredfromhershock。”

“Youknow——shehastoldyou?“

“Iknewallthatterriblestory——thatpitifulstory——beforeIhearditfromherlips。”

“Andyet——yet——youcouldspeaktome——youcouldbewithmedayafterday?“

“Oh，Iknowwhatyouwouldsay！YouwouldsaythatIledyouon——thatIgaveyoutobelievethatIlovedyou。Thatiswhatyouwouldsay，anditwouldbethetruth。Imadeupmymindtoleadyouon；IgaveyoutounderstandthatIcaredforyou。ButIconfesstoyounowthatIdidsobecauseIhopedtosaveher。Youseeitwasaplotonmypart——theplotofonewomananxioustosavehersisterfromdestruction。I

succeeded。ThankGodforthat——thankGodforthat！“

“Yousucceeded——yousucceededindeed。”Hespokeslowlyandinalowtone，hiseyesfixeduponherburningface。“Yes，youledmeon——youledmefromearthtoheaven。Yousavedher——yousavedme。ThatiswhyIamhereto-day。”

“Oh，itisnothereyoushouldbe，Mr。Courtland。”Shehadturnedquicklyawayfromhimwithagestureofimpatienceandhadwalkedtotheotherendoftheroom。Therewasmorethanasuspicionofindignationinhervoice。“Youshouldbewiththewomanwhomyouloved；thewomanwhoshowedyouhowshelovedyou；thewomanwhowasreadytogiveupeverything——honor——husband——God——foryou。Gotoher——

toher——whenthenumbnesshaspassedawayfromher，andthereisnobarrierbetweenyouandher。ThatisallIhavetosaytoyou，Mr。

Courtland。”

“Isitindeedall，Phyllis?“hesaid。“Butyouwillletmespeaktoyou。YouwillletmeaskifEllaalonewasreadytosacrificeherself?

Yousaythatyouledmetoloveyouinordertosaveher。Howdidyouleadmeon?Bygivingmetounderstandthatyouwerenotindifferenttome——thatyouhadsomeloveforme。Letmeaskyouifyouwereactingalieatthattime?“

“Iwantedtosaveher。”

“Andyousucceeded。Wereyouactingalie?“

Shewassilent。

“Youwerewillingtosaveher?“hecontinued。“Howdidyoumeantosaveher?WereyoupreparedtogotothelengthofmarryingmewhenI

hadbeenledontothatpointbyyou?Answerme，Phyllis。”

“Iwillnotansweryou，Mr。Courtland——youhavenorighttoaskmetoansweryou。Oneterriblemomenthadchangedalltheconditionsunderwhichwewereliving。Ifshehadbeenfree，——assheisnow，——doyoufancyforamomentthatIshouldhavecomebetweenyou——thatIshouldhavetriedtoleadyouawayfromher?Well，then，surelyyoumustseeasclearlyasIdoatthepresentmomentthatnowourrelativepositionsarethesameastheywouldhavebeensomemonthsago，ifEllahadbeenfree——ifshecouldhavelovedyouwithoutbeingguiltyofacrime?Oh，Mr。Courtlanddonotaskmetohumiliatemyselffurther。Pleasegoaway。Ah，cannotyouseethatitwouldbeimpossibleformetoactnowasImighthaveactedbefore?CannotyouseethatIamnotawomanwhowouldbereadytostealhappinessformyselffrommydearestfriend?“

“IthinkIambeginningtoseewhatsortofwomanyouare——whatsortofabeingawomanmaybe。Youloveme，Phyllis，andyetyouwillsendmeawayfromyoulestyoushoulddoEllaawrong?“

“Iimploreofyoutogoawayfromme，becauseifEllahadbeenfreeamonthagoassheisto-day，shewouldhavemarriedyou。”

“Butshefanciedthatshelovedmeamonthago。Sheknowsthatshedoesnotlovemenow。Youloveme——you，Phyllis，mylove，mybeloved；

youdarenotsaythatwhenyouledmetoloveyou，youwerenotledunthinkinglytolovemeyourself。Willyoudenythat，mydarling?“

Hehadstrodepassionatelyuptoher，andbeforeshecouldresisthehadputhisarmsaboutherandwaskissingherontheface。Foramomentonlysheresisted，thenshesubmittedtohiskisses。

“Youaremine——mine——mine！“hewhispered，andsheknewthatshewas。

Shenowknewhowtoaccountforthebrilliantsuccessesofthemaninplaceswhereeveryothercivilizedmanhadperished。Hewasamasterofmen。“Youloveme，darling，andIloveyou。Whatshallseparateus?“

Withalittlecryshefreedherself。

“Youhavesaidthetruth！“shecried；“thebittertruth。Iloveyou！I

loveyou！Iloveyou！Youaremylove，mydarling，mykingforever。

ButItellyoutogofromme。ItellyouthatIshallneverstealfromanysisterwhatishersbyright。Iwouldhavesacrificedmyself——I

didnotloveyouthen——tokeepyoufromher；Iamnowreadytosacrificemyself——nowthatIloveyou——togiveyoutoher。Ah，mylove，myowndearlove，youknowme，andyouknowthatIshouldhatemyself——thatIshouldhateyou，too，ifIweretomarryyou，nowthatsheisfree。Go，mybeloved——go！“

Helookedatherfacemadebeautifulwithtears。“Letmepleadwithyou，Phyllis。Letmesay——“

“Oh，go！go！go！“

Heputouthishandtoher。

“Iamgoing！“hesaid。“IamleavingEngland，butfromdaytodayI

shallletyouknowwhereIam，sothatyoucansendtomewhenyouwantmetoreturntoyou。Writeonapaper，"Cometome，"andIwillcome，thoughyearsshouldpassbeforeIreadthosewords。Ideservetosuffer，asIknowIshallsuffer。”

Heheldouthishand。Shetookit。Hertearsfelluponit。Shedidnotspeakashewenttothedoor。Thenshegaveacrylikethecryofawoundedanimal。Sheheldoutherhandstohim。

“Notyet！Notyet！“shesaid。

Sheflungherselfintohisarms，kissinghimandkissinghim，holdinghimtoherwithherarmsabouthisneck。

“Good-by！Good-by，mydarling，mybestbeloved。Oh，go！Go，Herbert，beforeIdieinyourarms。Go！“

Shewaslyingalongthefloorwithherheadonthesofa。

Hewasgone。

Shelookedwildlyaroundtheroom，wipingthetearsfromhereyes。Shesprangtoherfeet，crying:

“Comeback！Comebacktome，mybeloved！Oh，Iwasafool！Suchafoolaswomenarewhentheythinkofsuchthingsasheavenandtruthandright！Afool！Afool！“

AnhourafterwardEllacalledtosaygood-bytoher。ShewasgoingtoSwitzerlandfirst，shesaid，toaquietspotthatsheknew，whereshemightthinkoutsomeofthedetailsoftheChurch。Mr。HollandwouldmeetherinItalyinthewintertoconsidersomeofthearchitecturaldetails。

Whenthehourofherdeparturewasathandshereferredtoanothermatter——amatteronwhichshespokemuchmoreseriouslythanshehadyetspokenonthesubjectoftheChurch。

“Icouldnotgo，mydearPhyllis，“saidshe，“withouttellingyouthatIknowHerbertCourtlandwillcometoyou。”

“No！“saidPhyllis。“Hewillnotcometome。Hehasbeenwithme。Heisnowgone。”

“Gone?Thatwouldbeimpossible！“criedElla。“Youwouldnotsendhimaway。Hetoldyouthathelovedyou。”

“Yes，hetoldmethat。”

“Andyetyousenthimaway?Oh，Phyllis，youwouldnotbreakmyheart。

Iknowthatyoulovehim。”

“DoI?“

“Youdolovehim。Oh，myPhyllis，Itoldhimmonthsagothatitwasthedearestwishofmyhearttoseeyoumarriedtohim。Atthattimehelaughed。Oh，itishorribletometorecallnowhowhelaughed。

ShallIeverforgetthatterribledream?Butnowhelovesyou。Iknowit。What！youthinkhimunworthyofyoubecauseof——ofthatdreamwhichwasuponus?Phyllis，don"tforgetthathefoughtwiththesinandovercameit。How?Ah！youknowhow。Heovercamethepassionthatisofearthbythelovethatisofheaven。Itwashispureloveforyouthatgavehimthevictory。Whyshouldyousendhimaway?“

“Heknows。Heunderstands。Heisgone。”

“ButIdonotunderstand。”

SheheldPhyllis"handandlookedintoherface。Shegaveasuddenstart——alittlestart。

“Oh，surely，myPhyllis，youdon"tthinkthatI——I——Oh，no！youcannotthinkthatofme。Oh，mydarling，ifyoushouldbesofoolishastothinkthatI——thatIstill——Ah，Icannotspeakaboutit。

Listentome，Phyllis:Itellyouthatasheconqueredhimselfbythelovewhichisofheaven，sohaveIconqueredbythesameDivinePower。

Thelovewhichisinheaven——thelovewhichismine——hasgivenmethevictoryalso。DearPhyllis，thatmanisnothingtometo-day。Itellyouheisnothing——nothing！Ah，Idon"tevenhatehim。IfIshouldeverspeaktohimagainitwouldbetosendhimbacktoyou。”

Phyllissaidnothing，andjustthenherfathercameintotheroom，andafterafewminutes"conventionalchatEllawentaway。

Mr。AyrtonremarkedtoPhyllisthatherdearestfriendwaslookingbetterthanshehadlookedformanymonths，andthenhelaughed。

Phyllisdidnotlikehislaugh。Shelookedathim——gravely——

reproachfully。

“Pardonme，mydear，“saidhe；“butIwasonlythinkingthat——well——

thatshe——Ah，afterall，whatismarriage?“

Phyllisdidnotreply。Shesawbyhiseyesthathehadfoundanotherphrase。Whatwerephrasestoher?

“Marriageisthemosthonorablepreliminarytoaneffectivewidowhood，“saidhe。

Shewentoutoftheroom。

DuringthenexteightmonthsPhyllisreceivedmanylettersfromElla——

somefromSwitzerland，somefromItaly，andonefromCalcutta。EllahadgonetoIndiatomakefurtherinquiriesonthesubjectofBuddhism。Atanyrate，noonewhoseheartwassetuponbuildingupaNewChurchcouldafford，shesaid，toignoreBuddhismasapower。

Mr。Hollandagreedwithher，shesaid。HehadgonethroughIndiawithher。

ShereturnedtoEnglandinApril，andofcoursewenttoseePhylliswithoutdelay。SomemenhadwantedtomarryPhyllisduringthewinter，aseverybodyknew，butshehadbeenpleasantlyirresponsive。Someofherclosestfriends(female)laughedandsaidthatshehadfoundouthowsillyshehadbeeninthrowingoverMr。Holland。

Itwasnot，however，ofthesesuitorsthatEllatalkedtoher。ItwasofHerbertCourtland。

Hadsheheardfromhim?sheasked。

Yes；heoccasionallysentherhisaddress，Phyllissaid——thatwasall。

“Youwillwritetohimtocomebacktoyou，Phyllis?“saidEllaentreatingly。

Phyllisshookherhead。

“Dearestchild，“continuedElla，“Iknowthegoodnessofyourheart。I

knowthehighidealofhonorandfaithwhichyouhavesetbeforeyou。

IsawHerbertwhenoursteamerstoppedatPortSaid。HehadbeeninAbyssinia——youknowthat?“

“Iknewthat。”

“Italkedwithhimforanhour，“saidElla。“Hetoldmeagreatdealaboutyou——aboutyourpartingfromhim。YouwillwritethosewordstohimbeforeIleavethisroom。”

Phyllisshookherhead。

“Oh，yes，youwill，whenItellyouwhatIdidnottellhim——whenI

tellyouthatGeorgeHollandandIhaveagreedthatourpositionsasjointtrusteesoftheNewChurchwillbeimmeasurablystrengthenedifwearemarried。”

“What?“

Phyllishadrisen。

“Wearetobemarriedinthreemonths。Thematteris，ofcourse，toremainasecret——peoplearesogiventotalk。”

Phyllisfellintoherarmsandkissedhertearfully——butthetearswerenotallherown。

“Nowyouwillwritethosewords，“saidElla。

PhyllisrantoalittleFrenchescritoireandsnatchedupasheetofpaper。

“Cometome，mybeloved，“shewroteuponit；thensheleanedherfaceuponherarm，weepinghappily。

Ellacamebehindher。Shepickedupthepaperandfoldeditup。Shepressedthebell。

“PleasegivethattoMr。Courtlandinthestudy，“shesaidtotheservant。

Phyllissprangupwithacry。

“Iforgottotellyou，mydearest，thatIbroughtbackHerbertCourtlandinthatsteamerwithme，andthathecamewithmeto-day。Heiscomingtoyou——listen——threestepsatatime。”

Andthatwasjusthowhedidcometoher。

“Blessmysoul！“criedMr。Ayrton，tenminuteslater。“Blessmysoul！

Ialwaysfanciedthat——Ah，afterall，whatismarriage?“

“Oh！“criedPhyllis。

“Thelastwordthatcanbesaidregardingitisthatmarriageisthepicturesquegatewayleadingtothecommonplaceestate。”

“Oh！“criedPhyllisEnd