第7章

"Anythingonearthyoucananyofyousay。"

Shechallengedhim："AmIoneof’anyofyou’？"

Hedidnotyield。"Well，then——anythingonearththatevenYOUcansay。"

"Youdon’tintheleastknowwhatIcansay——orwhatImeanto。"

"Don’tI，generally？"

Shegavehimthispoint，butonlytomakeanother。"Yes；butthisisparticularly。Iwanttosay……Owen，you’vebeenadmirableallthrough。"

Hebrokeintoalaughinwhichtheoddelder—brotherlynotewasoncemoreperceptible。

"Admirable，"sheemphasized。"AndsohasSHE。"

"Oh，andsohaveyoutoHER！"Hisvoicebrokedowntoboyishness。"I’veneverlostsightofthatforaminute。

It’sbeenaltogethereasierforher，though，"hethrewoffpresently。

"Onthewhole，Isupposeithas。Well————"shesummedupwithalaugh，"aren’tyouallthebetterpleasedtobetoldyou’vebehavedaswellasshe？"

"Oh，youknow，I’venotdoneitforyou，"hetossedbackather，withouttheleastnoteofhostilityintheaffectedlightnessofhistone。

"Haven’tyou，though，perhaps——theleastbit？Because，afterall，youknewIunderstood？"

"You’vebeenawfullykindaboutpretendingto。"

Shelaughed。"Youdon’tbelieveme？YoumustrememberIhadyourgrandmothertoconsider。"

"Yes：andmyfather——andEffie，Isuppose——andtheoutragedshadesofGivre！"Hepaused，asiftolaymorestressontheboyishsneer："DoyoulikewiseincludethelateMonsieurdeChantelle？"

Hisstep—motherdidnotappeartoresentthethrust。Shewenton，inthesametoneofaffectionatepersuasion："Yes：

ImusthaveseemedtoyoutoosubjecttoGivre。PerhapsI

havebeen。Butyouknowthatwasnotmyrealobjectinaskingyoutowait，tosaynothingtoyourgrandmotherbeforeherreturn。"

Heconsidered。"Yourrealobject，ofcourse，wastogaintime。"

"Yes——butforwhom？WhynotforYOU？"

"Forme？"Heflushedupquickly。"Youdon’tmean————？"

Shelaidherhandonhisarmandlookedgravelyintohishandsomeeyes。

"ImeanthatwhenyourgrandmothergetsbackfromOuchyI

shallspeaktoher————"

"You’llspeaktoher……？"

"Yes；ifonlyyou’llpromisetogivemetime————"

"TimeforhertosendforAdelaidePainter？"

"Oh，she’llundoubtedlysendforAdelaidePainter！"

Theallusiontouchedaspringofmirthinboththeirminds，andtheyexchangedalaughinglook。

"Onlyyoumustpromisenottorushthings。YoumustgivemetimetoprepareAdelaidetoo，"Mrs。Leathwenton。

"Preparehertoo？"Hedrewawayforabetterlookather。

"Prepareherforwhat？"

"Why，toprepareyourgrandmother！Foryourmarriage。Yes，that’swhatImean。I’mgoingtoseeyouthrough，youknow————"

Hisfeintofindifferencebrokedownandhecaughtherhand。

"Oh，youdeardivinething！Ididn’tdream————"

"Iknowyoudidn’t。"Shedroppedhergazeandbegantowalkonslowly。"Ican’tsayyou’veconvincedmeofthewisdomofthestep。OnlyIseemtoseethatotherthingsmattermore——andthatnotmissingthingsmattersmost。PerhapsI’vechanged——orYOURnotchanginghasconvincedme。

I’mcertainnowthatyouwon’tbudge。AndthatwasreallyallIevercaredabout。"

"Oh，astonotbudging——Itoldyousomonthsago：youmighthavebeensureofthat！Andhowcanyoubeanysurertodaythanyesterday？"

"Idon’tknow。Isupposeonelearnssomethingeveryday————

"

"NotatGivre！"helaughed，andshotahalf—ironiclookather。"Butyouhaven’treallyBEENatGivrelately——notformonths！Don’tyousupposeI’venoticedthat，mydear？"

Sheechoedhislaughtomergeitinanundenyingsigh。"PoorGivre……"

"PooremptyGivre！Withsomanyroomsfullandyetnotasoulinit——exceptofcoursemygrandmother，whoisitssoul！"

Theyhadreachedthegatewayofthecourtandstoodlookingwithacommonaccordatthelongsoft—huedfacadeonwhichtheautumnlightwasdying。"Itlookssomadetobehappyin————"shemurmured。

"Yes——today，today！"Hepressedherarmalittle。"Oh，youdarling——tohavegivenitthatlookforme！"Hepaused，andthenwentoninalowervoice："Don’tyoufeelweoweittothepooroldplacetodowhatwecantogiveitthatlook？

You，too，Imean？Come，let’smakeitgrinfromwingtowing！I’vesuchamaddesiretosayoutrageousthingstoit——haven’tyou？Afterall，inoldtimestheremusthavebeenlivingpeoplehere！"

Looseningherarmfromhisshecontinuedtogazeupatthehouse—front，whichseemed，intheplaintivedeclineoflight，tosendherbackthemuteappealofsomethingdoomed。

"ItISbeautiful，"shesaid。

"Abeautifulmemory！QuiteperfecttotakeoutandturnoverwhenI’mgrindingatthelawinNewYork，andyou’re————"Hebrokeoffandlookedatherwithaquestioningsmile。

"Come！Tellme。YouandIdon’thavetosaythingstotalktoeachother。WhenyouturnsuddenlyabsentmindedandmysteriousIalwaysfeellikesaying：’Comeback。Allisdiscovered’。"

Shereturnedhissmile。"YouknowasmuchasIknow。I

promiseyouthat。"

Hewavered，asifforthefirsttimeuncertainhowfarhemightgo。"Idon’tknowDarrowasmuchasyouknowhim，"hepresentlyrisked。

Shefrownedalittle。"Yousaidjustnowwedidn’tneedtosaythings"

"WasIspeaking？Ithoughtitwasyoureyes————"Hecaughtherbybothelbowsandspunherhalfwayround，sothatthelatesunshedabetrayinggleamonherface。

"They’resuchawfullyconversationaleyes！Don’tyousupposetheytoldmelongagowhyit’sjusttodayyou’vemadeupyourmindthatpeoplehavegottolivetheirownlives——evenatGivre？"

XI

"Thisisthesouthterrace，"Annasaid。"Shouldyouliketowalkdowntotheriver？"

Sheseemedtolistentoherselfspeakingfromafar—offairyheight，andyettobewhollygatheredintothecircleofconsciousnesswhichdrewitsglowingringaboutherselfandDarrow。Totheaeriallistenerherwordssoundedflatandcolourless，buttotheselfwithintheringeachonebeatwithaseparateheart。

ItwasthedayafterDarrow’sarrival，andhehadcomedownearly，drawnbythesweetnessofthelightonthelawnsandgardensbelowhiswindow。Annahadheardtheechoofhissteponthestairs，hispauseinthestone—flaggedhall，hisvoiceasheaskedaservantwheretofindher。Shewasattheendofthehouse，inthebrown—panelledsitting—roomwhichshefrequentedatthatseasonbecauseitcaughtthesunlightfirstandkeptitlongest。Shestoodnearthewindow，inthepalebandofbrightness，arrangingsomesalmon—pinkgeraniumsinashallowporcelainbowl。Everysensationoftouchandsightwasthrice—aliveinher。Thegrey—greenfurofthegeraniumleavescaressedherfingersandthesunlightwaveringacrosstheirregularsurfaceoftheoldparquetfloormadeitseemasbrightandshiftingasthebrownbedofastream。

Darrowstoodframedinthedoor—wayofthefarthestdrawing—

room，alight—greyfigureagainsttheblackandwhiteflaggingofthehall；thenhebegantomovetowardherdowntheemptypale—panelledvista，crossingoneafteranotherthelongreflectionswhichaprojectingcabinetorscreencasthereandthereupontheshiningfloors。

Ashedrewnearer，hisfigurewassuddenlydisplacedbythatofherhusband，whom，fromthesamepoint，shehadsooftenseenadvancingdownthesameperspective。Straight，spare，erect，lookingtorightandleftwithquickpreciseturnsofthehead，andstoppingnowandthentostraightenachairoralterthepositionofavase，FraserLeathusedtomarchtowardherthroughthedoublefileoffurniturelikeageneralreviewingaregimentdrawnupforhisinspection。

Atacertainpoint，midwayacrossthesecondroom，healwaysstoppedbeforethemantel—pieceofpinkish—yellowmarbleandlookedathimselfinthetallgarlandedglassthatsurmountedit。Shecouldnotrememberthathehadeverfoundanythingtostraightenoralterinhisownstudiedattire，butshehadneverknownhimtoomittheinspectionwhenhepassedthatparticularmirror。

Whenitwasoverhecontinuedmorebrisklyonhisway，andtheresultingexpressionofsatisfactionwasstillonhisfacewhenheenteredtheoaksitting—roomtogreethiswife……

ThespectralprojectionofthislittledailyscenehungbutforamomentbeforeAnna，butinthatmomentshehadtimetoflingawonderingglanceacrossthedistancebetweenherpastandpresent。Thenthefootstepsofthepresentcameclose，andshehadtodropthegeraniumstogiveherhandtoDarrow……

"Yes，letuswalkdowntotheriver。"

Theyhadneitherofthem，asyet，foundmuchtosaytoeachother。Darrowhadarrivedlateonthepreviousafternoon，andduringtheeveningtheyhadhadbetweenthemOwenLeathandtheirownthoughts。Nowtheywerealoneforthefirsttimeandthefactwasenoughinitself。YetAnnawasintenselyawarethatassoonastheybegantotalkmoreintimatelytheywouldfeelthattheykneweachotherlesswell。

Theypassedoutontotheterraceanddownthestepstothegravelwalkbelow。Thedelicatefrostingofdewgavethegrassabluishshimmer，andthesunlight，slidinginemeraldstreaksalongthetree—boles，gathereditselfintogreatluminousblursattheendofthewood—walks，andhungabovethefieldsawaterygloryliketheringaboutanautumnmoon。

"It’sgoodtobehere，"Darrowsaid。

Theytookaturntotheleftandstoppedforamomenttolookbackatthelongpinkhouse—front，plainer，friendlier，lessadornedthanonthesidetowardthecourt。Soprolongedyetdelicatehadbeenthefrictionoftimeuponitsbricksthatcertainexpanseshadthebloomandtextureofoldredvelvet，andthepatchesofgoldlichenspreadingoverthemlookedlikethelasttracesofadimembroidery。

Thedomeofthechapel，withitsgildedcross，roseaboveonewing，andtheotherendedinaconicalpigeon—house，abovewhichthebirdswereflying，lustrousandslatey，theirbreastsmergedintheblueoftheroofwhentheydroppeddownonit。

"Andthisiswhereyou’vebeenalltheseyears。"

Theyturnedawayandbegantowalkdownalongtunnelofyellowingtrees。Bencheswithmossyfeetstoodagainstthemossyedgesofthepath，andatitsfartherenditwidenedintoacircleaboutabasinrimmedwithstone，inwhichtheopaquewaterstrewnwithleaveslookedlikeaslabofgold—

fleckedagate。Thepath，growingnarrower，woundoncircuitouslythroughthewoods，betweenslenderserriedtrunkstwinedwithivy。Patchesofblueappearedabovethemthroughthedwindlingleaves，andpresentlythetreesdrewbackandshowedtheopenfieldsalongtheriver。

Theywalkedonacrossthefieldstothetow—path。Inacurveofthewallsomestepsleduptoacrumblingpavilionwithopeningschokedwithivy。AnnaandDarrowseatedthemselvesonthebenchprojectingfromtheinnerwallofthepavilionandlookedacrosstheriverattheslopesdividedintoblocksofgreenandfawn—colour，andatthechalk—tintedvillageliftingitssquatchurch—towerandgreyroofsagainstthepreciselydrawnlinesofthelandscape。

Annasatsilent，sointenselyawareofDarrow’snearnessthattherewasnosurpriseinthetouchhelaidonherhand。

Theylookedateachother，andhesmiledandsaid："Therearetobenomoreobstaclesnow。"

"Obstacles？"Thewordstartledher。"Whatobstacles？"

"Don’tyourememberthewordingofthetelegramthatturnedmebacklastMay？’Unforeseenobstacle’：thatwasit。Whatwastheearth—shakingproblem，bytheway？FindingagovernessforEffie，wasn’tit？"

"ButIgaveyoumyreason：thereasonwhyitwasanobstacle。Iwroteyoufullyaboutit。"

"Yes，Iknowyoudid。"Heliftedherhandandkissedit。

"Howfaroffitallseems，andhowlittleitallmatterstoday！"

Shelookedathimquickly。"Doyoufeelthat？IsupposeI’mdifferent。Iwanttodrawallthosewastedmonthsintotoday——tomakethemapartofit。"

"Buttheyare，tome。Youreachbackandtakeeverything——

backtothefirstdaysofall。"

Shefrownedalittle，asifstrugglingwithaninarticulateperplexity。"It’scurioushow，inthosefirstdays，too，somethingthatIdidn’tunderstandcamebetweenus。"

"Oh，inthosedaysweneitherofusunderstood，didwe？It’spartofwhat’scalledtheblissofbeingyoung。"

"Yes，Ithoughtthat，too：thoughtit，Imean，inlookingback。Butitcouldn’t，eventhen，havebeenastrueofyouasofme；andnow————"

"Now，"hesaid，"theonlythingthatmattersisthatwe’resittingheretogether。"

Hedismissedtherestwithalightnessthatmighthaveseemedconclusiveevidenceofherpoweroverhim。Butshetooknoprideinsuchtriumphs。Itseemedtoherthatshewantedhisallegianceandhisadorationnotsomuchforherselfasfortheirmutuallove，andthatintreatinglightlyanypastphaseoftheirrelationhetooksomethingfromitspresentbeauty。Thecolourrosetoherface。

"Betweenyouandmeeverythingmatters。"

"Ofcourse！"Shefelttheunperceivingsweetnessofhissmile。"That’swhy，"hewenton，"’everything，’forme，ishereandnow：onthisbench，betweenyouandme。"

Shecaughtatthephrase。"That’swhatImeant：it’shereandnow；wecan’tgetawayfromit。"

"Getawayfromit？Doyouwantto？AGAIN？"

Herheartwasbeatingunsteadily。Somethinginher，fitfullyandwithreluctance，struggledtofreeitself，butthewarmthofhisnearnesspenetratedeverysenseasthesunlightsteepedthelandscape。Then，suddenly，shefeltthatshewantednolessthanthewholeofherhappiness。

"’Again’？Butwasn’titYOU，thelasttime————？"

Shepaused，thetremorinherofPsycheholdingupthelamp。

Butintheinterrogativelightofherpausehercompanion’sfeaturesunderwentnochange。

"Thelasttime？Lastspring？Butitwasyouwho——forthebestofreasons，asyou’vetoldme——turnedmebackfromyourverydoorlastspring！"

Shesawthathewasgood—humouredlyreadyto"threshout，"

forhersentimentalsatisfaction，aquestionwhich，forhisown，Timehadsoconclusivelydealtwith；andthesenseofhisreadinessreassuredher。

"IwroteassoonasIcould，"sherejoined。"Iexplainedthedelayandaskedyoutocome。Andyouneverevenansweredmyletter。"

"Itwasimpossibletocomethen。Ihadtogobacktomypost。"

"Andimpossibletowriteandtellmeso？"

"Yourletterwasalongtimecoming。Ihadwaitedaweek——

tendays。Ihadsomeexcuseforthinking，whenitcame，thatyouwereinnogreathurryforananswer。"

"Youthoughtthat——really——afterreadingit？"

"Ithoughtit。"

Herheartleapeduptoherthroat。"Thenwhyareyouheretoday？"

Heturnedonherwithaquicklookofwonder。"Godknows——

ifyoucanaskmethat！"

"YouseeIwasrighttosayIdidn’tunderstand。"

Hestoodupabruptlyandstoodfacingher，blockingtheviewovertheriverandthecheckeredslopes。"PerhapsImightsaysotoo。"

"No，no：wemustneitherofushaveanyreasonforsayingitagain。"Shelookedathimgravely。"SurelyyouandI

needn’tarrangethelightsbeforeweshowourselvestoeachother。IwantyoutoseemejustasIam，withallmyirrationaldoubtsandscruples；theoldonesandthenewonestoo。"

Hecamebacktohisseatbesideher。"Nevermindtheoldones。Theywerejustified——I’mwillingtoadmitit。Withthegovernesshavingsuddenlytobepackedoff，andEffieonyourhands，andyourmother—in—lawill，Iseetheimpossibilityofyourlettingmecome。Ievenseethat，atthemoment，itwasdifficulttowriteandexplain。Butwhatdoesallthatmatternow？ThenewscruplesaretheonesI

wanttotackle。"

Againherhearttrembled。Shefeltherhappinesssonear，sosure，thattostrainitclosermightbelikeachild’scrushingapetbirdinitscaress。Butherverysecurityurgedheron。Forsolongherdoubtshadbeenknife—edged：

nowtheyhadturnedintobrightharmlesstoysthatshecouldtossandcatchwithoutperil！

"Youdidn’tcome，andyoudidn’tanswermyletter；andafterwaitingfourmonthsIwroteanother。"

"AndIansweredthatone；andI’mhere。"

"Yes。"Sheheldhiseyes。"ButinmylastletterIrepeatedexactlywhatI’dsaidinthefirst——theoneIwroteyoulastJune。ItoldyouthenthatIwasreadytogiveyoutheanswertowhatyou’daskedmeinLondon；andintellingyouthat，Itoldyouwhattheanswerwas。"

"Mydearest！Mydearest！"Darrowmurmured。

"Youignoredthatletter。Allsummeryoumadenosign。AndallIasknowis，thatyoushouldfranklytellmewhy。"

"IcanonlyrepeatwhatI’vejustsaid。IwashurtandunhappyandIdoubtedyou。IsupposeifI’dcaredlessI

shouldhavebeenmoreconfident。IcaredsomuchthatI

couldn’triskanotherfailure。Foryou’dmademefeelthatI’dmiserablyfailed。SoIshutmyeyesandsetmyteethandturnedmyback。There’sthewholepusillanimoustruthofit！"

"Oh，ifit’stheWHOLEtruth！————"Shelethimclaspher。"There’smytorment，yousee。IthoughtthatwaswhatyoursilencemeanttillImadeyoubreakit。NowIwanttobesurethatIwasright。"

"WhatcanItellyoutomakeyousure？"

"YoucanletmetellYOUeverythingfirst。"Shedrewaway，butwithouttakingherhandsfromhim。"OwensawyouinParis，"shebegan。

Shelookedathimandhefacedhersteadily。Thelightwasfullonhispleasantly—brownedface，hisgreyeyes，hisfrankwhiteforehead。Shenoticedforthefirsttimeaseal—ringinasettingoftwistedsilveronthehandhehadkeptonhers。

"InParis？Oh，yes……Sohedid。"

"Hecamebackandtoldme。Ithinkyoutalkedtohimamomentinatheatre。Iaskedifyou’dspokenofmyhavingputyouoff——orifyou’dsentmeanymessage。Hedidn’trememberthatyouhad。"

"Inacrush——inaParisfoyer？Mydear！"

"Itwasabsurdofme！ButOwenandIhavealwaysbeenonoddkindofbrother—and—sisterterms。IthinkheguessedaboutuswhenhesawyouwithmeinLondon。Soheteasedmealittleandtriedtomakemecuriousaboutyou；andwhenhesawhe’dsucceededhetoldmehehadn’thadtimetosaymuchtoyoubecauseyouwereinsuchahurrytogetbacktotheladyyouwerewith。"

Hestillheldherhands，butshefeltnotremorinhis，andtheblooddidnotstirinhisbrowncheek。Heseemedtobehonestlyturningoverhismemories。

"Yes：andwhatelsedidhetellyou？"

"Oh，notmuch，exceptthatshewasawfullypretty。WhenI

askedhimtodescribeherhesaidyouhadhertuckedawayinabaignoireandhehadn’tactuallyseenher；buthesawthetailofhercloak，andsomehowknewfromthatthatshewaspretty。OneDOES，youknow……Ithinkhesaidthecloakwaspink。"

Darrowbrokeintoalaugh。"Ofcourseitwas——theyalwaysare！Sothatwasatthebottomofyourdoubts？"

"Notatfirst。Ionlylaughed。Butafterward，whenIwroteyouandyoudidn’tanswer————Oh，youDOsee？"sheappealedtohim。

Hewaslookingathergently。"Yes：Isee。"

"It’snotasifthiswerealightthingbetweenus。IwantyoutoknowmeasIam。IfIthoughtthatatthatmoment……whenyouwereonyourwayhere，almost————"

Hedroppedherhandandstoodup。"Yes，yes——Iunderstand。"

"Butdoyou？"Herlookfollowedhim。"I’mnotagooseofagirl。Iknow……ofcourseIKNOW……buttherearethingsawomanfeels……whenwhatsheknowsdoesn’tmakeanydifference。It’snotthatIwantyoutoexplain——Imeanaboutthatparticularevening。It’sonlythatIwantyoutohavethewholeofmyfeeling。Ididn’tknowwhatitwastillIsawyouagain。IneverdreamedIshouldsaysuchthingstoyou！"

"IneverdreamedIshouldbeheretohearyousaythem！"Heturnedbackandliftingafloatingendofherscarfputhislipstoit。"Butnowthatyouhave，Iknow——Iknow，"hesmileddownather。

"Youknow？"

"Thatthisisnolightthingbetweenus。Nowyoumayaskmeanythingyouplease！ThatwasallIwantedtoaskYOU。"

Foralongmomenttheylookedateachotherwithoutspeaking。Shesawthedancingspiritinhiseyesturngraveanddarkentoapassionatesternness。Hestoopedandkissedher，andshesatasiffoldedinwings。

XII

Itwasinthenaturalorderofthingsthat，onthewaybacktothehouse，theirtalkshouldhaveturnedtothefuture。

Annawasnoteagertodefineit。Shehadanextraordinarysensitivenesstotheimpalpableelementsofhappiness，andasshewalkedatDarrow’ssideherimaginationflewbackandforth，spinningluminouswebsoffeelingbetweenherselfandthesceneabouther。Everyheighteningofemotionproducedforheraneweffusionofbeautyinvisiblethings，andwithitthesensethatsuchmomentsshouldbelingeredoverandabsorbedlikesomeunrenewablemiracle。SheunderstoodDarrow’simpatiencetoseetheirplanstakeshape。Sheknewitmustbeso，shewouldnothavehaditotherwise；buttoreachapointwhereshecouldfixhermindonhisappealfordatesanddecisionswasliketryingtobreakherwaythroughthesilvertangleofanAprilwood。

Darrowwishedtousehisdiplomaticopportunitiesasameansofstudyingcertaineconomicandsocialproblemswithwhichhepresentlyhopedtodealinprint；andwiththisinviewhehadaskedfor，andobtained，aSouthAmericanappointment。Annawasreadytofollowwhereheled，andnotreluctanttoputnewsightsaswellasnewthoughtsbetweenherselfandherpast。Shehad，inadirectway，onlyEffieandEffie’seducationtoconsider；andthereseemed，afterduereflection，noreasonwhythemostanxiousregardfortheseshouldnotbeconciliatedwiththedemandsofDarrow’scareer。Effie，itwasevident，couldbelefttoMadamedeChantelle’scaretillthecoupleshouldhaveorganizedtheirlife；andshemighteven，aslongasherfuturestep—

father’sworkretainedhimindistantposts，continuetodivideheryearbetweenGivreandtheantipodes。

AsforOwen，whohadreachedhislegalmajoritytwoyearsbefore，andwassoontoattaintheagefixedforthetakingoverofhispaternalinheritance，thearrivalofthisdatewouldreducehisstep—mother’sresponsibilitytoafriendlyconcernforhiswelfare。ThismadeforthepromptrealizationofDarrow’swishes，andthereseemednoreasonwhythemarriageshouldnottakeplacewithinthesixweeksthatremainedofhisleave。

Theypassedoutofthewood—walkintotheopenbrightnessofthegarden。Thenoonsunlightsheetedwithgoldthebronzeflanksofthepolygonalyews。Chrysanthemums，russet，saffronandorange，glowedliketheefflorescenceofanenchantedforest；beltsofredbegoniapurplingtowine—

colourranlikesmoulderingflameamongtheborders；andabovethisoutspreadtapestrythehouseextendeditsharmoniouslength，thesobernessofitslinessoftenedtograceintheluminousmistyair。

Darrowstoodstill，andAnnafeltthathisglancewastravellingfromhertothesceneaboutthemandthenbacktoherface。

"You’resureyou’repreparedtogiveupGivre？Youlooksomadeforeachother！"

"Oh，Givre————"Shebrokeoffsuddenly，feelingasifhertoocarelesstonehaddeliveredallherpastintohishands；

andwithoneofherinstinctivemovementsofrecoilsheadded："WhenOwenmarriesIshallhavetogiveitup。"