第9章

Darrowhadalreadyguessedhertobeapersonwhowouldinstinctivelyopposeanysuggestedchanges，andthen，afteronehadexhaustedone’smainarguments，unexpectedlyyieldtosomesmallincidentalreason，andadheredoggedlytohernewposition。Sheboastedofherold—fashionedprejudices，talkedagooddealofbeingagrandmother，andmadeashowofreachinguptotapOwen’sshoulder，thoughhisheightwaslittlemorethanhers。

ShewasfullofasmallpaleprattleaboutthepeopleshehadseenatOuchy，astowhomshehadtheminutestatisticalinformationofagazetteer，withoutanyapparentsenseofpersonaldifferences。ShesaidtoDarrow："TheytellmethingsareverymuchchangedinAmerica……OfcourseinmyyouththereWASaSociety"……Shehadnodesiretoreturnthereshewassurethestandardsmustbesodifferent。

"Therearecharmingpeopleeverywhere……andonemustalwayslookonthebestside……butwhenonehaslivedamongTraditionsit’sdifficulttoadaptone’sselftothenewideas……Thesedreadfulviewsofmarriage……it’ssohardtoexplainthemtomyFrenchrelations……I’mthankfultosayI

don’tpretendtounderstandthemmyself！ButYOU’REanEverard——ItoldAnnalastspringinLondonthatoneseesthatinstantly"……

ShewanderedofftothecookingandtheserviceofthehotelatOuchy。Sheattachedgreatimportancetogastronomicdetailsandtothemannersofhotelservants。There，too，therewasafallingoff，shesaid。"Idontknow，ofcourse；butpeoplesayit’sowingtotheAmericans。

Certainlymywaiterhadawayofslappingdownthedishes……theytellmethatmanyofthemareAnarchists……belongtoUnions，youknow。"SheappealedtoDarrow’sreportedknowledgeofeconomicconditionstoconfirmthisominousrumour。

AfterdinnerOwenLeathwanderedintothenextroom，wherethepianostood，andbegantoplayamongtheshadows。Hisstep—motherpresentlyjoinedhim，andDarrowsatalonewithMadamedeChantelle。

Shetookupthethreadofhermildchatandcarrieditonatthesamepaceasherknitting。Herconversationresembledthelargeloose—strandedwebbetweenherfingers：nowandthenshedroppedastitch，andwentonregardlessofthegapinthepattern。

Darrowlistenedwithalazysenseofwell—being。Inthementallulloftheafter—dinnerhour，withharmoniousmemoriesmurmuringthroughhismind，andthesofttintsandshadowyspacesofthefineoldroomcharminghiseyestoindolence，MadamedeChantelle’sdiscourseseemednotoutofplace。Hecouldunderstandthat，inthelongrun，theatmosphereofGivremightbesuffocating；butinhispresentmooditsverylimitationshadagrace。

Presentlyhefoundthechancetosayawordinhisownbehalf；andthereuponmeasuredtheadvantage，neverbeforeparticularlyapparenttohim，ofbeingrelatedtotheEverardsofAlbany。MadamedeChantelle’sconceptionofhernativecountry——towhichshehadnotreturnedsincehertwentiethyear——remindedhimofanancientgeographer’smapoftheHyperboreanregions。Itwasallafoggyblank，fromwhichonlyoneortwofixedoutlinesemerged；andoneofthesebelongedtotheEverardsofAlbany。

Thefactthattheyofferedsuchfirmfooting——formed，sotospeak，afriendlyterritoryonwhichtheopposingpowerscouldmeetandtreat——helpedhimthroughthetaskofexplainingandjustifyinghimselfasthesuccessorofFraserLeath。MadamedeChantellecouldnotresistsuchincontestableclaims。Sheseemedtofeelherson’shoveringanddiscriminatingpresence，andshegaveDarrowthesensethathewasbeingtestedandapprovedasalastadditiontotheLeathCollection。

Shealsomadehimawareoftheimmenseadvantagehepossessedinbelongingtothediplomaticprofession。ShespokeofthishumdrumcallingasaCareer，andgaveDarrowtounderstandthatshesupposedhimtohavebeenseducingDuchesseswhenhewasnotnegotiatingTreaties。Heheardagainquaintphraseswhichromanticoldladieshadusedinhisyouth："Brilliantdiplomaticsociety……socialadvantages……theentreeeverywhere……nothingelseFORMSayoungmaninthesameway……"andshesighinglyaddedthatshecouldhavewishedhergrandsonhadchosenthesamepathtoglory。

Darrowprudentlysuppressedhisownviewoftheprofession，aswellasthefactthathehadadopteditprovisionally，andforreasonslesssocialthansociological；andthetalkpresentlypassedontothesubjectofhisfutureplans。

Hereagain，MadamedeChantelle’saweoftheCareermadeheradmitthenecessityofAnna’sconsentingtoanearlymarriage。ThefactthatDarrowwas"ordered"toSouthAmericaseemedtoputhimintheromanticlightofayoungsoldierchargedtoleadaforlornhope：shesighedandsaid：

"Atsuchmomentsawife’sdutyisatherhusband’sside。"

TheproblemofEffie’sfuturemighthavedisturbedher，sheadded；butsinceAnna，foratime，consentedtoleavethelittlegirlwithher，thatproblemwasatanyratedeferred。

Shespokeplaintivelyoftheresponsibilityoflookingafterhergranddaughter，butDarrowdivinedthatsheenjoyedtheflavourofthewordmorethanshefelttheweightofthefact。

"Effie’saperfectchild。She’smorelikemyson，perhaps，thandearOwen。She’llneverintentionallygivemetheleasttrouble。Butofcoursetheresponsibilitywillbegreat……I’mnotsureIshoulddaretoundertakeitifitwerenotforherhavingsuchatreasureofagoverness。HasAnnatoldyouaboutourlittlegoverness？Afteralltheworrywehadlastyear，withoneimpossiblecreatureafteranother，itseemsprovidential，justnow，tohavefoundher。

Atfirstwewereafraidshewastooyoung；butnowwe’vethegreatestconfidenceinher。Socleverandamusing——andSUCHalady！Idon’tsayhereducation’sallitmightbe……nodrawingorsinging……butonecan’thaveeverything；

andshespeaksItalian……"

MadamedeChantelle’sfondinsistenceonthelikenessbetweenEffieLeathandherfather，ifnotparticularlygratifyingtoDarrow，hadatleastincreasedhisdesiretoseethelittlegirl。ItgavehimanoddfeelingofdiscomforttothinkthatsheshouldhaveanyofthecharacteristicsofthelateFraserLeath：hehad，somehow，fantasticallypicturedherasthemysticaloffspringoftheearlytendernessbetweenhimselfandAnnaSummers。

HisencounterwithEffietookplacethenextmorning，onthelawnbelowtheterrace，wherehefoundher，intheearlysunshine，knockingaboutgolfballswithherbrother。

Almostatonce，andwithinfiniterelief，hesawthattheresemblanceofwhichMadamedeChantelleboastedwasmainlyexternal。Eventhatdiscoverywasslightlydistasteful，thoughDarrowwasforcedtoownthatFraserLeath’sstraight—featuredfairnesshadlentitselftotheproductionofapeculiarlyfinishedimageofchildishpurity。ButitwasevidentthatotherelementshadalsogonetothemakingofEffie，andthatanotherspiritsatinhereyes。Herserioushandshake，her"pretty"greeting，wereworthyoftheLeathtradition，andheguessedhertobemoremalleablethanOwen，moresubjecttotheinfluencesofGivre；buttheshoutwithwhichshereturnedtoherromphadinitthenoteofhermother’semancipation。

Hehadbeggedaholidayforher，andwhenMrs。Leathappearedheandsheandthelittlegirlwentoffforaramble。AnnawishedherdaughtertohavetimetomakefriendswithDarrowbeforelearninginwhatrelationhewastostandtoher；andthethreeroamedthewoodsandfieldstillthedistantchimeofthestable—clockmadethemturnbackforluncheon。

Effie，whowasattendedbyashaggyterrier，hadpickeduptwoorthreesubordinatedogsatthestable；andasshetrottedonaheadwithheryappingescort，AnnahungbacktothrowalookatDarrow。

"Yes，"heansweredit，"she’sexquisite……Oh，IseewhatI’maskingofyou！Butshe’llbequitehappyhere，won’tshe？

Andyoumustrememberitwon’tbeforlong……"

Annasighedheracquiescence。"Oh，she’llbehappyhere。

It’shernaturetobehappy。She’llapplyherselftoit，conscientiously，asshedoestoherlessons，andtowhatshecalls’beinggood’……Inaway，yousee，that’sjustwhatworriesme。Herideaof’beinggood’istopleasethepersonshe’swith——sheputsherwholedearlittlemindonit！Andso，ifevershe’swiththewrongperson————"

"Butsurelythere’snodangerofthatjustnow？MadamedeChantelletellsmethatyou’veatlastputyourhandonaperfectgoverness————"

Anna，withoutanswering，glancedawayfromhimtowardherdaughter。

"It’slucky，atanyrate，"Darrowcontinued，"thatMadamedeChantellethinksherso。"

"Oh，Ithinkveryhighlyofhertoo。"

"HighlyenoughtofeelquitesatisfiedtoleaveherwithEffie？"

"Yes。She’sjustthepersonforEffie。Only，ofcourse，oneneverknows……She’syoung，andshemighttakeitintoherheadtoleaveus……"Afterapausesheadded："I’mnaturallyanxioustoknowwhatyouthinkofher。"

Whentheyenteredthehousethehandsofthehallclockstoodwithinafewminutesoftheluncheonhour。AnnaledEffieofftohaveherhairsmoothedandDarrowwanderedintotheoaksitting—room，whichhefounduntenanted。Thesunlaypleasantlyonitsbrownwalls，onthescatteredbooksandtheflowersinoldporcelainvases。Inhiseyeslingeredthevisionofthedark—hairedmothermountingthestairswithherlittlefairdaughter。Thecontrastbetweenthemseemedalasttouchofgraceinthecomplexharmonyofthings。Hestoodinthewindow，lookingoutatthepark，andbroodinginwardlyuponhishappiness……

HewasrousedbyEffie’svoiceandthescamperofherfeetdownthelongfloorsbehindhim。

"Hereheis！Hereheis！"shecried，flyingoverthethreshold。

Heturnedandstoopedtoherwithasmile，andasshecaughthishandheperceivedthatshewastryingtodrawhimtowardsomeonewhohadpausedbehindherinthedoorway，andwhomhesupposedtobehermother。

"HEREheis！"Effierepeated，withhersweetimpatience。

ThefigureinthedoorwaycameforwardandDarrow，lookingup，foundhimselffacetofacewithSophyViner。Theystoodstill，ayardortwoapart，andlookedateachotherwithoutspeaking。

Astheypausedthere，ashadowfellacrossoneoftheterracewindows，andOwenLeathsteppedwhistlingintotheroom。Inhisroughshootingclothes，withtheglowofexerciseunderhisfairskin，helookedextraordinarilylight—heartedandhappy。Darrow，withaquickside—glance，noticedthis，andperceivedalsothattheglowontheyouth’scheekhaddeepenedsuddenlytored。Hetoostoppedshort，andthethreestoodtheremotionlessforabarelyperceptiblebeatoftime。Duringitslapse，Darrow’seyeshadturnedbackfromOwen’sfacetothatofthegirlbetweenthem。Hehadthesensethat，whateverwasdone，itwashewhomustdoit，andthatitmustbedoneimmediately。Hewentforwardandheldouthishand。

"Howdoyoudo，MissViner？"

Sheanswered："Howdoyoudo？"inavoicethatsoundedclearandnatural；andthenextmomentheagainbecameawareofstepsbehindhim，andknewthatMrs。Leathwasintheroom。

TohisstrainedsensesthereseemedtobeanotherjustmeasurablepausebeforeAnnasaid，lookinggailyaboutthelittlegroup："HasOwenintroducedyou？ThisisEffie’sfriend，MissViner。"

Effie，stillhangingonhergoverness’sarm，pressedherselfcloserwithalittlegestureofappropriation；andMissVinerlaidherhandonherpupil’shair。

DarrowfeltthatAnna’seyeshadturnedtohim。

"IthinkMissVinerandIhavemetalready——severalyearsagoinLondon。"

"Iremember，"saidSophyViner，inthesameclearvoice。

"Howcharming！Thenwe’reallfriends。Butluncheonmustbeready，"saidMrs。Leath。

Sheturnedbacktothedoor，andthelittleprocessionmoveddownthetwolongdrawing—rooms，withEffiewaltzingonahead。

XV

MadamedeChantelleandAnnahadplanned，fortheafternoon，avisittoaremotelysituatedacquaintancewhomtheintroductionofthemotorhadtransformedintoaneighbour。

Effiewastopayforhermorning’sholidaybyanhourortwointheschool—room，andOwensuggestedthatheandDarrowshouldbetakethemselvestoadistantcovertinthedesultoryquestforpheasants。

Darrowwasnotanardentsportsman，butanypretextforphysicalactivitywouldhavebeenacceptableatthemoment；

andhewasgladbothtogetawayfromthehouseandnottobelefttohimself。

Whenhecamedownstairsthemotorwasatthedoor，andAnnastoodbeforethehallmirror，swathingherhatinveils。

Sheturnedatthesoundofhisstepandsmiledathimforalongfullmoment。

"I’dnoideayouknewMissViner，"shesaid，ashehelpedherintoherlongcoat。

"Itcamebacktome，luckily，thatI’dseenhertwoorthreetimesinLondon，severalyearsago。Shewassecretary，orsomethingofthesort，inthebackgroundofahousewhereI

usedtodine。"

Heloathedtheslightingindifferenceofthephrase，buthehaduttereditdeliberately，hadbeensecretlypractisingitallthroughtheinterminablehourattheluncheon—table。

Nowthatitwasspoken，heshiveredatitsnoteofcondescension。Insuchcasesonewasalmostsuretooverdo……ButAnnaseemedtonoticenothingunusual。

"Wasshereally？Youmusttellmeallaboutit——tellmeexactlyhowshestruckyou。I’msogladitturnsoutthatyouknowher。"

"’Know’isratherexaggerated：weusedtopasseachotheronthestairs。"

MadamedeChantelleandOwenappearedtogetherashespoke，andAnna，gatheringupherwraps，said："You’lltellmeaboutthat，then。Tryandremembereverythingyoucan。"

Ashetrampedthroughthewoodsathisyounghost’sside，Darrowfeltthepartialrelieffromthoughtproducedbyexerciseandtheobligationtotalk。Littleashecaredforshooting，hehadthehabitofconcentrationwhichmakesitnaturalforamantothrowhimselfwhollyintowhateverbusinesshehasinhand，andthereweremomentsoftheafternoonwhenasuddenwhirrintheundergrowth，avividergleamagainstthehazybrownsandgreysofthewoods，wasenoughtofilltheforegroundofhisattention。Butallthewhile，behindthesevoluntarilyemphasizedsensations，hissecretconsciousnesscontinuedtorevolveonaloudwheelofthought。Foratimeitseemedtobesweepinghimthroughdeepgulfsofdarkness。Hissensationsweretooswiftandswarmingtobedisentangled。Hehadanalmostphysicalsenseofstrugglingforair，ofbattlinghelplesslywithmaterialobstructions，asthoughtherussetcovertthroughwhichhetrudgedweretheheartofamaleficentjungle……

Snatchesofhiscompanion’stalkdriftedtohimintermittentlythroughtheconfusionofhisthoughts。Hecaughteagerself—revealingphrases，andunderstoodthatOwenwassayingthingsabouthimself，perhapshintingindirectlyatthehopesforwhichDarrowhadbeenpreparedbyAnna’sconfidences。Hehadalreadybecomeawarethattheladlikedhim，andhadmeanttotakethefirstopportunityofshowingthathereciprocatedthefeeling。ButtheeffortoffixinghisattentiononOwen’swordswassogreatthatitleftnopowerformorethanthebriefestandmostinexpressivereplies。

YoungLeath，itappeared，feltthathehadreachedaturning—pointinhiscareer，aheightfromwhichhecouldimpartiallysurveyhispastprogressandprojectedendeavour。Atonetimehehadhadmusicalandliteraryyearnings，visionsofdesultoryartisticindulgence；butthesehadoflatebeensupersededbytheresolutedeterminationtoplungeintopracticallife。

"Idon’twant，yousee，"Darrowheardhimexplaining，"todriftintowhatmygrandmother，poordear，istryingtomakeofme：anadjunctofGivre。Idon’twant——hangitall！——toslipintocollectingsensationsasmyfathercollectedsnuff—boxes。IwantEffietohaveGivre——it’smygrandmother’s，youknow，todoasshelikeswith；andI’veunderstoodlatelythatifitbelongedtomeitwouldgraduallygobblemeup。Iwanttogetoutofit，intoalifethat’sbiganduglyandstruggling。IfIcanextractbeautyoutofTHAT，somuchthebetter：that’llprovemyvocation。ButIwanttoMAKEbeauty，notbedrownedintheready—made，likeabeeinapotofhoney。"

Darrowknewthathewasbeingappealedtoforcorroborationoftheseviewsandforencouragementinthecoursetowhichtheypointed。Tohisownearshisanswerssoundednowcurt，nowirrelevant：atonemomentheseemedchillinglyindifferent，atanotherheheardhimselflaunchingoutonafloodofhazydiscursiveness。HedarednotlookatOwen，forfearofdetectingthelad’ssurpriseatthesesenselesstransitions。Andthroughtheconfusionofhisinwardstrugglesandoutwardloquacityheheardtheceaselesstrip—

hammerbeatofthequestion："WhatinGod’snameshallI

do？"……

TogetbacktothehousebeforeAnna’sreturnseemedhismostpressingnecessity。Hedidnotclearlyknowwhy：hesimplyfeltthatheoughttobethere。AtonemomentitoccurredtohimthatMissVinermightwanttospeaktohimalone——andagain，inthesameflash，thatitwouldprobablybethelastthingshewouldwant……Atanyrate，hefeltheoughttotrytospeaktoHER；oratleastbepreparedtodoso，ifthechanceshouldoccur……

Finally，towardfour，hetoldhiscompanionthathehadsomelettersonhismindandmustgetbacktothehouseanddespatchthembeforetheladiesreturned。HeleftOwenwiththebeaterandwalkedontotheedgeofthecovert。Attheparkgateshestruckobliquelythroughthetrees，followingagrassavenueattheendofwhichhehadcaughtaglimpseoftheroofofthechapel。Agreyhazehadblottedoutthesunandthestillairclungabouthimtepidly。Atlengththehouse—frontraisedbeforehimitsexpanseofdamp—

silveredbrick，andhewasstruckafreshbythehighdecorumofitscalmlinesandsoberlymassedsurfaces。Itmadehimfeel，intheturbidcoilofhisfearsandpassions，likeamuddytrampforcinghiswayintosomepuresequesteredshrine……

Byandbye，heknew，heshouldhavetothinkthecomplexhorrorout，slowly，systematically，bitbybit；butforthemomentitwaswhirlinghimaboutsofastthathecouldjustclutchatitssharpspikesandbetossedoffagain。Onlyonedefiniteimmediatefactstuckinhisquiveringgrasp。

Hemustgivethegirleverychance——mustholdhimselfpassivetillshehadtakenthem……

InthecourtEffieranuptohimwithherleapingterrier。

"Iwascomingouttomeetyou——youandOwen。MissVinerwascoming，too，andthenshecouldn’tbecauseshe’sgotsuchaheadache。I’mafraidIgaveittoherbecauseIdidmydivisionsodisgracefully。It’stoobad，isn’tit？Butwon’tyouwalkbackwithme？Nursewon’tmindtheleastbit；

she’dsomuchrathergointotea。"

Darrowexcusedhimselflaughingly，onthepleathathehadletterstowrite，whichwasmuchworsethanhavingaheadache，andnotinfrequentlyresultedinone。

"Oh，thenyoucangoandwritetheminOwen’sstudy。That’swheregentlemenalwayswritetheirletters。"

SheflewonwithherdogandDarrowpursuedhiswaytothehouse。Effie’ssuggestionstruckhimasuseful。Hehadpicturedhimselfasvaguelydriftingaboutthedrawing—

rooms，andhadperceivedthedifficultyofMissViner’shavingtoseekhimthere；butthestudy，asmallroomontherightofthehall，wasineasysightfromthestaircase，andsosituatedthattherewouldbenothingmarkedinhisbeingfoundthereintalkwithher。

Hewentin，leavingthedooropen，andsatdownatthewriting—table。Theroomwasafriendlyheterogeneousplace，theonerepository，inthewell—orderedandamply—servantedhouse，ofallitsunclassifiedoddsandends：Effie’scroquet—boxandfishingrods，Owen’sgunsandgolf—sticksandracquets，hisstep—mother’sflower—basketsandgardeningimplements，evenMadamedeChantelle’sembroideryframe，andthebacknumbersoftheCatholicWeekly。Theearlytwilighthadbeguntofall，andpresentlyaslantingrayacrossthedeskshowedDarrowthataservantwascomingacrossthehallwithalamp。Hepulledoutasheetofnote—paperandbegantowriteatrandom，whiletheman，entering，putthelampathiselbowandvaguely"straightened"theheapofnewspaperstossedonthedivan。ThenhisstepsdiedawayandDarrowsatleaninghisheadonhislockedhands。

Presentlyanotherstepsoundedonthestairs，waveredamomentandthenmovedpastthethresholdofthestudy。

Darrowgotupandwalkedintothehall，whichwasstillunlighted。InthedimnesshesawSophyVinerstandingbythehalldoorinherhatandjacket。Shestoppedatsightofhim，herhandonthedoor—bolt，andtheystoodforasecondwithoutspeaking。

"HaveyouseenEffie？"shesuddenlyasked。"Shewentouttomeetyou。"

"SheDIDmeetme，justnow，inthecourt。She’sgoneontojoinherbrother。"

Darrowspokeasnaturallyashecould，buthisvoicesoundedtohisownearslikeanamateuractor’sina"light"part。

MissViner，withoutanswering，drewbackthebolt。Hewatchedherinsilenceasthedoorswungopen；thenhesaid：

"Shehashernursewithher。Shewon’tbelong。"

Shestoodirresolute，andheadded："Iwaswritinginthere——won’tyoucomeandhavealittletalk？Everyone’sout。"

Thelastwordsstruckhimasnotwell—chosen，buttherewasnotimetochoose。Shepausedasecondlongerandthencrossedthethresholdofthestudy。Atluncheonshehadsatwithherbacktothewindow，andbeyondnotingthatshehadgrownalittlethinner，andhadlesscolourandvivacity，hehadseennochangeinher；butnow，asthelamplightfellonherface，itswhitenessstartledhim。

"Poorthing……poorthing……whatinheaven’snamecanshesuppose？"hewondered。

"Dositdown——Iwanttotalktoyou，"hesaidandpushedachairtowardher。

Shedidnotseemtoseeit，or，ifshedid，shedeliberatelychoseanotherseat。Hecamebacktohisownchairandleanedhiselbowsontheblotter。Shefacedhimfromthefarthersideofthetable。

"Youpromisedtoletmehearfromyounowandthen，"hebeganawkwardly，andwithasharpsenseofhisawkwardness。

Afaintsmilemadeherfacemoretragic。"DidI？Therewasnothingtotell。I’vehadnohistory——likethehappycountries……"

Hewaitedamomentbeforeasking："YouAREhappyhere？"

"IWAS，"shesaidwithafaintemphasis。

"Whydoyousay’was’？You’resurelynotthinkingofgoing？

Therecan’tbekinderpeopleanywhere。"Darrowhardlyknewwhathewassaying；butheranswercametohimwithdeadlydefiniteness。

"IsupposeitdependsonyouwhetherIgoorstay。"

"Onme？"HestaredatheracrossOwen’sscatteredpapers。

"GoodGod！Whatcanyouthinkofme，tosaythat？"

Themockeryofthequestionflashedbackathimfromherwretchedface。Shestoodup，wanderedaway，andleanedaninstantinthedarkeningwindow—frame。Fromtheresheturnedtoflingbackathim："Don’timagineI’mtheleastbitsorryforanything！"

Hesteadiedhiselbowsonthetableandhidhisfaceinhishands。Itwasharder，oh，damnablyharder，thanhehadexpected！Arguments，expedients，palliations，evasions，allseemedtobeslippingawayfromhim：hewasleftfacetofacewiththemeregracelessfactofhisinferiority。Heliftedhisheadtoaskatrandom："You’vebeenhere，then，eversince？"

"SinceJune；yes。ItturnedoutthattheFarlowswerehuntingforme——allthewhile——forthis。"

Shestoodfacinghim，herbacktothewindow，evidentlyimpatienttobegone，yetwithsomethingstilltosay，orthatsheexpectedtohearhimsay。Thesenseofherexpectancybenumbedhim。Whatinheaven’snamecouldhesaytoherthatwasnotanoffenseoramockery？

"Yourideaofthetheatre——yougavethatupatonce，then？"

"Oh，thetheatre！"Shegavealittlelaugh。"Icouldn’twaitforthetheatre。Ihadtotakethefirstthingthatoffered；Itookthis。"

Hepushedonhaltingly："I’mglad——extremelyglad——you’rehappyhere……I’dcountedonyourlettingmeknowiftherewasanythingIcoulddo……Thetheatre，now——ifyoustillregretit——ifyou’renotcontentedhere……IknowpeopleinthatlineinLondon——I’mcertainIcanmanageitforyouwhenIgetback————"

Shemoveduptothetableandleanedoverittoask，inavoicethatwashardlyaboveawhisper："ThenyouDOwantmetoleave？Isthatit？"

Hedroppedhisarmswithagroan。"Goodheavens！Howcanyouthinksuchthings？Atthetime，youknow，IbeggedyoutoletmedowhatIcould，butyouwouldn’thearofit……andeversinceI’vebeenwantingtobeofuse——todosomething，anything，tohelpyou……"

Sheheardhimthrough，motionless，withoutaquiveroftheclaspedhandssherestedontheedgeofthetable。

"Ifyouwanttohelpme，then——youcanhelpmetostayhere，"shebroughtoutwithlow—tonedintensity。

Throughthestillnessofthepausewhichfollowed，thebrayofamotor—hornsoundedfardownthedrive。Instantlysheturned，withalastwhitelookathim，andfledfromtheroomandupthestairs。Hestoodmotionless，benumbedbytheshockofherlastwords。Shewasafraid，then——afraidofhim——sickwithfearofhim！Thediscoverybeathimdowntoalowerdepth……

Themotor—hornsoundedagain，closeathand，andheturnedandwentuptohisroom。Hisletter—writingwasasufficientpretextfornotimmediatelyjoiningthepartyaboutthetea—table，andhewantedtobealoneandtrytoputalittleorderintohistumultuousthinking。

Upstairs，theroomheldouttheintimatewelcomeofitslampandfire。Everythinginitexhaledthesamesenseofpeaceandstabilitywhich，twoeveningsbefore，hadlulledhimtocomplacentmeditation。Hisarmchairagaininvitedhimfromthehearth，buthewastooagitatedtositstill，andwithsunkheadandhandsclaspedbehindhisbackhebegantowanderupanddowntheroom。

HisfiveminuteswithSophyVinerhadflashedstrangelightsintotheshadowycornersofhisconsciousness。Thegirl’sabsolutecandour，herhardardenthonesty，wasforthemomentthevividestpointinhisthoughts。Hewonderedanew，ashehadwonderedbefore，atthewayinwhichtheharshdisciplineoflifehadstrippedheroffalsesentimentwithoutlayingtheleasttouchonherpride。Whentheyhadparted，fivemonthsbefore，shehadquietlybutdecidedlyrejectedallhisoffersofhelp，eventothesuggestionofhistryingtofurtherhertheatricalaims：shehadmadeitclearthatshewishedtheirbriefalliancetoleavenotraceontheirlivessavethatofitsownsmilingmemory。Butnowthattheywereunexpectedlyconfrontedinasituationwhichseemed，toherterrifiedfancy，toputherathismercy，herfirstimpulsewastodefendherrighttotheplaceshehadwon，andtolearnasquicklyaspossibleifhemeanttodisputeit。Whilehehadpicturedherasshrinkingawayfromhiminatremorofself—effacementshehadwatchedhismovements，madesureofheropportunity，andcomestraightdownto"haveitout"withhim。Hewassostruckbythefranknessandenergyoftheproceedingthatforamomenthelostsightoftheviewofhisowncharacterimpliedinit。