第10章

"Poorthing……poorthing！"hecouldonlygoonsaying；andwiththerepetitionofthewordsthepictureofhimselfasshemustseehimpitiablytookshapeagain。

Heunderstoodthen，forthefirsttime，howvague，incomparisonwithhers，hadbeenhisownvisionoftheparthehadplayedinthebriefepisodeoftheirrelation。Theincidenthadleftinhimasenseofexasperationandself—

contempt，butthat，ashenowperceived，waschiefly，ifnotaltogether，asitboreonhispreconceivedidealofhisattitudetowardanotherwoman。Hehadfallenbelowhisownstandardofsentimentalloyalty，andifhethoughtofSophyVineritwasmainlyasthechanceinstrumentofhislapse。

Theseconsiderationswerenotagreeabletohispride，buttheywereforcedonhimbytheexampleofhervaliantcommon—sense。Ifhehadcutasorryfigureinthebusiness，heowedittohernottoclosehiseyestothefactanylonger……

Butwhenheopenedthem，whatdidhesee？Thesituation，detestableatbest，wouldyethavebeenrelativelysimpleifprotectingSophyVinerhadbeentheonlydutyinvolvedinit。Thefactthatthatdutywasparamountdidnotdoawaywiththecontingentobligations。ItwasDarrow’sinstinct，indifficultmoments，togostraighttothebottomofthedifficulty；buthehadneverbeforehadtotakesodarkadiveasthis，andfortheminuteheshiveredonthebrink……Well，hisfirstduty，atanyrate，wastothegirl：

hemustletherseethathemeanttofulfillittothelastjot，andthentrytofindouthowtosquarethefulfillmentwiththeotherproblemsalreadyinhispath……

XVI

IntheoakroomhefoundMrs。Leath，hermother—in—lawandEffie。Thegroup，ashecametowarditdownthelongdrawing—rooms，composeditselfprettilyaboutthetea—table。

Thelampsandthefirecrossedtheirgleamsonsilverandporcelain，onthebrighthazeofEffie’shairandonthewhitenessofAnna’sforehead，assheleanedbackinherchairbehindthetea—urn。

ShedidnotmoveatDarrow’sapproach，butliftedtohimadeepgazeofpeaceandconfidence。Thelookseemedtothrowabouthimthespellofadivinesecurity：hefeltthejoyofaconvalescentsuddenlywakingtofindthesunlightonhisface。

MadamedeChantelle，acrossherknitting，discoursedoftheirafternoon’sexcursion，withoccasionalpausesinducedbythehypnoticeffectofthefreshair；andEffie，kneeling，onthehearth，softlybutinsistentlysoughttoimplantinherterrier’smindsomenotionoftherelationbetweenaverticalattitudeandsugar。

Darrowtookachairbehindthelittlegirl，sothathemightlookacrossathermother。Itwasalmostanecessityforhim，atthemoment，tolethiseyesrestonAnna’sface，andtomeet，nowandthen，theproudshynessofhergaze。

MadamedeChantellepresentlyenquiredwhathadbecomeofOwen，andamomentlaterthewindowbehindheropened，andhergrandson，guninhand，cameinfromtheterrace。Ashestoodthereinthelamp—light，withdeadleavesandbitsofbrambleclingingtohismud—spatteredclothes，thescentofthenightabouthimanditschillonhispalebrightface，hereallyhadthelookofayoungfaunstrayedinfromtheforest。

Effieabandonedtheterriertoflytohim。"Oh，Owen，whereintheworldhaveyoubeen？IwalkedmilesandmileswithNurseandcouldn’tfindyou，andwemetJeanandhesaidhedidn’tknowwhereyou’dgone。"

"NobodyknowswhereIgo，orwhatIseewhenIgetthere——

that’sthebeautyofit！"helaughedbackather。"Butifyou’regood，"headded，"I’lltellyouaboutitoneofthesedays。"

"Oh，now，Owen，now！Idon’treallybelieveI’lleverbemuchbetterthanIamnow。"

"LetOwenhavehisteafirst，"hermothersuggested；buttheyoungman，decliningtheoffer，proppedhisgunagainstthewall，and，lightingacigarette，begantopaceupanddowntheroominawaythatremindedDarrowofhisowncagedwanderings。Effiepursuedhimwithherblandishments，andforawhilehepouredouttoheralow—voicedstreamofnonsense；thenhesatdownbesidehisstep—motherandleanedovertohelphimselftotea。

"Where’sMissViner？"heasked，asEffieclimbeduponhim。

"Whyisn’tsheheretochainupthisungovernableinfant？"

"PoorMissVinerhasaheadache。Effiesaysshewenttoherroomassoonaslessonswereover，andsentwordthatshewouldn’tbedownfortea。"

"Ah，"saidOwen，abruptlysettingdownhiscup。Hestoodup，litanothercigarette，andwanderedawaytothepianointheroombeyond。

Fromthetwilightwherehesatalonelymusic，borneonfantasticchords，floatedtothegroupaboutthetea—table。

UnderitsinfluenceMadamedeChantelle’smeditativepausesincreasedinlengthandfrequency，andEffiestretchedherselfonthehearth，herdrowsyheadagainstthedog。

Presentlyhernurseappeared，andAnnaroseatthesametime。"Stopaminuteinmysitting—roomonyourwayup，"

shepausedtosaytoDarrowasshewent。

Afewhoursearlier，herrequestwouldhavebroughthiminstantlytohisfeet。Shehadgivenhim，onthedayofhisarrival，aninvitingglimpseofthespaciousbook—linedroomabovestairsinwhichshehadgatheredtogetherallthetokensofherpersonaltastes：theretreatinwhich，asonemightfancy，AnnaLeathhadhiddentherestlessghostofAnnaSummers；andthethoughtofatalkwithhertherehadbeeninhismindeversince。Butnowhesatmotionless，asifspell—boundbytheplayofMadamedeChantelle’sneedlesandthepulsationsofOwen’sfitfulmusic。

"Shewillwanttoaskmeaboutthegirl，"herepeatedtohimself，withafreshsenseoftheinsidioustaintthatembitteredallhisthoughts；thehandoftheslender—

columnedclockonthemantel—piecehadspannedahalf—hourbeforeshameathisownindecisionfinallydrewhimtohisfeet。

Fromherwriting—table，whereshesatoverapileofletters，Annaliftedherhappysmile。Theimpulsetopresshislipstoitmadehimcomecloseanddrawherupward。Shethrewherheadback，asifsurprisedattheabruptnessofthegesture；thenherfaceleanedtohiswiththeslowdroopofaflower。Hefeltagainthesweepofthesecrettides，andallhisfearswentdowninthem。

Shesatdowninthesofa—cornerbythefireandhedrewanarmchairclosetoher。Hisgazeroamedpeacefullyaboutthequietroom。

"It’sjustlikeyou——itisyou，"hesaid，ashiseyescamebacktoher。

"It’sagoodplacetobealonein——Idon’tthinkI’veeverbeforecaredtotalkwithanyonehere。"

"Let’sbequiet，then：it’sthebestwayoftalking。"

"Yes；butwemustsaveituptilllater。TherearethingsI

wanttosaytoyounow。"

Heleanedbackinhischair。"Saythem，then，andI’lllisten。"

"Oh，no。IwantyoutotellmeaboutMissViner。"

"AboutMissViner？"Hesummonedupalookoffaintinterrogation。

Hethoughtsheseemedsurprisedathissurprise。"It’simportant，naturally，"sheexplained，"thatIshouldfindoutallIcanaboutherbeforeIleave。"

"ImportantonEffie’saccount？"

"OnEffie’saccount——ofcourse。"

"Ofcourse……Butyou’veeveryreasontobesatisfied，haven’tyou？"

"Everyapparentreason。Wealllikeher。Effie’sveryfondofher，andsheseemstohaveadelightfulinfluenceonthechild。Butweknowsolittle，afterall——aboutherantecedents，Imean，andherpasthistory。That’swhyI

wantyoutotryandrecalleverythingyouheardaboutherwhenyouusedtoseeherinLondon。"

"Oh，onthatscoreI’mafraidIsha’n’tbeofmuchuse。AsI

toldyou，shewasamereshadowinthebackgroundofthehouseIsawherin——andthatwasfourorfiveyearsago……"

"WhenshewaswithaMrs。Murrett？"

"Yes；anappallingwomanwhorunsaroaringdinner—factorythatusednowandthentocatchmeinitswheels。Iescapedfromthemlongago；butinmytimethereusedtobehalfadozenfagged’hands’totendthemachine，andMissVinerwasoneofthem。I’mgladshe’soutofit，poorgirl！"

"Thenyouneverreallysawanythingofherthere？"

"Ineverhadthechance。Mrs。Murrettdiscouragedanycompetitiononthepartofhersubordinates。"

"Especiallysuchprettyones，Isuppose？"Darrowmadenocomment，andshecontinued："AndMrs。Murrett’sownopinion——ifshe’dofferedyouone——probablywouldn’thavebeenofmuchvalue？"

"Onlyinsofarasherdisapprovalwould，ongeneralprinciples，havebeenagoodmarkforMissViner。Butsurely，"hewentonafterapause，"youcouldhavefoundoutaboutherfromthepeoplethroughwhomyoufirstheardofher？"

Annasmiled。"Oh，weheardofherthroughAdelaidePainter——；"andinreplytohisglanceofinterrogationsheexplainedthattheladyinquestionwasaspinsterofSouthBraintree，Massachusetts，who，havingcometoParissomethirtyyearsearlier，tonurseabrotherthroughanillness，hadeversinceprotestinglyandprovisionallycampedthereinastateofcontemptuousprotestationoddlymanifestedbyhernevertakingtheslip—coversoffherdrawing—roomchairs。HerlongresidenceonGallicsoilhadnotmitigatedherhostilitytowardthecreedandcustomsoftherace，butthoughshealwaysreferredtotheCatholicChurchastheScarletWomanandtookthedarkestviewsofFrenchprivatelife，MadamedeChantelleplacedgreatrelianceonherjudgmentandexperience，andineverydomesticcrisistheirreducibleAdelaidewasimmediatelysummonedtoGivre。

"It’salltheodderbecausemymother—in—law，sincehersecondmarriage，haslivedsomuchinthecountrythatshe’spracticallylostsightofallherotherAmericanfriends。

Besideswhich，youcanseehowcompletelyshehasidentifiedherselfwithMonsieurdeChantelle’snationalityandadoptedFrenchhabitsandprejudices。YetwhenanythinggoeswrongshealwayssendsforAdelaidePainter，who’smoreAmericanthantheStarsandStripes，andmighthaveleftSouthBraintreeyesterday，ifshehadn’t，rather，broughtitoverwithherinhertrunk。"

Darrowlaughed。"Well，then，ifSouthBraintreevouchesforMissViner————"

"Oh，butonlyindirectly。WhenwehadthatodiousadventurewithMademoiselleGrumeau，who’dbeensohighlyrecommendedbyMonsieurdeChantelle’saunt，theChanoinesse，Adelaidewasofcoursesentfor，andshesaidatonce：’I’mnottheleastbitsurprised。I’vealwaystoldyouthatwhatyouwantedforEffiewasasweetAmericangirl，andnotoneofthesenastyforeigners。’Unluckilyshecouldn’t，atthemoment，putherhandonasweetAmerican；butshepresentlyheardofMissVinerthroughtheFarlows，anexcellentcouplewholiveintheQuartierLatinandwriteaboutFrenchlifefortheAmericanpapers。Iwasonlytoothankfultofindanyonewhowasvouchedforbydecentpeople；andsofarI’vehadnocausetoregretmychoice。ButIknow，afterall，verylittleaboutMissViner；andthereareallkindsofreasonswhyIwant，assoonaspossible，tofindoutmore——

tofindoutallIcan。"

"Sinceyou’vegottoleaveEffieIunderstandyourfeelinginthatway。Butisthere，insuchacase，anyrecommendationworthhalfasmuchasyourowndirectexperience？"

"No；andit’sbeensofavourablethatIwasreadytoacceptitasconclusive。Only，naturally，whenIfoundyou’dknownherinLondonIwasinhopesyou’dgivemesomemorespecificreasonsforlikingherasmuchasIdo。"

"I’mafraidIcangiveyounothingmorespecificthanmygeneralvagueimpressionthatsheseemsverypluckyandextremelynice。"

"Youdon’t，atanyrate，knowanythingspecifictothecontrary？"

"Tothecontrary？HowshouldI？I’mnotconsciousofeverhavingheardanyonesaytwowordsabouther。IonlyinferthatshemusthavepluckandcharactertohavestuckitoutsolongatMrs。Murrett’s。"

"Yes，poorthing！Shehaspluck，certainly；andpride，too；

whichmusthavemadeitalltheharder。"Annarosetoherfeet。"Youdon’tknowhowgladIamthatyourimpression’sonthewholesogood。Iparticularlywantedyoutolikeher。"

Hedrewhertohimwithasmile。"OnthatconditionI’mpreparedtoloveevenAdelaidePainter。"

"Ialmosthopeyouwonthavethechanceto——poorAdelaide！

Herappearanceherealwayscoincideswithacatastrophe。"

"Oh，thenImustmanagetomeetherelsewhere。"HeheldAnnacloser，sayingtohimself，ashesmoothedbackthehairfromherforehead："WhatdoesanythingmatterbutjustTHIS？

——MustIgonow？"headdedaloud。

Sheansweredabsently："Itmustbetimetodress"；thenshedrewbackalittleandlaidherhandsonhisshoulders。"Mylove——oh，mydearlove！"shesaid。

Itcametohimthattheywerethefirstwordsofendearmenthehadheardherspeak，andtheirrarenessgavethemamagicqualityofreassurance，asthoughnodangercouldstrikethroughsuchashield。

Aknockonthedoormadethemdrawapart。AnnaliftedherhandtoherhairandDarrowstoopedtoexamineaphotographofEffieonthewriting—table。

"Comein！"Annasaid。

ThedooropenedandSophyVinerentered。SeeingDarrow，shedrewback。

"Docomein，MissViner，"Annarepeated，lookingatherkindly。

Thegirl，aquickredinhercheeks，stillhesitatedonthethreshold。

"I’msosorry；butEffiehasmislaidherLatingrammar，andIthoughtshemighthaveleftithere。Ineedittopreparefortomorrow’slesson。"

"Isthisit？"Darrowasked，pickingupabookfromthetable。

"Oh，thankyou！"

Hehelditouttoherandshetookitandmovedtothedoor。

"Waitaminute，please，MissViner，"Annasaid；andasthegirlturnedback，shewentonwithherquietsmile："Effietoldusyou’dgonetoyourroomwithaheadache。Youmustn’tsitupovertomorrow’slessonsifyoudon’tfeelwell。"

Sophy’sblushdeepened。"ButyouseeIhaveto。Latin’soneofmyweakpoints，andthere’sgenerallyonlyonepageofthisbookbetweenmeandEffie。"Shethrewthewordsoffwithahalf—ironicsmile。"Doexcusemydisturbingyou，"

sheadded。

"Youdidn’tdisturbme，"Annaanswered。Darrowperceivedthatshewaslookingintentlyatthegirl，asthoughstruckbysomethingtenseandtremulousinherface，hervoice，herwholemienandattitude。"YouDOlooktired。You’dmuchbettergostraighttobed。Effiewon’tbesorrytoskipherLatin。"

"Thankyou——butI’mreallyallright，"murmuredSophyViner。

Herglance，makingaswiftcircuitoftheroom，dweltforanappreciableinstantontheintimatepropinquityofarm—chairandsofa—corner；thensheturnedbacktothedoor。

BOOKIII

XVII

AtdinnerthateveningMadamedeChantelle’sslendermonologuewasthrownoutovergulfsofsilence。OwenwasstillinthesamestateofmoodyabstractionaswhenDarrowhadlefthimatthepiano；andevenAnna’sface，toherfriend’svigilanteye，revealednot，perhaps，apersonalpreoccupation，butavaguesenseofimpendingdisturbance。

Shesmiled，sheboreapartinthetalk，hereyesdweltonDarrow’swiththeirusualdeepreliance；butbeneaththesurfaceofherserenityhistenseperceptionsdetectedahiddenstir。

Hewassufficientlyself—possessedtotellhimselfthatitwasdoubtlessduetocauseswithwhichhewasnotdirectlyconcerned。HeknewthequestionofOwen’smarriagewassoontoberaised，andtheabruptalterationintheyoungman’smoodmadeitseemprobablethathewashimselfthecentreoftheatmosphericdisturbance，ForamomentitoccurredtoDarrowthatAnnamighthaveemployedherafternooninpreparingMadamedeChantelleforhergrandson’simpendingannouncement；butaglanceattheelderlady’suncloudedbrowshowedthathemustseekelsewherethecluetoOwen’staciturnityandhisstep—mother’sconcern。PossiblyAnnahadfoundreasontochangeherownattitudeinthematter，andhadmadethechangeknowntoOwen。Butthis，again，wasnegativedbythefactthat，duringtheafternoon’sshooting，youngLeathhadbeeninamoodofalmostextravagantexpansiveness，andthat，fromthemomentofhislatereturntothehousetilljustbeforedinner，therehadbeen，toDarrow’scertainknowledge，nopossibilityofaprivatetalkbetweenhimselfandhisstep—mother。

Thisobscured，ifitnarrowed，thefieldofconjecture；andDarrow’sgropingsthrewhimbackontheconclusionthathewasprobablyreadingtoomuchsignificanceintothemoodsofaladhehardlyknew，andwhohadbeendescribedtohimassubjecttosuddenchangesofhumour。AstoAnna’sfanciedperturbation，itmightsimplybeduetothefactthatshehaddecidedtopleadOwen’scausethenextday，andhadperhapsalreadyhadaglimpseofthedifficultiesawaitingher。ButDarrowknewthathewastoodeepinhisownperplexitiestojudgethementalstateofthoseabouthim。

Itmightbe，afterall，thatthevariationshefeltinthecurrentsofcommunicationwerecausedbyhisowninwardtremor。

Such，atanyrate，wastheconclusionhehadreachedwhen，shortlyafterthetwoladiesleftthedrawing—room，hebadeOwengood—nightandwentuptohisroom。Eversincetherapidself—colloquywhichhadfollowedonhisfirstsightofSophyViner，hehadknowntherewereotherquestionstobefacedbehindtheoneimmediatelyconfrontinghim。Onthescoreofthatone，atleast，hismind，ifnoteasy，wasrelieved。Hehaddonewhatwaspossibletoreassurethegirl，andshehadapparentlyrecognizedthesincerityofhisintention。Hehadpatchedupasdecentaconclusionashecouldtoanincidentthatshouldobviouslyhavehadnosequel；buthehadknownallalongthatwiththesecuringofMissViner’speaceofmindonlyapartofhisobligationwasdischarged，andthatwiththatparthisremainingdutywasinconflict。Ithadbeenhisfirstbusinesstoconvincethegirlthattheirsecretwassafewithhim；butitwasfarfromeasytosquarethiswiththeequallyurgentobligationofsafe—guardingAnna’sresponsibilitytowardherchild。

Darrowwasnotmuchafraidofaccidentaldisclosures。BothheandSophyVinerhadtoomuchatstakenottobeontheirguard。Thefearthatbesethimwasofanotherkind，andhadaprofoundersource。Hewantedtodoallhecouldforthegirl，butthefactofhavinghadtourgeAnnatoconfideEffietoherwaspeculiarlyrepugnanttohim。HisownideasaboutSophyVinerweretoomixedandindeterminateforhimnottofeeltheriskofsuchanexperiment；yethefoundhimselfintheintolerablepositionofappearingtopressitonthewomanhedesiredaboveallotherstoprotect……

Tilllateinthenighthisthoughtsrevolvedinaturmoilofindecision。HispridewashumbledbythediscrepancybetweenwhatSophyVinerhadbeentohimandwhathehadthoughtofher。Thisdiscrepancy，whichatthetimehadseemedtosimplifytheincident，nowturnedouttobeitsmostgallingcomplication。Thebaretruth，indeed，wasthathehadhardlythoughtofheratall，eitheratthetimeorsince，andthathewasashamedtobasehisjudgementofheronhismeagrememoryoftheiradventure。

Theessentialcheapnessofthewholeaffair——asfarashisshareinitwasconcerned——camehometohimwithhumiliatingdistinctness。Hewouldhavelikedtobeabletofeelthat，atthetimeatleast，hehadstakedsomethingmoreonit，andhadsomehow，inthesequel，hadamorepalpablelosstoshow。Buttheplainfactwasthathehadn’tspentapennyonit；whichwasnodoubtthereasonoftheprodigiousscoreithadsincebeenrollingup。Atanyrate，beataboutthecaseashewould，itwasclearthatheowedittoAnna——andincidentallytohisownpeaceofmind——tofindsomewayofsecuringSophyViner’sfuturewithoutleavingherinstalledatGivrewhenheandhiswifeshoulddepartfortheirnewpost。

Thenightbroughtnoaidtothesolvingofthisproblem；butitgavehim，atanyrate，theclearconvictionthatnotimewastobelost。HisfirststepmustbetoobtainfromMissVinerthechanceofanotherandcalmertalk；andheresolvedtoseekitattheearliesthour。

HehadgatheredthatEffie’slessonswereprecededbyanearlyscamperinthepark，andconjecturingthathergovernessmightbewithherhebetookhimselfthenextmorningtotheterrace，whencehewanderedontothegardensandthewalksbeyond。

Theatmospherewasstillandpale。Themuffledsunlightgleamedlikegoldtissuethroughgreygauze，andthebeechalleystaperedawaytoabluehazeblentofskyandforest。

Itwasoneofthoseelusivedayswhenthefamiliarformsofthingsseemabouttodissolveinaprismaticshimmer。

Thestillnesswaspresentlybrokenbyjoyfulbarks，andDarrow，trackingthesound，overtookEffieflyingdownoneofthelongalleysattheheadofherpack。BeyondherhesawMissVinerseatednearthestone—rimmedbasinbesidewhichheandAnnahadpausedontheirfirstwalktotheriver。

Thegirl，comingforwardathisapproach，returnedhisgreetingalmostgaily。Hisfirstglanceshowedhimthatshehadregainedhercomposure，andthechangeinherappearancegavehimthemeasureofherfears。ForthefirsttimehesawinheragainthesidelonggracethathadcharmedhiseyesinParis；buthesawitnowasinapaintedpicture。

"Shallwesitdownaminute？"heasked，asEffietrottedoff。

Thegirllookedawayfromhim。"I’mafraidthere’snotmuchtime；wemustbebackatlessonsathalf—pastnine。"

"Butit’sbarelytenminutespast。Let’satleastwalkalittlewaytowardtheriver。"