Shewaschildishlyfulloflifeandspirits,thoughinwalkingupanddownwithhimbeforetheotherpassengers,andgettingnoticedbythem,shewasatstartingratherconfused,itbeingthefirsttimeshehadshownherselfsoopenlyunderthatkindofprotection。\'Iexpecttheyareenviousandsayingthingsaboutus,don\'tyou?\'shewouldwhispertoKnightwithastealthysmile。
\'Ohno,\'hewouldanswerunconcernedly。\'Whyshouldtheyenvyus,andwhatcantheysay?\'
\'Notanyharm,ofcourse,\'Elfridereplied,\'exceptsuchasthis:
\"Howhappythosetwoare!sheisproudenoughnow。”Whatmakesitworse,\'shecontinuedintheextremityofconfidence,\'Iheardthosetwocricketingmensayjustnow,\"She\'sthenobbiestgirlontheboat。”ButIdon\'tmindit,youknow,Harry。\'
\'Ishouldhardlyhavesupposedyoudid,evenifyouhadnottoldme,\'saidKnightwithgreatblandness。
Shewasnevertiredofaskingherloverquestionsandadmiringhisanswers,good,bad,orindifferentastheymightbe。Theeveninggrewdarkandnightcameon,andlightsshoneuponthemfromthehorizonandfromthesky。
\'Nowlookthereaheadofus,atthathalointheair,ofsilverybrightness。Watchit,andyouwillseewhatitcomesto。\'
Shewatchedforafewminutes,whentwowhitelightsemergedfromthesideofahill,andshowedthemselvestobetheoriginofthehalo。
\'Whatadazzlingbrilliance!Whatdotheymark?\'
\'TheSouthForeland:theywerepreviouslycoveredbythecliff。\'
\'Whatisthatlevellineoflittlesparkles——atown,Isuppose?\'
\'That\'sDover。\'
Allthistime,andlater,softsheetlightningexpandedfromacloudintheirpath,enkindlingtheirfacesastheypacedupanddown,shiningoverthewater,and,foramoment,showingthehorizonasakeenline。
Elfridesleptsoundlythatnight。HerfirstthoughtthenextmorningwasthethrillingonethatKnightwasascloseathandaswhentheywereathomeatEndelstow,andherfirstsight,onlookingoutofthecabinwindow,wastheperpendicularfaceofBeachyHead,gleamingwhiteinabrilliantsix-o\'clock-in-the-
morningsun。Thisfairdaybreak,however,soonchangeditsaspect。Acoldwindandapalemistdescendeduponthesea,andseemedtothreatenadrearyday。
WhentheywerenearingSouthampton,Mrs。Swancourtcametosaythatherhusbandwassoillthathewishedtobeputonshorehere,andlefttodotheremainderofthejourneybyland。\'Hewillbeperfectlywelldirectlyhetreadsfirmgroundagain。
Whichshallwedo——gowithhim,orfinishourvoyageasweintended?\'
ElfridewascomfortablyhousedunderanumbrellawhichKnightwasholdingoverhertokeepoffthewind。\'Oh,don\'tletusgoonshore!\'shesaidwithdismay。\'Itwouldbesuchapity!\'
\'That\'sveryfine,\'saidMrs。Swancourtarchly,astoachild。
\'See,thewindhasincreasedhercolour,theseaherappetiteandspirits,andsomebodyherhappiness。Yes,itwouldbeapity,certainly。\'
\'\'Tismymisfortunetobealwaysspokentofromapedestal,\'
sighedElfride。
\'Well,wewilldoasyoulike,Mrs。Swancourt,\'saidKnight,\'but——\'
\'Imyselfwouldratherremainonboard,\'interruptedtheelderlady。\'AndMr。Swancourtparticularlywishestogobyhimself。
Sothatshallsettlethematter。\'
Thevicar,nowadrabcolour,wasputashore,andbecameaswellaseverforthwith。
Elfride,sittingaloneinaretiredpartofthevessel,sawaveiledwomanwalkaboardamongtheverylatestarrivalsatthisport。Shewasclothedinblacksilk,andcarriedadarkshawluponherarm。Thewoman,withoutlookingaroundher,turnedtothequarterallottedtothesecond-cabinpassengers。AllthecarnationMrs。Swancourthadcomplimentedherstep-daughteruponpossessingleftElfride\'scheeks,andshetrembledvisibly。
Sherantotheothersideoftheboat,whereMrs。Swancourtwasstanding。
\'Letusgohomebyrailwaywithpapa,afterall,\'shepleadedearnestly。\'Iwouldrathergowithhim——shallwe?\'
Mrs。Swancourtlookedaroundforamoment,asifunabletodecide。
\'Ah,\'sheexclaimed,\'itistoolatenow。Whydidnotyousaysobefore,whenwehadplentyoftime?\'
TheJuliethadatthatminuteletgo,theengineshadstarted,andtheywereglidingslowlyawayfromthequay。Therewasnohelpforitbuttoremain,unlesstheJulietcouldbemadetoputback,andthatwouldcreateagreatdisturbance。Elfridegaveuptheideaandsubmittedquietly。Herhappinesswassadlymutilatednow。
ThewomanwhosepresencehadsodisturbedherwasexactlylikeMrs。Jethway。SheseemedtohauntElfridelikeashadow。Afterseveralminutes\'vainendeavourtoaccountforanydesignMrs。
Jethwaycouldhaveinwatchingher,Elfridedecidedtothinkthat,ifitwerethewidow,theencounterwasaccidental。SherememberedthatthewidowinherrestlessnesswasoftenvisitingthevillagenearSouthampton,whichwasheroriginalhome,anditwaspossiblethatshechosewater-transitwiththeideaofsavingexpense。
\'Whatisthematter,Elfride?\'Knightinquired,standingbeforeher。
\'NothingmorethanthatIamratherdepressed。\'
\'Idon\'tmuchwonderatit;thatwharfwasdepressing。Weseemedunderneathandinferiortoeverythingaroundus。Butweshallbeintheseabreezeagainsoon,andthatwillfreshenyou,dear。\'
TheeveningclosedinandduskincreasedastheymadewaydownSouthamptonWaterandthroughtheSolent。Elfride\'sdisturbanceofmindwassuchthatherlightspiritsoftheforegoingfourandtwentyhourshadentirelydesertedher。Theweathertoohadgrownmoregloomy,forthoughtheshowersofthemorninghadceased,theskywascoveredmorecloselythaneverwithdenseleadenclouds。
HowbeautifulwasthesunsetwhentheyroundedtheNorthForelandthepreviousevening!nowitwasimpossibletotellwithinhalfanhourthetimeoftheluminary\'sgoingdown。Knightledherabout,andbeingbythistimeaccustomedtohersuddenchangesofmood,overlookedthenecessityofacauseinregardingtheconditions——
impressionablenessandelasticity。
Elfridelookedstealthilytotheotherendofthevessel。Mrs。
Jethway,orherdouble,wassittingatthestern——hereyesteadilyregardingElfride。
\'Letusgototheforepart,\'shesaidquicklytoKnight。\'Seethere——themanisfixingthelightsforthenight。\'
Knightassented,andafterwatchingtheoperationoffixingtheredandthegreenlightsontheportandstarboardbows,andthehoistingofthewhitelighttothemasthead,hewalkedupanddownwithhertilltheincreaseofwindrenderedpromenadingdifficult。
Elfride\'seyeswereoccasionallytobefoundfurtivelygazingabaft,tolearnifherenemywerereallythere。Nobodywasvisiblenow。
\'Shallwegobelow?\'saidKnight,seeingthatthedeckwasnearlydeserted。
\'No,\'shesaid。\'IfyouwillkindlygetmearugfromMrs。
Swancourt,Ishouldlike,ifyoudon\'tmind,tostayhere。\'ShehadrecentlyfanciedtheassumedMrs。Jethwaymightbeafirst-
classpassenger,anddreadedmeetingherbyaccident。
Knightappearedwiththerug,andtheysatdownbehindaweather-
clothonthewindwardside,justasthetworedeyesoftheNeedlesglareduponthemfromthegloom,theirpointedsummitsrisinglikeshadowyphantomfiguresagainstthesky。Itbecamenecessarytogobelowtoaneight-o\'clockmealofnondescriptkind,andElfridewasimmenselyrelievedatfindingnosignofMrs。Jethwaythere。Theyagainascended,andremainedabovetillMrs。SnewsonstaggereduptothemwiththemessagethatMrs。
SwancourtthoughtitwastimeforElfridetocomebelow。Knightaccompaniedherdown,andreturnedagaintopassalittlemoretimeondeck。
Elfridepartlyundressedherselfandlaydown,andsoonbecameunconscious,thoughhersleepwaslightHowlongshehadlain,sheknewnot,whenbyslowdegreesshebecamecognizantofawhisperinginherear。
\'Youarewellonwithhim,Icansee。Well,provokemenow,butmydaywillcome,youwillfind。\'Thatseemedtobetheutterance,orwordstothateffect。
Elfridebecamebroadawakeandterrified。Sheknewthewords,ifreal,couldbeonlythoseofoneperson,andthatpersonthewidowJethway。
Thelamphadgoneoutandtheplacewasindarkness。Inthenextberthshecouldhearherstepmotherbreathingheavily,furtheronSnewsonbreathingmoreheavilystill。Theseweretheonlyotherlegitimateoccupantsofthecabin,andMrs。Jethwaymusthavestealthilycomeinbysomemeansandretreatedagain,orelseshehadenteredanemptyberthnextSnewson\'s。ThefearthatthiswasthecaseincreasedElfride\'sperturbation,tillitassumedthedimensionsofacertainty,forhowcouldastrangerfromtheotherendoftheshippossiblycontrivetogetin?Couldithavebeenadream?
Elfrideraisedherselfhigherandlookedoutofthewindow。Therewasthesea,flounderingandrushingagainsttheship\'ssidejustbyherhead,andthencestretchingaway,dimandmoaning,intoanexpanseofindistinctness;andfarbeyondallthistwoplacidlightslikeraylessstars。Nowalmostfearingtoturnherfaceinwardsagain,lestMrs。Jethwayshouldappearatherelbow,ElfridemeditateduponwhethertocallSnewsontokeephercompany。\'Fourbells\'sounded,andsheheardvoices,whichgaveheralittlecourage。ItwasnotworthwhiletocallSnewson。
AtanyrateElfridecouldnotstaytherepantinglonger,attheriskofbeingagaindisturbedbythatdreadfulwhispering。Sowrappingherselfuphurriedlysheemergedintothepassage,andbytheaidofafaintlightburningattheentrancetothesaloonfoundthefootofthestairs,andascendedtothedeck。Drearytheplacewasintheextreme。Itseemedanewspotaltogetherincontrastwithitsdaytimeself。Shecouldseetheglowwormlightfromthebinnacle,andthedimoutlineofthemanatthewheel;
alsoaformatthebows。Notanothersoulwasapparentfromstemtostern。
Yes,thereweretwomore——bythebulwarks。OneprovedtobeherHarry,theotherthemate。Shewasgladindeed,andondrawingcloserfoundtheywereholdingalowslowchataboutnauticalaffairs。SheranupandslippedherhandthroughKnight\'sarm,partlyforlove,partlyforstability。
\'Elfie!notasleep?\'saidKnight,aftermovingafewstepsasidewithher。
\'No:Icannotsleep。MayIstayhere?Itissodismaldownthere,and——andIwasafraid。Wherearewenow?\'
\'DuesouthofPortlandBill。Thosearethelightsabeamofus:
look。Aterriblespot,that,onastormynight。Anddoyouseeaverysmalllightthatdipsandrisestotheright?That\'salight-
shiponthedangerousshoalcalledtheShambles,wheremanyagoodvesselhasgonetopieces。BetweenitandourselvesistheRace——
aplacewhereantagonisticcurrentsmeetandformwhirlpools——aspotwhichisroughinthesmoothestweather,andterrificinawind。Thatdark,drearyhorizonwejustdiscerntotheleftistheWestBay,terminatedlandwardsbytheChesilBeach。\'
\'Whattimeisit,Harry?\'
\'Justpasttwo。\'
\'Areyougoingbelow?\'
\'Ohno;notto-night。Ipreferpureair。\'
Shefanciedhemightbedispleasedwithherforcomingtohimatthisunearthlyhour。\'Ishouldliketostayheretoo,ifyouwillallowme,\'shesaidtimidly。
\'Iwanttoaskyouthings。\'
\'Allowyou,Elfie!\'saidKnight,puttinghisarmroundheranddrawinghercloser。\'Iamtwiceashappywithyoubymyside。
Yes:wewillstay,andwatchtheapproachofday。\'
Sotheyagainsoughtouttheshelterednook,andsittingdownwrappedthemselvesintherugasbefore。
\'Whatwereyougoingtoaskme?\'heinquired,astheyundulatedupanddown。
\'Oh,itwasnotmuch——perhapsathingIoughtnottoask,\'shesaidhesitatingly。Hersuddenwishhadreallybeentodiscoveratoncewhetherhehadeverbeforebeenengagedtobemarried。Ifhehad,shewouldmakethatagroundfortellinghimalittleofherconductwithStephen。Mrs。Jethway\'sseemingwordshadsodepressedthegirlthatsheherselfnowpaintedherflightinthedarkestcolours,andlongedtoeaseherburdenedmindbyaninstantconfession。IfKnighthadeverbeenimprudenthimself,hemight,shehoped,forgiveall。
\'Iwantedtoaskyou,\'shewenton,\'if——youhadeverbeenengagedbefore。\'Sheaddedtremulously,\'Ihopeyouhave——Imean,Idon\'tmindatallifyouhave。\'
\'No,Ineverwas,\'Knightinstantlyandheartilyreplied。
\'Elfride\'——andtherewasacertainhappyprideinhistone——\'Iamtwelveyearsolderthanyou,andIhavebeenabouttheworld,and,inaway,intosociety,andyouhavenot。AndyetIamnotsounfitforyouasstrict-thinkingpeoplemightimagine,whowouldassumethedifferenceinagetosignifymostsurelyanequaladditiontomypracticeinlove-making。\'
Elfrideshivered。
\'Youarecold——isthewindtoomuchforyou?\'
\'No,\'shesaidgloomily。Thebeliefwhichhadbeenhersheet-
anchorinhopingforforgivenesshadprovedfalse。Thisaccountoftheexceptionalnatureofhisexperience,amatterwhichwouldhavesetherrejoicingtwoyearsago,chilledhernowlikeafrost。
\'Youdon\'tmindmyaskingyou?\'shecontinued。
\'Ohno——notatall。\'
\'Andhaveyouneverkissedmanyladies?\'shewhispered,hopinghewouldsayahundredattheleast。
Thetime,thecircumstances,andthesceneweresuchastodrawconfidencesfromthemostreserved。\'Elfride,\'whisperedKnightinreply,\'itisstrangeyoushouldhaveaskedthatquestion。ButI\'llanswerit,thoughIhavenevertoldsuchathingbefore。I