\"Morethantwomiles,\"saidAgatha。\"Weshouldbedrowned。\"
\"Thereisnothingforitbuttowaithereunderthetrees,\"saidMissWilson。
\"Thebranchesareverybare,\"saidGertrudeanxiously。\"Ifitshouldcomedownheavilytheywilldripworsethantherainitself。\"
\"Muchworse,\"saidAgatha。\"Ithinkwehadbettergetundertheverandaoftheoldchalet。Itisnothalfaminute\'swalkfromhere。\"
\"Butwehavenoright——\"Heretheskydarkenedthreateningly。
MissWilsoncheckedherselfandsaid,\"Isupposeitisstillempty。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"repliedAgatha,impatienttobemoving。\"Itisalmostaruin。\"
\"Thenletusgothere,byallmeans,\"saidMissWilson,notdisposedtostandontriflesattheriskofabadcold。
Theyhurriedon,andcamepresentlytoagreenhillbythewayside。OntheslopewasadilapidatedSwisscottage,surroundedbyaverandaonslenderwoodenpillars,aboutwhichclungafewtendrilsofwitheredcreeper,theirstrayendsstillswingingfromtherecentwind,nowmomentarilyhushedasiflisteningforthecomingoftherain。Accessfromtheroadwaywasbyaroughwoodengateinthehedge。TothesurpriseofAgatha,whohadlastseenthisgateoffitshingesandonlyattachedtothepostbyarustychainandpadlock,itwasnowrehungandfastenedbyanewhasp。Theweatheradmittingofnodelaytoconsidertheserepairs,sheopenedthegateandhasteneduptheslope,followedbythetroopofgirls。Theirascentendedwitharush,fortherainsuddenlycamedownintorrents。
Whentheyweresafeundertheveranda,panting,laughing,grumbling,orcongratulatingthemselvesonhavingbeensoclosetoaplaceofshelter,MissWilsonobserved,withsomeuneasiness,aspade——new,likethehaspofthegate——stickinguprightinapatchofgroundthatsomeonehadevidentlybeendigginglately。Shewasabouttocommentonthissignofhabitation,whenthedoorofthechaletwasflungopen,andJanescreamedasamandartedouttothespade,whichhewasabouttocarryinoutofthewet,whenheperceivedthecompanyundertheveranda,andstoodstillinamazement。Hewasayounglaborerwithareddish—brownbeardofaweek\'sgrowth。Heworecorduroytrousersandalinen—sleevedcorduroyvest;both,likethehaspandspade,new。Acoarseblueshirt,withavulgarred—and—orangeneckerchief,alsonew,completedhisdress;and,toshieldhimselffromtherain,heheldupasilkumbrellawithasilver—mountedebonyhandle,whichheseemedunlikelytohavecomebyhonestly。MissWilsonfeltlikeaboycaughtrobbinganorchard,butsheputaboldfaceonthematterandsaid:
\"Willyouallowustotakeshelterhereuntiltherainisover？\"
\"Forcertain,yourladyship,\"hereplied,respectfullyapplyingthespadehandletohishair,whichwascombeddowntohiseyebrows。\"Yourladyshipdoesmeproudtotakerefugefromtheonclemencyoftheyallovrmentsbeneathmy\'umblerooftree。\"Hisaccentwasbarbarous;andhe,likealowcomedian,seemedtorelishitsvulgarity。Ashespokehecameinamongthemforshelter,andproppedhisspadeagainstthewallofthechalet,kickingthesoilfromhishobnailedblucherboots,whichwerenew。
\"Icameout,honoredlady,\"heresumed,muchathisease,\"tohousemyspade,wherebyIearnmyliving。Whatthepenistothepoet,suchisthespadetotheworkingman。\"Hetookthekerchieffromhisneck,wipedhistemplesasifthesweatofhonesttoilwerethere,andcalmlytieditonagain。
\"Ifyou\'ll\'scusearemarkfromacommonman,\"heobserved,\"yourladyshiphasafinefamilyofdaughters。\"
\"Theyarenotmydaughters,\"saidMissWilson,rathershortly。
\"Sisters,mebbe？\"
\"No。\"
\"Ithoughttheymoutbe,acauseIhaveasistermyself。NotthatIwouldmakeboldfortodrorcomparisons,eveninmyownmind,forshe\'sonlyacommonwoman——ascommonaoneaseveryousee。
Butfewwomenriseabovethecommon。LastSunday,inyonvillagechurch,Iheardtheministerreadoutthatonemaninathousandhadhefound,\'butonewomaninallthese,\'hesays,\'haveInotfound,\'andIthinkstomyself,\'Rightyouare！\'ButIwarranthenevermetyourladyship。\"
Alaugh,thinlydisguisedasacough,escapedfromMissCarpenter。
\"Youngladya—ketchin\'cold,I\'mafeerd,\"hesaid,withrespectfulsolicitude。
\"Doyouthinktherainwilllastlong？\"saidAgathapolitely。
Themanexaminedtheskywithaweather—wiseairforsomemoments。ThenheturnedtoAgatha,andrepliedhumbly:\"TheLordonlyknows,Miss。Itisnotforacommonmanlikemetosay。\"
Silenceensued,duringwhichAgatha,furtivelyscrutinizingthetenantofthechalet,noticedthathisfaceandneckwerecleanerandlesssunburntthanthoseoftheordinarytoilersofLyvern。
Hishandswerehiddenbylargegardeningglovesstainedwithcoaldust。Lyvernlaborers,asarule,hadlittleobjectiontosoiltheirhands;theyneverworegloves。Still,shethought,therewasnoreasonwhyaneccentricworkman,insufferablytalkative,andcapableofanallusiontothepenofthepoet,shouldnotindulgehimselfwithcheapgloves。Butthenthesilk,silvermountedumbrella——
\"Theyounglady\'shi,\"hesaidsuddenly,holdingouttheumbrella,\"isfixedonthishere。Iamwellawarethatitisnotforthelowestofthelowtocarryagentleman\'sbrolly,andI
askyourladyship\'spardonfortheliberty。Icomebyitaccidental—like,andshouldbegladofareasonableofferfromanygentlemaninwantofahonestarticle。\"
Ashespoketwogentlemen,muchinwantofthearticle,astheirclingingwetcoatsshowed,ranthroughthegatewayandmadeforthechalet。Fairholmearrivedfirst,exclaiming:\"Fearfulshower！\"andbrisklyturnedhisbacktotheladiesinordertostandattheedgeoftheverandaandshakethewateroutofhishat。Josephscamenext,shrinkingfromthedampcontactofhisowngarments。HecringedtoMissWilson,andhopedthatshehadescapedawetting。
\"SofarIhave,\"shereplied。\"Thequestionis,howarewetogethome？\"
\"Oh,it\'sonlyashower,\"saidJosephs,lookingupcheerfullyattheunbrokencurtainofcloud。\"Itwillclearuppresently。\"
\"Itain\'tforacommonmantosetuphisopinionagain\'agentlemanwothaveprofesh\'nalknowledgeoftheheavens,asonemaysay,\"saidtheman,\"butIwould\'umblyoffertobetmyumbrellartohiswideawakethatitdon\'tceaserainingthissideofseveno\'clock。\"
\"Thatmanliveshere,\"whisperedMissWilson,\"andIsupposehewantstogetridofus。\"
\"H\'m！\"saidFairholme。Then,turningtothestrangelaborerwiththeairofapersonnottobetrifledwith,heraisedhisvoice,andsaid:\"Youlivehere,doyou,myman？\"
\"Ido,sir,byyourgoodleave,ifImaymakesobold。\"
\"What\'syourname？\"
\"JeffSmilash,sir,atyourservice。\"
\"Wheredoyoucomefrom？\"
\"Brixtonbury,sir。\"
\"Brixtonbury！Where\'sthat？\"
\"Well,sir,Idon\'trightlyknow。Ifagentlemanlikeyou,knowingjographyandsuch,can\'ttell,howcanI？\"
\"Yououghttoknowwhereyouwereborn,man。Haven\'tyougotcommonsense？\"
\"Wherecouldsuchaoneasmegetcommonsense,sir？Besides,I
wasonlyafoundling。MebbeIwarn\'sbornatall。\"
\"DidIseeyouatchurchlastSunday？\"
\"No,sir。Ionlycomeo\'Wensday。\"
\"Well,letmeseeyoutherenextSunday,\"saidFairholmeshortly,turningawayfromhim。
MissWilsonlookedattheweather,atJosephs,whowasconversingwithJane,andfinallyatSmilash,whoknuckledhisforeheadwithoutwaitingtobeaddressed。
\"HaveyouaboywhomyoucansendtoLyverntogetusaconveyance——acarriage？Iwillgivehimashillingforhistrouble。\"
\"Ashilling！\"saidSmilashjoyfully。\"Yourladyshipisanoblelady。Twofour—wheeledcabs。There\'seightonyou。\"
\"ThereisonlyonecabinLyvern,\"saidMissWilson。\"TakethiscardtoMr。Marsh,thejotmaster,andtellhimthepredicamentwearein。Hewillsendvehicles。\"
Smilashtookthecardandreaditataglance。Hethenwentintothechalet。Reappearingpresentlyinasou\'westerandoilskins,heranoffthroughtherainandvaultedoverthegatewithridiculouselegance。Nosoonerhadhevanishedthan,asoftenhappenstoremarkablemen,hebecamethesubjectofconversation。
\"Adecentworkman,\"saidJosephs。\"Awell—manneredman,consideringhisclass。\"
\"Abornfool,though,\"saidFairholme。
\"Orarogue,\"saidAgatha,emphasizingthesuggestionbyaglitterofhereyesandteeth,whilstherschoolfellows,ratherdisapprovingofherfreedom,stoodstifflydumb。\"HetoldMissWilsonthathehadasister,andthathehadbeentochurchlastSunday,andhehasjusttoldyouthatheisafoundling,andthatheonlycamelastWednesday。Hisaccentisputon,andhecanread,andIdon\'tbelieveheisaworkmanatall。Perhapsheisaburglar,comedowntostealthecollegeplate。\"
\"Agatha,\"saidMissWilsongravely,\"youmustbeverycarefulhowyousaythingsofthatkind。\"
\"Butitissoobvious。Hisexplanationabouttheumbrellawasmadeuptodisarmsuspicion。Hehandleditandleanedonitinawaythatshowedhowmuchmorefamiliaritwastohimthanthatnewspadehewassoanxiousabout。Andallhisclothesarenew。\"
\"True,\"saidFairholme,\"butthereisnotmuchinallthat。
Workmennowadaysapegentlemenineverything。However,Iwillkeepaneyeonhim。\"
\"Oh,thankyousomuch,\"saidAgatha。Fairholme,suspectingmockery,frowned,andMissWilsonlookedseverelyatthemocker。
Littlemorewassaid,exceptastothechances——manifestlysmall——oftherainceasing,untilthetopsofacab,adecayedmourningcoach,andthreedrippinghatswereseenoverthehedge。
Smilashsatontheboxofthecoach,besidethedriver。Whenitstopped,healighted,re—enteredthechaletwithoutspeaking,cameoutwiththeumbrella,spreaditaboveMissWilson\'shead,andsaid:
\"Now,ifyourladyshipwillcomewithme,Iwillseeyoudryintothestray,andthenI\'llbringyourhonoredniecesonebyone。\"
\"Ishallcomelast,\"saidMissWilson,irritatedbyhisassumptionthatthepartywasafamilyone。\"Gertrude,youhadbettergofirst。\"
\"Allowme,\"saidFairholme,steppingforward,andattemptingtotaketheumbrella。
\"Thankyou,Ishallnottroubleyou,\"shesaidfrostily,andtrippedawayovertheoozingfieldwithSmilash,whoheldtheumbrellaoverherwithostentatioussolicitude。Inthesamemannerheledtheresttothevehicles,inwhichtheypackedthemselveswithsomedifficulty。Agatha,whocamelastbutone,gavehimthreepence。
\"Youhaveanoble\'artandanexpressivehi,Miss,\"hesaid,apparentlymuchmoved。\"Blessingsonboth！Blessingsonboth！\"
HewentbackforJane,whoslippedonthewetgrassandfell。Hehadtoputforthhisstrengthashehelpedhertorise。\"Hopeyouain\'tsoppedupmuchoftherainfall,Miss,\"hesaid。\"Youareafineyoungladyforyourage。Nighontwelvestone,Ishouldthink。\"
Shereddenedandhurriedtothecab,whereAgathawas。Butitwasfull;andJane,muchagainstherwill,hadtogetintothecoach,considerablydiminishingthespaceleftforMissWilson,towhomSmilashhadreturned。
\"Now,dearlady,\"hesaid,\"takecareyoudon\'tslip。Comealong。\"
MissWilson,ignoringtheinvitation,tookashillingfromherpurse。
\"No,lady,\"saidSmilashwithavirtuousair。\"Iamanhonestmanandhaveneverseentheinsideofajailexceptfourtimes,andonlytwiceforstealing。Youryoungestdaughter——herwiththeexpressivehi——havepaidmefarbeyondwhatisproper。\"
\"Ihavetoldyouthattheseyoungladiesarenotmydaughters,\"
saidMissWilsonsharply。\"Whydoyounotlistentowhatissaidtoyou？\"
\"Don\'tbetoohardonacommonman,lady,\"saidSmilashsubmissively。\"Theyoungladyhavejustgivenmethree\'arf—crowns。\"
\"Threehalf—crowns！\"exclaimedMissWilson,angeredatsuchextravagance。
\"Blessherinnocence,shedon\'tknowwhatispropertogivetoalowsortlikeme！ButIwillnotrobtheyounglady。\'Arf—a—crownisnomorenorisfairforthejob,andarf—a—crownwillIkeep,ifagreeabletoyournobleladyship。ButIgiveyoubackthefivebobintrustforher。Haveyouevernoticedherexpressivehi？\"
\"Nonsense,sir。Youhadbetterkeepthemoneynowthatyouhavegotit。\"
\"Wot！Sellforfivebobthehighopinionyourladyshiphasofme！
No,dearlady;notlikely。Myfather\'sverylastwordstomewas——\"
\"Yousaidjustnowthatyouwereafoundling,\"saidFairholme。
\"Whatarewetobelieve？Eh？\"
\"SoIwere,sir;butbymother\'ssidealone。Herladyshipwillpleasetotakebackthemoney,forkeepitIwillnot。Iamofthelowerorders,andthereforenotamanofmyword;butwhenI
dosticktoit,Isticklikewax。\"
\"Takeit,\"saidFairholmetoMissWilson。\"Takeit,ofcourse。
Sevenandsixpenceisaridiculoussumtogivehimforwhathehasdone。Itwouldonlysethimdrinking。\"
\"Hisreverencesaystrue,lady。Theone\'arfcrownwillkeepmecomfortablytightuntilSundaymorning;andmoreIdonotdesire。\"
\"Justalittlelessofyourtongue,myman,\"saidFairholme,takingthetwocoinsfromhimandhandingthemtoMissWilson,whobadetheclergymengoodafternoon,andwenttothecoachundertheumbrella。
\"IfyourladyshipshouldwantahandymantodoanoddjobupatthecollegeIhopeyouwillrememberme,\"Smilashsaidastheywentdowntheslope。
\"Oh,youknowwhoIam,doyou？\"saidMissWilsondrily。
\"Allthecountryknowsyou,Miss,andworshipsyou。Ihavefewequalsasacoiner,andifyoushouldrequireamedalstrucktogiveawayforgoodbehaviororthelike,IthinkIcouldstrikeonetoyoursatisfaction。Andifyourladyshipshouldwantatrifleofsmuggledlace——\"
\"Youhadbetterbecarefuloryouwillgetintotrouble,I
think,\"saidMissWilsonsternly。\"Tellhimtodriveon。\"
Thevehiclesstarted,andSmilashtookthelibertyofwavinghishatafterthem。Thenhereturnedtothechalet,lefttheumbrellawithin,cameoutagain,lockedthedoor,putthekeyinhispocket,andwalkedoffthroughtherainacrossthehillwithouttakingtheleastnoticeoftheastonishedparsons。
InthemeantimeMissWilson,unabletocontainherannoyanceatAgatha\'sextravagance,spokeofittothegirlswhosharedthecoachwithher。ButJanedeclaredthatAgathaonlypossessedthreepenceintheworld,andthereforecouldnotpossiblyhavegiventhemanthirtytimesthatsum。Whentheyreachedthecollege,Agatha,confrontedwithMissWilson,openedhereyesinwonder,andexclaimed,laughing:\"Ionlygavehimthreepence。Hehassentmeapresentoffourandninepence！\"
CHAPTERIV
SaturdayatAltonCollege,nominallyahalfholiday,wasreallyawholeone。Classesingymnastics,dancing,elocution,anddrawingwereheldinthemorning。Theafternoonwasspentatlawntennis,towhichladyguestsresidentintheneighborhoodwereallowedtobringtheirhusbands,brothers,andfathers——MissWilsonbeinganxioustosendherpupilsforthintotheworldfreefromtheuncouthstiffnessofschoolgirlsunaccustomedtosociety。
LateinOctobercameaSaturdaywhichprovedanythingbutaholidayforMissWilson。Athalf—pastone,luncheonbeingover,shewentoutofdoorstoalawnthatlaybetweenthesouthernsideofthecollegeandashrubbery。HereshefoundagroupofgirlswatchingAgathaandJane,whoweredraggingarolleroverthegrass。Oneofthem,tossingaballaboutwithherracket,happenedtodriveitintotheshrubbery,whence,tothesurpriseofthecompany,Smilashpresentlyemerged,carryingtheball,blinking,andproclaimingthat,thoughacommonman,hehadhisfeelingslikeanother,andthathiseyewasneitherasticknorastone。Hewasdressedasbefore,buthisgarments,soiledwithclayandlime,nolongerlookednew。
\"Whatbringsyouhere,pray？\"demandedMissWilson。
\"Iwasledintothebeliefthatyousentforme,lady,\"hereplied。\"Thebaker\'sladtoldmesoashepassedmy\'umblecotthismorning。Ithoughthewereincapableofdeceit。\"
\"Thatisquiteright;Ididsendforyou。Butwhydidyounotgoroundtotheservants\'hall？\"
\"Iamatpresentinsearchofit,lady。Iwerelookingforitwhenthisballcotchmehere\"（touchinghiseye）。\"Acruelblowonthehi\'nat\'rallyspiresitsvisionandexpressionandmakesahonestmanlooklikeathief。\"
\"Agatha,\"saidMissWilson,\"comehere。\"
\"Mydootytoyou,Miss,\"saidSmilash,pullinghisforelock。
\"ThisisthemanfromwhomIhadthefiveshillings,whichhesaidyouhadjustgivenhim。Didyoudoso？\"
\"Certainlynot。Ionlygavehimthreepence。\"
\"ButIshowedthemoneytoyourladyship,\"saidSmilash,twistinghishatagitatedly。\"Igevityou。Wherewouldthelikeofmegetfiveshillingsexceptbythebountyoftherichandnoble？IftheyoungladythinksIhadn\'torttohavekep\'thetother\'arfcrown,Iwouldnotobjecttoitsbein\'stoppedfrommywagesifIweregivenajobofworkhere。But——\"
\"Butit\'snonsense,\"saidAgatha。\"Inevergaveyouthreehalf—crowns。\"
\"Perhapsyoumout\'a\'madeamistake。Penceissummatsimilarto\'arf—crowns,andthedaywereverydark。\"
\"Icouldn\'thave,\"saidAgatha。\"Janehadmypursealltheearlierpartoftheweek,MissWilson,andshecantellyouthattherewasonlythreepenceinit。YouknowthatIgetmymoneyonthefirstofeverymonth。Itneverlastslongerthanaweek。Theideaofmyhavingsevenandsixpenceonthesixteenthisridiculous。\"
\"ButIputittoyou,Miss,ain\'tittwiceasridiculousforme,apoorlaborer,togiveupmoneywotInevergot？\"
VaguealarmcreptuponAgathaasthetestimonyofhersenseswascontradicted。\"AllIknowis,\"sheprotested,\"thatIdidnotgiveittoyou;somypenniesmusthaveturnedintohalf—crownsinyourpocket。\"
\"Mebbeso,\"saidSmilashgravely。\"I\'veheard,andIknowitforafact,thatmoneygrowsinthepocketsoftherich。Whynotinthepocketsofthepooraswell？Whyshouldyoubesu\'prisedatwot\'appenseveryday？\"
\"Hadyouanymoneyofyourownaboutyouatthetime？\"
\"Wherecouldthelikeofmegetmoney？——askingpardonformakingsoboldastocatechiseyourladyship。\"
\"Idon\'tknowwhereyoucouldgetit,\"saidMissWilsontestily;
\"Iaskyou,hadyouany？\"
\"Well,lady,Idisremember。Iwillnotimposeuponyou。I
disremember。\"
\"Thenyou\'vemadeamistake,\"saidMissWilson,handinghimbackhismoney。\"Here。Ifitisnotyours,itisnotours;soyouhadbetterkeepit。\"
\"Keepit！Oh,lady,butthisistheheighthofnobility！AndwhatshallIdotoearnyourbounty,lady？\"
\"Itisnotmybounty:Igiveittoyoubecauseitdoesnotbelongtome,and,Isuppose,mustbelongtoyou。Youseemtobeaverysimpleman。\"
\"Ithankyourladyship;IhopeIam。Respectingtheday\'swork,now,lady;wasyouthinkingofemployingapoormanatall？\"
\"No,thankyou;Ihavenooccasionforyourservices。IhavealsotogiveyoutheshillingIpromisedyouforgettingthecabs。
Hereitis。\"
\"Anothershillin\'！\"criedSmilash,stupefied。
\"Yes,\"saidMissWilson,beginningtofeelveryangry。\"Letmehearnomoreaboutit,please。Don\'tyouunderstandthatyouhaveearnedit？\"
\"Iamacommonman,andunderstandnexttonothing,\"herepliedreverently。\"Butifyourladyshipwouldgivemeaday\'sworktokeepmegoin\',IcouldputupallthismoneyinalittlewoodensavingsbankIhaveathome,andkeepittospendwhensicknessoroddageshall,inamannerofspeaking,laytheir\'endsuponme。Icouldsmooththatgrassbeautiful;themyoungladies\'llstrainthemselveswiththatheavyroller。Iftennisistheword,Icanputupnetsfittocatchbirdsofparadisein。Ifthecourtsistobechalkedoutinwhite,Icandrawalinesostraightthatyoucouldhardlykeepyourselffromerectinganequilateraltriangleonit。Iamhonestwhenwellwatched,andI
canwaitattableequaltotheLordMayoro\'London\'sbutler。\"
\"Icannotemployyouwithoutacharacter,\"saidMissWilson,amusedbyhisscrapofEuclid,andwonderingwherehehadpickeditup。
\"Ibearthebestofcharacters,lady。Thereverendrectorhasknownmefromaboy。\"
\"Iwasspeakingtohimaboutyouyesterday,\"saidMissWilson,lookinghardathim,\"andhesaysyouareaperfectstrangertohim。\"
\"Gentlemenissoforgetful,\"saidSmilashsadly。\"ButIalludedtomynativerector——meaningtherectorofmynativevillage,Auburn。\'SweetAuburn,loveliestvillageoftheplain,\'asthegentlemancalledit。\"
\"ThatwasnotthenameyoumentionedtoMr。Fairholme。Idonotrecollectwhatnameyougave,butitwasnotAuburn,norhaveI
everheardofanysuchplace。\"
\"NeverreadofsweetAuburn！\"
\"Notinanygeographyorgazetteer。Doyourecollecttellingmethatyouhavebeeninprison？\"
\"Onlysixtimes,\"pleadedSmilash,hisfeaturesworkingconvulsively。\"Don\'tbeartoohardonacommonman。Onlysixtimes,andallthroughdrink。ButIhavetookthepledge,andkep\'itfaithfulforeighteenmonthspast。\"
MissWilsonnowsetdownthemanasoneofthosekeen,half—wittedcountryfellows,contemptuouslystyledoriginals,whounintentionallymakethemselvespopularbyflatteringthesenseofsanityinthosewhosefacultiesarebetteradaptedtocircumstances。
\"Youhaveabadmemory,Mr。Smilash,\"shesaidgood—humoredly。
\"Younevergivethesameaccountofyourselftwice。\"
\"IamwellawarethatIdonotexpressmyselfwithexactability。
Ladiesandgentlemenhavethatpoweroverwordsthattheycanalwayssaywhattheymean,butacommonmanlikemecan\'t。Wordsdon\'tcomenaturaltohim。Hehasmorethoughtsthanwords,andwhatwordshehasdon\'tfithisthoughts。MightItakeaturnwiththeroller,andmakemyselfusefulabouttheplaceuntilnightfall,forninepence？\"
MissWilson,whowasexpectingmorethanherusualSaturdayvisitors,consideredthepropositionandassented。\"Andremember,\"shesaid,\"thatasyouareastrangerhere,yourcharacterinLyverndependsupontheuseyoumakeofthisopportunity。\"
\"Iamgratefultoyournobleladyship。Mayyourladyship\'sgoodnesssewuptheholewhichisinthepocketwhereIcarrymycharacter,andwhichhascausedmetoloseitsofrequent。It\'sabadplaceformentokeeptheircharactersin;butsuchisthefashion。Andsohurrayforthegloriousnineteenthcentury！\"
Hetookoffhiscoat,seizedtheroller,andbegantopullitwithanenergyforeigntothemeasuredmillhorsemanneroftheaccustomedlaborer。MissWilsonlookeddoubtfullyathim,but,beinginhaste,wentindoorswithoutfurthercomment。Thegirlsmistrustinghiseccentricity,keptaloof。Agathadeterminedtohaveanotherandbetterlookathim。Racketinhand,shewalkedslowlyacrossthegrassandcameclosetohimjustashe,unawareofherapproach,utteredagroanofexhaustionandsatdowntorest。
\"Tiredalready,Mr。Smilash？\"shesaidmockingly。
Helookedupdeliberately,tookoffoneofhiswashleathergloves,fannedhimselfwithit,displayingawhiteandfinehand,andatlastreplied,inthetoneandwiththeaccentofagentleman:
\"Very。\"
Agatharecoiled。Hefannedhimselfwithouttheleastconcern。
\"You——youarenotalaborer,\"shesaidatlast。
\"Obviouslynot。\"
\"Ithoughtnot。\"
Henodded。
\"SupposeItellonyou,\"shesaid,growingbolderassherecollectedthatshewasnotalonewithhim。
\"IfyoudoIshallgetoutofitjustasIgotoutofthehalf—crowns,andMissWilsonwillbegintothinkthatyouaremad。\"
\"ThenIreallydidnotgiveyouthesevenandsixpence,\"shesaid,relieved。
\"Whatisyourownopinion？\"heanswered,takingthreepenniesfromhispocket,jinglingtheminhispalm。\"Whatisyourname？\"
\"Ishallnottellyou,\"saidAgathawithdignity。
Heshruggedhisshoulders。\"Perhapsyouareright,\"hesaid。\"I
wouldnottellyoumineifyouaskedme。\"
\"Ihavenottheslightestintentionofaskingyou。\"
\"No？ThenSmilashshalldoforyou,andAgathawilldoforme。\"
\"Youhadbettertakecare。\"
\"Ofwhat？\"
\"Ofwhatyousay,and——areyounotafraidofbeingfoundout？\"
\"Iamfoundoutalready——byyou,andIamnonetheworse。\"
\"Supposethepolicefindyouout！\"
\"Notthey。Besides,Iamnothidingfromthepolice。IhavearighttowearcorduroyifIpreferittobroadcloth。Considertheadvantagesofit！IthasprocuredmeadmissiontoAltonCollege,andthepleasureofyouracquaintance。WillyouexcusemeifIgoonwithmyrolling,justtokeepupappearances？IcantalkasI
roll。\"
\"Youmay,ifyouarefondofsoliloquizing,\"shesaid,turningawayasherose。
\"Seriously,Agatha,youmustnottelltheothersaboutme。\"
\"DonotcallmeAgatha,\"shesaidimpetuously。\"WhatshallIcallyou,then？\"
\"Youneednotaddressmeatall。\"
\"Ineed,andwill。Don\'tbeill—natured。\"
