ItwasthefirstopportunityErskinehadeverenjoyedofspeakingtoGertrudeatleisureandalone。Yettheirconversationhadneverbeensocommonplace。She,likingthegame,playedverywellandchattedindifferently;heplayedbadly,andbroachedtrivialtopicsinspiteofhimself。Afteranhour—and—a—half\'splay,Gertrudehadannouncedthatthisgamemustbetheirlast。Hethoughtdesperatelythatifheweretomissmanymorestrokesthegamemustpresentlyend,andanopportunitywhichmightneverrecurpassbeyondrecall。Hedeterminedtotellherwithoutprefacethatheadoredher,butwhenheopenedhislipsaquestioncameforthofitsownaccordrelatingtothePersianwayofplayingbilliards。GertrudehadneverbeeninPersia,buthadseensomeEasternbilliardcuesintheIndiamuseum。WerenottheHindooswonderfulpeopleforfiligreework,andcarpets,andsuchthings？Didhenotthinkthccrookednessoftheircarpetpatternsablemish？Somepeoplepretendedtoadmirethem,butwasnotthatallnonsense？Wasnotthemodernpolishedfloor,witharuginthemiddle,muchsuperiortotheoldcarpetfittedintothecornersoftheroom？Yes。Enormouslysuperior。Immensely——
\"Why,whatareyouthinkingofto—day,Mr。Erskine？Youhaveplayedwithmyball。\"
\"Iamthinkingofyou。\"
\"Whatdidyousay？\"saidGertrude,notcatchingtheseriousturnhehadgiventotheconversation,andpoisinghercueforastroke。\"Oh！Iamasbadasyou;thatwastheworststrokeIevermade,Ithink。Ibegyourpardon;yousaidsomethingjustnow。\"
\"Iforget。Nothingofanyconsequence。\"Andhegroanedathisowncowardice。
\"Supposewestop,\"shesaid。\"Thereisnouseinfinishingthegameifourhandsareout。Iamrathertiredofit。\"
\"Certainly——ifyouwishit\"
\"Iwillfinishifyoulike。\"
\"Notatall。Whatpleasesyou,pleasesme。\"
Gertrudemadehimalittlebow,andidlyknockedtheballsaboutwithhercue。Erskine\'seyeswandered,andhislipmovedirresolutely。Hehadsettledwithhimselfthathisdeclarationshouldbeafrankone——hearttoheart。Hehadpicturedhimselfintheactoftakingherhanddelicately,andsaying,\"Gertrude,I
loveyou。MayItellyousoagain？\"Butthisschemedidnotnowseempracticable。
\"MissLindsay。\"
Gertrude,bendingoverthetable,lookedupinalarm。
\"ThepresentisasgoodanopportunityasIwill——asIshall——asIwill。\"
\"Shall,\"saidGertrude。
\"Ibegyourpardon？\"
\"SHALL,\"repeatedGertrude。\"Didyoueverstudythedoctrineofnecessity？\"
\"Thedoctrineofnecessity？\"hesaid,bewildered。
Gertrudewenttotheothersideofthetableinpursuitofaball。Shenowguessedwhatwascoming,andwaswillingthatitshouldcome;notbecausesheintendedtoaccept,butbecause,likeotheryoungladiesexperiencedinsuchscenes,shecountedtheproposalsofmarriageshereceivedasaRedIndiancountsthescalpshetakes。
\"Wehavehadaverypleasanttimeofithere,\"hesaid,givingupasinexplicabletherelevanceofthedoctrineofnecessity。\"Atleast,Ihave。\"
\"Well,\"saidGertrude,quicktoresentafanciedallusiontoherprivatediscontent,\"sohaveI。\"
\"Iamgladofthat——moresothanIcanconveybywords。\"
\"Isitanybusinessofyours？\"shesaid,followingthedisagreeableveinhehadunconsciouslystruckupon,andsuspectingpityinhiseffortstobesympathetic。
\"IwishIdaredhopeso。Thehappinessofmyvisithasbeenduetoyouentirely。\"
\"Indeed,\"saidGertrude,wincingasallthehardthingsTrefusishadtoldherofherselfcameintohermindattheheelsofErskine\'sunfortunateallusiontoherpowerofenjoyingherself。
\"IhopeIamnotpainingyou,\"hesaidearnestly。
\"Idon\'tknowwhatyouaretalkingabout,\"shesaid,standingerectwithsuddenimpatience。\"Youseemtothinkthatitisveryeasytopainme。\"
\"No,\"hesaidtimidly,puzzledbytheeffecthehadproduced。\"I
fearyoumisunderstandme。Iamveryawkward。PerhapsIhadbettersaynomore,Gertrude,byturningawaytoputuphercue,signifiedthatthatwasapointforhimtoconsider;shenotintendingtotroubleherselfaboutit。Whenshefacedhimagain,hewasmotionlessanddejected,withawistfulexpressionlikethatofadogthathasprofferedacaressandreceivedakick。
Remorse,andavaguesensethattherewassomethingbaseinherattitudetowardshim,overcameher。Shelookedathimforaninstantandlefttheroom。
Thelookexcitedhim。Hedidnotunderstandit,norattempttounderstandit;butitwasalookthathehadneverbeforeseeninherfaceorinthatofanyotherwoman。Itstruckhimasamomentaryrevelationofwhathehadwrittenofin\"ThePatriotMartyrs\"as\"Thegloriousmysteryofawoman\'sheart,\"
anditmadehimfeelunfitforordinarysocialintercourse。Hehastenedfromthehouse,walkedswiftlydowntheavenuetothelodge,wherehekepthisbicycle,leftwordtherethathewasgoingforanexcursionandshouldprobablynotreturnintimefordinner,mounted,andspedawayrecklesslyalongtheRiversideRoad。InlessthantwominuteshepassedthegateofSallust\'sHouse,wherehenearlyranoveranoldwomanladenwithabasketofcoals,whoputdownherburthentoscreamcursesafterhim。
Warnedbythisthathisheadlongpacewasdangerous,heslackeneditalittle,andpresentlysawTrefusislyingproneontheriverbank,withhischeeksproppedonhiselbows,readingintently。
Erskine,whohadpresentedhim,afewdaysbefore,withacopyof\"ThePatriotMartyrsandotherPoems,\"triedtocatchaglimpseofthebookoverwhichTrefusiswassoserious。ItwasaBlueBook,fulloffigures。Erskinerodeonindisgust,consolinghimselfwiththerecollectionofGertrude\'sface。
Thehighwaynowswervedinlandfromtheriver,androsetoasteepacclivity,atthebrowofwhichheturnedandlookedback。
Thelightwasgrowingruddy,andtheshadowswerelengthening。
Trefusiswasstillprostrateinthemeadow,andtheoldwomanwasinafield,gatheringhemlock。
Erskineraceddownthehillatfullspeed,anddidnotlookbehindhimagainuntilhefoundhimselfatnightfallontheskirtsofatown,wherehepurchasedsomebeerandasandwich,whichheatewithlittleappetite。Gertrudehadsetupadisturbancewithinhimwhichmadehimimpatientofeating。
Itwasnowdark。HewasmanymilesfromBrandonBeeches,andnotsureofthewayback。Suddenlyheresolvedtocompletehisunfinisheddeclarationthatevening。Henowcouldnotridebackfastenoughtosatisfyhisimpatience。Hetriedashortcut,losthimself,spentnearlyanhourseekingthehighroad,andatlastcameuponarailwaystationjustintimetocatchatrainthatbroughthimwithinamileofhisdestination。
Whenherosefromthecushionsoftherailwaycarriagehefoundhimselfsomewhatfatigued,andhemountedthebicyclestiffly。
Buthisresolutionwasasardentasever,andhisheartbeatstronglyas,afterleavinghisbicycleatthelodge,hewalkeduptheavenuethroughthedeepgloombeneaththebeeches。Nearthehouse,thefirstnotesof\"Grudelperchefinora\"reachedhim,andhesteppedsoftlyontotheturflesthisfootstepsonthegravelshouldrousethedogsandmakethemmartheharmonybybarking。A
rustlemadehimstopandlisten。ThenGertrude\'svoicewhisperedthroughthedarkness:
\"Whatdidyoumeanbywhatyousaidtomewithin？\"
AnextraordinarysensationshookErskine;confusedideasoffairylandranthroughhisimagination。Abitterdisappointment,likethatofwakingfromahappydream,followedasTrefusis\'svoice,morefinelytunedthanhehadeverhearditbefore,answered,\"MerelythattheexpanseofstarsaboveusisnotmoreillimitablethanmycontemptforMissLindsay,norbrighterthanmyhopesofGertrude。\"
\"MissLindsayalwaystoyou,ifyouplease,Mr。Trefusis。\"
\"MissLindsaynevertome,butonlytothosewhocannotseethroughhertothesoulwithin,whichisGertrude。ThereareathousandMissLindsaysintheworld,formalandfalse。ThereisbutoneGertrude。\"
\"Iamanunprotectedgirl,Mr。Trefusis,andyoucancallmewhatyouplease。\"
ItoccurredtoErskinethatthiswasafitoccasiontorushforwardandgiveTrefusis,whosefigurehecouldnowdimlydiscern,ablackeye。Buthehesitated,andtheopportunitypassed。
\"Unprotected！\"saidTrefusis。\"Why,youarefencedroundandbarredinwithconventions,laws,andliesthatwouldfrightenthetruthfromthelipsofanymanwhosefaithinGertrudewaslessstrongthanmine。GotoSirCharlesandtellhimwhatIhavesaidtoMissLindsay,andwithintenminutesIshallhavepassedthesegateswithawarningnevertoapproachthemagain。Iaminyourpower,andwereIinMissLindsay\'spoweralone,myshriftwouldbeshort。Happily,Gertrude,thoughsheseesasyetbutdarkly,feelsthatMissLindsayisherbitterestfoe。\"
\"Itisridiculous。Iamnottwopersons;Iamonlyone。Whatdoesitmattertomeifyourcontemptformeisasillimitableasthestars？\"
\"Ah,yourememberthat,doyou？Wheneveryouhearamantalkingaboutthestarsyoumayconcludethatheiseitheranastronomerorafool。Butyouandafinestarrynightwouldmakeafoolofanyman。\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandyou。Itryto,butIcannot;or,ifIguess,Icannottellwhetheryouareinearnestornot。\"
\"Iamverymuchinearnest。AbandonatonceandforeverallmisgivingsthatIamtriflingwithyou,orpassinganidlehourasmendowhentheyfindthemselvesinthecompanyofbeautifulwomen。ImeanwhatIsayliterally,andinthedeepestsense。Youdoubtme;wehavebroughtsocietytosuchastatethatweallsuspectoneanother。Butwhateveristruewillcommandbeliefsoonerorlaterfromthosewhohavewitenoughtocomprehendtruth。NowletmerecallMissLindsaytoconsciousnessbyremarkingthatwehavebeenoutfortenminutes,andthatourhostessisnotthewomantoallowourabsencetopasswithoutcomment。\"
\"Letusgoin。Thankyouforremindingme。\"
\"Thankyouforforgetting。\"
Erskineheardtheirfootstepsretreating,andpresentlysawthetwoentertheglowoflightthatshonefromtheopenwindowofthebilliardroom,throughwhichtheywentindoors。Trefusis,amanwhomhehadseenthatdayinabeautifullandscape,blindtoeverythingexceptarowoffiguresinaBlueBook,washissuccessfulrival,althoughitwasplainfromtheverysoundofhisvoicethathedidnot——couldnot——loveGertrude。Onlyapoetcoulddothat。Trefusiswasnopoet,butasordidbruteunlikelytoinspireinterestinanythingmorehumanthanapublicmeeting,muchlessinawoman,muchlessagaininawomansoetherealasGertrude。Shewasproudtoo,yetshehadallowedthefellowtoinsulther——hadforgivenhimforthesakeofafewbroadcompliments。Erskinegrewangryandcynical。Thesituationdidnotsuithispoetry。Insteadofbeingstrickentotheheartwithasolemnsorrow,asaPatriotMartyrwouldhavebeenundersimilarcircumstances,hefeltslightedandridiculous。Hewashardlyconvincedofwhathadseemedatfirstthemostobviousfeatureofthecase,Trefusis\'sinferioritytohimself。
HestoodunderthetreesuntilTrefusisreappearedonhiswayhome,making,Erskinethought,asmuchnoisewithhisheelsonthegravelasaregimentofdelicatelybredmenwouldhavedone。
Hestoppedforamomenttomakeinquiryatthelodgeashewentout;thenhisfootstepsdiedawayinthedistance。
Erskine,chilled,stiff,andwithasensationofabadcoldcomingon,wentintothehouse,andwasrelievedtofindthatGertrudehadretired,andthatLadyBrandon,thoughshehadbeensurethathehadriddenintotheriverinthedark,hadneverthelessprovidedawarmsupperforhim。
CHAPTERXV
Erskinesoonfoundplentyofthemesforhisnewlybegottencynicism。Gertrude\'smannertowardshimsoftenedsomuchthathe,believingherheartgiventohisrival,concludedthatshewastemptinghimtomakeaproposalwhichshehadnointentionofaccepting。SirCharles,towhomhetoldwhathehadoverheardintheavenue,professedsympathy,butwasevidentlypleasedtolearnthattherewasnothingseriousintheattentionsTrefusispaidtoAgatha。ErskinewrotethreebittersonnetsonhollowfriendshipandshowedthemtoSirCharles,who,failingtoapplythemtohimself,praisedthemhighlyandshowedthemtoTrefusiswithoutaskingtheauthor\'spermission。Trefusisremarkedthatinacorruptsocietyexpressionsofdissatisfactionwerealwayscreditabletoawriter\'ssensibility;buthedidnotsaymuchinpraiseoftheverse。
\"Whyhashetakentowritinginthisvein？\"hesaid。\"Hashebeendisappointedinanywayoflate？HasheproposedtoMissLindsayandbeenrejected？\"
\"No,\"saidSirCharlessurprisedbythisbluntreferencetoasubjecttheyhadneverbeforediscussed。\"HedoesnotintendtoproposetoMissLindsay。\"
\"Buthedidintendto。\"
\"Hecertainlydid,buthehasgivenuptheidea。\"
\"Why？\"saidTrefusis,apparentlydisapprovingstronglyoftherenunciation。
SirCharlesshruggedhisshouldersanddidnotreply。
\"Iamsorrytohearit。Iwishyoucouldinducehimtochangehismind。Heisanicefellow,withenoughtoliveoncomfortably,whilstheisyetwhatiscalledapoorman,sothatshecouldfeelperfectlydisinterestedinmarryinghim。Itwilldohergoodtomarrywithoutmakingapecuniaryprofitbyit;shewillrespectherselfthemoreafterwards,andwillneitherwantbreadandbutternorbeashamedofherhusband\'sorigin,inspiteofhavingmarriedforlovealone。Makeamatchofitifyoucan。I
takeaninterestinthegirl;shehasgoodinstincts。\"
SirCharles\'ssuspicionthatTrefusiswasreallypayingcourttoAgathareturnedafterthisconversation,whichherepeatedtoErskine,who,muchannoyedbecausehispoemshadbeenshowntoareaderofBlueBooks,thoughtitonlyablindforTrefusis\'sdesignuponGertrude。SirCharlespooh—poohedthisview,andthetwofriendsweresharpwithoneanotherindiscussingit。Afterdinner,whentheladieshadleftthem,SirCharles,repentantandcordial,urgedErskinetospeaktoGertrudewithouttroublinghimselfastothesincerityofTrefusis。ButErskine,knowinghimselfillabletobrookarefusal,waslothtoexposehimselftoo278
\"Ifyouhadheardthetoneofhervoicewhensheaskedhimwhetherhewasinearnest,youwouldnottalktomelikethis,\"
hesaiddespondently。\"Iwishhehadnevercomehere。\"
\"Well,that,atleast,wasnofaultofmine,mydearfellow,\"
saidSirCharles。\"Hecameamongusagainstmywill。Andnowthatheappearstohavebeenintheright——legally——aboutthefield,itwouldlooklikespiteifIcuthim。Besides,hereallyisn\'tabadmanifhewouldonlyletthewomenalone。\"
\"IfhetrifleswithMissLindsay,IshallaskhimtocrosstheChannel,andhaveashotathim。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkhe\'dgo,\"saidSirCharlesdubiously。\"IfIwereyou,IwouldtrymyluckwithGertrudeatonce。Inspiteofwhatyouheard,Idon\'tbelieveshewouldmarryamanofhisorigin。
Hismoneygiveshimanadvantage,certainly,butGertrudehassentrichermentotherightabout。\"
\"Letthefellowhavefairplay,\"saidErskine。\"Imaybewrong,ofcourse;allmenareliabletoerrinjudgingthemselves,butI
thinkIcouldmakeherhappierthanhecan。\"
SirCharleswasnotsosureofthat,buthecheerfullyresponded,\"Certainly。Heisnotthemanforheratall,andyouare。Heknowsit,too。\"
\"Hmf！\"mutteredErskine,risingdejectedly。\"Let\'sgoupstairs。\"
\"By—the—bye,wearetocallonhimto—morrow,togothroughhishouse,andhiscollectionofphotographs。Photographs！Ha,ha\"
Damnhishouse！\"saidErskine。
NextdaytheywenttogethertoSallust\'sHouse。Itstoodinthemidstofanacreofland,wasteexceptalittlekitchengardenattherear。Thelodgeattheentrancewasuninhabited,andthegatesstoodopen,withdustandfallenleavesheapedupagainstthem。Freeingresshadthusbeenaffordedtotwostrayponies,agoat,andatramp,wholayasleepinthegrass。Hiswifesatnear,watchinghim。
\"Ihaveamindtoturnback,\"saidSirCharles,lookingabouthimindisgust。\"Theplaceisscandalouslyneglected。Lookatthatrascalasleepwithinfullviewofthewindows。\"
\"Iadmirehischeek,\"saidErskine。\"Nicepairofponies,too。\"
Sallust\'sHousewassquareandpaintedcinnamoncolor。Beneaththecornicewasayellowfriezewithfiguresofdancingchildren,imitatedfromtheworksofDonatello,andveryunskilfullyexecuted。Therewasameagreporticooffourcolumns,paintedred,andaplainpediment,paintedyellow。Thecolors,meanttomatchthoseofthewalls,contrasteddisagreeablywiththem,havingbeenappliedmorerecently,apparentlybyacolor—blindartist。Thedoorbeneaththeporticostoodopen。SirCharlesrangthebell,andanelderlywomanansweredit;butbeforetheycouldaddressher,Trefusisappeared,cladinapainter\'sjacketofwhitejean。Followinghimin,theyfoundthatthehousewasahollowsquare,enclosingacourtyardwithabathsunkinthemiddle,andafountaininthecentreofthebath。Thecourtyard,formerlyopentothesky,wasnowroofedinwithdustyglass;thenymphthathadoncepouredoutthewaterofthefountainwasbarrenandmutilated;andthebathwaspartlycoveredinwithlooseboards,theexposedpartaccommodatingaheapofcoalsinonecorner,aheapofpotatoesinanother,abeerbarrel,someoldcarpets,atarpaulin,andabrokencanoe。Themarblepavementextendedtotheouterwallsofthehouse,andwasroofedinatthesidesbytheupperstories,whichweresupportedbyflutedstonecolumns,muchstainedandchipped。Thestaircase,towardswhichTrefusisledhisvisitors,wasabroadoneattheendoppositethedoor,andgaveaccesstoagalleryleadingtotheupperrooms。
\"Thishousewasbuiltin11780byanancestorofmymother,\"saidTrefusis。\"Hepassedforamanofexquisitetaste。Hewishedtheplacetobemaintainedforever——heactuallyusedthatexpressioninhiswill——asthefamilyseat,andhecollectedafinelibraryhere,whichIfounduseful,asallthebookscameintomyhandsingoodcondition,mostofthemwiththeleavesuncut。Somepeopleprizeuncutcopiesofoldeditions;adealergavemethreehundredandfiftypoundsforalotofthem。Icameintopossessionofanumberoffamilyfetishes——heirlooms,astheyarecalled。TherewasaswordthatoneofmyforbearsworeatEdgehillandotherbattlesinCharlestheFirst\'stime。Wefoughtonthewrongside,ofcourse,buttheswordfetchedthirty—fiveshillingsnevertheless。YouwillhardlybelievethatIwasofferedonehundredandfiftypoundsforagoldcupworthabouttwenty—five,merelybecauseQueenElizabethoncedrankfromit。
Thisismystudy。Itwasdesignedforabanquetinghall。\"
Theyenteredaroomaslongasthewallofthehouse,piercedononesidebyfourtallwindows,betweenwhichsquarepillars,withCorinthiancapitalssupportingthecornice,werehalfsunkinthewall。Thereweresimilarpillarsontheoppositeside,butbetweenthem,insteadofwindows,werearchednichesinwhichstoodlife—sizeplasterstatues,chipped,broken,anddefacedinanextraordinaryfashion。Theflooring,ofdiagonallysetnarrowboards,wasuncarpetedandunpolished。Theceilingwasadornedwithfrescoes,whichatonceexcitedSirCharles\'sinterest,andhenotedwithindignationthatalargeportionofthepaintingatthenorthernendhadbeendestroyedandsomeglassroofinginserted。Inanotherplaceboltshadbeendrivenintosupporttheropesofatrapezeandafewotherpiecesofgymnasticapparatus。Thewallswerewhitewashed,andataboutfourfeetfromthegroundadarkbandappeared,producedbypencilmemorandaandlittlesketchesscribbledonthewhitewash。Oneendoftheapartmentwasunfurnished,exceptbythegymnasticapparatus,aphotographer\'scamera,aladderinthecorner,andacommondealtablewithoilcansandpaintpotsuponit。Attheotherendacomparativelyluxuriousshowwasmadebyalargebookcase,anelaboratecombinationofbureauandwritingdesk,arackwitharifle,asetoffoils,andanumbrellainit,severalfolioalbumsonatable,somecomfortablechairsandsofas,andathickcarpetunderfoot。Closeby,andseemingmuchoutofplace,wasacarpenter\'sbenchwiththeusualimplementsandanumberofboardsofvariousthicknesses。
\"Thisisasortofcomfortbeyondthereachofanybutarichman,\"saidTrefusis,turningandsurprisinghisvisitorsintheactofexchangingglancesofastonishmentathistaste。\"Ikeepadrawing—roomoftheusualkindforreceivingstrangerswithwhomitisnecessarytobeconventional,butIneverenteritexceptonsuchoccasions。Whatdoyouthinkofthisforastudy？\"
\"Onmysoul,Trefusis,Ithinkyouaremad,\"saidSirCharles。
\"Theplacelooksasifithadstoodasiege。Howdidyoumanagetobreakthestatuesandchipthewallssooutrageously？\"
Trefusistookanewspaperfromthetableandsaid,\"Listentothis:
\'Inspiteoftheunfavorablenatureoftheweather,thesportoftheEmperorandhisguestsinStyriahasbeensuccessful。Inthreedays52chamoisand79stagsanddeerfellto19
single—barrelledrifles,theEmperorallowingnomoreonthisoccasion。\'
\"IsharetheEmperor\'sdelightinshooting,butIamnobutcher,anddonotneedtheroyalrelishofbloodtomysport。AndIdonotsharemyancestors\'tasteinstatuary。Hence——\"HereTrefusisopenedadrawer,tookoutapistol,andfiredattheHebeinthefarthestniche。
\"Welldone！\"saidErskinecoolly,asthelastfragmentofHebe\'sheadcrumbledatthetouchofthebullet。
\"Veryfruitlesslydone,\"saidTrefusis。\"Iamagoodshot,butofwhatuseisittome？None。IoncemetagamekeeperwhowasaMethodist。Hewasamosteloquentspeaker,butAbadshot。IfhecouldhaveswappedtalentswithmeIwouldhavegivenhimtenthousandpoundstobootwillingly,althoughhewouldhaveprofitedasmuchasIbytheexchangealone。IhavenomoredesireorneedtobeagoodshotthantobekingofEngland,orownerofaDerbywinner,oranythingelseequallyridiculous,andyetInevermissedmyaiminmylife——thankblindfortunefornothing！\"
\"KingofEngland！\"saidErskine,withascornfullaugh,toshowTrefusisthatotherpeoplewereasliberty—lovingashe。\"Isitnotabsurdtohearanationboastingofitsfreedomandtoleratingaking？\"
\"Oh,hangyourrepublicanism,Chester！\"saidSirCharles,whoprivatelyheldalowopinionofthepoliticalsideofthePatriotMartyrs。
\"Iwon\'theputdownonthatpoint,\"saidErskine。\"Iadmireamanthatkillsaking。Youwillagreewithmethere,Trefusis,won\'tyou？\"
\"Certainlynot,\"saidTrefusis。\"Akingnowadaysisonlyadummyputuptodrawyourfireofftherealoppressorsofsociety,andthefractionofhissalarythathecanspendashelikesisusuallyfartoosmallforhisrisk,histrouble,andtheconditionofpersonalslaverytowhichheisreduced。WhatprivatemaninEnglandisworseoffthantheconstitutionalmonarch？Wedenyhimallprivacy;hemaynotmarrywhomhechooses,consortwithwhomheprefers,dressaccordingtohistaste,orlivewherehepleases。Idon\'tbelievehemayeveneatordrinkwhathelikesbest;atastefortripeandonionsonhispartwouldprovokearemonstrancefromthePrivyCouncil。Wedictateeverythingexcepthisthoughtsanddreams,andeventhesehemustkeeptohimselfiftheyarenotsuitable,inouropinion,tohiscondition。Theworkweimposeonhimhasallthehardshipofmeretaskwork;itisunfruitful,incessant,monotonous,andhastobetransactedforthemostpartwithnervousbores。Wemakehiskingdomatreadmilltohim,anddrivehimtoandfroonthefaceofit。Finally,havingtakeneverythingelsethatmenprizefromhim,wefalluponhischaracter,andthatofeverypersontowhomheventurestoshowfavor。Weimposeenormousexpensesonhim,stinthim,andthenrailathisparsimony。WeusehimasIusethosestatues——stickhimupintheplaceofhonorforourgreaterconvenienceindisfiguringandabusinghim。
Wesendhimforththroughourcrowdedcities,proclaimingthatheisthesourceofallgoodandevilinthenation,andhe,knowingthatmanypeoplebelieveit,knowingthatitisalie,andthatheispowerlesstoshortentheworkingdaybyonehour,raisewagesonepenny,orannulthesmallestcriminalsentence,howeverunjustitmayseemtohim;knowingthateveryminerinthekingdomcanmanufacturedynamite,andthatrevolversaresoldforsevenandsixpenceapiece;knowingthatheisnotbulletproof,andthateverykinginEuropehasbeenshotatinthestreets;hemustsmileandbowandmaintainanexpressionofgraciousenjoymentwhilstthemayorandcorporationinflictuponhimthetwaddlingaddresshehasheardathousandtimesbefore。Idonotaskyoutobeloyal,Erskine;butIexpectyou,incommonhumanity,tosympathizewiththechieffigureinthepageant,whoisnomoreaccountableforthemanifoldevilsandabominationsthatexistinhisrealmthantheLordMayorisaccountableforthetheftsofthepickpocketswhofollowhisshowontheninthofNovember。\"
SirCharleslaughedatthetroubleTrefusistooktoprovehiscase,andsaidsoothingly,\"Mydearfellow,kingsareusedtoit,andexpectit,andlikeit。\"
\"AndprobablydonotseethemselvesasIseethem,anymorethancommonpeopledo,\"assentedTrefusis。
\"Whatanexquisiteface！\"exclaimedErskinesuddenly,catchingsightofaphotographinarichgoldandcoralframeonaminiatureeaseldrapedwithrubyvelvet。Trefusisturnedquickly,soevidentlygratifiedthatSirCharleshastenedtosay,\"Charming！\"Then,lookingattheportrait,headded,asifalittlestartled,\"Itcertainlyisanextraordinarilyattractiveface。\"
\"Yearsago,\"saidTrefusis,\"whenIsawthatfaceforthefirsttime,Ifeltasyoufeelnow。\"
Silenceensued,thetwovisitorslookingattheportrait,Trefusislookingatthem。
\"Curiousstyleofbeauty,\"saidSirCharlesatlast,notquitesoassuredlyasbefore。
Trefusislaughedunpleasantly。\"Doyourecognizetheartist——theenthusiasticamateur——inher？\"hesaid,openinganotherdrawerandtakingoutabundleofdrawings,whichhehandedtobeexamined。
\"Veryclever。Verycleverindeed,\"saidSirCharles。\"Ishouldliketomeetthelady。\"
\"Ihaveoftenbeenonthepointofburningthem,\"saidTrefusis;
\"buttheretheyare,andtheretheyarelikelytoremain。Theportraithasbeenmuchadmired。\"
\"Canyougiveusanintroductiontotheoriginal,oldfellow？\"
saidErskine。
\"No,happily。Sheisdead。\"
Disagreeablyshocked,theylookedathimforamomentwithaversion。ThenErskine,turningwithpityanddisappointmenttothepicture,said,\"Poorgirl！Wasshemarried？\"
\"Yes。Tome。\"
\"Mrs。Trefusis！\"exclaimedSirCharles。\"Ah！Dearme！\"
Erskine,withproofbeforehimthatitwaspossibleforabeautifulgirltoacceptTrefusis,saidnothing。
\"Ikeepherportraitconstantlybeforemetocorrectmynaturalamativeness。Ifellinlovewithherandmarriedher。IhavefalleninloveonceortwicesincebutaglanceatmylostHettyhascuredmeoftheslightestinclinationtomarry。\"
SirCharlesdidnotreply。ItoccurredtohimthatLadyBrandon\'sportrait,ifnothingelsewereleftofher,mightbeusefulinthesameway。
\"Come,youwillmarryagainoneofthesedays,\"saidErskine,inaforcedtoneofencouragement。
\"Itispossible。Menshouldmarry,especiallyrichmen。ButI
assureyouIhavenopresentintentionofdoingso。\"
Erskine\'scolordeepened,andhemovedawaytothetablewherethealbumslay。
\"ThisisthecollectionofphotographsIspokeof,\"saidTrefusis,followinghimandopeningoneofthebooks。\"Itookmanyofthemmyselfundergreatdifficultieswithregardtolight——theonlydifficultythatmoneycouldnotalwaysremove。
Thisisaviewofmyfather\'shouse——orratheroneofhishouses。
Itcostseventy—fivethousandpounds。\"
\"Veryhandsomeindeed,\"saidSirCharles,secretlydisgustedatbeinginvitedtoadmireaphotograph,suchashouseagentsexhibit,ofavulgarlydesignedcountryhouse,merelybecauseithadcostseventy—fivethousandpounds。Thefigureswereactuallywrittenbeneaththepicture。
\"Thisisthedrawing—room,andthisoneofthebestbedrooms。Intheright—handcornerofthemountyouwillseeanoteofthecostofthefurniture,fittings,napery,andsoforth。Theywereofthemostluxuriousdescription。\"
\"Veryinteresting,\"saidSirCharles,hardlydisguisingtheironyofthecomment。
