\"Abaronetsignsuchapetition！\"exclaimedTrefusis。\"Ididnotthinkofaskingyou。Ionlyshowittoyouasaninterestinghistoricaldocument,containingtheautographsofafewartistsandpoets。ThereisDonovanBrown\'sforexample。Itwashewhosuggestedthepetition,whichisnotlikelytodomuchgood,asthethingcannotbedoneinanysuchfashionHowever,IhavepromisedBrowntogetasmanysignaturesasIcan;soyoumayaswellsignit,Erskine。Itsaysnothinginblankverseabouttheholinessofslayingatyrant,butitisastepintherightdirection。Youwillnotstickatsuchatrifle——unlessthereviewshavefrightenedyou。Come,yournameandaddress。\"
Erskineshookhishead。
\"Doyouthenonlycommityourselftorevolutionarysentimentswhenthereisachanceofwinningfameasapoetbythem？\"
\"Iwillnotsign,simplybecauseIdonotchooseto,\"saidErskinewarmly。
\"Mydearfellow,\"saidTrefusis,almostaffectionately,\"ifamanhasaconsciencehecanhavenochoiceinmattersofconviction。
Ihavereadsomewhereinyourbookthatthemanwhowillnotshedhisbloodforthelibertyofhisbrothersisacowardandaslave。Willyounotshedadropofink——myink,too——fortherightofyourbrotherstotheworkoftheirhands？Iatfirstsightdidnotcaretosignthispetition,becauseIwouldassoonpetitionatigertosharehispreywithmeasourrulerstorelaxtheirgripofthestolenlabortheyliveon。ButDonovanBrownsaidtome,\'Youhavenochoice。Eitheryoubelievethatthelaborershouldhavethefruitofhislabororyoudonot。Ifyoudo,putyourconvictiononrecord,evenifitshouldbeasuselessasPilate\'swashinghishands。\'SoIsigned。\"
\"DonovanBrownwasright,\"saidSirCharles。\"Iwillsign。\"Andhedidsowithaflourish。
\"Brownwillbedelighted,\"saidTrefusis。\"Iwillwritetohimto—daythatIhavegotanothergoodsignatureforhim。\"
\"Twomore,\"saidSirCharles。\"Youshallsign,Erskine;hangmeifyoushan\'t！Itisonlyagainstrascalsthatrunawaywithoutpayingtheirmentheirwages。\"
\"Orthatdon\'tpaytheminfull,\"observedTrefusis,withacurioussmile。\"Butdonotsignifyoufeeluncomfortableaboutit。\"
\"Ifyoudon\'tsignafterme,youareasneak,Chester,\"saidSirCharles。
\"Idon\'tknowwhatitmeans,\"saidErskine,wavering。\"Idon\'tunderstandpetitions。\"
\"Itmeanswhatitsays;youcannotbeheldresponsibleforanymeaningthatisnotexpressedinit,\"saidTrefusis。\"Butnevermind。Youmistrustmealittle,Ifancy,andwouldrathernotmeddlewithmypetitions;butyouwillthinkbetterofthatasyougrowusedtome。Meanwhile,thereisnohurry。Don\'tsignyet。\"
\"Nonsense！Idon\'tdoubtyourgoodfaith,\"saidErskine,hastilydisavowingsuspicionswhichhefeltbutcouldnotaccountfor。
\"Heregoes！\"Andhesigned。
\"Welldone！\"saidTrefusis。\"ThiswillmakeBrownhappyfortherestofthemonth。\"
\"Itistimeforustogonow,\"saidErskinegloomily。
\"Lookinuponmeatanytime;youshallbewelcome,\"saidTrefusis。\"Youneednotstanduponanysortofceremony。\"
Thentheyparted;SirCharlesassuringTrefusisthathehadneverspentamoreinterestingmorning,andshakinghandswithhimatconsiderablelengththreetimes。ErskinesaidlittleuntilhewasintheRiversideRoadwithhisfriend,whenhesuddenlyburstout:
\"Whatthedevildoyoumeanbydrinkingtwotumblersofsuchstaggeringstuffatoneo\'clockinthedayinthehouseofadangerousmanlikethat？IamverysorryIwentintothefellow\'splace。Ihadmisgivingsaboutit,andtheyhavebeenfullyborneout。\"
\"Howso？\"saidSirCharles,takenaback。
\"Hehasoverreachedus。Iwasadeucedfooltosignthatpaper,andsowereyou。Itwasforthatthatheinvitedus。\"
\"Rubbish,mydearboy。Itwasnothispaper,butDonovanBrown\'s。\"
\"Idoubtit。MostlikelyhetalkedBrownintosigningitjustashetalkedus。Itellyouhiswaysareallcrooked,likehisideas。DidyouhearhowheliedaboutMissLindsay？\"
\"Oh,youweremistakenaboutthat。Hedoesnotcaretwostrawsforherorforanyone。\"
\"Well,ifyouaresatisfied,Iamnot。YouwouldnotbeinsuchhighspiritsoveritifyouhadtakenaslittlewineasI。\"
\"Pshaw！you\'retooridiculous。Itwascapitalwine。DoyoumeantosayIamdrunk？\"
\"No。Butyouwouldnothavesignedifyouhadnottakenthatsecondgoblet。Ifyouhadnotforcedme——Icouldnotgetoutofitafteryousettheexample——Iwouldhaveseenhimd——dsoonerthanhavehadanythingtodowithhispetition。\"
\"Idon\'tseewhatharmcancomeofit,\"saidSirCharles,bravingoutsomesecretdisquietude。
\"Iwillnevergointohishouseagain,\"saidErskinemoodily。\"Wewerejustliketwofliesinaspider\'sweb。\"
Meanwhile,TrefusiswasfulfillinghispromisetowritetoDonovanBrown。
\"Sallust\'sHouse。
\"DearBrown:Ihavespenttheforenoonanglingforacoupleofveryyoungfish,andhavelandedthemwithmoretroublethantheyareworth。Onehasgaudyscales:heisabaronet,andanamateurartist,savethemark。Allmyargumentsandmylittlemuseumofphotographswerelostonhim;butwhenImentionedyourname,andpromisedhimanintroductiontoyou,hegorgedthebaitgreedily。
Hewashalfdrunkwhenhesigned;andIshouldnothavelethimtouchthepaperifIhadnotconvincedmyselfbeforehandthathemeanswell,andthatmywinehadonlyfreedhisnaturalgenerosityfromhisconventionalcowardiceandprejudice。Wemustgethisnamepublishedinasmanyjournalsaspossibleasasignatorytothegreatpetition;itwilldrawonothersasyournamedrewhim。Thesecondnovice,ChichesterErskine,isayoungpoet。Hewillnotbeofmuchusetous,thoughheisadevotedchampionoflibertyinblankverse,anddedicateshisworkstoMazzini,etc。Hesignedreluctantly。Allthishesitationistheuncertaintythatcomesofignorance;theyhavenotfoundoutthetruthforthemselves,andareafraidtotrustme,mattershavingcometothepassatwhichnomandarestrusthisfellow。
\"IhavemetaprettyyoungladyherewhomightserveyouasamodelforHypatia。Sheiscrammedwithalltheprejudicesofthepeerage,butIameffectingacure。IhavesetmyheartonmarryinghertoErskine,who,thinkingthatIammakinglovetoheronmyownaccount,isjealous。Theweatherispleasanthere,andIamhavingamerrylifeofit,butIfindmyselftooidle。
Etc。,etc。,etc。\"
CHAPTERXVI
Onesunnyforenoon,asAgathasatreadingonthedoorstepoftheconservatory,theshadowofherparasoldeepened,andshe,lookingupforsomethingdenserthanthesilkofit,sawTrefusis。
\"Oh！\"
Sheofferedhimnofurthergreeting,havingfalleninwithhishabitofdispensing,asfaraspossible,withsalutationsandceremonies。Heseemedinnohurrytospeak,andso,afterapause,shebegan,\"SirCharles——\"
\"Isgonetotown,\"hesaid。\"Erskineisoutonhisbicycle。LadyBrandonandMissLindsayhavegonetothevillageinthewagonette,andyouhavecomeoutheretoenjoythesummersunandreadrubbish。Iknowallyournewsalready。\"
\"Youareveryclever,and,asusual,wrong。SirCharleshasnotgonetotown。Hehasonlygonetotherailwaystationforsomepapers;hewillbebackforluncheon。Howdoyouknowsomuchofouraffairs？\"
\"Iwasontheroofofmyhousewithafield—glass。Isawyoucomeoutandsitdownhere。ThenSirCharlespassed。ThenErskine。
ThenLadyBrandon,drivingwithgreatenergy,andpresentingaremarkablecontrasttothedisdainfulreposeofGertrude。\"
\"Gertrude！Ilikeyourcheek。\"
\"Youmeanthatyoudislikemypresumption。\"
\"No,Ithinkcheekamoreexpressivewordthanpresumption;andI
meanthatIlikeit——thatitamusesme。\"
\"Really！Whatareyoureading？\"
\"Rubbish,yousaidjustnow。Anovel。\"
\"Thatis,alyingstoryoftwopeoplewhoneverexisted,andwhowouldhaveactedverydifferentlyiftheyhadexisted。\"
\"Justso。\"
\"Couldyounotimaginesomethingjustasamusingforyourself？\"
\"Perhapsso;butitwouldbetoomuchtrouble。Besides,cookingtakesawayone\'sappetiteforeating。Ishouldnotrelishstoriesofmyownconfection。\"
\"Whichvolumeareyouat？\"
\"Thethird。\"
\"Thentheheroandheroineareonthepointofbeingunited？\"
\"Ireallydon\'tknow。Thisisoneofyourclevernovels。Iwishthecharacterswouldnottalksomuch。\"
\"Nomatter。Twoofthemareinlovewithoneanother,aretheynot？\"
\"Yes。Itwouldnotbeanovelwithoutthat。\"
\"Doyoubelieve,inyoursecretsoul,Agatha——ItakethelibertyofusingyourChristiannamebecauseIwishtobeverysolemn——doyoureallybelievethatanyhumanbeingwaseverunselfishenoughtoloveanotherinthestory—bookfashion？\"
\"Ofcourse。AtleastIsupposeso。Ihaveneverthoughtmuchaboutit。\"
\"Idoubtit。Myownbeliefisthatnolatter—daymanhasanyfaithinthethoroughnessorpermanenceofhisaffectionforhismate。Yethedoesnotdoubtthesincerityofherprofessions,andheconcealsthehollownessofhisownfromher,partlybecauseheisashamedofit,andpartlyoutofpityforher。Andshe,ontheotherside,isplayingexactlythesamecomedy。\"
\"Ibelievethatiswhatmendo,butnotwomen。\"
\"Indeed！Praydoyourememberpretendingtobeverymuchinlovewithmeoncewhen——\"
Agathareddenedandplacedherpalmonthestepasifabouttospringup。Butshecheckedherselfandsaid:\"Stop,Mr。Trefusis。
IfyoutalkaboutthatIshallgoaway。Iwonderatyou！Haveyounotaste？\',\"Nonewhatever。AndasIwastheaggrievedpartyonthat——stay,don\'tgo。Iwillneveralludetoitagain。Iamgrowingafraidofyou。Youusedtobeafraidofme。\"
\"Yes;andyouusedtobullyme。Youhaveahabitofbullyingwomenwhoareweakenoughtofearyou。YouareagreatdealclevererthanI,andknowmuchmore,Idaresay;butIamnotintheleastafraidofyounow。\"
\"Youhavenoreasontobe,andneverhadany。Henrietta,ifshewerealive,couldtestifythatitthereisadefectinmyrelationswithwomen,itarisesfrommyexcessiveamiability。I
couldnotrefuseawomananythingshehadsetherheartupon——exceptmyhandinmarriage。Aslongasyoursexarecontenttostopshortofthattheycandoastheypleasewithme。\"
\"Howcruel！IthoughtyouwerenearlyengagedtoGertrude。\"
\"Theusualinterpretationofafriendshipbetweenamanandawoman！Ihaveneverthoughtofsuchathing;andIamsuresheneverhas。WearenothalfsointimateasyouandSirCharles。\"
\"Oh,SirCharlesismarried。AndIadviseyoutogetmarriedifyouwishtoavoidcreatingmisunderstandingsbyyourfriendships。\"
Trefusiswasstruck。Insteadofanswering,hestood,afteronestartledglanceather,lookingintentlyattheknuckleofhisforefinger。
\"Dotakepityonourpoorsex,\"saidAgathamaliciously。\"Youaresorich,andsoveryclever,andreallysonicelookingthatyououghttoshareyourselfwithsomebody。Gertrudewouldbeonlytoohappy。
Trefusisgrinnedandshookhishead,slowlybutemphatically。
\"Isuppose_I_shouldhavenochance,\"continuedAgathapathetically。
\"Ishouldbedelighted,ofcourse,\"herepliedwithsimulatedconfusion,butwithalurkinggleaminhiseyethatmighthavecheckedher,hadshenoticedit。
\"Domarryme,Mr。Trefusis,\"shepleaded,claspingherhandsinaraptureofmischievousraillery。\"Praydo。\"
\"Thankyou,\"saidTrefusisdeterminedly;\"Iwill。\"
\"Iamverysureyoushan\'t,\"saidAgatha,afteranincredulouspause,springingupandgatheringherskirtasiftorunaway。
\"YoudonotsupposeIwasinearnest,doyou？\"
\"UndoubtedlyIdo。_I_aminearnest。\"
Agathahesitated,uncertainwhetherhemightnotbeplayingwithherasshehadjustbeenplayingwithhim。\"Takecare,\"shesaid。
\"Imaychangemymindandbeinearnest,too;andthenhowwillyoufeel,Mr。Trefusis？\"
\"Ithink,underouralteredrelations,youhadbettercallmeSidney。\"
\"Ithinkwehadbetterdropthejoke。Itwasinratherbadtaste,andIshouldnothavemadeit,perhaps。\"
\"Itwouldbeanexecrablejoke;thereforeIhavenointentionofregardingitasone。Youshallbeheldtoyouroffer,Agatha。Areyouinlovewithme？\"
\"Notintheleast。Nottheverysmallestbitintheworld。IdonotknowanybodywithwhomIamlessinloveorlesslikelytobeinlove。\"
\"Thenyoumustmarryme。Ifyouwereinlovewithme,Ishouldrunaway。MysaintedHenriettaadoredme,andIprovedunworthyofadoration——thoughIwasimmenselyflattered。\"
\"Yes;exactly！Thewayyoutreatedyourfirstwifeoughttobesufficienttowarnanywomanagainstbecomingyoursecond。\"
\"Anywomanwholovedme,youmean。Butyoudonotloveme,andifIrunawayyouwillhavetheadvantageofbeingridofme。Oursettlementscanbedrawnsoastosecureyouhalfmyfortuneinsuchanevent。\"
\"Youwillneverhaveachanceofrunningawayfromme。\"
\"Ishallnotwantto。IamnotsosqueamishasIwas。No;IdonotthinkIshallrunawayfromyou。\"
\"Idonotthinksoeither。\"
\"Well,whenshallwebemarried？\"
\"Never,\"saidAgatha,andfled。Butbeforeshehadgoneastephecaughther。
\"Don\'t,\"shesaidbreathlessly。\"Takeyourarmaway。Howdareyou？\"
Hereleasedherandshutthedooroftheconservatory。\"Now,\"hesaid,\"ifyouwanttorunawayyouwillhavetorunintheopen。\"
\"Youareveryimpertinent。Letmegoinimmediately。\"
\"Doyouwantmetobegyoutomarrymeafteryouhaveofferedtodoitfreely？\"
\"ButIwasonlyjoking;Idon\'tcareforyou,\"shesaid,lookingroundforanoutlet。
\"Agatha,\"hesaid,withgrimpatience,\"halfanhouragoIhadnomoreintentionofmarryingyouthanofmakingavoyagetothemoon。ButwhenyoumadethesuggestionIfeltallitsforceinaninstant,andnownothingwillsatisfymebutyourkeepingyourword。OfallthewomenIknow,youaretheonlyonenotquiteafool。\"
\"Ishouldbeagreatfoolif——\"
\"Ifyoumarriedme,youweregoingtosay;butIdon\'tthinkso。
Iamtheonlyman,notquiteanass,ofyouracquaintance。Iknowmyvalue,andyours。AndIlovedyoulongago,whenIhadnorightto。\"
Agathafrowned。\"No,\"shesaid。\"Thereisnouseinsayinganythingmoreaboutit。Itisoutofthequestion。\"
\"Come,don\'tbevindictive。Iwasmoresincerethenthanyouwere。Butthathasnothingtodowiththepresent。Youhavespentourrenewedacquaintanceonthedefensiveagainstme,retortinguponme,teasingandtemptingme。Begenerousforonce,andsayYeswithagoodwill。\"
\"Oh,INEVERtemptedyou,\"criedAgatha。\"Ididnot。Itisnottrue。\"Hesaidnothing,butofferedhishand。\"No;goaway;I
willnot。\"Hepersisted,andshefeltherpowerofresistancesuddenlywane。Terror—stricken,shesaidhastily,\"Thereisnottheleastuseinbotheringme;Iwilltellyounothingto—day。\"
\"PromisemeonyourhonorthatyouwillsayYesto—morrow,andI
willleaveyouinpeaceuntilthen。\"
\"Iwillnot。\"
\"Thedeucetakeyoursex,\"hesaidplaintively。
\"Youknowmymindnow,andIhavetostandherecoquettingbecauseyoudon\'tknowyourown。IfIcaredformycomfortI
shouldremainabachelor。\"
\"Iadviseyoutodoso,\"shesaid,stealingbackwardtowardsthedoor。\"Youareaveryinterestingwidower。Awifewouldspoilyou。Considerthetroublesofdomesticity,too。\"
\"Iliketroubles。Theystrengthen——Aha！\"（shehadsnatchedattheknobofthedoor,andheswiftlyputhishandonhersandstayedher）。\"Notyet,ifyouplease。Canyounotspeakoutlikeawoman——likeaman,Imean？YoumaywithholdabonefromMaxuntilhestandsonhishindlegstobegforit,butyoushouldnottreatmelikeadog。SayYesfrankly,anddonotkeepmebegging。\"
\"Whatintheworlddoyouwanttomarrymefor？\"
\"BecauseIwasmadetocarryahouseonmyshoulders,andwilldoso。IwanttodothebestIcanformyself,andIshallneverhavesuchachanceagain。AndIcannothelpmyself,anddon\'tknowwhy;thatistheplaintruthofthematter。Youwillmarrysomeonesomeday。\"Sheshookherhead。\"Yes,youwill。Whynotmarryme？\"
Agathabithernetherlip,lookedruefullyattheground,and,afteralongpause,saidreluctantly,\"Verywell。Butmind,I
thinkyouareactingveryfoolishly,andifyouaredisappointedafterwards,youmustnotblameME。\"
\"Itaketheriskofmybargain,\"hesaid,releasingherhand,andleaningagainstthedoorashetookouthispocketdiary。\"Youwillhavetotaketheriskofyours,whichIhopemaynotprovetheworseofthetwo。ThisistheseventeenthofJune。Whatdatebeforethetwenty—fourthofJulywillsuityou？\"
\"Youmeanthetwenty—fourthofJulynextyear,Ipresume？\"
\"No;Imeanthisyear。Iamgoingabroadonthatdate,marriedornot,toattendaconferenceatGeneva,andIwantyoutocomewithme。Iwillshowyoualotofplacesandthingsthatyouhaveneverseenbefore。Itisyourrighttonametheday,butyouhavenoseriousbusinesstoprovidefor,andIhave。\"
\"Butyoudon\'tknowallthethingsIshall——Ishouldhavetoprovide。Youhadbetterwaituntilyoucomebackfromthecontinent。\"
\"Thereisnothingtobeprovidedonyourpartbutsettlementsandyourtrousseau。Thetrousseauisallnonsense;andJanseniusknowsmeofoldinthematterofsettlements。Igotmarriedinsixweeksbefore。\"
\"Yes,\"saidAgathasharply,\"butIamnotHenrietta。\"
\"No,thankHeaven,\"heassentedplacidly。
Agathawasstruckwithremorse。\"Thatwasavilethingformetosay,\"shesaid;\"andforyoutoo。\"
\"Whateveristrueistothepurpose,vileornot。WillyoucometoGenevaonthetwenty—fourth？\"
\"But——IreallywasnotthinkingwhenI——IdidnotintendtosaythatIwould——I——\"
\"Iknow。Youwillcomeifwearemarried。\"
\"Yes。IFwearemarried。\"
\"Weshallbemarried。DonotwriteeithertoyourmotherorJanseniusuntilIaskyou。\"
\"Idon\'tintendto。Ihavenothingtowriteabout。\"
\"Wretchthatyouare！AnddonotbejealousifyoucatchmemakinglovetoLadyBrandon。Ialwaysdoso;sheexpectsit。\"
\"Youmaymakelovetowhomyouplease。Itisnoconcernofmine。\"
\"HerecomesthewagonettewithLadyBrandonandGer——andMissLindsay。Imustn\'tcallherGertrudenowexceptwhenyouarenotby。Beforetheyinterruptus,letmeremindyouofthethreepointsweareagreedupon。Iloveyou。Youdonotloveme。Wearetobemarriedbeforethetwenty—fourthofnextmonth。NowImustflytohelpherladyshiptoalight。\"
Hehastenedtothehousedoor,atwhichthewagonettehadjuststopped。Agatha,bewildered,andashamedtofaceherfriends,wentinthroughtheconservatory,andlockedherselfinherroom。
TrefusiswentintothelibrarywithGertrudewhilstLadyBrandonloiteredinthehalltotakeoffherglovesandaskquestionsoftheservants。Whenshefollowed,shefoundthetwostandingtogetheratthewindow。Gertrudewaslisteningtohimwiththepatientexpressionshenowoftenworewhenhetalked。Hewassmiling,butitstruckJanethathewasnotquiteatease。\"IwasjustbeginningtotellMissLindsay,\"hesaid,\"ofanextraordinarythingthathashappenedduringyourabsence。\"
\"Iknow,\"exclaimedJane,withsuddenconviction。\"Theheaterintheconservatoryhascracked。\"
\"Possibly,\"saidTrefusis;\"but,ifso,Ihavenotheardofit。\"
\"Ifithasn\'tcracked,itwill,\"saidJanegloomily。Then,assumingwithsomeeffortaninterestinTrefusis\'snews,sheadded:\"Well,whathashappened？\"
\"IwaschattingwithMissWyliejustnow,whenasingularideaoccurredtous。Wediscusseditforsometime;andtheupshotisthatwearetobemarriedbeforetheendofnextmonth。\"
Janereddenedandstaredathim;andhelookedkeenlybackather。Gertrude,thoughunobserved,didnotsufferherexpressionofpatienthappinesstochangeintheleast;butagreenish—whitecolorsuddenlyappearedinherface,andonlygaveplaceveryslowlytoherusualcomplexion。
\"DoyoumeantosaythatyouaregoingtomarryAGATHA？\"saidLadyBrandonincredulously,afterapause。
\"Yes。IhadnointentionofdoingsowhenIlastsawyouorI
shouldhavetoldyou。\"
\"Ineverheardofsuchathinginmylife！Youfellinlovewithoneanotherinfiveminutes,Isuppose。\"
\"GoodHeavens,no！wearenotinlovewithoneanother。CanyoubelievethatIwouldmarryforsuchafrivolousreason？No。Thesubjectturnedupaccidentally,andtheadvantageofamatchbetweenusstruckmeforcibly。Iwasfortunateenoughtoconverthertomyopinion。\"
\"Yes;shewantedalotofpressing,Idaresay,\"saidJane,glancingatGertrude,whowassmilingunmeaningly。
\"Asyouimply,\"saidTrefusiscoolly,\"herreluctancemayhavebeenaffected,andsheonlytoogladtogetsuchacharminghusband。Assumingthattobethecase,shedissembledremarkablywell。\"
Gertrudetookoffherbonnet,andlefttheroomwithoutspeaking。
\"ThisismyrevengeuponyouformarryingBrandon,\"hesaidthen,approachingJane。
\"Oh,yes,\"sheretortedironically。\"Ibelieveallthat,ofcourse。\"
\"YouhavethesamesecurityforitstruthasforthatofallthefoolishthingsIconfesstoyou。There！\"Hepointedtoapaneloflookingglass,inwhichJane\'sfigurewasreflectedatfulllength。
\"Idon\'tseeanythingtoadmire,\"saidJane,lookingatherselfwithnogreatfavor。\"Thereisplentyofme,ifyouadmirethat。\"
\"Itisimpossibletohavetoomuchofagoodthing。ButImustnotlookanymore。ThoughAgathasaysshedoesnotloveme,IamnotsurethatshewouldbepleasedifIweretolookforlovefromanyoneelse。\"
\"Saysshedoesnotloveyou！Don\'tbelieveher;shehastakentroubleenoughtocatchyou。\"
\"Iamflattered。Youcaughtmewithoutanytrouble,andyetyouwouldnothaveme。\"
\"Itismannerstowaittobeasked。IthinkyouhavetreatedGertrudeshamefully——Ihopeyouwon\'tbeoffendedwithmeforsayingso。IblameAgathamost。Sheisanawfullydouble—facedgirl。\"
\"Howso？\"saidTrefusis,surprised。\"WhathasMissLindsaytodowithit？\"
\"Youknowverywell。\"
\"IassureyouIdonot。IfyouwerespeakingofyourselfIcouldunderstandyou。\"
\"Oh,youcangetoutofitcleverly,likeallmen;butyoucan\'thoodwinkme。Youshouldn\'thavepretendedtolikeGertrudewhenyouwerereallypullingacordwithAgatha。Andshe,too,pretendingtoflirtwithSirCharles——asifhewouldcaretwopenceforher！\"
TrefusisseemedNlittledisturbed。\"IhopeMissLindsayhadnosuch——butshecouldnot。\"
\"Oh,couldn\'tshe？Youwillsoonseewhethershehadornot。\"
\"Youmisunderstoodus,LadyBrandon;MissLindsayknowsbetter。
Remember,too,thatthisproposalofminewasquiteunpremeditated。ThismorningIhadnotenderthoughtsofanyoneexceptonewhomitwouldbeimpropertoname。\"
\"Oh,thatisalltalk。Itwon\'tdonow。\"
\"Iwilltalknomoreatpresent。Imustbeofftothevillagetotelegraphtomysolicitor。IfImeetErskineIwilltellhimthegoodnews。\"
\"Hewillbedelighted。Hethought,aswealldid,thatyouwerecuttinghimoutwithGertrude。\"
Trefusissmiled,shookhishead,and,withaglanceofadmiringhomagetoJane\'scharms,wentout。JanewascontemplatingherselfintheglasswhenaservantbeggedhertocomeandspeaktoMasterCharlesandMissFanny。Shehurriedupstairstothenursery,whereherboyandgirl,disputingeachother\'spriorrighttotorturethebaby,hadcometoblows。Theyweresomewhatfrightened,butnotatallappeased,byJane\'sentrance。Shescolded,coaxed,threatened,bribed,quotedDr。Watts,appealedtothenurseandtheninsultedher,demandedofthechildrenwhethertheylovedoneanother,whethertheylovedmamma,andwhethertheywantedarightgoodwhipping。Atlast,exasperatedbyherowninabilitytorestoreorder,sheseizedthebaby,whichhadcriedincessantlythroughout,and,declaringthatitwasdoingitonpurposeandshouldhavesomethingrealtocryfor,gaveitanexemplarysmacking,andorderedtheotherstobed。Theboy,awedbythefateofhisinfantbrother,offered,bywayofcompromise,tobegoodifMissWyliewouldcomeandplaywithhim,aproposalwhichprovokedfromhisjealousmotheraboxontheearthatsenthimhowlingtohiscot。Thenshelefttheroom,pausingonthethresholdtoremarkthatifsheheardanothersoundfromthemthatday,theymightexpecttheworstfromher。
