Theremarkwassosingularlyatvariancewithallshehadledhimtoexpectfromher，thatStrumolowskistretchedouthishandandtookacigarette。
\"Englandneverwantsanidealist，\"hesaid。
ButinJunesomethingprimitivelyEnglishwasthoroughlyupset;oldJolyon’ssenseofjusticehadrisen，asitwere，frombed。\"Youcomeandspongeonus，\"shesaid，\"andthenabuseus。Ifyouthinkthat’splayingthegame，Idon’t。\"
Shenowdiscoveredthatwhichothershaddiscoveredbeforeher——thethicknessofhidebeneathwhichthesensibilityofgeniusissometimesveiled。Strumolowski’syoungandingenuousfacebecametheincarnationofasneer。
\"Sponge，onedoesnotsponge，onetakeswhatisowing——atenthpartofwhatisowing。Youwillrepenttosaythat，MissForsyte。\"
\"Oh，no，\"saidJune，\"Ishan’t。\"
\"Ah！Weknowverywell，weartists——youtakeustogetwhatyoucanoutofus。Iwantnothingfromyou\"——andheblewoutacloudofJune’ssmoke。
Decisionroseinanicypufffromtheturmoilofinsultedshamewithinher。\"Verywell，then，youcantakeyourthingsaway。\"
And，almostinthesamemoment，shethought:’Poorboy！He’sonlygotagarret，andprobablynotataxifare。Infrontofthesepeople，too;it’spositivelydisgusting！’
YoungStrumolowskishookhisheadviolently;hishair，thick，smooth，closeasagoldenplate，didnotfalloff。
\"Icanliveonnothing，\"hesaidshrilly;\"IhaveoftenhadtoforthesakeofmyArt。Itisyoubourgeoiswhoforceustospendmoney。\"
ThewordshitJunelikeapebble，intheribs。AfterallshehaddoneforArt，allheridentificationwithitstroublesandlameducks。Shewasstrugglingforadequatewordswhenthedoorwasopened，andherAustrianmurmured:
\"Ayounglady，gnadigesFraulein。\"
\"Where？\"
\"Inthelittlemeal—room。\"
WithaglanceatBorisStrumolowski，atHannahHobdey，atJimmyPortugal，Junesaidnothing，andwentout，devoidofequanimity。
Enteringthe\"littlemeal—room，\"sheperceivedtheyoungladytobeFleur——lookingverypretty，ifpale。AtthisdisenchantedmomentalittlelameduckofherownbreedwaswelcometoJune，sohomoeopathicbyinstinct。
Thegirlmusthavecome，ofcourse，becauseofJon;or，ifnot，atleasttogetsomethingoutofher。AndJunefeltjustthenthattoassistsomebodywastheonlybearablething。
\"Soyou’verememberedtocome，\"shesaid。
\"Yes。Whatajollylittleduckofahouse！Butpleasedon’tletmebotheryou，ifyou’vegotpeople。\"
\"Notatall，\"saidJune。\"Iwanttoletthemstewintheirownjuiceforabit。HaveyoucomeaboutJon？\"
\"Yousaidyouthoughtweoughttobetold。Well，I’vefoundout。\"
\"Oh！\"saidJuneblankly。\"Notnice，isit？\"
TheywerestandingoneoneachsideofthelittlebaretableatwhichJunetookhermeals。AvaseonitwasfullofIcelandpoppies;thegirlraisedherhandandtouchedthemwithaglovedfinger。Tohernew—fangleddress，frillyaboutthehipsandtightbelowtheknees，Junetookasuddenliking——acharmingcolour，flax—blue。
’Shemakesapicture，’thoughtJune。Herlittleroom，withitswhitewashedwalls，itsfloorandhearthofoldpinkbrick，itsblackpaint，andlatticedwindowathwartwhichthelastofthesunlightwasshining，hadneverlookedsocharming，setoffbythisyoungfigure，withthecreamy，slightlyfrowningface。SherememberedwithsuddenvividnesshownicesheherselfhadlookedinthoseolddayswhenherheartwassetonPhilipBosinney，thatdeadlover，whohadbrokenfromhertodestroyforeverIrene’sallegiancetothisgirl’sfather。DidFleurknowofthat，too？
\"Well，\"shesaid，\"whatareyougoingtodo？\"
ItwassomesecondsbeforeFleuranswered。
\"Idon’twantJontosuffer。Imustseehimoncemoretoputanendtoit。\"
\"You’regoingtoputanendtoit！\"
\"Whatelseistheretodo？\"
ThegirlseemedtoJune，suddenly，intolerablyspiritless。
\"Isupposeyou’reright，\"shemuttered。\"Iknowmyfatherthinksso;
but——Ishouldneverhavedoneitmyself。Ican’ttakethingslyingdown。\"
Howpoisedandwatchfulthatgirllooked;howunemotionalhervoicesounded！
\"PeoplewillassumethatI’minlove。\"
\"Well，aren’tyou？\"
Fleurshruggedhershoulders。’Imighthaveknownit，’thoughtJune;
’she’sSoames’daughter——fish！Andyet——he！’
\"Whatdoyouwantmetodothen？\"shesaidwithasortofdisgust。
\"CouldIseeJonhereto—morrowonhiswaydowntoHolly’s？He’dcomeifyousenthimalineto—night。Andperhapsafterwardyou’dletthemknowquietlyatRobinHillthatit’sallover，andthattheyneedn’ttellJonabouthismother。\"
\"Allright！\"saidJuneabruptly。\"I’llwritenow，andyoucanpostit。Half—pasttwotomorrow。Ishan’tbein，myself。\"
Shesatdownatthetinybureauwhichfilledonecorner。WhenshelookedroundwiththefinishednoteFleurwasstilltouchingthepoppieswithherglovedfinger。
Junelickedastamp。\"Well，hereitis。Ifyou’renotinlove，ofcourse，there’snomoretobesaid。Jon’slucky。\"
Fleurtookthenote。\"Thanksawfully！\"
’Cold—bloodedlittlebaggage！’thoughtJune。Jon，sonofherfather，tolove，andnottobelovedbythedaughterof——Soames！Itwashumiliating！
\"Isthatall？\"
Fleurnodded;herfrillsshookandtrembledassheswayedtowardthedoor。
\"Good—bye！\"
\"Good—bye！……Littlepieceoffashion！\"mutteredJune，closingthedoor。\"Thatfamily！\"Andshemarchedbacktowardherstudio。BorisStrumolowskihadregainedhisChrist—likesilenceandJimmyPortugalwasdamningeverybody，exceptthegroupinwhosebehalfherantheNeo—Artist。AmongthecondemnedwereEricCobbley，andseveralother\"lame—duck\"geniiwhoatonetimeoranotherhadheldfirstplaceintherepertoireofJune’saidandadoration。Sheexperiencedasenseoffutilityanddisgust，andwenttothewindowtolettheriver—windblowthosesqueakywordsaway。
ButwhenatlengthJimmyPortugalhadfinished，andgonewithHannahHobdey，shesatdownandmotheredyoungStrumolowskiforhalfanhour，promisinghimamonth，atleast，oftheAmericanstream;sothathewentawaywithhishaloinperfectorder。’Inspiteofall，’
Junethought，’Borisiswonderful’
VIII
THEBITBETWEENTHETEETH
Toknowthatyourhandisagainsteveryone’sis——forsomenatures——
toexperienceasenseofmoralrelease。FleurfeltnoremorsewhensheleftJune’shouse。Readingcondemnatoryresentmentinherlittlekinswoman’sblueeyes—shewasgladthatshehadfooledher，despisingJunebecausethatelderlyidealisthadnotseenwhatshewasafter。
Endit，forsooth！Shewouldsoonshowthemallthatshewasonlyjustbeginning。AndshesmiledtoherselfonthetopofthebuswhichcarriedherbacktoMayfair。Butthesmiledied，squeezedoutbyspasmsofanticipationandanxiety。WouldshebeabletomanageJon？Shehadtakenthebitbetweenherteeth，butcouldshemakehimtakeittoo？Sheknewthetruthandtherealdangerofdelay——heknewneither;thereinlayallthedifferenceintheworld。
’SupposeItellhim，’shethought;’wouldn’titreallybesafer？’
Thishideousluckhadnorighttospoiltheirlove;hemustseethat！
Theycouldnotletit！Peoplealwaysacceptedanaccomplishedfactintime！Fromthatpieceofphilosophy——profoundenoughatherage——
shepassedtoanotherconsiderationlessphilosophic。IfshepersuadedJontoaquickandsecretmarriage，andhefoundoutafterwardthatshehadknownthetruth。Whatthen？Jonhatedsubterfuge。Again，then，woulditnotbebettertotellhim？Butthememoryofhismother’sfacekeptintrudingonthatimpulse。
Fleurwasafraid。Hismotherhadpoweroverhim;morepowerperhapsthansheherself。Whocouldtell？Itwastoogreatarisk。Deep—
sunkintheseinstinctivecalculationsshewascarriedonpastGreenStreetasfarastheRitzHotel。Shegotdownthere，andwalkedbackontheGreenParkside。Thestormhadwashedeverytree;theystilldripped。Heavydropsfellontoherfrills，andtoavoidthemshecrossedoverundertheeyesoftheIseeumClub。ChancingtolookupshesawMonsieurProfondwithatallstoutmaninthebaywindow。
TurningintoGreenStreetsheheardhernamecalled，andsaw\"thatprowler\"comingup。Hetookoffhishat——aglossy\"bowler\"suchassheparticularlydetested。
\"Goodevenin’！MissForsyde。Isn’tthereasmallthingIcandoforyou？\"
\"Yes，passbyontheotherside。\"
\"Isay！Whydoyoudislikeme？\"
\"DoI？\"
\"Itlookslikeit。\"
\"Well，then，becauseyoumakemefeellifeisn’tworthliving。\"
MonsieurProfondsmiled。
\"Lookhere，MissForsyde，don’tworry。It’llbeallright。Nothinglasts。\"
\"Thingsdolast，\"criedFleur;\"withmeanyhow——especiallylikesanddislikes。\"
\"Well，thatmakesmeabitun’appy。\"
\"Ishouldhavethoughtnothingcouldevermakeyouhappyorunhappy。\"
\"Idon’tliketoannoyotherpeople。I’mgoin’onmyyacht。\"
Fleurlookedathim，startled。
\"Where？\"
\"SmallvoyagetotheSouthSeasorsomewhere，\"saidMonsieurProfond。
Fleursufferedreliefandasenseofinsult。Clearlyhemeanttoconveythathewasbreakingwithhermother。Howdaredhehaveanythingtobreak，andyethowdaredhebreakit？
\"Good—night，MissForsyde！RemembermetoMrs。Dartie。I’mnotsobadreally。Good—night！\"Fleurlefthimstandingtherewithhishatraised。Stealingalookround，shesawhimstroll——immaculateandheavy——backtowardhisClub。
’Hecan’tevenlovewithconviction，’shethought。’WhatwillMotherdo？’
Herdreamsthatnightwereendlessanduneasy;sheroseheavyandunrested，andwentatoncetothestudyofWhitaker’sAlmanac。A
Forsyteisinstinctivelyawarethatfactsaretherealcruxofanysituation。ShemightconquerJon’sprejudice，butwithoutexactmachinerytocompletetheirdesperateresolve，nothingwouldhappen。
>Fromtheinvaluabletomeshelearnedthattheymusteachbetwenty—
one;orsomeone’sconsentwouldbenecessary，whichofcoursewasunobtainable;thenshebecamelostindirectionsconcerninglicenses，certificates，notices，districts，comingfinallytotheword\"perjury。\"Butthatwasnonsense！Whowouldreallymindtheirgivingwrongagesinordertobemarriedforlove！Sheatehardlyanybreakfast，andwentbacktoWhitaker。Themoreshestudiedthelesssureshebecame;till，idlyturningthepages，shecametoScotland。Peoplecouldbemarriedtherewithoutanyofthisnonsense。Shehadonlytogoandstaytheretwenty—onedays，thenJoncouldcome，andinfrontoftwopeopletheycoulddeclarethemselvesmarried。Andwhatwasmore——theywouldbe！Itwasfarthebestway;andatoncesheranoverherschoolfellows。TherewasMaryLambewholivedinEdinburghandwas\"quiteasport！\"
Shehadabrothertoo。ShecouldstaywithMaryLambe，whowithherbrotherwouldserveforwitnesses。Shewellknewthatsomegirlswouldthinkallthisunnecessary，andthatallsheandJonneeddowastogoawaytogetherforaweekendandthensaytotheirpeople:
\"WearemarriedbyNature，wemustnowbemarriedbyLaw。\"ButFleurwasForsyteenoughtofeelsuchaproceedingdubious，andtodreadherfather’sfacewhenheheardofit。Besides，shedidnotbelievethatJonwoulddoit;hehadanopinionofhersuchasshecouldnotbeartodiminish。No！MaryLambewaspreferable，anditwasjustthetimeofyeartogotoScotland。Moreateasenowshepacked，avoidedheraunt，andtookabustoChiswick。Shewastooearly，andwentontoKewGardens。Shefoundnopeaceamongitsflower—beds，labelledtrees，andbroadgreenspaces，andhavinglunchedoffanchovy—pastesandwichesandcoffee，returnedtoChiswickandrangJune’sbell。TheAustrianadmittedhertothe\"littlemeal—room。\"
NowthatsheknewwhatsheandJonwereupagainst，herlongingforhimhadincreasedtenfold，asifhewereatoywithsharpedgesordangerouspaintsuchastheyhadtriedtotakefromherasachild。
Ifshecouldnothaveherway，andgetJonforgoodandall，shefeltlikedyingofprivation。Byhookorcrookshemustandwouldgethim！Arounddimmirrorofveryoldglasshungoverthepinkbrickhearth。Shestoodlookingatherselfreflectedinit，pale，andratherdarkundertheeyes;littleshudderskeptpassingthroughhernerves。Thensheheardthebellring，and，stealingtothewindow，sawhimstandingonthedoorstepsmoothinghishairandlips，asifhetooweretryingtosubduetheflutteringofhisnerves。
Shewassittingononeofthetworush—seatedchairs，withherbacktothedoor，whenhecamein，andshesaidatonce\"Sitdown，Jon，Iwanttotalkseriously。\"
Jonsatonthetablebyherside，andwithoutlookingathimshewenton:
\"Ifyoudon’twanttoloseme，wemustgetmarried。\"
Jongasped。
\"Why？Isthereanythingnew？\"
\"No，butIfeltitatRobinHill，andamongmypeople。\"
\"But——\"stammeredJon，\"atRobinHill——itwasallsmooth——andthey’vesaidnothingtome。\"
\"Buttheymeantostopus。Yourmother’sfacewasenough。Andmyfather’s。\"
\"Haveyouseenhimsince？\"
Fleurnodded。Whatmatteredafewsupplementarylies？
\"But，\"saidJoneagerly，\"Ican’tseehowtheycanfeellikethatafteralltheseyears。\"
Fleurlookedupathim。
\"Perhapsyoudon’tlovemeenough。\"
\"Notloveyouenough！Why——！\"
\"Thenmakesureofme。\"
\"Withouttellingthem？\"
\"Nottillafter。\"
Jonwassilent。Howmucholderhelookedthanonthatday，barelytwomonthsago，whenshefirstsawhim——quitetwoyearsolder！
\"ItwouldhurtMotherawfully，\"hesaid。
Fleurdrewherhandaway。
\"You’vegottochoose。\"
Jonslidoffthetableontohisknees。
\"Butwhynottellthem？Theycan’treallystopus，Fleur！\"
\"Theycan！Itellyou，theycan。\"
\"How？\"
\"We’reutterlydependent——byputtingmoneypressure，andallsortsofotherpressure。I’mnotpatient，Jon。\"
\"Butit’sdeceivingthem。\"
Fleurgotup。
\"Youcan’treallyloveme，oryouwouldn’thesitate。’Heeitherfearshisfatetoomuch！’\"
Liftinghishandstoherwaist，Jonforcedhertositdownagain。
Shehurriedon:
\"I’veplanneditallout。We’veonlytogotoScotland。Whenwe’remarriedthey’llsooncomeround。Peoplealwayscomeroundtofacts。
Don’tyousee，Jon？\"
\"Buttohurtthemsoawfully！\"
Sohewouldratherhurtherthanthosepeopleofhis！\"Allright，then;letmego！\"
Jongotupandputhisbackagainstthedoor。
\"Iexpectyou’reright，\"hesaidslowly;\"butIwanttothinkitover。\"
Shecouldseethathewasseethingwithfeelingshewantedtoexpress;butshedidnotmeantohelphim。Shehatedherselfatthismomentandalmosthatedhim。Whyhadshetodoalltheworktosecuretheirlove？Itwasn’tfair。Andthenshesawhiseyes，adoringanddistressed。
\"Don’tlooklikethat！Ionlydon’twanttoloseyou，Jon。\"
\"Youcan’tlosemesolongasyouwantme。\"
\"Oh，yes，Ican。\"
Jonputhishandsonhershoulders。
\"Fleur，doyouknowanythingyouhaven’ttoldme？\"
Itwasthepoint—blankquestionshehaddreaded。Shelookedstraightathim，andanswered:\"No。\"Shehadburntherboats;butwhatdiditmatter，ifshegothim？Hewouldforgiveher。Andthrowingherarmsroundhisneck，shekissedhimonthelips。Shewaswinning！Shefeltitinthebeatingofhisheartagainsther，intheclosingofhiseyes。\"Iwanttomakesure！Iwanttomakesure！\"shewhispered。\"Promise！\"
Jondidnotanswer。Hisfacehadthestillnessofextremetrouble。
Atlasthesaid:
\"It’slikehittingthem。Imustthinkalittle，Fleur。Ireallymust。\"
Fleurslippedoutofhisarms。
\"Oh！Verywell！\"Andsuddenlysheburstintotearsofdisappointment，shame，andoverstrain。Followedfiveminutesofacutemisery。Jon’sremorseandtendernessknewnobounds;buthedidnotpromise。
Despiteherwilltocry，\"Verywell，then，ifyoudon’tlovemeenough—goodbye！\"shedarednot。Frombirthaccustomedtoherownway，thischeckfromonesoyoung，sotender，sodevoted，baffledandsurprisedher。Shewantedtopushhimawayfromher，totrywhatangerandcoldnesswoulddo，andagainshedarednot。Theknowledgethatshewasschemingtorushhimblindfoldintotheirrevocableweakenedeverything——weakenedthesincerityofpique，andthesincerityofpassion;evenherkisseshadnotthelureshewishedforthem。Thatstormylittlemeetingendedinconclusively。
\"Willyousometea，gnadigesFraulein？\"
PushingJonfromher，shecriedout:
\"No—no，thankyou！I’mjustgoing。\"
Andbeforehecouldpreventhershewasgone。
Shewentstealthily，moppinghergushed，stainedcheeks，frightened，angry，verymiserable。ShehadstirredJonupsofearfully，yetnothingdefinitewaspromisedorarranged！Butthemoreuncertainandhazardousthefuture，themore\"thewilltohave\"workeditstentaclesintothefleshofherheart——likesomeburrowingtick！
NoonewasatGreenStreet。WinifredhadgonewithImogentoseeaplaywhichsomesaidwasallegorical，andothers\"veryexciting，don’tyouknow。\"ItwasbecauseofwhatotherssaidthatWinifredandImogenhadgone。FleurwentontoPaddington。Throughthecarriagetheairfromthebrick—kilnsofWestDraytonandthelatehayfieldsfannedherstillgushedcheeks。Flowershadseemedtobehadforthepicking;nowtheywereallthornedandprickled。Butthegoldenflowerwithinthecrownofspikesseemedtohertenaciousspiritallthefairerandmoredesirable。
IX
THEFATINTHEFIRE
OnreachinghomeFleurfoundanatmospheresopeculiarthatitpenetratedeventheperplexedauraofherownprivatelife。Hermotherwasinaccessiblyentrenchedinabrownstudy;herfathercontemplatingfateinthevinery。Neitherofthemhadawordtothrowtoadog。’Isitbecauseofme？’thoughtFleur。’OrbecauseofProfond？’Tohermothershesaid:
\"What’sthematterwithFather？\"
Hermotheransweredwithashrugofhershoulders。
Toherfather:
\"What’sthematterwithMother？\"
Herfatheranswered:
\"Matter？Whatshouldbethematter？\"andgaveherasharplook。
\"Bytheway，\"murmuredFleur，\"MonsieurProfondisgoinga’small’
voyageonhisyacht，totheSouthSeas。\"
Soamesexaminedabranchonwhichnograpesweregrowing。
\"Thisvine’safailure，\"hesaid。\"I’vehadyoungMonthere。Heaskedmesomethingaboutyou。\"
\"Oh！Howdoyoulikehim，Father？\"
\"He——he’saproduct——likealltheseyoungpeople。\"
\"Whatwereyouathisage，dear？\"
Soamessmiledgrimly。
\"Wewenttowork，anddidn’tplayabout——flyingandmotoring，andmakinglove。\"
\"Didn’tyouevermakelove？\"
Sheavoidedlookingathimwhileshesaidthat，butshesawhimwellenough。Hispalefacehadreddened，hiseyebrows，wheredarknesswasstillmingledwiththegrey，hadcomeclosetogether。
\"Ihadnotimeorinclinationtophilander。\"
\"Perhapsyouhadagrandpassion。\"
Soameslookedatherintently。
\"Yes——ifyouwanttoknow——andmuchgooditdidme。\"Hemovedaway，alongbythehot—waterpipes。Fleurtiptoedsilentlyafterhim。
\"Tellmeaboutit，Father！\"
Soamesbecameverystill。
\"Whatshouldyouwanttoknowaboutsuchthings，atyourage？\"
\"Isshealive？\"
Henodded。
\"Andmarried？\"Yes。\"
\"It’sJonForsyte’smother，isn’tit？Andshewasyourwifefirst。\"
Itwassaidinaflashofintuition。Surelyhisoppositioncamefromhisanxietythatsheshouldnotknowofthatoldwoundtohispride。
Butshewasstartled。Toseesomeonesooldandcalmwinceasifstruck，tohearsosharpanoteofpaininhisvoice！
\"Whotoldyouthat？Ifyouraunt！Ican’tbeartheaffairtalkedof。\"
\"But，darling，\"saidFleur，softly，\"it’ssolongago。\"
\"Longagoornot，I……\"
Fleurstoodstrokinghisarm。
\"I’vetriedtoforget，\"hesaidsuddenly;\"Idon’twishtobereminded。\"Andthen，asifventingsomelongandsecretirritation，headded:\"Inthesedayspeopledon’tunderstand。Grandpassion，indeed！Nooneknowswhatitis。\"
\"Ido，\"saidFleur，almostinawhisper。
Soames，whohadturnedhisbackonher，spunround。
\"Whatareyoutalkingof——achildlikeyou！\"
\"PerhapsI’veinheritedit，Father。\"
\"What？\"
\"Forherson，yousee。\"
Hewaspaleasasheet，andsheknewthatshewasasbad。Theystoodstaringateachotherinthesteamyheat，redolentofthemushyscentofearth，ofpottedgeranium，andofvinescomingalongfast。
\"Thisiscrazy，\"saidSoamesatlast，betweendrylips。
Scarcelymovingherown，shemurmured:
\"Don’tbeangry，Father。Ican’thelpit。\"
Butshecouldseehewasn’tangry;onlyscared，deeplyscared。
\"Ithoughtthatfoolishness，\"hestammered，\"wasallforgotten。\"
\"Oh，no！It’stentimeswhatitwas。\"
Soameskickedatthehot—waterpipe。Thehaplessmovementtouchedher，whohadnofearofherfather——none。
\"Dearest！\"shesaid。\"Whatmustbe，must，youknow。\"
\"Must！\"repeatedSoames。\"Youdon’tknowwhatyou’retalkingof。
Hasthatboybeentold？\"
Thebloodrushedintohercheeks。
\"Notyet。\"
Hehadturnedfromheragain，and，withoneshoulderalittleraised，stoodstaringfixedlyatajointinthepipes。
\"It’smostdistastefultome，\"hesaidsuddenly;\"nothingcouldbemoreso。Sonofthatfellow！It’s——it’s——perverse！\"
Shehadnoted，almostunconsciously，thathedidnotsay\"sonofthatwoman，\"andagainherintuitionbeganworking。
Didtheghostofthatgrandpassionlingerinsomecornerofhisheart？
Sheslippedherhandunderhisarm。
\"Jon’sfatherisquiteillandold;Isawhim。\"
\"You——？\"
\"Yes，IwenttherewithJon;Isawthemboth。\"
\"Well，andwhatdidtheysaytoyou？\"
\"Nothing。Theywereverypolite。\"
\"Theywouldbe。\"Heresumedhiscontemplationofthepipe—joint，andthensaidsuddenly:
\"Imustthinkthisover——I’llspeaktoyouagainto—night。\"
Sheknewthiswasfinalforthemoment，andstoleaway，leavinghimstilllookingatthepipe—joint。Shewanderedintothefruit—garden，amongtheraspberryandcurrantbushes，withoutimpetustopickandeat。Twomonthsago——shewaslight—hearted！Eventwodaysago——
light—hearted，beforeProsperProfondtoldher。Nowshefelttangledinaweb—ofpassions，vestedrights，oppressionsandrevolts，thetiesofloveandhate。Atthisdarkmomentofdiscouragementthereseemed，eventoherhold—fastnature，nowayout。Howdealwithit——
howswayandbendthingstoherwill，andgetherheart’sdesire？
And，suddenly，roundthecornerofthehighboxhedge，shecameplumponhermother，walkingswiftly，withanopenletterinherhand。Herbosomwasheaving，hereyesdilated，hercheeksflushed。InstantlyFleurthought:’Theyacht！PoorMother！’
Annettegaveherawidestartledlook，andsaid:
\"J’ailamigraine。\"
\"I’mawfullysorry，Mother。\"
\"Oh，yes！youandyourfather——sorry！\"
\"But，Mother——Iam。Iknowwhatitfeelslike。\"
Annette’sstartledeyesgrewwide，tillthewhitesshowedabovethem。
\"Poorinnocent！\"shesaid。
Hermother——soself—possessed，andcommonsensical——tolookandspeaklikethis！Itwasallfrightening！Herfather，hermother，herself！
Andonlytwomonthsbacktheyhadseemedtohaveeverythingtheywantedinthisworld。
Annettecrumpledtheletterinherhand。Fleurknewthatshemustignorethesight。
\"Can’tIdoanythingforyourhead，Mother？\"
Annetteshookthatheadandwalkedon，swayingherhips。
’It’scruel，’thoughtFleur，’andIwasglad！Thatman！Whatdomencomeprowlingfor，disturbingeverything！Isupposehe’stiredofher。Whatbusinesshashetobetiredofmymother？Whatbusiness！’
Andatthatthought，sonaturalandsopeculiar，sheutteredalittlechokedlaugh。
Sheought，ofcourse，tobedelighted，butwhatwastheretobedelightedat？Herfatherdidn’treallycare！Hermotherdid，perhaps？Sheenteredtheorchard，andsatdownunderacherry—tree。
