Stoopingandfumblingonthefloor,hepickeduphishat。Christianhadalreadyvanished;thesoundofherhurryingfootstepswasdistinctlyaudibleatthetopofthedarkstairs。HerrPaulstoodstillaminute。
\"Looktoyourself,mydearfriend!\"hesaidinathickvoice,gropingforthewall。Plantinghishataskewonhishead,hebeganslowlytodescendthestairs。
XV
NicholasTreffrysatreadingthepaperinhisroombythelightofalampwithagreenshade;onhissoundfoottheterrierScruffwasasleepandsnoringlightly——thedoghabituallycamedownwhenGretawasinbed,andremainedtillMr。Treffry,alwaysthelatestmemberofthehousehold,retiredtorest。
Throughthelongwindowalittleriveroflightshoneoutontheverandatiles,and,flowingpast,cutthegardenintwo。
Therewasthesoundofhurriedfootsteps,arustlingofdraperies;
Christian,runningthroughthewindow,stoodbeforehim。
Mr。Treffrydroppedhispaper,suchafuryofpassionandalarmshoneinthegirl’seyes。
\"Chris!Whatisit?\"
\"Hateful!\"
\"Chris!\"
\"Oh!Uncle!He’sinsulted,threatened!AndIlovehislittlefingermorethanallthe,world!\"
Herpassionatevoicetrembled,hereyeswereshining。
Mr。Treffry’sprofounddiscomfortfoundventinthegruffwords:\"Sitdown!\"
\"I’llneverspeaktoFatheragain!Oh!Uncle!Ilovehim!\"
Quietintheextremityofhisdisturbance,Mr。Treffryleanedforwardinhischair,restedhisbighandsonitsarms,andstaredather。
Chris!Herewasawomanhedidnotknow!Hislipsmovedundertheheavydroopofhismoustache。Thegirl’sfacehadsuddenlygrownwhite。Shesankdownonherknees,andlaidhercheekagainsthishand。Hefeltitwet;andalumproseinhisthroat。Drawinghishandaway,hestaredatit,andwipeditwithhissleeve。
\"Don’tcry!\"hesaid。
Sheseizeditagainandclungtoit;thatclutchseemedtofillhimwithsuddenrage。
\"What’sthematter?HowthedevilcanIdoanythingifyoudon’ttellme?\"
Shelookedupathim。Thedistressofthelastdays,thepassionandfearofthelasthour,thetideofthatnewlifeofthespiritandtheflesh,stirringwithinher,flowedoutinastreamofwords。
Whenshehadfinished,therewassodeadasilencethattheflutteringofamothroundthelampcouldbeheardplainly。
Mr。Treffryraisedhimself,crossedtheroom,andtouchedthebell。
\"Tellthegroom,\"hesaidtoDominique,\"toputthehorsesto,andhave’emroundatonce;bringmyoldboots;wedriveallnight……\"
Hisbentfigurelookedhuge,bodyandlegsoutlinedbylight,headandshoulderstoweringintoshadow。\"Heshallhavearunforhismoney!\"hesaid。Hiseyesstareddownsombrelyathisniece。\"It’smorethanhedeserves!——it’smorethanyoudeserve,Chris。Sitdownthereandwritetohim;tellhimtoputhimselfentirelyinmyhands。\"Heturnedhisbackonher,andwentintohisbedroom。
Christianrose,andsatdownatthewriting—table。Awhisperstartledher。ItcamefromDominique,whowasholdingoutapairofboots。
\"M’mselleChris,whatisthis?——torunaboutallnight?\"ButChristiandidnotanswer。
\"M’mselleChris,areyouill?\"Thenseeingherface,heslippedawayagain。
Shefinishedherletterandwentouttothecarriage。Mr。Treffrywasseatedunderthehood。
\"Shan’twantyou,\"hecalledouttothegroom,\"Getup,Dominique。\"
Christianthrustherletterintohishand。\"Givehimthat,\"shesaid,clingingtohisarmwithsuddenterror。\"Oh!Uncle!dotakecare!\"
\"Chris,ifIdothisforyou——\"Theylookedwistfullyatoneanother。Then,shakinghishead,Mr。Treffrygatheredupthereins。
\"Don’tfret,mydear,don’tfret!Whoa,mare!\"
Thecarriagewithajerkplungedforwardintodarkness,curvedwithacrunchofwheels,andvanished,swingingbetweentheblacktreepillarsattheentrance……
Christianstood,strainingtocatchthefailingsoundofthehoofs。
Downthepassagecameaflutterofwhitegarments;softlimbsweretwinedabouther,someendsofhairfellonherface。
\"Whatisit,Chris?Wherehaveyoubeen?WhereisUncleNicgoing?
Tellme!\"
Christiantoreherselfaway。\"Idon’tknow,\"shecried,\"Iknownothing!\"
Gretastrokedherface。\"PoorChris!\"shemurmured。Herbarefeetgleamed,herhairshonegoldagainsthernightdress。\"Cometobed,poorChris!\"
Christianlaughed。\"Youlittlewhitemoth!FeelhowhotIam!
You’llburnyourwings!\"
Harzhadlaindown,fullydressed。Hewasnolongerangry,butfeltthathewouldratherdiethanyield。Presentlyheheardfootstepscomingupthestairs。
\"M’sieu!\"
ItwasthevoiceofDominique,whoseface,illuminedbyamatch,woreanexpressionofironicaldisgust。
\"Mymaster,\"hesaid,\"makesyouhiscompliments;hesaysthereisnotimetowaste。Youaretopleasecomeanddrivewithhim!\"
\"Yourmasterisverykind。TellhimI’minbed。\"
\"Ah,M’sieu,\"saidDominique,grimacing,\"Imustnotgobackwithsuchananswer。Ifyouwouldnotcome,Iwastogiveyouthis。\"
HarzbrokethesealandreadChristian’sletter。
\"Iwillcome,\"hesaid。
Aclockwasstrikingastheywentoutthroughthegate。FromwithinthedarkcaveofthephaetonhoodMr。Treffrysaidgruffly:\"Comealong,sir!\"
Harzflunghisknapsackin,andfollowed。
Hiscompanion’sfigureswayed,thewhiplashslidsoftlyalongtheflankoftheoffhorse,and,asthecarriagerattledforward,Mr。
Treffrycalledout,asifbyafterthought:\"Hallo,Dominique!\"
Dominque’svoice,shakenandironical,answeredfrombehind:\"M’
v’la,M’sieu!\"
Inthelongstreetofsilenthouses,mensittinginthelightedcafesturnedwithglassesattheirlipstostareafterthecarriage。Thenarrowriveroftheskyspreadsuddenlytoavast,limpidoceantremulouswithstars。TheyhadturnedintotheroadforItaly。
Mr。Treffrytookapullathishorses。\"Whoa,mare!Doggeddoesit!\"
andthenearhorse,throwingupherhead,whinnied;afleckoffoamdriftedintoHarz’sface。
Thepainterhadcomeonimpulse;becauseChristianhadtoldhimto,notofhisownfreewill。Hewasangrywithhimself,woundedinself—esteem,forhavingallowedanyonetorenderhimthisservice。
Thesmoothswiftmovementthroughvelvetblacknesssplashedoneitherhandwiththeflyinglamp—light;thestrongsweetairblowinginhisface—airthathadkissedthetopsofmountainsandstolentheirspirit;thesnortandsnuffleofthehorses,andcrisprattlingoftheirhoofs——allthissoonrousedinhimanotherfeeling。HelookedatMr。Treffry’sprofile,withitstuftedchin;atthegreyroadadventuringindarkness;atthepurplemassofmountainspiledaboveit。Allseemedutterlyunreal。
Asifsuddenlyawarethathehadaneighbour,Mr。Treffryturnedhishead。\"Weshalldobetterthanthispresently,\"hesaid,\"bitofaslopecoming。Haven’thad’emoutforthreedays。Whoa—mare!
Steady!\"
\"Whyareyoutakingthistroubleforme?\"askedHarz。
\"I’manoldchap,Mr。Harz,andanoldchapmaydoastupidthingonceinawhile!\"
\"Youareverygood,\"saidHarz,\"butIwantnofavours。\"
Mr。Treffrystaredathim。
\"Justso,\"hesaiddrily,\"butyouseethere’smyniecetobethoughtof。Lookhere!We’renotatthefrontieryet,Mr。Harz,byfortymiles;it’slongoddswedon’tgetthere——so,don’tspoilsport!\"Hepointedtotheleft。
Harzcaughttheglintofsteel。Theywerealreadycrossingtherailway。Thesighofthetelegraphwiresflutteredabovethem。
\"Hear’em,\"saidMr。Treffry,\"butifwegetawayupthemountains,we’lldoyet!\"Theyhadbeguntorise,thespeedslackened。Mr。
Treffryrummagedoutaflask。
\"Notbadstuff,Mr。Harz——tryit。Youwon’t?Mother’smilk!Finenight,eh?\"Belowthemthevalleywaslitbywebsofmilkymistliketheglimmerofdewongrass。
Thesetwomensittingsidebyside——unlikeinface,age,stature,thought,andlife——begantofeeldrawntowardseachother,asif,intherollingofthewheels,thesnortingofthehorses,thehugedarkspace,thehugeuncertainty,theyhadfoundsomethingtheycouldenjoyincommon。The,steamfromthehorses’flanksandnostrilsenvelopedthemwithanodourasofglue。
\"Yousmoke,Mr。Harz?\"
Harztooktheprofferedweed,andlighteditfromtheglowingtipofMr。Treffry’scigar,bylightofwhichhisheadandhatlookedlikesomegiantmushroom。Suddenlythewheelsjoltedonarubbleofloosestones;thecarriagewasswungsideways。Thescaredhorses,strainingasunder,leapedforward,andspeddownwards,inthedarkness。
Pastrocks,trees,dwellings,pastalightedhousethatgleamedandvanished。Withaclinkandclatter,aflirtofdustandpebbles,andthesidelampsthrowingoutafriskyorangeblink,thecarriagedasheddown,sinkingandrisinglikeaboatcrossingbillows。Theworldseemedtorockandsway;todanceup,andbeflungflatagain。
Onlythestarsstoodstill。
Mr。Treffry,puttingonthebrake,mutteredapologetically:\"Alittleouto’hand!\"
Suddenlywithaheadlongdive,thecarriageswayedasifitwouldflyinpieces,slitheredalong,andwithajerksteadieditself。Harzliftedhisvoiceinashoutofpureexcitement。Mr。Treffryletoutashortshakyhowl,andfrombehindthereroseawail。Butthehillwasoverandthestartledhorseswerecanteringwithafree,smoothmotion。Mr。TreffryandHarzlookedateachother。
XVII
Mr。Treffrysaidwithasortoflaugh:\"Neargo,eh?Youdrive?No?
That’sapity!Brokenmostofmybonesatthegame——nothinglikeit!\"Eachfeltakindofadmirationfortheotherthathehadnotfeltbefore。PresentlyMr。Treffrybegan:\"Lookhere,Mr。Harz,mynieceisaslipofathing,withallayounggirl’snotions!Whathaveyougottogiveher,eh?Yourself?That’ssurelynotenough;
mindthis——sixmonthsaftermarriageweallturnoutmuchthesame——aselfishlot!Nottomentionthisanarchistaffair!
You’renotofherblood,norofherwayoflife,noranything——it’stakingchances——and——\"hishandcamedownontheyoungman’sknee,\"I’mfondofher,yousee。\"
\"Ifyouwereinmyplace,\"saidHarz,\"wouldyougiveherup?\"
Mr。Treffrygroaned。\"Lordknows!\"
\"Menhavemadethemselvesbeforenow。Forthosewhodon’tbelieveinfailure,there’snosuchthing。Supposeshedoessufferalittle?
Willitdoheranyharm?Fairweatherloveisnogood。\"
Mr。Treffrysighed。
\"Bravewords,sir!You’llpardonmeifI’mtoooldtounderstand’emwhenthey’reusedaboutmyniece。\"
Hepulledthehorsesup,andpeeredintothedarkness。\"We’regoingthroughthisbitquietly;iftheylosetrackofusheresomuchthebetter。Dominique!putoutthelamps。Soho,mybeauties!\"Thehorsespacedforwardatawalkthemuffledbeatoftheirhoofsinthedusthardlybrokethehush。Mr。Treffrypointedtotheleft:\"It’llbeanotherthirty—fivemilestothefrontier。\"
Theypassedthewhitewashedhouses,andvillagechurchwithitssentinelcypress—trees。Afrogwascroakinginarunlet;therewasafaintspicyscentoflemons。Butnothingstirred。
Itwaswoodnowoneitherside,thehighpines,breathingtheirfragranceoutintothedarkness,and,likeghostsamongstthem,thesilverstemsofbirch—trees。
Mr。Treffrysaidgruffly:\"Youwon’tgiveherup?Herhappinessmeansalottome。\"
\"Toyou!\"saidHarz:\"tohim!AndIamnothing!DoyouthinkI
don’tcareforherhappiness?Isitacrimeformetoloveher?\"
\"Almost,Mr。Harz——considering……\"
\"ConsideringthatI’venomoney!Alwaysmoney!\"
TothissneerMr。Treffrymadenoanswer,cluckingtohishorses。
\"Myniecewasbornandbredalady,\"hesaidatlast。\"IaskyouplainlyWhatpositionhaveyougottogiveher?\"
\"Ifshemarriesme,\"saidHarz,\"shecomesintomyworld。YouthinkthatI’macommon……\"
Mr。Treffryshookhishead:\"Answermyquestion,youngman。\"
Butthepainterdidnotanswerit,andsilencefell。
Alightbreezehadsprungup;thewhisperinginthetrees,therollingofthewheelsinthisnightprogress,thepine—druggedair,sentHarztosleep。Whenhewokeitwastothesametune,variedbyMr。Treffry’suneasysnoring;thereinswerehangingloose,and,peeringout,hesawDominiqueshufflingalongatthehorses’heads。
Hejoinedhim,and,oneoneachside,theyploddedupandup。Ahazehadbeguntobathethetrees,thestarsburntdim,theairwascolder。Mr。Treffrywokecoughing。Itwaslikesomelongnightmare,thisinterminableexperienceofmuffledsoundsandshapes,ofperpetualmotion,conceived,andcarriedoutindarkness。Butsuddenlythedaybroke。Heraldedbythesnuffleofthehorses,lightbeganglimmeringoverachaosoflinesandshadows,paleasmother—
o’—pearl。Thestarsfaded,andinasmoulderingzigzagthedawnfledalongthemountaintops,flingingoutlittleislesofcloud。Fromalake,curledinahollowlikeapatchofsmoke,camethecryofawater—bird。Acuckoostartedasoftmocking;andclosetothecarriagealarkflewup。Beastsandmenalikestoodstill,drinkingintheair—sweetwithsnowsanddew,andvibratingfaintlywiththerunningofthewaterandtherustlingoftheleaves。
ThenighthadplayedsadtrickswithMr。NicholasTreffry;hishatwasgreywithdust;hischeeksbrownish—purple,therewereheavypouchesbeneathhiseyes,whichstaredpainfully。
\"We’llcallahalt,\"hesaid,\"andgivethegeestheirgrub,poorthings。Canyoufindsomewater,Mr。Harz?There’sarubberbucketinbehind。
Can’tgetaboutmyselfthismorning;makethatlazyfellowofminestirhisstumps。\"
Harzsawthathehaddrawnoffoneofhisboots,andstretchedthefootoutonacushion。
\"You’renotfittogofarther,\"hesaid;\"you’reill。\"
\"Ill!\"repliedMr。Treffry;\"notabitofit!\"
Harzlookedathim,thencatchingupthebucket,madeoffinsearchofwater。Whenhecamebackthehorseswerefeedingfromanindia—
rubbertroughslungtothepole;theystretchedtheirheadstowardsthebucket,pushingasideeachother’snoses。
Theflameintheeasthaddied,butthetopsofthelarcheswerebathedinagentleradiance;andthepeaksaheadwerelikeamber。
Everywherewerethreadsofwater,threadsofsnow,andlittlethreadsofdewygreen,glisteninglikegossamer。
Mr。Treffrycalledout:\"Givemeyourarm,Mr。Harz;I’dliketoshakethereefsoutofme。Whenonecomestostandoverattheknees,it’snosucheasymatter,eh?\"Hegroanedasheputhisfootdown,andgrippedtheyoungman’sshoulderasinavise。Presentlyheloweredhimselfontoastone。
\"’Allovernow!’asChriswouldsaywhenshewaslittle;nastytempershehadtoo——kickandscreamonthefloor!Neverlastedlongthough……’Kissher!takeherup!showherthepictures!’AmazingfondofpicturesChriswas!\"HelookeddubiouslyatHarz;thentookalongpullathisflask。\"Whatwouldthedoctorsay?Whiskyatfourinthemorning!Well!ThanktheLordDoctorsaren’talwayswithus。\"Sittingonthestone,withonehandpressedagainsthisside,andtheothertiltinguptheflask,hewasgreyfromheadtofoot。
Harzhaddroppedontoanotherstone。He,too,waswornoutbytheexcitementandfatigue,comingsosoonafterhisillness。Hisheadwaswhirling,andthenextthingherememberedwasatreewalkingathim,turninground,yellowfromtherootsup;everythingseemedyellow,evenhisownfeet。Somebodyoppositetohimwasjumpingupanddown,agreybear——withahat——Mr。Treffry!Hecried:\"Ha—
alloo!\"Andthefigureseemedtofallanddisappear……
WhenHarzcametohimselfahandwaspouringliquorintohismouth,andawetclothwasmuffledroundhisbrows;anoiseofhummingandhoofsseemedfamiliar。Mr。Treffryloomedupalongside,smokingacigar;hewasmuttering:\"Alowtrick,Paul——bitofmymind!\"Then,asifacurtainhadbeensnatchedaside,thevisionbeforeHarzclearedagain。Thecarriagewaswindingbetweenuneven,black—eavedhouses,pastdoorwaysfromwhichgoatsandcowswerecomingout,withbellsontheirnecks。Black—eyedboys,andhereandthereadrowsymanwithalong,cherry—stemmedpipebetwenhisteeth,stoodasidetostare。
Mr。Treffryseemedtohavetakenanewleaseofstrength;likeanangryolddog,hestaredfromsidetoside。\"Mybone!\"heseemedtosay:\"let’sseewho’sgoingtotouchit!\"
Thelasthousevanished,glowingintheearlysunshine,andthecarriagewithitstrailofdustbecameentombedoncemoreinthegloomoftalltrees,alongaroadthatcleftawildernessofmossgrownrocks,anddewystems,throughwhichthesunhadnotyetdrivenpaths。
Dominiquecameroundtothem,bearingappearanceofonewhohasseenbetterdays,andapotofcoffeebrewedonaspiritlamp。Breakfast——hesaid——wasserved!
Theearsofthehorsesweretwitchingwithfatigue。Mr。Treffrysaidsadly:\"IfIcanseethisthrough,youcan。Geton,mybeauties!\"
Assoonasthesunstruckthroughthetrees,Mr。Treffry’sstrengthebbedagain。Heseemedtosuffergreatly;butdidnotcomplain。
Theyhadreachedthepassatlast,andtheuncheckedsunlightwasstreamingdownwithablindingglare。
\"Jumpup!\"Mr。Treffrycriedout。\"We’llmakeafinishofit!\"andhegavethereinsajerk。Thehorsesflunguptheirheads,andthebleakpasswithitscirclingcrownofjaggedpeakssoonslippedaway。
Betweenthehousesontheverytop,theypassedataslowtrot;andsoonbeganslantingdowntheotherside。Mr。Treffrybroughtthemtoahaltwhereamuletrackjoinedtheroad。
\"That’sallIcandoforyou;you’dbetterleavemehere,\"hesaid。
\"Keepthistrackdowntotheriver——gosouth——you’llbeinItalyinacoupleofhours。GetrailatFeltre。Money?Yes?Well!\"Heheldouthishand;Harzgrippedit。
\"Giveherup,eh?\"
Harzshookhishead。
\"No?Thenit’s’pulldevil,pullbaker,’betweenus。Good—bye,andgoodlucktoyou!\"Andmusteringhisstrengthforalastattemptatdignity,Mr。Treffrygatheredupthereins。
Harzwatchedhisfigurehuddledagainbeneaththehood。Thecarriagemovedslowlyaway。
XVIII
AtVillaRubeinpeoplewentabout,avoidingeachotherasifdetectedinconspiracy。MissNaylor,whoforaninscrutablereasonhadputonherbestfrock,apurple,relievedatthechestwithbird’s—eyeblue,conveyedanimpressionoftryingtocountachickenwhichranabouttoofast。WhenGretaaskedwhatshehadlostshewasheardtomutter:\"Mr。——Needlecase。
Christian,withbigcirclesroundhereyes,satsilentatherlittletable。Shehadhadnosleep。HerrPaulcomingintotheroomaboutnoongaveherafurtivelookandwentoutagain;afterthishewenttohisbedroom,tookoffallhisclothes,flungthempassionatelyonebyoneintoafootbath,andgotintobed。
\"Imightbeacriminal!\"hemutteredtohimself,whilethebuttonsofhisgarmentsrattledonthebath。
\"AmIherfather?HaveIauthority?DoIknowtheworld?Bssss!I
mightbeafrog!\"
Mrs。Decie,havingcausedherselftobeannounced,foundhimsmokingacigar,andcountingthefliesontheceiling。
\"Ifyouhavereallydonethis,Paul,\"shesaidinarestrainedvoice,\"youhavedoneaveryunkindthing,andwhatisworse,youhavemadeusallridiculous。Butperhapsyouhavenotdoneit?\"
\"Ihavedoneit,\"criedHerrPaul,staringdreadfully:\"Ihavedoneit,Itellyou,Ihavedoneit——\"
\"Verywell,youhavedoneit——andwhy,pray?Whatconceivablegoodwasthereinit?IsupposeyouknowthatNicholashasdrivenhimtothefrontier?Nicholasisprobablymoredeadthanalivebythistime;youknowhisstateofhealth。\"
HerrPaul’sfingersplougheduphisbeard。
\"Nicholasismad——andthegirlismad!Leavemealone!Iwillnotbemadeangry;doyouunderstand?Iwillnotbeworried——Iamnotfitforit。\"Hisprominentbrowneyesstaredroundtheroom,asiflookingforawayofescape。
\"IfImayprophesy,youwillbeworriedagooddeal,\"saidMrs。Deciecoldly,\"beforeyouhavefinishedwiththisaffair。\"
Theanxious,uncertainglancewhichHerrPaulgaveheratthesewordsrousedanunwillingfeelingofcompunctioninher。
\"Youarenotmadefortheoutragedfatherofthefamily,\"shesaid。
\"Youhadbettergiveuptheattitude,Paul;itdoesnotsuityou。\"
HerrPaulgroaned。
\"Isupposeitisnotyourfault,\"sheadded。
Justthenthedoorwasopened,andFritz,withanairofsayingtherightthing,announced:
\"Agentlemanofthepolicetoseeyou,sir。\"
HerrPaulbounded。
\"Keephimout!\"hecried。
Mrs。Decie,coveringherlips,disappearedwitharustlingofsilk;
inherplacestoodastiffmaninblue……
Thusthemorningdraggeditselfawaywithoutanyonebeingabletosettletoanything,exceptHerrPaul,whowassettledinbed。Aswasfittinginahousethathadlostitssoul,mealswereneglected,evenbythedog。
Aboutthreeo’clockatelegramcameforChristian,containingthesewords:\"Allright;selfreturnsto—morrow。Treffry。\"Afterreadingitsheputonherhatandwentout,followedcloselybyGreta,who,whenshethoughtthatshewouldnotbesentaway,ranupfrombehindandpulledherbythesleeve。
\"Letmecome,Chris——Ishallnottalk。\"
Thetwogirlswalkedontogether。WhentheyhadgonesomedistanceChristiansaid:
\"I’mgoingtogethispictures,andtakechargeofthem!\"
\"Oh!\"saidGretatimidly。
\"Ifyouareafraid,\"saidChristian,\"youhadbettergobackhome。\"
\"Iamnotafraid,Chris,\"saidGretameekly。
Neithergirlspokeagaintilltheyhadtakenthepathalongthewall。
Overthetopsofthevinestheheatwasdancing。
\"Thesun—fairiesareonthevines!\"murmuredGretatoherself。
Attheoldhousetheystopped,andChristian,breathingquickly,pushedthedoor;itwasimmovable。
\"Look!\"saidGreta,\"theyhavescrewedit!\"Shepointedoutthreescrewswitharosy—tippedforefinger。
Christianstampedherfoot。
\"Wemustn’tstandhere,\"shesaid;\"let’ssitonthatbenchandthink。\"
\"Yes,\"murmuredGreta,\"letusthink。\"Danglinganendofhair,sheregardedChristianwithherwideblueeyes。
\"Ican’tmakeanyplan,\"Christiancriedatlast,\"whileyoustareatmelikethat。\"
\"Iwasthinking,\"saidGretahumbly,\"iftheyhavescreweditup,perhapsweshallscrewitdownagain;thereisthebigscrew—driverofFritz。\"
\"Itwouldtakealongtime;peoplearealwayspassing。\"
\"Peopledonotpassintheevening,\"murmuredGreta,\"becausethegateatourendisalwaysshut。\"
Christianrose。
\"Wewillcomethisevening,justbeforethegateisshut。\"
\"But,Chris,howshallwegetbackagain?\"
\"Idon’tknow;Imeantohavethepictures。\"
\"Itisnotahighgate,\"murmuredGreta。