第2章

’Itisyourownparticularone，’continuedFaith。’Yes，Iseetheblueflowersundertheedgeofhercloak。’ ’AndIseehersquirrel-colouredhair，’saidChristopher。 Bothstoodlookingatthisapparition，whoonce，andonlyonce，thoughtfittoturnherheadtowardsthefrontofthehousetheyweregazingfrom。Faithwasoneinwhomthemeditativesomewhatoverpoweredtheactivefaculties；shewenton，withnoabundanceoflove，totheorizeuponthisgratuitouslycharmingwoman，who，strikingfreakishlyintoherbrother’spath，seemedlikelytodohimnogoodinhersisterlyestimation。Ethelberta’sbrightandshapelyformstoodbeforehercriticnow，smartenedbythemotesofsunlightfromheadtoheel:whatFaithwouldhavegiventoseehersoclearlywithin！ ’Withoutdoubtsheisalreadyaladyofmanyromanticexperiences，’ shesaiddubiously。 ’Andonthewaytomanymore，’saidChristopher。Thetonewasjustofthekindwhichmaybeimaginedofasombremanwhohadbeenupallnightpipingthatothersmightdance。 Faithpartedherlipsasifinconsternationatpossibilities。 Ethelberta，havingalreadybecomeaninfluenceinChristopher’ssystem，mightsoonbecomemore——anindestructiblefascination——todraghimabout，turnhissoulinsideout，harrowhim，twisthim，andotherwisetormenthim，accordingtothestereotypedformofsuchprocesses。 Theywereinterruptedbytheopeningofadoor。Aservantenteredandcameuptothem。 ’Thisisforyou，Ibelieve，sir，’hesaid。’Twoguineas；’andheplacedthemoneyinChristopher’shand。’Somebreakfastwillbereadyforyouinamomentifyouliketohaveit。Wouldyouwishitbroughtinhere；orwillyoucometothesteward’sroom？’ ’Yes，wewillcome。’Andthemanthenbegantoextinguishthelightsonebyone。Christopherdroppedthetwopoundsandtwoshillingssinglyintohispocket，andlookinglistlesslyatthefootmansaid，’Canyoutellmetheaddressofthatladyonthelawn？ Ah，shehasdisappeared！’ ’Sheworeadresswithblueflowers，’saidFaith。 ’Andremarkablebrightinhermanner？O，that’stheyoungwidow，Mrs——what’sthatname——Iforgetforthemoment。’ ’Widow？’saidChristopher，theeyesofhisunderstandinggettingwonderfullyclear，andFaithutteringaprivateejaculationofthanksthatafterallnocommandmentswerelikelytobebrokeninthismatter。’TheladyImeanisquiteagirlishsortofwoman。’ ’Yes，yes，sosheis——that’stheone。Coachmansaysshemusthavebeenbornawidow，forthereisnottimeforherevertohavebeenmadeone。However，she’snotquitesuchachickenasallthat。 Mrs。Petherwin，that’stheparty’sname。’ ’Doesshelivehere？’ ’No，sheisstayinginthehousevisitingforafewdayswithhermother-in-law。TheyareaLondonfamily，Idon’tknowheraddress。’ ’Issheapoetess？’ ’ThatIcannotsay。Sheisverycleveratverses；butshedon’tleanovergatestoseethesun，andgoestochurchasregularasyouorI，soIshouldhardlybeinclinedtosaythatshe’sthecompletething。Whenshe’supinoneofhervagariesshe’llsitwiththeladiesandmakeupprettythingsoutofherheadasfastassticksa-breaking。Theywillrunoffhertonguelikecottonfromareel，andifshecaneverbegotinthemindoftellingastoryshewillbringitoutthatseriousandawfulthatitmakesyourfleshcreepuponyourbones；ifshe’sonlygottosaythatshewalkedoutofonedoorintoanother，she’lltellitsothatthereseemssomethingwonderfulinit。’Tisabothertostarther，soourpeoplesaybehindherback，but，oncesetgoing，thehouseisallalivewithher。However，itwillsoonbedullenough；sheandLadyPetherwinareoffto-morrowforRookington，whereIbelievetheyaregoingtostayoverNewYear’sDay。’ ’Wheredoyousaytheyaregoing？’inquiredChristopher，astheyfollowedthefootman。 ’RookingtonPark——aboutthreemilesoutofSandbourne，intheoppositedirectiontothis。’ ’Awidow，’Christophermurmured。 Faithoverheardhim。’Thatmakesnodifferencetous，doesit？’shesaidwistfully。 Fortyminuteslatertheyweredrivingalonganopenroadoveraridgewhichcommandedaviewofasmallinletbelowthem，thesandsofthisnookbeingshelteredbycrumblingcliffs。Hereatoncetheysaw，inthefulllightofthesun，twowomenstandingsidebyside，theirfacesdirectedoverthesea。 ’Theresheisagain！’saidFaith。’Shehaswalkedalongtheshorefromthelawnwherewesawherbefore。’ ’Yes，’saidthecoachman，’she’sacuriouswomanseemingly。She’lltalktoanypoorbodyshemeets。Youseeshehadbeenoutforamorningwalkinsteadofgoingtobed，andthatissomequeermortalorothershehaspickedupwithonherway。’ ’Iwondershedoesnotprefersomerest，’Faithobserved。 Theroadthendroppedintoahollow，andthewomenbytheseawerenolongerwithinviewfromthecarriage，whichrapidlynearedSandbournewiththetwomusicians。 6。THESHOREBYWYNDWAY TheeastgleameduponEthelberta’ssquirrel-colouredhairasshesaidtohercompanion，’Ihavecome，Picotee；butnot，asyouimagine，fromanight’ssleep。WehaveactuallybeendancingtilldaylightatWyndway。’ ’Thenyoushouldnothavetroubledtocome！Icouldhavebornethedisappointmentundersuchcircumstances，’saidthepupil-teacher，who，wearingadressnotsofamiliartoChristopher’seyesashadbeenthelittlewhitejacket，hadnotbeenrecognizedbyhimfromthehill。’Youlooksotired，Berta。Icouldnotstayupallnightfortheworld！’ ’Onegetsusedtothesethings，’saidEthelbertaquietly。’Ishouldhavebeeninbedcertainly，hadInotparticularlywishedtousethisopportunityofmeetingyoubeforeyougohometo-morrow。I couldnothavecometoSandbourneto-day，becauseweareleavingtoreturnagaintoRookington。ThisisallthatIwishyoutotaketomother——onlyafewlittlethingswhichmaybeusefultoher；butyouwillseewhatitcontainswhenyouopenit。’ShehandedtoPicoteeasmallparcel。’Thisisforyourself，’shewenton，givingasmallpacketbesides。’Itwillpayyourfarehomeandback，andleaveyousomethingtospare。’ ’Thankyou，’saidPicoteedocilely。 ’Now，Picotee，’continuedtheelder，’letustalkforafewminutesbeforeIgoback:wemaynotmeetagainforsometime。’SheputherarmroundthewaistofPicotee，whodidthesamebyEthelberta； andthusinterlacedtheywalkedbackwardsandforwardsuponthefirmflatsandwiththemotionofonebodyanimatedbyonewill。 ’Well，whatdidyouthinkofmypoems？’ ’Ilikedthem；butnaturally，Ididnotunderstandalltheexperienceyoudescribe。Itissodifferentfrommine。Yetthatmadethemmoreinterestingtome。IthoughtIshouldsomuchliketomixinthesamescenes；butthatofcourseisimpossible。’ ’Iamafraiditis。AndyoupostedthebookasIsaid？’ ’Yes。’Sheaddedhurriedly，asiftochangethesubject，’Ihavetoldnobodythatwearesisters，orthatyouareknowninanywaytomeortomotherortoanyofus。Ithoughtthatwouldbebest，fromwhatyousaid。’ ’Yes，perhapsitisbestforthepresent。’ ’Theboxofclothescamesafely，andIfindverylittlealterationwillbenecessarytomakethedressdobeautifullyformeonSundays。Itisquitenew-fashionedtome，thoughIsupposeitwasold-fashionedtoyou。O，andBerta，willthetitleofLadyPetherwindescendtoyouwhenyourmother-in-lawdies？’ ’No，ofcoursenot。Sheisonlyaknight’swidow，andthat’snothing。’ ’Theladyofaknightlooksasgoodonpaperastheladyofalord。’ ’Yes。Andinotherplacestoosometimes。However，aboutyourjourneyhome。Beverycareful；anddon’tmakeanyinquiriesatthestationsofanybodybutofficials。Ifanymanwantstobefriendlywithyou，trytofindoutifitisfromagenuinewishtoassistyou，orfromadmirationofyourfreshface。’ ’HowshallIknowwhich？’saidPicotee。 Ethelbertalaughed。’IfHeavendoesnottellyouatthemomentI cannot，’shesaid。’Buthumanitylookswithadifferenteyefromlove，anduponthewholeitismosttobeprizedbyallofus。I believeitendsoftenerinmarriagethandoalover’sflyingsmiles。 Sothatforthisandotherreasonslovefromastrangerismostlyworthlessasaspeculation；anditiscertainlydangerousasagame。 Well，Picotee，hasanyonepaidyourealattentionsyet？’ ’No——thatis——’ ’Thereissomethinggoingon。’ ’Onlyaweebit。’ ’Ithoughtso。Therewasadishonestyaboutyourdeareyeswhichhasneverbeentherebefore，andlove-makinganddishonestyareinseparableascoupledhounds。Upcomesman，andawaygoesinnocence。Areyougoingtotellmeanythingabouthim？’ ’Iwouldrathernot，Ethelberta；becauseitishardlyanything。’ ’Well，becareful。Andmindthis，nevertellhimwhatyoufeel。’ ’Butthenhewillneverknowit。’ ’Normusthe。Hemustthinkitonly。Thedifferencebetweenhisthinkingandknowingisoftenthedifferencebetweenyourwinningandlosing。Butgeneraladviceisnotofmuchuse，andIcannotgivemoreunlessyoutellmore。Whatishisname？’ Picoteedidnotreply。 ’Nevermind:keepyoursecret。However，listentothis:notakiss——notsomuchastheshadow，hint，ormerestseedlingofakiss！’ ’Thereisnofearofit，’murmuredPicotee；’thoughnotbecauseofme！’ ’Yousee，mydearPicotee，aloverisnotarelative；andheisn’tquiteastranger；buthemayendinbeingeither，andthewaytoreducehimtowhicheverofthetwoyouwishhimtobeistotreathimliketheother。Menwhocomecourtingarejustlikebadcooks: ifyouarekindtothem，insteadofascribingittoanexceptionalcourtesyonyourpart，theyinstantlysetitdowntotheirownmarvellousworth。’ ’ButIoughttofavourhimjustalittle，poorthing？Justthesmallestglimmerofagleam！’ ’Onlyaverylittleindeed——sothatitcomesasarelieftohismisery，notasaddingtohishappiness。’ ’Itisbeingtooclever，allthis；andweoughttobeharmlessasdoves。’ ’Ah，Picotee！tocontinueharmlessasadoveyoumustbewiseasaserpent，you’llfind——ay，tenserpents，forthatmatter。’ ’ButifIcannotgetathim，howcanImanagehiminthesewaysyouspeakof？’ ’Getathim？Isupposehegetsatyouinsomeway，doeshenot？—— triestoseeyou，ortobenearyou？’ ’No——that’sjustthepoint——hedoesn’tdoanysuchthing，andthere’stheworryofit！’ ’Well，whatasillygirl！Thenheisnotyourloveratall？’ ’Perhapshe’snot。ButIamhis，atanyrate——twiceover。’ ’That’snouse。Supplytheloveforbothsides？Why，it’sworsethanfurnishingmoneyforboth。Youdon’tsupposeamanwillgivehisheartinexchangeforawoman’swhenhehasalreadygothersfornothing？That’snotthewayoldAdamdoesbusinessatall。’ Picoteesighed。’Haveyougotayoungman，too，Berta？’ ’Ayoungman？’ ’AloverImean——that’swhatwecall’emdownhere。’ ’Itisdifficulttoexplain，’saidEthelbertaevasively。’Iknewonemanyyearsago，andIhaveseenhimagain，and——thatisall。’ ’Accordingtomyideayouhaveone，butaccordingtoyourownyouhavenot；hedoesnotloveyou，butyoulovehim——isthathowitis？’ ’Ihavenotquiteconsideredhowitis。’ ’Doyoulovehim？’ ’IhaveneverseenamanIhateless。’ ’Agreatdealliescoveredupthere，Iexpect！’ ’Hewasinthatcarriagewhichdroveoverthehillatthemomentwemethere。’ ’Ah-ah——somegreatlordoranotherwhohashisdaybycandlelight，andsoon。Iguessthestyle。SomebodywhonomoreknowshowmuchbreadisaloafthanIdothepriceofdiamondsandpearls。’ ’Iamafraidhe’sonlyacommonerasyet，andnotaverygreatoneeither。Butsurelyyouguess，Picotee？ButI’llsetyouanexampleoffranknessbytellinghisname。Myfriend，Mr。Julian，towhomyoupostedthebook。Suchchangesashehasseen！——fromaffluencetopoverty。HeandhissisterhavebeenplayingdancesallnightatWyndway——Whatisthematter？’ ’Onlyapain！’ ’MydearPicotee——’ ’IthinkI’llsitdownforamoment，Berta。’ ’What——haveyouover-walkedyourself，dear？’ ’Yes——andIgotupveryearly，yousee。’ ’Ihopeyouarenotgoingtobeill，child。Youlookasifyououghtnottobehere。’ ’O，itisquitetrifling。Doesnotgettingupinahurrycauseasenseoffaintnesssometimes？’ ’Yes，inpeoplewhoarenotstrong。’ ’Ifwedon’ttalkaboutbeingfaintitwillgooff。Faintnessissuchaqueerthingthattothinkofitistohaveit。Letustalkasweweretalkingbefore——aboutyouryoungmanandotherindifferentmatters，soastodivertmythoughtsfromfainting，dearBerta。Ihavealwaysthoughtthebookwastobeforwardedtothatgentlemanbecausehewasaconnectionofyoursbymarriage，andhehadaskedforit。Andsoyouhavemetthis——thisMr。Julian，andgoneforwalkswithhiminevenings，Isuppose，justasyoungmenandwomendowhoarecourting？’ ’No，indeed——whatanabsurdchildyouare！’saidEthelberta。’I knewhimonce，andheisinteresting；afewlittlethingslikethatmakeitallup。’ ’Theloveisallononeside，aswithme。’ ’Ono，no:thereisnothinglikethat。Iamnotattachedtoanyone，strictlyspeaking——though，morestrictlyspeaking，Iamnotunattached。’ ’’Tisadelightfulmiddlemindtobein。Iknowit，forIwaslikeitonce；butIhadscarcelybeensolongenoughtoknowwhereIwasbeforeIwasgonepast。’ ’Youshouldhavecommandedyourself，ordrawnbackentirely；forletmetellyouthatatthebeginningofcaringforaman——justwhenyouaresuspendedbetweenthinkingandfeeling——thereisahair’s- breadthoftimeatwhichthequestionofgettingintoloveornotgettinginisamatterofwill——quiteathingofchoice。Atthesametime，drawingbackisatamedance，andthebestofallistostaybalancedawhile。’ ’Youdothatwell，I’llwarrant。’ ’Well，no；forwhatbetweencontinuallywantingtolove，toescapetheblanklivesofthosewhodonot，andwantingnottolove，tokeepoutofthemiseriesofthosewhodo，Igetfoolishlywarmandfoolishlycoldbyturns。’ ’Yes——andIamlikeyouasfarasthe\"foolishly\"goes。Iwishwepoorgirlscouldcontrivetobringalittlewisdomintoourlovebywayofachange！’ ’That’stheverythingthatleadingmindsintownhavebeguntodo，buttherearedifficulties。Itiseasytolovewisely，buttherichmanmaynotmarryyou；anditisnotveryhardtorejectwisely，butthepoormandoesn’tcare。Altogetheritisapreciousproblem。 Butshallweclamberoutuponthoseshiningblocksofrock，andfindsomeofthelittleyellowshellsthatareinthecrevices？Ihavetenminuteslonger，andthenImustgo。’ 7。THEDINING-ROOMOFATOWNHOUSE-THEBUTLER’SPANTRY Afewweekslatertherewasafriendlydinner-partyatthehouseofagentlemancalledDoncastle，wholivedinamoderatelyfashionablesquareofwestLondon。Allthefriendsandrelativespresentwerenicepeople，whoexhibitedbecomingsignsofpleasureandgaietyatbeingthere；butasregardsthevigourwithwhichtheseemotionswereexpressed，itmaybestatedthataslightlaughfromfardownthethroatandaslightnarrowingoftheeyewereequivalentasindicesofthedegreeofmirthfelttoaHa-ha-ha！andashakingoftheshouldersamongtheminortradersofthekingdom；andtoaHo- ho-ho！contortedfeatures，purpleface，andstampingfootamongthegentlemenincorduroyandfustianwhoadorntheremoterprovinces。 Theconversationwaschieflyaboutavolumeofmusical，tender，andhumorousrhapsodieslatelyissuedtotheworldintheguiseofverse，whichhadbeenreviewedandtalkedabouteverywhere。Thistopic，beginningasaprivatedialoguebetweenayoungpainternamedLadywellandtheladyonhisrighthand，hadenlargeditsgroundbydegrees，asasubjectwillextendonthoserareoccasionswhenithappenstobeoneaboutwhicheachpersonhasthoughtsomethingbeforehand，insteadof，asinthenaturalorderofthings，onetowhichtheobliviouslistenerrepliesmechanically，withearnestfeatures，butwiththoughtsfaraway。Andsothewholetablemadethematterathingtoinquireorreplyuponatonce，andisolatedrillsofotherchatdiedoutlikeariverinthesands。 ’Wittythings，andoccasionallyAnacreontic:andtheyhavetheoriginalitywhichsuchastylemustnaturallypossesswhencarriedoutbyafemininehand，’saidLadywell。 ’Ifitisafemininehand，’saidamannear。 Ladywelllookedasifhesometimesknewsecrets，thoughhedidnotwishtoboast。 ’Written，Ipresumeyoumean，intheAnacreonticmeasureofthreefeetandahalf——spondeesandiambics？’saidagentlemaninspectacles，glancinground，andgivingemphasistohisinquirybycausingblandglaresofacircularshapetoproceedfromhisglassestowardsthepersoninterrogated。 Thecompanyappearedwillingtogiveconsiderationtothewordsofamanwhoknewsuchthingsasthat，andhungforwardtolisten。ButLadywellstoppedthewholecurrentofaffairsinthatdirectionbysaying—— ’Ono；Iwasspeakingratherofthematterandtone。Infact，theSevenDays’ReviewsaidtheywereAnacreontic，youknow；andsotheyare——anyonemayfeeltheyare。’ Thegenerallookthenimpliedafalseencouragement，andthemaninspectacleslookeddownagain，beinganervousperson，whoneverhadtimetoshowhismeritsbecausehewassomuchoccupiedinhidinghisfaults。 ’Doyouknowtheauthoress，Mr。Neigh？’continuedLadywell。 ’Can’tsaythatIdo，’hereplied。 Neighwasamanwhoneverdisturbedthefleshuponhisfaceexceptwhenhewasobligedtodoso，andpausedtensecondswhereotherpeopleonlypausedone；ashemovedhischininspeaking，motesoflightfromunderthecandle-shadecaught，lost，andcaughtagaintheoutlyingthreadsofhisburnishedbeard。 ’Shewillbefamoussomeday；andyououghtatanyratetoreadherbook。’ ’Yes，Iought，Iknow。Infact，someyearsagoIshouldhavedoneitimmediately，becauseIhadareasonforpushingonthatwayjustthen。’ ’Ah，whatwasthat？’ ’Well，IthoughtofgoinginforWestminsterAbbeymyselfatthattime；butafellowhassomuchtodo，and——’ ’Whatapitythatyoudidn’tfollowitup。Amanofyourpowers，Mr。Neigh——’ ’AfterwardsIfoundIwastoosteadyforit，andhadtoomuchoftherespectablehouseholderinme。Besides，somanyothermenareonthesametack；andthenIdidn’tcareaboutit，somehow。’ ’Idon’tunderstandhighart，andamutterlyinthedarkonwhatarethetruelawsofcriticism，’aplainmarriedlady，whoworearchaeologicaljewellery，wassayingatthistime。’ButIknowthatIhavederivedanunusualamountofamusementfromthoseverses，andIamheartilythankfulto\"E。\"forthem。’ ’Iamafraid，’saidagentlemanwhowassufferingfromabadshirt- front，’thatanestimatewhichdependsuponfeelinginthatwayisnottobetrustedaspermanentopinion。’ Thesubjectnowflittedtotheotherend。 ’Somebodyhasitthatwhentheheartfliesoutbeforetheunderstanding，itsavesthejudgmentaworldofpains，’camefromavoiceinthatquarter。 ’I，formypart，likesomethingmerry，’saidanelderlywoman，whosefacewasbisectedbytheedgeofashadow，whichtonedherforeheadandeyelidstoalividneutraltint，andlefthercheeksandmouthlikemetalatawhiteheatintheuninterruptedlight。’Ithinkthelivelinessofthoseballadsasgreatarecommendationasany。Afterall，enoughmiseryisknowntousbyourexperiencesandthoseofourfriends，andwhatweseeinthenewspapers，forallpurposesofchastening，withouthavinggratuitousgriefinflicteduponus。’ ’Butyouwouldnothavewishedthat\"RomeoandJuliet\"shouldhaveendedhappily，orthatOthelloshouldhavediscoveredtheperfidyofhisAncientintimetopreventallfatalconsequences？’ ’Iamnotafraidtogosofarasthat，’saidtheoldlady。 ’Shakespeareisnoteverybody，andIamsurethatthousandsofpeoplewhohaveseenthoseplayswouldhavedrivenhomemorecheerfullyafterwardsifbysomecontrivancethecharacterscouldallhavebeenjoinedtogetherrespectively。Iupholdouranonymousauthoronthegeneralgroundofherlevity。’ ’Well，itisanoldandwornargument——thatabouttheinexpedienceoftragedy——andmuchmaybesaidonbothsides。ItisnottobedeniedthattheanonymousSappho’sverses——foritseemsthatsheisreallyawoman——areclever。’ ’Clever！’saidLadywell——theyoungmanwhohadbeenoneoftheshooting-partyatSandbourne——’theyaremarvellouslybrilliant。’ ’Sheisratherwarminherassumedcharacter。’ ’That’sasignofheractualcoldness；sheletsoffherfeelingintheoreticgrooves，andthereissuretobenoneleftforpracticalones。Whateverseemstobethemostprominentvice，orthemostprominentvirtueinanybody’swritingistheonethingyouaresafestfrominpersonaldealingswiththewriter。’ ’O，Idon’tmeantocallherwarmthoffeelingaviceorvirtueexactly——’ ’Iagreewithyou，’saidNeightothelastspeakerbutone，intonesasemphaticastheypossiblycouldbewithoutlosingtheirpropercharacterofindifferencetothewholematter。’Warmsentimentofanysort，wheneverwehaveit，disturbsustoomuchtoleaveusreposeenoughforwritingitdown。’ ’Iamsure，whenIwasattheardentage，’saidthemistressofthehouse，inatoneofpleasantlyagreeingwitheveryone，particularlythosewhowerediametricallyopposedtoeachother，’IcouldnomorehaveprintedsuchemotionsandmadethempublicthanI——couldhavehelpedprivatelyfeelingthem。’ ’Iwonderifshehasgonethroughhalfshesays？Ifso，whatanexperience！’ ’Ono——notatalllikely，’saidMr。Neigh。’Itisasriskytocalculatepeople’swaysoflivingfromtheirwritingsastheirincomesfromtheirwayofliving。’ ’Sheisastruetonatureasfashionisfalse，’saidthepainter，inhiswarmthbecomingscarcelycomplimentary，assometimeshappenswithyoungpersons。’Idon’tthinkthatshehaswrittenawordmorethanwhateverywomanwoulddenyfeelinginasocietywherenowomansayswhatshemeansordoeswhatshesays。Andcananypraisebegreaterthanthat？’ ’Ha-ha！Capital！’ ’Allherversesseemtome，’saidaratherstupidperson，’tobesimply—— \"Tral’-la-la-lal’-la-la-la’，Tral’-la-la-lal’-la-la-lu’，Tral’-la-la-lal’-la-la-lalla’，Tral’-la-la-lu’。\" Whenyoutakeawaythemusicthereisnothingleft。Yetsheisplainlyawomanofgreatculture。’ ’HaveyouseenwhattheLondonLightsaysaboutthem——oneofthefinestthingsIhaveeverreadinthewayofadmiration？’continuedLadywell，payingnoattentiontothepreviousspeaker。Helingeredforareply，andthenimpulsivelyquotedseverallinesfromtheperiodicalhehadnamed，withoutaidorhesitation。’Good，isitnot？’addedLadywell。 Theyassented，butinsuchanunqualifiedmannerthathalfasmuchreadinesswouldhavemeantmore。ButLadywell，thoughnotexperiencedenoughtobequitefreefromenthusiasm，wastooexperiencedtomindindifferenceformorethanaminuteortwo。 Whentheladieshadwithdrawn，theyoungmanwenton—— ’ColonelStaffsaidafunnythingtomeyesterdayabouttheseverypoems。HeaskedmeifIknewher，and——’ ’Her？Why，heknowsthatitisaladyallthetime，andwewereonlyjustnowdoubtingwhetherthesexofthewritercouldbereallywhatitseems。Shame，Ladywell！’saidhisfriendNeigh。 ’Ah，Mr。Ladywell，’saidanother，’nowwehavefoundyouout。Youknowher！’ ’Now——Isay——ha-ha！’continuedthepainter，withafaceexpressingthathehadnotatalltriedtobefoundoutasthemanpossessingincomparablysuperiorknowledgeofthepoetess。’Ibegpardonreally，butdon’tpressmeonthematter。Uponmywordthesecretisnotmyown。AsIwassaying，theColonelsaid，\"Doyouknowher？\"——butyoudon’tcaretohear？’ ’Weshallbedelighted！’ ’SotheColonelsaid，\"Doyouknowher？\"adding，inamostcomicway，\"BetweenU。andE。，Ladywell，Ibelievethereisacloseaffinity\"——meaningme，youknow，byU。JustliketheColonel——ha- ha-ha！’ TheoldermendidnotobligeLadywellasecondtimewithanyattemptatappreciation；butaweirdsilenceensued，duringwhichthesmileuponLadywell’sfacebecamefrozentopainfulpermanence。 ’MeaningbyE。，youknow，the\"E\"ofthepoems——heh-heh！’headded。 ’Itwasaveryhumorousincidentcertainly，’saidhisfriendNeigh，atwhichtherewasalaugh——notfromanythingconnectedwithwhathesaid，butsimplybecauseitwastherightthingtolaughwhenNeighmeantyoutodoso。 ’Nowdon’t，Neigh——youaretooharduponme。But，seriously，twoorthreefellowsweretherewhenIsaidit，andtheyallbeganlaughing——but，then，theColonelsaiditinsuchaqueerway，youknow。Butyouwereaskingmeabouther？Well，thefactis，betweenourselves，Idoknowthatsheisalady；andIdon’tmindtellingaword——’ ’Butwewouldnotfortheworldbethemeansofmakingyoubetrayherconfidence——wouldwe，Jones？’ ’No，indeed；wewouldnot。’ ’No，no；itisnotthatatall——thisisreallytoobad！——youmustlistenjustforamoment——’ ’Ladywell，don’tbetrayanybodyonouraccount。’ ’Whoevertheillustriousyoungladymaybeshehasseenagreatdealoftheworld，’saidMr。Doncastleblandly，’andputsherexperienceofthecomedyofitsemotions，andofitsmethodofshowingthem，inaveryvividlight。’ ’Iheardamansaythatthenoveltywithwhichtheideasarepresentedismorenoticeablethantheoriginalityoftheideasthemselves，’observedNeigh。’Thewomanhasmadeagreattalkaboutherself；andIamquitewearyofpeopleaskingofhercondition，placeofabode，hassheafather，hassheamother，ordeareroneyetthanallother。’ ’IwouldhaveburlesquequotationputdownbyActofParliament，andallwhodabbleinitplacedwithhimwhocanciteScriptureforhispurposes，’saidLadywell，inretaliation。 AfterapauseNeighremarkedhalf-privatelytotheirhost，whowashisuncle:’YourbutlerChickerelisaveryintelligentman，asI haveheard。’ ’Yes，hedoesverywell，’saidMr。Doncastle。 ’Butishenota——veryextraordinaryman？’ ’Nottomyknowledge，’saidDoncastle，lookingupsurprised。’Whydoyouthinkthat，Alfred？’ ’Well，perhapsitwasnotamattertomention。Hereadsagreatdeal，Idaresay？’ ’Idon’tthinkso。’ ’Inoticedhowwonderfullyhisfacekindledwhenwebegantalkingaboutthepoemsduringdinner。Perhapsheisapoethimselfindisguise。Didyouobserveit？’ ’No。Tothebestofmybeliefheisaverytrustworthyandhonourableman。Hehasbeenwithus——letmesee，howlong？——fivemonths，Ithink，andhewasfifteenyearsinhislastplace。Itcertainlyisanewsidetohischaracterifhepubliclyshowedanyinterestintheconversation，whateverhemighthavefelt。’ ’Sincethematterhasbeenmentioned，’saidMr。Jones，’ImaysaythatItoonoticedthesingularityofit。’ ’Ifyouhadnotsaidotherwise，’repliedDoncastlesomewhatwarmly，’Ishouldhaveassertedhimtobethelastman-servantinLondontoinfringesuchanelementaryrule。Ifhedidsothisevening，itiscertainlyforthefirsttime，andIsincerelyhopethatnoannoyancewascaused——’ ’Ono，no——notatall——itmighthavebeenamistakeofmine，’saidJones。’IshouldquitehaveforgottenthecircumstanceifMr。 Neigh’swordshadnotbroughtittomymind。Itwasreallynothingtonotice，andIbegthatyouwillnotsayawordtohimaboutitonmyaccount。’ ’Hehasatastethatway，mydearuncle，nothingmore，dependuponit，’saidNeigh。’IfIhadsuchamanbelongingtomeIshouldonlybetooproud。Certainlydonotmentionit。’ ’OfcourseChickerelisChickerel，’Mr。Doncastlerejoined。’Weallknowwhatthatmeans。Andreally，onreflecting，Idorememberthatheisofaliteraryturnofmind——notfurtherbyaninchthaniscommendable，youknow。IamquiteawareasIglancedownthepapersandprintsanymorningthatChickerel’seyeshavebeenoverthegroundbeforemine，andthathegenerallyforestallstherestofusbyachapterorsointhelastnewbooksenthome；butintheseviciousdaysthatparticularweaknessisreallyvirtue，justbecauseitisnotquiteavice。’ ’Yes，’saidMr。Jones，thereflectivemaninspectacles，’positivevirtuesaregettingmovedoffthestage:negativeonesaremovedontotheplaceofpositives；wethankbarejusticeasweusedonlytothankgenerosity；callamanhonestwhostealsonlybylaw，andconsiderhimabenefactorifhedoesnotstealatall。’ ’Hear，hear！’saidNeigh。’WewilldecidethatChickerelisevenabettertrainedfellowthanifhehadshownnointerestatallinhisface。’ ’Theactionbeinglikethosetriflingirregularitiesinartatitsvigorousperiods，whichseemeddesignedtohidetheunpleasantmonotonyofabsolutesymmetry，’saidLadywell。 ’Ontheotherhand，anaffectedwantoftrainingofthatsortwouldbeevenabetterdisguiseforanartfulmanthanaperfectlyimpassibledemeanour。Heistworemovesfromdiscoveryinahiddenscheme，whilstaneutralfaceisonlyone。’ ’Youquitealarmmebythesesubtletheories，’saidMr。Doncastle，laughing；andthesubjectthenbecamecompoundedwithothermatters，tillthespeakersrosetorejointhecharmingflockupstairs。 InthebasementstoryatthishourMr。Chickerelthebutler，whohadformedthesubjectofdiscussiononthefloorabove，wasbusilyengagedinlookingafterhistwosubordinatesastheybustledaboutintheoperationsofclearingaway。Hewasamanofwhom，iftheshapeofcertainbonesandmusclesofthefaceisevertobetakenasaguidetothecharacter，onemightsafelyhavepredicatedconscientiousnessintheperformanceofduties，athoroughknowledgeofallthatappertainedtothem，ageneraldesiretoliveonwithouttroublinghismindaboutanythingwhichdidnotconcernhim。AnypersoninterestedinthematterwouldhaveassumedwithouthesitationthattheestimatehisemployerhadgivenofChickerelwasatrueone——more，thatnotonlywouldthebutlerunderallordinarycircumstancesresolutelypreventhisfacefromshowingcuriosityinanunbecomingway，butthat，withthesoulofatruegentleman，hewould，ifnecessary，equivocateasreadilyasthenoblestofhisbetterstoremoveanystainuponhishonourinsuchtrifles。HenceitisapparentthatifChickerel’scountenancereallyappeared，asNeighhadasserted，fullofcuriositywithregardtothegossipthatwasgoingon，thefeelingswhichledtotheexhibitionmusthavebeenofaveryunusualandirrepressiblekind。 Hishairwasofthatpeculiarbluish-whitewhichistobeobservedwhentheoncomingyears，insteadofsinglingoutspeciallocksofaman’sheadforoperatingagainst，advanceuniformlyoverthewholefield，andenfeeblethecolouratallpointsbeforeabsolutelyextinguishingitanywhere；hisnosewasoftheknottyshapeinthegristleandearthwardtendencyinthefleshwhichiscommonlysaidtocarrysoundjudgmentaboveit，hiseyeswerethoughtful，andhisfacewasthin——acontourwhich，ifitatonceabstractedfromhisfeaturesthatcheerfulassuranceofsingle-mindedhonestywhichadornstheexteriorsofsomanyofhisbrethren，mighthaveraisedapresumptioninthemindsofsomebeholdersthatperhapsinthiscasethequalitymightnotbealtogetherwantingwithin。 Thecoffeehavingbeenservedtothepeopleupstairs，oneofthefootmenrushedintohisbedroomonthelowerfloor，andinafewminutesemergedagaininthedressofarespectableclerkwhohadbeenbornforbetterthings，withthetriflingexceptionsthatheworealow-crownedhat，andinsteadofknockinghisheelsonthepavementwalkedwithagaitasdelicateasalady’s。Goingoutofthearea-doorwithacigarinhismouth，hemountedthestepshastilytokeepanappointmentroundthecorner——thekeepingofwhichasaprivategentlemannecessitatedthechangeofthegreaterpartofhisclothestwicewithinaquarterofanhour——thelimitofhistimeofabsence。Theotherfootmanwasupstairs，andthebutler，findingthathehadafewminutestohimself，satdownatthetableandwrote:—— ’MYDEARETHELBERTA，——Ididnotintendtowritetoyouforsomefewdaystocome，butthewayinwhichyouhavebeentalkedaboutherethiseveningmakesmeanxioustosendalineortwoatonce，thoughIhaveverylittletimetospare，asusual。Wehavejusthadadinner-party——indeedthecarriageshavenotyetbeenbroughtround—— andthetalkatdinnerwasaboutyourverses，ofcourse。ThethingwasbroughtupbyayoungfellownamedLadywell——doyouknowhim？ Heisapainterbyprofession，buthehasaprettygoodprivateincomebeyondwhathegetsbypractisinghislineofbusinessamongthenobility，andthatIexpectisnotlittle，forheiswellknown，andencouragedbecauseheisyoung，andgood-looking，andsoforth。 HisfamilyownagoodbitoflandsomewhereoutAldbrickhamway。 However，Iambeforemystory。Fromwhattheyallsaiditisprettyclearthatyouarethoughtagreatdealofinfashionablesocietyasapoetess——butperhapsyouknowthisaswellasI——movinginitasyoudoyourself，mydear。 ’Theladiesafterwardsgotverycuriousaboutyourage，socurious，infact，andsofullofcertaintythatyouwerethirty-fiveandablightedexistence，ifanhour，thatIfeltinclinedtorapoutthereandthen，andhangwhatcameofit:\"Mydaughter，ladies，wastomyownandhermother’scertainknowledgeonlytwenty-onelastbirthday，andhasasbrightaheartasanybodyinLondon。\"Oneofthemactuallysaidthatyoumustbefiftytohavegotsuchanexperience。Herguesswasaveryshrewdoneinthebottomofit，however，foritwasgroundeduponthewayyouusethosestrangeexperiencesofmineinthesocietythatItellyouof，anddressthemupasiftheywereyours；and，asyousee，shehitoffmyownagetoayear。Ithoughtitwasverysharpofhertobesoright，althoughsowrong。 ’IdonotwanttoinfluenceyourplansinanywayaboutthingswhichyourschoollearningfitsyoutounderstandmuchbetterthanI，whoneverhadsuchopportunities，butIthinkthatifIwereinyourplace，Berta，Iwouldnotletmynamebeknownjustyet，forpeoplealwayswantwhat’skeptfromthem，anddon’tvaluewhat’sgiven。I amnotsure，butIthinkthatafterthewomenhadgoneupstairstheothersturnedtheirthoughtsuponyouagain；whattheysaidaboutyouIdon’tknow，forifthere’sonethingIhate’tishangingaboutthedoorswhenthemenbegintogetmovedbytheirwine，whichtheydidtoalargeextentto-night，andspokeveryloud。Theyalwaysdohere，foroldDonisaheartygiverinhisway。However，asyouseethesepeoplefromtheirownlevelnow，itisnotmuchthatIcantellyouinseeingthemonlyfromtheunderside，thoughIseestrangethingssometimes，andofcourse—— \"Whatgreatonesdothelesswillprattleof，\" asitsaysinthatbookofselectpiecesthatyougaveme。 ’Well，mydeargirl，Ihopeyouwillprosper。Onethingaboveallothersyou’llhavetomind，anditisthatfolkmustcontinuallystraintoadvanceinordertoremainwheretheyare:andyouparticularly。Butasfortryingtoohard，Iwouldn’tdoit。Muchliesinmindingthis，thatyourbestplanforlightnessofheartistoraiseyourselfalittlehigherthanyouroldmates，butnotsohighastobequiteoutoftheirreach。Allhumanbeingsenjoythemselvesfromtheoutside，andsogettingonALITTLEhasthisgoodinit，youstillkeepinyouroldclasswhereyourfeelingsare，andarethoughtfullytreatedbythisclass:whilebygettingonTOOMUCHyouaresneeredatbyyournewacquaintance，whodon’tknowtheskillofyourrise，andyouarepartedfromandforgotbytheoldoneswhodo。Whateverhappens，don’tbetooquicktofeel。 Youwillsurelygetsomehardblowswhenyouarefoundout，forifthegreatcanfindnoexcuseforhittingwithamind，they’lldoitandsay’twasinfun。Butyouareyoungandhealthy，andyouthandhealtharepower。IwishIcouldhaveadecentfootmanherewithme，butIsupposeitisnousetrying。Itissuchmenasthesethatprovokethecontemptweget。Well，thankGodafewyearswillseetheendofme，forIamgrowingashamedofmycompany——sodifferentastheyaretotheservantsofoldtimes——Youraffectionatefather，R。CHICKEREL。 ’P。S——DonotpressLadyPetherwinanyfurthertoremovetherulesonwhichyoulivewithher。Sheisquiteright:shecannotkeepus，andtorecognizeuswoulddoyounogood，noruseither。Wearecontenttoseeyousecretly，sinceitisbestforyou。’ 8。CHRISTOPHER’SLODGINGS-THEGROUNDSABOUTROOKINGTON Meanwhile，inthedistanttownofSandbourne，ChristopherJulianhadrecoveredfromthewearinessproducedbyhislaboursattheWyndwayevening-partywhereEthelbertahadbeenastar。Insteadofengaginghisenergiestoclearencumbrancesfromthetangledwayofhislife，henowsetaboutreadingthepopular’MetresbyE。’withmoreinterestandassiduitythanever；forthoughJulianwasathinkerbyinstinct，hewasaworkerbyeffortonly；andthehigherofthesekindsbeingdependentuponthelowerforitsexhibition，therewasoftenalamentablelackofevidenceofhispowerineither。Itisaprovokingcorrelation，andhasconducedtotheobscurityofmanyagenius。 ’Kit，’saidhissister，onrevivingattheendofthebadheadachewhichhadfollowedthedance，’thosepoemsseemtohaveincreasedinvaluewithyou。Thelady，loftyassheappearstobe，wouldbeflatteredifsheonlycouldknowhowmuchyoustudythem。Haveyoudecidedtothankherforthem？Nowletustalkitover——Ilikehavingachataboutsuchaprettynewsubject。’ ’IwouldthankherinamomentifIwereabsolutelycertainthatshehadanythingtodowithsendingthem，orevenwritingthem。Iamnotquitesureofthatyet。’ ’Howstrangethatawomancouldbringherselftowritethoseverses！’ ’Notatallstrange——theyarenaturaloutpourings。’ Faithlookedcriticallyattheremotercavernsofthefire。 ’Whystrange？’continuedChristopher。’Thereisnoharminthem。’ ’Ono——noharm。ButIcannotexplaintoyou——unlessyouseeitpartlyofyourownaccord——thattowritethemshemustberatherafastlady——notabadfastlady；anicefastlady，Imean，ofcourse。 There，Ihavesaiditnow，andIdaresayyouarevexedwithme，foryourinterestinherhasdeepenedtowhatitoriginallywas，I think。Idon’tmeananyabsoluteharmby\"fast，\"Kit。’ ’Bold，forward，youmean，Isuppose？’ Faithtriedtohituponabetterdefinitionwhichshouldmeetallviews；and，onfailingtodoso，lookedconcernedatherbrother’ssomewhatgrievedappearance，andsaid，helplessly，’Yes，IsupposeI do。’ ’Myideaofherisquitethereverse。Apoetessmustintrinsicallybesensitive，orshecouldneverfeel:butthen，franknessisarhetoricalnecessityevenwiththemostmodest，iftheirinspirationsaretodoanygoodintheworld。Youwill，forcertain，notbeinterestedinsomethingIwasgoingtotellyou，whichIthoughtwouldhavepleasedyouimmensely；butitisnotworthmentioningnow。’ ’Ifyouwillnottellme，nevermind。Butdon’tbecrabbed，Kit！ YouknowhowinterestedIaminallyouraffairs。’ ’ItisonlythatIhavecomposedanairtooneoftheprettiestofhersongs，\"Whentaperstall\"——butIamnotsureaboutthepowerofit。Thisishowitbegins——Ithrewitoffinafewminutes，afteryouhadgonetobed。’ Hewenttothepianoandlightlytouchedoveranair，themanuscriptcopyofwhichheplacedinfrontofhim，andlistenedtohearheropinion，havingproveditsvaluefrequently；foritwasnotthatofawomanmerely，butimpersonallyhuman。Thoughshewasunknowntofame，thiswasagreatgiftinFaith，sincetohaveanunsexedjudgmentisaspreciousastobeanunsexedbeingisdeplorable。 ’Itisveryfairindeed，’saidthesister，scarcelymovingherlipsinhergreatattention。’Nowagain，andagain，andagain。Howcouldyoudoitinthetime！’ Kitknewthatsheadmiredhisperformance:passiveassentwasherusualpraise，andsheseldominsistedvigorouslyuponanyviewofhiscompositionsunlessforpurposesofemendation。 ’Iwasthinkingthat，asIcannotverywellwritetoher，Imayaswellsendherthis，’saidChristopher，withlightenedspirits，voicetocorrespond，andeyeslikewise；’therecanbenoobjectiontoit，forsuchthingsaredonecontinually。ConsiderwhileIamgone，Faith。Ishallbeoutthiseveningforanhourortwo。’ WhenChristopherleftthehouseshortlyafter，insteadofgoingintothetownonsomeerrand，aswascustomarywheneverhewentfromhomeafterdark，heascendedabackstreet，passedoverthehillsbehind，andwalkedatabriskpaceinlandalongtheroadtoRookingtonPark，where，ashehadlearnt，EthelbertaandLadyPetherwinwerestayingforatime，thedayortwowhichtheyspentatWyndwayhavingformedashortbreakinthemiddleofthisvisit。Themoonwasshiningto- night，andChristopherspedonwardsoverthepallidhigh-roadasreadilyashecouldhavedoneatnoonday。Inthree-quartersofanhourhereachedtheparkgates；andenteringnowuponatractwhichhehadneverbeforeexplored，hewentalongmorecautiouslyandwithsomeuncertaintyastotheprecisedirectionthattheroadwouldtake。Afrostedexpanseofevengrass，onwhichtheshadowofhisheadappearedwithanopalhaloroundit，soonallowedthehousetobediscoveredbeyond，theotherportionsoftheparkaboundingwithtimberolderandfinerthanthatofanyotherspotintheneighbourhood。Christopherwithdrewintotheshade，andwheeledroundtothefrontofthebuildingthatcontainedhisoldlove。 Herehegazedandidled，asmanyamanhasdonebeforehim—— wonderingwhichroomthefairpoetessoccupied，waitingtilllightsbegantoappearintheupperwindows——whichtheydidasuncertainlyasglow-wormsblinkingupateventide——andwarmingwithcurrentsofrevivedfeelinginperhapsthesweetestofallconditions。Newloveisbrightest，andlongloveisgreatest；butrevivedloveisthetenderestthingknownuponearth。 Occupiedthus，Christopherwasgreatlysurprisedtosee，oncasuallyglancingtooneside，anothermanstandingclosetotheshadowytrunkofanothertree，inasimilarattitudetohisown，gazing，witharmsfolded，asblanklyatthewindowsofthehouseasChristopherhimselfhadbeengazing。Notwillingtobediscovered，Christopherstuckclosertohistree。Whilehewaitedthus，thestrangerbeganmurmuringwords，inaslowsoftvoice。Christopherlistenedtillheheardthefollowing:—— ’Palewasthedayandrayless，love，Thathadanevesodim。’ Twowell-knownlinesfromoneofEthelberta’spoems。 Jealousyisafamiliarkindofheatwhichdisfigures，licksplayfully，clouds，blackens，andboilsamanasafiredoesapot； andonrecognizingthesepilferingsfromwhathehadgrowntoregardashisowntreasury，Christopher’sfingersbegantonestlewithgreatvigourinthepalmsofhishands。Threeorfourminutespassed，whentheunknownrivalgavealastglanceatthewindows，andwalkedaway。Christopherdidnotlikethelookofthatwalkatall——therewasgraceenoughinittosuggestthathisantagonisthadnomeanchanceoffindingfavourinawoman’seyes。Asigh，too，seemedtoproceedfromthestranger’sbreast；butastheirdistanceapartwastoogreatforanysuchsoundtobeheardbyanypossibility，Christophersetdownthattoimagination，ortothebrushingofthewindoverthetrees。 Thelightedwindowswentoutonebyone，andallthehousewasindarkness。Julianthenwalkedoffhimself，withavigourthatwasspasmodiconly，andwithmuchlessbrightnessofmindthanhehadexperiencedonhisjourneyhither。Thestrangerhadgoneanotherway，andChristophersawnomoreofhim。WhenhereachedSandbourne，Faithwasstillsittingup。 ’ButItoldyouIwasgoingtotakealongwalk，’hesaid。 ’No，Christopher:reallyyoudidnot。Howtiredandsadyoudolook——thoughIalwaysknowbeforehandwhenyouareinthatstate: oneofyourfeethasadragaboutitasyoupassalongthepavementoutsidethewindow。’ ’Yes，IforgotthatIdidnottellyou。’ Hecouldnotbegintodescribehispilgrimage:itwastoosillyathingevenforhertohearof。 ’Itdoesnotmatteratallaboutmystayingup，’saidFaithassuringly；’thatis，ifexercisebenefitsyou。Walkingupanddownthelane，Isuppose？’ ’No；notwalkingupanddownthelane。’ ’Theturnpike-roadtoRookingtonispleasant。’ ’Faith，thatisreallywhereIhavebeen。Howcameyoutoknow？’ ’Ionlyguessed。Versesandanaccidentalmeetingproduceaspecialjourney。’ ’Ethelbertaisafinewoman，physicallyandmentally，both。I wonderpeopledonottalkabouthertwiceasmuchastheydo。’ ’Thensurelyyouaregettingattachedtoheragain。Youthinkyoudiscoverinhermorethananybodyelsedoes；andlovebeginswithasenseofsuperiordiscernment。’ ’No，no。Thatisonlynonsense，’hesaidhurriedly。’However，loveherorlovehernot，Icankeepacornerofmyheartforyou，Faith。 Thereisanotherbruteafterhertoo，itseems。’ ’Ofcoursethereis:Iexpecttherearemany。Herpositioninsocietyisaboveours，sothatitisanunwisecoursetogotroublingyourselfmoreabouther。’ ’No。Ifaneedymanmustbesofoolishastofallinlove，itisbesttodosowherehecannotdoublehisfoolishnessbymarryingthewoman。’ ’Idon’tliketohearyoutalksoslightinglyofwhatpoorfatherdid。’ Christopherfixedhisattentiononthesupper。Thatnight，lateasitwas，whenFaithwasinbedandsleeping，hesatbeforeasheetofmusic-paper，neatlycopyinghiscompositionuponit。ThemanuscriptwasintendedasanofferingtoEthelbertaatthefirstconvenientopportunity。 ’Well，afterallmytroubletofindoutaboutEthelberta，herecomestheclueunaskedfor，’saidthemusiciantohissisterafewdayslater。 SheturnedandsawthathewasreadingtheWessexReflector。 ’Whatisit？’askedFaith。 ’Thesecretofthetrueauthorshipofthebookisoutatlast，anditisEthelbertaofcourse。Iamsogladtohaveitprovedhers。’ ’Butcanwebelieve——？’ ’Oyes。Justhearwhat\"OurLondonCorrespondent\"says。Itisoneofthenicestbitsofgossipthathehasfurnisheduswithforalongtime。’ ’Yes:nowreadit，do。’ ’\"Theauthorof’MetresbyE。’\"’Christopherbegan，’\"abookofwhichsomuchhasbeensaidandconjectured，andone，infact，thathasbeenthechieftalkforseveralweekspastoftheliterarycirclestowhichIbelong，isayoungladywhowasawidowbeforeshereachedtheageofeighteen，andisnownotfarbeyondherfourthlustrum。IwasadditionallyinformedbyafriendwhomImetyesterdayonhiswaytotheHouseofLords，thathernameisMrs。 Petherwin——ChristiannameEthelberta；andthatsheresideswithhermother-in-lawattheirhouseinExonburyCrescent。Sheis，moreover，thedaughterofthelateBishopofSilchester(ifreportmaybebelieved)，whoseactivebenevolence，asyourreadersknow，lefthisfamilyincomparativelystraitenedcircumstancesathisdeath。Themarriagewasasecretone，andmuchagainstthewishofherhusband’sfriends，whoarewealthypeopleonallsides。Thedeathofthebridegroomtwoorthreeweeksaftertheweddingledtoareconciliation；andtheyoungpoetesswastakentothehomewhichshestilloccupies，devotedtothecompositionofsuchbrillianteffusionsasthosetheworldhaslatelybeenfavouredwithfromherpen。\"’ ’Ifyouwanttosendheryourmusic，youcandosonow，’saidFaith。 ’Imighthavesentitbefore，butIwantedtodeliveritpersonally。 However，itisallthesamenow，Isuppose，whetherIsenditornot。Ialwaysknewthatourdestinieswouldlieapart，thoughshewasoncetemporarilyunderacloud。Hermomentaryinspirationtowritethat\"CancelledWords\"wastheworstpossibleomenforme。Itshowedthat，thinkingmenolongerusefulasapracticalchance，shewouldmakemeornamentalasapoeticalregret。ButI’llsendthemanuscriptofthesong。’ ’Inthewayofbusiness，asacomposeronly；andyoumustsaytoyourself，\"Ethelberta，asthouartbutwoman，Idare；butaswidowI fearthee。\"’ NotwithstandingChristopher’saffectedcarelessness，thateveningsawagreatdealofnicetybestowedupontheoperationofwrappingupandsendingoffthesong。Hedroppeditintotheboxandhearditfall，andwiththecuriouspowerwhichhepossessedofsettinghiswisdomtowatchanyparticularfollyinhimselfthatitcouldnothinder，speculatedashewalkedontheresultofthisfirsttangiblestepofreturntohisoldpositionasEthelberta’slover。 9。ALADY’SDRAWING-ROOMS-ETHELBERTA’SDRESSING-ROOM ItwasahouseonthenorthsideofHydePark，betweentenandelevenintheevening，andseveralintelligentandcourteouspeoplehadassembledtheretoenjoythemselvesasfarasitwaspossibletodosoinaneutralway——allcarefullykeepingeveryvarietyoffeelinginastateofsolution，inspiteofanyattemptsuchfeelingsmadefromtimetotimetocrystallizeoninterestingsubjectsinhand。 ’Neigh，whoisthatcharmingwomanwithherheadbuiltupinanovelwayevenforhairarchitecture——theonewithherbacktowardsus？’ saidamanwhosecoatfitteddoubtfullytoafriendwhosecoatfittedwell。 ’Justgoingtoaskforthesameinformation，’saidMr。Neigh，determiningtheverylongesthairinhisbeardtoaninfinitesimalnicetybydrawingitslowerportionthroughhisfingers。’Ihavequiteforgotten——cannotkeeppeople’snamesinmyheadatall；norcouldmyfathereither——noranyofmyfamily——averyoddthing。ButmyoldfriendMrs。Napperknowsforcertain。’Andheturnedtooneofasmallgroupofmiddle-agedpersonsnear，who，insteadofskimmingthesurfaceofthingsingeneral，liketherestofthecompany，weregoingintotheverydepthsofthem。 ’O——thatisthecelebratedMrs。Petherwin，thewomanwhomakesrhymesandprints’em，’saidMrs。Napper，inadetachedsentence，andthencontinuedtalkingagaintothoseontheothersideofher。 ThetwoloungerswentonwiththeirobservationsofEthelberta’sheaddress，which，thoughnotextraordinaryoreccentric，didcertainlyconveyanideaofindefinablenovelty。Observersweresometimeshalfinclinedtothinkthathercutsandmodeswereacquiredbysomesecretcommunicationwiththemysteriouscliquewhichorderstheliveryofthefashionableworld，for——anditaffordsaparalleltocasesinwhichcleverthinkersinotherspheresarriveindependentlyatoneandthesameconclusion—— Ethelberta’sfashionoftenturnedouttobethecomingone。 ’O，isthatthewomanatlast？’saidNeigh，diminishinghisbroadgeneralgazeattheroomtoaclosecriticismofEthelberta。 ’\"Therhymes，\"asMrs。Nappercallsthem，arenottobedespised，’ saidhiscompanion。’Theyarenotquitevirginibuspuerisque，andthewriter’sopinionsoflifeandsocietydifferverymateriallyfrommine，butIcannothelpadmiringherinthemorereflectivepieces；thesongsIdon’tcarefor。Themethodinwhichshehandlescurioussubjects，andatthesametimeimpressesuswithafullconvictionofhermodesty，isveryadroit，andsomewhatblindsustothefactthatnosuchpoemsweredemandedofheratall。’ ’Ihavenotreadthem，’saidNeigh，secretlywrestlingwithhisjaw，topreventayawn；’butIsupposeImust。Thetruthis，thatI nevercaremuchforreadingwhatoneoughttoread；IwishIdid，butIcannothelpit。And，nodoubt，youadmiretheladyimmenselyforwritingthem:Idon’t。Everybodyissotalentednow-a-daysthattheonlypeopleIcaretohonourasdeservingrealdistinctionarethosewhoremaininobscurity。Iammyselfhopingforacornerinsomebiographicaldictionarywhenthetimecomesforthoseworksonlytocontainlistsoftheexceptionalindividualsofwhomnothingisknownbutthattheylivedanddied。’ ’Ah——listen。Theyaregoingtosingoneofhersongs，’saidhisfriend，lookingtowardsabustlingmovementintheneighbourhoodofthepiano。’Ibelievethatsong，\"Whentaperstall，\"hasbeensettomusicbythreeorfourcomposersalready。’ ’Menofanynote？’saidNeigh，atlastbeatenbyhisyawn，whichcourtesyneverthelessconfinedwithinhispersontosuchanextentthatonlyafewunimportantsymptoms，suchasreducedeyesandacertainrectangularmannerofmouthinspeaking，werevisible。 ’Scarcely，’repliedtheotherman。’Establishedwritersofmusicdonotexpendtheirenergiesuponnewverseuntiltheyfindthatsuchverseislikelytoendure；forshouldthepoetbesoonforgotten，theirlabourisinsomedegreelost。’ ’Artfuldogs——whowouldhavethoughtit？’saidNeigh，justasanexerciseinwords；andtheydrewnearertothepiano，lesstobecomelistenerstothesingingthantobespectatorsofthesceneinthatquarter。Butamongsomeotherstheinterestinthesongsseemedtobeverygreat；anditwasunanimouslywishedthattheyoungladywhohadpractisedthedifferentpiecesofmusicprivatelywouldsingsomeofthemnowintheorderoftheircomposers’reputations。Themusicalpersonsintheroomunconsciouslyresolvedthemselvesintoacommitteeoftaste。 Oneandanotherhadbeentried，when，attheendofthethird，aladyspoketoEthelberta。 ’Now，Mrs。Petherwin，’shesaid，gracefullythrowingbackherface，’youropinionisbyfarthemostvaluable。Inwhichofthecasesdoyouconsiderthemarriageofverseandtunetohavebeenmostsuccessful？’ Ethelberta，findingtheseandotherunexpectedcallsmadeuponherself，cametothefrontwithoutflinching。 ’ThesweetestandthebestthatIlikebyfar，’shesaid，’isnoneofthese。ItisonewhichreachedmebypostonlythismorningfromaplaceinWessex，andiswrittenbyanunheard-ofmanwholivessomewheredownthere——amanwhowillbe，nevertheless，heardagreatdealofsomeday，Ihope——think。Ihaveonlypractiseditthisafternoon；but，ifone’sownjudgmentisworthanything，itisthebest。’ ’Letushaveyourfavourite，byallmeans，’saidanotherfriendofEthelberta’swhowaspresent——Mrs。Doncastle。 ’IamsosorrythatIcannotobligeyou，sinceyouwishtohearit，’ repliedthepoetessregretfully；’butthemusicisathome。IhadnotreceiveditwhenIlenttheotherstoMissBelmaine，anditisonlyinmanuscriptliketherest。’ ’Coulditnotbesentfor？’suggestedanenthusiastwhoknewthatEthelbertalivedonlyinthenextstreet，appealingbyalooktoher，andthentothemistressofthehouse。 ’Certainly，letussendforit，’saidthatlady。AfootmanwasatoncequietlydespatchedwithprecisedirectionsastowhereChristopher’ssweetproductionmightbefound。 ’What——istheregoingtobesomethinginteresting？’askedayoungmarriedfriendofMrs。Napper，whohadreturnedtoheroriginalspot。 ’Yes——thebestsongshehaswrittenistobesunginthebestmannertothebestairthathasbeencomposedforit。Ishouldnotwonderifsheweregoingtosingitherself。’ ’DidyouknowanythingofMrs。Petherwinuntilhernameleakedoutinconnectionwiththeseballads？’ ’No；butIthinkIrecollectseeingheroncebefore。Sheisoneofthosepeoplewhoareknown，asonemaysay，bysubscription: everybodyknowsalittle，tillsheisastonishinglywellknownaltogether；butnobodyknowsherentirely。Shewastheorphanchildofsomeclergyman，Ibelieve。LadyPetherwin，hermother-in-law，hasbeentakingheraboutagreatdeallatterly。’ ’Shehasapparentlyaverygoodprospect。’ ’Yes；anditisthroughherbeingofthatcuriousundefinedcharacterwhichinterpretsitselftoeachadmireraswhateverhewouldliketohaveit。Oldmenlikeherbecausesheissogirlish； youthsbecausesheiswomanly；wickedmenbecausesheisgoodintheireyes；goodmenbecausesheiswickedintheirs。’ ’Shemustbeaveryanomaloussortofwoman，atthatrate。’ ’Yes。LiketheBritishConstitution，sheoweshersuccessinpracticetoherinconsistenciesinprinciple。’ ’Thesepoemsmusthavesetherup。Sheappearstobequitethecorrectspectacle。HappyMrs。Petherwin！’ ThesubjectoftheirdialoguewasengagedinaconversationwithMrs。Belmaineuponthemanagementofhouseholds——athemeprovokedbyadiscussionthatwasinprogressinthepagesofsomeperiodicalofthetime。Mrs。Belmainewasveryfulloftheargument，andwentonfrompointtopointtillshecametoservants。 ThefaceofEthelbertashowedcautionatonce。 ’IconsiderthatLadyPlambypetsherservantsbyfartoomuch，’ saidMrs。Belmaine。’O，youdonotknowher？Well，sheisawomanwiththeories；andshelendshermaidsandmenbooksofthewrongkindfortheirstation，andsendsthemtopictureexhibitionswhichtheydon’tintheleastunderstand——allfortheimprovementoftheirtaste，andmorals，andnobodyknowswhatbesides。Itonlymakesthemdissatisfied。’ ThefaceofEthelbertashowedventuresomeness。’Yes，anddreadfullyambitious！’shesaid。 ’Yes，indeed。Whataturnthetimeshavetaken！Peopleofthatsortpushon，andgetintobusiness，andgetgreatwarehouses，untilatlast，withoutancestors，orfamily，orname，orestate——’ ’Orthemerestscrapofheirloomorfamilyjewel。’ ’Orheirlooms，orfamilyjewels，theyarethoughtasmuchofasiftheirforefathershadglidedunobtrusivelythroughthepeerage——’ ’Eversincethefirstedition。’ ’Yes。’Mrs。Belmaine，whoreallysprangfromagoodoldfamily，hadbeengoingtosay，’forthelastsevenhundredyears，’butfancyingfromEthelberta’saddendumthatshemightnotdatebackmorethanatriflingcenturyorso，adoptedthesuggestionwithherusualwell- knowncourtesy，andblusheddowntoherlocketatthethoughtofthemistakethatshemighthavemade。Thissensitivenesswasatraitinhercharacterwhichgavegreatgratificationtoherhusband，and，indeed，toallwhoknewher。 ’Andhaveyouanytheoryonthevexedquestionofservant- government？’continuedMrs。Belmaine，smiling。’Butno——thesubjectisoffartoopracticalanatureforoneofyourbent，ofcourse。’ ’Ono——itisnotatalltoopractical。Ihavethoughtofthematteroften，’saidEthelberta。’Ithinkthebestplanwouldbeforsomebodytowriteapamphlet，\"TheShortestWaywiththeServants，\" justastherewasoncewrittenaterriblystingingone，\"TheShortestWaywiththeDissenters，\"whichhadagreateffect。’ ’IhavealwaysunderstoodthatthatwaswrittenbyadissenterasasatireupontheChurch？’ ’Ah——soitwas:buttheexamplewilldotoillustratemymeaning。’ ’Quiteso——Iunderstand——soitwill，’saidMrs。Belmaine，withcloudedfaculties。 MeanwhileChristopher’smusichadarrived。Anaccomplishedgentlemanwhohadeverymusicaltalentexceptthatofcreation，scannedthenotescarefullyfromtoptobottom，andsatdowntoaccompanythesinger。Therewasnoladypresentofsufficientconfidenceorskilltoventureintoasongshehadneverseenbefore，andtheonlyonewhohadseenitwasEthelbertaherself；shedidnotdenyhavingpractiseditthegreaterpartoftheafternoon，andwasverywillingtosingitnowifanybodywouldderivepleasurefromtheperformance。Thenshebegan，andthesweetnessofhersingingwassuchthateventhemostunsympathetichonouredherbylookingasiftheywouldbewillingtolistentoeverynotethesongcontainedifitwerenotquitesomuchtroubletodoso。Someweresointerestedthat，insteadofcontinuingtheirconversation，theyremainedinsilentconsiderationofhowtheywouldcontinueitwhenshehadfinished；whiletheparticularlycivilpeoplearrangedtheircountenancesintoeveryattentiveformthatthemindcoulddevise。 Oneemotionalgentlemanlookedatthecornerofachairasif，tillthatmoment，suchanobjecthadnevercrossedhisvisionbefore；themovementofhisfingertotheimaginedtunewas，foradeafoldclergyman，aperfectmineofinterest；whilstayoungmanfromthecountrywaspowerlesstoputanendtoanenchantedgazeatnothingatallintheexactmiddleoftheroombeforehim。Neigh，andthegeneralphalanxofcoolmenandcelebratedclubyawners，weresomuchaffectedthattheyraisedtheirchroniclookofgreatobjectiontothings，toanexpressionofscarcelyanyobjectionatall。 ’Whatmakesitsointeresting，’saidMrs。DoncastletoEthelberta，whenthesongwasoverandshehadretiredfromthefocusofthecompany，’is，thatitisplayedfromthecomposer’sowncopy，whichhasnevermetthepubliceye，oranyotherthanhisownbeforeto- day。AndIseethathehasactuallysketchedinthelinesbyhand，insteadofhavingruledpaper——justasthegreatoldcomposersusedtodo。Youmusthavebeenaspleasedtogetitfreshfromthestockslikethatasheprobablywaspleasedtogetyourthanks。’ Ethelbertabecamereflective。ShehadnotthankedChristopher； moreover，shehaddecided，aftersomeconsideration，thatsheoughtnottothankhim。WhatnewthoughtsweresuggestedbythatremarkofMrs。Doncastle’s，andwhatnewinclinationresultedfromthepublicpresentationofhistuneandherwordsaspartsofoneorganicwhole，arebestexplainedbydescribingherdoingsatalaterhour，when，havingleftherfriendssomewhatearly，shehadreachedhomeandretiredfrompublicviewforthatevening。 Ethelbertawenttoherroom，sentawaythemaidwhodiddoubledutyforherselfandLadyPetherwin，walkedincirclesaboutthecarpettillthefirehadgrownhaggardandcavernous，sighed，tookasheetofpaperandwrote:—— ’DEARMR。JULIAN，——IhavesaidIwouldnotwrite:Ihavesaidittwice；butdiscretion，undersomecircumstances，isonlyanothernameforunkindness。Beforethankingyouforyoursweetgift，letmetellyouinafewwordsofsomethingwhichmaymateriallychangeanaspectofaffairsunderwhichIappeartoyoutodeserveit。 ’Withregardtomyhistoryandoriginyouarealtogethermistaken； andhowcanItellwhetheryourbitternessatmyprevioussilenceonthosepointsmaynotcauseyoutowithdrawyouractofcourtesynow？ Butthegratificationofhavingatlastbeenhonestwithyoumaycompensateevenforthelossofyourrespect。 ’Thematterisasmallonetotell，afterall。WhatwillyousayonlearningthatIamnotthetrodden-down\"ladybybirth\"thatyouhavesupposedme？Thatmyfatherisnotdead，asyouprobablyimagine；thatheisworkingforhislivingasoneamongapeculiarlystigmatizedandridiculedmultitude？ ’Hadhebeenabrawnycottager，carpenter，mason，blacksmith，well- digger，navvy，tree-feller——anyeffectiveandmanlytrade，inshort，aworkerinwhichcanstandupinthefaceofthenoblestanddaintiest，andbarehisgnarledarmsandsay，withaconsciousnessofsuperiorpower，\"Lookatarealman！\"Ishouldhavebeenabletoshowyouantecedentswhich，ifnotintenselyromantic，arenotaltogetherantagonistictoromance。ButthepresentfashionofassociatingwithoneparticularclasseverythingthatisludicrousandbombasticoverpowersmewhenIthinkofitinrelationtomyselfandyourknownsensitiveness。Whenthewell-bornpoetessofgoodreportmeltsinto……’ Havinggotthusfar，afaint-heartedlook，whichhadbeguntoshowitselfseveralsentencesearlier，becamepronounced。Shethrewthewritingintothedullfire，pokedandstirredittillaredinflammationcreptoverthesheet，andthenstartedanew:—— ’DEARMR。JULIAN，——Notknowingyourpresentrankascomposer—— whetherontheverybrinkoffame，orasyetalongwayoff——I cannotdecidewhatformofexpressionmyearnestacknowledgmentsshouldtake。Letmesimplysayinoneshortphrase，Ithankyouinfinitely！ ’Iamnomusician，andmyopiniononmusicmaynotbeworthmuch: yetIknowwhatIlike(aseverybodysays，butIdonotusethewordsasaformtocoverahopelessblankonallconnectedwiththesubject)，andthissweetairIlove。Youmusthaveglidedlikeabreezeaboutme——seenintoaheartnotworthyofscrutiny，jotteddownwordsthatcannotjustifyattention——beforeyoucouldhaveapotheosizedthesonginsoexquisiteamanner。Mygratitudetooktheformofwretchednesswhen，onhearingtheeffectoftheballadinpublicthisevening，IthoughtthatIhadnotpowertowithholdareplywhichmightdousbothmoreharmthangood。ThenIsaid，\"Awaywithallemotion——Iwishtheworldwasdraineddryofit——I willtakenonotice，\"whenaladywhisperedatmyelbowtotheeffectthatofcourseIhadexpressedmygratificationtoyou。I oughtfirsttohavementionedthatyourcreationhasbeenplayedto- nighttofulldrawing-rooms，andtheoriginaltonescooledtheartificialairlikeafountainalmost。 ’Iprophesygreatthingsofyou。Perhaps，atthetimewhenweareeachbutarowofbonesinourindividualgraves，yourgeniuswillberemembered，whilemymereclevernesswillhavebeenlongforgotten。 ’But——youmustallowawomanofexperiencetosaythis——theundoubtedpowerthatyoupossesswilldoyousociallynogoodunlessyoumixwithittheingredientofambition——aqualityinwhichI fearyouareverydeficient。ItisinthehopeofstimulatingyoutoabetteropinionofyourselfthatIwritethisletter。 ’ProbablyIshallnevermeetyouagain。NotthatIthinkcircumstancestobeparticularlypowerfultopreventsuchameeting，ratheritisthatIshallenergeticallyavoidit。Therecanbenosuchthingasstrongfriendshipbetweenamanandawomannotofonefamily。 ’Morethanthattheremustnotbe，andthisiswhywewillnotmeet。 YouseethatIdonotmincemattersatall；butitishypocrisytoavoidtouchinguponasubjectwhichallmenandwomeninourpositioninevitablythinkof，nomatterwhattheysay。Somewomenmighthavewrittendistantly，andweptattherepressionoftheirrealfeeling；butitisbettertobemorefrank，andkeepadryeye——Yours，ETHELBERTA。’ Herfeetfeltcoldandherheartweakasshedirectedtheletter，andshewasoverpoweredwithweariness。Butmurmuring，’IfIletitstaytillthemorningIshallnotsendit，andamanmaybelosttofamebecauseofawoman’ssqueamishness——itshallgo，’shepartiallydressedherself，wrappedalargecloakaroundher，descendedthestairs，andwentouttothepillar-boxatthecorner，leavingthedoornotquiteclose。Nogustofwindhadrealizedhermisgivingsthatitmightbeblownshutonherreturn，andshere-enteredassoftlyasshehademerged。 ItwillbeseenthatEthelbertahadsaidnothingaboutherfamilyafterall。 10。LADYPETHERWIN’SHOUSE ThenextdayoldLadyPetherwin，whohadnotaccompaniedEthelbertathenightbefore，cameintothemorning-room，withanewspaperinherhand。 ’Whatdoesthismean，Ethelberta？’sheinquiredintonesfromwhicheveryshadeofhumanexpressivenesswasextractedbysomeawfulandimminentmoodthatlaybehind。Shewaspointingtoaparagraphundertheheadingof’LiteraryNotes，’whichcontainedinafewwordstheannouncementofEthelberta’sauthorshipthathadmorecircumstantiallyappearedintheWessexReflector。 ’Itmeanswhatitsays，’saidEthelbertaquietly。 ’Thenitistrue？’ ’Yes。Imustapologizeforhavingkeptitsuchasecretfromyou。 Itwasnotdoneinthespiritthatyoumayimagine:itwasmerelytoavoiddisturbingyourmindthatIdiditsoprivately。’ ’Butsurelyyouhavenotwritteneveryoneofthoseribaldverses？’ Ethelbertalookedinclinedtoexclaimmostvehementlyagainstthis； butwhatsheactuallydidsaywas，’\"Ribald\"——whatdoyoumeanbythat？Idon’tthinkthatyouareawarewhat\"ribald\"means。’ ’IamnotsurethatIam。Asregardssomewordsaswellassomepersons，thelessyouareacquaintedwiththemthemoreitistoyourcredit。’ ’Idon’tquitedeservethis，LadyPetherwin。’ ’Really，onewouldimaginethatwomenwrotetheirbooksduringthosedreamsinwhichpeoplehavenomoralsense，toseehowimpropersome，evenvirtuous，ladiesbecomewhentheygetintoprint。’ ’Imighthavedoneamuchmoreunnaturalthingthanwritethosepoems。AndperhapsImighthavedoneamuchbetterthing，andgotlesspraise。Butthat’stheworld’sfault，notmine。’ ’Youmighthaveleftthemunwritten，andshownmorefidelity。’ ’Fidelity！itismoreamatterofhumourthanprinciple。Whathasfidelitytodowithit？’ ’Fidelitytomydearboy’smemory。’ ’ItwouldbedifficulttoshowthatbecauseIhavewrittenso-calledtenderandgayverse，Ifeeltenderandgay。Itistoooftenassumedthataperson’sfancyisaperson’srealmind。Ibelievethatinthemajorityofcasesoneisfondofimaginingthedirectoppositeofone’sprinciplesinsheereffortaftersomethingfreshandfree；atanyrate，someofthelightestofthoserhymeswerecomposedbetweenthedeepestfitsofdismalsIhaveeverknown。 However，Ididexpectthatyoumightjudgeinthewayyouhavejudged，andthatwasmychiefreasonfornottellingyouwhatIhaddone。’ ’Youdon’tdenythatyoutriedtoescapefromrecollectionsyououghttohavecherished？Thereisonlyonethingthatwomenofyoursortareasreadytodoastotakeaman’sname，andthatis，drophismemory。’ ’DearLadyPetherwin——don’tbesounreasonableastoblamealivepersonforliving！Nowoman’sheadissosmallastobefilledforlifebyamemoryofafewmonths。FouryearshavepassedsinceI lastsawmyboy-husband。Weweremerechildren；seehowIhavealteredsinceinmind，substance，andoutline——Ihaveevengrownhalfaninchtallersincehisdeath。Twoyearswillexhausttheregretsofwidowswhohavelongbeenfaithfulwives；andoughtInottoshowalittlenewlifewhenmyhusbanddiedinthehoneymoon？’ ’No。Acceptingtheprotectionofyourhusband’smotherwas，ineffect，anavowalthatyourejectedtheideaofbeingawidowtoprolongtheideaofbeingawife；andthesinagainstyourconventionalstatethusassumedisalmostasbadaswouldhavebeenasinagainstthemarriedstateitself。Ifyouhadgoneoffwhenhedied，saying，\"Thankheaven，Iamfree！\"youwould，atanyrate，haveshownsomerealhonesty。’ ’Ishouldhavebeenmorevirtuousbybeingmoreunfeeling。Thatoftenhappens。’ ’Ihavetakentoyou，andmadeagreatdealofyou——givenyoutheinestimableadvantagesofforeigntravelandgoodsocietytoenlargeyourmind。Inshort，IhavebeenlikeaNaomitoyouineverything，andImaintainthatwritingthesepoemssapsthefoundationofitall。’ ’IdoownthatyouhavebeenaverygoodNaomitomethusfar；butRuthwasquiteafastwidowincomparisonwithme，andyetNaomineverblamedher。Youareunfortunateinyourillustration。Butitisdreadfullyflippantofmetoansweryoulikethis，foryouhavebeenkind。Butwhywillyouprovokeme！’ ’Yes，youareflippant，Ethelberta。Youaretoomuchgiventothatsortofthing。’ ’Well，Idon’tknowhowthesecretofmynamehasleakedout；andI amnotribald，oranythingyousay，’saidEthelberta，withasigh。 ’Thenyouownyoudonotfeelsoardentasyouseeminyourbook？’ ’Idoownit。’ ’Andthatyouaresorryyournamehasbeenpublishedinconnectionwithit？’ ’Iam。’ ’Andyouthinktheversesmaytendtomisrepresentyourcharacterasagayandrapturousone，whenitisnot？’ ’Idofearit。’ ’Then，ofcourse，youwillsuppressthepoemsinstantly。Thatistheonlywayinwhichyoucanregainthepositionyouhavehithertoheldwithme。’ Ethelbertasaidnothing；andthedullwinteratmospherehadfarfromlightenoughinittoshowbyherfacewhatshemightbethinking。 ’Well？’saidLadyPetherwin。 ’Ididnotexpectsuchacommandasthat，’saidEthelberta。’Ihavebeenobedientforfouryears，andwouldcontinueso——butIcannotsuppressthepoems。Theyarenotminenowtosuppress。’ ’Youmustgetthemintoyourhands。Moneywilldoit，Isuppose？’ ’Yes，Isupposeitwould——athousandpounds。’ ’Verywell；themoneyshallbeforthcoming，’saidLadyPetherwin，afterapause。’Youhadbettersitdownandwriteaboutitatonce。’ ’Icannotdoit，’saidEthelberta；’andIwillnot。Idon’twishthemtobesuppressed。Iamnotashamedofthem；thereisnothingtobeashamedofinthem；andIshallnottakeanystepsinthematter。’ ’Thenyouareanungratefulwoman，andwantinginnaturalaffectionforthedead！Consideringyourbirth——’ ’That’sanintolerable——’