Theycameuponaplatform，andstoodbeforehercompartment。
Hetookherhandandlookedintohereyesandspoke，dividedagainsthimself，inavoicethatwasforcedandinsincere。
\"Ishallbeverygladtohaveyouforafriend，\"hesaid，\"lovingfriend。Ihadneverdreamedofsuchafriendasyou。\"
Shesmiled，sureofherselfbeyondanypretending，intohistroubledeyes。Hadn’ttheysettledthatalready？
\"Iwantyouasafriend，\"hepersisted，almostasifhedisputedsomething。
Part5
Thenextmorningshewaitedinthelaboratoryatthelunch-hourinthereasonablecertaintythathewouldcometoher。
\"Well，youhavethoughtitover？\"hesaid，sittingdownbesideher。
\"I’vebeenthinkingofyouallnight，\"sheanswered。
\"Well？\"
\"Idon’tcarearapforallthesethings。\"
Hesaidnothingforaspace。
\"Idon’tseethere’sanygettingawayfromthefactthatyouandIloveeachother，\"hesaid，slowly。\"Sofaryou’vegotmeandI
you……You’vegotme。I’mlikeacreaturejustwakenedup。
Myeyesareopentoyou。Ikeeponthinkingofyou。Ikeeponthinkingoflittledetailsandaspectsofyourvoice，youreyes，thewayyouwalk，thewayyourhairgoesbackfromthesideofyourforehead。IbelieveIhavealwaysbeeninlovewithyou。
Always。BeforeeverIknewyou。\"
Shesatmotionless，withherhandtighteningovertheedgeofthetable，andhe，too，saidnomore。Shebegantotrembleviolently。
Hestoodupabruptlyandwenttothewindow。
\"Wehave，\"hesaid，\"tobetheutmostfriends。\"
Shestoodupandheldherarmstowardhim。\"Iwantyoutokissme，\"shesaid。
Hegrippedthewindow-sillbehindhim。
\"IfIdo，\"hesaid……\"No！Iwanttodowithoutthat。I
wanttodowithoutthatforatime。Iwanttogiveyoutimetothink。Iamaman——ofasortofexperience。Youareagirlwithverylittle。Justsitdownonthatstoolagainandlet’stalkofthisincoldblood。Peopleofyoursort——Idon’twanttheinstinctsto——torushoursituation。Areyousurewhatitisyouwantofme？\"
\"Iwantyou。Iwantyoutobemylover。Iwanttogivemyselftoyou。IwanttobewhateverIcantoyou。\"Shepausedforamoment。\"Isthatplain？\"sheasked。
\"IfIdidn’tloveyoubetterthanmyself，\"saidCapes，\"I
wouldn’tfencelikethiswithyou。
\"Iamconvincedyouhaven’tthoughtthisout，\"hewenton。\"Youdonotknowwhatsucharelationmeans。Weareinlove。Ourheadsswimwiththethoughtofbeingtogether。Butwhatcanwedo？HereamI，fixedtorespectabilityandthislaboratory；
you’relivingathome。Itmeans……justfurtivemeetings。\"
\"Idon’tcarehowwemeet，\"shesaid。
\"Itwillspoilyourlife。\"
\"Itwillmakeit。Iwantyou。IamclearIwantyou。Youaredifferentfromalltheworldforme。Youcanthinkallroundme。
YouaretheonepersonIcanunderstandandfeel——feelrightwith。Idon’tidealizeyou。Don’timaginethat。Itisn’tbecauseyou’regood，butbecauseImayberottenbad；andthere’ssomething——somethinglivingandunderstandinginyou。Somethingthatisbornaneweachtimewemeet，andpineswhenweareseparated。Yousee，I’mselfish。I’mratherscornful。Ithinktoomuchaboutmyself。You’retheonlypersonI’vereallygivengood，straight，unselfishthoughtto。I’mmakingamessofmylife——unlessyoucomeinandtakeit。Iam。Inyou——ifyoucanloveme——thereissalvation。Salvation。IknowwhatIamdoingbetterthanyoudo。Think——thinkofthatengagement！\"
Theirtalkhadcometoeloquentsilencesthatcontradictedallhehadtosay。
Shestoodupbeforehim，smilingfaintly。
\"Ithinkwe’veexhaustedthisdiscussion，\"shesaid。
\"Ithinkwehave，\"heanswered，gravely，andtookherinhisarms，andsmoothedherhairfromherforehead，andverytenderlykissedherlips。
Part6
TheyspentthenextSundayinRichmondPark，andmingledthehappysensationofbeingtogetheruninterruptedlythroughthelongsunshineofasummer’sdaywiththeamplediscussionoftheirposition。\"Thishasallthecleanfreshnessofspringandyouth，\"saidCapes；\"itislovewiththedownon；itisliketheglitterofdewinthesunlighttobeloverssuchasweare，withnomorethanonewarmkissbetweenus。Iloveeverythingto-day，andallofyou，butIlovethis，this——thisinnocenceuponusmostofall。
\"Youcan’timagine，\"hesaid，\"whatabeastlythingafurtiveloveaffaircanbe。
\"Thisisn’tfurtive，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Notabitofit。Andwewon’tmakeitso……Wemustn’tmakeitso。\"
Theyloiteredundertrees，theysatonmossybankstheygossipedonfriendlybenches，theycamebacktolunchatthe\"StarandGarter，\"andtalkedtheirafternoonawayinthegardenthatlooksoutuponthecrescentoftheriver。Theyhadauniversetotalkabout——twouniverses。
\"Whatarewegoingtodo？\"saidCapes，withhiseyesonthebroaddistancesbeyondtheribbonoftheriver。
\"Iwilldowhateveryouwant，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Myfirstlovewasallblundering，\"saidCapes。
Hethoughtforamoment，andwenton:\"Loveissomethingthathastobetakencareof。Onehastobesocareful……It’sabeautifulplant，butatenderone……Ididn’tknow。I’veadreadoflovedroppingitspetals，becomingmeanandugly。HowcanItellyouallIfeel？Iloveyoubeyondmeasure。AndI’mafraid……I’manxious，joyfullyanxious，likeamanwhenhehasfoundatreasure。\"
\"YOUknow，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"Ijustcametoyouandputmyselfinyourhands。\"
\"That’swhy，inaway，I’mprudish。I’ve——dreads。Idon’twanttotearatyouwithhot，roughhands。\"
\"Asyouwill，dearlover。Butformeitdoesn’tmatter。Nothingiswrongthatyoudo。Nothing。Iamquiteclearaboutthis。I
knowexactlywhatIamdoing。Igivemyselftoyou。\"
\"Godsendyoumayneverrepentit！\"criedCapes。
Sheputherhandinhistobesqueezed。
\"Yousee，\"hesaid，\"itisdoubtfulifwecanevermarry。Verydoubtful。Ihavebeenthinking——Iwillgotomywifeagain。I
willdomyutmost。Butforalongtime，anyhow，welovershavetobeasifwewerenomorethanfriends。\"
Hepaused。Sheansweredslowly。\"Thatisasyouwill，\"shesaid。
\"Whyshoulditmatter？\"hesaid。
Andthen，assheanswerednothing，\"Seeingthatwearelovers。\"
Part7
ItwasratherlessthanaweekafterthatwalkthatCapescameandsatdownbesideAnnVeronicafortheircustomarytalkinthelunchhour。Hetookahandfulofalmondsandraisinsthatsheheldouttohim——forboththeseyoungpeoplehadgivenupthepracticeofgoingoutforluncheon——andkeptherhandforamomenttokissherfinger-tips。Hedidnotspeakforamoment。
\"Well？\"shesaid。
\"Isay！\"hesaid，withoutanymovement。\"Let’sgo。\"
\"Go！\"Shedidnotunderstandhimatfirst，andthenherheartbegantobeatveryrapidly。
\"Stopthis——thishumbugging，\"heexplained。\"It’slikethePictureandtheBust。Ican’tstandit。Let’sgo。Gooffandlivetogether——untilwecanmarry。Dareyou？\"
\"DoyoumeanNOW？\"
\"Attheendofthesession。It’stheonlycleanwayforus。Areyoupreparedtodoit？\"
Herhandsclenched。\"Yes，\"shesaid，veryfaintly。Andthen:
\"Ofcourse！Always。ItiswhatIhavewanted，whatIhavemeantallalong。\"
Shestaredbeforeher，tryingtokeepbackarushoftears。
Capeskeptobstinatelystiff，andspokebetweenhisteeth。
\"There’sendlessreasons，nodoubt，whyweshouldn’t，\"hesaid。
\"Endless。It’swrongintheeyesofmostpeople。Formanyofthemitwillsmirchusforever……YouDOunderstand？\"
\"Whocaresformostpeople？\"shesaid，notlookingathim。
\"Ido。Itmeanssocialisolation——struggle。\"
\"Ifyoudare——Idare，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"IwasneversoclearinallmylifeasIhavebeeninthisbusiness。\"Sheliftedsteadfasteyestohim。\"Dare！\"shesaid。Thetearswerewellingovernow，buthervoicewassteady。\"You’renotamanforme——notoneofasex，Imean。You’rejustaparticularbeingwithnothingelseintheworldtoclasswithyou。Youarejustnecessarytolifeforme。I’venevermetanyonelikeyou。Tohaveyouisallimportant。Nothingelseweighsagainstit。
Moralsonlybeginwhenthatissettled。Isha’n’tcarearapifwecannevermarry。I’mnotabitafraidofanything——scandal，difficulty，struggle……Iratherwantthem。Idowantthem。\"
\"You’llgetthem，\"hesaid。\"Thismeansaplunge。\"
\"Areyouafraid？\"
\"Onlyforyou！Mostofmyincomewillvanish。Evenunbelievingbiologicaldemonstratorsmustrespectdecorum；andbesides，yousee——youwereastudent。Weshallhave——hardlyanymoney。\"
\"Idon’tcare。\"
\"Hardshipanddanger。\"
\"Withyou！\"
\"Andasforyourpeople？\"
\"Theydon’tcount。Thatisthedreadfultruth。This——allthisswampsthem。Theydon’tcount，andIdon’tcare。\"
Capessuddenlyabandonedhisattitudeofmeditativerestraint。
\"ByJove！\"hebrokeout，\"onetriestotakeaserious，soberview。Idon’tquiteknowwhy。Butthisisagreatlark，AnnVeronica！Thisturnslifeintoagloriousadventure！\"
\"Ah！\"shecriedintriumph。
\"Ishallhavetogiveupbiology，anyhow。I’vealwayshadasneakingdesireforthewriting-trade。ThatiswhatImustdo。
Ican。\"
\"Ofcourseyoucan。\"
\"Andbiologywasbeginningtoboremeabit。Oneresearchisverylikeanother……LatterlyI’vebeendoingthings……
Creativeworkappealstomewonderfully。Thingsseemtocomerathereasily……Butthat，andthatsortofthing，isjustaday-dream。ForatimeImustdojournalismandworkhard……
Whatisn’taday-dreamisthis:thatyouandIaregoingtoputanendtoflummery——andgo！\"
\"Go！\"saidAnnVeronica，clenchingherhands。
\"Forbetterorworse。\"
\"Forricherorpoorer。\"
Shecouldnotgoon，forshewaslaughingandcryingatthesametime。\"Wewereboundtodothiswhenyoukissedme，\"shesobbedthroughhertears。\"Wehavebeenallthistime——Onlyyourqueercodeofhonor——Honor！Onceyoubeginwithloveyouhavetoseeitthrough。\"
CHAPTERTHEFIFTEENTH
THELASTDAYSATHOME
Part1
TheydecidedtogotoSwitzerlandatthesession’send。\"We’llcleanupeverythingtidy，\"saidCapes……
Forherpride’ssake，andtosaveherselffromlongday-dreamsandanunappeasablelongingforherlover，AnnVeronicaworkedhardatherbiologyduringthoseclosingweeks。Shewas，asCapeshadsaid，ahardyoungwoman。Shewaskeenlyresolvedtodowellintheschoolexamination，andnottobedrownedintheseasofemotionthatthreatenedtosubmergeherintellectualbeing。
Nevertheless，shecouldnotpreventarisingexcitementasthedawnofthenewlifedrewneartoher——athrillingofthenerves，asecretanddeliciousexaltationabovethecommoncircumstancesofexistence。Sometimesherstrayingmindwouldbecomeastonishinglyactive——embroideringbrightanddecorativethingsthatshecouldsaytoCapes；sometimesitpassedintoastateofpassiveacquiescence，intoaradiant，formless，goldenjoy。Shewasawareofpeople——heraunt，herfather，herfellow-students，friends，andneighbors——movingaboutoutsidethisglowingsecret，verymuchasanactorisawareofthedimaudiencebeyondthebarrierofthefootlights。Theymightapplaud，orobject，orinterfere，butthedramawasherveryown。Shewasgoingthroughwiththat，anyhow。
Thefeelingoflastdaysgrewstrongerwithherastheirnumberdiminished。Shewentaboutthefamiliarhomewithaclearerandclearersenseofinevitableconclusions。Shebecameexceptionallyconsiderateandaffectionatewithherfatherandaunt，andmoreandmoreconcernedaboutthecomingcatastrophethatshewasabouttoprecipitateuponthem。Heraunthadaonceexasperatinghabitofinterruptingherworkwithdemandsforsmallhouseholdservices，butnowAnnVeronicarenderedthemwithaqueerreadinessofanticipatorypropitiation。ShewasgreatlyexercisedbytheproblemofconfidingintheWidgetts；theyweredears，andshetalkedawaytwoeveningswithConstancewithoutbroachingthetopic；shemadesomevagueintimationsinletterstoMissMiniverthatMissMiniverfailedtomark。Butshedidnotbotherherheadverymuchaboutherrelationswiththesesympathizers。
AndatlengthherpenultimatedayinMorningsideParkdawnedforher。Shegotupearly，andwalkedaboutthegardeninthedewyJunesunshineandrevivedherchildhood。Shewassayinggood-byetochildhoodandhome，andhermaking；shewasgoingoutintothegreat，multitudinousworld；thistimetherewouldbenoreturning。Shewasattheendofgirlhoodandontheeveofawoman’scrowningexperience。Shevisitedthecornerthathadbeenherownlittlegarden——herforget-me-notsandcandytufthadlongsincebeenelbowedintoinsignificancebyweeds；shevisitedtheraspberry-canesthathadshelteredthatfirstloveaffairwiththelittleboyinvelvet，andthegreenhousewhereshehadbeenwonttoreadhersecretletters。HerewastheplacebehindtheshedwhereshehadusedtohidefromRoddy’spersecutions，andheretheborderofherbaceousperennialsunderwhosestemswasfairyland。ThebackofthehousehadbeentheAlpsforclimbing，andtheshrubsinfrontofitaTerai。Theknotsandbrokenpalethatmadethegarden-fencescalable，andgaveaccesstothefieldsbehind，werestilltobetraced。Andhereagainstawallweretheplum-trees。InspiteofGodandwaspsandherfather，shehadstolenplums；andoncebecauseofdiscoveredmisdeeds，andoncebecauseshehadrealizedthathermotherwasdead，shehadlainonherfaceintheunmowngrass，beneaththeelm-treesthatcamebeyondthevegetables，andpouredouthersoulinweeping。
RemotelittleAnnVeronica！Shewouldneverknowtheheartofthatchildagain！Thatchildhadlovedfairyprinceswithvelvetsuitsandgoldenlocks，andshewasinlovewitharealmannamedCapes，withlittlegleamsofgoldonhischeekandapleasantvoiceandfirmandshapelyhands。Shewasgoingtohimsoonandcertainly，goingtohisstrong，embracingarms。Shewasgoingthroughanewworldwithhimsidebyside。Shehadbeensobusywithlifethat，foravastgulfoftime，asitseemed，shehadgivennothoughttothoseancient，imaginedthingsofherchildhood。Now，abruptly，theywererealagain，thoughverydistant，andshehadcometosayfarewelltothemacrossonesunderingyear。
Shewasunusuallyhelpfulatbreakfast，andunselfishabouttheeggs:andthenshewentofftocatchthetrainbeforeherfather’s。Shedidthistopleasehim。Hehatedtravellingsecond-classwithher——indeed，heneverdid——buthealsodislikedtravellinginthesametrainwhenhisdaughterwasinaninferiorclass，becauseofthelookofthething。Sohelikedtogobyadifferenttrain。AndintheAvenueshehadanencounterwithRamage。
Itwasanoddlittleencounter，thatleftvagueanddubitableimpressionsinhermind。Shewasawareofhim——asilk-hatted，shiny-blackfigureontheoppositesideoftheAvenue；andthen，abruptlyandstartlingly，hecrossedtheroadandsalutedandspoketoher。
\"IMUSTspeaktoyou，\"hesaid。\"Ican’tkeepawayfromyou。\"
Shemadesomeinaneresponse。Shewasstruckbyachangeinhisappearance。Hiseyeslookedalittlebloodshottoher；hisfacehadlostsomethingofitsruddyfreshness。
Hebeganajerky，brokenconversationthatlasteduntiltheyreachedthestation，andleftherpuzzledatitsdriftandmeaning。Shequickenedherpace，andsodidhe，talkingatherslightlyavertedear。Shemadelumpishandinadequateinterruptionsratherthanreplies。Attimesheseemedtobeclaimingpityfromher；attimeshewasthreateningherwithhercheckandexposure；attimeshewasboastingofhisinflexiblewill，andhow，intheend，healwaysgotwhathewanted。Hesaidthathislifewasboringandstupidwithouther。Somethingorother——shedidnotcatchwhat——hewasdamnedifhecouldstand。
Hewasevidentlynervous，andveryanxioustobeimpressive；hisprojectingeyessoughttodominate。Thecrowningaspectoftheincident，forhermind，wasthediscoverythatheandherindiscretionwithhimnolongermatteredverymuch。Itsimportancehadvanishedwithherabandonmentofcompromise。Evenherdebttohimwasatrivialitynow。
Andofcourse！Shehadabrilliantidea。Itsurprisedhershehadn’tthoughtofitbefore！Shetriedtoexplainthatshewasgoingtopayhimfortypoundswithoutfailnextweek。Shesaidasmuchtohim。Sherepeatedthisbreathlessly。
\"Iwasgladyoudidnotsenditbackagain，\"hesaid。
Hetouchedalong-standingsore，andAnnVeronicafoundherselfvainlytryingtoexplain——theinexplicable。\"It’sbecauseImeantosenditbackaltogether，\"shesaid。
Heignoredherprotestsinordertopursuesomeimpressivelineofhisown。
\"Hereweare，livinginthesamesuburb，\"hebegan。\"Wehavetobe——modern。\"
Herheartleapedwithinherasshecaughtthatphrase。Thatknotalsowouldbecut。Modern，indeed！Shewasgoingtobeasprimordialaschippedflint。
Part2
Inthelateafternoon，asAnnVeronicawasgatheringflowersforthedinner-table，herfathercamestrollingacrossthelawntowardherwithanaffectationofgreatdeliberation。
\"Iwanttospeaktoyouaboutalittlething，Vee，\"saidMr。
Stanley。
AnnVeronica’stensenervesstarted，andshestoodstillwithhereyesuponhim，wonderingwhatitmightbethatimpended。
\"YouweretalkingtothatfellowRamageto-day——intheAvenue。
Walkingtothestationwithhim。\"
Sothatwasit！
\"Hecameandtalkedtome。\"
\"Ye——e——es。\"Mr。Stanleyconsidered。\"Well，Idon’twantyoutotalktohim，\"hesaid，veryfirmly。
AnnVeronicapausedbeforesheanswered。\"Don’tyouthinkI
oughtto？\"sheasked，verysubmissively。
\"No。\"Mr。Stanleycoughedandfacedtowardthehouse。\"Heisnot——Idon’tlikehim。Ithinkitinadvisable——Idon’twantanintimacytospringupbetweenyouandamanofthattype。\"
AnnVeronicareflected。\"IHAVE——hadoneortwotalkswithhim，daddy。\"
\"Don’tlettherebeanymore。I——Infact，Idislikehimextremely。\"
\"Supposehecomesandtalkstome？\"
\"Agirlcanalwayskeepamanatadistanceifshecarestodoit。She——Shecansnubhim。\"
AnnVeronicapickedacornflower。
\"Iwouldn’tmakethisobjection，\"Mr。Stanleywenton，\"buttherearethings——therearestoriesaboutRamage。He’s——Helivesinaworldofpossibilitiesoutsideyourimagination。Histreatmentofhiswifeismostunsatisfactory。Mostunsatisfactory。Abadman，infact。Adissipated，loose-livingman。\"
\"I’lltrynottoseehimagain，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"Ididn’tknowyouobjectedtohim，daddy。\"
\"Strongly，\"saidMr。Stanley，\"verystrongly。\"
Theconversationhung。AnnVeronicawonderedwhatherfatherwoulddoifsheweretotellhimthefullstoryofherrelationswithRamage。
\"Amanlikethattaintsagirlbylookingather，byhismereconversation。\"Headjustedhisglassesonhisnose。Therewasanotherlittlethinghehadtosay。\"Onehastobesocarefulofone’sfriendsandacquaintances，\"heremarked，bywayoftransition。\"Theymouldoneinsensibly。\"Hisvoiceassumedaneasydetachedtone。\"Isuppose，Vee，youdon’tseemuchofthoseWidgettsnow？\"
\"IgoinandtalktoConstancesometimes。\"
\"Doyou？\"
\"Weweregreatfriendsatschool。\"
\"Nodoubt……Still——Idon’tknowwhetherIquitelike——Somethingramshackleaboutthosepeople，Vee。WhileIamtalkingaboutyourfriends，Ifeel——IthinkyououghttoknowhowIlookatit。\"Hisvoiceconveyedstudiedmoderation。\"Idon’tmind，ofcourse，yourseeinghersometimes，stilltherearedifferences——differencesinsocialatmospheres。Onegetsdrawnintothings。Beforeyouknowwhereyouareyoufindyourselfinacomplication。Idon’twanttoinfluenceyouunduly——But——They’reartisticpeople，Vee。That’sthefactaboutthem。We’redifferent。\"
\"Isupposeweare，\"saidVee，rearrangingtheflowersinherhand。
\"Friendshipsthatareallverywellbetweenschool-girlsdon’talwaysgoonintolaterlife。It’s——it’sasocialdifference。\"
\"IlikeConstanceverymuch。\"
\"Nodoubt。Still，onehastobereasonable。Asyouadmittedtome——onehastosquareone’sselfwiththeworld。Youdon’tknow。
Withpeopleofthatsortallsortsofthingsmayhappen。Wedon’twantthingstohappen。\"
AnnVeronicamadenoanswer。
Avaguedesiretojustifyhimselfruffledherfather。\"Imayseemunduly——anxious。Ican’tforgetaboutyoursister。It’sthathasalwaysmademe——SHE，youknow，wasdrawnintoaset——didn’tdiscriminatePrivatetheatricals。\"
AnnVeronicaremainedanxioustohearmoreofhersister’sstoryfromherfather’spointofview，buthedidnotgoon。Evensomuchallusionasthistothatfamilyshadow，shefelt，wasanimmenserecognitionofherripeningyears。Sheglancedathim。
Hestoodalittleanxiousandfussy，botheredbytheresponsibilityofher，entirelycarelessofwhatherlifewasorwaslikelytobe，ignoringherthoughtsandfeelings，ignorantofeveryfactofimportanceinherlife，explainingeverythinghecouldnotunderstandinherasnonsenseandperversity，concernedonlywithaterrorofbothersandundesirablesituations。\"Wedon’twantthingstohappen！\"Neverhadheshownhisdaughtersoclearlythatthewomenkindhewaspersuadedhehadtoprotectandcontrolcouldpleasehiminoneway，andinonewayonly，andthatwasbydoingnothingexceptthepunctualdomesticdutiesandbeingnothingexceptrestfulappearances。HehadquiteenoughtoseetoandworryaboutintheCitywithouttheirdoingthings。HehadnouseforAnnVeronica；hehadneverhadauseforhersinceshehadbeentoooldtosituponhisknee。Nothingbuttheconstraintofsocialusagenowlinkedhimtoher。Andtheless\"anything\"happenedthebetter。Thelessshelived，infact，thebetter。TheserealizationsrushedintoAnnVeronica’smindandhardenedherheartagainsthim。Shespokeslowly。\"ImaynotseetheWidgettsforsomelittletime，father，\"shesaid。\"I
don’tthinkIshall。\"
\"Somelittletiff？\"
\"No；butIdon’tthinkIshallseethem。\"
Supposesheweretoadd，\"Iamgoingaway！\"
\"I’mgladtohearyousayit，\"saidMr。Stanley，andwassoevidentlypleasedthatAnnVeronica’sheartsmoteher。
\"Iamverygladtohearyousayit，\"herepeated，andrefrainedfromfurtherinquiry。\"Ithinkwearegrowingsensible，\"hesaid。\"Ithinkyouaregettingtounderstandmebetter。\"
Hehesitated，andwalkedawayfromhertowardthehouse。Hereyesfollowedhim。Thecurveofhisshoulders，theveryangleofhisfeet，expressedreliefatherapparentobedience。\"Thankgoodness！\"saidthatretreatingaspect，\"that’ssaidandover。
Vee’sallright。There’snothinghappenedatall！\"Shedidn’tmean，heconcluded，togivehimanymoretroubleever，andhewasfreetobeginafreshchromaticnovel——hehadjustfinishedtheBlueLagoon，whichhethoughtverybeautifulandtenderandabsolutelyirrelevanttoMorningsidePark——orworkinpeaceathismicrotomewithoutbotheringaboutherintheleast。
Theimmensedisillusionmentthatawaitedhim！Thedevastatingdisillusionment！Shehadavaguedesiretorunafterhim，tostatehercasetohim，towringsomeunderstandingfromhimofwhatlifewastoher。Shefeltacheatandasneaktohisunsuspectingretreatingback。
\"Butwhatcanonedo？\"askedAnnVeronica。
Part3
Shedressedcarefullyfordinnerinablackdressthatherfatherliked，andthatmadeherlookseriousandresponsible。Dinnerwasquiteuneventful。Herfatherreadadraftprospectuswarily，andherauntdroppedfragmentsofherprojectsformanagingwhilethecookhadaholiday。AfterdinnerAnnVeronicawentintothedrawing-roomwithMissStanley，andherfatherwentuptohisdenforhispipeandpensivepetrography。Laterintheeveningsheheardhimwhistling，poorman！
Shefeltveryrestlessandexcited。Sherefusedcoffee，thoughsheknewthatanyhowshewasdoomedtoasleeplessnight。Shetookuponeofherfather’snovelsandputitdownagain，fretteduptoherownroomforsomework，satonherbedandmeditatedupontheroomthatshewasnowreallyabandoningforever，andreturnedatlengthwithastockingtodarn。Herauntwasmakingherselfcuffsoutoflittleslipsofinsertionunderthenewlylitlamp。
AnnVeronicasatdownintheotherarm-chairanddarnedbadlyforaminuteorso。Thenshelookedatheraunt，andtracedwithacuriouseyethecarefularrangementofherhair，hersharpnose，thelittledroopinglinesofmouthandchinandcheek。
Herthoughtspokealoud。\"Wereyoueverinlove，aunt？\"sheasked。
Herauntglancedupstartled，andthensatverystill，withhandsthathadceasedtowork。\"Whatmakesyouasksuchaquestion，Vee？\"shesaid。
\"Iwondered。\"
Herauntansweredinalowvoice:\"Iwasengagedtohim，dear，forsevenyears，andthenhedied。\"
AnnVeronicamadeasympatheticlittlemurmur。
\"Hewasinholyorders，andweweretohavebeenmarriedwhenhegotaliving。HewasaWiltshireEdmondshaw，averyoldfamily。\"
Shesatverystill。
AnnVeronicahesitatedwithaquestionthathadleapedupinhermind，andthatshefeltwascruel。\"Areyousorryyouwaited，aunt？\"shesaid。
Herauntwasalongtimebeforesheanswered。\"Hisstipendforbadeit，\"shesaid，andseemedtofallintoatrainofthought。\"Itwouldhavebeenrashandunwise，\"shesaidattheendofameditation。\"Whathehadwasaltogetherinsufficient。\"
AnnVeronicalookedatthemildlypensivegrayeyesandthecomfortable，ratherrefinedfacewithapenetratingcuriosity。
Presentlyherauntsigheddeeplyandlookedattheclock。\"TimeformyPatience，\"shesaid。Shegotup，puttheneatcuffsshehadmadeintoherwork-basket，andwenttothebureauforthelittlecardsinthemoroccocase。AnnVeronicajumpeduptogetherthecard-table。\"Ihaven’tseenthenewPatience，dear，\"shesaid。\"MayIsitbesideyou？\"
\"It’saverydifficultone，\"saidheraunt。\"Perhapsyouwillhelpmeshuffle？\"
AnnVeronicadid，andalsoassistednimblywiththearrangementsoftherowsofeightwithwhichthestrugglebegan。Thenshesatwatchingtheplay，sometimesofferingahelpfulsuggestion，sometimeslettingherattentionwandertothesmoothlyshiningarmsshehadfoldedacrossherkneesjustbelowtheedgeofthetable。Shewasfeelingextraordinarilywellthatnight，sothatthesenseofherbodywasadeepdelight，arealizationofagentlewarmthandstrengthandelasticfirmness。Thensheglancedatthecardsagain，overwhichheraunt’smany-ringedhandplayed，andthenattheratherweak，ratherplumpfacethatsurveyeditsoperations。
ItcametoAnnVeronicathatlifewaswonderfulbeyondmeasure。
Itseemedincrediblethatsheandherauntwere，indeed，creaturesofthesameblood，onlybyabirthorsodifferentbeings，andpartofthatsamebroadinterlacingstreamofhumanlifethathasinventedthefaunsandnymphs，Astarte，Aphrodite，Freya，andallthetwiningbeautyofthegods。Thelove-songsofalltheagesweresinginginherblood，thescentofnightstockfromthegardenfilledtheair，andthemothsthatbeatupontheclosedframesofthewindownextthelampsetherminddreamingofkissesinthedusk。Yetheraunt，witharingedhandflittingtoherlipsandapuzzled，worriedlookinhereyes，deaftoallthisriotofwarmthandflittingdesire，wasplayingPatience——playingPatience，asifDionysiusandhercuratehaddiedtogether。Afaintbuzzabovetheceilingwitnessedthatpetrography，too，wasactive。Grayandtranquilworld！Amazing，passionlessworld！Aworldinwhichdayswithoutmeaning，daysinwhich\"wedon’twantthingstohappen\"followeddayswithoutmeaning——untilthelastthinghappened，theultimate，unavoidable，coarse，\"disagreeable。\"Itwasherlasteveninginthatwrapperedlifeagainstwhichshehadrebelled。Warmrealitywasnowsonearhershecouldhearitbeatinginherears。AwayinLondonevennowCapeswaspackingandpreparing；Capes，themagicmanwhosetouchturnedonetotremblingfire。Whatwashedoing？Whatwashethinking？Itwaslessthanadaynow，lessthantwentyhours。Seventeenhours，sixteenhours。Sheglancedatthesoft-tickingclockwiththeexposedbrasspendulumuponthewhitemarblemantel，andmadearapidcalculation。Tobeexact，itwasjustsixteenhoursandtwentyminutes。Theslowstarscircledontothemomentoftheirmeeting。Thesoftlyglitteringsummerstars！Shesawthemshiningovermountainsofsnow，overvalleysofhazeandwarmdarkness……Therewouldbenomoon。
\"Ibelieveafterallit’scomingout！\"saidMissStanley。\"Theacesmadeiteasy。\"
AnnVeronicastartedfromherreverie，satupinherchair，becameattentive。\"Look，dear，\"shesaidpresently，\"youcanputthetenontheJack。\"
CHAPTERTHESIXTEENTH
INTHEMOUNTAINS
Part1
NextdayAnnVeronicaandCapesfeltlikenewbornthings。Itseemedtothemtheycouldneverhavebeenreallyalivebefore，butonlydimlyanticipatingexistence。Theysatfacetofacebeneathanexperienced-lookingrucksackandabrandnewportmanteauandaleatherhandbag，intheafternoon-boattrainthatgoesfromCharingCrosstoFolkestoneforBoulogne。Theytriedtoreadillustratedpapersinanunconcernedmannerandwithforcedattention，lesttheyshouldcatchtheleapingexultationineachother’seyes。AndtheyadmiredKentsedulouslyfromthewindows。
TheycrossedtheChannelinsunshineandabreezethatjustruffledtheseatoglitteringscalesofsilver。Someofthepeoplewhowatchedthemstandingsidebysidethoughttheymustbenewlyweddedbecauseoftheirhappyfaces，andothersthattheywereanold-establishedcouplebecauseoftheireasyconfidenceineachother。
AtBoulognetheytooktraintoBasle；nextmorningtheybreakfastedtogetherinthebuffetofthatstation，andthencetheycaughttheInterlakenexpress，andsowentbywayofSpiestoFrutigen。TherewasnorailwaybeyondFrutigeninthosedays；theysenttheirbaggagebyposttoKandersteg，andwalkedalongthemulepathtotheleftofthestreamtothatqueerhollowamongtheprecipices，BlauSee，wherethepetrifyingbranchesoftreeslieinthebluedeepsofanicylake，andpine-treesclamberamonggiganticboulders。AlittleinnflyingaSwissflagnestlesunderagreatrock，andtheretheyputasidetheirknapsacksandlunchedandrestedinthemid-dayshadowofthegorgeandthescentofresin。AndlatertheypaddledinaboatabovethemysteriousdeepsoftheSee，andpeereddownintothegreen-bluesandtheblue-greenstogether。Bythattimeitseemedtothemtheyhadlivedtogethertwentyyears。
ExceptforonememorableschoolexcursiontoParis，AnnVeronicahadneveryetbeenoutsideEngland。Sothatitseemedtoherthewholeworldhadchanged——theverylightofithadchanged。
InsteadofEnglishvillasandcottagestherewerechaletsandItalian-builthousesshiningwhite；therewerelakesofemeraldandsapphireandclusteringcastles，andsuchsweepsofhillandmountain，suchshininguplandsofsnow，asshehadneverseenbefore。Everythingwasfreshandbright，fromthekindlymannersoftheFrutigencobbler，whohammeredmountainnailsintoherboots，totheunfamiliarwildflowersthatspangledthewayside。
AndCapeshadchangedintotheeasiestandjolliestcompanionintheworld。Themerefactthathewasthereinthetrainalongsideher，helpingher，sittingoppositetoherinthedining-car，presentlysleepingonaseatwithinayardofher，madeherheartsinguntilshewasafraidtheirfellowpassengerswouldhearit。Itwastoogoodtobetrue。Shewouldnotsleepforfearoflosingamomentofthatsenseofhisproximity。Towalkbesidehim，dressedakintohim，rucksackedandcompanionable，wasblissinitself；eachstepshetookwaslikesteppingoncemoreacrossthethresholdofheaven。
Onetrouble，however，shotitsslantingboltsathwarttheshiningwarmthofthatopeningdayandmarreditsperfection，andthatwasthethoughtofherfather。
Shehadtreatedhimbadly；shehadhurthimandheraunt；shehaddonewrongbytheirstandards，andshewouldneverpersuadethemthatshehaddoneright。Shethoughtofherfatherinthegarden，andofherauntwithherPatience，asshehadseenthem——howmanyageswasitago？Justonedayintervened。Shefeltasifshehadstruckthemunawares。Thethoughtofthemdistressedherwithoutsubtractingatallfromtheoceansofhappinessinwhichsheswam。Butshewishedshecouldputthethingshehaddoneinsomewaytothemsothatitwouldnothurtthemsomuchasthetruthwouldcertainlydo。Thethoughtoftheirfaces，andparticularlyofheraunt’s，asitwouldmeetthefact——
disconcerted，unfriendly，condemning，pained——occurredtoheragainandagain。
\"Oh！Iwish，\"shesaid，\"thatpeoplethoughtalikeaboutthesethings。\"
Capeswatchedthelimpidwaterdrippingfromhisoar。\"Iwishtheydid，\"hesaid，\"buttheydon’t。\"
\"Ifeel——Allthisistherightestofallconceivablethings。I
wanttotelleveryone。Iwanttoboastmyself。\"
\"Iknow。\"
\"Itoldthemalie。Itoldthemlies。Iwrotethreelettersyesterdayandtorethemup。Itwassohopelesstoputittothem。Atlast——Itoldastory。\"
\"Youdidn’ttellthemourposition？\"
\"Iimpliedwehadmarried。\"
\"They’llfindout。They’llknow。\"
\"Notyet。\"
\"Soonerorlater。\"
\"Possibly——bitbybit……Butitwashopelesslyhardtoput。
IsaidIknewhedislikedanddistrustedyouandyourwork——thatyousharedallRussell’sopinions:hehatesRussellbeyondmeasure——andthatwecouldn’tpossiblyfaceaconventionalmarriage。Whatelsecouldonesay？Ilefthimtosuppose——aregistryperhaps……\"
Capeslethisoarsmackonthewater。
\"Doyoumindverymuch？\"
Heshookhishead。
\"Butitmakesmefeelinhuman，\"headded。
\"Andme……\"
\"It’stheperpetualtrouble，\"hesaid，\"ofparentandchild。
Theycan’thelpseeingthingsinthewaytheydo。Norcanwe。
WEdon’tthinkthey’reright，buttheydon’tthinkweare。A
deadlock。Inaverydefinitesenseweareinthewrong——hopelesslyinthewrong。But——It’sjustthis:whowastobehurt？\"
\"Iwishnoonehadtobehurt，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"Whenoneishappy——Idon’tliketothinkofthem。LasttimeIlefthomeI
feltashardasnails。Butthisisalldifferent。Itisdifferent。\"
\"There’sasortofinstinctofrebellion，\"saidCapes。\"Itisn’tanythingtodowithourtimesparticularly。Peoplethinkitis，buttheyarewrong。It’stodowithadolescence。LongbeforereligionandSocietyheardofDoubt，girlswereallformidnightcoachesandGretnaGreen。It’sasortofhome-leavinginstinct。\"
Hefollowedupalineofthought。
\"There’sanotherinstinct，too，\"hewenton，\"inastateofsuppression，unlessI’mverymuchmistaken；achild-expellinginstinct……Iwonder……There’snofamilyunitinginstinct，anyhow；it’shabitandsentimentandmaterialconvenienceholdfamiliestogetherafteradolescence。There’salwaysfriction，conflict，unwillingconcessions。Always！I
don’tbelievethereisanystrongnaturalaffectionatallbetweenparentsandgrowing-upchildren。Therewasn’t，Iknow，betweenmyselfandmyfather。Ididn’tallowmyselftoseethingsastheywereinthosedays；nowIdo。Iboredhim。I
hatedhim。Isupposethatshocksone’sideas……It’strue……Therearesentimentalandtraditionaldeferencesandreverences，Iknow，betweenfatherandson；butthat’sjustexactlywhatpreventsthedevelopmentofaneasyfriendship。
Father-worshippingsonsareabnormal——andthey’renogood。Nogoodatall。One’sgottobeabettermanthanone’sfather，orwhatisthegoodofsuccessivegenerations？Lifeisrebellion，ornothing。\"
Herowedastrokeandwatchedtheswirlofwaterfromhisoarbroadenanddieaway。Atlasthetookuphisthoughtsagain:\"I
wonderif，someday，onewon’tneedtorebelagainstcustomsandlaws？Ifthisdiscordwillhavegone？Someday，perhaps——whoknows？——theoldwon’tcoddleandhampertheyoung，andtheyoungwon’tneedtoflyinthefacesoftheold。They’llfacefactsasfacts，andunderstand。Oh，tofacefacts！Gods！whataworlditmightbeifpeoplefacedfacts！Understanding！Understanding！
Thereisnoothersalvation。Somedayolderpeople，perhaps，willtroubletounderstandyoungerpeople，andtherewon’tbethesefiercedisruptions；therewon’tbebarriersonemustdefyorperish……That’sreallyourchoicenow，defy——orfutility……Theworld，perhaps，willbeeducatedoutofitsideaoffixedstandards……Iwonder，AnnVeronica，if，whenourtimecomes，weshallbeanywiser？\"
AnnVeronicawatchedawater-beetlefussingacrossthegreendepths。\"Onecan’ttell。I’mafemalethingatbottom。Ilikehightoneforaflourishandstarsandideas；butIwantmythings。\"
Part2
Capesthought。
\"It’sodd——Ihavenodoubtinmymindthatwhatwearedoingiswrong，\"hesaid。\"AndyetIdoitwithoutcompunction。\"
\"Ineverfeltsoabsolutelyright，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"YouAREafemalethingatbottom，\"headmitted。\"I’mnotnearlysosureasyou。Asforme，Ilooktwiceatit……Lifeistwothings，that’showIseeit；twothingsmixedandmuddleduptogether。Lifeismorality——lifeisadventure。Squireandmaster。Adventurerules，andmorality——looksupthetrainsintheBradshaw。Moralitytellsyouwhatisright，andadventuremovesyou。Ifmoralitymeansanythingitmeanskeepingbounds，respectingimplications，respectingimplicitbounds。Ifindividualitymeansanythingitmeansbreakingbounds——adventure。
Willyoubemoralandyourspecies，orimmoralandyourself？
We’vedecidedtobeimmoral。Weneedn’ttryandgiveourselvesairs。We’vedesertedthepostsinwhichwefoundourselves，cutourduties，exposedourselvestorisksthatmaydestroyanysortofsocialusefulnessinus……Idon’tknow。Onekeepsrulesinordertobeone’sself。OnestudiesNatureinordernottobeblindlyruledbyher。There’snosenseinmorality，Isuppose，unlessyouarefundamentallyimmoral。\"
Shewatchedhisfaceashetracedhiswaythroughthesespeculativethickets。
\"Lookatouraffair，\"hewenton，lookingupather。\"Nopoweronearthwillpersuademewe’renottworatherdisreputablepersons。
Youdesertyourhome；Ithrowupusefulteaching，riskeveryhopeinyourcareer。Hereweareabsconding，pretendingtobewhatwearenot；shady，tosaytheleastofit。It’snotabitofgoodpretendingthere’sanyHigherTruthorwonderfulprincipleinthisbusiness。Thereisn’t。Weneverstartedoutinanyhigh-browedmannertoscandalizeandShelleyfy。Whenfirstyouleftyourhomeyouhadnoideathat_I_wasthehiddenimpulse。
Iwasn’t。Youcameoutlikeanantforyournuptialflight。Itwasjustachancethatweinparticularhitagainsteachother——nothingpredestinedaboutit。Wejusthitagainsteachother，andhereweareflyingoffatatangent，alittlesurprisedatwhatwearedoing，allourprinciplesabandoned，andtremendouslyandquiteunreasonablyproudofourselves。Outofallthiswehavestruckasortofharmony……Andit’sgorgeous！\"
\"Glorious！\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"WouldYOUlikeus——ifsomeonetoldyouthebareoutlineofourstory？——andwhatwearedoing？\"
\"Ishouldn’tmind，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Butifsomeoneelseaskedyouradvice？Ifsomeoneelsesaid，’Hereismyteacher，ajadedmarriedmanonthevergeofmiddleage，andheandIhaveaviolentpassionforoneanother。Weproposetodisregardallourties，allourobligations，alltheestablishedprohibitionsofsociety，andbeginlifetogetherafresh。’Whatwouldyoutellher？\"
\"Ifsheaskedadvice，Ishouldsayshewasn’tfittodoanythingofthesort。Ishouldsaythathavingadoubtwasenoughtocondemnit。\"
\"Butwaivethatpoint。\"
\"Itwouldbedifferentallthesame。Itwouldn’tbeyou。\"
\"Itwouldn’tbeyoueither。Isupposethat’sthegistofthewholething。\"Hestaredatalittleeddy。\"Therule’sallright，solongasthereisn’tacase。Rulesareforestablishedthings，likethepiecesandpositionsofagame。Menandwomenarenotestablishedthings；they’reexperiments，allofthem。Everyhumanbeingisanewthing，existstodonewthings。Findthethingyouwanttodomostintensely，makesurethat’sit，anddoitwithallyourmight。Ifyoulive，wellandgood；ifyoudie，wellandgood。Yourpurposeisdone……Well，thisisOUR
thing。\"
Hewoketheglassywatertoswirlingactivityagain，andmadethedeep-blueshapesbelowwritheandshiver。
\"ThisisMYthing，\"saidAnnVeronica，softly，withthoughtfuleyesuponhim。
Thenshelookedupthesweepofpine-treestothetoweringsunlitcliffsandthehighheavenaboveandthenbacktohisface。Shedrewinadeepbreathofthesweetmountainair。Hereyesweresoftandgrave，andtherewasthefaintestofsmilesuponherresolutelips。
Part3
Latertheyloiteredalongawindingpathabovetheinn，andmadelovetooneanother。Theirjourneyhadmadethemindolent，theafternoonwaswarm，anditseemedimpossibletobreatheasweeterair。Theflowersandturf，awildstrawberry，ararebutterfly，andsuchlikelittleintimatethingshadbecomemoreinterestingthanmountains。Theirflittinghandswerealwaystouching。Deepsilencescamebetweenthem……
\"IhadthoughttogoontoKandersteg，\"saidCapes，\"butthisisapleasantplace。Thereisnotasoulintheinnbutourselves。
Letusstaythenighthere。Thenwecanloiterandgossiptoourheart’scontent。\"
\"Agreed，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Afterall，it’sourhoneymoon。\"
\"Allweshallget，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Thisplaceisverybeautiful。\"
\"Anyplacewouldbebeautiful，\"saidAnnVeronica，inalowvoice。
Foratimetheywalkedinsilence。
\"Iwonder，\"shebegan，presently，\"whyIloveyou——andloveyousomuch？……Iknownowwhatitistobeanabandonedfemale。
IAManabandonedfemale。I’mnotashamed——ofthethingsI’mdoing。Iwanttoputmyselfintoyourhands。Youknow——IwishI
couldrollmylittlebodyupsmallandsqueezeitintoyourhandandgripyourfingersuponit。Tight。IwantyoutoholdmeandhavemeSO……Everything。Everything。It’sapurejoyofgiving——givingtoYOU。Ihaveneverspokenofthesethingstoanyhumanbeing。Justdreamed——andranawayevenfrommydreams。Itisasifmylipshadbeensealedaboutthem。AndnowIbreaktheseals——foryou。OnlyIwish——Iwishto-dayIwasathousandtimes，tenthousandtimesmorebeautiful。\"
Capesliftedherhandandkissedit。
\"Youareathousandtimesmorebeautiful，\"hesaid，\"thananythingelsecouldbe……Youareyou。Youareallthebeautyintheworld。Beautydoesn’tmean，neverhasmeant，anything——anythingatallbutyou。Itheraldedyou，promisedyou……\"
Part4
Theylaysidebysideinashallownestofturfandmossesamongbowldersandstuntedbushesonahighrock，andwatchedthedayskydeepentoeveningbetweenthevastprecipicesoverheadandlookedoverthetree-topsdownthewideninggorge。Adistantsuggestionofchaletsandaglimpseoftheroadsetthemtalkingforatimeoftheworldtheyhadleftbehind。
Capesspokecasuallyoftheirplansforwork。\"It’saflabby，loose-willedworldwehavetoface。Itwon’tevenknowwhethertobescandalizedatusorforgiving。Itwillholdaloof，alittleundecidedwhethertopeltornot——\"
\"Thatdependswhetherwecarryourselvesasthoughweexpectedpelting，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Wewon’t。\"
\"Nofear！\"
\"Then，aswesucceed，itwillbegintosidlebacktous。Itwilldoitsbesttooverlookthings——\"
\"Ifweletit，poordear。\"
\"That’sifwesucceed。Ifwefail，\"saidCapes，\"then——\"
\"Wearen’tgoingtofail，\"saidAnnVeronica。
LifeseemedaverybraveandgloriousenterprisetoAnnVeronicathatday。ShewasquiveringwiththesenseofCapesathersideandglowingwithheroiclove；itseemedtoherthatiftheyputtheirhandsjointlyagainsttheAlpsandpushedtheywouldbeabletopushthemaside。Shelayandnibbledatasprigofdwarfrhododendron。
\"FAIL！\"shesaid。
Part5
PresentlyitoccurredtoAnnVeronicatoaskaboutthejourneyhehadplanned。HehadhissectionsoftheSiegfriedmapfoldedinhispocket，andhesquattedupwithhislegscrossedlikeanIndianidolwhileshelaypronebesidehimandfollowedeverymovementofhisindicatoryfinger。
\"Here，\"hesaid，\"isthisBlauSee，andherewerestuntilto-morrow。Ithinkweresthereuntilto-morrow？\"
Therewasabriefsilence。
\"Itisaverypleasantplace，\"saidAnnVeronica，bitingarhododendronstalkthrough，andwiththatfaintshadowofasmilereturningtoherlips……
\"Andthen？\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Thenwegoontothisplace，theOeschinensee。It’salakeamongprecipices，andthereisalittleinnwherewecanstay，andsitandeatourdinneratapleasanttablethatlooksuponthelake。Forsomedaysweshallbeveryidlethereamongthetreesandrocks。Thereareboatsonthelakeandshadydepthsandwildernessesofpine-wood。Afteradayorso，perhaps，wewillgoononeortwolittleexcursionsandseehowgoodyourheadis——amildscrambleorso；andthenuptoahutonapassjusthere，andoutupontheBlumlis-alpglacierthatspreadsoutsoandso。\"
Sherousedherselffromsomedreamattheword。\"Glaciers？\"shesaid。
\"UndertheWildeFrau——whichwasnamedafteryou。\"
Hebentandkissedherhairandpaused，andthenforcedhisattentionbacktothemap。\"Oneday，\"heresumed，\"wewillstartoffearlyandcomedownintoKanderstegandupthesezigzagsandhereandhere，andsopastthisDaubenseetoatinyinn——itwon’tbebusyyet，though；wemaygetitalltoourselves——onthebrimofthesteepestzigzagyoucanimagine，thousandsoffeetofzigzag；andyouwillsitandeatlunchwithmeandlookoutacrosstheRhoneValleyandoverbluedistancesbeyondbluedistancestotheMatterhornandMonteRosaandalongregimentofsunny，snowymountains。Andwhenweseethemweshallatoncewanttogotothem——that’sthewaywithbeautifulthings——anddownweshallgo，likefliesdownawall，toLeukerbad，andsotoLeukStation，here，andthenbytrainuptheRhoneValleyandthislittlesidevalleytoStalden；andthere，inthecooloftheafternoon，weshallstartoffupagorge，torrentsandcliffsbelowusandaboveus，tosleepinahalf-wayinn，andgoonnextdaytoSaasFee，SaasoftheMagic，SaasofthePaganPeople。
Andthere，aboutSaas，areiceandsnowsagain，andsometimeswewillloiteramongtherocksandtreesaboutSaasorpeepintoSamuelButler’schapels，andsometimeswewillclimbupoutofthewayoftheotherpeopleontotheglaciersandsnow。And，foroneexpeditionatleast，wewillgoupthisdesolatevalleyheretoMattmark，andsoontoMonteMoro。ThereindeedyouseeMonteRosa。Almostthebestofall。\"
\"Isitverybeautiful？\"
\"WhenIsawitthereitwasverybeautiful。Itwaswonderful。
Itwasthecrownedqueenofmountainsinherrobesofshiningwhite。Ittowereduphighabovethelevelofthepass，thousandsoffeet，still，shining，andwhite，andbelow，thousandsoffeetbelow，wasaflooroflittlewoollyclouds。Andthenpresentlythesecloudsbegantowearthinandexposesteep，deepslopes，goingdownanddown，withgrassandpine-trees，downanddown，andatlast，throughagreatrentintheclouds，bareroofs，shininglikeveryminutepin-heads，andaroadlikeafibreofwhitesilk-Macugnana，inItaly。Thatwillbeafineday——itwillhavetobe，whenfirstyouseteyesonItaly……That’sasfaraswego。\"
\"Can’twegodownintoItaly？\"
\"No，\"hesaid；\"itwon’truntothatnow。WemustwaveourhandsatthebluehillsfarawaythereandgobacktoLondonandwork。\"
\"ButItaly——\"
\"Italy’sforagoodgirl，\"hesaid，andlaidhishandforamomentonhershoulder。\"ShemustlookforwardtoItaly。\"
\"Isay，\"shereflected，\"youAREratherthemaster，youknow。\"
Theideastruckhimasnovel。\"OfcourseI’mmanagerforthisexpedition，\"hesaid，afteranintervalofself-examination。
Sheslidhercheekdownthetweedsleeveofhiscoat。\"Nicesleeve，\"shesaid，andcametohishandandkissedit。
\"Isay！\"hecried。\"Lookhere！Aren’tyougoingalittletoofar？This——thisisdegradation——makingafusswithsleeves。Youmustn’tdothingslikethat。\"
\"Whynot？\"
\"Freewoman——andequal。\"
\"Idoit——ofmyownfreewill，\"saidAnnVeronica，kissinghishandagain。\"It’snothingtowhatIWILLdo。\"
\"Oh，well！\"hesaid，alittledoubtfully，\"it’sjustaphase，\"
andbentdownandrestedhishandonhershoulderforamoment，withhisheartbeatingandhisnervesa-quiver。Thenasshelayverystill，withherhandsclinchedandherblackhairtumbledaboutherface，hecamestillcloserandsoftlykissedthenapeofherneck……
Part6
Mostofthethingsthathehadplannedtheydid。ButtheyclimbedmorethanhehadintendedbecauseAnnVeronicaprovedratheragoodclimber，steady-headedandplucky，ratherdaring，butquitewillingtobecautiousathiscommand。
Oneofthethingsthatmostsurprisedhiminherwashercapacityforblindobedience。Shelovedtobetoldtodothings。
HeknewthecircleofmountainsaboutSaasFeefairlywell:hehadbeentheretwicebefore，anditwasfinetogetawayfromthestragglingpedestriansintothehigh，lonelyplaces，andsitandmunchsandwichesandtalktogetheranddothingstogetherthatwerejustalittledifficultanddangerous。Andtheycouldtalk，theyfound；andneveronce，itseemed，didtheirmeaningandintentionhitch。Theywereenormouslypleasedwithoneanother；
theyfoundeachotherbeyondmeasurebetterthantheyhadexpected，ifonlybecauseofthewantofsubstanceinmereexpectation。Theirconversationdegeneratedagainandagainintoastrainofself-congratulationthatwouldhaveirkedaneavesdropper。
\"You’re——Idon’tknow，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"You’resplendid。\"
\"Itisn’tthatyou’resplendidorI，\"saidCapes。\"Butwesatisfyoneanother。Heavenaloneknowswhy。Socompletely！Theoddestfitness！Whatisitmadeof？Textureofskinandtextureofmind？Complexionandvoice。Idon’tthinkI’vegotillusions，noryou……IfIhadnevermetanythingofyouatallbutascrapofyourskinbindingabook，AnnVeronica，IknowIwouldhavekeptthatsomewhereneartome……Allyourfaultsarejustjollymodellingtomakeyourealandsolid。\"
\"Thefaultsarethebestpartofit，\"saidAnnVeronica；\"why，evenourlittleviciousstrainsrunthesameway。Evenourcoarseness。\"
\"Coarse？\"saidCapes，\"We’renotcoarse。\"
\"Butifwewere？\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Icantalktoyouandyoutomewithoutascrapofeffort，\"saidCapes；\"that’stheessenceofit。It’smadeupofthingsassmallasthediameterofhairsandbigaslifeanddeath……
Onealwaysdreamedofthisandneverbelievedit。It’stherarestluck，thewildest，mostimpossibleaccident。Mostpeople，everyoneIknowelse，seemtohavematedwithforeignersandtotalkuneasilyinunfamiliartongues，tobeafraidoftheknowledgetheotheronehas，oftheotherone’sperpetualmisjudgmentandmisunderstandings。
\"Whydon’ttheywait？\"headded。
AnnVeronicahadoneofherflashesofinsight。
\"Onedoesn’twait，\"saidAnnVeronica。
Sheexpandedthat。\"_I_shouldn’thavewaited，\"shesaid。\"I
mighthavemuddledforatime。Butit’sasyousay。I’vehadtherarestluckandfallenonmyfeet。\"
\"We’vebothfallenonourfeet！We’retherarestofmortals！
Therealthing！There’snotacompromisenorashamnoraconcessionbetweenus。Wearen’tafraid；wedon’tbother。Wedon’tconsidereachother；weneedn’t。Thatwrapperedlife，asyoucallit——we’veburnedtheconfoundedrags！Dancedoutofit！
We’restark！\"
\"Stark！\"echoedAnnVeronica。
Part7
Astheycamebackfromthatday’sclimb——itwasuptheMittaghorn——theyhadtocrossashiningspaceofwet，steeprocksbetweentwograssslopesthatneededalittlecare。Therewereafewloose，brokenfragmentsofrocktoreckonwithupontheledges，andoneplacewherehandsdidasmuchworkastoes。
Theyusedtherope——notthataropewasatallnecessary，butbecauseAnnVeronica’sexaltedstateofmindmadethefactoftheropeagreeablysymbolical；and，anyhow，itdidinsureajointdeathintheeventofsomeremotelypossiblymischance。Capeswentfirst，findingfootholdsand，wherethedropsinthestrata-edgescamelikelong，awkwardsteps，placingAnnVeronica’sfeet。Abouthalf-wayacrossthisinterval，wheneverythingseemedgoingwell，Capeshadashock。
\"Heavens！\"exclaimedAnnVeronica，withextraordinarypassion。
\"MyGod！\"andceasedtomove。
Capesbecamerigidandadhesive。Nothingensued。\"Allright？\"heasked。
\"I’llhavetopayit。\"
\"Eh？\"
\"I’veforgottensomething。Oh，cussit！\"
\"Eh？\"
\"HesaidIwould。\"
\"What？\"
\"That’sthedevilofit！\"
\"Devilofwhat？……YouDOusevilelanguage！\"
\"Forgetaboutitlikethis。\"
\"ForgetWHAT？\"
\"AndIsaidIwouldn’t。IsaidI’ddoanything。IsaidI’dmakeshirts。\"
\"Shirts？\"
\"Shirtsatone——and——somethingadozen。Oh，goodness！Bilking！
AnnVeronica，you’reabilker！\"
Pause。
\"Willyoutellmewhatallthisisabout？\"saidCapes。
\"It’saboutfortypounds。\"
Capeswaitedpatiently。
\"G。I’msorry……Butyou’vegottolendmefortypounds。\"
\"It’ssomesortofdelirium，\"saidCapes。\"Therarefiedair？I
thoughtyouhadabetterhead。\"
\"No！I’llexplainlower。It’sallright。Let’sgoonclimbingnow。It’sathingI’veunaccountablyoverlooked。Allrightreally。Itcanwaitabitlonger。IborrowedfortypoundsfromMr。Ramage。Thankgoodnessyou’llunderstand。That’swhyI
chuckedManning……Allright，I’mcoming。Butallthisbusinesshasdrivenitcleanoutofmyhead……That’swhyhewassoannoyed，youknow。\"
\"Whowasannoyed？\"
\"Mr。Ramage——aboutthefortypounds。\"Shetookastep。\"Mydear，\"sheadded，bywayofafterthought，\"youDOobliteratethings！\"
Part8
TheyfoundthemselvesnextdaytalkinglovetooneanotherhighuponsomerocksaboveasteepbankofsnowthatoverhungaprecipiceontheeasternsideoftheFeeglacier。BythistimeCapes’hairhadbleachednearlywhite，andhisskinhadbecomeaskinofredcoppershotwithgold。Theywerenowbothinastateofunprecedentedphysicalfitness。AndsuchskirtsasAnnVeronicahadhadwhensheenteredthevalleyofSaasweresafelypackedawayinthehotel，andsheworealeatherbeltandlooseknickerbockersandputtees——acostumethatsuitedthefine，longlinesofherlimbsfarbetterthananyfemininewalking-dresscoulddo。Hercomplexionhadresistedthesnow-glarewonderfully；herskinhadonlydeepeneditsnaturalwarmthalittleundertheAlpinesun。Shehadpushedasideherazureveil，takenoffhersnow-glasses，andsatsmilingunderherhandattheshiningglories——thelitcornices，theblueshadows，thesoftlyrounded，enormoussnowmasses，thedeepplacesfullofquiveringluminosity——oftheTaschhornandDom。Theskywascloudless，effulgentblue。
Capessatwatchingandadmiringher，andthenhefellpraisingthedayandfortuneandtheirloveforeachother。
\"Hereweare，\"hesaid，\"shiningthrougheachotherlikelightthroughastained-glasswindow。Withthisairinourblood，thissunlightsoakingus……Lifeissogood。Caniteverbesogoodagain？\"
AnnVeronicaputoutafirmhandandsqueezedhisarm。\"It’sverygood，\"shesaid。\"It’sgloriousgood！\"
\"Supposenow——lookatthislongsnow-slopeandthenthatbluedeepbeyond——doyouseethatroundpoolofcolorintheice——athousandfeetormorebelow？Yes？Well，think——we’vegottogobuttenstepsandliedownandputourarmsabouteachother。
See？Downweshouldrushinafoam——inacloudofsnow——toflightandadream。Alltherestofourliveswouldbetogetherthen，AnnVeronica。Everymoment。Andnoill-chances。\"
\"Ifyoutemptmetoomuch，\"shesaid，afterasilence，\"Ishalldoit。Ineedonlyjustjumpupandthrowmyselfuponyou。I’madesperateyoungwoman。Andthenaswewentdownyou’dtrytoexplain。Andthatwouldspoilit……Youknowyoudon’tmeanit。\"
\"No，Idon’t。ButIlikedtosayit。\"
\"Rather！ButIwonderwhyyoudon’tmeanit？\"
\"Because，Isuppose，theotherthingisbetter。Whatotherreasoncouldtherebe？It’smorecomplex，butit’sbetter。
THIS，thisglissade，wouldbedamnedscoundrelism。Youknowthat，andIknowthat，thoughwemightbeputtoittofindareasonwhy。Itwouldbeswindling。Drawingthepayoflifeandthennotliving。Andbesides——We’regoingtolive，AnnVeronica！Oh，thethingswe’lldo，thelifewe’lllead！There’llbetroubleinitattimes——youandIaren’tgoingtorunwithoutfriction。Butwe’vegotthebrainstogetoverthat，andtonguesinourheadstotalktoeachother。Wesha’n’thanguponanymisunderstanding。Notus。Andwe’regoingtofightthatoldworlddownthere。Thatoldworldthathadshovedupthatsillyoldhotel，andalltherestofit……Ifwedon’tliveitwillthinkweareafraidofit……Die，indeed！We’regoingtodowork；we’regoingtounfoldabouteachother；we’regoingtohavechildren。\"
\"Girls！\"criedAnnVeronica。
\"Boys！\"saidCapes。
\"Both！\"saidAnnVeronica。\"Lotsof’em！\"
Capeschuckled。\"Youdelicatefemale！\"
\"Whocares，\"saidAnnVeronica，\"seeingit’syou？Warm，softlittlewonders！OfcourseIwantthem。\"
Part9
\"Allsortsofthingswe’regoingtodo，\"saidCapes；\"allsortsoftimeswe’regoingtohave。Soonerorlaterwe’llcertainlydosomethingtocleanthoseprisonsyoutoldmeabout——limewashtheundersideoflife。YouandI。Wecanloveonasnowcornice，wecanloveoverapailofwhitewash。Loveanywhere。Anywhere！
Moonlightandmusic——pleasing，youknow，butquiteunnecessary。
Wemetdissectingdogfish……Doyourememberyourfirstdaywithme？……Doyouindeedremember？Thesmellofdecayandcheapmethylatedspirit！……Mydear！we’vehadsomanymoments！Iusedtogooverthetimeswe’dhadtogether，thethingswe’dsaid——likearosaryofbeads。Butnowit’sbeadsbythecask——liketheholdofaWestAfricantrader。Itfeelsliketoomuchgold-dustclutchedinone’shand。Onedoesn’twanttoloseagrain。Andonemust——someofitmustslipthroughone’sfingers。\"
\"Idon’tcareifitdoes，\"saidAnnVeronica。\"Idon’tcarearapforremembering。Icareforyou。Thismomentcouldn’tbebetteruntilthenextmomentcomes。That’showittakesme。WhyshouldWEhoard？Wearen’tgoingoutpresently，likeJapaneselanternsinagale。It’sthepoordearswhodo，whoknowtheywill，knowtheycan’tkeepitup，whoneedtoclutchatway-sideflowers。Andput’eminlittlebooksforremembrance。Flattenedflowersaren’tforthelikesofus。Moments，indeed！Welikeeachotherfreshandfresh。Itisn’tillusions——forus。Wetwojustloveeachother——thereal，identicalother——allthetime。\"
\"Thereal，identicalother，\"saidCapes，andtookandbitthetipofherlittlefinger。
\"There’snodelusions，sofarasIknow，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"Idon’tbelievethereisone。Ifthereis，it’samerewrapping——there’sbetterunderneath。It’sonlyasifI’dbeguntoknowyouthedaybeforeyesterdayorthere-abouts。Youkeeponcomingtruer，afteryouhaveseemedtocomealtogethertrue。
You……brick！\"
Part10
\"Tothink，\"hecried，\"youaretenyearsyoungerthanI！……
Therearetimeswhenyoumakemefeelalittlethingatyourfeet——ayoung，silly，protectedthing。Doyouknow，AnnVeronica，itisallalieaboutyourbirthcertificate；aforgery——andfoolingatthat。YouareoneoftheImmortals。Immortal！Youwereinthebeginning，andallthemenintheworldwhohaveknownwhatloveishaveworshippedatyourfeet。Youhaveconvertedmeto——LesterWard！Youaremydearfriend，youareaslipofagirl，buttherearemomentswhenmyheadhasbeenonyourbreast，whenyourhearthasbeenbeatingclosetomyears，whenIhaveknownyouforthegoddess，whenIhavewishedmyselfyourslave，whenIhavewishedthatyoucouldkillmeforthejoyofbeingkilledbyyou。YouaretheHighPriestessofLife……\"
\"Yourpriestess，\"whisperedAnnVeronica，softly。\"Asillylittlepriestesswhoknewnothingoflifeatalluntilshecametoyou。\"
Part11
Theysatforatimewithoutspeakingaword，inanenormousshiningglobeofmutualsatisfaction。
\"Well，\"saidCapes，atlength，\"we’vetogodown，AnnVeronica。
Lifewaitsforus。\"
Hestoodupandwaitedforhertomove。
\"Gods！\"criedAnnVeronica，andkepthimstanding。\"Andtothinkthatit’snotafullyearagosinceIwasablack-heartedrebelschool-girl，distressed，puzzled，perplexed，notunderstandingthatthisgreatforceoflovewasburstingitswaythroughme！
Allthosenamelessdiscontents——theywerenomorethanlove’sbirth-pangs。Ifelt——Ifeltlivinginamaskedworld。IfeltasthoughIhadbandagedeyes。Ifelt——wrappedinthickcobwebs。
Theyblindedme。Theygotinmymouth。Andnow——Dear！Dear！
Thedayspringfromonhighhathvisitedme。Ilove。Iamloved。
Iwanttoshout！Iwanttosing！Iamglad！Iamgladtobealivebecauseyouarealive！Iamgladtobeawomanbecauseyouareaman！Iamglad！Iamglad！Iamglad！IthankGodforlifeandyou。IthankGodforHissunlightonyourface。I
thankGodforthebeautyyouloveandthefaultsyoulove。I
thankGodfortheveryskinthatispeelingfromyournose，forallthingsgreatandsmallthatmakeuswhatweare。ThisisgraceIamsaying！Oh！mydear！allthejoyandweepingoflifearemixedinmenowandallthegratitude。Neveranew-borndragon-flythatspreaditswingsinthemorninghasfeltasgladasI！\"
CHAPTERTHESEVENTEENTH
INPERSPECTIVE
Part1
Aboutfouryearsandaquarterlater——tobeexact，itwasfouryearsandfourmonths——Mr。andMrs。CapesstoodsidebysideuponanoldPersiancarpetthatdiddutyasahearthruginthedining-roomoftheirflatandsurveyedashiningdinner-tablesetforfourpeople，litbyskilfully-shadedelectriclights，brightenedbyfrequentgleamsofsilver，andcarefullyandsimplyadornedwithsweet-peablossom。Capeshadalteredscarcelyatallduringtheinterval，exceptforanewqualityofsmartnessinthecutofhisclothes，butAnnVeronicawasnearlyhalfaninchtaller；herfacewasatoncestrongerandsofter，herneckfirmerandrounder，andhercarriagedefinitelymorewomanlythanithadbeeninthedaysofherrebellion。Shewasawomannowtothetipsofherfingers；shehadsaidgood-byetohergirlhoodintheoldgardenfouryearsandaquarterago。Shewasdressedinasimpleeveninggownofsoftcreamysilk，withayokeofdarkoldembroiderythatenhancedthegentlegravityofherstyle，andherblackhairflowedoffheropenforeheadtopassunderthecontrolofasimpleribbonofsilver。Asilvernecklaceenhancedtheduskybeautyofherneck。Bothhusbandandwifeaffectedanunnaturaleaseofmannerforthebenefitoftheefficientparlor-maid，whowasputtingthefinishingtouchestothesideboardarrangements。
\"Itlooksallright，\"saidCapes。
\"Ithinkeverything’sright，\"saidAnnVeronica，withtheroamingeyeofacapablebutnotdevotedhouse-mistress。
\"Iwonderiftheywillseemaltered，\"sheremarkedforthethirdtime。
\"ThereIcan’thelp，\"saidCapes。
Hewalkedthroughawideopenarchway，curtainedwithdeep-bluecurtains，intotheapartmentthatservedasareception-room。
AnnVeronica，afteralastsurveyofthedinnerappointments，followedhim，rustling，cametohissidebythehighbrassfender，andtouchedtwoorthreeornamentsonthemantelabovethecheerfulfireplace。
\"It’sstillamarveltomethatwearetobeforgiven，\"shesaid，turning。
\"Mycharmofmanner，Isuppose。But，indeed，he’sveryhuman。\"
\"Didyoutellhimoftheregistryoffice？\"
\"No——o——certainlynotsoemphaticallyasIdidabouttheplay。\"
\"Itwasaninspiration——yourspeakingtohim？\"
\"Ifeltimpudent。IbelieveIamgettingimpudent。IhadnotbeenneartheRoyalSocietysince——sinceyoudisgracedme。
What’sthat？\"
Theybothstoodlistening。Itwasnotthearrivaloftheguests，butmerelythemaidmovingaboutinthehall。
\"Wonderfulman！\"saidAnnVeronica，reassured，andstrokinghischeekwithherfinger。
Capesmadeaquickmovementasiftobitethataggressivedigit，butitwithdrewtoAnnVeronica’sside。
\"Iwasreallyinterestedinhisstuff。IWAStalkingtohimbeforeIsawhisnameonthecardbesidetherowofmicroscopes。
Then，naturally，Iwentontalking。He——hehasratherapooropinionofhiscontemporaries。Ofcourse，hehadnoideawhoI
was。\"
\"Buthowdidyoutellhim？You’venevertoldme。Wasn’tit——alittlebitofascene？\"
\"Oh！letmesee。IsaidIhadn’tbeenattheRoyalSocietysoireeforfouryears，andgothimtotellmeaboutsomeofthefreshMendelianwork。HelovestheMendeliansbecausehehatesallthebignamesoftheeightiesandnineties。ThenIthinkI
remarkedthatsciencewasdisgracefullyunder-endowed，andconfessedI’dhadtotaketomoreprofitablecourses。’Thefactofitis，’Isaid，’I’mthenewplaywright，ThomasMore。Perhapsyou’veheard——？’Well，youknow，hehad。\"
\"Fame！\"
\"Isn’tit？’I’venotseenyourplay，Mr。More，’hesaid，’butI’mtoldit’sthemostamusingthinginLondonatthepresenttime。Afriendofmine，Ogilvy’——Isupposethat’sOgilvy&
Ogilvy，whodosomanydivorces，Vee？——’wasspeakingveryhighlyofit——veryhighly！’\"Hesmiledintohereyes。
\"Youaredevelopingfartooretentiveamemoryforpraises，\"saidAnnVeronica。
\"I’mstillnewtothem。Butafterthatitwaseasy。Itoldhiminstantlyandshamelesslythattheplaywasgoingtobeworthtenthousandpounds。Heagreeditwasdisgraceful。ThenIassumedaratherportentousmannertopreparehim。\"
\"How？Showme。\"
\"Ican’tbeportentous，dear，whenyou’reabout。It’smyothersideofthemoon。ButIwasportentous，Icanassureyou。’Myname’sNOTMore，Mr。Stanley，’Isaid。’That’smypetname。’\"
\"Yes？\"
\"Ithink——yes，Iwentoninapleasingblendofthecasualandsottovoce，’Thefactofitis，sir，Ihappentobeyourson-in-law，Capes。Idowishyoucouldcomeanddinewithussomeevening。Itwouldmakemywifeveryhappy。’\"
\"Whatdidhesay？\"
\"Whatdoesanyonesaytoaninvitationtodinnerpoint-blank？
Onetriestocollectone’swits。’Sheisconstantlythinkingofyou，’Isaid。\"
\"Andheacceptedmeekly？\"
\"Practically。Whatelsecouldhedo？Youcan’tkickupasceneonthespurofthemomentinthefaceofsuchconflictingvaluesashehadbeforehim。Withmebehavingasifeverythingwasinfinitelymatter-of-fact，whatcouldhedo？AndjustthenHeavensentoldManningtree——Ididn’ttellyoubeforeofthefortunateinterventionofManningtree，didI？Hewaslookingquiteinfernallydistinguished，withawidecrimsonribbonacrosshim——whatISawidecrimsonribbon？Somesortofknight，I
suppose。Heisaknight。’Well，youngman，’hesaid，’wehaven’tseenyoulately，’andsomethingabout’Bateson&
Co。’——he’sfrightfullyanti-Mendelian——havingitalltheirownway。SoIintroducedhimtomyfather-in-lawlikeashot。I
thinkthatWASdecision。Yes，itwasManningtreereallysecuredyourfather。He——\"
\"Heretheyare！\"saidAnnVeronicaasthebellsounded。
Part2
Theyreceivedtheguestsintheirprettylittlehallwithgenuineeffusion。MissStanleythrewasideablackcloaktorevealadiscreetanddignifiedarrangementofbrownsilk，andthenembracedAnnVeronicawithwarmth。\"Soveryclearandcold，\"shesaid。\"Ifearedwemighthaveafog。\"Thehousemaid’spresenceactedasausefulrestraint。AnnVeronicapassedfromheraunttoherfather，andputherarmsabouthimandkissedhischeek。
\"Dearolddaddy！\"shesaid，andwasamazedtofindherselfsheddingtears。Sheveiledheremotionbytakingoffhisovercoat。\"AndthisisMr。Capes？\"sheheardherauntsaying。
Allfourpeoplemovedalittlenervouslyintothedrawing-room，maintainingasortofflutteredamiabilityofsoundandmovement。
Mr。Stanleyprofessedagreatsolicitudetowarmhishands。
\"Quiteunusuallycoldforthetimeofyear，\"hesaid。
\"Everythingverynice，Iamsure，\"MissStanleymurmuredtoCapesashesteeredhertoaplaceuponthelittlesofabeforethefire。Alsoshemadelittlepussy-likesoundsofareassuringnature。
\"Andlet’shavealookatyou，Vee！\"saidMr。Stanley，standingupwithasuddengenialityandrubbinghishandstogether。
AnnVeronica，whoknewherdressbecameher，droppedacurtsytoherfather’sregard。
Happilytheyhadnooneelsetowaitfor，anditheartenedhermightilytothinkthatshehadorderedthepromptestpossibleserviceofthedinner。CapesstoodbesideMissStanley，whowasbeamingunnaturally，andMr。Stanley，inhisefforttoseematease，tookentirepossessionofthehearthrug。
\"Youfoundtheflateasily？\"saidCapesinthepause。\"Thenumbersarealittledifficulttoseeinthearchway。Theyoughttoputalamp。\"
Herfatherdeclaredtherehadbeennodifficulty。
\"Dinnerisserved，m’m，\"saidtheefficientparlor-maidinthearchway，andtheworstwasover。
\"Come，daddy，\"saidAnnVeronica，followingherhusbandandMissStanley；andinthefulnessofherheartshegaveafriendlysqueezetotheparentalarm。
\"Excellentfellow！\"heansweredalittleirrelevantly。\"Ididn’tunderstand，Vee。\"
\"Quitecharmingapartments，\"MissStanleyadmired；\"charming！
Everythingissoprettyandconvenient。\"
Thedinnerwasadmirableasadinner；nothingwentwrong，fromthegoldenandexcellentclearsouptothedelightfulicedmarronsandcream；andMissStanley’spraisesdiedawaytoanappreciativeacquiescence。AbrisktalksprangupbetweenCapesandMr。Stanley，towhichthetwoladiessubordinatedthemselvesintelligently。TheburningtopicoftheMendeliancontroversywasapproachedononeortwooccasions，butavoideddexterously；
andtheytalkedchieflyoflettersandartandthecensorshipoftheEnglishstage。Mr。Stanleywasinclinedtothinkthecensorshipshouldbeextendedtothesupplyofwhathestyledlatter-dayfiction；goodwholesomestorieswerebeingousted，hesaid，by\"vicious，corruptingstuff\"that\"leftabadtasteinthemouth。\"Hedeclaredthatnobookcouldbesatisfactorythatleftabadtasteinthemouth，howevermuchitseizedandinterestedthereaderatthetime。Hedidnotlikeit，hesaid，withasignificantlook，toberemindedofeitherhisbooksorhisdinnersafterhehaddonewiththem。Capesagreedwiththeutmostcordiality。
\"Lifeisupsettingenough，withoutthenovelstakingashare，\"
saidMr。Stanley。
ForatimeAnnVeronica’sattentionwasdivertedbyheraunt’sinterestinthesaltedalmonds。
\"Quiteparticularlynice，\"saidheraunt。\"Exceptionallyso。\"
WhenAnnVeronicacouldattendagainshefoundthemenwerediscussingtheethicsofthedepreciationofhousepropertythroughtheincreasingtumultoftrafficintheWestEnd，andagreeingwitheachothertoadevastatingextent。Itcameintoherheadwithrealemotionalforcethatthismustbesomeparticularlyfantasticsortofdream。Itseemedtoherthatherfatherwasinsomeinexplicablewaymeaner-lookingthanshehadsupposed，andyetalso，asunaccountably，appealing。Histiehaddemandedastruggle；heoughttohavetakenacleanoneafterhisfirstfailure。Whywasshenotingthingslikethis？Capesseemedself-possessedandelaboratelygenialandcommonplace，butsheknewhimtobenervousbyalittleoccasionalclumsiness，bythefaintestshadowofvulgarityintheurgencyofhishospitality。Shewishedhecouldsmokeanddullhisnervesalittle。Agustofirrationalimpatienceblewthroughherbeing。
Well，they’dgottothepheasants，andinalittlewhilehewouldsmoke。Whatwasitshehadexpected？Surelyhermoodsweregettingalittleoutofhand。
Shewishedherfatherandauntwouldnotenjoytheirdinnerwithsuchquietdetermination。Herfatherandherhusband，whohadbothbeenalittlepaleattheirfirstencounter，weregrowingnowjustfaintlyflushed。Itwasapitypeoplehadtoeatfood。
\"Isuppose，\"saidherfather，\"Ihavereadatleasthalfthenovelsthathavebeenatallsuccessfulduringthelasttwentyyears。Threeaweekismyallowance，and，ifIgetshortones，four。IchangetheminthemorningatCannonStreet，andtakemybookasIcomedown。\"
Itoccurredtoherthatshehadneverseenherfatherdiningoutbefore，neverwatchedhimcriticallyasanequal。ToCapeshewasalmostdeferential，andshehadneverseenhimdeferentialintheoldtime，never。Thedinnerwasstrangerthanshehadeveranticipated。Itwasasifshehadgrownrightpastherfatherintosomethingolderandofinfinitelywideroutlook，asifhehadalwaysbeenunsuspectedlyaflattenedfigure，andnowshehaddiscoveredhimfromtheotherside。
Itwasagreatrelieftoarriveatlastatthatpausewhenshecouldsaytoheraunt，\"Now，dear？\"andriseandholdbackthecurtainthroughthearchway。Capesandherfatherstoodup，andherfathermadeabelatedmovementtowardthecurtain。Sherealizedthathewasthesortofmanonedoesnotthinkmuchaboutatdinners。AndCapeswasthinkingthathiswifewasasupremelybeautifulwoman。Hereachedasilvercigarandcigaretteboxfromthesideboardandputitbeforehisfather-in-law，andforatimethepreliminariesofsmokingoccupiedthemboth。ThenCapesflitteredtothehearthrugandpokedthefire，stoodup，andturnedabout。\"AnnVeronicaislookingverywell，don’tyouthink？\"hesaid，alittleawkwardly。
\"Very，\"saidMr。Stanley。\"Very，\"andcrackedawalnutappreciatively。
\"Life——things——Idon’tthinkherprospectsnow——Hopefuloutlook。\"
\"Youwereinadifficultposition，\"Mr。Stanleypronounced，andseemedtohesitatewhetherhehadnotgonetoofar。Helookedathisportwineasthoughthattawnyrubycontainedthesolutionofthematter。\"All’swellthatendswell，\"hesaid；\"andthelessonesaysaboutthingsthebetter。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidCapes，andthrewanewlylitcigarintothefirethroughsheernervousness。\"Havesomemoreportwine，sir？\"
\"It’saverysoundwine，\"saidMr。Stanley，consentingwithdignity。
\"AnnVeronicahasneverlookedquitesowell，Ithink，\"saidCapes，clinging，becauseofapreconceivedplan，tothesuppressedtopic。
Part3
Atlasttheeveningwasover，andCapesandhiswifehadgonedowntoseeMr。Stanleyandhissisterintoataxicab，andhadwavedanamiablefarewellfromthepavementsteps。
\"Greatdears！\"saidCapes，asthevehiclepassedoutofsight。
\"Yes，aren’tthey？\"saidAnnVeronica，afterathoughtfulpause。
Andthen，\"Theyseemchanged。\"
\"Comeinoutofthecold，\"saidCapes，andtookherarm。
\"Theyseemsmaller，youknow，evenphysicallysmaller，\"shesaid。
\"You’vegrownoutofthem……Yourauntlikedthepheasant。\"
\"Shelikedeverything。Didyouhearusthroughthearchway，talkingcookery？\"
Theywentupbytheliftinsilence。
\"It’sodd，\"saidAnnVeronica，re-enteringtheflat。
\"What’sodd？\"
\"Oh，everything！\"
Sheshivered，andwenttothefireandpokedit。Capessatdowninthearm-chairbesideher。
\"Life’ssoqueer，\"shesaid，kneelingandlookingintotheflames。\"Iwonder——Iwonderifweshallevergetlikethat。\"
Sheturnedafirelitfacetoherhusband。\"Didyoutellhim？\"
Capessmiledfaintly。\"Yes。\"
\"How？\"
\"Well——alittleclumsily。\"
\"Buthow？\"
\"Ipouredhimoutsomeportwine，andIsaid——letmesee——oh，’Youaregoingtobeagrandfather！’\"
\"Yes。Washepleased？\"
\"Calmly！Hesaid——youwon’tmindmytellingyou？\"
\"Notabit。\"
\"Hesaid，’PoorAlicehasgotnoend！’\"
\"Alice’saredifferent，\"saidAnnVeronica，afteraninterval。
\"Quitedifferent。Shedidn’tchooseherman……Well，Itoldaunt……Husbandofmine，Ithinkwehaveratheroverratedtheemotionalcapacityofthose——thosedears。\"
\"Whatdidyourauntsay？\"
\"Shedidn’tevenkissme。Shesaid\"——AnnVeronicashiveredagain——\"’Ihopeitwon’tmakeyouuncomfortable，mydear’——likethat——’andwhateveryoudo，dobecarefulofyourhair！’I
think——Ijudgefromhermanner——thatshethoughtitwasjustalittleindelicateofus——consideringeverything；butshetriedtobepracticalandsympatheticandlivedowntoourstandards。\"
Capeslookedathiswife’sunsmilingface。
\"Yourfather，\"hesaid，\"remarkedthatall’swellthatendswell，andthathewasdisposedtoletbygonesbebygones。Hethenspokewithacertainfatherlykindlinessofthepast……\"
\"Andmyhearthasachedforhim！\"
\"Oh，nodoubtitcuthimatthetime。Itmusthavecuthim。\"
\"Wemightevenhave——givenitupforthem！\"
\"Iwonderifwecould。\"
\"IsupposeallISwellthatendswell。Somehowto-night——Idon’tknow。\"
\"Isupposeso。I’mgladtheoldsoreisassuaged。Veryglad。
Butifwehadgoneunder——！\"
Theyregardedoneanothersilently，andAnnVeronicahadoneofherpenetratingflashes。
\"Wearenotthesortthatgoesunder，\"saidAnnVeronica，holdingherhandssothattheredreflectionsvanishedfromhereyes。
\"Wesettledlongago——we’rehardstuff。We’rehardstuff！\"
Thenshewenton:\"Tothinkthatismyfather！Oh，mydear！Hestoodovermelikeacliff；thethoughtofhimnearlyturnedmeasidefromeverythingwehavedone。Hewasthesocialorder；hewaslawandwisdom。Andtheycomehere，andtheylookatourfurnituretoseeifitisgood；andtheyarenotglad，itdoesnotstirthem，thatatlast，atlastwecandaretohavechildren。\"
Shedroppedbackintoacrouchingattitudeandbegantoweep。
\"Oh，mydear！\"shecried，andsuddenlyflungherself，kneeling，intoherhusband’sarms。
\"Doyourememberthemountains？Doyourememberhowwelovedoneanother？Howintenselywelovedoneanother！Doyourememberthelightonthingsandthegloryofthings？I’mgreedy，I’mgreedy！Iwantchildrenlikethemountainsandlifelikethesky。Oh！andlove——love！We’vehadsosplendidatime，andfoughtourfightandwon。Andit’slikethepetalsfallingfromaflower。Oh，I’velovedlove，dear！I’velovedloveandyou，andthegloryofyou；andthegreattimeisover，andIhavetogocarefullyandbearchildren，and——takecareofmyhair——andwhenIamdonewiththatIshallbeanoldwoman。Thepetalshavefallen——theredpetalswelovedso。We’rehedgedaboutwithdiscretions——andallthisfurniture——andsuccesses！Wearesuccessfulatlast！Successful！Butthemountains，dear！Wewon’tforgetthemountains，dear，ever。Thatshiningslopeofsnow，andhowwetalkedofdeath！Wemighthavedied！Evenwhenweareold，whenwearerichaswemaybe，wewon’tforgetthetunewhenwecarednothingforanythingbutthejoyofoneanother，whenweriskedeverythingforoneanother，whenallthewrappingsandcoveringsseemedtohavefallenfromlifeandleftitlightandfire。Starkandstark！Doyourememberitall？……
Sayyouwillneverforget！Thatthesecommonthingsandsecondarythingssha’n’toverwhelmus。Thesepetals！I’vebeenwantingtocryalltheevening，cryhereonyourshoulderformypetals。
Petals！……Sillywoman！……I’veneverhadthesecryingfitsbefore……\"
\"Bloodofmyheart！\"whisperedCapes，holdingherclosetohim。
\"Iknow。Iunderstand。\"
End
