“Itmakesoneawfullyqueer，don’tyoufind？“hecomplained。
“Thesetreesgetonone’snerves——it’sallsocrazy。
God’sundoubtedlymad。Whatsanepersoncouldhaveconceivedawildernesslikethis，andpeopleditwithapesandalligators？
IshouldgomadifIlivedhere——ravingmad。“
Terenceattemptedtoanswerhim，butMrs。Ambroserepliedinstead。
Shebadehimlookatthewaythingsmassedthemselves——lookattheamazingcolours，lookattheshapesofthetrees。SheseemedtobeprotectingTerencefromtheapproachoftheothers。
“Yes，“saidMr。Flushing。“Andinmyopinion，“hecontinued，“theabsenceofpopulationtowhichHirstobjectsispreciselythesignificanttouch。Youmustadmit，Hirst，thatalittleItaliantownevenwouldvulgarisethewholescene，woulddetractfromthevastness——thesenseofelementalgrandeur。“Heswepthishandstowardstheforest，andpausedforamoment，lookingatthegreatgreenmass，whichwasnowfallingsilent。“Iownitmakesusseemprettysmall——us，notthem。“Henoddedhisheadatasailorwholeantoverthesidespittingintotheriver。“Andthat，Ithink，iswhatmywifefeels，theessentialsuperiorityofthepeasant——“
UndercoverofMr。Flushing’swords，whichcontinuednowgentlyreasoningwithSt。Johnandpersuadinghim，TerencedrewRacheltotheside，pointingostensiblytoagreatgnarledtree-trunkwhichhadfallenandlayhalfinthewater。Hewished，atanyrate，tobenearher，buthefoundthathecouldsaynothing。TheycouldhearMr。Flushingflowingon，nowabouthiswife，nowaboutart，nowaboutthefutureofthecountry，littlemeaninglesswordsfloatinghighinair。AsitwasbecomingcoldhebegantopacethedeckwithHirst。Fragmentsoftheirtalkcameoutdistinctlyastheypassed——art，emotion，truth，reality。
“Isittrue，orisitadream？“Rachelmurmured，whentheyhadpassed。
“It’strue，it’strue，“hereplied。
Butthebreezefreshened，andtherewasageneraldesireformovement。
Whenthepartyrearrangedthemselvesundercoverofrugsandcloaks，TerenceandRachelwereatoppositeendsofthecircle，andcouldnotspeaktoeachother。Butasthedarkdescended，thewordsoftheothersseemedtocurlupandvanishastheashesofburntpaper，andleftthemsittingperfectlysilentatthebottomoftheworld。
Occasionalstartsofexquisitejoyranthroughthem，andthentheywerepeacefulagain。
ThankstoMr。Flushing’sdiscipline，therightstagesoftheriverwerereachedattherighthours，andwhennextmorningafterbreakfastthechairswereagaindrawnoutinasemicircleinthebow，thelaunchwaswithinafewmilesofthenativecampwhichwasthelimitofthejourney。Mr。Flushing，ashesatdown，advisedthemtokeeptheireyesfixedontheleftbank，wheretheywouldsoonpassaclearing，andinthatclearing，wasahutwhereMackenzie，thefamousexplorer，haddiedoffeversometenyearsago，almostwithinreachofcivilisation——Mackenzie，herepeated，themanwhowentfartherinlandthananyone’sbeenyet。Theireyesturnedthatwayobediently。TheeyesofRachelsawnothing。
Yellowandgreenshapesdid，itistrue，passbeforethem，butsheonlyknewthatonewaslargeandanothersmall；shedidnotknowthattheyweretrees。Thesedirectionstolookhereandthereirritatedher，asinterruptionsirritateapersonabsorbedinthought，althoughshewasnotthinkingofanything。Shewasannoyedwithallthatwassaid，andwiththeaimlessmovementsofpeople’sbodies，becausetheyseemedtointerferewithherandtopreventherfromspeakingtoTerence。VerysoonHelensawherstaringmoodilyatacoilofrope，andmakingnoefforttolisten。Mr。FlushingandSt。Johnwereengagedinmoreorlesscontinuousconversationaboutthefutureofthecountryfromapoliticalpointofview，andthedegreetowhichithadbeenexplored；theothers，withtheirlegsstretchedout，orchinspoisedonthehands，gazedinsilence。
Mrs。Ambroselookedandlistenedobedientlyenough，butinwardlyshewaspreytoanuneasymoodnotreadilytobeascribedtoanyonecause。LookingonshoreasMr。Flushingbadeher，shethoughtthecountryverybeautiful，butalsosultryandalarming。
Shedidnotliketofeelherselfthevictimofunclassifiedemotions，andcertainlyasthelaunchslippedonandon，inthehotmorningsun，shefeltherselfunreasonablymoved。Whethertheunfamiliarityoftheforestwasthecauseofit，orsomethinglessdefinite，shecouldnotdetermine。HermindleftthesceneandoccupieditselfwithanxietiesforRidley，forherchildren，forfar-offthings，suchasoldageandpovertyanddeath。Hirst，too，wasdepressed。
Hehadbeenlookingforwardtothisexpeditionastoaholiday，for，onceawayfromthehotel，surelywonderfulthingswouldhappen，insteadofwhichnothinghappened，andheretheywereasuncomfortable，asrestrained，asself-consciousasever。That，ofcourse，waswhatcameoflookingforwardtoanything；onewasalwaysdisappointed。
HeblamedWilfridFlushing，whowassowelldressedandsoformal；
heblamedHewetandRachel。Whydidn’ttheytalk？Helookedatthemsittingsilentandself-absorbed，andthesightannoyedhim。
Hesupposedthattheywereengaged，orabouttobecomeengaged，butinsteadofbeingintheleastromanticorexciting，thatwasasdullaseverythingelse；itannoyedhim，too，tothinkthattheywereinlove。
HedrewclosetoHelenandbegantotellherhowuncomfortablehisnighthadbeen，lyingonthedeck，sometimestoohot，sometimestoocold，andthestarssobrightthathecouldn’tgettosleep。Hehadlainawakeallnightthinking，andwhenitwaslightenoughtosee，hehadwrittentwentylinesofhispoemonGod，andtheawfulthingwasthathe’dpracticallyprovedthefactthatGoddidnotexist。
Hedidnotseethathewasteasingher，andhewentontowonderwhatwouldhappenifGoddidexist——“anoldgentlemaninabeardandalongbluedressinggown，extremelytestyanddisagreeableashe’sboundtobe？Canyousuggestarhyme？God，rod，sod——allused；
anyothers？“
Althoughhespokemuchasusual，Helencouldhaveseen，hadshelooked，thathewasalsoimpatientanddisturbed。Butshewasnotcalledupontoanswer，forMr。Flushingnowexclaimed“There！“Theylookedatthehutonthebank，adesolateplacewithalargerentintheroof，andthegroundroundityellow，scarredwithfiresandscatteredwithrustyopentins。
“Didtheyfindhisdeadbodythere？“Mrs。Flushingexclaimed，leaningforwardinhereagernesstoseethespotwheretheexplorerhaddied。
“Theyfoundhisbodyandhisskinsandanotebook，“herhusbandreplied。
Buttheboathadsooncarriedthemonandlefttheplacebehind。
Itwassohotthattheyscarcelymoved，exceptnowtochangeafoot，or，again，tostrikeamatch。Theireyes，concentrateduponthebank，werefullofthesamegreenreflections，andtheirlipswereslightlypressedtogetherasthoughthesightstheywerepassinggaverisetothoughts，savethatHirst’slipsmovedintermittentlyashalfconsciouslyhesoughtrhymesforGod。Whateverthethoughtsoftheothers，noonesaidanythingforaconsiderablespace。
Theyhadgrownsoaccustomedtothewalloftreesoneithersidethattheylookedupwithastartwhenthelightsuddenlywidenedoutandthetreescametoanend。
“ItalmostremindsoneofanEnglishpark，“saidMr。Flushing。
Indeednochangecouldhavebeengreater。Onbothbanksoftheriverlayanopenlawn-likespace，grasscoveredandplanted，forthegentlenessandorderoftheplacesuggestedhumancare，withgracefultreesonthetopoflittlemounds。Asfarastheycouldgaze，thislawnroseandsankwiththeundulatingmotionofanoldEnglishpark。
Thechangeofscenenaturallysuggestedachangeofposition，gratefultomostofthem。Theyroseandleantovertherail。
“ItmightbeArundelorWindsor，“Mr。Flushingcontinued，“ifyoucutdownthatbushwiththeyellowflowers；and，byJove，look！“
Rowsofbrownbackspausedforamomentandthenleaptwithamotionasiftheywerespringingoverwavesoutofsight。
foramomentnooneofthemcouldbelievethattheyhadreallyseenliveanimalsintheopen——aherdofwilddeer，andthesightarousedachildlikeexcitementinthem，dissipatingtheirgloom。
“I’veneverinmylifeseenanythingbiggerthanahare！“
Hirstexclaimedwithgenuineexcitement。“WhatanassIwasnottobringmyKodak！“
Soonafterwardsthelaunchcamegraduallytoastandstill，andthecaptainexplainedtoMr。Flushingthatitwouldbepleasantforthepassengersiftheynowwentforastrollonshore；iftheychosetoreturnwithinanhour，hewouldtakethemontothevillage；
iftheychosetowalk——itwasonlyamileortwofartheron——
hewouldmeetthematthelanding-place。
Thematterbeingsettled，theywereoncemoreputonshore:
thesailors，producingraisinsandtobacco，leantupontherailandwatchedthesixEnglish，whosecoatsanddresseslookedsostrangeuponthegreen，wanderoff。Ajokethatwasbynomeanspropersetthemalllaughing，andthentheyturnedroundandlayattheireaseuponthedeck。
Directlytheylanded，TerenceandRacheldrewtogetherslightlyinadvanceoftheothers。
“ThankGod！“Terenceexclaimed，drawingalongbreath。“Atlastwe’realone。“
“Andifwekeepaheadwecantalk，“saidRachel。
Nevertheless，althoughtheirpositionsomeyardsinadvanceoftheothersmadeitpossibleforthemtosayanythingtheychose，theywerebothsilent。
“Youloveme？“Terenceaskedatlength，breakingthesilencepainfully。
Tospeakortobesilentwasequallyaneffort，forwhentheyweresilenttheywerekeenlyconsciousofeachother’spresence，andyetwordswereeithertootrivialortoolarge。
Shemurmuredinarticulately，ending，“Andyou？“
“Yes，yes，“hereplied；butthereweresomanythingstobesaid，andnowthattheywerealoneitseemednecessarytobringthemselvesstillmorenear，andtosurmountabarrierwhichhadgrownupsincetheyhadlastspoken。Itwasdifficult，frighteningeven，oddlyembarrassing。Atonemomenthewasclear-sighted，and，atthenext，confused。
“NowI’mgoingtobeginatthebeginning，“hesaidresolutely。
“I’mgoingtotellyouwhatIoughttohavetoldyoubefore。
Inthefirstplace，I’veneverbeeninlovewithotherwomen，butI’vehadotherwomen。ThenI’vegreatfaults。I’mverylazy，I’mmoody——“Hepersisted，inspiteofherexclamation，“You’vegottoknowtheworstofme。I’mlustful。I’movercomebyasenseoffutility——incompetence。Ioughtnevertohaveaskedyoutomarryme，Iexpect。I’mabitofasnob；I’mambitious——“
“Oh，ourfaults！“shecried。“Whatdotheymatter？“Thenshedemanded，“AmIinlove——isthisbeinginlove——arewetomarryeachother？“
Overcomebythecharmofhervoiceandherpresence，heexclaimed，“Oh，you’refree，Rachel。Toyou，timewillmakenodifference，ormarriageor——“
Thevoicesoftheothersbehindthemkeptfloating，nowfarther，nownearer，andMrs。Flushing’slaughroseclearlybyitself。
“Marriage？“Rachelrepeated。
Theshoutswererenewedbehind，warningthemthattheywerebearingtoofartotheleft。Improvingtheircourse，hecontinued，“Yes，marriage。“Thefeelingthattheycouldnotbeuniteduntilsheknewallabouthimmadehimagainendeavourtoexplain。
“Allthat’sbeenbadinme，thethingsI’veputupwith——
thesecondbest——“
Shemurmured，consideredherownlife，butcouldnotdescribehowitlookedtohernow。
