Fannycouldnotkeepthesecret，andcameandtoldherthatnightunderatransparentpretextofneededadvice。“Mr。Snooks，“saidFanny，“wantstowritetome。Fancy！Ihadnoidea。ButshouldIlethim？“Theytalkeditoverlongandearnestly，andMissWinchelseawascarefultokeeptheveiloverherheart。Shewasalreadyrepentinghisdisregardedhints。Whyshouldshenothearofhimsometimes——painfulthoughhisnamemustbetoher？MissWinchelseadecideditmightbepermitted，andFannykissedhergood-nightwithunusualemotion。
AftershehadgoneMissWinchelseasatforalongtimeatthewindowofherlittleroom。Itwasmoonlight，anddownthestreetamansang“SantaLucia“withalmostheart-dissolvingtenderness……
Shesatverystill。
Shebreathedawordverysoftlytoherself。Thewordwas“SNOOKS。“
Thenshegotupwithaprofoundsigh，andwenttobed。Thenextmorninghesaidtohermeaningly，“Ishallhearofyouthroughyourfriend。“
Mr。SnookssawthemofffromRomewiththatpatheticinterrogativeperplexitystillonhisface，andifithadnotbeenforHelenhewouldhaveretainedMissWinchelsea’shold-allinhishandasasortofencyclopaedickeepsake。OntheirwaybacktoEnglandMissWinchelseaonsixseparateoccasionsmadeFannypromisetowritetoherthelongestoflongletters。Fanny，itseemed，wouldbequitenearMr。Snooks。Hernewschool——shewasalwaysgoingtonewschools——wouldbeonlyfivemilesfromSteelyBank，anditwasintheSteelyBankPolytechnic，andoneortwofirst-classschools，thatMr。Snooksdidhisteaching。Hemightevenseeherattimes。Theycouldnottalkmuchofhim——sheandFannyalwaysspokeof“him，“neverofMr。Snooks，——becauseHelenwasapttosayunsympatheticthingsabouthim。Hernaturehadcoarsenedverymuch，MissWinchelseaperceived，sincetheoldTrainingCollegedays；
shehadbecomehardandcynical。Shethoughthehadaweakface，mistakingrefinementforweaknessaspeopleofherstampareapttodo，andwhensheheardhisnamewasSnooks，shesaidshehadexpectedsomethingofthesort。MissWinchelseawascarefultospareherownfeelingsafterthat，butFannywaslesscircumspect。
ThegirlspartedinLondon，andMissWinchelseareturned，withanewinterestinlife，totheGirls’HighSchoolinwhichshehadbeenanincreasinglyvaluableassistantforthelastthreeyears。
HernewinterestinlifewasFannyasacorrespondent，andtogiveheraleadshewroteheralengthydescriptiveletterwithinafortnightofherreturn。Fannyanswered，verydisappointingly。Fannyindeedhadnoliterarygift，butitwasnewtoMissWinchelseatofindherselfdeploringthewantofgiftsinafriend。ThatletterwasevencriticisedaloudinthesafesolitudeofMissWinchelsea’sstudy，andhercriticism，spokenwithgreatbitterness，was“Twaddle！“
ItwasfullofjustthethingsMissWinchelsea’sletterhadbeenfullof，particularsoftheschool。AndofMr。Snooks，onlythismuch:“IhavehadaletterfromMr。Snooks，andhehasbeenovertoseemeontwoSaturdayafternoonsrunning。HetalkedaboutRomeandyou；webothtalkedaboutyou。Yourearsmusthaveburnt，mydear……“
MissWinchelsearepressedadesiretodemandmoreexplicitinformation，andwrotethesweetestlongletteragain。“Tellmeallaboutyourself，dear。Thatjourneyhasquiterefreshedourancientfriendship，andIdosowanttokeepintouchwithyou。“AboutMr。SnooksshesimplywroteonthefifthpagethatshewasgladFannyhadseenhim，andthatifheSHOULDaskafterher，shewastoberememberedtohimVERYKINDLY(underlined)。AndFannyrepliedmostobtuselyinthekeyofthat“ancientfriendship，“remindingMissWinchelseaofadozenfoolishthingsofthoseoldschoolgirldaysatthetrainingcollege，andsayingnotawordaboutMr。Snooks！
FornearlyaweekMissWinchelseawassoangryatthefailureofFannyasago-betweenthatshecouldnotwritetoher。Andthenshewrotelesseffusively，andinherlettersheaskedpoint-blank，“HaveyouseenMr。Snooks？“Fanny’sletterwasunexpectedlysatisfactory。“IHAVEseenMr。Snooks，“shewrote，andhavingoncenamedhimshekeptonabouthim；itwasallSnooks——SnooksthisandSnooksthat。Hewastogiveapubliclecture，saidFanny，amongotherthings。YetMissWinchelsea，afterthefirstglowofgratification，stillfoundthisletteralittleunsatisfactory。FannydidnotreportMr。SnooksassayinganythingaboutMissWinchelsea，noraslookingalittlewhiteandworn，asheoughttohavebeendoing。Andbehold！
beforeshehadreplied，cameasecondletterfromFannyonthesametheme，quiteagushingletter，andcoveringsixsheetswithherloosefemininehand。
AndaboutthissecondletterwasaratheroddlittlethingthatMissWinchelseaonlynoticedasshere-readitthethirdtime。
Fanny’snaturalfemininityhadprevailedevenagainsttheroundandcleartraditionsofthetrainingcollege；shewasoneofthoseshe-creaturesborntomakeallherm’sandn’sandu’sandr’sande’salike，andtoleavehero’sanda’sopenandheri’sundotted。SothatitwasonlyafteranelaboratecomparisonofwordwithwordthatMissWinchelseafeltassuredMr。Snookswasnotreally“Mr。Snooks“
atall！InFanny’sfirstletterofgushhewasMr。“Snooks，“inhersecondthespellingwaschangedtoMr。“Senoks。“MissWinchelsea’shandpositivelytrembledassheturnedthesheetover——itmeantsomuchtoher。ForithadalreadybeguntoseemtoherthateventhenameofMrs。Snooksmightbeavoidedattoogreataprice，andsuddenly——thispossibility！Sheturnedoverthesixsheets，alldappledwiththatcriticalname，andeverywherethefirstletterhadtheformofanE！Foratimeshewalkedtheroomwithahandpresseduponherheart。
Shespentawholedayponderingthischange，weighingaletterofinquirythatshouldbeatoncediscreetandeffectual，weighingtoowhatactionsheshouldtakeaftertheanswercame。ShewasresolvedthatifthisalteredspellingwasanythingmorethanaquaintfancyofFanny’s，shewouldwriteforthwithtoMr。Snooks。
Shehadnowreachedastagewhentheminorrefinementsofbehaviourdisappear。Herexcuseremaineduninvented，butshehadthesubjectofherletterclearinhermind，eventothehintthat“circumstancesinmylifehavechangedverygreatlysincewetalkedtogether。“Butshenevergavethathint。TherecameathirdletterfromthatfitfulcorrespondentFanny。Thefirstlineproclaimedher“thehappiestgirlalive。“
MissWinchelseacrushedtheletterinherhand——therestunread——andsatwithherfacesuddenlyverystill。Shehadreceiveditjustbeforemorningschool，andhadopeneditwhenthejuniormathematicianswerewellunderway。Presentlysheresumedreadingwithanappearanceofgreatcalm。Butafterthefirstsheetshewentonreadingthethirdwithoutdiscoveringtheerror:——“toldhimfranklyIdidnotlikehisname，“thethirdsheetbegan。“Hetoldmehedidnotlikeithimself——youknowthatsortofsuddenfrankwayhehas“——MissWinchelseadidknow。“SoIsaid’Couldn’tyouchangeit？’Hedidn’tseeitatfirst。Well，youknow，dear，hehadtoldmewhatitreallymeant；
itmeansSevenoaks，onlyithasgotdowntoSnooks——bothSnooksandNoaks，dreadfullyvulgarsurnamesthoughtheybe，arereallywornformsofSevenoaks。SoIsaid——evenIhavemybrightideasattimes——’ifitgotdownfromSevenoakstoSnooks，whynotgetitbackfromSnookstoSevenoaks？’Andthelongandtheshortofitis，dear，hecouldn’trefuseme，andhechangedhisspellingthereandthentoSenoksforthebillsofthenewlecture。Andafterwards，whenwearemarried，weshallputintheapostropheandmakeitSe’noks。Wasn’titkindofhimtomindthatfancyofmine，whenmanymenwouldhavetakenoffence？Butitisjustlikehimallover；
heisaskindasheisclever。BecauseheknewaswellasIdidthatIwouldhavehadhiminspiteofit，hadhebeententimesSnooks。Buthediditallthesame。“
Theclasswasstartledbythesoundofpaperbeingviciouslytorn，andlookeduptoseeMissWinchelseawhiteintheface，andwithsomeverysmallpiecesofpaperclenchedinonehand。Forafewsecondstheystaredatherstare，andthenherexpressionchangedbacktoamorefamiliarone。“Hasanyonefinishednumberthree？“sheaskedinaneventone。Sheremainedcalmafterthat。Butimpositionsruledhighthatday。AndshespenttwolaboriouseveningswritinglettersofvarioussortstoFanny，beforeshefoundadecentcongratulatoryvein。HerreasonstruggledhopelesslyagainstthepersuasionthatFannyhadbehavedinanexceedinglytreacherousmanner。
Onemaybeextremelyrefinedandstillcapableofaverysoreheart。
CertainlyMissWinchelsea’sheartwasverysore。Shehadmoodsofsexualhostility，inwhichshegeneraliseduncharitablyaboutmankind。“Heforgothimselfwithme，“shesaid。“ButFannyispinkandprettyandsoftandafool——averyexcellentmatchforaMan。“
AndbywayofaweddingpresentshesentFannyagracefullyboundvolumeofpoetrybyGeorgeMeredith，andFannywrotebackagrosslyhappylettertosaythatitwas“ALLbeautiful。“MissWinchelseahopedthatsomedayMr。Senoksmighttakeupthatslimbookandthinkforamomentofthedonor。Fannywroteseveraltimesbeforeandabouthermarriage，pursuingthatfondlegendoftheir“ancientfriendship，“andgivingherhappinessinthefullestdetail。AndMissWinchelseawrotetoHelenforthefirsttimeaftertheRomanjourney，sayingnothingaboutthemarriage，butexpressingverycordialfeelings。
TheyhadbeeninRomeatEaster，andFannywasmarriedintheAugustvacation。ShewroteagarrulouslettertoMissWinchelsea，describingherhome-coming，andtheastonishingarrangementsoftheir“teenyweeny“littlehouse。Mr。Se’nokswasnowbeginningtoassumearefinementinMissWinchelsea’smemoryoutofallproportiontothefactsofthecase，andshetriedinvaintoimaginehisculturedgreatnessina“teenyweeny“littlehouse。“Ambusyenamellingacoseycorner，“saidFanny，sprawlingtotheendofherthirdsheet，“soexcusemore。“MissWinchelseaansweredinherbeststyle，gentlypokingfunatFanny’sarrangementsandhopingintenselythatMr。Sen’oksmightseetheletter。Onlythishopeenabledhertowriteatall，answeringnotonlythatletterbutoneinNovemberandoneatChristmas。
ThetwolattercommunicationscontainedurgentinvitationsforhertocometoSteelyBankonaVisitduringtheChristmasholidays。
ShetriedtothinkthatHEhadtoldhertoaskthat，butitwastoomuchlikeFanny’sopulentgood-nature。Shecouldnotbutbelievethathemustbesickofhisblunderbythistime；andshehadmorethanahopethathewouldpresentlywriteheraletterbeginning“DearFriend。“Somethingsubtlytragicintheseparationwasagreatsupporttoher，asadmisunderstanding。Tohavebeenjiltedwouldhavebeenintolerable。Butheneverwrotethatletterbeginning“DearFriend。“
