\"Yes——isn’titfunny？\"saidtheladynextme。
Itwassofunnythatitsetmethinkingafreshandthat，withtheinterestofit，whichbecameapositiveexcitement，Ihadtokeepmyselfinhandinordernottoopubliclytoexplain，nottobreakoutrightandleftwithmyreflections。Idon’tknowwhy——itwasasenseinstinctiveandunreasoned，butIfeltfromthefirstthatifIwasonthescentofsomethingultimateIhadbetterwasteneithermywondernormywisdom。IWASonthescent——thatIwassureof；andyetevenafterIwassureIshouldstillhavebeenatalosstoputmyenigmaitselfintowords。Iwasjustconscious，vaguely，ofbeingonthetrackofalaw，alawthatwouldfit，thatwouldstrikemeasgoverningthedelicatephenomena——delicatethoughsomarked——thatmyimaginationfounditselfplayingwith。Apartoftheamusementtheyyieldedcame，Idaresay，frommyexaggeratingthem——groupingthemintoalargermystery（andtherebyalarger\"law\"）thanthefacts，asobserved，yetwarranted；butthatisthecommonfaultofmindsforwhichthevisionoflifeisanobsession。Theobsessionpays，ifonewill；buttopayithastoborrow。Afterdinner，butwhilethemenwerestillintheroom，IhadsometalkagainwithLong，ofwhomIinquiredifhehadbeensoplacedastosee\"poorBriss。\"
Heappearedtowonder，andpoorBriss，withourshiftingofseats，wasnowatadistance。\"Ithinkso——butIdidn’tparticularlynotice。What’sthematterwithpoorBriss？\"
\"That’sexactlywhatIthoughtyoumightbeabletotellme。Butifnothing，inhim，strikesyou——！\"Hemetmyeyesamoment——thenglancedabout。\"Whereishe？\"
\"Behindyou；onlydon’tturnroundtolook，forheknows——\"ButIdropped，havingcaughtsomethingdirectedtowardmeinBrissenden’sface。Myinterlocutorremainedblank，simplyaskingme，afteraninstant，whatitwasheknew。
OnthisIsaidwhatImeant。\"Heknowswe’venoticed。\"
Longwonderedagain。\"Ah，butIHAVEN’T！\"Hespokewithsomesharpness。
\"Heknows，\"Icontinued，notingthesharpnesstoo，\"what’sthematterwithhim。\"
\"Thenwhatthedevilisit？\"
Iwaitedalittle，havingforthemomentanideaonmyhands。\"Doyouseehimoften？\"
Longdisengagedtheashfromhiscigarette。\"No。WhyshouldI？\"
Distinctly，hewasuneasy——thoughasyetperhapsbutvaguely——atwhatImightbecomingto。Thatwaspreciselymyidea，andifIpitiedhimalittleformypressuremyideawasyetwhatmostpossessedme。\"Doyoumeanthere’snothinginhimthatstrikesyou？\"
Onthis，unmistakably，helookedatmehard。\"’Strikes’me——inthatboy？Nothinginhim，thatIknowof，everstruckmeinmylife。He’snotanobjectofthesmallestinteresttome！\"
IfeltthatifIinsistedIshouldreallystiruptheoldLong，thestolidcoxcomb，capableofrudeness，withwhoseredemption，reabsorption，supersession——onescarcelyknewwhattocallit——Ihadbeensohappilyimpressed。\"Oh，ofcourse，ifyouhaven’tnoticed，youhaven’t，andthematterIwasgoingtospeakofwillhavenopoint。Youwon’tknowwhatImean。\"WithwhichIpausedlongenoughtolethiscuriosityoperateifhisdenialhadbeensincere。Butithadn’t。Hiscuriosityneveroperated。
Heonlyexclaimed，moreindulgently，thathedidn’tknowwhatIwastalkingabout；andIrecognisedafteralittlethatifIhadmadehim，withoutintention，uncomfortable，thiswasexactlyaproofofhisbeingwhatMrs。
Briss，atthestation，hadcalledcleverer，andwhatIhadsomuchremarkedwhile，inthegardenbeforedinner，heheldoursmallcompany。Nobody，nothingcould，inthetimeofhisinanity，havemadehimturnahair。Itwasthemarkofhisaggrandisement。ButIsparedhim——sofaraswasconsistentwithmywishforabsolutecertainty；changedthesubject，spokeofotherthings，tookpainstosounddisconnectedly，andonlyafterreferencetoseveraloftheotherladies，thenameoverwhichwehadjustfeltfriction。
\"Mrs。Brissenden’squitefabulous。\"
Heappearedtohavestrayed，inourinterval，far。\"’Fabulous’？\"
\"Why，forthefigurethat，bycandle—lightandincloth—of—silveranddiamonds，sheisstillabletomake。\"
\"Ohdear，yes！\"HeshowedasrelievedtobeabletoseewhatImeant。
\"Shehasgrownsoverymuchlessplain。\"
Butthatwasn’tatallwhatImeant。\"Ah，\"Isaid，\"youputittheotherwayatPaddington——whichwasmuchmoretherightone。\"
Hehadquiteforgotten。\"HowthendidIputit？\"
Ashehaddonebefore，Igotridofmyash。\"Shehasn’tgrownverymuchlessplain。Shehasonlygrownverymuchlessold。\"
\"Ah，well，\"helaughed，butasifhisinteresthadquicklydropped，\"youthis——comparativelyspeaking——beauty。\"
\"Oh，notalways。LookatpoorBrisshimself。\"
\"Well，ifyoulikebetter，beautyisyouth。\"
\"Notalways，either，\"Ireturned。\"CertainlyonlywhenitISbeauty。
Toseehowlittleitmaybeeither，look，\"Irepeated，\"atpoorBriss。\"
\"Ithoughtyoutoldmejustnownotto！\"Heroseatlastinhisimpatience。
\"Well，atpresentyoucan。\"
Ialsogotup，theothermenatthesamemomentmoved，andthesubjectofourreferencestoodinview。Thisindeedwasbutbriefly，for，asiftoexamineapicturebehindhim，thepersonageinquestionsuddenlyturnedhisback。Long，however，hadhadtimetotakehiminandthentodecide。
\"I’velooked。Whatthen？\"
\"Youdon’tseeanything？\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Notwhateveryoneelsemust？\"
\"No，confoundyou！\"
Ialreadyfeltthat，tobesotortuous，hemusthavehadareason，andthesearchforhisreasonwaswhat，fromthismoment，drewmeon。Ihadinfacthalfguesseditaswestoodthere。Butthisonlymademethemoreexplanatory。\"Itisn’treally，however，thatBrissendenhasgrownlesslovely——it’sonlythathehasgrownlessyoung。\"
Towhichmyfriend，aswequittedtheroom，repliedsimply：\"Oh！\"
TheeffectIhavementionedwas，nonetheless，tooabsurd。Thepooryouth’sback，beforeus，stillasifconsciouslypresented，confessedtotheburdenoftime。\"Howold，\"Icontinued，\"didwemakeoutthisafternoonthathewouldbe？\"
\"Thatwhowould？\"
\"Why，poorBriss。\"
Hefairlypulledupinourmarch。\"Haveyougothimonthebrain？\"
\"Don’tIseemtoremember，mydearman，thatitwasyouyourselfwhoknew？He’sthirtyatthemost。Hecan’tpossiblybemore。Andthereheis：asfine，asswaddled，asroyalamummy，totheeye，asonewouldwishtosee。Don’tpretend！Butit’sallright。\"IlaughedasItookmyselfup。\"ImusttalktoLadyJohn。\"
Ididtalktoher，butImustcometoit。Whatismosttothepointjusthereisanobservationortwothat，inthesmoking—room，beforegoingtobed，IexchangedwithFordObert。Iforbore，asIhavehinted，toshowallIsaw，butitwaslawfullyopentometojudgeofwhatotherpeopledid；andIhadhadbeforedinnermylittleproofthat，onoccasion，Obertcouldseeasmuchasmost。YetIsaidnothingmoretohimforthepresentaboutMrs。Server。TheBrissendenswerenewtohim，andhisexperienceofeverysortoffacialaccident，ofhumansign，madehimjustthetouchstoneIwanted。Nothing，naturally，waseasierthantoturnhimonthequestionofthefairandthefoul，typeandcharacter，wealandwoe，amongourfellow—visitors；
sothatmymentionoftheairofdisparityinthecoupleIhavejustnamedcameinitsorderandproduceditseffect。Thiseffectwasthatofmyseeing——whichwasallIrequired——thatifthedisparitywasmarkedforhimthisexpertobservercouldyetreaditquitethewrongway。Whyhadsofineayoungcreaturemarriedamanthreetimesherage？HewasofcourseastoundedwhenItoldhimtheyoungcreaturewasmuchnearerthreetimesBrissenden’s，andthisledtosomeinterestingtalkbetweenusastotheconsequences，ingeneral，ofsuchassociationonsuchterms。Theparticularcasebeforeus，Ieasilygranted，sinnedbyover—emphasis，butitwasafair，thoughagross，illustrationofwhatalmostalwaysoccurredwhentwentyandforty，whenthirtyandsixty，matedormingled，livedtogetherinintimacy。Intimacyofcoursehadtobepostulated。Theneitherthehighnumberorthelowalwaysgottheupperhand，anditwasusuallythehighthatsucceeded。
Itseemed，inotherwords，morepossibletogobackthantokeepstill，togrowyoungthantoremainso。IfBrissendenhadbeenofhiswife’sageandhiswifeofBrissenden’s，itwouldthusbehewhomusthaveredescendedthehill，itwouldbeshewhowouldhavebeenpushedoverthebrow。Therewasreallyatouchingtruthinit，thestuffof——whatdidpeoplecallsuchthings？——anapologueoraparable。\"Oneofthepair，\"Isaid，\"hastopayfortheother。Whatensuesisamiracle，andmiraclesareexpensive。What’sagreateronethantohaveyouryouthtwiceover？It’sasecondwind，another’go’——whichisn’tthesortofthinglifemostlytreatsusto。Mrs。Brisshadtogethernewblood，herextraallowanceoftimeandbloom，somewhere；
andfromwhomcouldshesoconvenientlyextractthemasfromGuyhimself？
SheHAS，byanextraordinaryfeatoflegerdemain，extractedthem；andhe，onhisside，tosupplyher，hashadtotapthesacredfount。Butthesacredfountislikethegreedyman’sdescriptionoftheturkeyasan’awkward’
dinnerdish。Itmaybesometimestoomuchforasingleshare，butit’snotenoughtogoround。\"
Obertwasatalleventssufficientlystruckwithmyviewtothrowoutaquestiononit。\"Sothat，payingtohislastdrop，Mr。Briss，asyoucallhim，canonlydieofthebusiness？\"
\"Oh，notyet，Ihope。ButbeforeHER——yes：long。\"
Hewasmuchamused。\"Howyoupolishthemoff！\"
\"Ionlytalk，\"Ireturned，\"asyoupaint；notabitworse！Butonemustindeedwonder，\"Iconceded，\"howthepoorwretchesfeel。\"
\"YoumeanwhetherBrissendenlikesit？\"
Imadeupmymindonthespot。\"Ifhelovesherhemust。Thatisifhelovesherpassionately，sublimely。\"Isawitall。\"It’sinfactjustbecausehedoessoloveherthatthemiracle，forher，iswrought。\"
\"Well，\"myfriendreflected，\"fortakingamiraclecoolly——！\"
\"Shehasn’therequal？Yes，shedoestakeit。Shejustquietly，butjustselfishly，profitsbyit。\"
\"Anddoesn’tseethenhowhervictimloses？\"
\"No。Shecan’t。Theperception，ifshehadit，wouldbepainfulandterrible——mightevenbefataltotheprocess。Soshehasn’tit。Shepassesroundit。Ittakesallherfloodoflifetomeetherownchance。Shehasonlyawonderfulsenseofsuccessandwell—being。TheOTHERconsciousness——\"
\"Isallfortheotherparty？\"
\"Theauthorofthesacrifice。\"
\"Thenhowbeautifully’poorBriss，’\"mycompanionsaid，\"musthaveit！\"
Ihadalreadyassuredmyself。Hehadgonetobed，andmyfancyfollowedhim。\"Oh，hehasitsothat，thoughhegoes，inhispassion，aboutwithher，hedaresscarcelyshowhisface。\"AndImadeafinalinduction。\"Theagentsofthesacrificeareuncomfortable，Igather，whentheysuspectorfearthatyousee。\"
Myfriendwascharmedwithmyingenuity。\"Howyou’veworkeditout！\"
\"Well，IfeelasifIwereonthewaytosomething。\"
Helookedsurprised。\"Somethingstillmore？\"
\"Somethingstillmore。\"IhadanimpulsetotellhimIscarceknewwhat。
ButIkeptitunder。\"Iseemtosnuffup——\"
\"Quoidonc？\"
\"Thesenseofadiscoverytobemade。\"
\"Andofwhat？\"
\"I’lltellyouto—morrow。Good—night。\"
Chapter3
Ididonthemorrowseveralthings，butthefirstwasnottoredeemthatvow。ItwastoaddressmyselfstraighttoGraceBrissenden。\"Imustletyouknowthat，inspiteofyourguarantee，itdoesn’tgoatall——oh，butnotatall！I’vetriedLadyJohn，asyouenjoined，andIcan’tbutfeelthatsheleavesusverymuchwherewewere。\"Then，asmylistenerseemednotquitetorememberwherewehadbeen，Icametoherhelp。\"YousaidyesterdayatPaddington，toexplainthechangeinGilbertLong——don’tyourecall？——thatthatwoman，plyinghimwithhergeniusandgivinghimofherbest，iscleverenoughfortwo。She’snotcleverenoughthen，itstrikesme，forthree——oratanyrateforfour。IconfessIdon’tseeit。
Doesshereallydazzleyou？\"Myfriendhadcaughtup。\"Oh，you’veastandardofwit！\"
\"No，I’veonlyasenseofreality——asensenotatallsatisfiedbythetheoryofsuchaninfluenceasLadyJohn’s。\"
Shewondered。\"Suchaoneaswhoseelsethen？\"
\"Ah，that’sforusstilltofindout！Ofcoursethiscan’tbeeasy；
forastheappearanceisinevitablyakindofbetrayal，it’sinsomebody’sinteresttoconcealit。\"
ThisMrs。Brissendengrasped。\"Oh，youmeaninthelady’s？\"
\"Inthelady’smost。ButalsoinLong’sown，ifhe’sreallytenderofthelady——whichispreciselywhatourtheoryposits。\"
Mycompanion，onceroused，wasallthere。\"Isee。Youcalltheappearanceakindofbetrayalbecauseitpointstotherelationbehindit。\"
\"Precisely。\"
\"Andtherelation——todothatsortofthing——mustbenecessarilysoawfullyintimate。\"
\"Intimissima。\"
\"Andkeptthereforeinthebackgroundexactlyinthatproportion。\"
\"Exactlyinthatproportion。\"
\"Verywellthen，\"saidMrs。Brissenden，\"doesn’tMr。Long’stendernessofLadyJohnquitefallinwithwhatImentionedtoyou？\"
Irememberedwhatshehadmentionedtome。\"HismakinghercomedownwithpoorBriss？\"
\"Nothingless。\"
\"Andisthatallyougoupon？\"
\"Thatandlotsmore。\"
Ithoughtaminute——butIhadbeenabundantlythinking。\"Iknowwhatyoumeanby’lots。’IsBrissendeninit？\"
\"Dearno——poorBriss！Hewouldn’tlikethat。isawthemanoeuvre，butGuydidn’t。Andyoumusthavenoticedhowhestucktoheralllastevening。\"
\"HowGilbertLongstucktoLadyJohn？Ohyes，Inoticed。TheywerelikeLordLutleyandMrs。Froome。Butisthatwhatonecancallbeingtenderofher？\"
Mycompanionweighedit。\"HemustspeaktoherSOMETIMES。I’mgladyouadmit，atanyrate，\"shecontinued，\"thatitdoestakewhatyousoprettilycallsomewoman’ssecretlygivinghimofherbesttoaccountforhim。\"
\"Oh，thatIadmitwithallmyheart——oratleastwithallmyhead。Only，LadyJohnhasnoneofthesigns——\"
\"Ofbeingthebeneficentwoman？WhatthenAREthey——thesigns——tobesoplain？\"Iwasnotyetquitereadytosay，however；onwhichsheadded：
\"Itprovesnothing，youknow，thatYOUdon’tlikeher。\"
\"No。Itwouldprovemoreifshedidn’tlikeME，which——fatuousfoolasyoumayfindme——Iverilybelieveshedoes。Ifshehatedmeitwouldbe，yousee，formyruthlessanalysisofhersecret。SheHASnosecret。
Shewouldlikeawfullytohave——andshewouldlikealmostasmuchtobebelievedtohave。Lastevening，afterdinner，shecouldfeelperhapsforawhilethatsheWASbelieved。Butitwon’tdo。There’snothinginit。
Youaskedmejustnow，\"Ipursued，\"whatthesignsofsuchasecretwouldnaturallybe。Well，bethinkyourselfamomentofwhatthesecretitselfmustnaturallybe。\"
Oh，shelookedasifsheknewallaboutTHAT！\"Awfullycharming——mustn’tit？——toactuponaperson，throughanaffection，sodeeply。\"
\"Yes——itcancertainlybenovulgarflirtation。\"Ifeltalittlelikeateacherencouraginganaptpupil；butIcouldonlygoonwiththelesson。
\"Whoeversheis，shegivesallshehas。Shekeepsnothingback——nothingforherself。\"
\"IseebecauseHEtakeseverything。Hejustcleansherout。\"Shelookedatmepleasedatlastreallytounderstand——withthebestconscienceintheworld。\"WhoIStheladythen？\"
ButIcouldanswerasyetonlybyaquestion。\"Howcanshepossiblybeawomanwhogivesabsolutelynothingwhatever；whoscrapesandsavesandhoards；whokeepseverycrumbforherself？Thewholeshow’sthere——toministertoLadyJohn’svanityandadvertisethebusiness——behindhersmartshop—window。Youcanseeit，asmuchasyoulike，andevenamuseyourselfwithpricingit。Butsheneverpartswithanarticle。IfpoorLongdependedonHER——\"
\"Well，what？\"Shewasreallyinterested。
\"Why，he’dbethesamepoorLongasever。Hewouldgoasheusedtogo——nakedandunashamed。No，\"Iwoundup，\"hedeals——turnedoutaswenowseehim——atanotherestablishment。\"
\"I’llgrantit，\"saidMrs。Brissenden，\"ifyou’llonlynamemetheplace。\"
Ah，Icouldstillbutlaughandresume！\"Hedoesn’tscreenLadyJohn——shedoesn’tscreenherself——withyourhusbandorwithanybody。It’sshewho’sherselfthescreen！Andpleasedassheisatbeingsoclever，andatbeingthoughtso，shedoesn’tevenknowit。Shedoesn’tsomuchassuspectit。
She’sanunmitigatedfoolaboutit。’OfcourseMr。Long’sclever，becausehe’sinlovewithmeandsitsatmyfeet，anddon’tyouseehowcleverIam？Don’tyouhearwhatgoodthingsIsay——waitalittle，I’mgoingtosayanotherinaboutthreeminutes；andhow，ifyou’llonlygivehimtimetoo，hecomesoutwiththemafterme？Theydon’tperhapssoundsogood，butyouseewherehehasgotthem。I’msobrilliant，infine，thatthemenwhoadmiremehaveonlytoimitateme，which，youobserve，theystrikinglydo。’Somethinglikethatisallherphilosophy。\"
Myfriendturneditover。\"Youdosoundlikeher，youknow。Yethow，ifawoman’sstupid——\"
\"Canshehavemadeamanclever？Shecan’t。Shecan’tatleasthavebegunit。Whatweshallknowtherealpersonby，inthecasethatyouandIarestudying，isthatthemanhimselfwillhavemadeherwhatshehasbecome。ShewillhavedonejustwhatLadyJohnhasnotdone——shewillhaveputuptheshuttersandclosedtheshop。Shewillhaveparted，forherfriend，withherwit。\"
\"Sothatshemayberegardedasreducedtoidiocy？\"
\"Well——soIcanonlyseeit。\"
\"Andthatifwelook，therefore，fortherightidiot——\"
\"Weshallfindtherightwoman——ourfriend’smysticEgeria？Yes，weshallbeatleastapproachingthetruth。Weshall’burn，’astheysayinhide—and—seek。\"IofcoursekepttothepointthattheidiotwouldhavetoBEtherightone。ANYidiotwouldn’tbetothepurpose。Ifitwasenoughthatawomanwasafoolthesearchmightbecomehopelesseveninahousethatwouldhavepassedbutillforafool’sparadise。Wewereononeoftheshadedterraces，towhich，hereandthere，atallwindowstoodopen。
ThepicturewithoutwasallmorningandAugust，andwithinallcleardimnessandrichgleams。Westoppedonceortwice，rakingthegloomforlights，anditwasatsomesuchmomentthatMrs。BrissendenaskedmeifIthenregardedGilbertLongasnowexaltedtothepositionofthemostbrilliantofourcompanions。\"Thecleverestmanoftheparty？\"——itpulledmeupalittle。\"Hardlythat，perhaps——fordon’tyouseetheproofsI’mmyselfgivingyou？ButsayheIS\"——Iconsidered——\"thecleverestbutone。\"ThenextmomentIhadseenwhatshemeant。\"Inthatcasethethingwe’relookingforoughtlogicallytobetheperson，oftheoppositesex，givingusthemaximumsenseofdepletionforhisbenefit？Thebiggestfool，yousuggest，MUST，consistently，betherightone？Yesagain；itwouldsoseem。Butthat’snotreally，yousee，theshortcutitsounds。Thebiggestfooliswhatwewant，butthequestionistodiscoverwhoISthebiggest。\"
\"I’mgladthenifeelsosafe！\"Mrs。Brissendenlaughed。
\"Oh，you’renotthebiggest！\"Ihandsomelyconceded。\"Besides，asI
say，theremustbetheotherevidence——theevidenceofrelations。\"
Wehadgoneon，withthis，afewsteps，butmycompanionagaincheckedme，whilehernodtowardawindowgavemyattentionalead。\"Won’tTHAT，asithappens，thendo？\"Wecouldjustsee，fromwherewestood，acornerofoneoftherooms。Itwasoccupiedbyaseatedcouple，aladywhosefacewasinsightandagentlemanwhoseidentitywasattestedbyhisback，abacksomehowrepleteforus，atthemoment，withaguiltysignificance。
ThereWAStheevidenceofrelations。ThatwehadsuddenlycaughtLongintheactofpresentinghisreceptacleatthesacredfountseemedannouncedbythetoneinwhichMrs。Brissendennamedtheotherparty——\"Mme。deDreuil！\"
Welookedateachother，Iwasaware，withsomeelation；butourtriumphwasbrief。TheComtessedeDreuil，wequicklyfelt——anAmericanmarriedtoaFrenchman——wasn’tatallthething。Shewasalmostasmuch\"allthere\"
asLadyJohn。Shewasonlyanotherscreen，andweperceived，forthatmatter，thenextminute，thatLadyJohnwasalsopresent。Anotherstephadplaceduswithinrangeofher；thepicturerevealedintherichduskoftheroomwasagroupofthree。Fromthatmoment，unanimously，wegaveupLadyJohn，andaswecontinuedourstrollmyfriendbroughtoutherdespair。\"ThenhehasnothingBUTscreens？Theneedforsomanydoessuggestafire！\"
Andinspiteofdiscouragementshesounded，interrogatively，oneaftertheother，thenamesofthoseladiestheperfectionofwhosepresenceofmindmight，whenconsidered，passasquestionable。Wesoon，however，feltourprocesstobe，practically，atrifleinvidious。Notoneofthepersonsnamedcould，atanyrate——todothemalljustice——affectusasanintellectualruin。ItwasnaturalthereforeforMrs。Brissendentoconcludewithscepticism。
\"Shemayexist——andexistasyourequireher；butwhat，afterall，provesthatshe’shere？Shemayn’thavecomedownwithhim。Doesitnecessarilyfollowthattheyalwaysgoabouttogether？\"
Iwasreadytodeclarethatitnecessarilyfollowed。Ihadmyidea，andIdidn’tseewhyIshouldn’tbringitout。\"It’smybeliefthathenomoregoesawaywithoutherthanyougoawaywithoutpoorBriss。\"
Shesurveyedmeinsplendidserenity。\"Butwhathaveweincommon？\"
\"Withthepartiestoanabandonedflirtation？Well，you’veincommonyourmutualattachmentandthefactthatyou’rethoroughlyhappytogether。\"
\"Ah，\"shegood—humouredlyanswered，\"wedon’tflirt！\"
\"Well，atallevents，youdon’tseparate。Hedoesn’treallysufferyououtofhissight，and，tocirculateinthesocietyyouadorn，youdon’tleavehimathome。\"
\"Whyshouldn’tI？\"sheasked，lookingatme，Ithought，justatrifleharder。
\"Itisn’taquestionofwhyyoushouldn’t——it’saquestionofwhetheryoudo。Youdon’t——doyou？That’sall。\"
Shethoughtitoverasifforthefirsttime。\"ItseemstomeIoftenleavehimwhenIdon’twanthim。\"
\"Oh，whenyoudon’twanthim——yes。Butwhendon’tyouwanthim？Youwanthimwhenyouwanttoberight，andyouwanttoberightwhenyoumixinascenelikethis。Imean，\"Icontinuedformyprivateamusement，\"whenyouwanttobehappy。Happiness，youknow，is，toaladyinthefulltideofsocialsuccess，evenmorebecomingthananewFrenchfrock。Youhavetheadvantage，foryourbeauty，ofbeingadmirablymarried。Youbloominyourhusband’spresence。Idon’tsayheneedalwaysbeatyourelbow；I
simplysaythatyou’remostcompletelyyourselfwhenhe’snotfaroff。
Iftherewerenothingelsetherewouldbethehelpgivenyoubyyourquietconfidenceinhislawfulpassion。\"
’’I’mboundtosay，\"Mrs。Brissendenreplied，\"thatsuchhelpisconsistentwithhisnothavingspokentomesinceweparted，yesterday，tocomedownherebydifferenttrains。Wehaven’tsomuchasmetsinceourarrival。
Myfindinghimsoindispensableisconsistentwithmynothavingsomuchaslookedathim。Indispensable，please，forwhat？\"
\"Foryournotbeingwithouthim。\"
\"WhatthendoIdoWITHhim？\"
Ihesitated——thereweresomanywaysofputtingit；butIgavethemallup。\"Ah，IthinkitwillbeonlyHEwhocantellyou！Mypointisthatyou’vetheinstinct——playinginyou，oneitherside，withalltheeaseofexperience——ofwhatyouaretoeachother。AllImeanisthatit’stheinstinctthatLongandhisgoodfriendmusthave。Theytooperhapshaven’tspokentoeachother。Butwherehecomesshedoes，andwhereshecomeshedoes。That’swhyIknowshe’samongus。\"
\"It’swonderfulwhatyouknow！\"Mrs。Brissendenagainlaughed。\"HowcanyouthinkofthemasenjoyingthefacilitiesofpeopleinOURsituation？\"
\"Ofpeoplemarriedandthereforelogicallyinpresence？Idon’t，\"I
wasabletoreply，\"speakoftheirfacilitiesasthesame，andIrecogniseeverylimittotheirfreedom。ButImaintain，nonetheless，thatsofarastheyCANgo，theydogo。It’sarelation，andtheyworktherelation：
therelation，exquisitesurely，ofknowingtheyhelpeachothertoshine。
Whyaretheynot，therefore，likeyouandBrissenden？WhatImakeoutisthatwhentheydoshineonewillfind——thoughonlyafterahunt，Iadmit，asyousee——theymustbothhavebeeninvolved。Feelingtheirneed，andconsummatelyexpert，theywillhavemanaged，havearranged。\"
