OnemorningBetty，comingtomakehervisitofinquiryfoundthepatientlookingthoughtful，andwhenshecommenteduponhisairofpondering，hisreplycastlightuponthemystery。
\"Well，MissVanderpoel，\"heexplained，\"IwaslyingherethinkingofLordMountDunstanandMr。Penzance，andhowwelltheytreatedme——Ihaven’ttoldyouaboutthat，haveI？
\"ThatexplainswhatMrs。Buttlesaid，\"sheanswered。
\"WhenyouweredeliriousyoutalkedfrequentlytoLordMountDunstanandMr。Penzance。Webothwonderedwhy。\"
Thenhetoldherthewholestory。Beginningwithhissittingonthegrassybankoutsidethepark，listeningtothesongoftherobin，heendedwiththeadieuxattheentrancegateswhenthesoundofherhorse’strottinghoofshadbeenheardbyeachofthem。
\"WhatI’vebeenlyingherethinkingof，\"hesaid，\"ishowqueeritwasithappenedjustthatway。IfIhadn’tstoppedjustthatminute，andifyouhadn’tgoneby，andifLordMountDunstanhadn’tknownyouandsaidwhoyouwere，LittleWilliewouldhavebeeninLondonbythistime，hustlingtogetacheapbunkbacktoNewYorkin。\"
\"Because？\"inquiredMissVanderpoel。
G。Seldenlaughedandhesitatedamoment。Thenhemadeacleanbreastofit。
\"Say，MissVanderpoel，\"hesaid，\"Ihopeitwon’tmakeyoumadifIownup。Ladieslikeyoudon’tknowanythingaboutchapslikeme。Onthesquareandstraightout，whenIseenyouandheardyournameIcouldn’thelprememberingwhosedaughteryouwas。ReubenS。Vanderpoelspellsabigthing。Why，whenIwasinNewYorkwefellowsusedtogettogetherandtalkaboutwhatit’dmeantothechapwhocouldgetnexttoReubenS。Vanderpoel。Weusedtocountupallthebusinesshedoes，andalltheclerkshe’sgotunderhimpoundingawayontypewriters，andhowthey’dbeboundtogetwornoutandneednewones。Andwe’dmakecalculationshowmanyamancouldunload，ifhecouldgetnext。Itwasakindoftypewritingjuniorassistantfairystory，andweknewitcouldn’thappenreally。Butweusedtochinaboutitjustforthefunofthething。OneoftheboysmadeupathingaboutoneofussavingReubenS。’slife——dragginghimfromunderarunawayautoand，whenhesays，`WhatcanI
dotoshowmygratitude，youngman？’himhandingouthiscatalogueandsaying，`IshouldliketocallyourattentiontotheDelkoff，sir，’andgettinghimtopromisehe’dneveruseanyother，aslongashelived！\"
ReubenS。Vanderpoel’sdaughterlaughedasspontaneouslyasanygirlmighthavedone。G。Seldenlaughedwithher。
Atanyrate，shehadn’tgotmad，sofar。
\"Thatwaswhatdidit，\"hewenton。\"WhenIrodeawayonmybikeIgotthinkingaboutitandcouldnotgetitoutofmyhead。ThenextdayIjuststoppedontheroadandgotoffmywheel，andIsaystomyself：`Lookhere，businessisbusiness，ifyouAREtravellinginEuropeandlunchingatBuckinghamPalacewiththemainsqueeze。Getbusy！What’lltheboyssayiftheyhearyou’vemissedachancelikethis？YOU
hitthepikeforStornhamCastle，orwhateverit’scalled，andtakeyournervewithyou！Shecan’tdomorethanhaveyoufiredout，andyou’vebeenfiredbeforeandgotyourbreathafterit。SoIturnedroundandmadetime。AndthatwashowI
happenedonyouravenue。AndperhapsitwasbecauseIwasfeelingabitrattledIlostmyholdwhenthechainbroke，andpitchedoveronmyhead。There，I’vegotitoffmychest。I
wasthinkingIshouldhavetoexplainsomehow。\"
Somethingakintoherfeelingofaffectionforthenice，long—
leggedWesternershehadseenramblinginBondStreettouchedBettyagain。TheDelkoffwasthecentreofG。Selden’sworldastheflowerswereofKedgers’，asthe\"little’ome\"wasofMrs。Welden’s。
\"WereyougoingtotrytosellMEatypewriter？\"sheasked。
\"Well，\"G。Seldenadmitted，\"Ididn’tknowbutwhattheremightbeuseforone，writingbusinesslettersonabigplacelikethis。Straight，Iwon’tsayIwasn’tgoingtotryprettyhard。Itmaylooklikegall，butyouseeafellowhastorushthingsorhe’llnevergetthere。AchaplikemeHAS
togetthere，somehow。\"
Shewassilentafewmomentsandlookedasifshewasthinkingsomethingover。HersilenceandthislookonherfaceactuallycausedtodawninthebreastofSeldenagleamofdaringhope。Helookedroundatherwithafaintrisingofcolour。
\"Say，MissVanderpoel——say————\"hebegan，andthenbrokeoff。
\"Yes？\"saidBetty，stillthinking。
\"C—COULDyouuseone——anywhere？\"hesaid。\"Idon’twanttorushthingstoomuch，but——COULDyou？\"
\"Isiteasytolearntouseit？\"
\"Easy！\"hisheadliftedfromhispillow。\"It’saseasyasfallingoffalog。Ababyinaperambulatorcouldlearntotickoffordersforitsbottle。And——onthesquare——thereisn’titsequalonthemarket，MissVanderpoel——thereisn’t。\"Hefumbledbeneathhispillowandactuallybroughtforthhiscatalogue。
\"Iaskedthenursetoputitthere。Iwantedtostudyitnowandthenandthinkuparguments。See——adjustabletoholdwithperfecteaseanenvelope，anindexcard，orastripofpapernowiderthanapostagestamp。Unsurpassedpaperfeed，practicalribbonmechanism——perfectandpermanentalignment。\"
AsMountDunstanhadtakenthebook，BettyVanderpoeltookit。NeverhadG。Seldenbeheldsuchsmilingineyesabouttobenduponhiscatalogue。
\"Youwillraiseyourtemperature，\"shesaid，\"ifyouexciteyourself。Youmustn’tdothat。Ibelievetherearetwoorthreepeopleontheestatewhomightbetaughttouseatypewriter。Iwillbuythree。Yes——wewillsaythree。\"
Shewouldbuythree。Hesoaredtoheights。Hedidnotknowhowtothankher，thoughhedidhisbest。Dizzyingvisionsofwhathewouldhavetotell\"theboys\"whenhereturnedtoNewYorkflashedacrosshismind。ThedaughterofReubenS。VanderpoelhadboughtthreeDelkoffs，andhewasthejuniorassistantwhohadsoldthemtoher。
\"Youdon’tknowwhatitmeanstome，MissVanderpoel，\"
hesaid，\"butifyouwereajuniorsalesmanyou’dknow。It’snotonlythesale——thoughthat’sarake—offoffifteendollarstome——butit’sbecauseit’sYOUthat’sboughtthem。Gee！\"
gazingatherwithafrankawewhoseobvioussincerityheldaqueertouchofpathos。\"WhatitmustbetobeYOU——justYOU！\"
Shedidnotlaugh。Shefeltasifahandhadlightlytouchedheronhernakedheart。Shehadthoughtofitsooften——hadbeenbewilderedrestlesslybyitasamerechild——thisdifferenceinhumanlot——thischance。WasitchancewhichhadplacedherentityinthecentreofBettinaVanderpoel’sworldinsteadofinthatofsomelittlecashgirlwithhairrakedbackfromasallowface，whostaredatherasshepassedinashop——orinthatoftheyoungFrenchwomanwhoselifewasspentinservingher，incaringfordelicatedressesandkeepingguardoverornamentswhosepricewouldhavegiventoherownhumblenesseasefortherestofexistence？Whatdiditmean？AndwhatLawwaslaiduponher？WhatLawwhichcouldonlyworkthroughherandsuchasshewhohadbeenbornwithalmostunearthlypowerlaidintheirhands——thereinsofmonstrouswealth，whichguidedordrovetheworld？Sometimesfeartouchedher，aswiththislighttouchanherheart，becauseshedidnotKNOWtheLawandcouldonlypraythatherguessingatitmightberight。And，evenasshethoughtthesethings，G。
Seldenwenton。
\"Younevercanknow，\"hesaid，\"becauseyou’vealwaysbeeninit。Andtherestoftheworldcan’tknow，becausethey’veneverbeenanywherenearit。\"Hestoppedandevidentlyfelltothinking。
\"Tellmeabouttherestoftheworld，\"saidBettyquietly。
Helaughedagain。
\"Why，Iwasjustthinkingtomyselfyoudidn’tknowathingaboutit。Andit’squeer。It’stherestofusthatmountsupwhenyoucometonumbers。Iguessit’drunintomillions。
I’mnotthinkingofbeggarsandstarvingpeople，I’vebeenrushingtheDelkofftoosteadytogetontoanyswellcharityorganisation，soIdon’tknowaboutthem。I’mjustthinkingofthemillionsoffellows，andwomen，too，forthematterofthat，thatwakenupeverymorningandknowthey’vegottohustlefortheirtenperortheirfifteenper——iftheycanstiritupasthickasthat。Ifit’sasmuchasfiftyper，ofcourse，seemsliketome，they’reonEasyStreet。Butsometimesthosethat’sgottofiftyper——orevenmore——havegotmorethingstodowithit——kids，youknow，andmorerentandclothes。They’vegottogetatitjustashardaswehave。Why，MissVanderpoel，howmanypeopledoyousupposethereareinamillionthatdon’thavetoworryovertheirnextmonth’sgrocerybills，andtherentoftheirflat？Ibetthere’snotten——andIdon’tknowtheten。\"
Hedidnotstatehiscaseuncheerfully。\"Therestoftheworld\"representedtohimthenormalconditionofthings。
\"Mostmarriedmen’sabitafraidtolookanhonestgrocerybillintheface。AndtheyWILLcomein——asregularasspringhats。AndItellYOU，whenaman’sgottoliveonseventy—fiveamonth，athingthat’lltakeallthestrengthandenergyoutofatwenty—dollarbillsortergetshimdownonthemat。\"
LikeoldMrs。Welden’s，hisroughlysketchedpicturewasagraphicone。
\"’Tain’ttheworkingthatbothersmostofus。Wewereborntothat，andmostofuswouldfeellikedeadbeatsifweweredoingnothing。It’stheearninglessthanyoucanliveon，andgettingasortoftiredfeelingoverit。It’sthehavingtomakeadollar—billlookliketwo，andwatchingeveryotherfellowtrytodothesamething，andnotoftenmakethetrip。
There’smillionsofus——justmillions——everyoneofuswithhisDelkofftosell————\"hisfigureofspeechpleasedhimandhechuckledathisowncleverness——\"andthinkingofit，andtalkingaboutit，and——underhisvest——halfafraidthathecan’tmakeit。Andwhatyousayinthemorningwhenyouopenyoureyesandstretchyourselfis，`Hullygee！I’veGOTtosellaDelkoffto—day，andsupposeIshouldn’t，andcouldn’tholddownmyjob！’Ibeganitovermyfeedingbottle。SodidallthepeopleIknow。That’swhatgavemeasortofajoltjustnowwhenIlookedatyouandthoughtaboutyoubeingYOU——
andwhatitmeant。\"
WhentheirconversationendedshehadamuchmoreintimateknowledgeofNewYorkthanshehadeverhadbefore，andshefeltitarichpossession。Shehadheardofthe\"hallbedroom\"previously，andshehadseenfromtheoutsidethe\"quicklunch\"counter，butG。Seldenunconsciouslyescortedherinsideandthrewuponfacesandlivestheglareofaflashlight。
\"TherewasathingI’vebeenthinkingI’daskyou，MissVanderpoel，\"hesaidjustbeforeshelefthim。\"I’dlikeyoutotellme，ifyouplease。It’slikethis。Youseethosetwofellowstreatedmeasfineassilk。ImeanLordMountDunstanandMr。Penzance。Ineverexpectedit。Ineversawalordbefore，muchlessspoketoone，butIcantellyouthatone’sjustaboutallright——MountDunstan。Andtheotherone——
theoldvicar——I’venevertakentoanyonesinceIwasbornlikeItooktohim。Thewayheputsonhiseye—glassesandlooksatyou，sorterkindandcuriousaboutyouatthesametime！Andhisvoiceandhiswayofsayinghiswords——well，theyjustGOTme——sure。Andtheybothof’emdidsaythey’dliketoseemeagain。Nowdoyouthink，MissVanderpoel，itwouldlooktoofresh——ifIwastowriteapolitenoteandaskifeitherofthemcouldmakeitconvenienttocomeandtakealookatme，ifitwouldn’tbetoomuchtrouble。I
don’tWANTtobetoofresh——andperhapstheywouldn’tcomeanyhow——andifitis，pleasewon’tyoutellme，MissVanderpoel？\"
BettythoughtofMountDunstanashehadstoodandtalkedtoherinthedeepeningafternoonsun。Shedidnotknowmuchofhim，butshethought——havingheardG。Selden’sstoryofthelunch——thathewouldcome。ShehadneverseenMr。
Penzance，butsheknewsheshouldliketoseehim。
\"Ithinkyoumightwritethenote，\"shesaid。\"Ibelievetheywouldcometoseeyou。\"
\"Doyou？\"witheagerpleasure。\"ThenI’lldoit。I’dgiveagooddealtoseethemagain。Itellyou，theyarejustIt——bothofthem。\"
CHAPTERXXVII
LIFE
MountDunstan，walkingthroughtheparknextmorningonhiswaytothevicarage，justafterposttime，metMr。
PenzancehimselfcomingtomakeanequallyearlycallattheMount。Eachofthemhadaletterinhishand，andeachmettheother’sglancewithasmile。
\"G。Selden，\"MountDunstansaid。\"Andyours？\"
\"G。Seldenalso，\"answeredthevicar。\"Pooryoungfellow，whatill—luck。Andyet——isitill—luck？Hesaysnot。\"
\"Hetellsmeitisnot，\"saidMountDunstan。\"AndIagreewithhim。\"
Mr。Penzancereadhisletteraloud。
\"DEARSIR：
\"Thisistonotifyyouthatowingtomybikegoingbackonmewhengoingdownhill，ImetwithanaccidentinStornhamPark。Wascutabouttheheadandlegbroken。LittleWilliebeingfarfromhomeandmother，youcanseewhatsortoffixhe’dbeeninifithadn’tbeenforthekindnessofReubenS。
Vanderpoel’sdaughters——MissBettinaandhersisterLadyAnstruthers。Thewaythey’vehadmetakencareofhasbeengreat。I’vebeenunderanurseanddoctorsameasifIwasAlbertEdwardwithappendycytus（Iapologiseifthat’snotspeltright）。DearSir，thisistosaythatIaskedMissVanderpoelifIshouldbebuttingintoomuchifIdroppedalinetoaskifyoucouldsparethetimetocallandseeme。Itwouldbeconsideredafavourandappreciatedby\"G。SELDEN，\"DelkoffTypewriterCo。Broadway。
\"P。S。HavealreadysoldthreeDelkoffstoMissVanderpoel。\"
\"Uponmyword，\"Mr。Penzancecommented，andhisamiablefervourquiteglowed，\"Ilikethatqueeryoungfellow——
Ilikehim。Hedoesnotwishto`buttintoomuch。’Now，thereisrudimentarydelicacyinthat。Andwhatahumorous，forcefulfigureofspeech！Somebuttinganimal——agoat，I
seemtosee，preferably——forcingitswayintoagrouporclosedcircleofpersons。\"
HisgleefulanalysisofthephrasehadsuchevidentcharmforhimthatMountDunstanbrokeintoashoutoflaughter，evenasG。SeldenhaddoneattheadroitmentionofWeber&Fields。
\"Shallwerideovertogethertoseehimthismorning？AnhourwithG。Selden，surroundedbytheatmosphereofReubenS。Vanderpoel，wouldbeacheeringthing，\"hesaid。
\"Itwould，\"Mr。Penzanceanswered。\"Letusgobyallmeans。Weshouldnot，Isuppose，\"withkeendelight，\"be`buttingin’uponLadyAnstrutherstooearly？\"Hewasquiteenrapturedwithhisownaptness。\"LikeG。Selden，I
shouldnotliketo`buttin，’\"headded。
Thescentandwarmthandglowofagloriousmorningfilledthehour。CombiningthemselveswithacertainnormalhumangaietywhichsurroundedthemerethoughtofG。Selden，theyweregoodthingsforMountDunstan。Lifewasstrongandyounginhim，andhehadlaughedabigyounglaugh，whichhad，perhapstendedtothewakinginhimofthefeelinghewassuddenlyconsciousof——thatasix—milerideoverawhite，tree—dappled，sunlitroadwouldbepleasantenough，and，afterall，ifattheendofthegalloponecameagainuponthatotherinwhomlifewasstrongandyoung，andbloomedonrose—cheekandwasthefarfireinthebluedeepsoflovelyeyes，andtheslimstraightnessofthefairbody，whywoulditnotbe，inaway，alltothegood？Hehadthoughtofheronmorethanoneday，andfeltthathewantedtoseeheragain。
\"Letusgo，\"heansweredPenzance。\"Onecancallonaninvalidatanytime。LadyAnstrutherswillforgiveus。\"
Inlessthananhour’stimetheywereontheirway。Theylaughedandtalkedastheyrode，theirhorses’hoofsstrikingoutacheerfulringingaccompanimenttotheirvoices。Thereisnothingmoreexhilaratingthanthehollow，regularringandclick—clackofgoodhoofsgoingwelloverafineoldRomanroadinthemorningsunlight。TheytalkedofthejuniorassistantsalesmanandofMissVanderpoel。Penzancewasmuchpleasedbytheprospectofseeing\"thisdelightfulandunusualgirl。\"Hehadheardstoriesofher，ashadLordWestholt。
HeknewofoldDoby’spipe，andofMrs。Welden’srespitefromtheUnion，andthoughsuchincidentswouldseemmeretriflestothedwelleringreattowns，hehadhimselflivedanddonehisworklongenoughinvillagestoknowthevillagemindandthescaleofproportionsbywhichitsgladnessandsadnessweremeasured。HeknewmoreofallthisthanMountDunstancould，sinceMountDunstan’sexistencehadisolateditself，fromrathergloomychoice。Butasherode，MountDunstanknewthathelikedtohearthesethings。Therewasthesuggestionofnewlifeandnewthoughtinthem，andsuchsuggestionwasgoodforanyman——orwoman，either——whohadfallenintolivinginadull，narrowgroove。
\"Itisthenewlifeinherwhichstrikesme，\"hesaid。\"Shehasbroughtwealthwithher，andwealthispowertodothegoodorevilthatgrowsinaman’ssoul；butshehasbroughtsomethingmore。Shemighthavecomehereandbroughtallthesumptuousnessofafashionableyoungbeauty，whodrovethroughthevillageanddrewpeopletotheirwindows，andmadeclodhoppersscratchtheirheadsandpulltheirforelocks，andchildrenbobcurtsiesandstare。Shemighthavecomeandgoneandleftamind—dazzlingmemoryandnothingelse。A
fewsovereignstossedhereandtherewouldhaveearnedherareputation——but，bygee！toquoteSelden——shehasbegunLIVINGwiththem，asifherancestorshaddoneitforsixhundredyears。Andwhat_I_seeisthatifshehadcomewithoutapennyinherpocketshewouldhavedonethesamething。\"
Hepausedaponderingmoment，andthendrewasharpbreathwhichwasanexclamationinitself。\"She’sLife！\"hesaid。
\"She’sLifeitself！GoodGod！whatathingitisforamanorwomantobeLife——insteadofamassoftissueandmuscleandnerve，draggedaboutbythemeremechanismofliving！\"
Penzancehadlistenedseriously。
\"Whatyousayisverysuggestive，\"hecommented。\"Itstrikesmeastrue，too。Youhaveseensomethingofheralso，atleastmorethanIhave。\"
\"IdidnotthinkthesethingswhenIsawher——thoughIsupposeI
feltthemunconsciously。Ihavereachedthiswayofsummingherupbyprocessesofexclusionandinclusion。Onehearsofher，asyouknowyourself，andonethinksherover。\"
\"Youhavethoughtherover？\"
\"Alot，\"rathergrumpily。\"Abeautifulfemalecreatureinevitablygivesanunbeautifulmalecreaturesomethingtothinkof——ifheisnototherwiseactivelyemployed。Iamnot。
Shehasbecomeasortofdawningrelieftomyhopelesshumours。
Beingalowandunworthybeast，Iamsometimesresentfulenoughoftheunfairnessofthings。Shehastoomuch。\"
WhentheyrodethroughStornhamvillagetheysawsignsofworkalreadydoneandworkstillinhand。Therewerenobrokenwindowsorpalingsorhangingwicketgates；cottagegardenshadbeenputinorder，andtherewereevidencesofsuchcheeringtouchesasnewbitsofwindowcurtainandstrong—lookingyoungplantsbloomingbetweenthem。Somanysmall，butnecessary，thingshadbeendonethatthewholevillageworetheaspectofaplacewhichhadtakenheart，andwasfacingexistenceinahopefulspirit。AyearagoMountDunstanandhisvicarridingthroughithadbeenstruckbyitsneglectedanddispiritedlook。
AstheyenteredthehalloftheCourtMissVanderpoelwasdescendingthestaircase。Shewaslaughingalittletoherself，andshelookedpleasedwhenshesawthem。
\"Itisgoodofyoutocome，\"shesaid，astheycrossedthehalltothedrawing—room。\"ButItoldhimIreallythoughtyouwould。Ihavejustbeentalkingtohim，andhewasalittleuncertainastowhetherhehadassumedtoomuch。\"
\"Astowhetherhehad`buttedin，’\"saidMr。Penzance。
\"Ithinkhemusthavesaidthat。\"
\"Hedid。Healsowasafraidthathemighthavebeen`toofresh。’\"answeredBetty。
\"Onourpart，\"saidMr。Penzance，withgentleglee，\"wehesitatedamomentinfearlestwealsomightappeartobe`buttingin。’\"
Thentheyalllaughedtogether。TheywerelaughingwhenLadyAnstruthersentered，andsheherselfjoinedthem。ButtoMountDunstan，whofelthertobesomehowatouchinglittleperson，therewasmanifestatendernessinherfeelingforG。
Selden。Forthatmatter，however，therewassomethingalreadybeginningtoberatheraffectionateintheattitudeofeachofthem。Theywentupstairstofindhimlyinginstateuponabigsofaplacednearawindow，andhisjoyatthesightofthemwasagenuine，humanthing。Infact，hehadponderedagooddealinsecretonthepossibilityoftheseswellpeoplethinkinghehad\"morethanhisshareofgall\"toexpectthemtorememberhimafterhepassedonhisjuniorassistantsalesman’sway。ReubenS。Vanderpoel’sdaughterswereofthehighestofhisFourHundred，buttheywereAmericans，andAmericanswerenotasaruleso\"stuckonthemselves\"astheEnglish。Andherethesetwoswellscameasfriendlyasyouplease。Andthatniceoldchapthatwasavicar，smilingandgivinghim\"thegladhand\"！
BettyandMountDunstanleftMr。Penzancetalkingtotheconvalescentafterashorttime。MountDunstanhadaskedtobeshownthegardens。Hewantedtoseethewonderfulthingshehadheardhadbeenalreadydonetothem。
Theywentdownthestairstogetherandpassedthroughthedrawing—roomintothepleasuregrounds。Theonceneglectedlawnshadalreadybeenmownandrolled，clippedandtrimmed，untiltheyspreadbeforetheeyehugemeasuresofgreenvelvet；
eventhebedsgirdlingandadorningthemwerebrilliantwithflowers。
\"Kedgers！\"saidBetty，wavingherhand。\"InmyignoranceIthoughtwemustwaitforblossomsuntilnextyear；
butitappearsthatwonderscanbebroughtallreadytobloomforonefromnurserygardens，andcanbemadetogrowwithcare——anddaring——andpassionateaffection。IhaveseenKedgersturnpalewithanguishashehungoverabedoftransplantedthingswhichseemedtodrooptoolong。Theydroopjustatfirst，youknow，andthentheyslowlylifttheirheads，slowly，asiftolistentoaVoicecalling——calling。OnceIsatforquitealongtimebeforearose，watchingit。WhenIsawitBEGINtolisten，Ifeltalittletremblingpassovermybody。
Iseemedtobesostrangelyneartosuchastrangething。ItwasLife——Lifecomingback——inanswertowhatwecannothear。\"
Shehadbegunlightly，andthenhervoicehadchanged。Itwasveryquietattheendofherspeaking。MountDunstansimplyrepeatedherlastwords。
\"Towhatwecannothear。\"
\"Onefeelsitsomuchinagarden，\"shesaid。\"Ihaveneverlivedinagardenofmyown。Thisisnotmine，butIhavebeenlivinginit——withKedgers。OneissoclosetoLifeinit——
thestirringinthebrownearth，thepiercingthroughofgreenspears，thatbreakingofbudsandpouringforthofscent！Whyshouldn’tonetremble，ifonethinks？IhavestoodinapottingshedandwatchedKedgersfillashallowboxwithdamprichmouldandscatteroveritathinlayerofinfinitesimalseeds；thenhemoistensthemandcarriesthemreverentlytohisaltarsinagreenhouse。TheledgesinKedgers’green—
housesarealtars。Ithinkheoffersprayersbeforethem。Whynot？Ishould。Andwhenonecomestoseethem，themoistseedsareswelledtofulness，andwhenonecomesagaintheyarebursting。Andthenexttime，tinygreenthingsarecurlingoutward。And，atlast，thereisafairyforestoftiniestpalegreenstemsandleaves。AndoneisstandingclosetotheSecretoftheWorld！Andwhyshouldnotoneprostrateone’sself，breathingsoftly——andtouchingone’sawedforeheadtotheearth？\"
MountDunstanturnedandlookedather——apauseinhisstep——theywerewalkingdownaturfedpath，andovertheirheadsmeetingbranchesofnewleaveshung。Somethinginhismovementmadeherturnandpausealso。Theybothpaused——andquiteunknowingly。
\"Doyouknow，\"hesaid，inalowandratherunusualvoice，\"thataswewereonourwayhere，IsaidofyoutoPenzance，thatyouwereLife——YOU！\"
Forafewseconds，astheystoodso，hislookheldher——theireyesinvoluntarilyandstrangelyheldeachother。Somethingsoftlyglowinginthesunlightfallingonthemboth，somethingrainingdowninthesongofarisingskylarktrillingintheblueafieldaway，somethinginthewarmedincenseofblossomsnearthem，wascalling——callingintheVoice，thoughtheydidnotknowtheyheard。Strangely，asplendidblushroseinafairfloodunderherskin。Shewasconsciousofit，andfeltasecond’samazedimpatiencethatsheshouldcolourlikeaschoolgirlsuspectingacompliment。Hedidnotlookatherasamanlookswhohasmadeaprettyspeech。Hiseyesmethersstraightandthoughtfully，andherepeatedhislastwordsashehadbeforerepeatedhers。
\"ThatYOUwereLife——you！\"
Thebluebellsunderwaterwereforthemomentincrediblylovely。
Herfeelingabouttheblushmeltedawayastheblushitselfhaddone。
\"Iamgladyousaidthat！\"sheanswered。\"Itwasabeautifulthingtosay。IhaveoftenthoughtthatIshouldlikeittobetrue。\"
\"Itistrue，\"hesaid。
Thentheskylark，showeringgoldenrain，sweptdowntoearthanditsnestinthemeadow，andtheywalkedon。
