CHAPTERXXXIV
REDGODWYN
StornhamCourthadtakenitsproperpositioninthecountyasaplacewhichwasequaltosocialexchangeinthematterofentertainment。SirNigelandLadyAnstruthershadgivenagardenparty,accordingtothedecreesofthelawobtainingincountryneighbourhoods。ThecuriositytobeholdMissVanderpoel,andthechangewhichhadbeenworkedinthewell—
knowndesolationanddisrepair,precludedthepossibilityoftherefusalofanyinvitationssent,therecipientbeinginhisorherrightmind,andsoundinwindandlimb。Thatastonishingthingshadbeenaccomplished,andthatthepartywasasuccessfulaffair,couldnotbutbeacceptedastruths。Gardenpartieshadbeenheardof,wereatriflerepetitional,andevendull,butatthisonetherewasrealmusicandrealdancing,andcleverentertainmentsweregivenatintervalsinagreen—emboweredlittletheatre,erectedfortheoccasion。Thesewereagreeableadditionstomerefoodandconversation,whichwerecapableofpalling。
TothegardenpartytheAnstruthersdidnotconfinethemselves。ThereweredinnerpartiesatStornham,andtheyalsoweresuccessfulfunctions。Theguestswereofthosewhomakeforthesuccessofsuchentertainments。
\"IcalleduponMountDunstanthisafternoon,\"SirNigelsaidoneevening,beforethefirstofthesedinners。\"Hemightexpectit,asoneisaskinghimtodine。Iwishhimtobeasked。
TheDunholmshavetakenhimupsotremendouslythatnofestivityseemscompletewithouthim。\"
Hehadbeeninvitedtothegardenparty,andhadappeared,butBettyhadseenlittleofhim。Itiseasytoseelittleofaguestatanout—of—doorfestivity。InassistingRosalietoattendtohervisitorsshehadbeenmuchoccupied,butshehadknownthatshemighthaveseenmoreofhim,ifhehadintendedthatitshouldbeso。Hedidnot——forreasonsofhisown——intendthatitshouldbeso,andthisshebecameawareof。Soshewalked,playedinthebowlinggreen,dancedandtalkedwithWestholt,TommyAlanbyandothers。
\"Hedoesnotwanttotalktome。Hewillnot,ifhecanavoidit,\"waswhatshesaidtoherself。
ShesawthatherathersoughtoutMaryLithcom,whowasnotaccustomedtoreceivingspecialattention。Thetwowalkedtogether,dancedtogether,andinadjoiningchairswatchedtheperformanceintheemboweredtheatre。LadyMaryenjoyedhercompanionverymuch,butshewonderedwhyhehadattachedhimselftoher。
BettyVanderpoelaskedherselfwhattheytalkedtoeachotherabout,anddidnotsuspectthetruth,whichwasthattheytalkedagooddealofherself。
\"HaveyouseenmuchofMissVanderpoel?\"LadyMaryhadbegunbyasking。
\"IhaveSEENheragooddeal,asnodoubtyouhave。\"
LadyMary’splainfaceexpressedasomewhattouchedreflectiveness。
\"Doyouknow,\"shesaid,\"thatthegardenpartieshavebeenadifferentthingthiswholesummer,justbecauseonealwaysknewonewouldseeheratthem?\"
AshortlaughfromMountDunstan。
\"JaneandIhavegonetoeverygardenpartywithintwentymiles,eversincewelefttheschoolroom。Andweareverytiredofthem。Butthisyearwehavequitecheeredup。Whenwearedressingtogotosomethingdull,wesaytoeachother,`Well,atanyrate,MissVanderpoelwillbethere,andweshallseewhatshehason,andhowherthingsaremade,’andthat’ssomething——besidesthefunofwatchingpeoplemakeuptoher,andhearingthemtalkaboutthemenwhowanttomarryher,andwonderwhichoneshewilltake。Shewillnottakeanyoneinthisplace,\"theniceturned—upnoseslightlysuggestingaderisivesniff。\"Whoistherewhoissuitable?\"
MountDunstanlaughedshortlyagain。
\"HowdoyouknowIamnotanaspirantmyself?\"hesaid。
Hehadamirthlesssenseofenjoymentinhisownbrazenness。
Onlyhehimselfknewhowbrazenthespeechwas。
LadyMarylookedathimwithentirecomposure。
\"Iamquitesureyouarenotanaspirantforanybody。AndI
happentoknowthatyoudislikemoneyedinternationalmarriages。
YouaresoobviouslyBritishthat,evenifIhadnotbeentoldthat,Ishouldknowitwastrue。MissVanderpoelherselfknowsitistrue。\"
\"Doesshe?\"
\"LadyAlanbyspokeofittoSirNigel,andIheardSirNigeltellher。\"
\"Exactlythekindofunnecessarythinghewouldbelikelytorepeat。\"Hecastthesubjectasideasifitwereaworthlesssuperfluityandwenton:\"Whenyousaythereisnoonesuitable,yousurelyforgetLordWestholt。\"
\"Yes,it’strueIforgothimforthemoment。But——\"withalaugh——\"oneratherfeelsasifshewouldrequirearoyaldukeorsomethingofthatsort。\"
\"Youthinksheexpectsthatkindofthing?\"ratherindifferently。
\"She?Shedoesn’tthinkofthesubject。Shesimplythinksofotherthings——ofLadyAnstruthersandUghtred,oftheworkatStornhamandthevillagelife,whichgiveshernewemotionsandinterest。Shealsothinksaboutbeingnicetopeople。SheisnicerthananygirlIknow。\"
\"Youfeel,however,shehasarighttoexpectit?\"stillwithoutmorethanacasualairofinterest。
\"Well,whatdoyoufeelyourself?\"saidLadyMary。\"Womenwholooklikethat——evenwhentheyarenotmillionairesses——
usuallymarrywhomtheychoose。IdonotbelievethatthetwobeautifulMissGunningsrolledintoonewouldhavemadeanythingasundeniableassheis。Onehasseenportraitsofthem。LookatherasshestandstheretalkingtoTommyandLordDunholm!\"
InternallyMountDunstanwassaying:\"Iamlookingather,thankyou,\"andsettinghisteethalittle。
ButLadyMarywaslauncheduponasubjectwhichsweptheralongwithit,andshe——sotospeak——groundthethingin。
\"Lookattheturnofherhead!Lookathermouthandchin,andhereyeswiththelashessweepingoverthemwhenshelooksdown!
Youmusthavenoticedtheeffectwhensheliftsthemsuddenlytolookatyou。It’ssooddandlovelythatit——italmost————\"
\"Almostmakesyoujump,\"endedMountDunstandrily。
Shedidnotlaughand,infact,herexpressionbecamerathersympatheticallyserious。
\"Ah,\"shesaid,\"Ibelieveyoufeelasortofrebellionagainsttheunfairnessofthewaythingsaredealtout。Itdoesseemunfair,ofcourse。Itwouldbeperfectlydisgraceful——ifsheweredifferent。Ihadmomentsofalmosthatingheruntilonedaynotlongagoshedidsomethingsobewitchinglykindandunderstandingofotherpeople’sfeelingsthatIgaveup。Itwasclever,too,\"withalaugh,\"cleveranddaring。Ifshewereayoungmanshewouldmakeadashingsoldier。\"
Shedidnotgivehimthedetailsofthestory,butwentontosayineffectwhatshehadsaidtoBettyherselfoftheinevitableincidentalnessofherstayinthecountry。IfshehadnotevidentlycometoStornhamthisyearwithapurpose,shewouldhavespenttheseasoninLondonanddonetheusualthing。
Americansweregenerallypresentedpromptly,iftheyhadanyposition——sometimeswhentheyhadnot。LadyAlanbyhadheardthatthefactthatshewaswithhersisterhadawakenedcuriosityandpeopleweretalkingabouther。
\"LadyAlanbysaidinthatdrywayofhersthatthearrivalofanunmarriedAmericanfortuneinEnglandwasbecomingratherlikethevisitofanunmarriedroyalty。Peopleaskeachotherwhatitmeansandbegintoarrangeforit。Sofar,onlythewomenhavecome,butLadyAlanbysaysthatisbecausethemenhavehadnotimetodoanythingbutstayathomeandmakethefortunes。Shebelievesthatinanothergenerationtherewillbeamaleleisureclass,andthenitwillswoopdowntoo,andmarrypeople。Shewasverysharpandamusingaboutit。Shesaiditwouldhelpthemtoridthemselvesofaplethoraofwealthandkeepthemfrombursting。\"
Shewasanamiable,ifunsentimentalperson,MaryLithcom——andwas,quitewithoutillnature,expressingtheconsensusofpublicopinion。Theseyoungwomencametothecountrywithsomethingpracticaltoexchangeinthesedays,andasthereweremenwhohadcertainequivalentstooffer,soalsothereweremenwhohadnone,andwhomdecencyshouldcausetostandaside。MountDunstanknewthatwhenshehadsaid,\"Whoistherewhoissuitable?\"anyshadowofathoughtofhimselfasbeingintherunninghadnotcrossedhermind。
Andthiswasnotonlyforthereasonsshehadhadthereadycomposuretoname,butforonelessconquerable。
Later,havingleftMaryLithcom,hedecidedtotakeaturnbyhimself。Hehaddonehisdutyasamasculineguest。Hehadconversedwithyoungwomenandoldones,haddanced,visitedgardensandgreenhouses,andtakenhispartinallthings。
Alsohehad,infact,reachedapointwhenafewminutesofsolitudeseemedagoodthing。Hefoundhimselfturningintotheclippedlaurelwalk,whereTommyAlanbyhadstoodwithJaneLithcom,andhewenttotheendofitandstoodlookingoutontheview。
\"Lookattheturnofherhead,\"LadyMaryhadsaid。
\"Lookathermouthandchin。\"Andhehadbeenlookingatthemthewholeafternoon,notbecausehehadintendedtodoso,butbecauseitwasnotpossibletopreventhimselffromdoingit。
Thiswasoneoftheironiesoffate。Orthodoxdoctrinemightsuggestthatitwastoteachhimthathispastrebellionhadbeenundue。Orthodoxdoctrinewaseverreadywiththesesoothinglittleexplanations。HehadragedandsulkedatDestiny,andnowhehadbeengivensomethingtoragefor。
\"Nooneknowsanythingaboutituntilittakeshimbythethroat,\"hewasthinking,\"anduntilithappenstoamanhehasnorighttocomplain。Iwasnotstarvingbefore。Iwasnothungeringandthirsting——insightoffoodandwater。I
supposeoneofthemostawfulthingsintheworldistofeelthisandknowitisnouse。\"
Hewasnotintheconditiontoreasoncalmlyenoughtoseethattheremightbeonechanceinathousandthatitwasofuse。Atsuchtimesthemostintelligentofmenandwomenlosebalanceandmentalperspicacity。Acertaindegreeofunreasoningmadnesspossessesthem。Theyseetoomuchandtoolittle。
Therewere,itwastrue,athousandchancesagainsthim,buttherewasoneforhim——thechancethatselectionmightbeonhisside。Hehadnotthatbalanceofthoughtleftwhichmighthavesuggestedtohimthathewasamanyoungandpowerful,andfilledwithanimmensepassionwhichmightcountforsomething。Allhesawwasthathewasnotablyinthepositionofthemenwhomhehadprivatelydisdainedwhentheyhelpedthemselvesbymarriage。Suchmarriageshehadheldwereinsultstothemanhoodofanymanandthewomanhoodofanywoman。Insuchunionsneitherpartycouldrespecthimselforhiscompanion。Theymustalwaysinsecretdoubteachother,fretatthemselves,feeldistasteforthewholething。Evenifamanlovedsuchawoman,andthefeelingwasmutual,towhomwoulditoccurtobelieveit——toseethattheywerenotgrossandcontemptible?Tonoone。Wouldithaveoccurredtohimselfthatsuchanextenuatingcircumstancewaspossible?
Certainlyitwouldnot。Pig—headedprideandobstinacyitmightbe,buthecouldnotyetfaceeventhemerethoughtofit——evenifhiswholepositionhadnotbeengrotesque。Because,afterall,itwasgrotesquethatheshouldevenarguewithhimself。She——beforehiseyesandtheeyesofallothers——themostdesirableofwomen;peopledinningitinone’searsthatshewassurroundedbybesiegerswhowaitedforhertoholdouthersceptre,andhe——well,whatwashe!Notthathismentalattitudewasthatofameekandhumbleloverwhofelthimselfunworthyandprostratedhimselfbeforehershrinewithprayers——hewas,onthecontrary,astoutandobstinateBritonfindinghisstubbornly—heldbeliefsmadeasnaughtbyacertainobsession——anintolerablelongingwhichwakenedwithhiminthemorning,whichsankintotroubledsleepwithhimatnight——thelongingtoseeher,tospeaktoher,tostandnearher,tobreathetheairofher。Andpossessedbythis——fulloftheoverpoweringstrengthofit——wasamanlikelytogotoawomanandsay,\"Giveyourlifeanddesirablenesstome;andincidentallysupportme,feedme,clotheme,keeptheroofovermyhead,asifIwereanimpotentbeggar\"?
\"No,byGod!\"hesaid。\"Ifshethinksofmeatallitshallbeasaman。No,byGod,Iwillnotsinktothat!\"……
Amovingtouchofcolourcaughthiseye。Itwastheroseofaparasolseenabovethelaurelhedge,assomeoneturnedintothewalk。Heknewthecolourofitandexpectedtoseeotherparasolsandhearvoices。Buttherewasnosound,andunaccompanied,thewonderfulrose—thingmovedtowardshim。
\"Theusualthingsarehappeningtome,\"washisthoughtasitadvanced。\"Iamhotandcold,andjustnowmyheartleapedlikearabbit。Itwouldbewisetowalkoff,butIshallnotdoit。Ishallstayhere,becauseIamnolongerareasoningbeing。Isupposethatahorsewhorefusestobackoutofhisstallwhenhisstableisonfirefeelssomethingofthesamething。\"
Whenshesawhimshemadeaninvoluntary—lookingpause,andthenrecoveringherself,cameforward。
\"Iseemtohavecomeinsearchofyou,\"shesaid。\"Yououghttobeshowingsomeonetheviewreally——andsooughtI。\"
\"Shallweshowittoeachother?\"washisreply。
\"Yes。\"Andshesatdownonthestoneseatwhichhadbeenplacedforthecomfortofviewlovers。\"Iamalittletired——
justenoughtofeelthattoslinkawayforamomentalonewouldbeagreeable。ItISslinkingtoleaveRosalietobattlewithhalfthecounty。ButIshallonlystayafewminutes。\"
Shesatstillandgazedatthebeautifullandsspreadbeforeher,buttherewasnostillnessinhermind,neitherwastherestillnessinhis。Hedidnotlookattheview,butather,andhewasaskinghimselfwhatheshouldbesayingtoherifheweresuchamanasWestholt。Thoughhehadboldnessenough,heknewthatnoman——eventhoughheisfreetospeakthebestandmostpassionatethoughtsofhissoul——couldbesurethathewouldgainwhathedesired。ThegoodfortuneofWestholt,orofanyother,couldbutgivehimoneman’sfairchance。
Buthavingthatchance,heknewheshouldnotrelinquishitsoon。Theresweptbackintohismindthestoryofthemarriageofhisancestor,RedGodwyn,andhelaughedlowinspiteofhimself。
MissVanderpoellookedupathimquickly。
\"Pleasetellmeaboutit,ifitisveryamusing,\"shesaid。
\"Iwonderifitwillamuseyou,\"washisanswer。\"Doyoulikesavageromance?\"
\"Verymuch。\"
Itmightseemaproposderien,buthedidnotcareintheleast。Hewantedtohearwhatshewouldsay。
\"Anancestorofmine——acertainRedGodwyn——wasabarbarianimmenselytomytaste。Hebecameenamouredofrumoursofthebeautyofthedaughterandheiressofhisbitterestenemy。Inhisday,whenonewantedathing,onerodeforthwithaxeandspeartofightforit。\"
\"Asimpleandalluringmethod,\"commentedBetty。\"Whatwashername?\"
Sheleanedinlighteaseagainstthestonebackofherseat,theroselightcastbyherparasolfaintlyflushedher。Thesilenceoftheirretreatseemedaccentuatedbyitsbackgroundofmusicfromthegardens。Theysmiledasecondbravelyintoeachother’seyes,thentheirglancesbecameentangled,astheyhaddoneforamomentwhentheyhadstoodtogetherinMountDunstanpark。Foronemomenteachhadbeenheldprisonerthen——nowitwasforlonger。
\"AlysoftheSea—BlueEyes。\"
Bettytriedtoreleaseherself,butcouldnot。
\"Sometimestheseaisgrey,\"shesaid。
Hisowneyeswerestillinhers。
\"Herswerethecolouroftheseaonadaywhenthesunshinesonit,andtherearelargefleece—whitecloudsfloatingintheblueabove。Theysparkledandwereoftenlikebluebellsunderwater。\"
\"Bluebellsunderwatersoundsentrancing,\"saidBetty。
Hecaughthisbreathslightly。
\"Theywere——entrancing,\"hesaid。\"Thatwasevidentlythedevilofit——savingyourpresence。\"
\"Ihaveneverobjectedtothedevil,\"saidBetty。\"Heisanenergetic,hard—workingcreatureandpaintshimselfanhonestblack。Pleasetellmetherest。\"
\"RedGodwynwentforth,andafterabloodyfighttookhisenemy’scastle。Ifwestilllivedinlikesimple,honesttimes,IshouldtakeDunholmCastleinthesameway。HealsotookAlysoftheEyesandboreherawaycaptive。\"
\"Fromsuchincidentsdevelopedthegermsofthedesireforfemalesuffrage,\"MissVanderpoelobservedgently。
\"Theinterestofthestoryliesinthefactthatapparentlythesavagewaseitherepicureorsentimentalist,orboth。Hedidnottreattheladyill。Heshutherinatowerchamberoverlookinghiscourtyard,andafterallowingherthreedaystoweep,hebeganhisbarbarianwooing。Arrayinghimselfinsplendourheorderedhertoappearbeforehim。Hesatuponthedaisinhisbanquethall,hisretainersgatheredabouthim——
agreatfeastspread。InarchaicEnglishwearetoldthattheboardgroanedbeneaththeweightofgoldentrenchersandflagons。Minstrelsplayedandsang,whilehedisplayedallhissplendour。\"
\"Theydoityet,\"saidMissVanderpoel,\"inLondonandNewYorkandotherplaces。\"
\"Thenextday,attendedbyhisfollowers,hetookherwithhimtorideoverhislands。Whenshereturnedtohertowerchambershehadlearnedhowpowerfulandgreatachieftainhewas。She`layesoftely’andwasattendedbymanymaidens,butshehadnoentertainmentbuttolookoutuponthegreatgreencourt。Therehearrangedgamesandtrialsofstrengthandskill,andshesawhimbigger,stronger,andmoresplendidthananyotherman。Hedidnotevenlifthiseyestoherwindow。Healsosentherdailyarichgift。\"
\"Howlongdidthisgoon?\"
\"Threemonths。Attheendofthattimehecommandedherpresenceagaininhisbanquethall。Hetoldherthegateswereopened,thedrawbridgedownandanescortwaitingtotakeherbacktoherfather’slands,ifshewould。\"
\"Whatdidshedo?\"
\"Shelookedathimlong——andlong。Sheturnedproudlyaway——inthesea—blueeyeswereheavyandstormytears,whichseeing————\"
\"Ah,hesawthem?\"fromMissVanderpoel。
\"Yes。Andseizingherinhisarmscaughthertohisbreast,callingforapriesttomakethemonewithinthehour。Iamquotingthechronicle。IwasfifteenwhenIreaditfirst。\"
\"Itisspirited,\"saidBetty,\"andRedGodwynwasalmostmoderninhismethods。\"
Whileprofessingcomposureandlightnessofmood,thespellwhichworksbetweentwocreaturesofoppositesexwheninsuchcasewroughtinthemandmadethemfeelawkwardandstiff。Wheneachisheldapartfromtheotherbyfate,orwill,orcircumstance,thespellisastupefyingthing,deadeningeventheclearnessofsightandwit。
\"Imustslinkbacknow,\"Bettysaid,rising。\"Willyouslinkbackwithmetogivemecountenance?IhavegreatlylikedRedGodwyn。\"
SoitoccurredthatwhenNigelAnstrutherssawthemagainitwasastheycrossedthelawntogether,andpeoplelookedupfromicesandcupsofteatofollowtheirslowprogresswithquestioningorapprovingeyes。
CHAPTERXXXV
THETIDALWAVE
Therewasonlyonemantospeakto,anditbeingthenatureofthebeast——soheharshlyputittohimself——tobeabsolutelyimpelledtospeechatsuchtimes,MountDunstanlaidbarehisbreasttohim,tearingasideallthecoveringspridewouldhavefoldedabouthim。Themanwas,ofcourse,Penzance,andthelayingbarewasdonetheeveningafterthestoryofRedGodwynhadbeentoldinthelaurelwalk。
Theyhaddrivenhometogetherinaprofoundsilence,theeldermanasdeepinthoughtastheyoungerone。Penzancewasthinkingthattherewasacalmnessinhavingreachedsixtyandinknowingthatthepainandhungerofearlieryearswouldnottearoneagain。Andyet,hehimselfwasnotuntornbythatwhichshookthemanforwhomhisaffectionhadgrownyearbyyear。Itwasevidentlyverybad——verybad,indeed。
Hewonderedifhewouldspeakofit,andwishedhewould,notbecausehehimselfhadmuchtosayinanswer,butbecauseheknewthatspeechwouldbebetterthanhardsilence。
\"Staywithmeto—night,\"MountDunstansaid,astheydrovethroughtheavenuetothehouse。\"Iwantyoutodinewithmeandsitandtalklate。Iamnotsleepingwell。\"
Theyoftendinedtogether,andthevicarnotinfrequentlysleptattheMountformerecompanionship’ssake。Sometimestheyread,sometimeswentoveraccounts,plannedeconomies,andbalancedexpenditures。AchamberstillcalledtheChaplain’sroomwasalwayskeptinreadiness。Ithadbeenusedinlongpastdays,whenahouseholdchaplainhadsatbelowthesaltandlefthispatron’stablebeforethesweetswereserved。Theydinedtogetherthisnightalmostassilentlyastheyhaddrivenhomeward,andafterthemealtheywentandsataloneinthelibrary。
Thehugeroomwasnevermorethandimlylighted,andthefar—offcornersseemedmoredarklingthanusualintheinsufficientilluminationofthefarfrombrilliantlamps。MountDunstan,afterstandinguponthehearthforafewminutessmokingapipe,whichwouldhavecomparedillwitholdDoby’sSundaysplendour,lefthiscoffeecupuponthemantelandbegantotrampupanddown——outofthedimlightintotheshadows,backoutoftheshadowsintothepoorlight。
\"Youknow,\"hesaid,\"whatIthinkaboutmostthings——youknowwhatIfeel。\"
\"IthinkIdo。\"
\"YouknowwhatIfeelaboutEnglishmenwhobrandthemselvesashalfmenandmarkedmerchandisebysellingthemselvesandtheirhousesandtheirbloodtoforeignwomenwhocanbuythem。YouknowhowsavageIhavebeenatthemerethoughtofit。AndhowIhavesworn————\"
\"Yes,Iknowwhatyouhavesworn,\"saidMr。Penzance。
ItstruckhimthatMountDunstanshookandtossedhisheadratherlikeabullabouttochargeanenemy。
\"YouknowhowIhavefeltmyselfperfectlywithinmyrightswhenIblackguardedsuchmenandsneeredatsuchwomen——takingitforgrantedthateachwasmerchandiseofhisorherkindandbeneathcontempt。Iamnotafoul—mouthedman,butIhaveusedgrosswordsandroughonestodescribethem。\"
\"Ihaveheardyou。\"
MountDunstanthrewbackhisheadwithabig,harshlaugh。Hecameoutoftheshadowandstoodstill。
\"Well,\"hesaid,\"Iaminlove——asmuchinloveasanylunaticeverwas——withthedaughterofReubenS。Vanderpoel。
Thereyouare——andthere_I_am!\"
\"Ithasseemedtome,\"Penzanceanswered,\"thatitwasalmostinevitable。\"
\"MyconditionissuchthatitseemstoMEthatitwouldbeinevitableinthecaseofanyman。WhenIseeanothermanlookathermybloodracesthroughmyveinswithanawfulfearandawickedheat。ThatwillshowyouthepointIhavereached。\"HewalkedovertothemantelpieceandlaidhispipedownwithahandPenzancesawwasunsteady。\"InturningoverthepagesofthevolumeofLife,\"hesaid,\"I
havecomeupontheBookofRevelations。\"
\"Thatistrue,\"Penzancesaid。
\"Untilonehascomeuponitoneisaninchoatefool,\"MountDunstanwenton。\"Andafterwardsoneis——foratimeatleast——asortofmadmanravingtoone’sself,eitherinoroutofastraitjacket——asthecasemaybe。Iamwearingthejacket——worseluck!Doyouknowanythingofthestateofamanwhocannotutterthemostordinarywordstoawomanwithoutbeingconsciousthatheismakingmadlovetoher?ThisafternoonIfoundmyselftellingMissVanderpoelthestoryofRedGodwynandAlysoftheSea—BlueEyes。Ididnotmakeasinglestatementhavinganyconnectionwithmyself,butthroughoutIwascallingonhertothinkofherselfandofmeasofthosetwo。Isawherinmyownarms,withthetearsofAlysonherlashes。Iwasmakingmadlove,thoughshewasunconsciousofmydoingit。\"
\"Howdoyouknowshewasunconscious?\"remarkedMr。
Penzance。\"Youareaverystrongman。\"
MountDunstan’sshortlaughwasevenalittleawful,becauseitmeantsomuch。Helethisforeheaddropamomentontohisarmsastheyrestedonthemantelpiece。