第32章

类别:其他 作者:Frances Hodgson Burnett字数:9865更新时间:19/01/07 14:57:26
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。