\"Oh，myGod！\"hesaid。Butthenextinstanthisheadlifteditself。\"Itisthemysteryoftheworld——thisthing。Atidalwavegatheringitselfmountainhighandcrashingdownuponone’shelplessnessmightbeaseasilydefied。Itissupposedtodisperse，Ibelieve。Thathasbeensaidsooftenthattheremustbetruthinit。Intwentyorthirtyorfortyyearsoneistoldonewillhavegotoverit。Butonemustlivethroughtheyears——onemustLIVEthroughthem——andthechieffeatureofone’smadnessisthatoneisconvincedthattheywilllastforever。\"
\"Goon，\"saidMr。Penzance，becausehehadpausedandstoodbitinghislip。\"Sayallthatyoufeelinclinedtosay。
Itisthebestthingyoucando。Ihavenevergonethroughthismyself，butIhaveseenandknowntheamazingnessofitformanyyears。Ihaveseenitcomeandgo。\"
\"Canyouimagine，\"MountDunstansaid，\"thatthemostdamnablethoughtofall——whenamanispassingthroughit——
isthepossibilityofitsGOING？Anythingelseratherthantheknowledgethatyearscouldchangeordeathcouldendit！
Eternityseemsonlytoofferspaceforit。Oneknows——butonedoesnotbelieve。Itdoessomethingtoone’sbrain。\"
\"Noscientist，howsoeverprofound，haseverdiscoveredwhat，\"thevicarmusedaloud。
\"TheBookofRevelationshasshowntomehow——howMAGNIFICENTlifemightbe！\"MountDunstanclenchedandunclenchedhishands，hiseyesflashing。\"Magnificent——thatistheword。Togotoheronequalgroundtotakeherhandsandspeakone’spassionasonewould——ashereyesanswered。
Oh，onewouldknow！Tobringherhometothisplace——havingmadeitasitoncewas——tolivewithherhere——tobeWITH
herasthesunroseandsetandtheseasonschanged——withthejoyoflifefillingeachofthem。SHEisthejoyofLife——theveryheartofit。YouseewhereIam——yousee！\"
\"Yes，\"Penzanceanswered。Hesaw，andbowedhishead，andMountDunstanknewhewishedhimtocontinue。
\"Sometimes——oflate——ithasbeentoomuchformeandI
havegivenfreereintomyfancy——knowingthattherecouldneverbemorethanfancy。IwasdoingitthisafternoonasI
watchedhermoveaboutamongthepeople。AndMaryLithcombegantotalkabouther。\"Hesmiledagrimsmile。
\"Perhapsitwasaninterventionofthegodstodragmedownfrommyimpiousheights。Shewasquiteunconsciousthatshewasdrivinghomefactslikenails——thefactsthateverymanwhowantedmoneywantedReubenS。Vanderpoel’sdaughter——andthattheyounglady，notbeingdull，wasnotunawareoftheobvioustruth！Andthatmenwithprizestoofferwerereadytooffertheminapropermanner。Alsothatshewasonlyabrilliantbirdofpassage，who，inafewmonths，wouldbecaughtinthedazzlingnetofthegreatworld。AndthatevenLordWestholtandDunholmCastlewerenotquitewhatshemightexpect。LadyMarywassincerelyinterested。Shedroveithomeinherardour。ShetoldmetoLOOKather——toLOOK
athermouthandchinandeyelashes——andtomakenoteofwhatshestoodforinacrowdofordinarypeople。Icouldhavelaughedaloudwithrageandself—mockery。\"
Mr。Penzancewasrestinghisforeheadonhishand，hiselbowonhischair’sarm。
\"Thisisprofoundunhappiness，\"hesaid。\"Itisprofoundunhappiness。\"
MountDunstanansweredbyabrusquegesture。
\"Butitwillpassaway，\"wentonPenzance，\"andnotasyoufearitmust，\"inanswertoanothergesture，fiercelyimpatient。\"Notthatway。Someday——ornight——youwillstandheretogether，andyouwilltellherallyouhavetoldme。IKNOWitwillbeso。\"
\"What！\"MountDunstancriedout。Butthewordshadbeenspokenwithsuchabsoluteconvictionthathefelthimselfbecomepale。
ItwaswiththesameconvictionthatPenzancewenton。
\"Ihavespentmyquietlifeinthinkingoftheforcesforwhichwefindnoexplanation——ofthecausesofwhichweonlyseetheeffects。LongagoinlookingatyouinoneofmyponderingmomentsIsaidtomyselfthatYOUwereofthePrimevalForcewhichcannotloseitsway——whichsweepsaclearpathwayforitselfasitmoves——andwhichcannotbeheldback。Isaidtoyoujustnowthatbecauseyouareastrongmanyoucannotbesurethatawomanyouare——eveninspiteofyourself——
makingmadloveto，isunconsciousthatyouaredoingit。Youdonotknowwhatyourstrengthliesin。Idonot，thewomandoesnot，butwemustallfeelit，whetherwecomprehenditorno。Yousaidofthisfinecreature，sometimesince，thatshewasLife，andyouhavejustsaidagainsomethingofthesamekind。Itisquitetrue。SheisLife，andthejoyofit。Youaretwostrongforces，andyouaredrawingtogether。\"
Herosefromhischair，andgoingtoMountDunstanputhishandonhisshoulder，hisfineoldfacesingularlyraptandglowing。
\"Sheisdrawingyouandyouaredrawingher，andeachistoostrongtoreleasetheother。Ibelievethattobetrue。
Bothbodiesandsoulsdoit。Theyarenotseparatethings。Theymoveontheirwayasthestarsdo——theymoveontheirway。\"
Ashespoke，MountDunstan’seyeslookedintohisfixedly。
Thentheyturnedasideandlookeddownuponthemantelagainstwhichhewasleaning。Heaimlesslypickeduphispipeandlaiditdownagain。Hewaspalerthanbefore，buthesaidnosingleword。
\"Youthinkyourreasonsforholdingalooffromherarethereasonsofaman。\"Mr。Penzance’svoicesoundedtohimremote。\"Theyarethereasonsofaman’spride——butthatisnotthestrongestthingintheworld。Itonlyimaginesitis。Youthinkthatyoucannotgotoherasaluckiermancould。Youthinknothingshallforceyoutospeak。Askyourselfwhy。Itisbecauseyoubelievethattoshowyourheartwouldbetoplaceyourselfinthehumiliatingpositionofamanwhomightseemtoherandtotheworldtobeabasefellow。\"
\"Animpudent，pushing，basefellow，\"thrustinMountDunstanfiercely。\"Oneofavulgarlot。Athingfancyingevenitsbeggaryworthbuying。Whathasaman——whoseverynameishungwithtatteredugliness——tooffer？\"
Penzance’shandwasstillonhisshoulderandhislookathimwaslong。
\"Hisverypride，\"hesaidatlast，\"hisveryobstinacyandhaughty，stubborndetermination。Thosebrokenbecausetheotherfeelingisthestrongerandovercomeshimutterly。\"
AflushleapedtoMountDunstan’sforehead。Hesetbothelbowsonthemantelandlethisforeheadfallonhisclenchedfists。AndthesavageBritonroseinhim。
\"No！\"hesaidpassionately。\"ByGod，no！\"
\"Yousaythat，\"saidtheolderman，\"becauseyouhavenotyetreachedtheendofyourtether。Unhappyasyouare，youarenotunhappyenough。Ofthetwo，youloveyourselfthemore——yourprideandyourstubbornness。\"
\"Yes，\"betweenhisteeth。\"IsupposeIretainyetasortofrespect——andaffection——formypride。MayGodleaveittome！\"
Penzancefelthimselfcuriouslyexalted；heknewhimselfunreasoninglypassingthroughanoddlyunpractical，upliftedmoment，inwhoseimpellinghesingularlybelieved。
\"Youaredrawingherandsheisdrawingyou，\"hesaid。
\"Perhapsyoudreweachotheracrossseas。Youwillstandheretogetherandyouwilltellherofthis——onthisveryspot。\"
MountDunstanchangedhispositionandlaughedroughly，asiftorousehimself。Hethrewouthisarminabig，uneasygesture，takingintheroom。
\"Oh，come，\"hesaid。\"Youtalklikeaseer。Lookaboutyou。Look！Iamtobringherhere！\"
\"Ifitistheprimevalthingshewillnotcare。Whyshouldshe？\"
\"She！Bringalifelikeherstothis！Orperhapsyoumeanthatherownwealthmightmakehersurroundingsbecoming——
thatamanwouldendurethat？\"
\"Ifitistheprimevalthing，YOUwouldnotcare。Youwouldhaveforgottenthatyoutwohadeverlivedanhourapart。\"
Hespokewithadeep，movedgravity——almostasifhewerespeakingofthefirstTitanbuildingoftheearth。MountDunstanstaringathisdelicate，insistent，elderlyface，triedtolaughagain——andfailedbecausetheeffortseemedactuallyirreverent。
Itwasasingularhypnoticmoment，indeed。Hehimselfwashypnotised。Aflashlightofnewvisionblazedbeforehimandlefthimdumb。Hetookuphispipehurriedly，andwithstillunsteadyfingersbegantorefillit。Whenitwasfilledhelightedit，andthenwithoutawordofanswerleftthehearthandbegantotrampupanddowntheroomagain——outofthedimlightintotheshadows，backoutoftheshadowsandintothedimlightagain，hisbrowworkingandhisteethholdinghardhisambermouthpiece。
Themorningawakeningofanormalhealthyhumancreatureshouldbeajoyousthing。Afterthesoul’slonghoursofreleasefromtheburdenofthebody，itslonghoursspent——
onecanonlysayinaweatthemysteryofit，\"away，away\"——
inflight，perhaps，onbroad，tirelesswings，beatingsoftlyinfair，farskies，breathingpurelife，tobebroughtbacktorenewthestrengthofeachdawningday；afterthesehoursofquiescenceoflimbandnerveandbrain，themorninglifereturningshouldunsealforthebodycleareyesofpeaceatleast。Intimetocomethiswillbeso，whenthesoul’swingsarestronger，thebodymoreattunedtoinfinitelawandtheraceagreaterpower——butasyetitoftenseemsasthoughthewingedthingcamebackalaggingandreluctantrebelagainstitsfateandthechainwhichdrawsitbackaprisonertoitstoil。
IthadseemedsooftentoMountDunstan——oftenerthannot。Youthshouldnotknowsuchawakening，hewaswellaware；buthehadknownitsometimesevenwhenhehadbeenachild，andsincehisreturnfromhisill—starredstruggleinAmerica，thedullandreluctantfacingofthedayhadbecomeahabit。Yetonthemorningafterhistalkwithhisfriend——
thecurious，uplifted，unpracticaltalkwhichhadseemedtohypnotisehim——heknewwhenheopenedhiseyestothelightthathehadawakenedasamanshouldawake——withanunreasoningsenseofpleasureinthelifeandhealthofhisownbody，ashestretchedmightylimbs，strongafterthenight’srest，andfeelingthattherewasworktobedone。Itwasallunreasoning——
therewasnomoretobedonethanonthoseotherdayswhichhehadwakenedtowithbitterness，becausetheyseemeduselessandemptyofanyworth——butthismorningthemerelightofthesunwasofuse，therustleofthesmallbreezeintheleaves，thesoftfloatingpastofthewhiteclouds，themerefactthatthegreatblind—faced，statelyhousewashisown，thathecouldtrampfaroverlandswhichwerehisheritage，unfedthoughtheymightbe，andthattheveryrusticswhowouldpasshiminthelaneswere，sotospeak，hisownpeople：thathehadname，life，eventhecommonthingofhungerforhismorningfood——itwasallofuse。
Analluringpicture——ofacertaindeep，clearbathingpoolintheparkrosebeforehim。Ithadnotcalledtohimformanyaday，andnowhesawitsdarkbluenessgleambetweenflagsandgreenrushesinitsencirclingthicknessofshrubsandtrees。
Hesprangfromhisbed，andinafewminuteswasstridingacrossthegrassofthepark，histowelsoverhisarm，hisheadthrownbackashedrankinthefreshnessofthemorning—
scentedair。Itwasscentedwithdewandgrassandthebreathofwakingtreesandgrowingthings；earlytwittersandthrillsweretobeheardhereandthere，insistingonmorningjoyfulness；rabbitsfriskedaboutamongthefine—grassedhummocksoftheirwarrenand，ashepassed，scuttledbackintotheirholes，withawhiskingofshortwhitetails，atwhichhelaughedwithfriendlyamusement。Croppingstagsliftedtheirantleredheads，andfawnswithdappledsidesandimmenselustrouseyesgazedathimwithoutactualfear，evenwhiletheysidledclosertotheirmothers。Askylarkspringingsuddenlyfromthegrassafewyardsfromhisfeetmadehimstopshortonceandstandlookingupwardandlistening。Whocouldpassbyaskylarkatfiveo’clockonasummer’smorning——thelittle，heavenlylight—heartcirclingandwheeling，showeringdowndiamonds，showeringdownpearls，fromitstinypulsating，trillingthroat？
\"Doyouknowwhytheysinglikethat？Itisbecauseallbutthejoyofthingshasbeenkepthiddenfromthem。Theyknewnothingbutlifeandflightandmating，andthegoldofthesun。Sotheysing。\"Thatshehadoncesaid。
Helisteneduntilthejewelledrainseemedtohavefallenintohissoul。Thenhewentonhiswaysmilingasheknewhehadneversmiledinhislifebefore。Heknewitbecauseherealisedthathehadneverbeforefeltthesamevigorous，lightnormalityofspirit，thesamesenseofbeingasothermen。Itwasasthoughsomethinghadsweptagreatclearspaceabouthim，andhavingroomforairhebreatheddeepandwasgladofthecommonestgiftsofbeing。
Thebathingpoolhadbeenthegreatestpleasureofhisuncared—forboyhood。NooneknewwhichlongpassedawayMountDunstanhadmadeit。Theoldestvillagerhadtoldhimthatithad\"allusbenthere，\"eveninhisfather’stime。Sincehehimselfhadknownithehadseenthatitwaskeptatitsbest。
Itsdarkbluedepthsreflectedintheirpellucidclearnessthewaterplantsgrowingatitsedgeandtheenclosingshrubsandtrees。Theturfborderingitwasvelvet—thickandgreen，andafewflag—stepsleddowntothewater。Birdscametheretodrinkandbatheandpreenanddresstheirfeathers。Heknewtherewereoftennestsinthebushes——sometimesthenestsofnightingaleswhofilledthesoftdarknessormoonlightofearlyJunewiththewonderfulnessofnestingsong。Sometimesastrayingfawnpokedinatendernose，andafterdrinkingdelicatelystoleaway，asifitknewitselfatrespasser。
Toundressandplungeheadlongintothedarksapphirewaterwasarapturousthing。Heswamswiftlyandslowlybyturns，hefloated，lookingupwardatheaven’sblue，listeningtobirds’
songandinhalingallthefragranceoftheearlyday。Strengthgrewinhimandlifepulsedasthewaterlappedhislimbs。Hefoundhimselfthinkingwithpleasureofalongwalkheintendedtotaketoseeafarmerhemusttalktoabouthishopgardens；
hefoundhimselfthinkingwithpleasureofotherthingsassimpleandcommontoeverydaylife——suchthingsasheordinarilyfacedmerelybecausehemust，sincehecouldnotaffordanexperiencedbailiff。Hewashisownbailiff，hisownsteward，merely，hehadoftenthought，anunsuccessfulfarmerofhalf—
starvedlands。Butthismorningneitherhenortheyseemedsostarved，and——fornoreason——therewasafutureofsomesort。
Heemergedfromhispoolglowing，theturffeelinglikevelvetbeneathhisfeet，afinelightinhiseyes。
\"Yes，\"hesaid，throwingouthisarmsinalordlystretchofphysicalwell—being，\"itmightbeamagnificentthing——merestrongliving。THISismagnificent。\"
CHAPTERXXXVI
BYTHEROADSIDEEVERYWHERE
HisbreakfastandthetalkoveritwithPenzanceseemedgoodthings。ItsuddenlyhadbecomeworthwhiletodiscusstheapproachinghopharvestandtheyearlyinfluxofthehoppickersfromLondon。Yesterdaythesubjecthadappeareddiscouragingenough。Thegreathopgardensoftheestatehadbeenintimespastitsmostprolificsourceofagriculturalrevenueandtheboastandwonderofthehop—growingcounty。
Theneglectandscantfoodoftheleanyearshadcostthemtheirreputation。Eachseasontheyhadneededsmallerbandsof\"hoppers，\"andtheirstandardhadbeenlowered。Ithadbeenhishabittothinkofthemgloomily，asofhopelessandirretrievableloss。Becausethismorning，foraremotereason，thepulseoflifebeatstronginhimhewastakinganewview。
Mightnotstudyofthesubject，constantattentionandtheapplicationofallavailableresourcetooneendproduceappreciableresults？Theideapresenteditselfintheformofathingworththinkingof。
\"Itwouldprovideanoutlookandgiveoneworktodo，\"heputittohiscompanion。\"Tohavearoofoverone’shead，asoundbody，andworktodo，isnotsobad。SuchthingsformthewholeofG。Selden’scheerfulaim。Hisspiritisalightwithinme。IwillwalkoverandtalktoBolter。\"
Bolterwasafarmerwhosestruggletomakeendsmeetwasalmosttoomuchforhim。Holdingswhoseowners，eitherthroughneglectorlackofmoney，havefailedtodotheirdutyaslandlordsinthematterofrepairsoffarmhouses，outbuildings，fences，andotherthings，graduallyfallintopoorhands。Resourcefulandprosperousfarmersdonotcaretoholdlandsunderunprosperouslandlords。TherewerefarmslyingvacantontheMountDunstanestate，therewereotherswhosetenantswereuncertainrentpayersorslipshodworkersordishonestinsmallways。Wasteorsaleofthefertiliserwhichshouldhavebeengiventothesoilasitsdue，neglectinthecaseofthingswhosedecaymeantdepreciationofpropertyandexpensetothelandlord，weredishonesties。ButMountDunstanknewthatifheturnedoutThornandFittle，whomnowatchingcouldwhollyfrustrateintheirtricks，UnderMountFarmandOakfieldRisewouldstandemptyformanyayear。ButforhispovertyBolterwouldhavebeenagoodtenantenough。Hewasintroublenowbecause，thoughhishopspromisedwell，hefaceddifficultiesinthematterof\"pickers。\"Lastyearhehadnotbeenabletopaysatisfactorypricesinreturnforlabour，andasaresulttheprospectofsecuringgoodworkerswasanunpromisingone。
Thehordesofmen，women，andchildrenwhoflockyearafteryeartothehop—growingdistrictsknoweachother。Theylearnalsowhichmaybecalledthegoodneighbourhoodsandwhichthebad；thegardenswhoseholdersareconsideredsatisfactoryasmasters，andthosewhoareundesirable。Theyknowbyexperienceorreportwherethebest\"huts\"areprovided，wheretentsaresupplied，andwhereonemustgetalongasonecan。
Generallytheregularflocksareundera\"captain，\"whogathershisfollowerseachseason，managesthemandlooksaftertheirinterestsandtheiremployers’。Insomecasesthesamecaptainbringshisregimenttothesamegardensyearafteryear，andendsbycountinghimselfasofthesoilandalmostofthefamilyofhisemployer。Eachhard，thick—foggedwintertheyfightthroughintheirEastEndcourtsandstreets，theylookforwardtotheopen—airweeksspentbetweenlong，narrowgreengrovesoftallgarlandedpoles，whosewreathingshangthickwithfreshandpungent—scentedhopclusters。Childrenplay\"’oppin\"indingyroomsandalleys，andtalktoeachotherofdayswhenthesunshonehotandbirdsweresingingandflowerssmellingsweetinthehedgerows；ofotherswhentherainstreameddownandmademudofthesoftearth，andyettherewaspleasureinthegipsyinglife，andhighcheerinthefireofsticksbuiltinthefieldbysomeboldspirit，whohungoveritatinkettletoboilfortea。Theyneverforgotthegentrytheyhadcaughtsightofridingordrivingbyontheroad，theparsonwhocametotalk，andtheoccasionalgroupsofladiesfromthe\"greathouse\"whocameintothegardenstowalkaboutandlookatthebinsandaskqueerquestionsintheirgentry—soundingvoices。Theyneverknewanything，andtheyalwaysseemedtobeentertained。Sometimestherewereenterprising，laughingones，whoaskedtobeshownhowtostripthehopsintothebins，andafterbeingshownplayedattheworkforalittlewhile，takingofftheirglovesandshowingwhitefingerswithringson。Theyalwayslookedasiftheyhadjustbeenwashed，andasifalloftheirclotheswerefreshfromthetub，andwhenanyonestoodnearthemitwasobservablethattheysmeltnice。Generallytheygavepenniestothechildrenbeforetheyleftthegarden，andsometimesshillingstothewomen。Thehoppickingwas，infact，awonderfulblendofworkandholidaycombined。
MountDunstanhadlikedthe\"hopping\"fromhisfirstmemoriesofit。Hecouldrecallhissensationsofwelcomingarenewalofinterestingthingswhen，seasonafterseason，hehadbeguntomarktheearlystragglersontheroad。Thestragglerswerenotoftheclassgatheredundercaptains。Theywerederelicts——trampswhospenttheirsummersonthehighwaysandtheirwintersinsuchworkhousesaswouldtakethemin；tinkers，whodifferfromthetrampsonlybecausesometimestheyownedaricketycartfullofstrangehouseholdgoodsanddrunkententh—handperambulatorspiledwithdirtybundlesandbabies，theselastpropelledbyrobustorworn—out，slatternlywomen，whosatbythesmallroadsidefirestirringthebatteredpotortendingthebatteredkettle，whenrestingtimehadcomeandfoodmustbecooked。
Gipsiestherewerewhohadcookingfiresalso，andhobbledhorsescroppingthegrass。Nowandthenappearedagrandone，whowasrumouredtobeaLeeandthereforeroyal，andwhocameandlivedregallyinagailypaintedcaravan。Duringthelatesummerweeksonebegantoseeslouchingfigurestrampingalongthehighroadatintervals。Theseweremenwhowereold，menwhoweremiddle—agedandsomewhowereyoung，allofthemmoreorlessdust—grimed，weather—beaten，orragged。Occasionallyonewastobeseeninheavybeeryslumberunderthehedgerow，orlyingonthegrasssmokinglazily，orwithpainfulthriftcobblingupaholeinagarment。
Suchastheseweredriftinginearlythattheymightbeonthegroundwhenpickerswerewanted。Theyweretheforerunnersoftheregulararmy。
OnhiswalktoWestWays，thefarmBolterlivedon，MountDunstanpassedtwoorthreeofthesestrays。Theyweretheusualflotsamandjetsam，butontheroadsidenearahopgardenhecameuponagroupofanaspectsounusualthatitattractedhisattention。Itsunusualnessconsistedinitsairofexceedingbustlingcheerfulness。Itwasadomesticgroupofthemostlucklesstype，andragged，dirty，andwornbyanevidentlylongtramp，mightwellhavebeenexpectedtolookforlorn，discouraged，andoutofspirits。Aslouchingfatheroffivechildren，oneplainlybutafewweeksold，andslunginadirtyshawlatitsmother’sbreast，anunhealthylookingslatternmother，twoancientperambulators，onepiledwithdingybundlesandcookingutensils，theseven—year—oldeldestgirlunpackingthingsandkeepinganeyeatthesametimeonthetwoyoungest，whowereneitherofthemoldenoughtobesteadyontheirfeet，thesix—year—oldgleefullyaidingtheslouchingfathertobuildthewaysidefire。Themothersatuponthegrassnursingherbabyandstaringaboutherwithanexpressionatoncestupefiedandilluminatedbysometemporarybliss。
Eventheslouchingfatherwasgrinning，asifgoodluckhadbefallenhim，andthetwoyoungestweretumblingaboutwithsquealsofgoodcheer。Thiswasnotthehumourinwhichsuchagroupusuallydroppedwearilyonthegrassatthewaysidetoeatitsmeagreanduninvitingmealandrestitsdragginglimbs。Ashedrewnear，MountDunstansawthatatthewoman’ssidetherestoodabasketfulloffoodandacanfullofmilk。
Ordinarilyhewouldhavepassedon，but，perhapsbecauseofthehumanglowthemorninghadbroughthim，hestoppedandspoke。
\"Haveyoucomeforthehopping？\"heasked。
Themantouchedhisforehead，apparentlynotconsciousthatthegrinwasyetonhisface。
\"Yes，sir，\"heanswered。
\"Howfarhaveyouwalked？\"
\"Agoodfiftymilessincewestarted，sir。Ittookusagoodbit。Wewasprettydoneupwhenwestoppedhere。Butwe’ve’adawonderfulpieceofgoodluck。\"Andhisgrinbroadenedimmensely。
\"Iamgladtohearthat，\"saidMountDunstan。Thegoodluckwasplainlyofanaturetohaveexcitedthemgreatly。
Chancegoodluckdidnothappentopeoplelikethemselves。
Theywereinthestateofmindwhichintheirclasscanonlyberelievedbytalk。Thewomanbrokein，herweakmouthandchinquiteunsteady。
\"Seemslikeitcan’tbetrue，sir，\"shesaid。\"I’donlyjustcomeoutoftheUnion——afterthisone，\"signifyingthenewbabyatherbreast。\"Iwasn’tfittodragalongdayafterday。We’adtostop’ere’cosIwasnearfaintingaway。\"
\"Shelookedfairwhitewhenshesatdown，\"putintheman。
\"Likeshewasgoin’off。\"
\"Andthatveryminute，\"saidthewoman，\"ayoungladycamebyon’orseback，an’theminutesheseesmeshestopsher’orsean’getsdown。\"
\"Ineverseennothinglikethequickwayshedoneit，\"saidthehusband。\"Sharp，likeshewasasoldierunderorder。
Downan’givethebridletothegrooman’comesover\"
\"Andkneelsdown，\"thewomantookhimup，\"rightbymean’says，`What’sthematter？WhatcanIdo？’an’findsoutintwominutesan’sendstothefarmforsomebrandyan’allthisbasketfulofstuff，\"jerkingherheadtowardsthetreasureatherside。\"An’
gives’IM，\"withanotherjerktowardshermate，\"moneyenoughto’elpusalongtillI’mfaironmyfeet。Thatquickitwas——thatquick，\"passingherhandoverherforehead，\"asifitwasn’tforthebasket，\"withanervous，half—hystericgiggle，\"Iwouldn’tbelievebutwhatitwasadream——Iwouldn’t。\"
\"Shewasaverykindyounglady，\"saidMountDunstan，\"andyouwereinluck。\"
Hegaveafewcopperstothechildrenandstrodeonhisway。Theglowwashotinhisheart，andheheldhisheadhigh。
\"Shehasgoneby，\"hesaid。\"Shehasgoneby。\"
HeknewheshouldfindheratWestWaysFarm，andhedidso。Slimandstraightasayoungbirchtree，andelatewithherrideinthemorningair，shestoodsilhouettedinherblackhabitagainsttheancientwhitewashedbrickporchasshetalkedtoBolter。
\"Ihavebeendrinkingaglassofmilkandaskingquestionsabouthops，\"shesaid，givinghimherhandbareofglove。
\"UntilthisyearIhaveneverseenahopgardenorahoppicker。\"
AftertheexchangeofafewwordsBolterrespectfullymeltedawayandleftthemtogether。
\"ItwassuchawonderfuldaythatIwantedtobeoutundertheskyforalongtime——toridealongway，\"sheexplained。\"IhavebeenlookingathopgardensasIrode。I
havewatchedthemallthesummer——fromthetimewhentherewasonlyalittlethingwithtwoorthreepalegreenleaveslookingimploringlyallthewayuptothetopofeachimmenselytallhoppole，fromitsplaceintheearthatthebottomofit——
asifitwassayingoverandoveragain，underitsbreath，`CanIgetupthere？CanIgetup？CanIdoitintime？CanIdoitintime？’Yes，thatwaswhattheyweresaying，thelittleboldthings。Ihavewatchedthemeversince，puttingouttendrilsandtakingholdofthepolesandpullingandclimbinglikelittleacrobats。Andcurlingroundandunfoldingleavesandmoreleaves，untilatlasttheythrewthemoutasiftheywerebeginningtoboastthattheycouldclimbupintotheblueoftheskyifthesummerwerelongenough。Andnow，lookatthem！\"herhandwavedtowardsthegreatgardens。\"Forestsofthem，coolgreenpathwaysandavenueswithleafcanopiesoverthem。\"
\"Youhaveseenitall，\"hesaid。\"Youdoseethings，don’tyou？AfewhundredyardsdowntheroadIpassedsomethingyouhadseen。Iknewitwasyouwhohadseenit，thoughthepoorwretcheshadnotheardyourname。\"
Shehesitatedamoment，thenstoopeddownandtookupinherhandabitofpebbledearthfromthepathway。Therewasstormintheblueofhereyesasshehelditoutforhimtolookatasitlayonthebarerose—fleshofherpalm。
