\"GodinHeaven!\"washerinwardcry。\"Godofalltheworlds!Donotlethimdie。`IfyeaskanythinginmynamethatIwilldo。’Christsaidit。InthenameofJesusofNazareth——donotlethimdie!Alltheworldsareyours——allthepower——listentous——listentous。Lord,Ibelieve——helpthoumyunbelief。Ifthisterrorrobsmeoffaith,andIpraymadly——forgive,forgiveme。Donotcountitagainstmeassin。Youmadehim。Hehassufferedandbeenalone。Itisnottime——itisnottimeyetforhimtogo。Hehasknownnojoyandnobrightthing。Donotlethimgooutofthewarmworldlikeablindman。Donotlethimdie。Perhapsthisisnotprayer,butraging。Forgive——forgive!Allpowerisgonefromme。Godoftheworlds,andthegreatwinds,andthemyriadstars——donotlethimdie!\"
Sheknewherthoughtswerewild,buttheirtorrentboreherwiththemintoastrange,greatsilence。Shedidnothearthevicar’swords,ortheresponsesofthepeople。Shewasnotwithinthegreystonewalls。Shehadbeendrawnawayasintothedarknessandstillnessofthenight,andnosoulbutherownseemednear。Throughthestillnessandthedarkherprayingseemedtocallandecho,clamouringagainandagain。
ItmustreachSomething——itmustbeheard,becauseshecriedsoloud,thoughtothehumanbeingsabouthersheseemedkneelinginsilence。Shewentonandon,repeatingherwords,changingthem,endingandbeginningagain,pouringforthafloodofappeal。Shethoughtlaterthatthefloodmusthavebeenatitshighesttidewhen,singularly,itwasstemmed。
Withoutwarning,awaveofawepassedoverherwhichstrangelysilencedher——andleftherbowedandkneeling,butcryingoutnomore。Thedarknesshadbecomestill,evenasithadnotbeenstillbefore。Suddenlyshecoweredasshekneltandheldherbreath。Somethinghaddrawnalittlenear。
Nothoughts——nowords——nocrieswereneededasthegreatstillnessgrewandspread,andfoldedherbeingwithinit。
Shewaited——onlywaited。Shedidnotknowhowlongatimepassedbeforeshefeltherselfdrawnbackfromthesilentandshadowyplaces——awakening,asitwere,tothesoundsinthechurch。
\"OurFather,\"shebegantosay,assimplyasachild。
\"OurFatherwhoartinHeaven——hallowedbethyname。\"
Therewasastirringamongthecongregation,andsoundsoffeet,asthepeoplebegantomovedowntheaisleinreverentslowness。Shecaughtagaintheoccasionalsoundofasubduedsob。Rosaliegentlytouchedher,andsherose,followingheroutofthebigpewandpassingdowntheaisleafterthevillagers。
Outsidetheentrancethepeoplewaitedasiftheywantedtoseeheragain。Foreheadsweretouchedasbefore,andeyesfollowedher。Shewastothegeneralmindthecentreofthedrama,and\"theA’mighty\"woulddowelltohearher。Shehadbeendoinghisworkforhim\"sameashislordship。\"
Theydidnotexpecthertosmileatsuchatime,whenshereturnedtheirgreetings,andshedidnot,buttheysaidafterwards,intheircottages,that\"troubleornotshewasawonderforlooks,thatshewas——MissVanderpoel。\"
Rosalieslippedahandthroughherarm,andtheywalkedhometogether,veryclosetoeachother。NowandthentherewasaquestioninginRosy’slook。Butneitherofthemspokeonce。
OnanoaktableinthehallaletterfromMr。Penzancewaslying。Itwasbrief,hurried,andanxious。TherumourthatMountDunstanhadbeenailingwastrue,andthattheyhadfelttheymustconcealthematterfromthevillagerswastruealso。Forsomebafflingreasonthefeverhadnotabsolutelydeclareditself,buttheyoungdoctorswerebesetbygraveforebodings。Insuchcasesthemostserioussymptomsmightsuddenlydevelop。Oneneverknew。Mr。Penzancewasevidentlytornbyfearswhichhedesperatelystrovetosuppress。ButBettycouldseetheanguishonhisfineoldface,andbetweenthelinesshereaddreadandwarningnotputintowords。Shebelievedthat,fearingtheworst,hefelthemustpreparehermind。
\"Hehaslivedunderagreatstrainformonths,\"heended。
\"Itbeganlongbeforetheoutbreakofthefever。Iamnotstrongundermysenseofthecrueltyofthings——andIhaveneverlovedhimasIlovehimto—day。\"
Bettytookthelettertoherroom,andreadittwoorthreetimes。BecauseshehadaskedintelligentquestionsofthemedicalauthorityshehadconsultedonhervisittoLondon,sheknewsomethingofthefeveranditshabits。Evenherunclericalknowledgewassuchasitwasnotwelltoreflectupon。Sherefoldedtheletterandlaiditaside。
\"Imustnotthink。Imustdosomething。Itmaypreventmylistening,\"shesaidaloudtothesilenceofherroom。
Shecasthereyesaboutherasifinsearch。Uponherdesklayanotebook。Shetookitupandopenedit。Itcontainedlistsofplants,offlowerseeds,ofbulbs,andshrubs。
Eachlistwasheadedwithanexplanatorynote。
\"Yes,thiswilldo,\"shesaid。\"IwillgoandtalktoKedgers。\"
Kedgersandeverymanunderhimhadbeenattheservice,buttheyhadreturnedtotheirrespectiveduties。Kedgers,givingdirectionstosomeundergardenerswhowereclearingflowerbedsandpreparingthemfortheirwinterrest,turnedtomeetherassheapproached。ToKedgersthesightofhercomingtowardshimonagardenpathwasajoyfulthing。
Hehaddonewonders,itistrue,butifshehadnotstoodbyhissidewithinspirationaswellasconfidence,heknewthatthingsmighthave\"comeoutdifferent。\"
\"Youwasbornagardener,miss——bornone,\"hehadsaidmonthsago。
Itwasthetimewhenflowerbedsmustbeplannedforthecomingyear。Hernotebookwasfilledwithmemorandaofthethingstheymusttalkabout。
Itwasgood,normal,healthyworktodo。Thescentoftherich,damp,upturnedmouldwasagoodthingtoinhale。Theywalkedfromoneendtoanother,stoodbeforeclumpsofshrubs,andstudiedbitsofwall。Hereamassofbluemightgrow,herelowthingsofwhiteandpaleyellow。Aquickly—climbingrosewouldhangsheetsofbloomoverthisdeadtree。ThisshelteredwallwouldholdwarmthforaMarechalNiel。
\"Youmusttakecareofitall——evenifIamnotherenextyear,\"MissVanderpoelsaid。
Kedgers’absorbedfacechanged。
\"Nothere,miss,\"heexclaimed。\"Younothere!Thingswouldn’tgrow,miss。\"Hecheckedhimself,hisweather—
toughenedskinreddeningbecausehewasafraidhehadperhapstakenaliberty。Andthenmovinghishatuneasilyonhishead,hetookanother。\"Butit’strueenough,\"lookingdownonthegravelwalk,\"we——wecouldn’texpecttokeepyou。\"
Shedidnotlookasifshehadnoticedtheliberty,butshedidnotlookquitelikeherself,Kedgersthought。Ifshehadbeenanotheryounglady,andbutforhisestablishedfeelingthatshewassomehowimmunefromallills,hewouldhavethoughtshehadaheadache,orwaslowinhermind。
Shespentanhourortwowithhim,andtogethertheyplannedforthechangingseasonsoftheyeartocome。Howshecouldkeephermindonathing,andwhataheadshehadforplanning,andwhataneyeforcolour!Butyes——therewassomethingabitwrongsomehow。Nowandthenshewouldstopandstandstillforamoment,andsuddenlyitstruckKedgersthatshelookedasifshewerelistening。
\"Didyouthinkyouheardsomething,miss?\"heaskedheroncewhenshepausedandworethislook。
\"No,\"sheanswered,\"no。\"Anddrewhimonquickly——
almostasifshedidnotwanthimtohearwhatshehadseemedlisteningfor。
Whenshelefthimandwentbacktothehouse,allthelovelinessofspring,summerandautumnhadbeenthoughtoutandprovidedfor。Kedgersstoodonthepathandlookedafterheruntilshepassedthroughtheterracedoor。Hechewedhislipuneasily。Thenherememberedsomethingandfeltabitrelieved。Itwastheserviceheremembered。
\"Ah!it’sthatthat’supsether——andit’snatural,seeinghowshe’shelpedhimandDunstanvillage。It’sonlynatural。\"
Hechewedhislipagain,andnoddedhisheadinoddreflection。
\"Ay!Ay!\"hesummedherup。\"She’sagreatladythat——she’sagreatlady——sameasifshe’dbeenborninacivilisedland。\"
DuringtherestofthedaythelookofquestioninRosalie’seyeschangedinitsnature。Whenhersisterwasnearhershefoundherselfglancingatherwithanewfeeling。Itwasagrowingfeeling,whichgraduallybecame——anxiousness。
Bettypresentedtohertheaspectofonewithdrawnintosomeremotespace。Shewasnotlivingthisdayasherdayswereusuallylived。Shedidnotsitstillorstrollaboutthegardensquietly。Theconsecutivenessofheractionseemedbroken。Shedidonethingafteranother,asifshemustfilleachmoment。ThiswasnotherBetty。LadyAnstrutherswatchedandthoughtuntil,intheend,anewpainedfearbegantocreepslowlyintohermind,andmakeherfeelasifshewereslightlytremblingthoughherhandsdidnotshake。
Shedidnotdaretoallowherselftothinkthethingsheknewshewasonthebrinkofthinking。Shethrustitawayfromher,andtriednottothinkatall。HerBetty——hersplendidBetty,whomnothingcouldhurt——whocouldnotbetouchedbyanyawfulthing——herdearBetty!
Intheafternoonshesawherwritenotessteadilyforanhour,thenshewentoutintothestablesandvisitedthehorses,talkedtothecoachmanandtoherowngroom。Shewasverykindtoavillageboywhohadbeenrecentlytakenonasanadditionalassistantinthestable,andwhowasratherfrightenedandshy。Sheknewhismother,whohadalargefamily,andshehad,indeed,giventheboyhisplacethathemightbetrainedunderthegreatMr。Buckham,whowascoachmanandheadofthestables。Shesaidencouragingthingswhichquitecheeredhim,andshespokeprivatelytoMr。Buckhamabouthim。Thenshewalkedintheparkalittle,butnotforlong。WhenshecamebackRosaliewaswaitingforher。
\"Iwanttotakealongdrive,\"shesaid。\"Ifeelrestless。
Willyoucomewithme,Betty?\"Yes,shewouldgowithher,soBuckhambroughtthelandauwithitspairofbighorses,andtheyrolleddowntheavenue,andintothesmooth,whitehighroad。Hetookthemfar——pastthegreatmarshes,betweenmilesofbaredhedges,pastfarmsandscatteredcottages。Sometimesheturnedintolanes,wherethehedgeswereclosertoeachother,andwhere,hereandthere,theycaughtsightofnewpointsofviewbetweentrees。BettywasgladtofeelRosy’sslimbodynearherside,andshewasconsciousthatitgraduallyseemedtodrawcloserandcloser。ThenRosy’shandslippedintohersandhelditsoftlyonherlap。
Whentheydrovetogetherinthiswaytheywereusuallybothofthemrathersilentandquiet,butnowRosaliespokeofmanythings——ofUghtred,ofNigel,oftheDunholms,ofNewYork,andtheirfatherandmother。
\"IwanttotalkbecauseI’mnervous,Ithink,\"shesaidhalfapologetically。\"Idonotwanttositstillandthinktoomuch——offather’scoming。Youdon’tmindmytalking,doyou,Betty?\"
\"No,\"Bettyanswered。\"Itisgoodforyouandforme。\"
AndshemetthepressureofRosy’shandhalfway。
ButRosywastalking,notbecauseshedidnotwanttositstillandthink,butbecauseshedidnotwantBettytodoso。
Andallthetimeshewastryingtothrustawaythethoughtgrowinginhermind。
Theyspenttheeveningtogetherinthelibrary,andBettyreadaloud。Shereadalongtime——untilquitelate。Shewishedtotireherselfaswellastoforceherselftostoplistening。
Whentheysaidgood—nighttoeachotherRosyclungtoherasdesperatelyasshehadclungonthenightafterherarrival。
Shekissedheragainandagain,andthenhungherheadandexcusedherself。
\"Forgivemeforbeing——nervous。I’mashamedofmyself,\"
shesaid。\"PerhapsintimeIshallgetoverbeingacoward。\"
Butshesaidnothingofthefactthatshewasnotacowardforherself,butthroughaslowlyformulatingandstruggled——
againstfear,whichchilledherveryheart,andwhichshecouldbestcoverbyapretenceofbeingapoltroon。
Shecouldnotsleepwhenshewenttobed。Thenightseemedcrowdedwithstrange,terrifiedthoughts。TheywereallofBetty,thoughsometimesshethoughtofherfather’scoming,ofhermotherinNewYork,andofBetty’ssteadyworkingthroughouttheday。Sometimesshecried,twistingherhandstogether,andsometimesshedroppedintoafeverishsleep,anddreamedthatshewaswatchingBetty’sface,yetwasafraidtolookatit。
Sheawakenedsuddenlyfromoneofthesedreams,andsatuprightinbedtofindthedawnbreaking。Sheroseandthrewonadressing—gown,andwenttohersister’sroombecauseshecouldnotbeartostayaway。
Thedoorwasnotlocked,andshepusheditopengently。
Oneofthewindowshaditsblinddrawnup,andlookedlikeapatchofdullgrey。Bettywasstandinguprightnearit。
Shewasinhernight—gown,andalongblackplaitofhairhungoveroneshoulderheavily。Shelookedallblackandwhiteinstrongcontrast。Thegreylightsetherforthasatallghost。
LadyAnstruthersslidforward,feelingatightnessinherchest。
\"Thedawnwakenedmetoo,\"shesaid。
\"Ihavebeenwaitingtoseeitcome,\"answeredBetty。\"Itisgoingtobeadull,drearyday。\"
CHAPTERXLVII
\"IHAVENOWORDORLOOKTOREMEMBER\"
Itwasadullanddrearyday,asBettyhadforeseenitwouldbe。Heavyraincloudshungandthreatened,andtheatmospherewasdampandchill。ItwasoneofthosedaysoftheEnglishautumnwhichspeakonlyoftheendofthings,bereavingoneofthepowertoremembernextyear’sspringandsummer,which,afterall,mustsurelycome。Skyisgrey,treesaregrey,deadleavesliedampbeneaththefeet,sunlightandbirdsseemforgottenthings。Allthathasbeensadandtoberegrettedorfearedhangsheavyintheairandswaysallthought。Inthepassingofthesehoursthereisnohopeanywhere。Bettyappearedatbreakfastinshortdressandclosehat。Sheworethicklittleboots,asifforwalking。
\"Iamgoingtomakevisitsinthevillage,\"shesaid。\"I
wantabasketofgoodthingstotakewithme。Stourton’schildrenneedfeedingaftertheirmeasles。TheylookedverythinwhenIsawthemplayingintheroadyesterday。\"
\"Yes,dear,\"Rosalieanswered。\"Mrs。Noakesshallpreparethebasket。Goodchickenbroth,andjelly,andnourishingthings。Jennings,\"tothebutler,\"youknowthekindofbasketMissVanderpoelwants。SpeaktoMrs。Noakes,please。\"
\"Yes,mylady,\"JenningsknewthekindofbasketandsodidMrs。Noakes。BelowstairsastrongsympathywithMissVanderpoel’smovementshaddeveloped。Nooneresentedthepreparationofbaskets。Somehowtheywerealwaysmanaged,evenifaskedforatuntimelyhours。
Bettywassittingsilent,lookingoutintothegreynessoftheautumn—smittenpark。
\"Are——areyoulisteningforanything,Betty?\"LadyAnstruthersaskedratherfalteringly。\"Youhaveasortoflisteninglookinyoureyes。\"
Bettycamebacktotheroom,asitwere。
\"HaveI,\"shesaid。\"Yes,IthinkIwaslisteningfor——
something。\"
AndRosaliedidnotaskherwhatshelistenedfor。Shewasafraidsheknew。
ItwasnotonlytheStourtonsBettyvisitedthismorning。
Shepassedfromonecottagetoanother——toseeoldwomen,andoldmen,aswellasyoungones,whoforonereasonoranotherneededhelpandencouragement。Byonebedsideshereadaloud;byanothershesatandtoldcheerfulstories;
shelistenedtotalkinlittlekitchens,andinonehousewelcomedanewbornthing。Asshewalkedsteadilyovergreyroadanddowngreylanesdampmistroseandhungabouther。Andshedidnotwalkalone。Fearwalkedwithher,andanguish,agreyghostbyherside。Onceshefoundherselfstandingquitestillonasidepath,coveringherfacewithherhands。Shefilledeverymomentofthemorning,andwalkeduntilshewastired。Beforeshewenthomeshecalledatthepostoffice,andMr。Tewsongreetedherwithasolemnface。Hedidnotwaittobequestioned。
\"There’sbeennonewsto—day,miss,sofar,\"hesaid。\"Andthatseemsasiftheymightbesogivenuptohardworkatadreadfultimethatthere’sbeennochanceforanythingtogetout。Whenpeople’shangingoveraman’sbedattheend,it’sasifeverythingstoppedbutthat——that’sstoppingforalltime。\"
Afterluncheontherainbegantofallsoftly,slowly,andwithasuggestionofendlessness。Itwasasortofmistitself,andbecameadampshadowamongthebarebranchesoftreeswhichsoonbegantodrip。
\"Youhavebeenwalkingaboutallmorning,andyouaretired,dear,\"LadyAnstrutherssaidtoher。\"Won’tyougotoyourroomandrest,Betty?\"
Yes,shewouldgotoherroom,shesaid。SomenewbookshadarrivedfromLondonthismorning,andshewouldlookoverthem。Shetalkedalittleabouthervisitsbeforeshewent,andwhen,asshetalked,Ughtredcameovertoherandstoodclosetohersideholdingherhandandstrokingit,shesmiledathimsweetly——thesmileheadored。Hestrokedthehandandsoftlypattedit,watchingherwistfully。Suddenlyheliftedittohislips,andkisseditagainandagainwithasortofpassion。
\"Iloveyousomuch,AuntBetty,\"hecried。\"Webothloveyousomuch。Somethingmakesmeloveyouto—daymorethaneverIdidbefore。Italmostmakesmecry。Iloveyouso。\"
Shestoopedswiftlyanddrewhimintoherarmsandkissedhimcloseandhard。Heheldhisheadbackalittleandlookedintotheblueunderherlashes。
\"Iloveyoureyes,\"hesaid。\"Anyonewouldloveyoureyes,AuntBetty。Butwhatisthematterwiththem?Youarenotcryingatall,but——oh!whatisthematter?\"
\"No,Iamnotcryingatall,\"shesaid,andsmiled——almostlaughed。
Butaftershehadkissedhimagainshetookherbooksandwentupstairs。
Shedidnotliedown,andshedidnotreadwhenshewasaloneinherroom。Shedrewalongchairbeforethewindowandwatchedtheslowfallingoftherain。Thereisnothinglikeit——thatslowweepingoftherainonanEnglishautumnday。
Softandlightthoughitwas,theparkbegantolooksodden。
Thebaretreesheldouttheirbrancheslikeimploringarms,thebrowngardenbedswereneatandbare。Thesamerainwasdrip—drippingatMountDunstan——uponthedesolategreathouse——uponthevillage——uponthemoundsandancientstonetombsinthechurchyard,sinkingintotheearth——sinkingdeep,suckedinbytheclaybeneath——thecolddampclay。
Sheshookherselfshudderingly。Whyshouldthethoughtcometoher——thecolddampclay?Shewouldnotlistentoit,shewouldthinkofNewYork,ofitsroaringstreetsandcrashofsound,oftherushoffiercelifethere——ofherfatherandmother。ShetriedtoforceherselftocalluppicturesofBroadway,swarmingwithcrowdsofblackthings,which,seenfromthewindowsofitsmonstrousbuildings,seemedlikeswarmsofants,burstoutofant—hills,outofathousandant—
hills。Shetriedtoremembershopwindows,thethingsinthem,thethrongsgoingby,andthethrongspassinginandoutofgreat,swingingglassdoors。ShedraggedupbeforeheravisionofRosalie,drivingwithhermotherandherself,lookingaboutheratthenewbuildingsandchangedstreets,flushedandmaderadiantbytheacceleratedpaceandexcitementofherbelovedNewYork。But,oh,theslow,penetratingrainfall,and——thecolddampclay!
Sherose,makinganinvoluntarysoundwhichwashalfamoan。Thelongmirrorsetbetweentwowindowsshowedhermomentarilyanawfulyoungfigure,throwingupitsarms。
WasthatBettyVanderpoel——that?
\"Whatdoesonedo,\"shesaid,\"whentheworldcomestoanend?Whatdoesonedo?\"
Allherdaysshehaddonethings——therehadalwaysbeensomethingtodo。Nowtherewasnothing。Shewentsuddenlytoherbellandrangforhermaid。Thewomanansweredthesummonsatonce。
\"SendwordtothestablethatIwantChildeHarold。I
donotwantMason。Ishallridealone。\"
\"Yes,miss,\"Amblestonanswered,withoutanyexteriorsignofemotion。Shewastoowell—trainedapersontoexpressanyshadeofherinternalamazement。Aftershehadtransmittedtheordertothepropermanagershereturnedandchangedhermistress’scostume。
Shehadcontemplatedhertask,andwasstandingbehindMissVanderpoel’schair,puttingthelasttouchtoherveil,whenshebecameconsciousofaslightstiffeningoftheneckwhichheldsowellthehandsomehead,thentheheadslowlyturnedtowardsthewindowgivinguponthefrontpark。MissVanderpoelwaslisteningtosomething,listeningsointentlythatAmblestonfeltthat,forafewmoments,shedidnotseemtobreathe。Themaid’shandsfellfromtheveil,andshebegantolistenalso。Shehadbeenattheservicethedaybefore。
MissVanderpoelrosefromherchairslowly——veryslowly,andtookastepforward。Thenshestoodstillandlistenedagain。
\"Openthatwindow,ifyouplease,\"shecommanded——\"asifastoneimagewasspeaking\"——Amblestonsaidlater。Thewindowwasthrownopen,andforafewsecondstheybothstoodstillagain。WhenMissVanderpoelspoke,itwasasifshehadforgottenwhereshewas,orasifshewereinadream。
\"Itistheringers,\"shesaid。\"Theyaretollingthepassingbell。\"
Theservingwomanwassoftofheart,andhadherfeminineemotions。Therehadbeenmuchtalkofthisthingintheservant’shall。SheturneduponBetty,andforgotallrulesandtraining。
\"Oh,miss!\"shecried。\"He’sgone——he’sgone!Thatgoodman——outofthishardworld。Oh,miss,excuseme——
do!\"Andassheburstintowildtears,sheranoutoftheroom……
Rosaliehadbeensittinginthemorningroom。Shealsohadstriventooccupyherselfwithwork。Shehadwrittentohermother,shehadread,shehadembroidered,andthenreadagain。WhatwasBettydoing——whatwasshethinkingnow?
Shelaidherbookdowninherlap,andcoveringherfacewithherhands,breathedadesperatelittleprayer。Thatlifeshouldbepainandemptinesstoherself,seemedsomehownaturalsinceshehadmarriedNigel——butpainandemptinessforBetty——No!No!No!NotforBetty!Piteoussorrowpoureduponherlikeaflood。Shedidnotknowhowthetimepassed。Shesat,huddledtogetherinherchair,withhiddenface。Shecouldnotbeartolookattherainandghostmistoutofdoors。Oh,ifhermotherwereonlyhere,andshemightspeaktoher!Andasherlovingtearsbrokeforthafresh,sheheardthedooropen。
\"Ifyouplease,mylady——Ibegyourpardon,mylady,\"asshestartedanduncoveredherface。
\"Whatisit,Jennings?\"
Thefigureatthedoorwasthatoftheserious,elderlybutler,andheworearespectfullygraveair。
\"Asyourladyshipissittinginthisroom,wethoughtitlikelyyouwouldnothear,thewindowsbeingclosed,andwefeltsure,mylady,thatyouwouldwishtoknow————\"
LadyAnstruthers’handsshookastheyclungtothearmsofherchair。
\"Toknow————\"shefaltered。\"Hearwhat?\"
\"Thepassingbellistolling,mylady。Ithasjustbegun。
ItisforLordMountDunstan。There’snotadryeyedownstairs,yourladyship,notone。\"
Heopenedthewindows,andshestoodup。Jenningsquietlylefttheroom。Theslow,heavyknellstruckponderouslyonthedampair,andshestoodandshivered。
Amomentortwolatersheturned,becauseitseemedasifshemust。
Betty,inherridinghabit,wasstandingmotionlessagainstthedoor,herwonderfuleyesstillasdeath,gazingather,gazinginanawful,simplesilence。
Oh,whatwastheuseofbeingafraidtospeakatsuchatimeasthis?InonemomentRosywaskneelingatherfeet,clingingaboutherknees,kissingherhands,theveryclothofherhabit,andsobbingaloud。
\"Oh,mydarling——mylove——myownBetty!Idon’tknow——andIwon’task——butspeaktome——speakjustaword——mydearestdear!\"
Bettyraisedherupanddrewherwithintheroom,closingthedoorbehindthem。
\"KindlittleRosy,\"shesaid。\"Icametospeak——becausewetwoloveeachother。Youneednotask,Iwilltellyou。
Thatbellistollingforthemanwhotaughtme——toKNOW。
Heneverspoketomeoflove。Ihavenotonewordorlooktoremember。Andnow————Oh,listen——listen!Ihavebeenlisteningsincethemorningofyesterday。\"Itwasanawfulthing——herwhiteface,withalltheflameoflifesweptoutofit。