Atanyrateweloved,andoneeveningintheshelterofthesolemnwallsofthegreatColiseumatRome,whichatthathourwereshuttoallexceptourselves,weconfessedourlove。I
reallythinkwemusthavechosenthespotbytacitbutmutualconsentbecausewefeltittobefitting。Itwassoold,soimpregnatedwitheveryhumanexperience,fromthedirestcrimeofthetyrantwhothoughthimselfagod,tothesublimestsacrificeofthemartyrwhoalreadywashalfagod;witheveryviceandvirtuealsowhichliesbetweentheseextremes,thatitseemedtobethemostfittingaltarwhereontoofferourheartsandallthatcausedthemtobeat,eachtotheother。
SoNatalieandIwerebetrothedwithinamonthofourfirstmeeting。Withinthreeweweremarried,forwhatwastheretopreventordelay?NaturallySirAlfredwasdelighted,seeingthathepossessedbutsmallprivateresourcesandIwasabletomakeampleprovisionforhisdaughterwhohadhithertoshownherselfsomewhatdifficultinthisbusinessofmatrimonyandnowwasborderingonhertwenty—seventhyear。Everybodywasdelighted,everythingwentsmoothlyasasledgeslidingdownaslopeoffrozensnowandthemistsoftimehidwhatevermightbeattheendofthatslope。Probablyaplain;attheworsttheupwardriseofordinarylife。
Thatiswhatwethought,ifwethoughtatall。Certainlyweneverdreamedofaprecipice。Whyshouldwe,whowereyoung,bycomparison,quitehealthyandveryrich?Whothinksofprecipicesundersuchcircumstances,whendisasterseemstobeeliminatedanddeathisyetalongwayoff?
Andyetweoughttohavedoneso,becauseweshouldhaveknownthatsmoothsurfaceswithoutimpedimenttotherunnersoftenendinsomethingofthekind。
IamboundtosaythatwhenwereturnedhometoFulcombe,whereofcoursewemetwithagreatreception,includingtheringing(outoftune)ofthenewpealofbellsthatIhadgiventothechurch,Bastinmadehastetopointthisout。
\"Yourwifeseemsaveryniceandbeautifullady,Arbuthnot,\"hereflectedaloudafterdinner,whenMrs。Bastin,gloweringasusual,thoughwhatatIdonotknow,hadbeenescortedfromtheroombyNatalie,\"andreally,whenIcometothinkofit,youareanunusuallyfortunateperson。Youpossessagreatdealofmoney,muchmorethanyouhaveanyrightto;whichyouseemtohavedoneverylittletoearnanddonotspendquiteasIshouldlikeyoutodo,andthisniceproperty,thatoughttobeownedbyagreatnumberofpeople,as,accordingtotheviewsyouexpress,I
shouldhavethoughtyouwouldacknowledge,andeverythingelsethatamancanwant。Itisverystrangethatyoushouldbesofavouredandnotbecauseofanyparticularmeritsofyourownwhichonecansee。However,Ihavenodoubtitwillallcomeevenintheendandyouwillgetyourshareoftroubles,likeothers。
PerhapsMrs。Arbuthnotwillhavenochildrenasthereissomuchforthemtotake。Orperhapsyouwillloseallyourmoneyandhavetoworkforyourliving,whichmightbegoodforyou。Or,\"
headded,stillthinkingaloudafterhisfashion,\"perhapsshewilldieyoung——shehasthatkindofface,although,ofcourse,I
hopeshewon’t,\"headded,wakingup。
Idonotknowwhy,buthiswanderingwordsstruckmecold;theproverbialfuneralbellatthemarriagefeastwasnothingtothem。IsupposeitwasbecauseinaflashofintuitionIknewthattheywouldcometrueandthathewasanappointedCassandra。
Perhapsthisuncannyknowledgeovercamemynaturalindignationatsuchsuper—gaucherieofwhichnoonebutBastincouldhavebeencapable,andevenpreventedmefromreplyingatall,sothatI
merelysatstillandlookedathim。
ButBickleydidreplywithsomevigour。
\"Forgivemeforsayingso,Bastin,\"hesaid,bristlingalloverasitwere,\"butyourremarks,whichmayormaynotbeinaccordancewiththeprinciplesofyourreligion,seemtometobeinsingularlybadtaste。TheywouldhaveturnedthestomachsofagatheringofearlyChristians,whoappeartohavebeentheworstmanneredpeopleintheworld,andatanydecentheathenfeastyourneckwouldhavebeenwrungasthatofabirdofillomen。\"
\"Why?\"askedBastinblankly。\"IonlysaidwhatIthoughttobethetruth。Thetruthisbetterthanwhatyoucallgoodtaste。\"
\"ThenIwillsaywhatIthinkalsotobethetruth,\"repliedBickley,growingfurious。\"ItisthatyouuseyourChristianityasacloakforbadmanners。Itteachesconsiderationandsympathyforothersofwhichyouseemtohavenone。Moreover,sinceyoutalkofthedeathofpeople’swives,Iwilltellyousomethingaboutyourown,asadoctor,whichIcandoasIneverattendedher。Itishighlyprobable,inmyopinion,thatshewilldiebeforeMrs。Arbuthnot,whoisquiteahealthypersonwithagoodprospectoflife。\"
\"Perhaps,\"saidBastin。\"Ifso,itwillbeGod’swillandI
shallnotcomplain\"(hereBickleysnorted),\"thoughIdonotseewhatyoucanknowaboutit。ButwhyshouldyoucastreflectionsontheearlyChristianswhowerepeopleofstrongprinciplelivinginroughtimes,andhadtowagewaragainstanestablisheddevil—worship?IknowyouareangrybecausetheysmashedupthestatuesofVenusandsoforth,buthadIbeenintheirplaceI
shouldhavedonethesame。\"
\"Ofcourseyouwould,whodoubtsit?ButasfortheearlyChristiansandtheiriconoclasticperformances——well,cursethem,that’sall!\"andhesprangupandlefttheroom。
Ifollowedhim。
Letitnotbesupposedfromtheabovescenethattherewasanyill—feelingbetweenBastinandBickley。Onthecontrarytheyweremuchattachedtoeachother,andthiskindofquarrelmeantnomorethanthestrongexpressionoftheirindividualviewstowhichtheywereaccustomedfromtheircollegedays。ForinstanceBastinwasalwaystalkingabouttheearlyChristiansandmissionaries,whileBickleyloathedboth,theearlyChristiansbecauseofthedestructionwhichtheyhadwroughtinEgypt,Italy,Greeceandelsewhere,ofallthatwasbeautiful;andthemissionariesbecause,ashesaid,theyweredegradingandspoilingthenativeracesandbyinducingthemtowearclothes,renderingthemliabletodisease。Bastinwouldanswerthattheirsoulsweremoreimportantthantheirbodies,towhichBickleyrepliedthatastherewasnosuchthingasasoulexceptinthestupidimaginationofpriests,hedifferedentirelyonthepoint。
Asitwasquiteimpossibleforeithertoconvincetheother,theretheconversationwouldend,ordriftintosomethinginwhichtheyweremutuallyinterested,suchasnaturalhistoryandthehygieneoftheneighbourhood。
HereImaystatethatBickley’skeenprofessionaleyewasnotmistakenwhenhediagnosedMrs。Bastin’sstateofhealthasdangerous。Asamatteroffactshewassufferingfromheartdiseasethatadoctorcanoftenrecognisebythecolourofthelips,etc。,whichbroughtaboutherdeathunderthefollowingcircumstances:
Herhusbandattendedsomeecclesiasticalfunctionatatownovertwentymilesawayandwastohavereturnedbyatrainwhichwouldhavebroughthimhomeaboutfiveo’clock。Ashedidnotarriveshewaitedatthestationforhimuntilthelasttraincameinaboutseveno’clock——withoutthebelovedBasil。Then,onawinter’snightshetoreuptothePrioryandbeggedmetolendheradog—cartinwhichtodrivetothesaidtowntolookforhim。Iexpostulatedagainstthefollyofsuchaproceeding,sayingthatnodoubtBasilwassafeenoughbuthadforgottentotelegraph,orthoughtthathewouldsavethesixpencewhichthewirecost。
Thenitcameout,toNatalie’sandmyintenseamusement,thatallthiswastheresultofherjealousnatureofwhichIhavespoken。Shesaidshehadneversleptanightawayfromherhusbandsincetheyweremarriedandwithsomany\"designingpersons\"aboutshecouldnotsaywhatmighthappenifshedidso,especiallyashewas\"suchafavouriteandsohandsome。\"(Bastinwasafinelookingmaninhisruggedway。)
Isuggestedthatshemighthavealittleconfidenceinhim,towhichshereplieddarklythatshehadnoconfidenceinanybody。
TheendofitwasthatIlentherthecartwithafasthorseandagooddriver,andoffshewent。Reachingthetowninquestionsometwoandahalfhourslater,shesearchedhighandlowthroughwindandsleet,butfoundnoBasil。He,itappeared,hadgoneontoExeter,tolookatthecathedralwheresomebuildingwasbeingdone,andmissingthelasttrainhadtheresleptthenight。
Aboutoneinthemorning,afterbeingnearlylockedupasamadwoman,shedrovebacktotheVicarage,againtofindnoBasil。
Eventhenshedidnotgotobedbutragedaboutthehouseinherwetclothes,untilshefelldownutterlyexhausted。Whenherhusbanddidreturnonthefollowingmorning,fullofinformationaboutthecathedral,shewasdangerouslyill,andactuallypassedawaywhileutteringaviolenttiradeagainsthimforhissupposedsuspiciousproceedings。
ThatwastheendofthistrulyodiousBritishmatron。
InafterdaysBastin,bysomepeculiarmentalprocess,canonisedherinhisimaginationasakindofsaint。\"Soloving,\"
hewouldsay,\"suchadevotedwife!Why,mydearHumphrey,Icanassureyouthateveninthemidstofherdeath—struggleherlastthoughtswereofme,\"wordsthatcausedBickleytosnortwithmorethanusualvigour,untilIkickedhimtosilencebeneaththetable。
ChapterIV
DeathandDepartureNowImusttellofmyownterriblesorrow,whichturnedmylifetobitternessandmyhopestoashes。
NeverwereamanandawomanhappiertogetherthanIandNatalie。Mentally,physically,spirituallywewereperfectlymated,andwelovedeachotherdearly。Trulywewereasone。Yettherewassomethingaboutherwhichfilledmewithvaguefears,especiallyaftershefoundthatshewastobecomeamother。I
wouldtalktoherofthechild,butshewouldsighandshakeherhead,hereyesfillingwithtears,andsaythatwemustnotcountonthecontinuanceofsuchhappinessasours,foritwastoogreat。
Itriedtolaughawayherdoubts,thoughwheneverIdidsoI
seemedtohearBastin’sslowvoiceremarkingcasuallythatshemightdie,ashemighthavecommentedonthequalityoftheclaret。Atlast,however,Igrewterrifiedandaskedherbluntlywhatshemeant。
\"Idon’tquiteknow,dearest,\"shereplied,\"especiallyasIamwonderfullywell。But——but——\"
\"Butwhat?\"Iasked。
\"ButIthinkthatourcompanionshipisgoingtobebrokenforalittlewhile。\"
\"Foralittlewhile!\"Iexclaimed。
\"Yes,Humphrey。IthinkthatIshallbetakenawayfromyou——
youknowwhatImean,\"andshenoddedtowardsthechurchyard。
\"Oh,myGod!\"Igroaned。
\"Iwanttosaythis,\"sheaddedquickly,\"thatifsuch’athingshouldhappen,asithappenseveryday,Iimploreyou,dearestHumphrey,nottobetoomuchdistressed,sinceIamsurethatyouwillfindmeagain。No,Ican’texplainhoworwhenorwhere,becauseIdonotknow。Ihaveprayedforlight,butithasnotcometome。AllIknowisthatIamnottalkingofreunioninMr。
Bastin’skindofconventionalheaven,whichhespeaksaboutasthoughtoreachitonestumbledthroughdarknessforaminuteintoafinenewhousenextdoor,whereexcellentservantshadmadeeverythingreadyforyourarrivalandallthelightswereturnedup。Itissomethingquitedifferentfromthatandverymuchmorereal。\"
ThenshebentdownostensiblytopattheheadofalittleblackcockerspanielcalledTommywhichhadbeengiventoherasapuppy,ahighlyintelligentandaffectionateanimalthatwebothadoredandthatlovedherasonlyadogcanlove。Really,Iknew,itwastohidehertears,andfledfromtheroomlestsheshouldseemine。
AsIwentIheardthedogwhimperinginapeculiarway,asthoughsomesympatheticknowledgehadbeencommunicatedtoitswonderfulanimalintelligence。
ThatnightIspoketoBickleyaboutthematter,repeatingexactlywhathadpassed。AsIexpected,hesmiledinhisgrave,rathersarcasticway,andmadelightofit。
\"MydearHumphrey,\"hesaid,\"don’ttormentyourselfaboutsuchfancies。Theyareofeverydayoccurrenceamongwomeninyourwife’scondition。Sometimestheytakeoneform,sometimesanother。Whenshehasgotherbabyyouwillhearnomoreofthem。\"
Itriedtobecomfortedbutinvain。
Thedaysandweekswentbylikealongnightmareandinduecoursetheeventhappened。Bickleywasnotattendingthecase;itwasnotinhisline,hesaid,andhepreferredthatwhereafriend’swifewasconcerned,somebodyelseshouldbecalledin。
Soitwasputinchargeofaverygoodlocalmanwithalargeexperienceinsuchdomesticmatters。
HowamItotellofit?Everythingwentwrong;asforthedetails,letthembe。UltimatelyBickleydidoperate,andifsurpassingskillcouldhavesavedher,itwouldhavebeendone。
Buttheothermanhadmisjudgedtheconditions;itwastoolate,nothingcouldhelpeithermotherorchild,alittlegirlwhodiedshortlyaftershewasbornbutnotbeforeshehadbeenchristened,alsobythenameofNatalie。
Iwascalledintosayfarewelltomywifeandfoundherradiant,triumphanteveninherweakness。
\"Iknownow,\"shewhisperedinafaintvoice。\"Iunderstoodasthechloroformpassedaway,butIcannottellyou。Everythingisquitewell,mydarling。Gowhereyouseemcalledtogo,faraway。
Oh!thewonderfulplaceinwhichyouwillfindme,notknowingthatyouhavefoundme。Good—byeforalittlewhile;onlyforalittlewhile,myown,myown!\"
Thenshedied。AndforatimeItooseemedtodie,butcouldnot。IburiedherandthechildhereatFulcombe;orratherI
buriedtheirashessinceIcouldnotendurethatherbelovedbodyshouldseecorruption。
Afterwards,whenallwasover,IspokeoftheselastwordsofNatalie’swithbothBickleyandBastin,forsomehowIseemedtowishtolearntheirseparateviews。
ThelatterImayexplain,hadbeenpresentattheendinhisspiritualcapacity,butIdonotthinkthatheintheleastunderstoodthenatureofthedramawhichwaspassingbeforehiseyes。Hisprayersandthechristeningabsorbedallhisattention,andheneverwasamanwhocouldthinkofmorethanonethingatatime。
WhenItoldhimexactlywhathadhappenedandrepeatedthewordsthatNataliespoke,hewasmuchinterestedinhisownnebulousway,andsaidthatitwasdelightfultomeetwithanexampleofagoodChristian,suchasmywifehadbeen,whoactuallysawsomethingofHeavenbeforeshehadgonethere。Hisownfaithwas,hethankedGod,fairlyrobust,butstillanundoubtedoccurrenceofthesortactedasarefreshment,\"likerainonapasturewhenitisratherdry,youknow,\"headded,breakingintosimile。
Iremarkedthatshehadnotseemedtospeakinthesenseheindicated,butappearedtoalludetosomethingquitenearathandandmoreorlessimmediate。
\"Idon’tknowthatthereisanythingnearerathandthantheHereafter,\"heanswered。\"IexpectshemeantthatyouwillprobablysoondieandjoinherinParadise,ifyouareworthytodoso。Butofcourseitisnotwisetoputtoomuchrelianceuponwordsspokenbypeopleatthelast,becauseoftentheydon’tquiteknowwhattheyaresaying。IndeedsometimesIthinkthiswassointhecaseofmyownwife,whoreallyseemedtometotalkagooddealofrubbish。Good—bye,IpromisedtoseeWidowJenkinsthisafternoonabouthavinghervaricoseveinscutout,andImustn’tstopherewastingtimeinpleasantconversation。
Shethinksjustasmuchofhervaricoseveinsaswedoofthelossofourwives。\"
IwonderwhatBastin’sideasofunpleasantconversationmaybe,thoughtItomyself,asIwatchedhimdepartalreadywool—gatheringonsomeothersubject,probablytheheresyofoneofthose\"earlyfathers\"whooccupiedmostofhisthoughts。
Bickleylistenedtomytaleinsympatheticsilence,asadoctordoestoapatient。Whenhewasobligedtospeak,hesaidthatitwasinterestingasanexampleofatendencyofcertainmindstowardsromanticvisionwhichsometimesassertsitself,eveninthethroesofdeath。
\"Youknow,\"headded,\"thatIputfaithinnoneofthesethings。IwishthatIcould,butreasonandsciencebothshowmethattheylackfoundation。Theworldonthewholeisasadplace,wherewearrivethroughthepassionsofothersimplantedinthembyNature,which,althoughitcaresnothingforindividualdeath,istendertowardstheimpulseofracesofeverysorttopreservetheircollectivelife。IndeedtheimpulseisNature,oratleastitschiefmanifestation。Consequently,whetherwebegnatsorelephants,oranythingbetweenandbeyond,evenstarsforaughtI
know,wemustmakethebestofthingsastheyare,takingthegoodandtheevilastheycomeandgettingallwecanoutoflifeuntilitleavesus,afterwhichweneednottrouble。Youhadagoodtimeforalittlewhileandwerehappyinit;nowyouarehavingabadtimeandarewretched。Perhapsinthefuture,whenyourmentalbalancehasre—asserteditself,youwillhaveothergoodtimesintheafternoonofyourdays,andthenfollowtwilightandthedark。Thatisallthereistohopefor,andwemayaswelllookthethingintheface。OnlyIconfess,mydearfellow,thatyourexperienceconvincesmethatmarriageshouldbeavoidedatwhateverinconvenience。IndeedIhavelongwonderedthatanyonecantaketheresponsibilityofbringingachildintotheworld。Butprobablynobodydoesincoldblood,exceptmisguidedidiotslikeBastin,\"headded。\"Hewouldhavetwenty,hadnothisluckintervened。\"
\"Thenyoubelieveinnothing,Friend,\"Isaid。
\"Nothing,Iamsorrytosay,exceptwhatIseeandmyfivesensesappreciate。\"
\"Yourejectallpossibilityofmiracle,forinstance?\"
\"Thatdependsonwhatyoumeanbymiracle。Scienceshowsusallkindsofwonderswhichourgreatgrandfatherswouldhavecalledmiracles,butthesearenothingbutlawsthatwearebeginningtounderstand。Givemeaninstance。\"
\"Well,\"Irepliedathazard,\"ifyouwereassuredbysomeonethatamancouldliveforathousandyears?\"
\"Ishouldtellhimthathewasafooloraliar,thatisall。
Itisimpossible。\"
\"Orthatthesameidentity,spirit,animatingprinciple——callitwhatyouwill——canflitfrombodytobody,sayinsuccessiveages?Orthatthedeadcancommunicatewiththeliving?\"
\"Convincemeofanyofthesethings,Arbuthnot,andmindyouI
desiretobeconvinced,andIwilltakebackeverywordIhavesaidandwalkthroughFulcombeinawhitesheetproclaimingmyselfthefool。Now,ImustgetofftotheCottageHospitaltocutoutWidowJenkins’svaricoseveins。Theyaretangibleandrealatanyrate;aboutthelargestIeversaw,indeed。Giveupdreams,oldboy,andtaketosomethinguseful。Youmightgobacktoyourfictionwriting;youseemtohaveleaningsthatway,andyouknowyouneednotpublishthestories,exceptprivatelyfortheedificationofyourfriends。\"
WiththisParthianshaftBickleytookhisdeparturetomakeajobofWidowJenkins’slegs。
Itookhisadvice。DuringthenextfewmonthsIdidwritesomethingwhichoccupiedmythoughtsforawhile,moreorless。
Itliesinmysafetothisminute,forsomehowIhaveneverbeenabletomakeupmymindtoburnwhatcostmesomuchphysicalandmentaltoil。
Whenitwasfinishedmymelancholyreturnedtomewithaddedforce。Everythinginthehousetookatongueandcriedtomeofpastdays。ItswallsechoedavoicethatIcouldneverhearagain;intheverylooking—glassesIsawthereflectionofalostpresence。AlthoughIhadmovedmyselfforthepurposesofsleeptoalittleroomatthefurtherendofthebuilding,footstepsseemedtocreepaboutmybedatnightandIheardtherustleofaremembereddresswithoutthedoor。Theplacegrewhatefultome。
IfeltthatImustgetawayfromitorIshouldgomad。
OneafternoonBastinarrivedcarryingabookandinastateofhighindignation。Thiswork,written,ashesaid,bysomeribaldtraveller,grosslytraducedthecharacterofmissionariestotheSouthSeaIslands,especiallyofthoseoftheSocietytowhichhesubscribed,andhethrewitonthetableinhisrighteouswrath。
BickleypickeditupandopeneditataphotographofaveryprettySouthSeaIslandgirlcladinafewflowersandnothingelse,whichheheldtowardsBastin,saying:
\"IsittothischildofNature。thatyouobject?Icallherdistinctlyattractive,thoughperhapsshedoeswearherhibiscusbloomswithadifferencetoourwomen——alittlelowerdown。\"
\"Thedevilisalwaysattractive,\"repliedBastingloomily。
\"ChildofNatureindeed!IcallherChildofSin。ThatphotographisenoughtomakemypoorSarahturninhergrave。\"
\"Why?\"askedBickley;\"seeingthatwideseasrollbetweenyouandthisduskyVenus。AlsoIthoughtthataccordingtoyourHebrewlegendsincameinwithbarkgarments。\"
\"YoushouldsearchtheScriptures,Bickley,\"Ibrokein,\"andcultivateaccuracy。Itwasfig—leavesthatsymboliseditsarrival。Thegarments,whichIthinkwereofskin,developedlater。\"
\"Perhaps,\"wentonBickley,whohadturnedthepage,\"she\"(hereferredtothelateMrs。Bastin)\"wouldhavepreferredherthus,\"andheheldupanotherillustrationofthesamewoman。
Inthisthenativebelleappearedafterconversion,cladinbroken—downstays——Isupposetheywerestays——outofwhichsheseemedtobulgeandflowineverydirection,adirtywhitedressseveralsizestoosmall,akindofSalvationArmybonnetwithoutacrownandaprayer—bookwhichsheheldpressedtohermiddle;
thegeneraleffectbeinghideous,andinsomecuriousway,improper。
\"Certainly,\"saidBastin,\"thoughIadmitherclothesdonotseemtofitandshehasnotbuttonedthemupassheought。Butitisnotofthepicturessomuchasoftheletterpresswithitsfalseandscandalousaccusations,thatIcomplain。\"
\"Whydoyoucomplain?\"askedBickley。\"Probablyitisquitetrue,thoughthatwecouldneverascertainwithoutvisitingthelady’shome。\"
\"IfIcouldaffordit,\"exclaimedBastinwithrisinganger,\"I
shouldliketogothereandexposethisviletraducerofmycloth。\"
\"SoshouldI,\"answeredBickley,\"andexposetheseintroducersofconsumption,measlesandotherEuropeandiseases,tosaynothingofgin,amonganinnocentandArcadianpeople。\"
\"Howcanyoucalltheminnocent,Bickley,whentheymurderandeatmissionaries?\"
\"Idaresayweshouldalleatamissionary,Bastin,ifwewerehungryenough,\"wastheanswer,afterwhichsomethingoccurredtochangetheconversation。
ButIkeptthebookandreaditasaneutralobserver,andcametotheconclusionthattheseSouthSeaIslands,alandwhereitwasalwaysafternoon,mustbeacharmingplace,inwhichperhapsthestarsoftheTropicsandthescentoftheflowersmightenableonetoforgetalittle,oratleasttaketheedgeoffmemory。WhyshouldInotvisitthemandescapeanotherlonganddrearyEnglishwinter?No,Icouldnotdosoalone。IfBastinandBickleywerethere,theireternalargumentsmightamuseme。Well,whyshouldtheynotcomealso?Whenonehasmoneythingscanalwaysbearranged。
Theidea,whichhaditsrootinthisabsurdconversation,tookacuriousholdonme。Ithoughtofitalltheevening,beingalone,andthatnightitre—arosemmydreams。IdreamedthatmylostNatalieappearedtomeandshowedmeapicture。Itwasofalong,lowland,acurvingshoreofwhichtheendswereoutofthepicture,whereongrewtallpalms,andwheregreatcombersbrokeupongleamingsand。