第1章

AnHabitationEnforcedTheRecallGarm——aHostageThePoweroftheDogTheMotherHiveTheBeesandtheFliesWiththeNightMailTheFourAngelsADealinCottonTheNewKnighthoodThePuzzlerThePuzzlerLittleFoxesGallio\'sSongTheHouseSurgeonTheRabbi\'sSongACTIONSANDREACTIONS

ANHABITATIONENFORCED

Myfriend，ifcausedothwrestthee，Erefollyhathmuchoppressedthee，FarfromacquaintancekesttheeWherecountrymaydigestthee……

ThankGodthatsohathblessedthee，Andsitdown，Robin，andrestthee。

THOMASTUSSER。

Itcamewithoutwarning，attheveryhourhishandwasoutstretchedtocrumpletheHolzandGunsbergCombine。TheNewYorkdoctorscalleditoverwork，andhelayinadarkenedroom，oneanklecrossedabovetheother，tonguepressedintopalate，wonderingwhetherthenextbrain-surgeofpricklyfireswoulddrivehissoulfromallanchorages。Atlasttheygavejudgment。

Withcarehemightintwoyearsreturntothearena，butforthepresenthemustgoacrossthewateranddonoworkwhatever。Heacceptedtheterms。Itwascapitulation；buttheCombinethathadshiveredbeneathhisknifegavehimallthehonoursofwar:

Gunsberghimself，fullofcondolences，cametothesteamerandfilledtheChapins\'suiteofcabinswithoverwhelmingflower-works。

"Smilax，"saidGeorgeChapinwhenhesawthem。"Fitzisright。

I\'mdead；onlyIdon\'tseewhyheleftoutthe\'InMemoriam\'ontheribbons!"

"Nonsense!"hiswifeanswered，andpouredhimhistincture。

"You\'llbebackbeforeyoucanthink。"

Helookedathimselfinthemirror，surprisedthathisfacehadnotbeenbrandedbythehellsofthepastthreemonths。Thenoiseofthedecksworriedhim，andhelaydown，histongueonlyalittlepressedagainsthispalate。

Anhourlaterhesaid:"Sophie，Ifeelsorryabouttakingyouawayfromeverythinglikethis。I——Isupposewe\'rethetwoloneliestpeopleonGod\'searthto-night。"

SaidSophiehiswife，andkissedhim:"Isn\'titsomethingtoyouthatwe\'regoingtogether？"

TheydriftedaboutEuropeformonths——sometimesalone，sometimeswithchancemetgipsiesoftheirownland。FromtheNorthCapetotheBlueGrottoatCapritheywandered，becausethenextsteamerheadedthatway，orbecausesomeonehadsetthemontheroad。

ThedoctorshadwarnedSophiethatChapinwasnottotakeinteresteveninothermen\'sinterests；butafamiliarsensationatthebackoftheneckafteronehour\'skeentalkwithaNauheimedrailwaymagnatesavedheranytrouble。Henearlywept。

"AndI\'moverthirty，"hecried。"WithallImeanttodo!"

"Let\'scallitahoneymoon，"saidSophie。"D\'youknow，inallthesixyearswe\'vebeenmarried，you\'venevertoldmewhatyoumeanttodowithyourlife？"

"Withmylife？What\'stheuse？It\'sfinishednow。"SophielookedupquicklyfromtheBayofNaples。"Asfarasmybusinessgoes，I

shallhavetoliveonmyrentslikethatarchitectatSanMoritz。"

"You\'llgetbetterifyoudon\'tworry；andevenifitrakestime，thereareworsethingsthan——Howmuchhaveyou？"

"Betweenfourandfivemillion。Butitisn\'tthemoney。Youknowitisn\'t。It\'stheprinciple。Howcouldyourespectme？Youneverdid，thefirstyearafterwemarried，tillIwenttoworkliketheothers。Ourtraditionandupbringingareagainstit。Wecan\'tacceptthoseideals。"

"Well，IsupposeImarriedyouforsomesortofideal，"sheanswered，andtheyreturnedtotheirforty-thirdhotel。

InEnglandtheymissedthealientonguesofContinentalstreetsthatremindedthemoftheirownpolyglotcities。InEnglandallmenspokeonetongue，speciouslylikeAmericantotheear，butoncross-examinationunintelligible。，"Ah，butyouhavenotseenEngland，"saidaladywithiron-greyhair。TheyhadmetherinVienna，Bayreuth，andFlorence，andweregratefultofindheragainatClaridge\'s，forshecommandedsituations，andknewwhereprescriptionsaremostcarefullymadeup。"YououghttotakeaninterestinthehomeofourancestorsasIdo。"

"I\'vetriedforaweek，Mrs。Shonts，"saidSophie，"butInevergetanyfurtherthantippingGermanwaiters。"

"Thesemenarenotthetruetype，"Mrs。Shoutswenton。"Iknowwhereyoushouldgo。"

Chapinprickeduphisears，anxioustorunanywherefromthestreetsonwhichquickmen，somethingofhiskidney，didthebusinessdeniedtohim。

"Wehearandweobey，Mrs。Shonts，"saidSophie，feelinghisunrestashedranktheloathedBritishtea。

Mrs。Shontssmiled，andtooktheminhand。Shewrotewidelyandtelegraphedfarontheirbehalftill，armedwithherletterofintroduction，shedrovethemintothatwildernesswhichisreachedfromanash-barrelofastationcalledCharingCross。

TheyweretogotoRockett\'s——thefarmofoneCloke，inthesoutherncounties——where，sheassuredthem，theywouldmeetthegenuineEnglandoffolkloreandsong。

Rockettstheyfoundaftersomehours，fourmilesfromastation，and，sofarastheycould，judgeinthebumpydarkness，twiceasmanyfromaroad。Trees，kine，andtheoutlinesofbarnsshowedshadowyaboutthemwhentheyalighted，andMr。andMrs。Cloke，attheopendoorofadeepstone-flooredkitchen，madethemshylywelcome。Theylayinanatticbeneathawavywhitewashedceiling，and，becauseitrained，awoodfirewasmadeinanironbasketonabrickhearth，andtheyfellasleeptothechirpingofmiceandthewhimperofflames。

Whentheywokeitwasafairday，fullofthenoises，ofbirds，thesmellofboxlavender，andfriedbacon，mixedwithanelementalsmelltheyhadnevermetbefore。

"This，"saidSophie，nearlypushingoutthethincasementinanattempttoseeroundthe，corner，"is——whatdidthehack-cabmansaytotherailwayporteraboutmytrunk——\'quiteonthetop？\'"

"No；\'alittlebitofallright。\'IfeelfartherawayfromanywherethanI\'veeverfeltinmylife。Wemustfindoutwherethetelegraphofficeis。"

"Whocares？"saidSophie，wanderingabout，hairbrushinhand，toadmiretheillustratedweeklypicturespastedondoorandcupboard。

Buttherewasnorestforthealiensoultillhehadmadesureofthetelegraphoffice。HeaskedtheClokes\'daughter，layingbreakfast，whileSophieplungedherfaceinthelavenderbushoutsidethelowwindow。

"Gotothestilea-topo\'theBarnfield，"saidMary，"andlookacrossPardonstothenextspire。It\'sdirectlyunder。Youcan\'tmissit——notifyoukeeptothefootpath。Mysister\'sthetelegraphistthere。Butyou\'reinthethree-mileradius，sir。TheboydeliverstelegramsdirectlytothisdoorfromPardonsvillage。"

"Onehastotakeagooddealontrustinthiscountry，"hemurmured。

Sophielookedatthecloseturf，scarredonlywithlastnight\'swheels，attworutswhichwoundroundarickyard，andatthecircleofstillorchardaboutthehalf-timberedhouse。

"What\'sthematterwithit？"shesaid。"TelegramsdeliveredtotheValeofAvalon，ofcourse，"andshebeckonedinanearnest-eyedhoundofengagingmannersandnoengagements，whoanswered，attimes，tothenameofRambler。Heledthem，afterbreakfast，totherisebehindthehousewherethestilestoodagainsttheskyline，and，"Iwonderwhatweshallfindnow，"saidSophie，franklyprancingwithjoyonthegrass。

Itwasaslopeofgap-hedgedfieldspossessedtotheircentresbyclumpsofbrambles。Gateswerenot，andtherabbit-mined，cattle-rubbedpostsleanedoutandin。Anarrowpathdoubledamongthebushes，scoresofwhitetailstwinkledbeforetheracinghound，andahawkrose，whistlingshrilly。

"Noroads，nonothing!"saidSophie，hershortskirthookedbybriers。"IthoughtallEnglandwasagarden。There\'syourspire，George，acrossthevalley。Howcurious!"

Theywalkedtowarditthroughanallabandonedland。Heretheyfoundtheghostofapatchoflucernethathadrefusedtodie:

thereaharshfallowsurrenderedtoyard-highthistles；andhereabreadthoframpantkelkfeigningtobelawfulcrop。Intheungrazedpasturesswathsofdeadstuffcaughttheirfeet，andthegroundbeneathglistenedwithsweat。Atthebottomofthevalleyalittlebrookhadundermineditsfootbridge，andfrothedinthewreckage。Buttherestoodgreatwoodsontheslopesbeyond——old，tall，andbrilliant，likeunfadedtapestriesagainstthewallsofaruinedhouse。

"AllthiswithinahundredmilesofLondon，"hesaid。"Looksasifithadhadnervousprostration，too。"The，footpathturnedtheshoulderofaslope，throughathicketofrankrhododendrons，andcrossedwhathadoncebeenacarriagedrive，whichendedintheshadowoftwogiganticholm-oaks。

"Ahouse!"saidSophie，inawhisper。"AColonialhouse!"

Behindtheblue-greenofthetwintreesroseadark-bluishbrickGeorgianpile，withashell-shapedfan-lightoveritspillareddoor。Thehoundhadgoneoffonhisownfoolishquests。Exceptforsomestiritthebranchesandtheflightoffourstartledmagpies；therewasneitherlifenorsoundaboutthesquarehouse，butitlookedoutofitslongwindowsmostfriendlily。

"Cha-armedtomeetyou，I\'msure，"saidSophie，andcurtsiedtotheground。"George，thisishistoryIcanunderstand。Webeganhere。"Shecurtsiedagain。

TheJunesunshinetwinkledonallthelights。Itwasasthoughanoldlady，wiseinthreegenerations\'experience，butforthepresentsittingout，benttolistentoherflushedandeagergrandchild。

"Imustlook!"Sophietiptoedtoawindow，andshadedhereyeswithherhand。"Oh，thisroom\'shalf-fullofcotton-bales——wool，Isuppose!ButIcanseeabitofthemantelpiece。George，docome!Isn\'tthatsomeone？"

Shefellbackbehindherhusband。Thefrontdooropenedslowly，toshowthehound，hisnosewhitewithmilk，inchargeofanancientofdayscladinabluelinenephodcuriouslygatheredonbreastandshoulders。

"Certainly，"saidGeorge，halfaloud。"FatherTimehimself。Thisiswherehelives，Sophie。"

"Wecame，"saidSophieweakly。"Canweseethehouse？I\'mafraidthat\'sourdog。"

"No，\'tisRambler，"saidtheoldman。"He\'sbeen，atmyswill-pailagain。StayingatRocketts，beye？Comein。Ah!yourunagate!"

Thehoundbrokefromhim，andhetotteredafterhimdownthedrive。Theyenteredthehall——justsuchahighlighthallassuchahouseshouldown。Aslim-balusteredstaircase，wideandshallowandoncecreamy-white，climbedoutofitunderalongovalwindow。Oneithersidedelicatelymouldeddoorsgaveontowool-lumberedrooms，whosesea-greenmantelpieceswereadornedwithnymphs，scrolls，andCupidsinlowrelief。

"What\'sthefirmthatmakesthesethings？"criedSophie，enraptured。"Oh，Iforgot!Thesemustbetheoriginals。Adams，isit？Ineverdreamedofanythinglikethatsteel-cutfender。Doeshemeanustogoeverywhere？"

"He\'scatchingthedog，"saidGeorge，lookingout。"Wedon\'tcount。"

Theyexploredthefirstorgroundfloor，delightedaschildrenplayingburglars。

"ThisislikeallEngland，"shesaidatlast。"Wonderful，butnoexplanation。You\'reexpectedtoknowitbeforehand。Now，let\'stryupstairs。"

Thestairsnevercreakedbeneaththeirfeet。Fromthebroadlandingtheyenteredalong，green-panelledroomlightedbythreefull-lengthwindows，whichoverlookedtheforlornwreckofaterracedgarden，andwoodedslopesbeyond。

"Thedrawing-room，ofcourse。"Sophieswamupanddownit。"Thatmantelpiece——OrpheusandEurydice——isthebestofthemall。Isn\'titmarvellous？Why，theroomseemsfurnishedwithnothinginit!

How\'sthat，George？"

"It\'stheproportions。I\'venoticedit。"

"IsawaHeppelwhitecouchonce"——Sophielaidherfingertoherflushedcheekandconsidered。"With，twoofthem——oneoneachside——youwouldn\'tneedanythingelse。Except——theremustbeoneperfectmirroroverthatmantelpiece。"

"Lookatthatview。It\'saframedConstable，"herhusbandcried。

"No；it\'saMorland——aparodyofaMorland。Butaboutthatcouch，George。Don\'tyouthinkEmpiremightbebetterthanHeppelwhite？

Dullgoldagainstthatpalegreen？It\'sapitytheydon\'tmakespinetsnowadays。"

"Ibelieveyoucangetthem。Lookatthatoakwoodbehindthepines。"

"\'Whileyousatandplayedtoccatasstately，attheclavichord，"\'

Sophiehummed，and，headonone；side，noddedtowheretheperfectmirrorshouldhang:

Thentheyfoundbedroomswithdressing-roomsandpowdering-closets，andstepsleadingupanddown——boxesofrooms，round，square，andoctagonal，withenrichedceilingsandchaseddoor-locks。

"Nowaboutservants。Oh!"Shehaddartedupthelaststairstothechequereddarknessofthetopfloor，whereloosetileslayamongbrokenlaths，andthewallswerescrawledwithnames，sentiments，andhoprecords。"They\'vebeenkeepingpigeonshere，"

shecried。

"Andyoucoulddriveabuggythroughtheroofanywhere，"saidGeorge。

"That\'swhatIsay，"theoldmancriedbelowthemonthestairs。

"Notadryplaceformypigeonsatall。"

"Butwhywasitallowedtogetlikethis？"saidSophie。

"Tiswithhousenasteeth，"hereplied。"Let\'emgotoofar，andthere\'snothingtobedone。Timewastheywasmindedtosellher，butnonewouldbuy。Shewastoofarawayalongfromanyplace。

Timewasthey\'dha\'livedheretheyselves，buttheytookanddied。"

"Here？"Sophiemovedbeneaththelightofaholeintheroof。

"Nah——nonedieshereexcep\'fallingoffricksandsuch。InLondontheydied。"Hepluckedalockofwoolfromhisbluesmock。"Theywasnostaple——neithertheElphicksnortheMoones。Shartandbrittleallof\'em。Deadtheybeseventeenyear，forI\'vebeenherecaretakin\'twenty-five。"

"Whodoesallthewoolbelongtodownstairs？"Georgeasked。

"Totheestate。I\'llshowyouthebackpartsifyelike。You\'refromAmerica，ain\'tye？I\'vehadasonthereoncemyself。"Theyfollowedhimdownthemainstairway。Hepausedattheturnandsweptonehandtowardthewall。"Plentyroom，hereforyourcoffintocomedown。Sevenfootandthreemenateachendwouldn\'tbrishthepaint。IfIdieinmybedthey\'ll\'avetoup-endmelikeamilk-can。\'Tisallluck，dyesee？"

Heledthemonandon，throughamazeofbackkitchens，dairies，larders，andsculleries，thatmeltedalongcoveredwaysintoafarm-house，visiblyolderthanthemainbuilding，whichagainrambledoutamongbarns，byres，pig-pens，stallsandstablestothedeadfieldsbehind。

"Somehow，"saidSophie，sittingexhaustedonanancientwell-curb——"somehowonewouldn\'tinsulttheselovelyoldthingsbyfillingthemwithhay。"

Georgelookedatlongstonewallsupholdingreachesofsilvery-oakweather-boarding；buttressesofmixedflintandbricks；outsidestairs，stoneuponarchedstone；curvesofthatchwheregrasssprouted；roundelsofhouse-leekedtiles，andahugepavedyardpopulatedbytwocowsandtherepentantRambler。Hehadnotthoughtofhimselforofthetelegraphofficefortwoandahalfhours。

"Butwhy，"saidSophie，astheywentbackthroughthecraterofstrickenfields，——"whyisoneexpectedtoknoweverythinginEngland？Whydotheynevertell？"

"YoumeanabouttheElphicksandtheMoones？"heanswered。

"Yes——andthelawyersandtheestate。Whoarethey？Iwonderwhetherthosepaintedfloorsinthegreenroomwererealoak。

Don\'tyoulikeusexploringthingstogether——betterthanPompeii？"

Georgeturnedoncemoretolookattheview。"Eighthundredacresgowiththehouse——theoldmantoldme。Fivefarmsaltogether。

Rockettsisoneof\'em。"

"IlikeMrs。Cloke。Butwhatistheoldhousecalled？"

Georgelaughed。"That\'soneofthethingsyou\'reexpectedtoknow。Henevertoldme。"

TheClokesweremorecommunicative。ThateveningandthereafterforaweektheygavetheChapinstheofficialhistory，asonegivesittolodgers，ofFriarsPardonthehouseanditsfivefarms。ButSophieaskedsomanyquestions，andGeorgewassohumanlyinterested，that，asconfidenceinthestrangersgrew，theylaunched，withobservedandacquireddetail，intothelivesanddeathsanddoingsoftheElphicksandtheMoonesandtheircollaterals，theHaylingsandtheTorrells。ItwasataletoldseriallybyClokeinthebarn，orhiswifeinthedairy，thelastchaptersreservedforthekitcheno\'nightsbythebigfire，whenthetwohadbeenhalfthedayexploringaboutthehouse，whereoldIggulden，ofthebluesmock，cackledandchuckledtoseethem。Themotivesthatswayedthecharacterswerebeyondtheircomprehension；thefatesthatshiftedthemweregodstheyhadnevermet；thesidelightsMrs。Clokethrewonactandincidentweremoreamazingthananythingintherecord。ThereforetheChapinslisteneddelightedly，andblessedMrs。Shonts。

"Butwhy——why——why——didSo-and-sodoso-and-so？"Sophiewoulddemandfromherseatbythepothook；andMrs。Clokewouldanswer，smoothingherknees，"Forthesakeoftheplace。"

"Igiveitup，"saidGeorgeonenightintheirownroom。"Peopledon\'tseemtomatterinthiscountrycomparedtotheplacestheylivein。Thewayshetellsit，FriarsPardonwasasortofMoloch。"

"Pooroldthing!"Theyhadbeenwalkingroundthefarmsasusualbeforetea。"Nowondertheylovedit。Thinkofthesacrificestheymadeforit。JaneElphickmarriedtheyoungerTorrelltokeepitinthefamily。Theoctagonalroomwiththemouldedceilingnexttothebigbedroomwashers。Nowwhatdidhetellyouwhilehewasfeedingthepigs？"saidSophie。

"AbouttheTorrellcousinsandtheunclewhodiedinJava。TheylivedatBurntHouse——behindHighPardons，wherethatbrookisallblockedup。"

"No；BurntHouseisunderHighPardonsWood，beforeyoucometoGaleAnstey，"Sophiecorrected。

"Well，oldmanClokesaid——"

Sophiethrewopenthedoorandcalleddownintothekitchen，wheretheClokeswerecoveringthefire"Mrs。Cloke，isn\'tBurntHouseunderHighPardons？"

"Yes，mydear，ofcourse，"thesoftvoice。answeredabsently。A

cough。"Ibegyourpardon，Madam。Whatwasityousaid？"

"Nevermind。Ipreferittheotherway，"Sophielaughed，andGeorgere-toldthemissingchapterasshesatonthebed。

"Hereto-dayan\'goneto-morrow，"saidClokewarningly。"They\'vepaidtheirfirstmonth，butwe\'veonlythatMrs。Shonts\'sletterforguarantee。"

"Noneshesentnevercheatedusyet。ItslippedoutbeforeI

thought。She\'samosthumaneyounglady。They\'llbegoingawayinalittle。An\'you\'vetalkedalottoo，Alfred。"

"Yes，buttheElphicksarealldead。Noonecanbringmyloosetalkinghometome。Butwhydotheystayonandstayonso？"

InduetimeGeorgeandSophieaskedeachotherthatquestion，andputitaside。Theyarguedthattheclimate——apearlyblend，unlikethehotandcoldferocitiesoftheirnativeland——suitedthem，asthethickstillnessofthenightscertainlysuitedGeorge。Hewassavedeventhesightofametalledroad，which，aspresumablyleadingtobusiness，wakesdesireinaman；andthetelegraphofficeatthevillageofFriarsPardon，wheretheysoldpicturepost-cardsandpegtops，wastwowalkingmilesacrossthefieldsandwoods。

Forallthattouchedhispastamonghisfellows，ortheirremembranceofhim，hemighthavebeeninanotherplanet；andSophie，whoselifehadbeenverylargelyspentamonghusbandlesswivesofloftyideals，hadnowishtoleavethispresentofGod。

Theunhurriedmeals，theforeknowledgeofdeliciouslyemptyhourstofollow，thebreadthsofsoftskyunderwhichtheywalkedtogetherandreckonedtimeonlybytheirhungerorthirst；thegoodgrassbeneaththeirfeetthatcheatedthemiles；theirdiscoveries，alwaystogether，amidthefarms——Griffons，Rocketts，BurntHouse，GaleAnstey，andtheHomeFarm，whereIgguldenofthebluesmock-frockwouldwaylaythem，andtheywouldransacktheoldhouseoncemore；thelongwetafternoonswhen，theytuckeduptheirfeetonthebedroom\'sdeepwindow-silloveragainsttheapple-trees，andtalkedtogetherasnevertillthenhadtheyfoundtimetotalk——thesethingscontentedhersoul，andherbodythrove。

"Haveyourealized，"sheaskedonemorning，"thatwe\'vebeenhereabsolutelyaloneforthelastthirty-fourdays？"

"Haveyoucountedthem？"heasked。

"Didyoulikethem？"shereplied。

"Imusthave。Ididn\'tthinkaboutthem。Yes，Ihave。SixmonthsagoIshouldhavefrettedmyselfsick。RememberatCairo？I\'veonlyhadtwoorthreebadtimes。AmIgettingbetter，orisitseniledecay？"

"Climate，allclimate。"Sophieswunghernew-boughtEnglishboots，asshesatonthestileoverlookingFriarsPardon，behindtheClokes\'sbarn。

"Onemusttakeholdofthingsthough，"hesaid，"ifit\'sonlytokeepone\'shandin。"Hiseyesdidnotflickernowastheyswepttheemptyfields。"Mustn\'tone？"

"LayoutaMorristownlinksoverGaleAnstey。Idaresayyoucouldhireit。"

"No，I\'mnotasEnglishasthat——norasMorristown。Clokesaysallthefarmsherecouldbemadetopay。"

"Well，I\'mAnastasiainthe\'TreasureofFranchard。\'I\'mcontenttobealiveandpurr。There\'snohurry。"

"No。"Hesmiled。"Allthesame，I\'mgoingtoseeaftermymail。"

"Youpromisedyouwouldn\'thaveany。"

"There\'ssomebusinesscomingthroughthat\'samusingme。Honest。

Itdoesn\'tgetonmynervesatall。"

"Wantasecretary？"

"No，thanks，oldthing!Isn\'tthatquiteEnglish？"

"TooEnglish!Goaway。"Butnonethelessinbroaddaylightshereturnedthekiss。"I\'mofftoPardons。Ihaven\'tbeentothehousefornearlyaweek。"

"How\'veyoudecidedtofurnishJaneElphick\'sbedroom？"helaughed，forithadcometobeapermanentCastleinSpainbetweenthem。

"BlackChinesefurnitureandyellowsilkbrocade，"sheanswered，andrandownhill。Shescatteredafewcowsatagapwithaflourishofaground-ashthatIgguldenhadcutforheraweekago，andsingingasshepassedundertheholmoaks，soughtthefarm-houseatthebackofFriarsPardon。Theoldmanwasnottobefound，andsheknockedathishalf-openeddoor，forsheneededhimtofillheridleforenoon。Ablue-eyedsheep-dog，anewfriend，andRambler\'soldenemy，crawledoutandbesoughthertoenter。

Igguldensatinhischairbythefire，athistle-spudbetweenhisknees，hisheaddrooped。Thoughshehadneverseendeathbefore，herheart，thatmissedabeat，toldherthathewasdead。Shedidnotspeakorcry，butstoodoutsidethedoor，andthedoglickedherhand。Whenhethrewuphisnose，sheheardherselfsaying:

"Don\'thowl!Pleasedon\'tbegintohowl，Scottie，orIshallrunaway!"

Sheheldhergroundwhiletheshadowsintherickyardmovedtowardnoon；satafterawhileonthestepsbythedoor，herarmsroundthedog\'sneck，waitingtillsomeoneshouldcome。ShewatchedthesmokelesschimneysofFriarsPardonslashitsroofswithshadow，andthesmokeofIggulden\'slastlightedfiregraduallythinandcease。AgainstherwillshefelltowonderinghowmanyMoones，Elphicks，andTorrellshadbeenswungroundtheturnofthebroadMallstairs。Thensherememberedtheoldman\'stalkofbeing"up-endedlikeamilk-can，"andburiedherfaceonScottie\'sneck。Atlastahorse\'sfeetclinkeduponflags，rustledintheoldgreystrawoftherickyard，andshefoundherselffacingthevicar——afigureshehadseenatchurchdeclaimingimpossibilities(SophiewasaUnitarian)inanunnaturalvoice。

"He\'sdead，"shesaid，withoutpreface。

"OldIggulden？Iwascomingforatalkwithhim。"Thevicarpassedinuncovered。"Ah!"sheheardhimsay。"Heart-failure!Howlonghaveyoubeenhere？"

"Sinceaquartertoeleven。"Shelookedatherwatchearnestlyandsawthatherhanddidnotshake。

"I\'llsitwithhimnowtillthedoctorcomes。D\'youthinkyoucouldtellhim，and——yes，Mrs。Bettsinthecottagewiththewistarianexttheblacksmith\'s？I\'mafraidthishasbeenratherashocktoyou。"

Sophienodded，andfledtowardthevillage。Herbodyfailedherforamoment；shedroppedbeneathahedge，andlookedbackatthegreathouse。Insomefashionitssilenceandstoliditysteadiedherforhererrand。

Mrs。Betts，small，black-eyed，anddark，wasalmostasunconcernedasFriarsPardon。

"Yiss，yiss，ofcourse。Dearme!Well，Igguldenhehadhadhisdayinmyfather\'stime。Muriel，getmemylittlebluebag，please。Yiss，ma\'am。Theycomedownlikeellum-branchesinstillweather。Nowarnin\'atall。Muriel，mybicycle\'sbe\'indthefowlhouse。I\'lltellDr。Dallas，ma\'am。"

Shetrundledoffonherwheellikeabrownbee，whileSophie——heavenaboveandearthbeneathchanged——walkedstifflyhome，tofalloverGeorgeathisletters，inamuddleoflaughterandtears。

"It\'sallquitenaturalforthem，"shegasped。"Theycomedownlikeellum-branchesinstillweather。Yiss，ma\'am。\'No，therewasn\'tanythingintheleasthorrible，only——only——Oh，George，thatpoorshinystickofhisbetweenhispoor，thinknees!I

couldn\'thaveborneitifScottiehadhowled。Ididn\'tknowthevicarwasso——sosensitive。Hesaidhewasafraiditwasra——ratherashock。Mrs。Bettstoldmetogohome，andIwantedtocollapseonherfloor。ButIdidn\'tdisgracemyself。I——I

couldn\'thavelefthim——couldI？"

"You\'resureyou\'vetookno\'arm？"criedMrs。Cloke，whohadheardthenewsbyfarm-telegraphy，whichisolderbutswifterthanMarconi\'s。

"No。I\'mperfectlywell，"Sophieprotested。

"Youlaydowntilltea-time。"Mrs。Clokepattedhershoulder。

"THEY\'llbeverypleased，thoughshe\'as\'adnoproperunderstandin\'fortwentyyears。"

"They"camebeforetwilight——ablack-beardedmaninmoleskins，andalittlepalsiedoldwoman，whochirrupedlikeawren。

"I\'mhisson，"saidthemantoSophie，amongthelavenderbushes。

"We\'adadifference——twentyyearback，anddidn\'tspeaksince。

ButI\'mhissonallthe\'same，andwethankyouforthewatching。"

"I\'monlygladIhappenedtobethere，"sheanswered，andfromthebottomofherheartshemeantit。

"Weheardhespokealoto\'you——onetimean\'anothersinceyoucame。Wethankyoukindly，"themanadded。

"AreyouthesonthatwasinAmerica？"sheasked。

"Yes，ma\'am。Onmyuncle\'sfarm，inConnecticut。Hewaswhattheycallrood-masterthere。"

"WhereaboutsinConnecticut？"askedGeorgeoverhershoulder。

"VeeringHollerwasthename。Iwastheresixyearwithmyuncle。"

"Howsmalltheworldis!"Sophiecried。"Why，allmymother\'speoplecomefromVeeringHollow。Theremustbesometherestill——theLashmars。Didyoueverhearofthem？"

"Irememberhearingthatname，seemstome，"heanswered，buthisfacewasblankasthebackofaspade。

Alittlebeforeduskawomaningrey，stridinglikeafoot-soldier，andbearingonherarmalongpole，crashedthroughtheorchardcallingforfood。George，uponwhomtheunannouncedEnglishworkedmysteriously，fledtotheparlour；butMrs。Clokecameforwardbeaming。Sophiecouldnotescape。

"We\'veonlyjustheardofit；"saidthestranger，turningonher。

"I\'vebeenoutwiththeotter-houndsallday。Itwasasplendidlysportin\'thing"

"Didyou——er——kill？"saidSophie。Sheknewfrombooksshecouldnotgofarwronghere。

"Yes，adrybitch——seventeenpounds，"wastheanswer。"A

splendidlysportin\'thingofyoutodo。PooroldIggulden——"

"Oh——that!"saidSophie，enlightened。

"IftherehadbeenanypeopleatPardonsitwouldneverhavehappened。He\'dhavebeenlookedafter。ButwhatcanyouexpectfromaparcelofLondonsolicitors？"

Mrs。Clokemurmuredsomething。

"No。I\'msoakedfromthekneesdown。IfIhangaboutIshallgetchilled。Acupoftea，Mrs。Cloke，andIcaneatoneofyoursandwichesasIgo。"Shewipedherweather-wornfacewithagreenandyellowsilkhandkerchief。

"Yes，mylady!"Mrs。Clokeranandreturnedswiftly。

"OurlandmarcheswithPardonsforamileonthesouth，"sheexplained，wavingthefullcup，"butonehasquiteenoughtodowithone\'sownpeoplewithoutpoachin\'。Still，ifI\'dknown，I\'dhavesentDora，ofcourse。Haveyouseenherthisafternoon，Mrs。

Cloke？No？Iwonderwhetherthatgirldidsprainherankle。Thankyou。"ItwasaformidablehunkofbreadandbaconthatMrs。Clokepresented。"AsIwassayin\'，Pardonsisascandal!Lettin\'peopledielikedogs。Thereoughttobepeopletherewhodotheirduty。

You\'vedoneyours，thoughtherewasn\'tthefaintestcalluponyou。Goodnight。TellDora，ifshecomes，I\'vegoneon。"

Shestrodeaway，munchinghercrust，andSophiereeledbreathlessintotheparlour，toshaketheshakingGeorge。

"Whydidyoukeepcatchingmyeyebehindtheblind？Whydidn\'tyoucomeoutanddoyourduty？"

"BecauseIshouldhaveburst。Didyouseethemudonitscheek？"

hesaid。

"Once。Idaren\'tlookagain。Whoisshe？"

"God——alocaldeitythen。Anyway，she\'sanotherofthethingsyou\'reexpectedtoknowbyinstinct。"

Mrs。Cloke，shockedattheirlevity，toldthemthatitwasLadyConant，wifeofSirWalterConant，Baronet，alargelandholderintheneighbourhood；andifnotGod；atleastHisvisibleProvidence。Georgemadehertalkofthatfamilyforanhour。

"Laughter，"saidSophieafterwardintheirownroom，"isthemarkofthesavage。Whycouldn\'tyoucontrolyouremotions？It\'sallrealtoher。"

"It\'sallrealtome。That\'smytrouble，"heansweredinanalteredtone。"Anyway，it\'srealenoughtomarktimewith。Don\'tyouthinkso？"

"Whatd\'youmean？"sheaskedquickly，thoughsheknewhisvoice。

"ThatI\'mbetter。I\'mwellenoughtokick。"

"Whatat？"

"This!"Hewavedhishandroundtheoneroom。"ImusthavesomethingtoplaywithtillI\'mfitforworkagain。"

"Ah!"Shesatonthebedandleanedforward，herhandsclasped。

"Iwonderifit\'sgoodforyou。"

"We\'vebeenbetterherethananywhere，"hewentonslowly。"Onecouldalwayssellitagain。"

Shenoddedgravely，buthereyessparkled。

"Theonlythingthatworriesmeiswhathappenedthismorning。I

wanttoknowhowyoufeelaboutit。Ifit\'sonyournervesintheleastwecanhavetheoldfarmatthebackofthehousepulleddown，orperhapsithasspoiledthenotionforyou？"

"Pullitdown？"shecried。"You\'venobusinessfaculty。Why，that\'swherewecouldlivewhilewe\'reputtingthebighouseinorder。It\'salmostunderthesameroof。No!Whathappenedthismorningseemedtobemoreofa——ofaleadingthananythingelse。