第2章

ThereoughttobepeopleatPardons。LadyConant\'squiteright。"

"Iwasthinkingmoreofthewoodsandtheroads。Icoulddoublethevalueoftheplaceinsixmonths。"

"Whatdotheywantforit？"Sheshookherhead，andherloosenedhairfellglowinglyabouthercheeks。

"Seventy-fivethousanddollars。They\'lltakesixty-eight。"

"Lessthanhalfwhatwepaidforouroldyachtwhenwemarried。

Andwedidn\'thaveagoodtimeinher。Youwere——"

"Well，IdiscoveredIwastoomuchofanAmericantobecontenttobearichman\'sson。Youaren\'tblamingmeforthat？"

"Oh，no。Onlyitwasaverybusinesslikehoneymoon。Howfarareyoualongwiththedeal，George？"

"Icanmailthedepositonthepurchasemoneyto-morrowmorning，andwecanhavethethingcompletedinafortnightorthreeweeks——ifyousayso。"

"FriarsPardon——FriarsPardon!"Sophiechantedrapturously，herdarkgrayeyesbigwithdelight。"Allthefarms？GaleAnstey，BurntHouse，Rocketts，theHomeFarm，andGriffons？Sureyou\'vegot\'emall？"

"Sure。"Hesmiled。

"Andthewoods？HighPardonsWood，LowerPardons，Suttons，Dutton\'sShaw，Reuben\'sGhyll，Maxey\'sGhyll，andboththeOakHangers？Sureyou\'vegot\'emall？"

"Everylaststick。Why，youknowthemaswellasIdo。"Helaughed。"Theysaythere\'sfivethousand——athousandpounds\'

worthoflumber——timbertheycallit——intheHangersalone。"

"Mrs。Cloke\'sovenmustbemendedfirstthing，andthekitchenroof。IthinkI\'llhaveallthiswhitewashed，"Sophiebrokein，pointingtotheceiling。"Thewholeplaceisascandal。LadyConantisquiteright。George，whendidyoubegintofallinlovewiththehouse？Inthegreenroomthatfirstday？Idid。"

"I\'mnotinlovewithit。Onemustdosomethingtomarktimetillone\'sfitforwork。"

"Orwhenwestoodundertheoaks，andthedooropened？Oh!OughtItogotopoorIggulden\'sfuneral？"Shesighedwithutterhappiness。

"Wouldn\'ttheycallitalibertynow？"saidhe。

"ButIlikedhim。"

"Butyoudidn\'townhimatthedateofhisdeath。"

"Thatwouldn\'tkeepmeaway。Only，theymadesuchafussaboutthewatching"——shecaughtherbreath——"itmightbeostentatiousfromthatpointofview，too。Oh，George"——shereachedforhishand——"we\'retwolittleorphansmovinginworldsnotrealized，andweshallmakesomebadbreaks。Butwe\'regoingtohavethetimeofourlives。"

"We\'llrunuptoLondonto-morrow，andseeifwecanhurrythoseEnglishlawsolicitors。Iwanttogettowork。"

Theywent。TheysufferedmanythingseretheyreturnedacrossthefieldsinaflyoneSaturdaynight，nursingatwobytwo-and-a-halfboxofdeedsandmaps——lawfulownersofFriarsPardonandthefivedecayedfarmstherewith。

"Idomostsincerely\'opeandtrustyou\'llbe\'appy，Madam，"Mrs。

Clokegasped，whenshewastoldthenewsbythekitchenfire。

"Goodness!Itisn\'tamarriage!"Sophieexclaimed，alittleawed；

fortothemthejoke，whichtoanAmericanmeanswork，wasonlyjustbeginning。

"Ifit\'stookinaproperspirit"——Mrs。Cloke\'seyeturnedtowardheroven。

"Sendandhavethatmendedto-morrow，"Sophiewhispered。

"Wecouldn\'t\'elpnoticing，"saidClokeslowly，"fromthetimesyouwalkedthere，thatyouan\'yourladywasdrawntoit，but——butIdon\'tknowasweeverpreciselythought——"Hiswife\'sglancecheckedhim。

"Thatwewerethatsortofpeople，"saidGeorge。"Wearen\'tsureofitourselvesyet。"

"Perhaps，"saidCloke，rubbinghisknees，"justforthesakeofsayingsomething，perhapsyou\'llparkit？"

"What\'sthat？"saidGeorge。

"TurnitallintoafineparklikeVioletHill"——hejerkedathumbtowestward——"thatMr。Sangresbought。Itwasfourfarms，andMr。Sangresmadeafineparkofthem，withaherdoffallerdeer。"

"Thenitwouldn\'tbeFriarsPardon，"saidSophie。"Wouldit？"

"Idon\'tknowasI\'veeverheardPardonswaseveranythingbutwheatan\'wool。Onlysomegentlemensaythatparksarelesstroublethantenants。"Helaughednervously。"Butthegentry，o\'

course，theykeeponprettymuchastheywasusedto。"

"Isee，"saidSophie。"HowdidMr。Sangresmakehismoney？"

"Ineverrightlyheard。Itwaspepperan\'spices，oritmayha\'

beengloves。No。GloveswasSirReginaldLissatMarleyEnd。

SpiceswasMr。Sangres。He\'saBraziliangentleman——verysunburntlike。"

"Besureo\'onething。Youwon\'t\'aveanytrouble，"saidMrs。

Cloke，justbeforetheywenttobed。

NowthenewsofthepurchasewastoldtoMr。andMrs。Clokealoneat8P。M。ofaSaturday。Noneleftthefarmtilltheysetoutforchurchnextmorning。Yetwhentheyreachedthechurchandwereabouttoslipasideintotheirusualseats，alittlebeyondthefont，wheretheycouldseethered-furredtailsofthebellropeswaggleandtwistatringingtime，theyweresweptforwardirresistibly，aClokeoneitherflank(andyettheyhadnotwalkedwiththeClokes)，upontheever-retiringbosomofablack-gownedverger，whousheredthemintoaroomofapewattheheadoftheleftaisle，underthepulpit。

"This，"hesighedreproachfully，"isthePardons\'Pew，"andshutthemin。

Theycouldseelittlemorethanthechoirboysinthechancel，buttotherootsofthehairoftheirneckstheyfeltthecongregationbehindmercilesslydevouringthembylook。

"Whenthewickedmanturnethaway。"Thestrong，alienvoiceofthepriestvibratedunderthehammer-beamroof，andalonelinessunfeltbeforeswampedtheirhearts，astheysearchedforplacesintheunfamiliarChurchofEnglandservice。TheLord\'sPrayer"OurFather，whichart"——setthesealonthatdesolation。Sophiefoundherselfthinkinghowinotherlandstheirpurchasewouldlongerethishavebeendiscussedfromeverypointofviewinadozenprints，forgettingthatGeorgeformonthshadnotbeenallowedtoglanceatthoseblackandbellowinghead-lines。Herewasnothingbutsilence——notevenhostility!Thegamewasuptothem；theotherplayershidtheircardsandwaited。Suspense，shefelt，wasintheair，andwhenhersightcleared，saw，indeed，amuraltabletofafootlessbirdbroodinguponthecarvenmotto，"

Wayteawhyle——wayteawhyle。"

AttheLitanyGeorgehadtroublewithanunstablehassock，anddrewtheslipofcarpetunderthepewseat。Sophiepushedherendbackalso，andshuthereyesagainstaburningthatfeltliketears。Whensheopenedthemshewaslookingathermother\'smaidenname，fairlycarvedonablueflagstoneonthepewfloor:

EllenLashmar。ob。1796。aetat27。

ShenudgedGeorgeandpointed。Sheltered，astheykneeled，theylookedformoreknowledge，buttherestoftheslabwasblank。

"Everhearofher？"hewhispered。

"Neverknewanyofuscamefromhere。"

"Coincidence？"

"Perhaps。Butitmakesmefeelbetter，"andshesmiledandwinkedawayatearonherlashes，andtookhishandwhiletheyprayedfor"allwomenlabouringofchild"——not"intheperilsofchildbirth"；andthesparrowswhohadfoundtheirwaythroughtheguardsbehindtheglasswindowschirpedabovethefadedgiltandalabasterfamilytreeoftheConants。

Thebaronet\'spewwasontherightoftheaisle。Afterserviceitsinhabitantsmovedforthwithouthaste，butsoastoblockeffectivelyaduskypersonwithalargefamilywhochampedintheirrear。

"Spices，Ithink，"saidSophie，deeplydelightedastheSangresclosedupaftertheConants。"Let\'emgetaway，George。"

Butwhentheycameoutmanyfolkwhoseeyeswereonestilllingeredbythelychgate。

"IwanttoseeifanymoreLashmarsareburiedhere，"saidSophie。

"Notnow。Thisseemstobeshowday。Comehomequickly，"hereplied。

Agroupoffamilies，theClokesalittleapart，openedtoletthemthrough。Themensalutedwithjerkynods，thewomenwithremnantsofacurtsey。OnlyIggulden\'sson，hismotheronhisarm，liftedhishatasSophiepassed。

"Yourpeople，"saidtheclearvoiceofLadyConantinherear。

"Isupposeso，"saidSophie，blushing，fortheywerewithintwoyardsofher；butitwasnotaquestion。

"Thenthatchildlooksasifitwerecomingdownwithmumps。Yououghttotellthemothersheshouldn\'thavebroughtittochurch。"

"Ican\'tleave\'erbehind，mylady，"thewomansaid。"She\'dsetthe\'ouseafireinaminute，she\'sthatforwardwiththematches。

Ain\'tyou，Maudiedear？"

"HasDr。Dallasseenher？"

"Notyet，mylady。"

"Hemust。Youcan\'tgetaway，ofcourse。M-m!Myidioticmaidiscominginforherteethto-morrowattwelve。Sheshallpickherup——atGaleAnstey，isn\'tit？——ateleven。"

"Yes。Thankyouverymuch，mylady。"

"Ioughtn\'ttohavedoneit，"saidLadyConantapologetically，"buttherehasbeennooneatPardonsforsolongthatyou\'llforgivemypoaching。Now，can\'tyoulunchwithus？Thevicarusuallycomestoo。Idon\'tusethehorsesonaSunday"——sheglancedattheBrazilian\'ssilver-platedchariot。"It\'sonlyamileacrossthefields。"

"You——you\'reverykind，"saidSophie，hatingherselfbecauseherliptrembled。

"Mydear，"thecompellingtonedroppedtoasoothinggurgle，"d\'yousupposeIdon\'tknowhowitfeelstocometoastrangecounty——countryIshouldsay——awayfromone\'sownpeople？WhenI

firstlefttheShires——I\'mShropshire，youknow——Icriedforadayandanight。Butfrettingdoesn\'tmakelonelinessanybetter。

Oh，here\'sDora。Shedidsprainherlegthatday。"

"I\'maslameasatreestill，"saidthetallmaidenfrankly。"Yououghttogooutwiththeotter-hounds，Mrs。Chapin。Ibelievethey\'redrawingyourwaternextweek。"

SirWalterhadalreadyledoffGeorge，andthevicarcameupontheothersideofSophie。Therewasnoescapingtheswiftprocessionortheleisurelylunch，wheretalkcameandwentinlow-voicededdiesthathadthevillagefortheircentre。SophieheardthevicarandSirWalteraddressherhusbandlightlyasChapin!(ShealsorememberedmanywomenknowninapreviouslifewhohabituallyaddressedtheirhusbandsasMr。Such-an-one。)

AfterlunchLadyConanttalkedtoherexplicitlyofmaternityasthatisachievedincottagesandfarm-housesremotefromaid，andofthedutytheretoofthemistressofPardons。

Agateinabeechhedge，reachedacrosstriplelawns，letthemoutbeforetea-timeintotheunkemptsouthsideoftheirland。

"Iwantyourhand，please，"saidSophieassoonastheyweresafeamongthebeechbolesandthelawlesshollies。"D\'youremembertheoldmaidin\'ProvidenceandtheGuitar\'whoheardtheCommissaryswear，andhardlyreckonedherselfamaidenladyafterward？BecauseI\'marelativeofhers。LadyConantis——"

"DidyoufindoutanythingabouttheLashmars？"heinterrupted。

"Ididn\'task。I\'mgoingtowritetoAuntSydneyaboutitfirst。

Oh，LadyConantsaidsomethingatlunchabouttheirhavingboughtsomelandfromsomeLashmarsafewyearsago。Ifounditwasatthebeginningoflastcentury。"

"Whatdidyousay？"

"Isaid，\'Really，howinteresting!\'Likethat。I\'mnotgoingtopushmyselfforward。I\'vebeenhearingaboutMr。Sangres\'seffortsinthatdirection。Andyou？Icouldn\'tseeyoubehindtheflowers。Wasitverydeepwater，dear？"

Georgemoppedabrowalreadybrownedbyoutdoorexposures。

"Ohno——deadeasy，"heanswered。"I\'veboughtFriarsPardontopreventSirWalter\'sbirdsstraying。"

Acockpheasantscutteredthroughthedryleavesandexplodedalmostundertheirfeet。Sophiejumped。

"That\'soneof\'em，"saidGeorgecalmly。

"Well，yournervesarebetter，atanyrate，"saidshe。"Didyoutell\'emyou\'dboughtthethingtoplaywith？"

"No。Thatwaswheremynervebrokedown。Ionlymadeonebadbreak——Ithink。IsaidIcouldn\'tseewhyhiringlandtomentofarmwasn\'tasmuchabusinesspropositionasanythingelse。"

"Andwhatdidtheysay？"

"Theysmiled。Ishallknowwhatthatsmilemeanssomeday。Theydon\'twastetheirsmiles。D\'youseethattrackbyGaleAnstey？"

Theylookeddownfromtheedgeofthehangeroveracup-likehollow。PeoplebytwosandthreesintheirSundaybestfiledslowlyalongthepathsthatconnectedfarmtofarm。

"I\'veneverseensomanyonourlandbefore，"saidSophie。"Whyisit？"

"Toshowuswemustn\'tshutuptheirrightsofway。"

"Thosecow-trackswe\'vebeenusingcrosslots？"saidSophieforcibly。

"Yes。Anyoneof\'emwouldcostustwothousandpoundseachinlegalexpensestoclose。"

"Butwedon\'twantto，"shesaid。

"Thewholecommunitywouldfightifwedid。"

"Butit\'sourland。Wecandowhatwelike。"

"It\'snotourland。We\'veonlypaidforit。Webelongtoit，anditbelongstothepeople——ourpeopletheycall\'em。I\'vebeentolunchwiththeEnglishtoo。"

Theypassedslowlyfromonebracken-dottedfieldtothenext——flushedwithprideofownership，plottingalterationsandrestorationsateachturn；haltingintheirtrackstoargue，spreadingaparttoembracetwoviewsatonce，orclosingintoconsiderone。Couplesmovedoutoftheirway，butsmilingcovertly。

"Weshallmakesomebadbreaks，"hesaidatlast。

"Together，though。Youwon\'tletanyoneelsein，willyou？"

"Exceptthecontractors。Thissyndicatehandles，thispropositionbyitslittlelone。"

"Butyoumightfeelthewantofsomeone，"sheinsisted。

"Ishall——butitwillbeyou。It\'sbusiness，Sophie，butit\'sgoingtobegoodfun。"

"PleaseGod，"sheansweredflushing，andcriedtoherselfastheywentbacktotea。"It\'sworthit。Oh，it\'sworthit。"

TherepairingandmovingintoFriarsPardonwasbusinessofthemostvariedandsearching，butalldoneEnglishfashion，withoutfriction。Timeandmoneyalonewereasked。TherestlayinthehandsofbeneficentadvisersfromLondon，orspirits，maleandfemale，calledupbyMr。andMrs。Clokefromthewastesofthefarms。InthecentrestoodGeorgeandSophie，alittleaghast，theirinterestsreachingoutoneveryside。

"Iain\'tsayin\'anythingagainstLondoners，"saidCloke，self-appointedclerkoftheouterworks，consultingengineer，headoftheimmigrationbureau，andsuperintendentofwoodsandforests；"butyourownpeoplewon\'tgoabouttomakemorethanafairprofitoutofyou。"

"Howisonetoknow？"saidGeorge。

"Fiveyearsfromnow，orsoon，maybe，you\'llbelookin\'overyourfirstyear\'saccounts，and，knowin\'whatyou\'llknowthen，you\'llsay:\'Well，BillyBeartup\'——orOldClokeasitmightbe——\'didmeproperwhenIwasnew。\'Nomanlikestohavethatsortofthinglaidupagainsthim。"

"IthinkIsee，"saidGeorge。"Butfiveyearsisalongtimetolookahead。"

"IdoubtifthatoakBillyBeartupthrowedinReuben\'sGhyllwillbefitforherdrawin-roomfloorinlessthanseven，"Clokedrawled。

"Yes，that\'smywork，"saidSophie。(BillyBeartupofGriffons，awoodmanbytrainingandbirth，atenantfarmerbymisfortuneofmarriage，hadlaidhisbroadaxeatherfeetamonthbefore。)

"SorryifI\'vecommittedyoutoanothereternity。"

"Andweshan\'tevenknowwherewe\'vegonewrongwithyournewcarriagedrivebeforethattimeeither，"saidCloke，everanxioustokeepthebalancetruewithanounceortwoinSophie\'sfavour。

ThepastfourmonthshadtaughtGeorgebetterthantoreply。Thecarriageroadwindingupthehillwashispresentkeeninterest。

Theysetofftolookatit，andtheimportedAmericanscraperwhichhadblightedthenonetoosunnysoulof"Skim"Winsh，thecarter。

ButyoungIgguldenwasinchargenow，andunderhisguidance，BullerandRoberts，thegreathorses，movedmountains。

"Youlif\'herlikethat，an\'youtipherlikethat，"heexplainedtothegang。"MyunclehewasroadmasterinConnecticut。"

"Aretheyroadsyonder？"saidSkim，sittingunderthelaurels。

"Nobetterthanaccommodationroads。Dirt，theycall\'em。They\'dsuityou，Skim。"

"Why？"saidtheincautiousSkim。

"Causeyou\'dtakenohurtwhenyoufalloutofyourcartdrunkonaSaturday，"wastheanswer。

"Ididn\'tlasttimeneither，"Skimroared。

Aftertheloudlaugh，oldWhybarneofGaleAnsteypipedfeebly，"Well，dirtornodirt，there\'snodenyin\'Chapinknowsagoodjobwhenheseesit。\'Edon\'tbuildonedayanddee-stroythenext，likethatniggerSangres。"

"SHE\'stheonethatknowsherownmind，"saidPinky，brothertoSkimWinsh，andaNapoleonamongcarterswhohadhelpedtobringthegrandpianoacrossthefieldsintheautumnrains。

"Shehadoughtto，"saidIggulden。"Whoa，Buller!She\'saLashmar。Theyneverwasdouble-thinking。"

"Oh，youfoundthat？Hastheanswercomefromyouruncle？"saidSkim，doubtfulwhethersoremotealandasAmericahadposts。

Theotherslookedathimscornfully。Skimwasalwaysadaybehindthefair。Igguldenrestedfromhislabours。"She\'saLashmarrightenough。Istarteduptowritetomyuncle——atonce——themonthaftershesaidherfolkscamefromVeeringHoller。"

"Wherethereain\'tanyroads？"Skiminterrupted，butnonelaughed。

"MyunclehemarriedanAmericanwomanforhissecond，andshetookituplikealikethecoroner。She\'saLashmaroutoftheoldLashmarplace，\'foretheysoldtoConants。Sheain\'tnoTootHillLashmar，noranyo\'theCrayfordlot。Herfolkcomeoutofthegroundhere，neitherchalknorforest，butwildishers。TheysailedovertoAmerica——I\'vegotitallwritdownbymyuncle\'swoman——ineighteenhundredan\'nothing。Myunclesaysthey\'reallslowbegetterslike。"

"Wouldtheybegentryyondernow？"Skimasked。

"Nah——there\'snogentryinAmerica，nomatterhowlongyou\'rethere。It\'sagainsttheirlaw。There\'sonlyrichandpoorallowed。They\'vebeenlawyersandsuchlikeoveryonderforahundredyearsbutshe\'saLashmarforallthat。"

"Lord!What\'sahundredyears？"saidWhybarne，whohadseenseventy-eightofthem。

"An\'theywritetoo，fromyonder——myuncle\'swomanwrites——thatyoucanstilltell\'embyheadmark。Theirhair\'sfoxy-redstill——an\'theythrowoutwhentheywalk。He\'sin-toed-treadslikeagipsy；butyouwatch，an\'you\'llsee\'erthrow，out——likeacolt。"

"Yourtracewantstakingup。"Pinky\'slargeearshadcaughtthesoundofvoices，andasthetwobrokethroughthelaurelsthemenwerehardatwork，theireyesonSophie\'sfeet。

ShehadbeenlessfortunateinherinquiriesthanIggulden，forherAuntSydneyofMeriden(abadgedandcertificatedDaughteroftheRevolutiontoboot)answeredherinquirieswithatwo-pageddiscourseonpatriotism，theleafletsofaVillageImprovementSociety，ofwhichshewaspresident，andademandforanoverduesubscriptiontoaFactoryGirls\'ReadingCircle。SophieburneditallintheOrpheusandEurydicegrate，andkeptherowncounsel。

"WhatIwanttoknow，"saidGeorge，whenSpringwascoming，andthegardensneededthought。"iswhowilleverpaymeformylabour？I\'veputinatleasthalfamilliondollars\'worthalready。"

"Sureyou\'renottakingtoomuchoutofyourself？"hiswifeasked。

"Oh，no；Ihaven\'tbeenconsciousofmyselfallwinter。"HelookedathisbrownEnglishgaitersandsmiled。"It\'sallbehindmenow。IbelieveIcouldsitdownandthinkofallthat——thosemonthsbeforewesailed。"

"Don\'t——ah，don\'t!"shecried。

"ButImustgobackoneday。Youdon\'twanttokeepmeoutofbusinessalways——ordoyou？"Heendedwithanervouslaugh。

Sophiesighedasshedrewherownground-ash(ofoldIggulden\'scutting)fromthehallrack。

"Aren\'tyouoverdoingittoo？Youlookalittletired，"hesaid。

"Youmakemetired。I\'mgoingtoRockettstoseeMrs。ClokeaboutMary。"(Thiswasthesisterofthetelegraphist，promotedtobesewing-maidatPardons。)"Coming？"

"I\'mdueatBurntHousetoseeaboutthenewwell。Bytheway，there\'sasorethroatatGaleAnstey——"

"That\'smyprovince。Don\'tinterfere。TheWhybarnechildrenalwayshavesorethroats。Theydoitforjujubes。"

"KeepawayfromGaleAnsteytillImakesure，honey。Clokeoughttohavetoldme。"

"Thesepeopledon\'ttell。Haven\'tyoulearntthatyet？ButI\'llobey，melord。Seeyoulater!"

Shesetoffafoot，forwithinthethreemainroadsthatboundedtheblunttriangleoftheestate(evenbynightonecouldscarcelyhearthecartsonthem)，wheelswerenotusedexceptforfarmwork。Thefootpathsservedallotherpurposes。Andthoughatfirsttheyhadplannedimprovements，theyhadsoonfalleninwiththecustomsoftheirhiddenkingdom，andmovedaboutthesoft-footedwaysbywoodland，hedgerow，andshawasfreelyastherabbits。Indeed，forthemostpartSophiewalkedbareheadedbeneathherhelmetofchestnuthair；butshehadbeenplaguedoflatebyvaguetoothaches，whichsheexplainedtoMrs。Cloke，whoaskedsomequestions。HowitcameaboutSophieneverknew，butafterawhilebeholdMrs。Cloke\'sarmwasaboutherwaist，andherheadwasonthatdeepbosombehindtheshutkitchendoor。

"Mydear!Mydear!"theelderwomanalmostsobbed。"An\'d\'youmeantotellmeyouneversuspicioned？Why——why——wherewasyouevertaughtanythingatall？Ofcourseitis。It\'swhatwe\'vebeenonlywaitin\'for，allofus。TimeandagainI\'vesaidtoLady——"shecheckedherself。"An\'nowweshallbeasweshouldbe。"

"But——but——but——"Sophiewhimpered。

"An\'toseeyoubuildin\'yournestsobusy——pianosandbooks——an\'

neverthinkin\'ofanursery!"

"NomoreIdid。"Sophiesatboltupright，andbegantolaugh。

"Timeenoughyet。"Thefingerstappedthoughtfullyonthebroadknee。"But——theymustbestrange-mindedfolkoveryonderwithyou!Haveyouthoughttosendforyourmother？Shedead？Mydear，mydear!Nevermind!She\'llbehappywheresheknows。\'TisGod\'swork。An\'wewasonlywaitin\'forit，foryou\'veneverfailedinyourdutyyet。Itain\'tyourway。WhatdidyousayaboutmyMary\'sdoings？"Mrs。Cloke\'sfacehardenedasshepressedherchinonSophie\'sforehead。"Ifanyofyourgirlsthinkstobe\'avearbitrarynow，I\'ll——Buttheywon\'t，mydear。I\'llseetheydotheirdutytoo。Besureyou\'ll\'avenotrouble。"

WhenSophiewalkedbackacrossthefieldsheavenandearthchangedaboutherasonthedayofoldIggulden\'sdeath。Foraninstantshethoughtofthewideturnofthestaircase，andthenewivory-whitepaintthatnocoffincornercouldscar，butpresently，theshadowpassedinapurewonderandbewildermentthatmadeherreel。Sheleanedagainstoneoftheirnewgatesandlookedovertheirlandsforsomeotherstay。

"Well，"shesaidresignedly，halfaloud，"wemusttrytomakehimfeelthatheisn\'tathirdinourparty，"andturnedthecornerthatlookedoverFriarsPardon，giddy，sick，andfaint。

Ofasuddenthehousetheyhadboughtforawhimstoodupasshehadneverseenitbefore，low-fronted，broad-winged，ample，preparedbycourseofgenerationsforallsuchthings。Asithadsteadiedherwhenitlaydesolate，sonowthatithadmeaningfromtheirfewmonthsoflifewithin，itsoothedandpromisedgood。Shewentaloneandquicklyintothehall，andkissedeitherdoor-post，whispering:"Begoodtome。Youknow!You\'veneverfailedinyourdutyyet。"

WhenthematterwasexplainedtoGeorge，hewouldhavesailedatoncetotheirownland，butthisSophieforbade。

"Idon\'twantscience，"shesaid。"Ijustwanttobeloved，andthereisn\'ttimeforthatathome。Besides，"sheadded，lookingoutofthewindow，"itwouldbedesertion。"

GeorgewasforcedtosoothehimselfwithlinkingFriarsPardontothetelegraphsystemofGreatBritainbytelephone——three-quartersofamileofpoles，putinbyWhybarneandafewfriends。Oneofthesewasaforeignerfromthenextparish。Saidhewhenthelinewasbeingrun:"There\'sanoldellumrightinourroad。Shallusthrowher？"

"TootHillparishfolk，neithergracenorgoodluck，Godhelp\'em。"OldWhybarneshoutedthelocalproverbfromthreepolesdowntheline。"Weain\'tgoin\'tolayanyaxe-irontocoffin-woodherenottillweknowwhereweareyetawhile。Swinground\'er，swinground!"

Tothisday，then，thatsuddenkinkinthestraightlineacrosstheupperpastureremainsamysterytoSophieandGeorge。NorcantheytellwhySkimWinsh，whocametohiscottageunderDuttonShawmostmusicallydrunkat10。45P。MofeverySaturdaynight，ashisfatherhaddonebeforehim，sangnomoreatthebottomofthegardensteps，whereSophiealwaysfearedhewouldbreakhisneck。Thepathwasundoubtedlyanancientrightofway，andat10。45P。M。onSaturdaysSkimremembereditwashisdutytoposteritytokeepitopen——tillMrs。Clokespoketohimonce。ShespokelikewisetoherdaughterMary，sewingmaidatPardons，andtoMary\'sbestnewfriend，thefive-foot-sevenimportedLondonhouse-maid，whotaughtMarytotrimhats，andfoundthecountrydullish。

Buttherewasnonoise——atnotimewasthereanynoise——andwhenSophiewalkedabroadshemetnooneinherpathunlessshehadsignifiedawishthatway。Thentheyappearedtoprotestthatallwaswellwiththemandtheirchildren，theirchickens，theirroofs，theirwater-supply，andtheirsonsinthepoliceortherailwayservice。

"Butdon\'tyoufinditdull，dear？"saidGeorge，loyallydoinghisbestnottoworryasthemonthswentby。

"I\'vebeensobusyputtingmyhouseinorderIhaven\'thadtimetothink，"saidshe。"Doyou？"

"No——no。IfIcouldonlybesureofyou。"

Sheturnedonthegreendrawing-room\'scouch(itwasEmpire，notHeppelwhiteafterall)，andlaidasidealistoflinenandblankets。

"Ithaschangedeverything，hasn\'tit？"shewhispered。

"Oh，Lord，yes。ButIstillthinkifwewentbacktoBaltimore"

"Andmissedourfirstrealsummertogether。Nothankyou，melord。"

"Butwe\'reabsolutelyalone。"

"Isn\'tthatwhatI\'mdoingmybesttoremedy？Don\'tyouworry。I

likeit——likeittothemarrowofmylittlebones。Youdon\'trealizewhatherhousemeanstoawoman。Wethoughtwewerelivinginitlastyear，butwehadn\'tbegunto。Don\'tyourejoiceinyourstudy，George？"

"Ipreferbeingherewithyou。"Hesatdownonthefloorbythecouchandtookherhand。

"Seven，"shesaid，astheFrenchclockstruck。"Yearbeforelastyou\'djustbecomingbackfrombusiness。"

Hewincedattherecollection，thenlaughed。"Business!I\'vebeenatworktensolidhoursto-day。"

"Wheredidyoulunch？WiththeConants？"

"No；atDuttonShaw，sittingonalog，withmyfeetinaswamp。

Butwe\'vefoundoutwheretheoldspringis，andwe\'regoingtopipeitdowntoGaleAnsteynextyear。"

"I\'llcomeandseeto-morrow。Oh，pleaseopenthedoor，dear。I

wanttolookdownthepassage。Isn\'tthatcornerbythestair-headlovelywherethesunstrikesin？"Shelookedthroughhalf-closedeyesatthevistaofivory-whiteandpalegreenallsteepedinliquidgold。

"There\'sastepoutofJaneElphick\'sbedroom，"shewenton——"andhisfirststepintheworldoughttobeup。Ishouldn\'twonderifthosepeoplehadn\'tputitthereonpurpose。George，willitmakeanyoddstoyouifhe\'sagirl？"

Heanswered，ashehadmanytimesbefore，thathisinterestwashiswife，notthechild。

"Thenyou\'retheonlypersonwhothinksso。"Shelaughed。"Don\'tbesilly，dear。It\'sexpected。Iknow。It\'smyduty。Ishan\'tbeabletolookourpeopleinthefaceifIfail。"

"Whatconcernisitoftheirs，confound\'em!"

"You\'llsee。Luckilythetraditionofthehouseisboys，Mrs。

Clokesays，soI\'mprovidedfor。Shallyoueverbegintounderstandthesepeople？Ishan\'t。"

"Andweboughtitforfun——forfun!"hegroaned。"Andhereweareheldupforgoodnessknowsbowlong!"

"Why？Wereyouthinkingofsellingit？"Hedidnotanswer。"DoyourememberthesecondMrs。Chapin？"shedemanded。

Thiswasabold，brazenlittleblack-browedwoman——awidowforchoice——whoonSophie\'sdeathwasguilefullytomarryGeorgeforhiswealthandruinhiminayear。Georgebeingbusy，Sophiehadinventedhersometwoyearsafterhermarriage，andconceivedshewasaloneamongwivesinsodoing。

"Youaren\'tgoingtobringherupagain？"heaskedanxiously。

"IonlywanttosaythatIshouldhateanyonewhoboughtPardonstentimesworsethanIusedtohatethesecondMrs。Chapin。Thinkwhatwe\'veputintoitofourtwoselves。"

"Atleastacoupleofmilliondollars。IknowIcouldhavemade——"Hebrokeoff。

"Thebeasts!"shewenton。"They\'dbesuretobuildared-bricklodgeatthegates，andcutthelawnupforbeddingout。Youmustleaveinstructionsinyourwillthathe\'snevertodothat，George，won\'tyou？"

Helaughedandtookherhandagainbutsaidnothingtillitwastimetodress。Thenhemuttered"Whatthedeviluseisaman\'scountrytohimwhenhecan\'tdobusinessinit？"

FriarsPardonstoodfaithfultoitstradition。Attheappointedtimewasborn，notthatthirdintheirpartytowhomSophiemeanttobesokind，butagodling；inbeauty，itwasmanifest，excellingEros，asinwisdomConfucius；anenhancerofdelights，arenewerofcompanionshipsandaninterpreterofDestiny。ThislastGeorgedidnotrealisetillhemetLadyConantstridingthroughDuttonShawafewdaysaftertheevent。

"Mydearfellow，"shecried，andslappedhimheartilyontheback，"Ican\'ttellyouhowgladweallare。Oh，she\'llbeallright。(There\'sneverbeenanytroubleoverthebirthofanheiratPardons。)Nowwherethedooceisit？"Shefeltlargelyinherleather-boundskirtanddrewoutasmallsilvermug。"Isentanotetoyourwifeaboutit，butmysillyassofagroomforgottotakethis。Youcansavemeatramp。Givehermylove。"ShemarchedoffamidherguardofgraveAiredales。