第7章

"Tohelpus,"hereplied。Then,withanexplosionofnervousenergy,headded:"Dowhatyourhearttellsyoutodo。Giveyourbedandyourclothestothewoman,andletyourgirlspitchtheirbookstothedevilforafewdaysandmakesomethingforthesepoorlittlecreaturestowear。ThepoorhaveworkedhardenoughtoclotheTHEM。Letthemtaketheirturnnowandclothethepoor。"

"No,no。Steady,master,"saidtheman,steppingforwardtopropitiateMissWilson,andevidentlymuchoppressedbyasenseofunwelcomeness。"Itain\'tanyfaultofthelady\'s。MightImakesoboldastoaskyoutoputthiswomanofmineanywherethatmaybeconvenientuntilmorning。Anysortofaplacewilldo;she\'saccustomedtoroughit。JusttohavearoofoverheruntilIfindaroominthevillagewherewecanshakedown。"Here,ledbyhisownwordstocontemplatethefuture,helookeddesolatelyroundthecorniceofthehall,asifitwereashelfonwhichsomebodymighthaveleftasuitablelodgingforhim。

MissWilsonturnedherbackdecisivelyandcontemptuouslyonSmilash。Shehadrecoveredherself。"Iwillkeepyourwifehere,"

shesaidtotheman。"Everycareshallbetakenofher。Thechildrencanstaytoo。"

"Threecheersformoralscience！"criedSmilash,ecstaticallybreakingintotheoutrageousdialecthehadforgotteninhiswrath。"Wotwasmywordstoyou,neighbor,whenIsaidweshouldbringyourmissustothecollege,andyousaid,ironical—like,\'Aye,andbloomin\'gladthey\'llbetoseeusthere。\'DidInotsaytoyouthattheladyhadanoble\'art,andwouldshowitwhenputtothetestbysechacalamityasthis？"

"Whyshouldyoubringmyhastywordsupagain\'menow,master,whentheladyhasbeensokind？"saidthemanwithemotion。"Iamhumblygratefultoyou,Miss;andsoisBess。Wearesensibleoftheill—conveniencewe——"

MissWilson,whohadbeenconferringwiththehousekeeper,cuthisspeechshortbyorderinghimtocarryhiswifetobed,whichhedidwiththeassistanceofSmilash,nowjubilant。Whilsttheywereaway,oneoftheservants,biddentobringsomeblanketstothewoman\'sroom,refused,sayingthatshewasnotgoingtowaitonthatsortofpeople。MissWilsongaveherwarningalmostfiercelytoquitthecollegenextday。Thisexcepted,noill—willwasshowntotherefugees。Theyoungladieswerethenrequestedtoreturntobed。

Meanwhiletheman,havinglaidhiswifeinachamberpalatialincomparisonwiththatwhichthestormhadblownaboutherears,wascongratulatingheronherluck,andthreateningthechildrenwiththemostviolentchastisementiftheyfailedtobehavethemselveswithstrictproprietywhilsttheyremainedinthathouse。Beforeleavingthemhekissedhiswife;andshe,reviving,askedhimtolookatthebaby。Hedidso,andpensivelyapostrophizeditwithashockingepithetinanticipationofthetimewhenitsappetitemustbesatisfiedfromtheprovisionshopinsteadoffromitsmother\'sbreast。Shelaughedandcriedshameonhim;andsotheypartedcheerfully。WhenhereturnedtothehallwithSmilashtheyfoundtwomugsofbeerwaitingforthem。

Thegirlshadretired,andonlyMissWilsonandthehousekeeperremained。

"Here\'syourhealth,mum,"saidtheman,beforedrinking;"andmayyoufindsuchanotherasyourselftohelpyouwhenyou\'reintrouble,whichLordsendmaynevercome！"

"Isyourhousequitedestroyed？"saidMissWilson。"Wherewillyouspendthenight？"

"Don\'tyouthinkofme,mum。MasterSmilashherewillkindlyputmeup\'tilmorning。"

"Hishealth！"saidSmilash,touchingthemugwithhislips。

"Theroofandsouthwallisbrowedrightaway,"continuedtheman,afterpausingforamomenttopuzzleoverSmilash\'smeaning。

"Idoubtifthere\'sastoneofitstandingbythis。"

"ButSirJohnwillbuilditforyouagain。Youareoneofhisherds,areyounot？"

"Iam,Miss。Butnothe;he\'llbegladit\'sdown。Hedon\'tlikepeoplelivin\'ontheland。Ihavetoldhimtimeandagainthattheplacewasreadytofall;buthesaidIcouldn\'texpecthimtolayoutmoneyonahousethathegotnorentfor。Yousee,Miss,Ididn\'tpayanyrent。Itooklowwages;andthebitofahutwasasortofset—offagain\'whatIwaspaidshortoftheothermen。

Icouldn\'taffordtohaveitrepaired,thoughIdidwhatIcouldtopatchandpropit。AndnowmostlikeIshallbeblamedforlettingitbeblewdown,andshallhavetoliveinhalfaroominthetownandpaytwoorthreeshillin\'saweek,besideswalkin\'

threemilestoandfrommyworkeveryday。AgentlemanlikeSirJohndon\'thardlyknowwhatthevalueofapennyistouslaborin\'folk,norhowcruelhardhisestaterulesandthelikecomesonus。"

"SirJohn\'shealth！"saidSmilash,touchingthemugasbefore。

Themandrankamouthfulhumbly,andSmilashcontinued,"Here\'stothegloriouslandedgentryofoldEngland:bless\'em！"

"MasterSmilashisonlyjokin\',"saidthemanapologetically。

"It\'shisway。"

"Youshouldnotbringafamilyintotheworldifyouaresopoor,"saidMissWilsonseverely。"Canyounotseethatyouimpoverishyourselfbydoingso——toputthematteronnohighergrounds。"

"ReverendMr。Malthus\'shealth！"remarkedSmilash,repeatinghispantomime。

"Somesayit\'sthechildren,andsomesayit\'sthedrink,Miss,"

saidthemansubmissively。"ButfromwhatIsee,familyornofamily,drunkorsober,thepoorgetspoorerandtherichrichereveryday。"

"Ain\'titdisgustin\'tohearamansoignorantoftheimprovementintheconditionofhisclass？"saidSmilash,appealingtoMissWilson。

"Ifyouintendtotakethismanhomewithyou,"shesaid,turningsharplyonhim,"youhadbetterdoitatonce。"

"Itakeitkindonyourpartthatyouaskmetodoanythink,afteryourupandtellingMr。WickensthatIamthelastpersoninLyvernyouwouldtrustwithajob。"

"Soyouare——theverylast。Whydon\'tyoudrinkyourbeer？"

"Notinscornofyourbrewing,lady;butbecause,bein\'acommonman,waterisgoodenoughforme。"

"Iwishyougood—night,Miss,"saidtheman;"andthankyoukindlyforBessandthechildren。"

"Good—night,"shereplied,steppingasidetoavoidanysalutationfromSmilash。Buthewentuptoherandsaidinalowvoice,andwiththeTrefusismannerandaccent:

"Good—night,MissWilson。Ifyoushouldeverbeinwantoftheservicesofadog,aman,oradomesticengineer,remindSmilashofBessandthechildren,andhewillactforyouinanyofthosecapacities。"

Theyopenedthedoorcautiously,andfoundthatthewind,conqueredbytherain,hadabated。MissWilson\'scandle,thoughitflickeredinthedraught,wasnotextinguishedthistime;andshewaspresentlyleftwiththehousekeeper,boltingandchainingthedoor,andlisteningtothecrunchingoffeetonthegraveloutsidedyingawaythroughthesteadypatteringoftherain。

CHAPTERVII

Agathawasatthistimeinherseventeenthyear。Shehadalivelyperceptionofthefoiblesofothers,andnoreverenceforherseniors,whomshethoughtdull,cautious,andridiculouslyamenablebycommonplaces。Butshewassubjecttotheillusionwhichdisablesyouthinspiteofitssuperioritytoage。Shethoughtherselfanexception。CreditingMr。Janseniusandthegeneralmobofmankindwithnothingbutagrovellingconsciousnessofsomefewmaterialfacts,shefeltinherselfanexquisitesenseandall—embracingconceptionofnature,sharedonlybyherfavoritepoetsandheroesofromanceandhistory。

Henceshewasinthecommonyouthfulcaseofbeingamuchbetterjudgeofotherpeople\'saffairsthanofherown。Atthefellow—studentwhoadoredsomeHenryorAugustus,notfromthedrivellingsentimentalitywhichtheworldcallslove,butbecausethisparticularHenryorAugustuswasaphoenixtowhomthelawsthatgoverntherelationsofordinaryladsandlassesdidnotapply,Agathalaughedinhersleeve。Themoreshesawofthisweaknessinherfellows,themoresatisfiedshewasthat,beingforewarned,shewasalsoforearmedagainstanattackofitonherself,muchasifadoctorweretoconcludethathecouldnotcatchsmallpoxbecausehehadseenmanycasesofit;orasifamastermariner,knowingthatmanyshipsarewreckedintheBritishchannel,shouldventuretherewithoutapilot,thinkingthatheknewitsperilstoowelltorunanyriskofthem。Yet,asthedoctormightholdsuchanopinionifhebelievedhimselftobeconstituteddifferentlyfromordinarymen;ortheshipmasteradoptsuchacourseundertheimpressionthathisvesselwasastar,Agathafoundfalsesecurityinthesubjectivedifferencebetweenherfellowsseenfromwithoutandherselfknownfromwithin。When,forinstance,shefellinlovewithMr。JeffersonSmilash（astepuponwhichsheresolvedthedayafterthestorm）,herimaginationinvestedthepleasingemotionwithasacrednesswhich,toher,setitfarapartanddistinctfromthefrivolousfanciesofwhichHenryandAugustushadbeenthesubject,andshetheconfidant。

"Icanlookathimquitecoollyanddispassionately,"shesaidtoherself。"Thoughhisfacehasastrangeinfluencethatmust,I

know,correspondtosomeunexplainedpowerwithinme,yetitisnotaperfectface。Ihaveseenmanymenwhoare,strictlyspeaking,farhandsomer。Ifthelightthatneverwasonseaorlandisinhiseyes,yettheyarenotprettyeyes——nothalfsoclearasmine。Thoughhewearshiscommonclotheswithanamelessgracethatbetrayshistruebreedingateverystep,yetheisnottall,dark,andmelancholy,asmyidealherowouldbeifIwereasgreatafoolasgirlsofmyageusuallyare。IfIaminlove,Ihavesenseenoughnottoletmyloveblindmyjudgment。"

Shedidnottellanyoneofhernewinterestinlife。Strongestinthatstudentcommunity,shehadusedherpowerwithgood—natureenoughtowinthepopularityofaschoolleader,andoccasionallywithunscrupulousnessenoughtosecuretheprivilegesofaschoolbully。Popularityandprivilege,however,onlysatisfiedherwhenshewasinthemoodforthem。Girls,likemen,wanttobepetted,pitied,andmademuchof,whentheyarediffident,inlowspirits,orinunrequitedlove。Theseareserviceswhichtheweakcannotrendertothestrongandwhichthestrongwillnotrendertotheweak,exceptwhenthereisalsoadifferenceofsex。

Agathaknewbyexperiencethatthoughaweakwomancannotunderstandwhyherstrongersistershouldwishtoleanuponher,shemaytriumphinthefactwithoutunderstandingit,andgivechaffinsteadofconsolation。Agathawantedtobeunderstoodandnottobechaffed。Findingherselfunabletosatisfyboththeseconditions,sheresolvedtodowithoutsympathyandtoholdhertongue。Shehadoftenhadtodosobefore,andshewashelpedonthisoccasionbyasenseoftheridiculousappearanceherpassionmightwearinthevulgareye。Hersecretkeptitself,asshewassupposedinthecollegetobeinsensibletothesofteremotions。

Lovewroughtnoexternalchangeuponher。Itmadeherbelievethatshehadlefthergirlhoodbehindherandwasnowawomanwithanewly—developedheartcapacityatwhichshewouldchildishlyhavescoffedalittlewhilebefore。Shefeltashamedofthebeeonthewindowpane,althoughitsomehowbuzzedasfrequentlyasbeforeinspiteofher。Hercalendar,formerlyamonotonouscycleofclasstimes,mealtimes,playtimes,andbedtime,wasnowirregularlydividedbywalkspastthechaletandaccidentalglimpsesofitstenant。

EarlyinDecembercameablackfrost,andnavigationonthecanalwassuspended。Wickens\'sboywassenttothecollegewithnewsthatWickens\'spondwouldbear,andthattheyoungladiesshouldbewelcomeatanytime。Thepondwasonlyfourfeetdeep,andasMissWilsonsetmuchstorebythephysicaleducationofherpupils,leavewasgivenforskating。Agatha,whowasexpertontheice,immediatelyproposedthataselectpartyshouldgooutbeforebreakfastnextmorning。Actionsnotinthemselvesvirtuousoftenappearsowhenperformedathoursthatcompelearlyrising,andsomeofthecandidatesfortheCambridgeLocal,whowouldnothavesacrificedtheafternoontoamusement,atoncefellinwithhersuggestion。Butforthemitmightneverhavebeencarriedout;forwhentheysummonedAgatha,athalf—pastsixnextmorning,toleaveherwarmbedandbravethebitingair,shewouldhaverefusedwithouthesitationhadshenotbeenshamedintocompliancebytheselaboriousoneswhostoodbyherbedside,blue—nosedandhungry,butreadyfortheice。Whenshehaddressedherselfwithmuchshudderingandchattering,theyallayedtheirinternaldiscomfortbyaslendermealofbiscuits,gottheirskates,andwentoutacrosstherimymeadows,pastpatientcowsbreathingcloudsofsteam,toWickens\'spond。Here,totheirsurprise,wasSmilash,onelectro—platedacmeskates,practicingcomplicatedfigureswithintensediligence。Itsoonappearedthathisskillcameshortofhisambition;for,afterseveralnarrowescapesandsomefranticstaggering,hiscalves,elbows,andocciputsmotetheicealmostsimultaneously。Onrisingruefullytoasittingposturehebecameawarethateightyoungladieswerewatchinghisproceedingswithinterest。

"Thiscomesofacommonmanputtinghimselfabovehisstationbygettingintogentlemen\'sskates,"hesaid。"HadIbeencontentwithahumbleslide,asmyfatherswas,Ishouldha\'beenahappiermanatthepresentmoment。"Hesighed,rose,touchedhishattoMissWard,andtookoffhisskates,adding:"Good—morning,Miss。MissWilsonsentmewordtobeheresharpatsixtoputontheyoungladies\'skates,andItookthelibertyoftryingafigureortwotokeepoutthecold。"

"MissWilsondidnottellmethatsheorderedyoutocome,"saidMissWard。

"Justlikehertobethoughtfulandyetnotletontobe！Sheisakindlady,andalearned——likeyourself,Miss。Sityourselfdownonthecamp—stool。andgivemeyourheel,ifImaybesoboldastostickagimletintoit。"

Hisassistancewaswelcome,andMissWardallowedhimtoputonherskates。ShewasaCanadian,andcouldskatewell。Jane,thefirsttofollowher,wasanxiousastothestrengthoftheice;

butwhenreassured,sheacquittedherselfadmirably,forshewasproficientinoutdoorexercises,andhadthesatisfactionoflaughinginthefieldatthosewholaughedatherinthestudy。

Agatha,contrarytohercustom,gavewaytohercompanions,andherbootswerethelastuponwhichSmilashoperated。

"Howd\'youdo,MissWylie？"hesaid,droppingtheSmilashmannernowthattherestwereoutofearshot。

"Iamverywell,thankyou,"saidAgatha,shyandconstrained。

Thisphaseofherbeingnewtohim,hepausedwithherheelinhishandandlookedupathercuriously。Shecollectedherself,returnedhisgazesteadily,andsaid:"HowdidMissWilsonsendyouwordtocome？Sheonlyknewofourpartyathalf—pastninelastnight。"

"MissWilsondidnotsendforme。"

"ButyouhavejusttoldMissWardthatshedid。"

"Yes。IfinditnecessarytotellalmostasmanyliesnowthatI

amasimplelaborerasIdidwhenIwasagentleman。More,infact。"

"Ishallknowhowmuchtobelieveofwhatyousayinthefuture。"

"Thetruthisthis。Iamperhapstheworstskaterintheworld,andtherefore,accordingtoanaturallaw,Icovetthefaintestdistinctionontheicemorethanimmortalfameforthethingsinwhichnaturehasgivenmeaptitudetoexcel。Ienvythatlargefriendofyours——Janeishername,Ithink——morethanIenvyPlato。Icamedownherethismorning,thinkingthattheskatingworldwasalla—bed,topracticeinsecret。"

"Iamgladwecaughtyouatit,"saidAgathamaliciously,forhewasdisappointingher。Shewantedhimtobeheroicinhisconversation;andhewouldnot。

"Isupposeso,"hereplied。"IhaveobservedthatWoman\'sdearestdelightistowoundMan\'sself—conceit,thoughMan\'sdearestdelightistogratifyhers。ThereisatleastonecreaturelowerthanMan。Now,offwithyou。ShallIholdyouuntilyouranklesgetfirm？"

"Thankyou,"shesaid,disgusted:"_I_canskateprettywell,andIdon\'tthinkyoucouldgivemeanyusefulassistance。"Andshewentoffcautiously,feelingthatamishapwouldbeverydisgracefulaftersuchaspeech。

Hestoodontheshore,listeningtothegrinding,swayingsoundoftheskates,andwatchingthegrowingcomplexityofthecurvestheywereengravingontheice。Asthegirlsgrewwarmandaccustomedtotheexercisetheylaughed,jested,screamedrecklesslywhentheycameintocollision,andsailedbeforethewinddownthewholelengthofthepondatperilousspeed。Themoreanimatedtheybecame,thegloomierlookedSmilash。"Nottwo—penn\'orthofchoicebetweenthemandaparcelofpuppies,"hesaid;"exceptthatsomeofthemareconsciousthatthereisamanlookingatthem,althoughheisonlyablackguardlaborer。TheyremindmeofHenriettainahundredways。WouldIlaugh,now,ifthewholesheetoficeweretoburstintolittlebitsunderthem？"

Justthentheicecrackedwithastartlingreport,andtheskaters,exceptJane,skimmedawayinalldirections。

"Youarebreakingtheicetopieces,Jane,"saidAgatha,callingfromasafedistance。"Howcanyouexpectittobearyourweight？"

"Packoffools！"retortedJaneindignantly。"Thenoiseonlyshowshowstrongitis。"

TheshockwhichthereporthadgivenSmilashansweredhimhisquestion。"Makeanotethatwishesforthedestructionofthehumanrace,howeverrationalandsincere,arecontrarytonature,"hesaid,recoveringhisspirits。"Besides,whatapreciousfoolIshouldbeifIwereworkingataninternationalassociationofcreaturesonlyfitfordestruction！Hi,lady！Oneword,Miss！"ThiswastoMissWard,whohadskatedintohisneighborhood。"Itbein\'acoldmorning,andmehavin\'apoorandcommoncirculation,woulditbelookedonasalibertyifIwastocutaslidehereortakeaturninthecorneralltomyself？"

"Youmayskateoverthereifyouwish,"shesaid,afterapauseforconsideration,pointingtoadesertedspotattheleewardendofthepond,wheretheicewastooroughforcomfortableskating。

"Noblyspoke！"hecried,withagrin,hurryingtotheplaceindicated,where,skatingbeingoutofthequestion,hemadeapairofslides,andgravelyexercisedhimselfuponthemuntilhisfaceglowedandhisfingerstingledinthefrostyair。Thetimepassedquickly;whenMissWardsentforhimtotakeoffherskatestherewasageneralgroananddeclarationthatitcouldnotpossiblybehalf—pasteighto\'clockyet。Smilashkneltbeforethecamp—stool,andwaspresentlybusyunbucklingandunscrewing。

WhenJane\'sturncame,thecamp—stoolcreakedbeneathherweight。

Agathaagainremonstratedwithher,butimmediatelyreproachedherselfwithflippancybeforeSmilash,towhomshewishedtoconveyanimpressionofdeepseriousnessofcharacter。

"Smallestfootofthelot,"hesaidcritically,holdingJane\'sfootbetweenhisfingerandthumbasifitwereanarttreasurewhichhehadbeeninvitedtoexamine。"Andbelongingtothefinestbuiltlady。"

Janesnatchedawayherfoot,blushed,andsaid:

"Indeed！Whatnext,Iwonder？"

"T\'other\'unnext,"hesaid,settingtoworkontheremainingskate。Whenitwasoff,helookedupather,andshedartedaglanceathimassherosewhichshowedthathiscompliment（herfeetwere,infact,smallandpretty）wasappreciated。

"Allowme,Miss,"hesaidtoGertrude,whowasstandingononeleg,leaningonAgatha,andtakingoffherownskates。

"No,thankyou,"shesaidcoldly。"Idon\'tneedyourassistance。"

"Iamwellawarethattheofferwasoverbold,"hereplied,withaself—complacencythatmadehisprofessionofhumilityexasperating。"Ifalltheskatesisoff,Iwill,byMissWilson\'sorder,carrythemandthecamp—stoolbacktothecollege。"

MissWardhandedhimherskatesandturnedaway。GertrudeplacedhersonthestoolandwentwithMissWard。Therestfollowed,leavinghimtostareattheheapofskatesandconsiderhowheshouldcarrythem。Hecouldthinkofnobetterplanthantointerlacethestrapsandhangtheminachainoverhisshoulder。

Bythetimehehaddonethistheyoungladieswereoutofsight,andhisintentionofenjoyingtheirsocietyduringthereturntothecollegewasdefeated。Theyhadenteredthebuildinglongbeforehecameinsightofit。

Somewhatoutofconceitwithhisfolly,hewenttotheservants\'

entranceandrangthebellthere。Whenthedoorwasopened,hesawMissWardstandingbehindthemaidwhoadmittedhim。

"Oh,"shesaid,lookingatthestringofskatesasifshehadhardlyexpectedtoseethemagain,"soyouhavebroughtourthingsback？"

"Suchweremyinstructions,"hesaid,takenabackbyhermanner。

"Youhadnoinstructions。Whatdoyoumeanbygettingourskatesintoyourchargeunderfalsepretences？Iwasabouttosendthepolicetotakethemfromyou。Howdareyoutellmethatyouweresenttowaitonme,whenyouknowverywellthatyouwerenothingofthesort？"

"Icouldn\'thelpit,Miss,"herepliedsubmissively。"Iamanaturalbornliar——alwayswas。Iknowthatitmustappeardreadfultoyouthatnevertoldalie,anddon\'thardlyknowwhatalieis,belongingasyoudotoaclasswherenoneisevertold。

Butcommonpeoplelikemetellsliesjustasaduckswims。Iaskyourpardon,Miss,mosthumble,andIhopetheyoungladies\'llbeabletotellonesetofskatesfromt\'other;forI\'mblestifI

can。"

"Putthemdown。MissWilsonwishestospeaktoyoubeforeyougo。

Susan,showhimtheway。"

"Hopeyouain\'tbeenandgotapoorcoveintotrouble,Miss？"

"MissWilsonknowshowyouhavebehaved。"

HesmiledatherbenevolentlyandfollowedSusanupstairs。OntheirwaytheymetJane,whostoleaglanceathim,andwasabouttopassby,whenhesaid:

"Won\'tyousayawordtoMissWilsonforapoorcommonfellow,honoredyounglady？Ihavegotintodreadfultroubleforhavingmadeboldtoassistyouthismorning。"

"Youneedn\'tgiveyourselfthepainstotalklikethat,"repliedJaneinanimpetuouswhisper。"Weallknowthatyou\'reonlypretending。"

"Well,youcanguessmymotive,"hewhispered,lookingtenderlyather。

"Suchstuffandnonsense！Ineverheardofsuchathinginmylife,"saidJane,andranaway,plainlyunderstandingthathehaddisguisedhimselfinordertoobtainadmissiontothecollegeandenjoythehappinessoflookingather。

"CursedfoolthatIam！"hesaidtohimself;"Icannotactlikearationalcreatureforfiveconsecutiveminutes。"

Theservantledhimtothestudyandannounced,"Theman,ifyouplease,ma\'am。"

"JeffSmilash,"headdedinexplanation。

"Comein,"saidMissWilsonsternly。

Hewentin,andmetthedeterminedfrownwhichshecastonhimfromherseatbehindthewritingtable,bysayingcourteously:

"Good—morning,MissWilson。"

Shebentforwardinvoluntarily,asiftoreceiveagentleman。

Thenshecheckedherselfandlookedimplacable。

"Ihavetoapologize,"hesaid,"formakinguseofyournameunwarrantablythismorning——tellingalie,infact。Ihappenedtobeskatingwhentheyoungladiescamedown,andastheyneededsomeassistancewhichtheywouldhardlyhaveacceptedfromacommonman——excusemyborrowingthattiresomeexpressionfromouracquaintanceSmilash——Isettheirmindsateasebysayingthatyouhadsentforme。Otherwise,asyouhavegivenmeabadcharacter——thoughnotworsethanIdeserve——theywouldprobablyhaverefusedtoemployme,oratleastIshouldhavebeencompelledtoacceptpayment,whichI,ofcourse,donotneed。"

MissWilsonaffectedsurprise。"Idonotunderstandyou,"shesaid。

"Notaltogether,"hesaidsmiling。"ButyouunderstandthatIamwhatiscalledagentleman。"

"No。ThegentlemenwithwhomIamconversantdonotdressasyoudress,norspeakasyouspeak,noractasyouact。"

Helookedather,andhercountenanceconfirmedthehostilityofhertone。HeinstantlyrelapsedintoanaggravatedphaseofSmilash。

"Iwillnolongerattempttosetmyselfupasagentleman,"hesaid。"Iamacommonman,andyourladyship\'shirecognizesmeassuchandisnottobedeceived。Butdon\'tgofortosaythatIamnotcandidwhenIamascandidaseveryouwillletmebe。Whatfault,ifany,doyoufindwithmyputtingtheskatesontheyoungladies,andcarryin\'thecampstoolforthem？"

"Ifyouareagentleman,"saidMissWilson,reddening,"yourconductinpersistingintheseanticsinmypresenceisinsultingtome。Extremelyso。"

"MissWilson,"hereplied,unruffled,"ifyouinsistonSmilash,youshallhaveSmilash;Itakeaninsanepleasureinpersonatinghim。IfyouwantSidney——myrealChristianname——youcancommandhim。Butallowmetosaythatyoumusthaveeitheroneortheother。Ifyoubecomefrankwithme,IwillunderstandthatyouareaddressingSidney。Ifdistantandsevere,Smilash。"

"Nomatterwhatyournamemaybe,"saidMissWilson,muchannoyed,"Iforbidyoutocomehereortoholdanycommunicationwhateverwiththeyoungladiesinmycharge。"

"Why？"

"BecauseIchoose。"

"Thereismuchforceinthatreason,MissWilson;butitisnotmoralforceinthesenseconveyedbyyourcollegeprospectus,whichIhavereadwithgreatinterest。"

MissWilson,sinceherquarrelwithAgatha,hadbeensoreonthesubjectofmoralforce。"Nooneisadmittedhere,"shesaid,"withoutatrustworthyintroductionorrecommendation。Adisguiseisnotasatisfactorysubstituteforeither。"

"Disguisesaregenerallyassumedforthepurposeofconcealingcrime,"heremarkedsententiously。

"Preciselyso,"shesaidemphatically。

"Therefore,Ibear,tosaytheleast,adoubtfulcharacter。

Nevertheless,Ihaveformedwithsomeofthestudentshereaslightacquaintance,ofwhich,itseems,youdisapprove。YouhavegivenmenogoodreasonwhyIshoulddiscontinuethatacquaintance,andyoucannotcontrolmeexceptbyyourwish——asortofinfluencenotusuallyeffectivewithdoubtfulcharacters。

SupposeIdisregardyourwish,andthatoneortwoofyourpupilscometoyouandsay:\'MissWilson,inouropinionSmilashisanexcellentfellow;wefindhisconversationmostimproving。Asitisyourprincipletoallowustoexerciseourownjudgment,weintendtocultivatetheacquaintanceofSmilash。\'Howwillyouactinthatcase？"

"Sendthemhometotheirparentsatonce。"

"IseethatyourprinciplesarethoseoftheChurchofEngland。

Youallowthestudentstherightofprivatejudgmentonconditionthattheyarriveatthesameconclusionsasyou。ExcusemysayingthattheprinciplesoftheChurchofEngland,howeverexcellent,arenotthoseyourprospectusledmetohopefor。Yourplaniscoercion,starkandsimple。"

"Idonotadmitit,"saidMissWilson,readytoargue,evenwithSmilash,indefenceofhersystem。"Thegirlsarequiteatlibertytoactastheyplease,butIreservemyequallibertytoexcludethemfrommycollegeifIdonotapproveoftheirbehavior。"

"Justso。Inmostschoolschildrenareperfectlyatlibertytolearntheirlessonsornot,justastheyplease;buttheprincipalreservesanequallibertytowhipthemiftheycannotrepeattheirtasks。"

"Idonotwhipmypupils,"saidMissWilsonindignantly。"Thecomparisonisanoutrage。"

"Butyouexpelthem;and,astheyaredevotedtoyouandtotheplace,expulsionisadreadedpunishment。Yoursistheoldsystemofmakinglawsandenforcingthembypenalties,andthesuperiorityofAltonCollegetoothercollegesisdue,nottoanydifferenceofsystem,buttothecomparativereasonablenessofitslawsandthemildnessandjudgmentwithwhichtheyareenforced。"

"Mysystemisradicallydifferentfromtheoldone。However,I

willnotdiscussthematterwithyou。Amindoccupiedwiththeprejudicesoftheoldcoercivedespotismcannaturallyonlyseeinthenewamodificationoftheold,insteadof,asmysystemis,anentirereversalorabandonmentofit。"

Heshookhisheadsadlyandsaid:"Youseektoimposeyourideasonothers,ostracizingthosewhorejectthem。Believeme,mankindhasbeendoingnothingelseeversinceitbegantopaysomeattentiontoideas。Ithasbeensaidthatabenevolentdespotismisthebestpossibleformofgovernment。Idonotbelievethatsaying,becauseIbelieveanotheronetotheeffectthathellispavedwithbenevolence,whichmostpeople,theproverbbeingtoodeepforthem,misinterpretasunfulfilledintentions。Asifabenevolentdespotmightnotbyanyerrorofjudgmentdestroyhiskingdom,andthensay,likeRomeowhenhegothisfriendkilled,\'Ithoughtallforthebest！\'Excusemyrambling。Imeanttosay,inshort,thatthoughyouarebenevolentandjudiciousyouarenonethelessadespot。"