第2章

"Idon’tknowwhatyouimaginebetweenthem，"saidMrs。Nettlepoint。

"Well，nothing，"Iallowed，"butwhatwasvisibleonthesurface。Ittranspired，asthenewspaperssay，thattheywereoldfriends。"

"Hemetheratsomepromiscuousparty——Iaskedhimaboutitafterwards。She’snotaperson"——myhostesswasconfident——"whomhecouldeverthinkofseriously。"

"That’sexactlywhatIbelieve。"

"Youdon’tobserve——youknow——youimagine，"Mrs。Nettlepointcontinuedtoargue。"HowdoyoureconcileherlayingatrapforJasperwithhergoingouttoLiverpoolonanerrandoflove？"

OhIwasn’ttobecaughtthatway！"Idon’tforaninstantsupposeshelaidatrap；Ibelievesheactedontheimpulseofthemoment。

She’sgoingouttoLiverpoolonanerrandofmarriage；that’snotnecessarilythesamethingasanerrandoflove，especiallyforonewhohappenstohavehadapersonalimpressionofthegentlemanshe’sengagedto。"

"Well，therearecertaindecencieswhichinsuchasituationthemostabandonedofhersexwouldstillobserve。Youapparentlyjudgehercapable——onnoevidence——ofviolatingthem。"

"Ahyoudon’tunderstandtheshadesofthings，"Ireturned。

"Decenciesandviolations，dearlady——there’snoneedforsuchheavyartillery！IcanperfectlyimaginethatwithouttheleastimmodestysheshouldhavesaidtoJasperonthebalcony，infactifnotinwords：’I’mindreadfulspirits，butifyoucomeIshallfeelbetter，andthatwillbepleasantforyoutoo。’"

"Andwhyissheindreadfulspirits？"

"Sheisn’t！"Ireplied，laughing。

Mypoorfriendwondered。"Whatthenisshedoing？"

"She’swalkingwithyourson。"

Mrs。Nettlepointforamomentsaidnothing；thenshetreatedmetoanotherinconsequence。"Ahshe’shorrid！"

"No，she’scharming！"Iprotested。

"Youmeanshe’s’curious’？"

"Well，formeit’sthesamething！"

ThisledmyfriendofcoursetodeclareoncemorethatIwascold-

blooded。Ontheafternoonofthemorrowwehadanothertalk，andshetoldmethatinthemorningMissMavishadpaidheralongvisit。

Sheknewnothing，poorcreature，aboutanything，butherintentionsweregoodandshewasevidentlyinherowneyesconscientiousanddecorous。AndMrs。Nettlepointconcludedtheseremarkswiththesigh"Unfortunateperson！"

"Youthinkshe’sagooddealtobepitiedthen？"

"Well，herstorysoundsdreary——shetoldmeagooddealofit。Shefelltotalkinglittlebylittleandwentfromonethingtoanother。

She’sinthatsituationwhenagirlMUSTopenherself——tosomewoman。"

"Hasn’tshegotJasper？"Iasked。

"Heisn’tawoman。Youstrikemeasjealousofhim，"mycompanionadded。

"IdaresayHEthinksso——orwillbeforetheend。Ahno——ahno！"AndIaskedMrs。Nettlepointifouryoungladystruckheras，verygrossly，aflirt。Shegavemenoanswer，butwentontoremarkthatshefounditoddandinterestingtoseethewayagirllikeGraceMavisresembledthegirlsofthekindsheherselfknewbetter，thegirlsof"society，"atthesametimethatshedifferedfromthem；andthewaythedifferencesandresemblancesweresomixedupthatoncertainquestionsyoucouldn’ttellwhereyou’dfindher。You’dthinkshe’dfeelasyoudidbecauseyouhadfoundherfeelingso，andthensuddenly，inregardtosomeothermatter——whichwasyetquitethesame——she’dbeutterlywanting。Mrs。Nettlepointproceededtoobserve——tosuchidlespeculationsdoesthevacancyofsea-hoursgiveencouragement——thatshewonderedwhetheritwerebettertobeanordinarygirlverywellbroughtuporanextraordinarygirlnotbroughtupatall。

"OhIgoinfortheextraordinarygirlunderallcircumstances。"

It’struethatifyou’reVERYwellbroughtupyou’renot，youcan’tbe，ordinary，"saidMrs。Nettlepoint，smellingherstrongsalts。

"You’realady，atanyrate。"

"AndMissMavisisfiftymilesout——isthatwhatyoumean？"

"Well——you’veseenhermother。"

"Yes，butIthinkyourcontentionwouldbethatamongsuchpeoplethemotherdoesn’tcount。"

"Precisely，andthat’sbad。"

"Iseewhatyoumean。Butisn’titratherhard？Ifyourmotherdoesn’tknowanythingit’sbetteryoushouldbeindependentofher，andyetifyouarethatconstitutesabadnote。"IaddedthatMrs。

Mavishadappearedtocountsufficientlytwonightsbefore。Shehadsaidanddoneeverythingshewanted，whilethegirlsatsilentandrespectful。Grace’sattitude，sofarasherparentwasconcerned，hadbeeneminentlydecent。

"Yes，butshe’squirmed’forher，"saidMrs。Nettlepoint。

"AhifyouknowitImayconfessshehastoldmeasmuch。"

Myfriendstared。"ToldYOU？There’soneofthethingstheydo！"

"Well，itwasonlyaword。Won’tyouletmeknowwhetheryoudothinkheraflirt？"

"Tryheryourself——that’sbetterthanaskinganotherwoman；

especiallyasyoupretendtostudyfolk。"

"Ohyourjudgementwouldn’tprobablyatalldeterminemine。It’sasbearingonYOUIaskit。"Which，however，demandedexplanation，sothatIwasdulyfrank；confessingmyselfcuriousastohowfarmaternalimmoralitywouldgo。

Itmadeheratfirstbutrepeatmywords。"Maternalimmorality？"

"Youdesireyoursontohaveeverypossibledistractiononhisvoyage，andifyoucanmakeupyourmindinthesenseIrefertothatwillmakeitallright。He’llhavenoresponsibility。"

"Heavens，howyouanalyse！"shecried。"Ihaven’tintheleastyourpassionformakingupmymind。"

"Thenifyouchanceit，"Ireturned，"you’llbemoreimmoralstill。"

"Yourreasoning’sstrange，"saidMrs。Nettlepoint；"whenitwasyouwhotriedtoputintomyheadyesterdaythatshehadaskedhimtocome。"

"Yes，butingoodfaith。"

"Whatdoyoumean，insuchacase，bythat？"

"Why，asgirlsofthatsortdo。Theirallowanceandmeasureinsuchmatters，"Iexpounded，"ismuchlargerthanthatofyoungpersonswhohavebeen，asyousay，VERYwellbroughtup；andyetI’mnotsurethatonthewholeIdon’tthinkthemtherebythemoreinnocent。MissMavisisengaged，andshe’stobemarriednextweek，butit’sanoldoldstory，andthere’snomoreromanceinitthanifsheweregoingtobephotographed。Soherusuallifeproceeds，andherusuallifeconsists——andthatofcesdemoisellesingeneral——inhavingplentyofgentlemen’ssociety。HavingitImeanwithouthavinganyharmfromit。"

Mrs。Nettlepointhadgivenmedueattention。"Well，ifthere’snoharmfromitwhatareyoutalkingaboutandwhyamIimmoral？"

Ihesitated，laughing。"Iretract——you’resaneandclear。I’msureshethinkstherewon’tbeanyharm，"Iadded。"That’sthegreatpoint。"

"Thegreatpoint？"

"Tobesettled，Imean。"

"Mercy，we’renottryingthem！"criedmyfriend。"HowcanWEsettleit？"

"Imeanofcourseinourminds。Therewillbenothingmoreinterestingthesenexttendaysforourmindstoexercisethemselvesupon。"

"Thenthey’llgetterriblytiredofit，"saidMrs。Nettlepoint。

"No，no——becausetheinterestwillincreaseandtheplotwillthicken。Itsimplycan’tNOT，"Iinsisted。ShelookedatmeasifshethoughtmemorethanMephistophelean，andIwentbacktosomethingshehadlatelymentioned。"Soshetoldyoueverythinginherlifewasdreary？"

"Noteverything，butmostthings。Andshedidn’ttellmesomuchasIguessedit。She’lltellmemorethenexttime。She’llbehaveproperlynowaboutcomingintoseeme；Itoldhersheoughtto。"

"I’mgladofthat，"Isaid。"Keepherwithyouasmuchaspossible。"

"Idon’tfollowyouclosely，"Mrs。Nettlepointreplied，"butsofarasIdoIdon’tthinkyourremarksinthebesttaste。"

"Well，I’mtooexcited，Ilosemyheadinthesesports，"Ihadtorecognise——"cold-bloodedasyouthinkme。Doesn’tshelikeMr。

Porterfield？"

"Yes，that’stheworstofit。"

Ikeptmakingherstare。"Theworstofit？"

"He’ssogood——there’snofaulttobefoundwithhim。Otherwiseshe’dhavethrownitallup。Ithasdraggedonsinceshewaseighteen：shebecameengagedtohimbeforehewentabroadtostudy。

ItwasoneofthoseveryyoungandperfectlyneedlessblundersthatparentsinAmericamightmakesomuchlesspossiblethantheydo。

Thethingistoinsistonone’sdaughterwaiting，ontheengagement’sbeinglong；andthen，afteryou’vegotthatstarted，totakeitoneveryoccasionaslittleseriouslyaspossible——tomakeitdieout。

Youcaneasilytireittodeath，"Mrs。Nettlepointcompetentlystated。"However，"sheconcluded，"Mr。Porterfieldhastakenthisoneseriouslyforsomeyears。Hehasdonehisparttokeepitalive。

Shesaysheadoresher。"

"Hispart？Surelyhispartwouldhavebeentomarryherbythistime。"

"Hehasreallynomoney。"MyfriendwasevenmoreconfidentlyabletoreportitthanIhadbeen。

"Heoughttohavegotsome，insevenyears，"Iaudiblyreflected。

"SoIthinkshethinks。Therearesomesortsofhelplessnessthatarecontemptible。However，asmalldifferencehastakenplace。

That’swhyhewon’twaitanylonger。Hismotherhascomeout，shehassomething——alittle——andshe’sabletoassisthim。She’lllivewiththemandbearsomeoftheexpenses，andafterherdeaththesonwillhavewhatthereis。"

"Howoldisshe？"Icynicallyasked。

"Ihaven’ttheleastidea。Butitdoesn’t，onhispart，soundveryheroic——orveryinspiringforourfriendhere。Hehasn’tbeentoAmericasincehefirstwentout。"

"That’sanoddwayofadoringher，"Iobserved。

"Imadethatobjectionmentally，butIdidn’texpressittoher。Shemetitindeedalittlebytellingmethathehadhadotherchancestomarry。"

"Thatsurprisesme，"Iremarked。"Butdidshesay，"Iasked，"thatSHEhadhad？"

"No，andthat’soneofthethingsIthoughtniceinher；forshemusthavehad。Shedidn’ttrytomakeoutthathehadspoiledherlife。

Shehasthreeothersistersandthere’sverylittlemoneyathome。

Shehastriedtomakemoney；shehaswrittenlittlethingsandpaintedlittlethings——anddreadfullittlethingstheymusthavebeen；toobadtothinkof。Herfatherhashadalongillnessandhaslosthisplace——hewasinreceiptofasalaryinconnexionwithsomewaterworks——andoneofhersistershaslatelybecomeawidow，withchildrenandwithoutmeans。Andsoasinfactsheneverhasmarriedanyoneelse，whateveropportunitiesshemayhaveencountered，sheappearstohavejustmadeuphermindtogoouttoMr。Porterfieldastheleastofherevils。Butitisn’tveryamusing。"

"Well，"Ijudgedafterall，"thatonlymakesherdoingitthemorehonourable。She’llgothroughwithit，whateveritcosts，ratherthandisappointhimafterhehaswaitedsolong。It’strue，"I

continued，"thatwhenawomanactsfromasenseofhonour——！"

"Well，whenshedoes？"saidMrs。Nettlepoint，forIhungbackperceptibly。

"It’softensoextravagantandunnaturalaproceedingastoentailheavycostsonsomeone。"

"You’reveryimpertinent。Weallhavetopayforeachotherallthewhileandforeachother’svirtuesaswellasvices。"

"That’spreciselywhyIshallbesorryforMr。Porterfieldwhenshestepsofftheshipwithherlittlebill。Imeanwithherteethclenched。"

"Herteetharenotintheleastclenched。She’squiteathereasenow"——Mrs。Nettlepointcouldanswerforthat。

"Well，wemusttryandkeepherso，"Isaid。

"YoumusttakecarethatJasperneglectsnothing。"Iscarceknowwhatreflexionsthisinnocentpleasantryofmineprovokedonthegoodlady’spart；theupshotofthematalleventswastomakehersay：

"Well，Ineveraskedhertocome；I’mverygladofthat。It’salltheirowndoing。"

"’Their’own——youmeanJasper’sandhers？"

"Noindeed。Imeanhermother’sandMrs。Allen’s；thegirl’stooofcourse。Theyputthemselvesonusbymainforce。"

"Ohyes，Icantestifytothat。ThereforeI’mgladtoo。Weshouldhavemissedit，Ithink。"

"Howseriouslyyoutakeit！"Mrs。Nettlepointamusedlycried。

"Ahwaitafewdays！"——andIgotuptoleaveher。

CHAPTERIII

ThePatagoniawasslow，butspaciousandcomfortable，andtherewasamotherlydecencyinherlongnursingrockandherrustlingold-

fashionedgait，themultitudinousswish，inherwake，asofathousandproperpetticoats。Itwasasifshewishednottopresentherselfinportwiththesplashedeagernessofayoungcreature。Weweren’tnumerousenoughquitetoelboweachotherandyetweren’ttoofewtosupport——withthatfamiliarityandreliefwhichfiguresandobjectsacquireonthegreatbarefieldoftheoceanandunderthegreatbrightglassofthesky。Ihadneverlikedtheseasomuchbefore，indeedIhadneverlikeditatall；butnowIhadarevelationofhowinamidsummermooditcouldplease。Itwasdarklyandmagnificentlyblueandimperturbablyquiet——saveforthegreatregularswellofitsheartbeats，thepulseofitslife；andtheregrewtobesomethingsoagreeableinthesenseoffloatingthereininfiniteisolationandleisurethatitwasapositivegodsendthePatagoniawasnoracer。Onehadneverthoughtoftheseaasthegreatplaceofsafety，butnowitcameoveronethatthere’snoplacesosafefromtheland。Whenitdoesn’tconfertroubleittakestroubleaway——takesawaylettersandtelegramsandnewspapersandvisitsanddutiesandefforts，allthecomplications，allthesuperfluitiesandsuperstitionsthatwehavestuffedintoourterrenelife。Thesimpleabsenceofthepost，whentheparticularconditionsenableyoutoenjoythegreatfactbywhichit’sproduced，becomesinitselfapositivebliss，andthecleanboardsofthedeckturntothestageofaplaythatamuses，thepersonaldramaofthevoyage，themovementandinteraction，inthestrongsea-light，offiguresthatendbyrepresentingsomething——somethingmoreoverofwhichtheinterestisnever，eveninitskeenness，toogreattosufferyoutoslumber。Iatanyratedozedtoexcess，stretchedonmyrugwithaFrenchnovel，andwhenIopenedmyeyesIgenerallysawJasperNettlepointpasswiththeyoungwomanconfidedtohismother’scareonhisarm。Somehowatthesemoments，betweensleepingandwaking，I

inconsequentlyfeltthatmyFrenchnovelhadsettheminmotion。

PerhapsthiswasbecauseIhadfallenintothetrick，atthestart，ofregardingGraceMavisalmostasamarriedwoman，which，aseveryoneknows，isthenecessarystatusoftheheroineofsuchawork。

Everyrevolutionofourengineatanyratewouldcontributetotheeffectofmakingherone。

Inthesaloon，atmeals，myneighbourontherightwasacertainlittleMrs。Peck，averyshortandveryroundpersonwhoseheadwasenvelopedina"cloud"（acloudofdirtywhitewool）andwhopromptlyletmeknowthatshewasgoingtoEuropefortheeducationofherchildren。Ihadalreadyperceived——anhourafterweleftthedock——

thatsomeenergeticmeasurewasrequiredintheirinterest，butaswewerenotinEuropeyettheredemptionofthefourlittlePeckswasstayed。Enjoyinguntrammelledleisuretheyswarmedabouttheshipasiftheyhadbeenpiratesboardingher，andtheirmotherwasaspowerlesstochecktheirlicenceasifshehadbeengaggedandstowedawayinthehold。Theywereespeciallytobetrustedtodivebetweenthelegsofthestewardswhentheseattendantsarrivedwithbowlsofsoupforthelanguidladies。Theirmotherwastoobusycountingovertoherfellow-passengersalltheyearsMissMavishadbeenengaged。

Intheblankofourcommondetachmentthingsthatwerenobody’sbusinessverysoonbecameeverybody’s，andthiswasjustoneofthosefactsthatarepropagatedwithmysteriousandridiculousspeed。Thewhisperthatcarriesthemisverysmall，inthegreatscaleofthings，ofairandspaceandprogress，butit’salsoverysafe，forthere’snocompression，nosounding-board，tomakespeakersresponsible。Andthenrepetitionatseaissomehownotrepetition；

monotonyisintheair，themindisflatandeverythingrecurs——thebells，themeals，thestewards’faces，therompofchildren，thewalk，theclothes，theveryshoesandbuttonsofpassengerstakingtheirexercise。Thesethingsfinallygrowatoncesocircumstantialandsoaridthat，incomparison，lightsonthepersonalhistoryofone’scompanionsbecomeasubstituteforthefriendlyflickerofthelostfireside。

JasperNettlepointsatonmylefthandwhenhewasnotupstairsseeingthatMissMavishadherrepastcomfortablyondeck。Hismother’splacewouldhavebeennextminehadsheshownherself，andthenthatoftheyoungladyunderhercare。Thesecompanions，inotherwords，wouldhavebeenbetweenus，Jaspermarkingthelimitofthepartyinthatquarter。MissMaviswaspresentatluncheonthefirstday，butdinnerpassedwithouthercomingin，andwhenitwashalfoverJasperremarkedthathewouldgoupandlookafterher。

"Isn’tthatyoungladycoming——theonewhowasheretolunch？"Mrs。

Peckaskedofmeasheleftthesaloon。

"Apparentlynot。Myfriendtellsmeshedoesn’tlikethesaloon。"

"Youdon’tmeantosayshe’ssick，doyou？"

"Ohno，notinthisweather。Butshelikestobeabove。"

"Andisthatgentlemangoneuptoher？"

"Yes，she’sunderhismother’scare。"

"Andishismotherupthere，too？"askedMrs。Peck，whoseprocesseswerehomelyanddirect。

"No，sheremainsinhercabin。Peoplehavedifferenttastes。

Perhapsthat’sonereasonwhyMissMavisdoesn’tcometotable，"I

added——"herchaperonnotbeingabletoaccompanyher。"

"Herchaperon？"myfellowpassengerechoed。

"Mrs。Nettlepoint——theladyunderwhoseprotectionshehappenstobe。"

"Protection？"Mrs。Peckstaredatmeamoment，movingsomevaluedmorselinhermouth；thensheexclaimedfamiliarly"Pshaw！"Iwasstruckwiththisandwasonthepointofaskingherwhatshemeantbyitwhenshecontinued："Ain’twegoingtoseeMrs。Nettlepoint？"

"I’mafraidnot。Shevowsshewon’tstirfromhersofa。"

"Pshaw！"saidMrs。Peckagain。"That’squiteadisappointment。"

"Doyouknowherthen？"

"No，butIknowallabouther。"Thenmycompanionadded："Youdon’tmeantosayshe’sanyrealrelation？"

"Doyoumeantome？"

"No，toGraceMavis。"

"Noneatall。They’reverynewfriends，asIhappentoknow。Thenyou’reacquaintedwithouryounglady？"Ihadn’tnoticedthepassageofanyrecognitionbetweenthematluncheon。

"Issheyouryoungladytoo？"askedMrs。Peckwithhighsignificance。

"Ahwhenpeopleareinthesameboat——literally——theybelongalittletoeachother。"

"That’sso，"saidMrs。Peck。"Idon’tknowMissMavis，butIknowallabouther——IliveoppositetoheronMerrimacAvenue。Idon’tknowwhetheryouknowthatpart。"

"Ohyes——it’sverybeautiful。"

Theconsequenceofthisremarkwasanother"Pshaw！"ButMrs。Peckwenton："Whenyou’velivedoppositetopeoplelikethatforalongtimeyoufeelasifyouhadsomerightsinthem——titfortat！Butshedidn’ttakeituptoday；shedidn’tspeaktome。SheknowswhoI

amaswellassheknowsherownmother。"

"Youhadbetterspeaktoherfirst——she’sconstitutionallyshy，"I

remarked。

"Shy？She’sconstitutionallytough！Whyshe’sthirtyyearsold，"

criedmyneighbour。"Isupposeyouknowwhereshe’sgoing。"

"Ohyes——wealltakeaninterestinthat。"

"Thatyoungman，Isuppose，particularly。"AndthenasIfeignedavagueness："ThehandsomeonewhositsTHERE。Didn’tyoutellmehe’sMrs。Nettlepoint’sson？"

"Ohyes——heactsasherdeputy。Nodoubthedoesallhecantocarryoutherfunction。"

Mrs。Peckbrieflybrooded。Ihadspokenjocosely，butshetookitwithaseriousface。"Well，shemightlethimeathisdinnerinpeace！"shepresentlyputforth。

"Ohhe’llcomeback！"Isaid，glancingathisplace。TherepastcontinuedandwhenitwasfinishedIscrewedmychairroundtoleavethetable。Mrs。Peckperformedthesamemovementandwequittedthesaloontogether。Outsideofitwastheusualvestibule，withseveralseats，fromwhichyoucoulddescendtothelowercabinsormounttothepromenade-deck。Mrs。Peckappearedtohesitateastohercourseandthensolvedtheproblembygoingneitherway。Shedroppedononeofthebenchesandlookedupatme。

"Ithoughtyousaidhe’dcomeback。"

"YoungNettlepoint？Yes，Iseehedidn’t。MissMavisthenhasgivenhimhalfherdinner。"

"It’sverykindofher！Shehasbeenengagedhalfherlife。"

"Yes，butthatwillsoonbeover。"

"SoIsuppose——asquickaseverweland。EveryoneknowsitonMerrimacAvenue，"Mrs。Peckpursued。"Everyonetheretakesagreatinterestinit。"

"Ahofcourse——agirllikethathasmanyfriends。"

Butmyinformantdiscriminated。"Imeanevenpeoplewhodon’tknowher。"

"Isee，"Iwenton："she’ssohandsomethatsheattractsattention——

peopleenterintoheraffairs。"

Mrs。Peckspokeasfromthecommandingcentreofthese。"SheUSEDtobepretty，butIcan’tsayIthinkshe’sanythingremarkabletoday。

Anyhow，ifsheattractsattentionsheoughttobeallthemorecarefulwhatshedoes。Youhadbettertellherthat。"

"Ohit’snoneofmybusiness！"Ieasilymadeout，leavingtheterriblelittlewomanandgoingabove。Thisprofession，Igrant，wasnotperfectlyattunedtomyrealidea，orrathermyrealideawasnotquiteinharmonywithmyprofession。TheveryfirstthingIdidonreachingthedeckwastonoticethatMissMaviswaspacingitonJasperNettlepoint’sarmandthatwhateverbeautyshemighthavelost，accordingtoMrs。Peck’sinsinuation，shestillkeptenoughtomakeone’seyesfollowher。Shehadputonacrimsonhood，whichwasverybecomingtoherandwhichsheworefortherestofthevoyage。

Shewalkedverywell，withlongsteps，andIrememberthatatthismomenttheseahadagentleeveningswellwhichmadethegreatshipdipslowly，rhythmically，givingamovementthatwasgracefultogracefulpedestriansandamoreawkwardonetotheawkward。Itwastheloveliesthourofafineday，theclearearlyevening，withtheglowofthesunsetintheairandapurplecolouronthedeep。ItwasalwayspresenttomethatsothewatersploughedbytheHomericheroesmusthavelooked。IbecameconsciousonthisparticularoccasionmoreoverthatGraceMaviswouldfortherestofthevoyagebethemostvisiblethinginone’srange，thefigurethatwouldcountmostinthecompositionofgroups。Shecouldn’thelpit，poorgirl；

naturehadmadeherconspicuous——important，asthepainterssay。Shepaidforitbythecorrespondingexposure，thedangerthatpeoplewould，asIhadsaidtoMrs。Peck，enterintoheraffairs。

JasperNettlepointwentdownatcertaintimestoseehismother，andIwatchedforoneoftheseoccasions——onthethirddayout——andtookadvantageofittogoandsitbyMissMavis。Sheworealightblueveildrawntightlyoverherface，sothatifthesmilewithwhichshegreetedmeratherlackedintensityIcouldaccountforitpartlybythat。

"Well，we’regettingon——we’regettingon，"Isaidcheerfully，lookingatthefriendlytwinklingsea。

"Arewegoingveryfast？"

"Notfast，butsteadily。OhneHast，ohneRast——doyouknowGerman？"

"Well，I’vestudiedit——some。"

"Itwillbeusefultoyouovertherewhenyoutravel。"

"Wellyes，ifwedo。ButIdon’tsupposeweshallmuch。Mr。

Nettlepointsaysweought，"myyoungwomanaddedinamoment。

"AhofcourseHEthinksso。Hehasbeenallovertheworld。"

"Yes，hehasdescribedsomeoftheplaces。Theymustbewonderful。

Ididn’tknowIshouldlikeitsomuch。"

"Butitisn’t’Europe’yet！"Ilaughed。

Well，shedidn’tcareifitwasn’t。"Imeangoingonthisway。I

couldgoonforever——foreverandever。"

"Ahyouknowit’snotalwayslikethis，"Ihastenedtomention。

"Well，it’sbetterthanBoston。"

"Itisn’tsogoodasParis，"Istillmoreportentouslynoted。

"OhIknowallaboutParis。There’snofreshnessinthat。IfeelasifIhadbeenthereallthetime。"

"Youmeanyou’veheardsomuchofit？"

"Ohyes，nothingelsefortenyears。"

IhadcometotalkwithMissMavisbecauseshewasattractive，butI

hadbeenratherconsciousoftheabsenceofagoodtopic，notfeelingatlibertytoreverttoMr。Porterfield。Shehadn’tencouragedme，whenIspoketoheraswewereleavingBoston，togoonwiththehistoryofmyacquaintancewiththisgentleman；andyetnow，unexpectedly，sheappearedtoimply——itwasdoubtlessoneofthedisparitiesmentionedbyMrs。Nettlepoint——thathemightbeglancedatwithoutindelicacy。

"Isee——youmeanbyletters，"Iremarked。

"Wewon’tliveinagoodpart。Iknowenoughtoknowthat，"shewenton。

"Well，itisn’tasiftherewereanyverybadones，"Iansweredreassuringly。

"WhyMr。Nettlepointsaysit’sregularmean。"

"Andtowhatdoesheapplythatexpression？"

SheeyedmeamomentasifIwereelegantatherexpense，butsheansweredmyquestion。"UpthereintheBatignolles。Iseemtomakeoutit’sworsethanMerrimacAvenue。"

"Worse——inwhatway？"

"Why，evenlesswherethenicepeoplelive。"

"Heoughtn’ttosaythat，"Ireturned。AndIventuredtobackitup。

"Don’tyoucallMr。Porterfieldaniceperson？"

"Ohitdoesn’tmakeanydifference。"Shewatchedmeagainamomentthroughherveil，thetextureofwhichgaveherlookasuffusedprettiness。"Doyouknowhimverylittle？"sheasked。

"Mr。Porterfield？"

"No，Mr。Nettlepoint。"

"Ahverylittle。He’sveryconsiderablymyjunior，yousee。"

Shehadafreshpause，asifalmostagainformyelegance；butshewenton："He’syoungerthanmetoo。"Idon’tknowwhateffectofthecomictherecouldhavebeeninit，buttheturnwasunexpectedanditmademelaugh。NeitherdoIknowwhetherMissMavistookoffenceatmysensibilityonthishead，thoughIrememberthinkingatthemomentwithcompunctionthatithadbroughtaflushtohercheek。

Atalleventsshegotup，gatheringhershawlandherbooksintoherarm。"I’mgoingdown——I’mtired。"

"Tiredofme，I’mafraid。"

"No，notyet。"

"I’mlikeyou，"Iconfessed。"Ishouldlikeittogoonandon。"

ShehadbeguntowalkalongthedecktothecompanionwayandIwentwithher。"Well，Iguess_I_wouldn’t，afterall！"

Ihadtakenhershawlfromhertocarryit，butatthetopofthestepsthatleddowntothecabinsIhadtogiveitback。"Yourmotherwouldbegladifshecouldknow，"Iobservedasweparted。

Butshewasproofagainstmygraces。"Ifshecouldknowwhat？"

"Howwellyou’regettingon。"Irefusedtobediscouraged。"AndthatgoodMrs。Allen。"

"Ohmother，mother！Shemademecome，shepushedmeoff。"Andalmostasifnottosaymoreshewentquicklybelow。

IpaidMrs。Nettlepointamorningvisitafterluncheonandanotherintheevening，beforeshe"turnedin。"Thatsameday，intheevening，shesaidtomesuddenly："DoyouknowwhatI’vedone？I’veaskedJasper。"

"Askedhimwhat？"

"Why，ifSHEaskedhim，youunderstand。"

Iwondered。"DOIunderstand？"

"Ifyoudon’tit’sbecauseyou’regular’won’t，asshesays。Ifthatgirlreallyaskedhim——onthebalcony——tosailwithus。"

"Mydearlady，doyousupposethatifshedidhe’dtellyou？"

Shehadtorecognisemyacuteness。"That’sjustwhathesays。Buthesaysshedidn’t。"

"Anddoyouconsiderthestatementvaluable？"Iasked，laughingout。

"Youhadbetteraskyouryoungfriendherself。"

Mrs。Nettlepointstared。"Icouldn’tdothat。"

OnwhichIwasthemoreamusedthatIhadtoexplainIwasonlyamused。"Whatdoesitsignifynow？"

"Ithoughtyouthoughteverythingsignified。Youweresofull，"shecried，"ofsignification！"

"Yes，butwe’refurtheroutnow，andsomehowinmid-oceaneverythingbecomesabsolute。"

"WhatelseCANhedowithdecency？"Mrs。Nettlepointwenton。"If，asmyson，hewerenevertospeaktoheritwouldbeveryrudeandyou’dthinkthatstrangerstill。ThenYOUwoulddowhathedoes，andwherewouldbethedifference？"

"Howdoyouknowwhathedoes？Ihaven’tmentionedhimfortwenty-

fourhours。"

"Why，shetoldmeherself。Shecameinthisafternoon。"

"Whatanoddthingtotellyou！"Icommented。

"Notasshesaysit。Shesayshe’sfullofattention，perfectlydevoted——looksafterherallthetime。Sheseemstowantmetoknowit，sothatImayapprovehimforit。"

"That’scharming；itshowshergoodconscience。"

"Yes，orhergreatcleverness。"

SomethinginthetoneinwhichMrs。Nettlepointsaidthiscausedmetoreturninrealsurprise："Whywhatdoyousupposeshehasinhermind？"

"Togetholdofhim，tomakehimgosofarhecan’tretreat。Tomarryhimperhaps。"

"Tomarryhim？AndwhatwillshedowithMr。Porterfield？"

"She’llaskmejusttomakeitallrighttohim——orperhapsyou。"

"Yes，asanoldfriend"——andforamomentIfeltitawkwardlypossible。ButIputtoherseriously："DOyouseeJaspercaughtlikethat？"

"Well，he’sonlyaboy——he’syoungeratleastthanshe。"

"Precisely；sheregardshimasachild。Sheremarkedtomeherselftoday，thatis，thathe’ssomuchyounger。"

Mrs。Nettlepointtookthisin。"Doesshetalkofitwithyou？Thatshowsshehasaplan，thatshehasthoughtitover！"

I’vesufficientlyexpressed——fortheinterestofmyanecdote——thatI

foundanoddityinoneofouryoungcompanions，butIwasfarfromjudginghercapableoflayingatrapfortheother。MoreovermyreadingofJasperwasn’tintheleastthathewascatchable——couldbemadetodoathingifhedidn’twanttodoit。Ofcourseitwasn’timpossiblethathemightbeinclined，thathemighttakeit——oralreadyhavetakenit——intohisheadtogofurtherwithhismother’scharge；buttobelievethisIshouldrequirestillmoreproofthanhisalwaysbeingwithher。Hewantedatmostto"takeupwithher"

forthevoyage。"Ifyou’vequestionedhimperhapsyou’vetriedtomakehimfeelresponsible，"Isaidtomyfellowcritic。

"Alittle，butit’sverydifficult。Interferencemakeshimperverse。

Onehastogogently。Besides，it’stooabsurd——thinkofherage。

Ifshecan’ttakecareofherself！"criedMrs。Nettlepoint。

"Yes，letuskeepthinkingofherage，thoughit’snotsoprodigious。

Andifthingsgetverybadyou’veoneresourceleft，"Iadded。

Shewondered。"Tolockherupinhercabin？"

"No——tocomeoutofyours。"

"Ahnever，never！Ifittakesthattosavehershemustbelost。

Besides，whatgoodwoulditdo？IfIweretogoaboveshecouldcomebelow。"

"Yes，butyoucouldkeepJasperwithyou。"

"COULDI？"Mrs。Nettlepointdemandedinthemannerofawomanwhoknewherson。

Inthesaloonthenextday，afterdinner，overtheredclothofthetables，beneaththeswinginglampsandtheracksoftumblers，decantersandwine-glasses，wesatdowntowhist，Mrs。Peck，tooblige，takingahandinthegame。Sheplayedverybadlyandtalkedtoomuch，andwhentherubberwasoverassuagedherdiscomfiture（thoughnotmine——wehadbeenpartners）withaWelshrabbitandatumblerofsomethinghot。Wehaddonewiththecards，butwhileshewaitedforthisrefreshmentshesatwithherelbowsonthetableshufflingapack。

"Shehasn’tspokentomeyet——shewon’tdoit，"sheremarkedinamoment。

"Isitpossiblethere’sanyoneontheshipwhohasn’tspokentoyou？"

"Notthatgirl——sheknowstoowell！"Mrs。Pecklookedroundourlittlecirclewithasmileofintelligence——shehadfamiliarcommunicativeeyes。Severalofourcompanyhadassembled，accordingtothewont，thelastthingintheevening，ofthosewhoarecheerfulatsea，fortheconsumptionofgrilledsardinesanddevilledbones。

"Whatthendoessheknow？"

"Ohsheknows_I_know。"

"Well，weknowwhatMrs。Peckknows，"oneoftheladiesofthegroupobservedtomewithanairofprivilege。

"Well，youwouldn’tknowifIhadn’ttoldyou——fromthewaysheacts，"saidourfriendwithalaughofsmallcharm。

"She’sgoingouttoagentlemanwholivesoverthere——he’swaitingtheretomarryher，"theotherladywenton，inthetoneofauthenticinformation。IrememberthathernamewasMrs。Gotchandthathermouthlookedalwaysasifshewerewhistling。

"Ohheknows——I’vetoldhim，"saidMrs。Peck。

"Well，Ipresumeeveryoneknows，"Mrs。Gotchcontributed。

"Dearmadam，isiteveryone’sbusiness？"Iasked。

"Why，don’tyouthinkit’sapeculiarwaytoact？"——andMrs。Gotchwasevidentlysurprisedatmylittleprotest。

"Whyit’srightthere——straightinfrontofyou，likeaplayatthetheatre——asifyouhadpaidtoseeit，"saidMrs。Peck。"Ifyoudon’tcallitpublic！"

"Aren’tyoumixingthingsup？Whatdoyoucallpublic？"

"Whythewaytheygoon。They’reuptherenow。"

"Theycuddleuptherehalfthenight，"saidMrs。Gotch。"Idon’tknowwhentheycomedown。Anyhourtheylike。Whenallthelightsareoutthey’reuptherestill。"

"Ohyoucan’ttirethemout。Theydon’twantrelief——liketheship’swatch！"laughedoneofthegentlemen。

"Well，iftheyenjoyeachother’ssocietywhat’stheharm？"anotherasked。"They’ddojustthesameonland。"

"Theywouldn’tdoitonthepublicstreets，Ipresume，"saidMrs。

Peck。"Andtheywouldn’tdoitifMr。Porterfieldwasround！"

"Isn’tthatjustwhereyourconfusioncomesin？"Imadeanswer。

"It’spublicenoughthatMissMavisandMr。Nettlepointarealwaystogether，butitisn’tintheleastpublicthatshe’sgoingtobemarried。"

"Whyhowcanyousay——whentheverysailorsknowit！TheCaptainknowsitandalltheofficersknowit。Theyseethemthere，especiallyatnight，whenthey’resailingtheship。"

"Ithoughttherewassomerule——！"submittedMrs。Gotch。

"Well，thereis——thatyou’vegottobehaveyourself，"Mrs。Peckexplained。"SotheCaptaintoldme——hesaidtheyhavesomerule。Hesaidtheyhavetohave，whenpeoplearetooundignified。"

"Isthatthetermheused？"Iinquired。

"Well，hemayhavesaidwhentheyattracttoomuchattention。"

Iventuredtodiscriminate。"It’swewhoattracttheattention——bytalkingaboutwhatdoesn’tconcernusandaboutwhatwereallydon’tknow。"

"ShesaidtheCaptainsaidhe’dtellonherassoonaseverwearrive，"Mrs。Gotchnonethelessserenelypursued。

"SHEsaid——？"Irepeated，bewildered。

"Well，hedidsayso，thathe’dthinkithisdutytoinformMr。

Porterfieldwhenhecomesontomeether——iftheykeepitupinthesameway，"saidMrs。Peck。

"Ohthey’llkeepitup，don’tyoufear！"oneofthegentlemenexclaimed。

"Dearmadam，theCaptain’shavinghisjokeonyou，"was，however，myowncongruousreply。

"No，heain’t——he’srightdownscandalised。Hesaysheregardsusallasarealfamilyandwantsthefamilynottobedownrightcoarse。"IfeltMrs。Peckirritatedbymycontroversialtone：shechallengedmewithconsiderablespirit。"HowcanyousayIdon’tknowitwhenallthestreetknowsitandhasknownitforyears——foryearsandyears？"Shespokeasifthegirlhadbeenengagedatleastfortwenty。"What’sshegoingoutforifnottomarryhim？"

"Perhapsshe’sgoingtoseehowhelooks，"suggestedoneofthegentlemen。

"He’dlookqueer——ifheknew。"

"Well，Iguesshe’llknow，"saidMrs。Gotch。

"She’dtellhimherself——shewouldn’tbeafraid，"thegentlemanwenton。

"Wellshemightaswellkillhim。He’lljumpoverboard，"Mrs。Peckcouldforetell。

"Jumpoverboard？"criedMrs。GotchasifshehopedthenthatMr。

Porterfieldwouldbetold。

"Hehasjustbeenwaitingforthis——forlong，longyears，"saidMrs。

Peck。

"Doyouhappentoknowhim？"Iasked。

Sherepliedatherconvenience。"No，butIknowaladywhodoes。

Areyougoingup？"

Ihadrisenfrommyplace——Ihadnotorderedsupper。"I’mgoingtotakeaturnbeforegoingtobed。"

"Wellthenyou’llsee！"

OutsidethesaloonIhesitated，forMrs。Peck’sadmonitionmademefeelforamomentthatifIwentupIshouldhaveenteredinamannerintoherlittleconspiracy。ButthenightwassowarmandsplendidthatIhadbeenintendingtosmokeacigarintheairbeforegoingbelow，andIdidn’tseewhyIshoulddeprivemyselfofthispleasureinordertoseemnottomindMrs。Peck。Imountedaccordinglyandsawafewfiguressittingormovingaboutinthedarkness。Theoceanlookedblackandsmall，asitisapttodoatnight，andthelongmassoftheship，withitsvaguedimwings，seemedtotakeupagreatpartofit。Thereweremorestarsthanonesawonlandandtheheavensstruckonemorethaneveraslargerthantheearth。GraceMavisandhercompanionwerenot，sofarasIperceivedatfirst，amongthefewpassengerswholingeredlate，andIwasglad，becauseI

hatedtohearhertalkedaboutinthemannerofthegossipsIhadleftatsupper。Iwishedtherehadbeensomewaytopreventit，butIcouldthinkofnonebuttorecommendherprivatelytoreconsiderherruleofdiscretion。Thatwouldbeaverydelicatebusiness，andperhapsitwouldbebettertobeginwithJasper，thoughthatwouldbedelicatetoo。Atanyrateonemightlethimknow，inafriendlyspirit，tohowmuchremarkheexposedtheyounglady——leavingthisrevelationtoworkitswayuponhim。UnfortunatelyIcouldn’taltogetherbelievethatthepairwereunconsciousoftheobservationandtheopinionofthepassengers。Theyweren’tboyandgirl；theyhadacertainsocialperspectiveintheireye。Iwasmeanwhileatanyrateinnopossessionofthedetailsofthatbehaviourwhichhadmadethem——accordingtotheversionofmygoodfriendsinthesaloon——

ascandaltotheship；forthoughIhadtakenduenoteofthem，aswillalreadyhavebeengathered，Ihadtakenreallynosuchferocious，oratleastsuchcompetent，noteasMrs。Peck。

Neverthelesstheprobabilitywasthattheyknewwhatwasthoughtofthem——whatnaturallywouldbe——andsimplydidn’tcare。Thatmadeourheroineoutratherperverseandevenrathershameless；andyetsomehowifthesewereherleaningsIdidn’tdislikeherforthem。I

don’tknowwhatstrangesecretexcusesIfoundforher。Ipresentlyindeedencountered，onthespot，aneedforanyImighthaveatcall，since，justasIwasonthepointofgoingbelowagain，afterseveralrestlessturnsand——withinthelimitwheresmokingwasallowed——asmanypuffsatacigarasIcaredfor，Ibecameawareofacoupleoffiguressettledtogetherbehindoneofthelifeboatsthatrestedonthedeck。Theyweresoplacedastobevisibleonlytoapersongoingclosetotherailandpeeringalittlesidewise。Idon’tthinkIpeered，butasIstoodamomentbesidetherailmyeyewasattractedbyaduskyobjectthatprotrudedbeyondtheboatandthatI

sawatasecondglancetobethetailofalady’sdress。Ibentforwardaninstant，buteventhenIsawverylittlemore；thatscarcelymatteredhowever，asIeasilyconcludedthatthepersonstuckedawayinsosnugacornerwereJasperNettlepointandMr。

Porterfield’sintended。Tuckedawaywastheodiousrightexpression，andIdeploredthefactsobetrayedforthepitifulbadtasteinit。

Iimmediatelyturnedaway，andthenextmomentfoundmyselffacetofacewithourvessel’sskipper。Ihadalreadyhadsomeconversationwithhim——hehadbeensogoodastoinviteme，ashehadinvitedMrs。

Nettlepointandhersonandtheyoungladytravellingwiththem，andalsoMrs。Peck，tositathistable——andhadobservedwithpleasurethathisseamanshiphadthegrace，notuniversalontheAtlanticliners，ofafine-weathermanner。

"Theydon’twastemuchtime——yourfriendsinthere，"hesaid，noddinginthedirectioninwhichhehadseenmelooking。

"Ahwell，theyhaven’tmuchtolose。"

"That’swhatImean。I’mtoldSHEhasn’t。"

Iwantedtosaysomethingexculpatory，butscarcelyknewwhatnotetostrike。Icouldonlylookvaguelyaboutmeatthestarrydarknessandtheseathatseemedtosleep。"Well，withthesesplendidnightsandthisperfectairpeoplearebeguiledintolatehours。"

"Yes，wewantabitofablow，"theCaptainsaid。

Idemurred。"Howmuchofone？"

"Enoughtoclearthedecks！"

Hewasafterallratherdryandhewentabouthisbusiness。Hehadmademeuneasy，andinsteadofgoingbelowItookafewturnsmore。

Theotherwalkersdroppedoffpairbypair——theywereallmen——tillatlastIwasalone。ThenafteralittleIquittedthefield。

Jasperandhiscompanionwerestillbehindtheirlifeboat。

PersonallyIgreatlypreferredouractualconditions，butasIwentdownIfoundmyselfvaguelywishing，intheinterestofIscarcelyknewwhat，unlessithadbeenameresuperstitiousdelicacy，thatwemighthavehalfagale。

MissMavisturnedout，insea-phrase，early；forthenextmorningI

sawhercomeuponlyashorttimeafterIhadfinishedmybreakfast，aceremonyoverwhichIcontrivednottodawdle。ShewasaloneandJasperNettlepoint，byarareaccident，wasnotondecktohelpher。

Iwenttomeether——shewasencumberedasusualwithhershawl，hersun-umbrellaandabook——andlaidmyhandsonherchair，placingitnearthesternoftheship，whereshelikedbesttobe。ButI

proposedtohertowalkalittlebeforeshesatdown，andshetookmyarmafterIhadputheraccessoriesintothechair。Thedeckwasclearatthathourandthemorninglightgay；onehadanextravagantsenseofgoodomensandpropitiousairs。Iforgetwhatwespokeoffirst，butitwasbecauseIfeltthesethingspleasantly；andnottotormentmycompanionnortotesther，thatIcouldn’thelpexclaimingcheerfullyafteramoment，asIhavementionedhavingdonethefirstday："Well，we’regettingon，we’regettingon！"

"Ohyes，Icounteveryhour。"

"Thelastdaysalwaysgoquicker，"Isaid，"andthelasthours——！"

"Well，thelasthours？"sheasked；forIhadinstinctivelycheckedmyself。

"Ohone’ssogladthenthatit’salmostthesameasifonehadarrived。Yetweoughttobegratefulwhentheelementshavebeensokindtous，"Iadded。"Ihopeyou’llhaveenjoyedthevoyage。"

Shehesitatedeversolittle。"Yes，muchmorethanIexpected。"

"Didyouthinkitwouldbeverybad？"

"Horrible，horrible！"

Thetoneofthesewordswasstrange，butIhadn’tmuchtimetoreflectuponit，forturningroundatthatmomentIsawJasperNettlepointcometowardus。Hewasstilldistantbytheexpanseofthewhitedeck，andIcouldn’thelptakinghiminfromheadtofootashedrewnearer。Idon’tknowwhatrenderedmeonthisoccasionparticularlysensitivetotheimpression，butitstruckmethatIsawhimasIhadneverseenhimbefore，sawhim，thankstotheintensesea-light，insideandout，inhispersonal，hismoraltotality。Itwasaquick，avividrevelation；ifitonlylastedamomentithadasimplifyingcertifyingeffect。Hewasintrinsicallyapleasingapparition，withhishandsomeyoungfaceandthatmarkedabsenceofanydropinhispersonalarrangementswhich，morethananyoneI’veeverseen，hemanagedtoexhibitonshipboard。Hehadnoneoftheappearanceofwearingoutoldclothesthatusuallyprevailsthere，butdressedquitestraight，asIheardsomeonesay。Thisgavehimanassured，almostatriumphantair，asofayoungmanwhowouldcomebestoutofanyawkwardness。Iexpectedtofeelmycompanion’shandloosenitselfonmyarm，asanindicationthatnowshemustgotohim，andIwasalmostsurprisedshedidn’tdropme。WestoppedaswemetandJasperbadeusafriendlygood-morning。Ofcoursetheremarkthatwehadanotherlovelydaywasalreadyindicated，anditledhimtoexclaim，inthemannerofonetowhomcriticismcameeasily，"Yes，butwiththissortofthingconsiderwhatoneoftheotherswoulddo！"