第6章

\'Youhaveseenhisletterscometomeeversincehisfirstvisit，papa，andyouknewtheywereasortof——love-letters；andsincehehasbeenhereyouhavelethimbealonewithmealmostentirely；

andyouguessed，youmusthaveguessed，whatwewerethinkingof，anddoing，andyoudidn\'tstophim。Nexttolove-makingcomeslove-winning，andyouknewitwouldcometothat，papa。\'

Thevicarparriedthiscommon-sensethrust。\'Iknow——sinceyoupressmeso——IknowIdidguesssomechildishattachmentmightarisebetweenyou；IownIdidnottakemuchtroubletopreventit；butIhavenotparticularlycountenancedit；and，Elfride，howcanyouexpectthatIshouldnow？Itisimpossible；nofatherinEnglandwouldhearofsuchathing。\'

\'Butheisthesameman，papa；thesameineveryparticular；andhowcanhebelessfitformethanhewasbefore？\'

\'Heappearedayoungmanwithwell-to-dofriends，andalittleproperty；buthavingneither，heisanotherman。\'

\'Youinquirednothingabouthim？\'

\'IwentbyHewby\'sintroduction。Heshouldhavetoldme。Soshouldtheyoungmanhimself；ofcourseheshould。Iconsideritamostdishonourablethingtocomeintoaman\'shouselikeatreacherousI-don\'t-know-what。\'

\'Buthewasafraidtotellyou，andsoshouldIhavebeen。Helovedmetoowelltoliketoruntherisk。Andastospeakingofhisfriendsonhisfirstvisit，Idon\'tseewhyheshouldhavedonesoatall。Hecamehereonbusiness:itwasnoaffairofourswhohisparentswere。Andthenheknewthatifhetoldyouhewouldneverbeaskedhere，andwouldperhapsneverseemeagain。Andhewantedtoseeme。Whocanblamehimfortrying，byanymeans，tostaynearme——thegirlheloves？Allisfairinlove。Ihaveheardyousaysoyourself，papa；andyouyourselfwouldhavedonejustashehas——sowouldanyman。\'

\'Andanyman，ondiscoveringwhatIhavediscovered，wouldalsodoasIdo，andmendmymistake；thatis，getshotofhimagain，assoonasthelawsofhospitalitywillallow。\'ButMr。SwancourtthenrememberedthathewasaChristian。\'Iwouldnot，fortheworld，seemtoturnhimoutofdoors，\'headded；\'butIthinkhewillhavethetacttoseethathecannotstaylongafterthis，withgoodtaste。\'

\'Hewill，becausehe\'sagentleman。Seehowgracefulhismannersare，\'Elfridewenton；thoughperhapsStephen\'smanners，likethefeatsofEuryalus，owedtheirattractivenessinhereyesrathertotheattractivenessofhispersonthantotheirownexcellence。

\'Ay；anybodycanbewhatyoucallgraceful，ifhelivesalittletimeinacity，andkeepshiseyesopen。Andhemighthavepickeduphisgentlemanlinessbygoingtothegalleriesoftheatres，andwatchingstagedrawing-roommanners。HeremindsmeofoneoftheworststoriesIeverheardinmylife。\'

\'Whatstorywasthat？\'

\'Ohno，thankyou!Iwouldn\'ttellyousuchanimpropermatterfortheworld!\'

\'IfhisfatherandmotherhadlivedinthenorthoreastofEngland，\'gallantlypersistedElfride，thoughhersobsbegantointerruptherarticulation，\'anywherebuthere——you——wouldhave——

onlyregarded——HIM，andnotTHEM!Hisstation——wouldhave——beenwhat——hisprofessionmakesit，——andnotfixedby——hisfather\'shumbleposition——atall；whomheneverliveswith——now。ThoughJohnSmithhassavedlotsofmoney，andisbetteroffthanweare，theysay，orhecouldn\'thaveputhissontosuchanexpensiveprofession。Anditiscleverand——honourable——ofStephen，tobethebestofhisfamily。\'

\'Yes。"Letabeastbelordofbeasts，andhiscribshallstandattheking\'smess。”\'

\'Youinsultme，papa!\'sheburstout。\'Youdo，youdo!HeismyownStephen，heis!\'

\'Thatmayormaynotbetrue，Elfride，\'returnedherfather，againuncomfortablyagitatedinspiteofhimself\'Youconfusefutureprobabilitieswithpresentfacts，——whattheyoungmanmaybewithwhatheis。Wemustlookatwhatheis，notwhatanimprobabledegreeofsuccessinhisprofessionmaymakehim。Thecaseisthis:thesonofaworking-maninmyparishwhomayormaynotbeabletobuymeup——ayouthwhohasnotyetadvancedsofarintolifeastohaveanyincomeofhisowndeservingthename，andthereforeofhisfather\'sdegreeasregardsstation——wantstobeengagedtoyou。HisfamilyarelivinginpreciselythesamespotinEnglandasyours，sothroughoutthiscounty——whichistheworldtous——youwouldalwaysbeknownasthewifeofJackSmiththemason\'sson，andnotunderanycircumstancesasthewifeofaLondonprofessionalman。Itisthedrawback，notthecompensatingfact，thatistalkedofalways。There，saynomore。Youmayargueallnight，andprovewhatyouwill；I\'llsticktomywords。\'

Elfridelookedsilentlyandhopelesslyoutofthewindowwithlargeheavyeyesandwetcheeks。

\'Icallitgreattemerity——andlongtocallitaudacity——inHewby，\'resumedherfather。\'Ineverheardsuchathing——givingsuchahobbledehoynativeofthisplacesuchanintroductiontomeashedid。NaturallyyouweredeceivedaswellasIwas。Idon\'tblameyouatall，sofar。\'HewentandsearchedforMr。Hewby\'soriginalletter。\'Here\'swhathesaidtome:"DearSir，——

Agreeablytoyourrequestofthe18thinstant，Ihavearrangedtosurveyandmakedrawings，"etcetera。"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith"——assistant，youseehecalledhim，andnaturallyI

understoodhimtomeanasortofpartner。Whydidn\'thesay"clerk"？\'

\'Theynevercallthemclerksinthatprofession，becausetheydonotwrite。Stephen——Mr。Smith——toldmeso。SothatMr。Hewbysimplyusedtheacceptedword。\'

\'Letmespeak，please，Elfride!"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith，willleaveLondonbytheearlytrainto-morrowmorning……MANY

THANKSFORYOURPROPOSALTOACCOMMODATEHIM……YOUMAYPUTEVERY

CONFIDENCEINHIM，andmayrelyuponhisdiscernmentinthematterofchurcharchitecture。”Well，IrepeatthatHewbyoughttobeashamedofhimselfformakingsomuchofapoorladofthatsort。\'

\'ProfessionalmeninLondon，\'Elfrideargued，\'don\'tknowanythingabouttheirclerks\'fathersandmothers。Theyhaveassistantswhocometotheirofficesandshopsforyears，andhardlyevenknowwheretheylive。Whattheycando——whatprofitstheycanbringthefirm——that\'sallLondonmencareabout。Andthatishelpedinhimbyhisfacultyofbeinguniformlypleasant。\'

\'Uniformpleasantnessisratheradefectthanafaculty。Itshowsthatamanhasn\'tsenseenoughtoknowwhomtodespise。\'

\'Itshowsthatheactsbyfaithandnotbysight，asthoseyouclaimsuccessionfromdirected。\'

\'That\'ssomemoreofwhathe\'sbeentellingyou，Isuppose!Yes，I

wasinclinedtosuspecthim，becausehedidn\'tcareaboutsaucesofanykind。Ialwaysdiddoubtaman\'sbeingagentlemanifhispalatehadnoacquiredtastes。Anunedifiedpalateistheirrepressibleclovenfootoftheupstart。Theideaofmybringingoutabottleofmy\'40Martinez——onlyelevenofthemleftnow——toamanwhodidn\'tknowitfromeighteenpenny!ThentheLatinlinehegavetomyquotation；itwasverycut-and-dried，very；orI，whohaven\'tlookedintoaclassicalauthorforthelasteighteenyears，shouldn\'thaverememberedit。Well，Elfride，youhadbettergotoyourroom；you\'llgetoverthisbitoftomfooleryintime。\'

\'No，no，no，papa，\'shemoaned。Forofallthemiseriesattachingtomiserablelove，theworstisthemiseryofthinkingthatthepassionwhichisthecauseofthemallmaycease。

\'Elfride，\'saidherfatherwithroughfriendliness，\'Ihaveanexcellentschemeonhand，whichIcannottellyouofnow。A

schemetobenefityouandme。Ithasbeenthrustuponmeforsomelittletime——yes，thrustuponme——butIdidn\'tdreamofitsvaluetillthisafternoon，whentherevelationcame。Ishouldbemostunwisetorefusetoentertainit。\'

\'Idon\'tlikethatword，\'shereturnedwearily。\'Youhavelostsomuchalreadybyschemes。Isitthosewretchedminesagain？\'

\'No；notaminingscheme。\'

\'Railways？\'

\'Norrailways。Itislikethosemysteriousoffersweseeadvertised，bywhichanygentlemanwithnobrainsatallmaymakesomuchaweekwithoutrisk，trouble，orsoilinghisfingers。

However，Iamintendingtosaynothingtillitissettled，thoughIwilljustsaythismuch，thatyousoonmayhaveotherfishtofrythantothinkofStephenSmith。Remember，Iwish，nottobeangry，butfriendly，totheyoungman；foryoursakeI\'llregardhimasafriendinacertainsense。Butthisisenough；inafewdaysyouwillbequitemywayofthinking。There，now，gotoyourbedroom。Unityshallbringyouupsomesupper。Iwishyounottobeherewhenhecomesback。\'

ChapterX

\'Beneaththeshelterofanagedtree。\'

Stephenretracedhisstepstowardsthecottagehehadvisitedonlytwoorthreehourspreviously。HedrewnearandundertherichfoliagegrowingabouttheoutskirtsofEndelstowPark，thespottylightsandshadesfromtheshiningmoonmaintainingaraceoverhisheadanddownhisbackinanendlessgambol。Whenhecrossedtheplankbridgeandenteredthegarden-gate，hesawanilluminatedfigurecomingfromtheenclosedplottowardsthehouseontheotherside。Itwashisfather，withhishandinasling，takingageneralmoonlightviewofthegarden，andparticularlyofaplotoftheyoungestofyoungturnips，previoustoclosingthecottageforthenight。

Hesalutedhissonwithcustomaryforce。\'Hallo，Stephen!Weshouldha\'beeninbedinanothertenminutes。Cometoseewhat\'sthematterwi\'me，Isuppose，mylad？\'

Thedoctorhadcomeandgone，andthehandhadbeenpronouncedasinjuredbutslightly，thoughitmightpossiblyhavebeenconsideredafarmoreseriouscaseifMr。Smithhadbeenamoreimportantman。Stephen\'sanxiousinquirydrewfromhisfatherwordsofregretattheinconveniencetotheworldofhisdoingnothingforthenexttwodays，ratherthanofconcernforthepainoftheaccident。Togethertheyenteredthehouse。

JohnSmith——brownasautumnastoskin，whiteaswinterastoclothes——wasasatisfactoryspecimenofthevillageartificerinstone。Incommonwithmostruralmechanics，hehadtoomuchindividualitytobeatypical\'working-man\'——aresultantofthatbeach-pebbleattritionwithhiskindonlytobeexperiencedinlargetowns，whichmetamorphosestheunitSelfintoafractionoftheunitClass。

Therewasnotthespecialityinhislabourwhichdistinguishesthehandicraftsmenoftowns。Thoughonlyamason，strictlyspeaking，hewasnotabovehandlingabrick，ifbricksweretheorderoftheday；oraslateortile，ifaroofhadtobecoveredbeforethewetweathersetin，andnobodywasnearwhocoulddoitbetter。

Indeed，ononeortwooccasionsinthedepthofwinter，whenfrostperemptorilyforbidsalluseofthetrowel，makingfoundationstosettle，stonestofly，andmortartocrumble，hehadtakentofellingandsawingtrees。Moreover，hehadpractisedgardeninginhisownplotforsomanyyearsthat，onanemergency，hemighthavemadealivingbythatcalling。

Probablyourcountrymanwasnotsuchanaccomplishedartificerinaparticulardirectionashistownbrethreninthetrades。Buthewas，intruth，likethatclumsypin-makerwhomadethewholepin，andwhowasdespisedbyAdamSmithonthataccountandrespectedbyMacaulay，muchmoretheartistnevertheless。

Appearingnow，indoors，bythelightofthecandle，hisstalwarthealthinesswasasighttosee。HisbeardwascloseandknottedasthatofachiselledHercules；hisshirtsleeveswerepartlyrolledup，hiswaistcoatunbuttoned；thedifferenceinhuebetweenthesnowylinenandtheruddyarmsandfacecontrastinglikethewhiteofanegganditsyolk。Mrs。Smith，onhearingthementer，advancedfromthepantry。

Mrs。Smithwasamatronwhosecountenanceaddresseditselftothemindratherthantotheeye，thoughnotexclusively。Sheretainedherpersonalfreshnessevennow，intheprosyafternoon-timeofherlife；butwhatherfeatureswereprimarilyindicativeofwasasoundcommonsensebehindthem；asawhole，appearingtocarrywiththemasortofargumentativecommentaryontheworldingeneral。

ThedetailsoftheaccidentwerethenrehearsedbyStephen\'sfather，inthedramaticmanneralsocommontoMartinCannister，otherindividualsoftheneighbourhood，andtheruralworldgenerally。Mrs。Smiththrewinhersentimentsbetweentheacts，asCoryphaeusofthetragedy，tomakethedescriptioncomplete。

Thestoryatlastcametoanend，asthelongestwill，andStephendirectedtheconversationintoanotherchannel。

\'Well，mother，theyknoweverythingaboutmenow，\'hesaidquietly。

\'Welldone!\'repliedhisfather；\'nowmymind\'satpeace。\'

\'Iblamemyself——Inevershallforgivemyself——fornottellingthembefore，\'continuedtheyoungman。

Mrs。Smithatthispointabstractedhermindfromtheformersubject。\'Idon\'tseewhatyouhavetogrieveabout，Stephen，\'

shesaid。\'Peoplewhoaccidentallygetfriendsdon\'t，asafirststroke，tellthehistoryoftheirfamilies。\'

\'Ye\'vedonenowrong，certainly，\'saidhisfather。

\'No；butIshouldhavespokensooner。There\'smoreinthisvisitofminethanyouthink——agooddealmore。\'

\'NotmorethanIthink，\'Mrs。Smithreplied，lookingcontemplativelyathim。Stephenblushed；andhisfatherlookedfromonetotheotherinastateofutterincomprehension。

\'She\'saprettypieceenough，\'Mrs。Smithcontinued，\'andverylady-likeandclevertoo。Butthoughshe\'sverywellfitforyouasfarasthatis，why，mercy\'ponme，whateverdoyouwantanywomanatallforyet？\'

Johnmadehisnaturallyshortmouthalongone，andwrinkledhisforehead，\'That\'sthewaythewindd\'blow，isit？\'hesaid。

\'Mother，\'exclaimedStephen，\'howabsurdlyyouspeak!Criticizingwhethershe\'sfitformeorno，asiftherewereroomfordoubtonthematter!Why，tomarryherwouldbethegreatblessingofmylife——sociallyandpractically，aswellasinotherrespects。Nosuchgoodfortuneasthat，I\'mafraid；she\'stoofaraboveme。

Herfamilydoesn\'twantsuchcountryladsasIinit。\'

\'Theniftheydon\'twantyou，I\'dseethemdeadcorpsesbeforeI\'dwantthem，andgotobetterfamilieswhodowantyou。\'

\'Ah，yes；butIcouldneverputupwiththedistasteofbeingwelcomedamongsuchpeopleasyoumean，whilstIcouldgetindifferenceamongsuchpeopleashers。\'

\'Whatcrazytwisto\'thinkingwillenteryourheadnext？\'saidhismother。\'Andcometothat，she\'snotabittoohighforyou，oryoutoolowforher。SeehowcarefulIbetokeepmyselfup。I\'msureIneverstopformorethanaminutetogethertotalktoanyjourneymenpeople；andIneverinviteanybodytoourpartyo\'

Christmaseswhoarenotinbusinessforthemselves。AndItalktoseveraltoppermostcarriagepeoplethatcometomylord\'swithoutsayingma\'amorsirto\'em，andtheytakeitasquietaslambs。\'

\'Youcurtseyedtothevicar，mother；andIwishyouhadn\'t。\'

\'ButitwasbeforehecalledmebymyChristianname，orhewouldhavegotverylittlecurtseyingfromme!\'saidMrs。Smith，bridlingandsparklingwithvexation。\'Yougoonatme，Stephen，asifIwereyourworstenemy!WhatelsecouldIdowiththemantogetridofhim，bangingitintomeandyourfatherbysideandbyseam，abouthisgreatness，andwhathappenedwhenhewasayoungfellowatcollege，andIdon\'tknowwhat-all；thetongueo\'

enfloppingroundhismouthlikeamop-ragroundadairy。That\'adid，didn\'the，John？\'

\'That\'saboutthesizeo\'t，\'repliedherhusband。

\'Everywomannow-a-days，\'resumedMrs。Smith，\'ifshemarryatall，mustexpectafather-in-lawofaranklowerthanherfather。

Themenhavegoneupso，andthewomenhavestoodstill。Everymanyoumeetismorethedandthanhisfather；andyouarejustlevelwi\'her。\'

\'That\'swhatshethinksherself。\'

\'Itonlyshowshersense。Iknewshewasafter\'ee，Stephen——I

knewit。\'

\'Afterme!GoodLord，whatnext!\'

\'AndIreallymustsayagainthatyououghtnottobeinsuchahurry，andwaitforafewyears。Youmightgohigherthanabankruptpa\'son\'sgirlthen。\'

\'Thefactis，mother，\'saidStephenimpatiently，\'youdon\'tknowanythingaboutit。Ishallnevergohigher，becauseIdon\'twantto，norshouldIifIlivedtobeahundred。Astoyousayingthatshe\'safterme，Idon\'tlikesucharemarkabouther，foritimpliesaschemingwoman，andamanworthschemingfor，bothofwhicharenotonlyuntrue，butludicrouslyuntrue，ofthiscase。

Isn\'titso，father？\'

\'I\'mafraidIdon\'tunderstandthematterwellenoughtogiemyopinion，\'saidhisfather，inthetoneofthefoxwhohadacoldandcouldnotsmell。

\'Shecouldn\'thavebeenverybackwardanyhow，consideringtheshorttimeyouhaveknownher，\'saidhismother。\'WellIthinkthatfiveyearshenceyou\'llbeplentyyoungenoughtothinkofsuchthings。Andreallyshecanverywellaffordtowait，andwilltoo，takemyword。Livingdowninanout-stepplacelikethis，Iamsuresheoughttobeverythankfulthatyoutooknoticeofher。She\'dmostlikelyhavediedanoldmaidifyouhadn\'tturnedup。\'

\'Allnonsense，\'saidStephen，butnotaloud。

\'Anicelittlethingsheis，\'Mrs。SmithwentoninamorecomplacenttonenowthatStephenhadbeentalkeddown；\'there\'snotawordtosayagainsther，I\'llown。Iseehersometimesdeckedoutlikeahorsegoingtofair，andIadmireherfor\'t。A

perfectlittlelady。Butpeoplecan\'thelptheirthoughts，andifshe\'dlearnttomakefiguresinsteadofletterswhenshewasatschool\'twouldhavebeenbetterforherpocket；forasIsaid，thereneverwereworsetimesforsuchasshethannow。\'

\'Now，now，mother!\'saidStephenwithsmilingdeprecation。

\'ButIwill!\'saidhismotherwithasperity。\'Idon\'treadthepapersfornothing，andIknowmenallmoveupastagebymarriage。Menofherclass，thatis，parsons，marrysquires\'

daughters；squiresmarrylords\'daughters；lordsmarrydukes\'

daughters；dukesmarryqueens\'daughters。Allstagesofgentlemenmateastagehigher；andtheloweststageofgentlewomenareleftsingle，ormarryoutoftheirclass。\'

\'Butyousaidjustnow，dearmother——\'retortedStephen，unabletoresistthetemptationofshowinghismotherherinconsistency。

Thenhepaused。

\'Well，whatdidIsay？\'AndMrs。Smithpreparedherlipsforanewcampaign。

Stephen，regrettingthathehadbegun，sinceavolcanomightbetheconsequence，wasobligedtogoon。

\'YousaidIwasn\'toutofherclassjustbefore。\'

\'Yes，there，there!That\'syou；that\'smyownfleshandblood。

I\'llwarrantthatyou\'llpickholesineverythingyourmothersays，ifyoucan，Stephen。Youarejustlikeyourfatherforthat；takeanybody\'spartbutmine。WhilstIamspeakingandtalkingandtryingandslavingawayforyourgood，youarewaitingtocatchmeoutinthatway。Soyouareinherclass，but\'tiswhatHERpeoplewouldCALLmarryingoutofherclass。Don\'tbesoquarrelsome，Stephen!\'

Stephenpreservedadiscreetsilence，inwhichhewasimitatedbyhisfather，andforseveralminutesnothingwasheardbutthetickingofthegreen-facedcase-clockagainstthewall。

\'I\'msure，\'addedMrs。Smithinamorephilosophictone，andasaterminativespeech，\'ifthere\'dbeensomuchtroubletogetahusbandinmytimeasthereisinthesedays——whenyoumustmakeagod-almightyofamantogetentohaeye——I\'dhavetrodclayforbricksbeforeI\'deverhaveloweredmydignitytomarry，orthere\'snobreadinnineloaves。\'

Thediscussionnowdropped，andasitwasgettinglate，Stephenbadehisparentsfarewellfortheevening，hismothernonethelesswarmlyfortheirsparring；foralthoughMrs。SmithandStephenwerealwayscontending，theywereneveratenmity。

\'Andpossibly，\'saidStephen，\'Imayleaveherealtogetherto-

morrow；Idon\'tknow。SothatifIshouldn\'tcallagainbeforereturningtoLondon，don\'tbealarmed，willyou？\'

\'Butdidn\'tyoucomeforafortnight？\'saidhismother。\'Andhaven\'tyouamonth\'sholidayaltogether？Theyaregoingtoturnyouout，then？\'

\'Notatall。Imaystaylonger；Imaygo。IfIgo，youhadbettersaynothingaboutmyhavingbeenhere，forhersake。AtwhattimeofthemorningdoesthecarrierpassEndelstowlane？\'

\'Seveno\'clock。\'

Andthenheleftthem。Histhoughtswere，thatshouldthevicarpermithimtobecomeengaged，tohopeforanengagement，orinanywaytothinkofhisbelovedElfride，hemightstaylonger。Shouldhebeforbiddentothinkofanysuchthing，heresolvedtogoatonce。Andthelatter，eventoyounghopefulness，seemedthemoreprobablealternative。

Stephenwalkedbacktothevicaragethroughthemeadows，ashehadcome，surroundedbythesoftmusicalpurlofthewaterthroughlittleweirs，themodestlightofthemoon，thefresheningsmellofthedewsout-spreadaround。Itwasatimewhenmereseeingismeditation，andmeditationpeace。StephenwashardlyphilosopherenoughtoavailhimselfofNature\'soffer。Hisconstitutionwasmadeupofverysimpleparticulars；wasonewhich，rareinthespring-timeofcivilizations，seemstogrowabundantasanationgetsolder，individualityfades，andeducationspreads；thatis，hisbrainhadextraordinaryreceptivepowers，andnogreatcreativeness。Quicklyacquiringanykindofknowledgehesawaroundhim，andhavingaplasticadaptabilitymorecommoninwomanthaninman，hechangedcolourlikeachameleonasthesocietyhefoundhimselfinassumedahigherandmoreartificialtone。Hehadnotmanyoriginalideas，andyettherewasscarcelyanideatowhich，underpropertraining，hecouldnothaveaddedarespectableco-ordinate。

Hesawnothingoutsidehimselfto-night；andwhathesawwithinwasawearinesstohisflesh。Yettoadispassionateobserver，hispretensionstoElfride，thoughratherpremature，werefarfromabsurdasmarriagesgo，unlesstheaccidentalproximityofsimplebuthonestparentscouldbesaidtomakethemso。

Theclockstruckelevenwhenheenteredthehouse。Elfridehadbeenwaitingwithscarcelyamovementsincehedeparted。Beforehehadspokentohershecaughtsightofhimpassingintothestudywithherfather。Shesawthathehadbysomemeansobtainedtheprivateinterviewhedesired。

AnervousheadachehadbeengrowingontheexcitablegirlduringtheabsenceofStephen，andnowshecoulddonothingbeyondgoingupagaintoherroomasshehaddonebefore。Insteadoflyingdownshesatagaininthedarknesswithoutclosingthedoor，andlistenedwithabeatinghearttoeverysoundfromdownstairs。Theservantshadgonetobed。Sheultimatelyheardthetwomencomefromthestudyandcrosstothedining-room，wheresupperhadbeenlingeringformorethananhour。Thedoorwasleftopen，andshefoundthatthemeal，suchasitwas，passedoffbetweenherfatherandherloverwithoutanyremark，savecommonplacesastocucumbersandmelons，theirwholesomenessandculture，utteredinastiffandformalway。Itseemedtoprefigurefailure。

ShortlyafterwardsStephencameupstairstohisbedroom，andwasalmostimmediatelyfollowedbyherfather，whoalsoretiredforthenight。Notinclinedtogetalight，shepartlyundressedandsatonthebed，wheresheremainedinpainedthoughtforsometime，possiblyanhour。Thenrisingtocloseherdoorpreviouslytofullyunrobing，shesawastreakoflightshiningacrossthelanding。Herfather\'sdoorwasshut，andhecouldbeheardsnoringregularly。ThelightcamefromStephen\'sroom，andtheslightsoundsalsocomingthenceemphaticallydenotedwhathewasdoing。Intheperfectsilenceshecouldheartheclosingofalidandtheclickingofalock，——hewasfasteninghishat-box。Thenthebucklingofstrapsandtheclickofanotherkey，——hewassecuringhisportmanteau。Withtrebledforebodingsheopenedherdoorsoftly，andwenttowardshis。Onesensationpervadedhertodistraction。Stephen，herhandsomeyouthanddarling，wasgoingaway，andshemightneverseehimagainexceptinsecretandinsadness——perhapsnevermore。Atanyrate，shecouldnolongerwaittillthemorningtoheartheresultoftheinterview，asshehadintended。Sheflungherdressing-gownroundher，tappedlightlyathisdoor，andwhispered\'Stephen!\'Hecameinstantly，openedthedoor，andsteppedout。

\'Tellme；arewetohope？\'

Herepliedinadisturbedwhisper，andatearapproacheditsoutlet，thoughnonefell。

\'Iamnottothinkofsuchapreposterousthing——that\'swhathesaid。AndIamgoingto-morrow。Ishouldhavecalledyouuptobidyougood-bye。\'

\'Buthedidn\'tsayyouweretogo——OStephen，hedidn\'tsaythat？\'

\'No；notinwords。ButIcannotstay。\'

\'Oh，don\'t，don\'tgo!Docomeandletustalk。Letuscomedowntothedrawing-roomforafewminutes；hewillhearushere。\'

Sheprecededhimdownthestaircasewiththetaperlightinherhand，lookingunnaturallytallandthininthelongdove-coloureddressing-gownshewore。Shedidnotstoptothinkoftheproprietyorotherwiseofthismidnightinterviewundersuchcircumstances。Shethoughtthatthetragedyofherlifewasbeginning，and，forthefirsttimealmost，feltthatherexistencemighthaveagraveside，theshadeofwhichenvelopedandrenderedinvisiblethedelicategradationsofcustomandpunctilio。

Elfridesoftlyopenedthedrawing-roomdoorandtheybothwentin。

Whenshehadplacedthecandleonthetable，heenclosedherwithhisarms，driedhereyeswithhishandkerchief，andkissedtheirlids。

\'Stephen，itisover——happyloveisover；andthereisnomoresunshinenow!\'

\'Iwillmakeafortune，andcometoyou，andhaveyou。Yes，I

will!\'

\'Papawillneverhearofit——never——never!Youdon\'tknowhim。I

do。Heiseitherbiassedinfavourofathing，orprejudicedagainstit。Argumentispowerlessagainsteitherfeeling。\'

\'No；Iwon\'tthinkofhimso，\'saidStephen。\'IfIappearbeforehimsometimehenceasamanofestablishedname，hewillacceptme——Iknowhewill。Heisnotawickedman。\'

\'No，heisnotwicked。Butyousay"sometimehence，"asifitwerenotime。Toyou，amongbustleandexcitement，itwillbecomparativelyashorttime，perhaps；oh，tome，itwillbeitsreallengthtrebled!Everysummerwillbeayear——autumnayear——

winterayear!OStephen!andyoumayforgetme!\'

Forget:thatwas，andis，therealstingofwaitingtofond-

heartedwoman。TheremarkawokeinStephentheconversefear。

\'You，too，maybepersuadedtogivemeup，whentimehasmademefainterinyourmemory。For，remember，yourloveformemustbenourishedinsecret；therewillbenolongvisitsfrommetosupportyou。Circumstanceswillalwaystendtoobliterateme。\'

\'Stephen，\'shesaid，filledwithherownmisgivings，andunheedinghislastwords，\'therearebeautifulwomenwhereyoulive——ofcourseIknowthereare——andtheymaywinyouawayfromme。\'Hertearscamevisiblyasshedrewamentalpictureofhisfaithlessness。\'Anditwon\'tbeyourfault，\'shecontinued，lookingintothecandlewithdolefuleyes。\'No!Youwillthinkthatourfamilydon\'twantyou，andgettoincludemewiththem。

Andtherewillbeavacancyinyourheart，andsomeotherswillbeletin。\'

\'Icouldnot，Iwouldnot。Elfie，donotbesofullofforebodings。\'

\'Ohyes，theywill，\'shereplied。\'Andyouwilllookatthem，notcaringatfirst，andthenyouwilllookandbeinterested，andafterawhileyouwillthink，"Ah，theyknowallaboutcitylife，andassemblies，andcoteries，andthemannersofthetitled，andpoorlittleElfie，withallthefussthat\'smadeaboutherhavingme，doesn\'tknowaboutanythingbutalittlehouseandafewcliffsandaspaceofsea，faraway。”Andthenyou\'llbemoreinterestedinthem，andthey\'llmakeyouhavetheminsteadofme，onpurposetobecrueltomebecauseIamsilly，andtheyarecleverandhateme。AndIhatethem，too；yes，Ido!\'

Herimpulsivewordshadpowertoimpresshimatanyratewiththerecognitionoftheuncertaintyofallthatisnotaccomplished。

And，worsethanthatgeneralfeeling，thereofcourseremainedthesadnesswhicharosefromthespecialfeaturesofhisowncase。

Howeverremoteadesiredissuemaybe，themerefactofhavingenteredthegroovewhichleadstoit，cheerstosomeextentwithasenseofaccomplishment。HadMr。Swancourtconsentedtoanengagementofnolesslengththantenyears，Stephenwouldhavebeencomparativelycheerfulinwaiting；theywouldhavefeltthattheyweresomewhereontheroadtoCupid\'sgarden。But，withapossibilityofashorterprobation，theyhadnotasyetanyprospectofthebeginning；thezeroofhopehadyettobereached。

Mr。Swancourtwouldhavetorevokehisformidablewordsbeforethewaitingformarriagecouldevensetin。Andthiswasdespair。

\'Iwishwecouldmarrynow，\'murmuredStephen，asanimpossiblefancy。

\'SodoI，\'saidshealso，asifregardinganidledream。\'\'Tistheonlythingthateverdoessweetheartsgood!\'

\'Secretlywoulddo，woulditnot，Elfie？\'

\'Yes，secretlywoulddo；secretlywouldindeedbebest，\'shesaid，andwentonreflectively:\'Allwewantistorenderitabsolutelyimpossibleforanyfuturecircumstancetoupsetourfutureintentionofbeinghappytogether；nottobeginbeinghappynow。\'

\'Exactly，\'hemurmuredinavoiceandmannerthecounterpartofhers。\'Tomarryandpartsecretly，andliveonaswearelivingnow；merelytoputitoutofanybody\'spowertoforceyouawayfromme，dearest。\'

\'Oryouawayfromme，Stephen。\'

\'Ormefromyou。Itispossibletoconceiveaforceofcircumstancestrongenoughtomakeanywomanintheworldmarryagainstherwill:noconceivablepressure，uptotortureorstarvation，canmakeawomanoncemarriedtoherloveranybodyelse\'swife。\'

Nowuptothispointtheideaofanimmediatesecretmarriagehadbeenheldbybothasanuntenablehypothesis，wherewithsimplytobeguileamiserablemoment。DuringapausewhichfollowedStephen\'slastremark，afascinatingperception，thenanalluringconviction，flashedalongthebrainofboth。TheperceptionwasthatanimmediatemarriageCOULDbecontrived；theconvictionthatsuchanact，inspiteofitsdaring，itsfathomlessresults，itsdeceptiveness，wouldbepreferredbyeachtothelifetheymustleadunderanyotherconditions。

Theyouthspokefirst，andhisvoicetrembledwiththemagnitudeoftheconceptionhewascherishing。\'Howstrongweshouldfeel，Elfride!goingonourseparatecoursesasbefore，withoutthefearofultimateseparation!OElfride!thinkofit；thinkofit!\'

Itiscertainthattheyounggirl\'sloveforStephenreceivedafanningfromherfather\'soppositionwhichmadeitblazewithadozentimestheintensityitwouldhaveexhibitedifleftalone。

Neverwereconditionsmorefavourablefordevelopingagirl\'sfirstpassingfancyforahandsomeboyishface——afancyrootedininexperienceandnourishedbyseclusion——intoawildunreflectingpassionfervidenoughforanything。Alltheelementsofsuchadevelopmentwerethere，thechiefonebeinghopelessness——anecessaryingredientalwaystoperfectthemixtureoffeelingsunitedunderthenameoflovingtodistraction。

\'Wewouldtellpapasoon，wouldwenot？\'sheinquiredtimidly。

\'Nobodyelseneedknow。Hewouldthenbeconvincedthatheartscannotbeplayedwith；loveencouragedbereadytogrow，lovediscouragedbereadytodie，atamoment\'snotice。Stephen，doyounotthinkthatifmarriagesagainstaparent\'sconsentareeverjustifiable，theyarewhenyoungpeoplehavebeenfavoureduptoapoint，aswehave，andthenhavehadthatfavoursuddenlywithdrawn？\'

\'Yes。Itisnotasifwehadfromthebeginningactedinoppositiontoyourpapa\'swishes。Onlythink，Elfie，howpleasanthewastowardsmebutsixhoursago!Helikedme，praisedme，neverobjectedtomybeingalonewithyou。\'

\'IbelieveheMUSTlikeyounow，\'shecried。\'Andifhefoundthatyouirremediablybelongedtome，hewouldownitandhelpyou。\'OStephen，Stephen，\'sheburstoutagain，astheremembranceofhispackingcameafreshtohermind，\'Icannotbearyourgoingawaylikethis!Itistoodreadful。AllIhavebeenexpectingmiserablykilledwithinmelikethis!\'

Stephenflushedhotwithimpulse。\'Iwillnotbeadoubttoyou——

thoughtofyoushallnotbeamiserytome!\'hesaid。\'Wewillbewifeandhusbandbeforewepartforlong!\'

Shehidherfaceonhisshoulder。\'AnythingtomakeSURE!\'shewhispered。

\'Ididnotliketoproposeitimmediately，\'continuedStephen。

\'Itseemedtome——itseemstomenow——liketryingtocatchyou——agirlbetterintheworldthanI。\'

\'Notthat，indeed!AndamIbetterinworldlystation？What\'stheuseofhavebeens？Wemayhavebeensomethingonce；wearenothingnow。\'

Thentheywhisperedlongandearnestlytogether；Stephenhesitatinglyproposingthisandthatplan，Elfridemodifyingthem，withquickbreathings，andhecticflush，andunnaturallybrighteyes。Itwastwoo\'clockbeforeanarrangementwasfinallyconcluded。

Shethentoldhimtoleaveher，givinghimhislighttogouptohisownroom。Theypartedwithanagreementnottomeetagaininthemorning。Afterhisdoorhadbeensometimeclosedheheardhersoftlyglidingintoherchamber。

ChapterXI

\'Journeysendinloversmeeting。\'

StephenlaywatchingtheGreatBear；Elfridewasregardingamonotonousparallelogramofwindowblind。Neithersleptthatnight。

Earlythenextmorning——thatistosay，fourhoursaftertheirstoleninterview，andjustastheearliestservantwasheardmovingabout——StephenSmithwentdownstairs，portmanteauinhand。

ThroughoutthenighthehadintendedtoseeMr。Swancourtagain，butthesharprebuffofthepreviouseveningrenderedsuchaninterviewparticularlydistasteful。Perhapstherewasanotherandlesshonestreason。Hedecidedtoputitoff。Whateverofmoraltimidityorobliquitymayhavelaininsuchadecision，noperceptionofitwasstrongenoughtodetainhim。Hewroteanoteinhisroom，whichstatedsimplythathedidnotfeelhappyinthehouseafterMr。Swancourt\'ssuddenvetoonwhathehadfavouredafewhoursbefore；butthathehopedatimewouldcome，andthatsoon，whenhisoriginalfeelingsofpleasureasMr。Swancourt\'sguestmightberecovered。

Heexpectedtofindthedownstairsroomswearingthegrayandcheerlessaspectthatearlymorninggivestoeverythingoutofthesun。Hefoundinthediningroomabreakfastlaid，ofwhichsomebodyhadjustpartaken。

Stephengavethemaid-servanthisnoteofadieu。ShestatedthatMr。Swancourthadrisenearlythatmorning，andmadeanearlybreakfast。Hewasnotgoingawaythatsheknewof。

Stephentookacupofcoffee，leftthehouseofhislove，andturnedintothelane。Itwassoearlythattheshadedplacesstillsmeltlikenighttime，andthesunnyspotshadhardlyfeltthesun。Thehorizontalraysmadeeveryshallowdipinthegroundtoshowasawell-markedhollow。Eventhechannelofthepathwasenoughtothrowshade，andtheverystonesoftheroadcasttaperingdashesofdarknesswestward，aslongasJael\'stent-nail。

Ataspotnotmorethanahundredyardsfromthevicar\'sresidencethelaneleadingthencecrossedthehighroad。Stephenreachedthepointofintersection，stoodstillandlistened。Nothingcouldbeheardsavethelengthy，murmuringlineoftheseaupontheadjacentshore。Helookedathiswatch，andthenmountedagateuponwhichheseatedhimself，toawaitthearrivalofthecarrier。Whilsthesatheheardwheelscomingintwodirections。

Thevehicleapproachingonhisrighthesoonrecognizedasthecarrier\'s。Thereweretheaccompanyingsoundsoftheowner\'svoiceandthesmackofhiswhip，distinctinthestillmorningair，bywhichheencouragedhishorsesupthehill。

TheothersetofwheelssoundedfromthelaneStephenhadjusttraversed。Oncloserobservation，heperceivedthattheyweremovingfromtheprecinctsoftheancientmanor-houseadjoiningthevicaragegrounds。Acarriagethenlefttheentrancegatesofthehouse，andwheelingroundcamefullyinsight。Itwasaplaintravellingcarriage，withasmallquantityofluggage，apparentlyalady\'s。Thevehiclecametothejunctionofthefourwayshalf-

a-minutebeforethecarrierreachedthesamespot，andcrosseddirectlyinhisfront，proceedingbythelaneontheotherside。

InsidethecarriageStephencouldjustdiscernanelderlyladywithayoungerwoman，whoseemedtobehermaid。TheroadtheyhadtakenledtoStratleigh，asmallwatering-placesixteenmilesnorth。

Heheardthemanor-housegatesswingagain，andlookingupsawanotherpersonleavingthem，andwalkingoffinthedirectionoftheparsonage。\'Ah，howmuchIwishIweremovingthatway!\'feltheparenthetically。Thegentlemanwastall，andresembledMr。

Swancourtinoutlineandattire。Heopenedthevicaragegateandwentin。Mr。Swancourt，then，itcertainlywas。InsteadofremaininginbedthatmorningMr。Swancourtmusthavetakenitintohisheadtoseehisnewneighbouroffonajourney。Hemusthavebeengreatlyinterestedinthatneighbourtodosuchanunusualthing。

Thecarrier\'sconveyancehadpulledup，andStephennowhandedinhisportmanteauandmountedtheshafts。\'Whoisthatladyinthecarriage？\'heinquiredindifferentlyofLickpanthecarrier。

\'That，sir，isMrs。Troyton，awidderwi\'aminto\'money。She\'stheownerofallthatpartofEndelstowthatisnotLordLuxellian\'s。Onlybeenhereashorttime；shecameintoitbylaw。Theownerformerlywasaterriblemysteriousparty——neverlivedhere——hardlyeverwasseenhereexceptinthemonthofSeptember，asImightsay。\'

Thehorseswerestartedagain，andnoiserenderedfurtherdiscourseamatteroftoogreatexertion。Stephencreptinsideunderthetilt，andwassoonlostinreverie。