第7章

MissBartlettwasinthedrawing-room，gazingatthephotographofSt。Johnascending，whichhadbeenframed。

"Howdreadful!"shemurmured，"howmorethandreadful，ifMr。

Vyseshouldcometohearofitfromsomeothersource。”

"Oh，no，Charlotte，"saidthegirl，enteringthebattle。"GeorgeEmersonisallright，andwhatothersourceisthere？"

MissBartlettconsidered。"Forinstance，thedriver。Isawhimlookingthroughthebushesatyou，rememberhehadavioletbetweenhisteeth。”

Lucyshudderedalittle。"Weshallgetthesillyaffaironournervesifwearen\'tcareful。HowcouldaFlorentinecab-driverevergetholdofCecil？"

"Wemustthinkofeverypossibility。”

"Oh，it\'sallright。”

"OrperhapsoldMr。Emersonknows。Infact，heiscertaintoknow。”

"Idon\'tcareifhedoes。Iwasgratefultoyouforyourletter，butevenifthenewsdoesgetround，IthinkIcantrustCeciltolaughatit。”

"Tocontradictit？"

"No，tolaughatit。”Butsheknewinherheartthatshecouldnottrusthim，forhedesiredheruntouched。

"Verywell，dear，youknowbest。PerhapsgentlemenaredifferenttowhattheywerewhenIwasyoung。Ladiesarecertainlydifferent。”

"Now，Charlotte!"Shestruckatherplayfully。"Youkind，anxiousthing。WhatWOULDyouhavemedo？Firstyousay\'Don\'ttell\'；andthenyousay，\'Tell\'。Whichisittobe？Quick!"

MissBartlettsighed"Iamnomatchforyouinconversation，dearest。IblushwhenIthinkhowIinterferedatFlorence，andyousowellabletolookafteryourself，andsomuchclevererinallwaysthanIam。Youwillneverforgiveme。”

"Shallwegoout，then。Theywillsmashallthechinaifwedon\'t。”

FortheairrangwiththeshrieksofMinnie，whowasbeingscalpedwithateaspoon。

"Dear，onemoment——wemaynothavethischanceforachatagain。

Haveyouseentheyoungoneyet？"

"Yes，Ihave。”

"Whathappened？"

"WemetattheRectory。”

"Whatlineishetakingup？"

"Noline。HetalkedaboutItaly，likeanyotherperson。Itisreallyallright。Whatadvantagewouldhegetfrombeingacad，toputitbluntly？IdowishIcouldmakeyouseeitmyway。Hereallywon\'tbeanynuisance，Charlotte。”

"Onceacad，alwaysacad。Thatismypooropinion。”

Lucypaused。"Cecilsaidoneday——andIthoughtitsoprofound——thattherearetwokindsofcads——theconsciousandthesubconscious。”Shepausedagain，tobesureofdoingjusticetoCecil\'sprofundity。ThroughthewindowshesawCecilhimself，turningoverthepagesofanovel。ItwasanewonefromSmith\'slibrary。Hermothermusthavereturnedfromthestation。

"Onceacad，alwaysacad，"dronedMissBartlett。

"WhatImeanbysubconsciousisthatEmersonlosthishead。I

fellintoallthoseviolets，andhewassillyandsurprised。I

don\'tthinkweoughttoblamehimverymuch。Itmakessuchadifferencewhenyouseeapersonwithbeautifulthingsbehindhimunexpectedly。Itreallydoes；itmakesanenormousdifference，andhelosthishead:hedoesn\'tadmireme，oranyofthatnonsense，onestraw。Freddyratherlikeshim，andhasaskedhimuphereonSunday，soyoucanjudgeforyourself。Hehasimproved；hedoesn\'talwayslookasifhe\'sgoingtoburstintotears。HeisaclerkintheGeneralManager\'sofficeatoneofthebigrailways——notaporter!andrunsdowntohisfatherforweek-ends。Papawastodowithjournalism，butisrheumaticandhasretired。There!Nowforthegarden。”Shetookholdofherguestbythearm。"Supposewedon\'ttalkaboutthissillyItalianbusinessanymore。WewantyoutohaveanicerestfulvisitatWindyCorner，withnoworriting。”

Lucythoughtthisratheragoodspeech。Thereadermayhavedetectedanunfortunateslipinit。WhetherMissBartlettdetectedthesliponecannotsay，foritisimpossibletopenetrateintothemindsofelderlypeople。Shemighthavespokenfurther，buttheywereinterruptedbytheentranceofherhostess。Explanationstookplace，andinthemidstofthemLucyescaped，theimagesthrobbingalittlemorevividlyinherbrain。

ChapterXV:TheDisasterWithinTheSundayafterMissBartlett\'sarrivalwasagloriousday，likemostofthedaysofthatyear。IntheWeald，autumnapproached，breakingupthegreenmonotonyofsummer，touchingtheparkswiththegreybloomofmist，thebeech-treeswithrusset，theoak-treeswithgold。Upontheheights，battalionsofblackpineswitnessedthechange，themselvesunchangeable。Eithercountrywasspannedbyacloudlesssky，andineitherarosethetinkleofchurchbells。

ThegardenofWindyCornerswasdesertedexceptforaredbook，whichlaysunningitselfuponthegravelpath。Fromthehousecameincoherentsounds，asoffemalespreparingforworship。"Themensaytheywon\'tgo"——"Well，Idon\'tblamethem"——Minniesays，needshego？"——"Tellher，nononsense"——"Anne!Mary!

Hookmebehind!"——"DearestLucia，mayItrespassuponyouforapin？"ForMissBartletthadannouncedthatsheatalleventswasoneforchurch。

Thesunrosehigheronitsjourney，guided，notbyPhaethon，butbyApollo，competent，unswerving，divine。Itsraysfellontheladieswhenevertheyadvancedtowardsthebedroomwindows；onMr。BeebedownatSummerStreetashesmiledoveraletterfromMissCatharineAlan；onGeorgeEmersoncleaninghisfather\'sboots；andlastly，tocompletethecatalogueofmemorablethings，ontheredbookmentionedpreviously。Theladiesmove，Mr。Beebemoves，Georgemoves，andmovementmayengendershadow。

Butthisbookliesmotionless，tobecaressedallthemorningbythesunandtoraiseitscoversslightly，asthoughacknowledgingthecaress。

PresentlyLucystepsoutofthedrawing-roomwindow。Hernewcerisedresshasbeenafailure，andmakesherlooktawdryandwan。Atherthroatisagarnetbrooch，onherfingeraringsetwithrubies——anengagementring。HereyesarebenttotheWeald。

Shefrownsalittle——notinanger，butasabravechildfrownswhenheistryingnottocry。Inallthatexpansenohumaneyeislookingather，andshemayfrownunrebukedandmeasurethespacesthatyetsurvivebetweenApolloandthewesternhills。

"Lucy!Lucy!What\'sthatbook？Who\'sbeentakingabookoutoftheshelfandleavingitabouttospoil？"

"It\'sonlythelibrarybookthatCecil\'sbeenreading。”

"Butpickitup，anddon\'tstandidlingtherelikeaflamingo。”

Lucypickedupthebookandglancedatthetitlelistlessly，UnderaLoggia。Shenolongerreadnovelsherself，devotingallhersparetimetosolidliteratureinthehopeofcatchingCecilup。Itwasdreadfulhowlittlesheknew，andevenwhenshethoughtsheknewathing，liketheItalianpainters，shefoundshehadforgottenit。OnlythismorningshehadconfusedFrancescoFranciawithPierodellaFrancesca，andCecilhadsaid，"What!youaren\'tforgettingyourItalyalready？"Andthistoohadlentanxietytohereyeswhenshesalutedthedearviewandthedeargardenintheforeground，andabovethem，scarcelyconceivableelsewhere，thedearsun。

"Lucy——haveyouasixpenceforMinnieandashillingforyourself？"

Shehastenedintohermother，whowasrapidlyworkingherselfintoaSundayfluster。

"It\'saspecialcollection——Iforgetwhatfor。Idobeg，novulgarclinkingintheplatewithhalfpennies；seethatMinniehasanicebrightsixpence。Whereisthechild？Minnie!Thatbook\'sallwarped。(Gracious，howplainyoulook!)PutitundertheAtlastopress。Minnie!"

"Oh，Mrs。Honeychurch——"fromtheupperregions。

"Minnie，don\'tbelate。Herecomesthehorse"——itwasalwaysthehorse，neverthecarriage。"Where\'sCharlotte？Runupandhurryher。Whyisshesolong？Shehadnothingtodo。Sheneverbringsanythingbutblouses。PoorCharlotte——HowIdodetestblouses!

Minnie!"

Paganismisinfectious——moreinfectiousthandiphtheriaorpiety——andtheRector\'sniecewastakentochurchprotesting。Asusual，shedidn\'tseewhy。Whyshouldn\'tshesitinthesunwiththeyoungmen？Theyoungmen，whohadnowappeared，mockedherwithungenerouswords。Mrs。Honeychurchdefendedorthodoxy，andinthemidstoftheconfusionMissBartlett，dressedintheveryheightofthefashion，camestrollingdownthestairs。

"DearMarian，Iamverysorry，butIhavenosmallchange——

nothingbutsovereignsandhalfcrowns。Couldanyonegiveme——"

"Yes，easily。Jumpin。Graciousme，howsmartyoulook!Whatalovelyfrock!Youputusalltoshame。”

"IfIdidnotwearmybestragsandtattersnow，whenshouldI

wearthem？"saidMissBartlettreproachfully。Shegotintothevictoriaandplacedherselfwithherbacktothehorse。Thenecessaryroarensued，andthentheydroveoff。

"Good-bye!Begood!"calledoutCecil。

Lucybitherlip，forthetonewassneering。Onthesubjectof"churchandsoon"theyhadhadratheranunsatisfactoryconversation。Hehadsaidthatpeopleoughttooverhaulthemselves，andshedidnotwanttooverhaulherself；shedidnotknowitwasdone。HonestorthodoxyCecilrespected，buthealwaysassumedthathonestyistheresultofaspiritualcrisis；hecouldnotimagineitasanaturalbirthright，thatmightgrowheavenwardlikeflowers。Allthathesaidonthissubjectpainedher，thoughheexudedtolerancefromeverypore；somehowtheEmersonsweredifferent。

ShesawtheEmersonsafterchurch。Therewasalineofcarriagesdowntheroad，andtheHoneychurchvehiclehappenedtobeoppositeCissieVilla。Tosavetime，theywalkedoverthegreentoit，andfoundfatherandsonsmokinginthegarden。

"Introduceme，"saidhermother。"Unlesstheyoungmanconsidersthatheknowsmealready。”

Heprobablydid；butLucyignoredtheSacredLakeandintroducedthemformally。OldMr。Emersonclaimedherwithmuchwarmth，andsaidhowgladhewasthatshewasgoingtobemarried。Shesaidyes，shewasgladtoo；andthen，asMissBartlettandMinniewerelingeringbehindwithMr。Beebe，sheturnedtheconversationtoalessdisturbingtopic，andaskedhimhowhelikedhisnewhouse。

"Verymuch，"hereplied，buttherewasanoteofoffenceinhisvoice；shehadneverknownhimoffendedbefore。Headded:"Wefind，though，thattheMissAlanswerecoming，andthatwehaveturnedthemout。Womenmindsuchathing。Iamverymuchupsetaboutit。”

"Ibelievethattherewassomemisunderstanding，"saidMrs。

Honeychurchuneasily。

"Ourlandlordwastoldthatweshouldbeadifferenttypeofperson，"saidGeorge，whoseemeddisposedtocarrythematterfurther。"Hethoughtweshouldbeartistic。Heisdisappointed。”

"AndIwonderwhetherweoughttowritetotheMissAlansandoffertogiveitup。Whatdoyouthink？"HeappealedtoLucy。

"Oh，stopnowyouhavecome，"saidLucylightly。ShemustavoidcensuringCecil。ForitwasonCecilthatthelittleepisodeturned，thoughhisnamewasnevermentioned。

"SoGeorgesays。HesaysthattheMissAlansmustgotothewall。

Yetitdoesseemsounkind。”

"Thereisonlyacertainamountofkindnessintheworld，"saidGeorge，watchingthesunlightflashonthepanelsofthepassingcarriages。

"Yes!"exclaimedMrs。Honeychurch。"That\'sexactlywhatIsay。

WhyallthistwiddlingandtwaddlingovertwoMissAlans？"

"Thereisacertainamountofkindness，justasthereisacertainamountoflight，"hecontinuedinmeasuredtones。"Wecastashadowonsomethingwhereverwestand，anditisnogoodmovingfromplacetoplacetosavethings；becausetheshadowalwaysfollows。Chooseaplacewhereyouwon\'tdoharm——yes，chooseaplacewhereyouwon\'tdoverymuchharm，andstandinitforallyouareworth，facingthesunshine。”

"Oh，Mr。Emerson，Iseeyou\'reclever!"

"Eh——？"

"Iseeyou\'regoingtobeclever。Ihopeyoudidn\'tgobehavinglikethattopoorFreddy。”

George\'seyeslaughed，andLucysuspectedthatheandhermotherwouldgetonratherwell。

"No，Ididn\'t，"hesaid。"Hebehavedthatwaytome。Itishisphilosophy。Onlyhestartslifewithit；andIhavetriedtheNoteofInterrogationfirst。”

"WhatDOyoumean？No，nevermindwhatyoumean。Don\'texplain。

Helooksforwardtoseeingyouthisafternoon。Doyouplaytennis？DoyoumindtennisonSunday——？"

"GeorgemindtennisonSunday!George，afterhiseducation，distinguishbetweenSunday——"

"Verywell，Georgedoesn\'tmindtennisonSunday。NomoredoI。

That\'ssettled。Mr。Emerson，ifyoucouldcomewithyoursonweshouldbesopleased。”

Hethankedher，butthewalksoundedratherfar；hecouldonlypotteraboutinthesedays。

SheturnedtoGeorge:"AndthenhewantstogiveuphishousetotheMissAlans。”

"Iknow，"saidGeorge，andputhisarmroundhisfather\'sneck。

ThekindnessthatMr。BeebeandLucyhadalwaysknowntoexistinhimcameoutsuddenly，likesunlighttouchingavastlandscape——atouchofthemorningsun？Sherememberedthatinallhisperversitieshehadneverspokenagainstaffection。

MissBartlettapproached。

"Youknowourcousin，MissBartlett，"saidMrs。Honeychurchpleasantly。"YoumetherwithmydaughterinFlorence。”

"Yes，indeed!"saidtheoldman，andmadeasifhewouldcomeoutofthegardentomeetthelady。MissBartlettpromptlygotintothevictoria。Thusentrenched，sheemittedaformalbow。ItwasthepensionBertoliniagain，thedining-tablewiththedecantersofwaterandwine。Itwastheold，oldbattleoftheroomwiththeview。

Georgedidnotrespondtothebow。Likeanyboy，heblushedandwasashamed；heknewthatthechaperonremembered。Hesaid:"I——

I\'llcomeuptotennisifIcanmanageit，"andwentintothehouse。PerhapsanythingthathedidwouldhavepleasedLucy，buthisawkwardnesswentstraighttoherheart；menwerenotgodsafterall，butashumanandasclumsyasgirls；evenmenmightsufferfromunexplaineddesires，andneedhelp。Tooneofherupbringing，andofherdestination，theweaknessofmenwasatruthunfamiliar，butshehadsurmiseditatFlorence，whenGeorgethrewherphotographsintotheRiverArno。

"George，don\'tgo，"criedhisfather，whothoughtitagreattreatforpeopleifhissonwouldtalktothem。"Georgehasbeeninsuchgoodspiritstoday，andIamsurehewillendbycomingupthisafternoon。”

Lucycaughthercousin\'seye。Somethinginitsmuteappealmadeherreckless。"Yes，"shesaid，raisinghervoice，"Idohopehewill。”Thenshewenttothecarriageandmurmured，"Theoldmanhasn\'tbeentold；Iknewitwasallright。”Mrs。Honeychurchfollowedher，andtheydroveaway。

SatisfactorythatMr。EmersonhadnotbeentoldoftheFlorenceescapade；yetLucy\'sspiritsshouldnothaveleaptupasifshehadsightedtherampartsofheaven。Satisfactory；yetsurelyshegreeteditwithdisproportionatejoy。Allthewayhomethehorses\'hoofssangatunetoher:"Hehasnottold，hehasnottold。”Herbrainexpandedthemelody:"Hehasnottoldhisfather——towhomhetellsallthings。Itwasnotanexploit。HedidnotlaughatmewhenIhadgone。”Sheraisedherhandtohercheek。"Hedoesnotloveme。No。Howterribleifhedid!Buthehasnottold。Hewillnottell。”

Shelongedtoshoutthewords:"Itisallright。It\'sasecretbetweenustwoforever。Cecilwillneverhear。”ShewasevengladthatMissBartletthadmadeherpromisesecrecy，thatlastdarkeveningatFlorence，whentheyhadkneltpackinginhisroom。Thesecret，bigorlittle，wasguarded。

OnlythreeEnglishpeopleknewofitintheworld。Thussheinterpretedherjoy。ShegreetedCecilwithunusualradiance，becauseshefeltsosafe。Ashehelpedheroutofthecarriage，shesaid:

"TheEmersonshavebeensonice。GeorgeEmersonhasimprovedenormously。”

"Howaremyproteges？"askedCecil，whotooknorealinterestinthem，andhadlongsinceforgottenhisresolutiontobringthemtoWindyCornerforeducationalpurposes。

"Proteges!"sheexclaimedwithsomewarmth。FortheonlyrelationshipwhichCecilconceivedwasfeudal:thatofprotectorandprotected。Hehadnoglimpseofthecomradeshipafterwhichthegirl\'ssoulyearned。

"Youshallseeforyourselfhowyourprotegesare。GeorgeEmersoniscomingupthisafternoon。Heisamostinterestingmantotalkto。Onlydon\'t——"Shenearlysaid，"Don\'tprotecthim。”Butthebellwasringingforlunch，and，asoftenhappened，Cecilhadpaidnogreatattentiontoherremarks。Charm，notargument，wastobeherforte。

Lunchwasacheerfulmeal。GenerallyLucywasdepressedatmeals。

Someonehadtobesoothed——eitherCecilorMissBartlettoraBeingnotvisibletothemortaleye——aBeingwhowhisperedtohersoul:"Itwillnotlast，thischeerfulness。InJanuaryyoumustgotoLondontoentertainthegrandchildrenofcelebratedmen。”

Butto-dayshefeltshehadreceivedaguarantee。Hermotherwouldalwayssitthere，herbrotherhere。Thesun，thoughithadmovedalittlesincethemorning，wouldneverbehiddenbehindthewesternhills。Afterluncheontheyaskedhertoplay。ShehadseenGluck\'sArmidethatyear，andplayedfrommemorythemusicoftheenchantedgarden——themusictowhichRenaudapproaches，beneaththelightofaneternaldawn，themusicthatnevergains，neverwanes，butripplesforeverlikethetidelessseasoffairyland。Suchmusicisnotforthepiano，andheraudiencebegantogetrestive，andCecil，sharingthediscontent，calledout:"Nowplayustheothergarden——theoneinParsifal。”

Sheclosedtheinstrument。

"Notverydutiful，"saidhermother\'svoice。

FearingthatshehadoffendedCecil，sheturnedquicklyround。

ThereGeorgewas。Hehadcreptinwithoutinterruptingher。

"Oh，Ihadnoidea!"sheexclaimed，gettingveryred；andthen，withoutawordofgreeting，shereopenedthepiano。CecilshouldhavetheParsifal，andanythingelsethatheliked。

"Ourperformerhaschangedhermind，"saidMissBartlett，perhapsimplying，shewillplaythemusictoMr。Emerson。Lucydidnotknowwhattodonorevenwhatshewantedtodo。SheplayedafewbarsoftheFlowerMaidens\'songverybadlyandthenshestopped。

"Ivotetennis，"saidFreddy，disgustedatthescrappyentertainment。

"Yes，sodoI。”Oncemoresheclosedtheunfortunatepiano。"I

voteyouhaveamen\'sfour。”

"Allright。”

"Notforme，thankyou，"saidCecil。"Iwillnotspoiltheset。”

Heneverrealizedthatitmaybeanactofkindnessinabadplayertomakeupafourth。

"Oh，comealongCecil。I\'mbad，Floyd\'srotten，andsoIdaresay\'sEmerson。”

Georgecorrectedhim:"Iamnotbad。”

Onelookeddownone\'snoseatthis。"ThencertainlyIwon\'tplay，"saidCecil，whileMissBartlett，undertheimpressionthatshewassnubbingGeorge，added:"Iagreewithyou，Mr。Vyse。Youhadmuchbetternotplay。Muchbetternot。”

Minnie，rushinginwhereCecilfearedtotread，announcedthatshewouldplay。"Ishallmisseveryballanyway，sowhatdoesitmatter？"ButSundayintervenedandstampedheavilyuponthekindlysuggestion。

"ThenitwillhavetobeLucy，"saidMrs。Honeychurch；"youmustfallbackonLucy。Thereisnootherwayoutofit。Lucy，goandchangeyourfrock。”

Lucy\'sSabbathwasgenerallyofthisamphibiousnature。Shekeptitwithouthypocrisyinthemorning，andbrokeitwithoutreluctanceintheafternoon。Asshechangedherfrock，shewonderedwhetherCecilwassneeringather；reallyshemustoverhaulherselfandsettleeverythingupbeforeshemarriedhim。

Mr。Floydwasherpartner。Shelikedmusic，buthowmuchbettertennisseemed。Howmuchbettertorunaboutincomfortableclothesthantositatthepianoandfeelgirtunderthearms。

Oncemoremusicappearedtohertheemploymentofachild。Georgeserved，andsurprisedherbyhisanxietytowin。SherememberedhowhehadsighedamongthetombsatSantaCrocebecausethingswouldn\'tfit；howafterthedeathofthatobscureItalianhehadleantovertheparapetbytheArnoandsaidtoher:"Ishallwanttolive，Itellyou，"Hewantedtolivenow，towinattennis，tostandforallhewasworthinthesun——thesunwhichhadbeguntodeclineandwasshininginhereyes；andhedidwin。

Ah，howbeautifultheWealdlooked!Thehillsstoodoutaboveitsradiance，asFiesolestandsabovetheTuscanPlain，andtheSouthDowns，ifonechose，werethemountainsofCarrara。ShemightbeforgettingherItaly，butshewasnoticingmorethingsinherEngland。Onecouldplayanewgamewiththeview，andtrytofindinitsinnumerablefoldssometownorvillagethatwoulddoforFlorence。Ah，howbeautifultheWealdlooked!

ButnowCecilclaimedher。Hechancedtobeinalucidcriticalmood，andwouldnotsympathizewithexaltation。Hehadbeenratheranuisanceallthroughthetennis，forthenovelthathewasreadingwassobadthathewasobligedtoreaditaloudtoothers。Hewouldstrollroundtheprecinctsofthecourtandcallout:"Isay，listentothis，Lucy。Threesplitinfinitives。”

"Dreadful!"saidLucy，andmissedherstroke。Whentheyhadfinishedtheirset，hestillwentonreading；therewassomemurderscene，andreallyeveryonemustlistentoit。FreddyandMr。Floydwereobligedtohuntforalostballinthelaurels，buttheothertwoacquiesced。

"ThesceneislaidinFlorence。”

"Whatfun，Cecil!Readaway。Come，Mr。Emerson，sitdownafterallyourenergy。”Shehad"forgiven"George，assheputit，andshemadeapointofbeingpleasanttohim。

Hejumpedoverthenetandsatdownatherfeetasking:"You——andareyoutired？"

"OfcourseI\'mnot!"

"Doyoumindbeingbeaten？"

Shewasgoingtoanswer，"No，"whenitstruckherthatshedidmind，sosheanswered，"Yes。”Sheaddedmerrily，"Idon\'tseeyou\'resuchasplendidplayer，though。Thelightwasbehindyou，anditwasinmyeyes。”

"IneversaidIwas。”

"Why，youdid!"

"Youdidn\'tattend。”

"Yousaid——oh，don\'tgoinforaccuracyatthishouse。Weallexaggerate，andwegetveryangrywithpeoplewhodon\'t。”

"\'ThesceneislaidinFlorence，\'"repeatedCecil，withanupwardnote。

Lucyrecollectedherself。

"\'Sunset。Leonorawasspeeding——\'"

Lucyinterrupted。"Leonora？IsLeonoratheheroine？Who\'sthebookby？"

"JosephEmeryPrank。\'Sunset。Leonoraspeedingacrossthesquare。

Praythesaintsshemightnotarrivetoolate。Sunset——thesunsetofItaly。UnderOrcagna\'sLoggia——theLoggiade\'Lanzi，aswesometimescallitnow——\'"

Lucyburstintolaughter。"\'JosephEmeryPrank\'indeed!Whyit\'sMissLavish!It\'sMissLavish\'snovel，andshe\'spublishingitundersomebodyelse\'sname。”

"WhomayMissLavishbe？"

"Oh，adreadfulperson——Mr。Emerson，yourememberMissLavish？"

Excitedbyherpleasantafternoon，sheclappedherhands。

Georgelookedup。"OfcourseIdo。IsawherthedayIarrivedatSummerStreet。Itwasshewhotoldmethatyoulivedhere。”

"Weren\'tyoupleased？"Shemeant"toseeMissLavish，"butwhenhebentdowntothegrasswithoutreplying，itstruckherthatshecouldmeansomethingelse。Shewatchedhishead，whichwasalmostrestingagainstherknee，andshethoughtthattheearswerereddening。"Nowonderthenovel\'sbad，"sheadded。"IneverlikedMissLavish。ButIsupposeoneoughttoreaditasone\'smether。”

"Allmodernbooksarebad，"saidCecil，whowasannoyedatherinattention，andventedhisannoyanceonliterature。"Everyonewritesformoneyinthesedays。”

"Oh，Cecil——!"

"Itisso。IwillinflictJosephEmeryPrankonyounolonger。”

Cecil，thisafternoonseemedsuchatwitteringsparrow。Theupsanddownsinhisvoicewerenoticeable，buttheydidnotaffecther。Shehaddweltamongstmelodyandmovement，andhernervesrefusedtoanswertotheclangofhis。Leavinghimtobeannoyed，shegazedattheblackheadagain。Shedidnotwanttostrokeit，butshesawherselfwantingtostrokeit；thesensationwascurious。

"Howdoyoulikethisviewofours，Mr。Emerson？"

"Inevernoticemuchdifferenceinviews。”

"Whatdoyoumean？"

"Becausethey\'reallalike。Becauseallthatmattersinthemisdistanceandair。”

"H\'m!"saidCecil，uncertainwhethertheremarkwasstrikingornot。

"Myfather"——helookedupather(andhewasalittleflushed)——

"saysthatthereisonlyoneperfectview——theviewoftheskystraightoverourheads，andthatalltheseviewsoneartharebutbungledcopiesofit。”

"IexpectyourfatherhasbeenreadingDante，"saidCecil，fingeringthenovel，whichalonepermittedhimtoleadtheconversation。

"Hetoldusanotherdaythatviewsarereallycrowds——crowdsoftreesandhousesandhills——andareboundtoresembleeachother，likehumancrowds——andthatthepowertheyhaveoverusissometimessupernatural，forthesamereason。”

Lucy\'slipsparted。

"Foracrowdismorethanthepeoplewhomakeitup。Somethinggetsaddedtoit——nooneknowshow——justassomethinghasgotaddedtothosehills。”

HepointedwithhisracquettotheSouthDowns。

"Whatasplendididea!"shemurmured。"Ishallenjoyhearingyourfathertalkagain。I\'msosorryhe\'snotsowell。”

"No，heisn\'twell。”

"There\'sanabsurdaccountofaviewinthisbook，"saidCecil。

"Alsothatmenfallintotwoclasses——thosewhoforgetviewsandthosewhorememberthem，eveninsmallrooms。”

"Mr。Emerson，haveyouanybrothersorsisters？"

"None。Why？"

"Youspokeof\'us。\'"

"Mymother，Iwasmeaning。”

Cecilclosedthenovelwithabang。

"Oh，Cecil——howyoumademejump!"

"IwillinflictJosephEmeryPrankonyounolonger。”

"IcanjustrememberusallthreegoingintothecountryforthedayandseeingasfarasHindhead。ItisthefirstthingthatI

remember。”

Cecilgotup；themanwasill-bred——hehadn\'tputonhiscoataftertennis——hedidn\'tdo。HewouldhavestrolledawayifLucyhadnotstoppedhim。

"Cecil，doreadthethingabouttheview。”

"NotwhileMr。Emersonisheretoentertainus。”

"No——readaway。Ithinknothing\'sfunnierthantohearsillythingsreadoutloud。IfMr。Emersonthinksusfrivolous，hecango。”

ThisstruckCecilassubtle，andpleasedhim。Itputtheirvisitorinthepositionofaprig。Somewhatmollified，hesatdownagain。

"Mr。Emerson，goandfindtennisballs。”Sheopenedthebook。

Cecilmusthavehisreadingandanythingelsethatheliked。ButherattentionwanderedtoGeorge\'smother，who——accordingtoMr。

Eager——hadbeenmurderedinthesightofGodaccordingtoherson——hadseenasfarasHindhead。

"AmIreallytogo？"askedGeorge。

"No，ofcoursenotreally，"sheanswered。

"Chaptertwo，"saidCecil，yawning。"Findmechaptertwo，ifitisn\'tbotheringyou。”

Chaptertwowasfound，andsheglancedatitsopeningsentences。

Shethoughtshehadgonemad。

"Here——handmethebook。”

Sheheardhervoicesaying:"Itisn\'tworthreading——it\'stoosillytoread——Ineversawsuchrubbish——itoughtn\'ttobeallowedtobeprinted。”

Hetookthebookfromher。

"\'Leonora，\'"heread，"\'satpensiveandalone。BeforeherlaytherichchampaignofTuscany，dottedoverwithmanyasmilingvillage。Theseasonwasspring。\'"

MissLavishknew，somehow，andhadprintedthepastindraggledprose，forCeciltoreadandforGeorgetohear。

"\'Agoldenhaze，\'"heread。Heread:"\'AfaroffthetowersofFlorence，whilethebankonwhichshesatwascarpetedwithviolets。AllunobservedAntoniostoleupbehindher——\'"

LestCecilshouldseeherfacesheturnedtoGeorgeandsawhisface。

Heread:"\'Therecamefromhislipsnowordyprotestationsuchasformalloversuse。Noeloquencewashis，nordidhesufferfromthelackofit。Hesimplyenfoldedherinhismanlyarms。\'"

"Thisisn\'tthepassageIwanted，"heinformedthem。"thereisanothermuchfunnier，furtheron。”Heturnedovertheleaves。

"Shouldwegointotea？"saidLucy，whosevoiceremainedsteady。

Sheledthewayupthegarden，Cecilfollowingher，Georgelast。

Shethoughtadisasterwasaverted。Butwhentheyenteredtheshrubberyitcame。Thebook，asifithadnotworkedmischiefenough，hadbeenforgotten，andCecilmustgobackforit；andGeorge，wholovedpassionately，mustblunderagainstherinthenarrowpath。

"No——"shegasped，and，forthesecondtime，waskissedbyhim。

Asifnomorewaspossible，heslippedback；Cecilrejoinedher；

theyreachedtheupperlawnalone。

ChapterXVI:LyingtoGeorgeButLucyhaddevelopedsincethespring。Thatistosay，shewasnowbetterabletostifletheemotionsofwhichtheconventionsandtheworlddisapprove。Thoughthedangerwasgreater，shewasnotshakenbydeepsobs。ShesaidtoCecil，"Iamnotcomingintotea——tellmother——Imustwritesomeletters，"andwentuptoherroom。Thenshepreparedforaction。Lovefeltandreturned，lovewhichourbodiesexactandourheartshavetransfigured，lovewhichisthemostrealthingthatweshallevermeet，reappearednowastheworld\'senemy，andshemuststifleit。

ShesentforMissBartlett。

Thecontestlaynotbetweenloveandduty。Perhapsthereneverissuchacontest。Itlaybetweentherealandthepretended，andLucy\'sfirstaimwastodefeatherself。Asherbraincloudedover，asthememoryoftheviewsgrewdimandthewordsofthebookdiedaway，shereturnedtoheroldshibbolethofnerves。She"conqueredherbreakdown。”Tamperingwiththetruth，sheforgotthatthetruthhadeverbeen。RememberingthatshewasengagedtoCecil，shecompelledherselftoconfusedremembrancesofGeorge；

hewasnothingtoher；heneverhadbeenanything；hehadbehavedabominably；shehadneverencouragedhim。Thearmouroffalsehoodissubtlywroughtoutofdarkness，andhidesamannotonlyfromothers，butfromhisownsoul。InafewmomentsLucywasequippedforbattle。

"Somethingtooawfulhashappened，"shebegan，assoonashercousinarrived。"DoyouknowanythingaboutMissLavish\'snovel？"

MissBartlettlookedsurprised，andsaidthatshehadnotreadthebook，norknownthatitwaspublished；Eleanorwasareticentwomanatheart。

"Thereisasceneinit。Theheroandheroinemakelove。Doyouknowaboutthat？"

"Dear——？"

"Doyouknowaboutit，please？"sherepeated。"Theyareonahillside，andFlorenceisinthedistance。”

"MygoodLucia，Iamallatsea。Iknownothingaboutitwhatever。”

"Thereareviolets。Icannotbelieveitisacoincidence。

Charlotte，Charlotte，howcouldyouhavetoldher？Ihavethoughtbeforespeaking；itmustbeyou。”

"Thennever——never——nevermoreshallEleanorLavishbeafriendofmine。”

"Soyoudidtell？"

"Ididjusthappen——whenIhadteawithheratRome——inthecourseofconversation——"

"ButCharlotte——whataboutthepromiseyougavemewhenwewerepacking？WhydidyoutellMissLavish，whenyouwouldn\'tevenletmetellmother？"

"IwillneverforgiveEleanor。Shehasbetrayedmyconfidence。”

"Whydidyoutellher，though？Thisisamostseriousthing。”

Whydoesanyonetellanything？Thequestioniseternal，anditwasnotsurprisingthatMissBartlettshouldonlysighfaintlyinresponse。Shehaddonewrong——sheadmittedit，sheonlyhopedthatshehadnotdoneharm；shehadtoldEleanorinthestrictestconfidence。

Lucystampedwithirritation。

"CecilhappenedtoreadoutthepassagealoudtomeandtoMr。

Emerson；itupsetMr。Emersonandheinsultedmeagain。BehindCecil\'sback。Ugh!Isitpossiblethatmenaresuchbrutes？

BehindCecil\'sbackaswewerewalkingupthegarden。”

MissBartlettburstintoself-accusationsandregrets。

"Whatistobedonenow？Canyoutellme？"

"Oh，Lucy——Ishallneverforgivemyself，nevertomydyingday。

Fancyifyourprospects——"

"Iknow，"saidLucy，wincingattheword。"IseenowwhyyouwantedmetotellCecil，andwhatyoumeantby\'someothersource。\'YouknewthatyouhadtoldMissLavish，andthatshewasnotreliable。

ItwasMissBartlett\'sturntowince。"However，"saidthegirl，despisinghercousin\'sshiftiness，"What\'sdone\'sdone。Youhaveputmeinamostawkwardposition。HowamItogetoutofit？"

MissBartlettcouldnotthink。Thedaysofherenergywereover。

Shewasavisitor，notachaperon，andadiscreditedvisitoratthat。Shestoodwithclaspedhandswhilethegirlworkedherselfintothenecessaryrage。

"Hemust——thatmanmusthavesuchasettingdownthathewon\'tforget。Andwho\'stogiveithim？Ican\'ttellmothernow——owingtoyou。NorCecil，Charlotte，owingtoyou。Iamcaughtupeveryway。IthinkIshallgomad。Ihavenoonetohelpme。That\'swhyI\'vesentforyou。What\'swantedisamanwithawhip。”

MissBartlettagreed:onewantedamanwithawhip。

"Yes——butit\'snogoodagreeing。What\'stobeDONE。Wewomengomaunderingon。WhatDOESagirldowhenshecomesacrossacad？"

"Ialwayssaidhewasacad，dear。Givemecreditforthat，atallevents。Fromtheveryfirstmoment——whenhesaidhisfatherwashavingabath。”

"Oh，botherthecreditandwho\'sbeenrightorwrong!We\'vebothmadeamuddleofit。GeorgeEmersonisstilldownthegardenthere，andishetobeleftunpunished，orisn\'the？Iwanttoknow。”

MissBartlettwasabsolutelyhelpless。Herownexposurehadunnervedher，andthoughtswerecollidingpainfullyinherbrain。

Shemovedfeeblytothewindow，andtriedtodetectthecad\'swhiteflannelsamongthelaurels。

"YouwerereadyenoughattheBertoliniwhenyourushedmeofftoRome。Can\'tyouspeakagaintohimnow？"

"WillinglywouldImoveheavenandearth——"

"Iwantsomethingmoredefinite，"saidLucycontemptuously。"Willyouspeaktohim？Itistheleastyoucando，surely，consideringitallhappenedbecauseyoubrokeyourword。”

"NeveragainshallEleanorLavishbeafriendofmine。”

Really，Charlottewasoutdoingherself。

"Yesorno，please；yesorno。”

"Itisthekindofthingthatonlyagentlemancansettle。”

GeorgeEmersonwascomingupthegardenwithatennisballinhishand。

"Verywell，"saidLucy，withanangrygesture。"Noonewillhelpme。Iwillspeaktohimmyself。”Andimmediatelysherealizedthatthiswaswhathercousinhadintendedallalong。

"Hullo，Emerson!"calledFreddyfrombelow。"Foundthelostball？

Goodman!Wantanytea？"Andtherewasanirruptionfromthehouseontotheterrace。

"Oh，Lucy，butthatisbraveofyou!Iadmireyou——"

TheyhadgatheredroundGeorge，whobeckoned，shefelt，overtherubbish，thesloppythoughts，thefurtiveyearningsthatwerebeginningtocumberhersoul。Herangerfadedatthesightofhim。Ah!TheEmersonswerefinepeopleintheirway。Shehadtosubduearushinherbloodbeforesaying:

"Freddyhastakenhimintothedining-room。Theothersaregoingdownthegarden。Come。Letusgetthisoverquickly。Come。Iwantyouintheroom，ofcourse。”

"Lucy，doyouminddoingit？"

"Howcanyouasksucharidiculousquestion？"

"PoorLucy——"Shestretchedoutherhand。"IseemtobringnothingbutmisfortunewhereverIgo。”Lucynodded。SherememberedtheirlasteveningatFlorence——thepacking，thecandle，theshadowofMissBartlett\'stoqueonthedoor。Shewasnottobetrappedbypathosasecondtime。Eludinghercousin\'scaress，sheledthewaydownstairs。

"Trythejam，"Freddywassaying。"Thejam\'sjollygood。”

George，lookingbiganddishevelled，waspacingupanddownthedining-room。Assheenteredhestopped，andsaid:

"No——nothingtoeat。”

"Yougodowntotheothers，"saidLucy；"CharlotteandIwillgiveMr。Emersonallhewants。Where\'smother？"

"She\'sstartedonherSundaywriting。She\'sinthedrawing-room。”

"That\'sallright。Yougoaway。”

Hewentoffsinging。

Lucysatdownatthetable。MissBartlett，whowasthoroughlyfrightened，tookupabookandpretendedtoread。

Shewouldnotbedrawnintoanelaboratespeech。Shejustsaid:

"Ican\'thaveit，Mr。Emerson。Icannoteventalktoyou。Gooutofthishouse，andnevercomeintoitagainaslongasIlivehere——"flushingasshespokeandpointingtothedoor。"Ihatearow。Goplease。”

"What——"

"Nodiscussion。”

"ButIcan\'t——"

Sheshookherhead。"Go，please。IdonotwanttocallinMr。

Vyse。”

"Youdon\'tmean，"hesaid，absolutelyignoringMissBartlett——

"youdon\'tmeanthatyouaregoingtomarrythatman？"

Thelinewasunexpected。

Sheshruggedhershoulders，asifhisvulgarityweariedher。"Youaremerelyridiculous，"shesaidquietly。

Thenhiswordsrosegravelyoverhers:"YoucannotlivewithVyse。He\'sonlyforanacquaintance。Heisforsocietyandcultivatedtalk。Heshouldknownooneintimately，leastofallawoman。”

ItwasanewlightonCecil\'scharacter。

"HaveyouevertalkedtoVysewithoutfeelingtired？"

"Icanscarcelydiscuss——"

"No，buthaveyouever？Heisthesortwhoareallrightsolongastheykeeptothings——books，pictures——butkillwhentheycometopeople。That\'swhyI\'llspeakoutthroughallthismuddleevennow。It\'sshockingenoughtoloseyouinanycase，butgenerallyamanmustdenyhimselfjoy，andIwouldhaveheldbackifyourCecilhadbeenadifferentperson。Iwouldneverhaveletmyselfgo。ButIsawhimfirstintheNationalGallery，whenhewincedbecausemyfathermispronouncedthenamesofgreatpainters。Thenhebringsushere，andwefinditistoplaysomesillytrickonakindneighbour。Thatisthemanallover——playingtricksonpeople，onthemostsacredformoflifethathecanfind。Next，I

meetyoutogether，andfindhimprotectingandteachingyouandyourmothertobeshocked，whenitwasforYOUtosettlewhetheryouwereshockedorno。Cecilalloveragain。Hedaren\'tletawomandecide。He\'sthetypewho\'skeptEuropebackforathousandyears。Everymomentofhislifehe\'sformingyou，tellingyouwhat\'scharmingoramusingorladylike，tellingyouwhatamanthinkswomanly；andyou，youofallwomen，listentohisvoiceinsteadoftoyourown。SoitwasattheRectory，whenImetyoubothagain；soithasbeenthewholeofthisafternoon。Therefore——not\'thereforeIkissedyou，\'becausethebookmademedothat，andIwishtogoodnessIhadmoreself-control。I\'mnotashamed。

Idon\'tapologize。Butithasfrightenedyou，andyoumaynothavenoticedthatIloveyou。Orwouldyouhavetoldmetogo，anddealtwithatremendousthingsolightly？Buttherefore——

thereforeIsettledtofighthim。”

Lucythoughtofaverygoodremark。

"YousayMr。Vysewantsmetolistentohim，Mr。Emerson。Pardonmeforsuggestingthatyouhavecaughtthehabit。”

Andhetooktheshoddyreproofandtoucheditintoimmortality。

Hesaid:

"Yes，Ihave，"andsankdownasifsuddenlyweary。"I\'mthesamekindofbruteatbottom。Thisdesiretogovernawoman——itliesverydeep，andmenandwomenmustfightittogetherbeforetheyshallenterthegarden。ButIdoloveyousurelyinabetterwaythanhedoes。”Hethought。"Yes——reallyinabetterway。IwantyoutohaveyourownthoughtsevenwhenIholdyouinmyarms，"

Hestretchedthemtowardsher。"Lucy，bequick——there\'snotimeforustotalknow——cometomeasyoucameinthespring，andafterwardsIwillbegentleandexplain。Ihavecaredforyousincethatmandied。Icannotlivewithoutyou，\'Nogood，\'I

thought；\'sheismarryingsomeoneelse\'；butImeetyouagainwhenalltheworldisgloriouswaterandsun。AsyoucamethroughthewoodIsawthatnothingelsemattered。Icalled。Iwantedtoliveandhavemychanceofjoy。”

"AndMr。Vyse？"saidLucy，whokeptcommendablycalm。"Doeshenotmatter？ThatIloveCecilandshallbehiswifeshortly？A

detailofnoimportance，Isuppose？"

Buthestretchedhisarmsoverthetabletowardsher。

"MayIaskwhatyouintendtogainbythisexhibition？"

Hesaid:"Itisourlastchance。IshalldoallthatIcan。”Andasifhehaddoneallelse，heturnedtoMissBartlett，whosatlikesomeportentagainsttheskiesoftheevening。"Youwouldn\'tstopusthissecondtimeifyouunderstood，"hesaid。"Ihavebeenintothedark，andIamgoingbackintoit，unlessyouwilltrytounderstand。”

Herlong，narrowheaddrovebackwardsandforwards，asthoughdemolishingsomeinvisibleobstacle。Shedidnotanswer。

"Itisbeingyoung，"hesaidquietly，pickinguphisracquetfromthefloorandpreparingtogo。"ItisbeingcertainthatLucycaresformereally。Itisthatloveandyouthmatterintellectually。”

Insilencethetwowomenwatchedhim。Hislastremark，theyknew，wasnonsense，butwashegoingafteritornot？Wouldnothe，thecad，thecharlatan，attemptamoredramaticfinish？No。Hewasapparentlycontent。Heleftthem，carefullyclosingthefrontdoor；andwhentheylookedthroughthehallwindow，theysawhimgoupthedriveandbegintoclimbtheslopesofwitheredfernbehindthehouse。Theirtongueswereloosed，andtheyburstintostealthyrejoicings。

"Oh，Lucia——comebackhere——oh，whatanawfulman!"

Lucyhadnoreaction——atleast，notyet。"Well，heamusesme，"

shesaid。"EitherI\'mmad，orelseheis，andI\'minclinedtothinkit\'sthelatter。Onemorefussthroughwithyou，Charlotte。

Manythanks。Ithink，though，thatthisisthelast。Myadmirerwillhardlytroublemeagain。”

AndMissBartlett，too，essayedtheroguish:

"Well，itisn\'teveryonewhocouldboastsuchaconquest，dearest，isit？Oh，oneoughtn\'ttolaugh，really。Itmighthavebeenveryserious。Butyouweresosensibleandbrave——sounlikethegirlsofmyday。”

"Let\'sgodowntothem。”

But，onceintheopenair，shepaused。Someemotion——pity，terror，love，buttheemotionwasstrong——seizedher，andshewasawareofautumn。Summerwasending，andtheeveningbroughtherodoursofdecay，themorepatheticbecausetheywerereminiscentofspring。Thatsomethingorothermatteredintellectually？A

leaf，violentlyagitated，dancedpasther，whileotherleaveslaymotionless。Thattheearthwashasteningtore-enterdarkness，andtheshadowsofthosetreesoverWindyCorner？

"Hullo，Lucy!There\'sstilllightenoughforanotherset，ifyoutwo\'llhurry。”

"Mr。Emersonhashadtogo。”

"Whatanuisance!Thatspoilsthefour。Isay，Cecil，doplay，do，there\'sagoodchap。It\'sFloyd\'slastday。Doplaytenniswithus，justthisonce。”

Cecil\'svoicecame:"MydearFreddy，Iamnoathlete。Asyouwellremarkedthisverymorning，\'Therearesomechapswhoarenogoodforanythingbutbooks\'；Ipleadguiltytobeingsuchachap，andwillnotinflictmyselfonyou。”

ThescalesfellfromLucy\'seyes。HowhadshestoodCecilforamoment？Hewasabsolutelyintolerable，andthesameeveningshebrokeoffherengagement。

ChapterXVII:LyingtoCecilHewasbewildered。Hehadnothingtosay。Hewasnotevenangry，butstood，withaglassofwhiskeybetweenhishands，tryingtothinkwhathadledhertosuchaconclusion。

Shehadchosenthemomentbeforebed，when，inaccordancewiththeirbourgeoishabit，shealwaysdispenseddrinkstothemen。

FreddyandMr。Floydweresuretoretirewiththeirglasses，whileCecilinvariablylingered，sippingathiswhileshelockedupthesideboard。

"Iamverysorryaboutit，"shesaid；"Ihavecarefullythoughtthingsover。Wearetoodifferent。Imustaskyoutoreleaseme，andtrytoforgetthatthereeverwassuchafoolishgirl。”

Itwasasuitablespeech，butshewasmoreangrythansorry，andhervoiceshowedit。

"Different——how——how——"

"Ihaven\'thadareallygoodeducation，foronething，"shecontinued，stillonherkneesbythesideboard。"MyItaliantripcametoolate，andIamforgettingallthatIlearntthere。I

shallneverbeabletotalktoyourfriends，orbehaveasawifeofyoursshould。”

"Idon\'tunderstandyou。Youaren\'tlikeyourself。You\'retired，Lucy。”

"Tired!"sheretorted，kindlingatonce。"Thatisexactlylikeyou。Youalwaysthinkwomendon\'tmeanwhattheysay。”

"Well，yousoundtired，asifsomethinghasworriedyou。”