下载辰思小说免费APP
Can\'thelpit,andmoreover,sir,speakingforself,don\'twantto。
We\'llhavenoloosemoralsinpubliclifedownhere,pleaseGod！"
Therewasrealfeelinginhiswords;then,catchingsightofCourtier\'sface,headded:"Doyouknowthislady？"
"Eversinceshewasachild。Anyonewhospeaksevilofher,hastoreckonwithme。"
Themanwiththerefinedfacesaidearnestly:
"Believeme,Mr。Courtier,Ientirelysympathize。Wehadnothingtodowiththeparagraph。It\'soneofthoseincidentswhereonebenefitsagainstone\'swill。MostunfortunatethatshecameoutontothegreenwithLordMiltoun;youknowwhatpeopleare。"
"It\'sthehead—linethatdoesit;"saidthethirdCommittee—man;"they\'veputwhatwillattractthepublic。"
"Idon\'tknow,Idon\'tknow,"saidthelittle—eyedmanstubbornly;
"ifLordMiltounwillspendhiseveningswithlonelyladies,hecan\'tblameanybodybuthimself。"
Courtierlookedfromfacetoface。
"Thisclosesmyconnectionwiththecampaign,"hesaid:"What\'stheaddressofthispaper？"Andwithoutwaitingforananswer,hetookupthejournalandhobbledfromtheroom。Hestoodaminuteoutsidefindingtheaddress,thenmadehiswaydownthestreet。
CHAPTERVIII
BythesideoflittleAnn,Barbarasatleaningbackamongstthecushionsofthecar。Inspiteofbeingalreadylaunchedintohigh—
castelifewhichbringswithitanearlyknowledgeoftheworld,shehadstillsomeoftheeagernessinherfacewhichmakeschildrenlovable。YetshelookednegligentlyenoughatthecitizensofBucklandbury,beingalreadyalittleconsciousofthestrangemixtureofsentimentpeculiartohercountrymeninpresenceofherself——thatcuriousexpressionontheirfacesresultingfromthecontinualattempttolookdowntheirnoseswhileslantingtheireyesupwards。
Yes,shewasalreadyalivetothatmysteriousglancewhichhadbuiltthenationalhouseandinsureditafterwards——foetocynicism,pessimism,andanythingFrenchorRussian;parentofallthenationalvirtues,andallthenationalvices;ofidealismandmuddle—
headedness,ofindependenceandservility;fostererofconduct,murdererofspeculation;lookingup,andlookingdown,butneverstraightatanything;mosthigh,mostdeep,mostqueer;andeverbubbling—upfromtheessentialWellofEmulation。
Surroundedbythatglance,waitingforCourtier,Barbara,notlessBritishthanherneighbours,wassecretlyslantingherowneyesupanddownovertheabsentfigureofhernewacquaintance。Shetoowantedsomethingshecouldlookupto,andatthesametimeseedamnedfirst。Andinthisknight—errantitseemedtoherthatshehadgotit。
Hewasacreaturefromanotherworld。Shehadmetmanymen,butnotasyetonequiteofthissort。Itwasrathernicetobewithacleverman,whohadnonethelessdonesomanyoutdoorthings,beenthroughsomanybodilyadventures。Themerewriters,oreventhe\'Bohemians,\'whomsheoccasionallymet,wereafterallonly\'chaplainstotheCourt,\'necessarytokeeparistocracyintouchwiththelatestdevelopmentsofliteratureandart。ButthisMr。Courtierwasamanofaction;hecouldnotbelookedonwiththeamused,admiringtolerationsuitedtomenremarkableonlyforideas,andthewaytheyputthemintopaintorink。Hehadused,andcoulduse,thesword,eveninthecauseofPeace。Hecouldlove,hadloved,orsotheysaid:IfBarbarahadbeenagirloftwentyinanotherclass,shewouldprobablyneverhaveheardofthis,andifshehadheard,itmightverywellhavedismayedorshockedher。Butshehadheard,andwithoutshock,becauseshehadalreadylearnedthatmenwerelikethat,andwomentoosometimes。
Itwaswithquitealittlepangofconcernthatshesawhimhobblingdownthestreettowardsher;andwhenhewasoncemoreseated,shetoldthechauffeur:"Tothestation,Frith。Quick,please！"andbegan:
"Youarenottobetrustedabit。Whatwereyoudoing？"
ButCourtiersmiledgrimlyovertheheadofAnn,insilence。
Atthis,almostthefirsttimeshehadeveryetencounteredadistinctrebuff,Barbaraquivered,asthoughshehadbeentouchedlightlywithawhip。Herlipsclosedfirmly,hereyesbegantodance。"Verywell,mydear,"shethought。Butpresentlystealingalookathim,shebecameawareofsuchaqueerexpressiononhisface,thatsheforgotshewasoffended。
"Isanythingwrong,Mr。Courtier？"
"Yes,LadyBarbara,somethingisverywrong——thatmiserablemeanthing,thehumantongue。"
Barbarahadanintuitiveknowledgeofhowtohandlethings,akindofmoralsangfroid,drawninfromthefacesshehadwatched,thetalkshehadheard,fromheryouthup。Shetrustedthoseintuitions,andlettinghereyesconspirewithhisoverAnn\'sbrownhair,shesaid:
"AnythingtodowithMrs。N—————？"Seeing"Yes"inhiseyes,sheaddedquickly:"AndM—————？"）
Courtiernodded。
"Ithoughtthatwascoming。Letthembabble！Whocares？"
Shecaughtanapprovingglance,andtheword,"Good！"
ButthecarhaddrawnupatBucklandburyStation。
ThelittlegreyfigureofLadyCasterley,comingoutofthestationdoorway,showedbutslightsignofherlongtravel。Shestoppedtotakethecarin,fromchauffeurtoCourtier。
"Well,Frith！——Mr。Courtier,isit？Iknowyourbook,andIdon\'tapproveofyou;you\'readangerousman——Howdoyoudo？Imusthavethosetwobags。Thecartcanbringtherest……Randle,getupinfront,anddon\'tgetdusty。Ann！"ButAnnwasalreadybesidethechauffeur,havinglongplannedthisimprovement。"H\'m！Soyou\'vehurtyourleg,sir？Keepstill！Wecansitthree……Now,mydear,Icankissyou！You\'vegrown！"
LadyCasterley\'skiss,oncereceived,wasneverforgotten;neitherperhapswasBarbara\'s。Yettheyweredifferent。For,inthecaseofLadyCasterley,theoldeyes,brightandinvestigating,couldbeseendecidingtheexactspotforthelipstotouch;thenthefacewithitsfirmchinwasdartedforward;thelipspausedasecond,asthoughtomakequitecertain,thensuddenlydughardanddryintothemiddleofthecheek,quaveredforthefractionofasecondasiftryingtoremembertobesoft,andwererelaxedliketheelasticofacatapult。
AndinthecaseofBarbara,firstasortoflightcameintohereyes,thenherchintiltedalittle,thenherlipspoutedalittle,herbodyquivered,asifitweregettingasizelarger,herhairbreathed,therewasasmallsweetsound;itwasover。
Thuskissinghergrandmother,Barbararesumedherseat,andlookedatCourtier。\'Sittingthree\'astheywere,hewastouchingher,anditseemedtohersomehowthathedidnotmind。
Thewindhadrisen,blowingfromtheWest,andsunshinewasflyingonit。Thecallofthecuckoos——alittlesharpened——followedtheswift—
travellingcar。Andthatessentialsweetnessofthemoor,bornoftheheatherrootsandtheSouth—Westwind,wasstealingoutfromundertheyoungferns。
Withherthinnostrilsdistendedtothisscent,LadyCasterleyboreadistinctresemblancetoasmall,finegame—bird。
"Yousmellnicedownhere,"shesaid。"Now,Mr。Courtier,beforeI
forget——whoisthisMrs。LeesNoelthatIhearsomuchof？"
Atthatquestion,Barbaracouldnothelpslidinghereyesround。HowwouldhestanduptoGranny？Itwasthemomenttoseewhathewasmadeof。Grannywasterrific！
"Averycharmingwoman,LadyCasterley。"
"Nodoubt;butIamtiredofhearingthat。Whatisherstory？"
"Hassheone？"
"Ha！"saidLadyCasterley。
EversoslightlyBarbaraletherarmpressagainstCourtiers。ItwassodelicioustohearGrannygettingnoforwarder。
"Imaytakeitshehasapast,then？"
"Notfromme,LadyCasterley。"
AgainBarbaragavehimthatimperceptibleandflatteringtouch。
"Well,thisisallverymysterious。Ishallfindoutformyself。
Youknowher,mydear。Youmusttakemetoseeher。"
"DearGranny！Ifpeoplehadn\'tpasts,theywouldn\'thavefutures。"
LadyCasterleyletherlittleclaw—likehanddescendonhergrand—
daughter\'sthigh。
"Don\'ttalknonsense,anddon\'tstretchlikethat！"shesaid;"you\'retoolargealready……"
Atdinnerthatnighttheywereallinpossessionofthenews。SirWilliamhadbeeninformedbythelocalagentatStaverton,whereLordHarbinger\'sspeechhadsufferedfromsomerudeinterruptions。TheHon。GeoffreyWinlow;havingsenthiswifeon,hadflownoverinhisbiplanefromWinkleigh,andbroughtacopyof\'therag\'withhim。
Theonememberofthesmallhouse—partywhohadnotheardthereportbeforedinnerwasLordDennisFitz—Harold,LadyCasterley\'sbrother。
Little,ofcourse,wassaid。Butaftertheladieshadwithdrawn,Harbinger,withthatplain—spokenspontaneitywhichwassounexpected,perhapsalittleintentionallyso,inconnectionwithhisalmostclassicallyformedface,utteredwordstotheeffectthat,iftheydidnotfundamentallykickthatrumour,itwasallupwithMiltoun。Reallythiswasserious！Andthebeggarsknewit,andtheyweregoingtoworkit。AndMiltounhadgoneuptoTown,nooneknewwhatfor。Itwasthedevilofamess！
Inalltheconversationofthisyoungmantherewasthatpeculiarbrandofvoice,whichseemseverrebuttinganaccusationofbeingserious——abrandofvoiceandmannerwarrantedagainstanythingsaveridicule;andinthefaceofridiculeapttodisappear。Thewords,justalittlesatiricallyspoken:"Whatis,mydearyoungman？"
stoppedhimatonce。
LookingforthecomplementandcounterpartofLadyCasterley,onewouldperhapshavesingledoutherbrother。Allherabruptdecisionwasnegatedinhisprofound,ironicalurbanity。Hisvoiceandlookandmannerwerelikehisvelvetcoat,whichhadhereandthereawhitishsheen,asifithadbeentouchedbymoonlight。Hishairtoohadthatsheen。HisverydelicatefeatureswereframedinawhitebeardandmoustacheofElizabethanshape。Hiseyes,hazelandstillclear,lookedoutverystraight,withacertaindrykindliness。Hisface,thoughunweatheredandunseamed,andmuchtoofineandthinintexture,hadacuriousaffinitytothefacesofoldsailorsorfishermenwhohavelivedasimple,practicallifeinthelightofanovermasteringtradition。Itwasthefaceofamanwithaverysetcreed,andinclinedtobesatirictowardsinnovations,examinedbyhimandrejectedfullfiftyyearsago。Onefeltthatabrainnotdevoideitherofsubtletyoraestheticqualityhadlonggivenupallattemptstointerferewithconduct;thatallshrewdnessofspeculationhadgivenplacetoshrewdnessofpracticaljudgmentbasedonverydefiniteexperience。Owingtolackofadvertisingpower,naturaltoonesoconsciousofhisdignityastohavelostallcareforit,andtohisdevotiontoacertainlady,onlyclosedbydeath,hislifehadbeenlived,asitwere,inshadow。Still,hepossessedapeculiarinfluenceinSociety,becauseitwasknowntobeimpossibletogethimtolookatthingsinacomplicatedway。Hewasregardedratherasalastresort,however。"Badasthat？Well,there\'soldFitz—Harold！Tryhim！Hewon\'tadviseyou,buthe\'llsaysomething。"
Andintheheartofthatirreverentyoungman,Harbinger,therestirredasortofmisgiving。Hadheexpressedhimselftoofreely？
Hadhesaidanythingtoothick？Hehadforgottentheoldboy！
StirringBertieupwithhisfoot,hemurmured"Forgotyoudidn\'tknow,sir。Bertiewillexplain。"
Thuscalledon,Bertie,openinghislipsaverylittleway,andfixinghishalf—closedeyesonhisgreat—uncle,explained。Therewasaladyatthecottage——anicewoman——Mr。Courtierknewher——oldMiltounwenttheresometimes——ratherlatetheotherevening——thesedevilsweremakingthemostofit——suggesting——losehimtheelection,iftheydidn\'tlookout。Perfectrot,ofcourse！
Inhisopinion,oldMiltoun,thoughassteadyasTime,hadbeenaflattoletthewomancomeoutwithhimontotheGreen,showingclearlywherehehadbeen,whenherantoCourtier\'srescue。Youcouldn\'tplayaboutwithwomenwhohadnoformthatanyoneknewanythingof,howeverpromisingtheymightlook。
Then,outofasilenceWinlowasked:Whatwastobedone？ShouldMiltounbewiredfor？Athinglikethisspreadlikewildfire！SirWilliam——amannotaccustomedtounderratedifficulties——wasafraiditwasgoingtobetroublesome。Harbingerexpressedtheopinionthattheeditoroughttobekicked。DidanybodyknowwhatCourtierhaddonewhenheheardofit。Wherewashe——dininginhisroom？BertiesuggestedthatifMiltounwasatValleysHouse,itmightn\'tbetoolatetowiretohim。Thethingoughttobestemmedatonce！Andinallthisconcernaboutthesituationtherekeptcroppingoutquaintlittleoutburstsofdesiretodisregardthewholethingasinfernalinsolence,andmetaphoricallytopunchthebeggars\'heads,naturaltoyoungmenofbreeding。
Then,outofanothersilencecamethevoiceofLordDennis:
"Iamthinkingofthispoorlady。"
Turningalittleabruptlytowardsthatdrysuavevoice,andrecoveringtheself—possessionwhichseldomdesertedhim,Harbingermurmured:
"Quiteso,sir;ofcourse！"
CHAPTERIX
Inthelesserwithdrawingroom,usedwhentherewassosmallaparty,Mrs。Winlowhadgonetothepianoandwasplayingtoherself,forLadyCasterley,LadyValleys,andhertwodaughtershaddrawntogetherasthoughunitedtofacethisinvadingrumour。
ItwascurioustestimonytoMiltoun\'scharacterthat,nomoreherethaninthedining—hall,wasthereanydoubtoftheintegrityofhisrelationswithMrs。Noel。Butwhereas,therethematterwasconfinedtoitselectioneeringaspect,herethataspectwasalreadyperceivedtobeonlythefringeofitsimportance。Thosefeminineminds,goingwithintuitiveswiftnesstothecoreofanythingwhichaffectedtheirownmales,hadalreadygraspedthefactthattherumourwould,asitwere,chainamanofMiltoun\'stempertothiswoman。
Buttheywerewalkingonsuchathincrustoffacts,andtherewassodeepaquagmireofsuppositionbeneath,thattalkwasalmostpainfullydifficult。NeverbeforeperhapshadeachofthesefourwomenrealizedsoclearlyhowmuchMiltoun——thatratherstrangeandunknowngrandson,son,andbrother——countedintheschemeofexistence。Theirsuppressedagitationwasmanifestedinverydifferentways。LadyCasterley,uprightinherchair,showeditonlybyanaddeddecisionofspeech,acontinualrestlessmovementofonehand,athinlinebetweenherusuallysmoothbrows。LadyValleysworeapuzzledlook,asifalittlesurprisedthatshefeltserious。
Agathalookedfranklyanxious。Shewasinherquietwayawomanofmuchcharacter,endowedwiththatnaturalpiety,whichacceptswithoutquestioningtheestablishedorderinlifeandreligion。Theworldtoherbeinghomeandfamily,shehadareal,ifgentlyexpressed,horrorofallthatsheinstinctivelyfelttobesubversiveofthisideal。Peoplejudgedheralittlequiet,dull,andnarrow;
theycomparedhertoahenforevercluckingroundherchicks。Thestreakofheroismthatlayinhernaturewasnotperhapsofpatentorder。Herfeelingaboutherbrother\'ssituationhoweverwassincereandnottobechangedorcomforted。Shesawhimindangerofbeingdamagedintheonlysenseinwhichshecouldconceiveofaman——asahusbandandafather。Itwasthisthatwenttoherheart,thoughherpietyproclaimedtoheralsotheperilofhissoul;forshesharedtheHighChurchviewoftheindissolubilityofmarriage。
AstoBarbara,shestoodbythehearth,leaningherwhiteshouldersagainstthecarvedmarble,herhandsbehindher,lookingdown。Nowandthenherlipscurled,herlevelbrowstwitched,afaintsighcamefromher;thenalittlesmilewouldbreakout,andbeinstantlysuppressed。Shealonewassilent——YouthcriticizingLife;herjudgmentvoiceditselfonlyintheuntroubledriseandfallofheryoungbosom,theimpatienceofherbrows,thedownwardlookofherblueeyes,fullofalazy,inextinguishablelight:
LadyValleyssighed。
"Ifonlyheweren\'tsuchaqueerboy！He\'squitecapableofmarryingherfromsheerperversity。"
"What！"saidLadyCasterley。
"Youhaven\'tseenher,mydear。Amostunfortunatelyattractivecreature——quiteacharmingface。"
Agathasaidquietly:
"Mother,ifshewasdivorced,Idon\'tthinkEustacewould。"
"There\'sthat,certainly,"murmuredLadyValleys;"hopeforthebest！"
"Don\'tyouevenknowwhichwayitwas？"saidLadyCasterley。
"Well,thevicarsaysshedidthedivorcing。Buthe\'sverycharitable;itmaybeasAgathahopes。"
"Idetestvagueness。Whydoesn\'tsomeoneaskthewoman？"
"Youshallcomewithme,Grannydear,andaskheryourself;youwilldoitsonicely。"
LadyCasterleylookedup。
"Weshallsee,"shesaid。Somethingstruggledwiththeautocraticcriticisminhereyes。NomorethantherestoftheworldcouldshehelpindulgingBarbara。Asonewhobelievedinthedivinityofherorder,shelikedthissplendidchild。Sheevenadmired——thoughadmirationwasnotwhatsheexcelledin——thatwarmjoyinlife,asofsomegreatnymph,partingthewaveswithbarelimbs,tossingfromherthefoamofbreakers。Shefeltthatinthisgranddaughter,ratherthaninthegoodAgatha,thepatricianspiritwashoused。TherewerepointstoAgatha,earnestnessandhighprinciple;butsomethingmorallynarrowandover—Anglicanslightlyoffendedthepractical,this—worldlytemperofLadyCasteriey。Itwasaweakness,andshedislikedweakness。Barbarawouldneverbesqueamishovermoralquestionsormatterssuchaswerenotreally,essentialtoaristocracy。Shemight,indeed,errtoomuchtheotherwayfromsheerhighspirits。Astheimpudentchildhadsaid:"Ifpeoplehadnopasts,theywouldhavenofutures。"AndLadyCasterleycouldnotbearpeoplewithoutfutures。Shewasambitious;notwiththelowambitionofonewhohadrisenfromnothing,butwiththehighpassionofoneonthetop,whomeanttostaythere。
"Andwherehaveyoubeenmeetingthis——er——anonymouscreature？"sheasked。
Barbaracamefromthehearth,andbendingdownbesideLadyCasterley\'schair,seemedtoenvelophercompletely。
"I\'mallright,Granny;shecouldn\'tcorruptme。"
LadyCasterley\'sfacepeeredoutdoubtfullyfromthatwarmth,wearingalookofdisapprovingpleasure。
"Iknowyourwiles！"shesaid。"Come,now！"
"Iseeherabout。She\'snicetolookat。Wetalk。"
AgainwiththathurriedquietnessAgathasaid:
"MydearBabs,Idothinkyououghttowait。"
"MydearAngel,why？Whatisittomeifshe\'shadfourhusbands？"
Agathabitherlips,andLadyValleysmurmuredwithalaugh:
"Youreallyareaterror,Babs。"
ButthesoundofMrs。Winlow\'smusichadceased——themenhadcomein。
Andthefacesofthefourwomenhardened,asiftheyhadslippedonmasks;forthoughthiswasalmostorquiteafamilyparty,theWinlowsbeingsecondcousins,stillthesubjectwasonewhicheachofthesefourintheirverydifferentwaysfelttobebeyondgeneraldiscussion。Talk,now,beganglancingfromthewarscare——Winlowhaditveryspeciallythatthiswouldbeoverinaweek——toBrabrook\'sspeech,inprogressatthatverymoment,ofwhichHarbingerprovidedanimitation。ItspedtoWinlow\'sflight——toAndrewGrant\'sarticlesinthe\'Parthenon\'——tothecaricatureofHarbingerinthe\'Cackler\',inscribed\'TheNewTory。LordH—rb—ng—rbringsSocialReformbeneaththenoticeofhisfriends,\'whichdepictedhimintroducinganakedbabytoanumberofcoronetedoldladies。Thencetoadancer。
ThencetotheBillforUniversalAssurance。Thenbacktothewarscare;tothelastbookofagreatFrenchwriter;andoncemoretoWinlow\'sflight。Itwasallstraightforwardandoutspoken,eachseemingtosayexactlywhatcameintothehead。Forallthat,therewasacuriousavoidanceofthespiritualsignificancesofthesethings;orwasitperhapsthatsuchsignificanceswerenotseen？
LordDennis,atthefarendoftheroom,studyingaportfolioofengravings,feltatouchonhischeek;andconsciousofacertainfragrance,saidwithoutturninghishead:
"Nicethings,these,Babs！"
Receivingnoanswerhelookedup。
ThereindeedstoodBarbara。
"Idohatesneeringbehindpeople\'sbacks！"
Therehadalwaysbeengoodcomradeshipbetweenthesetwo,sincethedayswhenBarbara,agolden—hairedchild,astrideofagreypony,hadbeenhismorningcompanionintheRowallthroughtheseason。Hisridingdayswerepast;hehadnownooutdoorpursuitsavefishing,whichhefollowedwiththeironicpersistenceofaself—contained,high—spiritednature,whichrefusestoadmitthatthemysteriousfingerofoldageislaidacrossit。Butthoughshewasnolongerhiscompanion,hestillhadahabitofexpectingherconfidences;andhelookedafterher,movingawayfromhimtoawindow,withsurprisedconcern。
Itwasoneofthosenights,darkyetgleaming,whenthereseemsaflyingmaliceintheheavens;whenthestars,fromunderandabovetheblackclouds,arelikeeyesfrowningandflashingdownatmenwithpurposedmalevolence。Thegreatsighingtreesevenhadcaughtthisspirit,saveone,adark,spire—likecypress,plantedthreehundredandfiftyyearsbefore,whosetallformincarnatedtheveryspiritoftradition,andneitherswayednorsoughedliketheothers。
>Fromher,tooclose—fibred,tooresisting,toadmitthebreathofNature,onlyadryrustlecame。Stillalmostexotic,inspiteofhercenturiesofsojourn,andnowbroughttolifebytheeyesofnight,sheseemedalmostterrifying,inhernarrow,spear—likeausterity,asthoughsomethinghaddriedanddiedwithinhersoul。Barbaracamebackfromthewindow。
"Wecan\'tdoanythinginourlives,itseemstome,"shesaid,"butplayattakingrisks！"
LordDennisreplieddryly:
"Idon\'tthinkIunderstand,mydear。"
"LookatMr。Courtier！"mutteredBarbara。"Hislife\'ssomuchmoreriskyaltogetherthananyofourmenfolklead。Andyettheysneerathim。"
"Let\'ssee,whathashedone？"
"Oh！Idaresaynotverymuch;butit\'sallneckornothing。ButwhatdoesanythingmattertoHarbinger,forinstance？IfhisSocialReformcomestonothing,he\'llstillbeHarbinger,withfiftythousandayear。"
LordDennislookedupalittlequeerly。
"What！Isitpossibleyoudon\'ttaketheyoungmanseriously,Babs？"
Barbarashrugged;astrapslippedalittleoffonewhiteshoulder。
"It\'sallplayreally;andheknowsit——youcantellthatfromhisvoice。Hecan\'thelpitsnotmattering,ofcourse;andheknowsthattoo。"
"Ihaveheardthathe\'safteryou,Babs;isthattrue？"
"Hehasn\'tcaughtmeyet。"
"Willhe？"
Barbara\'sanswerwasanothershrug;and,foralltheirstatuesquebeauty,themovementofhershoulderswasliketheshrugofalittlegirlinherpinafore。
"AndthisMr。Courtier,"saidLordDennisdryly:"Areyouafterhim？"
"I\'maftereverything;didn\'tyouknowthat,dear？"
"Inreason,mychild。"
"Inreason,ofcourse——likepoorEusty！"Shestopped。Harbingerhimselfwasstandingtherecloseby,withanairasnearlyapproachingreverenceaswasevertobeseenonhim。Intruth,thewayinwhichhewaslookingatherwasalmosttimorous。
"WillyousingthatsongIlikesomuch,LadyBabs？"
Theymovedawaytogether;andLordDennis,gazingafterthatmagnificentyoungcouple,strokedhisbeardgravely。
CHAPTERX
Miltoun\'ssuddenjourneytoLondonhadbeenundertakeninpursuanceofaresolveslowlyformingfromthemomenthemetMrs。NoelinthestoneflaggedpassageofBurracombeFarm。Ifshewouldhavehimandsincelasteveninghebelievedshewould——heintendedtomarryher。
Ithasbeensaidthatexceptforonelapsehislifehadbeenaustere,butthisisnottoassertthathehadnocapacityforpassion。Thecontrarywasthecase。Thatflamewhichhadbeensojealouslyguardedsmouldereddeepwithinhim——asmotheredfirewithbutlittleairtofeedon。Themomenthisspiritwastouchedbythespiritofthiswoman,ithadflaredup。Shewastheincarnationofallthathedesired。Herhair,hereyes,herform;thetinytuckordimpleatthecornerofhermouthjustwhereachildplacesitsfinger;herwayofmoving,asortofunconsciousswayingoryieldingtotheair;thetoneinhervoice,whichseemedtocomenotsomuchfromhappinessofherownasfromaninnatewishtomakeothershappy;andthatnatural,ifnotrobust,intelligence,whichbelongstotheverysympathetic,andisrarelyfoundinwomenofgreatambitionsorenthusiasms——allthesethingshadtwinedthemselvesroundhisheart。
Henotonlydreamedofher,andwantedher;hebelievedinher。Shefilledhisthoughtsasonewhocouldneverdowrong;asonewho,thoughawifewouldremainamistress,andthoughamistress,wouldalwaysbethecompanionofhisspirit。
IthasbeensaidthatnoonespokeorgossipedaboutwomeninMiltoun\'spresence,andthetaleofherdivorcewaspresenttohismindsimplyintheformofaconvictionthatshewasaninjuredwoman。Afterhisinterviewwiththevicar,hehadonlyonceagainalludedtoit,andthatinanswertothespeechofaladystayingattheCourt:"Oh！yes,Irememberhercaseperfectly。Shewasthepoorwomanwho————""Didnot,Iamcertain,LadyBonington。"Thetoneofhisvoicehadmadesomeonelaughuneasily;thesubjectwaschanged。
Alldivorcewasagainsthisconvictions,butinablurredwayheadmittedthattherewerecaseswherereleasewasunavoidable。Hewasnotamantoaskforconfidences,orexpectthemtobegivenhim。Hehimselfhadneverconfidedhisspiritualstrugglestoanylivingcreature;andtheunspiritualstrugglehadlittleinterestforMiltoun。Hewasreadyatanymomenttostakehislifeontheperfectionoftheidolhehadsetupwithinhissoul,assimplyandstraightforwardlyashewouldhaveplacedhisbodyinfrontofhertoshieldherfromharm。
Thesamefanaticism,whichlookedonhispassionasaflowerbyitself,entirelyapartfromitssuitabilitytothesocialgarden,wasalsothedrivingforcewhichsenthimuptoLondontodeclarehisintentiontohisfatherbeforehespoketoMrs。Noel。Thethingshouldbedonesimply,andinrightorder。Forhehadthekindofmoralcouragefoundinthosewholiveretiredwithintheshelloftheirownaspirations。Yetitwasnotperhapssomuchactivemoralcourageasindifferencetowhatothersthoughtordid,comingfromhisinbredresistancetotheappreciationofwhattheyfelt。
ThatpeculiarsmileoftheoldTudorCardinal——whichhadinitinvincibleself—reliance,andasortofspiritualsneer——playedoverhisfacewhenhespeculatedonhisfather\'sreceptionofthecomingnews;andverysoonheceasedtothinkofitatall,buryinghimselfintheworkhehadbroughtwithhimforthejourney。Forhehadinhighdegreethefaculty,soessentialtopubliclife,ofswitchingoffhiswholeattentionfromonesubjecttoanother。
OnarrivingatPaddingtonhedrovestraighttoValleysHouse。
Thislargedwellingwithitspillaredportico,seemedtowearanairoffaintsurprisethat,attheheightoftheseason,itwasnotmoreinhabited。ThreeservantsrelievedMiltounofhislittleluggage;
