第5章

andhavingwashed,andlearnedthathisfatherwouldbediningin,hewentforawalk,takinghiswaytowardshisroomsintheTemple。Hislongfigure,somewhatcarelesslygarbed,attractedtheusualattention,ofwhichhewasasusualunaware。Strollingalong,hemeditateddeeplyonaLondon,anEngland,differentfromthisflatulenthurly—burly,this\'omniuingatherum\',thisgreatdiscordantsymphonyofsharpsandflats。ALondon,anEngland,kemptandself—

respecting;sweptandgarnishedofslums,andplutocrats,advertisement,andjerry—building,ofsensationalism,vulgarity,vice,andunemployment。AnEnglandwhereeachmanshouldknowhisplace,andneverchangeit,butserveinitloyallyinhisowncaste。

Whereeveryman,fromnoblemantolabourer,shouldbeanoligarchbyfaith,andagentlemanbypractice。AnEnglandsosteel—brightandefficientthattheverysightshouldsufficetoimposepeace。AnEnglandwhosesoulshouldbestoicalandfinewiththestoicismandfinenessofeachsoulamongsthermanymillionsouls;wherethetownshouldhaveitscreedandthecountryitscreed,andthereshouldbecontentmentandnocomplaininginherstreets。

AndashewalkeddowntheStrand,alittleraggedboycheepedoutbetweenhislegs:

"BloodeediscovereeinaBank——Gritesensytion！Pi—er！"

Miltounpaidnoheedtothatsaying;yet,withit,thewindthatblowswheremanlives,thecareless,wonderful,unorderedwind,haddispersedhisaustereandformalvision。Greatwasthatwind——themyriadaspirationofmenandwomen,theprayingoftheuncountedmultitudetothegoddessofSensation——ofChance,andChange。A

flowingfromhearttoheart,fromliptolip,asinSpringthewistfulairwandersthroughawood,impartingtoeverybushandtreethesecretsoffreshlife,thepassionateresolvetogrow,andbecome——nomatterwhat！Asighing,aseternalastheoldmurmuringofthesea,aslittletobehushed,aspronetoswellintosuddenroaring！

Miltounheldonthroughthetraffic,notlookingovermuchatthepresentformsofthethousandshepassed,butseeingwiththeeyesoffaiththeformshedesiredtosee。NearSt。Paul\'shestoppedinfrontofanoldbook—shop。Hisgrave,pallid,notunhandsomeface,waswell—knowntoWilliamRimall,itssmallproprietor,whoatoncebroughtouthislatestacquisition——aMores\'Utopia。\'Thatparticularedition（heassuredMiltoun）wasquiteunprocurable——hehadneversoldbutoneothercopy,whichhadbeenliterally,crumblingaway。

Thiscopywasinevenbettercondition。Itcouldhardlylastanothertwentyyears——agenuinebook,abargain。Therewasn\'tsomuchmovementinMoreastherehadbeenalittletimeback。

Miltounopenedthetome,andasmallbook—lousewhohadbeensleepingontheword\'Tranibore,\'begantomakeitswayslowlytowardstheverycentreofthevolume。

"Iseeit\'sgenuine,"saidMiltoun。

"It\'snottoread,mylord,"thelittlemanwarnedhim:"Hardlysafetoturnthepages。AsIwassaying——I\'venothadabetterpiecethisyear。Ihaven\'treally！"

"Shrewdolddreamer,"mutteredMiltoun;"theSocialistshaven\'tgotbeyondhim,evennow。"

Thelittleman\'seyesblinked,asthoughapologizingfortheviewsofThomasMore。

"Well,"hesaid,"Isupposehewasoneofthem。Iforgetifyourlordship\'sverystrongonpolitics？"

Miltounsmiled。

"IwanttoseeanEngland,Rimall,somethingliketheEnglandofMoresdream。Butmymachinerywillbedifferent。Ishallbeginatthetop。"

Thelittlemannodded。

"Quiteso,quiteso,"hesaid;"weshallcometothat,Idaresay。"

"Wemust,Rimall。"AndMiltounturnedthepage。

Thelittleman\'sfacequivered。

"Idon\'tthink,"hesaid,"thatbook\'squitestrongenoughforyou,mylord,withyourtasteforreading。NowI\'veamostcuriousoldvolumehere——onChinesetemples。It\'srare——butnottooold。Youcanperuseitthoroughly。It\'swhatIcallabooktobrowseonjustsuityourpalate。Funnyprincipletheybuiltthosethingson,"headded,openingthevolumeatanengraving,"inlayers。Wedon\'tbuildlikethatinEngland。"

Miltounlookedupsharply;thelittleman\'sfaceworenosignsofunderstanding。

"Unfortunatelywedon\'t,Rimall,"hesaid;"weoughtto,andweshall。I\'lltakethisbook。"

Placinghisfingerontheprintofthepagoda,headded:"Agoodsymbol。"

Thelittlebookseller\'seyestrayeddownthetempletothesecretpricemark。

"Exactly,mylord,"hesaid;"Ithoughtit\'dbeyourfancy。Thepricetoyouwillbetwenty—sevenandsix。"

Miltoun,pocketingthebargain,walkedout。HemadehiswayintotheTemple,leftthebookathisChambers,andpassedondowntothebankofMotherThames。TheSunwaslovingherpassionatelythatafternoon;hehadkissedherintowarmthandlightandcolour。Andallthebuildingsalongherbanks,asfarasthetowersatWestminster,seemedtobesmiling。Itwasagreatsightfortheeyesofalover。AndanothervisioncamehauntingMiltoun,ofasoft—eyedwomanwithalowvoice,bendingamongstherflowers。Nothingwouldbecompletewithouther;noworkbearfruit;noschemecouldhavefullmeaning。

LordValleysgreetedhissonatdinnerwithgoodfellowshipandafaintsurprise。

"Dayoff,mydearfellow？OrhaveyoucomeuptohearBrabrookpitchintous？He\'sratherlatethistime——we\'vegotridofthatballoonbusinessnotroubleafterall。"

AndheeyedMiltounwiththatcleargreystareofhis,socool,level,andcurious。Now,whatsortofbirdisthis？itseemedsaying。CertainlynotthepartridgeIshouldhaveexpectedfromitsbreeding！

Miltoun\'sanswer:"Icameuptotellyousomething,sir,"rivetedhisfather\'sstareforasecondlongerthanwasquiteurbane。

ItwouldnotbetruetosaythatLordValleyswasafraidofhisson。

Fearwasnotoneofhisemotions,buthecertainlyregardedhimwitharespectfulcuriositythatborderedonuneasiness。TheoligarchictemperofMiltoun\'smindandpoliticalconvictionsalmostshockedonewhoknewbothbytemperamentandexperiencehowtowaitinfront。

Thisinstructionhehadfrequentlyhadoccasiontogivehisjockeyswhenhebelievedhishorsescouldbestgethomefirstinthatway。

Anditwasaninstructionhenowlongedtogivehisson。Hehimselfhad\'waitedinfront\'foroverfiftyyears,andheknewittobethefinestwayofinsuringthathewouldneverbecompelledtoalterthisdesirablepolicy——forsomethinginLordValleys\'charactermadehimfearthat,inrealemergency,hewouldexerthimselftothepointofthegravestdiscomfortsoonerthanbelefttowaitbehind。AfellowlikeyoungHarbinger,ofcourse,heunderstood——versatile,\'fullofbeans,\'asheexpressedittohimselfinhismoreconfidentialmoments,whohadimbibedthenewwine（veryintoxicatingitwas）ofdesireforsocialreform。Hewouldhavetobegivenhisheadalittle——buttherewouldbenodifficultywithhim,hewouldnever\'runout\'——lighthandybuildofhorsethatonlyrequiredsteadyingatthecorners。Hewouldwanttohearhimselftalk,andbeletfeelthathewasdoingsomething。Allverywell,andquiteintelligible。

ButwithMiltoun（andLordValleysfeltthistobeno,mereparentalfancy）itwasaverydifferentbusiness。Hissonhadawayofforcingthingstotheirconclusionswhichwasdangerous,andremindedhimofhismother—in—law。Hewasababyinpublicaffairs,ofcourse,asyet;butassoonasheoncegotgoing,theintensityofhisconvictions,togetherwithhisposition,andrealgift——notofthegab,likeHarbinger\'s——butofrestrained,bitingoratory,wassuretobringhimtothefrontwithaboundinthepresentstateofparties。Andwhatwerethoseconvictions？LordValleyshadtriedtounderstandthem,butuptothepresenthehadfailed。Andthisdidnotsurprisehimexactly,since,asheoftensaid,politicalconvictionswerenot,astheyappearedonthesurface,theoutcomeofreason,butmerelysymptomsoftemperament。Andhecouldnotcomprehend,becausehecouldnotsympathizewith,anyattitudetowardspublicaffairsthatwasnotessentiallylevel,attachedtotheplain,common—sensefactorsofthecaseastheyappearedtohimself。Notthathecouldfairlybecalledatemporizer,fordeepdowninhimtherewasundoubtedlyaveinofobstinate,fundamentalloyaltytothetraditionsofacastewhichprizedhighspiritbeyondallthings。StillhedidfeelthatMiltounwasaltogethertoomuchthe\'pukka\'aristocrat——nobetterthanaSocialist,withhisconfoundedwayofseeingthingsallcutanddried;hisideasofforcingreformsdownpeople\'sthroatsandholdingthemtherewiththeironhand！Withhiswaytooofactingonhisprinciples！Why！Heevenadmittedthatheactedonhisprinciples！ThisthoughtalwaysstruckaverydiscordantnoteinLordValleys\'breast。Itwasalmostindecent;worse—ridiculous！Thefactwas,thedearfellowhadunfortunatelyadeeperhabitofthoughtthanwaswantedinpolitics——

dangerous——very！Experiencemightdosomethingforhim！AndoutofhisownlongexperiencetheEarlofValleystriedhardtorecollectanypoliticianwhomthepracticeofpoliticshadleftwherehewaswhenhestarted。Hecouldnotthinkofone。Butthisgavehimlittlecomfort;and,aboveapieceoflateasparagushissteadyeyessoughthisson\'s。Whathadhecomeuptotellhim？

Thephrasehadbeenominous;hecouldnotrecollectMiltoun\'severhavingtoldhimanything。Forthoughareallykindandindulgentfather,hehad——likesomanymenoccupiedwithpublicandotherlives——alittleacquiredtowardshisoffspringthelookandmanner:

Isthismine？Ofhisfourchildren,Barbaraaloneheclaimedwithconviction。Headmiredher;and,beingamanwhosavouredlife,hewasunabletolovemuchexceptwhereheadmired。But,thelastpersonintheworldtohustleanymanorforceaconfidence,hewaitedtohearhisson\'snews,betrayingnouneasiness。

Miltounseemedinnohurry。HedescribedCourtier\'sadventure,whichtickledLordValleysagooddeal。

"Ordealbyredpepper！Shouldn\'thavethoughtthemequaltothat,"

hesaid。"Soyou\'vegothimatMonklandnow。Harbingerstillwithyou？"

"Yes。Idon\'tthinkHarbingerhasmuchstamina。

"Politically？"

Miltounnodded。

"Iratherresenthisbeingonourside——Idon\'tthinkhedoesusanygood。You\'veseenthatcartoon,Isuppose;itcutsprettydeep。I

couldn\'trecognizeyouamongsttheoldwomen,sir。"

LordValleyssmiledimpersonally。

"Verycleverthing。Bytheway;IshallwintheEclipse,Ithink。"

Andthus,spasmodically,theconversationrantillthelastservanthadlefttheroom。

ThenMiltoun,withoutpreparation,lookedstraightathisfatherandsaid:

"IwanttomarryMrs。Noel,sir。"

LordValleysreceivedtheshotwithexactlythesameexpressionasthatwithwhichhewasaccustomedtowatchhishorsesbeaten。Thenheraisedhiswineglasstohislips;andsetitdownagainuntouched。

Thiswastheonlysignhegaveofinterestordiscomfiture。

"Isn\'tthisrathersudden？"

Miltounanswered:"I\'vewantedtofromthemomentIfirstsawher。"

LordValleys,almostasgoodajudgeofamanandasituationasofahorseorapointerdog,leanedbackinhischair,andsaidwithfaintsarcasm:

"Mydearfellow,it\'sgoodofyoutohavetoldmethis;though,tobequitefrank,it\'sapieceofnewsIwouldrathernothaveheard。"

AduskyflushburnedslowlyupinMiltoun\'scheeks。Hehadunderratedhisfather;themanhadcoolnessandcourageinacrisis。

"Whatisyourobjection,sir？"AndsuddenlyhenoticedthatawaferinLordValleys\'handwasquivering。Thisbroughtintohiseyesnolookofcompunction,butsuchasmoulderinggazeastheoldTudorChurchmanmighthavebentonanadversarywhoshowedasignofweakness。LordValleys,too,noticedthequiveringofthatwafer,andateit。

"Wearemenoftheworld,"hesaid。

Miltounanswered:"Iamnot。"

ShowinghisfirstrealsymptomofimpatienceLordValleysrappedout:

"Sobeit！Iam。"

"Yes？",saidMiltoun。

"Eustace！"

Nursingoneknee,Miltounfacedthatappealwithoutthefaintestmovement。Hiseyescontinuedtoburnintohisfather\'sface。A

tremorpassedoverLordValleys\'heart。Whatintensityoffeelingtherewasinthefellow,thathecouldlooklikethisatthefirstbreathofopposition！

Hereachedoutandtookupthecigar—box;helditabsentlytowardshisson,anddrewitquicklyback。

"Iforgot,"hesaid;"youdon\'t。"

Andlightingacigar,hesmokedgravely,lookingstraightbeforehim,afurrowbetweenhisbrows。Hespokeatlast:

"Shelookslikealady。Iknownothingelseabouther。"

ThesmiledeepenedroundMiltoun\'smouth。

"Whyshouldyouwanttoknowanythingelse？"

LordValleysshrugged。Hisphilosophyhadhardened。

"Iunderstandforonething,"hesaidcoldly;"thatthereisamatterofadivorce。IthoughtyoutooktheChurch\'sviewonthatsubject。"

"Shehasnotdonewrong。"

"Youknowherstory,then？"

"No。"

LordValleysraisedhisbrows,inironyandasortofadmiration。

"Chivalrythebetterpartofdiscretion？"

Miltounanswered:

"Youdon\'t,Ithink,understandthekindoffeelingIhaveforMrs。

Noel。Itdoesnotcomeintoyourschemeofthings。Itistheonlyfeeling,however,withwhichIshouldcaretomarry,andIamnotlikelytofeelitforanyoneagain。"

LordValleysfeltoncemorethatuncannysenseofinsecurity。Wasthistrue？AndsuddenlyhefeltYes,itistrue！Thefacebeforehimwasthefaceofonewhowouldburninhisownfiresoonerthandepartfromhisstandards。Andasuddensenseoftheutterseriousnessofthisdilemmadumbedhim。

"Icansaynomoreatthemoment,"hemutteredandgotupfromthetable。

CHAPTERXI

LadyCasterleywasthatinconvenientthing——anearlyriser。Nowomaninthekingdomwasabetterjudgeofadewcarpet。Naturehadinhertimedisplayedbeforeherthousandsofthoseprettyfabrics,whereallthestarsofthepastnight,droppedtothedarkearth,werewaitingtoglideuptoheavenagainontheraysofthesun。AtRavenshamshewalkedregularlyinhergardensbetweenhalf—pastsevenandeight,andwhenshepaidavisit,wascarefultosubordinatewhatevermightbethelocalcustomtothishabit。

WhenthereforehermaidRandlecametoBarbara\'smaidatseveno\'clock,andsaid:"MyoldladywantsLadyBabstogetup,"therewasnoparticularpaininthebreastofBarbara\'smaid,whowasdoinguphercorsets。Shemerelyanswered"I\'llseetoit。LadyBabswon\'tbetoopleased！"Andtenminuteslatersheenteredthatwhite—walledroomwhichsmelledofpinks—atempleofdrowsysweetness,wherethesummerlightwasvaguelystealingthroughfloweredchintzcurtains。

Barbarawassleepingwithhercheekonherhand,andhertawnyhair,gatheredback,streamingoverthepillow。Herlipswereparted;andthemaidthought:"I\'dliketohavehairandamouthlikethat！"Shecouldnothelpsmilingtoherselfwithpleasure;LadyBabslookedsopretty——prettierasleepeventhanawake！Andatsightofthatbeautifulcreature,sleepingandsmilinginhersleep,theearthy,hothousefumessteepingthemindofoneperpetuallyservinginanatmosphereunsuitedtohernaturalgrowth,dispersed。Beauty,withitsqueertouchingpoweroffreeingthespiritfromallbarriersandthoughtsofself,sweetenedthemaid\'seyes,andkeptherstanding,holdingherbreath。ForBarbaraasleepwasasymbolofthatGoldenAgeinwhichshesodesperatelybelieved。Sheopenedhereyes,andseeingthemaid,said:

"Isiteighto\'clock,Stacey？"

"No,butLadyCasterleywantsyoutowalkwithher。"

"Oh！bother！Iwashavingsuchadream！"

"Yes;youweresmiling。"

"IwasdreamingthatIcouldfly。"

"Fancy！"

"Icouldseeeverythingspreadoutbelowme,ascloseasIseeyou;I

washoveringlikeabuzzardhawk。IfeltthatIcouldcomedownexactlywhereIwanted。Itwasfascinating。Ihadperfectpower,Stacey。"

Andthrowingherneckback,sheclosedhereyesagain。Thesunlightstreamedinonherbetweenthehalf—drawncurtains。

Thequeerestimpulsetoputoutahandandstrokethatfullwhitethroatshotthroughthemaid\'smind。

"Theseflyingmachinesarestupid,"murmuredBarbara;"thepleasure\'sinone\'sbody———wings！"

"IcanseeLadyCasterleyinthegarden。"

Barbarasprangoutofbed。ClosebythestatueofDianaLadyCasterleywasstanding,gazingdownatsomeflowers,atiny,greyfigure。Barbarasighed。Withher,inherdream,hadbeenanotherbuzzardhawk,andshewasfilledwithasortofsurprise,andqueerpleasurethatrandownherinlittleshiverswhileshebathedanddressed。

Inherhasteshetooknohat;andstillbusywiththefasteningofherlinenfrock,hurrieddownthestairsandGeorgiancorridor,towardsthegarden。AttheendofitshealmostranintothearmsofCourtier。

Awakeningearlythismorning,hehadbegunfirstthinkingofAudreyNoel,threatenedbyscandal;thenofhisyesterday\'scompanion,thatgloriousyoungcreature,whoseimagehadsogrippedandtakenpossessionofhim。Inthepleasureofthismemoryhehadsteepedhimself。Shewasyouthitself！Thatperfectthing,ayounggirlwithoutcallowness。

Andhiswords,whenshenearlyranintohim,were:"TheWingedVictory！"

Barbara\'sanswerwasequallysymbolic:"Abuzzardhawk！Doyouknow,Idreamedwewereflying,Mr。Courtier。"

Courtiergravelyanswered"Ifthegodsgivemethatdream————"

>FromthegardendoorBarbaraturnedherhead,smiled,andpassedthrough。

LadyCasterley,inthecompanyoflittleAnn,whohadperceivedthatitwasnoveltobeinthegardenatthishour,hadbeenscrutinizingsomenewlyfoundedcoloniesofaflowerwithwhichshewasnotfamiliar。Onseeinghergranddaughterapproach,shesaidatonce:

"Whatisthisthing？"

"Nemesia。"

"Neverheardofit。"

"It\'sratherthefashion,Granny。"

"Nemesia？"repeatedLadyCasterley。"WhathasNemesistodowithflowers？Ihavenopatiencewithgardeners,andtheseidioticnames。

Whereisyourhat？Ilikethatduck\'seggcolourinyourfrock。

There\'sabuttonundone。"Andreachingupherlittlespideryhand,wonderfullysteadyconsideringitsage,shebuttonedthetopbuttonbutoneofBarbara\'sbodice。

"Youlookveryblooming,mydear,"shesaid。"Howfarisittothiswoman\'scottage？We\'llgotherenow。"

"Shewouldn\'tbeup。"

LadyCasterley\'seyesgleamedmaliciously。

"Youtellmeshe\'ssonice,"shesaid。"Noniceunencumberedwomanliesinbedafterhalf—pastseven。Whichistheveryshortestway？

No,Ann,wecan\'ttakeyou。"

LittleAnn,afterregardinghergreat—grandmotherrathertoointently,replied:

"Well,Ican\'tcome,yousee,becauseI\'vegottogo。"

"Verywell,"saidLadyCasterley,"thentrotalong。"

LittleAnn,tighteningherlips,walkedtothenextcolonyofNemesia,andbentoverthecolonistswithconcentration,showingclearlythatshehadfoundsomethingmoreinterestingthanhadyetbeenencountered。

"Ha！"saidLadyCasterley,andledonatherbriskpacetowardstheavenue。

Allthewaydownthedriveshediscoursedonwoodcraft,glancingsharplyatthetrees。Forestry——shesaid—likebuilding,andallotherpursuitswhichrequired,faithandpatientindustry,wasalostartinthissecond—handage。ShehadmadeBarbara\'sgrandfatherpractiseit,sothatatCatton（hercountryplace）andevenatRavensham,thetreeswereworthlookingat。Here,atMonkland,theyweremonstrouslyneglected。TohavethefinestItaliancypressinthecountry,forexample,andnottakemorecareofit,wasadownrightscandal！

Barbaralistened,smilinglazily。Grannywassoamusinginherenergyandprecision,andherturnsofspeech,sodeliberatelyhomespun,asifshe——thanwhomnonecouldbetteruseastiffandpolishedphrase,ortherefinementsoftheFrenchlanguage——weredeterminedtotakewhatlibertiessheliked。Tothegirl,hauntedstillbythefeelingthatshecouldfly,almostdrunkonthesweetnessoftheairthatsummermorning,itseemedfunnythatanyoneshouldbelikethat。Thenforasecondshesawhergrandmother\'sfaceinrepose,offguard,grimwithanxiouspurpose,asifquestioningitsholdonlife;andinoneofthoseflashesofintuitionwhichcometowomen——evenwhenyoungandconqueringlikeBarbara——shefeltsuddenlysorry,asthoughshehadcaughtsightofthepalespectreneveryetseenbyher。"Poorolddear,"shethought;"whatapitytobeold！"

ButtheyhadenteredthefootpathcrossingthreelongmeadowswhichclimbeduptowardsMrs。Noel\'s。Itwassogolden—sweethereamongstthemilliontinysaffroncupsfrostedwithlingeringdewshine;therewassuchflyinggloryinthelimesandash—trees;sodelicateascentfromthelatewhinsandmay—flower;and,oneverytreeagreybirdcallingtobesorrywasnotpossible！

Inthefarcornerofthefirstfieldachestnutmarewasstanding,withearsprickedatsomedistantsoundwhosecharmshealoneperceived。Onviewingtheintruders,shelaidthoseearsback,andalittleviciousstargleamedoutatthecornerofhereye。Theypassedherandenteredthesecondfield。Halfwayacross,Barbarasaidquietly:

"Granny,that\'sabull！"

Itwasindeedanenormousbull,whohadbeenstandingbehindaclumpofbushes。Hewasmovingslowlytowardsthem,stilldistantabouttwohundredyards;agreatredbeast,withthehugedevelopmentofneckandfrontwhichmakesthebull,ofalllivingcreatures,thesymbolofbruteforce。

LadyCasterleyenvisagedhimseverely。

"Idislikebulls,"shesaid;"IthinkImustwalkbackward。"

"Youcan\'t;it\'stoouphill。"

"Iamnotgoingtoturnback,"saidLadyCasterley。"Thebulloughtnottobehere。Whosefaultisit？Ishallspeaktosomeone。Standstillandlookathim。Wemustpreventhiscomingnearer。"

Theystoodstillandlookedatthebull,whocontinuedtoapproach。

"Itdoesn\'tstophim,"saidLadyCasterley。"Wemusttakenonotice。

Givemeyourarm,mydear;mylegsfeelratherfunny。"

Barbaraputherarmroundthelittlefigure。Theywalkedon。

"Ihavenotbeenusedtobullslately,"saidLadyCasterley。Thebullcamenearer。

"Granny,"saidBarbara,"youmustgoquietlyontothestile。Whenyou\'reoverI\'llcometoo。"

"Certainlynot,"saidLadyCasterley,"wewillgotogether。Takenonoticeofhim;Ihavegreatfaithinthat。"

"Grannydarling,youmustdoasIsay,please;Irememberthisbull,heisoneofours。"

AtthoseratherominouswordsLadyCasterleygaveherasharpglance。

"Ishallnotgo,"shesaid。"Mylegsfeelquitestrongnow。Wecanrun,ifnecessary。"

"Socanthebull,"saidBarbara。

"I\'mnotgoingtoleaveyou,"mutteredLadyCasterley。"IfheturnsviciousIshalltalktohim。Hewon\'ttouchme。YoucanrunfasterthanI;sothat\'ssettled。"

"Don\'tbeabsurd,dear,"answeredBarbara;"Iamnotafraidofbulls。"

LadyCasterleyflashedalookatherwhichhadagleamofamusement。

"Icanfeelyou,"shesaid;"you\'rejustastremblyasIam。"

Thebullwasnowdistantsomeeightyyards,andtheywerestillquiteahundredfromthestile。

"Granny,"saidBarbara,"ifyoudon\'tgoonasItellyou,Ishalljustleaveyou,andgoandmeethim！Youmustn\'tbeobstinate！"

LadyCasterley\'sanswerwastogriphergranddaughterroundthewaist;thenervousforceofthatthinarmwassurprising。

"Youwilldonothingofthesort,"shesaid。"Irefusetohaveanythingmoretodowiththisbull;Ishallsimplypaynoattention。"

Thebullnowbeganveryslowlyamblingtowardsthem。

"Takenonotice,"saidLadyCasterley,whowaswalkingfasterthanshehadeverwalkedbefore。

"Thegroundislevelnow,"saidBarbara;"canyourun？"

"Ithinkso,"gaspedLadyCasterley;andsuddenlyshefoundherselfhalf—liftedfromtheground,and,asitwere,flyingtowardsthestile。Sheheardanoisebehind;thenBarbara\'svoice:

"Wemuststop。He\'sonus。Getbehindme。"

Shefeltherselfcaughtandpinionedbytwoarmsthatseemedsetonthewrongway。Instinct,andageneralsoftnesstoldherthatshewasbacktobackwithhergranddaughter。

"Letmego！"shegasped;"letmego！"

Andsuddenlyshefeltherselfbeingpropelledbythatsoftnessforwardtowardsthestile。

"Shoo！"shesaid;"shoo！"

"Granny,"Barbara\'svoicecame,calmandbreathless,"don\'t！Youonlyexcitehim！Arewenearthestile？"

"Tenyards,"pantedLadyCasterley……

"Lookout,then！"Therewasasortofwarmflurryroundher,arush,aheave,ascramble;shewasbeyondthestile。ThebullandBarbara,ayardortwoapart,werejusttheotherside。LadyCasterleyraisedherhandkerchiefandflutteredit。Thebulllookedup;Barbara,alllegsandarms,cameslippingdownbesideher。

WithoutwastingamomentLadyCasterleyleanedforwardandaddressedthebull:

"Youawfulbrute！"shesaid;"Iwillhaveyouwellflogged。"

Gentlypawingtheground,thebullsnuffled。

"Areyouanytheworse,child？"

"Notascrap,"saidBarbara\'sserene,stillbreathlessvoice。

LadyCasterleyputupherhands,andtookthegirl\'sfacebetweenthem。

"Whatlegsyouhave！"shesaid。"Givemeakiss！"

Havingreceivedahot,ratherquiveringkiss,shewalkedon,holdingsomewhatfirmlytoBarbara\'sarm。

"Asforthatbull,"shemurmured,"thebrute——toattackwomen！"

Barbaralookeddownather。

"Granny,"shesaid,"areyousureyou\'renotshaken？"

LadyCasterley,whoselipswerequivering,pressedthemtogetherveryhard。

"Notab—b—bit。"

"Don\'tyouthink,"saidBarbara,"thatwehadbettergoback,atonce——theotherway？"

"Certainlynot。Therearenomorebulls,Isuppose,betweenusandthiswoman？"

"Butareyoufittoseeher？"

LadyCasterleypassedherhandkerchiefoverherlips,toremovetheirquivering。

"Perfectly,"sheanswered。

"Then,dear,"saidBarbara,"standstillaminute,whileIdustyoubehind。"

Thishavingbeenaccomplished,theyproceededinthedirectionofMrs。Noel\'scottage。

Atsightofit,LadyCasterleysaid:

"Ishallputmyfootdown。It\'soutofthequestionforamanofMiltoun\'sprospects。IlookforwardtoseeinghimPrimeMinistersomeday。"HearingBarbara\'svoicemurmuringaboveher,shepaused:

"What\'sthatyousay？"

"Isaid:Whatistheuseofourbeingwhatweare,ifwecan\'tlovewhomwelike？"

"Love！"saidLadyCasterley;"Iwastalkingofmarriage。"

"Iamgladyouadmitthedistinction,Grannydear。"

"Youarepleasedtobesarcastic,"saidLadyCasterley。"Listentome！It\'sthegreatestnonsensetosupposethatpeopleinourcastearefreetodoastheyplease。Thesooneryourealizethat,thebetter,Babs。Iamtalkingtoyouseriously。Thepreservationofourpositionasaclassdependsonourobservingcertaindecencies。

WhatdoyouimaginewouldhappentotheRoyalFamilyiftheywereallowedtomarryastheyliked？AllthismarryingwithGaietygirls,andAmericanmoney,andpeoplewithpasts,andwriters,andsoforth,ismostdamaging。There\'sfartoomuchofit,anditoughttobestopped。Itmaybetoleratedforafewcranks,orsillyyoungmen,andthesenewwomen,butforEustace"LadyCasterleypausedagain,andherfingerspinchedBarbara\'sarm,"orforyou——there\'sonlyonesortofmarriagepossible。AsforEustace,Ishallspeaktothisgoodlady,andseethathedoesn\'tgetentangledfurther。"

Absorbedintheintensityofherpurpose,shedidnotobserveapeculiarlittlesmileplayingroundBarbara\'slips。

"YouhadbetterspeaktoNature,too,Granny！"

LadyCasterleystoppedshort,andlookedupinhergranddaughter\'sface。

"Nowwhatdoyoumeanbythat？"shesaid"Tellme！"

ButnoticingthatBarbara\'slipshadclosedtightly,shegaveherarmahard——ifunintentional—pinch,andwalkedon。