第6章

CHAPTERXII

LadyCasterley\'srathermaliciousdiagnosisofAudreyNoelwascorrect。TheunencumberedwomanwasupandinhergardenwhenBarbaraandhergrandmotherappearedattheWicketgate;butbeingnearthelime—treeatthefarendshedidnotheartherapidcolloquywhichpassedbetweenthem。

"Youaregoingtobegood,Granny？"

"Astothat——itwilldepend。"

"Youpromised。"

"H\'m！"

LadyCasterleycouldnotpossiblyhaveprovidedherselfwithabetterintroductionthanBarbara,whomMrs。Noelnevermetwithoutthesheerpleasurefeltbyasympatheticwomanwhensheseesembodiedinsomeoneelsethat\'joyinlife\'whichFatehasnotpermittedtoherself。

Shecameforwardwithherheadalittleononeside,atrickofhersnotatallaffected,andstoodwaiting。

TheunembarrassedBarbarabeganatonce:

"We\'vejusthadanencounterwithabull。Thisismygrandmother,LadyCasterley。"

Thelittleoldlady\'sdemeanour,confrontedwiththisveryprettyfaceandfigurewasathoughtlessautocraticandabruptthanusual。

Hershrewdeyessawatoncethatshehadnocommonadventuresstodealwith。Shewaswomanoftheworldenough,too,toknowthat\'birth\'wasnotwhatithadbeeninheryoungdays,thatevenmoneywasratherrococo,andthatgoodlooks,manners,andaknowledgeofliterature,art,andmusic（andthiswomanlookedlikeoneofthatsort）,wereoftenconsideredsociallymorevaluable。Shewasthereforebothwaryandaffable。

"Howdoyoudo？"shesaid。"Ihaveheardofyou。Maywesitdownforaminuteinyourgarden？Thebullwasawretch！"

Buteveninspeaking,shewasuneasilyconsciousthatMrs。Noel\'scleareyeswereseeingverywellwhatshehadcomefor。Thelookinthemindeedwasalmostcynical;andinspiteofhersympatheticmurmurs,shedidnotsomehowseemtobelieveinthebull。Thiswasdisconcerting。WhyhadBarbaracondescendedtomentionthewretchedbrute？Andshedecidedtotakehimbythehorns。

"Babs,"shesaid,"gototheInnandordermea\'fly。\'Ishalldriveback,Ifeelveryshaky,"and,asMrs。Noelofferedtosendhermaid,sheadded:

"No,no,mygranddaughterwillgo。"

Barbarahavingdepartedwithaquizzicallook,LadyCasterleypattedtherusticseat,andsaid:

"Docomeandsitdown,Iwanttotalktoyou:"

Mrs。Noelobeyed。AndatonceLadyCasterleyperceivedthat"shehadamostdifficulttaskbeforeher。Shehadnotexpectedawomanwithwhomonecouldtakenoliberties。Thosecleardarkeyes,andthatsoft,perfectlygracefulmanner——toapersonso\'sympathetic\'oneshouldbeabletosayanything,and——onecouldn\'t！Itwasawkward。

AndsuddenlyshenoticedthatMrs。Noelwassittingperfectlyupright,asupright——moreupright,thanshewasherself。Abad,sign——averybadsign！Takingoutherhandkerchief,sheputittoherlips。

"Isupposeyouthink,"shesaid,"thatwewerenotchasedbyabull。"

"Iamsureyouwere。"

"Indeed！Ah！ButI\'vesomethingelsetotalktoyouabout。"

Mrs。Noel\'sfacequiveredback,asaflowermightwhenitwasgoingtobeplucked;andagainLadyCasterleyputherhandkerchieftoherlips。Thistimesherubbedthemhard。Therewasnothingtocomeoff;todoso,therefore,wasasatisfaction。

"Iamanoldwoman,"shesaid,"andyoumustn\'tmindwhatIsay。"

Mrs。Noeldidnotanswer,butlookedstraightathervisitor;towhomitseemedsuddenlythatthiswasanotherperson。Whatwasitaboutthatface,staringather！Inaweirdwayitremindedherofachildthatonehadhurt——withthosegreateyesandthatsofthair,andthemouththin,inaline,allofasudden。Andasifithadbeenjerkedoutofher,shesaid:

"Idon\'twanttohurtyou,mydear。It\'saboutmygrandson,ofcourse。"

ButMrs。Noelmadeneithersignnormotion;andthefeelingofirritationwhichsorapidlyattackstheoldwhenconfrontedbytheunexpected,cametoLadyCasterley\'said。

"Hisname,"shesaid,"isbeingcoupledwithyoursinawaythat\'sdoinghimagreatdealofharm。Youdon\'twishtoinjurehim,I\'msure。"

Mrs。Noelshookherhead,andLadyCasterleywenton:

"Idon\'tknowwhatthey\'renotsayingsincetheeveningyourfriendMr。Courtierhurthisknee。Miltounhasbeenmostunwise。Youhadnotperhapsrealizedthat。"

Mrs。Noel\'sanswerwasbitterlydistinct:

"Ididn\'tknowanyonewassufficientlyinterestedinmydoings。"

LadyCasterleysufferedagestureofexasperationtoescapeher。

"Goodheavens！"shesaid;"everycommonpersonisinterestedinawomanwhosepositionisanomalous。Livingaloneasyoudo,andnotawidow,you\'refairgameforeverybody,especiallyinthecountry。"

Mrs。Noel\'ssidelongglance,veryclearandcynical,seemedtosay:

"Evenforyou。"

"Iamnotentitledtoaskyourstory,"LadyCasterleywenton,"butifyoumakemysteriesyoumustexpecttheworstinterpretationputonthem。Mygrandsonisamanofthehighestprinciple;hedoesnotseethingswiththeeyesoftheworld,andthatshouldhavemadeyoudoublycarefulnottocompromisehim,especiallyatatimelikethis。"

Mrs。Noelsmiled。ThissmilestartledLadyCasterley;itseemed,byconcealingeverything,torevealdepthsofstrengthandsubtlety。

Wouldthewomannevershowherhand？Andshesaidabruptly:

"Anythingserious,ofcourse,isoutofthequestion。"

"Quite。"

Thatword,whichofallothersseemedtherightone,wasspokensothatLadyCasterleydidnotknowintheleastwhatitmeant。Thoughoccasionallyemployingirony,shedetesteditinothers。Nowomanshouldbeallowedtouseitasaweapon！Butinthesedays,whentheyweresofoolishastowantvotes,oneneverknewwhatwomenwouldbeat。Thisparticularwoman,however,didnotlooklikeoneofthatsort。Shewasfeminine——veryfeminine——thesortofcreaturethatspoiledmenbybeingtoonicetothem。Andthoughshehadcomedeterminedtofindoutallabouteverythingandputanendtoit,shesawBarbarare—enteringthewicketgatewithconsiderablerelief。

"Iamreadytowalkhomenow,"shesaid。Andgettingupfromtherusticseat,shemadeMrs。Noelasatiricallittlebow。

"Thankyouforlettingmerest。Givemeyourarm,child。"

Barbaragaveherarm,andoverhershoulderthrewaswiftsmileatMrs。Noel,whodidnotanswerit,butstoodlookingquietlyafterthem,hereyesimmenselydarkandlarge。

OutinthelaneLadyCasterleywalkedon,verysilent,digestingheremotions。

"Whataboutthe\'fly,\'Granny？"

"What\'fly\'？"

"Theoneyoutoldmetoorder。"

"Youdon\'tmeantosaythatyoutookmeseriously？"

"No,"saidBarbara,。

"Ha！"

TheyproceededsomelittlewayfartherbeforeLadyCasterleysaidsuddenly:

"Sheisdeep。"

"Anddark,"saidBarbara。"Iamafraidyouwerenotgood！"

LadyCasterleyglancedupwards。

"Idetestthishabit,"shesaid,"amongstyouyoungpeople,oftakingnothingseriously。Notevenbulls,"sheadded,withagrimsmile。

Barbarathrewbackherheadandsighed。

"Nor\'flys,\'"shesaid。

LadyCasterleysawthatshehadclosedhereyesandopenedherlips。

Andshethought:

"She\'saverybeautifulgirl。Ihadnoideashewassobeautiful——

buttoobig！"Andsheaddedaloud:

"Shutyourmouth！Youwillgetonedown！"

Theyspokenomoretilltheyhadenteredtheavenue;thenLadyCasterleysaidsharply:

"Whoisthiscomingdownthedrive？"

"Mr。Courtier,Ithink。"

"Whatdoeshemeanbyit,withthatleg？"

"Heiscomingtotalktoyou,Granny。"

LadyCasterleystoppedshort。

"Youareacat,"shesaid;"aslycat。Nowmind,Babs,Iwon\'thaveit！"

"No,darling,"murmuredBarbara;"youshan\'thaveit——I\'lltakehimoffyourhands。"

"Whatdoesyourmothermean,"stammeredLadyCasterley,"lettingyougrowuplikethis！You\'reasbadasshewasatyourage！"

"Worse！"saidBarbara。"IdreamedlastnightthatIcouldfly！"

"Ifyoutrythat,"saidLadyCasterleygrimly,"you\'llsooncometogrief。Good—morning,sir;yououghttobeinbed！"

Courtierraisedhishat。

"Surelyitisnotformetobewhereyouarenot！"Andheaddedgloomily:"Thewarscare\'sdead！"

"Ah！"saidLadyCasterley:"youroccupation\'sgonethen。You\'llgobacktoLondonnow,Isuppose。"LookingsuddenlyatBarbarashesawthatthegirl\'seyeswerehalf—closed,andthatshewassmiling;itseemedtoLadyCasterleytooorwasitfancy？——thatsheshookherhead。

CHAPTERXIII

ThankstoLadyValleys,apatronessofbirds,noowlwasevershotontheMonklandCourtestate,andthosesoft—flyingspiritsoftheduskhootedandhunted,tothegreatbenefitofallexceptthecreepingvoles。Byeveryfarm,cottage,andfield,theypassedinvisible,quarteringthedarkair。Theirvoyagesofdiscoverystretchedupontothemoorasfarasthewildstoneman,whoseorigintheirwisdomperhapsknew。RoundAudreyNoel\'scottagetheywereasthickasthieves,fortheyhadjusttheretwohabitationsinalong,old,holly—grownwall,andalmostseemedtobeguardingthemistressofthatthatcheddwelling——sonumerousweretheirflutteringrushes,sotenderlyprolongedtheirsoftsentinelcallings。Nowthattheweatherwasreallywarm,sothatjoyoflifewasinthevoles,theyfoundthosesucculentcreaturesofanextraordinarilypleasantflavour,andonthemeachpairwasbringingupafamilyofexceptionallyfinelittleowls,verysolemn,withbigheads,brightlargeeyes,andwingsasyetonlyabletoflydownwards。Therewasscarcelyanyhourfromnoonoftheday（forsomeofthemhadhorns）

tothesmallsweethourswhennooneheardthem,thattheyforgottosalutetheverylarge,quiet,winglessowlwhomtheycouldespymovingaboutbydayabovetheirmouse—runs,orpreeningherwhiteandsometimesblueandsometimesgreyfeathersmorningandeveninginalargesquareholehighupinthefrontwall。Andtheycouldnotunderstandatallwhynoswiftdepredatinggracesnoranyhabitoflongsofthootingbelongedtothatlady—bird。

Ontheeveningofthedaywhenshereceivedthatearlymorningcall,assoonasduskhadfallen,wrappedinalongthincloak,withblacklaceoverherdarkhair,AudreyNoelherselfflutteredoutintothelanes,asiftojointhegravewingedhuntersoftheinvisiblenight。

Thosefar,continualsounds,notstilledinthecountrytilllongafterthesundies,hadbutjustceasedfromhauntingtheair,wherethelateMay—scentclungascloseasfragranceclingstoawoman\'srobe。Therewasjustthebarkingofadog,theboomofmigratingchafers,thesongofthestream,andoftheowls,toproclaimthebeatingintheheartofthissweetNight。NorwasthereanylightbywhichNight\'sfacecouldbeseen;itwashidden,anonymous;sothatwhenalampinacottagethrewablinkovertheoppositebank,itwasasifsomewanderingpainterhadwroughtapictureofstonesandleavesontheblackair,frameditinpurple,andleftithanging。

Yet,ifitcouldonlyhavebeencomeat,theNightwasasfullofemotionasthiswomanwhowandered,shrinkingawayagainstthebanksifanyonepassed,stoppingtocoolherhotfacewiththedewontheferns,walkingswiftlytoconsoleherwarmheart。AnonymousNightseekingforasymbolcouldhavefoundnonebetterthanthiserrantfigure,toexpressitshiddenlongings,thefluttering,unseenrushesofitsdarkwings,andallitssecretpassionofrevoltagainstitsownanonymity……

AtMonklandCourt,saveforlittleAnn,themorningpassedbutdumbly,everyonefeelingthatsomethingmustbedone,andnooneknowingwhat。Atlunch,theonlyallusiontothesituationhadbeenHarbinger\'sinquiry:

"WhendoesMiltounreturn？"

Hehadwired,itseemed,tosaythathewasmotoringdownthatnight。

"Thesoonerthebetter,"SirWilliammurmured:"we\'vestillafortnight。"

Butallhadfeltfromthetoneinwhichhespokethesewords,howseriouswasthepositionintheeyesofthatexperiencedcampaigner。

Whatwiththecollapseofthewarscare,andthiscanardaboutMrs。

Noel,therewasindeedcauseforalarm。

TheafternoonpostbroughtaletterfromLordValleysmarkedExpress。

LadyValleysopeneditwithaslightgrimace,whichdeepenedassheread。Herhandsome,floridfaceworeanexpressionofsadnessseldomseenthere。Therewas,infact,morethanatouchofdignityinherreceptionoftheunpalatablenews。

"EustacedeclareshisintentionofmarryingthisMrs。Noel"——soranherhusband\'sletter——"Iknow,unfortunately,ofnowayinwhichI

canpreventhim。Ifyoucandiscoverlegitimatemeansofdissuasion,itwouldbewelltousethem。Mydear,it\'stheverydevil。"

Itwastheverydevil！For,ifMiltounhadalreadymadeuphismindtomarryher,withoutknowledgeofthemaliciousrumour,whatwouldnotbehisdeterminationnow？AndthewomanoftheworldroseupinLadyValleys。Thismarriagemustnotcomeoff。Itwascontrarytoalmosteveryinstinctofonewhowaspracticalnotonlybycharacter,butbyhabitoflifeandtraining。Herwarmandfull—bloodednaturehadasneakingsympathywithloveandpleasure,andhadshenotbeenpractical,shemighthavefoundthissideofheraseriousdrawbacktothemaintenorofalifesomuchinviewofthepubliceye。Herconsciousnessofthisdangerinherowncasemadeherextremelyalivetotherisksofanundesirableconnection——especiallyifitwereamarriage——toanypublicman。Atthesametimethemother—heartinherwasstirred。EustacehadneverbeensodeepinheraffectionasBertie,stillhewasherfirst—born;andinfaceofnewswhichmeantthathewaslosttoher——forthismustindeedbe\'themarriageoftwominds\'（orwhateverthatquotationwas）——shefeltstrangelyjealousofawoman,whohadwonherson\'slove,whensheherselfhadneverwonit。Theachingofthisjealousygaveherfaceforamomentalmostaspiritualexpression,thenpassedawayintoimpatience。Whyshouldhemarryher？Thingscouldbearranged。Peoplespokeofitalreadyasanillicitrelationship;wellthen,letpeoplehavewhattheyhadinvented。Iftheworstcametotheworst,thiswasnottheonlyconstituencyinEngland;andadissolutioncouldnotbefaroff。

Betteranythingthanamarriagewhichwouldhandicaphimallhislife！Butwoulditbesogreatahandicap？Afterall,beautycountedformuch！Ifonlyherstorywerenottooconspicuous！Butwhatwasherstory？Nottoknowitwasabsurd！ThatwastheworstofpeoplewhowerenotinSociety,itwassodifficulttofindout！

Andthereroseinherthatalmostbrutalresentment,whichfermentsveryrapidlyinthosewhofromtheiryouthuphavebeenhedgedroundwiththebeliefthattheyandtheyalonearethewholeoftheworld。

InthismoodLadyValleyspassedthelettertoherdaughters。Theyread,andinturnhandedittoBertie,whoinsilencereturnedittohismother。

Butthatevening,inthebilliard—room,havingmanoeuvredtogethimtoherself,BarbarasaidtoCourtier:

"Iwonderifyouwillanswermeaquestion,Mr。Courtier？"

"IfImay,andcan。"

Herlow—cutdresswasofyew—green,with,littlethreadsofflame—

colour,matchingherhair,sothattherewasaboutherasplendourofdarknessandwhitenessandgold,almostdazzling;andshestoodverystill,leaningbackagainstthelightergreenofthebilliard—table,graspingitsedgesotightlythatthesmoothstrongbacksofherhandsquivered。

"WehavejustheardthatMiltounisgoingtoaskMrs。Noeltomarryhim。Peoplearenevermysterious,arethey,withoutgoodreason？I

wantedyoutotellme——whoisshe？"

"Idon\'tthinkIquitegraspthesituation,"murmuredCourtier。"Yousaid——tomarryhim？"

Seeingthatshehadputoutherhand,asifbeggingforthetruth,headded:"Howcanyourbrothermarryher——she\'smarried！"

"Oh！"

"I\'dnoideayoudidn\'tknowthatmuch。"

"Wethoughttherewasadivorce。"

Theexpressionofwhichmentionhasbeenmade——thatpeculiarwhite—

hotsardonicallyjollylook——visitedCourtier\'sfaceatonce。"Hoistwiththeirownpetard！Theusualthing。Letaprettywomanlivealone——thetonguesofmenwilldotherest。"

"Itwasnotsobadasthat,"saidBarbaradryly;"theysaidshehaddivorcedherhusband。"

CaughtoutthuscharacteristicallyridingpastthehoundsCourtierbithislips。

"Youhadbetterhearthestorynow。Herfatherwasacountryparson,andafriendofmyfather\'s;sothatI\'veknownherfromachild。

StephenLeesNoelwashiscurate。Itwasa\'snap\'marriage——shewasonlytwenty,andhadmethardlyanymen。Herfatherwasillandwantedtoseehersettledbeforehedied。Well,shefoundoutalmostdirectly,likeagoodmanyotherpeople,thatshe\'dmadeanuttermistake。"

Barbaracamealittlecloser。

"Whatwasthemanlike？"

"Notbadinhisway,butoneofthosenarrow,conscientiouspig—

headedfellowswhomakethemosttryingkindofhusband——boneegoistic。Aparsonofthattypehasnochanceatall。Everymortalthinghehastodoorsayhelpshimtodevelophisworstpoints。Thewifeofamanlikethat\'snobetterthanaslave。Shebegantoshowthestrainofitatlast;thoughshe\'sthesortwhogoesontillshesnaps。Ittookhimfouryearstorealize。Then,thequestionwas,whatweretheytodo？He\'saveryHighChurchman,withalltheirfeelingaboutmarriage;butluckilyhispridewaswounded。Anyway,theyseparatedtwoyearsago;andtheresheis,lefthighanddry。

Peoplesayitwasherfault。Sheoughttohaveknownherownmind——

attwenty！Sheoughttohaveheldonandhiddenitupsomehow。

Confoundtheirthick—skinnedcharitablesouls,whatdotheyknowofhowasensitivewomansuffers？Forgiveme,LadyBarbara——Igethotoverthis。"Hewassilent;thenseeinghereyesfixedonhim,wenton:"Hermotherdiedwhenshewasborn,herfathersoonafterhermarriage。She\'senoughmoneyofherown,luckily,toliveonquietly。Asforhim,hechangedhisparishandrunsonesomewhereintheMidlands。One\'ssorryforthepoordevil,too,ofcourse！Theyneverseeeachother;and,sofarasIknow,theydon\'tcorrespond。

That,LadyBarbara,isthesimplehistory。"

Barbara,said,"Thankyou,"andturnedaway;andheheardhermutter:

"Whatashame！"

ButhecouldnottellwhetheritwasMrs。Noel\'sfate,orthehusband\'sfate,orthethoughtofMiltounthathadmovedhertothosewords。

Shepuzzledhimbyherself—possession,soalmosthard,herwayofrefusingtoshowfeeling。\'Yetwhatawomanshewouldmakeifthedryingcurseofhigh—castelifewerenotallowedtostereotypeandshrivelher！Ifenthusiasmweresufferedtopenetrateandfertilizehersoul！Sheremindedhimofagreattawnylily。Hehadavisionofher,asthatflower,floating,freedofrootsandthemouldofitscultivatedsoil,inthelibertyoftheimpartialair。Whatapassionateandnoblethingshemightbecome！Whatradianceandperfumeshewouldexhale！AspiritFleur—de—Lys！Sistertoallthenobleflowersoflightthatinhabitedthewind！

Leaninginthedeepembrasureofhiswindow,helookedatanonymousNight。Hecouldheartheowlshoot,andfeelaheartbeatingouttheresomewhereinthedarkness,buttherecamenoanswertohiswondering。Wouldshe——thisgreattawnylilyofagirl——everbecomeunconsciousofherenvironment,notinmannermerely,butintheverysoul,sothatshemightbejustawoman,breathing,suffering,loving,andrejoicingwiththepoetsoulofallmankind？Wouldsheeverbecapableofridingoutwiththelittlecompanyofbighearts,nakedofadvantage？Courtierhadnotbeeninsideachurchfortwentyyears,havinglongfeltthathemustnotenterthemosquesofhiscountrywithoutputtingofftheshoesoffreedom,buthereadtheBible,consideringitaverygreatpoem。Andtheoldwordscamehauntinghim:\'VerilyIsayuntoyou,ItisharderforacameltopassthroughtheeyeofaneedlethanforarichmantoenterthekingdomofHeaven。\'Andnow,lookingintotheNight,whosedarknessseemedtoholdtheanswertoallsecrets,hetriedtoreadtheriddleofthisgirl\'sfuture,withwhichthereseemedsointerwoventhatlargerenigma,howfarthespiritcanfreeitself,inthislife,fromthematterthatencompasseth。

TheNightwhisperedsuddenly,andlowdown,asifrisingfromthesea,camethemoon,droppingawanrobeoflighttillshegleamedoutnudeagainstthesky—curtain。Nightwasnolongeranonymous。ThereintheduskygardenthestatueofDianaformedslowlybeforehiseyes,andbehindher——asitwere,hertemple——rosethetallspireofthecypresstree。

CHAPTERXIV

AcopyoftheBucklandburyNews,containinganaccountofhiseveningadventure,didnotreachMiltountillhewasjuststartingonhisreturnjourney。Itcamemarkedwithbluepenciltogetherwithanote。

"MYDEAREUSTACE,"Theenclosed——howeverunwarrantedandimpudent——requiresattention。

Butweshalldonothingtillyoucomeback。

"Yoursever,"WILLIAMSHROPTON。"

TheeffectonMiltounmightperhapshavebeendifferenthadhenotbeensoconsciousofhisintentiontoaskAudreyNoeltobehiswife;

butinanycircumstancesitisdoubtfulwhetherhewouldhavedonemorethansmile,andtearthepaperup。Trulythatsortofthinghadsolittlepowertohurtordisturbhimpersonally,thathewasincapableofseeinghowitcouldhurtordisturbothers。Ifthosewhoreaditwereaffected,somuchtheworseforthem。Hehadareal,ifunobtrusive,contemptforgroundlings,ofwhateverclass;

anditneverenteredhisheadtostepaninchoutofhiscourseindeferencetotheirvagaries。NordiditcomehometohimthatMrs。

Noel,wrappedintheglamourwhichhecastabouther,couldpossiblysufferfromthemeannessofvulgarminds。Shropton\'snote,indeed,causedhimthemoreannoyanceofthosetwodocuments。Itwaslikehisbrother—in—lawtomakemuchoflittle！

Hehardlydozedatallduringhisswiftjourneythroughthesleepingcountry;norwhenhereachedhisroomatMonklanddidhegotobed。

Hehadthewonderful,upbornefeelingofmanonthevergeofachievement。Hisspiritandsenseswerebothonfire——forthatwasthequalityofthiswoman,shesufferednopartofhimtosleep,andhewasgladofherexactions。

Hedranksometea;wentout,andtookapathuptothemoor。Itwasnotyeteighto\'clockwhenhereachedthetopofthenearesttor。

Andthere,belowhim,around,andabove,wasalandandskytranscendingevenhisexaltation。Itwaslikeasymphonyofgreatmusic;orthenobilityofastupendousmindlaidbare;itwasGodupthere,inHismanymoods。Serenitywasspreadinthemiddleheavens,blue,illimitable,andalongtotheEast,threehugeclouds,likethoughtsbroodingoverthedestiniesbelow,movedslowlytowardthesea,sothatgreatshadowsfilledthevalleys。Andthelandthatlayunderalltheotherskywasgleaming,andquiveringwitheverycolour,asitwere,clothedwiththedivinesmile。Thewind,fromtheNorth,whereonfloatedthewhitebirdsofthesmallerclouds,hadnovoice,foritwasabovebarriers,utterlyfree。BeforeMiltoun,turningtothiswind,laythemazeofthelowerlands,themistygreens,rosepinks,andbrownsofthefields,andwhiteandgreydotsandstrokesofcottagesandchurchtowers,fadingintotheblueveilofdistance,confinedbyafarrangeofhills。Behindhimtherewasnothingbuttherestlesssurfaceofthemoor,colouredpurplish—

brown。Onthatuntamedseaofgravenwildnesscouldbeseennoshipofman,saveone,onthefarhorizon——thegrimhulk,DartmoorPrison。

Therewasnosound,noscent,anditseemedtoMiltounasifhisspirithadlefthisbody,andbecomepartofthesolemnityofGod。

Yet,ashestoodthere,withhisheadbared,thatstrangesmilewhichhauntedhiminmomentsofdeepfeeling,showedthathehadnotsurrenderedtotheUniversal,thathisownspiritwasbutbeingfortified,andthatthiswasthetrueandsecretsourceofhisdelight。Helaydowninascoopofthestones。Thesunenteredthere,butnowind,sothatadrysweetscentexudedfromtheyoungshootsofheather。Thatwarmthandperfumecreptthroughtheshieldofhisspirit,andstoleintohisblood;ardentimagesrosebeforehim,thevisionofanunendingembrace。OutofanembracesprangLife,outofthattheWorldwasmade,thisWorld,withitsinnumerableforms,andnatures——notwoalike！Andfromhimandherwouldspringformstotaketheirplaceinthegreatpattern。Thisseemedwonderful,andright—fortheywouldbeworthyforms,whowouldhandonthosetraditionswhichseemedtohimsonecessaryandgreat。