第11章

ItwastheinauguralmeetingoftheSocietyforthePromotionoftheBirthRate,overwhichshehadpromisedtopreside。Theschemewasoneinwhichshehadbeenprominentfromthestart,appealingasitdidtoherlargeandfull—bloodednature。Manymovements,towhichshefounditimpossibletorefusehername,hadinthemselvesbutsmallattraction;anditwasarealcomforttofeelsomethingapproachingenthusiasmforonebranchofherpublicwork。Notthattherewasanyacademicconsistencyaboutherinthematter,forinprivatelifeamongstherfriendsshewasnotnarrowlydogmaticonthedutyofwivestomultiplyexceedingly。Shethoughtimperiallyonthesubject,withoutbigotry。Large,healthyfamilies,inallcasessaveindividualones！Theprimeideaatthebackofhermindwas——

NationalExpansion！Hermotto,andsheintendedifpossibletomakeitthemottooftheLeague,was:\'Del\'audace,etencoredel\'audace！\'Itwasaquestionofthefullrealizationofthenation。

Shehadatrue,andinasensetouchingbeliefin\'theflag,\'apartfromwhatitmightcover。Itwasheridealism。"Youmaytalk,"shewouldsay,"asmuchasyoulikeaboutdirectingnationallifeinaccordancewithsocialjustice！Whatdoesthenationcareaboutsocialjustice？Thethingismuchbiggerthanthat。It\'samatterofsentiment。Wemustexpand！"

Onthewaytothemeeting,occupiedwithherspeech,shemadenoattempttodrawBarbaraintoconversation。Thatmustwait。Thechild,thoughlanguid,andpale,waslookingsobeautifulthatitwasapleasuretohavehersupportinsuchamovement。

InalittledarkroombehindthehalltheCommitteewerealreadyassembled,andtheywentatonceontotheplatform。

CHAPTERII

Unmovedbythestaresoftheaudience,Barbarasatabsorbedinmoodythoughts。

IntothethreeweekssinceMiltoun\'selectiontherehadbeencrowdedsuchamultitudeoffunctionsthatshehadfound,asitwere,notime,noenergytoknowwhereshestoodwithherself。Sincethatmorninginthestable,whenhehadwatchedherwiththehorseHal,Harbingerhadseemedtoliveonlytobeclosetoher。Andtheconsciousnessofhispassiongaveheratinglingsenseofpleasure。

Shehadbeenridinganddancingwithhim,andsometimesthishadbeenalmostblissful。Butthereweretimestoo,whenshefelt——thoughalwayswithacertaincontemptofherself,aswhenshesatonthatsunwarmedstonebelowthetor——aqueerdissatisfaction,alongingforsomethingoutsideaworldwhereshehadtoinventherownstarvationsandsimplicities,tomake—believeinearnestness。

ShehadseenCourtierthreetimes。Oncehehadcometodine,inresponsetoaninvitationfromLadyValleyswordedinthatcharming,almostwistfulstyle,whichshehadtaughtherselftousetothosebelowherinsocialrank,especiallyiftheywereintelligent;oncetotheValleysHousegardenparty;andnextday,havingtoldhimwhattimeshewouldberiding,shehadfoundhimintheRow,notmounted,butstandingbytherailjustwhereshemustpass,withthatlookonhisfaceofmingleddeferenceandironicself—containment,ofwhichhewasamaster。ItappearedthathewasleavingEngland;andtoherquestionswhy,andwhere,hehadonlyshruggedhisshoulders。Uponthisdustyplatform,inthehotbarehall,facingallthosepeople,listeningtospeecheswhosesenseshewastoolanguidandpreoccupiedtotakein,thewholemedleyofthoughts,andfacesroundher,andthesoundofthespeakers\'voices,formedakindofnightmare,outofwhichshenotedwithextremeexactitudethecolourofhermother\'sneckbeneathalargeblackhat,andtheexpressiononthefaceofaCommitteemantotheright,whowasbitinghisfingersundercoverofabluepaper。Sherealizedthatsomeonewasspeakingamongsttheaudience,castingforth,asitwere,smallbunchesofwords。Shecouldseehim——alittlemaninablackcoat,withawhitefacewhichkeptjerkingupanddown。

"Ifeelthatthisisterrible,"sheheardhimsay;"Ifeelthatthisisblasphemy。Thatweshouldtrytotamperwiththegreatestforce,thegreatestandthemostsacredandsecret—force,that——thatmovesintheworld,istomehorrible。Icannotbeartolisten;itseemstomakeeverythingsosmall！"Shesawhimsitdown,andhermotherrisingtoanswer。

"Wemustallsympathizewiththesincerityandtoacertainextentwiththeintentionofourfriendinthebodyofthehall。Butwemustaskourselves:

Havewetherighttoallowourselvestheluxury,ofprivatefeelingsinamatterwhichconcernsthenationalexpansion。Wemustnotgivewaytosentiment。Ourfriendinthebodyofthehallspoke——hewillforgivemeforsayingso——likeapoet,ratherthanaseriousreformer。Iamafraidthatifweletourselvesdropintopoetry,thebirthrateofthiscountrywillverysoondropintopoetrytoo。AndthatIthinkitisimpossibleforustocontemplatewithfoldedhands。TheresolutionIwasabouttoproposewhenourfriendinthebodyofthehall————"

ButBarbara\'sattention,hadwanderedoffagainintothatqueermedleyofthoughts,andfeelings,outofwhichthelittlemanhadsoabruptlyrousedher。Thensherealizedthatthemeetingwasbreakingup,andhermothersaying:

"Now,mydear,it\'shospitalday。We\'vejusttime。"

Whentheywereoncemoreinthecar,sheleanedbackverysilent,watchingthetraffic。

LadyValleyseyedhersidelong。

"Whatalittlebombshell,"shesaid,"fromthatsmallperson！Hemusthavegotinbymistake。IhearMr。CourtierhasacardforHelenGloucester\'sballto—night,Babs。"

"Poorman！"

"Youwillbethere,"saidLadyValleysdryly。

Barbaradrewbackintohercorner。

"Don\'tteaseme,Mother！"

AnexpressionofcompunctioncrossedLadyValleys\'face;shetriedtopossessherselfofBarbara\'shand。Butthatlanguidhanddidnotreturnhersqueeze。

"Iknowthemoodyou\'rein,dear。Itwantsallone\'splucktoshakeitoff;don\'tletitgrowonyou。You\'dbettergodowntoUncleDennisto—morrow。You\'vebeenoverdoingit。"

Barbarasighed。

"Iwishitwereto—morrow。"

Thecarhadstopped,andLadyValleyssaid:

"Willyoucomein,orareyoutootired？Italwaysdoesthemgoodtoseeyou。"

"You\'retwiceastiredasme,"Barbaraanswered;"ofcourseI\'llcome。"

Attheentranceofthetwoladies,thereroseatonceafaintbuzzandmurmur。LadyValleys,whoseamplepresenceradiatedsuddenlyabusinesslikeandcheeryconfidence,wenttoabedsideandsatdown。

ButBarbarastoodinathinstreakoftheJulysunlight,uncertainwheretobegin,amongstthefacesturnedtowardsher。Thepoordearslookedsohumble,andsowistful,andsotired。Therewasonelyingquiteflat,whohadnotevenraisedherheadtoseewhohadcomein。

Thatslumbering,pale,highcheek—bonedfacehadafrailtyasifatouch,abreath,wouldshatterit;awispoftheblackesthair,finerthansilk,layacrosstheforehead;theclosedeyesweredeepsunk;

onehand,scarredalmosttothebonewithwork,restedaboveherbreast。Shebreathedbetweenlipswhichhadnocolour。Abouther,sleeping,wasakindofbeauty。Andtherecameoverthegirlaqueerrushofemotion。Thesleeperseemedsoapartfromeverythingthere,fromalltheformalityandstiffnessoftheward。Tolookathersweptawaythelanguid,hollowfeelingwithwhichshehadcomein;itmadeherthinkofthetorsathome,whenthewindwasblowing,andallwasbare,andgrand,andsometimesterrible。Therewassomethingelementalinthatstillsleep。Andtheoldladyinthenextled,withabrownwrinkledfaceandbrightblackeyesbrimfuloflife,seemedalmostvulgarbesidesuchremotetranquillity,whileshewastellingBarbarathatalittlebunchofheatherinthebetterhalfofasoap—dishonthewindow—sillhadcomefromWales,because,assheexplained:"MymotherwasborninStirling,dearie;soIlikesabitofheather,thoughIneverbeenouto\'BethnalGreenmeself。"

ButwhenBarbaraagainpassed,thesleepingwomanwassittingup,andlookedbutapoorordinarything——herstrangefragilebeautyallwithdrawn。

ItwasareliefwhenLadyValleyssaid:

"Mydear,myNavalBazaaratfive—thirty;andwhileI\'mthereyoumustgohomeandhavearest,andfreshenyourselfupfortheevening。WedineatPlasseyHouse。"

TheDuchessofGloucester\'sBall,afunctionwhichnoonecouldverywellmiss,hadbeenfixedforthislatedateowingtotheDuchess\'sannounceddesiretoprolongtheseasonandsohelpthehackneycabmen;andthougheverybodysympathized,ithadbeenfeltbymostthatitwouldbesimplertogoaway,motoruponthedayoftheBall,andmotordownagainonthefollowingmorning。Andthroughouttheweekbywhichtheseasonwasthusprolonged,inlongrowsattherailwaystations,andontheirstands,thehackneycabmen,unconsciousofwhatwasbeingdoneforthem,waited,patientastheirhorses。Butsinceeverybodywasmakingthisspecialeffort,anexceptionallylarge,exclusive,andbrilliantcompanyreassembledatGloucesterHouse。

Inthevastballroomoverthemedleyofentwinedrevolvingcouples,punkahshadbeenfixed,toclearandfreshenthelanguidair,andthesehugefans,movingwithincredibleslowness,droveafaintrefreshingdraughtdownovertheseaofwhiteshirt—frontsandbarenecks,andfreedthescentfrominnumerableflowers。

Lateintheevening,closebyoneofthegreatclumpsofbloom,averyprettywomanstoodtalkingtoBertieCaradoc。Shewashiscousin,LilyMalvezin,sisterofGeoffreyWinlow,andwifeofaLiberalpeer,acharmingcreature,whosepinkcheeks,brighteyes,quicklips,androundedfigure,endowedherwiththeprettiestairofanimation。Andwhileshespokeshekeptstealingslyglancesatherpartner,tryingasitweretopiercethearmourofthatself—

containedyoungman。

"No,mydear,"shesaidinhermockingvoice,"you\'llneverpersuademethatMiltounisgoingtocatchon。\'Ilesttropintransigeant\'。

Ah！there\'sBabs！"

Forthegirlhadcomeglidingby,hereyeswanderinglazily,herlipsjustparted;herneck,hardlylesspalethanherwhitefrock;herfacepale,andmarkedwithlanguor,undertheheavycoilofhertawnyhair;andherswayingbodyseemingwitheachturnofthewaltztobecaughtbythearmsofherpartnerfromoutofaswoon。

Withthatimmobilityoflips,learnedbyallimprisonedinSociety,LilyMalvezinmurmured:

"Who\'sthatshe\'sdancingwith？Isitthedarkhorse,Bertie？"

ThroughlipsnolessimmobileBertieanswered:

"Fortytoone,notakers。"

ButthoseinquisitivebrighteyesstillfollowedBarbara,driftinginthedance,likeagreatwaterlilycaughtintheswirlofamillpool;

andthethoughtpassedthroughthatprettyhead:

"She\'shookedhim。It\'snaughtyofBabs,really！"Andthenshesawleaningagainstapillaranotherwhoseeyesalsowerefollowingthosetwo;andshethought:"H\'m！PoorClaud——nowonderhe\'slookinglikethat。Oh！Babs！"

ByoneofthestatuesontheterraceBarbaraandherpartnerstood,wheretrees,disfiguredbynogaudylanterns,offeredtherefreshmentoftheirdarknessandserenity。

Wrappedinhernewpalelanguor,stillbreathingdeeplyfromthewaltz,sheseemedtoCourtiertooutterlymouldedoutofloveliness。

Towhatendshouldamanframespeechestoavision！Shewasbutanincarnationofbeautyimprintedontheair,andwouldfadeoutatatouch—likethesuddenghostsofenchantmentthatcametooneundertheblue,andthestarlitsnowofamountainnight,orinabirchwoodallwistfulgolden！Speechseemedbutdesecration！Besides,whatofinterestwasthereforhimtosayinthisworldofhers,sobewilderingandofsuchglibassurance——thisworldthatwaslikeabuilding,whoseeverywindowwasshutandhadablinddrawndown。A

buildingthatadmittednonewhohadnotsworn,asitwere,tobelieveittheworld,thewholeworld,andnothingbuttheworld,outsidewhichwereonlythenibbledremainsofwhathadbuiltit。This,worldofSociety,inwhichhefeltlikeonetravellingthroughadesert,longingtomeetafellow—creature。

ThevoiceofHarbingerbehindthemsaid:

"Lady—Babs！"

Longdidthepunkahswafttheirbreezeoverthatbrave—huedwheelofpleasure,andthesoundoftheviolinsquaverandwailoutintothemorning。Thenquickly,asthespanglesofdewvanishoffgrasswhenthesunrises,allmeltedaway;andinthegreatroomswerenonebutflunkeyspresidingoverthepolishedsurfaceslikeflamingoesbysomelakesideatdawn。

CHAPTERIII

Abrickdower—houseoftheFitz—Harolds,justoutsidethelittleseasidetownofNettlefold,shelteredthetranquildaysofLordDennis。Inthatsouth—coastair,sanestandmosthealinginallEngland,heragedveryslowly,takinglittlethoughtofdeath,andmuchquietpleasureinhislife。Likethetalloldhousewithitshighwindowsandsquatchimneys,hewasmarvellouslyself—contained。

Hisbooks,forhesomewhatpassionatelyexaminedoldcivilizations,anddescribedtheirhabitsfromtimetotimewithadryandnottoopoignantpeninacertainold—fashionedmagazine;hismicroscope,forhestudiedinfusoria;andthefishingboatofhisfriendJohnBogle,whohadlongperceivedthatLordDenniswasthebiggestfishheevercaught;allthese,withoccasionalvisitors,andlittlerunstoLondon,toMonkland,andothercountryhouses,madeupthesumofalifewhich,ifnotdesperatelybeneficial,wasuniformlykindandharmless,and,byitsnotorioussimplicity,hadacertainnegativeinfluencenotonlyonhisownclassbutontherelationsofthatclasswiththecountryatlarge。ItwascommonlysaidinNettlefold,thathewasagentleman;iftheywerealllikehimtherewasn\'tmuchinallthistalkagainsttheLords。Theshoppeopleandlodging—

housekeepersfeltthattheinterestsofthecountryweresaferinhishands:thaninthehandsofpeoplewhowantedtomeddlewitheverythingforthegoodofthosewhowereonlyanxioustobeletalone。AmantoowhocouldsocompletelyforgethewasthesonofaDuke,thatotherpeopleneverforgotit,wasthemanfortheirmoney。

Itwastruethathehadneverhadasayinpublicaffairs;butthiswasoverlooked,becausehecouldhavehaditifheliked,andthefactthathedidnotlike,onlyshowedoncemorethathewasagentleman。

Justashewastheonepersonalityofthelittletownagainstwhompracticallynothingwasever,said,sowashishousetheonehousewhichdefiedcriticism。Timehadmadeitutterlysuitable。Theiviedwalls,andpurplishrooflichenedyellowinplaces,thequietmeadowsharbouringponiesandkine,reachingfromittothesea——allwasmellow。Intruthitmadealltheotherhousesofthetownseemshoddy——standingalonebeyondthem,likeits,master,ifanythingalittletooestheticallyremotefromcommonwants。

Hehadpracticallynonearneighboursofwhomhesawanything,exceptonceinawayyoungHarbingerthreemilesdistantatWhitewater。Butsincehehadthefacultyofnotbeingboredwithhisownsociety,thisdidnotworryhim。Oflocalcharity,especiallytothefishersofthetown,whosewintermonthswerenowadaysverybareofprofit,hewasprodigaltothevergeofextravagance,forhisincomewasnotgreat。Butinpolitics,beyondactingasthefigure—headofcertainmunicipalefforts,hetooklittleornopart。HisToryismindeedwasofthemildorder,thathadlittlebeliefintheregenerationofthecountrybyanymeansbutthoseofkindlyfeelingbetweentheclasses。

Whenaskedhowthatwastobebroughtabout,hewouldanswerwithhisdry,slightlymalicious,suavity,thatifyoustirredhornets\'nestswithsticksthehornetswouldcomeforth。Havingnoland,hewasshyofexpressinghimselfonthatvexedquestion;butifresolutelyattackedwouldgiveutterancetosomesuchsentimentasthis:"Theland\'sbestinourhandsonthewhole,butwewantfewerdogs—in—the—

mangeramongus。"

Hehad,asbecameoneofhisrace,afeelingforland,tenderandprotective,andcouldnotbeartothinkofitsbeingputouttofarmwiththatcoldMother,theState。HewasironicalovertheviewsofRadicalsorSocialists,butdislikedtohearsuchpeoplepersonallyabusedbehindtheirbacks。Itmustbeconfessed,however,thatifcontradictedheincreasedconsiderablytheironicaldecisionofhissentiments。Withdrawnfromallchanceinpubliclifeofenforcinghisviewsonothers,thenaturalaristocratwithinhimwasforcedtofindsomeexpression。

Eachyear,towardstheendofJuly,heplacedhishouseattheserviceofLordValleys,whofounditaconvenientcentreforattendingGoodwood。

ItwasonthemorningaftertheDuchessofGloucester\'sBall,thathereceivedthisnote:

"VALLEYSHOUSE。

"DEARESTUNCLEDENNIS,"MayIcomedowntoyoualittlebeforetimeandrest？Londonissoterriblyhot。Motherhasthreefunctionsstilltostayfor,andI

shallhavetocomebackagainforourlastevening,thepoliticalone——soIdon\'twanttogoallthewaytoMonkland;andanywhereelse,exceptwithyou,wouldberackety。Eustacelookssoseedy。

I\'lltryandbringhim,ifImay。Grannyisterriblywell。

"Bestlove,dear,fromyour。

"BABS。"

Thesameafternoonshecame,butwithoutMiltoun,drivingupfromthestationinafly。LordDennismetheratthegate;and,havingkissedher,lookedathersomewhatanxiously,caressinghiswhitepeakedbeard。HehadneveryetknownBabssickofanything,exceptwhenhetookheroutinJohnBogle\'sboat。Shewascertainlylookingpale,andherhairwasdonedifferently——afactdisturbingtoonewhodidnotdiscoverit。Slippinghisarmthroughhersheledheroutintoameadowstillfullofbuttercups,whereanoldwhitepony,whohadcarriedherintheRowtwelveyearsago,cameuptothemandrubbedhismuzzleagainstherwaist。AndsuddenlythereroseinLordDennisthethoroughlydiscomfortingandstrangesuspicionthat,thoughthechildwasnotgoingtocry,shewantedtimetogetoverthefeelingthatshewas。Withoutappearingtoseparatehimselffromher,hewalkedtothewallattheendofthefield,andstoodlookingatthesea。

Thetidewasnearlyup;theSouthwinddrivingoveritbroughthimthescentofthesea—flowers,andthecrisprustleoflittlewavesswimmingalmosttohisfeet。Farout,wherethesunlightfell,thesmilingwaterslaywhiteandmysteriousinJulyhaze,givinghimaqueerfeeling。ButLordDennis,thoughhehadhismomentsofpoeticsentiment,wasonthewholequiteabletokeeptheseainitsproperplace——forafterallitwastheEnglishChannel;andlikeagoodEnglishmanherecognizedthatifyouonceletthingsgetawayfromtheirnames,theyceasedtobefacts,andiftheyceasedtobefacts,theybecame——thedevil！Intruthhewasnotthinkingmuchofthesea,butofBarbara。Itwasplainthatshewasintroubleofsomekind。AndthenotionthatBabscouldfindtroubleinlifewasextraordinarilyqueer;forhefelt,subconsciously,whatagreatdrivingforceofdisturbancewasnecessarytopenetratethehundredfoldsoftheluxuriouscloakenwrappingonesoyoungandfortunate。

ItwasnotDeath;thereforeitmustbeLove;andhethoughtatonceofthatfellowwiththeredmoustaches。Ideaswereallverywell——noonewouldobjecttoasmanyasyouliked,intheirproperplace——thedinner—table,forexample。Buttofallinlove,ifindeeditwereso,withamanwhonotonlyhadideas,butaninclinationtoliveuptothem,andonthem,andonnothingelse,seemedtoLordDennis\'outre\'。

Shehadfollowedhimtothewall,andhelooked——atherdubiously。

"TorestinthewatersofLethe,Babs？Bytheway,seenanythingofourfriendMr。Courtier？Verypicturesque——thatQuixotictheoryoflife！"

Andinsayingthat,hisvoice（likesomanyrefinedvoiceswhichhaveturnedtheirbacksonspeculation）wastriple—toned—mockingatideas,mockingatitselfformockingatideas,yetshowingplainlythatatbottomitonlymockedatitselfformockingatideas,becauseitwouldbe,asitwere,crudenottodoso。

ButBarbaradidnotanswerhisquestion,andbegantospeakofotherthings。AndallthatafternoonandeveningshetalkedawaysolightlythatLordDennis,butforhisinstinct,wouldhavebeendeceived。

Thatwonderfulsmilingmask——theinscrutabilityofYouth——waslaidasidebyheratnight。Sittingatherwindow,underthemoon,\'agold—brightmothslow—spinningupthesky,\'shewatchedthedarknesshungrily,asthoughitwereagreatthoughtintowhoseheartshewastryingtosee。Nowandthenshestrokedherself,gettingstrangecomfortoutofthepresenceofherbody。Shehadthatoldunhappyfeelingofhavingtwoselveswithinher。Andthissoftnightfullofthequietstirofthesea,andofdarkimmensity,wokeinheraterriblelongingtobeatonewithsomething,somebody,outsideherself。AttheBalllastnightthe\'flyingfeeling\'hadseizedonheragain;andwasstillthere——aqueermanifestationofherstreakofrecklessness。AndthisresultofhercontactswithCourtier,this\'cacoethesvolandi\',andfeelingofclippedwings,hurther——asbeingforbiddenhurtsachild。

Sherememberedhowinthehousekeeper\'sroomatMonklandtherelivedamagpiewhohadoncesoughtshelterinanorchid—housefromsomepursuer。Assoonastheythoughthimweddedtocivilization,theyhadlethimgo,toseewhetherhewouldcomeback。Forhourshehadsatupinahightree,andatlastcomedownagaintohiscage;

whereupon,fearinglesttherooksshouldattackhimwhenhenexttookthisvoyageofdiscovery,theyclippedoneofhiswings。Afterthatthetwilightbird,thoughhelivedhappilyenough,hoppingabouthiscageandtheterracewhichservedhimforexerciseyard,wouldseemattimesrestiveandfrightened,movinghiswingsasifflyinginspirit,andsadthathemuststayonearth。

So,too,atherwindowBarbaraflutteredherwings;then,gettingintobed,laysighingandtossing。Aclockstruckthree;andseizedbyanintolerableimpatienceatherowndiscomfort,sheslippedamotorcoatoverhernight—gown,putonslippers,andstoleoutintothepassage。Thehousewasverystill。Shecreptdownstairs,smotheringherfootsteps。Gropingherwaythroughthehall,inhabitedbythethinghostsofwould—belight,sheslidbackthechainofthedoor,andfledtowardsthesea。Shemadenomorenoiserunninginthedew,thanabirdfollowingthepathsofair;andthetwoponies,whofeltherfigurepassinthedarkness,snuffled,sendingoutsoftsighsofalarmamongsttheclosedbuttercups。Sheclimbedthewallovertothebeach。Whileshewasrunning,shehadfullymeanttodashintotheseaandcoolherself,butitwassoblack,withjustathinedgingscarfofwhite,andtheskywasblack,bereftoflights,waitingfortheday！

Shestood,andlooked。Andalltheleapingsandpulsingsoffleshandspiritslowlydiedinthatwidedarkloneliness,wheretheonlysoundwasthewistfulbreakingofsmallwaves。Shewaswellusedtothesedeadhours——onlylastnight,atthisverytime,Harbinger\'sarmhadbeenroundherinalastwaltz！Butherethedeadhourshadsuchdifferentfaces,wide—eyed,solemn,andtherecametoBarbara,staringoutatthem,asensethatthedarknesssawherverysoul,sothatitfeltlittleandtimidwithinher。Sheshiveredinherfur—

linedcoat,asifalmostfrightenedatfindingherselfsomarvellouslynothingbeforethatblackskyanddarksea,whichseemedallone,relentlesslygreat……Andcrouchingdown,shewaitedforthedawntobreak。

ItcamefromovertheDowns,sweepingarushofcoldaironitswings,flightingtowardsthesea。Withitthedaringsooncreptbackintoherblood。Shestripped,andrandownintothedarkwater,fastgrowingpale。Itcoveredherjealously,andshesettoworktoswim。

Thewaterwaswarmerthantheair。Shelayonherbackandsplashed,watchingtheskyflush。Tobathelikethisinthehalf—dark,withherhairfloatingout,andnowetclothesclingingtoherlimbs,gaveherthejoyofachilddoinganaughtything。Sheswamoutofherdepth,thenscaredatherownadventure,swaminagainasthesunrose。

Shedashedintohertwogarments,climbedthewall,andscurriedbacktothehouse。Allherdejection,andfeverishuncertaintyweregone;

shefeltkeen,fresh,terriblyhungry,andstealingintothedarkdining—room,beganrummagingforfood。Shefoundbiscuits,andwasstillmunching,whenintheopendoorwayshesawLordDennis,apistolinonehandandalightedcandleintheother。Withhiscarvedfeaturesandwhitebeardaboveanoldbluedressing—gown,helookedimpressive,havingatthemomentadistinctresemblancetoLadyCasterley,asthoughdangerhadarmouredhiminsteel。

"Youcallthisresting！"hesaid,dryly;then,lookingatherdrownedhair,added:"IseeyouhavealreadyentrustedyourtroubletothewatersofLethe。"

ButwithoutanswerBarbaravanishedintothedimhallandupthestairs。

CHAPTERIV

WhileBarbarawasswimmingtomeetthedawn,MiltounwasbathinginthosewatersofmansuetudeandtruthwhichrollfromwalltowallintheBritishHouseofCommons。

InthatlongdebateontheLandquestion,forwhichhehadwaitedtomakehisfirstspeech,hehadalreadyrisenninetimeswithoutcatchingtheSpeaker\'seye,andslowlyasenseofunrealitywascreepingoverhim。SurelythisgreatChamber,wherewithoutendrosethesmallsoundofasinglehumanvoice,andqueermechanicalburstsofapprobationandresentment,didnotexistatallbutasagiganticfancyofhisown！Andallthesefigureswerefigmentsofhisbrain！

Andwhenheatlastspoke,itwouldbehimselfalonethatheaddressed！Thetorpidairtaintedwithhumanbreath,theunwinkingstareofthecountlesslights,thelongrowsofseats,thequeerdistantroundsofpalelisteningfleshperchedupsohigh,theywereallemanationsofhimself！Eventhecomingandgoinginthegangwaywasbutthecomingandgoingoflittlewilfulpartsofhim！AndrustlingdeepdowninthisTitaniccreatureofhisfancywas\'themurmuration\'ofhisownunspokenspeech,sweepingawaythepuffballsofwordsflungupbythatfar—away,small,varyingvoice。