下载辰思小说免费APP
"Exceptionsprovetherule。"
"Hardcasesmakebadlaw。"
Courtiersmiled:"Iknewyouwerecomingoutwiththat。Idenythattheydowiththislaw,whichisaltogetherbehindthetimes。Youhadtherighttorescuethiswoman。"
"No,Courtier,ifwemustfight,letusfightonthenakedfacts。"
havenotrescuedanyone。Ihavemerelystolensoonerthanstarve。
ThatiswhyIcannotgoonpretendingtobeapattern。Ifitwereknown,Icouldnotretainmyseatanhour;Ican\'ttakeadvantageofanaccidentalsecrecy。Couldyou？"
Courtierwassilent;andwithhiseyesMiltounpressedonhim,asthoughhewoulddespatchhimwiththatglance。
"Icould,"saidCourtieratlast。"Whenthislaw,byenforcingspiritualadulteryonthosewhohavecometohatetheirmates,destroysthesanctityofthemarriedstate——theverysanctityitprofessestouphold,youmustexpecttohaveitbrokenbyreasoningmenandwomenwithouttheirfeelingshame,orlosingself—respect。"
InMiltountherewasrisingthatvastandsubtlepassionfordialecticcombat,whichwasofhisveryfibre。Hehadalmostlostthefeelingthatthiswashisownfuturebeingdiscussed。Hesawbeforehiminthissanguineman,whosevoiceandeyeshadsuchawhite—hotsoundandlook,theincarnationofallthathetemperamentallyopposed。
"That,"hesaid,"isdevil\'sadvocacy。Iadmitnoindividualasjudgeinhisowncase。"
"Ah！Nowwe\'recomingtoit。Bytheway,shallwegetoutofthisheat？"
Theywerenosoonerinthecoolerstreet,thanthevoiceofCourtierbeganagain:
"Distrustofhumannature,fear——it\'sthewholebasisofactionformenofyourstamp。Youdenytherightoftheindividualtojudge,becauseyou\'venofaithintheessentialgoodnessofmen;atheartyoubelievethembad。Yougivethemnofreedom,youallowthemnoconsent,becauseyoubelievethattheirdecisionswouldmovedownwards,andnotupwards。Well,it\'sthewholedifferencebetweenthearistocraticandthedemocraticviewoflife。Asyouoncetoldme,youhateandfearthecrowd。"
Miltouneyedthatsteadysanguinefaceaskance:
"Yes,"hesaid,"Idobelievethatmenareraisedinspiteofthemselves。"
"You\'rehonest。Bywhom？"
AgainMiltounfeltrisingwithinhimasortoffury。Onceforallhewouldslaythisred—hairedrebel;heansweredwithalmostsavageirony:
"Strangelyenough,bythatBeingtomentionwhomyouobject——workingthroughthemediumofthebest。"
"High—Priest！Lookatthatgirlslinkingalongthere,withhereyeonus;suppose,insteadofwithdrawingyourgarment,youwentoverandtalkedtoher,gothertotellyouwhatshereallyfeltandthought,you\'dfindthingsthatwouldastonishyou。Atbottom,mankindissplendid。Andthey\'reraised,sir,bytheaspirationthat\'sinallofthem。Haven\'tyouevernoticedthatpublicsentimentisalwaysinadvanceoftheLaw？"
"Andyou,"saidMiltoun,"arethemanwhoisneveronthesideofthemajority？"
Thechampionoflostcausesutteredashortlaugh。
"Notsologicalasallthat,"heanswered;"thewindstillblows;andLife\'snotasetofruleshungupinanoffice。Let\'ssee,wherearewe？"Theyhadbeenbroughttoastand—stillbyagrouponthepavementinfrontoftheQueen\'sHall:"Shallwegoin,andhearsomemusic,andcoolourtongues？"
Miltounnodded,andtheywentin。
Thegreatlightedhall,filledwiththefaintbluefishvapourfromhundredsoflittlerollsoftobaccoleaf,wascrowdedfromfloortoceiling。
Takinghisstandamongthestraw—hattedthrong,Miltounheardthatsteadyironicalvoicebehindhim:
"Profanumvulgus！Cometolistentothefinestpieceofmusiceverwritten！Folkwhomyouwouldn\'ttrustayardtoknowwhatwasgoodforthem！Deplorablesight,isn\'tit？"
Hemadenoanswer。ThefirstslownotesoftheseventhSymphonyofBeethovenhadbeguntostealforthacrossthebankofflowers;and,saveforthesteadyrisingofthatbluefishvapour,asitwereincenseburnttothegodofmelody,thecrowdhadbecomedeathlystill,asthoughonemind,onespirit,possessedeachpalefaceinclinedtowardsthatmusicrisingandfallinglikethesighingofthewinds,thatwelcomefromdeaththefreedspiritsofthebeautiful。
Whenthelastnoteshaddiedaway,heturnedandwalkedout。
"Well,"saidthevoicebehindhim,"hasn\'tthatshownyouhowthingsswellandgrow;howsplendidtheworldis？"
Miltounsmiled。
"Ithasshownmehowbeautifultheworldcanbemadebyagreatman。"
Andsuddenly,asifthemusichadloosenedsomebandwithinhim,hebegantopourforthwords:
"Lookatthecrowdinthisstreet,Courtier,whichofallcrowdsinthewholeworldcanbestaffordtobelefttoitself;securefrompestilence,earthquake,cyclone,drought,fromextremesofheatandcold,intheheartofthegreatestandsafestcityintheworld;andyet—seethefigureofthatpoliceman！Runningthroughallthegoodbehaviourofthiscrowd,howeversafeandfreeitlooks,thereis,therealwaysmustbe,acentralforceholdingittogether。Wheredoesthatcentralforcecomefrom？Fromthecrowditself,yousay。
Ianswer:No。LookbackattheoriginofhumanStates。Fromthebeginningsofthings,thebestmanhasbeentheunconsciousmediumofauthority,ofthecontrollingprinciple,ofthedivineforce;hefeltthatpowerwithinhim——physical,atfirst——heusedittotakethelead,hehasheldtheleadeversince,hemustalwaysholdit。Allyourprocessesofelection,yourso—calleddemocraticapparatus,areonlyablindtotheinquiring,asoptothehungry,asalvetotheprideoftherebellious。Theyaremerelysurfacemachinery;theycannotpreventthebestmanfromcomingtothetop;forthebestmanstandsnearesttotheDeity,andisthefirsttoreceivethewavesthatcomefromHim。I\'mnotspeakingofheredity。Thebestmanisnotnecessarilyborninmyclass,andI,atallevents,donotbelieveheisanymorefrequenttherethaninotherclasses。"
Hestoppedassuddenlyashehadbegun。
"Youneedn\'tbeafraid,"answeredCourtier,"thatItakeyouforanaveragespecimen。You\'reatoneend,andIattheother,andweprobablybothmissthegoldenmark。Buttheworldisnotruledbypower,andthefearwhichpowerproduces,asyouthink,it\'sruledbylove。Societyisheldtogetherbythenaturaldecencyinman,byfellow—feeling。Thedemocraticprinciple,whichyoudespise,atrootmeansnothingatallbutthat。Manlefttohimselfisontheupwardlay。Ifitweren\'tso,doyouimagineforamomentyour\'boysinblue\'couldkeeporder？Amanknowsunconsciouslywhathecanandwhathecan\'tdo,withoutlosinghisself—respect。Hesucksthatknowledgeinwitheverybreath。Lawsandauthorityarenotthebe—
allandend—all,theyareconveniences,machinery,conduitpipes,mainroads。They\'renotofthestructureofthebuilding——they\'reonlyscaffolding。"
Miltounlungedoutwiththeretort"Withoutwhichnobuildingcouldbebuilt。"
Courtierparried。
"That\'sratherdifferent,myfriend,fromidentifyingthemwiththebuilding。Theyarethingstobetakendownasfastasevertheycanbeclearedaway,tomakeroomforanedificethatbeginsonearth,notinthesky。Allthescaffoldingoflawismerelytheretosavetime,topreventthetemple,asitmounts,fromlosingitsway,andstrayingoutofform。"
"No,"saidMiltoun,"no！Thescaffolding,asyoucallit,isthematerialprojectionofthearchitect\'sconception,withoutwhichthetempledoesnotandcannotrise;andthearchitectisGod,workingthroughthemindsandspiritsmostakintoHimself。"
"Wearenowatthebed—rock,"criedCourtier,"yourGodisoutsidethisworld。Minewithinit。"
"Andneverthetwainshallmeet！"
InthesilencethatfollowedMiltounsawthattheywereinLeicesterSquare,allquietasyetbeforethetheatreshaddisgorged;quietyetwaiting,withthelights,likeyellowstarslow—drivenfromthedarkheavens,clingingtothewhiteshapesofmusic—hallsandcafes,andasortofflyingglamourblanchingthestillfoliageoftheplanetrees。
"A\'whitelywanton\'——thisSquare！"saidCourtier:"Aliveasaface;
noendtoitsqueerbeauty！And,byJove,ifyouwentdeepenough,you\'dfindgoodnessevenhere。"
"Andyou\'dignorethevice,"Miltounanswered。
Hefeltwearyallofasudden,anxioustogettohisrooms,unwillingtocontinuethisbattleofwords,thatbroughthimnonearertorelief。Itwaswithstrangelassitudethatheheardthevoicestillspeaking:
"Wemustmakeanightofit,sinceto—morrowwedie……Youwouldcurblicencefromwithout——Ifromwithin。WhenIgetupandwhenI
gotobed,whenIdrawabreath,seeaface,oraflower,oratree——
ifIdidn\'tfeelthatIwaslookingontheDeity,IbelieveIshouldquitthispalaceofvarieties,fromsheerboredom。You,I
understand,can\'tlookonyourGod,unlessyouwithdrawintosomehighplace。Isn\'titabitlonelythere？"
"Thereareworsethingsthanloneliness。"Andtheywalkedon,insilence;tillsuddenlyMiltounbrokeout:
"Youtalkoftyranny！Whattyrannycouldequalthistyrannyofyourfreedom？Whattyrannyintheworldlikethatofthis\'free\'vulgar,narrowstreet,withitshundredjournalsteeminglikeants\'nests,toproduce—what？Intheentrailsofthatcreatureofyourfreedom,Courtier,thereisroomneitherforexaltation,discipline,norsacrifice;thereisroomonlyforcommerce,andlicence。"
Therewasnoanswerforamoment;andfromthosetallhouses,whoselightedwindowshehadapostrophized,Miltounturnedawaytowardstheriver。"No,"saidthevoicebesidehim,"forallitsfaults,thewindblowsinthatstreet,andthere\'sachanceforeverything。ByGod,Iwouldratherseeafewstarsstruggleoutinablackskythananyofyourperfectartificiallighting。"
AndsuddenlyitseemedtoMiltounthathecouldneverfreehimselffromtheechoesofthatvoice——itwasnotworthwhiletotry。"Wearerepeatingourselves,"hesaid,dryly。
Theriver\'sblackwaterwasmakingstilly,slowrecessionalunderahalf—moon。Beneaththecloakofnightthechaosonthefarbank,theformsofcranes,highbuildings,jetties,thebodiesofthesleepingbarges,a——millionqueerdarkshapes,wereinvestedwithemotion。
Allwasreligiousoutthere,allbeautiful,allstrange。Andoverthisgreatquietfriendofman,lamps——thosehumbleflowersofnight,werethrowingdownthefaintcontinualglamouroffallenpetals;andasweet—scentedwindstolealongfromtheWest,veryslowasyet,bringinginadvancethetremorandperfumeoftheinnumerabletreesandfieldswhichtheriverhadlovedasshecameby。
Amurmurthatwasnotruesound,butlikethewhisperofaheartto。
aheart,accompaniedthisvoyageofthedarkwater。
Thenasmallbluntskiff——mannedbytworowerscamebyunderthewall,withthethuddingandthecreakofoars。
"So\'To—morrowwedie\'？"saidMiltoun:"Youmean,Isuppose,that\'publiclife\'isthebreathofmynostrils,andImustdie,becauseI
giveitup？"
Courtiernodded。
"AmIrightinthinkingthatitwasmyyoungsisterwhosentyouonthiscrusade？"
Courtierdidnotanswer。
"Andso,"Miltounwenton,lookinghimthroughandthrough;
"to—morrowistobeyourlastday,too？Well,you\'rerighttogo。
Sheisnotanuglyduckling,whocanliveoutofthesocialpond;
she\'llalwayswanthernativeelement。Andnow,we\'llsaygoodbye！
Whateverhappenstousboth,Ishallrememberthisevening。"
Smiling,heputouthishand\'Moriturustesaluto。\'
CHAPTERXXIII
CourtiersatinHydeParkwaitingforfiveo\'clock。Thedayhadrecoveredsomewhatfromagreymorning,asthoughtheglowofthatlonghotsummerweretooburnt—inontheairtoyieldtothefirstassault。Thesun,piercingthecrispedclouds,thosebreastfeathersofheavenlydoves,darteditsbeamsatthemellowedleaves,andshoweredtothegroundtheirdelicateshadowstains。Thefirst,tooearly,scentfromleavesabouttofall,penetratedtotheheart。Andsorrowfulsweetbirdsweretuningtheirlittleautumnpipes,blowingintothemfragmentsofSpringodestoLiberty。
CourtierthoughtofMiltounandhismistress。Bywhatastrangefatehadthosetwobeenthrowntogether;towhatendwastheirlovecoming？Theseedsofgriefwerealreadysown,whatflowersofdarkness,oroftumultwouldcomeup？Hesawheragainasalittle,grave,consideringchild,withhersofteyes,setwideapartunderthedarkarchedbrows,andthelittletuckatthecornerofhermouththatusedtocomewhenheteasedher。Andtothatgentlecreaturewhowouldsoonerdiethanforceanyonetoanything,hadbeengiventhisqueerlover;thisaristocratbybirthandnature,withthedriedferventsoul,whoseeveryfibrehadbeenbredandtrainedinandtotheserviceofAuthority;thisrejecteroftheUnityofLife;thisworshipperofanoldGod！AGodthatstood,whipinhand,drivingmentoobedience。AGodthatevennowCourtiercouldconjureupstaringathimfromthewallsofhisnursery。TheGodhisownfatherhadbelievedin。AGodoftheOldTestament,knowingneithersympathynorunderstanding。StrangethatHeshouldbealivestill;
thatthereshouldstillbethousandswhoworshippedHim。Yet,notsoverystrange,if,astheysaid,manmadeGodinhisownimage！HereindeedwasacuriousmatingofwhatthephilosopherswouldcallthewilltoLove,andthewilltoPower！
Asoldierandhisgirlcameandsatdownonabenchcloseby。Theylookedaskanceatthistrimanduprightfigurewiththefightingface;then,somesubtlethinginformingthemthathewasnotofthedisturbingbreedcalledofficer,theyceasedtoregardhim,abandoningthemselvestodumbandinexpressivefelicity。Arminarm,touchingeachother,theyseemedtoCourtierveryjolly,havingthatlookoflivingentirelyinthemoment,whichalwaysespeciallyappealedtoonewhosebloodrantoofasttoallowhimtospeculatemuchuponthefutureorbroodmuchoverthepast。
Aleaffromtheboughabovehim,loosenedbythesun\'skisses,dropped,andfellyellowathisfeet。Theleaveswereturningverysoon。？
Itwascharacteristicofthisman,whocouldbesohotoverthelostcausesofothers,that,sittingtherewithinhalfanhourofthefinallossofhisowncause,hecouldbesocalm,soalmostapathetic。Thisapathywaspartlyduetothehopelessness,whichNaturehadlongperceived,oftryingtomakehimfeeloppressed,butalsotothehabitsofamanincurablyaccustomedtocarryinghisfortunesinhishand,andthathandopen。Itdidnotseemrealtohimthathewasactuallygoingtosufferadefeat,tohavetoconfessthathehadhankeredafterthisgirlallthesepastweeks,andthatto—morrowallwouldbewasted,andsheasdeadtohimasifhehadneverseenher。No,itwasnotexactlyresignation,itwasrathersheerlackofcommercialinstinct。Ifonlythishadbeenthelostcauseofanotherperson。Howgallantlyhewouldhaverushedtotheassault,andtakenherbystorm！Ifonlyhehimselfcouldhavebeenthatotherperson,howeasily,howpassionatelycouldhenothavepleaded,lettingforthfromhimallthosewordswhichhadknockedathisteetheversinceheknewher,andwhichwouldhaveseemedsoridiculousandsounworthy,spokenonhisownbehalf。Yes,forthatotherpersonhecouldhavecutheroutfromunderthegunsoftheenemy;hecouldhavetakenher,thatfairestprize。
Andinqueer,cheery—lookingapathy——notfarremovedperhapsfromdespair——hesat,watchingtheleavesturnoverandfall,andnowandthencuttingwithhisstickattheair,whereautumnwasalreadyriding。And,ifinimaginationhesawhimselfcarryingherawayintothewilderness,andwithhisdevotionmakingherhappinesstogrow,itwassofaraflight,thatasmilecreptabouthislips,andonceortwicehesnappedhisjaws。
Thesoldierandhisgirlrose,passinginfrontofhimdowntheRow。
Hewatchedtheirscarletandbluefigures,movingslowlytowardsthesun,andanothercoupleclosetotherails,crossingthoserecedingforms。Verystraightandtall,therewassomethingexhilaratinginthewaythisnewcoupleswungalong,holdingtheirheadsup,turningtowardseachother,toexchangewordsorsmiles。Evenatthatdistancetheycouldbeseentobeofhighfashion;intheirgaitwasthealmostinsolentpoiseofthosewhoareabovedoubtsandcares,certainoftheworldandofthemselves。Thegirl\'sdresswastawnybrown,herhairandhattooofthesamehue,andthepursuingsunlightendowedherwithahazysplendour。Then,Courtiersawwhotheywere——thatcouple！
Exceptforanunconsciousgrindingofhisteeth,hemadenosoundormovement,sothattheywentbywithoutseeinghim。Hervoice,thoughnotthewords,cametohimdistinctly。HesawherhandslipupunderHarbinger\'sarmandswiftlydownagain。Asmile,ofwhoseexistencehewasunaware,settledonhislips。Hegotup,shookhimself,asadogshakesoffabeating,andwalkedaway,withhismouthsetveryfirm。
CHAPTERXXIV
LeftaloneamongthelittlemahoganytablesofGustard\'s,wherethescentofcakeandoforange—flowerwatermadehappyalltheair,Barbarahadsatforsomeminutes,hereyescastdown——asachildfromwhomatoyhasbeentakencontemplatestheground,notknowingpreciselywhatsheisfeeling。Then,payingoneofthemiddle—agedfemales,shewentoutintotheSquare。ThereaGermanbandwasplayingDelibes\'Coppelia;andthemurderedtunecamehauntingher,averyghostofincongruity。
ShewentstraightbacktoValleysHouse。IntheroomwherethreehoursagoshehadbeenleftaloneafterlunchwithHarbinger,hersisterwasseatedinthewindow,lookingdecidedlyupset。Infact,Agathahadjustspentanawkwardhour。Chancing,withlittleAnn,intothatconfectioner\'swhereshecouldbestobtainaparticularlygummysweetwhichshebelievedwholesomeforherchildren,shehadbeenengagedinpurchasingapound,whenlookingdown,sheperceivedAnnstandingstock—still,withhersuddenlittlenosepointeddowntheshop,andhermouthopening;glancinginthedirectionofthosefrank,enquiringeyes,Agathasawtoheramazementhersister,andamanwhomsherecognizedasCourtier。Withareadinesswhichdidhercompletecredit,sheplacedasweetinAnn\'smouth,andsayingtothemiddle—agedfemale:"Thenyou\'llsendthose,please。Come,Ann！"
wentout。Shocksnevercomingsingly,shehadnosoonerreachedhome,thanfromherfathershelearnedofthedevelopmentofMiltoun\'sloveaffair。WhenBarbarareturned,shewassitting,unfeignedlydisturbedandgrieved;unabletodecidewhetherornosheoughttodivulgewhatsheherselfhadseen,butwithalbuoyed—upbythatpeculiarindignationoftheessentiallydomesticwoman,whoseidealshavebeenoutraged。
JudgingatoncefromtheexpressionofherfacethatshemusthaveheardthenewsofMiltoun,Barbarasaid:
"Well,mydearAngel,anylectureforme？"
Agathaansweredcoldly:
"IthinkyouwerequitemadtotakeMrs。Noeltohim。"
"Thewholedutyofwoman,"murmuredBarbara,"includesalittlemadness。"
Agathalookedatherinsilence。
"Ican\'tmakeyouout,"shesaidatlast;"you\'renotafool！"
"Onlyaknave。"
"YoumaythinkitrighttojokeovertheruinofMiltoun\'slife,"
murmuredAgatha;"Idon\'t。"
Barbara\'seyesgrewbright;andinahardvoicesheanswered:
"Theworldisnotyournursery,Angel！"
Agathaclosedherlipsverytightly,aswhoshouldimply:"Thenitoughttobe！"Butsheonlyanswered:
"Idon\'tthinkyouknowthatIsawyoujustnowinGustard\'s。"
Barbaraeyedherforamomentinamazement,andbegantolaugh。
"Isee,"shesaid;"monstrousdepravity——pooroldGustard\'s！"Andstilllaughingthatdangerouslaugh,sheturnedonherheelandwentout。
Atdinnerandafterwardsthateveningshewasverysilent,havingonherfacethesamelookthatsheworeouthunting,especiallywhenindifficultiesofanykind,orifadvisedto\'takeapull。\'Whenshegotawaytoherownroomshehadalongingtorelieveherselfbysomekindofactionthatwouldhurtsomeone,ifonlyherself。Togotobedandtossaboutinafever——forsheknewherselfinthesethwartedmoods——wasofnouse！Foramomentshethoughtofgoingout。Thatwouldbefun,andhurtthem,too;butitwasdifficult。Shedidnotwanttobeseen,andhavethehumiliationofanopenrow。Thentherecameintoherheadthememoryoftheroofofthetower,whereshehadoncebeenasalittlegirl。Shewouldbeintheairthere,shewouldbeabletobreathe,togetridofthisfeverishness。Withtheunhappypleasureofaspoiledchildtakingitsrevenge,shetookcaretoleaveherbedroomdooropen,sothathermaidwouldwonderwhereshewas,andperhapsbeanxious,andmakethemanxious。Slippingthroughthemoonlitpicturegalleryontothelanding,outsideherfather\'ssanctum,whencerosethestonestaircaseleadingtotheroof,shebegantomount。Shewasbreathlesswhen,afterthatunendingflightofstairssheemergedontotheroofattheextremenorthernendofthebighouse,where,belowher,wasasheerdropofahundredfeet。Atfirstshestood,alittlegiddy,graspingtherailthatranroundthatgardenoflead,stillabsorbedinherbrooding,rebelliousthoughts。Graduallyshelostconsciousnessofeverythingsavethescenebeforeher。Highaboveallneighbouringhouses,shewasalmostappalledbythemajestyofwhatshesaw。Thisnight—clothedcity,soremoteanddark,sowhite—gleamingandalive,onwhosepurplehillsandvalleysgrewsuchmyriadgoldenflowersoflight,fromwhoseheartcamethisdeepincessantmurmur——coulditpossiblybethesamecitythroughwhichshehadbeenwalkingthatveryday！Fromitssleepingbodythesupremewistfulspirithademergedindarkloveliness,andwaslow—flyingdownthere,temptingher。Barbaraturnedround,totakeinallthatamazingprospect,fromtheblackgladesofHydePark,infront,tothepowderywhiteghostofachurchtower,awaytotheEast。Howmarvellouswasthiscityofnight！Andas,inpresenceofthatwidedarknessoftheseabeforedawn,herspirithadfeltlittleandtimidwithinher——soitfeltnow,infaceofthisgreat,brooding,beautifulcreature,whommanhadmade。ShesingledouttheshapesofthePiccadillyhotels,andbeyondthemthepalacesandtowersofWestminsterandWhitehall;
andeverywheretheinextricablelovelinessofdimblueformsandsinuouspallidlinesoflight,underanindigo—darksky。Nearathand,shecouldseeplainlythestill—lightedwindows,themotorcarsglidingbyfardown,eventhetinyshapesofpeoplewalking;andthethoughtthateachofthemmeantsomeonelikeherself,seemedstrange。
Drinkingofthiswonder—cup,shebegantoexperienceaqueerintoxication,andlostthesenseofbeinglittle;rathershehadthefeelingofpower,asinherdreamatMonkland。Shetoo,aswellasthisgreatthingbelowher,seemedtohaveshedherbody,tobeemancipatedfromeverybarrier—floatingdeliciouslyidentifiedwithair。Sheseemedtobeonewiththeenfranchisedspiritofthecity,drownedinperceptionofitsbeauty。Thenallthatfeelingwent,andleftherfrowning,shivering,thoughthewindfromtheWestwaswarm。
Herwholeadventureofcominguphereseemedbizarre,ridiculous。
Verystealthilyshecreptdown,andhadreachedoncemorethedoorinto\'thepicturegallery,whensheheardhermother\'svoicesayinamazement:"Thatyou,Babs？"Andturning,sawhercomingfromthedoorwayofthesanctum。
Ofasuddenverycool,withallherfacultiesabouther,Barbarasmiled,andstoodlookingatLadyValleys,whosaidwithhesitation:
"Comeinhere,dear,aminute,willyou？"
Inthatroomresortedtoforcomfort,LordValleyswasstandingwithhisbacktothehearth,andanexpressiononhisfacethatwaveredbetweenvexationanddecision。ThedoubtinAgatha\'smindwhethersheshouldtellorno,hadbeenterriblyresolvedbylittleAnn,whoinapauseofconversationhadannounced:"WesawAuntieBabsandMr。
CourtierinGustard\'s,butwedidn\'tspeaktothem。"
Upsetbytheeventsoftheafternoon,LadyValleyshadnotshownherusual\'savoirfaire\'。Shehadtoldherhusband。Ameetingofthissortinashopcelebratedforlittlesaveitsweddingcakeswasinasenseofnoimportance;but,beingdisturbedalreadybythenewsofMiltoun,itseemedtothembothnothinglessthansinister,asthoughtheheavenswereinleagueforthedemolitionoftheirhouse。ToLordValleysitwaspeculiarlymortifying,becauseofhisrealadmirationforhisdaughter,andbecausehehadpaidsolittleattentiontohiswife\'swarningofsomeweeksback。Inconsultation,however,theyhadonlysucceededindecidingthatLadyValleysshouldtalkwithher。Thoughwithoutmuchspiritualinsight,theyhad,eachofthem,acertaincooljudgment;andwerefullyalivetothedangerofthwartingBarbara。ThishadnotpreventedLordValleysfromexpressinghimselfstronglyonthe\'confoundedunscrupulousnessofthatfellow,\'andsecretlyforminghisownplanfordealingwiththismatter。LadyValleys,moredeeplyconversantwithherdaughter\'snature,andbyreasonoffemininitymorelenienttowardstheothersex,hadnottriedtoexcuseCourtier,buthadthoughtprivately:
\'Babsisratheraflirt。\'Forshecouldnotaltogetherhelprememberingherselfatthesameage。
Summonedthusunexpectedly,Barbara,herlipsveryfirmlypressedtogether,tookherstand,coollyenough,byherfather\'swriting—
table。
Seeinghersuddenlyappear,LordValleysinstinctivelyrelaxedhisfrown;hisexperienceofmenandthings,histhousandsofdiplomatichours,servedtogivehimanairofcoolnessanddetachmentwhichhewasveryfarfromfeeling。Intruthhewouldratherhavefacedahostilemobthanhisfavouritedaughterinsuchcircumstances。Histannedfacewithitscrispgreymoustache,hiswholeheadindeed,tookon,unconsciously,amorethanordinarilysoldierlikeappearance。Hiseyelidsdroopedalittle,hisbrowsroseslightly。
Shewaswearingabluewrapoverhereveningfrock,andheseizedinstinctivelyonthatindifferenttrifletobeginthistalk。
"Ah！Babs,haveyoubeenout？"
Alivetoherveryfinger—nails,witheverynervetingling,butshowingnosign,Barbaraanswered:
"No;ontheroofofthetower。"
Itgaveherarealmaliciouspleasuretofeeltheperplexitybeneathherfather\'sdignifiedexterior。Anddetectingthatcovertmockery,LordValleyssaiddryly:
"Star—gazing？"
Then,withthatsuddenresolutionpeculiartohim,asthoughhewereboredwithhavingtodelayandtemporize,headded:
"Doyouknow,Idoubtwhetherit\'swisetomakeappointmentsinconfectioner\'sshopswhenAnnisinLondon。"
ThedangerouslittlegleaminBarbara\'seyesescapedhisvisionbutnotthatofLadyValleys,whosaidatonce:
"Nodoubtyouhadthebestofreasons,mydear。"
Barbaracurledherlip。HaditnotbeenforthescenetheyhadbeenthroughthatdaywithMiltoun,andfortheirveryrealanxiety,bothwouldhaveseen,then,thatwhiletheirdaughterwasinthismood,leastsaidwassoonestmended。Buttheirnerveswerenotquitewithincontrol;andwithmorethanatouchofimpatienceLordValleysejaculated:
"Itdoesn\'tappeartoyou,Isuppose,torequireanyexplanation？"
Barbaraanswered:
"No。"
"Ah！"saidLordValleys:"Isee。Anexplanationcanbehadnodoubtfromthegentlemanwhosesenseofproportionwassuchastocausehimtosuggestsuchathing。"
"Hedidnotsuggestit。Idid。"
LordValleys\'eyebrowsrosestillhigher。
"Indeed！"hesaid。
"Geoffrey！"murmuredLadyValleys,"IthoughtIwastotalktoBabs。"
"Itwouldnodoubtbewiser。"
