第2章

ThentheFourSeriousSongsrangshallowinMargaret\'sears。Brahms，forallhisgrumblingandgrizzling，hadneverguessedwhatitfeltliketobesuspectedofstealinganumbrella。ForthisfoolofayoungmanthoughtthatsheandHelenandTibbyhadbeenplayingtheconfidencetrickonhim，andthatifhegavehisaddresstheywouldbreakintohisroomssomemidnightorotherandstealhiswalkingsticktoo。Mostladieswouldhavelaughed，butMargaretreallyminded，foritgaveheraglimpseintosqualor。Totrustpeopleisaluxuryinwhichonlythewealthycanindulge；thepoorcannotaffordit。

AssoonasBrahmshadgruntedhimselfout，shegavehimhercardandsaid，“Thatiswherewelive；ifyoupreferred，youcouldcallfortheumbrellaaftertheconcert，butIdidn\'tliketotroubleyouwhenithasallbeenourfault。“

HisfacebrightenedalittlewhenhesawthatWickhamPlacewasW。Itwassadtoseehimcorrodedwithsuspicion，andyetnotdaringtobeimpolite，incasethesewell-dressedpeoplewerehonestafterall。Shetookitasagoodsignthathesaidtoher，“It\'safineprogrammethisafternoon，isitnot？“forthiswastheremarkwithwhichhehadoriginallyopened，beforetheumbrellaintervened。

“TheBeethoven\'sfine，“saidMargaret，whowasnotafemaleoftheencouragingtype。“Idon\'tliketheBrahms，though，northeMendelssohnthatcamefirst——andugh！Idon\'tlikethisElgarthat\'scoming。“

“What，what？“calledHerrLiesecke，overhearing。

“ThePompandCircumstancewillnotbefine？“

“Oh，Margaret，youtiresomegirl！“criedheraunt。

“HerehaveIbeenpersuadingHerrLiesecketostopforPompandCircumstance，andyouareundoingallmywork。Iamsoanxiousforhimtohearwhatwearedoinginmusic。Oh，youmustn\'trundownourEnglishcomposers，Margaret。“

“Formypart，IhaveheardthecompositionatStettin，“

saidFrä；uleinMosebach。“Ontwooccasions。Itisdramatic，alittle。“

“Frieda，youdespiseEnglishmusic。Youknowyoudo。AndEnglishart。AndEnglishLiterature，exceptShakespeareandhe\'saGerman。Verywell，Frieda，youmaygo。“

Theloverslaughedandglancedateachother。

Movedbyacommonimpulse，theyrosetotheirfeetandfledfromPompandCircumstance。

“WehavethiscalltoplayinFinsburyCircus，itistrue，“saidHerrLiesecke，asheedgedpastherandreachedthegangwayjustasthemusicstarted。

“Margaret——“loudlywhisperedbyAuntJuley。

“Margaret，Margaret！Frä；uleinMosebachhasleftherbeautifullittlebagbehindherontheseat。“

Sureenough，therewasFrieda\'sreticule，containingheraddressbook，herpocketdictionary，hermapofLondon，andhermoney。

“Oh，whatabother——whatafamilyweare！

Fr-Frieda！“

“Hush！“saidallthosewhothoughtthemusicfine。

“Butit\'sthenumbertheywantinFinsburyCircus——“

“MightI——couldn\'tI——“saidthesuspiciousyoungman，andgotveryred。

“Oh，Iwouldbesograteful。“

Hetookthebag——moneyclinkinginsideit——andslippedupthegangwaywithit。Hewasjustintimetocatchthemattheswing-door，andhereceivedaprettysmilefromtheGermangirlandafinebowfromhercavalier。Hereturnedtohisseatup-sideswiththeworld。Thetrustthattheyhadreposedinhimwastrivial，buthefeltthatitcancelledhismistrustforthem，andthatprobablyhewouldnotbe“had“overhisumbrella。Thisyoungmanhadbeen“had“inthepast——badly，perhapsoverwhelmingly——andnowmostofhisenergieswentindefendinghimselfagainsttheunknown。Butthisafternoon——perhapsonaccountofmusic——heperceivedthatonemustslackoffoccasionally，orwhatisthegoodofbeingalive？WickhamPlace，W。，thougharisk，wasassafeasmostthings，andhewouldriskit。

SowhentheconcertwasoverandMargaretsaid，“Welivequitenear；Iamgoingtherenow。Couldyouwalkaroundwithme，andwe\'llfindyourumbrella？“hesaid，“Thankyou，“peaceably，andfollowedheroutoftheQueen\'sHall。Shewishedthathewasnotsoanxioustohandaladydownstairs，ortocarryalady\'sprogrammeforher——hisclasswasnearenoughherownforitsmannerstovexher。

Butshefoundhiminterestingonthewhole——everyoneinterestedtheSchlegelsonthewholeatthattime——andwhileherlipstalkedculture，herheartwasplanningtoinvitehimtotea。

“Howtiredonegetsaftermusic！“shebegan。

“DoyoufindtheatmosphereofQueen\'sHalloppressive？“

“Yes，horribly。“

“ButsurelytheatmosphereofCoventGardenisevenmoreoppressive。“

“Doyougotheremuch？“

“Whenmyworkpermits，Iattendthegalleryfor，theRoyalOpera。“

Helenwouldhaveexclaimed，“SodoI。Ilovethegallery，“andthushaveendearedherselftotheyoungman。Helencoulddothesethings。ButMargarethadanalmostmorbidhorrorof“drawingpeopleout，“of“makingthingsgo。“ShehadbeentothegalleryatCoventGarden，butshedidnot“attend“it，preferringthemoreexpensiveseats；stilllessdidsheloveit。Soshemadenoreply。

“ThisyearIhavebeenthreetimes——toFaust，Tosca，and——“Wasit“Tannhouser“or“Tannhoyser“？Betternotrisktheword。

MargaretdislikedToscaandFaust。

Andso，foronereasonandanother，theywalkedoninsilence，chaperonedbythevoiceofMrs。Munt，whowasgettingintodifficultieswithhernephew。

“Idoinawayrememberthepassage，Tibby，butwheneveryinstrumentissobeautiful，itisdifficulttopickoutonethingratherthananother。IamsurethatyouandHelentakemetotheverynicestconcerts。Notadullnotefrombeginningtoend。IonlywishthatourGermanfriendswouldhavestayedtillitfinished。“

“Butsurelyyouhaven\'tforgottenthedrumsteadilybeatingonthelowC，AuntJuley？“cameTibby\'svoice。“Noonecould。

It\'sunmistakable。“

“Aspeciallyloudpart？“hazardedMrs。Munt。

“OfcourseIdonotgoinforbeingmusical，“sheadded，theshotfailing。

“Ionlycareformusic——averydifferentthing。ButstillIwillsaythisformyself——IdoknowwhenIlikeathingandwhenIdon\'t。

Somepeoplearethesameaboutpictures。Theycangointoapicturegallery——MissCondercan——andsaystraightoffwhattheyfeel，allroundthewall。Inevercoulddothat。Butmusicissodifferenttopictures，tomymind。WhenitcomestomusicIamassafeashouses，andIassureyou，Tibby，Iambynomeanspleasedbyeverything。

Therewasathing——somethingaboutafauninFrench——whichHelenwentintoecstasiesover，butIthoughtitmosttinklingandsuperficial，andsaidso，andIheldtomyopiniontoo。“

“Doyouagree？“askedMargaret。“Doyouthinkmusicissodifferenttopictures？“

“I——Ishouldhavethoughtso，kindof，“hesaid。

“SoshouldI。Now，mysisterdeclaresthey\'rejustthesame。Wehavegreatargumentsoverit。ShesaysI\'mdense；

Isayshe\'ssloppy。“Gettingunderway，shecried:“Now，doesn\'titseemabsurdtoyou？WhatisthegoodoftheArtsiftheyareinterchangeable？

Whatisthegoodoftheearifittellsyouthesameastheeye？

Helen\'soneaimistotranslatetunesintothelanguageofpainting，andpicturesintothelanguageofmusic。It\'sveryingenious，andshesaysseveralprettythingsintheprocess，butwhat\'sgained，I\'dliketoknow？Oh，it\'sallrubbish，radicallyfalse。IfMonet\'sreallyDebussy，andDebussy\'sreallyMonet，neithergentlemanisworthhissalt——that\'smyopinion。

Evidentlythesesistersquarrelled。

“Now，thisverysymphonythatwe\'vejustbeenhaving——shewon\'tletitalone。Shelabelsitwithmeaningsfromstarttofinish；

turnsitintoliterature。Iwonderifthedaywilleverreturnwhenmusicwillbetreatedasmusic。YetIdon\'tknow。There\'smybrother——behindus。Hetreatsmusicasmusic，andoh，mygoodness！

Hemakesmeangrierthananyone，simplyfurious。WithhimIdaren\'tevenargue。“

Anunhappyfamily，iftalented。

“But，ofcourse，therealvillainisWagner。

Hehasdonemorethananymaninthenineteenthcenturytowardsthemuddlingofarts。Idofeelthatmusicisinaveryseriousstatejustnow，thoughextraordinarilyinteresting。Everynowandtheninhistorytheredocometheseterriblegeniuses，likeWagner，whostirupallthewellsofthoughtatonce。Foramomentit\'ssplendid。Suchasplashasneverwas。Butafterwards——suchalotofmud；andthewells——asitwere，theycommunicatewitheachothertooeasilynow，andnotoneofthemwillrunquiteclear。That\'swhatWagner\'sdone。“

Herspeechesflutteredawayfromtheyoungmanlikebirds。Ifonlyhecouldtalklikethis，hewouldhavecaughttheworld。Ohtoacquireculture！Oh，topronounceforeignnamescorrectly！Oh，tobewellinformed，discoursingateaseoneverysubjectthataladystarted！Butitwouldtakeoneyears。Withanhouratlunchandafewshatteredhoursintheevening，howwasitpossibletocatchupwithleisuredwomen，whohadbeenreadingsteadilyfromchildhood？

Hisbrainmightbefullofnames，hemighthaveevenheardofMonetandDebussy；thetroublewasthathecouldnotstringthemtogetherintoasentence，hecouldnotmakethem“tell，“hecouldnotquiteforgetabouthisstolenumbrella。Yes，theumbrellawastherealtrouble。

BehindMonetandDebussytheumbrellapersisted，withthesteadybeatofadrum。“Isupposemyumbrellawillbeallright，“hewasthinking。

“Idon\'treallymindaboutit。Iwillthinkaboutmusicinstead。

Isupposemyumbrellawillbeallright。“Earlierintheafternoonhehadworriedaboutseats。Oughthetohavepaidasmuchastwoshillings？

Earlierstillhehadwondered，“ShallItrytodowithoutaprogramme？“

Therehadalwaysbeensomethingtoworryhimeversincehecouldremember，alwayssomethingthatdistractedhiminthepursuitofbeauty。Forhedidpursuebeauty，andtherefore，Margaret\'sspeechesdidflutterawayfromhimlikebirds。

Margarettalkedahead，occasionallysaying，“Don\'tyouthinkso？don\'tyoufeelthesame？“Andonceshestopped，andsaid“Oh，dointerruptme！“whichterrifiedhim。Shedidnotattracthim，thoughshefilledhimwithawe。Herfigurewasmeagre，herfaceseemedallteethandeyes，herreferencestohersisterandbrotherwereuncharitable。Forallherclevernessandculture，shewasprobablyoneofthosesoulless，atheisticalwomenwhohavebeensoshownupbyMissCorelli。Itwassurprising(andalarming)thatsheshouldsuddenlysay，“Idohopethatyou\'llcomeinandhavesometea。“

“Idohopethatyou\'llcomeinandhavesometea。

Weshouldbesoglad。Ihavedraggedyousofaroutofyourway。“

TheyhadarrivedatWickhamPlace。Thesunhadset，andthebackwater，indeepshadow，wasfillingwithagentlehaze。

Totherightofthefantasticskylineoftheflatstoweredblackagainstthehuesofevening；tothelefttheolderhousesraisedasquare-cut，irregularparapetagainstthegrey。Margaretfumbledforherlatchkey。

Ofcourseshehadforgottenit。So，graspingherumbrellabyitsferrule，sheleantovertheareaandtappedatthedining-roomwindow。

“Helen！Letusin！“

“Allright，“saidavoice。

“You\'vebeentakingthisgentleman\'sumbrella。“

“Takenawhat？“saidHelen，openingthedoor。

“Oh，what\'sthat？Docomein！Howdoyoudo？“

“Helen，youmustnotbesoramshackly。Youtookthisgentleman\'sumbrellaawayfromQueen\'sHall，andhehashadthetroubleofcomingforit。“

“Oh，Iamsosorry！“criedHelen，allherhairflying。

Shehadpulledoffherhatassoonasshereturned，andhadflungherselfintothebigdining-roomchair。“Idonothingbutstealumbrellas。

Iamsoverysorry！Docomeinandchooseone。Isyoursahookyoranobbly？Mine\'sanobbly——atleast，Ithinkitis。“

Thelightwasturnedon，andtheybegantosearchthehall，Helen，whohadabruptlypartedwiththeFifthSymphony，commentingwithshrilllittlecries。

“Don\'tyoutalk，Meg！Youstoleanoldgentleman\'ssilktop-hat。Yes，shedid，AuntJuley。Itisapositivefact。

Shethoughtitwasamuff。Oh，heavens！I\'veknockedtheInandOutcarddown。Where\'sFrieda？Tibby，whydon\'tyouever——No，Ican\'trememberwhatIwasgoingtosay。Thatwasn\'tit，butdotellthemaidstohurryteaup。Whataboutthisumbrella？“

Sheopenedit。“No，it\'sallgonealongtheseams。It\'sanappallingumbrella。Itmustbemine。“

Butitwasnot。

Hetookitfromher，murmuredafewwordsofthanks，andthenfled，withtheliltingstepoftheclerk。

“Butifyouwillstop——“criedMargaret。“Now，Helen，howstupidyou\'vebeen！“

“WhateverhaveIdone？“

“Don\'tyouseethatyou\'vefrightenedhimaway？

Imeanthimtostoptotea。Yououghtn\'ttotalkaboutstealingorholesinanumbrella。Isawhisniceeyesgettingsomiserable。

No，it\'snotabitofgoodnow。“ForHelenhaddartedoutintothestreet，shouting，“Oh，dostop！“

“Idaresayitisallforthebest，“opinedMrs。

Munt。“Weknownothingabouttheyoungman，Margaret，andyourdrawing-roomisfullofverytemptinglittlethings。“

ButHelencried:“AuntJuley，howcanyou！

Youmakememoreandmoreashamed。I\'dratherhehadbeenathiefandtakenalltheapostlespoonsthanthatI——Well，Imustshutthefront-door，Isuppose。OnemorefailureforHelen。“

“Yes，Ithinktheapostlespoonscouldhavegoneasrent，“saidMargaret。Seeingthatherauntdidnotunderstand，sheadded:“Youremember\'rent。\'Itwasoneoffather\'swords——Renttotheideal，tohisownfaithinhumannature。Yourememberhowhewouldtruststrangers，andiftheyfooledhimhewouldsay，\'It\'sbettertobefooledthantobesuspicious\'——thattheconfidencetrickistheworkofman，butthewant-of-confidence-trickistheworkofthedevil。“

“Iremembersomethingofthesortnow，“saidMrs。

Munt，rathertartly，forshelongedtoadd，“Itwasluckythatyourfathermarriedawifewithmoney。“Butthiswasunkind，andshecontentedherselfwith，“Why，hemighthavestolenthelittleRickettspictureaswell。“

“Betterthathehad，“saidHelenstoutly。

“No，IagreewithAuntJuley，“saidMargaret。

“I\'drathermistrustpeoplethanlosemylittleRicketts。Therearelimits。“

Theirbrother，findingtheincidentcommonplace，hadstolenupstairstoseewhetherthereweresconesfortea。Hewarmedtheteapot——almosttoodeftly——rejectedtheOrangePekoethattheparlour-maidhadprovided，pouredinfivespoonfulsofasuperiorblend，filledupwithreallyboilingwater，andnowcalledtotheladiestobequickortheywouldlosethearoma。

“Allright，AuntieTibby，“calledHelen，whileMargaret，thoughtfulagain，said:“Inaway，Iwishwehadarealboyinthehouse——thekindofboywhocaresformen。Itwouldmakeentertainingsomucheasier。“

“SodoI，“saidhersister。“TibbyonlycaresforculturedfemalessingingBrahms。“Andwhentheyjoinedhimshesaidrathersharply:“Whydidn\'tyoumakethatyoungmanwelcome，Tibby？

Youmustdothehostalittle，youknow。Yououghttohavetakenhishatandcoaxedhimintostopping，insteadoflettinghimbeswampedbyscreamingwomen。“

Tibbysighed，anddrewalongstrandofhairoverhisforehead。

“Oh，it\'snogoodlookingsuperior。ImeanwhatIsay。“

“LeaveTibbyalone！“saidMargaret，whocouldnotbearherbrothertobescolded。

“Here\'sthehousearegularhen-coop！“grumbledHelen。

“Oh，mydear！“protestedMrs。Munt。“Howcanyousaysuchdreadfulthings！Thenumberofmenyougetherehasalwaysastonishedme。Ifthereisanydangerit\'stheotherwayround。“

“Yes，butit\'sthewrongsortofmen，Helenmeans。“

“No，Idon\'t，“correctedHelen。“Wegettherightsortofman，butthewrongsideofhim，andIsaythat\'sTibby\'sfault。Thereoughttobeasomethingaboutthehouse——an——Idon\'tknowwhat。“

“AtouchoftheW。\'s，perhaps？“

Helenputouthertongue。

“WhoaretheW。\'s？“askedTibby。

“TheW。\'sarethingsIandMegandAuntJuleyknowaboutandyoudon\'t，sothere！“

“Isupposethatoursisafemalehouse，“saidMargaret，“andonemustjustacceptit。No，AuntJuley，Idon\'tmeanthatthishouseisfullofwomen。Iamtryingtosaysomethingmuchmoreclever。

Imeanthatitwasirrevocablyfeminine，eveninfather\'stime。NowI\'msureyouunderstand！Well，I\'llgiveyouanotherexample。

It\'llshockyou，butIdon\'tcare。SupposeQueenVictoriagaveadinner-party，andthattheguestshadbeenLeighton，Millais，Swinburne，Rossetti，Meredith，Fitzgerald，etc。Doyousupposethattheatmosphereofthatdinnerwouldhavebeenartistic？Heavensno！Theverychairsonwhichtheysatwouldhaveseentothat。Sowithourhouse——itmustbefeminine，andallwecandoistoseethatitisn\'teffeminate。

JustasanotherhousethatIcanmention，butIwon\'t，soundedirrevocablymasculine，andallitsinmatescandoistoseethatitisn\'tbrutal。“

“ThathousebeingtheW。\'shouse，Ipresume，“saidTibby。

“You\'renotgoingtobetoldabouttheW。\'s，mychild，“Helencried，“sodon\'tyouthinkit。Andontheotherhand，Idon\'ttheleastmindifyoufindout，sodon\'tyouthinkyou\'vedoneanythingclever，ineithercase。Givemeacigarette。“

“Youdowhatyoucanforthehouse，“saidMargaret。

“Thedrawing-roomreeksofsmoke。“

“Ifyousmokedtoo，thehousemightsuddenlyturnmasculine。Atmosphereisprobablyaquestionoftouchandgo。

EvenatQueenVictoria\'sdinner-party——ifsomethinghadbeenjustalittledifferent——perhapsifshe\'dwornaclingingLibertytea-gowninsteadofamagentasatin——“

“WithanIndianshawloverhershoulders——“

“FastenedatthebosomwithaCairngorm-pin——“

Burstsofdisloyallaughter——youmustrememberthattheyarehalfGerman——greetedthesesuggestions，andMargaretsaidpensively，“HowinconceivableitwouldbeiftheRoyalFamilycaredaboutArt。“

Andtheconversationdriftedawayandaway，andHelen\'scigaretteturnedtoaspotinthedarkness，andthegreatflatsoppositeweresownwithlightedwindows，whichvanishedandwererelitagain，andvanishedincessantly。

Beyondthemthethoroughfareroaredgently——atidethatcouldneverbequiet，whileintheeast，invisiblebehindthesmokesofWapping，themoonwasrising。

“Thatremindsme，Margaret。Wemighthavetakenthatyoungmanintothedining-room，atallevents。Onlythemajolicaplate——andthatissofirmlysetinthewall。Iamreallydistressedthathehadnotea。“

Forthatlittleincidenthadimpressedthethreewomenmorethanmightbesupposed。Itremainedasagoblinfootball，asahintthatallisnotforthebestinthebestofallpossibleworlds，andthatbeneaththesesuperstructuresofwealthandarttherewandersanill-fedboy，whohasrecoveredhisumbrellaindeed，butwhohasleftnoaddressbehindhim，andnoname。Chapter6Wearenotconcernedwiththeverypoor。Theyareunthinkable，andonlytobeapproachedbythestatisticianorthepoet。Thisstorydealswithgentlefolk，orwiththosewhoareobligedtopretendthattheyaregentlefolk。

Theboy，LeonardBast，stoodattheextremevergeofgentility。Hewasnotintheabyss，buthecouldseeit，andattimespeoplewhomheknewhaddroppedin，andcountednomore。Heknewthathewaspoor，andwouldadmitit:hewouldhavediedsoonerthanconfessanyinferioritytotherich。Thismaybesplendidofhim。

Buthewasinferiortomostrichpeople，thereisnottheleastdoubtofit。Hewasnotascourteousastheaveragerichman，norasintelligent，norashealthy，noraslovable。Hismindandhisbodyhadbeenalikeunderfed，becausehewaspoor，andbecausehewasmoderntheywerealwayscravingbetterfood。Hadhelivedsomecenturiesago，inthebrightlycolouredcivilizationsofthepast，hewouldhavehadadefinitestatus，hisrankandhisincomewouldhavecorresponded。ButinhisdaytheangelofDemocracyhadarisen，enshadowingtheclasseswithleathernwings，andproclaiming，“Allmenareequal——allmen，thatistosay，whopossessumbrellas，“andsohewasobligedtoassertgentility，lestheslippedintotheabysswherenothingcounts，andthestatementsofDemocracyareinaudible。

AshewalkedawayfromWickhamPlace，hisfirstcarewastoprovethathewasasgoodastheMissSchlegels。Obscurelywoundedinhispride，hetriedtowoundtheminreturn。Theywereprobablynotladies。Wouldrealladieshaveaskedhimtotea？

Theywerecertainlyill-naturedandcold。Ateachstephisfeelingofsuperiorityincreased。Wouldarealladyhavetalkedaboutstealinganumbrella？Perhapstheywerethievesafterall，andifhehadgoneintothehousetheycouldhaveclappedachloroformedhandkerchiefoverhisface。HewalkedoncomplacentlyasfarastheHousesofParliament。

Thereanemptystomachasserteditself，andtoldhimhewasafool。

“Evening，Mr。Bast。“

“Evening，Mr。Dealtry。“

“Niceevening。“

“Evening。“

Mr。Dealtry，afellowclerk，passedon，andLeonardstoodwonderingwhetherhewouldtakethetramasfarasapennywouldtakehim，orwhetherhewouldwalk。Hedecidedtowalk——itisnogoodgivingin，andhehadspentmoneyenoughatQueen\'sHall——andhewalkedoverWestminsterBridge，infrontofSt。Thomas\'sHospital，andthroughtheimmensetunnelthatpassesundertheSouth-WesternmainlineatVauxhall。

Inthetunnelhepausedandlistenedtotheroarofthetrains。A

sharppaindartedthroughhishead，andhewasconsciousoftheexactformofhiseyesockets。Hepushedonforanothermile，anddidnotslackenspeeduntilhestoodattheentranceofaroadcalledCameliaRoad，whichwasatpresenthishome。

Herehestoppedagain，andglancedsuspiciouslytorightandleft，likearabbitthatisgoingtoboltintoitshole。

Ablockofflats，constructedwithextremecheapness，toweredoneitherhand。Fartherdowntheroadtwomoreblockswerebeingbuilt，andbeyondtheseanoldhousewasbeingdemolishedtoaccommodateanotherpair。

ItwasthekindofscenethatmaybeobservedalloverLondon，whateverthelocality——bricksandmortarrisingandfallingwiththerestlessnessofthewaterinafountain，asthecityreceivesmoreandmoremenuponhersoil。CameliaRoadwouldsoonstandoutlikeafortress，andcommand，foralittle，anextensiveview。Onlyforalittle。

PlanswereoutfortheerectionofflatsinMagnoliaRoadalso。Andagainafewyears，andalltheflatsineitherroadmightbepulleddown，andnewbuildings，ofavastnessatpresentunimaginable，mightarisewheretheyhadfallen。

“Evening，Mr。Bast。“

“Evening，Mr。Cunningham。“

“Veryseriousthingthisdeclineofthebirth-rateinManchester。“

“Ibegyourpardon？“

“Veryseriousthingthisdeclineofthebirth-rateinManchester，“repeatedMr。Cunningham，tappingtheSundaypaper，inwhichthecalamityinquestionhadjustbeenannouncedtohim。

“Ah，yes，“saidLeonard，whowasnotgoingtoletonthathehadnotboughtaSundaypaper。

“IfthiskindofthinggoesonthepopulationofEnglandwillbestationaryin1960。“

“Youdon\'tsayso。“

“Icallitaveryseriousthing，eh？“

“Good-evening，Mr。Cunningham。“

“Good-evening，Mr。Bast。“

ThenLeonardenteredBlockBoftheflats，andturned，notupstairs，butdown，intowhatisknowntohouseagentsasasemi-basement，andtoothermenasacellar。Heopenedthedoor，andcried“Hullo！“

withthepseudo-genialityoftheCockney。Therewasnoreply。

“Hullo！“herepeated。Thesitting-roomwasempty，thoughtheelectriclighthadbeenleftburning。Alookofreliefcameoverhisface，andheflunghimselfintothearmchair。

Thesitting-roomcontained，besidesthearmchair，twootherchairs，apiano，athree-leggedtable，andacosycorner。

Ofthewalls，onewasoccupiedbythewindow，theotherbyadrapedmantelshelfbristlingwithCupids。Oppositethewindowwasthedoor，andbesidethedoorabookcase，whileoverthepianothereextendedoneofthemasterpiecesofMaudGoodman。Itwasanamorousandnotunpleasantlittleholewhenthecurtainsweredrawn，andthelightsturnedon，andthegas-stoveunlit。Butitstruckthatshallowmakeshiftnotethatissooftenheardinthemodemdwelling-place。Ithadbeentooeasilygained，andcouldberelinquishedtooeasily。

AsLeonardwaskickingoffhisbootshejarredthethree-leggedtable，andaphotographframe，honourablypoiseduponit，slidsideways，felloffintothefireplace，andsmashed。Hesworeinacolourlesssortofway，andpickedthephotographup。ItrepresentedayoungladycalledJacky，andhadbeentakenatthetimewhenyoungladiescalledJackywereoftenphotographedwiththeirmouthsopen。TeethofdazzlingwhitenessextendedalongeitherofJacky\'sjaws，andpositivelyweightedherheadsideways，solargeweretheyandsonumerous。Takemywordforit，thatsmilewassimplystunning，anditisonlyyouandIwhowillbefastidious，andcomplainthattruejoybeginsintheeyes，andthattheeyesofJackydidnotaccordwithhersmile，butwereanxiousandhungry。

Leonardtriedtopulloutthefragmentsofglass，andcuthisfingersandsworeagain。Adropofbloodfellontheframe，anotherfollowed，spillingoverontotheexposedphotograph。

Hesworemorevigorously，anddashedtothekitchen，wherehebathedhishands。Thekitchenwasthesamesizeasthesittingroom；throughitwasabedroom。Thiscompletedhishome。Hewasrentingtheflatfurnished:ofalltheobjectsthatencumbereditnonewerehisownexceptthephotographframe，theCupids，andthebooks。

“Damn，damn，damnation！“hemurmured，togetherwithsuchotherwordsashehadlearntfromoldermen。Thenheraisedhishandtohisforeheadandsaid，“Oh，damnitall——“whichmeantsomethingdifferent。Hepulledhimselftogether。Hedrankalittletea，blackandsilent，thatstillsurviveduponanuppershelf。Heswallowedsomedustycrumbsofcake。Thenhewentbacktothesitting-room，settledhimselfanew，andbegantoreadavolumeofRuskin。

“SevenmilestothenorthofVenice——“

Howperfectlythefamouschapteropens！Howsupremeitscommandofadmonitionandofpoetry！Therichmanisspeakingtousfromhisgondola。

“SevenmilestothenorthofVenicethebanksofsandwhichnearerthecityriselittleabovelow-watermarkattainbydegreesahigherlevel，andknitthemselvesatlastintofieldsofsaltmorass，raisedhereandthereintoshapelessmounds，andinterceptedbynarrowcreeksofsea。“

LeonardwastryingtoformhisstyleonRuskin:

heunderstoodhimtobethegreatestmasterofEnglishProse。Hereadforwardsteadily，occasionallymakingafewnotes。

“Letusconsideralittleeachofthesecharactersinsuccession，andfirst(foroftheshaftsenoughhasbeensaidalready)，whatisverypeculiartothischurch——itsluminousness。“

Wasthereanythingtobelearntfromthisfinesentence？

Couldheadaptittotheneedsofdailylife？Couldheintroduceit，withmodifications，whenhenextwrotealettertohisbrother，thelay-reader？Forexample——

“Letusconsideralittleeachofthesecharactersinsuccession，andfirst(foroftheabsenceofventilationenoughhasbeensaidalready)，whatisverypeculiartothisflat——itsobscurity。

“

Somethingtoldhimthatthemodificationswouldnotdo；andthatsomething，hadheknownit，wasthespiritofEnglishProse。“Myflatisdarkaswellasstuffy。“Thosewerethewordsforhim。

Andthevoiceinthegondolarolledon，pipingmelodiouslyofEffortandSelf-Sacrifice，fullofhighpurpose，fullofbeauty，fullevenofsympathyandtheloveofmen，yetsomehoweludingallthatwasactualandinsistentinLeonard\'slife。Foritwasthevoiceofonewhohadneverbeendirtyorhungry，andhadnotguessedsuccessfullywhatdirtandhungerare。

Leonardlistenedtoitwithreverence。Hefeltthathewasbeingdonegoodto，andthatifhekeptonwithRuskin，andtheQueen\'sHallConcerts，andsomepicturesbyWatts，hewouldonedaypushhisheadoutofthegreywatersandseetheuniverse。Hebelievedinsuddenconversion，abeliefwhichmayberight，butwhichispeculiarlyattractivetoahalf-bakedmind。Itisthebiasofmuchpopularreligion:inthedomainofbusinessitdominatestheStockExchange，andbecomesthat“bitofluck“bywhichallsuccessesandfailuresareexplained。“IfonlyIhadabitofluck，thewholethingwouldcomestraight……He\'sgotamostmagnificentplacedownatStreathamanda20h-p。Fiat，butthen，mindyou，he\'shadluck……I\'msorrythewife\'ssolate，butsheneverhasanyluckovercatchingtrains。“

Leonardwassuperiortothesepeople；hedidbelieveineffortandinasteadypreparationforthechangethathedesired。Butofaheritagethatmayexpandgradually，hehadnoconception:hehopedtocometoCulturesuddenly，muchastheRevivalisthopestocometoJesus。ThoseMissSchlegelshadcometoit；theyhaddonethetrick；theirhandswereupontheropes，onceandforall。Andmeanwhile，hisflatwasdark，aswellasstuffy。

Presentlytherewasanoiseonthestaircase。

HeshutupMargaret\'scardinthepagesofRuskin，andopenedthedoor。

Awomanentered，ofwhomitissimplesttosaythatshewasnotrespectable。

Herappearancewasawesome。Sheseemedallstringsandbell-pulls——ribbons，chains，beadnecklacesthatclinkedandcaught——andaboaofazurefeathershungroundherneck，withtheendsuneven。Herthroatwasbare，woundwithadoublerowofpearls，herarmswerebaretotheelbows，andmightagainbedetectedattheshoulder，throughcheaplace。Herhat，whichwasflowery，resembledthosepunnets，coveredwithflannel，whichwesowedwithmustardandcressinourchildhood，andwhichgerminatedhereyes，andthereno。Sheworeitonthebackofherhead。Asforherhair，orratherhairs，theyaretoocomplicatedtodescribe，butonesystemwentdownherback，lyinginathickpadthere，whileanother，createdforalighterdestiny，rippledaroundherforehead。Theface——thefacedoesnotsignify。Itwasthefaceofthephotograph，butolder，andtheteethwerenotsonumerousasthephotographerhadsuggested，andcertainlynotsowhite。Yes，Jackywaspastherprime，whateverthatprimemayhavebeen。Shewasdescendingquickerthanmostwomenintothecolourlessyears，andthelookinhereyesconfessedit。

“Whatho！“saidLeonard，greetingthatapparitionwithmuchspirit，andhelpingitoffwithitsboa。

Jacky，inhuskytones，replied，“Whatho！“

“Beenout？“heasked。Thequestionsoundssuperfluous，butitcannothavebeenreally，fortheladyanswered，“No，“

adding，“Oh，Iamsotired。“

“Youtired？“

“Eh？“

“I\'mtired，“saidhe，hangingtheboaup。

“Oh，Len，Iamsotired。“

“I\'vebeentothatclassicalconcertItoldyouabout，“saidLeonard。

“What\'sthat？“

“Icamebackassoonasitwasover。“

“Anyonebeenroundtoourplace？“askedJacky。

“NotthatI\'veseen。ImetMr。Cunninghamoutside，andwepassedafewremarks。“

“What，notMr。Cunnginham？“

“Yes。“

“Oh，youmeanMr。Cunningham。“

“Yes。Mr。Cunningham。“

“I\'vebeenouttoteaataladyfriend\'s。“

Hersecretbeingatlastgiventotheworld，andthenameofthelady-friendbeingevenadumbrated，Jackymadenofurtherexperimentsinthedifficultandtiringartofconversation。Sheneverhadbeenagreattalker。Eveninherphotographicdaysshehadrelieduponhersmileandherfiguretoattract，andnowthatshewas——“Ontheshelf，Ontheshelf，Boys，boys，I\'montheshelf，“

shewasnotlikelytofindhertongue。

Occasionalburstsofsong(ofwhichtheaboveisanexample)stillissuedfromherlips，butthespokenwordwasrare。

ShesatdownonLeonard\'sknee，andbegantofondlehim。Shewasnowamassivewomanofthirty-three，andherweighthurthim，buthecouldnotverywellsayanything。Thenshesaid，“Isthatabookyou\'rereading？“andhesaid，“That\'sabook，“anddrewitfromherunreluctantgrasp。Margaret\'scardfelloutofit。

Itfellfacedownwards，andhemurmured，“Bookmarker。“

“Len——“

“Whatisit？“heasked，alittlewearily，forsheonlyhadonetopicofconversationwhenshesatuponhisknee。

“Youdoloveme？“

“Jacky，youknowthatIdo。Howcanyouasksuchquestions！“

“Butyoudoloveme，Len，don\'tyou？“

“OfcourseIdo。“

Apause。Theotherremarkwasstilldue。

“Len——“

“Well？Whatisit？“

“Len，youwillmakeitallright？“

“Ican\'thaveyouaskmethatagain，“saidtheboy，flaringupintoasuddenpassion。“I\'vepromisedtomarryyouwhenI\'mofage，andthat\'senough。Myword\'smyword。I\'vepromisedtomarryyouassoonaseverI\'mtwenty-one，andIcan\'tkeeponbeingworried。I\'veworriesenough。Itisn\'tlikelyI\'dthrowyouover，letalonemyword，whenI\'vespentallthismoney。Besides，I\'manEnglishman，andInevergobackonmyword。Jacky，dobereasonable。

OfcourseI\'llmarryyou。Onlydostopbadgeringme。“

“When\'syourbirthday，Len？“

“I\'vetoldyouagainandagain，theeleventhofNovembernext。Nowgetoffmykneeabit；someonemustgetsupper，Isuppose。“

Jackywentthroughtothebedroom，andbegantoseetoherhat。Thismeantblowingatitwithshortsharppuffs。

Leonardtidiedupthesitting-room，andbegantopreparetheireveningmeal。Heputapennyintotheslotofthegas-meter，andsoontheflatwasreekingwithmetallicfumes。Somehowhecouldnotrecoverhistemper，andallthetimehewascookinghecontinuedtocomplainbitterly。

“Itreallyistoobadwhenafellowisn\'ttrusted。

Itmakesonefeelsowild，whenI\'vepretendedtothepeopleherethatyou\'remywife——allright，youshallbemywife——andI\'veboughtyoutheringtowear，andI\'vetakenthisflatfurnished，andit\'sfarmorethanIcanafford，andyetyouaren\'tcontent，andI\'vealsonottoldthetruthwhenI\'vewrittenhome。“Heloweredhisvoice。“He\'dstopit。“Inatoneofhorror，thatwasalittleluxurious，herepeated:“Mybrother\'dstopit。I\'mgoingagainstthewholeworld，Jacky。

“That\'swhatIam，Jacky。Idon\'ttakeanyheedofwhatanyonesays。Ijustgostraightforward，Ido。

That\'salwaysbeenmyway。I\'mnotoneofyourweakknock-kneedchaps。

Ifawoman\'sintrouble，Idon\'tleaveherinthelurch。That\'snotmystreet。No，thankyou。

“I\'lltellyouanotherthingtoo。IcareagooddealaboutimprovingmyselfbymeansofLiteratureandArt，andsogettingawideroutlook。Forinstance，whenyoucameinIwasreadingRuskin\'sStonesofVenice。Idon\'tsaythistoboast，butjusttoshowyouthekindofmanIam。Icantellyou，Ienjoyedthatclassicalconcertthisafternoon。“

ToallhismoodsJackyremainedequallyindifferent。

Whensupperwasready——andnotbefore——sheemergedfromthebedroom，saying:

“Butyoudoloveme，don\'tyou？“

Theybeganwithasoupsquare，whichLeonardhadjustdissolvedinsomehotwater。Itwasfollowedbythetongue——afreckledcylinderofmeat，withalittlejellyatthetop，andagreatdealofyellowfatatthebottom——endingwithanothersquaredissolvedinwater(jelly:pineapple)，whichLeonardhadpreparedearlierintheday。Jackyatecontentedlyenough，occasionallylookingathermanwiththoseanxiouseyes，towhichnothingelseinherappearancecorresponded，andwhichyetseemedtomirrorhersoul。AndLeonardmanagedtoconvincehisstomachthatitwashavinganourishingmeal。

Aftersuppertheysmokedcigarettesandexchangedafewstatements。Sheobservedthather“likeness“hadbeenbroken。

Hefoundoccasiontoremark，forthesecondtime，thathehadcomestraightbackhomeaftertheconcertatQueen\'sHall。Presentlyshesatuponhisknee。TheinhabitantsofCameliaRoadtrampedtoandfrooutsidethewindow，justonalevelwiththeirheads，andthefamilyintheflatontheground-floorbegantosing，“Hark，mysoul，itistheLord。“

“Thattunefairlygivesmethehump，“saidLeonard。

Jackyfollowedthis，andsaidthat，forherpart，shethoughtitalovelytune。

“No；I\'llplayyousomethinglovely。Getup，dear，foraminute。“

HewenttothepianoandjingledoutalittleGrieg。

Heplayedbadlyandvulgarly，buttheperformancewasnotwithoutitseffect，forJackysaidshethoughtshe\'dbegoingtobed。Asshereceded，anewsetofinterestspossessedtheboy，andhebegantothinkofwhathadbeensaidaboutmusicbythatoddMissSchlegel——theonethattwistedherfaceaboutsowhenshespoke。Thenthethoughtsgrewsadandenvious。TherewasthegirlnamedHelen，whohadpinchedhisumbrella，andtheGermangirlwhohadsmiledathimpleasantly，andHerrsomeone，andAuntsomeone，andthebrother——all，allwiththeirhandsontheropes。

Theyhadallpassedupthatnarrow，richstaircaseatWickhamPlace，tosomeampleroom，whitherhecouldneverfollowthem，notifhereadfortenhoursaday。Oh，itwasnotgood，thiscontinualaspiration。

Someareborncultured；theresthadbettergoinforwhatevercomeseasy。

Toseelifesteadilyandtoseeitwholewasnotforthelikesofhim。

Fromthedarknessbeyondthekitchenavoicecalled，“Len？“

“Youinbed？“heasked，hisforeheadtwitching。

“M\'m。“

“Allright。“

Presentlyshecalledhimagain。

“Imustcleanmybootsreadyforthemorning，“heanswered。

Presentlyshecalledhimagain。

“Iratherwanttogetthischapterdone。“

“What？“

Heclosedhisearsagainsther。

“What\'sthat？“

“Allright，Jacky，nothing；I\'mreadingabook。“

“What？“

“What？“heanswered，catchingherdegradeddeafness。

Presentlyshecalledhimagain。

RuskinhadvisitedTorcellobythistime，andwasorderinghisgondolierstotakehimtoMurano。Itoccurredtohim，asheglidedoverthewhisperinglagoons，thatthepowerofNaturecouldnotbeshortenedbythefolly，norherbeautyaltogethersaddenedbythemisery，ofsuchasLeonard。Chapter7“Oh，Margaret，“criedherauntnextmorning，“suchamostunfortunatethinghashappened。Icouldnotgetyoualone。“

Themostunfortunatethingwasnotveryserious。

OneoftheflatsintheornateblockoppositehadbeentakenfurnishedbytheWilcoxfamily，“comingup，nodoubt，inthehopeofgettingintoLondonsociety。“ThatMrs。Muntshouldbethefirsttodiscoverthemisfortunewasnotremarkable，forshewassointerestedintheflats，thatshewatchedtheireverymutationwithunwearyingcare。Intheoryshedespisedthem——theytookawaythatold-worldlook——theycutoffthesun——flatshouseaflashytypeofperson。Butifthetruthhadbeenknown，shefoundhervisitstoWickhamPlacetwiceasamusingsinceWickhamMansionshadarisen，andwouldinacoupleofdayslearnmoreaboutthemthanherniecesinacoupleofmonths，orhernephewinacoupleofyears。Shewouldstrollacrossandmakefriendswiththeporters，andinquirewhattherentswere，exclaimingforexample:“What！ahundredandtwentyforabasement？

You\'llnevergetit！“Andtheywouldanswer:“Onecanbuttry，madam。“

Thepassengerlifts，theprovisionlifts，thearrangementforcoals(agreattemptationforadishonestporter)，wereallfamiliarmatterstoher，andperhapsarelieffromthepolitico-economical-æ；stheticatmospherethatreignedattheSchlegels\'。

Margaretreceivedtheinformationcalmly，anddidnotagreethatitwouldthrowacloudoverpoorHelen\'slife。

“Oh，butHelenisn\'tagirlwithnointerests，“

sheexplained。“Shehasplentyofotherthingsandotherpeopletothinkabout。ShemadeafalsestartwiththeWilcoxes，andshe\'llbeaswillingaswearetohavenothingmoretodowiththem。“

“Foraclevergirl，dear，howveryoddlyyoudotalk。Helen\'llhavetohavesomethingmoretodowiththem，nowthatthey\'reallopposite。ShemaymeetthatPaulinthestreet。

Shecannotverywellnotbow。“

“Ofcourseshemustbow。Butlookhere；let\'sdotheflowers。Iwasgoingtosay，thewilltobeinterestedinhimhasdied，andwhatelsematters？Ilookonthatdisastrousepisode(overwhichyouweresokind)asthekillingofanerveinHelen。

It\'sdead，andshe\'llneverbetroubledwithitagain。Theonlythingsthatmatterarethethingsthatinterestone。Bowing，evencallingandleavingcards，evenadinner-party——wecandoallthosethingstotheWilcoxes，iftheyfinditagreeable；buttheotherthing，theoneimportantthing——neveragain。Don\'tyousee？“

Mrs。Muntdidnotsee，andindeedMargaretwasmakingamostquestionablestatement——thatanyemotion，anyinterestoncevividlyaroused，canwhollydie。

“IalsohavethehonourtoinformyouthattheWilcoxesareboredwithus。Ididn\'ttellyouatthetime——itmighthavemadeyouangry，andyouhadenoughtoworryyou——butIwrotealettertoMrs。

W。，andapologizedforthetroublethatHelenhadgiventhem。Shedidn\'tanswerit。“

“Howveryrude！“

“Iwonder。Orwasitsensible？“

“No，Margaret，mostrude。“

“Ineithercaseonecanclassitasreassuring。“

Mrs。Muntsighed。ShewasgoingbacktoSwanageonthemorrow，justashernieceswerewantinghermost。Otherregretscrowdeduponher:forinstance，howmagnificentlyshewouldhavecutCharlesifshehadmethimfacetoface。Shehadalreadyseenhim，givinganordertotheporter——andverycommonhelookedinatallhat。

Butunfortunatelyhisbackwasturnedtoher，andthoughshehadcuthisback，shecouldnotregardthisasatellingsnub。

“Butyouwillbecareful，won\'tyou？“sheexhorted。

“Oh，certainly。Fiendishlycareful。“

“AndHelenmustbecareful，too，“

“Carefuloverwhat？“criedHelen，atthatmomentcomingintotheroomwithhercousin。

“Nothing，“saidMargaret，seizedwithamomentaryawkwardness。

“Carefuloverwhat，AuntJuley？“

Mrs。Muntassumedacrypticair。“Itisonlythatacertainfamily，whomweknowbynamebutdonotmention，asyousaidyourselflastnightaftertheconcert，havetakentheflatoppositefromtheMathesons——wheretheplantsareinthebalcony。“

Helenbegansomelaughingreply，andthendisconcertedthemallbyblushing。Mrs。Muntwassodisconcertedthatsheexclaimed，“What，Helen，youdon\'tmindthemcoming，doyou？“anddeepenedtheblushtocrimson。

“OfcourseIdon\'tmind，“saidHelenalittlecrossly。

“ItisthatyouandMegarebothsoabsurdlygraveaboutit，whenthere\'snothingtobegraveaboutatall。“

“I\'mnotgrave，“protestedMargaret，alittlecrossinherturn。

“Well，youlookgrave；doesn\'tshe，Frieda？“

“Idon\'tfeelgrave，that\'sallIcansay；you\'regoingquiteonthewrongtack。“

“No，shedoesnotfeelgrave，“echoedMrs。Munt。

“Icanbearwitnesstothat。Shedisagrees——“

“Hark！“interruptedFrä；uleinMosebach。

“IhearBrunoenteringthehall。“

ForHerrLieseckewasdueatWickhamPlacetocallforthetwoyoungergirls。Hewasnotenteringthehall——infact，hedidnotenteritforquitefiveminutes。ButFriedadetectedadelicatesituation，andsaidthatsheandHelenhadmuchbetterwaitforBrunodownbelow，andleaveMargaretandMrs。Munttofinisharrangingtheflowers。Helenacquiesced。But，asiftoprovethatthesituationwasnotdelicatereally，shestoppedinthedoorwayandsaid:

“DidyousaytheMathesons\'flat，AuntJuley？

Howwonderfulyouare！Ineverknewthatthewomanwholacedtootightly\'snamewasMatheson。“

“Come，Helen，“saidhercousin。

“Go，Helen，“saidheraunt；andcontinuedtoMargaretalmostinthesamebreath:“Helencannotdeceiveme，Shedoesmind。“

“Oh，hush！“breathedMargaret。“Frieda\'llhearyou，andshecanbesotiresome。“

“Sheminds，“persistedMrs。Munt，movingthoughtfullyabouttheroom，andpullingthedeadchrysanthemumsoutofthevases。

“Iknewshe\'dmind——andI\'msureagirloughtto！Suchanexperience！

Suchawfulcoarse-grainedpeople！Iknowmoreaboutthemthanyoudo，whichyouforget，andifCharleshadtakenyouthatmotordrive——well，you\'dhavereachedthehouseaperfectwreck。Oh，Margaret，youdon\'tknowwhatyouareinfor。They\'reallbottledupagainstthedrawing-roomwindow。There\'sMrs。Wilcox——I\'veseenher。There\'sPaul。

There\'sEvie，whoisaminx。There\'sCharles——Isawhimtostartwith。Andwhowouldanelderlymanwithamoustacheandacopper-colouredfacebe？“

“Mr。Wilcox，possibly。“

“Iknewit。Andthere\'sMr。Wilcox。“

“It\'sashametocallhisfacecoppercolour，“complainedMargaret。“Hehasaremarkablygoodcomplexionforamanofhisage。“

Mrs。Munt，triumphantelsewhere，couldaffordtoconcedeMr。Wilcoxhiscomplexion。Shepassedonfromittotheplanofcampaignthatherniecesshouldpursueinthefuture。Margarettriedtostopher。

“HelendidnottakethenewsquiteasIexpected，buttheWilcoxnerveisdeadinherreally，sothere\'snoneedforplans。“

“It\'saswelltobeprepared。“

“No——it\'saswellnottobeprepared。“

“Because——\'

Herthoughtdrewbeingfromtheobscureborderland。

Shecouldnotexplaininsomanywords，butshefeltthatthosewhoprepareforalltheemergenciesoflifebeforehandmayequipthemselvesattheexpenseofjoy。Itisnecessarytoprepareforanexamination，oradinner-party，orapossiblefallinthepriceofstock:thosewhoattempthumanrelationsmustadoptanothermethod，orfail。“BecauseI\'dsoonerriskit，“washerlameconclusion。

“Butimaginetheevenings，“exclaimedheraunt，pointingtotheMansionswiththespoutofthewatering-can。“Turntheelectriclightonherorthere，andit\'salmostthesameroom。

Oneeveningtheymayforgettodrawtheirblindsdown，andyou\'llseethem；

andthenext，youyours，andthey\'llseeyou。Impossibletositoutonthebalconies。Impossibletowatertheplants，orevenspeak。

Imaginegoingoutofthefront-door，andtheycomeoutoppositeatthesamemoment。Andyetyoutellmethatplansareunnecessary，andyou\'dratherriskit。“

“Ihopetoriskthingsallmylife。“

“Oh，Margaret，mostdangerous。“

“Butafterall，“shecontinuedwithasmile，“there\'sneveranygreatriskaslongasyouhavemoney。“

“Oh，shame！Whatashockingspeech！“

“Moneypadstheedgesofthings，“saidMissSchlegel。

“Godhelpthosewhohavenone。“

“Butthisissomethingquitenew！“saidMrs。Munt，whocollectednewideasasasquirrelcollectsnuts，andwasespeciallyattractedbythosethatareportable。

“Newforme；sensiblepeoplehaveacknowledgeditforyears。YouandIandtheWilcoxesstanduponmoneyasuponislands。

Itissofirmbeneathourfeetthatweforgetitsveryexistence。

It\'sonlywhenweseesomeonenearustotteringthatwerealizeallthatanindependentincomemeans。Lastnight，whenweweretalkinguphereroundthefire，Ibegantothinkthattheverysouloftheworldiseconomic，andthatthelowestabyssisnottheabsenceoflove，buttheabsenceofcoin。“

“Icallthatrathercynical。“

“SodoI。ButHelenandI，weoughttoremember，whenwearetemptedtocriticizeothers，thatwearestandingontheseislands，andthatmostoftheothers，aredownbelowthesurfaceofthesea。Thepoorcannotalwaysreachthosewhomtheywanttolove，andtheycanhardlyeverescapefromthosewhomtheylovenolonger。

Werichcan。ImaginethetragedylastJune，ifHelenandPaulWilcoxhadbeenpoorpeople，andcouldn\'tinvokerailwaysandmotor-carstopartthem。“

“That\'smorelikeSocialism，“saidMrs。Muntsuspiciously。

“Callitwhatyoulike。Icallitgoingthroughlifewithone\'shandspreadopenonthetable。I\'mtiredoftheserichpeoplewhopretendtobepoor，andthinkitshowsanicemindtoignorethepilesofmoneythatkeeptheirfeetabovethewaves。Istandeachyearuponsixhundredpounds，andHelenuponthesame，andTibbywillstanduponeight，andasfastasourpoundscrumbleawayintotheseatheyarerenewed——fromthesea，yes，fromthesea。Andallourthoughtsarethethoughtsofsix-hundred-pounders，andallourspeeches；andbecausewedon\'twanttostealumbrellasourselves，weforgetthatbelowtheseapeopledowanttostealthem，anddostealthemsometimes，andthatwhat\'sajokeuphereisdowntherereality——“

“Theretheygo——theregoesFrä；uleinMosebach。

Really，foraGermanshedoesdresscharmingly。Oh——！“

“Whatisit？“

“HelenwaslookingupattheWilcoxes\'flat。“

“Whyshouldn\'tshe？“

“Ibegyourpardon，Iinterruptedyou。Whatwasityouweresayingaboutreality？“

“Ihadworkedroundtomyself，asusual，“answeredMargaretintonesthatweresuddenlypreoccupied。

“Dotellmethis，atallevents。Areyoufortherichorforthepoor？“

“Toodifficult。Askmeanother。AmI

forpovertyorforriches？Forriches。Hurrahforriches！“

“Forriches！“echoedMrs。Munt，having，asitwere，atlastsecuredhernut。

“Yes。Forriches。Moneyforever！“

“SoamI，andso，Iamafraid，aremostofmyacquaintancesatSwanage，butIamsurprisedthatyouagreewithus。“

“Thankyousomuch，AuntJuley。WhileIhavetalkedtheories，youhavedonetheflowers。“

“Notatall，dear。Iwishyouwouldletmehelpyouinmoreimportantthings。“

“Well，wouldyoubeverykind？Wouldyoucomeroundwithmetotheregistryoffice？There\'sahousemaidwhowon\'tsayyesbutdoesn\'tsayno。“

OntheirwaythithertheytoolookedupattheWilcoxes\'

flat。Eviewasinthebalcony，“staringmostrudely，“accordingtoMrs。Munt。Ohyes，itwasanuisance，therewasnodoubtofit。

Helenwasproofagainstapassingencounterbut——Margaretbegantoloseconfidence。Mightitreawakethedyingnerveifthefamilywerelivingcloseagainsthereyes？AndFriedaMosebachwasstoppingwiththemforanotherfortnight，andFriedawassharp，abominablysharp，andquitecapableofremarking，“Youloveoneoftheyounggentlemenopposite，yes？“

Theremarkwouldbeuntrue，butofthekindwhich，ifstatedoftenenough，maybecometrue；justastheremark，“EnglandandGermanyareboundtofight，“renderswaralittlemorelikelyeachtimethatitismade，andisthereforemadethemorereadilybythegutterpressofeithernation。

Havetheprivateemotionsalsotheirgutterpress？Margaretthoughtso，andfearedthatgoodAuntJuleyandFriedaweretypicalspecimensofit。Theymight，bycontinualchatter，leadHelenintoarepetitionofthedesiresofJune。Intoarepetition——theycouldnotdomore；

theycouldnotleadherintolastinglove。Theywere——shesawitclearly——Journalism；herfather，withallhisdefectsandwrong-headedness，hadbeenLiterature，andhadhelived，hewouldhavepersuadedhisdaughterrightly。

Theregistryofficewasholdingitsmorningreception。

Astringofcarriagesfilledthestreet。MissSchlegelwaitedherturn，andfinallyhadtobecontentwithaninsidious“temporary，“beingrejectedbygenuinehousemaidsonthegroundofhernumerousstairs。

Herfailuredepressedher，andthoughsheforgotthefailure，thedepressionremained。OnherwayhomesheagainglancedupattheWilcoxes\'flat，andtooktherathermatronlystepofspeakingaboutthemattertoHelen。

“Helen，youmusttellmewhetherthisthingworriesyou。“

“Ifwhat？“saidHelen，whowaswashingherhandsforlunch。

“TheW。\'scoming。“

“No，ofcoursenot。“

“Really？“

“Really。“ThensheadmittedthatshewasalittleworriedonMrs。Wilcox\'saccount；sheimpliedthatMrs。Wilcoxmightreachbackwardintodeepfeelings，andbepainedbythingsthatnevertouchedtheothermembersofthatclan。“Ishan\'tmindifPaulpointsatourhouseandsays，\'Therelivesthegirlwhotriedtocatchme。\'Butshemight。“

“Ifeventhatworriesyou，wecouldarrangesomething。

There\'snoreasonweshouldbenearpeoplewhodispleaseusorwhomwedisplease，thankstoourmoney。Wemightevengoawayforalittle。“

“Well，Iamgoingaway。Frieda\'sjustaskedmetoStettin，andIshan\'tbebacktillaftertheNewYear。Willthatdo？OrmustIflythecountryaltogether？Really，Meg，whathascomeoveryoutomakesuchafuss？“

“Oh，I\'mgettinganoldmaid，Isuppose。I

thoughtImindednothing，butreallyI——Ishouldbeboredifyoufellinlovewiththesamemantwiceand“——sheclearedherthroat——“youdidgored，youknow，whenAuntJuleyattackedyouthismorning。Ishouldn\'thavereferredtoitotherwise。“

ButHelen\'slaughrangtrue，assheraisedasoapyhandtoheavenandsworethatnever，nowhereandnohow，wouldsheagainfallinlovewithanyoftheWilcoxfamily，downtoitsremotestcollaterals。Chapter8ThefriendshipbetweenMargaretandMrs。Wilcox，whichwastodevelopso——quicklyandwithsuchstrangeresults，mayperhapshavehaditsbeginningsatSpeyer，inthespring。Perhapstheelderlady，asshegazedatthevulgar，ruddycathedral，andlistenedtothetalkofHelenandherhusband，mayhavedetectedintheotherandlesscharmingofthesistersadeepersympathy，asounderjudgment。Shewascapableofdetectingsuchthings。

PerhapsitwasshewhohaddesiredtheMissSchlegelstobeinvitedtoHowardsEnd，andMargaretwhosepresenceshehadparticularlydesired。

Allthisisspeculation:Mrs。Wilcoxhasleftfewclearindicationsbehindher。ItiscertainthatshecametocallatWickhamPlaceafortnightlater，theverydaythatHelenwasgoingwithhercousintoStettin。

“Helen！“criedFrä；uleinMosebachinawestrucktones(shewasnowinhercousin\'sconfidence)——“hismotherhasforgivenyou！“Andthen，rememberingthatinEnglandthenew-comeroughtnottocallbeforesheiscalledupon，shechangedhertonefromawetodisapproval，andopinedthatMrs。Wilcoxwas“keineDame。“

“Botherthewholefamily！“snappedMargaret。

“Helen，stopgigglingandpirouetting，andgoandfinishyourpacking。

Whycan\'tthewomanleaveusalone？“

“Idon\'tknowwhatIshalldowithMeg，“Helenretorted，collapsinguponthestairs。“She\'sgotWilcoxandBoxuponthebrain。

Meg，Meg，Idon\'tlovetheyounggentleman；Idon\'tlovetheyounggentleman，Meg，Meg。Canabodyspeakplainer？“

“Mostcertainlyherlovehasdied，“assertedFrä；uleinMosebach。

“Mostcertainlyithas，Frieda，butthatwillnotpreventmefrombeingboredwiththeWilcoxesifIreturnthecall。“

ThenHelensimulatedtears，andFrä；uleinMosebach，whothoughtherextremelyamusing，didthesame。“Oh，boohoo！

boohoohoo！Meg\'sgoingtoreturnthecall，andIcan\'t。\'Coswhy？\'CosI\'mgoingtoGerman-eye。“

“IfyouaregoingtoGermany，goandpack；ifyouaren\'t，goandcallontheWilcoxesinsteadofme。“

“But，Meg，Meg，Idon\'tlovetheyounggentleman；

Idon\'tlovetheyoung——0lud，who\'sthatcomingdownthestairs？

Ivow\'tismybrother。0crimini！“