第4章

WhenpeoplewrotealetterCharlesalwaysaskedwhattheywanted。Wantwastohimtheonlycauseofaction。

Andthequestioninthiscasewascorrect，forhiswifereplied，“ShewantsHowardsEnd。“

“HowardsEnd？Now，Crane，justdon\'tforgettoputontheStepneywheel。“

“No，sir。“

“Now，mindyoudon\'tforget，forI——Come，littlewoman。“Whentheywereoutofthechauffeur\'ssightheputhisarmaroundherwaistandpressedheragainsthim。Allhisaffectionandhalfhisattention——itwaswhathegrantedherthroughouttheirhappymarriedlife。

“Butyouhaven\'tlistened，Charles——“

“What\'swrong？“

“Ikeepontellingyou——HowardsEnd。MissSchlegelsgotit。“

“Gotwhat？“askedCharles，unclaspingher。

“Whatthedickensareyoutalkingabout？“

“Now，Charles，youpromisednottosaythosenaughty——“

“Lookhere，I\'minnomoodforfoolery。It\'snomorningforiteither。“

“Itellyou——Ikeepontellingyou——MissSchlegel——she\'sgotit——yourmother\'sleftittoher——andyou\'veallgottomoveout！“

“HowardsEnd？“

“HowardsEnd！“shescreamed，mimickinghim，andasshedidsoEviecamedashingoutoftheshrubbery。

“Dolly，gobackatonce！Myfather\'smuchannoyedwithyou。Charles“——shehitherselfwildly——“comeinatoncetoFather。He\'shadaletterthat\'stooawful。“

Charlesbegantorun，butcheckedhimself，andsteppedheavilyacrossthegravelpath。Therethehousewas——theninewindows，theunprolificvine。Heexclaimed，“Schlegelsagain！“andasiftocompletechaos，Dollysaid，“Ohno，thematronofthenursinghomehaswritteninsteadofher。“

“Comein，allthreeofyou！“criedhisfather，nolongerinert。“Dolly，whyhaveyoudisobeyedme？“

“Oh，Mr。Wilcox——“

“Itoldyounottogoouttothegarage。I\'veheardyouallshoutinginthegarden。Iwon\'thaveit。Comein。“

Hestoodintheporch，transformed，lettersinhishand。

“Intothedining-room，everyoneofyou。Wecan\'tdiscussprivatemattersinthemiddleofalltheservants。

Here，Charles，here；readthese。Seewhatyoumake。“

Charlestooktwoletters，andreadthemashefollowedtheprocession。Thefirstwasacoveringnotefromthematron。

Mrs。Wilcoxhaddesiredher，whenthefuneralshouldbeover，toforwardtheenclosed。Theenclosed——itwasfromhismotherherself。

Shehadwritten:“Tomyhusband:IshouldlikeMissSchlegel(Margaret)

tohaveHowardsEnd。“

“Isupposewe\'regoingtohaveatalkaboutthis？“

heremarked，ominouslycalm。

“Certainly。IwascomingouttoyouwhenDolly——“

“Well，let\'ssitdown。“

“Come，Evie，don\'twastetime，sitdown。“

Insilencetheydrewuptothebreakfast-table。

Theeventsofyesterday——indeed，ofthismorning——suddenlyrecededintoapastsoremotethattheyseemedscarcelytohavelivedinit。Heavybreathingswereheard。Theywerecalmingthemselves。Charles，tosteadythemfurther，readtheenclosureoutloud:“Anoteinmymother\'shandwriting，inanenvelopeaddressedtomyfather，sealed。Inside:

\'IshouldlikeMissSchlegel(Margaret)tohaveHowardsEnd。\'Nodate，nosignature。Forwardedthroughthematronofthatnursinghome。

Now，thequestionis——“

Dollyinterruptedhim。“ButIsaythatnoteisn\'tlegal。Housesoughttobedonebyalawyer，Charles，surely。“

Herhusbandworkedhisjawseverely。Littlelumpsappearedinfrontofeitherear——asymptomthatshehadnotyetlearnttorespect，andsheaskedwhethershemightseethenote。Charleslookedathisfatherforpermission，whosaidabstractedly，“Giveither。“

Sheseizedit，andatonceexclaimed:“Why，it\'sonlyinpencil！

Isaidso。Pencilnevercounts。“

“Weknowthatitisnotlegallybinding，Dolly，“

saidMr。Wilcox，speakingfromoutofhisfortress。“Weareawareofthat。Legally，Ishouldbejustifiedintearingitupandthrowingitintothefire。Ofcourse，mydear，weconsideryouasoneofthefamily，butitwillbebetterifyoudonotinterferewithwhatyoudonotunderstand。“

Charles，vexedbothwithhisfatherandhiswife，thenrepeated:“Thequestionis——“Hehadclearedaspaceofthebreakfast-tablefromplatesandknives，sothathecoulddrawpatternsonthetablecloth。

“ThequestioniswhetherMissSchlegel，duringthefortnightwewereallaway，whethersheunduly——“Hestopped。

“Idon\'tthinkthat，“saidhisfather，whosenaturewasnoblerthanhisson\'s“Don\'tthinkwhat？“

“Thatshewouldhave——thatitisacaseofundueinfluence。No，tomymindthequestionisthe——theinvalid\'sconditionatthetimeshewrote。“

“Mydearfather，consultanexpertifyoulike，butIdon\'tadmititismymother\'swriting。“

“Why，youjustsaiditwas！“criedDolly。

“NevermindifIdid，“heblazedout；“andholdyourtongue。“

Thepoorlittlewifecolouredatthis，and，drawingherhandkerchieffromherpocket，shedafewtears。Noonenoticedher。Eviewasscowlinglikeanangryboy。Thetwomenweregraduallyassumingthemannerofthecommittee-room。Theywerebothattheirbestwhenservingoncommittees。Theydidnotmakethemistakeofhandlinghumanaffairsinthebulk，butdisposedofthemitembyitem，sharply。Calligraphywastheitembeforethemnow，andonittheyturnedtheirwell-trainedbrains。Charles，afteralittledemur，acceptedthewritingasgenuine，andtheypassedontothenextpoint。

Itisthebest——perhapstheonly——wayofdodgingemotion。Theyweretheaveragehumanarticle，andhadtheyconsideredthenoteasawholeitwouldhavedriventhemmiserableormad。Considereditembyitem，theemotionalcontentwasminimized，andallwentforwardsmoothly。

Theclockticked，thecoalsblazedhigher，andcontendedwiththewhiteradiancethatpouredinthroughthewindows。Unnoticed，thesunoccupiedhissky，andtheshadowsofthetreestems，extraordinarilysolid，fellliketrenchesofpurpleacrossthefrostedlawn。Itwasagloriouswintermorning。Evie\'sfoxterrier，whohadpassedforwhite，wasonlyadirtygreydognow，sointensewasthepuritythatsurroundedhim。

Hewasdiscredited，buttheblackbirdsthathewaschasingglowedwithArabiandarkness，foralltheconventionalcolouringoflifehadbeenaltered。

Inside，theclockstrucktenwitharichandconfidentnote。Otherclocksconfirmedit，andthediscussionmovedtowardsitsclose。

Tofollowitisunnecessary。Itisratheramomentwhenthecommentatorshouldstepforward。OughttheWilcoxestohaveofferedtheirhometoMargaret？Ithinknot。Theappealwastooflimsy。Itwasnotlegal；ithadbeenwritteninillness，andunderthespellofasuddenfriendship；itwascontrarytothedeadwoman\'sintentionsinthepast，contrarytoherverynature，sofarasthatnaturewasunderstoodbythem。TothemHowardsEndwasahouse:

theycouldnotknowthattoherithadbeenaspirit，forwhichshesoughtaspiritualheir。And——pushingonestepfartherinthesemists——maytheynothavedecidedevenbetterthantheysupposed？Isitcrediblethatthepossessionsofthespiritcanbebequeathedatall？Hasthesouloffspring？Awych-elmtree，avine，awispofhaywithdewonit——canpassionforsuchthingsbetransmittedwherethereisnobondofblood？No；theWilcoxesarenottobeblamed。Theproblemistooterrific，andtheycouldnotevenperceiveaproblem。No；

itisnaturalandfittingthatafterduedebatetheyshouldtearthenoteupandthrowitontotheirdining-roomfire。Thepracticalmoralistmayacquitthemabsolutely。Hewhostrivestolookdeepermayacquitthem——almost。Foronehardfactremains。Theydidneglectapersonalappeal。Thewomanwhohaddieddidsaytothem，“Dothis，“

andtheyanswered，“Wewillnot。“

Theincidentmadeamostpainfulimpressiononthem。

Griefmountedintothebrainandworkedtheredisquietingly。Yesterdaytheyhadlamented:“Shewasadearmother，atruewife:inourabsencesheneglectedherhealthanddied。“Todaytheythought:“Shewasnotastrue，asdear，aswesupposed。“Thedesireforamoreinwardlighthadfoundexpressionatlast，theunseenhadimpactedontheseen，andallthattheycouldsaywas“Treachery。“Mrs。Wilcoxhadbeentreacheroustothefamily，tothelawsofproperty，toherownwrittenword。

HowdidsheexpectHowardsEndtobeconveyedtoMissSchlegel？Washerhusband，towhomitlegallybelonged，tomakeitovertoherasafreegift？WasthesaidMissSchlegeltohavealifeinterestinit，ortoownitabsolutely？Wastheretobenocompensationforthegarageandotherimprovementsthattheyhadmadeundertheassumptionthatallwouldbetheirssomeday？Treacherous！treacherousandabsurd！

Whenwethinkthedeadbothtreacherousandabsurd，wehavegonefartowardsreconcilingourselvestotheirdeparture。Thatnote，scribbledinpencil，sentthroughthematron，wasunbusinesslikeaswellascruel，anddecreasedatoncethevalueofthewomanwhohadwrittenit。

“Ah，well！“saidMr。Wilcox，risingfromthetable。

“Ishouldn\'thavethoughtitpossible。“

“Mothercouldn\'thavemeantit，“saidEvie，stillfrowning。

“No，mygirl，ofcoursenot。“

“Motherbelievedsoinancestorstoo——itisn\'tlikehertoleaveanythingtoanoutsider，who\'dneverappreciate。“

“Thewholethingisunlikeher，“heannounced。

“IfMissSchlegelhadbeenpoor，ifshehadwantedahouse，Icouldunderstanditalittle。Butshehasahouseofherown。Whyshouldshewantanother？Shewouldn\'thaveanyuseofHowardsEnd。“

“Thattimemayprove，“murmuredCharles。

“How？“askedhissister。

“Presumablysheknows——motherwillhavetoldher。

Shegottwiceorthreetimesintothenursinghome。Presumablysheisawaitingdevelopments。“

“Whatahorridwoman！“AndDolly，whohadrecovered，cried，“Why，shemaybecomingdowntoturnusoutnow！“

Charlesputherright。“Iwishshewould，“

hesaidominously。“Icouldthendealwithher。“

“SocouldI，“echoedhisfather，whowasfeelingratherinthecold。Charleshadbeenkindinundertakingthefuneralarrangementsandintellinghimtoeathisbreakfast，buttheboyashegrewupwasalittledictatorial，andassumedthepostofchairmantooreadily。“Icoulddealwithher，ifshecomes，butshewon\'tcome。

You\'reallabithardonMissSchlegel。“

“ThatPaulbusinesswasprettyscandalous，though。“

“IwantnomoreofthePaulbusiness，Charles，asIsaidatthetime，andbesides，itisquiteapartfromthisbusiness。

MargaretSchlegelhasbeenofficiousandtiresomeduringthisterribleweek，andwehaveallsufferedunderher，butuponmysoulshe\'shonest。

She\'snotincollusionwiththematron。I\'mabsolutelycertainofit。Norwasshewiththedoctor。I\'mequallycertainofthat。

Shedidnothideanythingfromus，foruptothatveryafternoonshewasasignorantasweare。She，likeourselves，wasadupe——“Hestoppedforamoment。“Yousee，Charles，inherterriblepainyourpoormotherputusallinfalsepositions。PaulwouldnothaveleftEngland，youwouldnothavegonetoItaly，norEvieandIintoYorkshire，ifonlywehadknown。Well，MissSchlegel\'spositionhasbeenequallyfalse。Takeallinall，shehasnotcomeoutofitbadly。“

Eviesaid:“Butthosechrysanthemums——“

“Orcomingdowntothefuneralatall——“echoedDolly。

“Whyshouldn\'tshecomedown？Shehadtherightto，andshestoodfarbackamongtheHiltonwomen。Theflowers——certainlyweshouldnothavesentsuchflowers，buttheymayhaveseemedtherightthingtoher，Evie，andforallyouknowtheymaybethecustominGermany。

“

“Oh，Iforgetsheisn\'treallyEnglish，“criedEvie。

“Thatwouldexplainalot。“

“She\'sacosmopolitan，“saidCharles，lookingathiswatch。“IadmitI\'mratherdownoncosmopolitans。Myfault，doubtless。Icannotstandthem，andaGermancosmopolitanisthelimit。Ithinkthat\'saboutall，isn\'tit？IwanttorundownandseeChalkeley。Abicyclewilldo。And，bytheway，Iwishyou\'dspeaktoCranesometime。I\'mcertainhe\'shadmynewcarout。“

“Hashedoneitanyharm？“

“No。“

“InthatcaseIshallletitpass。It\'snotworthwhilehavingarow。“

Charlesandhisfathersometimesdisagreed。

Buttheyalwayspartedwithanincreasedregardforoneanother，andeachdesirednodoughtiercomradewhenitwasnecessarytovoyageforalittlepasttheemotions。SothesailorsofUlyssesvoyagedpasttheSirens，havingfirststoppedoneanother\'searswithwool。Chapter12Charlesneednothavebeenanxious。MissSchlegelhadneverheardofhismother\'sstrangerequest。Shewastohearofitinafteryears，whenshehadbuiltupherlifedifferently，anditwastofitintopositionastheheadstoneofthecorner。Hermindwasbentonotherquestionsnow，andbyheralsoitwouldhavebeenrejectedasthefantasyofaninvalid。

ShewaspartingfromtheseWilcoxesforthesecondtime。Paulandhismother，rippleandgreatwave，hadflowedintoherlifeandebbedoutofitforever。Theripplehadleftnotracesbehind:thewavehadstrewnatherfeetfragmentstornfromtheunknown。

Acuriousseeker，shestoodforawhileatthevergeoftheseathattellssolittle，buttellsalittle，andwatchedtheoutgoingofthislasttremendoustide。Herfriendhadvanishedinagony，butnot，shebelieved，indegradation。Herwithdrawalhadhintedatotherthingsbesidesdiseaseandpain。Someleaveourlifewithtears，otherswithaninsanefrigidity；

Mrs。Wilcoxhadtakenthemiddlecourse，whichonlyrarernaturescanpursue。

Shehadkeptproportion。Shehadtoldalittleofhergrimsecrettoherfriends，butnottoomuch；shehadshutupherheart——almost，butnotentirely。Itisthus，ifthereisanyrule，thatweoughttodie——neitherasvictimnorasfanatic，butastheseafarerwhocangreetwithanequaleyethedeepthatheisentering，andtheshorethathemustleave。

Thelastword——whateveritwouldbe——hadcertainlynotbeensaidinHiltonchurchyard。Shehadnotdiedthere。

Afuneralisnotdeath，anymorethanbaptismisbirthormarriageunion。

Allthreearetheclumsydevices，comingnowtoolate，nowtooearly，bywhichSocietywouldregisterthequickmotionsofman。InMargaret\'seyesMrs。Wilcoxhadescapedregistration。Shehadgoneoutoflifevividly，herownway，andnodustwassotrulydustasthecontentsofthatheavycoffin，loweredwithceremonialuntilitrestedonthedustoftheearth，noflowerssoutterlywastedasthechrysanthemumsthatthefrostmusthavewitheredbeforemorning。Margarethadoncesaidshe“lovedsuperstition。“Itwasnottrue。Fewwomenhadtriedmoreearnestlytopiercetheaccretionsinwhichbodyandsoulareenwrapped。ThedeathofMrs。Wilcoxhadhelpedherinherwork。Shesawalittlemoreclearlythanhithertowhatahumanbeingis，andtowhathemayaspire。

Truerrelationshipsgleamed。Perhapsthelastwordwouldbehope——hopeevenonthissideofthegrave。

Meanwhile，shecouldtakeaninterestinthesurvivors。

InspiteofherChristmasduties，inspiteofherbrother，theWilcoxescontinuedtoplayaconsiderablepartinherthoughts。Shehadseensomuchoftheminthefinalweek。Theywerenot“hersort，“theywereoftensuspiciousandstupid，anddeficientwheresheexcelled；butcollisionwiththemstimulatedher，andshefeltaninterestthatvergedintoliking，evenforCharles。Shedesiredtoprotectthem，andoftenfeltthattheycouldprotecther，excellingwhereshewasdeficient。

Oncepasttherocksofemotion，theyknewsowellwhattodo，whomtosendfor；theirhandswereonalltheropes，theyhadgritaswellasgrittiness，andshevaluedgritenormously。Theyledalifethatshecouldnotattainto——theouterlifeof“telegramsandanger，“whichhaddetonatedwhenHelenandPaulhadtouchedinJune，andhaddetonatedagaintheotherweek。ToMargaretthislifewastoremainarealforce。Shecouldnotdespiseit，asHelenandTibbyaffectedtodo。Itfosteredsuchvirtuesasneatness，decision，andobedience，virtuesofthesecondrank，nodoubt，buttheyhaveformedourcivilization。Theyformcharacter，too；Margaretcouldnotdoubtit:theykeepthesoulfrombecomingsloppy。HowdareSchlegelsdespiseWilcoxes，whenittakesallsortstomakeaworld？

“Don\'tbroodtoomuch，“shewrotetoHelen，“onthesuperiorityoftheunseentotheseen。It\'strue，buttobroodonitismediaeval。Ourbusinessisnottocontrastthetwo，buttoreconcilethem。“

Helenrepliedthatshehadnointentionofbroodingonsuchadullsubject。Whatdidhersistertakeherfor？Theweatherwasmagnificent。SheandtheMosebachshadgonetobogganingontheonlyhillthatPomeraniaboasted。Itwasfun，butovercrowded，fortherestofPomeraniahadgonetheretoo。Helenlovedthecountry，andherletterglowedwithphysicalexerciseandpoetry。Shespokeofthescenery，quiet，yetaugust；ofthesnow-cladfields，withtheirscamperingherdsofdeer；oftheriveranditsquaintentranceintotheBalticSea；oftheOderberge，onlythreehundredfeethigh，fromwhichoneslidalltooquicklybackintothePomeranianplains，andyettheseOderbergewererealmountains，withpine-forests，streams，andviewscomplete。

“Itisn\'tsizethatcountssomuchasthewaythingsarearranged。“InanotherparagraphshereferredtoMrs。Wilcoxsympathetically，butthenewshadnotbittenintoher。Shehadnotrealizedtheaccessoriesofdeath，whichareinasensemorememorablethandeathitself。

Theatmosphereofprecautionsandrecriminations，andinthemidstahumanbodygrowingmorevividbecauseitwasinpain；theendofthatbodyinHiltonchurchyard；thesurvivalofsomethingthatsuggestedhope，vividinitsturnagainstlife\'sworkadaycheerfulness；——allthesewerelosttoHelen，whoonlyfeltthatapleasantladycouldnowbepleasantnolonger。

ShereturnedtoWickhamPlacefullofherownaffairs——shehadhadanotherproposal——andMargaret，afteramoment\'shesitation，wascontentthatthisshouldbeso。

Theproposalhadnotbeenaseriousmatter。

ItwastheworkofFrä；uleinMosebach，whohadconceivedthelargeandpatrioticnotionofwinningbackhercousinstotheFatherlandbymatrimony。

EnglandhadplayedPaulWilcox，andlost；GermanyplayedHerrFö；rstmeistersomeone——Helencouldnotrememberhisname。

HerrFö；rstmeisterlivedinawood，andstandingonthesummitoftheOderberge，hehadpointedouthishousetoHelen，orrather，hadpointedoutthewedgeofpinesinwhichitlay。Shehadexclaimed，“Oh，howlovely！That\'stheplaceforme！“andintheeveningFriedaappearedinherbedroom。“Ihaveamessage，dearHelen，“etc。，andsoshehad，buthadbeenverynicewhenHelenlaughed；

quiteunderstood——aforesttoosolitaryanddamp——quiteagreed，butHerrFö；rstmeisterbelievedhehadassurancetothecontrary。Germanyhadlost，butwithgood-humour；holdingthemanhoodoftheworld，shefeltboundtowin。“AndtherewillevenbesomeoneforTibby，“concludedHelen。“Therenow，Tibby，thinkofthat；Friedaissavingupalittlegirlforyou，inpig-tailsandwhiteworstedstockings，butthefeetofthestockingsarepink，asifthelittlegirlhadtroddeninstrawberries。

I\'vetalkedtoomuch。Myheadaches。Nowyoutalk。“

Tibbyconsentedtotalk。Hetoowasfullofhisownaffairs，forhehadjustbeenuptotryforascholarshipatOxford。

Themenweredown，andthecandidateshadbeenhousedinvariouscolleges，andhaddinedinhall。Tibbywassensitivetobeauty，theexperiencewasnew，andhegaveadescriptionofhisvisitthatwasalmostglowing。

TheaugustandmellowUniversity，soakedwiththerichnessofthewesterncountiesthatithasservedforathousandyears，appealedatoncetotheboy\'staste:itwasthekindofthinghecouldunderstand，andheunderstooditallthebetterbecauseitwasempty。Oxfordis——Oxford:notamerereceptacleforyouth，likeCambridge。Perhapsitwantsitsinmatestoloveitratherthantoloveoneanother:suchatalleventswastobeitseffectonTibby。Hissisterssenthimtherethathemightmakefriends，fortheyknewthathiseducationhadbeencranky，andhadseveredhimfromotherboysandmen。Hemadenofriends。HisOxfordremainedOxfordempty，andhetookintolifewithhim，notthememoryofaradiance，butthememoryofacolourscheme。

ItpleasedMargarettohearherbrotherandsistertalking。Theydidnotgetonoverwellasarule。Forafewmomentsshelistenedtothem，feelingelderlyandbenign。Thensomethingoccurredtoher，andsheinterrupted:

“Helen，ItoldyouaboutpoorMrs。Wilcox；thatsadbusiness？“

“Yes。“

“Ihavehadacorrespondencewithherson。

Hewaswindinguptheestate，andwrotetoaskmewhetherhismotherhadwantedmetohaveanything。Ithoughtitgoodofhim，consideringIknewhersolittle。IsaidthatshehadoncespokenofgivingmeaChristmaspresent，butwebothforgotaboutitafterwards。“

“IhopeCharlestookthehint。“

“Yes——thatistosay，herhusbandwrotelateron，andthankedmeforbeingalittlekindtoher，andactuallygavemehersilvervinaigrette。Don\'tyouthinkthatisextraordinarilygenerous？

Ithasmademelikehimverymuch。Hehopesthatthiswillnotbetheendofouracquaintance，butthatyouandIwillgoandstopwithEviesometimeinthefuture。IlikeMr。Wilcox。Heistakinguphiswork——rubber——itisabigbusiness。Igatherheislaunchingoutrather。Charlesisinit，too。Charlesismarried——aprettylittlecreature，butshedoesn\'tseemwise。Theytookontheflat，butnowtheyhavegoneofftoahouseoftheirown。“

Helen，afteradecentpause，continuedheraccountofStettin。Howquicklyasituationchanges！InJuneshehadbeeninacrisis；eveninNovembershecouldblushandbeunnatural；nowitwasJanuary，andthewholeaffairlayforgotten。Lookingbackonthepastsixmonths，Margaretrealizedthechaoticnatureofourdailylife，anditsdifferencefromtheorderlysequencethathasbeenfabricatedbyhistorians。Actuallifeisfulloffalsecluesandsign-poststhatleadnowhere。Withinfiniteeffortwenerveourselvesforacrisisthatnevercomes。Themostsuccessfulcareermustshowawasteofstrengththatmighthaveremovedmountains，andthemostunsuccessfulisnotthatofthemanwhoistakenunprepared，butofhimwhohaspreparedandisnevertaken。Onatragedyofthatkindournationalmoralityisdulysilent。Itassumesthatpreparationagainstdangerisinitselfagood，andthatmen，likenations，arethebetterforstaggeringthroughlifefullyarmed。Thetragedyofpreparednesshasscarcelybeenhandled，savebytheGreeks。Lifeisindeeddangerous，butnotinthewaymoralitywouldhaveusbelieve。Itisindeedunmanageable，buttheessenceofitisnotabattle。Itisunmanageablebecauseitisaromance，anditsessenceisromanticbeauty。

Margarethopedthatforthefutureshewouldbelesscautious，notmorecautious，thanshehadbeeninthepast。Chapter13Overtwoyearspassed，andtheSchlegelhouseholdcontinuedtoleaditslifeofculturedbutnotignobleease，stillswimminggracefullyonthegreytidesofLondon。Concertsandplayssweptpastthem，moneyhadbeenspentandrenewed，reputationswonandlost，andthecityherself，emblematicoftheirlives，roseandfellinacontinualflux，whilehershallowswashedmorewidelyagainstthehillsofSurreyandoverthefieldsofHertfordshire。Thisfamousbuildinghadarisen，thatwasdoomed。

TodayWhitehallhadbeentransformed:itwouldbetheturnofRegentStreettomorrow。Andmonthbymonththeroadssmeltmorestronglyofpetrol，andweremoredifficulttocross，andhumanbeingsheardeachotherspeakwithgreaterdifficulty，breathedlessoftheair，andsawlessofthesky。Naturewithdrew:theleaveswerefallingbymidsummer；thesunshonethroughdirtwithanadmiredobscurity。

TospeakagainstLondonisnolongerfashionable。

TheEarthasanartisticculthashaditsday，andtheliteratureofthenearfuturewillprobablyignorethecountryandseekinspirationfromthetown。Onecanunderstandthereaction。OfPanandtheelementalforces，thepublichasheardalittletoomuch——theyseemVictorian，whileLondonisGeorgian——andthosewhocarefortheearthwithsinceritymaywaitlongerethependulumswingsbacktoheragain。CertainlyLondonfascinates。Onevisualizesitasatractofquiveringgrey，intelligentwithoutpurpose，andexcitablewithoutlove；asaspiritthathasalteredbeforeitcanbechronicled；asaheartthatcertainlybeats，butwithnopulsationofhumanity。Itliesbeyondeverything:Nature，withallhercruelty，comesnearertousthandothesecrowdsofmen。

Afriendexplainshimself:theearthisexplicable——fromherwecame，andwemustreturntoher。ButwhocanexplainWestminsterBridgeRoadorLiverpoolStreetinthemorning——thecityinhaling——orthesamethoroughfaresintheevening——thecityexhalingherexhaustedair？Wereachindesperationbeyondthefog，beyondtheverystars，thevoidsoftheuniverseareransackedtojustifythemonster，andstampedwithahumanface。

Londonisreligion\'sopportunity——notthedecorousreligionoftheologians，butanthropomorphic，crude。Yes，thecontinuousflowwouldbetolerableifamanofourownsort——notanyonepompousortearful——werecaringforusupinthesky。

TheLondonerseldomunderstandshiscityuntilitsweepshim，too，awayfromhismoorings，andMargaret\'seyeswerenotopeneduntiltheleaseofWickhamPlaceexpired。Shehadalwaysknownthatitmustexpire，buttheknowledgeonlybecamevividaboutninemonthsbeforetheevent。Thenthehousewassuddenlyringedwithpathos。

Ithadseensomuchhappiness。Whyhadittobesweptaway？

Inthestreetsofthecityshenotedforthefirsttimethearchitectureofhurry，andheardthelanguageofhurryonthemouthsofitsinhabitants——clippedwords，formlesssentences，pottedexpressionsofapprovalordisgust。

Monthbymonththingsweresteppinglivelier，buttowhatgoal？Thepopulationstillrose，butwhatwasthequalityofthemenborn？

TheparticularmillionairewhoownedthefreeholdofWickhamPlace，anddesiredtoerectBabylonianflatsuponit——whatrighthadhetostirsolargeaportionofthequiveringjelly？Hewasnotafool——shehadheardhimexposeSocialism——buttrueinsightbeganjustwherehisintelligenceended，andonegatheredthatthiswasthecasewithmostmillionaires。

Whatrighthadsuchmen——ButMargaretcheckedherself。Thatwayliesmadness。Thankgoodnessshe，too，hadsomemoney，andcouldpurchaseanewhome。

Tibby，nowinhissecondyearatOxford，wasdownfortheEastervacation，andMargarettooktheopportunityofhavingaserioustalkwithhim。Didheatallknowwherehewantedtolive？

Tibbydidn\'tknowthathedidknow。Didheatallknowwhathewantedtodo？Hewasequallyuncertain，butwhenpressedremarkedthatheshouldprefertobequitefreeofanyprofession。Margaretwasnotshocked，butwentonsewingforafewminutesbeforeshereplied:

“IwasthinkingofMr。Vyse。Heneverstrikesmeasparticularlyhappy。“

“Ye-es，“saidTibby，andthenheldhismouthopeninacuriousquiver，asifhe，too，hadthoughtsofMr。Vyse，hadseenround，through，over，andbeyondMr。Vyse，hadweighedMr。Vyse，groupedhim，andfinallydismissedhimashavingnopossiblebearingonthesubjectunderdiscussion。ThatbleatofTibby\'sinfuriatedHelen。ButHelenwasnowdowninthedining-roompreparingaspeechaboutpoliticaleconomy。Attimeshervoicecouldbehearddeclaimingthroughthefloor。

“ButMr。Vyseisratherawretched，weedyman，don\'tyouthink？Thenthere\'sGuy。Thatwasapitifulbusiness。

Besides“——shiftingtothegeneral——“everyoneisthebetterforsomeregularwork。“

Groans。

“Ishallsticktoit，“shecontinued，smiling。

“Iamnotsayingittoeducateyou；itiswhatIreallythink。I

believethatinthelastcenturymenhavedevelopedthedesireforwork，andtheymustnotstarveit。It\'sanewdesire。Itgoeswithagreatdealthat\'sbad，butinitselfit\'sgood，andIhopethatforwomen，too，\'nottowork\'willsoonbecomeasshockingas\'nottobemarried\'

wasahundredyearsago。“

“Ihavenoexperienceofthisprofounddesiretowhichyouallude，“enunciatedTibby。

“Thenwe\'llleavethesubjecttillyoudo。

I\'mnotgoingtorattleyouround。Takeyourtime。Onlydothinkoverthelivesofthemenyoulikemost，andseehowthey\'vearrangedthem。“

“IlikeGuyandMr。Vysemost，“saidTibbyfaintly，andleantsofarbackinhischairthatheextendedinahorizontallinefromkneestothroat。

“Anddon\'tthinkI\'mnotseriousbecauseIdon\'tusethetraditionalarguments——makingmoney，asphereawaitingyou，andsoon——allofwhichare，forvariousreasons，cant。“Shesewedon。

“I\'monlyyoursister。Ihaven\'tanyauthorityoveryou，andIdon\'twanttohaveany。JusttoputbeforeyouwhatIthinkthetruth。

Yousee“——sheshookoffthepince-neztowhichshehadrecentlytaken——“inafewyearsweshallbethesameagepractically，andIshallwantyoutohelpme。Menaresomuchnicerthanwomen。“

“Labouringundersuchadelusion，whydoyounotmarry？“

“IsometimesjollywellthinkIwouldifIgotthechance。“

“Hasnobodyarstyou？“

“Onlyninnies。“

“DopeopleaskHelen？“

“Plentifully。“

“Tellmeaboutthem。“

“No。“

“Tellmeaboutyourninnies，then。“

“Theyweremenwhohadnothingbettertodo，“saidhissister，feelingthatshewasentitledtoscorethispoint。“Sotakewarning:youmustwork，orelseyoumustpretendtowork，whichiswhatIdo。Work，work，workifyou\'dsaveyoursoulandyourbody。

Itishonestlyanecessity，dearboy。LookattheWilcoxes，lookatMr。Pembroke。Withalltheirdefectsoftemperandunderstanding，suchmengivememorepleasurethanmanywhoarebetterequippedandI

thinkitisbecausetheyhaveworkedregularlyandhonestly。

“SparemetheWilcoxes，“hemoaned。

“Ishallnot。Theyaretherightsort。“

“Oh，goodnessme，Meg！“heprotested，suddenlysittingup，alertandangry。Tibby，forallhisdefects，hadagenuinepersonality。

“Well，they\'reasneartherightsortasyoucanimagine。“

“No，no——oh，no！“

“Iwasthinkingoftheyoungerson，whomIonceclassedasaninny，butwhocamebacksoillfromNigeria。He\'sgoneoutthereagain，EvieWilcoxtellsme——outtohisduty。“

“Duty“alwayselicitedagroan。

“Hedoesn\'twantthemoney，itisworkhewants，thoughitisbeastlywork——dullcountry，dishonestnatives，aneternalfidgetoverfreshwaterandfood。Anationwhocanproducemenofthatsortmaywellbeproud。NowonderEnglandhasbecomeanEmpire。“

“Empire！“

“Ican\'tbotheroverresults，“saidMargaret，alittlesadly。“Theyaretoodifficultforme。Icanonlylookatthemen。AnEmpireboresme，sofar，butIcanappreciatetheheroismthatbuildsitup。Londonboresme，butwhatthousandsofsplendidpeoplearelabouringtomakeLondon——“

“Whatitis，“hesneered。

“Whatitis，worseluck。Iwantactivitywithoutcivilization。Howparadoxical！YetIexpectthatiswhatweshallfindinheaven。“

“AndI，“saidTibby，“wantcivilizationwithoutactivity，which，Iexpect，iswhatweshallfindintheotherplace。“

“Youneedn\'tgoasfarastheotherplace，Tibbi-kins，ifyouwantthat。YoucanfinditatOxford。“

“Stupid——“

“IfI\'mstupid，getmebacktothehouse-hunting。

I\'llevenliveinOxfordifyoulike——NorthOxford。I\'llliveanywhereexceptBournemouth，Torquay，andCheltenham。Ohyes，orIlfracombeandSwanageandTunbridgeWellsandSurbitonandBedford。Thereonnoaccount。“

“London，then。“

“Iagree，butHelenratherwantstogetawayfromLondon。However，there\'snoreasonweshouldn\'thaveahouseinthecountryandalsoaflatintown，providedweallsticktogetherandcontribute。

Thoughofcourse——Oh，howonedoesmaunderon，andtothink，tothinkofthepeoplewhoarereallypoor。Howdotheylive？Nottomoveabouttheworldwouldkillme。“

Asshespoke，thedoorwasflungopen，andHelenburstininastateofextremeexcitement。

“Oh，mydears，whatdoyouthink？You\'llneverguess。Awoman\'sbeenhereaskingmeforherhusband。Herwhat？“

(Helenwasfondofsupplyingherownsurprise。)“Yes，forherhusband，anditreallyisso。“

“NotanythingtodowithBracknell？“criedMargaret，whohadlatelytakenonanunemployedofthatnametocleantheknivesandboots。

“IofferedBracknell，andhewasrejected。

SowasTibby。(Cheerup，Tibby！)It\'snooneweknow。Isaid，\'Hunt，mygoodwoman；haveagoodlookround，huntunderthetables，pokeupthechimney，shakeouttheantimacassars。Husband？husband？\'Oh，andshesomagnificentlydressedandtinklinglikeachandelier。“

“Now，Helen，whatdidhappenreally？“

“WhatIsay。Iwas，asitwere，oratingmyspeech。Annieopensthedoorlikeafool，andshowsafemalestraightinonme，withmymouthopen。Thenwebegan——verycivilly。

\'Iwantmyhusband，whatIhavereasontobelieveishere。\'No——howunjustoneis。Shesaid\'whom，\'not\'what。\'Shegotitperfectly。

SoIsaid，\'Name，please？\'andshesaid，\'Lan，Miss，\'andtherewewere。

“Lan？“

“LanorLen。Wewerenotniceaboutourvowels。

Lanoline。“

“Butwhatanextraordinary——“

“Isaid，\'MygoodMrs。Lanoline，wehavesomegravemisunderstandinghere。BeautifulasIam，mymodestyisevenmoreremarkablethanmybeauty，andnever，neverhasMr。Lanolinerestedhiseyesonmine。\'“

“Ihopeyouwerepleased，“saidTibby。

“Ofcourse，“Helensqueaked。“Aperfectlydelightfulexperience。Oh，Mrs。Lanoline\'sadear——sheaskedforahusbandasifhewasanumbrella。ShemislaidhimSaturdayafternoon——andforalongtimesufferednoinconvenience。Butallnight，andallthismorningherapprehensionsgrew。Breakfastdidn\'tseemthesame——no，nomoredidlunch，andsoshestrolledupto2，WickhamPlaceasbeingthemostlikelyplaceforthemissingarticle。“

“Buthowonearth——“

“Don\'tbeginhowonearthing。\'IknowwhatIknow，\'shekeptrepeating，notuncivilly，butwithextremegloom。

InvainIaskedherwhatshedidknow。Someknewwhatothersknew，andothersdidn\'t，andiftheydidn\'t，thenothersagainhadbetterbecareful。Ohdear，shewasincompetent！Shehadafacelikeasilkworm，andthedining-roomreeksoforris-root。Wechattedpleasantlyalittleabouthusbands，andIwonderedwhereherswastoo，andadvisedhertogotothepolice。Shethankedme。WeagreedthatMr。

Lanoline\'sanotty，nottyman，andhasn\'tnobusinesstogoonthelardy-da。

ButIthinkshesuspectedmeuptothelast。BagsIwritingtoAuntJuleyaboutthis。Now，Meg，remember——bagsI。“

“Bagitbyallmeans，“murmuredMargaret，puttingdownherwork。“I\'mnotsurethatthisissofunny，Helen。

Itmeanssomehorriblevolcanosmokingsomewhere，doesn\'tit？“

“Idon\'tthinkso——shedoesn\'treallymind。

Theadmirablecreatureisn\'tcapableoftragedy。“

“Herhusbandmaybe，though，“saidMargaret，movingtothewindow。

“Oh，no，notlikely。NoonecapableoftragedycouldhavemarriedMrs。Lanoline。“

“Wasshepretty？“

“Herfiguremayhavebeengoodonce。“

Theflats，theironlyoutlook，hunglikeanornatecurtainbetweenMargaretandthewelterofLondon。Herthoughtsturnedsadlytohouse-hunting。WickhamPlacehadbeensosafe。Shefeared，fantastically，thatherownlittleflockmightbemovingintoturmoilandsqualor，intonearercontactwithsuchepisodesasthese。

“TibbyandIhaveagainbeenwonderingwherewe\'lllivenextSeptember，“shesaidatlast。

“Tibbyhadbetterfirstwonderwhathe\'lldo，“retortedHelen；andthattopicwasresumed，butwithacrimony。Thenteacame，andafterteaHelenwentonpreparingherspeech，andMargaretpreparedone，too，fortheyweregoingouttoadiscussionsocietyonthemorrow。

Butherthoughtswerepoisoned。Mrs。Lanolinehadrisenoutoftheabyss，likeafaintsmell，agoblinfootball，tellingofalifewhereloveandhatredhadbothdecayed。Chapter14Themystery，likesomanymysteries，wasexplained。Nextday，justastheyweredressedtogoouttodinner，aMr。Bastcalled。HewasaclerkintheemploymentofthePorphyrionFireInsuranceCompany。

Thusmuchfromhiscard。Hehadcome“abouttheladyyesterday。“

ThusmuchfromAnnie，whohadshownhimintothedining-room。

“Cheers，children！“criedHelen。“It\'sMrs。

Lanoline。“

Tibbywasinterested。Thethreehurrieddownstairs，tofind，notthegaydogtheyexpected，butayoungman，colourless，toneless，whohadalreadythemournfuleyesaboveadroopingmoustachethataresocommoninLondon，andthathauntsomestreetsofthecitylikeaccusingpresences。Oneguessedhimasthethirdgeneration，grandsontotheshepherdorploughboywhomcivilizationhadsuckedintothetown；asoneofthethousandswhohavelostthelifeofthebodyandfailedtoreachthelifeofthespirit。Hintsofrobustnesssurvivedinhim，morethanahintofprimitivegoodlooks，andMargaret，notingthespinethatmighthavebeenstraight，andthechestthatmighthavebroadened，wonderedwhetheritpaidtogiveupthegloryoftheanimalforatailcoatandacoupleofideas。Culturehadworkedinherowncase，butduringthelastfewweeksshehaddoubtedwhetherithumanizedthemajority，sowideandsowideningisthegulfthatstretchesbetweenthenaturalandthephilosophicman，somanythegoodchapswhoarewreckedintryingtocrossit。Sheknewthistypeverywell——thevagueaspirations，thementaldishonesty，thefamiliaritywiththeoutsidesofbooks。Sheknewtheverytonesinwhichhewouldaddressher。Shewasonlyunpreparedforanexampleofherownvisiting-card。

“Youwouldn\'tremembergivingmethis，MissSchlegel？“

saidhe，uneasilyfamiliar。

“No；Ican\'tsayIdo。“

“Well，thatwashowithappened，yousee。“

“Wheredidwemeet，Mr。Bast？FortheminuteIdon\'tremember。“

“ItwasaconcertattheQueen\'sHall。Ithinkyouwillrecollect，“headdedpretentiously，“whenItellyouthatitincludedaperformanceoftheFifthSymphonyofBeethoven。“

“WeheartheFifthpracticallyeverytimeit\'sdone，soI\'mnotsure——doyouremember，Helen？“

“Wasitthetimethesandycatwalkedroundthebalustrade？“

Hethoughtnot。

“ThenIdon\'tremember。That\'stheonlyBeethovenIeverrememberspecially。“

“Andyou，ifImaysayso，tookawaymyumbrella，inadvertentlyofcourse。“

“Likelyenough，“Helenlaughed，“forIstealumbrellasevenoftenerthanIhearBeethoven。Didyougetitback？“

“Yes，thankyou，MissSchlegel。“

“Themistakearoseoutofmycard，didit？“interposedMargaret。

“Yes，themistakearose——itwasamistake。“

“Theladywhocalledhereyesterdaythoughtthatyouwerecallingtoo，andthatshecouldfindyou？“shecontinued，pushinghimforward，for，thoughhehadpromisedanexplanation，heseemedunabletogiveone。

“That\'sso，callingtoo——amistake。“

“Thenwhy——？“beganHelen，butMargaretlaidahandonherarm。

“Isaidtomywife，“hecontinuedmorerapidly——“I

saidtoMrs。Bast，\'Ihavetopayacallonsomefriends，\'andMrs。Bastsaidtome，\'Dogo。\'WhileIwasgone，however，shewantedmeonimportantbusiness，andthoughtIhadcomehere，owingtothecard，andsocameafterme，andIbegtotendermyapologies，andhersaswell，foranyinconveniencewemayhaveinadvertentlycausedyou。“

“Noinconvenience，“saidHelen；“butIstilldon\'tunderstand。“

AnairofevasioncharacterizedMr。Bast。

Heexplainedagain，butwasobviouslylying，andHelendidn\'tseewhyheshouldgetoff。Shehadthecrueltyofyouth。Neglectinghersister\'spressure，shesaid，“Istilldon\'tunderstand。Whendidyousayyoupaidthiscall？“

“Call？Whatcall？“saidhe，staringasifherquestionhadbeenafoolishone，afavouritedeviceofthoseinmid-stream。

“Thisafternooncall。“

“Intheafternoon，ofcourse！“hereplied，andlookedatTibbytoseehowthereparteewent。ButTibby，himselfarepartee，wasunsympathetic，andsaid，“SaturdayafternoonorSundayafternoon？“

“S-Saturday。“

“Really！“saidHelen；“andyouwerestillcallingonSunday，whenyourwifecamehere。Alongvisit。“

“Idon\'tcallthatfair，“saidMr。Bast，goingscarletandhandsome。Therewasfightinhiseyes。“Iknowwhatyoumean，anditisn\'tso。“

“Oh，don\'tletusmind，“saidMargaret，distressedagainbyodoursfromtheabyss。

“Itwassomethingelse，“heasserted，hiselaboratemannerbreakingdown。“Iwassomewhereelsetowhatyouthink，sothere！“

“Itwasgoodofyoutocomeandexplain，“shesaid。

“Therestisnaturallynoconcernofours。“

“Yes，butIwant——Iwanted——haveyoueverreadTheOrdealofRichardFeverel？“

Margaretnodded。

“It\'sabeautifulbook。IwantedtogetbacktotheEarth，don\'tyousee，likeRicharddoesintheend。OrhaveyoueverreadStevenson\'sPrinceOtto？“

HelenandTibbygroanedgently。

“That\'sanotherbeautifulbook。YougetbacktotheEarthinthat。Iwanted——“Hemouthedaffectedly。Thenthroughthemistsofhisculturecameahardfact，hardasapebble。

“IwalkedalltheSaturdaynight，“saidLeonard。“Iwalked。“Athrillofapprovalranthroughthesisters。Butcultureclosedinagain。

HeaskedwhethertheyhadeverreadE。V。Lucas\'sOpenRoad。

SaidHelen，“Nodoubtit\'sanotherbeautifulbook，butI\'dratherhearaboutyourroad。“

“Oh，Iwalked。“

“Howfar？“

“Idon\'tknow，norforhowlong。Itgottoodarktoseemywatch。“

“Wereyouwalkingalone，mayIask？“

“Yes，“hesaid，straighteninghimself；“butwe\'dbeentalkingitoverattheoffice。There\'sbeenalotoftalkattheofficelatelyaboutthesethings。ThefellowstheresaidonesteersbythePoleStar，andIlookeditupinthecelestialatlas，butonceoutofdoorseverythinggetssomixed——“

“Don\'ttalktomeaboutthePoleStar，“interruptedHelen，whowasbecominginterested。“Iknowitslittleways。

Itgoesroundandround，andyougoroundafterit。“

“Well，Ilostitentirely。Firstofallthestreetlamps，thenthetrees，andtowardsmorningitgotcloudy。“

Tibby，whopreferredhiscomedyundiluted，slippedfromtheroom。Heknewthatthisfellowwouldneverattaintopoetry，anddidnotwanttohearhimtrying。MargaretandHelenremained。

Theirbrotherinfluencedthemmorethantheyknew:inhisabsencetheywerestirredtoenthusiasmmoreeasily。

“Wheredidyoustartfrom？“criedMargaret。

“Dotellusmore。“

“ItooktheUndergroundtoWimbledon。AsI

cameoutoftheofficeIsaidtomyself，\'Imusthaveawalkonceinaway。IfIdon\'ttakethiswalknow，Ishallnevertakeit。\'IhadabitofdinneratWimbledon，andthen——“

“Butnotgoodcountrythere，isit？“

“Itwasgas-lampsforhours。Still，Ihadallthenight，andbeingoutwasthegreatthing。Ididgetintowoods，too，presently。“

“Yes，goon，“saidHelen。

“You\'venoideahowdifficultunevengroundiswhenit\'sdark。“

“Didyouactuallygoofftheroads？“

“Ohyes。Ialwaysmeanttogoofftheroads，buttheworstofitisthatit\'smoredifficulttofindone\'sway。“

“Mr。Bast，you\'reabornadventurer，“laughedMargaret。

“Noprofessionalathletewouldhaveattemptedwhatyou\'vedone。It\'sawonderyourwalkdidn\'tendinabrokenneck。Whateverdidyourwifesay？“

“Professionalathletesnevermovewithoutlanternsandcompasses，“saidHelen。“Besides，theycan\'twalk。Ittiresthem。Goon。“

“IfeltlikeR。L。S。YouprobablyrememberhowinVirginibus——“

“Yes，butthewood。This\'erewood。

Howdidyougetoutofit？“

“Imanagedonewood，andfoundaroadtheothersidewhichwentagoodbituphill。IratherfancyitwasthoseNorthDowns，fortheroadwentoffintograss，andIgotintoanotherwood。

Thatwasawful，withgorsebushes。IdidwishI\'dnevercome，butsuddenlyitgotlight——justwhileIseemedgoingunderonetree。

ThenIfoundaroaddowntoastation，andtookthefirsttrainIcouldbacktoLondon。“

“Butwasthedawnwonderful？“askedHelen。

Withunforgettablesincerityhereplied，“No。“Thewordflewagainlikeapebblefromthesling。Downtoppledallthathadseemedignobleorliteraryinhistalk，downtoppledtiresomeR。L。

S。andthe“loveoftheearth“andhissilktop-hat。InthepresenceofthesewomenLeonardhadarrived，andhespokewithaflow，anexultation，thathehadseldomknown。

“Thedawnwasonlygrey，itwasnothingtomention——“

“Justagreyeveningturnedupsidedown。I

know。“

“——andIwastootiredtoliftupmyheadtolookatit，andsocoldtoo。I\'mgladIdidit，andyetatthetimeitboredmemorethanIcansay。Andbesides——youcanbelievemeornotasyouchoose——Iwasveryhungry。ThatdinneratWimbledon——I

meantittolastmeallnightlikeotherdinners。Ineverthoughtthatwalkingwouldmakesuchadifference。Why，whenyou\'rewalkingyouwant，asitwere，abreakfastandluncheonandteaduringthenightaswell，andI\'dnothingbutapacketofWoodbines。Lord，Ididfeelbad！Lookingback，itwasn\'twhatyoumaycallenjoyment。Itwasmoreacaseofstickingtoit。Ididstick。I——Iwasdetermined。

Oh，hangitall！what\'sthegood——Imean，thegoodoflivinginaroomforever？Thereonegoesondayafterday，sameoldgame，sameupanddowntotown，untilyouforgetthereisanyothergame。Yououghttoseeonceinawaywhat\'sgoingonoutside，ifit\'sonlynothingparticularafterall。“

“Ishouldjustthinkyouought，“saidHelen，sittingontheedgeofthetable。

Thesoundofalady\'svoicerecalledhimfromsincerity，andhesaid:“CuriousitshouldallcomeaboutfromreadingsomethingofRichardJefferies。“

“Excuseme，Mr。Bast，butyou\'rewrongthere。

Itdidn\'t。Itcamefromsomethingfargreater。“

Butshecouldnotstophim。BorrowwasimminentafterJefferies——Borrow，Thoreau，andsorrow。R。L。S。broughtuptherear，andtheoutburstendedinaswampofbooks。Nodisrespecttothesegreatnames。Thefaultisours，nottheirs。Theymeanustousethemforsign-posts，andarenottoblameif，inourweakness，wemistakethesign-postforthedestination。AndLeonardhadreachedthedestination。HehadvisitedthecountyofSurreywhendarknesscovereditsamenities，anditscosyvillashadre-enteredancientnight。

Everytwelvehoursthismiraclehappens，buthehadtroubledtogoandseeforhimself。WithinhiscrampedlittleminddweltsomethingthatwasgreaterthanJefferies\'books——thespiritthatledJefferiestowritethem；andhisdawn，thoughrevealingnothingbutmonotones，waspartoftheeternalsunrisethatshowsGeorgeBorrowStonehenge。

“Thenyoudon\'tthinkIwasfoolish？“heasked，becomingagainthenaï；veandsweet-temperedboyforwhomNaturehadintendedhim。

“Heavens，no！“repliedMargaret。

“Heavenhelpusifwedo！“repliedHelen。

“I\'mverygladyousaythat。Now，mywifewouldneverunderstand——notifIexplainedfordays。“

“No，itwasn\'tfoolish！“criedHelen，hereyesaflame。

“You\'vepushedbacktheboundaries；Ithinkitsplendidofyou。“

“You\'venotbeencontenttodreamaswehave——“

“Thoughwehavewalked，too——“

“Imustshowyouapictureupstairs——“

Herethedoor-bellrang。Thehansomhadcometotakethemtotheireveningparty。

“Oh，bother，nottosaydash——Ihadforgottenwewerediningout；butdo，do，comeroundagainandhaveatalk。“

“Yes，youmust——do，“echoedMargaret。

Leonard，withextremesentiment，replied:“No，I

shallnot。It\'sbetterlikethis。“

“Whybetter？“askedMargaret。

“No，itisbetternottoriskasecondinterview。

Ishallalwayslookbackonthistalkwithyouasoneofthefinestthingsinmylife。Really。Imeanthis。Wecanneverrepeat。

Ithasdonemerealgood，andtherewehadbetterleaveit。“

“That\'sratherasadviewoflife，surely。“

“Thingssooftengetspoiled。“

“Iknow，“flashedHelen，“butpeopledon\'t。“

Hecouldnotunderstandthis。Hecontinuedinaveinwhichmingledtrueimaginationandfalse。Whathesaidwasn\'twrong，butitwasn\'tright，andafalsenotejarred。Onelittletwist，theyfelt，andtheinstrumentmightbeintune。Onelittlestrain，anditmightbesilentforever。Hethankedtheladiesverymuch，buthewouldnotcallagain。Therewasamoment\'sawkwardness，andthenHelensaid:“Go，then；perhapsyouknowbest；butneverforgetyou\'rebetterthanJefferies。“Andhewent。Theirhansomcaughthimupatthecorner，passedwithawavingofhands，andvanishedwithitsaccomplishedloadintotheevening。

Londonwasbeginningtoilluminateherselfagainstthenight。Electriclightssizzledandjaggedinthemainthoroughfares，gas-lampsinthesidestreetsglimmeredacanarygoldorgreen。Theskywasacrimsonbattlefieldofspring，butLondonwasnotafraid。

Hersmokemitigatedthesplendour，andthecloudsdownOxfordStreetwereadelicatelypaintedceiling，whichadornedwhileitdidnotdistract。

Shehasneverknowntheclear-cutarmiesofthepurerair。Leonardhurriedthroughhertintedwonders，verymuchpartofthepicture。

Hiswasagreylife，andtobrightenithehadruledoffafewcornersforromance。TheMissSchlegels——or，tospeakmoreaccurately，hisinterviewwiththem——weretofillsuchacorner，norwasitbyanymeansthefirsttimethathehadtalkedintimatelytostrangers。Thehabitwasanalogoustoadebauch，anoutlet，thoughtheworstofoutlets，forinstinctsthatwouldnotbedenied。Terrifyinghim，itwouldbeatdownhissuspicionsandprudenceuntilhewasconfidingsecretstopeoplewhomhehadscarcelyseen。Itbroughthimmanyfearsandsomepleasantmemories。PerhapsthekeenesthappinesshehadeverknownwasduringarailwayjourneytoCambridge，whereadecent-manneredundergraduatehadspokentohim。Theyhadgotintoconversation，andgraduallyLeonardflungreticenceaside，toldsomeofhisdomestictroubles，andhintedattherest。Theundergraduate，supposingtheycouldstartafriendship，askedhimto“coffeeafterhall，“whichheaccepted，butafterwardsgrewshy，andtookcarenottostirfromthecommercialhotelwherehelodged。

HedidnotwantRomancetocollidewiththePorphyrion，stilllesswithJacky，andpeoplewithfuller，happierlivesareslowtounderstandthis。

TotheSchlegels，astotheundergraduate，hewasaninterestingcreature，ofwhomtheywantedtoseemore。ButtheytohimweredenizensofRomance，whomustkeeptothecornerhehadassignedthem，picturesthatmustnotwalkoutoftheirframes。

HisbehaviouroverMargaret\'svisiting-cardhadbeentypical。Hishadscarcelybeenatragicmarriage。Wherethereisnomoneyandnoinclinationtoviolencetragedycannotbegenerated。

Hecouldnotleavehiswife，andhedidnotwanttohither。Petulanceandsqualorwereenough。Here“thatcard“hadcomein。Leonard，thoughfurtive，wasuntidy，andleftitlyingabout。Jackyfoundit，andthenbegan，“What\'sthatcard，eh？““Yes，don\'tyouwishyouknewwhatthatcardwas？““Len，who\'sMissSchlegel？“etc。

Monthspassed，andthecard，nowasajoke，nowasagrievance，washandedabout，gettingdirtieranddirtier。ItfollowedthemwhentheymovedfromCorneliaRoadtoTulseHill。Itwassubmittedtothirdparties。

Afewinchesofpasteboard，itbecamethebattlefieldonwhichthesoulsofLeonardandhiswifecontended。Whydidhenotsay，“Aladytookmyumbrella，anothergavemethisthatImightcallformyumbrella“？

BecauseJackywouldhavedisbelievedhim？Partly，butchieflybecausehewassentimental。Noaffectiongatheredroundthecard，butitsymbolizedthelifeofculture，thatJackyshouldneverspoil。Atnighthewouldsaytohimself，“Well，atallevents，shedoesn\'tknowaboutthatcard。Yah！doneherthere！“

PoorJacky！shewasnotabadsort，andhadagreatdealtobear。Shedrewherownconclusion——shewasonlycapableofdrawingoneconclusion——andinthefulnessoftimesheacteduponit。

AlltheFridayLeonardhadrefusedtospeaktoher，andhadspenttheeveningobservingthestars。OntheSaturdayhewentup，asusual，totown，buthecamenotbackSaturdaynightnorSundaymorning，norSundayafternoon。

Theinconveniencegrewintolerable，andthoughshewasnowofaretiringhabit，andshyofwomen，shewentuptoWickhamPlace。Leonardreturnedinherabsence。Thecard，thefatalcard，wasgonefromthepagesofRuskin，andheguessedwhathadhappened。

“Well？“hehadexclaimed，greetingherwithpealsoflaughter。“Iknowwhereyou\'vebeen，butyoudon\'tknowwhereI\'vebeen。“

Jackysighed，said，“Len，Idothinkyoumightexplain，“

andresumeddomesticity。

Explanationsweredifficultatthisstage，andLeonardwastoosilly——oritistemptingtowrite，toosoundachaptoattemptthem。Hisreticencewasnotentirelytheshoddyarticlethatabusinesslifepromotes，thereticencethatpretendsthatnothingissomething，andhidesbehindtheDailyTelegraph。Theadventurer，also，isreticent，anditisanadventureforaclerktowalkforafewhoursindarkness。Youmaylaughathim，youwhohavesleptnightsontheveldt，withyourriflebesideyouandalltheatmosphereofadventurepast。

Andyoualsomaylaughwhothinkadventuressilly。ButdonotbesurprisedifLeonardisshywheneverhemeetsyou，andiftheSchlegelsratherthanJackyhearaboutthedawn。

ThattheSchlegelshadnotthoughthimfoolishbecameapermanentjoy。Hewasathisbestwhenhethoughtofthem。

Itbuoyedhimashejourneyedhomebeneathfadingheavens。Somehowthebarriersofwealthhadfallen，andtherehadbeen——hecouldnotphraseit——ageneralassertionofthewonderoftheworld。“Myconviction，“

saysthemystic，“gainsinfinitelythemomentanothersoulwillbelieveinit，“andtheyhadagreedthattherewassomethingbeyondlife\'sdailygrey。Hetookoffhistop-hatandsmootheditthoughtfully。

Hehadhithertosupposedtheunknowntobebooks，literature，cleverconversation，culture。Oneraisedoneselfbystudy，andgotupsideswiththeworld。

Butinthatquickinterchangeanewlightdawned。Wasthatsomething“

walkinginthedarkamongthesurburbanhills？

HediscoveredthathewasgoingbareheadeddownRegentStreet。Londoncamebackwitharush。Fewwereaboutatthishour，butallwhomhepassedlookedathimwithahostilitythatwasthemoreimpressivebecauseitwasunconscious。Heputhishaton。Itwastoobig；hisheaddisappearedlikeapuddingintoabasin，theearsbendingoutwardsatthetouchofthecurlybrim。Heworeitalittlebackwards，anditseffectwasgreatlytoelongatethefaceandtobringoutthedistancebetweentheeyesandthemoustache。

Thusequipped，heescapedcriticism。Noonefeltuneasyashetituppedalongthepavements，theheartofamantickingfastinhischest。Chapter15Thesisterswentouttodinnerfulloftheiradventure，andwhentheywerebothfullofthesamesubject，therewerefewdinner-partiesthatcouldstandupagainstthem。Thisparticularone，whichwasallladies，hadmorekickinitthanmost，butsuccumbedafterastruggle。Helenatonepartofthetable，Margaretattheother，wouldtalkofMr。Bastandofnooneelse，andsomewhereabouttheentreetheirmonologuescollided，fellruining，andbecamecommonproperty。Norwasthisall。

Thedinner-partywasreallyaninformaldiscussionclub；therewasapaperafterit，readamidcoffee-cupsandlaughterinthedrawing-room，butdealingmoreorlessthoughtfullywithsometopicofgeneralinterest。Afterthepapercameadebate，andinthisdebateMr。Bastalsofigured，appearingnowasabrightspotincivilization，nowasadarkspot，accordingtothetemperamentofthespeaker。Thesubjectofthepaperhadbeen，“HowoughtItodisposeofmymoney？“thereaderprofessingtobeamillionaireonthepointofdeath，inclinedtobequeathherfortuneforthefoundationoflocalartgalleries，butopentoconvictionfromothersources。

Thevariouspartshadbeenassignedbeforehand，andsomeofthespeecheswereamusing。Thehostessassumedtheungratefulroleof“themillionaire\'seldestson，“andimploredherexpiringparentnottodislocateSocietybyallowingsuchvastsumstopassoutofthefamily。Moneywasthefruitofself-denial，andthesecondgenerationhadarighttoprofitbytheself-denialofthefirst。Whatrighthad“Mr。Bast“toprofit？

TheNationalGallerywasgoodenoughforthelikesofhim。Afterpropertyhadhaditssay——asayingthatisnecessarilyungracious——thevariousphilanthropistssteppedforward。Somethingmustbedonefor“Mr。Bast“:hisconditionsmustbeimprovedwithoutimpairinghisindependence；

hemusthaveafreelibrary，orfreetennis-courts；hisrentmustbepaidinsuchawaythathedidnotknowitwasbeingpaid；itmustbemadeworthhiswhiletojointheTerritorials；hemustbeforciblypartedfromhisuninspiringwife，themoneygoingtoherascompensation；hemustbeassignedaTwinStar，somememberoftheleisuredclasseswhowouldwatchoverhimceaselessly(groansfromHelen)；hemustbegivenfoodbutnoclothes，clothesbutnofood，athird-returntickettoVenice，withouteitherfoodorclotheswhenhearrivedthere。Inshort，hemightbegivenanythingandeverythingsolongasitwasnotthemoneyitself。

AndhereMargaretinterrupted。