Howards End

第10章

WereallHelen\'sactionstobegovernedbyatinymishap,suchasmayhappentoanyyoungmanorwoman?Canhumannaturebeconstructedonlinessoinsignificant?TheblunderinglittleencounteratHowardsEndwasvital。Itpropagateditselfwheregraverintercourselaybarren;

itwasstrongerthansisterlyintimacy,strongerthanreasonorbooks。

InoneofhermoodsHelenhadconfessedthatshestill“enjoyed“itinacertainsense。Paulhadfaded,butthemagicofhiscaressendured。

Andwherethereisenjoymentofthepasttheremayalsobereaction——propagationatbothends。

Well,itisoddandsadthatourmindsshouldbesuchseed-beds,andwewithoutpowertochoosetheseed。Butmanisanodd,sadcreatureasyet,intentonpilferingtheearth,andheedlessofthegrowthswithinhimself。Hecannotbeboredaboutpsychology。

Heleavesittothespecialist,whichisasifheshouldleavehisdinnertobeeatenbyasteam-engine。Hecannotbebotheredtodigesthisownsoul。MargaretandHelenhavebeenmorepatient,anditissuggestedthatMargarethassucceeded——sofarassuccessisyetpossible。Shedoesunderstandherself,shehassomerudimentarycontroloverherowngrowth。WhetherHelenhassucceededonecannotsay。

ThedaythatMrs。MuntralliedHelen\'sletterarrived。

ShehadposteditatMunich,andwouldbeinLondonherselfonthemorrow。

Itwasadisquietingletter,thoughtheopeningwasaffectionateandsane。DearestMeg,GiveHelen\'slovetoAuntJuley。TellherthatIlove,andhaveloved,hereversinceIcanremember。I

shallbeinLondonThursday。

Myaddresswillbecareofthebankers。

Ihavenotyetsettledonahotel,sowriteorwiretomethereandgivemedetailednews。IfAuntJuleyismuchbetter,orif,foraterriblereason,itwouldbenogoodmycomingdowntoSwanage,youmustnotthinkitoddifIdonotcome。Ihaveallsortsofplansinmyhead。

Iamlivingabroadatpresent,andwanttogetbackasquicklyaspossible。

Willyoupleasetellmewhereourfurnitureis。Ishouldliketotakeoutoneortwobooks;therestareforyou。

Forgiveme,dearestMeg。Thismustreadlikeratheratiresomeletter,butalllettersarefromyourlovingHelenItwasatiresomeletter,forittemptedMargarettotellalie。IfshewrotethatAuntJuleywasstillindangerhersisterwouldcome。Unhealthinessiscontagious。Wecannotbeincontactwiththosewhoareinamorbidstatewithoutourselvesdeteriorating。

To“actforthebest“mightdoHelengood,butwoulddoherselfharm,and,attheriskofdisaster,shekepthercoloursflyingalittlelonger。

Sherepliedthattheirauntwasmuchbetter,andawaiteddevelopments。

Tibbyapprovedofherreply。Mellowingrapidly,hewasapleasantercompanionthanbefore。Oxfordhaddonemuchforhim。Hehadlosthispeevishness,andcouldhidehisindifferencetopeopleandhisinterestinfood。Buthehadnotgrownmorehuman。

Theyearsbetweeneighteenandtwenty-two,somagicalformost,wereleadinghimgentlyfromboyhoodtomiddleage。Hehadneverknownyoung-manliness,thatqualitywhichwarmsthehearttilldeath,andgivesMr。Wilcoxanimperishablecharm。Hewasfrigid,throughnofaultofhisown,andwithoutcruelty。HethoughtHelenwrongandMargaretright,butthefamilytroublewasforhimwhatascenebehindfootlightsisformostpeople。

Hehadonlyonesuggestiontomake,andthatwascharacteristic。

“Whydon\'tyoutellMr。Wilcox?“

“AboutHelen?“

“Perhapshehascomeacrossthatsortofthing。“

“Hewoulddoallhecould,but——“

“Oh,youknowbest。Butheispractical。“

Itwasthestudent\'sbeliefinexperts。Margaretdemurredforoneortworeasons。PresentlyHelen\'sanswercame。

Shesentatelegramrequestingtheaddressofthefurniture,asshewouldnowreturnatonce。Margaretreplied,“Certainlynot;meetmeatthebankersatfour。“SheandTibbywentuptoLondon。Helenwasnotatthebankers,andtheywererefusedheraddress。Helenhadpassedintochaos。

Margaretputherarmroundherbrother。Hewasallthatshehadleft,andneverhadheseemedmoreunsubstantial。

“Tibbylove,whatnext?“

Hereplied:“Itisextraordinary。“

“Dear,yourjudgment\'softenclearerthanmine。

Haveyouanynotionwhat\'sattheback?“

“None,unlessit\'ssomethingmental。“

“Oh——that!“saidMargaret。“Quiteimpossible。“

Butthesuggestionhadbeenuttered,andinafewminutesshetookitupherself。Nothingelseexplained。AndLondonagreedwithTibby。

Themaskfelloffthecity,andshesawitforwhatitreallyis——acaricatureofinfinity。Thefamiliarbarriers,thestreetsalongwhichshemoved,thehousesbetweenwhichshehadmadeherlittlejourneysforsomanyyears,becamenegligiblesuddenly。Helenseemedonewithgrimytreesandthetrafficandtheslowly-flowingslabsofmud。ShehadaccomplishedahideousactofrenunciationandreturnedtotheOne。Margaret\'sownfaithheldfirm。Sheknewthehumansoulwillbemerged,ifitbemergedatall,withthestarsandthesea。Yetshefeltthathersisterhadbeengoingamissformanyyears。Itwassymbolicthecatastropheshouldcomenow,onaLondonafternoon,whilerainfellslowly。

Henrywastheonlyhope。Henrywasdefinite。

Hemightknowofsomepathsinthechaosthatwerehiddenfromthem,andshedeterminedtotakeTibby\'sadviceandlaythewholematterinhishands。

Theymustcallathisoffice。Hecouldnotwellmakeitworse。

ShewentforafewmomentsintoSt。Paul\'s,whosedomestandsoutoftheweltersobravely,asifpreachingthegospelofform。Butwithin,St。Paul\'sisasitssurroundings——echoesandwhispers,inaudiblesongs,invisiblemosaics,wetfootmarkscrossingandrecrossingthefloor。

Simonumentumrequiris,circumspice:itpointsusbacktoLondon。

TherewasnohopeofHelenhere。

Henrywasunsatisfactoryatfirst。Thatshehadexpected。HewasoverjoyedtoseeherbackfromSwanage,andslowtoadmitthegrowthofanewtrouble。Whentheytoldhimoftheirsearch,heonlychaffedTibbyandtheSchlegelsgenerally,anddeclaredthatitwas“justlikeHelen“toleadherrelativesadance。

“Thatiswhatweallsay,“repliedMargaret。

“ButwhyshoulditbejustlikeHelen?Whyshouldshebeallowedtobesoqueer,andtogrowqueerer?“

“Don\'taskme。I\'maplainmanofbusiness。

Iliveandletlive。Myadvicetoyoubothis,don\'tworry。

Margaret,you\'vegotblackmarksagainunderyoureyes。Youknowthat\'sstrictlyforbidden。Firstyouraunt——thenyoursister。

No,wearen\'tgoingtohaveit。Arewe,Theobald?“Herangthebell。“I\'llgiveyousometea,andthenyougostraighttoDucieStreet。Ican\'thavemygirllookingasoldasherhusband。“

“Allthesame,youhavenotquiteseenourpoint,“

saidTibby。

Mr。Wilcox,whowasingoodspirits,retorted,“I

don\'tsupposeIevershall。“Heleantback,laughingatthegiftedbutridiculousfamily,whilethefireflickeredoverthemapofAfrica。

Margaretmotionedtoherbrothertogoon。Ratherdiffident,heobeyedher。

“Margaret\'spointisthis,“hesaid。“Oursistermaybemad。“

Charles,whowasworkingintheinnerroom,lookedround。

“Comein,Charles,“saidMargaretkindly。

“Couldyouhelpusatall?Weareagainintrouble。“

“I\'mafraidIcannot。Whatarethefacts?

Weareallmadmoreorless,youknow,inthesedays。“

“Thefactsareasfollows,“repliedTibby,whohadattimesapedanticlucidity。“ThefactsarethatshehasbeeninEnglandforthreedaysandwillnotseeus。Shehasforbiddenthebankerstogiveusheraddress。Sherefusestoanswerquestions。

Margaretfindsherletterscolourless。Thereareotherfacts,butthesearethemoststriking。“

“Shehasneverbehavedlikethisbefore,then?“

askedHenry。

“Ofcoursenot!“saidhiswife,withafrown。

“Well,mydear,howamItoknow?“

Asenselessspasmofannoyancecameoverher。

“YouknowquitewellthatHelenneversinsagainstaffection,“shesaid。

“Youmusthavenoticedthatmuchinher,surely。“

“Ohyes;sheandIhavealwayshititofftogether。“

“No,Henry——can\'tyousee?——Idon\'tmeanthat。“

Sherecoveredherself,butnotbeforeCharleshadobservedher。Stupidandattentive,hewaswatchingthescene。

“Iwasmeaningthatwhenshewaseccentricinthepast,onecouldtraceitbacktotheheartinthelongrun。Shebehavedoddlybecauseshecaredforsomeone,orwantedtohelpthem。There\'snopossibleexcuseforhernow。Sheisgrievingusdeeply,andthatiswhyIamsurethatsheisnotwell。\'Mad\'istooterribleaword,butsheisnotwell。Ishallneverbelieveit。Ishouldn\'tdiscussmysisterwithyouifIthoughtshewaswell——troubleyouabouther,Imean。“

Henrybegantogrowserious。Ill-healthwastohimsomethingperfectlydefinite。Generallywellhimself,hecouldnotrealizethatwesinktoitbyslowgradations。Thesickhadnorights;theywereoutsidethepale;onecouldlietothemremorselessly。

Whenhisfirstwifewasseized,hehadpromisedtotakeherdownintoHertfordshire,butmeanwhilearrangedwithanursing-homeinstead。Helen,too,wasill。Andtheplanthathesketchedoutforhercapture,cleverandwell-meaningasitwas,drewitsethicsfromthewolf-pack。

“Youwanttogetholdofher?“hesaid。“That\'stheproblem,isn\'tit?Shehasgottoseeadoctor。“

“ForallIknowshehasseenonealready。“

“Yes,yes;don\'tinterrupt。“Herosetohisfeetandthoughtintently。Thegenial,tentativehostdisappeared,andtheysawinsteadthemanwhohadcarvedmoneyoutofGreeceandAfrica,andboughtforestsfromthenativesforafewbottlesofgin。“I\'vegotit,“hesaidatlast。“It\'sperfectlyeasy。Leaveittome。We\'llsendherdowntoHowardsEnd。“

“Howwillyoudothat?“

“Afterherbooks。Tellherthatshemustunpackthemherself。Thenyoucanmeetherthere。“

“But,Henry,that\'sjustwhatshewon\'tletmedo。

It\'spartofher——whateveritis——nevertoseeme。“

“Ofcourseyouwon\'ttellheryou\'regoing。

Whensheisthere,lookingatthecases,you\'lljuststrollin。Ifnothingiswrongwithher,somuchthebetter。Butthere\'llbethemotorroundthecorner,andwecanrunheruptoaspecialistinnotime。“

Margaretshookherhead。“It\'squiteimpossible。“

“Why?“

“Itdoesn\'tseemimpossibletome,“saidTibby;

“itissurelyaverytippyplan。“

“Itisimpossible,because——“Shelookedatherhusbandsadly。“It\'snottheparticularlanguagethatHelenandI

talkifyouseemymeaning。Itwoulddosplendidlyforotherpeople,whomIdon\'tblame。“

“ButHelendoesn\'ttalk,“saidTibby。“That\'sourwholedifficulty。Shewon\'ttalkyourparticularlanguage,andonthataccountyouthinkshe\'sill。“

“No,Henry;it\'ssweetofyou,butIcouldn\'t。“

“Isee,“hesaid;“youhavescruples。“

“Isupposeso。“

“Andsoonerthangoagainstthemyouwouldhaveyoursistersuffer。YoucouldhavegotherdowntoSwanagebyaword,butyouhadscruples。Andscruplesareallverywell。Iamasscrupulousasanymanalive,Ihope;butwhenitisacaselikethis,whenthereisaquestionofmadness——“

“Idenyit\'smadness。“

“Yousaidjustnow——“

“It\'smadnesswhenIsayit,butnotwhenyousayit。“

Henryshruggedhisshoulders。“Margaret!

Margaret!“hegroaned。“Noeducationcanteachawomanlogic。

Now,mydear,mytimeisvaluable。Doyouwantmetohelpyouornot?“

“Notinthatway。“

“Answermyquestion。Plainquestion,plainanswer。Do——“

Charlessurprisedthembyinterrupting。“Pater,wemayaswellkeepHowardsEndoutofit,“hesaid。

“Why,Charles?“

Charlescouldgivenoreason;butMargaretfeltasif,overtremendousdistance,asalutationhadpassedbetweenthem。

“Thewholehouseisatsixesandsevens,“hesaidcrossly。“Wedon\'twantanymoremess。“

“Who\'s\'we\'?“askedhisfather。“Myboy,pray,who\'s\'we\'?“

“IamsureIbegyourpardon,“saidCharles。

“Iappearalwaystobeintruding。“

BynowMargaretwishedshehadnevermentionedhertroubletoherhusband。Retreatwasimpossible。Hewasdeterminedtopushthemattertoasatisfactoryconclusion,andHelenfadedashetalked。Herfair,flyinghairandeagereyescountedfornothing,forshewasill,withoutrights,andanyofherfriendsmighthunther。

Sickatheart,Margaretjoinedinthechase。Shewrotehersisteralyingletter,atherhusband\'sdictation;shesaidthefurniturewasallatHowardsEnd,butcouldbeseenonMondaynextat3p。m。,whenacharwomanwouldbeinattendance。Itwasacoldletter,andthemoreplausibleforthat。Helenwouldthinkshewasoffended。AndonMondaynextsheandHenryweretolunchwithDolly,andthenambushthemselvesinthegarden。

Aftertheyhadgone,Mr。Wilcoxsaidtohisson:

“Ican\'thavethissortofbehaviour,myboy。Margaret\'stoosweet-naturedtomind,butImindforher。“

Charlesmadenoanswer。

“Isanythingwrongwithyou,Charles,thisafternoon?“

“No,pater;butyoumaybetakingonabiggerbusinessthanyoureckon。“

“How?“

“Don\'taskme。“Chapter35Onespeaksofthemoodsofspring,butthedaysthatarehertruechildrenhaveonlyonemood;theyareallfulloftherisinganddroppingofwinds,andthewhistlingofbirds。Newflowersmaycomeout,thegreenembroideryofthehedgesincrease,butthesameheavenbroodsoverhead,soft,thick,andblue,thesamefigures,seenandunseen,arewanderingbycoppiceandmeadow。ThemorningthatMargarethadspentwithMissAvery,andtheafternoonshesetouttoentrapHelen,werethescalesofasinglebalance。Timemightneverhavemoved,rainneverhavefallen,andmanalone,withhisschemesandailments,wastroublingNatureuntilhesawherthroughaveiloftears。

Sheprotestednomore。WhetherHenrywasrightorwrong,hewasmostkind,andsheknewofnootherstandardbywhichtojudgehim。Shemusttrusthimabsolutely。Assoonashehadtakenupabusiness,hisobtusenessvanished。Heprofitedbytheslightestindications,andthecaptureofHelenpromisedtobestagedasdeftlyasthemarriageofEvie。

Theywentdowninthemorningasarranged,andhediscoveredthattheirvictimwasactuallyinHilton。Onhisarrivalhecalledatallthelivery-stablesinthevillage,andhadafewminutes\'

seriousconversationwiththeproprietors。Whathesaid,Margaretdidnotknow——perhapsnotthetruth;butnewsarrivedafterlunchthataladyhadcomebytheLondontrain,andhadtakenaflytoHowardsEnd。

“Shewasboundtodrive,“saidHenry。“Therewillbeherbooks。

“Icannotmakeitout,“saidMargaretforthehundredthtime。

“Finishyourcoffee,dear。Wemustbeoff。“

“Yes,Margaret,youknowyoumusttakeplenty,“

saidDolly。

Margarettried,butsuddenlyliftedherhandtohereyes。Dollystoleglancesatherfather-in-lawwhichhedidnotanswer。Inthesilencethemotorcameroundtothedoor。

“You\'renotfitforit,“hesaidanxiously。

“Letmegoalone。Iknowexactlywhattodo。“

“Ohyes,Iamfit,“saidMargaret,uncoveringherface。“Onlymostfrightfullyworried。IcannotfeelthatHelenisreallyalive。Herlettersandtelegramsseemtohavecomefromsomeoneelse。Hervoiceisn\'tinthem。Idon\'tbelieveyourdriverreallysawheratthestation。IwishI\'dnevermentionedit。IknowthatCharlesisvexed。Yes,heis——“SheseizedDolly\'shandandkissedit。“There,Dollywillforgiveme。

There。Nowwe\'llbeoff。“

Henryhadbeenlookingatherclosely。Hedidnotlikethisbreakdown。

“Don\'tyouwanttotidyyourself?“heasked。

“HaveItime?“

“Yes,plenty。“

Shewenttothelavatorybythefrontdoor,andassoonastheboltslipped,Mr。Wilcoxsaidquietly:

“Dolly,I\'mgoingwithouther。“

Dolly\'seyeslitupwithvulgarexcitement。

Shefollowedhimontip-toeouttothecar。

“TellherIthoughtitbest。“

“Yes,Mr。Wilcox,Isee。“

“Sayanythingyoulike。Allright。“

Thecarstartedwell,andwithordinaryluckwouldhavegotaway。ButPorgly-woggles,whowasplayinginthegarden,chosethismomenttositdowninthemiddleofthepath。Crane,intryingtopasshim,ranonewheeloverabedofwallflowers。Dollyscreamed。Margaret,hearingthenoise,rushedouthatless,andwasintimetojumponthefootboard。Shesaidnotasingleword:hewasonlytreatingherasshehadtreatedHelen,andherrageathisdishonestyonlyhelpedtoindicatewhatHelenwouldfeelagainstthem。Shethought,“Ideserveit:Iampunishedforloweringmycolours。“Andsheacceptedhisapologieswithacalmnessthatastonishedhim。

“Istillconsideryouarenotfitforit,“hekeptsaying。

“PerhapsIwasnotatlunch。Butthewholethingisspreadclearlybeforemenow。“

“Iwasmeaningtoactforthebest。“

“Justlendmeyourscarf,willyou?Thiswindtakesone\'shairso。“

“Certainly,deargirl。Areyouallrightnow?“

“Look!Myhandshavestoppedtrembling。“

“Andhavequiteforgivenme?Thenlisten。

HercabshouldalreadyhavearrivedatHowardsEnd。(We\'realittlelate,butnomatter。)Ourfirstmovewillbetosenditdowntowaitatthefarm,as,ifpossible,onedoesn\'twantascenebeforeservants。Acertaingentleman“——hepointedatCrane\'sback——“won\'tdrivein,butwillwaitalittleshortofthefrontgate,behindthelaurels。Haveyoustillthekeysofthehouse?“

“Yes。“

“Well,theyaren\'twanted。Doyourememberhowthehousestands?“

“Yes。“

“Ifwedon\'tfindherintheporch,wecanstrollroundintothegarden。Ourobject——“

Heretheystoppedtopickupthedoctor。

“Iwasjustsayingtomywife,Mansbridge,thatourmainobjectisnottofrightenMissSchlegel。Thehouse,asyouknow,ismyproperty,soitshouldseemquitenaturalforustobethere。

Thetroubleisevidentlynervous——wouldn\'tyousayso,Margaret?“

Thedoctor,averyyoungman,begantoaskquestionsaboutHelen。Wasshenormal?Wasthereanythingcongenitalorhereditary?Hadanythingoccurredthatwaslikelytoalienateherfromherfamily?

“Nothing,“answeredMargaret,wonderingwhatwouldhavehappenedifshehadadded:“Thoughshedidresentmyhusband\'simmorality。“

“Shealwayswashighlystrung,“pursuedHenry,leaningbackinthecarasitshotpastthechurch。“Atendencytospiritualismandthosethings,thoughnothingserious。Musical,literary,artistic,butIshouldsaynormal——averycharminggirl。“

Margaret\'sangerandterrorincreasedeverymoment。

Howdarethesemenlabelhersister!Whathorrorslayahead!

Whatimpertinencesthatshelterunderthenameofscience!ThepackwasturningonHelen,todenyherhumanrights,anditseemedtoMargaretthatallSchlegelswerethreatenedwithher。“Weretheynormal?“

Whataquestiontoask!Anditisalwaysthosewhoknownothingabouthumannature,whoareboredbypsychologyandshockedbyphysiology,whoaskit。Howeverpiteoushersister\'sstate,sheknewthatshemustbeonherside。Theywouldbemadtogetheriftheworldchosetoconsiderthemso。

Itwasnowfiveminutespastthree。Thecarsloweddownbythefarm,intheyardofwhichMissAverywasstanding。

Henryaskedherwhetheracabhadgonepast。Shenodded,andthenextmomenttheycaughtsightofit,attheendofthelane。Thecarransilentlylikeabeastofprey。SounsuspiciouswasHelenthatshewassittingontheporch,withherbacktotheroad。Shehadcome。Onlyherheadandshoulderswerevisible。Shesatframedinthevine,andoneofherhandsplayedwiththebuds。Thewindruffledherhair,thesunglorifiedit;shewasasshehadalwaysbeen。

Margaretwasseatednexttothedoor。Beforeherhusbandcouldpreventher,sheslippedout。Sherantothegardengate,whichwasshut,passedthroughit,anddeliberatelypusheditinhisface。ThenoisealarmedHelen。Margaretsawherrisewithanunfamiliarmovement,and,rushingintotheporch,learntthesimpleexplanationofalltheirfears——hersisterwaswithchild。

“Isthetruantallright?“calledHenry。

Shehadtimetowhisper:“Oh,mydarling——“Thekeysofthehousewereinherhand。SheunlockedHowardsEndandthrustHelenintoit。“Yes,allright,“shesaid,andstoodwithherbacktothedoor。Chapter36“Margaret,youlookupset!“saidHenry。Mansbridgehadfollowed。

Cranewasatthegate,andtheflymanhadstooduponthebox。Margaretshookherheadatthem;shecouldnotspeakanymore。Sheremainedclutchingthekeys,asifalltheirfuturedependedonthem。Henrywasaskingmorequestions。Sheshookherheadagain。Hiswordshadnosense。SheheardhimwonderwhyshehadletHelenin。

“Youmighthavegivenmeaknockwiththegate,“wasanotherofhisremarks。

Presentlysheheardherselfspeaking。She,orsomeoneforher,said“Goaway。“Henrycamenearer。Herepeated,“Margaret,youlookupsetagain。Mydear,givemethekeys。WhatareyoudoingwithHelen?“

“Oh,dearest,dogoaway,andIwillmanageitall。“

“Managewhat?“

Hestretchedouthishandforthekeys。Shemighthaveobeyedifithadnotbeenforthedoctor。

“Stopthatatleast,“shesaidpiteously;thedoctorhadturnedback,andwasquestioningthedriverofHelen\'scab。A

newfeelingcameoverher;shewasfightingforwomenagainstmen。

Shedidnotcareaboutrights,butifmencameintoHowardsEnd,itshouldbeoverherbody。

“Come,thisisanoddbeginning,“saidherhusband。

Thedoctorcameforwardnow,andwhisperedtwowordstoMr。Wilcox——thescandalwasout。Sincerelyhorrified,Henrystoodgazingattheearth。

“Icannothelpit,“saidMargaret。“Dowait。

It\'snotmyfault。Pleaseallfourofyoutogoawaynow。“

NowtheflymanwaswhisperingtoCrane。

“Wearerelyingonyoutohelpus,Mrs。Wilcox,“

saidtheyoungdoctor。“Couldyougoinandpersuadeyoursistertocomeout?“

“Onwhatgrounds?“saidMargaret,suddenlylookinghimstraightintheeyes。

Thinkingitprofessionaltoprevaricate,hemurmuredsomethingaboutanervousbreakdown。

“Ibegyourpardon,butitisnothingofthesort。

Youarenotqualifiedtoattendmysister,Mr。Mansbridge。Ifwerequireyourservices,wewillletyouknow。“

“Icandiagnosethecasemorebluntlyifyouwish,“

heretorted。

“Youcould,butyouhavenot。Youare,therefore,notqualifiedtoattendmysister。“

“Come,come,Margaret!“saidHenry,neverraisinghiseyes。“Thisisaterriblebusiness,anappallingbusiness。

It\'sdoctor\'sorders。Openthedoor。“

“Forgiveme,butIwillnot。“

“Idon\'tagree。“

Margaretwassilent。

“Thisbusinessisasbroadasit\'slong,“contributedthedoctor。“Wehadbetterallworktogether。Youneedus,Mrs。Wilcox,andweneedyou。“

“Quiteso,“saidHenry。

“Idonotneedyouintheleast,“saidMargaret。

Thetwomenlookedateachotheranxiously。

“Nomoredoesmysister,whoisstillmanyweeksfromherconfinement。“

“Margaret,Margaret!“

“Well,Henry,sendyourdoctoraway。Whatpossibleuseishenow?“

Mr。Wilcoxranhiseyeoverthehouse。Hehadavaguefeelingthathemuststandfirmandsupportthedoctor。

Hehimselfmightneedsupport,fortherewastroubleahead。

“Itallturnsonaffectionnow,“saidMargaret。

“Affection。Don\'tyousee?“Resumingherusualmethods,shewrotethewordonthehousewithherfinger。“Surelyyousee。

IlikeHelenverymuch,younotsomuch。Mr。Mansbridgedoesn\'tknowher。That\'sall。Andaffection,whenreciprocated,givesrights。

Putthatdowninyournotebook,Mr。Mansbridge。It\'sausefulformula。“

Henrytoldhertobecalm。

“Youdon\'tknowwhatyouwantyourselves,“saidMargaret,foldingherarms。“ForonesensibleremarkIwillletyouin。Butyoucannotmakeit。Youwouldtroublemysisterfornoreason。Iwillnotpermitit。I\'llstandhereallthedaysooner。“

“Mansbridge,“saidHenryinalowvoice,“perhapsnotnow。“

Thepackwasbreakingup。Atasignfromhismaster,Cranealsowentbackintothecar。

“Now,Henry,you,“shesaidgently。Noneofherbitternesshadbeendirectedathim。“Goawaynow,dear。

Ishallwantyouradvicelater,nodoubt。ForgivemeifIhavebeencross。But,seriously,youmustgo。“

Hewastoostupidtoleaveher。NowitwasMr。Mansbridgewhocalledinalowvoicetohim。

“IshallsoonfindyoudownatDolly\'s,“shecalled,asthegateatlastclangedbetweenthem。Theflymovedoutoftheway,themotorbacked,turnedalittle,backedagain,andturnedinthenarrowroad。Astringoffarmcartscameupinthemiddle;butshewaitedthroughall,fortherewasnohurry。Whenallwasoverandthecarhadstarted,sheopenedthedoor。“Oh,mydarling!“shesaid。

“Mydarling,forgiveme。“Helenwasstandinginthehall。Chapter37Margaretboltedthedoorontheinside。Thenshewouldhavekissedhersister,butHelen,inadignifiedvoice,thatcamestrangelyfromher,said:

“Convenient!Youdidnottellmethatthebookswereunpacked。IhavefoundnearlyeverythingthatIwant。

“Itoldyounothingthatwastrue。“

“Ithasbeenagreatsurprise,certainly。

HasAuntJuleybeenill?“

“Helen,youwouldn\'tthinkI\'dinventthat?“

“Isupposenot,“saidHelen,turningaway,andcryingaverylittle。“Butonelosesfaithineverythingafterthis。“

“Wethoughtitwasillness,buteventhen——Ihaven\'tbehavedworthily。“

Helenselectedanotherbook。

“Ioughtnottohaveconsultedanyone。Whatwouldourfatherhavethoughtofme?“

Shedidnotthinkofquestioninghersister,norofrebukingher。Bothmightbenecessaryinthefuture,butshehadfirsttopurgeagreatercrimethananythatHelencouldhavecommitted——thatwantofconfidencethatistheworkofthedevil。

“Yes,Iamannoyed,“repliedHelen。“Mywishesshouldhavebeenrespected。Iwouldhavegonethroughthismeetingifitwasnecessary,butafterAuntJuleyrecovered,itwasnotnecessary。

Planningmylife,asInowhavetodo——“

“Comeawayfromthosebooks,“calledMargaret。

“Helen,dotalktome。“

“IwasjustsayingthatIhavestoppedlivinghaphazard。

Onecan\'tgothroughagreatdealof“——shemissedoutthenoun——“withoutplanningone\'sactionsinadvance。IamgoingtohaveachildinJune,andinthefirstplaceconversations,discussions,excitement,arenotgoodforme。Iwillgothroughthemifnecessary,butonlythen。

InthesecondplaceIhavenorighttotroublepeople。IcannotfitinwithEnglandasIknowit。IhavedonesomethingthattheEnglishneverpardon。Itwouldnotberightforthemtopardonit。

SoImustlivewhereIamnotknown。“

“Butwhydidn\'tyoutellme,dearest?“

“Yes,“repliedHelenjudicially。“Imighthave,butdecidedtowait。“

“Ibelieveyouwouldneverhavetoldme。“

“Ohyes,Ishould。WehavetakenaflatinMunich。“

Margaretglancedoutofwindow。

“By\'we\'ImeanmyselfandMonica。Butforher,Iamandhavebeenandalwayswishtobealone。“

“IhavenotheardofMonica。“

“Youwouldn\'thave。She\'sanItalian——bybirthatleast。Shemakesherlivingbyjournalism。ImetheroriginallyonGarda。Monicaismuchthebestpersontoseemethrough。“

“Youareveryfondofher,then。“

“Shehasbeenextraordinarilysensiblewithme。“

MargaretguessedatMonica\'stype——“ItalianoInglesiato“

theyhadnamedit:thecrudefeministoftheSouth,whomonerespectsbutavoids。AndHelenhadturnedtoitinherneed!

“Youmustnotthinkthatweshallnevermeet,“saidHelen,withameasuredkindness。“Ishallalwayshavearoomforyouwhenyoucanbespared,andthelongeryoucanbewithmethebetter。

Butyouhaven\'tunderstoodyet,Meg,andofcourseitisverydifficultforyou。Thisisashocktoyou。Itisn\'ttome,whohavebeenthinkingoverourfuturesformanymonths,andtheywon\'tbechangedbyaslightcontretemps,suchasthis。IcannotliveinEngland。“

“Helen,you\'venotforgivenmeformytreachery。

Youcouldn\'ttalklikethistomeifyouhad。“

“Oh,Megdear,whydowetalkatall?“Shedroppedabookandsighedwearily。Then,recoveringherself,shesaid:“Tellme,howisitthatallthebooksaredownhere?“

“Seriesofmistakes。“

“Andagreatdealofthefurniturehasbeenunpacked。“

“All。“

“Wholiveshere,then?“

“Noone。“

“Isupposeyouarelettingitthough——“

“Thehouseisdead,“saidMargaretwithafrown。

“Whyworryonaboutit?“

“ButIaminterested。YoutalkasifIhadlostallmyinterestinlife。IamstillHelen,Ihope。Nowthishasn\'tthefeelofadeadhouse。Thehallseemsmorealiveeventhanintheolddays,whenitheldtheWilcoxes\'ownthings。“

“Interested,areyou?Verywell,Imusttellyou,Isuppose。Myhusbandlentitonconditionwe——butbyamistakeallourthingswereunpacked,andMissAvery,insteadof——“Shestopped。

“Lookhere,Ican\'tgoonlikethis。IwarnyouIwon\'t。Helen,whyshouldyoubesomiserablyunkindtome,simplybecauseyouhateHenry?“

“Idon\'thatehimnow,“saidHelen。“Ihavestoppedbeingaschoolgirl,and,Meg,onceagain,I\'mnotbeingunkind。

ButasforfittinginwithyourEnglishlife——no,putitoutofyourheadatonce。ImagineavisitfrommeatDucieStreet!It\'sunthinkable。“

Margaretcouldnotcontradicther。Itwasappallingtoseeherquietlymovingforwardwithherplans,notbitterorexcitable,neitherassertinginnocencenorconfessingguilt,merelydesiringfreedomandthecompanyofthosewhowouldnotblameher。

Shehadbeenthrough——howmuch?Margaretdidnotknow。Butitwasenoughtopartherfromoldhabitsaswellasoldfriends。

“Tellmeaboutyourself,“saidHelen,whohadchosenherbooks,andwaslingeringoverthefurniture。

“There\'snothingtotell。“

“Butyourmarriagehasbeenhappy,Meg?“

“Yes,butIdon\'tfeelinclinedtotalk。“

“YoufeelasIdo。“

“Notthat,butIcan\'t。“

“NomorecanI。Itisanuisance,butnogoodtrying。“

Somethinghadcomebetweenthem。PerhapsitwasSociety,whichhenceforwardwouldexcludeHelen。Perhapsitwasathirdlife,alreadypotentasaspirit。Theycouldfindnomeeting-place。

Bothsufferedacutely,andwerenotcomfortedbytheknowledgethataffectionsurvived。

“Lookhere,Meg,isthecoastclear?“

“Youmeanthatyouwanttogoawayfromme?“

“Isupposeso——dearoldlady!itisn\'tanyuse。Iknewweshouldhavenothingtosay。GivemylovetoAuntJuleyandTibby,andtakemoreyourselfthanIcansay。PromisetocomeandseemeinMunichlater。“

“Certainly,dearest。“

“Forthatisallwecando。“

Itseemedso。MostghastlyofallwasHelen\'scommonsense:Monicahadbeenextraordinarilygoodforher。

“Iamgladtohaveseenyouandthethings。“

Shelookedatthebookcaselovingly,asifshewassayingfarewelltothepast。

Margaretunboltedthedoor。Sheremarked:

“Thecarhasgone,andhere\'syourcab。“

Sheledthewaytoit,glancingattheleavesandthesky。Thespringhadneverseemedmorebeautiful。Thedriver,whowasleaningonthegate,calledout,“Please,lady,amessage,“andhandedherHenry\'svisiting-cardthroughthebars。

“Howdidthiscome?“sheasked。

Cranehadreturnedwithitalmostatonce。

Shereadthecardwithannoyance。ItwascoveredwithinstructionsindomesticFrench。WhensheandhersisterhadtalkedshewastocomebackforthenighttoDolly\'s。“Ilfautdormirsurcesujet。“WhileHelenwastobefound“unecomfortablechambreà;

l\'hô;tel。“ThefinalsentencedispleasedhergreatlyuntilsherememberedthattheCharles\'hadonlyonespareroom,andsocouldnotinviteathirdguest。

“Henrywouldhavedonewhathecould,“sheinterpreted。

Helenhadnotfollowedherintothegarden。

Thedooronceopen,shelostherinclinationtofly。Sheremainedinthehall,goingfrombookcasetotable。ShegrewmoreliketheoldHelen,irresponsibleandcharming。

“ThisisMr。Wilcox\'shouse?“sheinquired。

“SurelyyourememberHowardsEnd?“

“Remember?Iwhoremembereverything!

Butitlookstobeoursnow。“

“MissAverywasextraordinary,“saidMargaret,herownspiritslighteningalittle。Againshewasinvadedbyaslightfeelingofdisloyalty。Butitbroughtherrelief,andsheyieldedtoit。“ShelovedMrs。Wilcox,andwouldratherfurnishherhousewithourthingsthanthinkofitempty。Inconsequencehereareallthelibrarybooks。“

“Notallthebooks。Shehasn\'tunpackedtheArtBooks,inwhichshemayshowhersense。Andweneverusedtohavetheswordhere。“

“Theswordlookswell,though。“

“Magnificent。“

“Yes,doesn\'tit?“

“Where\'sthepiano,Meg?“

“IwarehousedthatinLondon。Why?“

“Nothing。“

“Curious,too,thatthecarpetfits。“

“Thecarpet\'samistake,“announcedHelen。

“IknowthatwehaditinLondon,butthisflooroughttobebare。

Itisfartoobeautiful。“

“Youstillhaveamaniaforunder-furnishing。

Wouldyoucaretocomeintothedining-roombeforeyoustart?There\'snocarpetthere。

Theywentin,andeachminutetheirtalkbecamemorenatural。

“Oh,whataplaceformother\'schiffonier!“

criedHelen。

“Lookatthechairs,though。“

“Oh,lookatthem!WickhamPlacefacednorth,didn\'tit?“

“North-west。“

“Anyhow,itisthirtyyearssinceanyofthosechairshavefeltthesun。Feel。Theirlittlebacksarequitewarm。“

“ButwhyhasMissAverymadethemsettopartners?

Ishalljust——“

“Overhere,Meg。Putitsothatanyonesittingwillseethelawn。“

Margaretmovedachair。Helensatdowninit。

“Ye-es。Thewindow\'stoohigh。“

“Tryadrawing-roomchair。“

“No,Idon\'tlikethedrawing-roomsomuch。

Thebeamhasbeenmatch-boarded。Itwouldhavebeensobeautifulotherwise。“

“Helen,whatamemoryyouhaveforsomethings!

You\'reperfectlyright。It\'saroomthatmenhavespoiltthroughtryingtomakeitniceforwomen。Mendon\'tknowwhatwewant——“

“Andneverwill。“

“Idon\'tagree。Intwothousandyearsthey\'llknow。“

“Butthechairsshowupwonderfully。LookwhereTibbyspiltthesoup。“

“Coffee。Itwascoffeesurely。“

Helenshookherhead。“Impossible。Tibbywasfartooyoungtobegivencoffeeatthattime。“

“WasFatheralive?“

“Yes。“

“Thenyou\'rerightanditmusthavebeensoup。

Iwasthinkingofmuchlater——thatunsuccessfulvisitofAuntJuley\'s,whenshedidn\'trealizethatTibbyhadgrownup。Itwascoffeethen,forhethrewitdownonpurpose。Therewassomerhyme,\'Tea,coffee——coffee,tea,\'thatshesaidtohimeverymorningatbreakfast。Waitaminute——howdiditgo?“

“Iknow——no,Idon\'t。WhatadetestableboyTibbywas!“

“Buttherhymewassimplyawful。Nodecentpersoncouldhaveputupwithit。“

“Ah,thatgreengagetree,“criedHelen,asifthegardenwasalsopartoftheirchildhood。“WhydoIconnectitwithdumbbells?Andtherecomethechickens。Thegrasswantscutting。

Iloveyellow-hammers——“

Margaretinterruptedher。“Ihavegotit,“

sheannounced。\'Tea,tea,coffee,tea,Orchocolaritee。\'“Thateverymorningforthreeweeks。NowonderTibbywaswild。“

“Tibbyismoderatelyadearnow,“saidHelen。

“There!Iknewyou\'dsaythatintheend。

Ofcoursehe\'sadear。“

Abellrang。

“Listen!what\'sthat?“

Helensaid,“PerhapstheWilcoxesarebeginningthesiege。“

“Whatnonsense——listen!“

Andthetrivialityfadedfromtheirfaces,thoughitleftsomethingbehind——theknowledgethattheynevercouldbepartedbecausetheirlovewasrootedincommonthings。Explanationsandappealshadfailed;theyhadtriedforacommonmeeting-ground,andhadonlymadeeachotherunhappy。Andallthetimetheirsalvationwaslyingroundthem——thepastsanctifyingthepresent;thepresent,withwildheart-throb,declaringthattherewouldafterallbeafuture,withlaughterandthevoicesofchildren。Helen,stillsmiling,cameuptohersister。Shesaid,“ItisalwaysMeg。“Theylookedintoeachother\'seyes。Theinnerlifehadpaid。

Solemnlytheclappertolled。Noonewasinthefront。Margaretwenttothekitchen,andstruggledbetweenpacking-casestothewindow。Theirvisitorwasonlyalittleboywithatincan。

Andtrivialityreturned。

“Littleboy,whatdoyouwant?“

“Please,Iamthemilk。“

“DidMissAverysendyou?“saidMargaret,rathersharply。

“Yes,please。“

“Thentakeitbackandsaywerequirenomilk。“

WhileshecalledtoHelen,“No,it\'snotthesiege,butpossiblyanattempttoprovisionusagainstone。“

“ButIlikemilk,“criedHelen。“Whysenditaway?“

“Doyou?Oh,verywell。Butwe\'venothingtoputitin,andhewantsthecan。“

“Please,I\'mtocallinthemorningforthecan,“

saidtheboy。

“Thehousewillbelockedupthen。“

“InthemorningwouldIbringeggs,too?“

“AreyoutheboywhomIsawplayinginthestackslastweek?“

Thechildhunghishead。

“Well,runawayanddoitagain。“

“Nicelittleboy,“whisperedHelen。“Isay,what\'syourname?Mine\'sHelen。“

“Tom。“

ThatwasHelenallover。TheWilcoxes,too,wouldaskachilditsname,buttheynevertoldtheirnamesinreturn。

“Tom,thisonehereisMargaret。Andathomewe\'veanothercalledTibby。“

“Minearelop-eared,“repliedTom,supposingTibbytobearabbit。

“You\'reaverygoodandratheracleverlittleboy。

Mindyoucomeagain——Isn\'thecharming?“

“Undoubtedly,“saidMargaret。“HeisprobablythesonofMadge,andMadgeisdreadful。Butthisplacehaswonderfulpowers。“

“Whatdoyoumean?“

“Idon\'tknow。“

“BecauseIprobablyagreewithyou。“

“Itkillswhatisdreadfulandmakeswhatisbeautifullive。“

“Idoagree,“saidHelen,asshesippedthemilk。

“Butyousaidthatthehousewasdeadnothalfanhourago。“

“MeaningthatIwasdead。Ifeltit。“

“Yes,thehousehasasurerlifethanwe,evenifitwasempty,and,asitis,Ican\'tgetoverthatforthirtyyearsthesunhasnevershonefullonourfurniture。Afterall,WickhamPlacewasagrave。Meg,I\'veastartlingidea。“

“Whatisit?“

“Drinksomemilktosteadyyou。“

Margaretobeyed。

“No,Iwon\'ttellyouyet,“saidHelen,“becauseyoumaylaughorbeangry。Let\'sgoupstairsfirstandgivetheroomsanairing。“

Theyopenedwindowafterwindow,tilltheinside,too,wasrustlingtothespring。Curtainsblew,picture-framestappedcheerfully。Helenutteredcriesofexcitementasshefoundthisbedobviouslyinitsrightplace,thatinitswrongone。ShewasangrywithMissAveryfornothavingmovedthewardrobesup。“Thenonewouldseereally。“Sheadmiredtheview。ShewastheHelenwhohadwrittenthememorablelettersfouryearsago。Astheyleantout,lookingwestward,shesaid:“Aboutmyidea。Couldn\'tyouandIcampoutinthishouseforthenight?“

“Idon\'tthinkwecouldwelldothat,“saidMargaret。

“Herearebeds,tables,towels——“

“Iknow;butthehouseisn\'tsupposedtobesleptin,andHenry\'ssuggestionwas——“

“Irequirenosuggestions。Ishallnotalteranythinginmyplans。Butitwouldgivemesomuchpleasuretohaveonenightherewithyou。Itwillbesomethingtolookbackon。

Oh,Meglovey,dolet\'s!“

“But,Helen,mypet,“saidMargaret,“wecan\'twithoutgettingHenry\'sleave。Ofcourse,hewouldgiveit,butyousaidyourselfthatyoucouldn\'tvisitatDucieStreetnow,andthisisequallyintimate。“

“DucieStreetishishouse。Thisisours。

Ourfurniture,oursortofpeoplecomingtothedoor。Doletuscampout,justonenight,andTomshallfeedusoneggsandmilk。Whynot?It\'samoon。“

Margarethesitated。“IfeelCharleswouldn\'tlikeit,“shesaidatlast。“Evenourfurnitureannoyedhim,andIwasgoingtoclearitoutwhenAuntJuley\'sillnesspreventedme。

IsympathizewithCharles。Hefeelsit\'shismother\'shouse。

Helovesitinratheranuntakingway。HenryIcouldanswerfor——notCharles。“

“Iknowhewon\'tlikeit,“saidHelen。“ButIamgoingtopassoutoftheirlives。Whatdifferencewillitmakeinthelongruniftheysay,\'AndsheevenspentthenightatHowardsEnd\'?“

“Howdoyouknowyou\'llpassoutoftheirlives?

Wehavethoughtthattwicebefore。“

“Becausemyplans——“

“——whichyouchangeinamoment。“

“Thenbecausemylifeisgreatandtheirsarelittle,“

saidHelen,takingfire。“Iknowofthingstheycan\'tknowof,andsodoyou。Weknowthatthere\'spoetry。Weknowthatthere\'sdeath。Theycanonlytakethemonhearsay。Weknowthisisourhouse,becauseitfeelsours。Oh,theymaytakethetitle-deedsandthedoorkeys,butforthisonenightweareathome。“

“Itwouldbelovelytohaveyouoncemorealone,“

saidMargaret。“Itmaybeachanceinathousand。“

“Yes,andwecouldtalk。“Shedroppedhervoice。

“Itwon\'tbeaverygloriousstory。Butunderthatwych-elm——honestly,Iseelittlehappinessahead。CannotIhavethisonenightwithyou?“

“Ineedn\'tsayhowmuchitwouldmeantome。“

“Thenletus。“

“Itisnogoodhesitating。ShallIdrivedowntoHiltonnowandgetleave?“

“Oh,wedon\'twantleave。“

ButMargaretwasaloyalwife。Inspiteofimaginationandpoetry——perhapsonaccountofthem——shecouldsympathizewiththetechnicalattitudethatHenrywouldadopt。Ifpossible,shewouldbetechnical,too。Anight\'slodging——andtheydemandednomore——neednotinvolvethediscussionofgeneralprinciples。

“Charlesmaysayno,“grumbledHelen。

“Weshan\'tconsulthim。“

“Goifyoulike;Ishouldhavestoppedwithoutleave。“

Itwasthetouchofselfishness,whichwasnotenoughtomarHelen\'scharacter,andevenaddedtoitsbeauty。Shewouldhavestoppedwithoutleave,andescapedtoGermanythenextmorning。

Margaretkissedher。

“Expectmebackbeforedark。Iamlookingforwardtoitsomuch。Itislikeyoutohavethoughtofsuchabeautifulthing。“

“Notathing,onlyanending,“saidHelenrathersadly;andthesenseoftragedyclosedinonMargaretagainassoonassheleftthehouse。

ShewasafraidofMissAvery。Itisdisquietingtofulfilaprophecy,howeversuperficially。Shewasgladtoseenowatchingfigureasshedrovepastthefarm,butonlylittleTom,turningsomersaultsinthestraw。Chapter38Thetragedybeganquietlyenough,andlikemanyanothertalk,bytheman\'sdeftassertionofhissuperiority。Henryheardherarguingwiththedriver,steppedoutandsettledthefellow,whowasinclinedtoberude,andthenledthewaytosomechairsonthelawn。Dolly,whohadnotbeen“told,“ranoutwithoffersoftea。Herefusedthem,andorderedhertowheelbaby\'sperambulatoraway,astheydesiredtobealone。

“Butthediddumscan\'tlisten;heisn\'tninemonthsold,“shepleaded。

“That\'snotwhatIwassaying,“retortedherfather-in-law。

Babywaswheeledoutofearshot,anddidnothearaboutthecrisistilllateryears。ItwasnowtheturnofMargaret。

“Isitwhatwefeared?“heasked。

“Itis。“

“Deargirl,“hebegan,“thereisatroublesomebusinessaheadofus,andnothingbutthemostabsolutehonestyandplainspeechwillseeusthrough。“Margaretbentherhead。“Iamobligedtoquestionyouonsubjectswe\'dbothprefertoleaveuntouched。Asyouknow,IamnotoneofyourBernardShawswhoconsidernothingsacred。TospeakasImustwillpainme,butthereareoccasions——Wearehusbandandwife,notchildren。Iamamanoftheworld,andyouareamostexceptionalwoman。“

AllMargaret\'ssensesforsookher。Sheblushed,andlookedpasthimattheSixHills,coveredwithspringherbage。

Notinghercolour,hegrewstillmorekind。

“IseethatyoufeelasIfeltwhen——Mypoorlittlewife!Oh,bebrave!Justoneortwoquestions,andIhavedonewithyou。Wasyoursisterwearingawedding-ring?“

Margaretstammereda“No。“

Therewasanappallingsilence。

“Henry,IreallycametoaskafavouraboutHowardsEnd。“

“Onepointatatime。Iamnowobligedtoaskforthenameofherseducer。“

Sherosetoherfeetandheldthechairbetweenthem。Hercolourhadebbed,andshewasgrey。Itdidnotdispleasehimthatsheshouldreceivehisquestionthus。

“Takeyourtime,“hecounselledher。“Rememberthatthisisfarworseformethanforyou。“

Sheswayed;hefearedshewasgoingtofaint。

Thenspeechcame,andshesaidslowly:“Seducer?No;Idonotknowherseducer\'sname。“

“Wouldshenottellyou?“

“Ineverevenaskedherwhoseducedher,“saidMargaret,dwellingonthehatefulwordthoughtfully。

“Thatissingular。“Thenhechangedhismind。

“Naturalperhaps,deargirl,thatyoushouldn\'task。Butuntilhisnameisknown,nothingcanbedone。Sitdown。Howterribleitistoseeyousoupset!Iknewyouweren\'tfitforit。I

wishIhadn\'ttakenyou。“

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