第2章

Norahroseasreadilyasifthenewarrivalshadbeenarelieftohermind。Mrs。Vanstonewasthenexttoleaveherchair。Thesetwowentawayfirst，toreceivethevisitors。Magdalen，whopreferredthesocietyofherfatherandFrank，pleadedhardtobeleftbehind；butMissGarth，aftergrantingfiveminutes\'grace，tookherintocustodyandmarchedheroutoftheroom。Frankrosetotakehisleave。

“No，no，“saidMr。Vanstone，detaininghim。“Don\'tgo。Thesepeoplewon\'tstoplong。Mr。Marrable\'samerchantatBristol。I\'vemethimonceortwice，whenthegirlsforcedmetotakethemtopartiesatClifton。Mereacquaintances，nothingmore。Comeandsmokeacigarinthegreenhouse。Hangallvisitors——theyworryone\'slifeout。I\'llappearatthelastmomentwithanapology；andyoushallfollowmeatasafedistance，andbeaproofthatIwasreallyengaged。“

Proposingthisingeniousstratageminaconfidentialwhisper，Mr。VanstonetookFrank\'sarmandledhimroundthehousebythebackway。Thefirsttenminutesofseclusionintheconservatorypassedwithouteventsofanykind。Attheendofthattime，aflyingfigureinbrightgarmentsflasheduponthetwogentlementhroughtheglass——thedoorwasflungopen——flower-potsfellinhomagetopassingpetticoats——andMr。Vanstone\'syoungestdaughterranuptohimatheadlongspeed，witheveryexternalappearanceofhavingsuddenlytakenleaveofhersenses。

“Papa！thedreamofmywholelifeisrealized，“shesaid，assoonasshecouldspeak。“Ishallflythroughtheroofofthegreenhouseifsomebodydoesn\'tholdmedown。TheMarrableshavecomeherewithaninvitation。Guess，youdarling——guesswhatthey\'regoingtogiveatEvergreenLodge！“

“Aball！“saidMr。Vanstone，withoutamoment\'shesitation。

“PrivateTheatricals！！！“criedMagdalen，herclearyoungvoiceringingthroughtheconservatorylikeabell；herloosesleevesfallingbackandshowingherroundwhitearmstothedimpledelbows，assheclappedherhandsecstaticallyintheair。“\'TheRivals\'istheplay，papa——\'TheRivals，\'bythefamouswhat\'s-his-name——andtheywantMEtoact！TheonethinginthewholeuniversethatIlongtodomost。Italldependsonyou。Mammashakesherhead；andMissGarthlooksdaggers；andNorah\'sassulkyasusual——butifyousayYes，theymustallthreegivewayandletmedoasIlike。SayYes，“shepleaded，nestlingsoftlyuptoherfather，andpressingherlipswithafondgentlenesstohisear，asshewhisperedthenextwords。“SayYes，andI\'llbeagoodgirlfortherestofmylife。“

“Agoodgirl？“repeatedMr。Vanstone——“amadgirl，Ithinkyoumustmean。Hangthesepeopleandtheirtheatricals！Ishallhavetogoindoorsandseeaboutthismatter。Youneedn\'tthrowawayyourcigar，Frank。You\'rewelloutofthebusiness，andyoucanstophere。“

“No，hecan\'t，“saidMagdalen。“He\'sinthebusiness，too。“

Mr。FrancisClarehadhithertoremainedmodestlyinthebackground。Henowcameforwardwithafaceexpressiveofspeechlessamazement。

“Yes，“continuedMagdalen，answeringhisblanklookofinquirywithperfectcomposure。“Youaretoact。MissMarrableandIhaveaturnforbusiness，andwesettleditallinfiveminutes。Therearetwopartsintheplaylefttobefilled。OneisLucy，thewaiting-maid；whichisthecharacterIhaveundertaken——withpapa\'spermission，“sheadded，slylypinchingherfather\'sarm；“andhewon\'tsayNo，willhe？First，becausehe\'sadarling；secondly，becauseIlovehim，andhelovesme；thirdly，becausethereisneveranydifferenceofopinionbetweenus(isthere？)；fourthly，becauseIgivehimakiss，whichnaturallystopshismouthandsettlesthewholequestion。Dearme，I\'mwandering。WherewasIjustnow？Ohyes！explainingmyselftoFrank——“

“Ibegyourpardon，“beganFrank，attempting，atthispoint，toenterhisprotest。

“Thesecondcharacterintheplay，“pursuedMagdalen，withouttakingthesmallestnoticeoftheprotest，“isFalkland——ajealouslover，withafineflowoflanguage。MissMarrableandIdiscussedFalklandprivatelyonthewindow-seatwhiletherestweretalking。Sheisadelightfulgirl——soimpulsive，sosensible，soentirelyunaffected。Sheconfidedinme。Shesaid:\'Oneofourmiseriesisthatwecan\'tfindagentlemanwhowillgrapplewiththehideousdifficultiesofFalkland。\'OfcourseIsoothedher。OfcourseIsaid:\'I\'vegotthegentleman，andheshallgrappleimmediately。\'——\'Ohheavens！whoishe？\'——\'Mr。FrancisClare。\'——\'Andwhereishe？\'——\'Inthehouseatthismoment。\'——\'Willyoubesoverycharming，MissVanstone，astofetchhim？\'——\'I\'llfetchhim，MissMarrable，withthegreatestpleasure。\'Ileftthewindow-seat——Irushedintothemorning-room——Ismelledcigars——Ifollowedthesmell——andhereIam。“

“It\'sacompliment，Iknow，tobeaskedtoact，“saidFrank，ingreatembarrassment。“ButIhopeyouandMissMarrablewillexcuseme——“

“Certainlynot。MissMarrableandIarebothremarkableforthefirmnessofourcharacters。WhenwesayMr。So-and-SoispositivelytoactthepartofFalkland，wepositivelymeanit。Comeinandbeintroduced。“

“ButInevertriedtoact。Idon\'tknowhow。“

“Notoftheslightestconsequence。Ifyoudon\'tknowhow，cometomeandI\'llteachyou。“

“You！“exclaimedMr。Vanstone。“Whatdoyouknowaboutit？“

“Pray，papa，beserious！IhavethestrongestinternalconvictionthatIcouldacteverycharacterintheplay——Falklandincluded。Don\'tletmehavetospeakasecondtime，Frank。Comeandbeintroduced。“

Shetookherfather\'sarm，andmovedonwithhimtothedoorofthegreenhouse。Atthesteps，sheturnedandlookedroundtoseeifFrankwasfollowingher。Itwasonlytheactionofamoment；butinthatmomenthernaturalfirmnessofwillralliedallitsresources——strengtheneditselfwiththeinfluenceofherbeauty——commanded——andconquered。Shelookedlovely:theflushwastenderlybrightinhercheeks；theradiantpleasureshoneandsparkledinhereyes；thepositionofherfigure，turnedsuddenlyfromthewaistupward，discloseditsdelicatestrength，itssupplefirmness，itsseductive，serpentinegrace。“Come！“shesaid，withacoquettishbeckoningactionofherhead。“Come，Frank！“

Fewmenoffortywouldhaveresistedheratthatmoment。Frankwastwentylastbirthday。Inotherwords，hethrewasidehiscigar，andfollowedheroutofthegreenhouse。

Asheturnedandclosedthedoor——intheinstantwhenhelostsightofher——hisdisinclinationtobeassociatedwiththeprivatetheatricalsrevived。Atthefootofthehouse-stepshestoppedagain；pluckedatwigfromaplantnearhim；brokeitinhishand；andlookedabouthimuneasily，onthissideandonthat。Thepathtotheleftledbacktohisfather\'scottage——thewayofescapelayopen。Whynottakeit？

Whilehestillhesitated，Mr。Vanstoneandhisdaughterreachedthetopofthesteps。Oncemore，Magdalenlookedround——lookedwithherresistlessbeauty，withherall-conqueringsmile。Shebeckonedagain；andagainhefollowedher——upthesteps，andoverthethreshold。Thedoorclosedonthem。

So，withatriflinggestureofinvitationononeside，withatriflingactofcomplianceontheother:so——withnoknowledgeinhismind，withnothoughtinhers，ofthesecretstillhiddenunderthejourneytoLondon——theytookthewaywhichledtothatsecret\'sdiscovery，throughmanyadarkerwindingthatwasyettocome。

[NextChapter]

[TableofContents]NoName，Scene1，Chapter5CHAPTERV。

MR。VANSTONE\'SinquiriesintotheproposedtheatricalentertainmentatEvergreenLodgewereansweredbyanarrativeofdramaticdisasters；ofwhichMissMarrableimpersonatedtheinnocentcause，andinwhichherfatherandmotherplayedthepartsofchiefvictims。

MissMarrablewasthathardestofallborntyrants——anonlychild。Shehadnevergrantedaconstitutionalprivilegetoheroppressedfatherandmothersincethetimewhenshecutherfirsttooth。Herseventeenthbirthdaywasnownearathand；shehaddecidedoncelebratingitbyactingaplay；hadissuedherordersaccordingly；andhadbeenobeyedbyherdocileparentsasimplicitlyasusual。Mrs。Marrablegaveupthedrawing-roomtobelaidwasteforastageandatheater。Mr。Marrablesecuredtheservicesofarespectableprofessionalpersontodrilltheyoungladiesandgentlemen，andtoacceptalltheotherresponsibilitiesincidentaltocreatingadramaticworldoutofadomesticchaos。Havingfurtheraccustomedthemselvestothebreakingoffurnitureandthestainingofwalls——tothumping，tumbling，hammering，andscreaming；todoorsalwaysbanging，andtofootstepsperpetuallyrunningupanddownstairs——thenominalmasterandmistressofthehousefondlybelievedthattheirchieftroubleswereover。Innocentandfataldelusion！Itisonethinginprivatesocietytosetupthestageandchoosetheplay——itisanotherthingaltogethertofindtheactors。Hitherto，onlythesmallpreliminaryannoyancespropertotheoccasionhadshownthemselvesatEvergreenLodge。Thesoundandserioustroubleswerealltocome。

“TheRivals“havingbeenchosenastheplay，MissMarrable，asamatterofcourse，appropriatedtoherselfthepartof“LydiaLanguish。“Oneofherfavoredswainsnextsecured“CaptainAbsolute，“andanotherlaidviolenthandson“SirLuciusO\'Trigger。“Thesetwowerefollowedbyanaccommodatingspinsterrelative，whoacceptedtheheavydramaticresponsibilityof“Mrs。Malaprop“——andtherethetheatricalproceedingscametoapause。Ninemorespeakingcharacterswerelefttobefittedwithrepresentatives；andwiththatunavoidablenecessitytheserioustroublesbegan。

Allthefriendsofthefamilysuddenlybecameunreliablepeople，forthefirsttimeintheirlives。Afterencouragingtheideaoftheplay，theydeclinedthepersonalsacrificeofactinginit——or，theyacceptedcharacters，andthenbrokedownintheefforttostudythem——ortheyvolunteeredtotakethepartswhichtheyknewwerealreadyengaged，anddeclinedthepartswhichwerewaitingtobeacted——ortheywereafflictedwithweakconstitutions，andmischievouslyfellillwhentheywerewantedatrehearsal——ortheyhadPuritanrelativesinthebackground，and，afterslippingintotheirpartscheerfullyattheweek\'sbeginning，oozedoutofthempenitently，underseriousfamilypressure，attheweek\'send。Meanwhile，thecarpentershammeredandthescenesrose。MissMarrable，whosetemperamentwassensitive，becamehystericalunderthestrainofperpetualanxiety；thefamilydoctordeclinedtoanswerforthenervousconsequencesifsomethingwasnotdone。Renewedeffortsweremadeineverydirection。Actorsandactressesweresoughtwithadesperatedisregardofallconsiderationsofpersonalfitness。Necessity，whichknowsnolaw，eitherinthedramaoroutofit，acceptedaladofeighteenastherepresentativeof“SirAnthonyAbsolute“；thestage-managerundertakingtosupplythenecessarywrinklesfromtheillimitableresourcesoftheatricalart。Aladywhoseagewasunknown，andwhosepersonalappearancewasstout——butwhoseheartwasintherightplace——volunteeredtoactthepartofthesentimental“Julia，“andbroughtwithherthedramaticqualificationofhabituallywearingawiginprivatelife。Thankstothesevigorousmeasures，theplaywasatlastsuppliedwithrepresentatives——alwaysexceptingthetwounmanageablecharactersof“Lucy“thewaiting-maid，and“Falkland，“Julia\'sjealouslover。Gentlemencame；sawJuliaatrehearsal；observedherstoutnessandherwig；omittedtonoticethatherheartwasintherightplace；quailedattheprospect，apologized，andretired。Ladiesreadthepartof“Lucy“；remarkedthatsheappearedtogreatadvantageinthefirsthalfoftheplay，andfadedoutofitaltogetherinthelatterhalf；objectedtopassfromthenoticeoftheaudienceinthatmanner，whenalltheresthadachanceofdistinguishingthemselvestotheend；shutupthebook，apologized，andretired。Ineightdaysmorethenightofperformancewouldarrive；aphalanxofsocialmartyrstwohundredstronghadbeenconvenedtowitnessit；threefullrehearsalswereabsolutelynecessary；andtwocharactersintheplaywerenotfilledyet。Withthislamentablestory，andwiththehumblestapologiesforpresumingonaslightacquaintance，theMarrablesappearedatCombe-Raven，toappealtotheyoungladiesfora“Lucy，“andtotheuniversefora“Falkland，“withthemendicantpertinacityofafamilyindespair。

Thisstatementofcircumstances——addressedtoanaudiencewhichincludedafatherofMr。Vanstone\'sdisposition，andadaughterofMagdalen\'stemperament——producedtheresultwhichmighthavebeenanticipatedfromthefirst。

Eithermisinterpreting，ordisregarding，theominoussilencepreservedbyhiswifeandMissGarth，Mr。VanstonenotonlygaveMagdalenpermissiontoassisttheforlorndramaticcompany，butacceptedaninvitationtowitnesstheperformanceforNorahandhimself。Mrs。Vanstonedeclinedaccompanyingthemonaccountofherhealth；andMissGarthonlyengagedtomakeoneamongtheaudienceconditionallyonnotbeingwantedathome。The“parts“of“Lucy“and“Falkland“(whichthedistressedfamilycarriedaboutwiththemeverywhere，likeincidentalmaladies)werehandedtotheirrepresentativesonthespot。Frank\'sfaintremonstranceswererejectedwithoutahearing；thedaysandhoursofrehearsalwerecarefullynoteddownonthecoversoftheparts；andtheMarrablestooktheirleave，withaperfectexplosionofthanks——father，mother，anddaughtersowingtheirexpressionsofgratitudebroadcast，fromthedrawing-roomdoortothegarden-gates。

Assoonasthecarriagehaddrivenaway，Magdalenpresentedherselftothegeneralobservationunderanentirelynewaspect。

“Ifanymorevisitorscallto-day，“shesaid，withtheprofoundestgravityoflookandmanner，“Iamnotathome。Thisisafarmoreseriousmatterthananyofyousuppose。Gosomewherebyyourself，Frank，andreadoveryourpart，anddon\'tletyourattentionwanderifyoucanpossiblyhelpit。Ishallnotbeaccessiblebeforetheevening。Ifyouwillcomehere——withpapa\'spermission——aftertea，myviewsonthesubjectofFalklandwillbeatyourdisposal。Thomas！whateverelsethegardenerdoes，heisnottomakeanyfloriculturalnoisesundermywindow。FortherestoftheafternoonIshallbeimmersedinstudy——andthequieterthehouseis，themoreobligedIshallfeeltoeverybody。“

BeforeMissGarth\'sbatteryofreproofcouldopenfire，beforethefirstoutburstofMr。Vanstone\'sheartylaughtercouldescapehislips，shebowedtothemwithimperturbablegravity；ascendedthehouse-steps，forthefirsttimeinherlife，atawalkinsteadofarun，andretiredthenandtheretothebedroomregions。Frank\'shelplessastonishmentatherdisappearanceaddedanewelementofabsurditytothescene。Hestoodfirstononelegandthenontheother；rollingandunrollinghispart，andlookingpiteouslyinthefacesofthefriendsabouthim。“IknowIcan\'tdoit，“hesaid。“MayIcomeinaftertea，andhearMagdalen\'sviews？Thankyou——I\'lllookinabouteight。Don\'ttellmyfatheraboutthisacting，please；Ishouldneverhearthelastofit。“Thoseweretheonlywordshehadspiritenoughtoutter。Hedriftedawayaimlesslyinthedirectionoftheshrubbery，withtheparthangingopeninhishand——themostincapableofFalklands，andthemosthelplessofmankind。

Frank\'sdepartureleftthefamilybythemselves，andwasthesignalaccordinglyforanattackonMr。Vanstone\'sinveteratecarelessnessintheexerciseofhispaternalauthority。

“Whatcouldyoupossiblybethinkingof，Andrew，whenyougaveyourconsent？“saidMrs。Vanstone。“SurelymysilencewasasufficientwarningtoyoutosayNo？“

“Amistake，Mr。Vanstone，“chimedinMissGarth。“Madewiththebestintentions——butamistakeforallthat。“

“Itmaybeamistake，“saidNorah，takingherfather\'spart，asusual。“ButIreallydon\'tseehowpapa，oranyoneelse，couldhavedeclined，underthecircumstances。“

“Quiteright，mydear，“observedMr。Vanstone。“Thecircumstances，asyousay，weredeadagainstme。Hereweretheseunfortunatepeopleinascrapeononeside；andMagdalen，ontheother，madtoact。Icouldn\'tsayIhadmethodisticalobjections——I\'venothingmethodisticalaboutme。WhatotherexcusecouldImake？TheMarrablesarerespectablepeople，andkeepthebestcompanyinClifton。Whatharmcanshegetintheirhouse？Ifyoucometoprudenceandthatsortofthing——whyshouldn\'tMagdalendowhatMissMarrabledoes？There！there！letthepoorthingsact，andamusethemselves。Weweretheirageonce——andit\'snousemakingafuss——andthat\'sallI\'vegottosayaboutit。“

Withthatcharacteristicdefenseofhisownconduct，Mr。Vanstonesaunteredbacktothegreenhousetosmokeanothercigar。

“Ididn\'tsaysotopapa，“saidNorah，takinghermother\'sarmonthewaybacktothehouse，“butthebadresultoftheacting，inmyopinion，willbethefamiliarityitissuretoencouragebetweenMagdalenandFrancisClare。“

“YouareprejudicedagainstFrank，mylove，“saidMrs。Vanstone。

Norah\'ssoft，secret，hazeleyessanktotheground；shesaidnomore。Heropinionswereunchangeable——butsheneverdisputedwithanybody。Shehadthegreatfailingofareservednature——thefailingofobstinacy；andthegreatmerit——themeritofsilence。“Whatisyourheadrunningonnow？“thoughtMissGarth，castingasharplookatNorah\'sdark，downcastface。“You\'reoneoftheimpenetrablesort。GivemeMagdalen，withallherperversities；Icanseedaylightthroughher。You\'reasdarkasnight。“

Thehoursoftheafternoonpassedaway，andstillMagdalenremainedshutupinherownroom。Norestlessfootstepspatteredonthestairs；nonimbletonguewasheardchatteringhere，there，andeverywhere，fromthegarrettothekitchen——thehouseseemedhardlylikeitself，withtheoneever-disturbingelementinthefamilyserenitysuddenlywithdrawnfromit。Anxioustowitnesswithherowneyestherealityofatransformationinwhichpastexperiencestillinclinedhertodisbelieve，MissGarthascendedtoMagdalen\'sroom，knockedtwiceatthedoor，receivednoanswer，openeditandlookedin。

TheresatMagdalen，inanarm-chairbeforethelonglooking-glass，withallherhairletdownoverhershoulders；absorbedinthestudyofherpartandcomfortablyarrayedinhermorningwrapper，untilitwastimetodressfordinner。Andtherebehindhersatthelady\'s-maid，slowlycombingoutthelongheavylocksofheryoungmistress\'shair，withthesleepyresignationofawomanwhohadbeenengagedinthatemploymentforsomehourspast。Thesunwasshining；andthegreenshuttersoutsidethewindowwereclosed。Thedimlightfelltenderlyonthetwoquietseatedfigures；onthelittlewhitebed，withtheknotsofrose-coloredribbonwhichloopedupitscurtains，andthebrightdressfordinnerlaidreadyacrossit；onthegaylypaintedbath，withitspureliningofwhiteenamel；onthetoilet-tablewithitssparklingtrinkets，itscrystalbottles，itssilverbellwithCupidforahandle，itslitteroflittleluxuriesthatadorntheshrineofawoman\'sbed-chamber。Theluxurioustranquillityofthescene；thecoolfragranceofflowersandperfumesintheatmosphere；theraptattitudeofMagdalen，absorbedoverherreading；themonotonousregularityofmovementinthemaid\'shandandarm，asshedrewthecombsmoothlythroughandthroughhermistress\'shair——allconveyedthesamesoothingimpressionofdrowsy，deliciousquiet。Ononesideofthedoorwerethebroaddaylightandthefamiliarrealitiesoflife。Ontheotherwasthedream-landofElysianserenity——thesanctuaryofunruffledrepose。

MissGarthpausedonthethreshold，andlookedintotheroominsilence。

Magdalen\'scuriousfancyforhavingherhaircombedatalltimesandseasonswasamongthepeculiaritiesofhercharacterwhichwerenotorioustoeverybodyinthehouse。Itwasoneofherfather\'sfavoritejokesthatsheremindedhim，onsuchoccasions，ofacathavingherbackstroked，andthathealwaysexpected，ifthecombingwereonlycontinuedlongenough，tohearherpurr。Extravagantasitmayseem，thecomparisonwasnotaltogetherinappropriate。Thegirl\'sfervidtemperamentintensifiedtheessentiallyfemininepleasurethatmostwomenfeelinthepassageofthecombthroughtheirhair，toaluxuryofsensationwhichabsorbedherinenjoyment，soserenelyself-demonstrative，sodrowsilydeepthatitdidirresistiblysuggestapetcat\'senjoymentunderacaressinghand。IntimatelyasMissGarthwasacquaintedwiththispeculiarityinherpupil，shenowsawitassertingitselfforthefirsttime，inassociationwithmentalexertionofanykindonMagdalen\'spart。Feeling，therefore，somecuriositytoknowhowlongthecombingandthestudyinghadgoneontogether，sheventuredonputtingthequestion，firsttothemistress；and(receivingnoanswerinthatquarter)secondlytothemaid。

“Alltheafternoon，miss，offandon，“wasthewearyanswer。“MissMagdalensaysitsoothesherfeelingsandclearshermind。“

Knowingbyexperiencethatinterferencewouldbehopeless，underthesecircumstances，MissGarthturnedsharplyandlefttheroom。Shesmiledwhenshewasoutsideonthelanding。Thefemaleminddoesoccasionally——thoughnotoften——projectitselfintothefuture。MissGarthwaspropheticallypityingMagdalen\'sunfortunatehusband。

Dinner-timepresentedthefairstudenttothefamilyeyeinthesamementallyabsorbedaspect。OnallordinaryoccasionsMagdalen\'sappetitewouldhaveterrifiedthosefeeblesentimentalistswhoaffecttoignoretheall-importantinfluencewhichfemalefeedingexertsintheproductionoffemalebeauty。Onthisoccasionsherefusedonedishafteranotherwitharesolutionwhichimpliedtherarestofallmodernmartyrdoms——gastricmartyrdom。“IhaveconceivedthepartofLucy，“sheobserved，withthedemurestgravity。“ThenextdifficultyistomakeFrankconceivethepartofFalkland。Iseenothingtolaughat——youwouldallbeseriousenoughifyouhadmyresponsibilities。No，papa——nowineto-day，thankyou。Imustkeepmyintelligenceclear。Water，Thomas——andalittlemorejelly，Ithink，beforeyoutakeitaway。“

WhenFrankpresentedhimselfintheevening，ignorantofthefirstelementsofhispart，shetookhiminhand，asamiddle-agedschoolmistressmighthavetakeninhandabackwardlittleboy。Thefewattemptshemadetovarythesternlypracticalnatureoftheevening\'soccupationbyslippingincomplimentssidelongsheputawayfromherwiththecontemptuousself-possessionofawomanoftwiceherage。Sheliterallyforcedhimintohispart。Herfatherfellasleepinhischair。Mrs。VanstoneandMissGarthlosttheirinterestintheproceedings，retiredtothefurtherendoftheroom，andspoketogetherinwhispers。Itgrewlaterandlater；andstillMagdalenneverflinchedfromhertask——still，withequalperseverance，Norah，whohadbeenonthewatchallthroughtheevening，keptonthewatchtotheend。ThedistrustdarkenedanddarkenedonherfaceasshelookedathersisterandFrank；asshesawhowclosetheysattogether，devotedtothesameinterestandworkingtothesameend。Theclockonthemantel-piecepointedtohalf-pastelevenbeforeLucytheresolutepermittedFalklandthehelplesstoshutuphistask-bookforthenight。“She\'swonderfullyclever，isn\'tshe？“saidFrank，takingleaveofMr。Vanstoneatthehalldoor。“I\'mtocometo-morrow，andhearmoreofherviews——ifyouhavenoobjection。Ishallneverdoit；don\'ttellherIsaidso。Asfastassheteachesmeonespeech，theothergoesoutofmyhead。Discouraging，isn\'tit？Goodnight。“

Thenextdaybutonewasthedayofthefirstfullrehearsal。OnthepreviouseveningMrs。Vanstone\'sspiritshadbeensadlydepressed。AtaprivateinterviewwithMissGarthshehadreferredagain，ofherownaccord，tothesubjectofherletterfromLondon——hadspokenself-reproachfullyofherweaknessinadmittingCaptainWragge\'simpudentclaimtoafamilyconnectionwithher——andhadthenrevertedtothestateofherhealthandtothedoubtfulprospectthatawaitedherinthecomingsummerinatoneofdespondencywhichitwasverydistressingtohear。Anxioustocheerherspirits，MissGarthhadchangedtheconversationassoonaspossible——hadreferredtotheapproachingtheatricalperformance——andhadrelievedMrs。Vanstone\'smindofallanxietyinthatdirection，byannouncingherintentionofaccompanyingMagdalentoeachrehearsal，andofnotlosingsightofheruntilshewassafelybackagaininherfather\'shouse。Accordingly，whenFrankpresentedhimselfatCombe-Ravenontheeventfulmorning，therestoodMissGarth，prepared——intheinterpolatedcharacterofArgus——toaccompanyLucyandFalklandtothesceneoftrial。Therailwayconveyedthethree，inexcellenttime，toEvergreenLodge；andatoneo\'clocktherehearsalbegan。

[NextChapter]

[TableofContents]NoName，Scene1，Chapter6

CHAPTERVI。

“IHOPEMissVanstoneknowsherpart？“whisperedMrs。Marrable，anxiouslyaddressingherselftoMissGarth，inacornerofthetheater。

“Ifairsandgracesmakeanactress，ma\'am，Magdalen\'sperformancewillastonishusall。“Withthatreply，MissGarthtookoutherwork，andseatedherself，onguard，inthecenterofthepit。

Themanagerperchedhimself，bookinhand，onastoolcloseinfrontofthestage。Hewasanactivelittleman，ofasweetandcheerfultemper；andhegavethesignaltobeginwithaspatientaninterestintheproceedingsasiftheyhadcausedhimnotroubleinthepastandpromisedhimnodifficultyinthefuture。ThetwocharacterswhichopenedthecomedyofTheRivals，“Fag“and“TheCoachman，“appearedonthescene——lookedmanysizestootallfortheircanvasbackground，whichrepresenteda“StreetinBath“——exhibitedthecustomaryinabilitytomanagetheirownarms，legs，andvoices——wentoutseverallyatthewrongexits——andexpressedtheirperfectapprovalofresults，sofar，bylaughingheartilybehindthescenes。“Silence，gentlemen，ifyouplease，“remonstratedthecheerfulmanager。“Asloudasyoulikeonthestage，buttheaudiencemustn\'thearyouoffit。MissMarrableready？MissVanstoneready？Easytherewiththe\'StreetinBath\'；it\'sgoingupcrooked！Facethisway，MissMarrable；fullface，ifyouplease。MissVanstone——“hecheckedhimselfsuddenly。“Curious，“hesaid，underhisbreath——“shefrontstheaudienceofherownaccord！“Lucyopenedthesceneinthesewords:“Indeed，ma\'am，Itraversedhalfthetowninsearchofit:Idon\'tbelievethere\'sacirculatinglibraryinBathIhaven\'tbeenat。“Themanagerstartedinhischair。“Myheartalive！shespeaksoutwithouttelling！“Thedialoguewenton。LucyproducedthenovelsforMissLydiaLanguish\'sprivatereadingfromunderhercloak。Themanagerroseexcitablytohisfeet。Marvelous！Nohurrywiththebooks；nodroppingthem。Shelookedatthetitlesbeforesheannouncedthemtohermistress；shesetdown“HumphreyClinker“on“TheTearsofSensibility“withasmartlittlesmackwhichpointedtheantithesis。Onemoment——andsheannouncedJulia\'svisit；another——andshedroppedthebriskwaiting-maid\'scourtesy；athird——andshewasoffthestageonthesidesetdownforherinthebook。Themanagerwheeledroundonhisstool，andlookedhardatMissGarth。“Ibegyourpardon，ma\'am，“hesaid。“MissMarrabletoldme，beforewebegan，thatthiswastheyounglady\'sfirstattempt。Itcan\'tbe，surely！“

“Itis，“repliedMissGarth，reflectingthemanager\'slookofamazementonherownface。WasitpossiblethatMagdalen\'sunintelligibleindustryinthestudyofherpartreallysprangfromaseriousinterestinheroccupation——aninterestwhichimpliedanaturalfitnessforit。

Therehearsalwenton。Thestoutladywiththewig(andtheexcellentheart)personatedthesentimentalJuliafromaninveteratelytragicpointofview，andusedherhandkerchiefdistractedlyinthefirstscene。ThespinsterrelativefeltMrs。Malaprop\'smistakesinlanguagesoseriously，andtooksuchextraordinarypainswithherblunders，thattheysoundedmorelikeexercisesinelocutionthananythingelse。Theunhappyladwholedtheforlornhopeofthecompany，inthepersonof“SirAnthonyAbsolute，“expressedtheageandirascibilityofhischaracterbytotteringincessantlyattheknees，andthumpingthestageperpetuallywithhisstick。Slowlyandclumsily，withconstantinterruptionsandinterminablemistakes，thefirstactdraggedon，untilLucyappearedagaintoenditinsoliloquy，withtheconfessionofherassumedsimplicityandthepraiseofherowncunning。

HerethestageartificeofthesituationpresenteddifficultieswhichMagdalenhadnotencounteredinthefirstscene——andhere，hertotalwantofexperienceledherintomorethanonepalpablemistake。Thestage-manager，withaneagernesswhichhehadnotshowninthecaseofanyothermemberofthecompany，interferedimmediately，andsetherright。Atonepointshewastopause，andtakeaturnonthestage——shedidit。Atanother，shewastostop，tossherhead，andlookpertlyattheaudience——shedidit。Whenshetookoutthepapertoreadthelistofthepresentsshehadreceived，couldshegiveitatapwithherfinger(Yes)？Andleadoffwithalittlelaugh(Yes——aftertwicetrying)？Couldshereadthedifferentitemswithaslylookattheendofeachsentence，straightatthepit(Yes，straightatthepit，andasslyasyouplease)？Themanager\'scheerfulfacebeamedwithapproval。Hetuckedtheplayunderhisarm，andclappedhishandsgayly；thegentlemen，clusteredtogetherbehindthescenes，followedhisexample；theladieslookedateachotherwithdawningdoubtswhethertheyhadnotbetterhaveleftthenewrecruitintheretirementofprivatelife。Toodeeplyabsorbedinthebusinessofthestagetoheedanyofthem，Magdalenaskedleavetorepeatthesoliloquy，andmakequitesureofherownimprovement。Shewentallthroughitagainwithoutamistake，thistime，frombeginningtoend；themanagercelebratingherattentiontohisdirectionsbyanoutburstofprofessionalapprobation，whichescapedhiminspiteofhimself。“Shecantakeahint！“criedthelittleman，withaheartysmackofhishandontheprompt-book。“She\'sabornactress，ifevertherewasoneyet！“

“Ihopenot，“saidMissGarthtoherself，takinguptheworkwhichhaddroppedintoherlap，andlookingdownatitinsomeperplexity。Herworstapprehensionofresultsinconnectionwiththetheatricalenterprisehadforebodedlevityofconductwithsomeofthegentlemen——shehadnotbargainedforthis。Magdalen，inthecapacityofathoughtlessgirl，wascomparativelyeasytodealwith。Magdalen，inthecharacterofabornactress，threatenedseriousfuturedifficulties。

Therehearsalproceeded。Lucyreturnedtothestageforherscenesinthesecondact(thelastinwhichsheappears)withSirLuciusandFag。Here，again，Magdalen\'sinexperiencebetrayeditself——andhereoncemoreherresolutioninattackingandconqueringherownmistakesastonishedeverybody。“Bravo！“criedthegentlemenbehindthescenes，asshesteadilytrampleddownoneblunderafteranother。“Ridiculous！“saidtheladies，“withsuchasmallpartashers。““Heavenforgiveme！“thoughtMiss。Garth，comingroundunwillinglytothegeneralopinion。“IalmostwishwewerePapists，andIhadaconventtoputherinto-morrow。“OneofMr。Marrable\'sservantsenteredthetheaterasthatdesperateaspirationescapedthegoverness。Sheinstantlysentthemanbehindthescenewithamessage:“MissVanstonehasdoneherpartintherehearsal；requesthertocomehereandsitbyme。“Theservantreturnedwithapoliteapology:“MissVanstone\'skindlove，andshebegstobeexcused——she\'spromptingMr。Clare。“Shepromptedhimtosuchpurposethatheactuallygotthroughhispart。Theperformancesoftheothergentlemenwereobtrusivelyimbecile。Frankwasjustonedegreebetter——hewasmodestlyincapable；andhegainedbycomparison。“ThankstoMissVanstone，“observedthemanager，whohadheardtheprompting。“Shepulledhimthrough。Weshallbeflatenoughatnight，whenthedropfallsonthesecondact，andtheaudiencehaveseenthelastofher。It\'sathousandpitiesshehasn\'tgotabetterpart！“

“It\'sathousandmerciesshe\'snomoretodothanshehas，“mutteredMissGarth，overhearinghim。“Asthingsare，thepeoplecan\'twellturnherheadwithapplause。She\'soutoftheplayinthesecondact——that\'sonecomfort！“

Nowell-regulatedmindeverdrawsitsinferencesinahurry；MissGarth\'smindwaswellregulated；therefore，logicallyspeaking，MissGarthoughttohavebeensuperiortotheweaknessofrushingatconclusions。Shehadcommittedthaterror，nevertheless，underpresentcircumstances。Inplainerterms，theconsolingreflectionwhichhadjustoccurredtoherassumedthattheplayhadbythistimesurvivedallitsdisasters，andenteredonitslong-deferredcareerofsuccess。Theplayhaddonenothingofthesort。MisfortuneandtheMarrablefamilyhadnotpartedcompanyyet。

Whentherehearsalwasover，nobodyobservedthatthestoutladywiththewigprivatelywithdrewherselffromthecompany；andwhenshewasafterwardmissedfromthetableofrefreshments，whichMr。Marrable\'shospitalitykeptreadyspreadinaroomnearthetheater，nobodyimaginedthattherewasanyseriousreasonforherabsence。Itwasnottilltheladiesandgentlemenassembledforthenextrehearsalthatthetruestateofthecasewasimpressedonthemindsofthecompany。AttheappointedhournoJuliaappeared。Inherstead，Mrs。Marrableportentouslyapproachedthestage，withanopenletterinherhand。Shewasnaturallyaladyofthemildestgoodbreeding:shewasmistressofeveryblandconventionalityintheEnglishlanguage——butdisastersanddramaticinfluencescombined，threweventhisharmlessmatronoffherbalanceatlast。ForthefirsttimeinherlifeMrs。Marrableindulgedinvehementgesture，andusedstronglanguage。Shehandedthelettersternly，atarms-length，toherdaughter。“Mydear，“shesaid，withanaspectofawfulcomposure，“weareunderaCurse。“Beforetheamazeddramaticcompanycouldpetitionforanexplanation，sheturnedandlefttheroom。Themanager\'sprofessionaleyefollowedheroutrespectfully——helookedasifheapprovedoftheexit，fromatheatricalpointofview。

Whatnewmisfortunehadbefallentheplay？Thelastandworstofallmisfortuneshadassailedit。Thestoutladyhadresignedherpart。

Notmaliciously。Herheart，whichhadbeenintherightplacethroughout，remainedinflexiblyintherightplacestill。Herexplanationofthecircumstancesprovedthis，ifnothingelsedid。Theletterbeganwithastatement:Shehadoverheard，atthelastrehearsal(quiteunintentionally)，personalremarksofwhichshewasthesubject。Theymight，ormightnot，havehadreferencetoher——Hair；andher——Figure。ShewouldnotdistressMrs。Marrablebyrepeatingthem。Neitherwouldshementionnames，becauseitwasforeigntohernaturetomakebadworse。Theonlycourseatallconsistentwithherownself-respectwastoresignherpart。Sheinclosedit，accordingly，toMrs。Marrable，withmanyapologiesforherpresumptioninundertakingayouthfulcharacter，at——whatagentlemanwaspleasedtoterm——herAge；andwithwhattwoladieswererudeenoughtocharacterizeasherdisadvantagesof——Hair，and——Figure。AyoungerandmoreattractiverepresentativeofJuliawouldnodoubtbeeasilyfound。Inthemeantime，allpersonsconcernedhadherfullforgiveness，towhichshewouldonlybegleavetoaddherbestandkindestwishesforthesuccessoftheplay。

Infournightsmoretheplaywastobeperformed。Ifeveranyhumanenterprisestoodinneedofgoodwishestohelpit，thatenterprisewasunquestionablythetheatricalentertainmentatEvergreenLodge！

Onearm-chairwasallowedonthestage；andintothatarm-chairMissMarrablesank，preparatorytoafitofhysterics。Magdalensteppedforwardatthefirstconvulsion；snatchedtheletterfromMissMarrable\'shand；andstoppedthethreatenedcatastrophe。

“She\'sanugly，bald-headed，malicious，middle-agedwretch！“saidMagdalen，tearingtheletterintofragments，andtossingthemovertheheadsofthecompany。“ButIcantellheronething——sheshan\'tspoiltheplay。I\'llactJulia。“

“Bravo！“criedthechorusofgentlemen——theanonymousgentlemanwhohadhelpedtodothemischief(otherwiseMr。FrancisClare)loudestofall。

“Ifyouwantthetruth，Idon\'tshrinkfromowningit，“continuedMagdalen。“I\'moneoftheladiesshemeans。Isaidshehadaheadlikeamop，andawaistlikeabolster。Soshehas。“

“Iamtheotherlady，“addedthespinsterrelative。“ButIonlysaidshewastoostoutforthepart。“

“Iamthegentleman，“chimedinFrank，stimulatedbytheforceofexample。“Isaidnothing——Ionlyagreedwiththeladies。“

HereMissGarthseizedheropportunity，andaddressedthestageloudlyfromthepit。

“Stop！Stop！“shesaid。“Youcan\'tsettlethedifficultythatway。IfMagdalenplaysJulia，whoistoplayLucy？“

MissMarrablesankbackinthearm-chair，andgavewaytothesecondconvulsion。

“Stuffandnonsense！“criedMagdalen，“thething\'ssimpleenough，I\'llactJuliaandLucybothtogether。“

Themanagerwasconsultedonthespot。SuppressingLucy\'sfirstentrance，andturningtheshortdialogueaboutthenovelsintoasoliloquyforLydiaLanguish，appearedtobetheonlychangesofimportancenecessarytotheaccomplishmentofMagdalen\'sproject。Lucy\'stwotellingscenes，attheendofthefirstandsecondacts，weresufficientlyremovedfromthescenesinwhichJuliaappearedtogivetimeforthenecessarytransformationsindress。EvenMissGarth，thoughshetriedhardtofindthem，couldputnofreshobstaclesintheway。Thequestionwassettledinfiveminutes，andtherehearsalwenton；MagdalenlearningJulia\'sstagesituationswiththebookinherhand，andannouncingafterward，onthejourneyhome，thatsheproposedsittingupallnighttostudythenewpart。Frankthereuponexpressedhisfearsthatshewouldhavenotimelefttohelphimthroughhistheatricaldifficulties。Shetappedhimontheshouldercoquettishlywithherpart。“Youfoolishfellow，howamItodowithoutyou？You\'reJulia\'sjealouslover；you\'realwaysmakingJuliacry。Cometo-night，andmakemecryattea-time。Youhaven\'tgotavenomousoldwomaninawigtoactwithnow。It\'smyheartyou\'retobreak——andofcourseIshallteachyouhowtodoit。“

Thefourdays\'intervalpassedbusilyinperpetualrehearsals，publicandprivate。Thenightofperformancearrived；theguestsassembled；thegreatdramaticexperimentstoodonitstrial。Magdalenhadmadethemostofheropportunities；shehadlearnedallthatthemanagercouldteachherinthetime。MissGarthleftherwhentheoverturebegan，sittingapartinacornerbehindthescenes，seriousandsilent，withhersmelling-bottleinonehand，andherbookintheother，resolutelytrainingherselfforthecomingordeal，totheverylast。

Theplaybegan，withalltheproperaccompanimentsofatheatricalperformanceinprivatelife；withacrowdedaudience，anAfricantemperature，aburstingofheatedlamp-glasses，andadifficultyindrawingupthecurtain。“Fag“and“theCoachman，“whoopenedthescene，tookleaveoftheirmemoriesassoonastheysteppedonthestage；lefthalftheirdialogueunspoken；cametoadeadpause；wereaudiblyentreatedbytheinvisiblemanagerto“comeoff“；andwentoffaccordingly，ineveryrespectsadderandwisermenthanwhentheywenton。ThenextscenedisclosedMissMarrableas“LydiaLanguish，“gracefullyseated，verypretty，beautifullydressed，accuratelymistressofthesmallestwordsinherpart；possessed，inshort，ofeverypersonalresource——excepthervoice。Theladiesadmired，thegentlemenapplauded。Nobodyheardanythingbutthewords“Speakup，miss，“whisperedbythesamevoicewhichhadalreadyentreated“Fag“and“theCoachman“to“comeoff。“Aresponsivetitterroseamongtheyoungerspectators；checkedimmediatelybymagnanimousapplause。ThetemperatureoftheaudiencewasrisingtoBloodHeat——butthenationalsenseoffairplaywasnotboiledoutofthemyet。

Inthemidstofthedemonstration，Magdalenquietlymadeherfirstentrance，as“Julia。“Shewasdressedveryplainlyindarkcolors，andworeherownhair；allstageadjunctsandalterations(exceptingtheslightestpossibletouchofrougeonhercheeks)havingbeenkeptinreservetodisguiseherthemoreeffectuallyinhersecondpart。Thegraceandsimplicityofhercostume，thesteadyself-possessionwithwhichshelookedoutovertheeagerrowsoffacesbeforeher，raisedalowhumofapprovalandexpectation。Shespoke——aftersuppressingamomentarytremor——withaquietdistinctnessofutterancewhichreachedallears，andwhichatonceconfirmedthefavorableimpressionthatherappearancehadproduced。Theonememberoftheaudiencewholookedatherandlistenedtohercoldly，washereldersister。Beforetheactressoftheeveninghadbeenfiveminutesonthestage，Norahdetected，toherownindescribableastonishment，thatMagdalenhadaudaciouslyindividualizedthefeebleamiabilityof“Julia\'s“character，byseizingnolessapersonthanherselfasthemodeltoactitby。Shesawallherownlittleformalpeculiaritiesofmannerandmovementunblushinglyreproduced——andeventheverytoneofhervoicesoaccuratelymimickedfromtimetotime，thattheaccentsstartledherasifshewasspeakingherself，withanechoonthestage。TheeffectofthiscoolappropriationofNorah\'sidentitytotheatricalpurposesontheaudience——whoonlysawresults——asserteditselfinastormofapplauseonMagdalen\'sexit。Shehadwontwoincontestabletriumphsinherfirstscene。Byadexterouspieceofmimicry，shehadmadealivingrealityofoneofthemostinsipidcharactersintheEnglishdrama；andshehadrousedtoenthusiasmanaudienceoftwohundredexilesfromtheblessingsofventilation，allsimmeringtogetherintheirownanimalheat。Underthecircumstances，whereistheactressbyprofessionwhocouldhavedonemuchmore？

Buttheeventoftheeveningwasstilltocome。Magdalen\'sdisguisedre-appearanceattheendoftheact，inthecharacterof“Lucy“——withfalsehairandfalseeyebrows，withabright-redcomplexionandpatchesonhercheeks，withthegayestcolorsflauntinginherdress，andtheshrillestvivacityofvoiceandmanner——fairlystaggeredtheaudience。Theylookeddownattheirprogrammes，inwhichtherepresentativeofLucyfiguredunderanassumedname；lookedupagainatthestage；penetratedthedisguise；andventedtheirastonishmentinanotherroundofapplause，louderandheartiereventhanthelast。Norahherselfcouldnotdenythistimethatthetributeofapprobationhadbeenwelldeserved。There，forcingitswaysteadilythroughallthefaultsofinexperience——there，plainlyvisibletothedullestofthespectators，wastherarefacultyofdramaticimpersonation，expressingitselfineverylookandactionofthisgirlofeighteen，whonowstoodonastageforthefirsttimeinherlife。Failinginmanyminorrequisitesofthedoubletaskwhichshehadundertaken，shesucceededintheoneimportantnecessityofkeepingthemaindistinctionsofthetwocharactersthoroughlyapart。Everybodyfeltthatthedifficultylayhere——everybodysawthedifficultyconquered——everybodyechoedthemanager\'senthusiasmatrehearsal，whichhadhailedherasabornactress。

Whenthedrop-scenedescendedforthefirsttime，Magdalenhadconcentratedinherselfthewholeinterestandattractionoftheplay。TheaudiencepolitelyapplaudedMissMarrable，asbecametheguestsassembledinherfather\'shouse:andgood-humoredlyencouragedtheremainderofthecompany，tohelpthemthroughataskforwhichtheywereall，moreorless，palpablyunfit。But，astheplayproceeded，nothingrousedthemtoanygenuineexpressionofinterestwhenMagdalenwasabsentfromthescene。Therewasnodisguisingit:MissMarrableandherbosomfriendshadbeenallhopelesslycastintheshadebythenewrecruitwhomtheyhadsummonedtoassistthem，inthecapacityofforlornhope。AndthisonMissMarrable\'sownbirthday！andthisinherfather\'shouse！andthisaftertheunutterablesacrificesofsixweekspast！OfallthedomesticdisasterswhichthethanklesstheatricalenterprisehadinflictedontheMarrablefamily，thecrowningmisfortunewasnowconsummatedbyMagdalen\'ssuccess。

LeavingMr。VanstoneandNorah，ontheconclusionoftheplay，amongtheguestsinthesupper-room，MissGarthwentbehindthescenes；ostensiblyanxioustoseeifshecouldbeofanyuse；reallybentonascertainingwhetherMagdalen\'sheadhadbeenturnedbythetriumphsoftheevening。ItwouldnothavesurprisedMissGarthifshehaddiscoveredherpupilintheactofmakingtermswiththemanagerforherforthcomingappearanceinapublictheater。Aseventsreallyturnedout，shefoundMagdalenonthestage，receiving，withgracioussmiles，acardwhichthemanagerpresentedtoherwithaprofessionalbow。NoticingMissGarth\'smutelookofinquiry，thecivillittlemanhastenedtoexplainthatthecardwashisown，andthathewasmerelyaskingthefavorofMissVanstone\'srecommendationatanyfutureopportunity。

“Thisisnotthelasttimetheyoungladywillbeconcernedinprivatetheatricals，I\'llanswerforit，“saidthemanager。“Andifasuperintendentiswantedonthenextoccasion，shehaskindlypromisedtosayagoodwordforme。Iamalwaystobeheardof，miss，atthataddress。“Sayingthosewords，hebowedagain，anddiscreetlydisappeared。

VaguesuspicionsbesetthemindofMissGarth，andurgedhertoinsistonlookingatthecard。Nomoreharmlessmorselofpasteboardwaseverpassedfromonehandtoanother。Thecardcontainednothingbutthemanager\'sname，and，underit，thenameandaddressofatheatricalagentinLondon。

“Itisnotworththetroubleofkeeping，“saidMissGarth。

Magdalencaughtherhandbeforeshecouldthrowthecardaway——possessedherselfofitthenextinstant——andputitinherpocket。

“Ipromisedtorecommendhim，“shesaid——“andthat\'sonereasonforkeepinghiscard。Ifitdoesnothingelse，itwillremindmeofthehappiesteveningofmylife——andthat\'sanother。Come！“shecried，throwingherarmsroundMissGarthwithafeverishgayety——“congratulatemeonmysuccess！“

“Iwillcongratulateyouwhenyouhavegotoverit，“saidMissGarth。

InhalfanhourmoreMagdalenhadchangedherdress；hadjoinedtheguests；andhadsoaredintoanatmosphereofcongratulationhighabovethereachofanycontrollinginfluencethatMissGarthcouldexercise。Frank，dilatoryinallhisproceedings，wasthelastofthedramaticcompanywholefttheprecinctsofthestage。HemadenoattempttojoinMagdaleninthesupper-room——buthewasreadyinthehallwithhercloakwhenthecarriageswerecalledandthepartybrokeup。

“Oh，Frank！“shesaid，lookingroundathimasheputthecloakonhershoulders，“Iamsosorryit\'sallover！Cometo-morrowmorning，andlet\'stalkaboutitbyourselves。“

“Intheshrubberyatten？“askedFrank，inawhisper。

Shedrewupthehoodofhercloakandnoddedtohimgayly。MissGarth，standingnear，noticedthelooksthatpassedbetweenthem，thoughthedisturbancemadebythepartingguestspreventedherfromhearingthewords。Therewasasoft，underlyingtendernessinMagdalen\'sassumedgayetyofmanner——therewasasuddenthoughtfulnessinherface，aconfidentialreadinessinherhand，asshetookFrank\'sarmandwentouttothecarriage。Whatdiditmean？Hadherpassinginterestinhimasherstage-pupiltreacherouslysowntheseedsofanydeeperinterestinhim，asaman？Hadtheidletheatricalscheme，nowthatitwasallover，graverresultstoanswerforthanamischievouswasteoftime？

ThelinesonMissGarth\'sfacedeepenedandhardened:shestoodlostamongtheflutteringcrowdaroundher。Norah\'swarningwords，addressedtoMrs。Vanstoneinthegarden，recurredtohermemory——andnow，forthefirsttime，theideadawnedonherthatNorahhadseentheconsequencesintheirtruelight。

[NextChapter]

[TableofContents]NoName，Scene1，Chapter7CHAPTERVII。

EARLYthenextmorningMissGarthandNorahmetinthegardenandspoketogetherprivately。Theonlynoticeableresultoftheinterview，whentheypresentedthemselvesatthebreakfast-table，appearedinthemarkedsilencewhichtheybothmaintainedonthetopicofthetheatricalperformance。Mrs。Vanstonewasentirelyindebtedtoherhusbandandtoheryoungestdaughterforallthatsheheardoftheevening\'sentertainment。Thegovernessandtheelderdaughterhadevidentlydeterminedonlettingthesubjectdrop。

AfterbreakfastwasoverMagdalenprovedtobemissing，whentheladiesassembledasusualinthemorning-room。HerhabitsweresolittleregularthatMrs。Vanstonefeltneithersurprisenoruneasinessatherabsence。MissGarthandNorahlookedatoneanothersignificantly，andwaitedinsilence。Twohourspassed——andtherewerenosignsofMagdalen。Norahrose，astheclockstrucktwelve，andquietlylefttheroomtolookforher。

Shewasnotupstairsdustingherjewelryanddisarrangingherdresses。Shewasnotintheconservatory，notintheflower-garden；notinthekitchenteasingthecook；notintheyardplayingwiththedogs。Hadshe，byanychance，goneoutwithherfather？Mr。Vanstonehadannouncedhisintention，atthebreakfast-table，ofpayingamorningvisittohisoldally，Mr。Clare，andofrousingthephilosopher\'ssarcasticindignationbyanaccountofthedramaticperformance。NoneoftheotherladiesatCombe-Raveneverventuredthemselvesinsidethecottage。ButMagdalenwasrecklessenoughforanything——andMagdalenmighthavegonethere。Astheideaoccurredtoher，Norahenteredtheshrubbery。

Atthesecondturning，wherethepathamongthetreeswoundawayoutofsightofthehouse，shecamesuddenlyfacetofacewithMagdalenandFrank:theyweresaunteringtowardher，arminarm，theirheadsclosetogether，theirconversationapparentlyproceedinginwhispers。Theylookedsuspiciouslyhandsomeandhappy。AtthesightofNorahbothstarted，andbothstopped。Frankconfusedlyraisedhishat，andturnedbackinthedirectionofhisfather\'scottage。Magdalenadvancedtomeethersister，carelesslyswingingherclosedparasolfromsidetoside，carelesslyhumminganairfromtheoverturewhichhadprecededtherisingofthecurtainonthepreviousnight。

“Luncheon-timealready！“shesaid，lookingatherwatch。“Surelynot？“

“HaveyouandMr。FrancisClarebeenaloneintheshrubberysinceteno\'clock？“askedNorah。

“Mr。FrancisClare！Howridiculouslyformalyouare。Whydon\'tyoucallhimFrank？“

“Iaskedyouaquestion，Magdalen。“

“Dearme，howblackyoulookthismorning！I\'mindisgrace，Isuppose。Haven\'tyouforgivenmeyetformyactinglastnight？Icouldn\'thelpit，love；IshouldhavemadenothingofJulia，ifIhadn\'ttakenyouformymodel。It\'squiteaquestionofArt。Inyourplace，Ishouldhavefeltflatteredbytheselection。“

“Inyourplace，Magdalen，IshouldhavethoughttwicebeforeImimickedmysistertoanaudienceofstrangers。“

“That\'sexactlywhyIdidit——anaudienceofstrangers。Howweretheytoknow？Come！come！don\'tbeangry。YouareeightyearsolderthanIam——yououghttosetmeanexampleofgood-humor。“

“Iwillsetyouanexampleofplain-speaking。IammoresorrythanIcansay，Magdalen，tomeetyouasImetyouherejustnow！“

“Whatnext，Iwonder？Youmeetmeintheshrubberyathome，talkingovertheprivatetheatricalswithmyoldplayfellow，whomIknewwhenIwasnotallerthanthisparasol。Andthatisaglaringimpropriety，isit？\'Honisoitquimalypense。\'Youwantedanansweraminuteago——thereitisforyou，mydear，inthechoicestNorman-French。“

“Iaminearnestaboutthis，Magdalen——“

“Notadoubtofit。Nobodycanaccuseyouofevermakingjokes。“

“Iamseriouslysorry——“

“Oh，dear！“

“Itisquiteuselesstointerruptme。Ihaveitonmyconsciencetotellyou——andIwilltellyou——thatIamsorrytoseehowthisintimacyisgrowing。IamsorrytoseeasecretunderstandingestablishedalreadybetweenyouandMr。FrancisClare。“

“PoorFrank！Howyoudohatehim，tobesure。Whatonearthhashedonetooffendyou？“

Norah\'sself-controlbegantoshowsignsoffailingher。Herdarkcheeksglowed，herdelicatelipstrembled，beforeshespokeagain。Magdalenpaidmoreattentiontoherparasolthantohersister。Shetossedithighintheairandcaughtit。“Once！“shesaid——andtosseditupagain。“Twice！“——andshetossedithigher。“Thrice——“Beforeshecouldcatchitforthethirdtime，Norahseizedherpassionatelybythearm，andtheparasoldroppedtothegroundbetweenthem。

“Youaretreatingmeheartlessly，“shesaid。“Forshame，Magdalen——forshame！“

Theirrepressibleoutburstofareservednature，forcedintoopenself-assertioninitsowndespite，isofallmoralforcesthehardesttoresist。Magdalenwasstartledintosilence。Foramoment，thetwosisters——sostrangelydissimilarinpersonandcharacter——facedoneanother，withoutawordpassingbetweenthem。Foramomentthedeepbrowneyesoftheelderandthelightgrayeyesoftheyoungerlookedintoeachotherwithsteady，unyieldingscrutinyoneitherside。Norah\'sfacewasthefirsttochange；Norah\'sheadwasthefirsttoturnaway。Shedroppedhersister\'sarminsilence。Magdalenstoopedandpickedupherparasol。

“Itrytokeepmytemper，“shesaid，“andyoucallmeheartlessfordoingit。Youalwayswerehardonme，andyoualwayswillbe。“

Norahclaspedhertremblinghandsfastineachother。“Hardonyou！“shesaid，inlow，mournfultones——andsighedbitterly。

Magdalendrewbackalittle，andmechanicallydustedtheparasolwiththeendofhergardencloak。

“Yes！“sheresumed，doggedly。“HardonmeandhardonFrank。“

“Frank！“repeatedNorah，advancingonhersisterandturningpaleassuddenlyasshehadturnedred。“DoyoutalkofyourselfandFrankasifyourinterestswereOnealready？Magdalen！ifIhurtyou，doIhurthim？Ishesonearandsodeartoyouasthat？“

Magdalendrewfurtherandfurtherback。Atwigfromatreenearcaughthercloak；sheturnedpetulantly，brokeitoff，andthrewitontheground。“Whatrighthaveyoutoquestionme？“shebrokeoutonasudden。“WhetherIlikeFrank，orwhetherIdon\'t，whatinterestisitofyours？“Asshesaidthewords，sheabruptlysteppedforwardtopasshersisterandreturntothehouse。

Norah，turningpalerandpaler，barredthewaytoher。“IfIholdyoubymainforce，“shesaid，“youshallstopandhearme。IhavewatchedthisFrancisClare；Iknowhimbetterthanyoudo。Heisunworthyofamoment\'sseriousfeelingonyourpart；heisunworthyofourdear，good，kind-heartedfather\'sinterestinhim。Amanwithanyprinciple，anyhonor，anygratitude，wouldnothavecomebackashehascomeback，disgraced——yes！disgracedbyhisspiritlessneglectofhisownduty。Iwatchedhisfacewhilethefriendwhohasbeenbetterthanafathertohimwascomfortingandforgivinghimwithakindnesshehadnotdeserved:Iwatchedhisface，andIsawnoshameandnodistressinit——Isawnothingbutalookofthankless，heartlessrelief。Heisselfish，heisungrateful，heisungenerous——heisonlytwenty，andhehastheworstfailingsofameanoldagealready。AndthisisthemanIfindyoumeetinginsecret——themanwhohastakensuchaplaceinyourfavorthatyouaredeaftothetruthabouthim，evenfrommylips！Magdalen！thiswillendill。ForGod\'ssake，thinkofwhatIhavesaidtoyou，andcontrolyourselfbeforeitistoolate！“Shestopped，vehementandbreathless，andcaughthersisteranxiouslybythehand。

Magdalenlookedatherinunconcealedastonishment。

“Youaresoviolent，“shesaid，“andsounlikeyourself，thatIhardlyknowyou。ThemorepatientIam，themorehardwordsIgetformypains。YouhavetakenaperversehatredtoFrank；andyouareunreasonablyangrywithmebecauseIwon\'thatehim，too。Don\'t，Norah！youhurtmyhand。“

Norahpushedthehandfromhercontemptuously。“Ishallneverhurtyourheart，“shesaid；andsuddenlyturnedherbackonMagdalenasshespokethewords。

Therewasamomentarypause。Norahkeptherposition。Magdalenlookedatherperplexedly——hesitated——thenwalkedawaybyherselftowardthehouse。

Attheturnintheshrubberypathshestoppedandlookedbackuneasily。“Oh，dear，dear！“shethoughttoherself，“whydidn\'tFrankgowhenItoldhim？“Shehesitated，andwentbackafewsteps。“There\'sNorahstandingonherdignity，asobstinateasever。“Shestoppedagain。“WhathadIbetterdo？Ihatequarreling:IthinkI\'llmakeup。“Sheventuredclosetohersisterandtouchedherontheshoulder。Norahnevermoved。“It\'snotoftenshefliesintoapassion，“thoughtMagdalen，touchingheragain；“butwhenshedoes，whatatimeitlastsher！——Come！“shesaid，“givemeakiss，Norah，andmakeitup。Won\'tyouletmegetatanypartofyou，mydear，butthebackofyourneck？Well，it\'saveryniceneck——it\'sbetterworthkissingthanmine——andtherethekissis，inspiteofyou！“

ShecaughtfastholdofNorahfrombehind，andsuitedtheactiontotheword，withatotaldisregardofallthathadjustpassed，whichhersisterwasfarfromemulating。HardlyaminutesincethewarmoutpouringofNorah\'shearthadburstthroughallobstacles。Hadtheicyreservefrozenherupagainalready！Itwashardtosay。Sheneverspoke；sheneverchangedherposition——sheonlysearchedhurriedlyforherhandkerchief。Asshedrewitout，therewasasoundofapproachingfootstepsintheinnerrecessesoftheshrubbery。AScotchterrierscamperedintoview；andacheerfulvoicesangthefirstlinesofthegleein“AsYouLikeIt。““It\'spapa！“criedMagdalen。“Come，Norah——comeandmeethim。“

Insteadoffollowinghersister，Norahpulleddowntheveilofhergardenhat，turnedintheoppositedirection，andhurriedbacktothehouse。Sheranuptoherownroomandlockedherselfin。Shewascryingbitterly。

[NextChapter]

[TableofContents]NoName，Scene1，Chapter8CHAPTERVIII。

WHENMagdalenandherfathermetintheshrubberyMr。Vanstone\'sfaceshowedplainlythatsomethinghadhappenedtopleasehimsincehehadlefthomeinthemorning。Heansweredthequestionwhichhisdaughter\'scuriosityatonceaddressedtohimbyinformingherthathehadjustcomefromMr。Clare\'scottage；andthathehadpickedup，inthatunpromisinglocality，astartlingpieceofnewsforthefamilyatCombe-Raven。

Onenteringthephilosopher\'sstudythatmorning，Mr。Vanstonehadfoundhimstilldawdlingoverhislatebreakfast，withanopenletterbyhisside，inplaceofthebookwhich，onotheroccasions，layreadytohishandatmeal-times。Hehelduptheletterthemomenthisvisitorcameintotheroom，andabruptlyopenedtheconversationbyaskingMr。Vanstoneifhisnerveswereingoodorder，andifhefelthimselfstrongenoughfortheshockofanoverwhelmingsurprise。

“Nerves！“repeatedMr。Vanstone。“ThankGod，Iknownothingaboutmynerves。Ifyouhavegotanythingtotellme，shockornoshock，outwithitonthespot。“

Mr。Clareheldtheletteralittlehigher，andfrownedathisvisitoracrossthebreakfast-table。“WhathaveIalwaystoldyou？“heasked，withhissourestsolemnityoflookandmanner。

“AgreatdealmorethanIcouldeverkeepinmyhead，“answeredMr。Vanstone。

“Inyourpresenceandoutofit，“continuedMr。Clare，“Ihavealwaysmaintainedthattheoneimportantphenomenonpresentedbymodernsocietyis——theenormousprosperityofFools。ShowmeanindividualFool，andIwillshowyouanaggregateSocietywhichgivesthathighly-favoredpersonageninechancesoutoften——andgrudgesthetenthtothewisestmaninexistence。Lookwhereyouwill，ineveryhighplacetheresitsanAss，settledbeyondthereachofallthegreatestintellectsinthisworldtopullhimdown。Overourwholesocialsystem，complacentImbecilityrulessupreme——snuffsoutthesearchinglightofIntelligencewithtotalimpunity——andhoots，owl-like，inanswertoeveryformofprotest，Seehowwellwealldointhedark！Oneofthesedaysthataudaciousassertionwillbepracticallycontradicted，andthewholerottensystemofmodernsocietywillcomedownwithacrash。“

“Godforbid！“criedMr。Vanstone，lookingabouthimasifthecrashwascomingalready。

“Withacrash！“repeatedMr。Clare。“Thereismytheory，infewwords。Nowfortheremarkableapplicationofitwhichthislettersuggests。Hereismyloutofaboy——“

“Youdon\'tmeanthatFrankhasgotanotherchance？“exclaimedMr。Vanstone。

“Hereisthisperfectlyhopelessbooby，Frank，“pursuedthephilosopher。“Hehasneverdoneanythinginhislifetohelphimself，and，asanecessaryconsequence，Societyisinaconspiracytocarryhimtothetopofthetree。Hehashardlyhadtimetothrowawaythatchanceyougavehimbeforethislettercomes，andputstheballathisfootforthesecondtime。Myrichcousin(whoisintellectuallyfittobeatthetailofthefamily，andwhois，therefore，asamatterofcourse，attheheadofit)hasbeengoodenoughtoremembermyexistence；andhasofferedhisinfluencetoservemyeldestboy。Readhisletter，andthenobservethesequenceofevents。Myrichcousinisaboobywhothrivesonlandedproperty；hehasdonesomethingforanotherboobywhothrivesonPolitics，whoknowsathirdboobywhothrivesonCommerce，whocandosomethingforafourthbooby，thrivingatpresentonnothing，whosenameisFrank。Sothemillgoes。SothecreamofallhumanrewardsissippedinendlesssuccessionbytheFools。IshallpackFrankoffto-morrow。Incourseoftimehe\'llcomebackagainonourhands，likeabadshilling；morechanceswillfallinhisway，asanecessaryconsequenceofhismeritoriousimbecility。Yearswillgoon——Imaynotlivetoseeit，nomoremayyou——itdoesn\'tmatter；Frank\'sfutureisequallycertaineitherway——puthimintothearmy，theChurch，politics，whatyouplease，andlethimdrift:he\'llendinbeingageneral，abishop，oraministerofState，bydintofthegreatmodernqualificationofdoingnothingwhatevertodeservehisplace。“Withthissummaryofhisson\'sworldlyprospects，Mr。Claretossedthelettercontemptuouslyacrossthetableandpouredhimselfoutanothercupoftea。

Mr。Vanstonereadtheletterwitheagerinterestandpleasure。Itwaswritteninatoneofsomewhatelaboratecordiality；butthepracticaladvantageswhichitplacedatFrank\'sdisposalwerebeyondalldoubt。Thewriterhadthemeansofusingafriend\'sinterest——interestofnoordinarykind——withagreatMercantileFirmintheCity；andhehadatonceexertedthisinfluenceinfavorofMr。Clare\'seldestboy。Frankwouldbereceivedintheofficeonaverydifferentfootingfromthefootingofanordinaryclerk；hewouldbe“pushedon“ateveryavailableopportunity；andthefirst“goodthing“theHousehadtooffer，eitherathomeorabroad，wouldbeplacedathisdisposal。Ifhepossessedfairabilitiesandshowedcommondiligenceinexercisingthem，hisfortunewasmade；andthesoonerhewassenttoLondontobeginthebetterforhisowninterestsitwouldbe。

“Wonderfulnews！“criedMr。Vanstone，returningtheletter。“I\'mdelighted——Imustgobackandtellthemathome。Thisisfiftytimesthechancethatminewas。WhatthedeucedoyoumeanbyabusingSociety？Societyhasbehaveduncommonlywell，inmyopinion。Where\'sFrank？“

“Lurking，“saidMr。Clare。“Itisoneoftheintolerablepeculiaritiesofloutsthattheyalwayslurk。Ihaven\'tseenmyloutthismorning。Ityoumeetwithhimanywhere，givehimakick，andsayIwanthim。“

Mr。Clare\'sopinionofhisson\'shabitsmighthavebeenexpressedmorepolitelyastoform；but，astosubstance，ithappened，onthatparticularmorning，tobeperfectlycorrect。AfterleavingMagdalen，Frankhadwaitedintheshrubbery，atasafedistance，onthechancethatshemightdetachherselffromhersister\'scompany，andjoinhimagain。Mr。Vanstone\'sappearanceimmediatelyonNorah\'sdeparture，insteadofencouraginghimtoshowhimself，haddeterminedhimonreturningtothecottage。Hewalkedbackdiscontentedly；andsofellintohisfather\'sclutches，totallyunpreparedforthependingannouncement，inthatformidablequarter，ofhisdepartureforLondon。

Inthemeantime，Mr。Vanstonehadcommunicatedhisnews——inthefirstplace，toMagdalen，andafterward，ongettingbacktothehouse，tohiswifeandMissGarth。HewastoounobservantamantonoticethatMagdalenlookedunaccountablystartled，andMissGarthunaccountablyrelieved，byhisannouncementofFrank\'sgoodfortune。Hetalkedonaboutit，quiteunsuspiciously，untiltheluncheon-bellrang——andthen，forthefirsttime，henoticedNorah\'sabsence。Shesentamessagedownstairs，aftertheyhadassembledatthetable，tosaythataheadachewaskeepingherinherownroom。WhenMissGarthwentupshortlyafterwardtocommunicatethenewsaboutFrank，Norahappeared，strangelyenough，tofeelverylittlerelievedbyhearingit。Mr。FrancisClarehadgoneawayonaformeroccasion(sheremarked)，andhadcomeback。Hemightcomebackagain，andsoonerthantheyanyofthemthoughtfor。Shesaidnomoreonthesubjectthanthis:shemadenoreferencetowhathadtakenplaceintheshrubbery。Herunconquerablereserveseemedtohavestrengtheneditsholdonhersincetheoutburstofthemorning。ShemetMagdalen，laterintheday，asifnothinghadhappened:noformalreconciliationtookplacebetweenthem。ItwasoneofNorah\'speculiaritiestoshrinkfromallreconciliationsthatwereopenlyratified，andtotakehershyrefugeinreconciliationsthatweresilentlyimplied。Magdalensawplainly，inherlookandmanner，thatshehadmadeherfirstandlastprotest。Whetherthemotivewaspride，orsullenness，ordistrustofherself，ordespairofdoinggood，theresultwasnottobemistaken——Norahhadresolvedonremainingpassiveforthefuture。

Laterintheafternoon，Mr。Vanstonesuggestedadrivetohiseldestdaughter，asthebestremedyforherheadache。Shereadilyconsentedtoaccompanyherfather；whothereuponproposed，asusual，thatMagdalenshouldjointhem。Magdalenwasnowheretobefound。Forthesecondtimethatdayshehadwanderedintothegroundsbyherself。Onthisoccasion，MissGarth——who，afteradoptingNorah\'sopinions，hadpassedfromtheoneextremeofover-lookingFrankaltogether，totheotherextremeofbelievinghimcapableofplanninganelopementatfiveminutes\'notice——volunteeredtosetforthimmediately，anddoherbesttofindthemissingyounglady。Afteraprolongedabsence，shereturnedunsuccessful——withthestrongestpersuasioninherownmindthatMagdalenandFrankhadsecretlymetoneanothersomewhere，butwithouthavingdiscoveredthesmallestfragmentofevidencetoconfirmhersuspicions。Bythistimethecarriagewasatthedoor，andMr。Vanstonewasunwillingtowaitanylonger。HeandNorahdroveawaytogether；andMrs。VanstoneandMissGarthsatathomeovertheirwork。

Inhalfanhourmore，Magdalencomposedlywalkedintotheroom。Shewaspaleanddepressed。ShereceivedMissGarth\'sremonstranceswithawearyinattention；explainedcarelesslythatshehadbeenwanderinginthewood；tookupsomebooks，andputthemdownagain；sighedimpatiently，andwentawayupstairstoherownroom。

“IthinkMagdalenisfeelingthereaction，afteryesterday，“saidMrs。Vanstone，quietly。“Itisjustaswethought。Nowthetheatricalamusementsareallover，sheisfrettingformore。“

HerewasanopportunityoflettinginthelightoftruthonMrs。Vanstone\'smind，whichwastoofavorabletobemissed。MissGarthquestionedherconscience，sawherchance，andtookitonthespot。

“Youforget，“sherejoined，“thatacertainneighborofoursisgoingawayto-morrow。ShallItellyouthetruth？MagdalenisfrettingoverthedepartureofFrancisClare。“

Mrs。Vanstonelookedupfromherworkwithagentle，smilingsurprise。

“Surelynot？“shesaid。“ItisnaturalenoughthatFrankshouldbeattractedbyMagdalen；butIcan\'tthinkthatMagdalenreturnsthefeeling。Frankissoveryunlikeher；soquietandundemonstrative；sodullandhelpless，poorfellow，insomethings。Heishandsome，Iknow，butheissosingularlyunlikeMagdalen，thatIcan\'tthinkitpossible——Ican\'tindeed。“

“Mydeargoodlady！“criedMissGarth，ingreatamazement；“doyoureallysupposethatpeoplefallinlovewitheachotheronaccountofsimilaritiesintheircharacters？Inthevastmajorityofcases，theydojustthereverse。Menmarrytheverylastwomen，andwomentheverylastmen，whomtheirfriendswouldthinkitpossibletheycouldcareabout。Isthereanyphrasethatisofteneronallourlipsthan\'WhatcanhavemadeMr。So-and-Somarrythatwoman？\'——or\'HowcouldMrs。So-and-Sothrowherselfawayonthatman？\'Hasallyourexperienceoftheworldneveryetshownyouthatgirlstakeperversefanciesformenwhoaretotallyunworthyofthem？“

“Verytrue，“saidMrs。Vanstone，composedly。“Iforgotthat。Stillitseemsunaccountable，doesn\'tit？“

“Unaccountable，becauseithappenseveryday！“retortedMissGarth，good-humoredly。“Iknowagreatmanyexcellentpeoplewhoreasonagainstplainexperienceinthesameway——whoreadthenewspapersinthemorning，anddenyintheeveningthatthereisanyromanceforwritersorpainterstoworkuponinmodernlife。Seriously，Mrs。Vanstone，youmaytakemywordforit——thankstothosewretchedtheatricals，MagdalenisgoingthewaywithFrankthatagreatmanyyoungladieshavegonebeforeher。Heisquiteunworthyofher；heis，inalmosteveryrespect，herexactopposite——and，withoutknowingitherself，shehasfalleninlovewithhimonthatveryaccount。Sheisresoluteandimpetuous，cleveranddomineering；sheisnotoneofthosemodelwomenwhowantamantolookupto，andtoprotectthem——herbeau-ideal(thoughshemaynotthinkitherself)isamanshecanhenpeck。Well！onecomfortis，therearefarbettermen，evenofthatsort，tobehadthanFrank。It\'samercyheisgoingaway，beforewehavemoretroublewiththem，andbeforeanyseriousmischiefisdone。“

“PoorFrank！“saidMrs。Vanstone，smilingcompassionately。“Wehaveknownhimsincehewasinjackets，andMagdaleninshortfrocks。Don\'tletusgivehimupyet。Hemaydobetterthissecondtime。“

MissGarthlookedupinastonishment。

“Andsupposehedoesbetter？“sheasked。“Whatthen？“

Mrs。Vanstonecutoffaloosethreadinherwork，andlaughedoutright。

“Mygoodfriend，“shesaid，“thereisanoldfarmyardproverbwhichwarnsusnottocountourchickensbeforetheyarehatched。Letuswaitalittlebeforewecountours。“

ItwasnoteasytosilenceMissGarth，whenshewasspeakingundertheinfluenceofastrongconviction；butthisreplyclosedherlips。Sheresumedherwork，andlooked，andthought，unutterablethings。

Mrs。Vanstone\'sbehaviorwascertainlyremarkableunderthecircumstances。Here，ononeside，wasagirl——withgreatpersonalattractions，withrarepecuniaryprospects，withasocialpositionwhichmighthavejustifiedthebestgentlemanintheneighborhoodinmakingheranofferofmarriage——perverselycastingherselfawayonapennilessidleyoungfellow，whohadfailedathisfirststartinlife，andwhoevenifhesucceededinhissecondattempt，mustbeforyearstocomeinnopositiontomarryayoungladyoffortuneonequalterms。Andthere，ontheotherside，wasthatgirl\'smother，bynomeansdismayedattheprospectofaconnectionwhichwas，tosaytheleastofit，farfromdesirable；bynomeanscertain，judgingherbyherownwordsandlooks，thatamarriagebetweenMr。Vanstone\'sdaughterandMr。Clare\'ssonmightnotprovetobeassatisfactoryaresultoftheintimacybetweenthetwoyoungpeopleastheparentsonbothsidescouldpossiblywishfor！

Itwasperplexingintheextreme。Itwasalmostasunintelligibleasthatpastmystery——thatforgottenmysterynow——ofthejourneytoLondon。

Intheevening，Frankmadehisappearance，andannouncedthathisfatherhadmercilesslysentencedhimtoleaveCombe-Ravenbytheparliamentarytrainthenextmorning。Hementionedthiscircumstancewithanairofsentimentalresignation；andlistenedtoMr。Vanstone\'sboisterousrejoicingsoverhisnewprospectswithamildandmutesurprise。Hisgentlemelancholyoflookandmannergreatlyassistedhispersonaladvantages。Inhisowneffeminatewayhewasmorehandsomethaneverthatevening。Hissoftbrowneyeswanderedabouttheroomwithameltingtenderness；hishairwasbeautifullybrushed；hisdelicatehandshungoverthearmsofhischairwithalanguidgrace。HelookedlikeaconvalescentApollo。Never，onanypreviousoccasion，hadhepracticedmoresuccessfullythesocialartwhichhehabituallycultivated——theartofcastinghimselfonsocietyinthecharacterofawell-bredIncubus，andconferringanobligationonhisfellow-creaturesbyallowingthemtositunderhim。Itwasundeniablyadullevening。AllthetalkingfelltotheshareofMr。VanstoneandMissGarth。Mrs。Vanstonewashabituallysilent；Norahkeptherselfobstinatelyinthebackground；Magdalenwasquietandundemonstrativebeyondallformerprecedent。Fromfirsttolast，shekeptrigidlyonherguard。ThefewmeaninglooksthatshecastonFrankflashedathimlikelightning，andweregonebeforeanyoneelsecouldseethem。Evenwhenshebroughthimhistea；andwhen，indoingso，herself-controlgavewayunderthetemptationwhichnowomancanresist——thetemptationoftouchingthemansheloves——eventhen，sheheldthesaucersodexterouslythatitscreenedherhand。Frank\'sself-possessionwasfarlesssteadilydisciplined:itonlylastedaslongasheremainedpassive。Whenherosetogo；whenhefeltthewarm，clingingpressureofMagdalen\'sfingersroundhishand，andthelockofherhairwhichsheslippedintoitatthesamemoment，hebecameawkwardandconfused。HemighthavebetrayedMagdalenandbetrayedhimself，butforMr。Vanstone，whoinnocentlycoveredhisretreatbyfollowinghimout，andpattinghimontheshoulderalltheway。“Godblessyou，Frank！“criedthefriendlyvoicethatneverhadaharshnoteinitforanybody。“Yourfortune\'swaitingforyou。Goin，myboy——goinandwin。“

“Yes，“saidFrank。“Thankyou。Itwillberatherdifficulttogoinandwin，atfirst。Ofcourse，asyouhavealwaystoldme，aman\'sbusinessistoconquerhisdifficulties，andnottotalkaboutthem。Atthesametime，IwishIdidn\'tfeelquitesolooseasIdoinmyfigures。It\'sdiscouragingtofeellooseinone\'sfigures——Oh，yes；I\'llwriteandtellyouhowIgeton。I\'mverymuchobligedbyyourkindness，andverysorryIcouldn\'tsucceedwiththeengineering。IthinkIshouldhavelikedengineeringbetterthantrade。Itcan\'tbehelpednow，canit？Thankyou，again。Good-by。“

Sohedriftedawayintothemistycommercialfuture——asaimless，ashelpless，asgentleman-likeasever。

[NextChapter]

[TableofContents]NoName，Scene1，Chapter9CHAPTERIX。

THREEmonthspassed。DuringthattimeFrankremainedinLondon；pursuinghisnewduties，andwritingoccasionallytoreporthimselftoMr。Vanstone，ashehadpromised。

Hisletterswerenotenthusiasticonthesubjectofmercantileoccupations。Hedescribedhimselfasbeingstillpainfullylooseinhisfigures。Hewasalsomorefirmlypersuadedthanever——nowwhenitwasunfortunatelytoolate——thathepreferredengineeringtotrade。Inspiteofthisconviction；inspiteofheadachescausedbysittingonahighstoolandstoopingoverledgersinunwholesomeair；inspiteofwantofsociety，andhastybreakfasts，andbaddinnersatchop-houses，hisattendanceattheofficewasregular，andhisdiligenceatthedeskunremitting。Theheadofthedepartmentinwhichhewasworkingmightbereferredtoifanycorroborationofthisstatementwasdesired。Suchwasthegeneraltenoroftheletters；andFrank\'scorrespondentandFrank\'sfatherdifferedoverthemaswidelyasusual。Mr。Vanstoneacceptedthemasproofsofthesteadydevelopmentofindustriousprinciplesinthewriter。Mr。Claretookhisowncharacteristicallyoppositeview。“TheseLondonmen，“saidthephilosopher，“arenottobetrifledwithbylouts。TheyhavegotFrankbythescruffoftheneck——hecan\'twrigglehimselffree——andhemakesameritofyieldingtosheernecessity。“

Thethreemonths\'intervalofFrank\'sprobationinLondonpassedlesscheerfullythanusualinthehouseholdatCombe-Raven。

Asthesummercamenearerandnearer，Mrs。Vanstone\'sspirits，inspiteofherresoluteeffortstocontrolthem，becamemoreandmoredepressed。

“Idomybest，“shesaidtoMissGarth；“Isetanexampleofcheerfulnesstomyhusbandandmychildren——butIdreadJuly。“Norah\'ssecretmisgivingsonhersister\'saccountrenderedhermorethanusuallyseriousanduncommunicative，astheyearadvanced。EvenMr。Vanstone，whenJulydrewnearer，lostsomethingofhiselasticityofspirit。Hekeptupappearancesinhiswife\'spresence——butonallotheroccasionstherewasnowaperceptibleshadeofsadnessinhislookandmanner。MagdalenwassochangedsinceFrank\'sdeparturethatshehelpedthegeneraldepression，insteadofrelievingit。Allhermovementshadgrownlanguid；allherusualoccupationswerepursuedwiththesamewearyindifference；shespenthoursaloneinherownroom；shelostherinterestinbeingbrightlyandprettilydressed；hereyeswereheavy，hernerveswereirritable，hercomplexionwasalteredvisiblyfortheworse——inoneword，shehadbecomeanoppressionandawearinesstoherselfandtoallabouther。StoutlyasMissGarthcontendedwiththesegrowingdomesticdifficulties，herownspiritssufferedintheeffort。Hermemoryreverted，oftenerandoftener，totheMarchmorningwhenthemasterandmistressofthehousehaddepartedforLondon，andthenthefirstseriouschange，formanyayearpast，hadstolenoverthefamilyatmosphere。Whenwasthatatmospheretobeclearagain？Whenwerethecloudsofchangetopassoffbeforethereturningsunshineofpastandhappiertimes？

Thespringandtheearlysummerworeaway。ThedreadedmonthofJulycame，withitsairlessnights，itscloudlessmornings，anditssultrydays。

Onthefifteenthofthemonth，aneventhappenedwhichtookeveryonebutNorahbysurprise。Forthesecondtime，withouttheslightestapparentreason——forthesecondtime，withoutawordofwarningbeforehand——Franksuddenlyre-appearedathisfather\'scottage。

Mr。Clare\'slipsopenedtohailhisson\'sreturn，intheoldcharacterofthe“badshilling“；andclosedagainwithoututteringaword。TherewasaportentouscomposureinFrank\'smannerwhichshowedthathehadothernewstocommunicatethanthenewsofhisdismissal。Heansweredhisfather\'ssardoniclookofinquirybyatonceexplainingthataveryimportantproposalforhisfuturebenefithadbeenmadetohim，thatmorning，attheoffice。Hisfirstideahadbeentocommunicatethedetailsinwriting；butthepartnershad，onreflection，thoughtthatthenecessarydecisionmightbemorereadilyobtainedbyapersonalinterviewwithhisfatherandhisfriends。Hehadlaidasidethepenaccordingly，andhadresignedhimselftotherailwayonthespot。

Afterthispreliminarystatement，Frankproceededtodescribetheproposalwhichhisemployershadaddressedtohim，witheveryexternalappearanceofviewingitinthelightofanintolerablehardship。

ThegreatfirmintheCityhadobviouslymadeadiscoveryinrelationtotheirclerk，exactlysimilartothediscoverywhichhadformerlyforceditselfontheengineerinrelationtohispupil。Theyoungman，astheypolitelyphrasedit，stoodinneedofsomespecialstimulanttostirhimup。Hisemployers(actingunderasenseoftheirobligationtothegentlemanbywhomFrankhadbeenrecommended)hadconsideredthequestioncarefully，andhaddecidedthattheonepromisingusetowhichtheycouldputMr。FrancisClarewastosendhimforthwithintoanotherquarteroftheglobe。

Asaconsequenceofthisdecision，itwasnow。therefore，proposedthatheshouldenterthehouseoftheircorrespondentsinChina；thatheshouldremainthere，familiarizinghimselfthoroughlyonthespotwiththeteatradeandthesilktradeforfiveyears；andthatheshouldreturn，attheexpirationofthisperiod，tothecentralestablishmentinLondon。IfhemadeafairuseofhisopportunitiesinChina，hewouldcomeback，whilestillayoungman，fitforapositionoftrustandemolument，andjustifiedinlookingforward，atnodistantdate，toatimewhentheHousewouldassisthimtostartinbusinessforhimself。Suchwerethenewprospectswhich——toadoptMr。Clare\'stheory——nowforcedthemselvesontheever-reluctant，ever-helplessandever-ungratefulFrank。Therewasnotimetobelost。Thefinalanswerwastobeattheofficeon“Monday，thetwentieth“:thecorrespondentsinChinaweretobewrittentobythemailonthatday；andFrankwastofollowtheletterbythenextopportunity，ortoresignhischanceinfavorofsomemoreenterprisingyoungman。