第12章

Thehairintherector’sdescriptionwaslightbrownandnotplentiful。Thiswoman’shair，superblyluxuriantinitsgrowth，wasoftheoneunpardonablyremarkableshadeofcolorwhichtheprejudiceoftheNorthernnationsneverentirelyforgives——itwas_red！_Theforeheadintherector’sdescriptionwashigh，narrow，andslopingbackwardfromthebrow;theeyebrowswerefaintlymarked;andtheeyessmall，andincoloreithergrayorhazel。

Thiswoman’sforeheadwaslow，upright，andbroadtowardthetemples;hereyebrows，atoncestronglyanddelicatelymarked，wereashadedarkerthanherhair;hereyes，large，bright，andwellopened，wereofthatpurelybluecolor，withoutatingeinitofgrayorgreen，sooftenpresentedtoouradmirationinpicturesandbooks，sorarelymetwithinthelivingface。Thenoseintherector’sdescriptionwasaquiline。Thelineofthiswoman’snosebentneitheroutwardnorinward:itwasthestraight，delicatelymoldednose(withtheshortupperlipbeneath)oftheancientstatuesandbusts。Thelipsintherector’sdescriptionwerethinandtheupperliplong;thecomplexionwasofadull，sicklypaleness;thechinretreatingandthemarkofamoleorascarontheleftsideofit。Thiswoman’slipswerefull，rich，andsensual。Hercomplexionwasthelovelycomplexionwhichaccompaniessuchhairashers——sodelicatelybrightinitsrosiertints，sowarmlyandsoftlywhiteinitsgentlergradationsofcolorontheforeheadandtheneck。

Herchin，roundanddimpled，waspureoftheslightestblemishineverypartofit，andperfectlyinlinewithherforeheadtotheend。Nearerandnearer，andfairerandfairershecame，intheglowofthemorninglight——themoststartling，themostunanswerablecontradictionthateyecouldseeormindconceivetothedescriptionintherector’sletter。

Bothgovernessandpupilwereclosetothesummer-housebeforetheylookedthatway，andnoticedMidwinterstandinginside。Thegovernesssawhimfirst。

“Afriendofyours，MissMilroy？”sheasked，quietly，withoutstartingorbetrayinganysignofsurprise。

Neelierecognizedhiminstantly。PrejudicedagainstMidwinterbyhisconductwhenhisfriendhadintroducedhimatthecottage，shenowfairlydetestedhimastheunluckyfirstcauseofhermisunderstandingwithAllanatthepicnic。Herfaceflushedandshedrewbackfromthesummerhousewithanexpressionofmercilesssurprise。

“HeisafriendofMr。Armadale’s。”sherepliedsharply。“Idon’tknowwhathewants，orwhyheishere。”

“AfriendofMr。Armadale’s！“Thegoverness’sfacelightedupwithasuddenlyrousedinterestassherepeatedthewords，ShereturnedMidwinter’slook，stillsteadilyfixedonher，withequalsteadinessonherside。

“Formypart。”pursuedNeelie，resentingMidwinter’sinsensibilitytoherpresenceonthescene，“Ithinkitagreatlibertytotreatpapa’sgardenasifitweretheopenpark！“

Thegovernessturnedround，andgentlyinterposed。

“MydearMissMilroy。”sheremonstrated，“therearecertaindistinctionstobeobserved。ThisgentlemanisafriendofMr。

Armadale’s。Youcouldhardlyexpressyourselfmorestronglyifhewasaperfectstranger。”

“Iexpressmyopinion。”retortedNeelie，chafingunderthesatiricallyindulgenttoneinwhichthegovernessaddressedher。

“It’samatteroftaste，MissGwilt;andtastesdiffer。”Sheturnedawaypetulantly，andwalkedbackbyherselftothecottage。

“Sheisveryyoung。”saidMissGwilt，appealingwithasmiletoMidwinter’sforbearance;“and，asyoumustseeforyourself，sir，sheisaspoiledchild。”Shepaused——showed，foraninstantonly，hersurpriseatMidwinter’sstrangesilenceandstrangepersistencyinkeepinghiseyesstillfixedonher——thensetherself，withacharminggraceandreadiness，tohelphimoutofthefalsepositioninwhichhestood。“Asyouhaveextendedyourwalkthusfar。”sheresumed，“perhapsyouwillkindlyfavorme，onyourreturn，bytakingamessagetoyourfriend？Mr。ArmadalehasbeensogoodastoinvitemetoseetheThorpeAmbrosegardensthismorning。WillyousaythatMajorMilroypermitsmetoaccepttheinvitation(incompanywithMissMilroy)betweentenandeleveno’clock？”Foramomenthereyesrested，witharenewedlookofinterest，onMidwinter’sface。Shewaited，stillinvain，foranansweringwordfromhim——smiled，asifhisextraordinarysilenceamusedratherthanangeredher——andfollowedherpupilbacktothecottage。

ItwasonlywhenthelasttraceofherhaddisappearedthatMidwinterrousedhimself，andattemptedtorealizethepositioninwhichhestood。Therevelationofherbeautywasinnorespectanswerableforthebreathlessastonishmentwhichhadheldhimspell-bounduptothismoment。Theoneclearimpressionshehadproduceonhimthusfarbeganandendedwithhisdiscoveryoftheastoundingcontradictionthatherfaceoffered，inonefeatureafteranother，tothedescriptioninMr。Brock’sletter。Allbeyondthiswasvagueandmisty——adimconsciousnessofatall，elegantwoman，andofkindwords，modestlyandgracefullyspokentohim，andnothingmore。

Headvancedafewstepsintothegardenwithoutknowingwhy——stopped，glancinghitherandthitherlikeamanlost——recognizedthesummer-housebyaneffort，asifyearshadelapsedsincehehadseenit——andmadehiswayoutagain，atlast，intothepark。Evenhere，hewanderedfirstinonedirection，theninanother。Hismindwasstillreelingundertheshockthathadfallenonit;hisperceptionswereallconfused。

Somethingkepthimmechanicallyinaction，walkingeagerlywithoutamotive，walkingheknewnotwhere。

Afarlesssensitivelyorganizedmanmighthavebeenoverwhelmed，ashewasoverwhelmednow，bytheimmense，theinstantaneousrevulsionoffeelingwhichtheeventofthelastfewminuteshadwroughtinhismind。

Atthememorableinstantwhenhehadopenedthedoorofthesummer-house，noconfusinginfluencetroubledhisfaculties。Inallthatrelatedtohispositiontowardhisfriend，hehadreachedanabsolutelydefiniteconclusionbyanabsolutelydefiniteprocessofthought。ThewholestrengthofthemotivewhichhaddrivenhimintotheresolutiontopartfromAllanrooteditselfinthebeliefthathehadseenatHurleMerethefatalfulfillmentofthefirstVisionoftheDream。Andthisbelief，initsturn，rested，necessarily，ontheconvictionthatthewomanwhowastheonesurvivorofthetragedyinMadeiramustbealsoinevitablythewomanwhomhehadseenstandingintheShadow’splaceatthepool。Firminthatpersuasion，hehadhimselfcomparedtheobjectofhisdistrustandoftherector’sdistrustwiththedescriptionwrittenbytherectorhimself——adescription，carefullyminute，byamanentirelytrustworthy——andhisowneyeshadinformedhimthatthewomanwhomhehadseenattheMere，andthewomanwhomMr。BrockhadidentifiedinLondon，werenotone，butTwo。IntheplaceoftheDreamShadow，therehadstood，ontheevidenceoftherector’sletter，nottheinstrumentoftheFatality——butastranger！

Nosuchdoubtsasmighthavetroubledalesssuperstitiousman，werestartedin_his_mindbythediscoverythathadnowopenedonhim。

ItneveroccurredtohimtoaskhimselfwhetherastrangermightnotbetheappointedinstrumentoftheFatality，nowwhentheletterhadpersuadedhimthatastrangerhadbeenrevealedasthefigureinthedreamlandscape。Nosuchideaenteredorcouldenterhismind。Theonewomanwhom_his_superstitiondreadedwasthewomanwhohadentwinedherselfwiththelivesofthetwoArmadalesinthefirstgeneration，andwiththefortunesofthetwoArmadalesinthesecond——whowasatoncethemarkedobjectofhisfather’sdeath-bedwarning，andthefirstcauseofthefamilycalamitieswhichhadopenedAllan’swaytotheThorpeAmbroseestate——thewoman，inaword，whomhewouldhaveknowninstinctively，butforMr。Brock’sletter，tobethewomanwhomhehadnowactuallyseen。

Lookingateventsastheyhadjusthappened，undertheinfluenceofthemisapprehensionintowhichtherectorhadinnocentlymisledhim，hismindsawandseizeditsnewconclusioninstantaneously，actingpreciselyasithadactedinthepasttimeofhisinterviewwithMr。BrockattheIsleofMan。

Exactlyashehadoncedeclaredittobeanall-sufficientrefutationoftheideaoftheFatality，thathehadnevermetwiththetimber-shipinanyofhisvoyagesatsea，sohenowseizedonthesimilarlyderivedconclusion，thatthewholeclaimoftheDreamtoasupernaturaloriginstoodself-refutedbythedisclosureofastrangerintheShadow’splace。Oncestartedfromthispoint——onceencouragedtolethisloveforAllaninfluencehimundividedlyagain，hismindhurriedalongthewholeresultingchainofthoughtatlightningspeed。IftheDreamwasprovedtobenolongerawarningfromtheotherworld，itfollowedinevitablythataccidentandnotfatehadledthewaytothenightontheWreck，andthatalltheeventswhichhadhappenedsinceAllanandhehadpartedfromMr。Brockwereeventsinthemselvesharmless，whichhissuperstitionhaddistortedfromtheirpropershape。InlessthanamomenthismobileimaginationhadtakenhimbacktothemorningatCastletownwhenhehadrevealedtotherectorthesecretofhisname;whenhehaddeclaredtotherector，withhisfather’sletterbeforehiseyes，thebetterfaiththatwasinhim。NowoncemorehefelthisheartholdingfirmlybythebondofbrotherhoodbetweenAllanandhimself;nowoncemorehecouldsaywiththeeagersincerityoftheoldtime，“Ifthethoughtofleavinghimbreaksmyheart，thethoughtofleavinghimiswrong！“Asthatnoblerconvictionpossesseditselfagainofhismind——quietingthetumult，clearingtheconfusionwithinhim——thehouseatThorpeAmbrose，withAllanonthesteps，waiting，lookingforhim，openedonhiseyesthroughthetrees。Asenseofillimitablereliefliftedhiseagerspirithighabovethecares，anddoubts，andfearsthathadoppresseditsolong，andshowedhimoncemorethebetterandbrighterfutureofhisearlydreams。Hiseyesfilledwithtears，andhepressedtherector’sletter，inhiswild，passionateway，tohislips，ashelookedatAllanthroughthevistaofthetrees。“Butforthismorselofpaper。”hethought，“mylifemighthavebeenonelongsorrowtome，andmyfather’scrimemighthavepartedusforever！“

Suchwastheresultofthestratagemwhichhadshownthehousemaid’sfacetoMr。BrockasthefaceofMissGwilt。Andso——byshakingMidwinter’strustinhisownsuperstition，intheonecaseinwhichthatsuperstitionpointedtothetruth——didMotherOldershaw’scunningtriumphoverdifficultiesanddangerswhichhadneverbeencontemplatedbyMotherOldershawherself。

CHAPTERXI。

MISSGWILTAMONGTHEQUICKSANDS。

1。_FromtheRev。DecimusBrocktoOziasMidwinter。_

“Thursday。

“MYDEARMIDWINTER——Nowordscantellwhatareliefitwastometogetyourletterthismorning，andwhatahappinessIhonestlyfeelinhavingbeenthusfarprovedtobeinthewrong。TheprecautionsyouhavetakenincasethewomanshouldstillconfirmmyapprehensionsbyventuringherselfatThorpeAmbroseseemtometobeallthatcanbedesired。Youarenodoubtsuretohearofherfromoneorotherofthepeopleinthelawyer’soffice，whomyouhaveaskedtoinformyouoftheappearanceofastrangerinthetown。

“IamthemorepleasedatfindinghowentirelyIcantrustyouinthismatter;forIamlikelytobeobligedtoleaveAllan’sinterestslongerthanIsupposedsolelyinyourhands。MyvisittoThorpeAmbrosemust，Iregrettosay，bedeferredfortwomonths。Theonlyoneofmybrother-clergymeninLondonwhoisabletotakemydutyformecannotmakeitconvenienttoremovewithhisfamilytoSomersetshirebeforethattime。Ihavenoalternativebuttofinishmybusinesshere，andbebackatmyrectoryonSaturdaynext。Ifanythinghappens，youwill，ofcourse，instantlycommunicatewithme;and，inthatcase，betheinconveniencewhatitmay，ImustleavehomeforThorpeAmbrose。

If，ontheotherhand，allgoesmoresmoothlythanmyownobstinateapprehensionswillallowmetosuppose，thenAllan(towhomIhavewritten)mustnotexpecttoseemetillthisdaytwomonths。

“Noresulthas，uptothistime，rewardedourexertionstorecoverthetracelostattherailway。Iwillkeepmyletteropen，however，untilposttime，incasethenextfewhoursbringanynews。

“Alwaystrulyyours，DECIMUSBROCK。

“P。S——Ihavejustheardfromthelawyers。TheyhavefoundoutthenamethewomanpassedbyinLondon。Ifthisdiscovery(notaveryimportantone，Iamafraid)suggestsanynewcourseofproceedingtoyou，prayactonitatonce。Thenameis——MissGwilt。”

2。_FromMissGwilttoMrs。Oldershaw。_

TheCottage，ThorpeAmbrose，Saturday，June28。

“IFyouwillpromisenottobealarmed，MammaOldershaw，Iwillbeginthisletterinaveryoddway，bycopyingapageofaletterwrittenbysomebodyelse。Youhaveanexcellentmemory，andyoumaynothaveforgottenthatIreceivedanotefromMajorMilroy’smother(aftershehadengagedmeasgoverness)onMondaylast。Itwasdatedandsigned;andhereitis，asfarasthefirstpage:’June23d，1851。DearMadam——Prayexcusemytroublingyou，beforeyougotoThorpeAmbrose，withawordmoreaboutthehabitsobservedinmyson’shousehold。WhenIhadthepleasureofseeingyouattwoo’clockto-day，inKingsdownCrescent，IhadanotherappointmentinadistantpartofLondonatthree;and，inthehurryofthemoment，oneortwolittlemattersescapedmewhichIthinkIoughttoimpressonyourattention。’Therestoftheletterisnotoftheslightestimportance，butthelinesthatIhavejustcopiedarewellworthyofalltheattentionyoucanbestowonthem。Theyhavesavedmefromdiscovery，mydear，beforeIhavebeenaweekinMajorMilroy’sservice！

“Ithappenednolaterthanyesterdayevening，anditbeganandendedinthismanner:

“Thereisagentlemanhere，(ofwhomIshallhavemoretosaypresently)whoisanintimatefriendofyoungArmadale’s，andwhobearsthestrangenameofMidwinter。Hecontrivedyesterdaytospeaktomealoneinthepark。Almostassoonasheopenedhislips，IfoundthatmynamehadbeendiscoveredinLondon(nodoubtbytheSomersetshireclergyman);andthatMr。Midwinterhadbeenchosen(evidentlybythesameperson)toidentifytheMissGwiltwhohadvanishedfromBromptonwiththeMissGwiltwhohadappearedatThorpeAmbrose。Youforesawthisdanger，Iremember;

butyoucouldscarcelyhaveimaginedthattheexposurewouldthreatenmesosoon。

“Ispareyouthedetailsofourconversationtocometotheend。

Mr。Midwinterputthematterverydelicately，declaring，tomygreatsurprise，thathefeltquitecertainhimselfthatIwasnottheMissGwiltofwhomhisfriendwasinsearch;andthatheonlyactedashedidoutofregardtotheanxietyofapersonwhosewisheshewasboundtorespect。WouldIassisthiminsettingthatanxietycompletelyatrest，asfarasIwasconcerned，bykindlyansweringoneplainquestion——whichhehadnootherrighttoaskmethantherightmyindulgencemightgivehim？Thelost’MissGwilt’hadbeenmissedonMondaylast，attwoo’clock，inthecrowdontheplatformoftheNorth-westernRailway，inEustonSquare。WouldIauthorizehimtosaythatonthatday，andatthathour，theMissGwiltwhowasMajorMilroy’sgovernesshadneverbeenneartheplace？

“IneedhardlytellyouthatIseizedthefineopportunityhehadgivenmeofdisarmingallfuturesuspicion。Itookahightoneonthespot，andmethimwiththeoldlady’sletter。Hepolitelyrefusedtolookatit。Iinsistedonhislookingatit。’Idon’tchoosetobemistaken，’Isaid，’forawomanwhomaybeabadcharacter，becauseshehappenstobear，ortohaveassumed，thesamenameasmine。Iinsistonyourreadingthefirstpartofthisletterformysatisfaction，ifnotforyourown。’Hewasobligedtocomply;andtherewastheproof，intheoldlady’shandwriting，that，attwoo’clockonMondaylast，sheandIweretogetherinKingsdownCrescent，whichanydirectorywouldtellhimisa’crescent’inBayswater！Ileaveyoutoimaginehisapologies，andtheperfectsweetnesswithwhichIreceivedthem。

“Imight，ofcourse，ifIhadnotpreservedtheletter，havereferredhimtoyou，ortothemajor’smother，withsimilarresults。Asitis，theobjecthasbeengainedwithouttroubleordelay。_Ihavebeenprovednottobemyself;_andoneofthemanydangersthatthreatenedmeatThorpeAmbroseisadangerblownoverfromthismoment。Yourhouse-maid’sfacemaynotbeaveryhandsomeone;butthereisnodenyingthatithasdoneusexcellentservice。

“Somuchforthepast;nowforthefuture。YoushallhearhowI

getonwiththepeopleaboutme;andyoushalljudgeforyourselfwhatthechancesareforandagainstmybecomingmistressofThorpeAmbrose。

“LetmebeginwithyoungArmadale——becauseitisbeginningwithgoodnews。Ihaveproducedtherightimpressiononhimalready，andHeavenknows_that_isnothingtoboastof！Anymoderatelygood-lookingwomanwhochosetotakethetroublecouldmakehimfallinlovewithher。Heisarattle-patedyoungfool——oneofthosenoisy，rosy，light-haired，good-temperedmenwhomI

particularlydetest。Ihadawholehouralonewithhiminaboat，thefirstdayIcamehere，andIhavemadegooduseofmytime，I

cantellyou，fromthatdaytothis。Theonlydifficultywithhimisthedifficultyofconcealingmyownfeelings，especiallywhenheturnsmydislikeofhimintodownrighthatredbysometimesremindingmeofhismother。IreallyneversawamanwhomIcouldusesoill，ifIhadtheopportunity。Hewillgivemetheopportunity，Ibelieve，ifnoaccidenthappens，soonerthanwecalculatedon。Ihavejustreturnedfromapartyatthegreathouse，incelebrationoftherent-daydinner，andthesquire’sattentionstome，andmymodestreluctancetoreceivethem，havealreadyexcitedgeneralremark。

“Mypupil，MissMilroy，comesnext。She，too，isrosyandfoolish;and，whatismore，awkwardandsquatandfreckled，andill-temperedandill-dressed。Nofearof_her，_thoughshehatesmelikepoison，whichisagreatcomfort，forIgetridofheroutoflessontimeandwalkingtime。ItisperfectlyeasytoseethatshehasmadethemostofheropportunitieswithyoungArmadale(opportunities，by-the-by，whichwenevercalculatedon)，andthatshehasbeenstupidenoughtolethimslipthroughherfingers。WhenItellyouthatsheisobliged，forthesakeofappearances，togowithherfatherandmetothelittleentertainmentsatThorpeAmbrose，andtoseehowyoungArmadaleadmiresme，youwillunderstandthekindofplaceIholdinheraffections。ShewouldtrymepastallenduranceifIdidn’tseethatIaggravateherbykeepingmytemper，so，ofcourse，Ikeepit。IfIdobreakout，itwillbeoverourlessons——notoverourFrench，ourgrammar，history，andglobes——butoverourmusic。NowordscansayhowIfeelforherpoorpiano。HalfthemusicalgirlsinEnglandoughttohavetheirfingerschoppedoffintheinterestsofsociety，and，ifIhadmyway，MissMilroy’sfingersshouldbeexecutedfirst。

“Asforthemajor，IcanhardlystandhigherinhisestimationthanIstandalready。Iamalwaysreadytomakehisbreakfast，andhisdaughterisnot。Icanalwaysfindthingsforhimwhenhelosesthem，andhisdaughtercan’t。Ineveryawnwhenheproses，andhisdaughterdoes。Ilikethepoordearharmlessoldgentleman，soIwon’tsayawordmoreabouthim。

“Well，hereisafairprospectforthefuturesurely？MygoodOldershaw，thereneverwasaprospectyetwithoutanuglyplaceinit。_My_prospecthastwouglyplacesinit。ThenameofoneofthemisMrs。Milroy，andthenameoftheotherisMr。

Midwinter。

“Mrs。Milroyfirst。BeforeIhadbeenfiveminutesinthecottage，onthedayofmyarrival，whatdoyouthinkshedid？Shesentdownstairsandaskedtoseeme。Themessagestartledmealittle，afterhearingfromtheoldlady，inLondon，thatherdaughter-in-lawwastoogreatasufferertoseeanybody;but，ofcourse，whenIgothermessage，Ihadnochoicebuttogoupstairstothesick-room。Ifoundherbedriddenwithanincurablespinalcomplaint，andareallyhorribleobjecttolookat，butwithallherwitsabouther;and，ifIamnotgreatlymistaken，asdeceitfulawoman，withasvileatemper，asyoucouldfindanywhereinallyourlongexperience。Herexcessivepoliteness，andherkeepingherownfaceintheshadeofthebed-curtainswhileshecontrivedtokeepmineinthelight，putmeonmyguardthemomentIenteredtheroom。Weweremorethanhalfanhourtogether，withoutmysteppingintoanyoneofthemanycleverlittletrapsshelaidforme。Theonlymysteryinherbehavior，whichIfailedtoseethroughatthetime，washerperpetuallyaskingmetobringherthings(thingssheevidentlydidnotwant)

fromdifferentpartsoftheroom。

“Sincetheneventshaveenlightenedme。Myfirstsuspicionswereraisedbyoverhearingsomeoftheservants’gossip;andIhavebeenconfirmedinmyopinionbytheconductofMrs。Milroy’snurse。

“OnthefewoccasionswhenIhavehappenedtobealonewiththemajor，thenursehasalsohappenedtowantsomethingofhermaster，andhasinvariablyforgottentoannounceherappearancebyknocking，atthedoor。DoyouunderstandnowwhyMrs。MilroysentformethemomentIgotintothehouse，andwhatshewantedwhenshekeptmegoingbackwardandforward，firstforonethingandthenforanother？Thereishardlyanattractivelightinwhichmyfaceandfigurecanbeseen，inwhichthatwoman’sjealouseyeshavenotstudiedthemalready。Iamnolongerpuzzledtoknowwhythefatheranddaughterstarted，andlookedateachother，whenIwasfirstpresentedtothem;orwhytheservantsstillstareatmewithamischievousexpectationintheireyeswhenIringthebellandaskthemtodoanything。Itisuselesstodisguisethetruth，MotherOldershaw，betweenyouandme。WhenIwentupstairsintothatsickroom，Imarchedblindfoldintotheclutchesofajealouswoman。IfMrs。Milroy_can_turnmeoutofthehouse，Mrs。Milroy_will;_and，morningandnight，shehasnothingelsetodointhatbedprisonofhersbuttofindouttheway。

“Inthisawkwardposition，myowncautiousconductisadmirablysecondedbythedearoldmajor’sperfectinsensibility。Hiswife’sjealousyofhimisasmonstrousadelusionasanythatcouldbefoundinamad-house;itisthegrowthofherownviletemper，undertheaggravationofanincurableillness。Thepoormanhasn’tathoughtbeyondhismechanicalpursuits;andIdon’tbelieveheknowsatthismomentwhetherIamahandsomewomanornot。Withthischancetohelpme，Imayhopetosetthenurse’sintrusionsandthemistress’scontrivancesatdefiance——foratime，atanyrate。Butyouknowwhatajealouswomanis，andI

thinkIknowwhatMrs。Milroyis;andIownIshallbreathemorefreelyonthedaywhenyoungArmadaleopenshisfoolishlipstosomepurpose，andsetsthemajoradvertisingforanewgoverness。

“Armadale’snameremindsmeofArmadale’sfriend。Thereismoredangerthreateninginthatquarter;and，whatisworse，Idon’tfeelhalfaswellarmedbeforehandagainstMr。MidwinterasIdoagainstMrs。Milroy。

“Everythingaboutthismanismoreorlessmysterious，whichI

don’tlike，tobeginwith。HowdoeshecometobeintheconfidenceoftheSomersetshireclergyman？Howmuchhasthatclergymantoldhim？Howisitthathewassofirmlypersuaded，whenhespoketomeinthepark，thatIwasnottheMissGwiltofwhomhisfriendwasinsearch？Ihaven’ttheghostofananswertogivetoanyofthosethreequestions。Ican’tevendiscoverwhoheis，orhowheandyoungArmadalefirstbecameacquainted。

Ihatehim。No，Idon’t;Ionlywanttofindoutabouthim。Heisveryyoung，littleandlean，andactiveanddark，withbrightblackeyeswhichsaytomeplainly，’Webelongtoamanwithbrainsinhisheadandawillofhisown;amanwhohasn’talwaysbeenhangingaboutacountryhouse，inattendanceonafool。’

Yes;IampositivelycertainMr。Midwinterhasdonesomethingorsufferedsomethinginhispastlife，youngasheis;andIwouldgiveIdon’tknowwhattogetatit。Don’tresentmytakingupsomuchspaceinmywritingabouthim。HehasinfluenceenoughoveryoungArmadaletobeaveryawkwardobstacleinmyway，unlessI

cansecurehisgoodopinionatstarting。

“Well，youmayask，andwhatistopreventyoursecuringhisgoodopinion？Iamsadlyafraid，MotherOldershaw，IhavegotitontermsIneverbargainedfor。Iamsadlyafraidthemanisinlovewithmealready。

“Don’ttossyourheadandsay，’Justlikehervanity！’AfterthehorrorsIhavegonethrough，Ihavenovanityleft;andamanwhoadmiresmeisamanwhomakesmeshudder。Therewasatime，I

own——Pooh！whatamIwriting？Sentiment，Ideclare！Sentimentto_you！_Laughaway，mydear。Asforme，Ineitherlaughnorcry;I

mendmypen，andgetonwithmy——whatdothemencallit？——myreport。

“Theonlythingworthinquiringis，whetherIamrightorwronginmyideaoftheimpressionIhavemadeonhim。

“Letmesee;Ihavebeenfourtimesinhiscompany。Thefirsttimewasinthemajor’sgarden，wherewemetunexpectedly，facetoface。Hestoodlookingatme，likeamanpetrified，withoutspeakingaword。Theeffectofmyhorridredhair，perhaps？Quitelikely;letuslayitonmyhair。ThesecondtimewasingoingovertheThorpeAmbrosegrounds，withyoungArmadaleononesideofme，andmypupil(inthesulks)ontheother。OutcomesMr。

Midwintertojoinus，thoughhehadworktodointhesteward’soffice，whichhehadneverbeenknowntoneglectonanyotheroccasion。Laziness，possibly？oranattachmenttoMissMilroy？I

can’tsay;wewilllayitonMissMilroy，ifyoulike;Ionlyknowhedidnothingbutlookat_me。_Thethirdtimewasattheprivateinterviewinthepark，whichIhavetoldyouofalready。

Ineversawamansoagitatedatputtingadelicatequestiontoawomaninmylife。But_that_mighthavebeenonlyawkwardness;

andhisperpetuallylookingbackaftermewhenwehadpartedmighthavebeenonlylookingbackattheview。Layitontheview;byallmeans，layitontheview！Thefourthtimewasthisveryevening，atthelittleparty。Theymademeplay;and，asthepianowasagoodone，Ididmybest。Allthecompanycrowdedroundme，andpaidmetheircompliments(mycharmingpupilpaidhers，withafacelikeacat’sjustbeforeshespits)，exceptMr。

Midwinter。_He_waitedtillitwastimetogo，andthenhecaughtmealoneforamomentinthehall。Therewasjusttimeforhimtotakemyhand，andsaytwowords。ShallItellyou_how_hetookmyhand，andwhathisvoicesoundedlikewhenhespoke？Quiteneedless！YouhavealwaystoldmethatthelateMr。Oldershawdotedonyou。Justrecallthefirsttimehetookyourhand，andwhisperedawordortwoaddressedtoyourprivateear。Towhatdidyouattributehisbehaviorthatoccasion？Ihavenodoubt，ifyouhadbeenplayingonthepianointhecourseoftheevening，youwouldhaveattributeditentirelytothemusic！

“No！youmaytakemywordforit，theharmisdone。_This_manisnorattle-patedfool，whochangeshisfanciesasreadilyashechangeshisclothes。Thefirethatlightsthosebigblackeyesofhisisnotaneasyfire，whenawomanhasoncekindledit，forthatwomantoputout。Idon’twishtodiscourageyou;Idon’tsaythechangesareagainstus。ButwithMrs。Milroythreateningmeononeside，andMr。Midwinterontheother，theworstofallriskstorunistheriskoflosingtime。YoungArmadalehashintedalready，aswellassuchaloutcanhint，ataprivateinterview！MissMilroy’seyesaresharp，andthenurse’seyesaresharper;andIshalllosemyplaceifeitherofthemfindmeout。

Nomatter！Imusttakemychance，andgivehimtheinterview。

Onlyletmegethimalone，onlyletmeescapethepryingeyesofthewomen，and——ifhisfrienddoesn’tcomebetweenus——Ianswerfortheresult！

“Inthemeantime，haveIanythingmoretotellyou？ArethereanyotherpeopleinourwayatThorpeAmbrose？Notanothercreature！

Noneoftheresidentfamiliescallhere，youngArmadalebeing，mostfortunately，inbadodorintheneighborhood。Therearenohandsomehighly-bredwomentocometothehouse，andnopersonsofconsequencetoprotestagainsthisattentionstoagoverness。

Theonlyguestshecouldcollectathispartyto-nightwerethelawyerandhisfamily(awife，ason，andtwodaughters)，andadeafoldwomanand_her_son——allperfectlyunimportantpeople，andallobedienthumbleservantsofthestupidyoungsquire。

“Talkingofobedienthumbleservants，thereisoneotherpersonestablishedhere，whoisemployedinthesteward’soffice——amiserable，shabby，dilapidatedoldman，namedBashwood。Heisaperfectstrangertome，andIamevidentlyaperfectstrangertohim，forhehasbeenaskingthehouse-maidatthecottagewhoI

am。Itispayingnogreatcomplimenttomyselftoconfessit，butitisnotthelesstruethatIproducedthemostextraordinaryimpressiononthisfeebleoldcreaturethefirsttimehesawme。

Heturnedallmannerofcolors，andstoodtremblingandstaringatme，asiftherewassomethingperfectlyfrightfulinmyface。

Ifeltquitestartledforthemoment，for，ofallthewaysinwhichmenhavelookedatme，nomaneverlookedatmeinthatwaybefore。DidyoueverseetheboaconstrictorfedattheZoologicalGardens？Theyputaliverabbitintohiscage，andthereisamomentwhenthetwocreatureslookateachother。I

declareMr。Bashwoodremindedmeoftherabbit。

“WhydoImentionthis？Idon’tknowwhy。PerhapsIhavebeenwritingtoolong，andmyheadisbeginningtofailme。PerhapsMr。Bashwood’smannerofadmiringmestrikesmyfancybyitsnovelty。Absurd！Iamexcitingmyself，andtroublingyouaboutnothing。Oh，whataweary，longletterIhavewritten！andhowbrightlythestarslookatmethroughthewindow，andhowawfullyquietthenightis！Sendmesomemoreofthosesleepingdrops，andwritemeoneofyournice，wicked，amusingletters。YoushallhearfrommeagainassoonasIknowalittlebetterhowitisalllikelytoend。Good-night，andkeepacornerinyourstonyoldheartforL。G。”

3。_FromMrs。OldershawtoMissGwilt。_

“DianaStreet，Pimlico，Monday。

“MYDEARLYDIA——Iaminnostateofmindtowriteyouanamusingletter。Yournewsisverydiscouraging，andtherecklessnessofyourtonequitealarmsme。ConsiderthemoneyIhavealreadyadvanced，andtheinterestswebothhaveatstake。Whateverelseyouare，don’tbereckless，forHeaven’ssake！

“WhatcanIdo？Iaskmyself，asawomanofbusiness，whatcanI

dotohelpyou？Ican’tgiveyouadvice，forIamnotonthespot，andIdon’tknowhowcircumstancesmayalterfromonedaytoanother。Situatedaswearenow，Icanonlybeusefulinoneway。Icandiscoveranewobstaclethatthreatensyou，andI

thinkIcanremoveit。

“Yousay，withgreattruth，thatthereneverwasaprospectyetwithoutanuglyplaceinit，andthattherearetwouglyplacesinyourprospect。Mydear，theremaybe_three_uglyplaces，ifI

don’tbestirmyselftopreventit;andthenameofthethirdplacewillbe——Brock！Isitpossibleyoucanrefer，asyouhavedone，totheSomersetshireclergyman，andnotseethattheprogressyoumakewithyoungArmadalewillbe，soonerorlater，reportedtohimbyyoungArmadale’sfriend？Why，nowIthinkofit，youaredoublyattheparson’smercy！Youareatthemercyofanyfreshsuspicionwhichmaybringhimintotheneighborhoodhimselfataday’snotice;andyouareatthemercyofhisinterferencethemomenthehearsthatthesquireiscommittinghimselfwithaneighbor’sgoverness。IfIcandonothingelse，I

cankeepthisadditionaldifficultyoutofyourway。Andoh，Lydia，withwhatalacrityIshallexertmyself，afterthemannerinwhichtheoldwretchinsultedmewhenItoldhimthatpitiablestoryinthestreet！IdeclareItinglewithpleasureatthisnewprospectofmakingafoolofMr。Brock。

“Andhowisittobedone？Justaswehavedoneitalready，tobesure。Hehaslost’MissGwilt’(otherwisemyhouse-maid)，hasn’the？Verywell。Heshallfindheragain，whereverheisnow，suddenlysettledwithineasyreachofhim。Aslongas_she_stopsintheplace，_he_willstopinit;andasweknowheisnotatThorpeAmbrose，thereyouarefreeofhim！Theoldgentleman’ssuspicionshavegivenusagreatdealoftroublesofar。Letusturnthemtosomeprofitableaccountatlast;letustiehim，byhissuspicions，tomyhouse-maid’sapron-string。Mostrefreshing。

Quiteamoralretribution，isn’tit？

“TheonlyhelpIneedtroubleyouforishelpyoucaneasilygive。FindoutfromMr。Midwinterwheretheparsonisnow，andletmeknowbyreturnofpost。IfheisinLondon，Iwillpersonallyassistmyhousemaidinthenecessarymystificationofhim。Ifheisanywhereelse，Iwillsendherafterhim，accompaniedbyapersononwhosediscretionIcanimplicitlyrely。

“Youshallhavethesleepingdropsto-morrow。Inthemeantime，I

sayattheendwhatIsaidatthebeginning——norecklessness。

Don’tencouragepoeticalfeelingsbylookingatthestars;anddon’ttalkaboutthenightbeingawfullyquiet。Therearepeople(inobservatories)paidtolookatthestarsforyou;leaveittothem。Andasforthenight，dowhatProvidenceintendedyoutodowiththenightwhenProvidenceprovidedyouwitheyelids——gotosleepinit。Affectionatelyyours，“MARIAOLDERSHAW。”

4。_FromtheReverendDecimusBrocktoOziasMidwinter。_

“BascombeRectory，WestSomerset，Thursday，July8。

“MYDEARMIDWINTER——Onelinebeforethepostgoesout，torelieveyouofallsenseofresponsibilityatThorpeAmbrose，andtomakemyapologiestotheladywholivesasgovernessinMajorMilroy’sfamily。

“_The_MissGwilt——orperhapsIoughttosay，thewomancallingherselfbythatname——has，tomyunspeakableastonishment，openlymadeherappearancehere，inmyownparish！Sheisstayingattheinn，accompaniedbyaplausible-lookingman，whopassesasherbrother。Whatthisaudaciousproceedingreallymeans——unlessitmarksanewstepintheconspiracyagainstAllan，takenundernewadvice——is，ofcourse，morethanIcanyetfindout。

“Myownideais，thattheyhaverecognizedtheimpossibilityofgettingatAllan，withoutfindingme(oryou)asanobstacleintheirway;andthattheyaregoingtomakeavirtueofnecessitybyboldlytryingtoopentheircommunicationsthroughme。Themanlookscapableofanystretchofaudacity;andbothheandthewomanhadtheimpudencetobowwhenImettheminthevillagehalfanhoursince。TheyhavebeenmakinginquiriesalreadyaboutAllan’smotherhere，whereherexemplarylifemaysettheirclosestscrutinyatdefiance。Iftheywillonlyattempttoextortmoney，asthepriceofthewoman’ssilenceonthesubjectofpoorMrs。Armadale’sconductinMadeiraatthetimeofhermarriage，theywillfindmewellpreparedforthembeforehand。Ihavewrittenbythisposttomylawyerstosendacompetentmantoassistme，andhewillstayattherectory，inanycharacterwhichhethinksitsafesttoassumeunderpresentcircumstances。

“Youshallhearwhathappensinthenextdayortwo。

“Alwaystrulyyours，DECIMUSBROCK。”

CHAPTERXII。

THECLOUDINGOFTHESKY。

NINEdayshadpassed，andthetenthdaywasnearlyatanend，sinceMissGwiltandherpupilhadtakentheirmorningwalkinthecottagegarden。

Thenightwasovercast。Sincesunset，therehadbeensignsintheskyfromwhichthepopularforecasthadpredictedrain。Thereception-roomsatthegreathousewereallemptyanddark。Allanwasaway，passingtheeveningwiththeMilroys;andMidwinterwaswaitinghisreturn——notwhereMidwinterusuallywaited，amongthebooksinthelibrary，butinthelittlebackroomwhichAllan’smotherhadinhabitedinthelastdaysofherresidenceatThorpeAmbrose。

Nothinghadbeentakenaway，butmuchhadbeenaddedtotheroom，sinceMidwinterhadfirstseenit。ThebookswhichMrs。Armadalehadleftbehindher，thefurniture，theoldmattingonthefloor，theoldpaperonthewalls，wereallundisturbed。ThestatuetteofNiobestillstoodonitsbracket，andtheFrenchwindowstillopenedonthegarden。Butnow，totherelicsleftbythemother，wereaddedthepersonalpossessionsbelongingtotheson。Thewall，barehitherto，wasdecoratedwithwater-colordrawings——withaportraitofMrs。ArmadalesupportedononesidebyaviewoftheoldhouseinSomersetshire，andontheotherbyapictureoftheyacht。AmongthebookswhichboreinfadedinkMrs。Armadale’sinscriptions，“Frommyfather。”wereotherbooksinscribedinthesamehandwriting，inbrighterink，“Tomyson。”

Hangingtothewall，rangedonthechimney-piece，scatteredoverthetable，wereahostoflittleobjects，someassociatedwithAllan’spastlife，othersnecessarytohisdailypleasuresandpursuits，andallplainlytestifyingthattheroomwhichhehabituallyoccupiedatThorpeAmbrosewastheveryroomwhichhadoncerecalledtoMidwinterthesecondvisionofthedream。Here，strangelyunmovedbythescenearoundhim，solatelytheobjectofhissuperstitiousdistrust，Allan’sfriendnowwaitedcomposedlyforAllan’sreturn;andhere，morestrangelystill，helookedonachangeinthehouseholdarrangements，dueinthefirstinstanceentirelytohimself。Hisownlipshadrevealedthediscoverywhichhehadmadeonthefirstmorninginthenewhouse;hisownvoluntaryacthadinducedthesontoestablishhimselfinthemother’sroom。

Underwhatmotiveshadhespokenthewords？Undernomotiveswhichwerenotthenaturalgrowthofthenewinterestsandthenewhopesthatnowanimatedhim。

TheentirechangewroughtinhisconvictionsbythememorableeventthathadbroughthimfacetofacewithMissGwiltwasachangewhichitwasnotinhisnaturetohidefromAllan’sknowledge。Hehadspokenopenly，andhadspokenasitwasinhischaractertospeak。Themeritofconqueringhissuperstitionwasameritwhichheshrankfromclaiming，untilhehadfirstunsparinglyexposedthatsuperstitioninitsworstandweakestaspectstoview。

ItwasonlyafterhehadunreservedlyacknowledgedtheimpulseunderwhichhehadleftAllanattheMere，thathehadtakencredittohimselfforthenewpointofviewfromwhichhecouldnowlookattheDream。Then，andnottillthen，hehadspokenofthefulfillmentofthefirstVisionasthedoctorattheIsleofManmighthavespokenofit。Hehadasked，asthedoctormighthaveasked，Wherewasthewonderoftheirseeingapoolatsunset，whentheyhadawholenetworkofpoolswithinafewhours’driveofthem？andwhatwasthereextraordinaryindiscoveringawomanattheMere，whentherewereroadsthatledtoit，andvillagesinitsneighborhood，andboatsemployedonit，andpleasurepartiesvisitingit？Soagain，hehadwaitedtovindicatethefirmerresolutionwithwhichhelookedtothefuture，untilhehadfirstrevealedallthathenowsawhimselfoftheerrorsofthepast。Theabandonmentofhisfriend’sinterests，theunworthinessoftheconfidencethathadgivenhimthesteward’splace，theforgetfulnessofthetrustthatMr。

BrockhadreposedinhimallimpliedintheoneideaofleavingAllan——wereallpointedout。Theglaringself-contradictionsbetrayedinacceptingtheDreamastherevelationofafatality，andinattemptingtoescapethatfatalitybyanexertionoffree-will——intoilingtostoreupknowledgeofthesteward’sdutiesforthefuture，andinshrinkingfromlettingthefuturefindhiminAllan’shouse——were，intheirturn，unsparinglyexposed。Toeveryerror，toeveryinconsistency，heresolutelyconfessed，beforeheventuredonthelastsimpleappealwhichclosedall，“Willyoutrustmeinthefuture？Willyouforgiveandforgetthepast？”

Amanwhocouldthusopenhiswholeheart，withoutonelurkingreserveinspiredbyconsiderationforhimself，wasnotamantoforgetanyminoractofconcealmentofwhichhisweaknessmighthaveledhimtobeguiltytowardhisfriend。ItlayheavyonMidwinter’sconsciencethathehadkeptsecretfromAllanadiscoverywhichheoughtinAllan’sdearestintereststohaverevealed——thediscoveryofhismother’sroom。

Butonedoubtstillclosedhislips——thedoubtwhetherMrs。

Armadale’sconductinMadeirahadbeenkeptsecretonherreturntoEngland。

Carefulinquiry，firstamongtheservants，thenamongthetenantry，carefulconsiderationofthefewreportscurrentatthetime，asrepeatedtohimbythefewpersonsleftwhorememberedthem，convincedhimatlastthatthefamilysecrethadbeensuccessfullykeptwithinthefamilylimits。Oncesatisfiedthatwhateverinquiriesthesonmightmakewouldleadtonodisclosurewhichcouldshakehisrespectforhismother’smemory，Midwinterhadhesitatednolonger。HehadtakenAllanintotheroom，andhadshownhimthebooksontheshelves，andallthatthewritinginthebooksdisclosed。Hehadsaidplainly，“MyonemotivefornottellingyouthisbeforesprangfrommydreadofinterestingyouintheroomwhichIlookedatwithhorrorasthesecondofthescenespointedatintheDream。Forgivemethisalso，andyouwillhaveforgivenmeall。”

WithAllan’sloveforhismother’smemory，butoneresultcouldfollowsuchanavowalasthis。Hehadlikedthelittleroomfromthefirst，asapleasantcontrasttotheoppressivegrandeuroftheotherroomsatThorpeAmbrose，and，nowthatheknewwhatassociationswereconnectedwithit，hisresolutionwasatoncetakentomakeitespeciallyhisown。Thesameday，allhispersonalpossessionswerecollectedandarrangedinhismother’sroom——inMidwinter’spresence，andwithMidwinter’sassistancegiventothework。

Underthosecircumstanceshadthechangenowwroughtinthehouseholdarrangementsbeenproduced;andinthiswayhadMidwinter’svictoryoverhisownfatalism——bymakingAllanthedailyoccupantofaroomwhichhemightotherwisehardlyeverhaveentered——actuallyfavoredthefulfillmentoftheSecondVisionoftheDream。

ThehourworeonquietlyasAllan’sfriendsatwaitingforAllan’sreturn。Sometimesreading，sometimesthinkingplacidly，hewhiledawaythetime。Novexingcares，nobodingdoubts，troubledhimnow。Therent-day，whichhehadoncedreaded，hadcomeandgoneharmlessly。AfriendlierunderstandinghadbeenestablishedbetweenAllanandhistenants;Mr。Bashwoodhadprovedhimselftobeworthyoftheconfidencereposedinhim;thePedgifts，fatherandson，hadamplyjustifiedtheirclient’sgoodopinionofthem。WhereverMidwinterlooked，theprospectwasbright，thefuturewaswithoutacloud。

Hetrimmedthelamponthetablebesidehimandlookedoutatthenight。Thestableclockwaschimingthehalf-hourpastelevenashewalkedtothewindow，andthefirstrain-dropswerebeginningtofall。Hehadhishandonthebelltosummontheservant，andsendhimovertothecottagewithanumbrella，whenhewasstoppedbyhearingthefamiliarfootsteponthewalkoutside。

“Howlateyouare！“saidMidwinter，asAllanenteredthroughtheopenFrenchwindow。“Wasthereapartyatthecottage？”

“No！onlyourselves。Thetimeslippedawaysomehow。”Heansweredinlowertonesthanusual，andsighedashetookhischair。

“Youseemtobeoutofspirits？”pursuedMidwinter。“What’sthematter？”

Allanhesitated。“Imayaswelltellyou。”hesaid，afteramoment。“It’snothingtobeashamedof;Ionlywonderyouhaven’tnoticeditbefore！There’sawomaninit，asusual——I’minlove。”

Midwinterlaughed。“HasMissMilroybeenmorecharmingto-nightthanever？”heasked，gayly。

“MissMilroy！“repeatedAllan。“Whatareyouthinkingof！I’mnotinlovewithMissMilroy。”

“Whoisit，then？”

“Whoisit！Whataquestiontoask！WhocanitbebutMissGwilt？”

Therewasasuddensilence。Allansatlistlessly，withhishandsinhispockets，lookingoutthroughtheopenwindowatthefallingrain。IfhehadturnedtowardhisfriendwhenhementionedMissGwilt’snamehemightpossiblyhavebeenalittlestartledbythechangehewouldhaveseeninMidwinter’sface。

“Isupposeyoudon’tapproveofit？”hesaid，afterwaitingalittle。

Therewasnoanswer。

“It’stoolatetomakeobjections。”proceededAllan。“IreallymeanitwhenItellyouI’minlovewithher。”

“AfortnightsinceyouwereinlovewithMissMilroy。”saidtheother，inquiet，measuredtones。

“Pooh！amereflirtation。It’sdifferentthistime。I’minearnestaboutMissGwilt。”

Helookedroundashespoke。Midwinterturnedhisfaceasideontheinstant，andbentitoverabook。

“Iseeyoudon’tapproveofthething。”Allanwenton。“Doyouobjecttoherbeingonlyagoverness？Youcan’tdothat，I’msure。Ifyouwereinmyplace，herbeingonlyagovernesswouldn’tstandinthewaywith_you？_“

“No。”saidMidwinter;“Ican’thonestlysayitwouldstandinthewaywithme。”Hegavetheanswerreluctantly，andpushedhischairbackoutofthelightofthelamp。

“Agovernessisaladywhoisnotrich。”saidAllan，inanoracularmanner;“andaduchessisaladywhoisnotpoor。Andthat’sallthedifferenceIacknowledgebetweenthem。MissGwiltisolderthanIam——Idon’tdenythat。Whatagedoyouguessherat，Midwinter？Isay，sevenoreightandtwenty。Whatdoyousay？”

“Nothing。Iagreewithyou。”

“Doyouthinksevenoreightandtwentyistoooldforme？Ifyouwereinlovewithawomanyourself，youwouldn’tthinksevenoreightandtwentytooold——wouldyou？”

“Ican’tsayIshouldthinkittooold，if——“

“Ifyouwerereallyfondofher？”

Oncemoretherewasnoanswer。

“Well。”resumedAllan，“ifthere’snoharminherbeingonlyagoverness，andnoharminherbeingalittleolderthanIam，what’stheobjectiontoMissGwilt？”

“Ihavemadenoobjection。”

“Idon’tsayyouhave。Butyoudon’tseemtolikethenotionofit，forallthat。”

Therewasanotherpause。Midwinterwasthefirsttobreakthesilencethistime。

“Areyousureofyourself，Allan？”heasked，withhisfacebentoncemoreoverthebook。“Areyoureallyattachedtothislady？

Haveyouthoughtseriouslyalreadyofaskinghertobeyourwife？”

“Iamthinkingseriouslyofitatthismoment。”saidAllan。“I

can’tbehappy——Ican’tlivewithouther。Uponmysoul，Iworshiptheverygroundshetreadson！“

“Howlong——“Hisvoicefaltered，andhestopped。“Howlong。”hereiterated，“haveyouworshippedtheverygroundshetreadson？”

“Longerthanyouthinkfor。IknowIcantrustyouwithallmysecrets——“

“Don’ttrustme！“

“Nonsense！I_will_trustyou。ThereisalittledifficultyinthewaywhichIhaven’tmentionedyet。It’samatterofsomedelicacy，andIwanttoconsultyouaboutit。Betweenourselves，IhavehadprivateopportunitieswithMissGwilt——“

Midwintersuddenlystartedtohisfeet，andopenedthedoor。

“We’lltalkofthisto-morrow。”hesaid。“Good-night。”

Allanlookedroundinastonishment。Thedoorwasclosedagain，andhewasaloneintheroom。

“Hehasnevershakenhandswithme！“exclaimedAllan，lookingbewilderedattheemptychair。

Asthewordspassedhislipsthedooropened，andMidwinterappearedagain。

“Wehaven’tshakenhands。”hesaid，abruptly。“Godblessyou，Allan！We’lltalkofitto-morrow。Good-night。”

Allanstoodaloneatthewindow，lookingoutatthepouringrain。

Hefeltillatease，withoutknowingwhy。“Midwinter’swaysgetstrangerandstranger。”hethought。“Whatcanhemeanbyputtingmeofftillto-morrow，whenIwantedtospeaktohimto-night？”

Hetookuphisbedroomcandlealittleimpatiently，putitdownagain，and，walkingbacktotheopenwindow，stoodlookingoutinthedirectionofthecottage。“Iwonderifshe’sthinkingofme？”

hesaidtohimselfsoftly。

She_was_thinkingofhim。ShehadjustopenedherdesktowritetoMrs。Oldershaw;andherpenhadthatmomenttracedtheopeningline:“Makeyourmindeasy。Ihavegothim！“

CHAPTERXIII。

EXIT。

ITrainedallthroughthenight，andwhenthemorningcameitwasrainingstill。

Contrarytohisordinaryhabit，Midwinterwaswaitinginthebreakfast-roomwhenAllanenteredit。Helookedwornandweary，buthissmilewasgentlerandhismannermorecomposedthanusual。ToAllan’ssurpriseheapproachedthesubjectofthepreviousnight’sconversationofhisownaccordassoonastheservantwasoutoftheroom。

“Iamafraidyouthoughtmeveryimpatientandveryabruptwithyoulastnight。”hesaid。“Iwilltrytomakeamendsforitthismorning。IwillheareverythingyouwishtosaytomeonthesubjectofMissGwilt。”

“Ihardlyliketoworryyou。”saidAllan。“Youlookasifyouhadhadabadnight’srest。”

“Ihavenotsleptwellforsometimepast。”repliedMidwinter，quietly。“Somethinghasbeenwrongwithme。ButIbelieveIhavefoundoutthewaytoputmyselfrightagainwithouttroublingthedoctors。LateinthemorningIshallhavesomethingtosaytoyouaboutthis。Letusgetbackfirsttowhatyouweretalkingoflastnight。Youwerespeakingofsomedifficulty——“Hehesitated，andfinishedthesentenceinatonesolowthatAllanfailedtohearhim。“Perhapsitwouldbebetter。”hewenton，“if，insteadofspeakingtome，youspoketoMr。Brock？”

“Iwouldratherspeakto_you，_“saidAllan。“Buttellmefirst，wasIrightorwronglastnightinthinkingyoudisapprovedofmyfallinginlovewithMissGwilt？”

Midwinter’slean，nervousfingersbegantocrumblethebreadinhisplate。HiseyeslookedawayfromAllanforthefirsttime。

“Ifyouhaveanyobjection。”persistedAllan，“Ishouldliketohearit。”

Midwintersuddenlylookedupagain，hischeeksturningashypale，andhisglitteringblackeyesfixedfullonAllan’sface。

“Youloveher。”hesaid。“Does_she_love_you？_“

“Youwon’tthinkmevain？”returnedAllan。“ItoldyouyesterdayIhadhadprivateopportunitieswithher——“

Midwinter’seyesdroppedagaintothecrumbsonhisplate。“I

understand。”heinterposed，quickly。“Youwerewronglastnight。

Ihadnoobjectionstomake。”

“Don’tyoucongratulateme？”askedAllan，alittleuneasily。

“Suchabeautifulwoman！suchacleverwoman！“

Midwinterheldouthishand。“Ioweyoumorethanmerecongratulations。”hesaid。“InanythingwhichisforyourhappinessIoweyouhelp。”HetookAllan’shand，andwrungithard。“CanIhelpyou？”heasked，growingpalerandpalerashespoke。

“Mydearfellow。”exclaimedAllan，“whatisthematterwithyou？

Yourhandisascoldasice。”

Midwintersmiledfaintly。“Iamalwaysinextremes。”hesaid;“myhandwasashotasfirethefirsttimeyoutookitattheoldwest-countryinn。Cometothatdifficultywhichyouhavenotcometoyet。Youareyoung，rich，yourownmaster——andshelovesyou。

Whatdifficultycantherebe？”

Allanhesitated。“Ihardlyknowhowtoputit。”hereplied。“Asyousaidjustnow，Iloveher，andshelovesme;andyetthereisasortofstrangenessbetweenus。Onetalksagooddealaboutone’sselfwhenoneisinlove，atleastIdo。I’vetoldherallaboutmyselfandmymother，andhowIcameinforthisplace，andtherestofit。Well——thoughitdoesn’tstrikemewhenwearetogether——itcomesacrossmenowandthen，whenI’mawayfromher，thatshedoesn’tsaymuchonherside。Infact，Iknownomoreaboutherthanyoudo。”

“DoyoumeanthatyouknownothingaboutMissGwilt’sfamilyandfriends？”

“That’sit，exactly。”

“Haveyouneveraskedheraboutthem？”

“Isaidsomethingofthesorttheotherday。”returnedAllan:

“andI’mafraid，asusual，Isaiditinthewrongway。Shelooked——Ican’tquitetellyouhow;notexactlydispleased，but——oh，whatthingswordsare！I’dgivetheworld，Midwinter，ifIcouldonlyfindtherightwordwhenIwantitaswellasyoudo。”

“DidMissGwiltsayanythingtoyouinthewayofareply？”

“That’sjustwhatIwascomingto。Shesaid，’Ishallhaveamelancholystorytotellyouoneofthesedays，Mr。Armadale，aboutmyselfandmyfamily;butyoulooksohappy，andthecircumstancesaresodistressing，thatIhavehardlythehearttospeakofitnow。’Ah，_she_canexpressherself——withthetearsinhereyes，mydearfellow，withthetearsinhereyes！Ofcourse，Ichangedthesubjectdirectly。Andnowthedifficultyishowtogetbacktoit，delicately，withoutmakinghercryagain。

We_must_getbacktoit，youknow。Notonmyaccount;Iamquitecontenttomarryherfirstandhearofherfamilymisfortunes，poorthing，afterward。ButIknowMr。Brock。IfIcan’tsatisfyhimaboutherfamilywhenIwritetotellhimofthis(which，ofcourse，Imustdo)，hewillbedeadagainstthewholething。I’mmyownmaster，ofcourse，andIcandoasIlikeaboutit。ButdearoldBrockwassuchagoodfriendtomypoormother，andhehasbeensuchagoodfriendtome——youseewhatImean，don’tyou？”

“Certainly，Allan;Mr。Brockhasbeenyoursecondfather。Anydisagreementbetweenyouaboutsuchaseriousmatterasthiswouldbethesaddestthingthatcouldhappen。YououghttosatisfyhimthatMissGwiltis(whatIamsureMissGwiltwillprovetobe)worthy，ineverywayworthy——“Hisvoicesankinspiteofhim，andheleftthesentenceunfinished。

“Justmyfeelinginthematter！“Allanstruckin，glibly。“NowwecancometowhatIparticularlywantedtoconsultyouabout。Ifthiswasyourcase，Midwinter，youwouldbeabletosaytherightwordstoher——youwouldputitdelicately，eventhoughyouwereputtingitquiteinthedark。Ican’tdothat。I’mablunderingsortoffellow;andI’mhorriblyafraid，ifIcan’tgetsomehintatthetruthtohelpmeatstarting，ofsayingsomethingtodistressher。Familymisfortunesaresuchtendersubjectstotouchon，especiallywithsucharefinedwoman，suchatender-heartedwoman，asMissGwilt。Theremayhavebeensomedreadfuldeathinthefamily——somerelationwhohasdisgracedhimself——someinfernalcrueltywhichhasforcedthepoorthingoutontheworldasagoverness。Well，turningitoverinmymind，itstruckmethatthemajormightbeabletoputmeontherighttack。ItisquitepossiblethathemighthavebeeninformedofMissGwilt’sfamilycircumstancesbeforeheengagedher，isn’tit？”

“Itispossible，Allan，certainly。”

“Justmyfeelingagain！Mynotionistospeaktothemajor。IfI

couldonlygetthestoryfromhimfirst，IshouldknowsomuchbetterhowtospeaktoMissGwiltaboutitafterward。Youadvisemetotrythemajor，don’tyou？”

TherewasapausebeforeMidwinterreplied。Whenhedidanswer，itwasalittlereluctantly。

“Ihardlyknowhowtoadviseyou，Allan。”hesaid。“Thisisaverydelicatematter。”

“Ibelieveyouwouldtrythemajor，ifyouwereinmyplace。”

returnedAllan，revertingtohisinveteratelypersonalwayofputtingthequestion。

“PerhapsImight。”saidMidwinter，moreandmoreunwillingly。

“ButifIdidspeaktothemajor，Ishouldbeverycareful，inyourplace，nottoputmyselfinafalseposition。Ishouldbeverycarefultoletnoonesuspectmeofthemeannessofpryingintoawoman’ssecretsbehindherback。”

Allan’sfaceflushed。“Goodheavens，Midwinter。”heexclaimed，“whocouldsuspectmeofthat？”

“Nobody，Allan，whoreallyknowsyou。”

“Themajorknowsme。Themajoristhelastmanintheworldtomisunderstandme。AllIwanthimtodoistohelpme(ifhecan)

tospeakaboutadelicatesubjecttoMissGwilt，withouthurtingherfeelings。Cananythingbesimplerbetweentwogentlemen？”

Insteadofreplying，Midwinter，stillspeakingasconstrainedlyasever，askedaquestiononhisside。“DoyoumeantotellMajorMilroy。”hesaid，“whatyourintentionsreallyaretowardMissGwilt？”

Allan’smanneraltered。Hehesitated，andlookedconfused。

“Ihavebeenthinkingofthat。”hereplied;“andImeantofeelmywayfirst，andthentellhimornotafterward，asmattersturnout？”

AproceedingsocautiousasthiswastoostrikinglyinconsistentwithAllan’scharacternottosurpriseanyonewhoknewhim。

Midwintershowedhissurpriseplainly。

“YouforgetthatfoolishflirtationofminewithMissMilroy。”

Allanwenton，moreandmoreconfusedly。“Themajormayhavenoticedit，andmayhavethoughtImeant——well，whatIdidn’tmean。Itmightberatherawkward，mightn’tit，toproposetohisfaceforhisgovernessinsteadofhisdaughter？”

Hewaitedforawordofanswer，butnonecame。Midwinteropenedhislipstospeak，andsuddenlycheckedhimself。Allan，uneasyathissilence，doublyuneasyundercertainrecollectionsofthemajor’sdaughterwhichtheconversationhadcalledup，rosefromthetableandshortenedtheinterviewalittleimpatiently。

“Come！come！“hesaid，“don’tsittherelookingunutterablethings;don’tmakemountainsoutofmole-hills。Youhavesuchanold，oldhead，Midwinter，onthoseyoungshouldersofyours！

Let’shavedonewithallthese_pros_and_cons。_。Doyoumeantotellmeinplainwordsthatitwon’tdotospeaktothemajor？”

“Ican’ttaketheresponsibility，Allan，oftellingyouthat。Tobeplainerstill，Ican’tfeelconfidentofthesoundnessofanyadviceImaygiveyouin——inourpresentpositiontowardeachother。AllIamsureofisthatIcannotpossiblybewronginentreatingyoutodotwothings。”

“Whatarethey？”

“IfyouspeaktoMajorMilroy，prayrememberthecautionIhavegivenyou！Praythinkofwhatyousaybeforeyousayit！“

“I’llthink，neverfear！Whatnext？”

“Beforeyoutakeanyseriousstepinthismatter，writeandtellMr。Brock。Willyoupromisemetodothat？”

“Withallmyheart。Anythingmore？”

“Nothingmore。Ihavesaidmylastwords。”

Allanledthewaytothedoor。“Comeintomyroom。”hesaid，“andI’llgiveyouacigar。Theservantswillbeinheredirectlytoclearaway，andIwanttogoontalkingaboutMissGwilt。”

“Don’twaitforme。”saidMidwinter;“I’llfollowyouinaminuteortwo。”

HeremainedseateduntilAllanhadclosedthedoor，thenrose，andtookfromacorneroftheroom，whereitlayhiddenbehindoneofthecurtains，aknapsackreadypackedfortraveling。Ashestoodatthewindowthinking，withtheknapsackinhishand，astrangelyold，care-wornlookstoleoverhisface:heseemedtolosethelastofhisyouthinaninstant。

Whatthewoman’squickerinsighthaddiscovereddayssince，theman’sslowerperceptionhadonlyrealizedinthepastnight。ThepangthathadwrunghimwhenheheardAllan’savowalhadsetthetruthself-revealedbeforeMidwinterforthefirsttime。HehadbeenconsciousoflookingatMissGwiltwithneweyesandanewmind，onthenextoccasionwhentheymetafterthememorableinterviewinMajorMilroy’sgarden;buthehadneveruntilnowknownthepassionthatshehadrousedinhimforwhatitreallywas。Knowingitatlast，feelingitconsciouslyinfullpossessionofhim，hehadthecouragewhichnomanwithahappierexperienceoflifewouldhavepossessed——thecouragetorecallwhatAllanhadconfidedtohim，andtolookresolutelyatthefuturethroughhisowngratefulremembrancesofthepast。

Steadfastly，throughthesleeplesshoursofthenight，hehadbenthismindtotheconvictionthathemustconquerthepassionwhichhadtakenpossessionofhim，forAllan’ssake;andthattheonewaytoconqueritwas——togo。Noafter-doubtastothesacrificehadtroubledhimwhenmorningcame;andnoafter-doubttroubledhimnow。TheonequestionthatkepthimhesitatingwasthequestionofleavingThorpeAmbrose。ThoughMr。Brock’sletterrelievedhimfromallnecessityofkeepingwatchinNorfolkforawomanwhowasknowntobeinSomersetshire;thoughthedutiesofthesteward’sofficeweredutieswhichmightbesafelyleftinMr。Bashwood’striedandtrustworthyhands——still，admittingtheseconsiderations，hismindwasnoteasyatthethoughtofleavingAllan，atatimewhenacrisiswasapproachinginAllan’slife。

Heslungtheknapsacklooselyoverhisshoulderandputthequestiontohisconscienceforthelasttime。“Canyoutrustyourselftoseeher，daybydayasyoumustseeher——canyoutrustyourselftohearhimtalkofher，hourbyhour，asyoumusthearhim——ifyoustayinthishouse？”Againtheanswercame，asithadcomeallthroughthenight。Againhisheartwarnedhim，intheveryinterestsofthefriendshipthatheheldsacred，togowhilethetimewashisown;togobeforethewomanwhohadpossessedherselfofhislovehadpossessedherselfofhispowerofself-sacrificeandhissenseofgratitudeaswell。

Helookedroundtheroommechanicallybeforeheturnedtoleaveit。EveryremembranceoftheconversationthathadjusttakenplacebetweenAllanandhimselfpointedtothesameconclusion，andwarnedhim，ashisownconsciencehadwarnedhim，togo。

Hadhehonestlymentionedanyoneoftheobjectionswhichhe，oranyman，musthaveseentoAllan’sattachment？Hadhe——ashisknowledgeofhisfriend’sfacilecharacterboundhimtodo——warnedAllantodistrusthisownhastyimpulses，andtotesthimselfbytimeandabsence，beforehemadesurethatthehappinessofhiswholelifewasboundupinMissGwilt？No。Thebaredoubtwhether，inspeakingofthesethings，hecouldfeelthathewasspeakingdisinterestedly，hadclosedhislips，andwouldclosehislipsforthefuture，tillthetimeforspeakinghadgoneby。WastherightmantorestrainAllanthemanwhowouldhavegiventheworld，ifhehadit，tostandinAllan’splace？Therewasbutoneplaincourseofactionthatanhonestmanandagratefulmancouldfollowinthepositioninwhichhestood。Farremovedfromallchanceofseeingher，andfromallchanceofhearingofher——alonewithhisownfaithfulrecollectionofwhatheowedtohisfriend——hemighthopetofightitdown，ashehadfoughtdownthetearsinhischildhoodunderhisgypsymaster’sstick;ashehadfoughtdownthemiseryofhislonelyyouthtimeinthecountrybookseller’sshop。“I

mustgo。”hesaid，asheturnedwearilyfromthewindow，“beforeshecomestothehouseagain。Imustgobeforeanotherhourisovermyhead。”

Withthatresolutionhelefttheroom;and，inleavingit，tooktheirrevocablestepfromPresenttoFuture。

Therainwasstillfalling。Thesullensky，allroundthehorizon，stillloweredwateryanddark，whenMidwinter，equippedfortraveling，appearedinAllan’sroom。

“Goodheavens！“criedAllan，pointingtotheknapsack，“whatdoes_that_mean？”

“Nothingveryextraordinary。”saidMidwinter。“Itonlymeans——good-by。”

“Good-by！“repeatedAllan，startingtohisfeetinastonishment。

Midwinterputhimbackgentlyintohischair，anddrewaseatneartoitforhimself。

“WhenyounoticedthatIlookedillthismorning。”hesaid，“I

toldyouthatIhadbeenthinkingofawaytorecovermyhealth，andthatImeanttospeaktoyouaboutitlaterintheday。Thatlattertimehascome。Ihavebeenoutofsorts，asthephraseis，forsometimepast。Youhaveremarkedityourself，Allan，morethanonce;and，withyourusualkindness，youhaveallowedittoexcusemanythingsinmyconductwhichwouldhavebeenotherwiseunpardonable，eveninyourfriendlyeyes。”

“Mydearfellow。”interposedAllan，“youdon’tmeantosayyouaregoingoutonawalkingtourinthispouringrain！“

“Nevermindtherain。”rejoinedMidwinter。“TherainandIareoldfriends。Youknowsomething，Allan，ofthelifeIledbeforeyoumetwithme。FromthetimewhenIwasachild，Ihavebeenusedtohardshipandexposure。Nightandday，sometimesformonthstogether，Ineverhadmyheadunderaroof。Foryearsandyears，thelifeofawildanimal——perhapsIoughttosay，thelifeofasavage——wasthelifeIled，whileyouwereathomeandhappy。Ihavetheleavenofthevagabond——thevagabondanimal，orthevagabondman，Ihardlyknowwhich——inmestill。Doesitdistressyoutohearmetalkofmyselfinthisway？Iwon’tdistressyou。Iwillonlysaythatthecomfortandtheluxuryofourlifehereare，attimes，Ithink，alittletoomuchforamantowhomcomfortsandluxuriescomeasstrangethings。Iwantnothingtoputmerightagainbutmoreairandexercise;fewergoodbreakfastsanddinners，mydearfriend，thanIgethere。Letmegobacktosomeofthehardshipswhichthiscomfortablehouseisexpresslymadetoshutout。LetmemeetthewindandweatherasIusedtomeetthemwhenIwasaboy;letmefeelwearyagainforalittlewhile，withoutacarriageneartopickmeup;andhungrywhenthenightfalls，withmilesofwalkingbetweenmysupperandme。Givemeaweekortwoaway，Allan——upnorthward，onfoot，totheYorkshiremoors——andIpromisetoreturntoThorpeAmbrose，bettercompanyforyouandforyourfriends。I

shallbebackbeforeyouhavetimetomissme。Mr。Bashwoodwilltakecareofthebusinessintheoffice;itisonlyforafortnight，anditisformyowngood——letmego！“

“Idon’tlikeit。”saidAllan。“Idon’tlikeyourleavingmeinthissuddenmanner。There’ssomethingsostrangeanddrearyaboutit。Whynottryriding，ifyouwantmoreexercise;allthehorsesinthestablesareatyourdisposal。Atallevents，youcan’tpossiblygoto-day。Lookattherain！“

Midwinterlookedtowardthewindow，andgentlyshookhishead。

“Ithoughtnothingoftherain。”hesaid，“whenIwasamerechild，gettingmylivingwiththedancingdogs——whyshouldI

thinkanythingofitnow？_My_gettingwet，and_your_gettingwet，Allan，aretwoverydifferentthings。WhenIwasafisherman’sboyintheHebrides，Ihadn’tadrythreadonmeforweekstogether。“