第15章

“Itis，Ithink，quiteimpossiblethatyoucanpermityourselftobespokenofasyouarespokenofnow，withoutstirringpersonallyinthematter。Youhaveunluckilymademanyenemieshere，andforemostamongthemismycolleague，Mr。Darch。HehasbeenshowingeverywhereasomewhatrashlyexpressedletteryouwrotetohimonthesubjectoflettingthecottagetoMajorMilroyinsteadoftohimself，andithashelpedtoexasperatethefeelingagainstyou。ItisroundlystatedinsomanywordsthatyouhavebeenpryingintoMissGwilt’sfamilyaffairs，withthemostdishonorablemotives;thatyouhavetried，foraprofligatepurposeofyourown，todamageherreputation，andtodepriveheroftheprotectionofMajorMilroy’sroof;andthat，afterhavingbeenaskedtosubstantiatebyproofthesuspicionsthatyouhavecastonthereputationofadefenselesswoman，youhavemaintainedasilencewhichcondemnsyouintheestimationofallhonorablemen。

“IhopeitisquiteunnecessaryformetosaythatIdon’tattachthesmallestparticleofcredittotheseinfamousreports。Buttheyaretoowidelyspreadandtoowidelybelievedtobetreatedwithcontempt。Istronglyurgeyoutoreturnatoncetothisplace，andtotakethenecessarymeasuresfordefendingyourcharacter，inconcertwithme，asyourlegaladviser。Ihaveformed，sincemyinterviewwithMissGwilt，averystrongopinionofmyownonthesubjectofthatladywhichitisnotnecessarytocommittopaper。SufficeittosayherethatIshallhaveameanstoproposetoyouforsilencingtheslanderoustonguesofyourneighbors，onthesuccessofwhichIstakemyprofessionalreputation，ifyouwillonlybackmebyyourpresenceandauthority。

“Itmay，perhaps，helptoshowyouthenecessitythereisforyourreturn，ifImentiononeotherassertionrespectingyourself，whichisineverybody’smouth。Yourabsenceis，I

regrettotellyou，attributedtothemeanestofallmotives。ItissaidthatyouareremaininginLondonbecauseyouareafraidtoshowyourfaceatThorpeAmbrose。

“Believeme，dearsir，yourfaithfulservant，“A。PEDGIFT，Sen。”

Allanwasofanagetofeelthestingcontainedinthelastsentenceofhislawyer’sletter。Hestartedtohisfeetinaparoxysmofindignation，whichrevealedhischaractertoPedgiftJuniorinanentirelynewlight。

“Where’sthetime-table？”criedAllan。“ImustgobacktoThorpeAmbrosebythenexttrain！Ifitdoesn’tstartdirectly，I’llhaveaspecialengine。Imustandwillgobackinstantly，andI

don’tcaretwostrawsfortheexpense！“

“Supposewetelegraphtomyfather，sir？”suggestedthejudiciousPedgift。“It’sthequickestwayofexpressingyourfeelings，andthecheapest。”

“Soitis。”saidAllan。“Thankyouforremindingmeofit。

Telegraphtothem！TellyourfathertogiveeverymaninThorpeAmbrosetheliedirect，inmyname。Putitincapitalletters，Pedgift——putitincapitalletters！“

Pedgiftsmiledandshookhishead。Ifhewasacquaintedwithnoothervarietyofhumannature，hethoroughlyknewthevarietythatexistsincountrytowns。

“Itwon’thavetheleasteffectonthem，Mr。Armadale。”heremarkedquietly。“They’llonlygoonlyingharderthanever。Ifyouwanttoupsetthewholetown，onelinewilldoit。Withfiveshillings’worthofhumanlaborandelectricfluid，sir(Idabblealittleinscienceafterbusinesshours)，we’llexplodeabombshellinThorpeAmbrose！“Heproducedthebombshellonaslipofpaperashespoke:“A。Pedgift，Junior，toA。Pedgift，Senior——SpreaditallovertheplacethatMr。Armadaleiscomingdownbythenexttrain。”

“Morewords！“suggestedAllan，lookingoverhisshoulder。“Makeitstronger。”

“Leavemyfathertomakeitstronger，sir。”returnedthewaryPedgift。“Myfatherisonthespot，andhiscommandoflanguageissomethingquiteextraordinary。”Herangthebell，anddispatchedthetelegram。

Nowthatsomethinghadbeendone，Allansubsidedgraduallyintoastateofcomposure。HelookedbackagainatMr。Pedgift’sletter，andthenhandedittoMr。Pedgift’sson。

“Canyouguessyourfather’splanforsettingmerightintheneighborhood？”heasked。

Pedgifttheyoungershookhiswisehead。“Hisplanappearstobeconnectedinsomeway，sir，withhisopinionofMissGwilt。”

“Iwonderwhathethinksofher？”saidAllan。

“Ishouldn’tbesurprised，Mr。Armadale。”returnedPedgiftJunior，“ifhisopinionstaggersyoualittle，whenyoucometohearit。Myfatherhashadalargelegalexperienceoftheshadysideofthesex，andhelearnedhisprofessionattheOldBailey。”

Allanmadenofurtherinquiries。Heseemedtoshrinkfrompursuingthesubject，afterhavingstartedithimself。“Let’sbedoingsomethingtokillthetime。”hesaid。“Let’spackupandpaythebill。”

Theypackedupandpaidthebill。Thehourcame，andthetrainleftforNorfolkatlast。

Whilethetravelerswereontheirwayback，asomewhatlongertelegraphicmessagethanAllan’swasflashingitswaypastthemalongthewires，inthereversedirection——fromThorpeAmbrosetoLondon。Themessagewasincipher，and，thesignsbeinginterpreted，itranthus:“FromLydiaGwilttoMariaOldershaw——Goodnews！Heiscomingback。Imeantohaveaninterviewwithhim。Everythinglookswell。NowIhaveleftthecottage，Ihavenowomen’spryingeyestodread，andIcancomeandgoasIplease。Mr。Midwinterisluckilyoutoftheway。I

don’tdespairofbecomingMrs。Armadaleyet。Whateverhappens，dependonmykeepingawayfromLondonuntilIamcertainofnottakinganyspiesaftermetoyourplace。IaminnohurrytoleaveThorpeAmbrose。ImeantobeevenwithMissMilroyfirst。”

ShortlyafterthatmessagewasreceivedinLondon，Allanwasbackagaininhisownhouse。

Itwasevening——PedgiftJuniorhadjustlefthim——andPedgiftSeniorwasexpectedtocallonbusinessinhalfanhour’stime。

CHAPTERV。

PEDGIFT’SREMEDY。

AFTERwaitingtoholdapreliminaryconsultationwithhisson，Mr。PedgifttheeldersetforthaloneforhisinterviewwithAllanatthegreathouse。

Allowingforthedifferenceintheirages，thesonwas，inthisinstance，soaccuratelythereflectionofthefather，thatanacquaintancewitheitherofthetwoPedgiftswasalmostequivalenttoanacquaintancewithboth。AddsomelittleheightandsizetothefigureofPedgiftJunior，givemorebreadthandboldnesstohishumor，andsomeadditionalsolidityandcomposuretohisconfidenceinhimself，andthepresenceandcharacterofPedgiftSeniorstood，forallgeneralpurposes，revealedbeforeyou。

Thelawyer’sconveyancetoThorpeAmbrosewashisownsmartgig，drawnbyhisfamousfast-trottingmare。Itwashishabittodrivehimself;anditwasoneamongthetriflingexternalpeculiaritiesinwhichheandhissondifferedalittle，toaffectsomethingofthesportingcharacterinhisdress。ThedrabtrousersofPedgifttheelderfittedclosetohislegs;hisboots，indryweatherandwetalike，wereequallythickinthesole;hiscoatpocketsoverlappedhiships，andhisfavoritesummercravatwasoflightspottedmuslin，tiedintheneatestandsmallestofbows。Heusedtobaccolikehisson，butinadifferentform。Whiletheyoungermansmoked，theeldertooksnuffcopiously;anditwasnoticedamonghisintimatesthathealwaysheldhis“pinch“inastateofsuspensebetweenhisboxandhisnosewhenhewasgoingtoclinchagoodbargainortosayagoodthing。Theartofdiplomacyenterslargelyintothepracticeofallsuccessfulmeninthelowerbranchofthelaw。Mr。Pedgift’sformofdiplomaticpracticehadbeenthesamethroughouthislife，oneveryoccasionwhenhefoundhisartsofpersuasionrequiredataninterviewwithanotherman。Heinvariablykepthisstrongestargument，orhisboldestproposal，tothelast，andinvariablyremembereditatthedoor(afterpreviouslytakinghisleave)，asifitwasapurelyaccidentalconsiderationwhichhadthatinstantoccurredtohim。Jocularfriends，acquaintedbypreviousexperiencewiththisformofproceeding，hadgivenitthenameof“Pedgift’spostscript。”TherewerefewpeopleinThorpeAmbrosewhodidnotknowwhatitmeantwhenthelawyersuddenlycheckedhisexitattheopeneddoor;camebacksoftlytohischair，withhispinchofsnuffsuspendedbetweenhisboxandhisnose;said，“By-the-by，there’sapointoccurstome;“andsettledthequestionoff-hand，afterhavinggivenitupindespairnotaminutebefore。

ThiswasthemanwhomthemarchofeventsatThorpeAmbrosehadnowthrustcapriciouslyintoaforemostplace。ThiswastheonefriendathandtowhomAllaninhissocialisolationcouldturnforcounselinthehourofneed。

“Good-evening，Mr。Armadale。Manythanksforyourpromptattentiontomyverydisagreeableletter。”saidPedgiftSenior，openingtheconversationcheerfullythemomentheenteredhisclient’shouse。“Ihopeyouunderstand，sir，thatIhadreallynochoiceunderthecircumstancesbuttowriteasIdid？”

“Ihaveveryfewfriends，Mr。Pedgift。”returnedAllan，simply。

“AndIamsureyouareoneofthefew。”

“Muchobliged，Mr。Armadale。Ihavealwaystriedtodeserveyourgoodopinion，andImean，ifIcan，todeserveitnow。Youfoundyourselfcomfortable，Ihope，sir，atthehotelinLondon？WecallitOurhotel。Somerareoldwineinthecellar，whichI

shouldhaveintroducedtoyournoticeifIhadhadthehonorofbeingwithyou。Mysonunfortunatelyknowsnothingaboutwine。”

AllanfelthisfalsepositionintheneighborhoodfartooacutelytobecapableoftalkingofanythingbutthemainbusinessoftheeveningHislawyer’spolitelyroundaboutmethodofapproachingthepainfulsubjecttobediscussedbetweenthemratherirritatedthancomposedhim。Hecameatoncetothepoint，inhisownbluntlystraightforwardway。

“Thehotelwasverycomfortable，Mr。Pedgift，andyoursonwasverykindtome。ButwearenotinLondonnow;andIwanttotalktoyouabouthowIamtomeettheliesthatarebeingtoldofmeinthisplace。Onlypointmeoutanyoneman。”criedAllan，witharisingvoiceandamountingcolor——“anyonemanwhosaysIamafraidtoshowmyfaceintheneighborhood，andI’llhorsewhiphimpubliclybeforeanotherdayisoverhishead！“

PedgiftSeniorhelpedhimselftoapinchofsnuff，andhelditcalmlyinsuspensemidwaybetweenhisboxandhisnose。

“Youcanhorsewhipaman，sir;butyoucan’thorsewhipaneighborhood。”saidthelawyer，inhispolitelyepigrammaticmanner。“Wewillfightourbattle，ifyouplease，withoutborrowingourweaponsofthecoachmanyetawhile，atanyrate。”

“Buthowarewetobegin？”askedAllan，impatiently。“HowamItocontradicttheinfamousthingstheysayofme？”

“Therearetwowaysofsteppingoutofyourpresentawkwardposition，sir——ashortway，andalongway。”repliedPedgiftSenior。“Theshortway(whichisalwaysthebest)hasoccurredtomesinceIhaveheardofyourproceedingsinLondonfrommyson。

Iunderstandthatyoupermittedhim，afteryoureceivedmyletter，totakemeintoyourconfidence。Ihavedrawnvariousconclusionsfromwhathehastoldme，whichImayfinditnecessarytotroubleyouwithpresently。InthemeantimeIshouldbegladtoknowunderwhatcircumstancesyouwenttoLondontomaketheseunfortunateinquiriesaboutMissGwilt？WasityourownnotiontopaythatvisittoMrs。Mandeville？orwereyouactingundertheinfluenceofsomeotherperson？”

Allanhesitated。“Ican’thonestlytellyouitwasmyownnotion。”hereplied，andsaidnomore。

“Ithoughtasmuch！“remarkedPedgiftSenior，inhightriumph。

“Theshortwayoutofourpresentdifficulty，Mr。Armadale，liesstraightthroughthatotherperson，underwhoseinfluenceyouacted。Thatotherpersonmustbepresentedforthwithtopublicnotice，andmuststandinthatotherperson’sproperplace。Thename，ifyouplease，sir，tobeginwith——we’llcometothecircumstancesdirectly。”

“Iamsorrytosay，Mr。Pedgift，thatwemusttrythelongestway，ifyouhavenoobjection。”repliedAllan，quietly。“TheshortwayhappenstobeawayIcan’ttakeonthisoccasion。”

ThemenwhoriseinthelawarethemenwhodeclinetotakeNoforananswer。Mr。Pedgifttheelderhadriseninthelaw;andMr。PedgifttheeldernowdeclinedtotakeNoforananswer。Butallpertinacity——evenprofessionalpertinacityincluded——soonerorlaterfindsitslimits;andthelawyer，doublyfortifiedashewasbylongexperienceandcopiouspinchesofsnuff，foundhislimitsattheveryoutsetoftheinterview。ItwasimpossiblethatAllancouldrespecttheconfidencewhichMrs。Milroyhadtreacherouslyaffectedtoplaceinhim。Buthehadanhonestman’sregardforhisownpledgedword——theregardwhichlooksstraightforwardatthefact，andwhichneverglancessidelongatthecircumstances——andtheutmostpersistencyofPedgiftSeniorfailedtomovehimahairbreadthfromthepositionwhichhehadtakenup。“No“isthestrongestwordintheEnglishlanguage，inthemouthofanymanwhohasthecouragetorepeatitoftenenough，andAllanhadthecouragetorepeatitoftenenoughonthisoccasion。

“Verygood，sir。”saidthelawyer，acceptinghisdefeatwithouttheslightestlossoftemper。“Thechoicerestswithyou，andyouhavechosen。Wewillgothelongway。Itstarts(allowmetoinformyou)frommyoffice;anditleads(asIstronglysuspect)

throughaverymiryroadto——MissGwilt。”

Allanlookedathislegaladviserinspeechlessastonishment。

“Ifyouwon’texposethepersonwhoisresponsibleinthefirstinstance，sir，fortheinquiriestowhichyouunfortunatelylentyourself。”proceededMr。Pedgifttheelder，“theonlyotheralternative，inyourpresentposition，istojustifytheinquiriesthemselves。”

“Andhowisthattobedone？”inquiredAllan。

“Byprovingtothewholeneighborhood，Mr。Armadale，whatI

firmlybelievetobethetruth——thatthepetobjectofthepublicprotectionisanadventuressoftheworstclass;anundeniablyworthlessanddangerouswoman。InplainerEnglishstill，sir，byemployingtimeenoughandmoneyenoughtodiscoverthetruthaboutMissGwilt。”

BeforeAllancouldsayawordinanswer，therewasaninterruptionatthedoor。Aftertheusualpreliminaryknock，oneoftheservantscamein。

“ItoldyouIwasnottobeinterrupted。”saidAllan，irritably。

“Goodheavens！amInevertohavedonewiththem？Anotherletter！“

“Yes，sir。”saidtheman，holdingitout。“And。”headded，speakingwordsofevilomeninhismaster’sears，“thepersonwaitsforananswer。”

Allanlookedattheaddressoftheletterwithanaturalexpectationofencounteringthehandwritingofthemajor’swife。

Theanticipationwasnotrealized。Hiscorrespondentwasplainlyalady，buttheladywasnotMrs。Milroy。

“Whocanitbe？”hesaid，lookingmechanicallyatPedgiftSeniorasheopenedtheenvelope。

PedgiftSeniorgentlytappedhissnuff-box，andsaid，withoutamoment’shesitation，“MissGwilt。”

Allanopenedtheletter。Thefirsttwowordsinitweretheechoofthetwowordsthelawyerhadjustpronounced。It_was_MissGwilt！

Oncemore，Allanlookedathislegaladviserinspeechlessastonishment。

“Ihaveknownagoodmanyoftheminmytime，sir。”explainedPedgiftSenior，withamodestyequallyrareandbecominginamanofhisage。“NotashandsomeasMissGwilt，Iadmit。Butquiteasbad，Idaresay。Readyourletter，Mr。Armadale——readyourletter。”

Allanreadtheselines:

“MissGwiltpresentshercomplimentstoMr。Armadaleandbegstoknowifitwillbeconvenienttohimtofavorherwithaninterview，eitherthiseveningorto-morrowmorning。MissGwiltoffersnoapologyformakingherpresentrequest。ShebelievesMr。Armadalewillgrantitasanactofjusticetowardafriendlesswomanwhomhehasbeeninnocentlythemeansofinjuring，andwhoisearnestlydesiroustosetherselfrightinhisestimation。”

Allanhandedthelettertohislawyerinsilentperplexityanddistress。

ThefaceofMr。Pedgifttheelderexpressedbutonefeelingwhenhehadreadtheletterinhisturnandhadhandeditback——afeelingofprofoundadmiration。“Whatalawyershewouldhavemade。”heexclaimed，fervently，“ifshehadonlybeenaman！“

“Ican’ttreatthisaslightlyasyoudo，Mr。Pedgift。”saidAllan。“It’sdreadfullydistressingtome。Iwassofondofher。”

headded，inalowertone——“Iwassofondofheronce。”

Mr。PedgiftSeniorsuddenlybecameseriousonhisside。

“Doyoumeantosay，sir，thatyouactuallycontemplateseeingMissGwilt？”heasked，withanexpressionofgenuinedismay。

“Ican’ttreathercruelly。”returnedAllan。“Ihavebeenthemeansofinjuringher——withoutintendingit，Godknows！Ican’ttreathercruellyafterthat！“

“Mr。Armadale。”saidthelawyer，“youdidmethehonor，alittlewhilesince，tosaythatyouconsideredmeyourfriend。MayI

presumeonthatpositiontoaskyouaquestionortwo，beforeyougostraighttoyourownruin？”

“Anyquestionsyoulike。”saidAllan，lookingbackattheletter——theonlyletterhehadeverreceivedfromMissGwilt。

“Youhavehadonetrapsetforyoualready，sir，andyouhavefallenintoit。Doyouwanttofallintoanother？”

“Youknowtheanswertothatquestion，Mr。Pedgift，aswellasI

do。”

“I’lltryagain，Mr。Armadale;welawyersarenoteasilydiscouraged。DoyouthinkthatanystatementMissGwiltmightmaketoyou，ifyoudoseeher，wouldbeastatementtobereliedon，afterwhatyouandmysondiscoveredinLondon？”

“ShemightexplainwhatwediscoveredinLondon。”suggestedAllan，stilllookingatthewriting，andthinkingofthehandthathadtracedit。

“_Might_explainit？Mydearsir，sheisquitecertaintoexplainit！Iwilldoherjustice:Ibelieveshewouldmakeoutacasewithoutasingleflawinitfrombeginningtoend。”

ThatlastanswerforcedAllan’sattentionawayfromtheletter。

Thelawyer’spitilesscommonsenseshowedhimnomercy。

“Ifyouseethatwomanagain，sir。”proceededPedgiftSenior，“youwillcommittherashestactoffollyIeverheardofinallmyexperience。Shecanhavebutoneobjectincominghere——topracticeonyourweaknessforher。Nobodycansayintowhatfalsestepshemaynotleadyou，ifyouoncegivehertheopportunity。

Youadmityourselfthatyouhavebeenfondofher;yourattentionstoherhavebeenthesubjectofgeneralremark;ifyouhaven’tactuallyofferedherthechanceofbecomingMrs。

Armadale，youhavedonethenextthingtoit;andknowingallthis，youproposetoseeher，andtoletherworkonyouwithherdevilishbeautyandherdevilishcleverness，inthecharacterofyourinterestingvictim！You，whoareoneofthebestmatchesinEngland！You，whoarethenaturalpreyofallthehungrysinglewomeninthecommunity！Ineverheardthelikeofit;Inever，inallmyprofessionalexperience，heardthelikeofit！Ifyoumustpositivelyputyourselfinadangerousposition，Mr。Armadale。”

concludedPedgifttheelder，withtheeverlastingpinchofsnuffheldinsuspensebetweenhisboxandhisnose，“there’sawild-beastshowcomingtoourtownnextweek。Letinthetigress，sir;don’tletinMissGwilt！“

ForthethirdtimeAllanlookedathislawyer。Andforthethirdtimehislawyerlookedbackathimquiteunabashed。

“YouseemtohaveaverybadopinionofMissGwilt。”saidAllan。

“Theworstpossibleopinion，Mr。Armadale。”retortedPedgiftSenior，coolly。“Wewillreturntothatwhenwehavesentthelady’smessengerabouthisbusiness。Willyoutakemyadvice？

Willyoudeclinetoseeher？”

“Iwouldwillinglydecline——itwouldbesodreadfullydistressingtobothofus。”saidAllan。“Iwouldwillinglydecline，ifIonlyknewhow。”

“Blessmysoul，Mr。Armadale，it’seasyenough！Don’tcommit_you_yourselfinwriting。Sendouttothemessenger，andsaythere’snoanswer。”

TheshortcoursethussuggestedwasacoursewhichAllanpositivelydeclinedtotake。“It’streatingherbrutally。”hesaid;“Ican’tandwon’tdoit。”

OncemorethepertinacityofPedgifttheelderfounditslimits，andoncemorethatwisemanyieldedgracefullytoacompromise。

Onreceivinghisclient’spromisenottoseeMissGwilt，heconsentedtoAllan’scommittinghimselfinwritingunderhislawyer’sdictation。TheletterthusproducedwasmodeledinAllan’sownstyle;itbeganandendedinonesentence。“Mr。

ArmadalepresentshiscomplimentstoMissGwilt，andregretsthathecannothavethepleasureofseeingheratThorpeAmbrose。”

Allanhadpleadedhardforasecondsentence，explainingthatheonlydeclinedMissGwilt’srequestfromaconvictionthataninterviewwouldbeneedlesslydistressingonbothsides。Buthislegaladviserfirmlyrejectedtheproposedadditiontotheletter。“WhenyousayNotoawoman，sir。”remarkedPedgiftSenior，“alwayssayitinoneword。Ifyougiveheryourreasons，sheinvariablybelievesthatyoumeanYes。”

Producingthatlittlegemofwisdomfromtherichmineofhisprofessionalexperience，Mr。PedgifttheeldersentouttheanswertoMissGwilt’smessenger，andrecommendedtheservantto“seethefellow，whoeverhewas，wellclearofthehouse。”

“Now，sir。”saidthelawyer，“wewillcomeback，ifyoulike，tomyopinionofMissGwilt。Itdoesn’titallagreewithyours，I’mafraid。Youthinkheranobjectofpity——quitenaturalatyourage。Ithinkheranobjectfortheinsideofaprison——quitenaturalatmine。YoushallhearthegroundsonwhichIhaveformedmyopiniondirectly。LetmeshowyouthatIaminearnestbyputtingtheopinionitself，inthefirstplace，toapracticaltest。DoyouthinkMissGwiltislikelytopersistinpayingyouavisit，Mr。Armadale，aftertheansweryouhavejustsenttoher？”

“Quiteimpossible！“criedAllan，warmly。“MissGwiltisalady;

aftertheletterIhavesenttoher，shewillnevercomenearmeagain。”

“Therewejoinissue，sir。”criedPedgiftSenior。“Isayshewillsnapherfingersatyourletter(whichwasoneofthereasonswhyIobjectedtoyourwritingit)。Isay，sheisinallprobabilitywaitinghermessenger’sreturn，inornearyourgroundsatthismoment。Isay，shewilltrytoforceherwayinhere，beforefour-and-twentyhoursmoreareoveryourhead。Egad，sir！“criedMr。Pedgift，lookingathiswatch，“it’sonlyseveno’clocknow。

She’sboldenoughandcleverenoughtocatchyouunawaresthisveryevening。Permitmetoringfortheservant——permitmetorequestthatyouwillgivehimordersimmediatelytosayyouarenotathome。Youneedn’thesitate，Mr。Armadale！Ifyou’rerightaboutMissGwilt，it’samereformality。IfI’mright，it’sawiseprecaution。Backyouropinion，sir。”saidMr。Pedgift，ringingthebell;“Ibackmine！“

Allanwassufficientlynettledwhenthebellrangtofeelreadytogivetheorder。Butwhentheservantcamein，pastremembrancesgotthebetterofhim，andthewordsstuckinhisthroat。“Yougivetheorder。”hesaidtoMr。Pedgift，andwalkedawayabruptlytothewindow。“You’reagoodfellow！“thoughttheoldlawyer，lookingafterhim，andpenetratinghismotiveontheinstant。“Theclawsofthatshe-devilshan’tscratchyouifIcanhelpit。”

Theservantwaitedinexorablyforhisorders。

“IfMissGwiltcallshere，eitherthisevening，oratanyothertime。”saidPedgiftSenior，“Mr。Armadaleisnotathome。Wait！

IfsheaskswhenMr。Armadalewillbeback，youdon’tknow。Wait！

Ifsheproposescominginandsittingdown，youhaveageneralorderthatnobodyistocomeinandsitdownunlesstheyhaveapreviousappointmentwithMr。Armadale。Come！“criedoldPedgift，rubbinghishandscheerfullywhentheservanthadlefttheroom，“I’vestoppedheroutnow，atanyrate！Theordersareallgiven，Mr。Armadale。Wemaygoonwithourconversation。”

Allancamebackfromthewindow。“Theconversationisnotaverypleasantone。”hesaid。“Nooffensetoyou，butIwishitwasover。”

“Wewillgetitoverassoonaspossible，sir。”saidPedgiftSenior，stillpersisting，asonlylawyersandwomen_can_

persist，inforcinghiswaylittlebylittlenearerandnearertohisownobject。“Letusgoback，ifyouplease，tothepracticalsuggestionwhichIofferedtoyouwhentheservantcameinwithMissGwilt’snote。Thereis，Irepeat，onlyonewayleftforyou，Mr。Armadale，outofyourpresentawkwardposition。Youmustpursueyourinquiriesaboutthiswomantoanend——onthechance(whichIconsidernexttoacertainty)thattheendwilljustifyyouintheestimationoftheneighborhood。”

“IwishtoGodIhadnevermadeanyinquiriesatall！“saidAllan。“Nothingwillinduceme，Mr。Pedgift，tomakeanymore。”

“Why？”askedthelawyer。

“Canyouaskmewhy。”retortedAllan，hotly，“afteryoursonhastoldyouwhatwefoundoutinLondon？EvenifIhadlesscausetobe——tobesorryforMissGwiltthanIhave;evenifitwassomeotherwoman，doyouthinkIwouldinquireanyfurtherintothesecretofapoorbetrayedcreature——muchlessexposeittotheneighborhood？Ishouldthinkmyselfasgreatascoundrelasthemanwhohascastherouthelplessontheworld，ifIdidanythingofthekind。Iwonderyoucanaskmethequestion——uponmysoul，Iwonderyoucanaskmethequestion！“

“Givemeyourhand，Mr。Armadale！“criedPedgiftSenior，warmly;

“Ihonoryouforbeingsoangrywithme。Theneighborhoodmaysaywhatitpleases;you’reagentleman，sir，inthebestsenseoftheword。Now。”pursuedthelawyer，droppingAllan’shand，andlapsingbackinstantlyfromsentimenttobusiness，“justhearwhatIhavegottosayinmyowndefense。SupposeMissGwilt’srealpositionhappenstobenothinglikewhatyouaregenerouslydeterminedtobelieveittobe？”

“Wehavenoreasontosupposethat。”saidAllan，resolutely。

“Suchisyouropinion，sir。”persistedPedgift。“Mine，foundedonwhatispubliclyknownofMissGwilt’sproceedingshere，andonwhatIhaveseenofMissGwiltherself，isthatsheisasfarasIamfrombeingthesentimentalvictimyouareinclinedtomakeherout。Gently，Mr。Armadale！rememberthatIhaveputmyopiniontoapracticaltest，andwaittocondemnitoff-handuntileventshavejustifiedyou。Letmeputmypoints，sir——makeallowancesformeasalawyer——andletmeputmypoints。Youandmysonareyoungmen;andIdon’tdenythatthecircumstances，onthesurface，appeartojustifytheinterpretationwhich，asyoungmen，youhaveplacedonthem。Iamanoldman——Iknowthatcircumstancesarenotalwaystobetakenastheyappearonthesurface——andIpossessthegreatadvantage，inthepresentcase，ofhavinghadyearsofprofessionalexperienceamongsomeofthewickedestwomenwhoeverwalkedthisearth。”

Allanopenedhislipstoprotest，andcheckedhimself，indespairofproducingtheslightesteffect。PedgiftSeniorbowedinpoliteacknowledgmentofhisclient’sself-restraint，andtookinstantadvantageofittogoon。

“AllMissGwilt’sproceedings。”heresumed，“sinceyourunfortunatecorrespondencewiththemajorshowmethatsheisanoldhandatdeceit。Themomentsheisthreatenedwithexposure——exposureofsomekind，therecanbenodoubt，afterwhatyoudiscoveredinLondon——sheturnsyourhonorablesilencetothebestpossibleaccount，andleavesthemajor’sserviceinthecharacterofamartyr。Onceoutofthehouse，whatdoesshedonext？Sheboldlystopsintheneighborhood，andservesthreeexcellentpurposesbydoingso。Inthefirstplace，sheshowseverybodythatsheisnotafraidoffacinganotherattackonherreputation。Inthesecondplace，sheiscloseathandtotwistyouroundherlittlefinger，andtobecomeMrs。Armadaleinspiteofcircumstances，ifyou(andI)allowhertheopportunity。Inthethirdplace，ifyou(andI)arewiseenoughtodistrusther，sheisequallywiseonherside，anddoesn’tgiveusthefirstgreatchanceoffollowinghertoLondon，andassociatingherwithheraccomplices。Isthistheconductofanunhappywomanwhohaslosthercharacterinamomentofweakness，andwhohasbeendrivenunwillinglyintoadeceptiontogetitbackagain？”

“Youputitcleverly。”saidAllan，answeringwithmarkedreluctance;“Ican’tdenythatyouputitcleverly。”

“Yourowncommonsense，Mr。Armadale，isbeginningtotellyouthatIputitjustly。”saidPedgiftSenior。“Idon’tpresumetosayyetwhatthiswoman’sconnectionmaybewiththosepeopleatPimlico。AllIassertisthatitisnottheconnectionyousuppose。Havingstatedthefactssofar，IhaveonlytoaddmyownpersonalimpressionofMissGwilt。Iwon’tshockyou，ifI

canhelpit;I’lltryifIcan’tputitcleverlyagain。Shecametomyoffice(asItoldyouinmyletter)，nodoubttomakefriendswithyourlawyer，ifshecould;shecametotellme，inthemostforgivingandChristianmanner，thatshedidn’tblame_you。_“

“Doyoueverbelieveinanybody，Mr。Pedgift？”interposedAllan。

“Sometimes，Mr。Armadale。”returnedPedgifttheelder，asunabashedasever。“Ibelieveasoftenasalawyercan。Toproceed，sir。WhenIwasinthecriminalbranchofpractice，itfelltomylottotakeinstructionsforthedefenseofwomencommittedfortrialfromthewomen’sownlips。Whateverotherdifferencetheremightbeamongthem，Igot，intime，tonotice，amongthosewhowereparticularlywickedandunquestionablyguilty，onepointinwhichtheyallresembledeachother。Tallandshort，oldandyoung，handsomeandugly，theyallhadasecretself-possessionthatnothingcouldshake。Onthesurfacetheywereasdifferentaspossible。Someofthemwereinastateofindignation;someofthemweredrownedintears;someofthemwerefullofpiousconfidence;andsomeofthemwereresolvedtocommitsuicidebeforethenightwasout。Butonlyputyourfingersuddenlyontheweakpointinthestorytoldbyanyoneofthem，andtherewasanendofherrage，orhertears，orherpiety，orherdespair;andoutcamethegenuinewoman，infullpossessionofallherresourceswithaneatlittleliethatexactlysuitedthecircumstancesofthecase。MissGwiltwasintears，sir——becomingtearsthatdidn’tmakehernosered——andIputmyfingersuddenlyontheweakpointin_her_story。Downdroppedherpatheticpocket-handkerchieffromherbeautifulblueeyes，andoutcamethegenuinewomanwiththeneatlittleliethatexactlysuitedthecircumstances！Ifelttwentyyearsyounger，Mr。Armadale，onthespot。IdeclareIthoughtIwasinNewgateagain，withmynote-bookinmyhand，takingmyinstructionsforthedefense！“

“Thenextthingyou’llsay，Mr。Pedgift。”criedAllan，angrily，“isthatMissGwilthasbeeninprison！“

PedgiftSeniorcalmlyrappedhissnuff-box，andhadhisanswerreadyatamoment’snotice。

“Shemayhaverichlydeservedtoseetheinsideofaprison，Mr。

Armadale;but，intheagewelivein，thatisoneexcellentreasonforherneverhavingbeennearanyplaceofthekind。A

prison，inthepresenttenderstateofpublicfeeling，foracharmingwomanlikeMissGwilt！Mydearsir，ifshehadattemptedtomurderyouorme，andifaninhumanjudgeandjuryhaddecidedonsendinghertoaprison，thefirstobjectofmodernsocietywouldbetopreventhergoingintoit;and，ifthatcouldn’tbedone，thenextobjectwouldbetoletheroutagainassoonaspossible。Readyournewspaper，Mr。Armadale，andyou’llfindweliveinpipingtimesfortheblacksheepofthecommunity——iftheyareonlyblackenough。Iinsistonasserting，sir，thatwehavegotoneoftheblackestofthelottodealwithinthiscase。Iinsistonassertingthatyouhavehadtherareluck，intheseunfortunateinquiries，topitchonawomanwhohappenstobeafitobjectforinquiry，intheinterestsofthepublicprotection。Differwithmeasstronglyasyouplease，butdon’tmakeupyourmindfinallyaboutMissGwiltuntileventshaveputthosetwooppositeopinionsofourstothetestthatIhaveproposed。Afairertesttherecan’tbe。Iagreewithyouthatnoladyworthyofthenamecouldattempttoforceherwayinhere，afterreceivingyourletter。ButIdenythatMissGwiltisworthyofthename;andIsayshewilltrytoforceherwayinhereinspiteofyou。”

“AndIsayshewon’t！“retortedAllan，firmly。

PedgiftSeniorleanedbackinhischairandsmiled。Therewasamomentarysilence，andinthatsilencethedoor-bellrang。

Thelawyerandtheclientbothlookedexpectantlyinthedirectionofthehall。

“No。”criedAllan，moreangrilythanever。

“Yes！“criedPedgiftSenior，contradictinghimwiththeutmostpoliteness。

Theywaitedtheevent。Theopeningofthehousedoorwasaudible，buttheroomwastoofarfromitforthesoundofvoicestoreachtheearaswell。Afteralongintervalofexpectation，theclosingofthedoorwasheardatlast。Allanroseimpetuouslyandrangthebell。Mr。Pedgifttheeldersatsublimelycalm，andenjoyed，withagentlezest，thelargestpinchofsnuffhehadtakenyet。

“Anybodyforme？”askedAllan，whentheservantcamein。

ThemanlookedatPedgiftSenior，withanexpressionofunutterablereverence，andanswered，“MissGwilt。”

“Idon’twanttocrowoveryou，sir。”saidMr。Pedgifttheelder，whentheservanthadwithdrawn。“ButwhatdoyouthinkofMissGwilt_now？_“

Allanshookhisheadinsilentdiscouragementanddistress。

“Timeisofsomeimportance，Mr。Armadale。Afterwhathasjusthappened，doyoustillobjecttotakingthecourseIhavehadthehonorofsuggestingtoyou？”

“Ican’t，Mr。Pedgift。”saidAllan。“Ican’tbethemeansofdisgracingherintheneighborhood。Iwouldratherbedisgracedmyself——asIam。”

“Letmeputitinanotherway，sir。Excusemypersisting。Youhavebeenverykindtomeandmyfamily;andIhaveapersonalinterest，aswellasaprofessionalinterest，inyou。Ifyoucan’tprevailonyourselftoshowthiswoman’scharacterinitstruelight，willyoutakecommonprecautionstopreventherdoinganymoreharm？Willyouconsenttohavingherprivatelywatchedaslongassheremainsinthisneighborhood？”

ForthesecondtimeAllanshookhishead。

“Isthatyourfinalresolution，sir？”

“Itis，Mr。Pedgift;butIammuchobligedtoyouforyouradvice，allthesame。”

PedgiftSeniorroseinastateofgentleresignation，andtookuphishat“Good-evening，sir。”hesaid，andmadesorrowfullyforthedoor。Allanroseonhisside，innocentlysupposingthattheinterviewwasatanend。Personsbetteracquaintedwiththediplomatichabitsofhislegaladviserwouldhaverecommendedhimtokeephisseat。Thetimewasripefor“Pedgift’spostscript。”

andthelawyer’sindicativesnuff-boxwasatthatmomentinoneofhishands，asheopenedthedoorwiththeother。

“Good-evening。”saidAllan。

PedgiftSenioropenedthedoor，stopped，considered，closedthedooragain，camebackmysteriouslywithhispinchofsnuffinsuspensebetweenhisboxandhisnose，andrepeatinghisinvariableformula，“By-the-by，there’sapointoccurstome。”

quietlyresumedpossessionofhisemptychairAllan，wondering，tooktheseat，inhisturn，whichhehadjustleft。Lawyerandclientlookedateachotheroncemore，andtheinexhaustibleinterviewbeganagain。

CHAPTERVI。

PEDGIFT’SPOSTSCRIPT。

“IMENTIONEDthatapointhadoccurredtome，sir。”remarkedPedgiftSenior。

“Youdid。”saidAllan。

“Wouldyouliketohearwhatitis，Mr。Armadale？”

“Ifyouplease。”saidAllan。

“Withallmyheart，sir！Thisisthepoint。Iattachconsiderableimportance——ifnothingelsecanbedone——tohavingMissGwiltprivatelylookedafter，aslongasshestopsatThorpeAmbrose。

Itstruckmejustnowatthedoor，Mr。Armadale，thatwhatyouarenotwillingtodoforyourownsecurity，youmightbewillingtodoforthesecurityofanotherperson。”

“Whatotherperson？”inquiredAllan。

“Ayoungladywhoisanearneighborofyours，sir。ShallI

mentionthenameinconfidence？MissMilroy。”

Allanstarted，andchangedcolor。

“MissMilroy！“herepeated。“Can_she_beconcernedinthismiserablebusiness？Ihopenot，Mr。Pedgift;Isincerelyhopenot。”

“Ipaidavisit，inyourinterests，sir，atthecottagethismorning。”proceededPedgiftSenior。“Youshallhearwhathappenedthere，andjudgeforyourself。MajorMilroyhasbeenexpressinghisopinionofyouprettyfreely;andIthoughtithighlydesirabletogivehimacaution。It’salwaysthewaywiththosequietaddle-headedmen:whentheydooncewakeup，there’snoreasoningwiththeirobstinacy，andnoquietingtheirviolence。

Well，sir，thismorningIwenttothecottage。ThemajorandMissNeeliewerebothintheparlor——missnotlookingsoprettyasusual;pale，Ithought，pale，andworn，andanxious。Upjumpstheaddle-headedmajor(Iwouldn’tgive_that，_Mr。Armadale，forthebrainsofamanwhocanoccupyhimselfforhalfhislifetimeinmakingaclock！)——upjumpstheaddle-headedmajor，intheloftiestmanner，andactuallytriestolookmedown。Ha！ha！theideaofanybodylooking_me_down，atmytimeoflife。IbehavedlikeaChristian;InoddedkindlytooldWhat’s-o’clock’Finemorning，major，’saysI。’Haveyouanybusinesswithme？’sayshe。’Justaword，’saysI。MissNeelie，likethesensiblegirlsheis，getsuptoleavetheroom;andwhatdoesherridiculousfatherdo？Hestopsher。’Youneedn’tgo，mydear，IhavenothingtosaytoMr。Pedgift，’saysthisoldmilitaryidiot，andturnsmyway，andtriestolookmedownagain。’YouareMr。Armadale’slawyer，’sayshe;’ifyoucomeonanybusinessrelatingtoMr。

Armadale，Ireferyoutomysolicitor。’(HissolicitorisDarch;

andDarchhashadenoughof_me_inbusiness，Icantellyou！)

’Myerrandhere，major，doescertainlyrelatetoMr。Armadale，’

saysI;’butitdoesn’tconcernyourlawyer——atanyrate，justyet。Iwishtocautionyoutosuspendyouropinionofmyclient，or，ifyouwon’tdothat，tobecarefulhowyouexpressitinpublic。Iwarnyouthatourturnistocome，andthatyouarenotattheendyetofthisscandalaboutMissGwilt。’Itstruckmeaslikelythathewouldlosehistemperwhenhefoundhimselftackledinthatway，andheamplyfulfilledmyexpectations。Hewasquiteviolentinhislanguage——thepoorweakcreature——actuallyviolentwith_me！_IbehavedlikeaChristianagain;Inoddedkindly，andwishedhimgood-morning。WhenI

lookedroundtowishMissNeeliegood-morning，too，shewasgone。

Youseemrestless，Mr。Armadale。”remarkedPedgiftSenior，asAllan，feelingthestingofoldrecollections，suddenlystartedoutofhischair，andbeganpacingupanddowntheroom。“Iwon’ttryyourpatiencemuchlonger，sir;Iamcomingtothepoint。”

“Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Pedgift。”saidAllan，returningtohisseat，andtryingtolookcomposedlyatthelawyerthroughtheinterveningimageofNeeliewhichthelawyerhadcalledup。

“Well，sir，Ileftthecottage。”resumedPedgiftSenior。“JustasIturnedthecornerfromthegardenintothepark，whomshouldI

stumbleonbutMissNeelieherself，evidentlyonthelookoutforme。’Iwanttospeaktoyouforonemoment，Mr。Pedgift！’saysshe。’DoesMr。Armadalethink_me_mixedupinthismatter？’Shewasviolentlyagitated——tearsinhereyes，sir，ofthesortwhichmylegalexperiencehas_not_accustomedmetosee。Iquiteforgotmyself;Iactuallygavehermyarm，andledherawaygentlyamongthetrees。(Anicepositiontofindmein，ifanyofthescandal-mongersofthetownhadhappenedtobewalkinginthatdirection！)’MydearMissMilroy，’saysI，’whyshouldMr。

Armadalethink_you_mixedupinit？’“

“YououghttohavetoldheratoncethatIthoughtnothingofthekind！“exclaimedAllan，indignantly。“Whydidyouleaveheramomentindoubtaboutit？”

“BecauseIamalawyer，Mr。Armadale。”rejoinedPedgiftSenior，dryly。“Eveninmomentsofsentiment，underconvenienttrees，withaprettygirlonmyarm，Ican’tentirelydivestmyselfofmyprofessionalcaution。Don’tlookdistressed，sir，pray！Isetthingsrightinduecourseoftime。BeforeIleftMissMilroy，I

toldher，intheplainestterms，nosuchideahadeverenteredyourhead。”

“Didsheseemrelieved？”askedAllan。

“Shewasabletodispensewiththeuseofmyarm，sir。”repliedoldPedgift，asdrylyasever，“andtopledgemetoinviolablesecrecyonthesubjectofourinterview。Shewasparticularlydesirousthat_you_shouldhearnothingaboutit。IfyouareatallanxiousonyoursidetoknowwhyIamnowbetrayingherconfidence，Ibegtoinformyouthatherconfidencerelatedtonolessapersonthantheladywhofavoredyouwithacalljustnow——MissGwilt。”

Allan，whohadbeenoncemorerestlesslypacingtheroom，stopped，andreturnedtohischair。

“Isthisserious？”heasked。

“Mostserious，sir。”returnedPedgiftSenior。“IambetrayingMissNeelie’ssecret，inMissNeelie’sowninterest。LetusgobacktothatcautiousquestionIputtoher。Shefoundsomelittledifficultyinansweringit，forthereplyinvolvedherinanarrativeofthepartinginterviewbetweenhergovernessandherself。Thisisthesubstanceofit。ThetwowerealonewhenMissGwilttookleaveofherpupil;andthewordssheused(asreportedtomebyMissNeelie)werethese。Shesaid，’Yourmotherhasdeclinedtoallowmetotakeleaveofher。Doyoudeclinetoo？’MissNeelie’sanswerwasaremarkablysensibleoneforagirlofherage。’Wehavenotbeengoodfriends，’shesaid，’andIbelieveweareequallygladtopartwitheachother。ButIhavenowishtodeclinetakingleaveofyou。’Sayingthat，sheheldoutherhand。MissGwiltstoodlookingathersteadily，withouttakingit，andaddressedherinthesewords:’_YouarenotMrs。

Armadaleyet。_’Gently，sir！Keepyourtemper。It’snotatallwonderfulthatawoman，consciousofhavingherownmercenarydesignsonyou，shouldattributesimilardesignstoayoungladywhohappenstobeyournearneighbor。Letmegoon。MissNeelie，byherownconfession(andquitenaturally，Ithink)，wasexcessivelyindignant。Sheownstohavinganswered，’Youshamelesscreature，howdareyousaythattome！’MissGwilt’srejoinderwasratheraremarkableone——theanger，onherside，appearstohavebeenofthecool，still，venomouskind。’Nobodyeveryetinjuredme，MissMilroy，’shesaid，’withoutsoonerorlaterbitterlyrepentingit。_You_willbitterlyrepentit。’Shestoodlookingatherpupilforamomentindeadsilence，andthenlefttheroom。MissNeelieappearstohavefelttheimputationfastenedonher，inconnectionwithyou，farmoresensitivelythanshefeltthethreat。Shehadpreviouslyknown，aseverybodyhadknowninthehouse，thatsomeunacknowledgedproceedingsofyoursinLondonhadledtoMissGwilt’svoluntarywithdrawalfromhersituation。Andshenowinferred，fromthelanguageaddressedtoher，thatshewasactuallybelievedbyMissGwilttohavesetthoseproceedingsonfoot，toadvanceherself，andtoinjurehergoverness，inyourestimation。Gently，sir，gently！Ihaven’tquitedoneyet。AssoonasMissNeeliehadrecoveredherself，shewentupstairstospeaktoMrs。Milroy。MissGwilt’sabominableimputationhadtakenherbysurprise;andshewenttohermotherfirstforenlightenmentandadvice。Shegotneithertheonenortheother。Mrs。Milroydeclaredshewastooilltoenteronthesubject，andshehasremainedtooilltoenteroniteversince。

MissNeelieappliednexttoherfather。Themajorstoppedherthemomentyournamepassedherlips:hedeclaredhewouldneverhearyoumentionedagainbyanymemberofhisfamily。Shehasbeenleftinthedarkfromthattimetothis，notknowinghowshemighthavebeenmisrepresentedbyMissGwilt，orwhatfalsehoodsyoumighthavebeenledtobelieveofher。Atmyageandinmyprofession，Idon’tprofesstohaveanyextraordinarysoftnessofheart。ButIdothink，Mr。Armadale，thatMissNeelie’spositiondeservesoursympathy。”

“I’lldoanythingtohelpher！“criedAllan，impulsively。“Youdon’tknow，Mr。Pedgift，whatreasonIhave——“Hecheckedhimself，andconfusedlyrepeatedhisfirstwords。“I’lldoanything。”hereiteratedearnestly——“anythingintheworldtohelpher！“

“Doyoureallymeanthat，Mr。Armadale？Excusemyasking;butyoucanverymateriallyhelpMissNeelie，ifyouchoose！“

“How？”askedAllan。“Onlytellmehow！“

“Bygivingmeyourauthority，sir，toprotectherfromMissGwilt。”

Havingfiredthatshotpointblankathisclient，thewiselawyerwaitedalittletoletittakeitseffectbeforehesaidanymore。

Allan’sfaceclouded，andheshifteduneasilyfromsidetosideofhischair。

“Yoursonishardenoughtodealwith，Mr。Pedgift。”hesaid，“andyouareharderthanyourson。”

“Thankyou，sir。”rejoinedthereadyPedgift，“inmyson’snameandmyown，forahandsomecomplimenttothefirm。IfyoureallywishtobeofassistancetoMissNeelie。”hewenton，moreseriously，“Ihaveshownyoutheway。YoucandonothingtoquietheranxietywhichIhavenotdonealready。AssoonasIhadassuredherthatnomisconceptionofherconductexistedinyourmind，shewentawaysatisfied。Hergoverness’spartingthreatdoesn’tseemtohavedweltonhermemory。Icantellyou，Mr。

Armadale，itdwellsonmine！YouknowmyopinionofMissGwilt;

andyouknowwhatMissGwiltherselfhasdonethisveryeveningtojustifythatopinioneveninyoureyes。MayIask，afterallthathaspassed，whetheryouthinksheisthesortofwomanwhocanbetrustedtoconfineherselftoemptythreats？”

Thequestionwasaformidableonetoanswer。Forcedsteadilybackfromthepositionwhichhehadoccupiedattheoutsetoftheinterview，bytheirresistiblepressureofplainfacts，AllanbeganforthefirsttimetoshowsymptomsofyieldingonthesubjectofMissGwilt。“IstherenootherwayofprotectingMissMilroybutthewayyouhavementioned？”heasked，uneasily。

“Doyouthinkthemajorwouldlistentoyou，sir，ifyouspoketohim？”askedPedgiftSenior，sarcastically。“I’mratherafraidhewouldn’thonor_me_withhisattention。OrperhapsyouwouldpreferalarmingMissNeeliebytellingherinplainwordsthatweboththinkherindanger？Or，supposeyousendmetoMissGwilt，withinstructionstoinformherthatshehasdoneherpupilacruelinjustice？Womenaresoproverbiallyreadytolistentoreason;andtheyaresouniversallydisposedtoaltertheiropinionsofeachotheronapplication——especiallywhenonewomanthinksthatanotherwomanhasdestroyedherprospectofmakingagoodmarriage。Don’tmind_me，_Mr。Armadale;I’monlyalawyer，andIcansitwaterproofunderanothershowerofMissGwilt’stears！“

“Damnit，Mr。Pedgift，tellmeinplainwordswhatyouwanttodo！“criedAllan，losinghistemperatlast。

“Inplainwords，Mr。Armadale，IwanttokeepMissGwilt’sproceedingsprivatelyunderview，aslongasshestopsinthisneighborhood。Ianswerforfindingapersonwhowilllookafterherdelicatelyanddiscreetly。AndIagreetodiscontinueeventhisharmlesssuperintendenceofheractions，ifthereisn’tgoodreasonsshownforcontinuingit，toyourentiresatisfaction，inaweek’stime。Imakethatmoderateproposal，sir，inwhatI

sincerelybelievetobeMissMilroy’sinterest，andIwaityouranswer，YesorNo。”

“Can’tIhavetimetoconsider？”askedAllan，driventothelasthelplessexpedientoftakingrefugeindelay。

“Certainly，Mr。Armadale。Butdon’tforget，whileyouareconsidering，thatMissMilroyisinthehabitofwalkingoutaloneinyourpark，innocentofallapprehensionofdanger，andthatMissGwiltisperfectlyfreetotakeanyadvantageofthatcircumstancethatMissGwiltpleases。”

“Doasyoulike！“exclaimedAllan，indespair。“And，forGod’ssake，don’ttormentmeanylonger！“

Popularprejudicemaydenyit，buttheprofessionofthelawisapracticallyChristianprofessioninonerespectatleast。Ofallthelargecollectionofreadyanswerslyinginwaitformankindonalawyer’slips，noneiskeptinbetterworkingorderthan“thesoftanswerwhichturnethawaywrath。”PedgiftSeniorrosewiththealacrityofyouthinhislegs，andthewisemoderationofageonhistongue。“Manythanks，sir。”hesaid，“fortheattentionyouhavebestowedonme。Icongratulateyouonyourdecision，andIwishyougood-evening。”Thistimehisindicativesnuff-boxwasnotinhishandwhenheopenedthedoor，andheactuallydisappearedwithoutcomingbackforasecondpostscript。

Allan’sheadsankonhisbreastwhenhewasleftalone。“Ifitwasonlytheendoftheweek！“hethought，longingly。“IfIonlyhadMidwinterbackagain！“

Asthataspirationescapedtheclient’slips，thelawyergotgaylyintohisgig。“Hieaway，oldgirl！“criedPedgiftSenior，pattingthefast-trottingmarewiththeendofhiswhip。“Ineverkeepaladywaiting——andI’vegotbusinessto-nightwithoneofyourownsex！“

CHAPTERVII。

THEMARTYRDOMOFMISSGWILT。

THEoutskirtsofthelittletownofThorpeAmbrose，onthesidenearestto“thegreathouse。”haveearnedsomelocalcelebrityasexhibitingtheprettiestsuburbofthekindtobefoundinEastNorfolk。Herethevillasandgardensareforthemostpartbuiltandlaidoutinexcellenttaste，thetreesareintheprimeoftheirgrowth，andthehealthycommonbeyondthehousesrisesandfallsinpicturesqueanddelightfulvarietyofbrokenground。Therank，fashion，andbeautyofthetownmakethisplacetheireveningpromenade;andwhenastrangergoesoutforadrive，ifheleavesittothecoachman，thecoachmanstartsbywayofthecommonasamatterofcourse。

Ontheoppositeside，thatistosay，onthesidefurthestfrom“thegreathouse。”thesuburbs(intheyear1851)wereuniversallyregardedasasoresubjectbyallpersonszealousforthereputationofthetown。

Herenaturewasuninviting，manwaspoor，andsocialprogress，asexhibitedundertheformofbuilding，haltedmiserably。Thestreetsdwindledfeebly，astheyrecededfromthecenterofthetown，intosmallerandsmallerhouses，anddiedawayonthebarrenopengroundintoanatrophyofskeletoncottages。Buildershereaboutsappearedtohaveuniversallyabandonedtheirworkinthefirststageofitscreation。Land-holderssetuppolesonlostpatchesofground，and，plaintivelyadvertisingthattheyweretoletforbuilding，raisedsicklylittlecropsmeanwhile，indespairoffindingapurchasertodealwiththem。Allthewastepaperofthetownseemedtofloatcongeniallytothisneglectedspot;andallthefretfulchildrencameandcriedhere，inchargeofalltheslatternlynurseswhodisgracedtheplace。

IftherewasanyintentioninThorpeAmbroseofsendingaworn-outhorsetotheknacker’s，thathorsewassuretobefoundwaitinghisdoominafieldonthissideofthetown。Nogrowthflourishedinthesedesertregionsbutthearidgrowthofrubbish;andnocreaturesrejoicedbutthecreaturesofthenight——theverminhereandthereinthebeds，andthecatseverywhereonthetiles。

Thesunhadset，andthesummertwilightwasdarkening。Thefretfulchildrenwerecryingintheircradles;thehorsedestinedfortheknackerdozedforlorninthefieldofhisimprisonment;

thecatswaitedstealthilyincornersforthecomingnight。Butonelivingfigureappearedinthelonelysuburb——thefigureofMr。Bashwood。Butonefaintsounddisturbedthedreadfulsilence——thesoundofMr。Bashwood’ssoftlysteppingfeet。

Movingslowlypasttheheapsofbricksrisingatintervalsalongtheroad，coastingcarefullyroundtheoldironandthebrokentilesscatteredhereandthereinhispath，Mr。Bashwoodadvancedfromthedirectionofthecountrytowardoneoftheunfinishedstreetsofthesuburb。Hispersonalappearancehadbeenapparentlymadetheobjectofsomespecialattention。Hisfalseteethwerebrilliantlywhite;hiswigwascarefullybrushed;hismourninggarments，renewedthroughout，gleamedwiththehideousandslimyglossofcheapblackcloth。Hemovedwithanervousjauntiness，andlookedabouthimwithavacantsmile。Havingreachedthefirstoftheskeletoncottages，hiswateryeyessettledsteadilyforthefirsttimeontheviewofthestreetbeforehim。Thenextinstanthestarted;hisbreathquickened;heleaned，tremblingandflushing，againsttheunfinishedwallathisside。Alady，stillatsomedistance，wasadvancingtowardhimdownthelengthofthestreet。“She’scoming！“hewhispered，withastrangemixtureofraptureandfear，ofalternatingcolorandpaleness，showingitselfinhishaggardface。“IwishIwasthegroundshetreadson！IwishIwasthegloveshe’sgotonherhand！“Heburstecstaticallyintothoseextravagantwords，withaconcentratedintensityofdelightinutteringthemthatactuallyshookhisfeeblefigurefromheadtofoot。

Smoothlyandgracefullytheladyglidednearerandnearer，untilsherevealedtoMr。Bashwood’seyes，whatMr。Bashwood’sinstinctshadrecognizedinthefirstinstance——thefaceofMissGwilt。

Shewasdressedwithanexquisitelyexpressiveeconomyofoutlay。

Theplaineststrawbonnetprocurable，trimmedsparinglywiththecheapestwhiteribbon，wasonherhead。Modestandtastefulpovertyexpresseditselfinthespecklesscleanlinessandthemodestlyproportionedskirtsofherlight“print“gown，andinthescantylittlemantillaofcheapblacksilkwhichsheworeoverit，edgedwithasimplefrillingofthesamematerial。Thelusterofherterribleredhairshoweditselfunshrinkinglyinaplaitedcoronetaboveherforehead，andescapedinonevagrantlove-lock，perfectlycurled，thatdroppedoverherleftshoulder。

Hergloves，fittingherlikeasecondskin，wereofthesoberbrownhuewhichisslowesttoshowsignsofuse。Onehandliftedherdressdaintilyabovetheimpuritiesoftheroad;theotherheldalittlenosegayofthecommonestgardenflowers。

Noiselesslyandsmoothlyshecameon，withagentleandregularundulationoftheprintgown;withthelove-locksoftlyliftedfrommomenttomomentintheeveningbreeze;withherheadalittledrooped，andhereyesontheground——inwalk，andlook，andmanner，ineverycasualmovementthatescapedher，expressingthatsubtlemixtureofthevoluptuousandthemodestwhich，ofthemanyattractiveextremesthatmeetinwomen，isinaman’seyesthemostirresistibleofall。

“Mr。Bashwood！“sheexclaimed，inloud，cleartonesindicativeoftheutmostastonishment，“whatasurprisetofindyouhere！I

thoughtnonebutthewretchedinhabitantseverventurednearthissideofthetown。Hush！“sheaddedquickly，inawhisper。“YouheardrightwhenyouheardthatMr。Armadalewasgoingtohavemefollowedandwatched。There’samanbehindoneofthehouses。Wemusttalkoutloudofindifferentthings，andlookasifwehadmetbyaccident。AskmewhatIamdoing。Outloud！Directly！Youshallneverseemeagain，ifyoudon’tinstantlyleaveofftremblinganddowhatItellyou！“

Shespokewithamercilesstyrannyofeyeandvoice——withamercilessuseofherpoweroverthefeeblecreaturewhomsheaddressed。Mr。Bashwoodobeyedherintonesthatquaveredwithagitation，andwitheyesthatdevouredherbeautyinastrangefascinationofterroranddelight。

“Iamtryingtoearnalittlemoneybyteachingmusic。”shesaid，inthevoiceintendedtoreachthespy’sears。“Ifyouareabletorecommendmeanypupils，Mr。Bashwood，yourgoodwordwillobligeme。Haveyoubeeninthegroundsto-day？”shewenton，droppinghervoiceagaininawhisper。“HasMr。Armadalebeennearthecottage？HasMissMilroybeenoutofthegarden？No？Areyousure？Lookoutforthemto-morrow，andnextday，andnextday。Theyarecertaintomeetandmakeitupagain，andImustandwillknowofit。Hush！Askmemytermsforteachingmusic。

Whatareyoufrightenedabout？It’smetheman’safter——notyou。

LouderthanwhenyouaskedmewhatIwasdoing，justnow;louder，orIwon’ttrustyouanymore;I’llgotosomebodyelse！“

OncemoreMr。Bashwoodobeyed。“Don’tbeangrywithme。”hemurmured，faintly，whenhehadspokenthenecessarywords。“Myheartbeatssoyou’llkillme！“

“Youpoorolddear！“shewhisperedback，withasuddenchangeinhermanner，withaneasysatiricaltenderness。“Whatbusinesshaveyouwithaheartatyourage？Behereto-morrowatthesametime，andtellmewhatyouhaveseeninthegrounds。Mytermsareonlyfiveshillingsalesson。”shewenton，inherloudertone。

“I’msurethat’snotmuch，Mr。Bashwood;Igivesuchlonglessons，andIgetallmypupils’musichalf-price。”Shesuddenlydroppedhervoiceagain，andlookedhimbrightlyintoinstantsubjection。“Don’tletMr。Armadaleoutofyoursightto-morrow！

Ifthatgirlmanagestospeaktohim，andifIdon’thearofit，I’llfrightenyoutodeath。IfI_do_hearofit，I’llkissyou！

Hush！Wishmegood-night，andgoontothetown，andleavemetogotheotherway。Idon’twantyou——I’mnotafraidofthemanbehindthehouses;Icandealwithhimbymyself。Saygoodnight，andI’llletyoushakehands。Sayitlouder，andI’llgiveyouoneofmyflowers，ifyou’llpromisenottofallinlovewithit。”Sheraisedhervoiceagain。“Goodnight，Mr。Bashwood！Don’tforgetmyterms。Fiveshillingsalesson，andthelessonslastanhouratatime，andIgetallmypupils’musichalf-price，whichisanimmenseadvantage，isn’tit？”Sheslippedaflowerintohishand——frownedhimintoobedience，andsmiledtorewardhimforobeying，atthesamemoment——liftedherdressagainabovetheimpuritiesoftheroad——andwentonherwaywithadaintyandindolentdeliberation，asacatgoesonherwaywhenshehasexhaustedtheenjoymentoffrighteningamouse。

Leftalone，Mr。Bashwoodturnedtothelowcottagewallnearwhichhehadbeenstanding，and，restinghimselfonitwearily，lookedattheflowerinhishand。

Hispastexistencehaddisciplinedhimtobeardisasterandinsult，asfewhappiermencouldhavebornethem;butithadnotpreparedhimtofeelthemaster-passionofhumanity，forthefirsttime，atthedrearyendofhislife，inthehopelessdecayofamanhoodthathadwitheredunderthedoubleblightofconjugaldisappointmentandparentalsorrow。“Oh，ifIwasonlyyoungagain！“murmuredthepoorwretch，restinghisarmsonthewallandtouchingtheflowerwithhisdry，feveredlipsinastealthyraptureoftenderness。“ShemighthavelikedmewhenI

wastwenty！“Hesuddenlystartedbackintoanerectposition，andstaredabouthiminvacantbewildermentandterror。“Shetoldmetogohome。”hesaid，withastartledlook。“WhyamIstoppinghere？”Heturned，andhurriedontothetown——insuchdreadofheranger，ifshelookedroundandsawhim，thatheneversomuchasventuredonabackwardglanceattheroadbywhichshehadretired，andneverdetectedthespydoggingherfootsteps，undercoveroftheemptyhousesandthebrick-heapsbytheroadside。

Smoothlyandgracefully，carefullypreservingthespecklessintegrityofherdress，neverhasteningherpace，andneverlookingasidetotherighthandortheleft，MissGwiltpursuedherwaytowardtheopencountry。Thesuburbanroadbranchedoffatitsendintwodirections。Ontheleft，thepathwoundthrougharaggedlittlecoppicetothegrazinggroundsofaneighboringfarm;ontheright，itledacrossahillockofwastelandtothehigh-road。Stoppingamomenttoconsider，butnotshowingthespythatshesuspectedhimbyglancingbehindherwhiletherewasahiding-placewithinhisreach，MissGwilttookthepathacrossthehillock。“I’llcatchhimthere。”shesaidtoherself，lookingupquietlyatthelongstraightlineoftheemptyhigh-road。

Onceonthegroundthatshehadchosenforherpurpose，shemetthedifficultiesofthepositionwithperfecttactandself-possession。Afterwalkingsomethirtyyardsalongtheroad，shelethernosegaydrop，halfturnedroundinstoopingtopickitup，sawthemanstoppingatthesamemomentbehindher，andinstantlywentonagain，quickeningherpacelittlebylittle，untilshewaswalkingatthetopofherspeed。Thespyfellintothesnarelaidforhim。Seeingthenightcoming，andfearingthathemightlosesightofherinthedarkness，herapidlylessenedthedistancebetweenthem。MissGwiltwentonfasterandfastertillsheplainlyheardhisfootstepbehindher，thenstopped，turned，andmetthemanfacetofacethenextmoment。

“MycomplimentstoMr。Armadale。”shesaid，“andtellhimI’vecaughtyouwatchingme。”

“I’mnotwatchingyou，miss。”retortedthespy，thrownoffhisguardbythedaringplainnessofthelanguageinwhichshehadspokentohim。

MissGwilt’seyesmeasuredhimcontemptuouslyfromheadtofoot。

Hewasaweakly，undersizedman。Shewasthetaller，and(quitepossibly)thestrongerofthetwo。

“Takeyourhatoff，youblackguard，whenyouspeaktoalady。”

shesaid，andtossedhishatinaninstant，acrossaditchbywhichtheywerestanding，intoapoolontheotherside。

Thistimethespywasonhisguard。HeknewaswellasMissGwiltknewtheusewhichmightbemadeofthepreciousminutes，ifheturnedhisbackonherandcrossedtheditchtorecoverhishat。

“It’swellforyouyou’reawoman。”hesaid，standingscowlingatherbareheadedinthefast-darkeninglight。

MissGwiltglancedsidelongdowntheonwardvistaoftheroad，andsaw，throughthegatheringobscurity，thesolitaryfigureofamanrapidlyadvancingtowardher。Somewomenwouldhavenoticedtheapproachofastrangeratthathourandinthatlonelyplacewithacertainanxiety。MissGwiltwastooconfidentinherownpowersofpersuasionnottocountontheman’sassistancebeforehand，whoeverhemightbe，_because_hewasaman。Shelookedbackatthespywithredoubledconfidenceinherself，andmeasuredhimcontemptuouslyfromheadtofootforthesecondtime。

“IwonderwhetherI’mstrongenoughtothrowyouafteryourhat？”

shesaid。“I’lltakeaturnandconsiderit。”

Shesaunteredonafewstepstowardthefigureadvancingalongtheroad。Thespyfollowedherclose。“Tryit。”hesaid，brutally。“You’reafinewoman;you’rewelcometoputyourarmsroundmeifyoulike。”Asthewordsescapedhim，hetoosawthestrangerforthefirsttime。Hedrewbackastepandwaited。MissGwilt，onherside，advancedastepandwaited，too。