第1章

AMISTWRAITH

Theautumnafternoonwasfadingintoevening。Ithadbeencloudyweather，butthecloudshadsoftenedandbrokenup。Nowtheywerelostinslowlydarkeningblue。Theseawasperfectlyandutterlystill。Itseemedtosleep，butinitssleepitstillwaxedwiththerisingtide。

Theeyecouldnotmarkitsslowincrease，butBeatrice，standinguponthefarthestpointoftheDogRocks，idlynotedthatthelongbrownweedswhichclungabouttheirsidesbegantoliftasthewatertooktheirweight，tillatlastthedelicatepatternfloatedoutandlaylikeawoman’shairuponthegreendepthofsea。Meanwhileamistwasgrowingdenseandsoftuponthequietwaters。Itwasnotblownupfromthewest，itsimplygrewlikethetwilight，makingthesilenceyetmoresilentandblottingawaytheoutlinesoftheland。Beatricegaveupstudyingtheseaweedandwatchedthegatheringofthesefleecyhosts。

“Whatacuriousevening。”shesaidaloudtoherself，speakinginalowfullvoice。“Ihavenotseenonelikeitsincemotherdied，andthatissevenyearsago。I’vegrownsincethen，growneveryway。”andshelaughedsomewhatsadly，andlookedatherownreflectioninthequietwater。

Shecouldnothavelookedatanythingmorecharming，foritwouldhavebeenhardtofindagirlofnoblermienthanBeatriceGrangerasonthishertwenty-secondbirthday，shestoodandgazedintothatmistysea。

Ofrathermorethanmiddleheight，andmodelledlikeastatue，strengthandhealthseemedtoradiatefromherform。Butitwasherfacewiththestampofintellectandpowershadowingitswoman’slovelinessthatmusthavemadeherremarkableamongwomenevenmorebeautifulthanherself。Therearemanygirlswhohaverichbrownhair，likesomeautumnleafhereandtherejustyellowingintogold，girlswhosedeepgreyeyescangrowtenderasadove’s，orflashlikethestirredwatersofanorthernsea，andwhosebloomcanbearcomparisonwiththewildingrose。ButfewcanshowafacelikethatwhichuponthisdayfirstdawnedonGeoffreyBinghamtohissorrowandhishope。

Itwasstrongandpureandsweetasthekeenseabreath，andlookingonitonemustknowthatbeneaththisfaircloaklayawitasfair。

Andyetitwasallwomanly;herewasnotthehardsexlessstampofthe“cultured“female。Shewhoowneditwascapableofmanythings。Shecouldloveandshecouldsuffer，andifneedbe，shecoulddareordie。Itwastobereaduponthatlovelybrowandface，andinthedepthsofthosegreyeyes——thatis，bythosetowhomthebookofcharacterisopen，andwhowishtostudyit。

ButBeatricewasnotthinkingofherlovelinessasshegazedintothewater。Sheknewthatshewasbeautifulofcourse;herbeautywastooobvioustobeoverlooked，andbesidesithadbeenbroughthometoherinseveralmoreorlessdisagreeableways。

“Sevenyears。”shewasthinking，“sincethenightofthe’deathfog;’

thatwaswhatoldEdwardcalledit，andsoitwas。Iwasonlysohighthen。”andfollowingherthoughtsshetouchedherselfuponthebreast。

“AndIwashappytooinmyownway。Whycan’tonealwaysbefifteen，andbelieveeverythingoneistold？”andshesighed。“Sevenyearsandnothingdoneyet。Work，work，andnothingcomingoutofthework，andeverythingfadingaway。Ithinkthatlifeisverydrearywhenonehaslosteverything，andfoundnothing，andlovesnobody。Iwonderwhatitwillbelikeinanothersevenyears。”

Shecoveredhereyeswithherhands，andthentakingthemaway，oncemorelookedatthewater。Suchlightasstruggledthroughthefogwasbehindher，andthemistwasthickening。Atfirstshehadsomedifficultyintracingherownlikenessupontheglassysurface，butgraduallyshemarkeditsoutline。Itstretchedawayfromher，anditsappearancewasasthoughsheherselfwerelyingonherbackinthewaterwrappedaboutwiththefleecymist。“Howcuriousitseems。”shethought;“whatisitthatreflectionremindsmeofwiththewhiteallroundit？”

Nextinstantshegavealittlecryandturnedsharplyaway。Sheknewnow。Itrecalledhermotherasshehadlastseenhersevenyearsago。

CHAPTERII

ATTHEBELLROCK

AmileormoreawayfromwhereBeatricestoodandsawvisions，andfurtherupthecoast-line，asecondgroupofrocks，knownfromtheircolourastheRedRocks，orsometimes，foranotherreason，astheBellRocks，jutsoutbetweenhalfandthree-quartersofamileintothewatersoftheWelshBaythatliesbehindRumballPoint。Atlowtidetheserocksarebare，sothatamanmaywalkorwadetotheirextremity，butwhenthefloodisfullonlyoneortwooftheverylargestcanfromtimetotimebeseenprojectingtheirweed-wreathedheadsthroughthewashoftheshore-boundwaves。Incertainsetsofthewindandtidethisisaterribleandmostdangerousspotinroughweather，asmorethanonevesselhavelearnttotheircost。Solongagoas1780athree-deckerman-of-warwentashorethereinafuriouswintergale，and，withoneexception，everylivingsoulonboardofher，tothenumberofsevenhundred，wasdrowned。Theoneexceptionwasamaninirons，whocamesafelyandserenelyashoreseateduponapieceofwreckage。Nobodyeverknewhowtheshipwreckhappened，leastofallthesurvivorinirons，butthetraditionoftheterrorofthesceneyetlivesinthedistrict，andthespotwherethebonesofthedrownedmenstillpeepgrimlythroughthesandisnotunnaturallysupposedtobehaunted。Eversincethiscatastrophealargebell(itwasoriginallythebelloftheill-fatedvesselitself，andstillbearshername，“H。M。S。Thunder。”stampeduponitsmetal)hasbeenfixeduponthehighestrock，andintimesofstormandathightidesendsitssolemnnoteofwarningboomingacrossthedeep。

Butthebellwasquietnow，andjustbeneathit，intheshadowoftherockwhereonitwasplaced，amanhalfhiddeninseaweed，withwhichheappearedtohavepurposelycoveredhimself，wasseateduponapieceofwreck。Inappearancehewasaveryfineman，big-shoulderedandbroadlimbed，andhisagemighthavebeenthirty-fiveoralittlemore。Ofhisframe，however，whatbetweenthemistandtheunpleasantlydampseaweedwithwhichhewaswreathed，notmuchwastobeseen。Butsuchlightastherewasfelluponhisfaceashepeeredeagerlyoverandroundtherock，andglinteddownthebarrelsofthedoubleten-boregunwhichheheldacrosshisknee。Itwasastrikingcountenance，withitsbrownisheyes，darkpeakedbeardandstrongfeatures，verypowerfulandveryable。Andyettherewasacertainsoftnessintheface，whichhoveredroundtheregionofthemouthlikelightattheedgeofadarkcloud，hintingatgentlesunshine。Butlittleofthiswasvisiblenow。GeoffreyBingham，barrister-at-lawoftheInnerTemple，M。A。，wasengagedwithaveryseriousoccupation。Hewastryingtoshootcurlewastheypassedoverhishiding-placeontheirwaytothemudbankswheretheyfeedfurtheralongthecoast。

Nowifthereisathingintheworldwhichcallsfortheexerciseofman’severyfacultyitiscurlewshootinginamist。Perhapshemaywaitforanhouroreventwohoursandseenothing，notevenanoyster-catcher。Thenatlastfrommilesawaycomesthefaintwildcallofcurlewonthewing。Hestrainshiseyes，thecallcomesnearer，butnothingcanhesee。Atlast，seventyyardsormoretotheright，hecatchessightoftheflickerofbeatingwings，and，likeaflash，theyaregone。Againacall——thecurlewareflighting。Helooksandlooks，inhisexcitementstrugglingtohisfeetandraisinghisheadincautiouslyfarabovetheshelteringrock。Theretheycome，agreatflockofthirtyormore，bearingstraightdownonhim，ahundredyardsoff——eighty——sixty——now。Upgoesthegun，butalasandalas！theycatchaglimpseofthelightglintingonthebarrels，andperhapsoftheheadbehindthem，andinanothersecondtheyhavebrokenandscatteredthiswayandthatway，twistingofflikeawispofgiganticsnipe，tovanishwithmelancholycriesintothedepthofmist。

Thisisbad，buttheardentsportsmansitsdownwithagroanandwaits，listeningtothesoftlapofthetide。Andthenatlastvirtueisrewarded。Firstofalltwowildduckcomeover，cleavingtheairlikearrows。Themallardismissed，buttheleftbarrelreachestheduck，anddownitcomeswithafullandsatisfyingthud。Hardlyhavethecartridgesbeenreplacedwhenthewildcryofthecurlewisoncemoreheard——quiteclosethistime。Theretheyare，loominglargeagainstthefog。Bang！downgoesthefirstandliesflappingamongtherocks。Likeaflashthesecondisawaytotheleft。Bang！afterhim，andcaughthimtoo！Harktothesplashashefallsintothedeepwaterfiftyyardsaway。Andthenthemistclosesinsodenselythatshootingisdonewithfortheday。Well，thatrightandlefthasbeenworththreehours’waitinthewetseaweedandtheviolentcoldthatmayfollow——thatis，toanymanwhohasasoulfortruesport。

JustsuchanexperienceasthishadbefallenGeoffreyBingham。Hehadbaggedhiswildduckandhisbraceofcurlew——thatis，hehadbaggedoneofthem，fortheotherwasfloatinginthesea——whenasuddenincreaseinthedensityofthemistputastoptofurtheroperations。

Heshookthewetseaweedoffhisroughclothes，and，havinglitashortbriarpipe，settoworktohuntfortheduckandthefirstcurfew。Hefoundthemeasilyenough，andthen，walkingtotheedgeoftherocks，upthesidesofwhichthetidewasgraduallycreeping，peeredintothemisttoseeifhecouldfindtheother。Presentlythefogliftedalittle，andhediscoveredthebirdfloatingontheoilywateraboutfiftyyardsaway。Alittletothelefttherocksranoutinapeak，andheknewfromexperiencethatthetidesettingtowardstheshorewouldcarrythecurlewpastthispeak。Sohewenttoitsextremity，satdownuponabigstoneandwaited。Allthiswhilethetidewasrisingfast，though，intentashewasuponbringingthecurlewtobag，hedidnotpaymuchheedtoit，forgettingthatitwascuttinghimofffromtheland。Atlast，aftermorethanhalf-an-hourofwaiting，hecaughtsightofthecurlewagain，but，asbadluckwouldhaveit，itwasstilltwentyyardsormorefromhimandindeepwater。Hewasdetermined，however，togetthebirdifhecould，forGeoffreyhatedleavinghisgame，sohepulleduphistrousersandsettoworktowadetowardsit。Forthefirstfewstepsallwentwell，butthefourthorfifthlandedhiminaholethatwethisrightlegnearlyuptothethighandgavehisankleaseveretwist。Reflectingthatitwouldbeveryawkwardifhesprainedhisankleinsuchalonelyplace，hebeataretreat，andbethoughthim，unlessthecurlewwastobecomefoodforthedog-fish，thathehadbetterstripbodilyandswimforit。This——forGeoffreywasamanofdeterminedmind——hedecidedtodo，andhadalreadytakenoffhiscoatandwaistcoattothatend，whensuddenlysomesortofaboat——hejudgedittobeacanoefromtheslightnessofitsshape——loomedupinthemistbeforehim。Anideastruckhim:thecanoeoritsoccupant，ifanybodycouldbeinsaneenoughtocomeoutcanoeinginsuchwater，mightfetchthecurlewandsavehimaswim。

“Hi！“heshoutedinstentoriantones。“Hullothere！“

“Yes。”answeredawoman’sgentlevoiceacrossthewaters。

“Oh。”hereplied，strugglingtogetintohiswaistcoatagain，forthevoicetoldhimthathewasdealingwithsomebefoggedlady，“I’msureIbegyourpardon，butwouldyoudomeafavour？Thereisadeadcurlewfloatingabout，nottenyardsfromyourboat。Ifyouwouldn’tmind——“

Awhitehandwasputforward，andthecanoeglidedontowardsthebird。Presentlythehandplungeddownwardsintothemistywatersandthecurlewwasbagged。Then，whileGeoffreywasstillstrugglingwithhiswaistcoat，thecanoespedtowardshimlikeadreamboat，andinanothermomentitwasbeneathhisrock，andasweetdimfacewaslookingupintohisown。

Nowletusgobackalittle(alas！thattheprivilegeshouldbepeculiartotherecorderofthingsdone)，andseehowitcameaboutthatBeatriceGrangerwaspresenttoretrieveGeoffreyBingham’sdeadcurlew。

Immediatelyaftertheunpleasantidearecordedinthelast，or，tobemoreaccurate，inthefirstchapterofthiscomedy，hadimpresseditselfuponBeatrice’smind，shecametotheconclusionthatshehadseenenoughoftheDogRocksforoneafternoon。Thereon，likeasensibleperson，shesetherselftoquittheminthesamewaythatshehadreachedthem，namelybymeansofacanoe。Shegotintohercanoesafelyenough，andpaddledalittlewayouttosea，withaviewofreturningtotheplacewhenceshecame。Butthefurthershewentout，anditwasnecessarythatsheshouldgosomewayonaccountoftherocksandthecurrents，thedensergrewthefog。Soundscamethroughitindeed，butshecouldnotclearlydistinguishwhencetheycame，tillatlast，wellassheknewthecoast，shegrewconfusedastowhithershewasheading。Inthisdilemma，whilesherestedonherpaddlestaringintothedensesurroundingmistandkeepinghergreyeyesaswideopenasnaturewouldallow，andthatwasverywide，sheheardthereportofagunbehindhertotheright。Arguingtoherselfthatsomewild-fowleronthewatermusthavefireditwhowouldbeabletodirecther，sheturnedthecanoeroundandpaddledswiftlyinthedirectionwhencethesoundcame。Presentlysheheardthegunagain;bothbarrelswerefired，intheretotheright，butsomewayoff。Shepaddledonvigorously，butnownomoreshotscametoguideher，thereforeforawhilehersearchwasfruitless。Atlast，however，shesawsomethingloomingthroughthemistahead;itwastheRedRocks，thoughshedidnotknowit，andshedrewnearwithcautiontillGeoffrey’sshoutbrokeuponherears。

Shepickedupthedeadbirdandpaddledtowardsthedimfigurewhowasevidentlywrestlingwithsomething，shecouldnotseewhat。

“Hereisthecurlew，sir。”shesaid。

“Oh，thankyou。”answeredthefigureontherock。“Iaminfinitelyobligedtoyou。Iwasjustgoingtoswimforit，Ican’tbearlosingmygame。Itseemssocrueltoshootbirdsfornothing。”

“Idaresaythatyouwillnotmakemuchuseofitnowthatyouhavegotit。”saidthegentlevoiceinthecanoe。“Curlewarenotverygoodeating。”

“Thatisscarcelythepoint。”repliedtheCrusoeontherock。“Thepointistobringthemhome。/Aprèscela——/“

“Thebirdstuffer？”saidthevoice。

“No。”answeredCrusoe，“thecook——“

Alaughcamebackfromthecanoe——andthenaquestion。

“Pray，Mr。Bingham，canyoutellmewhereIam？Ihavequitelostmyreckoninginthemist。”

Hestarted。Howdidthismysteriousyoungladyinaboatknowhisname？

“YouareattheRedRocks;thereisthebell，thatgreything，Miss——

Miss——“

“BeatriceGranger。”sheputinhastily。“MyfatheristheclergymanofBryngelly。IsawyouwhenyouandLadyHonoriaBinghamlookedintotheschoolyesterday。Iteachintheschool。”Shedidnottellhim，however，thathisfacehadinterestedhersomuchthatshehadaskedhisname。

Againhestarted。Hehadheardofthisyounglady。SomebodyhadtoldhimthatshewastheprettiestgirlinWales，andthecleverest，butthatherfatherwasnotagentleman。

“Oh。”hesaid，takingoffhishatinthedirectionofthecanoe。

“Isn’titalittlerisky，MissGranger，foryoutobecanoeingaloneinthismist？”

“Yes。”sheansweredfrankly，“butIamusedtoit;Igooutcanoeinginallpossibleweathers。Itismyamusement，andafteralltheriskdoesnotmattermuch。”sheadded，moretoherselfthantohim。

Whilehewaswonderingwhatshemeantbythatdarksaying，shewentonquickly:

“Doyouknow，Mr。Bingham，IthinkthatyouareinmoredangerthanI

am。Itmustbegettingnearseveno’clock，andthetideishighataquartertoeight。UnlessIammistakenthereisbynownearlyhalfamileofdeepwaterbetweenyouandtheshore。”

“Myword！“hesaid。“Iforgotallaboutthetide。Whatbetweentheshootingandlookingforthatcurlew，andthemist，itneveroccurredtomethatitwasgettinglate。IsupposeImustswimforit，thatisall。”

“No，no。”sheansweredearnestly，“itisverydangerousswimminghere;

theplaceisfullofsharprocks，andthereisatremendouscurrent。”

“Well，then，whatistobedone？Willyourcanoecarrytwo？Ifso，perhapsyouwouldkindlyputmeashore？”

“Yes。”shesaid，“itisadoublecanoe。ButIdarenottakeyouashorehere;therearetoomanyrocks，anditisimpossibletoseetherippleontheminthismist。Weshouldsinkthecanoe。No，youmustgetinandImustpaddleyouhometoBryngelly，that’sall。NowthatIknowwhereIamIthinkthatIcanfindtheway。”

“Really。”hesaid，“youareverygood。”

“Notatall。”sheanswered，“youseeImustgomyselfanyhow，soI

shallbegladofyourhelp。Itisnearlyfivemilesbywater，youknow，andnotapleasantnight。”

Therewastruthinthis。Geoffreywasperfectlypreparedtoriskaswimtotheshoreonhisownaccount，buthedidnotatallliketheideaofleavingthisyoungladytofindherownwaybacktoBryngellythroughthemistandgatheringdarkness，andinthatfrailcanoe。Hewouldnothavelikeditifshehadbeenaman，forheknewthattherewasgreatriskinsuchavoyage。Soaftermakingonemorefruitlesssuggestionthattheyshouldtryandreachtheshore，takingthechanceofrocks，sunkenorotherwise，andthenwalkhome，towhichBeatricewouldnotconsent，heacceptedheroffer。

“Attheleastyouwillallowmetopaddle。”hesaid，assheskilfullybroughtthecanoerightunderhisrock，whichthetidewasnowhighenoughtoallowhertodo。

“Ifyoulike。”sheanswereddoubtfully。“Myhandsarealittlesore，and，ofcourse。”withaglanceathisbroadshoulders，“youaremuchstronger。ButifyouarenotusedtoitIdaresaythatIshouldgetonaswellasyou。”

“Nonsense。”hesaidsharply。“Iwillnotallowyoutopaddlemeforfivemiles。”

Sheyieldedwithoutanotherword，andverygingerlyshiftedherseatsothatherbackwastowardsthebowofthecanoe，leavinghimtooccupythepaddlingplaceoppositetoher。

Thenhehandedherhisgun，which，togetherwiththedeadbirds，shecarefullystowedinthebottomofthefrailcraft。Next，withgreatcaution，hesliddowntherocktillhisfeetrestedinthecanoe。

“Becarefuloryouwillupsetus。”shesaid，leaningforwardandstretchingoutherhandforhimtosupporthimselfby。

Thenitwas，ashetookit，thatheforthefirsttimereallysawherface，withthemistdropshangingtothebenteyelashes，andknewhowbeautifulitwas。

CHAPTERIII

ACONFESSIONOFFAITH

“Areyouready？”hesaid，recoveringhimselffromthepleasingshockofthisserge-drapedvisionofthemist。

“Yes。”saidBeatrice。“Youmustheadstraightouttoseaforalittle——nottoofar，forifwegetbeyondtheshelterofRumballPointwemightfounderintherollers——therearealwaysrollersthere——thensteertotheleft。Iwilltellyouwhen。And，Mr。Bingham，pleasebecarefulofthepaddle;ithasbeenspliced，andwon’tbearroughusage。”

“Allright。”heanswered，andtheystartedgailyenough，thelightcanoeglidingswiftlyforwardbeneathhissturdystrokes。

Beatricewasleaningbackwithherheadbentalittleforward，sothathecouldonlyseeherchinandthesweetcurveofthelipsaboveit。

Butshecouldseeallhisfaceasitswayedtowardsherwitheachmotionofthepaddle，andshewatcheditwithinterest。Itwasanewtypeoffacetoher，sostrongandmanly，andyetsogentleaboutthemouth——almosttoogentleshethought。WhatmadehimmarryLadyHonoria？Beatricewondered;shedidnotlookparticularlygentle，thoughshewassuchagracefulwoman。

Andthustheywentonforsometime，eachwonderingabouttheotherandatheartadmiringtheother，whichwasnotstrange，fortheywereaveryproperpair，butsayingnowordtillatlast，afteraboutaquarterofanhour’shardpaddling，Geoffreypausedtorest。

“Doyoudomuchofthiskindofthing，MissGranger？”hesaidwithagasp，“becauseitisratherhardwork。”

Shelaughed。“Ah。”shesaid，“Ithoughtyouwouldscarcelygoonpaddlingatthatrate。Yes，Icanoeagreatdealinthesummertime。

Itismywayoftakingexercise，andIcanswimwell，soIamnotafraidofanupset。Atleastithasbeenmywayforthelasttwoyearssincealadywhowasstayingheregavemethecanoewhenshewentaway。BeforethatIusedtorowinaboat——thatis，beforeIwenttocollege。”

“College？Whatcollege？Girton？”

“Oh，no，nothinghalfsogrand。ItwasacollegewhereyougetcertificatesthatyouarequalifiedtobeamistressinaBoardschool。IwishithadbeenGirton。”

“Doyou？”——youaretoogoodforthat，hewasgoingtoadd，butchangeditto——“Ithinkyouwereaswellaway。Idon’tcareabouttheGirtonstamp;thoseofthemwhomIhaveknownaresohard。”

“Somuchthebetterforthem。”sheanswered。“Ishouldliketobehardasastone;astonecannotfeel。Don’tyouthinkthatwomenoughttolearn，then？”

“Doyou？”heasked。

“Yes，certainly。”

“Haveyoulearntanything？”

“Ihavetaughtmyselfalittleandpickedupsomethingatthecollege。

ButIhavenorealknowledge，onlyasmatteringofthings。”

“Whatdoyouknow——FrenchandGerman？”

“Yes。”

“Latin？”

“Yes，Iknowsomethingofit。”

“Greek？”

“Icanreaditfairly，butIamnotaGreekscholar。”

“Mathematics？”

“No，Igavethemup。Thereisnohumannatureaboutmathematics。Theyworkeverythingtoafixedconclusionthatmustresult。Lifeisnotlikethat;whatoughttobeasquarecomesoutarightangle，and/x/

alwaysequalsanunknownquantity，whichisneverascertainedtillyouaredead。”

“Goodgracious！“thoughtGeoffreytohimselfbetweenthestrokesofthepaddle，“whatanextraordinarygirl。Aflesh-and-bloodblue-

stocking，andalovelyoneintothebargain。AtanyrateIwillbowlheroutthistime。”

“Perhapsyouhavereadlawtoo？”hesaidwithsuppressedsarcasm。

“Ihavereadsome。”sheansweredcalmly。“Ilikelaw，especiallyEquitylaw;itissosubtle，andthereissuchamassofitbuiltuponsuchasmallfoundation。Itislikeanovergrownmushroom，andthetopwillfalloffoneday，howeverhardthelawyerstrytopropitup。

Perhapsyoucantellme——“

“No，I’msureIcannot。”heanswered。“I’mnotaChanceryman。IamCommonlaw，and/I/don’ttakeallknowledgefor/my/province。Youpositivelyalarmme，MissGranger。Iwonderthatthecanoedoesnotsinkbeneathsomuchlearning。”

“DoI？”sheansweredsweetly。“IamgladthatIhavelivedtofrightensomebody。ImeantthatIlikeEquitytostudy;butifIwereabarrister，IwouldbeCommonlaw，becausethereissomuchmorelifeandstruggleaboutit。Existenceisnotworthhavingunlessoneisstrugglingwithsomethingandtryingtoovercomeit。”

“Dearme，whatareposefulprospect。”saidGeoffrey，aghast。Hehadcertainlynevermetsuchawomanasthisbefore。

“Reposeisonlygoodwhenitisearned。”wentonthefairphilosopher，“andinordertofitonetoearnsomemore，otherwiseitbecomesidleness，andthatismisery。Fancybeingidlewhenonehassuchalittletimetolive。Theonlythingtodoistoworkandstiflethought。Isupposethatyouhavealargepractice，Mr。Bingham？”

“Youshouldnotaskabarristerthatquestion。”heanswered，laughing;

“itislikelookingatthepictureswhichanartisthasturnedtothewall。No，tobefrank，Ihavenot。Ihaveonlytakentopractisinginearnestduringthelasttwoyears。BeforeIwasabarristerinname，andthatisall。”

“Thenwhydidyousuddenlybegintowork？”

“BecauseIlostmyprospects，MissGranger——fromnecessity，inshort。”

“Oh，Ibegyourpardon！“shesaid，withablush，whichofcoursehecouldnotsee。“Ididnotmeantoberude。Butitisveryluckyforyou，isitnot？”

“Indeed！Somepeopledon’tthinkso。Whyisitlucky？”

“Becauseyouwillnowriseandbecomeagreatman，andthatismorethanbeingarichman。”

“AndwhydoyouthinkthatIshallbecomeagreatman？”heasked，stoppingpaddlinginhisastonishmentandlookingatthedimformbeforehim。

“Oh！becauseitiswrittenonyourface。”sheansweredsimply。

Herwordsrangtrue;therewasnoflatteryorartificeinthem。

Geoffreyfeltthatthegirlwassayingjustwhatshethought。

“Soyoustudyphysiognomyaswell。”hesaid。“Well，MissGranger，itisratherodd，consideringallthings，butIwillsaytoyouwhatI

haveneversaidtoanyonebefore。Ibelievethatyouareright。I

shallrise。IfIliveIfeelthatIhaveitinme。”

AtthispointitpossiblyoccurredtoBeatricethat，consideringtheexceedingbrevityoftheiracquaintance，theyweredriftingintosomewhatconfidentialconversation。Atanyrate，shequicklychangedthetopic。

“Iamafraidyouaregrowingtired。”shesaid;“butwemustbegettingon。Itwillsoonbequitedarkandwehavestillalongwaytogo。

Lookthere。”andshepointedseaward。

Helooked。Thewholebankofmistwasbreakingupandbearingdownontheminenormousbillowsofvapour。Presently，thesewererollingoverthem，sodarkeningtheheavyairthat，thoughthepairwerewithinfourfeetofeachother，theycouldscarcelyseeoneanother’sfaces。

Asyettheyfeltnowind。Thedenseweightofmistchokedthekeen，impellingair。

“Ithinktheweatherisbreaking;wearegoingtohaveastorm。”saidBeatrice，alittleanxiously。

Scarcelywerethewordsoutofhermouthwhenthemistpassedawayfromthem，andfromalltheseawardexpanseofocean。Notawrackofitwasleft，andinitsplacethestrongsea-breathbeatupontheirfaces。Farinthewesttheangrydiscofthesunwassinkingintothefoam。Agreatredrayshotfromitsbentedgeandlayupontheawakenedwaters，likeapathoffire。TheominouslightfellfulluponthelittleboatandfulluponBeatrice’slips。Thenitpassedonandlostitselfinthedeepmistswhichstillswathedthecoast。

“Oh，howbeautifulitis！“shecried，raisingherselfandpointingtothegloryofthedyingsun。

“Itisbeautifulindeed！“heanswered，buthelooked，notatthesunset，butatthewoman’sfacebeforehim，glowinglikeasaint’sinitsgoldenaureole。Forthisalsowasmostbeautiful——sobeautifulthatitstirredhimstrangely。

“Itislike——“shebegan，andbrokeoffsuddenly。

“Whatisitlike？”heasked。

“Itislikefindingtruthatlast。”sheanswered，speakingasmuchtoherselfastohim。“Why，onemightmakeanallegoryoutofit。Wewanderinmistanddarknessshapingavaguecourseforhome。Andthensuddenlythemistsareblownaway，gloryfillstheair，andthereisnomoredoubt，onlybeforeusisasplendourmakingallthingsclearandlightingusoveradeathlesssea。Itsoundsrathertoogrand。”sheadded，withacharminglittlelaugh;“butthereissomethinginitsomewhere，ifonlyIcouldexpressmyself。Oh，look！“

Asshespokeaheavystorm-cloudrolledoverthevanishingrimofthesun。Foramomentthelightstruggledwiththeeclipsingcloud，turningitsdulledgetothehueofcopper，butthecloudwastoostrongandthelightvanished，leavingtheseaindarkness。

“Well。”hesaid，“yourallegorywouldhaveadismalendifyouworkeditout。Itisgettingasdarkaspitch，andthere’sagooddealin/that/，ifonly/I/couldexpressmyself。”

Beatricedroppedpoetry，andcamedowntofactsinawaythatwasverycommendable。

“Thereisasquallcomingup，Mr。Bingham。”shesaid;“youmustpaddleashardasyoucan。IdonotthinkwearemorethantwomilesfromBryngelly，andifweareluckywemaygettherebeforetheweatherbreaks。”

“Yes，/if/wearelucky。”hesaidgrimly，ashebenthimselftothework。“Butthequestioniswheretopaddleto——it’ssodark。Hadnotwebetterrunfortheshore？”

“Weareinthemiddleofthebaynow。”sheanswered，“andalmostasfarfromthenearestlandaswearefromBryngelly，besidesitisallrocks。No，youmustgostraighton。YouwillseethePoiselightbeyondCoedpresently。YouknowCoedisfourmilesontheothersideofBryngelly，sowhenyouseeitheadtotheleft。”

Heobeyedher，andtheyneitherofthemspokeanymoreforsometime。

Indeedtherisingwindmadeconversationdifficult，andsofarasGeoffreywasconcernedhehadlittlebreathlefttospareforwords。

Hewasastrongman，buttheunaccustomedlabourwasbeginningtotellonhim，andhishandswereblistering。Fortenminutesorsohepaddledonthroughadarknesswhichwasnowalmosttotal，wonderingwhereonearthhewaswending，foritwasquiteimpossibletosee。Forallheknewtothecontrary，hemightbecirclingroundandround。Hehadonlyonethingtodirecthim，thesweepofthecontinuallyrisingwindandthewashofthegatheringwaves。Solongasthesestruckthecanoe，whichnowbegantorollominously，onthestarboardside，hemust，hethought，bekeepingarightcourse。Butintheturmoiloftherisinggaleandtheconfusionofthenight，thiswasnoverysatisfactoryguide。Atlength，however，abroadandbrilliantflashsprungoutacrossthesea，almoststraightaheadofhim。ItwasthePoiselight。

Healteredhiscoursealittleandpaddledsteadilyon。Andnowthesquallwasbreaking。Fortunately，itwasnotaveryheavyone，ortheirfrailcraftmusthavesunkandtheywithit。Butitwasquiteseriousenoughtoputthemingreatdanger。Thecanoerosetothewaveslikeafeather，butshewasbroadsideon，andriseasshewouldtheybegantoshipalittlewater。Andtheyhadnotseentheworstofit。Theweatherwasstillthickening。

Stillheheldon，thoughhisheartsankwithinhim，whileBeatricesaidnothing。Presentlyabigwavecame;hecouldjustseeitswhitecrestgleamingthroughthegloom，thenitwasonthem。Thecanoerosetoitgallantly;itseemedtocurlrightoverher，makingthecraftrolltillGeoffreythoughtthattheendhadcome。Butsherodeitout，not，however，withoutshippingmorethanabucketofwater。Withoutsayingaword，Beatricetooktheclothcapfromherheadand，leaningforward，begantobaleasbestshecould，andthatwasnotverywell。

“Thiswillnotdo。”hecalled。“Imustkeepherheadtotheseaorweshallbeswamped。”

“Yes。”sheanswered，“keepherheadup。Weareingreatdanger。”

Heglancedtohisright;anotherwhiteseawasheavingdownonhim;hecouldjustseeitsglitteringcrest。Withallhisforcehedugthepaddleintothewater;thecanoeansweredtoit;shecameroundjustintimetorideoutthewavewithsafety，butthepaddle/snapped/。Itwasalreadysprung，andtheweightheputuponitwasmorethanitcouldbear。Rightintwoitbroke，somenineinchesabovethatbladewhichatthemomentwasburiedinthewater。Hefeltitgo，anddespairtookholdofhim。

“Greatheavens！“hecried，“thepaddleisbroken。”

Beatricegasped。

“Youmustusetheotherblade。”shesaid;“paddlefirstonesideandthenontheother，andkeepherheadon。”

“Tillwesink。”heanswered。

“No，tillwearesaved——nevertalkofsinking。”

Thegirl’scourageshamedhim，andheobeyedherinstructionsasbesthecould。Bydintofcontinuallyshiftingwhatremainedofthepaddlefromonesideofthecanoetotheother，hedidmanagetokeepherheadontothewavesthatwerenowrollinginapace。Butintheirheartstheybothwonderedhowlongthiswouldlast。

“Haveyougotanycartridges？”sheaskedpresently。

“Yes，inmycoatpocket。”heanswered。

“Givemetwo，ifyoucanmanageit。”shesaid。

Inanintervalbetweenthecomingoftwoseashecontrivedtosliphishandintoapocketandtransferthecartridges。Apparentlysheknewsomethingoftheworkingofagun，forpresentlytherewasaflashandareport，quicklyfollowedbyanother。

“Givemesomemorecartridges。”shecried。Hedidso，butnothingfollowed。

“Itisnouse。”shesaidatlength，“thecartridgesarewet。Icannotgettheemptycasesout。Butperhapstheymayhaveseenorheardthem。

OldEdwardissuretobewatchingforme。Youhadbetterthrowtherestintotheseaifyoucanmanageit。”sheaddedbywayofanafterthought;“wemayhavetoswimpresently。”

ToGeoffreythisseemedveryprobable，andwheneverhegotachanceheactedonthehinttillatlengthhewasridofallhiscartridges。

Justthenitbegantorainintorrents。Thoughitwasnotwarmtheperspirationwasstreamingfromhimateverypore，andtherainbeatingonhisfacerefreshedhimsomewhat;alsowiththerainthewinddroppedalittle。

Buthewasbecomingtiredoutandheknewit。Soonhewouldnolongerbeabletokeepthecanoestraight，andthentheymustbeswamped，andinallhumanprobabilitydrowned。Sothiswastobetheendofhislifeanditsambitions。Beforeanotherhourhadrunitscourse，hewouldberollingtoandfrointhearmsofthatangrysea。WhatwouldhiswifeHonoriasaywhensheheardthenews，hewondered？Perhapsitwouldshockherintosomeshowoffeeling。AndEffie，hisdearlittlesix-year-olddaughter？Well，thankGod，shewastooyoungtofeelhislossforlong。Bythetimethatshewasawomanshewouldalmosthaveforgottenthatsheeverhadafather。Buthowwouldshegetonwithouthimtoguideher？Hermotherdidnotlovechildren，andagrowinggirlwouldcontinuallyremindherofhergrowingyears。Hecouldnottell;

hecouldonlyhopeforthebest。

Andforhimself！Whatwouldbecomeofhimaftertheshortsharpstruggleforlife？Shouldhefindendlesssleep，orwhat？HewasaChristian，andhislifehadnotbeenworsethanthatofothermen。

Indeed，thoughhewouldhavebeenthelasttothinkit，hehadsomeredeemingvirtues。Butnowattheendthespiritualhorizonwasasdarkasithadbeenatthebeginning。TherebeforehimweretheGatesofDeath，butnotyetwouldtheyrollasideandshowthetravellerwhatlaybeyondtheirfrowningface。Howcouldhetell？Perhapstheywouldnotopenatall。Perhapshenowbadehislastfarewelltoconsciousness，toearthandskyandseaandloveandalllovelythings。Well，thatmightbebetterthansomeprospects。AtthatmomentGeoffreyBingham，inthelastagonyofdoubt，wouldgladlyhaveexchangedhishopesoflifebeyondforacertaintyofeternalsleep。

Thatfaithwhichenablessomeofustotreadthisawfulwaywithanutterconfidenceisnotawideprerogative，and，asyet，atanyrate，itwasnothis，thoughthetimemightcomewhenhewouldattainit。

Therearenotverymany，evenamongthosewithoutreproach，whocanlaythemdowninthearmsofDeath，knowingmostcertainlythatwhentheveilisrentawaythecountenancethattheyshallseewillbethatoftheblessedGuardianofMankind。Alas！hecouldnotbealtogethersure，andwheredoubtexists，hopeisbutapin-prickedbladder。Hesighedheavily，murmuredalittleformulaofprayerthathadbeenonhislipsmostnightsduringthirtyyears——hehadlearntitasachildathismother’sknee——andthen，whilethetempestroaredaroundhim，gathereduphisstrengthtomeettheendwhichseemedinevitable。Atanyratehewoulddielikeaman。

Thencameareaction。Hisvitalforcesroseagain。Henolongerfeltfearful，heonlywonderedwithastrangeimpersonalwonder，asamanwondersaboutthevitalaffairsofanother。Thenfromwonderingabouthimselfhebegantowonderaboutthegirlwhosatoppositetohim。

Withtheraincamealittlelightning，andbythefirstflashhesawherclearly。Herbeautifulfacewasset，andasshebentforwardsearchingthedarknesswithherwideeyes，itwore，hethought，analmostdefiantair。

Thecanoetwistedroundsomewhat。Hedughisbrokenpaddleintothewaterandoncemorebroughtherheadontothesea。Thenhespoke。

“Areyouafraid？”heaskedofBeatrice。

“No。”sheanswered，“Iamnotafraid。”

“Doyouknowthatweshallprobablybedrowned？”

“Yes，Iknowit。Theysaythedeathiseasy。Ibroughtyouhere。

Forgivemethat。Ishouldhavetriedtorowyouashoreasyousaid。”

“Nevermindme;amanmustmeethisfatesomeday。Donotthinkofme。

ButIcan’tkeepherheadonmuchlonger。Youhadbettersayyourprayers。”

Beatricebentforwardtillherheadwasquitenearhisown。Thewindhadblownsomeofherhairloose，andthoughhedidnotseemtonoticeitatthetime，herememberedafterwardsthatalockofitstruckhimontheface。

“Icannotpray。”shesaid;“Ihavenothingtoprayto。IamnotaChristian。”

Thewordsstruckhimlikeablow。Itseemedsoawfultothinkofthisproudandbrilliantwoman，nowbalancedonthevergeofwhatshebelievedtobeutterannihilation。Eventhecouragethatinducedheratsuchamomenttoconfessherhopelessstateseemedawful。

“Try。”hesaidwithagasp。

“No。”sheanswered，“Idonotfeartodie。Deathcannotbeworsethanlifeisformostofus。Ihavenotprayedforyears，notsince——well，nevermind。Iamnotacoward。ItwouldbecowardlytopraynowbecauseImaybewrong。IfthereisaGodwhoknowsall，Hewillunderstandthat。”

Geoffreysaidnomore，butlabouredatthebrokenpaddlegallantlyandwithanever-failingstrength。Thelightninghadpassedawayandthedarknesswasverygreat，forthehurryingcloudshidthestarlight。

Presentlyasoundaroseabovetheturmoilofthestorm，acrashingthunderoussoundtowardswhichthesendoftheseagraduallyborethem。ThesoundcamefromthewavesthatbeatupontheBryngellyreef。

“Wherearewedriftingto？”hecried。

“Intothebreakers，whereweshallbelost。”sheansweredcalmly。

“Giveuppaddling，itisofnouse，andtrytotakeoffyourcoat。I

haveloosenedmyskirt。Perhapswecanswimashore。”

Hethoughttohimselfthatinthedarkandbreakerssuchaneventwasnotprobable，buthesaidnothing，andaddressedhimselftothetaskofgettingridofhiscoatandwaistcoat——noeasyoneinthatconfinedspace。Meanwhilethecanoewaswhirlingroundandroundlikeawalnutshelluponafloodedgutter。Forsomedistancebeforethewavesbrokeuponthereefandrockstheysweptintowardsthemwithasteadyfoamlessswell。Onreachingtheshallows，however，theypushedtheirwhiteshouldershighintotheair，curvedupandfellinthunderonthereef。

Thecanoerodetowardsthebreakers，suckeduponitscoursebyaswellingsea。

“Good-bye。”calledGeoffreytoBeatrice，asstretchingouthiswethandhefoundherownandtookit，forcompanionshipmakesdeathalittleeasier。

“Good-bye。”shecried，clingingtohishand。“Oh，whydidIbringyouintothis？”

Forintheirlastextremitythiswomanthoughtratherofhercompanioninperilthanofherself。

Onemoreturn，thensuddenlythecanoebeneaththemwasliftedlikeastrawandtossedhighintotheair。Amightymassofwaterboiledupbeneathitandaroundit。Thenthefoamrushedin，andvaguelyGeoffreyknewthattheywerewrappedinthecurveofabillow。

Aswiftandmightyrushofwater。Crash！——andhissenseslefthim。

CHAPTERIV

THEWATCHERATTHEDOOR

Thiswaswhathadhappened。Justaboutthecentreofthereefisalargeflat-toppedrock——itmaybetwentyfeetinthesquare——knowntotheBryngellyfishermenasTableRock。Inordinaryweather，evenathightide，thewatersscarcelycoverthisrock，butwhenthereisanyseatheywashoveritwithgreatviolence。OntothisrockGeoffreyandBeatricehadbeenhurledbythebreaker。Fortunatelyforthemitwasthicklyovergrownwithseaweed，whichtosomeslightextentbroketheviolenceoftheirfall。Asitchanced，Geoffreywasknockedsenselessbytheshock;butBeatrice，whosehandhestillheld，fellontohimand，withtheexceptionofafewbruisesandashake，escapedunhurt。

Shestruggledtoherknees，gasping。Thewaterhadrunofftherock，andhercompanionlayquietatherside。Sheputdownherfaceandcalledintohisear，butnoanswercame，andthensheknewthathewaseitherdeadorsenseless。

AtthissecondBeatricecaughtaglimpseofsomethingwhitegleaminginthedarkness。Instinctivelysheflungherselfuponherface，grippingthelongtoughseaweedwithonehand。Theothershepassedroundthebodyofthehelplessmanbesideher，straininghimwithallherstrengthagainstherside。

Thencameawildlongrushoffoam。Thewaterliftedherfromtherock，buttheseaweedheld，andwhenatlengththeseahadgoneboilingby，BeatricefoundherselfandthesenselessformofGeoffreyoncemorelyingsidebyside。Shewashalfchoked。Desperatelyshestruggledupandround，lookingshorewardthroughthedarkness。

Heavens！there，notahundredyardsaway，alightshoneuponthewaters。Itwasaboat’slight，foritmovedupanddown。Shefilledherlungswithairandsentonelongcryforhelpringingacrossthesea。Amomentpassedandshethoughtthatsheheardananswer，butbecauseofthewindandtheroarofthebreakersshecouldnotbesure。Thensheturnedandglancedseaward。Againthefoamingterrorwasrushingdownuponthem;againsheflungherselfupontherockandgraspingtheslipperyseaweedtwinedherleftarmaboutthehelplessGeoffrey。

Itwasonthem。

Oh，horror！EvenintheturmoiloftheboilingwatersBeatricefelttheseaweedgive。Nowtheywerebeingsweptalongwiththerushingwave，andDeathdrewverynear。ButstillsheclungtoGeoffrey。Oncemoretheairtouchedherface。Shehadrisentothesurfaceandwasfloatingonthestormywater。Thewavehadpassed。LoosingherholdofGeoffreysheslippedherhandupwards，andashebegantosinkclutchedhimbythehair。Thentreadingwaterwithherfeet，forhappilyforthembothshewasasgoodaswimmerascouldbefounduponthatcoast，shemanagedtoopenhereyes。There，notsixtyyardsaway，wastheboat’slight。Oh，ifonlyshecouldreachit。Shespatthesaltwaterfromhermouthandoncemorecriedaloud。Thelightseemedtomoveon。

Thenanotherwaverolledforwardandoncemoreshewaspusheddownintothecrueldepths，forwiththatdeadweighthangingtohershecouldnotkeepabovethem。Itflashedintohermindthatifshelethimgoshemightevennowsaveherself，buteveninthatlastterrorthisBeatricewouldnotdo。Ifhewent，shewouldgowithhim。

Itwouldhavebeenbetterifshehadlethimgo。

Downshewent——down，down！“Iwillholdhim。”Beatricesaidinherheart;“IwillholdhimtillIdie。”Thencamewavesoflightandasoundasofwindwhisperingthroughthetrees，and——allgrewdark。

*****

“Itellyeritain’tnogood，Eddard。”shoutedamanintheboattoanoldsailorwhowasleaningforwardinthebowspeeringintothedarkness。“WeshallberightontotheTableRocksinaminuteandalldrowntogether。Putabout，mate——putabout。”

“Damnyer。”screamedtheoldman，turningsothatthelightfromthelanternfellonhisfurrowed，fiercelyanxiousfaceandlongwhitehairstreaminginthewind。“Damnyer，yecowards。ItellsyerIheardhervoice——Iheardittwicescreamingforhelp。Ifyouputtheboatabout，byGoadwhenIgetashoreI’llkillyer，yelubbers——oldmanasIamI’llkillyer，ifIswingforit！“

Thisdeterminedsentimentproducedamarkedeffectupontheboat’screw;therewereeightofthemaltogether。Theydidnotputtheboatabout，theyonlylayupontheiroarsandkeptherheadtotheseas。

Theoldmaninthebowpeeredoutintothegloom。Hewasshaking，notwithcoldbutwithagitation。

Presentlyheturnedhisheadwithayell。

“Giveway——giveway！there’ssomethingonthewave。”

Themenobeyedwithawill。

“Back。”heroaredagain——“backwater！“

Theybacked，andtheboatanswered，butnothingwastobeseen。

“She’sgone！Oh，Goad，she’sgone！“groanedtheoldman。“Youmayputaboutnow，lads，andtheLord’swillbedone。”

Thelightfromthelanternfellinalittleringupontheseethingwater。Suddenlysomethingwhiteappearedinthecentreofthisilluminatedring。Edwardstaredatit。Itwasfloatingupwards。Itvanished——itappearedagain。Itwasawoman’sface。Withayellheplungedhisarmsintothesea。

“Ihaveher——lendanhand，lads。”

Anothermanscrambledforwardandtogethertheyclutchedtheobjectinthewater。

“Lookout，don’tpullsohard，youfool。Blowmeifthereain’tanotherandshe’sgothimbythehair。So，/steady，steady！/“

AlongheavefromstrongarmsandthesenselessformofBeatricewasonthegunwale。ThentheypulledupGeoffreybesideher，fortheycouldnotlooseherdesperategripofhisdarkhair，andtogetherrolledthemintotheboat。

“They’redead，Idoubt。”saidthesecondman。

“Helpturn’emontheirfacesovertheseat，so——letthewaterdrainfromtheirinnards。It’stheonlychance。Nowgivemethatsailtocoverthem——so。You’llliveyet，MissBeatrice，youain’tdead，I

swear。OldEddardhassavedyou，OldEddardandthegoodGoadtogether！“

Meanwhiletheboathadbeengotround，andthemenwererowingforBryngellyaswarm-heartedsailorswillwhenlifeisatstake。TheyallknewBeatriceandlovedher，andtheyremembereditastheyrowed。Thegloomwaslittlehindrancetothemfortheycouldalmosthavenavigatedthecoastblindfold。Besidesheretheywereshelteredbythereefandshore。

Infiveminutestheywereroundalittleheadland，andthelightsofBryngellywereclosebeforethem。Onthebeachpeopleweremovingaboutwithlanterns。

Presentlytheywerethere，hangingontheiroarsforafavourablewavetobeachwith。Atlastitcame，andtheygavewaytogether，runningthelargeboathalfoutofthesurf。Adozenmenplungedintothewateranddraggedheron。Theyweresafeashore。

“HaveyougotMissBeatrice？”shoutedavoice。

“Ay，we’vegotherandanothertoo，butIdoubtthey’regone。Where’sdoctor？”

“Here，here！“answeredavoice。“Bringthestretchers。”

Astoutthick-setman，whohadbeenlistening，wrappedupinadarkcloak，turnedhisfaceawayandutteredagroan。Thenhefollowedtheothersastheywenttowork，notofferingtohelp，butmerelyfollowing。

Thestretcherswerebroughtandthetwobodieslaiduponthem，facedownwardsandcoveredover。

“Whereto？”saidthebearersastheyseizedthepoles。

“TheVicarage。”answeredthedoctor。“Itoldthemtogetthingsreadythereincasetheyshouldfindher。Runforwardoneofyouandsaythatwearecoming。”

Themenstartedatatrotandthecrowdranafterthem。

“Whoistheother？”somebodyasked。

“Mr。Bingham——thetalllawyerwhocamedownfromLondontheotherday。

Tellpoliceman——runtohiswife。She’satMrs。Jones’s，andthinkshehaslosthiswayinthefogcominghomefromBellRock。”

Thepolicemandepartedonhismelancholyerrandandtheprocessionmovedswiftlyacrossthesandybeachandupthestone-pavedwaybywhichboatsweredraggeddowntheclifftothesea。ThevillageofBryngellylaytotheright。Ithadgrownawayfromthechurch，whichstooddangerouslyneartheedgeofthecliff。Onthefurthersideofthechurch，andalittlebehindit，partlyshelteredfromtheseagalesbyagroupofstuntedfirs，wastheVicarage，alowsingle-

storiedstone-roofedbuilding，tenantedfortwenty-fiveyearspastandmorebyBeatrice’sfather，theRev。JosephGranger。ThebestapproachtoitfromtheBryngellysidewasbythechurchyard，throughwhichthemenwiththestretcherswerenowwinding，followedbythecrowdofsightseers。

“Mightaswellleavethemhereatonce。”saidoneofthebearerstotheotherinWelsh。“Idoubttheyarebothdeadenough。”

Thepersonaddressedassented，andthethick-setmanwrappedinadarkcloak，whowasstridingalongbyBeatrice’sstretcher，groanedagain。

Clearly，heunderstoodtheWelshtongue。AfewsecondsmoreandtheywerepassingthroughthestuntedfirsuptotheVicaragedoor。Inthedoorwaystoodagroupofpeople。Thelightfromalampinthehallstruckuponthem，throwingthemintostrongrelief。Foremost，holdingalanterninhishand，wasamanofaboutsixty，withsnow-whitehairwhichfellinconfusionoverhisruggedforehead。Hewasofmiddleheightandcarriedhimselfwithsomethingofastoop。Theeyesweresmallandshifting，andthemouthhard。Heworeshortwhiskerswhich，togetherwiththeeyebrows，werestilltingedwithyellow。Thefacewasruddyandhealthylooking，indeed，haditnotbeenforthedirtywhitetieandshabbyblackcoat，onewouldhavetakenhimtobewhathewasinheart，afarmerofthehardersort，somewhatweather-beatenandanxiousaboutthetimes——amanwhowouldtakeadvantageofeverydropintherateofwages。InfacthewasBeatrice’sfather，andaclergyman。

Byhisside，andleaningoverhim，wasElizabeth，hereldersister。

Therewasfiveyearsbetweenthem。ShewasapoorcopyofBeatrice，or，tobemoreaccurate，BeatricewasagranddevelopmentofElizabeth。Theybothhadbrownhair，butElizabeth’swasstraighterandfaint-coloured，notrichandruddyingintogold。Elizabeth’seyeswerealsogrey，butitwasacoldwashed-outgreylikethatofaFebruarysky。Andsowithfeatureafterfeature，andwiththeexpressionalso。Beatrice’swasnobleandopen，ifattimesdefiant。

Lookingatheryouknewthatshemightbeamistakenwoman，oraheadstrongwoman，orboth，butshecouldneverbeameanwoman。

Whicheverofthetencommandmentsshemightchoosetobreak，itwouldnotbethatwhichforbidsustobearfalsewitnessagainstourneighbour。Anybodymightreaditinhereyes。Butinhersister’s，hemightdiscernherfather’sshiftyhardnesswateredbywoman’sweakerwillintosomethinglikecunning。FortherestElizabethhadaveryfairfigure，butlackedhersister’sroundedloveliness，thoughthetwoweresocuriouslyalikethatatadistanceyoumightwellmistaketheonefortheother。OnemightalmostfancythatnaturehadexperimenteduponElizabethbeforeshemadeuphermindtoproduceBeatrice，justtogetthelinesanddistances。Theeldersisterwastotheotherwhatthepaleunfinishedmodelofclayistothepolishedstatueinivoryandgold。

“Oh，myGod！myGod！“groanedtheoldman;“look，theyhavegotthemonthestretchers。Theyarebothdead。Oh，Beatrice！Beatrice！andonlythismorningIspokeharshlytoher。”

“Don’tbesofoolish，father。”saidElizabethsharply。“Theymayonlybeinsensible。”

“Ah，ah。”heanswered;“itdoesnotmattertoyou，/you/don’tcareaboutyoursister。Youarejealousofher。ButIloveher，thoughwedonotunderstandeachother。Heretheycome。Don’tstandstaringthere。Goandseethattheblanketsandthingsarehot。Stop，doctor，tellme，isshedead？”

“HowcanItelltillIhaveseenher？”thedoctoranswered，roughlyshakinghimoff，andpassingthroughthedoor。

BryngellyVicaragewasaverysimplyconstructedhouse。Onenteringthevisitorfoundhimselfinapassagewithdoorstotherightandleft。Thattotherightledtothesitting-room，thattothelefttothedining-room，bothofthemlong，lowandnarrowchambers。Followingthepassagedownforsomesevenpaces，itterminatedinanotherwhichranatrightanglestoitfortheentirelengthofthehouse。Onthefurthersideofthispassagewereseveralbedroomdoorsandaroomateachend。ThatattheendtotherightwasoccupiedbyBeatriceandhersister，thenextwasempty，thethirdwasMr。Granger’s，andthefourththespareroom。This，withtheexceptionofthekitchensandservants’sleepingplace，whichwerebeyondthedining-room，madeupthehouse。

Fireshadbeenlitinbothoftheprincipalrooms。Geoffreywastakenintothedining-roomandattendedbythedoctor’sassistant，andBeatriceintothesitting-room，andattendedbythedoctorhimself。Inafewsecondstheplacehadbeenclearedofallexceptthehelpers，andtheworkbegan。ThedoctorlookedatBeatrice’scoldshrunkenform，andatthefoamuponherlips。Heliftedtheeyelid，andheldalightbeforethecontractedpupil。Thenheshookhisheadandsettoworkwithawill。Weneednotfollowhimthroughthecourseofhisdreadfullabours，withwhichmostpeoplewillhavesomeacquaintance。

Hopelessastheyseemed，hecontinuedthemforhourafterhour。

MeanwhiletheassistantandsomehelpersweredoingthesameserviceforGeoffreyBingham，thedoctorhimself，athinclever-lookingman，occasionallysteppingacrossthepassagetodirectthemandseehowthingsweregettingon。Now，althoughGeoffreyhadbeeninthewaterthelonger，hiswasbyfarthebettercase，forwhenhewasimmersedhewasalreadyinsensible，andapersoninthisconditionisveryhardtodrown。Itisyourstruggling，fighting，breathingcreaturewhoissoonestmadeanendofindeepwaters。Thereforeitcametopassthatwhenthescrubbingwithhotclothsandtheartificialrespirationhadgoneonforsomewhereabouttwentyminutes，Geoffreysuddenlycrookedafinger。Thedoctor’sassistant，abuoyantyouthfreshfromthehospitals，gaveayellofexultation，andscrubbedandpushedawaywithever-increasingenergy。Presentlythesubjectcoughed，andaminutelater，astheagonyofreturninglifemadeitselffelt，hesworemostheartily。

“He’sallrightnow！“calledtheassistanttohisemployer。“He’sswearingbeautifully。”

Dr。Chambers，pursuinghismelancholyandunpromisingtaskintheotherroom，smiledsadly，andcalledtotheassistanttocontinuethetreatment，whichhedidwithmuchvigour。

PresentlyGeoffreycamepartiallytolife，stillsufferingtorments。

Thefirstthinghegrewawareofwasthatatallelegantwomanwasstandingoverhim，lookingathimwithahalfpuzzledandhalfhorrifiedair。Vaguelyhewonderedwhoitmightbe。Thetallformandcoldhandsomefaceweresofamiliartohim，andyethecouldnotrecallthename。Itwasnottillshespokethathisnumbedbrainrealizedthathewaslookingonhisownwife。

“Well，dear。”shesaid，“Iamsogladthatyouarebetter。Youfrightenedmeoutofmywits。Ithoughtyouweredrowned。”

“Thankyou，Honoria。”hesaidfaintly，andthengroanedasafreshattackoftinglingpainshookhimthroughandthrough。

“IhopenobodysaidanythingtoEffie。”Geoffreysaidpresently。

“Yes，thechildwouldnotgotobedbecauseyouwerenotback，andwhenthepolicemancamesheheardhimtellMrs。Jonesthatyouweredrowned，andshehasbeenalmostinafiteversince。Theyhadtoholdhertopreventherfromrunninghere。”

Geoffrey’swhitefaceassumedanairofthedeepestdistress。“Howcouldyoufrightenthechildso？”hemurmured。“PleasegoandtellherthatIamallright。”

“Itwasnotmyfault。”saidLadyHonoriawithashrugofhershapelyshoulders。“Besides，IcandonothingwithEffie。Shegoesonlikeawildthingaboutyou。”

“Pleasegoandtellher，Honoria。”saidherhusband。

“Oh，yes，I’llgo。”sheanswered。“ReallyIshallnotbesorrytogetoutofthis;IbegintofeelasthoughIhadbeendrownedmyself;“andshelookedatthesteamingclothsandshuddered。“Good-bye，Geoffrey。

Itisanimmenserelieftofindyouallright。Thepolicemanmademefeelquitequeer。Ican’tgetdowntogiveyouakissorIwould。

Well，good-byeforthepresent，mydear。”

“Good-bye，Honoria。”saidherhusbandwithafaintsmile。

Themedicalassistantlookedalittlesurprised。Hehadnever，itistrue，happenedtobepresentatameetingbetweenhusbandandwife，whenoneofthepairhadjustbeenrescuedbyahair’s-breadthfromaviolentandsuddendeath，andthereforewantedexperiencetogoon。

Butitstruckhimthattherewassomethingmissing。TheladydidnotseemtohimquitetofillthepartoftheHeaven-thankingspouse。Itpuzzledhimverymuch。Perhapsheshowedthisinhisface。Atanyrate，LadyHonoria，whowasquickenough，readsomethingthere。

“Heissafenow，ishenot？”sheasked。“ItwillnotmatterifIgoaway。”

“No，mylady。”answeredtheassistant，“heisoutofdanger，Ithink;

itwillnotmatteratall。”

LadyHonoriahesitatedalittle;shewasstandinginthepassage。Thensheglancedthroughthedoorintotheoppositeroom，andcaughtaglimpseofBeatrice’srigidformandofthedoctorbendingoverit。