第9章

"Waiting，ofcourse，tohearwhatmyfatherthinksofyourwonderfulgoodluck。"

Thisexplanation，offeredwiththekindestintentions，producedanotherchangeinmyveryvariablesister。IhadextinguishedhergoodspiritsasImighthaveextinguishedalight。Shesatdownbyme，andsighedinthesaddestmanner。Theheartmustbehardindeedwhichcanresistthedistressofapersonwhoisdeartous。Iputmyarmroundher；shewasbecomingoncemoretheEunicewhomIsodearlyloved。

"Mypoorchild，"Isaid。"don’tdistressyourselfbyspeakingofit；Iunderstand。YourfatherobjectstoyourmarryingMr。

Dunboyne。"

Sheshookherhead。"Ican’texactlysay，Helena，thatpapadoesthat。Heonlybehavesverystrangely。"

"AmIindiscreet，dear，ifIaskinwhatwayfather’sbehaviorhassurprisedyou？"

Shewasquitewillingtoenlightenme。Itwasasimplelittlestorywhich，tomymind，sufficientlyexplainedthestrangebehaviorthathadpuzzledmyunfortunatesister。

TherecouldindeedbenodoubtthatmyfatherconsideredEunicefartoochildishincharacter，asyet，toundertakethedutiesofmatrimony。But，withhiscustomarydelicacy，anddreadofcausingdistresstoothers，hehaddeferredthedisagreeabledutyofcommunicatinghisopiniontoMr。Dunboyne。Theadversedecisionmust，however，besoonerorlaterannounced；andhehadarrangedtoinflictdisappointment，astenderlyasmightbe，athisowntable。

ConsideratelyleavingEuniceintheenjoymentofanyvainhopeswhichshemayhavefoundedontheeventofthedinner—party，I

passedtheeveninguntilsupper—timecameinthestudywithmyfather。

OurtalkwasmainlydevotedtotheworthypeoplewithwhomIhadbeenstaying，andwhosenewschoolsIhadhelpedtofound。Notawordwassaidrelatingtomysister，ortoMr。Dunboyne。PoorfatherlookedsosadlywearyandillthatIventured，afterwhatthedoctorhadsaidtoEunice，tohintatthevalueofrestandchangeofscenetoanoverworkedman。Oh，dearme，hefrowned，andwavedthesubjectawayfromhimimpatiently，withawan，palehand。

Aftersupper，Imadeanunpleasantdiscovery。Nothavingcompletelyfinishedtheunpackingofmyboxes，IleftMissJillgallandEuniceinthedrawing—room，andwentupstairs。InhalfanhourIreturned，andfoundtheroomempty。Whathadbecomeofthem？Itwasafinemoonlightnight；Isteppedintothebackdrawing—room，andlookedoutofthewindow。Theretheywere，walkingarm—in—armwiththeirheadsclosetogether，deepintalk。

WithmyknowledgeofMissJillgall，Icallthisabadsign。

Anoddthoughthasjustcometome。Iwonderwhatmighthavehappened，ifIhadbeenvisitingatMrs。Staveley’s，insteadofEunice，andifMr。Dunboynehadseenmefirst。

Absurd！ifIwasnottootiredtodoanythingmore，thoselastlinesshouldbescratchedout。

CHAPTERXXII。

EUNICE’SDIARY。

ISAIDsotoMissJillgall，andIsayitagainhere。NothingwillinducemetothinkillofHelena。

Mysisterisagooddealtired，andalittleoutoftemperaftertherailwayjourney。ThisisexactlywhathappenedtomewhenI

wenttoLondon。Iattributeherrefusaltoletmereadherjournal，aftershehadreadmine，entirelytothedisagreeableconsequencesoftravelingbyrailway。MissJillgallaccountedforitotherwise，inherownfunnymanner："Mysweetchild，yoursister’sdiaryisfullofabuseofpoorme。"Ihumoredthejoke：

"DearestSelina，keepadiaryofyourown，andfillitwithabuseofmysister。"Thisseemedtobeadrollsayingatthetime。Butitdoesn’tlookparticularlyamusing，nowitiswrittendown。Wehadgingerwineatsupper，tocelebrateHelena’sreturn。AlthoughIonlydrankoneglass，Idaresayitmayhavegotintomyhead。

Howeverthatmaybe，whenthelovelymoonlighttemptedusintothegarden，therewasanendtoourjokes。Wehadsomethingtotalkaboutwhichstilldwellsdisagreeablyonmymind。

MissJillgallbeganit。

"IfItrustyou，dearestEuneece，withmyownprecioussecrets，shallInever，never，neverlivetorepentit？"

Itoldmygoodlittlefriendthatshemightdependonme，providedhersecretsdidnoharmtoanypersonwhomIloved。

Sheclaspedherhandsandlookedupatthemoon——Icanonlysupposethathersentimentsoverpoweredher。Shesaid，veryprettily，thatherheartandmyheartbeattogetherinheavenlyharmony。Itisneedlesstoaddthatthissatisfiedme。

MissJillgall’sgenerousconfidenceinmydiscretionwas，Iamafraid，notrewardedasitoughttohavebeen。Ifoundhertiresomeatfirst。

Shespokeofanexcellentfriend（alady），whohadhelpedher，atthetimewhenshelostherlittlefortune，byraisingasubscriptionprivatelytopaytheexpensesofherreturntoEngland。Herfriend’sname——notveryattractivetoEnglishears——wasMrs。Tenbruggen；theyhadfirstbecomeacquaintedunderinterestingcircumstances。MissJillgallhappenedtomentionthatmyfatherwasheronlylivingrelative；anditturnedoutthatMrs。Tenbruggenwasfamiliarwithhisname，andreverencedhisfameasapreacher。Whenhehadgenerouslyreceivedhispoorhelplesscousinunderhisownroof，MissJillgall’sgratitudeandsenseofdutyimpelledhertowriteandtellMrs。Tenbruggenhowhappyshewasasamemberofourfamily。

LetmeconfessthatIbegantolistenmoreattentivelywhenthenarrativereachedthispoint。

"Idrewalittlepictureofourdomesticcirclehere，"MissJillgallsaid，describingherletter；"andImentionedthemysteryinwhichMr。Gracedieuconcealstheagesofyoutwodeargirls。Mrs。Tenbruggen——shallweshortenheruglynameandcallherMrs。T。？Verywell——Mrs。T。isaremarkablycleverwoman，andIlookedforinterestingresults，ifshewouldgiveheropinionofthemysteriouscircumstancementionedinmyletter。"

Bythistime，Iwasalleagernesstohearmore。

"Hasshewrittentoyou？"Iasked。

MissJillgalllookedatmeaffectionately，andtookthereplyoutofherpocket。

"Listen，Euneece；andyoushallhearherownwords。Thusshewrites：

"’Yourletter，dearSelina，especiallyinterestsmebywhatitsaysaboutthe_two_MissGracedieus。’——Look，dear；sheunderlinesthewordTwo。Why，Ican’texplain。Canyou？Ah，I

thoughtnot。Well，letusgetbacktotheletter。Myaccomplishedfriendcontinuesintheseterms：

"’Icanunderstandthesurprisewhichyouhavefeltatthestrangecoursetakenbytheirfather，asameansofconcealingthedifferencewhichtheremustbeintheagesoftheseyoungladies。Manyyearssince，Ihappenedtodiscoveraromanticincidentinthelifeofyourpopularpreacher，whichhehashisreasons，asIsuspect，forkeepingstrictlytohimself。IfImayventureonaboldguess，Ishouldsaythatanypersonwhocoulddiscoverwhichwastheoldestofthetwodaughters，wouldbealsolikelytodiscoverthetruenatureoftheromanceinMr。

Gracedieu’slife。’——Isn’tthatveryremarkable，Euneece？Youdon’tseemtoseeit——youfunnychild！Praypayparticularattentiontowhatcomesnext。Thesearetheclosingsentencesinmyfriend’sletter：

"’Ifyoufindanythingnewtotellmewhichrelatestothisinterestingsubject，directyourletterasbefore——providedyouwritewithinaweekfromthepresenttime。Afterward，myletterswillbereceivedbytheEnglishphysicianwhosecardIinclose。

YouwillbepleasedtohearthatmyprofessionalinterestscallmetoLondonattheearliestmomentthatIcanspare。’——There。

dearchild，thelettercomestoanend。IdaresayyouwonderwhatMrs。T。means，whenshealludestoherprofessionalinterests？"

No：Iwasnotwonderingaboutanything。Ithurtmetohearofastrangewomanexercisingheringenuityinguessingatmysteriesinpapa’slife。

ButMissJillgallwastooeagerlybentonsettingforththemeritsofherfriendtonoticethis。InowheardthatMrs。T。’smarriagehadturnedoutbadly，andthatshehadbeenreducedtoearnherownbread。Hermannerofdoingthiswassomethingquitenewtome。Shewentabout，fromoneplacetoanother，curingpeopleofallsortsofpainfulmaladies，byawayshehadofrubbingthemwithherhands。InBelgiumshewascalleda"Masseuse。"WhenIaskedwhatthismeantinEnglish，Iwastold，"MedicalRubber，"andthatthefameofMrs。T。’swonderfulcureshadreachedsomeofthemedicalnewspaperspublishedinLondon。

Afterlistening（Imustsayformyself）verypatiently，IwasboldenoughtoownthatmyinterestinwhatIhadjustheardwasnotquitesoplaintomeasIcouldhavewishedittobe。

MissJillgalllookedshockedatmystupidity。SheremindedmethattherewasamysteryinMrs。Tenbruggen’sletterandamysteryinpapa’sstrangeconducttowardPhilip。"Puttwoandtwotogether，darling，"shesaid；"and，oneofthesedays，theymaymakefour。"

Ifthismeantanything，itmeantthatthereasonwhichmadepapakeepHelena’sageandmyageunknowntoeverybodybuthimself，wasalsothereasonwhyheseemedtobesostrangelyunwillingtoletmebePhilip’swife。Ireallycouldnotenduretotakesuchaviewofitasthat，andbeggedMissJillgalltodropthesubject。

Shewasaskindasever。

"Withallmyheart，dear。Butdon’tdeceiveyourself——thesubjectwillturnupagainwhenweleastexpectit。"

CHAPTERXXIII。

EUNICE’SDIARY。

ONLYtwodaysnow，beforewegiveourlittledinner—party，andPhilipfindshisopportunityofspeakingtopapa。Oh，howIwishthatdayhadcomeandgone！

Itrynottotakegloomyviewsofthings；butIamnotquitesohappyasIhadexpectedtobewhenmydearwasinthesametownwithme。Ifpapahadencouragedhimtocallagain，wemighthavehadsomeprecioustimetoourselves。Asitis，wecanonlymeetinthedifferentshow—placesinthetown——withHelenaononeside，andMissJillgallontheother，totakecareofus。Idocallitcruelnottolettwoyoungpeopleloveeachother，withoutsettingthirdpersonstowatchthem。IfIwasQueenofEngland，Iwouldhaveprettyprivatebowersmadeforlovers，inthesummer，andnicewarmlittleroomstoholdtwo，inthewinter。Whynot？Whatharmcouldcomeofit，Ishouldliketoknow？

Thecathedralistheplaceofmeetingwhichwefindmostconvenient，underthecircumstances。Therearedelightfulnooksandcornersaboutthiscelebratedbuildinginwhichloverscanlagbehind。Ifwehadbeeninpapa’schapelIshouldhavehesitatedtoturnittosuchaprofaneuseasthis；thecathedraldoesn’tsomuchmatter。

ShallIownthatIfeltmyinferioritytoHelenaalittlekeenly？

ShecouldtellPhilipsomanythingsthatIshouldhavelikedtotellhimfirst。Mycleversistertaughthimhowtopronouncethenameofthebishopwhobeganbuildingthecathedral；sheledhimoverthecrypt，andtoldhimhowolditwas。Hewasinterestedinthecrypt；hetalkedtoHelena（nottome）ofhisambitiontowriteaworkoncathedralarchitectureinEngland；hemadearoughlittlesketchinhisbookofourfamoustombofsomeking。

Helenaknewthelateroyalpersonage’sname，andPhilipshowedhissketchtoherbeforeheshowedittome。HowcanIblamehim，whenIstoodtherethepictureofstupidity，tryingtorecollectsomethingthatImighttellhim，ifitwasonlytheDean’sname？

Helenamighthavewhisperedittome，Ithink。Sherememberedit，notI——andmentionedittoPhilip，ofcourse。Ikeptclosebyhimallthetime，andnowandthenhegavemealookwhichraisedmyspirits。Hemighthavegivenmesomethingbetterthanthat——I

meanakiss——whenwehadleftthecathedral，andwerebyourselvesforamomentinacorneroftheDean’sgarden。Buthemissedtheopportunity。PerhapshewasafraidoftheDeanhimselfcomingthatway，andhappeningtoseeus。However，IamfarfromthinkingtheworseofPhilip。Igavehisarmalittlesqueeze——andthatwasbetterthannothing。

HeandItookawalkalongthebankoftheriverto—day；mysisterandMissJillgalllookingafterusasusual。

Onourwaythroughthetown，Helenastoppedtogiveanorderatashop。Sheaskedustowaitforher。Thatbestofgoodcreatures，MissJillgall，whisperedinmyear："Goonbyyourselves，andleavemetowaitforher。"Philipinterpretedthisactofkindnessinamannerwhichwouldhavevexedme，ifIhadnotunderstoodthatitwasoneofhisjokes。Hesaidtome："MissJillgallseesachanceofannoyingyoursister，andenjoystheprospect。"

Well，awaywewenttogether；itwasjustwhatIwanted；itgavemeanopportunityofsayingsomethingtoPhilip，betweenourselves。

Icouldnowbegofhim，inhisinterestsandmine，tomakethebestofhimselfwhenhecametodinner。Cleverpeople，Itoldhim，werepeoplewhompapalikedandadmired。Isaid："Lethimsee，dear，howclever_you_are，andhowmanythingsyouknow——andyoucan’timaginewhatahighplaceyouwillhaveinhisopinion。Ihopeyoudon’tthinkIamtakingtoomuchonmyselfintellingyouhowtobehave。"

HerelievedthatdoubtinamannerwhichIdespairofdescribing。

HiseyesrestedonmewithsuchalookofexquisitesweetnessandlovethatIwasobligedtoholdbyhisarm，Itrembledsowiththepleasureoffeelingit。

"Idosincerelybelieve，"hesaid，"thatyouarethemostinnocentgirl，thesweetest，truestgirlthateverlived。IwishIwasabetterman，Eunice；IwishIwasgoodenoughtobeworthyofyou！"

Tohearhimspeakofhimselfinthatwayjarredonme。Ifsuchwordshadfallenfromanyotherman’slips，Ishouldhavebeenafraidthathehaddonesomething，orthoughtsomething，ofwhichhehadreasontofeelashamed。WithPhilipthiswasimpossible。

Hewaseagertowalkonrapidly，andtoturnacornerinthepath，beforewecouldbeseen。"Iwanttobealonewithyou，"hesaid。

Ilookedback。Weweretoolate；HelenaandMissJillgallhadnearlyovertakenus。MysisterwasonthepointofspeakingtoPhilip，whensheseemedtochangehermind，andonlylookedathim。Insteadoflookingatherinreturn，hekepthiseyescastdownanddrewfiguresonthepathwaywithhisstick。IthinkHelenawasoutoftemper；shesuddenlyturnedmyway。"Whydidn’tyouwaitforme？"sheasked。

Philiptookherupsharply。"IfEunicelikesseeingtheriverbetterthanwaitinginthestreet，"hesaid，"isn’tshefreetodoasshepleases？"

Helenasaidnothingmore；Philipwalkedonslowlybyhimself。Notknowingwhattomakeofit，IturnedtoMissJillgall。

"SurelyPhilipcan’thavequarreledwithHelena？"Isaid。

MissJillgallansweredinanoddoff—handmanner："Nothe！Heisagreatdealmorelikelytohavequarreledwithhimself。"

"Why？"

"Supposeyouaskhimwhy？"

Itwasnottobethoughtof；itwouldhavelookedlikepryingintohisthoughts。"Selina！"Isaid，"thereissomethingoddaboutyouto—day。Whatisthematter？Idon’tunderstandyou。"

"Mypoordear，youwillfindyourselfunderstandingmebeforelong。"IthoughtIsawsomethinglikepityinherfacewhenshesaidthat。

"Mypoordear？"Irepeated。"Whatmakesyouspeaktomeinthatway？"

"Idon’tknow——I’mtired；I’manoldfool——I’llgobacktothehouse。"

Withoutanotherword，sheleftme。IturnedtolookforPhilip，andsawthatmysisterhadjoinedhimwhileIhadbeenspeakingtoMissJillgall。ItpleasedmetofindthattheyweretalkinginafriendlywaywhenIjoinedthem。AquarrelbetweenHelenaandmyhusbandthatistobe——no，myhusbandthat_shall_be——wouldhavebeentoodistressing，toounnaturalImightalmostcallit。

Philiplookedalongthebackwardpath，andaskedwhathadbecomeofMissJillgall。"Haveyouanyobjectiontofollowherexample？"

hesaidtome，whenItoldhimthatSelinahadreturnedtothetown。"Idon’tcareforthebanksofthisriver。"

Helena，whousedtoliketheriveratothertimes，wasasreadyasPhiliptoleaveitnow。Ifancytheyhadbothbeenkindlywaitingtochangeourwalk，tillIcametothem，andtheycouldstudymywishestoo。OfcourseIwasreadytogowheretheypleased。IaskedPhilipiftherewasanythinghewouldliketosee，whenwegotintothestreetsagain。

CleverHelenasuggestedwhatseemedtobeastrangeamusementtooffertoPhilip。"Let’stakehimtotheGirls’School，"shesaid。

Itappearedtobeamatterofperfectindifferencetohim；hewas，whattheycall，ironical。"Oh，yes，ofcourse。Deeplyinteresting！deeplyinteresting！"Hesuddenlybrokeintothewildestgoodspirits，andtuckedmyhandunderhisarmwithagayetywhichitwasimpossibletoresist。"Whataboyyouare！"

Helenasaid，enjoyinghisdelightfulhilarityasIdid。

CHAPTERXXIV。

EUNICE’SDIARY。

ONenteringtheschoolroomwelostourgayety，allinamoment。

Somethingunpleasanthadevidentlyhappened。

Twooftheeldestgirlsweresittingtogetherinacorner，separatedfromtherest，andlookingmostwickedlysulky。Theteacherswereattheotherendoftheroom，appearingtobeillatease。Andthere，standinginthemidstofthem，withhisfaceflushedandhiseyesangry——therewaspapa，sadlyunlikehisgentleselfinthedaysofhishealthandhappiness。Onformeroccasions，whentheexerciseofhisauthoritywasrequiredintheschool，hisforbearingtemperalwayssetthingsright。WhenIsawhimnow，Ithoughtofwhatthedoctorhadsaidofhishealth，onmywayhomefromthestation。

Papaadvancedtousthemomentweshowedourselvesatthedoor。

Heshookhands——cordiallyshookhands——withPhilip。Itwasdelightfultoseehim，delightfultohearhimsay："Praydon’tsuppose，Mr。Dunboyne，thatyouareintruding；remainwithusbyallmeansifyoulike。"ThenhespoketoHelenaandtome，stillexcited，stillnotlikehimself："Youcouldn’thavecomehere，mydears，atatimewhenyourpresencewasmoreurgentlyneeded。"Heturnedtotheteachers。"Tellmydaughterswhathashappened；

tellthemwhytheyseemehere——shockedanddistressed，Idon’tdenyit。"

Wenowheardthatthetwogirlsindisgracehadbrokentherules，andinsuchamannerastodeserveseverepunishment。

Oneofthemhadbeendiscoveredhidinganovelinherdesk。Theotherhadmisbehavedherselfmoreseriouslystill——shehadgonetothetheater。Insteadofexpressinganyregret，theyhadactuallydaredtocomplainofhavingtolearnpapa’simprovedcatechism。Theyhadevenaccusedhimoftreatingthemwithseverity，becausetheywerepoorgirlsbroughtuponcharity。"Ifwehadbeenyoungladies，"theywereaudaciousenoughtosay，"moreindulgencewouldhavebeenshowntous；weshouldhavebeenallowedtoreadstoriesandtoseeplays。"

AllthistimeIhadbeenaskingmyselfwhatpapameant，whenhetolduswecouldnothavecometotheschoolroomatabettertime。Hismeaningnowappeared。Whenhespoketotheoffendinggirls，hepointedtoHelenaandtome。

"Herearemydaughters，"hesaid。"Youwillnotdenythattheyareyoungladies。Nowlisten。Theyshalltellyouthemselveswhethermyrulesmakeanydifferencebetweenthemandyou。

Helena！Eunice！doIallowyoutoreadnovels？doIallowyoutogototheplay？"

Wesaid，"No"——andhopeditwasover。Buthehadnotdoneyet。HeturnedtoHelena。

"Answersomeofthequestions，"hewenton，"frommyManualofChristianObligation，whichthegirlscallmycatechism。"Heaskedoneofthequestions："Ifyouaretoldtodountoothersasyouwouldtheyshoulddountoyou，andifyoufindadifficultyinobeyingthatDivinePrecept，whatdoesyourdutyrequire？"

ItismybeliefthatHelenahasthematerialsinherformakinganotherJoanofArc。Sherose，andansweredwithouttheslightestsignoftimidity："Mydutyrequiresmetogototheminister，andtoseekforadviceandencouragement。"

"Andifthesefail？"

"ThenIamtorememberthatmypastorismyfriend。Heclaimsnopriestlyauthorityorpriestlyinfallibility。Heismyfellow—Christianwholovesme。Hewilltellmehowhehashimselffailed；howhehasstruggledagainsthimself；andwhatablessedrewardhasfollowedhisvictory——apurifiedheart，apeacefulmind。"

Thenpapareleasedmysister，aftershehadonlyrepeatedtwooutofalltheanswersinChristianObligation，whichwefirstbegantolearnwhenwewerechildren。Hethenaddressedhimselfagaintothegirls。

"Iswhatyouhavejustheardapartofmycatechism？Hasmydaughterbeenexcusedfromrepeatingitbecausesheisayounglady？Whereisthedifferencebetweenthereligiouseducationwhichisgiventomyownchild，andthatgiventoyou？"

Thewretchedgirlsstillsatsilentandobstinate，withtheirheadsdown。ItrembleagainasIwriteofwhathappenednext。

Papafixedhiseyesonme。Hesaid，outloud："Eunice！"——andwaitedformetoriseandanswer，asmysisterhaddone。

Itwasentirelybeyondmypowertogetonmyfeet。

Philiphad（innocently，Iamsure）discouragedme；Isawdispleasure，Isawcontemptinhisface。Therewasadeadsilenceintheroom。Everybodylookedatme。Myheartbeatfuriously，myhandsturnedcold，thequestionsandanswersinChristianObligationallleftmymemorytogether。Ilookedimploringlyatpapa。

Forthefirsttimeinhislife，hewashardonme。Hiseyeswereasangryasever；theyshowedmenomercy。Oh，whathadcometome？whatevilspiritpossessedme？Ifeltresentment；horrid，undutifulresentment，atbeingtreatedinthiscruelway。Myfistsclinchedthemselvesinmylap，myfacefeltashotasfire。

Insteadofaskingmyfathertoexcuseme，Isaid："Ican’tdoit。"Hewasastounded，aswellhemightbe。Iwentonfrombadtoworse。Isaid："Iwon’tdoit。"

Hestoopedoverme；hewhispered："Iamgoingtoaskyousomething；Iinsistonyouranswering，YesorNo。"Heraisedhisvoice，anddrewhimselfbacksothattheycouldallseeme。

"Haveyoubeentaughtlikeyoursister？"heasked。"Hasthecatechismthathasbeenherreligiouslesson，forallherlife，beenyourreligiouslesson，forallyourlife，too？"

Isaid："Yes"——andIwasinsucharagethatIsaiditoutloud。

IfPhiliphadhandedmehiscane，andhadadvisedmetogivetheyounghussieswhowereanswerableforthisdreadfulstateofthingsagoodbeating，IbelieveIshouldhavedoneit。Papaturnedhisbackonmeandofferedthegirlsalastchance："Doyoufeelsorryforwhatyouhavedone？Doyouasktobeforgiven？"

Neithertheonenortheotheransweredhim。Hecalledacrosstheroomtotheteachers："Thosetwopupilsareexpelledtheschool。"

Boththewomenlookedhorrified。Theelderofthetwoapproachedhim，andtriedtopleadforamildersentence。Heansweredinonesternword："Silence！"——andlefttheschoolroom，withoutevenapassingbowtoPhilip。Andthis，afterhehadcordiallyshakenhandswithmypoordear，nothalfanhourbefore。

Ioughttohavemadeaffectionateallowanceforhisnervousmiseries；Ioughttohaverunafterhim，andbeggedhispardon。

Theremustbesomethingwrong，Iamafraid，ingirlslovinganybodybuttheirfathers。WhenHelenaledthewayoutbyanotherdoor，IranafterPhilip；andIasked_him_toforgiveme。

Idon’tknowwhatIsaid；itwasallconfusion。Thefearofhavingforfeitedhisfondnessmust，Isuppose，haveshakenmymind。IrememberentreatingHelenatosayakindwordforme。Shewassoclever，shehadbehavedsowell，shehaddeservedthatPhilipshouldlistentoher。"Oh，"Icriedouttohimdesperately，"whatmustyouthinkofme？"

"IwilltellyouwhatIthinkofyou，"hesaid。"Itisyourfatherwhoisinfault，Eunice——notyou。Nothingcouldhavebeeninworsetastethanhismanagementofthattrumperyaffairintheschoolroom；itwasacompletemistakefrombeginningtoend。Makeyourmindeasy；Idon’tblameYou。"

"Areyou，reallyandtruly，asfondofmeasever？"

"Yes，tobesure！"

HelenaseemedtobehardlyasmuchinterestedinthishappyendingofmyanxietiesasImighthaveanticipated。Shewalkedonbyherself。Perhapsshewasthinkingofpoorpapa’sstrangeoutbreakofexcitement，andgrievingoverit。

Wehadonlyalittlewaytowalk，beforewepassedthedoorofPhilip’shotel。Hehadnotyetreceivedtheexpectedletterfromhisfather——thecruelletterwhichmightrecallhimtoIreland。

Itwasthenthehourofdeliverybyoursecondpost；hewenttolookattheletter—rackinthehall。HelenasawthatIwasanxious。Shewasaskindagainasever；sheconsentedtowaitwithmeforPhilip，atthedoor。

Hecameouttouswithanopenletterinhishand。

"Frommyfather，atlast，"hesaid——andgavemethelettertoread。Itonlycontainedthesefewlines：