第10章

"Donotbealarmed，mydearboy，atthechangefortheworseinmyhandwriting。Iamsufferingformydevotiontothestudioushabitsofalifetime：myrighthandisattackedbythemaladycalledWriter’sCramp。Thedoctorherecandonothing。Hetellsmeofsomeforeignwoman，mentionedinhisnewspaper，whocuresnervousderangementsofallkindsbyhand—rubbing，andwhoiscomingtoLondon。Whenyounexthearfromme，ImaybeinLondontoo。"——Theretheletterended。

OfcourseIknewwhotheforeignwoman，mentionedinthenewspaper，was。

ButwhatdoesMissJillgall’sfriendmattertome？Theoneimportantthingis，thatPhiliphasnotbeencalledbacktoIreland。Hereisafortunatecircumstance，whichperhapsmeansmoregoodluck。ImaybeMrs。PhilipDunboynebeforetheyearisout。

CHAPTERXXV。

HELENA’SDIARY。

THEYallnoticeathomethatIamlookingwornandhaggard。Thathideousoldmaid，MissJillgall，hadhermaliciouswelcomereadyformewhenwemetatbreakfastthismorning："DearHelena，whathasbecomeofyourbeauty？Onewouldthinkyouhadleftitinyourroom！"PoordeludedEuniceshowedhersisterlysympathy：

"Don’tjokeaboutit，Selina：can’tyouseethatHelenaisill？"

I_have_beenill；illofmyownwickedness。

Buttherecoverytomytranquillitywillbringwithittherecoveryofmygoodlooks。MyfatalpassionforPhilippromisestobetheutterdestructionofeverythingthatisgoodinme。

Well！whatisgoodinmemaynotbeworthkeeping。Thereisafateinthesethings。IfIamdestinedtorobEuniceoftheonedearobjectofherloveandhope——howcanIresist？TheonekindthingIcandoistokeepherinignoranceofwhatiscoming，byactsofaffectionatedeceit。

Besides，ifshesuffers，Isuffertoo。InthelengthandbreadthofEngland，Idoubtifthereisamuchmorewickedyoungwomantobefoundthanmyself。Isitnothingtofeelthat，andtoendureitasIdo？

Uponmyword，thereisnoexcuseforme！

Isthissheerimpudence？No；itisthebentofmynature。Ihaveatendencytoself—examination，accompaniedbyonemerit——Idon’tsparemyself。

ThereareexcusesforEunice。Shelivesinafools’paradise；andsheseesinherloveraradiantcreature，shininginthehalothrownoverhimbyherownself—delusion，Nothingofthissortistobesaidforme。IseePhilipasheis。Mypenetrationlooksintothelowestdepthsofhischaracter——whenIamnotinhiscompany。Thereseemstobeafoundationofgood，somewhereinhisnature。Hedespisesandhateshimself（hehasconfessedittome），whenEuniceiswithhim——stillbelievinginherfalsesweetheart。Buthowlongdothesebetterinfluenceslast？Ihaveonlytoshowmyself，inmysister’sabsence，andPhilipisminebodyandsoul。Hisvanityandhisweaknesstakepossessionofhimthemomentheseesmyface。Heisoneofthosemen——eveninmylittleexperienceIhavemetwiththem——whoareborntobeledbywomen。IfEunicehadpossessedmystrengthofcharacter，hewouldhavebeentruetoherforlife。

OughtInot，injusticetomyself，tohaveliftedmyhearthighabovethereachofsuchacreatureasthis？CertainlyIought！I

knowit，Ifeelit。Andyet，thereissomefascinationinhavinghimwhichIamabsolutelyunabletoresist。

What，Iaskmyself，hasfedthenewflamewhichisburninginme？

Diditbeginwithgratifiedpride？ImightwellfeelproudwhenI

foundmyselfadmiredbyamanofhisbeauty，setoffbysuchmannersandsuchaccomplishmentsashis。Or，hasthegrowthofthismasterfulfeelingbeenencouragedbytheenvyandjealousystirredinme，whenIfoundEunice（myinferiorineveryrespect）

distinguishedbythedevotionofahandsomelover，andhavingabrilliantmarriageinview——whileIwasleftneglected，withnoprospectofchangingmytitlefromMisstoMrs。？Vaininquiries！

Mywickedheartseemstohavesecretsofitsown，andtokeepthemamysterytome。

Whathasbecomeofmyexcellenteducation？Idon’tcaretoinquire；Ihavegotbeyondthereachofgoodbooksandreligiousexamples。Amongmyotherblamableactionstheremaynowbereckoneddisobediencetomyfather。Ihavebeenreadingnovelsinsecret。

AtfirstItriedsomeofthefamousEnglishworks，publishedatapricewithinthereachofsmallpurses。Verywellwritten，nodoubt——butwithoneunpardonabledrawback，sofarasIamconcerned。Ourcelebratednativeauthorsaddressthemselvestogoodpeople，ortopenitentpeoplewhowanttobemadegood；nottowickedreaderslikeme。

Arrivingatthisconclusion，Itriedanotherexperiment。Inasmallbookseller’sshopIdiscoveredsomecheaptranslationsofFrenchnovels。Here，IfoundwhatIwanted——sympathywithsin。

Here，therewasopenedtomeanewworldinhabitedentirelybyunrepentantpeople；themagnificentwomendiabolicallybeautiful；

thesatanicmendeadtoeverysenseofvirtue，andalive——perhapsratherdirtilyalive——tothesplendidfascinationsofcrime。I

knownowthatLoveisaboveeverythingbutitself。Loveistheonelawthatweareboundtoobey。Howdeep！howconsoling！howadmirablytrue！ThenovelistsofEnglandhavereasonindeedtohidetheirheadsbeforethenovelistsofFrance。AllthatIhavefelt，andhavewrittenhere，isinspiredbythesewonderfulauthors。

Ihaverelievedmymind，andmaynowreturntothebusinessofmydiary——therecordofdomesticevents。

AnoverwhelmingdisappointmenthasfallenonEunice。Ourdinner—partyhasbeenputoff。

Thestateoffather’shealthisanswerableforthischangeinourarrangementsThatwretchedsceneattheschool，complicatedbymysister’sundutifulbehavioratthetime，soseriouslyexcitedhimthathepassedasleeplessnight，andkepthisbedroomthroughouttheday。Eunice’stotalwantofdiscretionadded，nodoubt，tohissufferings：sherudelyintrudedonhimtoexpressherregretandtoaskhispardon。Havingcarriedherpoint，shewasatleisuretocometome，andtoask（howamazinglysimpleofher！）

whatsheandPhilipweretodonext。

"Wehadarrangeditallsonicely，"thepoorwretchbegan。

"Philipwastohavebeensocleverandagreeableatdinner，andwastohavechosenhistimesoverydiscreetly，thatpapawouldhavebeenreadytolistentoanythinghesaid。

Oh，weshouldhavesucceeded；Ihaven’tadoubtofit！Ouronlyhope，Helena，isinyou。Whatarewetodonow？"

"Wait，"Ianswered。

"Wait？"sherepeated，hotly。"Ismyhearttobebroken？and，whatismorecruelstill，isPhiliptobedisappointed？Iexpectedsomethingmoresensible，mydear，fromyou。Whatpossiblereasoncantherebeforwaiting？"

Thereason——ifIcouldonlyhavementionedit——wasbeyonddispute。IwantedtimetoquietPhilip’suneasyconscience，andtohardenhisweakmindagainstoutburstsofviolence，onEunice’spart，whichwouldcertainlyexhibitthemselveswhenshefoundthatshehadlostherlover，andlosthimtome。Inthemeanwhile，Ihadtoproducemyreasonforadvisinghertowait。

Itwaseasilydone。Iremindedheroftheirritableconditionofourfather’snerves，andgaveitasmyopinionthathewouldcertainlysayNo，ifshewasunwiseenoughtoexcitehimonthesubjectofPhilip，inhispresentframeofmind。

Theseunanswerableconsiderationsseemedtoproducetherighteffectonher。"Isupposeyouknowbest，"wasallshesaid。Andthensheleftme。

Ilethergowithoutfeelinganydistrustofthisactofsubmissiononherpart；itwassuchacommonexperience，inmylife，tofindmysisterguidingherselfbymyadvice。Butexperienceisnotalwaystobetrusted。EventssoonshowedthatI

hadfailedtoestimateEunice’sresourcesofobstinacyandcunningattheirtruevalue。

HalfanhourlaterIheardthestreetdoorclosed，andlookedoutofthewindow。MissJillgallwasleavingthehouse；noonewaswithher。Mydislikeofthispersonledmeastrayoncemore。I

oughttohavesuspectedherofbeingbentonsomemischievouserrand，andtohavedevisedsomemeansofputtingmysuspicionstothetest。Ididnothingofthekind。InthemomentwhenI

turnedmyheadawayfromthewindow，MissJillgallwasapersonforgotten——andIwasapersonwhohadmadeaseriousmistake。

CHAPTERXXVI。

HELENA’SDIARY。

THEeventofto—daybeganwiththedeliveryofamessagesummoningmetomyfather’sstudy。Hehaddecided——toohastily，asIfeared——thathewassufficientlyrecoveredtoresumehisusualemployments。Iwaswritingtohisdictation，whenwewereinterrupted。MariaannouncedavisitfromMr。Dunboyne。

HithertoPhiliphadbeencontenttosendoneoftheservantsofthehoteltomakeinquiryafterMr。Gracedieu’shealth。Whyhadhenowcalledpersonally？Noticingthatfatherseemedtobeannoyed，ItriedtomakeanopportunityofreceivingPhilipmyself。"Letmeseehim，"Isuggested；"Icaneasilysayyouareengaged。"

Veryunwillingly，asitwaseasytosee，myfatherdeclinedtoallowthis。"Mr。Dunboyne’svisitpaysmeacompliment，"hesaid；

"andImustreceivehim。"Imadeashowofleavingtheroom，andwascalledbacktomychair。"Thisisnotaprivateinterview，Helena；staywhereyouare。"

Philipcamein——handsomerthanever，beautifullydressed——andpaidhisrespectstomyfatherwithhiscustomarygrace。Hewastoowell—bredtoallowanyvisiblesignsofembarrassmenttoescapehim。Butwhenheshookhandswithme，Ifeltalittletremblinginhisfingers，throughthedelicategloveswhichfittedhimlikeasecondskin。WasitthetrueobjectofhisvisittotrytheexperimentdesignedbyEuniceandhimself，anddeferredbythepostponementofourdinner—party？Impossiblesurelythatmysistercouldhavepracticedonhisweakness，andpersuadedhimtoreturntohisfirstlove！Iwaited，inbreathlessinterest，forhisnextwords。Theywerenotworthlisteningto。Oh，thepoorcommonplacecreature！

"Iamglad，Mr。Gracedieu，toseethatyouarewellenoughtobeinyourstudyagain，"hesaid。Thewritingmaterialsonthetableattractedhisattention。"AmIoneoftheidlepeople，"heasked，withhischarmingsmile，"whoarealwaysinterruptingusefulemployment？"

Hespoketomyfather，andhewasansweredbymyfather。Notoncehadheaddressedawordtome——no，notevenwhenweshookhands。

Iwasangryenoughtoforcehimintotakingsomenoticeofme，andtomakeanattempttoconfusehimatthesametime。

"Haveyouseenmysister？"Iasked。

"No。"

Itwastheshortestreplythathecouldchoose。Havingflungitatme，hestillpersistedinlookingatmyfatherandspeakingtomyfather："Doyouthinkoftryingchangeofair，Mr。Gracedieu，whenyoufeelstrongenoughtotravel？"

"Mydutieskeepmehere，"fatheranswered；"andIcannothonestlysaythatIenjoytraveling。Idislikemannersandcustomsthatarestrangetome；Idon’tfindthathotelsrewardmeforgivingupthecomfortsofmyownhouse。Howdoyoufindthehotelhere？"

"Isubmittothehotel，sir。Theyaresadsavagesinthekitchen；

theyputmushroomketchupintotheirsoup，andmustardandcayennepepperintotheirsalads。Iamhalf—starvedatdinner—time，butIdon’tcomplain。"

Everywordhesaidwasanoffensetome。Withorwithoutreason，Iattackedhimagain。

"Ihaveheardyouacknowledgethatthelandlordandlandladyareveryobligingpeople，"Isaid。"Whydon’tyouaskthemtoletyoumakeyourownsoupandmixyourownsalad？"

IwonderedwhetherIshouldsucceedinattractinghisnotice，afterthis。Evenintheseprivatepages，myself—esteemfindsithardtoconfesswhathappened。IsucceededinremindingPhilipthathehadhisreasonsforrequestingmetoleavetheroom。

"Willyouexcuseme，MissHelena，"hesaid，"ifIaskleavetospeaktoMr。Gracedieuinprivate？"

Therightthingformetodowas，letmehope，thethingthatI

did。Irose，andwaitedtoseeifmyfatherwouldinterfere。HelookedatPhilipwithsuspicioninhisface，aswellassurprise。

"MayIask，"hesaid，coldly，"whatistheobjectoftheinterview？"

"Certainly，"Philipanswered，"whenwearealone。"Thiscoolreplyplacedmyfatherbetweentwoalternatives；hemusteithergiveway，orbeguiltyofanactofrudenesstoaguestinhisownhouse。Thechoicereservedformewasnarrowerstill——Ihadtodecidebetweenbeingtoldtogo，orgoingofmyownaccord。Ofcourse，Ileftthemtogether。

Thedoorwhichcommunicatedwiththenextroomwaspulledto，butnotclosed。Ontheothersideofit，IfoundEunice。

"Listening！"Isaid，inawhisper。

"Yes，"shewhisperedback。"Youlisten，too！"

IwassoindignantwithPhilip，andsoseriouslyinterestedinwhatwasgoingoninthestudy，thatIyieldedtotemptation。Webothdegradedourselves。Webothlistened。

Eunice’sbaseloverspokefirst。Judgingbythechangeinhisvoice，hemusthaveseensomethinginmyfather’sfacethatdauntedhim。Euniceheardit，too。"He’sgettingnervous，"shewhispered；"he’llforgettosaytherightthingattherighttime。"

"Mr。Gracedieu，"Philipbegan，"Iwishtospeaktoyou——"

Fatherinterruptedhim："Wearealonenow，Mr。Dunboyne。Iwanttoknowwhyyouconsultmeinprivate？"

"Iamanxioustoconsultyou，sir，onasubject——"

"Onwhatsubject？Anyreligiousdifficulty？"

"No。"

"AnythingIcandoforyouinthetown？"

"Notatall。Ifyouwillonlyallowme——"

"Iamstillwaiting，sir，toknowwhatitisabout。"

Philip’svoicesuddenlybecameanangryvoice。"Onceforall，Mr。

Gracedieu，"hesaid，"willyouletmespeak？It’saboutyourdaughter——"

"Nomoreofit，Mr。Dunboyne！"（MyfatherwasnowasloudasPhilip。）"Idon’tdesiretoholdaprivateconversationwithyouonthesubjectofmydaughter。"

"Ifyouhaveanypersonalobjectiontome，sir，besogoodastostateitplainly。"

"Youhavenorighttoaskmetodothat。"

"Yourefusetodoit？"

"Positively。"

"Youarenotverycivil，Mr。Gracedieu。"

"IfIspeakwithoutceremony，Mr。Dunboyne，youhaveyourselftothankforit。"

Philiprepliedtothisinatoneofsavageirony。"Youareaministerofreligion，andyouareanoldman。Twoprivileges——andyoupresumeonthemboth。Good—morning。"

Idrewbackintoacorner，justintimetoescapediscoveryinthecharacterofalistener。Eunicenevermoved。WhenPhilipdashedintotheroom，bangingthedoorafterhim，shethrewherselfimpulsivelyonhisbreast："Oh，Philip！Philip！whathaveyoudone？Whydidn’tyoukeepyourtemper？"

"Didyouhearwhatyourfathersaidtome？"heasked。

"Yes，dear；butyououghttohavecontrolledyourself——youought，indeed，formysake。"

Herarmswerestillroundhim。Itstruckmethathefeltherinfluence。"Ifyouwishmetorecovermyself，"hesaid，gently，"youhadbetterletmego。"

"Oh，howcruel，Philip，toleavemewhenIamsowretched！Whydoyouwanttogo？"

"YoutoldmejustnowwhatIoughttodo，"heanswered，stillrestraininghimself。"IfIamtogetthebetterofmytemper，I

mustbeleftalone。"

"Ineversaidanythingaboutyourtemper，darling。"

"Didn’tyoutellmetocontrolmyself？"

"Oh，yes！Gobacktopapa。andbeghimtoforgiveyou。"

"I’llseehimdamnedfirst！"

Ifeverastupidgirldeservedsuchananswerasthis，thegirlwasmysister。Ihadhitherto（withsomedifficulty）refrainedfrominterfering。ButwhenEunicetriedtofollowPhilipoutofthehouse，Icouldhesitatenolonger；Iheldherback。"Youfool，"Isaid；"haven’tyoumademischiefenoughalready？"

"WhatamItodo？"sheburstout，helplessly。

"DowhatItoldyoutodoyesterday——wait。"

Beforeshecouldreply，orIcouldsayanythingmore，thedoorthatledtothelandingwasopenedsoftlyandslyly，andMissJillgallpeepedin。Euniceinstantlyleftme，andrantothemeddlingoldmaid。Theywhisperedtoeachother。MissJillgall’sskinnyarmencircledmysister’swaist；theydisappearedtogether。

Iwasonlytoogladtogetridofthemboth，andtotaketheopportunityofwritingtoPhilip。IinsistedonanexplanationofhisconductwhileIwasinthestudy——tobegivenwithinanhour’stime，ataplacewhichIappointed。"Youarenottoattempttojustifyyourselfinwriting，"Iaddedinconclusion。

"Letyourreplymerelyinformmeifyoucankeeptheappointment。

Therest，whenwemeet。"

Mariatookthelettertothehotel，withinstructionstowait。

Philip’sreplyreachedmewithoutdelay。ItpledgedhimtojustifyhimselfasIhaddesired，andtokeeptheappointment。Myownbeliefisthattheeventofto—daywilldecidehisfutureandmine。

CHAPTERXXVII。

EUNICE’SDIARY。

INDEED，Iamamostunfortunatecreature；everythingturnsoutbadlywithme。Mygood，truefriend，mydearSelina，hasbecometheobjectofahatefuldoubtinmysecretmind。Iamafraidsheiskeepingsomethingfromme。

Talkingwithheraboutmytroubles，IheardforthefirsttimethatshehadwrittenagaintoMrs。Tenbruggen。TheobjectofherletterwastotellherfriendofmyengagementtoyoungMr。

Dunboyne。Iaskedherwhyshehaddonethis。Theanswerinformedmethattherewasnoknowing，inthepresentstateofmyaffairs，howsoonImightnotwantthehelpofacleverwoman。Iought，I

suppose，tohavebeensatisfiedwiththis。Butthereseemedtobesomethingnotfullyexplainedyet。

Thenagain，aftertellingSelinawhatIheardinthestudy，andhowroughlyPhiliphadspokentomeafterward，Iaskedherwhatshethoughtofit。Shemadeanincomprehensiblereply："Mysweetchild，Imustn’tthinkofit——Iamtoofondofyou。"

Itwasimpossibletomakeherexplainwhatthismeant。ShebegantotalkofPhilip；assuringme（whichwasquiteneedless）thatshehaddoneherbesttofortifyandencouragehim，beforehecalledonpapa。WhenIaskedhertohelpmeinanotherway——thatistosay，whenIwantedtofindoutwherePhilipwasatthatmoment——shehadnoadvicetogiveme。ItoldherthatIshouldnotenjoyamoment’seaseofminduntilIandmydearonewerereconciled。Sheonlyshookherheadanddeclaredthatshewassorryforme。WhenIhitontheideaofringingforMaria，thislittlewoman，sobright，andquickandeagertohelpmeatothertimes，said"Ileaveittoyou，dear，"andturnedtothepiano（closetowhichIwassitting），andplayedsoftlyandbadlystupidlittletunes。

"Maria，didyouopenthedoorforMr。Dunboynewhenhewentawayjustnow？"

"No，miss。"

Nothingbutill—luckforme！IfIhadbeenlefttomyowndevices，Ishouldnowhaveletthehousemaidgo。ButSelinacontrivedtogivemeahint，onastrangeplanofherown。Stillatthepiano，shebegantoconfusetalkingtoherselfwithplayingtoherself。Thenoteswent_tinkle，tinkle_——andthetonguemixedupwordswiththenotesinthisway："PerhapstheyhavebeentalkinginthekitchenaboutPhilip？"

Thesuggestionwasnotlostonme。IsaidtoMaria——whowasstandingattheotherendoftheroom，nearthedoor——"DidyouhappentohearwhichwayMr。Dunboynewentwhenheleftus？"

"Iknowwherehewas，miss，halfanhourago。"

"Wherewashe？"

"Atthehotel。"

Selinawentonwithherhintsinthesamewayasbefore。"Howdoessheknow——ah，howdoessheknow？"wasthevocalpartoftheperformancethistime。Mycleverinquiriesfollowedthevocalpartasbefore：

"HowdoyouknowthatMr。Dunboynewasatthehotel？"

"Iwassenttherewithaletterforhim，andwaitedfortheanswer。"

Therewasnosuggestionrequiredthistime。Theonepossiblequestionwas："Whosentyou？"

Mariareplied，afterfirstreservingacondition："Youwon’ttelluponme，miss？"

Ipromisednottotell。Selinasuddenlyleftoffplaying。

"Well，"Irepeated，"whosentyou？"

"MissHelena。"

Selinalookedroundatme。Herlittleeyesseemedtohavesuddenlybecomebig，theystaredmesostrangelyintheface。I

don’tknowwhethershewasinastateoffrightorofwonder。Asformyself，Isimplylosttheuseofmytongue。Maria，havingnomorequestionstoanswer，discreetlyleftustogether。

WhyshouldHelenawritetoPhilipatall——andespeciallywithoutmentioningittome？HerewasariddlewhichwasmorethanI

couldguess。IaskedSelinatohelpme。Shemightatleasthavetried，Ithought；butshelookeduneasy，andmadeexcuses。

Isaid："SupposeIgotoHelena，andaskherwhyshewrotetoPhilip？"AndSelinasaid："Supposeyoudo，dear。"

IrangforMariaoncemore："Doyouknowwheremysisteris？"

"Justgoneout，miss。"

Therewasnohelpforitbuttowaittillshecameback，andtogetthroughthetimeintheintervalasIbestmight。Butforonecircumstance，Imightnothaveknownwhattodo。Thetruthis，therewasafeelingofshameinmewhenIrememberedhavinglistenedatthestudydoor。Curiousnotionscomeintoone’shead——onedoesn’tknowhoworwhy。ItstruckmethatImightmakeakindofatonementforhavingbeenmeanenoughtolisten，ifI

wenttopapa，andofferedtokeephimcompanyinhissolitude。Ifwefellintopleasanttalk，Ihadaslyideaofmyown——ImeanttoputinagoodwordforpoorPhilip。

WhenIconfidedmydesigntoSelina，sheshutupthepianoandranacrosstheroomtome。Butsomehowshewasnotlikeheroldselfagain，yet。

"Yougoodlittlesoul，youarealwaysright。Lookatmeagain，Euneece。Areyoubeginningtodoubtme？Oh，mydarling，don’tdothat！Itisn’tusingmefairly。Ican’tbearit——Ican’tbearit！"

Itookherhand；Iwasonthepointofspeakingtoherwiththekindnessshedeservedfromme。Onasuddenshesnatchedherhandawayandranbacktothepiano。Whenshewasseatedonthemusic—stool，herfacewashiddenfromme。Atthatmomentshebrokeintoastrangecry——itbeganlikealaugh，anditendedlikeasob。

"Goawaytopapa！Don’tmindme——I’macreatureofimpulse——ha！

ha！ha！alittlehysterical——thestateoftheweather——Igetridoftheseweaknesses，mydear，bysingingtomyself。Ihaveafavoritesong：’Myheartislight，mywillisfree。’——Goaway！

oh，forGod’ssake，goaway！"

Ihadheardofhysterics，ofcourse；knowingnothingaboutthem，however，bymyownexperience。Whatcouldhavehappenedtoagitateherinthisextraordinarymanner？

HadHelena’sletteranythingtodowithit？WasmysisterindignantwithPhilipforswearinginmypresence；andhadshewrittenhimanangryletter，inherzealonmybehalf？ButSelinacouldnotpossiblyhaveseentheletter——andHelena（whoisoftenhardonmewhenIdostupidthings）showedlittleindulgenceforme，whenIwassounfortunateastoirritatePhilip。Igaveupthehopelessattempttogetatthetruthbyguessing，andwentawaytoforgetmytroubles，ifIcould，inmyfather’ssociety。

Afterknockingtwiceatthedoorofthestudy，andreceivingnoreply，Iventuredtolookin。

Thesofainthisroomstoodoppositethedoor。Papawasrestingonit，butnotincomfort。Thereweretwitchingmovementsinhisfeet，andheshiftedhisarmsthiswayandthatasifnorestfulposturecouldhefoundforthem。Butwhatfrightenedmewasthis。

Hiseyes，staringstraightatthedoorbywhichIhadgonein，hadaninquiringexpression，asifheactuallydidnotknowme！I

stoodmidwaybetweenthedoorandthesofa，doubtfulaboutgoingnearertohim。

Hesaid："Whoisit？"Thistome——tohisowndaughter。Hesaid：

"Whatdoyouwant？"

Ireallycould_not_bearit。Iwentuptohim。Isaid："Papa，haveyouforgottenEunice？"

Mynameseemed（ifonemaysaysuchathing）tobringhimtohimselfagain。Hesatuponthesofa——andlaughedasheansweredme。

"Mydearchild，whatdelusionhasgotintothatprettylittleheadofyours？FancyherthinkingthatIhadforgottenmyowndaughter！Iwaslostinthought，Eunice。Forthemoment，Iwaswhattheycallanabsentman。DidIevertellyouthestoryoftheabsentman？Hewenttocalluponsomeacquaintanceofhis；

andwhentheservantsaid，’Whatname，sir？’Hecouldn’tanswer。

Hewasobligedtoconfessthathehadforgottenhisownname。Theservantsaid，’That’sverystrange。’Theabsentmanatoncerecoveredhimself。’That’sit！’hesaid：’mynameisStrange。’

Droll，isn’tit？IfIhadbeencallingonafriendto—day，I

daresay_I_mighthaveforgottenmyname，too。Muchtothinkof，Eunice——toomuchtothinkof。"