第5章

CHAPTERXX。 IHAVEHEARDTHEPASSIONATEGALLOPOFTHOSEFIERY-FOOTEDSTEEDS。 Ellawasstandingwaitingforheroutsidetheopendoorofadrawingroom。Shewaswearingalovelyeveningdresswithacorsageofwhitelacecoveredwithdiamondsandsapphires。Herhair——itwasofthedarkestbrownandwasveryplentiful——wasalsoglitteringwithgemsunderthelightthatflowedthroughtheopendoor。ThesamelightshowedPhyllishowdeathlywhiteElla\'sfaceandneckwere——howtumultuouslyherbosomwasheaving。Shehadonehandpressedtoherside，andtheotheronthehandleofthedoorwhenPhyllismether； andinthatattitude，eventhoughtheexpanseofwhiteflesh，withitsgraciouscurvesthatforcedoutherbodice，hadnoroseatetintuponit，shelookedlovely——intoxicatingtotheeyesofmen。 Phylliswascertainlysurprised。Thehourwasscarcelyeleven，butEllahadgivennonoticeofherintentiontopayavisittoherfriendthatnight。Whenthegirlraisedherhandswithalaughofadmiration，ofpleasure，Ellagraspedherhandswithbothofherownanddrewherintothedrawingroomwithoutaword。Thenwithacry，——alaughandacrymingled，——sheliterallyflungherselfintothegirl\'sarmsandkissedherconvulsivelyadozentimes，onthethroat，ontheneck，ontheshoulderwhereonherheadlay。 “Mydarling，mydarling！“shecried，——andnowandagainhervoicewasbrokenwithasob，——“mydarlingPhyllis！Ihavecometoyou——Iwanttobewithyou——tobenearyou——tokeepmyarmsaboutyou，sotightlythatnoonecanpluckusasunder。Oh，youdon\'tknowwhatmenare—— theywouldpluckusasunderiftheycould；buttheycan\'tnow。WithyouIamsafe——thatiswhyIhavecometoyou，myPhyllis。Iwanttobesafe——indeedIdo！“ ShehadnowraisedherheadfromPhyllis\'shoulder，butwasstillholdinghertightly——ahandoneachofherarms，andherfacewithinaninchofthegirl\'sface。 Phylliskissedhersoftlyoneachcheek。 “Mypoordear！“shesaid，“whatcanhavehappenedtoyou?“ “Nothing——nothing！Itellyouthatnothinghashappenedtome，“criedElla，withavehemencethatalmostamountedtofiercenessinhervoice。“WouldIbeherewithyounowifanythinghadhappenedtome? tellmethat。Icametoyou——ah！womenhavenoguardianangels，buttheyhavesisterswhoareequallygoodandpure，andyouaremysister——mysister——betterthanalltheangelsthateversangadirgeoveralostsoulthattheyputforthnohandtosave。Youwillnotletmego，darlingPhyllis，youwillnotletmegoevenifItellyouthatIwanttogo。Don\'tbelieveme，Phyllis；Idon\'twanttogo——Idon\'twanttobelost，andifIleaveyouIamlost。Youwillkeepme，dear，willyounot?“ “Untiltheendoftheworld，“saidPhyllis。“Come，dearestElla，tellmewhatisthematter——whyyouhavecometomeinthatlovelycostume。 Youlookasifyouweredressedforabridal。” “Abridal——abridal?Whatdoyoumeanbythat?“saidElla，withcuriouseagerness——asuggestionofsuspicionwasinhertone。Shehadloosedherholduponthegirl\'sarms。 Phyllislaughed。SheputahandroundElla\'swaistandledhertoasofa，saying: “Letussitdownandtalkitallover。ThatisthelaceyoutoldmeyoupickedupatMunich。Whatadesign——lilies！“ “TheVirgin\'sflower——theVirgin\'sflower！Ineverthoughtofthat，“ laughedElla。“Itisforyou——notme，thislace。Ishalltearitoffand——“ “Youshalldonothingofthekind，“criedPhyllis。“Ihaveheapsoflace——morethanIshalleverwear。Whatalovelyideathatisofyours，——I\'msureitisyours，——sewingthediamondsaroundthecupofthelilies，likedewdrops。Ialwaysdidlikediamondsonlace。Somepeoplewouldhaveusbelievethatdiamondsshouldonlybewornwithbluevelvet。Howcommonplace！Wherehaveyoubeento-night?“ “WherehaveIbeen?Ihavebeenathome。Whereshouldagoodwomanbeintheabsenceofherhusband，butathome——hishomeandherhome?“ Ellalaughedloudandlongwithherheadthrownbackonthecushionofthesofa，andthediamondsinherhairgivingbackflashforflashtotheelectriccandlesaboveherhead。“Yes；Iwasathome——Idinedathome，and，Godknowswhy，Iconceivedasuddendesiretogototheopera，——Melbaisthe/Juliet/，——andforgettingthatyouwereengagedtotheEarlscourts——youtoldmelastweekthatyouweregoing，butI stupidlyforgot，Idroveacrossheretoaskyoutobemycompanion。 Oh，yes，Ihavebeenheresince——sincenine，mindthat！nine——nine—— asktheservants。WhenIheardthatyouwerediningoutIthoughtthatIwaslost——onecannotdriveaboutthestreetsallnight，canone?Ah！ IthoughtthatGodwasagainstmenow，asheeverhasbeen；andasformyguardianangel——ah！ourguardianangelsareworsethantheservantsofnowadayswhohavenosenseofresponsibility。Thompson，yourbutler，isworthawholeheavenfulofangels，foritwashewhoaskedmeifIwouldcomeinandwaitforyourreturn——askhim，ifyoudoubtmyword。” “GoodHeavens，Ella，whatdoyousay?Doubtyourword——Idoubtyourword?Youwoundmedeeply。” “Forgiveme，myPhyllis。Idon\'tquiteknowwhatIsaid。Ah，letmenestlehere——here。”ShehadputherheaddowntoPhyllis\'bareneckandwaslookinguptoherfaceasachildmighthavedone。“Thereisnodangerhere。Nowpetme，andsaythatyouforgivemeforhavingsaidwhateverIdidsay。” Phyllislaughedandputherlipsdownamongthemyriaddiamondsthatglowedamidtheother\'shair，likestarsseenamongthethickfoliageofacopperbeech。 “Iforgiveyouforwhateveryousaid，“shecried。“I，too，haveforgottenwhatitwas；butyoumustneversaysoagain。Buthadyoureallynoengagementforto-nightthatyoutookthatfancyforgoingto\'Romeo\'?“ “Noengagement?HadInoengagement，doyouaskme?“criedElla。“Oh，yes，yes！Ihadanengagement，butIbrokeit——Ibrokeit——Ibrokeit，andthatiswhyIamhere。Whatevermaycomeofit，Iamhere，andhereImeantostay。Iamsafehere。AthomeIamindanger。” Phylliswonderedgreatlywhathadcometoherfriendtomakehertalkinthiswildstrain。 “Wherewereyouengaged?“sheinquiredcasually。Shehadcometotheconclusionthattherewassafetyinthecommonplace:shewouldnottraveloutoftheregionofcommonplaceswithEllainherpresentstate。 “WherewasIengaged?SurelyItoldyou。Didn\'tIsaysomethingabouttheopera——\'RomeoandJuliet\'?——thatwastobetheplace，butIcametoyouinstead。Ah，whathavewemissed！Wasthereeversuchapoemwrittenas\'RomeoandJuliet\'?WasthereeversuchmusicasGounod\'s? IthoughtthefirsttimethatIwenttotheoperathatitwouldspoilShakspere——howcoulditdootherwise?Iasked。Couldsupremeperfectionbeimprovedupon?BeforethebalconyscenehadcometoanendIfoundthatIhadneverbeforeunderstoodthegloryofthepoem。 Ah，ifyoucouldunderstandwhatlovemeans，myPhyllis，youwouldappreciatethepoemandthemusic；thenoteofdoomrunsthroughit； that——thatiswhereinitsgreatnesslies——passionanddoom——passionanddoom——thatismyownlife——thelifeofuswomen。Weliveinawhirlwindofpassion，andfancythatwecanstepoutofthewhirlwindintoacalmatanymoment。Wemarryourhusbandsandwefancythatallthetragedyofhumanpassionisoversofarasweareconcerned。\'Thehavenenteredandthetempestpassed。\'PhilipMarston\'sterriblepoem，——youhavereadit，——\'AChristmasVigil\'?\'Thehavenentered，\'——thewhirlwindofpassionhasbeenleftfaraway，wefancy。Oh，wearefools！Itsweepsdownuponusandthen——doom——doom！“ “Mypoordear，youaretalkingwildly。” “Ifyouonlyunderstood——perhapsyouwillsomedayunderstand，andthenyouwillknowwhatseemswildinmyspeechisbuttheincoherenceofapoorcreaturewhohasbeenbeatentothegroundbythewhirlwind，andonlysavedfromdestructionbyamiracle。” Shehadsprungfromherplaceonthesofaandwaspacingtheroom，herdiamondsquivering，luminousasashowerofmeteors——thatwasthefancythatflashedfromhertoPhyllis。Meteors——meteors——whatasplendidpictureshemadeflashingfromplacetoplace！Meteors——ah，surelytherewasthemeteor-birdflashingacrossthedrawingroom！ “Comeandsitdown，mydearElla，“saidPhyllis。“Youare，asyouknow，quiteunintelligibletome。” “Unintelligibletoyou?Iamunintelligibletomyself，“criedElla。 “WhyshouldIbetrampingupanddownyourroomwhenImightbeatthisverymoment——“SheclutchedPhyllis\'arm。“Iwanttostaywithyouallnight，“shewhispered。“Iwanttosleepinyourbedwithyou，Phyllis。IwanttofeelyourarmsaroundmeasIusedtofeelmymother\'slongago。WhateverImaysay，youwillnotletmego，Phyllis?“ “Iwillloadyouwithchains，“saidPhyllis，pattingherlovelyhair—— itwasnolongersmooth。“Whyshouldyouwanttogoawayfromme? Cannotwebehappytogetheronceagainasweusedtobelongago?“ “Howlongagothatwas！Andweread\'RomeoandJuliet\'together，andfanciedthatwehadgonedowntotheverydepthsofitsmeaning。Wefanciedthatwehadsoundedtheverydepthsofitspassionandpathos。 Wewereonlygirls。Ah，Phyllis，Itellyou——I，whoknow——I，whohavefounditout，——Itellyouthatthetragedyisthetragedyofallloverswhohaveeverlivedintheworld。Itellyouthatitisthetragedyofloveitself。\'Gallopapace，yefiery-footedsteeds！\'Thatisthepoemthattheheartoftheloversingsallday——allday！Ihaveheardit——myhearthassungit。Ihaveheardthepassionategallopofthosefiery-footedsteeds。Ihavelistenedtothemwhilemyheartbeatinunisonwiththeirfranticcareer——alldaycountingthemomentswithfieryface，andthen——then——somethingthatwasnotpassionforcedmetoflyfromitforthesalvationofmysoul。Iwasafool！WhyamI here，whenIshouldbewherehe——Whatisthehour?Why，itisscarcelytwelveo\'clock！DidIsaynineinmyletter?Whatdoesitmatter?Iwonderifonthatwonderfulnight——Gounodtranslateditsgloryintomusic——Julietkeptherloverwaitingforthreehours。” “Whatareyoudoing?“criedPhyllis，rising。 Ellahadpickeduphertheatrewrap——itwasasummercloudbrocadedwithgoldenthreadsofquiveringsunlight，andhadflungitaroundher。 SheheldoutahandtoPhyllis。Phyllisgraspedherroundthewaist。 “Whereareyougoing?“shesaid。 “Tohell！“ Shehadwhisperedthewords，andattheirutterancePhyllisgaveacryofhorrorandcoveredherfacewithherhands。 Hadsheseenasuggestionofthesatyrintheexpressionofthatlovelyfacebeforeher? Inthepausethatfollowedthesoundoffootstepsuponthestairsoutsidewasheard；thesoundoffootstepsandofmen\'sfriendlylaughter。Somepersonswereintheactofascending。 “MyGod！“whisperedElla。“Hehasfollowedmehere！“ “Hush！“saidPhyllis。“Papaisbringingsomeonetous。” “Whom——whom?“ Theywerebothstandingtogetherinthemiddleoftheroom，bothhavingtheireyesfixedonthedoor，whenthedooropenedandMr。 Ayrtonappeared，havingbyhissideamanwithiron-grayhairandacuriouslypallidface。 AtthesightofthatmanElla\'shands，thathadbeenholdingherwrapclosetoherthroat，feelingforitssilverclasp，felllimp，andthesplendidmassofwhitebrocadeslippedtothefloorandlayinfoldsaboutherfeet，revealingherlovelyfiguresparklingfromthehemofherdresstothetopofhershapelyhead。 CHAPTERXXI。 THATTOILETSHOULDNOTHAVEBEENWASTED。 Forseveralsecondsthetableauremainedunchanged:thetwowomenstandingsidebyside，thetwomenmotionlessatthehalf-opendoor。 EllawasstaringatthemanwhohadenteredwithMr。Ayrton。Therewassomeapprehensioninhereyes。 Themanhadhiseyesfixeduponher。Buthisfacewaswhollydevoidofexpression。 Phylliswasthefirsttobreakthesilencethatmadeaframe，sotospeak，forthepicture。 “Howdoyoudo，Mr。Linton?“shesaid，takingasteptowardthedoor。 “Iamverywell，thankyou，MissAyrton，“themanreplied，shakinghandswithher。“Ratherasingularhourforavisit，isitnot?“ “Oh，no！onlyElladidn\'ttellmethatyou——“ SheturnedtoElla，andnoticedthattheexpressionofapprehensiononherfacehadincreased。Shewasstillgazingatherhusbandasoneshutupinaroomwithasnakemightgazeatit，waitingforittostrike。 “Elladidn\'ttellyouthatIwascoming?“saidhe。“Shehadthebestofreasonsforherreticence。” “Ah！“ ThesoundcamefromElla。Therewasalittlescornfulsmileonherface。 “Thebestofreasons?“saidPhyllisinterrogatively。 “Theverybest；shehadnoideathatIwascoming。Iwonderifsheisgladtoseeme。Shehasnotspokenawordtomeyet。” “Youhavestartledherbyyoursuddenappearance，“saidPhyllis。“Sheisnotcertainwhetheryouarefleshandbloodoraghost。” ThenEllagavealaugh。 “Oh，yes！“shesaid。“Heismyhusband。Goonwithwhatyouhavetosay，Stephen。Iwillnotrunaway。” “Runaway?Whatnonsenseisthis，mydear?Runaway?Whosaidanythingaboutyourrunningaway?“ Herhusbandhadadvancedtoherashespoke。Heputahandcaressinglyononeofherbarearmsandtheotheratthebackofherhead。Shesufferedhimtopressherheadforwarduntilheputhislipsuponherforehead。 Whenhehadreleasedher，andhadtakenastepbackfromher，——heseemedabuttoaddressPhyllis，——alittlecryforceditselffromher。 Shecalledhisnametwice，——thesecondtimelouder，——andthrewherselfintohisarms，buryingherfaceonhisshoulder，asshehadburieditonPhyllis\'shoulder。 Inafewmoments，however，shelookedup。Herhusbandwaspattingheronthearm。Shehadacquiredtwonewgemssinceshehadbentherhead。 Theywereshininginhereyes。 “Don\'tgoaway，Phyllisdear，“shesaid。Phyllisandherfatherwerestandingatthe/portiere/betweenthedrawingrooms。Mr。Ayrtonhadahandattheembroiderededgeintheactofraisingit。“Don\'tgoaway。 Iamallrightnow。IwasquitedazedatStephen\'ssuddenappearance。 Ithoughtthatperhapshehad——had——Ah，IscarcelyknowwhatI thought。Howdidyoucomehere——whydidyoucomehere?“ Shehadturnedtoherhusband。Inspiteofhermanifestationofaffection，——theresultofacertainreliefwhichsheexperiencedatthatmoment，——therewasanoteofsomethingakintoindignationinhervoice。 “Itisverysimple，mydear，“repliedherhusband。Hiscuriouslysallowfacehadresumeditsusualexpressionlessappearance。“Nothingcouldbemoresimple。IgotatelegramatParisregardingthemine，andIhadtostartatamoment\'snotice。Iwroteoutatelegramtosendtoyou，andthatidioticcourierputitintothepocketofmyovercoatinsteadofsendingit。IfounditinmypocketwhenwehadcomeasfarasCanterbury。Iamnotoneofthosefoolishhusbandswhokeepthesepleasantsurprisesfortheirwives——itisusuallythehusbandwhoreceivesthesurpriseinsuchcases。” “Andthecoachmantoldyouthathehaddrivenmehere?“saidElla。 “Quiteso，“repliedthehusband。“But，yousee，Ihadsomelittlehesitationincominghereathalf-pastteno\'clocktomakeinquiriesaboutmywife——youmighthavegonetosomeplaceelse，youknow，inwhichcaseIshouldhavelookedatriflefoolish；soIthoughthat，onthewhole，mybestplanwouldbetodropinuponMr。AyrtonattheHouseofCommonsanddriveherewithhimwhenhewascominghomeforthenight。ItookitforgrantedthatevensoearnestalegislatorasMr。Ayrtonallowshimselfhisnights——aftertwelve，ofcourse——athome。I\'mverysorryIstartledyou，Ella。Itshallnotoccuragain。” “Whattimedidyoureachhome?“inquiredEllacasually——socasuallythatherhusband，whohadaverydiscriminatingear，gavealittleglanceinherdirection。Shewasdisengagingacornerofherlacetrimmingthathadbecomeentangledwithalargesapphireinapendant。 “Ireachedhomeatnine，“hereplied。 “Atnine?“Shespokethewordsafterhiminalittlegasp。Thenshesaid，walkingacrosstheroomtoasofa，“Icouldnothaveleftmanyminutesbeforeyouarrived。Iintendedgoingtotheopera。” “Thattoiletshouldnothavebeenwasted，“saidhe。“Itisexquisite—— /ravissante/！“ “Itwasaninspiration，yourputtingiton，“saidPhyllis。“Iwonderifshereallyhadnosubtlesuggestionfromherownheartthatyouwereonyourwaytoher，Mr。Linton，“sheadded，turningtothehusband。 “Idaresayitwassomeinwardpromptingofthatmysteriousnature，MissAyrton，“hereplied。“Awoman\'sheartisbarometricinitsnature，itisnot?Itssensitivenessissogreatthatitmovesresponsivetoasuggestionofwhatistocome。Isawoman\'sheartprophetic，Iwonder?“ “Itwouldbearankheresytodoubtit，aftertheexamplewehavehadto-night，“saidMr。Ayrton。“Yes，awoman\'sheartisabarometersuggestingwhatiscomingtoher，andhertoiletisathermometerindicatingthedegreeofexpectancy。” “Acharmingphrase，“saidMr。Linton；“acharmingprinciple，onlyonethatdemandssomeyearsofclosestudytoberenderedpractical。Forinstance，lookatmywife\'stoilet:itisbridal，andyetwehavebeenmarriedthreeyears。” “Quiteso；andthattoiletmeansthatyouaretheluckiestfellowintheworld，“saidMr。Ayrton。 “Iadmittheinterpretation，“saidherhusband。“Itoldthehansomtowaitforme。Heisatthedoornow。Youhavehadnooperato-night，mydear?“ “Youwouldnotexpectmetogoalone?PhylliswasdiningattheEarlscourts\'，“saidthewife。 “Youarethesoulofdiscretion，mybeloved，“saidthehusband。“Isyourstockofphrasesequaltoasuggestionastowhatinstrumentisthesoulofawoman，Ayrton?“headded。“Herheartisabarometer，hertoiletathermometer，andhersoul——“ “Thesoulofawomanisnotaninstrument，butaflower——alily，“saidMr。Ayrton。 “Andmywifewearshersouluponhersleeve，“saidMr。Linton，touchingthedesignonthelacethatfellfromhershoulders。 “Butnotfordawstopeckat——thatistheheart，“laughedMr。Ayrton。 “Talkingofwoman\'ssoul，howisLadyEarlscourt?“headded，tohisdaughter。 “IwassosorrythatIwasatthatstupiddinner，“saidPhyllis。“I mighthaveenjoyedthemusicof\'RomeoandJuliet。\'ButIhadengagedmyselftoLadyEarlscourtafortnightago。” “YoudidnotseeLordEarlscourt，atanyrate，“saidherfather。 “No；heleftusintheeveningforSouthampton，“saidPhyllis。 “And，curiouslyenough，Idinedwithhimattheclub，“saidherfather。“Yes，hecameinwithHerbertCourtlandathalf-pastseven；hehadmetCourtlandandpersuadedhimtojoinhiminhiscruisetoNorway。Theydinedatmytable，andbythetimewehadfinishedCourtland\'smanhadarrivedwithhisbag。Hehadsentthemanamessagefromtheclubtopack。Theyleftbytheeight-fortytrain，andIexpecttheyarewellunderwaybythistime。” “That\'squitetoobadofCourtland，“saidMr。Linton。“Iwantedtohaveatalkwithhim——aratherserioustalk。” EllahadlistenedtoMr。Ayrton\'saccountofthatlittledinnerpartyattheclubwithwhitecheeks——amomentbeforetheyhadbeenred——andwithherlipstightlyclosed。Herhandswereclencheduntilthetipsofthenailswerebitingintoeachofherpalms，beforehehadcometotheendofhisstory——astoryofoneincident。Butwhenherhusbandhadspokenherhandsrelaxed。Theblazethathadcometohereyesforasecondwentoutwithoutaflicker。 “Aserioustalk?“shemurmured。 “Aserioustalk——aboutthemine，“repliedherhusband。 “Aboutthemine，“sherepeated，andamomentafterburstintoalaughthatwasalmoststartlinginitsinsincerity。“Itissoamusing，thischapterofcross-purposes，“shecried。“Whatasightithasbeen！anightofthrillingsurprisestoallofus！ImissPhyllisbyhalfanhourandmyhusbandmissesmebylessthanhalfanhour。HecomesatexpressspeedfromParistohaveatalk，aserioustalk，withMr。 Courtlandaboutthemine，andwhileheisdrivingfromVictoria，Mr。 CourtlandisdrivingtothesamestationwithLordEarlscourt！“ “Whataseriesoffatalities！“saidMr。Ayrton。“ButwhatseemedtomemostamusingwasthepersuasivenessofEarlscourt。HehasonlytospeakhalfadozenwordstoCourtland，andoffhegoestoNorwayatamoment\'snoticewithprobablythemostuncongenialboat\'sloadthatCourtlandeversailedwith，andhemusthavedoneagooddealinthatwayinNewGuineawaters。Now，whyshouldCourtlandtakesuchaturn?“ “Ah，why，indeed！“criedMrs。Linton。“Yes，thatis，asyousay，themostamusingpartofthewholeeveningofcross-purposes。Whyshouldherunawayjustatthistime——to-night——to-night?“ “Whatisthereparticularaboutto-nightthatCourtland\'srunningawayshouldseemdoublyerratic?“askedMr。Linton，afteralittlepause。 Hehadhiseyesfixedcoldlyuponhiswife\'sface。 Sheturnedtohimandlaughedquitemerrily。 “Whatisthereparticularaboutto-night?“sherepeated。“Why，haveyounotarrivedfromParisto-nighttohavethatserioustalkwithhimaboutthemine?Doesn\'titseemtoyoudoublyprovokingthathedidn\'tstayuntilto-morroworthatyoudidn\'tarriveyesterday?Why，why，whydidherunawayto-nightbeforenine?“ “Whybeforenine?“saidherhusband。 “Heavens！Wasnotthatthehourwhenyouarrivedhome?Yousaidsojustnow，“shecried。Thenshepickedupherwrap。PhyllishadthrownitoverachairwhenithadlaininaheaponthefloorasCleopatra\'swrapmayhavelainwhenshewascarriedintothepresenceofherlover。“MydearStephen，don\'tyouthinkthatasitispastnine，andMr。Courtlandisprobablysomemilesoutatseawithhisheadreposingonsomethinghard，——thereisnothingsoftaboutayacht，——weshouldmakeamoveinthedirectionofhome?Itseemsprettyclearthatyouwillhavenoserioustalkwithhimto-night。Alas！myPhyllis，ourdreamofhappinessisover。Wearetobeseparatedbythecrueltyofman，asusual。Good-night，mydear！Good-night，Mr。Ayrton！Prayforgiveusforkeepingyououtofbedsolong；andreceivemythanksforrestoringmylong-losthusbandtomyarms。Didn\'tyousaythatthehansomwaswaiting，Stephen?“ “Iexpectthemanhasbeenasleepforthelasthalf-hour，“saidherhusband。 “Ihopenothinghasgoneastraywiththegoldmine，“saidshe。“Hasn\'tsomeonemadeacalculationregardingtheaccumulationofashillinghansomfareatcompoundinterestwhenthedriveriskeptwaiting?Itislikethesumaboutthenailsinthehorse\'sshoe。Weshallberuinedifweremainheremuchlonger。” “Ah，mydear，“saidMr。Ayrton，whenhehadkissedherhand，andstraightenedthesablecollarofherwrap；“ah，mydear，ahusbandisahusband。” “Evenwhenhestaysawayfromhiswifeforthreemonthsatatime?“ saidElla。 “Notinspiteofthat，butonaccountofit，“saidMr。Ayrton。“Haveyoubeenmarriedalltheseyearswithoutfindingthatout?“ “Good-night！“saidshe。 CHAPTERXXII。 HEHADEXPLAINEDTOPHYLLISONCETHATHETHOUGHTOFGOD ONLYASAPRINCIPLE。 Thesoundofthehansomwheelsdiedawaybeforethefatheranddaughterexchangedaword。Mr。Ayrtonwasthefirsttospeak。 “Itseemstohavebeenanightofmischance，“saidhe。 “IamverygladthatMr。Lintonhasreturned，“saidshe。 “What?Now，whyshouldyoubegladofthatveryordinaryincident?“ “Why?Oh，papa，Iamsofondofher！“ “Shemaybefondofhim，afterall。” Mr。Ayrtonspokemusingly。 “Ofcoursesheis，“saidPhyllis，withapositivenessthatwasdesignedtoconvinceherselfthatshebelievedherownstatement。 “Andhemaybefondofher——yes，attimes，“resumedMr。Ayrton。“Thattoiletofhersseemstohavebeentheonlyhappyelementinthegameofcross-purposeswhichwasplayedto-night。” “Ah，“whisperedthegirl。 “Yes；itwasininspiration。Shecouldnothaveexpectedherhusbandto-night。Whatadress！Evenahusbandwouldbecompelledtoadmititsfascination。Andshesaidshemeanttowearitattheoperato-night。 Itwasscarcelyanoperatoilet，wasit?“ “Ella\'stasteisneveratfault，papa。” “Isupposenot。Iwonderifheiscapableofappreciatingthe——the—— letussay，theinspirationofthattoilet。Isthat，Iwonder，thesortofdressthatamanlikeshiswifetowearwhenshewelcomeshimhomeafteranabsenceofsomemonths?Nomatteritwasexquisiteineverydetail。Curious，hercominghereandwaitingaftershehadlearnedthatyouwereout，wasitnot；fromnineo\'clock——thatfatefulhour！——to-night。” “Ithinkshemusthavefelt——lonely，“saidPhyllis。“Sheseemedsogladtoseeme——sorelieved。Shemeanttostaywithmeallnight，poorthing！Oh，whyshouldherhusbandstayawayfromherformonthsatatime?Itisquitedisgraceful！“ “Ithinkthatwehadbettergotobed，“saidherfather。“Ifwebegintodiscussabstractquestionsoftemperamentwemayabandonallhopeofsleeptonight。WemightaswelltrytofathomHerbertCourtland\'sreasonsforgoingtoyachtwithsouncongenialapartyasLordEarlscourt\'s。Good-night，mydear！“ Hekissedherandwentupstairs。Shedidnotfollowhimimmediately。 Shestoodinthecenteroftheroom，andoverhersweetfaceapuzzledexpressioncrept，asasinglebreathofwindpassesoverthesmoothsurfaceofalakeonadaywhennowindstirsaleaf。 ShethoughtfirstofHerbertCourtland，whichofitselfwasacuriousincident。HowdiditcomethathehadyieldedsoeasilytotheinvitationofLordEarlscourttoaccompanyhimonhiscruiseintheyacht/WaterNymph/?(LordEarlscourt\'simaginationinthedirectionofthenomenclatureofhisboatsaswellashishorseswasnotunlimited。) Butthiswasjustthequestionwhichherfatherhadsuggestedasanexampleofasubjectofprofitlessdiscussion。Sherememberedthis，andaskedherselfifitwaslikelythatshe，havingathercommandfewerdatathanherfatherbearinguponthiscase，shouldmakeabetterattemptthanhemadeatitssolution。HerfatherhadseenHerbertCourtlandsincehehadagreedtogoonthecruise，andwasthereforeinthebetterpositiontoarriveatareasonableconclusioninregardtothesourceoftheimpulseuponwhichMr。Courtlandhadacted；somuchshethoughtcertain。Andyetherfatherhadsuggestedtheprofitlessnatureofsuchaninvestigation，andherfatherwascertainlyright。 OnlyforasinglemomentdiditoccurtoherthatsomethingshehadsaidtoHerbertCourtlandwhenhewassittingthere，thereinthatchairbesideher，mighthavehaditsinfluenceuponhim——onlyforasinglemoment，however；thensheshookherhead。 No，no！thatsuppositionwastoo，tooridiculoustobeentertainedforamoment。Hehad，tobesure，shownthathefeltdeeplythewordswhichshehadquotedastheycamefromMrs。Haddon；butwhatcouldthosewordshavetodowithhissuddenacceptanceofLordEarlscourt\'sinvitationtogotoNorway? ShemadeuphermindthatitwasnothingtoherwhatcourseHerbertCourtlandhadpursued，consequentlytheendeavorstofathomhisreasonforadoptingsuchacoursewouldbewhollyprofitless。ButthequestionofthesingularmoodssuggestedbytheconductandthewordsofherfriendEllaLintonstoodonaverydifferentbasis。Ellawasherdearestfriend，andnothingthatshehadsaidordoneshouldbedismissedasprofitless。 WhatonearthhadEllameantbyappearinginthatwonderfulcostumethatnight?Itwasnotatoiletfortheopera，evenonaMelbanight； evenona“RomeoandJuliet“night，unless，indeed，thewearermeanttoappearonthestageas/Juliet/，wasthethoughtwhichoccurredtothegirl。Herfantasticthought——shethoughtitwasafantasticthought——madehersmile。Unless—— Andthenanotherthoughtcametoherwhich，notbeingfantastic，banishedhersmile。 /Unless/—— Shegottoherfeet——veryslowly——andwalkedveryslowly——acrosstheroom。SheseatedherselfonthesofawhereEllahadsat，andsheremainedmotionlessforsomeminutes。Thenshemadeamotionwithoneofherhandsasifsweepingfrombeforehereyessomeflimsyrepulsiveness——thewebofanuncleanthingflashingintheair。InanotherinstantshehadburiedherfaceinthepillowthatstillboretheimpressofElla\'sface。 “Oh，God——myGod，forgiveme——forgiveme——forgiveme！“washersilent，passionateprayerasshelaytheresobbing。“HowcouldIeverhavesuchathought，soterribleathought。Sheismyfriend——mysister—— andsheputherselfintoherhusband\'sarmsandkissedhim！Oh，God，forgiveme！“ Thatwasherprayerforthegreaterpartofthenightasshelayinherwhitebed。 Shefeltthatshehadsinnedgrievouslyinthoughtagainstherfriend，whensherecalledthewayinwhichherfriendhadthrownherselfintothearmsofherhusband。ThatwastheoneactionwhichthegirlfeltshouldentitleEllaLintontobethesubjectofnosuchhorridthoughtashadbeenforashockinginstantforceduponhermind，whenshereflecteduponthestrangepassionwhichhadtingledthroughElla\'srepetitionofthefierywordsof/Juliet/。 SherecalledeverystrangeelementintheincidentofElla\'sappearanceinthedrawingroom:thewayinwhichEllahadkissedherandclungtoherasachildmighthavedoneonfindingsomeonetoprotectit；sherecalledthewildwordswhichEllahaduttered，and，finally，theterribleexpressionwhichhadappearedonherfaceasshewhisperedthatrecklessanswertoPhyllis\'question，whenshehadpickedupherwrapandflungitaroundherjustbeforethesoundoffootstepshadcometotheirears。AllthatsherecalledinconnectionwiththatextraordinaryvisitofElla\'swasquiteintelligibletoher； butthemysteryofallwasmorethanneutralizedbyherrecollectionofthewayEllahadthrownherselfintoherhusband\'sarms。Thatactionshould，shefelt，beregardedastheoneimportantfactor，asitwere，inthesolutionoftheproblemofElla\'smood——Ella\'sseriesofmoods。Nothingelsethatshehaddone，nothingthatshehadsaid，wasworthyofbeingtakenaccountof，alongsidethatdominantactofthetruewife。 Thelittlewhisperwhichsuggestedtoherthattherewasagooddealthatwasmysteriousintheincidentofherfriend\'svisitsherefusedtoregardasrenderingitlessobligatoryonher——Phyllis——topraythatshemightbeforgiventhathorridsuspicionwhich，foraninstant，hadcometoher；andsoshefellasleepprayingtoGodtoforgiveherforhersin(inthought)againstherfriend。 AndwhilePhylliswasprayingherprayer，herfriend，theTrueWife，wasprayingwithherfacedownuponherpillow，andherbarearmsstretchedoutoverthewhitelaceofthebed: “Forgiveme，OGod；forgiveme！andkeephimawayfromme——foreverandeverandever。Amen。” Andwhileboththeseprayerswerebeingprayed，HerbertCourtlandwassittingononeofthedeckstoolsoftheyacht/WaterNymph/，lookingbackatthemanylightsthatgleamedinclustersalongthesoutherncoastofEngland，nowfarastern；foralightbreezewassendingtheboatalongwithacreaming，quiveringwake。Inthebowsayouthwasmakingthenighthideousthroughtheagencyofabanjoandashamnegromelody。Amidships，LordEarlscourtandtwoothermenwereplaying，bythelightofalanternslungfromthebackstay，agamecalledpoker；LordEarlscourt，ateveryfreshdeal，tryingtomaketherestunderstandhowgreatlytheworryofbeingheldresponsible，asthepatronofthelivingofSt。Chad\'s，fortheeccentricitiesofhisrector，hadaffectedhisnerves——amatteruponwhichhisfriendsassuredhim，withvarieddegreesofemphasis，theywereinnowayinterested。 WithinafewfeetofthesecongenialshipmatesHerbertCourtlandsatlookingacrosstheshiningripplestotheshininglightsofthecoast； wonderinghowhecametobeontheseainsteadofontheshore。Wasthisindeedthenightoverwhichhisimaginationhadgloatedformonths?Wasitindeedpossiblethatthiswastheverynightfollowingtheday——Thursday——forwhichhehadengagedhimselfinaccordancewiththeletterthathestillcarriedinhispocket? Howonearthdiditcomethathewassittingwithhisarmoverthebulwarksofayachtinsteadof——Oh，thethingwasamiracle——amiracle！Hecouldthinkofitinnootherlightthanthatofamiracle。 Well，ifitwereamiracle，ithadbeentheworkofGod，andGodhadtobethankedforit。HehadexplainedtoPhyllisoncethathethoughtofGodonlyasaPrinciple——asthePrinciplewhichworkedinoppositiontotheprincipleofnature。ThatwascertainlytheGodwhichhadbeenevolvedoutofmoderncivilization。Thepagangodshadbeenjusttheopposite。Theyhadbeenfoundedonnaturalprinciples。 TheHebrewtraditionthatGodhadmademaninhisownimagewasthereverseoftheschemeofthepaganmanwhohadmadeGodafterhisownimage；intheimageofmancreatedheGod。 Butholdingthetheorythatheheld——thatGodwasthesometimessuccessfulopponenttotheprinciplesofnature(whichhecalledtheDevil)——HerbertCourtlandfeltthatthiswastheveryGodtowhomhisthanksweredueforthemiraclethathadbeenperformedonhisbehalf。 “ThankGod——thankGod——thankGod！“hemurmured，lookingoutovertheripplingwaters，steelgrayinthesoftshadowofthesummer\'snight。 Butthenheheldthat“thankGod“wasbutafigureofspeech。 “Tinky-tink，tinky-tink，tinky-tinky-tinky-tinky-tinky-tinky-tink，“ wenttheyouthwiththebanjointhebows。 CHAPTERXXIII。 ITSMOUTHINGSOFTHEPASTHADBECOMEITSMUMBLINGSOFTHEPRESENT。 Itwasverydistressing——verydisappointing！ThebishopwouldneitherinstituteproceedingsagainsttherectorofSt。Chad\'snorstateplainlyifitwashisintentiontoproceedagainstthatclergyman。 Whensomepeoplesuggestedverydelicately——thewayordinarypeoplewouldsuggestanythingtoabishop——thatitwassurelynotinsympathywiththeorganizationoftheChurchforanyclergymantotakeadvantageofhispositionandhispulpittocastsometimesridicule，sometimesabuse，uponcertain“scripturalcharacters“——thatwastheirphrase——whohadhithertoalwaysbeenregardedassacred，comparativelysacred，thebishophadbroughtthetipsofthefingersofonehandinimmediate，oralmostimmediate，contactwiththetipsofthefingersofhisotherhand，andhadshakenhishead——mournfully，sadly。Thesesignsofacquiescence，triflingthoughtheywere，hadencouragedthedeputationthatoncewaitedonhislordship——twomilitarymen(retiredontheageclause)，anofficerofengineers(ontheactivelist)，asolicitor(retired)，andamemberoftheLondonCountyCouncil(byoccupationanironmonger)，toexpressthedirectopinionthatthescandalwhichhadbeencreatedbythedissemination——theunrebukeddissemination——ofthedoctrinesheldbytherectorofSt。Chad\'swasaffordingthefriendsofDisestablishmentanadditionalargumentinfavoroftheirpolicyofspoliation。Atthisstatementhislordshiphadnoddedhisheadthreetimeswithagravitythatdeeplyimpressedthespokesmanofthedeputation。HewonderedifhislordshiphadeverbeforeheardthatphraseaboutthefurnishingofanadditionalargumenttothefriendsofDisestablishment。(Asamatteroffacthislordshiphadhearditbefore。) Afteranexpressionofthedeputation\'sopinionthatimmediatestepsshouldbetakentomaketherectorofSt。Chad\'samenabletothelawsoftheChurch，Hislordshipreplied。 (ItwashisfacilityinmakingconciliatoryrepliesthathadbroughtabouthiselevationintheChurch): Hereferredto(1)hisdeepappreciationofthesincerityofthedeputation；(2)hisownsenseofresponsibilityinregardtothefeelingsoftheweakerbrethren；(3)hisappreciationofthevalueofthecounselofpracticalmeninmanyaffairsoftheChurch；(4)theexistingpositionoftheChurchinregardtothelaity；(5)thefriendlyrelationsthathadalwaysexistedbetweenhimselfpersonallyandtheclergyofhisextensivediocese；(6)hisearnestandprayerfuldesirethattheserelationsmightbestrengthened；(7)theinsecurityofahousedividedagainstitself；(8)theprogressofsocialism；(9) theimpossibilityofsocialismcommendingitselftoEnglishmen；(10) therecentanarchistoutrages；(11)thepurityoftheCourtofherMajestytheQueen；(12)theunionofallChristianChurches；(13)theimpossibilityofsuchunioneverbecomingpermanent；(14)thevalueofHolyScriptureindailylife；(15)hisfirmbeliefintheachievementofEngland\'sgreatnessbymeansoftheopenBible；(16)thenoteofpessimisminmodernlife；(17)thenecessityfortheChurch\'scombatingmodernpessimism；(18)theChurch\'spositionasapurveyorofhealthyliteraturefortheyoung；(19)hisreluctancetotakeupanymoreoftheirvaluabletime，and(20)hisassurancethattheremarksoftheirspokesmanwouldhavehisearnestandprayerfulattention。 Thedeputationthenthankedhislordshipandwithdrew。 Butstillthebishopmadenomoveinthematter，andthefriendsoftheRev。GeorgeHollandfeltgrievouslydisappointed。Theyhadcountedonthebishop\'satleastwritingaletterofremonstrancetotherectorofSt。Chad\'s，anduponthepublicationoftheletter，withtherector\'sreplyinthenewspapers；butnowquitetwomonthshadpassedsincetheappearanceof“RevisedVersions，“thebishophadreturnedfromtheEngadine，andstilltherewerenoindicationsofhisintentiontomaketheRev。GeorgeHollandresponsibletotherighttribunal——whateverthatwas——forhisdoctrines。Theycountedonhismartyrdomwithinsixmonths；and，consequently，uponhiselectiontoapositionofdistinctionintheeyesofhisfellow-country-men——or，atleast，ofhiscountry-women。Butthebishoptheyfoundtobeapoorthingafterall。Theyfeltsurethatwhatthepeoplesaidabouthisbeingquitehumbleinthepresenceofhiswifewasnotwithoutsomefoundation；andtheythoughtthat，afterall，therewasagreatdealtobesaidinfavorofthecelibacyofpriestscompulsoryintheChurchofRome。IfthebishopsoftheChurchofEnglandwerenotverycareful，theymightbethemeansofsuchagoingovertoRomeashadneverpreviouslybeenwitnessedinEngland。 GeorgeHollandmayhavebeendisappointed，orhemayhavebeenpleasedattheinactivityofthebishop。Hemadenosignonewayortheother。 Ofcoursehewasnomorethanhuman:hewouldhaveregardedaletterofremonstrancefromthebishopasapersonalcompliment；hehadcertainlyexpectedsuchaletter，forhehadalreadyputtogethertheheadsofthereplyhewouldmake——andpublish——toanyofficialremonstrancethatmightbeofferedtohim。Stillhemadenosign。HepreachedatleastonesermoneverySundaymorning，andwheneveritwasknownthathewouldpreach，St。Chad\'swascrowdedandtheoffertorywasallthatcouldbedesired。Thebishop\'schaplainnolongerheldawatchingbriefinregardinregardtothosesermons。Hedidnotthinkitworthwhiletodosomuch，GeorgeHolland\'sfriendssaid，shakingtheirheadsandpursingouttheirlips。Oh，yes！therecouldbenodoubtthatthebishopwasaveryweaksortofman。 Butthensuddenlythereappearedinthenewnumberofthe/ZeitGeistReview/anarticleabovethesignatureofGeorgeHolland，entitled“TheEnemytoChristianity，“andinamomentitbecameprettyplainthatGeorgeHollandhadnotinhis“RevisedVersions，“saidthelastwordthathehadtosayregardingtheattitudeoftheChurchofEnglandinrespectofthenon-church-goersoftheday。Whenpeoplereadthearticletheyasked“WhoistheEnemytoChristianityreferredtobythewriter?“andtheywereforcedtoconcludethattheanswerwhichwasmadetosuchaninquirybythearticleitselfwas，“TheChurch。” HepointedouttheinfatuationwhichpossessedtheheadsoftheChurchofEnglandinexpectingtoappealwithsuccesstotheeducatedpeopleofthepresentday，whilestilldecliningtomovewiththecourseofthoughtofthepeople。Alreadythebrayingofatromboneoutoftune，andthebarbarousjingleofatambourine，hadabsorbedsomehundredthousandofpossiblechurch-goers；andthough，ofcourse，itwasimpossibleforsensiblemenandwomen——thepeoplewhomtheChurchshouldendeavortograppletoitssoulwithhooksofsteel——tolook，exceptwithamusedsadness，attheludicrousmethodsandvulgarineptitudeoftheSalvationArmy，stilltheChurchwasmakingnoefforttoprovidethesensible，thinking，educatedpeopleofEnglandwithanequivalentassuitabletotheirrequirementsastheSalvationArmywastotherequirementsofthefoolish，thehysterical，theunthinkingpeoplewhoplayedthetambourinesandbrayedonthetunelesstrombones。Thusitisthatonemansaystoanothernowadays，whenhehasgotnothingbettertotalkabout，“Areyouamanofintelligence，ordoyougotochurch?“ Menofintelligencedonotgotochurchnowadays，Mr。Hollandannouncedinthatarticleofhisinthe/ZeitGeist/；manywomenofintelligencerefrainfromgoing，headded，thoughmanybeautifullydressedwomenwerestillfrequentattenders。TherewasnoblinkingthefactthatthecrassstupidityoftheChurchhadmadechurch-goingunpopular——almostimpossible——withintelligentmenandwomen。TheChurchinsultedtheintelligencebytryingtoreconciletheteachingsofJudaismwiththeteachingsofChristianity，whenthetwowereabsolutelyirreconcilable。ItwasthecrassstupidityoftheChurchthathadcausedit——foritsself-protection，itfancied——tobitterlyopposeeverytruththatwasrevealedtoman。TheChurchhadtorturedandburnedatthestakethegreatmentowhomGodhadrevealedthegreatfactsofnature\'sworkings——themotionoftheearthandtheotherplanets。Butthesefacts，beingDivineTruth，becameacceptedbytheworldinspiteofthethumb-screwsandthefagots——theargumentsoftheChurchagainstDivineTruth。ThelistoftheDivineTruthswhichtheChurchhadbitterlyopposedwasasickeningdocument。 Geography，Geology，Biology——theprogressofallhad，evenwithinrecentyears，beenbitterlyopposedbytheChurch，andyettheself- constitutedarbitersbetweenTruthandfalsehoodhadbeencompelledtoeattheirownwords——todevourtheirowndenunciationswhentheyfoundthattheTruthwasacceptedbytheintelligenceofthepeopleinspiteoftheanathemasoftheChurch。 TheintelligenceoftheChurchwasequalonlytothedutyofburningwitches。Itburnedthembythethousand，simplybecauseancientJudaismhadaprofoundbeliefinthewitchandbecauseablood-thirstyJewishmurderer-monarchhadorganizedawitchhunt。 Andyetwithsucharecordagainstit——arecordofthemurderofinnocentmenandwomenwhoendeavoredtopromulgatetheDivineTruthsofnature——theChurchstillarrogatedtoitselftherighttolaydownaruleoflifeforintelligentpeople——aruleoflifefoundeduponthatimpossibleamalgamationofJudaismandChristianity。ThescienceoftheChurchwasnotequaltothetaskofamalgamatingtwosuchdeadlyopponents。 Wasitanywonder，then，thatchurch-goinghadbecomepracticallyobsoleteamongintelligentmenandwomen?thewriterasked。 HethenwentontorefertothenatureoftheexistingservicesoftheChurchofEngland。HedealtonlycasuallywiththemockeryoftheresponseofthecongregationtothereadingoutoftheFourthCommandmentbythepriest，whennooneintheChurchpaidtheleastrespecttotheSeventhDay。ThiswasadditionalproofoftheabsurdityoftheattemptedamalgamationofJudaismandChristianity。Butwhathedealtmostfullywithwastheindiscriminateselectionofwhatwereveryproperlytermedthe“Lessons“fromtheHebrewBible。Itwas，hesaid，farfromedifyingtohearsomechaptersreadoutfromthelecternwithoutcomment；thoughfortunatelythereaderswereasarulesoimperfectlytrainedthatthemostobjectionablepassageshadtheirpotentialityofmischiefminimized。HeconcludedhisindictmentbyareferencetoasermonpreachedbytheaverageclergymanoftheChurchofEngland。Thiswas，usually，hesaid，eitheratheologicalessayfoundeduponanobsoletesystemoftheology，oraseriesofplatitudesofmoralitydeliveredbyanunpracticalman。Thefirstwasaninsulttotheintelligenceofanaverageman；thesecondwasaninsulttotheintelligenceofanaverageschoolgirl。 HissummingupofthewholecaseagainsttheChurchwasaslogicalasitwastrenchant。TheChurchhadsurelybecome，hesaid，likeuntotheGiantPaganin“ThePilgrim\'sProgress，“who，whenincapableofdoingmischief，satmumblingatthemouthofhiscaveontheroadside。TheChurchhadbecometoothless，decrepiteitherforevilorforgood。Itsmouthingsofthepasthadbecomeitsmumblingsofthepresent。Thecaveatthemouthofwhichthistoothlessgiantsatwasverydark；andintelligentpeoplewentbywithagood-naturedandtolerantlaugh。 Thisarticlewaspublishedinthe/Review/onTuesday。Phyllisreaditontheeveningofthatday。OnWednesdaythenewspaperswerefullofthisfurtherdevelopmentofthetheoriesofthewriter，andonThursdayafternoonthewriterpaidavisittoPhyllis。 AsheenteredthedrawingroomhefoundhimselffacetofacewithHerbertCourtland，whowasintheactofleaving。 CHAPTERXXIV。 SHEWASAWIFE，ANDSHEHADALOVERWHODISAPPOINTEDHER。 TheprayerofEllaLintonhadnotbeenanswered。Shehadprayed，notthatherheartwherewithshelovedHerbertCourtlandmightbechanged——thatsheknewwouldbedifficult；notthatherloveforHerbertCourtlandmightcease——thatshebelievedtobeimpossible；butsimplythatHerbertCourtlandmightbekeptawayfromher——thatsheknewtobethemostsensiblecourseherschemeofimplorationcouldtake。 ShewaswellawareofthefactthatGodhadgivenherstrengthtorunawayfromHerbertCourtland，andforthatshewassincerelythankful； shedidnotpausetoanalyzeherfeelings，toaskherselfifherthankswereduetoherreflectionuponthecircumstanceofherhusband\'sreturn，attheveryhourwhenshehadappointedtomeetHerbertCourtland；sheonlyfeltthatGodhadbeengoodtoheringivinghersufficientstrengthtorunawayfromthatappointment。Thenitwasthatshehadprayedthathemightbekeptawayfromher。SurelyGodwouldfinditeasytodothat，shethought。SurelyshemightassumethatGodwasonherside，andthathewouldnotleavehisworkhalfdone。 ButwhenshebegantothinkofthethoroughmannerinwhichGoddoeshisworkshebegantowishthatshehadnotprayedquitesoearnestly。 SupposingthatGodshouldthinkitfittokeephimawayfromherbysendingablastfromheaventocapsizethatyachtinthedeepsea，whatwouldshethinkofthefervencyofherprayerthen? Theterrorofherreflectionuponthepossibilityofthisoccurrenceflungherfromherbedandsentherpacing，withbarefeetandflyinglace，thefloorofherbedroominthefirstpearlylightofdawn，justasshehadpacedthefloorofPhyllis\'drawingroombeneaththeglowoftheelectriclights。 Shewishedthatshehadnotprayedquitesoearnestlythathemightbekeptapartfromher。Butonecannotprayhotandcold；shefeltthatshehadnorightnowtolaydownanyconditionstoHeaveninthematterofkeepingHerbertCourtlandawayfromher。Shehadprayedherprayer；only，ifheweredrownedbeforeshesawhimagain，shewouldneversayanotherprayer。 ThisfeelingthatshewouldbeevenwithHeaven，sotospeak，hadtheeffectofsoothingher。Shethrewherselfuponherbedoncemoreandwasabletofallasleep；shehadaconsiderableamountofconfidenceinthediscriminationofHeaven。 Butbeforeshehadcomedowntothebreakfastroomwhereherhusbandwasreadinganewspaperinthemorning，shehadthoughtagooddealuponanothermatterthatdisquietedherinsomedegree。Shehadbeenexuberant(shethought)athavinghadsufficientstrengthgiventohertorunawayfromherlover；butthenshehadnotdweltupontheratherimportantcircumstancethatalltherunningawayhadnotbeenonherside。WhatwerethefactsasrevealedbythenarrativeofMr。Ayrton? Why，simply，thatwhileshewasputtingonthatsupremetoiletwhichshehadpreparedforthedelightoftheeyesofherlover(feelingherselftobeamodernCleopatra)，thatloverofherswassittingonthecushionsofafirst-classcarriage，flyingalongtoSouthampton； andwhileshehadbeenlyingamongthecushionsofherdrawingroom，waitingtremulously，nervously，ecstatically，forthedrearyminutestocrawlonuntiltheclockshouldchimethehourofnine，hewasprobablylightinghisfirstpipeaboardtheyacht/WaterNymph/。WhatdiditmatterthatshehadliftedherhotfacefromhercushionsandhadfledinwildhastetothearmsofPhyllisAyrton?Thefactremainedthesame；itwashewhohadrunawayfromher。 Thatwasaterriblereflection。Hithertoshehadneverfelthumiliated。Shehadnotfeltthathehadinsultedherbyhiskisses； shehadgivenhimkissforkiss。Shehadbuttoholdupherfingerandhewasreadytoobeyher。Butnow——whatwasshetothinkofhim?Hadevermansohumiliatedwoman?Shehadofferedhim，notherheartbuthersoul——hadhenottoldherafewdaysbeforethathemeanthertogivehimhersoul?andwhenshehadlaidheartandsoulathisfeet—— thatwashowsheputittoherself——hehadnotconsidereditworthhiswhiletotakethepricelessgiftthatsheofferedtohim。 “Hewillanswertomeforthat，“shesaid，asshethoughtoverherhumiliation，infrontofherdressing-glassthatmorning，whilehermaidwasabsentfromtheroom。 Herwishwasnownotthatherprayerhadbeenlessearnest，butthatithadnotbeenutteredatall。ItwasnecessaryforhertomeethimagaininorderthathemightexplaintoherhowitcamethathehadpreferredtheattractionsincidentaltoacruisewithLordEarlscourtandhisfriendstoallthatshehadwrittentoofferhim。 Andyetwhenherhusband，afterhavingquitefinishedwithhispaper，said: “It\'sveryawkwardthatHerbertCourtlandisnotintown，“ Shemerelyraisedhershouldersaninch，saying: “Isupposethathehasarighttotakeaholidaynowandthen。Ifyoudidn\'ttelegraphtohimfromParis，youcannotcomplain。” “IfeltcertainthatIshouldfindhimhere，“saidthehusband。 “Here?“saidthewife，raisinghereyebrowsandcastinganoffendedglanceatherhusband。“Here?“ Hesmiledinthefaceofheroffendedglance。 “Here——inLondon，Imean，ofcourse。Heavens，Ella！didyoufancyforamomentthatImeant——Ah，bytheway，youhaveseenhimrecently?“ “Oh，yes；quiterecently——onTuesday，Ithinkitwas，wemetattheAyrton\'sdinnerparty——yes，itwasTuesday。Therewassomefuss，orattemptedfuss，abouthisadventuresinNewGuinea，andaquestionwasbeingaskedaboutthematterintheHouseofCommons。Mr。Ayrtongotridofsomeofhissuperfluousclevernessinputtingacounterquestion——youknowtheway。” “Oh，perfectlywell！AndthatishowyoumetonTuesday——ifitwasTuesday?“ “Yes；hewenttothankMr。Ayrton，andMr。Ayrtonaskedhimtodinner。 Itwasasmallparty，andnotverybrilliant。Herbertcameherewithmeafterward——forfiveminutes。” “Ah！Togetthetasteofthepartyoffhismouth，Isuppose?Hedidn\'tsayanythingtoyouthenaboutbeingtiredofhisLondonseason?“ “Notaword。Heseemedtiredofthedinnerparty。Heyawned。” “AndI\'msurethatyouyawnedinsympathy。Whenamansofarforgetshimselfastoyawninthepresenceofawoman，sheneverfailstorespondwithoneofmoreamplecircumference。Whenawomansofarremembersherselfastoyawninthepresenceofaman，hetriestosaysomethingwitty。” “Yes，whenthewomanisnothiswife。Ifsheishiswife，heasksherifshedoesn\'tthinkit\'sabouttimeshewasinbed。” “Idaresayyou\'reright；youhaveobservedmen——andwomen，forthatmatter——muchmorecloselythanIhavehadtimetodo。It\'sveryawkwardthatheisn\'there。Imustbringhimbackatonce。” Shefeltalittlemovementatherheart；butsheonlysaid: “Iwouldn\'tdothat，ifIwereyou。Whyshouldn\'thebeallowedtoenjoyhisholidayinpeace?“ “It\'samatterofbusiness；themine，Itoldyou。” “What\'swrongwiththeminethatcouldbesetrightbyhiscomingbackatonce?Areyounotmakingenoughoutofit?“ “We\'remakingquiteasmuchasisgoodforusoutofit。Butifwecangetahundredandfiftythousandpoundsforafewyardsofourclaimfurthereast，withoutdamagingtheprospectsofthemineitself，I don\'tthinkweshouldrefuseit——atanyrate，Idon\'tthinkthatweshouldrefusetoconsidertheoffer。” “Whatisahundredandfiftythousandpounds?“saidshe。 “Iwonderwhyyoudressedyourselfasyoudidlastnight?“saidhe。 Thesuddennessofthewordsdidnotcausehertoquailastheguiltywifequails——yes，underaproperlymanagedlime-light。Shedidnotevencolor。Butthen，ofcourse，shewasnotaguiltywife。 Shelaybackonherchairandlaughed。 Hewatchedher——noteagerly，butpleasantly，admiringly。 “MydearStephen，ifyoucouldunderstandwhyIdressedmyselfthatwayyouwouldbeabletogivemeavaluablehintastowheretheconnectionliesbetweenyourmineandmytoilet——Ineedsuchahint，now，Icanassureyou。” Shewassittingupnowlookingathimwithlovelylaughingeyes。 (Afterall，shewasnoguiltywife。) “What，youcan\'tseetheconnection?“hesaidslowly。“Youcansewoveryourdressaboutfiftythousandpounds\'worthofdiamonds，andyetyoudon\'tseetheconnectionbetweenthewearingofthatdressandthedevelopmentofagoldminebyyourhusband?“ “IthinkIseeitnow——somethingofaconnection。ButIdon\'twantanymorediamonds；Idon\'tcareifyoutakeallthataresewedaboutthedressandthrowthemintotheriver。That\'showIfeelthismorning。” “Iheardsometimeagoofawomanwhohadsomethingofyourmooduponheroneday。Shehadsomeexcellentdiamonds，andinoneofhermoods，sheflungthemintotheriver。Shewasawifeandshehadaloverwhodisappointedher。Thestoryreadsverysmoothlyinverse。” Shelaughed。 “Ihavenolover，“shesaid——wasitmournfully?“Ihaveahusband，itistrue；butheisnotexactlyofthetypeofKingArthur——norSirGalahad，forthatmatter。IhopeyoufoundParisasenjoyableasever?“ “Quite。IneversawatParisamoreenrapturingtoiletthanyoursoflastnight。Youare，Iknow，thehandsomestwomanofmyacquaintance，andyoulookedhandsomerthanIhadeverbeforeseenyouinthatcostume。Iwonderwhyyouputiton。” “Didn\'tsomeone——wasitPhyllis?——suggestthatitwasanactofinspiration；thatIhadasecret，mysteriouspromptingtoputitontoachievetheobjectwhich——well，whichIdidachieve。” “Object?Whatobject?“ “Tomakemyhusbandfallinlovewithmeagain。” “Ah！Inlovethereisnoagain。IwonderwhereatelegramwouldfindHerbert。” “Don\'tworryyourselfabouthim。Lethimenjoyhisholiday。” “DoyoufancyheisenjoyinghimselfwithEarlscourtandhisbooncompanions?They\'llbeplayingpokerfrommorningtillnight—— certainlyfromnighttillmorning。” “Whyshouldhegoonthecruiseifhewasnotcertaintoenjoyhimself?“ “Ah，thatquestionistoomuchforme。Thinkoverityourselfandletmeknowifyoucometoasolution，mydear。” Heroseandlefttheroombeforeshecouldmakeanyanswer——beforeshecouldmakeanattempttofindoutinwhatdirectionhisthoughtsregardingthedepartureofHerbertCourtlandweremoving。 ShewonderedifhehadanysuspicioninregardtoHerbertandherself。 Hewasnotamangiventosuspicion，oratanyrate，giventoallowingwhateversuspicionhemayhavefelt，tobeapparent。HehadallowedhertodriveandtoridewithHerbertCourtlandduringthefourmonthstheyhadbeentogether，firstatEgypt，thenatFlorence，Vienna，Munich，andParis，andhecouldnothavebutseenthatHerbertandshehadagoodmanysympathiesincommon。Notawordhadbeenbreathed，however，ofasuspicionthattheyweremorethangoodfriendstoeachother。 (Asamatteroffact，theyhadnotbeenmorethangoodfriendstoeachother；butthensomehusbandsaregiventounworthysuspicions。) Coulditbepossible，sheaskedherself，thatsomepeoplewithnastymindshadsuggestedtohiminParisthatsheandHerbertweretogetheragreatdealinLondon，andthathehadbeenledtomakethissuddenvisit，thissurprisevisittoLondon，withaviewofsatisfyinghimselfastothetruthofthenastyreports——thedisgracefulcalumnieswhichhadreachedhisears? Ifhehaddoneso，allthatcouldbesaidwasthathehadbeensingularlyunfortunateinregardtohisvisit。“Unfortunate“wasthewordwhichwasinhermind，though，ofcourse/“fortunate“/wasthewordwhichshouldhaveoccurredtoher。Itwascertainlyafortunateresultofhisvisit——thattableauinthedrawingroomofMr。Ayrton: Ellaandherdearestfriendstandingsidebyside，handinhand，asheentered。Asurprisevisit，itmayhavebeen，butassuredlythesurprisewasapleasantoneforthehusband，ifhehadlistenedtothevoiceofcalumny。 Andthen，afterponderinguponthiswithasmilingface，hersmilesuddenlyvanished。Shewasoverwhelmedwiththethoughtofwhatmighthavebeentheresultofthatsurprisevisit——yes，ifshehadnothadthestrengthtorunawaytothesideofPhyllis；yes，ifHerberthadnothadtheweaknesstojointhatpartyofpoker-playersaboardtheyacht。 Shebegantowonderwhatherhusbandwouldhavedoneifhehadenteredthehousebytheaidofhislatch-key，andhadfoundhersittinginthatlovelycostumebythesideofHerbertCourtland?Wouldhehavethoughtheraguiltywoman?WouldhehavethoughtHerbertafalsefriend?Wouldhehavekilledher，orwouldhehavekilledHerbert? Herbertwould，shethought，takeagooddealofkillingfromamanofthecaliberofherhusband；butwhatcouldshehavedone? Well，whatshedid，astheforceofthatthoughtcrushedherbackuponherchair，wastobringherhandstogetherinapassionateclasp，andtocryinapassionategasp: “ThankGod——thankGod——thankGod！“ Shedinedalonewithherhusbandthatnight，andthoughtitwelltoappearinanothereveningtoilet——onethatwasquiteaslovely，thoughscarcelysostriking，asthatwhichherhusbandhadsoadmiredthepreviousnight。Heclearlyappreciatedhereffortstomaintainherlovelinessinhiseyes，andtheirlittledinnerwasaverypleasantone。 Hetoldherthathehadlearnedthattheyacht/WaterNymph/wouldputintoLeithbeforecrossingtheNorthSea，andthathehadwrittentoHerbertCourtlandatthatporttoreturnwithoutdelay。 “Youdidwrong，“saidshe；andshefeltthatshewasspeakingthetruth。 “Idon\'tthinkso，“hereplied。“Atanyrate，youmayrestperfectlycertainthatHerbertwillreceivemyletterwithgratitude。” AndMr。Linton\'sjudgmentonthispointwasnotinerror。HerbertCourtlandreceived，ontheeveningofthethirddayafterleavingSouthampton，theletterwhichcalledhimbacktoLondon，andhecontrivedtoconcealwhateveremotionhemayhavefeltattheprospectofpartingfromhisshipmates。Theyaccompaniedhimashore，however—— theyhadwornoutsixpacksofcardsalready，andwereabouttobuyanotherdozenortwo，toseethemsafelythroughtheimposingsceneryoftheHardangerFjord。 ThenextdayhewasinLondon，anditwasontheeveningofthatsamedaythathecamefacetofacewiththeRev。GeorgeHollandoutsideMissAyrton\'sdrawingroom。 CHAPTERXXV。 LIES！LIES！LIES！ “Youshouldhavecomealittlesooner，“saidPhyllisquitepleasantly。 “Mr。Courtlandwasgivingmesuchanamusingaccountofhislatestvoyage。Willyouhaveteaoricedcoffee?“ “Tea，ifyouplease，“saidGeorgeHolland，alsoquitepleasantly。“HasMr。Courtlandbeenonanothervoyageofdiscovery?Whathashelefthimselftodiscoverintheworldofwaters?“ “Ithinkthatwhathediscoveredonhislatestvoyagewastheeffectofabanjoonthehumanmind，“laughedPhyllis。“HewasaboardLordEarlscourt\'syacht，the/WaterNymph/。Someothermenweretherealso。