第10章

Iassureyou，youmaytrustme。Iftherehasbeenanyfraud——ifIhavetheslightestsuspicionofthetruthofthesurmiseIthrewoutjustnow，“——hecouldnotquitespeakthebarenakedwordthatwaschillinghisheart——“I willnotfailtoaidtheendsofjustice，eventhoughtheculpritshouldbemyownson。”，Heended，ashebegan，withasmile——suchasmile！——thestifflipsrefusedtorelaxandcovertheteeth。Butallthetimehekeptsayingtohimself——，“Idon’tbelieveit——Idon’tbelieveit。I’mconvincedit’sablunderofthatoldfoolBenson。”，Butwhenhehaddismissedtheclerk，andsecuredthepieceofpaper，hewentandlockedthedoor，andlaidhisheadonhisdesk，andmoanedaloud。Hehadlingeredintheofficeforthetwopreviousnights;atfirst，occupyinghimselfinsearchingforthecertificatesoftheInsuranceshares;but，whenalltheboxesandotherrepositoriesforpapershadbeenransacked，thethoughttookholdofhimthattheymightbeinRichard’sprivatedesk; and，withthedeterminationwhichoverlooksthemeanstogetattheend，hehadfirsttriedallhisownkeysonthecomplicatedlock，andthenbrokenitopenwithtwodecidedblowsofapoker，theinstrumentnearestathand。 Hedidnotfindthecertificates。Richardhadalwaysconsideredhimselfcarefulindestroyinganydangerousortell-talepapers;butthesternfatherfoundenough，inwhatremained，toconvincehimthathispatternson——moreeventhanhispatternson，hisbelovedpride——wasfarotherthanwhatheseemed。Mr。Bradshawdidnotskipormissaword。Hedidnotshrinkwhileheread。 Hefoldedupletterbyletter;hesnuffedthecandlewhenitslightbegantowane，andnosooner;buthedidnotmissoromitonepaper——hereadeveryword。Then，leavingthelettersinaheapuponthetable，andthebrokendesktotellitsowntale，helockedthedooroftheroomwhichwasappropriatedtohissonasjuniorpartner，andcarriedthekeyawaywithhim。Therewasafainthope，evenafterthisdiscoveryofmanycircumstancesofRichard’slife，whichshockedanddismayedhisfather——therewasstillafainthopethathemightnotbeguiltyofforgery——thatitmightnotbenoforgeryafterall——onlyablunder——anomission——astupendouspieceofforgetfulness。ThathopewastheonestrawthatMr。Bradshawclungto。LatethatnightMr。BensonsatinhisstudyEveryoneelseinthehousehadgonetobed;buthewasexpectingasummonstosomeonewhowasdangerouslyill。Hewasnotstartled，therefore，attheknockwhichcametothefrontdoorabouttwelve;buthewasrathersurprisedatthecharacteroftheknock，soslowandloud，withapausebetweeneachrap。Hisstudy-doorwasbutastepfromthatwhichledintothestreet。Heopenedit，andtherestood——Mr。Bradshaw;hislarge，portlyfigurenottobemistakenevenintheduskynight。Hesaid，“Thatisright。ItwasyouIwantedtosee。”Andhewalkedstraightintothestudy。Mr。Bensonfollowed，andshutthedoor。Mr。Bradshawwasstandingbythetable，fumblinginhispocket。Hepulledoutthedeed; and，openingit，afterapause，inwhichyoumighthavecountedfive，hehelditouttoMr。Benson。”Readit！“saidhe。Hespokenotanotherworduntiltimehadbeenallowedforitsperusal。Thenheadded——，“Thatisyoursignature？”Thewordswereanassertion，butthetonewasthatofquestion。”No，itisnot，“saidMr。Bensondecidedly。“Itisverylikemywriting。 Icouldalmostsayitwasmine，butIknowitisnot。”，“Recollectyourselfalittle。ThedateisAugustthethirdoflastyear，fourteenmonthsago。Youmayhaveforgottenit。”Thetoneofthevoicehadakindofeagerentreatyinit，whichMr。Bensondidnotnotice——hewassostartledatthefetchofhisownwriting。”Itismostsingularlylikemine;butIcouldnothavesignedawaytheseshares——allthepropertyIhave——withouttheslightestremembranceofit。”，“Strangerthingshavehappened。FortheloveofHeaven，thinkifyoudidnotsignit。It’sadeedtotransferforthoseInsuranceshares，yousee。 Youdon’trememberit？Youdidnotwritethisname——thesewords？”HelookedatMr。Bensonwithcravingwistfulnessforoneparticularanswer。Mr。Bensonwasstruckatlastbythewholeproceeding，andglancedanxiouslyatMr。 Bradshaw，whosemanner，gait，andvoice，weresodifferentfromusualthathemightwellexciteattention。Butassoonasthelatterwasawareofthismomentaryinspection，hechangedhistoneallatonce。”Don’timagine，sir，Iwishtoforceanyinventionuponyouasaremembrance。 Ifyoudidnotwritethisname，Iknowwhodid。OncemoreIaskyou——doesnoglimmeringrecollectionof——havingneededmoney，we’llsay——Ineverwantedyoutorefusemysubscriptiontothechapel，Godknows！——ofhavingsoldtheseaccursedshares？——Oh！Iseebyyourfaceyoudidnotwriteit; youneednottospeaktome——Iknow。”，Hesankdownintoachairnearhim。Hiswholefiguredrooped。Inamomenthewasup，andstandingstraightasanarrow，confrontingMr。Benson，whocouldfindn6cluetothissternman’sagitation。”Yousayyoudidnotwritethesewords？”pointingtothesignature，withanuntremblingfinger。“Ibelieveyou;RichardBradshawdidwritethem。”，“Mydearsir——mydearoldfriend！”exclaimedMr。Benson，“youarerushingtoaconclusionforwhich，Iamconvinced，thereisnofoundation;thereisnoreasontosupposethatbecause——““Thereisreason，sir。Donotdistressyourself——Iamperfectlycalm。” Hisstonyeyesandimmovablefacedidindeedlookrigid。“Whatwehavenowtodoistopunishtheoffence。IhavenotonestandardformyselfandthoseIlove——(and，Mr。Benson，Ididlovehim)——andanotherfortherestoftheworld。Ifastrangerhadforgedmyname，Ishouldhaveknownitwasmydutytoprosecutehim。YoumustprosecuteRichard。”，“Iwillnot，“saidMr。Benson。”Youthink，perhaps，thatIshallfeelitacutely。Youaremistaken。Heisnolongerasmysontome。Ihavealwaysresolvedtodisownanychildofminewhowasguiltyofsin。IdisownRichard。Heisasastrangertome。Ishallfeelnomoreathisexposure——hispunishment——“Hecouldnotgoonforhisvoicewaschoking。“Ofcourse，youunderstandthatI mustfeelshameatourconnection;itisthatthatistroublingme;thatisbutconsistentwithamanwhohasalwayspridedhimselfontheintegrityofhisname;butasforthatboy，whohasbeenbroughtupallhislifeasIhavebroughtupmychildren，itmustbesomeinnatewickedness！Sir，Icancuthimoff，thoughhehasbeenasmyrighthand——beloved。Letmebenohindrancetothecourseofjustice，Ibeg。Hehasforgedyourname——hehasdefraudedyouofmoney——ofyourall，Ithinkyousaid。”，“Someonehasforgedmyname。Iamnotconvincedthatitwasyourson。 UntilIknowallthecircumstances，Ideclinetoprosecute。”，“Whatcircumstances？”askedMr。Bradshaw，inanauthoritativemanner，whichwouldhaveshownirritationbutforhisself-command。”Theforceofthetemptation——theprevioushabitsoftheperson——““OfRichard。Heistheperson，“Mr。Bradshawputin。Mr。Bensonwenton，withouttakinganynotice。“Ishouldthinkitrighttoprosecute，ifIfoundoutthatthisoffenceagainstmewasonlyoneofaseriescommitted，withpremeditation，againstsociety。Ishouldthenfeel，asaprotectorofothersmorehelplessthanmyself——““Itwasyourall，“saidMr。Bradshaw。”Itwasallmymoney;itwasnotmyall，“repliedMr。Benson;andthenhewentonasiftheinterruptionhadneverbeen——“Againstanhabitualoffender。IshallnotprosecuteRichard。Notbecauseheisyourson——donotimaginethat！Ishoulddeclinetakingsuchastepagainstanyyoungmanwithoutfirstascertainingtheparticularsabouthim，whichIknowalreadyaboutRichard，andwhichdeterminemeagainstdoingwhatwouldblasthischaracterforlife——woulddestroyeverygoodqualityhehas。”，“Whatgoodqualityremainstohim？”askedMr。Bradshaw。“Hehasdeceivedme——hehasoffendedGod。”，“HavewenotalloffendedHim？”Mr。Bensonsaidinalowtone。”Notconsciously。Ineverdowrongconsciously。ButRichard——Richard。” Theremembranceoftheundeceivingletters——theforgery——filleduphisheartsocompletelythathecouldnotspeakforaminuteortwo。YetwhenhesawMr。Bensononthepointofsayingsomething，hebrokein——，“Itisnousetalking，sir。YouandIcannotagreeonthesesubjects。Oncemore，Idesireyoutoprosecutethatboy，whoisnolongerachildofmine。”，“Mr。Bradshaw，Ishallnotprosecutehim。Ihavesaiditonceforall。 To-morrowyouwillbegladthatIdonotlistentoyou。Ishouldonlydoharmbysayingmoreatpresent。”，Thereisalwayssomethingaggravatinginbeingtold，thatthemoodinwhichwearenowviewingthingsstronglywillnotbeourmoodatsomeothertime。 Itimpliesthatourpresentfeelingsareblindingus，andthatsomemoreclear-sightedspectatorisabletodistinguishourfuturebetterthanwedoourselves。Themostshallowpersondislikestobetoldthatanyonecangaugehisdepth。Mr。BradshawwasnotsoothedbythislastremarkofMr。Benson’s。Hestoopeddowntotakeuphishatandbegone。Mr。Bensonsawhisdizzywayofgroping，andgavehimwhathesoughtfor;buthereceivednowordofthanks。Mr。Bradshawwentsilentlytowardsthedoor，but，justashegotthere，heturnedround，andsaid——，“Ifthereweremorepeoplelikeme，andfewerlikeyou，therewouldbelessevilintheworld，sir。It’syoursentimentaliststhatnurseupsin。”，AlthoughMr。Bensonhadbeenverycalmduringthisinterview，hehadbeenmuchshockedbywhathadbeenletoutrespectingRichard’sforgery;notbythefactitselfsomuchasbywhatitwasasignof。Still，hehadknowntheyoungmanfromchildhood，andhadseen，andoftenregretted，thathiswantofmoralcouragehadrenderedhimpeculiarlyliabletoallthebadeffectsarisingfromhisfather’ssevereandarbitrarymodeoftreatment。 Dickwouldneverhavehad“pluck“enoughtobeahardenedvillain，underanycircumstances：but，unlesssomegoodinfluencesomestrength，wasbroughttobearuponhim，hemighteasilysinkintothesneakingscoundrel。Mr。 BensondeterminedtogotoMr。Farquhar’sthefirstthinginthemorning，andconsulthimasacalm，clear-headedfamilyfriend——partnerinthebusiness，aswellasson-andbrother-in-lawtothepeopleconcerned。 chapter31，CHAPTERXXXI，ANACCIDENTTOTHEDOVERCOACH，WhileMr。Bensonlayawakeforfearofoversleepinghimself，andsobeinglateatMr。Farquhar’s(itwassomewhereaboutsixo’clock——darkasanOctobermorningisatthattime)，Sallycametohisdoorandknocked。Shewasalwaysanearlyriser;andifshehadnotbeengonetobedlongbeforeMr。Bradshaw’svisitlastnight，Mr。Bensonmightsafelyhavetrustedtohercallinghim。”Here’sawomandownbelowasmustseeyoudirectly。She’llbeupstairsaftermeifyou’renotdownquick。”，“IsitanyonefromClarke’s？”“No，no！notit，master，“saidshethroughthekeyhole;“Ireckonit’sMrs。Bradshaw，forallshe’smuffledup。”，Heneedednootherword。Whenhewentdown，Mrs。Bradshawsatinhiseasy-chair，swayingherbodytoandfro，andcryingwithoutrestraint。Mr。Bensoncameuptoher，beforeshewasawarethathewasthere。”Oh！sir，“saidshe，gettingupandtakingholdofbothhishands，“youwon’tbesocruel，willyou？Ihavegotsomemoneysomewhere——somemoneymyfathersettledonme，sir;Idon’tknowhowmuch，butIthinkit’smorethantwothousandpounds，andyoushallhaveitall。IfIcan’tgiveityounow，I’llmakeawill，sir。OnlybemercifultopoorDick——don’tgoandprosecutehim，sir。”，“MydearMrs。Bradshaw，don’tyouagitateyourselfinthisway。Inevermeanttoprosecutehim。”，“ButMr。Bradshawsaysthatyoumust。”，“Ishallnot，indeed。IhavetoldMr。Bradshawso。”，“Hashebeenhere？Oh！isnothecruel？Idon’tcare。Ihavebeenagoodwifetillnow。IknowIhave。Ihavedoneallhebidme，eversinceweweremarried。ButnowIwillspeakmymind，andsaytoeverybodyhowcruelheis——howhardtohisownfleshandblood！IfheputspoorDickinprison，Iwillgotoo。IfI’mtochoosebetweenmyhusbandandmyson，Ichoosemyson;forhewillhavenofriends，unlessIamwithhim。”，“Mr。Bradshawwillthinkbetterofit。Youwillseethat，whenhisfirstangeranddisappointmentareover，hewillnotbehardorcruel。”，“Youdon’tknowMr。Bradshaw，“saidshemournfully，“ifyouthinkhe’llchange。Imightbegandbeg——Ihavedonemanyatime，whenwehadlittlechildren，andIwantedtosavethemawhipping——butnobeggingeverdidanygood。AtlastIleftitoff。He’llnotchange。”，“Perhapsnotforhumanentreaty。Mrs。Bradshaw，istherenothingmorepowerful？”Thetoneofhisvoicesuggestedwhathedidnotsay。”IfyoumeanthatGodmaysoftenhisheart，“repliedshehumbly，“I’mnotgoingtodenyGod’spower——IhaveneedtothinkofHim，“shecontinued，burstingintofreshtears，“forIamaverymiserablewoman。Onlythink！ hecastitupagainstmelastnight，andsaid，ifIhadnotspoiltDickthisneverwouldhavehappened。”，“Hehardlyknewwhathewassayinglastnight。IwillgotoMr。Farquhar’sdirectly，andseehim;andyouhadbettergohome，mydearMrs。Bradshaw; youmayrelyuponourdoingallthatwecan。”，WithsomedifficultyhepersuadedhernottoaccompanyhimtoMr。Farquhar’s; buthehad，indeed，totakehertoherowndoor，beforehecouldconvinceherthat，atpresent，shecoulddonothingbutwaittheresultoftheconsultationsofothers。Itwasbeforebreakfast，andMr。Farquharwasalone;soMr。Bensonhadaquietopportunityoftellingthewholestorytothehusbandbeforethewifecamedown。Mr。Farquharwasnotmuchsurprised，thoughgreatlydistressed。 ThegeneralopinionhehadalwaysentertainedofRichard’scharacterhadpredisposedhimtofear，evenbeforetheinquiryrespectingtheInsuranceshares。Butitwasstillashockwhenitcame，howevermuchitmighthavebeenanticipated。”Whatcanwedo？”saidMr。Benson，asMr。Farquharsatgloomilysilent。”ThatisjustwhatIwasaskingmyself。IthinkImustseeMr。Bradshaw，andtryandbringhimalittleoutofthisunmercifulframeofmind。Thatmustbethefirstthing。Willyouobjecttoaccompanymeatonce？Itseemsofparticularconsequencethatweshouldsubdueitsobduracybeforetheaffairgetswind。”，“Iwillgowithyouwillingly。ButIbelieveIratherservetoirritateMr。Bradshaw;heisremindedofthingshehassaidtomeformerly，andwhichhethinksheisboundtoactupto。However，Icanwalkwithyoutothedoor，andwaitforyou(ifyou’llallowme)inthestreet。Iwanttoknowhowheisto-day，bothbodilyandmentally;forindeed，Mr。Farquhar，Ishouldnothavebeensurprisedlastnightifhehaddroppeddowndead，soterriblewashisstrainuponhimself。”，Mr。Bensonwasleftatthedoorashehaddesired，whileMr。Farquharwentin。”Oh，Mr。Farquhar，whatisthematter？”exclaimedthegirls，runningtohim。“Mammasitscryingintheoldnursery。Webelieveshehasbeenthereallnight。Shewillnottelluswhatitis，norletusbewithher;andpapaislockedupinhisroom，andwon’tevenansweruswhenwespeak，thoughweknowheisupandawake，forweheardhimtrampingaboutallnight。”，“Letmegouptohim，“saidMr。Farquhar。”Hewon’tletyouin。Itwillbeofnouse。”Butinspiteofwhattheysaid，hewentup;andtotheirsurprise，afterhearingwhoitwas，theirfatheropenedthedoor，andadmittedtheirbrother-in-law。HeremainedwithMr。Bradshawabouthall-an-hour，andthencameintothedining-room，wherethetwogirlsstoodhuddledoverthefire，regardlessoftheuntastedbreakfastbehindthem;and，writingafewlines，hedesiredthemtotakehisnoteuptotheirmother，sayingthatitwouldcomfortheralittle，andthatheshouldsendJemima，intwoorthreehours，withthebaby——perhapstoremainsomedayswithhim。Hehadnotimetotellthemmore;Jemimawould。Heleftthem，andrejoinedMr。Benson。“Comehomeandbreakfastwithme。 IamofftoLondoninanhourortwo，andmustspeakwithyoufirst。”，Onreachinghishouse，heranupstairstoaskJemimatobreakfastaloneinherdressing-room，andreturnedinfiveminutesorless。”NowIcantellyouaboutit，“saidhe。“Iseemywayclearlytoacertainpoint。WemustpreventDickandhisfathermeetingjustnow，orallhopeofDick’sreformationisgoneforever。Hisfatherisashardasthenethermillstone。Hehasforbiddenmehishouse。”，“Forbiddenyou！”“Yes;becauseIwouldnotgiveupDickasutterlylostandbad;andbecauseIsaidIshouldreturntoLondonwiththeclerk，andfairlytellDennison(he’saScotchman，andamanofsenseandfeeling)therealstateofthecase。Bytheway，wemustnotsayawordtotheclerk;otherwisehewillexpectananswer，andmakeoutallsortsofinferencesforhimself，fromtheunsatisfactoryreplyhemusthave。Dennisonwillbeuponhonour——willseeeverysideofthecase——willknowyourefusetoprosecute;theCompanyofwhichheismanagerarenolosers。Well！whenIsaidwhatIthoughtwise，ofallthis——whenIspokeasifmycoursewereasettledanddecidedthing，thegrimoldmanaskedmeifhewastobeanautomatoninhisownhouse。HeassuredmehehadnofeelingforDick——allthetimehewasshakinglikeanaspen;inshort，repeatingmuchthesamethingshemusthavesaidtoyoulastnight。However，Idefiedhim，andtheconsequenceis，I’mforbiddenthehouse，and，whatismore，hesayshewillnotcometotheofficewhileIremainapartner。”，“Whatshallyoudo？”“SendJemimaandthebaby。There’snothinglikeayoungchildforbringingpeopleroundtoahealthystateoffeeling;andyoudon’tknowwhatJemimais，Mr。Benson！No！thoughyou’veknownherfromherbirth。Ifshecan’tcomforthermother，andifthebabycan’tstealintohergrandfather’sheart，why——Idon’tknowwhatyoumaydotome。IshalltellJemimaall，andtrusttoherwitandwisdomtoworkatthisend，whileIdomybestattheother。”，“Richardisabroad，isnothe？”“HewillbeinEnglandto-morrow。Imustcatchhimsomewhere;butthatIcaneasilydo。Thedifficultpointwillbe，whattodowithhim——whattosaytohim，whenIfindhim。Hemustgiveuphispartnership，that’sclear。Ididnottellhisfatherso，butIamresolveduponit。ThereshallbenotamperingwiththehonourofthefirmtowhichIbelong。”，“Butwhatwillbecomeofhim？”askedMr。Bensonanxiously。”Idonotyetknow。But，forJemima’ssake——forhisdouroldfather’ssake——I willnotleavehimadrift。IwillfindhimsomeoccupationasclearfromtemptationasIcan。Iwilldoallinmypower。Andhewilldomuchbetter，ifhehasanygoodinhim，asafreeragent，notcowedbyhisfatherintoawantofindividualityandself-respect。IbelieveImustdismissyou，Mr。Benson，“saidhe，lookingathiswatch;“Ihavetoexplainalltomywife，andtogotothatclerk。Youshallhearfrommeinadayortwo。”，Mr。Bensonhalfenviedtheyoungerman’selasticityofmind，andpowerofactingpromptly。Hehimselffeltasifhewantedtositdowninhisquietstudy，andthinkovertherevelationsandeventsofthelasttwenty-fourhours。ItmadehimdizzyeventofollowMr。Farquhar’splans，ashehadbrieflydetailedthem;andsomesolitudeandconsiderationwouldberequiredbeforeMr。Bensoncoulddecideupontheirjusticeandwisdom。HehadbeenmuchshockedbythediscoveryoftheovertactofguiltwhichRichardhadperpetrated，lowashisopinionofthatyoungmanhadbeenforsometime; andtheconsequencewas，thathefeltdepressed，andunabletorallyforthenextfewdays。Hehadnoteventhecomfortofhissister’ssympathy，ashefeltboundinhonournottotellheranything;andshewasluckilysomuchabsorbedinsomehouseholdcontestwithSallythatshedidnotnoticeherbrother’squietlanguor。Mr。Bensonfeltthathehadnorightatthistimetointrudeintothehousewhichhehadbeenoncetacitlyforbidden。IfhewentnowtoMr。Bradshaw’swithoutbeingasked，orsentfor，hethoughtitwouldseemlikepresumingonhisknowledgeofthehiddendisgraceofoneofthefamily。Yethelongedtogo：heknewthatMr。FarquharmustbewritingalmostdailytoJemima，andhewantedtohearwhathewasdoing。Thefourthdayafterherhusband’sdepartureshecame，withinhalf-an-hourafterthepostdelivery，andaskedtospeaktoMr。Bensonalone。Shewasinastateofgreatagitation，andhadevidentlybeencryingverymuch。”Oh，Mr。Benson！”saidshe，“willyoucomewithme，andtellpapathissadnewsaboutDick？Walterhaswrittenmealetteratlast，tosayhehasfoundhim——hecouldnotatfirst;butnowitseemsthat，thedaybeforeyesterday，heheardofanaccidentwhichhadhappenedtotheDovercoach; itwasoverturned——twopassengerskilled，andseveralbadlyhurt。Waltersaysweoughttobethankful，asheis，thatDickwasnotkilled。Hesaysitwassucharelieftohimongoingtotheplace——thelittleinnnearesttowherethecoachwasoverturned——tofindthatDickwasonlyseverelyinjured;notoneofthosewhowaskilled。Butitisaterribleshocktousall。Wehadhadnomoredreadfulfeartolessentheshock;mammaisquiteunfitforanything，andwenoneofusdaretotellpapa。”Jemimahadhardworktokeepdownhersobsthusfar，andnowtheyovermasteredher。”Howisyourfather？Ihavewantedtoheareveryday，“askedMr。Bensontenderly。”Itwascarelessofmenottocomeandtellyou;but，indeed，Ihavehadsomuchtodo。Mammawouldnotgonearhim。Hehassaidsomethingwhichsheseemsasifshecouldnotforgive。Becausehecametomeals，shewouldnot。Shehasalmostlivedinthenursery;takingoutallDick’soldplaythings，andwhatclothesofhiswereleft，andturningthemover，andcryingoverthem。”，“ThenMr。Bradshawhasjoinedyouagain;Iwasafraid，fromwhatMr。Farquharsaid，hewasgoingtoisolatehimselffromyouall？”“Iwishhehad，“saidJemima，cryingafresh。“Itwouldhavebeenmorenaturalthanthewayhehasgoneon;theonlydifferencefromhisusualhabitis，thathehasnevergoneneartheoffice，orelsehehascometomealsjustasusual，andtalkedjustasusual;andevendonewhatIneverknewhimdobefore，triedtomakejokes——allinordertoshowushowlittlehecares。”，“Doeshenotgooutatall？”“Onlyinthegarden。Iamsurehedoescareafterall;hemustcare;hecannotshakeoffachildinthisway，thoughhethinkshecan;andthatmakesmesoafraidoftellinghimofthisaccident。Willyoucome，Mr。 Benson？”Heneedednootherword。Hewentwithher，assherapidlythreadedherwaythroughtheby-streets。Whentheyreachedthehouse，shewentinwithoutknocking，and，puttingherhusband’sletterintoMr。Benson’shand，sheopenedthedoorofherfather’sroom，andsaying——“Papa，hereisMr。Benson，“ leftthemalone。Mr。Bensonfeltnervouslyincapableofknowingwhattodo，ortosay。HehadsurprisedMr。Bradshawsittingidlyoverthefire——gazingdreamilyintotheembers。Buthehadstartedup，anddrawnhischairtothetable，onseeinghisvisitor;and，afterthefirstnecessarywordsofpolitenesswereover，hoseemedtoexpecthimtoopentheconversation。”Mrs。Farquharhasaskedme，“saidMr。Benson，plungingintothesubjectwithatremblingheart，“totellyouaboutalettershehasreceivedfromherhusband;“hestoppedforaninstant，forhefeltthathedidnotgetnearertherealdifficulty，andyetcouldnottellthebestwayofapproachingit。”Sheneednothavegivenyouthattrouble。IamawareofthereasonofMr。Farquhar’sabsence。Ientirelydisapproveofhisconduct。Heisregardlessofmywishes;anddisobedienttothecommandswhich，asmyson-in-law，Ithoughthewouldhavefeltboundtorespect。Ifthereisanymoreagreeablesubjectthatyoucanintroduce，Ishallbegladtohearyou，sir。”，“Neitheryou，norI，mustthinkofwhatweliketohearortosay。Youmusthearwhatconcernsyourson。”，“Ihavedisownedtheyoungmanwhowasmyson，“repliedhecoldly。”TheDovercoachhasbeenoverturned，“saidMr。Benson，stimulatedintoabruptnessbytheicysternnessofthefather。But，inaflash，hesawwhatlaybelowthatterribleassumptionofindifference。Mr。Bradshawglancedupinhisfaceonelookofagony——andthenwentgrey-pale;solividthatMr。Bensongotuptoringthebellinaffright，butMr。Bradshawmotionedtohimtositstill。”Oh！Ihavebeentoosudden，sir——heisalive，heisalive！”heexclaimed，ashesawtheashyfaceworkinginavainattempttospeak;butthepoorlips(sowooden，notaminuteago)wentworkingonandon，asifMr。Benson’swordsdidnotsinkdownintothemind，orreachtheunderstanding。Mr。 BensonwenthastilyforMrs。Farquhar。”Oh，Jemima！”saidhe，“Ihavedoneitsobadly——Ihavebeensocruel——heisveryill，Ifear——bringwater，brandy——“andhereturnedwithallspeedintotheroom。Mr。Bradshaw——thegreat，strong，ironman——laybackinhischairinaswoon，afit。”Fetchmymother，Mary。Sendforthedoctor，Elizabeth，“saidJemima，rushingtoherfather。SheandMr。Bensondid。allintheirpowertorestorehim。 Mrs。Bradshawforgotallhervowsofestrangementfromthedead-likehusband，whomightneverspeaktoher，orhearheragain，andbitterlyaccusedherselfforeveryangrywordshehadspokenagainsthimduringtheselastfewmiserabledays。Beforethedoctorcame，Mr。Bradshawhadopenedhiseyesandpartiallyrallied，althoughheeitherdidnot，orcouldnotspeak。Helookedstruckdownintooldage。Hiseyesweresenselessintheirexpression，buthadthedimglazeofmanyyearsoflifeuponthem。Hislowerjawfellfromhisupperone，givingalookofmelancholydepressiontotheface，althoughthelipshidtheunclosedteeth。Butheansweredcorrectly(inmonosyllables，itistrue)allthequestionswhichthedoctorchosetoask。Andthemedicalmanwasnotsomuchimpressedwiththeseriouscharacteroftheseizureasthefamily，whoknewallthehiddenmysterybehind，andhadseentheirfatherlieforthefirsttimewiththeprecursoraspectofdeathuponhisface。Rest，watching，andalittlemedicine，werewhatthedoctorprescribeditwassoslightaprescription，forwhathadappearedtoMr。Bensonsoseriousanattack，thathewishedtofollowthemedicalmanoutoftheroomtomakefurtherinquiries，andlearntherealopinionwhichhethoughtmustlurkbehind。But，ashewasfollowingthedoctor，he——theyall——wereawareoftheeffortMr。Bradshawwasmakingtorise，inordertoarrestMr。Benson’sdeparture。Hedidstandup，supportinghimselfwithonehandonthetable，forhislegsshookunderhim。Mr。Bensoncamebackinstantlytothespotwherehewas。Foramomentitseemedasifhehadnottherightcommandofhisvoice：butatlasthesaid，withatoneofhumble，wistfulentreaty，whichwasverytouching——，“Heisalive，sir;ishenot？”“Yes，sir——indeedheis;heisonlyhurt。Heissuretodowell。Mr。Farquhariswithhim，“saidMr。Benson，almostunabletospeakfortears。Mr。BradshawdidnotremovehiseyesfromMr。Benson’sfaceformorethanaminuteafterhisquestionhadbeenanswered。Heseemedasthoughhewouldreadhisverysoul，andthereseeifhespokethetruth。Satisfiedatlast，hesankslowlyintohischair;andtheyweresilentforalittlespace，waitingtoperceiveifhewouldwishforanyfurtherinformationjustthen。 Atlengthheputhishandsslowlytogetherintheclaspedattitudeofprayer，andsaid——“ThankGod！” chapter32，CHAPTERXXXII，THEBRADSHAWPEWAGAINOCCUPIED，IfJemimaallowedherselfnowandthentoimaginethatonegoodwouldresultfromthediscoveryofRichard’sdelinquency，inthereturnofherfatherandMr。Bensontosomethingoftheiroldunderstandingandtheiroldintercourse——ifthishopeflutteredthroughhermind，itwasdoomedtodisappointment。 Mr。Bensonwouldhavebeenmosthappytogo，ifMr。Bradshawhadsentforhimhewasonthewatchforwhatmightbeeventheshadowofsuchaninvitation——butnonecame。Mr。Bradshaw，onhispart，wouldhavebeenthoroughlygladifthewilfulseclusionofhispresentlifecouldhavebeenbrokenbytheoccasionalvisitsoftheoldfriendwhomhehadonceforbiddenthehouse; but，thisprohibitionhavingpassedhislips，hestubbornlyrefusedtodoanythingwhichmightbeconstruedintounsayingit。Jemimawasforsometimeindespairofhiseverreturningtotheoffice，orresuminghisoldhabitsofbusiness。Hehadevidentlythreatenedasmuchtoherhusband。 AllthatJemimacoulddowastoturnadeafeartoeveryallusiontothismenace，whichhethrewoutfromtimetotime，evidentlywithaviewtoseeifithadstruckdeepenoughintoherhusband’smindforhimtohaverepeatedittohiswife。IfMr。Farquharhadnamedit——ifitwasknownonlytotwoorthreetohavebeen，butforonehalf-houreven，hisresolution——Mr。 Bradshawcouldhaveadheredtoit，withoutanyotherreasonthanthemaintenanceofwhathecalledconsistency，butwhichwasinfactdoggedness。Jemimawasoftenthankfulthathermotherwasabsent，andgonetonurseherson。 Ifshehadbeenathome，shewouldhaveentreatedandimploredherhusbandtofallbackintohisusualhabits，andwouldhaveshownsuchadreadofhisbeingasgoodashisword，thathewouldhavebeencompelledtoadheretoitbytheveryconsequenceaffixedtoit。Mr。Farquharhadhardwork，asitwas，inpassingrapidlyenoughbetweenthetwoplaces——attendingtohisbusinessatEccleston;anddeciding，comforting，andearnestlytalking，inRichard’ssick-room。Duringanabsenceofhis，itwasnecessarytoapplytooneofthepartnersonsomematterofimportance;andaccordingly，toJemima’ssecretjoy，Mr。Watsoncameupandaskedifherfatherwaswellenoughtoseehimonbusiness？Jemimacarriedinthisinquiryliterally; andthehesitatinganswerwhichherfathergavewasintheaffirmative。 Itwasnotlongbeforeshesawhimleavethehouse，accompaniedbythefaithfuloldclerk;andwhenhemetheratdinnerhemadenoallusiontohismorningvisitor，ortohissubsequentgoingout。Butfromthattimeforwardshewentregularlytotheoffice。HereceivedalltheinformationaboutDick’saccident，andhisprogresstowardsrecovery，inperfectsilence，andinasindifferentamannerashecouldassume;butyethelingeredaboutthefamilysitting-roomeverymorninguntiltheposthadcomeinwhichbroughtalllettersfromthesouth。WhenMr。FarquharatlastreturnedtobringthenewsofDick’sperfectconvalescence，heresolvedtotellMr。Bradshawallthathehaddoneandarrangedforhisson’sfuturecareer;but，asMr。FarquhartoldMr。Bensonafterwards，hecouldnotreallysayifMr。Bradshawhadattendedtoonewordthathesaid。”Relyuponit，“saidMr。Benson，“hehasnotonlyattendedtoit，buttreasuredupeveryexpressionyouhaveused。”，“Well，Itriedtogetsomeopinion，orsignofemotion，outofhim。Ihadnotmuchhopeofthelatter，Imustown;butIthoughthewouldhavesaidwhetherIhaddonewiselyornotinprocuringthatGlasgowsituationforDick——thathewould，perhaps，havebeenindignantatmyoustinghimfromthepartnershipsoentirelyonmyownresponsibility。”，“HowdidRichardtakeit？”“Oh，nothingcouldexceedhispenitence。Ifonehadneverheardoftheproverb，’Whenthedevilwassick，thedevilamonkwouldbe，’Ishouldhavehadgreaterfaithinhim;orifhehadhadmorestrengthofcharactertobeginwith，ormorerealityandlessoutwardappearanceofgoodprincipleinstilledintohim。However，thisGlasgowsituationistheverything; clear，definedduties，nogreattrustreposedinhim，akindandwatchfulhead，andintroductionstoabetterclassofassociatesthanIfancyhehaseverbeenthrownamongstbefore。For，youknow，Mr。Bradshawdreadedallintimaciesforhisson，andwantedhimtoeschewallsocietybeyondhisownfamily——wouldneverallowhimtoaskafriendhome。Really，whenIthinkoftheunnaturallifeMr。Bradshawexpectedhimtolead，Igetintocharitywithhim，andhavehopes。Bytheway，haveyoueversucceededinpersuadinghismothertosendLeonardtoschool？HemayrunthesameriskfromisolationasDick：notbeabletochoosehiscompanionswiselywhenhegrowsup，butbetoomuchovercomebytheexcitementofsocietytobeverydiscreetastowhoarehisassociates。Haveyouspokentoheraboutmyplan？”“Yes！buttonopurpose。Icannotsaythatshewouldevenadmitanargumentonthesubject。Sheseemedtohaveaninvinciblerepugnancetotheideaofexposinghimtotheremarksofotherboysonhispeculiarposition。”，“Theyneedneverknowofit。Besides，soonerorlater，hemuststepoutofhisnarrowcircle，andencounterremarkandscorn。”，“True，“saidMr。Bensonmournfully。“Andyoumaydependuponit，ifitreallyisthebestforLeonard，shewillcomeroundtoitby-and-by。Itisalmostextraordinarytoseethewayinwhichherearnestandmostunselfishdevotiontothisboy’srealwelfareleadshertorightandwiseconclusions。”，“IwishIcouldtamehersoastoletmemeetherasafriend。Sincethebabywasborn，shecomestoseeJemima。Mywifetellsme，thatshesitsandholdsitsoftinherarms，andtalkstoitasifherwholesoulwentouttothelittleinfant。Butifshehearsastrangefootsteponthestair，whatJemimacallsthe’wild-animallook’comesbackintohereyes，andshestealsawaylikesomefrightenedcreature。Withallthatshehasdonetoredeemhercharacter，sheshouldnotbesotimidofobservation。”Youmaywellsay’withallthatshehasdone！’Weofherownhouseholdhearlittleornothingofwhatshedoes。Ifshewantshelp，shesimplytellsushowandwhy;butifnot——perhapsbecauseitissomerelieftohertoforgetforatimethescenesofsufferinginwhichshehasbeenactingthepartofcomforter，andperhapsbecausetherealwayswasashy，sweetreticenceabouther——wenevershouldknowwhatsheisandwhatshedoes，exceptfromthepoorpeoplethemselves，whowouldblessherinwordsiftheverythoughtofherdidnotchokethemwithtears。Yet，Idoassureyou，shepassesoutofallthisgloom，andmakessunlightinourhouse。 Weareneversocheerfulaswhensheisathome。Shealwayshadtheartofdiffusingpeace，butnowitispositivecheerfulness。AndaboutLeonard; Idoubtifthewisestandmostthoughtfulschoolmastercouldteachhalfasmuchdirectly，ashismotherdoesunconsciouslyandindirectlyeveryhourthatheiswithher。Hernoble，humble，piousenduranceoftheconsequencesofwhatwaswronginherearlylifeseemsexpresslyfittedtoactuponhim，whosepositionis(unjustly，forhehasdonenoharm)sosimilartohers。”，“Well！Isupposewemustleaveitaloneforthepresent。YouwillthinkmeahardpracticalmanwhenIowntoyou，thatallIexpectfromLeonard’sremainingahome-birdisthat，withsuchamother，itwilldohimnoharm。 Atanyrate，remembermyofferisthesameforayear——twoyearshence，asnow。Whatdoesshelookforwardtomakinghiminto，finally？”“Idon’tknow。Thewondercomesintomymindsometimes;butneverintohers，Ithink。Itispartofhercharacter——partperhapsofthatwhichmadeherwhatshewas——thatsheneverlooksforward，andseldomback。Thepresentisenoughforher。”，Andsotheconversationended。WhenMr。Bensonrepeatedthesubstanceofittohissister，shemusedawhile，breakingoutintoanoccasionalwhistle(althoughshehadcuredherselfofthishabitinagreatmeasure)，andatlastshesaid——，“Now，doyouknow，IneverlikedpoorDick;andyetI’mangrywithMr。 Farquharforgettinghimoutofthepartnershipinsuchasummaryway。 Ican’tgetoverit，eventhoughhehasofferedtosendLeonardtoschool。 Andherehe’sreigninglord-paramountattheoffice！Asifyou，Thurstan，weren’taswellabletoteachhimasanyschoolmasterinEngland！ButI shouldnotmindthataffront，ifIwerenotsorrytothinkofDick(thoughInevercouldabidehim)labouringawayinGlasgowforapettysalaryofnobodyknowshowlittle，whileMr。Farquharistakinghalves，insteadofthirds，oftheprofitshere！”Butherbrothercouldnottellher——andevenJemimadidnotknowtilllongafterwards——thattheportionofincomewhichwouldhavebeenDick’sasajuniorpartner，ifhehadremainedinthebusiness，wascarefullylaidasideforhimbyMr。Farquhar;tobedeliveredup，withallitsaccumulativeinterest，whentheprodigalshouldhaveprovedhispenitencebyhisconduct。WhenRuthhadnocalluponhertime，itwasindeedaholidayatChapel-house。 Shethrewoffasmuchasshecouldofthecareandsadnessinwhichshehadbeensharing;andreturnedfreshandhelpful，readytogoaboutinhersoft，quietway，andfillupeverymeasureofservice，andheapitwiththefragranceofherownsweetnature。Thedelicatemending，thattheelderwomencouldnolongerseetodo，wasputbyforRuth’sswiftandnimblefingers。Theoccasionalcopying，orpatientwritingtodictation，thatgaveresttoMr。Benson’swearyspine，wasdonebyherwithsunnyalacrity。But，mostofall，Leonard’sheartrejoicedwhenhismothercamehome。Thencamethequietconfidences，thetenderexchangeoflove，thehappywalksfromwhichhereturnedstrongerandstronger——goingfromstrengthtostrengthashismotherledtheway。Itwaswell，astheysawnow，thatthegreatshockofthedisclosurehadtakenplacewhenitdid。She，forherpart，wonderedatherowncowardlinessinhavingevenstriventokeepbackthetruthfromherchild——thetruththatwassocertaintobemadeclear，soonerorlater，andwhichitwasonlyowingtoGod’smercythatshewasalivetoencounterwithhim，and，bysoencountering，shieldandgivehimgoodcourage。Moreover，inhersecretheart，shewasthankfulthatalloccurredwhilehewasyettooyoungtohavemuchcuriosityastohisfather。Ifanunsatisfiedfeelingofthiskindoccasionallystoleintohismind，atanyratesheneverheardanyexpressionofit;forthepastwasasealedbookbetweenthem。Andso，inthebrightstrengthofgoodendeavour，thedayswenton，andgrewagaintomonthsandyears。Perhapsonelittlecircumstancewhichoccurredduringthistimehadscarcelyexternalimportanceenoughtobecalledanevent;butinMr。Benson’smindittookrankassuch。Oneday，aboutayearafterRichardBradshawhadceasedtobeapartnerinhisfather’shouse，Mr。BensonencounteredMr。Farquharinthestreet，andheardfromhimofthecreditableandrespectablemannerinwhichRichardwasconductinghimselfinGlasgow，whereMr。Farquharhadlatelybeenonbusiness。”Iamdeterminedtotellhisfatherofthis，“saidhe;“IthinkhisfamilyarefartooobedienttohistacitprohibitionofallmentionofRichard’sname。”，“Tacitprohibition？”inquiredMr。Benson。”Oh！IdaresayIusethewordsinawrongsenseforthecorrectnessofascholar;butwhatImeanis，thathemadeapointofimmediatelyleavingtheroomifRichard’snamewasmentioned;anddiditinsomarkedamanner，thatbydegreestheyunderstoodthatitwastheirfather’sdesirethatheshouldneverbealludedto;whichwasallverywellaslongastherewasnothingpleasanttobesaidabouthim;butto-nightIamgoingthere，andshalltakegoodcarehedoesnotescapemebeforeIhavetoldhimallIhaveheardandobservedaboutRichard。Hewillneverbeaheroofvirtue，forhiseducationhasdrainedhimofallmoralcourage;butwithcare，andtheabsenceofallstrongtemptationforatime，hewilldoverywell; nothingtogratifypaternalpride，butcertainlynothingtobeashamedof。”，ItwasontheSundayafterthisthatthelittlecircumstancetowhichI havealludedtookplace。Duringtheafternoonservice，Mr。BensonbecameawarethatthelargeBradshawpewwasnolongerunoccupied。InadarkcornerMr。Bradshaw’swhiteheadwastobeseen，boweddownlowinprayer。Whenlasthehadworshippedthere，thehaironthatheadwasiron-grey，andeveninprayerhehadstooderect，withanairofconsciousrighteousnesssufficientforallhiswants，andevensometosparewithwhichtojudgeothers。Now，thatwhiteandhoaryheadwasneveruplifted;partofhisunobtrusivenessmight，itistrue，beattributedtotheuncomfortablefeelingwhichwassuretoattendanyopenwithdrawalofthedeclarationhehadoncemade，nevertoenterthechapelinwhichMr。Bensonwasministeragain;andassuchafeelingwasnaturaltoallmen，andespeciallytosuchaoneasMr。Bradshaw，Mr。Bensoninstinctivelyrespectedit，andpassedoutofthechapelwithhishousehold，withouteverdirectinghisregardstotheobscureplacewhereMr。Bradshawstillremainedimmovable。FromthisdayMi……Bensonfeltsurethattheoldfriendlyfeelingexistedoncemorebetweenthem，althoughsometimemightelapsebeforeanycircumstancegavethesignalforarenewaloftheirintercourse。 chapter33，CHAPTERXXXIII，AMOTHERTOBEPROUDOF，Oldpeopletellofcertainyearswhentyphusfeversweptoverthecountrylikeapestilence;yearsthatbringbacktheremembranceofdeepsorrow——refusingtobecomforted——tomanyahousehold;andwhichthosewhosebelovedpassedthroughthefierytimeunscathed，shrinkfromrecallingforgreatandtremulouswastheanxiety——miserabletheconstantwatchingforevilsymptoms;andbeyondthethresholdofhomeadensecloudofdepressionhungoversocietyatlarge。Itseemedasifthealarmwasproportionatetothepreviouslight-heartednessoffanciedsecurity——andindeeditwasso;for，sincethedaysofKingBelshazzar，thesolemndecreesofDoomhaveeverseemedmostterriblewhentheyaweintosilencethemerryrevellersoflife。SoitwasthisyeartowhichIcomeintheprogressofmystory。Thesummerhadbeenunusuallygorgeous。Somehadcomplainedofthesteamingheat，butothershadpointedtothelushvegetation，whichwasprofuseandluxuriant。Theearlyautumnwaswetandcold，butpeopledidnotregardit，ncontemplationofsomeproudrejoicingofthenation，whichfilledeverynewspaperandgavefoodtoeverytongue。InEcclestontheserejoicingsweregreaterthaninmostplaces;for，bythenationaltriumphofarms，itwassupposedthatanewmarketforthestaplemanufactureoftheplacewouldbeopened;andsothetrade，whichhadforayearortwobeenlanguishing，wouldnowrevivewithredoubledvigour。Besidestheselegitimatecausesofgoodspirits，therewastherankexcitementofacomingelection，inconsequenceofMr。DonnehavingacceptedaGovernmentoffice，procuredforhimbyoneofhisinfluentialrelations。Thistime，theCranworthsrousedthemselvesfromtheirmagnificenttorporofsecurityingoodseason，andweregoingthroughaseriesofpompousandponderoushospitalities，inordertobringbacktheEcclestonvoterstotheirallegiance。Whilethetownwasfullofthesesubjectsbyturns——nowthinkingandspeakingofthegreatrevivaloftrade——nowofthechancesoftheelection，asyetsomeweeksdistant——nowoftheballsatCranworthCourt，inwhichMr。CranworthhaddancedwithallthebellesoftheshopocracyofEccleston——therecamecreeping，creeping，inhidden，slimycourses，theterriblefever——thatfeverwhichisneverutterlybanishedfromthesadhauntsofviceandmisery，butlivesinsuchdarkness，likeawildbeastintherecessesofhisden。 IthadbeguninthelowIrishlodging-houses;butthereitwassocommonitexcitedlittleattention。Thepoorcreaturesdiedalmostwithouttheattendanceoftheunwarnedmedicalmen，whoreceivedtheirfirstnoticeofthespreadingplaguefromtheRomanCatholicpriests。BeforethemedicalmenofEcclestonhadhadtimetomeettogetherandconsult，andcomparetheknowledgeofthefeverwhichtheyhadseverallygained，ithad，liketheblazeofafirewhichhadlongsmouldered，burstforthinmanyplacesatonce——notmerelyamongtheloose-livingandvicious，butamongthedecentlypoor——nay，evenamongthewell-to-doandrespectable。 And，toaddtothehorror，likeallsimilarpestilences，itscoursewasmostrapidatfirst，andwasfatalinthegreatmajorityofcases——hopelessfromthebeginning。Therewasacry，andthenadeepsilence，andthenrosethelongwailofthesurvivors。AportionoftheInfirmaryofthetownwasaddedtothatalreadysetapartforafever-ward;thesmittenwerecarriedthitheratonce，wheneveritwaspossible，inordertopreventthespreadofinfection;andonthatlazar-housewasconcentratedallthemedicalskillandforceoftheplace。Butwhenoneofthephysicianshaddied，inconsequenceofhisattendance——whenthecustomarystaffofmatronsandnurseshadbeensweptoffintwodays——andthenursesbelongingtotheInfirmaryhadshrunkfrombeingdraftedintothepestilentialfever-ward——whenhighwageshadfailedtotemptanytowhat，intheirpanic，theyconsideredascertaindeath——whenthedoctorsstoodaghastattheswiftmortalityamongtheuntendedsufferers，whoweredependentonlyonthecareofthemostignoranthirelings，toobrutaltorecognizethesolemnityofDeath(allthishadhappenedwithinaweekfromthefirstacknowledgmentofthepresenceoftheplague)——Ruthcameoneday，withaquieterstepthanusual，intoMr。Benson’sstudy，andtoldhimshewantedtospeaktohimforafewminutes。”Tobesure，mydear！Sitdown：“saidhe;forshewasstandingandleaningherheadagainstthechimney-piece，idlygazingintothefire。Shewentonstandingthere，asifshehadnotheardhiswords;anditwasafewmomentsbeforeshebegantospeak。Thenshesaid——，“Iwanttotellyou，thatIhavebeenthismorningandofferedmyselfasmatrontothefever-wardwhileitissofull。Theyhaveacceptedme;andIamgoingthisevening。”，“Oh，Ruth！Ifearedthis;Isawyourlookthismorningaswespokeofthisterribleillness。”，“Whydoyousay’fear’，Mr。Benson？YouyourselfhavebeenwithJohnHarrison，andoldBetty，andmanyothers，Idaresay，ofwhomwehavenotheard。”，“Butthisissodifferent！insuchpoisonedair！amongsuchmalignantcases！ Haveyouthoughtandweigheditenough，Ruth？”Shewasquitestillforamoment，buthereyesgrewfulloftears。Atlastshesaid，verysoftly，withakindofstillsolemnity——，“Yes！Ihavethought，andIhaveweighed。ButthroughtheverymidstofallmyfearsandthoughtsIhavefeltthatImustgo。”，TheremembranceofLeonardwaspresentinboththeirminds;butforafewmomentslongertheyneitherofthemspoke。ThenRuthsaid——，“IbelieveIhavenofear。Thatisagreatpreservative，theysay。Atanyrate，ifIhavealittlenaturalshrinking，itisquitegonewhenIrememberthatIaminGod’shands！Oh，Mr。Benson，“continuedshe，breakingoutintotheirrepressibletears——“Leonard，Leonard！”Andnowitwashisturntospeakoutthebravewordsoffaith。”Poor，poormother！”saidhe。“Butbeofgoodheart。He，too，isinGod’shands。Thinkwhataflashoftimeonlywillseparateyoufromhim，ifyoushoulddieinthiswork！”“Buthe——buthe——itwillbelongtohim，Mr。Benson！Hewillbealone！”“No，Ruth，hewillnot。Godandallgoodmenwillwatchoverhim。Butifyoucannotstillthisagonyoffearastowhatwillbecomeofhim，yououghtnottogo。Suchtremulouspassionwillpredisposeyoutotakethefever。”，“Iwillnotbeafraid，“shereplied，liftingupherface，overwhichabrightlightshone，asofGod’sradiance。“Iamnotafraidformyself。 Iwillnotbesoformydarling。”，Afteralittlepause，theybegantoarrangethemannerofhergoing，andtospeakaboutthelengthoftimethatshemightbeabsentonhertemporaryduties。Intalkingofherreturn，theyassumedittobecertain，althoughtheexacttimewhenwastothemunknown，andwouldbedependententirelyonthedurationofthefever;butnottheless，intheirsecrethearts，didtheyfeelwherealonetheissuelay。RuthwastocommunicatewithLeonardandMissFaiththroughMr。Bensonalone，whoinsistedonhisdeterminationtogoeveryeveningtothehospitaltolearntheproceedingsoftheday，andthestateofRuth’shealth。”Itisnotaloneonyouraccount，mydear！Theremaybemanysickpeopleofwhom，ifIcangivenoothercomfort，Icantakeintelligencetotheirfriends。”，Allwassettledwithgravecomposure;yetstillRuthlingered，asifnervingherselfupforsomeeffort。Atlengthshesaid，withafaintsmileuponherpaleface——，“IbelieveIamagreatcoward。IstandheretalkingbecauseIdreadtotellLeonard。”，“Youmustnotthinkofit，“exclaimedhe。“Leaveittome。Itissuretounnerveyou。”，“Imustthinkofit。Ishallhaveself-controlenoughinaminutetodoitcalmly——tospeakhopefully。Foronlythink，“continuedshe，smilingthroughthetearsthatwouldgatherinhereyes，“whatacomforttheremembranceofthelastfewwordsmaybetothepoorfellow，if——“Thewordswerechoked，butshesmiledbravelyon。“No！”saidshe，“thatmustbedone; butperhapsyouwillsparemeonething——willyoutellAuntFaith？IsupposeIamveryweak，but，knowingthatImustgo，andnotknowingwhatmaybetheend，IfeelasifIcouldnotbeartoresistherentreatiesjustatlast。Willyoutellher，sir，whileIgotoLeonard？”Silentlyheconsented，andthetworoseupandcameforth，calmandserene。 AndcalmlyandgentlydidRuthtellherboyofherpurpose;notdaringeventouseanyunaccustomedtendernessofvoiceorgesture，lest，bysodoing，sheshouldalarmhimunnecessarilyastotheresult。Shespokehopefully，andbadehimbeofgoodcourage;andhecaughtherbravery，thoughhis，poorboyIhadrootratherinhisignoranceoftheactualimminentdangerthaninherdeepfaith。Whenhehadgonedown，Ruthbegantoarrangeherdress。Whenshecamedownstairsshewentintotheoldfamiliargardenandgatheredanosegayofthelastlingeringautumnflowers——afewrosesandthelike。Mr。Bensonhadtutoredhissisterwell;and，althoughMissFaith’sfacewasswollenwithcrying，shespokewithalmostexaggeratedcheerfulnesstoRuth。Indeed，astheyallstoodatthefrontdoor，making-believetohavecarelessnothingstosay，justasatanordinaryleave-taking，youwouldnothaveguessedthestrainedchordsoffeelingtherewereineachheart。Theylingeredon，thelastraysofthesettingsunfallingonthegroup。Ruthonceortwicehadrousedherselftothepitchofsaying“Good-bye，“ butwhenhereyefellonLeonardshewasforcedtohidethequiveringofherlips，andconcealhertremblingmouthamidthebunchofroses。”Theywon’tletyouhaveyourflowers，I’mafraid，“saidMissBenson。“Doctorssooftenobjecttothesmell。”，“No;perhapsnot，“saidRuthhurriedly。“Ididnotthinkofit。Iwillonlykeepthisonerose。Here，Leonarddarling！”Shegavetheresttohim。 Itwasherfarewell;forhavingnownoveiltohideheremotion，shesummonedallherbraveryforonepartingsmile，and，smiling，turnedaway。Butshegaveonelookbackfromthestreet，justfromthelastpointatwhichthedoorcouldbeseen，and，catchingaglimpseofLeonardstandingforemostonthestep，sheranback，andhemetherhalf-way，andmotherandchildspokeneverawordinthatcloseembrace。”Now，Leonard，“saidMissFaith，“beabraveboy。Ifeelsureshewillcomebacktousbeforeverylong。”，Butshewasverynearcryingherself;andshewouldhavegivenway，Ibelieve，ifshehadnotfoundthewholesomeoutletofscoldingSally，forexpressingjustthesameopinionrespectingRuth’sproceedingsassheherselfhaddonenottwohoursbefore。Takingwhatherbrotherhadsaidtoherasatext，shedeliveredsuchalecturetoSallyonwantoffaiththatshewasastonishedatherself，andsomuchaffectedbywhatshehadsaidthatshehadtoshutthedoorofcommunicationbetweenthekitchenandtheparlourprettyhastily，inordertopreventSally’sthreatenedreplyfromweakeningherbeliefintherighteousnessofwhatRuthhaddone。Herwordshadgonebeyondherconviction。EveningaftereveningMr。BensonwentforthtogainnewsofRuth;andnightafternighthereturnedwithgoodtidings。Thefever，itistrue，raged; butnoplaguecamenighher。Hesaidherfacewasevercalmandbright，exceptwhencloudedbysorrowasshegavetheaccountsofthedeathswhichoccurredinspiteofeverycare。Hesaidthathehadneverseenherfacesofairandgentleasitwasnow，whenshewaslivinginthemidstofdiseaseandwoe。OneeveningLeonard(fortheyhadgrownbolderastotheinfection)accompaniedhimtothestreetonwhichthehospitalabutted。Mr。Bensonlefthimthere，andtoldhimtoreturnhome;buttheboylingered，attractedbythecrowdthathadgathered，andweregazingupintentlytowardsthelightedwindowsofthehospital。Therewasnothingbeyondthattobeseen;butthegreaterpartofthesepoorpeoplehadfriendsorrelationsinthatpalaceofDeath。Leonardstoodandlistened。Atfirsttheirtalkconsistedofvagueandexaggeratedaccounts(ifsuchcouldbeexaggerated)ofthehorrorsofthefever。ThentheyspokeofRuth——ofhismother;andLeonardheldhisbreathtohear。”Theysayshehasbeenagreatsinner，andthatthisisherpenance，quothone。AndasLeonardgasped，beforerushingforwardtogivethespeakerstraightthelie，anoldmanspoke——，“Suchaoneasherhasneverbeenagreatsinner;nordoesshedoherworkasapenance，butfortheloveofGod，andoftheblessedJesus。ShewillbeinthelightofGod’scountenancewhenyouandIwillbestandingafaroff。Itellyou，man，whenmypoorwenchdied，asnoonewouldcomenear，herheadlayatthathouronthiswoman’ssweetbreast。Icouldfellyou，“ theoldmanwenton，liftinghisshakingarm，“forcallingthatwomanagreatsinner。Theblessingofthemwhowerereadytoperishisuponher。”，Immediatelytherearoseaclamouroftongues，eachwithsometaleofhismother’sgentledoings，tillLeonardgrewdizzywiththebeatingsofhisglad，proudheart。FewwereawarehowmuchRuthhaddone;sheneverspokeofit，shrinkingwithsweetshynessfromover-muchallusiontoherownworkatalltimes。Herlefthandtrulyknewnotwhatherrighthanddid; andLeonardwasoverwhelmednowtohearoftheloveandthereverencewithwhichthepoorandoutcasthadsurroundedher。Itwasirrepressible。Hesteppedforwardwithaproudbearing，and，touchingtheoldman’sarmwhohadfirstspoken，Leonardtriedtospeak;butforaninstanthecouldnot，hisheartwastoofull：tearscamebeforewords，butatlengthhemanagedtosay——，“Sir，Iamherson！”“Thou！thouherbairn！Godblessyou，lad，“saidanoldwoman，pushingthroughthecrowd。“Itwasbutlastnightshekeptmychildquietwithsingingpsalmsthenightthrough。Lowandsweet，lowandsweet，theytellme——tillmanypoorthingswerehushed，thoughtheywereoutoftheirminds，andhadnotheardpsalmsthismanyayear。Godinheavenblessyou，lad！”Manyotherwild，woe-begonecreaturespressedforwardwithblessingsonRuth’sson，whilehecouldonlyrepeat——，“Sheismymother。”，FromthatdayforwardLeonardwalkederectinthestreetsofEccleston，where“manyaroseandcalledherblessed。”，Aftersomeweeksthevirulenceofthefeverabated;andthegeneralpanicsubsided——indeed，akindoffool-hardinesssucceeded。Tobesure，insomeinstancesthepanicstillheldpossessionofindividualstoanexaggeratedextent。Butthenumberofpatientsinthehospitalwasrapidlydiminishing，and，formoney，thoseweretobefoundwhocouldsupplyRuth’splace。Buttoheritwasowingthattheoverwroughtfearofthetownwassubdued; itwasshewhohadgonevoluntarily，and，withnothoughtofgreedorgain，rightintotheveryjawsofthefiercedisease。Shebadetheinmatesofthehospitalfarewell，andaftercarefullysubmittingherselftothepurificationrecommendedbyMr。Davis，theprincipalsurgeonoftheplace，whohadalwaysattendedLeonard，shereturnedtoMr。Benson’sjustatgloamingtime。Theyeachviedwiththeotherinthetenderestcares。Theyhastenedtea; theywheeledthesofatothefire;theymadeherliedown;andtoallshesubmittedwiththedocilityofachild;and，whenthecandlescame，evenMr。Benson’sanxiouseyecouldseenochangeinherlooks，butthatsheseemedalittlepaler。Theeyeswereasfullofspirituallight，thegentlypartedlipsasrosy，andthesmile，ifmorerare，yetassweetasever。 chapter34，CHAPTERXXXIV，“IMUSTGOANDNURSEMR。BELLINGHAM“ThenextmorningMissBensonwouldinsistuponmakingRuthliedownonthesofa。Ruthlongedtodomanythings;tobemuchmoreactive;butshesubmitted，whenshefoundthatitwouldgratifyMissFaithifsheremainedasquietasifshewerereallyaninvalid。Leonardsatbyherholdingherhand。Everynowandthenhelookedupfromhisbook，asiftomakesurethatsheindeedwasrestoredtohim。Hehadbroughtherdowntheflowerswhichshehadgivenhimthedayofherdeparture，andwhichhehadkeptinwateraslongastheyhadanygreennessorfragrance，andthenhadcarefullydriedandputby。Shetoo，smiling，hadproducedtheonerosewhichshehadcarriedawaytothehospital。Neverhadthebondbetweenherandherboybeendrawnsofirmandstrong。ManyvisitorscamethisdaytothequietChapel-house。FirstofallMrs。 Farquharappeared。ShelookedverydifferentfromtheJemimaBradshawofthreeyearsago。Happinesshadcalledoutbeauty;thecolouringofherfacewaslovely，andvividasthatofanautumnday;herberryredlipsscarceclosedovertheshortwhiteteethforhersmiles;andherlargedarkeyesglowedandsparkledwithdailyhappiness。TheyweresoftenedbyamistoftearsasshelookeduponRuth。”Liestill！Don’tmove！Youmustbecontentto-daytobewaitedupon，andnursed！IhavejustseenMissBensoninthelobby，andhadchargeuponchargenottofatigueyou。Oh，Ruth！howweallloveyou，nowwehaveyoubackagain！Doyouknow，ItaughtRosatosayherprayersassoonaseveryouweregonetothathorridplace，justonpurposethatherlittleinnocentlipsmightprayforyou——Iwishyoucouldhearhersayit——’Please，dearGod，keepRuthsafe。’Oh，Leonard！arenotyouproudofyourmother？”Leonardsaid“Yes，“rathershortly，asifhewereannoyedthatanyoneelseshouldknow，orevenhavearighttoimagine，howproudhewas。Jemimawenton——，“Now，Ruth！Ihavegotaplanforyou。WalterandIhavepartlymadeit; andpartlyit’spapa’sdoing。Yes，dear！papahasbeenquiteanxioustoshowhisrespectforyou。WeallwantyoutogotothedearEagle’sCragforthisnextmonth，andgetstrong，andhavesomechangeinthatfineairatAbermouth。IamgoingtotakelittleRosathere。Papahaslentittous。AndtheweatherisoftenverybeautifulinNovember。”，“Thankyouverymuch。Itisverytempting;forIhavebeenalmostlongingforsomesuchchange。IcannottellallatoncewhetherIcango;butI willseeaboutit，ifyouwillletmeleaveitopenalittle。”，“Oh！aslongasyoulike，sothatyouwillbutgoatlast。And，MasterLeonard！youaretocometoo。Now，IknowIhaveyouonmyside。”，Ruththoughtoftheplace。Heronlyreluctancearosefromtheremembranceofthatoneinterviewonthesands。Thatwalkshecouldnevergoagain; buthowmuchremained！Howmuchthatwouldbeacharmingbalmandrefreshmenttoher！，“Whathappyeveningsweshallhavetogether！Doyouknow，IthinkMaryandElizabethmayperhapscome。”，Abrightgleamofsunshinecameintotheroom。“Look！howbrightandpropitiousforourplans。DearRuth，itseemslikeanomenforthefuture！”Almostwhileshespoke，MissBensonentered，bringingwithherMr。Grey，therectorofEccleston。Hewasanelderlyman，short，andstoutlybuilt，withsomethingveryformalinhismanner;butanyonemightfeelsureofhissteadybenevolencewhonoticedtheexpressionofhisface，andespeciallyofthekindlyblackeyesthatgleamedbeneathhisgreyandshaggyeyebrows。 Ruthhadseenhimatthehospitalonceortwice，andMrs。Farquharhadmethimprettyfrequentlyingeneralsociety。”Goandtellyouruncle，“saidMissBensontoLeonard。”Stop，myboy！IhavejustmetMr。Bensoninthestreet，andmyerrandnowistoyourmother。Ishouldlikeyoutoremainandhearwhatitis; andIamsurethatmybusinesswillgivetheseladies，“——bowingtoMissBensonandJemima——“somuchpleasure，thatIneednotapologiseforenteringuponitintheirpresence。”，Hepulledouthisdoubleeye-glass，saying，withagravesmile——，“Youranawayfromusyesterdaysoquietlyandcunningly，Mrs。Denbigh，thatyouwere，perhaps，notawarethattheBoardwassittingatthatverytime，andtryingtoformavotesufficientlyexpressiveofourgratitudetoyou。Aschairman，theyrequestedmetopresentyouwiththisletter，whichIshallhavethepleasureofreading。”，WithalldueemphasishereadaloudaformalletterfromtheSecretarytotheInfirmary，conveyingavoteofthankstoRuth。Thegoodrectordidnotspareheroneword，fromdatetosignature;andthen，foldingtheletterup，hegaveittoLeonard，saying——，“There，sir！whenyouareanoldman，youmayreadthattestimonytoyourmother’snobleconductwithprideandpleasure。For，indeed，“continuedhe，turningtoJemima，“nowordscanexpressthereliefitwastous。I speakofthegentlemencomposingtheBoardoftheInfirmary。WhenMrs。 Denbighcameforward，thepanicwasatitsheight，andthealarmofcourseaggravatedthedisorder。Thepoorcreaturesdiedrapidly;therewashardlytimetoremovethedeadbodiesbeforeotherswerebroughtintooccupythebeds，solittlehelpwastobeprocuredonaccountoftheuniversalterror;andthemorningwhenMrs。Denbighofferedusherservicesweseemedattheveryworst。Ishallneverforgetthesensationofreliefinmymindwhenshetolduswhatsheproposedtodo;butwethoughtitrighttowarnhertothefullextent——，“Nay，madam，“saidhe，catchingaglimpseofRuth’schangingcolour，“I willspareyouanymorepraises。Iwillonlysay，ifIcanbeafriendtoyou，orafriendtoyourchild，youmaycommandmypoorpowerstotheutmost。”，Hegotup，and，bowingformally，hetookhisleave。JemimacameandkissedRuth。Leonardwentupstairstoputthepreciousletteraway。MissBensonsatcryingheartilyinacorneroftheroom。Ruthwenttoher，andthrewherarmsroundherneck，andsaid——，“Icouldnottellhimjustthen。Idurstnotspeakforfearofbreakingdown;butifIhavedoneright，itwasallowingtoyouandMr。Benson。 Oh！IwishIhadsaidhowthethoughtfirstcameintomyheadfromseeingthethingsMr。Bensonhasdonesoquietlyeversincethefeverfirstcameamongstus。Icouldnotspeak;anditseemedasifIwastakingthosepraisestomyself，whenallthetimeIwasfeelinghowlittleIdeservedthem——howitwasallowingtoyou。”，“UnderGod，Ruth，“saidMissBenson，speakingthroughhertears。”Oh！thinkthereisnothinghumblesonesomuchasunduepraise。Whilehewasreadingthatletter，IcouldnothelpfeelinghowmanythingsI havedonewrong！Couldheknowof——ofwhatIhavebeen？”askedshe，droppinghervoiceverylow。”Yes！”saidJemima，“heknew——everybodyinEcclestondidknow——buttheremembranceofthosedaysissweptaway。MissBenson，“shecontinued，forshewasanxioustoturnthesubject，“youmustbeonmyside，andpersuadeRuthtocometoAbermouthforafewweeks。IwantherandLeonardbothtocome。”，“I’mafraidmybrotherwillthinkthatLeonardismissinghislessonssadly。 Justoflatewecouldnotwonderthatthepoorchild’sheartwassofull; buthemustmakehaste，andgetonallthemoreforhisidleness。”MissBensonpiquedherselfonbeingadisciplinarian。”Oh，asforlessons，Walterissoveryanxiousthatyoushouldgivewaytohissuperiorwisdom，Ruth，andletLeonardgotoschool。Hewillsendhimtoanyschoolyoufixupon，accordingtothemodeoflifeyouplanforhim。”，“Ihavenoplan，“saidRuth。“Ihavenomeansofplanning。AllIcandoistotryandmakehimreadyforanything。”，“Well，“saidJemima，“wemusttalkitoveratAbermouth;forIamsureyouwon’trefusetocome，dearest，dearRuth！Thinkofthequiet，sunnydays，andthestillevenings，thatweshallhavetogether，withlittleRosatotumbleaboutamongthefallenleaves;andthere’sLeonardtohavehisfirstsightofthesea。”，“Idothinkofit，“saidRuth，smilingatthehappypictureJemimadrew。 Andbothsmilingatthehopefulprospectbeforethem，theyparted——nevertomeetagaininlife。NosoonerhadMrs。FarquhargonethanSallyburstin。”Oh！dear，dear！”saidshe，lookingaroundher。“IfIhadbutknownthattherectorwascomingtocallI’dha’putonthebestcovers，andtheSundaytablecloth！You’rewellenough，“continuedshe，surveyingRuthfromheadtofoot;“you’realwaystrimanddaintyinyourgowns，thoughIreckontheycostbuttuppenceayard，andyou’veafacetoset’emoff;butasforyou“(assheturnedtoMissBenson)，“Ithinkyoumightha’hadsomethingbetteronthanthatoldstuff，ifithadonly。beentodocredittoaparishionerlikeme，whomhehasknowneversin’myfatherwashisclerk。”，“Youforget，Sally，Ihadbeenmakingjellyallthemorning。HowcouldItellitwasMr。Greywhentherewasaknockatthedoor？”MissBensonreplied。”Youmightha’lettenmedothejelly;I’sewarrantIcouldha’pleasedRuthaswellasyou。IfIhadbutknownhewascoming，I’dha’slippedroundthecornerandboughtyeaneck-ribbon，orsummuttolightenyeup。 I’selothheshouldthinkI’mlivingwithDissenters，thatdon’tknowhowtokeepthemselvestrigandsmart。”，“Nevermind，Sally;heneverthoughtofme。Whathecamefor，wastoseeRuth;and，asyousay，she’salwaysneatanddainty。”，“Well！Ireckonitcannotbehelpednow;but，ifIbuyyearibbon，willyoupromisetowearitwhenChurchfolkscome？forIcannotabidethewaytheyhaveofscoffingattheDissentersabouttheirdress。”，“Verywell！we’llmakethatbargain，“saidMissBenson;“andnow，Ruth，I’llgoandfetchyouacupofwarmjelly。”，“Oh！indeed，AuntFaith，“saidRuth，“Iamverysorrytobalkyou;butifyou’regoingtotreatmeasaninvalid，IamafraidIshallrebel。”，ButwhenshefoundthatAuntFaith’sheartwassetuponit，shesubmittedverygraciously：onlydimplingupalittle，asshefoundthatshemustconsenttolieonthesofa，andbefed，when，intruth，shefeltfullofhealth，withaluxurioussensationoflanguorstealingoverhernowandthen，justenoughtomakeitverypleasanttothinkofthesaltbreezes，andtheseabeautywhichawaitedheratAbermouth。Mr。Daviscalledintheafternoon，andhisvisitwasalsotoRuth。Mr。 andMissBensonweresittingwithherintheparlour，andwatchingherwithcontentedlove，assheemployedherselfinhouseholdsewing，andhopefullyspokeabouttheAbermouthplan。”Well！soyouhadourworthyrectorhereto-day;Iamcomeonsomethingofthesamekindoferrand;onlyIshallspareyouthereadingofmyletter，which，I’llanswerforit，hedidnot。Pleasetotakenotice，“saidhe，puttingdownasealedletter，“thatIhavedeliveredyouavoteofthanksfrommymedicalbrothers;andopenandreaditatyourleisure;onlynotjustnow，forIwanttohavealittletalkwithyouonmyownbehoof。I wanttoaskyouafavour，Mrs。Denbigh。”，“Afavour！”exclaimedRuth;“whatcanIdoforyou？IthinkImaysayI willdoit，withouthearingwhatitis。”，“Thenyou’reaveryimprudentwoman，“repliedhe;“however，I’lltakeyouatyourword。Iwantyoutogivemeyourboy。”，“Leonard？”“Ay！thereitis，yousee，Mr。Benson。Oneminutesheisasreadyascanbe，andthenextshelooksatmeasifIwasanogre！”“Perhapswedon’tunderstandwhatyoumean，“saidMr。Benson。”Thethingisthis。YouknowI’venochildren;andIcan’tsayI’veeverfrettedoveritmuch;butmywifehas;andwhetheritisthatshehasinfectedme，orthatIgrieveovermygoodpracticegoingtoastranger，whenI oughttohavehadasontotakeitafterme，Idon’tknow;but，oflate，I’vegottolookwithcovetouseyesonallhealthyboys，andatlastI’vesettleddownmywishesonthisLeonardofyours，Mrs。Denbigh。”，Ruthcouldnotspeak;for，evenyet，shedidnotunderstandwhathemeant。 Hewenton——，“Now，howoldisthelad？”HeaskedRuth，butMissBensonreplied——，“He’llbetwelvenextFebruary。”，“Umph！onlytwelve！He’stallandold-lookingforhisage。Youlookyoungenough，itistrue。”Hesaidthislastsentenceasiftohimself，butseeingRuthcrimsonup，hoabruptlychangedhistone。”Twelve，ishe？Well，Itakehimfromnow。Idon’tmeanthatIreallytakehimawayfromyou，“saidhe，softeningallatonce，andbecominggraveandconsiderate。“Hisbeingyourson——thesonofonewhomIhaveseen——asIhaveseenyou，Mrs。Denbigh(outandoutthebestnurseIevermetwith，MissBenson;andgoodnursesarethingswedoctorsknowhowtovalue)——hisbeingyoursonishisgreatrecommendationtome;notbutwhattheladhimselfisanobleboy。Ishallbegladtoleavehimwithyouaslongandasmuchaswecan;hecouldnotbetiedtoyourapron-stringsallhislife，youknow。OnlyIprovideforhiseducation，subjecttoyourconsentandgoodpleasure，andheisboundapprenticetome。I，hisguardian，bindhimtomyself，thefirstsurgeoninEccleston，betheotherwhohemay; andinprocessoftimehebecomespartner，andsomedayorothersucceedsme。Now，Mrs。Denbigh，whathaveyougottosayagainstthisplan？Mywifeisjustasfullofitasme。Come;beginwithyourobjections。You’renotawomanifyouhavenotawholebag-fullofthemreadytoturnoutagainstanyreasonableproposal。”，“Idon’tknow，“falteredRuth。“Itissosudden——““Itisvery，verykindofyou，Mr。Davis，“saidMissBenson，alittlescandalisedatRuth’snon-expressionofgratitude。”Pooh！pooh！I’llanswerforit，inthelong-run，Iamtakinggoodcareofmyowninterests。Come，Mrs。Denbigh，isitabargain？”NowMr。Bensonspoke。”Mr。Davis，itisrathersudden，asshesays。AsfarasIcansee，itisthebestaswellasthekindestproposalthatcouldhavebeenmade;butIthinkwemustgiveheralittletimetothinkaboutit。”，“Well，twenty-fourhours！Willthatdo？”Ruthliftedupherhead。“Mr。Davis，IamnotungratefulbecauseIcan’tthankyou“(shewascryingwhileshespoke);“letmehaveafortnighttoconsideraboutit。InafortnightIwillmakeupmymind。Oh，howgoodyouallare！”“Verywell。Thenthisdayfortnight——Thursdaythe28th——youwillletmeknowyourdecision。Mind！ifit’sagainstme，Isha’n’tconsideritadecision，forI’mdeterminedtocarrymypoint。I’mnotgoingtomakeMrs。Denbighblush，Mr。Benson，bytellingyou，inherpresence，ofallIhaveobservedaboutherthislastthreeweeks，thathasmademesureofthegoodqualitiesIshallfindinthisboyofhers。Iwaswatchingherwhenshelittlethoughtofit。DoyourememberthatnightwhenHectorO’Brienwassofuriouslydelirious，Mrs。Denbigh？”Ruthwentverywhiteattheremembrance。”Whynow，lookthere！howpalesheisattheverythoughtofit！Andyet，Iassureyou，shewastheonetogoupandtakethepieceofglassfromhimwhichhehadbrokenoutofthewindowforthesolepurposeofcuttinghisthroat，orthethroatofanyoneelse，forthatmatter。Iwishwehadsomeothersasbraveassheis。”，“Ithoughtthegreatpanicwaspassedaway！”saidMr。Benson。”Ay！thegeneralfeelingofalarmismuchweaker;but，hereandthere，thereareasgreatfoolsasever。Why，whenIleavehere，Iamgoingtoseeourpreciousmember，Mr。Donne——““Mr。Donne？”saidRuth。”Mr。Donne，wholiesillattheQueen’s——camelastweek，withtheintentionofcanvassing，butwastoomuchalarmedbywhatheheardofthefevertosettowork;and，inspiteofallhisprecautions，hehastakenit;andyoushouldseetheterrortheyareinatthehotel;landlord，landlady，waiters，servants——all;there’snotacreaturewillgonearhim，iftheycanhelpit;andthere’sonlyhisgroom——aladhesavedfromdrowning，I’mtold——todoanythingforhim。Imustgethimapropernurse，somehoworsomewhere，forallmybeingaCranworthman。Ah，Mr。Benson！youdon’tknowthetemptationswemedicalmenhave。Think，ifIallowedyourmembertodienowashemightverywell，ifhehadnonurse——howfamouslyMr。 Cranworthwouldwalkoverthecourse！——Where’sMrs。Denbighgoneto？I hopeI’venotfrightenedherawaybyremindingherofHectorO’Brien，andthatawfulnight，whenIdoassureyoushebehavedlikeaheroine！”AsMr。BensonwasshowingMr。Davisout，Ruthopenedthestudy-door，andsaid，inaverycalm，lowvoice——，“Mr。Benson！willyouallowmetospeaktoMr。Davisalone？”Mr。Bensonimmediatelyconsented，thinkingthat，inallprobability，shewishedtoasksomefurtherquestionsaboutLeonard;butasMr。Daviscameintotheroom，andshutthedoor，hewasstruckbyherpale，sternfaceofdetermination，andawaitedherspeakingfirst。”Mr。Davis！ImustgoandnurseMr。Bellingham，“saidsheatlast，clenchingherhandstighttogether;butnootherpartofherbodymovingfromitsintensestillness。”Mr。Bellingham？”askedhe，astonishedatthename。”Mr。Donne，Imean，“saidshehurriedly。“HisnamewasBellingham。”，“Oh！Irememberhearinghehadchangedhisnameforsomeproperty。Butyoumustnotthinkofanymoresuchworkjustnow。Youarenotfitforit。Youarelookingaswhiteasashes。”，“Imustgo，“sherepeated。”Nonsense！Here’samanwhocanpayforthecareofthefirsthospitalnursesinLondon——andIdoubtifhislifeisworththeriskofoneoftheirseven，muchmoreofyours。”，“Wehavenorighttoweighhumanlivesagainsteachother。”，“No！Iknowwehavenot。Butit’sawaywedoctorsareapttogetinto; and，atanyrate，it’sridiculousofyoutothinkofsuchathing。Justlistentoreason。”，“Ican’t！Ican’t！”criedshe，withasharppaininhervoice。“Youmustletmego，dearMr。Davis！”saidshe，nowspeakingwithsoftentreaty。”No！”saidhe，shakinghisheadauthoritatively。“I’lldonosuchthing。”，“Listen！”saidshe，droppinghervoice，andgoingalloverthedeepestscarlet;“heisLeonard’sfather！Now！youwillletmego！”Mr。Daviswasindeedstaggeredbywhatshesaid，andforamomenthedidnotspeak。Soshewenton——，“Youwillnottell！Youmustnottell！Nooneknows，notevenMr。Benson，whoitwas。Andnow——itmightdohimsomuchharmtohaveitknown。Youwillnottell！”“No！Iwillnottell，“repliedhe。“But，Mrs。Denbigh，youmustanswermethisonequestion，whichIaskyouinalltruerespect，butwhichI mustask，inordertoguidebothmyselfandyouaright——ofcourseIknewLeonardwasillegitimate——infact，Iwillgiveyousecretforsecret;itwasbeingsomyselfthatfirstmademesympathisewithhim，anddesiretoadopthim。Iknewthatmuchofyourhistory;buttellme，doyounowcareforthisman？Answermetruly——doyoulovehim？”Foramomentortwoshedidnotspeak;herheadwasbentdown;thensheraiseditup，andlookedwithclearandhonesteyesintohisface。”Ihavebeenthinking——butIdonotknow——Icannottell——Idon’tthinkIshouldlovehim，ifhewerewellandhappy——butyousaidhewasill——andalone——howcanIhelpcaringforhim？HowcanIhelpcaringforhim？”repeatedshe，coveringherfacewithherhands，andthequickhottearsstealingthroughherfingers。“HeisLeonard’sfather，“continuedshe，lookingupatMr。Davissuddenly。“Heneednotknow——heshallnot——thatIhaveeverbeennearhim。Ifheisliketheothers，hemustbedelirious——Iwillleavehimbeforehecomestohimself——butnowletmego——Imustgo。”，“IwishmytonguehadbeenbittenoutbeforeIhadnamedhimtoyou。Hewoulddowellenoughwithoutyou;and，Idaresay，ifherecognisesyou，hewillonlybeannoyed。”，“Itisverylikely，“saidRuthheavily。”Annoyed——why！hemaycurseyouforyourunasked-forcareofhim。Ihaveheardmypoormother——andshewasasprettyanddelicateacreatureasyouare——cursedforshowingtendernesswhenitwasnotwanted。Now，bepersuadedbyanoldmanlikeme，whohasseenenoughoflifetomakehisheartache——leavethisfinegentlemantohisfate。I’llpromiseyoutogethimasgoodanurseascanbehadformoney。”，“No！”saidRuth，withdullpersistency——asifshehadnotattendedtohisdissuasions;“Imustgo。Iwillleavehimbeforeherecognisesme。”，“Why，then，“saidtheoldsurgeon，“ifyou’resobentuponit，IsupposeImustletyou。Itisbutwhatmymotherwouldhavedone——poor，heart-brokenthing！However，comealong，andletusmakethebestofit。Itsavesmeadealoftrouble，Iknow;for，ifIhaveyouforarighthand，Ineednotworrymyselfcontinuallywithwonderinghowheistakencareof。Gogetyourbonnet，youtender-heartedfoolofawoman！Letusgetyououtofthehousewithoutanymorescenesorexplanations;I’llmakeallstraightwiththeBensons。”，“Youwillnottellmysecret，Mr。Davis，“shesaidabruptly。”No！notI！DoesthewomanthinkIhadnevertokeepasecretofthekindbefore？Ionlyhopehe’lllosehiselection，andnevercomeneartheplaceagain。Afterall，“continuedhe，sighing，“Isupposeitisbuthumannature！” Hebeganrecallingthecircumstancesofhisownearlylife，anddreamilypicturingscenesinthegreydyingembersofthefire;andhewasalmoststartledwhenshestoodbeforehim，readyequipped，grave，pale，andquiet。”Comealong！”saidhe。“Ifyou’retodoanygoodatall，itmustbeinthesenextthreedays。Afterthat，I’llensurehislifeforthisbout; andmind！Ishallsendyouhomethen;forhemightknowyou，andI’llhavenoexcitementtothrowhimbackagain，andnosobbingandcryingfromyou。 Butnoweverymomentyourcareisprecioustohim。IshalltellmyownstorytotheBensons，assoonasIhaveinstalledyou。”，Mr。DonnelayinthebestroomoftheQueen’sHotel——noonewithhimbuthisfaithful，ignorantservant，whowasasmuchafraidofthefeverasanyoneelsecouldbe，butwho，nevertheless，wouldnotleavehismaster——hismasterwhohadsavedhislifeasachild，andafterwardsputhiminthestablesatBellinghamHall，wherehelearntallthatheknew。Hestoodinafarthercorneroftheroom，watchinghisdeliriousmasterwithaffrightedeyes，notdaringtocomenearhim，noryetwillingtoleavehim。”Oh！ifthatdoctorwouldbutcome！He’llkillhimselforme——andthemstupidservantswon’tstirastepoverthethreshold;howshallIgetoverthenight？Blessingsonhim——here’stheolddoctorbackagain！Ihearhimcreakingandscoldingupthestairs！”Thedooropened，andMr。Davisentered，followedbyRuth。”Here’sthenurse，mygoodman——suchanurseasthereisnotinthethreecounties。Now，allyou’llhavetodoistomindwhatshesays。”，“Oh，sir！he’smortalbad！won’tyoustaywithusthroughthenight，sir？”“Lookhere！”whisperedMr。Davistotheman，“seehowsheknowshowtomanagehim！Why，Icouldnotdoitbettermyself！”Shehadgoneuptothewild，ragingfigure，andwithsoftauthorityhadmadehimliedown：andthen，placingabasinofcoldwaterbythebedside，shehaddippedinitherprettyhands，andwaslayingtheircooldampnessonhishotbrow，speakinginalowsoothingvoiceallthetime，inawaythatactedlikeacharminhushinghismadtalk。”ButIwillstay，“saidthedoctor，afterhehadexaminedhispatient; “asmuchonheraccountashis，andpartlytoquietenthefearsofthispoor，faithfulfellow。” chapter35，CHAPTERXXXV，OUTOFDARKNESSINTOLIGHT，Thethirdnightafterthiswastobethecrisis——theturning-pointbetweenLifeandDeath。Mr。Daviscameagaintopassitbythebedsideofthesufferer。 Ruthwasthere，constantandstill，intentuponwatchingthesymptoms，andactingaccordingtothem，inobediencetoMr。Davis’sdirections。Shehadneverlefttheroom。Everysensehadbeenstrainedinwatching——everypowerofthoughtorjudgmenthadbeenkeptonthefullstretch。NowthatMr。Daviscameandtookherplace，andthattheroomwasquietforthenight，shebecameoppressedwithheaviness，whichyetdidnottendtosleep。 Shecouldnotrememberthepresenttime，orwhereshewas。Alltimesofherearliestyouth——thedaysofherchildhood——wereinhermemorywithaminutenessandfulnessofdetailwhichwasmiserable;forallalongshefeltthatshehadnorealgrasponthescenesthatwerepassingthroughhermind——that，somehow，theywerelonggoneby，andgonebyforever——andyetshecouldnotrememberwhoshewasnow，norwhereshewas，andwhethershehadnowanyinterestsinlifetotaketheplaceofthosewhichshewasconscioushadpassedaway，althoughtheirremembrancefilledhermindwithpainfulacuteness。Herheadlayonherarms，andtheyrestedonthetable。Everynowandthensheopenedhereyes，andsawthelargeroom，handsomelyfurnishedwitharticlesthatwereeachoneincongruouswiththeother，asifboughtatsales。Shesawtheflickeringnight-light——sheheardthetickingofthewatch，andthetwobreathings，eachgoingonataseparaterate——onehurried，abruptlystopping，andthenpantingviolently，asiftomakeupforlosttime;andtheotherslow，steady，andregular，asifthebreatherwasasleep;butthissuppositionwascontradictedbyanoccasionalrepressedsoundofyawning。Theskythroughtheuncurtainedwindowlookeddarkandblack——wouldthisnightneverhaveanend？Hadthesungonedownforever，andwouldtheworldatlastawakentoageneralsenseofeverlastingnight？，Thenshefeltasifsheoughttogetup，andgoandseehowthetroubledsleeperinyonderbedwasstrugglingthroughhisillness;butshecouldnotrememberwhothesleeperwas，andsheshrunkfromseeingsomephantom-faceonthepillow，suchasnowbegantohauntthedarkcornersoftheroom，andlookather，jibberingandmowingastheylooked。Soshecoveredherfaceagain，andsankintoawhirlingstuporofsenseandfeeling。By-and-bysheheardherfellow-watcherstirring，andadullwonderstoleoverherastowhathewasdoing;buttheheavylanguorpressedherdown，andkeptherstill。Atlastsheheardthewords，“Comehere，“andlistlesslyobeyedthecommand。ShehadtosteadyherselfintherockingchamberbeforeshecouldwalktothebedbywhichMr。Davisstood;buttheefforttodosorousedher，and，thoughconsciousofanoppressiveheadache，sheviewedwithsuddenandclearvisionallthecircumstancesofherpresentposition。 Mr。Daviswasneartheheadofthebed，holdingthenight-lamphigh，andshadingitwithhishand，thatitmightnotdisturbthesickperson，wholaywithhisfacetowardsthem，infeebleexhaustion，butwitheverysignthattheviolenceofthefeverhadlefthim。ItsohappenedthattheraysofthelampfellbrightandfulluponRuth’scountenance，asshestoodwithhercrimsonlipspartedwiththehurryingbreath，andthefever-flushbrilliantonhercheeks。Hereyeswerewideopen，andtheirpupilsdistended。 Shelookedontheinvalidinsilence，andhardlyunderstoodwhyMr。Davishadsummonedherthere。”Don’tyouseethechange“Heisbetter！——thecrisisispast！”Butshedidnotspeakherlookswererivetedonhissoftly-unclosingeyes，whichmethersastheyopenedlanguidly。Shecouldnotstirorspeak。Shewasheldfastbythatgazeofhis，inwhichafaintrecognitiondawned，andgrewtostrength。Hemurmuredsomewords。Theystrainedtheirsensetohear。Herepeatedthemevenlowerthanbefore;butthistimetheycaughtwhathewassaying。”Wherearethewater-lilies？Wherearetheliliesinherhair？”Mr。DavisdrewRuthaway。”Heisstillrambling，“saidhe。“Butthefeverhaslefthim。”，Thegreydawnwasnowfillingtheroomwithitscoldlight;wasitthatmadeRuth’scheeksodeadlypale？Couldthatcalloutthewildentreatyofherlook，asifimploringhelpagainstsomecruelfoethatheldherfast，andwaswrestlingwithherSpiritofLife？SheheldMr。Davis’sarm。 Ifshehadletitgo，shewouldhavefallen。”Takemehome，“shesaid，andfainteddeadaway。Mr。Daviscarriedheroutofthechamber，andsentthegroomtokeepwatchbyhismaster。HeorderedaflytoconveyhertoMr。Benson’s，andliftedherinwhenitcame，forshewasstillhalfunconscious。Itwashewhocarriedherupstairstoherroom，whereMissBensonandSallyundressedandlaidherinherbed。HeawaitedtheirproceedingsinMr。Benson’sstudy。WhenMr。Bensoncamein，Mr。Davissaid——，“Don’tblameme。Don’taddtomyself-reproach。Ihavekilledher。Iwasacruelfooltolethergo。Don’tspeaktome。”，“Itmaynotbesobad，“saidMr。Benson，himselfneedingcomfortinthatshock。“Shemayrecover。Shesurelywillrecover。Ibelieveshewill。”，“No，no！shewon’t。Butby——sheshall，ifIcansaveher。”Mr。DavislookeddefiantlyatMr。Benson，asifhewereFate。“Itellyousheshallrecover，orelseIamamurderer。WhatbusinesshadItotakehertonursehim——“HewascutshortbySally’sentranceandannouncement，thatRuthwasnowpreparedtoseehim。FromthattimeforwardMr。Davisdevotedallhisleisure，hisskill，hisenergy，tosaveher。Hecalledontherivalsurgeon，tobeghimtoundertakethemanagementofMr。Donne’srecovery，saying，withhisusualself-mockery，“IcouldnotanswerittoMr。CranworthifIhadbroughthisopponentround，youknow，whenIhadhadsuchafineopportunityinmypower。Now，withyourpatients，andgeneralRadicalinterest，itwillberatherafeatherinyourcap;forhemaywantagooddealofcareyet，thoughheisgettingonfamously——sorapidly，infact，thatit’sastrongtemptationtometothrowhimback——arelapse，youknow。”，Theothersurgeonbowedgravely，apparentlytakingMr。Davisinearnest，butcertainlyverygladofthejobthusopportunelythrowninhisway。 InspiteofMr。Davis’srealanddeepanxietyaboutRuth，hecouldnothelpchucklingoverhisrival’sliteralinterpretationofallhehadsaid。”Tobesure，whatfoolsmenare！Idon’tknowwhyoneshouldwatchandstrivetokeepthemintheworld。Ihavegiventhisfellowsomethingtotalkaboutconfidentlytoallhispatients;Iwonderhowmuchstrongeradosethemanwouldhaveswallowed！Imustbegintotakecareofmypracticeforthatladyonder。Well-a-day！well-a-day！Whatwasthissickfinegentlemansentherefor，thatsheshouldrunachanceofherlifeforhim？orwhywashesentintotheworldatall，forthatmatter？”Indeed，howevermuchMr。Davismightlabourwithallhisprofessionalskill——howevermuchtheymightallwatch——andpray——andweep——itwasbuttooevidentthatRuth“homemustgo，andtakeherwages。”Poor，poorRuth！，Itmightbethat，utterlyexhaustedbywatchingandnursing，firstinthehospital，andthanbythebedsideofherformerlover，thepowerofherconstitutionwaswornout;or，itmightbe，hergentle，pliantsweetness，butshedisplayednooutrageordiscordeveninherdelirium。Thereshelayintheattic-roominwhichherbabyhadbeenborn，herwatchoverhimkept，herconfessiontohimmade;andnowshewasstretchedonthebedinutterhelplessness，softlygazingatvacancywithheropen，unconsciouseyes，fromwhichallthedepthoftheirmeaninghadfled，andalltheytoldofwasofasweet，child-likeinsanitywithin。Thewatcherscouldnottouchherwiththeirsympathy，orcomenearherinherdimworld;——so，mutely，butlookingateachotherfromtimetotimewithtearfuleyes，theytookapoorcomfortfromtheoneevidentfactthat，thoughlostandgoneastray，shewashappyandatpeace。Theyhadneverheardhersing; indeed，thesimpleartwhichhermotherhadtaughther，haddied，withherearlyjoyousness，atthatdearmother’sdeath。Butnowshesangcontinually，veryslow，andlow。Shewentfromoneoldchildishdittytoanotherwithoutletorpause，keepingastrangesortoftimewithherprettyfingers，astheyclosedandunclosedthemselvesuponthecounterpane。Sheneverlookedatanyonewiththeslightestglimpseofmemoryorintelligenceinherface;no，notevenLeonard。Herstrengthfadeddaybyday;butsheknewitnot。Hersweetlipswerepartedtosing，evenafterthebreathandthepowertodosohadlefther，andherfingersfellidlyonthebed。Twodaysshelingeredthus——allbutgonefromthem，andyetstillthere。Theystoodaroundherbedside，notspeaking，orsighing，ormoaning;theyweretoomuchawedbytheexquisitepeacefulnessofherlookforthat。 Suddenlysheopenedwidehereyes，andgazedintentlyforwards，asifshesawsomehappyvision，whichcalledoutalovely，rapturous，breathlesssmile。Theyheldtheirverybreaths。”IseetheLightcoming，“saidshe。“TheLightiscoming，“shesaid。And，raisingherselfslowly，shestretchedoutherarms，andthenfellback，verystillforevermore。Theydidnotspeak。Mr。Daviswasthefirsttoutteraword。”Itisover！”saidhe。“Sheisdead！”OutrangthroughtheroomthecryofLeonard——，“Mother！mother！mother！Youhavenotleftmealone！Youwillnotleavemealone！Youarenotdead！Mother！Mother！”Theyhadpentinhisagonyofapprehensiontillthen，thatnowailofherchildmightdisturbherineffablecalm。Butnowtherewasacryheardthroughthehouse，ofonerefusingtobecomforted：“Mother！Mother！”ButRuthlaydead。 chapter36，CHAPTERXXXVI，THEEND，AstuporofgriefsucceededtoLeonard’spassionatecries。Hebecamesomuchdepressed，physicallyaswellasmentally，beforetheendoftheday，thatMr。Daviswasseriouslyalarmedfortheconsequences。HehailedwithgladnessaproposalmadebytheFarquhars，thattheboyshouldberemovedtotheirhouse，andplacedunderthefondcareofhismother’sfriend，whosentherownchildtoAbermouththebettertodevoteherselftoLeonard。Whentheytoldhimofthisarrangement，heatfirstrefusedtogoandleaveher：butwhenMr。Bensonsaid——，“Shewouldhavewishedit，Leonard！Doitforhersake！”hewentawayveryquietly;notspeakingaword，afterMr。Bensonhadmadethevoluntarypromisethatheshouldseeheronceagain。Heneitherspokenorcriedformanyhours;andallJemima’sdelicatewileswerecalledforth，beforehisheavyheartcouldfindthereliefoftears。Andthenhewassoweak，andhispulsesolow，thatallwholovedhimfearedforhislife。Anxietyabouthimmadeasaddistractionfromthesorrowforthedead。 Thethreeoldpeople，whonowformedthehouseholdintheChapel-house，wentaboutslowlyanddreamily，eachwithadullwonderattheirheartswhythey，theinfirmandworn-out，wereleft，whileshewastakeninherlovelyprime。ThethirddayafterRuth’sdeath，agentlemancametothedoorandaskedtospeaktoMr。Benson。Hewasverymuchwrappedupinfursandcloaks，andtheupper，exposedpartofhisfacewassunkandhollow，likethatofonebutpartiallyrecoveredfromillness。Mr。andMissBensonwereatMr。Farquhar’s，gonetoseeLeonard，andpooroldSallyhadbeenhavingaheartycryoverthekitchenfirebeforeansweringthedoor-knock。Herheartwastenderlyinclined，justthen，towardsanyonewhohadtheaspectofsuffering：so，althoughhermasterwasout，andshewasusuallycharyofadmittingstrangers，sheproposedtoMr。Donne(foritwashe)，thatheshouldcomeinandawaitMr。Benson’sreturninthestudy。Hewasgladenoughtoavailhimselfofheroffer;forhewasfeebleandnervous，andcomeonapieceofbusinesswhichheexceedinglydisliked，andaboutwhichhefeltveryawkward。Thefirewasnearly，ifnotquite，out;nordidSally’svigorousblowsdomuchgood，althoughshelefttheroomwithanassurancethatitwouldsoonburnup。Heleantagainstthechimney-piece，thinkingoverevents，andwithasensationofdiscomfort，bothexternalandinternal，growingandgatheringuponhim。HealmostwonderedwhethertheproposalhemeanttomakewithregardtoLeonardcouldnotbebetterarrangedbyletterthanbyaninterview。Hebecameveryshivery，andimpatientofthestateofindecisiontowhichhisbodilyweaknesshadreducedhim。Sallyopenedthedoorandcamein。“Wouldyouliketowalkupstairs，sir？” askedsheinatremblingvoice，forshehadlearntwhothevisitorwasfromthedriverofthefly，whohadrunuptothehousetoinquirewhatwasdetainingthegentlemanthathehadbroughtfromtheQueen’sHotel; and，knowingthatRuthhadcaughtthefatalfeverfromherattendanceonMr。Donne，Sallyimaginedthatitwasbutapieceofsadcivilitytoinvitehimupstairstoseethepoordeadbody，whichshehadlaidoutanddeckedforthegrave，withsuchfondcarethatshehadgrownstrangelyproudofitsmarblebeauty。Mr。Donnewasgladenoughofanyproposalofachangefromthecoldandcomfortlessroomwherehehadthoughtuneasy，remorsefulthoughts。Hefanciedthatachangeofplacewouldbanishthetrainofreflectionthatwastroublinghim;butthechangeheanticipatedwastoawell-warmed，cheerfulsitting-room，withsignsoflife，andabrightfiretherein，andhewasonthelastflightofstairs——atthedooroftheroomwhereRuthlay——beforeheunderstoodwhitherSallywasconductinghim。Heshrankbackforaninstant，andthenastrangestingofcuriosityimpelledhimon。Hestoodinthehumblelow-roofedattic，thewindowopen，andthetopsofthedistantsnow-coveredhillsfillingupthewhitenessofthegeneralaspect。Hemuffledhimselfupinhiscloak，andshuddered，whileSallyreverentlydrewdownthesheet，andshowedthebeautiful，calm，stillface，onwhichthelastrapturoussmilestilllingered，givinganineffablelookofbrightserenity。Herarmswerecrossedoverherbreast;thewimple-likecapmarkedtheperfectovalofherface，whiletwobraidsofthewavingauburnhairpeepedoutofthenarrowborder，andlayonthedelicatecheeks。Hewasawedintoadmirationbythewonderfulbeautyofthatdeadwoman。”Howbeautifulsheis！”saidhe，beneathhisbreath。“Doalldeadpeoplelooksopeaceful——sohappy？”“Notall，“repliedSally，crying。“Fewhasbeenasgoodandasgentleasshewasintheirlives。”Shequiteshookwithhersobbing。Mr。Donnewasdisturbedbyherdistress。”Come，mygoodwoman！wemustalldie——“hedidnotknowwhattosay，andwasbecominginfectedbyhersorrow。“Iamsureyoulovedherverymuch，andwereverykindtoherinherlifetime;youmusttakethisfrommetobuyyourselfsomeremembranceofher。”Hehadpulledoutasovereign，andreallyhadakindlydesiretoconsoleher，andrewardher，inofferingittoher。Butshetookherapronfromhereyes，assoonasshebecameawareofwhathewasdoing，and，stillholdingitmidwayinherhands，shelookedathimindignantly，beforesheburstout——，“Andwhoareyou，thatthinktopayformykindnesstoherbymoney？AndIwasnotkindtoyou，mydarling，“saidshe，passionatelyaddressingthemotionless，serenebody——“Iwasnotkindtoyou。Ifrabbedyou，andplaguedyoufromthefirst，mylamb！Icameandcutoffyourprettylocksinthisveryroom——Idid——andyousaidneveranangrywordtome;——no！notthen，normanyatimeafter，whenIwasverysharpandcrosstoyou——No！Ineverwaskindtoyou，andIdunnotthinktheworldwaskindtoyou，mydarling，——butyouaregonewheretheangelsareverytendertosuchasyou——youare，mypoorwench！”Shebentdownandkissedthelips，fromwhosemarble，unyieldingtouchMr。Donnerecoiled，eveninthought。JustthenMr。Bensonenteredtheroom。Hehadreturnedhomebeforehissister，andcameupstairsinsearchofSally，towhomhewantedtospeakonsomesubjectrelatingtothefuneral。HebowedinrecognitionofMr。 Donne，whomheknewasthememberforthetown，andwhosepresenceimpressedhimpainfully，ashisillnesshadbeentheproximatecauseofRuth’sdeath。 Buthetriedtocheckthisfeeling，asitwasnofaultofMr。Donne’s。 Sallystoleoutoftheroom，tocryatleisureinherkitchen。”Imustapologiseforbeinghere，“saidMr。Donne。“Iwashardlyconsciouswhereyourservantwasleadingmeto，whensheexpressedherwishthatIshouldwalkupstairs。”，“Itisaverycommonideainthistown，thatitisagratificationtobeaskedtotakealastlookatthedead，“repliedMr。Benson。”AndinthiscaseIamgladtohaveseenheroncemore，“saidMr。Donne。 “PoorRuth！”Mr。Bensonglancedupathimatthelastword。Howdidheknowhername？ TohimshehadonlybeenMrs。Denbigh。ButMr。Donnehadnoideathathewastalkingtooneunawareoftheconnectionthathadformerlyexistedbetweenthem;and，thoughhewouldhavepreferredcarryingontheconversationinawarmerroom，yet，asMr。Bensonwasstillgazingatherwithsad，lingeringlove，hewenton——，“Ididnotrecogniseherwhenshecametonurseme;IbelieveIwasdelirious。 Myservant，whohadknownherlongagoinFordham，toldmewhoshewas。 IcannottellyouhowIregretthatsheshouldhavediedinconsequenceofherloveofme。”，Mr。Bensonlookedupathimagain，asternlightfillinghiseyesashedidso。Hewaitedimpatientlytohearmore，eithertoquenchorconfirmhissuspicions。Ifshehadnotbeenlyingthere，verystillandcalm，hewouldhaveforcedthewordsoutofMr。Donne，bysomeabruptquestion。 Asitwas，helistenedsilently，hisheartquickbeating。”Iknowthatmoneyisbutapoorcompensation——isnoremedyforthisevent，orformyyouthfulfolly。”，Mr。Bensonsethisteethhardtogether，tokeepinwordslittleshortofacurse。”Indeed，Iofferedhermoneytoalmostanyamountbefore：——domejustice，sir，“catchingthegleamofindignationonMr。Benson’sface;“Iofferedtomarryher，andprovidefortheboyasifhehadbeenlegitimate。It’sofnouserecurringtothattime，“saidhe，hisvoicefaltering;“whatisdonecannotbeundone。ButIcamenowtosay，thatIshouldbegladtoleavetheboystillunderyourcharge，andthateveryexpenseyouthinkitrighttoincurinhiseducationIwillgladlydefray;——andplaceasumofmoneyintrustforhim——say，twothousandpounds——ormore：fixwhatyouwill。Ofcourse，ifyoudeclineretaininghim，Imustfindsomeoneelse;buttheprovisionforhimshallbethesame，formypoorRuth’ssake。”，Mr。Bensondidnotspeak。Hecouldnot，tillhehadgatheredsomepeacefromlookingattheineffablereposeoftheDead。Then，beforeheanswered，hecoveredupherface;andinhisvoicetherewasthestillnessofice。”Leonardisnotunprovidedfor。Thosethathonouredhismotherwilltakecareofhim。Heshallnevertouchapennyofyourmoney。Everyofferofserviceyouhavemade，Irejectinhisname，andinherpresence，“saidhe，bendingtowardstheDead。“Menmaycallsuchactionsasyoursyouthfulfollies！ThereisanothernameforthemwithGod。Sir！Iwillfollowyoudownstairs。”，Allthewaydown，Mr。BensonheardMr。Donne’svoiceurgingandentreating，butthewordshecouldnotrecogniseforthethoughtsthatfilledhisbrain——therapidputtingtogetherofeventsthatwasgoingonthere。AndwhenMr。 Donneturnedatthedoor，tospeakagain，andrepeathisoffersofservicetoLeonard，Mr。Bensonmadeanswer，withoutwellknowingwhethertheanswerfittedthequestionornot——，“IthankGod，youhavenoright，legalorotherwise，overthechild。Andforhersake，Iwillsparehimtheshameofeverhearingyournameashisfather。”，HeshutthedoorinMr。Donne’sface。”Anill-bred，puritanicaloldfellow！Hemayhavetheboy，Iamsure，foraughtIcare。Ihavedonemyduty，andwillgetoutofthisabominableplaceassoonasIcan。IwishmylastremembranceofmybeautifulRuthwasnotmixedupwithallthesepeople。”，Mr。Bensonwasbitterlyoppressedwiththisinterview;itdisturbedthepeacewithwhichhewasbeginningtocontemplateevents。Hisangerruffledhim，althoughsuchangerhadbeenjust，andsuchindignationwelldeserved; andbothhadbeenunconsciouslypresentinhisheartforyearsagainsttheunknownseducer，whomhemetfacetofacebythedeath-bedofRuth。Itgavehimashockwhichhedidnotrecoverfromformanydays。HewasnervouslyafraidlestMr。Donneshouldappearatthefuneral;andnotallthereasonsheallegedtohimselfagainstthisapprehension，putitutterlyawayfromhim。Beforethen，however，heheardcasually(forhewouldallowhimselfnoinquiries)thathehadleftthetown。No！Ruth’sfuneralpassedoverincalmandsimplesolemnity。Herchild，herownhousehold，herfriendandMr。Farquhar，quietlywalkedafterthebier，whichwasbornebysomeofthepoortowhomshehadbeenverykindinherlifetimeAndmanyothersstoodaloofinthelittleburying-ground，sadlywatchingthatlastceremony。Theyslowlydispersed;Mr。BensonleadingLeonardbythehand，andsecretlywonderingathisself-restraint。AlmostassoonastheyhadletthemselvesintotheChapel-house，amessengerbroughtanotefromMrs。Bradshaw，withapotofquincemarmalade，which，shesaidtoMissBenson，shethoughtthatLeonardmightfancy，andifhedid，theyweretobesureandletherknow，asshehadplentymore;or，wasthereanythingelsethathewouldlike？Shewouldgladlymakehimwhateverhefancied。PoorLeonard！helaystretchedonthesofa，whiteandtearless，beyondthepowerofanysuchcomfort，howeverkindlyoffered;butthiswasonlyoneofthemanyhomely，simpleattentions，whichallcameroundhimtooffer，fromMr。Grey，therector，downtothenamelesspoorwhocalledatthebackdoortoinquirehowitfaredwithherchild。Mr。Bensonwasanxious，accordingtoDissentingcustom，topreachanappropriatefuneralsermon。Itwasthelastofficehecouldrendertoher;itshouldbedonewellandcarefully。Moreover，itwaspossiblethatthecircumstancesofherlife，whichwereknowntoall，mightbemadeeffectiveinthismannertoworkconvictionofmanytruths。Accordingly，hemadegreatpreparationofthoughtandpaper;helabouredhard，destroyingsheetaftersheet——hiseyesfillingwithtearsbetween-whiles，asherememberedsomefreshproofofthehumilityandsweetnessofherlife。Ohthathecoulddoherjustice！ butwordsseemedhardandinflexible，andrefusedtofitthemselvestohisideas。HesatlateonSaturday，writing;hewatchedthroughthenighttillSundaymorningwasfaradvanced。Hehadnevertakensuchpainswithanysermon，andhewasonlyhalfsatisfiedwithitafterall。Mrs。FarquharhadcomfortedthebitternessofSally’sgriefbygivingherveryhandsomemourning。Atanyrate，shefeltoddlyproudandexultingwhenshethoughtofhernewblackgown;but，whensherememberedwhysheworeit，shescoldedherselfprettysharplyforhersatisfaction，andtooktocryingafreshwithredoubledvigour。ShespenttheSundaymorninginalternatelysmoothingdownherskirtsandadjustingherbroadhemmedcollar，orbemoaningtheoccasionwithtearfulearnestness。Butthesorrowovercamethelittlequaintvanityofherheart，asshesawtroopaftertroopofhumbly-dressedmournerspassbyintotheoldchapel。Theywereverypoor——buteachhadmountedsomerustypieceofcrape，orsomefadedblackribbon。 Theoldcamehaltingandslow——themotherscarriedtheirquiet，awe-struckbabes。Andnotonlythesewerethere——butothers——equallyunaccustomedtononconformistworship;Mr。Davis，forinstance，towhomSallyactedaschaperone;forhesatintheminister’spew，asastranger;and，assheafterwardssaid，shehadafellow-feelingwithhim，beingaChurch-womanherself，andDissentershadsuchawkwardways;however，shehadbeentherebefore，soshecouldsethimtorightsabouttheirfashions。Fromthepulpit，Mr。Bensonsawoneandall——thewell-filledBradshawpew——allindeepmourning，Mr。Bradshawconspicuouslyso(hewouldhaveattendedthefuneralgladlyiftheywouldhaveaskedhim)——theFarquhars——themanystrangers——thestillmorenumerouspoor——oneortwowild-lookingoutcastswhostoodafaroff，butweptsilentlyandcontinually。Mr。Benson’sheartgrewveryfull。Hisvoicetrembledashereadandprayed。Buthesteadieditasheopenedhissermon——hisgreat，lasteffortinherhonour——thelabourthathehadprayedGodtoblesstotheheartsofmany。Foraninstanttheoldmanlookedonalltheupturnedfaces，listening，withweteyes，tohearwhathecouldsaytointerpretthatwhichwasintheirhearts，dumbandunshaped，ofGod’sdoings，asshowninherlife。Helooked，and，ashegazed，amistcamebeforehim，andhecouldnotseehissermon，norhishearers，butonlyRuth，asshehadbeen——strickenlow，andcrouchingfromsightintheuplandfieldbyLlan-dhu——likeawoeful，huntedcreature。Andnowherlifewasover！herstruggleended！Sermonandallwasforgotten。Hesatdown，andhidhisfaceinhishandsforaminuteorso。Thenhearose，paleandserene。Heputthesermonaway，andopenedtheBible，andreadtheseventhchapterofRevelations，beginningattheninthverse。Beforeitwasfinished，mostofhishearerswereintears。Itcamehometothemasmoreappropriatethananysermoncouldhavebeen。EvenSally，thoughfullofanxietyastowhatherfellow-Churchmanwouldthinkofsuchproceedings，letthesobscomefreelyassheheardthewords——，“Andhesaidtome，Thesearetheywhichcameoutofgreattribulation，andhavewashedtheirrobes，andmadethemwhiteinthebloodoftheLamb。”ThereforearetheybeforethethroneofGod，andservehimdayandnightinhistemple;andhethatsittethonthethroneshalldwellamongthem。”Theyshallhungernomore，neitherthirstanymore;neithershallthesunlightonthem，noranyheat。”FortheLambwhichisinthemidstofthethroneshallfeedthem，andshallleadthemuntolivingfountainsofwaters，andGodshallwipeawayalltearsfromtheireyes。”，“Hepreachessermonssometimes，“saidSally，nudgingMr。Davis，astheyrosefromtheirkneesatlast。“Imakenodoubttherewasasgrandasermoninyonpaper-bookaseverwehearinchurch。I’veheardhimprayuncommonfine——quitebeyondanybutlearnedfolk。”，Mr。Bradshawhadbeenanxioustodosomethingtotestifyhisrespectforthewoman，who，ifallhadentertainedhisopinions，wouldhavebeendrivenintohopelesssin。Accordingly，heorderedthefirststonemasonofthetowntomeethiminthechapel-yardonMondaymorning，totakemeasurementandreceivedirectionsforatombstone。TheythreadedtheirwayamongthegrassyheapstowhereRuthwasburied，inthesouthcorner，beneaththegreatWych-elm。Whentheygotthere，Leonardraisedhimselfupfromthenew-stirredturf。Hisfacewasswollenwithweeping;but，whenhesawMr。 Bradshaw，hecalmedhimself，andcheckedhissobs，and，asanexplanationofbeingwherehewaswhenthussurprised，hecouldfindnothingtosaybutthesimplewords——，“Mymotherisdead，sir。”，HiseyessoughtthoseofMr。Bradshawwithawildlookofagony，asiftofindcomfortforthatgreatlossinhumansympathy;andatthefirstword——thefirsttouchofMr。Bradshaw’shandonhisshoulder——heburstoutafresh。”Come，come！myboy！——Mr。Francis，Iwillseeyouaboutthisto-morrow——I willcallatyourhouse——Letmetakeyouhome，mypoorfellow。Come，mylad，come！”Thefirsttime，foryears，thathehadenteredMr。Benson’shouse，hecameleadingandcomfortingherson——and，foramoment，hecouldnotspeaktohisoldfriend，forthesympathywhichchokeduphisvoice，andfilledhiseyeswithtears。 TheEnd