第2章

\"Ownsboththemrabbit—hutches，doeshe？\" commentedyoungHagberd，scornfully；\"justthethinghewouldbeproudof。Canyoutellmewho’sthatchapcomingto—morrow？Youmustknowsomethingofit。Itellyou，it’saswindleontheoldman——nothingelse。\" Shedidnotanswer，helplessbeforeaninsur— mountabledifficulty，appalledbeforethenecessity，theimpossibilityandthedreadofanexplanationinwhichsheandmadnessseemedinvolvedtogether。 \"Oh——Iamsosorry，\"shemurmured。 \"What’sthematter？\"hesaid，withserenity。 \"Youneedn’tbeafraidofupsettingme。It’stheotherfellowthat’llbeupsetwhenheleastexpectsit。Idon’tcareahang；buttherewillbesomefunwhenheshowshismugto—morrow。Idon’tcareTHATfortheoldman’spieces，butrightisright。 Youshallseemeputaheadonthatcoon——whoeverheis！\" Hehadcomenearer，andtoweredaboveherontheothersideoftherailings。Heglancedatherhands。Hefanciedshewastrembling，anditoc— curredtohimthatshehadherpartperhapsinthatlittlegamethatwastobesprungonhisoldmanto—morrow。Hehadcomejustintimetospoiltheirsport。Hewasentertainedbytheidea——scornfulofthebaffledplot。Butallhislifehehadbeenfullofindulgenceforallsortsofwomen’stricks。Shereallywastremblingverymuch；herwraphadslippedoffherhead。\"Poordevil！\"hethought。 \"Nevermindaboutthatchap。Idaresayhe’llchangehismindbeforeto—morrow。Butwhataboutme？Ican’tloafaboutthegatetilthemorn— ing。\" Sheburstout：\"ItisYOU——youyourselfthathe’swaitingfor。ItisYOUwhocometo—morrow。\" Hemurmured。\"Oh！It’sme！\"blankly，andtheyseemedtobecomebreathlesstogether。Ap— parentlyhewasponderingoverwhathehadheard； then，withoutirritation，butevidentlyperplexed，hesaid：\"Idon’tunderstand。Ihadn’twrittenoranything。It’smychumwhosawthepaperandtoldme——thisverymorning……Eh？what？\" Hebenthisear；shewhisperedrapidly，andhelistenedforawhile，mutteringthewords\"yes\" and\"Isee\"attimes。Then，\"Butwhywon’tto— daydo？\"hequeriedatlast。 \"Youdidn’tunderstandme！\"sheexclaimed，impatiently。Theclearstreakoflightunderthecloudsdiedoutinthewest。Againhestoopedslightlytohearbetter；andthedeepnightburiedeverythingofthewhisperingwomanandtheattentiveman，exceptthefamiliarcontiguityoftheirfaces，withitsairofsecrecyandcaress。 Hesquaredhisshoulders；thebroad—brimmedshadowofahatsatcavalierlyonhishead。\"Awk— wardthis，eh？\"heappealedtoher。\"To—morrow？ Well，well！Neverheardtellofanythinglikethis。 It’sallto—morrow，then，withoutanysortofto—day，asfarasIcansee。\" Sheremainedstillandmute。 \"Andyouhavebeenencouragingthisfunnynotion，\"hesaid。 \"Inevercontradictedhim。\" \"Whydidn’tyou？\" \"WhatforshouldI？\"shedefendedherself。 \"Itwouldonlyhavemadehimmiserable。Hewouldhavegoneoutofhismind。\" \"Hismind！\"hemuttered，andheardashortnervouslaughfromher。 \"Wherewastheharm？WasItoquarrelwiththepooroldman？Itwaseasiertohalfbelieveitmyself。\" \"Aye，aye，\"hemeditated，intelligently。\"I supposetheoldchapgotaroundyousomehowwithhissofttalk。Youaregood—hearted。\" Herhandsmovedupinthedarknervously。 \"Anditmighthavebeentrue。Itwastrue。Ithascome。Hereitis。Thisistheto—morrowwehavebeenwaitingfor。\" Shedrewabreath，andhesaid，good—humour— edly：\"Aye，withthedoorshut。Iwouldn’tcareif……Andyouthinkhecouldbebroughtroundtorecogniseme……Eh？What？……Youcoulddoit？Inaweekyousay？H’m，Idaresayyoucould——butdoyouthinkIcouldholdoutaweekinthisdead—aliveplace？Notme！Iwanteitherhardwork，oranall—firedracket，ormorespacethanthereisinthewholeofEngland。I havebeeninthisplace，though，oncebefore，andformorethanaweek。Theoldmanwasadvertisingformethen，andachumIhadwithmehadano— tionofgettingacouplequidoutofhimbywrit— ingalotofsillynonsenseinaletter。Thatlarkdidnotcomeoff，though。Wehadtoclearout——andnonetoosoon。ButthistimeI’veachumwaitingformeinLondon，andbesides……\" BessieCarvilwasbreathingquickly。 \"WhatifItriedaknockatthedoor？\"hesug— gested。 \"Try，\"shesaid。 CaptainHagberd’sgatesqueaked，andtheshad— owofthesonmovedon，thenstoppedwithanotherdeeplaughinthethroat，likethefather’s，onlysoftandgentle，thrillingtothewoman’sheart，awakeningtoherears。 \"Heisn’tfrisky——ishe？Iwouldbeafraidtolayholdofhim。ThechapsarealwaystellingmeIdon’tknowmyownstrength。\" \"He’sthemostharmlesscreaturethateverlived，\"sheinterrupted。 \"Youwouldn’tsaysoifyouhadseenhimchas— ingmeupstairswithahardleatherstrap，\"hesaid； \"Ihaven’tforgottenitinsixteenyears。\" Shegotwarmfromheadtofootunderanothersoft，subduedlaugh。Attherat—tat—tatoftheknockerherheartflewintohermouth。 \"Hey，dad！Letmein。IamHarry，Iam。 Straight！Comebackhomeadaytoosoon。\" Oneofthewindowsupstairsranup。 \"Agrinning，informationfellow，\"saidthevoiceofoldHagberd，upinthedarkness。\"Don’tyouhaveanythingtodowithhim。Itwillspoilevery— thing。\" SheheardHarryHagberdsay，\"Hallo，dad，\" thenaclangingclatter。Thewindowrumbleddown，andhestoodbeforeheragain。 \"It’sjustlikeoldtimes。Nearlywallopedthelifeoutofmetostopmegoingaway，andnowI comebackhethrowsaconfoundedshovelatmyheadtokeepmeout。Itgrazedmyshoulder。\" Sheshuddered。 \"Iwouldn’tcare，\"hebegan，\"onlyIspentmylastshillingsontherailwayfareandmylasttwo— penceonashave——outofrespectfortheoldman。\" \"AreyoureallyHarryHagberd？\"sheasked。 \"Canyouproveit？\" \"CanIproveit？Cananyoneelseproveit？\" hesaidjovially。\"Provewithwhat？WhatdoI wanttoprove？Thereisn’tasinglecornerintheworld，barringEngland，perhaps，whereyoucouldnotfindsomeman，ormorelikelywoman，thatwouldremembermeforHarryHagberd。IammorelikeHarryHagberdthananymanalive；andIcanproveittoyouinaminute，ifyouwillletmestepinsideyourgate。\" \"Comein，\"shesaid。 HeenteredthenthefrontgardenoftheCarvils。 Histallshadowstrodewithaswagger；sheturnedherbackonthewindowandwaited，watchingtheshape，ofwhichthefootfallsseemedthemostmate— rialpart。Thelightfellonatiltedhat；apower— fulshoulder，thatseemedtocleavethedarkness； onalegsteppingout。Heswungaboutandstoodstill，facingtheilluminatedparlourwindowatherback，turninghisheadfromsidetoside，laughingsoftlytohimself。 \"Justfancy，foraminute，theoldman’sbeardstuckontomychin。Hey？Nowsay。Iwastheveryspitofhimfromaboy。\" \"It’strue，\"shemurmuredtoherself。 \"Andthat’saboutasfarasitgoes。Hewasal— waysoneofyourdomesticcharacters。Why，Ire— memberhowheusedtogoaboutlookingverysickforthreedaysbeforehehadtoleavehomeononeofhistripstoSouthShieldsforcoal。Hehadastandingcharterfromthegas—works。Youwouldthinkhewasoffonawhalingcruise——threeyearsandatail。Ha，ha！Notabitofit。Tendaysontheoutside。TheSkimmeroftheSeaswasasmartcraft。Finename，wasn’tit？Mother’suncleownedher……\" Heinterruptedhimself，andinaloweredvoice，\"Didheevertellyouwhatmotherdiedof？\"heasked。 \"Yes，\"saidMissBessie，bitterly；\"fromimpa— tience。\" Hemadenosoundforawhile；thenbrusquely： \"TheyweresoafraidIwouldturnoutbadlythattheyfairlydrovemeaway。Mothernaggedatmeforbeingidle，andtheoldmansaidhewouldcutmysouloutofmybodyratherthanletmegotosea。Well，itlookedasifhewoulddoittoo——soI went。ItlookstomesometimesasifIhadbeenborntothembyamistake——inthatotherhutchofahouse。\" \"Whereoughtyoutohavebeenbornbyrights？\"BessieCarvilinterruptedhim，defiantly。 \"Intheopen，uponabeach，onawindynight，\" hesaid，quickaslightning。Thenhemusedslowly。 \"Theywerecharacters，bothofthem，byGeorge； andtheoldmankeepsitupwell——don’the？A damnedshovelonthe——Hark！who’sthatmak— ingthatrow？’Bessie，Bessie。’It’sinyourhouse。\" \"It’sforme，\"shesaid，withindifference。 Hesteppedaside，outofthestreakoflight。 \"Yourhusband？\"heinquired，withthetoneofamanaccustomedtounlawfultrysts。\"Finevoiceforaship’sdeckinathunderingsquall。\" \"No；myfather。Iamnotmarried。\" \"Youseemafinegirl，MissBessie，dear，\"hesaidatonce。 Sheturnedherfaceaway。 \"Oh，Isay，——what’sup？Who’smurderinghim？\" \"Hewantshistea。\"Shefacedhim，stillandtall，withavertedhead，withherhandshangingclaspedbeforeher。 \"Hadn’tyoubettergoin？\"hesuggested，afterwatchingforawhilethenapeofherneck，apatchofdazzlingwhiteskinandsoftshadowabovethesombrelineofhershoulders。Herwraphadslippeddowntoherelbows。\"You’llhaveallthetowncomingoutpresently。I’llwaithereabit。\" Herwrapfelltotheground，andhestoopedtopickitup；shehadvanished。Hethrewitoverhisarm，andapproachingthewindowsquarelyhesawamonstrousformofafatmaninanarm— chair，anunshadedlamp，theyawningofanenor— mousmouthinabigflatfaceencircledbyaraggedhaloofhair——MissBessie’sheadandbust。Theshoutingstopped；theblindrandown。Helosthimselfinthinkinghowawkwarditwas。Fathermad；nogettingintothehouse。Nomoneytogetback；ahungrychuminLondonwhowouldbegintothinkhehadbeengiventhego—by。\"Damn！\" hemuttered。Hecouldbreakthedoorin，cer— tainly；buttheywouldperhapsbundlehimintochokeyforthatwithoutaskingquestions——nogreatmatter，onlyhewasconfoundedlyafraidofbeinglockedup，eveninmistake。Heturnedcoldatthethought。Hestampedhisfeetonthesod— dengrass。 \"Whatareyou？——asailor？\"saidanagitatedvoice。 Shehadflittedout，ashadowherself，attractedbytherecklessshadowwaitingunderthewallofherhome。 \"Anything。Enoughofasailortobeworthmysaltbeforethemast。Camehomethatwaythistime。\" \"Wheredoyoucomefrom？\"sheasked。 \"Rightawayfromajollygoodspree，\"hesaid，\"bytheLondontrain——see？Ough！Ihatebeingshutupinatrain。Idon’tmindahousesomuch。\" \"Ah，\"shesaid；\"that’slucky。\" \"Becauseinahouseyoucanatanytimeopentheblameddoorandwalkawaystraightbeforeyou。\" \"Andnevercomeback？\" \"Notforsixteenyearsatleast，\"helaughed。 \"Toarabbithutch，andgetaconfoundedoldshovel……\" \"Ashipisnotsoverybig，\"shetaunted。 \"No，buttheseaisgreat。\" Shedroppedherhead，andasifherearshadbeenopenedtothevoicesoftheworld，sheheard，beyondtherampartofsea—wall，theswellofyester— day’sgalebreakingonthebeachwithmonotonousandsolemnvibrations，asifalltheearthhadbeenatollingbell。 \"Andthen，why，aship’saship。Youloveherandleaveher；andavoyageisn’tamarriage。\"Hequotedthesailor’ssayinglightly。 \"Itisnotamarriage，\"shewhispered。 \"Inevertookafalsename，andI’veneveryettoldalietoawoman。Whatlie？Why，THElie——。 Takemeorleaveme，Isay：andifyoutakeme，thenitis……\"Hehummedasnatchverylow，leaningagainstthewall。 Oh，ho，hoRio！ Andfaretheewell，Mybonnieyounggirl，We’reboundtoRioGrande\"Capstansong，\"heexplained。Herteethchat— tered。 \"Youarecold，\"hesaid。\"Here’sthataffairofyoursIpickedup。\"Shefelthishandsabouther，wrappingherclosely。\"Holdtheendsto— getherinfront，\"hecommanded。 \"Whatdidyoucomeherefor？\"sheasked，re— pressingashudder。 \"Fivequid，\"heanswered，promptly。\"Weletourspreegoonalittletoolongandgothardup。\" \"You’vebeendrinking？\"shesaid。 \"Blindthreedays；onpurpose。Iamnotgiventhatway——don’tyouthink。There’snothingandnobodythatcangetovermeunlessIlike。Icanbeassteadyasarock。Mychumseesthepaperthismorning，andsayshetome：’Goon，Harry： lovingparent。That’sfivequidsure。’Sowescrapedallourpocketsforthefare。Devilofalark！\" \"Youhaveahardheart，Iamafraid，\"shesighed。 \"Whatfor？Forrunningaway？Why！hewantedtomakealawyer’sclerkofme——justtopleasehimself。Masterinhisownhouse；andmypoormothereggedhimon——formygood，Isup— pose。Well，then——solong；andIwent。No，I tellyou：thedayIclearedout，Iwasallblackandbluefromhisgreatfondnessforme。Ah！hewasalwaysabitofacharacter。Lookatthatshovelnow。Offhischump？Notmuch。That’sjustexactlylikemydad。Hewantsmeherejusttohavesomebodytoorderabout。However，wetwowerehardup；andwhat’sfivequidtohim——onceinsixteenhardyears？\" \"Oh，butIamsorryforyou。Didyouneverwanttocomebackhome？\" \"Bealawyer’sclerkandrothere——insomesuchplaceasthis？\"hecriedincontempt。\"What！iftheoldmansetmeupinahometo—day，Iwouldkickitdownaboutmyears——orelsedietherebe— forethethirddaywasout。\" \"Andwhereelseisitthatyouhopetodie？\" \"Inthebushsomewhere；inthesea；onablamedmountain—topforchoice。Athome？Yes！theworld’smyhome；butIexpectI’lldieinahospitalsomeday。Whatofthat？Anyplaceisgoodenough，aslongasI’velived；andI’vebeenevery— thingyoucanthinkofalmostbutatailororasoldier。I’vebeenaboundaryrider；I’veshearedsheep；andhumpedmyswag；andharpoonedawhale。I’veriggedships，andprospectedforgold，andskinneddeadbullocks，——andturnedmybackonmoremoneythantheoldmanwouldhavescrapedinhiswholelife。Ha，ha！\" Heoverwhelmedher。Shepulledherselfto— getherandmanagedtoutter，\"Timetorestnow。\" Hestraightenedhimselfup，awayfromthewall，andinaseverevoicesaid，\"Timetogo。\" Buthedidnotmove。Heleanedbackagain，andhummedthoughtfullyabarortwoofanout— landishtune。 Shefeltasifshewereabouttocry。\"That’sanotherofyourcruelsongs，\"shesaid。 \"LearneditinMexico——inSonora。\"Hetalkedeasily。\"ItisthesongoftheGambucinos。Youdon’tknow？Thesongofrestlessmen。Nothingcouldholdtheminoneplace——notevenawoman。 Youusedtomeetoneofthemnowandagain，intheolddays，ontheedgeofthegoldcountry，awaynorththerebeyondtheRioGila。I’veseenit。A prospectingengineerinMazatlantookmealongwithhimtohelplookafterthewaggons。A sailor’sahandychaptohaveaboutyouanyhow。 It’salladesert：cracksintheearththatyoucan’tseethebottomof；andmountains——sheerrocksstandinguphighlikewallsandchurchspires，onlyahundredtimesbigger。Thevalleysarefullofbouldersandblackstones。There’snotabladeofgrasstosee；andthesunsetsmoreredoverthatcountrythanIhaveseenitanywhere——blood—redandangry。ItISfine。\" \"Youdonotwanttogobackthereagain？\" shestammeredout。 Helaughedalittle。\"No。That’stheblamedgoldcountry。Itgavemetheshiverssometimestolookatit——andwewereabiglotofmentogether，mind；buttheseGambucinoswanderedalone。 Theyknewthatcountrybeforeanybodyhadeverheardofit。Theyhadasortofgiftforprospect— ing，andthefeverofitwasonthemtoo；andtheydidnotseemtowantthegoldverymuch。Theywouldfindsomerichspot，andthenturntheirbacksonit；pickupperhapsalittle——enoughforaspree——andthenbeoffagain，lookingformore。 Theyneverstoppedlongwheretherewerehouses； theyhadnowife，nochick，nohome，neverachum。 Youcouldn’tbefriendswithaGambucino；theyweretoorestless——hereto—day，andgone，Godknowswhere，to—morrow。Theytoldnooneoftheirfinds，andtherehasneverbeenaGambucinowelloff。Itwasnotforthegoldtheycared；itwasthewanderingaboutlookingforitinthestonycountrythatgotintothemandwouldn’tletthemrest；sothatnowomanyetborncouldholdaGam— bucinoformorethanaweek。That’swhatthesongsays。It’sallaboutaprettygirlthattriedhardtokeepholdofaGambucinolover，sothatheshouldbringherlotsofgold。Nofear！Offhewent，andsheneversawhimagain。\" \"Whatbecameofher？\"shebreathedout。 \"Thesongdon’ttell。Criedabit，Idaresay。 Theywerethefellows：kissandgo。Butit’sthelookingforathing——asomething……SometimesIthinkIamasortofGambucinomyself。\" \"Nowomancanholdyou，then，\"shebeganinabrazenvoice，whichquaveredsuddenlybeforetheend。 \"Nolongerthanaweek，\"hejoked，playinguponherveryheartstringswiththegay，tendernoteofhislaugh；\"andyetIamfondofthemall。Anythingforawomanoftherightsort。 Thescrapestheygotmeinto，andthescrapestheygotmeoutof！Ilovethematfirstsight。I’vefalleninlovewithyoualready，Miss——Bessie’syourname——eh？\" Shebackedawayalittle，andwithatremblinglaugh： \"Youhaven’tseenmyfaceyet。\" Hebentforwardgallantly。\"Alittlepale：itsuitssome。Butyouareafinefigureofagirl，MissBessie。\" Shewasallinaflutter。Nobodyhadeversaidsomuchtoherbefore。 Histonechanged。\"Iamgettingmiddlinghungry，though。Hadnobreakfastto—day。 Couldn’tyouscareupsomebreadfromthatteaforme，or——\" Shewasgonealready。Hehadbeenonthepointofaskinghertolethimcomeinside。Nomatter。 Anywherewoulddo。Devilofafix！Whatwouldhischumthink？ \"Ididn’taskyouasabeggar，\"hesaid，jest— ingly，takingapieceofbread—and—butterfromtheplatesheheldbeforehim。\"Iaskedasafriend。 Mydadisrich，youknow。\" \"Hestarveshimselfforyoursake。\" \"AndIhavestarvedforhiswhim，\"hesaid，tak— ingupanotherpiece。 \"Allhehasintheworldisforyou，\"shepleaded。 \"Yes，ifIcomeheretositonitlikeadam’toadinahole。Thankyou；andwhatabouttheshovel，eh？Healwayshadaqueerwayofshowinghislove。\" \"Icouldbringhimroundinaweek，\"shesug— gested，timidly。 Hewastoohungrytoanswerher；and，holdingtheplatesubmissivelytohishand，shebegantowhisperuptohiminaquick，pantingvoice。Helistened，amazed，eatingslowerandslower，tillatlasthisjawsstoppedaltogether。\"That’shisgame，isit？\"hesaid，inarisingtoneofscathingcontempt。Anungovernablemovementofhisarmsenttheplateflyingoutofherfingers。Heshotoutaviolentcurse。 Sheshrankfromhim，puttingherhandagainstthewall。 \"No！\"heraged。\"Heexpects！ExpectsME ——forhisrottenmoney！……Whowantshishome？Mad——nothe！Don’tyouthink。Hewantshisownway。Hewantedtoturnmeintoamiserablelawyer’sclerk，andnowhewantstomakeofmeablamedtamerabbitinacage。Ofme！Ofme！\"Hissubduedangrylaughfrightenedhernow。 \"Thewholeworldain’tabittoobigformetospreadmyelbowsin，Icantellyou——what’syourname——Bessie——letaloneadam’parlourinahutch。 Marry！Hewantsmetomarryandsettle！Andaslikelyasnothehaslookedoutthegirltoo—— dashmysoul！AnddoyouknowtheJudy，mayIask？\" Sheshookalloverwithnoiselessdrysobs；buthewasfumingandfrettingtoomuchtonoticeherdistress。Hebithisthumbwithrageatthemereidea。Awindowrattledup。 \"Agrinning，informationfellow，\"pronouncedoldHagberddogmatically，inmeasuredtones。 AndthesoundofhisvoiceseemedtoBessietomakethenightitselfmad——topourinsanityanddis— asterontheearth。\"NowIknowwhat’swrongwiththepeoplehere，mydear。Why，ofcourse！ Withthismadchapgoingabout。Don’tyouhaveanythingtodowithhim，Bessie。Bessie，Isay！\" Theystoodasifdumb。Theoldmanfidgetedandmumbledtohimselfatthewindow。Suddenlyhecried，piercingly：\"Bessie——Iseeyou。I’lltellHarry。\" Shemadeamovementasiftorunaway，butstoppedandraisedherhandstohertemples。 YoungHagberd，shadowyandbig，stirrednomorethanamanofbronze。Overtheirheadsthecrazynightwhimperedandscoldedinanoldman’svoice。 \"Sendhimaway，mydear。He’sonlyavaga— bond。Whatyouwantisagoodhomeofyourown。 Thatchaphasnohome——he’snotlikeHarry。Hecan’tbeHarry。Harryiscomingto—morrow。Doyouhear？Onedaymore，\"hebabbledmoreex— citedly；\"neveryoufear——Harryshallmarryyou。\" Hisvoiceroseveryshrillandmadagainsttheregulardeepsoughingoftheswellcoilingheavilyabouttheouterfaceofthesea—wall。 \"Hewillhaveto。Ishallmakehim，orifnot\" ——hesworeagreatoath——\"I’llcuthimoffwithashillingto—morrow，andleaveeverythingtoyou。 Ishall。Toyou。Lethimstarve。\" Thewindowrattleddown。 Harrydrewadeepbreath，andtookonesteptowardBessie。\"Soit’syou——thegirl，\"hesaid，inaloweredvoice。Shehadnotmoved，andshere— mainedhalfturnedawayfromhim，pressingherheadinthepalmsofherhands。\"Myword！\"hecontinued，withaninvisiblehalf—smileonhislips。 \"Ihaveagreatmindtostop……\" Herelbowsweretremblingviolently。 \"Foraweek，\"hefinishedwithoutapause。 Sheclappedherhandstoherface。 Hecameupquiteclose，andtookholdofherwristsgently。Shefelthisbreathonherear。 \"It’sascrapeIamin——this，anditisyouthatmustseemethrough。\"Hewastryingtouncoverherface。Sheresisted。Helethergothen，andsteppingbackalittle，\"Haveyougotanymoney？\"heasked。\"Imustbeoffnow。\" Shenoddedquicklyhershamefacedhead，andhewaited，lookingawayfromher，while，tremblingalloverandbowingherneck，shetriedtofindthepocketofherdress。 \"Hereitis！\"shewhispered。\"Oh，goaway！ goawayforGod’ssake！IfIhadmore——more—— Iwouldgiveitalltoforget——tomakeyoufor— get。\" Heextendedhishand。\"Nofear！Ihaven’tforgottenasingleoneofyouintheworld。Somegavememorethanmoney——butIamabeggarnow——andyouwomenalwayshadtogetmeoutofmyscrapes。\" Heswaggereduptotheparlourwindow，andinthedimlightfilteringthroughtheblind，lookedatthecoinlyinginhispalm。Itwasahalf—sovereign。 Heslippeditintohispocket。Shestoodalittleononeside，withherheaddrooping，asifwounded； withherarmshangingpassivebyherside，asifdead。 \"Youcan’tbuymein，\"hesaid，\"andyoucan’tbuyyourselfout。\" Hesethishatfirmlywithalittletap，andnextmomentshefeltherselfliftedupinthepowerfulembraceofhisarms。Herfeetlosttheground； herheadhungback；heshoweredkissesonherfacewithasilentandover—masteringardour，asifinhastetogetatherverysoul。Hekissedherpalecheeks，herhardforehead，herheavyeyelids，herfadedlips；andthemeasuredblowsandsighsoftherisingtideaccompaniedtheenfoldingpowerofhisarms，theoverwhelmingmightofhiscaresses。 Itwasasifthesea，breakingdownthewallpro— tectingallthehomesofthetown，hadsentawaveoverherhead。Itpassedon；shestaggeredback— wards，withhershouldersagainstthewall，ex— hausted，asifshehadbeenstrandedthereafterastormandashipwreck。 Sheopenedhereyesafterawhile；andlisteningtothefirm，leisurelyfootstepsgoingawaywiththeirconquest，begantogatherherskirts，staringallthetimebeforeher。Suddenlyshedartedthroughtheopengateintothedarkanddesertedstreet。 \"Stop！\"sheshouted。\"Don’tgo！\" Andlisteningwithanattentivepoiseofthehead，shecouldnottellwhetheritwasthebeatoftheswellorhisfatefultreadthatseemedtofallcruellyuponherheart。Presentlyeverysoundgrewfainter，asthoughshewereslowlyturningintostone。Afearofthisawfulsilencecametoher—— worsethanthefearofdeath。Shecalleduponherebbingstrengthforthefinalappeal： \"Harry！\" Noteventhedyingechoofafootstep。Noth— ing。Thethunderingofthesurf，thevoiceoftherestlessseaitself，seemedstopped。Therewasnotasound——nowhisperoflife，asthoughshewerealoneandlostinthatstonycountryofwhichshehadheard，wheremadmengolookingforgoldandspurnthefind。 CaptainHagberd，insidehisdarkhouse，hadkeptonthealert。Awindowranup；andinthesilenceofthestonycountryavoicespokeaboveherhead，highupintheblackair——thevoiceofmad— ness，liesanddespair——thevoiceofinextinguish— ablehope。\"Ishegoneyet——thatinformationfellow？Doyouhearhimabout，mydear？\" Sheburstintotears。\"No！no！no！Idon’thearhimanymore，\"shesobbed。 Hebegantochuckleuptheretriumphantly。 \"Youfrightenedhimaway。Goodgirl。Nowweshallbeallright。Don’tyoubeimpatient，mydear。 Onedaymore。\" IntheotherhouseoldCarvil，wallowingregallyinhisarm—chair，withaglobelampburningbyhissideonthetable，yelledforher，inafiendishvoice： \"Bessie！Bessie！youBessie！\" Sheheardhimatlast，and，asifovercomebyfate，begantotottersilentlybacktowardherstuffylittleinfernoofacottage。Ithadnoloftyportal，noterrificinscriptionofforfeitedhopes——shedidnotunderstandwhereinshehadsinned。 CaptainHagberdhadgraduallyworkedhimselfintoastateofnoisyhappinessupthere。 \"Goin！Keepquiet！\"sheturneduponhimtearfully，fromthedoorstepbelow。 Herebelledagainstherauthorityinhisgreatjoyathavinggotridatlastofthat\"somethingwrong。\"Itwasasifallthehopefulmadnessoftheworldhadbrokenouttobringterroruponherheart，withthevoiceofthatoldmanshoutingofhistrustinaneverlastingto—morrow。