I
ProfessorJoslin，who，asourreadersaredoubtlessaware，isengagedinwritingthelifeofMrs。Aubyn，asksustostatethathewillbegreatlyindebtedtoanyofthefamousnovelist’sfriendswhowillfurnishhimwithinformationconcerningtheperiodprevioustohercomingtoEngland。Mrs。Aubynhadsofewintimatefriends，andconsequentlysofewregularcorrespondents，thatletterswillbeofspecialvalue。ProfessorJoslin’saddressis10AugustaGardens，Kensington，andhebegsustosaythathewillpromptlyreturnanydocumentsentrustedtohim。\"
GlennarddroppedtheSpectatorandsatlookingintothefire。Theclubwasfillingup，buthestillhadtohimselfthesmallinnerroom，withitsdarkeningoutlookdowntherainstreakedprospectofFifthAvenue。Itwasalldullanddismalenough，yetamomentearlierhisboredomhadbeenperverselytingedbyasenseofresentmentatthethoughtthat，asthingsweregoing，hemightintimehavetosurrendereventhedespisedprivilegeofboringhimselfwithinthoseparticularfourwalls。Itwasnotthathecaredmuchfortheclub，butthattheremotecontingencyofhavingtogiveitupstoodtohim，justthen，perhapsbyveryreasonofitsinsignificanceandremoteness，forthesymbolofhisincreasingabnegations；ofthatperpetualparing—offthatwasgraduallyreducingexistencetothenakedbusinessofkeepinghimselfalive。Itwasthefutilityofhismultipliedshiftsandprivationsthatmadethemseemunworthyofahighattitude；thesensethat，howeverrapidlyheeliminatedthesuperfluous，hisclearedhorizonwaslikelytooffernonearerviewoftheoneprospecttowardwhichhestrained。Togiveupthingsinordertomarrythewomanonelovesiseasierthantogivethemupwithoutbeingbroughtappreciablynearertosuchaconclusion。
ThroughtheopendoorhesawyoungHollingsworthrisewithayawnfromtheineffectualsolaceofabrandy—and—sodaandtransporthispurposelesspersontothewindow。Glennardmeasuredhiscoursewithacontemptuouseye。ItwassolikeHollingsworthtogetupandlookoutofthewindowjustasitwasgrowingtoodarktoseeanything!Therewasamanrichenoughtodowhathepleased——hadhebeencapableofbeingpleased——yetbarredfromallconceivableachievementbyhisownimperviousdulness；while，afewfeetoff，Glennard，whowantedonlyenoughtokeepadecentcoatonhisbackandaroofovertheheadofthewomanheloved，Glennard，whohadsweated，toiled，deniedhimselfforthescantmeasureofopportunitythathiszealwouldhaveconvertedintoakingdom——satwretchedlycalculatingthat，evenwhenhehadresignedfromtheclub，andknockedoffhiscigars，andgivenuphisSundaysoutoftown，hewouldstillbenonearerattainment。
TheSpectatorhadslippedtohisfeetandashepickedituphiseyefellagainontheparagraphaddressedtothefriendsofMrs。
Aubyn。Hehadreaditforthefirsttimewithascarcelyperceptiblequickeningofattention：hernamehadsolongbeenpublicpropertythathiseyepasseditunseeingly，asthecrowdinthestreethurrieswithoutaglancebysomefamiliarmonument。
\"InformationconcerningtheperiodprevioustohercomingtoEngland……\"Thewordswereanevocation。Hesawheragainasshehadlookedattheirfirstmeeting，thepoorwomanofgeniuswithherlongpalefaceandshort—sightedeyes，softenedalittlebythegraceofyouthandinexperience，butsoincapableeventhenofanyholduponthepulses。Whenshespoke，indeed，shewaswonderful，morewonderful，perhaps，thanwhenlater，toGlennard’sfancyatleast，theconsciousofmemorablethingsutteredseemedtotakefromevenhermostintimatespeechtheperfectbloomofprivacy。Itwasinthoseearliestdays，ifever，thathehadcomenearlovingher；thougheventhenhissentimenthadlivedonlyintheintervalsofitsexpression。Later，whentobelovedbyherhadbeenastatetotouchanyman’simagination，thephysicalreluctancehad，inexplicably，sooverbornetheintellectualattraction，thatthelastyearshadbeen，tobothofthem，anagonyofconflictingimpulses。Evennow，if，inturningoveroldpapers，hishandlitonherletters，thetouchfilledhimwithinarticulatemisery……
\"Shehadsofewintimatefriends……thatletterswillbeofspecialvalue。\"Sofewintimatefriends!Foryearsshehadhadbutone；onewhointhelastyearshadrequitedherwonderfulpages，hertragicoutpouringsoflove，humility，andpardon，withthescantphrasesbywhichamanevadesthevulgarestofsentimentalimportunities。Hehadbeenabruteinspiteofhimself，andsometimes，nowthattheremembranceofherfacehadfaded，andonlyhervoiceandwordsremainedwithhim，hechafedathisowninadequacy，hisstupidinabilitytorisetotheheightofherpassion。Hisegoismwasnotofakindtomirroritscomplacencyintheadventure。Tohavebeenlovedbythemostbrilliantwomanofherday，andtohavebeenincapableoflovingher，seemedtohim，inlookingback，themostderisiveevidenceofhislimitations；andhisremorsefultendernessforhermemorywascomplicatedwithasenseofirritationagainstherforhavinggivenhimonceforallthemeasureofhisemotionalcapacity。Itwasnotoften，however，thathethusprobedthepast。Thepublic，intakingpossessionofMrs。Aubyn，hadeasedhisshouldersoftheirburden。Therewassomethingfatuousinanattitudeofsentimentalapologytowardamemoryalreadyclassic：toreproachone’sselffornothavinglovedMargaretAubynwasagooddeallikebeingdisturbedbyaninabilitytoadmiretheVenusofMilo。
Fromhercoldnicheoffameshelookeddownironicallyenoughonhisself—flagellations……Itwasonlywhenhecameonsomethingthatbelongedtoherthathefeltasuddenrenewaloftheoldfeeling，thestrangedualimpulsethatdrewhimtohervoicebutdrovehimfromherhand，sothatevennow，atsightofanythingshehadtouched，hisheartcontractedpainfully。Ithappenedseldomnowadays。Herlittlepresents，onebyone，haddisappearedfromhisrooms，andherletters，keptfromsomeunacknowledgedpuerilevanityinthepossessionofsuchtreasures，seldomcamebeneathhishand……
\"Herletterswillbeofspecialvalue——\"Herletters!Why，hemusthavehundredsofthem——enoughtofillavolume。Sometimesitusedtoseemtohimthattheycamewitheverypost——heusedtoavoidlookinginhisletter—boxwhenhecamehometohisrooms——
butherwritingseemedtospringoutathimasheputhiskeyinthedoor——。
Hestoodupandstrolledintotheotherroom。Hollingsworth，loungingawayfromthewindow，hadjoinedhimselftoalanguidlyconvivialgroupofmentowhom，inphrasesashaltingasthoughtheystruggledtodefineanultimateidea，hewasexpoundingthecursednuisanceoflivinginaholewithsuchadamnedclimatethatonehadtogetoutofitbyFebruary，withthecontingentdifficultyoftherebeingnoplacetotakeone’syachttoinwinterbutthatotherplayed—outhole，theRiviera。FromtheoutskirtsofthisgroupGlennardwanderedtoanother，whereavoiceasdifferentaspossiblefromHollingsworth’scolorlessorgandominatedanothercircleoflanguidlisteners。
\"ComeandhearDinslowtalkabouthispatent：admissionfree，\"oneofthemensangoutinatoneofmockresignation。
DinslowturnedtoGlennardtheconfidentpugnacityofhissmile。
\"Giveitanothersixmonthsandit’llbetalkingaboutitself，\"hedeclared。\"It’sprettynearlyarticulatenow。\"
\"Canitsaypapa？\"someoneelseinquired。
Dinslow’ssmilebroadened。\"You’llbedeucedgladtosaypapatoITayearfromnow，\"heretorted。\"It’llbeabletosupportevenyouinaffluence。Lookhere，now，justletmeexplaintoyou——\"
Glennardmovedawayimpatiently。Themenattheclub——allbutthosewhowere\"init\"——wereproverbially\"tired\"ofDinslow’spatent，andnonemoresothanGlennard，whoseknowledgeofitsmeritsmadeitloomlargeinthedepressingcatalogueoflostopportunities。Therelationsbetweenthetwomenhadalwaysbeenfriendly，andDinslow’surgentoffersto\"takehiminonthegroundfloor\"hadoflateintensifiedGlennard’ssenseofhisowninabilitytomeetgoodluckhalfway。Someofthemenwhohadpausedtolistenwerealreadyineveningclothes，othersontheirwayhometodress；andGlennard，withanaccustomedtwingeofhumiliation，saidtohimselfthatifhelingeredamongthemitwasinthemiserablehopethatoneofthenumbermightaskhimtodine。MissTrenthadtoldhimthatshewastogototheoperathateveningwithherrichaunt；andifheshouldhavethelucktopickupadinner—invitationhemightjoinhertherewithoutextraoutlay。
Hemovedabouttheroom，lingeringhereandthereinatentativeaffectationofinterest；butthoughthemengreetedhimpleasantlynooneaskedhimtodine。Doubtlesstheywereallengaged，thesemenwhocouldaffordtopayfortheirdinners，whodidnothavetohuntforinvitationsasabeggarrummagesforacrustinanash—
barrel!Butno——asHollingsworthleftthelesseningcircleaboutthetableanadmiringyouthcalledout——\"Holly，stopanddine!\"
Hollingsworthturnedonhimthecrudecountenancethatlookedlikethewrongsideofamorefinishedface。\"SorryIcan’t。I’minforabeastlybanquet。\"
Glennardthrewhimselfintoanarm—chair。Whygohomeintheraintodress？Itwasfollytotakeacabtotheopera，itwasworsefollytogothereatall。HisperpetualmeetingswithAlexaTrentwereasunfairtothegirlastheywereunnervingtohimself。
Sincehecouldn’tmarryher，itwastimetostandasideandgiveabettermanthechance——andhisthoughtadmittedtheironicalimplicationthatinthetermsofexpediencythephrasemightstandforHollingsworth。
II
Hedinedaloneandwalkedhometohisroomsintherain。AsheturnedintoFifthAvenuehecaughtthewetgleamofcarriagesontheirwaytotheopera，andhetookthefirstsidestreet，inamomentofirritationagainstthepettyrestrictionsthatthwartedeveryimpulse。Itwasridiculoustogiveuptheopera，notbecauseonemightpossiblybeboredthere，butbecauseonemustpayfortheexperiment。
Inhissitting—room，thetacitconnivanceoftheinanimatehadcentredthelamp—lightonaphotographofAlexaTrent，placed，intheobligatorysilverframe，justwhere，asmemoryofficiouslyremindedhim，MargaretAubyn’spicturehadlongthronedinitsstead。MissTrent’sfeaturescruellyjustifiedtheusurpation。
Shehadthekindofbeautythatcomesofahappyaccordoffaceandspirit。Itisnotgiventomanytohavethelipsandeyesoftheirrarestmood，andsomewomengothroughlifebehindamaskexpressingonlytheiranxietyaboutthebutcher’sbillortheirinabilitytoseeajoke。WithMissTrent，faceandmindhadthesamehighseriouscontour。ShelookedlikeathronedJusticebysomegraveFlorentinepainter；anditseemedtoGlennardthathermostsalientattribute，orthatatleasttowhichherconductgavemostconsistentexpression，wasakindofpassionatejustice——theintuitivefemininejustnessthatissomuchrarerthanareasonedimpartiality。Circumstanceshadtragicallycombinedtodevelopthisinstinctintoaconscioushabit。Shehadseenmorethanmostgirlsoftheshabbysideoflife，oftheperpetualtendencyofwanttocrampthenoblestattitude。Povertyandmisfortunehadoverhungherchildhoodandshehadnoneoftheprettydelusionsaboutlifethataresupposedtobethecrowninggraceofgirlhood。
Thisverycompetence，whichgaveheratouchingreasonableness，madeGlennard’ssituationmoredifficultthanifhehadaspiredtoaprincessbredinthepurple。Betweenthemtheyaskedsolittle——
theyknewsowellhowtomakethatlittledo——buttheyunderstoodalso，andsheespeciallydidnotforamomentlethimforget，thatwithoutthatlittlethefuturetheydreamedofwasimpossible。
ThesightofherphotographquickenedGlennard’sexasperation。Hewassickandashamedoftheparthewasplaying。Hehadlovedhernowfortwoyears，withthetranquiltendernessthatgathersdepthandvolumeasitnearsfulfilment；heknewthatshewouldwaitforhim——butthecertitudewasanaddedpang。Therearetimeswhentheconstancyofthewomanonecannotmarryisalmostastryingasthatofthewomanonedoesnotwantto。
Glennardturneduphisreading—lampandstirredthefire。Hehadalongeveningbeforehimandhewantedtocrowdoutthoughtwithaction。Hehadbroughtsomepapersfromhisofficeandhespreadthemoutonhistableandsquaredhimselftothetask……
Itmusthavebeenanhourlaterthathefoundhimselfautomaticallyfittingakeyintoalockeddrawer。Hehadnomorenotionthanasomnambulistofthementalprocessthathadleduptothisaction。Hewasjustdimlyawareofhavingpushedasidethepapersandtheheavycalfvolumesthatamomentbeforehadboundedhishorizon，andoflayingintheirplace，withoutatraceofconsciousvolition，theparcelhehadtakenfromthedrawer。
Thelettersweretiedinpacketsofthirtyorforty。Therewereagreatmanypackets。Onsomeoftheenvelopestheinkwasfading；
onothers，whichboretheEnglishpost—mark，itwasstillfresh。
Shehadbeendeadhardlythreeyears，andshehadwritten，atlengtheningintervals，tothelast……
Heundidoneoftheearlierpackets——littlenoteswrittenduringtheirfirstacquaintanceatHillbridge。Glennard，onleavingcollege，hadbegunlifeinhisuncle’slawofficeintheolduniversitytown。Itwastherethat，atthehouseofherfather，ProfessorForth，hehadfirstmettheyoungladythenchieflydistinguishedforhaving，aftertwoyearsofaconspicuouslyunhappymarriage，returnedtotheprotectionofthepaternalroof。
Mrs。Aubynwasatthattimeaneagerandsomewhattragicyoungwoman，ofcomplexmindandundevelopedmanners，whomhercrudeexperienceofmatrimonyhadfittedoutwithastockofgeneralizationsthatexplodedlikebombsintheacademicairofHillbridge。Inherchoiceofahusbandshehadbeenfortunateenough，iftheparadoxbepermitted，tolightononesosignallygiftedwiththefacultyofputtinghimselfinthewrongthatherleavinghimhadthedignityofamanifesto——madeher，asitwere，thespokeswomanofoutragedwifehood。InthislightshewascherishedbythatdominantportionofHillbridgesocietywhichwasleastindulgenttoconjugaldifferences，andwhichfoundaproportionatepleasureinbeingforonceabletofeastopenlyonadishliberallyseasonedwiththeoutrageous。SomuchdidthisendearMrs。Aubyntotheuniversityladiesthattheyweredisposedfromthefirsttoallowhermorelatitudeofspeechandactionthantheill—usedwifewasgenerallyaccordedinHillbridge，wheremisfortunewasstillregardedasavisitationdesignedtoputpeopleintheirproperplaceandmakethemfeelthesuperiorityoftheirneighbors。Theyoungwomansoprivilegedcombinedwithakindofpersonalshynessanintellectualaudacitythatwaslikeadeflectedimpulseofcoquetry：onefeltthatifshehadbeenprettiershewouldhavehademotionsinsteadofideas。Shewasinfacteventhenwhatshehadalwaysremained：ageniuscapableoftheacutestgeneralizations，butcuriouslyundiscerningwhereherpersonalsusceptibilitieswereconcerned。Herpsychologyfailedherjustwhereitservesmostwomenandonefeltthatherbrainswouldneverbeaguidetoherheart。Ofallthis，however，Glennardthoughtlittleinthefirstyearoftheiracquaintance。
Hewasatanagewhenallthegiftsandgracesarebutsomuchundiscriminatedfoodtotheraveningegoismofyouth。InseekingMrs。Aubyn’scompanyhewaspromptedbyanintuitivetasteforthebestasapledgeofhisownsuperiority。ThesympathyofthecleverestwomaninHillbridgewasbalmtohiscravingfordistinction：itwaspublicconfirmationofhissecretsensethathewascutoutforabiggerplace。ItmustnotbeunderstoodthatGlennardwasvain。Vanitycontentsitselfwiththecoarsestdiet；
thereisnopalatesofastidiousasthatofself—distrust。ToayouthofGlennard’saspirationstheencouragementofacleverwomanstoodforthesymbolofallsuccess。Later，whenhehadbeguntofeelhisway，togainafoothold，hewouldnotneedsuchsupport；butitservedtocarryhimlightlyandeasilyoverwhatisoftenaperiodofinsecurityanddiscouragement。
Itwouldbeunjust，however，torepresenthisinterestinMrs。
Aubynasamatterofcalculation。Itwasasinstinctiveaslove，anditmissedbeinglovebyjustsuchahair—breadthdeflectionfromthelineofbeautyashaddeterminedthecurveofMrs。
Aubyn’slips。Whentheymetshehadjustpublishedherfirstnovel，andGlennard，whoafterwardhadanambitiousman’simpatienceofdistinguishedwomen，wasyoungenoughtobedazzledbythesemi—publicityitgaveher。Itwasthekindofbookthatmakeselderlyladieslowertheirvoicesandcalleachother\"mydear\"whentheyfurtivelydiscussit；andGlennardexultedinthesuperiorknowledgeoftheworldthatenabledhimtotakeasamatterofcoursesentimentsoverwhichtheuniversityshookitshead。StillmoredelightfulwasittohearMrs。Aubynwakentheechoesofacademicdrawing—roomswithaudacitiessurpassingthoseofherprintedpage。Herintellectualindependencegaveatouchofcomradeshiptotheirintimacy，prolongingtheillusionofcollegefriendshipsbasedonajoyousinterchangeofheresies。
Mrs。AubynandGlennardrepresentedtoeachothertheaugur’swinkbehindtheHillbridgeidol：theywalkedtogetherinthatlightofyoungomnisciencefromwhichfatesocuriouslyexcludesone’selders。
Husbandswhoarenotoriouslyinopportune，mayevendieinopportunely，andthiswastherevengethatMr。Aubyn，sometwoyearsafterherreturntoHillbridge，tookuponhisinjuredwife。
HediedpreciselyatthemomentwhenGlennardwasbeginningtocriticiseher。Itwasnotthatsheboredhim；shedidwhatwasinfinitelyworse——shemadehimfeelhisinferiority。Thesenseofmentalequalityhadbeengratifyingtohisrawambition；butashisself—knowledgedefineditself，hisunderstandingofheralsoincreased；andifmanisattimesindirectlyflatteredbythemoralsuperiorityofwoman，hermentalascendencyisextenuatedbynosuchobliquetributetohispowers。Theattitudeoflookingupisastrainonthemuscles；anditwasbecomingmoreandmoreGlennard’sopinionthatbrains，inawoman，shouldbemerelytheobverseofbeauty。TobeautyMrs。Aubyncouldlaynoclaim；andwhileshehadenoughprettinesstoexasperatehimbyherincapacitytomakeuseofit，sheseemedinvinciblyignorantofanyofthelittleartificeswherebywomencontrivetopalliatetheirdefectsandeventoturnthemintograces。Herdressneverseemedapartofher；allherclotheshadanimpersonalair，asthoughtheyhadbelongedtosomeoneelseandbeenborrowedinanemergencythathadsomehowbecomechronic。Shewasconsciousenoughofherdeficienciestotrytoamendthembyrashimitationsofthemostapprovedmodels；butnowomanwhodoesnotdresswellintuitivelywilleverdosobythelightofreason，andMrs。
Aubyn’splagiarisms，toborrowametaphorofhertrade，somehowneverseemedtobeincorporatedwiththetext。
Geniusisofsmallusetoawomanwhodoesnotknowhowtodoherhair。ThefamethatcametoMrs。AubynwithhersecondbookleftGlennard’simaginationuntouched，orhadatmostthenegativeeffectofremovingherstillfartherfromthecircleofhiscontractingsympathies。Weareallthesportoftime；andfatehadsoperverselyorderedthechronologyofMargaretAubyn’sromancethatwhenherhusbanddiedGlennardfeltasthoughhehadlostafriend。
Itwasnotinhisnaturetobeneedlesslyunkind；andthoughhewasintheimpregnablepositionofthemanwhohasgivenawomannomoredefinableclaimonhimthanthatoflettingherfancythathelovesher，hewouldnotfortheworldhaveaccentuatedhisadvantagebyanybetrayalofindifference。Duringthefirstyearofherwidowhoodtheirfriendshipdraggedonwithhaltingrenewalsofsentiment，becomingmoreandmoreabanquetofemptydishesfromwhichthecoverswereneverremoved；thenGlennardwenttoNewYorktoliveandexchangedthefadedpleasuresofintercourseforthecomparativenoveltyofcorrespondence。Herletters，oddlyenough，seemedatfirsttobringhernearerthanherpresence。
Shehadadopted，andshesuccessfullymaintained，anoteasaffectionatelyimpersonalashisown；shewroteardentlyofherwork，shequestionedhimabouthis，sheevenbanteredhimontheinevitableprettygirlwhowascertainbeforelongtodivertthecurrentofhisconfidences。ToGlennard，whowasalmostastrangerinNewYork，thesightofMrs。Aubyn’swritingwaslikeavoiceofreassuranceinsurroundingsasyetinsufficientlyawareofhim。Hisvanityfoundaretrospectiveenjoymentinthesentimenthishearthadrejected，andthisfactitiousemotiondrovehimonceortwicetoHillbridge，whence，afterscenesofevasivetenderness，hereturneddissatisfiedwithhimselfandher。
AshemaderoomforhimselfinNewYorkandpeopledthespacehehadclearedwiththesympathiesatthedisposalofagreeableandself—confidentyoungmen，itseemedtohimnaturaltoinferthatMrs。Aubynhadrefurnishedinthesamemannerthevoidhewasnotunwillinghisdepartureshouldhaveleft。Butinthedissolutionofsentimentalpartnershipsitisseldomthatbothassociatesareabletowithdrawtheirfundsatthesametime；andGlennardgraduallylearnedthathestoodfortheventureonwhichMrs。
Aubynhadirretrievablystakedherall。Itwasnotthekindoffigurehecaredtocut。Hehadnofancyforleavinghavocinhiswakeandwouldhavepreferredtosowaquickgrowthofoblivioninthespaceswastedbyhisunconsideredinroads；butifhesuppliedtheseeditwasclearlyMrs。Aubyn’sbusinesstoseetotheraisingofthecrop。Herattitudeseemedindeedtothrowhisownreasonablenessintodistincterrelief：sothattheymighthavestoodforthriftandimprovidenceinanallegoryoftheaffections。
ItwasnotthatMrs。Aubynpermittedherselftobeapensioneronhisbounty。Heknewshehadnowishtokeepherselfaliveonthesmallchangeofsentiment；shesimplyfedonherownfundedpassion，andtheluxuriesitallowedhermadehim，eventhen，dimlyawarethatshehadthesecretofaninexhaustiblealchemy。
Theirrelationsremainedthusnegativelytendertillshesuddenlywrotehimofherdecisiontogoabroadtolive。Herfatherhaddied，shehadnoneartiesinHillbridge，andLondonofferedmorescopethanNewYorktoherexpandingpersonality。Shewasalreadyfamousandherlaurelswereyetunharvested。
ForamomentthenewsrousedGlennardtoajealoussenseoflostopportunities。Hewanted，atanyrate，toreasserthispowerbeforeshemadethefinaleffortofescape。Theyhadnotmetforoverayear，butofcoursehecouldnotlethersailwithoutseeingher。ShecametoNewYorkthedaybeforeherdeparture，andtheyspentitslasthourstogether。Glennardhadplannednocourseofaction——hesimplymeanttolethimselfdrift。Theybothdrifted，foralongtime，downthelanguidcurrentofreminiscence；sheseemedtositpassive，lettinghimpushhiswaybackthroughtheovergrownchannelsofthepast。Atlengthsheremindedhimthattheymustbringtheirexplorationstoanend。
Herosetoleave，andstoodlookingatherwiththesameuncertaintyinhisheart。Hewastiredofheralready——hewasalwaystiredofher——yethewasnotsurethathewantedhertogo。
\"Imayneverseeyouagain，\"hesaid，asthoughconfidentlyappealingtohercompassion。
Herlookenvelopedhim。\"AndIshallseeyoualways——always!\"
\"Whygothen——？\"escapedhim。
\"Tobeneareryou，\"sheanswered；andthewordsdismissedhimlikeaclosingdoor。
Thedoorwasnevertoreopen；butthroughitsnarrowcrackGlennard，astheyearswenton，becamemoreandmoreconsciousofaninextinguishablelightdirectingitssmallraytowardthepastwhichconsumedsolittleofhisowncommemorativeoil。ThereproachwastakenfromthisthoughtbyMrs。Aubyn’sgradualtranslationintotermsofuniversality。InbecomingapersonageshesonaturallyceasedtobeapersonthatGlennardcouldalmostlookbacktohisexplorationsofherspiritasonavisittosomefamousshrine，immortalized，butinasensedesecrated，bypopularveneration。
Herletters，fromLondon，continuedtocomewiththesametenderpunctuality；butthealteredconditionsofherlife，thevistasofnewrelationshipsdisclosedbyeveryphrase，madehercommunicationsasimpersonalasapieceofjournalism。Itwasasthoughthestate，theworld，indeed，hadtakenheroffhishands，assumingthemaintenanceofatemperamentthathadlongexhaustedhisslenderstoreofreciprocity。
Intheretrospectivelightshedbythelettershewasblindedtotheirspecificmeaning。Hewasnotamanwhoconcernedhimselfwithliterature，andtheyhadbeentohim，atfirst，simplytheextensionofherbrillianttalk，laterthedreadedvehicleofatragicimportunity。Heknew，ofcourse，thattheywerewonderful；
that，unliketheauthorswhogivetheiressencetothepublicandkeeponlyadryrindfortheirfriends，Mrs。Aubynhadstoredofherrarestvintageforthishiddensacramentoftenderness。
Sometimes，indeed，hehadbeenoppressed，humiliatedalmost，bythemultiplicityofherallusions，thewidescopeofherinterests，herpersistenceinforcinghersuperabundanceofthoughtandemotionintotheshallowreceptacleofhissympathy；
buthehadneverthoughtofthelettersobjectively，astheproductionofadistinguishedwoman；hadnevermeasuredtheliterarysignificanceofheroppressiveprodigality。Hewasalmostfrightenednowatthewealthinhishands；theobligationofherlovehadneverweighedonhimlikethisgiftofherimagination：itwasasthoughhehadacceptedfromhersomethingtowhichevenareciprocaltendernesscouldnothavejustifiedhisclaim。
Hesatalongtimestaringatthescatteredpagesonhisdesk；andinthesuddenrealizationofwhattheymeanthecouldalmostfancysomealchemisticprocesschangingthemtogoldashestared。Hehadthesenseofnotbeingaloneintheroom，ofthepresenceofanotherselfobservingfromwithoutthestirringofsubconsciousimpulsesthatsentflushesofhumiliationtohisforehead。Atlengthhestoodup，andwiththegestureofamanwhowishestogiveoutwardexpressiontohispurpose——toestablish，asitwere，amoralalibi——sweptthelettersintoaheapandcarriedthemtowardthegrate。Butitwouldhavetakentoolongtoburnallthepackets。Heturnedbacktothetableandonebyonefittedthepagesintotheirenvelopes；thenhetiedupthelettersandputthembackintothelockeddrawer。
III
ItwasoneofthelawsofGlennard’sintercoursewithMissTrentthathealwayswenttoseeherthedayafterhehadresolvedtogiveherup。Therewasaspecialcharmaboutthemomentsthussnatchedfromthejawsofrenunciation；andhissenseoftheirsignificancewasonthisoccasionsokeenthathehardlynoticedtheaddedgravityofherwelcome。
Hisfeelingforherhadbecomesovitalapartofhimthathernearnesshadthequalityofimperceptiblyreadjustinghispointofview，sothatthejumbledphenomenaofexperiencefellatonceintoarationalperspective。Inthisredistributionofvaluesthesombreretrospectofthepreviouseveningshranktoamerecloudontheedgeofconsciousness。Perhapstheonlyserviceanunlovedwomancanrenderthemanshelovesistoenhanceandprolonghisillusionsaboutherrival。ItwasthefateofMargaretAubyn’smemorytoserveasafoiltoMissTrent’spresence，andneverhadthepoorladythrownhersuccessorintomorevividrelief。
MissTrenthadthecharmofstillwatersthatarefelttoberenewedbyrapidcurrents。Herattentionspreadatranquilsurfacetothedemonstrationsofothers，anditwasonlyindaysofstormthatonefeltthepressureofthetides。ThisinscrutablecomposurewasperhapsherchiefgraceinGlennard’seyes。Reserve，insomenatures，impliesmerelythelockingofemptyroomsorthedissimulationofawkwardencumbrances；butMissTrent’sreticencewastoGlennardlikethecloseddoortothesanctuary，andhiscertaintyofdiviningthehiddentreasuremadehimcontenttoremainoutsideinthehappyexpectancyoftheneophyte。
\"Youdidn’tcometotheoperalastnight，\"shebegan，inthetonethatseemedalwaysrathertorecordafactthantoofferareflectiononit。
Heansweredwithadiscouragedgesture。\"Whatwastheuse？Wecouldn’thavetalked。\"
\"Notaswellashere，\"sheassented；adding，afterameditativepause，\"Asyoudidn’tcomeItalkedtoAuntVirginiainstead。\"
\"Ah!\"hereturned，thefactbeinghardlystrikingenoughtodetachhimfromthecontemplationofherhands，whichhadfallen，aswastheirwont，intoanattitudefullofplasticpossibilities。Onefeltthemtobehandsthat，movingonlytosomepurpose，werecapableofintervalsofsereneinaction。
\"Wehadalongtalk，\"MissTrentwenton；andshewaitedagainbeforeadding，withtheincreasedabsenceofstressthatmarkedhergravercommunications，\"AuntVirginiawantsmetogoabroadwithher。\"
Glennardlookedupwithastart。\"Abroad？When？\"
\"Now——nextmonth。Tobegonetwoyears。\"
Hepermittedhimselfamovementoftenderderision。\"Doesshereally？Well，IwantyoutogoabroadwithME——foranynumberofyears。Whichofferdoyouaccept？\"
\"Onlyoneofthemseemstorequireimmediateconsideration，\"shereturned，withasmile。
Glennardlookedatheragain。\"You’renotthinkingofit？\"
Hergazedroppedandsheunclaspedherhands。Hermovementsweresorarethattheymighthavebeensaidtoitalicizeherwords。
\"AuntVirginiatalkedtomeveryseriously。Itwillbeagreatrelieftomotherandtheotherstohavemeprovidedforinthatwayfortwoyears。Imustthinkofthat，youknow。\"Sheglanceddownathergownwhich，underarenovatedsurface，datedbacktothefirstdaysofGlennard’swooing。\"Itrynottocostmuch——butIdo。\"
\"GoodLord!\"Glennardgroaned。
Theysatsilenttillatlengthshegentlytookuptheargument。
\"Astheeldest，youknow，I’mboundtoconsiderthesethings。
Womenaresuchaburden。Jimdoeswhathecanformother，butwithhisownchildrentoprovideforitisn’tverymuch。Yousee，we’reallpoortogether。\"
\"Yourauntisn’t。Shemighthelpyourmother。\"
\"Shedoes——inherownway。\"
\"Exactly——that’stherichrelationallover!Youmaybemiserableinanywayyoulike，butifyou’retobehappyyou’vegottobesoinherway——andinheroldgowns。\"
\"IcouldbeveryhappyinAuntVirginia’soldgowns，\"MissTrentinterposed。
\"Abroad，youmean？\"
\"ImeanwhereverIfeltthatIwashelping。Andmygoingabroadwillhelp。\"
\"Ofcourse——Iseethat。AndIseeyourconsideratenessinputtingitsadvantagesnegatively。\"
\"Negatively？\"
\"Indwellingsimplyonwhatthegoingwilltakeyoufrom，notonwhatitwillbringyouto。Itmeansalottoawoman，ofcourse，togetawayfromalifelikethis。\"Hesummedupinadisparagingglancethebackgroundofindigentfurniture。\"Thequestionishowyou’lllikecomingbacktoit。\"
Sheseemedtoacceptthefullconsequencesofhisthought。\"I
onlyknowIdon’tlikeleavingit。\"
Heflungbacksombrely，\"Youdon’tevenputitconditionallythen？\"
Hergazedeepened。\"Onwhat？\"
Hestoodupandwalkedacrosstheroom。Thenhecamebackandpausedbeforeher。\"Onthealternativeofmarryingme。\"
Theslowcolor——evenherblushesseemeddeliberate——rosetoherlowerlids；herlipsstirred，butthewordsresolvedthemselvesintoasmileandshewaited。
Hetookanotherturn，withthethwartedstepofthemanwhosenervousexasperationescapesthroughhismuscles。
\"AndtothinkthatinfifteenyearsIshallhaveabigpractice!\"
Hereyestriumphedforhim。\"Inless!\"
\"Thecursedironyofit!WhatdoIcareforthemanIshallbethen？It’sslavingone’slifeawayforastranger!\"Hetookherhandsabruptly。\"You’llgotoCannes，Isuppose，orMonteCarlo？
IheardHollingsworthsayto—daythathemeanttotakehisyachtovertotheMediterranean——\"
Shereleasedherself。\"Ifyouthinkthat——\"
\"Idon’t。IalmostwishIdid。Itwouldbeeasier，Imean。\"Hebrokeoffincoherently。\"IbelieveyourAuntVirginiadoes，though。ShesomehowconnotesHollingsworthandtheMediterranean。\"Hecaughtherhandsagain。\"Alexa——ifwecouldmanagealittleholesomewhereoutoftown？\"
\"Couldwe？\"shesighed，halfyielding。
\"Inoneofthoseplaceswheretheymakejokesaboutthemosquitoes，\"hepressedher。\"Couldyougetonwithoneservant？\"
\"Couldyougetonwithoutvarnishedboots？\"
\"Promisemeyouwon’tgo，then!\"
\"Whatareyouthinkingof，Stephen？\"
\"Idon’tknow，\"hestammered，thequestiongivingunexpectedformtohisintention。\"It’sallintheairyet，ofcourse；butI
pickedupatiptheotherday——\"
\"You’renotspeculating？\"shecried，withakindofsuperstitiousterror。
\"Lord，no。Thisisasurething——Ialmostwishitwasn’t；ImeanifIcanworkit——\"Hehadasuddenvisionofthecomprehensivenessofthetemptation。IfonlyhehadbeenlesssureofDinslow!Hisassurancegavethesituationthebaseelementofsafety。
\"Idon’tunderstandyou，\"shefaltered。
\"Trustme，instead!\"headjuredher，withsuddenenergy；andturningonherabruptly，\"Ifyougo，youknow，yougofree，\"heconcluded。
Shedrewback，palingalittle。\"Whydoyoumakeitharderforme？\"
\"Tomakeiteasierformyself，\"heretorted。
IV
Glennard，thenextafternoon，leavinghisofficeearlierthanusual，turned，onhiswayhome，intooneofthepubliclibraries。
Hehadtheplacetohimselfatthatclosinghour，andthelibrarianwasabletogiveanundividedattentiontohistentativerequestforletters——collectionsofletters。ThelibrariansuggestedWalpole。
\"Imeantwomen——women’sletters。\"
ThelibrarianprofferedHannahMoreandMissMartineau。
Glennardcursedhisowninarticulateness。\"Imeanlettersto——tosomeoneperson——aman；theirhusband——or——\"
\"Ah，\"saidtheinspiredlibrarian，\"EloiseandAbailard。\"
\"Well——somethingalittlenearer，perhaps，\"saidGlennard，withlightness。\"Didn’tMerimee——\"
\"Thelady’sletters，inthatcase，werenotpublished。\"
\"Ofcoursenot，\"saidGlennard，vexedathisblunder。
\"ThereareGeorgeSand’sletterstoFlaubert。\"
\"Ah!\"Glennardhesitated。\"Wasshe——werethey——？\"Hechafedathisownignoranceofthesentimentalby—pathsofliterature。
\"Ifyouwantlove—letters，perhapssomeoftheFrencheighteenthcenturycorrespondencesmightsuityoubetter——Mlle。AisseorMadamedeSabran——\"
ButGlennardinsisted。\"Iwantsomethingmodern——EnglishorAmerican。Iwanttolooksomethingup，\"helamelyconcluded。
ThelibrariancouldonlysuggestGeorgeEliot。
\"Well，givemesomeoftheFrenchthings，then——andI’llhaveMerimee’sletters。Itwasthewomanwhopublishedthem，wasn’tit？\"
Hecaughtuphisarmful，transferringit，onthedoorstep，toacabwhichcarriedhimtohisrooms。Hedinedalone，hurriedly，atasmallrestaurantnearby，andreturnedatoncetohisbooks。
Latethatnight，asheundressed，hewonderedwhatcontemptibleimpulsehadforcedfromhimhislastwordstoAlexaTrent。Itwasbadenoughtointerferewiththegirl’schancesbyhangingabouthertotheobviousexclusionofothermen，butitwasworsetoseemtojustifyhisweaknessbydressingupthefutureindelusiveambiguities。Hesawhimselfsinkingfromdepthtodepthofsentimentalcowardiceinhisreluctancetorenouncehisholdonher；anditfilledhimwithself—disgusttothinkthatthehighestfeelingofwhichhesupposedhimselfcapablewasblentwithsuchbaseelements。
Hisawakeningwashardlycheeredbythesightofherwriting。Hetorehernoteopenandtookinthefewlines——sheseldomexceededthefirstpage——withthelucidityofapprehensionthatistheforerunnerofevil。
\"MyauntsailsonSaturdayandImustgivehermyanswerthedayafterto—morrow。Pleasedon’tcometillthen——Iwanttothinkthequestionoverbymyself。IknowIoughttogo。Won’tyouhelpmetobereasonable？\"
Itwassettled，then。Well，hewouldbereasonable；hewouldn’tstandinherway；hewouldlethergo。Fortwoyearshehadbeenlivingsomeother，luckierman’slife；thetimehadcomewhenhemustdropbackintohisown。Henolongertriedtolookahead，togropehiswaythroughtheendlesslabyrinthofhismaterialdifficulties；asenseofdullresignationclosedinonhimlikeafog。
\"Hullo，Glennard!\"avoicesaid，asanelectric—car，latethatafternoon，droppedhimatanuptowncorner。
HelookedupandmettheinterrogativesmileofBartonFlamel，whostoodonthecurbstonewatchingtheretreatingcarwiththeeyeofamanphilosophicenoughtorememberthatitwillbefollowedbyanother。
GlennardfelthisusualimpulseofpleasureatmeetingFlamel；butitwasnotinthiscasecurtailedbythereactionofcontemptthathabituallysucceededit。ProbablyeventhefewmenwhohadknownFlamelsincehisyouthcouldhavegivennogoodreasonforthevaguemistrustthatheinspired。Somepeoplearejudgedbytheiractions，othersbytheirideas；andperhapstheshortestwayofdefiningFlamelistosaythathiswell—knownleniencyofviewwasvaguelydivinedtoincludehimself。Simplemindsmayhaveresentedthediscoverythathisopinionswerebasedonhisperceptions；buttherewascertainlynomoredefinitechargeagainsthimthanthatimpliedinthedoubtastohowhewouldbehaveinanemergency，andhiscompanywaslookeduponasoneofthosemildlyunwholesomedissipationstowhichtheprudentmayoccasionallyyield。ItnowoffereditselftoGlennardasaneasyescapefromtheobsessionofmoralproblems，whichsomehowcouldnomorebeworninFlamel’spresencethanasurpliceinthestreet。
\"Whereareyougoing？Totheclub？\"Flamelasked；adding，astheyoungermanassented，\"Whynotcometomystudioinstead？You’llseeoneboreinsteadoftwenty。\"
TheapartmentwhichFlameldescribedashisstudioshowed，asitsoneclaimtothedesignation，aperenniallyemptyeasel；therestofitsspacebeingfilledwiththeevidencesofacomprehensivedilettanteism。Againstthisbackground，whichseemedthevisibleexpressionofitsowner’sintellectualtolerance，rowsoffinebooksdetachedthemselveswithaprominence，showingthemtobeFlamel’schiefcare。
Glennardglancedwiththeeyeofuntrainedcuriosityatthelinesofwarm—tonedmorocco，whilehishostbusiedhimselfwiththeuncorkingofApollinaris。
\"You’vegotasplendidlotofbooks，\"hesaid。
\"They’refairlydecent，\"theotherassented，inthecurttoneofthecollectorwhowillnottalkofhispassionforfearoftalkingofnothingelse；then，asGlennard，hishandsinhispockets，begantostrollperfunctorilydownthelonglineofbookcases——
\"Somemen，\"Flamelirresistiblyadded，\"thinkofbooksmerelyastools，othersastooling。I’mbetweenthetwo；therearedayswhenIusethemasscenery，otherdayswhenIwantthemassociety；sothat，asyousee，mylibraryrepresentsamakeshiftcompromisebetweenlooksandbrains，andthecollectorslookdownonmealmostasmuchasthestudents。\"
Glennard，withoutanswering，wasmechanicallytakingonebookafteranotherfromtheshelves。Hishandsslippedcuriouslyoverthesmoothcoversandthenoiselesssubsidenceofopeningpages。
Suddenlyhecameonathinvolumeoffadedmanuscript。
\"What’sthis？\"heasked，withalistlesssenseofwonder。
\"Ah，you’reatmymanuscriptshelf。I’vebeengoinginforthatsortofthinglately。\"Flamelcameupandlookedoverhisshoulders。\"That’sabitofStendhal——oneoftheItalianstories——
andherearesomelettersofBalzactoMadameCommanville。\"
Glennardtookthebookwithsuddeneagerness。\"WhowasMadameCommanville？\"
\"Hissister。\"HewasconsciousthatFlamelwaslookingathimwiththesmilethatwaslikeaninterrogationpoint。\"Ididn’tknowyoucaredforthiskindofthing。\"
\"Idon’t——atleastI’veneverhadthechance。Haveyoumanycollectionsofletters？\"
\"Lord，no——veryfew。I’mjustbeginning，andmostoftheinterestingonesareoutofmyreach。Here’saqueerlittlecollection，though——therarestthingI’vegot——halfadozenofShelley’sletterstoHarrietWestbrook。Ihadadevilofatimegettingthem——alotofcollectorswereafterthem。\"
Glennard，takingthevolumefromhishand，glancedwithakindofrepugnanceattheinterleavingofyellowcris—crossedsheets。
\"Shewastheonewhodrownedherself，wasn’tshe？\"
Flamelnodded。\"Isupposethatlittleepisodeaddsaboutfiftypercent。totheirvalue，\"hesaid，meditatively。
Glennardlaidthebookdown。HewonderedwhyhehadjoinedFlamel。Hewasinnohumortobeamusedbytheolderman’stalk，andarecrudescenceofpersonalmiseryroseabouthimlikeanicytide。
\"IbelieveImusttakemyselfoff，\"hesaid。\"I’dforgottenanengagement。\"
Heturnedtogo；butalmostatthesamemomenthewasconsciousofadualityofintentionwhereinhisapparentwishtoleaverevealeditselfasalasteffortofthewillagainsttheovermasteringdesiretostayandunbosomhimselftoFlamel。
Theolderman，asthoughdiviningtheconflict，laidadetainingpressureonhisarm。
\"Won’ttheengagementkeep？Sitdownandtryoneofthesecigars。
Idon’toftenhavetheluckofseeingyouhere。\"
\"I’mratherdrivenjustnow，\"saidGlennard，vaguely。Hefoundhimselfseatedagain，andFlamelhadpushedtohissidealowstandholdingabottleofApollinarisandadecanterofcognac。
Flamel，thrownbackinhiscapaciousarm—chair，surveyedhimthroughacloudofsmokewiththecomfortabletoleranceofthemantowhomnoinconsistenciesneedbeexplained。Connivancewasimplicitintheair。Itwasthekindofatmosphereinwhichtheoutrageouslosesitsedge。Glennardfeltagradualrelaxingofhisnerves。
\"Isupposeonehastopayalotforletterslikethat？\"heheardhimselfasking，withaglanceinthedirectionofthevolumehehadlaidaside。
\"Oh，so—do——dependsoncircumstances。\"Flamelviewedhimthoughtfully。\"Areyouthinkingofcollecting？\"
Glennardlaughed。\"Lord，no。Theotherwayround。\"
\"Selling？\"
\"Oh，Ihardlyknow。Iwasthinkingofapoorchap——\"
Flamelfilledthepausewithanodofinterest。
\"ApoorchapIusedtoknow——whodied——hediedlastyear——andwholeftmealotofletters，lettershethoughtagreatdealof——hewasfondofmeandleft’emtomeoutright，withtheidea，I
suppose，thattheymightbenefitmesomehow——Idon’tknow——I’mnotmuchuponsuchthings——\"hereachedhishandtothetallglasshishosthadfilled。
\"Acollectionofautographletters，eh？Anybignames？\"
\"Oh，onlyonename。They’reallletterswrittentohim——byoneperson，youunderstand；awoman，infact——\"
\"Oh，awoman，\"saidFlamel，negligently。
Glennardwasnettledbyhisobviouslossofinterest。\"Iratherthinkthey’dattractagooddealofnoticeiftheywerepublished。\"
Flamelstilllookeduninterested。\"Love—letters，Isuppose？\"
\"Oh，just——thelettersawomanwouldwritetoamansheknewwell。
Theyweretremendousfriends，heandshe。\"
\"Andshewroteacleverletter？\"
\"Clever？ItwasMargaretAubyn。\"
Agreatsilencefilledtheroom。ItseemedtoGlennardthatthewordshadburstfromhimasbloodgushesfromawound。
\"GreatScott!\"saidFlamel，sittingup。\"AcollectionofMargaretAubyn’sletters？DidyousayYOUhadthem？\"
\"Theywereleftme——bymyfriend。\"
\"Isee。Washe——well，nomatter。You’retobecongratulated，atanyrate。Whatareyougoingtodowiththem？\"
Glennardstoodupwithasenseofwearinessinallhisbones。
\"Oh，Idon’tknow。Ihaven’tthoughtmuchaboutit。Ijusthappenedtoseethatsomefellowwaswritingherlife——\"
\"Joslin；yes。Youdidn’tthinkofgivingthemtohim？\"
GlennardhadloungedacrosstheroomandstoodstaringupatabronzeBacchuswhodroopedhisgarlandedheadabovethepedimentofanItaliancabinet。\"WhatoughtItodo？You’rejustthefellowtoadviseme。\"Hefeltthebloodinhischeekashespoke。
Flamelsatwithmeditativeeye。\"WhatdoyouWANTtodowiththem？\"heasked。
\"Iwanttopublishthem，\"saidGlennard，swingingroundwithsuddenenergy——\"IfIcan——\"
\"Ifyoucan？They’reyours，yousay？\"
\"They’reminefastenough。There’snoonetoprevent——Imeantherearenorestrictions——\"hewasarrestedbythesensethattheseaccumulatedproofsofimpunitymightpreciselystandasthestrongestcheckonhisaction。
\"AndMrs。Aubynhadnofamily，Ibelieve？\"
\"No。\"
\"ThenIdon’tseewho’stointerfere，\"saidFlamel，studyinghiscigar—tip。
GlennardhadturnedhisunseeingstareonanecstaticSaintCatherineframedintarnishedgilding。
\"It’sjustthisway，\"hebeganagain，withaneffort。\"Whenlettersareaspersonalas——astheseofmyfriend’s……Well，Idon’tmindtellingyouthatthecashwouldmakeaheapofdifferencetome；suchalotthatitratherobscuresmyjudgment——
thefactisifIcouldlaymyhandonafewthousandsnowIcouldgetintoabigthing，andwithoutappreciablerisk；andI’dliketoknowwhetheryouthinkI’dbejustified——underthecircumstances……\"Hepaused，withadrythroat。Itseemedtohimatthemomentthatitwouldbeimpossibleforhimevertosinklowerinhisownestimation。HewasintruthlessashamedofweighingthetemptationthanofsubmittinghisscruplestoamanlikeFlamel，andaffectingtoappealtosentimentsofdelicacyontheabsenceofwhichhehadconsciouslyreckoned。Buthehadreachedapointwhereeachwordseemedtocompelanother，aseachwaveinastreamisforcedforwardbythepressurebehindit；andbeforeFlamelcouldspeakhehadfalteredout——\"Youdon’tthinkpeoplecouldsay……couldcriticisetheman……\"
\"Buttheman’sdead，isn’the？\"
\"He’sdead——yes；butcanIassumetheresponsibilitywithout——\"
Flamelhesitated；andalmostimmediatelyGlennard’sscruplesgavewaytoirritation。IfatthishourFlamelweretoaffectaninopportunereluctance——!
Theolderman’sanswerreassuredhim。\"Whyneedyouassumeanyresponsibility？Yournamewon’tappear，ofcourse；andastoyourfriend’s，Idon’tseewhyhisshould，either。Hewasn’tacelebrityhimself，Isuppose？\"
\"No，no。\"
\"ThentheletterscanbeaddressedtoMr。Blank。Doesn’tthatmakeitallright？\"
Glennard’shesitationrevived。\"Forthepublic，yes。ButIdon’tseethatitaltersthecaseforme。Thequestionis，oughtItopublishthematall？\"
\"Ofcourseyououghtto。\"Flamelspokewithinvigoratingemphasis。\"Idoubtifyou’dbejustifiedinkeepingthemback。
AnythingofMargaretAubyn’sismoreorlesspublicpropertybythistime。She’stoogreatforanyoneofus。Iwasonlywonderinghowyoucouldusethemtothebestadvantage——toyourself，Imean。Howmanyarethere？\"
\"Oh，alot；perhapsahundred——Ihaven’tcounted。Theremaybemore……\"
\"Gad!Whatahaul!Whenweretheywritten？\"
\"Idon’tknow——thatis——theycorrespondedforyears。What’stheodds？\"Hemovedtowardhishatwithavagueimpulseofflight。
\"Itallcounts，\"saidFlamel，imperturbably。\"Alongcorrespondence——one，Imean，thatcoversagreatdealoftime——isobviouslyworthmorethanifthesamenumberoflettershadbeenwrittenwithinayear。Atanyrate，youwon’tgivethemtoJoslin？They’dfillabook，wouldn’tthey？\"
\"Isupposeso。Idon’tknowhowmuchittakestofillabook。\"
\"Notlove—letters，yousay？\"
\"Why？\"flashedfromGlennard。
\"Oh，nothing——onlythebigpublicissentimental，andiftheyWERE——why，youcouldgetanymoneyforMargaretAubyn’slove—
letters。\"
Glennardwassilent。
\"Arethelettersinterestinginthemselves？Imeanapartfromtheassociationwithhername？\"
\"I’mnojudge。\"Glennardtookuphishatandthrusthimselfintohisovercoat。\"IdaresayIsha’n’tdoanythingaboutit。And，Flamel——youwon’tmentionthistoanyone？\"
\"Lord，no。Well，Icongratulateyou。You’vegotabigthing。\"
Flamelwassmilingathimfromthehearth。
Glennard，onthethreshold，forcedaresponsetothesmile，whilehequestionedwithloiteringindifference——\"Financially，eh？\"
\"Rather；Ishouldsayso。\"
Glennard’shandlingeredontheknob。\"Howmuch——shouldyousay？
Youknowaboutsuchthings。\"
\"Oh，Ishouldhavetoseetheletters；butIshouldsay——well，ifyou’vegotenoughtofillabookandthey’refairlyreadable，andthebookisbroughtoutattherighttime——saytenthousanddownfromthepublisher，andpossiblyoneortwomoreinroyalties。Ifyougotthepublishersbiddingagainsteachotheryoumightdoevenbetter；butofcourseI’mtalkinginthedark。\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidGlennard，withsuddendizziness。HishandhadslippedfromtheknobandhestoodstaringdownattheexoticspiralsofthePersianrugbeneathhisfeet。
\"I’dhavetoseetheletters，\"Flamelrepeated。
\"Ofcourse——you’dhavetoseethem……\"Glennardstammered；
and，withoutturning，heflungoverhisshoulderaninarticulate\"Good—by……\"
V
Thelittlehouse，asGlennardstrolleduptoitbetweenthetrees，seemednomorethanagaytentpitchedagainstthesunshine。Ithadthecrispnessofafreshlystarchedsummergown，andthegeraniumsontheverandabloomedassimultaneouslyastheflowersinabonnet。Thegardenwasprosperingabsurdly。Seedtheyhadsownatrandom——amidlaughingcounter—chargesofincompetence——hadshotupinfragrantdefianceoftheirblunders。Hesmiledtoseetheclematisunfoldingitspunctualwingsabouttheporch。Thetinylawnwassmoothasashavencheek，andacrimsonramblermountedtothenursery—windowofababywhonevercried。Abreezeshooktheawningabovethetea—table，andhiswife，ashedrewnear，couldbeseenbendingaboveakettlethatwasjustabouttoboil。Sovividlydidthewholescenesuggestthepaintedblissofastagesetting，thatitwouldhavebeenhardlysurprisingtoseeherstepforwardamongtheflowersandtrillouthervirtuoushappinessfromtheveranda—rail。
Thestaleheatofthelongdayintown，thedustypromiscuityofthesuburbantrainwerenowbuttherequisitefoiltoaneveningofscentedbreezesandtranquiltalk。Theyhadbeenmarriedmorethanayear，andeachhome—comingstillreflectedthefreshnessoftheirfirstdaytogether。If，indeed，theirhappinesshadaflaw，itwasinresemblingtoocloselythebrightimpermanenceoftheirsurroundings。Theirloveasyetwasbutthegaytentofholiday—
makers。
Hiswifelookedupwithasmile。Thecountrylifesuitedher，andherbeautyhadgaineddepthfromastillnessinwhichcertainfacesmighthavegrownopaque。
\"Areyouverytired？\"sheasked，pouringhistea。
\"Justenoughtoenjoythis。\"Herosefromthechairinwhichhehadthrownhimselfandbentoverthetrayforhiscream。\"You’vehadavisitor？\"hecommented，noticingahalf—emptycupbesideherown。
\"OnlyMr。Flamel，\"shesaid，indifferently。
\"Flamel？Again？\"
Sheansweredwithoutshowofsurprise。\"Heleftjustnow。HisyachtisdownatLaurelBayandheborrowedatrapoftheDreshamstodriveoverhere。\"
Glennardmadenocomment，andshewenton，leaningherheadbackagainstthecushionsofherbamboo—seat，\"HewantsustogoforasailwithhimnextSunday。\"
Glennardmeditativelystirredhistea。Hewastryingtothinkofthemostnaturalandunartificialthingtosay，andhisvoiceseemedtocomefromtheoutside，asthoughhewerespeakingbehindamarionette。\"Doyouwantto？\"
\"Justasyouplease，\"shesaid，compliantly。Noaffectationofindifferencecouldhavebeenasbafflingashercompliance。
Glennard，oflate，wasbeginningtofeelthatthesurfacewhich，ayearago，hehadtakenforasheetofclearglass，might，afterall，beamirrorreflectingmerelyhisownconceptionofwhatlaybehindit。
\"DoyoulikeFlamel？\"hesuddenlyasked；towhich，stillengagedwithhertea，shereturnedthefeminineanswer——\"Ithoughtyoudid。\"
\"Ido，ofcourse，\"heagreed，vexedathisownincorrigibletendencytomagnifyFlamel’simportancebyhoveringaboutthetopic。\"Asailwouldberatherjolly；let’sgo。\"
Shemadenoreplyandhedrewforththerolled—upeveningpaperswhichhehadthrustintohispocketonleavingthetrain。Ashesmoothedthemouthisowncountenanceseemedtoundergothesameprocess。HeranhiseyedownthelistofstocksandFlamel’simportunatepersonalityrecededbehindtherowsoffigurespushingforwardintonoticelikesomanybearersofgoodnews。Glennard’sinvestmentswerefloweringlikehisgarden：thedryestsharesblossomedintodividends，andagoldenharvestawaitedhissickle。
Heglancedathiswifewiththetranquilairofthemanwhodigestsgoodluckasnaturallyasthedrygroundabsorbsashower。
\"Thingsarelookinguncommonlywell。Ibelieveweshallbeabletogototownfortwoorthreemonthsnextwinterifwecanfindsomethingcheap。\"
Shesmiledluxuriously：itwaspleasanttobeabletosay，withanairofbalancingrelativeadvantages，\"Really，onthebaby’saccountIshallbealmostsorry；butifwedogo，there’sKateErskine’shouse……she’llletushaveitforalmostnothing……\"
\"Well，writeheraboutit，\"herecommended，hiseyestravellingoninsearchoftheweatherreport。Hehadturnedtothewrongpage；
andsuddenlyalineofblackcharactersleaptoutathimasfromanambush。
