Darrowhadalreadyguessedhertobeapersonwhowouldinstinctivelyopposeanysuggestedchanges，andthen，afteronehadexhaustedone’smainarguments，unexpectedlyyieldtosomesmallincidentalreason，andadheredoggedlytohernewposition。Sheboastedofherold—fashionedprejudices，talkedagooddealofbeingagrandmother，andmadeashowofreachinguptotapOwen’sshoulder，thoughhisheightwaslittlemorethanhers。
ShewasfullofasmallpaleprattleaboutthepeopleshehadseenatOuchy，astowhomshehadtheminutestatisticalinformationofagazetteer，withoutanyapparentsenseofpersonaldifferences。ShesaidtoDarrow：\"TheytellmethingsareverymuchchangedinAmerica……OfcourseinmyyouththereWASaSociety\"……Shehadnodesiretoreturnthereshewassurethestandardsmustbesodifferent。
\"Therearecharmingpeopleeverywhere……andonemustalwayslookonthebestside……butwhenonehaslivedamongTraditionsit’sdifficulttoadaptone’sselftothenewideas……Thesedreadfulviewsofmarriage……it’ssohardtoexplainthemtomyFrenchrelations……I’mthankfultosayI
don’tpretendtounderstandthemmyself！ButYOU’REanEverard——ItoldAnnalastspringinLondonthatoneseesthatinstantly\"……
ShewanderedofftothecookingandtheserviceofthehotelatOuchy。Sheattachedgreatimportancetogastronomicdetailsandtothemannersofhotelservants。There，too，therewasafallingoff，shesaid。\"Idontknow，ofcourse；butpeoplesayit’sowingtotheAmericans。
Certainlymywaiterhadawayofslappingdownthedishes……theytellmethatmanyofthemareAnarchists……belongtoUnions，youknow。\"SheappealedtoDarrow’sreportedknowledgeofeconomicconditionstoconfirmthisominousrumour。
AfterdinnerOwenLeathwanderedintothenextroom，wherethepianostood，andbegantoplayamongtheshadows。Hisstep—motherpresentlyjoinedhim，andDarrowsatalonewithMadamedeChantelle。
Shetookupthethreadofhermildchatandcarrieditonatthesamepaceasherknitting。Herconversationresembledthelargeloose—strandedwebbetweenherfingers：nowandthenshedroppedastitch，andwentonregardlessofthegapinthepattern。
Darrowlistenedwithalazysenseofwell—being。Inthementallulloftheafter—dinnerhour，withharmoniousmemoriesmurmuringthroughhismind，andthesofttintsandshadowyspacesofthefineoldroomcharminghiseyestoindolence，MadamedeChantelle’sdiscourseseemednotoutofplace。Hecouldunderstandthat，inthelongrun，theatmosphereofGivremightbesuffocating；butinhispresentmooditsverylimitationshadagrace。
Presentlyhefoundthechancetosayawordinhisownbehalf；andthereuponmeasuredtheadvantage，neverbeforeparticularlyapparenttohim，ofbeingrelatedtotheEverardsofAlbany。MadamedeChantelle’sconceptionofhernativecountry——towhichshehadnotreturnedsincehertwentiethyear——remindedhimofanancientgeographer’smapoftheHyperboreanregions。Itwasallafoggyblank，fromwhichonlyoneortwofixedoutlinesemerged；andoneofthesebelongedtotheEverardsofAlbany。
Thefactthattheyofferedsuchfirmfooting——formed，sotospeak，afriendlyterritoryonwhichtheopposingpowerscouldmeetandtreat——helpedhimthroughthetaskofexplainingandjustifyinghimselfasthesuccessorofFraserLeath。MadamedeChantellecouldnotresistsuchincontestableclaims。Sheseemedtofeelherson’shoveringanddiscriminatingpresence，andshegaveDarrowthesensethathewasbeingtestedandapprovedasalastadditiontotheLeathCollection。
Shealsomadehimawareoftheimmenseadvantagehepossessedinbelongingtothediplomaticprofession。ShespokeofthishumdrumcallingasaCareer，andgaveDarrowtounderstandthatshesupposedhimtohavebeenseducingDuchesseswhenhewasnotnegotiatingTreaties。Heheardagainquaintphraseswhichromanticoldladieshadusedinhisyouth：\"Brilliantdiplomaticsociety……socialadvantages……theentreeeverywhere……nothingelseFORMSayoungmaninthesameway……\"andshesighinglyaddedthatshecouldhavewishedhergrandsonhadchosenthesamepathtoglory。
Darrowprudentlysuppressedhisownviewoftheprofession，aswellasthefactthathehadadopteditprovisionally，andforreasonslesssocialthansociological；andthetalkpresentlypassedontothesubjectofhisfutureplans。
Hereagain，MadamedeChantelle’saweoftheCareermadeheradmitthenecessityofAnna’sconsentingtoanearlymarriage。ThefactthatDarrowwas\"ordered\"toSouthAmericaseemedtoputhimintheromanticlightofayoungsoldierchargedtoleadaforlornhope：shesighedandsaid：
\"Atsuchmomentsawife’sdutyisatherhusband’sside。\"
TheproblemofEffie’sfuturemighthavedisturbedher，sheadded；butsinceAnna，foratime，consentedtoleavethelittlegirlwithher，thatproblemwasatanyratedeferred。
Shespokeplaintivelyoftheresponsibilityoflookingafterhergranddaughter，butDarrowdivinedthatsheenjoyedtheflavourofthewordmorethanshefelttheweightofthefact。
\"Effie’saperfectchild。She’smorelikemyson，perhaps，thandearOwen。She’llneverintentionallygivemetheleasttrouble。Butofcoursetheresponsibilitywillbegreat……I’mnotsureIshoulddaretoundertakeitifitwerenotforherhavingsuchatreasureofagoverness。HasAnnatoldyouaboutourlittlegoverness？Afteralltheworrywehadlastyear，withoneimpossiblecreatureafteranother，itseemsprovidential，justnow，tohavefoundher。
Atfirstwewereafraidshewastooyoung；butnowwe’vethegreatestconfidenceinher。Socleverandamusing——andSUCHalady！Idon’tsayhereducation’sallitmightbe……nodrawingorsinging……butonecan’thaveeverything；
andshespeaksItalian……\"
MadamedeChantelle’sfondinsistenceonthelikenessbetweenEffieLeathandherfather，ifnotparticularlygratifyingtoDarrow，hadatleastincreasedhisdesiretoseethelittlegirl。ItgavehimanoddfeelingofdiscomforttothinkthatsheshouldhaveanyofthecharacteristicsofthelateFraserLeath：hehad，somehow，fantasticallypicturedherasthemysticaloffspringoftheearlytendernessbetweenhimselfandAnnaSummers。
HisencounterwithEffietookplacethenextmorning，onthelawnbelowtheterrace，wherehefoundher，intheearlysunshine，knockingaboutgolfballswithherbrother。
Almostatonce，andwithinfiniterelief，hesawthattheresemblanceofwhichMadamedeChantelleboastedwasmainlyexternal。Eventhatdiscoverywasslightlydistasteful，thoughDarrowwasforcedtoownthatFraserLeath’sstraight—featuredfairnesshadlentitselftotheproductionofapeculiarlyfinishedimageofchildishpurity。ButitwasevidentthatotherelementshadalsogonetothemakingofEffie，andthatanotherspiritsatinhereyes。Herserioushandshake，her\"pretty\"greeting，wereworthyoftheLeathtradition，andheguessedhertobemoremalleablethanOwen，moresubjecttotheinfluencesofGivre；buttheshoutwithwhichshereturnedtoherromphadinitthenoteofhermother’semancipation。
Hehadbeggedaholidayforher，andwhenMrs。Leathappearedheandsheandthelittlegirlwentoffforaramble。AnnawishedherdaughtertohavetimetomakefriendswithDarrowbeforelearninginwhatrelationhewastostandtoher；andthethreeroamedthewoodsandfieldstillthedistantchimeofthestable—clockmadethemturnbackforluncheon。
Effie，whowasattendedbyashaggyterrier，hadpickeduptwoorthreesubordinatedogsatthestable；andasshetrottedonaheadwithheryappingescort，AnnahungbacktothrowalookatDarrow。
\"Yes，\"heansweredit，\"she’sexquisite……Oh，IseewhatI’maskingofyou！Butshe’llbequitehappyhere，won’tshe？
Andyoumustrememberitwon’tbeforlong……\"
Annasighedheracquiescence。\"Oh，she’llbehappyhere。
It’shernaturetobehappy。She’llapplyherselftoit，conscientiously，asshedoestoherlessons，andtowhatshecalls’beinggood’……Inaway，yousee，that’sjustwhatworriesme。Herideaof’beinggood’istopleasethepersonshe’swith——sheputsherwholedearlittlemindonit！Andso，ifevershe’swiththewrongperson————\"
\"Butsurelythere’snodangerofthatjustnow？MadamedeChantelletellsmethatyou’veatlastputyourhandonaperfectgoverness————\"
Anna，withoutanswering，glancedawayfromhimtowardherdaughter。
\"It’slucky，atanyrate，\"Darrowcontinued，\"thatMadamedeChantellethinksherso。\"
\"Oh，Ithinkveryhighlyofhertoo。\"
\"HighlyenoughtofeelquitesatisfiedtoleaveherwithEffie？\"
\"Yes。She’sjustthepersonforEffie。Only，ofcourse，oneneverknows……She’syoung，andshemighttakeitintoherheadtoleaveus……\"Afterapausesheadded：\"I’mnaturallyanxioustoknowwhatyouthinkofher。\"
Whentheyenteredthehousethehandsofthehallclockstoodwithinafewminutesoftheluncheonhour。AnnaledEffieofftohaveherhairsmoothedandDarrowwanderedintotheoaksitting—room，whichhefounduntenanted。Thesunlaypleasantlyonitsbrownwalls，onthescatteredbooksandtheflowersinoldporcelainvases。Inhiseyeslingeredthevisionofthedark—hairedmothermountingthestairswithherlittlefairdaughter。Thecontrastbetweenthemseemedalasttouchofgraceinthecomplexharmonyofthings。Hestoodinthewindow，lookingoutatthepark，andbroodinginwardlyuponhishappiness……
HewasrousedbyEffie’svoiceandthescamperofherfeetdownthelongfloorsbehindhim。
\"Hereheis！Hereheis！\"shecried，flyingoverthethreshold。
Heturnedandstoopedtoherwithasmile，andasshecaughthishandheperceivedthatshewastryingtodrawhimtowardsomeonewhohadpausedbehindherinthedoorway，andwhomhesupposedtobehermother。
\"HEREheis！\"Effierepeated，withhersweetimpatience。
ThefigureinthedoorwaycameforwardandDarrow，lookingup，foundhimselffacetofacewithSophyViner。Theystoodstill，ayardortwoapart，andlookedateachotherwithoutspeaking。
Astheypausedthere，ashadowfellacrossoneoftheterracewindows，andOwenLeathsteppedwhistlingintotheroom。Inhisroughshootingclothes，withtheglowofexerciseunderhisfairskin，helookedextraordinarilylight—heartedandhappy。Darrow，withaquickside—glance，noticedthis，andperceivedalsothattheglowontheyouth’scheekhaddeepenedsuddenlytored。Hetoostoppedshort，andthethreestoodtheremotionlessforabarelyperceptiblebeatoftime。Duringitslapse，Darrow’seyeshadturnedbackfromOwen’sfacetothatofthegirlbetweenthem。Hehadthesensethat，whateverwasdone，itwashewhomustdoit，andthatitmustbedoneimmediately。Hewentforwardandheldouthishand。
\"Howdoyoudo，MissViner？\"
Sheanswered：\"Howdoyoudo？\"inavoicethatsoundedclearandnatural；andthenextmomentheagainbecameawareofstepsbehindhim，andknewthatMrs。Leathwasintheroom。
TohisstrainedsensesthereseemedtobeanotherjustmeasurablepausebeforeAnnasaid，lookinggailyaboutthelittlegroup：\"HasOwenintroducedyou？ThisisEffie’sfriend，MissViner。\"
Effie，stillhangingonhergoverness’sarm，pressedherselfcloserwithalittlegestureofappropriation；andMissVinerlaidherhandonherpupil’shair。
DarrowfeltthatAnna’seyeshadturnedtohim。
\"IthinkMissVinerandIhavemetalready——severalyearsagoinLondon。\"
\"Iremember，\"saidSophyViner，inthesameclearvoice。
\"Howcharming！Thenwe’reallfriends。Butluncheonmustbeready，\"saidMrs。Leath。
Sheturnedbacktothedoor，andthelittleprocessionmoveddownthetwolongdrawing—rooms，withEffiewaltzingonahead。
XV
MadamedeChantelleandAnnahadplanned，fortheafternoon，avisittoaremotelysituatedacquaintancewhomtheintroductionofthemotorhadtransformedintoaneighbour。
Effiewastopayforhermorning’sholidaybyanhourortwointheschool—room，andOwensuggestedthatheandDarrowshouldbetakethemselvestoadistantcovertinthedesultoryquestforpheasants。
Darrowwasnotanardentsportsman，butanypretextforphysicalactivitywouldhavebeenacceptableatthemoment；
andhewasgladbothtogetawayfromthehouseandnottobelefttohimself。
Whenhecamedownstairsthemotorwasatthedoor，andAnnastoodbeforethehallmirror，swathingherhatinveils。
Sheturnedatthesoundofhisstepandsmiledathimforalongfullmoment。
\"I’dnoideayouknewMissViner，\"shesaid，ashehelpedherintoherlongcoat。
\"Itcamebacktome，luckily，thatI’dseenhertwoorthreetimesinLondon，severalyearsago。Shewassecretary，orsomethingofthesort，inthebackgroundofahousewhereI
usedtodine。\"
Heloathedtheslightingindifferenceofthephrase，buthehaduttereditdeliberately，hadbeensecretlypractisingitallthroughtheinterminablehourattheluncheon—table。
Nowthatitwasspoken，heshiveredatitsnoteofcondescension。Insuchcasesonewasalmostsuretooverdo……ButAnnaseemedtonoticenothingunusual。
\"Wasshereally？Youmusttellmeallaboutit——tellmeexactlyhowshestruckyou。I’msogladitturnsoutthatyouknowher。\"
\"’Know’isratherexaggerated：weusedtopasseachotheronthestairs。\"
MadamedeChantelleandOwenappearedtogetherashespoke，andAnna，gatheringupherwraps，said：\"You’lltellmeaboutthat，then。Tryandremembereverythingyoucan。\"
Ashetrampedthroughthewoodsathisyounghost’sside，Darrowfeltthepartialrelieffromthoughtproducedbyexerciseandtheobligationtotalk。Littleashecaredforshooting，hehadthehabitofconcentrationwhichmakesitnaturalforamantothrowhimselfwhollyintowhateverbusinesshehasinhand，andthereweremomentsoftheafternoonwhenasuddenwhirrintheundergrowth，avividergleamagainstthehazybrownsandgreysofthewoods，wasenoughtofilltheforegroundofhisattention。Butallthewhile，behindthesevoluntarilyemphasizedsensations，hissecretconsciousnesscontinuedtorevolveonaloudwheelofthought。Foratimeitseemedtobesweepinghimthroughdeepgulfsofdarkness。Hissensationsweretooswiftandswarmingtobedisentangled。Hehadanalmostphysicalsenseofstrugglingforair，ofbattlinghelplesslywithmaterialobstructions，asthoughtherussetcovertthroughwhichhetrudgedweretheheartofamaleficentjungle……
Snatchesofhiscompanion’stalkdriftedtohimintermittentlythroughtheconfusionofhisthoughts。Hecaughteagerself—revealingphrases，andunderstoodthatOwenwassayingthingsabouthimself，perhapshintingindirectlyatthehopesforwhichDarrowhadbeenpreparedbyAnna’sconfidences。Hehadalreadybecomeawarethattheladlikedhim，andhadmeanttotakethefirstopportunityofshowingthathereciprocatedthefeeling。ButtheeffortoffixinghisattentiononOwen’swordswassogreatthatitleftnopowerformorethanthebriefestandmostinexpressivereplies。
YoungLeath，itappeared，feltthathehadreachedaturning—pointinhiscareer，aheightfromwhichhecouldimpartiallysurveyhispastprogressandprojectedendeavour。Atonetimehehadhadmusicalandliteraryyearnings，visionsofdesultoryartisticindulgence；butthesehadoflatebeensupersededbytheresolutedeterminationtoplungeintopracticallife。
\"Idon’twant，yousee，\"Darrowheardhimexplaining，\"todriftintowhatmygrandmother，poordear，istryingtomakeofme：anadjunctofGivre。Idon’twant——hangitall！——toslipintocollectingsensationsasmyfathercollectedsnuff—boxes。IwantEffietohaveGivre——it’smygrandmother’s，youknow，todoasshelikeswith；andI’veunderstoodlatelythatifitbelongedtomeitwouldgraduallygobblemeup。Iwanttogetoutofit，intoalifethat’sbiganduglyandstruggling。IfIcanextractbeautyoutofTHAT，somuchthebetter：that’llprovemyvocation。ButIwanttoMAKEbeauty，notbedrownedintheready—made，likeabeeinapotofhoney。\"
Darrowknewthathewasbeingappealedtoforcorroborationoftheseviewsandforencouragementinthecoursetowhichtheypointed。Tohisownearshisanswerssoundednowcurt，nowirrelevant：atonemomentheseemedchillinglyindifferent，atanotherheheardhimselflaunchingoutonafloodofhazydiscursiveness。HedarednotlookatOwen，forfearofdetectingthelad’ssurpriseatthesesenselesstransitions。Andthroughtheconfusionofhisinwardstrugglesandoutwardloquacityheheardtheceaselesstrip—
hammerbeatofthequestion：\"WhatinGod’snameshallI
do？\"……
TogetbacktothehousebeforeAnna’sreturnseemedhismostpressingnecessity。Hedidnotclearlyknowwhy：hesimplyfeltthatheoughttobethere。AtonemomentitoccurredtohimthatMissVinermightwanttospeaktohimalone——andagain，inthesameflash，thatitwouldprobablybethelastthingshewouldwant……Atanyrate，hefeltheoughttotrytospeaktoHER；oratleastbepreparedtodoso，ifthechanceshouldoccur……
Finally，towardfour，hetoldhiscompanionthathehadsomelettersonhismindandmustgetbacktothehouseanddespatchthembeforetheladiesreturned。HeleftOwenwiththebeaterandwalkedontotheedgeofthecovert。Attheparkgateshestruckobliquelythroughthetrees，followingagrassavenueattheendofwhichhehadcaughtaglimpseoftheroofofthechapel。Agreyhazehadblottedoutthesunandthestillairclungabouthimtepidly。Atlengththehouse—frontraisedbeforehimitsexpanseofdamp—
silveredbrick，andhewasstruckafreshbythehighdecorumofitscalmlinesandsoberlymassedsurfaces。Itmadehimfeel，intheturbidcoilofhisfearsandpassions，likeamuddytrampforcinghiswayintosomepuresequesteredshrine……
Byandbye，heknew，heshouldhavetothinkthecomplexhorrorout，slowly，systematically，bitbybit；butforthemomentitwaswhirlinghimaboutsofastthathecouldjustclutchatitssharpspikesandbetossedoffagain。Onlyonedefiniteimmediatefactstuckinhisquiveringgrasp。
Hemustgivethegirleverychance——mustholdhimselfpassivetillshehadtakenthem……
InthecourtEffieranuptohimwithherleapingterrier。
\"Iwascomingouttomeetyou——youandOwen。MissVinerwascoming，too，andthenshecouldn’tbecauseshe’sgotsuchaheadache。I’mafraidIgaveittoherbecauseIdidmydivisionsodisgracefully。It’stoobad，isn’tit？Butwon’tyouwalkbackwithme？Nursewon’tmindtheleastbit；
she’dsomuchrathergointotea。\"
Darrowexcusedhimselflaughingly，onthepleathathehadletterstowrite，whichwasmuchworsethanhavingaheadache，andnotinfrequentlyresultedinone。
\"Oh，thenyoucangoandwritetheminOwen’sstudy。That’swheregentlemenalwayswritetheirletters。\"
SheflewonwithherdogandDarrowpursuedhiswaytothehouse。Effie’ssuggestionstruckhimasuseful。Hehadpicturedhimselfasvaguelydriftingaboutthedrawing—
rooms，andhadperceivedthedifficultyofMissViner’shavingtoseekhimthere；butthestudy，asmallroomontherightofthehall，wasineasysightfromthestaircase，andsosituatedthattherewouldbenothingmarkedinhisbeingfoundthereintalkwithher。
Hewentin，leavingthedooropen，andsatdownatthewriting—table。Theroomwasafriendlyheterogeneousplace，theonerepository，inthewell—orderedandamply—servantedhouse，ofallitsunclassifiedoddsandends：Effie’scroquet—boxandfishingrods，Owen’sgunsandgolf—sticksandracquets，hisstep—mother’sflower—basketsandgardeningimplements，evenMadamedeChantelle’sembroideryframe，andthebacknumbersoftheCatholicWeekly。Theearlytwilighthadbeguntofall，andpresentlyaslantingrayacrossthedeskshowedDarrowthataservantwascomingacrossthehallwithalamp。Hepulledoutasheetofnote—paperandbegantowriteatrandom，whiletheman，entering，putthelampathiselbowandvaguely\"straightened\"theheapofnewspaperstossedonthedivan。ThenhisstepsdiedawayandDarrowsatleaninghisheadonhislockedhands。
Presentlyanotherstepsoundedonthestairs，waveredamomentandthenmovedpastthethresholdofthestudy。
Darrowgotupandwalkedintothehall，whichwasstillunlighted。InthedimnesshesawSophyVinerstandingbythehalldoorinherhatandjacket。Shestoppedatsightofhim，herhandonthedoor—bolt，andtheystoodforasecondwithoutspeaking。
\"HaveyouseenEffie？\"shesuddenlyasked。\"Shewentouttomeetyou。\"
\"SheDIDmeetme，justnow，inthecourt。She’sgoneontojoinherbrother。\"
Darrowspokeasnaturallyashecould，buthisvoicesoundedtohisownearslikeanamateuractor’sina\"light\"part。
MissViner，withoutanswering，drewbackthebolt。Hewatchedherinsilenceasthedoorswungopen；thenhesaid：
\"Shehashernursewithher。Shewon’tbelong。\"
Shestoodirresolute，andheadded：\"Iwaswritinginthere——won’tyoucomeandhavealittletalk？Everyone’sout。\"
Thelastwordsstruckhimasnotwell—chosen，buttherewasnotimetochoose。Shepausedasecondlongerandthencrossedthethresholdofthestudy。Atluncheonshehadsatwithherbacktothewindow，andbeyondnotingthatshehadgrownalittlethinner，andhadlesscolourandvivacity，hehadseennochangeinher；butnow，asthelamplightfellonherface，itswhitenessstartledhim。
\"Poorthing……poorthing……whatinheaven’snamecanshesuppose？\"hewondered。
\"Dositdown——Iwanttotalktoyou，\"hesaidandpushedachairtowardher。
Shedidnotseemtoseeit，or，ifshedid，shedeliberatelychoseanotherseat。Hecamebacktohisownchairandleanedhiselbowsontheblotter。Shefacedhimfromthefarthersideofthetable。
\"Youpromisedtoletmehearfromyounowandthen，\"hebeganawkwardly，andwithasharpsenseofhisawkwardness。
Afaintsmilemadeherfacemoretragic。\"DidI？Therewasnothingtotell。I’vehadnohistory——likethehappycountries……\"
Hewaitedamomentbeforeasking：\"YouAREhappyhere？\"
\"IWAS，\"shesaidwithafaintemphasis。
\"Whydoyousay’was’？You’resurelynotthinkingofgoing？
Therecan’tbekinderpeopleanywhere。\"Darrowhardlyknewwhathewassaying；butheranswercametohimwithdeadlydefiniteness。
\"IsupposeitdependsonyouwhetherIgoorstay。\"
\"Onme？\"HestaredatheracrossOwen’sscatteredpapers。
\"GoodGod！Whatcanyouthinkofme，tosaythat？\"
Themockeryofthequestionflashedbackathimfromherwretchedface。Shestoodup，wanderedaway，andleanedaninstantinthedarkeningwindow—frame。Fromtheresheturnedtoflingbackathim：\"Don’timagineI’mtheleastbitsorryforanything！\"
Hesteadiedhiselbowsonthetableandhidhisfaceinhishands。Itwasharder，oh，damnablyharder，thanhehadexpected！Arguments，expedients，palliations，evasions，allseemedtobeslippingawayfromhim：hewasleftfacetofacewiththemeregracelessfactofhisinferiority。Heliftedhisheadtoaskatrandom：\"You’vebeenhere，then，eversince？\"
\"SinceJune；yes。ItturnedoutthattheFarlowswerehuntingforme——allthewhile——forthis。\"
Shestoodfacinghim，herbacktothewindow，evidentlyimpatienttobegone，yetwithsomethingstilltosay，orthatsheexpectedtohearhimsay。Thesenseofherexpectancybenumbedhim。Whatinheaven’snamecouldhesaytoherthatwasnotanoffenseoramockery？
\"Yourideaofthetheatre——yougavethatupatonce，then？\"
\"Oh，thetheatre！\"Shegavealittlelaugh。\"Icouldn’twaitforthetheatre。Ihadtotakethefirstthingthatoffered；Itookthis。\"
Hepushedonhaltingly：\"I’mglad——extremelyglad——you’rehappyhere……I’dcountedonyourlettingmeknowiftherewasanythingIcoulddo……Thetheatre，now——ifyoustillregretit——ifyou’renotcontentedhere……IknowpeopleinthatlineinLondon——I’mcertainIcanmanageitforyouwhenIgetback————\"
Shemoveduptothetableandleanedoverittoask，inavoicethatwashardlyaboveawhisper：\"ThenyouDOwantmetoleave？Isthatit？\"
Hedroppedhisarmswithagroan。\"Goodheavens！Howcanyouthinksuchthings？Atthetime，youknow，IbeggedyoutoletmedowhatIcould，butyouwouldn’thearofit……andeversinceI’vebeenwantingtobeofuse——todosomething，anything，tohelpyou……\"
Sheheardhimthrough，motionless，withoutaquiveroftheclaspedhandssherestedontheedgeofthetable。
\"Ifyouwanttohelpme，then——youcanhelpmetostayhere，\"shebroughtoutwithlow—tonedintensity。
Throughthestillnessofthepausewhichfollowed，thebrayofamotor—hornsoundedfardownthedrive。Instantlysheturned，withalastwhitelookathim，andfledfromtheroomandupthestairs。Hestoodmotionless，benumbedbytheshockofherlastwords。Shewasafraid，then——afraidofhim——sickwithfearofhim！Thediscoverybeathimdowntoalowerdepth……
Themotor—hornsoundedagain，closeathand，andheturnedandwentuptohisroom。Hisletter—writingwasasufficientpretextfornotimmediatelyjoiningthepartyaboutthetea—table，andhewantedtobealoneandtrytoputalittleorderintohistumultuousthinking。
Upstairs，theroomheldouttheintimatewelcomeofitslampandfire。Everythinginitexhaledthesamesenseofpeaceandstabilitywhich，twoeveningsbefore，hadlulledhimtocomplacentmeditation。Hisarmchairagaininvitedhimfromthehearth，buthewastooagitatedtositstill，andwithsunkheadandhandsclaspedbehindhisbackhebegantowanderupanddowntheroom。
HisfiveminuteswithSophyVinerhadflashedstrangelightsintotheshadowycornersofhisconsciousness。Thegirl’sabsolutecandour，herhardardenthonesty，wasforthemomentthevividestpointinhisthoughts。Hewonderedanew，ashehadwonderedbefore，atthewayinwhichtheharshdisciplineoflifehadstrippedheroffalsesentimentwithoutlayingtheleasttouchonherpride。Whentheyhadparted，fivemonthsbefore，shehadquietlybutdecidedlyrejectedallhisoffersofhelp，eventothesuggestionofhistryingtofurtherhertheatricalaims：shehadmadeitclearthatshewishedtheirbriefalliancetoleavenotraceontheirlivessavethatofitsownsmilingmemory。Butnowthattheywereunexpectedlyconfrontedinasituationwhichseemed，toherterrifiedfancy，toputherathismercy，herfirstimpulsewastodefendherrighttotheplaceshehadwon，andtolearnasquicklyaspossibleifhemeanttodisputeit。Whilehehadpicturedherasshrinkingawayfromhiminatremorofself—effacementshehadwatchedhismovements，madesureofheropportunity，andcomestraightdownto\"haveitout\"withhim。Hewassostruckbythefranknessandenergyoftheproceedingthatforamomenthelostsightoftheviewofhisowncharacterimpliedinit。
