TheGovernorstraightenedhisback。"Giveear,Opeople!"hecried。"ImakeanewLaw!"
  Thevillagersclosedin。Hecalled:——
  "HenceforwardIwillgiveonedollartothemanonwhoselandAbuHusseinisfound。Andanotherdollar"——heheldupthecoin——"tothemanonwhoselandthesedogsshallkillhim。ButtothemanonwhoselandAbuHusseinshallrunintoaholesuchasisthishole,Iwillgivenotdollars,butamostunmeasurablebeating。
  Isitunderstood?"
  "OurExcellency,"amansteppedforth,"onmylandAbuHusseinwasfoundthismorning。Isitnotso,brothers?"
  Nonedenied。TheGovernortossedhimoverfourdollarswithoutaword。
  "Onmylandtheyallwentintotheirholes,"criedanother。
  "ThereforeImustbebeaten。"
  "Notso。Thelandismine,andminearethebeatings。"
  Thissecondspeakerthrustforwardhisshouldersalreadybared,andthevillagersshouted。
  "Hullo!Twomenanxioustobelicked?Theremustbesomeswindleabouttheland,"saidtheGovernor。Theninthelocalvernacular:
  "Whatareyourrightstothebeating?"
  Asariver-reachchangesbeneathaslantofthesun,thatwhichhadbeenascatteredmobchangedtoacourtofmostancientjustice。ThehoundstoreandsobbedatAbuHussein'shearthstone,allunnoticedamongthelegsofthewitnesses,andGihon,alsoaccustomedtolaws,purredapproval。
  "YouwillnotwaittilltheJudgescomeuptherivertosettlethedispute?"saidtheGovernoratlast。
  "No!"shoutedallthevillagesavethemanwhohadfirstaskedtobebeaten。"WewillabidebyOurExcellency'sdecision。LetOurExcellencyturnoutthecreaturesoftheEmirswhostoleourlandinthedaysoftheOppression。"
  "Andthousayest?"theGovernorturnedtothemanwhohadfirstaskedtobebeaten。
  "Isay1willwaittillthewiseJudgescomedowninthesteamer。
  ThenIwillbringmymanywitnesses,"hereplied。
  "Heisrich。Hewillbringmanywitnesses,"thevillageSheikhmuttered。
  "Noneed。Thyownmouthcondemnsthee!"theGovernorcried。"Nomanlawfullyentitledtohislandwouldwaitonehourbeforeenteringuponit。Standaside!"Theman,fellback,andthevillagejeeredhim。
  Thesecondclaimantstoopedquicklybeneaththeliftedhunting-crop。Thevillagerejoiced。
  "Oh,Suchanone;Sonofsuchanone,"saidtheGovernor,promptedbytheSheikh,"learn,fromthedaywhenIsendtheorder,toblockupalltheholeswhereAbuHusseinmayhideon——thy——land!"
  Thelightflicksended。Themanstooduptriumphant。BythataccoladehadtheSupremeGovernmentacknowledgedhistitlebeforeallmen。
  WhilethevillagepraisedtheperspicacityoftheGovernor,anaked,pock-markedchildstrodeforwardtotheearth,andstoodononeleg,unconcernedasayoungstork。
  "Hal"hesaid,handsbehindhisback。"Thisshouldbeblockedupwithbundlesofdhurrastalks——or,better,bundlesofthorns。"
  "Betterthorns,"saidtheGovernor。"Thickendsinnermost。"
  Thechildnoddedgravelyandsquattedonthesand。
  "Anevildayforthee,AbuHussein,"heshrilledintothemouthoftheearth。"Adayofobstaclestothyflagitiousreturnsinthemorning。"
  "Whoisit?"theGovernoraskedtheSheikh。"Itthinks。"
  "FaragtheFatherless。HispeoplewereslaininthedaysoftheOppression。ThemantowhomOurExcellencyhasawardedthelandis,asitwere,hismaternaluncle。"
  "Willitcomewithmeandfeedthebigdogs?"saidtheGovernor。
  Theotherpeeringchildrendrewback。"Run!"theycried。"OurExcellencywillfeedFaragtothebigdogs。"
  "Iwillcome,"saidFarag。"AndIwillnevergo。"HethrewhisarmroundRoyal'sneck,andthewisebeastlickedhisface。
  "Binjamin,byJove!"theInspectorcried。
  "No!"saidtheGovernor。"IbelievehehasthemakingsofaJamesPigg!"
  Faragwavedhishandtohisuncle,andledRoyalontothebarge。
  Therestofthepackfollowed。
  *****
  Gihon,thathadseenmanysports,learnedtoknowtheHuntbargewell。HemetherroundinghisbendsongreyDecemberdawnstomusicwildandlamentableasthealmostforgottenthrobofDervishdrums,when,highaboveRoyal'stenorbell,sharpereventhanlyingBeagle-boy'sfalsettobreak,FaragchanteddeathlesswaragainstAbuHusseinandallhisseed。Atsunrisetheriverwouldshoulderhercarefullyintoherplace,andlistentotherushandscutterofthepackfleeingupthegang-plank,andthetrampoftheGovernor'sArabbehindthem。TheywouldpassoverthebrowintothedewlesscropswhereGihon,lowandshrunken,couldonlyguesswhattheywereaboutwhenAbuHusseinflewdownthebanktoscratchatastoppedearth,andflewbackintothebarleyagain。AsFaraghadforetold,itwasevildaysforAbuHusseinerehelearnedtotakethenecessarystepsandtogetawaycrisply。SometimesGihonsawthewholeprocessionoftheHuntsilhouettedagainstthemorning-blue,bearinghimcompanyformanymerrymiles。Ateveryhalfmilethehorsesandthedonkeysjumpedthewater-channels——up,on,changeyourleg,andoffagainlikefiguresinazoetrope,tilltheygrewsmallalongthelineofwaterwheels。
  ThenGibonwaitedtheirrustlingreturnthroughthecrops,andtookthemtorestonhisbosomatteno'clock。Whilethehorsesate,andFaragsleptwithhisheadonRoyal'sflank,theGovernorandhisInspectorworkedforthegoodoftheHuntandhisProvince。
  Afteralittletimetherewasnoneedtobeatanymanforneglectinghisearths。Thesteamer'sdestinationwastelegraphedfromwaterwheeltowaterwheel,andthevillagersstoppedoutandputtoaccording。Ifanearthwereoverlooked,itmeantsomedisputeastotheownershipoftheland,andthenandtheretheHuntcheckedandsettleditinthiswise:TheGovernorandtheInspectorsidebyside,butthelatterhalfahorse'slengthtotherear;bothbare-shoulderedclaimantswellinfront;thevillagershalf-moonedbehindthem,andFaragwiththepack,whoquiteunderstoodtheperformance,sittingdownontheleft。
  Twentyminuteswereenoughtosettlethemostcomplicatedcase,for,astheGovernorsaidtoajudgeonthesteamer,"Onegetsatthetruthinahunting-fieldaheapquickerthaninyourlawcourts。"
  "Butwhentheevidenceisconflicting?"theJudgesuggested。
  "Watchthefield。They'llthrowtonguefastenoughifyou'rerunningawrongscent。You'veneverhadanappealfromoneofmydecisionsyet。"
  TheSheikhsonhorseback——thelesserfolkoncleverdonkeys——thechildrensodespisedbyFaragsoonunderstoodthatvillageswhichrepairedtheirwaterwheelsandchannelsstoodhighestintheGovernor'sfavour。Heboughttheirbarley,forhishorses。
  "Channels,"hesaid,"arenecessarythatwemayalljumpthem。
  Theyarenecessary,moreover,forthecrops。Lettherebemanywheelsandsoundchannels——andmuchgoodbarley。"
  "Withoutmoney,"repliedanagedSheikh,"therearenowaterwheels。"
  "Iwilllendthemoney,"saidtheGovernor。
  "Atwhatinterest,OOurExcellency?"
  "TakeyoutwoofMayQueen'spuppiestobringupinyourvillageinsuchamannerthattheydonoteatfilth,norlosetheirhair,norcatchfeverfromlyinginthesun,butbecomewisehounds。"
  "LikeRay-yal——notlikeBigglebai?"AlreadyitwasaninsultalongtheRivertocompareamantotheshiftyanthropophagousblue-mottledharrier。
  "Certainly,likeRay-yal——notintheleastlikeBigglebai。Thatshallbetheinterestontheloan。Letthepuppiesthriveandthewaterwheelbebuilt,andIshallbecontent,"saidtheGovernor。
  "Thewheelshallbebuilt,but,OOurExcellency,ifbyGod'sfavourthepupsgrowtobewell-smelters,notfilth-eaters,notunaccustomedtotheirnames,notlawless,whowilldothemandmejusticeatthetimeofjudgingtheyoungdogs?"
  "Hounds,man,hounds!Ha-wands,OSheikh,wecallthemintheirmanhood。"
  "Theha-wandswhentheyarejudgedattheSha-ho。IhaveunfriendsdowntherivertowhomOurExcellencyhasalsoentrustedha-wandstobringup。"
  "Puppies,man!Pah-peazwecallthem,OSheikh,intheirchildhood。"
  "Pah-peat。Myenemiesmayjudgemypah-peazunjustlyattheSha-ho。Thismustbethoughtof。"
  "Iseetheobstacle。Hearnow!Ifthenewwaterwheelisbuiltinamonthwithoutoppression,thou,OSheikh,shaltbenamedoneofthejudgestojudgethepah-peazattheSha-ho。Isitunderstood?"
  "Understood。Wewillbuildthewheel。Iandmyseedareresponsiblefortherepaymentoftheloan。Wherearemypah-peaz?
  Iftheyeatfowls,musttheyonanyaccounteatthefeathers?"
  "Onnoaccountmusttheyeatthefeathers。Faraginthebargewilltelltheehowtheyaretolive。"
  ThereisnoinstanceofanydefaultontheGovernor'spersonalandunauthorizedloans,forwhichtheycalledhimtheFatherofWaterwheels。Butthefirstpuppyshowatthecapitalneededenormoustactandthepresenceofablackbattalionostentatiouslydrillinginthebarracksquaretopreventtroubleaftertheprize-giving。
  ButwhocanchroniclethegloriesoftheGihonHunt——ortheirshames?Whoremembersthekillinthemarket-place,whentheGovernorbadetheassembledsheikhsandwarriorsobservehowthehoundswouldinstantlydevourthebodyofAbuHussein;buthow,whenhehadscientificallybrokenitup,thewearypackturnedfromitinloathing,andFaragweptbecausehesaidtheworld'sfacehadbeenblackened?Whatmenwhohavenotyetriddenbeyondthesoundofanyhornrecallthemidnightrunwhichended——Beagleboyleading——amongtombs;thehastywhip-off,andtheoath,takenAboebones,toforgettheworry?Thedesertrun,whenAbuHusseinforsookthecultivation,andmadeasix-milepointtoearthinadesolatekhor——whenstrangearmedridersoncamelsswoopedoutofaravine,andinsteadofgivingbattle,offeredtotakethetiredhoundshomeontheirbeasts。Whichtheydid,andvanished。
  Aboveall,whoremembersthedeathofRoyal,whenacertainSheikhweptabovethebodyofthestainlesshoundasitmighthavebeenhisson's——andthatdaytheHuntrodenomore?Thebadly-keptlog-booksayslittleofthis,butattheendoftheirsecondseasonforty-ninebraceappearsthedarkentry:"Newbloodbadlywanted。Theyarebeginningtolistentobeagle-boy。"
  *****
  TheInspectorattendedtothematterwhenhisleavefelldue。
  "Remember,"saidtheGovernor,"youmustgetusthebestbloodinEngland——real,daintyhounds——expensenoobject,butdon'ttrustyourownjudgment。Presentmylettersofintroduction,andtakewhattheygiveyou。
  TheInspectorpresentedhislettersinasocietywheretheymakemuchofhorses,moreofhounds,andaretolerablyciviltomenwhocanride。Theypassedhimfromhousetohouse,mountedhimaccordingtohismerits,andfedhim,afterfiveyearsofgoatchopandWorcestersauce,perhapsathoughttoorichly。
  Theseatorcastlewherehemadehisgreatcoupdoesnotmuchmatter。FourMastersofFoxhoundswereattable,andinamellowhourtheInspectortoldthemstoriesoftheGihonHunt。Heended:
  "BensaidIwasn'ttotrustmyownjudgmentabouthounds,butI
  thinkthereoughttobeaspecialtariffforEmpire-makers。"
  Assoonashishostscouldspeak,theyreassuredhimonthispoint。
  "Andnowtellusaboutyourfirstpuppy-showalloveragain,"
  saidone。
  "Andabouttheearth-stoppin'。WasthatallBen'sowninvention?"
  saidanother。
  "Waitamoment,"saidalarge,clean-shavenman——notanM。F。H——attheendofthetable。"AreyourvillagershabituallybeatenbyyourGovernorwhentheyfailtostopfoxes'holes?"
  Thetoneandthephrasewereenoughevenif,astheInspectorconfessedafterwards,thebig,bluedouble-chinnedmanhadnotlookedsolikeBeagle-boy。HetookhimonforthehonourofEthiopia。
  "Weonlyhunttwiceaweek——sometimesthreetimes。I'veneverknownamanchastisedmorethanfourtimesaweekunlessthere'sabye。"
  Thelargeloose-lippedmanflunghisnapkindown,cameroundthetable,casthimselfintothechairnexttheInspector,andleanedforwardearnestly,sothathebreathedintheInspector'sface。
  "Chastisedwithwhat?"hesaid。
  "Withthekourbash——onthefeet。Akourbashisastripofoldhippo-hidewithasortofkeelonit,likethecuttingedgeofaboar'stusk。Butweusetheroundedsideforafirstoffender。"
  "Anddoanyconsequencesfollowthissortofthing?Forthevictim,Imean——notforyou?"
  Ve-ryrarely。Letmebefair。I'veneverseenamandieunderthelash,butgangrenemaysetupifthekourbashhasbeenpickled。"
  "Pickledinwhat?"Allthetablewasstillandinterested。
  "Incopperas,ofcourse。Didn'tyouknowthat"saidtheInspector。
  "ThankGodIdidn't。"Thelargemansputteredvisibly。
  TheInspectorwipedhisfaceandgrewbolder。
  "Youmustn'tthinkwe'recarelessaboutourearthstoppers。We'veaHuntfundforhottar。Tar'sasplendiddressingifthetoe-nailsaren'tbeatenoff。Buthuntin'aslargeacountryaswedo,wemayn'tbebackatthatvillageforamonth,andifthedressingsain'trenewed,andgangrenesetsin,oftenasnotyoufindyourmanpeggingaboutonhisstumps。We'veawell-knownlocalnamefor'emdowntheriver。Wecall'emtheMudir'sCranes。Yousee,IpersuadedtheGovernoronlytobastinadoononefoot。"
  "Ononefoot?TheMudir'sCranes!"Thelargemanturnedpurpletothetopofhisbaldhead。"WouldyoumindgivingmethelocalwordforMudir'sCranes?"
  Fromatoowell-stockedmemorytheInspectordrewoneshortadhesivewordwhichsurprisesbyitselfevenunblushingEthiopia。
  Hespeltitout,sawthelargemanwriteitdownonhiscuffandwithdraw。ThentheInspectortranslatedafewofitssignificationsandimplicationstothefourMastersofFoxhounds。
  HeleftthreedayslaterwitheightcoupleofthebesthoundsinEngland——afreeandafriendlyandanamplegiftfromfourpackstotheGihonHunt。Hehadhonestlymeanttoundeceivethelargebluemottledman,butsomehowforgotaboutit。
  ThenewdraftmarksanewchapterintheHunt'shistory。Fromanisolatedphenomenoninabargeitbecameapermanentinstitutionwithbrick-builtkennelsashore,andaninfluencesocial,political,andadministrative,co-terminouswiththeboundariesoftheprovince。Ben,theGovernor,departedtoEngland,wherehekeptapackofrealdaintyhounds,butneverceasedtolongfortheoldlawlesslot。Hissuccessorswereex-officioMastersoftheGihonHunt,asallInspectorswereWhips。Foronereason;
  Farag,thekennelhuntsman,inkhakiandputtees,wouldobeynothingundertherankofanExcellency,andthehoundswouldobeynoonebutFarag;foranother,thebestwayofestimatingcropreturnsandrevenuewasbyridingstraighttohounds;forathird,thoughJudgesdowntheriverissuedsignedandsealedland-titlestoalllawfulowners,yetpublicopinionalongtheriverneverheldanysuchtitlevalidtillithadbeenconfirmed,accordingtoprecedent,bytheGovernor'shuntingcropinthehuntingfield,abovethewilfullyneglectedearth。True,theceremonyhadbeencutdowntothreemeretapsontheshoulder,butGovernorswhotriedtoevadethatmuchfoundthemselvesandtheirofficecompassedaboutwithagreatcloudofwitnesseswhotookuptheirtimewithlawsuitsand,worsestill,neglectedthepuppies。
  Theoldersheikhs,indeed,stoodoutfortheunmeasurablebeatingsoftheolddays——thesharperthepunishment,theyargued,thesurerthetitle;butherethehandofmodernprogresswasagainstthem,andtheycontentedthemselveswithtellingtalesofBenthefirstGovernor,whomtheycalledtheFatherofWaterwheels,andofthatheroicagewhenmen,horses,andhoundswereworthfollowing。
  ThissameModernProgresswhichbroughtdogbiscuitandbrasswater-tapstothekennelswasatworkallovertheworld。Forces,Activities,andMovementssprangintobeing,agitatedthemselves,coalesced,and,inonepoliticalavalanche,overwhelmedabewildered,andnotintheleastintendingit,England。TheechoesoftheNewErawereborneintotheProvinceonthewingsofinexplicablecables。TheGihonHuntreadspeechesandsentiments,andpolicieswhichamazedthem,andtheythankedGod,prematurely,thattheirProvincewastoofaroff,toohot,andtoohardworkedtobereachedbythosespeakersortheirpolicies。Butthey,withothers,under-estimatedthescopeandpurposeoftheNewEra。
  Onebyone,theProvincesoftheEmpirewerehauledupandbaited,hitandheld,lashedunderthebelly,andforcedbackontheirhaunchesfortheamusementoftheirnewmastersintheparishofWestminster。Onebyonetheyfellaway,soreandangry,tocomparestripeswitheachotherattheendsoftheuneasyearth。EvensotheGihonHunt,likeAbuHusseinintheolddays,didnotunderstand。ThenitreachedthemthroughthePressthattheyhabituallyfloggedtodeathgoodrevenue-payingcultivatorswhoneglectedtostopearths;butthatthefew,theveryfewwhodidnotdieunderhippohidewhipssoakedincopperas,walkedaboutontheirgangrenousankle-bones,andwereknowninderisionastheMudir'sCranes。ThechargeswerevouchedforintheHouseofCommonsbyaMr。LethabieGroombride,whohadformedaCommittee,andwasdisseminatingliterature:TheProvincegroaned;theInspector——nowanInspectorofInspectors——whistled。
  Hehadforgottenthegentlemanwhosputteredinpeople'sfaces。
  "Heshouldn'thavelookedsolikeBeagle-boy!"washissoledefencewhenhemettheGovernoratbreakfastonthesteamerafterameet。
  "Youshouldn'thavejokedwithananimalofthatclass,"saidPetertheGovernor。"LookwhatFaraghasbroughtme!"
  Itwasapamphlet,signedonbehalfofaCommitteebyaladysecretary,butcomposedbysomepersonwhothoroughlyunderstoodthelanguageoftheProvince。Aftertellingthetaleofthebeatings,itrecommendedallthebeatentoinstitutecriminalproceedingsagainsttheirGovernor,and,assoonasmightbe,toriseagainstEnglishoppressionandtyranny。SuchdocumentswerenewinEthiopiainthosedays。
  TheInspectorreadthelasthalfpage。"But——but,"hestammered,"thisisimpossible。Whitemendon'twritethissortofstuff。"
  "Don'tthey,just?"saidtheGovernor。"TheygetmadeCabinetMinistersfordoingittoo。Iwenthomelastyear。Iknow。"
  "It'llblowover,"saidtheInspectorweakly。
  "Notit。Groombrideiscomingdownheretoinvestigatethematterinafewdays。"
  "Forhimself?"
  "TheImperialGovernment'sbehindhim。Perhapsyou'dliketolooktmyorders。"TheGovernorlaiddownanuncodedcable。Thewhiplashtoitran:"YouwillaffordMr。Groombrideeveryfacilityforhisinquiry,andwillbeheldresponsiblethatnoobstaclesareputinhiswaytothefullestpossibleexaminationofanywitnesseswhichhemayconsidernecessary。Hewillbeaccompaniedbyhisowninterpreter,whomustnotbetamperedwith。"
  "That'stome——GovernoroftheProvince!"saidPetertheGovernor。
  "Itseemsaboutenough,"theInspectoranswered。
  Farag,kennel-huntsman,enteredthesaloon,aswashisprivilege。
  "Myuncle,whowasbeatenbytheFatherofWaterwheels,wouldapproach,OExcellency,"hesaid,"andthereareothersonthebank。"
  "Admit,"saidtheGovernor。
  Theretrampedaboardsheikhsandvillagerstothenumberofseventeen。Ineachman'shandwasacopyofthepamphlet;ineachman'seyeterroranduneasinessofthesortthatGovernorsspendandarespenttoclearaway。Farag'suncle,nowSheikhofthevillage,spoke:"Itiswritteninthisbook,Excellency,thatthebeatingswherebyweholdourlandsareallvalueless。ItiswrittenthateverymanwhoreceivedsuchabeatingfromtheFatherofWaterwheelswhoslowtheEmirs,shouldinstantlybeginalawsuit,becausethetitletohislandisnotvalid。"
  "Itissowritten。Wedonotwishlawsuits。WewishtoholdthelandasitwasgiventousafterthedaysoftheOppression,"
  theycried。
  TheGovernorglancedattheInspector。Thiswasserious。Tocastdoubtontheownershipoflandmeans,inEthiopia,thelettinginofwaters,andthegettingoutoftroops。
  "Yourtitlesaregood,"saidtheGovernor。TheInspectorconfirmedwithanod。
  "ThenwhatisthemeaningofthesewritingswhichcamefromdowntheriverwheretheJudgesare?"Farag'sunclewavedhiscopy。
  "Bywhoseorderareweorderedtoslayyou,OExcellencyOurGovernor?"
  "Itisnotwrittenthatyouaretoslayme。"
  "Notinthoseverywords,butifweleaveanearthunstopped,itisthesameasthoughwewishedtosaveAbuHusseinfromthehounds。Thesewritingssay:'Abolishyourrulers。'Howcanweabolishexceptwekill?Wehearrumoursofonewhocomesfromdowntheriversoontoleadustokill。"
  "Fools!"saidtheGovernor。"Yourtitlesaregood。Thisismadness!"
  "Itissowritten,"theyansweredlikeapack。
  "Listen,"saidtheInspectorsmoothly。"Iknowwhocausedthewritingstobewrittenandsent。Heisamanofablue-mottledjowl,inaspectlikeBigglebaiwhoateuncleanmatters。Hewillcomeuptheriverandwillgivetongueaboutthebeatings。"
  "Willheimpeachourland-titles?Anevildayforhim!"
  "Goslow,Baker,"theGovernorwhispered。"They'llkillhimiftheygetscaredabouttheirland。"
  "Itellaparable。"TheInspectorlitacigarette。"DeclarewhichofyoutooktowalkthechildrenofMilkmaid?"
  "Melik-meidFirstorSecond?"saidFaragquickly。
  "Thesecond——theonewhichwaslamedbythethorn。"
  "No——no。Melik-meidtheSecondstrainedhershoulderleapingmywater-channel,"asheikhcried。"Melik-meidtheFirstwaslamedbythethornsonthedaywhenOurExcellencyfellthrice。"
  "True——true。ThesecondMelik-meid'smatewasMalvolio,thepiedhound,"saidtheInspector。
  "IhadtwoofthesecondMelik-meid'spups,"saidFarag'suncle。
  "Theydiedofthemadnessintheirninthmonth。"
  "Andhowdidtheydobeforetheydied?"saidtheInspector。
  "Theyranaboutinthesun,andslaveredatthemouthtilltheydied。"
  "Wherefore?"
  "Godknows。Hesentthemadness。Itwasnofaultofmine。"
  "Thyownmouthhathansweredthee。"TheInspectorlaughed。"Itiswithmenasitiswithdogs。Godafflictssomewithamadness。Itisnofaultofoursifsuchmenrunaboutinthesunandfrothatthemouth。Themanwhoiscomingwillemitsprayfromhismouthinspeaking,andwillalwaysedgeandpushintowardshishearers。WhenyeseeandhearhimyewillunderstandthatheisafflictedofGod:beingmad。HeisinGod'shands。"
  "Butourtitles——areourtitlestoourlandsgood?"thecrowdrepeated。
  "Yourtitlesareinmyhands——theyaregood,"saidtheGovernor。
  "AndhewhowrotethewritingsisanafflictedofGod?"saidFarag'suncle。
  "TheInspectorhathsaidit,"criedtheGovernor。"Yewillseewhenthemancomes。Osheikhsandmen,haveweriddentogetherandwalkedpuppiestogether,andboughtandsoldbarleyforthehorsesthataftertheseyearsweshouldrunriotonthescentofamadman——anafflictedofGod?"
  "ButtheHuntpaysustokillmadjackals,"saidFarag'suncle。
  "Andhewhoquestionsmytitlestomyland"
  "Aahh!'Wareriot!"TheGovernor'shunting-cropcrackedlikeathree-pounder。"ByAllah,"hethundered,"iftheafflictedofGodcometoanyharmatyourhands,Imyselfwillshooteveryhoundandeverypuppy,andtheHuntshallridenomore。Onyourheadsbeit。Goinpeace,andtelltheothers。"
  "TheHuntshallridenomore,"saidFarag'suncle。"Thenhowcanthelandbegoverned?No——no,OExcellencyOurGovernor,wewillnotharmahairontheheadoftheafflictedofGod。HeshallbetousasisAbuHussein'swifeinthebreedingseason。"
  WhentheyweregonetheGovernormoppedhisforehead。
  "WemustputafewsoldiersineveryvillagethisGroombridevisits,Baker。Tell'emtokeepoutofsight,andhaveaneyeonthevillagers。He'strying'emratherhigh。"
  "OExcellency,"saidthesmoothvoiceofFarag,layingtheFieldandCountryLifesquareonthetable,"istheafflictedofGodwhoresemblesBigglebaionewiththemanwhomtheInspectormetinthegreathouseinEngland,andtowhomhetoldthetaleoftheMudir'sCranes?"
  "Thesameman,Farag,"saidtheInspector。
  "IhaveoftenheardtheInspectortellthetaleto,OurExcellencyatfeeding-timeinthekennels;butsinceIamintheGovernmentserviceIhavenevertoldittomypeople。MayIloosethattaleamongthevillages?"
  *****
  TheGovernornodded。"Noharm,"saidhe。
  ThedetailsofMr。Groombride'sarrival,withhisinterpreter,whomheproposedshouldeatwithhimattheGovernor'stable,hisallocutiontotheGovernorontheNewMovement,andthesinsofImperialism,Ipurposelyomit。AtthreeintheafternoonMr。
  Groombridesaid:"Iwillgooutnowandaddressyourvictimsinthisvillage。"
  "Won'tyoufinditratherhot?"saidtheGovernor。"Theygenerallytake'anaptillsunsetatthistimeofyear。"
  Mr。Groombride'slarge,looselipsset。"That,"herepliedpointedly,"wouldbeenoughtodecideme。Ifearyouhavenotquitemasteredyourinstructions。MayIaskyoutosendformyinterpreter?Ihopehehasnotbeentamperedwithbyyoursubordinates。"
  HewasayellowishboycalledAbdul,whohadwelleatenanddrunkwithFarag。TheInspector,bytheway,wasnotpresentatthemeal。
  "Atwhateverrisk,Ishallgounattended,"saidMr。Groombride。
  "Yourpresencewouldcowthem-fromgivingevidence。Abdul,mygoodfriend,wouldyouverykindlyopentheumbrella?"
  Hepassedupthegang-planktothevillage,andwithnomorepreludethanaSalvationArmypicketinaPortsmouthslum,cried:
  "Oh,mybrothers!"
  Hedidnotguesshowhispathhadbeenprepared。Thevillagewaswidelyawake。Farag,inloose,flowinggarments,quiteunlikeakennelhuntsman'skhakiandputtees,leanedagainstthewallofhisuncle'shouse。"ComeandseetheafflictedofGod,。"hecriedmusically,"whoseface,indeed,resemblesthatofBigglebai。"
  Thevillagecame,anddecidedthatonthewholeFaragwasright。
  "Ican'tquitecatchwhattheyaresaying,"saidMr。Groombride。
  "Theysayingtheyverymuchpleasedtoseeyou,Sar,"Adbulinterpreted。
  "ThenIdothinktheymighthavesentadeputationtothesteamer;butIsupposetheywerefrightenedoftheofficials。
  Tellthemnottobefrightened,Abdul。"
  "Hesaysyouarenottobefrightened,"Abdulexplained。Achildheresputteredwithlaughter。"Refrainfrommirth,"Faragcried。
  "TheafflictedofGodistheguestofTheExcellencyOurGovernor。Weareresponsibleforeveryhairofhishead。"
  "Hehasnone,"avoicespoke。"Hehasthewhiteandtheshiningmange。"
  "NowtellthemwhatIhavecomefor,Abdul,andpleasekeeptheumbrellawellup。IthinkIshallreservemyselfformylittlevernacularspeechattheend。"
  "Approach!Look!Listen!"Abdulchanted。"TheafflictedofGodwillnowmakesport。Presentlyhewillspeakinyourtongue,andwillconsumeyouwithmirth。Ihavebeenhisservantforthreeweeks。Iwilltellyouabouthisundergarmentsandhisperfumesforhishead。"
  Hetoldthematlength。
  "Anddidstthoutakeanyofhisperfumebottles?"saidFaragattheend。
  "Iamhisservant。Itooktwo,"Abdulreplied。
  "Askhim,"saidFarag'suncle,"whatheknowsaboutourland-titles。Yeyoungmenareallalike。"Hewavedapamphlet。
  Mr。GroombridesmiledtoseehowtheseedsowninLondonhadbornefruitbyGihon。Lo!Alltheseniorsheldcopiesofthepamphlet。
  "Heknowslessthanabuffalo。HetoldmeonthesteamerthathewasdrivenoutofhisownlandbyDemah-Keraziwhichisadevilinhabitingcrowdsandassemblies,"saidAbdul。
  "Allahbetweenusandevil!"awomancackledfromthedarknessofahut。"Comein,children,hemayhavetheEvilEye。"
  "No,myaunt,"saidFarag。"NoafflictedofGodhasanevileye。
  Waittillyehearhismirth-provokingspeechwhichhewilldeliver。IhaveheardittwicefromAbdul。"
  "Theyseemveryquicktograspthepoint。Howfarhaveyougot,Abdul?"
  "Allaboutthebeatings,sar。Theyarehighlyinterested。"
  "Don'tforgetaboutthelocalself-government,andpleaseholdtheumbrellaoverme。Itishopelesstodestroyunlessonefirstbuildsup。"
  "HemaynothavetheEvilEye,"Farag'sunclegrunted,"buthisdevilledhimtoocertainlytoquestionmyland-title。Askhimwhetherhestilldoubtsmyland-title?"
  "Ormine,ormine?"criedtheelders。
  "Whatodds?HeisanafflictedofGod,"Faragcalled。"RememberthetaleItoldyou。"
  "Yes,butheisanEnglishman,anddoubtlessofinfluence,orOurExcellencywouldnotentertainhim。Bidthedown-countryjackassaskhim。"
  "Sar,"saidAbdul,"thesepeople,muchfearingtheymaybeturnedoutoftheirlandinconsequenceofyourremarks。Thereforetheyaskyoutomakepromisenobadconsequencesfollowingyourvisit。"
  Mr。Groombrideheldhisbreathandturnedpurple。Thenhestampedhisfoot。
  "Tellthem,"hecried,"thatifahairofanyoneoftheirheadsistouchedbyanyofficialonanyaccountwhatever,allEnglandshallringwithit。GoodGod!Whatcallousoppression!Thedarkplacesoftheeartharefullofcruelty。"Hewipedhisface,andthrowingouthisarmscried:"Tellthem,oh!tellthepoor,serfsnottobeafraidofme。TellthemIcometoredresstheirwrongs——not,heavenknows,toaddtotheirburden。"
  Thelong-drawngurgleofthepractisedpublicspeakerpleasedthemmuch。
  "Thatishowthenewwater-taprunsoutinthekennel,"saidFarag。"TheExcellencyOurGovernorentertainshimthathemaymakesport。Makehimsaythemirth-movingspeech。"
  "Whatdidhesayaboutmyland-titles?"Farag'sunclewasnottobeturned。
  "Hesays,"Faraginterpreted,"thathedesires,nothingbetterthanthatyoushouldliveonyourlandsinpeace。HetalksasthoughhebelievedhimselftobeGovernor。"
  "Well。Wehereareallwitnessestowhathehassaid。Nowgoforwardwiththesport。"Farag'sunclesmoothedhisgarments。
  "HowdiverselyhathAllahmadeHiscreatures!OnoneHebestowsstrengthtoslayEmirs;anotherHecausestogomadandwanderinthesun,liketheafflictedsonsofMelik-meid。"
  "Yes,andtoemitsprayfromthemouth,astheInspectortoldus。
  AllwillhappenastheInspectorforetold,"saidFarag。"IhaveneveryetseentheInspectorthrownoutduringanyrun。"
  "Ithink,"AbdulpluckedatMr。Groombride'ssleeves,"Ithinkperhapsitisbetternow,Sar,ifyougiveyourfinelittlenativespeech。TheynotunderstandingEnglish,butmuchpleasedatyourcondescensions。"
  "Condescensions?"Mr。Groombridespunround。"IftheyonlyknewhowIfelttowardstheminmyheart!IfIcouldexpressatitheofmyfeelings!Imuststayhereandlearnthelanguage。Holduptheumbrella,AbdullIthinkmylittlespeechwillshowthemI
  knowsomethingoftheirvieintime。"
  Itwasashort,simple;carefullylearnedaddress,andtheaccent,supervisedbyAbdulonthesteamer,allowedthehearerstoguessitsmeaning,whichwasarequesttoseeoneoftheMudir'sCranes;sincethedesireofthespeaker'slife,theobjecttowhichhewouldconsecratehisdays,wastoimprovetheconditionoftheMudir'sCranes。Butfirsthemustbeholdthemwithhisowneyes。Would,then,hisbrethren,whomheloved,showhimaMudir'sCranewhomhedesiredtolove?
  Once,twice,andagaininhisperorationherepeatedhisdemand,usingalways——thattheymightseehewasacquaintedwiththeirlocalargot——usingalways,Isay,thewordwhichtheInspectorhadgivenhiminEnglandlongago——theshort,adhesivewordwhich,byitself,surprisesevenunblushingEthiopia。
  Therearelimitstothesublimepolitenessofanancientpeople。
  Abulky,blue-chinnedmaninwhiteclothes,hisnamered-letteredacrosshislowershirtfront,splutteringfromunderagreen-linedumbrellaalmosttearfulappealstobeintroducedtotheUnintroducible;namingloudlytheUnnameable;dancing,asitseemed,inperversejoyatmerementionoftheUnmentionable——foundthoselimits。Therewasamoment'shush,andthensuchmirthasGihonthroughhiscenturieshadneverheard——aroarliketotheroarofhisowncataractsinflood。Childrencastthemselvesontheground,androlledbackandforthcheeringandwhooping;strongmen,theirfaceshiddenintheirclothes,swayedinsilence,tilltheagonybecameinsupportable,andtheythrewuptheirheadsandbayedatthesun;women,mothersandvirgins,shrilledshriekuponmountingshriek,andslappedtheirthighsasitmighthavebeentherollofmusketry。Whentheytriedtodrawbreath,somehalf-strangledvoicewouldquackouttheword,andtheriotbeganafresh。Lasttofallwasthecity-trainedAbdul。Heheldontotheedgeofapoplexy,thencollapsed,throwingtheumbrellafromhim。
  Mr。Groombrideshouldnotbejudgedtooharshly。Exerciseandstrongemotionunderahotsun,theshockofpublicingratitude,forthemomentruedhisspirit。Hefurledtheumbrella,andwithtbeattheprostrateAbdul,cryingthathehadbeenbetrayed。InwhichposturetheInspector,onhorseback,followedbytheGovernor,suddenlyfoundhim。
  *****
  "That'sallverywell,"saidtheInspector,whenhehadtakenAbdul'sdramaticallydyingdepositionsonthesteamer,"butyoucan'thammeranativemerelybecausehelaughsatyou。Iseenothingforitbutthelawtotakeitscourse。"
  "Youmightreducethechargeto——er——tamperingwithaninterpreter,"saidtheGovernor。Mr。Groombridewastoofargonetobecomforted。
  "It'sthepublicitythatIfear,"hewailed。"Istherenopossiblemeansofhushinguptheaffair?Youdon'tknowwhataquestion——asinglequestionintheHousemeanstoamanofmyposition——theruinofmypoliticalcareer,Iassureyou。"
  "Ishouldn'thaveimaginedit,"saidtheGovernorthoughtfully。
  "And,thoughperhapsIoughtnottosayit,Iamnotwithouthonourinmyowncountry——orinfluence。Awordinseason,asyouknow,YourExcellency。Itmightcarryanofficialfar。"
  TheGovernorshuddered。
  "Yes,thathadtocometoo,"hesaidtohimself。"Well,lookhere。IfItellthismanofyourstowithdrawthechargeagainstyou,youcangotoGehennaforaughtIcare。TheonlyconditionI
  makeisthatifyouwrite——Isupposethat'spartofyourbusinessaboutyourtravels,youdon'tpraiseme!"
  SofarMr。Groombridehasloyallyadheredtothisunderstanding。
  GALLIO'SSONG
  Alldaylongtothejudgment-seatThecrazedProvincialsdrew——
  Alldaylongattheirruler'sfeetHowledforthebloodoftheJew。
  InsurrectionwithoneaccordBandeditselfandwoke:
  AndPaulwasabouttoopenhismouthWhenAchaia'sDeputyspoke"WhethertheGoddescendfromaboveOrthemanascenduponhigh,WhetherthismakeroftentsbeJoveOrayoungerdeity——
  IwillbenojudgebetweenyourgodsAndyourgodlessbickerings,Lictor,drivethemhencewithrods——
  Icarefornoneofthesethings!
  "WereitaquestionoflawfuldueOralabourer'shiredenied,ReasonwouldIshouldbearwithyouAndorderitwelltobetriedButthisisaquestionofwordsandnamesAndIknowthestrifeitbrings,Iwillnotpassuponanyyourclaims。
  Icarefornoneofthesethings。
  "OnethingonlyIseemostclear,AsIprayyoualsosee。
  ClaudiusCaesarhathsetmehereRome'sDeputytobe。
  ItisHerpeacethatyegotobreakNotmine,noranyking's,But,touchingyourclamourof'consciencesake,'
  Icarefornoneofthesethings!"
  THEHOUSESURGEON
  OnaneveningafterEasterDay,Isatatatableinahomewardboundsteamer'ssmoking-room,wherehalfadozenofustoldghoststories。Asourpartybrokeupaman,playingPatienceinthenextalcove,saidtome:"Ididn'tquitecatchtheendofthatlaststoryabouttheCurseonthefamily'sfirst-born。"
  "Itturnedouttobedrains,"Iexplained。"AssoonasnewoneswereputintothehousetheCursewaslifted,Ibelieve。Ineverknewthepeoplemyself。"
  "Ah!I'vehadmydrainsuptwice;I'mongraveltoo。"
  "Youdon'tmeantosayyou'veaghostinyourhouse?Whydidn'tyoujoinourparty?"
  "Anymoreorders,gentlemen,beforethebarcloses?"thestewardinterrupted。
  "Sitdownagain,andhaveonewithme,"saidthePatienceplayer。
  "No,itisn'taghost。Ourtroubleismoredepressionthananythingelse。"
  "Howinteresting?Thenit'snothinganyonecansee?"
  "It's——it'snothingworsethanalittledepression。Andtheoddpartisthattherehasn'tbeenadeathinthehousesinceitwasbuilt——in1863。Thelawyersaidso。Thatdecidedme——mygoodlady,ratherandhemademepayanextrathousandforit。"
  "Howcurious。Unusual,too!"Isaid。
  "Yes;ain'tit?Itwasbuiltforthreesisters——Moultriewasthename——threeoldmaids。Theyalllivedtogether;theeldestownedit。Iboughtitfromherlawyerafewyearsago,andifI'vespentapoundontheplacefirstandlast,Imusthavespentfivethousand。Electriclight,newservants'wing,garden——allthatsortofthing。Amanandhisfamilyoughttobehappyaftersomuchexpense,ain'tit?"Helookedatmethroughthebottomofhisglass。
  "Doesitaffectyourfamilymuch?"
  "Mygoodlady——she'saGreek,bytheway——andmyselfaremiddle-aged。Wecanbearupagainstdepression;butit'shardonmylittlegirl。Isaylittle;butshe'stwenty。Wesendhervisitingtoescapeit。Shealmostlivedathotelsandhydros,lastyear,butthatisn'tpleasantforher。Sheusedtobeacanary——aperfectcanary——alwayssinging。Yououghttohearher。
  Shedoesn'tsingnow。Thatsortofthing'sunwholesomefortheyoung,ain'tit?"
  "Can'tyougetridoftheplace?"Isuggested。
  "Notexceptatasacrifice,andwearefondofit。Justsuitsusthree。We'dloveitifwewereallowed。"
  "Whatdoyoumeanbynotbeingallowed?"
  "Imeanbecauseofthedepression。Itspoilseverything。"
  "What'sitlikeexactly?"
  "Icouldn'tverywellexplain。Itmustbeseentobeappreciated,astheauctioneerssay。Now,Iwasmuchimpressedbythestoryyouweretellingjustnow。"
  "Itwasn'ttrue,"Isaid。
  "Mytaleistrue。Ifyouwoulddomethepleasuretocomedownandspendanightatmylittleplace,you'dlearnmorethanyouwouldifItalkedtillmorning。Verylikely'twouldn'ttouchyourgoodselfatall。Youmightbe——immune,ain'tit?Ontheotherhand,ifthisinfluenza,——influencedoeshappentoaffectyou,why,Ithinkitwillbeanexperience。"
  Whilehetalkedhegavemehiscard,andIreadhisnamewasL。
  MaxwellM'Leod,Esq。,ofHolmescroft。ACityaddresswastuckedawayinacorner。
  "Mybusiness,"headded,"usedtobefurs。Ifyouareinterestedinfurs——I'vegiventhirtyyearsofmylifeto'em。"
  "You'reverykind,"Imurmured。
  "Farfromit,Iassureyou。IcanmeetyounextSaturdayafternoonanywhereinLondonyouchoosetoname,andI'llbeonlytoohappytomotoryoudown。Itoughttobeadelightfulrunatthistimeofyeartherhododendronswillbeout。Imeanit。Youdon'tknowhowtrulyImeanit。Veryprobably——itwon'taffectyouatall。And——IthinkImaysayIhavethefinestcollectionofnarwhaltusksintheworld。AllthebestskinsandhornshavetogothroughLondon,andL。MaxwellM'Leod,heknowswheretheycomefrom,andwheretheygoto。That'shisbusiness。"
  Fortherestofthevoyageup-channelMr。M'Leodtalkedtomeoftheassembling,preparation,andsaleoftherarerfurs;andtoldmethingsaboutthemanufactureoffur-linedcoatswhichquiteshockedme。Somehoworother,whenwelandedonWednesday,I
  foundmyselfpledgedtospendthatweek-endwithhimatHolmescroft。
  OnSaturdayhemetmewithawell-groomedmotor,andranmeout,inanhourandahalf,toanexclusiveresidentialdistrictofdustlessroadsandelegantlydesignedcountryvillas,eachstandinginfromthreetofiveacresofperfectlyappointedland。
  Hetoldmelandwassellingateighthundredpoundstheacre,andthenewgolflinks,whoseQueenAnnepavilionwepassed,hadcostnearlytwenty-fourthousandpoundstocreate。
  Holmescroftwasalarge,two-storied,low,creeper-coveredresidence。Averandahatthesouthsidegaveontoagardenandtwotenniscourts,separatedbyatastefulironfencefromamostpark-likemeadowoffiveorsixacres,wheretwoJerseycowsgrazed。Teawasreadyintheshadeofapromisingcopperbeech,andIcouldseegroupsonthelawnofyoungmenandmaidensappropriatelyclothed,playinglawntennisinthesunshine。
  "Aprettyscene,ain'tit?"saidMr。M'Leod。"Mygoodlady'ssittingunderthetree,andthat'smylittlegirlinpinkonthefarcourt。ButI'lltakeyoutoyourroom,andyoucansee'emalllater。"
  Heledmethroughawideparquet-flooredhallfurnishedinpalelemon,withhugeCloisonneevases,anebonizedandgoldgrandpiano,andbanksofpotflowersinBenaresbrassbowls,upapaleoakstaircasetoaspaciouslanding,wheretherewasagreenvelvetsetteetrimmedwithsilver。Theblindsweredown,andthelightlayinparallellinesonthefloors。
  Heshowedmemyroom,sayingcheerfully:"Youmaybealittletired。Oneofteniswithoutknowingitafterarunthroughtraffic。Don'tcomedowntillyoufeelquiterestored。Weshallallbeinthegarden。"
  Myroomwasratherwarm,andsmeltofperfumedsoap。Ithrewupthewindowatonce,butitopenedsoclosetothefloorandworkedsoclumsilythatIcamewithinanaceofpitchingout,whereIshouldcertainlyhaveruinedaratherlop-sidedlaburnumbelow。AsIsetaboutwashingoffthejourney'sdust,Ibegantofeelalittletired。But,Ireflected,Ihadnotcomedownhereinthisweatherandamongthesenewsurroundingstobedepressed;
  soIbegantowhistle。
  AnditwasjustthenthatIwasawareofalittlegreyshadow,asitmighthavebeenasnowflakeseenagainstthelight,floatingatanimmensedistanceinthebackgroundofmybrain。Itannoyedme,andIshookmyheadtogetridofit。Thenmybraintelegraphedthatitwastheforerunnerofaswift-stridinggloomwhichtherewasyettimetoescapeifIwouldforcemythoughtsawayfromit,asamanleapingforlifeforceshisbodyforwardandawayfromthefallofawall。ButthegloomovertookmebeforeIcouldtakeinthemeaningofthemessage。Imovedtowardthebed,everynervealreadyachingwiththeforeknowledgeofthepainthatwastobedealtit,andsatdown,whilemyamazedandangrysouldropped,gulfbygulf,intothathorrorofgreatdarknesswhichisspokenofintheBible,andwhich,asauctioneerssay,mustbeexperiencedtobeappreciated。
  Despairupondespair,miseryuponmisery,fearafterfear,eachcausingtheirdistinctandseparatewoe,packedinuponmeforanunrecordedlengthoftime,untilatlasttheyblurredtogether,andIheardaclickinmybrainliketheclickintheearwhenonedescendsinadivingbell,andIknewthatthepressureswereequalisedwithinandwithout,andthat,forthemoment,theworstwasatanend。ButIknewalsothatatanymomentthedarknessmightcomedownanew;andwhile,Idweltonthisspeculationpreciselyasamantormentsaragingtoothwithhistongue,itebbedawayintothelittlegreyshadowonthebrainofitsfirstcoming,andoncemoreIheardmybrain,whichknewwhatwouldrecur,telegraphtoeveryquarterfoxhelp,releaseordiversion。
  Thedooropened,andM'Leodreappeared。Ithankedhimpolitely,sayingIwascharmedwithmyroom,anxioustomeetMrs。M'Leod,muchrefreshedwithmywash,andsoonandsoforth。Beyondalittlestickinessatthecornersofmymouth,itseemedtomethatIwasmanagingmywordsadmirably;thewhilethatImyselfcoweredatthebottomofunclimbablepits。M'Leodlaidhishandonmyshoulder,andsaid"You'vegotitnowalready,ain'tit?"
  "Yes,"Ianswered。"It'smakingmesick!"
  "Itwillpassoffwhenyoucomeoutside。Igiveyoumyworditwillthenpassoff。Come!"
  Ishambledoutbehindhim,andwipedmyforeheadinthehall。
  "Youmusn'tmind,"hesaid。"Iexpecttheruntiredyou。Mygoodladyissittingthereunderthecopperbeech。"
  Shewasafatwomaninanapricot-colouredgown,withaheavilypowderedface,againstwhichherblacklong-lashedeyesshowedlikecurrantsindough。Iwasintroducedtomanyfineladiesandgentlemenofthoseparts。Magnificentlyappointedlandausandcoveredmotorssweptinandoutofthedrive,andtheairwasgaywiththemerryoutcriesofthetennisplayers。
  Astwilightdrewontheyallwentaway,andIwasleftalonewithMr。andMrs。M'Leod,whiletallmenservantsandmaidservantstookawaythetennisandteathings。MissM'Leodhadwalkedalittledownthedrivewithalight-hairedyoungman,whoapparentlykneweverythingabouteverySouthAmericanrailwaystock。Hehadtoldmeatteathatthesewerethedaysoffinancialspecialisation。
  "Ithinkitwentoffbeautifully,mydear,"saidMr。M'Leodtohiswife;andtome:"Youfeelallrightnow,ain'tit?Ofcourseyoudo。"
  Mrs。M'Leodsurgedacrossthegravel。Herhusbandskippednimblybeforeherintothesouthverandah,turnedaswitch,andallHolmescroftwasfloodedwithlight。
  "Youcandothatfromyourroomalso,"hesaidastheywentin。
  "Thereissomethinginmoney,ain'tit?"
  MissM'Leodcameupbehindmeinthedusk。"Wehavenotyetbeenintroduced,"shesaid,"butIsupposeyouarestayingthenight?"
  "Yourfatherwaskindenoughtoaskme,"Ireplied。
  Shenodded。"Yes,Iknow;andyouknowtoo,don'tyou?Isawyourfacewhenyoucametoshakehandswithmamma。Youfeltthedepressionverysoon。Itissimplyfrightfulinthatbedroomsometimes。Whatdoyouthinkitis——bewitchment?InGreece,whereIwasalittlegirl,itmighthavebeen;butnotinEngland,doyouthink?Ordoyou?"
  "Cheerup,Thea。Itwillallcomeright,"heinsisted。
  "No,papa。"Sheshookherdarkhead。"Nothingisrightwhileitcomes。"
  "ItisnothingthatweourselveshaveeverdoneinourlivesthatIwillsweartoyou,"saidMrs。M'Leodsuddenly。"Andwehavechangedourservantsseveraltimes。Soweknowitisnotthem。"
  "Nevermind。Letusenjoyourselveswhilewecan,"saidMr。
  M'Leod,openingthechampagne。
  Butwedidnotenjoyourselves。Thetalkfailed。Therewerelongsilences。
  "Ibegyourpardon,"Isaid,forIthoughtsomeoneatmyelbowwasabouttospeak。
  "Ah!Thatistheotherthing!"saidMissM'Leod。Hermothergroaned。
  Weweresilentagain,and,inafewsecondsitmusthavebeen,alivegriefbeyondwords——notghostlydreadorhorror,butaching,helplessgrief——overwhelmedus,each,Ifelt,accordingtohisorhernature,andheldsteadylikethebeamofaburningglass。
  BehindthatpainIwasconscioustherewasadesireonsomebody'sparttoexplainsomethingonwhichsometremendouslyimportantissuehung。
  MeantimeIrolledbreadpillsandrememberedmysins;M'Leodconsideredhisownreflectioninaspoon;hiswifeseemedtobepraying,andthegirlfidgetteddesperatelywithhandsandfeet,tillthedarknesspassedon——asthoughthemalignantraysofaburning-glasshadbeenshiftedfromus。"
  "There,"saidMissM'Leod,halfrising。"Nowyouseewhatmakesahappyhome。Oh,sellit——sellit,fathermine,andletusgoaway!"
  "ButI'vespentthousandsonit。YoushallgotoHarrogatenextweek,Theadear。"
  "I'monlyjustbackfromhotels。Iamsotiredofpacking。"
  "Cheerup,Thea。Itisover。Youknowitdoesnotoftencomeheretwiceinthesamenight。Ithinkweshalldarenowtobecomfortable。"
  Heliftedadish-cover,andhelpedhiswifeanddaughter。Hisfacewaslinedandfallenlikeanoldman'safterdebauch,buthishanddidnotshake,andhisvoicewasclear。Asheworkedtorestoreusbyspeechandaction,heremindedmeofagrey-muzzledcollieherdingdemoralisedsheep。
  Afterdinnerwesatroundthedining-roomfirethedrawing-roommighthavebeenundertheShadowforaughtweknewtalkingwiththeintimacyofgipsiesbythewayside,orofwoundedcomparingnotesafteraskirmish。Byeleveno'clockthethreebetweenthemhadgivenmeeverynameanddetailtheycouldrecallthatinanywayboreonthehouse,andwhattheyknewofitshistory。
  Wewenttobedinafortifyingblazeofelectriclight。Myonefearwasthattheblastinggustofdepressionwouldreturn——thesurestway,ofcourse,tobringit。Ilayawaketilldawn,breathingquicklyandsweatinglightly,beneathwhatDeQuinceyinadequatelydescribesas"theoppressionofinexpiableguilt。"
  Nowassoonasthelovelydaywasbroken,Ifellintothemostterribleofalldreams——thatjoyousoneinwhichallpastevilhasnotonlybeenwipedoutofourlives,buthasneverbeencommitted;andintheveryblissofourassuredinnocence,beforeourlovesshriekandchangecountenance,wewaketothedaywehaveearned。
  Itwasacoolishmorning,butwepreferredtobreakfastinthesouthverandah。Theforenoonwespentinthegarden,pretendingtoplaygamesthatcomeoutofboxes,suchascroquetandclockgolf。Butmostofthetimewedrewtogetherandtalked。TheyoungmanwhoknewallaboutSouthAmericanrailwaystookMissM'Leodforawalkintheafternoon,andatfiveM'Leodthoughtfullywhirledusalluptodineintown。
  "Now,don'tsayyouwilltellthePsychologicalSociety,andthatyouwillcomeagain,"saidMissM'Leod,asweparted。"BecauseI
  knowyouwillnot。"
  "Youshouldnotsaythat,"saidhermother。"Youshouldsay,'Goodbye,Mr。Perseus。Comeagain。'"
  "Nothim!"thegirlcried。"HehasseentheMedusa'shead!"
  Lookingatmyselfintherestaurant'smirrors,itseemedtomethatIhadnotmuchbenefitedbymyweek-end。NextmorningI
  wroteoutallmyHolmescroftnotesatfullestlength,inthehopethatbysodoingIcouldputitallbehindme。Buttheexperienceworkedonmymind,astheysaycertainimperfectlyunderstoodraysworkonthebody。
  IamlesscalculatedtomakeaSherlockHolmesthananymanI
  know,forIlackbothmethodandpatience,yettheideaoffollowingupthetroubletoitssourcefascinatedme。Ihadnotheorytogoon,exceptavagueideathatIhadcomebetweentwopolesofadischarge,andhadtakenashockmeantforsomeoneelse。Thiswasfollowedbyafeelingofintenseirritation。I
  waitedcautiouslyonmyself,expectingtobeovertakenbyhorrorofthesupernatural,butmyselfpersistedinbeinghumanlyindignant,exactlyasthoughithadbeenthevictimofapracticaljoke。Itwasingreatpainsandupheavals——thatIfeltineveryfibrebutitsdominantidea,toputitcoarsely,wastogetbackabitofitsown。BythisIknewthatImightgoforwardifIcouldfindtheway。
  AfterafewdaysitoccurredtometogototheofficeofMr。
  J。M。M。Baxter——thesolicitorwhohadsoldHolmescrofttoM'Leod。
  IexplainedIhadsomenotionofbuyingtheplace。Wouldheactformeinthematter?
  Mr。Baxter,alarge,greyish,throaty-voicedman,showednoenthusiasm。"IsoldittoMr。M'Leod,"hesaid。"It'udscarcelydoformetostartontherunning-downtacknow。ButIcanrecommend——"
  "Iknowhe'saskinganawfulprice,"Iinterrupted,"andatopofithewantsanextrathousandforwhathecallsyourcleanbillofhealth。"
  Mr。Baxtersatupinhischair。Ihadallhisattention。
  "Yourguaranteewiththehouse。Don'tyourememberit?"
  "Yes,yes。Thatnodeathhadtakenplaceinthehousesinceitwasbuilt:Irememberperfectly。"
  Hedidnotgulpasuntrainedmendowhentheylie,buthisjawsmovedstickily,andhiseyes,turningtowardsthedeedboxesonthewall,dulled。Icountedseconds,one,two,three——one,two,threeuptoten。Aman,Iknew,canlivethroughagesofmentaldepressioninthattime。
  "Irememberperfectly。"Hismouthopenedalittleasthoughithadtastedoldbitterness。
  "Ofcoursethatsortofthingdoesn'tappealtome。"Iwenton。
  "Idon'texpecttobuyahousefreefromdeath。"
  "Certainlynot。Noonedoes。ButitwasMr。M'Leod'sfancy——hiswife'srather,Ibelieve;andsincewecouldmeetit——itwasmydutytomyclientsatwhatevercosttomyownfeelings——tomakehimpay。"
  "That'sreallywhyIcametoyou。Iunderstoodfromhimyouknewtheplacewell。"
  "Oh,yes。Alwaysdid。Itoriginallybelongedtosomeconnectionsofmine。"
  "TheMissesMoultrie,Isuppose。Howinteresting!Theymusthavelovedtheplacebeforethecountryroundaboutwasbuiltup。"
  "Theywereveryfondofitindeed。"
  "Idon'twonder。Sorestfulandsunny。Idon'tseehowtheycouldhavebroughtthemselvestopartwithit。"
  NowitisoneofthemostconstantpeculiaritiesoftheEnglishthatinpoliteconversation——andIhadstriventobepolite——nooneeverdoesorsellsanythingformeremoney'ssake。
  "MissAgnes——theyoungest——fellill"hespacedhiswordsalittle,"and,astheywereverymuchattachedtoeachother,thatbrokeupthehome。"
  "Naturally。Ifancieditmusthavebeensomethingofthatkind。
  Onedoesn'tassociatetheStaffordshireMoultries"myDemonofIrresponsibilityatthatinstantcreated'em,"with——withbeinghardup。"
  "Idon'tknowwhetherwe'rerelatedtothem,"heansweredimportantly。"Wemaybe,forourbranchofthefamilycomesfromtheMidlands。"
  Igivethistalkatlength,becauseIamsoproudofmyfirstattemptatdetectivework。WhenIlefthim,twentyminuteslater,withinstructionstomoveagainsttheownerofHolmescroft,withaviewtopurchase,IwasmorebewilderedthananyDoctorWatsonattheopeningofastory。
  Whyshouldamiddle-agedsolicitorturnplovers'eggcolouranddrophisjawwhenremindedofsoinnocentandfestalamatterasthatnodeathhadeveroccurredinahousethathehadsold?IfI
  knewmyEnglishvocabularyatall,thetoneinwhichhesaidtheyoungestsister"fellill"meantthatshehadgoneoutofhermind。Thatmightexplainhischangeofcountenance,anditwasjustpossiblethatherdementedinfluencestillhungaboutHolmescroft;buttherestwasbeyondme。
  IwasrelievedwhenIreachedM'Leod'sCityoffice,andcouldtellhimwhatIhaddone——notwhatIthought。
  M'Leodwasquitewillingtoenterintothegameofthepretendedpurchase,butdidnotseehowitwouldhelpifIknewBaxter。