"Idonotunderstandthis,"saidMr。Jansenius,reddeningashetookinthepurportofhisson—in—law'sletter。"Iwillnotsubmittoit。Whatdoesitmean,Ruth？"
　　"Idon'tknow。Sidneyismad,Ithink;andhishoneymoonhasbroughthismadnessout。ButyoumustnotlethimthrowHenriettaonmyhandsagain。"
　　"Mad！Doeshethinkhecanshirkhisresponsibilitytohiswifebecausesheismydaughter？Doeshethink,becausehismother'sfatherwasabaronet,thathecanputHenriettaasidethemomenthersocietypallsonhim？"
　　"Oh,it'snothingofthatsort。Heneverthoughtofus。ButI
　　willmakehimthinkofus,"saidMr。Jansenius,raisinghisvoiceingreatagitation。"Heshallanswerforit。"
　　JustthenHenriettareturned,andsawherfathermovingexcitedlytoandfro,repeating,"Heshallanswertomeforthis。Heshallanswerforit。"
　　Mrs。Janseniusfrownedatherdaughtertoremainsilent,andsaidsoothingly,"Don'tloseyourtemper,John。"
　　"ButIwilllosemytemper。Insolenthound！Damnedscoundrel！"
　　"Heisnot,"whimperedHenrietta,sittingdownandtakingoutherhandkerchief。
　　"Oh,come,come！"saidMrs。Janseniusperemptorily,"wehavehadenoughcrying。Letushavenomoreofit。"
　　Henriettasprangupinapassion。"IwillsayanddoasI
　　please,"sheexclaimed。"Iamamarriedwoman,andIwillreceivenoorders。AndIwillhavemyhusbandbackagain,nomatterwhathedoestohidehimself。Papa,won'tyoumakehimcomebacktome？Iamdying。Promisethatyouwillmakehimcomeback。"
　　And,throwingherselfuponherfather'sbosom,shepostponedfurtherdiscussionbygoingintohysterics,andstartlingthehouseholdbyherscreams。
　　CHAPTERIII
　　OneoftheprofessorsatAltonCollegewasaMrs。Miller,anold—fashionedschoolmistresswhodidnotbelieveinMissWilson'ssystemofgovernmentbymoralforce,andcarrieditoutunderprotest。Thoughnotill—natured,shewasnarrow—mindedenoughtobeinsomedegreecontemptible,andwasconsequentlypronetosuspectothersofdespisingher。ShesuspectedAgathainparticular,andtreatedherwithdisdainfulcurtnessinsuchintercourseastheyhad——itwasfortunatelylittle。Agathawasnothurtbythis,forMrs。Millerwasanunsympatheticwoman,whomadenofriendsamongthegirls,andsatisfiedheraffectionateimpulsesbypettingalargecatnamedGracchus,butgenerallycalledBacchusbyanendearingmodificationoftheharshinitialconsonant。
　　OneeveningMrs。Miller,seatedwithMissWilsoninthestudy,correctingexaminationpapers,heardinthedistanceacrylikethatofacatindistress。Sherantothedoorandlistened。
　　Presentlytherearoseaprolongedwail,slurringupthroughtwooctaves,andsubsidingagain。Itwasatruefelinescreech,impossibletolocalize;butitwasinterruptedbyasob,asnarl,afiercespitting,andascuffling,comingunmistakablyfromaroomonthefloorbeneath,inwhich,atthathour,theoldergirlsassembledforstudy。
　　"MypoorGracchy！"exclaimedMrs。Miller,runningdownstairsasfastasshecould。Shefoundtheroomunusuallyquiet。EverygirlwasdeepinstudyexceptMissCarpenter,who,pretendingtopickupafallenbook,waspurplewithsuppressedlaughterandthecongestioncausedbystooping。
　　"WhereisMissWard？"demandedMrs。Miller。
　　"MissWardhasgoneforsomeastronomicaldiagramsinwhichweareinterested,"saidAgatha,lookingupgravely。JustthenMissWard,diagramsinhand,entered。
　　"Hasthatcatbeeninhere？"shesaid,notseeingMrs。Miller,andspeakinginatoneexpressiveofantipathytoGracchus。
　　Agathastartedanddrewupherankles,asiffearfulofhavingthembitten。Then,lookingapprehensivelyunderthedesk,shereplied,"Thereisnocathere,MissWard。"
　　"Thereisonesomewhere;Iheardit,"saidMissWardcarelessly,unrollingherdiagrams,whichshebegantoexplainwithoutfurtherparley。Mrs。Miller,anxiousforherpet,hastenedtoseekitelsewhere。Inthehallshemetoneofthehousemaids。
　　"Susan,"shesaid,"haveyouseenGracchus？"
　　"He'sasleeponthehearthruginyourroom,ma'am。ButIheardhimcryingdownhereamomentago。Ifeelsurethatanothercathasgotin,andthattheyarefighting。"
　　Susansmiledcompassionately。"Lor'blessyou,ma'am,"shesaid,"thatwasMissWylie。It'sasortofplay—actingthatshegoesthrough。Thereisthebeeonthewindow—pane,andthesoldierupthechimley,andthecatunderthedresser。Shedoesthemalllikelife。"
　　"Thesoldierinthechimney！"repeatedMrs。Miller,shocked。
　　"Yes,ma'am。Likeasitwereafollowerthathadhidtherewhenheheardthemistresscoming。"
　　Mrs。Miller'sfacesetdeterminedly。Shereturnedtothestudyandrelatedwhathadjustoccurred,addingsomesarcasticcommentsontheefficacyofmoralforceinmaintainingcollegiatediscipline。MissWilsonlookedgrave;consideredforsometime;
　　andatlastsaid:"Imustthinkoverthis。Wouldyoumindleavingitinmyhandsforthepresent？"
　　Mrs。Millersaidthatshedidnotcareinwhosehandsitremainedprovidedherownwerewashedofit,andresumedherworkatthepapers。MissWilsonthen,wishingtobealone,wentintotheemptyclassroomattheothersideofthelanding。ShetooktheFaultBookfromitsshelfandsatdownbeforeit。Itsrecordclosedwiththeannouncement,inAgatha'shandwriting:
　　"MissWilsonhascalledmeimpertinent,andhaswrittentomyunclethatIhaverefusedtoobeytherules。Iwasnotimpertinent;andIneverrefusedtoobeytherules。SomuchforMoralForce！"
　　MissWilsonrosevigorously,exclaiming:"Iwillsoonletherknowwhether——"Shecheckedherself,andlookedroundhastily,superstitiouslyfancyingthatAgathamighthavestolenintotheroomunobserved。Reassuredthatshewasalone,sheexaminedherconscienceastowhethershehaddonewrongincallingAgathaimpertinent,justifyingherselfbythereflectionthatAgathahad,infact,beenimpertinent。YetsherecollectedthatshehadrefusedtoadmitthispleaonarecentoccasionwhenJaneCarpenterhadadvanceditinextenuationofhavingcalledafellow—studentaliar。HadshethenbeenunjusttoJane,orinconsideratetoAgatha？
　　HercasuistrywasinterruptedbysomeonesoftlywhistlingathemefromtheoverturetoMasaniello,popularatthecollegeintheformofanarrangementforsixpianofortesandtwelvehands。
　　Therewasonlyonestudentunladylikeandmusicalenoughtowhistle;andMissWilsonwasashamedtofindherselfgrowingnervousattheprospectofanencounterwithAgatha,whoenteredwhistlingsweetly,butwithalugubriouscountenance。Whenshesawinwhosepresenceshestood,shebeggedpardonpolitely,andwasabouttowithdraw,whenMissWilson,summoningallherJudgmentandtact,andhopingthattheywould——contrarytotheircustominemergencies——respondtothesummons,said:
　　"Agatha,comehere。Iwanttospeaktoyou。"
　　Agathaclosedherlips,drewinalongbreaththroughhernostrils,andmarchedtowithinafewfeetofMissWilson,whereshehaltedwithherhandsclaspedbeforeher。
　　"Sitdown。"
　　Agathasatdownwithasinglemovement,likeadoll。
　　"Idon'tunderstandthat,Agatha,"saidMissWilson,pointingtotheentryintheRecordingAngel。"Whatdoesitmean？"
　　"Iamunfairlytreated,"saidAgatha,withsignsofagitation。
　　"Inwhatway？"
　　"Ineveryway。Iamexpectedtobesomethingmorethanmortal。
　　Everyoneelseisencouragedtocomplain,andtobeweakandsilly。ButImusthavenofeeling。Imustbealwaysintheright。
　　Everyoneelsemaybehome—sick,orhuffed,orinlowspirits。I
　　musthavenonerves,andmustkeepotherslaughingalldaylong。
　　Everyoneelsemaysulkwhenawordofreproachisaddressedtothem,andmaymaketheprofessorsafraidtofindfaultwiththem。
　　Ihavetobearwiththeinsultsofteacherswhohavelessself—controlthanI,agirlofseventeen！andmustcoaxthemoutofthedifficultiestheymakeforthemselvesbytheirownilltemper。"
　　"But,Agatha——"
　　"Oh,IknowIamtalkingnonsense,MissWilson;butcanyouexpectmetobealwayssensible——tobeinfallible？"
　　"Yes,Agatha;Idonotthinkitistoomuchtoexpectyoutobealwayssensible;and——"
　　"Thenyouhaveneithersensenorsympathyyourself,"saidAgatha。
　　Therewasanawfulpause。Neithercouldhavetoldhowlongitlasted。ThenAgatha,feelingthatshemustdoorsaysomethingdesperate,orelsefly,madeadistractedgestureandranoutoftheroom。
　　Sherejoinedhercompanionsinthegreathallofthemansion,wheretheywereassembledafterstudyfor"recreation,"anoisyprocesswhichalwayssetinspontaneouslywhentheprofessorswithdrew。Sheusuallysatwithhertwofavoriteassociatesonahighwindowseatnearthehearth。Thatplacewasnowoccupiedbyalittlegirlwithflaxenhair,whomAgatha,regardlessofmoralforce,liftedbytheshouldersanddepositedonthefloor。Thenshesatdownandsaid:
　　"Oh,suchapieceofnews！"
　　MissCarpenteropenedhereyeseagerly。GertrudeLindsayaffectedindifference。
　　"Someoneisgoingtobeexpelled,"saidAgatha。
　　"Expelled！Who？"
　　"Youwillknowsoonenough,Jane,"repliedAgatha,suddenlygrave。"ItissomeonewhomadeanimpudententryintheRecordingAngel。"
　　FearstoleuponJane,andshebecameveryred。"Agatha,"shesaid,"itwasyouwhotoldmewhattowrite。Youknowyoudid,andyoucan'tdenyit。"
　　"Ican'tdenyit,can'tI？IamreadytoswearthatIneverdictatedawordtoyouinmylife。"
　　"Gertrudeknowsyoudid,"exclaimedJane,appalled,andalmostintears。
　　"There,"saidAgatha,pettingherasifshewereavastbaby。"Itshallnotbeexpelled,soitshan't。HaveyouseentheRecordingAngellately,eitherofyou？"
　　"Notsinceourlastentry,"saidGertrude。
　　"Chips,"saidAgatha,callingtotheflaxen—hairedchild,"goupstairstoNo。6,and,ifMissWilsonisn'tthere,fetchmetheRecordingAngel。"
　　Thelittlegirlgrumbledinarticulatelyanddidnotstir。
　　"Chips,"resumedAgatha,"didyoueverwishthatyouhadneverbeenborn？"
　　"Whydon'tyougoyourself？"saidthechildpettishly,butevidentlyalarmed。
　　"Because,"continuedAgatha,ignoringthequestion,"youshallwishyourselfdeadandburiedundertheblackestflaginthecoalcellarifyoudon'tbringmethebookbeforeIcountsixteen。
　　One——two——"
　　"Goatonceanddoasyouaretold,youdisagreeablelittlething,"saidGertrudesharply。"Howdareyoubesodisobliging？"
　　"——nine——ten——eleven——"pursuedAgatha。
　　Thechildquailed,wentout,andpresentlyreturned,huggingtheRecordingAngelinherarms。
　　"Youareagoodlittledarling——whenyourbetterqualitiesarebroughtoutbyajudiciousapplicationofmoralforce,"saidAgatha,good—humoredly。"Remindmetosavetheraisinsoutofmypuddingforyouto—morrow。Now,Jane,youshallseetheentryforwhichthebest—heartedgirlinthecollegeistobeexpelled。
　　Voila！"
　　Thetwogirlsreadandwereawestruck;Janeopeninghermouthandgasping,Gertrudeclosinghersandlookingveryserious。
　　"DoyoumeantosaythatyouhadthedreadfulcheektolettheLadyAbbessseethat？"saidJane。
　　"Pooh！shewouldhaveforgiventhat。YoushouldhaveheardwhatI
　　saidtoher！Shefaintedthreetimes。"
　　"That'sastory,"saidGertrudegravely。
　　"Ibegyourpardon,"saidAgatha,swiftlygraspingGertrude'sknee。
　　"Nothing,"criedGertrude,flinchinghysterically。"Don't,Agatha。"
　　"HowmanytimesdidMissWilsonfaint？"
　　"Threetimes。Iwillscream,Agatha;Iwillindeed。"
　　"Threetimes,asyousay。AndIwonderthatagirlbroughtupasyouhavebeen,bymoralforce,shouldbecapableofrepeatingsuchafalsehood。Butwehadanawfulrow,reallyandtruly。Shelosthertemper。Fortunately,Ineverlosemine。"
　　"Well,I'mbrowed！"exclaimedJaneincredulously。"Ilikethat。"
　　"Foragirlofcountyfamily,youareinexcusablyvulgar,Jane。I
　　don'tknowwhatIsaid;butshewillneverforgivemeforprofaningherpetbook。IshallbeexpelledascertainlyasIamsittinghere。"
　　"Anddoyoumeantosaythatyouaregoingaway？"saidJane,falteringasshebegantorealizetheconsequences。
　　"Ido。AndwhatistobecomeofyouwhenIamnotheretogetyououtofyourscrapes,orofGertrudewithoutmetocheckherinveteratesnobbishness,ismorethanIcanforesee。"
　　"Iamnotsnobbish,"saidGertrude,"althoughIdonotchoosetomakefriendswitheveryone。ButIneverobjectedtoyou,Agatha。"
　　"No;Ishouldliketocatchyouatit。Hallo,Jane！"（whohadsuddenlyburstintotears）:"what'sthematter？Itrustyouarenotpermittingyourselftotakethelibertyofcryingforme。"
　　"Indeed,"sobbedJaneindignantly,"IknowthatIamaf——foolformypains。Youhavenoheart。"
　　"Youcertainlyareaf——fool,asyouaptlyexpressit,"saidAgatha,passingherarmroundJane,anddisregardinganangryattempttoshakeitoff;"butifIhadanyheartitwouldbetouchedbythisproofofyourattachment。"
　　"Ineversaidyouhadnoheart,"protestedJane;"butIhatewhenyouspeaklikeabook。"
　　"YouhatewhenIspeaklikeabook,doyou？Mydear,sillyoldJane！Ishallmissyougreatly。"
　　"Yes,Idaresay,"saidJane,withtearfulsarcasm。"Atleastmysnoringwillneverkeepyouawakeagain。"
　　"Youdon'tsnore,Jane。Wehavebeeninaconspiracytomakeyoubelievethatyoudo,that'sall。Isn'titgoodofmetotellyou？"
　　Janewasovercomebythisrevelation。Afteralongpause,shesaidwithdeepconviction,"IalwaysknewthatIdidn't。Oh,thewayyoukeptitup！IsolemnlydeclarethatfromthistimeforthIwillbelievenobody。"
　　"Well,andwhatdoyouthinkofitall？"saidAgatha,transferringherattentiontoGertrude,whowasverygrave。
　　"Ithink——Iamnowspeakingseriously,Agatha——Ithinkyouareinthewrong。"
　　"Whydoyouthinkthat,pray？"demandedAgatha,alittleroused。
　　"Youmustbe,orMissWilsonwouldnotbeangrywithyou。Ofcourse,accordingtoyourownaccount,youarealwaysintheright,andeveryoneelseisalwayswrong;butyoushouldn'thavewrittenthatinthebook。YouknowIspeakasyourfriend。"
　　"Andpraywhatdoesyourwretchedlittlesoulknowofmymotivesandfeelings？"
　　"Itiseasyenoughtounderstandyou,"retortedGertrude,nettled。"Self—conceitisnotsouncommonthatoneneedbeatalosstorecognizeit。Andmind,AgathaWylie,"shecontinued,asifgoadedbysomeunbearablereminiscence,"ifyouarereallygoing,Idon'tcarewhetherwepartfriendsornot。Ihavenotforgottenthedaywhenyoucalledmeaspitefulcat。"
　　"Ihaverepented,"saidAgatha,unmoved。"OnedayIsatdownandwatchedBacchusseatedonthehearthrug,withhismoonyeyeslookingintospacesothoughtfullyandpatientlythatI
　　apologizedforcomparingyoutohim。IfIweretocallhimaspitefulcathewouldonlynotbelieveme。"
　　"Becauseheisacat,"saidJane,withthegigglewhichwasseldomfarbehindhertears。
　　"No;butbecauseheisnotspiteful。Gertrudekeepsarecordingangelinsideherlittlehead,anditissofullofotherpeople'sfaults,writteninlargehandandreadthroughamagnifyingglass,thatthereisnoroomtoenterherown。"
　　"Youareverypoetic,"saidGertrude;"butIunderstandwhatyoumean,andshallnotforgetit。"
　　"Youungratefulwretch,"exclaimedAgatha,turninguponhersosuddenlyandimperiouslythatsheinvoluntarilyshrankaside:
　　"howoften,whenyouhavetriedtobeinsolentandfalsewithme,haveInotdrivenawayyourbadangel——byticklingyou？Hadyouafriendinthecollege,excepthalf—a—dozentoadies,untilIcame？
　　Andnow,becauseIhavesometimes,foryourowngood,shownyouyourfaults,youbearmaliceagainstme,andsaythatyoudon'tcarewhetherwepartfriendsornot！"
　　"Ididn'tsayso。"
　　"Oh,Gertrude,youknowyoudid,"saidJane。
　　"YouseemtothinkthatIhavenoconscience,"saidGertrudequerulously。
　　"Iwishyouhadn't,"saidAgatha。"Lookatme！Ihavenoconscience,andseehowmuchpleasanterIam！"
　　"Youcarefornoonebutyourself,"saidGertrude。"Youneverthinkthatotherpeoplehavefeelingstoo。Nooneeverconsidersme。"
　　"Oh,Iliketohearyoutalk,"criedJaneironically。"Youareconsideredagreatdealmorethanisgoodforyou;andthemoreyouareconsideredthemoreyouwanttobeconsidered。"
　　"Asif,"declaimedAgathatheatrically,"increaseofappetitedidgrowbywhatitfedon。Shakespeare！"
　　"BotherShakespeare,"saidJane,impetuously,"——oldfoolthatexpectscreditforsayingthingsthateverybodyknows！Butifyoucomplainofnotbeingconsidered,Gertrude,howwouldyouliketobeme,whomeverybodysetsdownasafool？ButIamnotsuchafoolas——"
　　"Asyoulook,"interposedAgatha。"Ihavetoldyousoscoresoftimes,Jane;andIamgladthatyouhaveadoptedmyopinionatlast。Whichwouldyouratherbe,agreaterfoolthany——"
　　"Oh,shutup,"saidJane,impatiently;"youhaveaskedmethattwicethisweekalready。"
　　Thethreeweresilentforsomesecondsafterthis:Agathameditating,Gertrudemoody,Janevacantandrestless。AtlastAgathasaid:
　　"Andareyoutwoalsosmartingunderasenseoftheinconsideratenessandselfishnessoftherestoftheworld——bothmisunderstood——everythingexpectedfromyou,andnoallowancesmadeforyou？"
　　"Idon'tknowwhatyoumeanbybothofus,"saidGertrudecoldly。
　　"NeitherdoI,"saidJaneangrily。"Thatisjustthewaypeopletreatme。Youmaylaugh,Agatha;andshemayturnuphernoseasmuchasshelikes;youknowit'strue。ButtheideaofGertrudewantingtomakeoutthatsheisn'tconsideredisnothingbutsentimentality,andvanity,andnonsense。"
　　"Youareexceedinglyrude,MissCarpenter,"saidGertrude。
　　"Mymannersareasgoodasyours,andperhapsbetter,"retortedJane。"Myfamilyisasgood,anyhow。"
　　"Children,children,"saidAgatha,admonitorily,"donotforgetthatyouareswornfriends。"
　　"Wedidn'tswear,"saidJane。"Weweretohavebeenthreeswornfriends,andGertrudeandIwerewilling,butyouwouldn'tswear,andsothebargainwascriedoff。"
　　"Justso,"saidAgatha;"andtheresultisthatIspendallmytimeinkeepingpeacebetweenyou。Andnow,togobacktooursubject,mayIaskwhetherithaseveroccurredtoyouthatnooneeverconsidersme？"
　　"Isupposeyouthinkthatveryfunny。Youtakegoodcaretomakeyourselfconsidered,"sneeredJane。
　　"YoucannotsaythatIdonotconsideryou,"saidGertrudereproachfully。
　　"NotwhenItickleyou,dear。"
　　"Iconsideryou,andIamnotticklesome,"saidJanetenderly。
　　"Indeed！Letmetry,"saidAgatha,slippingherarmaboutJane'samplewaist,andelicitingapiercingcombinationoflaughandscreamfromher。
　　"Sh——sh,"whisperedGertrudequickly。"Don'tyouseetheLadyAbbess？"
　　MissWilsonhadjustenteredtheroom。Agatha,withoutappearingtobeawareofherpresence,stealthilywithdrewherarm,andsaidaloud:
　　"Howcanyoumakesuchanoise,Jane？Youwilldisturbthewholehouse。"
　　Janereddenedwithindignation,buthadtoremainsilent,fortheeyesoftheprincipalwereuponher。MissWilsonhadherbonneton。SheannouncedthatshewasgoingtowalktoLyvern,thenearestvillage。Didanyofthesixthformyoungladieswishtoaccompanyher？
　　Agathajumpedfromherseatatonce,andJanesmotheredalaugh。
　　"MissWilsonsaidthesixthform,MissWylie,"saidMissWard,whohadenteredalso。"Youarenotinthesixthform。"
　　"No,"saidAgathasweetly,"butIwanttogo,ifImay。"
　　MissWilsonlookedround。Thesixthformconsistedoffourstudiousyoungladies,whosegoalinlifeforthepresentwasanexaminationbyoneoftheUniversities,or,asthecollegephrasewas,"theCambridgeLocal。"Noneofthemresponded。
　　"Fifthform,then,"saidMissWilson。
　　Jane,Gertrude,andfourothersroseandstoodwithAgatha。
　　"Verywell,"saidMissWilson。"Donotbelongdressing。"
　　Theylefttheroomquietly,anddashedatthestaircasethemomenttheywereoutofsight。Agatha,thoughvoidofemulationfortheCambridgeLocal,alwayscompetedwithardorforthehonorofbeingfirstupordownstairs。
　　Theysoonreturned,cladforwalking,andleftthecollegeinprocession,twobytwo,JaneandAgathaleading,GertrudeandMissWilsoncominglast。TheroadtoLyvernlaythroughacresofpastureland,formerlyarable,nowabandonedtocattle,whichmademoremoneyforthelandlordthanthemenwhomtheyhaddisplaced。MissWilson'syoungladies,beinginstructedineconomics,knewthatthisprovedthatthelandwasbeingusedtoproducewhatwasmostwantedfromit;andifalltheadvantagewenttothelandlord,thatwasbutnatural,ashewasthechiefgentlemanintheneighborhood。Stillthearrangementhaditsdisagreeableside;foritinvolvedagreatmanycows,whichmadethemafraidtocrossthefields;agreatmanytramps,whomadethemafraidtowalktheroads;andascarcityofgentlemensubjectsforthemaidenartoffascination。
　　Theskywascloudy。Agatha,recklessofdustystockings,wadedthroughtheheapsoffallenleaveswiththedelightofachildpaddlinginthesea;Gertrudepickedherstepscarefully,andtheresttrampedalong,chattingsubduedly,occasionallymakingsomescientificorphilosophicalremarkinaloudertone,inorderthatMissWilsonmightoverhearandgivethemduecredit。Saveaherdsman,whoseemedtohavecaughtsomethingofthenatureandexpressionofthebeastshetended,theymetnooneuntiltheyapproachedthevillage,where,onthebrowofanacclivity,masculinehumanityappearedintheshapeoftwocurates:onetall,thin,close—shaven,withabookunderhisarm,andhisneckcranedforward;theothermiddle—sized,robust,upright,andaggressive,withshortblackwhiskers,andanairofprotestagainstsuchnotionsasthataclergymanmaynotmarry,hunt,playcricket,orsharethesportsofhonestlaymen。TheshavenonewasMr。Josephs,hiscompanionMr。Fairholme。ObviousscripturalperversionsofthisbraceofnameshadbeenintroducedbyAgatha。
　　"HerecomePharaohandJoseph,"shesaidtoJane。"Josephwillblushwhenyoulookathim。Pharaohwon'tblushuntilhepassesGertrude,soweshalllosethat。"
　　"Josephs,indeed！"saidJanescornfully。
　　"Helovesyou,Jane。Thinpersonslikeafinearmfulofawoman。
　　Pharaoh,whoisacad,likesbluebloodonthesameprincipleoftheattractionofopposites。ThatiswhyheiscaptivatedbyGertrude'saristocraticair。"
　　"Ifheonlyknewhowshedespiseshim！"
　　"Heistoovaintosuspectit。Besides,Gertrudedespiseseveryone,evenus。Or,rather,shedoesn'tdespiseanyoneinparticular,butiscontemptuousbynature,justasyouarestout。"
　　"Me！Ihadratherbestoutthanstuck—up。Oughtwetobow？"
　　"Iwill,certainly。IwanttomakePharoahblush,ifIcan。"
　　Thetwoparsonshadbeensimulatinganinterestinthecloudyfirmamentasanexcusefornotlookingatthegirlsuntilcloseathand。JanesentaneyeflashatJosephswithaskillwhichprovedherfavoriteassertionthatshewasnotsostupidaspeoplethought。Heblushedandtookoffhissoft,low—crownedfelthat。Fairholmesalutedverysolemnly,forAgathabowedtohimwithmarkedseriousness。Butwhenhisgravityandhisstiffsilkhatwereattheirhighestpointshedartedamockingsmileathim,andhetooblushed,allthedeeperbecausehewasenragedwithhimselffordoingso。
　　"Didyoueverseesuchapairoffools？"whisperedJane,giggling。
　　"Theycannothelptheirsex。Theysaywomenarefools,andsotheyare;butthankHeaventheyarenotquitesobadasmen！I
　　shouldliketolookbackandseePharaohpassingGertrude;butifhesawmehewouldthinkIwasadmiringhim;andheisconceitedenoughalreadywithoutthat。"
　　Thetwocuratesbecameredderandredderastheypassedthecolumnofyoungladies。MissLindsaywouldnotlooktotheirsideoftheroad,andMissWilson'snodandsmilewerenotquitesincere。Sheneverspoketocurates,andkeptupnomoreintercoursewiththevicarthanshecouldnotavoid。Hesuspectedherofbeinganinfidel,thoughneitherhenoranyothermortalinLyvernhadeverheardawordfromheronthesubjectofherreligiousopinions。Butheknewthat"moralscience"wastaughtsecularlyatthecollege;andhefeltthatwheremoralsweremadeadepartmentofsciencethedemandforreligionmustfalloffproportionately。
　　"Whatalifetoleadandwhataplacetolivein！"exclaimedAgatha。"Wemeettwocreatures,morelikesuitsofblackthanmen;andthatisanincident——astartlingincident——inourexistence！"
　　"Ithinkthey'reawfulfun,"saidJane,"exceptthatJosephshassuchlargeears。"
　　Thegirlsnowcametoaplacewheretheroaddippedthroughaplantationofsombresycamoreandhorsechestnuttrees。Astheypasseddownintoit,alittlewindsprangup,thefallenleavesstirred,andthebranchesheavedalong,rustlingsigh。
　　"Ihatethisbitofroad,"saidJane,hurryingon。"It'sjustthesortofplacethatpeoplegetrobbedandmurderedin。"
　　"Itisnotsuchabadplacetoshelterinifwegetcaughtintherain,asIexpectweshallbeforewegetback,"saidAgatha,feelingthefitfulbreezestrikeominouslyonhercheek。"AnicepickleIshallbeinwiththeselightshoeson！IwishIhadputonmystrongboots。IfitrainsmuchIwillgointotheoldchalet。"
　　"MissWilsonwon'tletyou。It'strespassing。"
　　"Whatmatter！Nobodylivesinit,andthegateisoffitshinges。
　　Ionlywanttostandundertheveranda——nottobreakintothewretchedplace。Besides,thelandlordknowsMissWilson;hewon'tmind。There'sadrop。"
　　MissCarpenterlookedup,andimmediatelyreceivedaheavyraindropinhereye。
　　"Oh！"shecried。"It'spouring。Weshallbedrenched。"
　　Agathastopped,andthecolumnbrokeintoagroupabouther。
　　"MissWilson,"shesaid,"itisgoingtorainintorrents,andJaneandIhaveonlyourshoeson。"
　　MissWilsonpausedtoconsiderthesituation。SomeonesuggestedthatiftheyhurriedontheymightreachLyvernbeforetheraincamedown。
　　"Morethanamile,"saidAgathascornfully,"andtheraincomingdownalready！"
　　Someoneelsesuggestedreturningtothecollege。