Theresultisthatthetradesmenarebecomingbetterartiststhanthey,andnaturallyso;forwhere,asinphotography,thedrawingcountsfornothing,thethoughtandjudgmentcountforeverything;whereasintheetchinganddaubingprocesses,wheregreatmanualskillisneededtoproduceanythingthattheeyecanendure,theexecutioncountsformorethanthethought,andifafellowonlyfittocarrybricksupaladderorthelikehasambitionandperseveranceenoughtotrainhishandandpushintothevan,youcannotaffordtoputhimbackintohisproperplace,becausethoroughlytrainedhandsaresoscarce。Considertheproofofthisthatyouhaveinliterature。Ourbooksaremanuallytheworkofprintersandpapermakers;youmaycutanauthor'shandoffandheisasgoodanauthorasbefore。Whatistheresult？Thereismoreimaginationinanynumberofapennyjournalthaninhalf—a—dozenoftheRoyalAcademyroomsintheseason。Noauthorcanlivebyhisworkandbeasempty—headedasanaveragesuccessfulpainter。Again,considerourimplementsofmusic——ourpianofortes,forexample。Nobodybutanacrobatwillvoluntarilyspendyearsatsuchadifficultmechanicalpuzzleasthekeyboard,andsowehavetotakeourimpressionsofBeethoven'ssonatasfromacrobatswhoviewitheachotherintherapidityoftheirprestos,orthestayingpoweroftheirleftwrists。Thoughtfulmenwillnotspendtheirlivesacquiringsleight—of—hand。Inventapianowhichwillrespondasdelicatelytotheturningofahandleasourpresentonesdotothepressureofthefingers,andtheacrobatswillbedrivenbacktotheircarpetsandtrapezes,becausethesolefacultynecessarytotheexecutantmusicianwillbethemusicalfaculty,andnootherwillenablehimtoobtainahearing。"
Thecompanyweresomewhatovercomebythisunexpectedlecture。
SirCharles,feelingthatsuchviewsboreadverselyonhim,andweresomehowiconoclasticandlow—lived,wasabouttomakeapeevishretort,whenErskineforestalledhimbyaskingTrefusiswhatideahehadformedofthefutureofthearts。Herepliedpromptly。"Photographyperfectedinitsrecentlydiscoveredpowerofreproducingcoloraswellasform！Historicalpicturesreplacedbyphotographsoftableauxvivantsformedandarrangedbytrainedactorsandartists,andusedchieflyfortheinstructionofchildren。Nine—tenthsofpaintingasweunderstanditatpresentextinguishedbythecompetitionofthesephotographs,andtheremainingtenthonlyholdingitsownagainstthembydintofextraordinaryexcellence！Ourmistunedandunplayableorgansandpianofortesreplacedbyharmoniousinstruments,asmanageableasbarrelorgans！Worksoffictionsupersededbyinterestingcompanyandconversation,andmadeobsoletebythehumanmindoutgrowingthechildishnessthatdelightsinthetalestoldbygrownupchildrensuchasnovelistsandtheirlike！Anendtothesillyconfusion,undertheonenameofArt,ofthetomfooleryandmake—believeofourplay—hourswiththehighermethodsofteachingmentoknowthemselves！Everyartistanamateur,andaconsequentreturntothehealthyolddispositiontolookoneverymanwhomakesartameansofmoney—gettingasavagabondnottobeentertainedasanequalbyhonestmen！"
"Inwhichcaseartistswillstarve,andtherewillbenomoreart。"
"Sir,"saidTrefusis,excitedbytheword,"I,asaSocialist,cantellyouthatstarvationisnowimpossible,exceptwhere,asinEngland,masterlessmenareforciblypreventedfromproducingthefoodtheyneed。Andyou,asanartist,cantellmethatatpresentgreatartistsinvariablydostarve,exceptwhentheyarekeptalivebycharity,privatefortune,orsomedrudgerywhichhinderstheminthepursuitoftheirvocation。"
"Oh！"saidErskine。"ThenSocialistshavesomelittlesympathywithartistsafterall。"
"Ifear,"saidTrefusis,repressinghimselfandspeakingquietlyagain,"thatwhenaSocialisthearsofahundredpoundspaidforadrawingwhichAndreadelSartowasgladtosellfortenpence,hisheartisnotwrungwithpityfortheartist'simaginarylossasthatofamoderncapitalistis。Yetthatistheonlywaynowadaysofenlistingsympathyfortheoldmasters。Frightfuldisability,tobeoutofthereachofthedearestmarketwhenyouwanttosellyourdrawings！But,"headded,givinghimselfashake,andturningroundgaily,"Ididnotcomeheretotalkshop。So——pendingthedeluge——letusenjoyourselvesafterourmanner。"
"No,"saidJane。"PleasegoonaboutArt。It'ssucharelieftohearanyonetalkingsensiblyaboutit。Ihateetching。Itmakesyoureyessore——atleasttheacidgetsintoSirCharles's,andthedifferencebetweenthefirstandsecondstatesisnothingbutimagination,exceptthatthelaststateisworsethanthe——here'sluncheon！"
Theywentdownstairsthen。TrefusissatbetweenAgathaandLadyBrandon,towhomheaddressedallhisconversation。Theychattedwithoutmuchinterruptionfromthebusinessofthetable;forJane,despiteheramplitude,hadasmallappetite,andwasfearfulofgrowingfat;whilstTrefusiswassystematicallyabstemious。SirCharleswasunusuallysilent。Hewasafraidtotalkaboutart,lestheshouldbecontradictedbyTrefusis,who,healreadyfelt,caredlessandperhapsknewmoreaboutitthanhe。HavingpreviouslycommentedtoAgathaonthebeautyoftheripeningspring,andinquiredwhetherherjourneyhadfatiguedher,hehadsaidasmuchashecouldthinkofatafirstmeeting。
Forherpart,shewasintentonTrefusis,who,thoughhemustknow,shethought,thattheywereallhostiletohimexceptJane,seemedasconfidentnowaswhenhehadbefooledherlongago。
Thatthoughtsetherteethonedge。Shedidnotdoubtthesincerityofherantipathytohimevenwhenshedetectedherselfintheactofprotestinginwardlythatshewasnotgladtomeethimagain,andthatshewouldnotspeaktohim。Gertrude,meanwhile,wasgivingshortanswerstoErskineandlisteningtoTrefusis。ShehadgatheredfromthedomesticsquabblesofthelastfewdaysthatLadyBrandon,againstherhusband'swill,hadinvitedanotoriousdemagogue,therichsonofasuccessfulcotton—spinner,tovisittheBeeches。Shehadmadeuphermindtosnubanysuchman。Butonrecognizingthelong—forgottenSmilash,shehadbeenastonished,andhadnotknownwhattodo。So,toavoiddoinganythingimproper,shehadstoodstillysilentanddonenothing,asthecustomofEnglishladiesinsuchcasesis。
Subsequently,hisunconsciousself—assertionhadwroughtwithheraswiththeothers,andherintentionofsnubbinghimhadfadedintothelimboofprojectsabandonedwithouttrial。Erskinealonewasfreefromtheinfluenceoftheintruder。Hewishedhimselfelsewhere;butbesideGertrudethepresenceorabsenceofanyotherpersontroubledhimverylittle。
"HowaretheJanseniuses？"saidTrefusis,suddenlyturningtoAgatha。
"Theyarequitewell,thankyou,"shesaidinmeasuredtones。
"ImetJohnJanseniusinthecitylately。YouknowJansenius？"headdedparentheticallytoSirCharles。"Cotman'sbank——thelastCotmandiedoutofthefirmbeforewewereborn。TheChairmanoftheTranscanadianRailwayCompany。"
"Iknowthename。Iamseldominthecity。"
"Naturally,"assentedTrefusis;"forwhowouldsaddenhimselfbypushinghiswaythroughacrowdofsuchslaves,ifhecouldhelpit？ImeanslavesofMammon,ofcourse。TorunthegauntletoftheirfacesinCornhillisenoughtodiscourageathoughtfulmanforhours。Well,Jansenius,beinghighinthecourtofMammon,islookingoutforagoodpostinthehouseholdforhisson。
Jansenius,by—the—byeisMissWylie'sguardianandthefatherofmylatewife。"
Agathafeltinclinedtodenythis;but,asitwastrue,shehadtoforbear。ResolvedtoshowthattherelationsbetweenherfamilyandTrefusiswerenotcordialones,sheaskeddeliberately,"DidMr。Janseniusspeaktoyou？"
Gertrudelookedup,asifshethoughtthisscarcelyladylike。
"Yes,"saidTrefusis。"Wearethebestfriendsintheworld——asgoodaspossible,atanyrate。HewantedmetosubscribetoafundforrelievingthepoorattheeastendofLondonbyassistingthemtoemigrate。"
"Ipresumeyousubscribedliberally,"saidErskine。"Itwasanopportunityofdoingsomepracticalgood。"
"Ididnot,"saidTrefusis,grinningatthesarcasm。"ThisTranscanadianRailwayCompany,havinggotagreatdealofsparelandfromtheCanadiangovernmentfornothing,thoughtitwouldbeagoodideatosettleBritishworkmenonitandscrewrentoutofthem。PlentyofBritishworkmen,supplantedintheiremploymentbymachinery,orcheapforeignlabor,oronethingoranother,werequitewillingtogo;butastheycouldn'taffordtopaytheirpassagestoCanada,theCompanyappealedtothebenevolenttopayforthembysubscription,asthechangewouldimprovetheirmiserablecondition。IdidnotseewhyIshouldpaytoprovidearichcompanywithtenantfarmers,andItoldJanseniusso。Heremarkedthatwhenmoneyandnottalkwasrequired,theworkmenofEnglandsoonfoundoutwhoweretheirrealfriends。"
"Iknownothingaboutthesequestions,"saidSirCharles,withanairofconclusiveness;"butIseenoobjectiontoemigration"Thefactis,"saidTrefusis,"theideaofemigrationisadangerousoneforus。Familiarizetheworkmanwithit,andsomedayhemaycometoseewhatacapitalthingitwouldbetopackoffme,andyou,withthepeerage,andthewholetribeofunprofitableproprietorssuchasweare,toSt。Helena;makingusahandsomepresentoftheislandbywayofindemnity！Wearesucharestless,unhappylot,thatIdoubtwhetheritwouldnotproveagoodthingforustoo。Theworkmenwouldlosenothingbutthecontemplationofourelegantpersons,exquisitemanners,andrefinedtastes。Theymightprovideagainstthatlossbypickingoutafewofustokeepforornament'ssake。NonationwithasenseofbeautywouldbanishLadyBrandon,orMissLindsay,orMissWylie。"
"Suchnonsense！"saidJane。
"YouwouldhardlybelievehowmuchIhavespentinsendingworkmenoutofthecountryagainstmyownviewofthecountry'sinterest,"continuedTrefusis,addressingErskine。"WhenImakeaconvertamongtheworkingclasses,thefirstthinghedoesistomakeaspeechsomewheredeclaringhisnewconvictions。Hisemployerimmediatelydischargeshim——'giveshimthesack'isthetechnicalphrase。Thesackistheswordofthecapitalist,andhungerkeepsitsharpforhim。Hisshieldisthelaw,madeforthepurposebyhisownclass。Thusequipped,hegivestheworstofittomypoorconvert,whocomesruinedtomeforassistance。
AsIcannotaffordtopensionhimforlife,Igetridofhimbyassistinghimtoemigrate。Sometimesheprospersandrepaysme;
sometimesIhearnomoreofhim;sometimeshecomesbackwithhishabitsunsettled。OnemanwhomIsenttoAmericamadehisfortune,buthewasnotasocialdemocrat;hewasaclerkwhohadembezzled,andwhoappliedtomeforassistanceundertheimpressionthatIconsidereditrathermeritorioustorobthetillofacapitalist。"
"HewasapracticalSocialist,infact,"saidErskine。
"Onthecontrary,hewasasomewhattoograspingIndividualist。
Howbeit,Ienabledhimtomakegoodhisdefalcation——inthecitytheyconsideradefalcationmadegoodwhenthemoneyisreplaced——andtogotoNewYork。Irecommendedhimnottogothere;butheknewbetterthanI,forhemadeafortunebyspeculatingwithmoneythatexistedonlyintheimaginationofthosewithwhomhedealt。Heneverrepaidme;heisprobablyfartoogoodamanofbusinesstopaymoneythatcannotbeextractedfromhimbyanappealtothelawortohiscommercialcredit。Mr。
Erskine,"addedTrefusis,loweringhisvoice,andturningtothepoet,"youarewrongtotakepartwithhuckstersandmoney—huntersagainstyourownnature,eventhoughtheattackuponthemisledbyamanwhoprefersphotographytoetching。"
"ButIassureyou——Youquitemistakeme,"saidErskine,takenaback。"I——"
Hestopped,lookedtoSirCharlesforsupport,andthensaidairily:"Idon'tdoubtthatyouarequiteright。Ihatebusinessandmenofbusiness;andastosocialquestions,Ihaveonlyonearticleofbelief,whichis,thatthesolerefinerofhumannatureisfineart。"
"WhereasIbelievethatthesolerefinerofartishumannature。
Artriseswhenmenrise,andgrovelswhenmengrovel。Whatisyouropinion？"
"Iagreewithyouinmanyways,"repliedSirCharlesnervously;
foralackofinterestinhisfellow—creatures,andanexcessofinterestinhimself,hadpreventedhimfromobtainingthatpowerofdealingwithsocialquestionswhich,hefelt,abaronetoughttopossess,andhewasconsequentlyafraidtodifferfromanyonewhoalludedtothemwithconfidence。"Ifyoutakeaninterestinart,IbelieveIcanshowyouafewthingsworthseeing。"
"Thankyou。InreturnIwillsomedayshowyouaremarkablecollectionofphotographsIpossess;manyofthemtakenbyme。I
venturetothinktheywillteachyousomething。"
"Nodoubt,"saidSirCharles。"Shallwereturntothegallery？I
haveafewtreasurestherethatphotographyisnotlikelytosurpassforsometimeyet。"
"Let'sgothroughtheconservatory,"saidJane。"Don'tyoulikeflowers,Mr。Smi——Inevercanrememberyourpropername。"
"Extremely,"saidTrefusis。
Theyroseandwentoutintoalonghothouse。HereLadyBrandon,findingErskineatherside,andSirCharlesbeforeherwithGertrude,lookedroundforTrefusis,withwhomsheintendedtoenjoyatriflingflirtationundercoverofshowinghimtheflowers。Hewasoutofsight;butsheheardhisfootstepsinthepassageontheoppositesideofthegreenhouse。Agathawasalsoinvisible。Jane,notdaringtorearrangetheirprocessionlestherdesignshouldbecomeobvious,hadtowalkonwithErskine。
Agathahadturnedunintentionallyintotheoppositealleytothatwhichtheothershadchosen。Whenshesawwhatshehaddone,andfoundherselfvirtuallyalonewithTrefusis,whohadfollowedher,sheblamedhimforit,andwasabouttoretraceherstepswhenhesaidcoolly:
"WereyoushockedwhenyouheardofHenrietta'ssuddendeath？"
Agathastruggledwithherselfforamoment,andthensaidinasuppressedvoice:"Howdareyouspeaktome？"
"Whynot？"saidhe,astonished。
"Iamnotgoingtoenterintoadiscussionwithyou。YouknowwhatImeanverywell。"
"Youmeanthatyouareoffendedwithme;thatisplainenough。
ButwhenIpartwithayoungladyongoodterms,andafteralapseofyears,duringwhichweneithermeetnorcorrespond,sheasksmehowIdarespeaktoher,Iamnaturallystartled。"
"Wedidnotpartongoodterms。"
Trefusisstretchedhiseyebrows,asiftostretchhismemory。"Ifnot,"hesaid,"Ihaveforgottenit,onmyhonor。Whendidwepart,andwhathappened？Itcannothavebeenanythingveryserious,orIshouldrememberit。"
HisforgetfulnesswoundedAgatha。"Nodoubtyouarewellaccustomedto——"Shecheckedherself,andmadeasuccessfulsnatchathernormalmannerwithgentlemen。"Iscarcelyrememberwhatitwas,nowthatIbegintothink。Sometrifle,Isuppose。
Doyoulikeorchids？"
"Theyhavenothingtodowithouraffairsatpresent。Youarenotinearnestabouttheorchids,andyouaretryingtorunawayfromamistakeinsteadofclearingitup。Thatisashort—sightedpolicy,always。"
Agathagrewalarmed,forshefelthisoldinfluenceoverherreturning。"Idonotwishtospeakofit,"shesaidfirmly。
Herfirmnesswaslostonhim。"Idonotevenknowwhatitmeansyet,"hesaid,"andIwanttoknow,forIbelievethereissomemisunderstandingbetweenus,anditisthetrickofyoursextoperpetuatemisunderstandingsbyforbiddingallallusionstothem。
Perhaps,leavingLyvernsohastily,Iforgottofulfilsomepromise,ortosayfarewell,orsomethingofthatsort。ButdoyouknowhowsuddenlyIwascalledaway？IgotatelegramtosaythatHenriettawasdying,andIhadonlytimetochangemyclothes——youremembermydisguise——andcatchtheexpress。And,afterall,shewasdeadwhenIarrived。"
"Iknowthat,"saidAgathauneasily。"Pleasesaynomoreaboutit。"
"Notifitdistressesyou。JustletmehopethatyoudidnotsupposeIblamedyouforyourshareinthematterorthatItoldtheJanseniusesofit。Ididnot。Yes,Ilikeorchids。Aplantthatcansubsistonascrapofboardisaninstanceofnaturalecon——"
"YOUblameME！"criedAgatha。"_I_nevertoldtheJanseniuses。
WhatwouldtheyhavethoughtofyouifIhad？"
"Farworseofyouthanofme,howeverunjustly。Youweretheimmediatecauseofthetragedy;Ionlytheremoteone。Janseniusisnotfar—seeingwhenhisfeelingsaretouched。Fewmenare。"
"Idon'tunderstandyouintheleast。Whattragedydoyoumean？"
"Henrietta'sdeath。Icallitatragedyconventionally。
Seriously,ofcourse,itwascommonplaceenough。"
Agathastoppedandfacedhim。"Whatdoyoumeanbywhatyousaidjustnow？YousaidthatIwastheimmediatecauseofthetragedy,andyousaythatyouweretalkingofHenrietta's——ofHenrietta。I
hadnothingtodowithherillness。"
Trefusislookedatherasifconsideringwhetherhewouldgoanyfurther。Then,watchingherwiththecuriosityofavivisector,hesaid:"Strangetosay,Agatha,"（sheshrankproudlyattheword）,"Henriettamighthavebeenalivenowbutforyou。Iamverygladsheisnot;soyouneednotreproachyourselfonmyaccount。ShediedofajourneyshemadetoLyverningreatexcitementanddistress,andinintenselycoldweather。Youcausedhertomakethatjourneybywritingheraletterwhichmadeherjealous。"
"Doyoumeantoaccuseme——"
"No;stop！"hesaidhastily,thevivisectingspiritinhimexorcisedbyhershakingvoice;"Iaccuseyouofnothing。Whydoyounotspeakhonestlytomewhenyouareatyourease？Ifyouconfessyourrealthoughtsonlyundertorture,whocanresistthetemptationtotortureyou？Onemustchargeyouwithhomicidetomakeyouspeakofanythingbutorchids。"
ButAgathahaddrawnthenewinferencefromtheoldfacts,andwouldnotbetalkedoutofrepudiatingit。"Itwasnotmyfault,"
shesaid。"Itwasyours——altogetheryours。"
"Altogether,"heassented,relievedtofindherindignantinsteadofremorseful。
Shewasnottobesoothedbyaverbalacquiescence。"Yourbehaviorwasmostunmanly,andItoldyouso,andyoucouldnotdenyit。Youpretendedthatyou——Youpretendedtohavefeelings——YoutriedtomakemebelievethatOh,Iamafooltotalktoyou;youknowperfectlywellwhatImean。"
"Perfectly。ItriedtomakeyoubelievethatIwasinlovewithyou。HowdoyouknowIwasnot？"
Shedisdainedtoanswer;butashewaitedcalmlyshesaid,"Youhadnorighttobe。"
"ThatdoesnotprovethatIwasnot。Come,Agatha,youpretendedtolikemewhenyoudidnotcaretwostrawsaboutme。Youconfessedasmuchinthatfatalletter,whichIhavesomewhereathome。Ithasagreatrentrightacrossit,andthemarkofherheel;shemusthavestampedonitinherrage,poorgirl！SothatIcanshowyourownhandfortheverydeceptionyouaccusedme——withoutproof——ofhavingpracticedonyou。"
"Youareclever,andcantwistthings。Whatpleasuredoesitgiveyoutomakememiserable？"
"Ha！"heexclaimed,inanabrupt,sardoniclaugh。"Idon'tknow;
youbewitchme,Ithink。"
Agathamadenoreply,butwalkedonquicklytotheendoftheconservatory,wheretheotherswerewaitingforthem。（丁香书院小说）
"Wherehaveyoubeen,andwhathaveyoubeendoingallthistime？"saidJane,asTrefusiscameup,hurryingafterAgatha。"I
don'tknowwhatyoucallit,butIcallitperfectlydisgraceful！"
SirCharlesreddenedathiswife'sbadtaste,andTrefusisrepliedgravely:"Wehavebeenadmiringtheorchids,andtalkingaboutthem。MissWylietakesaninterestinthem。"
CHAPTERXIII
OnemorningGertrudegotaletterfromherfather:
"MyDearGerty:IhavejustreceivedabillforL110fromMadameSmithforyourdresses。MayIaskyouhowlongthissortofthingistogoon？IneednottellyouthatIhavenotthemeanstosupportyouinsuchextravagance。Iam,asyouknow,alwaysanxiousthatyoushouldgoaboutinastyleworthyofyourposition,butunlessyoucanmanagewithoutcallingonmetopayawayhundredsofpoundseveryseasontoMadameSmith,youhadbettergiveupsocietyandstayathome。Ipositivelycannotaffordit。AsfarasIcansee,goingintosocietyhasnotdoneyoumuchgood。IhadtoraiseL500lastmonthonFranklands;anditistoobadifImustraisemoretopayyourdressmaker。Youmightatleastemploysomecivilperson,oronewhosechargesaremoderate。MadameSmithtellsmethatshewillnotwaitanylonger,andchargesL50forasingledress。Ihopeyoufullyunderstandthattheremustbeanendtothis。
"IhearfromyourmotherthatyoungErskineiswithyouatBrandon's。Idonotthinkmuchofhim。Heisnotwelloff,norlikelytogeton,ashehastakentopoetryandsoforth。IamtoldalsothatamannamedTrefusisvisitsattheBeechesagooddealnow。Hemustbeafool,forhecontestedthelastBirminghamelection,andcameoutatthefootofthepollwiththirty—twovotesthroughcallinghimselfaSocialDemocratorsomesuchforeignrubbish,insteadofsayingoutlikeamanthathewasaRadical。Isupposethenamestuckinhisthroat,forhismotherwasoneoftheHowardsofBreconcastle;sohehasgoodbloodinhim,thoughhisfatherwasnobody。Iwishhehadyourbillstopay;hecouldbuyandsellmetentimesover,afterallmytwenty—fiveyears'service。
"AsIamthinkingofgettingsomethingdonetothehouse,Ihadratheryoudidnotcomebackthismonth,ifyoucanpossiblyholdonatBrandon's。Remembermetohim,andgiveourkindregardstohiswife。Ishouldbeobligedifyouwouldgathersomehemlockleavesandsendthemtome。Iwantthemformyointment;thestuffthechemistssellisnogood。Yourmother'seyesarebadagain;andyourbrotherBerkeleyhasbeengambling,andseemstothinkIoughttopayhisdebtsforhim。Iamgreatlyworriedoveritall,andIhopethat,untilyouhavesettledyourself,youwillbemorereasonable,andnotruntheseeverlastingbillsuponme。Youareenjoyingyourselfoutofreachofalltheunpleasantness;butitbearshardlyupon"Youraffectionatefather,"C。B。LINDSAY。"
AfaintsketchofthelinesTimeintendedtoengraveonGertrude'sbrowappearedthereasshereadtheletter;butshehastenedtogivetheadmiral'skindregardstoherhostandhostess,anddiscussedhermother'shealthfeelinglywiththem。
Afterbreakfastshewenttothelibrary,andwroteherreply:
"BRANDONBEECHES,"Tuesday。
"DearPapa:ConsideringthatitismorethanthreeyearssinceyoupaidMadameSmithlast,andthatthenherbill,whichincludedmycourtdress,wasonlyL150,IcannotseehowIcouldpossiblyhavebeenmoreeconomical,unlessyouexpectmetogoinrags。IamsorrythatMadameSmithhasaskedforthemoneyatsuchaninconvenienttime,butwhenIbeggedyoutopayhersomethinginMarchlastyearyoutoldmetokeepherquietbygivingheragoodorder。Iamnotsurprisedathernotbeingverycivil,asshehasplentyoftradesmen'sdaughtersamonghercustomerswhopayhermorethanL300ayearfortheirdresses。I
amwearingaskirtatpresentwhichIgottwoyearsago。
"SirCharlesisgoingtotownonThursday;hewillbringyouthehemlock。Tellmammathatthereisanoldwomanherewhoknowssomewonderfulcureforsoreeyes。Shewillnottellwhattheingredientsare,butitcureseveryone,andthereisnouseingivinganoculisttwoguineasfortellingusthatreadinginbedisbadfortheeyes,whenweknowperfectlywellthatmammawillnotgiveupdoingit。IfyoupayBerkeley'sdebts,donotforgetthatheowesmeL3。
"Anotherschoolfellowofmineisstayingherenow,andIthinkthatMr。Trefusiswillhavethepleasureofpayingherbillssomeday。HeisagreatpetofLadyBrandon's。SirCharleswasangryatfirstbecausesheinvitedhimhere,andwewereal1surprisedatit。Themanhasabadreputation,andheadedamobthatthrewdownthewallsofthepark;andwehardlythoughthewouldbecoolenoughtocomeafterthat。Buthedoesnotseemtocarewhetherwewanthimornot;andhecomeswhenhelikes。Ashetalkscleverly,wefindhimagodsendinthisdullplace。Itisreallynotsuchaparadiseasyouseemtothink,butyouneednotbeafraidofmyreturninganysoonerthanIcanhelp。
"Youraffectionatedaughter,"GertrudeLindsay。
WhenGertrudehadclosedthisletter,andtornupherfather's,shethoughtlittlemoreabouteither。Theymighthavemadeherunhappyhadtheyfoundherhappy,butashopelessdiscontentwashernormalstate,andenjoymentbutarareaccident,recriminatorypassageswithherfatheronlyputherintoabadhumor,anddidnotintheleastdisappointorhumiliateher。
Forthesakeofexercise,sheresolvedtocarryherlettertothevillagepostofficeandreturnalongtheRiversideRoad,wherebyshehadseenhemlockgrowing。Shetookcaretogooutunobserved,lestAgathashouldvolunteertowalkwithher,orJanedeclareherintentionofdrivingtothepostofficeintheafternoon,andsulkfortherestofthedayunlessthetriptothevillagewerepostponeduntilthen。Shetookwithher,asaprotectionagainsttramps,abigSt。BernarddognamedMax。Thisanimal,whichwasyoungandenthusiastic,hadtakenastrongfancytoher,andhadexpresseditfranklyandboisterously;andshe,whoseaffectionshadbeenstarvedinherhomeandinsociety,hadencouragedhimwithmorekindnessthanshehadevershowntoanyhumanbeing。
Inthevillage,havingpostedherletter,sheturnedtowardsalanethatledtotheRiversideRoad。Max,unawareofherreasonforchoosingthelongestwayhome,remonstratedbyhaltinginthemiddleofthelane,wagginghistailrapidly,andutteringgruffbarks。
"Don'tbestupid,sir,"saidGertrudeimpatiently。"Iamgoingthisway。"
Max,apparentlyunderstanding,rushedafterher,passedher,anddisappearedinacloudofdustraisedbyhisefforttocheckhimselfwhenhehadleftherfarenoughbehind。Whenhecamebackshekissedhisnose,andranaracewithhimuntilshetoowaspanting,andhadtostandstilltorecoverherbreath,whilstheboundedabout,barkingferociously。Shehadnotformanyyearsenjoyedsuchafrolic,andthethoughtofthispresentlybroughttearstohereyes。RatherpeevishlyshebadeMaxbequiet,walkedslowlytocoolherself,andputuphersunshadetoavertfreckles。
Thesunwasnowatthemeridian。OnaslopetoGertrude'srighthand,Sallust'sHouse,withitscinnamon—coloredwallsandyellowfrieze,gaveaforeignairtotheotherwiseveryEnglishlandscape。Shepassedbywithoutrememberingwholivedthere。
Furtherdown,onsomewastelandseparatedfromtheroadbyadryditchandalowmudwall,aclusterofhemlocks,nearlysixfeethigh,poisonedtheairwiththeirodor。Shecrossedtheditch,tookapairofgardeningglovesfromherplaitedstrawhand—basket,andbusiedherselfwiththehemlockleaves,pullingthetenderones,separatingthemfromthestalk,andfillingthebasketwiththeweb。SheforgotMaxuntilanimpressionofdeadsilence,asiftheearthhadstopped,causedhertolookroundinvaguedread。Trefusis,withhishandabandonedtothedog,whowastryinghowmuchofithecouldcramintohismouth,wasstandingwithinafewyardsofher,watchingherintently。
Gertrudeturnedpale,andcameouthastilyfromamongthebushes。
Thenshehadastrangesensationasifsomethinghadhappenedhighaboveherhead。Therewasathreateninggrowl,acommandingexclamation,andanunaccountablepause,attheexpirationofwhichshefoundherselfsupineonthesward,withherparasolbetweenhereyesandthesun。AsuddenscoopofMax'swetwarmtongueinherrightearstartledherintoactivity。Shesatup,andsawTrefusisonhiskneesathersideholdingtheparasolwithanunconcernedexpression,whilstMaxwassnuffingatherinrestlessanxietyopposite。
"Imustgohome,"shesaid。"Imustgohomeinstantly。"
"Notatall,"saidTrefusis,soothingly。"Theyhavejustsentwordtosaythateverythingissettledsatisfactorilyandthatyouneednotcome。"
"Havethey？"shesaidfaintly。Thenshelaydownagain,anditseemedtoherthataverylongtimeelapsed。SuddenlyrecollectingthatTrefusishadsupportedhergentlywithhishandtopreventherfallingbacktoorudely,sheroseagain,andthistimegotuponherfeetwithhishelp。
"Imustgohome,"shesaidagain。"Itisamatteroflifeordeath。"