"No,no,"hesaidsoftly。"Itisallright。Youmaydependonme。"
　　Shelookedathimearnestly。Hehadtakenherhandtosteadyher,forshewasswayingalittle。"Areyousure,"shesaid,graspinghisarm。"Areyouquitesure？"
　　"Absolutelycertain。YouknowIamalwaysright,doyounot？"
　　"Yes,oh,yes;youhavealwaysbeentruetome。You——"Herehersensescamebackwitharush。Droppinghishandasifithadbecomeredhot,shesaidsharply,"Whatareyoutalkingabout？"
　　"Idon'tknow,"hesaid,resuminghisindifferentmannerwithalaugh。"Areyoubetter？LetmedriveyoutotheBeeches。Mystableiswithinastone'sthrow;Icangetatrapoutintenminutes。"
　　"No,thankyou,"saidGertrudehaughtily。"Idonotwishtodrive。"Shepaused,andaddedinsomebewilderment,"Whathashappened？"
　　"Youfainted,and——"
　　"Ididnotfaint,"saidGertrudeindignantly。"Ineverfaintedinmylife。"
　　"Yes,youdid。"
　　"Pardonme,Mr。Trefusis。Ididnot。"
　　"Youshalljudgeforyourself。IwascomingthroughthisfieldwhenIsawyougatheringhemlock。HemlockisinterestingonaccountofSocrates,andyouwereinterestingasayoungladygatheringpoison。SoIstoppedtolookon。Presentlyyoucameoutfromamongthebushesasifyouhadseenasnakethere。Thenyoufellintomyarms——whichledmetosupposethatyouhadfainted——andMax,concludingthatitwasallmyfault,nearlysprangatmythroat。Youwereoverpoweredbythescentofthewater—hemlock,whichyoumusthavebeeninhalingfortenminutesormore。"
　　"Ididnotknowthattherewasanydanger,"saidGertrude,crestfallen。"IfeltverytiredwhenIcameto。ThatwaswhyI
　　laysolongthesecondtime。Ireallycouldnothelpit。"
　　"Youdidnotlieverylong。"
　　"NotwhenIfirstfell;thatwasonlyafewseconds,Iknow。ButImusthavelaintherenearlytenminutesafterIrecovered。"
　　"Youwerenearlyaminuteinsensiblewhenyoufirstfell,andwhenyourecoveredyouonlyrestedforaboutonesecond。Afterthatyouraved,andIinventedsuitableanswersuntilyousuddenlyaskedmewhatIwastalkingabout。"
　　Gertrudereddenedalittleasthepossibilityofherhavingravedindiscreetlyoccurredtoher。"Itwasverysillyofmetofaint,"
　　shesaid。
　　"Youcouldnothelpit;youareonlyhuman。IshallwalkwithyoutotheBeeches。"
　　"Thankyou;Iwillnottroubleyou,"shesaidquickly。
　　Heshookhishead。"Idonotknowhowlongtheeffectofthatabominablewater—weedmaylast,"hesaid,"andIdarenotleaveyoutowalkalone。IfyoupreferitIcansendyouinatrapwithmygardener,butIhadratheraccompanyyoumyself。"
　　"Youaregivingyourselfagreatdealofunnecessarytrouble。I
　　willwalk。Iamquitewellagainandneednoassistance。"
　　Theystartedwithoutanotherword。Gertrudehadtoconcentrateallherenergytoconcealfromhimthatshewasgiddy。Numbnessandlassitudecreptuponher,andshewasbeginningtohopethatshewasonlydreamingitallwhenherousedherbysaying,"Takemyarm。"
　　"No,thankyou。"
　　"Donotbesosenselesslyobstinate。Youwillhavetoleanonthehedgeforsupportifyourefusemyhelp。IamsorryIdidnotinsistongettingthetrap。"
　　Gertrudehadnotbeenspokentointhistonesinceherchildhood。
　　"Iamperfectlywell,"shesaidsharply。"Youarereallyveryofficious。"
　　"Youarenotperfectlywell,andyouknowit。However,ifyoumakeabravestruggle,youwillprobablybeabletowalkhomewithoutmyassistance,andtheeffortmaydoyougood。"
　　"Youareveryrude,"shesaidperemptorily。
　　"Iknowit,"herepliedcalmly。"Youwillfindthreeclassesofmenpolitetoyou——slaves,menwhothinkmuchoftheirmannersandnothingofyou,andyourlovers。Iamnoneofthese,andthereforegiveyoubackyourillmannerswithinterest。Whydoyouresistyourgoodangelbysuppressingthosenaturalandsincereimpulseswhichcometoyouoftenenough,andsometimesbringalookintoyourfacethatmighttameabear——alookwhichyouhastentoextinguishasathiefdarkenshislanternatthesoundofafootstep。"
　　"Mr。Trefusis,Iamnotaccustomedtobelectured。"
　　"ThatiswhyIlectureyou。Ifeltcurioustoseehowyourgoodbreeding,bywhichIthinkyousetsomestore,wouldserveyouinentirelynovelcircumstances——thoseofamanspeakinghismindtoyou,forinstance。Whatistheresultofmyexperiment？InsteadofrebukingmewiththesweetnessanddignitywhichIcouldnot,inspiteofmypastobservation,helpexpectingfromyou,youchurlishlyrepelmyofferoftheassistanceyouneed,tellmethatIamveryrude,veryofficious,and,inshort,dowhatyoucantomakemypositiondisagreeableandhumiliating。"
　　Shelookedathimhaughtily,buthisexpressionwasvoidofoffenceorfear,andhecontinued,unanswered。
　　"Iwouldbearallthisfromaworkingwomanwithoutremonstrance,forshewouldowemenogracesofmannerormorals。Butyouarealady。Thatmeansthatmanyhavestarvedanddrudgedinuncleanlydiscomfortinorderthatyoumayhavewhiteandunbrokenhands,finegarments,andexquisitemanners——thatyoumaybealivingfountainofthoseinfluencesthatsoftenournaturesandlives。
　　Whensuchacostlythingasaladybreaksdownatthefirsttouchofafirmhand,Ifeeljustifiedincomplaining。"
　　Gertrudewalkedonquickly,andsaidbetweenherteeth,"Idon'twanttohearanyofyourabsurdviews,Mr。Trefusis。"
　　Helaughed。"Myunfortunateviews！"hesaid。"WheneverImakeaninconvenientremarkitisalwayssetasideasanexpressionofcertaindangerouscrazeswithwhichIamsupposedtobeafflicted。WhenIpointouttoSirCharlesthatoneofhisfavoriteartistshasnotaccuratelyobservedsomethingbeforeattemptingtodrawit,hereplies,'Youknowourviewsdifferonthesethings,Trefusis。'WhenItoldMissWylie'sguardianthathisemigrationschemewaslittlebetterthanafraud,hesaid,'Youmustexcuseme,butIcannotenterintoyourpeculiarviews。'OneofmyviewsatpresentisthatMissLindsayismoreamiableundertheinfluenceofhemlockthanunderthatofthesocialsystemwhichhasmadehersounhappy。"
　　"Well！"exclaimedGertrude,outraged。Then,afterapause,"IwasundertheimpressionthatIhadacceptedtheescortofagentleman。"Then,afteranotherpause,Trefusisbeingquiteundisturbed,"HowdoyouknowthatIamunhappy？"
　　"Byacertaindefectinyourcountenance,whichlacksthecrowningbeautyofhappiness;andacertaindefectinyourvoicewhichwillneverdisappearuntilyoulearntoloveorpitythosetowhomyouspeak。"
　　"Youarewrong,"saidGertrude,withcalmdisdain。"Youdonotunderstandmeintheleast。Iamparticularlyattachedtomyfriends。"
　　"ThenIhaveneverseenyouintheircompany。"
　　"Youarestillwrong。"
　　"Thenhowcanyouspeakasyoudo,lookasyoudo,actasyoudo？"
　　"Whatdoyoumean？HOWdoIlookandact？"
　　"LikeoneoftherailingsofBelgraveSquare,cursedwithconsciousnessofitself,fearsofthejudgmentoftheotherrailings,anddoubtsoftheirfitnesstostandinthesamerowwithit。Youarecold,mistrustful,crueltonervousorclumsypeople,andmoreafraidofthecriticismsofthosewithwhomyoudanceanddinethanofyourconscience。Allofwhichpreventsyoufromlookinglikeanangel。"
　　"Thankyou。Doyouconsiderpayingcomplimentstheperfectionofgentlemanlybehavior？"
　　"HaveIbeenpayingyoumany？Thatlastremarkofminewasnotmeantasone。Onmyhonor,theangelswillnotdisappointmeiftheyarenolovelierthanyoushouldbeifyouhadthatlookinyourfaceandthattoneinyourvoiceIspokeofjustnow。Itcanhardlydispleaseyoutohearthat。IfIwereparticularlyhandsomemyself,Ishouldliketobetoldso。"
　　"IamsorryIcannottellyouso。"
　　"Oh！Ha！ha！Whataretort,MissLindsay！Youarenotsorryeither;youareratherglad。"
　　Gertrudeknewit,andwasangrywithherself,notbecauseherretortwasfalse,butbecauseshethoughtitunladylike。"Youhavenorighttoannoyme,"sheexclaimed,inspiteofherself。
　　"Nonewhatever,"hesaid,humbly。"IfIhavedoneso,forgivemebeforewepart。Iwillgonofurtherwithyou;Maxwillgivethealarmifyoufaintintheavenue,whichIdon'tthinkyouarelikelytodo,asyouhaveforgottenallaboutthehemlock。"
　　"Oh,howmaddening！"shecried。"Ihaveleftmybasketbehind。"
　　"Nevermind;Iwillfinditandhaveitfilledandsenttoyou。"
　　"Thankyou。Iamsorrytotroubleyou。"
　　"Notatall。Ihopeyoudonotwantthehemlocktohelpyoutogetridoftheburdenoflife。"
　　"Nonsense。Iwantitformyfather,whousesitformedicine。"
　　"Iwillbringitmyselfto—morrow。Isthatsoonenough？"
　　"Quite。Iaminnohurry。Thankyou,Mr。Trefusis。Good—bye。"
　　Shegavehimherhand,andevensmiledalittle,andthenhurriedaway。Hestoodwatchingherasshepassedalongtheavenueunderthebeeches。Once,whenshecameintoabandofsunlightatagapinthetrees,shemadesoprettyafigureinherspringdressofvioletandwhitethathiseyeskindledashegazed。Hetookouthisnote—book,andenteredhernameandthedate,withabriefmemorandum。
　　"Ihavethawedher,"hesaidtohimselfasheputuphisbook。
　　"SheshalllearnalessonortwotohandontoherchildrenbeforeIhavedonewithher。Atrifleunderbred,too,orshewouldnotinsistsomuchonherbreeding。Henriettausedtowearadresslikethat。Iamgladtoseethatthereisnodangerofhertakingtomepersonally。"
　　Heturnedaway,andsawacronepassing,bendingbeneathabundleofsticks。Heeyeditcuriously;andshescowledathimandhurriedon。
　　"Hallo,"hesaid。
　　Shecontinuedforafewsteps,buthercouragefailedherandshestopped。
　　"YouareMrs。Hickling,Ithink？"
　　"Yes,pleaseyourworship。"
　　"YouarethewomanwhocarriedawayanoldwoodengatethatlayonSirCharlesBrandon'slandlastwinteranduseditforfirewood。Youwereimprisonedforsevendaysforit。"
　　"Youmaysendmethereagainifyoulike,"sheretorted,inacrackedvoice,assheturnedatbay。"ButtheLordwillmakemeevenwithyousomeday。Cursedbethemthatoppressthepoorandneedy;itisoneofthesevendeadlysins。"
　　"Thosegreenlathsonyourbackaretheremainderofmygardengate,"hesaid。"YoutookthefirsthalflastSaturday。Nexttimeyouwantfuelcometothehouseandaskforcoals,andletmygatesalone。Isupposeyoucanenjoyafirewithoutstealingthecombustibles。Stow256paymeformygatebytellingmesomethingIwanttoknow。"
　　"Andakindgentlemantoo,sir;blessings。"
　　"Whatisthehemlockgoodfor？"
　　"Thehemlock,kindgentleman？Fortheevil,sir,tobesure。"
　　"Scrofulousulcers！"heexclaimed,recoiling。"Thefatherofthatbeautifulgirl！"Heturnedhomeward,andtrudgedalongwithhisheadbent,muttering,"Allrottentothebone。Oh,civilization！
　　civilization！civilization！"
　　CHAPTERXIV
　　"WhathascomeoverGertrude？"saidAgathaonedaytoLadyBrandon。
　　"Why？Isanythingthematterwithher？"
　　"Idon'tknow;shehasnotbeenthesamesinceshepoisonedherself。Andwhydidshenottellaboutit？ButforTrefusisweshouldneverhaveknown。"
　　"Gertrudealwaysmadesecretsofthings。"
　　"Shewasinaviletemperfortwodaysafter;andnowsheisquitechanged。Shefallsintolongreveries,anddoesnothearawordofwhatisgoingonaround。Thenshestartsintolifeagain,andbegsyourpardonwiththegreatestsweetnessfornotcatchingwhatyouhavesaid。"
　　"Ihateherwhensheispolite;itisnotnaturaltoher。Astohergoingtosleep,thatistheeffectofthehemlock。Weknowamanwhotookaspoonfulofstrychnineinabath,andheneverwasthesameafterwards。"
　　"IthinksheismakinguphermindtoencourageErskine,"saidAgatha。"WhenIcameherehehardlydaredspeaktoher——atleast,shealwayssnubbedhim。Nowsheletshimtalkasmuchashelikes,andactuallysendshimonmessagesandallowshimtocarrythingsforher。"
　　"Yes。IneversawanybodylikeGertrudeinmylife。InLondon,ifmenwereattentivetoher,shesatonthemforbeingofficious;
　　andiftheyletheraloneshewasangryatbeingneglected。
　　Erskineisquitegoodenoughforher,Ithink。"
　　HereErskineappearedatthedoorandlookedroundtheroom。
　　"She'snothere,"saidJane。
　　"IamseekingSirCharles,"hesaid,withdrawingsomewhatstiffly。
　　"Whatalie！"saidJane,discomfitedbyhisreceptionofherjest。"HewastalkingtoSirCharlestenminutesagointhebilliardroom。Menaresuchconceitedfools！"
　　Agathahadstrolledtothewindow,andwaslookingdiscontentedlyattheprospect,asshehadoftendoneatschoolwhenalone,andsometimesdidnowinsociety。Thedooropenedagain,andSirCharlesappeared。He,too,lookedround,butwhenhisrovingglancereachedAgatha,itcastanchor;andhecamein。
　　"Areyoubusyjustnow,MissWylie？"heasked。
　　"Yes,"saidJanehastily。"Sheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"
　　"Really,Jane,"hesaid,"IthinkyouareoldenoughtowriteyourletterswithouttroublingMissWylie。"
　　"WhenIdowritemyownlettersyoualwaysfindfaultwiththem,"
　　sheretorted。
　　"Ithoughtperhapsyoumighthaveleisuretotryoveraduetwithme,"hesaid,turningtoAgatha。
　　"Certainly,"shereplied,hopingtosmoothmattersbyhumoringhim。"Theletterwilldoanytimebeforeposthour。"
　　Janereddened,andsaidshortly,"Iwillwriteitmyself,ifyouwillnot。"
　　SirCharlesquitelosthistemper。"Howcanyoubesodamnablyrude？"hesaid,turninguponhiswife。"WhatobjectionhaveyoutomysingingduetswithMissWylie？"
　　"Nicelanguagethat！"saidJane。"IneversaidIobjected;andyouhavenorighttodragherawaytothepianojustwhensheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"
　　"IdonotwishMissWylietodoanythingexceptwhatpleasesherbest。Itseemstomethatwritingletterstoyourtradespeoplecannotbeaverypleasantoccupation。"
　　"Praydon'tmindme,"saidAgatha。"Itisnottheleasttroubletome。IusedtowriteallJane'slettersforheratschool。
　　SupposeIwritetheletterfirst,andthenwecanhavetheduet。
　　Youwillnotmindwaitingfiveminutes？"
　　"Icanwaitaslongasyouplease,ofcourse。ButitseemssuchanabsurdabuseofyourgoodnaturethatIcannothelpprotest！"
　　"Oh,letitwait！"exclaimedJane。"SucharidiculousfusstomakeaboutaskingAgathatowritealetter,justbecauseyouhappentowanthertoplayyouyourduets！Iamcertainsheisheartilysickandtiredofthem。"
　　Agatha,toescapethealtercation,wenttothelibraryandwrotetheletter。Whenshereturnedtothedrawing—room,shefoundnoonethere;butSirCharlescameinpresently。
　　"Iamsosorry,MissWylie,"hesaid,asheopenedthepianoforher,"thatyoushouldbeincommodedbecausemywifeissillyenoughtobejealous。"
　　"Jealous！"
　　"Ofcourse。Idiocy！"
　　"Oh,youaremistaken,"saidAgatha,incredulously。"Howcouldshepossiblybejealousofme？"
　　"Sheisjealousofeverybodyandeverything,"herepliedbitterly,"andshecaresfornobodyandfornothing。YoudonotknowwhatIhavetoenduresometimesfromher。"
　　Agathathoughthermostdiscreetcoursewastositdownimmediatelyandbegin"Iwouldthatmylove。"Whilstsheplayedandsang,shethoughtoverwhatSirCharleshadjustletslip。
　　Shehadfoundhimapleasantcompanion,light—hearted,fondofmusicandfun,politeandconsiderate,appreciativeofhertalents,quick—wittedwithoutbeingoppressivelyclever,and,asamarriedman,disinterestedinhisattentions。Butitnowoccurredtoherthatperhapstheyhadbeenagooddealtogetheroflate。
　　SirCharleshadbythistimewanderedfromhispartintohers;
　　andhenowrecalledhertothemusicbystoppingtoaskwhetherhewasright。Knowingbyexperiencewhathisdifficultywaslikelytobe,shegavehimhisnoteandwenton。TheyhadnotbeensinginglongwhenJanecamebackandsatdown,expressingahopethatherpresencewouldnotdisturbthem。Itdiddisturbthem。Agathasuspectedthatshehadcometheretowatchthem,andSirCharlesknewit。Besides,LadyBrandon,evenwhenhermindwastranquil,washabituallyrestless。Shecouldnotspeakbecauseofthemusic,and,thoughsheheldanopenbookinherhand,shecouldnotreadandwatchsimultaneously。Shegaped,andleanedtooneendofthesofauntil,onthepointofoverbalancing'sherecoveredherselfwithaprodigiousbounce。
　　Thefloorvibratedathereverymovement。Atlastshecouldkeepsilencenolonger。
　　"Oh,dear！"shesaid,yawningaudibly。"Itmustbefiveo'clockattheveryearliest。"
　　Agathaturnedrounduponthepiano—stool,feelingthatmusicandLadyBrandonwereincompatible。SirCharles,forhisguest'ssake,triedhardtorestrainhisexasperation。
　　"Probablyyourwatchwilltellyou,"hesaid。
　　"Thankyoufornothing,"saidJane。"Agatha,whereisGertrude？"
　　"HowcanMissWyliepossiblytellyouwheresheis,Jane？Ithinkyouhavegonemadto—day。"
　　"SheismostlikelyplayingbilliardswithMr。Erskine,"saidAgatha,interposingquicklytoforestallaretortfromJane,withitsusualsequelofadomesticsquabble。
　　"IthinkitisverystrangeofGertrudetopassthewholedaywithChesterinthebilliardroom,"saidJanediscontentedly。
　　"Thereisnottheslightestimproprietyinherdoingso,"saidSirCharles。"IfourhospitalitydoesnotplaceMissLindsayabovesuspicion,themoreshameforus。Howwouldyoufeelifanyoneelsemadesucharemark？"
　　"Oh,stuff！"saidJanepeevishly。"Youarealwayspreachinglongrigmarolesaboutnothingatall。IdidnotsaytherewasanyimproprietyaboutGertrude。Sheistoopropertobepleasant,inmyopinion。"
　　SirCharles,unabletotrusthimselffurther,frownedandlefttheroom,Janespeedinghimwithacontemptuouslaugh。
　　"Don'teverbesuchafoolastogetmarried,"shesaid,whenhewasgone。Shelookedupasshespoke,andwasalarmedtoseeAgathaseatedonthepianoforte,withheranklesswingingintheoldschoolfashion。
　　"Jane,"shesaid,surveyingherhostesscoolly,"doyouknowwhatIwoulddoifIwereSirCharles？"
　　Janedidnotknow。
　　"Iwouldgetabigstick,beatyoublackandblue,andthenlockyouuponbreadandwaterforaweek。"
　　Janehalfrose,redandangry。"Wh——why？"shesaid,relapsinguponthesofa。
　　"IfIwereaman,Iwouldnot,formerechivalry'ssake,letawomantreatmelikeatroublesomedog。Youwantasoundthrashing。"
　　"I'dliketoseeanybodythrashme,"saidJane,risingagainanddisplayingherformidablepersonerect。Thensheburstintotears,andsaid,"Iwon'thavesuchthingssaidtomeinmyownhouse。Howdareyou？"
　　"Youdeserveitforbeingjealousofme,"saidAgatha。
　　Jane'seyesdilatedangrily。"I！——I！——jealousofyou！"Shelookedround,asifforamissile。Notfindingone,shesatdownagain,andsaidinavoicestifledwithtears,"J——JealousofYOU,indeed！"
　　"Youhavegoodreasontobe,forheisfonderofmethanofyou。"
　　Janeopenedhermouthandeyesconvulsively,butonlyutteredagasp,andAgathaproceededcalmly,"Iampolitetohim,whichyouneverare。WhenhespeakstomeIallowhimtofinishhissentencewithoutexpressing,asyoudo,aforegoneconclusionthatitisnotworthattendingto。Idonotyawnandtalkwhilstheissinging。Whenheconverseswithmeonartorliterature,aboutwhichheknowstwiceasmuchasIdo,andatleasttentimesasmuchasyou"（Janegaspedagain）"Idonotmakeasillyanswerandturntomyneighborattheothersidewitharemarkaboutthetablesortheweather。Whenheiswillingtobepleased,ashealwaysis,Iamwillingtobepleasant。Andthatiswhyhelikesme。"
　　"HedoesNOTlikeyou。Heisthesametoeveryone。"
　　"Excepthiswife。Helikesmesomuchthatyou,likeagreatgooseasyouare,cameupheretowatchusatourduets,andmadeyourselfasdisagreeableasyoupossiblycouldwhilstIwasmakingmyselfcharming。Thepoormanwasashamedofyou。"
　　"Hewasn't,"saidJane,sobbing。"Ididn'tdoanything。Ididn'tsayanything。Iwon'tbearit。Iwillgetadivorce。Iwill——"
　　"Youwillmendyourwaysifyouhaveanysenseleft,"saidAgatharemorselessly。"Donotmakesuchanoise,orsomeonewillcometoseewhatisthematter,andIshallhavetogetdownfromthepiano,whereIamverycomfortable。"
　　"Itisyouwhoarejealous。"
　　"Oh,isit,Jane？IhavenotallowedSirCharlestofallinlovewithmeyet,butIcandosoveryeasily。Whatwillyouwagerthathewillnotkissmebeforeto—morrowevening？"
　　"Itwillbeverymeanandnastyofyouifhedoes。YouseemtothinkthatIcanbetreatedlikeachild。"
　　"Soyouareachild,"saidAgatha,descendingfromherperchandpreparingtogo。"Anoccasionalslappingdoesyougood。"
　　"ItisnothingtoyouwhetherIagreewithmyhusbandornot,"
　　saidJanewithsuddenfierceness。
　　"Notifyouquarrelwithhiminprivate,aswellbredcouplesdo。
　　Butwhenitoccursinmypresenceitmakesmeuncomfortable,andIobjecttobeingmadeuncomfortable。"
　　"YouwouldnotbehereatallifIhadnotaskedyou。"
　　"Justthinkhowdullthehousewouldbewithoutme,Jane！"
　　"Indeed！Itwasnotdullbeforeyoucame。Gertrudealwaysbehavedlikealady,atleast。"
　　"Iamsorrythatherexamplewassoutterlylostonyou。"
　　"Iwon'tbearit,"saidJanewithasobandaplungeuponthesofathatmadethelustresofthechandeliersrattle。"Iwouldn'thaveaskedyouifIhadthoughtyoucouldbesohateful。Iwillneveraskyouagain。"
　　"IwillmakeSirCharlesdivorceyouforincompatibilityoftemperandmarryme。ThenIshallhavetheplacetomyself。"
　　"Hecan'tdivorcemeforthat,thankgoodness。Youdon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout。"
　　Agathalaughed。"Come,"shesaidgood—humoredly,"don'tbeanoldass,Jane。Washyourfacebeforeanyoneseesit,andrememberwhatIhavetoldyouaboutSirCharles。"
　　"Itisveryhardtobecalledanassinone'sownhouse。"
　　"Itishardertobetreatedasone,likeyourhusband。Iamgoingtolookforhiminthebilliardroom。"
　　Janeranafterher,andcaughtherbythesleeve。
　　"Agatha,"shepleaded,"promisemethatyouwon'tbemean。Saythatyouwon'tmakelovetohim。"
　　"Iwillconsideraboutit,"repliedAgathagravely。
　　Janeutteredagroanandsankintoachair,whichcreakedattheshock。Agathaturnedonthethreshold,andseeinghershakingherhead,pressinghereyes,andtappingwithherheelinarestrainedfrenzy,saidquickly,"HerearetheWaltons,andtheFitzgeorges,andMr。Trefusiscomingupstairs。Howdoyoudo,Mrs。Walton？LadyBrandonwillbeSOgladtoseeyou。Good—evening,Mr。Fitzgeorge。"
　　Janesprangup,wipedhereyes,and,withherhandsonherhair,smoothingit,rushedtoamirror。Novisitorsappearing,sheperceivedthatshewas,forperhapsthehundredthtimeinherlife,thevictimofanimposturedevisedbyAgatha。She,gratifiedbythesuccessofherattempttoregainheroldascendancyoverJane——shehadmadeitwithmisgiving,notwithstandingherapparentconfidence——wentdownstairstothelibrary,whereshefoundSirCharlesgloomilytryingtodrownhisdomestictroublesinartcriticism。
　　"Ithoughtyouwereinthebilliardroom,"saidAgatha。
　　"Ionlypeepedin,"hereplied;"butasIsawsomethingparticulargoingon,Ithoughtitbesttoslipaway,andIhavebeenaloneeversince。"
　　ThesomethingparticularwhichSirCharleshadnotwishedtointerruptwasonlyagameofbilliards。