Ondescending,heatedandangry,tothedrawing—room,shefoundAgathatherealone,lookingoutofwindowasifthelandscapewereespeciallyunsatisfactorythistime。
　　"Selfishlittlebeasts！"exclaimedJane,makingaminiaturewhirlwindwithherskirtsasshecamein。"Charlieisaperfectlittlefiend。Hespendsallhistimethinkinghowhecanannoyme。Ugh！He'sjustlikehisfather。"
　　"Thankyou,mydear,"saidSirCharlesfromthedoorway。
　　Janelaughed。"Iknewyouwerethere,"shesaid。"Where'sGertrude？"
　　"Shehasgoneout,"saidSirCharles。
　　"Nonsense！Shehasonlyjustcomeinfromdrivingwithme。"
　　"Idonotknowwhatyoumeanbynonsense,"saidSirCharles,chafing。"IsawherwalkingalongtheRiversideRoad。Iwasinthevillageroad,andshedidnotseeme。Sheseemedinahurry。"
　　"Imetheronthestairsandspoketoher,"saidAgatha,"butshedidn'thearme。"
　　"Ihopesheisnotgoingtothrowherselfintotheriver,"saidJane。Then,turningtoherhusband,sheadded:"Haveyouheardthenews？"
　　"TheonlynewsIhaveheardisfromthispaper,"saidSirCharles,takingoutajournalandflingingitonthetable。
　　"ThereisaparagraphinitstatingthatIhavejoinedsomeinfernalSocialisticleague,andIamtoldthatthereisanarticleinthe'Times'onthespreadofSocialism,inwhichmynameismentioned。ThisisallduetoTrefusis;andIthinkhehasplayedmeamostdishonorabletrick。Iwilltellhimso,too,whennextIseehim。"
　　"YouhadbetterbecarefulwhatyousayofhimbeforeAgatha,"
　　saidJane。"Oh,youneednotbealarmed,Agatha;Iknowallaboutit。Hetoldusinthelibrary。Wewentoutthismorning——GertrudeandI——andwhenwecamebackwefoundMr。TrefusisandAgathatalkingverylovinglytooneanotherontheconservatorysteps,newlyengaged。"
　　"Indeed！"saidSirCharles,disconcertedanddispleased,buttryingtosmile。"Imaythencongratulateyou,MissWylie？"
　　"Youneednot,"saidAgatha,keepinghercountenanceaswellasshecould。"Itwasonlyajoke。Atleastitcameaboutinajest。
　　Hehasnorighttosaythatweareengaged。"
　　"Stuffandnonsense,"saidJane。"Thatwon'tdo,Agatha。Hehasgoneofftotelegraphtohissolicitor。Heisquiteinearnest。"
　　"Iamagreatfool,"saidAgatha,sittingdownandtwistingherhandsperplexedly。"IbelieveIsaidsomething;butIreallydidnotintendto。HesurprisedmeintospeakingbeforeIknewwhatI
　　wassaying。AprettymessIhavegotmyselfinto！"
　　"Iamgladyouhavebeenoutwittedatlast,"saidJane,laughingspitefully。"YouneverhadanypityformewhenIcouldnotthinkoftheproperthingtosayatamoment'snotice。"
　　Agathaletthetauntpassunheeded。Hergazewanderedanxiously,andatlastsettledappealinglyuponSirCharles。"WhatshallI
　　do？"shesaidtohim。
　　"Well,MissWylie,"hesaidgravely,"ifyoudidnotmeantomarryhimyoushouldnothavepromised。Idon'twishtobeunsympathetic,andIknowthatitisveryhardtogetridofTrefusiswhenhemakesuphismindtoactsomethingoutofyou,butstill——"
　　"Nevermindher,"saidJane,interruptinghim。"Shewantstomarryhimjustasbadlyashewantstomarryher。Youwouldbepreciouslydisappointedifhecriedoff,Agatha;forallyourinterestingreluctance。"
　　"Thatisnotso,really,"saidAgathaearnestly。"IwishIhadtakentimetothinkaboutit。Isupposehehastoldeverybodybythistime。"
　　"Maywethenregarditassettled？"saidSirCharles。
　　"Ofcourseyoumay,"saidJanecontemptuously。
　　"PrayallowMissWylietospeakforherself,Jane。IconfessIdonotunderstandwhyyouarestillindoubt——ifyouhavereallyengagedyourselftohim。"
　　"IsupposeIaminforit,"saidAgatha。"Ifeelasifthereweresomefatalobjection,ifIcouldonlyrememberwhatitis。IwishIhadneverseenhim。"
　　SirCharleswaspuzzled。"Idonotunderstandladies'waysinthesematters,"hesaid。"However,asthereseemstobenodoubtthatyouandTrefusisareengaged,Ishallofcoursesaynothingthatwouldmakeitunpleasantforhimtovisithere;butImustsaythathehas——tosaytheleast——beeninconsideratetomepersonally。Isignedapaperathishouseontheimplicitunderstandingthatitwasstrictlyprivate,andnowhehastrumpeteditforthtothewholeworld,andpubliclyassociatedmynamenotonlywithhisown,butwiththoseofpersonsofwhomI
　　knownothingexceptthatIwouldrathernotbeconnectedwiththeminanyway。"
　　"Whatdoesitmatter？"saidJane。"Nobodycarestwopence。"
　　"_I_care,"saidSirCharlesangrily。"NosensiblepersoncanaccusemeofexaggeratingmyownimportancebecauseIvaluemyreputationsufficientlytoobjecttomyapprovalbeingpubliclycitedinsupportofacausewithwhichIhavenosympathy。"
　　"PerhapsMr。Trefusishashadnothingtodowithit,"saidAgatha。"Thepaperspublishwhatevertheyplease,don'tthey？"
　　"That'sright,Agatha,"saidJanemaliciously。"Don'tletanyonespeakillofhim。"
　　"Iamnotspeakingillofhim,"saidSirCharles,beforeAgathacouldretort。"Itisamerematteroffeeling,andIshouldnothavementionedithadIknownthealteredrelationsbetweenhimandMissWylie。"
　　"Praydon'tspeakofthem,"saidAgatha。"Ihaveamindtorunawaybythenexttrain。"
　　SirCharles,tochangethesubject,suggestedaduet。
　　MeanwhileErskine,returningthroughthevillagefromhismorningride,hadmetTrefusis,andattemptedtopasshimwithanod。ButTrefusiscalledtohimtostop,andhedismountedreluctantly。
　　"JustawordtosaythatIamgoingtobemarried,"saidTrefusis。
　　"To——？"ErskinecouldnotaddGertrude'sname。
　　"TooneofourfriendsattheBeeches。Guesstowhich。"
　　"ToMissLindsay,Ipresume。"
　　"Whatinthefiend'snamehasputitintoallyourheadsthatMissLindsayandIareparticularlyattachedtooneanother？"
　　exclaimedTrefusis。"YOUhavealwaysappearedtometobethemanforMissLindsay。IamgoingtomarryMissWylie。"
　　"Really！"exclaimedErskine,withasensationofsuddenlythawingafterabitterfrost。
　　"Ofcourse。Andnow,Erskine,youhavetheadvantageofbeingapoorman。Donotletthatsplendidgirlmarryformoney。Ifyougofurtheryouarelikelytofareworse;andsoisshe。"Thenhenoddedandwalkedaway,leavingtheotherstaringafterhim。
　　"Ifhehasjiltedher,heisascoundrel,"saidErskine。"IamsorryIdidn'ttellhimso。"
　　HemountedandrodeslowlyalongtheRiversideRoad,partlysuspectingTrefusisofsomemystification,butincliningtobelieveinhim,and,inanycase,totakehisadviceastoGertrude。Theconversationhehadoverheardintheavenuestillperplexedhim。HecouldnotreconcileitwithTrefusis'sprofessionofdisinterestednesstowardsher。
　　Hisbicyclecarriedhimnoiselesslyonitsindia—rubbertirestotheplacebywhichthehemlockgrewandtherehesawGertrudesittingonthelowearthenwallthatseparatedthefieldfromtheroad。Herstrawbag,withherscissorsinit,laybesideher。Herfingerswereinterlaced,andherhandsrested,palmsdownwards,onherknee。Herexpressionwasrathervacant,andsolittlesuggestiveofanyseriousemotionthatErskinelaughedashealightedclosetoher。
　　"Areyoutired？"hesaid。
　　"No,"shereplied,notstartled,andsmilingmechanically——anunusualcondescensiononherpart。
　　"Indulginginaday—dream？"
　　"No。"Shemovedalittletoonesideandconcealedthebasketwithherdress。
　　Hebegantofearthatsomethingwaswrong。"Isitpossiblethatyouhaveventuredamongthosepoisonousplantsagain？"hesaid。
　　"Areyouill？"
　　"Notatall,"shereplied,rousingherselfalittle。"Yoursolicitudeisquitethrownaway。Iamperfectlywell。"
　　"Ibegyourpardon,"hesaid,snubbed。"Ithought——Don'tyouthinkitdangeroustositonthatdampwall？"
　　"Itisnotdamp。Itiscrumblingintodustwithdryness。"Anunnaturallaugh,withwhichsheconcluded,intensifiedhisuneasiness。
　　Hebeganasentence,stopped,andtogaintimetorecoverhimself,placedhisbicycleintheoppositeditch;aproceedingwhichshewitnessedwithimpatience,asitindicatedhisintentiontostayandtalk。She,however,wasthefirsttospeak;
　　andshedidsowithacallousnessthatshockedhim。
　　"Haveyouheardthenews？"
　　"Whatnews？"
　　"AboutMr。TrefusisandAgatha。Theyareengaged。"
　　"SoTrefusistoldme。Imethimjustnowinthevillage。Iwasverygladtohearit。"
　　"Ofcourse。"
　　"ButIhadaspecialreasonforbeingglad。"
　　"Indeed？"
　　"Iwasdesperatelyafraid,beforehetoldmethetruth,thathehadotherviews——viewsthatmighthaveprovedfataltomydearesthopes。"
　　Gertrudefrownedathim,andthefrownrousedhimtobraveher。
　　Helosthisself—command,alreadyshakenbyherstrangebehavior。
　　"YouknowthatIloveyou,MissLindsay,"hesaid。"Itmaynotbeaperfectlove,but,humanlyspeaking,itisatrueone。Ialmosttoldyousothatdaywhenwewereinthebilliardroomtogether;
　　andIdidaverydishonorablethingthesameevening。WhenyouwerespeakingtoTrefusisintheavenueIwasclosetoyou,andI
　　listened。"
　　"Thenyouheardhim,"criedGertrudevehemently。"Youheardhimswearthathewasinearnest。"
　　"Yes,"saidErskine,trembling,"andIthoughthemeantinearnestinlovingyou。Youcanhardlyblamemeforthat:Iwasinlovemyself;andloveisblindandjealous。IneverhopedagainuntilhetoldmethathewastobemarriedtoMissWylie。MayI
　　speaktoyou,nowthatIknowIwasmistaken,orthatyouhavechangedyourmind？"
　　"Orthathehaschangedhismind,"saidGertrudescornfully。
　　Erskine,withanewanxietyforhersake,checkedhimself。Herdignitywasdeartohim,andhesawthatherdisappointmenthadmadeherrecklessofit。"Donotsayanythingtomenow,MissLindsay,lest——"
　　"WhathaveIsaid？WhathaveItosay？"
　　"Nothing,exceptonmyownaffairs。Iloveyoudearly。"
　　Shemadeanimpatientmovement,asifthatwereaveryinsignificantmatter。
　　"Youbelieveme,Ihope,"hesaid,timidly。
　　Gertrudemadeanefforttorecoverherhabitualladylikereserve,butherenergyfailedbeforeshehaddonemorethanraiseherhead。Sherelapsedintoherlistlessattitude,andmadeafaintgestureofintolerance。
　　"Youcannotbequiteindifferenttobeingloved,"hesaid,becomingmorenervousandmoreurgent。"Yourexistenceconstitutesallmyhappiness。Iofferyoumyservicesanddevotion。Idonotaskanyreward。"（Hewasnowspeakingveryquicklyandalmostinaudibly。）"Youmayacceptmylovewithoutreturningit。Idonotwant——seektomakeabargain。IfyouneedafriendyoumaybeabletorelyonmemoreconfidentlybecauseyouknowIloveyou。"
　　"Oh,youthinkso,"saidGertrude,interruptinghim;"butyouwillgetoverit。Iamnotthesortofpersonthatmenfallinlovewith。Youwillsoonchangeyourmind。"
　　"Notthesort！Oh,howlittleyouknow！"hesaid,becomingeloquent。"Ihavehadplentyoftimetochange,butIamasfixedasever。Ifyoudoubt,waitandtryme。Butdonotberoughwithme。Youpainmemorethanyoucanimaginewhenyouarehastyorindifferent。Iaminearnest。"
　　"Ha,ha！Thatiseasilysaid。"
　　"Notbyme。Ichangeinmyjudgmentofotherpeopleaccordingtomyhumor,butIbelievesteadfastlyinyourgoodnessandbeauty——asifyouwereanangel。IaminearnestinmyloveforyouasIaminearnestformyownlife,whichcanonlybeperfectedbyyouraidandinfluence。"
　　"YouaregreatlymistakenifyousupposethatIamanangel。"
　　"Youarewrongtomistrustyourself;butitiswhatIowetoyouandnotwhatIexpectfromyouthatItrytoexpressbyspeakingofyouasanangel。Iknowthatyouarenotanangeltoyourself。
　　Butyouaretome。"
　　Shesatstubbornlysilent。
　　"Iwillnotpressyouforananswernow。Iamcontentthatyouknowmymindatlast。Shallwereturntogether？"
　　Shelookedroundslowlyatthehemlock,andfromthattotheriver。Thenshetookupherbasket,rose,andpreparedtogo,asifundercompulsion。
　　"Doyouwantanymorehemlock？"hesaid。"Ifso,Iwillplucksomeforyou。"
　　"Iwishyouwouldletmealone,"shesaid,withsuddenanger。Sheadded,alittleashamedofherself,"Ihaveaheadache。"
　　"Iamverysorry,"hesaid,crestfallen。
　　"ItisonlythatIdonotwishtobespokento。Ithurtsmyheadtolisten。"
　　HemeeklytookhisbicyclefromtheditchandwheeleditalongbesidehertotheBeecheswithoutanotherword。Theywentinthroughtheconservatory,andpartedinthedining—room。Beforeleavinghimshesaidwithsomeremorse,"Ididnotmeantoberude,Mr。Erskine。"
　　Heflushed,murmuredsomething,andattemptedtokissherhand。
　　Butshesnatcheditawayandwentoutquickly。Hewasstungbythisrepulse,andstoodmortifyinghimselfbythinkingofituntilhewasdisturbedbytheentranceofamaid—servant。
　　LearningfromherthatSirCharleswasinthebilliardroom,hejoinedhimthere,andaskedhimcarelesslyifhehadheardthenews。
　　"AboutMissWylie？"saidSirCharles。"Yes,Ishouldthinkso。I
　　believethewholecountryknowsit,thoughtheyhavenotbeenengagedthreehours。Haveyouseenthese？"Andhepushedacoupleofnewspapersacrossthetable。
　　Erskinehadtomakeseveraleffortsbeforehecouldread。"Youwereafooltosignthatdocument,"hesaid。"Itoldyousoatthetime。"
　　"Ireliedonthefellowbeingagentleman,"saidSirCharleswarmly。"IdonotseethatIwasafool。Iseethatheisacad,andbutforthisbusinessofMissWylie'sIwouldlethimknowmyopinion。Letmetellyou,Chester,thathehasplayedfastandloosewithMissLindsay。Thereisadeuceofarowupstairs。ShehasjusttoldJanethatshemustgohomeatonce;MissWyliedeclaresthatshewillhavenothingtodowithTrefusisifMissLindsayhasapriorclaimtohim,andJaneisannoyedathisadmiringanybodyexceptherself。Itservesmeright;myinstinctwarnedmeagainstthefellowfromthefirst。"Justthenluncheonwasannounced。Gertrudedidnotcomedown。Agathawassilentandmoody。JanetriedtomakeErskinedescribehiswalkwithGertrude,buthebaffledhercuriositybyomittingfromhisaccounteverythingexceptitscommonplaces。
　　"Ithinkherconductverystrange,"saidJane。"Sheinsistsongoingtotownbythefouro'clocktrain。Iconsiderthatit'snotpolitetome,althoughshealwaysmadeapointofherperfectmanners。Ineverheardofsuchathing！"
　　Whentheyhadrisenfromthetable,theywenttogethertothedrawing—room。TheyhadhardlyarrivedtherewhenTrefusiswasannounced,andhewasintheirpresencebeforetheyhadtimetoconcealtheexpressionofconsternationhisnamebroughtintotheirfaces。
　　"Ihavecometosaygood—bye,"hesaid。"IfindthatImustgototownbythefouro'clocktraintopushmyarrangementsinperson;
　　thetelegramsIhavereceivedbreathenothingbutdelay。Haveyouseenthe'Times'？"
　　"Ihaveindeed,"saidSirCharles,emphatically。
　　"Youareinsomeotherpapertoo,andwillbeinhalf—a—dozenmoreinthecourseofthenextfortnight。Menwhohavecommittedthemselvestoanopinionarealwaysintroublewiththenewspapers;somebecausetheycannotgetintothem,othersbecausetheycannotkeepout。Ifyouhadputforwardathunderingrevolutionarymanifesto,notadailypaperwouldhavedaredalludetoit:thereisnocowardicelikeFleetStreetcowardice！
　　Imustrunoff;IhavemuchtodobeforeIstart,anditisgettingonforthree。Good—bye,LadyBrandon,andeverybody。"
　　HeshookJane'shand,dealtnodstotherestrapidly,makingnodistinctioninfavorofAgatha,andhurriedaway。TheystaredafterhimforamomentandthenErskineranoutandwentdownstairstwostepsatatime。Neverthelesshehadtorunasfarastheavenuebeforeheovertookhisman。
　　"Trefusis,"hesaidbreathlessly,"youmustnotgobythefouro'clocktrain。"
　　"Whynot？"
　　"MissLindsayisgoingtotownbyit。"
　　"Somuchthebetter,mydearboy;somuchthebetter。Youarenotjealousofmenow,areyou？"
　　"Lookhere,Trefusis。Idon'tknowandIdon'taskwhattherehasbeenbetweenyouandMissLindsay,butyourengagementhasquiteupsether,andsheisrunningawaytoLondoninconsequence。Ifshehearsthatyouaregoingbythesametrainshewillwaituntilto—morrow,andIbelievethedelaywouldbeverydisagreeable。Willyouinflictthatadditionalpainuponher？"
　　Trefusis,evidentlyconcerned,lookingdoubtfullyatErskine,andponderedforamoment。"Ithinkyouareonawrongscentaboutthis,"hesaid。"MyrelationswithMissLindsaywerenotofasentimentalkind。Haveyousaidanythingtoher——onyourownaccount,Imean？"
　　"Ihavespokentoheronbothaccounts,andIknowfromherownlipsthatIamright。"
　　Trefusisutteredalowwhistle。
　　"ItisnotthefirsttimeIhavehadtheevidenceofmysensesinthematter,"saidErskinesignificantly。"Praythinkofitseriously,Trefusis。Forgivemytellingyoufranklythatnothingbutyourownutterwantoffeelingcouldexcuseyouforthewayinwhichyouhaveactedtowardsher。"
　　Trefusissmiled。"Forgivemeinturnformyinquisitiveness,"hesaid。"Whatdoesshesaytoyoursuit？"
　　Erskinehesitated,showingbyhismannerthathethoughtTrefusishadnorighttoaskthequestion。"Shesaysnothing,"heanswered。
　　"Hm！"saidTrefusis。"Well,youmayrelyonmeastothetrain。
　　Thereismyhanduponit。"
　　"Thankyou,"saidErskinefervently。Theyshookhandsandparted,Trefusiswalkingawaywithagrinsuggestiveofanythingbutgoodfaith。
　　CHAPTERXVII
　　Gertrude,unawareoftheextenttowhichshehadalreadybetrayedherdisappointment,believedthatanxietyforherfather'shealth,whichsheallegedasthemotiveofhersuddendeparture,wasanexcuseplausibleenoughtoblindherfriendstoheroverpoweringreluctancetospeaktoAgathaorendureherpresence;toherfierceshrinkingfromthesortofpityusuallyaccordedtoajiltedwoman;and,aboveall,toherdreadofmeetingTrefusis。Shehadforsometimepastthoughtofhimasanuprightandperfectmandeeplyinterestedinher。Yet,comparativelyliberalashereducationhadbeen,shehadnoideaofanyinterestofmaninwomanexistingapartfromadesiretomarry。Hehad,inhisseriousmoments,striventomakehersensibleofthebasenesshesawinherworldliness,flatteringherbyhisapparentconviction——whichsheshared——thatshewascapableofahigherlife。Almostinthesamebreath,astrainofgallantrywhichwasincorrigibleinhim,andtowhichhishumorandhistendernesstowomenwhomhelikedgavevarietyandcharm,wouldsuperveneuponhisseriousnesswitharapiditywhichherfarlessflexibletemperamentcouldnotfollow。Henceshe,thinkinghimstillinearnestwhenhehadswervedintofloridromance,hadbeendangerouslymisled。Hehadnoconscientiousscruplesinhislove—making,becausehewasunaccustomedtoconsiderhimselfaslikelytoinspireloveinwomen;andGertrudedidnotknowthatherbeautygavetoanhourspentalonewithheratransientcharmwhichfewmenofimaginationandaddresscouldresist。She,whohadlivedinthemarriagemarketsinceshehadleftschool,lookeduponlove—makingasthemostseriousbusinessoflife。Tohimitwasonlyapleasantsortoftrifling,enhancedbyadashofsadnessinthereflectionthatitmeantsolittle。
　　Oftheceremoniesattendingherdeparture,theonethatcosthermostwasthekissshefeltboundtoofferAgatha。Shehadbeenjealousofheratcollege,whereshehadesteemedherselfthebetterbredofthetwo;butthatopinionhadhardlyconsoledherforAgatha'ssuperiorquicknessofwit,dexterityofhand,audacity,aptnessofresource,capacityforformingorfollowingintricateassociationsofideas,andconsequentpowertodazzleothers。HerjealousyofthesequalitieswasnowbarbedbytheknowledgethattheyweremuchnearerakinthanherowntothoseofTrefusis。ItmatteredlittletoherhowsheappearedtoherselfincomparisonwithAgatha。Butitmatteredthewholeworld（shethought）thatshemustappeartoTrefusissoslow,stiff,cold,andstudied,andthatshehadnomeanstomakehimunderstandthatshewasnotreallyso。Forshewouldnotadmitthejusticeofimpressionsmadebywhatshedidnotintendtodo,howeverhabituallyshedidit。Shehadatheorythatshewasnotherself,butwhatshewouldhavelikedtobe。AstotheonequalityinwhichshehadalwaysfeltsuperiortoAgatha,andwhichshecalled"goodbreeding,"Trefusishadsofardestroyedherconceitinthat,thatshewasbeginningtodoubtwhetheritwasnothercardinaldefect。
　　Shecouldnotbringherselftoutterawordassheembracedherschoolfellow;andAgathawastongue—tiedtoo。Buttherewasmuchremorsefultendernessinthefeelingsthatchokedthem。TheirsilencewouldhavebeenawkwardbutfortheloquacityofJane,whotalkedenoughforallthree。SirCharleswaswithout,inthetrap,waitingtodriveGertrudetothestation。Erskineinterceptedherinthehallasshepassedout,toldherthatheshouldbedesolatewhenshewasgone,andbeggedhertorememberhim,asimplepetitionwhichmovedheralittle,andcausedhertonotethathisdarkeyeshadapleadingeloquencewhichshehadobservedbeforeinthekangaroosattheZoologicalSociety'sgardens。
　　OnthewaytothetrainSirCharlesworriedthehorseinordertobeexcusedfromconversationonthesoresubjectofhisguest'ssuddendeparture。Hehadmadeafewremarksontheskittishnessofyoungponies,andontheweather,andthatwasalluntiltheyreachedthestation,aprettybuildingstandingintheopencountry,withaviewoftheriverfromtheplatform。Thereweretwoflieswaiting,twoporters,abookstall,andarefreshmentroomwithaneglectedbeautypiningbehindthebar。SirCharleswaitedinthebookingofficetopurchaseaticketforGertrude,whowentthroughtotheplatform。ThefirstpersonshesawtherewasTrefusis,closebesideher。
　　"Iamgoingtotownbythistrain,Gertrude,"hesaidquickly。
　　"Letmetakechargeofyou。Ihavesomethingtosay,forIhearthatsomemischiefhasbeenmadebetweenuswhichmustbestoppedatonce。You——"
　　JustthenSirCharlescameout,andstoodamazedtoseetheminconversation。
　　"IthappensthatIamgoingbythistrain,"saidTrefusis。"I
　　willseeafterMissLindsay。"
　　"MissLindsayhashermaidwithher,"saidSirCharles,almoststammering,andlookingatGertrude,whoseexpressionwasinscrutable。
　　"WecangetintothePullmancar,"saidTrefusis。"Thereweshallbeasprivateasinacornerofacrowdeddrawing—room。Imaytravelwithyou,mayInot？"hesaid,seeingSirCharles'sdisturbedlook,andturningtoherforexpresspermission。
　　Shefeltthattodenyhimwouldbetothrowawayherlastchanceofhappiness。Neverthelesssheresolvedtodoit,thoughsheshoulddieofgriefonthewaytoLondon。Assheraisedherheadtoforbidhimthemoreemphatically,shemethisgaze,whichwasgraveandexpectant。Foraninstantshelostherpresenceofmind,andinthatinstantsaid,"Yes。Ishallbeveryglad。"
　　"Well,ifthatisthecase,"saidSirCharles,inthetoneofonewhosesympathyhadbeenalienatedbyanunpardonableoutrage,"
　　therecanbenouseinmywaiting。IleaveyouinthehandsofMr。Trefusis。Good—bye,MissLindsay。"
　　Gertrudewinced。Unkindnessfromamanusuallykindprovedhardtobearatparting。ShewasofferinghimherhandinsilencewhenTrefusissaid:
　　"Waitandseeusoff。Ifwechancetobekilledonthejourney——whichisalwaysprobableonanEnglishrailway——youwillreproachyourselfafterwardsifyoudonotseethelastofus。
　　Hereisthetrain;itwillnotdelayyouaminute。TellErskinethatyousawmehere;thatIhavenotforgottenmypromise,andthathemayrelyonme。Getinatthisend,MissLindsay。"
　　"Mymaid,"saidGertrudehesitating;forshehadnotintendedtotravelsoexpensively。"She——"
　　"Shecomeswithustotakecareofme;Ihaveticketsforeverybody,"saidTrefusis,handingthewomanin。
　　"But——"
　　"Takeyourseats,please,"saidtheguard。"Goingbythetrain,sir？"
　　"Good—bye,SirCharles。GivemylovetoLadyBrandon,andAgatha,andthedearchildren;andthankssomuchforaverypleasant——"
　　Herethetrainmovedoff,andSirCharles,melting,smiledandwavedhishatuntilhecaughtsightofTrefusislookingbackathimwithagrinwhichseemed,underthecircumstances,soSatanic,thathestoppedasifpetrifiedinthemidstofhisgesticulations,andstoodwithhisarmoutlikeasemaphore。
　　Thedrivehomerestoredhimsomewhat,butheweestillfullofhissurprisewhenherejoinedAgatha,hiswife,andErskineinthedrawing—roomattheBeeches。Themomentheentered,hesaidwithoutpreface,"ShehasgoneoffwithTrefusis。"
　　Erskine,whohadbeenreading,startedup,clutchinghisbookasifabouttohurlitatsomeone,andcried,"Washeatthetrain？"
　　"Yes,andhasgonetotownbyit。"
　　"Then,"saidErskine,flingingthebookviolentlyonthefloor,"heisascoundrelandaliar。"
　　"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatharising,whilstJanestaredopen—mouthedathim。
　　"Ibegyourpardon,MissWylie,Iforgotyou。Hepledgedmehishonorthathewouldnotgobythattrain。Iwill。"Hehurriedfromtheroom。SirCharlesrushedafterhim,andovertookhimatthefootofthestairs。
　　"Whereareyougoing？Whatdoyouwanttodo？"
　　"Iwillfollowthetrainandcatchitatthenextstation。Icandoitonmybicycle。"
　　"Nonsense！you'remad。Theyhavethirty—fiveminutesstart;andthetraintravelsforty—fivemilesanhour。"
　　Erskinesatdownonthestairsandgazedblanklyattheoppositewall。
　　"Youmusthavemistakenhim,"saidSirCharles。"Hetoldmetotellyouthathehadnotforgottenhispromise,andthatyoumayrelyonhim。"
　　"Whatisthematter？"saidAgatha,comingdown,followedbyLadyBrandon。