"ButIdon'tknowyou。Iwonderatyour——"shehesitatedatthewordwhichoccurredtoher,but,beingunabletothinkofabetterone,usedit——"atyourcheek。"
　　Helaughed,andshewatchedhimtakeacoupleofturnswiththeroller。Presently,refreshinghimselfbyalookather,hecaughtherlookingathim,andsmiled。Hissmilewascommonplaceincomparisonwiththeoneshegavehiminreturn,inwhichhereyes,herteeth,andthegoldengraininhercomplexionseemedtoflashsimultaneously。Hestoppedrollingimmediately,andrestedhischinonthehandleoftheroller。
　　"Ifyouneglectyourwork,"saidshemaliciously,youwon'thavethegrassreadywhenthepeoplecome。"
　　"Whatpeople？"hesaid,takenaback。
　　"Oh,lotsofpeople。Mostlikelysomewhoknowyou。TherearevisitorscomingfromLondon:myguardian,myguardianess,theirdaughter,mymother,andaboutahundredmore。"
　　"Fourinall。Whataretheycomingfor？Toseeyou？"
　　"Totakemeaway,"shereplied,watchingforsignsofdisappointmentonhispart。
　　Theywereatonceforthcoming。"Whatthedeucearetheygoingtotakeyouawayfor？"hesaid。"Isyoureducationfinished？"
　　"No。Ihavebehavedbadly,andIamgoingtobeexpelled。"
　　Helaughedagain。"Come！"hesaid,"youarebeginningtoinventintheSmilashmanner。Whathaveyoudone？"
　　"Idon'tseewhyIshouldtellyou。Whathaveyoudone？"
　　"I！Oh,Ihavedonenothing。Iamonlyanunromanticgentleman,hidingfromaromanticladywhoisinlovewithme。"
　　"Poorthing,"saidAgathasarcastically。"Ofcourse,shehasproposedtoyou,andyouhaverefused。"
　　"Onthecontrary,Iproposed,andsheaccepted。ThatiswhyI
　　havetohide。"
　　"Youtellstoriescharmingly,"saidAgatha。"Good—bye。HereisMissCarpentercomingtohearwhatwearetakingabout。"
　　"Good—bye。Thatstoryofyourbeingexpelledbeats——Mightacommonmanmakesoboldastoinquirewherethewhiteningmachineis,Miss？"
　　ThiswasaddressedtoJane,whohadcomeupwithsomeoftheothers。AgathaexpectedtoseeSmilashpresentlydiscovered,forhisdisguisenowseemedtransparent;shewonderedhowtherestcouldbeimposedonbyit。Twoo'clock,strikingjustthen,remindedheroftheimpendinginterviewwithherguardian。A
　　tremorshookher,andshefeltacravingforsomesolitaryhiding—placeinwhichtoawaitthesummons。Butitwasapointofhonorwithhertoappearperfectlyindifferenttohertrouble,soshestayedwiththegirls,laughingandchattingastheywatchedSmilashintentlymarkingoutthecourtsandsettingupthenets。
　　Shemadetheotherslaughtoo,forherhiddenexcitement,sharpenedbyirrepressibleshootingsofdread,stimulatedher,andtheromanceofSmilash'sdisguisegaveherasensationofdreaming。Herimaginationwasalreadybusyuponadrama,ofwhichshewastheheroineandSmilashthehero,though,withtherealmanbeforeher,shecouldnotindulgeherselfbyattributingtohimquiteasmuchgloomygrandeurofcharacterastoawhollyidealpersonage。Theplotwassimple,andanoldfavoritewithher。Oneofthemwastolovetheotherandtodiebroken—heartedbecausethelovedonewouldnotrequitethepassion。ForAgatha,prompttoridiculesentimentalityinhercompanions,andgiftedwithaninfectiousspiritoffarce,secretlyturnedforimaginativeluxurytovisionsofdespairanddeath;andoftenenduredthemortificationofthesuccessfulclownwhobelieves,whilstthepublicroarwithlaughterathim,thathewasbornatragedian。Therewasmuchinhernature,shefelt,thatdidnotfindexpressioninherpopularrepresentationofthesoldierinthechimney。
　　Bythreeo'clockthelocalvisitorshadarrived,andtenniswasproceedinginfourcourts,rolledandpreparedbySmilash。Thetwocurateswerethere,withafewlaygentlemen。Mrs。Miller,thevicar,andsomemothersandotherchaperonslookedonandconsumedlightrefreshments,whichwerebroughtoutupontraysbySmilash,whohadborrowedandputonalargewhiteapron,andwasmakinghimselfofficiouslybusy。
　　AtaquarterpastthehouramessagecamefromMissWilson,requestingMissWylie'sattendance。Thevisitorswereatalosstoaccountforthesuddendistractionoftheyoungladies'
　　attentionwhichensued。Janealmostburstintotears,andansweredJosephsrudelywhenheinnocentlyaskedwhatthematterwas。Agathawentawayapparentlyunconcerned,thoughherhandshookassheputasideherracket。
　　Inaspaciousdrawing—roomatthenorthsideofthecollegeshefoundhermother,aslightwomaninwidow'sweeds,withfadedbrownhair,andtearfuleyes。WithherwereMrs。Janseniusandherdaughter。ThetwoelderladieskeptseverelysilentwhilstAgathakissedthem,andMrs。Wyliesniffed。HenriettaembracedAgathaeffusively。
　　"Where'sUncleJohn？"saidAgatha。"Hasn'thecome？"
　　"HeisinthenextroomwithMissWilson,"saidMrs。Janseniuscoldly。"Theywantyouinthere。"
　　"Ithoughtsomebodywasdead,"saidAgatha,"youalllooksofunereal。Now,mamma,putyourhandkerchiefbackagain。IfyoucryIwillgiveMissWilsonapieceofmymindforworryingyou。"
　　"No,no,"saidMrs。Wylie,alarmed。"Shehasbeensonice！"
　　"Sogood！"saidHenrietta。
　　"Shehasbeenperfectlyreasonableandkind,"saidMrs。
　　Jansenius。
　　"Shealwaysis,"saidAgathacomplacently。"Youdidn'texpecttofindherinhysterics,didyou？"
　　"Agatha,"pleadedMrs。Wylie,"don'tbeheadstrongandfoolish。"
　　"Oh,shewon't;Iknowshewon't,"saidHenriettacoaxingly。
　　"Willyou,dearAgatha？"
　　"Youmaydoasyoulike,asfarasIamconcerned,"saidMrs。
　　Jansenius。"ButIhopeyouhavemoresensethantothrowawayyoureducationfornothing。"
　　"Yourauntisquiteright,"saidMrs。Wylie。"AndyourUncleJohnisveryangrywithyou。HewillneverspeaktoyouagainifyouquarrelwithMissWilson。"
　　"Heisnotangry,"saidHenrietta,"butheissoanxiousthatyoushouldgetonwell。"
　　"Hewillnaturallybedisappointedifyoupersistinmakingafoolofyourself,"saidMrs。Jansenius。
　　"AllMissWilsonwantsisanapologyforthedreadfulthingsyouwroteinherbook,"saidMrs。Wylie。"You'llapologize,dear,won'tyou？"
　　"Ofcourseshewill,"saidHenrietta。
　　"Ithinkyouhadbetter,"saidMrs。Jansenius。
　　"PerhapsIwill,"saidAgatha。
　　"That'smyowndarling,"saidMrs。Wylie,catchingherhand。
　　"Andperhaps,again,Iwon't。"
　　"Youwill,dear,"urgedMrs。Wylie,tryingtodrawAgatha,whopassivelyresisted,closertoher。"Formysake。Toobligeyourmother,Agatha。Youwon'trefuseme,dearest？"
　　Agathalaughedindulgentlyatherparent,whohadlongagowornoutthisformofappeal。ThensheturnedtoHenrietta,andsaid,"Howisyourcarosposo？IthinkitwashardthatIwasnotabridesmaid。"
　　TheredinHenrietta'scheeksbrightened。Mrs。JanseniushastenedtointerposeadryreminderthatMissWilsonwaswaiting。
　　"Oh,shedoesnotmindwaiting,"saidAgatha,"becauseshethinksyouareallatworkgettingmeintoaproperframeofmind。Thatwasthearrangementshemadewithyoubeforeshelefttheroom。
　　MammaknowsthatIhavealittlebirdthattellsmethesethings。
　　Imustsaythatyouhavenotmademefeelanygoody—goodiersofar。However,aspoorUncleJohnmustbedreadfullyfrightenedanduncomfortable,itisonlykindtoputanendtohissuspense。
　　Good—bye！"Andshewentoutleisurely。Butshelookedinagaintosayinalowvoice:"Prepareforsomethingthrilling。Ifeeljustinthehumortosaythemostawfulthings。"Shevanished,andimmediatelytheyheardhertappingatthedoorofthenextroom。
　　Mr。Janseniuswasindeedawaitingherwithmisgiving。Havingdiscoveredearlyinhiscareerthathisdignifiedpersonandfinevoicecausedpeopletostandinsomeaweofhim,andtomovehimintothechairatpublicmeetings,hehadgrownsoaccustomedtodeferencethatanyapproachtofamiliarityorirreverencedisconcertedhimexceedingly。Agatha,ontheotherhand,havingfromherchildhoodheardUncleJohnquotedaswisdomandauthorityincarnate,hadbeguninhertenderyearstoscoffathimasapompousandpurseproudcitymerchant,whosesordidmindwasunabletocopewithhertranscendentalaffairs。Shehadhabituallyterrifiedhermotherbyridiculinghimwithanabsolutecontemptofwhichonlychildhoodandextremeignorancearecapable。Shehadfelthumiliatedbyhiskindnesstoher（hewasagenerousgiverofpresents）,and,withtheinstinctofananarchist,hadtakendisparagementofhisadviceanddefianceofhisauthorityasthesignswherefromshemightinfersurelythatherfacewasturnedtothelight。Theresultwasthathewasalittletiredofherwithoutbeingquiteconsciousofit;andshenotatallafraidofhim,andalittletooconsciousofit。
　　Whensheenteredwithherbrightestsmileinfullplay,MissWilsonandMr。Jansenius,seatedatthetable,lookedsomewhatliketwoculpritsabouttobeindicted。MissWilsonwaitedforhimtospeak,deferringtohisimposingpresence。Buthewasnotready,sosheinvitedAgathatositdown。
　　"Thankyou,"saidAgathasweetly。"Well,UncleJohn,don'tyouknowme？"
　　"IhaveheardwithregretfromMissWilsonthatyouhavebeenverytroublesomehere,"hesaid,ignoringherremark,thoughsecretlyputoutbyit。
　　"Yes,"saidAgathacontritely。"Iamsoverysorry。"
　　Mr。Jansenius,whohadbeenledbyMissWilsontoexpecttheutmostcontumacy,lookedtoherinsurprise。
　　"Youseemtothink,"saidMissWilson,consciousofMr。
　　Jansenius'smovement,andannoyedbyit,"thatyoumaytransgressoverandoveragain,andthensetyourselfrightwithus,"（MissWilsonneverspokeofoffencesasagainstherindividualauthority,butasagainsttheschoolcommunity）"bysayingthatyouaresorry。Youspokeinaverydifferenttoneatourlastmeeting。"
　　"Iwasangrythen,MissWilson。AndIthoughtIhadagrievance——everybodythinkstheyhavethesameone。Besides,wewerequarrelling——atleastIwas;andIalwaysbehavebadlywhenIquarrel。Iamsoverysorry。"
　　"Thebookwasaseriousmatter,"saidMissWilsongravely。"Youdonotseemtothinkso。"
　　"IunderstandAgathatosaythatsheisnowsensibleofthefollyofherconductwithregardtothebook,andthatsheissorryforit,"saidMr。Jansenius,instinctivelyincliningtoAgatha'spartyasthestrongeroneandtheleastdependentonhiminapecuniarysense。Haveyouseenthebook？"saidAgathaeagerly。
　　"No。MissWilsonhasdescribedwhathasoccurred。"
　　"Oh,doletmegetit,"shecried,rising。"ItwillmakeUncleJohnscreamwithlaughing。MayI,MissWilson？"
　　"There！"saidMissWilson,indignantly。"ItisthisincorrigibleflippancyofwhichIhavetocomplain。MissWylieonlyvariesitbydownrightinsubordination。"
　　Mr。Janseniustoowasscandalized。Hisfinecolormountedattheideaofhisscreaming。"Tut,tut！"hesaid,"youmustbeserious,andmorerespectfultoMissWilson。Youareoldenoughtoknowbetternow,Agatha——quiteoldenough。"
　　Agatha'smirthvanished。"WhathaveIsaidWhathaveIdone？"
　　sheasked,afaintpurplespotappearinginhercheeks。
　　"Youhavespokentriflinglyof——ofthevolumebywhichMissWilsonsetsgreatstore,andproperlyso。"
　　"Ifproperlyso,thenwhydoyoufindfaultwithme？"
　　"Come,come,"roaredMr。Jansenius,deliberatelylosinghistemperasalastexpedienttosubdueher,"don'tbeimpertinent,Miss。"
　　Agatha'seyesdilated;evanescentflushesplayeduponhercheeksandneck;shestampedwithherheel。"UncleJohn,"shecried,"ifyoudaretoaddressmelikethat,Iwillneverlookatyou,neverspeaktoyou,noreverenteryourhouseagain。Whatdoyouknowaboutgoodmanners,thatyoushouldcallmeimpertinent？Iwillnotsubmittointentionalrudeness;thatwasthebeginningofmyquarrelwithMissWilson。ShetoldmeIwasimpertinent,andI
　　wentawayandtoldherthatshewaswrongbywritingitinthefaultbook。Shehasbeenwrongallthrough,andIwouldhavesaidsobeforebutthatIwantedtobereconciledtoherandtoletbygonesbebygones。Butifsheinsistsonquarrelling,Icannothelpit。"
　　"Ihavealreadyexplainedtoyou,Mr。Jansenius,"saidMissWilson,concentratingherresentmentbyanefforttosuppressit,"thatMissWyliehasignoredalltheopportunitiesthathavebeenmadeforhertoreinstateherselfhere。Mrs。MillerandIhavewaivedmerelypersonalconsiderations,andIhaveonlyrequiredasimpleacknowledgmentofthisoffenceagainstthecollegeanditsrules。"
　　"IdonotcarethatforMrs。Miller,"saidAgatha,snappingherfingers。"AndyouarenothalfsogoodasIthought。"
　　"Agatha,"saidMr。Jansenius,"Idesireyoutoholdyourtongue。"
　　Agathadrewadeepbreath,satdownresignedly,andsaid:"There！
　　Ihavedone。Ihavelostmytemper;sonowwehavealllostourtempers。"
　　"Youhavenorighttoloseyourtemper,Miss,"saidMr。
　　Jansenius,followingupafanciedadvantage。
　　"Iamtheyoungest,andtheleasttoblame,"shereplied。"Thereisnothingfurthertobesaid,Mr。Jansenius,"saidMissWilson,determinedly。"IamsorrythatMissWyliehaschosentobreakwithus。"
　　"ButIhavenotchosentobreakwithyou,andIthinkitveryhardthatIamtobesentaway。NobodyherehastheleastquarrelwithmeexceptyouandMrs。Miller。Mrs。Millerisannoyedbecauseshemistookmeforhercat,asifthatwasmyfault！Andreally,MissWilson,Idon'tknowwhyyouaresoangry。AllthegirlswillthinkIhavedonesomethinginfamousifIamexpelled。
　　Ioughttobeletstayuntiltheendoftheterm;andastotheRec——thefaultbook,youtoldmemostparticularlywhenIfirstcamethatImightwriteinitornotjustasIpleased,andthatyouneverdictatedorinterferedwithwhatwaswritten。AndyettheveryfirsttimeIwriteawordyoudisapproveof,youexpelme。Nobodywilleverbelievenowthattheentriesarevoluntary。"
　　MissWilson'sconscience,alreadysmittenbythecoarsenessandabsenceofmoralforceintheechoofherown"Youareimpertinent,"fromthemouthofMr。Jansenius,tookfreshalarm。
　　"Thefaultbook,"shesaid,"isforthepurposeofrecordingself—reproachalone,andisnotavehicleforaccusationsagainstothers。"
　　"IamquitesurethatneitherJanenorGertrudenorIreproachedourselvesintheleastforgoingdownstairsaswedid,andyetyoudidnotblameusforenteringthat。Besides,thebookrepresentedmoralforce——atleastyoualwayssaidso,andwhenyougaveupmoralforce,Ithoughtanentryshouldbemadeofthat。OfcourseIwasinarageatthetime,hutwhenIcametomyselfIthoughtIhaddoneright,andIthinksostill,thoughitwouldperhapshavebeenbettertohavepasseditover。"
　　"WhydoyousaythatIgaveupmoralforce？"
　　"Tellingpeopletoleavetheroomisnotmoralforce。Callingthemimpertinentisnotmoralforce。"
　　"YouthinkthenthatIamboundtolistenpatientlytowhateveryouchoosetosaytome,howeverunbecomingitmaybefromoneinyourpositiontooneinmine？"
　　"ButIsaidnothingunbecoming,"saidAgatha。Then,breakingoffrestlessly,andsmilingagain,shesaid:"Oh,don'tletusargue。
　　Iamverysorry,andverytroublesome,andveryfondofyouandofthecollege;andIwon'tcomebacknexttermunlessyoulike。"
　　"Agatha,"saidMissWilson,shaken,"theseexpressionsofregardcostyousolittle,andwhentheyhaveeffectedtheirpurpose,aresosoonforgottenbyyou,thattheyhaveceasedtosatisfyme。Iamveryreluctanttoinsistonyourleavingusatonce。Butasyourunclehastoldyou,youareoldandsensibleenoughtoknowthedifferencebetweenorderanddisorder。Hithertoyouhavebeenonthesideofdisorder,anelementwhichwashardlyknownhereuntilyoucame,asMrs。Trefusiscantellyou。Nevertheless,ifyouwillpromisetobemorecarefulinfuture,Iwillwaiveallpastcauseofcomplaint,andattheendofthetermIshallbeabletojudgeastoyourcontinuingamongus。"
　　Agatharose,beaming。"DearMissWilson,"shesaid,"youaresogood！Ipromise,ofcourse。Iwillgoandtellmamma。"
　　Beforetheycouldaddawordshehadturnedwithapirouettetothedoor,andfled,presentingherselfamomentlaterinthedrawing—roomtothethreeladies,whomshesurveyedwithawhimsicalsmileinsilence。
　　"Well？"saidMrs。Janseniusperemptorily。
　　"Well,dear？"saidMrs。Trefusis,caressingly。
　　Mrs。Wyliestifledasobandlookedimploringlyatherdaughter。
　　"Ihadnoendoftroubleinbringingthemtoreason,"saidAgatha,afteraprovokingpause。"Theybehavedlikechildren,andIwaslikeanangel。Iamtostay,ofcourse。"
　　"Blessingsonyou,mydarling,"falteredMrs。Wylie,attemptingakiss,whichAgathadexterouslyevaded。
　　"Ihavepromisedtobeverygood,andstudious,andquiet,anddecorousinfuture。Doyouremembermycastanetsong,Hetty？
　　"'Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！
　　lalalalalalalalalalala！'"
　　Andshedancedabouttheroom,snappingherfingersinsteadofcastanets。
　　"Don'tbesorecklessandwicked,mylove,"saidMrs。Wylie。"Youwillbreakyourpoormother'sheart。"
　　MissWilsonandMr。Janseniusenteredjustthen,andAgathabecamemotionlessandgazedabstractedlyatavaseofflowers。
　　MissWilsoninvitedhervisitorstojointhetennisplayers。Mr。
　　JanseniuslookedsternlyanddisappointedlyatAgatha,whoelevatedherlefteyebrowanddepressedherrightsimultaneously;
　　buthe,shakinghisheadtosignifythathewasnottobeconciliatedbyfacialfeats,howeverdifficultorcontrarytonature,wentoutwithMissWilson,followedbyMrs。JanseniusandMrs。Wylie。
　　"HowisyourHubby？"saidAgathathen,brusquely,toHenrietta。
　　Mrs。Trefusis'seyesfilledwithtearssoquicklythat,asshebentherheadtohidethem,theyfell,sprinklingAgatha'shand。
　　"Thisissuchadearoldplace,"shebegan。"Theassociationsofmygirlhood——"
　　"WhatisthematterbetweenyouandHubby？"demandedAgatha,interruptingher。"Youhadbettertellme,orIwillaskhimwhenImeethim。"
　　"Iwasabouttotellyou,onlyyoudidnotgivemetime。"
　　"Thatisamostawfulcram,"saidAgatha。"Butnomatter。Goon。"
　　Henriettahesitated。Herdignityasamarriedwoman,andtherealityofhergrief,revoltedagainsttheshallowacutenessoftheschoolgirl。ButshefoundherselfnobetterabletoresistAgatha'sdomineeringthanshehadbeeninherchildhood,andmuchmoredesirousofobtaininghersympathy。Besides,shehadalreadylearnttotellthestoryherselfratherthanleaveitsnarrationtoothers,whoseaccountsdidnot,shefelt,puthercaseintheproperlight。SoshetoldAgathaofhermarriage,herwildloveforherhusband,hiswildloveforher,andhismysteriousdisappearancewithoutleavingwordorsignbehindhim。Shedidnotmentiontheletter。
　　"Haveyouhadhimsearchedfor？"saidAgatha,repressinganinclinationtolaugh。
　　"Butwhere？HadItheremotestclue,Iwouldfollowhimbarefoottotheendoftheworld。"
　　"Ithinkyououghttosearchalltherivers——youwouldhavetodothatbarefoot。Hemusthavefalleninsomewhere,orfallendownsomeplace。"
　　"No,no。DoyouthinkIshouldbehereifIthoughthislifeindanger？Ihavereasons——Iknowthatheisonlygoneaway。"
　　"Oh,indeed！Hetookhisportmanteauwithhim,didhe？PerhapshehasgonetoParistobuyyousomethingniceandgiveyouapleasantsurprise。"
　　"No,"saidHenriettadejectedly。"HeknewthatIwantednothing。"
　　"ThenIsupposehegottiredofyouandranaway。"
　　Henrietta'speculiarscarletblushflowedrapidlyoverhercheeksassheflungAgatha'sarmaway,exclaiming,"Howdareyousayso！
　　Youhavenoheart。Headoredme。"
　　"Bosh！"saidAgatha。"Peoplealwaysgrowtiredofoneanother。I
　　growtiredofmyselfwheneverIamleftalonefortenminutes,andIamcertainthatIamfonderofmyselfthananyonecanbeofanotherperson。"
　　"Iknowyouare,"saidHenrietta,painedandspiteful。"Youhavealwaysbeenparticularlyfondofyourself。"
　　"Verylikelyheresemblesmeinthatrespect。Inthatcasehewillgrowtiredofhimselfandcomeback,andyouwillbothcooliketurtledovesuntilherunsawayagain。Ugh！Serveyourightforgettingmarried。Iwonderhowpeoplecanbesomadastodoit,withtheexampleoftheirmarriedacquaintancesallwarningthemagainstit。"
　　"Youdon'tknowwhatitistolove,"saidHenrietta,plaintively,andyetpatronizingly。"Besides,wewerenotlikeothercouples。"
　　"Soitseems。Butnevermind,takemywordforit,hewillreturntoyouassoonashehashadenoughofhisowncompany。Don'tworrythinkingabouthim,butcomeandhaveagameatlawntennis。"
　　Duringthisconversationtheyhadleftthedrawing—roomandmadeadetourthroughthegrounds。Theywerenowapproachingthetenniscourtsbyapathwhichwoundbetweentwolaurelhedgesthroughtheshrubbery。Meanwhile,Smilash,waitingontheguestsinhiswhiteapronandgloves（whichhehadpositivelyrefusedtotakeoff,allegingthathewasacommonman,withcommonhandssuchasbornladiesandgentlemencouldnotbeexpectedtotakemeatanddrinkfrom）,hadbehavedhimselfirreproachablyuntilthearrivalofMissWilsonandhervisitors,whichoccurredashewasreturningtothetablewithanemptytray,movingsoswiftlythathenearlycameintocollisionwithMrs。Jansenius。Insteadofapologizing,hechangedcountenance,hastilyheldupthetraylikeashieldbeforehisface,andbegantowalkbackwardfromher,stumblingpresentlyagainstMissLindsay,whowasrunningtoreturnaball。Withoutheedingherangrylookandcurtrebuke,hehalfturned,andsidledawayintotheshrubbery,whencethetraypresentlyroseintotheair,flewacrossthelaurelhedge,anddescendedwithapealofstagethunderonthestoopedshouldersofJosephs。MissWilson,afteraskingthehousekeeperwithsomeasperitywhyshehadallowedthatmantointerfereintheattendance,explainedtothegueststhathewastheidiotofthecountryside。Mr。Janseniuslaughed,andsaidthathehadnotseentheman'sface,butthathisfigureremindedhimforciblyofsomeone;hecouldnotjustthenrecollectexactlywhom。
　　Smilash,makingoffthroughtheshrubbery,foundtheendofhispathblockedbyAgathaandayoungladywhoseappearancealarmedhimmorethanhadthatofMrs。Jansenius。Heattemptedtoforcehistraythroughthehedge,butinvain;thelaurelwasimpenetrable,andthenoisehemadeattractedtheattentionoftheapproachingcouple。Hemadenofurtherefforttoescape,butthrewhisborrowedapronoverhisheadandstoodboltuprightwithhisbackagainstthebushes。
　　"Whatisthatmandoingthere？"saidHenrietta,stoppingmistrustfully。
　　Agathalaughed,andsaidloudly,sothathemighthear:"ItisonlyaharmlessmadmanthatMissWilsonemploys。Heisfondofdisguisinghimselfinsomesillywayandtryingtofrightenus。
　　Don'tbeafraid。Comeon。"
　　Henriettahungback,butherarmwaslinkedinAgatha's,andshewasdrawnalonginspiteofherself。Smilashdidnotmove。Agathastrolledoncoolly,andasshepassedhim,adroitlycaughttheapronbetweenherfingerandthumbandtwitcheditfromhisface。
　　InstantlyHenriettautteredapiercingscream,andSmilashcaughtherinhisarms。
　　"Quick,"hesaidtoAgatha,"sheisfainting。Runforsomewater。
　　Run！"AndhebentoverHenrietta,whoclungtohimfrantically。
　　Agatha,bewilderedbytheeffectofherpracticaljoke,hesitatedamoment,andthenrantothelawn。
　　"Whatisthematter？"saidFairholme。
　　"Nothing。Iwantsomewater——quick,please。Henriettahasfaintedintheshrubbery,thatisall。"
　　"Pleasedonotstir,"saidMissWilsonauthoritatively,"youwillcrowdthepathanddelayusefulassistance。MissWard,kindlygetsomewaterandbringittous。Agatha,comewithmeandpointoutwhereMrs。Trefusisis。Youmaycometoo,MissCarpenter;youaresostrong。Therestwillpleaseremainwheretheyare。"
　　Followedbythetwogirls,shehurriedintotheshrubbery,whereMr。Janseniuswasalreadylookinganxiouslyforhisdaughter。Hewastheonlypersontheyfoundthere。SmilashandHenriettaweregone。
　　Atfirsttheseekers,merelypuzzled,didnothingbutquestionAgathaincredulouslyastotheexactspotonwhichHenriettahadfallen。ButMr。Janseniussoonmadethemunderstandthatthepositionofaladyinthehandsofahalf—wittedlaborerwasoneofdanger。Hisagitationinfectedthem,andwhenAgathaendeavoredtoreassurehimbydeclaringthatSmilashwasadisguisedgentleman,MissWilson,supposingthistobeamererepetitionofherformeridleconjecture,toldhersharplytoholdhertongue,asthetimewasnotonefortalkingnonsense。
　　Thenewsnowspreadthroughthewholecompany,andtheexcitementbecameintense。Fairholmeshoutedforvolunteerstomakeupasearchingparty。Allthemenpresentresponded,andtheywereabouttorushtothecollegegatesinabodywhenitOccurredtothecooleramongthemthattheyhadbetterdivideintoseveralparties,inorderthatsearchmightbemadeatonceindifferentquarters。Tenminutesofconfusionfollowed。Mr。JanseniusstartedseveraltimesinquestofHenrietta,and,whenhehadgoneafewsteps,returnedandbeggedthatnomoretimeshouldbewasted。Josephs,whosefaithwassimple,retiredtopray,anddidgood,asfarasitwent,bywithdrawingonevoicefromthedinofplans,objections,andsuggestionswhichtherestweremaking;
　　eachpersontryingtobeheardabovetheothers。
　　AtlastMissWilsonquelledtheprevailinganarchy。Servantsweresenttoalarmtheneighborsandcallinthevillagepolice。
　　DetachmentsweresentinvariousdirectionsunderthecommandofFairholmeandotherenergeticspirits。Thegirlsformedpartiesamongthemselves,whichwerereinforcedbymaledesertersfromthepreviouslevies。MissWilsonthenwentindoorsandconductedasearchthroughtheinteriorofthecollege。Onlytwopersonswereleftonthetennisground——AgathaandMrs。Jansenius,whohadbeensurprisinglycalmthroughout。
　　"Youneednotbeanxious,"saidAgatha,whohadbeenstandingaloofsinceherrebuffbyMissWilson。"Iamsurethereisnodanger。Itismostextraordinarythattheyhavegoneaway;butthemanisnomoremadthanIam,andIknowheisagentlemanHetoldmeso。"
　　"Letushopeforthebest,"saidMrs。Jansenius,smoothly。"I
　　thinkIwillsitdown——Ifeelsotired。Thanks。"（Agathahadhandedherachair。）"Whatdidyousayhetoldyou——thisman？"
　　AgatharelatedthecircumstancesofheracquaintancewithSmilash,adding,atMrs。Jansenius'srequest,aminutedescriptionofhispersonalappearance。Mrs。Janseniusremarkedthatitwasverysingular,andthatshewassureHenriettawasquitesafe。Shethenpartookofclaret—cupandsandwiches。
　　Agatha,thoughgladtofindsomeonedisposedtolistentoher,waspuzzledbyheraunt'scoolness,andwasevengoadedintopointingoutthatthoughSmilashwasnotalaborer,itdidnotfollowthathewasanhonestman。ButMrs。Janseniusonlysaid:
　　"Oh,sheissafe——quitesafe！Atleast,ofcourse,Icanonlyhopeso。Weshallhavenewspresently,"andtookanothersandwich。