Henriettapleadedasmovinglyasshecouldforanimmediatereturntotheirdomesticstate,butheputheroffwithendearingspeeches,promisednothingbuteternalaffection,andsentherbacktoLondonbythetwelveo'clockexpress。Thenhiscountenancechanged;hewalkedbacktoLyvern,andthencetothechalet,likeamanpursuedbydisgustandremorse。Laterintheafternoon,toraisehisspirits,hetookhisskatesandwenttoWickens'spond,where,itbeingSaturday,hefoundtheicecrowdedwiththeAltonstudentsandtheirhalf—holidayvisitors。
Fairholme,describingcircleswithhishabitualairofcompressedhardihood,stoppedandstaredwithindignantsurpriseasSmilashlurchedpasthim。
"Isthatmanherebyyourpermission?"hesaidtoFarmerWickens,whowaswalkingaboutasifsuperintendingaharvest。
"Heisherebecausehelikes,Itakeit,"saidWickensstubbornly。"Heisaneighborofmineandafriendofmine。Isthereanyobjectionstomyhavingafriendonmyownpond,seein'
thatthereisnighontwoorthreetonofotherpeople'sfriendsonit108withoutasmuchasawith—your—leaveoraby—your—
leave。"
"Oh,no,"saidFairholme,somewhatdashed。"Ifyouaresatisfiedtherecanbenoobjection。"
"I'mgladonit。Ithoughttheremoutbe。"
"Letmetellyou,"saidFairholme,nettled,"thatyourlandlordwouldnotbepleasedtoseehimhere。HesentoneofSirJohn'sbestshepherdsoutofthecountry,afterfillinghisheadwithideasabovehisstation。IheardSirJohnspeakverywarmlyaboutitlastSunday。"
"Mayhapyoudid,MusterFairholme。Ihavealeaseofthisland——andgravelly,poorstuffitis——andIamnowaysbeholdentoSirJohn'slikingsanddislikings。AverygoodthingtooforSirJohnthatIhavealease,forthereain'tamaninthecountry'udtak'apresento'thefarmifitwasfreeto—morrow。
Andwhat'sa'more,thoughthatyoungmandotalkfoolishthingsabouttherightsoffarmlaborersandsuch—likenonsense,ifSirJohnwastohearhimlayin'itdownconcernin'rentandimprovements,andthewaywetenantfarmersisputupon,p'rapshe'dspeakwarmerthanevernextSunday。"
AndWickens,withasmileexpressiveofhissenseofhavingretortedeffectivelyupontheparson,noddedandwalkedaway。
JustthenAgatha,skatinghandinhandwithJaneCarpenter,heardthesewordsinherear:"Ihavesomethingveryfunnytotellyou。
Don'tlookround。"
SherecognizedthevoiceofSmilashandobeyed。
"Iamnotquitesurethatyouwillenjoyitasitdeserves,"headded,anddartedoffagain,aftercastinganeloquentglanceatMissCarpenter。
Agathadisengagedherselffromhercompanion,madeacircuit,andpassednearSmilash,saying:"Whatisit?"
Smilashflittedawaylikeaswallow,tracedseveralcirclesaroundFairholme,andthenreturnedtoAgathaandproceededsidebysidewithher。
"IhavereadtheletteryouwrotetoHetty,"hesaid。
Agatha'sfacebegantoglow。Sheforgottomaintainherbalance,andalmostfell。
"Takecare。Andsoyouarenotfondofme——intheromanticsense?"
Noanswer。Agathadumbandafraidtolifthereyelids。
"Thatisfortunate,"hecontinued,"because——goodevening,MissWard;Ihavedonenothingbutadmireyourskatingforthelasthour——becausemenweredeceiversever;andIamnoexception,asyouwillpresentlyadmit。"
Agathamurmuredsomething,butitwasunintelligibleamidthedinofskating。
"Youthinknot?Well,perhapsyouareright;Ihavesaidnothingtoyouthatisnotinameasuretrue。Youhavealwayshadapeculiarcharmforme。ButIdidnotmeanyoutotellHetty。Canyouguesswhy?"
Agathashookherhead。
"Becausesheismywife。"
Agatha'sanklesbecamelimp。WithaneffortshekeptuprightuntilshereachedJane,towhomsheclungforsupport。
"Don't,"screamedJane。"You'llupsetme。"
"Imustsitdown,"saidAgatha。"Iamtired。Letmeleanonyouuntilwegettothechairs。"
"Bosh!Icanskateforanhourwithoutsittingdown,"saidJane。
However,shehelpedAgathatoachairandlefther。ThenSmilash,asifdesiringarestalso,satdownclosebyonthemarginofthepond。
"Well,"hesaid,withouttroublinghimselfastowhethertheirconversationattractedattentionornot,"whatdoyouthinkofmenow?"
"Whydidyounottellmebefore,Mr。Trefusis?"
"Thatisthecreamofthejoke,"hereplied,poisinghisheelsontheicesothathisskatesstoodverticallyatlegs'lengthfromhim,andlookingatthemwithacynicalair。"Ithoughtyouwereinlovewithme,andthatthetruthwouldbetoosevereablowtoyou。Ha!ha!And,forthesamereason,yougenerouslyforboretotellmethatyouwerenomoreinlovewithmethanwiththemaninthemoon。Eachplayedafarce,andpalmeditoffontheotherasatragedy。"
"Therearesomethingssounmanly,sounkind,andsocruel,"saidAgatha,"thatIcannotunderstandanygentlemansayingthemtoagirl。Pleasedonotspeaktomeagain。MissWard!Cometomeforamoment。I——Iamnotwell。"
Wardhurriedtoherside。Smilash,afterstaringatherforamomentinastonishment,andinsomeconcern,skimmedawayintothecrowd。WhenhereachedtheoppositebankhetookoffhisskatesandaskedJane,whostrayedintentionallyinhisdirection,totellMissWyliethathewasgone,andwouldskatenomorethere。Withoutaddingawordofexplanationheleftherandmadeforhisdwelling。Ashewentdownintothehollowwheretheroadpassedthroughtheplantationonthecollegesideofthechalethedescriedaboy,intheuniformofthepostoffice,slidingalongthefrozenditch。Apresentimentofeviltidingscameuponhimlikeadarkeningofthesky。Hequickenedhispace。
"Anythingforme?"hesaid。
Theboy,whoknewhim,fumbledinalettercaseandproducedabuffenvelope。Itcontainedatelegram。
FromJansenius,London。
TOJ。Smilash,ChamoounixVilla,Lyvern。
_________________________________________
Henriettadangerouslyillafterjourneywantstoseeyoudoctorssaymustcomeatonce_________________________________________
Therewasapause。Thenhefoldedthepapermethodicallyandputitinhispocket,asifquitedonewithit。
"Andso,"hesaid,"perhapsthetragedyistofollowthefarceafterall。"
Helookedattheboy,whoretreated,notlikinghisexpression。
"DidyouslideallthewayfromLyvern?"
"Onlytocomequicker,"saidthemessenger,faltering。"IcameasquickasIcould。"
"Youcarriednewsheavyenoughtobreakthethickesticeeverfrozen。Ihaveamindtothrowyouoverthetopofthattreeinsteadofgivingyouthishalf—crown。"
"Youletmealone,"whimperedtheboy,retreatinganotherpace。
"GetbacktoLyvernasfastasyoucanrunorslide,andtellMr。
Marshtosendmethefastesttraphehas,todrivemetotherailwaystation。Hereisyourhalf—crown。Offwithyou;andifI
donotfindthetrapreadywhenIwantit,woebetideyou。"
Theboycameforthemoneymistrustfully,andranoffwithitasfastashecould。Smilashwentintothechaletandneverreappeared。Instead,Trefusis,agentlemaninanulster,carryingarug,cameout,lockedthedoor,andhurriedalongtheroadtoLyvern,wherehewaspickedupbythetrap,andcarriedswiftlytotherailwaystation,justintimetocatchtheLondontrain。
"Eveningpaper,sir?"saidavoiceatthewindow,ashesettledhimselfinthecornerofafirst—classcarriage。
"No,thankyou。"
"Footwarmer,sir?"saidaporter,appearinginthenews—vender'splace。
"Ah,that'sagoodidea。Yes,letmehaveafootwarmer。"
Thefootwarmerwasbrought,andTrefusiscomposedhimselfcomfortablyforhisjourney。Itseemedveryshorttohim;hecouldhardlybelieve,whenthetrainarrivedinLondon,thathehadbeennearlythreehoursontheway。
TherewasasenseofChristmasaboutthetravellersandthepeoplewhowereattheterminustomeetthem。TheporterwhocametothecarriagedoorremindedTrefusisbyhismannerandvoicethattheseasonwasoneatwhichitbecomesagentlemantobefestiveandliberal。
"Wotluggage,sir?Hansomorfourweoll,sir?"
ForamomentTrefusisfeltavagabondimpulsetoresumethelanguageofSmilashandfabletothemanofhampersofturkeyandplum—puddinginthevan。Butherepressedit,gotintoahansom,andwasdriventohisfather—in—law'shouseinBelsizeAvenue,studyinginagloomilycriticalmoodtheanxietythatsurgeduponhimandmadehisheartbeatlikeaboy'sashedrewnearhisdestination。Thereweretwocarriagesatthedoorwhenhealighted。Thereticentexpressionofthecoachmensentatremorthroughhim。
Thedooropenedbeforeherang。"Ifyouplease,sir,"saidthemaidinalowvoice,"willyoustepintothelibrary;andthedoctorwillseeyouimmediately。"
OnthefirstlandingofthestaircasetwogentlemenwerespeakingtoMr。Jansenius,whohastilymovedoutofsight,notbeforeaglimpseofhisairofgrief174anddiscomfiturehadgivenTrefusisastrangetwinge,succeededbyasensationofhavingbeentwentyyearsawidower。Hesmiledunconcernedlyashefollowedthegirlintothelibrary,andaskedherhowshedid。
Shemurmuredsomereplyandhurriedaway,thinkingthatthepooryoungmanwouldalterhistonepresently。
Hewasjoinedatoncebyagraywhiskeredgentleman,scrupulouslydressedandmannered。Trefusisintroducedhimself,andthephysicianlookedathimwithsomeinterest。Thenhesaid:
"Youhavearrivedtoolate,Mr。Trefusis。Allisover,Iamsorrytosay。"
"Wasthelongrailwayjourneyshetookinthiscoldweatherthecauseofherdeath?"
Somebitterwordsthatthephysicianhadheardupstairsmadehimawarethatthiswasadelicatequestion。Buthesaidquietly:
"Theproximatecause,doubtless。Theproximatecause。"
"Shereceivedsomeunwelcomeandquiteunlooked—forintelligencebeforeshestarted。Hadthatanythingtodowithherdeath,doyouthink?"
"Itmayhaveproducedanunfavorableeffect,"saidthephysician,growingrestiveandtakinguphisgloves。"Thehabitofreferringsucheventstosuchcausesiscarriedtoofar,asarule。"
"Nodoubt。Iamcuriousbecausetheeventisnovelinmyexperience。Isupposeitisacommonplaceinyours。Pardonme。
175Thelossofaladysoyoungandsofavorablycircumstancedisnotacommonplaceeitherinmyexperienceorinmyopinion。"
Thephysicianhelduphisheadashespoke,inprotestagainstanyassumptionthathissympathieshadbeenbluntedbyhisprofession。
"Didshesuffer?"
"Forsomehours,yes。Wewereabletodoalittletoalleviateherpain——poorthing!"HealmostforgotTrefusisasheaddedtheapostrophe。
"Hoursofpain!Canyouconceiveanygoodpurposethatthosehoursmayhaveserved?"
Thephysicianshookhishead,leavingitdoubtfulwhetherhemeanttoreplyinthenegativeortodeploreconsiderationsofthatnature。Healsomadeamovementtodepart,beinguneasyinconversationwithTrefusis,whowould,hefeltsure,presentlyaskquestionsormakeremarkswithwhichhecouldhardlydealwithoutcommittinghimselfinsomedirection。Hisconsciencewasnotquiteatrest。Henrietta'spainhadnot,hethought,servedanygoodpurpose;buthedidnotwanttosayso,lestheshouldacquireareputationforimpietyandlosehispractice。Hebelievedthatthegeneralpractitionerwhoattendedthefamily,andhadcalledhiminwhenthecasegrewserious,hadtreatedHenriettaunskilfully,butprofessionaletiquetteboundhimsostronglythat,soonerthanbetrayhiscolleague'sinefficiency,hewouldhaveallowedhimtodecimateLondon。
"Onewordmore,"saidTrefusis。"Didsheknowthatshewasdying?"
"No。Iconsidereditbestthatsheshouldnotbeinformedofherdanger。Shepassedawaywithoutanyapprehension。"
"Thenonecanthinkofitwithequanimity。Shedreadeddeath,poorchild。Thewonderisthattherewasnotenoughfollyinthehouseholdtoprevailagainstyourgoodsense。"
Thephysicianbowedandtookhisleave,esteeminghimselfsomewhatfortunateinescapingwithoutbeingreproachedforhishumanityinhavingallowedHenriettatodieunawares。
Amomentlaterthegeneralpractitionerentered。Trefusis,havingaccompaniedtheconsultingphysiciantothedoor,detectedthefamilydoctorintheactofpullingalongfacejustoutsideit。
Restrainingadesiretoseizehimbythethroat,heseatedhimselfontheedgeofthetableandsaidcheerfully:
"Well,doctor,howhastheworldusedyousincewelastmet?"
Thedoctorwastakenaback,butthesolemndispositionofhisfeaturesdidnotrelaxashealmostintoned:"HasSirFrancistoldyouthesadnews,Mr。Trefusis?"
"Yes。Frightful,isn'tit?Lordblessme,we'rehereto—dayandgoneto—morrow。"
"True,verytrue!"
"SirFrancishasahighopinionofyou。"
Thedoctorlookedalittlefoolish。"Everythingwasdonethatcouldbedone,Mr。Trefusis;butMrs。Janseniuswasveryanxiousthatnostoneshouldbeleftunturned。ShewasgoodenoughtosaythathersolereasonforwishingmetocallinSirFranciswasthatyoushouldhavenocausetocomplain。"
"Indeed!"
"Anexcellentmother!Asadeventforher!Ah,yes,yes!Dearme!
Averysadevent!"
"Mostdisagreeable。Suchacolddaytoo。Pleasantertobeinheaventhanhereinsuchweather,possibly。"
"Ah!"saidthedoctor,asifmuchsoundcomfortlayinthat。"I
hopeso;Ihopeso;Idonotdoubtit。SirFrancisdidnotpermitustotellher,andI,ofcourse,deferredtohim。Perhapsitwasforthebest。"
"Youwouldhavetoldher,then,ifSirFrancishadnotobjected?"
"Well,thereare,yousee,considerationswhichwemustnotignoreinourprofession。Deathisaseriousthing,asIamsureIneednotremindyou,Mr。Trefusis。Wehavesometimeshigherdutiesthanindulgencetothenaturalfeelingsofourpatients。"
"Quiteso。Thepossibilityofeternalblissandtheprobabilityofeternaltormentareconsolationsnottobelightlywithheldfromadyinggirl,eh?However,what'spastcannotbemended。I
havemuchtobethankfulfor,afterall。Iamayoungman,andshallnotcutabadfigureasawidower。Andnowtellme,doctor,amInotinverybadreputeupstairs?"
"Mr。Trefusis!Sir!Icannotmeddleinfamilymatters。I
understandmydutiesandneveroverstepthem。"Thedoctor,shockedatlast,spokeasloftilyashecould。
"ThenIwillgoandseeMr。Jansenius,"saidTrefusis,gettingoffthetable。
"Stay,sir!Onemoment。Ihavenotfinished。Mrs。Janseniushasaskedmetoask——IwasabouttosaythatIamnotspeakingnowasthemedicaladviserofthisfamily;butalthoughanoldfriend——and——ahem!Mrs。Janseniushasaskedmetoask——torequestyoutoexcuseMr。Jansenius,asheisprostratedbygrief,andis,asIcan——asamedicalman——assureyou,unabletoseeanyone。
Shewillspeaktoyouherselfassoonasshefeelsabletodoso——atsometimethisevening。Meanwhile,ofcourse,anyordersyoumaygive——youmustbefatiguedbyyourjourney,andIalwaysrecommendpeoplenottofasttoolong;itproducesanacuteformofindigestion——anyordersyoumaywishtogivewill,ofcourse,beattendedtoatonce。"
"Ithink,"saidTrefusis,afteramoment'sreflection,"Iwillorderahansom。"
"Thereisnoill—feeling,"saidthedoctor,who,asaslowman,wasusuallyalarmedbypromptdecisions,evenwhentheyseemedwisetohim,asthisonedid。"IhopeyouhavenotgatheredfromanythingIhavesaid——"
"Notatall;youhavedisplayedtheutmosttact。ButIthinkI
hadbettergo。Janseniuscanbeardeathandmiserywithperfectfortitudewhenitisonalargescaleandhiddeninabackslum。
Butwhenitbreaksintohisownhouse,andattackshisproperty——hisdaughterwashispropertyuntilveryrecently——heisjustthemantolosehisheadandquarrelwithmeforkeepingmine。"
Thedoctorwasunabletocopewiththisspeech,whichconveyedvaguelymonstrousideastohim。SeeingTrefusisabouttoleave,hesaidinalowvoice:"Willyougoupstairs?"
"Upstairs!Why?"
"I——Ithoughtyoumightwishtosee——"Hedidnotfinishthesentence,butTrefusisflinched;theblankhadexpressedwhatwasmeant。
"ToseesomethingthatwasHenrietta,andthatisathingwemustcastoutandhide,withalittlesuperstitiousmummingtosaveappearances。Whydidyouremindmeofit?"
"But,sir,whateveryourviewsmaybe,willyounot,asamatterofform,indeferencetothefeelingsofthefamily——"
"Letthemsparetheirfeelingsfortheliving,onwhosebehalfI
haveoftenappealedtotheminvain,"criedTrefusis,losingpatience。"Damntheirfeelings!"And,turningtothedoor,hefounditopen,andMrs。Janseniustherelistening。
Trefusiswasconfounded。Heknewwhattheeffectofhisspeechmustbe,andfeltthatitwouldbefollytoattemptexcuseorexplanation。Heputhishandsintohispockets,leanedagainstthetable,andlookedather,mutelywonderingwhatwouldfollowonherpart。
Thedoctorbrokethesilencebysayingtremulously,"IhavecommunicatedthemelancholyintelligencetoMr。Trefusis。"
"Ihopeyoutoldhimalso,"shesaidsternly,"that,howeverdeficientwemaybeinfeeling,wedideverythingthatlayinourpowerforourchild。"
"Iamquitesatisfied,"saidTrefusis。
"Nodoubtyouare——withtheresult,"saidMrs。Jansenius,hardly。
"Iwishtoknowwhetheryouhaveanythingtocomplainof。"
"Nothing。"
"Pleasedonotimplythatanythinghashappenedthroughourneglect。"
"WhathaveItocomplainof?Shehadawarmroomandaluxuriousbedtodiein,withthebestmedicaladviceintheworld。Plentyofpeoplearestarvingandfreezingto—daythatwemayhavethemeanstodiefashionably;askTHEMiftheyhaveanycauseforcomplaint。DoyouthinkIwillwrangleoverherbodyabouttheamountofmoneyspentonherillness?Whatmeasureisthatofthecauseshehadforcomplaint?Inevergrudgedmoneytoher——howcouldI,seeingthatmorethanIcanwasteisgiventomefornothing?Orhowcouldyou?Yetshehadgreatreasontocomplainofme。Youwillallowthattobeso。"
"Itisperfectlytrue。"
"Well,whenIaminthehumorforit,Iwillreproachmyselfandnotyou。"Hepaused,andthenturnedforciblyonher,saying,"Whydoyouselectthistime,ofallothers,tospeaksobitterlytome?"
"IamnotawarethatIhavesaidanythingtocallforsucharemark。DidYOU,"(appealingtothedoctor)"hearmesayanything?"
"Mr。Trefusisdoesnotmeantosaythatyoudid,Iamsure。Oh,no。Mr。Trefusis'sfeelingsarenaturally——areharrowed。Thatisall。"
"Myfeelings!"criedTrefusisimpatiently。"Doyousupposemyfeelingsareatrumperysetofsocialobservances,tobeharrowedtoorderandexhibitedatfunerals?Shehasgoneaswethreeshallgosoonenough。Ifwewereimmortal,wemightreasonablypitythedead。Aswearenot,wehadbettersaveourenergiestominimizetheharmwearelikelytodobeforewefollowher。"
Thedoctorwasdeeplyoffendedbythisspeech,forthestatementthatheshouldonedaydieseemedtohimareflectionuponhisprofessionalmasteryoverdeath。Mrs。JanseniuswasgladtoseeTrefusisconfirmingherbadopinionandreportofhimbyhisconductandlanguageinthedoctor'spresence。Therewasabriefpause,andthenTrefusis,toofaroutofsympathywiththemtobeabletoleadtheconversationintoakindervein,lefttheroom。
Intheactofputtingonhisovercoatinthehall,hehesitated,andhungitupagainirresolutely。Suddenlyheranupstairs。Atthesoundofhisstepsawomancamefromoneoftheroomsandlookedinquiringlyathim。
"Isithere?"hesaid。
"Yes,sir,"shewhispered。
Apainfulsenseofconstrictioncameinhischest,andheturnedpaleandstoppedwithhishandonthelock。
"Don'tbeafraid,sir,"saidthewoman,withanencouragingsmile。"Shelooksbeautiful。"
Helookedatherwithastrangegrin,asifshehadutteredaghastlybutirresistiblejoke。Thenhewentin,and,whenhereachedthebed,wishedhehadstayedwithout。Hewasnotoneofthosewho,seeinglittleinthefacesofthelivingmisslittleinthefacesofthedead。Thearrangementoftheblackhaironthepillow,thesoftdrapery,andtheflowersplacedtherebythenursetocompletetheartisticeffecttowhichshehadsoconfidentlyreferred,werelostonhim;hesawonlyalifelessmaskthathadbeenhiswife'sface,andatsightofithiskneesfailed,andhehadtoleanforsupportontherailatthefootofthebed。
Whenhelookedagainthefaceseemedtohavechanged。Itwasnolongerawaxlikemask,butHenrietta,girlishandpatheticallyatrest。Deathseemedtohavecancelledhermarriageandwomanhood;
hehadneverseenherlooksoyoung。Aminutepassed,andthenateardroppedonthecoverlet。Hestarted;shookanothertearonhishand,andstaredatitincredulously。
"ThisisafraudofwhichIhaveneverevendreamed,"hesaid。
"Tearsandnosorrow!HereamIcrying!growingmaudlin!whilstI
amgladthatsheisgoneandIfree。Ihavethemechanismofgriefinmesomewhere;itbeginstoturnatsightofherthoughI
havenosorrow;justassheusedtostartthemechanismofpassionwhenIhadnolove。Andthatmadenodifferencetoher;
whilstthewheelswentroundshewassatisfied。Ihopethemechanismofgriefwillflagandstopinitsspinningassoonastheotherusedto。Itisstoppingalready,Ithink。Whatamockery!WhilstitlastsIsupposeIamreallysorry。Andyet,wouldIrestorehertolifeifIcould?Perhapsso;IamthereforethankfulthatIcannot。"Hefoldedhisarmsontherailandgravelyaddressedthedeadfigure,whichstillaffectedhimsostronglythathehadtoexerthiswilltofaceitwithcomposure。"Ifyoureallylovedme,itiswellforyouthatyouaredead——idiotthatIwastobelievethatthepassionyoucouldinspire,youpoorchild,wouldlast。Wearebothlucky;Ihaveescapedfromyou,andyouhaveescapedfromyourself。"
Presentlyhebreathedmorefreelyandlookedroundtheroomtohelphimselfintoamatter—of—factveinbyalittleunembarrassedaction,andthecommonplaceaspectofthebedroomfurniture。Hewenttothepillow,andbentoverit,examiningthefaceclosely。
"Poorchild!"hesaidagain,tenderly。Then,withsuddenreaction,apostrophizinghimselfinsteadofhiswife,"Poorass!
Pooridiot!Poorjackanapes!Hereisthebodyofawomanwhowasnearlyasoldasmyself,andperhapswiser,andhereamI
moralizingoveritasifIwereGodAlmightyandsheababy!Themoreyouremindamanofwhatheis,themoreconceitedhebecomes。Monstrous!Ishallfeelimmortalpresently。"
Hetouchedthecheekwithafaintattemptatroughness,tofeelhowcolditwas。Thenhetouchedhisown,andremarked:
"ThisiswhatIamhasteningtowardattheexpressspeedofsixtyminutesanhour!"Hestoodlookingdownatthefaceandtastingthissombrereflectionforalongtime。Whenitpalledonhim,herousedhimself,andexclaimedmorecheerfully:
"Afterall,sheisnotdead。Everywordsheuttered——everyideasheformedandexpressed,wasaninexhaustibleandindestructibleimpulse。"Hepaused,consideredalittlefurther,andrelapsedintogloom,adding,"andthedozenotherswhosenameswillbewithhersinthe'Times'to—morrow?Theirwordstooarestillintheair,toenduretheretoalleternity。Hm!Howtheairmustbecrammedwithnonsense!Twosoundssometimesproduceasilence;
perhapsideasneutralizeoneanotherinsomeanalogousway。No,mydear;youaredeadandgoneanddonewith,andIshallbedeadandgoneanddonewithtoosoontoleavemeleisuretofoolmyselfwithhopesofimmortality。PoorHetty!Well,good—by,mydarling。Letuspretendforamomentthatyoucanhearthat;I
knowitwillpleaseyou。"
Allthiswasinahalf—articulatewhisper。Whenheceasedhestillbentoverthebody,gazingintentlyatit。Evenwhenhehadexhaustedthesubject,andturnedtogo,hechangedhismind,andlookedagainforawhile。Thenhestooderect,apparentlynervedandrefreshed,andlefttheroomwithafirmstep。Thewomanwaswaitingoutside。Seeingthathewaslessdistressedthanwhenheentered,shesaid:
"Ihopeyouaresatisfied,sir!"
"Delighted!Charmed!Thearrangementsareextremelyprettyandtasteful。Mostconsolatory。"Andhegaveherhalfasovereign。
"Ithankyou,sir,"shesaid,droppingacurtsey。"Thepooryounglady!Shewasanxioustoseeyou,sir。Tohearhersaythatyouweretheonlyonethatcaredforher!Andsofretfulwithhermother,too。'LethimbetoldthatIamdangerouslyill,'saysshe,'andhe'llcome。'Shedidn'tknowhowtrueherwordwas,poorthing;andshewentoffwithoutbeingawareofit。"
"Flatteringherselfandflatteringme。Happygirl!"
"Blessyou,Iknowwhatherfeelingswere,sir;Ihavehadexperience。"Heresheapproachedhimconfidentially,andwhispered:"Thefamilywereagain'you,sir,andsheknewit。Butshewouldn'tlistentothem。Shethoughtofnothing,whenshewaseasyenoughtothinkatall,butofyourcoming。And——hush!
Here'stheoldgentleman。"
TrefusislookedroundandsawMr。Jansenius,whosehandsomefacewaswhiteandseamedwithgriefandannoyance。Hedrewbackfromtheprofferedhandofhisson—in—law,likeanoverworriedchildfromanill—timedattempttopetit。Trefusispitiedhim。Thenursecoughedandretired。
"HaveyoubeenspeakingtoMrs。Jansenius?"saidTrefusis。
"Yes,"saidJanseniusoffensively。
"SohaveI,unfortunately。Praymakemyapologiestoher。Iwasrude。Thecircumstancesupsetme。"
"Youarenotupset,sir,"saidJanseniusloudly。"Youdonotcareadamn。"
Trefusisrecoiled。