visitedbygustsofresentmentagainstapassion,whichforcedhimtopaytheprice,eitherofhiscareer,orofhisself—respect;gusts,followedbyremorsethathecouldsoforonemomentregrethisloveforthattendercreature。ThefaceofLuciferwasnotmoredark,moretortured,thanMiltoun'sfaceinthetwilightofthegrove,abovethosekingdomsoftheworld,forwhichhisambitionandhisconsciencefought。Hethrewhimselfdownamongthetrees;andstretchingouthisarms,bychancetouchedabeetletryingtocrawloverthegrasslesssoil。Somebirdhadmaimedit。Hetookthelittlecreatureup。Thebeetletrulycouldnolongerwork,butitwassparedthefatelyingbeforehimself。Thebeetlewasnot,ashewouldbe,whenhispowerofmovementwasdestroyed,consciousofhisownwastedlife。Theworldwouldnotrollawaydownthere。Hewouldstillseehimselfcumberingtheground,whenhispowersweretaken,fromhim。Thisthoughtwastorture。Whyhadhebeensufferedtomeether,toloveher,andtobelovedbyher？Whathadmadehimsocertainfromthefirstmoment,ifshewerenotmeantforhim？Ifhelivedtobeahundred,hewouldnevermeetanother。Why,becauseofhislove,mustheburythewillandforceofaman？IftherewerenomorecoherenceinGod'sschemethanthis,lethimtoobeincoherent！
　　Lethimholdauthority,andliveoutsideauthority！Whystiflehispowersforthesakeofacoherencewhichdidnotexist！Thatwouldindeedbemadnessgreaterthanthatofamadworld！
　　Therewasnoanswertohisthoughtsinthestillnessofthegrove,unlessitwerethecooingofadove,orthefaintthuddingofthesheepissuingagainintosunlight。ButslowlythatstillnessstoleintoMiltoun'sspirit。"Isitlikethisinthegrave？"hethought。
　　"Aretheboughsofthosetreesthedarkearthoverme？Andthesoundinthemthesoundthedeadhearwhenflowersaregrowing,andthewindpassingthroughthem？Andisthefeelofthisearthhowitfeelstolielookingupforeveratnothing？Islifeanythingbutanightmare,adream;andisnotthisthereality？Andwhymyfury,myinsignificantflame,blowinghereandthere,whenthereisreallynowind,onlyashroudofstillair,andtheseflowersofsunlightthathavebeendroppedonme！Whynotletmyspiritsleep,insteadofeatingitselfawaywithrage;whynotresignmyselfatoncetowaitforthesubstance,ofwhichthisisbuttheshadow！"
　　Andhelayscarcelybreathing,lookingupattheunmovingbranchessettingwiththeirdarknessthepearlsofthesky。
　　"Isnotpeaceenough？"hethought。"Isnotloveenough？CanInotbereconciled,likeawoman？Isnotthatsalvation,andhappiness？
　　Whatisalltherest,but'soundandfury,signifyingnothing？"
　　Andasthoughafraidtolosehisholdofthatthought,hegotupandhurriedfromthegrove。
　　Thewholewidelandscapeoffieldandwood,cutbythepaleroads,wasglimmeringundertheafternoonsun,Herewasnowild,wind—sweptland,gleamingredandpurple,andguardedbythegreyrocks;nohomeofthewinds,andthewildgods。Itwasallsereneandsilver—
　　golden。Inplaceoftheshrillwailingpipeofthehuntingbuzzard—
　　hawkshalflostupinthewind,invisiblelarkswerelettingfallhymnstotranquillity;andeventhesea——noadventuringspiritsweepingtheshorewithitswing——seemedtolierestingbythesideoftheland。
　　CHAPTERXV
　　WhenontheafternoonofthatsamedayMiltoundidnotcome,allthechillydoubtswhichhispresencealonekeptaway,crowdedthickandfastintothemindofoneonlytoopronetodistrustherownhappiness。Itcouldnotlast——howcouldit？
　　Hisnatureandherownweresofarapart！Eveninthatgivingofherselfwhichhadbeensuchhappiness,shehadyetdoubted;fortherewassomuchinhimthatwastohermysterious。Allthathelovedinpoetryandnature,hadinitsomethingcraggyandculminating。Thesoftandfiery,thesubtleandharmonious,seemedtoleavehimcold。
　　Hehadnoparticularloveforallthosesimplenaturalthings,birds,bees,animals,trees,andflowers,thatseemedtoherpreciousanddivine。
　　Thoughitwasnotyetfouro'clockshewasalreadybeginningtodrooplikeaflowerthatwantswater。Butshesatdowntoherpiano,resolutely,tillteacame;playingonandonwithaspiritonlyhalfpresent,theotherhalfofherwanderingintheTown,seekingforMiltoun。Afterteashetriedfirsttoread,thentosew,andoncemorecamebacktoherpiano。Theclockstrucksix;andasifitslaststrokehadbrokenthearmourofhermind,shefeltsuddenlysickwithanxiety。Whywashesolong？Butshekeptonplaying,turningthepageswithouttakinginthenotes,hauntedbytheideathathemightagainhavefallenill。Shouldshetelegraph？Whatgood,whenshecouldnottellintheleastwherehemightbe？Andalltheunreasoningterrorofnotknowingwherethelovedoneis,besethersothatherhands,insheernumbness,droppedfromthekeys。Unabletokeepstill,now,shewanderedfromwindowtodoor,outintothelittlehall,andbackhastilytothewindow。Overheranxietybroodedadarkness,compoundedofvaguegrowingfears。Whatifitweretheend？Whatifhehadchosenthisasthemostmercifulwayofleavingher？Butsurelyhewouldneverbesocruel！Closeontheheelsofthistoopainfulthoughtcamereaction;andshetoldherselfthatshewasafool。HewasattheHouse;somethingquiteordinarywaskeepinghim。Itwasabsurdtobeanxious！Shewouldhavetogetusedtothisnow。Tobeadragonhimwouldbedreadful。Soonerthanthatshewouldrather——yes——ratherhenevercameback！Andshetookupherbook,determinedtoreadquietlytillhecame。Butthemomentshesatdownherfearsreturnedwithredoubledforce—thecoldsicklyhorriblefeelingofuncertainty,oftheknowledgethatshecoulddonothingbutwaittillshewasrelievedbysomethingoverwhichshehadnocontrol。Andinthesuperstitionthattostaythereinthewindowwhereshecouldseehimcome,waskeepinghimfromher,shewentintoherbedroom。Fromthereshecouldwatchthesunsetcloudswine—darkovertheriver。Alittletalkingwindshiveredalongthehouses;theduskbegancreepingin。Shewouldnotturnonthelight,unwillingtoadmitthatitwasreallygettinglate,butbegantochangeherdress,lingeringdesperatelyovereverylittledetailofhertoilette,derivingtherefromafaint,mysteriouscomfort,tryingtomakeherselffeelbeautiful。Fromsheerdreadofgoingbackbeforehecame,sheletherhairfall,thoughitwasquitesmoothandtidy,andbeganbrushingit。Suddenlyshethoughtwithhorrorofhereffortsatadornment——byspeciallypreparingforhim,shemustseempresumptuoustoFate。Atanylittlesoundshestoppedandstoodlistening——saveforherhairandeyes,aswhitefromheadtofootasadoublenarcissusflowerinthedusk,bendingtowardssomefainttuneplayedtoitsomewhereoftinthefields。Butallthoselittlesoundsceased,oneafteranother——theyhadmeantnothing;andeachtime,herspiritreturning——withinthepalewallsoftheroom,beganoncemoretoinhabitherlingeringfingers。
　　Duringthathourinherbedroomshelivedthroughyears。Itwasdarkwhensheleftit。
　　CHAPTERXVI
　　WhenMiltounatlastcameitwaspastnineo'clock。
　　Silent,butquiveringallover;sheclungtohiminthehall;andthispassionofemotion,withoutsoundtogiveitsubstance,affectedhimprofoundly。Howterriblysensitiveandtendershewas！Sheseemedtohavenoarmour。Butthoughsostirredbyheremotion,hewasnonethelessexasperated。Sheincarnatedatthatmomentthelifetowhichhemustnowresignhimself——alifeofunendingtenderness,consideration,andpassivity。
　　Foralongtimehecouldnotbringhimselftospeakofhisdecision。
　　Everylookofhereyes,everymovementofherbody,seemedpleadingwithhimtokeepsilence。ButinMiltoun'scharactertherewasanelementofrigidity,whichneversufferedhimtodivergefromanobjectiveoncedetermined。
　　Whenhehadfinishedtellingher,sheonlysaid:
　　"Whycan'twegooninsecret？"
　　Andhefeltwithasortofhorrorthathemustbeginhisstruggleoveragain。Hegotup,andthrewopenthewindow。Theskywasdarkabovetheriver;thewindhadrisen。Thatrestlessmurmuration,andthewidthofthenightwithitsscatteredstars,seemedtocomerushingathisface。Hewithdrewfromit,andleaningonthesilllookeddownather。Whatflower—likedelicacyshehad！Thereflashedacrosshimthememoryofadroopingblossom,which,intheSpring,hehadseenherthrowintotheflames;withthewords:"I
　　can'tbearflowerstofade,Ialwayswanttoburnthem。"Hecouldseeagainthosewaxenpetalsyieldtothefierceclutchofthelittleredcreepingsparks,andtheslenderstalkquivering,andglowing,andwrithingtoblacknesslikealivething。And,distraught,hebegan:
　　"Ican'tlivealie。WhatrighthaveItolead,ifIcan'tfollow？
　　I'mnotlikeourfriendCourtierwhobelievesinLiberty。Ineverhave,Inevershall。Liberty？WhatisLiberty？Butonlythosewhoconformtoauthorityhavetherighttowieldauthority。Amanisachurlwhoenforceslaws,whenhehimselfhasnotthestrengthtoobservethem。Iwillnotbeoneofwhomitcanbesaid:'Hecanruleothers,himself————！"
　　"Noonewillknow。"
　　Miltounturnedaway。
　　"Ishallknow,"hesaid;buthesawclearlythatshedidnotunderstandhim。Herfacehadastrange,brooding,shut—awaylook,asthoughhehadfrightenedher。Andthethoughtthatshecouldnotunderstand,angeredhim。
　　Hesaid,stubbornly:"No,Ican'tremaininpubliclife。"
　　"Butwhathasittodowithpolitics？It'ssuchalittlething。"
　　"Ifithadbeenalittlethingtome,shouldIhaveleftyouatMonkland,andspentthosefiveweeksinpurgatorybeforemyillness？
　　Alittlething！"
　　Sheexclaimedwithsuddenfire:
　　"Circumstancesayethelittlething;it'slovethat'sthegreatthing。"
　　Miltounstaredather,forthefirsttimeunderstandingthatshehadaphilosophyasdeepandstubbornashisown。Butheansweredcruelly:
　　"Well！thegreatthinghasconqueredme！"
　　Andthenhesawherlookingathim,asif,seeingintotherecessesofhissoul,shehadmadesomeghastlydiscovery。Thelookwassomournful,souncannilyintentthatheturnedawayfromit。
　　"Perhapsitisalittlething,"hemuttered;"Idon'tknow。Ican'tseemyway。I'velostmybearings;ImustfindthemagainbeforeI
　　candoanything。"
　　Butasifshehadnotheard,ornottakeninthesenseofhiswords,shesaidagain:
　　"Oh！don'tletusalteranything;Iwon'teverwantwhatyoucan'tgive。"
　　Andthisstubbornness,whenhewasdoingtheverythingthatwouldgivehimtoherutterly,seemedtohimunreasonable。
　　"I'vehaditoutwithmyself,"hesaid。"Don'tlet'stalkaboutitanymore。"
　　Again,withasortofdryanguish,shemurmured:
　　"No,no！Letusgoonasweare！"
　　Feelingthathehadborneallhecould,Miltounputhishandsonhershoulders,andsaid:"That'senough！"
　　Then,insuddenremorse,heliftedher,andclaspedhertohim。
　　Butshestoodinertinhisarms,hereyesclosed,notreturninghiskisses。
　　CHAPTERXVII
　　OnthelastdaybeforeParliamentrose,LordValleys,withalightheart,mountedhishorseforagallopintheRow。Thoughshewasabloodmareherodeherwithaplainsnaffle,havingthehorsemanshipofonewhohashuntedfromtheageofseven,andbeenfortwentyyearsaColonelofYeomanry。Greetingaffablyeveryoneheknew,hemaintainedafrankdemeanouronallsubjects,especiallyofGovernmentpolicy,secretlyenjoyingthesurmisesandprognostications,sopleasantlywideofthemark,andthewayquestionsandhintsperishedbeforehissphinx—likecandour。HespokecheerilytooofMiltoun,whowas'allrightagain,'and'burningforthefray'whentheHousemetagainintheautumn。AndhechaffedLordMalvezinabouthiswife。Ifanything——hesaid——couldmakeBertietakeaninterestinpolitics,itwouldbeshe。Hehadtwocapitalgallops,beingwellknowntothepolice:Thedaywasbright,andhewassorrytoturnhome。FallinginwithHarbinger,heaskedhimtocomebacktolunch。Therehadseemedsomethingdifferentlately,analmostmoroselook,aboutyoungHarbinger;andhiswife'sdisquietingwordsaboutBarbaracamebacktoLordValleyswithashock。Hehadseenlittleofthechildlately,andinthegeneralclearingupofthistimeofyearhadforgottenallaboutthematter。
　　Agatha,whowasstillstayingatValleysHousewithlittleAnn,waitingtotraveluptoScotlandwithhermother,wasout,andtherewasnooneatlunchexceptLadyValleysandBarbaraherself。
　　Conversationflagged;fortheyoungpeoplewereextremelysilent,LadyValleyswasconsideringthedraftofareportwhichhadtobesettledbeforesheleft,andLordValleyshimselfwasrathercarefullywatchinghisdaughter。ThenewsthatLordMiltounwasinthestudycameasasurprise,andsomewhatofarelieftoall。Toanexhortationtoluringhimintolunch;theservantrepliedthatLordMiltounhadlunched,andwouldwait。
　　"Doesheknowthere'snoonehere？"
　　"Yes,mylady。"
　　LadyValleyspushedbackherplate,androse:
　　"Oh,well！"shesaid,"I'vefinished。"
　　LordValleysalsogotup,andtheywentouttogether,leavingBarbara,whohadrisen,lookingdoubtfullyatthedoor。
　　LordValleyshadrecentlybeentoldofthenursingepisode,andhadreceivedthenewswiththedubiousairofonehearingsomethingaboutaneccentricperson,which,heardaboutanyoneelse,couldhavehadbutonesignificance。IfEustacehadbeenanormalyoungmanhisfatherwouldhaveshruggedhisshoulder's,andthought:"Oh,well！
　　Thereitis！"Asitwas,hehadliterallynotknownwhattothink。
　　Andnow,crossingthesaloonwhichintervenedbetweenthedining—roomandthestudy,hesaidtohiswifeuneasily:
　　"Isitthiswomanagain,Gertrude——orwhat？"
　　LadyValleysansweredwithashrug:
　　"Goodnessknows,mydear。"
　　Miltounwasstandingintheembrasureofawindowabovetheterrace。
　　Helookedwell,andhisgreetingwasthesameasusual。
　　"Well,mydearfellow,"saidLordValleys,"you'reallrightagainevidently——what'sthenews？"
　　"OnlythatI'vedecidedtoresignmyseat。"
　　LordValleysstared。
　　"Whatonearthfor？"
　　ButLadyValleys,withthegreaterquicknessofwomen,diviningalreadysomethingofthereason,hadflushedadeeppink。
　　"Nonsense,mydear,"shesaid;"itcan'tpossiblybenecessary,evenif————"Recoveringherself,sheaddeddryly:
　　"Giveussomereason。"
　　"ThereasonissimplythatI'vejoinedmylifetoMrs。Noel's,andI
　　can'tgoonasIam,livingalie。IfitwereknownIshouldobviouslyhavetoresignatonce。"
　　"GoodGod！"exclaimedLordValleys。
　　LadyValleysmadearapidmovement。Inthefaceofwhatshefelttobeareallyseriouscrisisbetweenthesetwoutterlydifferentcreaturesoftheothersex,herhusbandandherson,shehaddroppedhermaskandbecomeagenuinewoman。Unconsciouslybothmenfeltthischange,andinspeaking,turnedtowardsher。
　　"Ican'targueit,"saidMiltoun;"Iconsidermyselfboundinhonour。"
　　"Andthen？"sheasked。
　　LordValleys,withanoteofrealfeeling,interjected:
　　"ByHeaven！Ididthinkyouputyourcountryaboveyourprivateaffairs。"
　　"Geoff！"saidLadyValleys。
　　ButLordValleyswenton:
　　"No,Eustace,I'moutoftouchwithyourviewofthingsaltogether。
　　Idon'tevenbegintounderstandit。"
　　"Thatistrue,"saidMiltoun。
　　"Listentome,bothofyou！"saidLadyValleys:"Youtwoarealtogetherdifferent;andyoumustnotquarrel。Iwon'thavethat。
　　Now,Eustace,youareourson,andyouhavegottobekindandconsiderate。Sitdown,andlet'stalkitover。"
　　Andmotioningherhusbandtoachair,shesatdownintheembrasureofawindow。Miltounremainedstanding。Visitedbyasuddendread,LadyValleyssaid:
　　"Isit——you'venot——thereisn'tgoingtobeascandal？"
　　Miltounsmiledgrimly。
　　"Ishalltellthisman,ofcourse,butyoumaymakeyourmindseasy,Iimagine;Iunderstandthathisviewofmarriagedoesnotpermitofdivorceinanycasewhatever。"
　　LadyValleyssighedwithanutterandundisguisedrelief。
　　"Well,then,mydearboy,"shebegan,"evenifyoudofeelyoumusttellhim,thereissurelynoreasonwhyitshouldnototherwisebekeptsecret。"
　　LordValleysinterruptedher:
　　"Ishouldbegladifyouwouldpointouttheconnectionbetweenyourhonourandtheresignationofyourseat,"hesaidstiffly。
　　Miltounshookhishead。
　　"Ifyoudon'tseealready,itwouldbeuseless。"
　　"Idonotsee。Thewholematteris——isunfortunate,buttogiveupyourwork,solongasthereisnoabsolutenecessity,seemstomefar—fetchedandabsurd。Howmanymenare,thereintowhoselivestherehasnotenteredsomesuchrelationatonetimeoranother？
　　Thisideawoulddisqualifyhalfthenation。"Hiseyesseemedinthatcrisisbothtoconsultandtoavoidhiswife's,asthoughhewereatonceaskingherendorsementofhispointofview,andobservingtheproprieties。Andforamomentinthemidstofheranxiety,hersenseofhumourgotthebetterofLadyValleys。ItwassofunnythatGeoffshouldhavetogivehimselfaway;shecouldnotforthelifeofherhelpfixinghimwithhereyes。
　　"Mydear,"shemurmured,"youunderestimatethree—quarters,attheveryleast！"
　　ButLordValleys,confrontedwithdanger,wasgrowingsteadier。
　　"Itpassesmycomprehension;"hesaid,"whyyoushouldwanttomixupsexandpoliticsatall。"
　　Miltoun'sanswercameveryslowly,asiftheconfessionwerehurtinghislips:
　　"Thereis——forgivemeforusingtheword——suchathingasone'sreligion。Idon'thappentoregardlifeasdividedintopublicandprivatedepartments。Myvisionisgone——broken——Icanseenoobjectbeforemenowinpubliclife——nogoal——nocertainty。"
　　LadyValleyscaughthishand:
　　"Oh！mydear,"shesaid,"that'stoodreadfullypuritanical！"ButatMiltoun'squeersmile,sheaddedhastily:"Logical——Imean。"
　　"Consultyourcommonsense,Eustace,forgoodness'sake,"brokeinLordValleys。"Isn'tityoursimpledutytoputyourscruplesinyourpocket,anddothebestyoucanforyourcountrywiththepowersthathavebeengivenyou？"
　　"Ihavenocommonsense。"
　　"Inthatcase,ofcourse,itmaybejustaswellthatyoushouldleavepubliclife。"
　　Miltounbowed。
　　"Nonsense！"criedLadyValleys。"Youdon'tunderstand,Geoffrey。
　　Iaskyouagain,Eustace,whatwillyoudoafterwards？"
　　"Idon'tknow。"
　　"Youwilleatyourheartout。"
　　"Quitepossibly。"
　　"Ifyoucan'tcometoareasonablearrangementwithyourconscience,"
　　againbrokeinLordValleys,"forHeaven'ssakegiveherup,likeaman,andcutalltheseknots。"
　　"Ibegyourpardon,sir！"saidMiltounicily。
　　LadyValleyslaidherhandonhisarm。"Youmustallowusalittlelogictoo,mydear。Youdon'tseriouslyimaginethatshewouldwishyoutothrowawayyourlifeforher？I'mnotsuchabadjudgeofcharacterasthat。"
　　ShestoppedbeforetheexpressiononMiltoun'sface。
　　"Yougotoofast,"hesaid;"Imaybecomeafreespirityet。"
　　Tothissaying,whichseemedtohercrypticandsinister,LadyValleysdidnotknowwhattoanswer。
　　"Ifyoufeel,asyousay,"LordValleysbeganoncemore,"thatthebottomhasbeenknockedoutofthingsforyoubythis——thisaffair,don't,forgoodness'sake,doanythinginahurry。Wait！Goabroad！
　　Getyourbalanceback！You'llfindthethingsettleitselfinafewmonths。Don'tprecipitatematters;youcanmakeyourhealthanexcusetomisstheAutumnsession。"
　　LadyValleyschimedineagerly"Youreallyareseeingthethingoutofallproportion。Whatisalove—affair。Mydearboy,doyousupposeforamomentanyonewouldthinktheworseofyou,eveniftheyknew？Andreallynotasoulneedknow。"
　　"Ithasnotoccurredtometoconsiderwhattheywouldthink。"
　　"Then,"criedLadyValleys,nettled,"it'ssimplyyourownpride。"
　　"Youhavesaid。"
　　LordValleys,whohadturnedaway,spokeinanalmosttragicvoice"IdidnotthinkthatonapointofhonourIshoulddifferfrommyson。"
　　Catchingatthewordhonour,LadyValleyscriedsuddenly:
　　"Eustace,promiseme,beforeyoudoanything,toconsultyourUncleDennis。"
　　Miltounsmiled。
　　"Thisbecomescomic,"hesaid。
　　Atthatword,whichindeedseemedtothemquitewanton,LordandLadyValleysturnedontheirson,andthethreestoodstaring,perfectlysilent。Alittlenoisefromthedoorwayinterruptedthem。
　　CHAPTERXVIII
　　LeftbyherfatherandmothertothefurtherentertainmentofHarbinger,Barbarahadsaid:
　　"Let'shavecoffeeinhere,"andpassedintothewithdrawingroom。
　　Exceptforthatoneevening,whentogetherbytheseawalltheystoodcontemplatingthepopulace,shehadnotbeenalonewithhimsincehekissedherundertheshelteroftheboxhedge。Andnow,afterthefirstmoment,shelookedathimcalmly,thoughinherbreasttherewasafluttering,asifanimprisonedbirdwerestrugglingeversofeeblyagainstthatsoftandsolidcage。HerlastjangledtalkwithCourtierhadleftanacheinherheart。Besides,didshenotknowallthatHarbingercouldgiveher？
　　Likeanymphpursuedbyafaunwhohelddominionoverthegroves,she,fugitive,keptlookingback。Therewasnothinginthatfairwoodofhiswithwhichshewasnotfamiliar,nothicketshehadnottravelled,nostreamshehadnotcrossed,nokissshecouldnotreturn。Hiswasadiscoveredland,inwhich,asofright,shewouldreign。Shehadnothingtohopefromhimbutpower,andsolidpleasure。Hereyessaid:HowamItoknowwhetherIshallnotwantmorethanyou;feelsuffocatedinyourarms;besurfeitedbyallthatyouwillbringme？HaveInotalreadygotallthat？
　　Sheknew,fromhisdowncastgloomyface,howcruelsheseemed,andwassorry。Shewantedtobegoodtohim,andsaidalmostshyly:
　　"Areyouangrywithme,Claud？"
　　Harbingerlookedup。
　　"Whatmakesyousocruel？"
　　"Iamnotcruel。"
　　"Youare。Whereisyourheart？"
　　"Here！"saidBarbara,touchingherbreast。
　　"Ah！"mutteredHarbinger;"I'mnotjoking。"
　　Shesaidgently:'
　　"Isitasbadasthat,mydear？"
　　Butthesoftnessofhervoiceseemedtofanthesmoulderingfiresinhim。
　　"There'ssomethingbehindallthis,"hestammered,"you'venorighttomakeafoolofme！"
　　"Andwhatisthesomething,please？"
　　"That'sforyoutosay。ButI'mnotblind。WhataboutthisfellowCourtier？"
　　AtthatmomenttherewasrevealedtoBarbaraanewacquaintance——themaleproper。No,tolivewithhimwouldnotbequitelackinginadventure！
　　Hisfacehaddarkened;hiseyesweredilated,hiswholefigureseemedtohavegrown。Shesuddenlynoticedthehairwhichcoveredhisclenchedfists。Allhissuavityhadlefthim。Hecameveryclose。
　　Howlongthatlookbetweenthemlasted,andofalltherewasinit,shehadnoclearknowledge;thoughtafterthought,waveafterwaveoffeeling,rushedthroughher。Revoltandattraction,contemptandadmiration,queersensationsofdisgustandpleasure,allmingled——asonaMaydayonemayseethehailfall,andthesunsuddenlyburnthroughandsteamfromthegrass。
　　Thenhesaidhoarsely:
　　"Oh！Babs,youmaddenmeso！"
　　Smoothingherlips,asiftoregaincontrolofthem,sheanswered:
　　"Yes,IthinkIhavehadenough,"andwentoutintoherfather'sstudy。
　　ThesightofLordandLadyValleyssointentlystaringatMiltounrestoredhexself—possession。
　　Itstruckherasslightlycomic,notknowingthatthelittlescenewastheoutcomeofthatword。Intruth,thecontrastbetweenMiltounandhisparentsatthismomentwasalmostludicrous。
　　LadyValleyswasthefirsttospeak。
　　"Bettercomicthanromantic。IsupposeBarbaramayknow,consideringhercontributiontothismatter。Yourbrotherisresigninghisseat,mydear;hisconsciencewillnotpermithimtoretainit,undercertaincircumstancesthathavearisen。"
　　"Oh！"criedBarbara:"butsurely————"
　　"Thematterhasbeenargued,Babs,"LordValleyssaidshortly;
　　"unlessyouhavesomebetterreasontoadvancethanthoseofordinarycommonsense,publicspirit,andconsiderationforone'sfamily,itwillhardlybeworthyourwhiletoreopenthediscussion。"
　　BarbaralookedupatMiltoun,,whoseface,allbuttheeyes,waslikeamask。
　　"Oh,Eusty！"shesaid,"you'renotgoingtospoilyourlifelikethis！JustthinkhowIshallfeel。"
　　Miltounansweredstonily:
　　"Youdidwhatyouthoughtright;asIamdoing。"
　　"Doesshewantyouto？"
　　"No。"
　　"Thereis,Ishouldimagine,"putinLordValleys,"notasolitarycreatureinthewholeworldexceptyourbrotherhimselfwhowouldwishforthisconsummation。Butwithhimsuchaconsiderationdoesnotweigh！"
　　"Oh！"sighedBarbara;"thinkofGranny！"
　　"Iprefernottothinkofher,"murmuredLadyValleys。
　　"She'ssowrappedupinyou,Eusty。Shealwayshasbelievedinyouintensely。"
　　Miltounsighed。And,encouragedbythatsound,Barbarawentcloser。
　　Itwasplainenoughthat,behindhisimpassivity,adesperatestrugglewasgoingoninMiltoun。Hespokeatlast:
　　"IfIhavenotalreadyyieldedtoonewhoisnaturallymoretomethananything,whenshebeggedandentreated,itisbecauseIfeelthisinawayyoudon'trealize。Iapologizeforusingthewordcomicjustnow,Ishouldhavesaidtragic。I'llenlightenUncleDennis,ifthatwillcomfortyou;butthisisnotexactlyamatterforanyone,exceptmyself。"And,withoutanotherlookorword,hewentout。
　　Asthedoorclosed,Barbararantowardsit;and,withamotionstrangelylikethewringingofhands,said"Oh,dear！Oh！dear！"Then,turningawaytoabookcase,shebegantocry。
　　Thisebullitionoffeeling,surpassingeventheirown,cameasarealshocktoLadyandLordValleys,ignorantofhowstrung—upshehadbeenbeforesheenteredtheroom。TheyhadnotseenBarbaracrysinceshewasatinygirl。AndinfaceofheremotionanyanimustheymighthaveshownherforhavingthrownMiltounintoMrs。Noel'sarms,nowmeltedaway。LordValleys,especiallymoved,wentuptohisdaughter,andstoodwithherinthatdarkcorner,sayingnothing,butgentlystrokingherhand。LadyValleys,whoherselffeltverymuchinclinedtocry,wentoutofsightintotheembrasureofthewindow。
　　Barbara'ssobbingwassoonsubdued。
　　"It'shisface,"shesaid:"Andwhy？Why？It'ssounnecessary！"
　　LordValleys,continuallytwistinghismoustache,muttered:
　　"Exactly！Hemakesthingsforhimself！"
　　"Yes,"murmuredLadyValleysfromthewindow,"hewasalwaysuncomfortable,likethat。Irememberhimasababy。Bertieneverwas。"
　　AndthenthesilencewasonlybrokenbythelittleangrysoundsofBarbarablowinghernose。
　　"Ishallgoandseemother,"saidLadyValleys,suddenly:"Theboy'swholelifemayberuinedifwecan'tstopthis。Areyoucoming,child？"
　　ButBarbararefused。
　　Shewenttoherroom,instead。ThiscrisisinMiltoun'slifehadstrangelyshakenher。ItwasasifFatehadsuddenlyrevealedallthatanystepoutofthebeatenpathmightleadto,hadbroughthersharplyupagainstherself。Towingoutintotheblue！Seewhatitmeant！IfMiltounkepttohisresolve,andgaveuppubliclife,hewaslost！Andsheherself！ThefascinationofCourtier'schivalrousmanner,ofasortofinnategallantry,suggestingthequestofeverlastingdanger——wasitnotratherabsurd？And——wasshefascinated？Wasitnotsimplythatshelikedthefeelingoffascinatinghim？Throughthemazeofthesethoughts,dartedthememoryofHarbinger'sfaceclosetoherown,hisclenchedhands,theswiftrevelationofhisdangerousmasculinity。Itwasallanightmareofscaringqueersensations,ofthingsthatcouldneverbesettled。Shewasstirredforonceoutofallhernormalconqueringphilosophy。HerthoughtsflewbacktoMiltoun。Thatwhichshehadseenintheirfaces,then,hadcometopass！AndpicturingAgatha'shorror,whenshecametohearofit,Barbaracouldnothelpasmile。