"Exceptionsprovetherule。"
　　"Hardcasesmakebadlaw。"
　　Courtiersmiled:"Iknewyouwerecomingoutwiththat。Idenythattheydowiththislaw,whichisaltogetherbehindthetimes。Youhadtherighttorescuethiswoman。"
　　"No,Courtier,ifwemustfight,letusfightonthenakedfacts。"
　　havenotrescuedanyone。Ihavemerelystolensoonerthanstarve。
　　ThatiswhyIcannotgoonpretendingtobeapattern。Ifitwereknown,Icouldnotretainmyseatanhour;Ican'ttakeadvantageofanaccidentalsecrecy。Couldyou？"
　　Courtierwassilent;andwithhiseyesMiltounpressedonhim,asthoughhewoulddespatchhimwiththatglance。
　　"Icould,"saidCourtieratlast。"Whenthislaw,byenforcingspiritualadulteryonthosewhohavecometohatetheirmates,destroysthesanctityofthemarriedstate——theverysanctityitprofessestouphold,youmustexpecttohaveitbrokenbyreasoningmenandwomenwithouttheirfeelingshame,orlosingself—respect。"
　　InMiltountherewasrisingthatvastandsubtlepassionfordialecticcombat,whichwasofhisveryfibre。Hehadalmostlostthefeelingthatthiswashisownfuturebeingdiscussed。Hesawbeforehiminthissanguineman,whosevoiceandeyeshadsuchawhite—hotsoundandlook,theincarnationofallthathetemperamentallyopposed。
　　"That,"hesaid,"isdevil'sadvocacy。Iadmitnoindividualasjudgeinhisowncase。"
　　"Ah！Nowwe'recomingtoit。Bytheway,shallwegetoutofthisheat？"
　　Theywerenosoonerinthecoolerstreet,thanthevoiceofCourtierbeganagain:
　　"Distrustofhumannature,fear——it'sthewholebasisofactionformenofyourstamp。Youdenytherightoftheindividualtojudge,becauseyou'venofaithintheessentialgoodnessofmen;atheartyoubelievethembad。Yougivethemnofreedom,youallowthemnoconsent,becauseyoubelievethattheirdecisionswouldmovedownwards,andnotupwards。Well,it'sthewholedifferencebetweenthearistocraticandthedemocraticviewoflife。Asyouoncetoldme,youhateandfearthecrowd。"
　　Miltouneyedthatsteadysanguinefaceaskance:
　　"Yes,"hesaid,"Idobelievethatmenareraisedinspiteofthemselves。"
　　"You'rehonest。Bywhom？"
　　AgainMiltounfeltrisingwithinhimasortoffury。Onceforallhewouldslaythisred—hairedrebel;heansweredwithalmostsavageirony:
　　"Strangelyenough,bythatBeingtomentionwhomyouobject——workingthroughthemediumofthebest。"
　　"High—Priest！Lookatthatgirlslinkingalongthere,withhereyeonus;suppose,insteadofwithdrawingyourgarment,youwentoverandtalkedtoher,gothertotellyouwhatshereallyfeltandthought,you'dfindthingsthatwouldastonishyou。Atbottom,mankindissplendid。Andthey'reraised,sir,bytheaspirationthat'sinallofthem。Haven'tyouevernoticedthatpublicsentimentisalwaysinadvanceoftheLaw？"
　　"Andyou,"saidMiltoun,"arethemanwhoisneveronthesideofthemajority？"
　　Thechampionoflostcausesutteredashortlaugh。
　　"Notsologicalasallthat,"heanswered;"thewindstillblows;andLife'snotasetofruleshungupinanoffice。Let'ssee,wherearewe？"Theyhadbeenbroughttoastand—stillbyagrouponthepavementinfrontoftheQueen'sHall:"Shallwegoin,andhearsomemusic,andcoolourtongues？"
　　Miltounnodded,andtheywentin。
　　Thegreatlightedhall,filledwiththefaintbluefishvapourfromhundredsoflittlerollsoftobaccoleaf,wascrowdedfromfloortoceiling。
　　Takinghisstandamongthestraw—hattedthrong,Miltounheardthatsteadyironicalvoicebehindhim:
　　"Profanumvulgus！Cometolistentothefinestpieceofmusiceverwritten！Folkwhomyouwouldn'ttrustayardtoknowwhatwasgoodforthem！Deplorablesight,isn'tit？"
　　Hemadenoanswer。ThefirstslownotesoftheseventhSymphonyofBeethovenhadbeguntostealforthacrossthebankofflowers;and,saveforthesteadyrisingofthatbluefishvapour,asitwereincenseburnttothegodofmelody,thecrowdhadbecomedeathlystill,asthoughonemind,onespirit,possessedeachpalefaceinclinedtowardsthatmusicrisingandfallinglikethesighingofthewinds,thatwelcomefromdeaththefreedspiritsofthebeautiful。
　　Whenthelastnoteshaddiedaway,heturnedandwalkedout。
　　"Well,"saidthevoicebehindhim,"hasn'tthatshownyouhowthingsswellandgrow;howsplendidtheworldis？"
　　Miltounsmiled。
　　"Ithasshownmehowbeautifultheworldcanbemadebyagreatman。"
　　Andsuddenly,asifthemusichadloosenedsomebandwithinhim,hebegantopourforthwords:
　　"Lookatthecrowdinthisstreet,Courtier,whichofallcrowdsinthewholeworldcanbestaffordtobelefttoitself;securefrompestilence,earthquake,cyclone,drought,fromextremesofheatandcold,intheheartofthegreatestandsafestcityintheworld;andyet—seethefigureofthatpoliceman！Runningthroughallthegoodbehaviourofthiscrowd,howeversafeandfreeitlooks,thereis,therealwaysmustbe,acentralforceholdingittogether。Wheredoesthatcentralforcecomefrom？Fromthecrowditself,yousay。
　　Ianswer:No。LookbackattheoriginofhumanStates。Fromthebeginningsofthings,thebestmanhasbeentheunconsciousmediumofauthority,ofthecontrollingprinciple,ofthedivineforce;hefeltthatpowerwithinhim——physical,atfirst——heusedittotakethelead,hehasheldtheleadeversince,hemustalwaysholdit。Allyourprocessesofelection,yourso—calleddemocraticapparatus,areonlyablindtotheinquiring,asoptothehungry,asalvetotheprideoftherebellious。Theyaremerelysurfacemachinery;theycannotpreventthebestmanfromcomingtothetop;forthebestmanstandsnearesttotheDeity,andisthefirsttoreceivethewavesthatcomefromHim。I'mnotspeakingofheredity。Thebestmanisnotnecessarilyborninmyclass,andI,atallevents,donotbelieveheisanymorefrequenttherethaninotherclasses。"
　　Hestoppedassuddenlyashehadbegun。
　　"Youneedn'tbeafraid,"answeredCourtier,"thatItakeyouforanaveragespecimen。You'reatoneend,andIattheother,andweprobablybothmissthegoldenmark。Buttheworldisnotruledbypower,andthefearwhichpowerproduces,asyouthink,it'sruledbylove。Societyisheldtogetherbythenaturaldecencyinman,byfellow—feeling。Thedemocraticprinciple,whichyoudespise,atrootmeansnothingatallbutthat。Manlefttohimselfisontheupwardlay。Ifitweren'tso,doyouimagineforamomentyour'boysinblue'couldkeeporder？Amanknowsunconsciouslywhathecanandwhathecan'tdo,withoutlosinghisself—respect。Hesucksthatknowledgeinwitheverybreath。Lawsandauthorityarenotthebe—
　　allandend—all,theyareconveniences,machinery,conduitpipes,mainroads。They'renotofthestructureofthebuilding——they'reonlyscaffolding。"
　　Miltounlungedoutwiththeretort"Withoutwhichnobuildingcouldbebuilt。"
　　Courtierparried。
　　"That'sratherdifferent,myfriend,fromidentifyingthemwiththebuilding。Theyarethingstobetakendownasfastasevertheycanbeclearedaway,tomakeroomforanedificethatbeginsonearth,notinthesky。Allthescaffoldingoflawismerelytheretosavetime,topreventthetemple,asitmounts,fromlosingitsway,andstrayingoutofform。"
　　"No,"saidMiltoun,"no！Thescaffolding,asyoucallit,isthematerialprojectionofthearchitect'sconception,withoutwhichthetempledoesnotandcannotrise;andthearchitectisGod,workingthroughthemindsandspiritsmostakintoHimself。"
　　"Wearenowatthebed—rock,"criedCourtier,"yourGodisoutsidethisworld。Minewithinit。"
　　"Andneverthetwainshallmeet！"
　　InthesilencethatfollowedMiltounsawthattheywereinLeicesterSquare,allquietasyetbeforethetheatreshaddisgorged;quietyetwaiting,withthelights,likeyellowstarslow—drivenfromthedarkheavens,clingingtothewhiteshapesofmusic—hallsandcafes,andasortofflyingglamourblanchingthestillfoliageoftheplanetrees。
　　"A'whitelywanton'——thisSquare！"saidCourtier:"Aliveasaface;
　　noendtoitsqueerbeauty！And,byJove,ifyouwentdeepenough,you'dfindgoodnessevenhere。"
　　"Andyou'dignorethevice,"Miltounanswered。
　　Hefeltwearyallofasudden,anxioustogettohisrooms,unwillingtocontinuethisbattleofwords,thatbroughthimnonearertorelief。Itwaswithstrangelassitudethatheheardthevoicestillspeaking:
　　"Wemustmakeanightofit,sinceto—morrowwedie……Youwouldcurblicencefromwithout——Ifromwithin。WhenIgetupandwhenI
　　gotobed,whenIdrawabreath,seeaface,oraflower,oratree——
　　ifIdidn'tfeelthatIwaslookingontheDeity,IbelieveIshouldquitthispalaceofvarieties,fromsheerboredom。You,I
　　understand,can'tlookonyourGod,unlessyouwithdrawintosomehighplace。Isn'titabitlonelythere？"
　　"Thereareworsethingsthanloneliness。"Andtheywalkedon,insilence;tillsuddenlyMiltounbrokeout:
　　"Youtalkoftyranny！Whattyrannycouldequalthistyrannyofyourfreedom？Whattyrannyintheworldlikethatofthis'free'vulgar,narrowstreet,withitshundredjournalsteeminglikeants'nests,toproduce—what？Intheentrailsofthatcreatureofyourfreedom,Courtier,thereisroomneitherforexaltation,discipline,norsacrifice;thereisroomonlyforcommerce,andlicence。"
　　Therewasnoanswerforamoment;andfromthosetallhouses,whoselightedwindowshehadapostrophized,Miltounturnedawaytowardstheriver。"No,"saidthevoicebesidehim,"forallitsfaults,thewindblowsinthatstreet,andthere'sachanceforeverything。ByGod,Iwouldratherseeafewstarsstruggleoutinablackskythananyofyourperfectartificiallighting。"
　　AndsuddenlyitseemedtoMiltounthathecouldneverfreehimselffromtheechoesofthatvoice——itwasnotworthwhiletotry。"Wearerepeatingourselves,"hesaid,dryly。
　　Theriver'sblackwaterwasmakingstilly,slowrecessionalunderahalf—moon。Beneaththecloakofnightthechaosonthefarbank,theformsofcranes,highbuildings,jetties,thebodiesofthesleepingbarges,a——millionqueerdarkshapes,wereinvestedwithemotion。
　　Allwasreligiousoutthere,allbeautiful,allstrange。Andoverthisgreatquietfriendofman,lamps——thosehumbleflowersofnight,werethrowingdownthefaintcontinualglamouroffallenpetals;andasweet—scentedwindstolealongfromtheWest,veryslowasyet,bringinginadvancethetremorandperfumeoftheinnumerabletreesandfieldswhichtheriverhadlovedasshecameby。
　　Amurmurthatwasnotruesound,butlikethewhisperofaheartto。
　　aheart,accompaniedthisvoyageofthedarkwater。
　　Thenasmallbluntskiff——mannedbytworowerscamebyunderthewall,withthethuddingandthecreakofoars。
　　"So'To—morrowwedie'？"saidMiltoun:"Youmean,Isuppose,that'publiclife'isthebreathofmynostrils,andImustdie,becauseI
　　giveitup？"
　　Courtiernodded。
　　"AmIrightinthinkingthatitwasmyyoungsisterwhosentyouonthiscrusade？"
　　Courtierdidnotanswer。
　　"Andso,"Miltounwenton,lookinghimthroughandthrough;
　　"to—morrowistobeyourlastday,too？Well,you'rerighttogo。
　　Sheisnotanuglyduckling,whocanliveoutofthesocialpond;
　　she'llalwayswanthernativeelement。Andnow,we'llsaygoodbye！
　　Whateverhappenstousboth,Ishallrememberthisevening。"
　　Smiling,heputouthishand'Moriturustesaluto。'
　　CHAPTERXXIII
　　CourtiersatinHydeParkwaitingforfiveo'clock。Thedayhadrecoveredsomewhatfromagreymorning,asthoughtheglowofthatlonghotsummerweretooburnt—inontheairtoyieldtothefirstassault。Thesun,piercingthecrispedclouds,thosebreastfeathersofheavenlydoves,darteditsbeamsatthemellowedleaves,andshoweredtothegroundtheirdelicateshadowstains。Thefirst,tooearly,scentfromleavesabouttofall,penetratedtotheheart。Andsorrowfulsweetbirdsweretuningtheirlittleautumnpipes,blowingintothemfragmentsofSpringodestoLiberty。
　　CourtierthoughtofMiltounandhismistress。Bywhatastrangefatehadthosetwobeenthrowntogether;towhatendwastheirlovecoming？Theseedsofgriefwerealreadysown,whatflowersofdarkness,oroftumultwouldcomeup？Hesawheragainasalittle,grave,consideringchild,withhersofteyes,setwideapartunderthedarkarchedbrows,andthelittletuckatthecornerofhermouththatusedtocomewhenheteasedher。Andtothatgentlecreaturewhowouldsoonerdiethanforceanyonetoanything,hadbeengiventhisqueerlover;thisaristocratbybirthandnature,withthedriedferventsoul,whoseeveryfibrehadbeenbredandtrainedinandtotheserviceofAuthority;thisrejecteroftheUnityofLife;thisworshipperofanoldGod！AGodthatstood,whipinhand,drivingmentoobedience。AGodthatevennowCourtiercouldconjureupstaringathimfromthewallsofhisnursery。TheGodhisownfatherhadbelievedin。AGodoftheOldTestament,knowingneithersympathynorunderstanding。StrangethatHeshouldbealivestill;
　　thatthereshouldstillbethousandswhoworshippedHim。Yet,notsoverystrange,if,astheysaid,manmadeGodinhisownimage！HereindeedwasacuriousmatingofwhatthephilosopherswouldcallthewilltoLove,andthewilltoPower！
　　Asoldierandhisgirlcameandsatdownonabenchcloseby。Theylookedaskanceatthistrimanduprightfigurewiththefightingface;then,somesubtlethinginformingthemthathewasnotofthedisturbingbreedcalledofficer,theyceasedtoregardhim,abandoningthemselvestodumbandinexpressivefelicity。Arminarm,touchingeachother,theyseemedtoCourtierveryjolly,havingthatlookoflivingentirelyinthemoment,whichalwaysespeciallyappealedtoonewhosebloodrantoofasttoallowhimtospeculatemuchuponthefutureorbroodmuchoverthepast。
　　Aleaffromtheboughabovehim,loosenedbythesun'skisses,dropped,andfellyellowathisfeet。Theleaveswereturningverysoon。？
　　Itwascharacteristicofthisman,whocouldbesohotoverthelostcausesofothers,that,sittingtherewithinhalfanhourofthefinallossofhisowncause,hecouldbesocalm,soalmostapathetic。Thisapathywaspartlyduetothehopelessness,whichNaturehadlongperceived,oftryingtomakehimfeeloppressed,butalsotothehabitsofamanincurablyaccustomedtocarryinghisfortunesinhishand,andthathandopen。Itdidnotseemrealtohimthathewasactuallygoingtosufferadefeat,tohavetoconfessthathehadhankeredafterthisgirlallthesepastweeks,andthatto—morrowallwouldbewasted,andsheasdeadtohimasifhehadneverseenher。No,itwasnotexactlyresignation,itwasrathersheerlackofcommercialinstinct。Ifonlythishadbeenthelostcauseofanotherperson。Howgallantlyhewouldhaverushedtotheassault,andtakenherbystorm！Ifonlyhehimselfcouldhavebeenthatotherperson,howeasily,howpassionatelycouldhenothavepleaded,lettingforthfromhimallthosewordswhichhadknockedathisteetheversinceheknewher,andwhichwouldhaveseemedsoridiculousandsounworthy,spokenonhisownbehalf。Yes,forthatotherpersonhecouldhavecutheroutfromunderthegunsoftheenemy;hecouldhavetakenher,thatfairestprize。
　　Andinqueer,cheery—lookingapathy——notfarremovedperhapsfromdespair——hesat,watchingtheleavesturnoverandfall,andnowandthencuttingwithhisstickattheair,whereautumnwasalreadyriding。And,ifinimaginationhesawhimselfcarryingherawayintothewilderness,andwithhisdevotionmakingherhappinesstogrow,itwassofaraflight,thatasmilecreptabouthislips,andonceortwicehesnappedhisjaws。
　　Thesoldierandhisgirlrose,passinginfrontofhimdowntheRow。
　　Hewatchedtheirscarletandbluefigures,movingslowlytowardsthesun,andanothercoupleclosetotherails,crossingthoserecedingforms。Verystraightandtall,therewassomethingexhilaratinginthewaythisnewcoupleswungalong,holdingtheirheadsup,turningtowardseachother,toexchangewordsorsmiles。Evenatthatdistancetheycouldbeseentobeofhighfashion;intheirgaitwasthealmostinsolentpoiseofthosewhoareabovedoubtsandcares,certainoftheworldandofthemselves。Thegirl'sdresswastawnybrown,herhairandhattooofthesamehue,andthepursuingsunlightendowedherwithahazysplendour。Then,Courtiersawwhotheywere——thatcouple！
　　Exceptforanunconsciousgrindingofhisteeth,hemadenosoundormovement,sothattheywentbywithoutseeinghim。Hervoice,thoughnotthewords,cametohimdistinctly。HesawherhandslipupunderHarbinger'sarmandswiftlydownagain。Asmile,ofwhoseexistencehewasunaware,settledonhislips。Hegotup,shookhimself,asadogshakesoffabeating,andwalkedaway,withhismouthsetveryfirm。
　　CHAPTERXXIV
　　LeftaloneamongthelittlemahoganytablesofGustard's,wherethescentofcakeandoforange—flowerwatermadehappyalltheair,Barbarahadsatforsomeminutes,hereyescastdown——asachildfromwhomatoyhasbeentakencontemplatestheground,notknowingpreciselywhatsheisfeeling。Then,payingoneofthemiddle—agedfemales,shewentoutintotheSquare。ThereaGermanbandwasplayingDelibes'Coppelia;andthemurderedtunecamehauntingher,averyghostofincongruity。
　　ShewentstraightbacktoValleysHouse。IntheroomwherethreehoursagoshehadbeenleftaloneafterlunchwithHarbinger,hersisterwasseatedinthewindow,lookingdecidedlyupset。Infact,Agathahadjustspentanawkwardhour。Chancing,withlittleAnn,intothatconfectioner'swhereshecouldbestobtainaparticularlygummysweetwhichshebelievedwholesomeforherchildren,shehadbeenengagedinpurchasingapound,whenlookingdown,sheperceivedAnnstandingstock—still,withhersuddenlittlenosepointeddowntheshop,andhermouthopening;glancinginthedirectionofthosefrank,enquiringeyes,Agathasawtoheramazementhersister,andamanwhomsherecognizedasCourtier。Withareadinesswhichdidhercompletecredit,sheplacedasweetinAnn'smouth,andsayingtothemiddle—agedfemale:"Thenyou'llsendthose,please。Come,Ann！"
　　wentout。Shocksnevercomingsingly,shehadnosoonerreachedhome,thanfromherfathershelearnedofthedevelopmentofMiltoun'sloveaffair。WhenBarbarareturned,shewassitting,unfeignedlydisturbedandgrieved;unabletodecidewhetherornosheoughttodivulgewhatsheherselfhadseen,butwithalbuoyed—upbythatpeculiarindignationoftheessentiallydomesticwoman,whoseidealshavebeenoutraged。
　　JudgingatoncefromtheexpressionofherfacethatshemusthaveheardthenewsofMiltoun,Barbarasaid:
　　"Well,mydearAngel,anylectureforme？"
　　Agathaansweredcoldly:
　　"IthinkyouwerequitemadtotakeMrs。Noeltohim。"
　　"Thewholedutyofwoman,"murmuredBarbara,"includesalittlemadness。"
　　Agathalookedatherinsilence。
　　"Ican'tmakeyouout,"shesaidatlast;"you'renotafool！"
　　"Onlyaknave。"
　　"YoumaythinkitrighttojokeovertheruinofMiltoun'slife,"
　　murmuredAgatha;"Idon't。"
　　Barbara'seyesgrewbright;andinahardvoicesheanswered:
　　"Theworldisnotyournursery,Angel！"
　　Agathaclosedherlipsverytightly,aswhoshouldimply:"Thenitoughttobe！"Butsheonlyanswered:
　　"Idon'tthinkyouknowthatIsawyoujustnowinGustard's。"
　　Barbaraeyedherforamomentinamazement,andbegantolaugh。
　　"Isee,"shesaid;"monstrousdepravity——pooroldGustard's！"Andstilllaughingthatdangerouslaugh,sheturnedonherheelandwentout。
　　Atdinnerandafterwardsthateveningshewasverysilent,havingonherfacethesamelookthatsheworeouthunting,especiallywhenindifficultiesofanykind,orifadvisedto'takeapull。'Whenshegotawaytoherownroomshehadalongingtorelieveherselfbysomekindofactionthatwouldhurtsomeone,ifonlyherself。Togotobedandtossaboutinafever——forsheknewherselfinthesethwartedmoods——wasofnouse！Foramomentshethoughtofgoingout。Thatwouldbefun,andhurtthem,too;butitwasdifficult。Shedidnotwanttobeseen,andhavethehumiliationofanopenrow。Thentherecameintoherheadthememoryoftheroofofthetower,whereshehadoncebeenasalittlegirl。Shewouldbeintheairthere,shewouldbeabletobreathe,togetridofthisfeverishness。Withtheunhappypleasureofaspoiledchildtakingitsrevenge,shetookcaretoleaveherbedroomdooropen,sothathermaidwouldwonderwhereshewas,andperhapsbeanxious,andmakethemanxious。Slippingthroughthemoonlitpicturegalleryontothelanding,outsideherfather'ssanctum,whencerosethestonestaircaseleadingtotheroof,shebegantomount。Shewasbreathlesswhen,afterthatunendingflightofstairssheemergedontotheroofattheextremenorthernendofthebighouse,where,belowher,wasasheerdropofahundredfeet。Atfirstshestood,alittlegiddy,graspingtherailthatranroundthatgardenoflead,stillabsorbedinherbrooding,rebelliousthoughts。Graduallyshelostconsciousnessofeverythingsavethescenebeforeher。Highaboveallneighbouringhouses,shewasalmostappalledbythemajestyofwhatshesaw。Thisnight—clothedcity,soremoteanddark,sowhite—gleamingandalive,onwhosepurplehillsandvalleysgrewsuchmyriadgoldenflowersoflight,fromwhoseheartcamethisdeepincessantmurmur——coulditpossiblybethesamecitythroughwhichshehadbeenwalkingthatveryday！Fromitssleepingbodythesupremewistfulspirithademergedindarkloveliness,andwaslow—flyingdownthere,temptingher。Barbaraturnedround,totakeinallthatamazingprospect,fromtheblackgladesofHydePark,infront,tothepowderywhiteghostofachurchtower,awaytotheEast。Howmarvellouswasthiscityofnight！Andas,inpresenceofthatwidedarknessoftheseabeforedawn,herspirithadfeltlittleandtimidwithinher——soitfeltnow,infaceofthisgreat,brooding,beautifulcreature,whommanhadmade。ShesingledouttheshapesofthePiccadillyhotels,andbeyondthemthepalacesandtowersofWestminsterandWhitehall;
　　andeverywheretheinextricablelovelinessofdimblueformsandsinuouspallidlinesoflight,underanindigo—darksky。Nearathand,shecouldseeplainlythestill—lightedwindows,themotorcarsglidingbyfardown,eventhetinyshapesofpeoplewalking;andthethoughtthateachofthemmeantsomeonelikeherself,seemedstrange。
　　Drinkingofthiswonder—cup,shebegantoexperienceaqueerintoxication,andlostthesenseofbeinglittle;rathershehadthefeelingofpower,asinherdreamatMonkland。Shetoo,aswellasthisgreatthingbelowher,seemedtohaveshedherbody,tobeemancipatedfromeverybarrier—floatingdeliciouslyidentifiedwithair。Sheseemedtobeonewiththeenfranchisedspiritofthecity,drownedinperceptionofitsbeauty。Thenallthatfeelingwent,andleftherfrowning,shivering,thoughthewindfromtheWestwaswarm。
　　Herwholeadventureofcominguphereseemedbizarre,ridiculous。
　　Verystealthilyshecreptdown,andhadreachedoncemorethedoorinto'thepicturegallery,whensheheardhermother'svoicesayinamazement:"Thatyou,Babs？"Andturning,sawhercomingfromthedoorwayofthesanctum。
　　Ofasuddenverycool,withallherfacultiesabouther,Barbarasmiled,andstoodlookingatLadyValleys,whosaidwithhesitation:
　　"Comeinhere,dear,aminute,willyou？"
　　Inthatroomresortedtoforcomfort,LordValleyswasstandingwithhisbacktothehearth,andanexpressiononhisfacethatwaveredbetweenvexationanddecision。ThedoubtinAgatha'smindwhethersheshouldtellorno,hadbeenterriblyresolvedbylittleAnn,whoinapauseofconversationhadannounced:"WesawAuntieBabsandMr。
　　CourtierinGustard's,butwedidn'tspeaktothem。"
　　Upsetbytheeventsoftheafternoon,LadyValleyshadnotshownherusual'savoirfaire'。Shehadtoldherhusband。Ameetingofthissortinashopcelebratedforlittlesaveitsweddingcakeswasinasenseofnoimportance;but,beingdisturbedalreadybythenewsofMiltoun,itseemedtothembothnothinglessthansinister,asthoughtheheavenswereinleagueforthedemolitionoftheirhouse。ToLordValleysitwaspeculiarlymortifying,becauseofhisrealadmirationforhisdaughter,andbecausehehadpaidsolittleattentiontohiswife'swarningofsomeweeksback。Inconsultation,however,theyhadonlysucceededindecidingthatLadyValleysshouldtalkwithher。Thoughwithoutmuchspiritualinsight,theyhad,eachofthem,acertaincooljudgment;andwerefullyalivetothedangerofthwartingBarbara。ThishadnotpreventedLordValleysfromexpressinghimselfstronglyonthe'confoundedunscrupulousnessofthatfellow,'andsecretlyforminghisownplanfordealingwiththismatter。LadyValleys,moredeeplyconversantwithherdaughter'snature,andbyreasonoffemininitymorelenienttowardstheothersex,hadnottriedtoexcuseCourtier,buthadthoughtprivately:
　　'Babsisratheraflirt。'Forshecouldnotaltogetherhelprememberingherselfatthesameage。
　　Summonedthusunexpectedly,Barbara,herlipsveryfirmlypressedtogether,tookherstand,coollyenough,byherfather'swriting—
　　table。
　　Seeinghersuddenlyappear,LordValleysinstinctivelyrelaxedhisfrown;hisexperienceofmenandthings,histhousandsofdiplomatichours,servedtogivehimanairofcoolnessanddetachmentwhichhewasveryfarfromfeeling。Intruthhewouldratherhavefacedahostilemobthanhisfavouritedaughterinsuchcircumstances。Histannedfacewithitscrispgreymoustache,hiswholeheadindeed,tookon,unconsciously,amorethanordinarilysoldierlikeappearance。Hiseyelidsdroopedalittle,hisbrowsroseslightly。
　　Shewaswearingabluewrapoverhereveningfrock,andheseizedinstinctivelyonthatindifferenttrifletobeginthistalk。
　　"Ah！Babs,haveyoubeenout？"
　　Alivetoherveryfinger—nails,witheverynervetingling,butshowingnosign,Barbaraanswered:
　　"No;ontheroofofthetower。"
　　Itgaveherarealmaliciouspleasuretofeeltheperplexitybeneathherfather'sdignifiedexterior。Anddetectingthatcovertmockery,LordValleyssaiddryly:
　　"Star—gazing？"
　　Then,withthatsuddenresolutionpeculiartohim,asthoughhewereboredwithhavingtodelayandtemporize,headded:
　　"Doyouknow,Idoubtwhetherit'swisetomakeappointmentsinconfectioner'sshopswhenAnnisinLondon。"
　　ThedangerouslittlegleaminBarbara'seyesescapedhisvisionbutnotthatofLadyValleys,whosaidatonce:
　　"Nodoubtyouhadthebestofreasons,mydear。"
　　Barbaracurledherlip。HaditnotbeenforthescenetheyhadbeenthroughthatdaywithMiltoun,andfortheirveryrealanxiety,bothwouldhaveseen,then,thatwhiletheirdaughterwasinthismood,leastsaidwassoonestmended。Buttheirnerveswerenotquitewithincontrol;andwithmorethanatouchofimpatienceLordValleysejaculated:
　　"Itdoesn'tappeartoyou,Isuppose,torequireanyexplanation？"
　　Barbaraanswered:
　　"No。"
　　"Ah！"saidLordValleys:"Isee。Anexplanationcanbehadnodoubtfromthegentlemanwhosesenseofproportionwassuchastocausehimtosuggestsuchathing。"
　　"Hedidnotsuggestit。Idid。"
　　LordValleys'eyebrowsrosestillhigher。
　　"Indeed！"hesaid。
　　"Geoffrey！"murmuredLadyValleys,"IthoughtIwastotalktoBabs。"
　　"Itwouldnodoubtbewiser。"