andhavingwashed,andlearnedthathisfatherwouldbediningin,hewentforawalk,takinghiswaytowardshisroomsintheTemple。Hislongfigure,somewhatcarelesslygarbed,attractedtheusualattention,ofwhichhewasasusualunaware。Strollingalong,hemeditateddeeplyonaLondon,anEngland,differentfromthisflatulenthurly—burly,this'omniuingatherum',thisgreatdiscordantsymphonyofsharpsandflats。ALondon,anEngland,kemptandself—
respecting;sweptandgarnishedofslums,andplutocrats,advertisement,andjerry—building,ofsensationalism,vulgarity,vice,andunemployment。AnEnglandwhereeachmanshouldknowhisplace,andneverchangeit,butserveinitloyallyinhisowncaste。
Whereeveryman,fromnoblemantolabourer,shouldbeanoligarchbyfaith,andagentlemanbypractice。AnEnglandsosteel—brightandefficientthattheverysightshouldsufficetoimposepeace。AnEnglandwhosesoulshouldbestoicalandfinewiththestoicismandfinenessofeachsoulamongsthermanymillionsouls;wherethetownshouldhaveitscreedandthecountryitscreed,andthereshouldbecontentmentandnocomplaininginherstreets。
AndashewalkeddowntheStrand,alittleraggedboycheepedoutbetweenhislegs:
"BloodeediscovereeinaBank——Gritesensytion!Pi—er!"
Miltounpaidnoheedtothatsaying;yet,withit,thewindthatblowswheremanlives,thecareless,wonderful,unorderedwind,haddispersedhisaustereandformalvision。Greatwasthatwind——themyriadaspirationofmenandwomen,theprayingoftheuncountedmultitudetothegoddessofSensation——ofChance,andChange。A
flowingfromhearttoheart,fromliptolip,asinSpringthewistfulairwandersthroughawood,impartingtoeverybushandtreethesecretsoffreshlife,thepassionateresolvetogrow,andbecome——nomatterwhat!Asighing,aseternalastheoldmurmuringofthesea,aslittletobehushed,aspronetoswellintosuddenroaring!
Miltounheldonthroughthetraffic,notlookingovermuchatthepresentformsofthethousandshepassed,butseeingwiththeeyesoffaiththeformshedesiredtosee。NearSt。Paul'shestoppedinfrontofanoldbook—shop。Hisgrave,pallid,notunhandsomeface,waswell—knowntoWilliamRimall,itssmallproprietor,whoatoncebroughtouthislatestacquisition——aMores'Utopia。'Thatparticularedition(heassuredMiltoun)wasquiteunprocurable——hehadneversoldbutoneothercopy,whichhadbeenliterally,crumblingaway。
Thiscopywasinevenbettercondition。Itcouldhardlylastanothertwentyyears——agenuinebook,abargain。Therewasn'tsomuchmovementinMoreastherehadbeenalittletimeback。
Miltounopenedthetome,andasmallbook—lousewhohadbeensleepingontheword'Tranibore,'begantomakeitswayslowlytowardstheverycentreofthevolume。
"Iseeit'sgenuine,"saidMiltoun。
"It'snottoread,mylord,"thelittlemanwarnedhim:"Hardlysafetoturnthepages。AsIwassaying——I'venothadabetterpiecethisyear。Ihaven'treally!"
"Shrewdolddreamer,"mutteredMiltoun;"theSocialistshaven'tgotbeyondhim,evennow。"
Thelittleman'seyesblinked,asthoughapologizingfortheviewsofThomasMore。
"Well,"hesaid,"Isupposehewasoneofthem。Iforgetifyourlordship'sverystrongonpolitics?"
Miltounsmiled。
"IwanttoseeanEngland,Rimall,somethingliketheEnglandofMoresdream。Butmymachinerywillbedifferent。Ishallbeginatthetop。"
Thelittlemannodded。
"Quiteso,quiteso,"hesaid;"weshallcometothat,Idaresay。"
"Wemust,Rimall。"AndMiltounturnedthepage。
Thelittleman'sfacequivered。
"Idon'tthink,"hesaid,"thatbook'squitestrongenoughforyou,mylord,withyourtasteforreading。NowI'veamostcuriousoldvolumehere——onChinesetemples。It'srare——butnottooold。Youcanperuseitthoroughly。It'swhatIcallabooktobrowseonjustsuityourpalate。Funnyprincipletheybuiltthosethingson,"headded,openingthevolumeatanengraving,"inlayers。Wedon'tbuildlikethatinEngland。"
Miltounlookedupsharply;thelittleman'sfaceworenosignsofunderstanding。
"Unfortunatelywedon't,Rimall,"hesaid;"weoughtto,andweshall。I'lltakethisbook。"
Placinghisfingerontheprintofthepagoda,headded:"Agoodsymbol。"
Thelittlebookseller'seyestrayeddownthetempletothesecretpricemark。
"Exactly,mylord,"hesaid;"Ithoughtit'dbeyourfancy。Thepricetoyouwillbetwenty—sevenandsix。"
Miltoun,pocketingthebargain,walkedout。HemadehiswayintotheTemple,leftthebookathisChambers,andpassedondowntothebankofMotherThames。TheSunwaslovingherpassionatelythatafternoon;hehadkissedherintowarmthandlightandcolour。Andallthebuildingsalongherbanks,asfarasthetowersatWestminster,seemedtobesmiling。Itwasagreatsightfortheeyesofalover。AndanothervisioncamehauntingMiltoun,ofasoft—eyedwomanwithalowvoice,bendingamongstherflowers。Nothingwouldbecompletewithouther;noworkbearfruit;noschemecouldhavefullmeaning。
LordValleysgreetedhissonatdinnerwithgoodfellowshipandafaintsurprise。
"Dayoff,mydearfellow?OrhaveyoucomeuptohearBrabrookpitchintous?He'sratherlatethistime——we'vegotridofthatballoonbusinessnotroubleafterall。"
AndheeyedMiltounwiththatcleargreystareofhis,socool,level,andcurious。Now,whatsortofbirdisthis?itseemedsaying。CertainlynotthepartridgeIshouldhaveexpectedfromitsbreeding!
Miltoun'sanswer:"Icameuptotellyousomething,sir,"rivetedhisfather'sstareforasecondlongerthanwasquiteurbane。
ItwouldnotbetruetosaythatLordValleyswasafraidofhisson。
Fearwasnotoneofhisemotions,buthecertainlyregardedhimwitharespectfulcuriositythatborderedonuneasiness。TheoligarchictemperofMiltoun'smindandpoliticalconvictionsalmostshockedonewhoknewbothbytemperamentandexperiencehowtowaitinfront。
Thisinstructionhehadfrequentlyhadoccasiontogivehisjockeyswhenhebelievedhishorsescouldbestgethomefirstinthatway。
Anditwasaninstructionhenowlongedtogivehisson。Hehimselfhad'waitedinfront'foroverfiftyyears,andheknewittobethefinestwayofinsuringthathewouldneverbecompelledtoalterthisdesirablepolicy——forsomethinginLordValleys'charactermadehimfearthat,inrealemergency,hewouldexerthimselftothepointofthegravestdiscomfortsoonerthanbelefttowaitbehind。AfellowlikeyoungHarbinger,ofcourse,heunderstood——versatile,'fullofbeans,'asheexpressedittohimselfinhismoreconfidentialmoments,whohadimbibedthenewwine(veryintoxicatingitwas)ofdesireforsocialreform。Hewouldhavetobegivenhisheadalittle——buttherewouldbenodifficultywithhim,hewouldnever'runout'——lighthandybuildofhorsethatonlyrequiredsteadyingatthecorners。Hewouldwanttohearhimselftalk,andbeletfeelthathewasdoingsomething。Allverywell,andquiteintelligible。
ButwithMiltoun(andLordValleysfeltthistobeno,mereparentalfancy)itwasaverydifferentbusiness。Hissonhadawayofforcingthingstotheirconclusionswhichwasdangerous,andremindedhimofhismother—in—law。Hewasababyinpublicaffairs,ofcourse,asyet;butassoonasheoncegotgoing,theintensityofhisconvictions,togetherwithhisposition,andrealgift——notofthegab,likeHarbinger's——butofrestrained,bitingoratory,wassuretobringhimtothefrontwithaboundinthepresentstateofparties。Andwhatwerethoseconvictions?LordValleyshadtriedtounderstandthem,butuptothepresenthehadfailed。Andthisdidnotsurprisehimexactly,since,asheoftensaid,politicalconvictionswerenot,astheyappearedonthesurface,theoutcomeofreason,butmerelysymptomsoftemperament。Andhecouldnotcomprehend,becausehecouldnotsympathizewith,anyattitudetowardspublicaffairsthatwasnotessentiallylevel,attachedtotheplain,common—sensefactorsofthecaseastheyappearedtohimself。Notthathecouldfairlybecalledatemporizer,fordeepdowninhimtherewasundoubtedlyaveinofobstinate,fundamentalloyaltytothetraditionsofacastewhichprizedhighspiritbeyondallthings。StillhedidfeelthatMiltounwasaltogethertoomuchthe'pukka'aristocrat——nobetterthanaSocialist,withhisconfoundedwayofseeingthingsallcutanddried;hisideasofforcingreformsdownpeople'sthroatsandholdingthemtherewiththeironhand!Withhiswaytooofactingonhisprinciples!Why!Heevenadmittedthatheactedonhisprinciples!ThisthoughtalwaysstruckaverydiscordantnoteinLordValleys'breast。Itwasalmostindecent;worse—ridiculous!Thefactwas,thedearfellowhadunfortunatelyadeeperhabitofthoughtthanwaswantedinpolitics——
dangerous——very!Experiencemightdosomethingforhim!AndoutofhisownlongexperiencetheEarlofValleystriedhardtorecollectanypoliticianwhomthepracticeofpoliticshadleftwherehewaswhenhestarted。Hecouldnotthinkofone。Butthisgavehimlittlecomfort;and,aboveapieceoflateasparagushissteadyeyessoughthisson's。Whathadhecomeuptotellhim?
Thephrasehadbeenominous;hecouldnotrecollectMiltoun'severhavingtoldhimanything。Forthoughareallykindandindulgentfather,hehad——likesomanymenoccupiedwithpublicandotherlives——alittleacquiredtowardshisoffspringthelookandmanner:
Isthismine?Ofhisfourchildren,Barbaraaloneheclaimedwithconviction。Headmiredher;and,beingamanwhosavouredlife,hewasunabletolovemuchexceptwhereheadmired。But,thelastpersonintheworldtohustleanymanorforceaconfidence,hewaitedtohearhisson'snews,betrayingnouneasiness。
Miltounseemedinnohurry。HedescribedCourtier'sadventure,whichtickledLordValleysagooddeal。
"Ordealbyredpepper!Shouldn'thavethoughtthemequaltothat,"
hesaid。"Soyou'vegothimatMonklandnow。Harbingerstillwithyou?"
"Yes。Idon'tthinkHarbingerhasmuchstamina。
"Politically?"
Miltounnodded。
"Iratherresenthisbeingonourside——Idon'tthinkhedoesusanygood。You'veseenthatcartoon,Isuppose;itcutsprettydeep。I
couldn'trecognizeyouamongsttheoldwomen,sir。"
LordValleyssmiledimpersonally。
"Verycleverthing。Bytheway;IshallwintheEclipse,Ithink。"
Andthus,spasmodically,theconversationrantillthelastservanthadlefttheroom。
ThenMiltoun,withoutpreparation,lookedstraightathisfatherandsaid:
"IwanttomarryMrs。Noel,sir。"
LordValleysreceivedtheshotwithexactlythesameexpressionasthatwithwhichhewasaccustomedtowatchhishorsesbeaten。Thenheraisedhiswineglasstohislips;andsetitdownagainuntouched。
Thiswastheonlysignhegaveofinterestordiscomfiture。
"Isn'tthisrathersudden?"
Miltounanswered:"I'vewantedtofromthemomentIfirstsawher。"
LordValleys,almostasgoodajudgeofamanandasituationasofahorseorapointerdog,leanedbackinhischair,andsaidwithfaintsarcasm:
"Mydearfellow,it'sgoodofyoutohavetoldmethis;though,tobequitefrank,it'sapieceofnewsIwouldrathernothaveheard。"
AduskyflushburnedslowlyupinMiltoun'scheeks。Hehadunderratedhisfather;themanhadcoolnessandcourageinacrisis。
"Whatisyourobjection,sir?"AndsuddenlyhenoticedthatawaferinLordValleys'handwasquivering。Thisbroughtintohiseyesnolookofcompunction,butsuchasmoulderinggazeastheoldTudorChurchmanmighthavebentonanadversarywhoshowedasignofweakness。LordValleys,too,noticedthequiveringofthatwafer,andateit。
"Wearemenoftheworld,"hesaid。
Miltounanswered:"Iamnot。"
ShowinghisfirstrealsymptomofimpatienceLordValleysrappedout:
"Sobeit!Iam。"
"Yes?",saidMiltoun。
"Eustace!"
Nursingoneknee,Miltounfacedthatappealwithoutthefaintestmovement。Hiseyescontinuedtoburnintohisfather'sface。A
tremorpassedoverLordValleys'heart。Whatintensityoffeelingtherewasinthefellow,thathecouldlooklikethisatthefirstbreathofopposition!
Hereachedoutandtookupthecigar—box;helditabsentlytowardshisson,anddrewitquicklyback。
"Iforgot,"hesaid;"youdon't。"
Andlightingacigar,hesmokedgravely,lookingstraightbeforehim,afurrowbetweenhisbrows。Hespokeatlast:
"Shelookslikealady。Iknownothingelseabouther。"
ThesmiledeepenedroundMiltoun'smouth。
"Whyshouldyouwanttoknowanythingelse?"
LordValleysshrugged。Hisphilosophyhadhardened。
"Iunderstandforonething,"hesaidcoldly;"thatthereisamatterofadivorce。IthoughtyoutooktheChurch'sviewonthatsubject。"
"Shehasnotdonewrong。"
"Youknowherstory,then?"
"No。"
LordValleysraisedhisbrows,inironyandasortofadmiration。
"Chivalrythebetterpartofdiscretion?"
Miltounanswered:
"Youdon't,Ithink,understandthekindoffeelingIhaveforMrs。
Noel。Itdoesnotcomeintoyourschemeofthings。Itistheonlyfeeling,however,withwhichIshouldcaretomarry,andIamnotlikelytofeelitforanyoneagain。"
LordValleysfeltoncemorethatuncannysenseofinsecurity。Wasthistrue?AndsuddenlyhefeltYes,itistrue!Thefacebeforehimwasthefaceofonewhowouldburninhisownfiresoonerthandepartfromhisstandards。Andasuddensenseoftheutterseriousnessofthisdilemmadumbedhim。
"Icansaynomoreatthemoment,"hemutteredandgotupfromthetable。
CHAPTERXI
LadyCasterleywasthatinconvenientthing——anearlyriser。Nowomaninthekingdomwasabetterjudgeofadewcarpet。Naturehadinhertimedisplayedbeforeherthousandsofthoseprettyfabrics,whereallthestarsofthepastnight,droppedtothedarkearth,werewaitingtoglideuptoheavenagainontheraysofthesun。AtRavenshamshewalkedregularlyinhergardensbetweenhalf—pastsevenandeight,andwhenshepaidavisit,wascarefultosubordinatewhatevermightbethelocalcustomtothishabit。
WhenthereforehermaidRandlecametoBarbara'smaidatseveno'clock,andsaid:"MyoldladywantsLadyBabstogetup,"therewasnoparticularpaininthebreastofBarbara'smaid,whowasdoinguphercorsets。Shemerelyanswered"I'llseetoit。LadyBabswon'tbetoopleased!"Andtenminuteslatersheenteredthatwhite—walledroomwhichsmelledofpinks—atempleofdrowsysweetness,wherethesummerlightwasvaguelystealingthroughfloweredchintzcurtains。
Barbarawassleepingwithhercheekonherhand,andhertawnyhair,gatheredback,streamingoverthepillow。Herlipswereparted;andthemaidthought:"I'dliketohavehairandamouthlikethat!"Shecouldnothelpsmilingtoherselfwithpleasure;LadyBabslookedsopretty——prettierasleepeventhanawake!Andatsightofthatbeautifulcreature,sleepingandsmilinginhersleep,theearthy,hothousefumessteepingthemindofoneperpetuallyservinginanatmosphereunsuitedtohernaturalgrowth,dispersed。Beauty,withitsqueertouchingpoweroffreeingthespiritfromallbarriersandthoughtsofself,sweetenedthemaid'seyes,andkeptherstanding,holdingherbreath。ForBarbaraasleepwasasymbolofthatGoldenAgeinwhichshesodesperatelybelieved。Sheopenedhereyes,andseeingthemaid,said:
"Isiteighto'clock,Stacey?"
"No,butLadyCasterleywantsyoutowalkwithher。"
"Oh!bother!Iwashavingsuchadream!"
"Yes;youweresmiling。"
"IwasdreamingthatIcouldfly。"
"Fancy!"
"Icouldseeeverythingspreadoutbelowme,ascloseasIseeyou;I
washoveringlikeabuzzardhawk。IfeltthatIcouldcomedownexactlywhereIwanted。Itwasfascinating。Ihadperfectpower,Stacey。"
Andthrowingherneckback,sheclosedhereyesagain。Thesunlightstreamedinonherbetweenthehalf—drawncurtains。
Thequeerestimpulsetoputoutahandandstrokethatfullwhitethroatshotthroughthemaid'smind。
"Theseflyingmachinesarestupid,"murmuredBarbara;"thepleasure'sinone'sbody———wings!"
"IcanseeLadyCasterleyinthegarden。"
Barbarasprangoutofbed。ClosebythestatueofDianaLadyCasterleywasstanding,gazingdownatsomeflowers,atiny,greyfigure。Barbarasighed。Withher,inherdream,hadbeenanotherbuzzardhawk,andshewasfilledwithasortofsurprise,andqueerpleasurethatrandownherinlittleshiverswhileshebathedanddressed。
Inherhasteshetooknohat;andstillbusywiththefasteningofherlinenfrock,hurrieddownthestairsandGeorgiancorridor,towardsthegarden。AttheendofitshealmostranintothearmsofCourtier。
Awakeningearlythismorning,hehadbegunfirstthinkingofAudreyNoel,threatenedbyscandal;thenofhisyesterday'scompanion,thatgloriousyoungcreature,whoseimagehadsogrippedandtakenpossessionofhim。Inthepleasureofthismemoryhehadsteepedhimself。Shewasyouthitself!Thatperfectthing,ayounggirlwithoutcallowness。
Andhiswords,whenshenearlyranintohim,were:"TheWingedVictory!"
Barbara'sanswerwasequallysymbolic:"Abuzzardhawk!Doyouknow,Idreamedwewereflying,Mr。Courtier。"
Courtiergravelyanswered"Ifthegodsgivemethatdream————"
>FromthegardendoorBarbaraturnedherhead,smiled,andpassedthrough。
LadyCasterley,inthecompanyoflittleAnn,whohadperceivedthatitwasnoveltobeinthegardenatthishour,hadbeenscrutinizingsomenewlyfoundedcoloniesofaflowerwithwhichshewasnotfamiliar。Onseeinghergranddaughterapproach,shesaidatonce:
"Whatisthisthing?"
"Nemesia。"
"Neverheardofit。"
"It'sratherthefashion,Granny。"
"Nemesia?"repeatedLadyCasterley。"WhathasNemesistodowithflowers?Ihavenopatiencewithgardeners,andtheseidioticnames。
Whereisyourhat?Ilikethatduck'seggcolourinyourfrock。
There'sabuttonundone。"Andreachingupherlittlespideryhand,wonderfullysteadyconsideringitsage,shebuttonedthetopbuttonbutoneofBarbara'sbodice。
"Youlookveryblooming,mydear,"shesaid。"Howfarisittothiswoman'scottage?We'llgotherenow。"
"Shewouldn'tbeup。"
LadyCasterley'seyesgleamedmaliciously。
"Youtellmeshe'ssonice,"shesaid。"Noniceunencumberedwomanliesinbedafterhalf—pastseven。Whichistheveryshortestway?
No,Ann,wecan'ttakeyou。"
LittleAnn,afterregardinghergreat—grandmotherrathertoointently,replied:
"Well,Ican'tcome,yousee,becauseI'vegottogo。"
"Verywell,"saidLadyCasterley,"thentrotalong。"
LittleAnn,tighteningherlips,walkedtothenextcolonyofNemesia,andbentoverthecolonistswithconcentration,showingclearlythatshehadfoundsomethingmoreinterestingthanhadyetbeenencountered。
"Ha!"saidLadyCasterley,andledonatherbriskpacetowardstheavenue。
Allthewaydownthedriveshediscoursedonwoodcraft,glancingsharplyatthetrees。Forestry——shesaid—likebuilding,andallotherpursuitswhichrequired,faithandpatientindustry,wasalostartinthissecond—handage。ShehadmadeBarbara'sgrandfatherpractiseit,sothatatCatton(hercountryplace)andevenatRavensham,thetreeswereworthlookingat。Here,atMonkland,theyweremonstrouslyneglected。TohavethefinestItaliancypressinthecountry,forexample,andnottakemorecareofit,wasadownrightscandal!
Barbaralistened,smilinglazily。Grannywassoamusinginherenergyandprecision,andherturnsofspeech,sodeliberatelyhomespun,asifshe——thanwhomnonecouldbetteruseastiffandpolishedphrase,ortherefinementsoftheFrenchlanguage——weredeterminedtotakewhatlibertiessheliked。Tothegirl,hauntedstillbythefeelingthatshecouldfly,almostdrunkonthesweetnessoftheairthatsummermorning,itseemedfunnythatanyoneshouldbelikethat。Thenforasecondshesawhergrandmother'sfaceinrepose,offguard,grimwithanxiouspurpose,asifquestioningitsholdonlife;andinoneofthoseflashesofintuitionwhichcometowomen——evenwhenyoungandconqueringlikeBarbara——shefeltsuddenlysorry,asthoughshehadcaughtsightofthepalespectreneveryetseenbyher。"Poorolddear,"shethought;"whatapitytobeold!"
ButtheyhadenteredthefootpathcrossingthreelongmeadowswhichclimbeduptowardsMrs。Noel's。Itwassogolden—sweethereamongstthemilliontinysaffroncupsfrostedwithlingeringdewshine;therewassuchflyinggloryinthelimesandash—trees;sodelicateascentfromthelatewhinsandmay—flower;and,oneverytreeagreybirdcallingtobesorrywasnotpossible!
Inthefarcornerofthefirstfieldachestnutmarewasstanding,withearsprickedatsomedistantsoundwhosecharmshealoneperceived。Onviewingtheintruders,shelaidthoseearsback,andalittleviciousstargleamedoutatthecornerofhereye。Theypassedherandenteredthesecondfield。Halfwayacross,Barbarasaidquietly:
"Granny,that'sabull!"
Itwasindeedanenormousbull,whohadbeenstandingbehindaclumpofbushes。Hewasmovingslowlytowardsthem,stilldistantabouttwohundredyards;agreatredbeast,withthehugedevelopmentofneckandfrontwhichmakesthebull,ofalllivingcreatures,thesymbolofbruteforce。
LadyCasterleyenvisagedhimseverely。
"Idislikebulls,"shesaid;"IthinkImustwalkbackward。"
"Youcan't;it'stoouphill。"
"Iamnotgoingtoturnback,"saidLadyCasterley。"Thebulloughtnottobehere。Whosefaultisit?Ishallspeaktosomeone。Standstillandlookathim。Wemustpreventhiscomingnearer。"
Theystoodstillandlookedatthebull,whocontinuedtoapproach。
"Itdoesn'tstophim,"saidLadyCasterley。"Wemusttakenonotice。
Givemeyourarm,mydear;mylegsfeelratherfunny。"
Barbaraputherarmroundthelittlefigure。Theywalkedon。
"Ihavenotbeenusedtobullslately,"saidLadyCasterley。Thebullcamenearer。
"Granny,"saidBarbara,"youmustgoquietlyontothestile。Whenyou'reoverI'llcometoo。"
"Certainlynot,"saidLadyCasterley,"wewillgotogether。Takenonoticeofhim;Ihavegreatfaithinthat。"
"Grannydarling,youmustdoasIsay,please;Irememberthisbull,heisoneofours。"
AtthoseratherominouswordsLadyCasterleygaveherasharpglance。
"Ishallnotgo,"shesaid。"Mylegsfeelquitestrongnow。Wecanrun,ifnecessary。"
"Socanthebull,"saidBarbara。
"I'mnotgoingtoleaveyou,"mutteredLadyCasterley。"IfheturnsviciousIshalltalktohim。Hewon'ttouchme。YoucanrunfasterthanI;sothat'ssettled。"
"Don'tbeabsurd,dear,"answeredBarbara;"Iamnotafraidofbulls。"
LadyCasterleyflashedalookatherwhichhadagleamofamusement。
"Icanfeelyou,"shesaid;"you'rejustastremblyasIam。"
Thebullwasnowdistantsomeeightyyards,andtheywerestillquiteahundredfromthestile。
"Granny,"saidBarbara,"ifyoudon'tgoonasItellyou,Ishalljustleaveyou,andgoandmeethim!Youmustn'tbeobstinate!"
LadyCasterley'sanswerwastogriphergranddaughterroundthewaist;thenervousforceofthatthinarmwassurprising。
"Youwilldonothingofthesort,"shesaid。"Irefusetohaveanythingmoretodowiththisbull;Ishallsimplypaynoattention。"
Thebullnowbeganveryslowlyamblingtowardsthem。
"Takenonotice,"saidLadyCasterley,whowaswalkingfasterthanshehadeverwalkedbefore。
"Thegroundislevelnow,"saidBarbara;"canyourun?"
"Ithinkso,"gaspedLadyCasterley;andsuddenlyshefoundherselfhalf—liftedfromtheground,and,asitwere,flyingtowardsthestile。Sheheardanoisebehind;thenBarbara'svoice:
"Wemuststop。He'sonus。Getbehindme。"
Shefeltherselfcaughtandpinionedbytwoarmsthatseemedsetonthewrongway。Instinct,andageneralsoftnesstoldherthatshewasbacktobackwithhergranddaughter。
"Letmego!"shegasped;"letmego!"
Andsuddenlyshefeltherselfbeingpropelledbythatsoftnessforwardtowardsthestile。
"Shoo!"shesaid;"shoo!"
"Granny,"Barbara'svoicecame,calmandbreathless,"don't!Youonlyexcitehim!Arewenearthestile?"
"Tenyards,"pantedLadyCasterley……
"Lookout,then!"Therewasasortofwarmflurryroundher,arush,aheave,ascramble;shewasbeyondthestile。ThebullandBarbara,ayardortwoapart,werejusttheotherside。LadyCasterleyraisedherhandkerchiefandflutteredit。Thebulllookedup;Barbara,alllegsandarms,cameslippingdownbesideher。
WithoutwastingamomentLadyCasterleyleanedforwardandaddressedthebull:
"Youawfulbrute!"shesaid;"Iwillhaveyouwellflogged。"
Gentlypawingtheground,thebullsnuffled。
"Areyouanytheworse,child?"
"Notascrap,"saidBarbara'sserene,stillbreathlessvoice。
LadyCasterleyputupherhands,andtookthegirl'sfacebetweenthem。
"Whatlegsyouhave!"shesaid。"Givemeakiss!"
Havingreceivedahot,ratherquiveringkiss,shewalkedon,holdingsomewhatfirmlytoBarbara'sarm。
"Asforthatbull,"shemurmured,"thebrute——toattackwomen!"
Barbaralookeddownather。
"Granny,"shesaid,"areyousureyou'renotshaken?"
LadyCasterley,whoselipswerequivering,pressedthemtogetherveryhard。
"Notab—b—bit。"
"Don'tyouthink,"saidBarbara,"thatwehadbettergoback,atonce——theotherway?"
"Certainlynot。Therearenomorebulls,Isuppose,betweenusandthiswoman?"
"Butareyoufittoseeher?"
LadyCasterleypassedherhandkerchiefoverherlips,toremovetheirquivering。
"Perfectly,"sheanswered。
"Then,dear,"saidBarbara,"standstillaminute,whileIdustyoubehind。"
Thishavingbeenaccomplished,theyproceededinthedirectionofMrs。Noel'scottage。
Atsightofit,LadyCasterleysaid:
"Ishallputmyfootdown。It'soutofthequestionforamanofMiltoun'sprospects。IlookforwardtoseeinghimPrimeMinistersomeday。"HearingBarbara'svoicemurmuringaboveher,shepaused:
"What'sthatyousay?"
"Isaid:Whatistheuseofourbeingwhatweare,ifwecan'tlovewhomwelike?"
"Love!"saidLadyCasterley;"Iwastalkingofmarriage。"
"Iamgladyouadmitthedistinction,Grannydear。"
"Youarepleasedtobesarcastic,"saidLadyCasterley。"Listentome!It'sthegreatestnonsensetosupposethatpeopleinourcastearefreetodoastheyplease。Thesooneryourealizethat,thebetter,Babs。Iamtalkingtoyouseriously。Thepreservationofourpositionasaclassdependsonourobservingcertaindecencies。
WhatdoyouimaginewouldhappentotheRoyalFamilyiftheywereallowedtomarryastheyliked?AllthismarryingwithGaietygirls,andAmericanmoney,andpeoplewithpasts,andwriters,andsoforth,ismostdamaging。There'sfartoomuchofit,anditoughttobestopped。Itmaybetoleratedforafewcranks,orsillyyoungmen,andthesenewwomen,butforEustace"LadyCasterleypausedagain,andherfingerspinchedBarbara'sarm,"orforyou——there'sonlyonesortofmarriagepossible。AsforEustace,Ishallspeaktothisgoodlady,andseethathedoesn'tgetentangledfurther。"
Absorbedintheintensityofherpurpose,shedidnotobserveapeculiarlittlesmileplayingroundBarbara'slips。
"YouhadbetterspeaktoNature,too,Granny!"
LadyCasterleystoppedshort,andlookedupinhergranddaughter'sface。
"Nowwhatdoyoumeanbythat?"shesaid"Tellme!"
ButnoticingthatBarbara'slipshadclosedtightly,shegaveherarmahard——ifunintentional—pinch,andwalkedon。