CHAPTERXII
　　LadyCasterley'srathermaliciousdiagnosisofAudreyNoelwascorrect。TheunencumberedwomanwasupandinhergardenwhenBarbaraandhergrandmotherappearedattheWicketgate;butbeingnearthelime—treeatthefarendshedidnotheartherapidcolloquywhichpassedbetweenthem。
　　"Youaregoingtobegood,Granny？"
　　"Astothat——itwilldepend。"
　　"Youpromised。"
　　"H'm！"
　　LadyCasterleycouldnotpossiblyhaveprovidedherselfwithabetterintroductionthanBarbara,whomMrs。Noelnevermetwithoutthesheerpleasurefeltbyasympatheticwomanwhensheseesembodiedinsomeoneelsethat'joyinlife'whichFatehasnotpermittedtoherself。
　　Shecameforwardwithherheadalittleononeside,atrickofhersnotatallaffected,andstoodwaiting。
　　TheunembarrassedBarbarabeganatonce:
　　"We'vejusthadanencounterwithabull。Thisismygrandmother,LadyCasterley。"
　　Thelittleoldlady'sdemeanour,confrontedwiththisveryprettyfaceandfigurewasathoughtlessautocraticandabruptthanusual。
　　Hershrewdeyessawatoncethatshehadnocommonadventuresstodealwith。Shewaswomanoftheworldenough,too,toknowthat'birth'wasnotwhatithadbeeninheryoungdays,thatevenmoneywasratherrococo,andthatgoodlooks,manners,andaknowledgeofliterature,art,andmusic（andthiswomanlookedlikeoneofthatsort）,wereoftenconsideredsociallymorevaluable。Shewasthereforebothwaryandaffable。
　　"Howdoyoudo？"shesaid。"Ihaveheardofyou。Maywesitdownforaminuteinyourgarden？Thebullwasawretch！"
　　Buteveninspeaking,shewasuneasilyconsciousthatMrs。Noel'scleareyeswereseeingverywellwhatshehadcomefor。Thelookinthemindeedwasalmostcynical;andinspiteofhersympatheticmurmurs,shedidnotsomehowseemtobelieveinthebull。Thiswasdisconcerting。WhyhadBarbaracondescendedtomentionthewretchedbrute？Andshedecidedtotakehimbythehorns。
　　"Babs,"shesaid,"gototheInnandordermea'fly。'Ishalldriveback,Ifeelveryshaky,"and,asMrs。Noelofferedtosendhermaid,sheadded:
　　"No,no,mygranddaughterwillgo。"
　　Barbarahavingdepartedwithaquizzicallook,LadyCasterleypattedtherusticseat,andsaid:
　　"Docomeandsitdown,Iwanttotalktoyou:"
　　Mrs。Noelobeyed。AndatonceLadyCasterleyperceivedthat"shehadamostdifficulttaskbeforeher。Shehadnotexpectedawomanwithwhomonecouldtakenoliberties。Thosecleardarkeyes,andthatsoft,perfectlygracefulmanner——toapersonso'sympathetic'oneshouldbeabletosayanything,and——onecouldn't！Itwasawkward。
　　AndsuddenlyshenoticedthatMrs。Noelwassittingperfectlyupright,asupright——moreupright,thanshewasherself。Abad,sign——averybadsign！Takingoutherhandkerchief,sheputittoherlips。
　　"Isupposeyouthink,"shesaid,"thatwewerenotchasedbyabull。"
　　"Iamsureyouwere。"
　　"Indeed！Ah！ButI'vesomethingelsetotalktoyouabout。"
　　Mrs。Noel'sfacequiveredback,asaflowermightwhenitwasgoingtobeplucked;andagainLadyCasterleyputherhandkerchieftoherlips。Thistimesherubbedthemhard。Therewasnothingtocomeoff;todoso,therefore,wasasatisfaction。
　　"Iamanoldwoman,"shesaid,"andyoumustn'tmindwhatIsay。"
　　Mrs。Noeldidnotanswer,butlookedstraightathervisitor;towhomitseemedsuddenlythatthiswasanotherperson。Whatwasitaboutthatface,staringather！Inaweirdwayitremindedherofachildthatonehadhurt——withthosegreateyesandthatsofthair,andthemouththin,inaline,allofasudden。Andasifithadbeenjerkedoutofher,shesaid:
　　"Idon'twanttohurtyou,mydear。It'saboutmygrandson,ofcourse。"
　　ButMrs。Noelmadeneithersignnormotion;andthefeelingofirritationwhichsorapidlyattackstheoldwhenconfrontedbytheunexpected,cametoLadyCasterley'said。
　　"Hisname,"shesaid,"isbeingcoupledwithyoursinawaythat'sdoinghimagreatdealofharm。Youdon'twishtoinjurehim,I'msure。"
　　Mrs。Noelshookherhead,andLadyCasterleywenton:
　　"Idon'tknowwhatthey'renotsayingsincetheeveningyourfriendMr。Courtierhurthisknee。Miltounhasbeenmostunwise。Youhadnotperhapsrealizedthat。"
　　Mrs。Noel'sanswerwasbitterlydistinct:
　　"Ididn'tknowanyonewassufficientlyinterestedinmydoings。"
　　LadyCasterleysufferedagestureofexasperationtoescapeher。
　　"Goodheavens！"shesaid;"everycommonpersonisinterestedinawomanwhosepositionisanomalous。Livingaloneasyoudo,andnotawidow,you'refairgameforeverybody,especiallyinthecountry。"
　　Mrs。Noel'ssidelongglance,veryclearandcynical,seemedtosay:
　　"Evenforyou。"
　　"Iamnotentitledtoaskyourstory,"LadyCasterleywenton,"butifyoumakemysteriesyoumustexpecttheworstinterpretationputonthem。Mygrandsonisamanofthehighestprinciple;hedoesnotseethingswiththeeyesoftheworld,andthatshouldhavemadeyoudoublycarefulnottocompromisehim,especiallyatatimelikethis。"
　　Mrs。Noelsmiled。ThissmilestartledLadyCasterley;itseemed,byconcealingeverything,torevealdepthsofstrengthandsubtlety。
　　Wouldthewomannevershowherhand？Andshesaidabruptly:
　　"Anythingserious,ofcourse,isoutofthequestion。"
　　"Quite。"
　　Thatword,whichofallothersseemedtherightone,wasspokensothatLadyCasterleydidnotknowintheleastwhatitmeant。Thoughoccasionallyemployingirony,shedetesteditinothers。Nowomanshouldbeallowedtouseitasaweapon！Butinthesedays,whentheyweresofoolishastowantvotes,oneneverknewwhatwomenwouldbeat。Thisparticularwoman,however,didnotlooklikeoneofthatsort。Shewasfeminine——veryfeminine——thesortofcreaturethatspoiledmenbybeingtoonicetothem。Andthoughshehadcomedeterminedtofindoutallabouteverythingandputanendtoit,shesawBarbarare—enteringthewicketgatewithconsiderablerelief。
　　"Iamreadytowalkhomenow,"shesaid。Andgettingupfromtherusticseat,shemadeMrs。Noelasatiricallittlebow。
　　"Thankyouforlettingmerest。Givemeyourarm,child。"
　　Barbaragaveherarm,andoverhershoulderthrewaswiftsmileatMrs。Noel,whodidnotanswerit,butstoodlookingquietlyafterthem,hereyesimmenselydarkandlarge。
　　OutinthelaneLadyCasterleywalkedon,verysilent,digestingheremotions。
　　"Whataboutthe'fly,'Granny？"
　　"What'fly'？"
　　"Theoneyoutoldmetoorder。"
　　"Youdon'tmeantosaythatyoutookmeseriously？"
　　"No,"saidBarbara,。
　　"Ha！"
　　TheyproceededsomelittlewayfartherbeforeLadyCasterleysaidsuddenly:
　　"Sheisdeep。"
　　"Anddark,"saidBarbara。"Iamafraidyouwerenotgood！"
　　LadyCasterleyglancedupwards。
　　"Idetestthishabit,"shesaid,"amongstyouyoungpeople,oftakingnothingseriously。Notevenbulls,"sheadded,withagrimsmile。
　　Barbarathrewbackherheadandsighed。
　　"Nor'flys,'"shesaid。
　　LadyCasterleysawthatshehadclosedhereyesandopenedherlips。
　　Andshethought:
　　"She'saverybeautifulgirl。Ihadnoideashewassobeautiful——
　　buttoobig！"Andsheaddedaloud:
　　"Shutyourmouth！Youwillgetonedown！"
　　Theyspokenomoretilltheyhadenteredtheavenue;thenLadyCasterleysaidsharply:
　　"Whoisthiscomingdownthedrive？"
　　"Mr。Courtier,Ithink。"
　　"Whatdoeshemeanbyit,withthatleg？"
　　"Heiscomingtotalktoyou,Granny。"
　　LadyCasterleystoppedshort。
　　"Youareacat,"shesaid;"aslycat。Nowmind,Babs,Iwon'thaveit！"
　　"No,darling,"murmuredBarbara;"youshan'thaveit——I'lltakehimoffyourhands。"
　　"Whatdoesyourmothermean,"stammeredLadyCasterley,"lettingyougrowuplikethis！You'reasbadasshewasatyourage！"
　　"Worse！"saidBarbara。"IdreamedlastnightthatIcouldfly！"
　　"Ifyoutrythat,"saidLadyCasterleygrimly,"you'llsooncometogrief。Good—morning,sir;yououghttobeinbed！"
　　Courtierraisedhishat。
　　"Surelyitisnotformetobewhereyouarenot！"Andheaddedgloomily:"Thewarscare'sdead！"
　　"Ah！"saidLadyCasterley:"youroccupation'sgonethen。You'llgobacktoLondonnow,Isuppose。"LookingsuddenlyatBarbarashesawthatthegirl'seyeswerehalf—closed,andthatshewassmiling;itseemedtoLadyCasterleytooorwasitfancy？——thatsheshookherhead。
　　CHAPTERXIII
　　ThankstoLadyValleys,apatronessofbirds,noowlwasevershotontheMonklandCourtestate,andthosesoft—flyingspiritsoftheduskhootedandhunted,tothegreatbenefitofallexceptthecreepingvoles。Byeveryfarm,cottage,andfield,theypassedinvisible,quarteringthedarkair。Theirvoyagesofdiscoverystretchedupontothemoorasfarasthewildstoneman,whoseorigintheirwisdomperhapsknew。RoundAudreyNoel'scottagetheywereasthickasthieves,fortheyhadjusttheretwohabitationsinalong,old,holly—grownwall,andalmostseemedtobeguardingthemistressofthatthatcheddwelling——sonumerousweretheirflutteringrushes,sotenderlyprolongedtheirsoftsentinelcallings。Nowthattheweatherwasreallywarm,sothatjoyoflifewasinthevoles,theyfoundthosesucculentcreaturesofanextraordinarilypleasantflavour,andonthemeachpairwasbringingupafamilyofexceptionallyfinelittleowls,verysolemn,withbigheads,brightlargeeyes,andwingsasyetonlyabletoflydownwards。Therewasscarcelyanyhourfromnoonoftheday（forsomeofthemhadhorns）
　　tothesmallsweethourswhennooneheardthem,thattheyforgottosalutetheverylarge,quiet,winglessowlwhomtheycouldespymovingaboutbydayabovetheirmouse—runs,orpreeningherwhiteandsometimesblueandsometimesgreyfeathersmorningandeveninginalargesquareholehighupinthefrontwall。Andtheycouldnotunderstandatallwhynoswiftdepredatinggracesnoranyhabitoflongsofthootingbelongedtothatlady—bird。
　　Ontheeveningofthedaywhenshereceivedthatearlymorningcall,assoonasduskhadfallen,wrappedinalongthincloak,withblacklaceoverherdarkhair,AudreyNoelherselfflutteredoutintothelanes,asiftojointhegravewingedhuntersoftheinvisiblenight。
　　Thosefar,continualsounds,notstilledinthecountrytilllongafterthesundies,hadbutjustceasedfromhauntingtheair,wherethelateMay—scentclungascloseasfragranceclingstoawoman'srobe。Therewasjustthebarkingofadog,theboomofmigratingchafers,thesongofthestream,andoftheowls,toproclaimthebeatingintheheartofthissweetNight。NorwasthereanylightbywhichNight'sfacecouldbeseen;itwashidden,anonymous;sothatwhenalampinacottagethrewablinkovertheoppositebank,itwasasifsomewanderingpainterhadwroughtapictureofstonesandleavesontheblackair,frameditinpurple,andleftithanging。
　　Yet,ifitcouldonlyhavebeencomeat,theNightwasasfullofemotionasthiswomanwhowandered,shrinkingawayagainstthebanksifanyonepassed,stoppingtocoolherhotfacewiththedewontheferns,walkingswiftlytoconsoleherwarmheart。AnonymousNightseekingforasymbolcouldhavefoundnonebetterthanthiserrantfigure,toexpressitshiddenlongings,thefluttering,unseenrushesofitsdarkwings,andallitssecretpassionofrevoltagainstitsownanonymity……
　　AtMonklandCourt,saveforlittleAnn,themorningpassedbutdumbly,everyonefeelingthatsomethingmustbedone,andnooneknowingwhat。Atlunch,theonlyallusiontothesituationhadbeenHarbinger'sinquiry:
　　"WhendoesMiltounreturn？"
　　Hehadwired,itseemed,tosaythathewasmotoringdownthatnight。
　　"Thesoonerthebetter,"SirWilliammurmured:"we'vestillafortnight。"
　　Butallhadfeltfromthetoneinwhichhespokethesewords,howseriouswasthepositionintheeyesofthatexperiencedcampaigner。
　　Whatwiththecollapseofthewarscare,andthiscanardaboutMrs。
　　Noel,therewasindeedcauseforalarm。
　　TheafternoonpostbroughtaletterfromLordValleysmarkedExpress。
　　LadyValleysopeneditwithaslightgrimace,whichdeepenedassheread。Herhandsome,floridfaceworeanexpressionofsadnessseldomseenthere。Therewas,infact,morethanatouchofdignityinherreceptionoftheunpalatablenews。
　　"EustacedeclareshisintentionofmarryingthisMrs。Noel"——soranherhusband'sletter——"Iknow,unfortunately,ofnowayinwhichI
　　canpreventhim。Ifyoucandiscoverlegitimatemeansofdissuasion,itwouldbewelltousethem。Mydear,it'stheverydevil。"
　　Itwastheverydevil！For,ifMiltounhadalreadymadeuphismindtomarryher,withoutknowledgeofthemaliciousrumour,whatwouldnotbehisdeterminationnow？AndthewomanoftheworldroseupinLadyValleys。Thismarriagemustnotcomeoff。Itwascontrarytoalmosteveryinstinctofonewhowaspracticalnotonlybycharacter,butbyhabitoflifeandtraining。Herwarmandfull—bloodednaturehadasneakingsympathywithloveandpleasure,andhadshenotbeenpractical,shemighthavefoundthissideofheraseriousdrawbacktothemaintenorofalifesomuchinviewofthepubliceye。Herconsciousnessofthisdangerinherowncasemadeherextremelyalivetotherisksofanundesirableconnection——especiallyifitwereamarriage——toanypublicman。Atthesametimethemother—heartinherwasstirred。EustacehadneverbeensodeepinheraffectionasBertie,stillhewasherfirst—born;andinfaceofnewswhichmeantthathewaslosttoher——forthismustindeedbe'themarriageoftwominds'（orwhateverthatquotationwas）——shefeltstrangelyjealousofawoman,whohadwonherson'slove,whensheherselfhadneverwonit。Theachingofthisjealousygaveherfaceforamomentalmostaspiritualexpression,thenpassedawayintoimpatience。Whyshouldhemarryher？Thingscouldbearranged。Peoplespokeofitalreadyasanillicitrelationship;wellthen,letpeoplehavewhattheyhadinvented。Iftheworstcametotheworst,thiswasnottheonlyconstituencyinEngland;andadissolutioncouldnotbefaroff。
　　Betteranythingthanamarriagewhichwouldhandicaphimallhislife！Butwoulditbesogreatahandicap？Afterall,beautycountedformuch！Ifonlyherstorywerenottooconspicuous！Butwhatwasherstory？Nottoknowitwasabsurd！ThatwastheworstofpeoplewhowerenotinSociety,itwassodifficulttofindout！
　　Andthereroseinherthatalmostbrutalresentment,whichfermentsveryrapidlyinthosewhofromtheiryouthuphavebeenhedgedroundwiththebeliefthattheyandtheyalonearethewholeoftheworld。
　　InthismoodLadyValleyspassedthelettertoherdaughters。Theyread,andinturnhandedittoBertie,whoinsilencereturnedittohismother。
　　Butthatevening,inthebilliard—room,havingmanoeuvredtogethimtoherself,BarbarasaidtoCourtier:
　　"Iwonderifyouwillanswermeaquestion,Mr。Courtier？"
　　"IfImay,andcan。"
　　Herlow—cutdresswasofyew—green,with,littlethreadsofflame—
　　colour,matchingherhair,sothattherewasaboutherasplendourofdarknessandwhitenessandgold,almostdazzling;andshestoodverystill,leaningbackagainstthelightergreenofthebilliard—table,graspingitsedgesotightlythatthesmoothstrongbacksofherhandsquivered。
　　"WehavejustheardthatMiltounisgoingtoaskMrs。Noeltomarryhim。Peoplearenevermysterious,arethey,withoutgoodreason？I
　　wantedyoutotellme——whoisshe？"
　　"Idon'tthinkIquitegraspthesituation,"murmuredCourtier。"Yousaid——tomarryhim？"
　　Seeingthatshehadputoutherhand,asifbeggingforthetruth,headded:"Howcanyourbrothermarryher——she'smarried！"
　　"Oh！"
　　"I'dnoideayoudidn'tknowthatmuch。"
　　"Wethoughttherewasadivorce。"
　　Theexpressionofwhichmentionhasbeenmade——thatpeculiarwhite—
　　hotsardonicallyjollylook——visitedCourtier'sfaceatonce。"Hoistwiththeirownpetard！Theusualthing。Letaprettywomanlivealone——thetonguesofmenwilldotherest。"
　　"Itwasnotsobadasthat,"saidBarbaradryly;"theysaidshehaddivorcedherhusband。"
　　CaughtoutthuscharacteristicallyridingpastthehoundsCourtierbithislips。
　　"Youhadbetterhearthestorynow。Herfatherwasacountryparson,andafriendofmyfather's;sothatI'veknownherfromachild。
　　StephenLeesNoelwashiscurate。Itwasa'snap'marriage——shewasonlytwenty,andhadmethardlyanymen。Herfatherwasillandwantedtoseehersettledbeforehedied。Well,shefoundoutalmostdirectly,likeagoodmanyotherpeople,thatshe'dmadeanuttermistake。"
　　Barbaracamealittlecloser。
　　"Whatwasthemanlike？"
　　"Notbadinhisway,butoneofthosenarrow,conscientiouspig—
　　headedfellowswhomakethemosttryingkindofhusband——boneegoistic。Aparsonofthattypehasnochanceatall。Everymortalthinghehastodoorsayhelpshimtodevelophisworstpoints。Thewifeofamanlikethat'snobetterthanaslave。Shebegantoshowthestrainofitatlast;thoughshe'sthesortwhogoesontillshesnaps。Ittookhimfouryearstorealize。Then,thequestionwas,whatweretheytodo？He'saveryHighChurchman,withalltheirfeelingaboutmarriage;butluckilyhispridewaswounded。Anyway,theyseparatedtwoyearsago;andtheresheis,lefthighanddry。
　　Peoplesayitwasherfault。Sheoughttohaveknownherownmind——
　　attwenty！Sheoughttohaveheldonandhiddenitupsomehow。
　　Confoundtheirthick—skinnedcharitablesouls,whatdotheyknowofhowasensitivewomansuffers？Forgiveme,LadyBarbara——Igethotoverthis。"Hewassilent;thenseeinghereyesfixedonhim,wenton:"Hermotherdiedwhenshewasborn,herfathersoonafterhermarriage。She'senoughmoneyofherown,luckily,toliveonquietly。Asforhim,hechangedhisparishandrunsonesomewhereintheMidlands。One'ssorryforthepoordevil,too,ofcourse！Theyneverseeeachother;and,sofarasIknow,theydon'tcorrespond。
　　That,LadyBarbara,isthesimplehistory。"
　　Barbara,said,"Thankyou,"andturnedaway;andheheardhermutter:
　　"Whatashame！"
　　ButhecouldnottellwhetheritwasMrs。Noel'sfate,orthehusband'sfate,orthethoughtofMiltounthathadmovedhertothosewords。
　　Shepuzzledhimbyherself—possession,soalmosthard,herwayofrefusingtoshowfeeling。'Yetwhatawomanshewouldmakeifthedryingcurseofhigh—castelifewerenotallowedtostereotypeandshrivelher！Ifenthusiasmweresufferedtopenetrateandfertilizehersoul！Sheremindedhimofagreattawnylily。Hehadavisionofher,asthatflower,floating,freedofrootsandthemouldofitscultivatedsoil,inthelibertyoftheimpartialair。Whatapassionateandnoblethingshemightbecome！Whatradianceandperfumeshewouldexhale！AspiritFleur—de—Lys！Sistertoallthenobleflowersoflightthatinhabitedthewind！
　　Leaninginthedeepembrasureofhiswindow,helookedatanonymousNight。Hecouldheartheowlshoot,andfeelaheartbeatingouttheresomewhereinthedarkness,buttherecamenoanswertohiswondering。Wouldshe——thisgreattawnylilyofagirl——everbecomeunconsciousofherenvironment,notinmannermerely,butintheverysoul,sothatshemightbejustawoman,breathing,suffering,loving,andrejoicingwiththepoetsoulofallmankind？Wouldsheeverbecapableofridingoutwiththelittlecompanyofbighearts,nakedofadvantage？Courtierhadnotbeeninsideachurchfortwentyyears,havinglongfeltthathemustnotenterthemosquesofhiscountrywithoutputtingofftheshoesoffreedom,buthereadtheBible,consideringitaverygreatpoem。Andtheoldwordscamehauntinghim:'VerilyIsayuntoyou,ItisharderforacameltopassthroughtheeyeofaneedlethanforarichmantoenterthekingdomofHeaven。'Andnow,lookingintotheNight,whosedarknessseemedtoholdtheanswertoallsecrets,hetriedtoreadtheriddleofthisgirl'sfuture,withwhichthereseemedsointerwoventhatlargerenigma,howfarthespiritcanfreeitself,inthislife,fromthematterthatencompasseth。
　　TheNightwhisperedsuddenly,andlowdown,asifrisingfromthesea,camethemoon,droppingawanrobeoflighttillshegleamedoutnudeagainstthesky—curtain。Nightwasnolongeranonymous。ThereintheduskygardenthestatueofDianaformedslowlybeforehiseyes,andbehindher——asitwere,hertemple——rosethetallspireofthecypresstree。
　　CHAPTERXIV
　　AcopyoftheBucklandburyNews,containinganaccountofhiseveningadventure,didnotreachMiltountillhewasjuststartingonhisreturnjourney。Itcamemarkedwithbluepenciltogetherwithanote。
　　"MYDEAREUSTACE,"Theenclosed——howeverunwarrantedandimpudent——requiresattention。
　　Butweshalldonothingtillyoucomeback。
　　"Yoursever,"WILLIAMSHROPTON。"
　　TheeffectonMiltounmightperhapshavebeendifferenthadhenotbeensoconsciousofhisintentiontoaskAudreyNoeltobehiswife;
　　butinanycircumstancesitisdoubtfulwhetherhewouldhavedonemorethansmile,andtearthepaperup。Trulythatsortofthinghadsolittlepowertohurtordisturbhimpersonally,thathewasincapableofseeinghowitcouldhurtordisturbothers。Ifthosewhoreaditwereaffected,somuchtheworseforthem。Hehadareal,ifunobtrusive,contemptforgroundlings,ofwhateverclass;
　　anditneverenteredhisheadtostepaninchoutofhiscourseindeferencetotheirvagaries。NordiditcomehometohimthatMrs。
　　Noel,wrappedintheglamourwhichhecastabouther,couldpossiblysufferfromthemeannessofvulgarminds。Shropton'snote,indeed,causedhimthemoreannoyanceofthosetwodocuments。Itwaslikehisbrother—in—lawtomakemuchoflittle！
　　Hehardlydozedatallduringhisswiftjourneythroughthesleepingcountry;norwhenhereachedhisroomatMonklanddidhegotobed。
　　Hehadthewonderful,upbornefeelingofmanonthevergeofachievement。Hisspiritandsenseswerebothonfire——forthatwasthequalityofthiswoman,shesufferednopartofhimtosleep,andhewasgladofherexactions。
　　Hedranksometea;wentout,andtookapathuptothemoor。Itwasnotyeteighto'clockwhenhereachedthetopofthenearesttor。
　　Andthere,belowhim,around,andabove,wasalandandskytranscendingevenhisexaltation。Itwaslikeasymphonyofgreatmusic;orthenobilityofastupendousmindlaidbare;itwasGodupthere,inHismanymoods。Serenitywasspreadinthemiddleheavens,blue,illimitable,andalongtotheEast,threehugeclouds,likethoughtsbroodingoverthedestiniesbelow,movedslowlytowardthesea,sothatgreatshadowsfilledthevalleys。Andthelandthatlayunderalltheotherskywasgleaming,andquiveringwitheverycolour,asitwere,clothedwiththedivinesmile。Thewind,fromtheNorth,whereonfloatedthewhitebirdsofthesmallerclouds,hadnovoice,foritwasabovebarriers,utterlyfree。BeforeMiltoun,turningtothiswind,laythemazeofthelowerlands,themistygreens,rosepinks,andbrownsofthefields,andwhiteandgreydotsandstrokesofcottagesandchurchtowers,fadingintotheblueveilofdistance,confinedbyafarrangeofhills。Behindhimtherewasnothingbuttherestlesssurfaceofthemoor,colouredpurplish—
　　brown。Onthatuntamedseaofgravenwildnesscouldbeseennoshipofman,saveone,onthefarhorizon——thegrimhulk,DartmoorPrison。
　　Therewasnosound,noscent,anditseemedtoMiltounasifhisspirithadlefthisbody,andbecomepartofthesolemnityofGod。
　　Yet,ashestoodthere,withhisheadbared,thatstrangesmilewhichhauntedhiminmomentsofdeepfeeling,showedthathehadnotsurrenderedtotheUniversal,thathisownspiritwasbutbeingfortified,andthatthiswasthetrueandsecretsourceofhisdelight。Helaydowninascoopofthestones。Thesunenteredthere,butnowind,sothatadrysweetscentexudedfromtheyoungshootsofheather。Thatwarmthandperfumecreptthroughtheshieldofhisspirit,andstoleintohisblood;ardentimagesrosebeforehim,thevisionofanunendingembrace。OutofanembracesprangLife,outofthattheWorldwasmade,thisWorld,withitsinnumerableforms,andnatures——notwoalike！Andfromhimandherwouldspringformstotaketheirplaceinthegreatpattern。Thisseemedwonderful,andright—fortheywouldbeworthyforms,whowouldhandonthosetraditionswhichseemedtohimsonecessaryandgreat。