Seeingitforthefirsttime,Courtiersaid:
　　"Finething——that！Onlywantsasoul。"
　　Miltounnodded:
　　"Sitdown,"hesaid。
　　Courtiersatdown。
　　Therefollowedoneofthosesilencesinwhichmenwhosespirits,thoughdifferent,haveacertainbignessincommon——cansaysomuchtooneanother:
　　AtlastMiltounspoke:
　　"Ihavebeenlivingintheclouds,itseems。Youareheroldestfriend。Theimmediatequestionishowtomakeiteasiestforherinfaceofthismiserablerumour！"
　　NotevenCourtierhimselfcouldhaveputsuchwhip—lashstingintotheword'miserable。'
　　Heanswered:
　　"Oh！takenonoticeofthat。Letthemstewintheirownjuice。Shewon'tcare。"
　　Miltounlistened,notmovingamuscleofhisface。
　　"Yourfriendshere,"wentonCourtierwithatouchofcontempt,"seeminaflutter。Don'tletthemdoanything,don'tletthemsayaword。
　　Treatthethingasitdeservestobetreated。It'lldie。"
　　Miltoun,however,smiled。
　　"I'mnotsure,"hesaid,"thattheconsequenceswillbeasyouthink,butIshalldoasyousay。"
　　"Asforyourcandidature,anymanwithasparkofgenerosityinhissoulwillrallytoyoubecauseofit。"
　　"Possibly,"saidMiltoun。"Itwilllosemetheelection,forallthat。"
　　Then,dimlyconsciousthattheirlastwordshadrevealedthedifferenceoftheirtemperamentsandcreeds,theystaredatoneanother。
　　"No,"saidCourtier,"Ineverwillbelievethatpeoplecanbesomean！"
　　"Untiltheyare。"
　　"Anyway,thoughwegetatitindifferentways,weagree。"
　　Miltounleanedhiselbowonthemantelpiece,andshadinghisfacewithhishand,said:
　　"Youknowherstory。Isthereanywayoutofthat,forher？"
　　OnCourtier'sfacewasthelookwhichsooftencamewhenhewasspeakingforoneofhislostcauses——asifthefumesfromafireinhishearthadmountedtohishead。
　　"Onlytheway,"heansweredcalmly,"thatIshouldtakeifIwereyou。"
　　"Andthat？"
　　"Thelawintoyourownhands。"
　　Miltoununshadedhisface。HisgazeseemedtohavetotravelfromanimmensedistancebeforeitreachedCourtier。Heanswered:
　　"Yes,Ithoughtyouwouldsaythat。"
　　CHAPTERXVII
　　Wheneverything,thatnight,wasquiet,Barbara,herhairhanginglooseoutsideherdressinggown,slippedfromherroomintothedimcorridor。Withbarefeetthrustintofur—crownedslipperswhichmadenonoise,shestolealonglookingatdoorafterdoor。ThroughalongGothicwindow,uncurtained,themildmoonlightwascoming。Shestoppedjustwherethatmoonlightfell,andtapped。Therecamenoanswer。Sheopenedthedooralittleway,andsaid:
　　"Areyouasleep,Eusty？"
　　Therestillcamenoanswer,andshewentin。
　　Thecurtainsweredrawn,butachinkofmoonlightpeeringthroughfellonthebed。Thiswasempty。Barbarastooduncertain,listening。Intheheartofthatdarknessthereseemedtobe,notsound,but,asitwere,themuffledsoulofsound,asortofstrangevibration,likethatofaflamenoiselesslylickingtheair。Sheputherhandtoherheart,whichbeatasthoughitwouldleapthroughthethinsilkcovering。Fromwhatcorneroftheroomwasthatmutetremorcoming？Stealingtothewindow,shepartedthecurtains,andstaredbackintotheshadows。There,onthefarside,lyingonthefloorwithhisarmspressedtightlyroundhisheadandhisfacetothewall,wasMiltoun。Barbaraletfallthecurtains,andstoodbreathless,withsuchaqueersensationinherbreastasshehadneverfelt;asenseofsomethingoutraged—ofscarredpride。Itwasgoneatonce,inarushofpity。Shesteppedforwardquicklyinthedarkness,wasvisitedbyfear,andstopped。Hehadseemedabsolutelyhimselfalltheevening。Alittlemoretalkative,perhaps,alittlemorecausticthanusual。Andnowtofindhimlikethis！TherewasnogreatshareofreverenceinBarbara,butwhatlittleshepossessedhadalwaysbeenkeptforhereldestbrother。Hehadimpressedher,fromachild,withhisaloofness,andshehadbeenproudofkissinghimbecauseheneverseemedtoletanybodyelsedoso。Thosecaresses,nodoubt,hadthesavourofconquest;hisfacehadbeentheundiscoveredlandforherlips。Shelovedhimasonelovesthatwhichministerstoone'spride;hadforhim,too,atouchofmotherlyprotection,asforadollthatdoesnotgetontoowellwiththeotherdolls;andwithalalittleunaccustomedawe。
　　Daredshenowplungeinonthisprivateagony？Couldshehavebornethatanyoneshouldseeherselfthusprostrate？Hehadnotheardher,andshetriedtoregainthedoor。Butaboardcreaked;sheheardhimmove,andflingingawayherfears,said:"It'sme！Babs！"anddroppedonherkneesbesidehim。Ifithadnotbeensopitchdarkshecouldneverhavedonethat。Shetriedatoncetotakehisheadintoherarms,butcouldnotseeit,andsucceededindifferently。Shecouldbutstrokehisarmcontinually,wonderingwhetherhewouldhatehereverafterwards,andblessingthedarkness,whichmadeitallseemasthoughitwerenothappening,yetsomuchmorepoignantthanifithadhappened。Suddenlyshefelthimslipawayfromher,andgettingup,stoleout。Afterthedarknessofthatroom,thecorridorseemedfullofgreyfilmylight,asthoughdream—spidershadjoinedthewallswiththeircobwebs,inwhichinnumerablewhitemoths,sotinythattheycouldnotbeseen,werestruggling。Smalleerienoisescreptabout。Asuddenfrightenedlongingforwarmth,andlight,andcolourcametoBarbara。Shefledbacktoherroom。Butshecouldnotsleep。Thatterriblemuteunseenvibrationintheunlightedroom—likethenoiselesslickingofaflameatblandair;thetouchofMiltoun'shand,hotasfireagainsthercheekandneck;thewholetremulousdarkepisode,possessedherthroughandthrough。ThushadthewaywardforceofLovechosentomanifestitselftoherinallitswistfulviolence。Atthisfiatsightoftheredflowerofpassionhercheeksburned;upanddownher,betweenthecoolsheets,littlehotcruelshiversran;shelay,wide—eyed,staringattheceiling。
　　Shethought,ofthewomanwhomhesoloved,andwonderedifshetoowerelyingsleepless,flungdownonabarefloor,tryingtocoolherforeheadandlipsagainstacoldwall。
　　Notforhoursdidshefallasleep,andthendreamedofrunningdesperatelythroughfieldsfulloftallspikyasphodel—likeflowers,andbehindherwasrunningherself。
　　Inthemorningshedreadedtogodown。CouldshemeetMiltounnowthatsheknewofthepassioninhim,andheknewthatsheknewit？
　　Shehadherbreakfastbroughtupstairs。BeforeshehadfinishedMiltounhimselfcamein。Helookedmorethanusuallyself—contained,nottosayironic,andonlyremarked:"Ifyou'regoingtorideyoumighttakethisnoteformeovertooldHalidayatWippincott。"Byhiscomingsheknewthathewassayingallheevermeanttosayaboutthatdarkincident。Andsympathizingcompletelywithareticencewhichsheherselffelttobetheonlypossiblewayoutforbothofthem,Barbaralookedathimgratefully,tookthenoteandsaid:"Allright！"
　　Then,afterglancingonceortwiceroundtheroom,Miltounwentaway。
　　Heleftherrestless,divestedofthecloak'ofcourse,'inastrangemoodofquestioning,readyasitwereforthesightofthemagpiewingsofLife,andtoheartheirquickflutterings。Talkjarredonherthatmorning,withitssamenessandattachmenttothefactsofthepresentandthefuture,itsessentialconcernwiththeworldasitwas—sheavoidedallcompanionshiponherride。Shewantedtobetoldofthingsthatwerenot,yetmightbe,topeepbehindthecurtain,andseetheveryspiritofmortalhappeningsescapedfromprison。AndthiswasallsounusualwithBarbara,whosebodywastooperfect,toosanelygovernedbytheflowofherbloodnottorevelinthemomentandthethingsthereof。Sheknewitwasunusual。Afterherridesheavoidedlunch,andwalkedoutintothelanes。Butabouttwoo'clock,feelingveryhungry,shewentintoafarmhouse,andaskedformilk。There,inthekitchen,likeyoungjackdawsinarowwiththeirmouthsalittleopen,werethethreefarmboys,seatedonabenchgrippedtothealcoveofthegreatfire—way,munchingbreadandcheese。Abovetheirheadsagunwashung,triggerupwards,andtwohamsweremellowinginthesmoke。Atthefeetofablack—hairedgirl,whowasslicingonions,layasheepdogoftremendousage,withnosestretchedoutonpaws,andinhislittleblueeyesagleamofapproachingimmortality。Theyallstaredat,Barbara。Andoneoftheboys,whosefacehadthedelightfullookofhimwholosesallsenseofotherthingsinwhatheisseeingatthemoment,smiled,andcontinuedsmiling,withsheerpleasure。Barbaradrankhermilk,andwanderedoutagain;passingthroughagateatthebottomofasteep,rockytor,shesatdownonasun—warmedstone。Thesunlightfellgreedilyonherhere,likeaninvisibleswifthandtouchingherallover,andspeciallycaressingherthroatandface。Averygentlewind,whichdivedoverthetortopsintotheyoungfern;stoledownather,spicedwiththefernsap。Allwaswarmthandpeace,andonlythecuckoosonthefarthorntrees——asthoughstationedbytheWistfulMasterhimself——weretheretodisturbherheart:Butallthesweetnessandpipingofthedaydidnotsootheher。Intruth,shecouldnothavesaidwhatwasthematter,exceptthatshefeltsodiscontented,andasitwereemptyofallbutasortofachingimpatiencewith——whatexactlyshecouldnotsay。Shehadthatratherdreadfulfeelingofsomethingslippingbywhichshecouldnotcatch。
　　Itwassonewtohertofeellikethat——fornogirlwaslessgiventomoodsandrepinings。Andallthetimeasortofcontemptforthissoftandalmostsentimentalfeelingmadehertightenherlipsandfrown。Shefeltdistrustfulandsarcastictowardsamoodsoutterlysubversiveofthatfetich'Hardness,'totheunconsciousworshipofwhichshehadbeenbroughtup。Tostandnosentimentornonsenseeitherinherselforotherswasthefirstarticleoffaith;nottoslop—overanywhere。SothattofeelasshedidwasalmosthorribletoBarbara。Yetshecouldnotgetridofthesensation。Withsuddenrecklessnessshetriedgivingherselfuptoitentirely。Undoingthescarfatherthroat,shelettheairplayonherbaredneck,andstretchedoutherarmsasiftohugthewindtoher;then,withasigh,shegotup,andwalkedon。Andnowshebeganthinkingof'Anonyma';turningherpositionoverandover。Theideathatanyoneyoungandbeautifulshouldthusbeclippedoffinherlife,rousedherimpatientindignation。Letthemtryitwithher！Theywouldsoonsee！Forallhercultivated'hardness,'Barbarareallyhatedanythingtosuffer。Itseemedtoherunnatural。SheneverwenttothathospitalwhereLadyValleyshadaward,nortotheirsummercampforcrippledchildren,nortohelpintheirannualconcertforsweatedworkers,withoutafeelingofsuchvehementpitythatitwaslikebeingseizedbythethroat:Once,whenshehadbeensingingtothem,therowsofwan,pinchedfacesbelowhadbeentoomuchforher;
　　shehadbrokendown,forgottenherwords,lostmemoryofthetune,andjustendedherperformancewithasmile,worthmoreperhapstoheraudiencethanthoselostverses。Shenevercameawayfromsuchsightsandplaceswithoutafeelingofrevoltamountingalmosttorage;andsheonlycontinuedtogobecauseshedimlyknewthatitwasexpectedofhernottoturnherbackonsuchthings,inhersectionofSociety。
　　ButitwasnotthisfeelingwhichmadeherstopbeforeMrs。Noel'scottage;norwasitcuriosity。Itwasaquitesimpledesiretosqueezeherhand。
　　'Anonyma'seemedtakinghertroubleasonlythosewomenwhoarenogoodatself—assertioncantakethings——doingexactlyasshewouldhavedoneifnothinghadhappened;alittlepalerthanusual,withlipspressedrathertightlytogether。
　　Theyneitherofthemspokeatfirst,butstoodlooking,notateachother'sfaces,butateachother'sbreasts。AtlastBarbarasteppedforwardimpulsivelyandkissedher。
　　Afterthat,liketwochildrenwhokissfirst,andthenmakeacquaintance,theystoodapart,silent,faintlysmiling。Ithadbeengivenandreturnedinrealsweetnessandcomradeship,thatkiss,forasignofwomanhoodmakingfaceagainsttheworld;butnowthatitwasover,bothfeltalittleawkward。WouldthatkisshavebeengivenifFatehadbeenauspicious？Wasitnotproofofmisery？SoMrs。Noel'ssmileseemedsaying,andBarbara'ssmileunwillinglyadmitted。Perceivingthatiftheytalkeditcouldonlybeaboutthemostordinarythings,theybeganspeakingofmusic,flowers,andthequeernessofbees'legs。Butallthetime,Barbara,thoughseeminglyunconscious,wasnotingwithhersmilingeyes,thetinymovement's,bywhichonewomancantellwhatispassinginanother。Shesawalittlequivertightenthecornerofthelips,theeyessuddenlygrowlargeanddark,thethinblousedesperatelyriseandfall。Andherfancy,quickenedbylastnight'smemory,sawthiswomangivingherselfuptothememoryofloveinherthoughts。Atthissightshefeltalittleofthatimpatiencewhichtheconqueringfeelforthepassive,andperhapsjustatouchofjealousy。
　　WhateverMiltoundecided,thatwouldthiswomanaccept！Suchresignation,whileitsimplifiedthings,offendedthepartofBarbarawhichrebelledagainstallinaction,alldictation,evenfromherfavouritebrother。Shesaidsuddenly:
　　"Areyougoingtodonothing？Aren'tyougoingtotryandfreeyourself？IfIwereinyourposition,IwouldneverresttillI'dmadethemfreeme。"
　　ButMrs。Noeldidnotanswer;andsweepingherglancefromthatcrownofsoftdarkhair,downthesoftwhitefigure,totheveryfeet,Barbaracried:
　　"Ibelieveyouareafatalist。"
　　Soonafterthat,notknowingwhatmoretosay,shewentaway。Butwalkinghomeacrossthefields,wherefullsummerwasswingingonthedeliciousairandtherewasnownobullbutonlyredcowstocropshortthe'milk—maids'andbuttercups,shesufferedfromthisstrangerevelationofthestrengthofsoftnessandpassivity——asthoughshehadseeninthewhitefigureof'Anonyma,'andheardinhervoicesomethingfrombeyond,symbolic,inconceivable,yetreal。
　　CHAPTERXVIII
　　LordValleys,relievedfromofficialpressurebysubsidenceofthewarscare,hadreturnedforalongweek—end。TosaythathehadbeenintenselyrelievedbythenewsthatMrs。Noelwasnotfree,wouldbetoputitmildly。Thoughnotold—fashioned,likehismother—in—law,inregardtothemixingofthecastes,preparedtoadmitthatexclusivenesswasoutofdate,topassoverwithashrugandalaughthosenumerousalliancesbywhichhisorderwererenewingthesinewsofwar,andindeedinhiscapacityofanexpert,oftenpointingoutthedangersoftoomuchin—breeding——yethehadapeculiarpersonalfeelingabouthisownfamily,andwasperhapsalittleextrasensitivebecauseofAgatha;forShropton,thoughagoodfellow,andextremelywealthy,wasonlyathirdbaronet,andhadoriginallybeenmadeofiron。Itwasinadvisabletogooutsidetheinnercirclewheretherewasnomaterialnecessityforsodoing。Hehadnotdoneithimself。Moreovertherewasasentimentaboutthesethings！
　　Onthemorningafterhisarrival,visitingthekennelsbeforebreakfast,hestoodchattingwithhisheadman,andcaressingthewetnosesofhistwofavouritepointers,——withsomethingofthefeelingofaboyletoutofschool。Thosepleasantcreatures,coweringandquiveringwithprideagainsthislegs,andturningupathimtheiryellowChineseeyes,gavehimthatsenseofwarmthandcomfortwhichvisitsmeninthepresenceoftheirhobbies。Withthisparticularpair,inbredtotheuttermost,hehadsuccessfullysurmountedagreatrisk。Itwasnowtouchandgowhetherhedaredventureononemorecrosstotheoriginalstrain,inthehopeofeliminatingthelastclingingoflivercolour。Itwasagamble——anditwasjustthatwhichrendereditsovastlyinteresting。
　　Asmallvoicedivertedhisattention;helookedroundandsawlittleAnn。Shehadbeeninbedwhenhearrivedthenightbefore,andhewasthereforethenewestthingabout。
　　Shecarriedinherarmsaguinea—pig,andbeganatonce:
　　"Grandpapa,Grannywantsyou。She'sontheterrace;she'stalkingtoMr。Courtier。Ilikehim——he'sakindman。IfIputmyguinea—pigdown,willtheybiteit？Poordarling——theyshan't！Isn'titadarling！"
　　LordValleys,twirlinghismoustache,regardedtheguinea—pigwithoutfavour;hehadratheradislikeforallsenselesskindsofbeasts。
　　Pressingtheguinea—pigbetweenherhands,asitmightbeaconcertina,littleAnnjiggeditgentlyabovethepointers,who,wrinklinghorriblytheirlongnoses,gazedupwards,fascinated。
　　"Poordarlings,theywantit——don'tthey？Grandpapa"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Doyouthinkthenextpuppieswillbespottedquiteallover？"
　　Continuingtotwirlhismoustache,LordValleysanswered:
　　"Ithinkitisnotimprobable,Ann。"
　　"Whydoyoulikethemspottedlikethat？Oh！they'rekissingSambo——
　　Imustgo！"
　　LordValleysfollowedher,hiseyebrowsalittleraised。
　　Asheapproachedtheterracehiswifecame,towardshim。Hercolourwas,deeperthanusual,andshehadthelook,higherandmoreresolute,peculiartoherwhenshehadbeenopposed。IntruthshehadjustbeenthroughapassageofarmswithCourtier,who,asthefirstrevealerofMrs。Noel'ssituation,hadbecomeentitledtoacertainconfidenceonthissubject。Ithadarisenfromwhatshehadintendedasaperfectlynaturalandnotunkindremark,totheeffectthatallthetroublehadcomefromMrs。NoelnothavingmadeherpositioncleartoMiltounfromthefirst。
　　Hehadatoncegrownveryred。
　　"It'seasy,LadyValleys,forthosewhohaveneverbeeninthepositionofalonelywoman,toblameher。"
　　Unaccustomedtobewithstood,shehadlookedathimintently:
　　"Iamthelastpersontobehardonawomanforconventional"
　　reasons。ButIthinkitshowedlackofcharacter。"
　　Courtier'sreplyhadbeenalmostrude。
　　"Plantsarenotequallyrobust,LadyValleys。Some,asweknow,areactuallysensitive。"
　　Shehadretortedwithdecision"Ifyouliketosodignifythesimplerword'weak'"
　　Hehadbecomeveryrigidatthat,bitingdeeplyintohismoustache。
　　"Whatcrimesarenotcommittedunderthesanctityofthatcreed'survivalofthefittest,'whichsuitsthebookofallyoufortunatepeoplesowell！"
　　Pridingherselfonherrestraint,LadyValleysanswered:
　　"Ah！wemusttalkthatout。Onthefaceofthemyourwordssoundalittleunphilosophic,don'tthey？
　　Hehadlookedstraightatherwithaqueer,unpleasantsmile;andshehadfeltatoncedisturbedandangry。Itwasallverywelltopetandeventoadmiretheseoriginalsortofmen,buttherewerelimits。
　　Remembering,however,thathewasherguest,shehadonlysaid:
　　"Perhapsafterallwehadbetternottalkitout;"andmovingaway,sheheardhimanswer:"Inanycase,I'mcertainAudreyNoelneverwilfullykeptyoursoninthedark;she'smuchtooproud。"
　　Thoughrude,shecouldnothelplikingthewayhestuckupforthiswoman;andshethrewbackathimthewords:
　　"YouandI,Mr。Courtier,musthaveagoodfightsomeday！"
　　Shewenttowardsherhusbandconsciousoftheratherpleasurablesensationwhichcombatalwaysrousedinher。
　　Thesetwowereverygoodcomrades。Theirshadbeenalovematch,andmakingdueallowanceforhumannaturebesetbyopportunity,hadremained,throughout,asolidandefficientalliance。Taking,astheybothdid,suchprominentpartsinpublicandsocialmatters,thetimetheyspenttogetherwaslimited,butproductiveofmutualbenefitandreinforcement。Theyhadnotyethadanopportunityofdiscussingtheirson'saffair;and,slippingherhandthroughhisarm,LadyValleysdrewhimawayfromthehouse。
　　"IwanttotalktoyouaboutMiltoun,Geoff。"
　　"H'm！"saidLordValleys;"yes。Theboy'slookingworn。Goodthingwhenthiselection'sover。"
　　"Ifhe'sbeatenandhasn'tsomethingnewandserioustoconcentratehimselfon,he'llfrethisheartoutoverthatwoman。"
　　LordValleysmeditatedalittlebeforereplying。
　　"Idon'tthinkthat,Gertrude。He'sgotplentyofspirit。"
　　"Ofcourse！Butit'sarealpassion。And,youknow,he'snotlikemostboys,who'lltakewhattheycan。"
　　Shesaidthisratherwistfully。
　　"I'msorryforthewoman,"musedLordValleys;"Ireallyam。"
　　"Theysaythisrumour'sdonealotofharm。"
　　"Ourinfluenceisstrongenoughtosurvivethat。"
　　"It'llbeasqueak;IwishIknewwhathewasgoingtodo。Willyouaskhim？"
　　"You'reclearlythepersontospeaktohim,"repliedLordValleys。
　　"I'mnohandatthatsortofthing。"
　　ButLadyValleys,withgenuinediscomfort,murmured:
　　"Mydear,I'msonervouswithEustace。WhenheputsonthatsmileofhisI'mdonefor,atonce。"
　　"Thisisobviouslyawoman'sbusiness;nobodylikeamother。"
　　"Ifitwereonlyoneoftheothers,"mutteredLadyValleys:"Eustacehasthatqueerwayofmakingyoufeellumpy。"
　　LordValleyslookedatheraskance。Hehadthatkindofcriticalfastidiousnesswhichawordwillrouseintoactivity。Wasshelumpy？
　　Theideahadneverstruckhim。
　　"Well,I'lldoit,ifImust,"sighedLadyValleys。
　　WhenafterbreakfastsheenteredMiltoun's'den,'hewasbucklingonhisspurspreparatory,toridingouttosomeoftheremotervillages。
　　UnderthemaskoftheApachechief,Bertiewasstanding,moreinscrutableandneatthanever,inaperfectlytiedcravatte,perfectlycutridingbreeches,andbootswornandpolishedtillasootyglowshonethroughtheirnaturalrusset。Notspeciallydandifiedinhisusualdress,BertieCaradocwouldalmostsoonerhavediedthandisgraceahorse。Hiseyes,thesharperbecausetheyhadonlyhalfthespaceoftheordinaryeyetoglancefrom,atoncetookinthefactthathismotherwishedtobealonewith'oldMiltoun,'
　　andhediscreetlylefttheroom。
　　ThatwhichdisconcertedallwhohaddealingswithMiltounwasthediscoverymadesoonorlate,thattheycouldnotbesurehowanythingwouldstrikehim。Inhismind,asinhisface,therewasacertainregularity,andthen——impossibletosayexactlywhere——itwould,shootoffandtwistroundacorner。Thiswasthelegacynodoubtofthehard—bittenindividuality,whichhadbroughttothefrontsomanyofhisancestors;forinMiltounwasthebloodnotonlyoftheCaradocsandFitz—Harolds,butofmostotherprominentfamiliesinthekingdom,allofwhom,inthoseagesbeforemoneymadetheman,musthavehadaforbearconspicuousbyreasonofqualities,notalwaysfine,butalwayspoignant。
　　Andnow,thoughLadyValleyshadtheaudacityofherphysique,andwasnotcustomarilyabashed,shebeganbyspeakingofpolitics,hopinghersonwouldgiveheranopening。Buthegavehernone,andshegrewnervous。Atlast,summoningallhercoolness,shesaid:
　　"I'mdreadfullysorryaboutthisaffair,dearboy。Yourfathertoldmeofyourtalkwithhim。Trynottotakeittoohard。"
　　Miltoundidnotanswer,andsilencebeingthatwhichLadyValleyshabituallymostdreaded,shetookrefugeinfurtherspeech,outliningforhersonthewholeepisodeasshesawitfromherpointofview,andendingwiththesewords:
　　"Surelyit'snotworthit。"
　　Miltounheardherwithhispeculiarlook,asofamanpeeringthroughavizor。Thensmiling,hesaid:
　　"Thankyou;"andopenedthedoor。
　　LadyValleys,withoutquiteknowingwhetherheintendedhertodoso,indeedwithoutquiteknowinganythingatthemoment,passedout,andMiltounclosedthedoorbehindher。
　　TenminuteslaterheandBertiewereseenridingdownthedrive。
　　CHAPTERXIX
　　Thatafternoonthewind,whichhadbeenrisingsteadily,broughtaflurryofcloudsupfromtheSouth—West。FormedoutontheheartoftheAtlantic,theysailedforward,swiftandfleecyatfirst,liketheskirmishingwhiteshallopsofagreatfleet;then,inserriedmasses,darkenedthesun。Aboutfouro'clocktheybrokeinrain,whichthewinddrovehorizontallywithacoldwhifflingmurmur。Asyouthandglamourdieinafacebeforethecoldrainsoflife,soglorydiedonthemoor。Thetors,frombeingupliftedwildcastles,becamemeregreyexcrescences。Distancefailed。Thecuckoosweresilent。Therewasnoneofthebeautythatthereisindeath,notragicgreatness——allwasmoaningandmonotony。Butaboutseventhesuntoreitswaybackthroughtheswathe,andflaredout。Likesomehugestar,whoserayswerestretchingdowntothehorizon,anduptotheverytopofthehillofair,itshonewithanamazingmurkyglamour;thecloudssplinteredbyitsshafts,andtingedsaffron,piledthemselvesupasifinwonder。Underthesultrywarmthofthisnewgreatstar,theheatherbegantosteamalittle,andtheglitterofitswetunopenedbellswaslikethatofinnumerabletinysmokingfires。Thetwobrothersweredrenchedastheycanteredsilentlyhome。Goodfriendsalways,theyhadnevermuchtosaytooneanother。ForMiltounwasconsciousthathethoughtonadifferentplanefromBertie;andBertiegrudgedeventohisbrotheranyinklingofwhatwaspassinginhisspirit,justashegrudgedpartingwithdiplomaticknowledge,orstablesecrets,orindeedanythingthatmightleavehimlessincommandoflife。Hegrudgedit,becauseinaprivatesortofwayitloweredhisestimationofhisownstoicalself—sufficiency;ithurtsomethingproudinthewithdrawing—roomofhissoul。Butthoughhetalkedlittle,hehadthepowerofcontemplation——oftenfoundinmenofdecidedcharacter,withatendencytoliver。OnceinNepal,wherehehadgonetoshoot,hehadpassedamonthquitehappilywithonlyaGhoorkaservantwhocouldspeaknoEnglish。Tothosewhoaskedhimifhehadnotbeenhorriblybored,hehadalwaysanswered:"Notabit;didalotofthinking。"
　　WithMiltoun'stroublehehadtheprofessionalsympathyofabrotherandthenaturalintoleranceofaconfirmedbachelor。Womenweretohimverykittle—cattle。Hedistrustedfromthebottomofhissoulthosewhohadsuchmanifestpowertodrawthingsfromyou。Hewasoneofthosemeninwhomsomedayawomanmightawakenareallyfineaffection;butwho,untilthattime,wouldmaintaintheperfectlymaleattitudetotheentiresex,and,afterit,toallthesexbutone。Womenwere,likeLifeitself,creaturestobewatched,carefullyused,andkeptdulysubservient。TheonlyallusionthereforethathemadetoMiltoun'stroublewasverysudden。
　　"Oldman,Ihopeyou'regoingtocutyourlosses。"
　　Thewordswerefollowedbyundisturbedsilence:ButpassingMrs。
　　Noel'scottageMiltounsaid:
　　"Takemyhorseon;Iwanttogoinhere。"
　　Shewassittingatherpianowithherhandsidle,lookingatalineofmusic……Shehadbeensittingthusformanyminutes,buthadnotyettakeninthenotes。