Ansellyawned。
　　"IsawRickietoo。OnceIdinedthere。"
　　Anotheryawn。
　　"MycousinthinksMrs。Elliotoneofthemosthorriblewomenhehaseverseen。Hecallsher’MedusainArcady。’She’ssopleasant，too。Butcertainlyitwasaverystonymeal。"
　　"Whatkindofstoniness"
　　"Noonestoppedtalkingforamoment。"
　　"That’stherealkind，"saidAnsellmoodily。"Theonlykind。"
　　"Well，I，"hecontinued，"aminclinedtocomparehertoanelectriclight。Click！she’son。Click！she’soff。Nowaste。Noflicker。"
　　"Iwishshe’dfuse。"
　　"She’llneverfuse——unlessanythingwastohappenatthemain。"
　　"Whatdoyoumeanbythemain？"saidAnsell，whoalwayspursuedametaphorrelentlessly。
　　Widdringtondidnotknowwhathemeant，andsuggestedthatAnsellshouldvisitSawstontoseewhetheronecouldknow。
　　"Itisnogoodmegoing。IshouldnotfindMrs。Elliot:shehasnorealexistence。"
　　"Rickiehas。"
　　"Iverymuchdoubtit。IhadtwolettersfromIlfracombelastApril，andIverymuchdoubtthatthemanwhowrotethemcanexist。"Bendingdownwardshebegantoadornthemanuscriptofhisdissertationwithasquare，andinsidethatacircle，andinsidethatanothersquare。Itwashisseconddissertation:thefirsthadfailed。
　　"Ithinkheexists:heissounhappy。"
　　Ansellnodded。"Howdidyouknowhewasunhappy？"
　　"Becausehewasalwaystalking。"Afterapauseheadded，"Whatcleveryoungmenweare！"
　　"Aren’twe？Iexpectweshallgetaskedinmarriagesoon。Isay，Widdrington，shallwe——？"
　　"Accept？Ofcourse。Itisnotyoungmanlytosayno。"
　　"Imeantshallweeverdoamoretremendousthing，——fuseMrs。
　　Elliot。"
　　"No，"saidWiddringtonpromptly。"Weshallneverdothatinallourlives。"Headded，"IthinkyoumightgodowntoSawston，though。"
　　"Ihavealreadyrefusedorignoredthreeinvitations。"
　　"SoIgathered。"
　　"What’sthegoodofit？"saidAnsellthroughhisteeth。"1willnotputupwithlittlethings。IwouldratherberudethantolistentotwaddlefromamanI’veknown。
　　"YoumightgodowntoSawston，justforanight，toseehim。"
　　"Isawhimlastmonth——atleast，soTilliardinformsme。Hesaysthatweallthreelunchedtogether，thatRickiepaid，andthattheconversationwasmostinteresting。"
　　"Well，Icontendthathedoesexist，andthatifyougo——oh，I
　　can’tbecleveranylonger。Youreallymustgo，man。I’mcertainhe’smiserableandlonely。DunwoodHousereeksofcommerceandsnobberyandallthethingshehatedmost。Hedoesn’tdoanything。Hedoesn’tmakeanyfriends。Heissoodd，too。Inthisday—boyrowthathasjuststartedhe’sgoneformycousin。Wouldyoubelieveit？Quitespitefully。ItmadequiteadifficultywhenIwantedtodine。Itisn’tlikehimeitherthesentimentsorthebehaviour。I’msurehe’snothimself。Pembrokeusedtolookaftertheday—boys，andsohecan’tverywelltaketheleadagainstthem，andperhapsRickie’sdoinghisdirtywork——andhasoverdoneit，asdecentpeoplegenerallydo。He’sevenalteringtotalkto。
　　Yethe’snotbeenmarriedayear。Pembrokeandthatwifesimplyrunhim。Idon’tseewhytheyshould，andnomoredoyou;andthat’swhyIwantyoutogotoSawston，ifonlyforonenight。"
　　Ansellshookhishead，andlookedupatthedomeasothermenlookatthesky。Initthegreatarclampssputteredandflared，forthemonthwasagainNovember。Thenheloweredhiseyesfromthecoldvioletradiancetothebooks。
　　"No，Widdrington;no。Wedon’tgotoseepeoplebecausetheyarehappyorunhappy。Wegowhenwecantalktothem。IcannottalktoRickie，thereforeIwillnotwastemytimeatSawston。"
　　"Ithinkyou’reright，"saidWiddringtonsoftly。"Butwearebloodlessbrutes。Iwonderwhether—Ifweweredifferentpeople——somethingmightbedonetosavehim。Thatisthecurseofbeingalittleintellectual。Youandoursorthavealwaysseentooclearly。Westandaside——andmeanwhileheturnsintostone。
　　TwophilosophicyouthsrepiningintheBritishMuseum！Whathavewedone？Whatshallweeverdo？Justdriftandcriticize，whilepeoplewhoknowwhattheywantsnatchitawayfromusandlaugh。"
　　"Perhapsyouarethatsort。I’mnot。WhenthemomentcomesI
　　shallhitoutlikeanyploughboy。Don’tbelievethoseliesaboutintellectualpeople。They’reonlywrittentosoothethemajority。
　　Doyousuppose，withtheworldasitis，thatit’saneasymattertokeepquiet？DoyousupposethatIdidn’twanttorescuehimfromthatghastlywoman？Action！Nothing’seasierthanaction;asfoolstestify。ButIwanttoactrightly。"
　　"Thesuperintendentislookingatus。Imustgetbacktomywork。"
　　"Youthinkthisallnonsense，"saidAnsell，detaininghim。
　　"PleaserememberthatifIdoact，youareboundtohelpme。"
　　Widdringtonlookedalittlegrave。Hewasnoanarchist。AfewplaintivecriesagainstMrs。Elliotwereallthathepreparedtoemit。
　　"There’snomystery，"continuedAnsell。"Ihaven’ttheshadowofaplaninmyhead。IknownotonlyRickiebutthewholeofhishistory:yourememberthedaynearMadingley。Nothingineitherhelpsme:I’mjustwatching。"
　　"Butwhatfor？"
　　"FortheSpiritofLife。"
　　Widdringtonwassurprised。Itwasaphraseunknowntotheirphilosophy。Theyhadtrespassedintopoetry。
　　"Youcan’tfightMedusawithanythingelse。IfyouaskmewhattheSpiritofLifeis，ortowhatitisattached，Ican’ttellyou。Ionlytellyou，watchforit。MyselfI’vefounditinbooks。Somepeoplefinditoutofdoorsorineachother。Nevermind。It’sthesamespirit，andItrustmyselftoknowitanywhere，andtouseitrightly。"
　　Butatthispointthesuperintendentsentamessage。
　　Widdringtonthensuggestedastrollinthegalleries。Itwasfoggy:theyneededfreshair。Helovedandadmiredhisfriend，buttodayhecouldnotgrasphim。TheworldasAnsellsawitseemedsuchafantasticplace，governedbybrand—newlaws。WhatmorecouldonedothantoseeRickieasoftenaspossible，toinvitehisconfidence，toofferhimspiritualsupport？AndMrs。
　　Elliot——whatpowercould"fuse"arespectablewoman？
　　Ansellconsentedtothestroll，but，asusual，onlybreatheddepression。Thecomfortofbooksdesertedhimamongthosemarblegoddessesandgods。Theeyeofanartistfindspleasureintextureandpoise，buthecouldonlythinkofthevanishedincenseanddesertedtemplesbesideanunfurrowedsea。
　　"Letusgo，"hesaid。"Idonotlikecarvedstones。"
　　"Youaretooparticular，"saidWiddrington。"Youarealwaysexpectingtomeetlivingpeople。Oneneverdoes。IamcontentwiththeParthenonfrieze。"Andhemovedalongafewyardsofit，whileAnsellfollowed，consciousonlyofitspathos。
　　"There’sTilliard，"heobserved。"Shallwekillhim？"
　　"Please，"saidWiddrington，andashespokeTilliardjoinedthem。
　　Hebroughtthemnews。ThatmorninghehadheardfromRickie:Mrs。
　　Elliotwasexpectingachild。
　　"Achild？"saidAnsell，suddenlybewildered。
　　"Oh，Iforgot，"interposedWiddrington。"Mycousindidtellme。"
　　"Youforgot！Well，afterall，Iforgotthatitmightbe，Weareindeedyoungmen。"HeleantagainstthepedestalofIlissusandrememberedtheirtalkabouttheSpiritofLife。Inhisignoranceofwhatachildmeanshewonderedwhethertheopportunityhesoughtlayhere。
　　"Iamveryglad，"saidTilliard，notwithoutintention。"Achildwilldrawthemevenclosertogether。Iliketoseeyoungpeoplewrappedupintheirchild。"
　　"IsupposeImustbegettingbacktomydissertation，"saidAnsell。HelefttheParthenontopassbythemonumentsofourmorereticentbeliefs——thetempleoftheEphesianArtemis，thestatueoftheCnidianDemeter。Honest，heknewthatherewerepowershecouldnotcopewith，nor，asyet，understand。
　　XXI
　　ThemiststhathadgatheredroundRickieseemedtobebreaking。
　　Hehadfoundlightneitherinworkforwhichhewasunfittednorinawomanwhohadceasedtorespecthim，andwhomhewasceasingtolove。Thoughhecalledhimselffickleandtookalltheblameoftheirmarriageonhisownshoulders，thereremainedinAgnescertainterriblefaultsofheartandhead，andnoself—reproachwoulddiminishthem。Theglamourofwedlockhadfaded;indeed，hesawnowthatithadfadedevenbeforewedlock，andthatduringthefinalmonthshehadshuthiseyesandpretendeditwasstillthere。Butnowthemistswerebreaking。
　　ThatNovemberthesupremeeventapproached。HesawitwithNature’seyes。Itdawnedonhim，asonAnsell，thatpersonalloveandmarriageonlycoveronesideoftheshield，andthatontheotherisgraventheepicofbirth。Inthemidstoflessonshewouldgrowdreamy，asonewhospiesanewsymbolfortheuniverse，afreshcirclewithinthesquare。Withinthesquareshallbeacircle，withinthecircleanothersquare，untilthevisualeyeisbaffled。Hereismeaningofakind。Hismotherhadforgottenherselfinhim。Hewouldforgethimselfinhisson。
　　Hewasathisdutieswhenthenewsarrived——takingpreparation。
　　Boysaremarvellouscreatures。Perhapstheywillsinkbelowthebrutes;perhapstheywillattaintoawoman’stenderness。ThoughtheydespisedRickie，andhadsufferedunderAgnes’smeanness，theironethoughtthistermwastobegentleandtogivenotrouble。
　　"Rickie——onemoment——"
　　Hisfacegrewashen。HefollowedHerbertintothepassage，closingthedoorofthepreparationroombehindhim。"Oh，isshesafe？"hewhispered。
　　"Yes，yes，"saidHerbert;buttheresoundedinhisanswerasombrehostilenote。
　　"Ourboy？"
　　"Girl——agirl，dearRickie;alittledaughter。She——sheisinmanywaysahealthychild。Shewilllive——ohyes。"Aflashofhorrorpassedoverhisface。Hehurriedintothepreparationroom，liftedthelidofhisdesk，glancedmechanicallyattheboys，andcameoutagain。
　　Mrs。Lewinappearedthroughthedoorthatledintotheirownpartofthehouse。
　　"Bothgoingonwell！"shecried;buthervoicealsowasgrave，exasperated。
　　"Whatisit？"hegasped。"It’ssomethingyoudaren’ttellme。"
　　"Onlythis——stutteredHerbert。"Youmustn’tmindwhenyousee——
　　she’slame。"
　　Mrs。Lewindisappeared。"Lame！butnotaslameasIam？"
　　"Oh，mydearboy，worse。Don’t——oh，beamaninthis。Comeawayfromthepreparationroom。Remembershe’lllive——inmanywayshealthy——onlyjustthisonedefect。"
　　Thehorrorofthatweekneverpassedawayfromhim。Totheendofhislifeherememberedtheexcuses——theconsolationsthatthechildwouldlive;sufferedverylittle，ifatall;wouldwalkwithcrutches;wouldcertainlylive。Godwasmoremerciful。A
　　windowwasopenedtoowideonadraughtyday——afterashort，painlessillnesshisdaughterdied。ButthelessonhehadlearntsogliblyatCambridgeshouldbeheedednow;nochildshouldeverbeborntohimagain。
　　XXII
　　ThatsametermtheretookplaceatDunwoodHouseanotherevent。
　　Withtheirprivatetragedyitseemedtohavenoconnection;butintimeRickieperceiveditasabittercomment。Itsdevelopmentswereunforeseenandlasting。Itwasperhapsthemostterriblethinghehadtobear。
　　Vardenhadnowbeenaboarderfortenmonths。Hishealthhadbrokeninthepreviousterm，——partly，itistobefeared，astheresultoftheindifferentfood——andduringthesummerholidayshewasattackedbyaseriesofagonizingearaches。Hismother，afeebleperson，wishedtokeephimathome，butHerbertdissuadedher。SoonafterthedeathofthechildtherearoseatDunwoodHouseoneofthosewavesofhostilityofwhichnoboyknowstheoriginnoranymastercancalculatethecourse。Vardenhadneverbeenpopular——therewasnoreasonwhyheshouldbe——buthehadneverbeenseriouslybulliedhitherto。Oneeveningnearlythewholehousesetonhim。Theprefectsabsentedthemselves，thebiggerboysstoodroundandthelesserboys，towhompowerwasdelegated，flunghimdown，andrubbedhisfaceunderthedesks，andwrenchedathisears。Thenoisepenetratedthebaizedoors，andHerbertsweptthroughandpunishedthewholehouse，includingVarden，whomitwouldnotdotoleaveout。Thepoormanwashorrified。Heapprovedofalittlehealthyroughness，butthiswaspurebrutalization。Whathadcomeoverhisboys？Weretheynotgentlemen’ssons？Hewouldnotadmitthatifyouherdto—
　　getherhumanbeingsbeforetheycanunderstandeachotherthegreatgodPanisangry，andwillintheendevadeyourregulationsanddrivethemmad。Thatnightthevictimwasscreamingwithpain，andthedoctornextdayspokeofanoperation。Thesuspenselastedawholeweek。Commentwasmadeinthelocalpapers，andthereputationnotonlyofthehousebutoftheschoolwasimperilled。"IfonlyIhadknown，"repeatedHerbert——"ifonlyIhadknownIwouldhavearrangeditalldifferently。Heshouldhavehadacubicle。"Theboydidnotdie，butheleftSawston，nevertoreturn。
　　ThedaybeforehisdepartureRickiesatwithhimsometime，andtriedtotalkinawaythatwasnotpedantic。Inhisownsorrow，whichhecouldsharewithnoone，leastofallwithhiswife，hewasstillalivetothesorrowsofothers。Hestillfoughtagainstapathy，thoughhewaslosingthebattle。
　　"Don’tloseheart，"hetoldhim。"Theworldisn’tallgoingtobelikethis。Therearetemptationsandtrials，ofcourse，butnothingatallofthekindyouhavehadhere。"
　　"Butschoolistheworldinminiature，isitnot，sir？"askedtheboy，hopingtopleaseonemasterbyechoingwhathadbeentoldhimbyanother。Hewasalwaysonthelookoutforsympathy——:itwasoneofthethingsthathadcontributedtohisdownfall。
　　"Inevernoticedthatmyself。Iwasunhappyatschool，andintheworldpeoplecanbeveryhappy。"
　　Vardensighedandrolledabouthiseyes。"Arethefellowssorryforwhattheydidtome？"heaskedinanaffectedvoice。"IamsureIforgivethemfromthebottomofmyheart。Weoughttoforgiveourenemies，oughtn’twe，sir？"
　　"Buttheyaren’tyourenemies。Ifyoumeetinfiveyears’timeyoumayfindeachothersplendidfellows。"
　　Theboywouldnotadmitthis。Hehadbeenreadingsomerevivalisticliterature。"Weoughttoforgiveourenemies，"herepeated;"andhoweverwickedtheyare，weoughtnottowishthemevil。WhenIwasill，anddeathseemednearest，Ihadmanykindlettersonthissubject。"
　　Rickieknewaboutthese"manykindletters。"Vardenhadinducedthesillynursetowritetopeople——peopleofallsorts，peoplethathescarcelyknewordidnotknowatall——detailinghismisfortune，andaskingforspiritualaidandsympathy。
　　"Iamsorryforthem，"hepursued。"Iwouldnotliketobelikethem。"
　　Rickiesighed。HesawthatayearatDunwoodHousehadproducedasanctimoniousprig。"Don’tthinkaboutthem，Varden。Thinkaboutanythingbeautiful——say，music。Youlikemusic。Behappy。It’syourduty。Youcan’tbegooduntilyou’vehadalittlehappiness。
　　Thenperhapsyouwillthinklessaboutforgivingpeopleandmoreaboutlovingthem。"
　　"Ilovethemalready，sir。"AndRickie，indesperation，askedifhemightlookatthemanykindletters。
　　Permissionwasgladlygiven。Aneatbundlewasproduced，andforabouttwentyminutesthemasterperusedit，whiletheinvalidkeptwatchonhisface。Rookscawedoutintheplaying—fields，andcloseundertilewindowtherewasthesoundofdelightful，good—temperedlaughter。Aboyisnodevil，whateverboysmaybe。
　　Theletterswerechillyproductions，somewhatclericalintone，bywhomsoeverwritten。Varden，becausehewasillatthetime，hadbeentakenseriously。Thewritersdeclaredthathisillnesswasfulfillingsomemysteriouspurpose:sufferingengenderedspiritualgrowth:hewasshowingsignsofthisalready。Theyconsentedtoprayforhim，somemajestically，othersshyly。Buttheyallconsentedwithoneexception，whowordedhisrefusalasfollows:——
　　DearA。C。Varden，——
　　IoughttosaythatIneverrememberseeingyou。Iamsorrythatyouareill，andhopeyouarewrongaboutit。Whydidyounotwritebefore，forIcouldhavehelpedyouthen？Whentheypulledyourear，yououghttohavegonelikethis（herewasaroughsketch）。Icouldnotundertakepraying，butwouldthinkofyouinstead，ifthatwoulddo。Iamtwenty—twoinApril，builtratherheavy，ordinarybroadface，witheyes，etc。Iwriteallthisbecauseyouhavemixedmewithsomeoneelse，forIamnotmarried，anddonotwanttobe。Icannotthinkofyoualways，butwillpromiseaquarterofanhourdaily（say7。00—7。15A。M。），andmightcometoseeyouwhenyouarebetter——thatis，ifyouareakid，andyoureadlikeone。Ihavebeenotter—hunting——
　　Yourssincerely，StephenWonhamXXIII
　　RiekiewentstraightfromVardentohiswife，wholayonthesofainherbedroom。Therewasnowawidegulfbetweenthem。She，liketheworldshehadcreatedforhim，wasunreal。
　　"Agnes，darling，"hebegan，strokingherhand，"suchanawkwardlittlethinghashappened。"
　　"Whatisit，dear？JustwaittillI’veaddedupthishook。"
　　Shehadgotoverthetragedy:shegotovereverything。
　　Whenshewasatleisurehetoldher。HithertotheyhadseldommentionedStephen。Hewasclassedamongtheunprofitabledead。
　　Shewasmoresympatheticthanheexpected。"DearRickie，"shemurmuredwithavertedeyes。"Howtiresomeforyou。"
　　"IwishthatVardenhadstoppedwithMrs。Orr。"
　　"Well，heleavesusforgoodtomorrow。"
　　"Yes，yes。AndImadehimanswertheletterandapologize。Theyhadnevermet。ItwassomeconfusionwithamanintheChurchArmy，livingataplacecalledCodford。Iaskedthenurse。Itisallexplained。"
　　"Therethematterends。"
　　"Isupposeso——ifmatterseverend。"
　　"If，byill—luck，thepersondoescall。Iwilljustseehimandsaythattheboyhasgone。"
　　"You，orI。Ihavegotoverallnonsensebythistime。He’sabsolutelynothingtomenow。"Hetookupthetradesman’sbookandplayedwithitidly。Onitscrimsoncoverwasstampedagrotesquesheep。Howstaleandstupidtheirlifehadbecome！
　　"Don’ttalklikethat，though，"shesaiduneasily。"Thinkhowdisastrousitwouldbeifyoumadeaslipinspeakingtohim。"
　　"Wouldit？Itwouldhavebeendisastrousonce。ButIexpect，asamatteroffact，thatAuntEmilyhasmadetheslipalready。"
　　Hiswifewasdispleased。"Youneednottalkinthatcynicalway。
　　IcreditAuntEmilywithbetterfeeling。WhenIwasthereshedidmentionthematter，butonlyonce。She，andI，andallwhohaveanysenseofdecency，knowbetterthantomakeslips，ortothinkofmakingthem。"
　　Agneskeptupwhatshecalled"thefamilyconnection。"ShehadbeenoncealonetoCadover，andalsocorrespondedwithMrs。
　　Failing。ShehadnevertoldRickieanythingabouthervisitnorhadheeveraskedher。But，fromthismoment，thewholesubjectwasreopened。
　　"Mostcertainlyheknowsnothing，"shecontinued。"Why，hedoesnotevenrealizethatVardenlivesinourhouse！Weareperfectlysafe——unlessAuntEmilyweretodie。Perhapsthen——butweareperfectlysafeforthepresent。"
　　"Whenshedidmentionthematter，whatdidshesay？"
　　"Wehadalongtalk，"saidAgnesquietly。"Shetoldmenothingnew——nothingnewaboutthepast，Imean。Butwehadalongtalkaboutthepresent。Ithink"andhervoicegrewdispleasedagain——
　　"thatyouhavebeenbothwrongandfoolishinrefusingtomakeupyourquarrelwithAuntEmily。"
　　"Wrongandwise，Ishouldsay。"
　　"Itisn’ttobeexpectedthatshe——somucholderandsosensitive——canmakethefirststep。ButIknowshe’dhegladtoseeyou。"
　　"AsfarasIcanrememberthatfinalsceneinthegarden，I
　　accusedherof’forgettingwhatotherpeoplewerelike。’She’llneverpardonmeforsayingthat。"
　　Agneswassilent。Toherthephrasewasmeaningless。YetRickiewascorrect:Mrs。Failinghadresenteditmorethananything。
　　"Atallevents，"shesuggested，"youmightgoandseeher。"
　　"No，dear。Thankyou，no。"
　　"Sheis，afterall——"Shewasgoingtosay"yourfather’ssister，"buttheexpressionwasscarcelyahappyone，andsheturneditinto，"Sheis，afterall，growingoldandlonely。"
　　"Soareweall！"hecried，withalapseoftonethatwasnowcharacteristicinhim。
　　"Sheoughtn’ttobesoisolatedfromherproperrelatives。
　　Therewasamoment’ssilence。Stillplayingwiththebook，heremarked，"Youforget，she’sgotherfavouritenephew。"
　　Abrightredflushspreadoverhercheeks。"Whatisthematterwithyouthisafternoon？"sheasked。"Ishouldthinkyou’dbettergoforawalk。"
　　"BeforeIgo，tellmewhatisthematterwithyou。"Healsoflushed。"Whydoyouwantmetomakeitupwithmyaunt？"
　　"Becauseit’srightandproper。"
　　"So？Orbecausesheisold？"
　　"Idon’tunderstand，"sheretorted。Buthereyesdropped。Hissuddensuspicionwastrue:shewaslegacyhunting。
　　"Agnes，dearAgnes，"hebeganwithpassingtenderness，"howcanyouthinkofsuchthings？Youbehavelikeapoorperson。Wedon’twantanymoneyfromAuntEmily，orfromanyoneelse。Itisn’tvirtuethatmakesmesayit:wearenottemptedinthatway:wehaveasmuchaswewantalready。"
　　"Forthepresent，"sheanswered，stilllookingaside。
　　"Thereisn’tanyfuture，"hecriedinagustofdespair。
　　"Rickie，whatdoyoumean？"
　　Whatdidhemean？Hemeantthattherelationsbetweenthemwerefixed——thattherewouldneverbeaninfluxofinterest，norevenofpassion。Totheendoflifetheywouldgoonbeatingtime，andthiswasenoughforher。Shewascontentwiththedailyround，thecommontask，performedindifferently。Buthehaddreamtofanotherhelpmate，andofotherthings。
　　"Wedon’twantmoney——why，wedon’tevenspendanyontravelling。
　　I’veinvestedallmysalaryandmore。Asfarashumanforesightgoes，weshallneverwantmoney。"Andhisthoughtswentouttothetinygrave。"Youspokeof’rightandproper，’buttherightandproperthingformyaunttodoistoleaveeverypennyshe’sgottoStephen。"
　　Herlipquivered，andforonemomenthethoughtthatshewasgoingtocry。"WhatamItodowithyou？"shesaid。"Youtalklikeapersoninpoetry。"
　　"I’llputitinprose。He’slivedwithherfortwentyyears，andheoughttobepaidforit。"
　　PoorAgnes！Indeed，whatwasshetodo？ThefirstmomentshesetfootinCadovershehadthought，"Oh，hereismoney。Wemusttryandgetit。"Beingalady，shenevermentionedthethoughttoherhusband，butsheconcludedthatitwouldoccurtohimtoo。Andnow，thoughithadoccurredtohimatlast，hewouldnotevenwritehisauntalittlenote。
　　Hewastotryheryetfurther。Whiletheyarguedthispointheflashedoutwith，"Ioughttohavetoldhimthatdaywhenhecalleduptoourroom。There’swhereIwentwrongfirst。"
　　"Rickie！"
　　"InthosedaysIwassentimental。Iminded。FortwopinsI’dwritetohimthisafternoon。Whyshouldn’theknowhe’smybrother？What’sallthisridiculousmystery？"
　　Shebecameincoherent。
　　"ButWHYnot？Areasonwhyheshouldn’tknow。"
　　"AreasonwhyheSHOULDknow，"sheretorted。"Ineverheardsuchrubbish！Givemeareasonwhyheshouldknow。"
　　"Becausethelieweactedhasruinedourlives。"
　　Shelookedinbewildermentatthewell—appointedroom。
　　"It’sbeenlikeapoisonwewon’tacknowledge。Howmanytimeshaveyouthoughtofmybrother？I’vethoughtofhimeveryday——
　　notinlove;don’tmisunderstand;onlyasamedicineIshirked。
　　Downinwhattheycallthesubconsciousselfhehasbeenhurtingme。"Hisvoicebroke。"Oh，mydarling，weactedaliethen，andthisletterremindsusofitandgivesusonemorechance。Ihavetosay’we’lied。IshouldbelyingagainifItookquitealltheblame。LetusaskGod’sforgivenesstogether。Thenletuswrite，ascoldlyasyouplease，toStephen，andtellhimheismyfather’sson。"
　　Herreplyneednotbequoted。Itwasthelasttimeheattemptedintimacy。Andtheremainderoftheirconversation，thoughlongandstormy，isalsobestforgotten。
　　ThusthefirsteffectofVarden’sletterwastomakethemquarrel。Theyhadnotopenlydisagreedbefore。Intheeveninghekissedherandsaid，"HowabsurdIwastogetangryaboutthingsthathappenedlastyear。Iwillcertainlynotwritetotheperson。"Shereturnedthekiss。Butheknewthattheyhaddestroyedthehabitofreverence，andwouldquarrelagain。
　　OnhisroundshelookedinatVardenandaskednonchalantlyfortheletter。Hecarrieditofftohisroom。Itwasunwiseofhim，forhisnerveswerealreadyunstrung，andthemanhehadtriedtoburywasstirringominously。Inthesilenceheexaminedthehandwritingtillhefeltthatalivingcreaturewaswithhim，whereashe，becausehischildhaddied，wasdead。HeperceivedmoreclearlythecrueltyofNature，towhomourrefinementandpietyarebutasbubbles，hurryingdownwardsontheturbidwaters。Theybreak，andthestreamcontinues。Hisfather，asafinalinsult，hadbroughtintotheworldamanunlikealltherestofthem，amandoweredwithcoarsekindlinessandrusticstrength，akindofcynicalploughboy，againstwhomtheirownmiseryandweaknessmightstandmorevividlyrelieved。"BornanElliot——bornagentleman。"Sothevilephraseran。ButherewasanElliotwhosebadnesswasnotevengentlemanly。ForthatStephenwasbadinherentlyheneverdoubtedforamomentandhewouldhavechildren:he，notRickie，wouldcontributetothestream;he，throughhisremoteposterity，mightmingledwiththeunknownsea。