Afterthisconversationflagged。RickieglancedbackatCadover，andthoughtoftheinsipiddaythatlaybeforehim。Generallyhewasattractedbyfreshpeople，andStephenwasalmostfresh:theyhadbeentohimsymbolsoftheunknown，andallthattheydidwasinteresting。Butnowhecaredfortheunknownnolonger。Heknew。
　　Mr。Wilbrahampassedtheminhisdog—cart，andliftedhishattohisemployer’snephew。Stephenheignored:hecouldnotfindhimonthemap。
　　"Goodmorning，"saidRickie。"Whatalovelymorning！"
　　"Isay，"calledtheother，"anotherchilddead！"Mr。Wilbraham，whohadseemedinclinedtochat，whippeduphishorseandleftthem。
　　"Theregoesanoutandouter，"saidStephen;andthen，asifintroducinganentirelynewsubject——"Don’tyouthinkFleaThompsontreatedmedisgracefully？"
　　"Isupposehedid。ButI’mscarcelythepersontosympathize。"
　　Theallusionfellflat，andhehadtoexplainit。"Ishouldhavedonethesamemyself，——promisedtobeawaytwohours，andstoppedfour。"
　　"Stopped—oh——oh，Iunderstand。Youbeinginlove，youmean？"
　　Hesmiledandnodded。
　　"Oh，I’venoobjectiontoFlealoving。Hesayshecan’thelpit。
　　Butaslongasmyfistsarestronger，he’sgottokeepitinline。"
　　"Inline？"
　　"Amanlikethat，whenhe’sgotagirl，thinkstherestcangotothedevil。Hegoescuttinghisworkandbreakinghisword。
　　Wilbrahamoughttosackhim。IpromiseyouwhenI’veagirlI’llkeepherinline，andifsheturnsnasty，I’llgetanother。"
　　Rickiesmiledandsaidnomore。Buthewassorrythatanyoneshouldstartlifewithsuchacreed——allthemoresorrybecausethecreedcaricaturedhisown。Hetoobelievedthatlifeshouldbeinaline——alineofenormouslength，fullofcountlessinterestsandcountlessfigures，allwellbeloved。Butwomanwasnottobe"kept"tothisline。Ratherdidsheadvanceitcontinually，likesometriumphantgeneral，makingeachunitstillmoreinteresting，stillmorelovable，thanithadbeenbefore。HelovedAgnes，notonlyforherself，butbecauseshewaslightingupthehumanworld。Buthecouldscarcelyexplainthistoaninexperiencedanimal，nordidhemaketheattempt。
　　Foralongtimetheyproceededinsilence。ThehillbehindCadoverwasinharvest，andthehorsesmovedregretfullybetweenthesheaves。Stephenhadpickedagrassleaf，andwasblowingcatcallsuponit。Heblewverywell，andthismorningallhissoulwentintothewail。Forhewasill。Hewastorturedwiththefeelingthathecouldnotgetawayanddo——dosomething，insteadofbeingciviltothisanaemicprig。Fourhoursintherainwasbetterthanthis:hehadnotwantedtofidgetintherain。Butnowtheairwaslikewine，andthestubblewassmellingofwet，andoverhisheadwhitecloudstrundledmoreslowlyandmoreseldomthroughbroadeningtractsofblue。Thereneverhadbeensuchamorning，andheshutuphiseyesandcalledtoit。Andwheneverhecalled，Rickieshutuphiseyesandwinced。
　　Atlastthebladebroke。"Wedon’tgoquick，dowe"heremarked，andlookedontheweedytrackforanother。
　　"Iwishyouwouldn’tletmekeepyou。Ifyouwerealoneyouwouldbegallopingorsomethingofthatsort。"
　　"IwastoldImustgoyourpace，"hesaidmournfully。"AndyoupromisedMissPembrokenottohurry，"
　　"Well，I’lldisobey。"Buthecouldnotriseaboveagentletrot，andeventhatnearlyjerkedhimoutofthesaddle。
　　"Sitlikethis，"saidStephen。"Can’tyouseelikethis？"Rickielurchedforward，andbrokehisthumbnailonthehorse’sneck。Itbledalittle，andhadtobeboundup。
　　"Thankyou——awfullykind——notighter，please——I’msimplyspoilingyourday。"
　　"Ican’tthinkhowamancanhelpriding。You’veonlytoleaveittothehorseso！——so！——justasyouleaveittowaterinswimming。"
　　RickieleftittoDido，whostoppedimmediately。
　　"IsaidLEAVEit。"Hisvoiceroseirritably。"Ididn’tsay’die。’
　　Ofcourseshestopsifyoudie。Firstyousitherasifyou’reSandowexercising，andthenyousitlikeacorpse。Can’tyoutellheryou’realive？That’sallshewants。"
　　Intryingtoconveytheinformation，Rickiedroppedhiswhip。
　　StephenpickeditupandrammeditintothebeltofhisownNorfolkjacket。Hewasscarcelyafashionablehorseman。Hewasnotevengraceful。Butherodeasalivingman，thoughRickiewastoomuchboredtonoticeit。Notamuscleinhimwasidle，notamuscleworkinghard。Whenhereturnedfromthegallophislimbswerestillunsatisfiedandhismannersstillirritable。Hedidnotknowthathewasill:heknewnothingabouthimselfatall。
　　"LikeahowdahintheZoo，"hegrumbled。"MotherFailingwillbuyelephants。"Andheproceededtocriticizehisbenefactress。
　　Rickie，keenlyalivetobadtaste，triedtostophim，andgainedinsteadacriticismofreligion。StephenoverthrewtheMosaiccosmogony。HepointedoutthediscrepanciesintheGospels。Helevelledhiswitagainstthemostbeautifulspireintheworld，nowrisingagainstthesouthernsky。Betweenwhileshewentforagallop。AfteratimeRickiestoppedlistening，andsimplywenthisway。ForDidowasaperfectmount，andasindifferenttothemotionsofAeneasasifshewasstrollingintheElysianfields。
　　Hehadhadabadnight，andthestrongairmadehimsleepy。ThewindblewfromthePlain。Cadoveranditsvalleyhaddisappeared，andthoughtheyhadnotclimbedmuchandcouldnotseefar，therewasasenseofinfinitespace。Thefieldswereenormous，likefieldsontheContinent，andthebrilliantsunshoweduptheircolourswell。Thegreenoftheturnips，thegoldoftheharvest，andthebrownofthenewlyturnedclods，wereeachcontrastedwithmorselsofgreydown。Butthegeneraleffectwaspale，orrathersilvery，forWiltshireisnotacountyofheavytints。
　　Beneaththesecolourslurkedtheunconquerablechalk，andwhereverthesoilwaspooritemerged。Thegrassytrack，sogaywithscabiousandbedstraw，wassnow—whiteatthebottomofitsruts。Adazzlingamphitheatregleamedintheflankofadistanthill，cutforsomeOlympianaudience。Andhereandthere，whateverthesurfacecrop，theearthbrokeintolittleembankments，littleditches，littlemounds:therehadbeennolackofdramatosolacethegods。
　　InCadover，theperiloushouse，AgneshadalreadypartedfromMrs。Failing。Histhoughtsreturnedtoher。Wasshe，thesouloftruth，insafety？Washerpurityvexedbytheliesandselfishness？Wouldsheeludethecapricewhichhad，hevaguelyknew，causedsufferingbefore？Ah，thefrailtyofjoy！Ah，themyriadsoflongingsthatpasswithoutfruition，andtheturfgrowsoverthem！Bettermen，womenasnoble——theyhaddieduphereandtheirdusthadbeenmingled，butonlytheirdust。Thesearemorbidthoughts，butwhodarecontradictthem？Thereismuchgoodluckintheworld，butitisluck。Wearenoneofussafe。
　　Wearechildren，playingorquarrelingontheline，andsomeofushaveRickie’stemperament，orhisexperiences，andadmitit。
　　Sobemused，thatanxiouslittlespeck，andallthelandseemedtocommentonhisfearsandonhislove。
　　Theirpathlayupward，overagreatbaldskull，halfgrass，halfstubble。Itseemedeachmomenttherewouldbeasplendidview。
　　Theviewnevercame，fornoneoftheinclinesweresharpenough，andtheymovedovertheskullformanyminutes，scarcelyshiftingalandmarkoralteringthebluefringeofthedistance。ThespireofSalisburydidalter，butveryslightly，risingandfallinglikethemercuryinathermometer。Atthemostitwouldbehalfhidden;attheleastthetipwouldshowbehindtheswellingbarrierofearth。Theypassedtwoelder—trees——agreatevent。Thebarepatch，saidStephen，wasowingtothegallows。Rickienodded。Hehadlostallsenseofincident。Inthisgreatsolitude——moresolitarythananyAlpinerange——heandAgneswerefloatingaloneandforever，betweentheshapelessearthandtheshapelessclouds。Animmensesilenceseemedtomovetowardsthem。
　　Alarkstoppedsinging，andtheyweregladofit。TheywereapproachingtheThroneofGod。Thesilencetouchedthem;theearthandalldangerdissolved，buteretheyquitevanishedRickieheardhimselfsaying，"Isitexactlywhatweintended？"
　　"Yes，"saidaman’svoice;"it’stheoldplan。"Theywereinanothervalley。Itssideswerethickwithtrees。Downitrananotherstreamandanotherroad:it，too，shelteredastringofvillages。Butallwasricher，larger，andmorebeautiful——thevalleyoftheAvonbelowAmesbury。
　　"I’vebeenasleep！"saidRickie，inawestrucktones。
　　"Never！"saidtheotherfacetiously。"Pleasantdreams？"
　　"Perhaps——I’mreallytiredofapologizingtoyou。Howlonghaveyoubeenholdingmeon？"
　　"Allintheday’swork。"Hegavehimbackthereins。
　　"Where’sthatroundhill？"
　　"Gonewherethegoodniggersgo。Iwantadrink。"
　　ThisisNature’sjokeinWiltshire——heronejoke。Youtoilonwindyslopes，andfeelveryprimeval。Youaremilesfromyourfellows，andlo！alittlevalleyfullofelmsandcottages。
　　BeforeRickiehadwakeduptoit，theyhadstoppedbyathatchedpublic—house，andStephenwasyellinglikeamaniacforbeer。
　　Therewasnooccasiontoyell。Hewasnotverythirsty，andtheywerequitereadytoservehim。Norneedhehavedrunkinthesaddle，withtheairofawarriorwhocarriesimportantdispatchesandhasnotthetimetodismount。Arealsoldier，boundonasimilarerrand，rodeuptotheinn，andStephenfearedthathewouldyelllouder，andwashostile。Buttheymadefriendsandtreatedeachother，andslangedtheproprietorandraggedtheprettygirls;whileRickie，aseachwaveofvulgarityburstoverhim，sunkhisheadlowerandlower，andwishedthattheearthwouldswallowhimup。HewasonlyusedtoCambridge，andtoaverysmallcornerofthat。Heandhisfriendstherebelievedinfreespeech。Buttheyspokefreelyaboutgeneralities。Theywerescientificandphilosophic。Theywouldhaveshrunkfromtheempiricalfreedomthatresultsfromalittlebeer。
　　Thatwaswhatannoyedhimasherodedownthenewvalleywithtwochatteringcompanions。Hewasmoreskilledthantheywereintheprinciplesofhumanexistence，buthewasnotsoindecentlyfamiliarwiththeexamples。Asordidvillagescandal——suchasStephendescribedasahugejoke——sprangfromcertaindefectsinhumannature，withwhichhewastheoreticallyacquainted。Buttheexample！Heblushedatitlikeamaidenlady，inspiteofitshavingaparallelinabeautifulidyllofTheocritus。Wasexperiencegoingtobesuchasplendidthingafterall？Weretheoutsideofhousessoverybeautiful？
　　"That’sspicy！"thesoldierwassaying。"Gotanymorelikethat？"
　　"I’segotapome，"saidStephen，anddrewapieceofpaperfromhispocket。Thevalleyhadbroadened。OldSarumrosebeforethem，uglyandmajestic。
　　"Writethisyourself？"heasked，chuckling。
　　"Rather，"saidStephen，loweringhisheadandkissingAeneasbetweentheears。
　　"Butwho’soldEm’ly？"Rickiewincedandfrowned。
　　"Nowyou’reasking。
　　"OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——"
　　"Iamsotired，"saidRickie。Whyshouldhestanditanylonger？
　　Hewouldgohometothewomanheloved。"DoyoumindifIgiveupSalisbury？"
　　"Butwe’veseennothing！"criedStephen。
　　"Ishouldn’tenjoyanything，Iamsoabsurdlytired。"
　　"Leftturn，then——allintheday’swork。"Hebitathismoustacheangrily。
　　"Goodgraciousme，man！——ofcourseI’mgoingbackalone。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourday。Howcouldyouthinkitofme？"
　　Stephengavealoudsighofrelief。"Ifyoudowanttogohome，here’syourwhip。Don’tfalloff。Saytoheryouwantedit，ortheremightbeructions。"
　　"Certainly。Thankyouforyourkindcareofme。"
　　"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’"
　　Soonhewasoutofearshot。Soontheywerelosttoview。Soontheywereoutofhisthoughts。Heforgotthecoarsenessandthedrinkingandtheingratitude。Afewmonthsagohewouldnothaveforgottensoquickly，andhemightalsohavedetectedsomethingelse。Butaloverisdogmatic。Tohimtheworldshallbebeautifulandpure。Whenitisnot，heignoresit。
　　"He’snottired，"saidStephentothesoldier;"hewantshisgirl。"Andtheywinkedateachother，andcrackedjokesovertheeternalcomedyoflove。Theyaskedeachotherifthey’dletagirlspoilamorning’sride。Theybothexhibitedaprofoundcynicism。Stephen，whowasquitewithoutballast，describedthehouseholdatCadover:heshouldsaythatRickiewouldfindMissPembrokekissingthefootman。
　　"Isaythefootman’skissingoldEm’ly。"
　　"Jollyday，"saidStephen。Hisvoicewassuddenlyconstrained。Hewasnotsurewhetherhelikedthesoldierafterall，norwhetherhehadbeenwiseinshowinghimhiscompositions。
　　"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’"
　　"Allright，Thomas。That’lldo。"
　　"OldEm’ly——’"
　　"Iwishyou’ddryup，likeagoodfellow。Thisisthelady’shorse，youknow，hangit，afterall。"
　　"In—deed！"
　　"Don’tyousee——whenafellow’sonahorse，hecan’tletanotherfellow——kindof——don’tyouknow？"
　　Themandidknow。"There’ssenseinthat。"hesaidapprovingly。
　　Peacewasrestored，andtheywouldhavereachedSalisburyiftheyhadnothadsomemorebeer。Itunloosedthesoldier’sfancies，andagainhespokeofoldEm’ly，andrecitedthepoem，withAristophanicvariations。
　　"Jollyday，"repeatedStephen，withastraighteningoftheeyebrowsandaquickglanceattheother’sbody。Hethenwarnedhimagainstthevariations。InconsequencehewasaccusedofbeingamemberoftheY。M。C。A。Hisbloodboiledatthis。Herefutedthecharge，andbecamegreatfriendswiththesoldier，forthethirdtime。
　　"Anyobjectionto’SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackleton’？"
　　"Rathernot。"
　　Thesoldiersang"SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackkleton。"Itisreallyaworkfortwovoices，mostofthesaucinessdisappearingwhentakenasasolo。NorisMrs。Tackleton’snameEm’lv。
　　"Icallitajollyrottensong，"saidStephencrossly。"Iwon’tstandbeinggotat。"
　　"P’r’apsy’liketheroldsong。Lishen。
　　"’Ofallthegullsthatarsshmart，There’snonelinepretty——Em’ly;
　　Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart’"
　　"Now，that’swrong。"Herodeupclosetothesinger。
　　"Shright。"
　　"’Tisn’t。"
　　"It’sasmymothertaughtme。"
　　"Idon’tcare。"
　　"I’llnotalterfrommother’sway。"
　　Stephenwasbaffled。Thenhesaid，"Howdoesyourmothermakeitrhyme？"
　　"Wot？"
　　"Squat。You’reanass，andI’mnot。Poemswantrhymes。’Alley’
　　comesnextline。"
　　Hesaid"alley"was——welcometocomeifitliked。
　　"Itcan’t。YouwantSally。Sally——alley。Em’ly—alleydoesn’tdo。"
　　"Emily—femily！"criedthesoldier，withaninspirationthatwasnothiswhensober。"Mymothertaughtmefemily。
　　"’Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart，Andshelivesinmyfemily。’"
　　"Well，you’dbestbecareful，Thomas，andyourmothertoo。"
　　"Yourmother’snobetterthansheshouldbe，"saidThomasvaguely。
　　"DoyouthinkIhaven’theardthatbefore？"retortedtheboy。
　　Theotherconcludedhemightnowsayanything。Sohemight——thenameofoldEmilyexcepted。Stephencaredlittleabouthisbenefactress’shonour，butagreatdealabouthisown。HehadmadeMrs。Failingintoatest。Forthemomenthewoulddieforher，asaknightwoulddieforaglove。Heisnottobedistinguishedfromahero。
　　OldSarumwaspassed。Theyapproachedthemostbeautifulspireintheworld。"Lord！anotheroftheselargechurches！"saidthesoldier。UnfriendlytoGothic，heliftedbothhandstohisnose，anddeclaredthatoldEm’lywasburiedthere。Helayinthemud。
　　HishorsetrottedbacktowardsAmesbury，Stephenhadtwistedhimoutofthesaddle。
　　"I’vedonehim！"heyelled，thoughnoonewastheretohear。Heroseupinhisstirrupsandshoutedwithjoy。HeflunghisarmsroundAeneas’sneck。Theelderlyhorseunderstood，capered，andbolted。ItwasacentaurthatdashedintoSalisburyandscatteredthepeople。Inthestablehewouldnotdismount。"I’vedonehim！"
　　heyelledtotheostlers——apatheticmen。Stretchingupwards，heclungtoabeam。Aeneasmovedonandhewaslefthanging。Greatlydidheincommodethembyhisexercises。Hepulledup，hecircled，hekickedtheothercustomers。Atlasthefelltotheearth，deliciouslyfatigued。Hisbodyworriedhimnolonger。
　　Hewent，likethebabyhewas，tobuyawhitelinenhat。Thereweresoldiersabout，andhethoughtitwoulddisguisehim。Thenhehadalittlelunchtosteadythebeer。Thisdayhadturnedoutadmirably。AllthemoneythatshouldhavefedRickiehecouldspendonhimself。InsteadoftoilingovertheCathedralandseeingthestuffedpenguins，hecouldstopthewholethinginthecattlemarket。Therehemetandmadesomefriends。Hewatchedthecheap—jacks，andsawhownecessaryitwastohaveaconfidentmanner。Hespokeconfidentlyhimselfaboutlambs，andpeoplelistened。Hespokeconfidentlyaboutpigs，andtheyroaredwithlaughter。Hemustlearnmoreaboutpigs。Hewitnessedaperformance——nottoonamby—pamby——ofPunchandJudy。"Hullo，Podge！"criedanaughtylittlegirl。Hetriedtocatchher，andfailed。ShewasoneoftheCadfordchildren。ForSalisburyonmarketday，thoughitisnotpicturesque，iscertainlyrepresentative，andyoureadthenamesofhalftheWiltshirevillagesuponthecarriers’carts。Hefound，inPennyFarthingStreet，thecartfromWintersbridge。Itwouldnotstartforseveralhours，butthepassengersalwaysuseditasaclub，andsatiniteverynowandthenduringtheday。Nolessthanthreeladieswerethesenow，staringattheshafts。OneofthemwasFleaThompson’sgirl。Heaskedher，quitepolitely，whyherloverhadbrokenfaithwithhimintherain。Shewassilent。Hewarnedherofapproachingvengeance。Shewasstillsilent，butanotherwomanhopedthatagentlemanwouldnotbehardonapoorperson。
　　Somethinginthisannoyedhim;itwasn’taquestionofgentilityandpoverty——itwasaquestionoftwomen。HedeterminedtogobackbyCadburyRingswheretheshepherdwouldnowbe。
　　Hedid。Butthispartmustbetreatedlightly。HerodeuptotheculpritwiththeairofaSaintGeorge，spokeafewsternwordsfromthesaddle，tetheredhissteedtoahurdle，andtookoffhiscoat。"Areyouready？"heasked。
　　"Yes，sir，"saidFlea，andflunghimonhisback。
　　"That’snotfair，"heprotested。
　　Theotherdidnotreply，butflunghimonhishead。
　　"Howonearthdidyoulearnthat？"
　　"Bytryingoften，"saidFlea。
　　Stephensatontheground，pickingmudoutofhisforehead。"I
　　meantittobefists，"hesaidgloomily。
　　"Iknow，sir。"
　　"It’sjollysmartthough，and——andIbegyourpardonallround。"
　　Itcosthimagreatdealtosaythis，buthewassurethatitwastherightthingtosay。Hemustacknowledgethebetterman。
　　Whereasmostpeople，iftheyprovokeafightandareflung，say，"Youcannotrobmeofmymoralvictory。"
　　Therewasnothingfurthertobedone。Hemountedagain，notexactlydepressed，butfeelingthatthisdelightfulworldisextraordinarilyunreliable。Hehadneverexpectedtoflingthesoldier，ortobeflungbyFlea。"Onenipsorisnipped，"hethought，"andneverknowsbeforehand。IshouldnotbesurprisedifmanypeoplehadmoreinthemthanIsuppose，whileotherswerejusttheotherwayround。Ihaven’tseenthatsortofthinginIngersoll，butit’squiteimportant。"Thenhisthoughtsturnedtoacuriousincidentoflongago，whenhehadbeen"nipped"——asalittleboy。Hewastrespassinginthosewoods，whenhemetinanarrowgladeaflockofsheep。Theyhadneitherdognorshepherd，andadvancedtowardshimsilently。Hewasaccustomedtosheep，buthadneverhappenedtomeettheminawoodbefore，anddislikedit。Heretired，slowlyatfirst，thenfast;andtheflock，inadensemass，pressedafterhim。Histerrorincreased。
　　Heturnedandscreamedattheirlongwhitefaces;andstilltheycameon，allstucktogether，likesomehorriblejell——。Ifoncehegotintothem！Bellowingandscreeching，herushedintotheundergrowth，torehimselfallover，andreachedhomeinconvulsions。Mr。Failing，hisonlygrown—upfriend，wassympathetic，butquitestupid。"Panoviumcustos，"hesympathetic，ashepulledoutthethorns。"Whynot？""Panoviumcustos。"Stephenlearntthemeaningofthephraseatschool，"A
　　panofeggsforcustard。"Hestillrememberedhowtheotherboyslookedashepeepedatthembetweenhislegs，awaitingthedescendingcane。
　　Sohereturned，fullofpleasantdisconnectedthoughts。Hehadhadararegoodtime。Helikedeveryone——eventhatpoorlittleElliot——andyetnoonemattered。Theywereallout。Onthelandinghesawthehousemaid。Hefeltskittishandirresistible。
　　Shouldhesliphisarmroundherwaist？Perhapsbetternot;shemightboxhisears。Andhewantedtosmokeontheroofbeforedinner。Soheonlysaid，"Pleasewillyoustoptheboyblackingmybrownboots，"andshewithdowncasteyes，answered，"Yes，sir;
　　Iwillindeed。"
　　Hisroomwasinthepediment。Classicalarchitecture，likeallthingsinthisworldthatattemptserenity，isboundtohaveitslapsesintotheundignified，andCadoverlapsedhopelesslywhenitcametoStephen’sroom。Itgavehimoneroundwindow，toseethroughwhichhemustlieuponhisstomach，onetrapdooropeningupontheleads，threeirongirders，threebeams，sixbuttresses，nocircling，unlessyoucountthewalls，nowallsunlessyoucounttheceilingandinitsembarrassmentpresentedhimwiththegurglycisternthatsuppliedthebathwater。Herehelived，absolutelyhappy，andunawarethatMrs。Failinghadpokedhimuphereonpurpose，topreventhimfromgrowingtoobumptious。Hereheworkedandsangandpractisedontheocharoon。Here，inthecrannies，hehadconstructedshelvesandcupboardsanduselesslittledrawers。Hehadonlyonepicture——theDemeterofCnidos——
　　andshehungstraightfromtherooflikeajointofmeat。Onceshewasinthedrawing—room;butMrs。Failinghadgottiredofher，anddecreedherremovalandthisdegradation。Nowshefacedthesunrise;andwhenthemoonroseitslightalsofellonher，andtrembled，likelightuponthesea。Forshewasneverstill，andifthedraughtincreasedshewouldtwistonherstring，andwouldswayandtapupontheraftersuntilStephenwokeupandsaidwhathethoughtofher。"Wantyournose？"hewouldmurmur。
　　"Don’tyouwishyoumaygetit"Thenhedrewtheclothesoverhisears，whileabovehim，inthewindandthedarkness，thegoddesscontinuedhermotions。
　　Today，asheentered，hetrodonthepileofsixpennyreprints。
　　Leightonhadbroughtthemup。Helookedattheportraitsintheircovers，andbegantothinkthatthesepeoplewerenoteverything。
　　Whatafate，tolooklikeColonelIngersoll，ortomarryMrs。
　　JuliaP。Chunk！TheDemeterturnedtowardshimashebathed，andinthecoldwaterhesang——
　　"Theyaren’tbeautiful，theyaren’tmodest;
　　I’djustassoonfollowanoldstonegoddess，"
　　andsprangupwardthroughtheskylightontotheroof。Yearsago，whenanursewaswashinghim，hehadslippedfromhersoapyhandsandgotuphere。Sheimploredhimtorememberthathewasalittlegentleman;butheforgotthefact——ifitwasafact——andnoteventhebutlercouldgethimdown。Mr。Failing，whowassittingaloneinthegardentooilltoread，heardashout，"AmI
　　anacroterium？"HelookedupandsawanakedchildpoisedonthesummitofCadover。"Yes，"hereplied;"buttheyareunfashionable。Goin，"andthevisionhadremainedwithhimassomethingpeculiarlygracious。Hefeltthatnonsenseandbeautyhavecloseconnections，——closerconnectionsthanArtwillallow，—
　　—andthatbothwouldremainwhenhisownheavinessandhisownuglinesshadperished。Mrs。Failingfoundinhisremainsasentencethatpuzzledher。"Iseetherespectablemansion。Iseethesmugfortressofculture。Thedoorsareshut。Thewindowsareshut。Butontheroofthechildrengodancingforever。"
　　Stephenwasachildnolonger。Heneverstoodonthepedimentnow，exceptforabet。Henever，orscarcelyever，pouredwaterdownthechimneys。Whenhecaughtthecat，heseldomdroppedherintothehousekeeper’sbedroom。Butstill，whentheweatherwasfair，helikedtocomeupafterbathing，andgetdryinthesun。
　　Todayhebroughtwithhimatowel，apipeoftobacco，andRickie’sstory。Hemustgetitdonesometime，andhewastiredofthesix—pennyreprints。Theslopinggablewaswarm，andhelaybackonitwithclosedeyes，gaspingforpleasure。Starlingscriticizedhim，snotsfellonhiscleanbody，andoverhimalittlecloudwastingedwiththecoloursofevening。"Good！
　　good！"hewhispered。"Good，ohgood！"andopenedthemanuscriptreluctantly。
　　Whataproduction！Whowasthisgirl？Wheredidshegoto？Whysomuchtalkabouttrees？"Itakeithewroteitwhenfeelingbad，"
　　hemurmured，andletitfallintothegutter。Itfellfacedownwards，andonthebackhesawaneatlittleresumeinMissPembroke’shandwriting，intendedforsuchashim。"Allegory。Man=moderncivilization（inbadsense）。Girl=gettingintotouchwithNature。"
　　IntouchwithNature！Thegirlwasatree！Helithispipeandgazedattheradiantearth。Theforegroundwashidden，buttherewasthevillagewithitselms，andtheRomanRoad，andCadburyRings。There，too，werethosewoods，andlittlebeechcopses，crowningawasteofdown。Nottomentiontheair，orthesun，orwater。Good，ohgood！
　　IntouchwithNature！Whatcantwouldthebooksthinkofnext？
　　Hiseyesclosed。Hewassleepy。Good，ohgood！Sighingintohispipe，hefellasleep。