RosesredandroseswhitePluckedIformylove’sdelight。
　　Shewouldnoneofallmyposies，——
　　Bademegatherherblueroses。
　　HalftheworldIwanderedthrough，Seekingwheresuchflowersgrew；
　　HalftheworlduntomyquestAnsweredbutwithlaughandjest。
　　ItmaybebeyondthegraveSheshallfindwhatshewouldhave。
　　Minewasbutanidlequest，——
　　Roseswhiteandredarebest！——
　　BlueRoses-
　　THESEAhadnotchangedItswaterswerelowonthemud-banks，andtheMarazionBell-buoyclankedandswunginthetide-wayOnthewhitebeach-sanddriedstumpsofsea-poppyshiveredandchattered。
　　’Idon’tseetheoldbreakwater，’saidMaisie，underherbreath。
　　’Let’sbethankfulthatwehaveasmuchaswehaveIdon’tbelievethey’vemountedasinglenewgunonthefortsincewewerehere。
　　Comeandlook。’
　　TheycametotheglacisofFortKeeling，andsatdowninanookshelteredfromthewindunderthetarredthroatofaforty-poundercannon。
　　’Now，ifAmmomawereonlyhere！’saidMaisie。
　　ForalongtimebothweresilentThenDicktookMaisie’shandandcalledherbyhername。
　　Sheshookherheadandlookedouttosea。
　　’Maisie，darling，doesn’titmakeanydifference？’
　　’No！’betweenclenchedteeth’I’d——I’dtellyouifitdid；butitdoesn’t，Oh，Dick，pleasebesensible。’
　　’Don’tyouthinkthatiteverwill？’
　　’No，I’msureitwon’t。’
　　’Why？’
　　Maisierestedherchinonherhand，and，stillregardingthesea，spokehurriedly——
　　’Iknowwhatyouwantperfectlywell，butIcan’tgiveittoyou，DickItisn’tmyfault；indeed，itisn’tIfIfeltthatIcouldcareforanyone——
　　ButIdon’tfeelthatIcareIsimplydon’tunderstandwhatthefeelingmeans。’
　　’Isthattrue，dear？’
　　’You’vebeenverygoodtome，Dickie；andtheonlywayIcanpayyoubackisbyspeakingthetruthIdaren’ttellafibIdespisemyselfquitenoughasitis。’
　　’Whatintheworldfor？’
　　’Because——becauseItakeeverythingthatyougivemeandIgiveyounothinginreturnIt’smeanandselfishofme，andwheneverIthinkofititworriesme。’
　　’Understandonceforall，then，thatIcanmanagemyownaffairs，andifI
　　choosetodoanythingyouaren’ttoblameYouhaven’tasinglethingtoreproachyourselfwith，darling。’
　　’Yes，Ihave，andtalkingonlymakesitworse。’
　　’Thendon’ttalkaboutit。’
　　’HowcanIhelpmyself？Ifyoufindmealoneforaminuteyouarealwaystalkingaboutit；andwhenyouaren’tyoulookitYoudon’tknowhowI
　　despisemyselfsometimes。’
　　’Greatgoodness！’saidDick，nearlyjumpingtohisfeet’Speakthetruthnow，Maisie，ifyouneverspeakitagain！DoI——doesthisworryingboreyou？’
　　’NoItdoesnot。’
　　’You’dtellmeifitdid？’
　　’Ishouldletyouknow，Ithink。’
　　’ThankyouTheotherthingisfatalButyoumustlearntoforgiveamanwhenhe’sinloveHe’salwaysanuisanceYoumusthaveknownthat？’
　　Maisiedidnotconsiderthelastquestionworthanswering，andDickwasforcedtorepeatit。
　　’Therewereothermen，ofcourseTheyalwaysworriedjustwhenI
　　wasinthemiddleofmywork，andwantedmetolistentothem。’
　　’Didyoulisten？’
　　’Atfirst；andtheycouldn’tunderstandwhyIdidn’tcareAndtheyusedtopraisemypictures；andIthoughttheymeantitIusedtobeproudofthepraise，andtellKami，and——Ishallneverforget——onceKamilaughedatme。’
　　’Youdon’tlikebeinglaughedat，Maisie，doyou？’
　　’IhateitIneverlaughatotherpeopleunless——unlesstheydobadwork。
　　Dick，tellmehonestlywhatyouthinkofmypicturesgenerally，——ofeverythingofminethatyou’veseen。’
　　’“Honest，honest，andhonestover！”’quotedDickfromacatchwordoflongago’TellmewhatKamialwayssays。’
　　Maisiehesitated’He——hesaysthatthereisfeelinginthem。’
　　’Howdareyoutellmeafiblikethat？Remember，IwasunderKamifortwoyearsIknowexactlywhathesays。’
　　’Itisn’tafib。’
　　’It’sworse；it’sahalf-truthKamisays，whenheputshisheadononeside，——so，——“Ilyadusentiment，maisiln’yapasdepartipris。”’Herolledtherthreateningly，asKamiusedtodo。
　　’Yes，thatiswhathesays；andI’mbeginningtothinkthatheisright。’
　　’Certainlyheis。’DickadmittedthattwopeopleintheworldcoulddoandsaynowrongKamiwastheman。
　　’AndnowyousaythesamethingIt’ssodisheartening。’
　　’I’msorry，butyouaskedmetospeakthetruthBesides，IloveyoutoomuchtopretendaboutyourworkIt’sstrong，it’spatientsometimes，——notalways，——andsometimesthere’spowerinit，butthere’snospecialreasonwhyitshouldbedoneatallAtleast，that’showitstrikesme。’
　　’There’snospecialreasonwhyanythingintheworldshouldeverbedoneYouknowthataswellasIdoIonlywantsuccess。’
　　’You’regoingthewrongwaytogetit，thenHasn’tKamievertoldyouso？’
　　’Don’tquoteKamitomeIwanttoknowwhatyouthinkMywork’sbad，tobeginwith。’
　　’Ididn’tsaythat，andIdon’tthinkit。’
　　’It’samateurish，then。’
　　’ThatitmostcertainlyisnotYou’reawork-woman，darling，toyourboot-heels，andIrespectyouforthat。’
　　’Youdon’tlaughatmebehindmyback？’
　　’No，dearYousee，youaremoretomethananyoneelsePutthiscloakthingroundyou，oryou’llgetchilled。’
　　Maisiewrappedherselfinthesoftmartenskins，turningthegraykangaroofurtotheoutside。
　　’Thisisdelicious，’shesaid，rubbingherchinthoughtfullyalongthefur。
　　’Well？WhyamIwrongintryingtogetalittlesuccess？’
　　’JustbecauseyoutryDon’tyouunderstand，darling？Goodworkhasnothingtodowith——doesn’tbelongto——thepersonwhodoesitIt’sputintohimorherfromoutside。’
　　’Buthowdoesthataffect——’
　　’WaitaminuteAllwecandoistolearnhowtodoourwork，tobemastersofourmaterialsinsteadofservants，andnevertobeafraidofanything。’
　　’Iunderstandthat。’
　　’EverythingelsecomesfromoutsideourselvesVerygoodIfwesitdownquietlytoworkoutnotionsthataresenttous，wemayorwemaynotdosomethingthatisn’tbadAgreatdealdependsonbeingmasterofthebricksandmortarofthetradeButtheinstantwebegintothinkaboutsuccessandtheeffectofourwork——toplaywithoneeyeonthegallery——welosepowerandtouchandeverythingelseAtleastthat’showIhavefounditInsteadofbeingquietandgivingeverypoweryoupossesstoyourwork，you’refrettingoversomethingwhichyoucanneitherhelpnohinderbyaminuteSee？’
　　’It’ssoeasyforyoutotalkinthatwayPeoplelikewhatyoudo。
　　Don’tyoueverthinkaboutthegallery？’
　　’Muchtoooften；butI’malwayspunishedforitbylossofpower。
　　It’sassimpleastheRuleofThreeIfwemakelightofourworkbyusingitforourownends，ourworkwillmakelightofus，and，aswe’retheweaker，weshallsuffer。’
　　’Idon’ttreatmyworklightlyYouknowthatit’severythingtome。’
　　’Ofcourse；but，whetheryourealiseitornot，yougivetwostrokesforyourselftooneforyourworkItisn’tyourfault，darlingIdoexactlythesamething，andknowthatI’mdoingitMostoftheFrenchschools，andalltheschoolshere，drivethestudentstoworkfortheirowncredit，andforthesakeoftheirprideIwastoldthatalltheworldwasinterestedinmywork，andeverybodyatKami’stalkedturpentine，andI
　　honestlybelievedthattheworldneededelevatingandinfluencing，andallmannerofimpertinences，bymybrushesByJove，Iactuallybelievedthat！
　　WhenmylittleheadwasburstingwithanotionthatIcouldn’thandlebecauseI
　　hadn’tsufficientknowledgeofmycraft，Iusedtorunaboutwonderingatmyownmagnificenceandgettingreadytoastonishtheworld。’
　　’Butsurelyonecandothatsometimes？’
　　’Veryseldomwithmaliceaforethought，darlingAndwhenit’sdoneit’ssuchatinything，andtheworld’ssobig，andallbutamillionthpartofitdoesn’tcareMaisie，comewithmeandI’llshowyousomethingofthesizeoftheworldOnecannomoreavoidworkingthaneating，——thatgoesonbyitself，——buttrytoseewhatyouareworkingforIknowsuchlittleheavensthatIcouldtakeyouto，——islandstuckedawayundertheLine。
　　Yousightthemafterweeksofcrashingthroughwaterasblackasblackmarblebecauseit’ssodeep，andyousitinthefore-chainsdayafterdayandseethesunrisealmostafraidbecausethesea’ssolonely。’
　　’Whoisafraid？——you，orthesun？’
　　’Thesun，ofcourseAndtherearenoisesunderthesea，andsoundsoverheadinaclearskyThenyoufindyourislandalivewithhotmoistorchidsthatmakemouthsatyouandcandoeverythingexcepttalk。
　　There’sawaterfallinitthreehundredfeethigh，justlikeasliverofgreenjadelacedwithsilver；andmillionsofwildbeesliveupintherocks；andyoucanhearthefatcocoanutsfallingfromthepalms；
　　andyouorderanivory-whiteservanttoslingyoualongyellowhammockwithtasselsonitlikeripemaize，andyouputupyourfeetandhearthebeeshumandthewaterfalltillyougotosleep。’
　　’Canoneworkthere？’
　　’CertainlyOnemustdosomethingalwaysYouhangyourcanvasupinapalmtreeandlettheparrotscriticiseWhenthescuffleyouheavearipecustard-appleatthem，anditburstsinalatherofcreamTherearehundredsofplacesComeandseethem。’
　　’Idon’tquitelikethatplaceItsoundslazyTellmeanother。’
　　’Whatdoyouthinkofabig，red，deadcitybuiltofredsandstone，withrawgreenaloesgrowingbetweenthestones，lyingoutneglectedonhoney-colouredsands？Therearefortydeadkingsthere，Maisie，eachinagorgeoustombfinerthanalltheothersYoulookatthepalacesandstreetsandshopsandtanks，andthinkthatmenmustlivethere，tillyoufindaweegraysquirrelrubbingitsnoseallaloneinthemarket-place，andajewelledpeacockstrutsoutofacarveddoorwayandspreadsitstailagainstamarblescreenasfinepiercedaspoint-laceThenamonkey——alittleblackmonkey——walksthroughthemainsquaretogetadrinkfromatankfortyfeetdeepHeslidesdownthecreeperstothewater’sedge，andafriendholdshimbythetail，incaseheshouldfallin。’
　　’Isthatalltrue？’
　　’IhavebeenthereandseenTheneveningcomes，andthelightschangetillit’sjustasthoughyoustoodintheheartofaking-opalAlittlebeforesundown，aspunctuallyasclockwork，abigbristlywildboar，withallhisfamilyfollowing，trotsthroughthecitygate，churningthefoamonhistusksYouclimbontheshoulderofablindblackstonegodandwatchthatpigchoosehimselfapalaceforthenightandstumpinwagginghistailThenthenight-windgetsup，andthesandsmove，andyouhearthedesertoutsidethecitysinging，“NowIlaymedowntosleep。”andeverythingisdarktillthemoonrisesMaisie，darling，comewithmeandseewhattheworldisreallylikeIt’sverylovely，andit’sveryhorrible，——butIwon’tletyouseeanythinghorrid，——anditdoesn’tcareyourlifeormineforpicturesoranythingelseexceptdoingitsownworkandmakingloveCome，andI’llshowyouhowtobrewsangaree，andslingahammock，and——oh，thousandsofthings，andyou’llseeforyourselfwhatcolourmeans，andwe’llfindouttogetherwhatlovemeans，andthen，maybe，weshallbeallowedtodosomegoodworkComeaway！’
　　’Why？’saidMaisie。
　　’Howcanyoudoanythinguntilyouhaveseeneverything，orasmuchasyoucan？Andbesides，darling，IloveyouComealongwithme。
　　Youhavenobusinesshere；youdon’tbelongtothisplace；you’rehalfagipsy，——yourfacetellsthat；andI——eventhesmellofopenwatermakesmerestlessComeacrosstheseaandbehappy！’
　　Hehadrisentohisfeet，andstoodintheshadowofthegun，lookingdownatthegirlTheveryshortwinterafternoonhadwornaway，and，beforetheyknew，thewintermoonwaswalkingtheuntroubledseaLongruledlinesofsilvershowedwherearippleoftherisingtidewasturningoverthemud-banksThewindhaddropped，andintheintensestillnesstheycouldhearadonkeycroppingthefrostygrassmanyyardsawayA
　　faintbeating，likethatofamuffleddrum，cameoutofthemoon-haze。
　　’What’sthat？’saidMaisie，quickly’Itsoundslikeaheartbeating。
　　Whereisit？’
　　Dickwassoangryatthissuddenwrenchtohispleadingsthathecouldnottrusthimselftospeak，andinthissilencecaughtthesound。
　　Maisiefromherseatunderthegunwatchedhimwithacertainamountoffear。
　　Shewishedsomuchthathewouldbesensibleandceasetoworryherwithover-seaemotionthatshebothcouldandcouldnotunderstandShewasnotprepared，however，forthechangeinhisfaceashelistened。
　　’It’sasteamer，’hesaid，——’atwin-screwsteamer，bythebeatIcan’tmakeherout，butshemustbestandingveryclosein-shoreAh！’astheredofarocketstreakedthehaze，’she’sstandingintosignalbeforesheclearstheChannel。’
　　’Isitawreck？’saidMaisie，towhomthesewordswereasGreek。
　　Dick’seyeswereturnedtothesea’Wreck！Whatnonsense！She’sonlyreportingherselfRedrocketforward——there’sagreenlightaftnow，andtworedrocketsfromthebridge。’
　　’Whatdoesthatmean？’