UponwhichMrs。Flushingcriedoutwithdelight:
　　“She’smyfirstcousin！Goon——goon！“
　　WhenMrs。Flushingrosetogoshewasobviouslydelightedwithhernewacquaintances。Shemadethreeorfourdifferentplansformeetingorgoingonanexpedition，orshowingHelenthethingstheyhadbought，onherwaytothecarriage。Sheincludedthemallinavaguebutmagnificentinvitation。
　　AsHelenreturnedtothegardenagain，Ridley’swordsofwarningcameintoherhead，andshehesitatedamomentandlookedatRachelsittingbetweenHirstandHewet。Butshecoulddrawnoconclusions，forHewetwasstillreadingGibbonaloud，andRachel，foralltheexpressionshehad，mighthavebeenashell，andhiswordswaterrubbingagainstherears，aswaterrubsashellontheedgeofarock。
　　Hewet’svoicewasverypleasant。WhenhereachedtheendoftheperiodHewetstopped，andnoonevolunteeredanycriticism。
　　“Idoadorethearistocracy！“Hirstexclaimedafteramoment’spause。
　　“They’resoamazinglyunscrupulous。Noneofuswoulddaretobehaveasthatwomanbehaves。“
　　“WhatIlikeaboutthem，“saidHelenasshesatdown，“isthatthey’resowellputtogether。Naked，Mrs。Flushingwouldbesuperb。
　　Dressedasshedresses，it’sabsurd，ofcourse。“
　　“Yes，“saidHirst。Ashadeofdepressioncrossedhisface。
　　“I’veneverweighedmorethantenstoneinmylife，“hesaid，“whichisridiculous，consideringmyheight，andI’veactuallygonedowninweightsincewecamehere。Idaresaythataccountsfortherheumatism。“Againhejerkedhiswristbacksharply，sothatHelenmighthearthegrindingofthechalkstones。
　　Shecouldnothelpsmiling。
　　“It’snolaughingmatterforme，Iassureyou，“heprotested。
　　“Mymother’sachronicinvalid，andI’malwaysexpectingtobetoldthatI’vegotheartdiseasemyself。Rheumatismalwaysgoestotheheartintheend。“
　　“Forgoodness’sake，Hirst，“Hewetprotested；“onemightthinkyouwereanoldcrippleofeighty。Ifitcomestothat，Ihadanauntwhodiedofcancermyself，butIputaboldfaceonit——“
　　Heroseandbegantiltinghischairbackwardsandforwardsonitshindlegs。“Isanyonehereinclinedforawalk？“
　　hesaid。“There’samagnificentwalk，upbehindthehouse。
　　Youcomeoutontoacliffandlookrightdownintothesea。
　　Therocksareallred；youcanseethemthroughthewater。
　　TheotherdayIsawasightthatfairlytookmybreathaway——
　　abouttwentyjelly-fish，semi-transparent，pink，withlongstreamers，floatingonthetopofthewaves。“
　　“Suretheyweren’tmermaids？“saidHirst。“It’smuchtoohottoclimbuphill。“HelookedatHelen，whoshowednosignsofmoving。
　　“Yes，it’stoohot，“Helendecided。
　　Therewasashortsilence。
　　“I’dliketocome，“saidRachel。
　　“Butshemighthavesaidthatanyhow，“HelenthoughttoherselfasHewetandRachelwentawaytogether，andHelenwasleftalonewithSt。John，toSt。John’sobvioussatisfaction。
　　Hemayhavebeensatisfied，buthisusualdifficultyindecidingthatonesubjectwasmoredeservingofnoticethananotherpreventedhimfromspeakingforsometime。Hesatstaringintentlyattheheadofadeadmatch，whileHelenconsidered——soitseemedfromtheexpressionofhereyes——somethingnotcloselyconnectedwiththepresentmoment。
　　AtlastSt。Johnexclaimed，“Damn！Damneverything！Damneverybody！“
　　headded。“AtCambridgetherearepeopletotalkto。“
　　“AtCambridgetherearepeopletotalkto，“Helenechoedhim，rhythmicallyandabsent-mindedly。Thenshewokeup。“Bytheway，haveyousettledwhatyou’regoingtodo——isittobeCambridgeortheBar？“
　　Hepursedhislips，butmadenoimmediateanswer，forHelenwasstillslightlyinattentive。ShehadbeenthinkingaboutRachelandwhichofthetwoyoungmenshewaslikelytofallinlovewith，andnowsittingoppositetoHirstshethought，“He’sugly。
　　It’sapitythey’resougly。“
　　ShedidnotincludeHewetinthiscriticism；shewasthinkingoftheclever，honest，interestingyoungmensheknew，ofwhomHirstwasagoodexample，andwonderingwhetheritwasnecessarythatthoughtandscholarshipshouldthusmaltreattheirbodies，andshouldthuselevatetheirmindstoaveryhightowerfromwhichthehumanraceappearedtothemlikeratsandmicesquirmingontheflat。
　　“Andthefuture？“shereflected，vaguelyenvisagingaraceofmenbecomingmoreandmorelikeHirst，andaraceofwomenbecomingmoreandmorelikeRachel。“Ohno，“sheconcluded，glancingathim，“onewouldn’tmarryyou。Well，then，thefutureoftheraceisinthehandsofSusanandArthur；no——that’sdreadful。
　　Offarmlabourers；no——notoftheEnglishatall，butofRussiansandChinese。“Thistrainofthoughtdidnotsatisfyher，andwasinterruptedbySt。John，whobeganagain:
　　“IwishyouknewBennett。He’sthegreatestmanintheworld。“
　　“Bennett？“sheenquired。Becomingmoreatease，St。Johndroppedtheconcentratedabruptnessofhismanner，andexplainedthatBennettwasamanwholivedinanoldwindmillsixmilesoutofCambridge。
　　Helivedtheperfectlife，accordingtoSt。John，verylonely，verysimple，caringonlyforthetruthofthings，alwaysreadytotalk，andextraordinarilymodest，thoughhismindwasofthegreatest。
　　“Don’tyouthink，“saidSt。John，whenhehaddonedescribinghim，“thatkindofthingmakesthiskindofthingratherflimsy？DidyounoticeatteahowpooroldHewethadtochangetheconversation？
　　HowtheywereallreadytopounceuponmebecausetheythoughtI
　　wasgoingtosaysomethingimproper？Itwasn’tanything，really。
　　IfBennetthadbeentherehe’dhavesaidexactlywhathemeanttosay，orhe’dhavegotupandgone。Butthere’ssomethingratherbadforthecharacterinthat——Imeanifonehasn’tgotBennett’scharacter。
　　It’sinclinedtomakeonebitter。ShouldyousaythatIwasbitter？“
　　Helendidnotanswer，andhecontinued:
　　“OfcourseIam，disgustinglybitter，andit’sabeastlythingtobe。
　　ButtheworstofmeisthatI’msoenvious。Ienvyeveryone。
　　Ican’tendurepeoplewhodothingsbetterthanIdo——perfectlyabsurdthingstoo——waitersbalancingpilesofplates——evenArthur，becauseSusan’sinlovewithhim。Iwantpeopletolikeme，andtheydon’t。It’spartlymyappearance，Iexpect，“hecontinued，“thoughit’sanabsolutelietosayI’veJewishbloodinme——
　　asamatteroffactwe’vebeeninNorfolk，HirstofHirstbourneHall，forthreecenturiesatleast。Itmustbeawfullysoothingtobelikeyou——
　　everyonelikingoneatonce。“
　　“Iassureyoutheydon’t，“Helenlaughed。
　　“Theydo，“saidHirstwithconviction。“Inthefirstplace，you’rethemostbeautifulwomanI’veeverseen；inthesecond，youhaveanexceptionallynicenature。“
　　IfHirsthadlookedatherinsteadoflookingintentlyathisteacuphewouldhaveseenHelenblush，partlywithpleasure，partlywithanimpulseofaffectiontowardstheyoungmanwhohadseemed，andwouldseemagain，souglyandsolimited。Shepitiedhim，forshesuspectedthathesuffered，andshewasinterestedinhim，formanyofthethingshesaidseemedtohertrue；sheadmiredthemoralityofyouth，andyetshefeltimprisoned。Asifherinstinctweretoescapetosomethingbrightlycolouredandimpersonal，whichshecouldholdinherhands，shewentintothehouseandreturnedwithherembroidery。Buthewasnotinterestedinherembroidery；
　　hedidnotevenlookatit。
　　“AboutMissVinrace，“hebegan，——“oh，lookhere，dolet’sbeSt。JohnandHelen，andRachelandTerence——what’sshelike？Doesshereason，doesshefeel，orisshemerelyakindoffootstool？“
　　“Ohno，“saidHelen，withgreatdecision。FromherobservationsatteashewasinclinedtodoubtwhetherHirstwasthepersontoeducateRachel。Shehadgraduallycometobeinterestedinherniece，andfondofher；shedislikedsomethingsaboutherverymuch，shewasamusedbyothers；butshefelther，onthewhole，aliveifunformedhumanbeing，experimental，andnotalwaysfortunateinherexperiments，butwithpowersofsomekind，andacapacityforfeeling。Somewhereinthedepthsofher，too，shewasboundtoRachelbytheindestructibleifinexplicabletiesofsex。
　　“Sheseemsvague，butshe’sawillofherown，“shesaid，asifintheintervalshehadrunthroughherqualities。
　　Theembroidery，whichwasamatterforthought，thedesignbeingdifficultandthecolourswantingconsideration，broughtlapsesintothedialoguewhensheseemedtobeengrossedinherskeinsofsilk，or，withheadalittledrawnbackandeyesnarrowed，consideredtheeffectofthewhole。Thusshemerelysaid，“Um-m-m“toSt。John’snextremark，“Ishallaskhertogoforawalkwithme。“
　　Perhapsheresentedthisdivisionofattention。HesatsilentwatchingHelenclosely。
　　“You’reabsolutelyhappy，“heproclaimedatlast。
　　“Yes？“Helenenquired，stickinginherneedle。
　　“Marriage，Isuppose，“saidSt。John。
　　“Yes，“saidHelen，gentlydrawingherneedleout。
　　“Children？“St。Johnenquired。
　　“Yes，“saidHelen，stickingherneedleinagain。“Idon’tknowwhyI’mhappy，“shesuddenlylaughed，lookinghimfullintheface。
　　Therewasaconsiderablepause。
　　“There’sanabyssbetweenus，“saidSt。John。Hisvoicesoundedasifitissuedfromthedepthsofacavernintherocks。
　　“You’reinfinitelysimplerthanIam。Womenalwaysare，ofcourse。
　　That’sthedifficulty。Oneneverknowshowawomangetsthere。
　　Supposingallthetimeyou’rethinking，’Oh，whatamorbidyoungman！’“
　　Helensatandlookedathimwithherneedleinherhand。
　　Fromherpositionshesawhisheadinfrontofthedarkpyramidofamagnolia-tree。Withonefootraisedontherungofachair，andherelbowoutintheattitudeforsewing，herownfigurepossessedthesublimityofawoman’softheearlyworld，spinningthethreadoffate——thesublimitypossessedbymanywomenofthepresentdaywhofallintotheattituderequiredbyscrubbingorsewing。
　　St。Johnlookedather。
　　“Isupposeyou’veneverpaidanyacomplimentinthecourseofyourlife，“hesaidirrelevantly。
　　“IspoilRidleyrather，“Helenconsidered。
　　“I’mgoingtoaskyoupointblank——doyoulikeme？“
　　Afteracertainpause，shereplied，“Yes，certainly。“
　　“ThankGod！“heexclaimed。“That’sonemercy。Yousee，“hecontinuedwithemotion，“I’dratheryoulikedmethananyoneI’veevermet。“
　　“Whataboutthefivephilosophers？“saidHelen，withalaugh，stitchingfirmlyandswiftlyathercanvas。“Iwishyou’ddescribethem。“
　　Hirsthadnoparticularwishtodescribethem，butwhenhebegantoconsiderthemhefoundhimselfsoothedandstrengthened。Farawaytotheothersideoftheworldastheywere，insmokyrooms，andgreymedievalcourts，theyappearedremarkablefigures，free-spokenmenwithwhomonecouldbeatease；incomparablymoresubtleinemotionthanthepeoplehere。Theygavehim，certainly，whatnowomancouldgivehim，notHeleneven。Warmingatthethoughtofthem，hewentontolayhiscasebeforeMrs。Ambrose。ShouldhestayonatCambridgeorshouldhegototheBar？Onedayhethoughtonething，anotherdayanother。Helenlistenedattentively。
　　Atlast，withoutanypreface，shepronouncedherdecision。
　　“LeaveCambridgeandgototheBar，“shesaid。Hepressedherforherreasons。
　　“Ithinkyou’denjoyLondonmore，“shesaid。Itdidnotseemaverysubtlereason，butsheappearedtothinkitsufficient。
　　Shelookedathimagainstthebackgroundoffloweringmagnolia。
　　Therewassomethingcuriousinthesight。Perhapsitwasthattheheavywax-likeflowersweresosmoothandinarticulate，andhisface——
　　hehadthrownhishataway，hishairwasrumpled，heheldhiseye-glassesinhishand，sothataredmarkappearedoneithersideofhisnose——wassoworriedandgarrulous。Itwasabeautifulbush，spreadingverywidely，andallthetimeshehadsattheretalkingshehadbeennoticingthepatchesofshadeandtheshapeoftheleaves，andthewaythegreatwhiteflowerssatinthemidstofthegreen。
　　Shehadnoticedithalf-consciously，neverthelessthepatternhadbecomepartoftheirtalk。Shelaiddownhersewing，andbegantowalkupanddownthegarden，andHirstrosetooandpacedbyherside。
　　Hewasratherdisturbed，uncomfortable，andfullofthought。
　　Neitherofthemspoke。
　　Thesunwasbeginningtogodown，andachangehadcomeoverthemountains，asiftheywererobbedoftheirearthlysubstance，andcomposedmerelyofintensebluemist。Longthincloudsofflamingored，withedgesliketheedgesofcurledostrichfeathers，layupanddowntheskyatdifferentaltitudes。Theroofsofthetownseemedtohavesunklowerthanusual；thecypressesappearedveryblackbetweentheroofs，andtheroofsthemselveswerebrownandwhite。Asusualintheevening，singlecriesandsinglebellsbecameaudiblerisingfrombeneath。
　　St。Johnstoppedsuddenly。