"Oneoftheotherships?"
  "Weshouldbetherenow,oratanyratetomorrow。"
  "WellthenI’mgladitisn’toneoftheothers"——andIsmiledattheyoungladyonmyarm。Mywordsofferedherachancetosaysomethingappreciative,andgavehimoneevenmore;butneitherJaspernorGraceMavistookadvantageoftheoccasion。Whattheydiddo,I
  noticed,wastolookateachotherratherfixedlyaninstant;afterwhichsheturnedhereyessilentlytothesea。Shemadenomovementandutterednosound,contrivingtogivemethesensethatshehadallatoncebecomeperfectlypassive,thatshesomehowdeclinedresponsibility。WeremainedstandingtherewithJasperinfrontofus,andifthecontactofherarmdidn’tsuggestIshouldgiveherup,neitherdiditintimatethatwehadbetterpasson。Ihadnoideaofgivingherup,albeitoneofthethingsIseemedtoreadjustthenintoJasper’scountenancewasafineimplicationthatshewashisproperty。Hiseyesmetmineforamoment,anditwasexactlyasifhehadsaidtome"Iknowwhatyouthink,butIdon’tcarearap。"
  WhatIreallythoughtwasthathewasselfishbeyondthelimits:
  thatwasthesubstanceofmylittlerevelation。Youthisalmostalwaysselfish,justasitisalmostalwaysconceited,and,afterall,whenit’scombinedwithhealthandgoodparts,goodlooksandgoodspirits,ithasarighttobe,andIeasilyforgiveitifitbereallyyouth。Stillit’saquestionofdegree,andwhatstuckoutofJasperNettlepoint——if,ofcourse,onehadtheintelligenceforit——
  wasthathisegotismhadahardness,hisloveofhisownwayanavidity。Theseelementswerejauntyandprosperous,theywereaccustomedtoprevail。Hewasfond,veryfond,ofwomen;theywerenecessarytohim——thatwasinhistype;buthewasn’tintheleastinlovewithGraceMavis。AmongthereflexionsIquicklymadethiswastheonethatwasmosttothepoint。Therewasadegreeofawkwardness,afteraminute,inthewaywewereplantedthere,thoughtheapprehensionofitwasdoubtlessnotintheleastwithhimself。
  Todissimulatemyownshareinit,atanyrate,Iaskedhimhowhismothermightbe。
  Hisanswerwasunexpected。"Youhadbettergodownandsee。"
  "NottillMissMavisistiredofme。"
  ShesaidnothingtothisandImadeherwalkagain。Forsomeminutesshefailedtospeak;then,ratherabruptly,shebegan:"I’veseenyoutalkingtothatladywhositsatourtable——theonewhohassomanychildren。"
  "Mrs。Peck?Ohyes,onehasinevitablytalkedwithMrs。Peck。"
  "Doyouknowherverywell?"
  "Onlyasoneknowspeopleatsea。Anacquaintancemakesitself。Itdoesn’tmeanverymuch。"
  "Shedoesn’tspeaktome——shemightifshewanted。"
  "That’sjustwhatshesaysofyou——thatyoumightspeaktoher。"
  "Ohifshe’swaitingforthat!"saidmycompanionwithalaugh。Thensheadded:"Shelivesinourstreet,nearlyopposite。"
  "Precisely。That’sthereasonwhyshethinksyoucoyorhaughty。
  Shehasseenyousooftenandseemstoknowsomuchaboutyou。"
  "Whatdoessheknowaboutme?"
  "Ahyoumustaskher——Ican’ttellyou!"
  "Idon’tcarewhatsheknows,"saidmyyounglady。Afteramomentshewenton:"ShemusthaveseenIain’tverysociable。"Andthen,"Whatareyoulaughingat?"sheasked。
  "Well"——myamusementwasdifficulttoexplain——"you’renotverysociable,andyetsomehowyouare。Mrs。Peckis,atanyrate,andthoughtthatoughttomakeiteasyforyoutoenterintoconversationwithher。"
  "OhIdon’tcareforherconversation——Iknowwhatitamountsto。"I
  madenoreply——Iscarcelyknewwhatreplytomake——andthegirlwenton:"IknowwhatshethinksandIknowwhatshesays。"StillIwassilent,butthenextmomentIsawmydiscretionhadbeenwasted,forMissMavisputtomestraight:"DoesshemakeoutthatsheknowsMr。
  Porterfield?"
  "No,sheonlyclaimssheknowsaladywhoknowshim。"
  "Yes,that’sit——Mrs。Jeremie。Mrs。Jeremie’sanidiot!"Iwasn’tinapositiontocontrovertthis,andpresentlymyyoungladysaidshewouldsitdown。Ileftherinherchair——Isawthatshepreferredit——andwanderedtoadistance。AfewminuteslaterImetJasperagain,andhestoppedofhisownaccordtosay:"Weshallbeinaboutsixintheeveningofoureleventhday——theypromiseit。"
  "Ifnothinghappens,ofcourse。"
  "Well,what’sgoingtohappen?"
  "That’sjustwhatI’mwondering!"AndIturnedawayandwentbelowwiththefoolishbutinnocentsatisfactionofthinkingIhadmystifiedhim。
  CHAPTERIV
  "Idon’tknowwhattodo,andyoumusthelpme,"Mrs。Nettlepointsaidtome,thatevening,assoonasIlookedin。
  "I’lldowhatIcan——butwhat’sthematter?"
  "Shehasbeencryinghereandgoingon——shehasquiteupsetme。"
  "Crying?Shedoesn’tlooklikethat。"
  "Exactly,andthat’swhatstartledme。Shecameintoseemethisafternoon,asshehasdonebefore,andwetalkedoftheweatherandtherunoftheshipandthemannersofthestewardessandothersuchtrifles,andthensuddenly,inthemidstofit,asshesatthere,onnovisiblepretext,sheburstintotears。Iaskedherwhatailedherandtriedtocomforther,butshedidn’texplain;shesaiditwasnothing,theeffectofthesea,ofthemonotony,oftheexcitement,ofleavinghome。Iaskedherifithadanythingtodowithherprospects,withhermarriage;whethershefindsasthisdrawsnearthatherheartisn’tinit。Itoldhershemustn’tbenervous,thatIcouldenterintothat——inshortIsaidwhatIcould。AllsherepliedwasthatsheISnervous,verynervous,butthatitwasalreadyover;andthenshejumpedupandkissedmeandwentaway。
  Doesshelookasifshehasbeencrying?"Mrs。Nettlepointwoundup。
  "HowcanItell,whensheneverquitsthathorridveil?It’sasifshewereashamedtoshowherface。"
  "She’skeepingitforLiverpool。ButIdon’tlikesuchincidents,"
  saidMrs。Nettlepoint。"IthinkIoughttogoabove。"
  "Andisthatwhereyouwantmetohelpyou?"
  "Ohwithyourarmandthatsortofthing,yes。ButImayhavetolooktoyouforsomethingmore。Ifeelasifsomethingweregoingtohappen。"
  "That’sexactlywhatIsaidtoJasperthismorning。"
  "Andwhatdidhesay?"
  "Heonlylookedinnocent——asifhethoughtImeantafogorastorm。"
  "Heavenforbid——itisn’tthat!Ishallneverbegood-naturedagain,"
  Mrs。Nettlepointwenton;"neverhaveagirlputonmethatway。Youalwayspayforit——therearealwaystiresomecomplications。WhatI’mafraidofisafterwegetthere。She’llthrowupherengagement;
  therewillbedreadfulscenes;Ishallbemixedupwiththemandhavetolookafterherandkeepherwithme。Ishallhavetostaytherewithhertillshecanbesentback,oreventakeheruptoLondon。
  Doyouseeallthat?"
  Ilistenedrespectfully;afterwhichIobserved:"You’reafraidofyourson。"
  Shealsohadapause。"Itdependsonhowyoumeanit。"
  "Therearethingsyoumightsaytohim——andwithyourmanner;becauseyouhaveone,youknow,whenyouchoose。"
  "Verylikely,butwhat’smymannertohis?Besides,IHAVEsaideverythingtohim。ThatisI’vesaidthegreatthing——thathe’smakingherimmenselytalkedabout。"
  "Andofcourseinanswertothathehasaskedyouhowyouknow,andyou’vetoldhimyouhaveitfromme。"
  "I’vehadtotellhim;andhesaysit’snoneofyourbusiness。"
  "Iwishhe’dsaythat,"Iremarked,"tomyface。"
  "He’lldosoperfectlyifyougivehimachance。That’swhereyoucanhelpme。Quarrelwithhim——he’srathergoodataquarrel;andthatwilldiverthimanddrawhimoff。"
  "ThenI’mready,"Ireturned,"todiscussthematterwithhimfortherestofthevoyage。"
  "Verywell;Icountonyou。Buthe’llaskyou,asheasksme,whatthedeuceyouwanthimtodo。"
  "Togotobed!"——andI’mafraidIlaughed。
  "Ohitisn’tajoke。"
  Ididn’twanttobeirritating,butImademypoint。"That’sexactlywhatItoldyouatfirst。"
  "Yes,butdon’texult;Ihatepeoplewhoexult。Jasperasksofme,"
  shewenton,"whyheshouldmindherbeingtalkedaboutifshedoesn’tminditherself。"
  "I’lltellhimwhy,"Ireplied;andMrs。Nettlepointsaidsheshouldbeexceedinglyobligedtomeandrepeatedthatshewouldindeedtakethefield。
  IlookedforJasperabovethatsameevening,butcircumstancesdidn’tfavourmyquest。Ifoundhim——thatisIgatheredhewasagainensconcedbehindthelifeboatwithMissMavis;buttherewasaneedlessviolenceinbreakingintotheircommunion,andIputoffourinterviewtillthenextday。ThenItookthefirstopportunity,atbreakfast,tomakesureofit。HewasinthesaloonwhenIwentinandwaspreparingtoleavethetable;butIstoppedhimandaskedifhewouldgivemeaquarterofanhourondeckalittlelater——therewassomethingparticularIwantedtosaytohim。Hesaid"Ohyes,ifyoulike"——withjustavisiblesurprise,butIthoughtwithplentyofassurance。WhenIhadfinishedmybreakfastIfoundhimsmokingontheforward-deckandIimmediatelybegan:"I’mgoingtosaysomethingyouwon’tatalllike;toaskyouaquestionyou’llprobablydenounceforimpertinent。"
  "IcertainlyshallifIfinditso,"saidJasperNettlepoint。
  "Well,ofcoursemywarninghasmeantthatIdon’tcareifyoudo。
  I’magooddealolderthanyouandI’mafriend——ofmanyyears——ofyourmother。There’snothingIlikelessthantobemeddlesome,butIthinkthesethingsgivemeacertainright——asortofprivilege。
  Besideswhichmyinquirywillspeakforitself。"
  "Whysomanydamnedpreliminaries?"myyoungmanaskedthroughhissmoke。
  Welookedintoeachother’seyesamoment。Whatindeedwashismother’smanner——herbestmanner——comparedwithhis?"Areyoupreparedtoberesponsible?"
  "Toyou?"
  "Dearno——totheyoungladyherself。I’mspeakingofcourseofMissMavis。"
  "Ahyes,mymothertellsmeyouhavehergreatlyonyourmind。"
  "Sohasyourmotherherself——now。"
  "She’ssogoodastosayso——toobligeyou。"
  "She’dobligemeagreatdealmorebyreassuringme。IknowperfectlyofyourknowingI’vetoldherthatMissMavisisgreatlytalkedabout。"
  "Yes,butwhatonearthdoesitmatter?"
  "Itmattersasasign。"
  "Asignofwhat?"
  "Thatshe’sinafalseposition。"
  Jasperpuffedhiscigarwithhiseyesonthehorizon,andIhad,alittleunexpectedly,thesenseofproducingacertaineffectonhim。
  "Idon’tknowwhetherit’sYOURbusiness,whatyou’reattemptingtodiscussbutitreallystrikesmeit’snoneofmine。WhathaveItodowiththetattlewithwhichapackofoldwomenconsolethemselvesfornotbeingsea-sick?"
  "DoyoucallittattlethatMissMavisisinlovewithyou?"
  "Drivelling。"
  "Then,"Iretorted,"you’reveryungrateful。Thetattleofapackofoldwomenhasthisimportance,thatshesuspects,orsheknows,itexists,andthatdecentgirlsareforthemostpartverysensitivetothatsortofthing。Tobepreparednottoheeditinthiscaseshemusthaveareason,andthereasonmustbetheoneI’vetakenthelibertytocallyourattentionto。"
  "Inlovewithmeinsixdays,justlikethat?"——andhestilllookedawaythroughnarrowedeyelids。
  "There’snoaccountingfortastes,andsixdaysatseaareequivalenttosixtyonland。Idon’twanttomakeyoutooproud。Ofcourseifyourecogniseyourresponsibilityit’sallrightandI’venothingtosay。"
  "Idon’tseewhatyoumean,"hepresentlyreturned。
  "Surelyyououghttohavethoughtofthatbythistime。She’sengagedtobemarried,andthegentlemanshe’sengagedtoistomeetheratLiverpool。Thewholeshipknowsit——though_I_didn’ttellthem!——andthewholeship’swatchingher。It’simpertinentifyoulike,justasIammyself,butwemakealittleworldheretogetherandwecan’tblinkitsconditions。WhatIaskyouiswhetheryou’repreparedtoallowhertogiveupthegentlemanI’vejustmentionedforyoursake。"
  Jasperspokeinamomentasifhedidn’tunderstand。"Formysake?"
  "Tomarryherifshebreakswithhim。"
  Heturnedhiseyesfromthehorizontomyown,andIfoundastrangeexpressioninthem。"HasMissMaviscommissionedyoutogointothat?"
  "Notintheleast。"
  "Wellthen,Idon’tquitesee——!"
  "Itisn’tasfromanotherImakeit。Letitcomefromyourself——TO
  yourself。"
  "Lord,youmustthinkIleadmyselfalife!"hecriedasincompassionformysimplicity。"That’saquestiontheyoungladymayputtomeanymomentitpleasesher。"
  "Letmethenexpressthehopethatshewill。Butwhatwillyouanswer?"
  "Mydearsir,itseemstomethatinspiteofallthetitlesyou’veenumeratedyou’venoreasontoexpectI’lltellyou。"Heturnedaway,andIdedicatedinperfectsincerityadeepsoresightothethoughtofouryoungwoman。Atthis,undertheimpressionofit,hefacedmeagainand,lookingatmefromheadtofoot,demanded:"Whatisityouwantmetodo?"
  "Iputittoyourmotherthatyououghttogotobed。"
  "Youhadbetterdothatyourself!"hereplied。
  Thistimehewalkedoff,andIreflectedratherdolefullythattheonlyclearresultofmyundertakingwouldprobablyhavebeentomakeitvividtohimthatshewasinlovewithhim。Mrs。Nettlepointcameupasshehadannounced,butthedaywashalfover:itwasnearlythreeo’clock。Shewasaccompaniedbyherson,whoestablishedherondeck,arrangedherchairandhershawls,sawshewasprotectedfromsunandwind,andforanhourwasveryproperlyattentive。
  WhilethiswentonGraceMaviswasnotvisible,nordidshereappearduringthewholeafternoon。Ihadn’tobservedthatshehadasyetbeenabsentfromthedeckforsolongaperiod。Jasperlefthismother,butcamebackatintervalstoseehowshegoton,andwhensheaskedwhereMissMavismightbeansweredthathehadn’ttheleastidea。Isatwithmyfriendatherparticularrequest:shetoldmesheknewthatifIdidn’tMrs。PeckandMrs。Gotchwouldmaketheirapproach,sothatImustactasawatch-dog。Shewasflurriedandfatiguedwithhermigration,andIthinkthatGraceMavis’schoosingthisoccasionforretirementsuggestedtoheralittlethatshehadbeenmadeafoolof。Sheremarkedthatthegirl’snotbeingthereshowedherforthebarbariansheonlycouldbe,andthatsheherselfwasreallyverygoodsotohaveputherselfout;herchargewasamerebore:thatwastheendofit。Icouldseethatmycompanion’sadventquickenedthespeculativeactivityoftheotherladiestheywatchedherfromtheoppositesideofthedeck,keepingtheireyesfixedonherverymuchasthemanatthewheelkepthisonthecourseoftheship。Mrs。Peckplainlyhaddesigns,anditwasfromthisdangerthatMrs。Nettlepointavertedherface。
  "It’sjustaswesaid,"sheremarkedtomeaswesatthere。"It’slikethebucketsinthewell。WhenIcomeupeverythingelsegoesdown。"
  "No,notatalleverythingelse——sinceJasperremainshere。"
  "Remains?Idon’tseehim。"
  "Hecomesandgoes——it’sthesamething。"
  "Hegoesmorethanhecomes。Butn’enparlonsplus;Ihaven’tgainedanything。Idon’tadmiretheseaatall——whatisitbutamagnifiedwater-tank?Ishan’tcomeupagain。"
  "I’veanideashe’llstayinhercabinnow,"Isaid。"Shetellsmeshehasonetoherself。"Mrs。Nettlepointrepliedthatshemightdoassheliked,andIrepeatedtoherthelittleconversationIhadhadwithJasper。
  Shelistenedwithinterest,but"Marryher?Mercy!"sheexclaimed。
  "Ilikethefinefreedomwithwhichyougivemysonaway。"
  "Youwouldn’tacceptthat?"
  "WhyintheworldshouldI?"
  "ThenIdon’tunderstandyourposition。"
  "Goodheavens,IHAVEnone!Itisn’tapositiontobetiredofthewholething。"
  "Youwouldn’tacceptiteveninthecaseIputtohim——thatofherbelievingshehadbeenencouragedtothrowoverpoorPorterfield?"
  "Noteven——noteven。Whocanknowwhatshebelieves?"
  Itbroughtmebacktowherewehadstartedfrom。"ThenyoudoexactlywhatIsaidyouwould——youshowmeafineexampleofmaternalimmorality。"
  "Maternalfiddlesticks!Itwasshewhobeganit。"
  "Thenwhydidyoucomeuptoday?"Iasked。
  "Tokeepyouquiet。"
  Mrs。Nettlepoint’sdinnerwasservedondeck,butIwentintothesaloon。Jasperwasthere,butnotGraceMavis,asIhadhalf-
  expected。Isoughttolearnfromhimwhathadbecomeofher,ifshewereill——hemusthavethoughtIhadanodiouspertinacity——andherepliedthatheknewnothingwhateverabouther。Mrs。Pecktalkedtome——ortriedto——ofMrs。Nettlepoint,expatiatingonthegreatinterestithadbeentoseeher;onlyitwasapityshedidn’tseemmoresociable。TothisImadeanswerthatshewastobeexcusedonthescoreofhealth。
  "Youdon’tmeantosayshe’ssickonthispond?"
  "No,she’sunwellinanotherway。"
  "IguessIknowtheway!"Mrs。Pecklaughed。Andthensheadded:"I
  supposeshecameuptolookafterherpet。"
  "Herpet?"Isetmyface。
  "WhyMissMavis。We’vetalkedenoughaboutthat。"
  "Quiteenough。Idon’tknowwhatthathashadtodowithit。MissMavis,sofarasI’venoticed,hasn’tbeenabovetoday。"
  "Ohitgoesonallthesame。"
  "Itgoeson?"
  "Well,it’stoolate。"
  "Toolate?"
  "Well,you’llsee。There’llbearow。"
  Thiswasn’tcomforting,butIdidn’trepeatitondeck。Mrs。
  Nettlepointreturnedearlytohercabin,professingherselfinfinitelyspent。Ididn’tknowwhat"wenton,"butGraceMaviscontinuednottoshow。Ilookedinlate,foragood-nighttomyfriend,andlearnedfromherthatthegirlhadn’tbeentoher。Shehadsentthestewardesstoherroomfornews,toseeifshewereillandneededassistance,andthestewardesshadcomebackwithmerementionofhernotbeingthere。Iwentaboveafterthis;thenightwasnotquitesofairandthedeckalmostempty。InamomentJasperNettlepointandouryoungladymovedpastmetogether。"Ihopeyou’rebetter!"Icalledafterher;andshetossedmeoverhershoulder——"Ohyes,Ihadaheadache;buttheairnowdoesmegood!"
  Iwentdownagain——Iwastheonlypersontherebutthey,andIwantednottoseemtodogtheirsteps——and,returningtoMrs。Nettlepoint’sroom,found(herdoorwasopentothelittlepassage)thatshewasstillsittingup。
  "She’sallright!"Isaid。"She’sonthedeckwithJasper。"
  Thegoodladylookedupatmefromherbook。"Ididn’tknowyoucalledthatallright。"
  "Well,it’sbetterthansomethingelse。"
  "Thanwhatelse?"
  "SomethingIwasalittleafraidof。"Mrs。Nettlepointcontinuedtolookatme;sheaskedagainwhatthatmightbe。"I’lltellyouwhenwe’reashore,"Isaid。
  ThenextdayIwaitedonherattheusualhourofmymorningvisit,andfoundhernotalittledistraught。"Thesceneshavebegun,"shesaid;"youknowItoldyouIshouldn’tgetthroughwithoutthem!Youmademenervouslastnight——Ihaven’ttheleastideawhatyoumeant;
  butyoumademehorriblynervous。Shecameintoseemeanhourago,andIhadthecouragetosaytoher:’Idon’tknowwhyIshouldn’ttellyoufranklythatI’vebeenscoldingmysonaboutyou。’OfcoursesheaskedwhatImeantbythat,andIletherknow。’Itseemstomehedragsyouabouttheshiptoomuchforagirlinyourposition。Hehastheairofnotrememberingthatyoubelongtosomeoneelse。There’sawantoftasteandevenawantofrespectinit。’
  Thatbroughtonanoutbreak:shebecameveryviolent。"
  "Doyoumeanindignant?"
  "Yes,indignant,andaboveallflusteredandexcited——atmypresumingtosupposeherrelationswithmysonnottheverysimplestintheworld。ImightscoldhimasmuchasIliked——thatwasbetweenourselves;butshedidn’tseewhyIshouldmentionsuchmatterstoherself。DidIthinksheallowedhimtotreatherwithdisrespect?
  Thatideawasn’tmuchofacomplimenttoeitherofthem!Hehadtreatedherbetterandbeenkindertoherthanmostotherpeople——
  therewereveryfewontheshipwhohadn’tbeeninsulting。Sheshouldbegladenoughwhenshegotoffit,toherownpeople,tosomeonewhomnobodywouldhavearighttospeakof。Whatwasthereinherpositionthatwasn’tperfectlynatural?whatwastheideaofmakingafussaboutherposition?DidImeanthatshetookittooeasily——thatshedidn’tthinkasmuchassheoughtaboutMr。
  Porterfield?Didn’tIbelieveshewasattachedtohim——didn’tI
  believeshewasjustcountingthehourstillshesawhim?Thatwouldbethehappiestmomentofherlife。ItshowedhowlittleIknewherifIthoughtanythingelse。"
  "Allthatmusthavebeenratherfine——Ishouldhavelikedtohearit,"Isaidafterquitehangingonmyfriend’slips。"Andwhatdidyoureply?"
  "OhIgrovelled;IassuredherthatIaccusedher——asregardsmyson——
  ofnothingworsethananexcessofgoodnature。Shehelpedhimtopasshistime——heoughttobeimmenselyobliged。AlsothatitwouldbeaveryhappymomentformetoowhenIshouldhandherovertoMr。
  Porterfield。"
  "Andwillyoucomeuptoday?"
  "Noindeed——Ithinkshe’lldobeautifullynow。"
  Iheavedthistimeasighofrelief。"All’swellthatendswell!"
  Jasperspentthatdayagreatdealoftimewithhismother。Shehadtoldmehowmuchshehadlackedhithertoproperopportunitytotalkoverwithhimtheirmovementsafterdisembarking。Everythingchangesalittlethelasttwoorthreedaysofavoyage;thespellisbrokenandnewcombinationstakeplace。GraceMaviswasneitherondecknoratdinner,andIdrewMrs。Peck’sattentiontotheextremeproprietywithwhichshenowconductedherself。Shehadspentthedayinmeditationandjudgeditbesttocontinuetomeditate。
  "Ahshe’safraid,"saidmyimplacableneighbour。
  "Afraidofwhat?"
  "Well,thatwe’lltelltaleswhenwegetthere。"
  "Whomdoyoumeanby’we’?"
  "Well,thereareplenty——onashiplikethis。"
  "ThenIthink,"Ireturned,"wewon’t。"
  "Maybewewon’thavethechance,"saidthedreadfullittlewoman。
  "Ohatthatmoment"——Ispokefromafullexperience——"universalgenialityreigns。"
  Mrs。Peckhoweverknewlittleofanysuchlaw。"Iguessshe’safraidallthesame。"
  "Somuchthebetter!"
  "Yes——somuchthebetter!"
  Allthenextdaytoothegirlremainedinvisible,andMrs。
  Nettlepointtoldmeshehadn’tlookedin。SheherselfhadaccordinglyinquiredbythestewardessifshemightbereceivedinMissMavis’sownquarters,andtheyoungladyhadrepliedthattheywerelitteredupwiththingsandunfitforvisitors:shewaspackingatrunkover。Jaspermadeupforhisdevotiontohismotherthedaybeforebynowspendingagreatdealofhistimeinthesmoking-room。
  Iwantedtosaytohim"Thisismuchbetter,"butIthoughtitwisertoholdmytongue。IndeedIhadbeguntofeeltheemotionofprospectivearrival——thesenseofthereturntoEuropealwayskeptitsintensity——andhadtherebythelessattentionforothermatters。
  Itwilldoubtlessappeartothecriticalreaderthatmyexpenditureofinteresthadbeenoutofproportiontothevulgarappearancesofwhichmystorygivesanaccount,buttothisIcanonlyreplythattheeventwastojustifyme。Wesightedland,thedimyetrichcoastofIreland,aboutsunset,andIleanedonthebulwarkandtookitin。
  "Itdoesn’tlooklikemuch,doesit?"Iheardavoicesay,besideme;
  whereupon,turning,IfoundGraceMavisathand。Almostforthefirsttimeshehadherveilup,andIthoughtherverypale。
  "Itwillbemoretomorrow,"Isaid。
  "Ohyes,agreatdealmore。"
  "Thefirstsightofland,atsea,changeseverything,"Iwenton。
  "Italwaysaffectsmeaswakingupfromadream。It’sareturntoreality。"
  Foramomentshemademenoresponse;thenshesaid"Itdoesn’tlookveryrealyet。"
  "No,andmeanwhile,thislovelyevening,onecanputitthatthedream’sstillpresent。"
  Shelookedupatthesky,whichhadabrightness,thoughthelightofthesunhadleftitandthatofthestarshadn’tbegun。"ItISalovelyevening。"
  "Ohyes,withthisweshalldo。"
  Shestoodsomemomentsmore,whilethegrowingduskeffacedthelineofthelandmorerapidlythanourprogressmadeitdistinct。Shesaidnothingmore,sheonlylookedinfrontofher;butherveryquietnesspromptedmetosomethingsuggestiveofsympathyandservice。Itwasdifficultindeedtostriketherightnote——somethingsseemedtoowideofthemarkandotherstooimportunate。Atlast,unexpectedly,sheappearedtogivememychance。Irrelevantly,abruptlyshebrokeout:"Didn’tyoutellmeyouknewMr。
  Porterfield?"
  "Dearme,yes——Iusedtoseehim。I’veoftenwantedtospeaktoyouofhim。"
  SheturnedherfaceonmeandinthedeepenedeveningIimaginedhermorepale。"Whatgoodwouldthatdo?"
  "Whyitwouldbeapleasure,"Irepliedratherfoolishly。
  "Doyoumeanforyou?"
  "Well,yes——callitthat,"Ismiled。
  "Didyouknowhimsowell?"
  MysmilebecamealaughandIlostalittlemyconfidence。"You’renoteasytomakespeechesto。"
  "Ihatespeeches!"Thewordscamefromherlipswithaforcethatsurprisedme;theywereloudandhard。ButbeforeIhadtimetowondershewentonalittledifferently。"Shallyouknowhimwhenyouseehim?"
  "Perfectly,Ithink。"HermannerwassostrangethatIhadtonoticeitinsomeway,andIjudgedthebestwaywasjocularly;soIadded:
  "Shan’tyou?"
  "Ohperhapsyou’llpointhimout!"Andshewalkedquicklyaway。AsIlookedafterhertherecametomeaperverse,ratheraprovokingconsciousnessofhavingduringthepreviousdays,andespeciallyinspeakingtoJasperNettlepoint,interferedwithhersituationinsomedegreetoherloss。Therewasanoddpangformeinseeinghermoveaboutalone;IfeltsomehowresponsibleforitandaskedmyselfwhyI
  couldn’thavekeptmyhandsoff。IhadseenJasperinthesmoking-
  roommorethanoncethatday,asIpassedit,andhalfanhourbeforethishadobserved,throughtheopendoor,thathewasthere。Hehadbeenwithhersomuchthatwithouthimshenowstruckoneasbereavedandforsaken。Thiswasreallybetter,nodoubt,butsuperficiallyitmoved——andIadmitwiththelastinconsequence——one’spity。Mrs。
  Peckwoulddoubtlesshaveassuredmethattheirseparationwasgammon:theydidn’tshowtogetherondeckandinthesaloon,buttheymadeitupelsewhere。Thesecretplacesonshipboardarenotnumerous;Mrs。Peck’s"elsewhere"wouldhavebeenvague,andIknownotwhatlicenceherimaginationtook。ItwasdistinctthatJasperhadfallenoff,butofcoursewhathadpassedbetweenthemonthisscorewasn’tsoandcouldneverbe。Lateron,throughhismother,I
  hadHISversionofthat,butImayremarkthatIgaveitnocredit。
  PoorMrs。Nettlepoint,ontheotherhand,wasofcoursetogiveitall。Iwasalmostcapable,afterthegirlhadleftme,ofgoingtomyyoungmanandsaying:"Afterall,doreturntoheralittle,justtillwegetin!Itwon’tmakeanydifferenceafterweland。"AndI
  don’tthinkitwasthefearhewouldtellmeIwasanidiotthatpreventedme。AtanyratethenexttimeIpassedthedoorofthesmoking-roomIsawhehadleftit。IpaidmyusualvisittoMrs。
  Nettlepointthatnight,butItroubledhernofurtheraboutMissMavis。Shehadmadeuphermindthateverythingwassmoothandsettlednow,anditseemedtomeIhadworriedher,andthatshehadworriedherself,insufficiency。Ilefthertoenjoythedeepeningforetasteofarrival,whichhadtakenpossessionofhermind。BeforeturninginIwentaboveandfoundmorepassengersondeckthanIhadeverseensolate。Jaspermovedaboutamongthemalone,butI
  forboretojoinhim。ThecoastofIrelandhaddisappeared,butthenightandtheseawereperfect。Onthewaytomycabin,whenIcamedown,Imetthestewardessinoneofthepassages,andtheideaenteredmyheadtosaytoher:"DoyouhappentoknowwhereMissMavisis?"
  "Whyshe’sinherroom,sir,atthishour。"
  "DoyousupposeIcouldspeaktoher?"IthadcomeintomymindtoaskherwhyshehadwantedtoknowofmeifIshouldrecogniseMr。
  Porterfield。
  "Nosir,"saidthestewardess;"shehasgonetobed。"
  "That’sallright。"AndIfollowedtheyounglady’sexcellentexample。
  Thenextmorning,whileIdressed,thestewardofmysideoftheshipcametomeasusualtoseewhatIwanted。Butthefirstthinghesaidto,mewas:"Ratherabadjob,sir——apassengermissing。"AndwhileItookIscarceknowwhatinstantchillfromit,"Alady,sir,"
  hewenton——"whomIthinkyouknew。PoorMissMavis,sir。"
  "MISSING?"Icried——staringathimandhorror-stricken。
  "She’snotontheship。Theycan’tfindher。"
  "ThenwheretoGodisshe?"
  Irecallhisqueerface。"Wellsir,IsupposeyouknowthataswellasI。"
  "Doyoumeanshehasjumpedoverboard?"
  "Sometimeinthenight,sir——onthequiet。Butit’sbeyondeveryone,thewaysheescapednotice。Theyusuallysees’em,sir。Itmusthavebeenabouthalf-pasttwo。Lord,butshewassharp,sir。
  Shedidn’tsomuchasmakeasplash。Theysayshe’ADcomeagainstherwill,sir。"
  Ihaddroppeduponmysofa——Ifeltfaint。Themanwenton,likingtotalkaspersonsofhisclassdowhentheyhavesomethinghorribletotell。Sheusuallyrangforthestewardessearly,butthismorningofcoursetherehadbeennoring。Thestewardesshadgoneinallthesameabouteighto’clockandfoundthecabinempty。Thatwasaboutanhourprevious。Herthingswerethereinconfusion——thethingssheusuallyworewhenshewentabove。Thestewardessthoughtshehadbeenabitoddthenightbefore,buthadwaitedalittleandthengoneback。MissMavishadn’tturnedup——andshedidn’tturnup。Thestewardessbegantolookforher——shehadn’tbeenseenondeckorinthesaloon。Besides,shewasn’tdressed——nottoshowherself;allherclotheswereinherroom。Therewasanotherlady,anoldlady,Mrs。Nettlepoint——Iwouldknowher——thatshewassometimeswith,butthestewardesshadbeenwithHERandknewMissMavishadn’tcomenearherthatmorning。ShehadspokentoHIMandtheyhadtakenaquietlook——theyhadhuntedeverywhere。Aship’sabigplace,butyoudidcometotheendofit,andifapersonwasn’ttherewhythereitwas。
  Inshortanhourhadpassedandtheyoungladywasnotaccountedfor:
  fromwhichImightjudgeifsheeverwouldbe。Thewatchcouldn’taccountforher,butnodoubtthefishesintheseacould——poormiserablepitifullady!ThestewardessandhehadofcoursethoughtittheirdutytospeakatoncetotheDoctor,andtheDoctorhadspokenimmediatelytotheCaptain。TheCaptaindidn’tlikeit——theyneverdid,buthe’dtrytokeepitquiet——theyalwaysdid。
  BythetimeIsucceededinpullingmyselftogetherandgettingon,afterafashion,therestofmyclothesIhadlearnedthatMrs。
  Nettlepointwouldn’tyethavebeentold,unlessthestewardesshadbrokenittoherwithinthepreviousfewminutes。Hersonknew,theyounggentlemanontheothersideoftheship——hehadtheothersteward;mymanhadseenhimcomeoutofhiscabinandrushabove,justbeforehecameintome。HeHADgoneabove,mymanwassure;hehadn’tgonetotheoldlady’scabin。Icatchagainthesenseofmydreadfullyseeingsomethingatthatmoment,catchthewildflash,underthesteward’swords,ofJasperNettlepointleaping,withamadcompunctioninhisyoungagility,overthesideoftheship。I
  hastentoadd,however,thatnosuchincidentwasdestinedtocontributeitshorrortopoorGraceMavis’sunwitnessedandunlightedtragicact。Whatfollowedwasmiserableenough,butIcanonlyglanceatit。WhenIgottoMrs。Nettlepoint’sdoorshewastherewithashawlabouther;thestewardesshadjusttoldherandshewasdashingouttocometome。Imadehergoback——IsaidIwouldgoforJasper。IwentforhimbutImissedhim,partlynodoubtbecauseitwasreallyatfirsttheCaptainIwasafter。Ifoundthispersonageandfoundhimhighlyscandalised,buthegavemenohopethatwewereinerror,andhisdispleasure,expressedwithseamanlikestrength,wasadefinitesettlementofthequestion。Fromthedeck,whereI
  merelyturnedroundandlooked,Isawthelightofanothersummerday,thecoastofIrelandgreenandnearandtheseaofamorecharmingcolourthanithadshownatall。WhenIcamebelowagainJasperhadpassedback;hehadgonetohiscabinandhismotherhadjoinedhimthere。HeremainedtheretillwereachedLiverpool——I
  neversawhim。Hismother,afteralittle,athisrequest,lefthimalone。Alltheworldwentabovetolookatthelandandchatteraboutourtragedy,butthepoorladyspenttheday,dismallyenough,inherroom。Itseemedtome,thedreadfulday,intolerablylong;I
  wasthinkingsoofvague,ofinconceivableyetinevitablePorterfield,andofmyhavingtofacehimsomehowonthemorrow。NowofcourseIknewwhyshehadaskedmeifIshouldrecognisehim;shehaddelegatedtomementallyacertainpleasantoffice。IgaveMrs。
  PeckandMrs。Gotchawideberth——Icouldn’ttalktothem。Icould,oratleastIdidalittle,toMrs。Nettlepoint,butwithtoomanyreservesforcomfortoneitherside,sinceIquitefelthowlittleitwouldnowmakeforeasetomentionJaspertoher。Iwasobligedtoassumebymysilencethathehadhadnothingtodowithwhathadhappened;andofcourseIneverreallyascertainedwhatheHADhadtodo。Thesecretofwhatpassedbetweenhimandthestrangegirlwhowouldhavesacrificedhermarriagetohimonsoshortanacquaintanceremainsshutupinhisbreast。Hismother,Iknow,wenttohisdoorfromtimetotime,butherefusedheradmission。Thatevening,tobehumanataventure,Irequestedthestewardtogoinandaskhimifheshouldcaretoseeme,andthegoodmanreturnedwithananswerwhichhecandidlytransmitted。"Notintheleast!"——JasperapparentlywasalmostasscandalisedastheCaptain。
  AtLiverpool,atthedock,whenwehadtouched,twentypeoplecameonboardandIhadalreadymadeoutMr。Porterfieldatadistance。Hewaslookingupatthesideofthegreatvesselwithdisappointmentwritten——formystrainedeyes——inhisface;disappointmentatnotseeingthewomanhehadsolongawaitedleanoveritandwaveherhandkerchieftohim。Everyonewaslookingathim,everyonebutshe——hisidentityflewaboutinamoment——andIwonderedifitdidn’tstrikehim。Heusedtobegauntandangular,buthadgrownalmostfatandstoopedalittle。Theintervalbetweenusdiminished——hewasontheplankandthenonthedeckwiththejostlingagentsoftheCustoms;toosoonformyequanimity。Imethiminstantly,however,tosavehimfromexposure——laidmyhandonhimanddrewhimaway,thoughIwassurehehadnoimpressionofhavingseenmebefore。ItwasnottillafterwardsthatIthoughtthisrathercharacteristicallydullofhim。Idrewhimfaraway——IwasconsciousofMrs。PeckandMrs。Gotch,lookingatusaswepassed——intotheemptystalesmoking-
  room:heremainedspeechless,andthatstruckmeaslikehim。Ihadtospeakfirst,hecouldn’tevenrelievemebysaying"Isanythingthematter?"Ibrokegroundbyputtingit,feebly,thatshewasill。
  Itwasadiremoment。