"Callitthen，ifyoudon’tliketheword，yoursympathy。"
　　Ihadgivenhertime，however，toproduceatlastsomethingthat，itvisiblyoccurredtoher，mightpass。"AssoonasIwasnotwithyou——I
　　meanwithyoupersonally——youNEVERhadmysympathy。"
　　"Ismypersonthensoirresistible？"
　　Well，shewasbrave。"ItWAS。Butit’snot，thankGod，now！"
　　"Thenthereweareagainatourmystery！Idon’tthink，youknow，"I
　　madeoutforher，"itwasmyperson，really，thatgaveitscharmtomytheory；Ithinkitwasmuchmoremytheorythatgaveitscharmtomyperson。
　　Myperson，Iflattermyself，hasremainedthroughthesefewhours——hoursoftension，butofatension，yousee，purelyintellectual——asgoodasever；sothatifwe’renot，eveninouranomaloussituation，indangerfromanysuchsource，it’ssimplythatmytheoryisdeadandthattheblightoftherestisinvolved。"
　　Mywordswereindeedmany，butsheplumpedstraightthroughthem。"AssoonasIwasawayfromyouIhatedyou。"
　　"HatedME？"
　　"Well，hatedwhatyoucall’therest’——hatedyourtheory。"
　　"Isee。Yet，"Ireflected，"you’renotatpresent——thoughyouwishtogoodness，nodoubt，youWERE——awayfromme。"
　　"Oh，Idon’tcarenow，"shesaidwithcourage；"since——foryouseeI
　　believeyou——we’reawayfromyourdelusions。"
　　"Youwouldn’t，inspiteofyourbelief，"——Ismiledather——"liketobealittlefurtheroffyet？"Butbeforeshecouldanswer，andbecausealso，doubtless，thequestionhadtoomuchthesoundofataunt，Icameup，asifforherrealconvenience，quiteinanotherplace。"Perhapsmyidea——mytiming，thatis，ofyourcrisis——istheresult，inmymind，ofmyownassociationwiththatparticularinstant。ItcomesbacktomethatwhatIwasmostfullofwhileyourfacesignedtomeandyourvoicethensograciouslyconfirmedit，andwhiletoo，asI’vesaid，Longwalkedaway——whatIwasmostfullof，asaconsequenceofanothergo，justended，atLadyJohn，was，oncemore，thissameLadyJohn’swantofadjustabilitytothecharacteryouandI，inourassociatedspeculationofthemorning，hadsocandidlytriedtofitherwith。Iwasstilleventhen，yousee，speculating——allonmyownhook，alas！——andithadjustrolledovermewithrenewedforcethatshewasnothingwhatever，nottheleastlittlebit，toourpurpose。
　　Themoment，inotherwords，ifyouunderstand，happenedtobeoneofMY
　　moments；sothat，bythesametoken，Isimplywonderedifitmightn’tlikewisehavehappenedtobeoneofyours。"
　　"ItWASoneofmine，"Mrs。BrissrepliedaspromptlyasIcouldreasonablyhaveexpected；"inthesensethat——asyou’veonlytoconsider——itwastoleadmoreorlessdirectlytothesepresentwordsofours。"
　　IfIhadonlytoconsider，nothingwasmoreeasy；buteachtimeIconsidered，Iwasreadytoshow，thelessthereseemedleftbytheact。"Ah，butyouhadthenALREADYbackedout。Won’tyouunderstand——foryou’realittlediscouraging——thatIwanttocatchyouattheearlierstage？"
　　"To’catch’me？"Ihadindeedexpressions！
　　"Absolutelycatch！Focusyouunderthefirstshockoftheobservationthatwastomakeeverythingfalltopiecesforyou。"
　　"ButI’vetoldyou，"shestoutlyresisted，"thattherewasno’first’
　　shock。"
　　"Well，then，thesecondorthethird。"
　　"Therewasnoshock，"Mrs。Brissmagnificentlysaid，"atall。"
　　Itmademesomehowbreakintolaughter。"Youfounditsonaturalthen——andyousoratherlikedit——tomakeupyourmindofasuddenthatyouhadbeensteepedinthelastintellectualintimacywithamaniac？"
　　Shethoughtoncemore，andthen，asImyselfhadjustpreviouslydone，cameupinanotherplace。"IhadatthemomentyouspeakofwhollygivenupanyideaofLadyJohn。"
　　Butitwassofeebleitmademesmile。"Ofcourseyouhad，youpoorinnocent！Youcouldn’totherwise，hoursbefore，havestrappedthesaddlesotightonanotherwoman。"
　　"Ihadgivenupeverything，"shestubbornlycontinued。
　　"It’sexactlywhat，inreferencetothatjuncture，Iperfectlyembrace。"
　　"Well，eveninreferencetothatjuncture，"sheresumed，"youmaycatchmeasmuchasyoulike。"Withwhich，suddenly，duringsomeseconds，Isawherholdherselfforaleap。"Youtalkof’focussing，’butwhatelse，eveninthoseminutes，wereyouinfactengagedin？"
　　"Ah，then，youdorecognisethem，"Icried——"thoseminutes？"
　　Shetookherjump，thoughwithsomethingofaflop。"Yes——as，consentingthustobecatechised，Icudgelmybrainforyouramusement——Idorecognisethem。IrememberwhatIthought。Youfocussed——Ifeltyoufocus。Isawyouwonderwhereabouts，inwhatyoucallourassociatedspeculation，I
　　wouldbythattimebe。Iaskedmyselfwhetheryou’dunderstandifIshouldtrytoconveytoyousimplybymyexpressionsuchalookaswouldtellyouall。By’all’Imeantthefactthat，sorryasIwasforyou——orperhapsformyself——ithadstruckmeasonlyfairtoletyouknowasstraightaspossiblethatIwasnowhere。ThatwaswhyIstaredso，andIofcoursecouldn’texplaintoyou，"shelucidlypursued，"towhommystarehadreference。"
　　Ihungonherlips。"ButyoucanNOW？"
　　"Perfectly。ToMr。Long。"
　　Iremainedsuspended。"Ah，butthisislovely！It’swhatIwant。"
　　IsawIshouldhavemoreofit，andmoreinfactcame。"Youweresayingjustnowwhatyouwerefullof，andIcandothesame。IwasfullofHIM。"
　　I，onmyside，wasnowfullofeagerness。"Yes？Hehadleftyoufullashewalkedaway？"
　　Shewincedalittleatthisrenewedevocationofhisretreat，butshetookitasshehadnotdonebefore，andIfeltthatwithanotherpushshewouldbefairlyafloat。"Hehadreasontowalk！"
　　Iwondered。"Whathadyousaidtohim？"
　　Shepieceditout。"Nothing——orverylittle。ButIhadlistened。"
　　"AndtoWHAT？"
　　"Towhathesays。Tohisplatitudes。"
　　"Hisplatitudes？"Istared。"Long’s？"
　　"Why，don’tyouknowhe’saprizefool？"
　　Imused，scepticalbutreasonable。"HeWAS。"
　　"HeIS！"
　　Mrs。Brisswassuperb，but，asIquicklyfeltImightremindher，therewasherpossiblyweakjudgment。"Yourconfidenceissplendid；onlymustn’tIrememberthatyoursenseofthefinerkindsofclevernessisn’tperhapsabsolutelysecure？Don’tyouknow？——youalso，tilljustnow，thoughtME
　　aprizefool。"
　　IfIhadhoped，however，heretotripherup，Ihadreckonedwithouttheimpulse，andevenperhapstheexample，thatsheproperlyowedtome。
　　"Oh，no——notanythingofthatsort，you，atall。Onlyanintelligentmangonewrong。"
　　Ifollowed，butbeforeIcaughtup，"WhereasLong’sonlyastupidmangoneright？"Ithrewout。
　　Itcheckedhertoobriefly，andtherewasindeedsomethingofmyownitbroughtstraightback。"Ithoughtthatjustwhatyoutoldme，thismorningoryesterday，wasthatyouhadneverknownacaseoftheconversionofanidiot。"
　　Ilaughedatherreadiness。Well，Ihadwantedtomakeherfight！"It’strueitwouldhavebeentheonlyone。"
　　"Ah，you’llhavetodowithoutit！"Oh，shewasbrisknow。"AndifyouknowwhatIthinkofhim，youknownomorethanHEdoes。"
　　"Youmeanyoutoldhim？"
　　Shehungfirebutaninstant。"Itoldhim，practically——anditwasinfactallIdidhavetosaytohim。Itwasenough，however，andhedisgustedlyleftmeonit。Thenitwasthat，asyougavemethechance，Itriedtotelegraphyou——tosaytoyouonthespotandunderthesharpimpression：
　　’Whatonearthdoyoumeanbyyournonsense？Itdoesn’tholdwater！’It’sapityIdidn’tsucceed！"shecontinued——forshehadbecomealmostvoluble。
　　"Itwouldhavesettledthequestion，andIshouldhavegonetobed。"
　　Iweigheditwiththegrimacethat，Ifeared，hadbecomealmostasfixedasMrs。Server’s。"Itwouldhavesettledthequestionperhaps；butIshouldhavelostthisimpressionofyou。"
　　"Oh，thisimpressionofme！"
　　"Ah，butdon’tundervalueit：it’swhatIwant！WhatwasitthenLonghadsaid？"
　　Shehaditmoreandmore，butshehaditasnothingatall。"Notawordtorepeat——youwouldn’tbelieve！Hedoessaynothingatall。Onecan’tremember。It’swhatImean。Itriedhimonpurpose，whileIthoughtofyou。Buthe’sperfectlystupid。Idon’tseehowwecanhavefancied——！"
　　Ihadinterruptedherbythemovementwithwhichagain，uncontrollablytossedononeofmysurgesofcertitude，Iturnedaway。HOWdeeptheymusthavebeenintogetherforhertohavesoatlastgatheredherselfup，andinhowdoublyinterestingalight，aboveall，itseemedtopresentLongforthefuture！Thatwas，whileIwarnedmyself，whatImostreadin——literallyanimplicationoftheenhancementofthislattersideoftheprodigy。Ifhiscleverness，underthealarmthat，firststirringtheirconsciousnessbutdimly，hadsoswiftlydevelopedastomakenextofeachamirrorfortheother，andthentoprecipitateforthem，insomesilencedeeperthandarkness，theexchangeofrecognitions，admissionsand，astheycertainlywouldhavephrasedit，tips——ifhisexcitedacutenesswashenceforthtoprotectitselfbydissimulation，whatwouldn’tperhaps，forone’sdiversion，bethenewspectacleandwonder？IcouldinamanneralreadymeasurethislargerplaybytheamplitudefreshlydeterminedinMrs。Briss，andIwasforamomentactuallyheldbythethoughtofthepossiblefinishourfriendwouldfinditinhimtogivetoarepresented，afictiveineptitude。Thesharpestjostletomythought，inthisrush，mightwellhavebeen，Iconfess，thereflectionthatasitwasIwhohadarrested，whohadspoiledtheirunconsciousness，soitwasnaturaltheyshouldfightagainstmeforapossiblelifeinthestateIhadgiventheminstead。Ihadspoiledtheirunconsciousness，Ihaddestroyedit，anditwasconsciousnessalonethatcouldmakethemeffectivelycruel。Therefore，iftheywerecruel，itwasIwhohaddeterminedit，inasmuchas，consciously，theycouldonlywant，theycouldonlyintend，tolive。Wouldn’tthatquestionhavebeen，Imanagedevennowtoaskmyself，theverybasisonwhichtheyhadinscrutablycometogether？"It’slife，youknow，"eachhadsaidtotheother，"andI，accordingly，canonlyclingtomine。Butyou，poordear——shallYOUgiveup？""Giveup？"theotherhadreplied："forwhatdoyoutakeme？Ishallfightbyyourside，please，andwecancompareandexchangeweaponsandmanoeuvres，andyoumayineverywaycountuponme。"
　　Thatwaswhat，withgreatervividness，wasfortherestoftheoccasionbeforeme，orbehindme；andthatIhaddoneitallandhadonlymyselftothankforitwaswhat，fromthisminute，bythesametoken，wasmoreandmoreformetheinneressenceofMrs。Briss’sattitude。Iknownotwhatheavyadmonitionofmyresponsibilityhadthussuddenlydescendedonme；butnothing，underit，wasindeedmoresensiblethanthatpracticallyitparalysedme。AndIcouldonlysaytomyselfthatthiswastheprice——thepriceofthesecretsuccess，thelonelylibertyandtheintellectualjoy。
　　Therewerethingsthatforsoprivateandsplendidarevel——thatoftheexclusivekingwithhisWagneropera——Icouldonlyletgo，andthespecialtormentofmycasewasthattheconditionoflight，ofthesatisfactionofcuriosityandoftheattestationoftriumph，wasinthisdirectwaythesacrificeoffeeling。Therewasnopointatwhichmyassurancecould，bythescientificmethod，judgeitselfcompleteenoughnottoregardfeelingasaninterferenceand，inconsequence，asapossiblecheck。IfithadtogoIknewwellwhowentwithit，butIwasn’ttheretosaveTHEM。I
　　wastheretosavemypricelesspearlofaninquiryandtoharden，tothatend，myheart。Ishouldneedindeedallmyhardness，aswellasmybrightness，moreover，tomeetMrs。BrissonthehighleveltowhichIhadatlastinducedhertomount，and，evenwhileIprolongedthemovementbywhichIhadmomentarilystayedher，theintermissionofherspeechbecameitselfformeahintofthepeculiarpertinenceofcaution。Itlastedlongenough，thisdrop，tosuggestthatherattentionwasthesharperformyhavingturnedawayfromit，andIshouldhavefearedarenewedchallengeifshehadn’t，bygoodluck，presentlygoneon："There’sreallynothinginhimatall！"
　　Chapter14
　　Ihadfacedheragainjustintimetotakeit，andIimmediatelymadeupmymindhowbesttodoso。"ThenIgoutterlytopieces！"
　　"Youshouldn’thaveperchedyourself，"shelaughed——shecouldbythistimealmostcoarselylaugh——"insuchapreposterousplace！"
　　"Ah，that’smyaffair，"Ireturned，"andifIaccepttheconsequencesIdon’tquiteseewhatyou’vetosaytoit。ThatIdoacceptthem——sofarasImakethemoutasnottoointolerableandyouasnotintendingthemtobe——thatIdoacceptthemiswhatI’vebeentryingtosignifytoyou。
　　Onlymyfall，"Iadded，"isaninevitableshock。Youremarkedtomeafewminutessincethatyoudidn’trecoveryourselfinaflash。Idifferfromyou，yousee，inthatido；Itakemycollapseallatonce。HerethenI
　　am。I’msmashed。Idon’tsee，asIlookaboutme，apieceIcanpickup。
　　Idon’tattempttoaccountformygoingwrong；Idon’tattempttoaccountforyourswithme；Idon’tattempttoaccountforanything。IfLongIS
　　justwhathealwayswasitsettlesthematter，andthespecialclincherforuscanbebutyourhonestfinalimpression，madepreciselymoreawareofitselfbyrepentanceforthelevitywithwhichyouhadoriginallyyieldedtomycontagion。"
　　Shedidn’tinsistonherrepentance；shewastootakenupwiththefactsthemselves。"Oh，butaddtomyimpressioneveryoneelse’simpression！Hasanyonenoticedanything？"
　　"Ah，Idon’tknowwhatanyonehasnoticed。Ihaven’t，"Ibrooded，"ventured——asyouknow——toaskanyone。"
　　"Well，ifyouhadyou’dhaveseen——seen，Imean，alltheydon’tsee。
　　Iftheyhadbeenconsciousthey’dhavetalked。"
　　Ithought。"Tome？"
　　"Well，I’mnotsuretoyou；peoplehavesuchanotionofwhatyouembroideronthingsthatthey’reratherafraidtocommitthemselvesortoleadyouon：they’resometimesin，youknow，"sheluminouslyremindedme，"formorethantheybargainfor，thantheyquiteknowwhattodowith，orthantheycaretohaveontheirhands。"
　　Itriedtodojusticetothisaccountofmyself。"YoumeanIseesomuch？"
　　Itwasadelicatematter，butsheriskedit。"Don’tyousometimesseehorrors？"
　　Iwondered。"Well，namesareaconvenience。Peoplecatchmeintheact？"
　　"Theycertainlythinkyoucritical。"
　　"Andiscriticismthevisionofhorrors？"
　　Shecouldn’tquitebesurewhereIwastakingher。"Itisn’t，perhaps，somuchthatyouseethem——"
　　Istarted。"AsthatIperpetratethem？"
　　Shewassurenow，however，andwouldn’thaveit，forshewasserious。
　　"Dearno——youdon’tperpetrateanything。Perhapsitwouldbebetterifyoudid！"shetossedoffwithanoddlaugh。"But——alwaysbypeople’sidea——youlikethem。"
　　Ifollowed。"Horrors？"
　　"Well，youdon’t——"
　　"Yes——？"
　　Butshewouldn’tbehurriednow。"Youtakethemtoomuchforwhattheyare。Youdon’tseemtowant——"
　　"Tocomedownonthemstrong？Oh，butIoftendo！"
　　"Somuchthebetterthen。"
　　"ThoughIdolike——whetherforthatornot，"Ihastenedtoconfess，"tolookthemfirstwellintheface。"
　　Oureyesmet，withthis，foraminute，butshemadenothingofthat。
　　"WhentheyHAVEnoface，then，youcan’tdoit！Itisn’tatalleventsnowaquestion，"shewenton，"ofpeople’skeepinganythingback，andyou’reperhapsinanycasenotthepersontowhomitwouldfirsthavecome。"
　　Itriedtothinkthenwhothepersonwouldbe。"ItwouldhavecometoLonghimself？"
　　Butshewasimpatientofthis。"Oh，onedoesn’tknowwhatcomes——orwhatdoesn’t——toLonghimself！I’mnotsurehe’stoomodesttomisrepresent——ifhehadtheintelligencetoplayapart。"
　　"Whichhehasn’t！"Iconcluded。
　　"Whichhehasn’t。It’stoMEtheymighthavespoken——ortoeachother。"
　　"ButIthoughtyouexactlyheldtheyHADchatteredinaccountingforhisstatebytheinfluenceofLadyJohn。"
　　Shegotthematterinstantlystraight。"Notabit。Thatchatterwasmineonly——andproducedtomeetyours。Therehadso，byyourtheory，tobeawoman——"
　　"That，toobligeme，youinventedHER？Precisely。ButIthought——"
　　"Youneedn’thavethought！"Mrs。Brissbrokein。"Ididn’tinventher。"
　　"Thenwhatareyoutalkingabout？"
　　"Ididn’tinventher，"sherepeated，lookingatmehard。"She’strue。"
　　Iechoeditinvagueness，thoughinstinctivelyagaininprotest；yetI
　　heldmybreath，forthiswasreallythepointatwhichIfeltmycompanion’sforcesmosttohavemustered。Hermannernowmoreovergavemeagreatideaofthem，andherwholeairwasoftakingimmediateadvantageofmyimpression。
　　"Well，seehere：sinceyou’vewantedit，I’mafraidthat，howeverlittleyoumaylikeit，you’llhavetotakeit。You’vepressedmeforexplanationsanddrivenmemuchharderthanyoumusthaveseenIfoundconvenient。IfI’veseemedtobeataboutthebushit’sbecauseIhadn’tonlymyselftothinkof。Onecanbesimpleforone’sself——onecan’tbe，always，forothers。"
　　"Ah，towhomdoyousayit？"Iencouraginglysighed；notevenyetquiteseeingforwhatissueshewasheading。
　　Shecontinuedtomakeforthespot，whateveritwas，withacertainmajesty。"IshouldhavepreferredtotellyounothingmorethanwhatI
　　HAVEtoldyou。Ishouldhavepreferredtocloseourconversationonthesimpleannouncementofmyrecoveredsenseofproportion。ButyouHAVE，Isee，gotmeintoodeep。"
　　"O—oh！"Icourteouslyattenuated。
　　"You’vemadeofme，"shelucidlyinsisted，"toobigatalker，toobigathinker，ofnonsense。"
　　"Thankyou，"Ilaughed，"forintimatingthatItriflesoagreeably。"
　　"Oh，YOU’VEappearednottomind！Butletmethenatlastnotfailoftheluxuryofadmittingthatimind。Yes，Imindparticularly。Imay，bebad，butI’veagrainofgumption。"
　　"’Bad’？"Itseemedmorecloselytoconcernme。
　　"BadImaybe。Infact，"shepursuedatthishighpitchandpressure；
　　"there’snodoubtwhateverIAM。"
　　"I’mdelightedtohearit，"Icried，"foritwasexactlysomethingstrongIwantedofyou！"
　　"ItISthenstrong"——andIcouldseeindeedshewasreadytosatisfyme。"You’veworriedmeformymotiveandharassedmeformy’moment，’andI’vehadtoprotectothersand，atthecostofadecentappearance，topretendtobemyselfhalfanidiot。I’vehadeven，forthesamepurpose——ifyoumusthaveit——todepartfromthetruth；togiveyou，thatis，afalseaccountofthemannerofmyescapefromyourtangle。Butnowthetruthshallbetold，andotherscantakecareofthemselves！"Shehadsowoundherselfupwiththis，reachedsothepointoffairlyheavingwithcourageandcandour，thatIforaninstantalmostmiscalculatedherdirectionandbelievedshewasreallythrowinguphercards。Itwasasifshehaddecided，onsomestillfinerlines，justtorubmynoseintowhatIhadbeenspellingout；whichwouldhavebeenananticipationofmyownjourney’scrownofthemostdisconcertingsort。Iwantedmypersonalconfidence，butIwantednobody’sconfession，andwithoutthejourney’scrownwhereWASthepersonalconfidence？Withoutthepersonalconfidence，moreover，wherewasthepersonalhonour？ThatwouldbereallythesinglethingtowhichIcouldattachauthority，foraconfessionmight，afterall，beitselfalie。Anybody，atallevents，couldfittheshoetoone。Myfriend’sintention，however，remainedbutbrieflyequivocal；mydangerpassed，andIrecognisedinitsplaceastillricherassurance。Itwasnottheunnamed，inshort，whoweretobenamed。
　　"LadyJohnISthewoman。"
　　Yeteventhiswasprodigious。"ButIthoughtyourpresentpositionwasjustthatshe’sNOT！"
　　"LadyJohnISthewoman，"Mrs。Brissagainannounced。
　　"ButIthoughtyourpresentpositionwasjustthatnobodyis！"
　　"LadyJohnISthewoman，"sheathirdtimedeclared。
　　Itnaturallyleftmegaping。"ThenthereISone？"Icriedbetweenbewildermentandjoy。
　　"Awoman？There’sHER！"Mrs。Brissrepliedwithmoreforcethangrammar。
　　"Iknow，"shebriskly，almostbreezilyadded，"thatIsaidshewouldn’tdo（asIhadoriginallysaidshewoulddobetterthananyone），whenyouawhileagomentionedher。Butthatwastosaveher。"
　　"Andyoudon’tcarenow，"Ismiled，"ifshe’slost！"
　　Shehesitated。"SheISlost。Butshecantakecareofherself。"
　　Icouldbuthelplesslythinkofher。"I’mafraidindeedthat，withwhatyou’vedonewithher，ican’ttakecareofher。Butwhyisshenowtothepurpose，"Iarticulatelywondered，"anymorethanshewas？"
　　"Why？Ontheverysystemyouyourselflaiddown。Whenwetookhimforbrilliant，shecouldn’tbe。Butnowthatweseehimasheis——"
　　"WecanonlyseeheralsoasSHEis？"Well，Itried，asfarasmyamusementwouldpermit，sotoseeher；butstillthereweredifficulties。"Possibly！"
　　Iatmostconceded。"Doyouoweyourdiscovery，however，whollytomysystem？
　　Mysystem，wheresomuchmadeforprotection，"Iexplained，"wasn’tintendedtohavetheeffectofexposure。"
　　"Itappearstohavebeenatalleventsintended，"mycompanionreturned，"tohavetheeffectofdrivingmetothewall；andtheconsequenceofthateffectisnobody’sfaultbutyourown。"
　　Shewasalllogicnow，andIcouldeasilysee，betweenmylightandmydarkness，howshewouldremainso。YetIwasscarcesatisfied。"Andit’sonlyon’thateffect’——？"
　　"ThatI’vemadeupmymind？"Shewaspositivelyfreeatlasttoenjoymydiscomfort。"Wouldn’titbesurely，ifyourideaswereworthanything，enough？Butitisn’t，"sheadded，"onlyonthat。It’sonsomethingelse。"
　　Ihadafteraninstantextractedfromthisthesinglemeaningitcouldappeartoyield。"I’mtounderstandthatyouKNOW？"
　　"Thatthey’reintimateenoughforanything？"Shefaltered，butshebroughtitout。"Iknow。"
　　Itwastheoddestthingintheworldforalittle，thewaythisaffectedmewithoutmyatallbelievingit。Itwaspreposterous，hangthoughitwouldwithhersomersault，andshehadquitesucceededingivingitthenoteofsincerity。Itwasthemeresoundofitthat，asIfeltevenatthetime，madeitalittleofablow——ablowofthesmartofwhichIwasconsciousjustlongenoughinwardlytomurmur："WhatifsheSHOULDberight？"
　　Shehadforthesesecondstheadvantageofstirringwithinmethememoryofherhavingindeed，thedayprevious，atPaddington，"known"asIhadn’t。
　　IthadbeenreallyonwhatsheTHENknewthatweoriginallystarted，andanelementofourstarthadbeenthatIadmiredherfreedom。Theformofit，atleast——sobeautifullyhadsherecoveredherself——wasalltherenow。
　　Well，Iatanyratereflected，itwasn’ttheformthatneedtroubleme，andIquicklyenoughputheraquestionthatrelatedonlytothematter。
　　"Ofcourseifsheis——itISsmash！"
　　"Andhaven’tyouyetgotusedtoitsbeing？"
　　Ikeptmyeyesonher；Itracedtheburiedfigureintheruins。"She’sgoodenoughforafool；andso"——Imadeitout——"ishe！IfheISthesameass——yes——theyMIGHTbe。"
　　"ANDheis，"saidMrs。Briss，"thesameass！"
　　Icontinuedtolookather。"Hewouldhavenoneedthenofherhavingtransformedandinspiredhim。"
　　"OrofherhavingDEformedandidiotisedherself，"myfriendsubjoined。
　　Oh，howitsharpenedmylook！"No，no——shewouldn’tneedthat。"
　　"ThegreatpointisthatHEwouldn’t！"Mrs。Brisslaughed。
　　Ikeptitup。"Shewoulddoperfectly。"
　　Mrs。Brisswasnotbehind。"Mydearman，shehasgottodo！"
　　Thiswasbriskerstill，butIheldmyway。"Almostanyonewoulddo。"
　　Itseemedforalittle，betweenhumourandsadness，tostrikeher。"AlmostanyoneWOULD。Still，"shelesspensivelydeclared，"wewanttherightone。"
　　"Surely；therightone"——Icouldonlyechoit。"Buthow，"Ithenproceeded，"hasithappilybeenconfirmedtoyou？"
　　Itpulledherupatrifle。"’Confirmed’——？"
　　"Thathe’sherlover。"