chapter23CHAPTERXXIIIOSBORNEHAMLEYREVIEWSHISPOSITIONOsbornehadhissolitarycupofcoffeeinthedrawing—room。Hewasveryunhappytoo，afterhisfashion。Hestoodonthehearth—rugponderingoverhissituation。Hewasnotexactlyawarehowhardlyhisfatherwaspressedforready—money；thesquirehadneverspokentohimonthesubjectwithoutbeingangry；andmanyofhisloosecontradictorystatements—allofwhich，howevercontradictorytheymightappear，hadtheirbasisintruth—weresetdownbyhissontotheexaggerationofpassion。ButitwasuncomfortableenoughtoayoungmanofOsborne’sagetofeelhimselfcontinuallyhamperedforwantofafive—poundnote。Theprincipalsuppliesfortheliberal—
　　almostluxurioustableattheHall，cameofftheestate；sothattherewasnoappearanceofpovertyasfarasthehouseholdwent；andaslongasOsbornewascontentathome，hehadeverythinghecouldwishfor；buthehadawifeelsewhere—hewantedtoseehercontinually—andthatnecessitatedjourneys。She，poorthing！hadtobesupported：wherewasthemoneyforthejourneysandforAimé；e’smodestwantstocomefrom？ThatwasthepuzzleinOsborne’smindjustnow。Whilehehadbeenatcollegehisallowance—heiroftheHamleys—hadbeenthreehundred，whileRogerhadtobecontentwithahundredless。Thepaymentoftheseannualsumshadgiventhesquireagooddealoftrouble；buthethoughtofitasamerelytemporaryinconvenience，perhapsunreasonablythoughtso。Osbornewastodogreatthings；takehighhonours，getafellowship，marryalong—descendedheiress，liveinsomeofthemanyuninhabitedroomsattheHall，andhelpthesquireinthemanagementoftheestatethatwouldsometimebehis。
　　Rogerwastobeaclergyman；steady，slowRogerwasjustfittedforthat，andwhenhedeclinedenteringtheChurch，preferringalifeofmoreactivityandadventure，Rogerwastobe—anything；hewasusefulandpractical，andfitforalltheemploymentsfromwhichOsbornewasshutoutbyhisfastidiousness，andhis（pseudo）genius；soitwaswellhewasaneldestson，forhewouldneverhavedonetostrugglethroughtheworld；andasforhissettlingdowntoaprofession，itwouldbelikecuttingblockswitharazor！AndnowherewasOsborne，livingathome，butlongingtobeelsewhere；hisallowancestoppedinreality；indeedthepunctualpaymentofitduringthelastyearortwohadbeenowingtohismother’sexertions；
　　butnothinghadbeensaidaboutitspresentcessationbyeitherfatherorson：moneymattersweretoosoreasubjectbetweenthem。Everynowandthenthesquirethrewhimaten—poundnoteorso；butthesortofsuppressedgrowlwithwhichtheyweregiven，andtheentireuncertaintyastowhenhemightreceivethem，renderedanycalculationbasedupontheirreceiptexceedinglyvagueanduncertain。’WhatintheworldcanIdotosecureanincome？’thoughtOsborne，ashestoodonthehearth—rug，hisbacktoablazingfire，hiscupofcoffeesentupintherareoldchinathathadbelongedtotheHallforgenerations；
　　hisdressfinished，asdressofOsborne’scouldhardlyfailtobe。Onecouldhardlyhavethoughtthatthiselegantyoungman，standingthereinthemidstofcomfortthatvergedonluxury，shouldhavebeenturningoverthatonegreatprobleminhismind；butsoitwas。’WhatcanIdotobesureofapresentincome？Thingscannotgoonastheyare。Ishouldneedsupportfortwoorthreeyears，evenifIenteredmyselfattheTemple，orLincoln’sInn。’Itwouldbeimpossibleforliveonmypayinthearmy；
　　besides，Ishouldhatethatprofession。Infact，thereareevilsattendingallprofessions—Icouldn’tbringmyselftobecomeamemberofanyI’veeverheardof。PerhapsI’mmorefittedtotakeordersthananythingelse，buttobecompelledtowriteweeklysermonswhetheronehadanythingtosayornot，and，probably，doomedonlytoassociatewithpeoplebelowoneinrefinementandeducation！YetpoorAimé；emusthavemoney。Ican’tbeartocompareourdinnershere，overloadedwithjointsandgameandsweets，asMorganwillpersistinsendingthemup，withAimé；e’stwolittlemutton—chops。YetwhatwouldmyfathersayifheknewI’dmarriedaFrenchwoman？
　　Inhispresentmoodhe’ddisinheritme，ifthatispossible；andhe’dspeakaboutherinawayIcouldn’tstand。ARomanCatholic，too！Well，Idon’trepentit。I’ddoitagain。Onlyifmymotherhadbeeningoodhealth，ifshecouldhaveheardmystory，andknownAimé；e！Asitis，Imustkeepitsecret；butwheretogetmoney？Wheretogetmoney？’Thenhebethoughthimofhispoems—wouldtheysell，andbringhiminmoney？InspiteofMilton，hethoughttheymight；andhewenttofetchhisMSS。outofhisroom。Hesatedownnearthefire，tryingtostudythemwithacriticaleye，torepresentpublicopinionasfarashecould。HehadchangedhisstylesincetheMrsHemans’days。Hewasessentiallyimitativeinhispoeticfaculty；andoflatehehadfollowedtheleadofapopularwriterofsonnets。’Heturnedhispoemsover：theywerealmostequivalenttoanautobiographicalpassageinhislife。Arrangingthemintheirorder，theycameasfollows：—’ToAimé；e，WalkingwithaLittleChild。’’ToAimé；e，SingingatherWork。’’ToAimé；e，turningawayfrommewhileItoldmyLove。’’Aimé；e’sConfession。’’Aimé；einDespair。’’TheForeignLandinwhichmyAimé；edwells。’’TheWeddingRing。’’TheWife。’Whenhecametothislastsonnetheputdownhisbundleofpapersandbegantothink。’Thewife。’Yes，andaFrenchwife。andaRomanCatholicwife—andawifewhomightbesaidtohavebeeninservice！Andhisfather’shatredoftheFrench，bothcollectivelyandindividually—collectively，astumultuousbrutalruffians，whomurderedtheirking，andcommittedallkindsofbloodyatrocities：individually，asrepresentedby’Boney，’andthevariouscaricaturesof’JohnnyCrapaud’thathadbeeninfullcirculationaboutfive—and—twentyyearsbeforethistime—whenthesquirehadbeenyoungandcapableofreceivingimpressions。AsfortheformofreligioninwhichMrsOsborneHamleyhadbeenbroughtup，itisenoughtosaythatCatholicemancipationhadbeguntobetalkedaboutbysomepoliticians，andthatthesullenroarofthemajorityofEnglishmen，atthebareideaofit，wassurginginthedistancewithominousthreatenings；theverymentionofsuchameasurebeforethesquirewas，asOsbornewellknew，likeshakingaredflagbeforeabull。AndthenheconsideredthatifAimé；ehadhadtheunspeakable，theincomparableblessingofbeingbornofEnglishparents，intheveryheartofEngland—Warwickshire，forinstance—andhadneverheardofpriests，ormass，orconfession，orthePope，orGuyFawkes，buthadbeenborn，baptized，andbredintheChurchofEngland，withouthavingeverseentheoutsideofadissentingmeeting—house，orapapistchapel—evenwithalltheseadvantages，herhavingbeena（whatwastheequivalentfor’bonne’
　　inEnglish？’nurserygoverness’wasatermhardlyinvented）nursery—maid，withwagespaiddownonceaquarter，liabletobedismissedatamonth’swarning，andhavingherteaandsugardoledouttoher，wouldbeashocktohisfather’soldancestralpridethathewouldhardlyevergetover。’Ifhesawher！’thoughtOsborne。’Ifhecouldbutseeher！’ButifthesquireweretoseeAimé；e，hewouldalsohearherspeakherprettybrokenEnglish—precioustoherhusband，asitwasinitthatshehadconfessedbrokenlywithherEnglishtongue，thatshelovedhimsoundlywithherFrenchheart—andSquireHamleypiquedhimselfonbeingagoodhateroftheFrench。’Shewouldmakesuchaloving，sweet，docilelittledaughtertomyfather—shewouldgoasnearasanyonecouldtowardsfillinguptheblankvoidinthishouse，ifhewouldbuthaveher；buthewon’t；
　　heneverwould；andheshan’thavetheopportunityofscoutingher。YetifIcalledher"Lucy"inthesesonnets；andiftheymadeagreateffect—werepraisedinBlackwoodandtheQuarterly—andalltheworldwasagogtofindouttheauthor；andItoldhimmysecret—IcouldifIweresuccessful—IthinkthenhewouldaskwhoLucywas，andIcouldtellhimallthen。If—howIhate"ifs。""Ifmenoifs。"Mylifehasbeenbasedon"whens；"andfirsttheyhaveturnedto"ifs，"andthentheyhavevanishedaway。Itwas"whenOsbornegetshonours，"andthen"ifOsborne，"
　　andthenafailurealtogether。IsaidtoAimé；e，"Whenmymotherseesyou，"andnowitis"Ifmyfathersawher，"withaveryfaintprospectofitsevercomingtopass。’Sohelettheeveninghoursflowonanddisappearinreverieslikethese；windingupwithasuddendeterminationtotrythefateofhispoemswithapublisher，withthedirectexpectationofgettingmoneyforthem，andanulteriorfancythat，ifsuccessful，theymightworkwonderswiththisfather。WhenRogercamehomeOsbornedidnotletadaypassbeforetellinghisbrotherofhisplans。HeneverdidconcealanythinglongfromRoger；thefemininepartofhischaractermadehimalwaysdesirousofaconfidant，andassweetsympathyashecouldextract。ButRoger’sopinionhadnoeffectonOsborne’sactions；andRogerknewthisfullwell。SowhenOsbornebeganwith—’IwantyouradviceonaplanIhavegotinmyhead，’Rogerreplied：
　　’SomeonetoldmethattheDukeofWellington’smaximwasnevertogiveadviceunlesshecouldenforceitsbeingcarriedintoeffect。nowIcan’tdothat；andyouknow，oldboy，youdon’tfollowoutmyadvicewhenyou’vegotit。’’Notalways，Iknow。Notwhenitdoesnotagreewithmyownopinion。Youarethinkingaboutthisconcealmentofmymarriage。butyou’renotupinallthecircumstances。YouknowhowfullyImeanttohavedoneit，iftherehadnotbeenthatrowaboutmydebts；andthenmymother’sillnessanddeath。Andnowyou’venoconceptionhowmyfatherischanged—howirritablehehasbecome！Waittillyou’vebeenathomeaweek！Robinson，Morgan—
　　it’sthesamewiththemall；butworstofallwithme！’’Poorfellow！’saidRoger；’Ithoughthelookedterriblychanged；shrunken，andhisruddinessofcomplexionaltered。’’Why，hehardlytakeshalftheexerciseheusedtodo，soit’snowonder。
　　Hehasturnedawayallthemenoffthenewworks，whichusedtobesuchaninteresttohim；andbecausetheroancobstumbledwithhimoneday，andnearlythrewhim，hewon’trideit；andyethewon’tsellitandbuyanother，whichwouldbethesensibleplan；sotherearetwooldhorseseatingtheirheadsoff，whileheisconstantlytalkingaboutmoneyandexpense。AndthatbringsmetowhatIwasgoingtosay。I’mdesperatelyhardupformoney，andsoI’vebeencollectingmypoems—weedingthemwell，youknow—goingoverthemquitecritically，infact；andIwanttoknowifyouthinkDeightonwouldpublishthem。You’veanameinCambridge，youknow；andIdaresayhewouldlookatthemifyouofferedthemtohim。’’Icanbuttry，’saidRoger；’butI’mafraidyouwon’tgetmuchbythem。’’Idon’texpectmuch。I’manewman，andmustmakemyname。Ishouldbecontentwithahundred。IfI’dahundredpoundsI’dsetmyselftodosomething。
　　ImightkeepmyselfandAimé；ebymywritingswhileIstudiedforthebar；or，iftheworstcametotheworst，ahundredpoundswouldtakeustoAustralia。’’Australia！Why，Osborne，whatcouldyoudothere？Andleavemyfather！
　　Ihopeyou’llnevergetyourhundredpounds，ifthat’stheuseyou’retomakeofit！Why，you’dbreakthesquire’sheart。’’Itmighthavedoneonce，’saidOsborne，gloomily，’butitwouldnotnow。
　　Helooksatmeaskance，andshiesawayfromconversationwithme。Letmealonefornoticingandfeelingthiskindofthing。It’sthisverysusceptibilitytooutwardthingsthatgivesmewhatfacultyIhave；anditseemstomeasifmybread，andmywife’stoo，weretodependuponit。You’llsoonseeforyourselfthetermswhichIamonwithmyfather！’Rogerdidsoonsee。Hisfatherhadslippedintoahabitofsilenceatmealtimes—ahabitwhichOsborne，whowastroubledandanxiousenoughforhisownpart，hadnotstriventobreak。Fatherandsonsatetogether，andexchangedallthenecessaryspeechesconnectedwiththeoccasioncivillyenough；butitwasarelieftothemwhentheirintercoursewasover，andtheyseparated—thefathertobroodoverhissorrowandhisdisappointment，whichwererealanddeepenough，andtheinjuryhehadreceivedfromhisboy，whichwasexaggeratedinhismindbyhisignoranceoftheactualstepsOsbornehadtakentoraisemoney。Ifthemoney—lendershadcalculatedthechancesofhisfather’slifeordeathinmakingtheirbargain，OsbornehimselfhadthoughtonlyofhowsoonandhoweasilyliecouldgetthemoneyrequisiteforclearinghimfromallimperiousclaimsatCambridge，andforenablinghimtofollowAimé；etoherhomeinAlsace，andforthesubsequentmarriage。Asyet，Rogerhadneverseenhisbrother’swife；
　　indeed，hehadonlybeentakenintoOsborne’sfullconfidenceafterallwasdecidedinwhichhisadvicecouldhavebeenuseful。Andnow，intheenforcedseparation，Osborne’swholethought，boththepoeticalandpracticalsidesofhismind，ranuponthelittlewifewhowaspassingherlonelydaysinfarmhouselodgings，wonderingwhenherbridegroomhusbandwouldcometohernext。Withsuchanengrossingsubjectitwas，perhaps，nowonderthatheunconsciouslyneglectedhisfather；butitwasnonethelesssadatthetime，andtoberegrettedinitsconsequences。’Imaycomeinandhaveapipewithyou，sir，mayn’tI？’saidRoger，thatfirstevening，pushinggentlyagainstthestudy—door，whichhisfatherheldonlyhalfopen。’You’llnotlikeit，’saidthesquire，stillholdingthedooragainsthim，butspeakinginarelentingtone。’ThetobaccoIuseisn’twhatyoungmenlike。BettergoandhaveacigarwithOsborne。’’No。Iwanttositwithyou，andIcanstandprettystrongtobacco。’Rogerpushedin，theresistanceslowlygivingwaybeforehim。’Itwillmakeyourclothessmell。You’llhavetoborrowOsborne’sscentstosweetenyourself，’saidthesquire，grimly，atthesametimepushingashortsmartamber—mouthedpipetohisson。’No；I’llhaveachurchwarden。Why，father，doyouthinkI’mababytoputupwithadoll’sheadlikethis？’lookingatthecarvinguponit。Thesquirewaspleasedinhisheart，thoughhedidnotchoosetoshowit。
　　Heonlysaid，’OsbornebroughtitmewhenhecamebackfromGermany。That’sthreeyearsago。’Andthenforsometimetheysmokedinsilence。Butthevoluntarycompanionshipofhissonwasverysoothingtothesquire，thoughnotawordmightbesaid。Thenextspeechhemadeshowedthedirectionofhisthoughts；indeedhiswordswerealwaysatransparentmediumthroughwhichthecurrentmightbeseen。’Adealofaman’slifecomesandgoesinthreeyears—I’vefoundthatout。’Andhepuffedawayathispipeagain。WhileRogerwasturningoverinhismindwhatanswertomaketothistruism，thesquireagainstoppedhissmokingandspoke。’IrememberwhentherewasallthatfussaboutthePrinceofWalesbeingmadeRegent，Ireadsomewhere—Idaresayitwasinanewspaper—thatkingsandtheirheirs—apparentwerealwaysonbadterms。Osbornewasquitealittlechapthen：heusedtogooutridingwithmeonWhiteSurrey；youwon’tremembertheponywecalledWhiteSurrey？’’Irememberit；butIthoughtitatallhorseinthosedays。’’Ah！thatwasbecauseyouweresuchasmalllad，youknow。Ihadsevenhorsesinthestablethen—notcountingthefarm—horses。Idon’trecollecthavingacarethen，except—shewasalwaysdelicate，youknow。
　　ButwhatabeautifulboyOsbornewas！Hewasalwaysdressedinblackvelvet—itwasafoppery，butitwasn’tmydoing，anditwasallright，I’msure。
　　He’sahandsomefellownow，butthesunshinehasgoneoutofhisface。’’He’sagooddealtroubledaboutthismoney，andtheanxietyhehasgivenyou，’saidRoger，rathertakinghisbrother’sfeelingsforgranted。’Nothe，’saidthesquire，takingthepipeoutofhismouth，andhittingthebowlsosharplyagainstthehobthatitbrokeinpieces。’There！Butnevermind！Isay，nothe，Roger！He’snonetroubledaboutthemoney。It’seasygettingmoneyfromJewsifyou’retheeldestson，andtheheir。Theyjustask，"Howoldisyourfather，andhashehadastroke，orafit？"
　　andit’ssettledoutofhand，andthentheycomeprowlingaboutaplace，andrunningdownthetimberandland——Don’tletusspeakofhim；it’snogood，Roger。HeandIareoutoftune，anditseemstomeasifonlyGodAlmightycouldputustorights。It’sthinkingofhowhegrievedheratlastthatmakesmesobitterwithhim。Andyetthere’sadealofgoodinhim！andhe’ssoquickandclever，ifonlyhe’dgivehismindtothings。
　　Now，youwerealwaysslow，Roger—allyourmastersusedtosayso。’Rogerlaughedalittle，—’Yes；I’dmanyanicknameatschoolformyslowness，’saidhe。’Nevermind！’saidthesquire，consolingly。’I’msureIdon’t。IfyouwereacleverfellowlikeOsborneyonder，you’dbeallforcaringforbooksandwriting，andyou’dperhapsfinditasdullashedoestokeepcompanywithabumpkin—SquireJoneslikeme。YetIdaresaytheythinkadealofyouatCambridge，’saidhe，afterapause，’sinceyou’vegotthisfinewranglership；I’dnearlyforgottenthat—thenewscameatsuchamiserabletime。’’Well，yes！They’realwaysproudoftheseniorwrangleroftheyearupatCambridge。NextyearImustabdicate。’Thesquiresateandgazedintotheembers，stillholdinghisuselesspipe—stem。
　　Atlasthesaid，inalowvoice，asifscarcelyawarehehadgotalistener，—’IusedtowritetoherwhenshewasawayinLondon，andtellherthehomenews。Butnoletterwillreachhernow！Nothingreachesher！’Rogerstartedup。’Where’sthetobacco—box，father？Letmefillyouanotherpipe！’andwhenhehaddoneso，hestoopedoverhisfatherandstrokedhischeek。Thesquireshookhishead。’You’veonlyjustcomehome，lad。Youdon’tknowme，asIamnow—a—days！
　　AskRobinson—Iwon’thaveyouaskingOsborne，heoughttokeepittohimself—butanyoftheservantswilltellyouI’mnotlikethesamemanforgettingintopassionswiththem。Iusedtobereckonedagoodmaster，butthatispastnow！Osbornewasoncealittleboy，andshewasoncealive—andIwasonceagoodmaster—agoodmaster—yes！Itisallpastnow。’Hetookuphispipe，andbegantosmokeafresh，andRoger，afterasilenceofsomeminutes，beganalongstoryaboutsomeCambridgeman’smisadventureonthehunting—field，tellingitwithsuchhumourthatthesquirewasbeguiledintoheartylaughing。Whentheyrosetogotobed，hisfathersaidtoRoger，—’Well，we’vehadapleasantevening—atleast，Ihave。Butperhapsyouhavenot；forI’mbutpoorcompanynow，know。’’Idon’tknowwhenI’vepassedahappierevening，father，’saidRoger。
　　Andhespoketruly，thoughhedidnottroublehimselftofindoutthecauseofhishappiness。
　　chapter24CHAPTERXXIVMRSGIBSON’SLITTLEDINNERAllthishadtakenplacebeforeRoger’sfirstmeetingwithMollyandCynthiaatMissBrownings’；andthelittledinnerontheFridayatMrGibson’s，whichfollowedinduesequence。MrsGibsonintendedtheHamleystofindthisdinnerpleasant；andtheydid。MrGibsonwasfondofthesetwoyoungmen，bothfortheirparents’
　　sakeandtheirown，forhehadknownthemsinceboyhood；andtothosewhomhelikedMrGibsoncouldberemarkablyagreeable。MrsGibsonreallygavethemawelcome—andcordialityinahostessisaverybecomingmantleforanyotherdeficienciestheremaybe。CynthiaandMollylookedtheirbest，whichwasallthedutyMrsGibsonabsolutelyrequiredofthem，asshewaswillingenoughtotakeherfullshareintheconversation。Osbornefelltoherlot，ofcourse，andforsometimeheandsheprattledonwithallthecaseofmannerandcommonplacenessofmeaningwhichgofartomakethe’artofpoliteconversation。’Roger，whooughttohavemadehimselfagreeabletooneortheotheroftheyoungladies，wasexceedinglyinterestedinwhatMrGibsonwastellinghimofapaperoncomparativeosteologyinsomeforeignjournalofscience，whichLordHollingfordwasinthehabitofforwardingtohisfriendthecountrysurgeon。YeteverynowandthenwhilehelistenedhecaughthisattentionwanderingtothefaceofCynthia，whowasplacedbetweenhisbrotherandMrGibson。Shewasnotparticularlyoccupiedwithattendingtoanythingthatwasgoingon；hereyelidswerecarelesslydropped，asshecrumbledherbreadonthetablecloth，andherbeautifullongeyelasheswereseenonthecleartintofherovalcheek。
　　Shewasthinkingofsomethingelse；Mollywastryingtounderstandwithallhermight。SuddenlyCynthialookedup，andcaughtRoger’sgazeofintentadmirationtoofullyforhertobeunawarethathewasstaringather。
　　Shecolouredalittle，butafterthefirstmomentofrosyconfusionathisevidentadmirationofher，sheflewtotheattack，divertinghisconfusionatthusbeingcaught，tothedefenceofhimselffromheraccusation。’Itisquitetrue！’shesaidtohim。’Iwasnotattending：youseeIdon’tknoweventheABCofscience。But，please，don’tlooksoseverelyatme，evenifIamadunce！’’Ididnotknow—Ididnotmeantolookseverely，Iamsure，’repliedhe，notknowingwellwhattosay。’Cynthiaisnotadunceeither，’saidMrsGibson，afraidlestherdaughter’sopinionofherselfmightbetakenseriously。’ButIhavealwaysobservedthatsomepeoplehaveatalentforonethingandsomeforanother。NowCynthia’stalentsarenotforscienceandthesevererstudies。Doyouremember，love，whattroubleIhadtoteachyoutheuseoftheglobes？’’Yes；andIdon’tknowlongitudefromlatitudenow；andI’malwayspuzzledastowhichisperpendicularandwhichishorizontal。’’Yet，Idoassureyou，’hermothercontinued，ratheraddressingherselftoOsborne’thathermemoryforpoetryisprodigious。Ihaveheardherrepeatthe"PrisonerofChillon"frombeginningtoend。’’Itwouldberatheraboretohavetohearher，Ithink，’saidMrGibson，smilingatCynthia，whogavehimbackoneofherbrightlooksofmutualunderstanding。’Ah，MrGibson，Ihavefoundoutbeforenowthatyouhavenosoulforpoetry；
　　andMollythereisyourownchild。Shereadssuchdeepbooks—allaboutfactsandfigures：she’llbequiteablue—stockingbyandby。’’Mamma，’saidMolly，reddening，’youthinkitwasadeepbookbecausethereweretheshapesofthedifferentcellsofbeesinit；butitwasnotatalldeep。Itwasveryinteresting。’’Nevermind，Molly，’saidOsborne。’Istandupforblue—stockings！’’AndIobjecttothedistinctionimpliedinwhatyousay，’saidRoger。
　　’Itwasnotdeep，ergo，itwasveryinteresting。Now，abookmaybebothdeepandinteresting。’’Oh，ifyouaregoingtochoplogicanduseLatinwords，Ithinkitistimeforustoleavetheroom，’saidMrsGibson。’Don’tletusrunawayasifwewerebeaten，mamma，’saidCynthia。’Thoughitmaybelogic，I，forone，canunderstandwhatMrRogerHamleysaidjustnow；andIreadsomeofMolly’sbook；andwhetheritwasdeepornotI
　　founditveryinteresting—moresothanIshouldthinkthe"PrisonerofChillon"now—a—days。I’vedisplacedthePrisonertomakeroomforJohnnieGilpinasmyfavouritepoem。’’Howcouldyoutalksuchnonsense，Cynthia？’saidMrsGibson，asthegirlsfollowedherupstairs。’Youknowyouarenotadunce。Itisallverywellnottobeablue—stocking，becausegentle—peopledon’tlikethatkindofwoman；butrunningyourselfdown，andcontradictingallIsaidaboutyourlikingforByron，andpoetsandpoetry—toOsborneHamleyofallmen，too！’MrsGibsonspokequitecrosslyforher。’But，mamma，’Cynthiareplica，’Iameitheradunce，orIamnot。IfI
　　am，Ididrighttoownit；ifIamnot，he’sadunceifhedoesn’tfindoutIwasjoking。’’Well，’saidMrsGibson，alittlepuzzledbythisspeech，andwantingsomeelucidatoryaddition。’Onlythatifhe’saduncehisopinionofmeisworthnothing。So，anyway，itdoesn’tsignify。’’Youreallybewildermewithyournonsense，child。Mollyisworthtwentyofyou。’’Iquiteagreewithyou，mamma，’saidCynthia，turningroundtotakeMolly’shand。’Yes；butsheoughtnottobe，’saidMrsGibson，stillirritated。’Thinkoftheadvantagesyou’vehad。’’I’mafraidIhadratherbeaduncethanablue—stocking，’saidMolly；
　　forthetermhadalittleannoyedher，andtheannoyancewasranklingstill。’Hush；heretheyarecoming：Ihearthedining—roomdoor！Inevermeantyouwereablue—stocking，dear，sodon’tlookvexed。—Cynthia，mylove，wheredidyougetthoselovelyflowers—anemones，arethey？Theysuityourcomplexionsoexactly。’’Come，Molly，don’tlooksograveandthoughtful，’exclaimedCynthia。’Don’tyouperceivemammawantsustobesmilingandamiable？’MrGibsonhadhadtogoouttohiseveninground；andtheyoungmenwerealltoogladtocomeupintotheprettydrawing—room；thebrightlittlewoodfire；thecomfortableeasychairswhich，withsosmallaparty，mightbedrawnroundthehearth；thegood—naturedhostess；thepretty，agreeablegirls。RogersauntereduptothecornerwhereCynthiawasstanding，playingwithahand—screen。’ThereisacharityballinHollingfordsoon，isn’tthere？’askedhe。’Yes；onEasterTuesday，’shereplied。’Areyougoing？Isupposeyouare？’’Yes；mammaisgoingtotakeMollyandme。’’Youwillenjoyitverymuch—goingtogether？’Forthefirsttimeduringthislittleconversationsheglancedupathim—realhonestpleasureshiningoutofhereyes。’Yes；goingtogetherwillmaketheenjoymentofthething。Itwouldbedullwithouther。’’Youaregreatfriends，then？’heasked。’IneverthoughtIshouldlikeanyonesomuch，—anygirlImean。’Sheputinthefinalreservationinallsimplicityofheart；andinallsimplicitydidheunderstandit。Hecameeversolittlenearer，anddroppedhisvoicealittle。’Iwassoanxioustoknow。Iamsoglad。Ihaveoftenwonderedhowyoutwoweregettingon。’’Haveyou？’saidshe，lookingupagain。’AtCambridge？YoumustbeveryfondofMolly！’’Yes，Iam。Shewaswithussolong；andatsuchatime！Ilookuponheralmostasasister。’’Andsheisveryfondofallofyou。Iseemtoknowyouallfromhearinghertalkaboutyousomuch。—Allofyou！’saidshe，layinganemphasison’all’toshowthatitincludedthedeadaswellastheliving。Rogerwassilentforaminuteortwo。’Ididn’tknowyou，evenbyhearsay。Soyoumustn’twonderthatIwasalittleafraid。ButassoonasIsawyou，Iknewhowitmustbe；anditwassucharelief！’’Cynthia，’saidMrsGibson，whothoughtthattheyoungersonhadhadquitehisshareoflow，confidentialconversation，’comehere，andsingthatlittleFrenchballadtoMrOsborneHamley。’’Whichdoyoumean，mamma？"Tut’enrepentiras，Colin"？’’Yes；suchapretty，playfullittlewarningtoyoungmen，’saidMrsGibson，smilingupatOsborne。’Therefrainis—Tut’enrepentiras，Colin，Tut’enrepentiras，Carsituprendsunefemme，Colin，Tut’enrepentiras。TheadvicemayapplyverywellwhenthereisaFrenchwifeinthecase；