第12章

Itwasnotlongbeforetheinevitablechangecameinthespiritofthesituation；moreandmorewasSheltonconsciousofaquaintuneasinessintheverybreathingofthehousehold。

"Curiousfellowyou\'vegotholdofthere，Shelton，"Mr。Dennantsaidtohimduringagameofcroquet；"he\'llneverdoanygoodforhimself，I\'mafraid。"

"InonesenseI\'mafraidnot，"admittedShelton。

"Doyouknowhisstory？Iwillbetyousixpence"——andMr。Dennantpausedtoswinghismalletwithaproperaccuracy"thathe\'sbeeninprison。"

"Prison!"ejaculatedShelton。

"Ithink，"saidMr。Dennant，withbentkneescarefullymeasuringhisnextshot，"thatyououghttomakeinquiries——ah!missedit!

Awkwardthesehoops!Onemustdrawthelinesomewhere。"

"Inevercoulddraw，"returnedShelton，nettledanduneasy；"butI

understand——I\'llgivehimahinttogo。"

"Don\'t，"saidMr。Dennant，movingafterhissecondball，whichSheltonhadsmittentothefartherend，"beoffended，mydearShelton，andbynomeansgivehimahint；heinterestsmeverymuch——

averyclever，quietyoungfellow。"

ThatthiswasnothisprivateviewSheltoninferredbystudyingMr。

Dennant\'smannerinthepresenceofthevagabond。Underlyingthewell-bredbanterofthetranquilvoice，theguardedquizzicalityofhispalebrownface，itcouldbeseenthatAlgernonCuffeDennant，Esq。，J。P。，accustomedtolaughatotherpeople，suspectedthathewasbeinglaughedat。Whatmorenaturalthanthatheshouldgropeabouttoseehowthiscouldbe？AvagrantalienwasmakinghimselffeltbyanEnglishJusticeofthePeace——nosmalltribute，this，toFerrand\'spersonality。Thelatterwouldsitsilentthroughameal，andyetmakehiseffect。He，theobjectoftheirkindness，education，patronage，inspiredtheirfear。Therewasnolongeranydoubt；itwasnotofFerrandthattheywereafraid，butofwhattheydidnotunderstandinhim；ofhorridsubtletiesmeanderinginthebrainunderthatstraight，wet-lookinghair；ofsomethingbizarrepoppingfromthecurvinglipsbelowthatthin，lopsidednose。

ButtoSheltoninthis，asinallelse，Antoniawaswhatmattered。

Atfirst，anxioustoshowherloverthatshetrustedhim，sheseemednevertiredofdoingthingsforhisyoungprotege，asthoughshetoohadsetherheartonhissalvation；but，watchinghereyeswhentheyrestedonthevagabond，SheltonwasperpetuallyremindedofhersayingonthefirstdayofhisvisittoHolmOaks，"Isupposehe\'sreallygood——Imeanallthesethingsyoutoldmeaboutwereonly……"

Curiosityneverleftherglance，nordidthatstoryofhisfourdays\'

starvingleavehermind；asentimentalpicturesquenessclungaboutthatincidentmorevaluablebyfarthanthismerehumanbeingwithwhomshehadsostrangelycomeincontact。ShewatchedFerrand，andSheltonwatchedher。Ifhehadbeentoldthathewaswatchingher，hewouldhavedenieditingoodfaith；buthewasboundtowatchher，tofindoutwithwhateyessheviewedthisvisitorwhoembodiedalltherebelliousunder-sideoflife，allthatwasabsentinherself。

"Dick，"shesaidtohimoneday，"younevertalktomeofMonsieurFerrand。"

"Doyouwanttotalkofhim？"

"Don\'tyouthinkthathe\'simproved？"

"He\'sfatter。"

Antonialookedgrave。

"No，butreally？"

"Idon\'tknow，"saidShelton；"Ican\'tjudgehim。"

Antoniaturnedherfaceaway，andsomethinginherattitudealarmedhim。

"Hewasonceasortofgentleman，"shesaid；"whyshouldn\'thebecomeoneagain？"

Sittingonthelowwallofthekitchen-garden，herheadwasframedbygoldenplums。Thesunlaybarredbehindthefoliageoftheholmoak，butalittlepatchfilteringthroughagaphadrestedintheplum-

tree\'sheart。Itcrownedthegirl。Herraiment，thedarkleaves，theredwall，thegoldenplums，werewovenbythepassingglowtoablockofpagancolour。Andherfaceaboveit，chaste，serene，waslikethescentlesssummerevening。Abirdamongstthecurrantbusheskeptalittlechantvibrating；andalltheplum-tree\'sshapeandcolourseemedalive。

"Perhapshedoesn\'twanttobeagentleman，"saidShelton。

Antoniaswungherfoot。

"Howcanhehelpwantingto？"

"Hemayhaveadifferentphilosophyoflife。"

Antoniawasslowtoanswer。

"Iknownothingaboutphilosophiesoflife，"shesaidatlast。

Sheltonansweredcoldly，"Notwopeoplehavethesame。"

Withthefallingsun-glowthecharmpassedoffthetree。Chilledandharder，yetlessdeep，itwasnomoreablockofwovencolour，warmandimpassive，likeasoutherngoddess；itwasnowanortherntree，withagreylightthroughitsleaves。

"Idon\'tunderstandyouintheleast，"shesaid；"everyonewishestobegood。"

"Andsafe？"askedSheltongently。

Antoniastared。

"Suppose，"hesaid——"Idon\'tpretendtoknow，Ionlysuppose——whatFerrandreallycaresforisdoingthingsdifferentlyfromotherpeople？Ifyouweretoloadhimwithacharacterandgivehimmoneyonconditionthatheactedasweallact，doyouthinkhewouldacceptit？"

"Whynot？"

"Whyaren\'tcatsdogs；orpagansChristians？"

Antoniasliddownfromthewall。

"Youdon\'tseemtothinkthere\'sanyuseintrying，"shesaid，andturnedaway。

Sheltonmadeamovementasifhewouldgoafterher，andthenstoodstill，watchingherfigureslowlypass，herheadoutlinedabovethewall，herhandsturnedbackacrosshernarrowhips。Shehaltedatthebend，lookedback，then，withanimpatientgesture，disappeared。

Antoniawasslippingfromhim!

Amoment\'svisionfromwithouthimselfwouldhaveshownhimthatitwashewhomovedandshewhowasstandingstill，likethefigureofonewatchingthepassageofastreamwithclear，direct，andsulleneyes。

CHAPTERXXVIII

THERIVER

OnedaytowardstheendofAugustSheltontookAntoniaontheriver——

theriverthat，likesoftmusic，soothestheland；theriverofthereedsandpoplars，thesilverswan-sails，sunandmoon，woods，andthewhiteslumbrousclouds；wherecuckoos，andthewind，thepigeons，andtheweirsarealwayssinging；andintheflashofnakedbodies，theplayofwaterlilyleaves，queergoblinstumps，andthetwilightfacesofthetwistedtree-roots，Panlivesoncemore。

ThereachwhichSheltonchosewasinnocentoflaunches，champagnebottlesandloudlaughter；itwasuncivilised，andseldomtroubledbythesehumanisinginfluences。Hepaddledslowly，silentandabsorbed，watchingAntonia。Anunaccustomedlanguorclungabouther；hereyeshadshadows，asthoughshehadnotslept；colourglowedsoftlyinhercheeks，herfrockseemedallalightwithgoldenradiance。ShemadeSheltonpullintothereeds，andpluckedtworoundedliliessailinglikeshipsagainstslow-movingwater。

"Pullintotheshade，please，"shesaid；it\'stoohotouthere。"

Thebrimofherlinenhatkeptthesunfromherface，butherheadwasdroopinglikeaflower\'sheadatnoon。

Sheltonsawthattheheatwasreallyharmingher，astoohotadaywilldimtheicyfreshnessofanorthernplant。Hedippedhissculls，theripplesstartedoutandswamingravediminuendotilltheytouchedthebanks。

Heshottheboatintoacleft，andcaughtthebranchesofanoverhangingtree。Theskiffrested，balancingwithmutinousvibration，likealivingthing。

"IshouldhatetoliveinLondon，"saidAntoniasuddenly；"theslumsmustbesoawful。Whatapity，whenthereareplaceslikethis!Butit\'snogoodthinking。"

"No，"answeredSheltonslowly!"Isupposeitisnogood。"

"TherearesomebadcottagesatthelowerendofCrossEaton。IwentthemonedaywithMissTruecote。Thepeoplewon\'thelpthemselves。

It\'ssodiscouragingtohelppeoplewhowon\'thelpthemselves。"

Shewasleaningherelbowsonherknees，and，withherchinrestingonherhands，gazedupatShelton。Allaroundthemhungatentofsoft，thickleaves，and，below，thewaterwasdeep-dyedwithgreenrefraction。Willowboughs，swayingabovetheboat，caressedAntonia\'sarmsandshoulders；herfaceandhairalonewerefree。

"Sodiscouraging，"shesaidagain。

Asilencefell……Antoniaseemedthinkingdeeply。

"Doubtsdon\'thelpyou，"shesaidsuddenly；"howcanyougetanygoodfromdoubts？Thethingistowinvictories。"

"Victories？"saidShelton。"I\'dratherunderstandthanconquer!"

Hehadrisentohisfeet，andgraspedstuntedbranch，cantingtheboattowardsthebank。

"Howcanyouletthingsslidelikethat，Dick？It\'slikeFerrand。"

"Haveyousuchabadopinionofhim，then？"askedShelton。Hefeltonthevergeofsome，discovery。

Sheburiedherchindeeperinherhands。

"Ilikedhimatfirst，"shesaid；"Ithoughtthathewasdifferent。

Ithoughthecouldn\'treallybe——"

"Reallybewhat？"

Antoniadidnotanswer。

"Idon\'tknow，"shesaidatlast。"Ican\'texplain。Ithought——"

Sheltonstillstood，holdingtothebranch，andtheoscillationoftheboatfreedaninfinityoftinyripples。

"Youthought——what？"hesaid。

Heoughttohaveseenherfacegrowyounger，morechildish，eventimid。Shesaidinavoicesmooth，round，andyoung:

"Youknow，Dick，Idothinkweoughttotry。IknowIdon\'ttryhalfhardenough。Itdoesn\'tdoanygoodtothink；whenyouthink，everythingseemssomixed，asiftherewerenothingtolayholdof。

Idosohatetofeellikethat。Itisn\'tasifwedidn\'tknowwhat\'sright。SometimesIthink，andthink，andit\'sallnogood，onlyawasteoftime，andyoufeelattheendasifyouhadbeendoingwrong。"

Sheltonfrowned。

"Whathasn\'tbeenthroughfire\'snogood，"hesaid；and，lettinggothebranch，satdown。Freedfromrestraint，theboatedgedouttowardsthecurrent。"ButwhataboutFerrand？"

"Ilayawakelastnightwonderingwhatmakesyoulikehimso。He\'ssobitter；hemakesmefeelunhappy。Heneverseemscontentwithanything。Andhedespises"——herfacehardened——"Imean，hehatesusall!"

"SoshouldIifIwerehe，"saidShelton。

Theboatwasdriftingon，andgleamsofsunlightchasedacrosstheirfaces。Antoniaspokeagain。

"Heseemstobealwayslookingatdarkthings，orelseheseemsasif——asifhecould——enjoyhimselftoomuch。Ithought——Ithoughtatfirst，"shestammered，"thatwecoulddohimgood。"

"Dohimgood!Ha，ha!"

Astartledratwentswimmingforitslifeagainstthestream；andSheltonsawthathehaddoneadreadfulthing:hehadletAntoniawithajerkintoasecretnothithertoadmittedevenbyhimself——thesecretthathereyeswerenothiseyes，herwayofseeingthingsnothisnoreverwouldbe。Hequicklymuffleduphislaughter。Antoniahaddroppedhergaze；herfaceregaineditslanguor，butthebosomofherdresswasheaving。Sheltonwatchedher，rackinghisbrainstofindexcusesforthatfatallaugh；nonecouldhefind。Itwasalittlepieceoftruth。Hepaddledslowlyon，closetothebank，inthelongsilenceoftheriver。

Thebreezehaddiedaway，notafishwasrising；saveforthelostmusicofthelarksnobirdswerepiping；alone，asinglepigeonatbriefintervalscooedfromtheneighbouringwood。

Theydidnotstaymuchlongerintheboat。

Onthehomewardjourneyinthepony-cart，roundingacorneroftheroad，theycameonFerrandinhispince-nez，holdingacigarettebetweenhisfingersandtalkingtoatramp，whowassquattingonthebank。Theyoungforeignerrecognisedthem，andatonceremovedhishat。

"Thereheis，"saidShelton，returningthesalute。

Antoniabowed。

"Oh!"she，cried，whentheywereoutofhearing，"Iwishhe\'dgo。

Ican\'tbeartoseehim；it\'slikelookingatthedark。"

CHAPTERXXIX

ONTHEWING

Thatnight，havinggoneuptohisroom，Sheltonfilledhispipeforhisunpleasantduty。HehadresolvedtohinttoFerrandthathehadbettergo。Hewasstilldebatingwhethertowriteorgohimselftotheyoungforeigner，whentherecameaknockandFerrandhimselfappeared。

"Ishouldbesorry，"hesaid，breakinganawkwardsilence，"ifyouweretothinkmeungrateful，butIseenofutureformehere。Itwouldbebetterformetogo。Ishouldneverbecontenttopassmylifeinteachinglanguages\'cen\'estgueredansmoncaractre\'。"

Assoonaswhathehadbeencudgellinghisbrainstofindawayofsayinghadthusbeensaidforhim，Sheltonexperiencedasenseofdisapproval。

"Whatdoyouexpecttogetthat\'sbetter？"hesaid，avoidingFerrand\'seyes。

"Thankstoyourkindness，"repliedthelatter，"Ifindmyselfrestored。IfeelthatIoughttomakesomegoodeffortstodominatemysocialposition。"

"Ishouldthinkitwellover，ifIwereyou!"saidShelton。

"Ihave，anditseemstomethatI\'mwastingmytime。Foramanwithanycouragelanguagesarenocareer；and，thoughI\'vemanydefects，Istillhavecourage。"

Sheltonlethispipegoout，sopatheticseemedtohimthisyoungman\'sfaithinhiscareer；itwasnopretendedfaith，butneitherwasit，hefelt，histruemotivefordeparture。"He\'stired，"hethought；"that\'sit。Tiredofoneplace。"AndhavingtheinstinctivesensethatnothingwouldkeepFerrand，heredoubledhisadvice。

"Ishouldhavethought，"hesaid，"thatyouwouldhavedonebettertohaveheldonhereandsavedalittlebeforegoingofftoGodknowswhat。"

"Tosave，"saidFerrand，"isimpossibleforme，but，thankstoyouandyourgoodfriends，I\'veenoughtomakefronttofirstnecessities。I\'mincorrespondencewithafriend；it\'sofgreatimportanceformetoreachParisbeforealltheworldreturns。I\'veachancetoget，apostinoneoftheWestAfricancompanies。Onemakesfortunesoutthere——ifonesurvives，and，asyouknow，Idon\'tsettoomuchstorebylife。"

"Wehaveaproverb，"saidShelton，"\'Abirdinthehandisworthtwobirdsinthebush!\'"

"That，"returnedFerrand，"likeallproverbs，isjusthalftrue。

Thisisanaffairoftemperament。It\'snotinmycharactertodandleonewhenIseetwowaitingtobecaught；\'voyager，apprendre，c\'estplusfortquemoi\'。"Hepaused；then，withanervousgoggleoftheeyesandanironicsmilehesaid:"Besides，\'monchermonsieur\'，itisbetterthatIgo。Ihaveneverbeenonetohugillusions，andIseeprettyclearlythatmypresenceishardlyacceptableinthishouse。"

"Whatmakesyousaythat？"asked，Shelton，feelingthatthemurderwasnowout。"

"Mydearsir，alltheworldhasnotyourunderstandingandyourlackofprejudice，and，thoughyourfriendshavebeenextremelykindtome，Iaminafalseposition；Icausethemembarrassment，whichisnotextraordinarywhenyoureflectwhatIhavebeen，andthattheyknowmyhistory。"

"Notthroughme，"saidSheltonquickly，"forIdon\'tknowitmyself。"

"It\'senough，"thevagrantsaid，"thattheyfeelI\'mnotabirdoftheirfeather。Theycannotchange，neithercanI。IhaveneverwantedtoremainwhereI\'mnotwelcome。"

Sheltonturnedtothewindow，andstaredintothedarkness；hewouldneverquiteunderstandthisvagabond，sodelicate，socynical，andhewonderedifFerrandhadbeenswallowingdownthewords，"Why，evenyouwon\'tbesorrytoseemyback!"

"Well，"hesaidatlast，"ifyoumustgo，youmust。Whendoyoustart？"

"I\'vearrangedwithamantocarrymythingstotheearlytrain。I

thinkitbetternottosaygood-bye。I\'vewrittenaletterinstead；

hereitis。Ileftitopenforyoutoreadifyoushouldwish，"

"Then，"saidShelton，withacuriousminglingofrelief，regret，good-will，"Isha\'n\'tseeyouagain？"

Ferrandgavehishandastealthyrub，andhelditout。

"Ishallneverforgetwhatyouhavedoneforme，"hesaid。

"Mindyouwrite，"saidShelton。

"Yes，yes"——the，vagrant\'sfacewasoddlytwisted——"youdon\'tknowwhatadifferenceitmakestohaveacorrespondent；itgivesonecourage。Ihopetoremainalongtimeincorrespondencewithyou。"

"Idaresayyoudo，"thoughtSheltongrimly，withacertainqueeremotion。

"YouwilldomethejusticetorememberthatIhaveneveraskedyouforanything，"saidFerrand。"Thankyouathousandtimes。

Good-bye!"

Heagainwrunghispatron\'shandinhisdampgrasp，and，goingout，leftSheltonwithanoddsensationinhisthroat。"YouwilldomethejusticetorememberthatIhaveneveraskedyouforanything。"

Thephraseseemedstrange，andhismindflewbackoverallthisqueeracquaintanceship。Itwasafact:fromthebeginningtotheendtheyouthhadneverreallyaskedforanything。Sheltonsatdownonhisbed，andbegantoreadtheletterinhishand。ItwasinFrench。

DEARMADAME(itran)，Itwillbeinsupportabletome，afteryourkindness，ifyoutakemeforungrateful。Unfortunately，acrisishasarrivedwhichplungesmeintothenecessityofleavingyourhospitality。Inalllives，asyouarewellaware，thereariseoccasionsthatonecannotgovern，andI

knowthatyouwillpardonmethatIenterintonoexplanationonaneventwhichgivesmegreatchagrin，and，aboveall，rendersmesubjecttoanimputationofingratitude，which，believeme，dearMadame，bynomeansliesinmycharacter。Iknowwellenoughthatitisabreachofpolitenesstoleaveyouwithoutinpersonconveyingtheexpressionofmyprofoundreconnaissance，butifyouconsiderhowharditisformetobecompelledtoabandonallthatissodistinguishedindomesticlife，youwillforgivemyweakness。Peoplelikeme，whohavegonethroughexistencewiththeireyesopen，haveremarkedthatthosewhoareendowedwithricheshavearighttolookdownonsuchasarenotbywealthandbreedingfittedtooccupythesameposition。Ishallneverdisputearightsonaturalandsalutary，seeingthatwithoutthisdistinction，thissuperiority，whichmakesofthewell-bornandthewell-bredaraceapart，therestoftheworldwouldhavenostandardbywhichtoruletheirlives，noanchortothrowintothedepthsofthatvastseaoffortuneandofmisfortuneonwhichweothersdrivebeforethewind。Itisbecauseofthis，dearMadame，thatIregardmyselfsodoublyfortunatetohavebeenableforafewminutesinthisbitterpilgrimagecalledlife，tositbeneaththetreeofsafety。Tohavebeenable，ifonlyforanhour，tositandsetthepilgrimspass，thepilgrimswiththeblisteredfeetandraggedclothes，andwhoyet，dearMadame，guardwithintheirheartsacertainjoyinlife，illegaljoy，likethedesertairwhichtravellerswilltellyoufillsmenaswithwinetobeablethustositanhour，andwithasmiletowatchthempass，lameandblind，inalltheragsoftheirdeservedmisfortunes，canyounotconceive，dearMadame，howthatmustbeforsuchasIacomfort？Whateveronemaysay，itissweet，fromapositionofsecurity，towatchthesufferingsofothers；itgivesoneagoodsensationintheheart。

Inwritingthis，IrecollectthatImyselfoncehadthechanceofpassingallmylifeinthisenviablesafety，andasyoumaysuppose，dearMadame，IcursemyselfthatIshouldeverhavehadthecouragetostepbeyondtheboundariesofthisfinetranquilstate。Yet，too，therehavebeentimeswhenIhaveaskedmyself:"Dowereallydifferfromthewealthy——weothers，birdsofthefields，whohaveourownphilosophy，grownfromthepainsofneedingbread——wewhoseethatthehumanheartisnotalwaysanaffairoffigures，orofthosegoodmaximsthatonefindsincopy-books——dowereallydiffer？"ItiswithshamethatIconfesstohaveaskedmyselfaquestionsoheretical。Butnow，whenforthesefourweeksIhavehadthefortuneofthisrestbeneathyourroof，IseehowwrongIwastoentertainsuchdoubts。Itisagreathappinesstohavedecidedonceforallthispoint，foritisnotinmycharactertopassthroughlifeuncertain——mistaken，perhaps——onpsychologicalmatterssuchasthese。

No，Madame；resthappilyassuredthatthereisagreatdifference，whichinthefuturewillbesacredforme。For，believeme，Madame，itwouldbecalamityforhighSocietyifbychancethereshouldariseamongstthemanyunderstandingofallthatsideoflifewhich——vastastheplainsandbitterasthesea，blackastheashesofacorpse，andyetmorefreethananywingsofbirdswhoflyaway——issojustlybeyondthegraspoftheirphilosophy。Yes，believeme，dearMadame，thereisnodangerintheworldsomuchtobeavoidedbyallthemembersofthatcircle，mostillustrious，mostrespectable，calledhighSociety。

>FromwhatIhavesaidyoumayimaginehowharditisformetotakemyflight。Ishallalwayskeepforyouthemostdistinguishedsentiments。Withtheexpressionofmyfullregardforyouandyourgoodfamily，andofagratitudeassincereasitisbadlyworded，Believeme，dearMadame，YourdevotedLOUISFERRAND。

Shelton\'sfirstimpulsewastoteartheletterup，butthishereflectedhehadnorighttodo。Remembering，too，thatMrs。

Dennant\'sFrenchwasorthodox，hefeltsureshewouldneverunderstandtheyoungforeigner\'ssubtleinnuendoes。Heclosedtheenvelopeandwenttobed，hauntedstillbyFerrand\'spartinglook。

Itwaswithnosmallfeelingofembarrassment，however，that，havingsentthelettertoitsdestinationbyanearlyfootman，hemadehisappearanceatthebreakfast-table。BehindtheAustriancoffee-urn，filledwithFrenchcoffee，Mrs。Dennant，whohadplacedfoureggsinaGermanegg-boiler，said"Good-morning，"withakindlysmile。

"Dick，anegg？"sheaskedhim，holdingupafifth。

"No，thankyou，"repliedShelton，greetingthetableandfittingdown。

Hewasalittlelate；thebuzzofconversationrosehilariouslyaround。

"Mydear，"continuedMr。Dennant，whowastalkingtohisyoungestdaughter，"you\'llhavenochancewhatever——nottheleastlittlebitofchance。"

"Father，whatnonsense!Youknowweshallbeatyourheadsoff!"

"Beforeit\'stoolate，then，Iwilleatamuffin。Shelton，passthemuffins!"Butinmakingthisrequest，Mr。Dennantavoidedlookinginhisface。

Antonia，too，seemedtokeephereyesawayfromhim。ShewastalkingtoaConnoisseuronArtofsupernaturalappearances，andseemedinthehighestspirits。Sheltonrose，and，goingtothesideboard，helpedhimselftogrouse。

"WhowastheyoungmanIsawyesterdayonthelawn？"heheardtheConnoisseurremark。"Struckmeashavingan——er——quiteintelligentphysiog。"

Hisownintelligentphysiog，raisedataslightslantsothathemightlookthebetterthroughhisnose-nippers，wastheverypatternofapproval。"It\'scurioushowone\'salwaysmeetingwithintelligence；"itseemedtosay。Mrs。Dennantpausedintheactofaddingcream，andSheltonscrutinisedherface；itwashare-like，andsuperiorasever。Thankgoodnessshehadsmeltnorat!Hefeltstrangelydisappointed。

"YoumeanMonsieurFerrand，teachin\'ToddlesFrench？Dobson，theProfessor\'scup。"

"IhopeIshallseehimagain，"cooedtheConnoisseur；"hewasquiteinterestingonthesubjectofyoungGermanworkingmen。Itseemstheytrampfromplacetoplacetolearntheirtrades。Whatnationalitywashe，mayIask？"

Mr。Dennant，ofwhomheaskedthisquestion，liftedhisbrows，andsaid，"AskShelton。"

"HalfDutch，halfFrench。"

"Veryinterestingbreed；IhopeIshallseehimagain。"

"Well，youwon\'t，"saidTheasuddenly；"he\'sgone。"

Sheltonsawthattheirgoodbreedingalonepreventedallfromadding，"Andthankgoodness，too!"

"Gone？Dearme，it\'svery——"

"Yes，"saidMr。Dennant，"verysudden。"

"Now，Algie，"murmuredMrs。Dennant，"it\'squiteacharmin\'letter。

Musthavetakenthepooryoungmananhourtowrite。"

"Oh，mother!"criedAntonia。

AndSheltonfelthisfacegocrimson。HehadsuddenlyrememberedthatherFrenchwasbetterthanhermother\'s。

"Heseemstohavehadasingularexperience，"saidtheConnoisseur。

"Yes，"echoedMr。Dennant；"he\'shadsomesingularexperience。Ifyouwanttoknowthedetails，askfriendShelton；it\'squiteromantic。Inthemeantime，mydear；anothercup？"

TheConnoisseur，neverquitedevoidofabsent-mindedmalice，spurredhiscuriositytoafurthereffort；and，turninghiswell-defendedeyesonShelton，murmured，"Well，Mr。Shelton，youarethehistorian，itseems。"

"Thereisnohistory，"saidShelton，withoutlookingup。

"Ah，that\'sverydull，"remarkedtheConnoisseur。

"MydearDick，"saidMrs。Dennant，"thatwasreallyamosttouchin\'

storyabouthisgoin\'withoutfoodinParis。"

SheltonshotanotherlookatAntonia；herfacewasfrigid。"Ihateyourd——dsuperiority!"hethought，staringattheConnoisseur。

"There\'snothing，"saidthatgentleman，"moreenthrallingthanstarvation。Come，MrShelton。"

"Ican\'ttellstories，"saidShelton；"nevercould。"

HecarednotastrawforFerrand，hiscoming，going，orhishistory；

for，lookingatAntonia，hisheartwasheavy。

CHAPTERXX

THELADYFROMBEYOND

Themorningwassultry，brooding，steamy。Antoniawasathermusic，andfromtheroomwhereSheltontriedtofixattentiononabookhecouldhearherpractisingherscaleswithacoldfurythatcastanaddedgloomuponhisspirit。Hedidnotseeheruntillunch，andthensheagainsatnexttheConnoisseur。Hercheekswerepale，buttherewassomethingfeverishinherchattertoherneighbour；shestillrefusedtolookatShelton。Hefeltverymiserable。Afterlunch，whenmostofthemhadleftthetable，therestfelltodiscussingcountryneighbours。

"Ofcourse，"saidMrs。Dennant，"therearetheFoliots；butnobodycallsonthem。"

"Ah!"saidtheConnoisseur，"theFoliots——theFoliots——thepeople——

er——who——quiteso!"

"It\'sreallydistressin\'；shelookssosweetridin\'about。Manypeoplewithworsestoriesgetcalledon，"continuedMrs。Dennant，withthatlargefranknessofintrusionupondoubtfulsubjectswhichmaybemadebycertainpeopleinacertainway，"but，afterall，onecouldn\'taskthemtomeetanybody。"

"No，"theConnoisseurassented。"IusedtoknowFoliot。Thousandpities。Theysayshewasaveryprettywoman。"

"Oh，notpretty!"saidMrs。Dennant!"moreinterestinthanpretty，I

shouldsay。"

Shelton，whoknewtheladyslightly，noticedthattheyspokeofherasinthepast。HedidnotlooktowardsAntonia；for，thoughalittletroubledatherpresencewhilesuchasubjectwasdiscussed，hehatedhisconvictionthatherface，wasasunruffledasthoughtheFoliotshadbeenaseparatespecies。Therewas，infact，acuriosityabouthereyes，afaintimpatienceonherlips；shewasrollinglittlecrumbsofbread。Suddenlyyawning，shemutteredsomeremark，androse。Sheltonstoppedheratthedoor。

"Whereareyougoing？"

"Forawalk。"

"Mayn\'tIcome？"。

Sheshookherhead。

"I\'mgoingtotakeToddles。"

Sheltonheldthedooropen，andwentbacktothetable。

"Yes，"theConnoisseursaid，sippingathissherry，"I\'mafraidit\'salloverwithyoungFoliot。"

"Suchapity!"murmuredMrs。Dennant，andherkindlyfacelookedquitedisturbed。"I\'veknownhimeversincehewasaboy。Ofcourse，Ithinkhemadeagreatmistaketobringherdownhere。Notevenbein\'abletogetmarriedmakesitdoublyawkward。Oh，Ithinkhemadeagreatmistake!"

"Ah!"saidtheConnoisseur，"butd\'yousupposethatmakesmuchdifference？EvenifWhat\'s——his-namegaveheradivorce，Idon\'tthink，don\'tyouknow，that——"

"Oh，itdoes!Somanypeoplewouldbeinclinedtolookoveritintime。Butasitisit\'shopeless，quite。Soveryawkwardforpeople，too，meetin\'themabout。TheTelfordsandtheButterwicks——

bytheway，they\'recomin\'heretodineto-night——livenearthem，don\'tyouknow。"

"Didyouevermeetherbefore-er-beforetheflood？"theConnoisseurinquired；andhislipspartingandunexpectedlyrevealingteethgavehimashadowyresemblancetoagoat。

"Yes；IdidmeetheronceattheBranksomes\'。Ithoughtherquiteacharmin\'person。"

"Poorfellow!"saidtheConnoisseur；"theytellmehewasgoingtotakethehounds。"

"Andtherearehisdelightfulcoverts，too。Algieoftenusedtoshootthere，andnowtheysayhejusthashisbrotherdowntoshootwithhim。It\'sreallyquitetoomelancholy!Didyouknowhim，Dick？"

"Foliot？"repliedSheltonabsently。"No；Inevermethim:I\'veseenheronceortwiceatAscot。"

ThroughthewindowhecouldseeAntoniainherscarletTam-o\'-

shanter，swingingherstick，andhegotupfeigningunconcern。JustthenToddlescameboundingupagainsthissister。Theywentoffarminarm。Shehadseenhimatthewindow，yetshegavenofriendlyglance；Sheltonfeltmoremiserablethanever。Hesteppedoutuponthedrive。Therewasalurid，gloomycanopyabove；theelm-treesdroopedtheirheavyblackishgreen，thewontedrustleoftheaspen-

treewasgone，eventherooksweresilent。Astoreofforcelayheavyontheheartofnature。Hestartedpacingslowlyupanddown，hisprideforbiddinghimtofollowher，andpresentlysatdownonanoldstoneseatthatfacedtheroad。Hestayedalongtimestaringattheelms，askinghimselfwhathehaddoneandwhatheoughttodo。

Andsomehowhewasfrightened。Asenseoflonelinesswasonhim，soreal，sopainful，thatheshiveredintheswelteringheat。Hewasthere，perhaps，anhour，alone，andsawnobodypassalongtheroad。

Thencamethesoundofhorse\'shoofs，andatthesametimeheheardamotor-carapproachingfromtheoppositedirection。Theridermadeappearancefirst，ridingagreyhorsewithanArab\'shighsetheadandtail。Shewasholdinghimwithdifficulty，forthewhirroftheapproachingcargreweverymomentlouder。Sheltonrose；thecarflashedby。Hesawthehorsestaggerinthegate-way，crushingitsriderupagainstthegatepost。

Heran，butbeforehereachedthegatetheladywasonfoot，holdingtheplunginghorse\'sbridle。

"Areyouhurt？"criedSheltonbreathlessly，andhe，too，grabbedthebridle。"Thosebeastlycars!"

"Idon\'tknow，"shesaid。"Pleasedon\'t；hewon\'tletstrangerstouchhim。"

Sheltonletgo，andwatchedhercoaxthehorse。Shewasrathertall，dressedinagreyhabit，withagreyRussiancapuponherhead，andhesuddenlyrecognisedtheMrs。Foliotwhomtheyhadbeentalkingofatlunch。

"He\'llbequietnow，"shesaid，"ifyouwouldn\'tmindholdinghimaminute。"

Shegavethereinstohim，andleanedagainstthegate。Shewasverypale。

"Idohopehehasn\'thurtyou，"Sheltonsaid。Hewasquiteclosetoher，wellabletoseeherface——acuriousfacewithhighcheek-bonesandaflatfishmoulding，enigmatic，yetstrangelypassionateforallitslistlesspallor。Hersmiling，tightenedlipswerepallid；

pallid，too，hergreyanddeep-seteyeswithgreenishtints；aboveall，paletheashymassofhaircoiledunderhergreycap。

"Th-thanks!"shesaid；"Ishallbeallrightdirectly。I\'msorrytohavemadeafuss。"

Shebitherlipsandsmiled。

"I\'msureyou\'rehurt；doletmegofor——"stammeredShelton。

"Icaneasilygethelp。"

"Help!"shesaid，withastonylittlelaugh；"oh，no，thanks!"

Sheleftthegate，andcrossedtheroadtowhereheheldthehorse。

Shelton，toconcealembarrassment，lookedatthehorse\'slegs，andnoticedthatthegreywasrestingoneofthem。Heranhishanddown。

"I\'mafraid，"hesaid，"yourhorsehasknockedhisoffknee；it\'sswelling。"

Shesmiledagain。

"Thenwe\'rebothcripples。"

"He\'llbelamewhenhegetscold。Wouldn\'tyouliketoputhiminthestablehere？I\'msureyououghttodrivehome。"

"No，thanks；ifI\'mabletoridehimhecancarryme。Givemeahandup。"

Hervoicesoundedasthoughsomethinghadoffendedher。Risingfrominspectionofthehorse\'sleg，SheltonsawAntoniaandToddlesstandingby。Theyhadcomethroughawicketgateleadingfromthefields。

Thelatterranuptohimatonce。

"Wesawit，"hewhispered——"jollysmash-up。Can\'tIhelp？"

"Holdhisbridle，"answeredShelton，andhelookedfromoneladytotheother。

Therearemomentswhentheexpressionofafacefixesitselfwithpainfulclearness；toSheltonthiswassuchamoment。Thosetwofacesclosetogether，undertheircoveringsofscarletandofgrey，showedacontrastalmostcruellyvivid。Antoniawasflushed，hereyeshadgrowndeepblue；herlookofstartleddoubthadpassedandleftaquestioninherface。

"Wouldyouliketocomeinandwait？Wecouldsendyouhome，inthebrougham，"shesaid。

TheladycalledMrs。Foliotstood，onearmacrossthecrupperofhersaddle，bitingherlipsandsmilingstillherenigmaticsmile，anditwasherfacethatstayedmostvividlyonShelton\'smind，itsashyhail，itspallor，andfixed，scornfuleyes。

"Oh，no，thanks!You\'reverykind。"

OutofAntonia\'sfacethetimid，doubtingfriendlinesshadfled，andwasreplacedbyenmity。Withalong，coldlookatbothofthemsheturnedaway。Mrs。Foliotgavealittlelaugh，andraisedherfootforShelton\'shelp。Heheardahissofpainasheswungherup，butwhenhelookedathershesmiled。

"Anyway，"hesaidimpatiently，"letmecomeandseeyoudon\'tbreakdown。

Sheshookherhead。"It\'sonlytwomiles。I\'mnotmadeofsugar。"

"ThenIshallsimplyhavetofollow。"

Sheshruggedhershoulders，fixingherresoluteeyesonhim。

"Wouldthatboyliketocome？"sheasked。

Toddlesleftthehorse\'shead。

"ByJove!"hecried。"Wouldn\'tIjust!"

"Then，"shesaid，"Ithinkthatwillbebest。You\'vebeensokind。"

Shebowed，smiledinscrutablyoncemore，touchedtheArabwithherwhip，andstarted，Toddlestrottingatherside。

SheltonwasleftwithAntoniaunderneaththeelms。Asuddenpuffoftepidairblewintheirfaces，likeawarningmessagefromtheheavy，purpleheatclouds；lowrumblingthundertravelledslowlyfromafar。

"We\'regoingtohaveastorm，"hesaid。

Antonianodded。Shewaspalenow，andherfacestillworeitscoldlookofoffence。

"I\'vegotaheadache，"shesaid，"Ishallgoinandliedown。"

Sheltontriedtospeak，butsomethingkepthimsilent——submissiontowhatwascoming，likethemutesubmissionofthefieldsandbirdstothemenaceofthestorm。

Hewatchedhergo，andwentbacktohisseat。Andthesilenceseemedtogrow；theflowersceasedtoexudetheirfragrance，numbedbytheweightyair。Allthelonghousebehindhimseemedasleep，deserted。

Nonoisecameforth，nolaughter，theechoofnomusic，theringingofnobell；theheathadwrappeditroundwithdrowsiness。Andthesilenceaddedtothesolitudewithinhim。Whatanunluckychance，thatwoman\'saccident!DesignedbyProvidencetoputAntoniafurtherfromhimthanbefore!Whywasnottheworldcomposedoftheimmaculatealone？Hestartedpacingupanddown，torturedbyadreadfulheartache。

"Imustgetridofthis，"hethought。"I\'llgoforagoodtramp，andchancethestorm。"

LeavingthedriveheranonToddles，returninginthehighestspirits。

"Isawherhome，"hecrowed。"Isay，whataripper，isn\'tshe？

She\'llbeaslameasatreeto-morrow；sowillthegee。Jollyhot!"

ThismeetingshowedSheltonthathehadbeenanhouronthestoneseat；hehadthoughtitsometenminutes，andthediscoveryalarmedhim。Itseemedtobringtheimportofhismiserablefearrighthometohim。Hestartedwithaswingingstride，keepinghiseyesfixedontheroad，theperspirationstreamingdownhisface。

CHAPTERXXXI

THESTORM