第5章

Tilliardfledintoahansom，cursinghimselfforhavingtriedtodothethingcheaply。Hornbloweralsosweptpastyellingderisively，withhisluggageneatlypiledabovehishead。"Let’sgetoutandwalk，"mutteredAnsell。ButRickiewassuccouringadistressedfemale——Mrs。Aberdeen。

"Oh，Mrs。Aberdeen，Ineversawyou:Iamsogladtoseeyou——I

amsoveryglad。"Mrs。Aberdeenwascold。Shedidnotlikebeingspokentooutsidethecollege，andwasalsodistraitaboutherbasket。Hithertonogenteeleyehadevenseeninsideit，butinthecollisionitslittlecalicoveilfelloff，andtherevasrevealed——nothing。Thebasketwasempty，andneverwouldholdanythingillegal。Allthesameshewasdistrait，and"Weshallmeetlater，sir，Idessy，"wasallthegreetingRickiegotfromher。

"NowwhatkindofalifehasMrs。Aberdeen？"heexclaimed，asheandAnsellpursuedtheStationRoad。"Herethesebedderscomeandmakeuscomfortable。Weoweanenormousamounttothem，theirwagesareabsurd，andweknownothingaboutthem。OfftheygotoBarnwell，andthentheirlivesarehidden。IjustknowthatMrs。

Aberdeenhasahusband，butthat’sall。Sheneverwilltalkabouthim。NowIdosowanttofillinherlife。Iseeone—halfofit。

What’stheotherhalf？Shemayhavearealjollyhouse，ingoodtaste，withalittlegardenandbooks，andpictures。Or，again，shemayn’t。Butinanycaseoneoughttoknow。Iknowshe’ddislikeit，butsheoughtn’ttodislike。Afterall，beddersaretoblameforthepresentlamentablestateofthings，justasmuchasgentlefolk。Sheoughttowantmetocome。Sheoughttointroducemetoherhusband。"

TheyhadreachedthecornerofHillsRoad。Ansellspokeforthefirsttime。Hesaid，"Ugh！"

"Drains？"

"Yes。Aspiritualcesspool。"

Rickielaughed。

"Iexpecteditfromyourletter。"

"Theoneyouneveranswered？"

"Ianswernoneofyourletters。Youarequitehopelessbynow。

Youcangotothebad。ButIrefusetoaccompanyyou。Irefusetobelievethateveryhumanbeingisamovingwonderofsupremeinterestandtragedyandbeauty——whichwaswhattheletterinquestionamountedto。You’llfindplentywhowillbelieveit。

It’saverypopularviewamongpeoplewhoaretooidletothink;

itsavesthemthetroubleofdetectingthebeautifulfromtheugly，theinterestingfromthedull，thetragicfromthemelodramatic。YouhadjustcomefromSawston，andwereapparentlycarriedawaybythefactthatMissPembrokehadtheusualamountofarmsandlegs。"

Rickiewassilent。Hehadtoldhisfriendhowhefelt，butnotwhathadhappened。Ansellcoulddiscussloveanddeathadmirably，butsomehowhewouldnotunderstandloversoradyingman，andinthelettertherehadbeenscantallusiontotheseconcretefacts。

WouldCambridgeunderstandthemeither？Hewatchedsomedonswhowerepeepingintoanexcavation，andthrowinguptheirhandswithhumorousgesturesofdespair。ThesemenwouldlecturenextweekonCatiline’sconspiracy，onLuther，onEvolution，onCatullus。

Theydealtwithsomuchandtheyhadexperiencedsolittle。WasitpossiblehewouldevercometothinkCambridgenarrow？InhisshortlifeRickiehadknowntwosuddendeaths，andthatisenoughtodisarrangeanyplacidoutlookontheworld。Heknewonceforallthatweareallofusbubblesonanextremelyroughsea。Intothisseahumanityhasbuilt，asitwere，somelittlebreakwaters——scientificknowledge，civilizedrestraint——sothatthebubblesdonotbreaksofrequentlvorsosoon。Buttheseahasnotaltered，anditwasonlyachancethathe，Ansell，Tilliard，andMrs。Aberdeenhadnotallbeenkilledinthetram。

TheywaitedfortheothertrambytheRomanCatholicChurch，whosefloridbulkwasalreadyrecedingintotwilight。Itisthefirstbigbuildingthattheincomingvisitorsees。"Oh，herecomethecolleges！"criestheProtestantparent，andthenlearnsthatitwasbuiltbyaPapistwhomadeafortuneoutofmovableeyesfordolls。"Builtoutofdoll’seyestocontainidols"——that，atallevents，isthelegendandthejoke。Itwatchesovertheapostatecity，tallerbymanyayardthananythingwithin，andasserting，howeverwildly，thathereiseternity，stability，andbubblesunbreakableuponawindlesssea。

Acostlyhymntuneannouncedfiveo’clock，andinthedistancethemorelovablenoteofSt。Mary’scouldbeheard，speakingfromtheheartofthetown。Thenthetramarrived——theslowstuffytramthatplieseverytwentyminutesbetweentheunknownandthemarketplace——andtookthempastthedesecratedgroundsofDowning，pastAddenbrookesHospital，girtlikeaVenetianpalacewithamantlingcanal，pasttheFitzWilliam，toweringuponimmensesubstructionslikeanyRomantemple，rightuptothegatesofone’sowncollege，whichlookedlikenothingelseintheworld。

Theportersweregladtoseethem，butwishedithadbeenahansom。"Ourluggage，"explainedRickie，"comesinthehotelomnibus，ifyouwouldkindlypayashillingformine。"Ansellturnedasidetosomelargelightedwindows，theabodeofahospitabledon，andfromotherwindowstherefloatedfamiliarvoicesandthefamiliarmistakesinaBeethovensonata。Thecollege，thoughsmall，wascivilized，andproudofitscivilization。ItwasnotsufficientglorytobeaBluethere，noranadditionalglorytogetdrunk。ManyamaidenladywhohadreadthatCambridgemenweresaddogs，wassurprisedandperhapsalittledisappointedatthereasonablelifewhichgreetedher。

MissAppleblossominparticularhadhadatremendousshock。ThesightofyoungfellowsmakingteaanddrinkingwaterhadmadeherwonderwhetherthiswasCambridgeCollegeatall。"Itisso，"sheexclaimedafterwards。"ItisjustasIsay;andwhat’smore，I

wouldn’thaveitotherwise;Stewartsaysit’saseasyaseasytogetintotheswim，andnotatallexpensive。"Thedirectionoftheswimwasdeterminedalittlebythegeniusoftheplace——forplaceshaveagenius，thoughthelesswetalkaboutitthebetter——andagooddealbythetutorsandresidentfellows，whotreatedwithraredexteritytheproductsthatcameupyearlyfromthepublicschools。Theytaughttheperkyboythathewasnoteverything，andthelimpboythathemightbesomething。Theyevenwelcomedthoseboyswhowereneitherlimpnorperky，butodd——thoseboyswhohadneverbeenatapublicschoolatall，andsuchdonotfindawelcomeeverywhere。Andtheydideverythingwithease——onemightalmostsaywithnonchalance，sothattheboysnoticednothing，andreceivededucation，oftenforthefirsttimeintheirlives。

ButRickieturnedtononeofthesefriends，forjustthenhelovedhisroomsbetterthananyperson。Theywereallhereallypossessedintheworld，theonlyplacehecouldcallhisown。

Overthedoorwashisname，andthroughthepaint，likeagreyghost，hecouldstillreadthenameofhispredecessor。Withasighofjoyheenteredtheperishablehomethatwashisforacoupleofyears。Therewasabeautifulfire，andthekettleboiledatonce。Hemadeteaonthehearth—rugandatethebiscuitswhichMrs。AberdeenhadbroughtforhimupfromAnderson’s。"Gentlemen，"shesaid，"mustlearntogiveandtake。"

Hesighedagainandagain，likeonewhohadescapedfromdanger。

Withhisheadonthefenderandallhislimbsrelaxed，hefeltalmostassafeashefeltoncewhenhismotherkilledaghostinthepassagebycarryinghimthroughitinherarms。Therewasnoghostnow;hewasfrightenedatreality;hewasfrightenedatthesplendoursandhorrorsoftheworld。

AletterfromMissPembrokewasonthetable。Hedidnothurrytoopenit，forshe，andallthatshedid，wasoverwhelming。ShewroteliketheSibyl;hersorrowfulfacemovedoverthestarsandshatteredtheirharmonies;lastnighthesawherwiththeeyesofBlake，avirginwidow，tall，veiled，consecrated，withherhandsstretchedoutagainstaneverlastingwind。Whvshouldshewrite？

Herletterswerenotforthelikesofhim，nortobereadinroomslikehis。

"WearenotleavingSawston，"shewrote。"IsawhowselfishitwasofmetoriskspoilingHerbert’scareer。Ishallgetusedtoanyplace。Nowthatheisgone，nothingofthatsortcanmatter。

Everyonehasbeenmostkind，butyouhavecomfortedmemost，thoughyoudidnotmeanto。Icannotthinkhowyoudidit，orunderstoodsomuch。Istillthinkofyouasalittleboywithalameleg，——Iknowyouwillletmesaythis，——andyetwhenitcametothepointyouknewmorethanpeoplewhohavebeenalltheirliveswithsorrowanddeath。"

Rickieburntthisletter，whichheoughtnottohavedone，foritwasoneofthefewtributesMissPembrokeeverpaidtoimagination。Buthefeltthatitdidnotbelongtohim:wordssosincereshouldbeforGeraldalone。Thesmokerushedupthechimney，andheindulgedinavision。Hesawitreachtheouterairandbeatagainstthelowceilingofclouds。Thecloudsweretoostrongforit;butinthemwasonechink，revealingonestar，andthroughthisthesmokeescapedintothelightofstarsinnumerable。Then——butthenthevisionfailed，andthevoiceofsciencewhisperedthatallsmokeremainsonearthintheformofsmuts，andistroublesometoMrs。Aberdeen。

"Iamjollyunpractical，"hemused。"Andwhatisthepointofitwhenrealthingsaresowonderful？WhowantsvisionsinaworldthathasAgnesandGerald？"Heturnedontheelectriclightandpulledopenthetable—drawer。There，amongspoonsandcorksandstring，hefoundafragmentofalittlestorythathehadtriedtowritelastterm。Itwascalled"TheBayoftheFifteenIslets，"andtheactiontookplaceonSt。John’sEveoffthecoastofSicily。Apartyoftouristslandononeoftheislands。

Suddenlytheboatmenbecomeuneasy，andsaythattheislandisnotgenerallythere。Itisanextraone，andtheyhadbetterhaveteaononeoftheordinaries。"Pooh，volcanic！"saystheleadingtourist，andtheladiessayhowinteresting。Theislandbeginstorock，andsodothemindsofitsvisitors。Theystartandquarrelandjabber。Fingersburstupthroughthesand—blackfingersofseadevils。Theislandtilts。Thetouristsgomad。Butjustbeforethecatastropheoneman，integervitcescelerisquepurus，seesthetruth。Herearenodevils。Othermuscles，otherminds，arepullingtheislandtoitssubterraneanhome。Throughtheadvancingwallofwatersheseesnogrislyfaces，noghastlymedievallimbs，but——Butwhatnonsense！Whenrealthingsaresowonderful，whatisthepointofpretending？

AndsoRickiedeflectedhisenthusiasms。Hithertotheyhadplayedongodsandheroes，ontheinfiniteandtheimpossible，onvirtueandbeautyandstrength。Now，withasteadierradiance，theytransfiguredamanwhowasdeadandawomanwhowasstillalive。

VII

Love，sayorderlypeople，canbefallenintobytwomethods:（1）

throughthedesires，（2）throughtheimagination。AndiftheorderlypeopleareEnglish，theyaddthat（1）istheinferiormethod，andcharacteristicoftheSouth。Itisinferior。Yetthosewhopursueitatalleventsknowwhattheywant;theyarenotpuzzlingtothemselvesorludicroustoothers;theydonottakethewingsofthemorningandflyintotheuttermostpartsoftheseabeforewalkingtotheregistryoffice;theycannotbreedatragedyquitelikeRickie’s。

Heis，ofcourse，absurdlyyoung——nottwenty—oneandhewillbeengagedtobemarriedattwenty—three。Hehasnoknowledgeoftheworld;forexample，hethinksthatifyoudonotwantmoneyyoucangiveittofriendswhodo。Hebelievesinhumanitybecauseheknowsadozendecentpeople。Hebelievesinwomenbecausehehaslovedhismother。Andhisfriendsareasyoungandasignorantashimself。Theyarefullofthewineoflife。Buttheyhavenottastedthecup——letuscallittheteacup——ofexperience，whichhasmademenofMr。Pembroke’stypewhattheyare。Oh，thatteacup！Tobetakenatprayers，atfriendship，atlove，tillwearequitesane，efficient，quiteexperienced，andquiteuselesstoGodorman。Wemustdrinkit，orweshalldie。Butweneednotdrinkitalways。Hereisourproblemandoursalvation。Therecomesamoment——Godknowswhen——atwhichwecansay，"Iwillexperiencenolonger。Iwillcreate。Iwillbeanexperience。"

Buttodothiswemustbebothacuteandheroic。Foritisnoteasy，afteracceptingsixcupsoftea，tothrowtheseventhinthefaceofthehostess。AndtoRickiethismomenthasnot，asyet，beenoffered。

Ansell，attheendofhisthirdyear，gotafirstintheMoralScienceTripos。Beingascholar，hekepthisroomsincollege，andatoncebegantoworkforaFellowship。RickiegotacreditablesecondintheClassicalTripos，PartI。，andretiredtosallowlodgingsinMillbane，carryingwithhimthedegreeofB。A。andasmallexhibition，whichwasquiteasmuchashedeserved。ForPartII。hereadGreekArchaeology，andgotasecond。AllthismeansthatAnsellwasmuchclevererthanRickie。

Asforthecow，shewasstillgoingstrong，thoughturningalittleacademicastheyearspassedoverher。

"Weareboundtogetnarrow，"sighedRickie。Heandhisfriendwerelyinginameadowduringtheirlastsummerterm。Inhisincurableloveforflowershehadplaitedtwogarlandsofbuttercupsandcow—parsley，andAnsell’sleanJewishfacewasframedinoneofthem。"Cambridgeiswonderful，but——butit’ssotiny。Youhavenoidea——atleast，Ithinkyouhavenoidea——howthegreatworldlooksdownonit。"

"Ireadthelettersinthepapers。"

"It’sabadlook—out。"

"How？"

"Cambridgehaslosttouchwiththetimes。"

"Wassheeverintendedtotouchthem？"

"Shesatisfies，"saidRickiemysteriously，"neithertheprofessions，northepublicschools，northegreatthinkingmassofmenandwomen。Thereisageneralfeelingthatherdayisover，andnaturallyonefeelsprettysick。"

"Doyoustillwriteshortstories？"

"BecauseyourEnglishhasgonetothedevil。YouthinkandtalkinJournalese。Defineagreatthinkingmass。"

Rickiesatupandadjustedhisfloralcrown。

"Estimatetheworthofageneralfeeling。"

Silence。

"Andthirdly，whereisthegreatworld？"

"Ohthat——！"

"Yes。That，"exclaimedAnsell，risingfromhiscouchinviolentexcitement。"Whereisit？Howdoyousetaboutfindingit？Howlongdoesittaketogetthere？Whatdoesitthink？Whatdoesitdo？Whatdoesitwant？Obligemewithspecimensofitsartandliterature。"Silence。"Tillyoudo，myopinionswillbeasfollows:Thereisnogreatworldatall，onlyalittleearth，foreverisolatedfromtherestofthelittlesolarsystem。Theearthisfulloftinysocieties，andCambridgeisoneofthem。Allthesocietiesarenarrow，butsomearegoodandsomearebad——justasonehouseisbeautifulinsideandanotherugly。Observethemetaphorofthehouses:Iamcomingbacktoit。Thegoodsocietiessay，`ItellyoutodothisbecauseIamCambridge。’

Thebadonessay，`ItellyoutodothatbecauseIamthegreatworld，notbecauseIam’Peckham，’or`Billingsgate，’or`ParkLane，’but`becauseIamthegreatworld。’Theylie。Andfoolslikeyoulistentothem，andbelievethattheyareathingwhichdoesnotexistandneverhasexisted，andconfuse’great，’whichhasnomeaningwhatever，with’good，’whichmeanssalvation。Lookatthisgreatwreath:it’llbedeadtomorrow。Lookatthatgoodflower:it’llcomeupagainnextyear。Nowfortheothermetaphor。TocomparetheworldtoCambridgeislikecomparingtheoutsidesofhouseswiththeinsideofahouse。Nointellectualeffortisneeded，nomoralresultisattained。Youonlyhavetosay，’Oh，whatadifference！’andthencomeindoorsagainandexhibityourbroadenedmind。"

"Inevershallcomeindoorsagain，"saidRickie。"That’sthewholepoint。"Andhisvoicebegantoquiver。"It’swellenoughforthosewho’llgetaFellowship，butinafewweeksIshallgodown。Inafewyearsit’llbeasifI’veneverbeenup。Itmattersverymuchtomewhattheworldislike。Ican’tansweryourquestionsaboutit;andthat’snolosstoyou，butsomuchtheworseforme。Andthenyou’vegotahouse——notametaphoricalone，butahousewithfatherandsisters。Ihaven’t，andnevershallhave。There’llneveragainbeahomeformelikeCambridge。

Ishallonlylookattheoutsideofhomes。Accordingtoyourmetaphor，Ishallliveinthestreet，anditmattersverymuchtomewhatIfindthere。"

"You’llliveinanotherhouserightenough，"saidAnsell，ratheruneasily。"Onlytakecareyoupickoutadecentone。Ican’tthinkwhyyouflopaboutsohelplessly，likeabitofseaweed。Infouryearsyou’vetakenasmuchrootasanyone。"

"Where？"

"Ishouldsayyou’vebeenfortunateinyourfriends。"

"Oh——that！"Buthewasnotcynical——orcynicalinaverytenderway。Hewasthinkingoftheironyoffriendship——sostrongitis，andsofragile。Weflytogether，likestrawsinaneddy，topartintheopenstream。Naturehasnouseforus:shehascutherstuffdifferently。Dutifulsons，lovinghusbands，responsiblefathersthesearewhatshewants，andifwearefriendsitmustbeinoursparetime。AbramandSaraiweresorrowful，yettheirseedbecameassandofthesea，anddistractsthepoliticsofEuropeatthismoment。ButafewversesofpoetryisallthatsurvivesofDavidandJonathan。

"Iwishwewerelabelled，"saidRickie。HewishedthatalltheconfidenceandmutualknowledgethatisborninsuchaplaceasCambridgecouldbeorganized。Peoplewentdownintotheworldsaying，"Weknowandlikeeachother;weshan’tforget。"Buttheydidforget，formanissomadethathecannotrememberlongwithoutasymbol;hewishedtherewasasociety，akindoffriendshipoffice，wherethemarriageoftruemindscouldberegistered。

"Whylabels？"

"Toknoweachotheragain。"

"Ihavetaughtyoupessimismsplendidly。"Helookedathiswatch。

"Whattime？"

"Nottwelve。"

Rickiegotup。

"Whygo？"HestretchedouthishandandcaughtholdofRickie’sankle。

"I’vegotthatMissPembroketolunch——thatgirlwhomyousaynever’sthere。"

"Thenwhygo？AllthisweekyouhavepretendedMissPembrokeawaitedyou。Wednesday——MissPembroketolunch。Thursday——MissPembroketotea。Nowagain——andyoudidn’teveninviteher。"

"ToCambridge，no。ButtheHallmanthey’restoppingwithhassomanyengagementsthatsheandherfriendcanoftencometome，I’mgladtosay。Idon’tthinkIevertoldyoumuch，butovertwoyearsagothemanshewasgoingtomarrywaskilledatfootball。

Shenearlydiedofgrief。ThisvisittoCambridgeisalmostthefirstamusementshehasfeltuptotaking。Oh，theygobacktomorrow！Givemebreakfasttomorrow。"

"Allright。"

"ButIshallseeyouthisevening。IshallberoundatyourpaperonSchopenhauer。Lemmego。"

"Don’tgo，"hesaididly。"It’smuchbetterforyoutotalktome。"

"Lemmego，Stewart。"

"It’samusingthatyou’resofeeble。You——simply——can’t——get——

away。

IwishIwantedtobullyyou。"

Rickielaughed，andsuddenlyoverbalancedintothegrass。

Ansell，withunusualplayfulness，heldhimprisoner。Theylaythereforfewminutes，talkingandraggingaimlessly。ThenRickieseizedhisopportunityandjerkedaway。

"Go，go！"yawnedtheother。Buthewasalittlevexed，forhewasayoungmanwithgreatcapacityforpleasure，anditpleasedhimthatmorningtobewithhisfriend。Thethoughtoftwoladieswaitinglunchdidnotdeterhim;stupidwomen，whyshouldn’ttheywait？Whyshouldtheyinterferewiththeirbetters？WithhisearonthegroundhelistenedtoRickie’sdepartingsteps，andthought，"Hewastesalotoftimekeepingengagements。Whywillhebepleasanttofools？"Andthenhethought，"Whyhasheturnedsounhappy？Itisn’tasithe’saphilosopher，ortriestosolvetheriddleofexistence。Andhe’sgotmoneyofhisown:"Thusthinking，hefellasleep。

MeanwhileRickiehurriedawayfromhim，andslackenedandstopped，andhurriedagain。HewasdueattheUnionintenminutes，buthecouldnotbringhimselfthere。HedarednotmeetMissPembroke:helovedher。

Thedevilmusthaveplannedit。Theyhadstartedsogloriously;

shehadbeenagoddessbothinjoyandsorrow。Shewasagoddessstill。Buthehaddethronedthegodwhomoncehehadglorifiedequally。Slowly，slowly，theimageofGeraldhadfaded。Thatwasthefirststep。Rickiehadthought，"Nomatter。Hewillbebrightagain。Justnowalltheradiancechancestobeinher。"Andonherhehadfixedhiseyes。Hethoughtofherawake。Heentertainedherwillinglyindreams。Hefoundherinpoetryandmusicandinthesunset。Shemadehimkindandstrong。Shemadehimclever。ThroughherhekeptCambridgeinitsproperplace，andlivedasacitizenofthegreatworld。Butonenighthedreamtthatshelayinhisarms。Thisdispleasedhim。HedeterminedtothinkalittleaboutGeraldinstead。Thenthefabriccollapsed。

ItwashardonRickiethustomeetthedevil。Hedidnotdeserveit，forhewascomparativelycivilized，andknewthattherewasnothingshamefulinlove。Buttolovethiswoman！Ifonlyithadbeenanyoneelse！Loveinreturn——thathecouldexpectfromnoone，beingtoouglyandtoounattractive。Buttheloveheofferedwouldnotthenhavebeenvile。TheinsulttoMissPembroke，whowasconsecrated，andwhomhehadconsecrated，whocouldstillseeGerald，andalwayswouldseehim，shiningonhiseverlastingthronethiswasthecrimefromthedevil，thecrimethatnopenancewouldeverpurge。Sheknewnothing。Sheneverwouldknow。

Butthecrimewasregisteredinheaven。

HehadbeentemptedtoconfideinAnsell。Buttowhatpurpose？Hewouldsay，"IloveMissPembroke。"andStewartwouldreply，"Youass。"Andthen。"I’mnevergoingtotellher。""Youass，"again。

Afterall，itwasnotapracticalquestion;Agneswouldneverhearofhisfall。Ifhisfriendhadbeen，asheexpressedit，"labelled";ifhehadbeenafather，orstillbetterabrother，onemighttellhimofthediscreditablepassion。Butwhyirritatehimfornoreason？Thinking"Iamalwaysanglingforsympathy;I

muststopmyself，"hehurriedonwardtotheUnion。

Hefoundhisguestshalfwayupthestairs，readingtheadvertisementsofcoachesfortheLongVacation。HeheardMrs。

Lewinsay，"Iwonderwhathe’llendbydoing。"Alittleoveractinghispart，heapologizednonchalantlyforhislateness。

"It’salwaysthesame，"criedAgnes。"LasttimeheforgotIwascomingaltogether。"Sheworeafloweredmuslin——somethingindescribablyliquidandcool。Itremindedhimalittleofthoseswiftpiercingstreams，neitherbluenorgreen，thatgushoutofthedolomites。Herfacewasclearandbrown，likethefaceofamountaineer;herhairwassoplentifulthatitseemedbankedupaboveit;andherlittletoque，thoughitansweredthenoteofthedress，wasalmostludicrous，poisedonsomuchnaturalglory。

Whenshemoved，thesunlightflashedonherear—rings。

Heledthemuptotheluncheon—room。Bynowhewasconsciousofhislimitationsasahost，andneverattemptedtoentertainladiesinhislodgings。Moreover，theUnionseemedlessintimate。

IthadafaintflavourofaLondonclub;itmarkedtheundergraduate’snearestapproachtothegreatworld。Amiditswaitersandserviettesonefeltimpersonal，andabletoconcealtheprivateemotions。RickiefeltthatifMissPembrokeknewonethingabouthim，shekneweverything。Duringthisvisithetookhertonoplacethathegreatlyloved。

"Sitdown，ladies。Fallto。I’msorry。IwasouttowardsCotonwithadreadfulfriend。"

Mrs。Lewinpushedupherveil。ShewasatypicalMay—termchaperon，alwayspleasant，alwayshungry，andalwaystired。YearafteryearshecameuptoCambridgeinatightsilkdress，andyearafteryearshenearlydiedofit。Herfeethurt，herlimbswerecrampedinacanoe，blackspotsdancedbeforehereyesfromeatingtoomuchmayonnaise。Butstillshecame，ifnotasamotherasanaunt，ifnotasanauntasafriend。StillsheascendedtheroofofKing’s，stillshecountedtheballsofClare，stillshewasonthepointofgraspingtheorganizationoftheMayraces。"Andwhoisyourfriend？"sheasked。

"HisnameisAnsell。"

"Well，now，didIseehimtwoyearsago——asabedmakerinsomethingtheydidattheFootLights？Oh，howIroared。"

"Youdidn’tseeMr。AnsellattheFootLights，"saidAgnes，smiling。

"Howdoyouknow？"askedRickie。

"He’dscarcelybesofrivolous。"

"Doyourememberseeinghim？"

"Foramoment。"

Whatamemoryshehad！Andhowsplendidlyduringthatmomentshehadbehaved！

"Isn’themarvellouslyclever？"

"Ibelieveso。"

"Oh，givemecleverpeople！"criedMrs。Lewin。"TheyarekindnessitselfattheHall，butIassureyouIamdepressedattimes。Onecannottalkbump—rowingforever。"

"Ineverhearabouthim，Rickie;butisn’thereallyyourgreatestfriend？"

"Idon’tgoinforgreatestfriends。"

"Doyoumeanyoulikeusallequally？"

"Alldifferently，thoseofyouIlike。"

"Ah，you’vecaughtit！"criedMrs。Lewin。"Mr。Elliotgaveityoutherewell。"

Agneslaughed，and，herelbowsonthetable，regardedthemboththroughherfingers——ahabitofhers。Thenshesaid，"Can’tweseethegreatMr。Ansell？"

"Oh，let’s。Orwouldhefrightenme？"

"Hewouldfrightenyou，"saidRickie。"He’satrifleweird。"

"MygoodRickie，ifyouknewthedeathlydullnessofSawston——

everyonesayingtheproperthingatthepropertime，Isoproper，Herbertsoproper！Why，weirdnessistheonethingIlongfor！Doarrangesomething。"

"I’mafraidthere’snoopportunity。Ansellgoessomevastbicycleridethisafternoon;thiseveningyou’retiedupattheHall;andtomorrowyougo。"

"Butthere’sbreakfasttomorrow，"saidAgnes。"Lookhere，Rickie，bringMr。AnselltobreakfastwithusatBuoys。"

Mrs。Lewinsecondedtheinvitation。

"Badluckagain，"saidRickieboldly;"I’malreadyfixedupforbreakfast。I’lltellhimofyourverykindintention。"

"Let’shavehimalone，"murmuredAgnes。

"Mydeargirl，Ishoulddiethroughthefloor！Oh，it’llbeallrightaboutbreakfast。IratherthinkweshallgetaskedthiseveningbythatshymanwhohastheprettyroomsinTrinity。"

"Oh，verywell。Whereisityoubreakfast，Rickie？"