第9章

Afterthisconversationflagged。RickieglancedbackatCadover，andthoughtoftheinsipiddaythatlaybeforehim。Generallyhewasattractedbyfreshpeople，andStephenwasalmostfresh:theyhadbeentohimsymbolsoftheunknown，andallthattheydidwasinteresting。Butnowhecaredfortheunknownnolonger。Heknew。

Mr。Wilbrahampassedtheminhisdog—cart，andliftedhishattohisemployer’snephew。Stephenheignored:hecouldnotfindhimonthemap。

"Goodmorning，"saidRickie。"Whatalovelymorning！"

"Isay，"calledtheother，"anotherchilddead！"Mr。Wilbraham，whohadseemedinclinedtochat，whippeduphishorseandleftthem。

"Theregoesanoutandouter，"saidStephen;andthen，asifintroducinganentirelynewsubject——"Don’tyouthinkFleaThompsontreatedmedisgracefully？"

"Isupposehedid。ButI’mscarcelythepersontosympathize。"

Theallusionfellflat，andhehadtoexplainit。"Ishouldhavedonethesamemyself，——promisedtobeawaytwohours，andstoppedfour。"

"Stopped—oh——oh，Iunderstand。Youbeinginlove，youmean？"

Hesmiledandnodded。

"Oh，I’venoobjectiontoFlealoving。Hesayshecan’thelpit。

Butaslongasmyfistsarestronger，he’sgottokeepitinline。"

"Inline？"

"Amanlikethat，whenhe’sgotagirl，thinkstherestcangotothedevil。Hegoescuttinghisworkandbreakinghisword。

Wilbrahamoughttosackhim。IpromiseyouwhenI’veagirlI’llkeepherinline，andifsheturnsnasty，I’llgetanother。"

Rickiesmiledandsaidnomore。Buthewassorrythatanyoneshouldstartlifewithsuchacreed——allthemoresorrybecausethecreedcaricaturedhisown。Hetoobelievedthatlifeshouldbeinaline——alineofenormouslength，fullofcountlessinterestsandcountlessfigures，allwellbeloved。Butwomanwasnottobe"kept"tothisline。Ratherdidsheadvanceitcontinually，likesometriumphantgeneral，makingeachunitstillmoreinteresting，stillmorelovable，thanithadbeenbefore。HelovedAgnes，notonlyforherself，butbecauseshewaslightingupthehumanworld。Buthecouldscarcelyexplainthistoaninexperiencedanimal，nordidhemaketheattempt。

Foralongtimetheyproceededinsilence。ThehillbehindCadoverwasinharvest，andthehorsesmovedregretfullybetweenthesheaves。Stephenhadpickedagrassleaf，andwasblowingcatcallsuponit。Heblewverywell，andthismorningallhissoulwentintothewail。Forhewasill。Hewastorturedwiththefeelingthathecouldnotgetawayanddo——dosomething，insteadofbeingciviltothisanaemicprig。Fourhoursintherainwasbetterthanthis:hehadnotwantedtofidgetintherain。Butnowtheairwaslikewine，andthestubblewassmellingofwet，andoverhisheadwhitecloudstrundledmoreslowlyandmoreseldomthroughbroadeningtractsofblue。Thereneverhadbeensuchamorning，andheshutuphiseyesandcalledtoit。Andwheneverhecalled，Rickieshutuphiseyesandwinced。

Atlastthebladebroke。"Wedon’tgoquick，dowe"heremarked，andlookedontheweedytrackforanother。

"Iwishyouwouldn’tletmekeepyou。Ifyouwerealoneyouwouldbegallopingorsomethingofthatsort。"

"IwastoldImustgoyourpace，"hesaidmournfully。"AndyoupromisedMissPembrokenottohurry，"

"Well，I’lldisobey。"Buthecouldnotriseaboveagentletrot，andeventhatnearlyjerkedhimoutofthesaddle。

"Sitlikethis，"saidStephen。"Can’tyouseelikethis？"Rickielurchedforward，andbrokehisthumbnailonthehorse’sneck。Itbledalittle，andhadtobeboundup。

"Thankyou——awfullykind——notighter，please——I’msimplyspoilingyourday。"

"Ican’tthinkhowamancanhelpriding。You’veonlytoleaveittothehorseso！——so！——justasyouleaveittowaterinswimming。"

RickieleftittoDido，whostoppedimmediately。

"IsaidLEAVEit。"Hisvoiceroseirritably。"Ididn’tsay’die。’

Ofcourseshestopsifyoudie。Firstyousitherasifyou’reSandowexercising，andthenyousitlikeacorpse。Can’tyoutellheryou’realive？That’sallshewants。"

Intryingtoconveytheinformation，Rickiedroppedhiswhip。

StephenpickeditupandrammeditintothebeltofhisownNorfolkjacket。Hewasscarcelyafashionablehorseman。Hewasnotevengraceful。Butherodeasalivingman，thoughRickiewastoomuchboredtonoticeit。Notamuscleinhimwasidle，notamuscleworkinghard。Whenhereturnedfromthegallophislimbswerestillunsatisfiedandhismannersstillirritable。Hedidnotknowthathewasill:heknewnothingabouthimselfatall。

"LikeahowdahintheZoo，"hegrumbled。"MotherFailingwillbuyelephants。"Andheproceededtocriticizehisbenefactress。

Rickie，keenlyalivetobadtaste，triedtostophim，andgainedinsteadacriticismofreligion。StephenoverthrewtheMosaiccosmogony。HepointedoutthediscrepanciesintheGospels。Helevelledhiswitagainstthemostbeautifulspireintheworld，nowrisingagainstthesouthernsky。Betweenwhileshewentforagallop。AfteratimeRickiestoppedlistening，andsimplywenthisway。ForDidowasaperfectmount，andasindifferenttothemotionsofAeneasasifshewasstrollingintheElysianfields。

Hehadhadabadnight，andthestrongairmadehimsleepy。ThewindblewfromthePlain。Cadoveranditsvalleyhaddisappeared，andthoughtheyhadnotclimbedmuchandcouldnotseefar，therewasasenseofinfinitespace。Thefieldswereenormous，likefieldsontheContinent，andthebrilliantsunshoweduptheircolourswell。Thegreenoftheturnips，thegoldoftheharvest，andthebrownofthenewlyturnedclods，wereeachcontrastedwithmorselsofgreydown。Butthegeneraleffectwaspale，orrathersilvery，forWiltshireisnotacountyofheavytints。

Beneaththesecolourslurkedtheunconquerablechalk，andwhereverthesoilwaspooritemerged。Thegrassytrack，sogaywithscabiousandbedstraw，wassnow—whiteatthebottomofitsruts。Adazzlingamphitheatregleamedintheflankofadistanthill，cutforsomeOlympianaudience。Andhereandthere，whateverthesurfacecrop，theearthbrokeintolittleembankments，littleditches，littlemounds:therehadbeennolackofdramatosolacethegods。

InCadover，theperiloushouse，AgneshadalreadypartedfromMrs。Failing。Histhoughtsreturnedtoher。Wasshe，thesouloftruth，insafety？Washerpurityvexedbytheliesandselfishness？Wouldsheeludethecapricewhichhad，hevaguelyknew，causedsufferingbefore？Ah，thefrailtyofjoy！Ah，themyriadsoflongingsthatpasswithoutfruition，andtheturfgrowsoverthem！Bettermen，womenasnoble——theyhaddieduphereandtheirdusthadbeenmingled，butonlytheirdust。Thesearemorbidthoughts，butwhodarecontradictthem？Thereismuchgoodluckintheworld，butitisluck。Wearenoneofussafe。

Wearechildren，playingorquarrelingontheline，andsomeofushaveRickie’stemperament，orhisexperiences，andadmitit。

Sobemused，thatanxiouslittlespeck，andallthelandseemedtocommentonhisfearsandonhislove。

Theirpathlayupward，overagreatbaldskull，halfgrass，halfstubble。Itseemedeachmomenttherewouldbeasplendidview。

Theviewnevercame，fornoneoftheinclinesweresharpenough，andtheymovedovertheskullformanyminutes，scarcelyshiftingalandmarkoralteringthebluefringeofthedistance。ThespireofSalisburydidalter，butveryslightly，risingandfallinglikethemercuryinathermometer。Atthemostitwouldbehalfhidden;attheleastthetipwouldshowbehindtheswellingbarrierofearth。Theypassedtwoelder—trees——agreatevent。Thebarepatch，saidStephen，wasowingtothegallows。Rickienodded。Hehadlostallsenseofincident。Inthisgreatsolitude——moresolitarythananyAlpinerange——heandAgneswerefloatingaloneandforever，betweentheshapelessearthandtheshapelessclouds。Animmensesilenceseemedtomovetowardsthem。

Alarkstoppedsinging，andtheyweregladofit。TheywereapproachingtheThroneofGod。Thesilencetouchedthem;theearthandalldangerdissolved，buteretheyquitevanishedRickieheardhimselfsaying，"Isitexactlywhatweintended？"

"Yes，"saidaman’svoice;"it’stheoldplan。"Theywereinanothervalley。Itssideswerethickwithtrees。Downitrananotherstreamandanotherroad:it，too，shelteredastringofvillages。Butallwasricher，larger，andmorebeautiful——thevalleyoftheAvonbelowAmesbury。

"I’vebeenasleep！"saidRickie，inawestrucktones。

"Never！"saidtheotherfacetiously。"Pleasantdreams？"

"Perhaps——I’mreallytiredofapologizingtoyou。Howlonghaveyoubeenholdingmeon？"

"Allintheday’swork。"Hegavehimbackthereins。

"Where’sthatroundhill？"

"Gonewherethegoodniggersgo。Iwantadrink。"

ThisisNature’sjokeinWiltshire——heronejoke。Youtoilonwindyslopes，andfeelveryprimeval。Youaremilesfromyourfellows，andlo！alittlevalleyfullofelmsandcottages。

BeforeRickiehadwakeduptoit，theyhadstoppedbyathatchedpublic—house，andStephenwasyellinglikeamaniacforbeer。

Therewasnooccasiontoyell。Hewasnotverythirsty，andtheywerequitereadytoservehim。Norneedhehavedrunkinthesaddle，withtheairofawarriorwhocarriesimportantdispatchesandhasnotthetimetodismount。Arealsoldier，boundonasimilarerrand，rodeuptotheinn，andStephenfearedthathewouldyelllouder，andwashostile。Buttheymadefriendsandtreatedeachother，andslangedtheproprietorandraggedtheprettygirls;whileRickie，aseachwaveofvulgarityburstoverhim，sunkhisheadlowerandlower，andwishedthattheearthwouldswallowhimup。HewasonlyusedtoCambridge，andtoaverysmallcornerofthat。Heandhisfriendstherebelievedinfreespeech。Buttheyspokefreelyaboutgeneralities。Theywerescientificandphilosophic。Theywouldhaveshrunkfromtheempiricalfreedomthatresultsfromalittlebeer。

Thatwaswhatannoyedhimasherodedownthenewvalleywithtwochatteringcompanions。Hewasmoreskilledthantheywereintheprinciplesofhumanexistence，buthewasnotsoindecentlyfamiliarwiththeexamples。Asordidvillagescandal——suchasStephendescribedasahugejoke——sprangfromcertaindefectsinhumannature，withwhichhewastheoreticallyacquainted。Buttheexample！Heblushedatitlikeamaidenlady，inspiteofitshavingaparallelinabeautifulidyllofTheocritus。Wasexperiencegoingtobesuchasplendidthingafterall？Weretheoutsideofhousessoverybeautiful？

"That’sspicy！"thesoldierwassaying。"Gotanymorelikethat？"

"I’segotapome，"saidStephen，anddrewapieceofpaperfromhispocket。Thevalleyhadbroadened。OldSarumrosebeforethem，uglyandmajestic。

"Writethisyourself？"heasked，chuckling。

"Rather，"saidStephen，loweringhisheadandkissingAeneasbetweentheears。

"Butwho’soldEm’ly？"Rickiewincedandfrowned。

"Nowyou’reasking。

"OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——"

"Iamsotired，"saidRickie。Whyshouldhestanditanylonger？

Hewouldgohometothewomanheloved。"DoyoumindifIgiveupSalisbury？"

"Butwe’veseennothing！"criedStephen。

"Ishouldn’tenjoyanything，Iamsoabsurdlytired。"

"Leftturn，then——allintheday’swork。"Hebitathismoustacheangrily。

"Goodgraciousme，man！——ofcourseI’mgoingbackalone。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourday。Howcouldyouthinkitofme？"

Stephengavealoudsighofrelief。"Ifyoudowanttogohome，here’syourwhip。Don’tfalloff。Saytoheryouwantedit，ortheremightbeructions。"

"Certainly。Thankyouforyourkindcareofme。"

"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’"

Soonhewasoutofearshot。Soontheywerelosttoview。Soontheywereoutofhisthoughts。Heforgotthecoarsenessandthedrinkingandtheingratitude。Afewmonthsagohewouldnothaveforgottensoquickly，andhemightalsohavedetectedsomethingelse。Butaloverisdogmatic。Tohimtheworldshallbebeautifulandpure。Whenitisnot，heignoresit。

"He’snottired，"saidStephentothesoldier;"hewantshisgirl。"Andtheywinkedateachother，andcrackedjokesovertheeternalcomedyoflove。Theyaskedeachotherifthey’dletagirlspoilamorning’sride。Theybothexhibitedaprofoundcynicism。Stephen，whowasquitewithoutballast，describedthehouseholdatCadover:heshouldsaythatRickiewouldfindMissPembrokekissingthefootman。

"Isaythefootman’skissingoldEm’ly。"

"Jollyday，"saidStephen。Hisvoicewassuddenlyconstrained。Hewasnotsurewhetherhelikedthesoldierafterall，norwhetherhehadbeenwiseinshowinghimhiscompositions。

"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’"

"Allright，Thomas。That’lldo。"

"OldEm’ly——’"

"Iwishyou’ddryup，likeagoodfellow。Thisisthelady’shorse，youknow，hangit，afterall。"

"In—deed！"

"Don’tyousee——whenafellow’sonahorse，hecan’tletanotherfellow——kindof——don’tyouknow？"

Themandidknow。"There’ssenseinthat。"hesaidapprovingly。

Peacewasrestored，andtheywouldhavereachedSalisburyiftheyhadnothadsomemorebeer。Itunloosedthesoldier’sfancies，andagainhespokeofoldEm’ly，andrecitedthepoem，withAristophanicvariations。

"Jollyday，"repeatedStephen，withastraighteningoftheeyebrowsandaquickglanceattheother’sbody。Hethenwarnedhimagainstthevariations。InconsequencehewasaccusedofbeingamemberoftheY。M。C。A。Hisbloodboiledatthis。Herefutedthecharge，andbecamegreatfriendswiththesoldier，forthethirdtime。

"Anyobjectionto’SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackleton’？"

"Rathernot。"

Thesoldiersang"SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackkleton。"Itisreallyaworkfortwovoices，mostofthesaucinessdisappearingwhentakenasasolo。NorisMrs。Tackleton’snameEm’lv。

"Icallitajollyrottensong，"saidStephencrossly。"Iwon’tstandbeinggotat。"

"P’r’apsy’liketheroldsong。Lishen。

"’Ofallthegullsthatarsshmart，There’snonelinepretty——Em’ly;

Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart’"

"Now，that’swrong。"Herodeupclosetothesinger。

"Shright。"

"’Tisn’t。"

"It’sasmymothertaughtme。"

"Idon’tcare。"

"I’llnotalterfrommother’sway。"

Stephenwasbaffled。Thenhesaid，"Howdoesyourmothermakeitrhyme？"

"Wot？"

"Squat。You’reanass，andI’mnot。Poemswantrhymes。’Alley’

comesnextline。"

Hesaid"alley"was——welcometocomeifitliked。

"Itcan’t。YouwantSally。Sally——alley。Em’ly—alleydoesn’tdo。"

"Emily—femily！"criedthesoldier，withaninspirationthatwasnothiswhensober。"Mymothertaughtmefemily。

"’Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart，Andshelivesinmyfemily。’"

"Well，you’dbestbecareful，Thomas，andyourmothertoo。"

"Yourmother’snobetterthansheshouldbe，"saidThomasvaguely。

"DoyouthinkIhaven’theardthatbefore？"retortedtheboy。

Theotherconcludedhemightnowsayanything。Sohemight——thenameofoldEmilyexcepted。Stephencaredlittleabouthisbenefactress’shonour，butagreatdealabouthisown。HehadmadeMrs。Failingintoatest。Forthemomenthewoulddieforher，asaknightwoulddieforaglove。Heisnottobedistinguishedfromahero。

OldSarumwaspassed。Theyapproachedthemostbeautifulspireintheworld。"Lord！anotheroftheselargechurches！"saidthesoldier。UnfriendlytoGothic，heliftedbothhandstohisnose，anddeclaredthatoldEm’lywasburiedthere。Helayinthemud。

HishorsetrottedbacktowardsAmesbury，Stephenhadtwistedhimoutofthesaddle。

"I’vedonehim！"heyelled，thoughnoonewastheretohear。Heroseupinhisstirrupsandshoutedwithjoy。HeflunghisarmsroundAeneas’sneck。Theelderlyhorseunderstood，capered，andbolted。ItwasacentaurthatdashedintoSalisburyandscatteredthepeople。Inthestablehewouldnotdismount。"I’vedonehim！"

heyelledtotheostlers——apatheticmen。Stretchingupwards，heclungtoabeam。Aeneasmovedonandhewaslefthanging。Greatlydidheincommodethembyhisexercises。Hepulledup，hecircled，hekickedtheothercustomers。Atlasthefelltotheearth，deliciouslyfatigued。Hisbodyworriedhimnolonger。

Hewent，likethebabyhewas，tobuyawhitelinenhat。Thereweresoldiersabout，andhethoughtitwoulddisguisehim。Thenhehadalittlelunchtosteadythebeer。Thisdayhadturnedoutadmirably。AllthemoneythatshouldhavefedRickiehecouldspendonhimself。InsteadoftoilingovertheCathedralandseeingthestuffedpenguins，hecouldstopthewholethinginthecattlemarket。Therehemetandmadesomefriends。Hewatchedthecheap—jacks，andsawhownecessaryitwastohaveaconfidentmanner。Hespokeconfidentlyhimselfaboutlambs，andpeoplelistened。Hespokeconfidentlyaboutpigs，andtheyroaredwithlaughter。Hemustlearnmoreaboutpigs。Hewitnessedaperformance——nottoonamby—pamby——ofPunchandJudy。"Hullo，Podge！"criedanaughtylittlegirl。Hetriedtocatchher，andfailed。ShewasoneoftheCadfordchildren。ForSalisburyonmarketday，thoughitisnotpicturesque，iscertainlyrepresentative，andyoureadthenamesofhalftheWiltshirevillagesuponthecarriers’carts。Hefound，inPennyFarthingStreet，thecartfromWintersbridge。Itwouldnotstartforseveralhours，butthepassengersalwaysuseditasaclub，andsatiniteverynowandthenduringtheday。Nolessthanthreeladieswerethesenow，staringattheshafts。OneofthemwasFleaThompson’sgirl。Heaskedher，quitepolitely，whyherloverhadbrokenfaithwithhimintherain。Shewassilent。Hewarnedherofapproachingvengeance。Shewasstillsilent，butanotherwomanhopedthatagentlemanwouldnotbehardonapoorperson。

Somethinginthisannoyedhim;itwasn’taquestionofgentilityandpoverty——itwasaquestionoftwomen。HedeterminedtogobackbyCadburyRingswheretheshepherdwouldnowbe。

Hedid。Butthispartmustbetreatedlightly。HerodeuptotheculpritwiththeairofaSaintGeorge，spokeafewsternwordsfromthesaddle，tetheredhissteedtoahurdle，andtookoffhiscoat。"Areyouready？"heasked。

"Yes，sir，"saidFlea，andflunghimonhisback。

"That’snotfair，"heprotested。

Theotherdidnotreply，butflunghimonhishead。

"Howonearthdidyoulearnthat？"

"Bytryingoften，"saidFlea。

Stephensatontheground，pickingmudoutofhisforehead。"I

meantittobefists，"hesaidgloomily。

"Iknow，sir。"

"It’sjollysmartthough，and——andIbegyourpardonallround。"

Itcosthimagreatdealtosaythis，buthewassurethatitwastherightthingtosay。Hemustacknowledgethebetterman。

Whereasmostpeople，iftheyprovokeafightandareflung，say，"Youcannotrobmeofmymoralvictory。"

Therewasnothingfurthertobedone。Hemountedagain，notexactlydepressed，butfeelingthatthisdelightfulworldisextraordinarilyunreliable。Hehadneverexpectedtoflingthesoldier，ortobeflungbyFlea。"Onenipsorisnipped，"hethought，"andneverknowsbeforehand。IshouldnotbesurprisedifmanypeoplehadmoreinthemthanIsuppose，whileotherswerejusttheotherwayround。Ihaven’tseenthatsortofthinginIngersoll，butit’squiteimportant。"Thenhisthoughtsturnedtoacuriousincidentoflongago，whenhehadbeen"nipped"——asalittleboy。Hewastrespassinginthosewoods，whenhemetinanarrowgladeaflockofsheep。Theyhadneitherdognorshepherd，andadvancedtowardshimsilently。Hewasaccustomedtosheep，buthadneverhappenedtomeettheminawoodbefore，anddislikedit。Heretired，slowlyatfirst，thenfast;andtheflock，inadensemass，pressedafterhim。Histerrorincreased。

Heturnedandscreamedattheirlongwhitefaces;andstilltheycameon，allstucktogether，likesomehorriblejell——。Ifoncehegotintothem！Bellowingandscreeching，herushedintotheundergrowth，torehimselfallover，andreachedhomeinconvulsions。Mr。Failing，hisonlygrown—upfriend，wassympathetic，butquitestupid。"Panoviumcustos，"hesympathetic，ashepulledoutthethorns。"Whynot？""Panoviumcustos。"Stephenlearntthemeaningofthephraseatschool，"A

panofeggsforcustard。"Hestillrememberedhowtheotherboyslookedashepeepedatthembetweenhislegs，awaitingthedescendingcane。

Sohereturned，fullofpleasantdisconnectedthoughts。Hehadhadararegoodtime。Helikedeveryone——eventhatpoorlittleElliot——andyetnoonemattered。Theywereallout。Onthelandinghesawthehousemaid。Hefeltskittishandirresistible。

Shouldhesliphisarmroundherwaist？Perhapsbetternot;shemightboxhisears。Andhewantedtosmokeontheroofbeforedinner。Soheonlysaid，"Pleasewillyoustoptheboyblackingmybrownboots，"andshewithdowncasteyes，answered，"Yes，sir;

Iwillindeed。"

Hisroomwasinthepediment。Classicalarchitecture，likeallthingsinthisworldthatattemptserenity，isboundtohaveitslapsesintotheundignified，andCadoverlapsedhopelesslywhenitcametoStephen’sroom。Itgavehimoneroundwindow，toseethroughwhichhemustlieuponhisstomach，onetrapdooropeningupontheleads，threeirongirders，threebeams，sixbuttresses，nocircling，unlessyoucountthewalls，nowallsunlessyoucounttheceilingandinitsembarrassmentpresentedhimwiththegurglycisternthatsuppliedthebathwater。Herehelived，absolutelyhappy，andunawarethatMrs。Failinghadpokedhimuphereonpurpose，topreventhimfromgrowingtoobumptious。Hereheworkedandsangandpractisedontheocharoon。Here，inthecrannies，hehadconstructedshelvesandcupboardsanduselesslittledrawers。Hehadonlyonepicture——theDemeterofCnidos——

andshehungstraightfromtherooflikeajointofmeat。Onceshewasinthedrawing—room;butMrs。Failinghadgottiredofher，anddecreedherremovalandthisdegradation。Nowshefacedthesunrise;andwhenthemoonroseitslightalsofellonher，andtrembled，likelightuponthesea。Forshewasneverstill，andifthedraughtincreasedshewouldtwistonherstring，andwouldswayandtapupontheraftersuntilStephenwokeupandsaidwhathethoughtofher。"Wantyournose？"hewouldmurmur。

"Don’tyouwishyoumaygetit"Thenhedrewtheclothesoverhisears，whileabovehim，inthewindandthedarkness，thegoddesscontinuedhermotions。

Today，asheentered，hetrodonthepileofsixpennyreprints。

Leightonhadbroughtthemup。Helookedattheportraitsintheircovers，andbegantothinkthatthesepeoplewerenoteverything。

Whatafate，tolooklikeColonelIngersoll，ortomarryMrs。

JuliaP。Chunk！TheDemeterturnedtowardshimashebathed，andinthecoldwaterhesang——

"Theyaren’tbeautiful，theyaren’tmodest;

I’djustassoonfollowanoldstonegoddess，"

andsprangupwardthroughtheskylightontotheroof。Yearsago，whenanursewaswashinghim，hehadslippedfromhersoapyhandsandgotuphere。Sheimploredhimtorememberthathewasalittlegentleman;butheforgotthefact——ifitwasafact——andnoteventhebutlercouldgethimdown。Mr。Failing，whowassittingaloneinthegardentooilltoread，heardashout，"AmI

anacroterium？"HelookedupandsawanakedchildpoisedonthesummitofCadover。"Yes，"hereplied;"buttheyareunfashionable。Goin，"andthevisionhadremainedwithhimassomethingpeculiarlygracious。Hefeltthatnonsenseandbeautyhavecloseconnections，——closerconnectionsthanArtwillallow，—

—andthatbothwouldremainwhenhisownheavinessandhisownuglinesshadperished。Mrs。Failingfoundinhisremainsasentencethatpuzzledher。"Iseetherespectablemansion。Iseethesmugfortressofculture。Thedoorsareshut。Thewindowsareshut。Butontheroofthechildrengodancingforever。"

Stephenwasachildnolonger。Heneverstoodonthepedimentnow，exceptforabet。Henever，orscarcelyever，pouredwaterdownthechimneys。Whenhecaughtthecat，heseldomdroppedherintothehousekeeper’sbedroom。Butstill，whentheweatherwasfair，helikedtocomeupafterbathing，andgetdryinthesun。

Todayhebroughtwithhimatowel，apipeoftobacco，andRickie’sstory。Hemustgetitdonesometime，andhewastiredofthesix—pennyreprints。Theslopinggablewaswarm，andhelaybackonitwithclosedeyes，gaspingforpleasure。Starlingscriticizedhim，snotsfellonhiscleanbody，andoverhimalittlecloudwastingedwiththecoloursofevening。"Good！

good！"hewhispered。"Good，ohgood！"andopenedthemanuscriptreluctantly。

Whataproduction！Whowasthisgirl？Wheredidshegoto？Whysomuchtalkabouttrees？"Itakeithewroteitwhenfeelingbad，"

hemurmured，andletitfallintothegutter。Itfellfacedownwards，andonthebackhesawaneatlittleresumeinMissPembroke’shandwriting，intendedforsuchashim。"Allegory。Man=moderncivilization（inbadsense）。Girl=gettingintotouchwithNature。"

IntouchwithNature！Thegirlwasatree！Helithispipeandgazedattheradiantearth。Theforegroundwashidden，buttherewasthevillagewithitselms，andtheRomanRoad，andCadburyRings。There，too，werethosewoods，andlittlebeechcopses，crowningawasteofdown。Nottomentiontheair，orthesun，orwater。Good，ohgood！

IntouchwithNature！Whatcantwouldthebooksthinkofnext？

Hiseyesclosed。Hewassleepy。Good，ohgood！Sighingintohispipe，hefellasleep。