第10章

XIII

GladasAgneswaswhenherloverreturnedforlunch，shewasatthesametimeratherdismayed:sheknewthatMrs。Failingwouldnotlikeherplansaltered。Andherdismaywasjustified。Theirhostesswasalittlestiff，andaskedwhetherStephenhadbeenobnoxious。

"Indeedhehasn’t。Hespentthewholetimelookingafterme。"

"FromwhichIconcludehewasmoreobnoxiousthanusual。"

Rickiepraisedhimdiligently。Buthiscandidnatureshowedeverythingthrough。Hisauntsoonsawthattheyhadnotgoton。

Shehadexpectedthis——almostplannedit。Neverthelesssheresentedit，andherresentmentwastofallonhim。

Thestormgatheredslowly，andmanyotherthingswenttoswellit。Weaklypeople，iftheyarenotcareful，hateoneanother，andwhentheweaknessishereditarythetemptationincreases。Elliotshadnevergotonamongthemselves。Theytalkedof"TheFamily，"

buttheyalwaysturnedoutwardstothehealthandbeautythatliesopromiscuouslyabouttheworld。Rickie’sfatherhadturned，foratimeatallevents，tohismother。RickiehimselfwasturningtoAgnes。AndMrs。Failingnowwasirritable，andunfairtothenephewwhowaslamelikeherhorriblebrotherandlikeherself。

Shethoughthiminvertebrateandconventional。Shewasenviousofhishappiness。Shedidnottroubletounderstandhisart。Shelongedtoshatterhim，butknowingasshedidthatthehumanthunderboltoftenreboundsandstrikesthewielder，sheheldherhand。

Agneswatchedtheapproachingclouds。Rickiehadwarnedher;nowshebegantowarnhim。Asthevisitworeawaysheurgedhimtobepleasanttohisaunt，andsoconvertitintoasuccess。

Hereplied，"Whyneeditbeasuccess？"——areplyinthemannerofAnsell。

Shelaughed。"Oh，that’ssolikeyoumen——alltheory！Whataboutyourgreattheoryofhatingnoone？Assoonasitcomesinusefulyoudropit。"

"Idon’thateAuntEmily。Honestly。ButcertainlyIdon’twanttobenearherorthinkabouther。Don’tyouthinktherearetwogreatthingsinlifethatweoughttoaimat——truthandkindness？

Let’shavebothifwecan，butlet’sbesureofhavingoneortheother。Myauntgivesupbothforthesakeofbeingfunny。"

"AndStephenWonham，"pursuedAgnes。"There’sanotherpersonyouhate——ordon’tthinkabout，ifyoupreferitputlikethat。"

"Thetruthis，I’mchanging。I’mbeginningtoseethattheworldhasmanypeopleinitwhodon’tmatter。Ihadtimeforthemonce。

Notnow。"Therewasonlyonegatetothekingdomofheavennow。

Agnessurprisedhimbysaying，"ButtheWonhamboyisevidentlyapartofyouraunt’slife。Shelaughsathim，butsheisfondofhim。"

"What’sthattodowithit？"

"Yououghttobepleasanttohimonaccountofit。"

"Whyonearth？"

Sheflushedalittle。"I’mold—fashioned。Oneoughttoconsiderone’shostess，andfallinwithherlife。Afterweleaveit’sanotherthing。ButwhilewetakeherhospitalityIthinkit’sourduty。"

Hergoodsensetriumphed。HenceforthhetriedtofallinwithAuntEmily’slife。AuntEmilywatchedhimtrying。Thestormbroke，asstormssometimesdo，onSunday。

SundaychurchwasafunctionatCadover，thoughastrangeone。

Thepompouslandaurolleduptothehouseataquartertoeleven。

ThenMrs。Failingsaid，"WhyamIbeinghurried？"andafteranintervaldescendedthestepsinherordinaryclothes。Sheregardedthechurchasasortofsitting—room，andrefusedeventowearabonnetthere。Thevillagewasshocked，butatthesametimealittleproud;itwouldpointoutthecarriagetostrangersandgossipaboutthepalesmilingladywhosatinit，alwaysalone，alwayslate，herhairalwaysdrapedinanexpensiveshawl。

ThisSunday，thoughlateasusual，shewasnotalone。MissPembroke，engrandetoilette，satbyherside。Rickie，lookingplainanddevout，perchedopposite。AndStephenactuallycametoo，murmuringthatitwouldbetheBenedicite，whichhehadneverminded。TherewasalsotheLitany，whichdrovehimintotheairagain，muchtoMrs。Failing’sdelight。Sheenjoyedthissortofthing。ItamusedherwhenherProtegeleftthepew，lookingbored，athletic，anddishevelled，andgropingmostobviouslyforhispipe。Shelikedtokeepathoroughbredpagantoshockpeople。

"He’sgonetoworshipNature，"shewhispered。Rickiedidnotlookup。"Don’tyouthinkhe’scharming？"Hemadenoreply。

"Charming，"whisperedAgnesoverhishead。

Duringthesermonsheanalysedherguests。MissPembroke——

undistinguished，unimaginative，tolerable。Rickie——intolerable。

"Andhowpedantic！"shemused。"HesmellsoftheUniversitylibrary。Ifhewasstupidintherightwayhewouldbeadon。"

Shelookedroundthetinychurch;atthewhitewashedpillars，thehumblepavement，thewindowfullofmagentasaints。Therewasthevicar’swife。AndMrs。Wilbraham’sbonnet。Ugh！Therestofthecongregationwerepoorwomen，withflat，hopelessfaces——shesawthemSundayafterSunday，butdidnotknowtheirnames——

diversifiedwithafewreluctantplough—boys，andthevilelittleschoolchildrenrowuponrow。"Ugh！whatahole，"thoughtMrs。

Failing，whoseChristianitywasthetypebestdescribedas"cathedral。""Whataholeforaculturedwoman！Idon’tthinkithasbluntedmysensations，though;Istillseeitssqualorasclearlyasever。Andmynephewpretendsheisworshipping。Pah！

thehypocrite。"Aboveherthevicarspokeofthedangerofhurryingfromonedissipationtoanother。Shetreasuredhiswords，andcontinued:"Icannotstandsmugness。Itistheone，theunpardonablesin。Freshair！ThefreshairthathasmadeStephenWonhamfreshandcompanionableandstrong。Evenifitkills，Iwillletinthefreshair。"

ThusreasonedMrs。Failing，inthefacileveinofIbsenism。Sheimaginedherselftobeacold—eyedScandinavianheroine。ReallyshewasanEnglisholdlady，whodidnotmindgivingotherpeopleachillprovideditwasnotinfectious。

Agnes，onthewayback，notedthatherhostesswasalittlesnappish。Butoneissohungryaftermorningservice，andeithersohotorsocold，thathewouldbeasaintindeedwhobecomesasaintatonce。Mrs。Failing，afterassertingvindictivelythatitwasimpossibletomakealivingoutofliterature，wascourteouslyleftalone。Roast—beefandmosellemightyetworkmiracles，andAgnesstillhopedfortheintroductions——theintroductionstocertaineditorsandpublishers——onwhichherwholediplomacywasbent。Rickiewouldnotpushhimself。Itwashisbesettingsin。Wellforhimthathewouldhaveawife，andalovingwife，whoknewthevalueofenterprise。

Unfortunatelylunchwasaquarterofanhourlate，andduringthatquarterofanhourtheauntandthenephewquarrelled。Shehadbeeninveighingagainstthemorningservice，andhequietlyanddeliberatelyreplied，"Iforganizedreligionisanything——anditissomethingtome——itwillnotbewreckedbyaharmoniumandadullsermon。"

Mrs。Failingfrowned。"Ienvyyou。Itisagreatthingtohavenosenseofbeauty。"

"IthinkIhaveasenseofbeauty，whichleadsmeastrayifIamnotcareful。"

"Butthisisagreatrelieftome。Ithoughtthepresentdayyoungmanwasanagnostic！Isn’tagnosticismallthethingatCambridge？"

"Nothingisthe’thing’atCambridge。Ifafewmenareagnosticthere，itisforsomegravereason，notbecausetheyareirritatedwiththewaytheparsonsayshisvowels。"

Agnesintervened。"Well，IsidewithAuntEmily。Ibelieveinritual。"

"Don’t，mydear，sidewithme。Hewillonlysayyouhavenosenseofreligioneither。"

"Excuseme，"saidRickie，perhapshetoowasalittlehungry，——"I

neversuggestedsuchathing。Ineverwouldsuggestsuchathing。

Whycannotyouunderstandmyposition？Ialmostfeelitisthatyouwon’t。"

"Itrytounderstandyourpositionnightanddaydear——whatyoumean，whatyoulike，whyyoucametoCadover，andwhyyoustopherewhenmypresenceissoobviouslyunpleasingtoyou。"

"Luncheonisserved，"saidLeighton，buthesaidittoolate。

Theydiscussedthebeefandthemoselleinsilence。Theairwasheavyandominous。EventheWonhamboywasaffectedbyit，shiveredattimes，chokedonce，andhastenedanewintothesun。

Hecouldnotunderstandcleverpeople。

Agnes，inabriefanxiousinterview，advisedtheculprittotakeasolitarywalk。ShewouldstopnearAuntEmily，andpavethewayforanapology。

"Don’tworrytoomuch。Itdoesn’treallymatter。"

"Isupposenot，dear。Butitseemsapity，consideringwearesoneartheendofourvisit。"

"RudenessandGrossnessmatter，andI’veshownboth，andalreadyI’msorry，andIhopeshe’llletmeapologize。Butfromtheselfishpointofviewitdoesn’tmatterastraw。She’snomoretousthantheWonhamboyorthebootboy。"

"Whichwaywillyouwalk？"

"Ithinktothatentrenchment。Lookatit。"Theyweresittingonthesteps。HestretchedouthishandtoCadsburyRings，andthenletitrestforamomentonhershoulder。"You’rechangingme，"

hesaidgently。"Godblessyouforit。"

Heenjoyedhiswalk。Cadfordwasacharmingvillageandforatimehehungoverthebridgebythemill。Soclearwasthestreamthatitseemednotwateratall，butsomeinvisiblequintessenceinwhichthehappyminnowsandtheweedswerevibrating。AndhepausedagainattheRomancrossing，andthoughtforamomentoftheunknownchild。Thelinecurvedsuddenly:certainlyitwasdangerous。Thenheliftedhiseyestothedown。Theentrenchmentshowedliketherimofasaucer，andoveritsnarrowlinepeepedthesummitofthecentraltree。Itlookedinteresting。Hehurriedforward，withthewindbehindhim。

TheRingswerecuriousratherthanimpressive。Neitherembankmentwasovertwelvefeethigh，andthegrassonthemhadnottheexquisitegreenofOldSarum，butwasgreyandwiry。ButNature（ifshearrangesanything）hadarrangedthatfromthem，atallevents，thereshouldbeaview。ThewholesystemofthecountrylayspreadbeforeRickie，andhegainedanideaofitthathenevergotinhiselaborateride。HesawhowallthewaterconvergesatSalisbury;howSalisburyliesinashallowbasin，justatthechangeofthesoil。HesawtothenorththePlain，andthestreamoftheCadflowingdownfromit，withatributarythatbrokeoutsuddenly，asthechalkstreamsdo:onevillagehadclusteredroundthesourceandclotheditselfwithtrees。HesawOldSarum，andhintsoftheAvonvalley，andthelandaboveStoneHenge。Andbehindhimhesawthegreatwoodbeginningunobtrusively，asifthedowntooneededshaving;andintoittheroadtoLondonslipped，coveringthebusheswithwhitedust。

Chalkmadethedustwhite，chalkmadethewaterclear，chalkmadethecleanrollingoutlinesoftheland，andfavouredthegrassandthedistantcoronalsoftrees。Hereistheheartofourisland:theChilterns，theNorthDowns，theSouthDownsradiatehence。ThefibresofEnglanduniteinWiltshire，anddidwecondescendtoworshipher，hereweshoulderectournationalshrine。

Peopleatthattimeweretryingtothinkimperially，Rickiewonderedhowtheydidit，forhecouldnotimagineaplacelargerthanEngland。AndotherpeopletalkedofItaly，thespiritualfatherlandofusall。PerhapsItalywouldprovemarvellous。Butatpresentheconceiveditassomethingexotic，tobeadmiredandreverenced，butnottobelovedliketheseunostentatiousfields。

Hedrewoutabook，itwasnaturalforhimtoreadwhenhewashappy，andtoreadoutloud，——andforalittletimehisvoicedisturbedthesilenceofthatgloriousafternoon。ThebookwasShelley，anditopenedatapassagethathehadcherishedgreatlytwoyearsbefore，andmarkedas"verygood。"

"IneverwasattachedtothatgreatsectWhosedoctrineisthateachoneshouldselectOutoftheworldamistressorafriend，Andalltherest，thoughfairandwise，commendTocoldoblivion，——thoughitisthecodeOfmodernmorals，andthebeatenroadWhichthosepoorslaveswithwearyfootstepstreadWhotraveltotheirhomeamongthedeadBythebroadhighwayoftheworld，——andsoWithonesadfriend，perhapsajealousfoe，Thedreariestandthelongestjourneygo。"

Itwas"verygood"——finepoetry，and，inasense，true。Yethewassurprisedthathehadeverselecteditsovehemently。Thisafternoonitseemedalittleinhuman。Halfamileofftwoloverswerekeepingcompanywhereallthevillagerscouldseethem。Theycaredfornooneelse;theyfeltonlythepressureofeachother，andsoprogressed，silentandoblivious，acrosstheland。HefeltthemtobenearerthetruththanShelley。Eveniftheysufferedorquarrelled，theywouldhavebeennearerthetruth。HewonderedwhethertheywereHenryAdamsandJessicaThompson，bothofthisparish，whosebannshadbeenaskedforthesecondtimeinthechurchthismorning。Whycouldhenotmarryonfifteenshillingsa—week？Andbelookedatthemwithrespect，andwishedthathewasnotacumbersomegentleman。

Presentlyhesawsomethinglesspleasant——hisaunt’sponycarriage。Ithadcrossedtherailway，andwasadvancinguptheRomanroadalongbythestrawsacks。Hisimpulsewastoretreat，butsomeonewavedtohim。ItwasAgnes。Shewavedcontinually，asmuchastosay，"Waitforus。"Mrs。Failingherselfraisedthewhipinanonchalantway。StephenWonhamwasfollowingonfoot，somewaybehind。HeputtheShelleybackintohispocketandwaitedforthem。Whenthecarriagestoppedbysomehurdleshewentdownfromtheembankmentandhelpedthemtodismount。Hefeltrathernervous。

Hisauntgavehimoneofherdisquietingsmiles，butsaidpleasantlyenough，"Aren’ttheRingsalittleimmense？AgnesandIcameherebecausewewantedanantidotetothemorningservice。"

"Pang！"saidthechurchbellsuddenly;"pang！pang！"Itsoundedpettyandludicrous。Theyalllaughed。Rickieblushed，andAgnes，withaglancethatsaid"apologize，"dartedawaytotheentrenchment，asthoughunabletorestrainhercuriosity。

"Theponywon’tmove，"saidMrs。Failing。"LeavehimforStephentotieup。Willyouwalkmetothetreeinthemiddle？Booh！I’mtired。Givemeyourarm——unlessyou’retiredaswell。"

"No。Icameoutpartlyinthehopeofhelpingyou。"

"Howsweetofyou。"ShecontrastedhisblatantunselfishnesswiththehardnessofStephen。Stephennevercameouttohelpyou。

Butifyougotholdofhimhewassomegood。Hedidn’twobbleandbendatthecriticalmoment。HerfancycomparedRickietothecrackedchurchbellsendingforthitsmessageof"Pang！pang！"tothecountryside，andStephentotheyoungpaganswhoweresaidtolieunderthisfieldguardingtheirpagangold。

"Thisplaceisfullofghosties，"sheremarked;"haveyouseenanyyet？"

"I’vekeptontheouterrimsofar。"

"Let’sgotothetreeinthecentre。"

"Here’sthepath。"Thebankofgrasswherehehadsatwasbrokenbyagap，throughwhichchariotshadentered，andfarmcartsenterednow。Thetrack，followingtheancienttrack，ledstraightthroughturnipstoasimilargapinthesecondcircle，andthencecontinued，throughmoreturnips，tothecentraltree。

"Pang！"saidthebell，astheypausedattheentrance。

"Youneedn’tunharness，"shoutedMrs。Failing，forStephenwasapproachingthecarriage。

"Yes，Iwill，"heretorted。

"Youwill，willyou？"shemurmuredwithasmile。"Iwishyourbrotherwasn’tquitesouppish。Let’sgeton。Doesn’tthatchurchdistractyou？"

"It’ssofainthere，"saidRickie。Anditsoundedfainterinside，thoughtheearthworkwasneitherthicknortall;andtheview，thoughnothidden，wasgreatlydiminished。HewasremindedforaminuteofthatchalkpitnearMadingley，whoserampartsexcludedthefamiliarworld。Agneswashere，asshehadoncebeenthere。

Shestoodonthefartherbarrier，waitingtoreceivethemwhentheyhadtraversedtheheartofthecamp。

"Admiremymangel—wurzels，"saidMrs。Failing。"Theyaresaidtogrowsosplendidlyonaccountofthedeadsoldiers。Isn’titasweetthought？NeedIsayitisyourbrother’s？"

"Wonham’s？"hesuggested。Itwasthesecondtimethatshehadmadethelittleslip。Shenodded，andheaskedherwhatkindofghostieshauntedthiscuriousfield。

"TheD。，"washerpromptreply。"Heleansagainstthetreeinthemiddle，especiallyonSundayafternoonsandalltheworshippersrisethroughtheturnipsanddanceroundhim。"

"Oh，theseweredecentpeople，"hereplied，lookingdownwards——

"soldiersandshepherds。Theyhavenoghosts。TheyworshippedMarsorPan—Erdaperhaps;notthedevil。"

"Pang！"wentthechurch，andwassilent，fortheafternoonservicehadbegun。Theyenteredthesecondentrenchment，whichwasinheight，breadth，andcomposition，similartothefirst，andexcludedstillmoreoftheview。Hisauntcontinuedfriendly。

Agnesstoodwatchingthem。

"Soldiersmayseemdecentinthepast，"shecontinued，"butwaittilltheyturnintoTommiesfromBulfordCamp，whorobthechickens。"

"Idon’tmindBulfordCamp，"saidRickie，looking，thoughinvain，forsignsofitssnowytents。"Thementherearethesonsofthemenhere，andhavecomebacktotheoldcountry。War’shorrible，yetonelovesallcontinuity。Andnoonecouldmindashepherd。"

"Indeed！Whataboutyourbrother——ashepherdifevertherewas？

Lookhowheboresyou！Don’tbesosentimental。"

"But——oh，youmean——"

"YourbrotherStephen。"

Heglancedathernervously。Hehadneverknownhersoqueerbefore。Perhapsitwassomeliteraryallusionthathehadnotcaught;butherfacedidnotatthatmomentsuggestliterature。

Inthedifferentialtonesthatoneusestoanoldandinfirmpersonhesaid"StephenWonhamisn’tmybrother，AuntEmily。"

"Mydear，you’rethatprecise。Onecan’tsay’half—brother’everytime。"

Theyapproachedthecentraltree。

"Howyoudopuzzleme，"hesaid，droppingherarmandbeginningtolaugh。"HowcouldIhaveahalf—brother？"

Shemadenoanswer。

Thenahorrorleaptstraightathim，andhebeatitbackandsaid，"Iwillnotbefrightened。"Thetreeinthecentrerevolved，thetreedisappeared，andhesawaroom——theroomwherehisfatherhadlivedintown。"Gently，"hetoldhimself，"gently。"Stilllaughing，hesaid，"I，withabrother—youngerit’snotpossible。"Thehorrorleaptagain，andheexclaimed，"It’safoullie！"

"Mydear，mydear！"

"It’safoullie！Hewasn’t——Iwon’tstand——"

"Mydear，beforeyousayseveralnoblethings，rememberthatit’sworseforhimthanforyou——worseforyourbrother，foryourhalf—brother，foryouryoungerbrother。"

Butheheardhernolonger。Hewasgazingatthepast，whichhehadpraisedsorecently，whichgapedeverwider，likeanunhallowedgrave。Turnwherehewould，itencircledhim。Ittookvisibleform:itwasthisdoubleentrenchmentoftheRings。Hismouthwentcold，andheknewthathewasgoingtofaintamongthedead。Hestartedrunning，missedtheexit，stumbledontheinnerbarrier，fellintodarkness——

"Gethisheaddown，"saidavoice。"Getthebloodbackintohim。

That’sallhewants。Leavehimtome。Elliot！"——thebloodwasreturning——"Elliot，wakeup！"

Hewokeup。Theearthhehaddreadedlayclosetohiseyes，andseemedbeautiful。Hesawthestructureoftheclods。Atinybeetleswungonthegrassblade。Onhisownneckahumanhandpressed，guidingthebloodbacktohisbrain。

Therebrokefromhimacry，notofhorrorbutofacceptance。Foroneshortmomentheunderstood。"Stephen——"hebegan，andthenheheardhisownnamecalled:"Rickie！Rickie！"Agneshurriedfromherpostonthemargin，and，asifunderstandingalso，caughthimtoherbreast。

Stephenofferedtohelpthemfurther，butfindingthathemadethingsworse，hesteppedasidetoletthempassandthensaunteredinwards。Thewholefield，withconcentriccircles，wasvisible，andthebroadleavesoftheturnipsrustledinthegatheringwind。MissPembrokeandElliotweremovingtowardstheCadoverentrance。Mrs。Failingstoodwatchinginherturnontheoppositebank。Hewasnotaninquisitiveboy;butasheleantagainstthetreehewonderedwhatitwasallabout，andwhetherhewouldeverknow。

XIV

Onthewayback——atthatverylevel—crossingwherehehadpausedonhisupwardroute——Rickiestoppedsuddenlyandtoldthegirlwhyhehadfainted。Hithertoshehadaskedhiminvain。Histonehadgonefromhim，andhetoldherharshlyandbrutally，sothatshestartedawaywithahorrifiedcry。Thenhismanneraltered，andheexclaimed:"Willyoumind？Areyougoingtomind？"

"OfcourseImind，"shewhispered。Sheturnedfromhim，andsawuponthesky—linetwofiguresthatseemedtobeofenormoussize。

"They’rewatchingus。Theystandontheedgewatchingus。Thiscountry’ssoopen——you——youcan’ttheywatchuswhereverwego。

Ofcourseyoumind。"

Theyheardtherumbleofthetrain，andshepulledherselftogether。"Come，dearest，weshallberunovernext。We’resayingthingsthathavenosense。"Butonthewaybackherepeated:

"Theycanstillseeus。Theycanseeeveryinchofthisroad。

Theywatchusforever。"Andwhentheyarrivedatthestepsthere，sureenough，werestillthetwofiguresgazingfromtheoutercircleoftheRings。

Shemadehimgotohisroomatonce:hewasalmosthysterical。

Leightonbroughtoutsometeaforher，andshesatdrinkingitonthelittleterrace。Ofcoursesheminded。

Againshewasmenacedbytheabnormal。Allhadseemedsofairandsosimple，soinaccordancewithherideas;andthen，likeacorpse，thishorrorroseuptothesurface。Shesawthetwofiguresdescendandpausewhileoneofthemharnessedthepony;

shesawthemdrivedownward，andknewthatbeforelongshemustfacethemandtheworld。Sheglancedatherengagementring。

WhenthecarriagedroveupMrs。Failingdismounted，butdidnotspeak。ItwasStephenwhoinquiredafterRickie。She，scarcelyknowingthesoundofherownvoice，repliedthathewasalittletired。

"Goandputupthepony，"saidMrs。Failingrathersharply。

"Agnes，givemesometea。"

"Itisratherstrong，"saidAgnesasthecarriagedroveoffandleftthemalone。ThenshenoticedthatMrs。Failingherselfwasagitated。Herlipsweretrembling，andshesawtheboydepartwithmanifestrelief。

"Doyouknow，"shesaidhurriedly，asiftalkingagainsttime——

"DoyouknowwhatupsetRickie？"

"Idoindeedknow。"

"Hashetoldanyoneelse？"

"Ibelievenot。"

"Agnes——haveIbeenafool？"

"Youhavebeenveryunkind，"saidthegirl，andhereyesfilledwithtears。

ForamomentMrs。Failingwasannoyed。"Unkind？Idonotseethatatall。Ibelieveinlookingfactsintheface。Rickiemustknowhisghostssometime。Whynotthisafternoon？"

Sherosewithquietdignity，buthertearscamefaster。"Thatisnotso。Youtoldhimtohurthim。Icannotthinkwhatyoudiditfor。Isupposebecausehewasrudetoyouafterchurch。Itisamean，cowardlyrevenge。

"What——whatifit’salie？"

"Then，Mrs。Failing，itissickeningofyou。Thereisnootherword。Sickening。Iamsorry——anobodylikemyself——tospeaklikethis。HowCOULDyou，oh，howcouldyoudemeanyourself？Why，notevenapoorperson——Herindignationwasfineandgenuine。Buthertearsfellnolonger。Nothingmenacedheriftheywerenotreallybrothers。

"Itisnotalie，myclear;sitdown。Iwillswearsomuchsolemnly。Itisnotalie，but——"

Agneswaited。

"——wecancallitalieifwechoose。"

"Iamnotsochildish。Youhavesaidit，andwemustallsuffer。

Youhavehadyourfun:Iconcludeyoudiditforfun。Youcannotgoback。He——"Shepointedtowardsthestables，andcouldnotfinishhersentence。

"Ihavenotbeenafooltwice。"

Agnesdidnotunderstand。

"Mydenselady，can’tyoufollow？IhavenottoldStephenonesingleword，neitherbeforenornow。"

Therewasalongsilence。

Indeed，Mrs。Failingwasinanawkwardposition。

Rickiehadirritatedher，and，inherdesiretoshockhim，shehadimperilledherownpeace。Shehadfeltsounconventionaluponthehillside，whensheloosedthehorroragainsthim;butnowitwasdartingatheraswell。Supposethescandalcameout。

Stephen，whowasabsolutelywithoutdelicacy，wouldtellittothepeopleassoonastellthemthetime。Hispaganismwouldbetooassertive;itmightevenbeinbadtaste。Afterall，shehadaprominentpositionintheneighbourhood;shewastalkedabout，respected，lookedupto。Afterall，shewasgrowingold。Andtherefore，thoughshehadnotrueregardforRickie，norforAgnes，norforStephen，norforStephen’sparents，inwhosetragedyshehadassisted，yetshedidfeelthatifthescandalreviveditwoulddisturbtheharmonyofCadover，andthereforetriedtoretracehersteps。Itiseasytosayshockingthings:itissodifferenttobeconnectedwithanythingshocking。Lifeanddeathwerenotinvolved，butcomfortanddiscomfortwere。