第17章

Hisstrengthandhisyouthcalledtohers，expectingnoprudishresponse。"It’sveryodd。ItisthatI’mRickie’sbrother。I’vejustfoundout。I’vecometotellyouall。"

"Yes？"

Hefeltinhispocketforthepapers。"Half—brotherIoughttohavesaid。"

"Yes？"

"I’millegitimate。Legallyspeaking，thatis，I’vebeenturnedoutofCadover。Ihaven’tapenny。I——"

"Thereisnooccasiontoinflictthedetails。"Herface，whichhadbeenanevenbrown，begantoflushslowlyinthecentreofthecheeks。Thecolourspreadtillallthathesawofherwassuffused，andsheturnedaway。Hethoughthehadshockedher，andsodidshe。Neitherknewthatthebodycanbeinsincereandexpressnottheemotionswefeelbutthosethatweshouldliketofeel。Inrealityshewasquitecalm，andherdislikeofhimhadnothingemotionalinitasyet。

"Yousee——"hebegan。Hewasdeterminedtotellthefidgetystory，forthesooneritwasoverthesoonertheywouldhavesomethingtoeat。Delicacyhelacked，andhissympathieswerelimited。Butsuchastheywere，theyrangtrue:heputnodecorousphantombetweenhimandhisdesires。

"Idosee。Ihaveseenfortwoyears。"Shesatdownattheheadofthetable，wheretherewasanotherink—pot。Intothisshedippedapen。"Ihaveseeneverything，Mr。Wonham——whoyouare，howyouhavebehavedatCadover，howyoumusthavetreatedMrs。

Failingyesterday;andnow"——hervoicebecameverygrave——"Iseewhyyouhavecomehere，penniless。Beforeyouspeak，weknowwhatyouwillsay。"

Hismouthfellopen，andhelaughedsomerrilythatitmighthavegivenherawarning。Butshewasthinkinghowtofollowupherfirstsuccess。"AndIthoughtIwasbringingtremendousnews！"hecried。"IonlytwisteditoutofMrs。Failinglastnight。AndRickieknowstoo？"

"Wehaveknownfortwoyears。"

"Butcome，bythebye，——ifyou’veknownfortwoyears，howisityoudidn’t——"Thelaughdiedoutofhiseyes。"Youaren’tashamed？"heasked，halfrisingfromhischair。"Youaren’tlikethemantowardsAndover？"

"Please，pleasesitdown，"saidAgnes，intheeventonessheusedwhenspeakingtotheservants;"letusnotdiscusssideissues。I

amahorriblydirectperson，Mr。Wonham。Igoalwaysstraighttothepoint。"Sheopenedachequebook。"IamafraidIshallshockyou。Forhowmuch？"

Hewasnotattending。

"Thereisthepaperwesuggestyoushallsign。"Shepushedtowardshimapseudo—legaldocument，justcomposedbyHerbert。

"Inconsiderationofthesumof……，Iagreetoperpetualsilence—

—torestrainfromlibellous……nevertomolestthesaidFrederickElliotbyintruding——’"

Hisbrainwasnotquick。Hereadthedocumentovertwice，andhecouldstillsay，"Butwhat’sthatchequefor？"

"Itismyhusband’s。Hesignedforyouassoonasweheardyouwerehere。Weguessedyouhadcometobesilenced。Hereishissignature。Buthehasleftthefillinginforme。Forhowmuch？I

willcrossit，shallI？Youwilljusthavestartedabankingaccount，ifIunderstandMrs。Failingrightly。Itisnotquiteaccuratetosayyouarepenniless:Iheardfromherjustbeforeyoureturnedfromyourcricket。Sheallowsyoutwohundreda—

year，Ithink。Butthisadditionalsum——shallIdatethechequeSaturdayorfortomorrow？"

Atlasthefoundwords。Knockinghispipeoutonthetable，hesaidslowly，"Here’saverybadmistake。"

"Itisquitepossible，"retortedAgnes。Shewasgladshehadtakentheoffensive，insteadofwaitingtillhebeganhisblackmailing，ashadbeentheadviceofRickie。AuntEmilyhadsaidthatveryspring，"One’sonlyhopewithStephenistostartbullyingfirst。"Herehewas，quitebewildered，smearingthepipe—asheswithhisthumb。Heaskedtoreadthedocumentagain。

"Astampandall！"heremarked。

Theyhadanticipatedthathisclaimwouldexceedtwopounds。

"Isee。Allright。Ittakesafoolaminute。Nevermind。I’vemadeabadmistake。"

"Yourefuse？"sheexclaimed，forhewasstandingatthedoor。

"Thendoyourworst！Wedefyyou！"

"That’sallright，Mrs。Elliot，"hesaidroughly。"Idon’twantascenewithyou，noryetwithyourhusband。We’llsaynomoreaboutit。It’sallright。Imeannoharm。"

"Butyoursignaturethen！Youmustsign——you——"

Hepushedpasther，andsaidashereachedforhiscap，"There，that’sallright。It’smymistake。I’msorry。"Hespokelikeafarmerwhohasfailedtosellasheep。Hismannerwasutterlyprosaic，anduptothelastshethoughthehadnotunderstoodher。"Butit’smoneyweofferyou，"sheinformedhim，andthendartedbacktothestudy，believingforoneterriblemomentthathehadpickeduptheblankcheque。Whenshereturnedtothehallhehadgone。Hewaswalkingdowntheroadratherquickly。Atthecornerheclearedhisthroat，spatintothegutter，anddisappeared。

"There’sanoddfinish，"shethought。Shewaspuzzled，anddeterminedtorecasttheinterviewalittlewhensherelatedittoRickie。Shehadnotsucceeded，forthepaperwasstillunsigned。ButshehadsocowedStephenthathewouldprobablyrestcontentwithhistwohundreda—year，andnevercometroublingthemagain。Clevermanagement，foroneknewhimtoberapacious:shehadheardtalesofhimlendingtothepoorandexactingrepaymenttotheuttermostfarthing。Hehadalsostolenatschool。Moderatelytriumphant，shehurriedintotheside—

garden:shehadjustrememberedAnsell:she，notRickie，hadreceivedhiscard。

"Oh，Mr。Ansell！"sheexclaimed，awakinghimfromsomeday—dream。

"Haven’teitherRickieorHerbertbeenouttoyou？Now，docomeintodinner，toshowyouaren’toffended。Youwillfindallofusassembledintheboys’dining—hall。"

Toherannoyanceheaccepted。

"Thatis，iftheJacksonsarenotexpectingyou。"

TheJacksonsdidnotmatter。Ifhemightbrushhisclothesandbathehislip，hewouldliketocome。

"Oh，whathashappenedtoyou？Andoh，myprettylobelias！"

Hereplied，"Amomentarycontactwithreality，"andshe，whodidnotlookforsenseinhisremarks，hurriedawaytothedining—

halltoannouncehim。

Thedining—hallwasnotunlikethepreparationroom。Therewasthesameparquetfloor，anddadoofshinypitchpine。Onitswallsalsowereimperialportraits，andovertheharmoniumtowhichtheysangtheeveninghymnswasspreadtheUnionJack。Sundaydinner，themostpompousmealoftheweek，wasinprogress。Herbrothersatattheheadofthehightable，herhusbandattheheadofthesecond。Toeachhegaveareassuringnodandwenttoherownseat，whichwasamongthejuniorboys。Thebeefwasbeingcarriedout;shestoppedit。"Mr。Anselliscoming，"shecalled。

"Herbertthereismoreroombyyou;situpstraight，boys。"Theboyssatupstraight，andarespectfulhushspreadovertheroom。

"Hereheis！"calledRickiecheerfully，takinghiscuefromhiswife。"Oh，thisissplendid！"Ansellcamein。"I’msogladyoumanagedthis。Icouldn’tleavethesewretcheslastnight！"Theboystitteredsuitably。Theatmosphereseemednormal。EvenHerbert，thoughlongingtohearwhathadhappenedtotheblackmailer，gaveadequategreetingtotheirguest:"Comein，Mr。

Ansell;comehere。Takeusasyoufindus！"

"Iunderstood，"saidStewart，"thatIshouldfindyouall。Mrs。

ElliottoldmeIshould。OnthatunderstandingIcame。"

Itwasatonceevidentthatsomethinghadgonewrong。

Anselllookedroundtheroomcarefully。Thenclearinghisthroatandrufflinghishair，hebegan—

"IcannotseethemanwithwhomIhavetalked，intimately，foranhour，inyourgarden。"

Theworstofitwastheywereallsofarfromhimandfromeachother，eachattheendofatablefulofinquisitiveboys。ThetwomasterslookedatAgnesforinformation，forherreassuringnodhadnottoldthemmuch。Shelookedhopelesslyback。

"Icannotseethisman，"repeatedAnsell，whoremainedbytheharmoniuminthemidstofastonishedwaitresses。"Ishetobegivennolunch？"

Herbertbrokethesilencebyfreshgreetings。Rickieknewthatthecontestwaslost，andthathisfriendhadsidedwiththeenemy。Itwasthekindofthinghewoulddo。Onemustfacethecatastrophequietlyandwithdignity。PerhapsAnsellwouldhaveturnedonhisheel，andleftbehindhimonlyvaguesuspicions，ifMrs。Elliothadnottriedtotalkhimdown。"Man，"shecried——

"whatman？Oh，Iknow——terriblebore！Didhegetholdofyou？"——

thuscommittingtheirfirstblunder，andcausingAnselltosaytoRickie，"Haveyouseenyourbrother？"

"Ihavenot。"

"Haveyoubeentoldhewashere？"

Rickie’sanswerwasinaudible。

"Haveyoubeentoldyouhaveabrother？"

"Letuscontinuethisconversationlater。"

"Continueit？Mydearman，howcanweuntilyouknowwhatI’mtalkingabout？Youmustthinkmemad;butItellyousolemnlythatyouhaveabrotherofwhomyou’veneverheard，andthathewasinthishousetenminutesago。"Hepausedimpressively。"Yourwifehashappenedtoseehimfirst。Beingneitherseriousnortruthful，sheiskeepingyouapart，tellinghimsomelieandnottellingyouaword。"

Therewasamurmurofalarm。Oneoftheprefectsrose，andAnsellsethisbacktothewall，quitereadyforabattle。Fortwoyearshehadwaitedforhisopportunity。HewouldhitoutatMrs。

Elliotlikeanyploughboynowthatithadcome。Rickiesaid:

"Thereisaslightmisunderstanding。I，likemywife，haveknownwhatthereistoknowfortwoyears"——adignifiedrebuff，buttheirsecondblunder。

"Exactly，"saidAgnes。"NowIthinkMr。Ansellhadbettergo。"

"Go？"explodedAnsell。"I’veeverythingtosayyet。Ibegyourpardon，Mrs。Elliot，Iamconcernedwithyounolonger。Thisman"——heturnedtotheavenueoffaces——"thismanwhoteachesyouhasabrother。Hehasknownofhimtwoyearsandbeenashamed。Hehas——oh——oh——howitfitstogether！Rickie，it’syou，notMrs。

Silt，whomusthavesenttalesofhimtoyouraunt。It’syouwho’veturnedhimoutofCadover。It’syouwho’veorderedhimtoberuinedtoday。

NowHerbertarose。"Outofmysight，sir！ButhaveitfrommefirstthatRickieandhisaunthavebothbehavedmostgenerously。

No，no，Agnes，I’llnotbeinterrupted。Garbledversionsmustnotgetabout。IftheWonhammanisnotsatisfiednow，hemustbeinsatiable。Hecannotlevyblackmailonusforever。Sir，Igiveyoutwominutes;thenyouwillbeexpelledbyforce。"

"Twominutes！"sangAnsell。"Icansayagreatdealinthat。"Heputonefootonachairandheldhisarmsoverthequiveringroom。HeseemedtransfiguredintoaHebrewprophetpassionateforsatireandthetruth。"Oh，keepquietfortwominutes，"hecried，"andI’lltellyousomethingyou’llbegladtohear。You’realittleafraidStephenmaycomeback。Don’tbeafraid。Ibringgoodnews。You’llneverseehimnoranyonelikehimagain。I

mustspeakveryplainly，foryouareallthreefools。Idon’twantyoutosayafterwards，’PoorMr。Anselltriedtobeclever。’

GenerallyIdon’tmind，butIshouldmindtoday。Pleaselisten。

Stephenisabully;hedrinks;heknocksonedown;buthewouldsoonerdiethantakemoneyfrompeoplehedidnotlove。Perhapshewilldie，forhehasnothingbutafewpencethatthepoorgavehimandsometobaccowhich，tomyeternalglory，heacceptedfromme。Pleaselistenagain。Whydidhecomehere？Becausehethoughtyouwouldlovehim，andwasreadytoloveyou。ButItellyou，don’tbeafraid。Hewouldsoonerdienowthansayyouwerehisbrother。Pleaselistenagain——"

"Now，Stewart，don’tgoonlikethat，"saidRickiebitterly。

"It’seasyenoughtopreachwhenyouareanoutsider。Youwouldbemorecharitableifsuchathinghadhappenedtoyourself。Easyenoughtobeunconventionalwhenyouhaven’tsufferedandknownothingofthefacts。Youloveanythingoutoftheway，anythingqueer，thatdoesn’toftenhappen，andsoyougetexcitedoverthis。It’suseless，mydearman;youhavehurtme，butyouwillneverupsetme。Assoonasyoustopthisridiculousscenewewillfinishourdinner。Spreadthisscandal;addtoit。I’mtoooldtomindsuchnonsense。Icannothelpmyfather’sdisgrace，ontheonehand;nor，ontheother，willIhaveanythingtodowithhisblackguardofason。"

Sothesecretwasgiventotheworld。Agnesmightcolourathisspeech;HerbertmightcalculatetheeffectofitontheentriesforDunwoodHouse;buthecaredfornoneofthesethings。ThankGod！hewaswitheredupatlast。

"Pleaselistenagain，"resumedAnsell。"Pleasecorrecttwoslightmistakes:firstly，StephenisoneofthegreatestpeopleIhaveevermet;secondly，he’snotyourfather’sson。He’sthesonofyourmother。"

ItwasRickie，notAnsell，whowascarriedfromthehall，anditwasHerbertwhopronouncedtheblessing——

"Benedictobenedicatur。"

Aprofoundstillnesssucceededthestorm，andtheboys，slippingawayfromtheirmeal，toldthenewstotherestoftheschool，orputitintheletterstheywerewritinghome。

XXVIII

Thesoulhasherowncurrency。Shemintsherspiritualcoinageandstampsitwiththeimageofsomebelovedface。Withitshepaysherdebts，withitshereckons，saying，"Thismanhasworth，thismanisworthless。"Andintimesheforgetsitsorigin;itseemstohertobeathingunalterable，divine。Butthesoulcanalsohaveherbankruptcies。

Perhapsshewillbethericherintheend。Inheragonyshelearnstoreckonclearly。Fairasthecoinmayhavebeen，itwasnotaccurate;andthoughsheknewitnot，thereweretreasuresthatitcouldnotbuy。Theface，howeverbeloved，wasmortal，andasliableasthesoulherselftoerr。Wedobutshiftresponsibilitybymakingastandardofthedead。

Thereis，indeed，anothercoinagethatbearsonitnotman’simagebutGod’s。Itisincorruptible，andthesoulmaytrustitsafely;itwillserveherbeyondthestars。Butitcannotgiveusfriends，ortheembraceofalover，orthetouchofchildren，forwithourfellowmortalsithasnoconcern。Itcannotevengivethejoyswecalltrivial——fineweather，thepleasuresofmeatanddrink，bathingandthehotsandafterwards，running，dreamlesssleep。Havewelearntthetruedisciplineofabankruptcyifweturntosuchcoinageasthis？Willitreallyprofitussomuchifwesaveoursoulsandlosethewholeworld？

PART3WILTSHIRE

XXIX

Robert——thereisnooccasiontomentionhissurname:hewasayoungfarmerofsomeeducationwhotriedtocoaxtheagedsoilofWiltshirescientifically——cametoCadoveronbusinessandfellinlovewithMrs。Elliot。Shewasthereonherbridalvisit，andhe，anobscurenobody，wasreceivedbyMrs。Failingintothehouseandtreatedashersocialequal。Hewasgood—lookinginabucolicway，andpeoplesometimesmistookhimforagentlemanuntiltheysawhishands。Hediscoveredthis，andoneoftheslow，gentlejokesheplayedonsocietywastotalkuponsomeculturedsubjectwithhishandsbehindhisbackandthensuddenlyrevealthem。"Doyougoinforboating？"theladywouldask;andthenheexplainedthatthoseparticularwealsaremadebythehandlesoftheplough。Uponwhichshebecameextremelyinterested，butfoundanearlyopportunityoftalkingtosomeoneelse。

HeplayedthisjokeonMrs。Elliotthefirstevening，notknowingthatsheobservedhimasheenteredtheroom。Hewalkedheavily，liftinghisfeetasifthecarpetwasfurrowed，andhehadnoeveningclothes。Everyonetriedtoputhimathisease，butsherathersuspectedthathewastherealready，andenviedhim。Theywereintroduced，andspokeofByron，whowasstillfashionable。

Outcamehishands——theonlyroughhandsinthedrawing—room，theonlyhandsthathadeverworked。Shewasfilledwithsomestrangeapproval，andlikedhim。

Afterdinnertheymetagain，tospeaknotofByronbutofmanure。

Theotherpeopleweresocleverandsoamusingthatitrelievedhertolistentoamanwhotoldherthreetimesnottobuyartificialmanurereadymade，but，ifshewoulduseit，tomakeitherselfatthelastmoment。Becausetheammoniaevaporated。

Hereweretwopacketsofpowder。Didtheysmell？No。Mixthemtogetherandpoursomecoffee——Anappallingsmellatonceburstforth，andeveryonebegantocoughandcry。Thiswasgoodfortheearthwhenshefeltsour，forheknewwhentheearthwasill。

Heknew，too，whenshewashungryhespokeofhertantrums——thestrangeunscientificelementinherthatwillbafflethescientisttotheendoftime。"Studyaway，Mrs。Elliot，"hetoldher;"readallthebooksyoucangetholdof;butwhenitcomestothepoint，strolloutwithapipeinyourmouthanddoabitofguessing。"Ashetalked，theearthbecamealivingbeing——orratherabeingwithalivingskin，——andmanurenolongerdirtystuff，butasymbolofregenerationandofthebirthoflifefromlife。"Soitgoesonforever！"shecriedexcitedly。Hereplied:

"Notforever。Intimethefireatthecentrewillcool，andnothingcangoonthen。"

Headvancedintolovewithopeneyes，slowly，heavily，justashehadadvancedacrossthedrawingroomcarpet。Butthistimethebridedidnotobservehistread。Shewaslisteningtoherhusband，andtryingnottobesostupid。Whenhewasclosetoher——soclosethatitwasdifficultnottotakeherinhisarms——

hespoketoMr。Failing，andwasatonceturnedoutofCadover。

"I’msorry，"saidMr。Failing，ashewalkeddownthedrivewithhishandonhisguest’sshoulder。"Ihadnonotionyouwerethatsort。Anyonewhobehaveslikethathastostopatthefarm。"

"Anyone？"

"Anyone。"Hesighedheavily，notforanypersonalgrievance，butbecausehesawhowunruly，howbarbaric，isthesoulofman。

Afterall，thismanwasmorecivilizedthanmost。

"Areyouangrywithme，sir？"Hecalledhim"sir，"notbecausehewasricherorclevererorsmarter，notbecausehehadhelpedtoeducatehimandhadlenthimmoney，butforareasonmoreprofound——forthereasonthattherearegradationsinheaven。

"Ididthinkyou——thatamanlikeyouwouldn’triskmakingpeopleunhappy。Mysister—in—law——Idon’tsaythistostopyoulovingher;somethingelsemustdothat——mysister—in—law，asfarasI

know，doesn’tcareforyouonelittlebit。Ifyouhadsaidanything，ifshehadguessedthatachancepersonwasin——thisfearfulstate，youwouldsimply——haveopenedhell。Awomanofhersortwouldhavelostall——"

"Iknewthat。"

Mr。Failingremovedhishand。Hewasdispleased。

"Butsomethinghere，"saidRobertincoherently。"Thishere。"Hestruckhimselfheavilyontheheart。"Thishere，doingsomethingsounusual，makesitnotmatterwhatsheloses——I——"Afterasilenceheasked，"HaveIquitefollowedyou，sir，inthatbusinessofthebrotherhoodofman？"

"Howdoyoumean？"

"Ithoughtlovewastobringitabout。"

"Loveofanotherman’swife？Sensuallove？Youhaveunderstoodnothing——nothing。"Thenhewasashamed，andcried，"Iunderstandnothingmyself。"Forherememberedthatsensualandspiritualarenoteasywordstouse;thatthereare，perhaps，nottwoAphrodites，butoneAphroditewithaJanusface。"Ionlyunderstandthatyoumusttrytoforgether。"

"Iwillnottry。"

"Promisemejustthis，then——nottodoanythingcrooked。"

"I’mstraight。Noboasting，butIcouldn’tdoacrookedthing——

No，notifItried。"

Andsoappallinglystraightwasheinafteryears，thatMr。

Failingwishedthathehadphrasedthepromisedifferently。

Robertsimplywaited。Hetoldhimselfthatitwashopeless;butsomethingdeeperthanhimselfdeclaredthattherewashope。Hegaveupdrink，andkepthimselfinallwaysclean，forhewantedtobeworthyofherwhenthetimecame。Womenseemedfondofhim，andcausedhimtoreflectwithpleasure，"Theydorunafterme。

Theremustbesomethinginme。Good。I’dbedoneforiftherewasn’t。"ForsixyearsheturneduptheearthofWiltshire，andreadbooksforthesakeofhismind，andtalkedtogentlemenforthesakeoftheirpatois，andeachyearherodetoCadovertotakeoffhishattoMrs。Elliot，and，perhaps，tospeaktoheraboutthecrops。Mr。Failingwasgenerallypresent，anditstruckneithermanthatthosedulllittlevisitsweresomanywordsoutofwhichalonelywomanmightbuildsentences。ThenRobertwenttoLondononbusiness。HechancedtoseeMr。Elliotwithastrangelady。Thetimehadcome。

Hebecamediplomatic，andcalledatMr。Elliot’sroomstofindthingsout。ForifMrs。Elliotwashappierthanhecouldevermakeher，hewouldwithdraw，andloveherinrenunciation。Butifhecouldmakeherhappier，hewouldloveherinfulfilment。Mr。

Elliotadmittedhimasafriendofhisbrother—in—law’s，andfeltverybroad—mindedashedidso。Robert，however，wasasuccess。

Theyoungishmentherefoundhiminteresting，andlikedtoshockhimwithtalesofnaughtyLondonandnaughtierParis。Theyspokeof"experience"and"sensations"and"seeinglife，"andwhenasmileploughedoverhisface，concludedthathispruderywasvanquished。Hesawthattheyweremuchlessviciousthantheysupposed:oneboyhadobviouslyreadhissensationsinabook。

Buthecouldpardonvice。Whathecouldnotpardonwastriviality，andhehopedthatnodecentwomancouldpardoniteither。Theregrewupinhimacold，steadyangeragainstthesesillypeoplewhothoughtitadvancedtobeshocking，andwhodescribed，assomethingparticularlychoiceandeducational，thingsthathehadunderstoodandfoughtagainstforyears。HeinquiredafterMrs。Elliot，andaboytittered。Itseemedthatshe"didnotknow，"thatshelivedinaremotesuburb，takingcareofaskinnybaby。"Ishallcallsometimeorother，"saidRobert。"Do，"saidMr。Elliot，smiling。Andnexttimehesawhiswifehecongratulatedheronherrusticadmirer。

Shehadsufferedterribly。Shehadaskedforbread，andhadbeengivennotevenastone。Peopletalkofhungeringfortheideal，butthereisanotherhunger，quiteasdivine，forfacts。Shehadaskedforfactsandhadbeengiven"views，""emotionalstandpoints，""attitudestowardslife。"Toawomanwhobelievedthatfactsarebeautiful，thatthelivingworldisbeautifulbeyondthelawsofbeauty，thatmanureisneithergrossnorludicrous，thatafire，noteternal，glowsattheheartoftheearth，itwasintolerabletobeputoffwithwhattheElliotscalled"philosophy，"and，ifsherefused，tobetoldthatshehadnosenseofhumour。"TarryingintotheElliotfamily。"Ithadsoundedsosplendid，forshewasapennilesschildwithnothingtooffer，andtheElliotsheldtheirheadshigh。Forwhatreason？

Whathadtheyeverdone，exceptsaysarcasticthings，andlimp，andberefined？Mr。Failingsufferedtoo，butshesufferedmore，inasmuchasFrederickwasmoreimpossiblethanEmily。Hedidnotlikeher，hepracticallylivedapart，hewasnotevenfaithfulorpolite。Theseweregravefaults，buttheywerehumanones:shecouldevenimaginetheminamansheloved。Whatshecouldneverlovewasadilettante。

Robertbroughtheranarmfulofsweet—peas。Helaiditonthetable，puthishandsbehindhisback，andkeptthemtheretilltheendofthevisit。Sheknewquitewellwhyhehadcome，andthoughshealsoknewthathewouldfail，shelovedhimtoomuchtosnubhimortostareinvirtuousindignation。"Whyhaveyoucome？"sheaskedgravely，"andwhyhaveyoubroughtmesomanyflowers？"

"Mygardenisfullofthem，"heanswered。"Sweetpeasneedpickingdown。And，generallyspeaking，flowersareplentifulinJuly。"

Shebrokehispresentintobunches——somuchforthedrawing—room，somuchforthenursery，somuchforthekitchenandherhusband’sroom:hewouldbedownforthenight。Themostbeautifulshewouldkeepforherself。Presentlyhesaid，"Yourhusbandisnogood。I’vewatchedhimforaweek。I’mthirty，andnotwhatyoucallhasty，asIusedtobe，orthinkingthatnothingmattersliketheFrench。No。I’maplainBritisher，yet——

I——I’vebegunwrongend，Mrs。Elliot;IshouldhavesaidthatI’vethoughtchieflyofyouforsixyears，andthatthoughItalkheresorespectfully，ifIonceunhookedmyhands——"

Therewasapause。Thenshesaidwithgreatsweetness，"Thankyou;Iamgladyouloveme，"andrangthebell。

"Whathaveyoudonethatfor？"hecried。

"Becauseyoumustnowleavethehouse，andneverenteritagain。"

"Idon’tgoalone，"andhebegantogetfurious。

Hervoicewasstillsweet，butstrengthlayinittoo，asshesaid，"Youeithergonowwithmythanksandblessing，orelseyougowiththepolice。IamMrs。Elliot。WeneednotdiscussMr。

Elliot。IamMrs。Elliot，andifyoumakeonesteptowardsmeI

giveyouincharge。"

Butthemaidansweredthebellnotofthedrawing—room，butofthefrontdoor。TheywerejoinedbyMr。Elliot，whoheldouthishandwithmuchurbanity。Itwasnottaken。Helookedquicklyathiswife，andsaid，"AmIdetrop？"Therewasalongsilence。

Atlastshesaid，"Frederick，turnthismanout。"

"Mylove，why？"

Robertsaidthathelovedher。

"ThenIamdetrop，"saidMr。Elliot，smoothingouthisgloves。

Hewouldgivethesesoddenbarbariansalesson。"Myhansomiswaitingatthedoor。Praymakeuseofit。"

"Don’t！"shecried，almostaffectionately。"DearFrederick，itisn’taplay。Justtellthismantogo，orsendforthepolice。"

"Onthecontrary;itisFrenchcomedyofthebesttype。Don’tyouagree，sir，thatthepolicewouldbeaninartisticerror？"Hewasperfectlycalmandcollected，whereastheywereinapitiablestate。

"Turnhimoutatonce！"shecried。"Hehasinsultedyourwife。

Saveme，saveme！"Sheclungtoherhusbandandwept。"HewasgoingIhadmanagedhim——hewouldneverhaveknown——"Mr。Elliotrepulsedher。

"Ifyoudon’tfeelinclinedtostartatonce，"hesaidwitheasycivility，"Letushavealittletea。Mydearsir，doforgivemefornotshootingyou。Nousavonschangetoutcela。Pleasedon’tlooksonervous。Pleasedounclaspyourhands——"

Hewasalone。

"That’sallright，"heexclaimed，andstrolledtothedoor。Thehansomwasdisappearingroundthecorner。"That’sallright，"herepeatedinmorequaveringtonesashereturnedtothedrawing—

roomandsawthatitwaslitteredwithsweet—peas。Theircolourgotonhisnerves——magenta，crimson;magenta，crimson。Hetriedtopickthemup，andtheyescaped。Hetrodthemunderfoot，andtheymultipliedanddancedinthetriumphofsummerlikeathousandbutterflies。Thetrainhadleftwhenhegottothestation。HefollowedontoLondon，andtherehelostalltraces。

Atmidnighthebegantorealizethathiswifecouldneverbelongtohimagain。