第4章

"Yourheadbadagain，Worm？"saidMr。Swancourt。"Whatwasthatnoiseweheardintheyard？"

"Ay，sir，aweakwamblingmanamI；andthefryinghavebeengoingoninmypoorheadallthroughthelongnightandthismorningasusual；andIwassodazedwi"itthatdownfellapieceofleg-

woodacrosstheshaftofthepony-shay，andsplintereditoff。

"Ay，"saysI，"Ifeelitasif"twasmyownshay；andthoughI"vedoneit，andparishpayismylotifIgofromhere，perhapsIamasindependentasonehereandthere。”"

"Dearme，theshaftofthecarriagebroken!"criedElfride。Shewasdisappointed:Stephendoublyso。Thevicarshowedmorewarmthoftemperthantheaccidentseemedtodemand，muchtoStephen"suneasinessandrathertohissurprise。Hehadnotsupposedsomuchlatentsternnesscouldco-existwithMr。Swancourt"sfranknessandgood-nature。

"Youshallnotbedisappointed，"saidthevicaratlength。"Itisalmosttoolongadistanceforyoutowalk。Elfridecantrotdownonherpony，andyoushallhavemyoldnag，Smith。"

Elfrideexclaimedtriumphantly，"Youhaveneverseenmeonhorseback——Oh，youmust!"ShelookedatStephenandreadhisthoughtsimmediately。"Ah，youdon"tride，Mr。Smith？"

"IamsorrytosayIdon"t。"

"Fancyamannotabletoride!"saidsheratherpertly。

Thevicarcametohisrescue。"That"scommonenough；hehashadotherlessonstolearn。Now，Irecommendthisplan:letElfriderideonhorseback，andyou，Mr。Smith，walkbesideher。"

ThearrangementwaswelcomedwithsecretdelightbyStephen。ItseemedtocombineinitselfalltheadvantagesofalongslowramblewithElfride，withoutthecontingentpossibilityoftheenjoymentbeingspoiltbyherbecomingweary。Theponywassaddledandbroughtround。

"Now，Mr。Smith，"saidtheladyimperatively，comingdownstairs，andappearinginherriding-habit，asshealwaysdidinachangeofdress，likeaneweditionofadelightfulvolume，"youhaveatasktoperformto-day。Theseearringsaremyveryfavouritedarlingones；buttheworstofitisthattheyhavesuchshorthooksthattheyareliabletobedroppedifItossmyheadaboutmuch，andwhenIamridingIcan"tgivemymindtothem。Itwouldbedoingmeknightserviceifyoukeepyoureyesfixeduponthem，andrememberthemeveryminuteoftheday，andtellmedirectlyI

dropone。Theyhavehadsuchhairbreadthescapes，haven"tthey，Unity？"shecontinuedtotheparlour-maidwhowasstandingatthedoor。

"Yes，miss，thattheyhave!"saidUnitywithround-eyedcommiseration。

"Once"twasinthelanethatIfoundoneofthem，"pursuedElfridereflectively。

"Andthen"twasbythegateintoEighteenAcres，"Unitychimedin。

"Andthen"twasonthecarpetinmyownroom，"rejoinedElfridemerrily。

"Andthen"twasdanglingontheembroideryofyourpetticoat，miss；andthen"twasdownyourback，miss，wasn"tit？Andoh，whatawayyouwasin，miss，wasn"tyou？my!untilyoufoundit!"

StephentookElfride"sslightfootuponhishand:"One，two，three，andup!"shesaid。

Unfortunatelynotso。Hestaggeredandlifted，andthehorseedgedround；andElfridewasultimatelydepositeduponthegroundrathermoreforciblythanwaspleasant。Smithlookedallcontrition。

"Nevermind，"saidthevicarencouragingly；"tryagain!"Tisalittleaccomplishmentthatrequiressomepractice，althoughitlookssoeasy。Standclosertothehorse"shead，Mr。Smith。"

"Indeed，Ishan"tlethimtryagain，"saidshewithamicroscopiclookofindignation。"Worm，comehere，andhelpmetomount。"

Wormsteppedforward，andshewasinthesaddleinatrice。

Thentheymovedon，goingforsomedistanceinsilence，thehotairofthevalleybeingoccasionallybrushedfromtheirfacesbyacoolbreeze，whichwounditswayalongravinesleadingupfromthesea。

"Isuppose，"saidStephen，"thatamanwhocanneithersitinasaddlehimselfnorhelpanotherpersonintooneseemsauselessincumbrance；but，MissSwancourt，I"lllearntodoitallforyoursake；Iwill，indeed。"

"Whatissounusualinyou，"shesaid，inadidactictonejustifiableinahorsewoman"saddresstoabenightedwalker，"isthatyourknowledgeofcertainthingsshouldbecombinedwithyourignoranceofcertainotherthings。"

Stephenliftedhiseyesearnestlytohers。

"Youknow，"hesaid，"itissimplybecausetherearesomanyotherthingstobelearntinthiswideworldthatIdidn"ttroubleaboutthatparticularbitofknowledge。Ithoughtitwouldbeuselesstome；butIdon"tthinksonow。Iwilllearnriding，andallconnectedwithit，becausethenyouwouldlikemebetter。Doyoulikememuchlessforthis？"

Shelookedsidewaysathimwithcriticalmeditationtenderlyrendered。

"DoIseemlikeLABELLEDAMESANSMERCI？"shebegansuddenly，withoutreplyingtohisquestion。"Fancyyourselfsaying，Mr。

Smith:

"Isatheronmypacingsteed，Andnothingelsesawalldaylong，Forsidelongwouldshebend，andsingAfairy"ssong，Shefoundmerootsofrelishsweet，Andhoneywild，andmannadew；"

andthat"sallshedid。"

"No，no，"saidtheyoungmanstilly，andwitharisingcolour。

""Andsureinlanguagestrangeshesaid，Ilovetheetrue。”"

"Notatall，"sherejoinedquickly。"SeehowIcangallop。Now，Pansy，off!"AndElfridestarted；andStephenbeheldherlightfigurecontractingtothedimensionsofabirdasshesankintothedistance——herhairflowing。

Hewalkedoninthesamedirection，andforaconsiderabletimecouldseenosignsofherreturning。Dullasaflowerwithoutthesunhesatdownuponastone，andnotforfifteenminuteswasanysoundofhorseorridertobeheard。ThenElfrideandPansyappearedonthehillinaroundtrot。

"Suchadelightfulscamperaswehavehad!"shesaid，herfaceflushedandhereyessparkling。Sheturnedthehorse"shead，Stephenarose，andtheywentonagain。

"Well，whathaveyoutosaytome，Mr。Smith，aftermylongabsence？"

"Doyourememberaquestionyoucouldnotexactlyanswerlastnight——whetherIwasmoretoyouthananybodyelse？"saidhe。

"Icannotexactlyanswernow，either。"

"Whycan"tyou？"

"BecauseIdon"tknowifIammoretoyouthananyoneelse。"

"Yes，indeed，youare!"heexclaimedinavoiceofintensestappreciation，atthesametimeglidingroundandlookingintoherface。

"Eyesineyes，"hemurmuredplayfully；andsheblushinglyobeyed，lookingbackintohis。

"Andwhynotlipsonlips？"continuedStephendaringly。

"No，certainlynot。Anybodymightlook；anditwouldbethedeathofme。Youmaykissmyhandifyoulike。"

Heexpressedbyalookthattokissahandthroughaglove，andthatariding-glove，wasnotagreattreatunderthecircumstances。

"There，then；I"lltakemygloveoff。Isn"titaprettywhitehand？Ah，youdon"twanttokissit，andyoushallnotnow!"

"IfIdonot，mayIneverkissagain，yousevereElfride!YouknowIthinkmoreofyouthanIcantell；thatyouaremyqueen。I

woulddieforyou，Elfride!"

Arapidredagainfilledhercheeks，andshelookedathimmeditatively。WhataproudmomentitwasforElfridethen!Shewasrulingaheartwithabsolutedespotismforthefirsttimeinherlife。

Stephenstealthilypounceduponherhand。

"No；Iwon"t，Iwon"t!"shesaidintractably；"andyoushouldn"ttakemebysurprise。"

Thereensuedamildformoftussleforabsolutepossessionofthemuch-covetedhand，inwhichtheboisterousnessofboyandgirlwasfarmoreprominentthanthedignityofmanandwoman。ThenPansybecamerestless。Elfriderecoveredherpositionandrememberedherself。

"Youmakemebehaveinnotanicewayatall!"sheexclaimed，inatoneneitherofpleasurenoranger，butpartakingofboth。"I

oughtnottohaveallowedsucharomp!Wearetoooldnowforthatsortofthing。"

"Ihopeyoudon"tthinkmetoo——toomuchofacreeping-roundsortofman，"saidheinapenitenttone，consciousthathetoohadlostalittledignitybytheproceeding。

"Youaretoofamiliar；andIcan"thaveit!Consideringtheshortnessofthetimewehaveknowneachother，Mr。Smith，youtaketoomuchuponyou。YouthinkIamacountrygirl，anditdoesn"tmatterhowyoubehavetome!"

"Iassureyou，MissSwancourt，thatIhadnoideaoffreakinmymind。Iwantedtoimprintasweet——seriouskissuponyourhand；

andthat"sall。"

"Now，that"screepingroundagain!Andyoumustn"tlookintomyeyesso，"shesaid，shakingherheadathim，andtrottingonafewpacesinadvance。Thussheledthewayoutofthelaneandacrosssomefieldsinthedirectionofthecliffs。Attheboundaryofthefieldsnearesttheseasheexpressedawishtodismount。Thehorsewastiedtoapost。andtheybothfollowedanirregularpath，whichultimatelyterminateduponaflatledgepassingroundthefaceofthehugeblue-blackrockataheightaboutmidwaybetweentheseaandthetopmostverge。There，farbeneathandbeforethem，laytheeverlastingstretchofocean；there，upondetachedrocks，werethewhitescreaminggulls，seemingeverintendingtosettle，andyetalwayspassingon。Rightandleftrankedthetoothedandzigzaglineofstorm-tornheights，formingtheserieswhichculminatedintheonebeneaththeirfeet。

Behindtheyouthandmaidenwasatemptingalcoveandseat，formednaturallyinthebeetlingmass，andwideenoughtoadmittwoorthreepersons。Elfridesatdown，andStephensatbesideher。

"Iamafraiditishardlyproperofustobehere，either，"shesaidhalfinquiringly。"Wehavenotknowneachotherlongenoughforthiskindofthing，havewe!"

"Ohyes，"herepliedjudicially；"quitelongenough。"

"Howdoyouknow？"

"Itisnotlengthoftime，butthemannerinwhichourminutesbeat，thatmakesenoughornotenoughinouracquaintanceship。"

"Yes，Iseethat。ButIwishpapasuspectedorknewwhataVERY

NEWTHINGIamdoing。Hedoesnotthinkofitatall。"

"DarlingElfie，Iwishwecouldbemarried!Itiswrongformetosayit——Iknowitis——beforeyouknowmore；butIwishwemightbe，allthesame。Doyoulovemedeeply，deeply？"

"No!"shesaidinafluster。

Atthispoint-blankdenial，Stephenturnedhisfaceawaydecisively，andpreservedanominoussilence；theonlyobjectsofinterestonearthforhimbeingapparentlythethreeorfour-scoresea-birdscirclingintheairafaroff。

"Ididn"tmeantostopyouquite，"shefalteredwithsomealarm；

andseeingthathestillremainedsilent，sheaddedmoreanxiously，"Ifyousaythatagain，perhaps，Iwillnotbequite——

quitesoobstinate——if——ifyoudon"tlikemetobe。"

"Oh，myElfride!"heexclaimed，andkissedher。

ItwasElfride"sfirstkiss。Andsoawkwardandunusedwasshe；

fullofstriving——norelenting。Therewasnoneofthoseapparentstrugglestogetoutofthetrapwhichonlyresultsingettingfurtherin:nofinalattitudeofreceptivity:noeasycloseofshouldertoshoulder，handuponhand，faceuponface，and，inspiteofcoyness，thelipsintherightplaceatthesuprememoment。Thatgracefulthoughapparentlyaccidentalfallingintoposition，whichmanyhavenoticedasprecipitatingtheendandmakingsweetheartsthesweeter，wasnothere。Why？Becauseexperiencewasabsent。Awomanmusthavehadmanykissesbeforeshekisseswell。

Infact，theartoftenderingthelipsfortheseamatorysalutesfollowstheprincipleslaiddownintreatisesonlegerdemainforperformingthetrickcalledForcingaCard。Thecardistobeshiftednimbly，withdrawn，edgedunder，andwithalnottobeofferedtillthemomenttheunsuspectingperson"shandreachesthepack；thisforcingtobedonesomodestlyandyetsocoaxingly，thatthepersontrifledwithimaginesheisreallychoosingwhatisinfactthrustintohishand。

Well，therewerenosuchfacilitiesnow；andStephenwasconsciousofit——firstwithamomentaryregretthathiskissshouldbespoiltbyherconfusedreceiptofit，andthenwiththepleasantperceptionthatherawkwardnesswashercharm。

"Andyoudocareformeandloveme？"saidhe。

"Yes。"

"Verymuch？"

"Yes。"

"AndImustn"taskyouifyou"llwaitforme，andbemywifesomeday？"

"Whynot？"shesaidnaively。

"Thereisareasonwhy，myElfride。"

"NotanyonethatIknowof。"

"Supposethereissomethingconnectedwithmewhichmakesitalmostimpossibleforyoutoagreetobemywife，orforyourfathertocountenancesuchanidea？"

"Nothingshallmakemeceasetoloveyou:noblemishcanbefounduponyourpersonalnature。Thatispureandgenerous，Iknow；andhavingthat，howcanIbecoldtoyou？"

"Andshallnothingelseaffectus——shallnothingbeyondmynaturebeapartofmyqualityinyoureyes，Elfie？"

"Nothingwhatever，"shesaidwithabreathofrelief。"Isthatall？Someoutsidecircumstance？WhatdoIcare？"

"Youcanhardlyjudge，dear，tillyouknowwhathastobejudged。

Forthat，wewillstoptillwegethome。Ibelieveinyou，butI

cannotfeelbright。"

"Loveisnew，andfreshtousasthedew；andwearetogether。Asthelover"sworldgoes，thisisagreatdeal。Stephen，IfancyI

seethedifferencebetweenmeandyou——betweenmenandwomengenerally，perhaps。Iamcontenttobuildhappinessonanyaccidentalbasisthatmaylienearathand；youareformakingaworldtosuityourhappiness。"

"Elfride，yousometimessaythingswhichmakeyouseemsuddenlytobecomefiveyearsolderthanyouare，orthanIam；andthatremarkisone。Icouldn"tthinksoOLDasthat，tryhowI

might……Andnoloverhaseverkissedyoubefore？"

"Never。"

"Iknewthat；youweresounused。Youridewell，butyoudon"tkissnicelyatall；andIwastoldonce，bymyfriendKnight，thatthatisanexcellentfaultinwoman。"

"Now，come；Imustmountagain，orweshallnotbehomebydinner-

time。"AndtheyreturnedtowherePansystoodtethered。"Insteadofentrustingmyweighttoayoungman"sunstablepalm，"shecontinuedgaily，"Ipreferasurer"upping-stock"(asthevillagerscallit)，intheformofagate。There——nowIammyselfagain。"

Theyproceededhomewardatthesamewalkingpace。

HerblithenesswonStephenoutofhisthoughtfulness，andeachforgoteverythingbutthetoneofthemoment。

"Whatdidyoulovemefor？"shesaid，afteralongmusinglookataflyingbird。

"Idon"tknow，"herepliedidly。

"Ohyes，youdo，"insistedElfride。

"Perhaps，foryoureyes。"

"Whatofthem？——now，don"tvexmebyalightanswer。Whatofmyeyes？"

"Oh，nothingtobementioned。Theyareindifferentlygood。"

"Come，Stephen，Iwon"thavethat。Whatdidyoulovemefor？"

"Itmighthavebeenforyourmouth？"

"Well，whataboutmymouth？"

"Ithoughtitwasapassablemouthenough——"

"That"snotverycomforting。"

"Withaprettypoutandsweetlips；butactually，nothingmorethanwhateverybodyhas。"

"Don"tmakeupthingsoutofyourheadasyougoon，there"sadearStephen。Now——what——did——you——love——me——for？"

"Perhaps，"twasforyourneckandhair；thoughIamnotsure:orforyouridleblood，thatdidnothingbutwanderawayfromyourcheeksandbackagain；butIamnotsure。Oryourhandsandarms，thattheyeclipsedallotherhandsandarms；oryourfeet，thattheyplayedaboutunderyourdresslikelittlemice；oryourtongue，thatitwasofadeardelicatetone。ButIamnotaltogethersure。"

"Ah，that"sprettytosay；butIdon"tcareforyourlove，ifitmadeamereflatpictureofmeinthatway，andnotbeingsure，andsuchcoldreasoning；butwhatyouFELTIwas，youknow，Stephen"(atthisastealthylaughandfriskylookintohisface)，"whenyousaidtoyourself，"I"llcertainlylovethatyounglady。”"

"Ineversaidit。"

"Whenyousaidtoyourself，then，"Ineverwilllovethatyounglady。”"

"Ididn"tsaythat，either。"

"Thenwasit，"IsupposeImustlovethatyounglady？""

"No。"

"What，then？"

""Twasmuchmorefluctuating——notsodefinite。"

"Tellme；do，do。"

"ItwasthatIoughtnottothinkaboutyouifIlovedyoutruly。"

"Ah，thatIdon"tunderstand。There"snogettingitoutofyou。

AndI"llnotaskyoueveranymore——nevermore——tosayoutofthedeeprealityofyourheartwhatyoulovedmefor。"

"Sweettantalizer，what"stheuse？Itcomestothissolesimplething:ThatatonetimeIhadneverseenyou，andIdidn"tloveyou；thatthenIsawyou，andIdidloveyou。Isthatenough？"

"Yes；Iwillmakeitdo……Iknow，Ithink，whatIloveyoufor。

Youarenice-looking，ofcourse；butIdidn"tmeanforthat。Itisbecauseyouaresodocileandgentle。"

"Thosearenotquitethecorrectqualitiesforamantobelovedfor，"saidStephen，inratheradissatisfiedtoneofself-

criticism。"Well，nevermind。Imustaskyourfathertoallowustobeengageddirectlywegetindoors。Itwillbeforalongtime。"

"Ilikeitthebetter……Stephen，don"tmentionittillto-

morrow。"

"Why？"

"Because，ifheshouldobject——Idon"tthinkhewill；butifheshould——weshallhaveadaylongerofhappinessfromourignorance……Well，whatareyouthinkingofsodeeply？"

"IwasthinkinghowmydearfriendKnightwouldenjoythisscene。

Iwishhecouldcomehere。"

"Youseemverymuchengrossedwithhim，"sheanswered，withajealouslittletoss。"Hemustbeaninterestingmantotakeupsomuchofyourattention。"

"Interesting!"saidStephen，hisfaceglowingwithhisfervour；

"noble，yououghttosay。"

"Ohyes，yes；Iforgot，"shesaidhalfsatirically。"ThenoblestmaninEngland，asyoutolduslastnight。"

"Heisafinefellow，laughasyouwill，MissElfie。"

"Iknowheisyourhero。Butwhatdoeshedo？anything？"

"Hewrites。"

"Whatdoeshewrite？Ihaveneverheardofhisname。"

"Becausehispersonality，andthatofseveralotherslikehim，isabsorbedintoahugeWE，namely，theimpalpableentitycalledthePRESENT——asocialandliteraryReview。"

"Isheonlyareviewer？"

"ONLY，Elfie!Why，IcantellyouitisafinethingtobeonthestaffofthePRESENT。Finerthanbeinganovelistconsiderably。"

"That"sahitatme，andmypoorCOURTOFKELLYONCASTLE。"

"No，Elfride，"hewhispered；"Ididn"tmeanthat。Imeanthatheisreallyaliterarymanofsomeeminence，andnotaltogetherareviewer。Hewritesthingsofahigherclassthanreviews，thoughhereviewsabookoccasionally。Hisordinaryproductionsaresocialandethicalessays——allthatthePRESENTcontainswhichisnotliteraryreviewing。"

"IadmithemustbetalentedifhewritesforthePRESENT。Wehaveitsenttousirregularly。Iwantpapatobeasubscriber，buthe"ssoconservative。NowthenextpointinthisMr。Knight——

Isupposeheisaverygoodman。"

"Anexcellentman。Ishalltrytobehisintimatefriendsomeday。"

"Butaren"tyounow？"

"No；notsomuchasthat，"repliedStephen，asifsuchasuppositionwereextravagant。"Yousee，itwasinthisway——hecameoriginallyfromthesameplaceasI，andtaughtmethings；

butIamnotintimatewithhim。Shan"tIbegladwhenIgetricherandbetterknown，andhobandnobwithhim!"Stephen"seyessparkled。

ApoutbegantoshapeitselfuponElfride"ssoftlips。"Youthinkalwaysofhim，andlikehimbetterthanyoudome!"

"No，indeed，Elfride。Thefeelingisdifferentquite。ButIdolikehim，andhedeservesevenmoreaffectionfrommethanI

give。"

"Youarenotnicenow，andyoumakemeasjealousaspossible!"

sheexclaimedperversely。"Iknowyouwillneverspeaktoanythirdpersonofmesowarmlyasyoudotomeofhim。"

"Butyoudon"tunderstand，Elfride，"hesaidwithananxiousmovement。"Youshallknowhimsomeday。Heissobrilliant——no，itisn"texactlybrilliant；sothoughtful——nordoesthoughtfulexpresshim——thatitwouldcharmyoutotalktohim。He"samostdesirablefriend，andthatisn"thalfIcouldsay。"

"Idon"tcarehowgoodheis；Idon"twanttoknowhim，becausehecomesbetweenmeandyou。Youthinkofhimnightandday，eversomuchmorethanofanybodyelse；andwhenyouarethinkingofhim，Iamshutoutofyourmind。"

"No，dearElfride；Iloveyoudearly。"

"AndIdon"tlikeyoutotellmesowarmlyabouthimwhenyouareinthemiddleoflovingme。Stephen，supposethatIandthismanKnightofyourswerebothdrowning，andyoucouldonlysaveoneofus——"

"Yes——thestupidoldproposition——whichwouldIsave？

"Well，which？Notme。"

"Bothofyou，"hesaid，pressingherpendenthand。

"No，thatwon"tdo；onlyoneofus。"

"Icannotsay；Idon"tknow。Itisdisagreeable——quiteahorridideatohavetohandle。"

"A-ha，Iknow。Youwouldsavehim，andletmedrown，drown，drown；andIdon"tcareaboutyourlove!"

Shehadendeavouredtogiveaplayfultonetoherwords，butthelatterspeechwasratherforcedinitsgaiety。

Atthispointinthediscussionshetrottedofftoturnacornerwhichwasavoidedbythefootpath，theroadandthepathreunitingatapointalittlefurtheron。Onagainmakingherappearanceshecontinuallymanagedtolookinadirectionawayfromhim，andlefthiminthecoolshadeofherdispleasure。Stephenwassoonbeatenatthisgameofindifference。Hewentroundandenteredtherangeofhervision。

"Areyouoffended，Elfie？Whydon"tyoutalk？"

"Saveme，then，andletthatMr。Cleverofyoursdrown。Ihatehim。Now，whichwouldyou？"

"Really，Elfride，youshouldnotpresssuchahardquestion。Itisridiculous。"

"ThenIwon"tbealonewithyouanymore。Unkind，towoundmeso!"Shelaughedatherownabsurditybutpersisted。

"Come，Elfie，let"smakeitupandbefriends。"

"Sayyouwouldsaveme，then，andlethimdrown。"

"Iwouldsaveyou——andhimtoo。"

"Andlethimdrown。Come，oryoudon"tloveme!"sheteasinglywenton。

"Andlethimdrown，"heejaculateddespairingly。

"There；nowIamyours!"shesaid，andawoman"sflushoftriumphlithereyes。

"Onlyoneearring，miss，asI"malive，"saidUnityontheirenteringthehall。

Withafaceexpressiveofwretchedmisgiving，Elfride"shandflewlikeanarrowtoherear。

"There!"sheexclaimedtoStephen，lookingathimwitheyesfullofreproach。

"Iquiteforgot，indeed。IfIhadonlyremembered!"heanswered，withaconscience-strickenface。

Shewheeledherselfround，andturnedintotheshrubbery。Stephenfollowed。

"Ifyouhadtoldmetowatchanything，Stephen，Ishouldhavereligiouslydoneit，"shecapriciouslywenton，assoonassheheardhimbehindher。

"Forgettingisforgivable。"

"Well，youwillfindit，ifyouwantmetorespectyouandbeengagedtoyouwhenwehaveaskedpapa。"Sheconsideredamoment，andaddedmoreseriously，"IknownowwhereIdroppedit，Stephen。

Itwasonthecliff。Irememberafaintsensationofsomechangeaboutme，butIwastooabsenttothinkofitthen。Andthat"swhereitisnow，andyoumustgoandlookthere。"

"I"llgoatonce。"

Andhestrodeawayupthevalley，underabroilingsunandamidthedeathlikesilenceofearlyafternoon。Heascended，withgiddy-pacedhaste，thewindyrangeofrockstowheretheyhadsat，feltandpeeredaboutthestonesandcrannies，butElfride"sstrayjewelwasnowheretobeseen。NextStephenslowlyretracedhissteps，and，pausingatacross-roadtoreflectawhile，helefttheplateauandstruckdownwardsacrosssomefields，inthedirectionofEndelstowHouse。

Hewalkedalongthepathbytheriverwithouttheslightesthesitationastoitsbearing，apparentlyquitefamiliarwitheveryinchoftheground。Astheshadowsbegantolengthenandthesunlighttomellow，hepassedthroughtwowicket-gates，anddrewneartheoutskirtsofEndelstowPark。Therivernowranalongundertheparkfence，previoustoenteringthegroveitself，alittlefurtheron。

Herestoodacottage，betweenthefenceandthestream，onaslightlyelevatedspotofground，roundwhichtherivertookaturn。Thecharacteristicfeatureofthissnughabitationwasitsonechimneyinthegableend，itssquarenessofformdisguisedbyahugecloakofivy，whichhadgrownsoluxuriantlyandextendedsofarfromitsbase，astoincreasetheapparentbulkofthechimneytothedimensionsofatower。Somelittledistancefromthebackofthehouserosetheparkboundary，andoverthisweretobeseenthesycamoresofthegrove，makingslowinclinationstothejust-awakeningair。

Stephencrossedthelittlewoodbridgeinfront，wentuptothecottagedoor，andopeneditwithoutknockorsignalofanykind。

Exclamationsofwelcomeburstfromsomepersonorpersonswhenthedoorwasthrustajar，followedbythescrapeofchairsonastonefloor，asifpushedbackbytheiroccupiersinrisingfromatable。Thedoorwasclosedagain，andnothingcouldnowbeheardfromwithin，savealivelychatterandtherattleofplates。

ChapterVIII

"Allen-a-Daleisnobaronorlord。"

ThemistswerecreepingoutofpoolsandswampsfortheirpilgrimagesofthenightwhenStephencameuptothefrontdoorofthevicarage。Elfridewasstandingonthestepilluminatedbyalemon-huedexpanseofwesternsky。

"Youneverhavebeenallthistimelookingforthatearring？"shesaidanxiously。