第6章

"Youhaveseenhisletterscometomeeversincehisfirstvisit，papa，andyouknewtheywereasortof——love-letters；andsincehehasbeenhereyouhavelethimbealonewithmealmostentirely；

andyouguessed，youmusthaveguessed，whatwewerethinkingof，anddoing，andyoudidn"tstophim。Nexttolove-makingcomeslove-winning，andyouknewitwouldcometothat，papa。"

Thevicarparriedthiscommon-sensethrust。"Iknow——sinceyoupressmeso——IknowIdidguesssomechildishattachmentmightarisebetweenyou；IownIdidnottakemuchtroubletopreventit；butIhavenotparticularlycountenancedit；and，Elfride，howcanyouexpectthatIshouldnow？Itisimpossible；nofatherinEnglandwouldhearofsuchathing。"

"Butheisthesameman，papa；thesameineveryparticular；andhowcanhebelessfitformethanhewasbefore？"

"Heappearedayoungmanwithwell-to-dofriends，andalittleproperty；buthavingneither，heisanotherman。"

"Youinquirednothingabouthim？"

"IwentbyHewby"sintroduction。Heshouldhavetoldme。Soshouldtheyoungmanhimself；ofcourseheshould。Iconsideritamostdishonourablethingtocomeintoaman"shouselikeatreacherousI-don"t-know-what。"

"Buthewasafraidtotellyou，andsoshouldIhavebeen。Helovedmetoowelltoliketoruntherisk。Andastospeakingofhisfriendsonhisfirstvisit，Idon"tseewhyheshouldhavedonesoatall。Hecamehereonbusiness:itwasnoaffairofourswhohisparentswere。Andthenheknewthatifhetoldyouhewouldneverbeaskedhere，andwouldperhapsneverseemeagain。Andhewantedtoseeme。Whocanblamehimfortrying，byanymeans，tostaynearme——thegirlheloves？Allisfairinlove。Ihaveheardyousaysoyourself，papa；andyouyourselfwouldhavedonejustashehas——sowouldanyman。"

"Andanyman，ondiscoveringwhatIhavediscovered，wouldalsodoasIdo，andmendmymistake；thatis，getshotofhimagain，assoonasthelawsofhospitalitywillallow。"ButMr。SwancourtthenrememberedthathewasaChristian。"Iwouldnot，fortheworld，seemtoturnhimoutofdoors，"headded；"butIthinkhewillhavethetacttoseethathecannotstaylongafterthis，withgoodtaste。"

"Hewill，becausehe"sagentleman。Seehowgracefulhismannersare，"Elfridewenton；thoughperhapsStephen"smanners，likethefeatsofEuryalus，owedtheirattractivenessinhereyesrathertotheattractivenessofhispersonthantotheirownexcellence。

"Ay；anybodycanbewhatyoucallgraceful，ifhelivesalittletimeinacity，andkeepshiseyesopen。Andhemighthavepickeduphisgentlemanlinessbygoingtothegalleriesoftheatres，andwatchingstagedrawing-roommanners。HeremindsmeofoneoftheworststoriesIeverheardinmylife。"

"Whatstorywasthat？"

"Ohno，thankyou!Iwouldn"ttellyousuchanimpropermatterfortheworld!"

"IfhisfatherandmotherhadlivedinthenorthoreastofEngland，"gallantlypersistedElfride，thoughhersobsbegantointerruptherarticulation，"anywherebuthere——you——wouldhave——

onlyregarded——HIM，andnotTHEM!Hisstation——wouldhave——beenwhat——hisprofessionmakesit，——andnotfixedby——hisfather"shumbleposition——atall；whomheneverliveswith——now。ThoughJohnSmithhassavedlotsofmoney，andisbetteroffthanweare，theysay，orhecouldn"thaveputhissontosuchanexpensiveprofession。Anditiscleverand——honourable——ofStephen，tobethebestofhisfamily。"

"Yes。"Letabeastbelordofbeasts，andhiscribshallstandattheking"smess。”"

"Youinsultme，papa!"sheburstout。"Youdo，youdo!HeismyownStephen，heis!"

"Thatmayormaynotbetrue，Elfride，"returnedherfather，againuncomfortablyagitatedinspiteofhimself"Youconfusefutureprobabilitieswithpresentfacts，——whattheyoungmanmaybewithwhatheis。Wemustlookatwhatheis，notwhatanimprobabledegreeofsuccessinhisprofessionmaymakehim。Thecaseisthis:thesonofaworking-maninmyparishwhomayormaynotbeabletobuymeup——ayouthwhohasnotyetadvancedsofarintolifeastohaveanyincomeofhisowndeservingthename，andthereforeofhisfather"sdegreeasregardsstation——wantstobeengagedtoyou。HisfamilyarelivinginpreciselythesamespotinEnglandasyours，sothroughoutthiscounty——whichistheworldtous——youwouldalwaysbeknownasthewifeofJackSmiththemason"sson，andnotunderanycircumstancesasthewifeofaLondonprofessionalman。Itisthedrawback，notthecompensatingfact，thatistalkedofalways。There，saynomore。Youmayargueallnight，andprovewhatyouwill；I"llsticktomywords。"

Elfridelookedsilentlyandhopelesslyoutofthewindowwithlargeheavyeyesandwetcheeks。

"Icallitgreattemerity——andlongtocallitaudacity——inHewby，"resumedherfather。"Ineverheardsuchathing——givingsuchahobbledehoynativeofthisplacesuchanintroductiontomeashedid。NaturallyyouweredeceivedaswellasIwas。Idon"tblameyouatall，sofar。"HewentandsearchedforMr。Hewby"soriginalletter。"Here"swhathesaidtome:"DearSir，——

Agreeablytoyourrequestofthe18thinstant，Ihavearrangedtosurveyandmakedrawings，"etcetera。"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith"——assistant，youseehecalledhim，andnaturallyI

understoodhimtomeanasortofpartner。Whydidn"thesay"clerk"？"

"Theynevercallthemclerksinthatprofession，becausetheydonotwrite。Stephen——Mr。Smith——toldmeso。SothatMr。Hewbysimplyusedtheacceptedword。"

"Letmespeak，please，Elfride!"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith，willleaveLondonbytheearlytrainto-morrowmorning……MANY

THANKSFORYOURPROPOSALTOACCOMMODATEHIM……YOUMAYPUTEVERY

CONFIDENCEINHIM，andmayrelyuponhisdiscernmentinthematterofchurcharchitecture。”Well，IrepeatthatHewbyoughttobeashamedofhimselfformakingsomuchofapoorladofthatsort。"

"ProfessionalmeninLondon，"Elfrideargued，"don"tknowanythingabouttheirclerks"fathersandmothers。Theyhaveassistantswhocometotheirofficesandshopsforyears，andhardlyevenknowwheretheylive。Whattheycando——whatprofitstheycanbringthefirm——that"sallLondonmencareabout。Andthatishelpedinhimbyhisfacultyofbeinguniformlypleasant。"

"Uniformpleasantnessisratheradefectthanafaculty。Itshowsthatamanhasn"tsenseenoughtoknowwhomtodespise。"

"Itshowsthatheactsbyfaithandnotbysight，asthoseyouclaimsuccessionfromdirected。"

"That"ssomemoreofwhathe"sbeentellingyou，Isuppose!Yes，I

wasinclinedtosuspecthim，becausehedidn"tcareaboutsaucesofanykind。Ialwaysdiddoubtaman"sbeingagentlemanifhispalatehadnoacquiredtastes。Anunedifiedpalateistheirrepressibleclovenfootoftheupstart。Theideaofmybringingoutabottleofmy"40Martinez——onlyelevenofthemleftnow——toamanwhodidn"tknowitfromeighteenpenny!ThentheLatinlinehegavetomyquotation；itwasverycut-and-dried，very；orI，whohaven"tlookedintoaclassicalauthorforthelasteighteenyears，shouldn"thaverememberedit。Well，Elfride，youhadbettergotoyourroom；you"llgetoverthisbitoftomfooleryintime。"

"No，no，no，papa，"shemoaned。Forofallthemiseriesattachingtomiserablelove，theworstisthemiseryofthinkingthatthepassionwhichisthecauseofthemallmaycease。

"Elfride，"saidherfatherwithroughfriendliness，"Ihaveanexcellentschemeonhand，whichIcannottellyouofnow。A

schemetobenefityouandme。Ithasbeenthrustuponmeforsomelittletime——yes，thrustuponme——butIdidn"tdreamofitsvaluetillthisafternoon，whentherevelationcame。Ishouldbemostunwisetorefusetoentertainit。"

"Idon"tlikethatword，"shereturnedwearily。"Youhavelostsomuchalreadybyschemes。Isitthosewretchedminesagain？"

"No；notaminingscheme。"

"Railways？"

"Norrailways。Itislikethosemysteriousoffersweseeadvertised，bywhichanygentlemanwithnobrainsatallmaymakesomuchaweekwithoutrisk，trouble，orsoilinghisfingers。

However，Iamintendingtosaynothingtillitissettled，thoughIwilljustsaythismuch，thatyousoonmayhaveotherfishtofrythantothinkofStephenSmith。Remember，Iwish，nottobeangry，butfriendly，totheyoungman；foryoursakeI"llregardhimasafriendinacertainsense。Butthisisenough；inafewdaysyouwillbequitemywayofthinking。There，now，gotoyourbedroom。Unityshallbringyouupsomesupper。Iwishyounottobeherewhenhecomesback。"

ChapterX

"Beneaththeshelterofanagedtree。"

Stephenretracedhisstepstowardsthecottagehehadvisitedonlytwoorthreehourspreviously。HedrewnearandundertherichfoliagegrowingabouttheoutskirtsofEndelstowPark，thespottylightsandshadesfromtheshiningmoonmaintainingaraceoverhisheadanddownhisbackinanendlessgambol。Whenhecrossedtheplankbridgeandenteredthegarden-gate，hesawanilluminatedfigurecomingfromtheenclosedplottowardsthehouseontheotherside。Itwashisfather，withhishandinasling，takingageneralmoonlightviewofthegarden，andparticularlyofaplotoftheyoungestofyoungturnips，previoustoclosingthecottageforthenight。

Hesalutedhissonwithcustomaryforce。"Hallo，Stephen!Weshouldha"beeninbedinanothertenminutes。Cometoseewhat"sthematterwi"me，Isuppose，mylad？"

Thedoctorhadcomeandgone，andthehandhadbeenpronouncedasinjuredbutslightly，thoughitmightpossiblyhavebeenconsideredafarmoreseriouscaseifMr。Smithhadbeenamoreimportantman。Stephen"sanxiousinquirydrewfromhisfatherwordsofregretattheinconveniencetotheworldofhisdoingnothingforthenexttwodays，ratherthanofconcernforthepainoftheaccident。Togethertheyenteredthehouse。

JohnSmith——brownasautumnastoskin，whiteaswinterastoclothes——wasasatisfactoryspecimenofthevillageartificerinstone。Incommonwithmostruralmechanics，hehadtoomuchindividualitytobeatypical"working-man"——aresultantofthatbeach-pebbleattritionwithhiskindonlytobeexperiencedinlargetowns，whichmetamorphosestheunitSelfintoafractionoftheunitClass。

Therewasnotthespecialityinhislabourwhichdistinguishesthehandicraftsmenoftowns。Thoughonlyamason，strictlyspeaking，hewasnotabovehandlingabrick，ifbricksweretheorderoftheday；oraslateortile，ifaroofhadtobecoveredbeforethewetweathersetin，andnobodywasnearwhocoulddoitbetter。

Indeed，ononeortwooccasionsinthedepthofwinter，whenfrostperemptorilyforbidsalluseofthetrowel，makingfoundationstosettle，stonestofly，andmortartocrumble，hehadtakentofellingandsawingtrees。Moreover，hehadpractisedgardeninginhisownplotforsomanyyearsthat，onanemergency，hemighthavemadealivingbythatcalling。

Probablyourcountrymanwasnotsuchanaccomplishedartificerinaparticulardirectionashistownbrethreninthetrades。Buthewas，intruth，likethatclumsypin-makerwhomadethewholepin，andwhowasdespisedbyAdamSmithonthataccountandrespectedbyMacaulay，muchmoretheartistnevertheless。

Appearingnow，indoors，bythelightofthecandle，hisstalwarthealthinesswasasighttosee。HisbeardwascloseandknottedasthatofachiselledHercules；hisshirtsleeveswerepartlyrolledup，hiswaistcoatunbuttoned；thedifferenceinhuebetweenthesnowylinenandtheruddyarmsandfacecontrastinglikethewhiteofanegganditsyolk。Mrs。Smith，onhearingthementer，advancedfromthepantry。

Mrs。Smithwasamatronwhosecountenanceaddresseditselftothemindratherthantotheeye，thoughnotexclusively。Sheretainedherpersonalfreshnessevennow，intheprosyafternoon-timeofherlife；butwhatherfeatureswereprimarilyindicativeofwasasoundcommonsensebehindthem；asawhole，appearingtocarrywiththemasortofargumentativecommentaryontheworldingeneral。

ThedetailsoftheaccidentwerethenrehearsedbyStephen"sfather，inthedramaticmanneralsocommontoMartinCannister，otherindividualsoftheneighbourhood，andtheruralworldgenerally。Mrs。Smiththrewinhersentimentsbetweentheacts，asCoryphaeusofthetragedy，tomakethedescriptioncomplete。

Thestoryatlastcametoanend，asthelongestwill，andStephendirectedtheconversationintoanotherchannel。

"Well，mother，theyknoweverythingaboutmenow，"hesaidquietly。

"Welldone!"repliedhisfather；"nowmymind"satpeace。"

"Iblamemyself——Inevershallforgivemyself——fornottellingthembefore，"continuedtheyoungman。

Mrs。Smithatthispointabstractedhermindfromtheformersubject。"Idon"tseewhatyouhavetogrieveabout，Stephen，"

shesaid。"Peoplewhoaccidentallygetfriendsdon"t，asafirststroke，tellthehistoryoftheirfamilies。"

"Ye"vedonenowrong，certainly，"saidhisfather。

"No；butIshouldhavespokensooner。There"smoreinthisvisitofminethanyouthink——agooddealmore。"

"NotmorethanIthink，"Mrs。Smithreplied，lookingcontemplativelyathim。Stephenblushed；andhisfatherlookedfromonetotheotherinastateofutterincomprehension。

"She"saprettypieceenough，"Mrs。Smithcontinued，"andverylady-likeandclevertoo。Butthoughshe"sverywellfitforyouasfarasthatis，why，mercy"ponme，whateverdoyouwantanywomanatallforyet？"

Johnmadehisnaturallyshortmouthalongone，andwrinkledhisforehead，"That"sthewaythewindd"blow，isit？"hesaid。

"Mother，"exclaimedStephen，"howabsurdlyyouspeak!Criticizingwhethershe"sfitformeorno，asiftherewereroomfordoubtonthematter!Why，tomarryherwouldbethegreatblessingofmylife——sociallyandpractically，aswellasinotherrespects。Nosuchgoodfortuneasthat，I"mafraid；she"stoofaraboveme。

Herfamilydoesn"twantsuchcountryladsasIinit。"

"Theniftheydon"twantyou，I"dseethemdeadcorpsesbeforeI"dwantthem，andgotobetterfamilieswhodowantyou。"

"Ah，yes；butIcouldneverputupwiththedistasteofbeingwelcomedamongsuchpeopleasyoumean，whilstIcouldgetindifferenceamongsuchpeopleashers。"

"Whatcrazytwisto"thinkingwillenteryourheadnext？"saidhismother。"Andcometothat，she"snotabittoohighforyou，oryoutoolowforher。SeehowcarefulIbetokeepmyselfup。I"msureIneverstopformorethanaminutetogethertotalktoanyjourneymenpeople；andIneverinviteanybodytoourpartyo"

Christmaseswhoarenotinbusinessforthemselves。AndItalktoseveraltoppermostcarriagepeoplethatcometomylord"swithoutsayingma"amorsirto"em，andtheytakeitasquietaslambs。"

"Youcurtseyedtothevicar，mother；andIwishyouhadn"t。"

"ButitwasbeforehecalledmebymyChristianname，orhewouldhavegotverylittlecurtseyingfromme!"saidMrs。Smith，bridlingandsparklingwithvexation。"Yougoonatme，Stephen，asifIwereyourworstenemy!WhatelsecouldIdowiththemantogetridofhim，bangingitintomeandyourfatherbysideandbyseam，abouthisgreatness，andwhathappenedwhenhewasayoungfellowatcollege，andIdon"tknowwhat-all；thetongueo"

enfloppingroundhismouthlikeamop-ragroundadairy。That"adid，didn"the，John？"

"That"saboutthesizeo"t，"repliedherhusband。

"Everywomannow-a-days，"resumedMrs。Smith，"ifshemarryatall，mustexpectafather-in-lawofaranklowerthanherfather。

Themenhavegoneupso，andthewomenhavestoodstill。Everymanyoumeetismorethedandthanhisfather；andyouarejustlevelwi"her。"

"That"swhatshethinksherself。"

"Itonlyshowshersense。Iknewshewasafter"ee，Stephen——I

knewit。"

"Afterme!GoodLord，whatnext!"

"AndIreallymustsayagainthatyououghtnottobeinsuchahurry，andwaitforafewyears。Youmightgohigherthanabankruptpa"son"sgirlthen。"

"Thefactis，mother，"saidStephenimpatiently，"youdon"tknowanythingaboutit。Ishallnevergohigher，becauseIdon"twantto，norshouldIifIlivedtobeahundred。Astoyousayingthatshe"safterme，Idon"tlikesucharemarkabouther，foritimpliesaschemingwoman，andamanworthschemingfor，bothofwhicharenotonlyuntrue，butludicrouslyuntrue，ofthiscase。

Isn"titso，father？"

"I"mafraidIdon"tunderstandthematterwellenoughtogiemyopinion，"saidhisfather，inthetoneofthefoxwhohadacoldandcouldnotsmell。

"Shecouldn"thavebeenverybackwardanyhow，consideringtheshorttimeyouhaveknownher，"saidhismother。"WellIthinkthatfiveyearshenceyou"llbeplentyyoungenoughtothinkofsuchthings。Andreallyshecanverywellaffordtowait，andwilltoo，takemyword。Livingdowninanout-stepplacelikethis，Iamsuresheoughttobeverythankfulthatyoutooknoticeofher。She"dmostlikelyhavediedanoldmaidifyouhadn"tturnedup。"

"Allnonsense，"saidStephen，butnotaloud。

"Anicelittlethingsheis，"Mrs。SmithwentoninamorecomplacenttonenowthatStephenhadbeentalkeddown；"there"snotawordtosayagainsther，I"llown。Iseehersometimesdeckedoutlikeahorsegoingtofair，andIadmireherfor"t。A

perfectlittlelady。Butpeoplecan"thelptheirthoughts，andifshe"dlearnttomakefiguresinsteadofletterswhenshewasatschool"twouldhavebeenbetterforherpocket；forasIsaid，thereneverwereworsetimesforsuchasshethannow。"

"Now，now，mother!"saidStephenwithsmilingdeprecation。

"ButIwill!"saidhismotherwithasperity。"Idon"treadthepapersfornothing，andIknowmenallmoveupastagebymarriage。Menofherclass，thatis，parsons，marrysquires"

daughters；squiresmarrylords"daughters；lordsmarrydukes"

daughters；dukesmarryqueens"daughters。Allstagesofgentlemenmateastagehigher；andtheloweststageofgentlewomenareleftsingle，ormarryoutoftheirclass。"

"Butyousaidjustnow，dearmother——"retortedStephen，unabletoresistthetemptationofshowinghismotherherinconsistency。

Thenhepaused。

"Well，whatdidIsay？"AndMrs。Smithpreparedherlipsforanewcampaign。

Stephen，regrettingthathehadbegun，sinceavolcanomightbetheconsequence，wasobligedtogoon。

"YousaidIwasn"toutofherclassjustbefore。"

"Yes，there，there!That"syou；that"smyownfleshandblood。

I"llwarrantthatyou"llpickholesineverythingyourmothersays，ifyoucan，Stephen。Youarejustlikeyourfatherforthat；takeanybody"spartbutmine。WhilstIamspeakingandtalkingandtryingandslavingawayforyourgood，youarewaitingtocatchmeoutinthatway。Soyouareinherclass，but"tiswhatHERpeoplewouldCALLmarryingoutofherclass。Don"tbesoquarrelsome，Stephen!"

Stephenpreservedadiscreetsilence，inwhichhewasimitatedbyhisfather，andforseveralminutesnothingwasheardbutthetickingofthegreen-facedcase-clockagainstthewall。

"I"msure，"addedMrs。Smithinamorephilosophictone，andasaterminativespeech，"ifthere"dbeensomuchtroubletogetahusbandinmytimeasthereisinthesedays——whenyoumustmakeagod-almightyofamantogetentohaeye——I"dhavetrodclayforbricksbeforeI"deverhaveloweredmydignitytomarry，orthere"snobreadinnineloaves。"

Thediscussionnowdropped，andasitwasgettinglate，Stephenbadehisparentsfarewellfortheevening，hismothernonethelesswarmlyfortheirsparring；foralthoughMrs。SmithandStephenwerealwayscontending，theywereneveratenmity。

"Andpossibly，"saidStephen，"Imayleaveherealtogetherto-

morrow；Idon"tknow。SothatifIshouldn"tcallagainbeforereturningtoLondon，don"tbealarmed，willyou？"

"Butdidn"tyoucomeforafortnight？"saidhismother。"Andhaven"tyouamonth"sholidayaltogether？Theyaregoingtoturnyouout，then？"

"Notatall。Imaystaylonger；Imaygo。IfIgo，youhadbettersaynothingaboutmyhavingbeenhere，forhersake。AtwhattimeofthemorningdoesthecarrierpassEndelstowlane？"

"Seveno"clock。"

Andthenheleftthem。Histhoughtswere，thatshouldthevicarpermithimtobecomeengaged，tohopeforanengagement，orinanywaytothinkofhisbelovedElfride，hemightstaylonger。Shouldhebeforbiddentothinkofanysuchthing，heresolvedtogoatonce。Andthelatter，eventoyounghopefulness，seemedthemoreprobablealternative。

Stephenwalkedbacktothevicaragethroughthemeadows，ashehadcome，surroundedbythesoftmusicalpurlofthewaterthroughlittleweirs，themodestlightofthemoon，thefresheningsmellofthedewsout-spreadaround。Itwasatimewhenmereseeingismeditation，andmeditationpeace。StephenwashardlyphilosopherenoughtoavailhimselfofNature"soffer。Hisconstitutionwasmadeupofverysimpleparticulars；wasonewhich，rareinthespring-timeofcivilizations，seemstogrowabundantasanationgetsolder，individualityfades，andeducationspreads；thatis，hisbrainhadextraordinaryreceptivepowers，andnogreatcreativeness。Quicklyacquiringanykindofknowledgehesawaroundhim，andhavingaplasticadaptabilitymorecommoninwomanthaninman，hechangedcolourlikeachameleonasthesocietyhefoundhimselfinassumedahigherandmoreartificialtone。Hehadnotmanyoriginalideas，andyettherewasscarcelyanideatowhich，underpropertraining，hecouldnothaveaddedarespectableco-ordinate。

Hesawnothingoutsidehimselfto-night；andwhathesawwithinwasawearinesstohisflesh。Yettoadispassionateobserver，hispretensionstoElfride，thoughratherpremature，werefarfromabsurdasmarriagesgo，unlesstheaccidentalproximityofsimplebuthonestparentscouldbesaidtomakethemso。

Theclockstruckelevenwhenheenteredthehouse。Elfridehadbeenwaitingwithscarcelyamovementsincehedeparted。Beforehehadspokentohershecaughtsightofhimpassingintothestudywithherfather。Shesawthathehadbysomemeansobtainedtheprivateinterviewhedesired。

AnervousheadachehadbeengrowingontheexcitablegirlduringtheabsenceofStephen，andnowshecoulddonothingbeyondgoingupagaintoherroomasshehaddonebefore。Insteadoflyingdownshesatagaininthedarknesswithoutclosingthedoor，andlistenedwithabeatinghearttoeverysoundfromdownstairs。Theservantshadgonetobed。Sheultimatelyheardthetwomencomefromthestudyandcrosstothedining-room，wheresupperhadbeenlingeringformorethananhour。Thedoorwasleftopen，andshefoundthatthemeal，suchasitwas，passedoffbetweenherfatherandherloverwithoutanyremark，savecommonplacesastocucumbersandmelons，theirwholesomenessandculture，utteredinastiffandformalway。Itseemedtoprefigurefailure。

ShortlyafterwardsStephencameupstairstohisbedroom，andwasalmostimmediatelyfollowedbyherfather，whoalsoretiredforthenight。Notinclinedtogetalight，shepartlyundressedandsatonthebed，wheresheremainedinpainedthoughtforsometime，possiblyanhour。Thenrisingtocloseherdoorpreviouslytofullyunrobing，shesawastreakoflightshiningacrossthelanding。Herfather"sdoorwasshut，andhecouldbeheardsnoringregularly。ThelightcamefromStephen"sroom，andtheslightsoundsalsocomingthenceemphaticallydenotedwhathewasdoing。Intheperfectsilenceshecouldheartheclosingofalidandtheclickingofalock，——hewasfasteninghishat-box。Thenthebucklingofstrapsandtheclickofanotherkey，——hewassecuringhisportmanteau。Withtrebledforebodingsheopenedherdoorsoftly，andwenttowardshis。Onesensationpervadedhertodistraction。Stephen，herhandsomeyouthanddarling，wasgoingaway，andshemightneverseehimagainexceptinsecretandinsadness——perhapsnevermore。Atanyrate，shecouldnolongerwaittillthemorningtoheartheresultoftheinterview，asshehadintended。Sheflungherdressing-gownroundher，tappedlightlyathisdoor，andwhispered"Stephen!"Hecameinstantly，openedthedoor，andsteppedout。

"Tellme；arewetohope？"

Herepliedinadisturbedwhisper，andatearapproacheditsoutlet，thoughnonefell。

"Iamnottothinkofsuchapreposterousthing——that"swhathesaid。AndIamgoingto-morrow。Ishouldhavecalledyouuptobidyougood-bye。"

"Buthedidn"tsayyouweretogo——OStephen，hedidn"tsaythat？"

"No；notinwords。ButIcannotstay。"

"Oh，don"t，don"tgo!Docomeandletustalk。Letuscomedowntothedrawing-roomforafewminutes；hewillhearushere。"

Sheprecededhimdownthestaircasewiththetaperlightinherhand，lookingunnaturallytallandthininthelongdove-coloureddressing-gownshewore。Shedidnotstoptothinkoftheproprietyorotherwiseofthismidnightinterviewundersuchcircumstances。Shethoughtthatthetragedyofherlifewasbeginning，and，forthefirsttimealmost，feltthatherexistencemighthaveagraveside，theshadeofwhichenvelopedandrenderedinvisiblethedelicategradationsofcustomandpunctilio。

Elfridesoftlyopenedthedrawing-roomdoorandtheybothwentin。

Whenshehadplacedthecandleonthetable，heenclosedherwithhisarms，driedhereyeswithhishandkerchief，andkissedtheirlids。

"Stephen，itisover——happyloveisover；andthereisnomoresunshinenow!"

"Iwillmakeafortune，andcometoyou，andhaveyou。Yes，I

will!"

"Papawillneverhearofit——never——never!Youdon"tknowhim。I

do。Heiseitherbiassedinfavourofathing，orprejudicedagainstit。Argumentispowerlessagainsteitherfeeling。"

"No；Iwon"tthinkofhimso，"saidStephen。"IfIappearbeforehimsometimehenceasamanofestablishedname，hewillacceptme——Iknowhewill。Heisnotawickedman。"

"No，heisnotwicked。Butyousay"sometimehence，"asifitwerenotime。Toyou，amongbustleandexcitement，itwillbecomparativelyashorttime，perhaps；oh，tome，itwillbeitsreallengthtrebled!Everysummerwillbeayear——autumnayear——

winterayear!OStephen!andyoumayforgetme!"

Forget:thatwas，andis，therealstingofwaitingtofond-

heartedwoman。TheremarkawokeinStephentheconversefear。

"You，too，maybepersuadedtogivemeup，whentimehasmademefainterinyourmemory。For，remember，yourloveformemustbenourishedinsecret；therewillbenolongvisitsfrommetosupportyou。Circumstanceswillalwaystendtoobliterateme。"

"Stephen，"shesaid，filledwithherownmisgivings，andunheedinghislastwords，"therearebeautifulwomenwhereyoulive——ofcourseIknowthereare——andtheymaywinyouawayfromme。"Hertearscamevisiblyasshedrewamentalpictureofhisfaithlessness。"Anditwon"tbeyourfault，"shecontinued，lookingintothecandlewithdolefuleyes。"No!Youwillthinkthatourfamilydon"twantyou，andgettoincludemewiththem。

Andtherewillbeavacancyinyourheart，andsomeotherswillbeletin。"

"Icouldnot，Iwouldnot。Elfie，donotbesofullofforebodings。"

"Ohyes，theywill，"shereplied。"Andyouwilllookatthem，notcaringatfirst，andthenyouwilllookandbeinterested，andafterawhileyouwillthink，"Ah，theyknowallaboutcitylife，andassemblies，andcoteries，andthemannersofthetitled，andpoorlittleElfie，withallthefussthat"smadeaboutherhavingme，doesn"tknowaboutanythingbutalittlehouseandafewcliffsandaspaceofsea，faraway。”Andthenyou"llbemoreinterestedinthem，andthey"llmakeyouhavetheminsteadofme，onpurposetobecrueltomebecauseIamsilly，andtheyarecleverandhateme。AndIhatethem，too；yes，Ido!"

Herimpulsivewordshadpowertoimpresshimatanyratewiththerecognitionoftheuncertaintyofallthatisnotaccomplished。

And，worsethanthatgeneralfeeling，thereofcourseremainedthesadnesswhicharosefromthespecialfeaturesofhisowncase。

Howeverremoteadesiredissuemaybe，themerefactofhavingenteredthegroovewhichleadstoit，cheerstosomeextentwithasenseofaccomplishment。HadMr。Swancourtconsentedtoanengagementofnolesslengththantenyears，Stephenwouldhavebeencomparativelycheerfulinwaiting；theywouldhavefeltthattheyweresomewhereontheroadtoCupid"sgarden。But，withapossibilityofashorterprobation，theyhadnotasyetanyprospectofthebeginning；thezeroofhopehadyettobereached。

Mr。Swancourtwouldhavetorevokehisformidablewordsbeforethewaitingformarriagecouldevensetin。Andthiswasdespair。

"Iwishwecouldmarrynow，"murmuredStephen，asanimpossiblefancy。

"SodoI，"saidshealso，asifregardinganidledream。""Tistheonlythingthateverdoessweetheartsgood!"

"Secretlywoulddo，woulditnot，Elfie？"

"Yes，secretlywoulddo；secretlywouldindeedbebest，"shesaid，andwentonreflectively:"Allwewantistorenderitabsolutelyimpossibleforanyfuturecircumstancetoupsetourfutureintentionofbeinghappytogether；nottobeginbeinghappynow。"

"Exactly，"hemurmuredinavoiceandmannerthecounterpartofhers。"Tomarryandpartsecretly，andliveonaswearelivingnow；merelytoputitoutofanybody"spowertoforceyouawayfromme，dearest。"

"Oryouawayfromme，Stephen。"

"Ormefromyou。Itispossibletoconceiveaforceofcircumstancestrongenoughtomakeanywomanintheworldmarryagainstherwill:noconceivablepressure，uptotortureorstarvation，canmakeawomanoncemarriedtoherloveranybodyelse"swife。"

Nowuptothispointtheideaofanimmediatesecretmarriagehadbeenheldbybothasanuntenablehypothesis，wherewithsimplytobeguileamiserablemoment。DuringapausewhichfollowedStephen"slastremark，afascinatingperception，thenanalluringconviction，flashedalongthebrainofboth。TheperceptionwasthatanimmediatemarriageCOULDbecontrived；theconvictionthatsuchanact，inspiteofitsdaring，itsfathomlessresults，itsdeceptiveness，wouldbepreferredbyeachtothelifetheymustleadunderanyotherconditions。

Theyouthspokefirst，andhisvoicetrembledwiththemagnitudeoftheconceptionhewascherishing。"Howstrongweshouldfeel，Elfride!goingonourseparatecoursesasbefore，withoutthefearofultimateseparation!OElfride!thinkofit；thinkofit!"

Itiscertainthattheyounggirl"sloveforStephenreceivedafanningfromherfather"soppositionwhichmadeitblazewithadozentimestheintensityitwouldhaveexhibitedifleftalone。

Neverwereconditionsmorefavourablefordevelopingagirl"sfirstpassingfancyforahandsomeboyishface——afancyrootedininexperienceandnourishedbyseclusion——intoawildunreflectingpassionfervidenoughforanything。Alltheelementsofsuchadevelopmentwerethere，thechiefonebeinghopelessness——anecessaryingredientalwaystoperfectthemixtureoffeelingsunitedunderthenameoflovingtodistraction。

"Wewouldtellpapasoon，wouldwenot？"sheinquiredtimidly。

"Nobodyelseneedknow。Hewouldthenbeconvincedthatheartscannotbeplayedwith；loveencouragedbereadytogrow，lovediscouragedbereadytodie，atamoment"snotice。Stephen，doyounotthinkthatifmarriagesagainstaparent"sconsentareeverjustifiable，theyarewhenyoungpeoplehavebeenfavoureduptoapoint，aswehave，andthenhavehadthatfavoursuddenlywithdrawn？"

"Yes。Itisnotasifwehadfromthebeginningactedinoppositiontoyourpapa"swishes。Onlythink，Elfie，howpleasanthewastowardsmebutsixhoursago!Helikedme，praisedme，neverobjectedtomybeingalonewithyou。"

"IbelieveheMUSTlikeyounow，"shecried。"Andifhefoundthatyouirremediablybelongedtome，hewouldownitandhelpyou。"OStephen，Stephen，"sheburstoutagain，astheremembranceofhispackingcameafreshtohermind，"Icannotbearyourgoingawaylikethis!Itistoodreadful。AllIhavebeenexpectingmiserablykilledwithinmelikethis!"

Stephenflushedhotwithimpulse。"Iwillnotbeadoubttoyou——

thoughtofyoushallnotbeamiserytome!"hesaid。"Wewillbewifeandhusbandbeforewepartforlong!"

Shehidherfaceonhisshoulder。"AnythingtomakeSURE!"shewhispered。

"Ididnotliketoproposeitimmediately，"continuedStephen。

"Itseemedtome——itseemstomenow——liketryingtocatchyou——agirlbetterintheworldthanI。"

"Notthat，indeed!AndamIbetterinworldlystation？What"stheuseofhavebeens？Wemayhavebeensomethingonce；wearenothingnow。"

Thentheywhisperedlongandearnestlytogether；Stephenhesitatinglyproposingthisandthatplan，Elfridemodifyingthem，withquickbreathings，andhecticflush，andunnaturallybrighteyes。Itwastwoo"clockbeforeanarrangementwasfinallyconcluded。

Shethentoldhimtoleaveher，givinghimhislighttogouptohisownroom。Theypartedwithanagreementnottomeetagaininthemorning。Afterhisdoorhadbeensometimeclosedheheardhersoftlyglidingintoherchamber。

ChapterXI

"Journeysendinloversmeeting。"

StephenlaywatchingtheGreatBear；Elfridewasregardingamonotonousparallelogramofwindowblind。Neithersleptthatnight。

Earlythenextmorning——thatistosay，fourhoursaftertheirstoleninterview，andjustastheearliestservantwasheardmovingabout——StephenSmithwentdownstairs，portmanteauinhand。

ThroughoutthenighthehadintendedtoseeMr。Swancourtagain，butthesharprebuffofthepreviouseveningrenderedsuchaninterviewparticularlydistasteful。Perhapstherewasanotherandlesshonestreason。Hedecidedtoputitoff。Whateverofmoraltimidityorobliquitymayhavelaininsuchadecision，noperceptionofitwasstrongenoughtodetainhim。Hewroteanoteinhisroom，whichstatedsimplythathedidnotfeelhappyinthehouseafterMr。Swancourt"ssuddenvetoonwhathehadfavouredafewhoursbefore；butthathehopedatimewouldcome，andthatsoon，whenhisoriginalfeelingsofpleasureasMr。Swancourt"sguestmightberecovered。

Heexpectedtofindthedownstairsroomswearingthegrayandcheerlessaspectthatearlymorninggivestoeverythingoutofthesun。Hefoundinthediningroomabreakfastlaid，ofwhichsomebodyhadjustpartaken。

Stephengavethemaid-servanthisnoteofadieu。ShestatedthatMr。Swancourthadrisenearlythatmorning，andmadeanearlybreakfast。Hewasnotgoingawaythatsheknewof。

Stephentookacupofcoffee，leftthehouseofhislove，andturnedintothelane。Itwassoearlythattheshadedplacesstillsmeltlikenighttime，andthesunnyspotshadhardlyfeltthesun。Thehorizontalraysmadeeveryshallowdipinthegroundtoshowasawell-markedhollow。Eventhechannelofthepathwasenoughtothrowshade，andtheverystonesoftheroadcasttaperingdashesofdarknesswestward，aslongasJael"stent-nail。

Ataspotnotmorethanahundredyardsfromthevicar"sresidencethelaneleadingthencecrossedthehighroad。Stephenreachedthepointofintersection，stoodstillandlistened。Nothingcouldbeheardsavethelengthy，murmuringlineoftheseaupontheadjacentshore。Helookedathiswatch，andthenmountedagateuponwhichheseatedhimself，toawaitthearrivalofthecarrier。Whilsthesatheheardwheelscomingintwodirections。

Thevehicleapproachingonhisrighthesoonrecognizedasthecarrier"s。Thereweretheaccompanyingsoundsoftheowner"svoiceandthesmackofhiswhip，distinctinthestillmorningair，bywhichheencouragedhishorsesupthehill。

TheothersetofwheelssoundedfromthelaneStephenhadjusttraversed。Oncloserobservation，heperceivedthattheyweremovingfromtheprecinctsoftheancientmanor-houseadjoiningthevicaragegrounds。Acarriagethenlefttheentrancegatesofthehouse，andwheelingroundcamefullyinsight。Itwasaplaintravellingcarriage，withasmallquantityofluggage，apparentlyalady"s。Thevehiclecametothejunctionofthefourwayshalf-

a-minutebeforethecarrierreachedthesamespot，andcrosseddirectlyinhisfront，proceedingbythelaneontheotherside。

InsidethecarriageStephencouldjustdiscernanelderlyladywithayoungerwoman，whoseemedtobehermaid。TheroadtheyhadtakenledtoStratleigh，asmallwatering-placesixteenmilesnorth。

Heheardthemanor-housegatesswingagain，andlookingupsawanotherpersonleavingthem，andwalkingoffinthedirectionoftheparsonage。"Ah，howmuchIwishIweremovingthatway!"feltheparenthetically。Thegentlemanwastall，andresembledMr。

Swancourtinoutlineandattire。Heopenedthevicaragegateandwentin。Mr。Swancourt，then，itcertainlywas。InsteadofremaininginbedthatmorningMr。Swancourtmusthavetakenitintohisheadtoseehisnewneighbouroffonajourney。Hemusthavebeengreatlyinterestedinthatneighbourtodosuchanunusualthing。

Thecarrier"sconveyancehadpulledup，andStephennowhandedinhisportmanteauandmountedtheshafts。"Whoisthatladyinthecarriage？"heinquiredindifferentlyofLickpanthecarrier。

"That，sir，isMrs。Troyton，awidderwi"aminto"money。She"stheownerofallthatpartofEndelstowthatisnotLordLuxellian"s。Onlybeenhereashorttime；shecameintoitbylaw。Theownerformerlywasaterriblemysteriousparty——neverlivedhere——hardlyeverwasseenhereexceptinthemonthofSeptember，asImightsay。"

Thehorseswerestartedagain，andnoiserenderedfurtherdiscourseamatteroftoogreatexertion。Stephencreptinsideunderthetilt，andwassoonlostinreverie。