第9章

"WhatmustIsay，then？"

""LadiesandMEN"always。"

Atthismomentappearedinthestreamofvehiclesmovinginthecontrarydirectionachariotpresentinginitsgeneralsurfacetherichindigohueofamidnightsky，thewheelsandmarginsbeingpickedoutindelicatelinesofultramarine；theservants"

liveriesweredark-bluecoatsandsilverlace，andbreechesofneutralIndianred。Thewholeconcernformedanorganicwhole，andmovedalongbehindapairofdarkchestnutgeldings，whoadvancedinanindifferentlyzealoustrot，verydaintilyperformed，andoccasionallyshruggeddiverspointsoftheirveinysurfaceasiftheywereratherabovethebusiness。

Inthissatagentlemanwithnodecidedcharacteristicsmorethanthathesomewhatresembledagood-naturedcommercialtravellerofthesuperiorclass。Besidehimwasaladywithskim-milkyeyesandcomplexion，belongingtothe"interesting"classofwomen，wherethatclassmergesinthesickly，hergreatestpleasurebeingapparentlytoenjoynothing。Oppositethispairsattwolittlegirlsinwhitehatsandbluefeathers。

TheladysawElfride，smiledandbowed，andtouchedherhusband"selbow，whoturnedandreceivedElfride"smovementofrecognitionwithagallantelevationofhishat。ThenthetwochildrenhelduptheirarmstoElfride，andlaughedgleefully。

"Whoisthat？"

"Why，LordLuxellian，isn"tit？"saidMrs。Swancourt，whowiththevicarhadbeenseatedwithherbacktowardsthem。

"Yes，"repliedElfride。"HeistheonemanofthoseIhaveseenherewhomIconsiderhandsomerthanpapa。"

"Thankyou，dear，"saidMr。Swancourt。

"Yes；butyourfatherissomucholder。WhenLordLuxelliangetsalittlefurtheroninlife，hewon"tbehalfsogood-lookingasourman。"

"Thankyou，dear，likewise，"saidMr。Swancourt。

"See，"exclaimedElfride，stilllookingtowardsthem，"howthoselittledearswantme!Actuallyoneofthemiscryingformetocome。"

"Weweretalkingofbraceletsjustnow。LookatLadyLuxellian"s，"saidMrs。Swancourt，asthatbaronessliftedupherarmtosupportoneofthechildren。"Itisslippingupherarm——

toolargebyhalf。Ihatetoseedaylightbetweenabraceletandawrist；Iwonderwomenhaven"tbettertaste。"

"Itisnotonthataccount，indeed，"Elfrideexpostulated。"Itisthatherarmhasgotthin，poorthing。Youcannotthinkhowmuchshehasalteredinthislasttwelvemonth。"

Thecarriageswerenownearertogether，andtherewasanexchangeofmorefamiliargreetingsbetweenthetwofamilies。ThentheLuxellianscrossedoveranddrewupundertheplane-trees，justintherearoftheSwancourts。LordLuxellianalighted，andcameforwardwithamusicallaugh。

Itwashisattractionasaman。Peoplelikedhimforthosetones，andforgotthathehadnotalents。AcquaintancesrememberedMr。

Swancourtbyhismanner；theyrememberedStephenSmithbyhisface，LordLuxellianbyhislaugh。

Mr。Swancourtmadesomefriendlyremarks——amongothersthingsupontheheat。

"Yes，"saidLordLuxellian，"weweredrivingbyafurrier"swindowthisafternoon，andthesightfilledusallwithsuchasenseofsuffocationthatweweregladtogetaway。Ha-ha!"HeturnedtoElfride。"MissSwancourt，Ihavehardlyseenorspokentoyousinceyourliteraryfeatwasmadepublic。IhadnoideaachielwastakingnotesdownatquietEndelstow，orIshouldcertainlyhaveputmyselfandfriendsuponourbestbehaviour。Swancourt，whydidn"tyougivemeahint!"

Elfridefluttered，blushed，laughed，saiditwasnothingtospeakof，&c。&c。

"Well，IthinkyouwereratherunfairlytreatedbythePRESENT，I

certainlydo。WritingaheavyreviewlikethatuponaneleganttrifleliketheCOURTOFKELLYONCASTLEwasabsurd。"

"What？"saidElfride，openinghereyes。"WasIreviewedinthePRESENT？"

"Ohyes；didn"tyouseeit？Why，itwasfourorfivemonthsago!"

"No，Ineversawit。HowsorryIam!Whatashameofmypublishers!Theypromisedtosendmeeverynoticethatappeared。"

"Ah，then，IamalmostafraidIhavebeengivingyoudisagreeableinformation，intentionallywithheldoutofcourtesy。Dependuponittheythoughtnogoodwouldcomeofsendingit，andsowouldnotpainyouunnecessarily。"

"Ohno；Iamindeedgladyouhavetoldme，LordLuxellian。Itisquiteamistakenkindnessontheirpart。Isthereviewsomuchagainstme？"sheinquiredtremulously。

"No，no；notthatexactly——thoughIalmostforgetitsexactpurportnow。Itwasmerely——merelysharp，youknow——ungenerous，I

mightsay。Butreallymymemorydoesnotenablemetospeakdecidedly。"

"We"lldrivetothePRESENToffice，andgetonedirectly；shallwe，papa？"

"Ifyouaresoanxious，dear，wewill，orsend。Butto-morrowwilldo。"

"Anddoobligemeinalittlematternow，Elfride，"saidLordLuxellianwarmly，andlookingasifheweresorryhehadbroughtnewsthatdisturbedher。"IaminrealitysenthereasaspecialmessengerbymylittlePollyandKatietoaskyoutocomeintoourcarriagewiththemforashorttime。IamjustgoingtowalkacrossintoPiccadilly，andmywifeisleftalonewiththem。Iamafraidtheyareratherspoiltchildren；butIhavehalfpromisedthemyoushallcome。"

Thestepswereletdown，andElfridewastransferred——totheintensedelightofthelittlegirls，andtothemildinterestofloungerswithredskinsandlongnecks，whocursorilyeyedtheperformancewiththeirwalking-stickstotheirlips，occasionallylaughingfromfardowntheirthroatsandwiththeireyes，theirmouthsnotbeingconcernedintheoperationatall。LordLuxellianthentoldthecoachmantodriveon，liftedhishat，smiledasmilethatmisseditsmarkandalightedonatotalstranger，whobowedinbewilderment。LordLuxellianlookedlongatElfride。

Thelookwasamanly，open，andgenuinelookofadmiration；amomentarytributeofakindwhichanyhonestEnglishmanmighthavepaidtofairnesswithoutbeingashamedofthefeeling，orpermittingittoencroachintheslightestdegreeuponhisemotionalobligationsasahusbandandheadofafamily。ThenLordLuxellianturnedaway，andwalkedmusinglytotheupperendofthepromenade。

Mr。SwancourthadalightedatthesametimewithElfride，crossingovertotheRowforafewminutestospeaktoafriendherecognizedthere；andhiswifewasthusleftsoletenantofthecarriage。

Now，whilstthislittleacthadbeenincourseofperformance，therestoodamongthepromenadingspectatorsamanofsomewhatdifferentdescriptionfromtherest。Behindthegeneralthrong，intherearofthechairs，andleaningagainstthetrunkofatree，helookedatElfridewithquietandcriticalinterest。

ThreepointsaboutthisunobtrusivepersonshowedpromptlytotheexercisedeyethathewasnotaRowmanpursang。First，anirrepressiblewrinkleortwointhewaistofhisfrock-coat——

denotingthathehadnotdamnedhistailorsufficientlytodrivethattradesmanuptotheorthodoxhighpressureofcunningworkmanship。Second，aslightslovenlinessofumbrella，occasionedbyitsowner"shabitofrestingheavilyuponit，andusingitasaveritablewalking-stick，insteadoflettingitspointtouchthegroundinthemostcoquettishofkisses，asistheproperRowmannertodo。Third，andchiefreason，thattryhowyoumight，youcouldscarcelyhelpsupposing，onlookingathisface，thatyoureyeswerenotfarfromawell-finishedmind，insteadofthewell-finishedskinetpraetereanihil，whichisbyrightstheMarkoftheRow。

Theprobabilityisthat，hadnotMrs。Swancourtbeenleftaloneinhercarriageunderthetree，thismanwouldhaveremainedinhisunobservedseclusion。Butseeingherthus，hecameroundtothefront，stoopedundertherail，andstoodbesidethecarriage-door。

Mrs。Swancourtlookedreflectivelyathimforaquarterofaminute，thenheldoutherhandlaughingly:

"Why，HenryKnight——ofcourseitis!My——second——third——fourthcousin——whatshallIsay？Atanyrate，mykinsman。"

"Yes，oneofaremnantnotyetcutoff。Iscarcelywascertainofyou，either，fromwhereIwasstanding。"

"IhavenotseenyousinceyoufirstwenttoOxford；considerthenumberofyears!Youknow，Isuppose，ofmymarriage？"

Andtheresprangupadialogueconcerningfamilymattersofbirth，death，andmarriage，whichitisnotnecessarytodetail。Knightpresentlyinquired:

"Theyoungladywhochangedintotheothercarriageis，then，yourstepdaughter？"

"Yes，Elfride。Youmustknowher。"

"AndwhowastheladyinthecarriageElfrideentered；whohadanill-definedandwaterylook，asifshewereonlythereflectionofherselfinapool？"

"LadyLuxellian；veryweakly，Elfridesays。Myhusbandisremotelyconnectedwiththem；butthereisnotmuchintimacyonaccountof。However，Henry，you"llcomeandseeus，ofcourse。24ChevronSquare。Comethisweek。Weshallonlybeintownaweekortwolonger。"

"Letmesee。I"vegottorunuptoOxfordto-morrow，whereI

shallbeforseveraldays；sothatImust，Ifear，losethepleasureofseeingyouinLondonthisyear。"

"ThencometoEndelstow；whynotreturnwithus？"

"IamafraidifIweretocomebeforeAugustIshouldhavetoleaveagaininadayortwo。Ishouldbedelightedtobewithyouatthebeginningofthatmonth；andIcouldstayanicelongtime。

Ihavethoughtofgoingwestwardallthesummer。"

"Verywell。Nowrememberthat"sacompact。Andwon"tyouwaitnowandseeMr。Swancourt？Hewillnotbeawaytenminuteslonger。"

"No；I"llbegtobeexcused；forImustgettomychambersagainthiseveningbeforeIgohome；indeed，Ioughttohavebeentherenow——Ihavesuchapressofmatterstoattendtojustatpresent。

Youwillexplaintohim，please。Good-bye。"

"Andletusknowthedayofyourappearanceassoonasyoucan。"

"Iwill"

ChapterXV

"Awanderingvoice。"

Thoughsheerandintelligiblegriefsarenotcharmedawaybybeingconfidedtomereacquaintances，theprocessisapalliativetocertainill-humours。Amongthese，perplexedvexationisone——aspeciesoftroublewhich，likeastream，getsshallowerbythesimpleoperationofwideningitinanyquarter。

OntheeveningofthedaysucceedingthatofthemeetinginthePark，ElfrideandMrs。Swancourtwereengagedinconversationinthedressing-roomofthelatter。Suchatreatmentofsuchacasewasincourseofadoptionhere。

ElfridehadjustbeforereceivedanaffectionateletterfromStephenSmithinBombay，whichhadbeenforwardedtoherfromEndelstow。Butsincethisisnotthecasereferredto，itisnotworthwhiletopryfurtherintothecontentsoftheletterthantodiscoverthat，withrashthoughpardonableconfidenceincomingtimes，headdressedherinhighspiritsashisdarlingfuturewife。Probablytherecannotbeinstancedabrieferandsurerrule-

of-thumbtestofaman"stemperament——sanguineorcautious——thanthis:didheordoesheante-datethewordwifeincorrespondingwithasweet-hearthehonestlyloves？

Shehadtakenthisepistleintoherownroom，readalittleofit，thenSAVEDtherestforto-morrow，notwishingtobesoextravagantastoconsumethepleasureallatonce。Nevertheless，shecouldnotresistthewishtoenjoyyetalittlemore，sooutcametheletteragain，andinspiteofmisgivingsastoprodigalitythewholewasdevoured。Theletterwasfinallyreperusedandplacedinherpocket。

Whatwasthis？AlsoanewspaperforElfride，whichshehadoverlookedinherhurrytoopentheletter。ItwastheoldnumberofthePRESENT，containingthearticleuponherbook，forwardedashadbeenrequested。

Elfridehadhastilyreaditthrough，shrunkperceptiblysmaller，andhadthengonewiththepaperinherhandtoMrs。Swancourt"sdressing-room，tolightenoratleastmodifyhervexationbyadiscriminatingestimatefromherstepmother。

Shewasnowlookingdisconsolatelyoutofthewindow。

"Nevermind，mychild，"saidMrs。Swancourtafteracarefulperusalofthematterindicated。"Idon"tseethatthereviewissuchaterribleone，afterall。Besides，everybodyhasforgottenaboutitbythistime。I"msuretheopeningisgoodenoughforanybookeverwritten。Justlisten——itsoundsbetterreadaloudthanwhenyouporeoveritsilently:"THECOURTOFKELLYONCASTLE。

AROMANCEOFTHEMIDDLEAGES。BYERNESTFIELD。Inthebeliefthatwewereforawhileescapingthemonotonousrepetitionofwearisomedetailsinmodernsocialscenery，analysesofuninterestingcharacter，ortheunnaturalunfoldingsofasensationplot，wetookthisvolumeintoourhandswithafeelingofpleasure。Weweredisposedtobeguileourselveswiththefancythatsomenewchangemightpossiblyberungupondonjonkeeps，chainandplatearmour，deeplyscarredcheeks，tendermaidensdisguisedaspages，towhichwehadnotlistenedlongago。”Now，that"saverygoodbeginning，inmyopinion，andonetobeproudofhavingbroughtoutofamanwhohasneverseenyou。"

"Ah，yes，"murmuredElfridewofully。"But，then，seefurtheron!"

"Wellthenextbitisratherunkind，Imustown，"saidMrs。

Swancourt，andreadon。""Insteadofthiswefoundourselvesinthehandsofsomeyounglady，hardlyarrivedatyearsofdiscretion，tojudgebythesillydeviceithasbeenthoughtworthwhiletoadoptonthetitle-page，withtheideaofdisguisinghersex。”"

"Iamnot"silly"!"saidElfrideindignantly。"Hemighthavecalledmeanythingbutthat。"

"Youarenot，indeed。Well:——"Handsofayounglady……whosechaptersaresimplydevotedtoimpossibletournaments，towers，andescapades，whichreadlikeflatcopiesoflikescenesinthestoriesofMr。G。P。R。James，andthemostunrealportionsofIVANHOE。Thebaitissopalpablyartificialthatthemostcredulousgudgeonturnsaway。”Now，mydear，Idon"tseeovermuchtocomplainofinthat。ItprovesthatyouwerecleverenoughtomakehimthinkofSirWalterScott，whichisagreatdeal。"

"Ohyes；thoughIcannotromancemyself，Iamabletoremindhimofthosewhocan!"Elfrideintendedtohurlthesewordssarcasticallyatherinvisibleenemy，butasshehadnomoresatiricalpowerthanawood-pigeon，theymerelyfellinaprettymurmurfromlipsshapedtoapout。

"Certainly:andthat"ssomething。Yourbookisgoodenoughtobebadinanordinaryliterarymanner，anddoesn"tstandbyitselfinamelancholypositionaltogetherworsethanassailable——"Thatinterestinanhistoricalromancemaynowadayshaveanychanceofbeingsustained，itisindispensablethatthereaderfindhimselfundertheguidanceofsomenearlyextinctspeciesoflegendary，who，inadditiontoanimpulsetowardsantiquarianresearchandanunweakenedfaithinthemediaevalhalo，shallpossessaninventivefacultyinwhichdelicacyofsentimentisfarovertoppedbyapowerofweldingtostirringincidentaspiritedvarietyoftheelementaryhumanpassions。”Well，thatlong-windedeffusiondoesn"trefertoyouatall，Elfride，merelysomethingputintofillup。Letmesee，whendoeshecometoyouagain；……nottilltheveryend，actually。Hereyouarefinallypolishedoff:

""Buttoreturntothelittleworkwehaveusedasthetextofthisarticle。Wearefarfromaltogetherdisparagingtheauthor"spowers。Shehasacertainversatilitythatenableshertousewitheffectastyleofnarrationpeculiartoherself，whichmaybecalledamurmuringofdelicateemotionaltrifles，theparticulargiftofthosetowhomthesocialsympathiesofapeacefultimeareasdailyfood。Hence，wheremattersofdomesticexperience，andthenaturaltoucheswhichmakepeoplereal，canbeintroducedwithoutanachronismstoostriking，sheisoccasionallyfelicitous；

anduponthewholewefeeljustifiedinsayingthatthebookwillbearlookingintoforthesakeofthoseportionswhichhavenothingwhatevertodowiththestory。”

"Well，Isupposeitisintendedforsatire；butdon"tthinkanythingmoreofitnow，mydear。Itisseveno"clock。"AndMrs。

Swancourtrangforhermaid。

Attackismorepiquantthanconcord。Stephen"sletterwasconcerningnothingbutonenesswithher:thereviewwastheveryreverse。Andastrangerwithneithernamenorshape，agenorappearance，butamightyvoice，isnaturallyratheraninterestingnoveltytoaladyhechoosestoaddress。WhenElfridefellasleepthatnightshewaslovingthewriteroftheletter，butthinkingofthewriterofthatarticle。

ChapterXVI

"Thenfancyshapes——asfancycan。"

Onadayaboutthreeweekslater，theSwancourttrioweresittingquietlyinthedrawing-roomofTheCrags，Mrs。Swancourt"shouseatEndelstow，chatting，andtakingeasefulsurveyoftheirpreviousmonthortwooftown——atangiblewearinesseventopeoplewhoseacquaintancestheremightbecountedonthefingers。

AmereseasoninLondonwithherpractisedstep-motherhadsoadvancedElfride"sperceptions，thathercourtshipbyStephenseemedemotionallymeagre，andtohavedriftedbackseveralyearsintoachildishpast。Inregardingourmentalexperiences，asinvisualobservation，ourownprogressreadslikeadwindlingofthatweprogressfrom。

Shewasseatedonalowchair，lookingoverherromancewithmelancholyinterestforthefirsttimesinceshehadbecomeacquaintedwiththeremarksofthePRESENTthereupon。

"Stillthinkingofthatreviewer，Elfie？"

"Notofhimpersonally；butIamthinkingofhisopinion。Really，onlookingintothevolumeafterthislongtimehaselapsed，heseemstohaveestimatedonepartofitfairlyenough。"

"No，no；Iwouldn"tshowthewhitefeathernow!Fancythatofallpeopleintheworldthewriterherselfshouldgoovertotheenemy。HowshallMonmouth"smenfightwhenMonmouthrunsaway？"

"Idon"tdothat。ButIthinkheisrightinsomeofhisarguments，thoughwronginothers。AndbecausehehassomeclaimtomyrespectIregretallthemorethatheshouldthinksomistakenlyofmymotivesinoneortwoinstances。Itismorevexingtobemisunderstoodthantobemisrepresented；andhemisunderstandsme。IcannotbeeasywhilstapersongoestorestnightafternightattributingtomeintentionsIneverhad。"

"Hedoesn"tknowyourname，oranythingaboutyou。Andhehasdoubtlessforgottenthereissuchabookinexistencebythistime。"

"Imyselfshouldcertainlylikehimtobeputrightupononeortwomatters，"saidthevicar，whohadhithertobeensilent。"Yousee，criticsgoonwriting，andarenevercorrectedorarguedwith，andthereforeareneverimproved。"

"Papa，"saidElfridebrightening，"writetohim!"

"Iwouldassoonwritetohimaslookathim，forthematterofthat，"saidMr。Swancourt。

"Do!Andsay，theyoungpersonwhowrotethebookdidnotadoptamasculinepseudonyminvanityorconceit，butbecauseshewasafraiditwouldbethoughtpresumptuoustopublishhername，andthatshedidnotmeanthestoryforsuchashe，butasasweetenerofhistoryforyoungpeople，whomighttherebyacquireatasteforwhatwentonintheirowncountryhundredsofyearsago，andbetemptedtodivedeeperintothesubject。Oh，thereissomuchtoexplain；IwishImightwritemyself!"

"Now，Elfie，I"lltellyouwhatwewilldo，"answeredMr。

Swancourt，tickledwithasortofbucolichumourattheideaofcriticizingthecritic。"Youshallwriteaclearaccountofwhatheiswrongin，andIwillcopyitandsenditasmine。"

"Yes，now，directly!"saidElfride，jumpingup。"Whenwillyousendit，papa？"

"Oh，inadayortwo，Isuppose，"hereturned。Thenthevicarpausedandslightlyyawned，andinthemannerofelderlypeoplebegantocoolfromhisardourfortheundertakingnowthatitcametothepoint。"But，really，itishardlyworthwhile，"hesaid。

"Opapa!"saidElfride，withmuchdisappointment。"Yousaidyouwould，andnowyouwon"t。Thatisnotfair!"

"Buthowcanwesenditifwedon"tknowwhomtosenditto？"

"Ifyoureallywanttosendsuchathingitcaneasilybedone，"

saidMrs。Swancourt，comingtoherstep-daughter"srescue。"Anenvelopeaddressed，"TotheCriticofTHECOURTOFKELLYONCASTLE，careoftheEditorofthePRESENT，"wouldfindhim。"

"Yes，Isupposeitwould。"

"Whynotwriteyouransweryourself，Elfride？"Mrs。Swancourtinquired。

"Imight，"shesaidhesitatingly；"andsenditanonymously:thatwouldbetreatinghimashehastreatedme。"

"Nouseintheworld!"

"ButIdon"tliketolethimknowmyexactname。SupposeIputmyinitialsonly？Thelessyouareknownthemoreyouarethoughtof。"

"Yes；youmightdothat。"

Elfridesettoworkthereandthen。Heronedesireforthelastfortnightseemedlikelytoberealized。Ashappenswithsensitiveandsecludedminds，acontinualdwellinguponthesubjecthadmagnifiedtocolossalproportionsthespacesheassumedherselftooccupyortohaveoccupiedintheoccultcritic"smind。Atnoonandatnightshehadbeenpesteringherselfwithendeavourstoperceivemoredistinctlyhisconceptionofherasawomanapartfromanauthor:whetherhereallydespisedher；whetherhethoughtmoreorlessofherthanofordinaryyoungwomenwhoneverventuredintothefireofcriticismatall。Nowshewouldhavethesatisfactionoffeelingthatatanyrateheknewhertrueintentincrossinghispath，andannoyinghimsobyherperformance，andbetaughtperhapstodespiseitalittleless。

Fourdayslateranenvelope，directedtoMissSwancourtinastrangehand，madeitsappearancefromthepost-bag。

"0h，"saidElfride，herheartsinkingwithinher。"Canitbefromthatman——alectureforimpertinence？AndactuallyoneforMrs。

Swancourtinthesamehand-writing!"Shefearedtoopenhers。

"Yethowcanheknowmyname？No；itissomebodyelse。"

"Nonsense!"saidherfathergrimly。"Yousentyourinitials，andtheDirectorywasavailable。Thoughhewouldn"thavetakenthetroubletolookthereunlesshehadbeenthoroughlysavagewithyou。Ithoughtyouwrotewithrathermoreasperitythansimpleliterarydiscussionrequired。"Thistimelyclausewasintroducedtosavethecharacterofthevicar"sjudgmentunderanyissueofaffairs。

"Well，hereIgo，"saidElfride，desperatelytearingopentheseal。

"Tobesure，ofcourse，"exclaimedMrs。Swancourt；andlookingupfromherownletter。"Christopher，Iquiteforgottotellyou，whenImentionedthatIhadseenmydistantrelative，HarryKnight，thatIinvitedhimhereforwhateverlengthoftimehecouldspare。AndnowhesayshecancomeanydayinAugust。"

"Write，andsaythefirstofthemonth，"repliedtheindiscriminatevicar。

Shereadom"Goodnessme——andthatisn"tall。HeisactuallythereviewerofElfride"sbook。Howabsurd，tobesure!IhadnoideahereviewednovelsorhadanythingtodowiththePRESENT。Heisabarrister——andIthoughtheonlywroteintheQuarterlies。Why，Elfride，youhavebroughtaboutanoddentanglement!Whatdoeshesaytoyou？"

Elfridehadputdownherletterwithadissatisfiedflushonherface。"Idon"tknow。Theideaofhisknowingmynameandallaboutme!……Why，hesaysnothingparticular，onlythis——

""MYDEARMADAM，——ThoughIamsorrythatmyremarksshouldhaveseemedharshtoyou，itisapleasuretofindthattheyhavebeenthemeansofbringingforthsuchaningeniouslyarguedreply。

Unfortunately，itissolongsinceIwrotemyreview，thatmymemorydoesnotservemesufficientlytosayasinglewordinmydefence，evensupposingthereremainsonetobesaid，whichisdoubtful。You，willfindfromaletterIhavewrittentoMrs。

Swancourt，thatwearenotsuchstrangerstoeachotheraswehavebeenimagining。Possibly，Imayhavethepleasureofseeingyousoon，whenanyargumentyouchoosetoadvanceshallreceivealltheattentionitdeserves。”

"Thatisdimsarcasm——Iknowitis。"

"Ohno，Elfride。"

"Andthen，hisremarksdidn"tseemharsh——ImeanIdidnotsayso。"

"Hethinksyouareinafrightfultemper，"saidMr。Swancourt，chucklinginundertones。

"Andhewillcomeandseeme，andfindtheauthoressascontemptibleinspeechasshehasbeenimpertinentinmanner。I

doheartilywishIhadneverwrittenawordtohim!"

"Nevermind，"saidMrs。Swancourt，alsolaughinginlowquietjerks；"itwillmakethemeetingsuchacomicalaffair，andaffordsplendidby-playforyourfatherandmyself。TheideaofourrunningourheadsagainstHarryKnightallthetime!Icannotgetoverthat。"

ThevicarhadimmediatelyrememberedthenametobethatofStephenSmith"spreceptorandfriend；buthavingceasedtoconcernhimselfinthematterhemadenoremarktothateffect，consistentlyforbearingtoalludetoanythingwhichcouldrestorerecollectionofthe(tohim)disagreeablemistakewithregardtopoorStephen"slineageandposition。Elfridehadofcourseperceivedthesamething，whichaddedtothecomplicationofrelationshipameshthatherstepmotherknewnothingof。

TheidentificationscarcelyheightenedKnight"sattractionsnow，thoughatwelvemonthagoshewouldonlyhavecaredtoseehimfortheinteresthepossessedasStephen"sfriend。FortunatelyforKnight"sadvent，suchareasonforwelcomehadonlybeguntobeawkwardtoheratatimewhentheinteresthehadacquiredonhisownaccountmadeitnolongernecessary。

Thesecoincidences，incommonwithallrelatingtohim，tendedtokeepElfride"sminduponthestretchconcerningKnight。Aswashercustomwhenuponthehornsofadilemma，shewalkedoffbyherselfamongthelaurelbushes，andthere，standingstillandsplittingupaleafwithoutremovingitfromitsstalk，fetchedbackrecollectionsofStephen"sfrequentwordsinpraiseofhisfriend，andwishedshehadlistenedmoreattentively。Then，stillpullingtheleaf，shewouldblushatsomefanciedmortificationthatwouldaccruetoherfromhiswordswhentheymet，inconsequenceofherintrusiveness，asshenowconsideredit，inwritingtohim。

Thenextdevelopmentofhermeditationswasthesubjectofwhatthisman"spersonalappearancemightbe——washetallorshort，darkorfair，gayorgrim？ShewouldhaveaskedMrs。Swancourtbutfortheriskshemighttherebyincurofsometeasingremarkbeingreturned。UltimatelyElfridewouldsay，"Oh，whataplaguethatrevieweristome!"andturnherfacetowheresheimaginedIndialay，andmurmurtoherself，"Ah，mylittlehusband，whatareyoudoingnow？Letmesee，whereareyou——south，east，where？Behindthathill，eversofarbehind!"

ChapterXVII

"Herwelcome，spokeinfalteringphrase。"

"ThereisHenryKnight，Ideclare!"saidMrs。Swancourtoneday。

TheyweregazingfromthejuttingangleofawildenclosurenotfarfromTheCrags，whichalmostoverhungthevalleyalreadydescribedasleadingupfromtheseaandlittleportofCastleBoterel。Thestonyescarpmentuponwhichtheystoodhadthecontourofaman"sface，anditwascoveredwithfurzeaswithabeard。Peopleinthefieldabovewerepreservedfromanaccidentalrolldowntheseprominencesandhollowsbyahedgeontheverycrest，whichwasdoingthatkindlyserviceforElfrideandhermothernow。

Scramblinghigherintothehedgeandstretchingherneckfurtheroverthefurze，Elfridebeheldtheindividualsignified。Hewaswalkingleisurelyalongthelittlegreenpathatthebottom，besidethestream，asatchelslunguponhislefthip，astoutwalking-stickinhishand，andabrown-hollandsun-hatuponhishead。Thesatchelwaswornandold，andtheouterpolishedsurfaceoftheleatherwascrackedandpeelingoff。

KnighthavingarrivedoverthehillstoCastleBotereluponthetopofacrazyomnibus，preferredtowalktheremainingtwomilesupthevalley，leavinghisluggagetobebroughton。

Behindhimwandered，helter-skelter，aboyofwhomKnighthadbrieflyinquiredthewaytoEndelstow；andbythatnaturallawofphysicswhichcauseslesserbodiestogravitatetowardsthegreater，thisboyhadkeptneartoKnight，andtrottedlikealittledogcloseathisheels，whistlingashewent，withhiseyesfixeduponKnight"sbootsastheyroseandfell。

WhentheyhadreachedapointpreciselyoppositethatinwhichMrs。andMissSwancourtlayinambush，Knightstoppedandturnedround。

"Lookhere，myboy，"hesaid。

Theboypartedhislips，openedhiseyes，andanswerednothing。

"Here"ssixpenceforyou，onconditionthatyoudon"tagaincomewithintwentyyardsofmyheels，allthewayupthevalley。"

Theboy，whoapparentlyhadnotknownhehadbeenlookingatKnight"sheelsatall，tookthesixpencemechanically，andKnightwentonagain，wraptinmeditation。

"Anicevoice，"Elfridethought；"butwhatasingulartemper!"

"Nowwemustgetindoorsbeforeheascendstheslope，"saidMrs。

Swancourtsoftly。Andtheywentacrossbyashortcutoverastile，enteringthelawnbyasidedoor，andsoontothehouse。

Mr。Swancourthadgoneintothevillagewiththecurate，andElfridefelttoonervoustoawaittheirvisitor"sarrivalinthedrawing-roomwithMrs。Swancourt。Sothatwhentheelderladyentered，Elfridemadesomepretenceofperceivinganewvarietyofcrimsongeranium，andlingeredbehindamongtheflowerbeds。

Therewasnothinggainedbythis，afterall，shethought；andafewminutesafterboldlycameintothehousebytheglassside-

door。Shewalkedalongthecorridor，andenteredthedrawing-

room。Nobodywasthere。

Awindowattheangleoftheroomopeneddirectlyintoanoctagonalconservatory，enclosingthecornerofthebuilding。

Fromtheconservatorycamevoicesinconversation——Mrs。

Swancourt"sandthestranger"s。

Shehadexpectedhimtotalkbrilliantly。Tohersurprisehewasaskingquestionsinquitealearner"smanner，onsubjectsconnectedwiththeflowersandshrubsthatshehadknownforyears。Whenafterthelapseofafewminuteshespokeatsomelength，sheconsideredtherewasahardsquaredecisivenessintheshapeofhissentences，asif，unlikeherownandStephen"s，theywerenotthereandthennewlyconstructed，butweredrawnforthfromalargestoreready-made。Theywerenowapproachingthewindowtocomeinagain。

"Thatisaflesh-colouredvariety，"saidMrs。Swancourt。"Butoleanders，thoughtheyaresuchbulkyshrubs，aresoveryeasilywoundedastobeunprunable——giantswiththesensitivenessofyoungladies。Oh，hereisElfride!"

ElfridelookedasguiltyandcrestfallenasLadyTeazleatthedroppingofthescreen。Mrs。Swancourtpresentedhimhalfcomically，andKnightinaminuteortwoplacedhimselfbesidetheyounglady。

AcomplexityofinstinctscheckedElfride"sconventionalsmilesofcomplaisanceandhospitality；and，tomakeherstilllesscomfortable，Mrs。Swancourtimmediatelyafterwardsleftthemtogethertoseekherhusband。Mr。Knight，however，didnotseematallincommodedbyhisfeelings，andhesaidwithlighteasefulness:

"So，MissSwancourt，Ihavemetyouatlast。YouescapedmebyafewminutesonlywhenwewereinLondon。"

"Yes。IfoundthatyouhadseenMrs。Swancourt。"

"Andnowreviewerandreviewedarefacetoface，"headdedunconcernedly。

"Yes:thoughthefactofyourbeingarelationofMrs。Swancourt"stakesofftheedgeofit。Itwasstrangethatyoushouldbeoneofherfamilyallthetime。"Elfridebegantorecoverherselfnow，andtolookintoKnight"sface。"IwasmerelyanxioustoletyouknowmyREALmeaninginwritingthebook——extremelyanxious。"

"Icanquiteunderstandthewish；andIwasgratifiedthatmyremarksshouldhavereachedhome。Theyveryseldomdo，Iamafraid。"

Elfridedrewherselfin。Herehewas，stickingtohisopinionsasfirmlyasiffriendshipandpolitenessdidnotintheleastrequireanimmediaterenunciationofthem。

"Youmademeveryuneasyandsorrybywritingsuchthings!"shemurmured，suddenlydroppingthemerecacueterieofafashionablefirstintroduction，andspeakingwithsomeofthedudgeonofachildtowardsasevereschoolmaster。

"Thatisrathertheobjectofhonestcriticsinsuchacase。Nottocauseunnecessarysorrow，but:"Tomakeyousorryafterapropermanner，thatyemayreceivedamagebyusinnothing，"asapowerfulpenoncewrotetotheGentiles。Areyougoingtowriteanotherromance？"

"Writeanother？"shesaid。"Thatsomebodymaypenacondemnationand"nail"twi"Scripture"again，asyoudonow，Mr。Knight？"

"Youmaydobetternexttime，"hesaidplacidly:"Ithinkyouwill。ButIwouldadviseyoutoconfineyourselftodomesticscenes。"

"Thankyou。Butneveragain!"

"Well，youmayberight。Thatayoungwomanhastakentowritingisnotbyanymeansthebestthingtohearabouther。"

"Whatisthebest？"

"Iprefernottosay。"

"Doyouknow？Then，dotellme，please。"

"Well"——(Knightwasevidentlychanginghismeaning)——"Isupposetohearthatshehasmarried。"

Elfridehesitated。"Andwhatwhenshehasbeenmarried？"shesaidatlast，partlyinordertowithdrawherownpersonfromtheargument。

"Thentohearnomoreabouther。ItisasSmeatonsaidofhislighthouse:hergreatestrealpraise，whenthenoveltyofherinaugurationhaswornoff，isthatnothinghappenstokeepthetalkofheralive。"

"Yes，Isee，"saidElfridesoftlyandthoughtfully。"Butofcourseitisdifferentquitewithmen。Whydon"tyouwritenovels，Mr。Knight？"

"BecauseIcouldn"twriteonethatwouldinterestanybody。"

"Why？"

"Forseveralreasons。Itrequiresajudiciousomissionofyourrealthoughtstomakeanovelpopular，foronething。"

"Isthatreallynecessary？Well，Iamsureyoucouldlearntodothatwithpractice，"saidElfridewithanex-cathedraair，asbecameapersonwhospokefromexperienceintheart。"Youwouldmakeagreatnameforcertain，"shecontinued。

"Somanypeoplemakeanamenowadays，thatitismoredistinguishedtoremaininobscurity。"

"Tellmeseriously——apartfromthesubject——whydon"tyouwriteavolumeinsteadofloosearticles？"sheinsisted。

"Sinceyouarepleasedtomakemetalkofmyself，Iwilltellyouseriously，"saidKnight，notlessamusedatthiscatechismbyhisyoungfriendthanhewasinterestedinherappearance。"AsIhaveimplied，Ihavenotthewish。AndifIhadthewish，Icouldnotnowconcentratesufficiently。Weallhaveonlyouronecruseofenergygivenustomakethebestof。Andwherethatenergyhasbeenleakedawayweekbyweek，quarterbyquarter，asminehasforthelastnineortenyears，thereisnotenoughdammedbackbehindthemillatanygivenperiodtosupplytheforceacompletebookonanysubjectrequires。Thenthereistheself-confidenceandwaitingpower。Wherequickresultshavegrowncustomary，theyarefataltoalivelyfaithinthefuture。"

"Yes，Icomprehend；andsoyouchoosetowriteinfragments？"

"No，Idon"tchoosetodoitinthesenseyoumean；choosingfromawholeworldofprofessions，allpossible。Itwasbytheconstraintofaccidentmerely。NotthatIobjecttotheaccident。"

"Whydon"tyouobject——Imean，whydoyoufeelsoquietaboutthings？"Elfridewashalfafraidtoquestionhimso，butherintensecuriositytoseewhattheinsideofliteraryMr。Knightwaslike，kepthergoingon。

Knightcertainlydidnotmindbeingfrankwithher。Instancesofthistraitinmenwhoarenotwithoutfeeling，butarereticentfromhabit，mayberecalledbyallofus。Whentheyfindalistenerwhocanbynopossibilitymakeuseofthem，rivalthem，orcondemnthem，reservedandevensuspiciousmenoftheworldbecomefrank，keenlyenjoyingtheinnersideoftheirfrankness。

"WhyIdon"tmindtheaccidentalconstraint，"hereplied，"isbecause，inmakingbeginnings，achancelimitationofdirectionisoftenbetterthanabsolutefreedom。"

"Isee——thatis，IshouldifIquiteunderstoodwhatallthosegeneralitiesmean。"

"Why，this:Thatanarbitraryfoundationforone"swork，whichnolengthofthoughtcanalter，leavestheattentionfreetofixitselfontheworkitself，andmakethebestofit。"

"Lateralcompressionforcingaltitude，aswouldbesaidinthattongue，"shesaidmischievously。"AndIsupposewherenolimitexists，asinthecaseofarichmanwithawidetastewhowantstodosomething，itwillbebettertochoosealimitcapriciouslythantohavenone。"

"Yes，"hesaidmeditatively。"Icangoasfarasthat。"

"Well，"resumedElfride，"Ithinkitbetterforaman"snatureifhedoesnothinginparticular。"

"Thereissuchacaseasbeingobligedto。"

"Yes，yes；Iwasspeakingofwhenyouarenotobligedforanyotherreasonthandelightintheprospectoffame。Ihavethoughtmanytimeslatelythatathinwidespreadhappiness，commencingnow，andofapiecewiththedaysofyourlife，ispreferabletoananticipatedheapfarawayinthefuture，andnonenow。"

"Why，that"stheverythingIsaidjustnowasbeingtheprincipleofallephemeraldoerslikemyself。"

"Oh，Iamsorrytohaveparodiedyou，"shesaidwithsomeconfusion。"Yes，ofcourse。Thatiswhatyoumeantaboutnottryingtobefamous。"Andsheadded，withthequicknessofconvictioncharacteristicofhermind:"Thereismuchlittlenessintryingtobegreat。Amanmustthinkagooddealofhimself，andbeconceitedenoughtobelieveinhimself，beforehetriesatall。"

"Butitissoonenoughtosaythereisharminaman"sthinkingagooddealofhimselfwhenitisprovedhehasbeenthinkingwrong，andtoosoonthensometimes。Besides，weshouldnotconcludethatamanwhostrivesearnestlyforsuccessdoessowithastrongsenseofhisownmerit。Hemayseehowlittlesuccesshastodowithmerit，andhismotivemaybehisveryhumility。"

ThismanneroftreatingherratherprovokedElfride。Nosoonerdidsheagreewithhimthanheceasedtoseemtowishit，andtooktheotherside。"Ah，"shethoughtinwardly，"Ishallhavenothingtodowithamanofthiskind，thoughheisourvisitor。"

"Ithinkyouwillfind，"resumedKnight，pursuingtheconversationmoreforthesakeoffinishingoffhisthoughtsonthesubjectthanforengagingherattention，"thatinactuallifeitismerelyamatterofinstinctwithmen——thistryingtopushon。Theyawaketoarecognitionthattheyhave，withoutpremeditation，beguntotryalittle，andtheysaytothemselves，"SinceIhavetriedthusmuch，Iwilltryalittlemore。”Theygoonbecausetheyhavebegun。"

Elfride，inherturn，wasnotparticularlyattendingtohiswordsatthismoment。Shehad，unconsciouslytoherself，awayofseizinganypointintheremarksofaninterlocutorwhichinterestedher，anddwellinguponit，andthinkingthoughtsofherownthereupon，totallyobliviousofallthathemightsayincontinuation。Onsuchoccasionssheartlesslysurveyedthepersonspeaking；andthentherewasatimeforapainter。Hereyesseemedtolookatyou，andpastyou，asyouwerethen，intoyourfuture；andpastyourfutureintoyoureternity——notreadingit，butgazinginanunused，unconsciousway——hermindstillclingingtoitsoriginalthought。

ThisishowshewaslookingatKnight。