第2章

III。THEEVENTSOFEIGHTDAYS

1。FROMTHETWENTY-SECONDTOTHETWENTY-SEVENTHOFJULY

Butthingsarenotwhattheyseem。AresponsiveloveforEdwardSpringrovehadmadeitsappearanceinCytherea"sbosomwithallthefascinatingattributesofafirstexperience，notsucceedingtoordisplacingotheremotions，asinolderhearts，buttakingupentirelynewground；aswhengazingjustaftersunsetatthepaleblueskyweseeastarcomeintoexistencewherenothingwasbefore。

Hispartingwords，"Don"tforgetme，"sherepeatedtoherselfahundredtimes，andthoughshethoughttheirimportwasprobablycommonplace，shecouldnothelptoyingwiththem，——lookingatthemfromallpoints，andinvestingthemwithmeaningsofloveandfaithfulness，——ostensiblyentertainingsuchmeaningsonlyasfableswherewithtopassthetime，yetinherheartadmitting，fordetachedinstants，apossibilityoftheirdeepertruth。Andthus，forhoursafterhehadlefther，herreasonflirtedwithherfancyasakittenwillsportwithadove，pleasantlyandsmoothlythrougheasyattitudes，butdisclosingitscruelandunyieldingnatureatcrises。

Toturnnowtothemorematerialmediathroughwhichthisstorymoves，itsohappenedthattheverynextmorningbroughtroundacircumstancewhich，slightinitself，tookuparelevantandimportantpositionbetweenthepastandthefutureofthepersonshereinconcerned。

Atbreakfasttime，justasCythereahadagainseenthepostmanpasswithoutbringingherananswertotheadvertisement，asshehadfullyexpectedhewoulddo，Owenenteredtheroom。

"Well，"hesaid，kissingher，"youhavenotbeenalarmed，ofcourse。

SpringrovetoldyouwhatIhaddone，andyoufoundtherewasnotrain？"

"Yes，itwasallclear。Butwhatisthelamenessowingto？"

"Idon"tknow——nothing。Ithasquitegoneoffnow……Cytherea，IhopeyoulikeSpringrove。Springrove"sanicefellow，youknow。"

"Yes。Ithinkheis，exceptthat——"

"IthappenedjusttothepurposethatIshouldmeethimthere，didn"tit？AndwhenIreachedthestationandlearntthatIcouldnotgetonbytrainmyfootseemedbetter。Istartedofftowalkhome，andwentaboutfivemilesalongapathbesidetherailway。ItthenstruckmethatImightnotbefitforanythingtodayifI

walkedandaggravatedthebotheringfoot，soIlookedforaplacetosleepat。Therewasnoavailablevillageorinn，andIeventuallygotthekeeperofagate-house，wherealanecrossedtheline，totakemein。"

Theyproceededwiththeirbreakfast。Owenyawned。

"Youdidn"tgetmuchsleepatthegate-houselastnight，I"mafraid，Owen，"saidhissister。

"Totellthetruth，Ididn"t。Iwasinsuchverycloseandnarrowquarters。Thosegate-housesaresuchsmallplaces，andthemanhadonlyhisownbedtoofferme。Ah，by-the-bye，Cythie，Ihavesuchanextraordinarythingtotellyouinconnectionwiththisman！——byJove，Ihadnearlyforgottenit！ButI"llgostraighton。AsIwassaying，hehadonlyhisownbedtoofferme，butIcouldnotaffordtobefastidious，andashehadaheartymanner，thoughaveryqueerone，Iagreedtoacceptit，andhemadearoughpalletforhimselfonthefloorclosebesideme。Well，Icouldnotsleepformylife，andIwishedIhadnotstayedthere，thoughIwassotired。Foronething，thereweretheluggagetrainsrattlingbyatmyelbowtheearlypartofthenight。Butworsethanthis，hetalkedcontinuallyinhissleep，andoccasionallystruckoutwithhislimbsatsomethingoranother，knockingagainstthepostofthebedsteadandmakingittremble。MyconditionwasaltogethersounsatisfactorythatatlastIawokehim，andaskedhimwhathehadbeendreamingaboutfortheprevioushour，forIcouldgetnosleepatall。Hebeggedmypardonfordisturbingme，butanameIhadcasuallyletfallthateveninghadledhimtothinkofanotherstrangerhehadoncehadvisithim，whohadalsoaccidentallymentionedthesamename，andsomeverystrangeincidentsconnectedwiththatmeeting。

Theaffairhadoccurredyearsandyearsago；butwhatIhadsaidhadmadehimthinkanddreamaboutitasifitwerebutyesterday。Whatwastheword？Isaid。“Cytherea，“hesaid。Whatwasthestory？I

askedthen。HethentoldmethatwhenhewasayoungmaninLondonheborrowedafewpoundstoaddtoafewhehadsavedup，andopenedalittleinnatHammersmith。Oneevening，aftertheinnhadbeenopenaboutacoupleofmonths，everyidlerintheneighbourhoodranofftoWestminster。TheHousesofParliamentwereonfire。

"Notasoulremainedinhisparlourbesideshimself，andhebeganpickingupthepipesandglasseshiscustomershadhastilyrelinquished。Atlengthayoungladyaboutseventeenoreighteencamein。Sheaskedifawomanwastherewaitingforherself——MissJaneTaylor。Hesaidno；askedtheyoungladyifshewouldwait，andshowedherintothesmallinnerroom。Therewasaglass-paneinthepartitiondividingthisroomfromthebartoenablethelandlordtoseeifhisvisitors，whosatthere，wantedanything。Acuriousawkwardnessandmelancholyaboutthebehaviourofthegirlwhocalled，causedmyinformanttolookfrequentlyatherthroughthepartition。Sheseemedwearyofherlife，andsatwithherfaceburiedinherhands，evidentlyquiteoutofherelementinsuchahouse。ThenawomanmucholdercameinandgreetedMissTaylorbyname。Themandistinctlyheardthefollowingwordspassbetweenthem：——

"“Whyhaveyounotbroughthim？”

"“Heisill；heisnotlikelytolivethroughthenight。“

"Atthisannouncementfromtheelderlywoman，theyoungladyfelltothefloorinaswoon，apparentlyovercomebythenews。Thelandlordraninandliftedherup。Well，dowhattheywouldtheycouldnotforalongtimebringherbacktoconsciousness，andbegantobemuchalarmed。“Whoisshe？”theinnkeepersaidtotheotherwoman。

“Iknowher，“theothersaid，withdeepmeaninginhertone。Theelderlyandyoungwomanseemedallied，andyetstrangers。

"Shenowshowedsignsoflife，anditstruckhim(hewasplainlyofaninquisitiveturn)，thatinherhalf-bewilderedstatehemightgetsomeinformationfromher。Hestoopedoverher，puthismouthtoherear，andsaidsharply，“What"syourname？”“Tocatchawomannappingisdifficult，evenwhenshe"shalfdead；butIdidit，“saysthegatekeeper。Whenheaskedherhername，shesaidimmediately——

"“Cytherea“——andstoppedsuddenly。"

"Myownname！"saidCytherea。

"Yes——yourname。Well，thegatemanthoughtatthetimeitmightbeequallywithJaneanameshehadinventedfortheoccasion，thattheymightnottraceher；butIthinkitwastruthunconsciouslyuttered，forsheaddeddirectlyafterwards：“O，whathaveIsaid！”

andwasquiteovercomeagain——thistimewithfright。Hervexationthatthewomannowdoubtedthegenuinenessofherothernamewasverymuchgreaterthanthattheinnkeeperdid，anditisevidentthattoblindthewomanwashermainobject。Healsolearntfromwordstheelderlywomancasuallydropped，thatmeetingsofthesamekindhadbeenheldbefore，andthatthefalsenessofthesoi-disantMissJaneTaylor"snamehadneverbeensuspectedbythisdependentorconfederatetillthen。

"Sherecovered，restedthereforanhour，andfirstsendingoffhercompanionperemptorily(whichwasanotheroddthing)，sheleftthehouse，offeringthelandlordallthemoneyshehadtosaynothingaboutthecircumstance。Hehasneverseenhersince，accordingtohisownaccount。Isaidtohimagainandagain，“Didyoufindanymoreparticularsafterwards？”“Notasyllable，“hesaid。O，heshouldneverhearanymoreofthat！toomanyyearshadpassedsinceithappened。“Atanyrate，youfoundouthersurname？”Isaid。

“Well，well，that"smysecret，“hewenton。“PerhapsIshouldneverhavebeeninthispartoftheworldifithadn"tbeenforthat。I

failedasapublican，youknow。“Iimaginethesituationofgatemanwasgivenhimandhisdebtspaidoffasabribetosilence；butI

can"tsay。“Ah，yes！”hesaid，withalongbreath。“Ihaveneverheardthatnamementionedsincethattimetillto-night，andthenthereinstantlyrosetomyeyesthevisionofthatyoungladylyinginafaintingfit。“Hethenstoppedtalkingandfellasleep。

TellingthestorymusthaverelievedhimasitdidtheAncientMariner，forhedidnotmoveamuscleormakeanothersoundfortheremainderofthenight。Nowisn"tthatanoddstory？"

"Itisindeed，"Cythereamurmured。"Very，verystrange。"

"Whyshouldshehavesaidyourmostuncommonname？"continuedOwen。

"Themanwasevidentlytruthful，fortherewasnotmotivesufficientforhisinventionofsuchatale，andhecouldnothavedoneiteither。"

Cytherealookedlongatherbrother。"Don"tyourecognizeanythingelseinconnectionwiththestory？"shesaid。

"What？"heasked。

"Doyourememberwhatpoorpapaonceletdrop——thatCythereawasthenameofhisfirstsweetheartinBloomsbury，whosomysteriouslyrenouncedhim？Asortofintuitiontellsmethatthiswasthesamewoman。"

"Ono——notlikely，"saidherbrothersceptically。

"Hownotlikely，Owen？There"snotanotherwomanofthenameinEngland。Inwhatyearusedpapatosaytheeventtookplace？"

"Eighteenhundredandthirty-five。"

"AndwhenweretheHousesofParliamentburnt？——stop，Icantellyou。"Shesearchedtheirlittlestockofbooksforalistofdates，andfoundoneinanoldschoolhistory。

"TheHousesofParliamentwereburntdownintheeveningofthesixteenthofOctober，eighteenhundredandthirty-four。"

"Nearlyayearandaquarterbeforeshemetfather，"remarkedOwen。

Theyweresilent。"Ifpapahadbeenalive，whatawonderfulabsorbinginterestthisstorywouldhavehadforhim，"saidCythereaby-and-by。"Andhowstrangelyknowledgecomestous。Wemighthavesearchedforacluetohersecrethalftheworldover，andneverfoundone。Ifwehadreallyhadanymotivefortryingtodiscovermoreofthesadhistorythanpapatoldus，weshouldhavegonetoBloomsbury；butnotcaringtodoso，wegotwohundredmilesintheoppositedirection，andtherefindinformationwaitingtobetoldus。Whatcouldhavebeenthesecret，Owen？"

"Heavenknows。Butourhavingheardalittlemoreofherinthisway(ifsheisthesamewoman)isamerecoincidenceafterall——afamilystorytotellourfriendsifweeverhaveany。Butweshallneverknowanymoreoftheepisodenow——trustourfatesforthat。"

Cythereasatsilentlythinking。

"Therewasnoanswerthismorningtoyouradvertisement，Cytherea？"

hecontinued。

"None。"

"IcouldseethatbyyourlookswhenIcamein。"

"Fancynotgettingasingleone，"shesaidsadly。"Surelytheremustbepeoplesomewherewhowantgovernesses？"

"Yes；butthosewhowantthem，andcanaffordtohavethem，getthemmostlybyfriends"recommendations；whilstthosewhowantthem，andcan"taffordtohavethem，makeuseoftheirpoorrelations。"

"WhatshallIdo？"

"Nevermindit。Goonlivingwithme。Don"tletthedifficultytroubleyourmindso；youthinkaboutitallday。Icankeepyou，Cythie，inaplainwayofliving。Twenty-fiveshillingsaweekdonotamounttomuchtruly；butthenmanymechanicshavenomore，andwelivequiteassparinglyasjourneymenmechanics……Itisameagrenarrowlifewearedriftinginto，"headdedgloomily，"butitisadegreemoretolerablethantheworryingsensationofalltheworldbeingashamedofyou，whichweexperiencedatHocbridge。"

"Icouldn"tgobackthereagain，"shesaid。

"NorI。O，Idon"tregretourcourseforamoment。Wedidquiterightindroppingoutoftheworld。"Thesneeringtonesoftheremarkwerealmosttoolabouredtobereal。"Besides，"hecontinued，"somethingbetterformeissuretoturnupsoon。Iwishmyengagementherewasapermanentoneinsteadofforonlytwomonths。Itmay，certainly，beforalongertime，butallisuncertain。"

"IwishIcouldgetsomethingtodo；andImusttoo，"shesaidfirmly。"Suppose，asisveryprobable，youarenotwantedafterthebeginningofOctober——thetimeMr。Gradfieldmentioned——whatshouldwedoifIweredependentonyouonlythroughoutthewinter？"

Theyponderedonnumerousschemesbywhichayoungladymightbesupposedtoearnadecentlivelihood——moreorlessconvenientandfeasibleinimagination，butrelinquishedthemalluntiladvertisinghadbeenoncemoretried，thistimetakinglowerground。Cythereawasvexedathertemerityinhavingrepresentedtotheworldthatsoinexperiencedabeingasherselfwasaqualifiedgoverness；andhadafancythatthispresumptionofhersmightbeonereasonwhynoladiesapplied。Thenewandhumblerattemptappearedinthefollowingform：——

"NURSERYGOVERNESSORUSEFULCOMPANION。Ayoungpersonwishestohearofasituationineitheroftheabovecapacities。Salaryverymoderate。Sheisagoodneedle-woman——AddressG。，3CrossStreet，Budmouth。"

Intheeveningtheywenttoposttheletter，andthenwalkedupanddowntheParadeforawhile。SoontheymetSpringrove，saidafewwordstohim，andpassedon。Owennoticedthathissister"sfacehadbecomecrimson。RatheroddlytheymetSpringroveagaininafewminutes。Thistimethethreewalkedalittlewaytogether，EdwardostensiblytalkingtoOwen，thoughwithasinglethoughttothereceptionofhiswordsbythemaidenatthefartherside，uponwhomhisgazewasmostlyresting，andwhowasattentivelylistening——

lookingfixedlyuponthepavementthewhile。Ithasbeensaidthatmenlovewiththeireyes；womenwiththeirears。

AsOwenandhimselfwerelittlemorethanacquaintancesasyet，andasSpringrovewaswantingintheassuranceofmanymenofhisage，itnowbecamenecessarytowishhisfriendsgood-evening，ortofindareasonforcontinuingnearCythereabysayingsomenicenewthing。

Hethoughtofanewthing；heproposedapullacrossthebay。Thiswasassentedto。Theywenttothepier；steppedintooneofthegailypaintedboatsmooredalongsideandsheeredoff。Cythereasatinthesternsteering。

Theyrowedthatevening；thenextcame，andwithitthenecessityofrowingagain。Thenthenext，andthenext，Cythereaalwayssittinginthesternwiththetillerropesinherhand。Thecurvesofherfigureweldedwiththoseofthefragileboatinperfectcontinuation，asshegirlishlyyieldedherselftoitsheavingandsinking，seemingtoformwithitanorganicwhole。

ThenOwenwasinclinedtotesthisskillinpaddlingacanoe。

Edwarddidnotlikecanoes，andtheissuewas，that，havingseenOwenonboard，Springroveproposedtopulloffafterhimwithapairofsculls；butnotconsideringhimselfsufficientlyaccomplishedtodofinishedrowingbeforeaparadefullofpromenaderswhentherewasalittleswellon，andwiththerudderunshippedinaddition，hebeggedthatCythereamightcomewithhimandsteerasbefore。Shesteppedin，andtheyfloatedalonginthewakeofherbrother。Thuspassedthefiftheveningonthewater。

Butthesympatheticpairwerethrownintostillclosercompanionship，andmuchmoreexclusiveconnection。

2。JULYTHETWENTY-NINTH

ItwasasadtimeforCytherea——thelastdayofSpringrove"smanagementatGradfield"s，andthelasteveningbeforehisreturnfromBudmouthtohisfather"shouse，previoustohisdepartureforLondon。

Grayehadbeenrequestedbythearchitecttosurveyaplotoflandnearlytwentymilesoff，which，withthejourneytoandfro，wouldoccupyhimthewholeday，andpreventhisreturningtilllateintheevening。Cythereamadeacompanionofherlandladytotheextentofsharingmealsandsittingwithherduringthemorningofherbrother"sabsence。Mid-dayfoundherrestlessandmiserableunderthisarrangement。Alltheafternoonshesatalone，lookingoutofthewindowforshescarcelyknewwhom，andhopingshescarcelyknewwhat。Half-pastfiveo"clockcame——theendofSpringrove"sofficialday。TwominuteslaterSpringrovewalkedby。

Sheenduredhersolitudeforanotherhalf-hour，andthencouldendurenolonger。Shehadhoped——whileaffectingtofear——thatEdwardwouldhavefoundsomereasonorotherforcalling，butitseemedthathehadnot。Hastilydressingherselfshewentout，whenthefarceofanaccidentalmeetingwasrepeated。Edwardcameuponherinthestreetatthefirstturning，and，liketheGreatDukeFerdinandin"TheStatueandtheBust"——

"Helookedatherasalovercan；

Shelookedathimasonewhoawakes——

Thepastwasasleep，andherlifebegan。"

"Shallwehaveaboat？"hesaidimpulsively。

Howblissfulitallisatfirst。Perhaps，indeed，theonlyblissinthecourseoflovewhichcantrulybecalledEden-likeisthatwhichprevailsimmediatelyafterdoubthasendedandbeforereflectionhassetin——atthedawnoftheemotion，whenitisnotrecognizedbyname，andbeforetheconsiderationofwhatthisloveis，hasgivenbirthtotheconsiderationofwhatdifficultiesittendstocreate；

whenontheman"spart，themistressappearstothemind"seyeinpicturesque，hazy，andfreshmorninglights，andsoftmorningshadows；when，asyet，sheisknownonlyasthewearerofonedress，whichsharesherownpersonality；asthestanderinonespecialposition，thegiverofonebrightparticularglance，andthespeakerofonetendersentence；when，onherpart，sheistimidlycarefuloverwhatshesaysanddoes，lestsheshouldbemisconstruedorunder-ratedtothebreadthofashadowofahair。

"Shallwehaveaboat？"hesaidagain，moresoftly，seeingthattohisfirstquestionshehadnotanswered，butlookeduncertainlyattheground，thenalmost，butnotquite，inhisface，blushedaseriesofminuteblushes，leftoffinthemidstofthem，andshowedtheusualsignsofperplexityinamatteroftheemotions。

Owenhadalwaysbeenwithherbefore，buttherewasnowaforceofhabitintheproceeding，andwithArcadianinnocencesheassumedthatarowonthewaterwas，underanycircumstances，anaturalthing。Withoutanotherwordbeingspokenoneitherside，theywentdownthesteps。Hecarefullyhandedherin，tookhisseat，slidnoiselesslyoffthesand，andawayfromtheshore。

Theythussatfacingeachotherinthegracefulyellowcockle-shell，andhiseyesfrequentlyfoundaresting-placeinthedepthsofhers。

Theboatwassosmallthatateachreturnofthesculls，whenhishandscameforwardtobeginthepull，theyapproachedsoneartoherthathervividimaginationbegantothrillherwithafancythathewasgoingtoclasphisarmsroundher。Thesensationgrewsostrongthatshecouldnotruntheriskofagainmeetinghiseyesatthosecriticalmoments，andturnedasidetoinspectthedistanthorizon；

thenshegrewwearyoflookingsideways，andwasdriventoreturntohernaturalpositionagain。Atthisinstantheagainleantforwardtobegin，andmetherglancebyanardentfixedgaze。Aninvoluntaryimpulseofgirlishembarrassmentcausedhertogiveavehementpullatthetiller-rope，whichbroughttheboat"sheadroundtilltheystooddirectlyforshore。

Hiseyes，whichhaddweltuponherformduringthewholetimeofherlookaskance，nowlefther；heperceivedthedirectioninwhichtheyweregoing。

"Why，youhavecompletelyturnedtheboat，MissGraye？"hesaid，lookingoverhisshoulder。"Lookatourtrackonthewater——agreatsemicircle，precededbyaseriesofzigzagsasfaraswecansee。"

Shelookedattentively。"Isitmyfaultoryours？"sheinquired。

"Mine，Isuppose？"

"Ican"thelpsayingthatitisyours。"

Shedroppedtheropesdecisively，feelingtheslightesttwingeofvexationattheanswer。

"Whydoyouletgo？"

"Idoitsobadly。"

"Ono；youturnedaboutforshoreinamasterlyway。Doyouwishtoreturn？"

"Yes，ifyouplease。"

"Ofcourse，then，Iwillatonce。"

"Ifearwhatthepeoplewillthinkofus——goinginsuchabsurddirections，andallthroughmywretchedsteering。"

"Nevermindwhatthepeoplethink。"Apause。"Yousurelyarenotsoweakastomindwhatthepeoplethinkonsuchamatterasthat？"

Thosewordsmightalmostbecalledtoofirmandhardtobegivenbyhimtoher；butnevermind。Foralmostthefirsttimeinherlifeshefeltthecharmingsensation，althoughonsuchaninsignificantsubject，ofbeingcompelledintoanopinionbyamansheloved。

Owen，thoughlessyieldingphysically，andmorepractical，wouldnothavehadtheintellectualindependencetoanswerawomanthus。Sherepliedquietlyandhonestly——ashonestlyaswhenshehadstatedthecontraryfactaminuteearlier——

"Idon"tmind。"

"I"llunshipthetillerthatyoumayhavenothingtodogoingbackbuttoholdyourparasol，"hecontinued，andarosetoperformtheoperation，necessarilyleaningcloselyagainsther，toguardagainsttheriskofcapsizingtheboatashereachedhishandsastern。Hiswarmbreathtouchedandcreptroundherfacelikeacaress；buthewasapparentlyonlyconcernedwithhistask。Shelookedguiltyofsomethingwhenheseatedhimself。Hereadinherfacewhatthatsomethingwas——shehadexperiencedapleasurefromhistouch。Butheflungapracticalglanceoverhisshoulder，seizedtheoars，andtheyspedinastraightlinetowardstheshore。

Cythereasawthathenotedinherfacewhathadpassedinherheart，andthatnotingit，hecontinuedasdecidedasbefore。Shewasinwardlydistressed。Shehadnotmeanthimtotranslateherwordsaboutreturninghomesoliterallyatthefirst；shehadnotintendedhimtolearnhersecret；butmorethanallshewasnotabletoenduretheperceptionofhislearningitandcontinuingunmoved。

Therewasnothingbutmiserytocomenow。Theywouldstepashore；

hewouldsaygood-night，gotoLondonto-morrow，andthemiserableShewouldlosehimforever。Shedidnotquitesupposewhatwasthefact，thataparallelthoughtwassimultaneouslypassingthroughhismind。

Theywerenowwithintenyards，nowwithinfive；hewasonlynowwaitingfora"smooth"tobringtheboatin。Sweet，sweetLovemustnotbeslainthus，wasthefairmaid"sreasoning。Shewasequaltotheoccasion——ladiesare——anddeliveredthegod——

"Doyouwantverymuchtoland，Mr。Springrove？"shesaid，lettingheryoungvioleteyespineathimavery，verylittle。

"I？Notatall，"saidhe，lookinganastonishmentatherinquirywhichaslighttwinkleofhiseyehalfbelied。"Butyoudo？"

"Ithinkthatnowwehavecomeout，anditissuchapleasantevening，"shesaidgentlyandsweetly，"Ishouldlikealittlelongerrowifyoudon"tmind？I"lltrytosteerbetterthanbeforeifitmakesiteasierforyou。I"lltryveryhard。"

Itwastheturnofhisfacetotellatalenow。Helooked，"Weunderstandeachother——ah，wedo，darling！"turnedtheboat，andpulledbackintotheBayoncemore。

"Nowsteerwhereveryouwill，"hesaid，inalowvoice。"Nevermindthedirectnessofthecourse——whereveryouwill。"

"ShallitbeCrestonShore？"shesaid，pointingtoastretchofbeachnorthwardfromBudmouthEsplanade。

"CrestonShorecertainly，"heresponded，graspingthesculls。Shetookthestringsdaintily，andtheywoundawaytotheleft。

Foralongtimenothingwasaudibleintheboatbuttheregulardipoftheoars，andtheirmovementintherowlocks。Springroveatlengthspoke。

"Imustgoawayto-morrow，"hesaidtentatively。

"Yes，"sherepliedfaintly。

"ToendeavourtoadvancealittleinmyprofessioninLondon。"

"Yes，"shesaidagain，withthesamepreoccupiedsoftness。

"ButIshan"tadvance。"

"Whynot？Architectureisabewitchingprofession。Theysaythatanarchitect"sworkisanotherman"splay。"

"Yes。Butworldlyadvantagefromanartdoesn"tdependuponmasteringit。Iusedtothinkitdid；butitdoesn"t。Thosewhogetrichneedhavenoskillatallasartists。"

"Whatneedtheyhave？"

"Acertainkindofenergywhichmenwithanyfondnessforartpossessveryseldomindeed——anearnestnessinmakingacquaintances，andaloveforusingthem。Theygivetheirwholeattentiontotheartofdiningout，aftermasteringafewrudimentaryfactstoserveupinconversation。Nowaftersayingthat，doIseemamanlikelytomakeaname？"

"Youseemamanlikelytomakeamistake。"

"What"sthat？"

"Togivetoomuchroomtothelatentfeelingwhichisrathercommoninthesedaysamongtheunappreciated，thatbecausesomeremarkablysuccessfulmenarefools，allremarkablyunsuccessfulmenaregeniuses。"

"Prettysubtleforayounglady，"hesaidslowly。"FromthatremarkIshouldfancyyouhadboughtexperience。"

Shepassedovertheidea。"Dotrytosucceed，"shesaid，withwistfulthoughtfulness，leavinghereyesonhim。

Springroveflushedalittleattheearnestnessofherwords，andmused。"Then，likeCatotheCensor，IshalldowhatIdespise，tobeinthefashion，"hesaidatlast……"Well，whenIfoundallthisoutthatIwasspeakingof，whateverdoyouthinkIdid？Fromhavingalreadylovedversepassionately，Iwentontoreaditcontinually；thenIwentrhymingmyself。Ifanythingonearthruinsamanforusefuloccupation，andforcontentwithreasonablesuccessinaprofessionortrade，itisthehabitofwritingversesonemotionalsubjects，whichhadmuchbetterbelefttodiefromwantofnourishment。"

"Doyouwritepoemsnow？"shesaid。

"None。Poeticaldaysaregettingpastwithme，accordingtotheusualrule。Writingrhymesisastagepeopleofmysortpassthrough，astheypassthroughthestageofshavingforabeard，orthinkingtheyareill-used，orsayingthere"snothingintheworldworthlivingfor。"

"Thenthedifferencebetweenacommonmanandarecognizedpoetis，thatonehasbeendeluded，andcuredofhisdelusion，andtheothercontinuesdeludedallhisdays。"

"Well，there"sjustenoughtruthinwhatyousay，tomaketheremarkunbearable。However，itdoesn"tmattertomenowthatI“meditatethethanklessMuse“nolonger，but……"Hepaused，asifendeavouringtothinkwhatbetterthinghedid。

Cytherea"smindranontothesucceedinglinesofthepoem，andtheirstartlingharmonywiththepresentsituationsuggestedthefancythathewas"sporting"withher，andbroughtanawkwardcontemplativenesstoherface。

Springroveguessedherthoughts，andinanswertothemsimplysaid"Yes。"Thentheyweresilentagain。

"IfIhadknownanAmarylliswascominghere，Ishouldnothavemadearrangementsforleaving，"heresumed。

Suchlevity，superimposedonthenotionof"sport"，wasintolerabletoCytherea；forawomanseemsnevertoseeanybuttheserioussideofherattachment，thoughthemostdevotedloverhasallthetimeavagueanddimperceptionthatheislosinghisolddignityandfritteringawayhistime。

"Butwillyounottryagaintogetoninyourprofession？Tryoncemore；dotryoncemore，"shemurmured。"Iamgoingtotryagain。I

haveadvertisedforsomethingtodo。"

"OfcourseIwill，"hesaid，withaneagergestureandsmile。"ButwemustrememberthatthefameofChristopherWrenhimselfdependedupontheaccidentofafireinPuddingLane。Mysuccessesseemtocomeveryslowly。Ioftenthink，thatbeforeIamreadytolive，itwillbetimeformetodie。However，Iamtrying——notforfamenow，butforaneasylifeofreasonablecomfort。"

Itisamelancholytruthforthemiddleclasses，thatinproportionastheydevelop，bythestudyofpoetryandart，theircapacityforconjugalloveofthehighestandpurestkind，theylimitthepossibilityoftheirbeingabletoexerciseit——theveryactputtingoutoftheirpowertheattainmentofmeanssufficientformarriage。

Themanwhoworksupagoodincomehashadnotimetolearnlovetoitssolemnextreme；themanwhohaslearntthathashadnotimetogetrich。

"Andifyoushouldfail——utterlyfailtogetthatreasonablewealth，"shesaidearnestly，"don"tbeperturbed。Thetrulygreatstanduponnomiddleledge；theyareeitherfamousorunknown。"

"Unknown，"hesaid，"iftheirideashavebeenallowedtoflowwithasympatheticbreadth。Famousonlyiftheyhavebeenconvergentandexclusive。"

"Yes；andIamafraidfromthat，thatmyremarkwasbutdiscouragement，wearingthedressofcomfort。PerhapsIwasnotquiterightin——"

"Itdependsentirelyuponwhatismeantbybeingtrulygreat。Butthelongandtheshortofthematteris，thatmenmuststicktoathingiftheywanttosucceedinit——notgivingwaytoover-muchadmirationfortheflowerstheyseegrowinginotherpeople"sborders；whichIamafraidhasbeenmycase。"Helookedintothefardistanceandpaused。

Adherencetoacoursewithpersistencesufficienttoensuresuccessispossibletowidelyappreciativemindsonlywhenthereisalsofoundinthemapower——commonplaceinitsnature，butrareinsuchcombination——thepowerofassumingtoconvictionthatintheoutlyingpathswhichappearsomuchmorebrilliantthantheirown，therearebitternessesequallygreat——unperceivedsimplyonaccountoftheirremoteness。

TheywereoppositeRingsworthShore。ThecliffsherewereformedofstratacompletelycontrastingwiththoseofthefurthersideoftheBay，whilstinandbeneaththewaterhardbouldershadtakentheplaceofsandandshingle，betweenwhich，however，theseaglidednoiselessly，withoutbreakingthecrestofasinglewave，sostrikinglycalmwastheair。Thebreezehadentirelydiedaway，leavingthewaterofthatrareglassysmoothnesswhichisunmarkedevenbythesmalldimplesoftheleastaerialmovement。Purplesandbluesofdiversshadeswerereflectedfromthismirroraccordinglyaseachundulationslopedeastorwest。Theycouldseetherockybottomsometwentyfeetbeneaththem，luxuriantwithweedsofvariousgrowths，anddottedwithpulpycreaturesreflectingasilveryandspangledradianceupwardstotheireyes。

Atlengthshelookedathimtolearntheeffectofherwordsofencouragement。Hehadlettheoarsdriftalongside，andtheboathadcometoastandstill。Everythingonearthseemedtakingacontemplativerest，asifwaitingtoheartheavowalofsomethingfromhislips。Atthatinstantheappearedtobreakaresolutionhithertozealouslykept。Leavinghisseatamidshipshecameandgentlyedgedhimselfdownbesideheruponthenarrowseatatthestern。

Shebreathedmorequicklyandwarmly：hetookherrighthandinhisownright：itwasnotwithdrawn。Heputhislefthandbehindhernecktillitcamerounduponherleftcheek：itwasnotthrustaway。Lightlypressingher，hebroughtherfaceandmouthtowardshisown；when，atthistheverybrink，someunaccountablethoughtorspellwithinhimsuddenlymadehimhalt——evennow，andasitseemedasmuchtohimselfastoher，hetimidlywhispered"MayI？"

HerendeavourwastosayNo，sodenudedofitsfleshandsinewsthatitsnaturewouldhardlyberecognized，orinotherwordsaNofromsoneartheaffirmativefrontierastobeaffectedwiththeYesaccent。ItwasthusawhisperedNo，drawnouttonearlyaquarterofaminute"slength，theOmakingitselfaudibleasasoundlikethespringcooofapigeononunusuallyfriendlytermswithitsmate。Thoughconsciousofhersuccessinproducingthekindofwordshehadwishedtoproduce，sheatthesametimetrembledinsuspenseastohowitwouldbetaken。Butthetimeavailablefordoubtwassoshortastoadmitofscarcelymorethanhalfapulsation：

pressingcloserhekissedher。Thenhekissedheragainwithalongerkiss。

Itwasthesupremelyhappymomentoftheirexperience。The"bloom"

andthe"purplelight"werestrongonthelineamentsofboth。Theirheartscouldhardlybelievetheevidenceoftheirlips。

"Iloveyou，andyouloveme，Cytherea！"hewhispered。

Shedidnotdenyit；andallseemedwell。Thegentlesoundsaroundthemfromthehills，theplains，thedistanttown，theadjacentshore，thewaterheavingattheirside，thekiss，andthelongkiss，wereall"manyavoiceofonedelight，"andinunisonwitheachother。

Buthismindflewbacktothesameunpleasantthoughtwhichhadbeenconnectedwiththeresolutionhehadbrokenaminuteortwoearlier。

"Icouldbeaslaveatmyprofessiontowinyou，Cytherea；Iwouldworkatthemeanest，honesttradetobenearyou——muchlessclaimyouasmine；Iwould——anything。ButIhavenottoldyouall；itisnotthis；youdon"tknowwhatthereisyettotell。Couldyouforgiveasyoucanlove？"Shewasalarmedtoseethathehadbecomepalewiththequestion。

"No——donotspeak，"hesaid。"Ihavekeptsomethingfromyou，whichhasnowbecomethecauseofagreatuneasiness。Ihadnoright——toloveyou；butIdidit。Somethingforbade——"

"What？"sheexclaimed。

"Somethingforbademe——tillthekiss——yes，tillthekisscame；andnownothingshallforbidit！We"llhopeinspiteofall……I

must，however，speakofthisloveofourstoyourbrother。Dearest，youhadbettergoindoorswhilstImeethimatthestation，andexplaineverything。"

Cytherea"sshort-livedblisswasdeadandgone。O，ifshehadknownofthissequelwouldshehaveallowedhimtobreakdownthebarrierofmereacquaintanceship——never，never！

"Willyounotexplaintome？"shefaintlyurged。Doubt——indefinite，carkingdoubthadtakenpossessionofher。

"Notnow。Youalarmyourselfunnecessarily，"hesaidtenderly。"MyonlyreasonforkeepingsilenceisthatwithmypresentknowledgeI

maytellanuntruestory。Itmaybethatthereisnothingtotell。

Iamtoblameforhasteinalludingtoanysuchthing。Forgiveme，sweet——forgiveme。"Herheartwasreadytoburst，andshecouldnotanswerhim。Hereturnedtohisplaceandtooktotheoars。

TheyagainmadeforthedistantEsplanade，now，withitslineofhouses，lyinglikeadarkgreybandagainstthelightwesternsky。

Thesunhadset，andastarortwobegantopeepout。Theydrewnearertheirdestination，Edwardashepulledtracinglistlesslywithhiseyestheredstripesuponherscarf，whichgrewtoappearasblackonesintheincreasingduskofevening。Shesurveyedthelonglineoflampsonthesea-wallofthetown，nowlookingsmallandyellow，andseemingtosendlongtap-rootsoffirequiveringdowndeepintothesea。By-and-bytheyreachedthelanding-steps。

Hetookherhandasbefore，andfounditascoldasthewateraboutthem。Itwasnotrelinquishedtillhereachedherdoor。Hisassurancehadnotremovedtheconstraintofhermanner：hesawthatsheblamedhimmutelyandwithhereyes，likeacapturedsparrow。

Leftalone，hewentandseatedhimselfinachairontheEsplanade。

Neithercouldshegoindoorstohersolitaryroom，feelingasshedidinsuchastateofdesperateheaviness。WhenSpringrovewasoutofsightsheturnedback，andarrivedatthecornerjustintimetoseehimsitdown。Thensheglidedpensivelyalongthepavementbehindhim，forgettingherselftomarblelikeMelancholyherselfasshemusedinhisneighbourhoodunseen。Sheheard，withoutheeding，thenotesofpianosandsingingvoicesfromthefashionablehousesatherback，fromtheopenwindowsofwhichthelamp-lightstreamedtojointhatoftheorange-huedfullmoon，newlyrisenovertheBayinfront。ThenEdwardbegantopaceupanddown，andCytherea，fearingthathewouldnoticeher，hastenedhomeward，flinginghimalastlookasshepassedoutofsight。Nopromisefromhimtowrite：

norequestthatsheherselfwoulddoso——nothingbutanindefiniteexpressionofhopeinthefaceofsomefearunknowntoher。Alas，alas！

WhenOwenreturnedhefoundshewasnotinthesmallsitting-room，andcreepingupstairsintoherbedroomwithalight，hediscoveredhertherelyingasleepuponthecoverletofthebed，stillwithherhatandjacketon。Shehadflungherselfdownonentering，andsuccumbedtotheunwontedoppressivenessthateverattendsfull-

blownlove。Thewettracesoftearswereyetvisibleuponherlongdroopinglashes。

"Loveisasowredelight，andsugredgriefe，Alivingdeath，andever-dyinglife。"

"Cytherea，"hewhispered，kissingher。Sheawokewithastart，andventedanexclamationbeforerecoveringherjudgment。"He"sgone！"

shesaid。

"Hehastoldmeall，"saidGrayesoothingly。"Heisgoingoffearlyto-morrowmorning。"Twasashameofhimtowinyouawayfromme，andcruelofyoutokeepthegrowthofthisattachmentasecret。"

"Wecouldn"thelpit，"shesaid，andthenjumpingup——"Owen，hashetoldyouALL？"

"Allofyourlovefrombeginningtoend，"hesaidsimply。

Edwardthenhadnottoldmore——asheoughttohavedone：yetshecouldnotconvicthim。Butshewouldstruggleagainsthisfetters。

Shetingledtotheverysolesofherfeetattheverypossibilitythathemightbedeludingher。

"Owen，"shecontinued，withdignity，"whatishetome？Nothing。I

mustdismisssuchweaknessasthis——believeme，Iwill。Somethingfarmorepressingmustdriveitaway。Ihavebeenlookingmypositionsteadilyintheface，andImustgetalivingsomehow。I

meantoadvertiseoncemore。"

"Advertisingisnouse。"

"Thisonewillbe。"Helookedsurprisedatthesanguinetoneofheranswer，tillshetookapieceofpaperfromthetableandshowedithim。"SeewhatIamgoingtodo，"shesaidsadly，almostbitterly。

Thiswasherthirdeffort：——

"LADY"S-MAID。Inexperienced。Ageeighteen——G。，3CrossStreet，Budmouth。"

Owen——Owentherespectable——lookedblankastonishment。Herepeatedinanameless，varyingtone，thetwowords——

"Lady"s-maid！"

"Yes；lady"s-maid。"Tisanhonestprofession，"saidCythereabravely。

"ButYOU，Cytherea？"

"Yes，I——whoamI？"

"Youwillneverbealady"s-maid——never，Iamquitesure。"

"Ishalltrytobe，atanyrate。"

"Suchadisgrace——"

"Nonsense！Imaintainthatitisnodisgrace！"shesaid，ratherwarmly。"Youknowverywell——"

"Well，sinceyouwill，youmust，"heinterrupted。"Whydoyouput“inexperienced？”"

"BecauseIam。"

"Nevermindthat——scratchout“inexperienced。“Wearepoor，Cytherea，aren"twe？"hemurmured，afterasilence，"anditseemsthatthetwomonthswillclosemyengagementhere。"

"Wecanputupwithbeingpoor，"shesaid，"iftheyonlygiveusworktodo……Yes，wedesireasablessingwhatwasgivenusasacurse，andeventhatisdenied。However，becheerful，Owen，andnevermind！"

Injusticetodespondingmen，itisaswelltorememberthatthebrighterenduranceofwomenattheseepochs——invaluable，sweet，angelic，asitis——owesmoreofitsorigintoanarrowervisionthatshutsoutmanyoftheleaden-eyeddespairsinthevan，thantoahopefulnessintenseenoughtoquellthem。

IV。THEEVENTSOFONEDAY

1。AUGUSTTHEFOURTH。TILLFOURO"CLOCK

TheearlypartofthenextweekbroughtananswertoCytherea"slastnoteofhopeinthewayofadvertisement——notfromadistanceofhundredsofmiles，London，Scotland，Ireland，theContinent——asCythereaseemedtothinkitmust，tobeinkeepingwiththemeansadoptedforobtainingit，butfromaplaceintheneighbourhoodofthatinwhichshewasliving——acountrymansionnottwentymilesoff。Thereplyranthus：——

KNAPWATERHOUSE，August3，1864。

"MissAldclyffeisinwantofayoungpersonaslady"s-maid。Thedutiesoftheplacearelight。MissAldclyffewillbeinBudmouthonThursday，when(shouldG。stillnothaveheardofaplace)shewouldliketoseeherattheBelvedereHotel，Esplanade，atfouro"clock。Noanswerneedbereturnedtothisnote。"

Alittleearlierthanthetimenamed，Cytherea，clothedinamodestbonnet，andablacksilkjacket，turneddowntothehotel。

Expectation，thefreshairfromthewater，thebright，far-extendingoutlook，raisedthemostdelicateofpinkcolourstohercheeks，andrestoredtohertreadaportionofthatelasticitywhichherpasttroubles，andthoughtsofEdward，hadwell-nightakenaway。

Sheenteredthevestibule，andwenttothewindowofthebar。

"IsMissAldclyffehere？"shesaidtoanicely-dressedbarmaidintheforeground，whowastalkingtoalandladycoveredwithchains，knobs，andclampsofgold，inthebackground。

"No，sheisn"t，"saidthebarmaid，notverycivilly。Cytherealookedashadetooprettyforaplaindresser。

"MissAldclyffeisexpectedhere，"thelandladysaidtoathirdperson，outofsight，inthetoneofonewhohadknownforseveraldaysthefactnewlydiscoveredfromCytherea。"Getreadyherroom——

bequick。"Fromthealacritywithwhichtheorderwasgivenandtaken，itseemedtoCythereathatMissAldclyffemustbeawomanofconsiderableimportance。

"YouaretohaveaninterviewwithMissAldclyffehere？"thelandladyinquired。

"Yes。"

"Theyoungpersonhadbetterwait，"continuedthelandlady。Withamoney-taker"sintuitionshehadrightlydivinedthatCythereawouldbringnoprofittothehouse。

Cythereawasshownintoanondescriptchamber，ontheshadysideofthebuilding，whichappearedtobeeitherbedroomordayroom，asoccasionnecessitated，andwasoneofasuiteattheendofthefirst-floorcorridor。Theprevailingcolourofthewalls，curtains，carpet，andcoveringsoffurniture，wasmoreorlessblue，towhichthecoldlightcomingfromthenortheasterlysky，andfallingonawideroofofnewslates——theonlyobjectthesmallwindowcommanded——

impartedamorestrikingpaleness。Butunderneaththedoor，communicatingwiththenextroomofthesuite，gleamedaninfinitesimallysmall，yetverypowerful，fractionofcontrast——averythinlineofruddylight，showingthatthesunbeamedstronglyintothisroomadjoining。Thelineofradiancewastheonlycheeringthingvisibleintheplace。

Peoplegivewaytoveryinfantinethoughtsandactionswhentheywait；thebattle-fieldoflifeistemporarilyfencedoffbyahardandfastline——theinterview。Cythereafixedhereyesidlyuponthestreak，andbeganpicturingawonderfulparadiseontheothersideasthesourceofsuchabeam——remindingherofthewell-knowngooddeedinanaughtyworld。

Whilstshewatchedtheparticlesofdustfloatingbeforethebrilliantchinksheheardacarriageandhorsesstopoppositethefrontofthehouse。Afterwardscametherustleofalady"sskirtsdownthecorridor，andintotheroomcommunicatingwiththeoneCythereaoccupied。

Thegoldenlinevanishedinpartslikethephosphorescentstreakcausedbythestrikingofamatch；therewasthefallofalightfootsteponthefloorjustbehindit：thenapause。Thenthefoottappedimpatiently，and"There"snoonehere！"wasspokenimperiouslybyalady"stongue。

"No，madam；inthenextroom。Iamgoingtofetchher，"saidtheattendant。

"Thatwilldo——oryouneedn"tgoin；Iwillcallher。"

Cythereahadrisen，andsheadvancedtothemiddledoorwiththechinkunderitastheservantretired。Shehadjustlaidherhandontheknob，whenitslippedroundwithinherfingers，andthedoorwaspulledopenfromtheotherside。

2。FOURO"CLOCK

Thedirectblazeoftheafternoonsun，partlyrefractedthroughthecrimsoncurtainsofthewindow，andheightenedbyreflectionsfromthecrimson-flockpaperwhichcoveredthewalls，andacarpetonthefloorofthesametint，shonewithaburningglowroundtheformofaladystandingclosetoCytherea"sfrontwiththedoorinherhand。

Thestrangerappearedtothemaiden"seyes——freshfromthebluegloom，andassistedbyanimaginationfreshfromnature——likeatallblackfigurestandinginthemidstoffire。Itwasthefigureofafinely-builtwoman，ofsparethoughnotangularproportions。

Cythereainvoluntarilyshadedhereyeswithherhand，retreatedasteportwo，andthenshecouldforthefirsttimeseeMissAldclyffe"sfaceinadditiontoheroutline，litupbythesecondaryandsofterlightthatwasreflectedfromthevarnishedpanelsofthedoor。Shewasnotaveryyoungwoman，butcouldboastofmuchbeautyofthemajesticautumnalphase。

"O，"saidthelady，"comethisway。"Cythereafollowedhertotheembrasureofthewindow。

Boththewomenshowedoffthemselvestoadvantageastheywalkedforwardintheorangelight；andeachshowedtooinherfacethatshehadbeenstruckwithhercompanion"sappearance。ThewarmtintaddedtoCytherea"sfaceavoluptuousnesswhichyouthandasimplelifehadnotyetallowedtoexpressitselfthereordinarily；whilstintheelderlady"sfaceitreducedthecustomaryexpression，whichmighthavebeencalledsternness，ifnotharshness，tograndeur，andwarmedherdecayingcomplexionwithmuchoftheyouthfulrichnessitplainlyhadoncepossessed。

Sheappearednownomorethanfive-and-thirty，thoughshemighteasilyhavebeentenoradozenyearsolder。Shehadclearsteadyeyes，aRomannoseinitspurestform，andalsotheroundprominentchinwithwhichtheCaesarsarerepresentedinancientmarbles；amouthexpressingacapabilityforandtendencytostrongemotion，habituallycontrolledbypride。Therewasaseverityabouttheloweroutlinesofthefacewhichgaveamasculinecasttothisportionofhercountenance。Womanlyweaknesswasnowherevisiblesaveinonepart——thecurveofherforeheadandbrows——thereitwasclearandemphatic。Sheworealaceshawloverabrownsilkdress，andanetbonnetsetwithafewbluecornflowers。

"Youinsertedtheadvertisementforasituationaslady"s-maidgivingtheaddress，G。，CrossStreet？"

"Yes，madam。Graye。"

"Yes。Ihaveheardyourname——Mrs。Morris，myhousekeeper，mentionedyou，andpointedoutyouradvertisement。"

Thiswaspuzzlingintelligence，buttherewasnottimeenoughtoconsiderit。

"Wheredidyoulivelast？"continuedMissAldclyffe。

"Ihaveneverbeenaservantbefore。Ilivedathome。"

"Neverbeenout？Ithoughttooatsightofyouthatyouweretoogirlish-lookingtohavedonemuch。Butwhydidyouadvertisewithsuchassurance？Itmisleadspeople。"

"Iamverysorry：Iput“inexperienced“atfirst，butmybrothersaiditisabsurdtotrumpetyourownweaknesstotheworld，andwouldnotletitremain。"

"Butyourmotherknewwhatwasright，Isuppose？"

"Ihavenomother，madam。"

"Yourfather，then？"

"Ihavenofather。"

"Well，"shesaid，moresoftly，"yoursisters，aunts，orcousins。"

"Theydidn"tthinkanythingaboutit。"

"Youdidn"taskthem，Isuppose。"

"No。"

"Youshouldhavedoneso，then。Whydidn"tyou？"

"BecauseIhaven"tanyofthem，either。"

MissAldclyffeshowedhersurprise。"Youdeserveforgivenessthenatanyrate，child，"shesaid，inasortofdrily-kindtone。

"However，Iamafraidyoudonotsuitme，asIamlookingforanelderlyperson。Yousee，Iwantanexperiencedmaidwhoknowsalltheusualdutiesoftheoffice。"Shewasgoingtoadd，"ThoughI

likeyourappearance，"butthewordsseemedoffensivetoapplytotheladylikegirlbeforeher，andshemodifiedthemto，"thoughI

likeyoumuch。"

"IamsorryImisledyou，madam，"saidCytherea。

MissAldclyffestoodinareverie，withoutreplying。

"Goodafternoon，"continuedCytherea。

"Good-bye，MissGraye——Ihopeyouwillsucceed。"

Cythereaturnedawaytowardsthedoor。Themovementchancedtobeoneofhermasterpieces。Itwasprecise：ithadasmuchbeautyaswascompatiblewithprecision，andaslittlecoquettishnessaswascompatiblewithbeauty。

Andshehadinturninglookedoverhershoulderattheotherladywithafaintaccentofreproachinherface。ThosewhorememberGreuze"s"HeadofaGirl，"haveanideaofCytherea"slookaskanceattheturning。Itisnotforamantotellfishersofmenhowtosetouttheirfascinationssoastobringaboutthehighestpossibleaverageoftakeswithintheyear：buttheactionthattugsthehardestofallatanemotionalbeholderisthissweetmethodofturningwhichstealsthebosomawayandleavestheeyesbehind。

NowMissAldclyffeherselfwasnotyroatwheeling。WhenCythereahadclosedthedooruponher，sheremainedforsometimeinhermotionlessattitude，listeningtothegraduallydyingsoundofthemaiden"sretreatingfootsteps。Shemurmuredtoherself，"Itisalmostworthwhiletobeboredwithinstructingherinordertohaveacreaturewhocouldglideroundmyluxuriousindolentbodyinthatmanner，andlookatmeinthatway——Iwarranthowlightherfingersareuponone"sheadandneck……Whatasillymodestyoungthingsheis，togoawaysosuddenlyasthat！"Sherangthebell。

"Asktheyoungladywhohasjustleftmetostepbackagain，"shesaidtotheattendant。"Quick！orshewillbegone。"

Cythereawasnowinthevestibule，thinkingthatifshehadtoldherhistory，MissAldclyffemightperhapshavetakenherintothehousehold；yetherhistorysheparticularlywishedtoconcealfromastranger。Whenshewasrecalledsheturnedbackwithoutfeelingmuchsurprise。Something，sheknewnotwhat，toldhershehadnotseenthelastofMissAldclyffe。

"Youhavesomebodytorefermeto，ofcourse，"theladysaid，whenCythereahadre-enteredtheroom。

"Yes：Mr。Thorn，asolicitoratAldbrickham。"

"Andareyouacleverneedlewoman？"

"Iamconsideredtobe。"

"ThenIthinkthatatanyrateIwillwritetoMr。Thorn，"saidMissAldclyffe，withalittlesmile。"Itistrue，thewholeproceedingisveryirregular；butmypresentmaidleavesnextMonday，andneitherofthefiveIhavealreadyseenseemtodoforme……

Well，IwillwritetoMr。Thorn，andifhisreplyissatisfactory，youshallhearfromme。ItwillbeaswelltosetyourselfinreadinesstocomeonMonday。"

WhenCythereahadagainbeenwatchedoutoftheroom，MissAldclyffeaskedforwritingmaterials，thatshemightatoncecommunicatewithMr。Thorn。Sheindecisivelyplayedwiththepen。"SupposeMr。

Thorn"sreplytobeinanywaydisheartening——andevenifsofromhisownimperfectacquaintancewiththeyoungcreaturemorethanfromcircumstantialknowledge——Ishallfeelobligedtogiveherup。

ThenIshallregretthatIdidnotgiveheronetrialinspiteofotherpeople"sprejudices。Allheraccountofherselfisreliableenough——yes，Icanseethatbyherface。Ilikethatfaceofhers。"

MissAldclyffeputdownthepenandleftthehotelwithoutwritingtoMr。Thorn。

V。THEEVENTSOFONEDAY

1。AUGUSTTHEEIGHTH。MORNINGANDAFTERNOON

Atpost-timeonthatfollowingMondaymorning，Cythereawatchedsoanxiouslyforthepostman，thatasthetimewhichmustbringhimnarrowedlessandlesshervividexpectationhadonlyadegreelesstangibilitythanhispresenceitself。Inanothersecondhisformcameintoview。HebroughttwolettersforCytherea。

OnefromMissAldclyffe，simplystatingthatshewishedCythereatocomeontrial：thatshewouldrequirehertobeatKnapwaterHousebyMondayevening。

TheotherwasfromEdwardSpringrove。Hetoldherthatshewasthebrightspotofhislife：thatherexistencewasfardearertohimthanhisown：thathehadneverknownwhatitwastolovetillhehadmether。True，hehadfeltpassingattachmentstootherfacesfromtimetotime；buttheyallhadbeenweakinclinationstowardsthosefacesastheythenappeared。Helovedherpastandfuture，aswellasherpresent。Hepicturedherasachild：helovedher。Hepicturedherofsageyears：helovedher。Hepicturedherintrouble；helovedher。Homelyfriendshipenteredintohisloveforher，withoutwhichalllovewasevanescent。

Hewouldmakeonedepressingstatement。Uncontrollablecircumstances(alonghistory，withwhichitwasimpossibletoacquaintheratpresent)operatedtoacertainextentasadraguponhiswishes。Hehadfeltthismorestronglyatthetimeoftheirpartingthanhedidnow——anditwasthecauseofhisabruptbehaviour，forwhichhebeggedhertoforgivehim。Hesawnowanhonourablewayoffreeinghimself，andtheperceptionhadpromptedhimtowrite。Inthemeantimemightheindulgeinthehopeofpossessingheronsomebrightfutureday，whenbyhardlabourgeneratedfromherownencouragingwords，hehadplacedhimselfinapositionshewouldthinkworthytobesharedwithhim？

Dearlittleletter；shehuddleditup。Somuchmoreimportantalove-letterseemstoagirlthantoaman。Springrovewasunconsciouslycleverinhisletters，andamanwithatalentofthatkindmaywritehimselfuptoaherointhemindofayoungwomanwholoveshimwithoutknowingmuchabouthim。Springrovealreadystoodacubithigherinherimaginationthanhedidinhisshoes。

Duringthedaysheflittedabouttheroominanecstasyofpleasure，packingthethingsandthinkingofananswerwhichshouldbeworthyofthetendertoneofthequestion，herlovebubblingfromherinvoluntarily，likeprophesyingsfromaprophet。

IntheafternoonOwenwentwithhertotherailway-station，andputherinthetrainforCarrifordRoad，thestationnearesttoKnapwaterHouse。

Half-an-hourlatershesteppedoutupontheplatform，andfoundnobodytheretoreceiveher——thoughapony-carriagewaswaitingoutside。Intwominutesshesawamelancholymanincheerfulliveryrunningtowardsherfromapublic-housecloseadjoining，whoprovedtobetheservantsenttofetchher。Therearetwowaysofgettingridofsorrows：onebylivingthemdown，theotherbydrowningthem。Thecoachmandrownedhis。

Heinformedherthatherluggagewouldbefetchedbyaspring-waggoninabouthalf-an-hour；thenhelpedherintothechaiseanddroveoff。

Herlover"sletter，lyingcloseagainstherneck，fortifiedheragainsttherestlesstimidityshehadpreviouslyfeltconcerningthisnewundertaking，andcompletelyfurnishedherwiththeconfidenteaseofmindwhichisrequiredforthecriticalobservationofsurroundingobjects。Itwasjustthatstageintheslowdeclineofthesummerdays，whenthedeep，dark，andvacuoushot-weathershadowsarebeginningtobereplacedbyblueonesthathaveasurfaceandsubstancetotheeye。Theytrottedalongtheturnpikeroadforadistanceofaboutamile，whichbroughtthemjustoutsidethevillageofCarriford，andthenturnedthroughlargelodge-gates，ontheheavystonepiersofwhichstoodapairofbitternscastinbronze。Theythenenteredtheparkandwoundalongadriveshadedbyoldanddroopinglime-trees，notarrangedintheformofanavenue，butstandingirregularly，sometimesleavingthetrackcompletelyexposedtothesky，atothertimescastingashadeoverit，whichalmostapproachedgloom——theundersurfaceofthelowestboughshangingatauniformlevelofsixfeetabovethegrass——theextremeheighttowhichthenibblingmouthsofthecattlecouldreach。

"Isthatthehouse？"saidCythereaexpectantly，catchingsightofagreygablebetweenthetrees，andlosingitagain。

"No；that"stheoldmanor-house——orratherallthat"sleftofit。

TheAldycliffesusedtoletitsometimes，butitwasoftenerempty。

"Tisnowdividedintothreecottages。Respectablepeopledidn"tcaretolivethere。"

"Whydidn"tthey？"

"Well，"tissoawkwardandunhandy。Youseesomuchofithasbeenpulleddown，andtheroomsthatareleftwon"tdoverywellforasmallresidence。"Tissodismal，too，andlikemostoldhousesstandstoolowdowninthehollowtobehealthy。"

"Dotheytellanyhorridstoriesaboutit？"

"No，notasingleone。"

"Ah，that"sapity。"

"Yes，that"swhatIsay。"Tisjestthehouseforaniceghastlyhair-on-endstory，thatwouldmaketheparishreligious。Perhapsitwillhaveonesomedaytomakeitcomplete；butthere"snotawordofthekindnow。There，Iwouldn"tlivethereforallthat。Infact，Icouldn"t。Ono，Icouldn"t。"

"Whycouldn"tyou？"

"Thesounds。"

"Whatarethey？"

"Oneisthewaterfall，whichstandssoclosebythatyoucanhearthattherewaterfallineveryroomofthehouse，nightorday，illorwell。"Tisenoughtodriveanybodymad：nowhark。"

Hestoppedthehorse。Abovetheslightcommonsoundsintheaircametheunvaryingsteadyrushoffallingwaterfromsomespotunseenonaccountofthethickfoliageofthegrove。

"There"ssomethingawfulinthetimingo"thatsound，ain"tthere，miss？"

"Whenyousaythereis，therereallyseemstobe。Yousaidthereweretwo——whatistheotherhorridsound？"

"Thepumping-engine。That"sclosebytheOldHouse，andsendswaterupthehillandallovertheGreatHouse。Weshallhearthatdirectly……There，nowharkagain。"

Fromthesamedirectiondownthedelltheycouldnowhearthewhistlingcreakofcranks，repeatedatintervalsofhalf-a-minute，withasousingnoisebetweeneach：acreak，asouse，thenanothercreak，andsooncontinually。

"Nowifanybodycouldmakeshifttolivethroughtheothersounds，thesewouldfinishhimoff，don"tyouthinkso，miss？Thatmachinegoesonnightandday，summerandwinter，andishardlyevergreasedorvisited。Ah，ittriesthenervesatnight，especiallyifyouarenotverywell；thoughwedon"toftenhearitattheGreatHouse。"

"Thatsoundiscertainlyverydismal。Theymighthavethewheelgreased。DoesMissAldclyffetakeanyinterestinthesethings？"

"Well，scarcely；youseeherfatherdoesn"tattendtothatsortofthingasheusedto。Theenginewasoncequitehishobby。Butnowhe"sgettenoldandveryseldomgoesthere。"

"Howmanyarethereinfamily？"

"Onlyherfatherandherself。He"sa"oldmanofseventy。"

"IhadthoughtthatMissAldclyffewassolemistressoftheproperty，andlivedherealone。"

"No，m——"Thecoachmanwascontinuallycheckinghimselfthus，beingabouttostylehermissinvoluntarily，andthenrecollectingthathewasonlyspeakingtothenewlady"s-maid。

"Shewillsoonbemistress，however，Iamafraid，"hecontinued，asifspeakingbyaspiritofprophecydeniedtoordinaryhumanity。

"Thepooroldgentlemanhasdecayedveryfastlately。"Themanthendrewalongbreath。

"Whydidyoubreathesadlylikethat？"saidCytherea。

"Ah！……Whenhe"sdeadpeacewillbealloverwithusoldservants。Iexpecttoseetheoldhouseturnedinsideout。"

"Shewillmarry，doyoumean？"

"Marry——notshe！Iwishshewould。No，inhersoulshe"sassolitaryasRobinsonCrusoe，thoughshehasacquaintancesinplenty，ifnotrelations。There"stherector，Mr。Raunham——he"sarelationbymarriage——yetshe"squitedistanttowardshim。AndpeoplesaythatifshekeepssingletherewillbehardlyalifebetweenMr。

Raunhamandtheheirshipoftheestate。Dangit，shedon"tcare。