第16章

"Didyouseethemboth，Jorgenson？"askedLingard。

"Madeoutnobody。Toofar。Toodark。"

AsamatteroffactJorgensonhadseennothing，aboutanhourbeforedaybreak，butthedistantglareoftorcheswhiletheloudshoutsofanexcitedmultitudehadreachedhimacrossthewateronlylikeafaintandtempestuousmurmur。Presentlythelightswentawayprocessionallythroughthegrovesoftreesintothearmedstockades。Thedistantglarevanishedinthefadingdarknessandthemurmursoftheinvisiblecrowdceasedsuddenlyasifcarriedoffbytheretreatingshadowofthenight。Daylightfollowedswiftly，disclosingtothesleeplessJorgensonthesolitudeoftheshoreandtheghostlyoutlinesofthefamiliarformsofgroupedtreesandscatteredhumanhabitations。Hehadwatchedthevariedcolourscomeoutinthedawn，thewidecultivatedSettlementofmanyshadesofgreen，framedfarawaybythefineblacklinesoftheforest—edgethatwasitslimitanditsprotection。

Mrs。Traversstoodagainsttherailasmotionlessasastatue。

Herfacehadlostallitsmobilityandhercheeksweredeadwhiteasifallthebloodinherbodyhadflowedbackintoherheartandhadremainedthere。Herverylipshadlosttheircolour。

Lingardcaughtholdofherarmroughly。

"Don’t，Mrs。Travers。Whyareyouterrifyingyourselflikethis？

Ifyoudon’tbelievewhatIsaylistentomeaskingJorgenson……"

"Yes，askme，"mumbledJorgensoninhiswhitemoustache。

"Speakstraight，Jorgenson。Whatdoyouthink？Arethegentlemenalive？"

"Certainly，"saidJorgensoninasortofdisappointedtoneasthoughhehadexpectedamuchmoredifficultquestion。

"Istheirlifeinimmediatedanger？"

"Ofcoursenot，"saidJorgenson。

Lingardturnedawayfromtheoracle。"Youhaveheardhim，Mrs。

Travers。Youmaybelieveeverywordhesays。Thereisn’tathoughtorapurposeinthatSettlement，"hecontinued，pointingatthedumbsolitudeofthelagoon，"thatthismandoesn’tknowasiftheywerehisown。"

"Iknow。Askme，"mutteredJorgenson，mechanically。

Mrs。Traverssaidnothingbutmadeaslightmovementandherwholerigidfigureswayeddangerously。LingardputhisarmfirmlyroundherwaistandshedidnotseemawareofittillaftershehadturnedherheadandfoundLingard’sfaceverynearherown。

Buthiseyesfullofconcernlookedsocloseintohersthatshewasobligedtoshutthemlikeawomanabouttofaint。

TheeffectthisproduceduponLingardwassuchthatshefeltthetighteningofhisarmandassheopenedhereyesagainsomeofthecolourreturnedtoherface。Shemetthedeepenedexpressionofhissolicitudewithalooksosteady，withagazethatinspiteofherselfwassoprofoundlyvividthatitsclearnessseemedtoLingardtothrowallhispastlifeintoshade。——"I

don’tfeelfaint。Itisn’tthatatall，"shedeclaredinaperfectlycalmvoice。ItseemedtoLingardascoldasice。

"Verywell，"heagreedwitharesignedsmile。"Butyoujustcatchholdofthatrail，please，beforeIletyougo。"She，too，forcedasmileonherlips。

"Whatincredulity，"sheremarked，andforatimemadenottheslightestmovement。Atlast，asifmakingaconcession，sherestedthetipsofherfingersontherail。Lingardgraduallyremovedhisarm。"Andpraydon’tlookuponmeasaconventional’weakwoman’person，thedelicateladyofyourownconception，"

shesaid，facingLingard，withherarmextendedtotherail。

"Makethateffortpleaseagainstyourownconceptionofwhatawomanlikemeshouldbe。Iamperhapsasstrongasyouare，CaptainLingard。Imeanitliterally。Inmybody。"——"Don’tyouthinkIhaveseenthatlongago？"sheheardhisdeepvoiceprotesting。——"Andastomycourage，"Mrs。Traverscontinued，herexpressioncharminglyundecidedbetweenfrownsandsmiles；

"didn’tItellyouonlyafewhoursago，onlylastevening，thatIwasnotcapableofthinkingmyselfintoafright；youremember，whenyouwerebeggingmetotrysomethingofthekind。Don’timaginethatIwouldhavebeenashamedtotry。ButIcouldn’thavedoneit。No。Notevenforthesakeofsomebodyelse’skingdom。Doyouunderstandme？"

"Godknows，"saidtheattentiveLingardafteratime，withanunexpectedsigh。"Youpeopleseemtobemadeofanotherstuff。"

"Whathasputthatabsurdnotionintoyourhead？"

"Ididn’tmeanbetterorworse。AndIwouldn’tsayitisn’tgoodstuffeither。WhatImeanttosayisthatit’sdifferent。Onefeelsit。Andhereweare。"

"Yes，hereweare，"repeatedMrs。Travers。"Andastothismomentofemotion，whatprovokeditisnotaconcernforanybodyoranythingoutsidemyself。Ifeltnoterror。Icannotevenfixmyfearsuponanydistinctimage。YouthinkIamshamelesslyheartlessintellingyouthis。"

Lingardmadenosign。Itdidn’toccurtohimtomakeasign。HesimplyhungonMrs。Travers’wordsasitwereonlyforthesakeofthesound。——"Iamsimplyfrankwithyou，"shecontinued。"WhatdoIknowofsavagery，violence，murder？Ihaveneverseenadeadbodyinmylife。Thelight，thesilence，themysteriousemptinessofthisplacehavesuddenlyaffectedmyimagination，Isuppose。

Whatisthemeaningofthiswonderfulpeaceinwhichwestand——youandIalone？"

Lingardshookhishead。Hesawthenarrowgleamofthewoman’steethbetweenthepartedlipsofhersmile，asifalltheardourofherconvictionhadbeendissolvedattheendofherspeechintowistfulrecognitionoftheirpartnershipbeforethingsoutsidetheirknowledge。Andhewaswarmedbysomethingalittlehelplessinthatsmile。WithinthreefeetofthemtheshadeofJorgenson，verygauntandneat，staredintospace。

"Yes。Youarestrong，"saidLingard。"Butawholelongnightsittinginasmallboat！Iwonderyouarenottoostifftostand。"

"Iamnotstiffintheleast，"sheinterrupted，stillsmiling。"I

amreallyaverystrongwoman，"sheadded，earnestly。"Whateverhappensyoumayreckononthatfact。"

Lingardgaveheranadmiringglance。ButtheshadeofJorgenson，perhapscatchinginitsremotenessthesoundofthewordwoman，wassuddenlymovedtobeginscoldingwithallthelibertyofaghost，inaflowofpassionlessindignation。

"Woman！That’swhatIsay。That’sjustaboutthelasttouch——thatyou，TomLingard，red—eyedTom，KingTom，andallthosefinenames，thatyoushouldleaveyourweaponstwentymilesbehindyou，yourmen，yourguns，yourbrigthatisyourstrength，andcomealongherewithyourmouthfulloffight，bare—handedandwithawomanintow。——Well——well！"

"Don’tforget，Jorgenson，thattheladyhearsyou，"remonstratedLingardinavexedtone……"Hedoesn’tmeantoberude，"heremarkedtoMrs。Traversquiteloud，asifindeedJorgensonwerebutanimmaterialandfeelinglessillusion。"Hehasforgotten。"

"Thewomanisnotintheleastoffended。Iaskfornothingbetterthantobetakenonthatfooting。"

"Forgotnothing！"mumbledJorgensonwithasortofghostlyassertivenessandasitwereforhisownsatisfaction。"What’stheworldcomingto？"

"ItwasIwhoinsistedoncomingwithCaptainLingard，"saidMrs。

Travers，treatingJorgensontoafascinatingsweetnessoftone。

"That’swhatIsay！Whatistheworldcomingto？Hasn’tKingTomamindofhisown？Whathascomeoverhim？He’smad！Leavinghisbrigwithahundredandtwentybornandbredpiratesoftheworstkindintwoprausontheothersideofasandbank。Didyouinsistonthat，too？Hasheputhimselfinthehandsofastrangewoman？"

Jorgensonseemedtobeaskingthosequestionsofhimself。Mrs。

Traversobservedtheemptystare，theself—communingvoice，hisunearthlylackofanimation。Somehowitmadeitveryeasytospeakthewholetruthtohim。

"No，"shesaid，"itisIwhoamaltogetherinhishands。"

NobodywouldhaveguessedthatJorgensonhadheardasinglewordofthatemphaticdeclarationifhehadnotaddressedhimselftoLingardwiththequestionneithermorenorlessabstractedthanallhisotherspeeches。

"Whythendidyoubringheralong？"

"Youdon’tunderstand。Itwasonlyrightandproper。Oneofthegentlemenisthelady’shusband。"

"Oh，yes，"mutteredJorgenson。"Who’stheother？"

"Youhavebeentold。Afriend。"

"PoorMr。d’Alcacer，"saidMrs。Travers。"Whatbadluckforhimtohaveacceptedourinvitation。Butheisreallyamereacquaintance。"

"Ihardlynoticedhim，"observedLingard，gloomily。"HewastalkingtoyouoverthebackofyourchairwhenIcameaboardtheyachtasifhehadbeenaverygoodfriend。"

"Wealwaysunderstoodeachotherverywell，"saidMrs。Travers，pickingupfromtherailthelongglassthatwaslyingthere。"I

alwayslikedhim，thefranknessofhismind，andhisgreatloyalty。"

"Whatdidhedo？"askedLingard。

"Heloved，"saidMrs。Travers，lightly。"Butthat’sanoldstory。"Sheraisedtheglasstohereyes，onearmextendedfullytosustainthelongtube，andLingardforgotd’Alcacerinadmiringthefirmnessofherposeandtheabsolutesteadinessoftheheavyglass。Shewasasfirmasarockafterallthoseemotionsandallthatfatigue。

Mrs。Traversdirectedtheglassinstinctivelytowardtheentranceofthelagoon。Thesmoothwaterthereshonelikeapieceofsilverinthedarkframeoftheforest。Ablackspecksweptacrossthefieldofhervision。Itwassometimebeforeshecouldfinditagainandthenshesaw，apparentlysonearastobewithinreachofthevoice，asmallcanoewithtwopeopleinit。

Shesawthewetpaddlesrisinganddippingwithaflashinthesunlight。ShemadeoutplainlythefaceofImmada，whoseemedtobelookingstraightintothebigendofthetelescope。Thechiefandhissister，afterrestingunderthebankforacoupleofhoursinthemiddleofthenight，hadenteredthelagoonandweremakingstraightforthehulk。Theywerealreadynearenoughtobeperfectlydistinguishabletothenakedeyeiftherehadbeenanybodyonboardtoglancethatway。Butnobodywaseventhinkingofthem。TheymightnothaveexistedexceptperhapsinthememoryofoldJorgenson。Butthatwasmostlybusywithallthemysterioussecretsofhislatetomb。

Mrs。Traversloweredtheglasssuddenly。Lingardcameoutfromasortoftranceandsaid：

"Mr。d’Alcacer。Loved！Whyshouldn’the？"

Mrs。TraverslookedfranklyintoLingard’sgloomyeyes。"Itisn’tthatalone，ofcourse，"shesaid。"Firstofallheknewhowtoloveandthen……Youdon’tknowhowartificialandbarrencertainkindsoflifecanbe。ButMr。d’Alcacer’slifewasnotthat。Hisdevotionwasworthhaving。"

"Youseemtoknowalotabouthim，’"saidLingard，enviously。

"Whydoyousmile？"Shecontinuedtosmileathimforalittlewhile。Thelongbrasstubeoverhershouldershonelikegoldagainstthepalefairnessofherbarehead。——"Atathought，"sheanswered，preservingthelowtoneoftheconversationintowhichtheyhadfallenasiftheirwordscouldhavedisturbedtheself—absorptionofCaptainH。C。Jorgenson。"AtthethoughtthatforallmylongacquaintancewithMr。d’AlcacerIdon’tknowhalfasmuchabouthimasIknowaboutyou。"

"Ah，that’simpossible，"contradictedLingard。"SpaniardornoSpaniard，heisoneofyourkind。"

"Tarredwiththesamebrush，"murmuredMrs。Travers，withonlyahalf—amusedirony。ButLingardcontinued：

"Hewastryingtomakeitupbetweenmeandyourhusband，wasn’the？Iwastooangrytopaymuchattention，butIlikedhimwellenough。Whatpleasedmemostwasthewayinwhichhegaveitup。

Thatwasdonelikeagentleman。DoyouunderstandwhatImean，Mrs。Travers？"

"Iquiteunderstand。"

"Yes，youwould，"hecommented，simply。"ButjustthenIwastooangrytotalktoanybody。AndsoIclearedoutonboardmyownshipandstayedthere，notknowingwhattodoandwishingyouallatthebottomofthesea。Don’tmistakeme，Mrs。Travers；it’syou，thepeopleaft，thatIwishedatthebottomofthesea。I

hadnothingagainstthepoordevilsonboard，Theywouldhavetrustedmequickenough。SoIfumedtheretill——till……"

"Tillnineo’clockoralittleafter，"suggestedMrs。Travers，impenetrably。

"No。TillIrememberedyou，"saidLingardwiththeutmostinnocence。

"Doyoumeantosaythatyouforgotmyexistencesocompletelytillthen？Youhadspokentomeonboardtheyacht，youknow。"

"DidI？IthoughtIdid。WhatdidIsay？"

"Youtoldmenottotouchaduskyprincess，"answeredMrs。

Traverswithashortlaugh。Thenwithavisiblechangeofmoodasifshehadsuddenlyoutofalightheartbeenrecalledtothesenseofthetruesituation："ButindeedImeantnoharmtothisfigureofyourdream。And，lookoverthere。Sheispursuingyou。"

Lingardglancedtowardthenorthshoreandsuppressedanexclamationofremorse。ForthesecondtimehediscoveredthathehadforgottentheexistenceofHassimandImmada。ThecanoewasnownearenoughforitsoccupantstodistinguishplainlytheheadsofthreepeopleabovethelowbulwarkoftheEmma。Immadaletherpaddletrailsuddenlyinthewater，withtheexclamation，"Iseethewhitewomanthere。"Herbrotherlookedoverhisshoulderandthecanoefloated，arrestedasifbythesuddenpowerofaspell。——"Theyarenodreamtome，"mutteredLingard，sturdily。Mrs。Traversturnedabruptlyawaytolookatthefurthershore。Itwasstillandemptytothenakedeyeandseemedtoquiverinthesunshinelikeanimmensepaintedcurtainloweredupontheunknown。

"Here’sRajahHassimcoming，Jorgenson。Ihadanideahewouldperhapsstayoutside。"Mrs。TraversheardLingard’svoiceatherbackandtheansweringgruntofJorgenson。Sheraiseddeliberatelythelongglasstohereye，pointingitattheshore。

ShedistinguishedplainlynowthecoloursintheflutterofthestreamersabovethebrownroofsofthelargeSettlement，thestirofpalmgroves，theblackshadowsinlandandthedazzlingwhitebeachofcoralsandallablazeinitsformidablemystery。Shesweptthewholerangeoftheviewandwasgoingtolowertheglasswhenfrombehindthemassiveangleofthestockadetheresteppedoutintothebrilliantimmobilityofthelandscapeamaninalongwhitegownandwithanenormousblackturbansurmountingadarkface。Slowandgravehepacedthebeachominouslyinthesunshine，anenigmaticalfigureinanOrientaltalewithsomethingweirdandmenacinginitssuddenemergenceandlonelyprogress。

WithaninvoluntarygaspMrs。Traversloweredtheglass。Allatoncebehindherbacksheheardalowmusicalvoicebeginningtopouroutincomprehensiblewordsinatoneofpassionatepleading。

HassimandImmadahadcomeonboardandhadapproachedLingard。

Yes！Itwasintolerabletofeelthatthisflowofsoftspeechwhichhadnomeaningforhercouldmakeitswaystraightintothatman’sheart。

PARTV。THEPOINTOFHONOURANDTHEPOINTOFPASSION

I

"MayIcomein？"

"Yes，"saidavoicewithin。"Thedoorisopen。"Ithadawoodenlatch。Mr。Traverslifteditwhilethevoiceofhiswifecontinuedasheentered。"DidyouimagineIhadlockedmyselfin？

Didyoueverknowmelockmyselfin？"

Mr。Traversclosedthedoorbehindhim。"No，ithasnevercometothat，"hesaidinatonethatwasnotconciliatory。Inthatplacewhichwasaroominawoodenhutandhadasquareopeningwithoutglassbutwithahalf—closedshutterhecouldnotdistinguishhiswifeverywellatonce。Shewassittinginanarmchairandwhathecouldseebestwasherfairhairalllooseoverthebackofthechair。Therewasamomentofsilence。Themeasuredfootstepsoftwomenpacingathwartthequarter—deckofthedeadshipEmmacommandedbythederelictshadeofJorgensoncouldbeheardoutside。

Jorgenson，ontakinguphisdeadcommand，hadahouseofthinboardsbuiltontheafterdeckforhisownaccommodationandthatofLingardduringhisflyingvisitstotheShoreofRefuge。A

narrowpassagedivideditintwoandLingard’ssidewasfurnishedwithacampbedstead，aroughdesk，andarattanarmchair。OnoneofhisvisitsLingardhadbroughtwithhimablackseaman’schestandleftitthere。Apartfromtheseobjectsandasmalllooking—glassworthabouthalfacrownandnailedtothewalltherewasnothingelseintherewhatever。WhatwasonJorgenson’ssideofthedeckhousenoonehadseen，butfromexternalevidenceonecouldinfertheexistenceofasetofrazors。

Theerectionofthatprimitivedeckhousewasamatterofproprietyratherthanofnecessity。Itwasproperthatthewhitemenshouldhaveaplacetothemselvesonboard，butLingardwasperfectlyaccuratewhenhetoldMrs。Traversthathehadneversleptthereonce。Hispracticewastosleepondeck。AstoJorgenson，ifhedidsleepatallhesleptverylittle。ItmighthavebeensaidthathehauntedratherthancommandedtheEmma。

Hiswhiteformflittedhereandthereinthenightorstoodforhours，silent，contemplatingthesombreglimmerofthelagoon。

Mr。Travers’eyesaccustomedgraduallytotheduskoftheplacecouldnowdistinguishmoreofhiswife’spersonthanthegreatmassofhoney—colouredhair。Hesawherface，thedarkeyebrowsandhereyesthatseemedprofoundlyblackinthehalflight。Hesaid：

"Youcouldn’thavedonesohere。Thereisneitherlocknorbolt。"

"Isn’tthere？Ididn’tnotice。Iwouldknowhowtoprotectmyselfwithoutlocksandbolts。"

"Iamgladtohearit，"saidMr。Traversinasullentoneandfellsilentagainsurveyingthewomaninthechair。"Indulgingyourtasteforfancydress，"hewentonwithfaintirony。

Mrs。Traversclaspedherhandsbehindherhead。Thewidesleevesslippingbackbaredherarmstohershoulders。ShewaswearingaMalaythincottonjacket，cutlowintheneckwithoutacollarandfastenedwithwroughtsilverclaspsfromthethroatdownward。

Shehadreplacedheryachtingskirtbyabluechecksarongembroideredwiththreadsofgold。Mr。Travers’eyestravellingslowlydownattachedthemselvestothegleaminginstepofanagitatedfootfromwhichhungalightleathersandal。

"IhadnoclotheswithmebutwhatIstoodin，"saidMrs。

Travers。"Ifoundmyyachtingcostumetooheavy。Itwasintolerable。IwassoakedindewwhenIarrived。Sowhenthesethingswereproducedformyinspection……"

"Byenchantment，"mutteredMr。Traversinatonetooheavyforsarcasm。

"No。Outofthatchest。Thereareveryfinestuffsthere。"

"Nodoubt，"saidMr。Travers。"Themanwouldn’tbeaboveplunderingthenatives……"Hesatdownheavilyonthechest。

"Amostappropriatecostumeforthisfarce，"hecontinued。"Butdoyoumeantowearitinopendaylightaboutthedecks？"

"IndeedIdo，"saidMrs。Travers。"D’Alcacerhasseenmealreadyandhedidn’tseemshocked。"

"Youshould，"saidMr。Travers，"trytogetyourselfpresentedwithsomebanglesforyouranklessothatyoumayjingleasyouwalk。"

"Banglesarenotnecessities，"saidMrs。Traversinawearytoneandwiththefixedupwardlookofapersonunwillingtorelinquishherdream。Mr。Traversdroppedthesubjecttoask：

"Andhowlongisthisfarcegoingtolast？"

Mrs。Traversunclaspedherhands，loweredherglance，andchangedherwholeposeinamoment。

"Whatdoyoumeanbyfarce？Whatfarce？"

"Theonewhichisbeingplayedatmyexpense。"

"Youbelievethat？"

"Notonlybelieve。Ifeeldeeplythatitisso。Atmyexpense。

It’samostsinisterthing，"Mr。Traverspursued，stillwithdowncasteyesandinanunforgivingtone。"ImusttellyouthatwhenIsawyouinthatcourtyardinacrowdofnativesandleaningonthatman’sarm，itgavemequiteashock。"

"DidI，too，looksinister？"saidMrs。Travers，turningherheadslightlytowardherhusband。"AndyetIassureyouthatIwasglad，profoundlyglad，toseeyousafefromdangerforatimeatleast。Togaintimeiseverything……"

"Iaskmyself，"Mr。Traversmeditatedaloud，"wasIeverindanger？AmIsafenow？Idon’tknow。Ican’ttell。No！Allthisseemsanabominablefarce。"

Therewasthatinhistonewhichmadehiswifecontinuetolookathimwithawakenedinterest。Itwasobviousthathesufferedfromadistresswhichwasnottheeffectoffear；andMrs。

Travers’faceexpressedrealconcerntillheaddedinafreezingmanner："Thequestion，however，isastoyourdiscretion。"

Sheleanedbackagaininthechairandletherhandsrestquietlyinherlap。"Wouldyouhavepreferredmetoremainoutside，intheyacht，inthenearneighbourhoodofthesewildmenwhocapturedyou？Ordoyouthinkthatthey，too，weregotuptocarryonafarce？"

"Mostdecidedly。"Mr。Traversraisedhishead，thoughofcoursenothisvoice。"Yououghttohaveremainedintheyachtamongstwhitemen，yourservants，thesailing—master，thecrewwhosedutyitwasto……Whowouldhavebeenreadytodieforyou。"

"Iwonderwhytheyshouldhave——andwhyIshouldhaveaskedthemforthatsacrifice。However，Ihavenodoubttheywouldhavedied。Orwouldyouhavepreferredmetotakeupmyquartersonboardthatman’sbrig？Wewereallfairlysafethere。TherealreasonwhyIinsistedoncominginherewastobenearertoyou——toseeformyselfwhatcouldbeorwasbeingdone……ButreallyifyouwantmetoexplainmymotivesthenImayjustaswellsaynothing。Icouldn’tremainoutsidefordayswithoutnews，inastateofhorribledoubt。Wecouldn’teventellwhetheryouandd’Alcacerwerestillalivetillwearrivedhere。Youmighthavebeenactuallymurderedonthesandbank，afterRajahHassimandthatgirlhadgoneaway；orkilledwhilegoinguptheriver。AndIwantedtoknowatonce，assoonaspossible。Itwasamatterofimpulse。IwentoffinwhatIstoodinwithoutdelayingamoment。"

"Yes，"saidMr。Travers。"Andwithouteventhinkingofhavingafewthingsputupformeinabag。Nodoubtyouwereinastateofexcitement。Unlessyoutooksuchatragicviewthatitseemedtoyouhardlyworthwhiletobotheraboutmyclothes。"

"Itwasabsolutelytheimpulseofthemoment。Icouldhavedonenothingelse。Won’tyougivemecreditforit？"

Mr。Traversraisedhiseyesagaintohiswife’sface。Hesawitcalm，herattitudereposeful。Tillthenhistonehadbeenresentful，dull，withoutsarcasm。Butnowhebecameslightlypompous。

"No。Asamatteroffact，asamatterofexperience，Ican’tcredityouwiththepossessionoffeelingsappropriatetoyourorigin，socialposition，andtheideasoftheclasstowhichyoubelong。Itwastheheaviestdisappointmentofmylife。IhadmadeupmymindnottomentionitaslongasIlived。This，however，seemsanoccasionwhichyouhaveprovokedyourself。Itisn’tatallasolemnoccasion。Idon’tlookuponitassolemnatall。

It’sverydisagreeableandhumiliating。Butithaspresenteditself。Youhavenevertakenaseriousinterestintheactivitiesofmylifewhichofcourseareitsdistinctionanditsvalue。AndwhyyoushouldbecarriedawaysuddenlybyafeelingtowardthemeremanIdon’tunderstand。"

"Thereforeyoudon’tapprove，"Mrs。Traverscommentedinaneventone。"ButIassureyou，youmaysafely。Myfeelingwasofthemostconventionalnature，exactlyasifthewholeworldwerelookingon。Afterall，wearehusbandandwife。It’seminentlyfittingthatIshouldbeconcernedaboutyourfate。Eventhemanyoudistrustanddislikesomuch（thewarmestfeeling，letmetellyou，thatIeversawyoudisplay）eventhatmanfoundmyconductperfectlyproper。Hisownword。Proper。Soeminentlyproperthatitaltogethersilencedhisobjections。"

Mr。Traversshifteduneasilyonhisseat。

"It’smybelief，Edith，thatifyouhadbeenamanyouwouldhaveledamostirregularlife。Youwouldhavebeenafrankadventurer。Imeanmorally。Ithasbeenagreatgrieftome。Youhaveascorninyoufortheserioussideoflife，fortheideasandtheambitionsofthesocialspheretowhichyoubelong。"

Hestoppedbecausehiswifehadclaspedagainherhandsbehindherheadandwasnolongerlookingathim。

"It’sperfectlyobvious，"hebeganagain。"Wehavebeenlivingamongstmostdistinguishedmenandwomenandyourattitudetothemhasbeenalwaysso——sonegative！Youwouldneverrecognizetheimportanceofachievements，ofacquiredpositions。Idon’trememberyoueveradmiringfranklyanypoliticalorsocialsuccess。Iaskmyselfwhatafterallyoucouldpossiblyhaveexpectedfromlife。"