第15章

"Itwouldbesuretobesomethingunreasonableandwicked，"saidLadyAnstruthers。"Itwould，Betty。"

"Iwonderwhatitwouldbe？"Bettysaidmusingly。

"Hehastoldliesforyearstokeepyouallfromme。Ifhecamenow，hewouldknowthathehadbeenfoundout。

HewouldsaythatIhadtoldyouthings。Hewouldbefuriousbecauseyouhaveseenwhatthereistosee。Hewouldknowthatyoucouldnothelpbutrealisethatthemoneyhemademeaskforhadnotbeenspentontheestate。He，——

Betty，hewouldtrytoforceyoutogoaway。"

"Iwonderwhathewoulddo？"Bettysaidagainmusingly。

Shefeltinterested，notafraid。

"Itwouldbesomethingcunning，"Rosyprotested。"Itwouldbesomethingnoonecouldexpect。Hemightbesorudethatyoucouldnotremainintheroomwithhim，orhemightbequitepolite，andpretendhewasrathergladtoseeyou。Ifhewasonlyfrightfullyrudeweshouldbesafer，becausethatwouldnotbeanunexpectedthing，butifhewaspolite，itwouldbebecausehewasarrangingsomethinghideous，whichyoucouldnotdefendyourselfagainst。"

"Canyoutellme，"saidBettyquiteslowly，because，asshelookeddownatthecarpet，shewasthinkingveryhard，"thekindofunexpectedthinghehasdonetoyou？"Liftinghereyes，shesawthatatroubledflushwascreepingoverLadyAnstruthers’face。

"There——havebeen——somanyqueerthings，"shefaltered。

ThenBettyknewtherewassomespecialthingshewasafraidtotalkabout，andthatifshedesiredtoobtainilluminatinginformationitwouldbewelltogointothematter。

"Try，"shesaid，"toremembersomeparticularincident。"

LadyAnstrutherslookednervous。

"Rosy，"inthelevelvoice，"therehasbeenaparticularincident——andIwouldratherhearofitfromyouthanfromhim。

Rosy’slapheldlittleshakinghands。

"Hehashelditovermeforyears，"shesaidbreathlessly。

"Hesaidhewouldwriteaboutittofatherandmother。Hesayshecoulduseitagainstmeasevidencein——inthedivorcecourt。HesaysthatdivorcecourtsinAmericaareforwomen，butinEnglandtheyareformen，and——hecoulddefendhimselfagainstme。"

Theincongruityofthepictureofthesmall，fadedcreaturearraignedinadivorcecourtonchargesofmisbehaviourwouldhavemadeBettysmileifshehadbeeninsmilingmood。

"Whatdidheaccuseyouof？"

"Thatwasthe——theunexpectedthing，"miserably。

Bettytooktheunsteadyhandsfirmlyinherown。

"Don’tbeafraidtotellme，"shesaid。"Heknewyousowellthatheunderstoodwhatwouldterrifyyouthemost。I

knowyousowellthatIunderstandhowhedoesit。Didhedothisunexpectedthingjustbeforeyouwrotetofatherforthemoney？"Asshequitesuddenlypresentedthequestion，Rosyexclaimedaloud。

"Howdidyouknow？"shesaid。"You——youarelikealawyer。Howcouldyouknow？"

Howsimpleshewas！Howobviouslyaneasyprey！

Shehadbeenunconsciouslygivingevidencewitheveryword。

"Ihavebeenthinkinghimover，"Bettysaid。"Heinterestsme。Ihavebeguntoguessthathealwayswantssomethingwhenheprofessesthathehasagrievance。"

Thenwithdroopinghead，Rosytoldthestory。

"Yes，ithappenedbeforehemademewritetofatherforsomuchmoney。Thevicarwasillandwasobligedtogoawayforsixmonths。Theclergymanwhocametotakehisplacewasayoungman。Hewaskindandgentle，andwantedtohelppeople。Hismotherwaswithhimandshewaslikehim。

Theylovedeachother，andtheywerequitepoor。HisnamewasFfolliott。Ilikedtohearhimpreach。Hesaidthingsthatcomfortedme。Nigelfoundoutthathecomfortedme，and——whenhecalledhere，hewasmorepolitetohimthanhehadeverbeentoMr。Brent。Heseemedalmostasifhelikedhim。Heactuallyaskedhimtodinnertwoorthreetimes。Afterdinner，hewouldgooutoftheroomandleaveustogether。Oh，Betty！"clingingtoherhands，"Iwassowretchedthen，thatsometimesIthoughtIwasgoingoutofmymind。IthinkIlookedwild。Iusedtokneeldownandtrytopray，andIcouldnot。"

"Yes，yes，"saidBetty。

"IusedtofeelthatifIcouldonlyhaveonefriend，justone，Icouldbearitbetter。OnceIsaidsomethinglikethattoNigel。HeonlyshruggedhisshouldersandsneeredwhenIsaidit。ButafterwardsIknewhehadremembered。Oneevening，whenhehadaskedMr。Ffolliotttodinner，heledhimtotalkaboutreligion。Oh，Betty！Itmademybloodturncoldwhenhebegan。Iknewhewasdoingitforsomewickedreason。Iknewthelookinhiseyesandtheawful，agreeablesmileonhismouth。Whenhesaidatlast，`Ifyoucouldhelpmypoorwifetofindcomfortinsuchthings，’

Ibegantosee。Icouldnotexplaintoanyonehowhedidit，butwithjustasentence，droppedhereandthere，heseemedtotellthewholestoryofasilly，selfish，Americangirl，thwartedinhervulgarlittleambitions，andposingasamartyr，becauseshecouldnothaveherownwayineverything。

Hesaidonce，quitecasually，`I’mafraidAmericanwomenareratherspoiled。’Andthenhesaid，inthesametolerantway——

`ApoormanisadisappointmenttoanAmericangirl。Americadoesnotbelieveinrankcombinedwithlackoffortune。’

Idarednotdefendmyself。Iamnotcleverenoughtothinkoftherightthingstosay。HemeantMr。FfolliotttounderstandthatIhadmarriedhimbecauseIthoughthewasgrandandrich，andthatIwasadisappointedlittlespitefulshrew。I

triedtoactasifhewasnothurtingme，butmyhandstrembled，andalumpkeptrisinginmythroat。Whenwereturnedtothedrawing—room，andatlastheleftustogether，IwasprayingandprayingthatImightbeabletokeepfrombreakingdown。

Shestoppedandswallowedhard。Bettyheldherhandsfirmlyuntilshewenton。

"Forafewminutes，Isatstill，andtriedtothinkofsomenewsubject——somethingaboutthechurchorthevillage。ButIcouldnotbegintospeakbecauseofthelumpinmythroat。

Andthen，suddenly，butquietly，Mr。Ffolliottgotup。AndthoughIdarednotliftmyeyes，Iknewhewasstandingbeforethefire，quitenearme。And，oh！whatdoyouthinkhesaid，aslowandgentlyasifhisvoicewasawoman’s。

Ididnotknowthatpeopleeversaidsuchthingsnow，oreventhoughtthem。Butnever，nevershallIforgetthatstrangeminute。Hesaidjustthis：

"`Godwillhelpyou。Hewill。Hewill。’

"Asifitwastrue，Betty！AsiftherewasaGod——and——

Hehadnotforgottenme。IdidnotknowwhatIwasdoing，butIputoutmyhandandcaughtathissleeve，andwhenIlookedupintohisface，Isawinhiskind，goodeyes，thatheknew——thatsomehow——Godknowshow——heunderstoodandthatIneednotutterawordtoexplaintohimthathehadbeenlisteningtolies。"

"Didyoutalktohim？"Bettyaskedquietly。

"Hetalkedtome。WedidnotevenspeakofNigel。HetalkedtomeasIhadneverheardanyonetalkbefore。Somehowhefilledtheroomwithsomethingreal，whichwashopeandcomfortandlikewarmth，whichkeptmysoulfromshivering。Thetearspouredfrommyeyesatfirst，butthelumpinmythroatwentaway，andwhenNigelcamebackIactuallydidnotfeelfrightened，thoughhelookedatmeandsneeredquietly。"

"Didhesayanythingafterwards？"

"Helaughedalittlecoldlaughandsaid，`Iseeyouhavebeenseekingtheconsolationofreligion。Neuroticwomenlikeconfessors。Idonotobjecttoyourconfessing，ifyouconfessyourownbackslidingsandnotmine。’"

"Thatwasthebeginning，"saidBettyspeculatively。"Theunexpectedthingwastheend。Tellmetherest？"

"Noonecouldhavedreamedofit，"Rosybrokeforth。

"Forweekshewasalmostlikeotherpeople。HestayedatStornhamandspenthisdaysinshooting。Heprofessedthathewasratherenjoyinghimselfinadullway。Heencouragedmetogotothevicarage，heinvitedtheFfolliottshere。HesaidMrs。Ffolliottwasagentlewomanandgoodforme。

HesaiditwasproperthatIshouldinterestmyselfinparishwork。OnceortwiceheevenbroughtsomelittlemessagetomefromMr。Ffolliott。"

Itwasapitiablysimplestory。Bettysaw，throughitsrelation，theunconsciousnessoftheeasilyalluredvictim，theadroitleadingonfromsteptostep，theordinary，natural，seemingmethodwhicharrangedopportunities。ThetwohadbeenthrowntogetherattheCourt，atthevicarage，thechurchandinthevillage，andthehawkhadlookedonandbidedhistime。Forthefirsttimeinheryearsofexile，Rosyhadbeguntofeelthatshemightbeallowedafriend——thoughshelivedinsecrettremorlestthenormallibertypermittedhershouldsuddenlybesnatchedaway。

"WenevertalkedofNigel，"shesaid，twistingherhands。

"Buthemademebegintoliveagain。HetalkedtomeofSomethingthatwatchedandwouldnotleaveme——wouldneverleaveme。Iwaslearningtobelieveit。SometimeswhenIwalkedthroughthewoodtothevillage，Iusedtostopamongthetreesandlookupatthebitsofskybetweenthebranches，andlistentothesoundintheleaves——thesoundthatneverstops——anditseemedasifitwassayingsomethingtome。

AndIwouldclaspmyhandsandwhisper，`Yes，yes，’`I

will，’`Iwill。’IusedtoseeNigellookingatmeattablewithaqueersmileinhiseyesandoncehesaidtome——`Youaregrowingyoungandlovely，mydear。Yourcolourisimproving。Thecounselsofourfriendareofasalutarynature。’

Itwouldhavemademenervous，buthesaiditalmostgood—

naturedly，andIwassillyenougheventowonderifitcouldbepossiblethathewaspleasedtoseemelookinglessill。Itwastrue，Betty，thatIwasgrowingstronger。Butitdidnotlastlong。"

"Iwasafraidnot，"saidBetty。

"AnoldwomaninthelanenearBartyonWoodwasill。Mr。

Ffolliotthadaskedmetogotoseeher，andIusedtogo。

Shesufferedagreatdealandclungtousboth。Hecomfortedher，ashecomfortedme。Sometimeswhenhewascalledawayhewouldsendanotetome，askingmetogotoher。Onedayhewrotehastily，sayingthatshewasdying，andaskedifIwouldgowithhimtohercottageatonce。IknewitwouldsavetimeifImethiminthepathwhichwasashortcut。

SoIwroteafewwordsandgavethemtothemessenger。

Isaid，`Donotcometothehouse。IwillmeetyouinBartyonWood。’"

Bettymadeaslightmovement，andinherfacetherewasadawningofmingledamazementandincredulity。Thethoughtwhichhadcometoherseemed——asUghtred’slockingofthedoorhadseemed——toowildformoderndays。

LadyAnstrutherssawherexpressionandunderstoodit。

Shemadeahopelessgesturewithhersmall，bonyhand。

"Yes，"shesaid，"itisjustlikethat。Noonewouldbelieveit。Theworstclevernessofthethingshedoes，isthatwhenonetellsofthem，theysoundlikelies。IhaveabewilderedfeelingthatIshouldnotbelievethemmyselfifIhadnotseenthem。Hemettheboyintheparkandtookthenotefromhim。Hecamebacktothehouseanduptomyroom，whereIwasdressingquicklytogotoMr。Ffolliott。"

Shestoppedforquiteaminute，ratherasiftorecoverbreath。

"Heclosedthedoorbehindhimandcametowardsmewiththenoteinhishand。AndIsawinasecondthelookthatalwaysterrifiesme，inhisface。Hehadopenedthenoteandhesmoothedoutthepaperquietlyandsaid，`Whatisthis。Icouldnothelpit——Iturnedcoldandbegantoshiver。

Icouldnotimaginewhatwascoming。"

"`IsitmynotetoMr。Ffolliott？’Iasked。

"`Yes，itisyournotetoMr。Ffolliott，’andhereaditaloud。`"Donotcometothehouse。IwillmeetyouinBartyonWood。"Thatisanicenoteforaman’swifetohavewritten，tobepickedupandreadbyastranger，ifyourconfessorisnotcautiousinthematteroflettersfromwomen————’

"Whenhebeginsathinginthatway，youmayalwaysknowthathehasplannedeverything——thatyoucandonothing——I

alwaysknow。Iknewthen，andIknewIwasquitewhitewhenIansweredhim：

"`Iwroteitinagreathurry，Mrs。Farneisworse。Wearegoingtogethertoher。IsaidIwouldmeethim——tosavetime。’

"Helaughed，hisawfullittlelaugh，andtouchedthepaper。

"`Ihavenodoubt。AndIhavenodoubtthatifotherpersonssawthis，theywouldbelieveit。Itisverylikely。

"`Butyoubelieveit，’Isaid。`Youknowitistrue。Noonewouldbesosilly——sosillyandwickedasto————’ThenIbrokedownandcriedout。`Whatdoyoumean？Whatcouldanyonethinkitmeant？’IwassowildthatIfeltasifIwasgoingcrazy。Heclenchedmywristandshookme。

"`Don’tthinkyoucanplaythefoolwithme，’hesaid。`I

havebeenwatchingthisthingfromthefirst。ThefirsttimeIleaveyoualonewiththefellow，Icomebacktofindyouhavebeengivinghimanemotionalscene。Doyousupposeyoursimperinggoodspiritsandyourimbecilepinkcheekstoldmenothing？Theytoldmeexactlythis。Ihavewaitedtocomeuponit，andhereitis。"Donotcometothehouse——I

willmeetyouinthewood。"

"Thatwastheunexpectedthing。Itwasnousetoargueandtrytoexplain。Iknewhedidnotbelievewhathewassaying，butheworkedhimselfintoarage，heaccusedmeofawfulthings，andcalledmeawfulnamesinaloudvoice，sothathecouldbeheard，untilIwasdumbandstaggering。

Allthetime，Iknewtherewasareason，butIcouldnottellthenwhatitwas。Hesaidatlast，thathewasgoingtoMr。

Ffolliott。Hesaid，`IwillmeethiminthewoodandI

willtakeyournotewithme。’

"Betty，itwassoshamefulthatIfelldownonmyknees。

`Oh，don’t——don’t——dothat，’Isaid。`Ibegofyou，Nigel。

Heisagentlemanandaclergyman。Ibegandbegofyou。

Ifyouwillnot，Iwilldoanything——anything。’AndatthatminuteIrememberedhowhehadtriedtomakemewritetofatherformoney。AndIcriedout——catchingathiscoat，andholdinghimback。`Iwillwritetofatherasyouaskedme。Iwilldoanything。Ican’tbearit。’"

"Thatwasthewholemeaningofthewholething，"saidBettywitheyesablaze。"Thatwasthebeginning，themiddleandtheend。Whatdidhesay？"

"Hepretendedtobemademoreangry。Hesaid，`Don’tinsultmebytryingtobribemewithyourvulgarmoney。

Don’tinsultme。’Buthegraduallygrewsulkyinsteadofraging，andthoughheputthenoteinhispocket，hedidnotgotoMr。Ffolliott。And——Iwrotetofather。"

"Irememberthat，"Bettyanswered。"DidyoueverspeaktoMr。Ffolliottagain？"

"Heguessed——heknew——Isawitinhiskind，browneyeswhenhepassedmewithoutspeaking，inthevillage。Idaresaythevillagersweretoldabouttheawfulthingbysomeservant，whoheardNigel’svoice。Villagersalwaysknowwhatishappening。Hewentawayafewweekslater。Thedaybeforehewent，Ihadwalkedthroughthewood，andjustoutsideit，Imethim。Hestoppedforoneminute——justone——heliftedhishatandsaid，justashehadspokenthemthatfirstnight——justthesamewords，`Godwillhelpyou。

Hewill。Hewill。’"

Astrange，almostunearthlyjoysuddenlyflashedacrossherface。

"Itmustbetrue，"shesaid。"Itmustbetrue。Hehassentyou，Betty。Ithasbeenalongtime——ithasbeensolongthatsometimesIhaveforgottenhiswords。Butyouhavecome！"

"Yes，Ihavecome，"Bettyanswered。Andshebentforwardandkissedhergently，asifshehadbeensoothingachild。

Therewereotherquestionstoask。Shewasobligedtoaskthem。"Theunexpectedthing"hadbeenusedasaninstrumentforyears。Itwasalwaysefficacious。Overtheyearninglyhomesickcreaturehadhungthethreatthatherfatherandmother，thosesheachedandlongedfor，couldbetoldthestoryinsuchamanneraswouldbrandherasawomanwithashamefulsecret。Howcouldsheexplainherself？Thereweretheawful，writtenwords。Hewasherhusband。Hewasremorseless，plausible。Shedarednotwritefreely。Shehadnowitnessestocallupon。Shehaddiscoveredthathehadplannedwithcomposedsteadinessthatmisleadingimpressionsshouldbegiventoservantsandvillagepeople。

WhentheBrentsreturnedtothevicarage，shehadobserved，withterror，thatforsomereasontheystiffened，andlookedaskancewhentheFfolliottswerementioned。

"Iamafraid，LadyAnstruthers，thatMr。Ffolliottwasagreatmistake，"Mrs。Brentsaidonce。

LadyAnstruthershadnotdaredtoaskanyquestions。Shehadfelttheawkwardcolourrisinginherfaceandhadknownthatshelookedguilty。Butifshehadprotestedagainsttheinjusticeoftheremark，SirNigelwouldhaveheardofherwordsbeforethedayhadpassed，andsheshudderedtothinkoftheresult。HehadbythattimereachedthepointofreferringtoFfolliottwithsneeringlightness，as"Yourlover。"

"Doyoudefendyourlovertome，"hehadsaidononeoccasion，whenshehadenteredatimidprotest。Andherwhitefaceandwildhelplesseyeshadbeensuchevidenceastotheeffectthewordhadproduced，thathehadseentheexpediencyofmakingapointofusingit。

ThebloodbeatinBettyVanderpoel’sveins。

"Rosy，"shesaid，lookingsteadilyinthefadedface，"tellmethis。Didyouneverthinkofgettingawayfromhim，ofgoingsomewhere，andtryingtoreachfather，bycable，orletter，bysomemeans？"

LadyAnstruthers’wearyandwrinkledlittlesmilewasapitiablyilluminatingthing。

"Mydear"shesaid，"ifyouarestrongandbeautifulandrichandwelldressed，sothatpeoplecaretolookatyou，andlistentowhatyousay，youcandothings。Butwho，inEngland，willlistentoashabby，dowdy，frightenedwoman，whensherunsawayfromherhusband，ifhefollowsherandtellspeoplesheishystericalormadorbad？Itistheshabby，dowdywomanwhoisinthewrong。Atfirst，Ithoughtofnothingelsebuttryingtogetaway。AndonceIwenttoStornhamstation。Iwalkedalltheway，onahotday。AndjustasI

wasgettingintoathird—classcarriage，Nigelmarchedinandcaughtmyarm，andheldmeback。IfaintedandwhenI

cametomyselfIwasinthecarriage，beingdrivenbacktotheCourt，andhewassittingoppositetome。Hesaid，`Youfool！Itwouldtakeaclevererwomanthanyoutocarrythatout。’AndIknewitwastheawfultruth。"

"Itisnottheawfultruthnow，"saidBetty，andsherosetoherfeetandstoodlookingbeforeher，butwithalookwhichdidnotrestonchairsandtables。Sheremainedso，standingforafewmomentsofdeadsilence。

"Whatafoolhewas！"shesaidatlast。"Andwhatavillain！Butavillainisalwaysafool。"

Shebent，andtakingRosy’sfacebetweenherhands，kisseditwithakisswhichseemedlikeaseal。"Thatwilldo，"shesaid。"NowIknow。Onemustknowwhatisinone’shandsandwhatisnot。Thenoneneednotwastetimeintalkingofmiserablethings。Onecansaveone’sstrengthfordoingwhatcanbedone。"

"IbelieveyouwouldalwaysthinkaboutDOINGthings，"

saidLadyAnstruthers。"ThatisAmerican，too。"

"ItisaqualityAmericansinheritedfromEngland，"lightly；

"oneoftheresultsofitisthatEnglandcoversaratherlargeshareofthemapoftheworld。Itisapracticalquality。

YouandImightspendhoursintalkingtoeachotherofwhatNigelhasdoneandwhatyouhavedone，ofwhathehassaid，andofwhatyouhavesaid。Wemightgivesomehours，I

daresay，towhattheDowagerdidandsaid。Butwiserpeoplethanwearehavefoundoutthatthinkingofblackthingspastislivingthemagain，anditislikepoisoningone’sblood。

Itisdeteriorationofproperty。"

Shesaidthelastwordsasifshehadendedwithajest。

Butsheknewwhatshewasdoing。

"Youweretrickedintogivingupwhatwasyours，toapersonwhocouldnotbetrusted。Whathasbeendonewithit，scarcelymatters。Itisnotyours，butSirNigel’s。Butwearenothelpless，becausewehaveinourhandsthemostpowerfulmaterialagentintheworld。

"Come，Rosy，andletuswalkoverthehouse。Wewillbeginwiththat。"

CHAPTERXVII

TOWNLINSON&SHEPPARD

Duringthewholecourseofherinterestinglife——andshehadalwaysfoundlifeinteresting——BettyVanderpoeldecidedthatshehadknownnoexperiencemoreabsorbingthanthismorningspentingoingoverthelong—closedanddesertedportionsoftheneglectedhouse。Shehadneverseenanythingliketheplace，orasfullofsuggestion。Thegreaterpartofithadsimplybeenshutupandlefttotimeandweather，bothofwhichhadhadtheireffects。Thefineoldredroof，havinglosttiles，hadfallenintoleaksthatletinrain，whichhadstainedandrottedwalls，plaster，andwoodwork；windandstormhadbeatenthroughbrokenwindowpanesanddonetheirworstwithsuchfurnitureandhangingsastheyfoundtowhipandtossandleavedampandspottedwithmould。Theypassedthroughcorridors，andupanddownshortorlongstairways，withstainedorfadedwalls，andsometimeswithcrackedorfallenplasteringandwainscotting。Hereandtheretheoakflooringitselfwasuncertain。Therooms，whetherlargeorsmall，allpresentedalikeaspectofpotentialbeautyandcomfort，utterlyuncaredforandforlorn。Thereweremanyrooms，butnonemorethanscantilyfurnished，andanumberofthemwerestrippedbare。Bettyfoundherselfwonderinghowlongatimeithadtakenthebelongingsofthebigplacetodwindleandmeltawayintosuchbareness。

"Therewasatime，Isuppose，whenitwasallfurnished，"

shesaid。

"AlltheseroomswereshutupwhenIcamehere，"Rosyanswered。"Isupposethingsworthsellinghavebeensold。

Whenpiecesoffurniturewerebrokeninonepartofthehouse，theywerereplacedbythingsbroughtfromanother。Noonecared。Nigelhatesitall。Hecallsitarathole。Hedeteststhecountryeverywhere，butparticularlythispartofit。AfterthefirstyearIhadlearnedbetterthantospeaktohimofspendingmoneyonrepairs。"

"Agooddealofmoneyshouldbespentonrepairs，"

reflectedBetty，lookingabouther。

Shewasstandinginthemiddleofaroomwhosewallswerehungwiththeremainsofwhathadbeenchintz，coveredwithapatternoflooseclustersofmossrosebuds。Thedampnesshadrottedituntil，insomeplaces，ithadfallenawayinstripsfromitsfastenings。Aquaint，embroideredcouchstoodinonecorner，andasBettylookedatit，amousecreptfromunderthetatteredvalance，staredatherinalarmandsuddenlydartedbackagain，interrorofintrusionsounusual。

Acasementwindowswungopen，onabrokenhinge，andastrongbranchofivy，havingforceditswayinside，hadthrownacoveringofleavesoverthedeepledge，andwasbeginningtoclimbtheinnerwoodwork。Throughthecasementwastobeseenaheavenlyspreadofcountry，whoserollinglandswerecladsoftlyingreenpasturesandthick—branchedtrees。

"ThisistheRosebudBoudoir，"saidLadyAnstruthers，smilingfaintly。"Alltheroomshavenames。Ithoughtthemsodelightful，whenIfirstheardthem。TheDamaskRoom——

theTapestryRoom——theWhiteWainscotRoom——MyLady’sChamber。

ItalmostbrokemyheartwhenIsawwhattheylookedlike。"

"Itwouldbeveryinteresting，"Bettycommentedslowly，"tomakethemlookastheyoughttolook。"

AremotefearrosetothesurfaceoftheexpressioninLadyAnstruthers’eyes。ShecouldnotdetachherselffromcertainrecollectionsofNigel——ofhisopinionsofherfamily——ofhisdeterminationnottoallowittoenterasafactorineitherhislifeorhers。AndBettyhadcometoStornham——Bettywhomhehaddetestedasachild——andinthecourseoftwodays，shehadseemedtobecomeanewpartoftheatmosphere，andtomakethedeaddespairoftheplacebegintostirwithlife。

WhatotherthingthanthiswashappeningasshespokeofmakingsuchroomsastheRosebudBoudoir"lookastheyoughttolook，"andsaidthewordsnotasiftheywerepartofafantasticvision，butasiftheyexpressedaperfectlypossiblething？