Ihave
seen
no
signs
of
quarrelsomeness
.
'
'
I
'm
not
sure
that
the
worst
fault
is
on
my
side
.
Why
should
one
condemn
oneself
against
conscience
?
Maud
is
perhaps
the
hardest
to
get
along
with
.
She
has
a
sort
of
arrogance
,
an
exaggeration
of
something
I
am
quite
aware
of
in
myself
.
You
have
noticed
that
trait
in
me
?
'
'
Arrogance
—
I
think
not
.
You
have
self-confidence
.
'
'
Which
goes
into
extremes
now
and
then
.
But
,
putting
myself
aside
,
I
feel
pretty
sure
that
the
girls
wo
n't
seem
quarrelsome
to
you
;
they
would
have
to
be
very
fractious
indeed
before
that
were
possible
.
'
'
We
shall
continue
to
be
friends
,
I
am
sure
.
'
Jasper
let
his
eyes
wander
about
the
room
.
'
This
is
your
father
's
study
?
'
'
Yes
.
'
'
Perhaps
it
would
have
seemed
odd
to
Mr.
Yule
if
I
had
come
in
and
begun
to
talk
to
him
about
these
purely
private
affairs
.
He
knows
me
so
very
slightly
.
But
,
in
calling
here
for
the
first
time
—
'
An
unusual
embarrassment
checked
him
.
'
I
will
explain
to
father
your
very
natural
wish
to
speak
of
these
things
,
'
said
Marian
,
with
tact
.
She
thought
uneasily
of
her
mother
in
the
next
room
.
To
her
there
appeared
no
reason
whatever
why
Jasper
should
not
be
introduced
to
Mrs.
Yule
,
yet
she
could
not
venture
to
propose
it
.
Remembering
her
father
's
last
remarks
about
Milvain
in
connection
with
Fadge
's
magazine
,
she
must
wait
for
distinct
permission
before
offering
the
young
man
encouragement
to
repeat
his
visit
.
Perhaps
there
was
complicated
trouble
in
store
for
her
;
impossible
to
say
how
her
father
's
deep-rooted
and
rankling
antipathies
might
affect
her
intercourse
even
with
the
two
girls
.
But
she
was
of
independent
years
,
she
must
be
allowed
the
choice
of
her
own
friends
.
The
pleasure
she
had
in
seeing
Jasper
under
this
roof
,
in
hearing
him
talk
with
such
intimate
friendliness
,
strengthened
her
to
resist
timid
thoughts
.
'
When
will
your
sisters
arrive
?
'
she
asked
.
'
I
think
in
a
very
few
days
.
When
I
have
fixed
upon
lodgings
for
them
I
must
go
back
to
Finden
;
then
they
will
return
with
me
as
soon
as
we
can
get
the
house
emptied
.
It
's
rather
miserable
selling
things
one
has
lived
among
from
childhood
.
A
friend
in
Wattleborough
will
house
for
us
what
we
really
ca
n't
bear
to
part
with
.
'
'
It
must
be
very
sad
,
'
Marian
murmured
.
'
You
know
,
'
said
the
other
suddenly
,
'
that
it
's
my
fault
the
girls
are
left
in
such
a
hard
position
?
'
Marian
looked
at
him
with
startled
eyes
.
His
tone
was
quite
unfamiliar
to
her
.
'
Mother
had
an
annuity
,
'
he
continued
.
'
It
ended
with
her
life
,
but
if
it
had
n't
been
for
me
she
could
have
saved
a
good
deal
out
of
it
.
Until
the
last
year
or
two
I
have
earned
nothing
,
and
I
have
spent
more
than
was
strictly
necessary
.
Well
,
I
did
n't
live
like
that
in
mere
recklessness
;
I
knew
I
was
preparing
myself
for
remunerative
work
.
But
it
seems
too
bad
now
.
I
'm
sorry
for
it
.
I
wish
I
had
found
some
way
of
supporting
myself
.
The
end
of
mother
's
life
was
made
far
more
unhappy
than
it
need
have
been
.
I
should
like
you
to
understand
all
this
.
'
The
listener
kept
her
eyes
on
the
ground
.
'
Perhaps
the
girls
have
hinted
it
to
you
?
'
Jasper
added
.
'
No
.
'
'
Selfishness
—
that
's
one
of
my
faults
.
It
is
n't
a
brutal
kind
of
selfishness
;
the
thought
of
it
often
enough
troubles
me
.
If
I
were
rich
,
I
should
be
a
generous
and
good
man
;
I
know
I
should
.
So
would
many
another
poor
fellow
whose
worst
features
come
out
under
hardship
.
This
is
n't
a
heroic
type
;
of
course
not
.
I
am
a
civilised
man
,
that
's
all
.
'
Marian
could
say
nothing
.
'
You
wonder
why
I
am
so
impertinent
as
to
talk
about
myself
like
this
.
I
have
gone
through
a
good
deal
of
mental
pain
these
last
few
weeks
,
and
somehow
I
ca
n't
help
showing
you
something
of
my
real
thoughts
.
Just
because
you
are
one
of
the
few
people
I
regard
with
sincere
respect
.
I
do
n't
know
you
very
well
,
but
quite
well
enough
to
respect
you
.
My
sisters
think
of
you
in
the
same
way
.
I
shall
do
many
a
base
thing
in
life
,
just
to
get
money
and
reputation
;
I
tell
you
this
that
you
may
n't
be
surprised
if
anything
of
that
kind
comes
to
your
ears
.
I
ca
n't
afford
to
live
as
I
should
like
to
.
'
She
looked
up
at
him
with
a
smile
.
'
People
who
are
going
to
live
unworthily
do
n't
declare
it
in
this
way
.
'
'
I
ought
n't
to
;
a
few
minutes
ago
I
had
no
intention
of
saying
such
things
.
It
means
I
am
rather
overstrung
,
I
suppose
;
but
it
's
all
true
,
unfortunately
.
'
He
rose
,
and
began
to
run
his
eye
along
the
shelves
nearest
to
him
.
'
Well
,
now
I
will
go
,
Miss
Yule
.
'
Marian
stood
up
as
he
approached
.
'
It
's
all
very
well
,
'
he
said
smiling
,
'
for
me
to
encourage
my
sisters
in
the
hope
that
they
may
earn
a
living
;
but
suppose
I
ca
n't
even
do
it
myself
?
It
's
by
no
means
certain
that
I
shall
make
ends
meet
this
year
.
'
'
You
have
every
reason
to
hope
,
I
think
.
'
'
I
like
to
hear
people
say
that
,
but
it
'll
mean
savage
work
.
When
we
were
all
at
Finden
last
year
,
I
told
the
girls
that
it
would
be
another
twelve
months
before
I
could
support
myself
.
Now
I
am
forced
to
do
it
.
And
I
do
n't
like
work
;
my
nature
is
lazy
.
I
shall
never
write
for
writing
's
sake
,
only
to
make
money
.
All
my
plans
and
efforts
will
have
money
in
view
—
all
.
I
sha
n't
allow
anything
to
come
in
the
way
of
my
material
advancement
.
'
'
I
wish
you
every
success
,
'
said
Marian
,
without
looking
at
him
,
and
without
a
smile
.
'
Thank
you
.
But
that
sounds
too
much
like
good-bye
.
I
trust
we
are
to
be
friends
,
for
all
that
?
'
'
Indeed
,
I
hope
we
may
be
.
'
They
shook
hands
,
and
he
went
towards
the
door
.
But
before
opening
it
,
he
asked
:
'
Did
you
read
that
thing
of
mine
in
The
Current
?
'
'
Yes
,
I
did
.
'
'
It
was
n't
bad
,
I
think
?
'
'
It
seemed
to
me
very
clever
.
'
'
Clever
—
yes
,
that
's
the
word
.
It
had
a
success
,
too
.
I
have
as
good
a
thing
half
done
for
the
April
number
,
but
I
've
felt
too
heavy-hearted
to
go
on
with
it
.
The
girls
shall
let
you
know
when
they
are
in
town
.
'
Marian
followed
him
into
the
passage
,
and
watched
him
as
he
opened
the
front
door
.
When
it
had
closed
,
she
went
back
into
the
study
for
a
few
moments
before
rejoining
her
mother
.
CHAPTER
IX
INVITA
MINERVA
After
all
,
there
came
a
day
when
Edwin
Reardon
found
himself
regularly
at
work
once
more
,
ticking
off
his
stipulated
quantum
of
manuscript
each
four-and-twenty
hours
.
He
wrote
a
very
small
hand
;
sixty
written
slips
of
the
kind
of
paper
he
habitually
used
would
represent
—
thanks
to
the
astonishing
system
which
prevails
in
such
matters
:
large
type
,
wide
spacing
,
frequency
of
blank
pages
—
a
passable
three-hundred-page
volume
.
On
an
average
he
could
write
four
such
slips
a
day
;
so
here
we
have
fifteen
days
for
the
volume
,
and
forty-five
for
the
completed
book
.
Forty-five
days
;
an
eternity
in
the
looking
forward
.
Yet
the
calculation
gave
him
a
faint-hearted
encouragement
.
At
that
rate
he
might
have
his
book
sold
by
Christmas
.
It
would
certainly
not
bring
him
a
hundred
pounds
;
seventy-five
perhaps
.
But
even
that
small
sum
would
enable
him
to
pay
the
quarter
's
rent
,
and
then
give
him
a
short
time
,
if
only
two
or
three
weeks
,
of
mental
rest
.
If
such
rest
could
not
be
obtained
all
was
at
an
end
with
him
.
He
must
either
find
some
new
means
of
supporting
himself
and
his
family
,
or
—
have
done
with
life
and
its
responsibilities
altogether
.
The
latter
alternative
was
often
enough
before
him
.
He
seldom
slept
for
more
than
two
or
three
consecutive
hours
in
the
night
,
and
the
time
of
wakefulness
was
often
terrible
.
The
various
sounds
which
marked
the
stages
from
midnight
to
dawn
had
grown
miserably
familiar
to
him
;
worst
torture
to
his
mind
was
the
chiming
and
striking
of
clocks
.
Two
of
these
were
in
general
audible
,
that
of
Marylebone
parish
church
,
and
that
of
the
adjoining
workhouse
;
the
latter
always
sounded
several
minutes
after
its
ecclesiastical
neighbour
,
and
with
a
difference
of
note
which
seemed
to
Reardon
very
appropriate
—
a
thin
,
querulous
voice
,
reminding
one
of
the
community
it
represented
.
After
lying
awake
for
awhile
he
would
hear
quarters
sounding
;
if
they
ceased
before
the
fourth
he
was
glad
,
for
he
feared
to
know
what
time
it
was
.
If
the
hour
was
complete
,
he
waited
anxiously
for
its
number
.
Two
,
three
,
even
four
,
were
grateful
;
there
was
still
a
long
time
before
he
need
rise
and
face
the
dreaded
task
,
the
horrible
four
blank
slips
of
paper
that
had
to
be
filled
ere
he
might
sleep
again
.
But
such
restfulnes
was
only
for
a
moment
;
no
sooner
had
the
workhouse
bell
become
silent
than
he
began
to
toil
in
his
weary
imagination
,
or
else
,
incapable
of
that
,
to
vision
fearful
hazards
of
the
future
.
The
soft
breathing
of
Amy
at
his
side
,
the
contact
of
her
warm
limbs
,
often
filled
him
with
intolerable
dread
.
Even
now
he
did
not
believe
that
Amy
loved
him
with
the
old
love
,
and
the
suspicion
was
like
a
cold
weight
at
his
heart
that
to
retain
even
her
wifely
sympathy
,
her
wedded
tenderness
,
he
must
achieve
the
impossible
.
The
impossible
;
for
he
could
no
longer
deceive
himself
with
a
hope
of
genuine
success
.
If
he
earned
a
bare
living
,
that
would
be
the
utmost
.
And
with
bare
livelihood
Amy
would
not
,
could
not
,
be
content
.
If
he
were
to
die
a
natural
death
it
would
be
well
for
all
.
His
wife
and
the
child
would
be
looked
after
;
they
could
live
with
Mrs.
Edmund
Yule
,
and
certainly
it
would
not
be
long
before
Amy
married
again
,
this
time
a
man
of
whose
competency
to
maintain
her
there
would
be
no
doubt
.
His
own
behaviour
had
been
cowardly
selfishness
.
Oh
yes
,
she
had
loved
him
,
had
been
eager
to
believe
in
him
.
But
there
was
always
that
voice
of
warning
in
his
mind
;
he
foresaw
—
he
knew
—
And
if
he
killed
himself
?
Not
here
;
no
lurid
horrors
for
that
poor
girl
and
her
relatives
;
but
somewhere
at
a
distance
,
under
circumstances
which
would
render
the
recovery
of
his
body
difficult
,
yet
would
leave
no
doubt
of
his
death
.
Would
that
,
again
,
be
cowardly
?
The
opposite
,
when
once
it
was
certain
that
to
live
meant
poverty
and
wretchedness
.
Amy
's
grief
,
however
sincere
,
would
be
but
a
short
trial
compared
with
what
else
might
lie
before
her
.
The
burden
of
supporting
her
and
Willie
would
be
a
very
slight
one
if
she
went
to
live
in
her
mother
's
house
.
He
considered
the
whole
matter
night
after
night
,
until
perchance
it
happened
that
sleep
had
pity
upon
him
for
an
hour
before
the
time
of
rising
.
Autumn
was
passing
into
winter
.
Dark
days
,
which
were
always
an
oppression
to
his
mind
,
began
to
be
frequent
,
and
would
soon
succeed
each
other
remorselessly
.
Well
if
only
each
of
them
represented
four
written
slips
.
Milvain
's
advice
to
him
had
of
course
proved
useless
.
The
sensational
title
suggested
nothing
,
or
only
ragged
shapes
of
incomplete
humanity
that
fluttered
mockingly
when
he
strove
to
fix
them
.
But
he
had
decided
upon
a
story
of
the
kind
natural
to
him
;
a
'
thin
'
story
,
and
one
which
it
would
be
difficult
to
spin
into
three
volumes
.
His
own
,
at
all
events
.
The
title
was
always
a
matter
for
head-racking
when
the
book
was
finished
;
he
had
never
yet
chosen
it
before
beginning
.
For
a
week
he
got
on
at
the
desired
rate
;
then
came
once
more
the
crisis
he
had
anticipated
.
A
familiar
symptom
of
the
malady
which
falls
upon
out-wearied
imagination
.
There
were
floating
in
his
mind
five
or
six
possible
subjects
for
a
book
,
all
dating
back
to
the
time
when
he
first
began
novel-writing
,
when
ideas
came
freshly
to
him
.
If
he
grasped
desperately
at
one
of
these
,
and
did
his
best
to
develop
it
,
for
a
day
or
two
he
could
almost
content
himself
;
characters
,
situations
,
lines
of
motive
,
were
laboriously
schemed
,
and
he
felt
ready
to
begin
writing
.
But
scarcely
had
he
done
a
chapter
or
two
when
all
the
structure
fell
into
flatness
.
He
had
made
a
mistake
.
Not
this
story
,
but
that
other
one
,
was
what
he
should
have
taken
.
The
other
one
in
question
,
left
out
of
mind
for
a
time
,
had
come
back
with
a
face
of
new
possibility
;
it
invited
him
,
tempted
him
to
throw
aside
what
he
had
already
written
.
Good
;
now
he
was
in
more
hopeful
train
.
But
a
few
days
,
and
the
experience
repeated
itself
.
No
,
not
this
story
,
but
that
third
one
,
of
which
he
had
not
thought
for
a
long
time
.
How
could
he
have
rejected
so
hopeful
a
subject
?
For
months
he
had
been
living
in
this
way
;
endless
circling
,
perpetual
beginning
,
followed
by
frustration
.
A
sign
of
exhaustion
,
it
of
course
made
exhaustion
more
complete
.
At
times
he
was
on
the
border-land
of
imbecility
;
his
mind
looked
into
a
cloudy
chaos
,
a
shapeless
whirl
of
nothings
.
He
talked
aloud
to
himself
,
not
knowing
that
he
did
so
.
Little
phrases
which
indicated
dolorously
the
subject
of
his
preoccupation
often
escaped
him
in
the
street
:
'
What
could
I
make
of
that
,
now
?
'
'
Well
,
suppose
I
made
him
—
?
'
'
But
no
,
that
would
n't
do
,
and
so
on
.
It
had
happened
that
he
caught
the
eye
of
some
one
passing
fixed
in
surprise
upon
him
;
so
young
a
man
to
be
talking
to
himself
in
evident
distress
!
The
expected
crisis
came
,
even
now
that
he
was
savagely
determined
to
go
on
at
any
cost
,
to
write
,
let
the
result
be
what
it
would
.
His
will
prevailed
.
A
day
or
two
of
anguish
such
as
there
is
no
describing
to
the
inexperienced
,
and
again
he
was
dismissing
slip
after
slip
,
a
sigh
of
thankfulness
at
the
completion
of
each
one
.
It
was
a
fraction
of
the
whole
,
a
fraction
,
a
fraction
.
The
ordering
of
his
day
was
thus
.
At
nine
,
after
breakfast
,
he
sat
down
to
his
desk
,
and
worked
till
one
.
Then
came
dinner
,
followed
by
a
walk
.
As
a
rule
he
could
not
allow
Amy
to
walk
with
him
,
for
he
had
to
think
over
the
remainder
of
the
day
's
toil
,
and
companionship
would
have
been
fatal
.
At
about
half-past
three
he
again
seated
himself
,
and
wrote
until
half-past
six
,
when
he
had
a
meal
.
Then
once
more
to
work
from
half-past
seven
to
ten
.
Numberless
were
the
experiments
he
had
tried
for
the
day
's
division
.
The
slightest
interruption
of
the
order
for
the
time
being
put
him
out
of
gear
;
Amy
durst
not
open
his
door
to
ask
however
necessary
a
question
.
Sometimes
the
three
hours
'
labour
of
a
morning
resulted
in
half
a
dozen
lines
,
corrected
into
illegibility
.
His
brain
would
not
work
;
he
could
not
recall
the
simplest
synonyms
;
intolerable
faults
of
composition
drove
him
mad
.
He
would
write
a
sentence
beginning
thus
:
'
She
took
a
book
with
a
look
of
—
'
or
thus
:
'
A
revision
of
this
decision
would
have
made
him
an
object
of
derision
.
'
Or
,
if
the
period
were
otherwise
inoffensive
,
it
ran
in
a
rhythmic
gallop
which
was
torment
to
the
ear
.
All
this
,
in
spite
of
the
fact
that
his
former
books
had
been
noticeably
good
in
style
.
He
had
an
appreciation
of
shapely
prose
which
made
him
scorn
himself
for
the
kind
of
stuff
he
was
now
turning
out
.
'
I
ca
n't
help
it
;
it
must
go
;
the
time
is
passing
.
'
Things
were
better
,
as
a
rule
,
in
the
evening
.
Occasionally
he
wrote
a
page
with
fluency
which
recalled
his
fortunate
years
;
and
then
his
heart
gladdened
,
his
hand
trembled
with
joy
.
Description
of
locality
,
deliberate
analysis
of
character
or
motive
,
demanded
far
too
great
an
effort
for
his
present
condition
.
He
kept
as
much
as
possible
to
dialogue
;
the
space
is
filled
so
much
more
quickly
,
and
at
a
pinch
one
can
make
people
talk
about
the
paltriest
incidents
of
life
.
There
came
an
evening
when
he
opened
the
door
and
called
to
Amy
.
'
What
is
it
?
'
she
answered
from
the
bedroom
.
'
I
'm
busy
with
Willie
.
'
'
Come
as
soon
as
you
are
free
.
'
In
ten
minutes
she
appeared
.
There
was
apprehension
on
her
face
;
she
feared
he
was
going
to
lament
his
inability
to
work
.
Instead
of
that
,
he
told
her
joyfully
that
the
first
volume
was
finished
.
'
Thank
goodness
!
'
she
exclaimed
.
'
Are
you
going
to
do
any
more
to-night
?
'
'
I
think
not
—
if
you
will
come
and
sit
with
me
.
'
'
Willie
does
n't
seem
very
well
.
He
ca
n't
get
to
sleep
.
'
'
You
would
like
to
stay
with
him
?
'
'
A
little
while
.
I
'll
come
presently
.
'
She
closed
the
door
.
Reardon
brought
a
high-backed
chair
to
the
fireside
,
and
allowed
himself
to
forget
the
two
volumes
that
had
still
to
be
struggled
through
,
in
a
grateful
sense
of
the
portion
that
was
achieved
.
In
a
few
minutes
it
occured
to
him
that
it
would
be
delightful
to
read
a
scrap
of
the
'
Odyssey
'
;
he
went
to
the
shelves
on
which
were
his
classical
books
,
took
the
desired
volume
,
and
opened
it
where
Odysseus
speaks
to
Nausicaa
:
'
For
never
yet
did
I
behold
one
of
mortals
like
to
thee
,
neither
man
nor
woman
;
I
am
awed
as
I
look
upon
thee
.
In
Delos
once
,
hard
by
the
altar
of
Apollo
,
I
saw
a
young
palm-tree
shooting
up
with
even
such
a
grace
.
'
Yes
,
yes
;
that
was
not
written
at
so
many
pages
a
day
,
with
a
workhouse
clock
clanging
its
admonition
at
the
poet
's
ear
.
How
it
freshened
the
soul
!
How
the
eyes
grew
dim
with
a
rare
joy
in
the
sounding
of
those
nobly
sweet
hexameters
!
Amy
came
into
the
room
again
.
'
Listen
,
'
said
Reardon
,
looking
up
at
her
with
a
bright
smile
.
'
Do
you
remember
the
first
time
that
I
read
you
this
?
'
And
he
turned
the
speech
into
free
prose
.
Amy
laughed
.
'
I
remember
it
well
enough
.
We
were
alone
in
the
drawing-room
;
I
had
told
the
others
that
they
must
make
shift
with
the
dining-room
for
that
evening
.
And
you
pulled
the
book
out
of
your
pocket
unexpectedly
.
I
laughed
at
your
habit
of
always
carrying
little
books
about
.
'
The
cheerful
news
had
brightened
her
.
If
she
had
been
summoned
to
hear
lamentations
her
voice
would
not
have
rippled
thus
soothingly
.
Reardon
thought
of
this
,
and
it
made
him
silent
for
a
minute
.
'
The
habit
was
ominous
,
'
he
said
,
looking
at
her
with
an
uncertain
smile
.
'
A
practical
literary
man
does
n't
do
such
things
.
'
'
Milvain
,
for
instance
.
No
.
'
With
curious
frequency
she
mentioned
the
name
of
Milvain
.
Her
unconsciousness
in
doing
so
prevented
Reardon
from
thinking
about
the
fact
;
still
,
he
had
noted
it
.
'
Did
you
understand
the
phrase
slightingly
?
'
he
asked
.
'
Slightingly
?
Yes
,
a
little
,
of
course
.
It
always
has
that
sense
on
your
lips
,
I
think
.
'
In
the
light
of
this
answer
he
mused
upon
her
readily-offered
instance
.
True
,
he
had
occasionally
spoken
of
Jasper
with
something
less
than
respect
,
but
Amy
was
not
in
the
habit
of
doing
so
.
'
I
had
n't
any
such
meaning
just
then
,
'
he
said
.
'
I
meant
quite
simply
that
my
bookish
habits
did
n't
promise
much
for
my
success
as
a
novelist
.
'
'
I
see
.
But
you
did
n't
think
of
it
in
that
way
at
the
time
.
'
He
sighed
.
'
No
.
At
least
—
no
.
'
'
At
least
what
?
'
'
Well
,
no
;
on
the
whole
I
had
good
hope
.
'
Amy
twisted
her
fingers
together
impatiently
.
'
Edwin
,
let
me
tell
you
something
.
You
are
getting
too
fond
of
speaking
in
a
discouraging
way
.
Now
,
why
should
you
do
so
?
I
do
n't
like
it
.
It
has
one
disagreeable
effect
on
me
,
and
that
is
,
when
people
ask
me
about
you
,
how
you
are
getting
on
,
I
do
n't
quite
know
how
to
answer
.
They
ca
n't
help
seeing
that
I
am
uneasy
.
I
speak
so
differently
from
what
I
used
to
.
'
'
Do
you
,
really
?
'
'
Indeed
I
ca
n't
help
it
.
As
I
say
,
it
's
very
much
your
own
fault
.
'
'
Well
,
but
granted
that
I
am
not
of
a
very
sanguine
nature
,
and
that
I
easily
fall
into
gloomy
ways
of
talk
,
what
is
Amy
here
for
?
'
'
Yes
,
yes
.
But
—
'
'
But
?
'
'
I
am
not
here
only
to
try
and
keep
you
in
good
spirits
,
am
I
?
'
She
asked
it
prettily
,
with
a
smile
like
that
of
maidenhood
.
'
Heaven
forbid
!
I
ought
n't
to
have
put
it
in
that
absolute
way
.
I
was
half
joking
,
you
know
.
But
unfortunately
it
's
true
that
I
ca
n't
be
as
light-spirited
as
I
could
wish
.
Does
that
make
you
impatient
with
me
?
'
'
A
little
.
I
ca
n't
help
the
feeling
,
and
I
ought
to
try
to
overcome
it
.
But
you
must
try
on
your
side
as
well
.
Why
should
you
have
said
that
thing
just
now
?
'
'
You
're
quite
right
.
It
was
needless
.
'
'
A
few
weeks
ago
I
did
n't
expect
you
to
be
cheerful
.
Things
began
to
look
about
as
bad
as
they
could
.
But
now
that
you
've
got
a
volume
finished
,
there
's
hope
once
more
.
'
Hope
?
Of
what
quality
?
Reardon
durst
not
say
what
rose
in
his
thoughts
.
'
A
very
small
,
poor
hope
.
Hope
of
money
enough
to
struggle
through
another
half
year
,
if
indeed
enough
for
that
.
'
He
had
learnt
that
Amy
was
not
to
be
told
the
whole
truth
about
anything
as
he
himself
saw
it
.
It
was
a
pity
.
To
the
ideal
wife
a
man
speaks
out
all
that
is
in
him
;
she
had
infinitely
rather
share
his
full
conviction
than
be
treated
as
one
from
whom
facts
must
be
disguised
.
She
says
:
'
Let
us
face
the
worst
and
talk
of
it
together
,
you
and
I
.
'
No
,
Amy
was
not
the
ideal
wife
from
that
point
of
view
.
But
the
moment
after
this
half-reproach
had
traversed
his
consciousness
he
condemned
himself
,
and
looked
with
the
joy
of
love
into
her
clear
eyes
.
'
Yes
,
there
's
hope
once
more
,
my
dearest
.
No
more
gloomy
talk
to-night
!
I
have
read
you
something
,
now
you
shall
read
something
to
me
;
it
is
a
long
time
since
I
delighted
myself
with
listening
to
you
.
What
shall
it
be
?
'
'
I
feel
rather
too
tired
to-night
.
'
'
Do
you
?
'
'
I
have
had
to
look
after
Willie
so
much
.
But
read
me
some
more
Homer
;
I
shall
be
very
glad
to
listen
.
'
Reardon
reached
for
the
book
again
,
but
not
readily
.
His
face
showed
disappointment
.
Their
evenings
together
had
never
been
the
same
since
the
birth
of
the
child
;
Willie
was
always
an
excuse
—
valid
enough
—
for
Amy
's
feeling
tired
.
The
little
boy
had
come
between
him
and
the
mother
,
as
must
always
be
the
case
in
poor
homes
,
most
of
all
where
the
poverty
is
relative
.
Reardon
could
not
pass
the
subject
without
a
remark
,
but
he
tried
to
speak
humorously
.
'
There
ought
to
be
a
huge
public
crèche
in
London
.
It
's
monstrous
that
an
educated
mother
should
have
to
be
nursemaid
.
'
'
But
you
know
very
well
I
think
nothing
of
that
.
A
crèche
,
indeed
!
No
child
of
mine
should
go
to
any
such
place
.
'
There
it
was
.
She
grudged
no
trouble
on
behalf
of
the
child
.
That
was
love
;
whereas
—
But
then
maternal
love
was
a
mere
matter
of
course
.
'
As
soon
as
you
get
two
or
three
hundred
pounds
for
a
book
,
'
she
added
laughing
,
'
there
'll
be
no
need
for
me
to
give
so
much
time
.
'
'
Two
or
three
hundred
pounds
!
'
He
repeated
it
with
a
shake
of
the
head
.
'
Ah
,
if
that
were
possible
!
'
'
But
that
's
really
a
paltry
sum
.
What
would
fifty
novelists
you
could
name
say
if
they
were
offered
three
hundred
pounds
for
a
book
?
How
much
do
you
suppose
even
Markland
got
for
his
last
?
'
'
Did
n't
sell
it
at
all
,
ten
to
one
.
Gets
a
royalty
.
'
'
Which
will
bring
him
five
or
six
hundred
pounds
before
the
book
ceases
to
be
talked
of
.
'
'
Never
mind
.
I
'm
sick
of
the
word
"
pounds
.
"
'
'
So
am
I
.
'
She
sighed
,
commenting
thus
on
her
acquiescence
.
'
But
look
,
Amy
.
If
I
try
to
be
cheerful
in
spite
of
natural
dumps
,
would
n't
it
be
fair
for
you
to
put
aside
thoughts
of
money
?
'
'
Yes
.
Read
some
Homer
,
dear
.
Let
us
have
Odysseus
down
in
Hades
,
and
Ajax
stalking
past
him
.
Oh
,
I
like
that
!
'
So
he
read
,
rather
coldly
at
first
,
but
soon
warming
.
Amy
sat
with
folded
arms
,
a
smile
on
her
lips
,
her
brows
knitted
to
the
epic
humour
.
In
a
few
minutes
it
was
as
if
no
difficulties
threatened
their
life
.
Every
now
and
then
Reardon
looked
up
from
his
translating
with
a
delighted
laugh
,
in
which
Amy
joined
.
When
he
had
returned
the
book
to
the
shelf
he
stepped
behind
his
wife
's
chair
,
leaned
upon
it
,
and
put
his
cheek
against
hers
.
'
Amy
!
'
'
Yes
,
dear
?
'
'
Do
you
still
love
me
a
little
?
'
'
Much
more
than
a
little
.
'
'
Though
I
am
sunk
to
writing
a
wretched
pot-boiler
?
'
'
Is
it
so
bad
as
all
that
?
'
'
Confoundedly
bad
.
I
shall
be
ashamed
to
see
it
in
print
;
the
proofs
will
be
a
martyrdom
.
'
'
Oh
,
but
why
?
why
?
'
'
It
's
the
best
I
can
do
,
dearest
.
So
you
do
n't
love
me
enough
to
hear
that
calmly
.
'
'
If
I
did
n't
love
you
,
I
might
be
calmer
about
it
,
Edwin
.
It
's
dreadful
to
me
to
think
of
what
they
will
say
in
the
reviews
.
'
'
Curse
the
reviews
!
'
His
mood
had
changed
on
the
instant
.
He
stood
up
with
darkened
face
,
trembling
angrily
.
'
I
want
you
to
promise
me
something
,
Amy
.
You
wo
n't
read
a
single
one
of
the
notices
unless
it
is
forced
upon
your
attention
.
Now
,
promise
me
that
.
Neglect
them
absolutely
,
as
I
do
.
They
're
not
worth
a
glance
of
your
eyes
.
And
I
sha
n't
be
able
to
bear
it
if
I
know
you
read
all
the
contempt
that
will
be
poured
on
me
.
'
'
I
'm
sure
I
shall
be
glad
enough
to
avoid
it
;
but
other
people
,
our
friends
,
read
it
.
That
's
the
worst
.
'
'
You
know
that
their
praise
would
be
valueless
,
so
have
strength
to
disregard
the
blame
.
Let
our
friends
read
and
talk
as
much
as
they
like
.
Ca
n't
you
console
yourself
with
the
thought
that
I
am
not
contemptible
,
though
I
may
have
been
forced
to
do
poor
work
?
'
'
People
do
n't
look
at
it
in
that
way
.
'
'
But
,
darling
,
'
he
took
her
hands
strongly
in
his
own
,
'
I
want
you
to
disregard
other
people
.
You
and
I
are
surely
everything
to
each
other
?
Are
your
ashamed
of
me
,
of
me
myself
?
'
'
No
,
not
ashamed
of
you
.
But
I
am
sensitive
to
people
's
talk
and
opinions
.
'
'
But
that
means
they
make
you
feel
ashamed
of
me
.
What
else
?
'
There
was
silence
.
'
Edwin
,
if
you
find
you
are
unable
to
do
good
work
,
you
must
n't
do
bad
.
We
must
think
of
some
other
way
of
making
a
living
.
'
'
Have
you
forgotten
that
you
urged
me
to
write
a
trashy
sensational
story
?
'
She
coloured
and
looked
annoyed
.
'
You
misunderstood
me
.
A
sensational
story
need
n't
be
trash
.
And
then
,
you
know
,
if
you
had
tried
something
entirely
unlike
your
usual
work
that
would
have
been
excuse
enough
if
people
had
called
it
a
failure
.
'
'
People
!
People
!
'
'
We
ca
n't
live
in
solitude
,
Edwin
,
though
really
we
are
not
far
from
it
.
'
He
did
not
dare
to
make
any
reply
to
this
.
Amy
was
so
exasperatingly
womanlike
in
avoiding
the
important
issue
to
which
he
tried
to
confine
her
;
another
moment
,
and
his
tone
would
be
that
of
irritation
.
So
he
turned
away
and
sat
down
to
his
desk
,
as
if
he
had
some
thought
of
resuming
work
.
'
Will
you
come
and
have
some
supper
?
'
Amy
asked
,
rising
.
'
I
have
been
forgetting
that
to-morrow
morning
's
chapter
has
still
to
be
thought
out
.
'
'
Edwin
,
I
ca
n't
think
this
book
will
really
be
so
poor
.
You
could
n't
possibly
give
all
this
toil
for
no
result
.
'
'
No
;
not
if
I
were
in
sound
health
.
But
I
am
far
from
it
.
'
'
Come
and
have
supper
with
me
,
dear
,
and
think
afterwards
.
'
He
turned
and
smiled
at
her
.
'
I
hope
I
shall
never
be
able
to
resist
an
invitation
from
you
,
sweet
.
'
The
result
of
all
this
was
,
of
course
,
that
he
sat
down
in
anything
but
the
right
mood
to
his
work
next
morning
.
Amy
's
anticipation
of
criticism
had
made
it
harder
than
ever
for
him
to
labour
at
what
he
knew
to
be
bad
.
And
,
as
ill-luck
would
have
it
,
in
a
day
or
two
he
caught
his
first
winter
's
cold
.
For
several
years
a
succession
of
influenzas
,
sore-throats
,
lumbagoes
,
had
tormented
him
from
October
to
May
;
in
planning
his
present
work
,
and
telling
himself
that
it
must
be
finished
before
Christmas
,
he
had
not
lost
sight
of
these
possible
interruptions
.
But
he
said
to
himself
:
'
Other
men
have
worked
hard
in
seasons
of
illness
;
I
must
do
the
same
.
'
All
very
well
,
but
Reardon
did
not
belong
to
the
heroic
class
.
A
feverish
cold
now
put
his
powers
and
resolution
to
the
test
.
Through
one
hideous
day
he
nailed
himself
to
the
desk
—
and
wrote
a
quarter
of
a
page
.
The
next
day
Amy
would
not
let
him
rise
from
bed
;
he
was
wretchedly
ill.
In
the
night
he
had
talked
about
his
work
deliriously
,
causing
her
no
slight
alarm
.
'
If
this
goes
on
,
'
she
said
to
him
in
the
morning
,
'
you
'll
have
brain
fever
.
You
must
rest
for
two
or
three
days
.
'
'
Teach
me
how
to
.
I
wish
I
could
.
'
Rest
had
indeed
become
out
of
the
question
.
For
two
days
he
could
not
write
,
but
the
result
upon
his
mind
was
far
worse
than
if
he
had
been
at
the
desk
.
He
looked
a
haggard
creature
when
he
again
sat
down
with
the
accustomed
blank
slip
before
him
.
The
second
volume
ought
to
have
been
much
easier
work
than
the
first
;
it
proved
far
harder
.
Messieurs
and
mesdames
the
critics
are
wont
to
point
out
the
weakness
of
second
volumes
;
they
are
generally
right
,
simply
because
a
story
which
would
have
made
a
tolerable
book
(
the
common
run
of
stories
)
refuses
to
fill
three
books
.
Reardon
's
story
was
in
itself
weak
,
and
this
second
volume
had
to
consist
almost
entirely
of
laborious
padding
.
If
he
wrote
three
slips
a
day
he
did
well
.
And
the
money
was
melting
,
melting
,
despite
Amy
's
efforts
at
economy
.
She
spent
as
little
as
she
could
;
not
a
luxury
came
into
their
home
;
articles
of
clothing
all
but
indispensable
were
left
unpurchased
.
But
to
what
purpose
was
all
this
?
Impossible
,
now
,
that
the
book
should
be
finished
and
sold
before
the
money
had
all
run
out
.
At
the
end
of
November
,
Reardon
said
to
his
wife
one
morning
:
'
To-morrow
I
finish
the
second
volume
.
'
'
And
in
a
week
,
'
she
replied
,
'
we
sha
n't
have
a
shilling
left
.
'
He
had
refrained
from
making
inquiries
,
and
Amy
had
forborne
to
tell
him
the
state
of
things
,
lest
it
should
bring
him
to
a
dead
stop
in
his
writing
.
But
now
they
must
needs
discuss
their
position
.
'
In
three
weeks
I
can
get
to
the
end
,
'
said
Reardon
,
with
unnatural
calmness
.
'
Then
I
will
go
personally
to
the
publishers
,
and
beg
them
to
advance
me
something
on
the
manuscript
before
they
have
read
it
.
'
'
Could
n't
you
do
that
with
the
first
two
volumes
?
'
'
No
,
I
ca
n't
;
indeed
I
ca
n't
.
The
other
thing
will
be
bad
enough
;
but
to
beg
on
an
incomplete
book
,
and
such
a
book
—
I
ca
n't
!
'
There
were
drops
on
his
forehead
.
'
They
would
help
you
if
they
knew
,
'
said
Amy
in
a
low
voice
.
'
Perhaps
;
I
ca
n't
say
.
They
ca
n't
help
every
poor
devil
.
No
;
I
will
sell
some
books
.
I
can
pick
out
fifty
or
sixty
that
I
sha
n't
much
miss
.
'
Amy
knew
what
a
wrench
this
would
be
.
The
imminence
of
distress
seemed
to
have
softened
her
.
'
Edwin
,
let
me
take
those
two
volumes
to
the
publishers
,
and
ask
—
'
'
Heavens
!
no.
That
's
impossible
.
Ten
to
one
you
will
be
told
that
my
work
is
of
such
doubtful
value
that
they
ca
n't
offer
even
a
guinea
till
the
whole
book
has
been
considered
.
I
ca
n't
allow
you
to
go
,
dearest
.
This
morning
I
'll
choose
some
books
that
I
can
spare
,
and
after
dinner
I
'll
ask
a
man
to
come
and
look
at
them
.
Do
n't
worry
yourself
;
I
can
finish
in
three
weeks
,
I
'm
sure
I
can
.
If
I
can
get
you
three
or
four
pounds
you
could
make
it
do
,
could
n't
you
?
'
'
Yes
.
'
She
averted
her
face
as
she
spoke
.
'
You
shall
have
that
.
'
He
still
spoke
very
quietly
.
'
If
the
books
wo
n't
bring
enough
,
there
's
my
watch
—
oh
,
lots
of
things
.
'
He
turned
abruptly
away
,
and
Amy
went
on
with
her
household
work
.
CHAPTER
X
THE
FRIENDS
OF
THE
FAMILY
It
was
natural
that
Amy
should
hint
dissatisfaction
with
the
loneliness
in
which
her
days
were
mostly
spent
.
She
had
never
lived
in
a
large
circle
of
acquaintances
;
the
narrowness
of
her
mother
's
means
restricted
the
family
to
intercourse
with
a
few
old
friends
and
such
new
ones
as
were
content
with
tea-cup
entertainment
;
but
her
tastes
were
social
,
and
the
maturing
process
which
followed
upon
her
marriage
made
her
more
conscious
of
this
than
she
had
been
before
.
Already
she
had
allowed
her
husband
to
understand
that
one
of
her
strongest
motives
in
marrying
him
was
the
belief
that
he
would
achieve
distinction
.
At
the
time
she
doubtless
thought
of
his
coming
fame
only
—
or
principally
—
as
it
concerned
their
relations
to
each
other
;
her
pride
in
him
was
to
be
one
phase
of
her
love
.
Now
she
was
well
aware
that
no
degree
of
distinction
in
her
husband
would
be
of
much
value
to
her
unless
she
had
the
pleasure
of
witnessing
its
effect
upon
others
;
she
must
shine
with
reflected
light
before
an
admiring
assembly
.
The
more
conscious
she
became
of
this
requirement
of
her
nature
,
the
more
clearly
did
she
perceive
that
her
hopes
had
been
founded
on
an
error
.
Reardon
would
never
be
a
great
man
;
he
would
never
even
occupy
a
prominent
place
in
the
estimation
of
the
public
.
The
two
things
,
Amy
knew
,
might
be
as
different
as
light
and
darkness
;
but
in
the
grief
of
her
disappointment
she
would
rather
have
had
him
flare
into
a
worthless
popularity
than
flicker
down
into
total
extinction
,
which
it
almost
seemed
was
to
be
his
fate
.
She
knew
so
well
how
'
people
'
were
talking
of
him
and
her
.
Even
her
unliterary
acquaintances
understood
that
Reardon
's
last
novel
had
been
anything
but
successful
,
and
they
must
of
course
ask
each
other
how
the
Reardons
were
going
to
live
if
the
business
of
novel-writing
proved
unremunerative
.
Her
pride
took
offence
at
the
mere
thought
of
such
conversations
.
Presently
she
would
become
an
object
of
pity
;
there
would
be
talk
of
'
poor
Mrs.
Reardon
.
'
It
was
intolerable
.
So
during
the
last
half
year
she
had
withheld
as
much
as
possible
from
the
intercourse
which
might
have
been
one
of
her
chief
pleasures
.
And
to
disguise
the
true
cause
she
made
pretences
which
were
a
satire
upon
her
state
of
mind
—
alleging
that
she
had
devoted
herself
to
a
serious
course
of
studies
,
that
the
care
of
house
and
child
occupied
all
the
time
she
could
spare
from
her
intellectual
pursuits
.
The
worst
of
it
was
,
she
had
little
faith
in
the
efficacy
of
these
fictions
;
in
uttering
them
she
felt
an
unpleasant
warmth
upon
her
cheeks
,
and
it
was
not
difficult
to
detect
a
look
of
doubt
in
the
eyes
of
the
listener
.
She
grew
angry
with
herself
for
being
dishonest
,
and
with
her
husband
for
making
such
dishonesty
needful
.
The
female
friend
with
whom
she
had
most
trouble
was
Mrs.
Carter
.
You
remember
that
on
the
occasion
of
Reardon
's
first
meeting
with
his
future
wife
,
at
the
Grosvenor
Gallery
,
there
were
present
his
friend
Carter
and
a
young
lady
who
was
shortly
to
bear
the
name
of
that
spirited
young
man
.
The
Carters
had
now
been
married
about
a
year
;
they
lived
in
Bayswater
,
and
saw
much
of
a
certain
world
which
imitates
on
a
lower
plane
the
amusements
and
affectations
of
society
proper
.
Mr.
Carter
was
still
secretary
to
the
hospital
where
Reardon
had
once
earned
his
twenty
shillings
a
week
,
but
by
voyaging
in
the
seas
of
charitable
enterprise
he
had
come
upon
supplementary
sources
of
income
;
for
instance
,
he
held
the
post
of
secretary
to
the
Barclay
Trust
,
a
charity
whose
moderate
funds
were
largely
devoted
to
the
support
of
gentlemen
engaged
in
administering
it
.
This
young
man
,
with
his
air
of
pleasing
vivacity
,
had
early
ingratiated
himself
with
the
kind
of
people
who
were
likely
to
be
of
use
to
him
;
he
had
his
reward
in
the
shape
of
offices
which
are
only
procured
through
private
influence
.
His
wife
was
a
good-natured
,
lively
,
and
rather
clever
girl
;
she
had
a
genuine
regard
for
Amy
,
and
much
respect
for
Reardon
.
Her
ambition
was
to
form
a
circle
of
distinctly
intellectual
acquaintances
,
and
she
was
constantly
inviting
the
Reardons
to
her
house
;
a
real
live
novelist
is
not
easily
drawn
into
the
world
where
Mrs.
Carter
had
her
being
,
and
it
annoyed
her
that
all
attempts
to
secure
Amy
and
her
husband
for
five
o'clock
teas
and
small
parties
had
of
late
failed
.
On
the
afternoon
when
Reardon
had
visited
a
second-hand
bookseller
with
a
view
of
raising
money
—
he
was
again
shut
up
in
his
study
,
dolorously
at
work
—
Amy
was
disturbed
by
the
sound
of
a
visitor
's
rat-tat
;
the
little
servant
went
to
the
door
,
and
returned
followed
by
Mrs.
Carter
.
Under
the
best
of
circumstances
it
was
awkward
to
receive
any
but
intimate
friends
during
the
hours
when
Reardon
sat
at
his
desk
.
The
little
dining-room
(
with
its
screen
to
conceal
the
kitchen
range
)
offered
nothing
more
than
homely
comfort
;
and
then
the
servant
had
to
be
disposed
of
by
sending
her
into
the
bedroom
to
take
care
of
Willie
.
Privacy
,
in
the
strict
sense
,
was
impossible
,
for
the
servant
might
listen
at
the
door
(
one
room
led
out
of
the
other
)
to
all
the
conversation
that
went
on
;
yet
Amy
could
not
request
her
visitors
to
speak
in
a
low
tone
.
For
the
first
year
these
difficulties
had
not
been
felt
;
Reardon
made
a
point
of
leaving
the
front
room
at
his
wife
's
disposal
from
three
to
six
;
it
was
only
when
dread
of
the
future
began
to
press
upon
him
that
he
sat
in
the
study
all
day
long
.
You
see
how
complicated
were
the
miseries
of
the
situation
;
one
torment
involved
another
,
and
in
every
quarter
subjects
of
discontent
were
multiplied
.
Mrs.
Carter
would
have
taken
it
ill
had
she
known
that
Amy
did
not
regard
her
as
strictly
an
intimate
.
They
addressed
each
other
by
their
Christian
names
,
and
conversed
without
ceremony
;
but
Amy
was
always
dissatisfied
when
the
well-dressed
young
woman
burst
with
laughter
and
animated
talk
into
this
abode
of
concealed
poverty
.
Edith
was
not
the
kind
of
person
with
whom
one
can
quarrel
;
she
had
a
kind
heart
,
and
was
never
disagreeably
pretentious
.
Had
circumstances
allowed
it
,
Amy
would
have
given
frank
welcome
to
such
friendship
;
she
would
have
been
glad
to
accept
as
many
invitations
as
Edith
chose
to
offer
.
But
at
present
it
did
her
harm
to
come
in
contact
with
Mrs.
Carter
;
it
made
her
envious
,
cold
to
her
husband
,
resentful
against
fate
.
'
Why
ca
n't
she
leave
me
alone
?
'
was
the
thought
that
rose
in
her
mind
as
Edith
entered
.
'
I
shall
let
her
see
that
I
do
n't
want
her
here
.
'
'
Your
husband
at
work
?
'
Edith
asked
,
with
a
glance
in
the
direction
of
the
study
,
as
soon
as
they
had
exchanged
kisses
and
greetings
.
'
Yes
,
he
is
busy
.
'
'
And
you
are
sitting
alone
,
as
usual
.
I
feared
you
might
be
out
;
an
afternoon
of
sunshine
is
n't
to
be
neglected
at
this
time
of
year
.
'
'
Is
there
sunshine
?
'
Amy
inquired
coldly
.
'
Why
,
look
!
Do
you
mean
to
say
you
have
n't
noticed
it
?
What
a
comical
person
you
are
sometimes
!
I
suppose
you
have
been
over
head
and
ears
in
books
all
day
.
How
is
Willie
?
'
'
Very
well
,
thank
you
.
'
'
May
n't
I
see
him
?
'
'
If
you
like
.
'
Amy
stepped
to
the
bedroom
door
and
bade
the
servant
bring
Willie
for
exhibition
.
Edith
,
who
as
yet
had
no
child
of
her
own
,
always
showed
the
most
flattering
admiration
of
this
infant
;
it
was
so
manifestly
sincere
that
the
mother
could
not
but
be
moved
to
a
grateful
friendliness
whenever
she
listened
to
its
expression
.
Even
this
afternoon
the
usual
effect
followed
when
Edith
had
made
a
pretty
and
tender
fool
of
herself
for
several
minutes
.
Amy
bade
the
servant
make
tea
.
At
this
moment
the
door
from
the
passage
opened
,
and
Reardon
looked
in
.
'
Well
,
if
this
is
n't
marvellous
!
'
cried
Edith
.
'
I
should
as
soon
have
expected
the
heavens
to
fall
!
'
'
As
what
?
'
asked
Reardon
,
with
a
pale
smile
.
'
As
you
to
show
yourself
when
I
am
here
.
'
'
I
should
like
to
say
that
I
came
on
purpose
to
see
you
,
Mrs.
Carter
,
but
it
would
n't
be
true
.
I
'm
going
out
for
an
hour
,
so
that
you
can
take
possession
of
the
other
room
if
you
like
,
Amy
.
'
'
Going
out
?
'
said
Amy
,
with
a
look
of
surprise
.
'
Nothing
—
nothing
.
I
must
n't
stay
.
'
He
just
inquired
of
Mrs.
Carter
how
her
husband
was
,
and
withdrew
.
The
door
of
the
flat
was
heard
to
close
after
him
.
'
Let
us
go
into
the
study
,
then
,
'
said
Amy
,
again
in
rather
a
cold
voice
.
On
Reardon
's
desk
were
lying
slips
of
blank
paper
.
Edith
,
approaching
on
tiptoe
with
what
was
partly
make-believe
,
partly
genuine
,
awe
,
looked
at
the
literary
apparatus
,
then
turned
with
a
laugh
to
her
friend
.
'
How
delightful
it
must
be
to
sit
down
and
write
about
people
one
has
invented
!
Ever
since
I
have
known
you
and
Mr.
Reardon
I
have
been
tempted
to
try
if
I
could
n't
write
a
story
.
'
'
Have
you
?
'
'
And
I
'm
sure
I
do
n't
know
how
you
can
resist
the
temptation
.
I
feel
sure
you
could
write
books
almost
as
clever
as
your
husband
's
.
'
'
I
have
no
intention
of
trying
.
'
'
You
do
n't
seem
very
well
to-day
,
Amy
.
'
'
Oh
,
I
think
I
am
as
well
as
usual
.
'
She
guessed
that
her
husband
was
once
more
brought
to
a
stand-still
,
and
this
darkened
her
humour
again
.
'
One
of
my
reasons
for
coming
,
'
said
Edith
,
'
was
to
beg
and
entreat
and
implore
you
and
Mr.
Reardon
to
dine
with
us
next
Wednesday
.
Now
do
n't
put
on
such
a
severe
face
!
Are
you
engaged
that
evening
?
'
'
Yes
;
in
the
ordinary
way
.
Edwin
ca
n't
possibly
leave
his
work
.
'
'
But
for
one
poor
evening
!
It
's
such
ages
since
we
saw
you
.
'
'
I
'm
very
sorry
.
I
do
n't
think
we
shall
ever
be
able
to
accept
invitations
in
future
.
'
Amy
spoke
thus
at
the
prompting
of
a
sudden
impulse
.
A
minute
ago
,
no
such
definite
declaration
was
in
her
mind
.
'
Never
?
'
exclaimed
Edith
.
'
But
why
?
Whatever
do
you
mean
?
'
'
We
find
that
social
engagements
consume
too
much
time
,
'
Amy
replied
,
her
explanation
just
as
much
of
an
impromptu
as
the
announcement
had
been
.
'
You
see
,
one
must
either
belong
to
society
or
not
.
Married
people
ca
n't
accept
an
occasional
invitation
from
friends
and
never
do
their
social
duty
in
return
.
We
have
decided
to
withdraw
altogether
—
at
all
events
for
the
present
.
I
shall
see
no
one
except
my
relatives
.
'
Edith
listened
with
a
face
of
astonishment
.
'
You
wo
n't
even
see
me
?
'
she
exclaimed
.
'
Indeed
I
have
no
wish
to
lose
your
friendship
.
Yet
I
am
ashamed
to
ask
you
to
come
here
when
I
can
never
return
your
visits
.
'
'
Oh
,
please
do
n't
put
it
in
that
way
!
But
it
seems
so
very
strange
.
'
Edith
could
not
help
conjecturing
the
true
significance
of
this
resolve
.
But
,
as
is
commonly
the
case
with
people
in
easy
circumstances
,
she
found
it
hard
to
believe
that
her
friends
were
so
straitened
as
to
have
a
difficulty
in
supporting
the
ordinary
obligations
of
a
civilised
state
.
'
I
know
how
precious
your
husband
's
time
is
,
'
she
added
,
as
if
to
remove
the
effect
of
her
last
remark
.
'
Surely
there
's
no
harm
in
my
saying
—
we
know
each
other
well
enough
—
you
would
n't
think
it
necessary
to
devote
an
evening
to
entertaining
us
just
because
you
had
given
us
the
pleasure
of
your
company
.
I
put
it
very
stupidly
,
but
I
'm
sure
you
understand
me
,
Amy
.
Do
n't
refuse
just
to
come
to
our
house
now
and
then
.
'
'
I
'm
afraid
we
shall
have
to
be
consistent
,
Edith
.
'
'
But
do
you
think
this
is
a
wise
thing
to
do
?
'
'
Wise
?
'
'
You
know
what
you
once
told
me
,
about
how
necessary
it
was
for
a
novelist
to
study
all
sorts
of
people
.
How
can
Mr.
Reardon
do
this
if
he
shuts
himself
up
in
the
house
?
I
should
have
thought
he
would
find
it
necessary
to
make
new
acquaintances
.
'
'
As
I
said
,
'
returned
Amy
,
'
it
wo
n't
be
always
like
this
.
For
the
present
,
Edwin
has
quite
enough
"
material
.
"
'
She
spoke
distantly
;
it
irritated
her
to
have
to
invent
excuses
for
the
sacrifice
she
had
just
imposed
on
herself
.
Edith
sipped
the
tea
which
had
been
offered
her
,
and
for
a
minute
kept
silence
.
'
When
will
Mr.
Reardon
's
next
book
be
published
?
'
she
asked
at
length
.
'
I
'm
sure
I
do
n't
know
.
Not
before
the
spring
.
'
'
I
shall
look
so
anxiously
for
it
.
Whenever
I
meet
new
people
I
always
turn
the
conversation
to
novels
,
just
for
the
sake
of
asking
them
if
they
know
your
husband
's
books
.
'
She
laughed
merrily
.
'
Which
is
seldom
the
case
,
I
should
think
,
'
said
Amy
with
a
smile
of
indifference
.
'
Well
,
my
dear
,
you
do
n't
expect
ordinary
novel-readers
to
know
about
Mr.
Reardon
.
I
wish
my
acquaintances
were
a
better
kind
of
people
;
then
,
of
course
,
I
should
hear
of
his
books
more
often
.
But
one
has
to
make
the
best
of
such
society
as
offers
.
If
you
and
your
husband
forsake
me
,
I
shall
feel
it
a
sad
loss
;
I
shall
indeed
.
'
Amy
gave
a
quick
glance
at
the
speaker
's
face
.
'
Oh
,
we
must
be
friends
just
the
same
,
'
she
said
,
more
naturally
than
she
had
spoken
hitherto
.
'
But
do
n't
ask
us
to
come
and
dine
just
now
.
All
through
this
winter
we
shall
be
very
busy
,
both
of
us
.
Indeed
,
we
have
decided
not
to
accept
any
invitations
at
all
.
'
'
Then
,
so
long
as
you
let
me
come
here
now
and
then
,
I
must
give
in
.
I
promise
not
to
trouble
you
with
any
more
complaining
.
But
how
you
can
live
such
a
life
I
do
n't
know
.
I
consider
myself
more
of
a
reader
than
women
generally
are
,
and
I
should
be
mortally
offended
if
anyone
called
me
frivolous
;
but
I
must
have
a
good
deal
of
society
.
Really
and
truly
,
I
ca
n't
live
without
it
.
'
'
No
?
'
said
Amy
,
with
a
smile
which
meant
more
than
Edith
could
interpret
.
It
seemed
slightly
condescending
.
'
There
's
no
knowing
;
perhaps
if
I
had
married
a
literary
man
—
'
She
paused
,
smiling
and
musing
.
'
But
then
I
have
n't
,
you
see
.
'
She
laughed
.
'
Albert
is
anything
but
a
bookworm
,
as
you
know
.
'
'
You
would
n't
wish
him
to
be
.
'
'
Oh
no
!
Not
a
bookworm
.
To
be
sure
,
we
suit
each
other
very
well
indeed
.
He
likes
society
just
as
much
as
I
do
.
It
would
be
the
death
of
him
if
he
did
n't
spend
three-quarters
of
every
day
with
lively
people
.
'
'
That
's
rather
a
large
portion
.
But
then
you
count
yourself
among
the
lively
ones
.
'
They
exchanged
looks
,
and
laughed
together
.
'
Of
course
you
think
me
rather
silly
to
want
to
talk
so
much
with
silly
people
,
'
Edith
went
on
.
'
But
then
there
's
generally
some
amusement
to
be
got
,
you
know
.
I
do
n't
take
life
quite
so
seriously
as
you
do
.
People
are
people
after
all
;
it
's
good
fun
to
see
how
they
live
and
hear
how
they
talk
.
'
Amy
felt
that
she
was
playing
a
sorry
part
.
She
thought
of
sour
grapes
,
and
of
the
fox
who
had
lost
his
tail
.
Worst
of
all
,
perhaps
Edith
suspected
the
truth
.
She
began
to
make
inquiries
about
common
acquaintances
,
and
fell
into
an
easier
current
of
gossip
.
A
quarter
of
an
hour
after
the
visitor
's
departure
Reardon
came
back
.
Amy
had
guessed
aright
;
the
necessity
of
selling
his
books
weighed
upon
him
so
that
for
the
present
he
could
do
nothing
.
The
evening
was
spent
gloomily
,
with
very
little
conversation
.
Next
day
came
the
bookseller
to
make
his
inspection
.
Reardon
had
chosen
out
and
ranged
upon
a
table
nearly
a
hundred
volumes
.
With
a
few
exceptions
they
had
been
purchased
second-hand
.
The
tradesman
examined
them
rapidly
.
'
What
do
you
ask
?
'
he
inquired
,
putting
his
head
aside
.
'
I
prefer
that
you
should
make
an
offer
,
'
Reardon
replied
,
with
the
helplessness
of
one
who
lives
remote
from
traffic
.
'
I
ca
n't
say
more
than
two
pounds
ten
.
'
'
That
is
at
the
rate
of
sixpence
a
volume
—
?
'
'
To
me
that
's
about
the
average
value
of
books
like
these
.
'
Perhaps
the
offer
was
a
fair
one
;
perhaps
it
was
not
.
Reardon
