Robertthan
on
Catherine
.
Afterwards
she
gradually
came
to
feel
,
running
all
through
his
views
of
life
,
a
note
sterner
,
deeper
,
maturer
than
any
present
there
before
.
The
reasons
for
it
were
unknown
to
her
,
though
sometimes
her
own
tender
,
ignorant
remorse
supplied
them
.
But
they
were
hidden
deep
in
Elsmere
's
memory
.
A
few
days
afterwards
he
was
casually
told
that
Madame
de
Netteville
had
left
England
for
some
time
.
As
a
matter
of
fact
he
never
set
eyes
on
her
again
.
After
a
while
the
extravagance
of
his
self-blame
abated
.
He
saw
things
as
they
were
—
without
morbidness
.
But
a
certain
boyish
carelessness
of
mood
he
never
afterwards
quite
recovered
.
Men
and
women
of
all
classes
,
and
not
only
among
the
poor
,
became
more
real
and
more
tragic
—
moral
truths
more
awful
—
to
him
.
It
was
the
penalty
of
a
highly-strung
nature
set
with
exclusive
intensity
towards
certain
spiritual
ends
.
On
the
first
opportunity
after
that
conversation
with
Hugh
Flaxman
which
had
so
deeply
affected
her
,
Catherine
accompanied
Elsmere
to
his
Sunday
lecture
.
He
tried
a
little
,
tenderly
,
to
dissuade
her
.
But
she
went
,
shrinking
and
yet
determined
.
She
had
not
heard
him
speak
in
public
since
that
last
sermon
of
his
in
Murewell
Church
,
every
detail
of
which
by
long
brooding
had
been
burnt
into
her
mind
.
The
bare
Elgood
Street
room
,
the
dingy
outlook
on
the
high
walls
of
a
warehouse
oppo
site
,
the
lines
of
blanched
quick-eyed
artisans
,
the
dissent
from
what
she
loved
,
and
he
had
once
loved
,
implied
in
everything
,
the
lecture
itself
,
on
the
narratives
of
the
Passion
;
it
was
all
exquisitely
painful
to
her
,
and
,
yet
,
yet
she
was
glad
to
be
there
.
Afterwards
Wardlaw
,
with
the
brusque
remark
to
Elsmere
that
'
any
fool
could
see
he
was
getting
done
up
,
'
insisted
on
taking
the
children
's
class
.
Catherine
,
too
,
had
been
impressed
,
as
she
saw
Robert
raised
a
little
above
her
in
the
glare
of
many
windows
,
with
the
sudden
perception
that
the
worn
,
exhausted
look
of
the
preceding
summer
had
returned
upon
him
.
She
held
out
her
hand
to
Wardlaw
with
a
quick
,
warm
word
of
thanks
.
He
glanced
at
her
curiously
.
What
had
brought
her
there
after
all
?
Then
Robert
,
protesting
that
he
was
being
ridiculously
coddled
,
and
that
Wardlaw
was
much
more
in
want
of
a
holiday
than
he
,
was
carried
off
to
the
Embankment
,
and
the
two
spent
a
happy
hour
wandering
westward
,
Somerset
House
,
the
bridges
,
the
Westminster
towers
rising
before
them
into
the
haze
of
the
June
afternoon
.
A
little
fresh
breeze
came
off
the
river
;
that
,
or
his
wife
's
hand
on
his
arm
,
seemed
to
put
new
life
into
Elsmere
.
And
she
walked
beside
him
,
talking
frankly
,
heart
to
heart
,
with
flashes
of
her
old
sweet
gaiety
,
as
she
had
not
talked
for
months
.
Deep
in
her
mystical
sense
all
the
time
lay
the
belief
in
a
final
restoration
,
in
an
all-atoning
moment
,
perhaps
at
the
very
end
of
life
,
in
which
the
blind
would
see
,
the
doubter
be
convinced
.
And
,
meanwhile
,
the
blessedness
of
this
peace
,
this
surrender
!
Surely
the
air
this
afternoon
was
pure
and
life-giving
for
them
,
the
bells
rang
for
them
,
the
trees
were
green
for
them
!
He
had
need
in
the
week
that
followed
of
all
that
she
had
given
back
to
him
.
For
Mr.
Grey
's
illness
had
taken
a
dangerous
and
alarming
turn
.
It
seemed
to
be
the
issue
of
long
ill-health
,
and
the
doctors
feared
that
there
were
no
resources
of
constitution
left
to
carry
him
through
it
.
Every
day
some
old
St.
Anselm
's
friend
on
the
spot
wrote
to
Elsmere
,
and
with
each
post
the
news
grew
more
despairing
.
Since
Elsmere
had
left
Oxford
he
could
count
on
the
fingers
of
one
hand
the
occasions
on
which
he
and
Grey
had
met
face
to
face
.
But
for
him
,
as
for
many
another
man
of
our
time
,
Henry
Grey
's
influence
was
not
primarily
an
influence
of
personal
contact
.
His
mere
life
,
that
he
was
there
,
on
English
soil
,
within
a
measurable
distance
,
had
been
to
Elsmere
in
his
darkest
moments
one
of
his
thoughts
of
refuge
.
At
a
time
when
a
religion
which
can
no
longer
be
believed
clashes
with
a
scepticism
full
of
danger
to
conduct
,
every
such
witness
as
Grey
to
the
power
of
a
new
and
coming
truth
holds
a
special
place
in
the
hearts
of
men
who
can
neither
accept
fairy
tales
,
nor
reconcile
themselves
to
a
world
without
faith
.
The
saintly
life
grows
to
be
a
beacon
,
a
witness
.
Men
cling
to
it
as
they
have
always
clung
to
each
other
,
to
the
visible
and
the
tangible
;
as
the
elders
of
Miletus
,
though
the
Way
lay
before
them
,
clung
to
the
man
who
had
set
their
feet
therein
,
'
sorrowing
most
of
all
that
they
should
see
his
face
no
more
.
'
The
accounts
grew
worse
—
all
friends
shut
out
,
no
possibility
of
last
words
—
the
whole
of
Oxford
moved
and
sorrowing
.
Then
at
last
,
on
a
Friday
,
came
the
dreaded
expected
letter
:
'
He
is
gone
!
He
died
early
this
morning
,
without
pain
,
conscious
almost
to
the
end
.
He
mentioned
several
friends
by
name
,
you
among
them
,
during
the
night
.
The
funeral
is
to
be
on
Tuesday
.
You
will
be
here
,
of
course
.
'
Sad
and
memorable
day
!
By
an
untoward
chance
it
fell
in
Commemoration
week
,
and
Robert
found
the
familiar
streets
teeming
with
life
and
noise
,
under
a
showery
uncertain
sky
,
which
every
now
and
then
would
send
the
bevies
of
lightly-gowned
maidens
,
with
their
mothers
and
attendant
squires
,
skurrying
for
shelter
,
and
leave
the
roofs
and
pavements
glistening
.
He
walked
up
to
St.
Anselm
's
—
found
,
as
he
expected
,
that
the
first
part
of
the
service
was
to
be
in
the
chapel
,
the
rest
in
the
cemetery
,
and
then
mounted
the
well-known
staircase
to
Langham
's
rooms
.
Langham
was
apparently
in
his
bedroom
.
Lunch
was
on
the
table
—
the
familiar
commons
,
the
familiar
toast-and-water
.
There
,
in
a
recess
,
were
the
same
splendid
wall
maps
of
Greece
he
had
so
often
consulted
after
lecture
.
There
was
the
little
case
of
coins
,
with
the
gold
Alexanders
he
had
handled
with
so
much
covetous
reverence
at
eighteen
.
Outside
,
the
irregular
quadrangle
with
its
dripping
trees
stretched
before
him
;
the
steps
of
the
new
Hall
,
now
the
shower
was
over
,
were
crowded
with
gowned
figures
.
It
might
have
been
yesterday
that
he
had
stood
in
that
room
,
blushing
with
awkward
pleasure
under
Mr.
Grey
's
first
salutation
.
The
bedroom
door
opened
and
Langham
came
in
.
'
Elsmere
!
But
of
course
I
expected
you
.
'
His
voice
seemed
to
Robert
curiously
changed
.
There
was
a
flatness
in
it
,
an
absence
of
positive
cordiality
which
was
new
to
him
in
any
greeting
of
Langham
's
to
himself
,
and
had
a
chilling
effect
upon
him
.
The
face
,
too
,
was
changed
.
Tint
and
expression
were
both
dulled
;
its
marble-like
sharpness
and
finish
had
coarsened
a
little
,
and
the
figure
,
which
had
never
possessed
the
erectness
of
youth
,
had
now
the
pinched
look
and
the
confirmed
stoop
of
the
valetudinarian
.
'
I
did
not
write
to
you
,
Elsmere
,
'
he
said
immediately
,
as
though
in
anticipation
of
what
the
other
would
be
sure
to
say
;
'
I
knew
nothing
but
what
the
bulletins
said
,
and
I
was
told
that
Cathcart
wrote
to
you
.
It
is
many
years
now
since
I
have
seen
much
of
Grey
.
Sit
down
and
have
some
lunch
.
We
have
time
,
but
not
too
much
time
.
'
Robert
took
a
few
mouthfuls
.
Langham
was
difficult
,
talked
disconnectedly
of
trifles
,
and
Robert
was
soon
painfully
con
scious
that
the
old
sympathetic
bond
between
them
no
longer
existed
.
Presently
,
Langham
,
as
though
with
an
effort
to
remember
,
asked
after
Catherine
,
then
inquired
what
he
was
doing
in
the
way
of
writing
,
and
neither
of
them
mentioned
the
name
of
Leyburn
.
They
left
the
table
and
sat
spasmodically
talking
,
in
reality
expectant
.
And
at
last
the
sound
present
already
in
both
minds
made
itself
heard
—
the
first
long
solitary
stroke
of
the
chapel
bell
.
Robert
covered
his
eyes
.
'
Do
you
remember
in
this
room
,
Langham
,
you
introduced
us
first
?
'
'
I
remember
,
'
replied
the
other
abruptly
.
Then
,
with
a
half-cynical
,
half-melancholy
scrutiny
of
his
companion
,
he
said
,
after
a
pause
,
'
What
a
faculty
of
hero-worship
you
have
always
had
,
Elsmere
!
'
'
Do
you
know
anything
of
the
end
?
'
Robert
asked
him
presently
,
as
that
tolling
bell
seemed
to
bring
the
strong
feeling
beneath
more
irresistibly
to
the
surface
.
'
No
,
I
never
asked
!
'
cried
Langham
,
with
sudden
harsh
animation
.
'
What
purpose
could
be
served
?
Death
should
be
avoided
by
the
living
.
We
have
no
business
with
it
.
Do
what
we
will
,
we
cannot
rehearse
our
own
parts
.
And
the
sight
of
other
men
's
performances
helps
us
no
more
than
the
sight
of
a
great
actor
gives
the
dramatic
gift
.
All
they
do
for
us
is
to
imperil
the
little
nerve
,
break
through
the
little
calm
,
we
have
left
.
'
Elsmere
's
hand
dropped
,
and
he
turned
round
to
him
with
a
flashing
smile
.
'
Ah
—
I
know
it
now
—
you
loved
him
still
.
'
Langham
,
who
was
standing
,
looked
down
on
him
sombrely
,
yet
more
indulgently
.
'
How
much
you
always
made
of
feeling
,
'
he
said
after
a
little
pause
,
'
in
a
world
where
,
according
to
me
,
our
chief
object
should
be
not
to
feel
!
'
Then
he
began
to
hunt
for
his
cap
and
gown
.
In
another
minute
the
two
made
part
of
the
crowd
in
the
front
quadrangle
,
where
the
rain
was
sprinkling
,
and
the
insistent
grief-laden
voice
of
the
bell
rolled
,
from
pause
to
pause
,
above
the
gowned
figures
,
spreading
thence
in
wide
waves
of
mourning
sound
over
Oxford
.
The
chapel
service
passed
over
Robert
like
a
solemn
pathetic
dream
.
The
lines
of
undergraduate
faces
,
the
provost
's
white
head
,
the
voice
of
the
chaplain
reading
,
the
full
male
unison
of
the
voices
replying
—
how
they
carried
him
back
to
the
day
when
as
a
lad
from
school
he
had
sat
on
one
of
the
chancel
benches
beside
his
mother
,
listening
for
the
first
time
to
the
subtle
simplicity
,
if
one
may
be
allowed
the
paradox
,
of
the
provost
's
preaching
!
Just
opposite
to
where
he
sat
now
with
Langham
,
Grey
had
sat
that
first
afternoon
;
the
freshman
's
curious
eyes
had
been
drawn
again
and
again
to
the
dark
massive
head
,
the
face
with
its
look
of
reposeful
force
,
of
righteous
strength
.
During
the
lesson
from
Corinthians
,
Elsmere
's
thoughts
were
irrelevantly
busy
with
all
sorts
of
mundane
memories
of
the
dead
.
What
was
especially
present
to
him
was
a
series
of
Liberal
election
meetings
in
which
Grey
had
taken
a
warm
part
,
and
in
which
he
himself
had
helped
just
before
he
took
Orders
.
A
hundred
odd
,
incongruous
details
came
back
to
Robert
now
with
poignant
force
.
Grey
had
been
to
him
at
one
time
primarily
the
professor
,
the
philosopher
,
the
representative
of
all
that
was
best
in
the
life
of
the
University
;
now
,
fresh
from
his
own
grapple
with
London
and
its
life
,
what
moved
him
most
was
the
memory
of
the
citizen
,
the
friend
and
brother
of
common
man
,
the
thinker
who
had
never
shirked
action
in
the
name
of
thought
,
for
whom
conduct
had
been
from
beginning
to
end
the
first
reality
.
The
procession
through
the
streets
afterwards
,
which
conveyed
the
body
of
this
great
son
of
modern
Oxford
to
its
last
resting-place
in
the
citizens
'
cemetery
on
the
western
side
of
the
town
,
will
not
soon
be
forgotten
,
even
in
a
place
which
forgets
notoriously
soon
.
All
the
University
was
there
,
all
the
town
was
there
.
Side
by
side
with
men
honourably
dear
to
England
,
who
had
carried
with
them
into
one
or
other
of
the
great
English
careers
the
memory
of
the
teacher
,
were
men
who
had
known
from
day
to
day
the
cheery
modest
helper
in
a
hundred
local
causes
;
side
by
side
with
the
youth
of
Alma
Mater
went
the
poor
of
Oxford
;
tradesmen
and
artisans
followed
or
accompanied
the
group
of
gowned
and
venerable
figures
,
representing
the
Heads
of
Houses
and
the
Professors
,
or
mingled
with
the
slowly
pacing
crowd
of
Masters
;
while
along
the
route
groups
of
visitors
and
merrymakers
,
young
men
in
flannels
or
girls
in
light
dresses
,
stood
with
suddenly
grave
faces
here
and
there
,
caught
by
the
general
wave
of
mourning
,
and
wondering
what
such
a
spectacle
might
mean
.
Robert
,
losing
sight
of
Langham
as
they
left
the
chapel
,
found
his
arm
grasped
by
young
Cathcart
,
his
correspondent
.
The
man
was
a
junior
Fellow
who
had
attached
himself
to
Grey
during
the
two
preceding
years
with
especial
devotion
.
Robert
had
only
a
slight
knowledge
of
him
,
but
there
was
something
in
his
voice
and
grip
which
made
him
feel
at
once
infinitely
more
at
home
with
him
at
this
moment
than
he
had
felt
with
the
old
friend
of
his
undergraduate
years
.
They
walked
down
Beaumont
Street
together
.
The
rain
came
on
again
,
and
the
long
black
crowd
stretched
before
them
was
lashed
by
the
driving
gusts
.
As
they
went
along
,
Cathcart
told
him
all
he
wanted
to
know
.
'
The
night
before
the
end
he
was
perfectly
calm
and
conscious
.
I
told
you
he
mentioned
your
name
among
the
friends
to
whom
he
sent
his
good-bye
.
He
thought
for
everybody
.
For
all
those
of
his
house
he
left
the
most
minute
and
tender
directions
.
He
forgot
nothing
.
And
all
with
such
extraordinary
simplicity
and
quietness
,
like
one
arranging
for
a
journey
!
In
the
evening
an
old
Quaker
aunt
of
his
,
a
North-country
woman
whom
he
had
been
much
with
as
a
boy
,
and
to
whom
he
was
much
attached
,
was
sitting
with
him
.
I
was
there
too
.
She
was
a
beautiful
old
figure
in
her
white
cap
and
kerchief
,
and
it
seemed
to
please
him
to
lie
and
look
at
her
.
"
It
'll
not
be
for
long
,
Henry
,
"
she
said
to
him
once
.
"
I
'm
seventy-seven
this
spring
.
I
shall
come
to
you
soon
.
"
He
made
no
reply
,
and
his
silence
seemed
to
disturb
her
.
I
do
n't
fancy
she
had
known
much
of
his
mind
of
late
years
.
"
You
'll
not
be
doubting
the
Lord
's
goodness
,
Henry
?
"
she
said
to
him
,
with
the
tears
in
her
eyes
.
"
No
,
"
he
said
,
"
no
,
never
.
Only
it
seems
to
be
His
Will
,
we
should
be
certain
of
nothing
—
but
Himself
!
I
ask
no
more
.
"
I
shall
never
forget
the
accent
of
those
words
:
they
were
the
breath
of
his
inmost
life
.
If
ever
man
was
Gottbetrunken
it
was
he
—
and
yet
not
a
word
beyond
what
he
felt
to
be
true
,
beyond
what
the
intellect
could
grasp
!
'
Twenty
minutes
later
Robert
stood
by
the
open
grave
.
The
rain
beat
down
on
the
black
concourse
of
mourners
.
But
there
were
blue
spaces
in
the
drifting
sky
,
and
a
wavering
rainy
light
played
at
intervals
over
the
Wytham
and
Hinksey
Hills
,
and
over
the
butter-cupped
river
meadows
,
where
the
lush
hay-grass
bent
in
long
lines
under
the
showers
.
To
his
left
,
the
provost
,
his
glistening
white
head
bare
to
the
rain
,
was
reading
the
rest
of
the
service
.
As
the
coffin
was
lowered
Elsmere
bent
over
the
grave
.
'
My
friend
,
my
master
,
'
cried
the
yearning
filial
heart
,
'
oh
,
give
me
something
of
yourself
to
take
back
into
life
,
something
to
brace
me
through
this
darkness
of
our
ignorance
,
something
to
keep
hope
alive
as
you
kept
it
to
the
end
!
'
And
on
the
inward
ear
there
rose
,
with
the
solemnity
of
a
last
message
,
words
which
years
before
he
had
found
marked
in
a
little
book
of
Meditations
borrowed
from
Grey
's
table
—
words
long
treasured
and
often
repeated
—
'
Amid
a
world
of
forgetfulness
and
decay
,
in
the
sight
of
his
own
shortcomings
and
limitations
,
or
on
the
edge
of
the
tomb
,
he
alone
who
has
found
his
soul
in
losing
it
,
who
in
singleness
of
mind
has
lived
in
order
to
love
and
understand
,
will
find
that
the
God
who
is
near
to
him
as
his
own
conscience
has
a
face
of
light
and
love
!
'
Pressing
the
phrases
into
his
memory
,
he
listened
to
the
triumphant
outbursts
of
the
Christian
service
.
'
Man
's
hope
,
'
he
thought
,
'
has
grown
humbler
than
this
.
It
keeps
now
a
more
modest
mien
in
the
presence
of
the
Eternal
Mystery
;
but
is
it
in
truth
less
real
,
less
sustaining
?
Let
Grey
's
trust
answer
for
me
.
'
He
walked
away
absorbed
,
till
at
last
in
the
little
squalid
street
outside
the
cemetery
it
occurred
to
him
to
look
round
for
Langham
.
Instead
,
he
found
Cathcart
,
who
had
just
come
up
with
him
.
'
Is
Langham
behind
?
'
he
asked
.
'
I
want
a
word
with
him
before
I
go
.
'
'
Is
he
here
?
'
asked
the
other
with
a
change
of
expression
.
'
But
of
course
!
He
was
in
the
chapel
.
How
could
you
—
—
'
'
I
thought
he
would
probably
go
away
,
'
said
Cathcart
with
some
bitterness
.
'
Grey
made
many
efforts
to
get
him
to
come
and
see
him
before
he
became
so
desperately
ill.
Langham
came
once
.
Grey
never
asked
for
him
again
.
'
'
It
is
his
old
horror
of
expression
,
I
suppose
,
'
said
Robert
troubled
;
'
his
dread
of
being
forced
to
take
a
line
,
to
face
anything
certain
and
irrevocable
.
I
understand
.
He
could
not
say
good-bye
to
a
friend
to
save
his
life
.
There
is
no
shirking
that
!
One
must
either
do
it
or
leave
it
!
'
Cathcart
shrugged
his
shoulders
,
and
drew
a
masterly
little
picture
of
Langham
's
life
in
college
.
He
had
succeeded
by
the
most
adroit
devices
in
completely
isolating
himself
both
from
the
older
and
the
younger
men
.
'
He
attends
college-meeting
sometimes
,
and
contributes
a
sarcasm
or
two
on
the
cramming
system
of
the
college
.
He
takes
a
constitutional
to
Summertown
every
day
on
the
least
frequented
side
of
the
road
,
that
he
may
avoid
being
spoken
to
.
And
as
to
his
ways
of
living
,
he
and
I
happen
to
have
the
same
scout
—
old
Dobson
,
you
remember
?
And
if
I
would
let
him
,
he
would
tell
me
tales
by
the
hour
.
He
is
the
only
man
in
the
University
who
knows
anything
about
it
.
I
gather
from
what
he
says
that
Langham
is
becoming
a
complete
valetudinarian
.
Everything
must
go
exactly
by
rule
—
his
food
,
his
work
,
the
management
of
his
clothes
—
and
any
little
contretemps
makes
him
ill.
But
the
comedy
is
to
watch
him
when
there
is
anything
going
on
in
the
place
that
he
thinks
may
lead
to
a
canvass
and
to
any
attempt
to
influence
him
for
a
vote
.
On
these
occasions
he
goes
off
with
automatic
regularity
to
an
hotel
at
West
Malvern
,
and
only
reappears
when
the
Times
tells
him
the
thing
is
done
with
.
'
Both
laughed
.
Then
Robert
sighed
.
Weaknesses
of
Langham
's
sort
may
be
amusing
enough
to
the
contemptuous
and
unconcerned
outsider
.
But
the
general
result
of
them
,
whether
for
the
man
himself
or
those
whom
he
affects
,
is
tragic
,
not
comic
;
and
Elsmere
had
good
reason
for
knowing
it
.
Later
,
after
a
long
talk
with
the
provost
,
and
meetings
with
various
other
old
friends
,
he
walked
down
to
the
station
,
under
a
sky
clear
from
rain
,
and
through
a
town
gay
with
festal
preparations
.
Not
a
sign
now
,
in
these
crowded
,
bustling
streets
,
of
that
melancholy
pageant
of
the
afternoon
.
The
heroic
memory
had
flashed
for
a
moment
like
something
vivid
and
gleaming
in
the
sight
of
all
,
understanding
and
ignorant
.
Now
it
lay
committed
to
a
few
faithful
hearts
,
there
to
become
one
seed
among
many
of
a
new
religious
life
in
England
.
On
the
platform
Robert
found
himself
nervously
accosted
by
a
tall
shabbily-dressed
man
.
'
Elsmere
,
have
you
forgotten
me
?
'
He
turned
and
recognised
a
man
whom
he
had
last
seen
as
a
St.
Anselm
's
undergraduate
—
one
MacNiell
,
a
handsome
rowdy
young
Irishman
,
supposed
to
be
clever
,
and
decidedly
popular
in
the
college
.
As
he
stood
looking
at
him
,
puzzled
by
the
difference
between
the
old
impression
and
the
new
,
suddenly
the
man
's
story
flashed
across
him
;
he
remembered
some
disgraceful
escapade
—
an
expulsion
.
'
You
came
for
the
funeral
,
of
course
?
'
said
the
other
,
his
face
flushing
consciously
.
'
Yes
—
and
you
too
?
'
The
man
turned
away
,
and
something
in
his
silence
led
Robert
to
stroll
on
beside
him
to
the
open
end
of
the
platform
.
'
I
have
lost
my
only
friend
,
'
MacNiell
said
at
last
hoarsely
.
'
He
took
me
up
when
my
own
father
would
have
nothing
to
say
to
me
.
He
found
me
work
;
he
wrote
to
me
;
for
years
he
stood
between
me
and
perdition
.
I
am
just
going
out
to
a
post
in
New
Zealand
he
got
for
me
,
and
next
week
before
I
sail
—
I
—
I
—
am
to
be
married
—
and
he
was
to
be
there
.
He
was
so
pleased
—
he
had
seen
her
.
'
It
was
one
story
out
of
a
hundred
like
it
,
as
Robert
knew
very
well
.
They
talked
for
a
few
minutes
,
then
the
train
loomed
in
the
distance
.
'
He
saved
you
,
'
said
Robert
,
holding
out
his
hand
,
'
and
at
a
dark
moment
in
my
own
life
I
owed
him
everything
.
There
is
nothing
we
can
do
for
him
in
return
but
—
to
remember
him
!
Write
to
me
,
if
you
can
or
will
,
from
New
Zealand
,
for
his
sake
.
'
A
few
seconds
later
the
train
sped
past
the
bare
little
cemetery
,
which
lay
just
beyond
the
line
.
Robert
bent
forward
.
In
the
pale
yellow
glow
of
the
evening
he
could
distinguish
the
grave
,
the
mound
of
gravel
,
the
planks
,
and
some
figures
moving
beside
it
.
He
strained
his
eyes
till
he
could
see
no
more
,
his
heart
full
of
veneration
,
of
memory
,
of
prayer
.
In
himself
life
seemed
so
restless
and
combative
.
Surely
he
,
more
than
others
,
had
need
of
the
lofty
lessons
of
death
!
CHAPTER
XLV
In
the
weeks
which
followed
—
weeks
often
of
mental
and
physical
depression
,
caused
by
his
sense
of
personal
loss
and
by
the
influence
of
an
overworked
state
he
could
not
be
got
to
admit
—
Elsmere
owed
much
to
Hugh
Flaxman
's
cheery
sympathetic
temper
,
and
became
more
attached
to
him
than
ever
,
and
more
ready
than
ever
,
should
the
fates
deem
it
so
,
to
welcome
him
as
a
brother-in-law
.
However
,
the
fates
for
the
moment
seemed
to
have
borrowed
a
leaf
from
Langham
's
book
,
and
did
not
apparently
know
their
own
minds
.
It
says
volumes
for
Hugh
Flaxman
's
general
capacities
as
a
human
being
that
at
this
period
he
should
have
had
any
attention
to
give
to
a
friend
,
his
position
as
a
lover
was
so
dubious
and
difficult
.
After
the
evening
at
the
Workmen
's
Club
,
and
as
a
result
of
further
meditation
,
he
had
greatly
developed
the
tactics
first
adopted
on
that
occasion
.
He
had
beaten
a
masterly
retreat
,
and
Rose
Leyburn
was
troubled
with
him
no
more
.
The
result
was
that
a
certain
brilliant
young
person
was
soon
sharply
conscious
of
a
sudden
drop
in
the
pleasures
of
living
.
Mr.
Flaxman
had
been
the
Leyburns
'
most
constant
and
entertaining
visitor
.
During
the
whole
of
May
he
paid
one
formal
call
in
Lerwick
Gardens
,
and
was
then
entertained
tête-à-tête
by
Mrs.
Leyburn
,
to
Rose
's
intense
subsequent
annoyance
,
who
knew
perfectly
well
that
her
mother
was
incapable
of
chattering
about
anything
but
her
daughters
.
He
still
sent
flowers
,
but
they
came
from
his
head
gardener
,
addressed
to
Mrs.
Leyburn
.
Agnes
put
them
in
water
;
and
Rose
never
gave
them
a
look
.
Rose
went
to
Lady
Helen
's
because
Lady
Helen
made
her
,
and
was
much
too
engaging
a
creature
to
be
rebuffed
;
but
,
however
merry
and
protracted
the
teas
in
those
scented
rooms
might
be
,
Mr.
Flaxman
's
step
on
the
stairs
,
and
Mr.
Flaxman
's
hand
on
the
curtain
over
the
door
,
till
now
the
feature
in
the
entertainment
most
to
be
counted
on
,
were
,
generally
speaking
,
conspicuously
absent
.
He
and
the
Leyburns
met
,
of
course
;
for
their
list
of
common
friends
was
now
considerable
;
but
Agnes
,
reporting
matters
to
Catherine
,
could
only
say
that
each
of
these
occasions
left
Rose
more
irritable
,
and
more
inclined
to
say
biting
things
as
to
the
foolish
ways
in
which
society
takes
its
pleasures
.
Rose
certainly
was
irritable
,
and
at
times
,
Agnes
thought
,
depressed
.
But
as
usual
she
was
unapproachable
about
her
own
affairs
,
and
the
state
of
her
mind
could
only
be
somewhat
dolefully
gathered
from
the
fact
that
she
was
much
less
unwilling
to
go
back
to
Burwood
this
summer
than
had
ever
been
known
before
.
Meanwhile
,
Mr.
Flaxman
left
certain
other
people
in
no
doubt
as
to
his
intentions
.
'
My
dear
aunt
,
'
he
said
calmly
to
Lady
Charlotte
,
'
I
mean
to
marry
Miss
Leyburn
if
I
can
at
any
time
persuade
her
to
have
me
.
So
much
you
may
take
as
fixed
,
and
it
will
be
quite
waste
of
breath
on
your
part
to
quote
dukes
to
me
.
But
the
other
factor
in
the
problem
is
by
no
means
fixed
.
Miss
Leyburn
wo
n't
have
me
at
present
,
and
as
for
the
future
I
have
most
salutary
qualms
.
'
'
Hugh
!
'
interrupted
Lady
Charlotte
angrily
,
'
as
if
you
had
n't
had
the
mothers
of
London
at
your
feet
for
years
!
'
Lady
Charlotte
was
in
a
most
variable
frame
of
mind
;
one
day
hoping
devoutly
that
the
Langham
affair
might
prove
lasting
enough
in
its
effects
to
tire
Hugh
out
;
the
next
,
outraged
that
a
silly
girl
should
waste
a
thought
on
such
a
creature
,
while
Hugh
was
in
her
way
;
at
one
time
angry
that
an
insignificant
chit
of
a
schoolmaster
's
daughter
should
apparently
care
so
little
to
be
the
Duke
of
Sedbergh
's
niece
,
and
should
even
dare
to
allow
herself
the
luxury
of
snubbing
a
Flaxman
;
at
another
,
utterly
sceptical
as
to
any
lasting
obduracy
on
the
chit
's
part
.
The
girl
was
clearly
anxious
not
to
fall
too
easily
,
but
as
to
final
refusal
—
pshaw
!
And
it
made
her
mad
that
Hugh
would
hold
himself
so
cheap
.
Meanwhile
,
Mr.
Flaxman
felt
himself
in
no
way
called
upon
to
answer
that
remark
of
his
aunt
's
we
have
recorded
.
'
I
have
qualms
,
'
he
repeated
,
'
but
I
mean
to
do
all
I
know
,
and
you
and
Helen
must
help
me
.
'
Lady
Charlotte
crossed
her
hands
before
her
.
'
I
may
be
a
Liberal
and
a
lion-hunter
,
'
she
said
firmly
,
'
but
I
have
still
conscience
enough
left
not
to
aid
and
abet
my
nephew
in
throwing
himself
away
.
'
She
had
nearly
slipped
in
'
again
'
;
but
just
saved
herself
.
'
Your
conscience
is
all
a
matter
of
the
Duke
,
'
he
told
her
.
'
Well
,
if
you
wo
n't
help
me
,
then
Helen
and
I
will
have
to
arrange
it
by
ourselves
.
'
But
this
did
not
suit
Lady
Charlotte
at
all
.
She
had
always
played
the
part
of
earthly
providence
to
this
particular
nephew
,
and
it
was
abominable
to
her
that
the
wretch
,
having
refused
for
ten
years
to
provide
her
with
a
love
affair
to
manage
,
should
now
manage
one
for
himself
in
spite
of
her
.
'
You
are
such
an
arbitrary
creature
!
'
she
said
fretfully
;
'
you
prance
about
the
world
like
Don
Quixote
,
and
expect
me
to
play
Sancho
without
a
murmur
.
'
'
How
many
drubbings
have
I
brought
you
yet
?
'
he
asked
her
laughing
.
He
was
really
very
fond
of
her
.
'
It
is
true
there
is
a
point
of
likeness
;
I
wo
n't
take
your
advice
.
But
then
why
do
n't
you
give
me
better
?
It
is
strange
,
'
he
added
musing
;
'
women
talk
to
us
about
love
as
if
we
were
too
gross
to
understand
it
;
and
when
they
come
to
business
,
and
they
're
not
in
it
themselves
,
they
show
the
temper
of
attorneys
.
'
'
Love
!
'
cried
Lady
Charlotte
nettled
.
'
Do
you
mean
to
tell
me
,
Hugh
,
that
you
are
really
,
seriously
in
love
with
that
girl
?
'
'
Well
,
I
only
know
,
'
he
said
,
thrusting
his
hands
far
into
his
pockets
,
'
that
unless
things
mend
I
shall
go
out
to
California
in
the
autumn
and
try
ranching
.
'
Lady
Charlotte
burst
into
an
angry
laugh
.
He
stood
opposite
to
her
,
with
his
orchid
in
his
buttonhole
,
himself
the
fine
flower
of
civilisation
.
Ranching
,
indeed
!
However
,
he
had
done
so
many
odd
things
in
his
life
,
that
,
as
she
knew
,
it
was
never
quite
safe
to
decline
to
take
him
seriously
,
and
he
looked
at
her
now
so
defiantly
,
his
clear
greenish
eyes
so
wide
open
and
alert
,
that
her
will
began
to
waver
under
the
pressure
of
his
.
'
What
do
you
want
me
to
do
,
sir
?
'
His
glance
relaxed
at
once
,
and
he
laughingly
explained
to
her
that
what
he
asked
of
her
was
to
keep
the
prey
in
sight
.
'
I
can
do
nothing
for
myself
at
present
,
'
he
said
;
'
I
get
on
her
nerves
.
She
was
in
love
with
that
black-haired
,
enfant
du
siècle
,
—
or
rather
,
she
prefers
to
assume
that
she
was
—
and
I
have
n't
given
her
time
to
forget
him
.
A
serious
blunder
,
and
I
deserve
to
suffer
for
it
.
Very
well
,
then
,
I
retire
,
and
I
ask
you
and
Helen
to
keep
watch
.
Do
n't
let
her
go
.
Make
yourselves
nice
to
her
;
and
,
in
fact
,
spoil
me
a
little
now
I
am
on
the
high
road
to
forty
,
as
you
used
to
spoil
me
at
fourteen
.
'
Mr.
Flaxman
sat
down
by
his
aunt
and
kissed
her
hand
,
after
which
Lady
Charlotte
was
as
wax
before
him
.
'
Thank
heaven
,
'
she
reflected
,
'
in
ten
days
the
Duke
and
all
of
them
go
out
of
town
.
'
Retribution
,
therefore
,
for
wrong-doing
would
be
tardy
,
if
wrong-doing
there
must
be
.
She
could
but
ruefully
reflect
that
after
all
the
girl
was
beautiful
and
gifted
;
moreover
,
if
Hugh
would
force
her
to
befriend
him
in
this
criminality
,
there
might
be
a
certain
joy
in
thereby
vindicating
those
Liberal
principles
of
hers
,
in
which
a
scornful
family
had
always
refused
to
believe
.
So
,
being
driven
into
it
,
she
would
fain
have
done
it
boldly
and
with
a
dash
.
But
she
could
not
rid
her
mind
of
the
Duke
,
and
her
performance
all
through
,
as
a
matter
of
fact
,
was
blundering
.
However
,
she
was
for
the
time
very
gracious
to
Rose
,
being
in
truth
really
fond
of
her
;
and
Rose
,
however
high
she
might
hold
her
little
head
,
could
find
no
excuse
for
quarrelling
either
with
her
or
Lady
Helen
.
Towards
the
middle
of
June
there
was
a
grand
ball
given
by
Lady
Fauntleroy
at
Fauntleroy
House
,
to
which
the
two
Miss
Leyburns
,
by
Lady
Helen
's
machinations
,
were
invited
.
It
was
to
be
one
of
the
events
of
the
season
,
and
when
the
cards
arrived
'
to
have
the
honour
of
meeting
their
Royal
Highnesses
,
'
etc.
etc.
,
Mrs.
Leyburn
,
good
soul
,
gazed
at
them
with
eyes
which
grew
a
little
moist
under
her
spectacles
.
She
wished
Richard
could
have
seen
the
girls
dressed
,
'
just
once
.
'
But
Rose
treated
the
cards
with
no
sort
of
tenderness
.
'
If
one
could
but
put
them
up
to
auction
,
'
she
said
flippantly
,
holding
them
up
,
'
how
many
German
opera
tickets
I
should
get
for
nothing
!
I
do
n't
know
what
Agnes
feels
.
As
for
me
,
I
have
neither
nerve
enough
for
the
people
,
nor
money
enough
for
the
toilette
.
'
However
,
with
eleven
o'clock
Lady
Helen
ran
in
,
a
fresh
vision
of
blue
and
white
,
to
suggest
certain
dresses
for
the
sisters
which
had
occurred
to
her
in
the
visions
of
the
night
,
'
original
,
adorable
,
—
cost
,
a
mere
nothing
!
'
'
My
harpy
,
'
she
remarked
,
alluding
to
her
dressmaker
,
'
would
ruin
you
over
them
,
of
course
.
Your
maid
'
—
the
Leyburns
possessed
a
remarkably
clever
one
—
'
will
make
them
divinely
for
twopence-halfpenny
.
Listen
.
'
Rose
listened
;
her
eye
kindled
;
the
maid
was
summoned
;
and
the
invitation
accepted
in
Agnes
's
neatest
hand
.
Even
Catherine
was
roused
during
the
following
ten
days
to
a
smiling
indulgent
interest
in
the
concerns
of
the
workroom
.
The
evening
came
,
and
Lady
Helen
fetched
the
sisters
in
her
carriage
.
The
ball
was
a
magnificent
affair
.
The
house
was
one
of
historical
interest
and
importance
,
and
all
that
the
ingenuity
of
the
present
could
do
to
give
fresh
life
and
gaiety
to
the
pillared
rooms
,
the
carved
galleries
and
stately
staircases
of
the
past
,
had
been
done
.
The
ball-room
,
lined
with
Vandycks
and
Lelys
,
glowed
softly
with
electric
light
;
the
picture
gallery
had
been
banked
with
flowers
and
carpeted
with
red
,
and
the
beautiful
dresses
of
the
women
trailed
up
and
down
it
,
challenging
the
satins
of
the
Netschers
and
the
Terburgs
on
the
walls
.
Rose
's
card
was
soon
full
to
overflowing
.
The
young
men
present
were
of
the
smartest
,
and
would
not
willingly
have
bowed
the
knee
to
a
nobody
,
however
pretty
.
But
Lady
Helen
's
devotion
,
the
girl
's
reputation
as
a
musician
,
and
her
little
nonchalant
disdainful
ways
,
gave
her
a
kind
of
prestige
,
which
made
her
,
for
the
time
being
at
any
rate
,
the
equal
of
anybody
.
Petitioners
came
and
went
away
empty
.
Royalty
was
introduced
,
and
smiled
both
upon
the
beauty
and
the
beauty
's
delicate
and
becoming
dress
;
and
still
Rose
,
though
a
good
deal
more
flushed
and
erect
than
usual
,
and
though
flesh
and
blood
could
not
resist
the
contagious
pleasure
which
glistened
even
in
the
eyes
of
that
sage
Agnes
,
was
more
than
half-inclined
to
say
with
the
Preacher
,
that
all
was
vanity
.
Presently
,
as
she
stood
waiting
with
her
hand
on
her
partner
's
arm
before
gliding
into
a
waltz
,
she
saw
Mr.
Flaxman
opposite
to
her
,
and
with
him
a
young
débutante
in
white
tulle
—
a
thin
,
pretty
,
undeveloped
creature
,
whose
sharp
elbows
and
timid
movements
,
together
with
the
blushing
enjoyment
glowing
so
frankly
from
her
face
,
pointed
her
out
as
the
school-girl
of
sweet
seventeen
,
just
emancipated
,
and
trying
her
wings
.
'
Ah
,
there
is
Lady
Florence
!
'
said
her
partner
,
a
handsome
young
Hussar
.
'
This
ball
is
in
her
honour
,
you
know
.
She
comes
out
to-night
.
What
,
another
cousin
?
Really
she
keeps
too
much
in
the
family
!
'
'
Is
Mr.
Flaxman
a
cousin
?
'
The
young
man
replied
that
he
was
,
and
then
,
in
the
intervals
of
waltzing
,
went
on
to
explain
to
her
the
relationships
of
many
of
the
people
present
,
till
the
whole
gorgeous
affair
began
to
seem
to
Rose
a
mere
family
party
.
Mr.
Flaxman
was
of
it
.
She
was
not
.
'
Why
am
I
here
?
'
the
little
Jacobin
said
to
herself
fiercely
as
she
waltzed
;
'
it
is
foolish
,
unprofitable
.
I
do
not
belong
to
them
,
nor
they
to
me
!
'
'
Miss
Leyburn
!
charmed
to
see
you
!
'
cried
Lady
Charlotte
,
stopping
her
;
and
then
,
in
a
loud
whisper
in
her
ear
,
'
Never
saw
you
look
better
.
Your
taste
,
or
Helen
's
,
that
dress
?
The
roses
—
exquisite
!
'
Rose
dropped
her
a
little
mock
curtsey
and
whirled
on
again
.
'
Lady
Florences
are
always
well
dressed
,
'
thought
the
child
angrily
;
'
and
who
notices
it
?
'
Another
turn
brought
them
against
Mr.
Flaxman
and
his
partner
.
Mr.
Flaxman
came
at
once
to
greet
her
with
smiling
courtesy
.
'
I
have
a
Cambridge
friend
to
introduce
to
you
—
a
beautiful
youth
.
Shall
I
find
you
by
Helen
?
Now
,
Lady
Florence
,
patience
a
moment
.
That
corner
is
too
crowded
.
How
good
that
last
turn
was
!
'
And
bending
with
a
sort
of
kind
chivalry
over
his
partner
,
who
looked
at
him
with
the
eyes
of
a
joyous
excited
child
,
he
led
her
away
.
Five
minutes
later
Rose
,
standing
flushed
by
Lady
Helen
,
saw
him
coming
again
towards
her
,
ushering
a
tall
blue-eyed
youth
,
whom
he
introduced
to
her
as
'
Lord
Waynflete
.
'
The
handsome
boy
looked
at
her
with
a
boy
's
open
admiration
,
and
beguiled
her
of
a
supper
dance
,
while
a
group
standing
near
,
a
mother
and
three
daughters
,
stood
watching
with
cold
eyes
and
expressions
which
said
plainly
to
the
initiated
that
mere
beauty
was
receiving
a
ridiculous
amount
of
attention
.
'
I
would
n't
have
given
it
him
,
but
it
is
rude
—
it
is
bad
manners
,
not
even
to
ask
!
'
the
supposed
victress
was
saying
to
herself
,
with
quivering
lips
,
her
eyes
following
not
the
Trinity
freshman
,
who
was
their
latest
captive
,
but
an
older
man
's
well-knit
figure
,
and
a
head
on
which
the
fair
hair
was
already
growing
scantily
,
receding
a
little
from
the
fine
intellectual
brows
.
An
hour
later
she
was
again
standing
by
Lady
Helen
,
waiting
for
a
partner
,
when
she
saw
two
persons
crossing
the
room
,
which
was
just
beginning
to
fill
again
for
dancing
,
towards
them
.
One
was
Mr.
Flaxman
,
the
other
was
a
small
wrinkled
old
man
,
who
leant
upon
his
arm
,
displaying
the
ribbon
of
the
Garter
as
he
walked
.
'
Dear
me
,
'
said
Lady
Helen
,
a
little
fluttered
,
'
here
is
my
uncle
Sedbergh
.
I
thought
they
had
left
town
.
'
The
pair
approached
,
and
the
old
Duke
bowed
over
his
niece
's
hand
with
the
manners
of
a
past
generation
.
'
I
made
Hugh
give
me
an
arm
,
'
he
said
quaveringly
.
'
These
floors
are
homicidal
.
If
I
come
down
on
them
I
shall
bring
an
action
.
'
'
I
thought
you
had
all
left
town
?
'
said
Lady
Helen
.
'
Who
can
make
plans
with
a
Government
in
power
pledged
to
every
sort
of
villainy
and
public
plunder
?
'
said
the
old
man
testily
.
'
I
suppose
Varley
's
there
to-night
,
helping
to
vote
away
my
property
and
Fauntleroy
's
.
'
'
Some
of
his
own
too
,
if
you
please
!
'
said
Lady
Helen
smiling
.
'
Yes
,
I
suppose
he
is
waiting
for
the
division
,
or
he
would
be
here
.
'
'
I
wonder
why
Providence
blessed
me
with
such
a
Radical
crew
of
relations
?
'
remarked
the
Duke
.
'
Hugh
is
a
regular
Communist
.
I
never
heard
such
arguments
in
my
life
.
And
as
for
any
idea
of
standing
by
his
order
—
—
'
The
old
man
shook
his
bald
head
and
shrugged
his
small
shoulders
with
almost
French
vivacity
.
He
had
been
handsome
once
,
and
delicately
featured
,
but
now
the
left
eye
drooped
,
and
the
face
had
a
strong
look
of
peevishness
and
ill-health
.
'
Uncle
,
'
interposed
Lady
Helen
,
'
let
me
introduce
you
to
my
two
great
friends
,
Miss
Leyburn
,
Miss
Rose
Leyburn
.
'
The
Duke
bowed
,
looked
at
them
through
a
pair
of
sharp
eyes
,
seemed
to
cogitate
inwardly
whether
such
a
name
had
ever
been
known
to
him
,
and
turned
to
his
nephew
.
'
Get
me
out
of
this
,
Hugh
,
and
I
shall
be
obliged
to
you
.
Young
people
may
risk
it
,
but
if
I
broke
I
should
n't
mend
.
'
And
still
grumbling
audibly
about
the
floor
,
he
hobbled
off
towards
the
picture
gallery
.
Mr.
Flaxman
had
only
time
for
a
smiling
backward
glance
at
Rose
.
'
Have
you
given
my
pretty
boy
a
dance
?
'
'
Yes
,
'
she
said
,
but
with
as
much
stiffness
as
she
might
have
shown
to
his
uncle
.
'
That
's
over
,
'
said
Lady
Helen
with
relief
.
'
My
uncle
hardly
meets
any
of
us
now
without
a
spar
.
He
has
never
forgiven
my
father
for
going
over
to
the
Liberals
.
And
then
he
thinks
we
none
of
us
consult
him
enough
.
No
more
we
do
—
except
Aunt
Charlotte
.
She
's
afraid
of
him
!
'
'
Lady
Charlotte
afraid
!
'
echoed
Rose
.
'
Odd
,
is
n't
it
?
The
Duke
avenges
a
good
many
victims
on
her
,
if
they
only
knew
!
'
Lady
Helen
was
called
away
,
and
Rose
was
left
standing
,
wondering
what
had
happened
to
her
partner
.
Opposite
,
Mr.
Flaxman
was
pushing
through
a
doorway
,
and
Lady
Florence
was
again
on
his
arm
.
At
the
same
time
she
became
conscious
of
a
morsel
of
chaperons
'
conversation
such
as
,
by
the
kind
contrivances
of
fate
,
a
girl
is
tolerably
sure
to
hear
under
similar
circumstances
.
The
débutante
's
good
looks
,
Hugh
Flaxman
's
apparent
susceptibility
to
them
,
the
possibility
of
results
,
and
the
satisfactory
disposition
of
the
family
goods
and
chattels
that
would
be
brought
about
by
such
a
match
,
the
opportunity
it
would
offer
the
man
,
too
,
of
rehabilitating
himself
socially
after
his
first
matrimonial
escapade
—
Rose
caught
fragments
of
all
these
topics
as
they
were
discussed
by
two
old
ladies
,
presumably
also
of
the
family
'
ring
,
'
who
gossiped
behind
her
with
more
gusto
than
discretion
.
Highmindedness
,
of
course
,
told
her
to
move
away
;
something
else
held
her
fast
,
till
her
partner
came
up
for
her
.
Then
she
floated
away
into
the
whirlwind
of
waltzers
.
But
as
she
moved
round
the
room
on
her
partner
's
arm
,
her
delicate
half-scornful
grace
attracting
look
after
look
,
the
soul
within
was
all
aflame
—
aflame
against
the
serried
ranks
and
phalanxes
of
this
unfamiliar
,
hostile
world
!
She
had
just
been
reading
Trevelyan
's
Life
of
Fox
aloud
to
her
mother
,
who
liked
occasionally
to
flavour
her
knitting
with
literature
,
and
she
began
now
to
revolve
a
passage
from
it
,
describing
the
upper
class
of
the
last
century
,
which
had
struck
that
morning
on
her
quick
retentive
memory
:
'
"
A
few
thousand
people
who
thought
that
the
world
was
made
for
them
"
—
did
it
not
run
so
?
—
"
and
that
all
outside
their
own
fraternity
were
unworthy
of
notice
or
criticism
,
bestowed
upon
each
other
an
amount
of
attention
quite
inconceivable
...
.
Within
the
charmed
precincts
there
prevailed
an
easy
and
natural
mode
of
intercourse
,
in
some
respects
singularly
delightful
.
"
Such
,
for
instance
,
as
the
Duke
of
Sedbergh
was
master
of
!
Well
,
it
was
worth
while
,
perhaps
,
to
have
gained
an
experience
,
even
at
the
expense
of
certain
illusions
,
as
to
the
manners
of
dukes
,
and
—
and
—
as
to
the
constancy
of
friends
.
But
never
again
—
never
again
!
'
said
the
impetuous
inner
voice
.
'
I
have
my
world
—
they
theirs
!
'
But
why
so
strong
a
flood
of
bitterness
against
our
poor
upper
class
,
so
well
intentioned
for
all
its
occasional
lack
of
lucidity
,
should
have
arisen
in
so
young
a
breast
it
is
a
little
difficult
for
the
most
conscientious
biographer
to
explain
.
She
had
partners
to
her
heart
's
desire
;
young
Lord
Waynflete
used
his
utmost
arts
upon
her
to
persuade
her
that
at
least
half
a
dozen
numbers
of
the
regular
programme
were
extras
and
therefore
at
his
disposal
;
and
when
royalty
supped
,
it
was
graciously
pleased
to
ordain
that
Lady
Helen
and
her
two
companions
should
sup
behind
the
same
folding-doors
as
itself
,
while
beyond
these
doors
surged
the
inferior
crowd
of
persons
who
had
been
specially
invited
to
'
meet
their
Royal
Highnesses
,
'
and
had
so
far
been
held
worthy
neither
to
dance
nor
to
eat
in
the
same
room
with
them
.
But
in
vain
.
Rose
still
felt
herself
,
for
all
her
laughing
outward
insouciance
,
a
poor
,
bruised
,
helpless
chattel
,
trodden
under
the
heel
of
a
world
which
was
intolerably
powerful
,
rich
,
and
self-satisfied
,
the
odious
product
of
'
family
arrangements
.
'
Mr.
Flaxman
sat
far
away
at
the
same
royal
table
as
herself
.
Beside
him
was
the
thin
tall
débutante
.
'
She
is
like
one
of
the
Gainsborough
princesses
,
'
thought
Rose
,
studying
her
with
involuntary
admiration
.
'
Of
course
it
is
all
plain
.
He
will
get
everything
he
wants
,
and
a
Lady
Florence
into
the
bargain
.
Radical
,
indeed
!
What
nonsense
!
'
Then
it
startled
her
to
find
that
the
eyes
of
Lady
Florence
's
neighbour
were
,
as
it
seemed
,
on
herself
;
or
was
he
merely
nodding
to
Lady
Helen
?
—
and
she
began
immediately
to
give
a
smiling
attention
to
the
man
on
her
left
.
An
hour
later
she
and
Agnes
and
Lady
Helen
were
descending
the
great
staircase
on
their
way
to
their
carriage
.
The
morning
light
was
flooding
through
the
chinks
of
the
carefully
veiled
windows
;
Lady
Helen
was
yawning
behind
her
tiny
white
hand
,
her
eyes
nearly
asleep
.
But
the
two
sisters
,
who
had
not
been
up
till
three
,
on
four
preceding
nights
,
like
their
chaperon
,
were
still
almost
as
fresh
as
the
flowers
massed
in
the
hall
below
.
'
Ah
,
there
is
Hugh
!
'
cried
Lady
Helen
.
'
How
I
hope
he
has
found
the
carriage
!
'
At
that
moment
Rose
slipped
on
a
spray
of
gardenia
,
which
had
dropped
from
the
bouquet
of
some
predecessor
.
To
prevent
herself
from
falling
downstairs
,
she
caught
hold
of
the
stem
of
a
brazen
chandelier
fixed
in
the
balustrade
.
It
saved
her
,
but
she
gave
her
arm
a
most
painful
wrench
,
and
leant
limp
and
white
against
the
railing
of
the
stairs
.
Lady
Helen
turned
at
Agnes
's
exclamation
,
but
before
she
could
speak
,
as
it
seemed
,
Mr.
Flaxman
,
who
had
been
standing
talking
just
below
them
,
was
on
the
stairs
.
'
You
have
hurt
your
arm
?
Do
n't
speak
—
take
mine
.
Let
me
get
you
downstairs
out
of
the
crush
.
'
She
was
too
far
gone
to
resist
,
and
when
she
was
mistress
of
herself
again
she
found
herself
in
the
library
with
some
water
in
her
hand
which
Mr.
Flaxman
had
just
put
there
.
'
Is
it
the
playing
hand
?
'
said
Lady
Helen
anxiously
.
'
No
,
'
said
Rose
,
trying
to
laugh
;
'
the
bowing
elbow
.
'
And
she
raised
it
,
but
with
a
contortion
of
pain
.
'
Do
n't
raise
it
,
'
he
said
peremptorily
.
'
We
will
have
a
doctor
here
in
a
moment
,
and
have
it
bandaged
.
'
He
disappeared
.
Rose
tried
to
sit
up
,
seized
with
a
frantic
longing
to
disobey
him
,
and
get
off
before
he
returned
.
Stinging
the
girl
's
mind
was
the
sense
that
it
might
all
perfectly
well
seem
to
him
a
planned
appeal
to
his
pity
.
'
Agnes
,
help
me
up
,
'
she
said
with
a
little
involuntary
groan
;
'
I
shall
be
better
at
home
.
'
But
both
Lady
Helen
and
Agnes
laughed
her
to
scorn
,
and
she
lay
back
once
more
overwhelmed
by
fatigue
and
faintness
.
A
few
more
minutes
,
and
a
doctor
appeared
,
caught
by
good
luck
in
the
next
street
.
He
pronounced
it
a
severe
muscular
strain
,
but
nothing
more
;
applied
a
lotion
and
improvised
a
sling
.
Rose
consulted
him
anxiously
as
to
the
interference
with
her
playing
.
'
A
week
,
'
he
said
;
'
no
more
,
if
you
are
careful
.
'
Her
pale
face
brightened
.
Her
art
had
seemed
specially
dear
to
her
of
late
.
'
Hugh
!
'
called
Lady
Helen
,
going
to
the
door
.
'
Now
we
are
ready
for
the
carriage
.
'
Rose
leaning
on
Agnes
walked
out
into
the
hall
.
They
found
him
there
waiting
.
'
The
carriage
is
here
,
'
he
said
,
bending
towards
her
with
a
look
and
tone
which
so
stirred
the
fluttered
nerves
,
that
the
sense
of
faintness
stole
back
upon
her
.
'
Let
me
take
you
to
it
.
'
'
Thank
you
,
'
she
said
coldly
,
but
by
a
superhuman
effort
;
'
my
sister
's
help
is
quite
enough
.
'
He
followed
them
with
Lady
Helen
.
At
the
carriage
door
the
sisters
hesitated
a
moment
.
Rose
was
helpless
without
a
right
hand
.
A
little
imperative
movement
from
behind
dis
placed
Agnes
,
and
Rose
felt
herself
hoisted
in
by
a
strong
arm
.
She
sank
into
the
farther
corner
.
The
glow
of
the
dawn
caught
her
white
delicate
features
,
the
curls
on
her
temples
,
all
the
silken
confusion
of
her
dress
.
Hugh
Flaxman
put
in
Agnes
and
his
sister
,
said
something
to
Agnes
about
coming
to
inquire
,
and
raised
his
hat
.
Rose
caught
the
quick
force
and
intensity
of
his
eyes
,
and
then
closed
her
own
,
lost
in
a
languid
swoon
of
pain
,
memory
,
and
resentful
wonder
.
Flaxman
walked
away
down
Park
Lane
through
the
chill
morning
quietness
,
the
gathering
light
striking
over
the
houses
beside
him
on
to
the
misty
stretches
of
the
Park
.
His
hat
was
over
his
eyes
,
his
hands
thrust
into
his
pockets
;
a
close
observer
would
have
noticed
a
certain
trembling
of
the
lips
.
It
was
but
a
few
seconds
since
her
young
warm
beauty
had
been
for
an
instant
in
his
arms
;
his
whole
being
was
shaken
by
it
,
and
by
that
last
look
of
hers
.
'
Have
I
gone
too
far
?
'
he
asked
himself
anxiously
.
'
Is
it
divinely
true
—
already
—
that
she
resents
being
left
to
herself
?
Oh
,
little
rebel
!
You
tried
your
best
not
to
let
me
see
.
But
you
were
angry
,
you
were
!
Now
,
then
,
how
to
proceed
?
She
is
all
fire
,
all
character
;
I
rejoice
in
it
.
She
will
give
me
trouble
;
so
much
the
better
.
Poor
little
hurt
thing
!
the
fight
is
only
beginning
;
but
I
will
make
her
do
penance
some
day
for
all
that
loftiness
to-night
.
'
If
these
reflections
betray
to
the
reader
a
certain
masterful
note
of
confidence
in
Mr.
Flaxman
's
mind
,
he
will
perhaps
find
small
cause
to
regret
that
Rose
did
give
him
a
great
deal
of
trouble
.
Nothing
could
have
been
more
'
salutary
,
'
to
use
his
own
word
,
than
the
dance
she
led
him
during
the
next
three
weeks
.
She
provoked
him
indeed
at
moments
so
much
that
he
was
a
hundred
times
on
the
point
of
trying
to
seize
his
kingdom
of
heaven
by
violence
,
of
throwing
himself
upon
her
with
a
tempest
shock
of
reproach
and
appeal
.
But
some
secret
instinct
restrained
him
.
She
was
wilful
,
she
was
capricious
;
she
had
a
real
and
powerful
distraction
in
her
art
.
He
must
be
patient
and
risk
nothing
.
He
suspected
,
too
,
what
was
the
truth
—
that
Lady
Charlotte
was
doing
harm
.
Rose
,
indeed
,
had
grown
so
touchily
sensitive
that
she
found
offence
in
almost
every
word
of
Lady
Charlotte
's
about
her
nephew
.
Why
should
the
apparently
casual
remarks
of
the
aunt
bear
so
constantly
on
the
subject
of
the
nephew
's
social
importance
?
Rose
vowed
to
herself
that
she
needed
no
reminder
of
that
station
whereunto
it
had
pleased
God
to
call
her
,
and
that
Lady
Charlotte
might
spare
herself
all
those
anxieties
and
reluctances
which
the
girl
's
quick
sense
detected
,
in
spite
of
the
invitations
so
freely
showered
on
Lerwick
Gardens
.
The
end
of
it
all
was
that
Hugh
Flaxman
found
himself
again
driven
into
a
corner
.
At
the
bottom
of
him
was
still
a
confidence
that
would
not
yield
.
Was
it
possible
that
he
had
ever
given
her
some
tiny
involuntary
glimpse
of
it
,
and
that
but
for
that
glimpse
she
would
have
let
him
make
his
peace
much
more
easily
?
At
any
rate
,
now
he
felt
himself
at
the
end
of
his
resources
.
'
I
must
change
the
venue
,
'
he
said
to
himself
;
'
decidedly
I
must
change
the
venue
.
'
So
by
the
end
of
June
he
had
accepted
an
invitation
to
fish
in
Norway
with
a
friend
,
and
was
gone
.
Rose
received
the
news
with
a
callousness
which
made
even
Lady
Helen
want
to
shake
her
.
On
the
eve
of
his
journey
,
however
,
Hugh
Flaxman
had
at
last
confessed
himself
to
Catherine
and
Robert
.
His
obvious
plight
made
any
further
scruples
on
their
part
futile
,
and
what
they
had
they
gave
him
in
the
way
of
sympathy
.
Also
Robert
,
gathering
that
he
already
knew
much
,
and
without
betraying
any
confidence
of
Rose
's
,
gave
him
a
hint
or
two
on
the
subject
of
Langham
.
But
more
not
the
friendliest
mortal
could
do
for
him
,
and
Flaxman
went
off
into
exile
announcing
to
a
mocking
Elsmere
that
he
should
sit
pensive
on
the
banks
of
Norwegian
rivers
till
fortune
had
had
time
to
change
.
BOOK
VII
GAIN
AND
LOSS
CHAPTER
XLVI
A
hot
July
had
well
begun
,
but
still
Elsmere
was
toiling
on
in
Elgood
Street
,
and
could
not
persuade
himself
to
think
of
a
holiday
.
Catherine
and
the
child
he
had
driven
away
more
than
once
,
but
the
claims
upon
himself
were
becoming
so
absorbing
he
did
not
