manysuch
friendships
.
It
was
not
pride
which
prompted
this
line
of
action
on
Mr.
Loftus
's
part
,
though
many
put
it
down
to
pride
,
especially
those
who
had
held
aloof
from
him
at
a
certain
doubtful
moment
,
and
in
whose
regard
subsequent
events
had
entirely
reinstated
him
,
and
who
complained
that
he
expected
to
be
considered
infallible
.
It
was
,
in
reality
,
the
natural
inclination
of
a
world-weary
man
of
the
world
to
lay
aside
,
as
far
as
he
could
courteously
do
so
,
the
claims
of
the
artificial
side
of
life
,
its
vain
forms
,
its
empty
hospitalities
.
He
realized
that
for
the
purpose
of
winnowing
its
friendships
the
various
events
of
life
may
be
relied
on
to
furnish
the
fitting
occasions
.
Those
who
do
not
wish
to
offend
others
by
leaving
them
need
make
no
effort
,
for
they
will
certainly
be
presently
deserted
by
those
who
have
never
grasped
the
meaning
of
the
character
which
has
been
the
object
of
their
transient
admiration
.
'
If
he
is
unequal
he
will
presently
pass
away
.
'
Mr.
Loftus
neither
hurried
the
unequal
,
self-constituted
friend
,
nor
sought
to
detain
him
.
But
when
he
departed
,
shaking
the
dust
from
off
his
feet
,
the
door
was
noiselessly
closed
behind
him
,
and
his
knock
,
however
loud
,
was
not
heard
when
he
returned
again
.
A
small
batch
of
uneasy
admirers
left
him
on
the
occasion
of
his
engagement
.
They
said
openly
that
they
were
much
disappointed
in
him
,
and
that
he
had
shaken
their
belief
in
human
nature
.
'
Will
Sibyl
also
pass
away
?
'
Mr.
Loftus
wondered
,
as
he
sat
on
the
terrace
at
Wilderleigh
on
his
return
from
London
.
'
Yes
,
she
,
too
,
will
presently
pass
away
;
but
I
shall
not
give
her
time
to
do
so
.
She
will
be
absorbed
by
her
first
love
for
a
few
years
,
and
I
shall
only
remain
a
few
years
at
longest
.
By
the
time
it
wanes
I
shall
be
gone
,
and
my
departure
will
pain
her
but
very
slightly
.
'
His
face
softened
as
he
thought
of
Sibyl
.
His
nature
,
which
,
in
its
far-away
youth
,
had
been
imaginative
and
romantic
,
had
remained
sympathetic
.
He
gauged
,
as
few
others
could
have
done
had
they
been
the
object
of
it
,
the
measure
of
her
romantic
attachment
to
himself
.
It
was
perhaps
safer
in
his
hands
than
in
those
of
a
younger
man
.
For
youth
perpetrates
many
murders
and
mutilations
in
the
name
of
love
,
as
the
schoolboy
's
love
of
a
butterfly
finds
expression
in
a
pin
and
a
cork
.
But
it
would
have
cut
Sibyl
to
the
heart
if
she
had
even
guessed
that
his
tranquil
mind
took
for
granted
that
her
adoration
would
not
last
until
the
stars
fell
from
heaven
and
the
earth
fell
into
the
sun
.
For
'
Les
esprits
faibles
ne
sont
jamais
sincères
.
'
That
is
a
hard
saying
,
but
alas
!
and
alas
!
that
it
is
only
the
weak
who
believe
that
it
is
not
true
.
The
strong
know
better
,
but
if
they
are
merciful
they
are
silent
.
'
And
so
my
second
wife
is
also
to
be
an
esprit
faible
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
to
himself
,
looking
at
the
past
through
half-closed
eyes
.
'
But
in
the
meanwhile
I
have
learnt
a
lesson
in
natural
history
.
I
shall
not
expect
my
butterfly
to
hew
wood
and
draw
water
.
And
this
time
I
shall
not
break
my
heart
because
pretty
wings
are
made
to
flutter
with
.
'
And
the
remembrance
slid
through
his
mind
of
Millais
's
picture
of
the
dying
cavalier
,
and
the
butterfly
perched
upon
the
drawn
sword
in
the
ardent
sunshine
.
And
he
thought
of
the
drawn
sword
of
Damocles
hanging
over
his
own
life
,
and
Sibyl
's
love
preening
itself
for
one
brief
second
upon
it
.
And
at
the
thought
he
smiled
.
CHAPTER
V.
'
Je
suis
l'amante
,
dit-elle
.
Cueillez
la
branche
de
houx
.
'
Victor
Hugo
.
'
When
all
the
world
like
some
vast
tidal
wave
withdraws
.
'
—
Buchanan
.
Many
persons
prophesied
that
the
marriage
between
Mr.
Loftus
and
Sibyl
would
not
take
place
,
but
it
did
.
On
a
burning
day
late
in
July
they
were
married
in
London
,
for
Sibyl
's
country
place
,
where
Mr.
Loftus
had
hoped
the
wedding
might
have
taken
place
,
was
shut
up
.
Lady
Pierpoint
did
all
in
her
power
to
make
the
wedding
a
quiet
one
,
for
his
sake
.
Very
few
invitations
were
sent
out
,
and
there
was
no
reception
afterwards
.
But
,
nevertheless
,
though
the
season
was
at
its
last
gasp
,
when
the
day
came
the
unfashionable
London
church
was
crammed
with
that
'
smart
'
world
,
half
of
which
had
condemned
Mr.
Loftus
,
while
it
showered
invitations
upon
him
.
Many
hundreds
of
eyes
were
fixed
upon
his
stately
feeble
figure
as
he
moved
slowly
forward
to
place
himself
beside
the
young
girl
,
whose
emotion
was
plainly
visible
,
and
whose
bouquet
shook
in
her
hand
.
The
contrast
between
the
two
,
as
they
stood
together
,
was
of
that
glaring
description
which
appeals
to
the
vulgar
and
conventional
mind
,
on
which
shades
of
difference
are
lost
.
Mr.
Loftus
went
through
the
ceremony
with
equanimity
.
His
grave
face
betrayed
nothing
except
fatigue
and
the
fact
that
he
was
suffering
from
a
severe
headache
.
Lady
Pierpoint
and
Doll
watched
him
with
anxiety
,
while
Peggy
,
standing
close
behind
the
bride
,
wept
silently
,
she
knew
not
why
.
'
Oh
,
mummy
,
'
she
said
afterwards
when
it
was
all
over
,
and
Sibyl
,
anxious
,
preoccupied
,
had
left
Lady
Pierpoint
and
Peggy
and
Molly
,
who
had
been
mother
and
sisters
to
her
,
without
a
tear
,
without
a
regret
,
without
a
backward
look
,
absorbed
in
the
one
fact
that
Mr.
Loftus
was
ill
—
'
oh
,
mummy
,
you
say
Sibyl
loves
him
so
much
.
Is
that
why
she
did
not
mind
going
away
from
all
of
us
a
bit
?
I
know
he
had
a
headache
,
but
she
never
used
to
mind
when
you
had
a
headache
,
and
when
she
was
ill
,
do
you
remember
how
she
always
sent
for
you
,
even
when
I
told
her
you
were
resting
?
And
yet
she
used
to
be
a
little
fond
of
us
.
But
since
he
came
she
does
not
seem
to
care
for
us
any
more
.
If
one
loves
anybody
,
does
one
forget
the
others
?
'
'
Some
women
do
,
'
said
Lady
Pierpoint
,
taking
Peggy
's
red
,
tear-stained
face
in
her
hands
and
kissing
it
.
She
could
not
bear
to
own
,
even
to
Peggy
,
how
wounded
her
warm
maternal
heart
had
been
because
Sibyl
,
whose
delicacy
had
given
her
so
many
anxious
hours
,
had
shown
no
feeling
at
parting
with
her
.
Mr.
Loftus
had
shown
much
more
,
when
he
had
come
to
speak
to
her
alone
for
a
few
minutes
in
her
sitting-room
,
when
the
carriage
was
at
the
door
.
'
Some
women
,
'
said
Lady
Pierpoint
,
looking
wistfully
at
her
daughter
,
'
forget
everyone
else
when
they
marry
,
and
are
very
proud
of
it
.
They
think
it
shows
how
devoted
they
are
.
A
little
cup
is
soon
full
,
Peggy
,
and
a
shallow
heart
,
if
it
takes
in
a
new
love
,
has
no
room
left
for
the
old
ones
.
The
new
love
is
like
the
cuckoo
in
the
nest
—
it
elbows
out
everything
else
.
'
'
I
will
not
be
like
that
,
'
said
Peggy
,
crushing
her
mother
and
her
mother
's
bonnet
in
an
impulsive
embrace
.
'
I
will
have
a
deep
,
deep
heart
,
mummy
,
and
no
one
shall
ever
go
out
that
once
comes
in
—
and
—
oh
,
mummy
,
you
shall
have
the
best
bedroom
in
my
heart
always
!
'
'
I
have
a
very
foolish
girl
for
a
daughter
,
'
said
Lady
Pierpoint
,
somewhat
comforted
,
smiling
through
her
tears
,
'
and
one
who
has
no
respect
for
my
best
bonnet
.
'
At
Sibyl
's
wish
she
and
Mr.
Loftus
went
straight
to
Wilderleigh
.
They
reached
it
after
several
hours
'
journey
on
the
evening
of
their
wedding-day
.
And
gradually
the
nervous
exhaustion
and
acute
headache
from
which
he
had
been
suffering
,
and
which
had
become
almost
unbearable
in
the
train
,
relaxed
their
hold
upon
him
.
They
were
sitting
in
the
cool
,
scented
twilight
on
the
terrace
.
Through
the
half-darkness
came
the
low
voice
of
the
river
talking
to
itself
.
Noise
and
light
and
other
voices
,
and
this
dreadful
day
,
were
gone
at
last
.
He
gave
a
sigh
of
relief
and
smiled
deprecatingly
at
her
.
They
had
hardly
spoken
since
they
were
married
.
She
was
sitting
near
him
,
a
slender
figure
in
her
pale
gown
,
that
shimmered
in
the
feeble
light
.
But
there
was
light
enough
for
her
to
see
him
smile
,
and
she
smiled
back
at
him
with
her
whole
heart
in
her
lovely
eyes
.
No
thought
of
self
lurked
in
those
clear
depths
,
and
Mr.
Loftus
,
looking
into
them
,
and
remembering
how
,
on
this
her
wedding
day
,
her
whole
mind
had
been
absorbed
,
to
the
entire
oblivion
of
a
bride
's
divided
feelings
,
in
the
one
fact
that
he
was
suffering
,
was
touched
,
but
not
with
elation
.
The
long
listless
hand
lying
palm
upwards
on
his
knee
made
a
slight
movement
,
and
in
instant
response
to
it
her
hand
was
placed
in
his
.
His
closed
over
it
.
Perhaps
nothing
could
have
endeared
her
more
to
him
than
the
mute
response
that
had
waited
on
his
mute
appeal
,
and
had
not
forestalled
it
.
His
hand
clasping
hers
,
he
drew
her
slightly
,
and
,
obeying
its
pressure
,
she
leaned
towards
him
.
'
My
Sibyl
!
'
he
said
,
and
she
involuntarily
drew
closer
to
him
,
for
something
in
his
voice
and
manner
,
in
spite
of
their
exceeding
gentleness
and
tenderness
,
seemed
to
remove
him
from
her
.
'
Fate
has
been
hard
upon
you
that
I
should
have
been
ill
on
your
wedding-day
.
'
'
No
,
'
she
said
,
timidly
pushing
off
from
shore
into
the
new
world
upon
her
little
raft
.
'
Fate
was
kind
,
because
to-day
has
been
the
first
day
when
I
could
be
with
you
and
take
care
of
you
.
'
'
You
take
too
much
care
of
me
.
'
'
I
care
for
nothing
else
,
'
she
said
,
her
voice
faltering
,
adoration
in
her
eyes
.
One
white
star
peered
low
in
the
western
heaven
through
the
violet
dusk
.
'
Once
long
ago
,
before
you
were
born
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
,
'
I
loved
someone
,
and
she
said
she
loved
me
,
and
we
were
married
.
But
after
a
time
she
brought
trouble
upon
me
,
Sibyl
.
'
The
great
current
had
caught
the
little
raft
,
and
was
hurrying
it
out
to
sea
.
'
I
will
never
bring
trouble
upon
you
,
'
said
the
young
girl
,
her
lips
trembling
as
she
stooped
to
kiss
his
hand
.
'
When
you
are
tired
you
shall
lean
on
my
arm
.
When
your
eyes
are
tired
I
will
read
to
you
.
I
will
take
care
of
you
,
and
keep
all
trouble
from
you
.
'
'
Till
I
die
,
'
he
said
below
his
breath
,
more
to
himself
than
to
her
.
'
Till
you
die
,
'
she
answered
.
And
so
,
but
this
time
very
lightly
,
Mr.
Loftus
leaned
once
again
,
or
made
as
if
he
leaned
,
on
the
fragile
reed
of
human
love
.
CHAPTER
VI
.
'
He
has
nae
mair
sense
o
'
humour
than
an
owl
,
and
a
'
aye
haud
that
a
man
withoot
humour
sudna
be
allowed
intae
a
poopit
.
'
—
Ian
Maclaren
.
The
arrival
of
Sibyl
at
Wilderleigh
was
the
occasion
of
many
anxious
surmises
at
the
little
Vicarage
on
the
part
of
the
young
Vicar
and
his
young
and
adoring
wife
.
It
had
long
been
a
great
grief
to
them
that
Mr.
Loftus
only
came
to
church
once
on
Sunday
.
It
was
vaguely
understood
that
he
had
yielded
himself
to
doubts
on
religious
subjects
,
which
alone
could
account
for
this
'
laxity
'
—
doubts
which
the
young
Vicar
felt
could
not
have
shaken
himself
or
Mrs.
Gresley
,
and
which
he
was
convinced
he
could
dispel
.
But
he
could
never
obtain
an
opportunity
to
wage
war
against
these
ghostly
enemies
,
for
though
he
had
preached
during
Lent
a
course
of
sermons
calculated
to
pulverize
the
infidel
tendencies
of
the
age
,
which
his
wife
had
pronounced
to
be
all-conclusive
and
to
place
the
whole
affair
in
a
nutshell
—
it
certainly
did
that
—
unfortunately
the
person
for
whose
spiritual
needs
they
were
concocted
did
not
hear
them
.
Mr.
Gresley
had
several
times
called
upon
Mr.
Loftus
with
a
view
to
giving
the
conversation
a
deeper
turn
,
but
when
he
was
actually
in
his
presence
,
and
Mr.
Loftus
's
steel-gray
attentive
eye
was
upon
him
,
the
younger
man
found
it
difficult
,
not
to
say
impossible
,
to
force
conversation
on
subjects
which
Mr.
Loftus
had
no
intention
to
discuss
.
'
If
he
would
only
meet
me
in
fair
argument
!
'
Mr.
Gresley
said
on
his
return
from
a
futile
attempt
to
approach
Mr.
Loftus
on
the
subject
of
public
worship
;
'
but
when
I
had
thoroughly
explained
my
own
views
on
the
importance
of
regular
attendance
at
both
services
on
Sunday
,
he
only
said
that
those
being
my
opinions
,
he
considered
that
I
was
fully
justified
in
having
daily
services
as
well
.
If
he
would
only
meet
me
fairly
and
hear
reason
,
'
said
the
young
clergyman
;
'
but
he
wo
n't
.
The
other
day
when
I
pressed
him
on
the
subject
of
the
devil
—
I
know
he
is
lax
on
the
devil
—
I
said
:
"
But
,
Mr.
Loftus
,
do
you
not
believe
in
him
?
"
If
he
had
only
owned
what
I
am
sure
was
the
case
—
namely
,
that
he
did
not
believe
in
him
—
I
could
have
confuted
him
in
a
moment
.
I
was
quite
ready
.
But
he
slipped
out
of
it
by
saying
,
"
Believe
in
him
!
I
would
not
trust
him
for
a
moment
.
"
There
is
no
arguing
with
a
man
who
scoffs
or
is
silent
.
'
'
My
dear
,
'
said
Mrs.
Gresley
,
'
infidels
are
all
like
that
,
and
their
only
refuge
is
to
be
silent
or
profane
.
Do
n't
you
remember
when
that
professor
from
Oxford
,
whom
we
met
at
Dr.
Pearson
's
,
said
something
about
history
and
the
Bible
—
I
forget
what
,
but
it
was
perfectly
unorthodox
—
and
Dr.
Pearson
was
so
interested
,
and
you
spoke
up
at
once
,
and
he
made
no
reply
whatever
,
and
then
asked
me
the
name
of
our
Virginia
creeper
,
and
talked
about
flowers
.
I
often
think
of
that
,
and
how
he
had
to
turn
the
subject
.
'
'
But
he
was
not
convinced
,
'
said
Mr.
Gresley
,
frowning
;
'
that
is
the
odd
part
of
it
.
He
brought
out
a
book
on
the
Bible
with
things
in
it
much
worse
than
what
he
said
in
my
presence
,
and
which
I
positively
refuted
.
And
it
went
through
six
editions
,
and
the
Bishop
actually
read
it
.
'
'
You
see
,
'
said
Mrs.
Gresley
,
with
the
acumen
which
pervades
the
atmosphere
of
so
many
country
vicarages
,
'
a
man
like
the
professor
does
not
want
to
be
convinced
,
or
his
books
would
not
be
read
,
any
more
than
Mr.
Loftus
wants
to
be
convinced
he
ought
to
come
to
church
regularly
,
because
then
he
would
have
no
excuse
for
staying
away
.
But
perhaps
his
wife
may
be
a
Christian
,
James
.
They
say
she
is
quite
a
young
girl
,
and
that
her
aunt
has
brought
her
up
well
.
'
And
when
Sibyl
's
sweet
face
and
black
velvet
hat
,
and
a
wonderful
flowing
gown
of
white
and
lilac
,
appeared
in
the
carved
Wilderleigh
pew
beside
Mr.
Loftus
's
familiar
profile
,
the
Gresleys
hoped
many
things
;
though
Mrs.
Gresley
expressed
herself
,
after
service
,
as
much
shocked
at
the
bride
's
style
of
dress
,
which
she
pronounced
to
be
too
showy
.
Mrs.
Gresley
's
views
on
dress
were
exclusively
formed
at
the
two
garden-parties
and
the
one
private
ball
to
which
she
went
in
the
course
of
the
year
.
The
Gresleys
thought
it
wrong
to
go
to
public
balls
,
and
—
which
was
quite
another
matter
—
they
thought
it
wrong
for
other
clergymen
and
their
wives
to
go
also
.
It
was
fortunate
that
Mr.
Loftus
admired
his
wife
's
style
of
dress
,
as
he
had
always
admired
Sibyl
herself
,
from
her
graceful
,
fringeless
head
to
her
slender
,
low-heeled
shoes
.
She
pleased
his
fastidious
taste
as
perhaps
no
other
woman
could
have
done
.
She
was
one
of
the
few
Englishwomen
who
can
wear
French
gowns
as
if
they
are
part
of
them
,
and
not
put
on
for
the
occasion
.
After
a
becoming
interval
Mr.
and
Mrs.
Gresley
called
,
and
this
time
Mrs.
Gresley
was
somewhat
mollified
by
what
she
called
the
very
'
suitable
'
costume
of
brown
holland
in
which
Sibyl
received
them
.
Mr.
Loftus
did
not
appear
,
and
in
the
course
of
conversation
the
young
couple
were
further
pleasantly
impressed
with
the
perfect
orthodoxy
and
sound
Church
teaching
of
the
bride
,
whose
natural
gift
of
platitude
was
enhanced
by
the
subject
under
discussion
.
They
also
made
the
discovery
that
Mr.
Loftus
was
,
in
his
wife
's
opinion
,
infallible
.
And
Mrs.
Gresley
looked
with
some
astonishment
at
a
bride
who
actually
entertained
towards
a
'
layman
'
the
unique
sentiments
which
she
did
for
her
apostolic
James
.
'
She
is
a
nice
young
creature
,
'
said
Mrs.
Gresley
,
half
an
hour
later
,
as
,
with
her
hands
full
of
orchids
,
she
accompanied
her
lord
back
to
the
Vicarage
,
'
and
her
views
,
James
,
are
beautiful
—
just
what
I
think
myself
.
She
agreed
with
everything
we
said
.
She
must
have
been
very
well
brought
up
.
But
I
ca
n't
understand
her
infatuation
for
Mr.
Loftus
.
Really
,
from
the
way
she
spoke
of
him
,
and
how
he
knew
best
,
one
might
have
supposed
he
was
priest
as
well
as
squire
here
.
It
almost
made
one
smile
.
'
Mr.
Loftus
and
Crack
had
,
in
the
meanwhile
,
remained
in
the
gardens
,
he
leaning
back
in
a
long
deck-chair
,
looking
dreamily
up
into
the
perspective
of
moving
green
above
him
,
while
Crack
,
who
had
only
just
arrived
from
Scotland
,
snapped
mournfully
at
the
English
flies
,
which
tasted
very
much
the
same
as
those
of
Strathspey
,
so
few
new
things
are
there
under
the
sun
.
Sibyl
had
wished
to
bring
Peter
,
the
poodle
,
also
to
Wilderleigh
,
but
nothing
would
induce
Mr.
Loftus
to
invite
him
.
He
told
Sibyl
that
he
himself
hoped
to
replace
Peter
in
her
affections
,
and
he
had
certainly
succeeded
.
She
returned
to
him
now
,
and
sat
down
on
a
low
stool
at
his
feet
.
In
these
early
days
she
was
much
addicted
to
footstools
and
the
lowest
of
seats
,
provided
they
were
properly
placed
.
They
were
in
harmony
with
her
sentiments
,
and
facilitated
an
upward
gaze
.
'
They
were
so
pleasant
.
I
wish
you
had
come
in
,
'
she
said
.
'
I
find
the
clergy
as
fatiguing
as
Anderson
's
beetle
found
cleanliness
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
,
his
eyes
dwelling
on
her
.
'
But
that
is
not
their
fault
.
It
is
because
I
happen
to
be
a
beetle
.
'
'
I
was
a
little
tired
,
too
,
'
said
Sibyl
hastily
.
'
They
stayed
rather
long
.
'
'
And
did
you
like
them
?
'
'
Yes
;
I
thought
them
very
nice
.
And
I
am
glad
they
are
High
Church
.
I
think
it
is
so
much
nicer
,
do
n't
you
?
'
'
Do
you
mean
to
tell
me
,
now
that
we
are
married
and
it
is
too
late
to
go
back
,
that
you
are
High
Church
?
'
'
Oh
,
not
very
high
!
'
said
Sibyl
anxiously
,
yet
reassured
by
his
look
of
amusement
.
'
Which
are
you
?
'
'
I
am
the
same
as
Mr.
Gresley
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
slowly
,
'
with
a
difference
.
'
'
I
thought
you
were
different
,
'
said
Sibyl
,
gratified
at
her
own
powers
of
observation
.
'
I
know
,
'
continued
Mr.
Loftus
,
'
that
he
thinks
I
have
no
principles
at
all
,
because
he
believes
they
are
not
the
same
as
his
;
but
in
reality
they
are
very
much
the
same
as
his
,
only
they
are
carried
further
afield
,
and
he
loses
sight
of
them
,
while
he
has
a
neat
little
ring-fence
round
his
own
.
I
like
Mr.
Gresley
very
much
.
He
is
an
exemplary
young
man
.
But
some
people
become
very
narrow
by
walking
in
the
narrow
path
,
and
I
fear
he
is
one
of
them
.
Remember
this
,
my
Sibyl
,
that
there
is
no
barrier
in
your
own
character
against
which
someone
,
sooner
or
later
,
will
not
stumble
to
his
hurt
.
No
boundary
in
ourselves
will
serve
to
shut
God
in
,
as
this
good
young
man
thinks
,
but
every
boundary
will
at
last
shut
out
some
fellow-creature
from
us
,
and
be
to
one
,
whom
perhaps
we
might
have
helped
,
an
occasion
of
stumbling
.
And
now
let
us
show
Crack
the
brook
.
I
am
afraid
he
will
think
but
little
of
it
after
the
Spey
,
but
he
will
be
too
polite
to
say
so
.
As
he
only
arrived
yesterday
,
it
is
premature
to
put
it
into
words
,
but
I
have
an
intuition
that
Crack
and
I
shall
become
friends
.
If
I
had
any
influence
over
him
,
I
would
encourage
him
to
bathe
in
the
brook
,
for
he
brought
into
the
house
with
him
this
morning
an
odour
that
convinced
me
that
we
were
on
the
eve
of
some
great
chemical
discovery
.
'
So
they
wandered
down
by
the
brook
,
across
the
lengthening
shadows
.
A
cock
pheasant
was
clearing
his
throat
in
the
wood
near
the
gardens
.
The
low
sun
had
become
entangled
in
the
rookery
.
A
pair
of
sandpipers
were
balancing
their
slender
selves
on
a
tiny
beach
of
sand
.
A
little
black
and
white
water-ousel
darted
upstream
with
rapid
,
bee-like
flight
.
Crack
followed
,
gravely
investigating
the
bank
point
by
point
,
as
if
on
the
look-out
for
some
fallacy
in
it
.
And
Sibyl
registered
the
conclusion
in
her
own
mind
that
one
must
be
'
wide
,
'
like
Mr.
Loftus
,
not
narrow
,
like
Mr.
Gresley
.
After
this
conversation
she
always
spoke
of
her
religious
convictions
as
'
wide
.
'
CHAPTER
VII
.
'
We
form
not
our
affections
.
It
is
they
That
do
form
us
;
and
form
us
in
despite
Of
our
poor
protests
.
'
Lytton
.
Summer
slid
into
autumn
,
and
autumn
into
winter
.
The
first
few
months
of
married
life
had
been
difficult
to
Mr.
Loftus
,
but
he
had
brought
his
whole
attention
and
an
infinite
patience
to
bear
on
them
,
and
gradually
his
reward
came
to
him
.
Sibyl
could
learn
because
she
loved
.
She
learned
slowly
,
but
still
she
did
learn
,
to
read
,
not
her
husband
's
thoughts
—
those
were
far
from
her
—
but
his
wishes
.
She
discovered
,
with
a
pang
which
cost
her
many
secret
tears
—
but
still
she
did
discover
—
that
he
often
wished
to
be
alone
,
and
that
she
must
not
go
into
his
study
unless
she
were
asked
to
do
so
.
She
learned
gradually
when
to
join
him
when
he
paced
in
the
rose-garden
,
and
when
it
vexed
and
wearied
him
to
have
her
by
him
.
And
she
learned
,
too
,
after
the
first
horrible
experience
,
which
neither
could
remember
without
anguish
,
when
,
with
blue
lips
,
he
had
begged
her
not
to
touch
him
;
that
when
he
had
an
attack
of
the
heart
she
must
not
betray
her
agony
of
mind
,
if
she
was
to
be
allowed
to
remain
in
the
room
,
and
she
must
not
ignorantly
try
to
apply
the
remedies
,
but
must
leave
it
to
Mr.
Loftus
's
valet
,
whose
imperturbable
calm
and
promptitude
had
often
ministered
to
his
master
before
.
Sibyl
's
terror
of
death
and
violent
emotion
at
its
approach
were
peculiarly
trying
to
Mr.
Loftus
,
who
had
long
since
ceased
to
regard
death
with
horror
,
and
only
wished
to
be
allowed
to
meet
it
quietly
,
without
a
scene
.
All
intimacy
was
difficult
to
his
solitary
nature
.
It
was
alien
while
it
was
courteously
welcomed
.
It
was
the
natural
instinct
of
hers
.
She
had
to
learn
to
suppress
her
tenderness
—
or
,
at
any
rate
,
its
expression
—
a
hard
lesson
for
an
over-demonstrative
nature
,
not
long
out
of
its
teens
.
But
Sibyl
learned
even
that
for
his
sake
.
And
there
her
knowledge
stopped
.
It
never
reached
beyond
his
wishes
to
his
mind
.
She
was
merged
entirely
in
her
love
of
her
husband
,
but
if
he
had
been
unworthy
of
the
exalted
pedestal
on
which
she
had
placed
him
,
she
would
not
have
discovered
it
.
'
It
might
just
as
well
have
been
Doll
.
'
Mr.
Loftus
thought
occasionally
,
half
amused
,
when
he
had
the
barbarity
to
try
a
platitude
of
the
first
water
upon
her
—
one
of
Doll
's
best
,
such
as
the
young
man
,
after
diving
into
the
recesses
of
his
being
,
could
produce
,
and
found
she
received
it
with
as
much
interest
as
the
thoughts
for
which
he
had
dug
deep
.
For
hero-worship
was
necessary
to
Sibyl
,
but
not
a
hero
—
only
that
she
should
consider
him
one
.
The
sham
was
to
her
the
same
as
the
real
.
She
saw
no
difference
.
Like
many
another
woman
,
she
would
have
adored
an
ass
's
ears
,
wondering
at
the
blindness
of
the
rest
of
mankind
.
But
if
the
truth
about
those
ears
had
been
forced
upon
her
,
rubbed
into
her
,
tattooed
upon
her
,
her
entire
belief
in
human
nature
would
have
fallen
with
the
fall
of
one
fellow-
creature
.
The
heights
and
depths
of
human
nature
had
never
awed
her
,
nor
its
great
forces
moved
her
to
reverence
or
compassion
.
She
was
of
the
stuff
out
of
which
the
female
cynic
,
as
well
as
the
female
devotee
,
is
made
.
Mr.
Loftus
did
not
marvel
at
an
adoration
which
has
been
the
birthright
of
his
fortunate
sex
since
the
world
began
,
but
his
perennial
wonder
at
the
enigma
of
feminine
human
nature
had
a
new
element
added
to
it
—
that
of
amusement
.
She
played
with
his
tools
,
as
a
robin
perches
on
a
spade
,
thinking
it
is
stuck
in
the
earth
for
that
purpose
,
and
for
the
turning
up
of
worms
.
The
struggles
,
the
despair
,
the
hope
and
the
aspiration
,
through
which
his
youth
had
climbed
,
and
out
of
which
it
had
forged
its
tools
,
were
not
a
part
of
Sibyl
's
youth
.
She
liked
the
tools
now
that
they
were
made
,
and
desired
them
for
her
own
small
uses
.
She
was
naturally
drawn
to
those
of
deeper
convictions
and
larger
faiths
.
She
liked
the
luxury
of
being
moved
by
them
,
stirred
by
them
,
lifted
beyond
herself
by
a
power
outside
of
herself
.
She
loved
to
nibble
the
edge
of
their
hard-earned
bread
and
feel
that
she
,
too
,
was
of
them
,
and
make
believe
that
she
had
helped
to
grind
the
flour
;
and
to
make
believe
with
Sibyl
was
the
same
thing
as
to
believe
.
Her
insolvent
nature
clung
to
the
rich
one
,
ostensibly
because
it
was
sympathetic
,
but
really
because
it
was
rich
.
This
unconscious
audacity
was
a
novel
source
of
entertainment
to
Mr.
Loftus
,
a
bubbling
wayside
spring
which
he
had
hardly
hoped
to
meet
with
on
the
dry
highroad
of
married
life
.
It
is
greatly
to
be
feared
that
his
conscience
,
usually
a
tender
one
,
was
hardly
as
watchful
as
it
should
have
been
on
this
subject
.
It
certainly
had
lapses
when
Sibyl
conversed
with
him
seriously
,
especially
when
she
coupled
his
feelings
with
her
own
on
the
greatest
subjects
,
never
doubting
that
they
were
identical
.
But
after
a
short
time
he
dared
not
speak
to
her
of
anything
really
dear
to
him
.
She
had
a
gift
for
making
sacred
things
common
by
touching
them
,
and
age
had
not
tarnished
reverence
in
Mr.
Loftus
's
soul
,
though
it
had
tarnished
many
things
which
youth
holds
in
reverence
.
He
talked
to
her
,
instead
,
on
subjects
which
he
had
not
much
at
heart
,
and
that
did
quite
as
well
.
And
she
,
on
her
side
,
would
bring
to
him
the
inferior
religious
books
,
and
superficial
unorthodox
works
which
she
believed
to
be
deep
because
they
were
unorthodox
,
which
were
the
natural
food
of
her
little
soul
,
and
he
received
them
and
her
remarks
upon
them
,
as
he
received
a
flower
when
she
gave
him
one
,
with
courtesy
and
gratitude
.
So
absorbed
was
she
in
her
devotion
to
her
husband
,
and
in
the
interchange
of
beautiful
sentiments
,
that
her
other
duties
,
increased
by
her
position
at
Wilderleigh
,
were
not
even
perceived
.
Unobservant
persons
are
sometimes
surprised
at
the
real
devotion
—
and
Sibyl
's
was
real
—
of
which
a
shallow
and
cold-hearted
nature
shows
itself
capable
.
But
those
who
look
closer
perceive
at
what
heavy
expense
to
others
that
one
link
is
held
,
which
is
in
reality
only
a
new
and
more
subtle
form
of
selfishness
.
She
dropped
the
other
links
without
even
knowing
that
she
had
dropped
them
.
She
had
no
tender
,
watchful
gratitude
for
Lady
Pierpoint
,
no
interest
in
Peggy
's
new
gowns
and
lovers
,
or
as
to
whether
Molly
had
enjoyed
her
first
season
.
If
this
had
been
pointed
out
to
her
,
she
would
have
glibly
ascribed
the
result
to
marriage
,
which
,
according
to
some
women
,
is
the
death-bed
of
all
sympathy
and
impersonal
love
.
It
is
like
ascribing
sin
to
temptation
.
The
Gresleys
were
much
disappointed
in
her
,
and
they
had
reason
to
be
so
,
for
Sibyl
had
changed
over
after
her
discovery
of
Mr.
Loftus
's
convictions
,
or
,
rather
,
her
interpretation
of
them
,
and
,
instead
of
being
rather
High
Church
,
had
now
decided
to
be
'
wide
,
'
which
state
,
it
soon
appeared
,
was
not
compatible
with
being
an
efficient
helper
to
the
earnest
hard-working
young
couple
at
her
gate
.
Mr.
Loftus
,
who
now
had
command
of
money
,
was
far
more
considerate
than
his
wife
.
'
She
,
'
Mrs.
Gresley
complained
,
'
did
not
seem
to
care
to
do
anything
with
her
life
,
for
she
would
neither
sing
in
the
choir
nor
teach
in
the
Sunday-school
.
'
She
did
consent
to
give
prizes
for
needlework
in
the
schools
,
but
when
the
day
came
it
was
discovered
that
she
had
forgotten
all
about
it
,
and
,
as
she
had
a
cold
,
Mr.
Loftus
drove
into
the
nearest
town
and
brought
a
mind
weighted
with
political
matter
to
bear
upon
the
requisite
number
of
prizes
suited
to
girls
of
from
seven
to
fourteen
years
,
and
hurried
back
just
in
time
to
prevent
disappointment
by
distributing
them
himself
.
'
Have
you
written
lately
to
Lady
Pierpoint
?
'
he
sometimes
asked
,
and
Sibyl
generally
had
to
confess
,
'
Not
lately
,
'
and
then
she
would
write
and
then
forget
again
.
'
I
suppose
Lady
Pierpoint
is
less
well
off
now
that
you
are
married
?
'
he
asked
one
day
tentatively
.
'
No
doubt
your
guardians
made
her
an
allowance
while
you
lived
with
her
.
'
'
Yes
,
'
said
Sibyl
,
who
was
sitting
on
the
hearthrug
,
trying
to
make
Crack
do
his
trick
of
sitting
up
.
It
was
his
only
trick
,
and
he
could
not
do
that
unless
he
happened
to
be
sitting
down
when
called
upon
to
perform
it
.
If
he
were
on
all
fours
at
the
moment
,
he
could
not
remember
how
it
began
.
'
Aunt
Marion
often
said
it
was
a
very
handsome
allowance
.
'
'
And
have
you
continued
it
,
or
part
of
it
?
'
asked
Mr.
Loftus
gravely
.
Sibyl
owned
that
she
had
never
thought
of
doing
so
.
'
Everything
I
have
is
yours
now
,
'
she
said
,
looking
up
at
him
.
'
And
I
am
spending
it
,
'
he
said
,
'
freely
.
Thousands
of
yours
are
being
put
into
the
estate
,
in
repairs
,
and
new
farms
and
buildings
.
I
am
like
the
man
in
Scripture
who
pulled
down
his
barns
to
build
greater
—
at
least
,
who
intended
to
do
so
if
he
had
had
time
.
'
Mr.
Loftus
stopped
.
For
the
first
time
for
many
years
a
faint
wish
crossed
his
mind
that
his
soul
might
not
be
required
of
him
till
all
those
expensive
improvements
were
paid
for
,
which
would
make
Doll
's
position
as
landlord
easier
than
his
own
had
been
.
'
Even
in
these
bad
times
,
'
he
went
on
,
'
Wilderleigh
will
come
round
.
You
have
taken
a
great
weight
off
my
mind
,
Sibyl
.
'
'
That
is
what
I
wish
,
'
she
said
,
turning
her
face
,
as
he
put
back
a
little
ring
of
hair
behind
her
ear
,
so
that
her
lips
met
his
hand
.
'
But
Lady
Pierpoint
?
I
am
afraid
,
Sibyl
,
her
husband
left
her
very
badly
off
.
'
'
I
will
write
now
,
'
said
Sibyl
,
springing
to
her
feet
.
Crack
rose
too
,
and
jumped
on
Mr.
Loftus
's
knees
,
quietly
pushing
his
hands
off
them
with
his
strong
nose
,
and
accommodating
his
long
,
thin
body
by
a
few
jerks
into
the
groove
which
a
masculine
lap
presents
.
Mr.
Loftus
did
not
want
him
,
and
it
tired
him
to
keep
his
knees
together
;
but
he
knew
there
was
a
draught
on
the
floor
,
and
he
allowed
him
to
remain
.
'
How
much
shall
I
say
?
A
thousand
a
year
or
fifteen
hundred
for
her
life
?
'
asked
Sibyl
,
dipping
her
pen
in
the
ink
.
It
was
all
one
to
her
.
She
always
gave
freely
of
what
cost
her
nothing
—
namely
,
money
.
'
It
must
not
be
too
much
,
or
she
wo
n't
feel
able
to
take
it
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
,
considering
.
'
And
if
it
is
an
annuity
,
it
does
not
help
the
children
.
'
And
he
wondered
how
far
he
dared
go
.
And
when
,
a
few
days
later
,
Lady
Pierpoint
received
a
note
from
Sibyl
,
very
delicately
and
affectionately
expressed
,
and
offering
,
in
such
a
manner
as
to
make
refusal
almost
impossible
,
a
sum
of
money
more
than
sufficient
to
provide
for
both
her
daughters
,
she
guessed
immediately
whose
tact
had
dictated
the
letter
.
'
Sibyl
would
never
have
thought
of
it
,
'
she
said
to
herself
,
as
she
wrote
a
note
of
acceptance
.
'
It
never
crossed
her
mind
when
she
left
us
,
or
even
to
offer
to
pay
for
Peggy
's
and
Molly
's
bridesmaids
'
gowns
,
although
she
chose
such
expensive
ones
.
And
if
it
had
occurred
to
her
since
,
she
would
not
have
put
it
like
that
.
'
CHAPTER
VIII
.
'
Le
monde
est
plein
de
gens
qui
ne
sont
pas
plus
sages
.
'
—
La
Fontaine
.
With
the
winter
came
many
invitations
,
but
they
were
nearly
all
refused
,
for
Mr.
Loftus
had
long
since
dispensed
himself
from
attending
county
festivities
,
and
Sibyl
,
though
she
had
recovered
her
health
,
was
always
delicate
.
Lady
Pierpoint
had
had
doubts
as
to
whether
she
ought
to
winter
in
England
,
but
not
only
was
Sibyl
herself
determined
so
to
do
,
but
when
Lady
Pierpoint
saw
her
in
London
before
Christmas
with
a
vivid
colour
and
an
elasticity
of
bearing
which
made
a
marked
contrast
to
the
drooping
,
listless
demeanour
of
the
previous
winter
,
her
doubts
were
at
once
set
at
rest
.
Presently
,
however
,
an
invitation
came
for
a
masked
ball
in
the
immediate
neighbourhood
,
which
Mr.
Loftus
decided
could
not
be
refused
.
'
But
why
should
we
go
?
'
said
Sibyl
,
'
if
we
do
n't
care
about
it
.
And
I
hate
balls
,
and
I
hate
society
.
I
was
saying
so
to
the
Gresleys
only
yesterday
.
I
love
my
own
fireside
and
a
book
.
'
Sibyl
had
no
idea
how
much
these
occasional
mild
flourishes
,
which
found
great
favour
at
the
Vicarage
,
annoyed
Mr.
Loftus
.
She
put
them
forth
,
poor
thing
!
with
a
view
to
showing
him
how
much
she
had
in
common
with
him
.
'
It
is
a
mistake
to
say
you
hate
society
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
,
'
because
you
are
not
in
a
position
to
hate
what
you
have
never
seen
.
Personally
,
I
can
see
nothing
peculiarly
obnoxious
in
my
fellow-creatures
when
they
have
their
diamonds
and
white
ties
on
.
I
do
not
even
discover
that
they
are
more
worldly
in
ball-gowns
than
on
other
occasions
.
'
'
But
it
is
all
so
empty
and
vain
,
'
said
Sibyl
;
'
and
though
I
dare
say
I
have
not
seen
much
,
still
,
the
small-talk
is
so
wearying
,
and
I
suppose
that
is
the
same
everywhere
.
I
should
not
mind
society
if
there
was
any
real
conversation
,
anything
deep
.
'
Sibyl
loved
the
word
'
deep
.
'
She
used
it
on
the
occasions
when
others
use
the
word
'
trite
,
'
she
meaning
the
same
as
they
did
,
but
looking
at
the
trite
from
a
different
angle
.
From
her
point
of
vantage
,
eccentricity
was
originality
,
and
a
wholesale
contradiction
of
established
facts
a
new
view
.
Mr.
Loftus
was
so
close
on
the
verge
of
annoyance
that
he
was
obliged
to
be
amused
instead
.
'
I
have
heard
many
people
say
they
hated
society
,
'
he
said
,
smiling
,
and
Sibyl
smiled
back
at
him
,
delighted
at
having
won
his
approbation
by
the
nobility
and
originality
of
her
sentiments
.
'
I
have
generally
found
that
they
are
persons
to
whom
,
probably
for
some
excellent
reason
,
society
has
shown
the
cold
shoulder
,
or
those
,
like
the
Gresleys
,
who
have
never
seen
anything
of
it
,
and
who
call
garden-parties
,
and
flower-shows
,
and
bazaars
,
and
all
those
dismal
local
functions
,
society
.
'
'
She
is
not
going
to
this
masked
ball
,
'
said
Sibyl
.
'
I
asked
her
,
and
she
said
,
"
Of
course
not
.
Her
husband
being
a
clergyman
made
it
quite
impossible
.
"
I
wonder
why
she
always
says
things
are
quite
impossible
for
the
clergy
that
most
of
the
other
clergy
do
.
She
said
the
same
about
the
Hunt
Ball
.
'
'
That
was
because
of
the
pink
coats
of
the
men
and
the
new
gowns
of
the
women
,
and
also
partly
because
they
were
not
asked
.
It
happened
to
be
a
good
ball
,
consequently
it
was
dangerous
.
Dowdiness
has
from
a
very
early
date
of
this
world
's
history
been
regarded
as
a
sacrifice
acceptable
to
the
Deity
,
so
naturally
pretty
gowns
and
electric
light
are
considered
to
be
the
perquisites
of
the
Evil
One
.
'
'
But
are
we
really
going
to
this
ball
?
'
'
We
are
.
It
would
be
unneighbourly
not
to
do
so
.
I
met
Lady
Pontesbury
yesterday
in
D
—
—
,
and
she
begged
us
to
support
her
,
and
to
bring
even
numbers
.
People
cannot
give
balls
in
the
country
,
Sibyl
,
if
none
of
the
neighbours
will
take
the
trouble
to
fill
their
houses
.
I
have
seen
very
cruel
things
of
that
kind
done
.
Ours
is
the
largest
house
in
the
neighbourhood
,
and
,
as
it
now
has
a
mistress
,
we
must
fill
it
.
'
The
idea
of
society
having
any
claim
on
her
was
a
new
light
to
Sibyl
.
She
had
always
considered
herself
superior
to
its
blandishments
.
But
now
that
she
discovered
that
Mr.
Loftus
actually
regarded
certain
social
acts
as
a
duty
,
and
this
masked
ball
as
one
in
particular
,
she
immediately
changed
her
opinion
,
and
forthwith
looked
upon
it
as
a
duty
also
.
It
was
a
duty
which
,
as
its
fulfilment
drew
near
,
became
less
and
less
unpleasant
to
anticipate
.
She
had
until
now
lent
a
sympathetic
ear
to
the
Gresleys
when
they
talked
of
society
as
a
snare
,
and
had
echoed
Mr.
Gresley
's
remarks
on
the
same
.
'
Balls
are
not
wrong
in
themselves
,
'
Mr.
Gresley
would
say
in
his
chest
voice
,
keeping
his
hand
in
before
Sibyl
and
his
admiring
wife
.
'
It
is
only
the
abuse
of
them
that
is
blameworthy
.
Use
the
world
as
not
abusing
it
.
A
carpet
dance
among
young
people
I
should
be
the
last
to
blame
.
We
cannot
keep
the
bow
always
at
full
stretch
.
But
when
it
comes
to
ball
after
ball
,
party
after
party
,
and
pleasure
is
made
a
business
,
instead
of
a
recreation
,
by
which
I
mean
that
which
restores
elasticity
to
the
exhausted
faculties
,
recreates
us
in
fact
,
and
renews
our
energy
for
our
work
,
then
indeed
—
—
'
And
Mr.
Gresley
would
express
himself
at
that
length
which
is
apparently
the
one
great
compensation
of
the
teacher
who
has
no
pupils
.
Sibyl
enjoyed
his
conversation
very
much
.
She
thought
Mr.
Gresley
a
very
sensible
person
,
and
his
opinions
were
in
harmony
with
her
own
.
Mrs.
Gresley
had
also
declared
,
after
a
brief
visit
to
Kensington
in
July
during
the
'
sales
,
'
that
she
had
neither
the
means
nor
the
inclination
to
throw
herself
into
the
social
whirlpool
which
she
and
Mr.
Gresley
had
dispassionately
viewed
from
two
green
chairs
in
the
Row
,
and
which
Mr.
Gresley
had
estimated
'
at
its
true
worth
.
'
If
she
had
possessed
both
the
means
and
the
inclination
,
she
would
perhaps
have
discovered
that
she
was
no
nearer
to
that
vortex
than
the
many
thousands
who
annually
make
a
pilgrimage
to
London
only
to
be
tossed
on
the
outermost
ripple
of
the
whirlpool
,
and
who
revolve
for
ever
on
the
rim
of
society
like
Saturn
's
rings
,
without
approaching
the
central
luminary
.
But
that
it
is
difficult
to
be
loved
of
Society
and
ensnared
by
her
the
Gresleys
and
Sibyl
did
not
know
,
any
more
than
that
certain
crimes
require
great
qualities
in
order
to
commit
them
.
Mr.
Loftus
might
have
been
able
to
relieve
their
ignorance
,
but
,
as
Sibyl
told
the
Gresleys
,
he
did
not
care
much
for
conversation
.
A
habit
of
silence
was
certainly
growing
upon
him
since
his
marriage
.
CHAPTER
IX
.
'
Et
chacun
croit
fort
aisément
,
Ce
qu'il
craint
.
'
La
Fontaine
.
The
night
of
the
masked
ball
had
arrived
.
A
large
party
had
assembled
at
Wilderleigh
,
including
Lady
Pierpoint
and
her
daughters
,
and
Doll
.
It
was
Doll
's
first
visit
to
Wilderleigh
since
Mr.
Loftus
's
marriage
,
and
as
he
looked
down
the
dinner-table
at
Sibyl
he
wondered
at
his
own
folly
in
coming
.
He
thought
he
had
'
got
over
it
,
'
but
to-night
he
found
that
he
had
made
a
sufficiently
grave
mistake
in
supposing
so
.
Unimaginative
persons
never
know
when
they
have
got
over
anything
,
because
they
have
no
fore-knowledge
in
absence
of
the
stab
which
a
certain
presence
can
inflict
.
So
Doll
walked
stolidly
in
—
where
Mr.
Loftus
in
a
remote
but
not
forgotten
passage
of
his
own
life
had
feared
to
tread
—
and
then
writhed
and
bit
his
lip
at
the
hurt
he
had
inflicted
upon
himself
.
In
the
days
when
he
had
hoped
to
marry
Sibyl
,
he
had
often
pictured
her
to
himself
—
his
imagination
could
reach
as
far
as
tangible
objects
,
such
as
furniture
and
food
and
raiment
—
sitting
at
the
head
of
his
table
,
talking
to
his
guests
,
wearing
the
Wilderleigh
diamonds
,
and
looking
as
she
looked
now
;
for
to-night
Sibyl
was
beautiful
.
And
it
had
all
come
about
,
except
one
thing
—
that
she
was
married
to
Mr.
Loftus
instead
of
to
him
.
He
turned
to
look
fixedly
at
Mr.
Loftus
talking
to
Lady
Pierpoint
,
and
saw
as
in
some
new
and
arid
light
his
thin
stooping
figure
in
the
carved
high-backed
chair
,
the
refined
profile
with
the
high
thin
nose
and
scant
brushed-back
gray
hair
,
and
the
bloodless
Vandyke
hand
holding
his
wine-glass
.
Mr.
Loftus
had
a
very
beautiful
hand
.
Doll
had
not
seen
Mr.
Loftus
and
Sibyl
together
except
at
the
altar-rails
.
And
as
he
looked
rage
took
him
.
It
was
a
monstrous
marriage
.
The
blood
rushed
to
his
face
,
and
beat
in
his
temples
.
And
a
sudden
bitter
hatred
surged
up
within
him
against
Mr.
Loftus
as
man
against
man
.
He
looked
at
him
again
in
his
gray
hair
and
his
feebleness
,
and
loathed
him
.
And
Mr.
Loftus
's
indifferent
kindly
glance
met
his
,
and
he
smiled
quietly
at
him
.
And
the
cold
fit
came
after
the
hot
one
,
and
poor
Doll
cursed
himself
,
and
told
himself
for
the
first
time
of
many
times
—
of
how
many
times
!
—
that
the
greatest
evil
that
could
befall
him
in
life
would
be
to
become
estranged
from
'
Uncle
George
.
'
'
What
are
you
thinking
of
?
'
said
Peggy
's
voice
at
his
elbow
.
Peggy
was
often
at
Doll
's
elbow
at
other
times
besides
dinner
,
a
fact
which
did
not
escape
Lady
Pierpoint
's
maternal
eye
,
but
for
which
she
did
not
reprimand
Peggy
,
any
more
than
for
her
slightly
upturned
nose
and
little
upper
lip
,
which
turned
up
in
sympathy
too
.
But
Peggy
vaguely
felt
that
on
this
occasion
her
dear
'
mummy
'
was
rather
in
the
way
,
especially
when
the
whole
party
assembled
in
the
hall
in
their
masks
and
dominoes
,
and
Peggy
could
not
sufficiently
admire
Doll
's
flame-coloured
garment
with
a
black
devil
outlined
on
the
back
and
a
hood
with
pointed
ears
.
She
had
no
eyes
for
Captain
Charrington
,
the
tallest
man
in
the
Guards
,
magnificent
in
crimson
silk
from
head
to
foot
,
with
crimson
mask
as
well
,
or
for
another
of
Doll
's
companions
in
arms
in
a
chessboard
domino
of
black
and
white
with
an
appalling
white
mask
.
'
Look
,
Peggy
,
'
said
Lady
Pierpoint
,
'
at
Mrs.
Devereux
.
I
think
I
have
never
seen
any
domino
as
pretty
as
her
white
one
with
little
silver
bees
all
over
it
.
'
Mrs.
Devereux
protested
,
in
a
muffled
manner
,
through
the
lace
edge
of
her
mask
that
Miss
Pierpoint
's
and
Mrs.
Loftus
's
duplicate
primrose
ones
edged
with
gold
quite
put
her
bees
into
the
shade
.
'
Into
a
hive
you
mean
,
'
said
her
husband
,
a
dull
young
man
in
dove
colour
.
'
But
how
are
we
to
know
Mrs.
Loftus
and
Miss
Pierpoint
apart
?
'
'
You
wo
n't
know
us
,
'
said
Sibyl
;
'
that
is
just
the
point
.
'
'
There
is
one
thing
I
ought
to
have
asked
you
before
,
'
said
Sibyl
solemnly
in
her
married-woman
voice
,
as
the
brougham
in
which
she
and
Mr.
Loftus
had
driven
together
drew
up
in
the
queue
.
'
Would
you
like
me
to
dance
or
not
?
'
'
Are
you
fond
of
dancing
?
'
'
Very
—
at
least
,
I
mean
I
do
n't
mind
.
'
'
Then
,
dance
by
all
means
.
'
'
You
are
quite
sure
it
is
what
you
wish
.
I
thought
perhaps
as
a
married
woman
—
—
'
'
Married
goose
,
'
said
Mr.
Loftus
,
laughing
,
perfectly
aware
that
she
would
have
liked
him
to
be
jealous
.
'
I
'm
going
to
dance
,
'
whispered
Sibyl
to
Peggy
,
as
they
followed
Mr.
Loftus
and
Lady
Pierpoint
,
the
only
unmasked
ones
of
the
party
,
towards
the
ballroom
.
'
He
says
he
wishes
me
to
.
He
is
always
so
unselfish
.
'
But
Peggy
's
open
eyes
and
mouth
and
whole
attention
were
turned
to
the
ballroom
which
they
were
entering
.
Lord
and
Lady
Pontesbury
were
standing
near
the
entrance
solemnly
shaking
hands
with
the
masked
hooded
figures
who
came
silently
towards
them
.
No
introductions
were
possible
.
Lord
Pontesbury
almost
embraced
Mr.
Loftus
,
so
relieved
was
he
to
see
a
human
face
.
Lady
Pontesbury
beamed
on
Lady
Pierpoint
.
'
Your
girls
here
?
'
she
whispered
.
No
one
seemed
able
to
speak
above
a
whisper
.
'
Yes
,
'
said
Lady
Pierpoint
below
her
breath
,
looking
helplessly
round
at
the
twenty
muffled
figures
in
her
wake
.
And
Captain
Charrington
came
forward
at
once
,
and
said
he
was
the
eldest
,
and
produced
Doll
as
his
youngest
sister
,
while
Peggy
and
Molly
wondered
how
anyone
could
be
so
funny
and
live
.
The
long
ballroom
,
with
its
cedar-panelled
walls
outlined
in
gilding
,
was
brilliantly
lighted
.
The
floor
of
pale
polished
oak
shone
like
the
pale
walls
.
Banks
of
orchids
rose
in
the
bay-windows
.
In
the
brilliant
light
a
vast
crowd
of
spectral
figures
stalked
about
in
silence
,
clad
in
every
variety
and
incongruous
mixture
of
colour
.
'
Like
devils
out
on
a
holiday
,
'
said
a
voice
from
the
depths
of
a
fool
's
cap
and
bells
.
Mr.
Loftus
was
at
once
surrounded
by
masked
figures
who
shook
hands
with
him
warmly
.
A
Bishop
was
the
centre
of
another
group
,
ruefully
responding
to
he
knew
not
whom
,
half
the
young
men
in
the
room
telling
him
that
they
had
met
him
last
at
the
Palace
when
they
were
ordained
.
One
mischievous
couple
were
making
the
circuit
of
the
room
,
conversing
with
the
chaperons
one
after
the
other
,
who
smiled
helplessly
at
them
and
answered
but
little
,
for
middle-aged
ladies
with
daughters
out
have
other
things
to
think
of
besides
repartee
.
Captain
Charrington
sustained
his
character
of
a
wit
by
walking
about
growling
at
intervals
in
a
mysterious
and
interesting
manner
.
The
band
took
its
courage
in
both
hands
,
and
broke
the
silence
.
A
tremor
passed
through
the
crowd
.
There
was
a
momen
tary
pause
,
a
momentary
uncertainty
as
to
the
sex
of
the
hooded
figures
,
and
then
forty
,
fifty
,
seventy
couples
of
demons
were
solemnly
polkaing
.
Mr.
Loftus
smiled
.
Sibyl
,
standing
by
him
,
laughed
till
he
gently
urged
her
to
take
it
more
quietly
.
Lord
and
Lady
Pontesbury
turned
for
a
moment
from
the
fresh
arrivals
,
and
their
mournful
faces
relaxed
.
The
Bishop
,
who
seldom
saw
anything
more
enlivening
than
a
confirmation
or
a
diocesan
gathering
,
shed
tears
.
The
trombone
collapsed
,
the
wind
instruments
wavered
,
and
left
the
violins
for
a
moment
to
make
desperate
music
by
themselves
.
Then
the
band
pulled
itself
together
,
and
the
music
and
the
flying
feet
rushed
headlong
on
.
Doll
,
who
had
hardly
spoken
to
Sibyl
that
day
,
came
up
to
claim
his
dance
.
'
I
ca
n't
dance
any
more
,
'
she
said
plaintively
.
'
My
domino
weighs
me
down
.
Let
us
sit
out
.
'
'
Shall
we
go
into
the
gallery
,
'
said
Doll
,
'
and
watch
the
unmasking
from
there
?
It
is
a
quarter
to
twelve
now
,
and
every
one
unmasks
at
twelve
.
'
He
did
not
know
whether
to
be
glad
or
sorry
that
she
would
not
dance
with
him
.
'
Better
not
,
'
he
said
to
himself
.
But
he
had
thought
of
the
possibility
of
that
dance
many
times
before
he
reached
the
ballroom
,
and
had
decided
that
it
was
his
duty
to
ask
her
.
They
left
the
ballroom
,
and
,
passing
numerous
ghostly
figures
sitting
in
nooks
and
on
the
wide
staircase
,
they
made
their
way
to
the
arched
gallery
which
overhung
the
ballroom
.
Every
white
arch
had
been
lit
by
a
pendent
pink-shaded
lamp
,
and
the
arches
and
Sibyl
's
primrose
domino
all
took
the
same
rosy
hue
.
In
nearly
every
arch
a
couple
were
already
sitting
,
watching
the
crowd
below
.
Doll
secured
one
of
the
few
vacant
places
,
and
Sibyl
drew
her
chair
forward
and
leaned
her
slender
bare
arms
on
the
white
stone
balustrade
.
The
couple
in
the
adjoining
archway
were
chattering
volubly
,
but
Doll
and
Sibyl
did
not
talk
.
She
did
not
notice
the
omission
,
for
her
eyes
were
following
the
quaint
pageant
with
the
delight
of
a
child
.
Doll
racked
his
brains
for
something
to
say
,
and
found
nothing
.
Why
had
she
married
Uncle
George
?
Why
had
she
married
Uncle
George
?
So
,
as
he
could
not
ask
her
that
,
and
tell
her
that
he
cared
for
her
a
hundred
times
more
than
her
husband
did
,
he
said
nothing
.
The
pas
de
quatre
was
in
full
swing
.
The
men
,
annoyed
by
their
long
dominoes
,
and
having
one
hand
disengaged
,
raised
their
voluminous
skirts
and
danced
with
long
black
legs
,
regardless
of
propriety
.
Captain
Charrington
's
endless
crimson
domino
had
come
open
in
front
and
displayed
his
high
action
to
great
advantage
.
A
very
elegant
pink
domino
,
which
had
been
introduced
by
the
eldest
son
of
the
house
as
an
heiress
to
all
the
men
whom
he
did
not
recognise
,
and
which
had
danced
only
with
masculine
dominoes
,
was
now
seen
to
emulate
its
partner
,
and
to
have
black
trousers
rolled
up
above
its
white-stockinged
ankles
,
and
rather
large
white
satin
shoes
.
'
Look
!
'
said
the
girl
in
the
next
arch
way
;
'
that
pink
domino
must
be
Mr.
Lumley
.
He
often
acts
as
a
woman
.
'
'
Hang
him
for
an
impostor
!
I
've
danced
with
him
as
such
,
'
said
the
man
,
with
ill-concealed
vexation
.
'
He
knew
me
,
and
called
me
by
name
.
I
took
him
for
—
—
'
He
did
not
finish
his
sentence
.
'
By
Jove
!
that
black
domino
with
a
death's-head
and
cross-bones
is
a
good
idea
,
'
he
went
on
.
'
Is
it
half-mourning
,
do
you
suppose
?
'
'
How
foolish
you
are
!
That
is
Lord
Lutwyche
.
I
have
just
been
dancing
with
him
.
'
'
Lord
Lutwyche
is
not
here
.
He
sprained
his
ankle
at
hockey
yesterday
.
'
The
female
domino
appeared
to
be
a
prey
to
uneasy
reflections
.
'
The
primrose
domino
is
the
prettiest
in
the
room
,
'
she
said
presently
.
'
And
how
well
she
dances
!
I
wonder
who
she
is
.
'
'
I
happen
to
know
that
is
Mrs.
Loftus
.
'
Sibyl
,
with
her
back
to
the
arch
,
could
hear
every
word
on
the
other
side
of
it
.
Doll
was
not
near
enough
.
This
was
indeed
delightful
!
How
lucky
that
she
and
Peggy
had
come
dressed
alike
!
'
Which
is
Mr.
Loftus
?
'
said
the
woman
's
voice
eagerly
.
'
I
have
heard
so
much
about
him
.
'
'
That
tall
,
thin
,
fine-looking
old
chap
with
his
hands
behind
his
back
,
standing
by
the
Bishop
.
The
Union
Jack
domino
is
speaking
to
him
.
'
'
So
that
is
he
.
