and,
in
her
way
,
was
almost
as
anxious
as
her
husband
.
During
the
spring-time
,
as
Willie
's
life
grew
shorter
with
the
lengthening
days
,
the
child
's
chiefest
delight
lay
in
visits
from
Christopher
.
For
Elisabeth
's
sake
Christopher
had
always
felt
an
interest
in
little
Willie
.
Had
not
her
dear
hands
fondled
the
child
,
before
they
were
too
busy
to
do
anything
but
weave
spells
to
charm
the
whole
world
?
And
had
not
her
warm
heart
enfolded
him
,
before
her
success
and
her
fame
had
chilled
its
fires
?
For
the
sake
of
the
Elisabeth
that
used
to
be
,
Christopher
would
always
be
a
friend
to
Willie
;
and
he
did
not
find
it
hard
to
love
the
child
for
his
own
sake
,
since
Christopher
had
great
powers
of
loving
,
and
but
little
to
expend
them
upon
.
As
Willie
continually
asked
for
Elisabeth
,
Felicia
wrote
and
told
her
so
;
and
the
moment
she
found
she
was
wanted
,
Elisabeth
came
down
to
the
Willows
for
a
week
—
though
her
fame
and
the
London
season
were
alike
at
their
height
—
and
went
every
day
to
see
Willie
at
the
Moat
House
.
He
loved
to
have
her
with
him
,
because
she
talked
to
him
about
things
that
his
parents
never
mentioned
to
him
;
and
as
these
things
were
drawing
nearer
to
Willie
day
by
day
,
his
interest
in
them
unconsciously
increased
.
He
and
she
had
long
talks
together
about
the
country
on
the
other
side
of
the
hills
,
and
what
delightful
times
they
would
have
when
they
reached
it
:
how
Willie
would
be
able
to
walk
as
much
as
he
liked
,
and
Elisabeth
would
be
able
to
love
as
much
as
she
wanted
,
and
life
generally
would
turn
out
to
be
a
success
—
a
thing
which
it
so
rarely
does
on
this
side
of
the
hills
.
Christopher
,
as
a
rule
,
kept
away
from
the
Moat
House
when
Elisabeth
was
there
;
he
thought
she
did
not
wish
to
see
him
,
and
he
was
not
the
type
of
man
to
go
where
he
imagined
he
was
not
wanted
;
but
one
afternoon
they
met
there
by
accident
,
and
Christopher
inwardly
blessed
the
Fate
which
made
him
do
the
very
thing
he
had
so
studiously
refrained
from
doing
.
He
had
been
sitting
with
Tremaine
,
and
she
with
Felicia
and
Willie
;
and
they
met
in
the
hall
on
their
way
out
.
"
Are
you
going
my
way
?
"
asked
Elisabeth
graciously
,
when
they
had
shaken
hands
.
It
was
dull
at
Sedgehill
after
London
,
and
the
old
flirting
spirit
woke
up
in
her
and
made
her
want
to
flirt
with
Christopher
again
,
in
spite
of
all
that
had
happened
.
With
the
born
flirt
—
as
with
all
born
players
of
games
—
the
game
itself
is
of
more
importance
than
the
personality
of
the
other
players
;
which
sometimes
leads
to
unfortunate
mistakes
on
the
part
of
those
players
who
do
not
rightly
understand
the
rules
of
the
game
.
"
Yes
,
Miss
Farringdon
,
I
am
,
"
said
Christopher
,
who
would
have
been
going
Elisabeth
's
way
had
that
way
led
him
straight
to
ruin
.
With
him
the
personality
of
the
player
—
in
this
case
,
at
least
—
mattered
infinitely
more
than
any
game
she
might
choose
to
play
.
As
long
as
he
was
talking
to
Elisabeth
,
he
did
not
care
a
straw
what
they
were
talking
about
;
which
showed
that
he
really
was
culpably
indifferent
to
—
if
not
absolutely
ignorant
of
—
the
rules
of
the
game
.
"
Then
we
might
as
well
walk
together
.
"
And
Elisabeth
drew
on
her
long
Suède
gloves
and
leisurely
opened
her
parasol
,
as
they
strolled
down
the
drive
after
bidding
farewell
to
the
Tremaines
.
Christopher
was
silent
from
excess
of
happiness
.
It
was
so
wonderful
to
be
walking
by
Elisabeth
's
side
again
,
and
listening
to
her
voice
,
and
watching
the
lights
and
shadows
in
those
gray
eyes
of
hers
which
sometimes
were
so
nearly
blue
.
But
Elisabeth
did
not
understand
his
silence
;
she
translated
it
,
as
she
would
have
translated
silence
on
her
own
part
,
into
either
boredom
or
ill-temper
,
and
she
resented
it
accordingly
.
"
You
are
very
quiet
this
afternoon
.
Are
n't
you
going
to
talk
to
me
?
"
she
said
;
and
Christopher
's
quick
ear
caught
the
sound
of
the
irritation
in
her
voice
,
though
he
could
not
for
the
life
of
him
imagine
what
he
had
done
to
bring
it
there
;
but
it
served
to
silence
him
still
further
.
"
Yes
—
yes
,
of
course
I
am
,
"
he
said
lamely
;
"
what
shall
we
talk
about
?
I
am
afraid
there
is
nothing
interesting
to
tell
you
about
the
Osierfield
,
things
are
going
on
so
regularly
there
,
and
so
well
.
"
How
exactly
like
Christopher
to
begin
to
talk
about
business
when
she
had
given
him
the
chance
to
talk
about
more
interesting
subjects
—
herself
,
for
instance
,
Elisabeth
thought
;
but
he
never
had
a
mind
above
sordid
details
!
She
did
not
,
of
course
,
know
that
at
that
identical
moment
he
was
wondering
whether
her
eyes
were
darker
than
they
used
to
be
,
or
whether
he
had
forgotten
their
exact
shade
;
he
could
hardly
have
forgotten
their
colour
,
he
decided
,
as
there
had
never
been
a
day
when
he
had
not
remembered
them
since
he
saw
them
last
;
so
they
must
actually
be
growing
darker
.
"
I
'm
glad
of
that
,
"
said
Elisabeth
coldly
,
in
her
most
fine-ladylike
manner
.
"
It
was
distinctly
kind
of
you
to
find
time
to
run
down
here
,
in
the
midst
of
your
London
life
,
to
see
Willie
!
He
fretted
after
you
sadly
,
and
I
am
afraid
the
poor
little
fellow
is
not
long
for
this
world
.
"
And
Christopher
sighed
.
Elisabeth
noted
the
sigh
and
approved
of
it
.
It
was
a
comfort
to
find
that
the
man
had
feelings
of
any
sort
,
she
said
to
herself
,
even
though
only
for
a
child
;
that
was
better
than
being
entirely
immersed
in
self-interest
and
business
affairs
.
So
they
talked
about
Willie
for
a
time
,
and
the
conversation
ran
more
smoothly
—
almost
pleasantly
.
Then
they
talked
about
books
;
and
Elisabeth
—
who
had
grown
into
the
habit
of
thinking
that
nobody
outside
London
knew
anything
—
was
surprised
to
find
that
Christopher
had
read
considerably
more
books
than
she
had
read
,
and
had
understood
them
far
more
thoroughly
.
But
this
part
of
the
conversation
was
inclined
to
be
stormy
;
since
Christopher
as
a
rule
disliked
the
books
that
Elisabeth
liked
,
and
this
she
persisted
in
regarding
as
tantamount
to
disliking
herself
.
Whereupon
she
became
defiant
,
and
told
stories
of
her
life
in
London
of
which
she
knew
Christopher
would
disapprove
.
There
was
nothing
in
the
facts
that
he
could
possibly
disapprove
of
,
so
she
coloured
them
up
until
there
was
;
and
then
,
when
she
had
succeeded
in
securing
his
disapproval
,
she
was
furious
with
him
on
account
of
it
.
Which
was
manifestly
unfair
,
as
Christopher
in
no
way
showed
the
regret
which
he
could
not
refrain
from
experiencing
,
as
he
listened
to
Elisabeth
making
herself
out
so
much
more
frivolous
and
heartless
than
she
really
was
.
"
This
is
the
first
time
I
have
had
an
opportunity
of
congratulating
you
on
your
success
,
"
he
said
to
her
at
last
;
"
we
are
all
very
proud
of
it
at
Sedgehill
;
but
,
believe
me
,
there
is
no
one
who
rejoices
in
it
a
tithe
as
much
as
I
do
,
if
you
will
allow
me
to
say
so
.
"
Elisabeth
was
slightly
mollified
.
She
had
been
trying
all
the
time
,
as
she
was
so
fond
of
trying
years
ago
,
to
divert
the
conversation
into
more
personal
channels
;
and
Christopher
had
been
equally
desirous
of
keeping
it
out
of
the
same
.
But
this
sounded
encouraging
.
"
Thank
you
so
much
,
"
she
answered
;
"
it
is
very
nice
of
you
all
to
be
pleased
with
me
!
I
always
adored
being
admired
and
praised
,
if
you
remember
.
"
Christopher
remembered
well
enough
;
but
he
was
not
going
to
tell
this
crushing
fine
lady
how
well
he
remembered
.
If
he
had
not
exposed
his
heart
for
Elisabeth
to
peck
at
in
the
old
days
,
he
certainly
was
not
going
to
expose
it
now
;
then
she
would
only
have
been
scientifically
interested
—
now
she
would
probably
be
disdainfully
amused
.
"
I
suppose
you
saw
my
picture
in
this
year
's
Academy
,
"
Elisabeth
added
.
"
Saw
it
?
I
should
think
I
did
.
I
went
up
to
town
on
purpose
to
see
it
,
as
I
always
do
when
you
have
pictures
on
view
at
any
of
the
shows
.
"
"
And
what
did
you
think
of
it
?
"
Christopher
was
silent
for
a
moment
;
then
he
said
—
"
Do
you
want
me
to
say
pretty
things
to
you
or
to
tell
you
the
truth
?
"
"
Why
,
the
truth
,
of
course
,
"
replied
Elisabeth
,
who
considered
that
the
two
things
were
synonymous
—
or
at
any
rate
ought
to
be
.
"
And
you
wo
n't
be
angry
with
me
,
or
think
me
impertinent
?
"
"
Of
course
not
,
"
answered
Elisabeth
,
who
most
certainly
would
;
and
Christopher
—
not
having
yet
learned
wisdom
—
believed
her
.
"
I
thought
it
was
a
distinctly
powerful
picture
—
a
distinctly
remarkable
picture
—
and
if
any
one
but
you
had
painted
it
,
I
should
have
been
delighted
with
it
;
but
somehow
I
felt
that
it
was
not
quite
up
to
your
mark
—
that
you
could
do
,
and
will
do
,
better
work
.
"
For
a
second
Elisabeth
was
dumbfounded
with
amazement
and
indignation
.
How
dare
this
one
man
dispute
the
verdict
of
London
?
Then
she
said
—
"
In
what
way
do
you
think
the
work
could
have
been
done
better
?
"
"
That
is
just
what
I
ca
n't
tell
you
;
I
wish
I
could
;
but
I
'm
not
an
artist
,
unfortunately
.
It
seems
to
me
that
there
are
other
people
(
not
many
,
I
admit
,
but
still
some
)
who
could
have
painted
that
picture
;
while
you
are
capable
of
doing
work
which
no
one
else
in
the
world
could
possibly
do
.
Naturally
I
want
to
see
you
do
your
best
,
and
am
not
satisfied
when
you
do
anything
less
.
"
Elisabeth
tossed
her
head
.
"
You
are
very
hard
to
please
,
Mr.
Thornley
.
"
"
I
know
I
am
,
where
your
work
is
concerned
;
but
that
is
because
I
have
formed
such
a
high
ideal
of
your
powers
.
If
I
admired
you
less
,
I
should
admire
your
work
more
,
do
n't
you
see
?
"
But
Elisabeth
did
not
see
.
She
possessed
the
true
artist-spirit
which
craves
for
appreciation
of
its
offspring
more
than
for
appreciation
of
itself
—
a
feeling
which
perhaps
no
one
but
an
artist
or
a
mother
really
understands
.
Christopher
,
being
neither
,
did
not
understand
it
in
the
least
,
and
erroneously
concluded
that
adoration
of
the
creator
absolves
one
from
the
necessity
of
admiration
of
the
thing
created
.
"
I
shall
never
do
a
better
piece
of
work
than
that
,
"
Elisabeth
retorted
,
being
imbued
with
the
creative
delusion
that
the
latest
creation
is
of
necessity
the
finest
creation
.
No
artist
could
work
at
all
if
he
did
not
believe
that
the
work
he
was
doing
—
or
had
just
done
—
was
the
best
piece
of
work
he
had
ever
done
or
ever
should
do
.
This
is
because
his
work
,
however
good
,
always
falls
short
of
the
ideal
which
inspired
it
;
and
,
while
he
is
yet
working
,
he
can
not
disentangle
the
ideal
from
the
reality
.
He
must
be
at
a
little
distance
from
his
work
until
he
can
do
this
properly
;
and
Elisabeth
was
as
yet
under
the
influence
of
that
creative
glamour
which
made
her
see
her
latest
picture
as
it
should
be
rather
than
as
it
was
.
"
Oh
,
yes
,
you
will
;
you
will
fulfil
my
ideal
of
you
yet
.
I
cherish
no
doubts
on
that
score
.
"
"
I
ca
n't
think
what
you
see
wrong
in
my
picture
,
"
said
Elisabeth
somewhat
pettishly
.
"
I
do
n't
see
anything
wrong
in
it
.
Good
gracious
!
I
must
have
expressed
myself
badly
if
I
conveyed
such
an
impression
to
you
as
that
,
and
you
would
indeed
be
justified
in
writing
me
down
an
ass
.
I
think
it
is
a
wonderfully
clever
picture
—
so
clever
that
nobody
but
you
could
ever
paint
a
cleverer
one
.
"
"
Well
,
I
certainly
could
n't
.
You
must
have
formed
an
exaggerated
estimate
of
my
artistic
powers
.
"
"
I
think
not
!
You
can
,
and
will
,
paint
a
distinctly
better
picture
some
day
.
"
"
In
what
way
better
?
"
"
Ah
!
there
you
have
me
.
But
I
will
try
to
tell
you
what
I
mean
,
though
I
speak
as
a
fool
;
and
if
I
say
anything
very
egregious
,
you
must
let
my
ignorance
be
my
excuse
,
and
pardon
the
clumsy
expression
of
my
intentions
because
they
are
so
well
meant
.
It
does
n't
seem
to
me
to
be
enough
for
anybody
to
do
good
work
;
they
must
go
further
,
and
do
the
best
possible
work
in
their
power
.
Nothing
but
one
's
best
is
really
worth
the
doing
;
the
cult
of
the
second-best
is
always
a
degrading
form
of
worship
.
Even
though
one
man
's
second-best
be
intrinsically
superior
to
the
best
work
of
his
fellows
,
he
has
nevertheless
no
right
to
offer
it
to
the
world
.
He
is
guilty
of
an
injustice
both
to
himself
and
the
world
in
so
doing
.
"
"
I
do
n't
agree
with
you
.
This
is
an
age
of
results
;
and
the
world
's
business
is
with
the
actual
value
of
the
thing
done
,
rather
than
with
the
capabilities
of
the
man
who
did
it
.
"
"
You
are
right
in
calling
this
an
age
of
results
,
Miss
Farringdon
;
but
that
is
the
age
's
weakness
and
not
its
strength
.
The
moment
men
begin
to
judge
by
results
,
they
judge
unrighteous
judgment
.
They
confound
the
great
man
with
the
successful
man
;
the
saint
with
the
famous
preacher
;
the
poet
with
the
writer
of
popular
music-hall
songs
.
"
"
Then
you
think
that
we
should
all
do
our
best
,
and
not
bother
ourselves
too
much
as
to
results
?
"
"
I
go
further
than
that
;
I
think
that
the
mere
consideration
of
results
incapacitates
us
from
doing
our
best
work
at
all
.
"
"
I
do
n't
agree
with
you
,
"
repeated
Elisabeth
haughtily
.
But
,
nevertheless
,
she
did
.
"
I
daresay
I
am
wrong
;
but
you
asked
me
for
my
candid
opinion
and
I
gave
it
to
you
.
It
is
a
poor
compliment
to
flatter
people
—
far
too
poor
ever
to
be
paid
by
me
to
you
;
and
in
this
case
the
simple
truth
is
a
far
greater
compliment
than
any
flattery
could
be
.
You
can
imagine
what
a
high
estimate
I
have
formed
of
your
powers
,
when
so
great
a
picture
as
The
Pillar
of
Cloud
fails
to
satisfy
me
.
"
The
talk
about
her
picture
brought
to
Elisabeth
's
mind
the
remembrance
of
that
other
picture
which
had
been
almost
as
popular
as
hers
;
and
,
with
it
,
the
remembrance
of
the
man
who
had
painted
it
.
"
I
suppose
you
have
heard
nothing
more
about
George
Farringdon
's
son
,
"
she
remarked
,
with
apparent
irrelevance
.
"
I
wonder
if
he
will
ever
turn
up
?
"
"
Oh
!
I
hardly
think
it
is
likely
now
;
I
have
quite
given
up
all
ideas
of
his
doing
so
,
"
replied
Christopher
cheerfully
.
"
But
supposing
he
did
?
"
"
In
that
case
I
am
afraid
he
would
be
bound
to
enter
into
his
kingdom
.
But
I
really
do
n't
think
you
need
worry
any
longer
over
that
unpleasant
contingency
,
Miss
Farringdon
;
it
is
too
late
in
the
day
;
if
he
were
going
to
appear
upon
the
scene
at
all
,
he
would
have
appeared
before
now
,
I
feel
certain
.
"
"
You
really
think
so
?
"
"
Most
assuredly
I
do
.
Besides
,
it
will
not
be
long
before
the
limit
of
time
mentioned
by
your
cousin
is
reached
;
and
then
a
score
of
George
Farringdon
's
sons
could
not
turn
you
out
of
your
rights
.
"
For
a
moment
Elisabeth
thought
she
would
tell
Christopher
about
her
suspicions
as
to
the
identity
of
Cecil
Farquhar
.
But
it
was
as
yet
merely
a
suspicion
,
and
she
knew
by
experience
how
ruthlessly
Christopher
pursued
the
line
of
duty
whenever
that
line
was
pointed
out
to
him
;
so
she
decided
to
hold
her
peace
(
and
her
property
)
a
little
longer
.
But
she
also
knew
that
the
influence
of
Christopher
was
even
yet
so
strong
upon
her
,
that
,
when
the
time
came
,
she
should
do
the
right
thing
in
spite
of
herself
and
in
defiance
of
her
own
desires
.
And
this
knowledge
,
strange
to
say
,
irritated
her
still
further
against
the
innocent
and
unconscious
Christopher
.
The
walk
from
the
Moat
House
to
Sedgehill
was
a
failure
as
far
as
the
re-establishment
of
friendly
relations
between
Christopher
and
Elisabeth
was
concerned
,
for
it
left
her
with
the
impression
that
he
was
less
appreciative
of
her
and
more
wrapped
up
in
himself
and
his
own
opinions
than
ever
;
while
it
conveyed
to
his
mind
the
idea
that
her
success
had
only
served
to
widen
the
gulf
between
them
,
and
that
she
was
more
indifferent
to
and
independent
of
his
friendship
than
she
had
ever
been
before
.
Elisabeth
went
back
to
London
,
and
Christopher
to
his
work
again
,
and
little
Willie
drew
nearer
and
nearer
to
the
country
on
the
other
side
of
the
hills
;
until
one
day
it
happened
that
the
gate
which
leads
into
that
country
was
left
open
by
the
angels
,
and
Willie
slipped
through
it
and
became
strong
and
well
.
His
parents
were
left
outside
the
gate
,
weeping
,
and
at
first
they
refused
to
be
comforted
;
but
after
a
time
Alan
learned
the
lesson
which
Willie
had
been
sent
to
teach
him
,
and
saw
plain
.
"
Dear
,
"
he
said
to
his
wife
at
last
,
"
I
've
got
to
begin
life
over
again
so
as
to
go
the
way
that
Willie
went
.
The
little
chap
made
me
promise
to
meet
him
in
the
country
over
the
hills
,
as
he
called
it
;
and
I
've
never
broken
a
promise
to
Willie
and
I
never
will
.
It
will
be
difficult
for
us
,
I
know
;
but
God
will
help
us
.
"
Felicia
looked
at
him
with
sad
,
despairing
eyes
.
"
There
is
no
God
,
"
she
said
;
"
you
have
often
told
me
so
.
"
"
I
know
I
have
;
that
was
because
I
was
such
a
blind
fool
.
But
now
I
know
that
there
is
a
God
,
and
that
you
and
I
must
serve
Him
together
.
"
"
How
can
we
serve
a
myth
?
"
Felicia
persisted
.
"
He
is
no
myth
,
Felicia
.
I
lied
to
you
when
I
told
you
that
He
was
.
"
And
then
Felicia
laughed
;
the
first
time
that
she
had
laughed
since
Willie
's
death
,
and
it
was
not
a
pleasant
laugh
to
hear
.
"
Do
you
think
you
can
play
pitch-and-toss
with
a
woman
's
soul
in
that
way
?
Well
,
you
ca
n't
.
When
I
met
you
I
believed
in
God
as
firmly
as
any
girl
believed
;
but
you
laughed
me
out
of
my
faith
,
and
proved
to
me
what
a
string
of
lies
and
folly
it
all
was
;
and
then
I
believed
in
you
as
firmly
as
before
I
had
believed
in
God
,
and
I
knew
that
Christianity
was
a
fable
.
"
Alan
's
face
grew
very
white
.
"
Good
heavens
!
Felicia
,
did
I
do
this
?
"
"
Of
course
you
did
,
and
you
must
take
the
consequences
of
your
own
handiwork
;
it
is
too
late
to
undo
it
now
.
Do
n't
try
to
comfort
me
,
even
if
you
can
drug
yourself
,
with
fairy-tales
about
meeting
Willie
again
.
I
shall
never
see
my
little
child
again
in
this
life
,
and
there
is
no
other
.
"
"
You
are
wrong
;
believe
me
,
you
are
wrong
.
"
And
Alan
's
brow
was
damp
with
the
anguish
of
his
soul
.
"
It
is
only
what
you
taught
me
.
But
because
you
took
my
faith
away
from
me
,
it
does
n't
follow
that
you
can
give
it
back
to
me
again
;
it
has
gone
forever
.
"
"
Oh
,
Felicia
,
Felicia
,
may
God
and
you
and
Willie
forgive
me
,
for
I
can
never
forgive
myself
!
"
"
I
can
not
forgive
you
,
because
I
have
nothing
to
forgive
;
you
did
me
no
wrong
in
opening
my
eyes
.
And
God
can
not
forgive
you
,
because
there
never
was
a
God
;
so
you
did
Him
no
wrong
.
And
Willie
can
not
forgive
you
,
because
there
is
no
Willie
now
;
so
you
did
him
no
wrong
.
"
"
My
dearest
,
it
can
not
all
have
gone
from
you
forever
;
it
will
come
back
to
you
,
and
you
will
believe
as
I
do
.
"
Felicia
shook
her
head
.
"
Never
;
it
is
too
late
.
You
have
taken
away
my
Lord
,
and
I
know
not
where
you
have
laid
Him
;
and
,
however
long
I
live
,
I
shall
never
find
Him
again
.
"
And
she
went
out
of
the
room
in
the
patience
of
a
great
despair
,
and
left
her
husband
alone
with
his
misery
.
THIS
SIDE
OF
THE
HILLS
On
this
side
of
the
hills
,
alas
!
Unrest
our
spirit
fills
;
For
gold
,
men
give
us
stones
and
brass
—
For
asphodels
,
rank
weeds
and
grass
—
For
jewels
,
bits
of
coloured
glass
—
On
this
side
of
the
hills
.
The
end
of
July
was
approaching
,
and
the
season
was
drawing
to
a
close
.
Cecil
Farquhar
and
Elisabeth
had
seen
each
other
frequently
since
they
first
met
at
the
Academy
soirée
,
and
had
fallen
into
the
habit
of
being
much
together
;
consequently
the
thought
of
parting
was
pleasant
to
neither
of
them
.
"
How
shall
I
manage
to
live
without
you
?
"
asked
Cecil
one
day
,
as
they
were
walking
across
the
Park
together
.
"
I
shall
fall
from
my
ideals
when
I
am
away
from
your
influence
,
and
again
become
the
grovelling
worlding
that
I
was
before
I
met
you
.
"
"
But
you
must
n't
do
anything
of
the
kind
.
I
am
not
the
keeper
of
your
conscience
.
"
"
But
you
are
,
and
you
must
be
.
I
feel
a
good
man
and
a
strong
one
when
I
am
with
you
,
and
as
if
all
things
were
possible
to
me
;
and
now
that
I
have
once
found
you
,
I
can
not
and
will
not
let
you
go
.
"
"
You
will
have
to
let
me
go
,
Mr.
Farquhar
;
for
I
go
down
to
the
Willows
at
the
end
of
the
month
,
and
mean
to
stay
there
for
some
time
.
I
have
enjoyed
my
success
immensely
;
but
it
has
tired
me
rather
,
and
made
me
want
to
rest
and
be
stupid
again
.
"
"
But
I
can
not
spare
you
,
"
persisted
Cecil
;
and
there
was
real
feeling
in
his
voice
.
Elisabeth
represented
so
much
to
him
—
wealth
and
power
and
the
development
of
his
higher
nature
;
and
although
,
had
she
been
a
poor
woman
,
he
would
possibly
never
have
cherished
any
intention
of
marrying
her
,
his
wish
to
do
so
was
not
entirely
sordid
.
There
are
so
few
wishes
in
the
hearts
of
any
of
us
which
are
entirely
sordid
or
entirely
ideal
;
yet
we
find
it
so
difficult
to
allow
for
this
in
judging
one
another
.
"
Do
n't
you
understand
,
"
Farquhar
went
on
,
"
all
that
you
have
been
to
me
:
how
you
have
awakened
the
best
that
is
in
me
,
and
taught
me
to
be
ashamed
of
the
worst
?
And
do
you
think
that
I
shall
now
be
content
to
let
you
slip
quietly
out
of
my
life
,
and
to
be
the
shallow
,
selfish
,
worldly
wretch
I
was
before
the
Academy
soirée
?
Not
I
.
"
Elisabeth
was
silent
.
She
could
not
understand
herself
,
and
this
want
of
comprehension
on
her
part
annoyed
and
disappointed
her
.
At
last
all
her
girlish
dreams
had
come
true
;
here
was
the
fairy
prince
for
whom
she
had
waited
for
so
long
—
a
prince
of
the
kingdom
she
loved
above
all
others
,
the
kingdom
of
art
;
and
he
came
to
her
in
the
spirit
in
which
she
had
always
longed
for
him
to
come
—
the
spirit
of
failure
and
of
loneliness
,
begging
her
to
make
up
to
him
for
all
that
he
had
hitherto
missed
in
life
.
Yet
—
to
her
surprise
—
his
appeal
found
her
cold
and
unresponsive
,
as
if
he
were
calling
out
for
help
to
another
woman
and
not
to
her
.
Cecil
went
on
:
"
Elisabeth
,
wo
n't
you
be
my
wife
,
and
so
make
me
into
the
true
artist
which
,
with
you
to
help
me
,
I
feel
I
am
capable
of
becoming
;
but
of
which
,
without
you
,
I
shall
always
fall
short
?
You
could
do
anything
with
me
—
you
know
you
could
;
you
could
make
me
into
a
great
artist
and
a
good
man
,
but
without
you
I
can
be
neither
.
Surely
you
will
not
give
me
up
now
!
You
have
opened
to
me
the
door
of
a
paradise
of
which
I
never
dreamed
before
,
and
now
do
n't
shut
it
in
my
face
.
"
"
I
do
n't
want
to
shut
it
in
your
face
,
"
replied
Elisabeth
gently
;
"
surely
you
know
me
better
than
that
.
But
I
feel
that
you
are
expecting
more
of
me
than
I
can
ever
fulfil
,
and
that
some
day
you
will
be
sadly
disappointed
in
me
.
"
"
No
,
no
;
I
never
shall
.
It
is
not
in
you
to
disappoint
anybody
,
you
are
so
strong
and
good
and
true
.
Tell
me
the
truth
:
do
n't
you
feel
that
I
am
as
clay
in
your
hands
,
and
that
you
can
do
anything
with
me
that
you
choose
?
"
Elisabeth
looked
him
full
in
the
face
with
her
clear
gray
eyes
.
"
I
feel
that
I
could
do
anything
with
you
if
only
I
loved
you
enough
;
but
I
also
feel
that
I
do
n't
love
you
,
and
that
therefore
I
can
do
nothing
with
you
at
all
.
I
believe
with
you
that
a
strong
woman
can
be
the
making
of
a
man
she
loves
;
but
she
must
love
him
first
,
or
else
all
her
strength
will
be
of
no
avail
.
"
Farquhar
's
face
fell
.
"
I
thought
you
did
love
me
.
You
always
seemed
so
glad
when
I
came
and
sorry
when
I
left
;
and
you
enjoyed
talking
to
me
,
and
we
understood
each
other
,
and
were
happy
together
.
Can
you
deny
that
?
"
"
No
;
it
is
all
true
.
I
never
enjoyed
talking
with
anybody
more
than
with
you
;
and
I
certainly
never
in
my
life
met
any
one
who
understood
my
ways
of
looking
at
things
as
thoroughly
as
you
do
,
nor
any
one
who
entered
so
completely
into
all
my
moods
.
As
a
friend
you
are
most
satisfactory
to
me
,
as
a
comrade
most
delightful
;
but
I
can
not
help
thinking
that
love
is
something
more
than
that
.
"
"
But
it
is
n't
,
"
cried
Cecil
eagerly
;
"
that
is
just
where
lots
of
women
make
such
a
mistake
.
They
wait
and
wait
for
love
all
their
lives
;
and
find
out
too
late
that
they
passed
him
by
years
ago
,
without
recognising
him
,
but
called
him
by
some
wrong
name
,
such
as
friendship
and
the
like
.
"
"
I
wonder
if
you
are
right
.
"
"
I
am
sure
that
I
am
.
Women
who
are
at
all
romantic
,
have
such
exaggerated
ideas
as
to
what
love
really
is
.
Like
the
leper
of
old
,
they
ask
for
some
great
thing
to
work
the
wonderful
miracle
upon
their
lives
;
and
so
they
miss
the
simple
way
which
would
lead
them
to
happiness
.
"
Elisabeth
felt
troubled
and
perplexed
.
"
I
enjoy
your
society
,
"
she
said
,
"
and
I
adore
your
genius
,
and
I
pity
your
loneliness
,
and
I
long
to
help
your
weakness
.
Is
this
love
,
do
you
think
?
"
"
Yes
,
yes
;
I
am
certain
of
it
.
"
"
I
thought
it
would
be
different
,
"
said
Elisabeth
sadly
;
"
I
thought
that
when
it
did
come
it
would
transform
the
whole
world
,
just
as
religion
does
,
and
that
all
things
would
become
new
.
I
thought
it
would
turn
out
to
be
the
thing
that
we
are
longing
for
when
the
beauty
of
nature
makes
us
feel
sad
with
a
longing
we
know
not
for
what
.
I
thought
it
would
change
life
's
dusty
paths
into
golden
pavements
,
and
earth
's
commonest
bramble-bush
into
a
magic
briar-rose
.
"
"
And
it
has
n't
?
"
"
No
;
everything
is
just
the
same
as
it
was
before
I
met
you
.
As
far
as
I
can
see
,
there
is
no
livelier
emerald
twinkling
in
the
grass
of
the
Park
than
there
ever
is
at
the
end
of
July
,
and
no
purer
sapphire
melting
into
the
Serpentine
.
"
Cecil
laughed
lightly
.
"
You
are
as
absurdly
romantic
as
a
school-girl
!
Surely
people
of
our
age
ought
to
know
better
than
still
to
believe
in
fairyland
;
but
,
as
I
have
told
you
before
,
you
are
dreadfully
young
for
your
age
in
some
things
.
"
"
I
suppose
I
am
.
I
still
do
believe
in
fairyland
—
at
least
I
did
until
ten
minutes
ago
.
"
"
I
assure
you
there
is
no
such
place
.
"
"
Not
for
anybody
?
"
"
Not
for
anybody
over
twenty-one
.
"
"
I
wish
there
was
,
"
said
Elisabeth
with
a
sigh
.
"
I
should
have
liked
to
believe
it
was
there
,
even
if
I
had
never
found
it
.
"
"
Do
n't
be
silly
,
lady
mine
.
You
are
so
great
and
wise
and
clever
that
I
can
not
bear
to
hear
you
say
foolish
things
.
And
I
want
us
to
talk
about
how
you
are
going
to
help
me
to
be
a
great
painter
,
and
how
we
will
sit
together
as
gods
,
and
create
new
worlds
.
There
is
nothing
that
I
can
not
do
with
you
to
help
me
,
Elisabeth
.
You
must
be
good
to
me
and
hard
upon
me
at
the
same
time
.
You
must
never
let
me
be
content
with
anything
short
of
my
best
,
or
willing
to
do
second-rate
work
for
the
sake
of
money
;
you
must
keep
the
sacredness
of
art
ever
before
my
eyes
,
but
you
must
also
be
very
gentle
to
me
when
I
am
weary
,
and
very
tender
to
me
when
I
am
sad
;
you
must
encourage
me
when
my
spirit
fails
me
,
and
comfort
me
when
the
world
is
harsh
.
All
these
things
you
can
do
,
and
you
are
the
only
woman
who
can
.
Promise
me
,
Elisabeth
,
that
you
will
.
"
"
I
can
not
promise
anything
now
.
You
must
let
me
think
it
over
for
a
time
.
I
am
so
puzzled
by
it
all
.
I
thought
that
when
the
right
man
came
and
told
a
woman
that
he
loved
her
,
she
would
know
at
once
that
it
was
for
him
—
and
for
him
only
—
that
she
had
been
waiting
all
her
life
;
and
that
she
would
never
have
another
doubt
upon
the
subject
,
but
would
feel
convinced
that
it
was
settled
for
all
time
and
eternity
.
And
this
is
so
different
!
"
Again
Cecil
laughed
his
light
laugh
.
"
I
suppose
girls
sometimes
feel
like
that
when
they
are
very
young
;
but
not
women
of
your
age
,
Elisabeth
.
"
"
Well
,
you
must
let
me
think
about
it
.
I
can
not
make
up
my
mind
yet
.
"
And
for
whole
days
and
nights
Elisabeth
thought
about
it
,
and
could
come
to
no
definite
conclusion
.
There
was
no
doubt
in
her
mind
that
she
liked
Cecil
Farquhar
infinitely
better
than
she
had
liked
any
of
the
other
men
who
had
asked
her
to
marry
them
;
also
that
no
one
could
possibly
be
more
companionable
to
her
than
he
was
,
or
more
sympathetic
with
and
interested
in
her
work
—
and
this
is
no
small
thing
to
the
man
or
woman
who
possesses
the
creative
faculty
.
Then
she
was
lonely
in
her
greatness
,
and
longed
for
companionship
;
and
Cecil
had
touched
her
in
her
tenderest
point
by
his
constant
appeals
to
her
to
help
and
comfort
him
.
Nevertheless
the
fact
remained
that
,
though
he
interested
her
,
he
did
not
touch
her
heart
;
that
remained
a
closed
door
to
him
.
But
supposing
that
her
friends
were
right
,
and
that
she
was
too
cold
by
nature
ever
to
feel
the
ecstasies
which
transfigure
life
for
some
women
,
should
she
therefore
shut
herself
out
from
ordinary
domestic
joys
and
interests
?
Because
she
was
incapable
of
attaining
to
the
ideal
,
must
the
commonplace
pleasures
of
the
real
also
be
denied
her
?
If
the
best
was
not
for
her
,
would
it
not
be
wise
to
accept
the
second-best
,
and
extract
as
much
happiness
from
it
as
possible
?
Moreover
,
she
knew
that
Cecil
was
right
when
he
said
that
she
could
make
of
him
whatsoever
she
wished
;
and
this
was
no
slight
temptation
to
a
woman
who
loved
power
as
much
as
Elisabeth
loved
it
.
There
was
also
another
consideration
which
had
some
weight
with
her
;
and
that
was
the
impression
,
gradually
gaining
strength
in
her
mind
,
that
Cecil
Farquhar
was
George
Farringdon
's
son
.
She
could
take
no
steps
in
the
way
of
proving
this
just
then
,
as
Christopher
was
away
for
his
holiday
somewhere
in
the
Black
Forest
,
and
nothing
could
be
done
without
him
;
but
she
intended
,
as
soon
as
he
returned
,
to
tell
him
of
her
suspicion
,
and
to
set
him
to
discover
whether
or
not
Cecil
was
indeed
the
lost
heir
.
Although
it
never
seriously
occurred
to
Elisabeth
to
hold
her
peace
upon
this
matter
and
so
keep
her
fortune
to
herself
,
she
was
still
human
enough
not
altogether
to
despise
a
course
of
action
which
enabled
her
to
be
rich
and
righteous
at
the
same
time
,
and
to
go
on
with
her
old
life
at
the
Willows
and
her
work
among
the
people
at
the
Osierfield
,
even
after
George
Farringdon
's
son
had
come
into
his
own
.
Although
the
balance
of
Elisabeth
's
judgment
was
upon
the
side
of
Cecil
Farquhar
and
his
suit
,
she
could
not
altogether
stifle
—
try
as
she
might
—
her
sense
of
disappointment
at
finding
how
grossly
poets
and
such
people
had
exaggerated
the
truth
in
their
description
of
the
feeling
men
call
love
.
It
was
all
so
much
less
exalted
and
so
much
more
commonplace
than
she
had
expected
.
She
had
long
ago
come
to
the
conclusion
—
from
comparisons
between
Christopher
and
the
men
who
had
wanted
to
marry
her
—
that
a
man
's
friendship
is
a
better
thing
than
a
man
's
love
;
but
she
had
always
clung
to
the
belief
that
a
woman
's
love
would
prove
a
better
thing
than
a
woman
's
friendship
:
yet
now
she
herself
was
in
love
with
Cecil
—
at
least
he
said
that
she
was
,
and
she
was
inclined
to
agree
with
him
—
and
she
was
bound
to
admit
that
,
as
an
emotion
,
this
fell
far
short
of
her
old
attachment
to
Cousin
Anne
or
Christopher
or
even
Felicia
.
But
that
was
because
now
she
was
getting
old
,
she
supposed
,
and
her
heart
had
lost
its
early
warmth
and
freshness
;
and
she
experienced
a
weary
ache
of
regret
that
Cecil
had
not
come
across
her
path
in
those
dear
old
days
when
she
was
still
young
enough
to
make
a
fairyland
for
herself
,
and
to
abide
therein
for
ever
.
"
The
things
that
come
too
late
are
almost
as
bad
as
the
things
that
never
come
at
all
,
"
she
thought
with
a
sigh
;
not
knowing
that
there
is
no
such
word
as
"
too
late
"
in
God
's
Vocabulary
.
At
the
end
of
the
week
she
had
made
up
her
mind
to
marry
Cecil
Farquhar
.
Women
,
after
all
,
can
not
pick
and
choose
what
lives
they
shall
lead
;
they
can
only
take
such
goods
as
the
gods
choose
to
provide
,
and
make
the
best
of
the
same
;
and
if
they
let
the
possible
slip
while
they
are
waiting
for
the
impossible
,
they
have
only
themselves
to
blame
that
they
extract
no
good
at
all
out
of
life
.
So
she
wrote
to
Cecil
,
asking
him
to
come
and
see
her
the
following
day
;
and
then
she
sat
down
and
wondered
why
women
are
allowed
to
see
visions
and
to
dream
dreams
,
if
the
actual
is
to
fall
so
far
short
of
the
imaginary
.
Brick
walls
and
cobbled
streets
are
all
very
well
in
their
way
;
but
they
make
but
dreary
dwelling-places
for
those
who
have
promised
themselves
cities
where
the
walls
are
of
jasper
and
the
pavements
of
gold
.
"
If
one
is
doomed
to
live
always
on
this
side
of
the
hills
,
it
is
a
waste
of
time
to
think
too
much
about
the
life
on
the
other
side
,
"
Elisabeth
reasoned
with
herself
,
"
and
I
have
wasted
a
lot
of
time
in
this
way
;
but
I
can
not
help
wondering
why
we
are
allowed
to
think
such
lovely
thoughts
,
and
to
believe
in
such
beautiful
things
,
if
our
dreams
are
never
to
come
true
,
but
are
only
to
spoil
us
for
the
realities
of
life
.
Now
I
must
bury
all
my
dear
,
silly
,
childish
idols
,
as
Jacob
did
;
and
I
will
not
have
any
stone
to
mark
the
place
,
because
I
want
to
forget
where
it
is
.
"
Poor
Elisabeth
!
The
grave
of
what
has
been
,
may
be
kept
green
with
tears
;
but
the
grave
of
what
never
could
have
been
,
is
best
forgotten
.
We
may
not
hide
away
the
dear
old
gnomes
and
pixies
and
fairies
in
consecrated
ground
—
that
is
reserved
for
what
has
once
existed
,
and
so
has
the
right
to
live
again
;
but
for
what
never
existed
we
can
find
no
sepulchre
,
for
it
came
out
of
nothingness
,
and
to
nothingness
must
it
return
.
After
Elisabeth
had
posted
her
letter
to
Cecil
,
and
while
she
was
still
musing
over
the
problem
as
to
whether
life
's
fulfilment
must
always
fall
short
of
its
promise
,
the
drawing-room
door
was
thrown
open
and
a
visitor
announced
.
Elisabeth
was
tired
and
depressed
,
and
did
not
feel
in
the
mood
for
keeping
up
her
reputation
for
brilliancy
;
so
it
was
with
a
sigh
of
weariness
that
she
rose
to
receive
Quenelda
Carson
,
a
struggling
little
artist
whom
she
had
known
slightly
for
years
.
But
her
interest
was
immediately
aroused
when
she
saw
that
Quenelda
's
usually
rosy
face
was
white
with
anguish
,
and
the
girl
's
pretty
eyes
swollen
with
many
tears
.
"
What
is
the
matter
,
dear
?
"
asked
Elisabeth
,
with
that
sound
in
her
voice
which
made
all
weak
things
turn
to
her
.
"
You
are
in
trouble
,
and
you
must
let
me
help
you
.
"
Quenelda
broke
out
into
bitter
weeping
.
"
Oh
!
give
him
back
to
me
—
give
him
back
to
me
,
"
she
cried
;
"
you
can
never
love
him
as
I
do
,
you
are
too
cold
and
proud
and
brilliant
.
"
Elisabeth
stood
as
if
transfixed
.
"
Whatever
do
you
mean
?
"
"
You
have
everything
,
"
Quenelda
went
on
,
in
spite
of
the
sobs
which
shook
her
slender
frame
;
"
you
had
money
and
position
to
begin
with
,
and
everybody
thought
well
of
you
and
admired
you
and
made
life
easy
for
you
.
And
then
you
came
out
of
your
world
into
ours
,
and
carried
away
the
prizes
which
we
had
been
striving
after
for
years
,
and
beat
us
on
our
own
ground
;
but
we
were
n't
jealous
of
you
—
you
know
that
we
were
n't
;
we
were
glad
of
your
success
,
and
proud
of
you
,
and
we
admired
your
genius
as
much
as
the
outside
world
did
,
and
never
minded
a
bit
that
it
was
greater
than
ours
.
But
even
then
you
were
not
content
—
you
must
have
everything
,
and
leave
us
nothing
,
just
to
satisfy
your
pride
.
You
are
like
the
rich
man
who
had
everything
,
and
yet
took
from
the
poor
man
his
one
ewe
lamb
;
and
I
am
sure
that
God
—
if
there
is
a
God
—
will
punish
you
as
He
punished
that
rich
man
.
"
Elisabeth
turned
rather
pale
;
whatever
had
she
done
that
any
one
dared
to
say
such
things
to
her
as
this
?
"
I
still
do
n't
understand
you
,
"
she
said
.
"
I
never
had
anything
nice
in
my
life
till
I
met
him
,
"
the
girl
continued
incoherently
—
"
I
had
always
been
poor
and
pinched
and
wretched
and
second-rate
;
even
my
pictures
were
never
first-rate
,
though
I
worked
and
worked
all
I
knew
to
make
them
so
.
And
then
I
met
Cecil
Farquhar
,
and
I
loved
him
,
and
everything
became
different
,
and
I
did
n't
mind
being
second-rate
if
only
he
would
care
for
me
.
And
he
did
;
and
I
thought
that
I
should
always
be
as
happy
as
I
was
then
,
and
that
nothing
would
ever
be
able
to
hurt
me
any
more
.
Oh
!
I
was
so
happy
—
so
happy
—
and
I
was
such
a
fool
,
I
thought
it
would
last
forever
!
I
worked
hard
and
saved
every
penny
that
I
could
,
and
so
did
he
;
and
we
should
have
been
married
next
year
if
you
had
n't
come
and
spoiled
it
all
,
and
taken
him
away
from
me
.
And
what
is
it
to
you
now
that
you
have
got
him
?
You
are
too
proud
and
cold
to
love
him
,
or
anybody
else
,
and
he
does
n't
care
for
you
a
millionth
part
as
much
as
he
cares
for
me
;
yet
just
because
you
have
money
and
fame
he
has
left
me
for
you
.
And
I
love
him
so
—
I
love
him
so
!
"
Here
Quenelda
's
sobs
choked
her
utterance
,
and
her
torrent
of
words
was
stopped
by
tears
.
"
Come
and
sit
down
beside
me
and
tell
me
quietly
what
is
the
matter
,
"
said
Elisabeth
gently
;
"
I
can
do
nothing
and
understand
nothing
while
you
go
on
like
this
.
But
you
are
wrong
in
supposing
that
I
took
your
lover
from
you
purposely
;
I
did
not
even
know
that
he
was
a
friend
of
yours
.
He
ought
to
have
told
me
.
"
"
No
,
no
;
he
could
n't
tell
you
.
Do
n't
you
see
that
the
temptation
was
too
strong
for
him
?
He
cares
so
much
for
rank
and
money
,
and
things
like
that
,
my
poor
Cecil
!
And
all
his
life
he
has
had
to
do
without
them
.
So
when
he
met
you
,
and
realized
that
if
he
married
you
he
would
have
all
the
things
he
wanted
most
in
the
world
,
he
could
n't
resist
it
.
The
fault
was
yours
for
tempting
him
,
and
letting
him
see
that
he
could
have
you
for
the
asking
;
you
knew
him
well
enough
to
see
how
weak
he
was
,
and
what
a
hold
worldly
things
had
over
him
;
and
you
ought
to
have
allowed
for
this
in
dealing
with
him
.
"
A
great
wave
of
self-contempt
swept
over
Elisabeth
.
She
,
who
had
prided
herself
upon
the
fact
that
no
man
was
strong
enough
to
win
her
love
,
to
be
accused
of
openly
running
after
a
man
who
did
not
care
for
her
but
only
for
her
money
!
It
was
unendurable
,
and
stung
her
to
the
quick
!
And
yet
,
through
all
her
indignation
,
she
recognised
the
justice
of
her
punishment
.
She
had
not
done
what
Quenelda
had
reproached
her
for
doing
,
it
was
true
;
but
she
had
deliberately
lowered
her
ideal
:
she
had
wearied
of
striving
after
the
best
,
and
had
decided
that
the
second-best
should
suffice
her
;
and
for
this
she
was
now
being
chastised
.
No
men
or
women
who
wilfully
turn
away
from
the
ideal
which
God
has
set
before
them
,
and
make
to
themselves
graven
images
of
the
things
which
they
know
to
be
unworthy
,
can
escape
the
punishment
which
is
sure
,
sooner
or
later
,
to
follow
their
apostasy
;
and
they
do
well
to
recognise
this
,
ere
they
grow
weary
of
waiting
for
the
revelation
from
Sinai
,
and
begin
to
build
altars
unto
false
gods
.
For
now
,
as
of
old
,
the
idols
which
they
make
are
ground
into
powder
,
and
strawed
upon
the
water
,
and
given
them
to
drink
;
the
cup
has
to
be
drained
to
the
dregs
,
and
it
is
exceeding
bitter
.
"
I
still
think
he
ought
to
have
told
me
there
was
another
woman
,
"
Elisabeth
said
.
"
Not
he
.
He
knew
well
enough
that
your
pride
could
not
have
endured
the
thought
of
another
woman
,
and
that
that
would
have
spoiled
his
chance
with
you
forever
.
There
always
is
another
woman
,
you
know
;
and
you
women
,
who
are
too
proud
to
endure
the
thought
of
her
,
have
to
be
deceived
and
blinded
.
And
you
have
only
yourselves
to
thank
for
it
;
if
you
were
a
little
more
human
and
a
little
more
tender
,
there
would
be
no
necessity
for
deceiving
you
.
Why
,
I
should
have
loved
him
just
the
same
if
there
had
been
a
hundred
other
women
,
so
he
always
told
me
the
truth
;
but
he
lied
to
you
,
and
it
was
your
fault
and
not
his
that
he
was
obliged
to
lie
.
"
Elisabeth
shuddered
.
It
was
to
help
such
a
man
as
this
that
she
had
been
willing
to
sacrifice
her
youthful
ideals
and
her
girlish
dreams
.
What
a
fool
she
had
been
!
"
If
you
do
not
believe
me
,
here
is
his
letter
,
"
Quenelda
went
on
;
"
I
brought
it
on
purpose
for
you
to
read
,
just
to
show
you
how
little
you
are
to
him
.
If
you
had
loved
him
as
I
love
him
,
I
would
have
let
you
keep
him
,
because
you
could
have
given
him
so
many
of
the
things
that
he
thinks
most
about
.
But
you
do
n't
.
You
are
one
of
the
cold
,
hard
women
,
who
only
care
for
people
as
long
as
they
are
good
and
do
what
you
think
they
ought
to
do
;
Cecil
never
could
do
what
anybody
thought
he
ought
to
do
for
long
,
and
then
you
would
have
despised
him
and
grown
tired
of
him
.
But
I
go
on
loving
him
just
the
same
,
whatever
he
does
;
and
that
's
the
sort
of
love
that
a
man
wants
—
at
any
rate
,
such
a
man
as
Cecil
.
"
Elisabeth
held
out
her
hand
for
the
letter
;
she
felt
that
speech
was
of
no
avail
at
such
a
crisis
as
this
;
and
,
as
she
read
,
every
word
burned
itself
into
her
soul
,
and
hurt
her
pride
to
the
quick
.
"
Dearest
Quenelda
"
(
the
letter
ran
,
in
the
slightly
affected
handwriting
which
Elisabeth
had
learned
to
know
so
well
,
and
to
welcome
with
so
much
interest
)
,
"
I
have
something
to
say
to
you
which
it
cuts
me
to
the
heart
to
say
,
but
which
has
to
be
said
at
all
costs
.
We
must
break
off
our
engagement
at
once
;
for
the
terrible
truth
has
at
last
dawned
upon
me
that
we
can
never
afford
to
marry
each
other
,
and
that
therefore
it
is
only
prolonging
our
agony
to
go
on
with
it
.
You
know
me
so
well
,
dear
little
girl
,
that
you
will
quite
understand
how
the
thought
of
life-long
poverty
has
proved
too
much
for
me
.
I
am
not
made
of
such
coarse
fibre
as
most
men
—
those
men
who
can
face
squalor
and
privation
,
and
lack
all
the
little
accessories
that
make
life
endurable
,
without
being
any
the
worse
for
it
.
I
am
too
refined
,
too
highly
strung
,
too
sensitive
,
to
enter
upon
such
a
weary
struggle
with
circumstances
as
my
marriage
with
a
woman
as
poor
as
myself
would
entail
;
therefore
,
my
darling
Quenelda
,
much
as
I
love
you
I
feel
it
is
my
duty
to
renounce
you
;
and
as
you
grow
older
and
wiser
you
will
see
that
I
am
right
.
"
Since
I
can
not
marry
you
whom
I
love
,
I
have
put
romance
and
sentiment
forever
out
of
my
life
;
it
is
a
bitter
sacrifice
for
a
man
of
my
nature
to
make
,
but
it
must
be
done
;
and
I
have
decided
to
enter
upon
a
mariage
de
convenance
with
Miss
Farringdon
,
the
Black
Country
heiress
.
Of
course
I
do
not
love
her
as
I
love
you
,
my
sweet
—
what
man
could
love
a
genius
as
he
loves
a
beauty
?
And
she
is
as
cold
as
she
is
clever
.
But
I
feel
respect
for
her
moral
characteristics
,
and
interest
in
her
mental
ones
;
and
,
when
youth
and
romance
are
over
and
done
with
,
that
is
all
one
need
ask
in
a
wife
.
As
for
her
fortune
,
it
will
keep
me
forever
out
of
the
reach
of
that
poverty
which
has
always
so
deleterious
an
effect
upon
natures
such
as
mine
;
and
,
being
thus
set
above
those
pecuniary
anxieties
which
are
the
death
of
true
art
,
I
shall
be
able
fully
to
develop
the
power
that
is
in
me
,
and
to
do
the
work
that
I
feel
myself
called
to
do
.
"
Good-bye
,
my
sweetest
.
I
can
not
write
any
more
;
my
heart
is
breaking
.
How
cruel
it
is
that
poverty
should
have
power
to
separate
forever
such
true
lovers
as
you
and
I
!
"
Your
heartbroken
"
Cecil
.
"
Elisabeth
gave
back
the
letter
to
Quenelda
.
"
Do
you
mean
to
tell
me
that
you
do
n't
despise
the
man
who
sent
this
?
"
she
asked
.
"
No
;
because
I
love
him
,
you
see
.
You
never
did
.
"
"
You
are
right
there
.
I
never
loved
him
.
I
tried
to
love
him
,
but
I
could
n't
.
"
"
I
know
you
did
n't
.
As
I
told
you
before
,
if
you
had
loved
him
I
would
have
given
him
up
to
you
.
"
Elisabeth
looked
at
the
girl
before
her
with
wonder
.
What
a
strange
thing
this
love
was
,
which
could
make
a
woman
forgive
such
a
letter
as
that
,
and
still
cling
to
the
man
who
wrote
it
!
So
there
was
such
a
place
as
fairyland
after
all
,
and
poor
little
Quenelda
had
found
it
;
while
she
,
Elisabeth
,
had
never
so
much
as
peeped
through
the
gate
.
It
had
brought
Quenelda
much
sorrow
,
it
was
true
;
but
still
it
was
good
to
have
been
there
;
and
a
chilly
feeling
crept
across
Elisabeth
's
heart
as
she
realized
how
much
she
had
missed
in
life
.
"
I
think
if
one
loved
another
person
as
much
as
that
,
"
she
said
to
herself
,
"
one
would
understand
a
little
of
how
God
feels
about
us
.
"
Aloud
she
said
:
"
Dear
,
what
do
you
want
me
to
do
?
I
will
do
anything
in
the
world
that
you
wish
.
"
Quenelda
seized
Elisabeth
's
hand
and
kissed
it
.
"
How
good
you
are
!
And
I
do
n't
deserve
it
a
bit
,
for
I
've
been
horrid
to
you
and
said
vile
things
.
"
There
was
a
vast
pity
in
Elisabeth
's
eyes
.
"
I
did
you
a
great
wrong
,
poor
child
!
"
she
said
;
"
and
I
want
to
make
every
reparation
in
my
power
.
"
"
But
you
did
n't
know
you
were
doing
me
a
great
wrong
.
"
"
No
;
but
I
knew
that
I
was
acting
below
my
own
ideals
,
and
nobody
can
do
that
without
doing
harm
.
Show
me
how
I
can
give
you
help
now
?
Shall
I
tell
Cecil
Farquhar
that
I
know
all
?
"
"
Oh
!
no
;
please
not
.
He
would
never
forgive
me
for
having
spoiled
his
life
,
and
taken
away
his
chance
of
being
rich
.
"
And
Quenelda
's
tears
flowed
afresh
.
Elisabeth
put
her
strong
arm
round
the
girl
's
slim
waist
.
"
Do
n't
cry
,
dear
;
I
will
make
it
all
right
.
I
will
just
tell
him
that
I
ca
n't
marry
him
because
I
do
n't
love
him
;
and
he
need
never
know
that
I
have
heard
about
you
at
all
.
"
And
Elisabeth
continued
to
comfort
Quenelda
until
the
pale
cheeks
grew
pink
again
,
and
half
the
girl
's
beauty
came
back
;
and
she
went
away
at
last
believing
in
Elisabeth
's
power
of
setting
everything
right
again
,
as
one
believes
in
one
's
mother
's
power
of
setting
everything
right
again
when
one
is
a
child
.
After
she
had
gone
,
Elisabeth
sat
down
and
calmly
looked
facts
in
the
face
;
and
the
prospect
was
by
no
means
an
agreeable
one
.
Of
course
there
was
no
question
now
of
marrying
Cecil
Farquhar
;
and
in
the
midst
of
her
confusion
Elisabeth
felt
a
distinct
sense
of
relief
that
this
at
any
rate
was
impossible
.
She
could
still
go
on
believing
in
fairyland
,
even
though
she
never
found
it
;
and
it
is
always
far
better
not
to
find
a
place
than
to
find
there
is
no
such
place
at
all
.
But
she
would
have
to
give
up
the
Willows
and
the
Osierfield
,
and
all
the
wealth
and
position
that
these
had
brought
her
;
and
this
was
a
bitter
draught
to
drink
.
Elisabeth
felt
no
doubt
in
her
own
mind
that
Cecil
was
indeed
George
Farringdon
's
son
;
she
had
guessed
it
when
first
he
told
her
the
story
of
his
birth
,
and
subsequent
conversations
with
him
had
only
served
to
confirm
her
in
the
belief
;
and
it
was
this
conviction
which
had
influenced
her
to
some
extent
in
her
decision
to
accept
him
.
But
now
everything
was
changed
.
Cecil
would
rule
at
the
Osierfield
and
Quenelda
at
the
Willows
instead
of
herself
,
and
those
dearly
loved
places
would
know
her
no
more
.
At
this
thought
Elisabeth
broke
down
.
How
she
loved
every
stone
of
the
Black
Country
,
and
how
closely
all
her
childish
fancies
and
girlish
dreams
were
bound
up
in
