What's
that
?
"
"
I
came
back
as
soon
as
it
was
over
.
"
"
Any
one
been
round
to
our
place
?
"
asked
Jacky
.
"
Not
that
I
've
seen
.
I
met
Mr.
Cunningham
outside
,
and
we
passed
a
few
remarks
.
"
"
What
,
not
Mr.
Cunnginham
?
"
"
Yes
.
"
"
Oh
,
you
mean
Mr.
Cunningham
.
"
"
Yes
.
Mr.
Cunningham
.
"
"
I
've
been
out
to
tea
at
a
lady
friend
's
.
"
Her
secret
being
at
last
given
to
the
world
,
and
the
name
of
the
lady-friend
being
even
adumbrated
,
Jacky
made
no
further
experiments
in
the
difficult
and
tiring
art
of
conversation
.
She
never
had
been
a
great
talker
.
Even
in
her
photographic
days
she
had
relied
upon
her
smile
and
her
figure
to
attract
,
and
now
that
she
was
—
"
On
the
shelf
,
On
the
shelf
,
Boys
,
boys
,
I
'm
on
the
shelf
,
"
she
was
not
likely
to
find
her
tongue
.
Occasional
bursts
of
song
(
of
which
the
above
is
an
example
)
still
issued
from
her
lips
,
but
the
spoken
word
was
rare
.
She
sat
down
on
Leonard
's
knee
,
and
began
to
fondle
him
.
She
was
now
a
massive
woman
of
thirty-three
,
and
her
weight
hurt
him
,
but
he
could
not
very
well
say
anything
.
Then
she
said
,
"
Is
that
a
book
you
're
reading
?
"
and
he
said
,
"
That
's
a
book
,
"
and
drew
it
from
her
unreluctant
grasp
.
Margaret
's
card
fell
out
of
it
.
It
fell
face
downwards
,
and
he
murmured
,
"
Bookmarker
.
"
"
Len
—
"
"
What
is
it
?
"
he
asked
,
a
little
wearily
,
for
she
only
had
one
topic
of
conversation
when
she
sat
upon
his
knee
.
"
You
do
love
me
?
"
"
Jacky
,
you
know
that
I
do
.
How
can
you
ask
such
questions
!
"
"
But
you
do
love
me
,
Len
,
do
n't
you
?
"
"
Of
course
I
do
.
"
A
pause
.
The
other
remark
was
still
due
.
"
Len
—
"
"
Well
?
What
is
it
?
"
"
Len
,
you
will
make
it
all
right
?
"
"
I
ca
n't
have
you
ask
me
that
again
,
"
said
the
boy
,
flaring
up
into
a
sudden
passion
.
"
I
've
promised
to
marry
you
when
I
'm
of
age
,
and
that
's
enough
.
My
word
's
my
word
.
I
've
promised
to
marry
you
as
soon
as
ever
I
'm
twenty-one
,
and
I
ca
n't
keep
on
being
worried
.
I
've
worries
enough
.
It
is
n't
likely
I
'd
throw
you
over
,
let
alone
my
word
,
when
I
've
spent
all
this
money
.
Besides
,
I
'm
an
Englishman
,
and
I
never
go
back
on
my
word
.
Jacky
,
do
be
reasonable
.
Of
course
I
'll
marry
you
.
Only
do
stop
badgering
me
.
"
"
When
's
your
birthday
,
Len
?
"
"
I
've
told
you
again
and
again
,
the
eleventh
of
November
next
.
Now
get
off
my
knee
a
bit
;
someone
must
get
supper
,
I
suppose
.
"
Jacky
went
through
to
the
bedroom
,
and
began
to
see
to
her
hat
.
This
meant
blowing
at
it
with
short
sharp
puffs
.
Leonard
tidied
up
the
sitting-room
,
and
began
to
prepare
their
evening
meal
.
He
put
a
penny
into
the
slot
of
the
gas-meter
,
and
soon
the
flat
was
reeking
with
metallic
fumes
.
Somehow
he
could
not
recover
his
temper
,
and
all
the
time
he
was
cooking
he
continued
to
complain
bitterly
.
"
It
really
is
too
bad
when
a
fellow
is
n't
trusted
.
It
makes
one
feel
so
wild
,
when
I
've
pretended
to
the
people
here
that
you
're
my
wife
—
all
right
,
you
shall
be
my
wife
—
and
I
've
bought
you
the
ring
to
wear
,
and
I
've
taken
this
flat
furnished
,
and
it
's
far
more
than
I
can
afford
,
and
yet
you
are
n't
content
,
and
I
've
also
not
told
the
truth
when
I
've
written
home
.
"
He
lowered
his
voice
.
"
He
'd
stop
it
.
"
In
a
tone
of
horror
,
that
was
a
little
luxurious
,
he
repeated
:
"
My
brother
'd
stop
it
.
I
'm
going
against
the
whole
world
,
Jacky
.
"
That
's
what
I
am
,
Jacky
.
I
do
n't
take
any
heed
of
what
anyone
says
.
I
just
go
straight
forward
,
I
do
.
That
's
always
been
my
way
.
I
'm
not
one
of
your
weak
knock-kneed
chaps
.
If
a
woman
's
in
trouble
,
I
do
n't
leave
her
in
the
lurch
.
That
's
not
my
street
.
No
,
thank
you
.
"
I
'll
tell
you
another
thing
too
.
I
care
a
good
deal
about
improving
myself
by
means
of
Literature
and
Art
,
and
so
getting
a
wider
outlook
.
For
instance
,
when
you
came
in
I
was
reading
Ruskin
's
Stones
of
Venice
.
I
do
n't
say
this
to
boast
,
but
just
to
show
you
the
kind
of
man
I
am
.
I
can
tell
you
,
I
enjoyed
that
classical
concert
this
afternoon
.
"
To
all
his
moods
Jacky
remained
equally
indifferent
.
When
supper
was
ready
—
and
not
before
—
she
emerged
from
the
bedroom
,
saying
:
"
But
you
do
love
me
,
do
n't
you
?
"
They
began
with
a
soup
square
,
which
Leonard
had
just
dissolved
in
some
hot
water
.
It
was
followed
by
the
tongue
—
a
freckled
cylinder
of
meat
,
with
a
little
jelly
at
the
top
,
and
a
great
deal
of
yellow
fat
at
the
bottom
—
ending
with
another
square
dissolved
in
water
(
jelly
:
pineapple
)
,
which
Leonard
had
prepared
earlier
in
the
day
.
Jacky
ate
contentedly
enough
,
occasionally
looking
at
her
man
with
those
anxious
eyes
,
to
which
nothing
else
in
her
appearance
corresponded
,
and
which
yet
seemed
to
mirror
her
soul
.
And
Leonard
managed
to
convince
his
stomach
that
it
was
having
a
nourishing
meal
.
After
supper
they
smoked
cigarettes
and
exchanged
a
few
statements
.
She
observed
that
her
"
likeness
"
had
been
broken
.
He
found
occasion
to
remark
,
for
the
second
time
,
that
he
had
come
straight
back
home
after
the
concert
at
Queen
's
Hall
.
Presently
she
sat
upon
his
knee
.
The
inhabitants
of
Camelia
Road
tramped
to
and
fro
outside
the
window
,
just
on
a
level
with
their
heads
,
and
the
family
in
the
flat
on
the
ground-floor
began
to
sing
,
"
Hark
,
my
soul
,
it
is
the
Lord
.
"
"
That
tune
fairly
gives
me
the
hump
,
"
said
Leonard
.
Jacky
followed
this
,
and
said
that
,
for
her
part
,
she
thought
it
a
lovely
tune
.
"
No
;
I
'll
play
you
something
lovely
.
Get
up
,
dear
,
for
a
minute
.
"
He
went
to
the
piano
and
jingled
out
a
little
Grieg
.
He
played
badly
and
vulgarly
,
but
the
performance
was
not
without
its
effect
,
for
Jacky
said
she
thought
she
'd
be
going
to
bed
.
As
she
receded
,
a
new
set
of
interests
possessed
the
boy
,
and
he
began
to
think
of
what
had
been
said
about
music
by
that
odd
Miss
Schlegel
—
the
one
that
twisted
her
face
about
so
when
she
spoke
.
Then
the
thoughts
grew
sad
and
envious
.
There
was
the
girl
named
Helen
,
who
had
pinched
his
umbrella
,
and
the
German
girl
who
had
smiled
at
him
pleasantly
,
and
Herr
someone
,
and
Aunt
someone
,
and
the
brother
—
all
,
all
with
their
hands
on
the
ropes
.
They
had
all
passed
up
that
narrow
,
rich
staircase
at
Wickham
Place
,
to
some
ample
room
,
whither
he
could
never
follow
them
,
not
if
he
read
for
ten
hours
a
day
.
Oh
,
it
was
not
good
,
this
continual
aspiration
.
Some
are
born
cultured
;
the
rest
had
better
go
in
for
whatever
comes
easy
.
To
see
life
steadily
and
to
see
it
whole
was
not
for
the
likes
of
him
.
From
the
darkness
beyond
the
kitchen
a
voice
called
,
"
Len
?
"
"
You
in
bed
?
"
he
asked
,
his
forehead
twitching
.
"
M
'm
.
"
"
All
right
.
"
Presently
she
called
him
again
.
"
I
must
clean
my
boots
ready
for
the
morning
,
"
he
answered
.
Presently
she
called
him
again
.
"
I
rather
want
to
get
this
chapter
done
.
"
"
What
?
"
He
closed
his
ears
against
her
.
"
What
's
that
?
"
"
All
right
,
Jacky
,
nothing
;
I
'm
reading
a
book
.
"
"
What
?
"
"
What
?
"
he
answered
,
catching
her
degraded
deafness
.
Presently
she
called
him
again
.
Ruskin
had
visited
Torcello
by
this
time
,
and
was
ordering
his
gondoliers
to
take
him
to
Murano
.
It
occurred
to
him
,
as
he
glided
over
the
whispering
lagoons
,
that
the
power
of
Nature
could
not
be
shortened
by
the
folly
,
nor
her
beauty
altogether
saddened
by
the
misery
,
of
such
as
Leonard
.
Chapter
7
"
Oh
,
Margaret
,
"
cried
her
aunt
next
morning
,
"
such
a
most
unfortunate
thing
has
happened
.
I
could
not
get
you
alone
.
"
The
most
unfortunate
thing
was
not
very
serious
.
One
of
the
flats
in
the
ornate
block
opposite
had
been
taken
furnished
by
the
Wilcox
family
,
"
coming
up
,
no
doubt
,
in
the
hope
of
getting
into
London
society
.
"
That
Mrs.
Munt
should
be
the
first
to
discover
the
misfortune
was
not
remarkable
,
for
she
was
so
interested
in
the
flats
,
that
she
watched
their
every
mutation
with
unwearying
care
.
In
theory
she
despised
them
—
they
took
away
that
old-world
look
—
they
cut
off
the
sun
—
flats
house
a
flashy
type
of
person
.
But
if
the
truth
had
been
known
,
she
found
her
visits
to
Wickham
Place
twice
as
amusing
since
Wickham
Mansions
had
arisen
,
and
would
in
a
couple
of
days
learn
more
about
them
than
her
nieces
in
a
couple
of
months
,
or
her
nephew
in
a
couple
of
years
.
She
would
stroll
across
and
make
friends
with
the
porters
,
and
inquire
what
the
rents
were
,
exclaiming
for
example
:
"
What
!
a
hundred
and
twenty
for
a
basement
?
You
'll
never
get
it
!
"
And
they
would
answer
:
"
One
can
but
try
,
madam
.
"
The
passenger
lifts
,
the
provision
lifts
,
the
arrangement
for
coals
(
a
great
temptation
for
a
dishonest
porter
)
,
were
all
familiar
matters
to
her
,
and
perhaps
a
relief
from
the
politico-economical-æsthetic
atmosphere
that
reigned
at
the
Schlegels
'
.
Margaret
received
the
information
calmly
,
and
did
not
agree
that
it
would
throw
a
cloud
over
poor
Helen
's
life
.
"
Oh
,
but
Helen
is
n't
a
girl
with
no
interests
,
"
she
explained
.
"
She
has
plenty
of
other
things
and
other
people
to
think
about
.
She
made
a
false
start
with
the
Wilcoxes
,
and
she
'll
be
as
willing
as
we
are
to
have
nothing
more
to
do
with
them
.
"
"
For
a
clever
girl
,
dear
,
how
very
oddly
you
do
talk
.
Helen
'll
have
to
have
something
more
to
do
with
them
,
now
that
they
're
all
opposite
.
She
may
meet
that
Paul
in
the
street
.
She
cannot
very
well
not
bow
.
"
"
Of
course
she
must
bow
.
But
look
here
;
let
's
do
the
flowers
.
I
was
going
to
say
,
the
will
to
be
interested
in
him
has
died
,
and
what
else
matters
?
I
look
on
that
disastrous
episode
(
over
which
you
were
so
kind
)
as
the
killing
of
a
nerve
in
Helen
.
It
's
dead
,
and
she
'll
never
be
troubled
with
it
again
.
The
only
things
that
matter
are
the
things
that
interest
one
.
Bowing
,
even
calling
and
leaving
cards
,
even
a
dinner-party
—
we
can
do
all
those
things
to
the
Wilcoxes
,
if
they
find
it
agreeable
;
but
the
other
thing
,
the
one
important
thing
—
never
again
.
Do
n't
you
see
?
"
Mrs.
Munt
did
not
see
,
and
indeed
Margaret
was
making
a
most
questionable
statement
—
that
any
emotion
,
any
interest
once
vividly
aroused
,
can
wholly
die
.
"
I
also
have
the
honour
to
inform
you
that
the
Wilcoxes
are
bored
with
us
.
I
did
n't
tell
you
at
the
time
—
it
might
have
made
you
angry
,
and
you
had
enough
to
worry
you
—
but
I
wrote
a
letter
to
Mrs.
W
.
,
and
apologized
for
the
trouble
that
Helen
had
given
them
.
She
did
n't
answer
it
.
"
"
How
very
rude
!
"
"
I
wonder
.
Or
was
it
sensible
?
"
"
No
,
Margaret
,
most
rude
.
"
"
In
either
case
one
can
class
it
as
reassuring
.
"
Mrs.
Munt
sighed
.
She
was
going
back
to
Swanage
on
the
morrow
,
just
as
her
nieces
were
wanting
her
most
.
Other
regrets
crowded
upon
her
:
for
instance
,
how
magnificently
she
would
have
cut
Charles
if
she
had
met
him
face
to
face
.
She
had
already
seen
him
,
giving
an
order
to
the
porter
—
and
very
common
he
looked
in
a
tall
hat
.
But
unfortunately
his
back
was
turned
to
her
,
and
though
she
had
cut
his
back
,
she
could
not
regard
this
as
a
telling
snub
.
"
But
you
will
be
careful
,
wo
n't
you
?
"
she
exhorted
.
"
Oh
,
certainly
.
Fiendishly
careful
.
"
"
And
Helen
must
be
careful
,
too
,
"
"
Careful
over
what
?
"
cried
Helen
,
at
that
moment
coming
into
the
room
with
her
cousin
.
"
Nothing
,
"
said
Margaret
,
seized
with
a
momentary
awkwardness
.
"
Careful
over
what
,
Aunt
Juley
?
"
Mrs.
Munt
assumed
a
cryptic
air
.
"
It
is
only
that
a
certain
family
,
whom
we
know
by
name
but
do
not
mention
,
as
you
said
yourself
last
night
after
the
concert
,
have
taken
the
flat
opposite
from
the
Mathesons
—
where
the
plants
are
in
the
balcony
.
"
Helen
began
some
laughing
reply
,
and
then
disconcerted
them
all
by
blushing
.
Mrs.
Munt
was
so
disconcerted
that
she
exclaimed
,
"
What
,
Helen
,
you
do
n't
mind
them
coming
,
do
you
?
"
and
deepened
the
blush
to
crimson
.
"
Of
course
I
do
n't
mind
,
"
said
Helen
a
little
crossly
.
"
It
is
that
you
and
Meg
are
both
so
absurdly
grave
about
it
,
when
there
's
nothing
to
be
grave
about
at
all
.
"
"
I
'm
not
grave
,
"
protested
Margaret
,
a
little
cross
in
her
turn
.
"
Well
,
you
look
grave
;
does
n't
she
,
Frieda
?
"
"
I
do
n't
feel
grave
,
that
's
all
I
can
say
;
you
're
going
quite
on
the
wrong
tack
.
"
"
No
,
she
does
not
feel
grave
,
"
echoed
Mrs.
Munt
.
"
I
can
bear
witness
to
that
.
She
disagrees
—
"
"
Hark
!
"
interrupted
Fräulein
Mosebach
.
"
I
hear
Bruno
entering
the
hall
.
"
For
Herr
Liesecke
was
due
at
Wickham
Place
to
call
for
the
two
younger
girls
.
He
was
not
entering
the
hall
—
in
fact
,
he
did
not
enter
it
for
quite
five
minutes
.
But
Frieda
detected
a
delicate
situation
,
and
said
that
she
and
Helen
had
much
better
wait
for
Bruno
down
below
,
and
leave
Margaret
and
Mrs.
Munt
to
finish
arranging
the
flowers
.
Helen
acquiesced
.
But
,
as
if
to
prove
that
the
situation
was
not
delicate
really
,
she
stopped
in
the
doorway
and
said
:
"
Did
you
say
the
Mathesons
'
flat
,
Aunt
Juley
?
How
wonderful
you
are
!
I
never
knew
that
the
woman
who
laced
too
tightly
's
name
was
Matheson
.
"
"
Come
,
Helen
,
"
said
her
cousin
.
"
Go
,
Helen
,
"
said
her
aunt
;
and
continued
to
Margaret
almost
in
the
same
breath
:
"
Helen
cannot
deceive
me
,
She
does
mind
.
"
"
Oh
,
hush
!
"
breathed
Margaret
.
"
Frieda
'll
hear
you
,
and
she
can
be
so
tiresome
.
"
"
She
minds
,
"
persisted
Mrs.
Munt
,
moving
thoughtfully
about
the
room
,
and
pulling
the
dead
chrysanthemums
out
of
the
vases
.
"
I
knew
she
'd
mind
—
and
I
'm
sure
a
girl
ought
to
!
Such
an
experience
!
Such
awful
coarse-grained
people
!
I
know
more
about
them
than
you
do
,
which
you
forget
,
and
if
Charles
had
taken
you
that
motor
drive
—
well
,
you
'd
have
reached
the
house
a
perfect
wreck
.
Oh
,
Margaret
,
you
do
n't
know
what
you
are
in
for
.
They
're
all
bottled
up
against
the
drawing-room
window
.
There
's
Mrs.
Wilcox
—
I
've
seen
her
.
There
's
Paul
.
There
's
Evie
,
who
is
a
minx
.
There
's
Charles
—
I
saw
him
to
start
with
.
And
who
would
an
elderly
man
with
a
moustache
and
a
copper-coloured
face
be
?
"
"
Mr.
Wilcox
,
possibly
.
"
"
I
knew
it
.
And
there
's
Mr.
Wilcox
.
"
"
It
's
a
shame
to
call
his
face
copper
colour
,
"
complained
Margaret
.
"
He
has
a
remarkably
good
complexion
for
a
man
of
his
age
.
"
Mrs.
Munt
,
triumphant
elsewhere
,
could
afford
to
concede
Mr.
Wilcox
his
complexion
.
She
passed
on
from
it
to
the
plan
of
campaign
that
her
nieces
should
pursue
in
the
future
.
Margaret
tried
to
stop
her
.
"
Helen
did
not
take
the
news
quite
as
I
expected
,
but
the
Wilcox
nerve
is
dead
in
her
really
,
so
there
's
no
need
for
plans
.
"
"
It
's
as
well
to
be
prepared
.
"
"
No
—
it
's
as
well
not
to
be
prepared
.
"
"
Because
—
'
Her
thought
drew
being
from
the
obscure
borderland
.
She
could
not
explain
in
so
many
words
,
but
she
felt
that
those
who
prepare
for
all
the
emergencies
of
life
beforehand
may
equip
themselves
at
the
expense
of
joy
.
It
is
necessary
to
prepare
for
an
examination
,
or
a
dinner-party
,
or
a
possible
fall
in
the
price
of
stock
:
those
who
attempt
human
relations
must
adopt
another
method
,
or
fail
.
"
Because
I
'd
sooner
risk
it
,
"
was
her
lame
conclusion
.
"
But
imagine
the
evenings
,
"
exclaimed
her
aunt
,
pointing
to
the
Mansions
with
the
spout
of
the
watering-can
.
"
Turn
the
electric
light
on
her
or
there
,
and
it
's
almost
the
same
room
.
One
evening
they
may
forget
to
draw
their
blinds
down
,
and
you
'll
see
them
;
and
the
next
,
you
yours
,
and
they
'll
see
you
.
Impossible
to
sit
out
on
the
balconies
.
Impossible
to
water
the
plants
,
or
even
speak
.
Imagine
going
out
of
the
front-door
,
and
they
come
out
opposite
at
the
same
moment
.
And
yet
you
tell
me
that
plans
are
unnecessary
,
and
you
'd
rather
risk
it
.
"
"
I
hope
to
risk
things
all
my
life
.
"
"
Oh
,
Margaret
,
most
dangerous
.
"
"
But
after
all
,
"
she
continued
with
a
smile
,
"
there
's
never
any
great
risk
as
long
as
you
have
money
.
"
"
Oh
,
shame
!
What
a
shocking
speech
!
"
"
Money
pads
the
edges
of
things
,
"
said
Miss
Schlegel
.
"
God
help
those
who
have
none
.
"
"
But
this
is
something
quite
new
!
"
said
Mrs.
Munt
,
who
collected
new
ideas
as
a
squirrel
collects
nuts
,
and
was
especially
attracted
by
those
that
are
portable
.
"
New
for
me
;
sensible
people
have
acknowledged
it
for
years
.
You
and
I
and
the
Wilcoxes
stand
upon
money
as
upon
islands
.
It
is
so
firm
beneath
our
feet
that
we
forget
its
very
existence
.
It
's
only
when
we
see
someone
near
us
tottering
that
we
realize
all
that
an
independent
income
means
.
Last
night
,
when
we
were
talking
up
here
round
the
fire
,
I
began
to
think
that
the
very
soul
of
the
world
is
economic
,
and
that
the
lowest
abyss
is
not
the
absence
of
love
,
but
the
absence
of
coin
.
"
"
I
call
that
rather
cynical
.
"
"
So
do
I
.
But
Helen
and
I
,
we
ought
to
remember
,
when
we
are
tempted
to
criticize
others
,
that
we
are
standing
on
these
islands
,
and
that
most
of
the
others
,
are
down
below
the
surface
of
the
sea
.
The
poor
cannot
always
reach
those
whom
they
want
to
love
,
and
they
can
hardly
ever
escape
from
those
whom
they
love
no
longer
.
We
rich
can
.
Imagine
the
tragedy
last
June
,
if
Helen
and
Paul
Wilcox
had
been
poor
people
,
and
could
n't
invoke
railways
and
motor-cars
to
part
them
.
"
"
That
's
more
like
Socialism
,
"
said
Mrs.
Munt
suspiciously
.
"
Call
it
what
you
like
.
I
call
it
going
through
life
with
one
's
hand
spread
open
on
the
table
.
I
'm
tired
of
these
rich
people
who
pretend
to
be
poor
,
and
think
it
shows
a
nice
mind
to
ignore
the
piles
of
money
that
keep
their
feet
above
the
waves
.
I
stand
each
year
upon
six
hundred
pounds
,
and
Helen
upon
the
same
,
and
Tibby
will
stand
upon
eight
,
and
as
fast
as
our
pounds
crumble
away
into
the
sea
they
are
renewed
—
from
the
sea
,
yes
,
from
the
sea
.
And
all
our
thoughts
are
the
thoughts
of
six-hundred-pounders
,
and
all
our
speeches
;
and
because
we
do
n't
want
to
steal
umbrellas
ourselves
,
we
forget
that
below
the
sea
people
do
want
to
steal
them
,
and
do
steal
them
sometimes
,
and
that
what
's
a
joke
up
here
is
down
there
reality
—
"
"
There
they
go
—
there
goes
Fräulein
Mosebach
.
Really
,
for
a
German
she
does
dress
charmingly
.
Oh
—
!
"
"
What
is
it
?
"
"
Helen
was
looking
up
at
the
Wilcoxes
'
flat
.
"
"
Why
should
n't
she
?
"
"
I
beg
your
pardon
,
I
interrupted
you
.
What
was
it
you
were
saying
about
reality
?
"
"
I
had
worked
round
to
myself
,
as
usual
,
"
answered
Margaret
in
tones
that
were
suddenly
preoccupied
.
"
Do
tell
me
this
,
at
all
events
.
Are
you
for
the
rich
or
for
the
poor
?
"
"
Too
difficult
.
Ask
me
another
.
Am
I
for
poverty
or
for
riches
?
For
riches
.
Hurrah
for
riches
!
"
"
For
riches
!
"
echoed
Mrs.
Munt
,
having
,
as
it
were
,
at
last
secured
her
nut
.
"
Yes
.
For
riches
.
Money
for
ever
!
"
"
So
am
I
,
and
so
,
I
am
afraid
,
are
most
of
my
acquaintances
at
Swanage
,
but
I
am
surprised
that
you
agree
with
us
.
"
"
Thank
you
so
much
,
Aunt
Juley
.
While
I
have
talked
theories
,
you
have
done
the
flowers
.
"
"
Not
at
all
,
dear
.
I
wish
you
would
let
me
help
you
in
more
important
things
.
"
"
Well
,
would
you
be
very
kind
?
Would
you
come
round
with
me
to
the
registry
office
?
There
's
a
housemaid
who
wo
n't
say
yes
but
does
n't
say
no.
"
On
their
way
thither
they
too
looked
up
at
the
Wilcoxes
'
flat
.
Evie
was
in
the
balcony
,
"
staring
most
rudely
,
"
according
to
Mrs.
Munt
.
Oh
yes
,
it
was
a
nuisance
,
there
was
no
doubt
of
it
.
Helen
was
proof
against
a
passing
encounter
but
—
Margaret
began
to
lose
confidence
.
Might
it
reawake
the
dying
nerve
if
the
family
were
living
close
against
her
eyes
?
And
Frieda
Mosebach
was
stopping
with
them
for
another
fortnight
,
and
Frieda
was
sharp
,
abominably
sharp
,
and
quite
capable
of
remarking
,
"
You
love
one
of
the
young
gentlemen
opposite
,
yes
?
"
The
remark
would
be
untrue
,
but
of
the
kind
which
,
if
stated
often
enough
,
may
become
true
;
just
as
the
remark
,
"
England
and
Germany
are
bound
to
fight
,
"
renders
war
a
little
more
likely
each
time
that
it
is
made
,
and
is
therefore
made
the
more
readily
by
the
gutter
press
of
either
nation
.
Have
the
private
emotions
also
their
gutter
press
?
Margaret
thought
so
,
and
feared
that
good
Aunt
Juley
and
Frieda
were
typical
specimens
of
it
.
They
might
,
by
continual
chatter
,
lead
Helen
into
a
repetition
of
the
desires
of
June
.
Into
a
repetition
—
they
could
not
do
more
;
they
could
not
lead
her
into
lasting
love
.
They
were
—
she
saw
it
clearly
—
Journalism
;
her
father
,
with
all
his
defects
and
wrong-headedness
,
had
been
Literature
,
and
had
he
lived
,
he
would
have
persuaded
his
daughter
rightly
.
The
registry
office
was
holding
its
morning
reception
.
A
string
of
carriages
filled
the
street
.
Miss
Schlegel
waited
her
turn
,
and
finally
had
to
be
content
with
an
insidious
"
temporary
,
"
being
rejected
by
genuine
housemaids
on
the
ground
of
her
numerous
stairs
.
Her
failure
depressed
her
,
and
though
she
forgot
the
failure
,
the
depression
remained
.
On
her
way
home
she
again
glanced
up
at
the
Wilcoxes
'
flat
,
and
took
the
rather
matronly
step
of
speaking
about
the
matter
to
Helen
.
"
Helen
,
you
must
tell
me
whether
this
thing
worries
you
.
"
"
If
what
?
"
said
Helen
,
who
was
washing
her
hands
for
lunch
.
"
The
W.
's
coming
.
"
"
No
,
of
course
not
.
"
"
Really
?
"
"
Really
.
"
Then
she
admitted
that
she
was
a
little
worried
on
Mrs.
Wilcox
's
account
;
she
implied
that
Mrs.
Wilcox
might
reach
backward
into
deep
feelings
,
and
be
pained
by
things
that
never
touched
the
other
members
of
that
clan
.
"
I
sha
n't
mind
if
Paul
points
at
our
house
and
says
,
'
There
lives
the
girl
who
tried
to
catch
me
.
'
But
she
might
.
"
"
If
even
that
worries
you
,
we
could
arrange
something
.
There
's
no
reason
we
should
be
near
people
who
displease
us
or
whom
we
displease
,
thanks
to
our
money
.
We
might
even
go
away
for
a
little
.
"
"
Well
,
I
am
going
away
.
Frieda
's
just
asked
me
to
Stettin
,
and
I
sha
n't
be
back
till
after
the
New
Year
.
Will
that
do
?
Or
must
I
fly
the
country
altogether
?
Really
,
Meg
,
what
has
come
over
you
to
make
such
a
fuss
?
"
"
Oh
,
I
'm
getting
an
old
maid
,
I
suppose
.
I
thought
I
minded
nothing
,
but
really
I
—
I
should
be
bored
if
you
fell
in
love
with
the
same
man
twice
and
"
—
she
cleared
her
throat
—
"
you
did
go
red
,
you
know
,
when
Aunt
Juley
attacked
you
this
morning
.
I
should
n't
have
referred
to
it
otherwise
.
"
But
Helen
's
laugh
rang
true
,
as
she
raised
a
soapy
hand
to
heaven
and
swore
that
never
,
nowhere
and
nohow
,
would
she
again
fall
in
love
with
any
of
the
Wilcox
family
,
down
to
its
remotest
collaterals
.
Chapter
8
The
friendship
between
Margaret
and
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
which
was
to
develop
so
—
quickly
and
with
such
strange
results
,
may
perhaps
have
had
its
beginnings
at
Speyer
,
in
the
spring
.
Perhaps
the
elder
lady
,
as
she
gazed
at
the
vulgar
,
ruddy
cathedral
,
and
listened
to
the
talk
of
Helen
and
her
husband
,
may
have
detected
in
the
other
and
less
charming
of
the
sisters
a
deeper
sympathy
,
a
sounder
judgment
.
She
was
capable
of
detecting
such
things
.
Perhaps
it
was
she
who
had
desired
the
Miss
Schlegels
to
be
invited
to
Howards
End
,
and
Margaret
whose
presence
she
had
particularly
desired
.
All
this
is
speculation
:
Mrs.
Wilcox
has
left
few
clear
indications
behind
her
.
It
is
certain
that
she
came
to
call
at
Wickham
Place
a
fortnight
later
,
the
very
day
that
Helen
was
going
with
her
cousin
to
Stettin
.
"
Helen
!
"
cried
Fräulein
Mosebach
in
awestruck
tones
(
she
was
now
in
her
cousin
's
confidence
)
—
"
his
mother
has
forgiven
you
!
"
And
then
,
remembering
that
in
England
the
new-comer
ought
not
to
call
before
she
is
called
upon
,
she
changed
her
tone
from
awe
to
disapproval
,
and
opined
that
Mrs.
Wilcox
was
"
keine
Dame
.
"
"
Bother
the
whole
family
!
"
snapped
Margaret
.
"
Helen
,
stop
giggling
and
pirouetting
,
and
go
and
finish
your
packing
.
Why
ca
n't
the
woman
leave
us
alone
?
"
"
I
do
n't
know
what
I
shall
do
with
Meg
,
"
Helen
retorted
,
collapsing
upon
the
stairs
.
"
She
's
got
Wilcox
and
Box
upon
the
brain
.
Meg
,
Meg
,
I
do
n't
love
the
young
gentleman
;
I
do
n't
love
the
young
gentleman
,
Meg
,
Meg
.
Can
a
body
speak
plainer
?
"
"
Most
certainly
her
love
has
died
,
"
asserted
Fräulein
Mosebach
.
"
Most
certainly
it
has
,
Frieda
,
but
that
will
not
prevent
me
from
being
bored
with
the
Wilcoxes
if
I
return
the
call
.
"
Then
Helen
simulated
tears
,
and
Fräulein
Mosebach
,
who
thought
her
extremely
amusing
,
did
the
same
.
"
Oh
,
boo
hoo
!
boo
hoo
hoo
!
Meg
's
going
to
return
the
call
,
and
I
ca
n't
.
'
Cos
why
?
'
Cos
I
'm
going
to
German-eye
.
"
"
If
you
are
going
to
Germany
,
go
and
pack
;
if
you
are
n't
,
go
and
call
on
the
Wilcoxes
instead
of
me
.
"
"
But
,
Meg
,
Meg
,
I
do
n't
love
the
young
gentleman
;
I
do
n't
love
the
young
—
0
lud
,
who
's
that
coming
down
the
stairs
?
I
vow
'
tis
my
brother
.
0
crimini
!
"
A
male
—
even
such
a
male
as
Tibby
—
was
enough
to
stop
the
foolery
.
The
barrier
of
sex
,
though
decreasing
among
the
civilized
,
is
still
high
,
and
higher
on
the
side
of
women
.
Helen
could
tell
her
sister
all
,
and
her
cousin
much
about
Paul
;
she
told
her
brother
nothing
.
It
was
not
prudishness
,
for
she
now
spoke
of
"
the
Wilcox
ideal
"
with
laughter
,
and
even
with
a
growing
brutality
.
Nor
was
it
precaution
,
for
Tibby
seldom
repeated
any
news
that
did
not
concern
himself
.
It
was
rather
the
feeling
that
she
betrayed
a
secret
into
the
camp
of
men
,
and
that
,
however
trivial
it
was
on
this
side
of
the
barrier
,
it
would
become
important
on
that
.
So
she
stopped
,
or
rather
began
to
fool
on
other
subjects
,
until
her
long-suffering
relatives
drove
her
upstairs
.
Fräulein
Mosebach
followed
her
,
but
lingered
to
say
heavily
over
the
banisters
to
Margaret
,
"
It
is
all
right
—
she
does
not
love
the
young
man
—
he
has
not
been
worthy
of
her
.
"
"
Yes
,
I
know
;
thanks
very
much
.
"
"
I
thought
I
did
right
to
tell
you
.
"
"
Ever
so
many
thanks
.
"
"
What
's
that
?
"
asked
Tibby
.
No
one
told
him
,
and
he
proceeded
into
the
dining-room
,
to
eat
Elvas
plums
.
That
evening
Margaret
took
decisive
action
.
The
house
was
very
quiet
,
and
the
fog
—
we
are
in
November
now
—
pressed
against
the
windows
like
an
excluded
ghost
.
Frieda
and
Helen
and
all
their
luggage
had
gone
.
Tibby
,
who
was
not
feeling
well
,
lay
stretched
on
a
sofa
by
the
fire
.
Margaret
sat
by
him
,
thinking
.
Her
mind
darted
from
impulse
to
impulse
,
and
finally
marshalled
them
all
in
review
.
The
practical
person
,
who
knows
what
he
wants
at
once
,
and
generally
knows
nothing
else
,
will
excuse
her
of
indecision
.
But
this
was
the
way
her
mind
worked
.
And
when
she
did
act
,
no
one
could
accuse
her
of
indecision
then
.
She
hit
out
as
lustily
as
if
she
had
not
considered
the
matter
at
all
.
The
letter
that
she
wrote
Mrs.
Wilcox
glowed
with
the
native
hue
of
resolution
.
The
pale
cast
of
thought
was
with
her
a
breath
rather
than
a
tarnish
,
a
breath
that
leaves
the
colours
all
the
more
vivid
when
it
has
been
wiped
away
.
Dear
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
I
have
to
write
something
discourteous
.
It
would
be
better
if
we
did
not
meet
.
Both
my
sister
and
my
aunt
have
given
displeasure
to
your
family
,
and
,
in
my
sister
's
case
,
the
grounds
for
displeasure
might
recur
.
As
far
as
I
know
,
she
no
longer
occupies
her
thoughts
with
your
son
.
But
it
would
not
be
fair
,
either
to
her
or
to
you
,
if
they
met
,
and
it
is
therefore
right
that
our
acquaintance
which
began
so
pleasantly
,
should
end
.
I
fear
that
you
will
not
agree
with
this
;
indeed
,
I
know
that
you
will
not
,
since
you
have
been
good
enough
to
call
on
us
.
It
is
only
an
instinct
on
my
part
,
and
no
doubt
the
instinct
is
wrong
.
My
sister
would
,
undoubtedly
,
say
that
it
is
wrong
.
I
write
without
her
knowledge
,
and
I
hope
that
you
will
not
associate
her
with
my
discourtesy
.
Believe
me
,
Yours
truly
,
M
.
J
.
Schlegel
Margaret
sent
this
letter
round
by
post
.
Next
morning
she
received
the
following
reply
by
hand
:
Dear
Miss
Schlegel
,
You
should
not
have
written
me
such
a
letter
.
I
called
to
tell
you
that
Paul
has
gone
abroad
.
Ruth
Wilcox
Margaret
's
cheeks
burnt
.
She
could
not
finish
her
breakfast
.
She
was
on
fire
with
shame
.
Helen
had
told
her
that
the
youth
was
leaving
England
,
but
other
things
had
seemed
more
important
,
and
she
had
forgotten
.
All
her
absurd
anxieties
fell
to
the
ground
,
and
in
their
place
arose
the
certainty
that
she
had
been
rude
to
Mrs.
Wilcox
.
Rudeness
affected
Margaret
like
a
bitter
taste
in
the
mouth
.
It
poisoned
life
.
At
times
it
is
necessary
,
but
woe
to
those
who
employ
it
without
due
need
.
She
flung
on
a
hat
and
shawl
,
just
like
a
poor
woman
,
and
plunged
into
the
fog
,
which
still
continued
.
Her
lips
were
compressed
,
the
letter
remained
in
her
hand
,
and
in
this
state
she
crossed
the
street
,
entered
the
marble
vestibule
of
the
flats
,
eluded
the
concierges
,
and
ran
up
the
stairs
till
she
reached
the
second-floor
.
She
sent
in
her
name
,
and
to
her
surprise
was
shown
straight
into
Mrs.
Wilcox
's
bedroom
.
"
Oh
,
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
I
have
made
the
baddest
blunder
.
I
am
more
,
more
ashamed
and
sorry
than
I
can
say
.
"
Mrs.
Wilcox
bowed
gravely
.
She
was
offended
,
and
did
not
pretend
to
the
contrary
.
She
was
sitting
up
in
bed
,
writing
letters
on
an
invalid
table
that
spanned
her
knees
.
A
breakfast
tray
was
on
another
table
beside
her
.
The
light
of
the
fire
,
the
light
from
the
window
,
and
the
light
of
a
candle-lamp
,
which
threw
a
quivering
halo
round
her
hands
,
combined
to
create
a
strange
atmosphere
of
dissolution
.
"
I
knew
he
was
going
to
India
in
November
,
but
I
forgot
.
"
"
He
sailed
on
the
17th
for
Nigeria
,
in
Africa
.
"
"
I
knew
—
I
know
.
I
have
been
too
absurd
all
through
.
I
am
very
much
ashamed
.
"
Mrs.
Wilcox
did
not
answer
.
"
I
am
more
sorry
than
I
can
say
,
and
I
hope
that
you
will
forgive
me
.
"
"
It
does
n't
matter
,
Miss
Schlegel
.
It
is
good
of
you
to
have
come
round
so
promptly
.
"
"
It
does
matter
,
"
cried
Margaret
.
"
I
have
been
rude
to
you
;
and
my
sister
is
not
even
at
home
,
so
there
was
not
even
that
excuse
.
"
Indeed
?
"
"
She
has
just
gone
to
Germany
.
"
"
She
gone
as
well
,
"
murmured
the
other
.
"
Yes
,
certainly
,
it
is
quite
safe
—
safe
,
absolutely
,
now
.
"
"
You
've
been
worrying
too
!
"
exclaimed
Margaret
,
getting
more
and
more
excited
,
and
taking
a
chair
without
invitation
.
"
How
perfectly
extraordinary
!
I
can
see
that
you
have
.
You
felt
as
I
do
;
Helen
must
n't
meet
him
again
.
"
"
I
did
think
it
best
.
"
"
Now
why
?
"
"
That
's
a
most
difficult
question
,
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
smiling
,
and
a
little
losing
her
expression
of
annoyance
.
"
I
think
you
put
it
best
in
your
letter
—
it
was
an
instinct
,
which
may
be
wrong
.
"
"
It
was
n't
that
your
son
still
—
"
"
Oh
no
;
he
often
—
my
Paul
is
very
young
,
you
see
.
"
"
Then
what
was
it
?
"
She
repeated
:
"
An
instinct
which
may
be
wrong
.
"
"
In
other
words
,
they
belong
to
types
that
can
fall
in
love
,
but
could
n't
live
together
.
That
's
dreadfully
probable
.
I
'm
afraid
that
in
nine
cases
out
of
ten
Nature
pulls
one
way
and
human
nature
another
.
"
"
These
are
indeed
'
other
words
,
'
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
.
"
I
had
nothing
so
coherent
in
my
head
.
I
was
merely
alarmed
when
I
knew
that
my
boy
cared
for
your
sister
.
"
"
Ah
,
I
have
always
been
wanting
to
ask
you
.
How
did
you
know
?
Helen
was
so
surprised
when
our
aunt
drove
up
,
and
you
stepped
forward
and
arranged
things
.
Did
Paul
tell
you
?
"
"
There
is
nothing
to
be
gained
by
discussing
that
,
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
after
a
moment
's
pause
.
"
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
were
you
very
angry
with
us
last
June
?
I
wrote
you
a
letter
and
you
did
n't
answer
it
.
"
"
I
was
certainly
against
taking
Mrs.
Matheson
's
flat
.
I
knew
it
was
opposite
your
house
.
"
"
But
it
's
all
right
now
?
"
"
I
think
so
.
"
"
You
only
think
?
You
are
n't
sure
?
I
do
love
these
little
muddles
tidied
up
?
"
"
Oh
yes
,
I
'm
sure
,
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
moving
with
uneasiness
beneath
the
clothes
.
"
I
always
sound
uncertain
over
things
.
It
is
my
way
of
speaking
.
"
"
That
's
all
right
,
and
I
'm
sure
too
.
"
Here
the
maid
came
in
to
remove
the
breakfast-tray
.
They
were
interrupted
,
and
when
they
resumed
conversation
it
was
on
more
normal
lines
.
"
I
must
say
good-bye
now
—
you
will
be
getting
up
.
"
"
No
—
please
stop
a
little
longer
—
I
am
taking
a
day
in
bed
.
Now
and
then
I
do
.
"
"
I
thought
of
you
as
one
of
the
early
risers
.
"
"
At
Howards
End
—
yes
;
there
is
nothing
to
get
up
for
in
London
.
"
"
Nothing
to
get
up
for
?
"
cried
the
scandalized
Margaret
.
"
When
there
are
all
the
autumn
exhibitions
,
and
Ysaye
playing
in
the
afternoon
!
Not
to
mention
people
.
"
"
The
truth
is
,
I
am
a
little
tired
.
First
came
the
wedding
,
and
then
Paul
went
off
,
and
,
instead
of
resting
yesterday
,
I
paid
a
round
of
calls
.
"
"
A
wedding
?
"
"
Yes
;
Charles
,
my
elder
son
,
is
married
.
"
"
Indeed
!
"
"
We
took
the
flat
chiefly
on
that
account
,
and
also
that
Paul
could
get
his
African
outfit
.
The
flat
belongs
to
a
cousin
of
my
husband
's
,
and
she
most
kindly
offered
it
to
us
.
So
before
the
day
came
we
were
able
to
make
the
acquaintance
of
Dolly
's
people
,
which
we
had
not
yet
done
.
"
Margaret
asked
who
Dolly
's
people
were
.
"
Fussell
.
The
father
is
in
the
Indian
army
—
retired
;
the
brother
is
in
the
army
.
The
mother
is
dead
.
"
So
perhaps
these
were
the
"
chinless
sunburnt
men
"
whom
Helen
had
espied
one
afternoon
through
the
window
.
Margaret
felt
mildly
interested
in
the
fortunes
of
the
Wilcox
family
.
She
had
acquired
the
habit
on
Helen
's
account
,
and
it
still
clung
to
her
.
She
asked
for
more
information
about
Miss
Dolly
Fussell
that
was
,
and
was
given
it
in
even
,
unemotional
tones
.
Mrs.
Wilcox
's
voice
,
though
sweet
and
compelling
,
had
little
range
of
expression
.
It
suggested
that
pictures
,
concerts
,
and
people
are
all
of
small
and
equal
value
.
Only
once
had
it
quickened
—
when
speaking
of
Howards
End
.
"
Charles
and
Albert
Fussell
have
known
one
another
some
time
.
They
belong
to
the
same
club
,
and
are
both
devoted
to
golf
.
Dolly
plays
golf
too
,
though
I
believe
not
so
well
,
and
they
first
met
in
a
mixed
foursome
.
We
all
like
her
,
and
are
very
much
pleased
.
They
were
married
on
the
11th
,
a
few
days
before
Paul
sailed
.
Charles
was
very
anxious
to
have
his
brother
as
best
man
,
so
he
made
a
great
point
of
having
it
on
the
11th
.
The
Fussells
would
have
preferred
it
after
Christmas
,
but
they
were
very
nice
about
it
.
There
is
Dolly
's
photograph
—
in
that
double
frame
.
"
"
Are
you
quite
certain
that
I
'm
not
interrupting
,
Mrs.
Wilcox
?
"
"
Yes
,
quite
.
"
"
Then
I
will
stay
.
I
'm
enjoying
this
.
"
Dolly
's
photograph
was
now
examined
.
It
was
signed
"
For
dear
Mims
,
"
which
Mrs.
Wilcox
interpreted
as
"
the
name
she
and
Charles
had
settled
that
she
should
call
me
.
"
Dolly
looked
silly
,
and
had
one
of
those
triangular
faces
that
so
often
prove
attractive
to
a
robust
man
.
She
was
very
pretty
.
From
her
Margaret
passed
to
Charles
,
whose
features
prevailed
opposite
.
She
speculated
on
the
forces
that
had
drawn
the
two
together
till
God
parted
them
.
She
found
time
to
hope
that
they
would
be
happy
.
"
They
have
gone
to
Naples
for
their
honeymoon
.
"
"
Lucky
people
!
"
"
I
can
hardly
imagine
Charles
in
Italy
.
"
"
Does
n't
he
care
for
travelling
?
"
"
He
likes
travel
,
but
he
does
see
through
foreigners
so
.
What
he
enjoys
most
is
a
motor
tour
in
England
,
and
I
think
that
would
have
carried
the
day
if
the
weather
had
not
been
so
abominable
.
His
father
gave
him
a
car
of
his
own
for
a
wedding
present
,
which
for
the
present
is
being
stored
at
Howards
End
.
"
"
I
suppose
you
have
a
garage
there
?
"
"
Yes
.
My
husband
built
a
little
one
only
last
month
,
to
the
west
of
the
house
,
not
far
from
the
wych-elm
,
in
what
used
to
be
the
paddock
for
the
pony
.
"
The
last
words
had
an
indescribable
ring
about
them
.
"
Where
's
the
pony
gone
?
"
asked
Margaret
after
a
pause
.
"
The
pony
?
Oh
,
dead
,
ever
so
long
ago
.
"
"
The
wych-elm
I
remember
.
Helen
spoke
of
it
as
a
very
splendid
tree
.
"
"
It
is
the
finest
wych-elm
in
Hertfordshire
.
Did
your
sister
tell
you
about
the
teeth
?
"
"
No.
"
"
Oh
,
it
might
interest
you
.
There
are
pigs
'
teeth
stuck
into
the
trunk
,
about
four
feet
from
the
ground
.
The
country
people
put
them
in
long
ago
,
and
they
think
that
if
they
chew
a
piece
of
the
bark
,
it
will
cure
the
toothache
.
The
teeth
are
almost
grown
over
now
,
and
no
one
comes
to
the
tree
.
"
"
I
should
.
I
love
folklore
and
all
festering
superstitions
.
"
"
Do
you
think
that
the
tree
really
did
cure
toothache
,
if
one
believed
in
it
?
"
"
Of
course
it
did
.
It
would
cure
anything
—
once
.
"
"
Certainly
I
remember
cases
—
you
see
I
lived
at
Howards
End
long
,
long
before
Mr.
Wilcox
knew
it
.
I
was
born
there
.
"
The
conversation
again
shifted
.
At
the
time
it
seemed
little
more
than
aimless
chatter
.
She
was
interested
when
her
hostess
explained
that
Howards
End
was
her
own
property
.
She
was
bored
when
too
minute
an
account
was
given
of
the
Fussell
family
,
of
the
anxieties
of
Charles
concerning
Naples
,
of
the
movements
of
Mr.
Wilcox
and
Evie
,
who
were
motoring
in
Yorkshire
.
Margaret
could
not
bear
being
bored
.
She
grew
inattentive
,
played
with
the
photograph
frame
,
dropped
it
,
smashed
Dolly
's
glass
,
apologized
,
was
pardoned
,
cut
her
finger
thereon
,
was
pitied
,
and
finally
said
she
must
be
going
—
there
was
all
the
housekeeping
to
do
,
and
she
had
to
interview
Tibby
's
riding-master
.
Then
the
curious
note
was
struck
again
.
"
Good-bye
,
Miss
Schlegel
,
good-bye
.
Thank
you
for
coming
.
You
have
cheered
me
up
.
"
"
I
'm
so
glad
!
"
"
I
—
I
wonder
whether
you
ever
think
about
yourself
.
?
"
"
I
think
of
nothing
else
,
"
said
Margaret
,
blushing
,
but
letting
her
hand
remain
in
that
of
the
invalid
.
"
I
wonder
.
I
wondered
at
Heidelberg
.
"
"
I
'm
sure
!
"
"
I
almost
think
—
"
"
Yes
?
"
asked
Margaret
,
for
there
was
a
long
pause
—
a
pause
that
was
somehow
akin
to
the
flicker
of
the
fire
,
the
quiver
of
the
reading-lamp
upon
their
hands
,
the
white
blur
from
the
window
;
a
pause
of
shifting
and
eternal
shadows
.
"
I
almost
think
you
forget
you
're
a
girl
.
"
Margaret
was
startled
and
a
little
annoyed
.
"
I
'm
twenty-nine
,
"
she
remarked
.
"
That
not
so
wildly
girlish
.
"
Mrs.
Wilcox
smiled
.
"
What
makes
you
say
that
?
Do
you
mean
that
I
have
been
gauche
and
rude
?
"
A
shake
of
the
head
.
"
I
only
meant
that
I
am
fifty-one
,
and
that
to
me
both
of
you
—
Read
it
all
in
some
book
or
other
;
I
cannot
put
things
clearly
.
"
"
Oh
,
I
've
got
it
—
inexperience
.
I
'm
no
better
than
Helen
,
you
mean
,
and
yet
I
presume
to
advise
her
.
"
"
Yes
.
You
have
got
it
.
Inexperience
is
the
word
.
"
"
Inexperience
,
"
repeated
Margaret
,
in
serious
yet
buoyant
tones
.
"
Of
course
,
I
have
everything
to
learn
—
absolutely
everything
—
just
as
much
as
Helen
.
Life
's
very
difficult
and
full
of
surprises
.
At
all
events
,
I
've
got
as
far
as
that
.
To
be
humble
and
kind
,
to
go
straight
ahead
,
to
love
people
rather
than
pity
them
,
to
remember
the
submerged
—
well
,
one
ca
n't
do
all
these
things
at
once
,
worse
luck
,
because
they
're
so
contradictory
.
It
's
then
that
proportion
comes
in
—
to
live
by
proportion
.
Do
n't
begin
with
proportion
.
Only
prigs
do
that
.
Let
proportion
come
in
as
a
last
resource
,
when
the
better
things
have
failed
,
and
a
deadlock
—
Gracious
me
,
I
've
started
preaching
!
"
"
Indeed
,
you
put
the
difficulties
of
life
splendidly
,
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
withdrawing
her
hand
into
the
deeper
shadows
.
"
It
is
just
what
I
should
have
liked
to
say
about
them
myself
.
"
Chapter
9
Mrs.
Wilcox
cannot
be
accused
of
giving
Margaret
much
information
about
life
.
And
Margaret
,
on
the
other
hand
,
has
made
a
fair
show
of
modesty
,
and
has
pretended
to
an
inexperience
that
she
certainly
did
not
feel
.
She
had
kept
house
for
over
ten
years
;
she
had
entertained
,
almost
with
distinction
;
she
had
brought
up
a
charming
sister
,
and
was
bringing
up
a
brother
.
Surely
,
if
experience
is
attainable
,
she
had
attained
it
.
Yet
the
little
luncheon-party
that
she
gave
in
Mrs.
Wilcox
's
honour
was
not
a
success
.
The
new
friend
did
not
blend
with
the
"
one
or
two
delightful
people
"
who
had
been
asked
to
meet
her
,
and
the
atmosphere
was
one
of
polite
bewilderment
.
Her
tastes
were
simple
,
her
knowledge
of
culture
slight
,
and
she
was
not
interested
in
the
New
English
Art
Club
,
nor
in
the
dividing-line
between
Journalism
and
Literature
,
which
was
started
as
a
conversational
hare
.
The
delightful
people
darted
after
it
with
cries
of
joy
,
Margaret
leading
them
,
and
not
till
the
meal
was
half
over
did
they
realize
that
the
principal
guest
had
taken
no
part
in
the
chase
.
There
was
no
common
topic
.
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
whose
life
had
been
spent
in
the
service
of
husband
and
sons
,
had
little
to
say
to
strangers
who
had
never
shared
it
,
and
whose
age
was
half
her
own
.
Clever
talk
alarmed
her
,
and
withered
her
delicate
imaginings
;
it
was
the
social
;
counterpart
of
a
motorcar
,
all
jerks
,
and
she
was
a
wisp
of
hay
,
a
flower
.
Twice
she
deplored
the
weather
,
twice
criticized
the
train
service
on
the
Great
Northern
Railway
.
They
vigorously
assented
,
and
rushed
on
,
and
when
she
inquired
whether
there
was
any
news
of
Helen
,
her
hostess
was
too
much
occupied
in
placing
Rothenstein
to
answer
.
The
question
was
repeated
:
"
I
hope
that
your
sister
is
safe
in
Germany
by
now
.
"
Margaret
checked
herself
and
said
,
"
Yes
,
thank
you
;
I
heard
on
Tuesday
.
"
But
the
demon
of
vociferation
was
in
her
,
and
the
next
moment
she
was
off
again
.
"
Only
on
Tuesday
,
for
they
live
right
away
at
Stettin
.
Did
you
ever
know
any
one
living
at
Stettin
?
"
"
Never
,
"
said
Mrs.
Wilcox
gravely
,
while
her
neighbour
,
a
young
man
low
down
in
the
Education
Office
,
began
to
discuss
what
people
who
lived
at
Stettin
ought
to
look
like
.
Was
there
such
a
thing
as
Stettininity
?
Margaret
swept
on
.
"
People
at
Stettin
drop
things
into
boats
out
of
overhanging
warehouses
.
At
least
,
our
cousins
do
,
but
are
n't
particularly
rich
.
The
town
is
n't
interesting
,
except
for
a
clock
that
rolls
its
eyes
,
and
the
view
of
the
Oder
,
which
truly
is
something
special
.
Oh
,
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
you
would
love
the
Oder
!
The
river
,
or
rather
rivers
—
there
seem
to
be
dozens
of
them
—
are
intense
blue
,
and
the
plain
they
run
through
an
intensest
green
.
"
"
Indeed
!
That
sounds
like
a
most
beautiful
view
,
Miss
Schlegel
.
"
"
So
I
say
,
but
Helen
,
who
will
muddle
things
,
says
no
,
it
's
like
music
.
The
course
of
the
Oder
is
to
be
like
music
.
It
's
obliged
to
remind
her
of
a
symphonic
poem
.
The
part
by
the
landing-stage
is
in
B
minor
,
if
I
remember
rightly
,
but
lower
down
things
get
extremely
mixed
.
There
is
a
slodgy
theme
in
several
keys
at
once
,
meaning
mud-banks
,
and
another
for
the
navigable
canal
,
and
the
exit
into
the
Baltic
is
in
C
sharp
major
,
pianissimo
.
"
"
What
do
the
overhanging
warehouses
make
of
that
?
"
asked
the
man
,
laughing
.
"
They
make
a
great
deal
of
it
,
"
replied
Margaret
,
unexpectedly
rushing
off
on
a
new
track
.
"
I
think
it
's
affectation
to
compare
the
Oder
to
music
,
and
so
do
you
,
but
the
overhanging
warehouses
of
Stettin
take
beauty
seriously
,
which
we
do
n't
,
and
the
average
Englishman
does
n't
,
and
despises
all
who
do
.
Now
do
n't
say
'
Germans
have
no
taste
,
'
or
I
shall
scream
.
They
have
n't
.
But
—
but
—
such
a
tremendous
but
!
—
they
take
poetry
seriously
.
They
do
take
poetry
seriously
.
"
Is
anything
gained
by
that
?
"
"
Yes
,
yes
.
The
German
is
always
on
the
lookout
for
beauty
.
He
may
miss
it
through
stupidity
,
or
misinterpret
it
,
but
he
is
always
asking
beauty
to
enter
his
life
,
and
I
believe
that
in
the
end
it
will
come
.
At
Heidelberg
I
met
a
fat
veterinary
surgeon
whose
voice
broke
with
sobs
as
he
repeated
some
mawkish
poetry
.
So
easy
for
me
to
laugh
—
I
,
who
never
repeat
poetry
,
good
or
bad
,
and
cannot
remember
one
fragment
of
verse
to
thrill
myself
with
.
My
blood
boils
—
well
,
I
'm
half
German
,
so
put
it
down
to
patriotism
—
when
I
listen
to
the
tasteful
contempt
of
the
average
islander
for
things
Teutonic
,
whether
they
're
Böcklin
or
my
veterinary
surgeon
.
'
Oh
,
Böcklin
,
'
they
say
;
'
he
strains
after
beauty
,
he
peoples
Nature
with
gods
too
consciously
.
'
Of
course
Böcklin
strains
,
because
he
wants
something
—
beauty
and
all
the
other
intangible
gifts
that
are
floating
about
the
world
.
So
his
landscapes
do
n't
come
off
,
and
Leader
's
do
.
"
"
I
am
not
sure
that
I
agree
.
Do
you
?
"
said
he
,
turning
to
Mrs.
Wilcox
.
She
replied
:
"
I
think
Miss
Schlegel
puts
everything
splendidly
"
;
and
a
chill
fell
on
the
conversation
.
"
Oh
,
Mrs.
Wilcox
,
say
something
nicer
than
that
.
It
's
such
a
snub
to
be
told
you
put
things
splendidly
.
"
"
I
do
not
mean
it
as
a
snub
.
Your
last
speech
interested
me
so
much
.
Generally
people
do
not
seem
quite
to
like
Germany
.
I
have
long
wanted
to
hear
what
is
said
on
the
other
side
.
"
"
The
other
side
?
Then
you
do
disagree
.
Oh
,
good
!
Give
us
your
side
.
"
"
I
have
no
side
.
But
my
husband
"
—
her
voice
softened
,
the
chill
increased
—
"
has
very
little
faith
in
the
Continent
,
and
our
children
have
all
taken
after
him
.
"
"
On
what
grounds
?
Do
they
feel
that
the
Continent
is
in
bad
form
?
"
Mrs.
Wilcox
had
no
idea
;
she
paid
little
attention
to
grounds
.
She
was
not
intellectual
,
nor
even
alert
,
and
it
was
odd
that
,
all
the
same
,
she
should
give
the
idea
of
greatness
.
Margaret
,
zigzagging
with
her
friends
over
Thought
and
Art
,
was
conscious
of
a
personality
that
transcended
their
own
and
dwarfed
their
activities
.
There
was
no
bitterness
in
Mrs.
Wilcox
;
there
was
not
even
criticism
;
she
was
lovable
,
and
no
ungracious
or
