bygiving
her
singing-lessons
.
She
was
one
of
the
few
people
of
his
acquaintance
who
knew
of
that
secret
marriage
of
his
which
had
left
him
a
widower
three
years
ago
,
with
a
baby
son
whom
Sir
Marcus
would
not
acknowledge
,
and
who
did
not
regard
it
either
as
a
boyish
entanglement
from
which
his
wife
's
death
had
luckily
released
him
,
or
as
a
reason
for
abstaining
from
future
marriage
altogether
.
Not
that
she
had
any
definite
views
on
the
subject
of
boyish
entanglements
or
second
marriages
,
for
Lady
Joan
never
had
definite
views
on
anything
,
they
were
too
much
trouble
to
defend
,
and
she
would
not
have
taken
up
any
position
which
would
not
lend
itself
to
modification
on
occasion
;
but
she
was
unconventional
,
and
she
knew
it
,
and
in
spite
of
her
boast
that
she
was
a
woman
of
the
world
,
there
was
enough
of
the
school-girl
in
her
to
give
her
an
exquisite
delight
in
shocking
other
people
who
were
not
unconventional
.
So
hers
was
the
only
hand
that
was
held
out
to
Digby
when
he
came
to
Relton
after
his
wife
's
death
,
in
search
of
a
home
for
his
child
;
and
it
was
she
who
braved
the
many-tongued
slander
of
an
idle
country
town
,
and
helped
him
to
find
what
he
wanted
in
the
motherly
landlady
of
the
"
Relton
Arms
,
"
with
whom
he
could
leave
the
boy
in
safety
.
The
arrangement
necessarily
brought
him
constantly
to
Relton
,
when
he
was
naturally
prompted
by
gratitude
and
courtesy
to
leave
his
card
at
the
Hall
;
but
it
was
some
time
before
she
began
to
have
any
real
interest
for
him
.
It
was
true
that
she
was
a
beautiful
woman
,
but
her
beauty
and
her
wit
were
of
a
subtle
kind
,
unlike
the
obvious
and
doll-like
charms
that
usually
attracted
him
in
women
;
she
showed
him
that
she
found
him
interesting
,
but
she
did
not
adore
him
like
his
other
lady
friends
,
and
she
disputed
his
dicta
,
and
she
did
not
understand
his
music
.
After
a
time
these
very
differences
drew
them
together
,
and
they
passed
into
the
desperately
dangerous
stage
of
friendship
,
in
which
the
man
had
to
confess
to
himself
that
he
was
again
in
love
,
and
the
woman
had
to
ask
herself
if
he
meant
anything
,
and
whether
she
was
to
continue
to
be
natural
and
pleasant
to
him
,
or
whether
the
time
had
come
for
her
in
the
eyes
of
society
to
avoid
him
and
pretend
she
did
not
care
for
him
.
Lady
Joan
,
hating
the
laws
of
society
,
and
dreading
still
more
the
chain
of
another
man
's
will
,
broke
the
connection
at
this
point
and
went
abroad
for
a
year
,
and
was
away
long
enough
for
Digby
to
fall
in
and
out
of
another
hot
love
affair
,
and
returned
on
the
day
of
his
reception
in
the
studio
to
find
him
rather
more
interesting
than
before
,
and
herself
made
weaker
in
her
resolution
by
a
year
's
sojourn
with
a
lady
companion
.
Digby
on
his
part
was
persuading
himself
that
her
return
to
England
had
caused
the
revival
of
his
old
love
,
and
that
this
attachment
which
had
begun
so
coldly
and
forced
itself
into
his
heart
by
the
most
estimable
instincts
of
gratitude
and
friendship
,
was
superior
to
all
the
other
attachments
of
his
life
,
which
had
begun
with
infatuation
and
ended
with
indifference
,
and
was
therefore
to
be
cherished
as
the
only
real
feeling
he
had
ever
had
for
any
woman
.
"
I
'm
not
the
sort
of
man
to
be
a
bachelor
,
"
he
said
to
himself
earnestly
,
somewhere
about
midnight
that
evening
,
as
he
leaned
out
of
his
bedroom
window
and
smoked
a
cigarette
meditatively
.
"
Some
fellows
ought
never
to
marry
;
I
told
Dick
Stephens
so
when
he
got
engaged
,
and
he
was
separated
from
his
wife
within
a
year
of
their
marriage
.
But
I
am
not
like
Dick
Stephens
.
I
am
really
a
most
domesticated
sort
of
man
,
and
it
is
time
I
settled
down
.
I
am
tired
of
being
a
Bohemian
;
every
wretched
little
pygmy
who
writes
ballads
and
lets
his
hair
grow
and
does
n't
wash
,
is
a
Bohemian
.
And
there
is
the
boy
,
too
;
he
ought
to
have
a
mother
of
course
,
poor
little
chap
:
we
both
want
a
woman
about
us
,
do
n't
we
,
Sonny
?
Yes
,
there
is
no
doubt
that
it
is
my
duty
to
Sonny
to
marry
very
soon
.
"
In
the
room
above
,
among
the
cushions
on
the
sofa
,
lay
Lady
Joan
with
her
hair
down
and
a
fan
in
her
hand
,
opposite
a
full-length
mirror
;
in
her
most
secret
moments
Lady
Joan
liked
to
assure
herself
that
she
played
the
part
picturesquely
.
"
I
like
him
.
He
is
fresh
,
and
original
,
and
amusing
.
He
does
n't
bore
me
,
and
I
can
flirt
with
him
—
safely
.
He
has
no
theories
about
things
,
and
he
does
not
want
to
upset
creation
,
and
he
does
n't
take
life
so
desperately
seriously
.
It
is
such
a
blessing
to
meet
some
one
who
is
content
with
the
age
as
it
is
—
bah
!
what
a
smell
of
tobacco
smoke
!
"
And
she
rose
,
shut
the
window
with
a
bang
,
and
went
to
bed
,
where
she
slept
soundly
till
the
morning
.
"
It
is
curious
,
"
murmured
the
musician
,
lighting
another
cigarette
,
"
how
Fate
seems
to
have
propelled
her
towards
me
at
every
crisis
of
my
life
;
just
after
Mary
died
,
for
instance
,
and
again
before
I
met
Norah
!
—
poor
little
Norah
!
and
then
again
the
other
day
,
when
I
really
had
made
up
my
mind
to
go
to
Africa
,
and
she
came
back
from
the
Continent
in
time
to
prevent
me
.
And
now
—
ah
,
I
believe
I
could
write
that
song
now
.
"
And
he
went
to
the
writing-table
and
tried
to
set
some
impassioned
words
of
Swinburne
to
music
;
but
although
the
situation
demanded
that
he
should
have
been
specially
inspired
,
he
found
himself
incapable
of
writing
a
note
,
and
had
to
give
up
the
task
in
despair
.
"
My
brain
is
overwrought
;
I
am
not
going
to
sleep
to-night
,
"
he
said
,
and
put
the
bromide
by
his
bedside
.
After
that
he
also
shut
the
window
and
went
to
bed
,
where
he
likewise
slept
soundly
till
the
morning
.
CHAPTER
IV
.
The
"
Relton
Arms
"
had
the
reputation
of
being
the
most
respectable
inn
in
the
little
country
town
of
Relton
.
It
had
no
particular
right
to
this
title
,
being
smaller
and
more
shabby
than
the
"
Red
Lion
"
down
the
street
,
which
was
a
modern
innovation
run
by
a
speculator
from
the
neighboring
market-town
,
and
promised
particular
advantages
to
cyclists
which
they
never
quite
seemed
to
reap
;
but
it
had
outlived
generations
of
Reltons
up
at
the
old
Court
,
and
it
bore
their
family
escutcheon
on
its
sign-board
,
and
all
the
club
dinners
were
held
in
its
oak-panelled
parlor
;
and
the
frequent
presence
of
the
rector
on
occasions
when
alcohol
was
banished
from
the
table
had
naturally
helped
it
to
keep
up
its
reputation
.
The
fallacy
was
maintained
equally
strangely
by
the
silence
of
its
landlord
,
who
only
grew
more
taciturn
as
he
grew
more
intoxicated
,
while
the
people
who
were
fond
of
talking
,
notably
his
wife
,
made
capital
out
of
his
silence
and
applauded
him
for
it
,
so
that
he
too
became
respectable
in
the
eyes
of
Relton
.
And
never
having
been
known
to
contradict
any
one
in
his
life
,
respectable
he
accordingly
consented
to
remain
.
It
was
on
a
sultry
,
still
afternoon
towards
the
end
of
the
summer
that
Roger
Brill
,
the
comely
rat-catcher
of
the
town
,
raised
the
latch
of
the
"
Relton
Arms
"
about
tea-time
.
"
Mornin
'
,
missus
,
"
said
he
.
"
And
I
'm
sure
it
's
mornin
'
to
you
,
Muster
Brill
,
notwithstandin
'
it
's
being
arternoon
by
time
o'sun
,
which
be
a
foolish
difference
to
make
among
old
acquaintance
;
but
there
,
there
's
a
deal
too
much
talkin
'
about
trifles
in
my
thinkin
'
.
And
be
you
ready
for
a
cup
of
tea
,
lad
,
or
be
it
the
usual
you
'll
be
wantin
'
?
"
Without
waiting
for
the
reply
,
which
had
been
the
same
,
like
the
question
,
for
the
last
fifteen
years
,
the
bustling
landlady
hastened
forward
with
a
chair
and
sent
her
obedient
husband
for
the
beer
.
One
of
the
most
remarkable
phases
of
a
monotonous
incident
is
the
way
in
which
some
people
contrive
to
give
it
the
appearance
of
novelty
.
Mrs.
Haxtell
belonged
to
such
a
class
,
and
it
did
not
in
the
least
disturb
her
method
that
her
husband
had
usually
filled
the
pewter
pot
before
she
had
finished
inviting
her
customer
to
have
it
.
But
old
Peter
was
a
man
of
deeds
,
not
words
,
and
he
chose
for
his
part
to
make
the
transaction
a
purely
business
one
,
though
he
allowed
his
wife
to
hide
it
with
a
veneer
of
hospitality
if
she
would
.
And
this
she
generally
did
in
the
most
feminine
and
transparent
manner
possible
,
until
the
time
for
payment
came
,
when
she
would
meekly
retire
under
cover
of
her
sex
,
and
leave
her
husband
to
battle
with
the
creditor
.
"
Good
sport
to-day
,
lad
?
"
asked
Peter
presently
.
"
Aye
,
for
sure
,
"
answered
Roger
;
and
then
,
glancing
professionally
at
the
row
of
dead
rats
that
hung
from
his
waist
,
he
added
slowly
,
"
more
ways
nor
one
.
"
"
Eh
,
"
said
Peter
,
with
a
slight
access
of
emphasis
.
They
all
knew
something
more
was
coming
,
and
Mrs.
Haxtell
's
knowledge
of
the
rat-catcher
's
temperament
sufficed
to
keep
her
breathlessly
silent
in
view
of
coaxing
him
to
tell
his
news
;
though
,
with
the
jealousy
of
the
reformed
thief
who
hates
to
see
his
brother
continuing
to
thieve
,
she
glanced
imploringly
at
her
husband
and
daughter
,
who
had
no
intention
of
speaking
,
as
if
to
silence
them
likewise
.
"
Lady
Relton
's
Dick
came
down
my
way
last
night
,
"
began
Roger
,
deliberately
filling
his
pipe
.
So
far
his
news
came
within
the
ken
of
his
audience
,
and
they
were
quick
to
maintain
a
share
in
it
.
"
I
saw
him
myself
,
I
did
,
"
began
Lily
Eliza
;
but
her
mother
promptly
took
up
the
tale
.
"
Lady
Relton
's
Dick
?
Eh
,
but
he
come
along
nigh
after
sunset
,
he
did
,
and
he
says
to
my
man
,
he
says
,
'
Seen
Muster
Brill
?
'
he
says
.
And
my
man
told
him
,
he
did
,
as
ye
wor
n't
long
gone
home
,
not
to
call
it
short
neither
,
nor
yet
very
long
;
leastways
ye
were
gone
along
home
,
he
said
,
did
n't
ye
,
Pete
?
Speak
up
,
man
,
and
say
what
ye
know
,
and
doa
n't
sit
starin
'
as
though
heavin
and
earth
wor
n't
big
enough
for
your
eyes
to
look
into
.
"
"
Woman
,
"
said
Peter
,
with
unusual
effort
,
"
heaven
and
earth
bai
n't
big
enough
for
your
tongue
to
clapper
in
,
nor
yet
they
would
n't
be
if
t
'
other
place
was
joined
on
too
.
"
Here
Roger
struck
in
afresh
.
"
Lady
Relton
's
Dick
said
the
rats
in
the
stable
wor
n't
worth
their
keep
.
Lady
Relton
told
him
she
'd
pay
the
corn
for
the
horses
,
but
the
rats
would
have
to
go
elsewhere
if
they
wanted
good
grain
,
as
she
did
n't
intend
for
'
em
to
have
hers
.
I
said
I
'd
go
to-morrow
,
being
promised
to
Farmer
Wadsden
's
ricks
to-day
;
but
Dick
,
he
says
the
world
has
to
stop
a
turnin
'
round
for
my
lady
,
he
says
,
and
she
were
in
a
taking
along
of
them
rats
,
so
to-day
I
took
the
pup
along
and
I
went
up
to
the
Court
.
"
"
Ah
,
"
gasped
the
landlady
;
she
had
not
meant
to
interrupt
,
but
the
approach
of
the
pith
of
the
story
was
too
much
for
her
,
and
with
the
desperate
economy
of
the
schoolboy
,
who
leaves
the
biggest
plum
to
the
last
,
she
again
diverted
the
channel
of
conversation
.
"
Lady
Relton
's
Dick
fetched
a
gentleman
from
the
station
this
mornin
'
,
and
he
took
him
back
again
an
hour
past
.
I
knows
he
did
,
seeing
as
I
was
washing
the
precious
baby
's
face
,
or
was
I
hanging
out
Mrs.
Walker
's
wash
?
when
the
dog-cart
come
by
.
Was
it
the
gentleman
as
ye
saw
up
at
the
Court
,
Muster
Brill
?
"
Few
sights
are
more
melancholy
than
that
of
a
man
who
has
been
robbed
of
his
story
by
another
;
and
good-natured
Roger
Brill
pushed
back
his
chair
at
this
second
interruption
,
and
rose
to
his
feet
with
something
like
offended
dignity
.
"
If
ye
want
to
have
the
talkin
'
to
yourself
,
missus
,
I
be
going
to
clear
out
.
Cause
why
?
It
bai
n't
reasonable
to
tell
a
body
somethin
'
fresh
when
the
body
have
heard
it
afore
,
and
I
ai
n't
the
man
to
spoil
t
'
other
body
's
tale
,
so
good
arternoon
to
ye
.
"
But
here
Peter
became
peacemaker
.
"
Sit
ye
down
,
lad
,
and
doa
n't
heed
her
clapperin
'
tongue
.
I
doa
n't
,
and
it
's
clipper-clappered
at
me
this
twenty
year
.
"
With
an
effort
of
generosity
the
injured
Roger
recognized
a
grievance
greater
than
his
own
,
and
by
drinking
the
remainder
of
his
beer
standing
he
considered
he
had
compromised
his
dignity
sufficiently
to
resume
his
seat
and
his
story
.
"
Lord
,
what
rats
they
was
!
"
he
exclaimed
,
his
eye
kindling
at
the
recollection
.
"
I
never
could
have
thought
so
well
of
my
lady
as
that
she
'd
leave
'
em
to
get
to
that
pitch
before
calling
me
in
.
Why
,
Peter
,
man
,
if
she
'd
called
me
in
only
a
month
ago
she
'd
have
spoilt
the
sport
summat
!
but
here
they
was
,
eaten
to
bustin
'
with
corn
,
and
no
thought
of
the
morrow
,
as
the
Holy
Scripture
says
.
Eh
,
but
that
was
a
mornin
'
,
that
was
;
well
,
I
reckon
I
'd
laid
out
some
dozen
or
more
in
the
stable
yard
,
when
up
comes
Lady
Relton
and
Mr.
Jack
.
"
He
paused
to
watch
the
effect
of
his
superior
knowledge
on
his
hearers
,
chose
to
ignore
the
landlady
's
triumphant
whisper
,
"
That
's
him
,
"
and
sighed
deeply
.
"
I
doa
n't
know
no
more
than
the
dead
what
business
it
was
of
his
to
come
hangin
'
round
my
lady
,
what
's
all
unprotected
and
alone
like
,
bless
her
!
"
"
Nay
,
indeed
,
"
echoed
his
hearers
feelingly
.
"
More
partickler
,
"
continued
Roger
,
warmly
,
and
striking
his
fist
on
the
wooden
table
till
the
tea-cups
rattled
,
"
more
partickler
as
Mr.
Jack
be
Mr.
Raleigh
's
own
brother
,
and
my
lady
belongs
to
Mr.
Raleigh
if
ever
she
belonged
to
anybody
;
and
no
one
ca
n't
deny
as
it
's
been
my
intention
to
put
'
em
together
this
four
year
come
harvest
time
.
No
one
ca
n't
deny
it
,
no
one
.
"
"
True
,
lad
,
true
,
"
grunted
Peter
sympathetically
,
while
his
wife
cunningly
seized
the
opportunity
to
interrupt
again
by
appearing
to
enter
warmly
into
the
rat-catcher
's
disturbed
feelings
.
"
And
to
think
of
his
precious
baby
,
"
sniffed
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
pouring
herself
out
another
cup
of
tea
;
"
to
think
of
the
dear
lamb
,
with
no
mother
and
not
much
father
to
speak
of
,
passing
of
his
innocent
childhood
without
the
woman
's
care
his
father
ought
to
give
him
.
I
've
no
patience
with
such
neglect
,
though
I
'm
sure
I
hope
I
've
done
my
best
by
the
child
,
as
I
thought
to
myself
only
this
mornin
'
when
I
saw
him
stuffin
'
his
precious
fat
cheeks
with
green
plums
.
It
ai
n't
every
one
would
let
a
child
do
that
!
"
Lily
Eliza
became
restive
at
this
point
.
"
Tell
about
Mr.
Jack
,
Muster
Brill
,
"
she
urged
timidly
.
"
Daughter
,
"
said
old
Peter
,
sternly
,
"
it
ai
n't
the
part
of
a
well-meanin
'
,
God-fearin
'
lass
to
ask
such
a
question
,
and
if
you
wor
n't
your
mother
's
own
daughter
you
would
n't
have
such
sinful
desires
to
ask
'
em
.
"
In
her
anxiety
to
hear
the
rest
of
the
story
,
the
landlady
allowed
this
backhanded
attack
on
her
morals
to
pass
unnoticed
,
and
Roger
began
afresh
.
"
Well
,
up
they
comes
together
,
talkin
'
and
laughin
'
quite
friendly
like
,
and
my
lady
says
to
him
,
she
says
,
'
Here
's
the
rats
you
said
I
was
to
have
killed
,
'
she
says
,
'
and
is
n't
it
a
dear
little
dog
?
'
she
says
.
So
I
says
to
her
,
'
Aye
,
it
be
a
good
pup
;
it
's
killed
fourteen
since
breakfast
,
'
and
I
seemed
to
offend
her
like
,
for
up
she
gets
from
where
she
'd
been
patting
him
,
and
she
looks
at
Mr.
Jack
all
in
a
blaze
,
and
she
says
all
angry
like
,
'
That
's
what
you
call
sport
,
is
it
?
'
she
says
.
'
Mr
.
Digby
would
n't
call
it
sport
,
'
she
says
.
"
"
No
more
he
would
n't
,
"
said
both
the
women
simultaneously
.
"
That
's
true
enough
,
"
said
Roger
,
slowly
,
"
but
Lady
Relton
,
she
bai
n't
the
smirking
soft
kind
o
'
woman
what
likes
to
spare
the
rat
and
spoil
the
corn
,
and
I
ca
n't
rightly
make
out
what
's
come
over
her
to-day
.
She
did
n't
seem
herself
to-day
,
not
anyhow
,
and
she
seemed
to
take
a
pleasure
in
quarrelin
'
over
everything
Mr.
Jack
said
,
and
then
she
laughed
of
him
,
she
did
.
It
wor
n't
like
my
lady
,
it
wor
n't
,
to
talk
soft
stuff
about
killin
'
rats
;
that
be
more
like
t
'
other
one
what
come
after
Mr.
Raleigh
last
springtime
,
the
one
what
had
saucer
eyes
,
and
pretended
to
be
fond
of
the
child
,
with
her
nasty
clingin
'
,
pretendin
'
ways
.
"
The
last
words
were
said
with
biting
contempt
,
and
the
women
sat
silent
and
sipped
their
tea
approvingly
.
But
old
Peter
had
different
views
concerning
the
"
other
one
"
alluded
to
,
and
he
again
made
the
effort
to
interrupt
.
"
Eh
,
lad
,
but
you
be
proper
hard
upon
poor
Miss
Norah
,
proper
hard
you
be
,
for
sure
.
I
would
n't
be
saying
as
ye
have
n't
your
reasons
for
it
,
but
she
seemed
a
quiet
sort
of
maiden
enough
,
what
did
n't
mean
no
harm
to
speak
of
,
and
what
's
suffered
enough
for
her
foolishness
,
I
'll
be
bound
.
"
"
I
hope
she
has
,
I
hope
she
has
,
"
exclaimed
Roger
,
vehemently
.
"
Those
as
comes
with
their
sneaking
ways
tryin
'
for
to
corrupt
honest
folk
deserves
to
suffer
for
it
.
No
one
doa
n't
know
why
she
did
n't
come
back
when
Mr.
Raleigh
sent
that
letter
after
her
,
and
no
one
doa
n't
know
why
she
did
n't
even
answer
it
;
but
you
take
my
word
for
it
,
it
was
Providence
as
interposed
and
would
n't
have
nothink
to
do
with
her
,
and
it
's
Providence
as
opens
the
way
now
to
Mr.
Raleigh
if
he
'd
only
see
it
,
and
not
want
Providence
to
come
down
from
heaven
and
poke
him
into
it
,
so
to
speak
.
Who
be
that
coming
across
the
street
?
"
"
Why
,
that
be
Mr.
Raleigh
his
own
self
,
that
be
,
"
exclaimed
Lily
Eliza
,
joyously
,
and
then
blushed
for
fear
of
another
rebuke
from
her
father
.
This
time
,
however
,
she
did
not
get
it
,
for
old
Peter
for
business
reasons
was
always
anxious
to
propitiate
the
musician
in
the
flying
visits
he
paid
them
,
and
was
far
more
concerned
now
in
getting
to
the
door
in
time
to
open
it
than
in
his
daughter
's
back-slidings
.
Besides
,
he
really
liked
the
open-handed
young
fellow
who
paid
up
so
regularly
every
quarter
for
the
keep
of
his
son
without
examining
the
items
of
the
bill
,
who
always
came
in
with
a
smile
and
an
outstretched
hand
,
and
was
so
inordinately
grateful
for
the
little
they
had
done
for
the
child
.
"
Well
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
and
how
's
the
boy
?
"
he
cried
with
his
cheery
voice
as
he
stood
on
the
doorstep
.
"
I
've
brought
you
a
new
kind
of
baccy
to
try
,
sir
;
hope
the
youngster
has
been
behaving
himself
,
eh
?
Ah
,
Roger
,
how
does
the
world
go
with
you
?
And
where
's
my
Sonny
?
"
"
There
,
now
,
to
think
of
his
father
coming
so
unfortunate
like
,
and
he
that
's
never
out
at
tea-time
more
than
twice
in
a
twelve-month
,
"
fussed
the
landlady
,
dusting
three
chairs
in
succession
,
and
wondering
how
her
back
hair
was
bearing
the
exertion
;
"
that
do
seem
hard
,
that
do
;
but
there
,
Lady
Relton
she
come
down
and
asked
so
coaxing
like
for
him
to
go
that
I
could
n't
find
it
in
my
heart
to
refuse
her
;
but
that
be
the
first
time
I
've
let
him
out
o
'
my
sight
this
many
weeks
.
And
I
'm
sure
I
've
been
so
doleful
like
all
the
time
he
's
been
gone
that
I
wo
n't
never
let
him
go
again
,
that
I
wo
n't
;
I
kept
on
thinkin
'
somethin
'
was
going
to
happen
to
the
precious
,
and
I
would
n't
never
see
him
again
,
and
what
would
his
father
say
then
,
when
I
'd
promised
to
look
after
him
like
my
own
—
there
,
Mr.
Raleigh
,
I
feel
as
if
somethin
'
terrible
might
come
to
Master
Sonny
afore
we
set
eyes
on
him
again
,
that
I
do
!
"
"
I
hope
not
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
I
hope
not
,
"
said
Digby
,
encouragingly
,
wondering
if
he
were
a
hard-hearted
parent
because
he
had
none
of
the
landlady
's
nervous
sensations
concerning
his
son
.
"
It
would
take
a
good
deal
to
hurt
Master
Sonny
,
I
fancy
,
and
he
will
be
in
here
directly
turning
everything
upside
down
again
to
your
heart
's
content
.
Are
you
off
,
Mr.
Roger
?
Then
I
'll
walk
home
with
you
,
and
have
a
pipe
to
get
rid
of
the
London
smoke
.
Ah
!
London
is
not
fit
for
a
dog
this
weather
!
And
will
you
send
the
boy
down
to
the
castle
meadow
when
he
comes
in
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
?
Thanks
;
let
him
come
alone
,
and
learn
to
be
a
man
.
"
Only
a
few
minutes
later
Lady
Joan
brought
her
piebald
ponies
to
a
standstill
before
the
sign
of
the
"
Relton
Arms
,
"
and
threw
the
reins
to
her
groom
.
"
Here
we
are
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
;
did
you
think
I
was
going
to
keep
him
altogether
?
I
nearly
did
,
he
was
so
fascinating
,
and
we
had
such
a
delightful
flirtation
together
.
He
is
the
most
charming
little
gentleman
to
flirt
with
,
because
he
is
never
stupid
enough
to
take
it
in
for
a
moment
.
Look
at
him
now
,
"
as
the
boy
flew
into
the
landlady
's
arms
with
a
shout
.
"
Oh
,
you
ungrateful
little
beggar
,
after
all
the
cake
and
the
jam
I
have
been
giving
you
!
Here
,
give
me
a
kiss
,
Sonny
,
and
I
'll
be
off
.
What
is
it
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
?
His
father
,
did
you
say
?
Oh
—
yes
—
to
be
sure
,
his
father
—
yes
!
"
Fortunately
for
her
,
the
landlady
was
too
much
engaged
with
the
stormy
caresses
of
the
child
to
notice
her
,
as
she
walked
to
the
window
and
looked
at
two
hens
quarrelling
over
a
grain
of
corn
in
the
yard
.
"
Aye
,
my
lady
,
and
the
child
was
to
go
down
to
the
castle
meadow
all
along
of
himself
to
find
his
father
,
to
learn
to
be
a
man
,
was
what
he
said
.
I
bai
n't
one
to
make
a
fuss
over
trifles
,
but
I
do
n't
like
to
let
the
child
go
quite
,
and
yet
—
"
"
What
nonsense
!
of
course
not
;
how
like
a
man
,
"
said
Lady
Joan
,
contemptuously
,
"
besides
,
the
child
is
much
too
tired
to
walk
all
that
way
.
Now
for
my
two
kisses
,
Sonny
;
I
will
make
it
three
if
you
do
n't
give
me
them
at
once
,
sir
!
I
will
go
and
make
it
right
with
his
father
,
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
if
you
will
tell
Dick
to
take
the
ponies
quietly
home
,
please
.
And
may
I
go
across
the
orchard
?
"
"
Eh
,
but
she
doa
n't
care
what
the
towns-folk
say
,
do
she
?
"
reflected
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
admiringly
,
as
she
watched
the
tall
figure
disappearing
among
the
trees
.
"
I
wonder
what
made
me
come
,
"
thought
Lady
Joan
to
herself
,
as
she
climbed
the
stile
into
the
castle
meadow
;
and
her
courage
half
failed
her
when
she
caught
sight
of
a
man
in
a
brown
felt
hat
that
she
had
seen
before
,
sitting
on
a
fragment
of
the
old
ruined
wall
by
the
side
of
the
brook
.
But
he
had
already
seen
her
,
and
was
coming
towards
her
;
and
with
a
recklessness
which
she
evidenced
at
once
by
letting
her
skirt
trail
on
the
damp
grass
,
she
went
on
to
meet
him
.
CHAPTER
V.
"
Then
marry
me
,
"
the
musician
was
saying
,
half-an-hour
later
.
It
had
not
struck
him
before
that
she
might
not
possibly
want
to
do
so
.
"
But
I
have
already
told
you
that
I
do
not
love
you
,
"
persisted
Lady
Joan
,
who
was
enjoying
herself
immensely
.
"
What
does
that
matter
?
It
will
come
in
time
,
it
is
sure
to
come
.
Besides
,
I
love
you
;
is
not
that
enough
?
"
It
would
have
been
,
to
most
of
his
lady
friends
;
but
Lady
Joan
only
caught
the
humor
of
his
words
,
and
laughed
derisively
.
"
You
think
you
are
going
to
put
me
off
by
pretending
to
laugh
,
"
he
went
on
patiently
;
this
was
to
show
his
superior
knowledge
of
her
character
;
"
but
the
truth
is
that
you
dare
not
be
serious
,
Lady
Joan
;
why
do
n't
you
give
in
to
your
real
feelings
and
stop
making
a
joke
of
life
just
this
once
?
"
"
I
make
a
joke
of
life
?
"
she
cried
;
she
was
half
in
earnest
now
;
"
how
is
that
possible
unless
one
has
realized
its
sadness
?
You
enthusiasts
who
have
never
laughed
at
anything
,
and
are
always
talking
about
taking
life
seriously
,
you
have
never
gone
deep
enough
to
see
that
it
is
serious
.
If
you
had
,
you
would
only
laugh
for
the
rest
of
your
life
,
because
—
it
would
be
impossible
after
you
had
once
realized
that
to
keep
serious
and
live
.
"
For
the
first
time
in
his
life
the
musician
did
not
want
to
argue
.
"
Do
n't
you
see
that
I
love
you
as
I
have
never
loved
any
one
before
,
as
I
could
never
love
any
one
again
?
"
he
said
humbly
.
"
How
am
I
to
believe
that
?
"
she
retorted
sharply
,
and
he
flushed
slightly
.
"
Is
that
quite
fair
of
you
?
Have
I
not
been
always
perfectly
open
with
you
?
I
told
you
the
story
of
my
marriage
the
first
time
I
ever
met
you
,
and
I
have
told
you
to-day
about
poor
little
No
—
about
Miss
Bisley
.
Could
any
man
do
more
?
"
"
No
,
"
she
said
carelessly
,
"
but
you
might
very
well
have
done
less
,
—
I
mean
,
the
whole
town
told
me
about
Miss
Bisley
directly
I
came
home
from
abroad
,
though
,
except
for
the
name
,
the
two
accounts
do
not
tally
in
the
least
.
But
then
,
nothing
in
Relton
shrinks
in
the
washing
.
"
The
musician
flinched
,
and
tried
another
tactic
.
"
Then
I
suppose
you
merely
think
I
am
a
brute
who
is
taking
advantage
of
your
loneliness
to
profess
an
affection
for
you
which
he
does
not
feel
?
A
man
has
to
pay
a
big
penalty
for
your
friendship
,
Lady
Joan
.
"
She
would
not
have
let
him
see
it
for
the
world
,
but
she
felt
she
had
gone
a
little
too
far
,
and
a
rapid
change
came
over
her
mood
.
"
It
is
not
that
;
I
am
afraid
of
myself
,
I
think
,
"
she
said
with
a
sigh
,
and
she
looked
down
at
his
boots
.
His
face
lighted
up
.
"
Then
—
"
he
began
eagerly
;
but
she
put
up
her
hand
with
a
gesture
of
warning
.
"
No
,
no
,
you
mistake
me
;
I
do
not
believe
that
it
is
in
me
to
love
anybody
—
for
long
.
My
friends
say
it
is
because
I
have
never
known
a
mother
's
love
;
but
if
my
parents
had
lived
they
would
simply
have
made
me
fight
with
them
through
their
tiresome
affection
for
me
.
Now
,
I
know
what
you
are
going
to
say
—
that
I
am
speaking
with
the
spirit
of
the
age
,
or
some
of
that
twaddle
I
have
heard
before
.
If
I
am
,
it
is
you
who
have
taught
it
me
,
for
I
do
n't
allow
anybody
else
to
mention
the
age
to
me
;
I
am
sick
of
it
and
the
people
who
make
their
living
out
of
abusing
it
.
I
could
never
love
you
,
or
anybody
.
That
's
the
truth
,
and
—
do
n't
you
believe
me
?
"
"
Not
quite
,
"
he
said
,
and
looked
at
her
in
an
unpleasantly
direct
way
.
"
Besides
,
"
she
said
,
rather
awkwardly
,
catching
at
another
loophole
of
escape
,
"
there
is
this
Norah
Bisley
:
how
am
I
to
know
that
she
will
not
come
back
?
"
He
shook
his
head
,
and
she
smiled
at
the
guilelessness
of
his
reply
.
"
I
do
n't
think
it
is
possible
.
You
see
,
I
wrote
three
times
—
"
"
The
letters
may
have
gone
astray
.
"
"
The
third
one
I
sent
by
hand
,
and
it
was
returned
to
me
unopened
.
I
can
see
now
that
it
is
only
what
I
might
have
expected
;
she
did
not
have
a
thought
apart
from
her
father
,
and
her
father
never
liked
me
well
enough
to
look
on
me
in
the
light
of
a
son-in-law
.
He
took
her
away
directly
he
suspected
our
liking
for
one
another
,
and
when
they
got
together
and
away
from
me
he
must
have
persuaded
her
to
give
me
up
.
I
wrote
to
him
and
I
wrote
to
her
,
but
,
as
you
know
,
with
no
avail
.
She
was
a
lovable
little
thing
,
spoiled
by
her
weakness
of
will
,
poor
little
Norah
!
"
"
Poor
little
Norah
!
"
she
echoed
half
mockingly
,
and
crumbled
some
mortar
off
the
broken
wall
and
watched
it
splash
into
the
water
below
.
She
was
wondering
how
it
was
that
she
had
been
more
fascinated
in
half-an-hour
by
handsome
,
empty-headed
Jack
Raleigh
than
she
had
been
in
three
long
years
by
this
large-hearted
musician
,
with
the
high
forehead
and
the
cavernous
eyes
,
with
his
passion
for
metaphysics
and
Socialism
,
and
his
ardent
desires
to
reform
society
and
the
world
in
his
own
lifetime
.
Yet
she
found
him
interesting
sometimes
,
generally
when
he
was
not
there
and
she
was
thinking
about
him
,
and
she
wondered
again
why
he
did
not
interest
her
more
,
and
whether
she
would
not
have
tumbled
into
a
commonplace
engagement
with
him
if
her
parents
had
been
alive
and
he
had
been
asked
to
dine
at
the
Court
,
like
any
ordinary
young
man
,
and
she
had
been
forbidden
,
like
any
ordinary
young
woman
,
to
come
down
to
the
inn
and
play
with
his
child
.
But
she
had
no
parents
to
impose
conventionality
upon
her
,
and
she
had
gloried
in
her
liberty
for
twenty-five
years
,
and
she
was
loth
to
give
it
up
now
for
the
sake
of
a
man
who
,
she
felt
sure
,
would
bore
her
in
a
week
with
his
desperate
enthusiasms
,
and
whom
she
was
not
even
sure
that
she
loved
.
No
,
she
could
not
marry
him
,
she
felt
sure
,
and
she
looked
up
to
say
so
,
and
met
his
restless
eyes
watching
her
with
such
a
boy
's
eagerness
that
she
again
went
off
on
a
side
issue
.
"
I
am
not
livable
with
,
that
is
the
truth
,
"
she
said
rather
weakly
,
and
crumbled
some
more
mortar
off
the
wall
,
and
wished
he
would
not
look
at
her
so
gloomily
.
He
was
thinking
that
the
courtship
was
not
going
as
smoothly
as
he
expected
it
would
,
and
beginning
dimly
to
understand
that
for
the
only
time
in
his
experience
he
was
humbling
himself
before
a
woman
who
was
not
going
to
fall
a
victim
to
his
persuasions
;
and
the
discovery
did
not
make
him
more
eloquent
nor
less
humble
,
though
it
tended
to
make
him
look
at
the
question
still
more
blindly
from
his
own
point
of
view
,
and
he
told
himself
again
,
obstinately
,
that
he
could
not
live
without
her
for
his
wife
.
"
Lady
Joan
,
"
he
said
suddenly
,
"
is
it
me
that
you
dislike
,
or
marriage
?
"
"
Both
,
"
she
said
,
and
laughed
heartily
,
and
became
swiftly
grave
again
,
and
came
up
to
him
and
took
both
his
hands
,
an
unwonted
action
that
brought
the
color
to
his
cheeks
;
"
do
n't
you
see
,
my
dear
friend
,
that
if
we
were
to
marry
I
should
plague
your
life
out
,
and
you
would
never
write
another
note
of
music
,
and
Mrs.
Reginald
Routh
and
all
the
others
would
point
at
me
with
invective
?
And
you
would
bore
me
to
the
verge
of
extinction
in
a
month
!
Of
course
if
you
did
n't
like
me
it
might
work
better
,
because
then
I
should
have
to
make
you
fall
in
love
with
me
,
and
that
would
prevent
it
from
being
such
a
deadly
dull
affair
.
Or
if
I
hated
you
I
might
do
it
,
because
then
we
could
live
our
separate
lives
,
and
there
would
be
nothing
to
spoil
.
Do
n't
you
see
how
marriage
always
spoils
things
?
It
is
never
romantic
;
it
is
expedient
,
that
's
all
.
It
does
for
people
who
are
not
fond
of
one
another
,
or
for
people
who
do
not
feel
such
things
;
but
for
two
people
who
are
in
love
,
and
one
of
them
a
hypersensitive
musician
—
bah
!
it
would
be
madness
!
Not
that
I
am
in
love
,
of
course
.
"
He
chose
to
ignore
the
feminine
way
in
which
she
concluded
,
and
as
she
dropped
his
hands
and
swung
away
from
him
,
he
found
himself
feeling
for
his
tobacco
pouch
,
and
he
reflected
that
the
courtship
was
not
much
more
romantic
than
the
married
life
she
pictured
.
"
Then
you
believe
in
perpetual
engagements
?
"
he
asked
,
for
the
sake
of
saying
something
.
"
Not
a
bit
of
it
,
"
she
replied
gayly
,
leaning
over
the
broken
wall
and
watching
the
creatures
in
the
water
below
;
"
engagements
simply
mean
all
the
conventional
drawbacks
without
the
moral
conveniences
.
No
,
there
is
only
one
way
out
of
it
,
and
that
wo
n't
work
when
you
come
to
examine
it
.
"
"
And
what
is
that
?
"
he
asked
,
like
a
man
,
rashly
.
"
To
marry
some
one
who
does
n't
matter
,
and
be
in
love
with
some
one
else
,
"
she
replied
carelessly
,
and
kept
her
face
averted
.
He
rolled
up
his
cigarette
and
lighted
it
,
and
wondered
whether
women
ever
discussed
among
themselves
these
subjects
which
they
had
no
diffidence
in
approaching
with
men
.
"
No
,
it
would
hardly
work
,
I
am
afraid
,
"
he
said
slowly
.
"
Lady
Joan
,
it
is
an
absurdly
old-fashioned
thing
to
say
,
but
do
you
know
I
fancy
,
after
all
,
that
marriage
is
the
only
way
out
of
it
?
"
She
turned
round
and
faced
him
with
hot
cheeks
and
angry
eyes
.
"
I
think
you
are
merely
abusing
your
privilege
as
my
friend
,
"
she
cried
;
"
I
am
not
going
to
stay
here
for
you
to
draw
me
out
and
then
—
then
laugh
at
me
.
It
is
time
we
closed
this
—
this
absurd
interview
,
and
I
wish
—
I
wish
I
had
known
you
were
here
before
I
started
for
my
walk
.
Do
you
suppose
that
I
would
say
anything
to
you
that
the
whole
world
might
not
hear
?
"
He
certainly
did
suppose
so
from
quite
recent
experience
,
but
he
only
apologized
humbly
for
having
his
meaning
mistaken
,
and
allowed
her
to
retrace
her
steps
across
the
field
without
uttering
any
commonplace
about
meeting
again
as
friends
.
Perhaps
he
knew
quite
well
that
when
they
did
meet
again
she
would
be
by
far
the
most
self-possessed
of
the
two
.
The
musician
walked
back
to
the
inn
and
tried
to
persuade
himself
that
he
was
a
disappointed
man
.
"
My
engagements
never
do
seem
to
go
right
,
"
he
thought
dejectedly
,
as
he
leaned
out
of
the
parlor
window
and
looked
vaguely
among
the
fruit-trees
.
The
door
was
pushed
open
from
without
,
and
a
rush
of
red
sunshine
and
childish
footsteps
came
into
the
room
.
"
Here
I
are
,
daddy
!
Where
is
you
,
daddy
?
I
've
been
a
naughty
boy
,
welly
naughty
Nanny
says
,
'
cos
I
did
n't
say
grace
at
tea-time
.
Why
do
n't
you
never
say
grace
,
my
daddy
?
When
I
are
a
big
man
I
are
n't
never
going
to
say
grace
no
more
!
Nanny
says
I
are
to
kiss
you
free
times
,
and
did
you
bring
any
sweets
for
me
,
daddy
?
"
"
That
will
do
,
my
son
,
yes
,
"
said
Digby
,
nervously
,
as
the
boy
clambered
on
his
knee
and
proceeded
to
cover
him
with
sticky
embraces
;
"
Nanny
is
always
right
,
of
course
,
but
I
think
twice
will
be
enough
.
Thanks
.
The
sweets
are
in
this
pocket
,
so
you
need
not
turn
out
all
the
others
.
And
you
must
not
have
any
unless
you
stop
jumping
.
"
The
musician
was
not
fond
of
children
,
and
he
always
imagined
his
own
was
going
to
break
his
neck
or
damage
himself
in
some
way
every
time
he
came
into
the
room
.
Sonny
on
his
part
had
his
own
views
concerning
this
mysterious
daddy
who
came
and
went
so
strangely
,
and
who
was
always
going
to
chastise
him
severely
according
to
Mrs.
Haxtell
,
but
never
did
anything
worse
than
bring
him
sweets
,
and
hold
him
by
his
sash
until
he
was
nearly
suffocated
.
"
And
now
for
my
story
,
daddy
,
"
he
shouted
,
with
his
mouth
full
of
sugar-plums
.
"
Be
quick
please
,
my
daddy
;
once
upon
a
time
—
go
on
,
daddy
!
"
"
Once
upon
a
time
,
"
began
the
musician
vaguely
,
and
his
thoughts
strayed
away
to
the
lithesome
figure
swaying
to
and
fro
on
the
broken
wall
,
and
he
tried
hard
to
realize
his
crestfallen
condition
now
that
she
had
refused
him
.
"
Yes
,
daddy
,
yes
;
go
on
,
please
,
my
daddy
:
are
you
forgotten
the
end
of
my
story
,
daddy
dear
?
"
pleaded
the
restless
spirit
in
his
arms
.
"
Oh
,
dear
,
once
upon
a
time
there
was
—
there
was
—
oh
,
confound
it
all
,
there
was
a
beautiful
lady
,
was
n't
there
?
"
he
began
wearily
.
"
A
booful
lady
?
Welly
booful
,
daddy
?
"
"
Very
beautiful
,
my
son
.
"
"
Oh
,
"
solemnly
,
"
and
what
sort
of
daddy
did
she
have
?
"
"
Eh
,
what
?
Daddy
?
Oh
—
she
did
n't
have
one
,
"
said
the
musician
,
oblivious
of
morality
;
he
was
going
through
an
eloquent
speech
in
his
mind
which
he
might
have
said
in
the
castle
meadow
if
only
he
had
not
been
so
absurdly
nervous
.
"
Oh
,
"
said
the
baby
voice
,
growing
shrill
with
interest
,
"
did
n't
she
never
have
no
daddy
at
all
?
"
Of
course
,
thought
the
musician
,
if
he
had
said
that
to
her
instead
of
stuttering
over
a
few
commonplaces
she
would
have
found
him
irresistible
at
once
.
"
Daddy
,
dear
,
"
implored
Sonny
,
tugging
at
his
coat
suggestively
.
"
Oh
,
the
devil
take
the
story
!
"
shouted
the
musician
;
"
did
n't
I
tell
you
she
never
had
a
daddy
?
Do
n't
ask
so
many
questions
,
Sonny
.
"
The
big
blue
eyes
became
tearful
at
the
unusual
tone
of
anger
and
at
the
untimely
end
of
the
story
,
and
Digby
's
conscience
smote
him
a
little
.
"
I
are
n't
crying
,
only
little
girls
cry
,
"
gasped
the
child
between
his
hardly
suppressed
sobs
.
"
I
was
only
just
thinking
,
daddy
,
what
a
welly
funny
booful
lady
she
were
,
daddy
.
"
"
Yes
,
my
son
,
"
said
the
musician
,
very
much
in
the
tone
of
respect
he
would
have
used
to
a
man
of
his
own
age
who
was
battling
with
some
terrible
grief
,
"
yes
,
my
son
,
she
was
a
very
funny
beautiful
lady
,
so
funny
that
daddy
could
not
understand
her
at
all
,
although
he
loved
her
so
much
.
And
she
laughed
at
daddy
,
and
would
n't
be
kind
to
him
,
though
she
was
kind
to
the
whole
world
besides
.
"
The
musician
almost
choked
with
his
own
emotion
this
time
;
but
Sonny
jumped
up
and
down
with
glee
at
having
at
last
discovered
a
human
chord
in
the
mythical
beautiful
lady
.
"
Oh
,
so
she
were
a
naughty
booful
lady
,
daddy
?
Then
she
wo
n't
have
jam
for
tea
next
Sunday
,
will
she
,
daddy
dear
?
"
The
wooden
door
that
led
into
the
yard
creaked
open
again
,
and
again
the
red
light
from
the
setting
sun
flooded
the
little
room
.
"
Yes
,
Sonny
,
of
course
,
she
was
a
naughty
beautiful
lady
,
that
's
just
what
she
was
!
But
do
you
know
I
've
come
back
to
say
that
I
wo
n't
be
naughty
any
more
just
yet
,
at
least
if
daddy
lets
me
,
and
I
'm
going
to
be
kind
to
him
—
at
least
,
if
daddy
wants
me
.
Daddy
,
do
say
something
.
May
I
be
good
for
a
change
,
and
will
you
let
me
be
kind
to
you
?
I
've
come
to
say
I
am
sorry
,
like
a
good
little
girl
;
and
—
I
may
have
jam
for
tea
next
Sunday
,
may
n't
I
?
Oh
,
daddy
,
do
say
something
,
and
do
n't
look
so
doleful
!
Do
n't
you
understand
?
I
was
wrong
,
and
you
were
right
,
and
—
oh
,
how
stupid
it
all
is
!
Why
—
daddy
—
I
—
I
do
n't
believe
you
want
me
now
!
"
And
Lady
Joan
flung
herself
into
the
old
high-backed
wooden
settle
,
and
crossed
her
feet
,
and
broke
into
her
maddening
,
mocking
laugh
as
if
to
hide
something
she
was
ashamed
of
showing
.
But
the
musician
,
who
knew
her
better
than
she
thought
he
did
,
in
spite
of
his
almost
childish
ignorance
of
woman
's
nature
,
went
up
to
her
and
put
the
child
on
her
lap
,
and
smiled
down
into
her
upturned
,
laughing
face
.
"
We
both
want
our
beautiful
lady
,
do
n't
we
,
Sonny
?
And
may
I
make
my
confession
too
,
Lady
Joan
?
I
was
not
sure
that
I
did
want
you
so
desperately
after
you
sent
me
away
just
now
.
But
I
found
that
I
did
directly
you
opened
the
door
and
the
sunshine
came
in
,
and
I
can
never
do
without
you
again
.
But
it
is
better
to
understand
one
another
at
starting
,
is
n't
it
?
"
"
Much
better
.
And
ideals
are
such
bosh
when
we
have
grown
out
of
our
short
frocks
.
So
the
understanding
is
quite
complete
;
you
do
n't
know
how
much
you
love
me
,
so
we
will
call
it
desperately
,
and
I
do
n't
know
how
much
I
love
you
,
so
we
will
call
it
desperately
too
.
You
have
been
in
love
shoals
of
times
before
,
and
I
—
well
,
I
am
capable
of
falling
in
love
with
some
one
else
on
my
wedding-day
.
So
neither
of
us
will
be
disappointed
if
it
does
not
answer
,
but
we
have
agreed
to
try
.
Hey-day
,
what
fun
it
is
!
The
lonely
lady
at
the
Court
marrying
the
musician
at
the
inn
;
the
lady
has
the
establishment
,
and
the
musician
has
the
money
to
keep
it
up
:
if
you
were
truly
modern
you
would
have
both
,
and
be
a
risen
cabinet-maker
.
Relton
will
have
enough
to
talk
about
for
a
year
.
But
you
will
not
behave
as
if
we
were
engaged
,
just
yet
,
will
you
?
I
—
I
do
n't
feel
as
if
I
could
quite
stand
it
;
do
you
understand
?
"
He
had
never
heard
her
voice
falter
like
that
before
,
and
he
nodded
to
show
that
he
quite
understood
.
But
she
sprang
to
her
feet
with
one
of
her
quick
gestures
before
he
had
time
to
realize
the
intoxicating
feeling
of
that
moment
,
and
he
experienced
a
sensation
of
chill
.
"
What
wickedness
to
keep
this
child
up
so
late
;
come
along
,
Sonny
lad
,
I
told
Nanny
that
I
would
put
you
to
bed
for
a
treat
,
and
daddy
is
going
to
stay
here
and
smoke
his
pipe
.
"
And
she
vanished
up
the
primitive
staircase
which
led
straight
from
the
parlor
up
to
the
room
above
;
and
daddy
was
left
somewhat
with
the
feeling
of
having
consented
to
Lady
Joan
's
suggestion
of
marriage
without
receiving
the
right
to
kiss
her
,
and
he
sat
by
the
window
again
and
looked
among
the
fruit-trees
,
and
called
himself
the
happiest
man
in
the
world
,
and
felt
that
he
would
be
able
to
write
his
Swinburne
song
when
the
house
was
quiet
.
A
third
time
the
wooden
door
creaked
,
and
a
third
time
the
red
sunlight
filled
the
room
.
But
the
musician
did
not
notice
it
,
for
he
was
still
looking
out
of
the
window
into
the
orchard
,
and
he
was
telling
himself
with
a
sense
of
profound
relief
that
his
engagement
was
at
last
going
right
.
There
was
the
sound
of
a
low
,
soft
,
glad
cry
in
the
little
inn
parlor
,
and
something
glided
in
noiselessly
,
hesitated
for
a
moment
,
and
then
sped
across
the
ray
of
light
to
where
he
sat
by
the
window
.
And
the
musician
turned
his
eyes
away
from
the
fruit-trees
then
,
and
fixed
them
on
the
apparition
before
him
,
and
a
look
of
dumb
amazement
began
to
creep
slowly
over
his
face
.
"
Digby
,
I
've
come
at
last
.
You
said
you
would
not
mind
waiting
ten
years
for
me
,
and
it
has
only
been
one
;
yet
,
oh
!
such
a
weary
long
one
to
me
,
Digby
!
But
it
has
not
been
my
fault
,
it
has
n't
really
,
dear
;
they
never
told
me
,
and
papa
stopped
your
two
first
letters
,
and
Roger
Brill
—
it
was
Roger
,
was
n't
it
?
—
never
brought
me
the
last
one
at
all
.
It
was
all
a
mistake
,
I
ca
n't
tell
you
now
,
but
I
found
it
out
and
gave
them
the
slip
,
and
came
straight
here
.
Oh
,
Digby
,
you
are
not
angry
with
me
,
are
you
?
I
never
meant
to
keep
you
waiting
so
,
but
I
did
not
find
it
all
out
till
yesterday
,
so
I
could
not
come
before
.
Oh
,
it
has
been
so
sad
,
waiting
for
you
.
And
I
have
been
so
ill
too
,
Digby
;
they
did
not
know
what
was
the
matter
with
me
,
but
I
knew
all
the
time
.
It
is
all
over
now
,
though
,
and
we
are
going
to
be
happy
at
last
,
are
n't
we
?
And
may
I
have
my
kiss
now
,
the
one
you
promised
me
?
I
think
if
you
had
kissed
me
before
I
went
away
I
should
never
have
been
ill.
But
I
am
going
to
be
happy
now
,
so
happy
.
Oh
,
Digby
,
I
feel
so
greedy
over
my
happiness
that
I
am
frightened
of
its
slipping
away
again
.
Is
it
because
I
have
startled
you
that
you
are
so
silent
?
Tell
me
you
are
not
angry
with
me
,
Digby
,
—
and
—
when
may
I
have
my
kiss
,
please
?
"
He
took
her
mechanically
into
his
arms
and
kissed
the
mouth
that
was
held
up
to
him
,
and
he
experienced
dully
the
sort
of
shock
that
an
unconventional
man
feels
when
a
woman
he
has
always
considered
the
type
of
purity
does
something
which
a
woman
of
the
world
would
know
better
than
to
risk
her
reputation
by
doing
.
Upstairs
,
in
the
room
overhead
,
he
could
hear
Lady
Joan
singing
his
child
to
sleep
.
He
passed
his
hand
across
his
brow
and
wondered
in
a
vague
sort
of
way
how
it
was
all
going
to
end
;
it
seemed
years
since
Lady
Joan
had
spoken
to
him
.
"
No
,
Norah
child
,
of
course
I
am
not
angry
with
you
;
how
could
any
one
be
that
?
But
—
"
"
I
do
n't
mind
anything
if
you
are
not
angry
with
me
.
Only
,
why
are
you
so
quiet
?
Have
you
been
suffering
too
,
Digby
;
have
n't
they
been
kind
to
you
?
"
"
Who
?
the
fates
?
No
,
I
fancy
they
have
not
been
kind
to
me
.
Did
you
come
alone
,
childie
?
"
"
I
came
with
old
nurse
;
she
is
at
the
station
.
Digby
,
tell
me
,
have
you
been
ill
?
"
"
No
,
I
have
not
been
ill
;
I
have
been
working
rather
hard
,
and
perhaps
worrying
as
well
.
Forgive
me
,
dear
;
you
must
own
it
is
all
rather
startling
?
"
She
put
her
arms
round
him
,
and
laughed
her
low
,
soft
laugh
;
and
he
writhed
at
the
contrast
it
made
to
Lady
Joan
's
loud
mocking
one
,
which
still
rang
in
his
ears
.
"
Of
course
it
is
;
I
feel
as
if
I
had
begun
to
live
all
over
again
after
being
asleep
in
a
cold
,
dark
place
ever
since
last
year
.
Have
you
ever
felt
like
that
,
Digby
?
Oh
,
I
have
never
asked
after
Sonny
;
how
is
he
?
Has
he
gone
to
bed
?
May
I
go
up
and
kiss
him
?
"
"
No
,
stay
here
,
"
he
said
vehemently
,
and
then
bit
his
moustache
savagely
when
she
opened
her
great
eyes
at
him
;
and
he
added
in
a
quieter
tone
,
"
he
is
quite
bonny
,
but
we
—
we
wo
n't
disturb
him
yet
.
There
is
a
lady
with
him
who
—
who
has
been
kind
to
me
,
and
—
and
she
will
be
coming
down
perhaps
—
"
"
A
lady
?
Oh
,
I
see
,
"
wonderingly
.
"
I
am
glad
she
has
been
kind
to
you
—
very
.
Do
you
like
her
?
"
Should
he
tell
her
then
?
It
was
not
yet
absolutely
necessary
.
"
Yes
,
I
like
her
,
"
he
said
in
a
toneless
voice
,
and
he
forced
himself
to
smile
reassuringly
at
her
.
"
I
should
like
to
see
her
,
then
.
Hark
,
she
is
coming
downstairs
;
how
merry
she
is
,
your
friend
!
"
as
the
full
healthy
laugh
came
down
the
stairs
.
If
there
had
been
any
means
,
however
desperate
,
of
putting
off
the
crisis
for
another
ten
seconds
,
the
musician
would
have
stooped
to
it
.
But
he
realized
that
there
was
none
,
and
with
the
same
flash
of
consciousness
as
he
realized
it
he
braced
himself
to
meet
the
event
as
manfully
as
such
a
pitiful
situation
would
allow
.
"
Norah
,
"
he
said
sternly
,
putting
her
off
his
knee
and
standing
up
in
front
of
her
,
"
I
have
something
to
say
to
you
.
Will
you
be
brave
and
hear
me
?
It
may
all
come
right
,
of
course
,
but
—
this
lady
was
kind
to
my
boy
—
and
to
me
,
when
no
one
else
would
hold
out
a
hand
to
us
;
and
I
thought
you
had
forgotten
me
,
and
so
—
I
asked
her
to
marry
me
.
It
was
only
this
afternoon
,
and
of
course
—
"
The
noisy
peals
of
laughter
came
right
into
the
room
through
the
inner
door
,
and
Lady
Joan
stood
in
the
dull
glow
which
was
all
that
remained
of
the
sunlight
.
"
Oh
,
daddy
,
what
do
you
think
Sonny
said
?
Why
—
who
—
what
is
it
?
"
Something
white
,
and
quivering
,
and
small
,
had
fallen
with
a
thud
across
her
feet
,
and
again
the
low
,
long
child
's
cry
with
the
joy
gone
out
of
it
sounded
in
the
stillness
of
the
summer
evening
.
The
musician
had
sunk
on
a
chair
with
his
face
in
his
hands
.
CHAPTER
VI
.
"
My
engagements
never
do
seem
to
go
right
,
"
sighed
the
musician
.
He
was
sitting
in
the
little
bedroom
upstairs
by
the
side
of
his
sleeping
son
,
with
his
thumb
tightly
clasped
in
a
fat
brown
hand
.
But
he
was
not
thinking
of
Sonny
,
although
the
clasp
of
the
tiny
fingers
was
comforting
,
as
betokening
some
one
who
still
believed
in
him
.
"
There
is
a
curse
upon
my
love
affairs
,
"
said
the
musician
.
"
Why
should
those
letters
never
reach
her
?
And
why
did
she
choose
that
moment
of
all
others
to
come
back
?
Another
man
might
do
a
dirty
trick
and
not
be
found
out
.
God
knows
I
never
wanted
to
harm
a
woman
in
my
life
,
least
of
all
those
two
;
and
yet
I
've
blundered
in
and
got
engaged
to
both
of
them
at
once
;
and
I
've
broken
the
heart
of
the
purest
and
most
innocent
child
—
merciful
heavens
,
what
have
n't
