"What
Miss
Jermyn
?
"
"
Why
—
do
n't
you
see
?
—
that
fine
girl
who
is
talking
to
him
,
"
"
Miss
Jermyn
!
Why
,
that
's
the
little
parson
's
daughter
.
"
"
His
daughter
!
"
Christian
gave
a
low
brief
whistle
,
which
seemed
a
natural
expression
of
surprise
that
"
the
rusty
old
ranter
"
should
have
a
daughter
of
such
distinguished
appearance
.
Meanwhile
the
search
for
the
spectacles
had
proved
vain
.
"
Tis
a
grievous
fault
in
me
,
my
dear
,
"
said
the
little
man
,
humbly
;
"
I
become
thereby
sadly
burthensome
to
you
.
"
"
I
will
go
at
once
,
"
said
Esther
,
refusing
to
let
Felix
go
instead
of
her
.
But
she
had
scarcely
stepped
off
the
tribune
when
Mr
Debarry
re-entered
,
and
there
was
a
commotion
which
made
her
wait
.
After
a
low-toned
conversation
with
Mr
Pendrell
and
Mr
Wace
,
Philip
Debarry
stepped
on
to
the
tribune
with
his
hat
in
his
hand
,
and
said
,
with
an
air
of
much
concern
and
annoyance
,
"
I
am
sorry
to
have
to
tell
you
,
ladies
and
gentlemen
,
that
—
doubtless
owing
to
some
accidental
cause
which
I
trust
will
soon
be
explained
as
nothing
serious
—
Mr
Sherlock
is
absent
from
his
residence
,
and
is
not
to
be
found
.
He
went
out
early
,
his
landlady
informs
me
,
to
refresh
himself
by
a
walk
on
this
agreeable
morning
,
as
is
his
habit
,
she
tells
me
,
when
he
has
been
kept
up
late
by
study
;
and
he
has
not
returned
.
Do
not
let
us
be
too
anxious
.
I
shall
cause
inquiry
to
be
made
in
the
direction
of
his
walk
.
It
is
easy
to
imagine
many
accidents
,
not
of
a
grave
character
,
by
which
he
might
nevertheless
be
absolutely
detained
against
his
will
.
Under
these
circumstances
,
Mr
Lyon
,
"
continued
Philip
,
turning
to
the
minister
,
"
I
presume
that
the
debate
must
be
adjourned
.
"
"
The
debate
,
doubtless
,
"
began
Mr
Lyon
;
but
his
further
speech
was
drowned
by
a
general
rising
of
the
Church
people
from
their
seats
,
many
of
them
feeling
that
,
even
if
the
cause
were
lamentable
,
the
adjournment
was
not
altogether
disagreeable
.
"
Good
gracious
me
!
"
said
Mrs
Tiliot
,
as
she
took
her
husband
's
arm
,
"
I
hope
the
poor
young
man
has
n't
fallen
into
the
river
or
broken
his
leg
.
"
But
some
of
the
more
acrid
Dissenters
,
whose
temper
was
not
controlled
by
the
habits
of
retail
business
,
had
begun
to
hiss
,
implying
that
in
their
interpretation
the
Curate
's
absence
had
not
depended
on
any
injury
to
life
or
limb
.
"
He
's
turned
tail
,
sure
enough
,
"
said
Mr
Muscat
to
the
neighbour
behind
him
,
lifting
his
eyebrows
and
shoulders
,
and
laughing
in
a
way
that
showed
that
,
deacon
as
he
was
,
he
looked
at
the
affair
in
an
entirely
secular
light
.
But
Mrs
Muscat
thought
it
would
be
nothing
but
right
to
have
all
the
waters
dragged
,
agreeing
in
this
with
the
majority
of
the
Church
ladies
.
"
I
regret
sincerely
,
Mr
Lyon
,
"
said
Philip
Debarry
,
addressing
the
minister
with
politeness
,
"
that
I
must
say
good-morning
to
you
,
with
the
sense
that
I
have
not
been
able
at
present
to
contribute
to
your
satisfaction
as
I
had
wished
.
"
"
Speak
not
of
it
in
the
way
of
apology
,
sir
,
"
said
Mr
Lyon
,
in
a
tone
of
depression
.
"
I
doubt
not
that
you
yourself
have
acted
in
good
faith
.
Nor
will
I
open
any
door
of
egress
to
constructions
such
as
anger
often
deems
ingenious
,
but
which
the
disclosure
of
the
simple
truth
may
expose
as
erroneous
and
uncharitable
fabrications
.
I
wish
you
good-morning
,
sir
.
"
When
the
room
was
cleared
of
the
Church
people
,
Mr
Lyon
wished
to
soothe
his
own
spirit
and
that
of
his
flock
by
a
few
reflections
introductory
to
a
parting
prayer
.
But
there
was
a
general
resistance
to
this
effort
.
The
men
mustered
round
the
minister
,
and
declared
their
opinion
that
the
whole
thing
was
disgraceful
to
the
Church
.
Some
said
the
Curate
's
absence
had
been
contrived
from
the
first
.
Others
more
than
hinted
that
it
had
been
a
folly
in
Mr
Lyon
to
set
on
foot
any
procedure
in
common
with
Tories
and
Clergymen
,
who
,
if
they
ever
aped
civility
to
Dissenters
,
would
never
do
anything
but
laugh
at
them
in
their
sleeves
.
Brother
Kemp
urged
in
his
heavy
bass
that
Mr
Lyon
should
lose
no
time
in
sending
an
account
of
the
affair
to
the
'
Patriot
;
'
and
Brother
Hawkins
,
in
his
high
tenor
,
observed
that
it
was
an
occasion
on
which
some
stinging
things
might
be
said
with
all
the
extra
effect
of
an
apropos
.
The
position
of
receiving
a
many-voiced
lecture
from
the
members
of
his
church
was
familiar
to
Mr
Lyon
;
but
now
he
felt
weary
,
frustrated
,
and
doubtful
of
his
own
temper
.
Felix
,
who
stood
by
and
saw
that
this
man
of
sensitive
fibre
was
suffering
from
talkers
whose
noisy
superficiality
cost
them
nothing
,
got
exasperated
.
"
It
seems
to
me
,
sirs
,
"
he
burst
in
,
with
his
predominant
voice
,
"
that
Mr
Lyon
has
hitherto
had
the
hard
part
of
the
business
,
while
you
of
his
congregation
have
had
the
easy
one
.
Punish
the
Church
clergy
,
if
you
like
—
they
can
take
care
of
the
themselves
.
But
do
n't
punish
your
own
minister
.
It
's
no
business
of
mine
,
perhaps
,
except
so
far
as
fair-play
is
everybody
's
business
;
but
it
seems
to
me
the
time
to
ask
Mr
Lyon
to
take
a
little
rest
,
instead
of
setting
on
him
like
so
many
wasps
.
"
By
this
speech
Felix
raised
a
displeasure
which
fell
on
the
minister
as
well
as
on
himself
;
but
he
gained
his
immediate
end
.
The
talkers
dropped
off
after
a
slight
show
of
persistence
,
and
Mr
Lyon
quitted
the
field
of
no
combat
with
a
small
group
of
his
less
imperious
friends
,
to
whom
he
confided
his
intention
of
committing
his
argument
fully
to
paper
,
and
forwarding
it
to
a
discriminating
editor
.
"
But
regarding
personalities
,
"
he
added
,
"
I
have
not
the
same
clear
showing
.
For
,
say
that
this
young
man
was
pusillanimous
—
I
were
but
ill
provided
with
arguments
if
I
took
my
stand
even
for
a
moment
on
so
poor
an
irrelevancy
as
that
because
one
curate
is
ill
furnished
therefore
Episcopacy
is
false
.
If
I
held
up
any
one
to
just
obloquy
,
it
would
be
the
well-designated
Incumbent
of
this
parish
,
who
,
calling
himself
one
of
the
Church
militant
,
sends
a
young
and
weak-kneed
substitute
to
take
his
place
in
the
fight
.
"
Mr
Philip
Debarry
did
not
neglect
to
make
industrious
inquiry
concerning
the
accidents
which
had
detained
the
Rev.
Theodore
Sherlock
on
his
morning
walk
.
That
well-intentioned
young
divine
was
seen
no
more
in
Treby
Magna
.
But
the
river
was
not
dragged
,
for
by
the
evening
coach
the
Rector
received
an
explanatory
letter
.
The
Rev.
Theodore
's
agitation
had
increased
so
much
during
his
walk
,
that
the
passing
coach
had
been
a
means
of
deliverance
not
to
be
resisted
;
and
,
literally
at
the
eleventh
hour
,
he
had
hailed
and
mounted
the
cheerful
Tally-ho
!
and
carried
away
his
portion
of
the
debate
in
his
pocket
.
But
the
Rector
had
subsequently
the
satisfaction
of
receiving
Mr
Sherlock
's
painstaking
production
in
print
,
with
a
dedication
to
the
Rev.
Augustus
Debarry
,
a
motto
from
St
Chrysostom
,
and
other
additions
,
the
fruit
of
ripening
leisure
.
He
was
"
sorry
for
poor
Sherlock
,
who
wanted
confidence
;
"
but
he
was
convinced
that
for
his
own
part
he
had
taken
the
course
which
under
the
circumstances
was
the
least
compromising
to
the
Church
.
Sir
Maximus
,
however
,
observed
to
his
son
and
brother
that
he
had
been
right
and
they
had
been
wrong
as
to
the
danger
of
vague
,
enormous
expressions
of
gratitude
to
a
Dissenting
preacher
,
and
on
any
differences
of
opinion
seldom
failed
to
remind
them
of
that
precedent
.
CHAPTER
XXV
.
Your
fellow-man
?
—
Divide
the
epithet
:
Say
rather
,
you
're
the
fellow
,
he
the
man
.
When
Christian
quitted
the
Free
School
with
the
discovery
that
the
young
lady
whose
appearance
had
first
startled
him
with
an
indefinable
impression
in
the
market-place
was
the
daughter
of
the
old
Dissenting
preacher
who
had
shown
so
much
agitated
curiosity
about
his
name
,
he
felt
very
much
like
an
uninitiated
chess-player
who
sees
that
the
pieces
are
in
a
peculiar
position
on
the
board
,
and
might
open
the
way
for
him
to
give
checkmate
,
if
he
only
knew
how
.
Ever
since
his
interview
with
Jermyn
,
his
mind
had
been
occupied
with
the
charade
it
offered
to
his
ingenuity
.
What
was
the
real
meaning
of
the
lawyer
's
interest
in
him
,
and
in
his
relations
with
Maurice
Christian
Bycliffe
?
Here
was
a
secret
;
and
secrets
were
often
a
source
of
profit
,
of
that
agreeable
kind
which
involved
little
labour
.
Jermyn
had
hinted
at
profit
which
might
possibly
come
through
him
;
but
Christian
said
inwardly
,
with
well-satisfied
self-esteem
,
that
he
was
not
so
pitiable
a
nincompoop
as
to
trust
Jermyn
.
On
the
contrary
,
the
only
problem
before
him
was
to
find
out
by
what
combination
of
independent
knowledge
he
could
outwit
Jermyn
,
elude
any
purchase
the
attorney
had
on
him
through
his
past
history
,
and
get
a
handsome
bonus
,
by
which
a
somewhat
shattered
man
of
pleasure
might
live
well
without
a
master
.
Christian
,
having
early
exhausted
the
more
impulsive
delights
of
life
,
had
become
a
sober
calculator
;
and
he
had
made
up
his
mind
that
,
for
a
man
who
had
long
ago
run
through
his
own
money
,
servitude
in
a
great
family
was
the
best
kind
of
retirement
after
that
of
a
pensioner
;
but
if
a
better
chance
offered
,
a
person
of
talent
must
not
let
it
slip
through
his
fingers
.
He
held
various
ends
of
threads
,
but
there
was
danger
in
pulling
at
them
too
impatiently
.
He
had
not
forgotten
the
surprise
which
had
made
him
drop
the
punch-ladle
,
when
Mr
Crowder
,
talking
in
the
steward
's
room
,
had
said
that
a
scamp
named
Henry
Scaddon
had
been
concerned
in
a
lawsuit
about
the
Transome
estate
.
Again
,
Jermyn
was
the
family
lawyer
of
the
Transomes
;
he
knew
about
the
exchange
of
names
between
Scaddon
and
Bycliffe
;
he
clearly
wanted
to
know
as
much
as
he
could
about
Bycliffe
's
history
.
The
conclusion
was
not
remote
that
Bycliffe
had
had
some
claim
on
the
Transome
property
,
and
that
a
difficulty
had
arisen
from
his
being
confounded
with
Henry
Scaddon
.
But
hitherto
the
other
incident
which
had
been
apparently
connected
with
the
interchange
of
names
—
Mr
Lyon
's
demand
that
he
should
write
down
the
name
Maurice
Christian
,
accompanied
with
the
question
whether
that
were
his
whole
name
—
had
had
no
visible
link
with
the
inferences
arrived
at
through
Crowder
and
Jermyn
.
The
discovery
made
this
morning
at
the
Free
School
that
Esther
was
the
daughter
of
the
Dissenting
preacher
at
last
suggested
a
possible
link
.
Until
then
,
Christian
had
not
known
why
Esther
's
face
had
impressed
him
so
peculiarly
;
but
the
minister
's
chief
association
for
him
was
with
Bycliffe
,
and
that
association
served
as
a
flash
to
show
him
that
Esther
's
features
and
expression
,
and
still
more
her
bearing
,
now
she
stood
and
walked
,
revived
Bycliffe
's
image
.
Daughter
?
There
were
various
ways
of
being
a
daughter
.
Suppose
this
were
a
case
of
adoption
:
suppose
Bycliffe
were
known
to
be
dead
,
or
thought
to
be
dead
.
"
Begad
,
if
the
old
parson
had
fancied
the
original
father
was
come
to
life
again
,
it
was
enough
to
frighten
him
a
little
.
Slow
and
steady
,
"
Christian
said
to
himself
;
"
I
'll
get
some
talk
with
the
old
man
again
.
He
's
safe
enough
:
one
can
handle
him
without
cutting
one
's
self
.
I
'll
tell
him
I
knew
Bycliffe
,
and
was
his
fellow-prisoner
.
I
'll
worm
out
the
truth
about
this
daughter
.
Could
pretty
Annette
have
married
again
,
and
married
this
little
scarecrow
?
There
's
no
knowing
what
a
woman
will
not
do
.
"
Christian
could
see
no
distinct
result
for
himself
from
his
industry
;
but
if
there
were
to
be
any
such
result
,
it
must
be
reached
by
following
out
every
clue
;
and
to
the
non-legal
mind
there
are
dim
possibilities
in
law
and
heirship
which
prevent
any
issue
from
seeming
too
miraculous
.
The
consequence
of
these
meditations
was
,
that
Christian
hung
about
Treby
more
than
usual
in
his
leisure
time
,
and
that
on
the
first
opportunity
he
accosted
Mr
Lyon
in
the
street
with
suitable
civility
,
stating
that
since
the
occasion
which
had
brought
them
together
some
weeks
before
he
had
often
wished
to
renew
their
conversation
,
and
,
with
Mr
Lyon
's
permission
,
would
now
ask
to
do
so
.
After
being
assured
,
as
he
had
been
by
Jermyn
,
that
this
courier
,
who
had
happened
by
some
accident
to
possess
the
memorable
locket
and
pocket-book
,
was
certainly
not
Annette
's
husband
,
and
was
ignorant
whether
Maurice
Christian
Bycliffe
were
living
or
dead
,
the
minister
's
mind
had
become
easy
again
;
his
habitual
lack
of
interest
in
personal
details
rendering
him
gradually
oblivious
of
Jermyn
's
precautionary
statement
that
he
was
pursuing
inquiries
,
and
that
if
anything
of
interest
turned
up
,
Mr
Lyon
should
be
made
acquainted
with
it
.
Hence
,
when
Christian
addressed
him
,
the
minister
,
taken
by
surprise
and
shaken
by
the
recollections
of
former
anxieties
,
said
,
helplessly
,
"
If
it
is
business
,
sir
,
you
would
perhaps
do
better
to
address
yourself
to
Mr
Jermyn
.
"
He
could
not
have
said
anything
that
was
a
more
valuable
hint
to
Christian
.
He
inferred
that
the
minister
had
made
a
confidant
of
Jermyn
,
and
it
was
needful
to
be
wary
.
"
On
the
contrary
,
sir
,
"
he
answered
,
"
it
may
be
of
the
utmost
importance
to
you
that
what
passes
between
us
should
not
be
known
to
Mr
Jermyn
.
"
Mr
Lyon
was
perplexed
,
and
felt
at
once
that
he
was
no
more
in
clear
daylight
concerning
Jermyn
than
concerning
Christian
.
He
dared
not
neglect
the
possible
duty
of
hearing
what
this
man
had
to
say
,
and
he
invited
him
to
proceed
to
Malthouse
Yard
,
where
they
could
converse
in
private
.
Once
in
Mr
Lyon
's
study
,
Christian
opened
the
dialogue
by
saying
that
since
he
was
in
this
room
before
it
had
occurred
to
him
that
the
anxiety
he
had
observed
in
Mr
Lyon
might
be
owing
to
some
acquaintance
with
Maurice
Christian
Bycliffe
—
a
fellow-prisoner
in
France
whom
he
,
Christian
,
had
assisted
in
getting
freed
from
his
imprisonment
,
and
who
,
in
fact
,
had
been
the
owner
of
the
trifles
which
Mr
Lyon
had
recently
had
in
his
possession
and
had
restored
.
Christian
hastened
to
say
that
he
knew
nothing
of
Bycliffe
's
history
since
they
had
parted
in
France
,
but
that
he
knew
of
his
marriage
with
Annette
Ledru
,
and
had
been
acquainted
with
Annette
herself
.
He
would
be
very
glad
to
know
what
became
of
Bycliffe
,
if
he
could
,
for
he
liked
him
uncommonly
.
Here
Christian
paused
;
but
Mr
Lyon
only
sat
changing
colour
and
trembling
.
This
man
's
bearing
and
tone
of
mind
were
made
repulsive
to
him
by
being
brought
in
contact
with
keenly-felt
memories
,
and
he
could
not
readily
summon
the
courage
to
give
answers
or
ask
questions
.
"
May
I
ask
if
you
knew
my
friend
Bycliffe
?
"
said
Christian
,
trying
a
more
direct
method
.
"
No
,
sir
;
I
never
saw
him
.
"
"
Ah
!
well
—
you
have
seen
a
very
striking
likeness
of
him
.
It
's
wonderful
—
unaccountable
;
but
when
I
saw
Miss
Lyon
at
the
Free
School
the
other
day
,
I
could
have
sworn
she
was
Bycliffe
's
daughter
.
"
"
Sir
!
"
said
Mr
Lyon
,
in
his
deepest
tone
,
half
rising
,
and
holding
by
the
arms
of
his
chair
,
"
these
subjects
touch
me
with
too
sharp
a
point
for
you
to
be
justified
in
thrusting
them
on
me
out
of
mere
levity
.
Is
there
any
good
you
seek
or
any
injury
you
fear
in
relation
to
them
?
"
"
Precisely
,
sir
.
We
shall
come
now
to
an
understanding
.
Suppose
I
believed
that
the
young
lady
who
goes
by
the
name
of
Miss
Lyon
was
the
daughter
of
Bycliffe
?
"
Mr
Lyon
moved
his
lips
silently
.
"
And
suppose
I
had
reason
to
suspect
that
there
would
be
some
great
advantage
for
her
if
the
law
knew
who
was
her
father
?
"
"
Sir
!
"
said
Mr
Lyon
,
shaken
out
of
all
reticence
,
"
I
would
not
conceal
it
.
She
believes
herself
to
be
my
daughter
.
But
I
will
bear
all
things
rather
than
deprive
her
of
a
right
.
Nevertheless
I
appeal
to
the
pity
of
any
fellow-man
,
not
to
thrust
himself
between
her
and
me
,
but
to
let
me
disclose
the
truth
to
her
myself
.
"
"
All
in
good
time
,
"
said
Christian
.
"
We
must
do
nothing
rash
.
Then
Miss
Lyon
is
Annette
's
child
?
"
The
minister
shivered
as
if
the
edge
of
a
knife
had
been
drawn
across
his
hand
.
But
the
tone
of
this
question
,
by
the
very
fact
that
it
intensified
his
antipathy
to
Christian
,
enabled
him
to
collect
himself
for
what
must
be
simply
the
endurance
of
a
painful
operation
.
After
a
moment
or
two
he
said
more
coolly
,
"
It
is
true
,
sir
.
Her
mother
became
my
wife
.
Proceed
with
any
statement
which
may
concern
my
duty
.
"
"
I
have
no
more
to
say
than
this
:
If
there
's
a
prize
that
the
law
might
hand
over
to
Bycliffe
's
daughter
,
I
am
much
mistaken
if
there
is
n't
a
lawyer
who
'll
take
precious
good
care
to
keep
the
law
hoodwinked
.
And
that
lawyer
is
Mat
Jermyn
.
Why
,
my
good
sir
,
if
you
've
been
taking
Jermyn
into
your
confidence
,
you
've
been
setting
the
fox
to
keep
off
the
weasel
.
It
strikes
me
that
when
you
were
made
a
little
anxious
about
those
articles
of
poor
Bycliffe
's
,
you
put
Jermyn
on
making
inquiries
of
me
.
Eh
?
I
think
I
am
right
?
"
"
I
do
not
deny
it
.
"
"
Ah
!
—
it
was
very
well
you
did
,
for
by
that
means
I
've
found
out
that
he
's
got
hold
of
some
secrets
about
Bycliffe
which
he
means
to
stifle
.
Now
,
sir
,
if
you
desire
any
justice
for
your
daughter
,
step-daughter
,
I
should
say
—
do
n't
so
much
as
wink
to
yourself
before
Jermyn
;
and
if
you
've
got
any
papers
or
things
of
that
sort
that
may
come
in
evidence
,
as
these
confounded
rascals
the
lawyers
call
it
,
clutch
them
tight
,
for
if
they
get
into
Jermyn
's
hands
they
may
soon
fly
up
the
chimney
.
Have
I
said
enough
?
"
"
I
had
not
purposed
any
further
communication
with
Mr
Jermyn
,
sir
;
indeed
,
I
have
nothing
further
to
communicate
.
Except
that
one
fact
concerning
my
daughter
's
birth
,
which
I
have
erred
in
concealing
from
her
,
I
neither
seek
disclosures
nor
do
I
tremble
before
them
.
"
"
Then
I
have
your
word
that
you
will
be
silent
about
this
conversation
between
us
?
It
is
for
your
daughter
's
interest
,
mind
.
"
"
Sir
,
I
shall
be
silent
,
"
said
Mr
Lyon
,
with
cold
gravity
.
"
Unless
,
"
he
added
,
with
an
acumen
as
to
possibilities
rather
disturbing
to
Christian
's
confident
contempt
for
the
old
man
—
"
unless
I
were
called
upon
by
some
tribunal
to
declare
the
whole
truth
in
this
relation
;
in
which
case
I
should
submit
myself
to
that
authority
of
investigation
which
is
a
requisite
of
social
order
.
"
Christian
departed
,
feeling
satisfied
that
he
had
got
the
utmost
to
be
obtained
at
present
out
of
the
Dissenting
preacher
,
whom
he
had
not
dared
to
question
more
closely
.
He
must
look
out
for
chance
lights
,
and
perhaps
,
too
,
he
might
catch
a
stray
hint
by
stirring
the
sediment
of
Mr
Crowder
's
memory
.
But
he
must
not
venture
on
inquiries
that
might
be
noticed
.
He
was
in
awe
of
Jermyn
.
When
Mr
Lyon
was
alone
he
paced
up
and
down
among
his
books
,
and
thought
aloud
,
in
order
to
relieve
himself
after
the
constraint
of
this
interview
.
"
I
will
not
wait
for
the
urgency
of
necessity
,
"
he
said
,
more
than
once
.
"
I
will
tell
the
child
,
without
compulsion
.
And
then
I
shall
fear
nothing
.
And
an
unwonted
spirit
of
tenderness
has
filled
her
of
late
.
She
will
forgive
me
.
"
CHAPTER
XXVI
.
Consideration
like
an
angel
came
And
whipped
the
offending
Adam
out
of
her
;
Leaving
her
body
as
a
paradise
To
envelop
and
contain
celestial
spirits
.
Shakspeare
:
Henry
V.
The
next
morning
,
after
much
prayer
for
the
needful
strength
and
wisdom
,
Mr
Lyon
came
down-stairs
with
the
resolution
that
another
day
should
not
pass
without
the
fulfilment
of
the
task
he
had
laid
on
himself
;
but
what
hour
he
should
choose
for
his
solemn
disclosure
to
Esther
,
must
depend
on
their
mutual
occupations
.
Perhaps
he
must
defer
it
till
they
sat
up
alone
together
,
after
Lyddy
was
gone
to
bed
.
But
at
breakfast
Esther
said
,
"
To-day
is
a
holiday
,
father
.
My
pupils
are
all
going
to
Duffield
to
see
the
wild
beasts
.
What
have
you
got
to
do
to-day
?
Come
,
you
are
eating
no
breakfast
.
O
,
Lyddy
,
Lyddy
,
the
eggs
are
hard
again
.
I
wish
you
would
not
read
Alleyne
's
'
Alarm
'
before
breakfast
;
it
makes
you
cry
and
forget
the
eggs
.
"
"
They
are
hard
,
and
that
's
the
truth
;
but
there
's
hearts
as
are
harder
,
Miss
Esther
,
"
said
Lyddy
.
"
I
think
not
,
"
said
Esther
.
"
This
is
leathery
enough
for
the
heart
of
the
most
obdurate
Jew
.
Pray
give
it
little
Zachary
for
a
football
.
"
"
Dear
,
dear
,
do
n't
you
be
so
light
,
miss.
We
may
all
be
dead
before
night
.
"
"
You
speak
out
of
season
,
my
good
Lyddy
,
"
said
Mr
Lyon
,
wearily
;
"
depart
into
the
kitchen
.
"
"
What
have
you
got
to
do
to-day
,
father
?
"
persisted
Esther
.
"
I
have
a
holiday
.
"
Mr
Lyon
felt
as
if
this
were
a
fresh
summons
not
to
delay
.
"
I
have
something
of
great
moment
to
do
,
my
dear
;
and
since
you
are
not
otherwise
demanded
,
I
will
ask
you
to
come
and
sit
with
me
up-stairs
.
"
Esther
wondered
what
there
could
be
on
her
father
's
mind
more
pressing
than
his
morning
studies
.
She
soon
knew
.
Motionless
,
but
mentally
stirred
as
she
had
never
been
before
,
Esther
listened
to
her
mother
's
story
,
and
to
the
outpouring
of
her
stepfather
's
long-pent-up
experience
.
The
rays
of
the
morning
sun
which
fell
athwart
the
books
,
the
sense
of
the
beginning
day
,
had
deepened
the
solemnity
more
than
night
would
have
done
.
All
knowledge
which
alters
our
lives
penetrates
us
more
when
it
comes
in
the
early
morning
:
the
day
that
has
to
be
travelled
with
something
new
and
perhaps
for
ever
sad
in
its
light
,
is
an
image
of
the
life
that
spreads
beyond
.
But
at
night
the
time
of
rest
is
near
.
Mr
Lyon
regarded
his
narrative
as
a
confession
—
as
a
revelation
to
this
beloved
child
of
his
own
miserable
weakness
and
error
.
But
to
her
it
seemed
a
revelation
of
another
sort
:
her
mind
seemed
suddenly
enlarged
by
a
vision
of
passion
and
struggle
,
of
delight
and
renunciation
,
in
the
lot
of
beings
who
had
hitherto
been
a
dull
enigma
to
her
.
And
in
the
act
of
unfolding
to
her
that
he
was
not
her
real
father
,
but
had
only
striven
to
cherish
her
as
a
father
,
had
only
longed
to
be
loved
as
a
father
,
the
odd
,
wayworn
,
unworldly
man
became
the
object
of
a
new
sympathy
in
which
Esther
felt
herself
exalted
.
Perhaps
this
knowledge
would
have
been
less
powerful
within
her
,
but
for
the
mental
preparation
that
had
come
during
the
last
two
months
from
her
acquaintance
with
Felix
Holt
,
which
had
taught
her
to
doubt
the
infallibility
of
her
own
standard
,
and
raised
a
presentiment
of
moral
depths
that
were
hidden
from
her
.
Esther
had
taken
her
place
opposite
to
her
father
,
and
had
not
moved
even
her
clasped
hands
while
he
was
speaking
.
But
after
the
long
outpouring
in
which
he
seemed
to
lose
the
sense
of
everything
but
the
memories
he
was
giving
utterance
to
,
he
paused
a
little
while
and
then
said
timidly
,
"
This
is
a
late
retrieval
of
a
long
error
,
Esther
.
I
make
not
excuses
for
myself
,
for
we
ought
to
strive
that
our
affections
be
rooted
in
the
truth
.
Nevertheless
you
—
"
Esther
had
risen
,
and
had
glided
on
to
the
wooden
stool
on
a
level
with
her
father
's
chair
,
where
he
was
accustomed
to
lay
books
.
She
wanted
to
speak
,
but
the
floodgates
could
not
be
opened
for
words
alone
.
She
threw
her
arms
round
the
old
man
's
neck
and
sobbed
out
with
a
passionate
cry
,
"
Father
,
father
!
forgive
me
if
I
have
not
loved
you
enough
.
I
will
—
I
will
!
"
The
old
man
's
little
delicate
frame
was
shaken
by
a
surprise
and
joy
that
were
almost
painful
in
their
intensity
.
He
had
been
going
to
ask
forgiveness
of
her
who
asked
it
for
herself
.
In
that
moment
of
supreme
complex
emotion
one
ray
of
the
minister
's
joy
was
the
thought
,
"
Surely
the
work
of
grace
is
begun
in
her
—
surely
here
is
a
heart
that
the
Lord
hath
touched
.
"
They
sat
so
,
enclasped
in
silence
,
while
Esther
relieved
her
full
heart
.
When
she
raised
her
head
,
she
sat
quite
still
for
a
minute
or
two
looking
fixedly
before
her
,
and
keeping
one
little
hand
in
the
minister
's
.
Presently
she
looked
at
him
and
said
,
"
Then
you
lived
like
a
working
man
,
father
;
you
were
very
,
very
poor
.
Yet
my
mother
had
been
used
to
luxury
.
She
was
well
born
—
she
was
a
lady
.
"
"
It
is
true
,
my
dear
;
it
was
a
poor
life
that
I
could
give
her
.
"
Mr
Lyon
answered
in
utter
dimness
as
to
the
course
Esther
's
mind
was
taking
.
He
had
anticipated
before
his
disclosure
,
from
his
long-standing
discernment
of
tendencies
in
her
which
were
often
the
cause
of
silent
grief
to
him
,
that
the
discovery
likely
to
have
the
keenest
interest
for
her
would
be
that
her
parents
had
a
higher
rank
than
that
of
the
poor
Dissenting
preacher
;
but
she
had
shown
that
other
and
better
sensibilities
were
predominant
.
He
rebuked
himself
now
for
a
hasty
and
shallow
judgment
concerning
the
child
's
inner
life
,
and
waited
for
new
clearness
.
"
But
that
must
be
the
best
life
,
father
,
"
said
Esther
,
suddenly
rising
,
with
a
flush
across
her
paleness
,
and
standing
with
her
head
thrown
a
little
backward
,
as
if
some
illumination
had
given
her
a
new
decision
.
"
That
must
be
the
best
life
.
"
"
What
life
,
my
dear
child
?
"
"
Why
,
that
where
one
bears
and
does
everything
because
of
some
great
and
strong
feeling
—
so
that
this
and
that
in
one
's
circumstances
do
n't
signify
.
"
"
Yea
,
verily
;
but
the
feeling
that
should
be
thus
supreme
is
devotedness
to
the
Divine
Will
.
"
Esther
did
not
speak
;
her
father
's
words
did
not
fit
on
to
the
impressions
wrought
in
her
by
what
he
had
told
her
.
She
sat
down
again
,
and
said
,
more
quietly
,
"
Mamma
did
not
speak
much
of
my
—
first
father
?
"
"
Not
much
,
dear
.
She
said
he
was
beautiful
to
the
eye
,
and
good
and
generous
;
and
that
his
family
was
of
those
who
have
been
long
privileged
among
their
fellows
.
But
now
I
will
deliver
to
you
the
letters
,
which
,
together
with
a
ring
and
locket
,
are
the
only
visible
memorials
she
retained
of
him
.
"
Mr
Lyon
reached
and
delivered
to
Esther
the
box
containing
the
relics
.
"
Take
them
,
and
examine
them
in
privacy
,
my
dear
.
And
that
I
may
no
more
err
by
concealment
,
I
will
tell
you
some
late
occurrences
that
bear
on
these
memorials
,
though
to
my
present
apprehension
doubtfully
and
confusedly
.
"
He
then
narrated
to
Esther
all
that
had
passed
between
himself
and
Christian
.
The
possibility
—
to
which
Mr
Lyon
's
alarms
had
pointed
—
that
her
real
father
might
still
be
living
,
was
a
new
shock
.
She
could
not
speak
about
it
to
her
present
father
,
but
it
was
registered
in
silence
as
a
painful
addition
to
the
uncertainties
which
she
suddenly
saw
hanging
over
her
life
.
"
I
have
little
confidence
in
this
man
's
allegations
,
"
Mr
Lyon
ended
.
"
I
confess
his
presence
and
speech
are
to
me
as
the
jarring
of
metal
.
He
bears
the
stamp
of
one
who
has
never
conceived
aught
of
more
sanctity
than
the
lust
of
the
eye
and
the
pride
of
life
.
He
hints
at
some
possible
inheritance
for
you
,
and
denounces
mysteriously
the
devices
of
Mr
Jermyn
.
All
this
may
or
may
not
have
a
true
foundation
.
But
it
is
not
my
part
to
move
in
this
matter
save
on
a
clearer
showing
.
"
"
Certainly
not
,
father
,
"
said
Esther
,
eagerly
.
A
little
while
ago
,
these
problematic
prospects
might
have
set
her
dreaming
pleasantly
;
but
now
,
for
some
reasons
that
she
could
not
have
put
distinctly
into
words
,
they
affected
her
with
dread
.
CHAPTER
XXVII
.
To
hear
with
eyes
is
part
of
love
's
rare
wit
.
Shakspeare
:
Sonnets
.
Custom
calls
me
to't
:
—
What
custom
wills
,
in
all
things
should
we
do't
?
The
dust
on
antique
time
would
lie
unswept
,
And
mountainous
error
be
too
highly
heaped
For
truth
to
over-peer
.
Coriolanus
.
In
the
afternoon
Mr
Lyon
went
out
to
see
the
sick
amongst
his
flock
,
and
Esther
,
who
had
been
passing
the
morning
in
dwelling
on
the
memories
and
the
few
remaining
relics
of
her
parents
,
was
left
alone
in
the
parlour
amidst
the
lingering
odours
of
the
early
dinner
,
not
easily
got
rid
of
in
that
small
house
.
Rich
people
,
who
know
nothing
of
these
vulgar
details
,
can
hardly
imagine
their
significance
in
the
history
of
multitudes
of
human
lives
in
which
the
sensibilities
are
never
adjusted
to
the
external
conditions
.
Esther
always
felt
so
much
discomfort
from
those
odours
that
she
usually
seized
any
possibility
of
escaping
from
them
,
and
to-day
they
oppressed
her
the
more
because
she
was
weary
with
long-continued
agitation
.
Why
did
she
not
put
on
her
bonnet
as
usual
and
get
out
into
the
open
air
?
It
was
one
of
those
pleasant
November
afternoons
—
pleasant
in
the
wide
country
—
when
the
sunshine
is
on
the
clinging
brown
leaves
of
the
young
oaks
,
and
the
last
yellow
leaves
of
the
elms
flutter
down
in
the
fresh
but
not
eager
breeze
.
But
Esther
sat
still
on
the
sofa
—
pale
and
with
reddened
eyelids
,
her
curls
all
pushed
back
carelessly
,
and
her
elbow
resting
on
the
ridgy
black
horsehair
,
which
usually
almost
set
her
teeth
on
edge
if
she
pressed
it
even
through
her
sleeve
—
while
her
eyes
rested
blankly
on
the
dull
street
.
Lyddy
had
said
,
"
Miss
,
you
look
sadly
;
if
you
ca
n't
take
a
walk
,
go
and
lie
down
.
"
She
had
never
seen
the
curls
in
such
disorder
,
and
she
reflected
that
there
had
been
a
death
from
typhus
recently
.
But
the
obstinate
Miss
only
shook
her
head
.
Esther
was
waiting
for
the
sake
of
—
not
a
probability
,
but
—
a
mere
possibility
,
which
made
the
brothy
odours
endurable
.
Apparently
,
in
less
than
half
an
hour
,
the
possibility
came
to
pass
,
for
she
changed
her
attitude
,
almost
started
from
her
seat
,
sat
down
again
,
and
listened
eagerly
.
If
Lyddy
should
send
him
away
,
could
she
herself
rush
out
and
call
him
back
?
Why
not
?
Such
things
were
permissible
where
it
was
understood
,
from
the
necessity
of
the
case
,
that
there
was
only
friendship
.
But
Lyddy
opened
the
door
and
said
,
"
Here
's
Mr
Holt
,
miss
,
wants
to
know
if
you
'll
give
him
leave
to
come
in
.
I
told
him
you
was
sadly
.
"
"
O
yes
,
Lyddy
,
beg
him
to
come
in
.
"
"
I
should
not
have
persevered
,
"
said
Felix
,
as
they
shook
hands
,
"
only
I
know
Lyddy
's
dismal
way
.
But
you
do
look
ill
,
"
he
went
on
,
as
he
seated
himself
at
the
other
end
of
the
sofa
.
"
Or
rather
—
for
that
's
a
false
way
of
putting
it
—
you
look
as
if
you
had
been
very
much
distressed
.
Do
you
mind
about
my
taking
notice
of
it
?
"
He
spoke
very
kindly
,
and
looked
at
her
more
persistently
than
he
had
ever
done
before
,
when
her
hair
was
perfect
.
"
You
are
quite
right
.
I
am
not
at
all
ill.
But
I
have
been
very
much
agitated
this
morning
.
My
father
has
been
telling
me
things
I
never
heard
before
about
my
mother
,
and
giving
me
things
that
belonged
to
her
.
She
died
when
I
was
a
very
little
creature
.
"
"
Then
it
is
no
new
pain
or
trouble
for
you
and
Mr
Lyon
?
I
could
not
help
being
anxious
to
know
that
.
"
Esther
passed
her
hand
over
her
brow
before
she
answered
.
"
I
hardly
know
whether
it
is
pain
,
or
something
better
than
pleasure
.
It
has
made
me
see
things
I
was
blind
to
before
—
depths
in
my
father
's
nature
.
"
As
she
said
this
,
she
looked
at
Felix
,
and
their
eyes
met
very
gravely
.
"
It
is
such
a
beautiful
day
,
"
he
said
,
"
it
would
do
you
good
to
go
into
the
air
.
Let
me
take
you
along
the
river
towards
Little
Treby
,
will
you
?
"
"
I
will
put
my
bonnet
on
,
"
said
Esther
,
unhesitatingly
,
though
they
had
never
walked
out
together
before
.
It
is
true
that
to
get
into
the
fields
they
had
to
pass
through
the
street
;
and
when
Esther
saw
some
acquaintances
,
she
reflected
that
her
walking
alone
with
Felix
might
be
a
subject
of
remark
—
all
the
more
because
of
his
cap
,
patched
boots
,
no
cravat
,
and
thick
stick
.
Esther
was
a
little
amazed
herself
at
what
she
had
come
to
.
So
our
lives
glide
on
:
the
river
ends
we
do
n't
know
where
,
and
the
sea
begins
,
and
then
there
is
no
more
jumping
ashore
.
When
they
were
in
the
streets
Esther
hardly
spoke
.
Felix
talked
with
his
usual
readiness
,
as
easily
as
if
he
were
not
doing
it
solely
to
divert
her
thoughts
,
first
about
Job
Tudge
's
delicate
chest
,
and
the
probability
that
the
little
white-faced
monkey
would
not
live
long
;
and
then
about
a
miserable
beginning
of
a
night-school
,
which
was
all
he
could
get
together
at
Sproxton
;
and
the
dismalness
of
that
hamlet
,
which
was
a
sort
of
lip
to
the
coalpit
on
one
side
and
the
"
public
"
on
the
other
—
and
yet
a
paradise
compared
with
the
wynds
of
Glasgow
,
where
there
was
little
more
than
a
chink
of
daylight
to
show
the
hatred
in
women
's
faces
.
But
soon
they
got
into
the
fields
,
where
there
was
a
right
of
way
towards
Little
Treby
,
now
following
the
course
of
the
river
,
now
crossing
towards
a
lane
,
and
now
turning
into
a
cart-track
through
a
plantation
.
"
Here
we
are
!
"
said
Felix
,
when
they
had
crossed
the
wooden
bridge
,
and
were
treading
on
the
slanting
shadows
made
by
the
elm
trunks
.
"
I
think
this
is
delicious
.
I
never
feel
less
unhappy
than
in
these
late
autumn
afternoons
when
they
are
sunny
.
"
"
Less
unhappy
!
There
now
!
"
said
Esther
,
smiling
at
him
with
some
of
her
habitual
sauciness
,
"
I
have
caught
you
in
self-contradiction
.
I
have
heard
you
quite
furious
against
puling
,
melancholy
people
.
If
I
had
said
what
you
have
just
said
,
you
would
have
given
me
a
long
lecture
,
and
told
me
to
go
home
and
interest
myself
in
the
reason
of
the
rule
of
three
.
"
"
Very
likely
,
"
said
Felix
,
beating
the
weeds
,
according
to
the
foible
of
our
common
humanity
when
it
has
a
stick
in
its
hand
.
"
But
I
do
n't
think
myself
a
fine
fellow
because
I
'm
melancholy
.
I
do
n't
measure
my
force
by
the
negations
in
me
,
and
think
my
soul
must
be
a
mighty
one
because
it
is
more
given
to
idle
suffering
than
to
beneficent
activity
.
That
's
what
your
favourite
gentlemen
do
,
of
the
Byronic-bilious
style
.
"
"
I
do
n't
admit
that
those
are
my
favourite
gentlemen
.
"
"
I
've
heard
you
defend
them
—
gentlemen
like
your
Rénés
,
who
have
no
particular
talent
for
the
finite
,
but
a
general
sense
that
the
infinite
is
the
right
thing
for
them
.
They
might
as
well
boast
of
nausea
as
a
proof
of
a
strong
inside
.
"
"
Stop
,
stop
!
You
run
on
in
that
way
to
get
out
of
my
reach
.
I
convicted
you
of
confessing
that
you
are
melancholy
.
"
"
Yes
!
"
said
Felix
,
thrusting
his
left
hand
into
his
pocket
,
with
a
shrug
;
"
as
I
could
confess
to
a
great
many
other
things
I
'm
not
proud
of
.
The
fact
is
,
there
are
not
many
easy
lots
to
be
drawn
in
the
world
at
present
;
and
such
as
they
are
I
am
not
envious
of
them
.
I
do
n't
say
life
is
not
worth
having
:
it
is
worth
having
to
a
man
who
has
some
sparks
of
sense
and
feeling
and
bravery
in
him
.
And
the
finest
fellow
of
all
would
be
the
one
who
could
be
glad
to
have
lived
because
the
world
was
chiefly
miserable
,
and
his
life
had
come
to
help
some
one
who
needed
it
.
He
would
be
the
man
who
had
the
most
powers
and
the
fewest
selfish
wants
.
But
I
'm
not
up
to
the
level
of
what
I
see
to
be
best
.
I
'm
often
a
hungry
discontented
fellow
.
"
"
Why
have
you
made
your
life
so
hard
then
?
"
said
Esther
,
rather
frightened
as
she
asked
the
question
.
"
It
seems
to
me
you
have
tried
to
find
just
the
most
difficult
task
.
"
"
Not
at
all
,
"
said
Felix
,
with
curt
decision
.
"
My
course
was
a
very
simple
one
.
It
was
pointed
out
to
me
by
conditions
that
I
saw
as
clearly
as
I
see
the
bars
of
this
stile
.
It
's
a
difficult
stile
too
,
"
added
Felix
,
striding
over
.
"
Shall
I
help
you
,
or
will
you
be
left
to
yourself
?
"
"
I
can
do
without
help
,
thank
you
.
"
"
It
was
all
simple
enough
,
"
continued
Felix
,
as
they
walked
on
.
"
If
I
meant
to
put
a
stop
to
the
sale
of
those
drugs
,
I
must
keep
my
mother
,
and
of
course
at
her
age
she
would
not
leave
the
place
she
had
been
used
to
.
And
I
had
made
up
my
mind
against
what
they
call
genteel
businesses
.
"
"
But
suppose
every
one
did
as
you
do
?
Please
to
forgive
me
for
saying
so
;
but
I
cannot
see
why
you
could
not
have
lived
as
honourably
with
some
employment
that
presupposes
education
and
refinement
.
"
"
Because
you
ca
n't
see
my
history
or
my
nature
,
"
said
Felix
,
bluntly
.
"
I
have
to
determine
for
myself
,
and
not
for
other
men
.
I
do
n't
blame
them
,
or
think
I
am
better
than
they
;
their
circumstances
are
different
.
I
would
never
choose
to
withdraw
myself
from
the
labour
and
common
burthen
of
the
world
;
but
I
do
choose
to
withdraw
myself
from
the
push
and
the
scramble
for
money
and
position
.
Any
man
is
at
liberty
to
call
me
a
fool
,
and
say
that
mankind
are
benefited
by
the
push
and
the
scramble
in
the
long-run
.
But
I
care
for
the
people
who
live
now
and
will
not
be
living
when
the
long-run
comes
.
As
it
is
,
I
prefer
going
shares
with
the
unlucky
.
"
Esther
did
not
speak
,
and
there
was
silence
between
them
for
a
minute
or
two
,
till
they
passed
through
a
gate
into
a
plantation
where
there
was
no
large
timber
,
but
only
thin-stemmed
trees
and
underwood
,
so
that
the
sunlight
fell
on
the
mossy
spaces
which
lay
open
here
and
there
.
"
See
how
beautiful
those
stooping
birch-stems
are
with
the
light
on
them
!
"
said
Felix
.
"
Here
is
an
old
felled
trunk
they
have
not
thought
worth
carrying
away
.
Shall
we
sit
down
a
little
while
?
"
"
Yes
,
the
mossy
ground
with
the
dry
leaves
sprinkled
over
it
is
delightful
to
one
's
feet
.
"
Esther
sat
down
and
took
off
her
bonnet
,
that
the
light
breeze
might
fall
on
her
head
.
Felix
,
too
,
threw
down
his
cap
and
stick
,
lying
on
the
ground
with
his
back
against
the
felled
trunk
.
"
I
wish
I
felt
more
as
you
do
,
"
she
said
,
looking
at
the
point
of
her
foot
,
which
was
playing
with
a
tuft
of
moss
.
"
I
ca
n't
help
caring
very
much
what
happens
to
me
.
And
you
seem
to
care
so
little
about
yourself
.
"
"
You
are
thoroughly
mistaken
,
"
said
Felix
.
"
It
is
just
because
I
'm
a
very
ambitious
fellow
,
with
very
hungry
passions
,
wanting
a
great
deal
to
satisfy
me
,
that
I
have
chosen
to
give
up
what
people
call
worldly
good
.
At
least
that
has
been
one
determining
reason
.
It
all
depends
on
what
a
man
gets
into
his
consciousness
—
what
life
thrusts
into
his
mind
,
so
that
it
becomes
present
to
him
as
remorse
is
present
to
the
guilty
,
or
a
mechanical
problem
to
an
inventive
genius
.
There
are
two
things
I
've
got
present
in
that
way
:
one
of
them
is
the
picture
of
what
I
should
hate
to
be
.
I
'm
determined
never
to
go
about
making
my
face
simpering
or
solemn
,
and
telling
professional
lies
for
profit
;
or
to
get
tangled
in
affairs
where
I
must
wink
at
dishonesty
and
pocket
the
proceeds
,
and
justify
that
knavery
as
part
of
a
system
that
I
ca
n't
alter
.
If
I
once
went
into
that
sort
of
struggle
for
success
,
I
should
want
to
win
—
I
should
defend
the
wrong
that
I
had
once
identified
myself
with
.
I
should
become
everything
that
I
see
now
beforehand
to
be
detestable
.
And
what
's
more
,
I
should
do
this
,
as
men
are
doing
it
every
day
,
for
a
ridiculously
small
prize
—
perhaps
for
none
at
all
—
perhaps
for
the
sake
of
two
parlours
,
a
rank
eligible
for
the
churchwardenship
,
a
discontented
wife
and
several
unhopeful
children
.
"
Esther
felt
a
terrible
pressure
on
her
heart
—
the
certainty
of
her
remoteness
from
Felix
—
the
sense
that
she
was
utterly
trivial
to
him
.
"
The
other
thing
that
's
got
into
my
mind
like
a
splinter
,
"
said
Felix
,
after
a
pause
,
"
is
the
life
of
the
miserable
—
the
spawning
life
of
vice
and
hunger
.
I
'll
never
be
one
of
the
sleek
dogs
.
The
old
Catholics
are
right
,
with
their
higher
rule
and
their
lower
.
Some
are
called
to
subject
themselves
to
a
harder
discipline
,
and
renounce
things
voluntarily
which
are
lawful
for
others
.
It
is
the
old
word
—
'
necessity
is
laid
upon
me
.
'
"
"
It
seems
to
me
you
are
stricter
than
my
father
is
.
"
"
No
!
I
quarrel
with
no
delight
that
is
not
base
or
cruel
,
but
one
must
sometimes
accommodate
one
's
self
to
a
small
share
.
That
is
the
lot
of
the
majority
.
I
would
wish
the
minority
joy
,
only
they
do
n't
want
my
wishes
.
"
Again
there
was
silence
.
Esther
's
cheeks
were
hot
in
spite
of
the
breeze
that
sent
her
hair
floating
backward
.
She
felt
an
inward
strain
,
a
demand
on
her
to
see
things
in
a
light
that
was
not
easy
or
soothing
.
When
Felix
had
asked
her
to
walk
,
he
had
seemed
so
kind
,
so
alive
to
what
might
be
her
feelings
,
that
she
had
thought
herself
nearer
to
him
than
she
had
ever
been
before
;
but
since
they
had
come
out
,
he
had
appeared
to
forget
all
that
.
And
yet
she
was
conscious
that
this
impatience
of
hers
was
very
petty
.
Battling
in
this
way
with
her
own
little
impulses
,
and
looking
at
the
birch-stems
opposite
till
her
gaze
was
too
wide
for
her
to
see
anything
distinctly
,
she
was
unaware
how
long
they
had
remained
without
speaking
.
She
did
not
know
that
Felix
had
changed
his
attitude
a
little
,
and
was
resting
his
elbow
on
the
tree-trunk
,
while
he
supported
his
head
,
which
was
turned
towards
her
.
Suddenly
he
said
,
in
a
lower
tone
than
was
habitual
to
him
,
"
You
are
very
beautiful
.
"
She
started
and
looked
round
at
him
,
to
see
whether
his
face
would
give
some
help
to
the
interpretation
of
this
novel
speech
.
He
was
looking
up
at
her
quite
calmly
,
very
much
as
a
reverential
Protestant
might
look
at
a
picture
of
the
Virgin
,
with
a
devoutness
suggested
by
the
type
rather
than
by
the
image
.
Esther
's
vanity
was
not
in
the
least
gratified
:
she
felt
that
,
somehow
or
other
,
Felix
was
going
to
reproach
her
.
"
I
wonder
,
"
he
went
on
,
still
looking
at
her
,
"
whether
the
subtle
measuring
of
forces
will
ever
come
to
measuring
the
force
there
would
be
in
one
beautiful
woman
whose
mind
was
as
noble
as
her
face
was
beautiful
—
who
made
a
man
's
passion
for
her
rush
in
one
current
with
all
the
great
aims
of
his
life
.
"
Esther
's
eyes
got
hot
and
smarting
.
It
was
no
use
trying
to
be
dignified
.
She
had
turned
away
her
head
,
and
now
said
,
rather
bitterly
,
"
It
is
difficult
for
a
woman
ever
to
try
to
be
anything
good
when
she
is
not
believed
in
—
when
it
is
always
supposed
that
she
must
be
contemptible
.
"
"
No
,
dear
Esther
"
—
it
was
the
first
time
Felix
had
been
prompted
to
call
her
by
her
Christian
name
,
and
as
he
did
so
he
laid
his
large
hand
on
her
two
little
hands
,
which
were
clasped
on
her
knees
.
"
You
do
n't
believe
that
I
think
you
contemptible
.
When
I
first
saw
you
—
"
"
I
know
,
I
know
,
"
said
Esther
,
interrupting
him
impetuously
,
but
still
looking
away
.
"
You
mean
you
did
think
me
contemptible
then
.
But
it
was
very
narrow
of
you
to
judge
me
in
that
way
,
when
my
life
had
been
so
different
from
yours
.
I
have
great
faults
.
I
know
I
am
selfish
,
and
think
too
much
of
my
own
small
tastes
and
too
little
of
what
affects
others
.
But
I
am
not
stupid
.
I
am
not
unfeeling
.
I
can
see
what
is
better
.
"
"
But
I
have
not
done
you
injustice
since
I
knew
more
of
you
,
"
said
Felix
,
gently
.
"
Yes
,
you
have
,
"
said
Esther
,
turning
and
smiling
at
him
through
her
tears
.
"
You
talk
to
me
like
an
angry
pedagogue
.
Were
you
always
wise
?
Remember
the
time
when
you
were
foolish
or
naughty
.
"
"
That
is
not
far
off
,
"
said
Felix
,
curtly
,
taking
away
his
hand
and
clasping
it
with
the
other
at
the
back
of
his
head
.
The
talk
,
which
seemed
to
be
introducing
a
mutual
understanding
,
such
as
had
not
existed
before
,
seemed
to
have
undergone
some
check
.
"
Shall
we
get
up
and
walk
back
now
?
"
said
Esther
,
after
a
few
moments
.
"
No
,
"
said
Felix
,
entreatingly
.
"
Do
n't
move
yet
.
I
daresay
we
shall
never
walk
together
or
sit
here
again
.
"
"
Why
not
?
"
"
Because
I
am
a
man
who
am
warned
by
visions
.
Those
old
stories
of
visions
and
dreams
guiding
men
have
their
truth
:
we
are
saved
by
making
the
future
present
to
ourselves
.
"
"
I
wish
I
could
get
visions
,
then
,
"
said
Esther
,
smiling
at
him
,
with
an
effort
at
playfulness
,
in
resistance
to
something
vaguely
mournful
within
her
.
"
That
is
what
I
want
,
"
said
Felix
,
looking
at
her
very
earnestly
.
"
Do
n't
turn
your
head
.
Do
look
at
me
,
and
then
I
shall
know
if
I
may
go
on
speaking
.
I
do
believe
in
you
;
but
I
want
you
to
have
such
a
vision
of
the
future
that
you
may
never
lose
your
best
self
.
Some
charm
or
other
may
be
flung
about
you
—
some
of
your
atta-of-rose
fascinations
—
and
nothing
but
a
good
strong
terrible
vision
will
save
you
.
And
if
it
did
save
you
,
you
might
be
that
woman
I
was
thinking
of
a
little
while
ago
when
I
looked
at
your
face
:
the
woman
whose
beauty
makes
a
great
task
easier
to
men
instead
of
turning
them
away
from
it
.
I
am
not
likely
to
see
such
fine
issues
;
but
they
may
come
where
a
woman
's
spirit
is
finely
touched
.
I
should
like
to
be
sure
they
would
come
to
you
.
"
"
Why
are
you
not
likely
to
know
what
becomes
of
me
?
"
said
Esther
,
turning
away
her
eyes
in
spite
of
his
command
.
"
Why
should
you
not
always
be
my
father
's
friend
and
mine
?
"
"
O
,
I
shall
go
away
as
soon
as
I
can
to
some
large
town
,
"
said
Felix
,
in
his
more
usual
tone
,
—
"
some
ugly
,
wicked
,
miserable
place
.
I
want
to
be
a
demagogue
of
a
new
sort
;
an
honest
one
,
if
possible
,
who
will
tell
the
people
they
are
blind
and
foolish
,
and
neither
flatter
them
nor
fatten
on
them
.
I
have
my
heritage
—
an
order
I
belong
to
.
I
have
the
blood
of
a
line
of
handicraftsmen
in
my
veins
,
and
I
want
to
stand
up
for
the
lot
of
the
handicraftsman
as
a
good
lot
,
in
which
a
man
may
be
better
trained
to
all
the
best
functions
of
his
nature
than
if
he
belonged
to
the
grimacing
set
who
have
visiting-cards
,
and
are
proud
to
be
thought
richer
than
their
neighbours
.
"
"
Would
nothing
ever
make
it
seem
right
to
you
to
change
your
mind
?
"
said
Esther
(
she
had
rapidly
woven
some
possibilities
out
of
the
new
uncertainties
in
her
own
lot
,
though
she
would
not
for
the
world
have
had
Felix
know
of
her
weaving
)
.
"
Suppose
,
by
some
means
or
other
,
a
fortune
might
come
to
you
honourably
—
by
marriage
,
or
in
any
other
unexpected
way
—
would
you
see
no
change
in
your
course
?
"
"
No
,
"
said
Felix
,
peremptorily
;
"
I
will
never
be
rich
.
I
do
n't
count
that
as
any
peculiar
virtue
.
Some
men
do
well
to
accept
riches
,
but
that
is
not
my
inward
vocation
:
I
have
no
fellow-feeling
with
the
rich
as
a
class
;
the
habits
of
their
lives
are
odious
to
me
.
Thousands
of
men
have
wedded
poverty
because
they
expect
to
go
to
heaven
for
it
;
I
do
n't
expect
to
go
to
heaven
for
it
,
but
I
wed
it
because
it
enables
me
to
do
what
I
most
want
to
do
on
earth
.
Whatever
the
hopes
for
the
world
may
be
—
whether
great
or
small
—
I
am
a
man
of
this
generation
;
I
will
try
to
make
life
less
bitter
for
a
few
within
my
reach
.
It
is
held
reasonable
enough
to
toil
for
the
fortunes
of
a
family
,
though
it
may
turn
to
imbecility
in
the
third
generation
.
I
choose
a
family
with
more
chances
in
it
.
"
Esther
looked
before
her
dreamily
till
she
said
,
"
That
seems
a
hard
lot
;
yet
it
is
a
great
one
.
"
She
rose
to
walk
back
.
"
Then
you
do
n't
think
I
'm
a
fool
,
"
said
Felix
,
loudly
,
starting
to
his
feet
,
and
then
stooping
to
gather
up
his
cap
and
stick
.
"
Of
course
you
suspected
me
of
that
stupidity
.
"
"
Well
—
women
,
unless
they
are
Saint
Theresas
or
Elizabeth
Frys
,
generally
think
this
sort
of
thing
madness
,
unless
when
they
read
of
it
in
the
Bible
.
"
"
A
woman
can
hardly
ever
choose
in
that
way
;
she
is
dependent
on
what
happens
to
her
.
She
must
take
meaner
things
,
because
only
meaner
things
are
within
her
reach
.
"
"
Why
,
can
you
imagine
yourself
choosing
hardship
as
the
better
lot
?
"
said
Felix
,
looking
at
her
with
a
sudden
question
in
his
eyes
.
"
Yes
,
I
can
,
"
she
said
,
flushing
over
neck
and
brow
.
Their
words
were
charged
with
a
meaning
dependent
entirely
on
the
secret
consciousness
of
each
.
Nothing
had
been
said
which
was
necessarily
personal
.
They
walked
a
few
yards
along
the
road
by
which
they
had
come
,
without
further
speech
,
till
Felix
said
gently
,
"
Take
my
arm
.
"
She
took
it
,
and
they
walked
home
so
,
entirely
without
conversation
.
Felix
was
struggling
as
a
firm
man
struggles
with
a
temptation
,
seeing
beyond
it
and
disbelieving
its
lying
promise
.
Esther
was
struggling
as
a
woman
struggles
with
the
yearning
for
some
expression
of
love
,
and
with
vexation
under
that
subjection
to
a
yearning
which
is
not
likely
to
be
satisfied
.
Each
was
conscious
of
a
silence
which
each
was
unable
to
break
,
till
they
entered
Malthouse
Lane
,
and
were
within
a
few
yards
of
the
minister
's
door
.
