THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF
A
SLANDER
by
EDNA
LYALL
author
of
‘
donovan
’
‘
we
two
’
‘
in
the
golden
days
’
‘
knight
errant
’
etc.
Trust
not
to
each
accusing
tongue
,
As
most
week
persons
do
;
But
still
believe
that
story
false
Which
ought
not
to
be
true
Sheridan
NEW
EDITION
(
thirty-ninth
to
forty-first
thousand
)
london
longmans
,
green
,
and
co.
and
new
york
:
15
east
16th
street
1890
All
rights
reserved
DEDICATED
TO
ALL
WHO
IT
MAY
CONCERN
MY
FIRST
STAGE
At
last
the
tea
came
up
,
and
so
With
that
our
tongues
began
to
go
.
Now
in
that
house
you’re
sure
of
knowing
The
smallest
scrap
of
news
that’s
going
.
We
find
it
there
the
wisest
way
To
take
some
care
of
what
we
say
.
Recreation
.
Jane
Taylor
.
I
was
born
on
the
2nd
September
,
1886
,
in
a
small
,
dull
,
country
town
.
When
I
say
the
town
was
dull
,
I
mean
,
of
course
,
that
the
inhabitants
were
unenterprising
,
for
in
itself
Muddleton
was
a
picturesque
place
,
and
though
it
laboured
under
the
usual
disadvantage
of
a
dearth
of
bachelors
and
a
superfluity
of
spinsters
,
it
might
have
been
pleasant
enough
had
it
not
been
a
favourite
resort
for
my
kith
and
kin
.
My
father
has
long
enjoyed
a
world-wide
notoriety
;
he
is
not
,
however
,
as
a
rule
named
in
good
society
,
though
he
habitually
frequents
it
;
and
as
I
am
led
to
believe
that
my
autobiography
will
possibly
be
circulated
by
Mr.
Mudie
,
and
will
lie
about
on
drawing-room
tables
,
I
will
merely
mention
that
a
most
representation
of
my
progenitor
,
under
his
nom
de
théatre
,
Mephistopheles
,
may
be
seen
now
in
London
,
and
I
should
recommend
all
who
wish
to
understand
his
character
to
go
to
the
Lyceum
,
though
,
between
ourselves
,
he
strongly
disapproves
of
the
whole
performance
.
I
was
introduced
into
the
world
by
an
old
lady
named
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
She
was
a
very
pleasant
old
lady
,
the
wife
of
a
General
,
and
one
of
those
sociable
,
friendly
,
talkative
people
who
do
much
to
cheer
their
neighbours
,
particularly
in
a
deadly-lively
provincial
place
like
Muddleton
,
where
the
standard
of
social
intercourse
is
not
very
high
.
Mrs.
O’Reilly
had
been
in
her
day
a
celebrated
beauty
;
she
was
now
grey-haired
and
stout
,
but
still
there
was
something
impressive
about
her
,
and
few
could
resist
the
charm
of
her
manner
and
the
pleasant
easy
flow
of
her
small
talk
.
Her
love
of
gossip
amounted
almost
to
a
passion
,
and
nothing
came
amiss
to
her
;
she
liked
to
know
everything
about
everybody
,
and
in
the
main
I
think
her
interest
was
a
kindly
one
,
though
she
found
that
a
little
bit
of
scandal
,
every
now
and
then
,
added
a
piquant
flavour
to
the
homely
fare
provided
by
the
commonplace
life
of
the
Muddletonians
.
I
will
now
,
without
further
preamble
,
begin
the
history
of
my
life
.
“
I
assure
you
,
my
dear
Lena
,
Mr.
Zaluski
is
nothing
less
than
a
Nihilist
!
”
The
sound
waves
set
in
motion
by
Mrs.
O’Reilly’s
words
were
tumultuously
heaving
in
the
atmosphere
when
I
sprang
into
being
,
a
young
but
perfectly
formed
and
most
promising
slander
.
A
delicious
odour
of
tea
pervaded
the
drawing-room
,
it
was
orange-flower
pekoe
,
and
Mrs.
O’Reilly
was
just
handing
one
of
the
delicate
Crown
Derby
cups
to
her
visitor
,
Miss
Lena
Houghton
.
“
What
a
shocking
thing
!
Do
you
really
mean
it
?
”
exclaimed
Miss
Houghton
.
“
Thank
you
,
cream
but
no
sugar
;
don’t
you
know
,
Mrs.
O’Reilly
,
that
it
is
only
Low-Church
people
who
take
sugar
nowadays
?
But
,
really
,
now
,
about
Mr.
Zaluski
?
How
did
you
find
it
out
?
”
“
My
dear
,
I
am
an
old
woman
,
and
I
have
learnt
in
the
course
of
a
wandering
life
to
put
two
and
two
together
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
She
had
somehow
managed
to
ignore
middle
age
,
and
had
passed
from
her
position
of
renowned
beauty
to
the
position
which
she
now
firmly
and
constantly
claimed
of
many
years
and
much
experience
.
“
Of
course
,
”
she
continued
,
“
like
every
one
else
,
I
was
glad
enough
to
be
friendly
and
pleasant
to
Sigismund
Zaluski
,
and
as
to
his
being
a
Pole
,
why
,
I
think
it
rather
pleased
me
than
otherwise
.
You
see
,
my
dear
,
I
have
knocked
about
the
world
and
mixed
with
all
kinds
of
people
.
Still
,
one
must
draw
the
line
somewhere
,
and
I
confess
it
gave
me
a
very
painful
shock
to
find
that
he
had
such
violent
antipathies
to
law
and
order
.
When
he
took
Ivy
Cottage
for
the
summer
I
made
the
General
call
at
once
,
and
before
long
we
had
become
very
intimate
with
him
;
but
,
my
dear
,
he’s
not
what
I
thought
him
—
not
at
all
!
”
“
Well
now
,
I
am
delighted
to
hear
you
say
that
,
”
said
Lena
Houghton
,
with
some
excitement
in
her
manner
,
“
for
it
exactly
fits
in
with
what
I
always
felt
about
him
.
From
the
first
I
disliked
that
man
,
and
the
way
he
goes
on
with
Gertrude
Morley
is
simply
dreadful
.
If
they
are
not
engaged
they
ought
to
be
—
that’s
all
I
can
say
.
”
“
Engaged
,
my
dear
!
I
trust
not
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
“
I
had
always
hoped
for
something
very
different
for
dear
Gertrude
.
Quite
between
ourselves
,
you
know
,
my
nephew
John
Carew
is
over
head
and
ears
in
love
with
her
,
and
they
would
make
a
very
good
pair
;
don’t
you
think
so
?
”
“
Well
,
you
see
,
I
like
Gertrude
to
a
certain
extent
,
”
replied
Lena
Houghton
.
“
But
I
never
raved
about
her
as
so
many
people
do
.
Still
,
I
hope
she
will
not
be
entrapped
into
marrying
Mr.
Zaluski
;
she
deserves
a
better
fate
than
that
.
”
“
I
quite
agree
with
you
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
,
with
a
troubled
look
.
“
And
the
worst
of
it
is
,
poor
Gertrude
is
a
girl
who
might
very
likely
take
up
foolish
revolutionary
notions
;
she
needs
a
strong
wise
husband
to
keep
her
in
order
and
form
her
opinions
.
But
is
it
really
true
that
he
flirts
with
her
?
This
is
the
first
I
have
heard
of
it
.
I
can’t
think
how
it
has
escaped
my
notice
.
”
“
Nor
I
,
for
indeed
he
is
up
at
the
Morleys’
pretty
nearly
every
day
.
What
with
tennis
,
and
music
,
and
riding
,
there
is
always
some
excuse
for
it
.
I
can’t
think
what
Gertrude
sees
in
him
,
he
is
not
even
good-looking
.
”
“
There
is
a
certain
surface
good-nature
about
him
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
“
It
deceived
even
me
at
first
.
But
,
my
dear
Lena
,
mark
my
words
:
that
man
has
a
fearful
temper
;
and
I
pray
Heaven
that
poor
Gertrude
may
have
her
eyes
opened
in
time
.
Besides
,
to
think
of
that
little
gentle
,
delicate
thing
marrying
a
Nihilist
!
It
is
too
dreadful
;
really
,
quite
too
dreadful
!
John
would
never
get
over
it
!
”
“
The
thing
I
can’t
understand
is
why
all
the
world
has
taken
him
up
so
,
”
said
Lena
Houghton
.
“
One
meets
him
everywhere
,
yet
nobody
seems
to
know
anything
about
him
.
Just
because
he
has
taken
Ivy
Cottage
for
four
months
,
and
because
he
seems
to
be
rich
and
good-natured
,
every
one
is
ready
to
run
after
him
.
”
“
Well
,
well
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
,
“
we
all
like
to
be
neighbourly
,
my
dear
,
and
a
week
ago
I
should
have
been
ready
to
say
nothing
but
good
of
him
.
But
now
my
eyes
have
been
opened
.
I’ll
tell
you
just
how
it
was
.
We
were
sitting
here
,
just
as
you
and
I
are
now
,
at
afternoon
tea
;
the
talk
had
flagged
a
little
,
and
for
the
sake
of
something
to
say
I
made
some
remark
about
Bulgaria
—
not
that
I
really
knew
anything
about
it
,
you
know
,
for
I’m
no
politician
;
still
,
I
knew
it
was
a
subject
that
would
make
talk
just
now
.
My
dear
,
I
assure
you
I
was
positively
frightened
.
All
in
a
minute
his
face
changed
,
his
eyes
flashed
,
he
broke
into
such
a
torrent
of
abuse
as
I
never
heard
in
my
life
before
.
”
“
Do
you
mean
that
he
abused
you
?
”
“
Dear
me
,
no
!
but
Russia
and
the
Czar
,
and
tyranny
and
despotism
,
and
many
other
things
I
had
never
heard
of
.
I
tried
to
calm
him
down
and
reason
with
him
,
but
I
might
as
well
have
reasoned
with
the
cockatoo
in
the
window
.
At
last
he
caught
himself
up
quickly
in
the
middle
of
a
sentence
,
strode
over
to
the
piano
,
and
began
to
play
as
he
generally
does
,
you
know
,
when
he
comes
here
.
Well
,
would
you
believe
it
,
my
dear
!
instead
of
improvising
or
playing
operatic
airs
as
usual
,
he
began
to
play
a
stupid
little
tune
which
every
child
was
taught
years
ago
,
of
course
with
variations
of
his
own
.
Then
he
turned
round
on
the
music-stool
with
the
oddest
smile
I
ever
saw
,
and
said
,
“
Do
you
know
that
air
,
Mrs.
O’Reilly
?
”
“
Yes
,
”
I
said
;
“
but
I
forget
now
what
it
is.’
”
“
It
was
composed
by
Pestal
,
one
of
the
victims
of
Russian
tyranny
,
”
said
he
.
“
The
executioner
did
his
work
badly
,
and
Pestal
had
to
be
strung
up
twice
.
In
the
interval
he
was
heard
to
mutter
,
‘Stupid
country
,
where
they
don’t
even
know
how
to
hang
!
’
”
“
Then
he
gave
a
little
forced
laugh
,
got
up
quickly
,
wished
me
good-bye
,
and
was
gone
before
I
could
put
in
a
word
.
”
“
What
a
horrible
story
to
tell
in
a
drawing-room
!
”
said
Lena
Houghton
.
“
I
envy
Gertrude
less
than
ever
.
”
“
Poor
girl
!
What
a
sad
prospect
it
is
for
her
!
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
with
a
sigh
.
“
Of
course
,
my
dear
,
you’ll
not
repeat
what
I
have
just
told
you
.
”
“
Not
for
the
world
!
”
said
Lena
Houghton
emphatically
.
“
It
is
perfectly
safe
with
me
.
”
The
conversation
was
here
abruptly
ended
,
for
the
page
threw
open
the
drawing-room
door
and
announced
‘Mr
.
Zaluski.’
“
Talk
of
the
angel
,
”
murmured
Mrs.
O’Reilly
with
a
significant
smile
at
her
companion
.
Then
skilfully
altering
the
expression
of
her
face
,
she
beamed
graciously
on
the
guest
who
was
ushered
into
the
room
,
and
Lena
Houghton
also
prepared
to
greet
him
most
pleasantly
.
I
looked
with
much
interest
at
Sigismund
Zaluski
,
and
as
I
looked
I
partly
understood
why
Miss
Houghton
had
been
prejudiced
against
him
at
first
sight
.
He
had
lived
five
years
in
England
,
and
nothing
pleased
him
more
than
to
be
taken
for
an
Englishman
.
He
had
had
his
silky
black
hair
closely
cropped
in
the
very
hideous
fashion
of
the
present
day
;
he
wore
the
ostentatiously
high
collar
now
in
vogue
;
and
he
tried
to
be
sedulously
English
in
every
respect
.
But
in
spite
of
his
wonderfully
fluent
speech
and
almost
perfect
accent
,
there
lingered
about
him
something
which
would
not
harmonise
with
that
ideal
of
an
English
gentleman
which
is
latent
in
most
minds
.
Something
he
lacked
,
something
he
possessed
,
which
interfered
with
the
part
he
desired
to
play
.
The
something
lacking
showed
itself
in
his
ineradicable
love
of
jewellery
and
in
a
transparent
habit
of
fibbing
;
the
something
possessed
showed
itself
in
his
easy
grace
of
movement
,
his
delightful
readiness
to
amuse
and
to
be
amused
,
and
in
a
certain
cleverness
and
rapidity
of
idea
rarely
,
if
ever
,
found
in
an
Englishman
.
He
was
a
little
above
the
average
height
and
very
finely
built
;
but
there
was
nothing
striking
in
his
aquiline
features
and
dark
grey
eyes
,
and
I
think
Miss
Houghton
spoke
truly
when
she
said
that
he
was
‘Not
even
good-looking.’
Still
,
in
spite
of
this
,
it
was
a
face
which
grew
upon
most
people
,
and
I
felt
the
least
little
bit
of
regret
as
I
looked
at
him
,
because
I
knew
that
I
should
persistently
haunt
and
harass
him
,
and
should
do
all
that
could
be
done
to
spoil
his
life
.
Apparently
he
had
forgotten
all
about
Russia
and
Bulgaria
,
for
he
looked
radiantly
happy
.
Clearly
his
thoughts
were
engrossed
with
his
own
affairs
,
which
,
in
other
words
,
meant
with
Gertrude
Morley
;
and
though
,
as
I
have
since
observed
,
there
are
times
when
a
man
in
love
is
an
altogether
intolerable
sort
of
being
,
there
are
other
times
when
he
is
very
much
improved
by
the
passion
,
and
regards
the
whole
world
with
a
genial
kindliness
which
contrasts
strangely
with
his
previous
cool
cynicism
.
“
How
delightful
and
home-like
your
room
always
looks
!
”
he
exclaimed
,
taking
the
cup
of
tea
which
Mrs.
O’Reilly
handed
to
him
.
“
I
am
horribly
lonely
at
Ivy
Cottage
.
This
house
is
a
sort
of
oasis
in
the
desert
.
”
“
Why
,
you
are
hardly
ever
at
home
,
I
thought
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
,
smiling
.
“
You
are
the
lion
of
the
neighbourhood
just
now
;
and
I’m
sure
it
is
very
good
of
you
to
come
in
and
cheer
a
lonely
old
woman
.
Are
you
going
to
play
me
something
rather
more
lively
to-day
?
”
He
laughed
.
“
Ah
!
Poor
Pestal
!
I
had
forgotten
all
about
our
last
meeting
.
”
“
You
were
very
much
excited
that
day
,
”
said
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
“
I
had
no
idea
that
your
political
notions
—
”
He
interrupted
her
“
Ah
!
no
politics
to-day
,
dear
Mrs.
O’Reilly
.
Let
us
have
nothing
but
enjoyment
and
harmony
.
See
,
now
,
I
will
play
you
something
very
much
more
cheerful
.
”
And
sitting
down
to
the
piano
,
he
played
the
bridal
march
from
‘Lohengrin
,
’
then
wandered
off
into
an
improvised
air
,
and
finally
treated
them
to
some
recollections
of
the
‘Mikado.’
Lena-Houghton
watched
him
thoughtfully
as
she
put
on
her
gloves
;
he
was
playing
with
great
spirit
,
and
the
words
of
the
opera
rang
in
her
ears
:
—
For
he’s
going
to
marry
Yum-yum
,
Yum-yum
,
And
so
you
had
better
be
dumb
,
dumb
,
dumb
!
I
knew
well
enough
that
she
would
not
follow
this
moral
advice
,
and
I
laughed
to
myself
because
the
whole
scene
was
such
a
hollow
mockery
.
The
placid
benevolent-looking
old
lady
leaning
back
in
her
arm-chair
;
the
girl
in
her
blue
gingham
and
straw
hat
preparing
to
go
to
the
afternoon
service
;
the
happy
lover
entering
heart
and
soul
into
Sullivan’s
charming
music
;
the
pretty
room
with
its
Chippendale
furniture
,
its
æsthetic
hangings
,
its
bowls
of
roses
;
and
the
sound
of
church
bells
wafted
through
the
open
window
on
the
soft
summer
breeze
.
Yet
all
the
time
I
lingered
there
unseen
,
carrying
with
me
all
sorts
of
dread
possibilities
.
I
had
been
introduced
into
the
world
,
and
even
if
Mrs.
O’Reilly
had
been
willing
to
admit
to
herself
that
she
had
broken
the
ninth
commandment
,
and
had
earnestly
desired
to
recall
me
,
all
her
sighs
and
tears
and
regrets
would
have
availed
nothing
;
so
true
is
the
saying
,
“
Of
thy
word
unspoken
thou
art
master
;
thy
spoken
word
is
master
of
thee
.
”
“
Thank
you
.
”
“
Thank
you
.
”
“
How
I
envy
your
power
of
playing
!
”
The
two
ladies
seemed
to
vie
with
each
other
in
making
pretty
speeches
,
and
Zaluski
,
who
loved
music
and
loved
giving
pleasure
,
looked
really
pleased
.
I
am
sure
it
did
not
enter
his
head
that
his
two
companions
were
not
sincere
,
or
that
they
did
not
wish
him
well
.
He
was
thinking
to
himself
how
simple
and
kindly
the
Muddleton
people
were
,
and
how
great
a
contrast
this
life
was
to
his
life
in
London
;
and
he
was
saying
to
himself
that
he
had
been
a
fool
to
live
a
lonely
bachelor
life
till
he
was
nearly
thirty
,
and
yet
congratulating
himself
that
he
had
done
so
since
Gertrude
was
but
nineteen
.
Undoubtedly
,
he
was
seeing
blissful
visions
of
the
future
all
the
time
that
he
replied
to
the
pretty
speeches
,
and
shook
hands
with
Lena
Houghton
,
and
opened
the
drawing-room
door
for
her
,
and
took
out
his
watch
to
assure
her
that
she
had
plenty
of
time
and
need
not
hurry
to
church
.
Poor
Zaluski
!
He
looked
so
kindly
and
pleasant
.
Though
I
was
only
a
slander
,
and
might
have
been
supposed
to
have
no
heart
at
all
,
I
did
feel
sorry
for
him
when
I
thought
of
the
future
and
of
the
grief
and
pain
which
would
persistently
dog
his
steps
.
MY
SECOND
STAGE
Bear
not
false
witness
,
slander
not
,
nor
lie
;
Truth
is
the
speech
of
inward
purity
.
The
Light
of
Asia
.
In
my
first
stage
the
reader
will
perceive
that
I
was
a
comparatively
weak
and
harmless
little
slander
,
with
merely
that
taint
of
original
sin
which
was
to
be
expected
in
one
of
such
parentage
.
But
I
developed
with
great
rapidity
;
and
I
believe
men
of
science
will
tell
you
that
this
is
always
the
case
with
low
organisms
.
That
,
for
instance
,
while
it
takes
years
to
develop
the
man
from
the
baby
,
and
months
to
develop
the
dog
from
the
puppy
,
the
baby
monad
will
grow
to
maturity
in
an
hour
.
Personally
I
should
have
preferred
to
linger
in
Mrs.
O’Reilly’s
pleasant
drawing-room
,
for
,
as
I
said
before
,
my
victim
interested
me
,
and
I
wanted
to
observe
him
more
closely
and
hear
what
he
talked
about
.
But
I
received
orders
to
attend
evensong
at
the
parish
church
,
and
to
haunt
the
mind
of
Lena
Houghton
.
As
we
passed
down
the
High
Street
the
bells
rang
out
loud
and
clear
,
and
they
made
me
feel
the
same
slight
sense
of
discomfort
that
I
had
felt
when
I
looked
at
Zaluski
;
however
,
I
went
on
,
and
soon
entered
the
church
.
It
was
a
fine
old
Gothic
building
,
and
the
afternoon
sunshine
seemed
to
flood
the
whole
place
;
even
the
white
stones
in
the
aisle
were
glorified
here
and
there
with
gorgeous
patches
of
colour
from
the
stained
glass
windows
.
But
the
strange
stillness
and
quiet
oppressed
me
,
I
did
not
feel
nearly
so
much
at
home
as
in
Mrs.
O’Reilly’s
drawing-room
—
to
use
a
terrestrial
simile
,
I
felt
like
a
fish
out
of
water
.
For
some
time
,
too
,
I
could
find
no
entrance
at
all
into
the
mind
of
Lena
Houghton
.
Try
as
I
would
,
I
could
not
distract
her
attention
or
gain
the
slightest
hold
upon
her
,
and
I
really
believe
I
should
have
been
altogether
baffled
,
had
not
the
rector
unconsciously
come
to
my
aid
.
All
through
the
prayers
and
psalms
I
had
fought
a
desperate
fight
without
gaining
a
single
inch
.
Then
the
rector
walked
over
to
the
lectern
,
and
the
moment
he
opened
his
mouth
I
knew
that
my
time
had
come
,
and
that
there
was
a
very
fair
chance
of
victory
before
me
.
Whether
this
clergyman
had
a
toothache
,
or
a
headache
,
or
a
heavy
load
on
his
mind
,
I
cannot
say
,
but
his
reading
was
more
lugubrious
than
the
wind
in
an
equinoctial
gale
.
I
have
since
observed
that
he
was
only
a
degree
worse
than
many
other
clerical
readers
,
and
that
a
strange
and
delightfully
mistaken
notion
seems
prevalent
that
the
Bible
must
be
read
in
a
dreary
and
unnatural
tone
of
voice
,
or
with
a
sort
of
mournful
monotony
;
it
is
intended
as
a
sort
of
reverence
,
but
I
suspect
that
it
often
plays
into
the
hands
of
my
progenitor
,
as
it
most
assuredly
did
in
the
present
instance
.
Hardly
had
the
rector
announced
,
“
Here
beginneth
the
forty-fourth
verse
of
the
sixteenth
chapter
of
the
book
of
the
prophet
Ezekiel
,
”
than
a
sort
of
relaxation
took
place
in
the
mind
I
was
attacking
.
Lena
Houghton’s
attention
could
only
have
been
given
to
the
drearily
read
lesson
by
a
very
great
effort
;
she
was
a
little
lazy
and
did
not
make
the
effort
,
she
thought
how
nice
it
was
to
sit
down
again
,
and
then
the
melancholy
voice
lulled
her
into
a
vague
interval
of
thoughtless
inactivity
.
I
promptly
seized
my
opportunity
,
and
in
a
moment
her
whole
mind
was
full
of
me
.
She
was
an
excitable
,
impressionable
sort
of
girl
,
and
when
once
I
had
obtained
an
entrance
into
her
mind
I
found
it
the
easiest
thing
in
the
world
to
dominate
her
thoughts
.
Though
she
stood
,
and
sat
,
and
knelt
,
and
curtseyed
,
and
articulated
words
,
her
thoughts
were
entirely
absorbed
in
me
.
I
crowded
out
the
Magnificat
with
a
picture
of
Zaluski
and
Gertrude
Morley
.
I
led
her
through
more
terrible
future
possibilities
in
the
second
lesson
than
would
be
required
for
a
three-volume
novel
.
I
entirely
eclipsed
the
collects
with
reflections
on
unhappy
marriages
;
took
her
off
viâ
Russia
and
Nihilism
in
the
State
prayers
,
and
by
the
time
we
arrived
at
St.
Chrysostom
had
become
so
powerful
that
I
had
worked
her
mind
into
exactly
the
condition
I
desired
.
The
congregation
rose
.
Lena
Houghton
,
still
dominated
by
me
,
knelt
longer
than
the
rest
,
but
at
last
she
got
up
and
walked
down
the
aisle
,
and
I
felt
a
great
sense
of
relief
and
satisfaction
.
We
were
out
in
the
open
air
once
more
,
and
I
had
triumphed
;
I
was
quite
sure
that
she
would
tell
the
first
person
she
met
,
for
,
as
I
have
said
before
,
she
was
entirely
taken
up
with
me
,
and
to
have
kept
me
to
herself
would
have
required
far
more
strength
and
unselfishness
than
she
at
that
moment
possessed
.
She
walked
slowly
through
the
churchyard
,
feeling
much
pleased
to
see
that
the
curate
had
just
left
the
vestry
door
,
and
that
in
a
few
moments
their
paths
must
converge
.
Mr.
Blackthorne
had
only
been
ordained
three
or
four
years
,
and
was
a
little
younger
,
and
much
less
experienced
in
the
ways
of
the
world
,
than
Sigismund
Zaluski
.
He
was
a
good
well-meaning
fellow
,
a
little
narrow
,
a
little
prejudiced
,
a
little
spoiled
by
the
devotion
of
the
district
visitors
and
Sunday
School
teachers
;
but
he
was
honest
and
energetic
,
and
as
a
worker
among
the
poor
few
could
have
equalled
him
.
He
seemed
to
fancy
,
however
,
that
with
the
poor
his
work
ended
,
and
he
was
not
always
so
wise
as
he
might
have
been
in
Muddleton
society
.
“
Good
afternoon
,
Miss
Houghton
,
”
he
exclaimed
.
“
Do
you
happen
to
know
if
your
brother
is
at
home
?
I
want
just
to
speak
to
him
about
the
choir
treat
.
”
“
Oh
,
he
is
sure
to
be
in
by
this
time
,
”
said
Lena
.
And
they
walked
home
together
.
“
I
am
so
glad
to
have
this
chance
of
speaking
to
you
,
”
she
began
rather
nervously
.
“
I
wanted
particularly
to
ask
your
advice
.
”
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
being
human
and
young
,
was
not
unnaturally
flattered
by
this
remark
.
True
,
he
was
becoming
well
accustomed
to
this
sort
of
thing
,
since
the
ladies
of
Muddleton
were
far
more
fond
of
seeking
advice
from
the
young
and
good-looking
curate
than
from
the
elderly
and
experienced
rector
.
They
said
it
was
because
Mr.
Blackthorne
was
so
much
more
sympathetic
,
and
understood
the
difficulties
of
the
day
so
much
better
;
but
I
think
they
unconsciously
deceived
themselves
,
for
the
rector
was
one
of
a
thousand
,
and
the
curate
,
though
he
had
in
him
the
makings
of
a
fine
man
,
was
as
yet
altogether
crude
and
young
.
“
Was
it
about
anything
in
your
district
?
”
he
asked
,
devoutly
hoping
that
she
was
not
going
to
propound
some
difficult
question
about
the
origin
of
evil
,
or
any
other
obscure
subject
.
For
though
he
liked
the
honour
of
being
consulted
,
he
did
not
always
like
the
trouble
it
involved
,
and
he
remembered
with
a
shudder
that
Miss
Houghton
had
once
asked
him
his
opinion
about
the
‘Ethical
Concept
of
the
Good.’
“
It
was
only
that
I
was
so
troubled
about
something
Mrs.
O’Reilly
has
just
told
me
,
”
said
Lena
Houghton
.
“
You
won’t
tell
any
one
that
I
told
you
?
”
“
On
no
account
,
”
said
the
curate
,
warmly
.
“
Well
,
you
know
Mr.
Zaluski
,
and
how
the
Morleys
have
taken
him
up
?
”
“
Every
one
has
taken
him
up
,
”
said
the
curate
,
with
the
least
little
touch
of
resentment
in
his
tone
.
“
I
knew
that
the
Morleys
were
his
special
friends
;
I
imagine
that
he
admires
Miss
Morley
.
”
“
Yes
,
every
one
thinks
they
are
either
engaged
or
on
the
brink
of
it
.
And
oh
,
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
can’t
you
or
somebody
put
a
stop
to
it
,
for
it
seems
such
a
dreadful
fate
for
poor
Gertrude
?
”
The
curate
looked
startled
.
“
Why
,
I
don’t
profess
to
like
Mr.
Zaluski
,
”
he
said
.
“
But
I
don’t
know
anything
exactly
against
him
.
”
“
But
I
do
.
Mrs.
O’Reilly
has
just
been
telling
me
.
”
“
What
did
she
tell
you
?
”
he
asked
with
some
curiosity
.
“
Why
,
she
has
found
out
that
he
is
really
a
Nihilist
—
just
think
of
a
Nihilist
going
about
loose
like
this
,
and
playing
tennis
at
the
rectory
and
all
the
good
houses
!
And
not
only
that
,
but
she
says
he
is
altogether
a
dangerous
,
unprincipled
man
with
a
dreadful
temper
.
You
can’t
think
how
unhappy
she
is
about
poor
Gertrude
,
and
so
am
I
,
for
we
were
at
school
together
and
have
always
been
friends
.
”
“
I
am
very
sorry
to
hear
about
it
,
”
said
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
“
but
I
don’t
see
that
anything
can
be
done
.
You
see
,
one
does
not
like
to
interfere
in
these
sort
of
things
.
It
seems
officious
rather
,
and
meddlesome
.
”
“
Yes
,
that
is
the
worst
of
it
,
”
she
replied
,
with
a
sigh
.
“
I
suppose
we
can
do
nothing
.
Still
,
it
has
been
a
great
relief
just
to
tell
you
about
it
and
get
it
off
my
mind
.
I
suppose
we
can
only
hope
that
something
may
put
a
stop
to
it
all
—
we
must
just
leave
it
to
chance
.
”
This
sentiment
amused
me
not
a
little
.
Leave
it
to
chance
indeed
!
Had
she
not
caused
me
to
grow
stronger
and
larger
by
every
word
she
uttered
?
And
had
not
the
conversation
revealed
to
me
Mr.
Blackthorn’s
one
vulnerable
part
?
I
knew
well
enough
that
I
should
be
able
to
dominate
his
thoughts
as
I
had
done
hers
.
Finding
me
burdensome
,
she
had
passed
me
on
to
somebody
else
with
additions
that
vastly
increased
my
working
powers
,
and
then
she
talked
of
leaving
it
to
chance
!
The
way
in
which
mortals
practise
pious
frauds
on
themselves
is
really
delightful
!
And
yet
Lena
Houghton
was
a
good
sort
of
girl
,
and
had
from
her
childhood
repeated
the
catechism
words
which
proclaim
that
,
“
My
duty
to
my
neighbour
is
to
love
him
as
myself
.
.
.
To
keep
my
tongue
from
evil-speaking
,
lying
,
and
slandering
.
”
What
is
more
,
she
took
great
pains
to
teach
these
words
to
a
big
class
of
Sunday
School
children
,
and
went
,
rain
or
shine
,
to
spend
two
hours
each
Sunday
in
a
stuffy
school-room
for
that
purpose
.
It
was
strange
that
she
should
be
so
ready
to
believe
evil
of
her
neighbour
,
and
so
eager
to
spread
the
story
.
But
my
progenitor
is
clever
,
and
doubtless
knows
very
well
,
whom
to
select
as
his
tools
.
By
this
time
they
had
reached
a
comfortable-looking
,
red-brick
house
with
white
stone
facings
,
and
in
the
discussion
of
the
arrangements
for
the
choir
treat
I
was
entirely
forgotten
.
MY
THIRD
STAGE
Alas
!
such
is
our
weakness
,
that
we
often
more
readily
believe
and
speak
of
another
that
which
is
evil
than
that
which
is
good
.
But
perfect
men
do
not
easily
give
credit
to
every
report
;
because
they
know
man’s
weakness
,
which
is
very
prone
to
evil
,
and
very
subject
to
fail
in
words
.
Thomas
À
Kempis
.
All
through
that
evening
,
and
through
the
first
part
of
the
succeeding
day
,
I
was
crowded
out
of
the
curate’s
mind
by
a
host
of
thoughts
with
which
I
had
nothing
in
common
;
and
though
I
hovered
about
him
as
he
taught
in
the
school
,
and
visited
several
sick
people
,
and
argued
with
an
habitual
drunkard
,
and
worked
at
his
Sunday
sermon
,
a
Power
,
which
I
felt
but
did
not
understand
,
baffled
all
my
attempts
to
gain
an
entrance
and
attract
his
notice
.
I
made
a
desperate
attack
on
him
after
lunch
as
he
sat
smoking
and
enjoying
a
well-earned
rest
,
but
it
was
of
no
avail
.
I
followed
him
to
a
large
garden-party
later
on
,
but
to
my
great
annoyance
he
went
about
talking
to
every
one
in
the
pleasantest
way
imaginable
,
though
I
perceived
that
he
was
longing
to
play
tennis
instead
.
At
length
,
however
,
my
opportunity
came
.
Mr.
Blackthorne
was
talking
to
the
lady
of
the
house
,
Mrs.
Courtenay
,
when
she
suddenly
exclaimed
:
—
“
Ah
,
here
is
Mr.
Zaluski
just
arriving
.
I
began
to
be
afraid
that
he
had
forgotten
the
day
,
and
he
is
always
such
an
acquisition
.
How
do
you
do
,
Mr.
Zaluski
?
”
she
said
,
greeting
my
victim
warmly
as
he
stepped
on
to
the
terrace
.
“
So
glad
you
were
able
to
come
.
You
know
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
I
think
.
”
Zaluski
greeted
the
curate
pleasantly
,
and
his
dark
eyes
lighted
up
with
a
gleam
of
amusement
.
“
Oh
,
we
are
great
friends
,
”
he
said
laughingly
.
“
Only
,
you
know
,
I
sometimes
shock
him
a
little
—
just
a
very
little
.
”
“
That
is
very
unkind
of
you
,
I
am
sure
,
”
said
Mrs.
Courtenay
,
smiling
.
“
No
,
not
at
all
,
”
said
Zaluski
,
with
the
audacity
of
a
privileged
being
.
“
It
is
just
my
little
amusement
,
very
harmless
,
very
—
what
you
call
innocent
.
Mr.
Blackthorne
cannot
make
up
his
mind
about
me
.
One
day
I
appear
to
him
to
be
Catholic
,
the
next
Comtist
,
the
next
Orthodox
Greek
,
the
next
a
convert
to
the
Anglican
communion
.
I
am
a
mystery
,
you
see
!
And
mysteries
are
as
indispensable
in
life
as
in
a
romance
.
”
He
laughed
.
Mrs.
Courtenay
laughed
too
,
and
a
little
friendly
banter
was
carried
on
between
them
,
while
the
curate
stood
by
feeling
rather
out
of
it
.
I
drew
nearer
to
him
,
perceiving
that
my
prospects
bid
fair
to
improve
.
For
very
few
people
can
feel
out
of
it
without
drifting
into
a
self-regarding
mood
,
and
then
they
are
the
easiest
prey
imaginable
.
Undoubtedly
a
man
like
Zaluski
,
with
his
easy
nonchalance
,
his
knowledge
of
the
world
,
his
genuine
good-nature
,
and
the
background
of
sterling
qualities
which
came
upon
you
as
a
surprise
because
he
loved
to
make
himself
seem
a
mere
idler
,
was
apt
to
eclipse
an
ordinary
mortal
like
James
Blackthorne
.
The
curate
perceived
this
and
did
not
like
to
be
eclipsed
—
as
a
matter
of
fact
,
nobody
does
.
It
seemed
to
him
a
little
unfair
that
he
,
who
had
hitherto
been
made
much
of
,
should
be
called
to
play
second
fiddle
to
this
rich
Polish
fellow
who
had
never
done
anything
for
Muddleton
or
the
neighbourhood
.
And
then
,
too
,
Sigismund
Zaluski
had
a
way
of
poking
fun
at
him
which
he
resented
,
and
would
not
take
in
good
part
.
Something
of
this
began
to
stir
in
his
mind
;
and
he
cordially
hated
the
Pole
when
Jim
Courtenay
,
who
arranged
the
tennis
,
came
up
and
asked
him
to
play
in
the
next
set
,
passing
the
curate
by
altogether
.
Then
I
found
no
difficulty
at
all
in
taking
possession
of
him
;
indeed
he
was
delighted
to
have
me
brought
back
to
his
memory
,
he
positively
gloated
over
me
,
and
I
grew
apace
.
Zaluski
,
in
the
seventh
heaven
of
happiness
,
was
playing
with
Gertrude
Morley
,
and
his
play
was
so
good
and
so
graceful
that
every
one
was
watching
it
with
pleasure
.
His
partner
,
too
,
played
well
;
she
was
a
pretty
,
fair-haired
girl
,
with
soft
grey
eyes
like
the
eyes
of
a
dove
;
she
wore
a
white
tennis
dress
and
a
white
sailor
hat
,
and
at
her
throat
she
had
fastened
a
cluster
of
those
beautiful
orange-coloured
roses
known
by
the
prosaic
name
of
‘William
Allan
Richardson.’
If
Mr.
Blackthorne
grew
angry
as
he
watched
Sigismund
Zaluski
,
he
grew
doubly
angry
as
he
watched
Gertrude
Morley
.
He
said
to
himself
that
it
was
intolerable
that
such
a
girl
should
fall
a
prey
to
a
vain
,
shallow
,
unprincipled
foreigner
,
and
in
a
few
minutes
he
had
painted
such
a
dark
picture
of
poor
Sigismund
that
my
strength
increased
tenfold
.
“
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
”
said
Mrs.
Courtenay
,
“
would
you
take
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
to
have
an
ice
?
”
Now
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
had
always
been
one
of
the
curate’s
great
friends
.
She
was
a
very
pleasant
,
talkative
woman
of
six-and-thirty
,
and
a
general
favourite
.
Her
popularity
was
well
deserved
,
for
she
was
always
ready
to
do
a
kind
action
,
and
often
went
out
of
her
way
to
help
people
who
had
not
the
slightest
claim
upon
her
.
There
was
,
however
,
no
repose
about
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
,
and
an
acute
observer
would
have
discovered
that
her
universal
readiness
to
help
was
caused
to
some
extent
by
her
good
heart
,
but
in
a
very
large
degree
by
her
restless
and
over-active
brain
.
Her
sphere
was
scarcely
large
enough
for
her
,
she
would
have
made
an
excellent
head
of
an
orphan
asylum
or
manager
of
some
large
institution
,
but
her
quiet
country
life
offered
far
too
narrow
a
field
for
her
energy
.
“
It
is
really
quite
a
treat
to
watch
Mr.
Zaluski’s
play
,
”
she
remarked
as
they
walked
to
the
refreshment
tent
at
the
other
end
of
the
lawn
.
“
Certainly
foreigners
know
how
to
move
much
better
than
we
do
:
our
best
players
look
awkward
beside
them
.
”
“
Do
you
think
so
?
”
said
Mr.
Blackthorne
.
“
I
am
afraid
I
am
full
of
prejudice
,
and
consider
that
no
one
can
equal
a
true-born
Briton
.
”
“
And
I
quite
agree
with
you
in
the
main
,
”
said
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
.
“
Though
I
confess
that
it
is
rather
refreshing
to
have
a
little
variety
.
”
The
curate
was
silent
,
but
his
silence
merely
covered
his
absorption
in
me
,
and
I
began
to
exercise
a
faint
influence
through
his
mind
on
the
mind
of
his
companion
.
This
caused
her
at
length
to
say
:
“
I
don’t
think
you
quite
like
Mr.
Zaluski
.
Do
you
know
much
about
him
?
”
“
I
have
met
him
several
times
this
summer
,
”
said
the
curate
,
in
the
tone
of
one
who
could
have
said
much
more
if
he
would
.
The
less
satisfying
his
replies
,
the
more
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave’s
curiosity
grew
.
“
Now
,
tell
me
candidly
,
”
she
said
at
length
.
“
Is
there
not
some
mystery
about
our
new
neighbour
?
Is
he
quite
what
he
seems
to
be
?
”
“
I
fear
he
is
not
,
”
said
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
making
the
admission
in
a
tone
of
reluctance
,
though
,
to
tell
the
truth
,
he
had
been
longing
to
pass
me
on
for
the
last
five
minutes
.
“
You
mean
that
he
is
fast
?
”
“
Worse
than
that
,
”
said
James
Blackthorne
,
lowering
his
voice
as
they
walked
down
one
of
the
shady
garden
paths
.
“
He
is
a
dangerous
,
unprincipled
fellow
,
and
into
the
bargain
an
avowed
Nihilist
.
All
that
is
involved
in
that
word
you
perhaps
scarcely
realise
.
”
“
Indeed
I
do
,
”
she
exclaimed
with
a
shocked
expression
.
“
I
have
just
been
reading
a
review
of
that
book
by
Stepniak
.
Their
social
and
religious
views
are
terrible
;
free-love
,
atheism
,
everything
that
could
bring
ruin
on
the
human
race
.
Is
he
indeed
a
Nihilist
?
”
Mr.
Blackthorne’s
conscience
gave
him
a
sharp
prick
,
for
he
knew
that
he
ought
not
to
have
passed
me
on
.
He
tried
to
pacify
it
with
the
excuse
that
he
had
only
promised
not
to
tell
that
Miss
Houghton
had
been
his
informant
.
“
I
assure
you
,
”
he
said
impressively
,
“
it
is
only
too
true
.
I
know
it
on
the
best
authority
.
”
And
here
I
cannot
help
remarking
that
it
has
always
seemed
to
me
strange
that
even
experienced
women
of
the
world
,
like
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
,
can
be
so
easily
hoodwinked
by
that
vague
nonentity
,
‘The
Best
Authority.’
I
am
inclined
to
think
that
were
I
a
human
being
I
should
retort
with
an
expressive
motion
of
the
finger
and
thumb
,
“
Oh
,
you
know
it
on
the
best
authority
,
do
you
?
Then
that
for
your
story
!
”
However
,
I
thrived
wonderfully
on
the
best
authority
,
and
it
would
be
ungrateful
of
me
to
speak
evil
of
that
powerful
though
imaginary
being
.
At
right
angles
with
the
garden
walk
down
which
the
two
were
pacing
there
was
another
wide
pathway
,
bordered
by
high
closely
clipped
shrubs
.
Down
this
paced
a
very
different
couple
.
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
caught
sight
of
them
,
and
so
did
curate
.
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
sighed
.
“
I
am
afraid
he
is
running
after
Gertrude
Morley
!
Poor
girl
!
I
hope
she
will
not
be
deluded
into
encouraging
him
.
”
And
then
they
made
just
the
same
little
set
remarks
about
the
desirability
of
stopping
so
dangerous
an
acquaintance
,
and
the
impossibility
of
interfering
with
other
people’s
affairs
,
and
the
sad
necessity
of
standing
by
with
folded
hands
.
I
laughed
so
much
over
their
hollow
little
phrases
that
at
last
I
was
fain
to
beat
a
retreat
,
and
,
prompted
by
curiosity
to
know
a
little
of
the
truth
,
I
followed
Sigismund
and
Gertrude
down
the
broad
grassy
pathway
.
I
knew
of
course
a
good
deal
of
Zaluski’s
character
,
because
my
own
existence
and
growth
pointed
out
what
he
was
not
.
Still
,
to
study
a
man
by
a
process
of
negation
is
tedious
,
and
though
I
knew
that
he
was
not
a
Nihilist
,
or
a
free-lover
,
or
an
atheist
,
or
an
unprincipled
fellow
with
a
dangerous
temper
,
yet
I
was
curious
to
see
him
as
he
really
was
.
“
If
you
only
knew
how
happy
you
had
made
me
!
”
he
was
saying
.
And
indeed
,
as
far
as
happiness
went
,
there
was
not
much
to
choose
between
them
,
I
fancy
;
for
Gertrude
Morley
looked
radiant
,
and
in
her
clove-like
eyes
there
was
the
reflection
of
the
love
which
flashed
in
his
.
“
You
must
talk
to
my
mother
about
it
,
”
she
said
after
a
minute’s
silence
.
“
You
see
,
I
am
still
under
age
,
and
she
and
Uncle
Henry
my
guardian
must
consent
before
we
are
actually
betrothed
.
”
“
I
will
see
them
at
once
,
”
said
Zaluski
,
eagerly
.
“
You
could
see
my
mother
,
”
she
replied
.
“
But
Uncle
Henry
is
still
in
Sweden
and
will
not
be
in
town
for
another
week
.
”
“
Must
we
really
wait
so
long
!
”
sighed
Sigismund
impatiently
.
She
laughed
at
him
gently
.
“
A
whole
week
!
But
then
we
are
sure
of
each
other
.
I
do
not
think
we
ought
to
grumble
.
”
“
But
perhaps
they
may
think
that
a
merchant
is
no
fitting
match
for
you
,
”
he
suggested
.
“
I
am
nothing
but
a
plain
merchant
,
and
my
I
people
have
been
in
the
same
business
for
four
generations
.
As
far
as
wealth
goes
I
might
perhaps
satisfy
your
people
,
but
for
the
rest
I
am
but
a
prosaic
fellow
,
with
neither
noble
blood
,
nor
the
brain
of
a
genius
,
nor
anything
out
of
the
common
.
”
“
It
will
be
enough
for
my
mother
that
we
love
each
other
,
”
she
said
shyly
.
“
And
your
uncle
?
”
“
It
will
be
enough
for
him
that
you
are
upright
and
honourable
—
enough
that
you
are
yourself
,
Sigismund
.
”
They
were
sitting
now
in
a
little
sheltered
recess
clipped
out
of
the
yew-trees
.
When
that
softly
spoken
“
Sigismund
”
fell
from
her
lips
,
Zaluski
caught
her
in
his
arms
and
kissed
her
again
and
again
.
“
I
have
led
such
a
lonely
life
,
”
he
said
after
a
few
minutes
,
during
which
their
talk
had
baffled
my
comprehension
.
“
All
my
people
died
while
I
was
still
a
boy
.
”
“
Then
who
brought
you
up
?
”
she
inquired
.
“
An
uncle
of
mine
,
the
head
of
our
firm
in
St.
Petersburg
.
He
was
very
good
to
me
,
but
he
had
children
of
his
own
,
and
of
course
I
could
not
be
to
him
as
one
of
them
.
I
have
had
many
friends
and
much
kindness
shown
to
me
,
but
love
!
—
none
till
to-day
.
”
And
then
again
they
fell
into
the
talk
which
I
could
not
fathom
.
And
so
I
left
them
in
their
brief
happiness
,
for
my
time
of
idleness
was
over
,
and
I
was
ordered
to
attend
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
without
a
moment’s
delay
.
MY
FOURTH
STAGE
Oh
,
the
little
more
,
and
how
much
it
is
!
R
.
Browing
.
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
had
one
weakness
—
she
was
possessed
by
an
inordinate
desire
for
influence
.
This
made
her
always
eagerly
anxious
to
be
interesting
both
in
her
conversation
and
in
her
letters
,
and
to
this
end
she
exerted
herself
with
unwearying
activity
.
She
liked
influencing
Mr.
Blackthorne
,
and
spared
no
pains
on
him
that
afternoon
;
and
indeed
the
curate
was
a
good
deal
flattered
by
her
friendship
,
and
considered
her
one
of
the
most
clever
and
charming
women
he
had
ever
met
.
Sigismund
and
Gertrude
returned
to
the
ordinary
world
just
as
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
was
saying
good-bye
to
the
hostess
.
She
glanced
at
them
searchingly
.
“
Good-bye
,
Gertrude
,
”
she
said
a
little
coldly
.
“
Did
you
win
at
tennis
?
”
“
Indeed
we
did
,
”
said
Gertrude
,
smiling
.
“
We
came
off
with
flying
colours
.
It
was
a
love
set
.
”
The
girl
was
looking
more
beautiful
than
ever
,
and
there
was
a
tell-tale
colour
in
her
cheeks
and
an
unusual
light
in
her
soft
grey
eyes
.
As
for
Zaluski
,
he
was
so
evidently
in
love
,
and
had
the
audacity
to
look
so
supremely
happy
,
that
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
was
more
than
ever
impressed
with
the
gravity
of
the
situation
.
The
curate
handed
her
into
her
victoria
,
and
she
drove
home
through
the
sheltered
lanes
musing
sadly
over
the
story
she
had
heard
,
and
wondering
what
Gertrude’s
future
would
be
.
When
she
reached
home
,
however
,
the
affair
was
driven
from
her
thoughts
by
her
children
,
of
whom
she
was
devotedly
fond
.
They
came
running
to
meet
her
,
frisking
like
so
many
kittens
round
her
as
she
went
upstairs
to
her
room
,
and
begging
to
stay
with
her
while
she
dressed
for
dinner
.
During
dinner
she
was
engrossed
with
her
husband
;
but
afterwards
,
when
she
was
alone
in
the
drawing-room
,
I
found
my
opportunity
for
working
on
her
restless
mind
.
“
Dear
me
,
”
she
exclaimed
,
throwing
aside
the
newspaper
she
had
just
taken
up
,
“
I
ought
to
write
to
Mrs.
Selldon
at
Dulminster
about
that
G.F.S.
girl
!
”
As
a
matter
of
fact
she
ought
not
to
have
written
then
,
the
letter
might
well
have
waited
till
the
morning
,
and
she
was
over-tired
and
needed
rest
.
But
I
was
glad
to
see
her
take
up
her
pen
,
for
I
knew
I
should
come
in
most
conveniently
to
fill
up
the
second
side
of
the
sheet
.
Before
long
Jane
Stiggins
,
the
member
who
had
migrated
from
Muddleton
to
Dulminster
,
had
been
duly
reported
,
wound
up
,
and
made
over
to
the
Archdeacon’s
wife
.
Then
the
tired
hand
paused
.
What
more
could
she
say
to
her
friend
?
“
We
are
leading
our
usual
quiet
life
here
,
”
she
wrote
,
“
with
the
ordinary
round
of
tennis
parties
and
picnics
to
enliven
us
.
The
children
have
all
been
wonderfully
well
,
and
I
think
you
will
see
a
great
improvement
in
your
god-daughter
when
you
next
come
to
stay
with
us
”
—
“
Oh
dear
!
”
sighed
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
,
“
how
dull
and
stupid
I
am
to-night
!
I
can’t
think
of
a
single
thing
to
say
.
”
Then
at
length
I
flashed
into
her
mind
,
and
with
a
sigh
of
relief
and
a
little
rising
flush
of
excitement
she
went
on
much
more
rapidly
.
“
It
is
such
a
comfort
to
be
quite
at
rest
about
them
,
and
to
see
them
all
looking
so
well
.
But
I
suppose
one
can
never
be
without
some
cause
of
worry
,
and
just
now
I
am
very
unhappy
about
that
nice
girl
Gertrude
Morley
whom
you
admired
so
much
when
you
were
last
here
.
The
whole
neighbourhood
has
been
dominated
this
year
by
a
young
Polish
merchant
named
Sigismund
Zaluski
,
who
is
very
clever
and
musical
and
knows
well
how
to
win
popularity
.
He
has
taken
Ivy
Cottage
for
four
mouths
,
and
is
,
I
fear
,
doing
great
mischief
.
The
Morleys
are
his
special
friends
,
and
I
greatly
fear
he
is
making
love
to
Gertrude
.
Now
I
know
privately
,
on
the
very
best
authority
,
that
although
he
has
so
completely
deceived
every
one
and
has
managed
so
cleverly
to
pose
as
a
respectable
man
,
that
Mr.
Zaluski
is
really
a
Nihilist
,
a
free-lover
,
an
atheist
,
and
altogether
a
most
unprincipled
man
.
He
is
very
clever
,
and
speaks
English
most
fluently
,
indeed
he
has
lived
in
London
since
the
spring
of
1881
—
he
told
me
so
himself
.
I
cannot
help
fancying
that
he
must
have
been
concerned
in
the
assassination
of
the
late
Czar
,
which
you
will
remember
took
place
in
that
year
early
in
March
.
It
is
terrible
to
think
of
the
poor
Morleys
entering
blindfold
on
such
an
undesirable
connection
;
but
,
at
the
same
time
,
I
really
do
not
feel
that
I
can
say
anything
about
it
.
Excuse
this
hurried
note
,
dear
Charlotte
,
and
with
love
to
yourself
and
kindest
remembrances
to
the
Archdeacon
,
“
Believe
me
,
very
affectionately
yours
,
“
Georgina
Milton-Cleave
.
“
P.S.
It
may
perhaps
be
as
well
not
to
mention
this
affair
about
Gertrude
Morley
and
Mr.
Zaluski
.
They
are
not
yet
engaged
,
as
far
as
I
know
,
and
I
sincerely
trust
it
may
prove
to
be
a
mere
flirtation
.
”
I
had
now
grown
to
such
enormous
dimensions
that
any
one
who
had
known
me
in
my
infancy
would
scarcely
have
recognised
me
,
while
naturally
the
more
I
grew
the
more
powerful
I
became
,
and
the
more
capable
both
of
impressing
the
minds
which
received
me
and
of
injuring
Zaluski
.
Poor
Zaluski
,
who
was
so
foolishly
,
thoughtlessly
happy
!
He
little
dreamed
of
the
fate
that
awaited
him
!
His
whole
world
was
bright
and
full
of
promise
;
each
hour
of
love
seemed
to
improve
him
,
to
deepen
his
whole
character
,
to
tone
down
his
rather
flippant
manner
,
to
awaken
for
him
new
and
hitherto
unthought-of
realities
.
But
while
he
basked
in
his
new
happiness
I
travelled
in
my
close
stuffy
envelope
to
Dulminster
,
and
after
having
been
tossed
in
and
out
of
bags
,
shuffled
,
stamped
,
thumped
,
tied
up
,
and
generally
shaken
about
,
I
arrived
one
morning
at
Dulminster
Archdeaconry
,
and
was
laid
on
the
breakfast
table
among
other
appetising
things
to
greet
Mrs.
Selldon
when
she
came
downstairs
.
MY
FIFTH
STAGE
Also
it
is
wise
not
to
believe
everything
you
hear
,
not
immediately
to
carry
to
the
ears
of
others
what
you
have
either
heard
or
believed
.
Thomas
À
Kempis
.
Though
I
was
read
in
silence
at
the
breakfast
table
and
not
passed
on
to
the
Archdeacon
,
I
lay
dormant
in
Mrs.
Selldon’s
mind
all
day
,
and
came
to
her
aid
that
night
when
she
was
at
her
wits’
end
for
something
to
talk
about
.
Mrs.
Selldon
,
though
a
most
worthy
and
estimable
person
,
was
of
a
phlegmatic
temperament
;
her
sympathies
were
not
easily
aroused
,
her
mind
was
lazy
and
torpid
,
in
conversation
she
was
unutterably
dull
.
There
were
times
when
she
was
painfully
conscious
of
this
,
and
would
have
given
much
for
the
ceaseless
flow
of
words
which
fell
from
the
lips
of
her
friend
Mrs.
Milton-Cleave
.
And
that
evening
after
my
arrival
chanced
to
be
one
of
these
occasions
,
for
there
was
a
dinner-party
at
the
Archdeaconry
,
given
in
honour
of
a
well-known
author
who
was
spending
a
few
days
in
the
neighbourhood
.
“
I
wish
you
could
have
Mr.
Shrewsbury
at
your
end
of
the
table
,
Thomas
,
”
Mrs.
Selldon
had
remarked
to
her
husband
with
a
sigh
,
as
she
was
arranging
the
guests
on
paper
that
afternoon
.
“
Oh
,
he
must
certainly
take
you
in
,
my
dear
,
”
said
the
Archdeacon
.
“
And
he
seems
a
very
clever
,
well-read
man
,
I
am
sure
you
will
find
him
easy
to
talk
to
.
”
Poor
Mrs.
Selldon
thought
that
she
would
rather
have
had
some
one
who
was
neither
clever
nor
well-read
.
But
there
was
no
help
for
her
,
and
,
whether
she
would
or
not
,
she
had
to
go
in
to
dinner
with
the
literary
lion
.
Mr.
Mark
Shrewsbury
was
a
novelist
of
great
ability
.
Some
twenty
years
before
,
he
had
been
called
to
the
bar
,
and
,
conscious
of
real
talent
,
had
been
greatly
embittered
by
the
impossibility
of
getting
on
in
his
profession
.
At
length
,
in
disgust
,
he
gave
up
all
hopes
of
success
and
devoted
himself
instead
to
literature
.
In
this
field
he
won
the
recognition
for
which
he
craved
;
his
books
were
read
everywhere
,
his
name
became
famous
,
his
income
steadily
increased
,
and
he
had
the
pleasant
consciousness
that
he
had
found
his
vocation
.
Still
,
in
spite
of
his
success
,
he
could
not
forget
the
bitter
years
of
failure
and
disappointment
which
had
gone
before
,
and
though
his
novels
were
full
of
genius
they
were
pervaded
by
an
undertone
of
sarcasm
,
so
that
people
after
reading
them
were
more
ready
than
before
to
take
cynical
views
of
life
.
He
was
one
of
those
men
whose
quiet
impassive
faces
reveal
scarcely
anything
of
their
character
.
He
was
neither
tall
nor
short
,
neither
dark
nor
fair
,
neither
handsome
nor
the
reverse
;
in
fact
his
personality
was
not
in
the
least
impressive
;
while
,
like
most
true
artists
,
he
observed
all
things
so
quietly
that
you
rarely
discovered
that
he
was
observing
at
all
.
“
Dear
me
!
”
people
would
say
,
“
Is
Mark
Shrewsbury
really
here
?
Which
is
he
?
I
don’t
see
any
one
at
all
like
my
idea
of
a
novelist
.
”
“
There
he
is
—
that
man
in
spectacles
,
”
would
be
the
reply
.
And
really
the
spectacles
were
the
only
noteworthy
thing
about
him
.
Mrs.
Selldon
,
who
had
seen
several
authors
and
authoresses
in
her
time
,
and
knew
that
they
were
as
a
rule
most
ordinary
,
hum-drum
kind
of
people
,
was
quite
prepared
for
her
fate
.
She
remembered
her
astonishment
as
a
girl
when
,
having
laughed
and
cried
at
the
play
,
and
taken
the
chief
actor
as
her
ideal
hero
,
she
had
had
him
pointed
out
to
her
one
day
in
Regent
Street
,
and
found
him
to
be
a
most
commonplace-looking
man
,
the
very
last
person
one
would
have
supposed
capable
of
stirring
the
hearts
of
a
great
audience
.
Meanwhile
dinner
progressed
,
and
Mrs.
Selldon
talked
to
an
empty-headed
but
loquacious
man
on
her
left
,
and
racked
her
brains
for
something
to
say
to
the
alarmingly
silent
author
on
her
right
.
She
remembered
hearing
that
Charles
Dickens
would
often
sit
silent
through
the
whole
of
dinner
,
observing
quietly
those
about
him
,
but
that
at
dessert
he
would
suddenly
come
to
life
and
keep
the
whole
table
in
roars
of
laughter
.
She
feared
that
Mr.
Shrewsbury
meant
to
imitate
the
great
novelist
in
the
first
particular
,
but
was
scarcely
likely
to
follow
his
example
in
the
last
.
At
length
she
asked
him
what
he
thought
of
the
cathedral
,
and
a
few
tepid
remarks
followed
.
“
How
unutterably
this
good
lady
bores
me
!
”
thought
the
author
.
“
How
odd
it
is
that
his
characters
talk
so
well
in
his
books
,
and
that
he
is
such
a
stick
!
”
thought
Mrs.
Selldon
.
“
I
suppose
it’s
the
effect
of
cathedral-town
atmosphere
,
”
reflected
the
author
.
“
I
suppose
he
is
eaten
up
with
conceit
and
won’t
trouble
himself
to
talk
to
me
,
”
thought
the
hostess
.
By
the
time
the
fish
had
been
removed
they
had
arrived
at
a
state
of
mutual
contempt
.
Mindful
of
the
reputation
they
had
to
keep
up
,
however
,
they
exerted
themselves
a
little
more
while
the
entrées
went
round
.
“
Seldom
reads
,
I
should
fancy
,
and
never
thinks
!
”
reflected
the
author
,
glancing
at
Mrs.
Selldon’s
placid
unintellectual
face
.
“
What
on
earth
can
I
say
to
her
?
”
“
Very
unpractical
,
I
am
sure
,
”
reflected
Mrs.
Selldon
.
“
The
sort
of
man
who
lives
in
a
world
of
his
own
,
and
only
lays
down
his
pen
to
take
up
a
book
.
What
subject
shall
I
start
?
”
“
What
delightful
weather
we
have
been
having
the
last
few
days
!
”
observed
the
author
.
“
Real
genuine
summer
weather
at
last
.
”
The
same
remark
had
been
trembling
on
Mrs.
Selldon’s
lips
.
She
assented
with
great
cheerfulness
and
alacrity
;
and
over
that
invaluable
topic
,
which
is
always
so
safe
,
and
so
congenial
,
and
so
ready
to
hand
,
they
grew
quite
friendly
,
and
the
conversation
for
fully
five
minutes
was
animated
.
An
interval
of
thought
followed
.
“
How
wearisome
is
society
!
”
reflected
Mrs.
Selldon
.
“
It
is
hard
that
we
must
spend
so
much
money
in
giving
dinners
and
have
so
much
trouble
for
so
little
enjoyment
.
”
“
One
pays
dearly
for
fame
