reasonableanswer
to
give
her
.
"
What
did
Mrs.
Vivian
say
to
you
?
"
asked
Dodo
suddenly
.
Jack
paused
.
"
A
few
polite
nothings
,
"
he
said
;
"
and
half
the
royal
motto
.
Mrs.
Vane
said
she
was
quite
royal
,
which
,
of
course
,
explains
it
.
"
"
I
ca
n't
conceive
what
you
're
talking
about
,
"
remarked
Dodo
.
"
It
seems
to
me
to
be
sheer
nonsense
.
"
Jack
smiled
.
"
On
the
whole
,
I
think
it
is
sheer
nonsense
,
"
he
said
.
"
Yes
,
I
'll
come
.
"
Dodo
swept
him
the
prettiest
little
curtsey
.
"
How
good
of
you
,
"
she
said
.
"
Good-night
,
Jack
.
Do
n't
be
cross
,
it
really
is
n't
worth
while
,
and
you
can
behave
so
prettily
if
you
like
.
Oh
,
such
a
nice
gentleman
!
"
"
No
,
I
expect
it
is
n't
worth
while
,
"
said
Jack
.
CHAPTER
THREE
There
is
a
particular
beauty
about
the
Thames
valley
for
which
you
may
search
for
years
elsewhere
,
and
not
find
;
a
splendid
lavishness
in
the
way
that
the
woods
are
cast
down
broadcast
along
the
river
,
and
a
princely
extravagance
of
thick
lush
hayfields
,
that
seem
determined
not
to
leave
a
spare
inch
of
land
between
them
and
the
water
.
The
whole
scene
has
been
constructed
with
a
noble
disregard
of
expense
,
in
the
way
of
water
,
land
,
and
warm
wood-land
air
.
The
tall
,
clean-limbed
beech-trees
have
room
to
stretch
their
great
,
lazy
arms
without
being
prosecuted
for
their
clumsy
trespasses
,
and
the
squirrels
that
chatter
at
you
from
their
green
houses
seem
to
have
a
quite
unusual
sleekness
about
them
,
and
their
insolent
criticisms
to
each
other
about
your
walk
,
and
general
personal
unattractiveness
,
are
inspired
by
a
larger
share
of
animal
spirits
than
those
of
other
squirrels
.
As
you
row
gently
up
in
the
middle
of
the
stream
,
you
may
see
a
heron
standing
in
the
shallows
,
too
lazy
to
fish
,
too
supremely
confident
to
mind
the
approach
of
anything
so
inferior
as
yourself
,
and
from
the
cool
shadow
of
the
woods
you
may
hear
an
old
cock
pheasant
talking
to
himself
,
and
not
troubling
to
practise
a
new
and
original
method
of
rocketing
in
June
,
for
he
knows
that
his
time
is
not
yet
.
At
this
time
of
year
,
too
,
you
need
not
trouble
to
look
round
,
to
see
if
there
are
large
boats
full
of
noisy
people
bearing
down
on
you
;
like
the
pheasant
,
their
time
is
not
yet
.
But
now
and
then
the
long
strings
of
creamy
bubbles
appearing
on
the
deep
,
quiet
water
,
and
a
sound
rich
in
associations
of
cool
plunges
into
frothy
streams
,
warns
you
that
a
lock
is
near
.
And
above
you
may
see
some
small
village
clustering
down
to
the
river
's
edge
,
to
drink
of
its
sweet
coolness
,
or
a
couple
of
shaggy-footed
cart-horses
,
looking
with
mild
wonder
at
this
unexpected
method
of
locomotion
,
lifting
their
dripping
noses
from
the
bright
gravelly
shallows
to
stare
at
you
,
before
they
proceed
to
finish
their
evening
watering
.
Dodo
was
very
fond
of
the
Thames
valley
,
and
she
really
enjoyed
giving
up
a
day
of
June
in
London
to
the
woods
and
waters
.
They
were
to
start
quite
early
in
the
morning
,
Dodo
explained
,
and
everyone
was
to
wear
their
very
oldest
clothes
,
for
they
were
going
to
play
ducks
and
drakes
,
and
drink
milk
in
dairies
,
and
pick
buttercups
,
and
get
entirely
covered
with
freckles
.
Dodo
herself
never
freckled
,
and
she
was
conscious
of
looking
rather
better
for
a
slight
touch
of
the
sun
,
and
it
would
be
very
dear
of
Mrs.
Vivian
if
she
would
come
too
,
if
she
did
n't
mind
being
silly
all
day
;
and
,
if
so
,
would
she
call
for
them
,
as
they
were
on
her
way
?
Chesterford
,
of
course
,
was
going
,
and
Jack
,
and
Maud
and
her
mother
;
it
was
quite
a
small
party
;
and
was
n't
Jack
a
dear
?
Mrs.
Vane
had
got
hold
of
a
certain
idea
about
Mrs.
Vivian
,
distinctly
founded
on
fact
.
She
was
one
of
those
women
who
cannot
help
making
an
impression
.
How
it
is
done
,
or
exactly
what
it
is
,
one
would
be
puzzled
to
define
,
but
everyone
noticed
when
she
came
info
a
room
,
and
was
aware
when
she
went
out
.
It
was
not
her
personal
appearance
,
for
she
was
short
rather
than
tall
,
stout
rather
than
graceful
,
and
certainly
middle-aged
rather
than
young
.
Dodo
has
mentioned
the
effect
she
produced
on
her
,
and
many
people
felt
in
the
same
way
that
Mrs.
Vivian
was
somehow
on
a
higher
plane
than
they
,
that
her
mind
was
cast
in
a
larger
mould
.
Happily
for
our
peace
of
mind
such
people
are
not
very
common
;
most
of
our
fellow-men
are
luckily
much
on
the
same
level
,
and
they
are
not
more
than
units
among
units
.
But
Mrs.
Vivian
was
much
more
than
a
unit
.
Dodo
had
said
of
her
that
she
was
two
or
three
at
least
.
And
evidently
nothing
was
further
from
Mrs.
Vivian
's
wishes
than
trying
to
make
an
impression
,
in
fact
,
the
very
impressive
element
was
rather
due
to
her
extreme
naturalness
.
We
are
most
of
us
so
accustomed
to
see
people
behave
,
and
to
behave
ourselves
,
in
a
manner
not
quite
natural
,
that
to
see
anyone
who
never
does
so
,
is
in
itself
calculated
to
make
one
rather
nervous
.
Mrs.
Vivian
evidently
intended
to
take
her
life
up
again
at
the
point
where
she
had
left
off
,
so
to
speak
—
in
other
words
,
at
the
period
before
her
marriage
.
Of
her
husband
,
perhaps
,
the
less
said
the
better
.
He
died
,
owing
to
an
accident
,
after
ten
years
of
married
unhappiness
,
and
left
Mrs.
Vivian
poorer
than
she
had
been
before
.
After
his
death
she
had
travelled
abroad
for
two
years
,
and
then
returned
to
England
to
live
with
her
sister
,
who
had
married
a
rich
judge
and
kept
house
rather
magnificently
in
Prince
's
Gate
.
Lady
Fuller
had
always
disapproved
of
her
sister
's
marriage
,
and
she
was
heartily
glad
to
see
her
well
quit
of
her
husband
,
and
,
on
her
return
to
England
,
received
her
with
open
arms
,
and
begged
her
,
on
behalf
of
her
husband
and
herself
,
to
make
their
home
hers
.
Mrs.
Vivian
accordingly
settled
down
in
the
"
extremely
commodious
"
house
in
Prince
's
Gate
,
and
,
as
I
said
,
took
up
her
life
where
it
had
left
off
.
A
standing
grievance
that
her
husband
had
had
with
her
was
,
that
she
interested
herself
in
the
poor
,
and
in
the
East
End
slums
,
that
she
went
to
cabmen
's
shelters
,
and
espoused
the
cause
of
overdriven
factory
girls
.
He
had
told
her
that
it
was
meddling
with
other
people
's
business
;
that
nothing
was
so
objectionable
as
an
assumption
of
charitable
airs
;
that
a
woman
who
went
to
balls
and
dinner-parties
was
a
hypocrite
if
she
pretended
to
care
about
the
state
of
the
poor
,
and
that
she
only
did
it
because
she
wished
to
appear
unlike
other
people
.
But
he
altogether
failed
to
perceive
that
her
actions
were
entirely
uninfluenced
by
the
impression
they
were
to
make
,
and
mistook
her
extreme
naturalness
for
the
subtlest
affectation
.
However
,
Mrs.
Vivian
resolutely
banished
from
her
mind
the
remembrance
of
those
ten
years
,
and
,
being
unable
to
think
of
her
husband
with
tenderness
or
affection
,
she
preferred
to
forget
her
married
life
altogether
.
The
Vanes
had
been
their
neighbours
in
the
country
for
many
years
,
and
she
had
known
Dodo
since
she
was
a
child
.
Dodo
had
once
asked
to
accompany
her
in
her
visits
to
the
East
End
,
and
had
been
immensely
struck
by
what
she
saw
,
and
determined
to
be
charitable
too
.
This
sort
of
thing
seemed
extremely
chic
to
Dodo
's
observant
mind
.
So
she
took
up
a
factory
of
miserable
match-girls
,
and
asked
them
all
to
tea
,
and
got
Mrs.
Vivian
to
promise
her
help
;
but
when
the
afternoon
came
,
Dodo
particularly
wished
to
go
to
a
morning
concert
,
and
on
Mrs.
Vivian
's
arrival
she
found
,
indeed
,
plenty
of
match-girls
,
but
no
Dodo
.
Dodo
came
back
later
and
made
herself
extremely
fascinating
.
She
kissed
the
cleanest
of
the
girls
,
and
patted
the
rest
on
the
shoulder
,
and
sang
several
delightful
little
French
songs
to
them
to
her
own
accompaniment
on
the
banjo
,
and
thanked
Mrs.
Vivian
for
being
"
such
a
dear
about
the
slums
.
"
But
on
the
next
occasion
when
she
had
nothing
to
do
,
and
called
on
Mrs.
Vivian
to
ask
to
be
taken
to
another
of
those
"
darling
little
slums
,
"
Mrs.
Vivian
hinted
that
,
though
she
would
be
charmed
to
take
her
,
she
thought
that
Dodo
had
perhaps
forgotten
that
the
Four-in-hand
Club
met
that
day
in
Hyde
Park
.
Dodo
had
forgotten
it
,
and
,
as
she
had
bespoken
the
box
seat
on
one
of
her
friends
'
coaches
,
she
hurried
home
again
,
feeling
it
freshly
borne
in
upon
her
that
Mrs.
Vivian
thought
she
was
very
contemptible
indeed
.
Altogether
Mrs.
Vivian
knew
Dodo
well
,
and
when
she
went
home
that
evening
,
she
thought
a
good
deal
about
the
approaching
marriage
.
She
was
glad
to
have
had
that
occasion
of
speaking
to
Jack
,
he
seemed
to
her
to
be
worth
doing
it
for
.
She
knew
that
she
ran
the
risk
of
being
told
,
in
chillingly
polite
English
,
that
she
was
stepping
outside
her
province
,
and
that
Jack
did
not
belong
to
the
East
End
class
who
welcomed
any
charitable
hand
;
but
she
had
a
remarkably
keen
eye
,
and
her
intuitive
perception
told
her
at
once
that
Jack
's
sense
of
the
justice
of
her
remark
would
stifle
any
feeling
he
might
have
that
she
was
officious
and
meddlesome
,
and
the
event
had
justified
her
decision
.
In
the
course
of
the
next
few
days
she
met
Jack
several
times
.
They
both
went
to
the
water-party
Dodo
spoke
of
,
and
she
took
the
opportunity
to
cultivate
his
acquaintance
.
They
were
sitting
on
the
bank
of
the
river
below
the
Clivedon
woods
,
a
little
apart
from
the
others
,
and
she
felt
that
as
he
had
behaved
so
well
,
she
owed
him
some
apology
.
"
It
was
very
nice
of
you
,
Mr.
Broxton
,
"
she
said
,
"
to
be
so
polite
to
me
last
night
.
To
tell
you
the
truth
,
I
did
know
you
,
though
you
did
n't
know
me
.
I
was
an
old
friend
of
your
mother
's
,
but
I
had
n't
time
to
explain
that
,
and
you
were
good
enough
to
take
me
without
explanations
.
I
always
wonder
what
our
attitude
towards
old
friends
of
our
mothers
ought
to
be
.
I
really
do
n't
see
why
they
should
have
any
claim
upon
one
.
"
Jack
laughed
.
"
The
fact
was
that
I
knew
you
were
right
as
soon
as
you
spoke
to
me
,
though
I
wanted
to
resent
it
.
I
had
been
putting
it
differently
to
myself
;
that
was
why
I
spoke
to
Dodo
.
"
"
Tell
me
more
,
"
she
said
.
"
From
the
momentary
glance
I
had
of
you
and
her
,
I
thought
you
had
been
remonstrating
with
her
,
and
she
had
been
objecting
.
I
do
n't
blame
you
for
remonstrating
in
the
general
way
.
Dodo
's
conduct
used
not
to
be
always
blameless
.
But
it
looked
private
,
and
that
was
what
I
did
object
to
.
I
daresay
you
think
me
a
tiresome
,
impertinent
,
old
woman
.
"
Jack
felt
more
strongly
than
ever
that
this
woman
could
not
help
being
well-bred
in
whatever
she
did
.
"
It
sounds
disloyal
to
one
's
friends
,
I
know
,
"
he
said
,
"
but
it
was
because
I
really
did
care
for
both
of
them
that
I
acted
as
I
did
.
What
will
happen
will
be
that
he
will
continue
to
adore
her
,
and
by
degrees
she
will
begin
to
hate
him
.
He
will
not
commit
suicide
,
and
I
do
n't
think
Dodo
will
make
a
scandal
.
Her
regard
for
appearances
alone
would
prevent
that
.
It
would
be
a
confession
of
failure
.
"
Mrs.
Vivian
looked
grave
.
"
Did
you
tell
Dodo
this
?
"
"
More
or
less
,
"
he
replied
.
"
Except
about
the
scandal
and
the
suicide
.
"
Mrs.
Vivian
's
large
,
grey
,
serious
eyes
twinkled
with
some
slight
amusement
.
"
I
think
while
I
was
about
it
I
should
have
told
her
that
too
,
"
she
said
;
"
that
's
the
sort
of
argument
that
appeals
to
Dodo
.
You
have
to
scream
if
you
want
her
to
listen
to
what
she
does
n't
want
to
hear
.
But
I
do
n't
think
it
was
quite
well
judged
of
you
,
you
know
.
"
"
I
think
she
ought
to
know
it
,
"
said
Jack
,
"
though
I
realise
I
ought
to
have
been
the
last
person
to
tell
her
,
for
several
reasons
.
"
Mrs.
Vivian
looked
at
him
inquiringly
.
"
You
mean
for
fear
of
her
putting
a
wrong
construction
on
it
?
I
see
,
"
she
said
.
Jack
felt
that
it
could
not
have
been
more
delicately
done
.
"
How
did
you
know
?
"
"
Oh
,
"
she
said
,
"
that
is
the
kind
of
intuition
which
is
the
only
consolation
we
women
have
for
getting
old
.
We
are
put
on
the
shelf
,
no
doubt
,
after
a
certain
age
,
but
we
get
a
habit
of
squinting
down
into
the
room
below
.
That
is
the
second
time
I
have
shown
myself
a
meddling
old
woman
,
and
you
have
treated
me
very
nicely
both
times
.
Let
us
join
the
others
.
I
see
tea
is
ready
.
"
Dodo
meanwhile
had
walked
Chesterford
off
among
the
green
cool
woods
that
bordered
the
river
.
She
had
given
Jack
's
remarks
a
good
deal
of
consideration
,
and
,
whether
or
no
she
felt
that
he
was
justified
in
them
on
present
data
,
she
determined
that
she
would
make
the
event
falsify
his
predictions
.
Dodo
had
an
unlimited
capacity
for
interfering
in
the
course
of
destiny
.
She
devoted
herself
to
her
aims
,
whatever
they
might
be
,
with
a
wonderful
singleness
of
purpose
,
and
since
it
is
a
fact
that
one
usually
gets
what
one
wants
in
this
world
,
if
one
tries
hard
enough
,
it
followed
that
up
to
this
time
she
had
,
on
the
whole
,
usually
got
her
way
.
But
she
was
now
dealing
with
an
unknown
quantity
,
which
she
could
not
gauge
.
She
had
confessed
to
Jack
her
inability
to
understand
what
love
meant
,
and
it
was
with
a
certain
sense
of
misgiving
that
she
felt
that
her
answers
for
the
future
would
be
expressed
in
terms
of
that
unknown
quantity
"
x
.
"
To
Dodo
's
concrete
mind
this
was
somewhat
discouraging
,
but
she
determined
to
do
her
best
to
reduce
things
to
an
equation
in
which
the
value
of
"
x
"
could
be
found
in
terms
of
some
of
those
many
symbols
which
she
did
know
.
Dodo
had
an
inexhaustible
fund
of
vivacity
,
which
was
a
very
useful
instrument
to
her
;
like
a
watch-key
that
fits
all
watches
,
she
was
able
to
apply
it
as
required
to
very
different
pieces
of
mechanism
.
When
she
wished
to
do
honour
to
a
melancholy
occasion
,
for
instance
,
her
vivacity
turned
any
slight
feeling
of
sorrow
she
had
into
hysterical
weeping
;
when
the
occasion
was
joyful
,
it
became
a
torrent
of
delightful
nonsense
.
To-day
the
occasion
was
distinctly
joyful
.
She
had
a
large
sense
of
success
.
Chesterford
was
really
a
very
desirable
lover
;
his
immense
wealth
answered
exactly
the
requirements
of
Dodo
's
wishes
.
Furthermore
,
he
was
safe
and
easily
satisfied
;
the
day
was
charming
;
Jack
was
there
;
she
had
had
a
very
good
lunch
,
and
was
shortly
going
to
have
a
very
good
tea
;
and
Chesterford
had
given
orders
for
his
yacht
to
be
in
readiness
to
take
them
off
for
a
delightful
honeymoon
,
directly
after
their
marriage
—
in
short
,
all
her
circumstances
were
wholly
satisfactory
.
She
had
said
to
him
after
lunch
,
as
they
were
sitting
on
the
grass
,
"
Come
away
into
those
delicious
woods
,
and
leave
these
stupid
people
here
,
"
and
he
was
radiant
in
consequence
,
for
,
to
tell
the
truth
,
she
had
been
rather
indulgent
of
his
company
than
eager
for
it
the
last
day
or
two
.
She
was
in
the
highest
spirits
as
they
strolled
away
.
"
Oh
do
give
me
a
cigarette
,
"
she
said
,
as
soon
as
they
had
got
out
of
sight
.
"
I
did
n't
dare
smoke
with
that
Vivian
woman
there
.
Chesterford
,
I
am
frightened
of
her
.
She
is
as
bad
as
the
Inquisition
,
or
that
odious
man
in
Browning
who
used
to
walk
about
,
and
tell
the
king
if
anything
happened
.
I
am
sure
she
puts
it
down
in
a
book
whenever
I
say
anything
I
should
n't
.
You
know
that
's
so
tantalising
.
It
is
a
sort
of
challenge
to
be
improper
.
Chesterford
,
if
you
put
down
in
a
book
anything
I
do
wrong
,
I
swear
I
shall
go
to
the
bad
altogether
.
"
To
Chesterford
this
seemed
the
most
attractive
nonsense
that
ever
flowed
from
female
lips
.
"
Why
,
you
ca
n't
do
anything
wrong
,
Dodo
,
"
he
said
simply
;
"
at
least
not
what
I
think
wrong
.
And
what
does
it
matter
what
other
people
think
?
"
Dodo
patted
his
hand
,
and
blew
him
a
kiss
approvingly
.
"
That
's
quite
right
,
"
she
said
;
"
bear
that
in
mind
and
we
shall
never
have
a
quarrel
.
Chesterford
,
we
wo
n't
quarrel
at
all
,
will
we
?
Everybody
else
does
,
I
suppose
,
now
and
then
,
and
that
proves
it
's
vulgar
.
Mrs.
Vivian
used
to
quarrel
with
her
husband
,
so
she
's
vulgar
.
Oh
,
I
'm
so
glad
she
's
vulgar
.
I
sha'
n't
care
how
much
she
looks
at
me
now
.
Bother
!
I
believe
it
was
only
her
husband
that
used
to
swear
at
her
.
Never
mind
,
he
must
have
been
vulgar
to
do
that
,
and
she
must
have
vulgar
tastes
to
have
married
a
vulgar
person
.
I
do
n't
think
I
'm
vulgar
,
do
you
?
Really
it
's
a
tremendous
relief
to
have
found
out
that
she
's
vulgar
.
But
I
am
afraid
I
shall
forget
it
when
I
see
her
again
.
You
must
remind
me
.
You
must
point
at
her
and
say
V
,
if
you
can
manage
it
.
Or
are
you
afraid
of
her
too
?
"
"
Oh
,
never
mind
Mrs.
Vivian
,
"
said
he
,
"
she
can
wait
.
"
"
That
's
what
she
's
always
doing
,
"
said
Dodo
.
"
Waiting
and
watching
with
large
serious
eyes
.
I
ca
n't
think
why
she
does
it
,
for
she
does
n't
make
use
of
it
afterwards
.
Now
when
I
know
something
discreditable
of
a
person
,
if
I
dislike
him
,
I
tell
everybody
else
,
and
if
I
like
him
,
I
tell
him
that
I
know
all
about
it
,
and
I
am
so
sorry
for
him
.
Then
he
thinks
you
are
charming
and
sympathetic
,
and
you
have
a
devoted
admirer
for
life
.
"
Chesterford
laughed
.
He
had
no
desire
to
interrupt
this
rapid
monologue
of
Dodo
's
.
He
was
quite
content
to
play
the
part
of
the
Greek
chorus
.
"
I
'm
going
to
sit
down
here
,
"
continued
Dodo
.
"
Do
you
mind
my
smoking
cigarettes
?
I
'm
not
sure
that
it
is
in
good
form
,
but
I
mean
to
make
it
so
.
I
want
to
be
the
fashion
.
Would
you
like
your
wife
to
be
the
fashion
?
"
He
bent
over
her
as
she
sat
with
her
head
back
,
smiling
up
at
him
.
"
My
darling
,
"
he
said
,
"
do
you
know
,
I
really
do
n't
care
a
straw
whether
you
are
the
fashion
or
not
,
as
long
as
you
are
satisfied
.
You
might
stand
on
your
head
in
Piccadilly
if
you
liked
,
and
I
would
come
and
stand
too
.
All
I
care
about
is
that
you
are
you
,
and
that
you
have
made
me
the
happiest
man
on
God
's
earth
.
"
Dodo
was
conscious
again
of
the
presence
of
this
unknown
quantity
.
She
would
much
prefer
striking
it
out
altogether
;
it
seemed
to
have
quite
an
unreasonable
preponderance
.
Chesterford
did
not
usually
make
jokes
,
in
fact
she
had
never
heard
him
make
one
before
,
and
his
remark
about
standing
on
his
head
seemed
to
be
only
accounted
for
by
this
perplexing
factor
.
Dodo
had
read
about
love
in
poems
and
novels
,
and
had
seen
something
of
it
,
too
,
but
it
remained
a
puzzle
to
her
.
She
hoped
her
calculations
might
not
prove
distressingly
incorrect
owing
to
this
inconvenient
factor
.
But
she
laughed
with
her
habitual
sincerity
,
and
replied
,
—
"
What
a
good
idea
;
let
's
do
it
to-morrow
morning
.
Will
ten
suit
you
?
We
can
let
windows
in
all
the
houses
round
.
I
'm
sure
there
would
be
a
crowd
to
see
us
.
It
really
would
be
interesting
,
though
perhaps
not
a
very
practical
thing
to
do
.
I
wonder
if
Mrs.
Vivian
would
come
.
She
would
put
down
a
very
large
bad
mark
to
me
for
that
,
but
I
shall
tell
her
it
was
your
suggestion
.
"
Chesterford
laughed
with
pure
pleasure
.
"
Dodo
,
"
he
said
,
"
you
are
not
fair
on
Mrs.
Vivian
.
She
is
a
very
good
woman
.
"
"
Oh
,
I
do
n't
doubt
that
,
"
said
Dodo
,
"
but
,
you
see
,
being
good
does
n't
necessarily
make
one
a
pleasant
companion
.
Now
,
I
'm
not
a
bit
good
,
but
you
must
confess
you
would
rather
talk
to
me
than
to
the
Vivian
.
"
"
Oh
,
you
are
different
,
"
said
he
rapturously
.
"
You
are
Dodo
.
"
Dodo
smiled
contentedly
.
This
man
was
so
easy
to
please
.
She
had
felt
some
slight
dismay
at
Jack
's
ill-omened
prophecies
,
but
Jack
was
preposterously
wrong
about
this
.
They
rejoined
the
others
in
course
of
time
.
Dodo
made
fearful
ravages
on
the
eatables
,
and
after
tea
she
suddenly
announced
,
—
"
Mrs.
Vivian
,
I
'm
going
to
smoke
a
cigarette
.
Do
you
feel
dreadfully
shocked
?
"
Mrs.
Vivian
laughed
.
"
My
dear
Dodo
,
I
should
never
venture
to
be
shocked
at
anything
you
did
.
You
are
so
complete
that
I
should
be
afraid
to
spoil
you
utterly
,
if
I
tried
to
suggest
corrections
.
"
Dodo
lit
a
cigarette
with
a
slightly
defiant
air
.
Mrs.
Vivian
's
manner
had
been
entirely
sincere
,
but
she
felt
the
same
sort
of
resentment
that
a
prisoner
might
feel
if
the
executioner
made
sarcastic
remarks
to
him
.
She
looked
on
Mrs.
Vivian
as
a
sort
of
walking
Inquisition
.
"
My
darling
Dodo
,
"
murmured
Mrs.
Vane
,
"
I
do
so
wish
you
would
,
not
smoke
,
it
will
ruin
your
teeth
entirely
.
"
Dodo
turned
to
Mrs.
Vivian
.
"
That
means
you
think
it
would
be
very
easy
to
spoil
me
,
as
you
call
it
.
"
"
Not
at
all
,
"
said
that
lady
.
"
I
do
n't
understand
you
,
that
's
all
,
and
I
might
be
pulling
out
the
key-stone
of
the
arch
unawares
.
Not
that
I
suppose
your
character
depends
upon
your
smoking
.
"
Dodo
leaned
back
and
laughed
.
"
Oh
,
this
is
too
dreadfully
subtle
,
"
she
exclaimed
.
"
I
want
to
unbend
my
mind
.
Chesterford
,
come
and
talk
to
me
,
you
are
deliciously
unbending
.
"
CHAPTER
FOUR
Lord
and
Lady
Chesterford
were
expected
home
on
the
6th
of
December
.
The
marriage
took
place
late
in
August
,
and
they
had
gone
off
on
the
yacht
directly
afterwards
,
in
order
to
spend
a
few
warm
months
in
the
Mediterranean
.
Dodo
had
written
home
occasionally
to
Mrs.
Vane
,
and
now
and
then
to
Jack
.
To
Jack
her
letters
had
never
been
more
than
a
word
or
two
,
simply
saying
that
they
were
enjoying
themselves
enormously
,
and
that
Jack
had
been
hopelessly
wrong
.
Mrs.
Vane
also
had
much
reason
to
be
satisfied
.
She
had
spent
her
autumn
in
a
variety
of
fashionable
watering-places
,
where
her
dresses
had
always
been
the
awe
and
wonder
of
the
town
;
she
had
met
many
acquaintances
,
to
whom
she
had
poured
out
her
rapture
over
Dodo
's
marriage
;
had
declared
that
Chesterford
was
most
charming
,
and
that
he
and
Dodo
were
quite
another
Adam
and
Eve
in
Paradise
,
and
that
she
was
really
quite
jealous
of
Dodo
.
When
they
left
England
,
they
had
intended
to
spend
the
winter
abroad
and
not
come
back
till
February
,
but
early
in
December
a
telegram
had
arrived
at
Winston
,
Lord
Chesterford
's
country
house
,
saying
that
they
would
be
back
in
ten
days
.
About
the
same
time
Jack
received
a
letter
,
saying
that
their
change
of
plans
was
solely
owing
to
the
fact
that
Dodo
was
rather
tired
of
the
sea
,
and
the
weather
was
bad
,
and
that
she
had
never
been
so
happy
in
her
life
.
Dodo
's
eagerness
to
assure
Jack
of
this
struck
him
as
being
in
rather
bad
taste
.
She
ought
to
have
entirely
ignored
his
warnings
.
The
happiness
of
a
newly-married
woman
ought
to
be
so
absorbing
,
as
to
make
her
be
unaware
of
the
existence
of
other
people
;
and
this
consciousness
in
Dodo
of
her
triumphant
superiority
of
knowledge
,
led
him
to
suppose
he
was
right
rather
than
wrong
.
He
was
unfeignedly
sorry
not
to
be
sure
that
she
had
been
right
.
When
he
told
Dodo
that
he
wished
to
be
jealous
of
Chesterford
,
he
was
quite
sincere
.
Since
he
could
not
have
Dodo
himself
,
at
any
rate
let
her
make
someone
happy
.
Dodo
also
informed
him
that
they
were
going
to
have
a
house-party
that
Christmas
and
that
he
must
come
,
and
she
had
asked
Mrs.
Vivian
,
to
show
that
she
was
n't
afraid
of
her
any
longer
,
and
that
Maud
was
coming
,
and
she
wished
Jack
would
marry
her
.
Then
followed
a
dozen
other
names
belonging
to
Dodo
's
private
and
particular
set
,
who
had
all
been
rather
disgusted
at
her
marrying
what
they
chose
to
call
a
Philistine
.
It
had
been
quite
hoped
that
she
would
marry
Jack
.
Jack
was
not
a
Philistine
at
all
,
though
the
fact
of
his
having
proposed
to
her
remained
a
secret
.
Maud
,
on
the
other
hand
,
was
a
Philistine
;
and
it
was
one
of
Dodo
's
merits
that
she
did
not
drop
those
who
originally
had
claims
on
her
,
when
she
became
the
fashion
.
She
was
constantly
trying
to
bring
Maud
into
notice
,
but
Maud
resisted
the
most
well-meant
shoves
.
She
had
none
of
Dodo
's
vivacity
and
talents
;
in
fact
,
her
talents
lay
chiefly
in
the
direction
of
arranging
the
places
at
a
dinner-party
,
and
in
doing
a
great
deal
of
unnecessary
worsted
work
.
What
happened
to
her
worsted
work
nobody
ever
knew
.
It
was
chiefly
remarkable
for
the
predominance
of
its
irregularities
,
and
a
suggestion
of
damaged
goods
about
it
,
in
consequence
of
much
handling
.
To
Dodo
it
seemed
an
incredible
stupidity
that
anyone
should
do
worsted
work
,
or
,
if
they
did
do
it
,
not
do
it
well
.
She
used
to
tell
Maud
that
it
was
done
much
more
cheaply
in
shops
,
and
much
better
.
Then
Maud
would
drop
it
for
a
time
,
and
take
to
playing
the
piano
,
but
that
was
even
more
oppressively
stupid
to
Dodo
's
mind
than
the
worsted
work
.
Maud
had
a
perfect
genius
for
not
letting
her
right
hand
know
what
her
left
hand
was
doing
,
a
principle
which
was
abhorrent
to
Dodo
in
every
application
.
The
consequence
of
all
this
was
,
that
Dodo
was
apt
to
regard
her
sister
as
a
failure
,
though
she
still
,
as
in
the
present
instance
,
liked
giving
Maud
what
she
considered
a
helping
hand
.
It
must
be
confessed
that
Dodo
's
efforts
were
not
altogether
unselfish
.
She
liked
her
environment
to
be
as
great
a
success
as
herself
,
as
it
thus
added
to
her
own
completeness
,
just
as
a
picture
looks
better
in
a
good
frame
than
in
a
shabby
one
.
Maud
,
however
,
had
no
desire
to
be
a
success
.
She
was
perfectly
happy
to
sit
in
the
background
and
do
the
worsted
work
.
She
longed
to
be
let
alone
.
At
times
she
would
make
her
escape
to
the
iron
works
and
try
to
cultivate
the
domestic
virtues
in
attending
to
her
father
.
She
thought
with
a
kind
of
envy
of
the
daughters
of
country
clergymen
,
whose
mediocre
piano-playing
was
invaluable
to
penny
readings
and
village
concerts
,
and
for
whose
worsted
work
there
was
a
constant
demand
,
in
view
of
old
women
and
almshouses
.
She
had
hoped
that
Dodo
's
slumming
experiences
would
bring
her
into
connection
with
this
side
of
life
,
and
had
dispensed
tea
and
buns
with
a
kind
of
rapture
on
the
occasion
of
Dodo
's
tea-party
,
but
her
sister
had
dropped
her
slums
,
as
we
have
seen
,
at
this
point
,
and
Maud
was
too
shy
and
uninitiative
to
take
them
up
alone
.
She
had
an
excellent
heart
,
but
excellent
hearts
were
out
of
place
in
Mrs.
Vane
's
establishment
.
Dodo
had
confessed
her
inability
to
deal
with
them
.
Dodo
's
general
invitation
to
Jack
was
speedily
followed
by
a
special
one
from
Winston
,
naming
the
first
week
in
January
as
the
time
of
the
party
.
Jack
was
met
on
his
arrival
by
Chesterford
,
and
as
they
drove
back
the
latter
gave
him
particulars
about
the
party
in
the
house
.
"
They
are
chiefly
Dodo
's
friends
,
"
he
said
.
"
Do
you
know
,
Jack
,
except
for
you
,
I
think
I
am
rather
afraid
of
Dodo
's
friends
,
they
are
so
dreadfully
clever
,
you
know
.
Of
course
they
are
all
very
charming
,
but
they
talk
about
character
.
Now
I
do
n't
care
to
talk
about
character
.
I
know
a
good
man
when
I
see
him
,
and
that
's
all
that
matters
as
far
as
I
can
judge
.
Dodo
was
saying
last
night
that
her
potentiality
for
good
was
really
much
stronger
than
her
potentiality
for
evil
,
and
that
her
potentiality
for
evil
was
only
skin
deep
,
and
they
all
laughed
,
and
said
they
did
n't
believe
it
.
And
Dodo
said
,
'
Ask
Chesterford
if
it
is
n't
,
'
and
God
only
knows
what
I
said
.
"
Jack
laughed
.
"
Poor
old
fellow
,
"
he
said
,
"
you
and
I
will
go
to
the
smoking-room
,
and
talk
about
nothing
at
all
subtle
.
I
do
n't
like
subtleties
either
.
"
"
Ah
,
but
they
expect
great
things
of
you
,
"
said
Chesterford
ruefully
.
"
Dodo
was
saying
you
were
an
apostle
.
Are
you
an
apostle
,
Jack
?
"
"
Oh
,
that
's
only
a
nickname
of
Dodo
's
,
"
he
said
,
smiling
.
"
But
who
are
these
dreadfully
clever
people
?
"
"
Oh
,
there
's
Ledgers
—
you
know
him
,
I
suppose
—
and
a
Miss
Edith
Staines
,
and
a
girl
whom
I
do
n't
know
,
called
Miss
Grantham
,
whom
Ledgers
said
,
when
she
was
out
of
the
room
last
night
,
that
he
had
'
discovered
.
'
What
he
meant
Heaven
knows
.
Then
there
's
Maud
,
who
is
a
nice
girl
.
She
went
round
to
the
keeper
's
with
me
this
afternoon
,
and
played
with
the
baby
.
Then
there
's
Bertie
Arbuthnot
,
and
I
think
that
's
all
.
"
Jack
laughed
.
"
I
do
n't
think
we
need
mind
them
,
"
he
said
.
"
We
'll
form
a
square
to
resist
cavalry
.
"
.
"
Bertie
's
the
best
of
the
lot
,
"
said
Chesterford
,
"
and
they
laughed
at
him
rather
,
I
think
.
But
he
is
quite
unconscious
of
it
.
"
They
drove
on
in
silence
a
little
way
.
Then
.
Chesterford
said
,
—
"
Jack
,
Dodo
makes
me
the
happiest
of
men
.
I
am
afraid
sometimes
that
she
is
too
clever
,
and
wishes
I
was
more
so
,
but
it
makes
no
difference
.
Last
night
,
as
I
was
in
the
smoking-room
she
sent
to
say
she
wanted
to
see
me
,
and
I
went
up
.
She
said
that
she
wanted
to
talk
to
me
,
now
she
had
got
rid
of
all
those
tiresome
people
,
and
said
so
many
charming
things
that
I
got
quite
conceited
,
and
had
to
stop
her
.
I
often
wonder
,
Jack
,
what
I
have
done
to
deserve
her
.
And
she
went
on
talking
about
our
yachting
,
and
those
months
in
London
when
we
were
first
engaged
,
and
she
told
me
to
go
on
smoking
,
and
she
would
have
a
cigarette
too
.
And
we
sat
on
talking
,
till
I
saw
she
was
tired
,
and
then
I
went
away
,
though
he
would
hardly
let
me
.
"
This
communication
had
only
the
effect
of
making
Jack
rather
uncomfortable
.
Knowing
what
he
did
,
he
knew
that
this
was
not
all
genuine
on
Dodo
's
part
.
It
was
obviously
an
effort
to
keep
it
up
,
to
use
a
vulgar
term
.
And
since
it
was
not
all
genuine
,
the
doubt
occurred
as
to
whether
any
of
it
was
.
Jack
had
a
profound
belief
in
Dodo
's
dramatic
talents
.
That
the
need
for
keeping
it
up
had
appeared
already
was
an
alarming
symptom
,
but
the
real
tragedy
would
begin
on
that
day
when
Dodo
first
failed
to
do
so
.
And
from
that
moment
Jack
regarded
his
prophecy
as
certain
to
be
fulfilled
.
The
overture
had
begun
,
and
in
course
of
time
the
curtain
would
rise
on
a
grim
performance
.
They
drove
up
to
the
door
,
and
entered
the
large
oak-panelled
hall
,
hung
all
round
with
portraits
of
the
family
.
The
night
was
cold
,
and
there
was
a
fire
sparkling
in
the
wide
,
open
grate
.
As
they
entered
,
an
old
collie
,
who
was
enjoying
the
fruits
of
a
well-spent
life
on
the
hearthrug
,
stretched
his
great
,
tawny
limbs
,
and
shoved
a
welcoming
nose
into
Chesterford
's
hand
.
This
produced
heartburnings
of
the
keenest
order
in
the
mind
of
a
small
fox-terrier
pup
,
who
consisted
mainly
of
head
and
legs
,
which
latter
he
evidently
considered
at
present
more
as
a
preventive
towards
walking
than
an
aid
.
Being
unable
to
reach
his
hand
the
puppy
contented
himself
with
sprawling
over
his
boots
,
and
making
vague
snaps
at
the
collie
.
It
was
characteristic
of
Chesterford
that
all
animals
liked
him
.
He
had
a
tender
regard
for
the
feelings
of
anything
that
was
dependent
on
him
.
Dodo
thought
this
almost
inexplicable
.
She
disliked
to
see
animals
in
pain
,
because
they
usually
howled
,
but
the
dumb
anguish
of
a
dog
who
considers
himself
neglected
conveyed
nothing
to
her
.
From
within
a
door
to
the
right
,
came
sounds
of
talking
and
laughter
.
There
was
something
pathetic
in
the
sight
of
this
beautiful
home
,
and
its
owner
standing
with
his
back
to
the
fire
,
as
Jack
divested
himself
of
his
coat
.
Chesterford
was
so
completely
happy
,
so
terribly
unconscious
of
what
Jack
felt
sure
was
going
on
.
He
looked
the
model
of
the
typical
English
gentleman
,
with
his
tall
stature
and
well-bred
face
.
Jack
remembered
passing
on
the
road
a
labourer
who
was
turning
into
his
cottage
.
The
firelight
had
thrown
a
bright
ray
across
the
snow-covered
road
,
and
inside
he
had
caught
a
momentary
glimpse
of
the
wife
with
a
baby
in
her
arms
,
and
a
couple
of
girls
laying
the
table-cloth
.
He
remembered
afresh
Dodo
's
remark
about
waiting
until
the
chimney
smoked
,
and
devoutly
hoped
that
the
chimney
of
this
well-appointed
house
was
in
good
order
.
Chesterford
led
the
way
to
the
drawing-room
door
,
and
pushed
it
open
for
Jack
to
enter
.
Dodo
was
sitting
at
the
tea-table
,
talking
to
some
half-dozen
people
who
were
grouped
round
her
.
As
Jack
entered
,
she
rose
and
came
towards
him
with
a
smile
of
welcome
.
"
Ah
,
Jack
,
"
she
said
,
"
this
is
delightful
;
I
am
tremendously
glad
to
see
you
!
Let
's
see
,
whom
do
you
know
?
May
I
introduce
you
to
Miss
Grantham
?
Mr.
Broxton
.
I
think
you
know
everybody
else
.
Chesterford
,
come
here
and
sit
by
me
at
once
.
You
've
been
an
age
away
.
I
expect
you
've
been
getting
into
mischief
.
"
She
wheeled
a
chair
up
for
him
,
and
planted
him
down
in
it
.
He
looked
radiantly
happy
.
"
Now
,
Jack
,
"
she
went
on
,
"
tell
us
what
you
've
been
doing
all
these
months
.
It
's
years
since
we
saw
you
.
I
think
you
look
all
right
.
No
signs
of
breaking
down
yet
.
I
hoped
you
would
have
gone
into
a
rapid
consumption
,
because
I
was
married
,
but
it
does
n't
seem
to
have
made
any
difference
to
anybody
except
Chesterford
and
me
.
Jack
,
do
n't
you
think
I
shall
make
an
excellent
matron
?
I
shall
get
Maud
to
teach
me
some
of
her
crochet-stitches
.
Have
you
ever
been
here
before
?
Chesterford
,
you
shut
it
up
,
did
n't
you
,
for
several
years
,
until
you
thought
of
bringing
me
here
?
Sugar
,
Jack
?
Two
lumps
?
Chesterford
,
you
must
n't
eat
sugar
,
you
're
getting
quite
fat
already
.
You
must
obey
me
,
you
know
.
You
promised
to
love
,
honour
and
obey
.
Oh
,
no
;
I
did
that
.
However
,
sugar
is
bad
for
you
.
"
"
Dodo
keeps
a
tight
hand
on
me
,
you
see
,
"
said
Chesterford
,
from
the
depths
of
his
chair
.
"
Dodo
,
give
me
the
sugar
,
or
we
shall
quarrel
.
"
Dodo
laughed
charmingly
.
"
He
would
quarrel
with
his
own
wife
for
a
lump
of
sugar
,
"
said
Dodo
dramatically
;
"
but
she
wo
n't
quarrel
with
him
.
Take
it
then
.
"
She
glanced
at
Jack
for
a
moment
as
she
said
this
,
but
Jack
was
talking
to
Miss
Grantham
,
and
either
did
not
see
,
or
did
not
seem
to
.
Jack
had
a
pleasant
impression
of
light
hair
,
dark
grey
eyes
,
and
a
very
fair
complexion
.
But
somehow
it
produced
no
more
effect
on
him
than
do
those
classical
profiles
which
are
commoner
on
the
lids
of
chocolate
boxes
than
elsewhere
.
Her
"
discoverer
"
was
sitting
in
a
chair
next
her
,
talking
to
her
with
something
of
the
air
of
a
showman
exhibiting
the
tricks
of
his
performing
bear
.
His
manner
seemed
to
say
,
"
See
what
an
intelligent
animal
.
"
The
full
sublimity
of
Lord
Ledgers
'
remark
had
not
struck
him
till
that
moment
.
Miss
Grantham
was
delivering
herself
of
a
variety
of
opinions
in
a
high
,
penetrating
voice
.
"
Oh
,
did
you
never
hear
him
sing
last
year
?
"
she
was
saying
to
Lord
Ledgers
.
"
Mr.
Broxton
,
you
must
have
heard
him
.
He
has
the
most
lovely
voice
.
He
simply
sings
into
your
inside
.
You
feel
as
if
someone
had
got
hold
of
your
heart
,
and
was
stroking
it
.
Do
n't
you
know
how
some
sounds
produce
that
effect
?
I
went
with
Dodo
once
.
She
simply
wept
floods
,
but
I
was
too
far
gone
for
that
.
He
had
put
a
little
stopper
on
my
tear
bottle
,
and
though
I
was
dying
to
cry
,
I
could
n't
.
"
"
I
always
wonder
how
sorry
we
are
when
we
cry
,
"
said
Lord
Ledgers
in
a
smooth
,
low
voice
.
"
It
always
strikes
me
that
people
who
do
n't
cry
probably
feel
most
.
"
"
Oh
,
you
are
a
horrid
,
unfeeling
monster
,
"
remarked
Miss
Grantham
;
"
that
's
what
comes
of
being
a
man
.
Just
because
you
are
not
in
the
habit
of
crying
yourself
,
you
think
that
you
have
all
the
emotions
,
but
stoically
repress
them
.
Now
I
cultivate
emotions
.
I
would
walk
ten
miles
any
day
in
order
to
have
an
emotion
.
Would
n't
you
,
Mr.
Broxton
?
"
"
It
obviously
depends
on
what
sort
of
emotion
I
should
find
when
I
walked
there
,
"
said
Jack
.
"
There
are
some
emotions
that
I
would
walk
further
to
avoid
.
"
"
Oh
,
of
course
,
the
common
emotions
,
'
the
litany
things
,
'
as
Dodo
calls
them
,
"
said
Miss
Grantham
,
dismissing
them
lightly
with
a
wave
of
her
hand
.
"
But
what
I
like
is
a
nice
little
sad
emotion
that
makes
you
feel
so
melancholy
you
do
n't
know
what
to
do
with
yourself
.
I
do
n't
mean
deaths
and
that
sort
of
thing
,
but
seeing
someone
you
love
being
dreadfully
unhappy
and
extremely
prosperous
at
the
same
time
.
"
"
But
it
's
rather
expensive
for
the
people
you
love
,
"
said
Jack
.
"
Oh
,
we
must
all
make
sacrifices
,
"
said
Miss
Grantham
.
"
It
's
quite
worth
while
if
you
gratify
your
friends
.
I
would
not
mind
being
acutely
unhappy
,
if
I
could
dissect
my
own
emotions
,
and
have
them
photographed
and
sent
round
to
my
friends
.
"
"
What
a
charming
album
we
might
all
make
,
"
said
Lord
Ledgers
.
"
Page
1.
Miss
Grantham
's
heart
in
the
acute
stage
.
Page
2.
Mortification
setting
in
.
Page
3.
The
lachrymatory
gland
permanently
closed
by
a
tenor
voice
.
"
"
Poor
old
Chesterford
,
"
thought
Jack
,
"
this
is
rather
hard
on
him
.
"
But
Chesterford
was
not
to
be
pitied
just
now
,
for
Dodo
was
devoting
her
exclusive
conversation
to
him
in
defiance
of
her
duties
as
hostess
.
She
was
recounting
to
him
how
she
had
spent
every
moment
of
his
absence
at
the
station
.
Certainly
she
was
keeping
it
up
magnificently
at
present
.
"
And
Mrs.
Vivian
comes
to-morrow
,
"
she
was
saying
.
"
You
like
her
,
do
n't
you
,
Chesterford
?
You
must
be
awfully
good
to
her
,
and
take
her
to
see
all
the
drunken
idlers
in
the
village
.
That
will
be
dear
of
you
.
It
's
just
what
she
likes
.
She
has
sort
of
passion
for
drunken
cabmen
,
who
stamp
on
their
wives
.
If
you
stamped
on
me
a
little
every
evening
,
she
would
cultivate
you
to
any
extent
.
Shall
I
lie
down
on
the
floor
for
you
to
begin
?
"
Chesterford
leant
back
in
his
chair
in
a
kind
of
ecstasy
.
"
Ah
,
Dodo
,
"
he
said
,
"
you
are
wonderfully
good
to
me
.
But
I
must
go
and
write
two
notes
before
dinner
;
and
you
must
amuse
your
guests
.
I
am
very
glad
Jack
has
come
.
He
is
a
very
good
chap
.
But
do
n't
make
him
an
apostle
.
"
Dodo
laughed
.
"
I
shall
make
a
little
golden
hoop
for
him
like
the
apostles
in
the
Arundels
,
and
another
for
you
,
and
when
nobody
else
is
there
you
can
take
them
off
,
and
play
hoops
with
them
.
I
expect
the
apostles
did
that
when
they
went
for
a
walk
.
You
could
n't
wear
it
round
your
hat
,
could
you
?
"
Miss
Grantham
instantly
annexed
Dodo
.
"
Dodo
,
"
she
said
,
"
come
and
take
my
part
.
These
gentlemen
say
you
should
n't
cultivate
emotions
.
"
"
No
,
not
that
quite
,
"
corrected
Jack
.
"
I
said
it
was
expensive
for
your
friends
if
they
had
to
make
themselves
miserable
,
in
order
to
afford
food
for
your
emotions
.
"
"
Now
,
is
n't
that
selfish
?
"
said
Miss
Grantham
,
with
the
air
of
a
martyr
at
the
stake
.
"
Here
am
I
ready
to
be
drawn
and
quartered
for
anyone
's
amusement
,
and
you
tell
me
you
are
sorry
for
your
part
,
but
that
it
costs
too
much
.
Maud
,
come
off
that
sofa
,
and
take
up
the
daggers
for
a
too
unselfish
woman
.
"
"
I
expect
I
do
n't
know
much
about
these
things
,
"
said
Maud
.
"
No
;
Maud
would
not
go
further
than
wrapping
herself
in
a
winding-sheet
of
blue
worsted
,
"
remarked
Dodo
incisively
.
Maud
flushed
a
little
.
"
Oh
,
Dodo
!
"
she
exclaimed
deprecatingly
.
"
It
's
no
use
hitting
Maud
,
"
said
Dodo
pensively
.
"
You
might
as
well
hit
a
feather
bed
.
Now
,
if
you
hit
Jack
,
he
will
hit
back
.
"
"
Well
,
I
'd
prefer
you
hit
me
,
"
said
Jack
,
"
than
that
you
should
hit
anyone
who
ca
n't
hit
back
.
"
"
Ca
n't
you
see
that
I
have
determined
not
to
hit
feather
beds
,
"
said
Dodo
in
a
low
tone
.
"
Really
,
Jack
,
you
do
me
an
injustice
.
"
Jack
looked
up
at
her
quickly
.
"
Do
you
say
that
already
?
"
he
asked
.
"
Oh
,
if
you
are
going
to
whisper
,
I
shall
whisper
too
,
"
remarked
Miss
Grantham
calmly
.
"
Lord
Ledgers
,
I
want
to
tell
you
a
secret
.
"
"
I
was
only
telling
.
Jack
he
was
stupid
,
"
said
Dodo
.
"
I
thought
I
would
spare
him
before
you
all
,
but
I
see
I
have
to
explain
.
Have
you
seen
Bertie
yet
,
Jack
?
He
's
in
the
smoking-room
,
I
think
.
Edith
Staines
is
probably
there
too
.
She
always
smokes
after
tea
,
and
Chesterford
does
n't
like
it
in
the
drawing-room
.
You
know
her
,
do
n't
you
?
She
's
writing
a
symphony
or
something
,
and
she
's
no
use
except
at
meal-times
.
I
expect
she
will
play
it
us
afterwards
.
We
must
make
Bertie
sing
too
.
There
's
the
dressing-bell
.
I
'm
going
to
be
gorgeous
to-night
in
honour
of
you
,
Jack
.
"
Jack
found
himself
making
a
quantity
of
reflections
,
when
he
retired
to
his
room
that
night
.
He
became
aware
that
he
had
enjoyed
himself
more
that
evening
than
he
had
done
for
a
very
long
time
.
He
questioned
himself
as
to
when
he
had
enjoyed
himself
so
much
,
and
he
was
distinctly
perturbed
to
find
that
the
answer
was
,
when
he
had
last
spent
an
evening
with
Dodo
.
He
had
formed
an
excellent
habit
of
being
exactly
honest
with
himself
,
and
he
concluded
that
Dodo
's
presence
had
been
the
cause
of
it
.
It
was
a
very
unpleasant
blow
to
him
.
He
had
accepted
her
refusal
with
an
honest
determination
to
get
over
it
.
He
had
not
moped
,
nor
pined
,
nor
striven
,
nor
cried
.
He
had
no
intentions
of
dying
of
a
broken
heart
,
but
the
stubborn
fact
remained
that
Dodo
exercised
an
unpleasantly
strong
influence
over
him
.
He
could
have
repeated
without
effort
all
she
had
said
that
night
.
She
had
not
said
anything
particularly
remarkable
,
but
somehow
he
felt
that
the
most
striking
utterances
of
other
men
and
women
would
not
have
produced
any
such
effect
on
him
.
It
really
was
very
inconvenient
.
Dodo
had
married
a
man
who
adored
her
,
for
whom
she
did
not
care
two
pins
'
heads
,
and
this
man
was
one
of
his
oldest
friends
.
Decidedly
there
was
something
left-handed
about
this
particular
disposition
of
destiny
.
And
the
worst
of
it
was
that
Chesterford
was
being
hopelessly
duped
.
About
that
he
felt
no
doubt
.
Dodo
's
acting
was
so
remarkably
life-like
,
that
he
mistook
it
at
present
for
reality
.
But
the
play
must
end
some
time
,
and
the
sequel
was
too
dark
and
involved
to
be
lightly
followed
out
.
He
could
not
conceive
why
this
elaborate
drama
on
Dodo
's
part
did
not
disgust
him
more
.
He
wished
he
had
been
deceived
by
it
himself
,
but
having
been
behind
the
scenes
,
he
had
seen
Dodo
,
as
it
were
,
in
the
green-room
,
putting
on
the
rouge
and
powder
.
But
failing
that
,
he
wished
that
a
wholesome
impulse
of
disgust
and
contempt
had
superseded
his
previous
feelings
with
regard
to
her
.
But
he
believed
with
her
that
under
the
circumstances
it
was
the
best
thing
to
do
.
The
marriage
was
a
grand
mistake
,
true
,
but
given
that
,
was
not
this
simply
so
many
weeks
of
unhappiness
saved
?
Then
he
had
an
immense
pity
for
Dodo
's
original
mistake
.
She
had
told
him
once
that
she
was
no
more
responsible
for
her
philosophy
than
for
the
fact
that
she
happened
to
be
five
foot
eight
in
height
,
and
had
black
eyes
and
black
hair
.
"
It
was
Nature
's
doing
,
"
she
had
said
;
"
go
and
quarrel
with
her
,
but
do
n't
blame
me
.
If
I
had
made
myself
,
I
should
have
given
myself
a
high
ideal
;
I
should
have
had
something
to
live
up
to
.
Now
,
I
have
no
ideal
.
The
whole
system
of
things
seems
to
me
such
an
immense
puzzle
,
that
I
have
given
up
trying
to
find
a
solution
.
I
know
what
I
like
,
and
what
I
dislike
.
Can
you
blame
me
for
choosing
the
one
,
and
avoiding
the
other
?
I
like
wealth
and
success
,
and
society
and
admiration
.
In
a
degree
I
have
secured
them
,
and
the
more
I
secure
them
the
more
reason
I
have
to
be
satisfied
.
To
do
otherwise
would
be
like
putting
on
boots
that
were
too
large
for
me
—
they
are
excellent
for
other
people
,
but
not
for
me
.
I
cannot
accept
ideals
that
I
do
n't
feel
.
I
can
understand
them
,
and
I
can
sympathise
with
them
,
and
I
can
and
do
wish
they
were
mine
;
but
,
as
Nature
has
denied
me
them
,
I
must
make
the
best
of
what
I
have
.
"
Jack
felt
hopeless
against
this
kind
of
reasoning
,
and
angry
with
himself
for
letting
this
woman
have
such
dominion
over
him
.
In
a
measure
he
felt
himself
capable
of
views
bounded
by
a
horizon
not
so
selfishly
fatalistic
,
and
the
idea
of
the
smoking
chimney
in
the
cottage
did
not
seem
to
matter
,
provided
that
Dodo
was
sitting
on
the
other
side
of
the
hearthrug
.
He
would
willingly
have
sacrificed
anything
else
,
to
allow
himself
to
give
full
reins
to
his
thought
on
this
point
.
But
the
grand
barrier
which
stood
between
him
and
Dodo
,
was
not
so
much
her
refusal
of
him
,
but
the
existence
of
her
husband
.
At
this
Jack
pulled
himself
up
sharp
.
There
are
certain
feelings
of
loyalty
that
still
rank
above
all
other
emotions
.
Miss
Grantham
would
certainly
have
classed
such
among
the
litany
things
.
There
was
nothing
heroic
about
it
.
It
simply
consisted
in
a
sturdy
refusal
to
transgress
,
even
in
vaguest
thought
,
a
code
which
deals
with
the
most
ordinary
and
commonplace
virtues
and
vices
.
There
is
nothing
heroic
in
a
street
boy
passing
by
the
baker
's
cart
without
a
grab
at
the
loaves
,
and
it
sounds
almost
puritanical
to
forbid
him
to
cast
a
glance
at
them
,
or
inhale
a
sniff
of
their
warm
fragrance
.
"
Certainly
this
side
of
morality
is
remarkably
dull
,
"
thought
Jack
;
and
the
worst
of
it
is
,
that
it
is
not
only
dull
but
difficult
.
With
practice
most
of
us
could
become
a
Simeon
Stylites
,
provided
we
are
gifted
with
a
steady
head
,
and
a
constitution
that
defies
showers
.
It
is
these
commonplace
acts
of
loyalty
,
the
ordinary
and
rational
demands
of
friendship
and
society
,
that
are
so
dreadfully
taxing
to
most
of
us
who
have
the
misfortune
not
to
be
born
saints
.
Then
Jack
began
to
feel
ill-used
.
"
Why
the
deuce
should
Chesterford
be
born
a
marquis
and
not
I
?
What
has
he
done
to
have
a
title
and
fortune
and
Dodo
that
I
have
been
given
the
chance
to
do
?
"
It
struck
him
that
his
reflections
were
deplorably
commonplace
,
and
that
his
position
ought
to
be
made
much
more
of
.
He
wondered
whether
this
sort
of
situation
was
always
so
flat
.
In
novels
there
is
always
a
touch
of
the
heroic
in
the
faithful
friend
who
is
loyal
to
his
cousin
,
and
steadily
avoids
his
cousin
's
wife
;
but
here
he
is
in
identically
the
same
situation
,
feeling
not
at
all
heroic
,
but
only
discontented
and
quarrelsome
with
this
ill-managed
world
.
Decidedly
he
would
go
to
bed
.
Owing
to
a
certain
habit
that
he
had
formed
early
in
life
he
slept
soundly
,
and
morning
found
him
not
only
alive
,
but
remarkably
well
and
hearty
,
and
with
a
certain
eagerness
to
follow
up
what
he
had
thought
out
on
the
previous
night
.
He
was
in
an
excellently
managed
household
,
which
imposed
no
rules
on
its
inhabitants
except
that
they
should
do
what
they
felt
most
inclined
to
do
;
he
was
in
congenial
company
,
and
his
digestion
was
good
.
It
is
distressing
how
important
those
material
matters
are
to
us
.
The
deeper
emotions
do
but
form
a
kind
of
background
to
our
coarser
needs
.
We
come
down
in
the
morning
feeling
rather
miserable
,
but
we
eat
an
excellent
breakfast
,
and
,
in
spite
of
ourselves
,
we
are
obliged
to
confess
that
we
feel
distinctly
better
.
As
Jack
crossed
the
hall
,
he
met
a
footman
carrying
a
breakfast
tray
into
the
drawing-room
.
The
door
was
half
open
,
and
there
came
from
within
the
sounds
of
vigorous
piano-playing
,
and
now
and
then
a
bar
or
two
of
music
sung
in
a
rich
,
alto
voice
.
These
tokens
seemed
to
indicate
that
Miss
Edith
Staines
was
taking
her
breakfast
at
the
piano
.
Jack
found
himself
smiling
at
the
thought
;
it
was
a
great
treat
to
find
anyone
so
uniformly
in
character
as
Miss
Staines
evidently
was
.
He
turned
into
the
dining-room
,
where
he
found
Miss
Grantham
sitting
at
the
table
alone
.
Dodo
was
lolling
in
a
great
chair
by
the
fire
,
and
there
were
signs
that
Lord
Chesterford
had
already
breakfasted
.
Dodo
was
nursing
a
little
Persian
kitten
with
immense
tenderness
.
Apparently
she
had
been
disagreeing
with
Miss
Grantham
on
some
point
,
and
had
made
the
kitten
into
a
sort
of
arbitrator
.
"
Oh
,
you
dear
kitten
,
"
she
was
saying
,
"
you
must
agree
with
me
,
if
you
think
it
over
.
Now
,
supposing
you
were
very
fond
of
a
tom-cat
that
had
only
the
woodshed
to
lie
in
,
and
another
very
presentable
torn
belonging
to
the
Queen
came
—
Ah
,
Jack
,
here
you
are
.
Chesterford
's
breakfasted
,
and
there
's
going
to
be
a
shoot
to-day
over
the
home
covers
.
Edith
is
