MissBartlettwasinthedrawing-room，gazingatthephotographofSt。Johnascending，whichhadbeenframed。
\"Howdreadful!\"shemurmured，\"howmorethandreadful，ifMr。
Vyseshouldcometohearofitfromsomeothersource。”
\"Oh，no，Charlotte，\"saidthegirl，enteringthebattle。\"GeorgeEmersonisallright，andwhatothersourceisthere？\"
MissBartlettconsidered。\"Forinstance，thedriver。Isawhimlookingthroughthebushesatyou，rememberhehadavioletbetweenhisteeth。”
Lucyshudderedalittle。\"Weshallgetthesillyaffaironournervesifwearen\'tcareful。HowcouldaFlorentinecab-driverevergetholdofCecil？\"
\"Wemustthinkofeverypossibility。”
\"Oh，it\'sallright。”
\"OrperhapsoldMr。Emersonknows。Infact，heiscertaintoknow。”
\"Idon\'tcareifhedoes。Iwasgratefultoyouforyourletter，butevenifthenewsdoesgetround，IthinkIcantrustCeciltolaughatit。”
\"Tocontradictit？\"
\"No，tolaughatit。”Butsheknewinherheartthatshecouldnottrusthim，forhedesiredheruntouched。
\"Verywell，dear，youknowbest。PerhapsgentlemenaredifferenttowhattheywerewhenIwasyoung。Ladiesarecertainlydifferent。”
\"Now，Charlotte!\"Shestruckatherplayfully。\"Youkind，anxiousthing。WhatWOULDyouhavemedo？Firstyousay\'Don\'ttell\'；andthenyousay，\'Tell\'。Whichisittobe？Quick!\"
MissBartlettsighed\"Iamnomatchforyouinconversation，dearest。IblushwhenIthinkhowIinterferedatFlorence，andyousowellabletolookafteryourself，andsomuchclevererinallwaysthanIam。Youwillneverforgiveme。”
\"Shallwegoout，then。Theywillsmashallthechinaifwedon\'t。”
FortheairrangwiththeshrieksofMinnie，whowasbeingscalpedwithateaspoon。
\"Dear，onemoment——wemaynothavethischanceforachatagain。
Haveyouseentheyoungoneyet？\"
\"Yes，Ihave。”
\"Whathappened？\"
\"WemetattheRectory。”
\"Whatlineishetakingup？\"
\"Noline。HetalkedaboutItaly，likeanyotherperson。Itisreallyallright。Whatadvantagewouldhegetfrombeingacad，toputitbluntly？IdowishIcouldmakeyouseeitmyway。Hereallywon\'tbeanynuisance，Charlotte。”
\"Onceacad，alwaysacad。Thatismypooropinion。”
Lucypaused。\"Cecilsaidoneday——andIthoughtitsoprofound——thattherearetwokindsofcads——theconsciousandthesubconscious。”Shepausedagain，tobesureofdoingjusticetoCecil\'sprofundity。ThroughthewindowshesawCecilhimself，turningoverthepagesofanovel。ItwasanewonefromSmith\'slibrary。Hermothermusthavereturnedfromthestation。
\"Onceacad，alwaysacad，\"dronedMissBartlett。
\"WhatImeanbysubconsciousisthatEmersonlosthishead。I
fellintoallthoseviolets，andhewassillyandsurprised。I
don\'tthinkweoughttoblamehimverymuch。Itmakessuchadifferencewhenyouseeapersonwithbeautifulthingsbehindhimunexpectedly。Itreallydoes；itmakesanenormousdifference，andhelosthishead:hedoesn\'tadmireme，oranyofthatnonsense，onestraw。Freddyratherlikeshim，andhasaskedhimuphereonSunday，soyoucanjudgeforyourself。Hehasimproved；hedoesn\'talwayslookasifhe\'sgoingtoburstintotears。HeisaclerkintheGeneralManager\'sofficeatoneofthebigrailways——notaporter!andrunsdowntohisfatherforweek-ends。Papawastodowithjournalism，butisrheumaticandhasretired。There!Nowforthegarden。”Shetookholdofherguestbythearm。\"Supposewedon\'ttalkaboutthissillyItalianbusinessanymore。WewantyoutohaveanicerestfulvisitatWindyCorner，withnoworriting。”
Lucythoughtthisratheragoodspeech。Thereadermayhavedetectedanunfortunateslipinit。WhetherMissBartlettdetectedthesliponecannotsay，foritisimpossibletopenetrateintothemindsofelderlypeople。Shemighthavespokenfurther，buttheywereinterruptedbytheentranceofherhostess。Explanationstookplace，andinthemidstofthemLucyescaped，theimagesthrobbingalittlemorevividlyinherbrain。
ChapterXV:TheDisasterWithinTheSundayafterMissBartlett\'sarrivalwasagloriousday，likemostofthedaysofthatyear。IntheWeald，autumnapproached，breakingupthegreenmonotonyofsummer，touchingtheparkswiththegreybloomofmist，thebeech-treeswithrusset，theoak-treeswithgold。Upontheheights，battalionsofblackpineswitnessedthechange，themselvesunchangeable。Eithercountrywasspannedbyacloudlesssky，andineitherarosethetinkleofchurchbells。
ThegardenofWindyCornerswasdesertedexceptforaredbook，whichlaysunningitselfuponthegravelpath。Fromthehousecameincoherentsounds，asoffemalespreparingforworship。\"Themensaytheywon\'tgo\"——\"Well，Idon\'tblamethem\"——Minniesays，needshego？\"——\"Tellher，nononsense\"——\"Anne!Mary!
Hookmebehind!\"——\"DearestLucia，mayItrespassuponyouforapin？\"ForMissBartletthadannouncedthatsheatalleventswasoneforchurch。
Thesunrosehigheronitsjourney，guided，notbyPhaethon，butbyApollo，competent，unswerving，divine。Itsraysfellontheladieswhenevertheyadvancedtowardsthebedroomwindows；onMr。BeebedownatSummerStreetashesmiledoveraletterfromMissCatharineAlan；onGeorgeEmersoncleaninghisfather\'sboots；andlastly，tocompletethecatalogueofmemorablethings，ontheredbookmentionedpreviously。Theladiesmove，Mr。Beebemoves，Georgemoves，andmovementmayengendershadow。
Butthisbookliesmotionless，tobecaressedallthemorningbythesunandtoraiseitscoversslightly，asthoughacknowledgingthecaress。
PresentlyLucystepsoutofthedrawing-roomwindow。Hernewcerisedresshasbeenafailure，andmakesherlooktawdryandwan。Atherthroatisagarnetbrooch，onherfingeraringsetwithrubies——anengagementring。HereyesarebenttotheWeald。
Shefrownsalittle——notinanger，butasabravechildfrownswhenheistryingnottocry。Inallthatexpansenohumaneyeislookingather，andshemayfrownunrebukedandmeasurethespacesthatyetsurvivebetweenApolloandthewesternhills。
\"Lucy!Lucy!What\'sthatbook？Who\'sbeentakingabookoutoftheshelfandleavingitabouttospoil？\"
\"It\'sonlythelibrarybookthatCecil\'sbeenreading。”
\"Butpickitup，anddon\'tstandidlingtherelikeaflamingo。”
Lucypickedupthebookandglancedatthetitlelistlessly，UnderaLoggia。Shenolongerreadnovelsherself，devotingallhersparetimetosolidliteratureinthehopeofcatchingCecilup。Itwasdreadfulhowlittlesheknew，andevenwhenshethoughtsheknewathing，liketheItalianpainters，shefoundshehadforgottenit。OnlythismorningshehadconfusedFrancescoFranciawithPierodellaFrancesca，andCecilhadsaid，\"What!youaren\'tforgettingyourItalyalready？\"Andthistoohadlentanxietytohereyeswhenshesalutedthedearviewandthedeargardenintheforeground，andabovethem，scarcelyconceivableelsewhere，thedearsun。
\"Lucy——haveyouasixpenceforMinnieandashillingforyourself？\"
Shehastenedintohermother，whowasrapidlyworkingherselfintoaSundayfluster。
\"It\'saspecialcollection——Iforgetwhatfor。Idobeg，novulgarclinkingintheplatewithhalfpennies；seethatMinniehasanicebrightsixpence。Whereisthechild？Minnie!Thatbook\'sallwarped。Gracious，howplainyoulook!PutitundertheAtlastopress。Minnie!\"
\"Oh，Mrs。Honeychurch——\"fromtheupperregions。
\"Minnie，don\'tbelate。Herecomesthehorse\"——itwasalwaysthehorse，neverthecarriage。\"Where\'sCharlotte？Runupandhurryher。Whyisshesolong？Shehadnothingtodo。Sheneverbringsanythingbutblouses。PoorCharlotte——HowIdodetestblouses!
Minnie!\"
Paganismisinfectious——moreinfectiousthandiphtheriaorpiety——andtheRector\'sniecewastakentochurchprotesting。Asusual，shedidn\'tseewhy。Whyshouldn\'tshesitinthesunwiththeyoungmen？Theyoungmen，whohadnowappeared，mockedherwithungenerouswords。Mrs。Honeychurchdefendedorthodoxy，andinthemidstoftheconfusionMissBartlett，dressedintheveryheightofthefashion，camestrollingdownthestairs。
\"DearMarian，Iamverysorry，butIhavenosmallchange——
nothingbutsovereignsandhalfcrowns。Couldanyonegiveme——\"
\"Yes，easily。Jumpin。Graciousme，howsmartyoulook!Whatalovelyfrock!Youputusalltoshame。”
\"IfIdidnotwearmybestragsandtattersnow，whenshouldI
wearthem？\"saidMissBartlettreproachfully。Shegotintothevictoriaandplacedherselfwithherbacktothehorse。Thenecessaryroarensued，andthentheydroveoff。
\"Good-bye!Begood!\"calledoutCecil。
Lucybitherlip，forthetonewassneering。Onthesubjectof\"churchandsoon\"theyhadhadratheranunsatisfactoryconversation。Hehadsaidthatpeopleoughttooverhaulthemselves，andshedidnotwanttooverhaulherself；shedidnotknowitwasdone。HonestorthodoxyCecilrespected，buthealwaysassumedthathonestyistheresultofaspiritualcrisis；hecouldnotimagineitasanaturalbirthright，thatmightgrowheavenwardlikeflowers。Allthathesaidonthissubjectpainedher，thoughheexudedtolerancefromeverypore；somehowtheEmersonsweredifferent。
ShesawtheEmersonsafterchurch。Therewasalineofcarriagesdowntheroad，andtheHoneychurchvehiclehappenedtobeoppositeCissieVilla。Tosavetime，theywalkedoverthegreentoit，andfoundfatherandsonsmokinginthegarden。
\"Introduceme，\"saidhermother。\"Unlesstheyoungmanconsidersthatheknowsmealready。”
Heprobablydid；butLucyignoredtheSacredLakeandintroducedthemformally。OldMr。Emersonclaimedherwithmuchwarmth，andsaidhowgladhewasthatshewasgoingtobemarried。Shesaidyes，shewasgladtoo；andthen，asMissBartlettandMinniewerelingeringbehindwithMr。Beebe，sheturnedtheconversationtoalessdisturbingtopic，andaskedhimhowhelikedhisnewhouse。
\"Verymuch，\"hereplied，buttherewasanoteofoffenceinhisvoice；shehadneverknownhimoffendedbefore。Headded:\"Wefind，though，thattheMissAlanswerecoming，andthatwehaveturnedthemout。Womenmindsuchathing。Iamverymuchupsetaboutit。”
\"Ibelievethattherewassomemisunderstanding，\"saidMrs。
Honeychurchuneasily。
\"Ourlandlordwastoldthatweshouldbeadifferenttypeofperson，\"saidGeorge，whoseemeddisposedtocarrythematterfurther。\"Hethoughtweshouldbeartistic。Heisdisappointed。”
\"AndIwonderwhetherweoughttowritetotheMissAlansandoffertogiveitup。Whatdoyouthink？\"HeappealedtoLucy。
\"Oh，stopnowyouhavecome，\"saidLucylightly。ShemustavoidcensuringCecil。ForitwasonCecilthatthelittleepisodeturned，thoughhisnamewasnevermentioned。
\"SoGeorgesays。HesaysthattheMissAlansmustgotothewall。
Yetitdoesseemsounkind。”
\"Thereisonlyacertainamountofkindnessintheworld，\"saidGeorge，watchingthesunlightflashonthepanelsofthepassingcarriages。
\"Yes!\"exclaimedMrs。Honeychurch。\"That\'sexactlywhatIsay。
WhyallthistwiddlingandtwaddlingovertwoMissAlans？\"
\"Thereisacertainamountofkindness，justasthereisacertainamountoflight，\"hecontinuedinmeasuredtones。\"Wecastashadowonsomethingwhereverwestand，anditisnogoodmovingfromplacetoplacetosavethings；becausetheshadowalwaysfollows。Chooseaplacewhereyouwon\'tdoharm——yes，chooseaplacewhereyouwon\'tdoverymuchharm，andstandinitforallyouareworth，facingthesunshine。”
\"Oh，Mr。Emerson，Iseeyou\'reclever!\"
\"Eh——？\"
\"Iseeyou\'regoingtobeclever。Ihopeyoudidn\'tgobehavinglikethattopoorFreddy。”
George\'seyeslaughed，andLucysuspectedthatheandhermotherwouldgetonratherwell。
\"No，Ididn\'t，\"hesaid。\"Hebehavedthatwaytome。Itishisphilosophy。Onlyhestartslifewithit；andIhavetriedtheNoteofInterrogationfirst。”
\"WhatDOyoumean？No，nevermindwhatyoumean。Don\'texplain。
Helooksforwardtoseeingyouthisafternoon。Doyouplaytennis？DoyoumindtennisonSunday——？\"
\"GeorgemindtennisonSunday!George，afterhiseducation，distinguishbetweenSunday——\"
\"Verywell，Georgedoesn\'tmindtennisonSunday。NomoredoI。
That\'ssettled。Mr。Emerson，ifyoucouldcomewithyoursonweshouldbesopleased。”
Hethankedher，butthewalksoundedratherfar；hecouldonlypotteraboutinthesedays。
SheturnedtoGeorge:\"AndthenhewantstogiveuphishousetotheMissAlans。”
\"Iknow，\"saidGeorge，andputhisarmroundhisfather\'sneck。
ThekindnessthatMr。BeebeandLucyhadalwaysknowntoexistinhimcameoutsuddenly，likesunlighttouchingavastlandscape——atouchofthemorningsun？Sherememberedthatinallhisperversitieshehadneverspokenagainstaffection。
MissBartlettapproached。
\"Youknowourcousin，MissBartlett，\"saidMrs。Honeychurchpleasantly。\"YoumetherwithmydaughterinFlorence。”
\"Yes，indeed!\"saidtheoldman，andmadeasifhewouldcomeoutofthegardentomeetthelady。MissBartlettpromptlygotintothevictoria。Thusentrenched，sheemittedaformalbow。ItwasthepensionBertoliniagain，thedining-tablewiththedecantersofwaterandwine。Itwastheold，oldbattleoftheroomwiththeview。
Georgedidnotrespondtothebow。Likeanyboy，heblushedandwasashamed；heknewthatthechaperonremembered。Hesaid:\"I——
I\'llcomeuptotennisifIcanmanageit，\"andwentintothehouse。PerhapsanythingthathedidwouldhavepleasedLucy，buthisawkwardnesswentstraighttoherheart；menwerenotgodsafterall，butashumanandasclumsyasgirls；evenmenmightsufferfromunexplaineddesires，andneedhelp。Tooneofherupbringing，andofherdestination，theweaknessofmenwasatruthunfamiliar，butshehadsurmiseditatFlorence，whenGeorgethrewherphotographsintotheRiverArno。
\"George，don\'tgo，\"criedhisfather，whothoughtitagreattreatforpeopleifhissonwouldtalktothem。\"Georgehasbeeninsuchgoodspiritstoday，andIamsurehewillendbycomingupthisafternoon。”
Lucycaughthercousin\'seye。Somethinginitsmuteappealmadeherreckless。\"Yes，\"shesaid，raisinghervoice，\"Idohopehewill。”Thenshewenttothecarriageandmurmured，\"Theoldmanhasn\'tbeentold；Iknewitwasallright。”Mrs。Honeychurchfollowedher，andtheydroveaway。
SatisfactorythatMr。EmersonhadnotbeentoldoftheFlorenceescapade；yetLucy\'sspiritsshouldnothaveleaptupasifshehadsightedtherampartsofheaven。Satisfactory；yetsurelyshegreeteditwithdisproportionatejoy。Allthewayhomethehorses\'hoofssangatunetoher:\"Hehasnottold，hehasnottold。”Herbrainexpandedthemelody:\"Hehasnottoldhisfather——towhomhetellsallthings。Itwasnotanexploit。HedidnotlaughatmewhenIhadgone。”Sheraisedherhandtohercheek。\"Hedoesnotloveme。No。Howterribleifhedid!Buthehasnottold。Hewillnottell。”
Shelongedtoshoutthewords:\"Itisallright。It\'sasecretbetweenustwoforever。Cecilwillneverhear。”ShewasevengladthatMissBartletthadmadeherpromisesecrecy，thatlastdarkeveningatFlorence，whentheyhadkneltpackinginhisroom。Thesecret，bigorlittle，wasguarded。
OnlythreeEnglishpeopleknewofitintheworld。Thussheinterpretedherjoy。ShegreetedCecilwithunusualradiance，becauseshefeltsosafe。Ashehelpedheroutofthecarriage，shesaid:
\"TheEmersonshavebeensonice。GeorgeEmersonhasimprovedenormously。”
\"Howaremyproteges？\"askedCecil，whotooknorealinterestinthem，andhadlongsinceforgottenhisresolutiontobringthemtoWindyCornerforeducationalpurposes。
\"Proteges!\"sheexclaimedwithsomewarmth。FortheonlyrelationshipwhichCecilconceivedwasfeudal:thatofprotectorandprotected。Hehadnoglimpseofthecomradeshipafterwhichthegirl\'ssoulyearned。
\"Youshallseeforyourselfhowyourprotegesare。GeorgeEmersoniscomingupthisafternoon。Heisamostinterestingmantotalkto。Onlydon\'t——\"Shenearlysaid，\"Don\'tprotecthim。”Butthebellwasringingforlunch，and，asoftenhappened，Cecilhadpaidnogreatattentiontoherremarks。Charm，notargument，wastobeherforte。
Lunchwasacheerfulmeal。GenerallyLucywasdepressedatmeals。
Someonehadtobesoothed——eitherCecilorMissBartlettoraBeingnotvisibletothemortaleye——aBeingwhowhisperedtohersoul:\"Itwillnotlast，thischeerfulness。InJanuaryyoumustgotoLondontoentertainthegrandchildrenofcelebratedmen。”
Butto-dayshefeltshehadreceivedaguarantee。Hermotherwouldalwayssitthere，herbrotherhere。Thesun，thoughithadmovedalittlesincethemorning，wouldneverbehiddenbehindthewesternhills。Afterluncheontheyaskedhertoplay。ShehadseenGluck\'sArmidethatyear，andplayedfrommemorythemusicoftheenchantedgarden——themusictowhichRenaudapproaches，beneaththelightofaneternaldawn，themusicthatnevergains，neverwanes，butripplesforeverlikethetidelessseasoffairyland。Suchmusicisnotforthepiano，andheraudiencebegantogetrestive，andCecil，sharingthediscontent，calledout:\"Nowplayustheothergarden——theoneinParsifal。”
Sheclosedtheinstrument。
\"Notverydutiful，\"saidhermother\'svoice。
FearingthatshehadoffendedCecil，sheturnedquicklyround。
ThereGeorgewas。Hehadcreptinwithoutinterruptingher。
\"Oh，Ihadnoidea!\"sheexclaimed，gettingveryred；andthen，withoutawordofgreeting，shereopenedthepiano。CecilshouldhavetheParsifal，andanythingelsethatheliked。
\"Ourperformerhaschangedhermind，\"saidMissBartlett，perhapsimplying，shewillplaythemusictoMr。Emerson。Lucydidnotknowwhattodonorevenwhatshewantedtodo。SheplayedafewbarsoftheFlowerMaidens\'songverybadlyandthenshestopped。
\"Ivotetennis，\"saidFreddy，disgustedatthescrappyentertainment。
\"Yes，sodoI。”Oncemoresheclosedtheunfortunatepiano。\"I
voteyouhaveamen\'sfour。”
\"Allright。”
\"Notforme，thankyou，\"saidCecil。\"Iwillnotspoiltheset。”
Heneverrealizedthatitmaybeanactofkindnessinabadplayertomakeupafourth。
\"Oh，comealongCecil。I\'mbad，Floyd\'srotten，andsoIdaresay\'sEmerson。”
Georgecorrectedhim:\"Iamnotbad。”
Onelookeddownone\'snoseatthis。\"ThencertainlyIwon\'tplay，\"saidCecil，whileMissBartlett，undertheimpressionthatshewassnubbingGeorge，added:\"Iagreewithyou，Mr。Vyse。Youhadmuchbetternotplay。Muchbetternot。”
Minnie，rushinginwhereCecilfearedtotread，announcedthatshewouldplay。\"Ishallmisseveryballanyway，sowhatdoesitmatter？\"ButSundayintervenedandstampedheavilyuponthekindlysuggestion。
\"ThenitwillhavetobeLucy，\"saidMrs。Honeychurch；\"youmustfallbackonLucy。Thereisnootherwayoutofit。Lucy，goandchangeyourfrock。”
Lucy\'sSabbathwasgenerallyofthisamphibiousnature。Shekeptitwithouthypocrisyinthemorning，andbrokeitwithoutreluctanceintheafternoon。Asshechangedherfrock，shewonderedwhetherCecilwassneeringather；reallyshemustoverhaulherselfandsettleeverythingupbeforeshemarriedhim。
Mr。Floydwasherpartner。Shelikedmusic，buthowmuchbettertennisseemed。Howmuchbettertorunaboutincomfortableclothesthantositatthepianoandfeelgirtunderthearms。
Oncemoremusicappearedtohertheemploymentofachild。Georgeserved，andsurprisedherbyhisanxietytowin。SherememberedhowhehadsighedamongthetombsatSantaCrocebecausethingswouldn\'tfit；howafterthedeathofthatobscureItalianhehadleantovertheparapetbytheArnoandsaidtoher:\"Ishallwanttolive，Itellyou，\"Hewantedtolivenow，towinattennis，tostandforallhewasworthinthesun——thesunwhichhadbeguntodeclineandwasshininginhereyes；andhedidwin。
Ah，howbeautifultheWealdlooked!Thehillsstoodoutaboveitsradiance，asFiesolestandsabovetheTuscanPlain，andtheSouthDowns，ifonechose，werethemountainsofCarrara。ShemightbeforgettingherItaly，butshewasnoticingmorethingsinherEngland。Onecouldplayanewgamewiththeview，andtrytofindinitsinnumerablefoldssometownorvillagethatwoulddoforFlorence。Ah，howbeautifultheWealdlooked!
ButnowCecilclaimedher。Hechancedtobeinalucidcriticalmood，andwouldnotsympathizewithexaltation。Hehadbeenratheranuisanceallthroughthetennis，forthenovelthathewasreadingwassobadthathewasobligedtoreaditaloudtoothers。Hewouldstrollroundtheprecinctsofthecourtandcallout:\"Isay，listentothis，Lucy。Threesplitinfinitives。”
\"Dreadful!\"saidLucy，andmissedherstroke。Whentheyhadfinishedtheirset，hestillwentonreading；therewassomemurderscene，andreallyeveryonemustlistentoit。FreddyandMr。Floydwereobligedtohuntforalostballinthelaurels，buttheothertwoacquiesced。
\"ThesceneislaidinFlorence。”
\"Whatfun，Cecil!Readaway。Come，Mr。Emerson，sitdownafterallyourenergy。”Shehad\"forgiven\"George，assheputit，andshemadeapointofbeingpleasanttohim。
Hejumpedoverthenetandsatdownatherfeetasking:\"You——andareyoutired？\"
\"OfcourseI\'mnot!\"
\"Doyoumindbeingbeaten？\"
Shewasgoingtoanswer，\"No，\"whenitstruckherthatshedidmind，sosheanswered，\"Yes。”Sheaddedmerrily，\"Idon\'tseeyou\'resuchasplendidplayer，though。Thelightwasbehindyou，anditwasinmyeyes。”
\"IneversaidIwas。”
\"Why，youdid!\"
\"Youdidn\'tattend。”
\"Yousaid——oh，don\'tgoinforaccuracyatthishouse。Weallexaggerate，andwegetveryangrywithpeoplewhodon\'t。”
\"\'ThesceneislaidinFlorence，\'\"repeatedCecil，withanupwardnote。
Lucyrecollectedherself。
\"\'Sunset。Leonorawasspeeding——\'\"
Lucyinterrupted。\"Leonora？IsLeonoratheheroine？Who\'sthebookby？\"
\"JosephEmeryPrank。\'Sunset。Leonoraspeedingacrossthesquare。
Praythesaintsshemightnotarrivetoolate。Sunset——thesunsetofItaly。UnderOrcagna\'sLoggia——theLoggiade\'Lanzi，aswesometimescallitnow——\'\"
Lucyburstintolaughter。\"\'JosephEmeryPrank\'indeed!Whyit\'sMissLavish!It\'sMissLavish\'snovel，andshe\'spublishingitundersomebodyelse\'sname。”
\"WhomayMissLavishbe？\"
\"Oh，adreadfulperson——Mr。Emerson，yourememberMissLavish？\"
Excitedbyherpleasantafternoon，sheclappedherhands。
Georgelookedup。\"OfcourseIdo。IsawherthedayIarrivedatSummerStreet。Itwasshewhotoldmethatyoulivedhere。”
\"Weren\'tyoupleased？\"Shemeant\"toseeMissLavish，\"butwhenhebentdowntothegrasswithoutreplying，itstruckherthatshecouldmeansomethingelse。Shewatchedhishead，whichwasalmostrestingagainstherknee，andshethoughtthattheearswerereddening。\"Nowonderthenovel\'sbad，\"sheadded。\"IneverlikedMissLavish。ButIsupposeoneoughttoreaditasone\'smether。”
\"Allmodernbooksarebad，\"saidCecil，whowasannoyedatherinattention，andventedhisannoyanceonliterature。\"Everyonewritesformoneyinthesedays。”
\"Oh，Cecil——!\"
\"Itisso。IwillinflictJosephEmeryPrankonyounolonger。”
Cecil，thisafternoonseemedsuchatwitteringsparrow。Theupsanddownsinhisvoicewerenoticeable，buttheydidnotaffecther。Shehaddweltamongstmelodyandmovement，andhernervesrefusedtoanswertotheclangofhis。Leavinghimtobeannoyed，shegazedattheblackheadagain。Shedidnotwanttostrokeit，butshesawherselfwantingtostrokeit；thesensationwascurious。
\"Howdoyoulikethisviewofours，Mr。Emerson？\"
\"Inevernoticemuchdifferenceinviews。”
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Becausethey\'reallalike。Becauseallthatmattersinthemisdistanceandair。”
\"H\'m!\"saidCecil，uncertainwhethertheremarkwasstrikingornot。
\"Myfather\"——helookedupatherandhewasalittleflushed——
\"saysthatthereisonlyoneperfectview——theviewoftheskystraightoverourheads，andthatalltheseviewsoneartharebutbungledcopiesofit。”
\"IexpectyourfatherhasbeenreadingDante，\"saidCecil，fingeringthenovel，whichalonepermittedhimtoleadtheconversation。
\"Hetoldusanotherdaythatviewsarereallycrowds——crowdsoftreesandhousesandhills——andareboundtoresembleeachother，likehumancrowds——andthatthepowertheyhaveoverusissometimessupernatural，forthesamereason。”
Lucy\'slipsparted。
\"Foracrowdismorethanthepeoplewhomakeitup。Somethinggetsaddedtoit——nooneknowshow——justassomethinghasgotaddedtothosehills。”
HepointedwithhisracquettotheSouthDowns。
\"Whatasplendididea!\"shemurmured。\"Ishallenjoyhearingyourfathertalkagain。I\'msosorryhe\'snotsowell。”
\"No，heisn\'twell。”
\"There\'sanabsurdaccountofaviewinthisbook，\"saidCecil。
\"Alsothatmenfallintotwoclasses——thosewhoforgetviewsandthosewhorememberthem，eveninsmallrooms。”
\"Mr。Emerson，haveyouanybrothersorsisters？\"
\"None。Why？\"
\"Youspokeof\'us。\'\"
\"Mymother，Iwasmeaning。”
Cecilclosedthenovelwithabang。
\"Oh，Cecil——howyoumademejump!\"
\"IwillinflictJosephEmeryPrankonyounolonger。”
\"IcanjustrememberusallthreegoingintothecountryforthedayandseeingasfarasHindhead。ItisthefirstthingthatI
remember。”
Cecilgotup；themanwasill-bred——hehadn\'tputonhiscoataftertennis——hedidn\'tdo。HewouldhavestrolledawayifLucyhadnotstoppedhim。
\"Cecil，doreadthethingabouttheview。”
\"NotwhileMr。Emersonisheretoentertainus。”
\"No——readaway。Ithinknothing\'sfunnierthantohearsillythingsreadoutloud。IfMr。Emersonthinksusfrivolous，hecango。”
ThisstruckCecilassubtle，andpleasedhim。Itputtheirvisitorinthepositionofaprig。Somewhatmollified，hesatdownagain。
\"Mr。Emerson，goandfindtennisballs。”Sheopenedthebook。
Cecilmusthavehisreadingandanythingelsethatheliked。ButherattentionwanderedtoGeorge\'smother，who——accordingtoMr。
Eager——hadbeenmurderedinthesightofGodaccordingtoherson——hadseenasfarasHindhead。
\"AmIreallytogo？\"askedGeorge。
\"No，ofcoursenotreally，\"sheanswered。
\"Chaptertwo，\"saidCecil，yawning。\"Findmechaptertwo，ifitisn\'tbotheringyou。”
Chaptertwowasfound，andsheglancedatitsopeningsentences。
Shethoughtshehadgonemad。
\"Here——handmethebook。”
Sheheardhervoicesaying:\"Itisn\'tworthreading——it\'stoosillytoread——Ineversawsuchrubbish——itoughtn\'ttobeallowedtobeprinted。”
Hetookthebookfromher。
\"\'Leonora，\'\"heread，\"\'satpensiveandalone。BeforeherlaytherichchampaignofTuscany，dottedoverwithmanyasmilingvillage。Theseasonwasspring。\'\"
MissLavishknew，somehow，andhadprintedthepastindraggledprose，forCeciltoreadandforGeorgetohear。
\"\'Agoldenhaze，\'\"heread。Heread:\"\'AfaroffthetowersofFlorence，whilethebankonwhichshesatwascarpetedwithviolets。AllunobservedAntoniostoleupbehindher——\'\"
LestCecilshouldseeherfacesheturnedtoGeorgeandsawhisface。
Heread:\"\'Therecamefromhislipsnowordyprotestationsuchasformalloversuse。Noeloquencewashis，nordidhesufferfromthelackofit。Hesimplyenfoldedherinhismanlyarms。\'\"
\"Thisisn\'tthepassageIwanted，\"heinformedthem。\"thereisanothermuchfunnier，furtheron。”Heturnedovertheleaves。
\"Shouldwegointotea？\"saidLucy，whosevoiceremainedsteady。
Sheledthewayupthegarden，Cecilfollowingher，Georgelast。
Shethoughtadisasterwasaverted。Butwhentheyenteredtheshrubberyitcame。Thebook，asifithadnotworkedmischiefenough，hadbeenforgotten，andCecilmustgobackforit；andGeorge，wholovedpassionately，mustblunderagainstherinthenarrowpath。
\"No——\"shegasped，and，forthesecondtime，waskissedbyhim。
Asifnomorewaspossible，heslippedback；Cecilrejoinedher；
theyreachedtheupperlawnalone。
ChapterXVI:LyingtoGeorgeButLucyhaddevelopedsincethespring。Thatistosay，shewasnowbetterabletostifletheemotionsofwhichtheconventionsandtheworlddisapprove。Thoughthedangerwasgreater，shewasnotshakenbydeepsobs。ShesaidtoCecil，\"Iamnotcomingintotea——tellmother——Imustwritesomeletters，\"andwentuptoherroom。Thenshepreparedforaction。Lovefeltandreturned，lovewhichourbodiesexactandourheartshavetransfigured，lovewhichisthemostrealthingthatweshallevermeet，reappearednowastheworld\'senemy，andshemuststifleit。
ShesentforMissBartlett。
Thecontestlaynotbetweenloveandduty。Perhapsthereneverissuchacontest。Itlaybetweentherealandthepretended，andLucy\'sfirstaimwastodefeatherself。Asherbraincloudedover，asthememoryoftheviewsgrewdimandthewordsofthebookdiedaway，shereturnedtoheroldshibbolethofnerves。She\"conqueredherbreakdown。”Tamperingwiththetruth，sheforgotthatthetruthhadeverbeen。RememberingthatshewasengagedtoCecil，shecompelledherselftoconfusedremembrancesofGeorge；
hewasnothingtoher；heneverhadbeenanything；hehadbehavedabominably；shehadneverencouragedhim。Thearmouroffalsehoodissubtlywroughtoutofdarkness，andhidesamannotonlyfromothers，butfromhisownsoul。InafewmomentsLucywasequippedforbattle。
\"Somethingtooawfulhashappened，\"shebegan，assoonashercousinarrived。\"DoyouknowanythingaboutMissLavish\'snovel？\"
MissBartlettlookedsurprised，andsaidthatshehadnotreadthebook，norknownthatitwaspublished；Eleanorwasareticentwomanatheart。
\"Thereisasceneinit。Theheroandheroinemakelove。Doyouknowaboutthat？\"
\"Dear——？\"
\"Doyouknowaboutit，please？\"sherepeated。\"Theyareonahillside，andFlorenceisinthedistance。”
\"MygoodLucia，Iamallatsea。Iknownothingaboutitwhatever。”
\"Thereareviolets。Icannotbelieveitisacoincidence。
Charlotte，Charlotte，howcouldyouhavetoldher？Ihavethoughtbeforespeaking；itmustbeyou。”
\"Thennever——never——nevermoreshallEleanorLavishbeafriendofmine。”
\"Soyoudidtell？\"
\"Ididjusthappen——whenIhadteawithheratRome——inthecourseofconversation——\"
\"ButCharlotte——whataboutthepromiseyougavemewhenwewerepacking？WhydidyoutellMissLavish，whenyouwouldn\'tevenletmetellmother？\"
\"IwillneverforgiveEleanor。Shehasbetrayedmyconfidence。”
\"Whydidyoutellher，though？Thisisamostseriousthing。”
Whydoesanyonetellanything？Thequestioniseternal，anditwasnotsurprisingthatMissBartlettshouldonlysighfaintlyinresponse。Shehaddonewrong——sheadmittedit，sheonlyhopedthatshehadnotdoneharm；shehadtoldEleanorinthestrictestconfidence。
Lucystampedwithirritation。
\"CecilhappenedtoreadoutthepassagealoudtomeandtoMr。
Emerson；itupsetMr。Emersonandheinsultedmeagain。BehindCecil\'sback。Ugh!Isitpossiblethatmenaresuchbrutes？
BehindCecil\'sbackaswewerewalkingupthegarden。”
MissBartlettburstintoself-accusationsandregrets。
\"Whatistobedonenow？Canyoutellme？\"
\"Oh，Lucy——Ishallneverforgivemyself，nevertomydyingday。
Fancyifyourprospects——\"
\"Iknow，\"saidLucy，wincingattheword。\"IseenowwhyyouwantedmetotellCecil，andwhatyoumeantby\'someothersource。\'YouknewthatyouhadtoldMissLavish，andthatshewasnotreliable。
ItwasMissBartlett\'sturntowince。\"However，\"saidthegirl，despisinghercousin\'sshiftiness，\"What\'sdone\'sdone。Youhaveputmeinamostawkwardposition。HowamItogetoutofit？\"
MissBartlettcouldnotthink。Thedaysofherenergywereover。
Shewasavisitor，notachaperon，andadiscreditedvisitoratthat。Shestoodwithclaspedhandswhilethegirlworkedherselfintothenecessaryrage。
\"Hemust——thatmanmusthavesuchasettingdownthathewon\'tforget。Andwho\'stogiveithim？Ican\'ttellmothernow——owingtoyou。NorCecil，Charlotte，owingtoyou。Iamcaughtupeveryway。IthinkIshallgomad。Ihavenoonetohelpme。That\'swhyI\'vesentforyou。What\'swantedisamanwithawhip。”
MissBartlettagreed:onewantedamanwithawhip。
\"Yes——butit\'snogoodagreeing。What\'stobeDONE。Wewomengomaunderingon。WhatDOESagirldowhenshecomesacrossacad？\"
\"Ialwayssaidhewasacad，dear。Givemecreditforthat，atallevents。Fromtheveryfirstmoment——whenhesaidhisfatherwashavingabath。”
\"Oh，botherthecreditandwho\'sbeenrightorwrong!We\'vebothmadeamuddleofit。GeorgeEmersonisstilldownthegardenthere，andishetobeleftunpunished，orisn\'the？Iwanttoknow。”
MissBartlettwasabsolutelyhelpless。Herownexposurehadunnervedher，andthoughtswerecollidingpainfullyinherbrain。
Shemovedfeeblytothewindow，andtriedtodetectthecad\'swhiteflannelsamongthelaurels。
\"YouwerereadyenoughattheBertoliniwhenyourushedmeofftoRome。Can\'tyouspeakagaintohimnow？\"
\"WillinglywouldImoveheavenandearth——\"
\"Iwantsomethingmoredefinite，\"saidLucycontemptuously。\"Willyouspeaktohim？Itistheleastyoucando，surely，consideringitallhappenedbecauseyoubrokeyourword。”
\"NeveragainshallEleanorLavishbeafriendofmine。”
Really，Charlottewasoutdoingherself。
\"Yesorno，please；yesorno。”
\"Itisthekindofthingthatonlyagentlemancansettle。”
GeorgeEmersonwascomingupthegardenwithatennisballinhishand。
\"Verywell，\"saidLucy，withanangrygesture。\"Noonewillhelpme。Iwillspeaktohimmyself。”Andimmediatelysherealizedthatthiswaswhathercousinhadintendedallalong。
\"Hullo，Emerson!\"calledFreddyfrombelow。\"Foundthelostball？
Goodman!Wantanytea？\"Andtherewasanirruptionfromthehouseontotheterrace。
\"Oh，Lucy，butthatisbraveofyou!Iadmireyou——\"
TheyhadgatheredroundGeorge，whobeckoned，shefelt，overtherubbish，thesloppythoughts，thefurtiveyearningsthatwerebeginningtocumberhersoul。Herangerfadedatthesightofhim。Ah!TheEmersonswerefinepeopleintheirway。Shehadtosubduearushinherbloodbeforesaying:
\"Freddyhastakenhimintothedining-room。Theothersaregoingdownthegarden。Come。Letusgetthisoverquickly。Come。Iwantyouintheroom，ofcourse。”
\"Lucy，doyouminddoingit？\"
\"Howcanyouasksucharidiculousquestion？\"
\"PoorLucy——\"Shestretchedoutherhand。\"IseemtobringnothingbutmisfortunewhereverIgo。”Lucynodded。SherememberedtheirlasteveningatFlorence——thepacking，thecandle，theshadowofMissBartlett\'stoqueonthedoor。Shewasnottobetrappedbypathosasecondtime。Eludinghercousin\'scaress，sheledthewaydownstairs。
\"Trythejam，\"Freddywassaying。\"Thejam\'sjollygood。”
George，lookingbiganddishevelled，waspacingupanddownthedining-room。Assheenteredhestopped，andsaid:
\"No——nothingtoeat。”
\"Yougodowntotheothers，\"saidLucy；\"CharlotteandIwillgiveMr。Emersonallhewants。Where\'smother？\"
\"She\'sstartedonherSundaywriting。She\'sinthedrawing-room。”
\"That\'sallright。Yougoaway。”
Hewentoffsinging。
Lucysatdownatthetable。MissBartlett，whowasthoroughlyfrightened，tookupabookandpretendedtoread。
Shewouldnotbedrawnintoanelaboratespeech。Shejustsaid:
\"Ican\'thaveit，Mr。Emerson。Icannoteventalktoyou。Gooutofthishouse，andnevercomeintoitagainaslongasIlivehere——\"flushingasshespokeandpointingtothedoor。\"Ihatearow。Goplease。”
\"What——\"
\"Nodiscussion。”
\"ButIcan\'t——\"
Sheshookherhead。\"Go，please。IdonotwanttocallinMr。
Vyse。”
\"Youdon\'tmean，\"hesaid，absolutelyignoringMissBartlett——
\"youdon\'tmeanthatyouaregoingtomarrythatman？\"
Thelinewasunexpected。
Sheshruggedhershoulders，asifhisvulgarityweariedher。\"Youaremerelyridiculous，\"shesaidquietly。
Thenhiswordsrosegravelyoverhers:\"YoucannotlivewithVyse。He\'sonlyforanacquaintance。Heisforsocietyandcultivatedtalk。Heshouldknownooneintimately，leastofallawoman。”
ItwasanewlightonCecil\'scharacter。
\"HaveyouevertalkedtoVysewithoutfeelingtired？\"
\"Icanscarcelydiscuss——\"
\"No，buthaveyouever？Heisthesortwhoareallrightsolongastheykeeptothings——books，pictures——butkillwhentheycometopeople。That\'swhyI\'llspeakoutthroughallthismuddleevennow。It\'sshockingenoughtoloseyouinanycase，butgenerallyamanmustdenyhimselfjoy，andIwouldhaveheldbackifyourCecilhadbeenadifferentperson。Iwouldneverhaveletmyselfgo。ButIsawhimfirstintheNationalGallery，whenhewincedbecausemyfathermispronouncedthenamesofgreatpainters。Thenhebringsushere，andwefinditistoplaysomesillytrickonakindneighbour。Thatisthemanallover——playingtricksonpeople，onthemostsacredformoflifethathecanfind。Next，I
meetyoutogether，andfindhimprotectingandteachingyouandyourmothertobeshocked，whenitwasforYOUtosettlewhetheryouwereshockedorno。Cecilalloveragain。Hedaren\'tletawomandecide。He\'sthetypewho\'skeptEuropebackforathousandyears。Everymomentofhislifehe\'sformingyou，tellingyouwhat\'scharmingoramusingorladylike，tellingyouwhatamanthinkswomanly；andyou，youofallwomen，listentohisvoiceinsteadoftoyourown。SoitwasattheRectory，whenImetyoubothagain；soithasbeenthewholeofthisafternoon。Therefore——not\'thereforeIkissedyou，\'becausethebookmademedothat，andIwishtogoodnessIhadmoreself-control。I\'mnotashamed。
Idon\'tapologize。Butithasfrightenedyou，andyoumaynothavenoticedthatIloveyou。Orwouldyouhavetoldmetogo，anddealtwithatremendousthingsolightly？Buttherefore——
thereforeIsettledtofighthim。”
Lucythoughtofaverygoodremark。
\"YousayMr。Vysewantsmetolistentohim，Mr。Emerson。Pardonmeforsuggestingthatyouhavecaughtthehabit。”
Andhetooktheshoddyreproofandtoucheditintoimmortality。
Hesaid:
\"Yes，Ihave，\"andsankdownasifsuddenlyweary。\"I\'mthesamekindofbruteatbottom。Thisdesiretogovernawoman——itliesverydeep，andmenandwomenmustfightittogetherbeforetheyshallenterthegarden。ButIdoloveyousurelyinabetterwaythanhedoes。”Hethought。\"Yes——reallyinabetterway。IwantyoutohaveyourownthoughtsevenwhenIholdyouinmyarms，\"
Hestretchedthemtowardsher。\"Lucy，bequick——there\'snotimeforustotalknow——cometomeasyoucameinthespring，andafterwardsIwillbegentleandexplain。Ihavecaredforyousincethatmandied。Icannotlivewithoutyou，\'Nogood，\'I
thought；\'sheismarryingsomeoneelse\'；butImeetyouagainwhenalltheworldisgloriouswaterandsun。AsyoucamethroughthewoodIsawthatnothingelsemattered。Icalled。Iwantedtoliveandhavemychanceofjoy。”
\"AndMr。Vyse？\"saidLucy，whokeptcommendablycalm。\"Doeshenotmatter？ThatIloveCecilandshallbehiswifeshortly？A
detailofnoimportance，Isuppose？\"
Buthestretchedhisarmsoverthetabletowardsher。
\"MayIaskwhatyouintendtogainbythisexhibition？\"
Hesaid:\"Itisourlastchance。IshalldoallthatIcan。”Andasifhehaddoneallelse，heturnedtoMissBartlett，whosatlikesomeportentagainsttheskiesoftheevening。\"Youwouldn\'tstopusthissecondtimeifyouunderstood，\"hesaid。\"Ihavebeenintothedark，andIamgoingbackintoit，unlessyouwilltrytounderstand。”
Herlong，narrowheaddrovebackwardsandforwards，asthoughdemolishingsomeinvisibleobstacle。Shedidnotanswer。
\"Itisbeingyoung，\"hesaidquietly，pickinguphisracquetfromthefloorandpreparingtogo。\"ItisbeingcertainthatLucycaresformereally。Itisthatloveandyouthmatterintellectually。”
Insilencethetwowomenwatchedhim。Hislastremark，theyknew，wasnonsense，butwashegoingafteritornot？Wouldnothe，thecad，thecharlatan，attemptamoredramaticfinish？No。Hewasapparentlycontent。Heleftthem，carefullyclosingthefrontdoor；andwhentheylookedthroughthehallwindow，theysawhimgoupthedriveandbegintoclimbtheslopesofwitheredfernbehindthehouse。Theirtongueswereloosed，andtheyburstintostealthyrejoicings。
\"Oh，Lucia——comebackhere——oh，whatanawfulman!\"
Lucyhadnoreaction——atleast，notyet。\"Well，heamusesme，\"
shesaid。\"EitherI\'mmad，orelseheis，andI\'minclinedtothinkit\'sthelatter。Onemorefussthroughwithyou，Charlotte。
Manythanks。Ithink，though，thatthisisthelast。Myadmirerwillhardlytroublemeagain。”
AndMissBartlett，too，essayedtheroguish:
\"Well，itisn\'teveryonewhocouldboastsuchaconquest，dearest，isit？Oh，oneoughtn\'ttolaugh，really。Itmighthavebeenveryserious。Butyouweresosensibleandbrave——sounlikethegirlsofmyday。”
\"Let\'sgodowntothem。”
But，onceintheopenair，shepaused。Someemotion——pity，terror，love，buttheemotionwasstrong——seizedher，andshewasawareofautumn。Summerwasending，andtheeveningbroughtherodoursofdecay，themorepatheticbecausetheywerereminiscentofspring。Thatsomethingorothermatteredintellectually？A
leaf，violentlyagitated，dancedpasther，whileotherleaveslaymotionless。Thattheearthwashasteningtore-enterdarkness，andtheshadowsofthosetreesoverWindyCorner？
\"Hullo，Lucy!There\'sstilllightenoughforanotherset，ifyoutwo\'llhurry。”
\"Mr。Emersonhashadtogo。”
\"Whatanuisance!Thatspoilsthefour。Isay，Cecil，doplay，do，there\'sagoodchap。It\'sFloyd\'slastday。Doplaytenniswithus，justthisonce。”
Cecil\'svoicecame:\"MydearFreddy，Iamnoathlete。Asyouwellremarkedthisverymorning，\'Therearesomechapswhoarenogoodforanythingbutbooks\'；Ipleadguiltytobeingsuchachap，andwillnotinflictmyselfonyou。”
ThescalesfellfromLucy\'seyes。HowhadshestoodCecilforamoment？Hewasabsolutelyintolerable，andthesameeveningshebrokeoffherengagement。
ChapterXVII:LyingtoCecilHewasbewildered。Hehadnothingtosay。Hewasnotevenangry，butstood，withaglassofwhiskeybetweenhishands，tryingtothinkwhathadledhertosuchaconclusion。
Shehadchosenthemomentbeforebed，when，inaccordancewiththeirbourgeoishabit，shealwaysdispenseddrinkstothemen。
FreddyandMr。Floydweresuretoretirewiththeirglasses，whileCecilinvariablylingered，sippingathiswhileshelockedupthesideboard。
\"Iamverysorryaboutit，\"shesaid；\"Ihavecarefullythoughtthingsover。Wearetoodifferent。Imustaskyoutoreleaseme，andtrytoforgetthatthereeverwassuchafoolishgirl。”
Itwasasuitablespeech，butshewasmoreangrythansorry，andhervoiceshowedit。
\"Different——how——how——\"
\"Ihaven\'thadareallygoodeducation，foronething，\"shecontinued，stillonherkneesbythesideboard。\"MyItaliantripcametoolate，andIamforgettingallthatIlearntthere。I
shallneverbeabletotalktoyourfriends，orbehaveasawifeofyoursshould。”
\"Idon\'tunderstandyou。Youaren\'tlikeyourself。You\'retired，Lucy。”
\"Tired!\"sheretorted，kindlingatonce。\"Thatisexactlylikeyou。Youalwaysthinkwomendon\'tmeanwhattheysay。”
\"Well，yousoundtired，asifsomethinghasworriedyou。”