MissBartlettatoncecameforward，andafteralongpreambleaskedagreatfavour:mightshegotochurch？Mr。Beebeandhismotherhadalreadygone，butshehadrefusedtostartuntilsheobtainedherhostess\'sfullsanction，foritwouldmeankeepingthehorsewaitingagoodtenminutesmore。
\"Certainly，\"saidthehostesswearily。\"IforgotitwasFriday。
Let\'sallgo。Powellcangoroundtothestables。”
\"Lucydearest——\"
\"Nochurchforme，thankyou。”
Asigh，andtheydeparted。Thechurchwasinvisible，butupinthedarknesstothelefttherewasahintofcolour。Thiswasastainedwindow，throughwhichsomefeeblelightwasshining，andwhenthedooropenedLucyheardMr。Beebe\'svoicerunningthroughthelitanytoaminutecongregation。Eventheirchurch，builtupontheslopeofthehillsoartfully，withitsbeautifulraisedtranseptanditsspireofsilveryshingle——eventheirchurchhadlostitscharm；andthethingonenevertalkedabout——religion——
wasfadinglikealltheotherthings。
ShefollowedthemaidintotheRectory。
WouldsheobjecttosittinginMr。Beebe\'sstudy？Therewasonlythatonefire。
Shewouldnotobject。
Someonewastherealready，forLucyheardthewords:\"Aladytowait，sir。”
OldMr。Emersonwassittingbythefire，withhisfootuponagout-stool。
\"Oh，MissHoneychurch，thatyoushouldcome!\"hequavered；andLucysawanalterationinhimsincelastSunday。
Notawordwouldcometoherlips。Georgeshehadfaced，andcouldhavefacedagain，butshehadforgottenhowtotreathisfather。
\"MissHoneychurch，dear，wearesosorry!Georgeissosorry!Hethoughthehadarighttotry。Icannotblamemyboy，andyetI
wishhehadtoldmefirst。Heoughtnottohavetried。Iknewnothingaboutitatall。”
Ifonlyshecouldrememberhowtobehave!
Hehelduphishand。\"Butyoumustnotscoldhim。”
Lucyturnedherback，andbegantolookatMr。Beebe\'sbooks。
\"Itaughthim，\"hequavered，\"totrustinlove。Isaid:\'Whenlovecomes，thatisreality。\'Isaid:\'Passiondoesnotblind。
No。Passionissanity，andthewomanyoulove，sheistheonlypersonyouwilleverreallyunderstand。\'\"Hesighed:\"True，everlastinglytrue，thoughmydayisover，andthoughthereistheresult。Poorboy!Heissosorry!Hesaidheknewitwasmadnesswhenyoubroughtyourcousinin；thatwhateveryoufeltyoudidnotmean。Yet\"——hisvoicegatheredstrength:hespokeouttomakecertain——\"MissHoneychurch，doyourememberItaly？\"
Lucyselectedabook——avolumeofOldTestamentcommentaries。
Holdingituptohereyes，shesaid:\"IhavenowishtodiscussItalyoranysubjectconnectedwithyourson。”
\"Butyoudorememberit？\"
\"Hehasmisbehavedhimselffromthefirst。”
\"IonlywastoldthathelovedyoulastSunday。Inevercouldjudgebehaviour。I——I——supposehehas。”
Feelingalittlesteadier，sheputthebookbackandturnedroundtohim。Hisfacewasdroopingandswollen，buthiseyes，thoughtheyweresunkendeep，gleamedwithachild\'scourage。
\"Why，hehasbehavedabominably，\"shesaid。\"Iamgladheissorry。Doyouknowwhathedid？\"
\"Not\'abominably，\'\"wasthegentlecorrection。\"Heonlytriedwhenheshouldnothavetried。Youhaveallyouwant，MissHoneychurch:youaregoingtomarrythemanyoulove。DonotgooutofGeorge\'slifesayingheisabominable。”
\"No，ofcourse，\"saidLucy，ashamedatthereferencetoCecil。
\"\'Abominable\'ismuchtoostrong。IamsorryIuseditaboutyourson。IthinkIwillgotochurch，afterall。Mymotherandmycousinhavegone。Ishallnotbesoverylate——\"
\"Especiallyashehasgoneunder，\"hesaidquietly。
\"Whatwasthat？\"
\"Goneundernaturally。”Hebeathispalmstogetherinsilence；
hisheadfellonhischest。
\"Idon\'tunderstand。”
\"Ashismotherdid。”
\"But，Mr。Emerson——MR。EMERSON——whatareyoutalkingabout？\"
\"WhenIwouldn\'thaveGeorgebaptized，\"saidhe。
Lucywasfrightened。
\"Andsheagreedthatbaptismwasnothing，buthecaughtthatfeverwhenhewastwelveandsheturnedround。Shethoughtitajudgment。”Heshuddered。\"Oh，horrible，whenwehadgivenupthatsortofthingandbrokenawayfromherparents。Oh，horrible——
worstofall——worsethandeath，whenyouhavemadealittleclearinginthewilderness，plantedyourlittlegarden，letinyoursunlight，andthentheweedscreepinagain!Ajudgment!Andourboyhadtyphoidbecausenoclergymanhaddroppedwateronhiminchurch!Isitpossible，MissHoneychurch？Shallweslipbackintothedarknessforever？\"
\"Idon\'tknow，\"gaspedLucy。\"Idon\'tunderstandthissortofthing。Iwasnotmeanttounderstandit。”
\"ButMr。Eager——hecamewhenIwasout，andactedaccordingtohisprinciples。Idon\'tblamehimoranyone……butbythetimeGeorgewaswellshewasill。Hemadeherthinkaboutsin，andshewentunderthinkingaboutit。”
ItwasthusthatMr。EmersonhadmurderedhiswifeinthesightofGod。
\"Oh，howterrible!\"saidLucy，forgettingherownaffairsatlast。
\"Hewasnotbaptized，\"saidtheoldman。\"Ididholdfirm。”Andhelookedwithunwaveringeyesattherowsofbooks，asif——atwhatcost!——hehadwonavictoryoverthem。\"Myboyshallgobacktotheearthuntouched。”
SheaskedwhetheryoungMr。Emersonwasill。
\"Oh——lastSunday。”Hestartedintothepresent。\"GeorgelastSunday——no，notill:justgoneunder。Heisneverill。Butheishismother\'sson。Hereyeswerehis，andshehadthatforeheadthatIthinksobeautiful，andhewillnotthinkitworthwhiletolive。Itwasalwaystouchandgo。Hewilllive；buthewillnotthinkitworthwhiletolive。Hewillneverthinkanythingworthwhile。YourememberthatchurchatFlorence？\"
Lucydidremember，andhowshehadsuggestedthatGeorgeshouldcollectpostagestamps。
\"AfteryouleftFlorence——horrible。Thenwetookthehousehere，andhegoesbathingwithyourbrother，andbecamebetter。Yousawhimbathing？\"
\"Iamsosorry，butitisnogooddiscussingthisaffair。Iamdeeplysorryaboutit。”
\"Thentherecamesomethingaboutanovel。Ididn\'tfollowitatall；Ihadtohearsomuch，andhemindedtellingme；hefindsmetooold。Ah，well，onemusthavefailures。Georgecomesdownto-morrow，andtakesmeuptohisLondonrooms。Hecan\'tbeartobeabouthere，andImustbewhereheis。”
\"Mr。Emerson，\"criedthegirl，\"don\'tleaveatleast，notonmyaccount。IamgoingtoGreece。Don\'tleaveyourcomfortablehouse。”
Itwasthefirsttimehervoicehadbeenkindandhesmiled。\"Howgoodeveryoneis!AndlookatMr。Beebehousingme——cameoverthismorningandheardIwasgoing!HereIamsocomfortablewithafire。”
\"Yes，butyouwon\'tgobacktoLondon。It\'sabsurd。”
\"ImustbewithGeorge；Imustmakehimcaretolive，anddownherehecan\'t。Hesaysthethoughtofseeingyouandofhearingaboutyou——Iamnotjustifyinghim:Iamonlysayingwhathashappened。”
\"Oh，Mr。Emerson\"——shetookholdofhishand——\"youmustn\'t。I\'vebeenbotherenoughtotheworldbynow。Ican\'thaveyoumovingoutofyourhousewhenyoulikeit，andperhapslosingmoneythroughit——allonmyaccount。Youmuststop!IamjustgoingtoGreece。”
\"AllthewaytoGreece？\"
Hermanneraltered。
\"ToGreece？\"
\"Soyoumuststop。Youwon\'ttalkaboutthisbusiness，Iknow。I
cantrustyouboth。”
\"Certainlyyoucan。Weeitherhaveyouinourlives，orleaveyoutothelifethatyouhavechosen。”
\"Ishouldn\'twant——\"
\"IsupposeMr。VyseisveryangrywithGeorge？No，itwaswrongofGeorgetotry。Wehavepushedourbeliefstoofar。Ifancythatwedeservesorrow。”
Shelookedatthebooksagain——black，brown，andthatacridtheologicalblue。Theysurroundedthevisitorsoneveryside；
theywerepiledonthetables，theypressedagainsttheveryceiling。ToLucywhocouldnotseethatMr。Emersonwasprofoundlyreligious，anddifferedfromMr。Beebechieflybyhisacknowledgmentofpassion——itseemeddreadfulthattheoldmanshouldcrawlintosuchasanctum，whenhewasunhappy，andbedependentonthebountyofaclergyman。
Morecertainthaneverthatshewastired，heofferedherhischair。
\"No，pleasesitstill。IthinkIwillsitinthecarriage。”
\"MissHoneychurch，youdosoundtired。”
\"Notabit，\"saidLucy，withtremblinglips。
\"Butyouare，andthere\'salookofGeorgeaboutyou。Andwhatwereyousayingaboutgoingabroad？\"
Shewassilent。
\"Greece\"——andshesawthathewasthinkingthewordover——
\"Greece；butyouweretobemarriedthisyear，Ithought。”
\"NottillJanuary，itwasn\'t，\"saidLucy，claspingherhands。
Wouldshetellanactualliewhenitcametothepoint？
\"IsupposethatMr。Vyseisgoingwithyou。Ihope——itisn\'tbecauseGeorgespokethatyouarebothgoing？\"
\"No。”
\"IhopethatyouwillenjoyGreecewithMr。Vyse。”
\"Thankyou。”
AtthatmomentMr。Beebecamebackfromchurch。Hiscassockwascoveredwithrain。\"That\'sallright，\"hesaidkindly。\"Icountedonyoutwokeepingeachothercompany。It\'spouringagain。Theentirecongregation，whichconsistsofyourcousin，yourmother，andmymother，standswaitinginthechurch，tillthecarriagefetchesit。DidPowellgoround？\"
\"Ithinkso；I\'llsee。”
\"No——ofcourse，I\'llsee。HowaretheMissAlans？\"
\"Verywell，thankyou。”
\"DidyoutellMr。EmersonaboutGreece？\"
\"I——Idid。”
\"Don\'tyouthinkitverypluckyofher，Mr。Emerson，toundertakethetwoMissAlans？Now，MissHoneychurch，goback——keepwarm。I
thinkthreeissuchacourageousnumbertogotravelling。”Andhehurriedofftothestables。
\"Heisnotgoing，\"shesaidhoarsely。\"Imadeaslip。Mr。VysedoesstopbehindinEngland。”
Somehowitwasimpossibletocheatthisoldman。ToGeorge，toCecil，shewouldhaveliedagain；butheseemedsoneartheendofthings，sodignifiedinhisapproachtothegulf，ofwhichhegaveoneaccount，andthebooksthatsurroundedhimanother，somildtotheroughpathsthathehadtraversed，thatthetruechivalry——nottheworn-outchivalryofsex，butthetruechivalrythatalltheyoungmayshowtoalltheold——awokeinher，and，atwhateverrisk，shetoldhimthatCecilwasnothercompaniontoGreece。Andshespokesoseriouslythattheriskbecameacertainty，andhe，liftinghiseyes，said:\"Youareleavinghim？
Youareleavingthemanyoulove？\"
\"I——Ihadto。”
\"Why，MissHoneychurch，why？\"
Terrorcameoverher，andsheliedagain。Shemadethelong，convincingspeechthatshehadmadetoMr。Beebe，andintendedtomaketotheworldwhensheannouncedthatherengagementwasnomore。Heheardherinsilence，andthensaid:\"Mydear，Iamworriedaboutyou。Itseemstome\"——dreamily；shewasnotalarmed——\"thatyouareinamuddle。”
Sheshookherhead。
\"Takeanoldman\'sword；there\'snothingworsethanamuddleinalltheworld。ItiseasytofaceDeathandFate，andthethingsthatsoundsodreadful。ItisonmymuddlesthatIlookbackwithhorror——onthethingsthatImighthaveavoided。Wecanhelponeanotherbutlittle。IusedtothinkIcouldteachyoungpeoplethewholeoflife，butIknowbetternow，andallmyteachingofGeorgehascomedowntothis:bewareofmuddle。Doyourememberinthatchurch，whenyoupretendedtobeannoyedwithmeandweren\'t？Doyourememberbefore，whenyourefusedtheroomwiththeview？Thoseweremuddles——little，butominous——andIamfearingthatyouareinonenow。”Shewassilent。\"Don\'ttrustme，MissHoneychurch。Thoughlifeisveryglorious，itisdifficult。”Shewasstillsilent。\"\'Life\'wroteafriendofmine，\'isapublicperformanceontheviolin，inwhichyoumustlearntheinstrumentasyougoalong。\'Ithinkheputsitwell。Manhastopickuptheuseofhisfunctionsashegoesalong——especiallythefunctionofLove。”Thenheburstoutexcitedly；\"That\'sit；
that\'swhatImean。YouloveGeorge!\"Andafterhislongpreamble，thethreewordsburstagainstLucylikewavesfromtheopensea。
\"Butyoudo，\"hewenton，notwaitingforcontradiction。\"Youlovetheboybodyandsoul，plainly，directly，ashelovesyou，andnootherwordexpressesit。Youwon\'tmarrytheothermanforhissake。”
\"Howdareyou!\"gaspedLucy，withtheroaringofwatersinherears。\"Oh，howlikeaman!——Imean，tosupposethatawomanisalwaysthinkingaboutaman。”
\"Butyouare。”
Shesummonedphysicaldisgust。
\"You\'reshocked，butImeantoshockyou。It\'stheonlyhopeattimes。Icanreachyounootherway。Youmustmarry，oryourlifewillbewasted。Youhavegonetoofartoretreat。Ihavenotimeforthetenderness，andthecomradeship，andthepoetry，andthethingsthatreallymatter，andforwhichyoumarry。Iknowthat，withGeorge，youwillfindthem，andthatyoulovehim。Thenbehiswife。Heisalreadypartofyou。ThoughyouflytoGreece，andneverseehimagain，orforgethisveryname，Georgewillworkinyourthoughtstillyoudie。Itisn\'tpossibletoloveandtopart。Youwillwishthatitwas。Youcantransmutelove，ignoreit，muddleit，butyoucanneverpullitoutofyou。I
knowbyexperiencethatthepoetsareright:loveiseternal。”
Lucybegantocrywithanger，andthoughherangerpassedawaysoon，hertearsremained。
\"Ionlywishpoetswouldsaythis，too:loveisofthebody；notthebody，butofthebody。Ah!themiserythatwouldbesavedifweconfessedthat!Ah!foralittledirectnesstoliberatethesoul!Yoursoul，dearLucy!Ihatethewordnow，becauseofallthecantwithwhichsuperstitionhaswrappeditround。Butwehavesouls。Icannotsayhowtheycamenorwhithertheygo，butwehavethem，andIseeyouruiningyours。Icannotbearit。Itisagainthedarknesscreepingin；itishell。”Thenhecheckedhimself。\"WhatnonsenseIhavetalked——howabstractandremote!
AndIhavemadeyoucry!Deargirl，forgivemyprosiness；marrymyboy。WhenIthinkwhatlifeis，andhowseldomloveisansweredbylove——Marryhim；itisoneofthemomentsforwhichtheworldwasmade。”
Shecouldnotunderstandhim；thewordswereindeedremote。Yetashespokethedarknesswaswithdrawn，veilafterveil，andshesawtothebottomofhersoul。
\"Then，Lucy——\"
\"You\'vefrightenedme，\"shemoaned。\"Cecil——Mr。Beebe——theticket\'sbought——everything。”Shefellsobbingintothechair。
\"I\'mcaughtinthetangle。Imustsufferandgrowoldawayfromhim。Icannotbreakthewholeoflifeforhissake。Theytrustedme。”
Acarriagedrewupatthefront-door。
\"GiveGeorgemylove——onceonly。Tellhim\'muddle。\'\"Thenshearrangedherveil，whilethetearspouredoverhercheeksinside。
\"Lucy——\"
\"No——theyareinthehall——oh，pleasenot，Mr。Emerson——theytrustme——\"
\"Butwhyshouldthey，whenyouhavedeceivedthem？\"
Mr。Beebeopenedthedoor，saying:\"Here\'smymother。”
\"You\'renotworthyoftheirtrust。”
\"What\'sthat？\"saidMr。Beebesharply。
\"Iwassaying，whyshouldyoutrustherwhenshedeceivedyou？\"
\"Oneminute，mother。”Hecameinandshutthedoor。
\"Idon\'tfollowyou，Mr。Emerson。Towhomdoyourefer？Trustwhom？\"
\"ImeanshehaspretendedtoyouthatshedidnotloveGeorge。
Theyhavelovedoneanotherallalong。”
Mr。Beebelookedatthesobbinggirl。Hewasveryquiet，andhiswhiteface，withitsruddywhiskers，seemedsuddenlyinhuman。A
longblackcolumn，hestoodandawaitedherreply。
\"Ishallnevermarryhim，\"quaveredLucy。
Alookofcontemptcameoverhim，andhesaid，\"Whynot？\"
\"Mr。Beebe——Ihavemisledyou——Ihavemisledmyself——\"
\"Oh，rubbish，MissHoneychurch!\"
\"Itisnotrubbish!\"saidtheoldmanhotly。\"It\'sthepartofpeoplethatyoudon\'tunderstand。”
Mr。Beebelaidhishandontheoldman\'sshoulderpleasantly。
\"Lucy!Lucy!\"calledvoicesfromthecarriage。
\"Mr。Beebe，couldyouhelpme？\"
Helookedamazedattherequest，andsaidinalow，sternvoice:
\"IammoregrievedthanIcanpossiblyexpress。Itislamentable，lamentable——incredible。”
\"What\'swrongwiththeboy？\"fireduptheotheragain。
\"Nothing，Mr。Emerson，exceptthathenolongerinterestsme。
MarryGeorge，MissHoneychurch。Hewilldoadmirably。”
Hewalkedoutandleftthem。Theyheardhimguidinghismotherup-stairs。
\"Lucy!\"thevoicescalled。
SheturnedtoMr。Emersonindespair。Buthisfacerevivedher。Itwasthefaceofasaintwhounderstood。
\"Nowitisalldark。NowBeautyandPassionseemnevertohaveexisted。Iknow。ButrememberthemountainsoverFlorenceandtheview。Ah，dear，ifIwereGeorge，andgaveyouonekiss，itwouldmakeyoubrave。Youhavetogocoldintoabattlethatneedswarmth，outintothemuddlethatyouhavemadeyourself；andyourmotherandallyourfriendswilldespiseyou，oh，mydarling，andrightly，ifitiseverrighttodespise。Georgestilldark，allthetussleandthemiserywithoutawordfromhim。AmI
justified？\"Intohisowneyestearscame。\"Yes，forwefightformorethanLoveorPleasure；thereisTruth。Truthcounts，Truthdoescount。”
\"Youkissme，\"saidthegirl。\"Youkissme。Iwilltry。”
Hegaveherasenseofdeitiesreconciled，afeelingthat，ingainingthemansheloved，shewouldgainsomethingforthewholeworld。Throughoutthesqualorofherhomewarddrive——shespokeatonce——hissalutationremained。Hehadrobbedthebodyofitstaint，theworld\'stauntsoftheirsting；hehadshownhertheholinessofdirectdesire。She\"neverexactlyunderstood，\"shewouldsayinafteryears，\"howhemanagedtostrengthenher。Itwasasifhehadmadeherseethewholeofeverythingatonce。”
ChapterXX:TheEndoftheMiddleAgesTheMissAlansdidgotoGreece，buttheywentbythemselves。
TheyaloneofthislittlecompanywilldoubleMaleaandploughthewatersoftheSaronicgulf。TheyalonewillvisitAthensandDelphi，andeithershrineofintellectualsong——thatupontheAcropolis，encircledbyblueseas；thatunderParnassus，wheretheeaglesbuildandthebronzecharioteerdrivesundismayedtowardsinfinity。Trembling，anxious，cumberedwithmuchdigestivebread，theydidproceedtoConstantinople，theydidgoroundtheworld。Therestofusmustbecontentedwithafair，butalessarduous，goal。Italiampetimus:wereturntothePensionBertolini。
Georgesaiditwashisoldroom。
\"No，itisn\'t，\"saidLucy；\"becauseitistheroomIhad，andI
hadyourfather\'sroom。Iforgetwhy；Charlottemademe，forsomereason。”
Hekneltonthetiledfloor，andlaidhisfaceinherlap。
\"George，youbaby，getup。”
\"Whyshouldn\'tIbeababy？\"murmuredGeorge。
Unabletoanswerthisquestion，sheputdownhissock，whichshewastryingtomend，andgazedoutthroughthewindow。Itwaseveningandagainthespring。
\"Oh，botherCharlotte，\"shesaidthoughtfully。\"Whatcansuchpeoplebemadeof？\"
\"Samestuffasparsonsaremadeof。”
\"Nonsense!\"
\"Quiteright。Itisnonsense。”
\"Nowyougetupoffthecoldfloor，oryou\'llbestartingrheumatismnext，andyoustoplaughingandbeingsosilly。”
\"Whyshouldn\'tIlaugh？\"heasked，pinningherwithhiselbows，andadvancinghisfacetohers。\"What\'stheretocryat？Kissmehere。”Heindicatedthespotwhereakisswouldbewelcome。
Hewasaboyafterall。Whenitcametothepoint，itwasshewhorememberedthepast，sheintowhosesoultheironhadentered，shewhoknewwhoseroomthishadbeenlastyear。Itendearedhimtoherstrangelythatheshouldbesometimeswrong。
\"Anyletters？\"heasked。
\"JustalinefromFreddy。”
\"Nowkissmehere；thenhere。”
Then，threatenedagainwithrheumatism，hestrolledtothewindow，openeditastheEnglishwill，andleantout。Therewastheparapet，theretheriver，theretotheleftthebeginningsofthehills。Thecab-driver，whoatoncesalutedhimwiththehissofaserpent，mightbethatveryPhaethonwhohadsetthishappinessinmotiontwelvemonthsago。Apassionofgratitude——
allfeelingsgrowtopassionsintheSouth——cameoverthehusband，andheblessedthepeopleandthethingswhohadtakensomuchtroubleaboutayoungfool。Hehadhelpedhimself，itistrue，buthowstupidly!
Allthefightingthatmatteredhadbeendonebyothers——byItaly，byhisfather，byhiswife。
\"Lucy，youcomeandlookatthecypresses；andthechurch，whateveritsnameis，stillshows。”
\"SanMiniato。I\'lljustfinishyoursock。”
\"Signorino，domanifaremounogiro，\"calledthecabman，withengagingcertainty。
Georgetoldhimthathewasmistaken；theyhadnomoneytothrowawayondriving。
Andthepeoplewhohadnotmeanttohelp——theMissLavishes，theCecils，theMissBartletts!EverpronetomagnifyFate，Georgecounteduptheforcesthathadswepthimintothiscontentment。
\"AnythinggoodinFreddy\'sletter？\"
\"Notyet。”
Hisowncontentwasabsolute，buthersheldbitterness:theHoneychurcheshadnotforgiventhem；theyweredisgustedatherpasthypocrisy；shehadalienatedWindyCorner，perhapsforever。
\"Whatdoeshesay？\"
\"Sillyboy!Hethinkshe\'sbeingdignified。Heknewweshouldgooffinthespring——hehasknownitforsixmonths——thatifmotherwouldn\'tgiveherconsentweshouldtakethethingintoourownhands。Theyhadfairwarning，andnowhecallsitanelopement。
Ridiculousboy——\"
\"Signorino，domanifaremounogiro——\"
\"Butitwillallcomerightintheend。Hehastobuildusbothupfromthebeginningagain。Iwish，though，thatCecilhadnotturnedsocynicalaboutwomen。Hehas，forthesecondtime，quitealtered。Whywillmenhavetheoriesaboutwomen？Ihaven\'tanyaboutmen。Iwish，too，thatMr。Beebe——\"
\"Youmaywellwishthat。”
\"Hewillneverforgiveus——Imean，hewillneverbeinterestedinusagain。IwishthathedidnotinfluencethemsomuchatWindyCorner。Iwishhehadn\'t——Butifweactthetruth，thepeoplewhoreallyloveusaresuretocomebacktousinthelongrun。”
\"Perhaps。”Thenhesaidmoregently:\"Well，Iactedthetruth——
theonlythingIdiddo——andyoucamebacktome。Sopossiblyyouknow。”Heturnedbackintotheroom。\"Nonsensewiththatsock。”
Hecarriedhertothewindow，sothatshe，too，sawalltheview。
Theysankupontheirknees，invisiblefromtheroad，theyhoped，andbegantowhisperoneanother\'snames。Ah!itwasworthwhile；
itwasthegreatjoythattheyhadexpected，andcountlesslittlejoysofwhichtheyhadneverdreamt。Theyweresilent。
\"Signorino，domanifaremo——\"
\"Oh，botherthatman!\"
ButLucyrememberedthevendorofphotographsandsaid，\"No，don\'tberudetohim。”Thenwithacatchingofherbreath，shemurmured:\"Mr。EagerandCharlotte，dreadfulfrozenCharlotte。
Howcruelshewouldbetoamanlikethat!\"
\"Lookatthelightsgoingoverthebridge。”
\"ButthisroomremindsmeofCharlotte。HowhorribletogrowoldinCharlotte\'sway!Tothinkthateveningattherectorythatsheshouldn\'thaveheardyourfatherwasinthehouse。Forshewouldhavestoppedmegoingin，andhewastheonlypersonalivewhocouldhavemademeseesense。Youcouldn\'thavemademe。WhenI
amveryhappy\"——shekissedhim——\"Irememberonhowlittleitallhangs。IfCharlottehadonlyknown，shewouldhavestoppedmegoingin，andIshouldhavegonetosillyGreece，andbecomedifferentforever。”
\"Butshedidknow，\"saidGeorge；\"shedidseemyfather，surely。
Hesaidso。”
\"Oh，no，shedidn\'tseehim。ShewasupstairswitholdMrs。
Beebe，don\'tyouremember，andthenwentstraighttothechurch。
Shesaidso。”
Georgewasobstinateagain。\"Myfather，\"saidhe，\"sawher，andI
preferhisword。Hewasdozingbythestudyfire，andheopenedhiseyes，andtherewasMissBartlett。Afewminutesbeforeyoucamein。Shewasturningtogoashewokeup。Hedidn\'tspeaktoher。”
Thentheyspokeofotherthings——thedesultorytalkofthosewhohavebeenfightingtoreachoneanother，andwhoserewardistorestquietlyineachother\'sarms。ItwaslongeretheyreturnedtoMissBartlett，butwhentheydidherbehaviourseemedmoreinteresting。George，whodislikedanydarkness，said:\"It\'sclearthatsheknew。Then，whydidsheriskthemeeting？Sheknewhewasthere，andyetshewenttochurch。”
Theytriedtopiecethethingtogether。
Astheytalked，anincrediblesolutioncameintoLucy\'smind。Sherejectedit，andsaid:\"HowlikeCharlottetoundoherworkbyafeeblemuddleatthelastmoment。”Butsomethinginthedyingevening，intheroaroftheriver，intheirveryembracewarnedthemthatherwordsfellshortoflife，andGeorgewhispered:\"Ordidshemeanit？\"
\"Meanwhat？\"
\"Signorino，domanifaremounogiro——\"
Lucybentforwardandsaidwithgentleness:\"Lascia，prego，lascia。Siamosposati。”
\"Scusitanto，signora，\"herepliedintonesasgentleandwhippeduphishorse。
\"Buonasera——egrazie。”
\"Niente。”
Thecabmandroveawaysinging。
\"Meanwhat，George？\"
Hewhispered:\"Isitthis？Isthispossible？I\'llputamarveltoyou。Thatyourcousinhasalwayshoped。Thatfromtheveryfirstmomentwemet，shehoped，fardowninhermind，thatweshouldbelikethis——ofcourse，veryfardown。Thatshefoughtusonthesurface，andyetshehoped。Ican\'texplainheranyotherway。
Canyou？Lookhowshekeptmealiveinyouallthesummer；howshegaveyounopeace；howmonthaftermonthshebecamemoreeccentricandunreliable。Thesightofushauntedher——orshecouldn\'thavedescribedusasshedidtoherfriend。Therearedetails——itburnt。Ireadthebookafterwards。Sheisnotfrozen，Lucy，sheisnotwitheredupallthrough。Shetoreusaparttwice，butintherectorythateveningshewasgivenonemorechancetomakeushappy。Wecannevermakefriendswithherorthankher。ButIdobelievethat，fardowninherheart，farbelowallspeechandbehaviour，sheisglad。”
\"Itisimpossible，\"murmuredLucy，andthen，rememberingtheexperiencesofherownheart，shesaid:\"No——itisjustpossible。”
Youthenwrappedthem；thesongofPhaethonannouncedpassionrequited，loveattained。Buttheywereconsciousofalovemoremysteriousthanthis。Thesongdiedaway；theyheardtheriver，bearingdownthesnowsofwinterintotheMediterranean。