CHAPTERI
IntheduskofanOctoberevening,asensiblelookingwomanoffortycameoutthroughanoakendoortoabroadlandingonthefirstfloorofanoldEnglishcountry—house。Abraidofherhairhadfallenforwardasifshehadbeenstoopingoverbookorpen;
andshestoodforamomenttosmoothit,andtogazecontemplatively——notintheleastsentimentally——throughthetall,narrowwindow。Thesunwassetting,butitsglorieswereattheothersideofthehouse;forthiswindowlookedeastward,wherethelandscapeofsheepwalksandpasturelandwassoberingattheapproachofdarkness。
Thelady,likeonetowhomsilenceandquietwereluxuries,lingeredonthelandingforsometime。Thensheturnedtowardsanotherdoor,onwhichwasinscribed,inwhiteletters,ClassRoomNo。6。Arrestedbyawhisperingabove,shepausedinthedoorway,andlookedupthestairsalongabroadsmoothhandrailthatsweptroundinanunbrokencurveateachlanding,forminganinclinedplanefromthetoptothebottomofthehouse。
Ayoungvoice,apparentlymimickingsomeone,nowcamefromabove,saying,\"WewilltaketheEtudesdelaVelocitenext,ifyouplease,ladies。\"
Immediatelyagirlinahollanddressshotdownthroughspace;
whirledroundthecurvewithafearlesscentrifugaltossofherankle;andvanishedintothedarknessbeneath。Shewasfollowedbyastatelygirlingreen,intentlyholdingherbreathassheflew;andalsobyalargeyoungwomaninblack,withherlowerlipgraspedbetweenherteeth,andherfinebrowneyesprotrudingwithexcitement。Herpassagecreatedaminiaturetempestwhichdisarrangedanewthehairoftheladyonthelanding,whowaitedinbreathlessalarmuntiltwolightshocksandathumpannouncedthattheaerialvoyagershadlandedsafelyinthehall。
\"Ohlaw！\"exclaimedthevoicethathadspokenbefore。\"Here\'sSusan。\"
\"It\'samercyyourneckain\'tbroken,\"repliedsomepalpitatingfemale。\"I\'lltellofyouthistime,MissWylie;indeedIwill。
Andyou,too,MissCarpenter:Iwonderatyounottohavemoresenseatyourageandwithyoursize！MissWilsoncan\'thelphearingwhenyoucomedownwithathumplikethat。Youshakethewholehouse。\"
Ohbother！\"saidMissWylie。\"TheLadyAbbesstakesgoodcaretoshutoutallthenoisewemake。Letus——\"
\"Girls,\"saidtheladyabove,callingdownquietly,butwithominousdistinctness。
Silenceandutterconfusionensued。Thencameareply,inatoneofhoneyedsweetness,fromMissWylie:
\"Didyoucallus,DEARMissWilson？\"
\"Yes。Comeuphere,ifyouplease,allthree。\"
Therewassomehesitationamongthem,eachofferingtheotherprecedence。Atlasttheywentupslowly,intheorder,thoughnotatallinthemanner,oftheirflyingdescent;followedMissWilsonintotheclass—room;andstoodinarowbeforeher,illuminedthroughthreewesternwindowswithaglowofruddyorangelight。MissCarpenter,thelargestofthethree,wasredandconfused。Herarmshungbyhersides,herfingerstwistingthefoldsofherdress。MissGertrudeLindsay,inpalesea—green,hadasmallhead,delicatecomplexion,andpearlyteeth。Shestooderect,withanexpressionofcolddistasteforreproofofanysort。Thehollanddressofthethirdoffenderhadchangedfromyellowtowhiteasshepassedfromthegrayeasterntwilightonthestaircaseintothewarmwesternglowintheroom。Herfacehadabrightolivetone,andseemedtohaveagoldenmicainitscomposition。Hereyesandhairwerehazel—nutcolor;andherteeth,theupperrowofwhichshedisplayedfreely,werelikefinePortlandstone,andslopedoutwardenoughtohavespoilthermouth,hadtheynotbeensupportedbyarichunderlip,andafinelycurved,impudentchin。Herhalfcajoling,halfmockingair,andherreadysmile,weredifficulttoconfrontwithseverity;andMissWilsonknewit;forshewouldnotlookatherevenwhenattractedbyaconvulsivestartandanangrysideglancefromMissLindsay,whohadjustbeenindentedbetweentheribsbyafingertip。
\"Youareawarethatyouhavebrokentherules,\"saidMissWilsonquietly。
\"Wedidn\'tintendto。Wereallydidnot,\"saidthegirlinholland,coaxingly。
\"Praywhatwasyourintentionthen,MissWylie？\"
MissWylieunexpectedlytreatedthisasasmartreparteeinsteadofarebuke。Shesentupastrangelittlescream,whichexplodedinacascadeoflaughter。
\"Praybesilent,Agatha,\"saidMissWilsonseverely。Agathalookedcontrite。MissWilsonturnedhastilytotheeldestofthethree,andcontinued:
\"Iamespeciallysurprisedatyou,MissCarpenter。Sinceyouhavenodesiretokeepfaithwithmebyupholdingtherules,ofwhichyouarequiteoldenoughtounderstandthenecessity,Ishallnottroubleyouwithreproaches,orappealstowhichIamnowconvincedthatyouwouldnotrespond,\"（hereMissCarpenter,withaninarticulateprotest,burstintotears）;\"butyoushouldatleastthinkofthedangerintowhichyourjuniorsareledbyyourchildishness。HowshouldyoufeelifAgathahadbrokenherneck？\"
\"Oh！\"exclaimedAgatha,puttingherhandquicklytoherneck。
\"Ididn\'tthinktherewasanydanger,\"saidMissCarpenter,strugglingwithhertears。\"Agathahasdoneitsooft——ohdear！
youhavetornme。\"MissWyliehadpulledatherschoolfellow\'sskirt,andpulledtoohard。
\"MissWylie,\"saidMissWilson,flushingslightly,\"Imustaskyoutoleavetheroom。\"
\"Oh,no,\"exclaimedAgatha,claspingherhandsindistress。
\"Pleasedon\'t,dearMissWilson。Iamsosorry。Ibegyourpardon。\"
\"SinceyouwillnotdowhatIask,Imustgomyself,\"saidMissWilsonsternly。\"Comewithmetomystudy,\"sheaddedtothetwoothergirls。\"Ifyouattempttofollow,MissWylie,Ishallregarditasanintrusion。\"
\"ButIwillgoawayifyouwishit。Ididn\'tmeantodiso——\"
\"Ishallnottroubleyounow。Come,girls。\"
Thethreewentout;andMissWylie,leftbehindindisgrace,madeasurpassinggrimaceatMissLindsay,whoglancedbackather。
Whenshewasalone,hervivacitysubsided。Shewentslowlytothewindow,andgazeddisparaginglyatthelandscape。Once,whenasoundofvoicesabovereachedher,hereyesbrightened,andherreadylipmoved;butthenextsilentmomentsherelapsedintomoodyindifference,whichwasnotrelieveduntilhertwocompanions,lookingveryserious,re—entered。
\"Well,\"shesaidgaily,\"hasmoralforcebeenapplied？AreyougoingtotheRecordingAngel？\"
\"Hush,Agatha,\"saidMissCarpenter。\"Yououghttobeashamedofyourself。\"
\"No,butyouought,yougoose。Anicerowyouhavegotmeinto！\"
\"Itwasyourownfault。Youtoremydress。\"
\"Yes,whenyouwereblurtingoutthatIsometimesslidedownthebanisters。\"
\"Oh！\"saidMissCarpenterslowly,asifthisreasonhadnotoccurredtoherbefore。\"Wasthatwhyyoupulledme？\"
\"Dearme！Ithasactuallydawneduponyou。Youareamostawfullysillygirl,Jane。WhatdidtheLadyAbbesssay？\"
MissCarpenteragaingavehertearsway,andcouldnotreply。
\"Sheisdisgustedwithus,andnowonder,\"saidMissLindsay。
\"Shesaiditwasallyourfault,\"sobbedMissCarpenter。
\"Well,nevermind,dear,\"saidAgathasoothingly。\"PutitintheRecordingAngel。\"
\"Iwon\'twriteawordintheRecordingAngelunlessyoudosofirst,\"saidMissLindsayangrily。\"Youaremoreinfaultthanweare。\"
\"Certainly,mydear,\"repliedAgatha。\"Awholepage,ifyouwish。\"
\"Ib—believeyouLIKEwritingintheRecordingAngel,\"saidMissCarpenterspitefully。
\"Yes,Jane。Itisthebestfuntheplaceaffords。\"
\"Itmaybefuntoyou,\"saidMissLindsaysharply;\"butitisnotverycreditabletome,asMissWilsonsaidjustnow,totakeaprizeinmoralscienceandthenhavetowritedownthatIdon\'tknowhowtobehavemyself。Besides,IdonotliketobetoldthatIamill—bred！\"
Agathalaughed。\"Whatadeepoldthingsheis！Sheknowsallourweaknesses,andstabsatusthroughthem。Catchhertellingme,orJanethere,thatweareill—bred！\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandyou,\"saidMissLindsay,haughtily。
\"Ofcoursenot。That\'sbecauseyoudon\'tknowasmuchmoralscienceasI,thoughInevertookaprizeinit。\"
\"Younevertookaprizeinanything,\"saidMissCarpenter。
\"AndIhopeInevershall,\"saidAgatha。\"Iwouldassoonscrambleforhotpenniesinthesnow,likethestreetboys,asscrambletoseewhocananswermostquestions。Dr。Wattsisenoughmoralscienceforme。NowfortheRecordingAngel。\"
Shewenttoashelfandtookdownaheavyquarto,boundinblackleather,andinscribed,inredletters,MYFAULTS。Thisshethrewirreverentlyonadesk,andtosseditspagesoveruntilshecametooneonlypartlycoveredwithmanuscriptconfessions。
\"Forawonder,\"shesaid,\"herearetwoentriesthatarenotmine。SarahGerram！Whathasshebeenconfessing？\"
\"Don\'treadit,\"saidMissLindsayquickly。\"Youknowthatitisthemostdishonorablethinganyofuscando。\"
\"Poch！Ourlittlesinsarenotworthmakingsuchafussabout。I
alwaysliketohavemyentriesread:itmakesmefeellikeanauthor;andsoinChristiandutyIalwaysreadotherpeople\'s。
ListentopoorSarah\'staleofguilt。\'1stOctober。IamverysorrythatIslappedMissChambersinthelavatorythismorning,andknockedoutoneofherteeth。Thiswasverywicked;butitwascomingoutbyitself;andshehasforgivenmebecauseanewonewillcomeinitsplace;andshewasonlypretendingwhenshesaidsheswallowedit。SarahGerram。\"\'
\"Littlefool！\"saidMissLindsay。\"Theideaofourhavingtorecordinthesamebookwithbratslikethat！\"
\"Hereisatouchingrevelation。\'4thOctober。HelenPlantagenetisdeeplygrievedtohavetoconfessthatItookthefirstplaceinalgebrayesterdayunfairly。MissLindsaypromptedme;\'and——\"
\"Oh！\"exclaimedMissLindsay,reddening。\"Thatishowshethanksmeforpromptingher,isit？HowdaresheconfessmyfaultsintheRecordingAngel？\"
\"Servesyourightforpromptingher,\"saidMissCarpenter。\"Shewasalwaysadouble—facedcat;andyououghttohaveknownbetter。\"
\"Oh,IassureyouitwasnotforhersakethatIdidit,\"repliedMissLindsay。\"ItwastopreventthatJacksongirlfromgettingfirstplace。Idon\'tlikeHelenPlantagenet;butatleastsheisalady。\'
\"Stuff,Gertrude,\"saidAgatha,withatouchofearnestness。\"Onewouldthink,tohearyoutalk,thatyourgrandmotherwasacook。
Don\'tbesuchasnob。\"
\"MissWylie,\"saidGertrude,becomingscarlet:\"youarevery——oh！
oh！StopAg——oh！IwilltellMiss——oh！\"Agathahadinsertedasteelyfingerbetweenherribs,andwasticklingherunendurably。
\"Sh—sh—sh,\"whisperedMissCarpenteranxiously。\"Thedoorisopen。\"
\"AmIMissWylie？\"demandedAgatha,relentlesslycontinuingthetorture。\"AmIvery——whateveryouweregoingtosay？AmI？amI？
amI？\"
\"No,no,\"gaspedGertrude,shrinkingintoachair,almostinhysterics。\"Youareveryunkind,Agatha。Youhavehurtme。\"
\"Youdeserveit。Ifyouevergetsulkywithmeagain,orcallmeMissWylie,Iwillkillyou。Iwillticklethesolesofyourfeetwithafeather,\"（MissLindsayshuddered,andhidherfeetbeneaththechair）\"untilyourhairturnswhite。Andnow,ifyouaretrulyrepentant,comeandrecord。\"
\"Youmustrecordfirst。Itwasallyourfault。\"
\"ButIamtheyoungest,\"saidAgatha。
\"Well,then,\"saidGertrude,afraidtopressthepoint,butdeterminednottorecordfirst,\"letJaneCarpenterbegin。Sheistheeldest。\"
\"Oh,ofcourse,\"saidJane,withwhimperingirony。\"LetJanedoallthenastythingsfirst。Ithinkit\'sveryhard。YoufancythatJaneisafool;butsheisn\'t。\"
\"Youarecertainlynotsuchafoolasyoulook,Jane,\"saidAgathagravely。\"ButIwillrecordfirst,ifyoulike。\"
\"No,youshan\'t,\"criedJane,snatchingthepenfromher。\"Iarmtheeldest;andIwon\'tbeputoutofmyplace。\"
Shedippedthepenintheinkresolutely,andpreparedtowrite。
Thenshepaused;considered;lookedbewildered;andatlastappealedpiteouslytoAgatha。
\"WhatshallIwrite？\"shesaid。\"Youknowhowtowritethingsdown;andIdon\'t。\"
\"Firstputthedate,\"saidAgatha。
\"Tobesure,\"saidJane,writingitquickly。\"Iforgotthat。
Well？\"
\"Nowwrite,\'IamverysorrythatMissWilsonsawmewhenIsliddownthebanistersthisevening。JaneCarpenter。\'\"
\"Isthatall？\"
\"That\'sall:unlessyouwishtoaddsomethingofyourowncomposition。\"
\"Ihopeit\'sallright,\"saidJane,lookingsuspiciouslyatAgatha。\"However,therecan\'tbeanyharminit;forit\'sthesimpletruth。Anyhow,ifyouareplayingoneofyourjokesonme,youareanastymeanthing,andIdon\'tcare。Now,Gertrude,it\'syourturn。Pleaselookatmine,andseewhetherthespellingisright。\"
\"Itisnotmybusinesstoteachyoutospell,\"saidGertrude,takingthepen。And,whileJanewasmurmuringatherchurlishness,shewroteinaboldhand:
\"Ihavebrokentherulesbyslidingdownthebanistersto—daywithMissCarpenterandMissWylie。MissWyliewentfirst。\"
\"Youwretch！\"exclaimedAgatha,readingoverhershoulder。\"Andyourfatherisanadmiral！\"
\"Ithinkitisonlyfair,\"saidMissLindsay,quailing,butassumingthetoneofamoralist。\"Itisperfectlytrue。\"
\"Allmymoneywasmadeintrade,\"saidAgatha;\"butIshouldbeashamedtosavemyselfbyshiftingblametoyouraristocraticshoulders。Youpitifulthing！Here:givemethepen。\"
\"Iwillstrikeitoutifyouwish;butIthink\"
\"No:itshallstaytheretowitnessagainstyou。HowseehowI
confessmyfaults。\"Andshewrote,inafine,rapidhand:
\"ThiseveningGertrudeLindsayandJaneCarpentermetmeatthetopofthestairs,andsaidtheywantedtoslidedownthebanistersandwoulddoitifIwentfirst。Itoldthemthatitwasagainsttherules,buttheysaidthatdidnotmatter;andastheyareolderthanIam,Iallowedmyselftobepersuaded,anddid。\"
\"Whatdoyouthinkofthat？\"saidAgatha,displayingthepage。
Theyreadit,andprotestedclamorously。
\"Itisperfectlytrue,\"saidAgatha,solemnly。
\"It\'sbeastlymean,\"saidJaneenergetically。\"TheideaofyourfindingfaultwithGertrude,andthengoingandbeingtwiceasbadyourself！Ineverheardofsuchathinginmylife。\"
\"\'Thusbadbegins;butworseremainsbehind,\'astheStandardElocutionistsays,\"saidAgatha,addinganothersentencetoherconfession。
\"Butitwasallmyfault。AlsoIwasrudetoMissWilson,andrefusedtoleavetheroomwhenshebademe。Iwasnotwilfullywrongexceptinslidingdownthebanisters。IamsofondofaslidethatIcouldnotresistthetemptation。\"
\"Bewarnedbyme,Agatha,\"saidJaneimpressively。\"Ifyouwritecheekythingsinthatbook,youwillbeexpelled。\"
\"Indeed！\"repliedAgathasignificantly。\"WaituntilMissWilsonseeswhatyouhavewritten。\"
\"Gertrude,\"criedJane,withsuddenmisgiving,\"hasshemademewriteanythingimproper？Agatha,dotellmeif——\"
Hereagongsounded;andthethreegirlssimultaneouslyexclaimed\"Grub！\"andrushedfromtheroom。
CHAPTERII
Onesunnyafternoon,ahansomdroveatgreatspeedalongBelsizeAvenue,St。John\'sWood,andstoppedbeforealargemansion。A
youngladysprangout;ranupthesteps,andrangthebellimpatiently。Shewasoftheolivecomplexion,withasharpprofile:darkeyeswithlonglashes;narrowmouthwithdelicatelysensuouslips;smallhead,feet,andhands,withlongtaperfingers;litheandveryslenderfiguremovingwithserpent—likegrace。Orientaltastewasdisplayedinthecolorsofhercostume,whichconsistedofawhitedress,close—fitting,andprintedwithanelaboratechinabluepattern;ayellowstrawhatcoveredwithartificialhawthornandscarletberries;andtan—coloredglovesreachingbeyondtheelbow,anddecoratedwithaprofusionofgoldbangles。
Thedoornotbeingopenedimmediately,sherangagain,violently,andwaspresentlyadmittedbyamaid,whoseemedsurprisedtoseeher。Withoutmakinganyinquiry,shedartedupstairsintoadrawing—room,whereamatronofgoodpresence,withfeaturesofthefinestJewishtype,satreading。Withherwasahandsomeboyinblackvelvet,whosaid:
\"Mamma,here\'sHenrietta！\"
\"Arthur,\"saidtheyoungladyexcitedly,\"leavetheroomthisinstant;anddon\'tdaretocomebackuntilyougetleave。\"
Theboy\'scountenancefell,andhesulkilywentoutwithoutaword。
\"Isanythingwrong？\"saidthematron,puttingawayherbookwiththeunconcernedresignationofanexperiencedpersonwhoforeseesastorminateacup。\"WhereisSidney？\"
\"Gone！Gone！Desertedme！I——\"Theyounglady\'sutterancefailed,andshethrewherselfuponanottoman,sobbingwithpassionatespite。
\"Nonsense！IthoughtSidneyhadmoresense。There,Henrietta,don\'tbesilly。Isupposeyouhavequarrelled。\"
\"No！No！！No！！！\"criedHenrietta,stampingonthecarpet。\"Wehadnotaword。Ihavenotlostmytempersinceweweremarried,mamma;IsolemnlyswearIhavenot。Iwillkillmyself;thereisnootherway。There\'sacurseonme。Iammarkedouttobemiserable。He——\"
\"Tut,tut！Whathashappened,Henrietta？Asyouhavebeenmarriednownearlysixweeks,youcanhardlybesurprisedatalittletiffarising。Youaresoexcitable！Youcannotexpecttheskytobealwayscloudless。Mostlikelyyouaretoblame;forSidneyisfarmorereasonablethanyou。Stopcrying,andbehavelikeawomanofsense,andIwillgotoSidneyandmakeeverythingright。\"
\"Buthe\'sgone,andIcan\'tfindoutwhere。Oh,whatshallIdo？\"
\"Whathashappened？\"
Henriettawrithedwithimpatience。Then,forcingherselftotellherstory,sheanswered:
\"WearrangedonMondaythatIshouldspendtwodayswithAuntJudithinsteadofgoingwithhimtoBirminghamtothathorridTradeCongress。Wepartedonthebestofterms。Hecouldn\'thavebeenmoreaffectionate。Iwillkillmyself;Idon\'tcareaboutanythingoranybody。AndwhenIcamebackonWednesdayhewasgone,andtherewasthisletter。\"Sheproducedaletter,andweptmorebitterlythanbefore。
\"Letmeseeit。\"
Henriettahesitated,buthermothertooktheletterfromher,satdownnearthewindow,andcomposedherselftoreadwithouttheleastregardtoherdaughter\'svehementdistress。Theletterranthus:
\"Mondaynight。
\"MyDearest:Iamoff——surfeitedwithendearment——tolivemyownlifeanddomyownwork。Icouldonlyhavepreparedyouforthisbycoldnessorneglect,whicharewhollyimpossibletomewhenthespellofyourpresenceisuponme。IfindthatImustflyifIamtosavemyself。
\"IamafraidthatIcannotgiveyousatisfactoryandintelligiblereasonsforthisstep。Youareabeautifulandluxuriouscreature:lifeistoyoufullandcompleteonlywhenitisacarnivaloflove。Mycaseisjustthereverse。BeforethreesoftspeecheshaveescapedmeIrebukemyselfforfollyandinsincerity。Beforeacaresshashadtimetocool,astrenuousrevulsionseizesme:Ilongtoreturntomyoldlonelyascetichermitlife;tomydrybooks;mySocialistpropagandism;myvoyageofdiscoverythroughthewildernessofthought。ImarriedinaninsanefitofbeliefthatIhadashareofthenaturalaffectionwhichcarriesothermenthroughlifetimesofmatrimony。
AlreadyIamundeceived。Youaretometheloveliestwomanintheworld。Well,forfiveweeksIhavewalkedandtalliedanddalliedwiththeloveliestwomanintheworld,andtheupshotisthatI
amflyingfromher,andamforahermit\'scaveuntilIdie。Lovecannotkeeppossessionofme:allmystrongestpowersriseupagainstitandwillnotendureit。Forgivemeforwritingnonsensethatyouwon\'tunderstand,anddonotthinktoohardlyofme。Ihavebeenasgoodtoyouasmyselfishnatureallowed。
DonotseektodisturbmeintheobscuritywhichIdesireanddeserve。Mysolicitorwillcallonyourfathertoarrangebusinessmatters,andyoushallbeashappyaswealthandlibertycanmakeyou。Weshallmeetagain——someday。
\"Adieu,mylastlove,\"SidneyTrefusis。\"
\"Well？\"criedMrs。Trefusis,observingthroughhertearsthathermotherhadreadtheletterandwascontemplatingitinadaze。
\"Well,certainly！\"saidMrs。Jansenius,withemphasis。\"Doyouthinkheisquitesane,Henrietta？Orhaveyoubeenplaguinghimfortoomuchattention？Menarenotwillingtogiveuptheirwholeexistencetotheirwives,evenduringthehoneymoon。\"
\"Hepretendedthathewasneverhappyoutofmypresence,\"sobbedHenrietta。\"Thereneverwasanythingsocruel。Ioftenwantedtobebymyselfforachange,butIwasafraidtohurthisfeelingsbysayingso。Andnowhehasnofeelings。Buthemustcomebacktome。Mustn\'the,mamma？\"
\"Heoughtto。Isupposehehasnotgoneawaywithanyone？\"
Henriettasprangup,hercheeksvividscarlet。\"IfIthoughtthatIwouldpursuehimtotheendoftheearth,andmurderher。Butno;heisnotlikeanybodyelse。Hehatesme！Everybodyhatesme！
Youdon\'tcarewhetherIamdesertedornot,norpapa,noranyoneinthishouse。\"
Mrs。Jansenius,stillindifferenttoherdaughter\'sagitation,consideredamoment,andthensaidplacidly:
\"Youcandonothinguntilwehearfromthesolicitor。Inthemeantimeyoumaystaywithus,ifyouwish。Ididnotexpectavisitfromyousosoon;butyourroomhasnotbeenusedsinceyouwentaway。\"
Mrs。Trefusisceasedcrying,chilledbythisfirstintimationthatherfather\'shousewasnolongerherhome。Amorerealsenseofdesolationcameuponher。Underitscoldinfluenceshebegantocollectherself,andtofeelherpriderisinglikeabarrierbetweenherandhermother。
\"Iwon\'tstaylong,\"shesaid。\"Ifhissolicitorwillnottellmewhereheis,IwillhuntthroughEnglandforhim。Iamsorrytotroubleyou。\"
\"Oh,youwillbenogreatertroublethanyouhavealwaysbeen,\"
saidMrs。Janseniuscalmly,notdispleasedtoseethatherdaughterhadtakenthehint。\"Youhadbettergoandwashyourface。Peoplemaycall,andIpresumeyoudon\'twishtoreceivetheminthatplight。IfyoumeetArthuronthestairs,pleasetellhimhemaycomein。\"
Henriettascrewedherlipsintoacuriouspoutandwithdrew。
Arthurthencameinandstoodatthewindowinsullensilence,broodingoverhisrecentexpulsion。Suddenlyheexclaimed:
\"Here\'spapa,andit\'snotfiveo\'clockyet！\"whereuponhismothersenthimawayagain。
Mr。Janseniuswasamanofimposingpresence,notyetinhisfiftiethyear,butnotfarfromit。Hemovedwithdignity,bearinghimselfasifthecontentsofhismassivebrowwereprecious。HishandsomeaquilinenoseandkeendarkeyesproclaimedhisJewishorigin,ofwhichhewasashamed。Thosewhodidnotknowthisnaturallybelievedthathewasproudofit,andwereatalosstoaccountforhispermittinghischildrentobeeducatedasChristians。Wellinstructedinbusiness,andsubjecttonoemotionoutsidetheloveoffamily,respectability,comfort,andmoney,hehadmaintainedthecapitalinheritedfromhisfather,andmadeitbreednewcapitalintheusualway。Hewasabanker,andhisobjectassuchwastointerceptandappropriatetheimmensesavingwhichthebankingsystemeffects,andso,asfaraspossible,toleavetherestoftheworldworkingjustashardasbeforebankingwasintroduced。Butastheworldwouldnotonthesetermshavebankedatall,hehadtogivethemsomeofthesavingasaninducement。Sotheyprofitedbythesavingaswellashe,andhehadthesatisfactionofbeingatonceawealthycitizenandapublicbenefactor,richincomfortsandeasyinconscience。
Heenteredtheroomquickly,andhiswifesawthatsomethinghadvexedhim。
\"Doyouknowwhathashappened,Ruth？\"hesaid。
\"Yes。Sheisupstairs。\"
Mr。Janseniusstared。\"Doyoumeantosaythatshehasleftalready？\"hesaid。\"Whatbusinesshasshetocomehere？\"
\"Itisnaturalenough。Whereelseshouldshehavegone？\"
Mr。Jansenius,whomistrustedhisownjudgmentwhenitdifferedfromthatofhiswife,repliedslowly,\"Whydidshenotgotohermother？\"
Mrs。Jansenius,puzzledinherturn,lookedathimwithcoolwonder,andremarked,\"Iamhermother,amInot？\"
\"Iwasnotawareofit。Iamsurprisedtohearit,Ruth。Haveyouhadalettertoo\"Ihaveseentheletter。ButwhatdoyoumeanbytellingmethatyoudonotknowIamHenrietta\'smother？Areyoutryingtobefunny？\"
\"Henrietta！Isshehere？Isthissomefreshtrouble？\"
\"Idon\'tknow。Whatareyoutalkingabout？\"
\"IamtalkingaboutAgathaWylie。\"
\"Oh！IwastalkingaboutHenrietta。\"
\"Well,whataboutHenrietta？\"
\"WhataboutAgathaWylie？\"
AtthisMr。Janseniusbecameexasperated,andhedeemeditbesttorelatewhatHenriettahadtoldher。WhenshegavehimTrefusis\'sletter,hesaid,morecalmly:\"Misfortunesnevercomesingly。Readthat,\"andhandedheranotherletter,sothattheybothbeganreadingatthesametime。
Mrs。Janseniusreadasfollows:
\"AltonCollege,Lyvern。
\"ToMrs。Wylie,AcaciaLodge,Chiswick。
\"DearMadam:IwritewithgreatregrettorequestthatyouwillatoncewithdrawMissWyliefromAltonCollege。Inanestablishmentlikethis,whererestraintuponthelibertyofthestudentsisreducedtoaminimum,itisnecessarythatthesmalldegreeofsubordinationwhichisabsolutelyindispensablebeacquiescedinbyallwithoutcomplaintordelay。MissWyliehasfailedtocomplywiththiscondition。Shehasdeclaredherwishtoleave,andhasassumedanattitudetowardsmyselfandmycolleagueswhichwecannot,consistentlywithourdutytoourselvesandherfellowstudents,passover。IfMissWyliehasanycausetocomplainofhertreatmenthere,orofthestepwhichshehascompelledustotake,shewilldoubtlessmakeitknowntoyou。
\"PerhapsyouwillbesogoodastocommunicatewithMissWylie\'sguardian,Mr。Jansenius,withwhomIshallbehappytomakeanequitablearrangementrespectingthefeeswhichhavebeenpaidinadvanceforthecurrentterm。
\"Iam,dearmadam,\"Yoursfaithfully,\"MariaWilson。\"
\"Aniceyounglady,that！\"saidMrs。Jansenius。