\"ButIdon\'tknowyou。Iwonderatyour——\"shehesitatedatthewordwhichoccurredtoher,but,beingunabletothinkofabetterone,usedit——\"atyourcheek。\"
Helaughed,andshewatchedhimtakeacoupleofturnswiththeroller。Presently,refreshinghimselfbyalookather,hecaughtherlookingathim,andsmiled。Hissmilewascommonplaceincomparisonwiththeoneshegavehiminreturn,inwhichhereyes,herteeth,andthegoldengraininhercomplexionseemedtoflashsimultaneously。Hestoppedrollingimmediately,andrestedhischinonthehandleoftheroller。
\"Ifyouneglectyourwork,\"saidshemaliciously,youwon\'thavethegrassreadywhenthepeoplecome。\"
\"Whatpeople？\"hesaid,takenaback。
\"Oh,lotsofpeople。Mostlikelysomewhoknowyou。TherearevisitorscomingfromLondon:myguardian,myguardianess,theirdaughter,mymother,andaboutahundredmore。\"
\"Fourinall。Whataretheycomingfor？Toseeyou？\"
\"Totakemeaway,\"shereplied,watchingforsignsofdisappointmentonhispart。
Theywereatonceforthcoming。\"Whatthedeucearetheygoingtotakeyouawayfor？\"hesaid。\"Isyoureducationfinished？\"
\"No。Ihavebehavedbadly,andIamgoingtobeexpelled。\"
Helaughedagain。\"Come！\"hesaid,\"youarebeginningtoinventintheSmilashmanner。Whathaveyoudone？\"
\"Idon\'tseewhyIshouldtellyou。Whathaveyoudone？\"
\"I！Oh,Ihavedonenothing。Iamonlyanunromanticgentleman,hidingfromaromanticladywhoisinlovewithme。\"
\"Poorthing,\"saidAgathasarcastically。\"Ofcourse,shehasproposedtoyou,andyouhaverefused。\"
\"Onthecontrary,Iproposed,andsheaccepted。ThatiswhyI
havetohide。\"
\"Youtellstoriescharmingly,\"saidAgatha。\"Good—bye。HereisMissCarpentercomingtohearwhatwearetakingabout。\"
\"Good—bye。Thatstoryofyourbeingexpelledbeats——Mightacommonmanmakesoboldastoinquirewherethewhiteningmachineis,Miss？\"
ThiswasaddressedtoJane,whohadcomeupwithsomeoftheothers。AgathaexpectedtoseeSmilashpresentlydiscovered,forhisdisguisenowseemedtransparent;shewonderedhowtherestcouldbeimposedonbyit。Twoo\'clock,strikingjustthen,remindedheroftheimpendinginterviewwithherguardian。A
tremorshookher,andshefeltacravingforsomesolitaryhiding—placeinwhichtoawaitthesummons。Butitwasapointofhonorwithhertoappearperfectlyindifferenttohertrouble,soshestayedwiththegirls,laughingandchattingastheywatchedSmilashintentlymarkingoutthecourtsandsettingupthenets。
Shemadetheotherslaughtoo,forherhiddenexcitement,sharpenedbyirrepressibleshootingsofdread,stimulatedher,andtheromanceofSmilash\'sdisguisegaveherasensationofdreaming。Herimaginationwasalreadybusyuponadrama,ofwhichshewastheheroineandSmilashthehero,though,withtherealmanbeforeher,shecouldnotindulgeherselfbyattributingtohimquiteasmuchgloomygrandeurofcharacterastoawhollyidealpersonage。Theplotwassimple,andanoldfavoritewithher。Oneofthemwastolovetheotherandtodiebroken—heartedbecausethelovedonewouldnotrequitethepassion。ForAgatha,prompttoridiculesentimentalityinhercompanions,andgiftedwithaninfectiousspiritoffarce,secretlyturnedforimaginativeluxurytovisionsofdespairanddeath;andoftenenduredthemortificationofthesuccessfulclownwhobelieves,whilstthepublicroarwithlaughterathim,thathewasbornatragedian。Therewasmuchinhernature,shefelt,thatdidnotfindexpressioninherpopularrepresentationofthesoldierinthechimney。
Bythreeo\'clockthelocalvisitorshadarrived,andtenniswasproceedinginfourcourts,rolledandpreparedbySmilash。Thetwocurateswerethere,withafewlaygentlemen。Mrs。Miller,thevicar,andsomemothersandotherchaperonslookedonandconsumedlightrefreshments,whichwerebroughtoutupontraysbySmilash,whohadborrowedandputonalargewhiteapron,andwasmakinghimselfofficiouslybusy。
AtaquarterpastthehouramessagecamefromMissWilson,requestingMissWylie\'sattendance。Thevisitorswereatalosstoaccountforthesuddendistractionoftheyoungladies\'
attentionwhichensued。Janealmostburstintotears,andansweredJosephsrudelywhenheinnocentlyaskedwhatthematterwas。Agathawentawayapparentlyunconcerned,thoughherhandshookassheputasideherracket。
Inaspaciousdrawing—roomatthenorthsideofthecollegeshefoundhermother,aslightwomaninwidow\'sweeds,withfadedbrownhair,andtearfuleyes。WithherwereMrs。Janseniusandherdaughter。ThetwoelderladieskeptseverelysilentwhilstAgathakissedthem,andMrs。Wyliesniffed。HenriettaembracedAgathaeffusively。
\"Where\'sUncleJohn？\"saidAgatha。\"Hasn\'thecome？\"
\"HeisinthenextroomwithMissWilson,\"saidMrs。Janseniuscoldly。\"Theywantyouinthere。\"
\"Ithoughtsomebodywasdead,\"saidAgatha,\"youalllooksofunereal。Now,mamma,putyourhandkerchiefbackagain。IfyoucryIwillgiveMissWilsonapieceofmymindforworryingyou。\"
\"No,no,\"saidMrs。Wylie,alarmed。\"Shehasbeensonice！\"
\"Sogood！\"saidHenrietta。
\"Shehasbeenperfectlyreasonableandkind,\"saidMrs。
Jansenius。
\"Shealwaysis,\"saidAgathacomplacently。\"Youdidn\'texpecttofindherinhysterics,didyou？\"
\"Agatha,\"pleadedMrs。Wylie,\"don\'tbeheadstrongandfoolish。\"
\"Oh,shewon\'t;Iknowshewon\'t,\"saidHenriettacoaxingly。
\"Willyou,dearAgatha？\"
\"Youmaydoasyoulike,asfarasIamconcerned,\"saidMrs。
Jansenius。\"ButIhopeyouhavemoresensethantothrowawayyoureducationfornothing。\"
\"Yourauntisquiteright,\"saidMrs。Wylie。\"AndyourUncleJohnisveryangrywithyou。HewillneverspeaktoyouagainifyouquarrelwithMissWilson。\"
\"Heisnotangry,\"saidHenrietta,\"butheissoanxiousthatyoushouldgetonwell。\"
\"Hewillnaturallybedisappointedifyoupersistinmakingafoolofyourself,\"saidMrs。Jansenius。
\"AllMissWilsonwantsisanapologyforthedreadfulthingsyouwroteinherbook,\"saidMrs。Wylie。\"You\'llapologize,dear,won\'tyou？\"
\"Ofcourseshewill,\"saidHenrietta。
\"Ithinkyouhadbetter,\"saidMrs。Jansenius。
\"PerhapsIwill,\"saidAgatha。
\"That\'smyowndarling,\"saidMrs。Wylie,catchingherhand。
\"Andperhaps,again,Iwon\'t。\"
\"Youwill,dear,\"urgedMrs。Wylie,tryingtodrawAgatha,whopassivelyresisted,closertoher。\"Formysake。Toobligeyourmother,Agatha。Youwon\'trefuseme,dearest？\"
Agathalaughedindulgentlyatherparent,whohadlongagowornoutthisformofappeal。ThensheturnedtoHenrietta,andsaid,\"Howisyourcarosposo？IthinkitwashardthatIwasnotabridesmaid。\"
TheredinHenrietta\'scheeksbrightened。Mrs。JanseniushastenedtointerposeadryreminderthatMissWilsonwaswaiting。
\"Oh,shedoesnotmindwaiting,\"saidAgatha,\"becauseshethinksyouareallatworkgettingmeintoaproperframeofmind。Thatwasthearrangementshemadewithyoubeforeshelefttheroom。
MammaknowsthatIhavealittlebirdthattellsmethesethings。
Imustsaythatyouhavenotmademefeelanygoody—goodiersofar。However,aspoorUncleJohnmustbedreadfullyfrightenedanduncomfortable,itisonlykindtoputanendtohissuspense。
Good—bye！\"Andshewentoutleisurely。Butshelookedinagaintosayinalowvoice:\"Prepareforsomethingthrilling。Ifeeljustinthehumortosaythemostawfulthings。\"Shevanished,andimmediatelytheyheardhertappingatthedoorofthenextroom。
Mr。Janseniuswasindeedawaitingherwithmisgiving。Havingdiscoveredearlyinhiscareerthathisdignifiedpersonandfinevoicecausedpeopletostandinsomeaweofhim,andtomovehimintothechairatpublicmeetings,hehadgrownsoaccustomedtodeferencethatanyapproachtofamiliarityorirreverencedisconcertedhimexceedingly。Agatha,ontheotherhand,havingfromherchildhoodheardUncleJohnquotedaswisdomandauthorityincarnate,hadbeguninhertenderyearstoscoffathimasapompousandpurseproudcitymerchant,whosesordidmindwasunabletocopewithhertranscendentalaffairs。Shehadhabituallyterrifiedhermotherbyridiculinghimwithanabsolutecontemptofwhichonlychildhoodandextremeignorancearecapable。Shehadfelthumiliatedbyhiskindnesstoher（hewasagenerousgiverofpresents）,and,withtheinstinctofananarchist,hadtakendisparagementofhisadviceanddefianceofhisauthorityasthesignswherefromshemightinfersurelythatherfacewasturnedtothelight。Theresultwasthathewasalittletiredofherwithoutbeingquiteconsciousofit;andshenotatallafraidofhim,andalittletooconsciousofit。
Whensheenteredwithherbrightestsmileinfullplay,MissWilsonandMr。Jansenius,seatedatthetable,lookedsomewhatliketwoculpritsabouttobeindicted。MissWilsonwaitedforhimtospeak,deferringtohisimposingpresence。Buthewasnotready,sosheinvitedAgathatositdown。
\"Thankyou,\"saidAgathasweetly。\"Well,UncleJohn,don\'tyouknowme？\"
\"IhaveheardwithregretfromMissWilsonthatyouhavebeenverytroublesomehere,\"hesaid,ignoringherremark,thoughsecretlyputoutbyit。
\"Yes,\"saidAgathacontritely。\"Iamsoverysorry。\"
Mr。Jansenius,whohadbeenledbyMissWilsontoexpecttheutmostcontumacy,lookedtoherinsurprise。
\"Youseemtothink,\"saidMissWilson,consciousofMr。
Jansenius\'smovement,andannoyedbyit,\"thatyoumaytransgressoverandoveragain,andthensetyourselfrightwithus,\"（MissWilsonneverspokeofoffencesasagainstherindividualauthority,butasagainsttheschoolcommunity）\"bysayingthatyouaresorry。Youspokeinaverydifferenttoneatourlastmeeting。\"
\"Iwasangrythen,MissWilson。AndIthoughtIhadagrievance——everybodythinkstheyhavethesameone。Besides,wewerequarrelling——atleastIwas;andIalwaysbehavebadlywhenIquarrel。Iamsoverysorry。\"
\"Thebookwasaseriousmatter,\"saidMissWilsongravely。\"Youdonotseemtothinkso。\"
\"IunderstandAgathatosaythatsheisnowsensibleofthefollyofherconductwithregardtothebook,andthatsheissorryforit,\"saidMr。Jansenius,instinctivelyincliningtoAgatha\'spartyasthestrongeroneandtheleastdependentonhiminapecuniarysense。Haveyouseenthebook？\"saidAgathaeagerly。
\"No。MissWilsonhasdescribedwhathasoccurred。\"
\"Oh,doletmegetit,\"shecried,rising。\"ItwillmakeUncleJohnscreamwithlaughing。MayI,MissWilson？\"
\"There！\"saidMissWilson,indignantly。\"ItisthisincorrigibleflippancyofwhichIhavetocomplain。MissWylieonlyvariesitbydownrightinsubordination。\"
Mr。Janseniustoowasscandalized。Hisfinecolormountedattheideaofhisscreaming。\"Tut,tut！\"hesaid,\"youmustbeserious,andmorerespectfultoMissWilson。Youareoldenoughtoknowbetternow,Agatha——quiteoldenough。\"
Agatha\'smirthvanished。\"WhathaveIsaidWhathaveIdone？\"
sheasked,afaintpurplespotappearinginhercheeks。
\"Youhavespokentriflinglyof——ofthevolumebywhichMissWilsonsetsgreatstore,andproperlyso。\"
\"Ifproperlyso,thenwhydoyoufindfaultwithme？\"
\"Come,come,\"roaredMr。Jansenius,deliberatelylosinghistemperasalastexpedienttosubdueher,\"don\'tbeimpertinent,Miss。\"
Agatha\'seyesdilated;evanescentflushesplayeduponhercheeksandneck;shestampedwithherheel。\"UncleJohn,\"shecried,\"ifyoudaretoaddressmelikethat,Iwillneverlookatyou,neverspeaktoyou,noreverenteryourhouseagain。Whatdoyouknowaboutgoodmanners,thatyoushouldcallmeimpertinent？Iwillnotsubmittointentionalrudeness;thatwasthebeginningofmyquarrelwithMissWilson。ShetoldmeIwasimpertinent,andI
wentawayandtoldherthatshewaswrongbywritingitinthefaultbook。Shehasbeenwrongallthrough,andIwouldhavesaidsobeforebutthatIwantedtobereconciledtoherandtoletbygonesbebygones。Butifsheinsistsonquarrelling,Icannothelpit。\"
\"Ihavealreadyexplainedtoyou,Mr。Jansenius,\"saidMissWilson,concentratingherresentmentbyanefforttosuppressit,\"thatMissWyliehasignoredalltheopportunitiesthathavebeenmadeforhertoreinstateherselfhere。Mrs。MillerandIhavewaivedmerelypersonalconsiderations,andIhaveonlyrequiredasimpleacknowledgmentofthisoffenceagainstthecollegeanditsrules。\"
\"IdonotcarethatforMrs。Miller,\"saidAgatha,snappingherfingers。\"AndyouarenothalfsogoodasIthought。\"
\"Agatha,\"saidMr。Jansenius,\"Idesireyoutoholdyourtongue。\"
Agathadrewadeepbreath,satdownresignedly,andsaid:\"There！
Ihavedone。Ihavelostmytemper;sonowwehavealllostourtempers。\"
\"Youhavenorighttoloseyourtemper,Miss,\"saidMr。
Jansenius,followingupafanciedadvantage。
\"Iamtheyoungest,andtheleasttoblame,\"shereplied。\"Thereisnothingfurthertobesaid,Mr。Jansenius,\"saidMissWilson,determinedly。\"IamsorrythatMissWyliehaschosentobreakwithus。\"
\"ButIhavenotchosentobreakwithyou,andIthinkitveryhardthatIamtobesentaway。NobodyherehastheleastquarrelwithmeexceptyouandMrs。Miller。Mrs。Millerisannoyedbecauseshemistookmeforhercat,asifthatwasmyfault！Andreally,MissWilson,Idon\'tknowwhyyouaresoangry。AllthegirlswillthinkIhavedonesomethinginfamousifIamexpelled。
Ioughttobeletstayuntiltheendoftheterm;andastotheRec——thefaultbook,youtoldmemostparticularlywhenIfirstcamethatImightwriteinitornotjustasIpleased,andthatyouneverdictatedorinterferedwithwhatwaswritten。AndyettheveryfirsttimeIwriteawordyoudisapproveof,youexpelme。Nobodywilleverbelievenowthattheentriesarevoluntary。\"
MissWilson\'sconscience,alreadysmittenbythecoarsenessandabsenceofmoralforceintheechoofherown\"Youareimpertinent,\"fromthemouthofMr。Jansenius,tookfreshalarm。
\"Thefaultbook,\"shesaid,\"isforthepurposeofrecordingself—reproachalone,andisnotavehicleforaccusationsagainstothers。\"
\"IamquitesurethatneitherJanenorGertrudenorIreproachedourselvesintheleastforgoingdownstairsaswedid,andyetyoudidnotblameusforenteringthat。Besides,thebookrepresentedmoralforce——atleastyoualwayssaidso,andwhenyougaveupmoralforce,Ithoughtanentryshouldbemadeofthat。OfcourseIwasinarageatthetime,hutwhenIcametomyselfIthoughtIhaddoneright,andIthinksostill,thoughitwouldperhapshavebeenbettertohavepasseditover。\"
\"WhydoyousaythatIgaveupmoralforce？\"
\"Tellingpeopletoleavetheroomisnotmoralforce。Callingthemimpertinentisnotmoralforce。\"
\"YouthinkthenthatIamboundtolistenpatientlytowhateveryouchoosetosaytome,howeverunbecomingitmaybefromoneinyourpositiontooneinmine？\"
\"ButIsaidnothingunbecoming,\"saidAgatha。Then,breakingoffrestlessly,andsmilingagain,shesaid:\"Oh,don\'tletusargue。
Iamverysorry,andverytroublesome,andveryfondofyouandofthecollege;andIwon\'tcomebacknexttermunlessyoulike。\"
\"Agatha,\"saidMissWilson,shaken,\"theseexpressionsofregardcostyousolittle,andwhentheyhaveeffectedtheirpurpose,aresosoonforgottenbyyou,thattheyhaveceasedtosatisfyme。Iamveryreluctanttoinsistonyourleavingusatonce。Butasyourunclehastoldyou,youareoldandsensibleenoughtoknowthedifferencebetweenorderanddisorder。Hithertoyouhavebeenonthesideofdisorder,anelementwhichwashardlyknownhereuntilyoucame,asMrs。Trefusiscantellyou。Nevertheless,ifyouwillpromisetobemorecarefulinfuture,Iwillwaiveallpastcauseofcomplaint,andattheendofthetermIshallbeabletojudgeastoyourcontinuingamongus。\"
Agatharose,beaming。\"DearMissWilson,\"shesaid,\"youaresogood！Ipromise,ofcourse。Iwillgoandtellmamma。\"
Beforetheycouldaddawordshehadturnedwithapirouettetothedoor,andfled,presentingherselfamomentlaterinthedrawing—roomtothethreeladies,whomshesurveyedwithawhimsicalsmileinsilence。
\"Well？\"saidMrs。Janseniusperemptorily。
\"Well,dear？\"saidMrs。Trefusis,caressingly。
Mrs。Wyliestifledasobandlookedimploringlyatherdaughter。
\"Ihadnoendoftroubleinbringingthemtoreason,\"saidAgatha,afteraprovokingpause。\"Theybehavedlikechildren,andIwaslikeanangel。Iamtostay,ofcourse。\"
\"Blessingsonyou,mydarling,\"falteredMrs。Wylie,attemptingakiss,whichAgathadexterouslyevaded。
\"Ihavepromisedtobeverygood,andstudious,andquiet,anddecorousinfuture。Doyouremembermycastanetsong,Hetty？
\"\'Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！lalala,la！la！la！Tra！
lalalalalalalalalalala！\'\"
Andshedancedabouttheroom,snappingherfingersinsteadofcastanets。
\"Don\'tbesorecklessandwicked,mylove,\"saidMrs。Wylie。\"Youwillbreakyourpoormother\'sheart。\"
MissWilsonandMr。Janseniusenteredjustthen,andAgathabecamemotionlessandgazedabstractedlyatavaseofflowers。
MissWilsoninvitedhervisitorstojointhetennisplayers。Mr。
JanseniuslookedsternlyanddisappointedlyatAgatha,whoelevatedherlefteyebrowanddepressedherrightsimultaneously;
buthe,shakinghisheadtosignifythathewasnottobeconciliatedbyfacialfeats,howeverdifficultorcontrarytonature,wentoutwithMissWilson,followedbyMrs。JanseniusandMrs。Wylie。
\"HowisyourHubby？\"saidAgathathen,brusquely,toHenrietta。
Mrs。Trefusis\'seyesfilledwithtearssoquicklythat,asshebentherheadtohidethem,theyfell,sprinklingAgatha\'shand。
\"Thisissuchadearoldplace,\"shebegan。\"Theassociationsofmygirlhood——\"
\"WhatisthematterbetweenyouandHubby？\"demandedAgatha,interruptingher。\"Youhadbettertellme,orIwillaskhimwhenImeethim。\"
\"Iwasabouttotellyou,onlyyoudidnotgivemetime。\"
\"Thatisamostawfulcram,\"saidAgatha。\"Butnomatter。Goon。\"
Henriettahesitated。Herdignityasamarriedwoman,andtherealityofhergrief,revoltedagainsttheshallowacutenessoftheschoolgirl。ButshefoundherselfnobetterabletoresistAgatha\'sdomineeringthanshehadbeeninherchildhood,andmuchmoredesirousofobtaininghersympathy。Besides,shehadalreadylearnttotellthestoryherselfratherthanleaveitsnarrationtoothers,whoseaccountsdidnot,shefelt,puthercaseintheproperlight。SoshetoldAgathaofhermarriage,herwildloveforherhusband,hiswildloveforher,andhismysteriousdisappearancewithoutleavingwordorsignbehindhim。Shedidnotmentiontheletter。
\"Haveyouhadhimsearchedfor？\"saidAgatha,repressinganinclinationtolaugh。
\"Butwhere？HadItheremotestclue,Iwouldfollowhimbarefoottotheendoftheworld。\"
\"Ithinkyououghttosearchalltherivers——youwouldhavetodothatbarefoot。Hemusthavefalleninsomewhere,orfallendownsomeplace。\"
\"No,no。DoyouthinkIshouldbehereifIthoughthislifeindanger？Ihavereasons——Iknowthatheisonlygoneaway。\"
\"Oh,indeed！Hetookhisportmanteauwithhim,didhe？PerhapshehasgonetoParistobuyyousomethingniceandgiveyouapleasantsurprise。\"
\"No,\"saidHenriettadejectedly。\"HeknewthatIwantednothing。\"
\"ThenIsupposehegottiredofyouandranaway。\"
Henrietta\'speculiarscarletblushflowedrapidlyoverhercheeksassheflungAgatha\'sarmaway,exclaiming,\"Howdareyousayso！
Youhavenoheart。Headoredme。\"
\"Bosh！\"saidAgatha。\"Peoplealwaysgrowtiredofoneanother。I
growtiredofmyselfwheneverIamleftalonefortenminutes,andIamcertainthatIamfonderofmyselfthananyonecanbeofanotherperson。\"
\"Iknowyouare,\"saidHenrietta,painedandspiteful。\"Youhavealwaysbeenparticularlyfondofyourself。\"
\"Verylikelyheresemblesmeinthatrespect。Inthatcasehewillgrowtiredofhimselfandcomeback,andyouwillbothcooliketurtledovesuntilherunsawayagain。Ugh！Serveyourightforgettingmarried。Iwonderhowpeoplecanbesomadastodoit,withtheexampleoftheirmarriedacquaintancesallwarningthemagainstit。\"
\"Youdon\'tknowwhatitistolove,\"saidHenrietta,plaintively,andyetpatronizingly。\"Besides,wewerenotlikeothercouples。\"
\"Soitseems。Butnevermind,takemywordforit,hewillreturntoyouassoonashehashadenoughofhisowncompany。Don\'tworrythinkingabouthim,butcomeandhaveagameatlawntennis。\"
Duringthisconversationtheyhadleftthedrawing—roomandmadeadetourthroughthegrounds。Theywerenowapproachingthetenniscourtsbyapathwhichwoundbetweentwolaurelhedgesthroughtheshrubbery。Meanwhile,Smilash,waitingontheguestsinhiswhiteapronandgloves（whichhehadpositivelyrefusedtotakeoff,allegingthathewasacommonman,withcommonhandssuchasbornladiesandgentlemencouldnotbeexpectedtotakemeatanddrinkfrom）,hadbehavedhimselfirreproachablyuntilthearrivalofMissWilsonandhervisitors,whichoccurredashewasreturningtothetablewithanemptytray,movingsoswiftlythathenearlycameintocollisionwithMrs。Jansenius。Insteadofapologizing,hechangedcountenance,hastilyheldupthetraylikeashieldbeforehisface,andbegantowalkbackwardfromher,stumblingpresentlyagainstMissLindsay,whowasrunningtoreturnaball。Withoutheedingherangrylookandcurtrebuke,hehalfturned,andsidledawayintotheshrubbery,whencethetraypresentlyroseintotheair,flewacrossthelaurelhedge,anddescendedwithapealofstagethunderonthestoopedshouldersofJosephs。MissWilson,afteraskingthehousekeeperwithsomeasperitywhyshehadallowedthatmantointerfereintheattendance,explainedtothegueststhathewastheidiotofthecountryside。Mr。Janseniuslaughed,andsaidthathehadnotseentheman\'sface,butthathisfigureremindedhimforciblyofsomeone;hecouldnotjustthenrecollectexactlywhom。
Smilash,makingoffthroughtheshrubbery,foundtheendofhispathblockedbyAgathaandayoungladywhoseappearancealarmedhimmorethanhadthatofMrs。Jansenius。Heattemptedtoforcehistraythroughthehedge,butinvain;thelaurelwasimpenetrable,andthenoisehemadeattractedtheattentionoftheapproachingcouple。Hemadenofurtherefforttoescape,butthrewhisborrowedapronoverhisheadandstoodboltuprightwithhisbackagainstthebushes。
\"Whatisthatmandoingthere？\"saidHenrietta,stoppingmistrustfully。
Agathalaughed,andsaidloudly,sothathemighthear:\"ItisonlyaharmlessmadmanthatMissWilsonemploys。Heisfondofdisguisinghimselfinsomesillywayandtryingtofrightenus。
Don\'tbeafraid。Comeon。\"
Henriettahungback,butherarmwaslinkedinAgatha\'s,andshewasdrawnalonginspiteofherself。Smilashdidnotmove。Agathastrolledoncoolly,andasshepassedhim,adroitlycaughttheapronbetweenherfingerandthumbandtwitcheditfromhisface。
InstantlyHenriettautteredapiercingscream,andSmilashcaughtherinhisarms。
\"Quick,\"hesaidtoAgatha,\"sheisfainting。Runforsomewater。
Run！\"AndhebentoverHenrietta,whoclungtohimfrantically。
Agatha,bewilderedbytheeffectofherpracticaljoke,hesitatedamoment,andthenrantothelawn。
\"Whatisthematter？\"saidFairholme。
\"Nothing。Iwantsomewater——quick,please。Henriettahasfaintedintheshrubbery,thatisall。\"
\"Pleasedonotstir,\"saidMissWilsonauthoritatively,\"youwillcrowdthepathanddelayusefulassistance。MissWard,kindlygetsomewaterandbringittous。Agatha,comewithmeandpointoutwhereMrs。Trefusisis。Youmaycometoo,MissCarpenter;youaresostrong。Therestwillpleaseremainwheretheyare。\"
Followedbythetwogirls,shehurriedintotheshrubbery,whereMr。Janseniuswasalreadylookinganxiouslyforhisdaughter。Hewastheonlypersontheyfoundthere。SmilashandHenriettaweregone。
Atfirsttheseekers,merelypuzzled,didnothingbutquestionAgathaincredulouslyastotheexactspotonwhichHenriettahadfallen。ButMr。Janseniussoonmadethemunderstandthatthepositionofaladyinthehandsofahalf—wittedlaborerwasoneofdanger。Hisagitationinfectedthem,andwhenAgathaendeavoredtoreassurehimbydeclaringthatSmilashwasadisguisedgentleman,MissWilson,supposingthistobeamererepetitionofherformeridleconjecture,toldhersharplytoholdhertongue,asthetimewasnotonefortalkingnonsense。
Thenewsnowspreadthroughthewholecompany,andtheexcitementbecameintense。Fairholmeshoutedforvolunteerstomakeupasearchingparty。Allthemenpresentresponded,andtheywereabouttorushtothecollegegatesinabodywhenitOccurredtothecooleramongthemthattheyhadbetterdivideintoseveralparties,inorderthatsearchmightbemadeatonceindifferentquarters。Tenminutesofconfusionfollowed。Mr。JanseniusstartedseveraltimesinquestofHenrietta,and,whenhehadgoneafewsteps,returnedandbeggedthatnomoretimeshouldbewasted。Josephs,whosefaithwassimple,retiredtopray,anddidgood,asfarasitwent,bywithdrawingonevoicefromthedinofplans,objections,andsuggestionswhichtherestweremaking;
eachpersontryingtobeheardabovetheothers。
AtlastMissWilsonquelledtheprevailinganarchy。Servantsweresenttoalarmtheneighborsandcallinthevillagepolice。
DetachmentsweresentinvariousdirectionsunderthecommandofFairholmeandotherenergeticspirits。Thegirlsformedpartiesamongthemselves,whichwerereinforcedbymaledesertersfromthepreviouslevies。MissWilsonthenwentindoorsandconductedasearchthroughtheinteriorofthecollege。Onlytwopersonswereleftonthetennisground——AgathaandMrs。Jansenius,whohadbeensurprisinglycalmthroughout。
\"Youneednotbeanxious,\"saidAgatha,whohadbeenstandingaloofsinceherrebuffbyMissWilson。\"Iamsurethereisnodanger。Itismostextraordinarythattheyhavegoneaway;butthemanisnomoremadthanIam,andIknowheisagentlemanHetoldmeso。\"
\"Letushopeforthebest,\"saidMrs。Jansenius,smoothly。\"I
thinkIwillsitdown——Ifeelsotired。Thanks。\"（Agathahadhandedherachair。）\"Whatdidyousayhetoldyou——thisman？\"
AgatharelatedthecircumstancesofheracquaintancewithSmilash,adding,atMrs。Jansenius\'srequest,aminutedescriptionofhispersonalappearance。Mrs。Janseniusremarkedthatitwasverysingular,andthatshewassureHenriettawasquitesafe。Shethenpartookofclaret—cupandsandwiches。
Agatha,thoughgladtofindsomeonedisposedtolistentoher,waspuzzledbyheraunt\'scoolness,andwasevengoadedintopointingoutthatthoughSmilashwasnotalaborer,itdidnotfollowthathewasanhonestman。ButMrs。Janseniusonlysaid:
\"Oh,sheissafe——quitesafe！Atleast,ofcourse,Icanonlyhopeso。Weshallhavenewspresently,\"andtookanothersandwich。