Henriettapleadedasmovinglyasshecouldforanimmediatereturntotheirdomesticstate,butheputheroffwithendearingspeeches,promisednothingbuteternalaffection,andsentherbacktoLondonbythetwelveo\'clockexpress。Thenhiscountenancechanged;hewalkedbacktoLyvern,andthencetothechalet,likeamanpursuedbydisgustandremorse。Laterintheafternoon,toraisehisspirits,hetookhisskatesandwenttoWickens\'spond,where,itbeingSaturday,hefoundtheicecrowdedwiththeAltonstudentsandtheirhalf—holidayvisitors。
Fairholme,describingcircleswithhishabitualairofcompressedhardihood,stoppedandstaredwithindignantsurpriseasSmilashlurchedpasthim。
\"Isthatmanherebyyourpermission？\"hesaidtoFarmerWickens,whowaswalkingaboutasifsuperintendingaharvest。
\"Heisherebecausehelikes,Itakeit,\"saidWickensstubbornly。\"Heisaneighborofmineandafriendofmine。Isthereanyobjectionstomyhavingafriendonmyownpond,seein\'
thatthereisnighontwoorthreetonofotherpeople\'sfriendsonit108withoutasmuchasawith—your—leaveoraby—your—
leave。\"
\"Oh,no,\"saidFairholme,somewhatdashed。\"Ifyouaresatisfiedtherecanbenoobjection。\"
\"I\'mgladonit。Ithoughttheremoutbe。\"
\"Letmetellyou,\"saidFairholme,nettled,\"thatyourlandlordwouldnotbepleasedtoseehimhere。HesentoneofSirJohn\'sbestshepherdsoutofthecountry,afterfillinghisheadwithideasabovehisstation。IheardSirJohnspeakverywarmlyaboutitlastSunday。\"
\"Mayhapyoudid,MusterFairholme。Ihavealeaseofthisland——andgravelly,poorstuffitis——andIamnowaysbeholdentoSirJohn\'slikingsanddislikings。AverygoodthingtooforSirJohnthatIhavealease,forthereain\'tamaninthecountry\'udtak\'apresento\'thefarmifitwasfreeto—morrow。
Andwhat\'sa\'more,thoughthatyoungmandotalkfoolishthingsabouttherightsoffarmlaborersandsuch—likenonsense,ifSirJohnwastohearhimlayin\'itdownconcernin\'rentandimprovements,andthewaywetenantfarmersisputupon,p\'rapshe\'dspeakwarmerthanevernextSunday。\"
AndWickens,withasmileexpressiveofhissenseofhavingretortedeffectivelyupontheparson,noddedandwalkedaway。
JustthenAgatha,skatinghandinhandwithJaneCarpenter,heardthesewordsinherear:\"Ihavesomethingveryfunnytotellyou。
Don\'tlookround。\"
SherecognizedthevoiceofSmilashandobeyed。
\"Iamnotquitesurethatyouwillenjoyitasitdeserves,\"headded,anddartedoffagain,aftercastinganeloquentglanceatMissCarpenter。
Agathadisengagedherselffromhercompanion,madeacircuit,andpassednearSmilash,saying:\"Whatisit？\"
Smilashflittedawaylikeaswallow,tracedseveralcirclesaroundFairholme,andthenreturnedtoAgathaandproceededsidebysidewithher。
\"IhavereadtheletteryouwrotetoHetty,\"hesaid。
Agatha\'sfacebegantoglow。Sheforgottomaintainherbalance,andalmostfell。
\"Takecare。Andsoyouarenotfondofme——intheromanticsense？\"
Noanswer。Agathadumbandafraidtolifthereyelids。
\"Thatisfortunate,\"hecontinued,\"because——goodevening,MissWard;Ihavedonenothingbutadmireyourskatingforthelasthour——becausemenweredeceiversever;andIamnoexception,asyouwillpresentlyadmit。\"
Agathamurmuredsomething,butitwasunintelligibleamidthedinofskating。
\"Youthinknot？Well,perhapsyouareright;Ihavesaidnothingtoyouthatisnotinameasuretrue。Youhavealwayshadapeculiarcharmforme。ButIdidnotmeanyoutotellHetty。Canyouguesswhy？\"
Agathashookherhead。
\"Becausesheismywife。\"
Agatha\'sanklesbecamelimp。WithaneffortshekeptuprightuntilshereachedJane,towhomsheclungforsupport。
\"Don\'t,\"screamedJane。\"You\'llupsetme。\"
\"Imustsitdown,\"saidAgatha。\"Iamtired。Letmeleanonyouuntilwegettothechairs。\"
\"Bosh！Icanskateforanhourwithoutsittingdown,\"saidJane。
However,shehelpedAgathatoachairandlefther。ThenSmilash,asifdesiringarestalso,satdownclosebyonthemarginofthepond。
\"Well,\"hesaid,withouttroublinghimselfastowhethertheirconversationattractedattentionornot,\"whatdoyouthinkofmenow？\"
\"Whydidyounottellmebefore,Mr。Trefusis？\"
\"Thatisthecreamofthejoke,\"hereplied,poisinghisheelsontheicesothathisskatesstoodverticallyatlegs\'lengthfromhim,andlookingatthemwithacynicalair。\"Ithoughtyouwereinlovewithme,andthatthetruthwouldbetoosevereablowtoyou。Ha！ha！And,forthesamereason,yougenerouslyforboretotellmethatyouwerenomoreinlovewithmethanwiththemaninthemoon。Eachplayedafarce,andpalmeditoffontheotherasatragedy。\"
\"Therearesomethingssounmanly,sounkind,andsocruel,\"saidAgatha,\"thatIcannotunderstandanygentlemansayingthemtoagirl。Pleasedonotspeaktomeagain。MissWard！Cometomeforamoment。I——Iamnotwell。\"
Wardhurriedtoherside。Smilash,afterstaringatherforamomentinastonishment,andinsomeconcern,skimmedawayintothecrowd。WhenhereachedtheoppositebankhetookoffhisskatesandaskedJane,whostrayedintentionallyinhisdirection,totellMissWyliethathewasgone,andwouldskatenomorethere。Withoutaddingawordofexplanationheleftherandmadeforhisdwelling。Ashewentdownintothehollowwheretheroadpassedthroughtheplantationonthecollegesideofthechalethedescriedaboy,intheuniformofthepostoffice,slidingalongthefrozenditch。Apresentimentofeviltidingscameuponhimlikeadarkeningofthesky。Hequickenedhispace。
\"Anythingforme？\"hesaid。
Theboy,whoknewhim,fumbledinalettercaseandproducedabuffenvelope。Itcontainedatelegram。
FromJansenius,London。
TOJ。Smilash,ChamoounixVilla,Lyvern。
_________________________________________
Henriettadangerouslyillafterjourneywantstoseeyoudoctorssaymustcomeatonce_________________________________________
Therewasapause。Thenhefoldedthepapermethodicallyandputitinhispocket,asifquitedonewithit。
\"Andso,\"hesaid,\"perhapsthetragedyistofollowthefarceafterall。\"
Helookedattheboy,whoretreated,notlikinghisexpression。
\"DidyouslideallthewayfromLyvern？\"
\"Onlytocomequicker,\"saidthemessenger,faltering。\"IcameasquickasIcould。\"
\"Youcarriednewsheavyenoughtobreakthethickesticeeverfrozen。Ihaveamindtothrowyouoverthetopofthattreeinsteadofgivingyouthishalf—crown。\"
\"Youletmealone,\"whimperedtheboy,retreatinganotherpace。
\"GetbacktoLyvernasfastasyoucanrunorslide,andtellMr。
Marshtosendmethefastesttraphehas,todrivemetotherailwaystation。Hereisyourhalf—crown。Offwithyou;andifI
donotfindthetrapreadywhenIwantit,woebetideyou。\"
Theboycameforthemoneymistrustfully,andranoffwithitasfastashecould。Smilashwentintothechaletandneverreappeared。Instead,Trefusis,agentlemaninanulster,carryingarug,cameout,lockedthedoor,andhurriedalongtheroadtoLyvern,wherehewaspickedupbythetrap,andcarriedswiftlytotherailwaystation,justintimetocatchtheLondontrain。
\"Eveningpaper,sir？\"saidavoiceatthewindow,ashesettledhimselfinthecornerofafirst—classcarriage。
\"No,thankyou。\"
\"Footwarmer,sir？\"saidaporter,appearinginthenews—vender\'splace。
\"Ah,that\'sagoodidea。Yes,letmehaveafootwarmer。\"
Thefootwarmerwasbrought,andTrefusiscomposedhimselfcomfortablyforhisjourney。Itseemedveryshorttohim;hecouldhardlybelieve,whenthetrainarrivedinLondon,thathehadbeennearlythreehoursontheway。
TherewasasenseofChristmasaboutthetravellersandthepeoplewhowereattheterminustomeetthem。TheporterwhocametothecarriagedoorremindedTrefusisbyhismannerandvoicethattheseasonwasoneatwhichitbecomesagentlemantobefestiveandliberal。
\"Wotluggage,sir？Hansomorfourweoll,sir？\"
ForamomentTrefusisfeltavagabondimpulsetoresumethelanguageofSmilashandfabletothemanofhampersofturkeyandplum—puddinginthevan。Butherepressedit,gotintoahansom,andwasdriventohisfather—in—law\'shouseinBelsizeAvenue,studyinginagloomilycriticalmoodtheanxietythatsurgeduponhimandmadehisheartbeatlikeaboy\'sashedrewnearhisdestination。Thereweretwocarriagesatthedoorwhenhealighted。Thereticentexpressionofthecoachmensentatremorthroughhim。
Thedooropenedbeforeherang。\"Ifyouplease,sir,\"saidthemaidinalowvoice,\"willyoustepintothelibrary;andthedoctorwillseeyouimmediately。\"
OnthefirstlandingofthestaircasetwogentlemenwerespeakingtoMr。Jansenius,whohastilymovedoutofsight,notbeforeaglimpseofhisairofgrief174anddiscomfiturehadgivenTrefusisastrangetwinge,succeededbyasensationofhavingbeentwentyyearsawidower。Hesmiledunconcernedlyashefollowedthegirlintothelibrary,andaskedherhowshedid。
Shemurmuredsomereplyandhurriedaway,thinkingthatthepooryoungmanwouldalterhistonepresently。
Hewasjoinedatoncebyagraywhiskeredgentleman,scrupulouslydressedandmannered。Trefusisintroducedhimself,andthephysicianlookedathimwithsomeinterest。Thenhesaid:
\"Youhavearrivedtoolate,Mr。Trefusis。Allisover,Iamsorrytosay。\"
\"Wasthelongrailwayjourneyshetookinthiscoldweatherthecauseofherdeath？\"
Somebitterwordsthatthephysicianhadheardupstairsmadehimawarethatthiswasadelicatequestion。Buthesaidquietly:
\"Theproximatecause,doubtless。Theproximatecause。\"
\"Shereceivedsomeunwelcomeandquiteunlooked—forintelligencebeforeshestarted。Hadthatanythingtodowithherdeath,doyouthink？\"
\"Itmayhaveproducedanunfavorableeffect,\"saidthephysician,growingrestiveandtakinguphisgloves。\"Thehabitofreferringsucheventstosuchcausesiscarriedtoofar,asarule。\"
\"Nodoubt。Iamcuriousbecausetheeventisnovelinmyexperience。Isupposeitisacommonplaceinyours。Pardonme。
175Thelossofaladysoyoungandsofavorablycircumstancedisnotacommonplaceeitherinmyexperienceorinmyopinion。\"
Thephysicianhelduphisheadashespoke,inprotestagainstanyassumptionthathissympathieshadbeenbluntedbyhisprofession。
\"Didshesuffer？\"
\"Forsomehours,yes。Wewereabletodoalittletoalleviateherpain——poorthing！\"HealmostforgotTrefusisasheaddedtheapostrophe。
\"Hoursofpain！Canyouconceiveanygoodpurposethatthosehoursmayhaveserved？\"
Thephysicianshookhishead,leavingitdoubtfulwhetherhemeanttoreplyinthenegativeortodeploreconsiderationsofthatnature。Healsomadeamovementtodepart,beinguneasyinconversationwithTrefusis,whowould,hefeltsure,presentlyaskquestionsormakeremarkswithwhichhecouldhardlydealwithoutcommittinghimselfinsomedirection。Hisconsciencewasnotquiteatrest。Henrietta\'spainhadnot,hethought,servedanygoodpurpose;buthedidnotwanttosayso,lestheshouldacquireareputationforimpietyandlosehispractice。Hebelievedthatthegeneralpractitionerwhoattendedthefamily,andhadcalledhiminwhenthecasegrewserious,hadtreatedHenriettaunskilfully,butprofessionaletiquetteboundhimsostronglythat,soonerthanbetrayhiscolleague\'sinefficiency,hewouldhaveallowedhimtodecimateLondon。
\"Onewordmore,\"saidTrefusis。\"Didsheknowthatshewasdying？\"
\"No。Iconsidereditbestthatsheshouldnotbeinformedofherdanger。Shepassedawaywithoutanyapprehension。\"
\"Thenonecanthinkofitwithequanimity。Shedreadeddeath,poorchild。Thewonderisthattherewasnotenoughfollyinthehouseholdtoprevailagainstyourgoodsense。\"
Thephysicianbowedandtookhisleave,esteeminghimselfsomewhatfortunateinescapingwithoutbeingreproachedforhishumanityinhavingallowedHenriettatodieunawares。
Amomentlaterthegeneralpractitionerentered。Trefusis,havingaccompaniedtheconsultingphysiciantothedoor,detectedthefamilydoctorintheactofpullingalongfacejustoutsideit。
Restrainingadesiretoseizehimbythethroat,heseatedhimselfontheedgeofthetableandsaidcheerfully:
\"Well,doctor,howhastheworldusedyousincewelastmet？\"
Thedoctorwastakenaback,butthesolemndispositionofhisfeaturesdidnotrelaxashealmostintoned:\"HasSirFrancistoldyouthesadnews,Mr。Trefusis？\"
\"Yes。Frightful,isn\'tit？Lordblessme,we\'rehereto—dayandgoneto—morrow。\"
\"True,verytrue！\"
\"SirFrancishasahighopinionofyou。\"
Thedoctorlookedalittlefoolish。\"Everythingwasdonethatcouldbedone,Mr。Trefusis;butMrs。Janseniuswasveryanxiousthatnostoneshouldbeleftunturned。ShewasgoodenoughtosaythathersolereasonforwishingmetocallinSirFranciswasthatyoushouldhavenocausetocomplain。\"
\"Indeed！\"
\"Anexcellentmother！Asadeventforher！Ah,yes,yes！Dearme！
Averysadevent！\"
\"Mostdisagreeable。Suchacolddaytoo。Pleasantertobeinheaventhanhereinsuchweather,possibly。\"
\"Ah！\"saidthedoctor,asifmuchsoundcomfortlayinthat。\"I
hopeso;Ihopeso;Idonotdoubtit。SirFrancisdidnotpermitustotellher,andI,ofcourse,deferredtohim。Perhapsitwasforthebest。\"
\"Youwouldhavetoldher,then,ifSirFrancishadnotobjected？\"
\"Well,thereare,yousee,considerationswhichwemustnotignoreinourprofession。Deathisaseriousthing,asIamsureIneednotremindyou,Mr。Trefusis。Wehavesometimeshigherdutiesthanindulgencetothenaturalfeelingsofourpatients。\"
\"Quiteso。Thepossibilityofeternalblissandtheprobabilityofeternaltormentareconsolationsnottobelightlywithheldfromadyinggirl,eh？However,what\'spastcannotbemended。I
havemuchtobethankfulfor,afterall。Iamayoungman,andshallnotcutabadfigureasawidower。Andnowtellme,doctor,amInotinverybadreputeupstairs？\"
\"Mr。Trefusis！Sir！Icannotmeddleinfamilymatters。I
understandmydutiesandneveroverstepthem。\"Thedoctor,shockedatlast,spokeasloftilyashecould。
\"ThenIwillgoandseeMr。Jansenius,\"saidTrefusis,gettingoffthetable。
\"Stay,sir！Onemoment。Ihavenotfinished。Mrs。Janseniushasaskedmetoask——IwasabouttosaythatIamnotspeakingnowasthemedicaladviserofthisfamily;butalthoughanoldfriend——and——ahem！Mrs。Janseniushasaskedmetoask——torequestyoutoexcuseMr。Jansenius,asheisprostratedbygrief,andis,asIcan——asamedicalman——assureyou,unabletoseeanyone。
Shewillspeaktoyouherselfassoonasshefeelsabletodoso——atsometimethisevening。Meanwhile,ofcourse,anyordersyoumaygive——youmustbefatiguedbyyourjourney,andIalwaysrecommendpeoplenottofasttoolong;itproducesanacuteformofindigestion——anyordersyoumaywishtogivewill,ofcourse,beattendedtoatonce。\"
\"Ithink,\"saidTrefusis,afteramoment\'sreflection,\"Iwillorderahansom。\"
\"Thereisnoill—feeling,\"saidthedoctor,who,asaslowman,wasusuallyalarmedbypromptdecisions,evenwhentheyseemedwisetohim,asthisonedid。\"IhopeyouhavenotgatheredfromanythingIhavesaid——\"
\"Notatall;youhavedisplayedtheutmosttact。ButIthinkI
hadbettergo。Janseniuscanbeardeathandmiserywithperfectfortitudewhenitisonalargescaleandhiddeninabackslum。
Butwhenitbreaksintohisownhouse,andattackshisproperty——hisdaughterwashispropertyuntilveryrecently——heisjustthemantolosehisheadandquarrelwithmeforkeepingmine。\"
Thedoctorwasunabletocopewiththisspeech,whichconveyedvaguelymonstrousideastohim。SeeingTrefusisabouttoleave,hesaidinalowvoice:\"Willyougoupstairs？\"
\"Upstairs！Why？\"
\"I——Ithoughtyoumightwishtosee——\"Hedidnotfinishthesentence,butTrefusisflinched;theblankhadexpressedwhatwasmeant。
\"ToseesomethingthatwasHenrietta,andthatisathingwemustcastoutandhide,withalittlesuperstitiousmummingtosaveappearances。Whydidyouremindmeofit？\"
\"But,sir,whateveryourviewsmaybe,willyounot,asamatterofform,indeferencetothefeelingsofthefamily——\"
\"Letthemsparetheirfeelingsfortheliving,onwhosebehalfI
haveoftenappealedtotheminvain,\"criedTrefusis,losingpatience。\"Damntheirfeelings！\"And,turningtothedoor,hefounditopen,andMrs。Janseniustherelistening。
Trefusiswasconfounded。Heknewwhattheeffectofhisspeechmustbe,andfeltthatitwouldbefollytoattemptexcuseorexplanation。Heputhishandsintohispockets,leanedagainstthetable,andlookedather,mutelywonderingwhatwouldfollowonherpart。
Thedoctorbrokethesilencebysayingtremulously,\"IhavecommunicatedthemelancholyintelligencetoMr。Trefusis。\"
\"Ihopeyoutoldhimalso,\"shesaidsternly,\"that,howeverdeficientwemaybeinfeeling,wedideverythingthatlayinourpowerforourchild。\"
\"Iamquitesatisfied,\"saidTrefusis。
\"Nodoubtyouare——withtheresult,\"saidMrs。Jansenius,hardly。
\"Iwishtoknowwhetheryouhaveanythingtocomplainof。\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Pleasedonotimplythatanythinghashappenedthroughourneglect。\"
\"WhathaveItocomplainof？Shehadawarmroomandaluxuriousbedtodiein,withthebestmedicaladviceintheworld。Plentyofpeoplearestarvingandfreezingto—daythatwemayhavethemeanstodiefashionably;askTHEMiftheyhaveanycauseforcomplaint。DoyouthinkIwillwrangleoverherbodyabouttheamountofmoneyspentonherillness？Whatmeasureisthatofthecauseshehadforcomplaint？Inevergrudgedmoneytoher——howcouldI,seeingthatmorethanIcanwasteisgiventomefornothing？Orhowcouldyou？Yetshehadgreatreasontocomplainofme。Youwillallowthattobeso。\"
\"Itisperfectlytrue。\"
\"Well,whenIaminthehumorforit,Iwillreproachmyselfandnotyou。\"Hepaused,andthenturnedforciblyonher,saying,\"Whydoyouselectthistime,ofallothers,tospeaksobitterlytome？\"
\"IamnotawarethatIhavesaidanythingtocallforsucharemark。DidYOU,\"（appealingtothedoctor）\"hearmesayanything？\"
\"Mr。Trefusisdoesnotmeantosaythatyoudid,Iamsure。Oh,no。Mr。Trefusis\'sfeelingsarenaturally——areharrowed。Thatisall。\"
\"Myfeelings！\"criedTrefusisimpatiently。\"Doyousupposemyfeelingsareatrumperysetofsocialobservances,tobeharrowedtoorderandexhibitedatfunerals？Shehasgoneaswethreeshallgosoonenough。Ifwewereimmortal,wemightreasonablypitythedead。Aswearenot,wehadbettersaveourenergiestominimizetheharmwearelikelytodobeforewefollowher。\"
Thedoctorwasdeeplyoffendedbythisspeech,forthestatementthatheshouldonedaydieseemedtohimareflectionuponhisprofessionalmasteryoverdeath。Mrs。JanseniuswasgladtoseeTrefusisconfirmingherbadopinionandreportofhimbyhisconductandlanguageinthedoctor\'spresence。Therewasabriefpause,andthenTrefusis,toofaroutofsympathywiththemtobeabletoleadtheconversationintoakindervein,lefttheroom。
Intheactofputtingonhisovercoatinthehall,hehesitated,andhungitupagainirresolutely。Suddenlyheranupstairs。Atthesoundofhisstepsawomancamefromoneoftheroomsandlookedinquiringlyathim。
\"Isithere？\"hesaid。
\"Yes,sir,\"shewhispered。
Apainfulsenseofconstrictioncameinhischest,andheturnedpaleandstoppedwithhishandonthelock。
\"Don\'tbeafraid,sir,\"saidthewoman,withanencouragingsmile。\"Shelooksbeautiful。\"
Helookedatherwithastrangegrin,asifshehadutteredaghastlybutirresistiblejoke。Thenhewentin,and,whenhereachedthebed,wishedhehadstayedwithout。Hewasnotoneofthosewho,seeinglittleinthefacesofthelivingmisslittleinthefacesofthedead。Thearrangementoftheblackhaironthepillow,thesoftdrapery,andtheflowersplacedtherebythenursetocompletetheartisticeffecttowhichshehadsoconfidentlyreferred,werelostonhim;hesawonlyalifelessmaskthathadbeenhiswife\'sface,andatsightofithiskneesfailed,andhehadtoleanforsupportontherailatthefootofthebed。
Whenhelookedagainthefaceseemedtohavechanged。Itwasnolongerawaxlikemask,butHenrietta,girlishandpatheticallyatrest。Deathseemedtohavecancelledhermarriageandwomanhood;
hehadneverseenherlooksoyoung。Aminutepassed,andthenateardroppedonthecoverlet。Hestarted;shookanothertearonhishand,andstaredatitincredulously。
\"ThisisafraudofwhichIhaveneverevendreamed,\"hesaid。
\"Tearsandnosorrow！HereamIcrying！growingmaudlin！whilstI
amgladthatsheisgoneandIfree。Ihavethemechanismofgriefinmesomewhere;itbeginstoturnatsightofherthoughI
havenosorrow;justassheusedtostartthemechanismofpassionwhenIhadnolove。Andthatmadenodifferencetoher;
whilstthewheelswentroundshewassatisfied。Ihopethemechanismofgriefwillflagandstopinitsspinningassoonastheotherusedto。Itisstoppingalready,Ithink。Whatamockery！WhilstitlastsIsupposeIamreallysorry。Andyet,wouldIrestorehertolifeifIcould？Perhapsso;IamthereforethankfulthatIcannot。\"Hefoldedhisarmsontherailandgravelyaddressedthedeadfigure,whichstillaffectedhimsostronglythathehadtoexerthiswilltofaceitwithcomposure。\"Ifyoureallylovedme,itiswellforyouthatyouaredead——idiotthatIwastobelievethatthepassionyoucouldinspire,youpoorchild,wouldlast。Wearebothlucky;Ihaveescapedfromyou,andyouhaveescapedfromyourself。\"
Presentlyhebreathedmorefreelyandlookedroundtheroomtohelphimselfintoamatter—of—factveinbyalittleunembarrassedaction,andthecommonplaceaspectofthebedroomfurniture。Hewenttothepillow,andbentoverit,examiningthefaceclosely。
\"Poorchild！\"hesaidagain,tenderly。Then,withsuddenreaction,apostrophizinghimselfinsteadofhiswife,\"Poorass！
Pooridiot！Poorjackanapes！Hereisthebodyofawomanwhowasnearlyasoldasmyself,andperhapswiser,andhereamI
moralizingoveritasifIwereGodAlmightyandsheababy！Themoreyouremindamanofwhatheis,themoreconceitedhebecomes。Monstrous！Ishallfeelimmortalpresently。\"
Hetouchedthecheekwithafaintattemptatroughness,tofeelhowcolditwas。Thenhetouchedhisown,andremarked:
\"ThisiswhatIamhasteningtowardattheexpressspeedofsixtyminutesanhour！\"Hestoodlookingdownatthefaceandtastingthissombrereflectionforalongtime。Whenitpalledonhim,herousedhimself,andexclaimedmorecheerfully:
\"Afterall,sheisnotdead。Everywordsheuttered——everyideasheformedandexpressed,wasaninexhaustibleandindestructibleimpulse。\"Hepaused,consideredalittlefurther,andrelapsedintogloom,adding,\"andthedozenotherswhosenameswillbewithhersinthe\'Times\'to—morrow？Theirwordstooarestillintheair,toenduretheretoalleternity。Hm！Howtheairmustbecrammedwithnonsense！Twosoundssometimesproduceasilence;
perhapsideasneutralizeoneanotherinsomeanalogousway。No,mydear;youaredeadandgoneanddonewith,andIshallbedeadandgoneanddonewithtoosoontoleavemeleisuretofoolmyselfwithhopesofimmortality。PoorHetty！Well,good—by,mydarling。Letuspretendforamomentthatyoucanhearthat;I
knowitwillpleaseyou。\"
Allthiswasinahalf—articulatewhisper。Whenheceasedhestillbentoverthebody,gazingintentlyatit。Evenwhenhehadexhaustedthesubject,andturnedtogo,hechangedhismind,andlookedagainforawhile。Thenhestooderect,apparentlynervedandrefreshed,andlefttheroomwithafirmstep。Thewomanwaswaitingoutside。Seeingthathewaslessdistressedthanwhenheentered,shesaid:
\"Ihopeyouaresatisfied,sir！\"
\"Delighted！Charmed！Thearrangementsareextremelyprettyandtasteful。Mostconsolatory。\"Andhegaveherhalfasovereign。
\"Ithankyou,sir,\"shesaid,droppingacurtsey。\"Thepooryounglady！Shewasanxioustoseeyou,sir。Tohearhersaythatyouweretheonlyonethatcaredforher！Andsofretfulwithhermother,too。\'LethimbetoldthatIamdangerouslyill,\'saysshe,\'andhe\'llcome。\'Shedidn\'tknowhowtrueherwordwas,poorthing;andshewentoffwithoutbeingawareofit。\"
\"Flatteringherselfandflatteringme。Happygirl！\"
\"Blessyou,Iknowwhatherfeelingswere,sir;Ihavehadexperience。\"Heresheapproachedhimconfidentially,andwhispered:\"Thefamilywereagain\'you,sir,andsheknewit。Butshewouldn\'tlistentothem。Shethoughtofnothing,whenshewaseasyenoughtothinkatall,butofyourcoming。And——hush！
Here\'stheoldgentleman。\"
TrefusislookedroundandsawMr。Jansenius,whosehandsomefacewaswhiteandseamedwithgriefandannoyance。Hedrewbackfromtheprofferedhandofhisson—in—law,likeanoverworriedchildfromanill—timedattempttopetit。Trefusispitiedhim。Thenursecoughedandretired。
\"HaveyoubeenspeakingtoMrs。Jansenius？\"saidTrefusis。
\"Yes,\"saidJanseniusoffensively。
\"SohaveI,unfortunately。Praymakemyapologiestoher。Iwasrude。Thecircumstancesupsetme。\"
\"Youarenotupset,sir,\"saidJanseniusloudly。\"Youdonotcareadamn。\"
Trefusisrecoiled。