Theresultisthatthetradesmenarebecomingbetterartiststhanthey,andnaturallyso;forwhere,asinphotography,thedrawingcountsfornothing,thethoughtandjudgmentcountforeverything;whereasintheetchinganddaubingprocesses,wheregreatmanualskillisneededtoproduceanythingthattheeyecanendure,theexecutioncountsformorethanthethought,andifafellowonlyfittocarrybricksupaladderorthelikehasambitionandperseveranceenoughtotrainhishandandpushintothevan,youcannotaffordtoputhimbackintohisproperplace,becausethoroughlytrainedhandsaresoscarce。Considertheproofofthisthatyouhaveinliterature。Ourbooksaremanuallytheworkofprintersandpapermakers;youmaycutanauthor\'shandoffandheisasgoodanauthorasbefore。Whatistheresult？Thereismoreimaginationinanynumberofapennyjournalthaninhalf—a—dozenoftheRoyalAcademyroomsintheseason。Noauthorcanlivebyhisworkandbeasempty—headedasanaveragesuccessfulpainter。Again,considerourimplementsofmusic——ourpianofortes,forexample。Nobodybutanacrobatwillvoluntarilyspendyearsatsuchadifficultmechanicalpuzzleasthekeyboard,andsowehavetotakeourimpressionsofBeethoven\'ssonatasfromacrobatswhoviewitheachotherintherapidityoftheirprestos,orthestayingpoweroftheirleftwrists。Thoughtfulmenwillnotspendtheirlivesacquiringsleight—of—hand。Inventapianowhichwillrespondasdelicatelytotheturningofahandleasourpresentonesdotothepressureofthefingers,andtheacrobatswillbedrivenbacktotheircarpetsandtrapezes,becausethesolefacultynecessarytotheexecutantmusicianwillbethemusicalfaculty,andnootherwillenablehimtoobtainahearing。\"
Thecompanyweresomewhatovercomebythisunexpectedlecture。
SirCharles,feelingthatsuchviewsboreadverselyonhim,andweresomehowiconoclasticandlow—lived,wasabouttomakeapeevishretort,whenErskineforestalledhimbyaskingTrefusiswhatideahehadformedofthefutureofthearts。Herepliedpromptly。\"Photographyperfectedinitsrecentlydiscoveredpowerofreproducingcoloraswellasform！Historicalpicturesreplacedbyphotographsoftableauxvivantsformedandarrangedbytrainedactorsandartists,andusedchieflyfortheinstructionofchildren。Nine—tenthsofpaintingasweunderstanditatpresentextinguishedbythecompetitionofthesephotographs,andtheremainingtenthonlyholdingitsownagainstthembydintofextraordinaryexcellence！Ourmistunedandunplayableorgansandpianofortesreplacedbyharmoniousinstruments,asmanageableasbarrelorgans！Worksoffictionsupersededbyinterestingcompanyandconversation,andmadeobsoletebythehumanmindoutgrowingthechildishnessthatdelightsinthetalestoldbygrownupchildrensuchasnovelistsandtheirlike！Anendtothesillyconfusion,undertheonenameofArt,ofthetomfooleryandmake—believeofourplay—hourswiththehighermethodsofteachingmentoknowthemselves！Everyartistanamateur,andaconsequentreturntothehealthyolddispositiontolookoneverymanwhomakesartameansofmoney—gettingasavagabondnottobeentertainedasanequalbyhonestmen！\"
\"Inwhichcaseartistswillstarve,andtherewillbenomoreart。\"
\"Sir,\"saidTrefusis,excitedbytheword,\"I,asaSocialist,cantellyouthatstarvationisnowimpossible,exceptwhere,asinEngland,masterlessmenareforciblypreventedfromproducingthefoodtheyneed。Andyou,asanartist,cantellmethatatpresentgreatartistsinvariablydostarve,exceptwhentheyarekeptalivebycharity,privatefortune,orsomedrudgerywhichhinderstheminthepursuitoftheirvocation。\"
\"Oh！\"saidErskine。\"ThenSocialistshavesomelittlesympathywithartistsafterall。\"
\"Ifear,\"saidTrefusis,repressinghimselfandspeakingquietlyagain,\"thatwhenaSocialisthearsofahundredpoundspaidforadrawingwhichAndreadelSartowasgladtosellfortenpence,hisheartisnotwrungwithpityfortheartist\'simaginarylossasthatofamoderncapitalistis。Yetthatistheonlywaynowadaysofenlistingsympathyfortheoldmasters。Frightfuldisability,tobeoutofthereachofthedearestmarketwhenyouwanttosellyourdrawings！But,\"headded,givinghimselfashake,andturningroundgaily,\"Ididnotcomeheretotalkshop。So——pendingthedeluge——letusenjoyourselvesafterourmanner。\"
\"No,\"saidJane。\"PleasegoonaboutArt。It\'ssucharelieftohearanyonetalkingsensiblyaboutit。Ihateetching。Itmakesyoureyessore——atleasttheacidgetsintoSirCharles\'s,andthedifferencebetweenthefirstandsecondstatesisnothingbutimagination,exceptthatthelaststateisworsethanthe——here\'sluncheon！\"
Theywentdownstairsthen。TrefusissatbetweenAgathaandLadyBrandon,towhomheaddressedallhisconversation。Theychattedwithoutmuchinterruptionfromthebusinessofthetable;forJane,despiteheramplitude,hadasmallappetite,andwasfearfulofgrowingfat;whilstTrefusiswassystematicallyabstemious。SirCharleswasunusuallysilent。Hewasafraidtotalkaboutart,lestheshouldbecontradictedbyTrefusis,who,healreadyfelt,caredlessandperhapsknewmoreaboutitthanhe。HavingpreviouslycommentedtoAgathaonthebeautyoftheripeningspring,andinquiredwhetherherjourneyhadfatiguedher,hehadsaidasmuchashecouldthinkofatafirstmeeting。
Forherpart,shewasintentonTrefusis,who,thoughhemustknow,shethought,thattheywereallhostiletohimexceptJane,seemedasconfidentnowaswhenhehadbefooledherlongago。
Thatthoughtsetherteethonedge。Shedidnotdoubtthesincerityofherantipathytohimevenwhenshedetectedherselfintheactofprotestinginwardlythatshewasnotgladtomeethimagain,andthatshewouldnotspeaktohim。Gertrude,meanwhile,wasgivingshortanswerstoErskineandlisteningtoTrefusis。ShehadgatheredfromthedomesticsquabblesofthelastfewdaysthatLadyBrandon,againstherhusband\'swill,hadinvitedanotoriousdemagogue,therichsonofasuccessfulcotton—spinner,tovisittheBeeches。Shehadmadeuphermindtosnubanysuchman。Butonrecognizingthelong—forgottenSmilash,shehadbeenastonished,andhadnotknownwhattodo。So,toavoiddoinganythingimproper,shehadstoodstillysilentanddonenothing,asthecustomofEnglishladiesinsuchcasesis。
Subsequently,hisunconsciousself—assertionhadwroughtwithheraswiththeothers,andherintentionofsnubbinghimhadfadedintothelimboofprojectsabandonedwithouttrial。Erskinealonewasfreefromtheinfluenceoftheintruder。Hewishedhimselfelsewhere;butbesideGertrudethepresenceorabsenceofanyotherpersontroubledhimverylittle。
\"HowaretheJanseniuses？\"saidTrefusis,suddenlyturningtoAgatha。
\"Theyarequitewell,thankyou,\"shesaidinmeasuredtones。
\"ImetJohnJanseniusinthecitylately。YouknowJansenius？\"headdedparentheticallytoSirCharles。\"Cotman\'sbank——thelastCotmandiedoutofthefirmbeforewewereborn。TheChairmanoftheTranscanadianRailwayCompany。\"
\"Iknowthename。Iamseldominthecity。\"
\"Naturally,\"assentedTrefusis;\"forwhowouldsaddenhimselfbypushinghiswaythroughacrowdofsuchslaves,ifhecouldhelpit？ImeanslavesofMammon,ofcourse。TorunthegauntletoftheirfacesinCornhillisenoughtodiscourageathoughtfulmanforhours。Well,Jansenius,beinghighinthecourtofMammon,islookingoutforagoodpostinthehouseholdforhisson。
Jansenius,by—the—byeisMissWylie\'sguardianandthefatherofmylatewife。\"
Agathafeltinclinedtodenythis;but,asitwastrue,shehadtoforbear。ResolvedtoshowthattherelationsbetweenherfamilyandTrefusiswerenotcordialones,sheaskeddeliberately,\"DidMr。Janseniusspeaktoyou？\"
Gertrudelookedup,asifshethoughtthisscarcelyladylike。
\"Yes,\"saidTrefusis。\"Wearethebestfriendsintheworld——asgoodaspossible,atanyrate。HewantedmetosubscribetoafundforrelievingthepoorattheeastendofLondonbyassistingthemtoemigrate。\"
\"Ipresumeyousubscribedliberally,\"saidErskine。\"Itwasanopportunityofdoingsomepracticalgood。\"
\"Ididnot,\"saidTrefusis,grinningatthesarcasm。\"ThisTranscanadianRailwayCompany,havinggotagreatdealofsparelandfromtheCanadiangovernmentfornothing,thoughtitwouldbeagoodideatosettleBritishworkmenonitandscrewrentoutofthem。PlentyofBritishworkmen,supplantedintheiremploymentbymachinery,orcheapforeignlabor,oronethingoranother,werequitewillingtogo;butastheycouldn\'taffordtopaytheirpassagestoCanada,theCompanyappealedtothebenevolenttopayforthembysubscription,asthechangewouldimprovetheirmiserablecondition。IdidnotseewhyIshouldpaytoprovidearichcompanywithtenantfarmers,andItoldJanseniusso。Heremarkedthatwhenmoneyandnottalkwasrequired,theworkmenofEnglandsoonfoundoutwhoweretheirrealfriends。\"
\"Iknownothingaboutthesequestions,\"saidSirCharles,withanairofconclusiveness;\"butIseenoobjectiontoemigration\"Thefactis,\"saidTrefusis,\"theideaofemigrationisadangerousoneforus。Familiarizetheworkmanwithit,andsomedayhemaycometoseewhatacapitalthingitwouldbetopackoffme,andyou,withthepeerage,andthewholetribeofunprofitableproprietorssuchasweare,toSt。Helena;makingusahandsomepresentoftheislandbywayofindemnity！Wearesucharestless,unhappylot,thatIdoubtwhetheritwouldnotproveagoodthingforustoo。Theworkmenwouldlosenothingbutthecontemplationofourelegantpersons,exquisitemanners,andrefinedtastes。Theymightprovideagainstthatlossbypickingoutafewofustokeepforornament\'ssake。NonationwithasenseofbeautywouldbanishLadyBrandon,orMissLindsay,orMissWylie。\"
\"Suchnonsense！\"saidJane。
\"YouwouldhardlybelievehowmuchIhavespentinsendingworkmenoutofthecountryagainstmyownviewofthecountry\'sinterest,\"continuedTrefusis,addressingErskine。\"WhenImakeaconvertamongtheworkingclasses,thefirstthinghedoesistomakeaspeechsomewheredeclaringhisnewconvictions。Hisemployerimmediatelydischargeshim——\'giveshimthesack\'isthetechnicalphrase。Thesackistheswordofthecapitalist,andhungerkeepsitsharpforhim。Hisshieldisthelaw,madeforthepurposebyhisownclass。Thusequipped,hegivestheworstofittomypoorconvert,whocomesruinedtomeforassistance。
AsIcannotaffordtopensionhimforlife,Igetridofhimbyassistinghimtoemigrate。Sometimesheprospersandrepaysme;
sometimesIhearnomoreofhim;sometimeshecomesbackwithhishabitsunsettled。OnemanwhomIsenttoAmericamadehisfortune,buthewasnotasocialdemocrat;hewasaclerkwhohadembezzled,andwhoappliedtomeforassistanceundertheimpressionthatIconsidereditrathermeritorioustorobthetillofacapitalist。\"
\"HewasapracticalSocialist,infact,\"saidErskine。
\"Onthecontrary,hewasasomewhattoograspingIndividualist。
Howbeit,Ienabledhimtomakegoodhisdefalcation——inthecitytheyconsideradefalcationmadegoodwhenthemoneyisreplaced——andtogotoNewYork。Irecommendedhimnottogothere;butheknewbetterthanI,forhemadeafortunebyspeculatingwithmoneythatexistedonlyintheimaginationofthosewithwhomhedealt。Heneverrepaidme;heisprobablyfartoogoodamanofbusinesstopaymoneythatcannotbeextractedfromhimbyanappealtothelawortohiscommercialcredit。Mr。
Erskine,\"addedTrefusis,loweringhisvoice,andturningtothepoet,\"youarewrongtotakepartwithhuckstersandmoney—huntersagainstyourownnature,eventhoughtheattackuponthemisledbyamanwhoprefersphotographytoetching。\"
\"ButIassureyou——Youquitemistakeme,\"saidErskine,takenaback。\"I——\"
Hestopped,lookedtoSirCharlesforsupport,andthensaidairily:\"Idon\'tdoubtthatyouarequiteright。Ihatebusinessandmenofbusiness;andastosocialquestions,Ihaveonlyonearticleofbelief,whichis,thatthesolerefinerofhumannatureisfineart。\"
\"WhereasIbelievethatthesolerefinerofartishumannature。
Artriseswhenmenrise,andgrovelswhenmengrovel。Whatisyouropinion？\"
\"Iagreewithyouinmanyways,\"repliedSirCharlesnervously;
foralackofinterestinhisfellow—creatures,andanexcessofinterestinhimself,hadpreventedhimfromobtainingthatpowerofdealingwithsocialquestionswhich,hefelt,abaronetoughttopossess,andhewasconsequentlyafraidtodifferfromanyonewhoalludedtothemwithconfidence。\"Ifyoutakeaninterestinart,IbelieveIcanshowyouafewthingsworthseeing。\"
\"Thankyou。InreturnIwillsomedayshowyouaremarkablecollectionofphotographsIpossess;manyofthemtakenbyme。I
venturetothinktheywillteachyousomething。\"
\"Nodoubt,\"saidSirCharles。\"Shallwereturntothegallery？I
haveafewtreasurestherethatphotographyisnotlikelytosurpassforsometimeyet。\"
\"Let\'sgothroughtheconservatory,\"saidJane。\"Don\'tyoulikeflowers,Mr。Smi——Inevercanrememberyourpropername。\"
\"Extremely,\"saidTrefusis。
Theyroseandwentoutintoalonghothouse。HereLadyBrandon,findingErskineatherside,andSirCharlesbeforeherwithGertrude,lookedroundforTrefusis,withwhomsheintendedtoenjoyatriflingflirtationundercoverofshowinghimtheflowers。Hewasoutofsight;butsheheardhisfootstepsinthepassageontheoppositesideofthegreenhouse。Agathawasalsoinvisible。Jane,notdaringtorearrangetheirprocessionlestherdesignshouldbecomeobvious,hadtowalkonwithErskine。
Agathahadturnedunintentionallyintotheoppositealleytothatwhichtheothershadchosen。Whenshesawwhatshehaddone,andfoundherselfvirtuallyalonewithTrefusis,whohadfollowedher,sheblamedhimforit,andwasabouttoretraceherstepswhenhesaidcoolly:
\"WereyoushockedwhenyouheardofHenrietta\'ssuddendeath？\"
Agathastruggledwithherselfforamoment,andthensaidinasuppressedvoice:\"Howdareyouspeaktome？\"
\"Whynot？\"saidhe,astonished。
\"Iamnotgoingtoenterintoadiscussionwithyou。YouknowwhatImeanverywell。\"
\"Youmeanthatyouareoffendedwithme;thatisplainenough。
ButwhenIpartwithayoungladyongoodterms,andafteralapseofyears,duringwhichweneithermeetnorcorrespond,sheasksmehowIdarespeaktoher,Iamnaturallystartled。\"
\"Wedidnotpartongoodterms。\"
Trefusisstretchedhiseyebrows,asiftostretchhismemory。\"Ifnot,\"hesaid,\"Ihaveforgottenit,onmyhonor。Whendidwepart,andwhathappened？Itcannothavebeenanythingveryserious,orIshouldrememberit。\"
HisforgetfulnesswoundedAgatha。\"Nodoubtyouarewellaccustomedto——\"Shecheckedherself,andmadeasuccessfulsnatchathernormalmannerwithgentlemen。\"Iscarcelyrememberwhatitwas,nowthatIbegintothink。Sometrifle,Isuppose。
Doyoulikeorchids？\"
\"Theyhavenothingtodowithouraffairsatpresent。Youarenotinearnestabouttheorchids,andyouaretryingtorunawayfromamistakeinsteadofclearingitup。Thatisashort—sightedpolicy,always。\"
Agathagrewalarmed,forshefelthisoldinfluenceoverherreturning。\"Idonotwishtospeakofit,\"shesaidfirmly。
Herfirmnesswaslostonhim。\"Idonotevenknowwhatitmeansyet,\"hesaid,\"andIwanttoknow,forIbelievethereissomemisunderstandingbetweenus,anditisthetrickofyoursextoperpetuatemisunderstandingsbyforbiddingallallusionstothem。
Perhaps,leavingLyvernsohastily,Iforgottofulfilsomepromise,ortosayfarewell,orsomethingofthatsort。ButdoyouknowhowsuddenlyIwascalledaway？IgotatelegramtosaythatHenriettawasdying,andIhadonlytimetochangemyclothes——youremembermydisguise——andcatchtheexpress。And,afterall,shewasdeadwhenIarrived。\"
\"Iknowthat,\"saidAgathauneasily。\"Pleasesaynomoreaboutit。\"
\"Notifitdistressesyou。JustletmehopethatyoudidnotsupposeIblamedyouforyourshareinthematterorthatItoldtheJanseniusesofit。Ididnot。Yes,Ilikeorchids。Aplantthatcansubsistonascrapofboardisaninstanceofnaturalecon——\"
\"YOUblameME！\"criedAgatha。\"_I_nevertoldtheJanseniuses。
WhatwouldtheyhavethoughtofyouifIhad？\"
\"Farworseofyouthanofme,howeverunjustly。Youweretheimmediatecauseofthetragedy;Ionlytheremoteone。Janseniusisnotfar—seeingwhenhisfeelingsaretouched。Fewmenare。\"
\"Idon\'tunderstandyouintheleast。Whattragedydoyoumean？\"
\"Henrietta\'sdeath。Icallitatragedyconventionally。
Seriously,ofcourse,itwascommonplaceenough。\"
Agathastoppedandfacedhim。\"Whatdoyoumeanbywhatyousaidjustnow？YousaidthatIwastheimmediatecauseofthetragedy,andyousaythatyouweretalkingofHenrietta\'s——ofHenrietta。I
hadnothingtodowithherillness。\"
Trefusislookedatherasifconsideringwhetherhewouldgoanyfurther。Then,watchingherwiththecuriosityofavivisector,hesaid:\"Strangetosay,Agatha,\"（sheshrankproudlyattheword）,\"Henriettamighthavebeenalivenowbutforyou。Iamverygladsheisnot;soyouneednotreproachyourselfonmyaccount。ShediedofajourneyshemadetoLyverningreatexcitementanddistress,andinintenselycoldweather。Youcausedhertomakethatjourneybywritingheraletterwhichmadeherjealous。\"
\"Doyoumeantoaccuseme——\"
\"No;stop！\"hesaidhastily,thevivisectingspiritinhimexorcisedbyhershakingvoice;\"Iaccuseyouofnothing。Whydoyounotspeakhonestlytomewhenyouareatyourease？Ifyouconfessyourrealthoughtsonlyundertorture,whocanresistthetemptationtotortureyou？Onemustchargeyouwithhomicidetomakeyouspeakofanythingbutorchids。\"
ButAgathahaddrawnthenewinferencefromtheoldfacts,andwouldnotbetalkedoutofrepudiatingit。\"Itwasnotmyfault,\"
shesaid。\"Itwasyours——altogetheryours。\"
\"Altogether,\"heassented,relievedtofindherindignantinsteadofremorseful。
Shewasnottobesoothedbyaverbalacquiescence。\"Yourbehaviorwasmostunmanly,andItoldyouso,andyoucouldnotdenyit。Youpretendedthatyou——Youpretendedtohavefeelings——YoutriedtomakemebelievethatOh,Iamafooltotalktoyou;youknowperfectlywellwhatImean。\"
\"Perfectly。ItriedtomakeyoubelievethatIwasinlovewithyou。HowdoyouknowIwasnot？\"
Shedisdainedtoanswer;butashewaitedcalmlyshesaid,\"Youhadnorighttobe。\"
\"ThatdoesnotprovethatIwasnot。Come,Agatha,youpretendedtolikemewhenyoudidnotcaretwostrawsaboutme。Youconfessedasmuchinthatfatalletter,whichIhavesomewhereathome。Ithasagreatrentrightacrossit,andthemarkofherheel;shemusthavestampedonitinherrage,poorgirl！SothatIcanshowyourownhandfortheverydeceptionyouaccusedme——withoutproof——ofhavingpracticedonyou。\"
\"Youareclever,andcantwistthings。Whatpleasuredoesitgiveyoutomakememiserable？\"
\"Ha！\"heexclaimed,inanabrupt,sardoniclaugh。\"Idon\'tknow;
youbewitchme,Ithink。\"
Agathamadenoreply,butwalkedonquicklytotheendoftheconservatory,wheretheotherswerewaitingforthem。
\"Wherehaveyoubeen,andwhathaveyoubeendoingallthistime？\"saidJane,asTrefusiscameup,hurryingafterAgatha。\"I
don\'tknowwhatyoucallit,butIcallitperfectlydisgraceful！\"
SirCharlesreddenedathiswife\'sbadtaste,andTrefusisrepliedgravely:\"Wehavebeenadmiringtheorchids,andtalkingaboutthem。MissWylietakesaninterestinthem。\"
CHAPTERXIII
OnemorningGertrudegotaletterfromherfather:
\"MyDearGerty:IhavejustreceivedabillforL110fromMadameSmithforyourdresses。MayIaskyouhowlongthissortofthingistogoon？IneednottellyouthatIhavenotthemeanstosupportyouinsuchextravagance。Iam,asyouknow,alwaysanxiousthatyoushouldgoaboutinastyleworthyofyourposition,butunlessyoucanmanagewithoutcallingonmetopayawayhundredsofpoundseveryseasontoMadameSmith,youhadbettergiveupsocietyandstayathome。Ipositivelycannotaffordit。AsfarasIcansee,goingintosocietyhasnotdoneyoumuchgood。IhadtoraiseL500lastmonthonFranklands;anditistoobadifImustraisemoretopayyourdressmaker。Youmightatleastemploysomecivilperson,oronewhosechargesaremoderate。MadameSmithtellsmethatshewillnotwaitanylonger,andchargesL50forasingledress。Ihopeyoufullyunderstandthattheremustbeanendtothis。
\"IhearfromyourmotherthatyoungErskineiswithyouatBrandon\'s。Idonotthinkmuchofhim。Heisnotwelloff,norlikelytogeton,ashehastakentopoetryandsoforth。IamtoldalsothatamannamedTrefusisvisitsattheBeechesagooddealnow。Hemustbeafool,forhecontestedthelastBirminghamelection,andcameoutatthefootofthepollwiththirty—twovotesthroughcallinghimselfaSocialDemocratorsomesuchforeignrubbish,insteadofsayingoutlikeamanthathewasaRadical。Isupposethenamestuckinhisthroat,forhismotherwasoneoftheHowardsofBreconcastle;sohehasgoodbloodinhim,thoughhisfatherwasnobody。Iwishhehadyourbillstopay;hecouldbuyandsellmetentimesover,afterallmytwenty—fiveyears\'service。
\"AsIamthinkingofgettingsomethingdonetothehouse,Ihadratheryoudidnotcomebackthismonth,ifyoucanpossiblyholdonatBrandon\'s。Remembermetohim,andgiveourkindregardstohiswife。Ishouldbeobligedifyouwouldgathersomehemlockleavesandsendthemtome。Iwantthemformyointment;thestuffthechemistssellisnogood。Yourmother\'seyesarebadagain;andyourbrotherBerkeleyhasbeengambling,andseemstothinkIoughttopayhisdebtsforhim。Iamgreatlyworriedoveritall,andIhopethat,untilyouhavesettledyourself,youwillbemorereasonable,andnotruntheseeverlastingbillsuponme。Youareenjoyingyourselfoutofreachofalltheunpleasantness;butitbearshardlyupon\"Youraffectionatefather,\"C。B。LINDSAY。\"
AfaintsketchofthelinesTimeintendedtoengraveonGertrude\'sbrowappearedthereasshereadtheletter;butshehastenedtogivetheadmiral\'skindregardstoherhostandhostess,anddiscussedhermother\'shealthfeelinglywiththem。
Afterbreakfastshewenttothelibrary,andwroteherreply:
\"BRANDONBEECHES,\"Tuesday。
\"DearPapa:ConsideringthatitismorethanthreeyearssinceyoupaidMadameSmithlast,andthatthenherbill,whichincludedmycourtdress,wasonlyL150,IcannotseehowIcouldpossiblyhavebeenmoreeconomical,unlessyouexpectmetogoinrags。IamsorrythatMadameSmithhasaskedforthemoneyatsuchaninconvenienttime,butwhenIbeggedyoutopayhersomethinginMarchlastyearyoutoldmetokeepherquietbygivingheragoodorder。Iamnotsurprisedathernotbeingverycivil,asshehasplentyoftradesmen\'sdaughtersamonghercustomerswhopayhermorethanL300ayearfortheirdresses。I
amwearingaskirtatpresentwhichIgottwoyearsago。
\"SirCharlesisgoingtotownonThursday;hewillbringyouthehemlock。Tellmammathatthereisanoldwomanherewhoknowssomewonderfulcureforsoreeyes。Shewillnottellwhattheingredientsare,butitcureseveryone,andthereisnouseingivinganoculisttwoguineasfortellingusthatreadinginbedisbadfortheeyes,whenweknowperfectlywellthatmammawillnotgiveupdoingit。IfyoupayBerkeley\'sdebts,donotforgetthatheowesmeL3。
\"Anotherschoolfellowofmineisstayingherenow,andIthinkthatMr。Trefusiswillhavethepleasureofpayingherbillssomeday。HeisagreatpetofLadyBrandon\'s。SirCharleswasangryatfirstbecausesheinvitedhimhere,andwewereal1surprisedatit。Themanhasabadreputation,andheadedamobthatthrewdownthewallsofthepark;andwehardlythoughthewouldbecoolenoughtocomeafterthat。Buthedoesnotseemtocarewhetherwewanthimornot;andhecomeswhenhelikes。Ashetalkscleverly,wefindhimagodsendinthisdullplace。Itisreallynotsuchaparadiseasyouseemtothink,butyouneednotbeafraidofmyreturninganysoonerthanIcanhelp。
\"Youraffectionatedaughter,\"GertrudeLindsay。
WhenGertrudehadclosedthisletter,andtornupherfather\'s,shethoughtlittlemoreabouteither。Theymighthavemadeherunhappyhadtheyfoundherhappy,butashopelessdiscontentwashernormalstate,andenjoymentbutarareaccident,recriminatorypassageswithherfatheronlyputherintoabadhumor,anddidnotintheleastdisappointorhumiliateher。
Forthesakeofexercise,sheresolvedtocarryherlettertothevillagepostofficeandreturnalongtheRiversideRoad,wherebyshehadseenhemlockgrowing。Shetookcaretogooutunobserved,lestAgathashouldvolunteertowalkwithher,orJanedeclareherintentionofdrivingtothepostofficeintheafternoon,andsulkfortherestofthedayunlessthetriptothevillagewerepostponeduntilthen。Shetookwithher,asaprotectionagainsttramps,abigSt。BernarddognamedMax。Thisanimal,whichwasyoungandenthusiastic,hadtakenastrongfancytoher,andhadexpresseditfranklyandboisterously;andshe,whoseaffectionshadbeenstarvedinherhomeandinsociety,hadencouragedhimwithmorekindnessthanshehadevershowntoanyhumanbeing。
Inthevillage,havingpostedherletter,sheturnedtowardsalanethatledtotheRiversideRoad。Max,unawareofherreasonforchoosingthelongestwayhome,remonstratedbyhaltinginthemiddleofthelane,wagginghistailrapidly,andutteringgruffbarks。
\"Don\'tbestupid,sir,\"saidGertrudeimpatiently。\"Iamgoingthisway。\"
Max,apparentlyunderstanding,rushedafterher,passedher,anddisappearedinacloudofdustraisedbyhisefforttocheckhimselfwhenhehadleftherfarenoughbehind。Whenhecamebackshekissedhisnose,andranaracewithhimuntilshetoowaspanting,andhadtostandstilltorecoverherbreath,whilstheboundedabout,barkingferociously。Shehadnotformanyyearsenjoyedsuchafrolic,andthethoughtofthispresentlybroughttearstohereyes。RatherpeevishlyshebadeMaxbequiet,walkedslowlytocoolherself,andputuphersunshadetoavertfreckles。
Thesunwasnowatthemeridian。OnaslopetoGertrude\'srighthand,Sallust\'sHouse,withitscinnamon—coloredwallsandyellowfrieze,gaveaforeignairtotheotherwiseveryEnglishlandscape。Shepassedbywithoutrememberingwholivedthere。
Furtherdown,onsomewastelandseparatedfromtheroadbyadryditchandalowmudwall,aclusterofhemlocks,nearlysixfeethigh,poisonedtheairwiththeirodor。Shecrossedtheditch,tookapairofgardeningglovesfromherplaitedstrawhand—basket,andbusiedherselfwiththehemlockleaves,pullingthetenderones,separatingthemfromthestalk,andfillingthebasketwiththeweb。SheforgotMaxuntilanimpressionofdeadsilence,asiftheearthhadstopped,causedhertolookroundinvaguedread。Trefusis,withhishandabandonedtothedog,whowastryinghowmuchofithecouldcramintohismouth,wasstandingwithinafewyardsofher,watchingherintently。
Gertrudeturnedpale,andcameouthastilyfromamongthebushes。
Thenshehadastrangesensationasifsomethinghadhappenedhighaboveherhead。Therewasathreateninggrowl,acommandingexclamation,andanunaccountablepause,attheexpirationofwhichshefoundherselfsupineonthesward,withherparasolbetweenhereyesandthesun。AsuddenscoopofMax\'swetwarmtongueinherrightearstartledherintoactivity。Shesatup,andsawTrefusisonhiskneesathersideholdingtheparasolwithanunconcernedexpression,whilstMaxwassnuffingatherinrestlessanxietyopposite。
\"Imustgohome,\"shesaid。\"Imustgohomeinstantly。\"
\"Notatall,\"saidTrefusis,soothingly。\"Theyhavejustsentwordtosaythateverythingissettledsatisfactorilyandthatyouneednotcome。\"
\"Havethey？\"shesaidfaintly。Thenshelaydownagain,anditseemedtoherthataverylongtimeelapsed。SuddenlyrecollectingthatTrefusishadsupportedhergentlywithhishandtopreventherfallingbacktoorudely,sheroseagain,andthistimegotuponherfeetwithhishelp。
\"Imustgohome,\"shesaidagain。\"Itisamatteroflifeordeath。\"