\"No,no,\"hesaidsoftly。\"Itisallright。Youmaydependonme。\"
Shelookedathimearnestly。Hehadtakenherhandtosteadyher,forshewasswayingalittle。\"Areyousure,\"shesaid,graspinghisarm。\"Areyouquitesure？\"
\"Absolutelycertain。YouknowIamalwaysright,doyounot？\"
\"Yes,oh,yes;youhavealwaysbeentruetome。You——\"Herehersensescamebackwitharush。Droppinghishandasifithadbecomeredhot,shesaidsharply,\"Whatareyoutalkingabout？\"
\"Idon\'tknow,\"hesaid,resuminghisindifferentmannerwithalaugh。\"Areyoubetter？LetmedriveyoutotheBeeches。Mystableiswithinastone\'sthrow;Icangetatrapoutintenminutes。\"
\"No,thankyou,\"saidGertrudehaughtily。\"Idonotwishtodrive。\"Shepaused,andaddedinsomebewilderment,\"Whathashappened？\"
\"Youfainted,and——\"
\"Ididnotfaint,\"saidGertrudeindignantly。\"Ineverfaintedinmylife。\"
\"Yes,youdid。\"
\"Pardonme,Mr。Trefusis。Ididnot。\"
\"Youshalljudgeforyourself。IwascomingthroughthisfieldwhenIsawyougatheringhemlock。HemlockisinterestingonaccountofSocrates,andyouwereinterestingasayoungladygatheringpoison。SoIstoppedtolookon。Presentlyyoucameoutfromamongthebushesasifyouhadseenasnakethere。Thenyoufellintomyarms——whichledmetosupposethatyouhadfainted——andMax,concludingthatitwasallmyfault,nearlysprangatmythroat。Youwereoverpoweredbythescentofthewater—hemlock,whichyoumusthavebeeninhalingfortenminutesormore。\"
\"Ididnotknowthattherewasanydanger,\"saidGertrude,crestfallen。\"IfeltverytiredwhenIcameto。ThatwaswhyI
laysolongthesecondtime。Ireallycouldnothelpit。\"
\"Youdidnotlieverylong。\"
\"NotwhenIfirstfell;thatwasonlyafewseconds,Iknow。ButImusthavelaintherenearlytenminutesafterIrecovered。\"
\"Youwerenearlyaminuteinsensiblewhenyoufirstfell,andwhenyourecoveredyouonlyrestedforaboutonesecond。Afterthatyouraved,andIinventedsuitableanswersuntilyousuddenlyaskedmewhatIwastalkingabout。\"
Gertrudereddenedalittleasthepossibilityofherhavingravedindiscreetlyoccurredtoher。\"Itwasverysillyofmetofaint,\"
shesaid。
\"Youcouldnothelpit;youareonlyhuman。IshallwalkwithyoutotheBeeches。\"
\"Thankyou;Iwillnottroubleyou,\"shesaidquickly。
Heshookhishead。\"Idonotknowhowlongtheeffectofthatabominablewater—weedmaylast,\"hesaid,\"andIdarenotleaveyoutowalkalone。IfyoupreferitIcansendyouinatrapwithmygardener,butIhadratheraccompanyyoumyself。\"
\"Youaregivingyourselfagreatdealofunnecessarytrouble。I
willwalk。Iamquitewellagainandneednoassistance。\"
Theystartedwithoutanotherword。Gertrudehadtoconcentrateallherenergytoconcealfromhimthatshewasgiddy。Numbnessandlassitudecreptuponher,andshewasbeginningtohopethatshewasonlydreamingitallwhenherousedherbysaying,\"Takemyarm。\"
\"No,thankyou。\"
\"Donotbesosenselesslyobstinate。Youwillhavetoleanonthehedgeforsupportifyourefusemyhelp。IamsorryIdidnotinsistongettingthetrap。\"
Gertrudehadnotbeenspokentointhistonesinceherchildhood。
\"Iamperfectlywell,\"shesaidsharply。\"Youarereallyveryofficious。\"
\"Youarenotperfectlywell,andyouknowit。However,ifyoumakeabravestruggle,youwillprobablybeabletowalkhomewithoutmyassistance,andtheeffortmaydoyougood。\"
\"Youareveryrude,\"shesaidperemptorily。
\"Iknowit,\"herepliedcalmly。\"Youwillfindthreeclassesofmenpolitetoyou——slaves,menwhothinkmuchoftheirmannersandnothingofyou,andyourlovers。Iamnoneofthese,andthereforegiveyoubackyourillmannerswithinterest。Whydoyouresistyourgoodangelbysuppressingthosenaturalandsincereimpulseswhichcometoyouoftenenough,andsometimesbringalookintoyourfacethatmighttameabear——alookwhichyouhastentoextinguishasathiefdarkenshislanternatthesoundofafootstep。\"
\"Mr。Trefusis,Iamnotaccustomedtobelectured。\"
\"ThatiswhyIlectureyou。Ifeltcurioustoseehowyourgoodbreeding,bywhichIthinkyousetsomestore,wouldserveyouinentirelynovelcircumstances——thoseofamanspeakinghismindtoyou,forinstance。Whatistheresultofmyexperiment？InsteadofrebukingmewiththesweetnessanddignitywhichIcouldnot,inspiteofmypastobservation,helpexpectingfromyou,youchurlishlyrepelmyofferoftheassistanceyouneed,tellmethatIamveryrude,veryofficious,and,inshort,dowhatyoucantomakemypositiondisagreeableandhumiliating。\"
Shelookedathimhaughtily,buthisexpressionwasvoidofoffenceorfear,andhecontinued,unanswered。
\"Iwouldbearallthisfromaworkingwomanwithoutremonstrance,forshewouldowemenogracesofmannerormorals。Butyouarealady。Thatmeansthatmanyhavestarvedanddrudgedinuncleanlydiscomfortinorderthatyoumayhavewhiteandunbrokenhands,finegarments,andexquisitemanners——thatyoumaybealivingfountainofthoseinfluencesthatsoftenournaturesandlives。
Whensuchacostlythingasaladybreaksdownatthefirsttouchofafirmhand,Ifeeljustifiedincomplaining。\"
Gertrudewalkedonquickly,andsaidbetweenherteeth,\"Idon\'twanttohearanyofyourabsurdviews,Mr。Trefusis。\"
Helaughed。\"Myunfortunateviews！\"hesaid。\"WheneverImakeaninconvenientremarkitisalwayssetasideasanexpressionofcertaindangerouscrazeswithwhichIamsupposedtobeafflicted。WhenIpointouttoSirCharlesthatoneofhisfavoriteartistshasnotaccuratelyobservedsomethingbeforeattemptingtodrawit,hereplies,\'Youknowourviewsdifferonthesethings,Trefusis。\'WhenItoldMissWylie\'sguardianthathisemigrationschemewaslittlebetterthanafraud,hesaid,\'Youmustexcuseme,butIcannotenterintoyourpeculiarviews。\'OneofmyviewsatpresentisthatMissLindsayismoreamiableundertheinfluenceofhemlockthanunderthatofthesocialsystemwhichhasmadehersounhappy。\"
\"Well！\"exclaimedGertrude,outraged。Then,afterapause,\"IwasundertheimpressionthatIhadacceptedtheescortofagentleman。\"Then,afteranotherpause,Trefusisbeingquiteundisturbed,\"HowdoyouknowthatIamunhappy？\"
\"Byacertaindefectinyourcountenance,whichlacksthecrowningbeautyofhappiness;andacertaindefectinyourvoicewhichwillneverdisappearuntilyoulearntoloveorpitythosetowhomyouspeak。\"
\"Youarewrong,\"saidGertrude,withcalmdisdain。\"Youdonotunderstandmeintheleast。Iamparticularlyattachedtomyfriends。\"
\"ThenIhaveneverseenyouintheircompany。\"
\"Youarestillwrong。\"
\"Thenhowcanyouspeakasyoudo,lookasyoudo,actasyoudo？\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？HOWdoIlookandact？\"
\"LikeoneoftherailingsofBelgraveSquare,cursedwithconsciousnessofitself,fearsofthejudgmentoftheotherrailings,anddoubtsoftheirfitnesstostandinthesamerowwithit。Youarecold,mistrustful,crueltonervousorclumsypeople,andmoreafraidofthecriticismsofthosewithwhomyoudanceanddinethanofyourconscience。Allofwhichpreventsyoufromlookinglikeanangel。\"
\"Thankyou。Doyouconsiderpayingcomplimentstheperfectionofgentlemanlybehavior？\"
\"HaveIbeenpayingyoumany？Thatlastremarkofminewasnotmeantasone。Onmyhonor,theangelswillnotdisappointmeiftheyarenolovelierthanyoushouldbeifyouhadthatlookinyourfaceandthattoneinyourvoiceIspokeofjustnow。Itcanhardlydispleaseyoutohearthat。IfIwereparticularlyhandsomemyself,Ishouldliketobetoldso。\"
\"IamsorryIcannottellyouso。\"
\"Oh！Ha！ha！Whataretort,MissLindsay！Youarenotsorryeither;youareratherglad。\"
Gertrudeknewit,andwasangrywithherself,notbecauseherretortwasfalse,butbecauseshethoughtitunladylike。\"Youhavenorighttoannoyme,\"sheexclaimed,inspiteofherself。
\"Nonewhatever,\"hesaid,humbly。\"IfIhavedoneso,forgivemebeforewepart。Iwillgonofurtherwithyou;Maxwillgivethealarmifyoufaintintheavenue,whichIdon\'tthinkyouarelikelytodo,asyouhaveforgottenallaboutthehemlock。\"
\"Oh,howmaddening！\"shecried。\"Ihaveleftmybasketbehind。\"
\"Nevermind;Iwillfinditandhaveitfilledandsenttoyou。\"
\"Thankyou。Iamsorrytotroubleyou。\"
\"Notatall。Ihopeyoudonotwantthehemlocktohelpyoutogetridoftheburdenoflife。\"
\"Nonsense。Iwantitformyfather,whousesitformedicine。\"
\"Iwillbringitmyselfto—morrow。Isthatsoonenough？\"
\"Quite。Iaminnohurry。Thankyou,Mr。Trefusis。Good—bye。\"
Shegavehimherhand,andevensmiledalittle,andthenhurriedaway。Hestoodwatchingherasshepassedalongtheavenueunderthebeeches。Once,whenshecameintoabandofsunlightatagapinthetrees,shemadesoprettyafigureinherspringdressofvioletandwhitethathiseyeskindledashegazed。Hetookouthisnote—book,andenteredhernameandthedate,withabriefmemorandum。
\"Ihavethawedher,\"hesaidtohimselfasheputuphisbook。
\"SheshalllearnalessonortwotohandontoherchildrenbeforeIhavedonewithher。Atrifleunderbred,too,orshewouldnotinsistsomuchonherbreeding。Henriettausedtowearadresslikethat。Iamgladtoseethatthereisnodangerofhertakingtomepersonally。\"
Heturnedaway,andsawacronepassing,bendingbeneathabundleofsticks。Heeyeditcuriously;andshescowledathimandhurriedon。
\"Hallo,\"hesaid。
Shecontinuedforafewsteps,buthercouragefailedherandshestopped。
\"YouareMrs。Hickling,Ithink？\"
\"Yes,pleaseyourworship。\"
\"YouarethewomanwhocarriedawayanoldwoodengatethatlayonSirCharlesBrandon\'slandlastwinteranduseditforfirewood。Youwereimprisonedforsevendaysforit。\"
\"Youmaysendmethereagainifyoulike,\"sheretorted,inacrackedvoice,assheturnedatbay。\"ButtheLordwillmakemeevenwithyousomeday。Cursedbethemthatoppressthepoorandneedy;itisoneofthesevendeadlysins。\"
\"Thosegreenlathsonyourbackaretheremainderofmygardengate,\"hesaid。\"YoutookthefirsthalflastSaturday。Nexttimeyouwantfuelcometothehouseandaskforcoals,andletmygatesalone。Isupposeyoucanenjoyafirewithoutstealingthecombustibles。Stow256paymeformygatebytellingmesomethingIwanttoknow。\"
\"Andakindgentlemantoo,sir;blessings。\"
\"Whatisthehemlockgoodfor？\"
\"Thehemlock,kindgentleman？Fortheevil,sir,tobesure。\"
\"Scrofulousulcers！\"heexclaimed,recoiling。\"Thefatherofthatbeautifulgirl！\"Heturnedhomeward,andtrudgedalongwithhisheadbent,muttering,\"Allrottentothebone。Oh,civilization！
civilization！civilization！\"
CHAPTERXIV
\"WhathascomeoverGertrude？\"saidAgathaonedaytoLadyBrandon。
\"Why？Isanythingthematterwithher？\"
\"Idon\'tknow;shehasnotbeenthesamesinceshepoisonedherself。Andwhydidshenottellaboutit？ButforTrefusisweshouldneverhaveknown。\"
\"Gertrudealwaysmadesecretsofthings。\"
\"Shewasinaviletemperfortwodaysafter;andnowsheisquitechanged。Shefallsintolongreveries,anddoesnothearawordofwhatisgoingonaround。Thenshestartsintolifeagain,andbegsyourpardonwiththegreatestsweetnessfornotcatchingwhatyouhavesaid。\"
\"Ihateherwhensheispolite;itisnotnaturaltoher。Astohergoingtosleep,thatistheeffectofthehemlock。Weknowamanwhotookaspoonfulofstrychnineinabath,andheneverwasthesameafterwards。\"
\"IthinksheismakinguphermindtoencourageErskine,\"saidAgatha。\"WhenIcameherehehardlydaredspeaktoher——atleast,shealwayssnubbedhim。Nowsheletshimtalkasmuchashelikes,andactuallysendshimonmessagesandallowshimtocarrythingsforher。\"
\"Yes。IneversawanybodylikeGertrudeinmylife。InLondon,ifmenwereattentivetoher,shesatonthemforbeingofficious;
andiftheyletheraloneshewasangryatbeingneglected。
Erskineisquitegoodenoughforher,Ithink。\"
HereErskineappearedatthedoorandlookedroundtheroom。
\"She\'snothere,\"saidJane。
\"IamseekingSirCharles,\"hesaid,withdrawingsomewhatstiffly。
\"Whatalie！\"saidJane,discomfitedbyhisreceptionofherjest。\"HewastalkingtoSirCharlestenminutesagointhebilliardroom。Menaresuchconceitedfools！\"
Agathahadstrolledtothewindow,andwaslookingdiscontentedlyattheprospect,asshehadoftendoneatschoolwhenalone,andsometimesdidnowinsociety。Thedooropenedagain,andSirCharlesappeared。He,too,lookedround,butwhenhisrovingglancereachedAgatha,itcastanchor;andhecamein。
\"Areyoubusyjustnow,MissWylie？\"heasked。
\"Yes,\"saidJanehastily。\"Sheisgoingtowritealetterforme。\"
\"Really,Jane,\"hesaid,\"IthinkyouareoldenoughtowriteyourletterswithouttroublingMissWylie。\"
\"WhenIdowritemyownlettersyoualwaysfindfaultwiththem,\"
sheretorted。
\"Ithoughtperhapsyoumighthaveleisuretotryoveraduetwithme,\"hesaid,turningtoAgatha。
\"Certainly,\"shereplied,hopingtosmoothmattersbyhumoringhim。\"Theletterwilldoanytimebeforeposthour。\"
Janereddened,andsaidshortly,\"Iwillwriteitmyself,ifyouwillnot。\"
SirCharlesquitelosthistemper。\"Howcanyoubesodamnablyrude？\"hesaid,turninguponhiswife。\"WhatobjectionhaveyoutomysingingduetswithMissWylie？\"
\"Nicelanguagethat！\"saidJane。\"IneversaidIobjected;andyouhavenorighttodragherawaytothepianojustwhensheisgoingtowritealetterforme。\"
\"IdonotwishMissWylietodoanythingexceptwhatpleasesherbest。Itseemstomethatwritingletterstoyourtradespeoplecannotbeaverypleasantoccupation。\"
\"Praydon\'tmindme,\"saidAgatha。\"Itisnottheleasttroubletome。IusedtowriteallJane\'slettersforheratschool。
SupposeIwritetheletterfirst,andthenwecanhavetheduet。
Youwillnotmindwaitingfiveminutes？\"
\"Icanwaitaslongasyouplease,ofcourse。ButitseemssuchanabsurdabuseofyourgoodnaturethatIcannothelpprotest！\"
\"Oh,letitwait！\"exclaimedJane。\"SucharidiculousfusstomakeaboutaskingAgathatowritealetter,justbecauseyouhappentowanthertoplayyouyourduets！Iamcertainsheisheartilysickandtiredofthem。\"
Agatha,toescapethealtercation,wenttothelibraryandwrotetheletter。Whenshereturnedtothedrawing—room,shefoundnoonethere;butSirCharlescameinpresently。
\"Iamsosorry,MissWylie,\"hesaid,asheopenedthepianoforher,\"thatyoushouldbeincommodedbecausemywifeissillyenoughtobejealous。\"
\"Jealous！\"
\"Ofcourse。Idiocy！\"
\"Oh,youaremistaken,\"saidAgatha,incredulously。\"Howcouldshepossiblybejealousofme？\"
\"Sheisjealousofeverybodyandeverything,\"herepliedbitterly,\"andshecaresfornobodyandfornothing。YoudonotknowwhatIhavetoenduresometimesfromher。\"
Agathathoughthermostdiscreetcoursewastositdownimmediatelyandbegin\"Iwouldthatmylove。\"Whilstsheplayedandsang,shethoughtoverwhatSirCharleshadjustletslip。
Shehadfoundhimapleasantcompanion,light—hearted,fondofmusicandfun,politeandconsiderate,appreciativeofhertalents,quick—wittedwithoutbeingoppressivelyclever,and,asamarriedman,disinterestedinhisattentions。Butitnowoccurredtoherthatperhapstheyhadbeenagooddealtogetheroflate。
SirCharleshadbythistimewanderedfromhispartintohers;
andhenowrecalledhertothemusicbystoppingtoaskwhetherhewasright。Knowingbyexperiencewhathisdifficultywaslikelytobe,shegavehimhisnoteandwenton。TheyhadnotbeensinginglongwhenJanecamebackandsatdown,expressingahopethatherpresencewouldnotdisturbthem。Itdiddisturbthem。Agathasuspectedthatshehadcometheretowatchthem,andSirCharlesknewit。Besides,LadyBrandon,evenwhenhermindwastranquil,washabituallyrestless。Shecouldnotspeakbecauseofthemusic,and,thoughsheheldanopenbookinherhand,shecouldnotreadandwatchsimultaneously。Shegaped,andleanedtooneendofthesofauntil,onthepointofoverbalancing\'sherecoveredherselfwithaprodigiousbounce。
Thefloorvibratedathereverymovement。Atlastshecouldkeepsilencenolonger。
\"Oh,dear！\"shesaid,yawningaudibly。\"Itmustbefiveo\'clockattheveryearliest。\"
Agathaturnedrounduponthepiano—stool,feelingthatmusicandLadyBrandonwereincompatible。SirCharles,forhisguest\'ssake,triedhardtorestrainhisexasperation。
\"Probablyyourwatchwilltellyou,\"hesaid。
\"Thankyoufornothing,\"saidJane。\"Agatha,whereisGertrude？\"
\"HowcanMissWyliepossiblytellyouwheresheis,Jane？Ithinkyouhavegonemadto—day。\"
\"SheismostlikelyplayingbilliardswithMr。Erskine,\"saidAgatha,interposingquicklytoforestallaretortfromJane,withitsusualsequelofadomesticsquabble。
\"IthinkitisverystrangeofGertrudetopassthewholedaywithChesterinthebilliardroom,\"saidJanediscontentedly。
\"Thereisnottheslightestimproprietyinherdoingso,\"saidSirCharles。\"IfourhospitalitydoesnotplaceMissLindsayabovesuspicion,themoreshameforus。Howwouldyoufeelifanyoneelsemadesucharemark？\"
\"Oh,stuff！\"saidJanepeevishly。\"Youarealwayspreachinglongrigmarolesaboutnothingatall。IdidnotsaytherewasanyimproprietyaboutGertrude。Sheistoopropertobepleasant,inmyopinion。\"
SirCharles,unabletotrusthimselffurther,frownedandlefttheroom,Janespeedinghimwithacontemptuouslaugh。
\"Don\'teverbesuchafoolastogetmarried,\"shesaid,whenhewasgone。Shelookedupasshespoke,andwasalarmedtoseeAgathaseatedonthepianoforte,withheranklesswingingintheoldschoolfashion。
\"Jane,\"shesaid,surveyingherhostesscoolly,\"doyouknowwhatIwoulddoifIwereSirCharles？\"
Janedidnotknow。
\"Iwouldgetabigstick,beatyoublackandblue,andthenlockyouuponbreadandwaterforaweek。\"
Janehalfrose,redandangry。\"Wh——why？\"shesaid,relapsinguponthesofa。
\"IfIwereaman,Iwouldnot,formerechivalry\'ssake,letawomantreatmelikeatroublesomedog。Youwantasoundthrashing。\"
\"I\'dliketoseeanybodythrashme,\"saidJane,risingagainanddisplayingherformidablepersonerect。Thensheburstintotears,andsaid,\"Iwon\'thavesuchthingssaidtomeinmyownhouse。Howdareyou？\"
\"Youdeserveitforbeingjealousofme,\"saidAgatha。
Jane\'seyesdilatedangrily。\"I！——I！——jealousofyou！\"Shelookedround,asifforamissile。Notfindingone,shesatdownagain,andsaidinavoicestifledwithtears,\"J——JealousofYOU,indeed！\"
\"Youhavegoodreasontobe,forheisfonderofmethanofyou。\"
Janeopenedhermouthandeyesconvulsively,butonlyutteredagasp,andAgathaproceededcalmly,\"Iampolitetohim,whichyouneverare。WhenhespeakstomeIallowhimtofinishhissentencewithoutexpressing,asyoudo,aforegoneconclusionthatitisnotworthattendingto。Idonotyawnandtalkwhilstheissinging。Whenheconverseswithmeonartorliterature,aboutwhichheknowstwiceasmuchasIdo,andatleasttentimesasmuchasyou\"（Janegaspedagain）\"Idonotmakeasillyanswerandturntomyneighborattheothersidewitharemarkaboutthetablesortheweather。Whenheiswillingtobepleased,ashealwaysis,Iamwillingtobepleasant。Andthatiswhyhelikesme。\"
\"HedoesNOTlikeyou。Heisthesametoeveryone。\"
\"Excepthiswife。Helikesmesomuchthatyou,likeagreatgooseasyouare,cameupheretowatchusatourduets,andmadeyourselfasdisagreeableasyoupossiblycouldwhilstIwasmakingmyselfcharming。Thepoormanwasashamedofyou。\"
\"Hewasn\'t,\"saidJane,sobbing。\"Ididn\'tdoanything。Ididn\'tsayanything。Iwon\'tbearit。Iwillgetadivorce。Iwill——\"
\"Youwillmendyourwaysifyouhaveanysenseleft,\"saidAgatharemorselessly。\"Donotmakesuchanoise,orsomeonewillcometoseewhatisthematter,andIshallhavetogetdownfromthepiano,whereIamverycomfortable。\"
\"Itisyouwhoarejealous。\"
\"Oh,isit,Jane？IhavenotallowedSirCharlestofallinlovewithmeyet,butIcandosoveryeasily。Whatwillyouwagerthathewillnotkissmebeforeto—morrowevening？\"
\"Itwillbeverymeanandnastyofyouifhedoes。YouseemtothinkthatIcanbetreatedlikeachild。\"
\"Soyouareachild,\"saidAgatha,descendingfromherperchandpreparingtogo。\"Anoccasionalslappingdoesyougood。\"
\"ItisnothingtoyouwhetherIagreewithmyhusbandornot,\"
saidJanewithsuddenfierceness。
\"Notifyouquarrelwithhiminprivate,aswellbredcouplesdo。
Butwhenitoccursinmypresenceitmakesmeuncomfortable,andIobjecttobeingmadeuncomfortable。\"
\"YouwouldnotbehereatallifIhadnotaskedyou。\"
\"Justthinkhowdullthehousewouldbewithoutme,Jane！\"
\"Indeed！Itwasnotdullbeforeyoucame。Gertrudealwaysbehavedlikealady,atleast。\"
\"Iamsorrythatherexamplewassoutterlylostonyou。\"
\"Iwon\'tbearit,\"saidJanewithasobandaplungeuponthesofathatmadethelustresofthechandeliersrattle。\"Iwouldn\'thaveaskedyouifIhadthoughtyoucouldbesohateful。Iwillneveraskyouagain。\"
\"IwillmakeSirCharlesdivorceyouforincompatibilityoftemperandmarryme。ThenIshallhavetheplacetomyself。\"
\"Hecan\'tdivorcemeforthat,thankgoodness。Youdon\'tknowwhatyou\'retalkingabout。\"
Agathalaughed。\"Come,\"shesaidgood—humoredly,\"don\'tbeanoldass,Jane。Washyourfacebeforeanyoneseesit,andrememberwhatIhavetoldyouaboutSirCharles。\"
\"Itisveryhardtobecalledanassinone\'sownhouse。\"
\"Itishardertobetreatedasone,likeyourhusband。Iamgoingtolookforhiminthebilliardroom。\"
Janeranafterher,andcaughtherbythesleeve。
\"Agatha,\"shepleaded,\"promisemethatyouwon\'tbemean。Saythatyouwon\'tmakelovetohim。\"
\"Iwillconsideraboutit,\"repliedAgathagravely。
Janeutteredagroanandsankintoachair,whichcreakedattheshock。Agathaturnedonthethreshold,andseeinghershakingherhead,pressinghereyes,andtappingwithherheelinarestrainedfrenzy,saidquickly,\"HerearetheWaltons,andtheFitzgeorges,andMr。Trefusiscomingupstairs。Howdoyoudo,Mrs。Walton？LadyBrandonwillbeSOgladtoseeyou。Good—evening,Mr。Fitzgeorge。\"
Janesprangup,wipedhereyes,and,withherhandsonherhair,smoothingit,rushedtoamirror。Novisitorsappearing,sheperceivedthatshewas,forperhapsthehundredthtimeinherlife,thevictimofanimposturedevisedbyAgatha。She,gratifiedbythesuccessofherattempttoregainheroldascendancyoverJane——shehadmadeitwithmisgiving,notwithstandingherapparentconfidence——wentdownstairstothelibrary,whereshefoundSirCharlesgloomilytryingtodrownhisdomestictroublesinartcriticism。
\"Ithoughtyouwereinthebilliardroom,\"saidAgatha。
\"Ionlypeepedin,\"hereplied;\"butasIsawsomethingparticulargoingon,Ithoughtitbesttoslipaway,andIhavebeenaloneeversince。\"
ThesomethingparticularwhichSirCharleshadnotwishedtointerruptwasonlyagameofbilliards。