Can\'thelpit,andmoreover,sir,speakingforself,don\'twantto。
We\'llhavenoloosemoralsinpubliclifedownhere,pleaseGod！\"
Therewasrealfeelinginhiswords;then,catchingsightofCourtier\'sface,headded:\"Doyouknowthislady？\"
\"Eversinceshewasachild。Anyonewhospeaksevilofher,hastoreckonwithme。\"
Themanwiththerefinedfacesaidearnestly:
\"Believeme,Mr。Courtier,Ientirelysympathize。Wehadnothingtodowiththeparagraph。It\'soneofthoseincidentswhereonebenefitsagainstone\'swill。MostunfortunatethatshecameoutontothegreenwithLordMiltoun;youknowwhatpeopleare。\"
\"It\'sthehead—linethatdoesit;\"saidthethirdCommittee—man;\"they\'veputwhatwillattractthepublic。\"
\"Idon\'tknow,Idon\'tknow,\"saidthelittle—eyedmanstubbornly;
\"ifLordMiltounwillspendhiseveningswithlonelyladies,hecan\'tblameanybodybuthimself。\"
Courtierlookedfromfacetoface。
\"Thisclosesmyconnectionwiththecampaign,\"hesaid:\"What\'stheaddressofthispaper？\"Andwithoutwaitingforananswer,hetookupthejournalandhobbledfromtheroom。Hestoodaminuteoutsidefindingtheaddress,thenmadehiswaydownthestreet。
CHAPTERVIII
BythesideoflittleAnn,Barbarasatleaningbackamongstthecushionsofthecar。Inspiteofbeingalreadylaunchedintohigh—
castelifewhichbringswithitanearlyknowledgeoftheworld,shehadstillsomeoftheeagernessinherfacewhichmakeschildrenlovable。YetshelookednegligentlyenoughatthecitizensofBucklandbury,beingalreadyalittleconsciousofthestrangemixtureofsentimentpeculiartohercountrymeninpresenceofherself——thatcuriousexpressionontheirfacesresultingfromthecontinualattempttolookdowntheirnoseswhileslantingtheireyesupwards。
Yes,shewasalreadyalivetothatmysteriousglancewhichhadbuiltthenationalhouseandinsureditafterwards——foetocynicism,pessimism,andanythingFrenchorRussian;parentofallthenationalvirtues,andallthenationalvices;ofidealismandmuddle—
headedness,ofindependenceandservility;fostererofconduct,murdererofspeculation;lookingup,andlookingdown,butneverstraightatanything;mosthigh,mostdeep,mostqueer;andeverbubbling—upfromtheessentialWellofEmulation。
Surroundedbythatglance,waitingforCourtier,Barbara,notlessBritishthanherneighbours,wassecretlyslantingherowneyesupanddownovertheabsentfigureofhernewacquaintance。Shetoowantedsomethingshecouldlookupto,andatthesametimeseedamnedfirst。Andinthisknight—errantitseemedtoherthatshehadgotit。
Hewasacreaturefromanotherworld。Shehadmetmanymen,butnotasyetonequiteofthissort。Itwasrathernicetobewithacleverman,whohadnonethelessdonesomanyoutdoorthings,beenthroughsomanybodilyadventures。Themerewriters,oreventhe\'Bohemians,\'whomsheoccasionallymet,wereafterallonly\'chaplainstotheCourt,\'necessarytokeeparistocracyintouchwiththelatestdevelopmentsofliteratureandart。ButthisMr。Courtierwasamanofaction;hecouldnotbelookedonwiththeamused,admiringtolerationsuitedtomenremarkableonlyforideas,andthewaytheyputthemintopaintorink。Hehadused,andcoulduse,thesword,eveninthecauseofPeace。Hecouldlove,hadloved,orsotheysaid:IfBarbarahadbeenagirloftwentyinanotherclass,shewouldprobablyneverhaveheardofthis,andifshehadheard,itmightverywellhavedismayedorshockedher。Butshehadheard,andwithoutshock,becauseshehadalreadylearnedthatmenwerelikethat,andwomentoosometimes。
Itwaswithquitealittlepangofconcernthatshesawhimhobblingdownthestreettowardsher;andwhenhewasoncemoreseated,shetoldthechauffeur:\"Tothestation,Frith。Quick,please！\"andbegan:
\"Youarenottobetrustedabit。Whatwereyoudoing？\"
ButCourtiersmiledgrimlyovertheheadofAnn,insilence。
Atthis,almostthefirsttimeshehadeveryetencounteredadistinctrebuff,Barbaraquivered,asthoughshehadbeentouchedlightlywithawhip。Herlipsclosedfirmly,hereyesbegantodance。\"Verywell,mydear,\"shethought。Butpresentlystealingalookathim,shebecameawareofsuchaqueerexpressiononhisface,thatsheforgotshewasoffended。
\"Isanythingwrong,Mr。Courtier？\"
\"Yes,LadyBarbara,somethingisverywrong——thatmiserablemeanthing,thehumantongue。\"
Barbarahadanintuitiveknowledgeofhowtohandlethings,akindofmoralsangfroid,drawninfromthefacesshehadwatched,thetalkshehadheard,fromheryouthup。Shetrustedthoseintuitions,andlettinghereyesconspirewithhisoverAnn\'sbrownhair,shesaid:
\"AnythingtodowithMrs。N—————？\"Seeing\"Yes\"inhiseyes,sheaddedquickly:\"AndM—————？\"）
Courtiernodded。
\"Ithoughtthatwascoming。Letthembabble！Whocares？\"
Shecaughtanapprovingglance,andtheword,\"Good！\"
ButthecarhaddrawnupatBucklandburyStation。
ThelittlegreyfigureofLadyCasterley,comingoutofthestationdoorway,showedbutslightsignofherlongtravel。Shestoppedtotakethecarin,fromchauffeurtoCourtier。
\"Well,Frith！——Mr。Courtier,isit？Iknowyourbook,andIdon\'tapproveofyou;you\'readangerousman——Howdoyoudo？Imusthavethosetwobags。Thecartcanbringtherest……Randle,getupinfront,anddon\'tgetdusty。Ann！\"ButAnnwasalreadybesidethechauffeur,havinglongplannedthisimprovement。\"H\'m！Soyou\'vehurtyourleg,sir？Keepstill！Wecansitthree……Now,mydear,Icankissyou！You\'vegrown！\"
LadyCasterley\'skiss,oncereceived,wasneverforgotten;neitherperhapswasBarbara\'s。Yettheyweredifferent。For,inthecaseofLadyCasterley,theoldeyes,brightandinvestigating,couldbeseendecidingtheexactspotforthelipstotouch;thenthefacewithitsfirmchinwasdartedforward;thelipspausedasecond,asthoughtomakequitecertain,thensuddenlydughardanddryintothemiddleofthecheek,quaveredforthefractionofasecondasiftryingtoremembertobesoft,andwererelaxedliketheelasticofacatapult。
AndinthecaseofBarbara,firstasortoflightcameintohereyes,thenherchintiltedalittle,thenherlipspoutedalittle,herbodyquivered,asifitweregettingasizelarger,herhairbreathed,therewasasmallsweetsound;itwasover。
Thuskissinghergrandmother,Barbararesumedherseat,andlookedatCourtier。\'Sittingthree\'astheywere,hewastouchingher,anditseemedtohersomehowthathedidnotmind。
Thewindhadrisen,blowingfromtheWest,andsunshinewasflyingonit。Thecallofthecuckoos——alittlesharpened——followedtheswift—
travellingcar。Andthatessentialsweetnessofthemoor,bornoftheheatherrootsandtheSouth—Westwind,wasstealingoutfromundertheyoungferns。
Withherthinnostrilsdistendedtothisscent,LadyCasterleyboreadistinctresemblancetoasmall,finegame—bird。
\"Yousmellnicedownhere,\"shesaid。\"Now,Mr。Courtier,beforeI
forget——whoisthisMrs。LeesNoelthatIhearsomuchof？\"
Atthatquestion,Barbaracouldnothelpslidinghereyesround。HowwouldhestanduptoGranny？Itwasthemomenttoseewhathewasmadeof。Grannywasterrific！
\"Averycharmingwoman,LadyCasterley。\"
\"Nodoubt;butIamtiredofhearingthat。Whatisherstory？\"
\"Hassheone？\"
\"Ha！\"saidLadyCasterley。
EversoslightlyBarbaraletherarmpressagainstCourtiers。ItwassodelicioustohearGrannygettingnoforwarder。
\"Imaytakeitshehasapast,then？\"
\"Notfromme,LadyCasterley。\"
AgainBarbaragavehimthatimperceptibleandflatteringtouch。
\"Well,thisisallverymysterious。Ishallfindoutformyself。
Youknowher,mydear。Youmusttakemetoseeher。\"
\"DearGranny！Ifpeoplehadn\'tpasts,theywouldn\'thavefutures。\"
LadyCasterleyletherlittleclaw—likehanddescendonhergrand—
daughter\'sthigh。
\"Don\'ttalknonsense,anddon\'tstretchlikethat！\"shesaid;\"you\'retoolargealready……\"
Atdinnerthatnighttheywereallinpossessionofthenews。SirWilliamhadbeeninformedbythelocalagentatStaverton,whereLordHarbinger\'sspeechhadsufferedfromsomerudeinterruptions。TheHon。GeoffreyWinlow;havingsenthiswifeon,hadflownoverinhisbiplanefromWinkleigh,andbroughtacopyof\'therag\'withhim。
Theonememberofthesmallhouse—partywhohadnotheardthereportbeforedinnerwasLordDennisFitz—Harold,LadyCasterley\'sbrother。
Little,ofcourse,wassaid。Butaftertheladieshadwithdrawn,Harbinger,withthatplain—spokenspontaneitywhichwassounexpected,perhapsalittleintentionallyso,inconnectionwithhisalmostclassicallyformedface,utteredwordstotheeffectthat,iftheydidnotfundamentallykickthatrumour,itwasallupwithMiltoun。Reallythiswasserious！Andthebeggarsknewit,andtheyweregoingtoworkit。AndMiltounhadgoneuptoTown,nooneknewwhatfor。Itwasthedevilofamess！
Inalltheconversationofthisyoungmantherewasthatpeculiarbrandofvoice,whichseemseverrebuttinganaccusationofbeingserious——abrandofvoiceandmannerwarrantedagainstanythingsaveridicule;andinthefaceofridiculeapttodisappear。Thewords,justalittlesatiricallyspoken:\"Whatis,mydearyoungman？\"
stoppedhimatonce。
LookingforthecomplementandcounterpartofLadyCasterley,onewouldperhapshavesingledoutherbrother。Allherabruptdecisionwasnegatedinhisprofound,ironicalurbanity。Hisvoiceandlookandmannerwerelikehisvelvetcoat,whichhadhereandthereawhitishsheen,asifithadbeentouchedbymoonlight。Hishairtoohadthatsheen。HisverydelicatefeatureswereframedinawhitebeardandmoustacheofElizabethanshape。Hiseyes,hazelandstillclear,lookedoutverystraight,withacertaindrykindliness。Hisface,thoughunweatheredandunseamed,andmuchtoofineandthinintexture,hadacuriousaffinitytothefacesofoldsailorsorfishermenwhohavelivedasimple,practicallifeinthelightofanovermasteringtradition。Itwasthefaceofamanwithaverysetcreed,andinclinedtobesatirictowardsinnovations,examinedbyhimandrejectedfullfiftyyearsago。Onefeltthatabrainnotdevoideitherofsubtletyoraestheticqualityhadlonggivenupallattemptstointerferewithconduct;thatallshrewdnessofspeculationhadgivenplacetoshrewdnessofpracticaljudgmentbasedonverydefiniteexperience。Owingtolackofadvertisingpower,naturaltoonesoconsciousofhisdignityastohavelostallcareforit,andtohisdevotiontoacertainlady,onlyclosedbydeath,hislifehadbeenlived,asitwere,inshadow。Still,hepossessedapeculiarinfluenceinSociety,becauseitwasknowntobeimpossibletogethimtolookatthingsinacomplicatedway。Hewasregardedratherasalastresort,however。\"Badasthat？Well,there\'soldFitz—Harold！Tryhim！Hewon\'tadviseyou,buthe\'llsaysomething。\"
Andintheheartofthatirreverentyoungman,Harbinger,therestirredasortofmisgiving。Hadheexpressedhimselftoofreely？
Hadhesaidanythingtoothick？Hehadforgottentheoldboy！
StirringBertieupwithhisfoot,hemurmured\"Forgotyoudidn\'tknow,sir。Bertiewillexplain。\"
Thuscalledon,Bertie,openinghislipsaverylittleway,andfixinghishalf—closedeyesonhisgreat—uncle,explained。Therewasaladyatthecottage——anicewoman——Mr。Courtierknewher——oldMiltounwenttheresometimes——ratherlatetheotherevening——thesedevilsweremakingthemostofit——suggesting——losehimtheelection,iftheydidn\'tlookout。Perfectrot,ofcourse！
Inhisopinion,oldMiltoun,thoughassteadyasTime,hadbeenaflattoletthewomancomeoutwithhimontotheGreen,showingclearlywherehehadbeen,whenherantoCourtier\'srescue。Youcouldn\'tplayaboutwithwomenwhohadnoformthatanyoneknewanythingof,howeverpromisingtheymightlook。
Then,outofasilenceWinlowasked:Whatwastobedone？ShouldMiltounbewiredfor？Athinglikethisspreadlikewildfire！SirWilliam——amannotaccustomedtounderratedifficulties——wasafraiditwasgoingtobetroublesome。Harbingerexpressedtheopinionthattheeditoroughttobekicked。DidanybodyknowwhatCourtierhaddonewhenheheardofit。Wherewashe——dininginhisroom？BertiesuggestedthatifMiltounwasatValleysHouse,itmightn\'tbetoolatetowiretohim。Thethingoughttobestemmedatonce！Andinallthisconcernaboutthesituationtherekeptcroppingoutquaintlittleoutburstsofdesiretodisregardthewholethingasinfernalinsolence,andmetaphoricallytopunchthebeggars\'heads,naturaltoyoungmenofbreeding。
Then,outofanothersilencecamethevoiceofLordDennis:
\"Iamthinkingofthispoorlady。\"
Turningalittleabruptlytowardsthatdrysuavevoice,andrecoveringtheself—possessionwhichseldomdesertedhim,Harbingermurmured:
\"Quiteso,sir;ofcourse！\"
CHAPTERIX
Inthelesserwithdrawingroom,usedwhentherewassosmallaparty,Mrs。Winlowhadgonetothepianoandwasplayingtoherself,forLadyCasterley,LadyValleys,andhertwodaughtershaddrawntogetherasthoughunitedtofacethisinvadingrumour。
ItwascurioustestimonytoMiltoun\'scharacterthat,nomoreherethaninthedining—hall,wasthereanydoubtoftheintegrityofhisrelationswithMrs。Noel。Butwhereas,therethematterwasconfinedtoitselectioneeringaspect,herethataspectwasalreadyperceivedtobeonlythefringeofitsimportance。Thosefeminineminds,goingwithintuitiveswiftnesstothecoreofanythingwhichaffectedtheirownmales,hadalreadygraspedthefactthattherumourwould,asitwere,chainamanofMiltoun\'stempertothiswoman。
Buttheywerewalkingonsuchathincrustoffacts,andtherewassodeepaquagmireofsuppositionbeneath,thattalkwasalmostpainfullydifficult。NeverbeforeperhapshadeachofthesefourwomenrealizedsoclearlyhowmuchMiltoun——thatratherstrangeandunknowngrandson,son,andbrother——countedintheschemeofexistence。Theirsuppressedagitationwasmanifestedinverydifferentways。LadyCasterley,uprightinherchair,showeditonlybyanaddeddecisionofspeech,acontinualrestlessmovementofonehand,athinlinebetweenherusuallysmoothbrows。LadyValleysworeapuzzledlook,asifalittlesurprisedthatshefeltserious。
Agathalookedfranklyanxious。Shewasinherquietwayawomanofmuchcharacter,endowedwiththatnaturalpiety,whichacceptswithoutquestioningtheestablishedorderinlifeandreligion。Theworldtoherbeinghomeandfamily,shehadareal,ifgentlyexpressed,horrorofallthatsheinstinctivelyfelttobesubversiveofthisideal。Peoplejudgedheralittlequiet,dull,andnarrow;
theycomparedhertoahenforevercluckingroundherchicks。Thestreakofheroismthatlayinhernaturewasnotperhapsofpatentorder。Herfeelingaboutherbrother\'ssituationhoweverwassincereandnottobechangedorcomforted。Shesawhimindangerofbeingdamagedintheonlysenseinwhichshecouldconceiveofaman——asahusbandandafather。Itwasthisthatwenttoherheart,thoughherpietyproclaimedtoheralsotheperilofhissoul;forshesharedtheHighChurchviewoftheindissolubilityofmarriage。
AstoBarbara,shestoodbythehearth,leaningherwhiteshouldersagainstthecarvedmarble,herhandsbehindher,lookingdown。Nowandthenherlipscurled,herlevelbrowstwitched,afaintsighcamefromher;thenalittlesmilewouldbreakout,andbeinstantlysuppressed。Shealonewassilent——YouthcriticizingLife;herjudgmentvoiceditselfonlyintheuntroubledriseandfallofheryoungbosom,theimpatienceofherbrows,thedownwardlookofherblueeyes,fullofalazy,inextinguishablelight:
LadyValleyssighed。
\"Ifonlyheweren\'tsuchaqueerboy！He\'squitecapableofmarryingherfromsheerperversity。\"
\"What！\"saidLadyCasterley。
\"Youhaven\'tseenher,mydear。Amostunfortunatelyattractivecreature——quiteacharmingface。\"
Agathasaidquietly:
\"Mother,ifshewasdivorced,Idon\'tthinkEustacewould。\"
\"There\'sthat,certainly,\"murmuredLadyValleys;\"hopeforthebest！\"
\"Don\'tyouevenknowwhichwayitwas？\"saidLadyCasterley。
\"Well,thevicarsaysshedidthedivorcing。Buthe\'sverycharitable;itmaybeasAgathahopes。\"
\"Idetestvagueness。Whydoesn\'tsomeoneaskthewoman？\"
\"Youshallcomewithme,Grannydear,andaskheryourself;youwilldoitsonicely。\"
LadyCasterleylookedup。
\"Weshallsee,\"shesaid。Somethingstruggledwiththeautocraticcriticisminhereyes。NomorethantherestoftheworldcouldshehelpindulgingBarbara。Asonewhobelievedinthedivinityofherorder,shelikedthissplendidchild。Sheevenadmired——thoughadmirationwasnotwhatsheexcelledin——thatwarmjoyinlife,asofsomegreatnymph,partingthewaveswithbarelimbs,tossingfromherthefoamofbreakers。Shefeltthatinthisgranddaughter,ratherthaninthegoodAgatha,thepatricianspiritwashoused。TherewerepointstoAgatha,earnestnessandhighprinciple;butsomethingmorallynarrowandover—Anglicanslightlyoffendedthepractical,this—worldlytemperofLadyCasteriey。Itwasaweakness,andshedislikedweakness。Barbarawouldneverbesqueamishovermoralquestionsormatterssuchaswerenotreally,essentialtoaristocracy。Shemight,indeed,errtoomuchtheotherwayfromsheerhighspirits。Astheimpudentchildhadsaid:\"Ifpeoplehadnopasts,theywouldhavenofutures。\"AndLadyCasterleycouldnotbearpeoplewithoutfutures。Shewasambitious;notwiththelowambitionofonewhohadrisenfromnothing,butwiththehighpassionofoneonthetop,whomeanttostaythere。
\"Andwherehaveyoubeenmeetingthis——er——anonymouscreature？\"sheasked。
Barbaracamefromthehearth,andbendingdownbesideLadyCasterley\'schair,seemedtoenvelophercompletely。
\"I\'mallright,Granny;shecouldn\'tcorruptme。\"
LadyCasterley\'sfacepeeredoutdoubtfullyfromthatwarmth,wearingalookofdisapprovingpleasure。
\"Iknowyourwiles！\"shesaid。\"Come,now！\"
\"Iseeherabout。She\'snicetolookat。Wetalk。\"
AgainwiththathurriedquietnessAgathasaid:
\"MydearBabs,Idothinkyououghttowait。\"
\"MydearAngel,why？Whatisittomeifshe\'shadfourhusbands？\"
Agathabitherlips,andLadyValleysmurmuredwithalaugh:
\"Youreallyareaterror,Babs。\"
ButthesoundofMrs。Winlow\'smusichadceased——themenhadcomein。
Andthefacesofthefourwomenhardened,asiftheyhadslippedonmasks;forthoughthiswasalmostorquiteafamilyparty,theWinlowsbeingsecondcousins,stillthesubjectwasonewhicheachofthesefourintheirverydifferentwaysfelttobebeyondgeneraldiscussion。Talk,now,beganglancingfromthewarscare——Winlowhaditveryspeciallythatthiswouldbeoverinaweek——toBrabrook\'sspeech,inprogressatthatverymoment,ofwhichHarbingerprovidedanimitation。ItspedtoWinlow\'sflight——toAndrewGrant\'sarticlesinthe\'Parthenon\'——tothecaricatureofHarbingerinthe\'Cackler\',inscribed\'TheNewTory。LordH—rb—ng—rbringsSocialReformbeneaththenoticeofhisfriends,\'whichdepictedhimintroducinganakedbabytoanumberofcoronetedoldladies。Thencetoadancer。
ThencetotheBillforUniversalAssurance。Thenbacktothewarscare;tothelastbookofagreatFrenchwriter;andoncemoretoWinlow\'sflight。Itwasallstraightforwardandoutspoken,eachseemingtosayexactlywhatcameintothehead。Forallthat,therewasacuriousavoidanceofthespiritualsignificancesofthesethings;orwasitperhapsthatsuchsignificanceswerenotseen？
LordDennis,atthefarendoftheroom,studyingaportfolioofengravings,feltatouchonhischeek;andconsciousofacertainfragrance,saidwithoutturninghishead:
\"Nicethings,these,Babs！\"
Receivingnoanswerhelookedup。
ThereindeedstoodBarbara。
\"Idohatesneeringbehindpeople\'sbacks！\"
Therehadalwaysbeengoodcomradeshipbetweenthesetwo,sincethedayswhenBarbara,agolden—hairedchild,astrideofagreypony,hadbeenhismorningcompanionintheRowallthroughtheseason。Hisridingdayswerepast;hehadnownooutdoorpursuitsavefishing,whichhefollowedwiththeironicpersistenceofaself—contained,high—spiritednature,whichrefusestoadmitthatthemysteriousfingerofoldageislaidacrossit。Butthoughshewasnolongerhiscompanion,hestillhadahabitofexpectingherconfidences;andhelookedafterher,movingawayfromhimtoawindow,withsurprisedconcern。
Itwasoneofthosenights,darkyetgleaming,whenthereseemsaflyingmaliceintheheavens;whenthestars,fromunderandabovetheblackclouds,arelikeeyesfrowningandflashingdownatmenwithpurposedmalevolence。Thegreatsighingtreesevenhadcaughtthisspirit,saveone,adark,spire—likecypress,plantedthreehundredandfiftyyearsbefore,whosetallformincarnatedtheveryspiritoftradition,andneitherswayednorsoughedliketheothers。
>Fromher,tooclose—fibred,tooresisting,toadmitthebreathofNature,onlyadryrustlecame。Stillalmostexotic,inspiteofhercenturiesofsojourn,andnowbroughttolifebytheeyesofnight,sheseemedalmostterrifying,inhernarrow,spear—likeausterity,asthoughsomethinghaddriedanddiedwithinhersoul。Barbaracamebackfromthewindow。
\"Wecan\'tdoanythinginourlives,itseemstome,\"shesaid,\"butplayattakingrisks！\"
LordDennisreplieddryly:
\"Idon\'tthinkIunderstand,mydear。\"
\"LookatMr。Courtier！\"mutteredBarbara。\"Hislife\'ssomuchmoreriskyaltogetherthananyofourmenfolklead。Andyettheysneerathim。\"
\"Let\'ssee,whathashedone？\"
\"Oh！Idaresaynotverymuch;butit\'sallneckornothing。ButwhatdoesanythingmattertoHarbinger,forinstance？IfhisSocialReformcomestonothing,he\'llstillbeHarbinger,withfiftythousandayear。\"
LordDennislookedupalittlequeerly。
\"What！Isitpossibleyoudon\'ttaketheyoungmanseriously,Babs？\"
Barbarashrugged;astrapslippedalittleoffonewhiteshoulder。
\"It\'sallplayreally;andheknowsit——youcantellthatfromhisvoice。Hecan\'thelpitsnotmattering,ofcourse;andheknowsthattoo。\"
\"Ihaveheardthathe\'safteryou,Babs;isthattrue？\"
\"Hehasn\'tcaughtmeyet。\"
\"Willhe？\"
Barbara\'sanswerwasanothershrug;and,foralltheirstatuesquebeauty,themovementofhershoulderswasliketheshrugofalittlegirlinherpinafore。
\"AndthisMr。Courtier,\"saidLordDennisdryly:\"Areyouafterhim？\"
\"I\'maftereverything;didn\'tyouknowthat,dear？\"
\"Inreason,mychild。\"
\"Inreason,ofcourse——likepoorEusty！\"Shestopped。Harbingerhimselfwasstandingtherecloseby,withanairasnearlyapproachingreverenceaswasevertobeseenonhim。Intruth,thewayinwhichhewaslookingatherwasalmosttimorous。
\"WillyousingthatsongIlikesomuch,LadyBabs？\"
Theymovedawaytogether;andLordDennis,gazingafterthatmagnificentyoungcouple,strokedhisbeardgravely。
CHAPTERX
Miltoun\'ssuddenjourneytoLondonhadbeenundertakeninpursuanceofaresolveslowlyformingfromthemomenthemetMrs。NoelinthestoneflaggedpassageofBurracombeFarm。Ifshewouldhavehimandsincelasteveninghebelievedshewould——heintendedtomarryher。
Ithasbeensaidthatexceptforonelapsehislifehadbeenaustere,butthisisnottoassertthathehadnocapacityforpassion。Thecontrarywasthecase。Thatflamewhichhadbeensojealouslyguardedsmouldereddeepwithinhim——asmotheredfirewithbutlittleairtofeedon。Themomenthisspiritwastouchedbythespiritofthiswoman,ithadflaredup。Shewastheincarnationofallthathedesired。Herhair,hereyes,herform;thetinytuckordimpleatthecornerofhermouthjustwhereachildplacesitsfinger;herwayofmoving,asortofunconsciousswayingoryieldingtotheair;thetoneinhervoice,whichseemedtocomenotsomuchfromhappinessofherownasfromaninnatewishtomakeothershappy;andthatnatural,ifnotrobust,intelligence,whichbelongstotheverysympathetic,andisrarelyfoundinwomenofgreatambitionsorenthusiasms——allthesethingshadtwinedthemselvesroundhisheart。
Henotonlydreamedofher,andwantedher;hebelievedinher。Shefilledhisthoughtsasonewhocouldneverdowrong;asonewho,thoughawifewouldremainamistress,andthoughamistress,wouldalwaysbethecompanionofhisspirit。
IthasbeensaidthatnoonespokeorgossipedaboutwomeninMiltoun\'spresence,andthetaleofherdivorcewaspresenttohismindsimplyintheformofaconvictionthatshewasaninjuredwoman。Afterhisinterviewwiththevicar,hehadonlyonceagainalludedtoit,andthatinanswertothespeechofaladystayingattheCourt:\"Oh！yes,Irememberhercaseperfectly。Shewasthepoorwomanwho————\"\"Didnot,Iamcertain,LadyBonington。\"Thetoneofhisvoicehadmadesomeonelaughuneasily;thesubjectwaschanged。
Alldivorcewasagainsthisconvictions,butinablurredwayheadmittedthattherewerecaseswherereleasewasunavoidable。Hewasnotamantoaskforconfidences,orexpectthemtobegivenhim。Hehimselfhadneverconfidedhisspiritualstrugglestoanylivingcreature;andtheunspiritualstrugglehadlittleinterestforMiltoun。Hewasreadyatanymomenttostakehislifeontheperfectionoftheidolhehadsetupwithinhissoul,assimplyandstraightforwardlyashewouldhaveplacedhisbodyinfrontofhertoshieldherfromharm。
Thesamefanaticism,whichlookedonhispassionasaflowerbyitself,entirelyapartfromitssuitabilitytothesocialgarden,wasalsothedrivingforcewhichsenthimuptoLondontodeclarehisintentiontohisfatherbeforehespoketoMrs。Noel。Thethingshouldbedonesimply,andinrightorder。Forhehadthekindofmoralcouragefoundinthosewholiveretiredwithintheshelloftheirownaspirations。Yetitwasnotperhapssomuchactivemoralcourageasindifferencetowhatothersthoughtordid,comingfromhisinbredresistancetotheappreciationofwhattheyfelt。
ThatpeculiarsmileoftheoldTudorCardinal——whichhadinitinvincibleself—reliance,andasortofspiritualsneer——playedoverhisfacewhenhespeculatedonhisfather\'sreceptionofthecomingnews;andverysoonheceasedtothinkofitatall,buryinghimselfintheworkhehadbroughtwithhimforthejourney。Forhehadinhighdegreethefaculty,soessentialtopubliclife,ofswitchingoffhiswholeattentionfromonesubjecttoanother。
OnarrivingatPaddingtonhedrovestraighttoValleysHouse。
Thislargedwellingwithitspillaredportico,seemedtowearanairoffaintsurprisethat,attheheightoftheseason,itwasnotmoreinhabited。ThreeservantsrelievedMiltounofhislittleluggage;