andhavingwashed,andlearnedthathisfatherwouldbediningin,hewentforawalk,takinghiswaytowardshisroomsintheTemple。Hislongfigure,somewhatcarelesslygarbed,attractedtheusualattention,ofwhichhewasasusualunaware。Strollingalong,hemeditateddeeplyonaLondon,anEngland,differentfromthisflatulenthurly—burly,this\'omniuingatherum\',thisgreatdiscordantsymphonyofsharpsandflats。ALondon,anEngland,kemptandself—
respecting;sweptandgarnishedofslums,andplutocrats,advertisement,andjerry—building,ofsensationalism,vulgarity,vice,andunemployment。AnEnglandwhereeachmanshouldknowhisplace,andneverchangeit,butserveinitloyallyinhisowncaste。
Whereeveryman,fromnoblemantolabourer,shouldbeanoligarchbyfaith,andagentlemanbypractice。AnEnglandsosteel—brightandefficientthattheverysightshouldsufficetoimposepeace。AnEnglandwhosesoulshouldbestoicalandfinewiththestoicismandfinenessofeachsoulamongsthermanymillionsouls;wherethetownshouldhaveitscreedandthecountryitscreed,andthereshouldbecontentmentandnocomplaininginherstreets。
AndashewalkeddowntheStrand,alittleraggedboycheepedoutbetweenhislegs:
\"BloodeediscovereeinaBank——Gritesensytion！Pi—er！\"
Miltounpaidnoheedtothatsaying;yet,withit,thewindthatblowswheremanlives,thecareless,wonderful,unorderedwind,haddispersedhisaustereandformalvision。Greatwasthatwind——themyriadaspirationofmenandwomen,theprayingoftheuncountedmultitudetothegoddessofSensation——ofChance,andChange。A
flowingfromhearttoheart,fromliptolip,asinSpringthewistfulairwandersthroughawood,impartingtoeverybushandtreethesecretsoffreshlife,thepassionateresolvetogrow,andbecome——nomatterwhat！Asighing,aseternalastheoldmurmuringofthesea,aslittletobehushed,aspronetoswellintosuddenroaring！
Miltounheldonthroughthetraffic,notlookingovermuchatthepresentformsofthethousandshepassed,butseeingwiththeeyesoffaiththeformshedesiredtosee。NearSt。Paul\'shestoppedinfrontofanoldbook—shop。Hisgrave,pallid,notunhandsomeface,waswell—knowntoWilliamRimall,itssmallproprietor,whoatoncebroughtouthislatestacquisition——aMores\'Utopia。\'Thatparticularedition（heassuredMiltoun）wasquiteunprocurable——hehadneversoldbutoneothercopy,whichhadbeenliterally,crumblingaway。
Thiscopywasinevenbettercondition。Itcouldhardlylastanothertwentyyears——agenuinebook,abargain。Therewasn\'tsomuchmovementinMoreastherehadbeenalittletimeback。
Miltounopenedthetome,andasmallbook—lousewhohadbeensleepingontheword\'Tranibore,\'begantomakeitswayslowlytowardstheverycentreofthevolume。
\"Iseeit\'sgenuine,\"saidMiltoun。
\"It\'snottoread,mylord,\"thelittlemanwarnedhim:\"Hardlysafetoturnthepages。AsIwassaying——I\'venothadabetterpiecethisyear。Ihaven\'treally！\"
\"Shrewdolddreamer,\"mutteredMiltoun;\"theSocialistshaven\'tgotbeyondhim,evennow。\"
Thelittleman\'seyesblinked,asthoughapologizingfortheviewsofThomasMore。
\"Well,\"hesaid,\"Isupposehewasoneofthem。Iforgetifyourlordship\'sverystrongonpolitics？\"
Miltounsmiled。
\"IwanttoseeanEngland,Rimall,somethingliketheEnglandofMoresdream。Butmymachinerywillbedifferent。Ishallbeginatthetop。\"
Thelittlemannodded。
\"Quiteso,quiteso,\"hesaid;\"weshallcometothat,Idaresay。\"
\"Wemust,Rimall。\"AndMiltounturnedthepage。
Thelittleman\'sfacequivered。
\"Idon\'tthink,\"hesaid,\"thatbook\'squitestrongenoughforyou,mylord,withyourtasteforreading。NowI\'veamostcuriousoldvolumehere——onChinesetemples。It\'srare——butnottooold。Youcanperuseitthoroughly。It\'swhatIcallabooktobrowseonjustsuityourpalate。Funnyprincipletheybuiltthosethingson,\"headded,openingthevolumeatanengraving,\"inlayers。Wedon\'tbuildlikethatinEngland。\"
Miltounlookedupsharply;thelittleman\'sfaceworenosignsofunderstanding。
\"Unfortunatelywedon\'t,Rimall,\"hesaid;\"weoughtto,andweshall。I\'lltakethisbook。\"
Placinghisfingerontheprintofthepagoda,headded:\"Agoodsymbol。\"
Thelittlebookseller\'seyestrayeddownthetempletothesecretpricemark。
\"Exactly,mylord,\"hesaid;\"Ithoughtit\'dbeyourfancy。Thepricetoyouwillbetwenty—sevenandsix。\"
Miltoun,pocketingthebargain,walkedout。HemadehiswayintotheTemple,leftthebookathisChambers,andpassedondowntothebankofMotherThames。TheSunwaslovingherpassionatelythatafternoon;hehadkissedherintowarmthandlightandcolour。Andallthebuildingsalongherbanks,asfarasthetowersatWestminster,seemedtobesmiling。Itwasagreatsightfortheeyesofalover。AndanothervisioncamehauntingMiltoun,ofasoft—eyedwomanwithalowvoice,bendingamongstherflowers。Nothingwouldbecompletewithouther;noworkbearfruit;noschemecouldhavefullmeaning。
LordValleysgreetedhissonatdinnerwithgoodfellowshipandafaintsurprise。
\"Dayoff,mydearfellow？OrhaveyoucomeuptohearBrabrookpitchintous？He\'sratherlatethistime——we\'vegotridofthatballoonbusinessnotroubleafterall。\"
AndheeyedMiltounwiththatcleargreystareofhis,socool,level,andcurious。Now,whatsortofbirdisthis？itseemedsaying。CertainlynotthepartridgeIshouldhaveexpectedfromitsbreeding！
Miltoun\'sanswer:\"Icameuptotellyousomething,sir,\"rivetedhisfather\'sstareforasecondlongerthanwasquiteurbane。
ItwouldnotbetruetosaythatLordValleyswasafraidofhisson。
Fearwasnotoneofhisemotions,buthecertainlyregardedhimwitharespectfulcuriositythatborderedonuneasiness。TheoligarchictemperofMiltoun\'smindandpoliticalconvictionsalmostshockedonewhoknewbothbytemperamentandexperiencehowtowaitinfront。
Thisinstructionhehadfrequentlyhadoccasiontogivehisjockeyswhenhebelievedhishorsescouldbestgethomefirstinthatway。
Anditwasaninstructionhenowlongedtogivehisson。Hehimselfhad\'waitedinfront\'foroverfiftyyears,andheknewittobethefinestwayofinsuringthathewouldneverbecompelledtoalterthisdesirablepolicy——forsomethinginLordValleys\'charactermadehimfearthat,inrealemergency,hewouldexerthimselftothepointofthegravestdiscomfortsoonerthanbelefttowaitbehind。AfellowlikeyoungHarbinger,ofcourse,heunderstood——versatile,\'fullofbeans,\'asheexpressedittohimselfinhismoreconfidentialmoments,whohadimbibedthenewwine（veryintoxicatingitwas）ofdesireforsocialreform。Hewouldhavetobegivenhisheadalittle——buttherewouldbenodifficultywithhim,hewouldnever\'runout\'——lighthandybuildofhorsethatonlyrequiredsteadyingatthecorners。Hewouldwanttohearhimselftalk,andbeletfeelthathewasdoingsomething。Allverywell,andquiteintelligible。
ButwithMiltoun（andLordValleysfeltthistobeno,mereparentalfancy）itwasaverydifferentbusiness。Hissonhadawayofforcingthingstotheirconclusionswhichwasdangerous,andremindedhimofhismother—in—law。Hewasababyinpublicaffairs,ofcourse,asyet;butassoonasheoncegotgoing,theintensityofhisconvictions,togetherwithhisposition,andrealgift——notofthegab,likeHarbinger\'s——butofrestrained,bitingoratory,wassuretobringhimtothefrontwithaboundinthepresentstateofparties。Andwhatwerethoseconvictions？LordValleyshadtriedtounderstandthem,butuptothepresenthehadfailed。Andthisdidnotsurprisehimexactly,since,asheoftensaid,politicalconvictionswerenot,astheyappearedonthesurface,theoutcomeofreason,butmerelysymptomsoftemperament。Andhecouldnotcomprehend,becausehecouldnotsympathizewith,anyattitudetowardspublicaffairsthatwasnotessentiallylevel,attachedtotheplain,common—sensefactorsofthecaseastheyappearedtohimself。Notthathecouldfairlybecalledatemporizer,fordeepdowninhimtherewasundoubtedlyaveinofobstinate,fundamentalloyaltytothetraditionsofacastewhichprizedhighspiritbeyondallthings。StillhedidfeelthatMiltounwasaltogethertoomuchthe\'pukka\'aristocrat——nobetterthanaSocialist,withhisconfoundedwayofseeingthingsallcutanddried;hisideasofforcingreformsdownpeople\'sthroatsandholdingthemtherewiththeironhand！Withhiswaytooofactingonhisprinciples！Why！Heevenadmittedthatheactedonhisprinciples！ThisthoughtalwaysstruckaverydiscordantnoteinLordValleys\'breast。Itwasalmostindecent;worse—ridiculous！Thefactwas,thedearfellowhadunfortunatelyadeeperhabitofthoughtthanwaswantedinpolitics——
dangerous——very！Experiencemightdosomethingforhim！AndoutofhisownlongexperiencetheEarlofValleystriedhardtorecollectanypoliticianwhomthepracticeofpoliticshadleftwherehewaswhenhestarted。Hecouldnotthinkofone。Butthisgavehimlittlecomfort;and,aboveapieceoflateasparagushissteadyeyessoughthisson\'s。Whathadhecomeuptotellhim？
Thephrasehadbeenominous;hecouldnotrecollectMiltoun\'severhavingtoldhimanything。Forthoughareallykindandindulgentfather,hehad——likesomanymenoccupiedwithpublicandotherlives——alittleacquiredtowardshisoffspringthelookandmanner:
Isthismine？Ofhisfourchildren,Barbaraaloneheclaimedwithconviction。Headmiredher;and,beingamanwhosavouredlife,hewasunabletolovemuchexceptwhereheadmired。But,thelastpersonintheworldtohustleanymanorforceaconfidence,hewaitedtohearhisson\'snews,betrayingnouneasiness。
Miltounseemedinnohurry。HedescribedCourtier\'sadventure,whichtickledLordValleysagooddeal。
\"Ordealbyredpepper！Shouldn\'thavethoughtthemequaltothat,\"
hesaid。\"Soyou\'vegothimatMonklandnow。Harbingerstillwithyou？\"
\"Yes。Idon\'tthinkHarbingerhasmuchstamina。
\"Politically？\"
Miltounnodded。
\"Iratherresenthisbeingonourside——Idon\'tthinkhedoesusanygood。You\'veseenthatcartoon,Isuppose;itcutsprettydeep。I
couldn\'trecognizeyouamongsttheoldwomen,sir。\"
LordValleyssmiledimpersonally。
\"Verycleverthing。Bytheway;IshallwintheEclipse,Ithink。\"
Andthus,spasmodically,theconversationrantillthelastservanthadlefttheroom。
ThenMiltoun,withoutpreparation,lookedstraightathisfatherandsaid:
\"IwanttomarryMrs。Noel,sir。\"
LordValleysreceivedtheshotwithexactlythesameexpressionasthatwithwhichhewasaccustomedtowatchhishorsesbeaten。Thenheraisedhiswineglasstohislips;andsetitdownagainuntouched。
Thiswastheonlysignhegaveofinterestordiscomfiture。
\"Isn\'tthisrathersudden？\"
Miltounanswered:\"I\'vewantedtofromthemomentIfirstsawher。\"
LordValleys,almostasgoodajudgeofamanandasituationasofahorseorapointerdog,leanedbackinhischair,andsaidwithfaintsarcasm:
\"Mydearfellow,it\'sgoodofyoutohavetoldmethis;though,tobequitefrank,it\'sapieceofnewsIwouldrathernothaveheard。\"
AduskyflushburnedslowlyupinMiltoun\'scheeks。Hehadunderratedhisfather;themanhadcoolnessandcourageinacrisis。
\"Whatisyourobjection,sir？\"AndsuddenlyhenoticedthatawaferinLordValleys\'handwasquivering。Thisbroughtintohiseyesnolookofcompunction,butsuchasmoulderinggazeastheoldTudorChurchmanmighthavebentonanadversarywhoshowedasignofweakness。LordValleys,too,noticedthequiveringofthatwafer,andateit。
\"Wearemenoftheworld,\"hesaid。
Miltounanswered:\"Iamnot。\"
ShowinghisfirstrealsymptomofimpatienceLordValleysrappedout:
\"Sobeit！Iam。\"
\"Yes？\",saidMiltoun。
\"Eustace！\"
Nursingoneknee,Miltounfacedthatappealwithoutthefaintestmovement。Hiseyescontinuedtoburnintohisfather\'sface。A
tremorpassedoverLordValleys\'heart。Whatintensityoffeelingtherewasinthefellow,thathecouldlooklikethisatthefirstbreathofopposition！
Hereachedoutandtookupthecigar—box;helditabsentlytowardshisson,anddrewitquicklyback。
\"Iforgot,\"hesaid;\"youdon\'t。\"
Andlightingacigar,hesmokedgravely,lookingstraightbeforehim,afurrowbetweenhisbrows。Hespokeatlast:
\"Shelookslikealady。Iknownothingelseabouther。\"
ThesmiledeepenedroundMiltoun\'smouth。
\"Whyshouldyouwanttoknowanythingelse？\"
LordValleysshrugged。Hisphilosophyhadhardened。
\"Iunderstandforonething,\"hesaidcoldly;\"thatthereisamatterofadivorce。IthoughtyoutooktheChurch\'sviewonthatsubject。\"
\"Shehasnotdonewrong。\"
\"Youknowherstory,then？\"
\"No。\"
LordValleysraisedhisbrows,inironyandasortofadmiration。
\"Chivalrythebetterpartofdiscretion？\"
Miltounanswered:
\"Youdon\'t,Ithink,understandthekindoffeelingIhaveforMrs。
Noel。Itdoesnotcomeintoyourschemeofthings。Itistheonlyfeeling,however,withwhichIshouldcaretomarry,andIamnotlikelytofeelitforanyoneagain。\"
LordValleysfeltoncemorethatuncannysenseofinsecurity。Wasthistrue？AndsuddenlyhefeltYes,itistrue！Thefacebeforehimwasthefaceofonewhowouldburninhisownfiresoonerthandepartfromhisstandards。Andasuddensenseoftheutterseriousnessofthisdilemmadumbedhim。
\"Icansaynomoreatthemoment,\"hemutteredandgotupfromthetable。
CHAPTERXI
LadyCasterleywasthatinconvenientthing——anearlyriser。Nowomaninthekingdomwasabetterjudgeofadewcarpet。Naturehadinhertimedisplayedbeforeherthousandsofthoseprettyfabrics,whereallthestarsofthepastnight,droppedtothedarkearth,werewaitingtoglideuptoheavenagainontheraysofthesun。AtRavenshamshewalkedregularlyinhergardensbetweenhalf—pastsevenandeight,andwhenshepaidavisit,wascarefultosubordinatewhatevermightbethelocalcustomtothishabit。
WhenthereforehermaidRandlecametoBarbara\'smaidatseveno\'clock,andsaid:\"MyoldladywantsLadyBabstogetup,\"therewasnoparticularpaininthebreastofBarbara\'smaid,whowasdoinguphercorsets。Shemerelyanswered\"I\'llseetoit。LadyBabswon\'tbetoopleased！\"Andtenminuteslatersheenteredthatwhite—walledroomwhichsmelledofpinks—atempleofdrowsysweetness,wherethesummerlightwasvaguelystealingthroughfloweredchintzcurtains。
Barbarawassleepingwithhercheekonherhand,andhertawnyhair,gatheredback,streamingoverthepillow。Herlipswereparted;andthemaidthought:\"I\'dliketohavehairandamouthlikethat！\"Shecouldnothelpsmilingtoherselfwithpleasure;LadyBabslookedsopretty——prettierasleepeventhanawake！Andatsightofthatbeautifulcreature,sleepingandsmilinginhersleep,theearthy,hothousefumessteepingthemindofoneperpetuallyservinginanatmosphereunsuitedtohernaturalgrowth,dispersed。Beauty,withitsqueertouchingpoweroffreeingthespiritfromallbarriersandthoughtsofself,sweetenedthemaid\'seyes,andkeptherstanding,holdingherbreath。ForBarbaraasleepwasasymbolofthatGoldenAgeinwhichshesodesperatelybelieved。Sheopenedhereyes,andseeingthemaid,said:
\"Isiteighto\'clock,Stacey？\"
\"No,butLadyCasterleywantsyoutowalkwithher。\"
\"Oh！bother！Iwashavingsuchadream！\"
\"Yes;youweresmiling。\"
\"IwasdreamingthatIcouldfly。\"
\"Fancy！\"
\"Icouldseeeverythingspreadoutbelowme,ascloseasIseeyou;I
washoveringlikeabuzzardhawk。IfeltthatIcouldcomedownexactlywhereIwanted。Itwasfascinating。Ihadperfectpower,Stacey。\"
Andthrowingherneckback,sheclosedhereyesagain。Thesunlightstreamedinonherbetweenthehalf—drawncurtains。
Thequeerestimpulsetoputoutahandandstrokethatfullwhitethroatshotthroughthemaid\'smind。
\"Theseflyingmachinesarestupid,\"murmuredBarbara;\"thepleasure\'sinone\'sbody———wings！\"
\"IcanseeLadyCasterleyinthegarden。\"
Barbarasprangoutofbed。ClosebythestatueofDianaLadyCasterleywasstanding,gazingdownatsomeflowers,atiny,greyfigure。Barbarasighed。Withher,inherdream,hadbeenanotherbuzzardhawk,andshewasfilledwithasortofsurprise,andqueerpleasurethatrandownherinlittleshiverswhileshebathedanddressed。
Inherhasteshetooknohat;andstillbusywiththefasteningofherlinenfrock,hurrieddownthestairsandGeorgiancorridor,towardsthegarden。AttheendofitshealmostranintothearmsofCourtier。
Awakeningearlythismorning,hehadbegunfirstthinkingofAudreyNoel,threatenedbyscandal;thenofhisyesterday\'scompanion,thatgloriousyoungcreature,whoseimagehadsogrippedandtakenpossessionofhim。Inthepleasureofthismemoryhehadsteepedhimself。Shewasyouthitself！Thatperfectthing,ayounggirlwithoutcallowness。
Andhiswords,whenshenearlyranintohim,were:\"TheWingedVictory！\"
Barbara\'sanswerwasequallysymbolic:\"Abuzzardhawk！Doyouknow,Idreamedwewereflying,Mr。Courtier。\"
Courtiergravelyanswered\"Ifthegodsgivemethatdream————\"
>FromthegardendoorBarbaraturnedherhead,smiled,andpassedthrough。
LadyCasterley,inthecompanyoflittleAnn,whohadperceivedthatitwasnoveltobeinthegardenatthishour,hadbeenscrutinizingsomenewlyfoundedcoloniesofaflowerwithwhichshewasnotfamiliar。Onseeinghergranddaughterapproach,shesaidatonce:
\"Whatisthisthing？\"
\"Nemesia。\"
\"Neverheardofit。\"
\"It\'sratherthefashion,Granny。\"
\"Nemesia？\"repeatedLadyCasterley。\"WhathasNemesistodowithflowers？Ihavenopatiencewithgardeners,andtheseidioticnames。
Whereisyourhat？Ilikethatduck\'seggcolourinyourfrock。
There\'sabuttonundone。\"Andreachingupherlittlespideryhand,wonderfullysteadyconsideringitsage,shebuttonedthetopbuttonbutoneofBarbara\'sbodice。
\"Youlookveryblooming,mydear,\"shesaid。\"Howfarisittothiswoman\'scottage？We\'llgotherenow。\"
\"Shewouldn\'tbeup。\"
LadyCasterley\'seyesgleamedmaliciously。
\"Youtellmeshe\'ssonice,\"shesaid。\"Noniceunencumberedwomanliesinbedafterhalf—pastseven。Whichistheveryshortestway？
No,Ann,wecan\'ttakeyou。\"
LittleAnn,afterregardinghergreat—grandmotherrathertoointently,replied:
\"Well,Ican\'tcome,yousee,becauseI\'vegottogo。\"
\"Verywell,\"saidLadyCasterley,\"thentrotalong。\"
LittleAnn,tighteningherlips,walkedtothenextcolonyofNemesia,andbentoverthecolonistswithconcentration,showingclearlythatshehadfoundsomethingmoreinterestingthanhadyetbeenencountered。
\"Ha！\"saidLadyCasterley,andledonatherbriskpacetowardstheavenue。
Allthewaydownthedriveshediscoursedonwoodcraft,glancingsharplyatthetrees。Forestry——shesaid—likebuilding,andallotherpursuitswhichrequired,faithandpatientindustry,wasalostartinthissecond—handage。ShehadmadeBarbara\'sgrandfatherpractiseit,sothatatCatton（hercountryplace）andevenatRavensham,thetreeswereworthlookingat。Here,atMonkland,theyweremonstrouslyneglected。TohavethefinestItaliancypressinthecountry,forexample,andnottakemorecareofit,wasadownrightscandal！
Barbaralistened,smilinglazily。Grannywassoamusinginherenergyandprecision,andherturnsofspeech,sodeliberatelyhomespun,asifshe——thanwhomnonecouldbetteruseastiffandpolishedphrase,ortherefinementsoftheFrenchlanguage——weredeterminedtotakewhatlibertiessheliked。Tothegirl,hauntedstillbythefeelingthatshecouldfly,almostdrunkonthesweetnessoftheairthatsummermorning,itseemedfunnythatanyoneshouldbelikethat。Thenforasecondshesawhergrandmother\'sfaceinrepose,offguard,grimwithanxiouspurpose,asifquestioningitsholdonlife;andinoneofthoseflashesofintuitionwhichcometowomen——evenwhenyoungandconqueringlikeBarbara——shefeltsuddenlysorry,asthoughshehadcaughtsightofthepalespectreneveryetseenbyher。\"Poorolddear,\"shethought;\"whatapitytobeold！\"
ButtheyhadenteredthefootpathcrossingthreelongmeadowswhichclimbeduptowardsMrs。Noel\'s。Itwassogolden—sweethereamongstthemilliontinysaffroncupsfrostedwithlingeringdewshine;therewassuchflyinggloryinthelimesandash—trees;sodelicateascentfromthelatewhinsandmay—flower;and,oneverytreeagreybirdcallingtobesorrywasnotpossible！
Inthefarcornerofthefirstfieldachestnutmarewasstanding,withearsprickedatsomedistantsoundwhosecharmshealoneperceived。Onviewingtheintruders,shelaidthoseearsback,andalittleviciousstargleamedoutatthecornerofhereye。Theypassedherandenteredthesecondfield。Halfwayacross,Barbarasaidquietly:
\"Granny,that\'sabull！\"
Itwasindeedanenormousbull,whohadbeenstandingbehindaclumpofbushes。Hewasmovingslowlytowardsthem,stilldistantabouttwohundredyards;agreatredbeast,withthehugedevelopmentofneckandfrontwhichmakesthebull,ofalllivingcreatures,thesymbolofbruteforce。
LadyCasterleyenvisagedhimseverely。
\"Idislikebulls,\"shesaid;\"IthinkImustwalkbackward。\"
\"Youcan\'t;it\'stoouphill。\"
\"Iamnotgoingtoturnback,\"saidLadyCasterley。\"Thebulloughtnottobehere。Whosefaultisit？Ishallspeaktosomeone。Standstillandlookathim。Wemustpreventhiscomingnearer。\"
Theystoodstillandlookedatthebull,whocontinuedtoapproach。
\"Itdoesn\'tstophim,\"saidLadyCasterley。\"Wemusttakenonotice。
Givemeyourarm,mydear;mylegsfeelratherfunny。\"
Barbaraputherarmroundthelittlefigure。Theywalkedon。
\"Ihavenotbeenusedtobullslately,\"saidLadyCasterley。Thebullcamenearer。
\"Granny,\"saidBarbara,\"youmustgoquietlyontothestile。Whenyou\'reoverI\'llcometoo。\"
\"Certainlynot,\"saidLadyCasterley,\"wewillgotogether。Takenonoticeofhim;Ihavegreatfaithinthat。\"
\"Grannydarling,youmustdoasIsay,please;Irememberthisbull,heisoneofours。\"
AtthoseratherominouswordsLadyCasterleygaveherasharpglance。
\"Ishallnotgo,\"shesaid。\"Mylegsfeelquitestrongnow。Wecanrun,ifnecessary。\"
\"Socanthebull,\"saidBarbara。
\"I\'mnotgoingtoleaveyou,\"mutteredLadyCasterley。\"IfheturnsviciousIshalltalktohim。Hewon\'ttouchme。YoucanrunfasterthanI;sothat\'ssettled。\"
\"Don\'tbeabsurd,dear,\"answeredBarbara;\"Iamnotafraidofbulls。\"
LadyCasterleyflashedalookatherwhichhadagleamofamusement。
\"Icanfeelyou,\"shesaid;\"you\'rejustastremblyasIam。\"
Thebullwasnowdistantsomeeightyyards,andtheywerestillquiteahundredfromthestile。
\"Granny,\"saidBarbara,\"ifyoudon\'tgoonasItellyou,Ishalljustleaveyou,andgoandmeethim！Youmustn\'tbeobstinate！\"
LadyCasterley\'sanswerwastogriphergranddaughterroundthewaist;thenervousforceofthatthinarmwassurprising。
\"Youwilldonothingofthesort,\"shesaid。\"Irefusetohaveanythingmoretodowiththisbull;Ishallsimplypaynoattention。\"
Thebullnowbeganveryslowlyamblingtowardsthem。
\"Takenonotice,\"saidLadyCasterley,whowaswalkingfasterthanshehadeverwalkedbefore。
\"Thegroundislevelnow,\"saidBarbara;\"canyourun？\"
\"Ithinkso,\"gaspedLadyCasterley;andsuddenlyshefoundherselfhalf—liftedfromtheground,and,asitwere,flyingtowardsthestile。Sheheardanoisebehind;thenBarbara\'svoice:
\"Wemuststop。He\'sonus。Getbehindme。\"
Shefeltherselfcaughtandpinionedbytwoarmsthatseemedsetonthewrongway。Instinct,andageneralsoftnesstoldherthatshewasbacktobackwithhergranddaughter。
\"Letmego！\"shegasped;\"letmego！\"
Andsuddenlyshefeltherselfbeingpropelledbythatsoftnessforwardtowardsthestile。
\"Shoo！\"shesaid;\"shoo！\"
\"Granny,\"Barbara\'svoicecame,calmandbreathless,\"don\'t！Youonlyexcitehim！Arewenearthestile？\"
\"Tenyards,\"pantedLadyCasterley……
\"Lookout,then！\"Therewasasortofwarmflurryroundher,arush,aheave,ascramble;shewasbeyondthestile。ThebullandBarbara,ayardortwoapart,werejusttheotherside。LadyCasterleyraisedherhandkerchiefandflutteredit。Thebulllookedup;Barbara,alllegsandarms,cameslippingdownbesideher。
WithoutwastingamomentLadyCasterleyleanedforwardandaddressedthebull:
\"Youawfulbrute！\"shesaid;\"Iwillhaveyouwellflogged。\"
Gentlypawingtheground,thebullsnuffled。
\"Areyouanytheworse,child？\"
\"Notascrap,\"saidBarbara\'sserene,stillbreathlessvoice。
LadyCasterleyputupherhands,andtookthegirl\'sfacebetweenthem。
\"Whatlegsyouhave！\"shesaid。\"Givemeakiss！\"
Havingreceivedahot,ratherquiveringkiss,shewalkedon,holdingsomewhatfirmlytoBarbara\'sarm。
\"Asforthatbull,\"shemurmured,\"thebrute——toattackwomen！\"
Barbaralookeddownather。
\"Granny,\"shesaid,\"areyousureyou\'renotshaken？\"
LadyCasterley,whoselipswerequivering,pressedthemtogetherveryhard。
\"Notab—b—bit。\"
\"Don\'tyouthink,\"saidBarbara,\"thatwehadbettergoback,atonce——theotherway？\"
\"Certainlynot。Therearenomorebulls,Isuppose,betweenusandthiswoman？\"
\"Butareyoufittoseeher？\"
LadyCasterleypassedherhandkerchiefoverherlips,toremovetheirquivering。
\"Perfectly,\"sheanswered。
\"Then,dear,\"saidBarbara,\"standstillaminute,whileIdustyoubehind。\"
Thishavingbeenaccomplished,theyproceededinthedirectionofMrs。Noel\'scottage。
Atsightofit,LadyCasterleysaid:
\"Ishallputmyfootdown。It\'soutofthequestionforamanofMiltoun\'sprospects。IlookforwardtoseeinghimPrimeMinistersomeday。\"HearingBarbara\'svoicemurmuringaboveher,shepaused:
\"What\'sthatyousay？\"
\"Isaid:Whatistheuseofourbeingwhatweare,ifwecan\'tlovewhomwelike？\"
\"Love！\"saidLadyCasterley;\"Iwastalkingofmarriage。\"
\"Iamgladyouadmitthedistinction,Grannydear。\"
\"Youarepleasedtobesarcastic,\"saidLadyCasterley。\"Listentome！It\'sthegreatestnonsensetosupposethatpeopleinourcastearefreetodoastheyplease。Thesooneryourealizethat,thebetter,Babs。Iamtalkingtoyouseriously。Thepreservationofourpositionasaclassdependsonourobservingcertaindecencies。
WhatdoyouimaginewouldhappentotheRoyalFamilyiftheywereallowedtomarryastheyliked？AllthismarryingwithGaietygirls,andAmericanmoney,andpeoplewithpasts,andwriters,andsoforth,ismostdamaging。There\'sfartoomuchofit,anditoughttobestopped。Itmaybetoleratedforafewcranks,orsillyyoungmen,andthesenewwomen,butforEustace\"LadyCasterleypausedagain,andherfingerspinchedBarbara\'sarm,\"orforyou——there\'sonlyonesortofmarriagepossible。AsforEustace,Ishallspeaktothisgoodlady,andseethathedoesn\'tgetentangledfurther。\"
Absorbedintheintensityofherpurpose,shedidnotobserveapeculiarlittlesmileplayingroundBarbara\'slips。
\"YouhadbetterspeaktoNature,too,Granny！\"
LadyCasterleystoppedshort,andlookedupinhergranddaughter\'sface。
\"Nowwhatdoyoumeanbythat？\"shesaid\"Tellme！\"
ButnoticingthatBarbara\'slipshadclosedtightly,shegaveherarmahard——ifunintentional—pinch,andwalkedon。