CHAPTERXII
LadyCasterley\'srathermaliciousdiagnosisofAudreyNoelwascorrect。TheunencumberedwomanwasupandinhergardenwhenBarbaraandhergrandmotherappearedattheWicketgate;butbeingnearthelime—treeatthefarendshedidnotheartherapidcolloquywhichpassedbetweenthem。
\"Youaregoingtobegood,Granny？\"
\"Astothat——itwilldepend。\"
\"Youpromised。\"
\"H\'m！\"
LadyCasterleycouldnotpossiblyhaveprovidedherselfwithabetterintroductionthanBarbara,whomMrs。Noelnevermetwithoutthesheerpleasurefeltbyasympatheticwomanwhensheseesembodiedinsomeoneelsethat\'joyinlife\'whichFatehasnotpermittedtoherself。
Shecameforwardwithherheadalittleononeside,atrickofhersnotatallaffected,andstoodwaiting。
TheunembarrassedBarbarabeganatonce:
\"We\'vejusthadanencounterwithabull。Thisismygrandmother,LadyCasterley。\"
Thelittleoldlady\'sdemeanour,confrontedwiththisveryprettyfaceandfigurewasathoughtlessautocraticandabruptthanusual。
Hershrewdeyessawatoncethatshehadnocommonadventuresstodealwith。Shewaswomanoftheworldenough,too,toknowthat\'birth\'wasnotwhatithadbeeninheryoungdays,thatevenmoneywasratherrococo,andthatgoodlooks,manners,andaknowledgeofliterature,art,andmusic（andthiswomanlookedlikeoneofthatsort）,wereoftenconsideredsociallymorevaluable。Shewasthereforebothwaryandaffable。
\"Howdoyoudo？\"shesaid。\"Ihaveheardofyou。Maywesitdownforaminuteinyourgarden？Thebullwasawretch！\"
Buteveninspeaking,shewasuneasilyconsciousthatMrs。Noel\'scleareyeswereseeingverywellwhatshehadcomefor。Thelookinthemindeedwasalmostcynical;andinspiteofhersympatheticmurmurs,shedidnotsomehowseemtobelieveinthebull。Thiswasdisconcerting。WhyhadBarbaracondescendedtomentionthewretchedbrute？Andshedecidedtotakehimbythehorns。
\"Babs,\"shesaid,\"gototheInnandordermea\'fly。\'Ishalldriveback,Ifeelveryshaky,\"and,asMrs。Noelofferedtosendhermaid,sheadded:
\"No,no,mygranddaughterwillgo。\"
Barbarahavingdepartedwithaquizzicallook,LadyCasterleypattedtherusticseat,andsaid:
\"Docomeandsitdown,Iwanttotalktoyou:\"
Mrs。Noelobeyed。AndatonceLadyCasterleyperceivedthat\"shehadamostdifficulttaskbeforeher。Shehadnotexpectedawomanwithwhomonecouldtakenoliberties。Thosecleardarkeyes,andthatsoft,perfectlygracefulmanner——toapersonso\'sympathetic\'oneshouldbeabletosayanything,and——onecouldn\'t！Itwasawkward。
AndsuddenlyshenoticedthatMrs。Noelwassittingperfectlyupright,asupright——moreupright,thanshewasherself。Abad,sign——averybadsign！Takingoutherhandkerchief,sheputittoherlips。
\"Isupposeyouthink,\"shesaid,\"thatwewerenotchasedbyabull。\"
\"Iamsureyouwere。\"
\"Indeed！Ah！ButI\'vesomethingelsetotalktoyouabout。\"
Mrs。Noel\'sfacequiveredback,asaflowermightwhenitwasgoingtobeplucked;andagainLadyCasterleyputherhandkerchieftoherlips。Thistimesherubbedthemhard。Therewasnothingtocomeoff;todoso,therefore,wasasatisfaction。
\"Iamanoldwoman,\"shesaid,\"andyoumustn\'tmindwhatIsay。\"
Mrs。Noeldidnotanswer,butlookedstraightathervisitor;towhomitseemedsuddenlythatthiswasanotherperson。Whatwasitaboutthatface,staringather！Inaweirdwayitremindedherofachildthatonehadhurt——withthosegreateyesandthatsofthair,andthemouththin,inaline,allofasudden。Andasifithadbeenjerkedoutofher,shesaid:
\"Idon\'twanttohurtyou,mydear。It\'saboutmygrandson,ofcourse。\"
ButMrs。Noelmadeneithersignnormotion;andthefeelingofirritationwhichsorapidlyattackstheoldwhenconfrontedbytheunexpected,cametoLadyCasterley\'said。
\"Hisname,\"shesaid,\"isbeingcoupledwithyoursinawaythat\'sdoinghimagreatdealofharm。Youdon\'twishtoinjurehim,I\'msure。\"
Mrs。Noelshookherhead,andLadyCasterleywenton:
\"Idon\'tknowwhatthey\'renotsayingsincetheeveningyourfriendMr。Courtierhurthisknee。Miltounhasbeenmostunwise。Youhadnotperhapsrealizedthat。\"
Mrs。Noel\'sanswerwasbitterlydistinct:
\"Ididn\'tknowanyonewassufficientlyinterestedinmydoings。\"
LadyCasterleysufferedagestureofexasperationtoescapeher。
\"Goodheavens！\"shesaid;\"everycommonpersonisinterestedinawomanwhosepositionisanomalous。Livingaloneasyoudo,andnotawidow,you\'refairgameforeverybody,especiallyinthecountry。\"
Mrs。Noel\'ssidelongglance,veryclearandcynical,seemedtosay:
\"Evenforyou。\"
\"Iamnotentitledtoaskyourstory,\"LadyCasterleywenton,\"butifyoumakemysteriesyoumustexpecttheworstinterpretationputonthem。Mygrandsonisamanofthehighestprinciple;hedoesnotseethingswiththeeyesoftheworld,andthatshouldhavemadeyoudoublycarefulnottocompromisehim,especiallyatatimelikethis。\"
Mrs。Noelsmiled。ThissmilestartledLadyCasterley;itseemed,byconcealingeverything,torevealdepthsofstrengthandsubtlety。
Wouldthewomannevershowherhand？Andshesaidabruptly:
\"Anythingserious,ofcourse,isoutofthequestion。\"
\"Quite。\"
Thatword,whichofallothersseemedtherightone,wasspokensothatLadyCasterleydidnotknowintheleastwhatitmeant。Thoughoccasionallyemployingirony,shedetesteditinothers。Nowomanshouldbeallowedtouseitasaweapon！Butinthesedays,whentheyweresofoolishastowantvotes,oneneverknewwhatwomenwouldbeat。Thisparticularwoman,however,didnotlooklikeoneofthatsort。Shewasfeminine——veryfeminine——thesortofcreaturethatspoiledmenbybeingtoonicetothem。Andthoughshehadcomedeterminedtofindoutallabouteverythingandputanendtoit,shesawBarbarare—enteringthewicketgatewithconsiderablerelief。
\"Iamreadytowalkhomenow,\"shesaid。Andgettingupfromtherusticseat,shemadeMrs。Noelasatiricallittlebow。
\"Thankyouforlettingmerest。Givemeyourarm,child。\"
Barbaragaveherarm,andoverhershoulderthrewaswiftsmileatMrs。Noel,whodidnotanswerit,butstoodlookingquietlyafterthem,hereyesimmenselydarkandlarge。
OutinthelaneLadyCasterleywalkedon,verysilent,digestingheremotions。
\"Whataboutthe\'fly,\'Granny？\"
\"What\'fly\'？\"
\"Theoneyoutoldmetoorder。\"
\"Youdon\'tmeantosaythatyoutookmeseriously？\"
\"No,\"saidBarbara,。
\"Ha！\"
TheyproceededsomelittlewayfartherbeforeLadyCasterleysaidsuddenly:
\"Sheisdeep。\"
\"Anddark,\"saidBarbara。\"Iamafraidyouwerenotgood！\"
LadyCasterleyglancedupwards。
\"Idetestthishabit,\"shesaid,\"amongstyouyoungpeople,oftakingnothingseriously。Notevenbulls,\"sheadded,withagrimsmile。
Barbarathrewbackherheadandsighed。
\"Nor\'flys,\'\"shesaid。
LadyCasterleysawthatshehadclosedhereyesandopenedherlips。
Andshethought:
\"She\'saverybeautifulgirl。Ihadnoideashewassobeautiful——
buttoobig！\"Andsheaddedaloud:
\"Shutyourmouth！Youwillgetonedown！\"
Theyspokenomoretilltheyhadenteredtheavenue;thenLadyCasterleysaidsharply:
\"Whoisthiscomingdownthedrive？\"
\"Mr。Courtier,Ithink。\"
\"Whatdoeshemeanbyit,withthatleg？\"
\"Heiscomingtotalktoyou,Granny。\"
LadyCasterleystoppedshort。
\"Youareacat,\"shesaid;\"aslycat。Nowmind,Babs,Iwon\'thaveit！\"
\"No,darling,\"murmuredBarbara;\"youshan\'thaveit——I\'lltakehimoffyourhands。\"
\"Whatdoesyourmothermean,\"stammeredLadyCasterley,\"lettingyougrowuplikethis！You\'reasbadasshewasatyourage！\"
\"Worse！\"saidBarbara。\"IdreamedlastnightthatIcouldfly！\"
\"Ifyoutrythat,\"saidLadyCasterleygrimly,\"you\'llsooncometogrief。Good—morning,sir;yououghttobeinbed！\"
Courtierraisedhishat。
\"Surelyitisnotformetobewhereyouarenot！\"Andheaddedgloomily:\"Thewarscare\'sdead！\"
\"Ah！\"saidLadyCasterley:\"youroccupation\'sgonethen。You\'llgobacktoLondonnow,Isuppose。\"LookingsuddenlyatBarbarashesawthatthegirl\'seyeswerehalf—closed,andthatshewassmiling;itseemedtoLadyCasterleytooorwasitfancy？——thatsheshookherhead。
CHAPTERXIII
ThankstoLadyValleys,apatronessofbirds,noowlwasevershotontheMonklandCourtestate,andthosesoft—flyingspiritsoftheduskhootedandhunted,tothegreatbenefitofallexceptthecreepingvoles。Byeveryfarm,cottage,andfield,theypassedinvisible,quarteringthedarkair。Theirvoyagesofdiscoverystretchedupontothemoorasfarasthewildstoneman,whoseorigintheirwisdomperhapsknew。RoundAudreyNoel\'scottagetheywereasthickasthieves,fortheyhadjusttheretwohabitationsinalong,old,holly—grownwall,andalmostseemedtobeguardingthemistressofthatthatcheddwelling——sonumerousweretheirflutteringrushes,sotenderlyprolongedtheirsoftsentinelcallings。Nowthattheweatherwasreallywarm,sothatjoyoflifewasinthevoles,theyfoundthosesucculentcreaturesofanextraordinarilypleasantflavour,andonthemeachpairwasbringingupafamilyofexceptionallyfinelittleowls,verysolemn,withbigheads,brightlargeeyes,andwingsasyetonlyabletoflydownwards。Therewasscarcelyanyhourfromnoonoftheday（forsomeofthemhadhorns）
tothesmallsweethourswhennooneheardthem,thattheyforgottosalutetheverylarge,quiet,winglessowlwhomtheycouldespymovingaboutbydayabovetheirmouse—runs,orpreeningherwhiteandsometimesblueandsometimesgreyfeathersmorningandeveninginalargesquareholehighupinthefrontwall。Andtheycouldnotunderstandatallwhynoswiftdepredatinggracesnoranyhabitoflongsofthootingbelongedtothatlady—bird。
Ontheeveningofthedaywhenshereceivedthatearlymorningcall,assoonasduskhadfallen,wrappedinalongthincloak,withblacklaceoverherdarkhair,AudreyNoelherselfflutteredoutintothelanes,asiftojointhegravewingedhuntersoftheinvisiblenight。
Thosefar,continualsounds,notstilledinthecountrytilllongafterthesundies,hadbutjustceasedfromhauntingtheair,wherethelateMay—scentclungascloseasfragranceclingstoawoman\'srobe。Therewasjustthebarkingofadog,theboomofmigratingchafers,thesongofthestream,andoftheowls,toproclaimthebeatingintheheartofthissweetNight。NorwasthereanylightbywhichNight\'sfacecouldbeseen;itwashidden,anonymous;sothatwhenalampinacottagethrewablinkovertheoppositebank,itwasasifsomewanderingpainterhadwroughtapictureofstonesandleavesontheblackair,frameditinpurple,andleftithanging。
Yet,ifitcouldonlyhavebeencomeat,theNightwasasfullofemotionasthiswomanwhowandered,shrinkingawayagainstthebanksifanyonepassed,stoppingtocoolherhotfacewiththedewontheferns,walkingswiftlytoconsoleherwarmheart。AnonymousNightseekingforasymbolcouldhavefoundnonebetterthanthiserrantfigure,toexpressitshiddenlongings,thefluttering,unseenrushesofitsdarkwings,andallitssecretpassionofrevoltagainstitsownanonymity……
AtMonklandCourt,saveforlittleAnn,themorningpassedbutdumbly,everyonefeelingthatsomethingmustbedone,andnooneknowingwhat。Atlunch,theonlyallusiontothesituationhadbeenHarbinger\'sinquiry:
\"WhendoesMiltounreturn？\"
Hehadwired,itseemed,tosaythathewasmotoringdownthatnight。
\"Thesoonerthebetter,\"SirWilliammurmured:\"we\'vestillafortnight。\"
Butallhadfeltfromthetoneinwhichhespokethesewords,howseriouswasthepositionintheeyesofthatexperiencedcampaigner。
Whatwiththecollapseofthewarscare,andthiscanardaboutMrs。
Noel,therewasindeedcauseforalarm。
TheafternoonpostbroughtaletterfromLordValleysmarkedExpress。
LadyValleysopeneditwithaslightgrimace,whichdeepenedassheread。Herhandsome,floridfaceworeanexpressionofsadnessseldomseenthere。Therewas,infact,morethanatouchofdignityinherreceptionoftheunpalatablenews。
\"EustacedeclareshisintentionofmarryingthisMrs。Noel\"——soranherhusband\'sletter——\"Iknow,unfortunately,ofnowayinwhichI
canpreventhim。Ifyoucandiscoverlegitimatemeansofdissuasion,itwouldbewelltousethem。Mydear,it\'stheverydevil。\"
Itwastheverydevil！For,ifMiltounhadalreadymadeuphismindtomarryher,withoutknowledgeofthemaliciousrumour,whatwouldnotbehisdeterminationnow？AndthewomanoftheworldroseupinLadyValleys。Thismarriagemustnotcomeoff。Itwascontrarytoalmosteveryinstinctofonewhowaspracticalnotonlybycharacter,butbyhabitoflifeandtraining。Herwarmandfull—bloodednaturehadasneakingsympathywithloveandpleasure,andhadshenotbeenpractical,shemighthavefoundthissideofheraseriousdrawbacktothemaintenorofalifesomuchinviewofthepubliceye。Herconsciousnessofthisdangerinherowncasemadeherextremelyalivetotherisksofanundesirableconnection——especiallyifitwereamarriage——toanypublicman。Atthesametimethemother—heartinherwasstirred。EustacehadneverbeensodeepinheraffectionasBertie,stillhewasherfirst—born;andinfaceofnewswhichmeantthathewaslosttoher——forthismustindeedbe\'themarriageoftwominds\'（orwhateverthatquotationwas）——shefeltstrangelyjealousofawoman,whohadwonherson\'slove,whensheherselfhadneverwonit。Theachingofthisjealousygaveherfaceforamomentalmostaspiritualexpression,thenpassedawayintoimpatience。Whyshouldhemarryher？Thingscouldbearranged。Peoplespokeofitalreadyasanillicitrelationship;wellthen,letpeoplehavewhattheyhadinvented。Iftheworstcametotheworst,thiswasnottheonlyconstituencyinEngland;andadissolutioncouldnotbefaroff。
Betteranythingthanamarriagewhichwouldhandicaphimallhislife！Butwoulditbesogreatahandicap？Afterall,beautycountedformuch！Ifonlyherstorywerenottooconspicuous！Butwhatwasherstory？Nottoknowitwasabsurd！ThatwastheworstofpeoplewhowerenotinSociety,itwassodifficulttofindout！
Andthereroseinherthatalmostbrutalresentment,whichfermentsveryrapidlyinthosewhofromtheiryouthuphavebeenhedgedroundwiththebeliefthattheyandtheyalonearethewholeoftheworld。
InthismoodLadyValleyspassedthelettertoherdaughters。Theyread,andinturnhandedittoBertie,whoinsilencereturnedittohismother。
Butthatevening,inthebilliard—room,havingmanoeuvredtogethimtoherself,BarbarasaidtoCourtier:
\"Iwonderifyouwillanswermeaquestion,Mr。Courtier？\"
\"IfImay,andcan。\"
Herlow—cutdresswasofyew—green,with,littlethreadsofflame—
colour,matchingherhair,sothattherewasaboutherasplendourofdarknessandwhitenessandgold,almostdazzling;andshestoodverystill,leaningbackagainstthelightergreenofthebilliard—table,graspingitsedgesotightlythatthesmoothstrongbacksofherhandsquivered。
\"WehavejustheardthatMiltounisgoingtoaskMrs。Noeltomarryhim。Peoplearenevermysterious,arethey,withoutgoodreason？I
wantedyoutotellme——whoisshe？\"
\"Idon\'tthinkIquitegraspthesituation,\"murmuredCourtier。\"Yousaid——tomarryhim？\"
Seeingthatshehadputoutherhand,asifbeggingforthetruth,headded:\"Howcanyourbrothermarryher——she\'smarried！\"
\"Oh！\"
\"I\'dnoideayoudidn\'tknowthatmuch。\"
\"Wethoughttherewasadivorce。\"
Theexpressionofwhichmentionhasbeenmade——thatpeculiarwhite—
hotsardonicallyjollylook——visitedCourtier\'sfaceatonce。\"Hoistwiththeirownpetard！Theusualthing。Letaprettywomanlivealone——thetonguesofmenwilldotherest。\"
\"Itwasnotsobadasthat,\"saidBarbaradryly;\"theysaidshehaddivorcedherhusband。\"
CaughtoutthuscharacteristicallyridingpastthehoundsCourtierbithislips。
\"Youhadbetterhearthestorynow。Herfatherwasacountryparson,andafriendofmyfather\'s;sothatI\'veknownherfromachild。
StephenLeesNoelwashiscurate。Itwasa\'snap\'marriage——shewasonlytwenty,andhadmethardlyanymen。Herfatherwasillandwantedtoseehersettledbeforehedied。Well,shefoundoutalmostdirectly,likeagoodmanyotherpeople,thatshe\'dmadeanuttermistake。\"
Barbaracamealittlecloser。
\"Whatwasthemanlike？\"
\"Notbadinhisway,butoneofthosenarrow,conscientiouspig—
headedfellowswhomakethemosttryingkindofhusband——boneegoistic。Aparsonofthattypehasnochanceatall。Everymortalthinghehastodoorsayhelpshimtodevelophisworstpoints。Thewifeofamanlikethat\'snobetterthanaslave。Shebegantoshowthestrainofitatlast;thoughshe\'sthesortwhogoesontillshesnaps。Ittookhimfouryearstorealize。Then,thequestionwas,whatweretheytodo？He\'saveryHighChurchman,withalltheirfeelingaboutmarriage;butluckilyhispridewaswounded。Anyway,theyseparatedtwoyearsago;andtheresheis,lefthighanddry。
Peoplesayitwasherfault。Sheoughttohaveknownherownmind——
attwenty！Sheoughttohaveheldonandhiddenitupsomehow。
Confoundtheirthick—skinnedcharitablesouls,whatdotheyknowofhowasensitivewomansuffers？Forgiveme,LadyBarbara——Igethotoverthis。\"Hewassilent;thenseeinghereyesfixedonhim,wenton:\"Hermotherdiedwhenshewasborn,herfathersoonafterhermarriage。She\'senoughmoneyofherown,luckily,toliveonquietly。Asforhim,hechangedhisparishandrunsonesomewhereintheMidlands。One\'ssorryforthepoordevil,too,ofcourse！Theyneverseeeachother;and,sofarasIknow,theydon\'tcorrespond。
That,LadyBarbara,isthesimplehistory。\"
Barbara,said,\"Thankyou,\"andturnedaway;andheheardhermutter:
\"Whatashame！\"
ButhecouldnottellwhetheritwasMrs。Noel\'sfate,orthehusband\'sfate,orthethoughtofMiltounthathadmovedhertothosewords。
Shepuzzledhimbyherself—possession,soalmosthard,herwayofrefusingtoshowfeeling。\'Yetwhatawomanshewouldmakeifthedryingcurseofhigh—castelifewerenotallowedtostereotypeandshrivelher！Ifenthusiasmweresufferedtopenetrateandfertilizehersoul！Sheremindedhimofagreattawnylily。Hehadavisionofher,asthatflower,floating,freedofrootsandthemouldofitscultivatedsoil,inthelibertyoftheimpartialair。Whatapassionateandnoblethingshemightbecome！Whatradianceandperfumeshewouldexhale！AspiritFleur—de—Lys！Sistertoallthenobleflowersoflightthatinhabitedthewind！
Leaninginthedeepembrasureofhiswindow,helookedatanonymousNight。Hecouldheartheowlshoot,andfeelaheartbeatingouttheresomewhereinthedarkness,buttherecamenoanswertohiswondering。Wouldshe——thisgreattawnylilyofagirl——everbecomeunconsciousofherenvironment,notinmannermerely,butintheverysoul,sothatshemightbejustawoman,breathing,suffering,loving,andrejoicingwiththepoetsoulofallmankind？Wouldsheeverbecapableofridingoutwiththelittlecompanyofbighearts,nakedofadvantage？Courtierhadnotbeeninsideachurchfortwentyyears,havinglongfeltthathemustnotenterthemosquesofhiscountrywithoutputtingofftheshoesoffreedom,buthereadtheBible,consideringitaverygreatpoem。Andtheoldwordscamehauntinghim:\'VerilyIsayuntoyou,ItisharderforacameltopassthroughtheeyeofaneedlethanforarichmantoenterthekingdomofHeaven。\'Andnow,lookingintotheNight,whosedarknessseemedtoholdtheanswertoallsecrets,hetriedtoreadtheriddleofthisgirl\'sfuture,withwhichthereseemedsointerwoventhatlargerenigma,howfarthespiritcanfreeitself,inthislife,fromthematterthatencompasseth。
TheNightwhisperedsuddenly,andlowdown,asifrisingfromthesea,camethemoon,droppingawanrobeoflighttillshegleamedoutnudeagainstthesky—curtain。Nightwasnolongeranonymous。ThereintheduskygardenthestatueofDianaformedslowlybeforehiseyes,andbehindher——asitwere,hertemple——rosethetallspireofthecypresstree。
CHAPTERXIV
AcopyoftheBucklandburyNews,containinganaccountofhiseveningadventure,didnotreachMiltountillhewasjuststartingonhisreturnjourney。Itcamemarkedwithbluepenciltogetherwithanote。
\"MYDEAREUSTACE,\"Theenclosed——howeverunwarrantedandimpudent——requiresattention。
Butweshalldonothingtillyoucomeback。
\"Yoursever,\"WILLIAMSHROPTON。\"
TheeffectonMiltounmightperhapshavebeendifferenthadhenotbeensoconsciousofhisintentiontoaskAudreyNoeltobehiswife;
butinanycircumstancesitisdoubtfulwhetherhewouldhavedonemorethansmile,andtearthepaperup。Trulythatsortofthinghadsolittlepowertohurtordisturbhimpersonally,thathewasincapableofseeinghowitcouldhurtordisturbothers。Ifthosewhoreaditwereaffected,somuchtheworseforthem。Hehadareal,ifunobtrusive,contemptforgroundlings,ofwhateverclass;
anditneverenteredhisheadtostepaninchoutofhiscourseindeferencetotheirvagaries。NordiditcomehometohimthatMrs。
Noel,wrappedintheglamourwhichhecastabouther,couldpossiblysufferfromthemeannessofvulgarminds。Shropton\'snote,indeed,causedhimthemoreannoyanceofthosetwodocuments。Itwaslikehisbrother—in—lawtomakemuchoflittle！
Hehardlydozedatallduringhisswiftjourneythroughthesleepingcountry;norwhenhereachedhisroomatMonklanddidhegotobed。
Hehadthewonderful,upbornefeelingofmanonthevergeofachievement。Hisspiritandsenseswerebothonfire——forthatwasthequalityofthiswoman,shesufferednopartofhimtosleep,andhewasgladofherexactions。
Hedranksometea;wentout,andtookapathuptothemoor。Itwasnotyeteighto\'clockwhenhereachedthetopofthenearesttor。
Andthere,belowhim,around,andabove,wasalandandskytranscendingevenhisexaltation。Itwaslikeasymphonyofgreatmusic;orthenobilityofastupendousmindlaidbare;itwasGodupthere,inHismanymoods。Serenitywasspreadinthemiddleheavens,blue,illimitable,andalongtotheEast,threehugeclouds,likethoughtsbroodingoverthedestiniesbelow,movedslowlytowardthesea,sothatgreatshadowsfilledthevalleys。Andthelandthatlayunderalltheotherskywasgleaming,andquiveringwitheverycolour,asitwere,clothedwiththedivinesmile。Thewind,fromtheNorth,whereonfloatedthewhitebirdsofthesmallerclouds,hadnovoice,foritwasabovebarriers,utterlyfree。BeforeMiltoun,turningtothiswind,laythemazeofthelowerlands,themistygreens,rosepinks,andbrownsofthefields,andwhiteandgreydotsandstrokesofcottagesandchurchtowers,fadingintotheblueveilofdistance,confinedbyafarrangeofhills。Behindhimtherewasnothingbuttherestlesssurfaceofthemoor,colouredpurplish—
brown。Onthatuntamedseaofgravenwildnesscouldbeseennoshipofman,saveone,onthefarhorizon——thegrimhulk,DartmoorPrison。
Therewasnosound,noscent,anditseemedtoMiltounasifhisspirithadlefthisbody,andbecomepartofthesolemnityofGod。
Yet,ashestoodthere,withhisheadbared,thatstrangesmilewhichhauntedhiminmomentsofdeepfeeling,showedthathehadnotsurrenderedtotheUniversal,thathisownspiritwasbutbeingfortified,andthatthiswasthetrueandsecretsourceofhisdelight。Helaydowninascoopofthestones。Thesunenteredthere,butnowind,sothatadrysweetscentexudedfromtheyoungshootsofheather。Thatwarmthandperfumecreptthroughtheshieldofhisspirit,andstoleintohisblood;ardentimagesrosebeforehim,thevisionofanunendingembrace。OutofanembracesprangLife,outofthattheWorldwasmade,thisWorld,withitsinnumerableforms,andnatures——notwoalike！Andfromhimandherwouldspringformstotaketheirplaceinthegreatpattern。Thisseemedwonderful,andright—fortheywouldbeworthyforms,whowouldhandonthosetraditionswhichseemedtohimsonecessaryandgreat。