WhenMiltoun\'sshadowblottedthelightbywhichshewasseeingsolittle,shegaveaslightstart,andgotup。Butsheneitherwenttowardshim,norspoke。Andhe,withoutaword,cameinandstoodbythehearth,lookingdownattheemptygrate。Atortoise—shellcatwhichhadbeenwatchingswallows,disturbedbyhisentrance,withdrewfromthewindowbeneathachair。
Thissilence,inwhichthequestionoftheirfutureliveswastobedecided,seemedtobothinterminable;yet,neithercouldendit。
Atlast,touchinghissleeve,shesaid:\"You\'rewet！\"
Miltounshiveredatthattimidsignofpossession。Andtheyagainstoodinsilencebrokenonlybythesoundofthecatlickingitspaws。
Butherfacultyfordumbnesswasstrongerthanhis,and——hehadtospeakfirst。
\"Forgivemeforcoming;somethingmustbesettled。This——rumour————\"
\"Oh！that！\"shesaid。\"IsthereanythingIcandotostoptheharmtoyou？\"
ItwastheturnofMiltoun\'slipstocurl。\"God！no;letthemtalk！\"
Theireyeshadcometogethernow,and,oncetogether,seemedunabletopart。
Mrs。Noelsaidatlast:
\"Willyoueverforgiveme？\"
\"Whatfor——itwasmyfault。\"
\"No;Ishouldhaveknownyoubetter。\"
Thedepthofmeaninginthosewords——thetremendousandsubtleadmissiontheycontainedofallthatshehadbeenreadytodo,thedespairingknowledgeinthemthathewasnot,andneverhadbeen,readyto\'bearitouteventotheedgeofdoom\'——madeMiltounwinceaway。
\"Itisnotfromfear——believethat,anyway。\"
\"Ido。\"
Therefollowedanotherlong,longsilence！Butthoughsoclosethattheywerealmosttouching,theynolongerlookedatoneanother。
ThenMiltounsaid:
\"Thereisonlytosaygood—bye,then。\"
Atthoseclearwordsspokenbylipswhich,thoughjustsmiling,failedsoutterlytohidehismisery,Mrs。Noel\'sfacebecamecolourlessasherwhitegown。Buthereyes,whichhadgrownimmense,seemedfromthesheerlackofallothercolour,tohavedrawnintothemthewholeofhervitality;tobepouringforthaproudandmournfulreproach。
Shivering,andcrushinghimselftogetherwithhisarms,Miltounwalkedtowardsthewindow。Therewasnotthefaintestsoundfromher,andhelookedback。Shewasfollowinghimwithhereyes。Hethrewhishandupoverhisface,andwentquicklyout。Mrs。Noelstoodforalittlewhilewherehehadlefther;then,sittingdownoncemoreatthepiano,beganagaintoconoverthelineofmusic。
Andthecatstolebacktothewindowtowatchtheswallows。Thesunlightwasdyingslowlyonthetopbranchesofthelime—tree;a,drizzlingrainbegantofall。
CHAPTERXX
ClaudFresnay,ViscountHarbingerwas,attheageofthirty—one,perhapstheleastencumberedpeerintheUnitedKingdom。Thankstoanancestorwhohadacquiredland,anddepartedthislifeonehundredandthirtyyearsbeforethetownofNettlefoldwasbuiltonasmallportionofit,andtoafatherwhohaddiedinhisson\'sinfancy,afterjudiciouslysellingthesaidtown,hepossessedaverylargeincomeindependentlyofhislandedinterests。Tallandwell—built,withhandsome,strongly—markedfeatures,hegaveatfirstsightanimpressionofstrength——whichfadedsomewhatwhenhebegantotalk。
Itwasnotsomuchthemannerofhisspeech——withitsrapidslang,anditswayofturningeverythingtoajest——asthefeelingitproduced,thatthebrainbehindittooknaturallythepathofleastresistance。Hewasinfactoneofthosepersonalitieswhoareoftenenoughprominentinpoliticsandsociallife,byreasonoftheirappearance,position,assurance,andofacertainenergy,halfgenuine,andhalfmereinherentpredilectionforshortcuts。
Certainlyhewasnotidle,hadwrittenabook,travelled,wasaCaptainofYeomanry,aJusticeofthePeace,agoodcricketer,andaconstantandglibspeaker。Itwouldhavebeenunfairtocallhisenthusiasmforsocialreformspurious。Itwasrealenoughinitsway,anddidcertainlytestifythathewasnotaltogetherlackingeitherinimaginationorgood—heartedness。Butitwasoverandoverlaidwiththepublic—schoolhabit——thatpeculiar,extraordinarilyEnglishhabit,sopowerfulandbeguilingthatitbecomesasecondnaturestrongerthanthefirst——ofrelatingeverythingintheUniversetothestandardsandprejudicesofasingleclass。Sincepracticallyallhisintimateassociateswereimmersedinit,hewasnaturallynotintheleastconsciousofthishabit;indeedtherewasnothinghedeprecatedsomuchinpoliticsasthenarrowandprejudicedoutlook,suchashehadobservedintheNonconformist,orlabourpolitician。Hewouldneverhaveadmittedforamomentthatcertaindoorshadbeenbanged—toathisbirth,boltedwhenhewenttoEton,andpadlockedatCambridge。Noonewouldhavedeniedthattherewasmuchthatwasvaluableinhisstandards——ahighlevelofhonesty,candour,sportsmanship,personalcleanliness,andself—
reliance,togetherwithadislikeofsuchcrueltyashadbeenofficially（sotospeak）recognizedascruelty,andasenseofpublicservicetoaStaterunbyandforthepublicschools;butitwouldhaverequiredfarmoreoriginalitythanhepossessedevertolookatLifefromanyotherpointofviewthanthatfromwhichhehadbeenbornandbredtowatchHer。Tofullyunderstandharbinger,onemust,andwithunprejudicedeyesandbrain,haveattendedoneofthosegreatcricketmatchesinwhichhehadfiguredconspicuouslyasaboy,andlookingdownfromsomehighimpartialspothavewatchedthegroundatlunchtimecoveredfromropetoropeandstandtostandwithamarvellousswarm,allwalkinginpreciselythesamemanner,withpreciselythesameexpressionontheirfaces,underpreciselythesamehats——aswarmenshriningthegreatestidentityof,creedandhabiteverknownsincetheworldbegan。No,hisenvironmenthadnotbeenfavourabletooriginality。Moreoverhewasnaturallyrapidratherthandeep,andlifehardlyeverlefthimaloneorlefthimsilent。Broughtintocontactdayandnightwithpeopletowhompoliticsweremoreorlessagame;runaftereverywhere;subjectedtonoformofdiscipline——itwasawonderthathewasasseriousashewas。Norhadheeverbeeninlove,until,lastyear,duringherfirstseason,Barbarahad,ashemighthaveexpressedit——inthecaseofanother\'bowledhimmiddlestump。Thoughsodeeplysmitten,he。
hadnotyetaskedhertomarryhim——hadnot,asitwere,hadtime,norperhapsquitethecourage,orconviction。Whenhewasnearher,itseemedimpossiblethathecouldgoonlongerwithoutknowinghisfate;whenhewasawayfromheritwasalmostarelief,becausethereweresomanythingstobedoneandsaid,andsolittletimetodoorsaythemin。Butnow,duringthisfortnight,which,forhersake,hehaddevotedtoMiltoun\'scause,hisfeelinghadadvancedbeyondthepointofcomfort。
HedidnotadmitthatthereasonofthisuneasinesswasCourtier,for,afterall,Courtierwas,inasense,nobody,and\'anextremist\'
intothebargain,andanextremistalwaysaffectedthecentreofHarbinger\'sanatomy,causingittogiveoffapeculiarsmileandtoneofvoice。Nevertheless,hiseyes,whenevertheyfellonthatsanguine,steady,ironicface,shonewithasortofcoldinquiry,orwereevendarkenedbytheshadeoffear。Theymetseldom,itistrue,formostofhisdaywasspentinmotoringandspeaking,andmostofCourtier\'sinwritingandriding,hislegbeingstilltooweakforwalking。Butonceortwiceinthesmokingroomlateatnight,hehadembarkedonsomebanteringdiscussionwiththechampionoflostcauses;andverysoonanill—concealedimpatiencehadcreptintohisvoice。Whyamanshouldwastehistime,floggingdead。
horsesonajourneytothemoon,wasincomprehensible！Factswerefacts,humannaturewouldneverbeanythingbuthumannature！AnditwaspeculiarlygallingtoseeinCourtier\'seyeagleam,tocatchinhisvoiceatone,asifhewerethinking:\"Myyoungfriend,yoursoupiscold！\"
Onamorningafteroneoftheseencounters,seeingBarbarasallyforthinridingclothes,heaskedifhetoomightgoroundthestables,andstartedforthbesideher,unwontedlysilent,withanoddfeelingabouthisheart,andhisthroatunaccountablydry。
ThestablesatMonklandCourtwereaslargeasmanycountryhouses。
Accommodatingthirtyhorses,theywereatpresentoccupiedbytwenty—
one,includingtheponyoflittleAnn。Forheight,perfectionoflighting,gloss,shine,andpurityofatmospheretheywereunequalledinthecounty。Itseemedindeedimpossiblethatanyhorsecouldeversofarforgethimselfinsuchaplaceastorememberthathewasahorse。Everymorningalittlebinofcarrots,apples,andlumpsofsugar,wassetclosetothemainentrance,readyforthosewhomightdesiretofeedthedearinhabitants。
Reineduptoabrassringoneithersideoftheirstallswiththeirnosestowardsthedoors,theywerealwaysonviewfromninetoten,andwouldstandwiththeirnecksarched,earspricked,andcoatsgleaming,wonderingaboutthings,soothedbythefainthissingofthestillbusygrooms,andreadytomovetheirnosesupanddownthemomenttheysawsomeoneenter。
Inalargeloose—boxattheendofthenorthwingBarbara\'sfavouritechestnuthunter,allbutonesavingsixteenthofwhomhadbeenenteredinthestudbook,havingheardherfootstep,wasstandingquitestillwithhisneckturned。Hehadbeencrumpingupanappleplacedamongsthisfeed,andhissensesstruggledbetweenthelingeringflavourofthatdelicacy,——andtheperceptionofasoundwithwhichheconnectedcarrots。Whensheunlatchedhisdoor,andsaid\"Hal,\"heatoncewenttowardshismanger,toshowhisindependence,butwhenshesaid:\"Oh！verywell！\"heturnedroundandcametowardsher。Hiseyes,whichwerefullandofasoftbrilliance,underthickchestnutlashes,exploredherallover。
Perceivingthathercarrotswerenotinfront,heelongatedhisneck,lethisnosestrayroundherwaist,andgavehergauntlettedhandanipwithhislips。Nottastingcarrot,hewithdrewhisnose,andsnuffled。Thensteppingcarefullysoasnottotreadonherfoot,hebuntedhergentlywithhisshoulder,tillwithaquickmanoeuvrehegotbehindherandbreathedlowandlongonherneck。Eventhisdidnotsmellofcarrots,andputtinghismuzzleoverhershoulderagainsthercheek,heslobberedaverylittle。Acarrotappearedaboutthelevelofherwaist,andhanginghisheadover,hetriedtoreachit。Feelingitallfirmandsoftunderhischin,hesnuffledagain,andgaveheragentledigwithhisknee。Butstillunabletoreachthecarrot,hethrewhisheadup,withdrew,andpretendednottoseeher。Andsuddenlyhefelttwolongsubstancesroundhisneck,andsomethingsoftagainsthisnose。Hesufferedthisinsilence,layinghisearsback。Thesoftnessbeganpuffingonhismuzzle。
Prickinghisearsagain,hepuffedbackalittleharder,withmorecuriosity,andthesoftnesswaswithdrawn。Heperceivedsuddenlythathehadacarrotinhismouth。
Harbingerhadwitnessedthisepisode,oddlypale,leaningagainsttheloose—boxwall。Hespoke,asitcametoanend:
\"LadyBabs！\"
Thetoneofhisvoicemusthavebeenasstrangeasitsoundedtohimself,forBarbaraspunround。
\"Yes？\"
\"HowlongamIgoingonlikethis？\"
Neitherchangingcolournordroppinghereyes,sheregardedhimwithafaintlyinquisitiveinterest。Itwasnotacruellook,hadnotatraceofmischief,orsexmalice,andyetitfrightenedhimbyitssereneinscrutability。Impossibletotellwhatwasgoingonbehindit。Hetookherhand,bentoverit,andsaidinalowvoice:
\"YouknowwhatIfeel;don\'tbecrueltome！\"
Shedidnotpullawayherhand;itwasasifshehadnotthoughtofit。
\"Iamnotabitcruel。\"
Lookingup,hesawhersmiling。
\"Then——Babs！\"
Hisfacewasclosetohers,butBarbaradidnotshrinkback。Shejustshookherhead;andHarbingerflushedup。
\"Why？\"heasked;andasthoughtheenormousinjusticeofthatrejectinggesturehadsuddenlystruckhim,hedroppedherhand。
\"Why？\"hesaidagain,sharply。
Butthesilencewasonlybrokenbythecheepingofsparrowsoutsidetheroundwindow,andthesoundofthehorse,Hal,munchingthelastmorselofhiscarrot。Harbingerwasawareinhiseverynerveofthesweetish,slightlyacrid,huskyodouroftheloosebox,minglingwiththescentofBarbara\'shairandclothes。Andrathermiserably,hesaidforthethirdtime:
\"Why？\"
Butfoldingherhandsawaybehindherback。sheansweredgently:
\"Mydear,howshouldIknowwhy？\"
Shewascalmlyexposedtohisembraceifhehadonlydared;buthedidnotdare,andwentbacktotheloose—boxwall。Bitinghisfinger,hestaredathergloomily。Shewasstrokingthemuzzleofherhorse;andasortofdryragebeganwhiskingandrustlinginhisheart。Shehadrefusedhim——Harbinger！Hehadnotknown,hadnotsuspectedhowmuchhewantedher。Howcouldtherebeanybodyelseforhim,whilethatyoung,calm,sweet—scented,smilingthinglived,tomakehisheadgoround,hissensesache,andtofillhisheartwithlonging！Heseemedtohimselfatthatmomentthemostunhappyofallmen。
\"Ishallnotgiveyouup,\"hemuttered。
Barbara\'sanswerwasasmile,faintlycurious,compassionate,yetalmostgrateful,asifshehadsaid:
\"Thankyou——whoknows？\"
Andratherquickly,ayardorsoapart,andtalkingofhorses,theyreturnedtothehouse。
Itwasaboutnoon,when,accompaniedbyCourtier,sherodeforth。
TheSou—Westerlyspell——amatterofthreedays——hadgivenwaybeforeradiantstillness;andmerelytobealivewastofeelemotion。Atalittlestreamrunningbesidethemoorunderthewildstoneman,theridersstoppedtheirhorses,justtolisten,and,inhaletheday。
Thefarsweetchorusoflifewastunedtoamostdelicaterhythm;notoneofthosesmallmingledpipingsofstreamsandthelazyair,ofbeasts,men;birds,andbees,jarredouttooharshlythroughthegarmentofsoundenwrappingtheearth。Itwasnoon——thestillmoment——butthishymntothesun,afterhistoolongabsence,neverforamomentceasedtobemurmured。Andtheearthworeanunder—robeofscent,delicious,veryfinelywovenoftheyoungfernsap,heatherbuds;larch—treesnotyetodourless,gorsejustgoingbrown,driftedwoodsmoke,andthebreathofhawthorn。AboveEarth\'stwinvestmentsofsoundandscent,theblueenwrappingscarfofair,thatwistfulwidechampaign,wasspannedonlybythewingsofFreedom。
Afterthatlongdrinkoftheday,theridersmountedalmostinsilencetotheverytopofthemoor。Thereagaintheysatquitestillontheirhorses,examiningtheprospect。FarawaytoSouthandEastlaythesea,plainlyvisible。Twosmallgroupsofwildponieswereslowlygrazingtowardseachotheronthehillsidebelow。
Courtiersaid。inalowvoice:
\"\'ThuswillIsitandsing,withloveinmyarms;watchingourtwoherdsmingletogether,andbelowusthefar,divine,ceruleansea。\'\"
And,afteranothersilence,lookingsteadilyinBarbara\'sface,headded:
\"LadyBarbara,Iamafraidthisisthelasttimeweshallbealonetogether。WhileIhavethechance,therefore,Imustdohomage……
Youwillalwaysbethefixedstarformyworship。Butyourraysaretoobright;Ishallworshipfromafar。FromyourseventhHeaven,therefore,lookdownonmewithkindlyeyes,anddonotquiteforgetme:\"
Underthatspeech,sostrangelycompoundedofironyandfervour,Barbarasatverystill,withglowingcheeks。
\"Yes,\"saidCourtier,\"onlyanimmortalmustembraceagoddess。
OutsidethepurlieusofAuthorityIshallsitcross—legged,andprostratemyselfthreetimesaday。\"
ButBarbaraanswerednothing。
\"Intheearlymorning,\"wentonCourtier,\"leavingthedarkanddismalhomesofFreedomIshalllooktowardstheTemplesoftheGreat;therewiththeeyeoffaithIshallseeyou。\"
Hestopped,forBarbara\'slipsweremoving。
\"Don\'thurtme,please。\"
Courtierleanedover,tookherhand,andputittohislips。\"Wewillnowrideon……\"
ThatnightatdinnerLordDennis,seatedoppositehisgreat—niece,wasstruckbyherappearance。
\"Averybeautifulchild,\"hethought,\"amostlovelyyoungcreature！\"
ShewasplacedbetweenCourtierandHarbinger。Andtheoldman\'sstillkeeneyescarefullywatchedthosetwo。Thoughattentivetotheirneighboursontheotherside,theywerebothofthemkeepingthecornerofaneyeonBarbaraandoneachother。ThethingwastransparenttoLordDennis,andasmilesettledinthatnestofgravitybetweenhiswhitepeakedbeardandmoustaches。Buthewaited,theinstinctofafishermanbiddinghimtoneglectnopieceofwater,tillhesawthechildsilentandinrepose,andwatchedcarefullytoseewhatwouldrise。Althoughshewassocalmly,sohealthilyeating,hereyesstoleroundatCourtier。ThisquicklookseemedtoLordDennisperturbed,asifsomethingwereexcitingher。
ThenHarbingerspoke,andsheturnedtoanswerhim。Herfacewascalmnow,faintlysmiling,alittleeager,provocativeinitsjoyoflife。ItmadeLordDennisthinkofhisownyouth。Whatasplendidcouple！IfBabsmarriedyoungHarbingertherewouldnotbeafinerpairinallEngland。HiseyestravelledbacktoCourtier。Manlyenough！Theycalledhimdangerous！Therewasalookofeffervescence,carefullycorkeddown——mightperhapsbeattractivetoagirl！Tohisessentiallypracticalandsobermind,atypelikeCourtierwaspuzzling。Helikedthelookofhim,butdistrustedhisironicexpression,andthatappearanceofbloodtothehead。Fellow——nodoubt——thatwouldrideoffonhisideas,humanitarian！ToLordDennistherewassomethingqueerabouthumanitarians。Theyoffendedperhapshisdryandprecisesenseofform。Theywerealwayslookingoutforcrueltyorinjustice;seemeddelightedwhentheyfoundit——
swelledup,asitwere,whentheyscentedit,andastherewasagooddealabout,wereneverquiteofnormalsize。Menwholivedforideaswere,infact,tooneforwhomfactssufficedalwaysalittleworrying！AmovementfromBarbarabroughthimbacktoactuality。
WasthepossessorofthatcrownofhairandthosedivineyoungshouldersthelittleBabswhohadriddenwithhimintheRow？TimewascertainlytheDevil！Hereyesweresearchingforsomething;andfollowingthedirectionofthatglance,LordDennisfoundhimselfobservingMiltoun。Whatadifferencebetweenthosetwo！Bothnodoubtinthegreattroubleofyouth;whichsometimes,asheknewtoowell,lastedonalmosttooldage。Itwasacuriouslookthechildwasgivingherbrother,asifaskinghimtohelpher。LordDennishadseeninhisdaymanyyoungcreaturesleavetheshelteroftheirfreedomandenterthehouseofthegreatlottery;many,whohaddrawnaprizeandthereatlostforeverthecoldnessoflife;manytoo,thelightofwhoseeyeshadfadedbehindtheshuttersofthathouse,havingdrawnablank。Thethoughtof\'little\'Babsonthethresholdofthatinexorablesaloon,filledhimwithaneagersadness;andthesightofthetwomenwatchingforher,waitingforher,likehunters,wastohimdistasteful。Inanycase,lethernot,forHeaven\'ssake,gorangingasfarasthatredfellowofmiddleage,whomighthaveideas,buthadnopedigree;lethersticktoyouthandherownorder,andmarrythe——youngman,confoundhim,wholookedlikeaGreekgod,ofthewrongperiod,havinggrownamoustache。Herememberedherwordstheothereveningaboutthesetwoandthedifferentlivestheylived。Someromanticnotionorotherwasworkinginher！AndagainhelookedatCourtier。AQuixotictype——thesortthatrodeslap—bangateverything！Allverywell——butnotforBabs！ShewasnotlikethegloriousGaribaldi\'sgloriousAnita！ItwastrulycharacteristicofLordDennis——andindeedofotherpeople——thattohimchampionsofLibertywhendeadwerefardearerthanchampionsofLibertywhenliving。Yes,Babswouldwantmore,orwasitless,thanjustalifeofsleepingunderthestarsforthemansheloved,andthecausehefoughtfor。Shewouldwantpleasure,and,nottoomucheffort,andpresentlyalittlepower;nottheuncomfortableafter—fameofawomanwhowentthroughfire,butthefameandpowerofbeauty,andSocietyprestige。This,fancyofhers,ifitwereafancy,couldbenothingbuttheromanticismofayounggirl。Forthesakeofapassingshadow,togiveupsubstance？Itwouldn\'tdo！。AndagainLordDennisfixedhisshrewdglanceonhisgreat—niece。Thoseeyes,thatsmile！Yes！Shewouldgrowoutofthis。AndtaketheGreekgod,thedyingGaul——whicheverthatyoungmanwas！
CHAPTERXXI
ItwasnottillthemorningofpollingdayitselfthatCourtierleftMonklandCourt。Hehadalreadysufferedforsometimefrombadconscience。Forhiskneewaspracticallycured,andheknewwellthatitwasBarbara,andBarbaraalone,whokepthimstayingthere。
Theatmosphereofthatbighousewithitsarmyofservants,theimpossibilityofdoinganythingforhimself,andthefeelingofhopelessinsulationfromthevividandnecessitoussidesoflife,galledhimgreatly。Hefeltaverygenuinepityforthesepeoplewhoseemedtoleadanexistenceasitweresmotheredundertheirownsocialimportance。Itwasnottheirfault。Herecognizedthattheydidtheirbest。Theyweregoodspecimensoftheirkind;neithersoftnorluxurious,asthingswentinadegenerateandextravagantage;
theyevidentlytriedtobesimple——andthisseemedtohimtoheightenthepathosoftheirsituation。Fatehadbeentoomuchforthem。
Whathumanspiritcouldemergeuntrammelledandunshrunkenfromthatgreatencompassinghostofmaterialadvantage？ToaBedouinlikeCourtier,itwasasthoughasubtle,butveryterribletragedywasallthetimebeingplayedbeforehiseyes;andin,theverycentreofthistragedywasthegirlwhosogreatlyattractedhim。Everynightwhenheretiredtothatloftyroom,whichsmeltsogood,andwhere,withoutostentation,everythingwassoperfectlyorderedforhiscomfort,hethought:
\"MyGod,to—morrowI\'llbeoff！\"
Buteverymorningwhenhemetheratbreakfasthisthoughtwaspreciselythesame,andthereweremomentswhenhecaughthimselfwondering:\"AmIfallingunderthespellofthisexistence——amI
gettingsoft？\"Herecognizedasneverbeforethatthepeculiarartificial\'hardness\'ofthepatricianwasabrineorpickle,inwhich,withtheinstinctofself—preservationtheydeliberatelysoakedthemselves,topreventthedecayoftheiroverprotectedfibre。
HeperceivediteveninBarbara——asortofsentiment—proofoverall,aspeciesofmistrustoftheemotionalorlyrical,akindofcontemptofsympathyandfeeling。Andeverydayhewasmoreandmoretemptedtolayrudehandsonthisgarment;toseewhetherhecouldnotmakehercatchfire,andflareupwithsomeemotionoridea。Inspiteofhertantalizing,youthfulself—possession,hesawthatshefeltthislonginginhim,andnowandthenhecaughtaglimpseofastreakofrecklessnessinherwhichluredhimon:
Andyet,whenatlasthewassayinggood—byeonthenightbeforepollingday,hecouldnotflatterhimselfthathehadreallystruckanysparkfromher。Certainlyshegavehimnochance,atthatfinalinterview,butstoodamongsttheotherwomen,calmandsmiling,asifdeterminedthatheshouldnotagainmockherwithhisironicaldevotion。
Hegotupveryearlythenextmorning,intendingtopassawayunseen。
Inthecarputathisdisposal;hefoundasmallfigureinaholland—
frock,leaningbackagainstthecushionssothatsomesandalledtoespointedupatthechauffeur\'sback。TheybelongedtolittleAnn,whointhecourseofbusinesshaddiscoveredthevehiclebeforethedoor。
Hersuddenlittlevoiceunderhersuddenlittlenose,friendlybutnottoofriendly,wascomfortingtoCourtier。
\"Areyougoing？Icancomeas,farasthegate。\"\"Thatislucky。\"
\"Yes。Isthatallyourluggage？\"
\"I\'mafraiditis。\"
\"Oh！It\'squitealot,really,isn\'tit？\"
\"AsmuchasIdeserve。\"
\"Ofcourseyoudon\'thavetotakeguinea—pigsaboutwithyou？\"
\"Notasarule。\"
\"Ialwaysdo。There\'sgreat—Granny！\"
TherecertainlywasLadyCasterley,standingalittlebackfromthedrive,anddirectingatallgardenerhowtodealwithanoldoak—
tree。Courtieralighted,andwenttowardshertosaygood—bye。Shegreetedhimwithacertaingrimcordiality。
\"Soyouaregoing！Iamgladofthat,thoughyouquiteunderstandthatIlikeyoupersonally。\"
\"Quite！\"
Hereyesgleamedmaliciously。
\"Menwholaughlikeyouaredangerous,asI\'vetoldyoubefore！\"
Then,withgreatgravity;sheadded\"MygranddaughterwillmarryLordHarbinger。Imentionthat,Mr。
Courtier,foryourpeaceofmind。Youareamanofhonour;itwillgonofurther。\"
Courtier,bowingoverherhand,answered:
\"Hewillbelucky。\"
Thelittleoldladyregardedhimunflinchingly。
\"Hewill,sir。Good—bye！\"
Courtiersmilinglyraisedhishat。Hischeekswereburning。
Regainingthecar,helookedround。LadyCasterleywasbusyoncemoreexhortingthetallgardener。ThevoiceoflittleAnnbrokeinonhisthoughts:
\"Ihopeyou\'llcomeagain。BecauseIexpectIshallbehereatChristmas;andmybrotherswillbeherethen,thatis,JockandTiddy,notChristopherbecausehe\'syoung。Imustgonow。Good—bye！