InBarbara,thusforthefirsttimeinherlifeseriouslyreprimanded,therewasatworkthemostpeculiarsensationshehadeverfelt,asifsomethingwerescrapingherveryskin——asick,andatthesametimedevilish,feeling。Atthatmomentshecouldhavestruckherfatherdead。Butsheshowednothing,havingloweredthelidsofhereyes。
\"Anythingelse？\"shesaid。
LordValleys\'jawhadbecomesuddenlymoreprominent。
\"AsasequeltoyourshareinMiltoun\'sbusiness,itispeculiarlyentrancing。\"
\"Mydear,\"brokeinLadyValleysverysuddenly,\"Babswilltellme。
It\'snothing,ofcourse。\"
Barbara\'scalmvoicesaidagain:
\"Anythingelse？\"
Therepetitionofthisphraseinthatmaddening,coolvoicealmostbrokedownherfather\'ssorelytriedcontrol。
\"Nothingfromyou,\"hesaidwithdeadlycoldness。\"IshallhavethehonouroftellingthisgentlemanwhatIthinkofhim。\"
AtthosewordsBarbaradrewherselftogether,andturnedhereyesfromonefacetotheother。
Underthatgaze,whichforallitscoolhardness,wassofuriouslyalive,neitherLordnorLadyValleyscouldkeepquitestill。Itwasasifshehadstrippedfromthemthewell—bredmaskofthosewhosespirits,bylongunquestioningacceptanceofthemselves,havebecomeinelastic,inexpansive,commonerthantheyknew。Infactaratherawfulmoment！ThenBarbarasaid:
\"Ifthere\'snothingelse,I\'mgoingtobed。Goodnight！\"
Andascalmlyasshehadcomein,shewentout。
Whenshehadregainedherroom,shelockedthedoor,threwoffhercloak,andlookedatherselfintheglass。Withpleasureshesawhowfirmlyherteethwereclenched,howherbreastwasheaving,andhowhereyesseemedtobestabbingherself。Andallthetimeshethought:
\"Verywell！Mydears！Verywell！\"
CHAPTERXXV
Inthatmoodofrebelliousmortificationshefellasleep。And,curiouslyenough,dreamednotofhimwhomshehadinmindbeensofuriouslydefending,butofHarbinger。Shefanciedherselfinprison,lyinginacellfashionedlikethedrawing—roomatSeahouse;
andinthenextcell,intowhichshecouldsomehowlook,Harbingerwasdiggingatthewallwithhisnails。Shecoulddistinctlyseethehaironthebackofhishands,andhearhimbreathing。Theholehewasmakinggrewlargerandlarger。Herheartbegantobeatfuriously;sheawoke。
Sherosewithanewandmaliciousresolutiontoshownosignofrebellion,togothroughthedayasifnothinghadhappened,todeceivethemall,andthen——！Exactlywhat\'andthen\'meant,shedidnotexplaineventoherself。
Inaccordancewiththisplanofactionshepresentedanuntroubledfrontatbreakfast,wentoutridingwithlittleAnn,andshoppingwithhermotherafterwards。OwingtothisnewsofMiltounthejourneytoScotlandhadbeenpostponed。SheparriedwithcoolingenuityeachattemptmadebyLadyValleystodrawherintoconversationonthesubjectofthatmeetingatGustard\'s,norwouldshetalkofherbrother;ineveryotherwayshewasherusualself。
IntheafternoonsheevenvolunteeredtoaccompanyhermothertooldLadyHarbinger\'sintheneighbourhoodofPrince\'sGate。SheknewthatHarbingerwouldbethere,andwiththethoughtofmeetingthatotherat\'fiveo\'clock,\'hadacynicalpleasureinthusencounteringhim。Itwassocompleteablindtothemall！Then,feelingthatshewasaccomplishingamasterstroke;sheeventoldhim,inhermother\'shearing,thatshewouldwalkhome,andhemightcomeifhecared。Hedidcare。
Butwhenonceshehadbeguntoswingalonginthemellowafternoon,underthemellowtrees,wheretheairwassweetenedbytheSouth—Westwind,allthatmutinous,recklessmoodofhersvanished,shefeltsuddenlyhappyandkind,gladtobewalkingwithhim。To—daytoohewascheerful,asifdeterminednottospoilhergaiety;andshewasgratefulforthis。Onceortwicesheevenputherhandupandtouchedhissleeve,callinghisattentiontobirdsortrees,friendly,andglad,afterallthosehoursofbitterfeelings,tobegivinghappiness。WhentheypartedatthedoorofValleysHouse,shelookedbackathimwithaqueer,half—ruefulsmile。For,nowthehourhadcome！
Inalittleunfrequentedante—room,allwhitepanelsandpolish,shesatdowntowait。Theentrancedrivewasvisiblefromhere;andshemeanttoencounterCourtiercasuallyinthehall。Shewasexcited,andalittlescornfulofherownexcitement。Shehadexpectedhimtobepunctual,butitwasalreadypastfive;andsoonshebegantofeeluneasy,almostridiculous,sittinginthisroomwherenooneevercame。Goingtothewindow,shelookedout。
Asuddenvoicebehindher,said:
\"AuntieBabs！\"。
Turning,shesawlittleAnnregardingherwiththosewide,frank,hazeleyes。AshiverofnervespassedthroughBarbara。
\"Isthisyourroom？It\'saniceroom,isn\'tit？\"
Sheanswered:
\"Quiteaniceroom,Ann。\"
\"Yes。I\'veneverbeeninherebefore。There\'ssomebodyjustcome,soImustgonow。\"
Barbarainvoluntarilyputherhandsuptohercheeks,andquicklypassedwithhernieceintothehall。AttheverydoorthefootmanWilliamhandedheranote。Shelookedatthesuperscription。ItwasfromCourtier。Shewentbackintotheroom。Throughitshalf—closeddoorthefigureoflittleAnncouldbeseen,withherlegsratherwideapart,andherhandsclaspedonherlow—downbelt,pointingupatWilliamhersuddenlittlenose。Barbarashutthedoorabruptly,broketheseal,andread:
\"DEARLADYBARBARA,\"Iamsorrytosaymyinterviewwithyourbrotherwasfruitless。
\"IhappenedtobesittingintheParkjustnow,andIwanttowishyoueveryhappinessbeforeIgo。Ithasbeenthegreatestpleasuretoknowyou。Ishallneverhaveathoughtofyouthatwillnotbemypride;noramemorythatwillnothelpmetobelievethatlifeisgood。IfIamtemptedtofeelthatthingsaredark,Ishallrememberthatyouarebreathingthissamemortalair。Andtobeautyandjoy\'
Ishalltakeoffmyhatwiththegreaterreverence,thatonceIwaspermittedtowalkandtalk,withyou。Andso,good—bye,andGodblessyou。
Yourfaithfulservant,\"CHARLESCOURTIER。\"
Hercheeksburned,quicksighsescapedherlips;shereadtheletteragain,butbeforegettingtotheendcouldnotseethewordsformist。Ifinthatlettertherehadbeenawordofcomplaintorevenofregret！Shecouldnotlethimgolikethis,withoutgood—bye,withoutanyexplanationatall。Heshouldnotthinkofherasacold,stonyflirt,whohadbeenmerelystealingafewweeks\'
amusementoutofhim。Shewouldexplaintohimatalleventsthatithadnotbeenthat。Shewouldmakehimunderstandthatitwasnotwhathethought——thatsomethinginherwanted——wanted————！Hermindwasallconfused。\"Whatwasit？\"shethought:\"WhatdidIdo？\"Andsorewithangeratherself,shescrewedtheletterupinherglove,andranout。ShewalkedswiftlydowntoPiccadilly,andcrossedintotheGreenPark。ThereshepassedLordMalvezinandafriendstrollinguptowardsHydeParkCorner,andgavethemaveryfaintbow。Thecomposureofthosetwopreciseandwell—groomedfiguressickenedherjustthen。Shewantedtorun,toflytothismeetingthatshouldremovefromhimtheodiousfeelingshemusthave,thatshe,BarbaraCaradoc,wasavulgarenchantress,acommontraitressandcoquette！Andhisletter——withoutasyllableofreproach！Hercheeksburnedso,thatshecouldnothelptryingtohidethemfrompeoplewhopassed。
Asshedrewnearertohisroomsshewalkedslower,forcingherselftothinkwhatsheshoulddo,whatsheshouldlethimdo！Butshecontinuedresolutelyforward。Shewouldnotshrinknow——whatevercameofit！Herheartfluttered,seemedtostopbeating,flutteredagain。Shesetherteeth;asortofdesperatehilarityroseinher。
Itwasanadventure！Thenshewasgrippedbythefeelingthathadcometoherontheroof。Thewholethingwasbizarre,ridiculous！
Shestopped,anddrewtheletterfromherglove。Itmightberidiculous,butitwasduefromher;andclosingherlipsverytight,shewalkedon。Inthoughtshewasalreadystandingclosetohim,hereyesshut,waiting,withherheartbeatingwildly,toknowwhatshewouldfeelwhenhislipshadspoken,perhapstouchedherfaceorhand。Andshehadasortofmiragevisionofherself,witheyelashesrestingonhercheeks,lipsalittleparted,armshelplessathersides。Yet,incomprehensibly,hisfigurewasinvisible。Shediscoveredthenthatshewasstandingbeforehisdoor。
Sherangthebellcalmly,butinsteadofdroppingherhand,pressedthelittlebarepatchofpalmleftopenbytheglovetoherface,toseewhetheritwasindeedherowncheekflamingso。
Thedoorhadbeenopenedbysomeunseenagency,disclosingapassageandflightofstairscoveredbyaredcarpet,atthefootofwhichlayanold,tangled,brown—whitedogfulloffleasandsorrow。
UnreasoningterrorseizedonBarbara;herbodyremainedrigid,butherspiritbeganflyingbackacrosstheGreenPark,totheveryhallofValleysHouse。Thenshesawcomingtowardsherayoungishwomaninablueapron,withmild,reddenedeyes。
\"IsthiswhereMr。Courtierlives？\"
\"Yes,miss。\"Theteethoftheyoungwomanwerefewinnumberandratherblack;andBarbaracouldonlystandtheresayingnothing,asifherbodyhadbeendesertedbetweenthesunlightandthisdimredpassage,whichledto—what？
Thewomanspokeagain:
\"I\'msorryifyouwaswantinghim,miss,he\'sjustgoneaway。\"
Barbarafeltamovementinherheart,likethetwangandquiverofanelasticband,suddenlyrelaxed。Shebenttostroketheheadoftheolddog,whowassmellinghershoes。Thewomansaid:
\"And,ofcourse,Ican\'tgiveyouhisaddress,becausehe\'sgonetoforeignparts。\"
Withamurmur,ofwhosesensesheknewnothing,Barbarahurriedoutintothesunshine。Wassheglad？Wasshesorry？Atthecornerofthestreetsheturnedandlookedback;thetwoheads,ofthewomanandthedog,weretherestill,pokedoutthroughthedoorway。
Ahorribleinclinationtolaughseizedher,followedbyashorribleadesiretocry。
CHAPTERXXVI
BytherivertheWestwind,whosemurmuringhadvisitedCourtierandMiltounthenightbefore,wasbringingupthefirstskyofautumn。
Slow—creepingandfleecygrey,thecloudsseemedtryingtooverpowerasunthatshonebutfitfullyeventhusearlyintheday。WhileAudreyNoelwasdressingsunbeamsdanceddesperatelyonthewhitewall,likelittlelostsoulswithnoto—morrow,orgnatsthatwheelandwheelinbriefjoy,leavingnofootmarksontheair。Throughthechinksofasidewindowcoveredbyadarkblindsomesmokyfilamentsoflightweretetheredtothebackofhermirror。Compoundedoftremblinggreyspirals,sothicktotheeyethatherhandfeltastonishmentwhenitfailedtograspthem,andsojealousasghostsofthespacetheyoccupied,theybroughtamoment\'sdistractiontoaheartnothappy。Forhowcouldshebehappy,herloverawayfromhernowthirtyhours,withouthavingovercomewithhislastkissesthefeelingofdisasterwhichhadsettledonherwhenhetoldherofhisresolve。Hereyeshadseendeeperthanhis;herinstincthadreceivedamessagefromFate。
Tobethedragger—down,thedestroyerofhisusefulness;tobenotthehelpmate,buttheclog;nottheinspiringsky,butthecloud！
Andbecauseofascruplewhichshecouldnotunderstand！Shehadnoangerwiththatunintelligiblescruple;butherfatalism,andhersympathyhadfolloweditoutintohisfuture。Thingsbeingso,itcouldnotbelongbeforehefeltthatherlovewasmaiminghim;evenifhewentondesiringher,itwouldbeonlywithhisbody。Andif,forthisscruple,hewerecapableofgivinguphispubliclife,hewouldbecapableoflivingonwithherafterhislovewasdead！Thisthoughtshecouldnotbear。Itstungtotheverymarrowofhernerves。AndyetsurelyLifecouldnotbesocruelastohavegivenhersuchhappinessmeaningtotakeitfromher！Surelyherlovewasnottobeonlyonesummer\'sday;hislovebutanembrace,andthen——
forevernothing！
Thismorning,fortifiedbydespair,sheadmittedherownbeauty。Hewould,hemustwanthermorethanthatotherlife,attheverythoughtofwhichherfacedarkened。Thatotherlifesohard,andfarfromher！Soloveless,formal,andyet——tohimsoreal,sodesperately,accursedlyreal！Ifhemustindeedgiveuphiscareer,thensurelythelifetheycouldlivetogetherwouldmakeuptohim——
alifeamongsimpleandsweetthings,allovertheworld,withmusicandpictures,andtheflowersandallNature,andfriendswhosoughtthemforthemselves,andinbeingkindtoeveryone,andhelpingthepoorandtheunfortunate,andlovingeachother！Buthedidnotwantthatsortoflife！Whatwasthegoodofpretendingthathedid？Itwasrightandnaturalheshouldwant,tousehispowers！Toleadandserve！Shewouldnothavehimotherwise:Withthesethoughtshoveringanddartingwithinher,shewentontwistingandcoilingherdarkhair,andburyingherheartbeneathitslacedefences。Shenotedtoo,withherusualcare,twofadingblossomsinthebowlofflowersonherdressing—table,and,removingtheir,emptiedoutthewaterandrefilledthebowl。
Beforesheleftherbedroomthesunbeamshadalreadyceasedtodance,thegreyfilamentsoflightweregone。Autumnskyhadcomeintoitsown。Passingthemirrorinthehallwhichwasalwaysroughwithher,shehadnotcouragetoglanceatit。Thensuddenlyawoman\'sbeliefinthepowerofhercharmcametoheraid;shefeltalmosthappy——
surelyhemustloveherbetterthanhisconscience！Butthatconfidencewasverytremulous,readytoyieldtothefirstrebuff。
Eventhefriendlyfresh——cheekedmaidseemedthatmorningtoberegardingherwithcompassion;andalltheinnatesense,notof\'goodform,\'butofform,whichmadehershrinkfromanythingthatshoulddisturborhurtanother,ormakeanyonethinkshewastobepitied,roseupatoncewithinher;shebecamemorethanevercarefultoshownothingeventoherself。Soshepassedthemorning,mechanicallydoingthelittleusualthings。Anoverpoweringlongingwaswithherallthetime,togethimawaywithherfromEngland,andseewhetherthethousandbeautiesshecouldshowhimwouldnotfirehimwithloveofthethingssheloved。Asagirlshehadspentnearlythreeyearsabroad。AndEustacehadneverbeentoItaly,nortoherbelovedmountainvalleys！Then,theremembranceofhisroomsattheTemplebrokeinonthatvision,andshatteredit。NoTitian\'sfeastofgentian,tawnybrown,andalpen—rosecouldintoxicatetheloverofthosebooks,thosepapers,thatgreatmap。Andthescentofleathercametohernowaspoignantlyasifshewereoncemoreflittingaboutnoiselesslyonherbusinessofnursing。Thenthererushedthroughheragainthewarmwonderfulsensethathadbeenwithherallthosepreciousdays——oflovethatknewsecretlyofitsapproachingtriumphandfulfilment;thedelicioussenseofgivingeveryminuteofhertime,everythought,andmovement;andallthesweetunconsciouswaitingforthedivine,irrevocablemomentwhenatlastshewouldgiveherselfandbehis。Theremembrancetooofhowtired,howsacredlytiredshehadbeen,andofhowshehadsmiledallthetimewithherinnerjoyofbeingtiredforhim。
Thesoundofthebellstartledher。Histelegramhadsaid,theafternoon！Shedeterminedtoshownothingofthetroubledarkeningthewholeworldforher,anddrewadeepbreath,waitingforhiskiss。
ItwasnotMiltoun,butLadyCasterley。
Theshocksentthebloodbuzzingintohertemples。Thenshenoticedthatthelittlefigurebeforeherwasalsotrembling;drawingupachair,shesaid:\"Won\'tyousitdown？\"
Thetoneofthatoldvoice,thankingher,broughtbacksharplythememoryofhergarden,atMonkland,bathedinthesweetnessandshimmerofsummer,andofBarbarastandingathergatetoweringabovethislittlefigure,whichnowsattheresosilent,withverywhiteface。Thosecarvedfeatures,thosekeen,yetveiledeyes,hadtoooftenhauntedherthoughts;theywerelikeabaddreamcometrue。
\"Mygrandsonisnothere,ishe？\"
Audreyshookherhead。
\"Wehaveheardofhisdecision。Iwillnotbeataboutthebushwithyou。Itisadisasterformeacalamity。Ihaveknownandlovedhimsincehewasborn,andIhavebeenfoolishenoughtodream,dreamsabouthim。Iwonderedperhapswhetheryouknewhowmuchwecountedonhim。Youmustforgiveanoldwoman\'scomingherelikethis。Atmyagetherearefewthingsthatmatter,buttheymatterverymuch。\"
AndAudreythought:\"Andatmyagethereisbutonethingthatmatters,andthatmattersworsethandeath。\"Butshedidnotspeak。
Towhom,towhatshouldshespeak？Tothishardoldwoman,whopersonifiedtheworld？Ofwhatuse,words？,,\"Icansaytoyou,\"wentonthevoiceofthelittlefigure,thatseemedsotofilltheroomwithitsgreypresence,\"whatIcouldnotbringmyselftosaytoothers;foryouarenothard—hearted。\"
Aquiverpassedupfromtheheartsopraisedtothestilllips。No,shewasnothard—hearted！Shecouldevenfeelforthisoldwomanfromwhosevoiceanxietyhadstolenitsdespotism。
\"Eustacecannotlivewithouthiscareer。Hiscareerishimself,hemustbedoing,andleading,andspendinghispowers。Whathehasgivenyouisnothistrueself。Idon\'twanttohurtyou,butthetruthisthetruth,andwemustallbowbeforeit。Imaybehard,butIcanrespectsorrow。\"
Torespectsorrow！Yes,thisgreyvisitorcoulddothat,asthewindpassingoverthesearespectsitssurface,astheairrespectsthesurfaceofarose,buttopenetratetotheheart,tounderstandhersorrow,thatoldagecouldnotdoforyouth！Aswelltrytotrackoutthesecretofthetwistingsintheflightofthoseswallowsoutthereabovetheriver,ortofollowtoitssourcethefaintscentoftheliliesinthatbowl！Howshouldsheknowwhatwaspassinginhere——thislittleoldwomanwhosebloodwascold？AndAudreyhadthesensationofwatchingsomeonepeltherwiththerindandhusksofwhatherownspirithadlongdevoured。Shehadalongingtogetup,andtakethehand,thechill,spideryhandofage,andthrustitintoherbreast,andsay:\"Feelthat,andcease！\"
But,withal,sheneverlostherqueerdullcompassionfortheownerofthatwhitecarvedface。Itwasnothervisitor\'sfaultthatshehadcome！AgainLadyCasterleywasspeaking。
\"Itisearlydays。Ifyoudonotenditnow,atonce,itwillonlycomeharderonyoupresently。Youknowhowdeterminedheis。Hewillnotchangehismind。Ifyoucuthimofffromhisworkinlife,itwillbutrecoilonyou。Icanonlyexpectyourhatred,fortalkinglikethis,butbelieveme,it\'sforyourgood,aswellashis,inthelongrun。\"
Atumultuousheart—beatingofironicalrageseizedonthelistenertothatspeech。Hergood！Thegoodofacorsethatthebreathisjustabandoning;thegoodofaflowerbeneathaheel;thegoodofanolddogwhosemasterleavesitforthelasttime！Slowlyaweightlikeleadstoppedallthatflutteringofherheart。Ifshedidnotenditatonce！Thewordshadnowbeenspokenthatforsomanyhours,sheknew,hadlainunspokenwithinherownbreast。Yes,ifshedidnot,shecouldneverknowamoment\'speace,feelingthatshewasforcinghimtoadeathinlife,desecratingherownloveandpride！Andthespurhadbeengivenbyanother！Thethoughtthatsomeone——thishardoldwomanofthehardworld——shouldhaveshapedinwordsthehauntingsofherloveandpridethroughallthoseagessinceMiltounspoketoherofhisresolve;thatsomeoneelseshouldhavehadtotellherwhatherhearthadsolongknownitmustdo——thisstabbedherlikeaknife！This,atallevents,shecouldnotbear！
Shestoodup,andsaid:
\"Pleaseleavemenow！Ihaveagreatmanythingstodo,beforeI
go。\"
Withasortofpleasureshesawalookofbewildermentcoverthatoldface;withasortofpleasureshemarkedthetremblingofthehandsraisingtheirownerfromthechair;andheardthestammeringinthevoice:\"Youaregoing？Before—beforehecomes？You—youwon\'tbeseeinghimagain？\"Withasortofpleasureshemarkedthehesitation,whichdidnotknowwhethertothank,orbless,orjustsaynothingandcreepaway。Withasortofpleasureshewatchedtheflushmountinthefadedcheeks,thefadedlipspressedtogether。
Then,atthescarcelywhisperedwords:\"Thankyou,mydear！\"sheturned,unabletobearfurthersightorsound。Shewenttothewindowandpressedherforeheadagainsttheglass,tryingtothinkofnothing。Sheheardthesoundofwheels—LadyCasterleyhadgone。Andthen,ofalltheawfulfeelingsmanorwomancanknow,sheexperiencedtheworst:Shecouldnotcry！
Atthismostbitteranddesertedmomentofherlife,shefeltstrangelycalm,foreseeingclearly,exactly;whatshemustdo,andwherego。Quicklyitmustbedone,oritwouldneverbedone！
Quickly！Andwithoutfuss！Sheputsomethingstogether,sentthemaidoutforacab,andsatdowntowrite。
Shemustdoandsaynothingthatcouldexcitehim,andbringbackhisillness。Letitallbesober,reasonable！Itwouldbeeasytolethimknowwhereshewasgoing,towritealetterthatwouldbringhimflyingafterher。Buttowritethecalm,reasonablewordsthatwouldkeephimwaitingandthinking,tillheneveragaincametoher,brokeherheart。
Whenshehadfinishedandsealedtheletter,shesatmotionlesswithanumbfeelinginhandsandbrain,tryingtorealizewhatshehadnexttodo。Togo,andthatwasall！
Hertrunkshadbeentakendownalready。Shechosethelittlehatthathelikedherbestin,andoveritfastenedherthickestveil。
Then,puttingonhertravellingcoatandgloves,shelookedinthelongmirror,andseeingthattherewasnothingmoretokeepher,liftedherdressingbag,andwentdown。
Overontheembankmentachildwascrying;andthepassionatescreamingsound,brokenbythegulpingoftears,madehercoverherlips,asthoughshehadheardherownescapedsoulwailingoutthere。
Sheleanedoutofthecabtosaytothemaid:
\"Goandcomfortthatcrying,Ella。\"
Onlywhenshewasaloneinthetrain,securefromalleyes,didshegivewaytodesperateweeping。Thewhitesmokerollingpastthewindowswasnotmoreevanescentthanherjoyhadbeen。Forshehadnoillusions——itwasover！Fromfirsttolast——notquiteayear！
Butevenatthismoment,notforalltheworldwouldshehavebeenwithoutherlove,gonetoitsgrave,likeadeadchildthatevermorewouldbetouchingherbreastwithitswistfulfingers。
CHAPTERXXVII
BarbarareturningfromhervisittoCourtier\'sdesertedrooms,wasmetatValleysHousewiththemessage:WouldshepleasegoatoncetoLadyCasterley？
When,inobedience,shereachedRavensham,shefoundhergrandmotherandLord—Dennisinthewhiteroom。Theywerestandingbyoneofthetallwindows,apparentlycontemplatingtheview。TheyturnedindeedatsoundofBarbara\'sapproach,butneitherofthemspokeornodded。
NothavingseenhergrandfathersincebeforeMiltoun\'sillness,Barbarafounditstrangetobesotreated;shetootookherstandsilentlybeforethewindow。Averylargewaspwascrawlingupthepane,thenslippingdownwithafaintbuzz。
SuddenlyLadyCasterleyspoke。
\"Killthatthing！\"
LordDennisdrewforthhishandkerchief。
\"Notwiththat,Dennis。Itwillmakeamess。\"Takeapaperknife。\"
\"Iwasgoingtoputitout,\"murmuredLordDennis。
\"LetBarbarawithhergloves。\"
Barbaramovedtowardsthepane。
\"It\'sahornet,Ithink,\"shesaid。
\"Soheis！\"saidLordDennis,dreamily:
\"Nonsense,\"murmuredLadyCasterley,\"it\'sacommonwasp。\"
\"Iknowit\'sahornet,Granny。Theringsaredarker。\"
LadyCasterleybentdown;whensheraisedherselfshehadaslipperinherhand。
\"Don\'tirritatehim！\"criedBarbara,catchingherwrist。ButLadyCasterleyfreedherhand。
\"Iwill,\"shesaid,andbroughtthesoleoftheslipperdownontheinsect,sothatitdroppedonthefloor,dead。\"Hehasnobusinessinhere。\"
And,asifthatlittleincidenthadhappenedtothreeotherpeople,theyagainstoodsilentlylookingthroughthewindow。
ThenLadyCasterleyturnedtoBarbara。
\"Well,haveyourealizedthemischiefthatyou\'vedone？\"
\"Ann！\"murmuredLordDennis。
\"Yes,yes;sheisyourfavourite,butthatwon\'tsaveher。Thiswoman——tohergreatcredit——Isaytohergreatcredit——hasgoneaway,soastoputherselfoutofEustace\'sreach,untilhehasrecoveredhissenses。\"
Withasharp—drawnbreathBarbarasaid:
\"Oh！poorthing！\"
ButonLadyCasterley\'sfacehadcomeanalmostcruellook。
\"Ah！\"shesaid:\"Exactly。But,curiouslyenough,IamthinkingofEustace。\"Herlittlefigurewasquiveringfromheadtofoot:\"Thiswillbealessontoyounottoplaywithfire！\"
\"Ann！\"murmuredLordDennisagain,slippinghisarmthroughBarbara\'s。
\"Theworld,\"wentonLadyCasterley,\"isaplaceoffacts,notofromanticfancies。Youhavedonemoreharmthancanpossiblyberepaired。Iwenttohermyself。Iwasverymuchmoved。\'Ifithadn\'tbeenforyourfoolishconduct————\"
\"Ann！\"saidLordDennisoncemore。
LadyCasterleypaused,tappingthefloorwithherlittlefoot。
Barbara\'seyesweregleaming。
\"Isthereanythingelseyouwouldliketosquash,dear？\"
\"Babs！\"murmuredLordDennis;but,unconsciouslypressinghishandagainstherheart,thegirlwenton。
\"Youareluckytobeabusingmeto—day——ifithadbeenyesterday————\"
AtthesedarkwordsLadyCasterleyturnedaway,hershoesleavinglittledullstainsonthepolishedfloor。
Barbararaisedtohercheekthefingerswhichshehadbeensoconvulsivelyembracing。\"Don\'tlethergoon,uncle,\"shewhispered,\"notjustnow！\"
\"No,no,mydear,\"LordDennismurmured,\"certainlynot——itisenough。\"
\"Ithasbeenyoursentimentalfolly,\"cameLadyCasterley\'svoicefromafarcorner,\"whichhasbroughtthisontheboy。\"
Respondingtothepressureofthehand,backnowatherwaist,Barbaradidnotanswer;andthesoundofthelittlefeetretracingtheirstepsroseinthestillness。Neitherofthosetwoatthewindowturnedtheirheads;oncemorethefeetreceded,andagainbegancomingback。