Hedidnotcatchcold，butwhilehewasouthismotherdied。Sheonlysurvivedherhusbandelevendays，acoincidencewhichwasrecordedontheirtombstone。
Such，insubstance，wasthestorywhichRickietoldhisfriendsastheystoodtogetherintheshelterofthedell。Thegreenbankattheentrancehidtheroadandtheworld，andnow，asinspring，theycouldseenothingbutsnow—whiterampartsandtheevergreenfoliageofthefirs。Onlyfromtimetotimewouldabeechleafflutterinfromthewoodsabove，tocommentonthewaningyear，andthewarmthandradianceofthesunwouldvanishbehindapassingcloud。
Aboutthegreatcoathedidnottellthem，forhecouldnothavespokenofitwithouttears。
III
Mr。Ansell，aprovincialdraperofmoderateprosperity，oughtbyrightstohavebeenclassednotwiththecow，butwiththosephenomenathatarenotreallythere。Buthisson，withpardonableillogicality，exceptedhim。Heneversuspectedthathisfathermightbethesubjectiveproductofadiseasedimagination。Fromhisearliestyearshehadtakenhimforgranted，asamostundeniableandlovablefact。Tobebornonethingandgrowupanother——Ansellhadaccomplishedthiswithoutweakeningoneofthetiesthatboundhimtohishome。Theroomsabovetheshopstillseemedascomfortable，thegardenbehinditasgracious，astheyhadseemedfifteenyearsbefore，whenhewouldsitbehindMissAppleblossom’scentralthrone，andshe，likesomeallegoricalfigure，wouldsendthechangeandreceiptedbillsspinningawayfromherinlittleboxwoodballs。Atfirsttheyoungmanhadattributedthesehappyrelationstohisowntact。
Butintimeheperceivedthatthetactwasallonthesideofhisfather。Mr。Ansellwasnotmerelyamanofsomeeducation;hehadwhatnoeducationcanbring——thepowerofdetectingwhatisimportant。Likemanyfathers，hehadsparednoexpenseoverhisboy，——hehadborrowedmoneytostarthimatarapaciousandfashionableprivateschool;hehadsenthimtotutors;hehadsenthimtoCambridge。Butheknewthatallthiswasnottheimportantthing。Theimportantthingwasfreedom。Theboymustusehiseducationashechose，andifhepaidhisfatherbackitwouldcertainlynotbeinhisowncoin。SowhenStewartsaid，\"AtCambridge，canIreadfortheMoralScienceTripos？\"Mr。Ansellhadonlyreplied，\"Thisphilosophy——doyousaythatitliesbehindeverything？\"
\"Yes，Ithinkso。Ittriestodiscoverwhatisgoodandtrue。\"
\"Then，myboy，youhadbetterreadasmuchofitasyoucan。\"
Andayearlater:\"I’dliketotakeupthisphilosophyseriously，butIdon’tfeeljustified。\"
\"Whynot？\"
\"Becauseitbringsinnoreturn。IthinkI’magreatphilosopher，butthenallphilosophersthinkthat，thoughtheydon’tdaretosayso。But，howevergreatIam。Ishan’tearnmoney。PerhapsI
shan’teverbeabletokeepmyself。Ishan’tevengetagoodsocialposition。You’veonlytosayoneword，andI’llworkfortheCivilService。I’mgoodenoughtogetinhigh。\"
Mr。Anselllikedmoneyandsocialposition。Butheknewthatthereisamoreimportantthing，andreplied，\"Youmusttakeupthisphilosophyseriously，Ithink。\"
\"Anotherthing——therearethegirls。\"
\"ThereisenoughmoneynowtogetMaryandMaudasgoodhusbandsastheydeserve。\"AndMaryandMaudtookthesameview。
ItwasinthisplebeianhouseholdthatRickiespentpartoftheChristmasvacation。Hisownhome，suchasitwas，waswiththeSilts，needycousinsofhisfather’s，andcombinedtoapeculiardegreetherestrictionsofhospitalitywiththediscomfortsofaboarding—house。SuchpleasureashehadoutsideCambridgewasinthehomesofhisfriends，anditwasaparticularjoyandhonourtovisitAnsell，who，thoughasfreefromsocialsnobbishnessasmostofuswillevermanagetobe，wasrathercarefulwhenhedroveuptothefacadeofhisshop。
\"Ilikeournewlettering，\"hesaidthoughtfully。Thewords\"StewartAnsell\"wererepeatedagainandagainalongtheHighStreet——curlygoldlettersthatseemedtofloatintanksofglazedchocolate。
\"Rather！\"saidRickie。ButhewonderedwhetheroneofthebondsthatkepttheAnsellfamilyunitedmightnotbetheircompleteabsenceoftaste——asurerbondbyfarthantheidentityofit。
Andhewonderedthisagainwhenhesatatteaoppositealongrowofcrayons——Stewartasababy，Stewartasasmallboywithlargefeet，Stewartasalargerboywithsmallerfeet，Maryreadingabookwhoseleaveswereasthickaseiderdowns。Andyetagaindidhewonderitwhenhewokewithagaspinthenighttofindaharpinluminouspaintthrobbingandgloweringathimfromtheadjacentwall。\"Watchandpray\"waswrittenontheharp，anduntilRickiehungatoweloverittheexhortationwaspartiallysuccessful。
Itwasaveryhappyvisit。MissAppleblosssom——whonowactedashousekeeper——hadmethimbefore，duringhernever—forgottenexpeditiontoCambridge，andheradmirationofUniversitylifewasasshrillandasgenuinenowasithadbeenthen。Thegirlsatfirstwerealittleaggressive，foronhisarrivalhehadbeentired，andMaudhadtakenitforhaughtiness，andsaidhewaslookingdownonthem。Butthispassed。Theydidnotfallinlovewithhim，norhewiththem，butamorningwasspentverypleasantlyinsnow—ballinginthebackgarden。AnsellwasratherdifferenttowhathewasinCambridge，buttoRickienotlessattractive。Andtherewasacuriouscharminthehumoftheshop，whichswelledintoaroarifoneopenedthepartitiondooronamarket—day。
\"Listentoyourmoney！\"saidRickie。\"IwishIcouldhearmine。I
wishmymoneywasalive。\"
\"Idon’tunderstand。\"
\"Mine’sdeadmoney。It’scometomethroughaboutsixdeadpeople——silently。\"
\"Gettingalittlesmallerandalittlemorerespectableeachtime，onaccountofthedeath—duties。\"
\"Itneededtogetrespectable。\"
\"Why？Didyourpeople，too，oncekeepashop？\"
\"Oh，notasbadasthat！Theyonlyswindled。AboutahundredyearsagoanElliotdidsomethingshadyandfoundedthefortunesofourhouse。\"
\"Ineverknewanyonesorelentlesstohisancestors。Youmakeupforyoursoapinesstowardstheliving。\"
\"You’dberelentlessifyou’dheardtheSilts，asIhave，talkabout’afortune，smallperhaps，butunsoiledbytrade！’OfcourseAuntEmilyisratherdifferent。Oh，goodnessme！I’veforgottenmyaunt。Shelivesnotsofar。Ishallhavetocallonher。\"
AccordinglyhewrotetoMrs。Failing，andsaidheshouldliketopayhisrespects。HetoldherabouttheAnsells，andsowordedtheletterthatshemightreasonablyhavesentaninvitationtohisfriend。
Sherepliedthatshewaslookingforwardtotheirtete—a—tete。
\"Youmustn’tgoroundbythetrains，\"saidMr。Ansell。\"ItmeanschangingatSalisbury。Bytheroadit’snogreatway。StewartshalldriveyouoverSalisburyPlain，andfetchyoutoo。\"
\"There’stoomuchsnow，\"saidAnsell。
\"Thenthegirlsshalltakeyouintheirsledge。\"
\"ThatIwill，\"saidMaud，whowasnotunwillingtoseetheinsideofCadover。ButRickiewentroundbythetrains。
\"Wehaveallmissedyou，\"saidAnsell，whenhereturned。\"Thereisageneralfeelingthatyouarenonuisance，andhadbetterstoptilltheendofthevac。\"
Thishecouldnotdo。HewasboundforChristmastotheSilts——
\"asaREALguest，\"Mrs。Silthadwritten，underliningtheword\"real\"twice。AndafterChristmashemustgotothePembrokes。
\"Thesearenoreasons。Theonlyrealreasonfordoingathingisbecauseyouwanttodoit。Ithinkthetalkabout’engagements’
iscant。\"
\"Ithinkperhapsitis，\"saidRickie。Buthewent。Neverhadtheturkeybeensoathletic，ortheplum—puddingtiedintoitsclothsotightly。Yetheknewthatboththesesymbolsofhilarityhadcostmoney，anditwenttohisheartwhenMr。Siltsaidinahungryvoice，\"Haveyouthoughtatallofwhatyouwanttobe？
No？Well，whyshouldyou？Youhavenoneedtobeanything。\"Andatdessert:\"IwonderwhoCadovergoesto？Iexpectmoneywillfollowmoney。Italwaysdoes。\"ItwaswithaguiltyfeelingofreliefthatheleftforthePembrokes’。
ThePembrokeslivedinanadjacentsuburb，orrather\"sububurb，\"——thetractcalledSawston，celebratedforitspublicschool。Theirstyleoflife，however，wasnotparticularlysuburban。TheirhousewassmallanditsnamewasShelthorpe，butithadanairaboutitwhichsuggestedacertainamountofmoneyandacertainamountoftaste。Thereweredecentwater—coloursinthedrawing—room。Madonnasofacknowledgedmerithunguponthestairs。AreplicaoftheHermesofPraxiteles——ofcourseonlythebust——stoodinthehallwitharealpalmbehindit。Agnes，inherslap—dashway，wasagoodhousekeeper，andkepttheprettythingswelldusted。ItwasshewhoinsistedonthestripofbrownhollandthatleddiagonallyfromthefrontdoortothedoorofHerbert’sstudy:boys’grubbyfeetshouldnotgotreadingonherIndiansquare。Itwasshewhoalwayscleanedthepicture—framesandwashedthebustandtheleavesofthepalm。Inshort，ifahousecouldspeak——andsometimesitdoesspeakmoreclearlythanthepeoplewholiveinit——thehouseofthePembrokeswouldhavesaid，\"Iamnotquitelikeotherhouses，yetIamperfectlycomfortable。Icontainworksofartandamicroscopeandbooks。
ButIdonotliveforanyofthesethingsorsufferthemtodisarrangeme。Iliveformyselfandforthegreaterhousesthatshallcomeafterme。Yetinmeneitherthecryofmoneynorthecryformoneyshalleverbeheard。\"
Mr。Pembrokewasatthestation。Hedidbetterasahostthanasaguest，andwelcomedtheyoungmanwithrealfriendliness。
\"Wewereallcoming，butGeraldhasstrainedhisankleslightly，andwantstokeepquiet，asheisplayingnextweekinamatch。
And，needlesstosay，thatexplainstheabsenceofmysister。\"
\"GeraldDawes？\"
\"Yes;he’swithus。I’msogladyou’llmeetagain。\"
\"SoamI，\"saidRickiewithextremeawkwardness。\"Doesherememberme？\"
\"Vividly。\"
VividalsowasRickie’sremembranceofhim。
\"Asplendidfellow，\"assertedMr。Pembroke。
\"IhopethatAgnesiswell。\"
\"Thankyou，yes;sheiswell。AndIthinkyou’relookingmorelikeotherpeopleyourself。\"
\"I’vebeenhavingaverygoodtimewithafriend。\"
\"Indeed。That’sright。Whowasthat？\"
Rickiehadayoungman’sreticence。Hegenerallyspokeof\"afriend，\"\"apersonIknow，\"\"aplaceIwasat。\"Whenthebookoflifeisopening，ourreadingsaresecret，andweareunwillingtogivechapterandverse。Mr。Pembroke，whowashalfwaythroughthevolume，andhadskippedorforgottentheearlierpages，couldnotunderstandRickie’shesitation，norwhywithsuchawkwardnessheshouldpronouncetheharmlessdissyllable\"Ansell。\"
\"Ansell？Wasn’tthatthepleasantfellowwhoaskedustolunch？\"
\"No。ThatwasAnderson，whokeepsbelow。Youdidn’tseeAnsell。
TheoneswhocametobreakfastwereTilliardandHornblower。\"
\"Ofcourse。AndsincethenyouhavebeenwiththeSilts。Howarethey？\"
\"Verywell，thankyou。Theywanttoberememberedtoyou。\"
ThePembrokeshadformerlylivedneartheElliots，andhadshowngreatkindnesstoRickiewhenhisparentsdied。Theywerethusratherinthepositionoffamilyfriends。
\"Pleaserememberuswhenyouwrite。\"Headded，almostroguishly，\"TheSiltsarekindnessitself。Allthesame，itmustbejustalittle——dull，wethought，andwethoughtthatyoumightlikeachange。Andofcoursewearedelightedtohaveyoubesides。Thatgoeswithoutsaying。\"
\"It’sverygoodofyou，\"saidRickie，whohadacceptedtheinvitationbecausehefeltheoughtto。
\"Notabit。Andyoumustn’texpectustobeotherwisethanquietontheholidays。Thereisalibraryofasort，asyouknow，andyouwillfindGeraldasplendidfellow。\"
\"Willtheybemarriedsoon？\"
\"Ohno！\"whisperedMr。Pembroke，shuttinghiseyes，asifRickiehadmadesometerriblefauxpas。\"Itwillbeaverylongengagement。Hemustmakehiswayfirst。Ihaveseensuchendlessmiseryresultfrompeoplemarryingbeforetheyhavemadetheirway。\"
\"Yes。Thatisso，\"saidRickiedespondently，thinkingoftheSilts。
\"It’sasadunpalatabletruth，\"saidMr。Pembroke，thinkingthatthedespondencymightbepersonal，\"butonemustacceptit。MysisterandGerald，Iamthankfultosay，haveacceptedit，thoughnaturallyithasbeenalittlepill。\"
Theircablurchedroundthecornerashespoke，andthetwopatientscameinsight。Agneswasleaningoverthecreosotedgarden—gate，andbehindhertherestoodayoungmanwhohadthefigureofaGreekathleteandthefaceofanEnglishone。Hewasfairandcleanshaven，andhiscolourlesshairwascutrathershort。Thesunwasinhiseyes，andthey，likehismouth，seemedscarcelymorethanslitsinhishealthyskin。Justwherehebegantobebeautifultheclothesstarted。Roundhisneckwentanup—and—downcollarandamauve—and—goldtie，andtherestofhislimbswerehiddenbyagreyloungesuit，carefullycreasedintherightplaces。
\"Lovely！Lovely！\"criedAgnes，bangingonthegate，\"Yourtrainmusthavebeentotheminute。\"
\"Hullo！\"saidtheathlete，andvomitedwiththegreetingacloudoftobacco—smoke。Itmusthavebeenimprisonedinhismouthsometime，fornopipewasvisible。
\"Hullo！\"returnedRickie，laughingviolently。Theyshookhands。
\"Whereareyougoing，Rickie？\"askedAgnes。\"Youaren’tgrubby。
Whydon’tyoustop？Gerald，getthelargewicker—chair。Herberthasletters，butwecansitheretilllunch。It’slikespring。\"
ThegardenofShelthorpewasnearlyallinfrontanunusualandpleasantarrangement。Thefrontgateandtheservants’entrancewerebothattheside，andintheremainingspacethegardenerhadcontrivedalittlelawnwhereonecouldsitconcealedfromtheroadbyafence，fromtheneighbourbyafence，fromthehousebyatree，andfromthepathbyabush。
\"Thisisthelovers’bower，\"observedAgnes，sittingdownonthebench。Rickiestoodbyhertillthechairarrived。
\"Areyousmokingbeforelunch？\"askedMr。Dawes。
\"No，thankyou。Ihardlyeversmoke。\"
\"Novices。Aren’tyouatCambridgenow？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"What’syourcollege？\"
Rickietoldhim。
\"DoyouknowCarruthers？\"
\"Rather！\"
\"ImeanA。P。Carruthers，whogothissockerblue。\"
\"Rather！He’ssecretarytothecollegemusicalsociety。\"
\"A。P。Carruthers？\"
\"Yes。\"
Mr。Dawesseemedoffended。Hetappedonhisteeth，andremarkedthattheweatherbadnobusinesstobesowarminwinter。
\"ButitwasfiendishbeforeChristmas，\"saidAgnes。
Hefrowned，andasked，\"DoyouknowamancalledGerrish？\"
\"No。\"
\"Ah。\"
\"DoyouknowJames？\"
\"Neverheardofhim。\"
\"He’smyyeartoo。Hegotablueforhockeyhissecondterm。\"
\"Iknownothingaboutthe’Varsity。\"
Rickiewincedattheabbreviation\"’Varsity。\"Itwasatthattimetheproperthingtospeakof\"theUniversity。\"
\"Ihaven’tthetime，\"pursuedMr。Dawes。
\"No，no，\"saidRickiepolitely。
\"IhadthechanceofbeinganUndergrad，myself，and，byJove，I’mthankfulIdidn’t！\"
\"Why？\"askedAgnes，fortherewasapause。
\"Putsyoubackinyourprofession。Menwhogotherefirst，beforetheArmy，starthopelesslybehind。ThesamewiththeStockExchangeorPainting。Iknowmeninboth，andthey’venevercaughtupthetimetheylostinthe’Varsity——unless，ofcourse，youturnparson。\"
\"IloveCambridge，\"saidshe。\"Allthosegloriousbuildings，andeveryonesohappyandrunninginandoutofeachother’sroomsalldaylong。\"
\"ThatmightmakeanUndergradhappy，butIbegleavetostateitwouldn’tme。Ihaven’tfouryearstothrowawayforthesakeofbeingcalleda’VarsitymanandhobnobbingwithLords。\"
Rickiewaspreparedtofindhisoldschoolfellowungrammaticalandbumptious，buthewasnotpreparedtofindhimpeevish。
Athletes，hebelieved，weresimple，straightforwardpeople，cruelandbrutalifyoulike，butneverpetty。Theyknockedyoudownandhurtyou，andthenwentontheirwayrejoicing。Forthis，Rickiethought，thereissomethingtobesaid:hehadescapedthesinofdespisingthephysicallystrong——asinagainstwhichthephysicallyweakmustguard。ButherewasDawesreturningagainandagaintothesubjectoftheUniversity，fulloftransparentjealousyandpettyspite，nagging，nagging，nagging，likeamaidenladywhohasnotbeeninvitedtoatea—party。Rickiewonderedwhether，afterall，Ansellandtheextremistsmightnotberight，andbodilybeautyandstrengthbesignsofthesoul’sdamnation。
HeglancedatAgnes。Shewaswritingdownsomeorderingsforthetradespeopleonapieceofpaper。Herhandsomefacewasintentonthework。ThebenchonwhichsheandGeraldweresittinghadnoback，butshesatasstraightasadart。He，thoughstrongenoughtositstraight，didnottakethetrouble。
\"Whydon’ttheytalktoeachother？\"thoughtRickie。
\"Gerald，givethispapertothecook。\"
\"Icangiveittotheotherslavey，can’tI？\"
\"She’dbedressing。\"
\"Well，there’sHerbert。\"
\"He’sbusy。Oh，youknowwherethekitchenis。Takeittothecook。\"
Hedisappearedslowlybehindthetree。
\"Whatdoyouthinkofhim？\"sheimmediatelyasked。Hemurmuredcivilly。
\"Hashechangedsincehewasaschoolboy？\"
\"Inaway。\"
\"Dotellmeallabouthim。Whywon’tyou？\"
ShemighthaveseenaflashofhorrorpassoverRickie’sface。
Thehorrordisappeared，for，thankGod，hewasnowaman，whomcivilizationprotects。ButheandGeraldhadmet，asitwere，behindthescenes，beforeourdecorousdramaopens，andtheretheelderboyhaddonethingstohim——absurdthings，notworthchroniclingseparately。Anapple—piebedisnothing;pinches，kicks，boxedears，twistedarms，pulledhair，ghostsatnight，inkybooks，befouledphotographs，amounttoverylittlebythemselves。Butletthembeunitedandcontinuous，andyouhaveahellthatnogrown—updevilcandevise。BetweenRickieandGeraldtherelayashadowthatdarkenslifemoreoftenthanwesuppose。
Thebullyandhisvictimneverquiteforgettheirfirstrelations。Theymeetinclubsandcountryhouses，andclaponeanotherontheback;butinboththememoryisgreenofamorestrenuousday，whentheywereboystogether。
Hetriedtosay，\"Hewastherightkindofboy，andIwasthewrongkind。\"ButCambridgewouldnotlethimsmooththesituationoverbyself—belittlement。Ifhehadbeenthewrongkindofboy，Geraldhadbeenaworsekind。Hemurmured，\"Wearedifferent，very，\"andMissPembroke，perhapssuspectingsomething，askednomore。ButshekepttothesubjectofMr。Dawes，humorouslydepreciatingherloveranddiscussinghimwithoutreverence。
Rickielaughed，butfeltuncomfortable。Whenpeoplewereengaged，hefeltthattheyshouldbeoutsidecriticism。Yetherehewascriticizing。Hecouldnothelpit。Hewasdraggedin。
\"Ihopehisankleisbetter。\"
\"Neverwasbad。He’salwaysfussingoversomething。\"
\"Heplaysnextweekinamatch，IthinkHerbertsays。\"
\"Idaresayhedoes。\"
\"Shallwebegoing？\"
\"Praygoifyoulike。Ishallstopathome。I’vehadenoughofcoldfeet。\"
Itwasallverycolourlessandodd。
Geraldreturned，saying，\"Ican’tstandyourcook。What’sshewanttoaskmequestionsfor？Ican’tstandtalkingtoservants。
Isay，’IfIspeaktoyou，wellandgood’——andit’sanotherthingbesidesifshewerepretty。\"
\"Well，Ihopeouruglycookwillhavelunchreadyinaminute，\"
saidAgnes。\"We’refrightfullyunpunctualthismorning，andI
daren’tsayanything，becauseitwasthesameyesterday，andifI
complainagaintheymightleave。PoorRickiemustbestarved。\"
\"Why，theSiltsgavemeallthesesandwichesandI’venevereatenthem。Theyalwaysstuffone。\"
\"Andyouthoughtyou’dbetter，eh？\"saidMr。Dawes，\"incaseyouweren’tstuffedhere。\"
MissPembroke，whohouse—keptsomewhateconomically，lookedannoyed。
ThevoiceofMr。Pembrokewasnowheardcallingfromthehouse，\"Frederick！Frederick！Mydearboy，pardonme。ItwasanimportantletterabouttheChurchDefence，otherwise——。Comeinandseeyourroom。\"
Hewasgladtoquitthelittlelawn。Hehadlearnttoomuchthere。Itwasdreadful:theydidnotloveeachother。
Moredreadfuleventhanthecaseofhisfatherandmother，forthey，untiltheymarried，hadgotonprettywell。Butthismanwasalreadyrudeandbrutalandcold:hewasstilltheschoolbullywhotwistedupthearmsoflittleboys，andranpinsintothematchapel，andstrucktheminthestomachwhentheywereswingingonthehorizontalbar。PoorAgnes;whyeverhadshedoneit？Oughtnotsomebodytointerfere？
Hehadforgottenhissandwiches，andwentbacktogetthem。
GeraldandAgneswerelockedineachother’sarms。
Heonlylookedforamoment，butthesightburntintohisbrain。
Theman’sgripwasthestronger。Hehaddrawnthewomanontohisknee，waspressingher，withallhisstrength，againsthim。
Alreadyherhandsslippedoffhim，andshewhispered，\"Don’tyouhurt——\"Herfacehadnoexpression。Itstaredattheintruderandneversawhim。Thenherloverkissedit，andimmediatelyitshonewithmysteriousbeauty，likesomestar。
Rickielimpedawaywithoutthesandwiches，crimsonandafraid。Hethought，\"Dosuchthingsactuallyhappen？\"andheseemedtobelookingdowncolouredvalleys。Brightertheyglowed，tillgodsofpureflamewereborninthem，andthenhewaslookingatpinnaclesofvirginsnow。WhileMr。Pembroketalked，theriotoffairimagesincreased。
Theyinvadedhisbeingandlitlampsatunsuspectedshrines。
Theirorchestracommencedinthatsuburbanhouse，wherehehadtostandasideforthemaidtocarryintheluncheon。Musicflowedpasthimlikeariver。Hestoodatthespringsofcreationandheardtheprimevalmonotony。Thenanobscureinstrumentgaveoutalittlephrase。
Therivercontinuedunheeding。ThephrasewasrepeatedandalistenermightknowitwasafragmentoftheTuneoftunes。
Noblerinstrumentsacceptedit，theclarionetprotected，thebrassencouraged，anditrosetothesurfacetothewhisperofviolins。InfullunisonwasLoveborn，flameoftheflame，flushingthedarkriverbeneathhimandthevirginsnowsabove。
Hiswingswereinfinite，hisyoutheternal;thesunwasajewelonhisfingerashepasseditinbenedictionovertheworld。
Creation，nolongermonotonous，acclaimedhim，inwideningmelody，inbrighterradiances。WasLoveacolumnoffire？Washeatorrentofsong？Washegreaterthaneither——thetouchofamanonawoman？
ItwasthemerestaccidentthatRickiehadnotbeendisgusted。
Butthishecouldnotknow。
Mr。Pembroke，whenhecalledthetwodawdlersintolunch，wasawareofahandonhisarmandavoicethatmurmured，\"Don’t——
theymaybehappy。\"
Hestared，andstruckthegong。Toitsmusictheyapproached，priestandhighpriestess。
\"Rickie，canIgivethesesandwichestothebootboy？\"saidtheone。\"Hewouldlovethem。\"
\"Thegong！Bequick！Thegong！\"
\"Areyousmokingbeforelunch？\"saidtheother。
Buttheyhadgotintoheaven，andnothingcouldgetthemoutofit。Othersmightthinkthemsurlyorprosaic。Heknew。Hecouldremembereverywordtheyspoke。Hewouldtreasureeverymotion，everyglanceofeither，andsointimetocome，whenthegatesofheavenhadshut，somefaintradiance，someechoofwisdommightremainwithhimoutside。