Afterthisconversationflagged。RickieglancedbackatCadover，andthoughtoftheinsipiddaythatlaybeforehim。Generallyhewasattractedbyfreshpeople，andStephenwasalmostfresh:theyhadbeentohimsymbolsoftheunknown，andallthattheydidwasinteresting。Butnowhecaredfortheunknownnolonger。Heknew。
Mr。Wilbrahampassedtheminhisdog—cart，andliftedhishattohisemployer’snephew。Stephenheignored:hecouldnotfindhimonthemap。
\"Goodmorning，\"saidRickie。\"Whatalovelymorning！\"
\"Isay，\"calledtheother，\"anotherchilddead！\"Mr。Wilbraham，whohadseemedinclinedtochat，whippeduphishorseandleftthem。
\"Theregoesanoutandouter，\"saidStephen;andthen，asifintroducinganentirelynewsubject——\"Don’tyouthinkFleaThompsontreatedmedisgracefully？\"
\"Isupposehedid。ButI’mscarcelythepersontosympathize。\"
Theallusionfellflat，andhehadtoexplainit。\"Ishouldhavedonethesamemyself，——promisedtobeawaytwohours，andstoppedfour。\"
\"Stopped—oh——oh，Iunderstand。Youbeinginlove，youmean？\"
Hesmiledandnodded。
\"Oh，I’venoobjectiontoFlealoving。Hesayshecan’thelpit。
Butaslongasmyfistsarestronger，he’sgottokeepitinline。\"
\"Inline？\"
\"Amanlikethat，whenhe’sgotagirl，thinkstherestcangotothedevil。Hegoescuttinghisworkandbreakinghisword。
Wilbrahamoughttosackhim。IpromiseyouwhenI’veagirlI’llkeepherinline，andifsheturnsnasty，I’llgetanother。\"
Rickiesmiledandsaidnomore。Buthewassorrythatanyoneshouldstartlifewithsuchacreed——allthemoresorrybecausethecreedcaricaturedhisown。Hetoobelievedthatlifeshouldbeinaline——alineofenormouslength，fullofcountlessinterestsandcountlessfigures，allwellbeloved。Butwomanwasnottobe\"kept\"tothisline。Ratherdidsheadvanceitcontinually，likesometriumphantgeneral，makingeachunitstillmoreinteresting，stillmorelovable，thanithadbeenbefore。HelovedAgnes，notonlyforherself，butbecauseshewaslightingupthehumanworld。Buthecouldscarcelyexplainthistoaninexperiencedanimal，nordidhemaketheattempt。
Foralongtimetheyproceededinsilence。ThehillbehindCadoverwasinharvest，andthehorsesmovedregretfullybetweenthesheaves。Stephenhadpickedagrassleaf，andwasblowingcatcallsuponit。Heblewverywell，andthismorningallhissoulwentintothewail。Forhewasill。Hewastorturedwiththefeelingthathecouldnotgetawayanddo——dosomething，insteadofbeingciviltothisanaemicprig。Fourhoursintherainwasbetterthanthis:hehadnotwantedtofidgetintherain。Butnowtheairwaslikewine，andthestubblewassmellingofwet，andoverhisheadwhitecloudstrundledmoreslowlyandmoreseldomthroughbroadeningtractsofblue。Thereneverhadbeensuchamorning，andheshutuphiseyesandcalledtoit。Andwheneverhecalled，Rickieshutuphiseyesandwinced。
Atlastthebladebroke。\"Wedon’tgoquick，dowe\"heremarked，andlookedontheweedytrackforanother。
\"Iwishyouwouldn’tletmekeepyou。Ifyouwerealoneyouwouldbegallopingorsomethingofthatsort。\"
\"IwastoldImustgoyourpace，\"hesaidmournfully。\"AndyoupromisedMissPembrokenottohurry，\"
\"Well，I’lldisobey。\"Buthecouldnotriseaboveagentletrot，andeventhatnearlyjerkedhimoutofthesaddle。
\"Sitlikethis，\"saidStephen。\"Can’tyouseelikethis？\"Rickielurchedforward，andbrokehisthumbnailonthehorse’sneck。Itbledalittle，andhadtobeboundup。
\"Thankyou——awfullykind——notighter，please——I’msimplyspoilingyourday。\"
\"Ican’tthinkhowamancanhelpriding。You’veonlytoleaveittothehorseso！——so！——justasyouleaveittowaterinswimming。\"
RickieleftittoDido，whostoppedimmediately。
\"IsaidLEAVEit。\"Hisvoiceroseirritably。\"Ididn’tsay’die。’
Ofcourseshestopsifyoudie。Firstyousitherasifyou’reSandowexercising，andthenyousitlikeacorpse。Can’tyoutellheryou’realive？That’sallshewants。\"
Intryingtoconveytheinformation，Rickiedroppedhiswhip。
StephenpickeditupandrammeditintothebeltofhisownNorfolkjacket。Hewasscarcelyafashionablehorseman。Hewasnotevengraceful。Butherodeasalivingman，thoughRickiewastoomuchboredtonoticeit。Notamuscleinhimwasidle，notamuscleworkinghard。Whenhereturnedfromthegallophislimbswerestillunsatisfiedandhismannersstillirritable。Hedidnotknowthathewasill:heknewnothingabouthimselfatall。
\"LikeahowdahintheZoo，\"hegrumbled。\"MotherFailingwillbuyelephants。\"Andheproceededtocriticizehisbenefactress。
Rickie，keenlyalivetobadtaste，triedtostophim，andgainedinsteadacriticismofreligion。StephenoverthrewtheMosaiccosmogony。HepointedoutthediscrepanciesintheGospels。Helevelledhiswitagainstthemostbeautifulspireintheworld，nowrisingagainstthesouthernsky。Betweenwhileshewentforagallop。AfteratimeRickiestoppedlistening，andsimplywenthisway。ForDidowasaperfectmount，andasindifferenttothemotionsofAeneasasifshewasstrollingintheElysianfields。
Hehadhadabadnight，andthestrongairmadehimsleepy。ThewindblewfromthePlain。Cadoveranditsvalleyhaddisappeared，andthoughtheyhadnotclimbedmuchandcouldnotseefar，therewasasenseofinfinitespace。Thefieldswereenormous，likefieldsontheContinent，andthebrilliantsunshoweduptheircolourswell。Thegreenoftheturnips，thegoldoftheharvest，andthebrownofthenewlyturnedclods，wereeachcontrastedwithmorselsofgreydown。Butthegeneraleffectwaspale，orrathersilvery，forWiltshireisnotacountyofheavytints。
Beneaththesecolourslurkedtheunconquerablechalk，andwhereverthesoilwaspooritemerged。Thegrassytrack，sogaywithscabiousandbedstraw，wassnow—whiteatthebottomofitsruts。Adazzlingamphitheatregleamedintheflankofadistanthill，cutforsomeOlympianaudience。Andhereandthere，whateverthesurfacecrop，theearthbrokeintolittleembankments，littleditches，littlemounds:therehadbeennolackofdramatosolacethegods。
InCadover，theperiloushouse，AgneshadalreadypartedfromMrs。Failing。Histhoughtsreturnedtoher。Wasshe，thesouloftruth，insafety？Washerpurityvexedbytheliesandselfishness？Wouldsheeludethecapricewhichhad，hevaguelyknew，causedsufferingbefore？Ah，thefrailtyofjoy！Ah，themyriadsoflongingsthatpasswithoutfruition，andtheturfgrowsoverthem！Bettermen，womenasnoble——theyhaddieduphereandtheirdusthadbeenmingled，butonlytheirdust。Thesearemorbidthoughts，butwhodarecontradictthem？Thereismuchgoodluckintheworld，butitisluck。Wearenoneofussafe。
Wearechildren，playingorquarrelingontheline，andsomeofushaveRickie’stemperament，orhisexperiences，andadmitit。
Sobemused，thatanxiouslittlespeck，andallthelandseemedtocommentonhisfearsandonhislove。
Theirpathlayupward，overagreatbaldskull，halfgrass，halfstubble。Itseemedeachmomenttherewouldbeasplendidview。
Theviewnevercame，fornoneoftheinclinesweresharpenough，andtheymovedovertheskullformanyminutes，scarcelyshiftingalandmarkoralteringthebluefringeofthedistance。ThespireofSalisburydidalter，butveryslightly，risingandfallinglikethemercuryinathermometer。Atthemostitwouldbehalfhidden;attheleastthetipwouldshowbehindtheswellingbarrierofearth。Theypassedtwoelder—trees——agreatevent。Thebarepatch，saidStephen，wasowingtothegallows。Rickienodded。Hehadlostallsenseofincident。Inthisgreatsolitude——moresolitarythananyAlpinerange——heandAgneswerefloatingaloneandforever，betweentheshapelessearthandtheshapelessclouds。Animmensesilenceseemedtomovetowardsthem。
Alarkstoppedsinging，andtheyweregladofit。TheywereapproachingtheThroneofGod。Thesilencetouchedthem;theearthandalldangerdissolved，buteretheyquitevanishedRickieheardhimselfsaying，\"Isitexactlywhatweintended？\"
\"Yes，\"saidaman’svoice;\"it’stheoldplan。\"Theywereinanothervalley。Itssideswerethickwithtrees。Downitrananotherstreamandanotherroad:it，too，shelteredastringofvillages。Butallwasricher，larger，andmorebeautiful——thevalleyoftheAvonbelowAmesbury。
\"I’vebeenasleep！\"saidRickie，inawestrucktones。
\"Never！\"saidtheotherfacetiously。\"Pleasantdreams？\"
\"Perhaps——I’mreallytiredofapologizingtoyou。Howlonghaveyoubeenholdingmeon？\"
\"Allintheday’swork。\"Hegavehimbackthereins。
\"Where’sthatroundhill？\"
\"Gonewherethegoodniggersgo。Iwantadrink。\"
ThisisNature’sjokeinWiltshire——heronejoke。Youtoilonwindyslopes，andfeelveryprimeval。Youaremilesfromyourfellows，andlo！alittlevalleyfullofelmsandcottages。
BeforeRickiehadwakeduptoit，theyhadstoppedbyathatchedpublic—house，andStephenwasyellinglikeamaniacforbeer。
Therewasnooccasiontoyell。Hewasnotverythirsty，andtheywerequitereadytoservehim。Norneedhehavedrunkinthesaddle，withtheairofawarriorwhocarriesimportantdispatchesandhasnotthetimetodismount。Arealsoldier，boundonasimilarerrand，rodeuptotheinn，andStephenfearedthathewouldyelllouder，andwashostile。Buttheymadefriendsandtreatedeachother，andslangedtheproprietorandraggedtheprettygirls;whileRickie，aseachwaveofvulgarityburstoverhim，sunkhisheadlowerandlower，andwishedthattheearthwouldswallowhimup。HewasonlyusedtoCambridge，andtoaverysmallcornerofthat。Heandhisfriendstherebelievedinfreespeech。Buttheyspokefreelyaboutgeneralities。Theywerescientificandphilosophic。Theywouldhaveshrunkfromtheempiricalfreedomthatresultsfromalittlebeer。
Thatwaswhatannoyedhimasherodedownthenewvalleywithtwochatteringcompanions。Hewasmoreskilledthantheywereintheprinciplesofhumanexistence，buthewasnotsoindecentlyfamiliarwiththeexamples。Asordidvillagescandal——suchasStephendescribedasahugejoke——sprangfromcertaindefectsinhumannature，withwhichhewastheoreticallyacquainted。Buttheexample！Heblushedatitlikeamaidenlady，inspiteofitshavingaparallelinabeautifulidyllofTheocritus。Wasexperiencegoingtobesuchasplendidthingafterall？Weretheoutsideofhousessoverybeautiful？
\"That’sspicy！\"thesoldierwassaying。\"Gotanymorelikethat？\"
\"I’segotapome，\"saidStephen，anddrewapieceofpaperfromhispocket。Thevalleyhadbroadened。OldSarumrosebeforethem，uglyandmajestic。
\"Writethisyourself？\"heasked，chuckling。
\"Rather，\"saidStephen，loweringhisheadandkissingAeneasbetweentheears。
\"Butwho’soldEm’ly？\"Rickiewincedandfrowned。
\"Nowyou’reasking。
\"OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——\"
\"Iamsotired，\"saidRickie。Whyshouldhestanditanylonger？
Hewouldgohometothewomanheloved。\"DoyoumindifIgiveupSalisbury？\"
\"Butwe’veseennothing！\"criedStephen。
\"Ishouldn’tenjoyanything，Iamsoabsurdlytired。\"
\"Leftturn，then——allintheday’swork。\"Hebitathismoustacheangrily。
\"Goodgraciousme，man！——ofcourseI’mgoingbackalone。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourday。Howcouldyouthinkitofme？\"
Stephengavealoudsighofrelief。\"Ifyoudowanttogohome，here’syourwhip。Don’tfalloff。Saytoheryouwantedit，ortheremightbeructions。\"
\"Certainly。Thankyouforyourkindcareofme。\"
\"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’\"
Soonhewasoutofearshot。Soontheywerelosttoview。Soontheywereoutofhisthoughts。Heforgotthecoarsenessandthedrinkingandtheingratitude。Afewmonthsagohewouldnothaveforgottensoquickly，andhemightalsohavedetectedsomethingelse。Butaloverisdogmatic。Tohimtheworldshallbebeautifulandpure。Whenitisnot，heignoresit。
\"He’snottired，\"saidStephentothesoldier;\"hewantshisgirl。\"Andtheywinkedateachother，andcrackedjokesovertheeternalcomedyoflove。Theyaskedeachotherifthey’dletagirlspoilamorning’sride。Theybothexhibitedaprofoundcynicism。Stephen，whowasquitewithoutballast，describedthehouseholdatCadover:heshouldsaythatRickiewouldfindMissPembrokekissingthefootman。
\"Isaythefootman’skissingoldEm’ly。\"
\"Jollyday，\"saidStephen。Hisvoicewassuddenlyconstrained。Hewasnotsurewhetherhelikedthesoldierafterall，norwhetherhehadbeenwiseinshowinghimhiscompositions。
\"’OldEm’lyshelimps，Andas——’\"
\"Allright，Thomas。That’lldo。\"
\"OldEm’ly——’\"
\"Iwishyou’ddryup，likeagoodfellow。Thisisthelady’shorse，youknow，hangit，afterall。\"
\"In—deed！\"
\"Don’tyousee——whenafellow’sonahorse，hecan’tletanotherfellow——kindof——don’tyouknow？\"
Themandidknow。\"There’ssenseinthat。\"hesaidapprovingly。
Peacewasrestored，andtheywouldhavereachedSalisburyiftheyhadnothadsomemorebeer。Itunloosedthesoldier’sfancies，andagainhespokeofoldEm’ly，andrecitedthepoem，withAristophanicvariations。
\"Jollyday，\"repeatedStephen，withastraighteningoftheeyebrowsandaquickglanceattheother’sbody。Hethenwarnedhimagainstthevariations。InconsequencehewasaccusedofbeingamemberoftheY。M。C。A。Hisbloodboiledatthis。Herefutedthecharge，andbecamegreatfriendswiththesoldier，forthethirdtime。
\"Anyobjectionto’SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackleton’？\"
\"Rathernot。\"
Thesoldiersang\"SaucyMr。andMrs。Tackkleton。\"Itisreallyaworkfortwovoices，mostofthesaucinessdisappearingwhentakenasasolo。NorisMrs。Tackleton’snameEm’lv。
\"Icallitajollyrottensong，\"saidStephencrossly。\"Iwon’tstandbeinggotat。\"
\"P’r’apsy’liketheroldsong。Lishen。
\"’Ofallthegullsthatarsshmart，There’snonelinepretty——Em’ly;
Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart’\"
\"Now，that’swrong。\"Herodeupclosetothesinger。
\"Shright。\"
\"’Tisn’t。\"
\"It’sasmymothertaughtme。\"
\"Idon’tcare。\"
\"I’llnotalterfrommother’sway。\"
Stephenwasbaffled。Thenhesaid，\"Howdoesyourmothermakeitrhyme？\"
\"Wot？\"
\"Squat。You’reanass，andI’mnot。Poemswantrhymes。’Alley’
comesnextline。\"
Hesaid\"alley\"was——welcometocomeifitliked。
\"Itcan’t。YouwantSally。Sally——alley。Em’ly—alleydoesn’tdo。\"
\"Emily—femily！\"criedthesoldier，withaninspirationthatwasnothiswhensober。\"Mymothertaughtmefemily。
\"’Forshe’sthedarlingofmerart，Andshelivesinmyfemily。’\"
\"Well，you’dbestbecareful，Thomas，andyourmothertoo。\"
\"Yourmother’snobetterthansheshouldbe，\"saidThomasvaguely。
\"DoyouthinkIhaven’theardthatbefore？\"retortedtheboy。
Theotherconcludedhemightnowsayanything。Sohemight——thenameofoldEmilyexcepted。Stephencaredlittleabouthisbenefactress’shonour，butagreatdealabouthisown。HehadmadeMrs。Failingintoatest。Forthemomenthewoulddieforher，asaknightwoulddieforaglove。Heisnottobedistinguishedfromahero。
OldSarumwaspassed。Theyapproachedthemostbeautifulspireintheworld。\"Lord！anotheroftheselargechurches！\"saidthesoldier。UnfriendlytoGothic，heliftedbothhandstohisnose，anddeclaredthatoldEm’lywasburiedthere。Helayinthemud。
HishorsetrottedbacktowardsAmesbury，Stephenhadtwistedhimoutofthesaddle。
\"I’vedonehim！\"heyelled，thoughnoonewastheretohear。Heroseupinhisstirrupsandshoutedwithjoy。HeflunghisarmsroundAeneas’sneck。Theelderlyhorseunderstood，capered，andbolted。ItwasacentaurthatdashedintoSalisburyandscatteredthepeople。Inthestablehewouldnotdismount。\"I’vedonehim！\"
heyelledtotheostlers——apatheticmen。Stretchingupwards，heclungtoabeam。Aeneasmovedonandhewaslefthanging。Greatlydidheincommodethembyhisexercises。Hepulledup，hecircled，hekickedtheothercustomers。Atlasthefelltotheearth，deliciouslyfatigued。Hisbodyworriedhimnolonger。
Hewent，likethebabyhewas，tobuyawhitelinenhat。Thereweresoldiersabout，andhethoughtitwoulddisguisehim。Thenhehadalittlelunchtosteadythebeer。Thisdayhadturnedoutadmirably。AllthemoneythatshouldhavefedRickiehecouldspendonhimself。InsteadoftoilingovertheCathedralandseeingthestuffedpenguins，hecouldstopthewholethinginthecattlemarket。Therehemetandmadesomefriends。Hewatchedthecheap—jacks，andsawhownecessaryitwastohaveaconfidentmanner。Hespokeconfidentlyhimselfaboutlambs，andpeoplelistened。Hespokeconfidentlyaboutpigs，andtheyroaredwithlaughter。Hemustlearnmoreaboutpigs。Hewitnessedaperformance——nottoonamby—pamby——ofPunchandJudy。\"Hullo，Podge！\"criedanaughtylittlegirl。Hetriedtocatchher，andfailed。ShewasoneoftheCadfordchildren。ForSalisburyonmarketday，thoughitisnotpicturesque，iscertainlyrepresentative，andyoureadthenamesofhalftheWiltshirevillagesuponthecarriers’carts。Hefound，inPennyFarthingStreet，thecartfromWintersbridge。Itwouldnotstartforseveralhours，butthepassengersalwaysuseditasaclub，andsatiniteverynowandthenduringtheday。Nolessthanthreeladieswerethesenow，staringattheshafts。OneofthemwasFleaThompson’sgirl。Heaskedher，quitepolitely，whyherloverhadbrokenfaithwithhimintherain。Shewassilent。Hewarnedherofapproachingvengeance。Shewasstillsilent，butanotherwomanhopedthatagentlemanwouldnotbehardonapoorperson。
Somethinginthisannoyedhim;itwasn’taquestionofgentilityandpoverty——itwasaquestionoftwomen。HedeterminedtogobackbyCadburyRingswheretheshepherdwouldnowbe。
Hedid。Butthispartmustbetreatedlightly。HerodeuptotheculpritwiththeairofaSaintGeorge，spokeafewsternwordsfromthesaddle，tetheredhissteedtoahurdle，andtookoffhiscoat。\"Areyouready？\"heasked。
\"Yes，sir，\"saidFlea，andflunghimonhisback。
\"That’snotfair，\"heprotested。
Theotherdidnotreply，butflunghimonhishead。
\"Howonearthdidyoulearnthat？\"
\"Bytryingoften，\"saidFlea。
Stephensatontheground，pickingmudoutofhisforehead。\"I
meantittobefists，\"hesaidgloomily。
\"Iknow，sir。\"
\"It’sjollysmartthough，and——andIbegyourpardonallround。\"
Itcosthimagreatdealtosaythis，buthewassurethatitwastherightthingtosay。Hemustacknowledgethebetterman。
Whereasmostpeople，iftheyprovokeafightandareflung，say，\"Youcannotrobmeofmymoralvictory。\"
Therewasnothingfurthertobedone。Hemountedagain，notexactlydepressed，butfeelingthatthisdelightfulworldisextraordinarilyunreliable。Hehadneverexpectedtoflingthesoldier，ortobeflungbyFlea。\"Onenipsorisnipped，\"hethought，\"andneverknowsbeforehand。IshouldnotbesurprisedifmanypeoplehadmoreinthemthanIsuppose，whileotherswerejusttheotherwayround。Ihaven’tseenthatsortofthinginIngersoll，butit’squiteimportant。\"Thenhisthoughtsturnedtoacuriousincidentoflongago，whenhehadbeen\"nipped\"——asalittleboy。Hewastrespassinginthosewoods，whenhemetinanarrowgladeaflockofsheep。Theyhadneitherdognorshepherd，andadvancedtowardshimsilently。Hewasaccustomedtosheep，buthadneverhappenedtomeettheminawoodbefore，anddislikedit。Heretired，slowlyatfirst，thenfast;andtheflock，inadensemass，pressedafterhim。Histerrorincreased。
Heturnedandscreamedattheirlongwhitefaces;andstilltheycameon，allstucktogether，likesomehorriblejell——。Ifoncehegotintothem！Bellowingandscreeching，herushedintotheundergrowth，torehimselfallover，andreachedhomeinconvulsions。Mr。Failing，hisonlygrown—upfriend，wassympathetic，butquitestupid。\"Panoviumcustos，\"hesympathetic，ashepulledoutthethorns。\"Whynot？\"\"Panoviumcustos。\"Stephenlearntthemeaningofthephraseatschool，\"A
panofeggsforcustard。\"Hestillrememberedhowtheotherboyslookedashepeepedatthembetweenhislegs，awaitingthedescendingcane。
Sohereturned，fullofpleasantdisconnectedthoughts。Hehadhadararegoodtime。Helikedeveryone——eventhatpoorlittleElliot——andyetnoonemattered。Theywereallout。Onthelandinghesawthehousemaid。Hefeltskittishandirresistible。
Shouldhesliphisarmroundherwaist？Perhapsbetternot;shemightboxhisears。Andhewantedtosmokeontheroofbeforedinner。Soheonlysaid，\"Pleasewillyoustoptheboyblackingmybrownboots，\"andshewithdowncasteyes，answered，\"Yes，sir;
Iwillindeed。\"
Hisroomwasinthepediment。Classicalarchitecture，likeallthingsinthisworldthatattemptserenity，isboundtohaveitslapsesintotheundignified，andCadoverlapsedhopelesslywhenitcametoStephen’sroom。Itgavehimoneroundwindow，toseethroughwhichhemustlieuponhisstomach，onetrapdooropeningupontheleads，threeirongirders，threebeams，sixbuttresses，nocircling，unlessyoucountthewalls，nowallsunlessyoucounttheceilingandinitsembarrassmentpresentedhimwiththegurglycisternthatsuppliedthebathwater。Herehelived，absolutelyhappy，andunawarethatMrs。Failinghadpokedhimuphereonpurpose，topreventhimfromgrowingtoobumptious。Hereheworkedandsangandpractisedontheocharoon。Here，inthecrannies，hehadconstructedshelvesandcupboardsanduselesslittledrawers。Hehadonlyonepicture——theDemeterofCnidos——
andshehungstraightfromtherooflikeajointofmeat。Onceshewasinthedrawing—room;butMrs。Failinghadgottiredofher，anddecreedherremovalandthisdegradation。Nowshefacedthesunrise;andwhenthemoonroseitslightalsofellonher，andtrembled，likelightuponthesea。Forshewasneverstill，andifthedraughtincreasedshewouldtwistonherstring，andwouldswayandtapupontheraftersuntilStephenwokeupandsaidwhathethoughtofher。\"Wantyournose？\"hewouldmurmur。
\"Don’tyouwishyoumaygetit\"Thenhedrewtheclothesoverhisears，whileabovehim，inthewindandthedarkness，thegoddesscontinuedhermotions。
Today，asheentered，hetrodonthepileofsixpennyreprints。
Leightonhadbroughtthemup。Helookedattheportraitsintheircovers，andbegantothinkthatthesepeoplewerenoteverything。
Whatafate，tolooklikeColonelIngersoll，ortomarryMrs。
JuliaP。Chunk！TheDemeterturnedtowardshimashebathed，andinthecoldwaterhesang——
\"Theyaren’tbeautiful，theyaren’tmodest;
I’djustassoonfollowanoldstonegoddess，\"
andsprangupwardthroughtheskylightontotheroof。Yearsago，whenanursewaswashinghim，hehadslippedfromhersoapyhandsandgotuphere。Sheimploredhimtorememberthathewasalittlegentleman;butheforgotthefact——ifitwasafact——andnoteventhebutlercouldgethimdown。Mr。Failing，whowassittingaloneinthegardentooilltoread，heardashout，\"AmI
anacroterium？\"HelookedupandsawanakedchildpoisedonthesummitofCadover。\"Yes，\"hereplied;\"buttheyareunfashionable。Goin，\"andthevisionhadremainedwithhimassomethingpeculiarlygracious。Hefeltthatnonsenseandbeautyhavecloseconnections，——closerconnectionsthanArtwillallow，—
—andthatbothwouldremainwhenhisownheavinessandhisownuglinesshadperished。Mrs。Failingfoundinhisremainsasentencethatpuzzledher。\"Iseetherespectablemansion。Iseethesmugfortressofculture。Thedoorsareshut。Thewindowsareshut。Butontheroofthechildrengodancingforever。\"
Stephenwasachildnolonger。Heneverstoodonthepedimentnow，exceptforabet。Henever，orscarcelyever，pouredwaterdownthechimneys。Whenhecaughtthecat，heseldomdroppedherintothehousekeeper’sbedroom。Butstill，whentheweatherwasfair，helikedtocomeupafterbathing，andgetdryinthesun。
Todayhebroughtwithhimatowel，apipeoftobacco，andRickie’sstory。Hemustgetitdonesometime，andhewastiredofthesix—pennyreprints。Theslopinggablewaswarm，andhelaybackonitwithclosedeyes，gaspingforpleasure。Starlingscriticizedhim，snotsfellonhiscleanbody，andoverhimalittlecloudwastingedwiththecoloursofevening。\"Good！
good！\"hewhispered。\"Good，ohgood！\"andopenedthemanuscriptreluctantly。
Whataproduction！Whowasthisgirl？Wheredidshegoto？Whysomuchtalkabouttrees？\"Itakeithewroteitwhenfeelingbad，\"
hemurmured，andletitfallintothegutter。Itfellfacedownwards，andonthebackhesawaneatlittleresumeinMissPembroke’shandwriting，intendedforsuchashim。\"Allegory。Man=moderncivilization（inbadsense）。Girl=gettingintotouchwithNature。\"
IntouchwithNature！Thegirlwasatree！Helithispipeandgazedattheradiantearth。Theforegroundwashidden，buttherewasthevillagewithitselms，andtheRomanRoad，andCadburyRings。There，too，werethosewoods，andlittlebeechcopses，crowningawasteofdown。Nottomentiontheair，orthesun，orwater。Good，ohgood！
IntouchwithNature！Whatcantwouldthebooksthinkofnext？
Hiseyesclosed。Hewassleepy。Good，ohgood！Sighingintohispipe，hefellasleep。