Thesilencewasbrokenbythesoundoffeetonthegravel。Agnessaidhastily，\"Isthatreallytrue——thatheknowsnothing？\"
\"You，Rickie，andIaretheonlypeoplealivethatknow。Herealizeswhatheis——withaprecisionthatissometimesalarming。
Whoheis，hedoesn’tknowanddoesn’tcare。IsupposehewouldknowwhenI’mdead。Therearepapers。\"
\"AuntEmily，beforehecomes，mayIsaytoyouI’msorryIwassorude？\"
Mrs。Failinghadnotdislikedhercourage。\"Mydear，youmay。
We’realloffourhingesthisSunday。Sitdownbymeagain。\"
Agnesobeyed，andtheyawaitedthearrivalofStephen。Theywerecleverenoughtounderstandeachother。Thethingmustbehushedup。Thematronmustrepairtheconsequencesofherpetulance。Thegirlmusthidethestaininherfuturehusband’sfamily。Whynot？
Whowasinjured？Whatdoesagrown—upmanwantwithagrownbrother？Rickieupstairs，howgratefulhewouldbetothemforsavinghim。
\"Stephen！\"
\"Yes。\"
\"I’mtiredofyou。Goandbatheinthesea。\"
\"Allright。\"
Andthewholethingwassettled。Shelikednofuss，andsodidhe。Hesatdownonthesteptotightenhisbootlaces。Thenhewouldbeready。Mrs。Failinglaidtwoorthreesovereignsonthestepabovehim。Agnestriedtomakeconversation，andsaid，withavertedeyes，thattheseawasalongwayoff。
\"Thesea’sdownhill。That’sallIknowaboutit。\"Hesweptupthemoneywithawordofpleasure:hewaskeptlikeababyinsuchthings。Thenhestartedoff，butslowly，forhemeanttowalktillthemorning。
\"Hewillbegonedays，\"saidMrs。Failing。\"Thecomedyisfinished。Letuscomein。\"
Shewenttoherroom。Thestormthatshehadraisedhadshatteredher。Yet，becauseitwasstilledforamoment，sheresumedheroldemancipatedmanner，andspokeofitasacomedy。
AsforMissPembroke，shepretendedtobeemancipatednolonger。
Peoplelike\"StephenWonham\"weresocialthunderbolts，tobeshunnedatallcosts，oratalmostallcosts。Herjoywasnowunfeigned，andshehurriedupstairstoimpartittoRickie。
\"Idon’tthinkwearerewardedifwedoright，butwearepunishedifwelie。It’sthefashiontolaughatpoeticjustice，butIdobelieveinhalfofit。Castbitterbreaduponthewaters，andaftermanydaysitreallywillcomebacktoyou。\"
ThesewerethewordsofMr。Failing。TheywerealsotheopinionsofStewartAnsell，anotherunpracticalperson。Rickiewastryingtowritetohimwhensheenteredwiththegoodnews。
\"Dear，we’resaved！Hedoesn’tknow，andheneveristoknow。I
can’ttellyouhowgladIam。Allthetimewesawthemstandingtogetherupthere，shewasn’ttellinghimatall。Shewaskeepinghimoutoftheway，incaseyouletitout。Oh，Ilikeher！Shemaybeunwise，butsheisnice，really。Shesaid，’I’vebeenafoolbutIhaven’tbeenafooltwice。’Youmustforgiveher，Rickie。I’veforgivenher，andsheme;foratfirstIwassoangrywithher。Oh，mydarlingboy，Iamsoglad！\"
Hewasshiveringallover，andcouldnotreply。Atlasthesaid，\"Whyhasn’tshetoldhim？\"
\"Becauseshehascometohersenses。\"
\"Butshecan’tbehavetopeoplelikethat。Shemusttellhim。\"
\"Becausehemustbetoldsucharealthing。\"
\"Sucharealthing？\"thegirlechoed，screwingupherforehead。
\"But——butyoudon’tmeanyou’regladaboutit？\"
Hisheadbowedovertheletter。\"MyGod——no！Butit’sarealthing。Shemusttellhim。Inearlytoldhimmyself——upthere——
whenhemademelookattheground，butyouhappenedtopreventme。\"
HowProvidencehadwatchedoverthem！
\"Shewon’ttellhim。Iknowthatmuch。\"
\"Then，Agnes，darling\"——hedrewhertothetable\"wemusttalktogetheralittle。Ifshewon’t，thenweoughtto。\"
\"WEtellhim？\"criedthegirl，whitewithhorror。\"Tellhimnow，wheneverythinghasbeencomfortablyarranged？\"
\"Yousee，darling\"——hetookholdofherhand——\"whatonemustdoistothinkthethingoutandsettlewhat’sright，I’mstillalltremblingandstupid。Iseeitmixedupwithotherthings。Iwantyoutohelpme。Itseemstomethathereandthereinlifewemeetwithapersonorincidentthatissymbolical。It’snothinginitself，yetforthemomentitstandsforsomeeternalprinciple。Weacceptit，atwhatevercosts，andwehaveacceptedlife。Butifwearefrightenedandrejectit，themoment，sotospeak，passes;thesymbolisneverofferedagain。Isthisnonsense？Oncebeforeasymbolwasofferedtome——Ishallnottellyouhow;butIdidacceptit，andcherisheditthroughmuchanxietyandrepulsion，andintheendIamrewarded。Therewillbenorewardthistime。Ithink，fromsuchaman——thesonofsuchaman。ButIwanttodowhatisright。\"
\"Becausedoingrightisitsownreward，\"saidAgnesanxiously。
\"Idonotthinkthat。Ihaveseenfewexamplesofit。Doingrightissimplydoingright。\"
\"Ithinkthatallyousayiswonderfullyclever;butsinceyouaskme，itISnonsense，dearRickie，absolutely。\"
\"Thankyou，\"hesaidhumbly，andbegantostrokeherhand。\"Butallmydisgust;myindignationwithmyfather，mylovefor——\"Hebrokeoff;hecouldnotbeartomentionthenameofhismother。
\"Iwastryingtosay，Ioughtn’ttofollowtheseimpulsestoomuch。Thereareothersthings。Truth。Ourdutytoacknowledgeeachmanaccurately，howevervileheis。Andapartfromideals\"
（hereshehadwonthebattle），\"andleavingidealsaside，I
couldn’tmeethimandkeepsilent。Itisn’tinme。Ishouldblurtitout。\"
\"Butyouwon’tmeethim！\"shecried。\"It’sallbeenarranged。
We’vesenthimtothesea。Isn’titsplendid？He’sgone。Myownboywon’tbefantastic，willhe？\"Thenshefoughtthefantasyonitsownground。\"And，byethebye，whatyoucallthe’symbolicmoment’isover。YouhaditupbytheRings。Youtriedtotellhim，Iinterruptedyou。It’snotyourfault。Youdidallyoucould。\"
Shethoughtthisexcellentlogic，andwassurprisedthathelookedsogloomy。\"Sohe’sgonetothesea。Forthepresentthatdoessettleit。HasAuntEmilytalkedabouthimyet？\"
\"No。Askhertomorrowifyouwishtoknow。Askherkindly。Itwouldbesodreadfulifyoudidnotpartfriends，and——\"
\"What’sthat？\"
ItwasStephencallingupfromthedrive。Hehadcomeback。Agnesthrewoutherhandindespair。
\"Elliot！\"thevoicecalled。
Theywerefacingeachother，silentandmotionless。ThenRickieadvancedtothewindow。Thegirldartedinfrontofhim。Hethoughthehadneverseenhersobeautiful。Shewasstoppinghisadvancequitefrankly，withwidespreadarms。
\"Elliot！\"
Hemovedforward——intowhat？Hepretendedtohimselfhewouldratherseehisbrotherbeforeheanswered;thatitwaseasiertoacknowledgehimthus。Butatthebackofhissoulheknewthatthewomanhadconquered，andthathewasmovingforwardtoacknowledgeher。\"Ifhecallsmeagain——\"hethought。
\"Elliot！\"
\"Well，ifhecallsmeonceagain，Iwillanswerhim，vileasheis。\"
Hedidnotcallagain。
Stephenhadreallycomebackforsometobacco，butashepassedunderthewindowshethoughtofthepoorfellowwhohadbeen\"nipped\"（nothingserious，saidMrs。Failing），anddeterminedtoshoutgood—byetohim。Andonceortwice，ashefollowedtheriverintothedarkness，hewonderedwhatitwasliketobesoweak，——nottoride，nottoswim，nottocareforanythingbutbooksandagirl。
Theyembracedpassionately。Thedangerhadbroughtthemveryneartoeachother。Theybothneededahometoconfrontthemenacingtumultuousworld。Andwhatwearyyearsofwork，ofwaiting，laybetweenthemandthathome！Stillholdingherfast，hesaid，\"I
waswritingtoAnsellwhenyoucamein。\"
\"Doyouowehimaletter？\"
\"No。\"Hepaused。\"Iwaswritingtotellhimaboutthis。Hewouldhelpus。Healwayspicksouttheimportantpoint。\"
\"Darling，Idon’tliketosayanything，andIknowthatMr。
Ansellwouldkeepasecret，buthaven’twepickedouttheimportantpointforourselves？\"
Hereleasedherandtoretheletterup。
XV
Thesenseofpurityisapuzzlingandattimesafearfulthing。
Itseemssonoble，anditstartsasonewithmorality。Butitisadangerousguide，andcanleadusawaynotonlyfromwhatisgracious，butalsofromwhatisgood。Agnes，inthistangle，hadfolloweditblindly，partlybecauseshewasawoman，anditmeantmoretoherthanitcanevermeantoaman;partlybecause，thoughdangerous，itisalsoobvious，andmakesnodemandupontheintellect。ShecouldnotfeelthatStephenhadfullhumanrights。Hewasillicit，abnormal，worsethanamandiseased。AndRickierememberingwhosesonhewas，graduallyadoptedheropinion。He，too，cametobegladthathisbrotherhadpassedfromhimuntried，thatthesymbolicmomenthadbeenrejected。
Stephenwasthefruitofsin;thereforehewassinful，He，too，becameasexualsnob。
Andnowhemustheartheunsavourydetails。Thateveningtheysatinthewalledgarden。Agues，accordingtoarrangement，lefthimalonewithhisaunt。Heaskedher，andwasnotanswered。
\"Youareshocked，\"shesaidinahard，mockingvoice，\"Itisveryniceofyoutobeshocked，andIdonotwishtogrieveyoufurther。Wewillnotalludetoitagain。Letusallgoonjustasweare。Thecomedyisfinished。\"
Hecouldnottoleratethis。Hisnerveswereshattered，andallthatwasgoodinhimrevoltedaswell。TothehorrorofAgnes，whowaswithinearshot，hereplied，\"Youusedtopuzzleme，AuntEmily，butIunderstandyouatlast。Youhaveforgottenwhatotherpeoplearelike。Continualselfishnessleadstothat。Iamsureofit。Iseenowhowyoulookattheworld。’Niceofmetobeshocked！’Iwanttogotomorrow，ifImay。\"
\"Certainly，dear。Themorningtrainsarethebest。\"Andsothedisastrousvisitended。
Ashewalkedbacktothehousehemetacertainpoorwoman，whosechildStephenhadrescuedatthelevel—crossing，andwhohaddecided，aftersomedelay，thatshemustthankthekindgentlemaninperson。\"Hehasgotsomebrutecourage，\"thoughtRickie，\"anditwasdecentofhimnottoboastaboutit。\"Buthehadlabelledtheboyas\"Bad，\"anditwasconvenienttoreverttohisgoodqualitiesasseldomaspossible。Hepreferredtobroodoverhiscoarseness，hiscaddishingratitude，hisirreligion。Outoftheseheconstructedarepulsivefigure，forgettinghowslovenlyhisownperceptionshadbeenduringthepastweek，howdogmaticandintoleranthisattitudetoallthatwasnotLove。
DuringthepackinghewasobligedtogouptotheattictofindtheDryadmanuscriptwhichhadneverbeenreturned。Leightoncametoo，andforabouthalfanhourtheyhuntedintheflickeringlightofacandle。Itwasastrange，ghostlyplace，andRickiewasquitestartledwhenapictureswungtowardshim，andhesawtheDemeterofCnidus，shimmeringandgrey。Leightonsuggestedtheroof。Mr。Stephensometimesleftthingsontheroof。Sotheyclimbedoutoftheskylight——thenightwasperfectlystill——andcontinuedthesearchamongthegables。Enormousstarshungoverhead，andtheroofwasboundedbychasms，impenetrableandblack。\"Itdoesn’tmatter，\"saidRickie，suddenlyconvincedofthefutilityofallthathedid。\"Oh，letuslookproperly，\"saidLeighton，akindly，pliableman，whohadtriedtoshirkcoming，butwhowasgenuinelysympatheticnowthathehadcome。Theywererewarded:themanuscriptlayinagutter，charredandsmudged。
TherestoftheyearwasspentbyRickiepartlyinbed，——hehadacuriousbreakdown，——partlyintheattempttogethislittlestoriespublished。Hehadwritteneightornine，andhopedtheywouldmakeupabook，andthatthebookmightbecalled\"PanPipes。\"Hewasveryenergeticoverthis;helikedtowork，forsomeimperceptiblebloomhadpassedfromtheworld，andhenolongerfoundsuchacutepleasureinpeople。Mrs。Failing’soldpublishers，towhomthebookwassubmitted，repliedthat，greatlyastheyfoundthemselvesinterested，theydidnotseetheirwaytomakinganofferatpresent。Theywereverypolite，andsingledoutforspecialpraise\"AndantePastorale，\"whichRickiehadthoughttoosentimental，butwhichAgneshadpersuadedhimtoinclude。Thestoriesweresenttoanotherpublisher，whoconsideredthemforsixweeks，andthenreturnedthem。Afragmentofredcotton，PlacedbyAgnesbetweentheleaves，hadnotshifteditsposition。
\"Can’tyoutrysomethinglonger，Rickie？\"shesaid;
\"Ibelievewe’reonthewrongtrack。Tryanout——and——outlove—story。\"
\"Mynotionjustnow，\"hereplied，\"istoleavethepassionsonthefringe。\"Shenodded，andtappedforthewaiter:theyhadmetinaLondonrestaurant。\"Ican’tsoar;Icanonlyindicate。
That’swherethemusicianshavethepull，formusichaswings，andwhenshesays’Tristan’andhesays’Isolde，’youareontheheightsatonce。Whatdopeoplemeanwhentheycalllovemusicartificial？\"
\"Iknowwhattheymean，thoughIcan’texactlyexplain。Orcouldn’tyoumakeyourstoriesmoreobvious？Idon’tseeanyharminthat。UncleWillieflounderedhopelessly。Hedoesn’treadmuch，andhegotmuddled。Ihadtoexplain，andthenhewasdelighted。Ofcourse，towritedowntothepublicwouldbequiteanotherthingandhorrible。Youhavecertainideas，andyoumustexpressthem。Butcouldn’tyouexpressthemmoreclearly？\"
\"Yousee——\"Hegotnofurtherthan\"yousee。\"
\"Thesoulandthebody。Thesoul’swhatmatters，\"saidAgnes，andtappedforthewaiteragain。Helookedatheradmiringly，butfeltthatshewasnotaperfectcritic。Perhapsshewastooperfecttobeacritic。Actuallifemightseemtohersorealthatshecouldnotdetecttheunionofshadowandadamantthatmencallpoetry。Hewouldevengofurtherandacknowledgethatshewasnotascleverashimself——andhewasstupidenough！Shedidnotlikediscussinganythingorreadingsolidbooks，andshewasalittleangrywithsuchwomenasdid。Itpleasedhimtomaketheseconcessions，fortheytouchednothinginherthathevalued。Helookedroundtherestaurant，whichwasinSohoanddecidedthatshewasincomparable。
\"Athalf—pasttwoIcallontheeditorofthe’Holborn。’He’sgotastraystorytolookat，andhe’swrittenaboutit。\"
\"Oh，Rickie！Rickie！Whydidn’tyouputonaboiledshirt！\"
Helaughed，andteasedher。\"’Thesoul’swhatmatters。Weliterarypeopledon’tcareaboutdress。\"
\"Well，yououghttocare。AndIbelieveyoudo。Can’tyouchange？\"
\"Toofar。\"HehadroomsinSouthKensington。\"AndI’veforgotmycard—case。There’sforyou！\"
Sheshookherhead。\"Naughty，naughtyboy！Whateverwillyoudo？\"
\"Sendinmyname，oraskforabitofpaperandwriteit。Hullo！
that’sTilliard！\"
Tilliardblushed，partlyonaccountofthefauxpashehadmadelastJune，partlyonaccountoftherestaurant。HeexplainedhowhecametobepigginginSoho:itwassofrightfullyconvenientandsofrightfullycheap。
\"JustwhyRickiebringsme，\"saidMissPembroke。
\"AndIsupposeyou’reheretostudylife？\"saidTilliard，sittingdown。
\"Idon’tknow，\"saidRickie，gazingroundatthewaitersandtheguests。
\"Doesn’tonewanttoseeagooddealoflifeforwriting？There’slifeofasortinSoho，——Unpeudefaisan，s’ilvowsplait。\"
Agnesalsograbbedatthewaiter，andpaid。Shealwaysdidthepaying，Rickiemuddledwithhispurse。
\"I’mcramming，\"pursuedTilliard，\"andsonaturallyIcomeintocontactwithverylittleatpresent。ButlateronIhopetoseethings。\"Heblushedalittle，forhewastalkingforRickie’sedification。\"Itismostfrightfullyimportantnottogetanarroworacademicoutlook，don’tyouthink？ApersonlikeAnsell，whogoesfromCambridge，home——home，Cambridge——itmusttellonhimintime。\"
\"ButMr。Ansellisaphilosopher。\"
\"Averykinkyone，\"saidTilliardabruptly。\"Notmyideaofaphilosopher。Howgoeshisdissertation？\"
\"Heneveranswersmyletters，\"repliedRickie。\"Heneverwould。
I’veheardnothingsinceJune。\"
\"It’sapityhesendsinthisyear。Therearesomanygoodpeoplein。He’dhaveafarbetterchanceifhewaited。\"
\"SoIsaid，buthewouldn’twait。He’ssokeenaboutthisparticularsubject。\"
\"Whatisit？\"askedAgnes。
\"Aboutthingsbeingreal，wasn’tit，Tilliard？\"
\"That’snearenough。\"
\"Well，goodlucktohim！\"saidthegirl。\"Andgoodlucktoyou，Mr。Tilliard！Lateron，Ihope，we’llmeetagain。\"
Theyparted。Tilliardlikedher，thoughhedidnotfeelthatshewasquiteinhiscouchesociale。Hissister，forinstance，wouldneverhavebeenluredintoaSohorestaurant——exceptfortheexperienceofthething。Tilliard’scouchesocialepermittedexperiences。Providedhisheartdidnotgoouttothepoorandtheunorthodox，hemightstareatthemasmuchasheliked。Itwasseeinglife。
AgnesputherloversafelyintoanomnibusatCambridgeCircus。
Sheshoutedafterhimthathistiewasrisingoverhiscollar，buthedidnothearher。Foramomentshefeltdepressed，andpicturedquiteaccuratelytheeffectthathisappearancewouldhaveontheeditor。Theeditorwasatallneatmanofforty，slowofspeech，slowofsoul，andextraordinarilykind。HeandRickiesatoverafire，withanenormoustablebehindthemwhereonstoodmanybookswaitingtobereviewed。
\"I’msorry，\"hesaid，andpaused。
Rickiesmiledfeebly。
\"Yourstorydoesnotconvince。\"Hetappedit。\"Ihavereaditwithverygreatpleasure。Itconvincesinparts，butitdoesnotconvinceasawhole;andstories，don’tyouthink，oughttoconvinceasawhole？\"
\"Theyoughtindeed，\"saidRickie，andplungedintoself—depreciation。Buttheeditorcheckedhim。
\"No——no。Pleasedon’ttalklikethat。Ican’tbeartohearanyonetalkagainstimagination。Therearecountlessopeningsforimagination，——forthemysterious，forthesupernatural，forallthethingsyouaretryingtodo，andwhich，Ihope，youwillsucceedindoing。I’mnotOBJECTINGtoimagination;onthecontrary，I’dadviseyoutocultivateit，toaccentit。Writeareallygoodghoststoryandwe’dtakeitatonce。Or\"——hesuggesteditasanalternativetoimagination——\"oryoumightgetinsidelife。It’sworthdoing。\"
\"Life？\"echoedRickieanxiously。
Helookedroundthepleasantroom，asiflifemightbeflutteringtherelikeanimprisonedbird。Thenhelookedattheeditor:
perhapshewassittinginsidelifeatthisverymoment。
\"Seelife，Mr。Elliot，andthensendusanotherstory。\"Heheldouthishand。\"IamsorryIhavetosay’No，thankyou’;it’ssomuchnicertosay，’Yes，please。’\"Helaidhishandontheyoungman’ssleeve，andadded，\"Well，theinterview’snotbeensoalarmingafterall，hasit？\"
\"Idon’tthinkthateitherofusisaveryalarmingperson，\"wasnotRickie’sreply。Itwaswhathethoughtoutafterwardsintheomnibus。Hisreplywas\"Ow，\"deliveredwithaslightgiggle。
Asherumbledwestward，hisfacewasdrawn，andhiseyesmovedquicklytotherightandleft，asifhewoulddiscoversomethinginthesqualidfashionablestreetssomebirdonthewing，someradiantarchway，thefaceofsomegodbeneathabeaverhat。Heloved，hewasloved，hehadseendeathandotherthings;buttheheartofallthingswashidden。Therewasapasswordandhecouldnotlearnit，norcouldthekindeditorofthe\"Holborn\"teachhim。Hesighed，andthensighedmorepiteously。Forhadhenotknownthepasswordonce——knownitandforgottenitalready？
ButatthispointhisfortunesbecomeintimatelyconnectedwiththoseofMr。Pembroke。
PART2SAWSTON
XVI
InthreeyearsMr。Pembrokehaddonemuchtosolidifytheday—boysatSawstonSchool。Iftheywerenotsolid，theywereatalleventscurdling，andhisactivitiesmightreasonablyturnelsewhere。Hehadservedtheschoolformanyyears，anditwasreallytimeheshouldbeentrustedwithaboarding—house。Theheadmaster，animpulsivemanwhodartedaboutlikeaminnowandgavehismotheragreatdealoftrouble，agreedwithhim，andalsoagreedwithMrs。JacksonwhenshesaidthatMr。Jacksonhadservedtheschoolformanyyearsandthatitwasreallytimeheshouldbeentrustedwithaboarding—house。Consequently，whenDunwoodHousefellvacanttheheadmasterfoundhimselfinratheradifficultposition。
DunwoodHousewasthelargestandmostlucrativeoftheboarding—houses。Itstoodalmostoppositetheschoolbuildings。
Originallyithadbeenavillaresidence——ared—brickvilla，coveredwithcreepersandcrownedwithterracottadragons。Mr。
Annison，founderofitsglory，hadlivedhere，andhadhadoneortwoboystolivewithhim。Timeschanged。Thefameofthebishopsblazedbrighter，theschoolincreased，theoneortwoboysbecameadozen，andanadditionwasmadetoDunwoodHousethatmorethandoubleditssize。Ahugenewbuilding，repletewitheveryconvenience，wasstuckontoitsrightflank。Dormitories，cubicles，studies，apreparation—room，adining—room，parquetfloors，hot—airpipes——noexpensewasspared，andthetwelveboysroamedoveritlikeprinces。BaizedoorscommunicatedoneveryfloorwithMr。Annison’spart，andhe，ananxiousgentleman，wouldstrollbackwardsandforwards，alittledepressedatthehygienicsplendours，andconsciousofsomevanishedintimacy。
Somehowhehadknownhisboysbetterwhentheyhadallmuddledtogetherasonefamily，andalgebraslaystrewnuponthedrawingroomchairs。Asthehousefilled，hisinterestinitdecreased。
Whenheretired——whichhedidthesamesummerthatRickieleftCambridge——ithadalreadypassedthesummitofexcellenceandwasbeginningtodecline。Itsnumberswerestillsatisfactory，andforalittletimeitwouldsubsistonitspastreputation。Butthatmysteriousassetthetonehadlowered，anditwasthereforeofgreatimportancethatMr。Annison’ssuccessorshouldbeafirst—classman。Mr。Coates，whocamenextinseniority，waspassedover，andrightly。ThechoicelaybetweenMr。PembrokeandMr。Jackson，theoneanorganizer，theotherahumanist。Mr。
JacksonwasmasteroftheSixth，and——withtheexceptionoftheheadmaster，whowastoobusytoimpartknowledge——theonlyfirst—classintellectintheschool。Buthecouldnotorratherwouldnot，keeporder。Hetoldhisformthatifitchosetolistentohimitwouldlearn;ifitdidn’t，itwouldn’t。Onehalflistened。Theotherhalfmadepaperfrogs，andboredholesintheraisedmapofItalywiththeirpenknives。Whenthepenknivesgrittedhepunishedthemwithundueseverity，andthenforgottomakethemshowthepunishmentsup。Yetoutofthischaostwofactsemerged。HalftheboysgotscholarshipsattheUniversity，andsomeofthem——includingseveralofthepaper—frogsort——
remainedfriendswithhimthroughouttheirlives。Moreover，hewasrich，andhadacompetentwife。HisclaimtoDunwoodHousewasstrongerthanonewouldhavesupposed。
ThequalificationsofMr。Pembrokehavealreadybeenindicated。
Theyprevailed——butunderconditions。Ifthingswentwrong，hemustpromisetoresign。
\"Inthefirstplace，\"saidtheheadmaster，\"youaredoingsosplendidlywiththeday—boys。Yourattitudetowardstheparentsismagnificent。I——don’tknowhowtoreplaceyouthere。Whereas，ofcourse，theparentsofaboarder——\"
\"Ofcourse，\"saidMr。Pembroke。
Theparentofaboarder，whoonlyhadtoremovehissonifhewasdiscontentedwiththeschool，wasnaturallyinamoreindependentpositionthantheparentwhohadbroughtallhisgoodsandchattelstoSawston，andwasrentingahousethere。
\"Nowtheparentsofboarders——thisismysecondpoint——
practicallydemandthatthehouse—mastershouldhaveawife。\"
\"Amostunreasonabledemand，\"saidMr。Pembroke。
\"Tomymindalsoabrightmotherlymatronisquitesufficient。
Butthatiswhattheydemand。Andthatiswhy——doyousee？——weHAVEtoregardyourappointmentasexperimental。PossiblyMissPembrokewillbeabletohelpyou。OrIdon’tknowwhetherifever——\"Heleftthesentenceunfinished。TwodayslaterMr。
PembrokeproposedtoMrs。Orr。
Hehadalwaysintendedtomarrywhenhecouldaffordit;andoncehehadbeeninlove，violentlyinlove，buthadlaidthepassionaside，andtoldittowaittillamoreconvenientseason。Thiswas，ofcourse，theproperthingtodo，andprudenceshouldhavebeenrewarded。Butwhen，afterthelapseoffifteenyears，hewent，asitwere，tohisspirituallarderandtookdownLovefromthetopshelftoofferhimtoMrs。Orr，hewasratherdismayed。
Somethinghadhappened。Perhapsthegodhadflown;perhapshehadbeeneatenbytherats。Atallevents，hewasnotthere。
Mr。Pembrokewasconscientiousandromantic，andknewthatmarriagewithoutloveisintolerable。Ontheotherhand，hecouldnotadmitthatlovehadvanishedfromhim。Toadmitthis，wouldarguethathehaddeteriorated。
Whereasheknewforafactthathehadimproved，yearbyyear。