Hisstrengthandhisyouthcalledtohers，expectingnoprudishresponse。\"It’sveryodd。ItisthatI’mRickie’sbrother。I’vejustfoundout。I’vecometotellyouall。\"
\"Yes？\"
Hefeltinhispocketforthepapers。\"Half—brotherIoughttohavesaid。\"
\"Yes？\"
\"I’millegitimate。Legallyspeaking，thatis，I’vebeenturnedoutofCadover。Ihaven’tapenny。I——\"
\"Thereisnooccasiontoinflictthedetails。\"Herface，whichhadbeenanevenbrown，begantoflushslowlyinthecentreofthecheeks。Thecolourspreadtillallthathesawofherwassuffused，andsheturnedaway。Hethoughthehadshockedher，andsodidshe。Neitherknewthatthebodycanbeinsincereandexpressnottheemotionswefeelbutthosethatweshouldliketofeel。Inrealityshewasquitecalm，andherdislikeofhimhadnothingemotionalinitasyet。
\"Yousee——\"hebegan。Hewasdeterminedtotellthefidgetystory，forthesooneritwasoverthesoonertheywouldhavesomethingtoeat。Delicacyhelacked，andhissympathieswerelimited。Butsuchastheywere，theyrangtrue:heputnodecorousphantombetweenhimandhisdesires。
\"Idosee。Ihaveseenfortwoyears。\"Shesatdownattheheadofthetable，wheretherewasanotherink—pot。Intothisshedippedapen。\"Ihaveseeneverything，Mr。Wonham——whoyouare，howyouhavebehavedatCadover，howyoumusthavetreatedMrs。
Failingyesterday;andnow\"——hervoicebecameverygrave——\"Iseewhyyouhavecomehere，penniless。Beforeyouspeak，weknowwhatyouwillsay。\"
Hismouthfellopen，andhelaughedsomerrilythatitmighthavegivenherawarning。Butshewasthinkinghowtofollowupherfirstsuccess。\"AndIthoughtIwasbringingtremendousnews！\"hecried。\"IonlytwisteditoutofMrs。Failinglastnight。AndRickieknowstoo？\"
\"Wehaveknownfortwoyears。\"
\"Butcome，bythebye，——ifyou’veknownfortwoyears，howisityoudidn’t——\"Thelaughdiedoutofhiseyes。\"Youaren’tashamed？\"heasked，halfrisingfromhischair。\"Youaren’tlikethemantowardsAndover？\"
\"Please，pleasesitdown，\"saidAgnes，intheeventonessheusedwhenspeakingtotheservants;\"letusnotdiscusssideissues。I
amahorriblydirectperson，Mr。Wonham。Igoalwaysstraighttothepoint。\"Sheopenedachequebook。\"IamafraidIshallshockyou。Forhowmuch？\"
Hewasnotattending。
\"Thereisthepaperwesuggestyoushallsign。\"Shepushedtowardshimapseudo—legaldocument，justcomposedbyHerbert。
\"Inconsiderationofthesumof……，Iagreetoperpetualsilence—
—torestrainfromlibellous……nevertomolestthesaidFrederickElliotbyintruding——’\"
Hisbrainwasnotquick。Hereadthedocumentovertwice，andhecouldstillsay，\"Butwhat’sthatchequefor？\"
\"Itismyhusband’s。Hesignedforyouassoonasweheardyouwerehere。Weguessedyouhadcometobesilenced。Hereishissignature。Buthehasleftthefillinginforme。Forhowmuch？I
willcrossit，shallI？Youwilljusthavestartedabankingaccount，ifIunderstandMrs。Failingrightly。Itisnotquiteaccuratetosayyouarepenniless:Iheardfromherjustbeforeyoureturnedfromyourcricket。Sheallowsyoutwohundreda—
year，Ithink。Butthisadditionalsum——shallIdatethechequeSaturdayorfortomorrow？\"
Atlasthefoundwords。Knockinghispipeoutonthetable，hesaidslowly，\"Here’saverybadmistake。\"
\"Itisquitepossible，\"retortedAgnes。Shewasgladshehadtakentheoffensive，insteadofwaitingtillhebeganhisblackmailing，ashadbeentheadviceofRickie。AuntEmilyhadsaidthatveryspring，\"One’sonlyhopewithStephenistostartbullyingfirst。\"Herehewas，quitebewildered，smearingthepipe—asheswithhisthumb。Heaskedtoreadthedocumentagain。
\"Astampandall！\"heremarked。
Theyhadanticipatedthathisclaimwouldexceedtwopounds。
\"Isee。Allright。Ittakesafoolaminute。Nevermind。I’vemadeabadmistake。\"
\"Yourefuse？\"sheexclaimed，forhewasstandingatthedoor。
\"Thendoyourworst！Wedefyyou！\"
\"That’sallright，Mrs。Elliot，\"hesaidroughly。\"Idon’twantascenewithyou，noryetwithyourhusband。We’llsaynomoreaboutit。It’sallright。Imeannoharm。\"
\"Butyoursignaturethen！Youmustsign——you——\"
Hepushedpasther，andsaidashereachedforhiscap，\"There，that’sallright。It’smymistake。I’msorry。\"Hespokelikeafarmerwhohasfailedtosellasheep。Hismannerwasutterlyprosaic，anduptothelastshethoughthehadnotunderstoodher。\"Butit’smoneyweofferyou，\"sheinformedhim，andthendartedbacktothestudy，believingforoneterriblemomentthathehadpickeduptheblankcheque。Whenshereturnedtothehallhehadgone。Hewaswalkingdowntheroadratherquickly。Atthecornerheclearedhisthroat，spatintothegutter，anddisappeared。
\"There’sanoddfinish，\"shethought。Shewaspuzzled，anddeterminedtorecasttheinterviewalittlewhensherelatedittoRickie。Shehadnotsucceeded，forthepaperwasstillunsigned。ButshehadsocowedStephenthathewouldprobablyrestcontentwithhistwohundreda—year，andnevercometroublingthemagain。Clevermanagement，foroneknewhimtoberapacious:shehadheardtalesofhimlendingtothepoorandexactingrepaymenttotheuttermostfarthing。Hehadalsostolenatschool。Moderatelytriumphant，shehurriedintotheside—
garden:shehadjustrememberedAnsell:she，notRickie，hadreceivedhiscard。
\"Oh，Mr。Ansell！\"sheexclaimed，awakinghimfromsomeday—dream。
\"Haven’teitherRickieorHerbertbeenouttoyou？Now，docomeintodinner，toshowyouaren’toffended。Youwillfindallofusassembledintheboys’dining—hall。\"
Toherannoyanceheaccepted。
\"Thatis，iftheJacksonsarenotexpectingyou。\"
TheJacksonsdidnotmatter。Ifhemightbrushhisclothesandbathehislip，hewouldliketocome。
\"Oh，whathashappenedtoyou？Andoh，myprettylobelias！\"
Hereplied，\"Amomentarycontactwithreality，\"andshe，whodidnotlookforsenseinhisremarks，hurriedawaytothedining—
halltoannouncehim。
Thedining—hallwasnotunlikethepreparationroom。Therewasthesameparquetfloor，anddadoofshinypitchpine。Onitswallsalsowereimperialportraits，andovertheharmoniumtowhichtheysangtheeveninghymnswasspreadtheUnionJack。Sundaydinner，themostpompousmealoftheweek，wasinprogress。Herbrothersatattheheadofthehightable，herhusbandattheheadofthesecond。Toeachhegaveareassuringnodandwenttoherownseat，whichwasamongthejuniorboys。Thebeefwasbeingcarriedout;shestoppedit。\"Mr。Anselliscoming，\"shecalled。
\"Herbertthereismoreroombyyou;situpstraight，boys。\"Theboyssatupstraight，andarespectfulhushspreadovertheroom。
\"Hereheis！\"calledRickiecheerfully，takinghiscuefromhiswife。\"Oh，thisissplendid！\"Ansellcamein。\"I’msogladyoumanagedthis。Icouldn’tleavethesewretcheslastnight！\"Theboystitteredsuitably。Theatmosphereseemednormal。EvenHerbert，thoughlongingtohearwhathadhappenedtotheblackmailer，gaveadequategreetingtotheirguest:\"Comein，Mr。
Ansell;comehere。Takeusasyoufindus！\"
\"Iunderstood，\"saidStewart，\"thatIshouldfindyouall。Mrs。
ElliottoldmeIshould。OnthatunderstandingIcame。\"
Itwasatonceevidentthatsomethinghadgonewrong。
Anselllookedroundtheroomcarefully。Thenclearinghisthroatandrufflinghishair，hebegan—
\"IcannotseethemanwithwhomIhavetalked，intimately，foranhour，inyourgarden。\"
Theworstofitwastheywereallsofarfromhimandfromeachother，eachattheendofatablefulofinquisitiveboys。ThetwomasterslookedatAgnesforinformation，forherreassuringnodhadnottoldthemmuch。Shelookedhopelesslyback。
\"Icannotseethisman，\"repeatedAnsell，whoremainedbytheharmoniuminthemidstofastonishedwaitresses。\"Ishetobegivennolunch？\"
Herbertbrokethesilencebyfreshgreetings。Rickieknewthatthecontestwaslost，andthathisfriendhadsidedwiththeenemy。Itwasthekindofthinghewoulddo。Onemustfacethecatastrophequietlyandwithdignity。PerhapsAnsellwouldhaveturnedonhisheel，andleftbehindhimonlyvaguesuspicions，ifMrs。Elliothadnottriedtotalkhimdown。\"Man，\"shecried——
\"whatman？Oh，Iknow——terriblebore！Didhegetholdofyou？\"——
thuscommittingtheirfirstblunder，andcausingAnselltosaytoRickie，\"Haveyouseenyourbrother？\"
\"Ihavenot。\"
\"Haveyoubeentoldhewashere？\"
Rickie’sanswerwasinaudible。
\"Haveyoubeentoldyouhaveabrother？\"
\"Letuscontinuethisconversationlater。\"
\"Continueit？Mydearman，howcanweuntilyouknowwhatI’mtalkingabout？Youmustthinkmemad;butItellyousolemnlythatyouhaveabrotherofwhomyou’veneverheard，andthathewasinthishousetenminutesago。\"Hepausedimpressively。\"Yourwifehashappenedtoseehimfirst。Beingneitherseriousnortruthful，sheiskeepingyouapart，tellinghimsomelieandnottellingyouaword。\"
Therewasamurmurofalarm。Oneoftheprefectsrose，andAnsellsethisbacktothewall，quitereadyforabattle。Fortwoyearshehadwaitedforhisopportunity。HewouldhitoutatMrs。
Elliotlikeanyploughboynowthatithadcome。Rickiesaid:
\"Thereisaslightmisunderstanding。I，likemywife，haveknownwhatthereistoknowfortwoyears\"——adignifiedrebuff，buttheirsecondblunder。
\"Exactly，\"saidAgnes。\"NowIthinkMr。Ansellhadbettergo。\"
\"Go？\"explodedAnsell。\"I’veeverythingtosayyet。Ibegyourpardon，Mrs。Elliot，Iamconcernedwithyounolonger。Thisman\"——heturnedtotheavenueoffaces——\"thismanwhoteachesyouhasabrother。Hehasknownofhimtwoyearsandbeenashamed。Hehas——oh——oh——howitfitstogether！Rickie，it’syou，notMrs。
Silt，whomusthavesenttalesofhimtoyouraunt。It’syouwho’veturnedhimoutofCadover。It’syouwho’veorderedhimtoberuinedtoday。
NowHerbertarose。\"Outofmysight，sir！ButhaveitfrommefirstthatRickieandhisaunthavebothbehavedmostgenerously。
No，no，Agnes，I’llnotbeinterrupted。Garbledversionsmustnotgetabout。IftheWonhammanisnotsatisfiednow，hemustbeinsatiable。Hecannotlevyblackmailonusforever。Sir，Igiveyoutwominutes;thenyouwillbeexpelledbyforce。\"
\"Twominutes！\"sangAnsell。\"Icansayagreatdealinthat。\"Heputonefootonachairandheldhisarmsoverthequiveringroom。HeseemedtransfiguredintoaHebrewprophetpassionateforsatireandthetruth。\"Oh，keepquietfortwominutes，\"hecried，\"andI’lltellyousomethingyou’llbegladtohear。You’realittleafraidStephenmaycomeback。Don’tbeafraid。Ibringgoodnews。You’llneverseehimnoranyonelikehimagain。I
mustspeakveryplainly，foryouareallthreefools。Idon’twantyoutosayafterwards，’PoorMr。Anselltriedtobeclever。’
GenerallyIdon’tmind，butIshouldmindtoday。Pleaselisten。
Stephenisabully;hedrinks;heknocksonedown;buthewouldsoonerdiethantakemoneyfrompeoplehedidnotlove。Perhapshewilldie，forhehasnothingbutafewpencethatthepoorgavehimandsometobaccowhich，tomyeternalglory，heacceptedfromme。Pleaselistenagain。Whydidhecomehere？Becausehethoughtyouwouldlovehim，andwasreadytoloveyou。ButItellyou，don’tbeafraid。Hewouldsoonerdienowthansayyouwerehisbrother。Pleaselistenagain——\"
\"Now，Stewart，don’tgoonlikethat，\"saidRickiebitterly。
\"It’seasyenoughtopreachwhenyouareanoutsider。Youwouldbemorecharitableifsuchathinghadhappenedtoyourself。Easyenoughtobeunconventionalwhenyouhaven’tsufferedandknownothingofthefacts。Youloveanythingoutoftheway，anythingqueer，thatdoesn’toftenhappen，andsoyougetexcitedoverthis。It’suseless，mydearman;youhavehurtme，butyouwillneverupsetme。Assoonasyoustopthisridiculousscenewewillfinishourdinner。Spreadthisscandal;addtoit。I’mtoooldtomindsuchnonsense。Icannothelpmyfather’sdisgrace，ontheonehand;nor，ontheother，willIhaveanythingtodowithhisblackguardofason。\"
Sothesecretwasgiventotheworld。Agnesmightcolourathisspeech;HerbertmightcalculatetheeffectofitontheentriesforDunwoodHouse;buthecaredfornoneofthesethings。ThankGod！hewaswitheredupatlast。
\"Pleaselistenagain，\"resumedAnsell。\"Pleasecorrecttwoslightmistakes:firstly，StephenisoneofthegreatestpeopleIhaveevermet;secondly，he’snotyourfather’sson。He’sthesonofyourmother。\"
ItwasRickie，notAnsell，whowascarriedfromthehall，anditwasHerbertwhopronouncedtheblessing——
\"Benedictobenedicatur。\"
Aprofoundstillnesssucceededthestorm，andtheboys，slippingawayfromtheirmeal，toldthenewstotherestoftheschool，orputitintheletterstheywerewritinghome。
XXVIII
Thesoulhasherowncurrency。Shemintsherspiritualcoinageandstampsitwiththeimageofsomebelovedface。Withitshepaysherdebts，withitshereckons，saying，\"Thismanhasworth，thismanisworthless。\"Andintimesheforgetsitsorigin;itseemstohertobeathingunalterable，divine。Butthesoulcanalsohaveherbankruptcies。
Perhapsshewillbethericherintheend。Inheragonyshelearnstoreckonclearly。Fairasthecoinmayhavebeen，itwasnotaccurate;andthoughsheknewitnot，thereweretreasuresthatitcouldnotbuy。Theface，howeverbeloved，wasmortal，andasliableasthesoulherselftoerr。Wedobutshiftresponsibilitybymakingastandardofthedead。
Thereis，indeed，anothercoinagethatbearsonitnotman’simagebutGod’s。Itisincorruptible，andthesoulmaytrustitsafely;itwillserveherbeyondthestars。Butitcannotgiveusfriends，ortheembraceofalover，orthetouchofchildren，forwithourfellowmortalsithasnoconcern。Itcannotevengivethejoyswecalltrivial——fineweather，thepleasuresofmeatanddrink，bathingandthehotsandafterwards，running，dreamlesssleep。Havewelearntthetruedisciplineofabankruptcyifweturntosuchcoinageasthis？Willitreallyprofitussomuchifwesaveoursoulsandlosethewholeworld？
PART3WILTSHIRE
XXIX
Robert——thereisnooccasiontomentionhissurname:hewasayoungfarmerofsomeeducationwhotriedtocoaxtheagedsoilofWiltshirescientifically——cametoCadoveronbusinessandfellinlovewithMrs。Elliot。Shewasthereonherbridalvisit，andhe，anobscurenobody，wasreceivedbyMrs。Failingintothehouseandtreatedashersocialequal。Hewasgood—lookinginabucolicway，andpeoplesometimesmistookhimforagentlemanuntiltheysawhishands。Hediscoveredthis，andoneoftheslow，gentlejokesheplayedonsocietywastotalkuponsomeculturedsubjectwithhishandsbehindhisbackandthensuddenlyrevealthem。\"Doyougoinforboating？\"theladywouldask;andthenheexplainedthatthoseparticularwealsaremadebythehandlesoftheplough。Uponwhichshebecameextremelyinterested，butfoundanearlyopportunityoftalkingtosomeoneelse。
HeplayedthisjokeonMrs。Elliotthefirstevening，notknowingthatsheobservedhimasheenteredtheroom。Hewalkedheavily，liftinghisfeetasifthecarpetwasfurrowed，andhehadnoeveningclothes。Everyonetriedtoputhimathisease，butsherathersuspectedthathewastherealready，andenviedhim。Theywereintroduced，andspokeofByron，whowasstillfashionable。
Outcamehishands——theonlyroughhandsinthedrawing—room，theonlyhandsthathadeverworked。Shewasfilledwithsomestrangeapproval，andlikedhim。
Afterdinnertheymetagain，tospeaknotofByronbutofmanure。
Theotherpeopleweresocleverandsoamusingthatitrelievedhertolistentoamanwhotoldherthreetimesnottobuyartificialmanurereadymade，but，ifshewoulduseit，tomakeitherselfatthelastmoment。Becausetheammoniaevaporated。
Hereweretwopacketsofpowder。Didtheysmell？No。Mixthemtogetherandpoursomecoffee——Anappallingsmellatonceburstforth，andeveryonebegantocoughandcry。Thiswasgoodfortheearthwhenshefeltsour，forheknewwhentheearthwasill。
Heknew，too，whenshewashungryhespokeofhertantrums——thestrangeunscientificelementinherthatwillbafflethescientisttotheendoftime。\"Studyaway，Mrs。Elliot，\"hetoldher;\"readallthebooksyoucangetholdof;butwhenitcomestothepoint，strolloutwithapipeinyourmouthanddoabitofguessing。\"Ashetalked，theearthbecamealivingbeing——orratherabeingwithalivingskin，——andmanurenolongerdirtystuff，butasymbolofregenerationandofthebirthoflifefromlife。\"Soitgoesonforever！\"shecriedexcitedly。Hereplied:
\"Notforever。Intimethefireatthecentrewillcool，andnothingcangoonthen。\"
Headvancedintolovewithopeneyes，slowly，heavily，justashehadadvancedacrossthedrawingroomcarpet。Butthistimethebridedidnotobservehistread。Shewaslisteningtoherhusband，andtryingnottobesostupid。Whenhewasclosetoher——soclosethatitwasdifficultnottotakeherinhisarms——
hespoketoMr。Failing，andwasatonceturnedoutofCadover。
\"I’msorry，\"saidMr。Failing，ashewalkeddownthedrivewithhishandonhisguest’sshoulder。\"Ihadnonotionyouwerethatsort。Anyonewhobehaveslikethathastostopatthefarm。\"
\"Anyone？\"
\"Anyone。\"Hesighedheavily，notforanypersonalgrievance，butbecausehesawhowunruly，howbarbaric，isthesoulofman。
Afterall，thismanwasmorecivilizedthanmost。
\"Areyouangrywithme，sir？\"Hecalledhim\"sir，\"notbecausehewasricherorclevererorsmarter，notbecausehehadhelpedtoeducatehimandhadlenthimmoney，butforareasonmoreprofound——forthereasonthattherearegradationsinheaven。
\"Ididthinkyou——thatamanlikeyouwouldn’triskmakingpeopleunhappy。Mysister—in—law——Idon’tsaythistostopyoulovingher;somethingelsemustdothat——mysister—in—law，asfarasI
know，doesn’tcareforyouonelittlebit。Ifyouhadsaidanything，ifshehadguessedthatachancepersonwasin——thisfearfulstate，youwouldsimply——haveopenedhell。Awomanofhersortwouldhavelostall——\"
\"Iknewthat。\"
Mr。Failingremovedhishand。Hewasdispleased。
\"Butsomethinghere，\"saidRobertincoherently。\"Thishere。\"Hestruckhimselfheavilyontheheart。\"Thishere，doingsomethingsounusual，makesitnotmatterwhatsheloses——I——\"Afterasilenceheasked，\"HaveIquitefollowedyou，sir，inthatbusinessofthebrotherhoodofman？\"
\"Howdoyoumean？\"
\"Ithoughtlovewastobringitabout。\"
\"Loveofanotherman’swife？Sensuallove？Youhaveunderstoodnothing——nothing。\"Thenhewasashamed，andcried，\"Iunderstandnothingmyself。\"Forherememberedthatsensualandspiritualarenoteasywordstouse;thatthereare，perhaps，nottwoAphrodites，butoneAphroditewithaJanusface。\"Ionlyunderstandthatyoumusttrytoforgether。\"
\"Iwillnottry。\"
\"Promisemejustthis，then——nottodoanythingcrooked。\"
\"I’mstraight。Noboasting，butIcouldn’tdoacrookedthing——
No，notifItried。\"
Andsoappallinglystraightwasheinafteryears，thatMr。
Failingwishedthathehadphrasedthepromisedifferently。
Robertsimplywaited。Hetoldhimselfthatitwashopeless;butsomethingdeeperthanhimselfdeclaredthattherewashope。Hegaveupdrink，andkepthimselfinallwaysclean，forhewantedtobeworthyofherwhenthetimecame。Womenseemedfondofhim，andcausedhimtoreflectwithpleasure，\"Theydorunafterme。
Theremustbesomethinginme。Good。I’dbedoneforiftherewasn’t。\"ForsixyearsheturneduptheearthofWiltshire，andreadbooksforthesakeofhismind，andtalkedtogentlemenforthesakeoftheirpatois，andeachyearherodetoCadovertotakeoffhishattoMrs。Elliot，and，perhaps，tospeaktoheraboutthecrops。Mr。Failingwasgenerallypresent，anditstruckneithermanthatthosedulllittlevisitsweresomanywordsoutofwhichalonelywomanmightbuildsentences。ThenRobertwenttoLondononbusiness。HechancedtoseeMr。Elliotwithastrangelady。Thetimehadcome。
Hebecamediplomatic，andcalledatMr。Elliot’sroomstofindthingsout。ForifMrs。Elliotwashappierthanhecouldevermakeher，hewouldwithdraw，andloveherinrenunciation。Butifhecouldmakeherhappier，hewouldloveherinfulfilment。Mr。
Elliotadmittedhimasafriendofhisbrother—in—law’s，andfeltverybroad—mindedashedidso。Robert，however，wasasuccess。
Theyoungishmentherefoundhiminteresting，andlikedtoshockhimwithtalesofnaughtyLondonandnaughtierParis。Theyspokeof\"experience\"and\"sensations\"and\"seeinglife，\"andwhenasmileploughedoverhisface，concludedthathispruderywasvanquished。Hesawthattheyweremuchlessviciousthantheysupposed:oneboyhadobviouslyreadhissensationsinabook。
Buthecouldpardonvice。Whathecouldnotpardonwastriviality，andhehopedthatnodecentwomancouldpardoniteither。Theregrewupinhimacold，steadyangeragainstthesesillypeoplewhothoughtitadvancedtobeshocking，andwhodescribed，assomethingparticularlychoiceandeducational，thingsthathehadunderstoodandfoughtagainstforyears。HeinquiredafterMrs。Elliot，andaboytittered。Itseemedthatshe\"didnotknow，\"thatshelivedinaremotesuburb，takingcareofaskinnybaby。\"Ishallcallsometimeorother，\"saidRobert。\"Do，\"saidMr。Elliot，smiling。Andnexttimehesawhiswifehecongratulatedheronherrusticadmirer。
Shehadsufferedterribly。Shehadaskedforbread，andhadbeengivennotevenastone。Peopletalkofhungeringfortheideal，butthereisanotherhunger，quiteasdivine，forfacts。Shehadaskedforfactsandhadbeengiven\"views，\"\"emotionalstandpoints，\"\"attitudestowardslife。\"Toawomanwhobelievedthatfactsarebeautiful，thatthelivingworldisbeautifulbeyondthelawsofbeauty，thatmanureisneithergrossnorludicrous，thatafire，noteternal，glowsattheheartoftheearth，itwasintolerabletobeputoffwithwhattheElliotscalled\"philosophy，\"and，ifsherefused，tobetoldthatshehadnosenseofhumour。\"TarryingintotheElliotfamily。\"Ithadsoundedsosplendid，forshewasapennilesschildwithnothingtooffer，andtheElliotsheldtheirheadshigh。Forwhatreason？
Whathadtheyeverdone，exceptsaysarcasticthings，andlimp，andberefined？Mr。Failingsufferedtoo，butshesufferedmore，inasmuchasFrederickwasmoreimpossiblethanEmily。Hedidnotlikeher，hepracticallylivedapart，hewasnotevenfaithfulorpolite。Theseweregravefaults，buttheywerehumanones:shecouldevenimaginetheminamansheloved。Whatshecouldneverlovewasadilettante。
Robertbroughtheranarmfulofsweet—peas。Helaiditonthetable，puthishandsbehindhisback，andkeptthemtheretilltheendofthevisit。Sheknewquitewellwhyhehadcome，andthoughshealsoknewthathewouldfail，shelovedhimtoomuchtosnubhimortostareinvirtuousindignation。\"Whyhaveyoucome？\"sheaskedgravely，\"andwhyhaveyoubroughtmesomanyflowers？\"
\"Mygardenisfullofthem，\"heanswered。\"Sweetpeasneedpickingdown。And，generallyspeaking，flowersareplentifulinJuly。\"
Shebrokehispresentintobunches——somuchforthedrawing—room，somuchforthenursery，somuchforthekitchenandherhusband’sroom:hewouldbedownforthenight。Themostbeautifulshewouldkeepforherself。Presentlyhesaid，\"Yourhusbandisnogood。I’vewatchedhimforaweek。I’mthirty，andnotwhatyoucallhasty，asIusedtobe，orthinkingthatnothingmattersliketheFrench。No。I’maplainBritisher，yet——
I——I’vebegunwrongend，Mrs。Elliot;IshouldhavesaidthatI’vethoughtchieflyofyouforsixyears，andthatthoughItalkheresorespectfully，ifIonceunhookedmyhands——\"
Therewasapause。Thenshesaidwithgreatsweetness，\"Thankyou;Iamgladyouloveme，\"andrangthebell。
\"Whathaveyoudonethatfor？\"hecried。
\"Becauseyoumustnowleavethehouse，andneverenteritagain。\"
\"Idon’tgoalone，\"andhebegantogetfurious。
Hervoicewasstillsweet，butstrengthlayinittoo，asshesaid，\"Youeithergonowwithmythanksandblessing，orelseyougowiththepolice。IamMrs。Elliot。WeneednotdiscussMr。
Elliot。IamMrs。Elliot，andifyoumakeonesteptowardsmeI
giveyouincharge。\"
Butthemaidansweredthebellnotofthedrawing—room，butofthefrontdoor。TheywerejoinedbyMr。Elliot，whoheldouthishandwithmuchurbanity。Itwasnottaken。Helookedquicklyathiswife，andsaid，\"AmIdetrop？\"Therewasalongsilence。
Atlastshesaid，\"Frederick，turnthismanout。\"
\"Mylove，why？\"
Robertsaidthathelovedher。
\"ThenIamdetrop，\"saidMr。Elliot，smoothingouthisgloves。
Hewouldgivethesesoddenbarbariansalesson。\"Myhansomiswaitingatthedoor。Praymakeuseofit。\"
\"Don’t！\"shecried，almostaffectionately。\"DearFrederick，itisn’taplay。Justtellthismantogo，orsendforthepolice。\"
\"Onthecontrary;itisFrenchcomedyofthebesttype。Don’tyouagree，sir，thatthepolicewouldbeaninartisticerror？\"Hewasperfectlycalmandcollected，whereastheywereinapitiablestate。
\"Turnhimoutatonce！\"shecried。\"Hehasinsultedyourwife。
Saveme，saveme！\"Sheclungtoherhusbandandwept。\"HewasgoingIhadmanagedhim——hewouldneverhaveknown——\"Mr。Elliotrepulsedher。
\"Ifyoudon’tfeelinclinedtostartatonce，\"hesaidwitheasycivility，\"Letushavealittletea。Mydearsir，doforgivemefornotshootingyou。Nousavonschangetoutcela。Pleasedon’tlooksonervous。Pleasedounclaspyourhands——\"
Hewasalone。
\"That’sallright，\"heexclaimed，andstrolledtothedoor。Thehansomwasdisappearingroundthecorner。\"That’sallright，\"herepeatedinmorequaveringtonesashereturnedtothedrawing—
roomandsawthatitwaslitteredwithsweet—peas。Theircolourgotonhisnerves——magenta，crimson;magenta，crimson。Hetriedtopickthemup，andtheyescaped。Hetrodthemunderfoot，andtheymultipliedanddancedinthetriumphofsummerlikeathousandbutterflies。Thetrainhadleftwhenhegottothestation。HefollowedontoLondon，andtherehelostalltraces。
Atmidnighthebegantorealizethathiswifecouldneverbelongtohimagain。