\"ThisisatrickIlearnedfromtheRussiansafterPlevna;theyhadmylittlefinger，soIdeservedsomethinginexchange。\"Helookedround;hiseyes，hiswholeface，seemedtotwinkle。\"Iassureyouitwasworthit——makesallthedifference。Try！\"Hepouredoffthetea。
\"HadyouasympathywiththeTurks？\"
\"Theweakerside——\"Hepausedabruptly，thenadded:\"Butitwasnotthat。\"Overhisfaceinnumerablecrow’s—feethadsuddenlyappeared，hiseyestwitched;hewentonhurriedly，\"Ihadtofindsomethingtodojustthen——itwasnecessary。\"Hestaredintohisglass;anditwassometimebeforeIventuredtoaskifhehadseenmuchfighting。
\"Yes，\"herepliedgravely，\"nearlytwentyyearsaltogether;IwasoneofGaribaldi’sMillein’60。\"
\"SurelyyouarenotItalian？\"
Heleanedforwardwithhishandsonhisknees。\"IwasinGenoaatthattimelearningbanking;Garibaldiwasawonderfulman！Onecouldnothelpit。\"Hespokequitesimply。\"Youmightsayitwaslikeseeingalittlemanstanduptoaringofgreathulkingfellows;I
went，justasyouwouldhavegone，ifyou’dbeenthere。Iwasnotlongwiththem——ourwarbegan;Ihadtogobackhome。\"Hesaidthisasiftherehadbeenbutonewarsincetheworldbegan。\"In’60，\"hemused，\"till’65。Justthinkofit！Thepoorcountry。Why，inmyState，SouthCarolina——Iwasthroughitall——nobodycouldbesparedthere——wewereonetothree。\"
\"Isupposeyouhavealoveoffighting？\"
\"H’m！\"hesaid，asifconsideringtheideaforthefirsttime。
\"SometimesIfoughtforaliving，andsometimes——becauseIwasobliged;onemusttrytobeagentleman。Butwon’tyouhavesomemore？\"
Irefusedmoreteaandtookmyleave，carryingawaywithmeapictureoftheoldfellowlookingdownfromthetopofthesteepstaircase，onehandpressedtohisback，theothertwistingupthoselittlewhitemoustaches，andmurmuring，\"Takecare，mydearsir，there’sastepthereatthecorner。\"
\"Tobeagentleman！\"Irepeatedinthestreet，causinganoldFrenchladytodropherparasol，sothatforabouttwominuteswestoodbowingandsmilingtoeachother，thenseparatedfullofthebestfeeling。
II
AweeklaterIfoundmyselfagainseatednexthimataconcert。InthemeantimeIhadseenhimnowandthen，butonlyinpassing。Heseemeddepressed。Thecornersofhislipsweretightened，histannedcheekshadagreyishtinge，hiseyeswererestless;and，betweentwonumbersoftheprogramme，hemurmured，tappinghisfingersonhishat，\"Doyoueverhavebaddays？Yes？Notpleasant，arethey？\"
ThensomethingoccurredfromwhichallthatIhavetotellyoufollowed。Therecameintotheconcert—halltheheroineofoneofthoseromances，crimes，follies，orirregularities，callitwhatyouwill，whichhadjustattractedthe\"world’s\"stare。Shepasseduswithherpartner，andsatdowninachairafewrowstoourright。
Shekeptturningherheadround，andateveryturnIcaughtthegleamofheruneasyeyes。Someonebehindussaid:\"Thebrazenbaggage！\"
Mycompanionturnedfullround，andglaredatwhoeveritwaswhohadspoken。Thechangeinhimwasquiteremarkable。Hislipsweredrawnbackfromhisteeth;hefrowned;thescaronhistemplehadreddened。
\"Ah！\"hesaidtome。\"Thehueandcry！Contemptible！HowIhateit！Butyouwouldn’tunderstand——！\"hebrokeoff，andslowlyregainedhisusualairofself—obliteration;heevenseemedashamed，andbegantryingtobrushhismoustacheshigherthanever，asifawarethathisheathadrobbedthemofneatness。
\"I’mnotmyself，whenIspeakofsuchmatters，\"hesaidsuddenly;andbeganreadinghisprogramme，holdingitupsidedown。Aminutelater，however，hesaidinapeculiarvoice:\"Therearepeopletobefoundwhoobjecttovivisectinganimals;butthevivisectionofawoman，whomindsthat？Willyoutellmeit’sright，thatbecauseofsometragedylikethis——believeme，itisalwaysatragedy——weshouldhuntdownawoman？Thatherfellow—womenshouldmakeanoutcastofher？
Thatwe，whoaremen，shouldmakeapreyofher？IfIthoughtthat……\"Againhebrokeoff，staringveryhardinfrontofhim。
\"Itiswewhomakethemwhattheyare;andevenifthatisnotso——
why！ifIthoughttherewasawomanintheworldIcouldnottakemyhatoffto——I——I——couldn’tsleepatnight。\"Hegotupfromhisseat，putonhisoldstrawhatwithtremblingfingers，and，withoutaglanceback，wentout，stumblingoverthechair—legs。
Isatthere，horriblydisturbed;thewords，\"Onemusttrytobeagentleman！\"hauntingme。WhenIcameout，hewasstandingbytheentrancewithonehandonhishipandtheotheronhisdog。Inthatattitudeofwaitinghewassuchapatientfigure;thesunglareddownandshowedthethreadbarenatureofhisclothesandthethinnessofhisbrownhands，withtheirlongforgersandnailsyellowfromtobacco。Seeingmehecameupthestepsagain，andraisedhishat。
\"Iamgladtohavecaughtyou;pleaseforgetallthat。\"Iaskedifhewoulddomethehonourofdiningatmyhotel。
\"Dine？\"herepeatedwiththesortofsmileachildgivesifyouofferhimaboxofsoldiers;\"withthegreatestpleasure。Iseldomdineout，butIthinkIcanmusterupacoat。Yes——yes——andatwhattimeshallIcome？Athalf—pastseven，andyourhotelis——？Good！I
shallbethere。Freda，miacara，youwillbealonethisevening。
Youdonotsmokecaporal，Ifear。Ifinditfairlygood;thoughithastoomuchbite。\"HewalkedoffwithFreda，puffingathisthinrollofcaporal。
Onceortwicehestopped，asifbewilderedorbesetbysomesuddendoubtormemory;andeverytimehestopped，Fredalickedhishand。
Theydisappearedroundthecornerofthestreet，andIwenttomyhoteltoseeaboutdinner。OnthewayImetJulesleFerrier，andaskedhimtocometoo。
\"Myfaith，yes！\"hesaid，withtherosypessimismcharacteristicoftheFrencheditor。\"Manmustdine！\"
Athalf—pastsixweassembled。My\"Cosmopolitan\"wasinanoldfrock—coatbraidedroundtheedges，buttonedhighandtight，definingmorethaneverthesharplinesofhisshouldersandtheslightkinkofhisback;hehadbroughtwithhim，too，adark—peakedcapofmilitaryshape，whichhehadevidentlyselectedasmorefittingtothecoatthanastrawhat。Hesmelledslightlyofsomeherb。
Wesatdowntodinner，anddidnotrisefortwohours。Hewasacharmingguest，praisedeverythingheate——notwithcommonplaces，butinwordsthatmadeyoufeelithadgivenhimrealpleasure。Atfirst，wheneverJulesmadeoneofhiscausticremarks，helookedquitepained，butsuddenlyseemedtomakeuphismindthatitwasbark，notbite;andthenateachofthemhewouldturntomeandsay，\"Aha！that’sgood——isn’tit？\"Witheveryglassofwinehebecamemoregentleandmoregenial，sittingveryupright，andtightlybuttoned—in;whilethelittlewhitewingsofhismoustacheseemedabouttoleavehimforabetterworld。
Inspiteofthemostleadingquestions，however，wecouldnotgethimtotalkabouthimself，forevenJules，mostcynicalofmen，hadrecognisedthathewasaheroofromance。Hewouldanswergentlyandprecisely，andthensittwistinghismoustaches，perfectlyunconsciousthatwewantedmore。Presently，asthewinewentalittletohishead，histhin，highvoicegrewthinner，hischeeksbecameflushed，hiseyesbrighter;attheendofdinnerhesaid:\"I
hopeIhavenotbeennoisy。\"
Weassuredhimthathehadnotbeennoisyenough。\"You’relaughingatme，\"heanswered。\"SurelyI’vebeentalkingallthetime！\"
\"MonDieu！\"saidJules，\"wehavebeenlookingforsomefablesofyourwars;butnothing——nothing，notenoughtofeedafrog！\"
Theoldfellowlookedtroubled。
\"Tobesure！\"hemused。\"Letmethink！thereisthataboutColhounatGettysburg;andthere’sthestoryofGaribaldiandtheMiller。\"
Heplungedintoatale，notatallabouthimself，whichwouldhavebeenextremelydull，butfortheconvictioninhiseyes，andthewayhestoppedandcommented。\"Soyousee，\"heended，\"that’sthesortofmanGaribaldiwas！Icouldtellyouanothertaleofhim。\"
CatchinganintrospectivelookinJules’seye，however，Iproposedtakingourcigarsovertothecafeopposite。
\"Delightful！\"theoldfellowsaid:\"Weshallhaveabandandthefreshair，andclearconsciencesforourcigars。Icannotlikethissmokinginaroomwherethereareladiesdining。\"
Hewalkedoutinfrontofus，smokingwithanairofgreatenjoyment。
Jules，glowingabovehiscandidshirtandwaistcoat，whisperedtome，\"MoncherGeorges，howheisgood！\"thensighed，andaddeddarkly:
\"Thepoorman！\"
Wesatdownatalittletable。Closeby，thebranchesofaplane—
treerustledfaintly;theirleaveshunglifeless，speckledlikethebreastsofbirds，orblackagainstthesky;then，caughtbythebreeze，flutteredsuddenly。
Theoldfellowsat，withheadthrownback，asmileonhisface，comingnowandthenoutofhisenchanteddreamstodrinkcoffee，answerourquestions，orhumthetunethatthebandwasplaying。Theashofhiscigargrewverylong。OneofthosebizarrefiguresinOrientalgarb，who，nightafternight，offertheirdoubtfulwaresatagreatprice，appearedinthewhiteglareofalamp，lookedwithafurtivesmileathisface，andglidedback，discomfitedbyitsunconsciousness。Itwasanightfordreams！Afaint，half—easternscentintheair，ofblacktobaccoandspice;fewpeopleasyetatthelittletables，thewaitersleisurely，thebandsoft！Whatwashedreamingof，thatoldfellow，whosecigar—ashgrewsolong？Ofyouth，ofhisbattles，ofthosethingsthatmustbedonebythosewhotrytobegentlemen;perhapsonlyofhisdinner;anywayofsomethinggildedinvaguefashionasthelightwasgildingthebranchesoftheplane—tree。
Julespulledmysleeve:\"Hesleeps。\"Hehadsmilinglydroppedoff;
thecigar—ash——thatfeatherytowerofhisdreams——hadbrokenandfallenonhissleeve。Heawoke，andfelltodustingit。
Thelittletablesroundusbegantofill。Oneofthebandsmenplayedaczardasontheczymbal。TwoyoungFrenchmen，talkingloudly，satdownattheadjoiningtable。Theywerediscussingtheladywhohadbeenattheconcertthatafternoon。
\"It’sabet，\"saidoneofthem，\"butthere’sthepresentman。Itakethreeweeks，that’senoughelleestdeclassee;cen’estquelepremierpas——’
Myoldfriend’scigarfellonthetable。\"Monsieur，\"hestammered，\"youspeakofaladyso，inapublicplace？\"
Theyoungmanstaredathim。\"Whoisthisperson？\"hesaidtohiscompanion。
MyguesttookupJules’sglovethatlayonthetable;beforeeitherofuscouldraiseafinger，hehadswungitinthespeaker’sface。
\"Enough！\"hesaid，and，droppingtheglove，walkedaway。
Wealljumpedtoourfeet。IleftJulesandhurriedafterhim。Hisfacewasgrim，hiseyesthoseofacreaturewhohasbeenstruckonarawplace。Hemadeamovementofhisfingerswhichsaidplainly。
\"Leaveme，ifyouplease！\"
Iwentbacktothecafe。Thetwoyoungmenhaddisappeared，sohadJules，buteverythingelsewasgoingonjustasbefore;thebandsmanstilltwangingouthisczardas;thewaitersservingdrinks;theorientalstryingtoselltheircarpets。Ipaidthebill，soughtoutthemanager，andapologised。Heshruggedhisshoulders，smiledandsaid:\"Aneccentric，yourfriend，nichtwahr？\"CouldhetellmewhereM。LeFerrierwas？Hecouldnot。IlefttolookforJules;
couldnotfindhim，andreturnedtomyhoteldisgusted。Iwassorryformyoldguest，butvexedwithhimtoo;whatbusinesshadhetocarryhisQuixotismtosuchanunpleasantlength？Itriedtoread。
Eleveno’clockstruck;thecasinodisgorgedastreamofpeople;thePlaceseemedfulleroflifethanever;thenslowlyitgrewemptyandquitedark。Thewhimseizedmetogoout。Itwasastillnight，verywarm，veryblack。Ononeoftheseatsamanandwomansatembraced，onanotheragirlwassobbing，onathird——strangesight——apriestdozed。Ibecameawareofsomeoneatmyside;itwasmyoldguest。
\"Ifyouarenottootired，\"hesaid，\"canyougivemetenminutes？\"
\"Certainly;willyoucomein？\"
\"No，no;letusgodowntotheTerrace。Ishan’tkeepyoulong。\"
Hedidnotspeakagaintillwereachedaseatabovethepigeon—
shootinggrounds;there，inadarknessdenserforthestringoflightsstillburninginthetown，wesatdown。
\"Ioweyouanapology，\"hesaid;\"firstintheafternoon，thenagainthisevening——yourguest——yourfriend’sglove！Ihavebehavedasnogentlemanshould。\"Hewasleaningforwardwithhishandsonthehandleofastick。Hisvoicesoundedbrokenanddisturbed。
\"Oh！\"Imuttered。\"It’snothing！\"’
\"Youareverygood，\"hesighed;\"butIfeelthatImustexplain。I
considerIowethistoyou，butImusttellyouIshouldnothavethecourageifitwerenotforanotherreason。YouseeIhavenofriend。\"Helookedatmewithanuncertainsmile。Ibowed，andaminuteortwolaterhebegan……
III
\"YouwillexcusemeifIgobackratherfar。Itwasin’74，whenI
hadbeenillwithCubanfever。TokeepmealivetheyhadputmeonboardashipatSantiago，andattheendofthevoyageIfoundmyselfinLondon。Ihadverylittlemoney;Iknewnobody。Itellyou，sir，therearetimeswhenit’shardforafightingmantogetanythingtodo。Peoplewouldsaytome:’Afraidwe’venothingforamanlikeyouinourbusiness。’Itriedpeopleofallsorts;butitwastrue——I
hadbeenfightinghereandtheresince’60，Iwasn’tfitforanything——\"Heshookhishead。\"IntheSouth，beforethewar，theyhadasaying，Iremember，aboutadogandasoldierhavingthesamevalue。ButallthishasnothingtodowithwhatIhavetotellyou。\"
Hesighedagainandwenton，moisteninghislips:\"IwaswalkingalongtheStrandoneday，verydisheartened，whenIheardmynamecalled。It’saqueerthing，that，inastrangestreet。Bytheway，\"
heputinwithdryceremony，\"youdon’tknowmyname，Ithink:itisBrune——RogerBrune。AtfirstIdidnotrecognisethepersonwhocalledme。Hehadjustgotoffanomnibus——asquare—shoulderedmanwithheavymoustaches，androundspectacles。ButwhenheshookmyhandIknewhimatonce。HewasamancalledDalton，whowastakenprisoneratGettysburg;oneofyouEnglishmenwhocametofightwithus——amajorintheregimentwhereIwascaptain。Wewerecomradesduringtwocampaigns。IfIhadbeenhisbrotherhecouldn’thaveseemedmorepleasedtoseeme。Hetookmeintoabarforthesakeofoldtimes。Thedrinkwenttomyhead，andbythetimewereachedTrafalgarSquareIwasquiteunabletowalk。Hemademesitdownonabench。Iwasinfact——drunk。It’sdisgracefultobedrunk，buttherewassomeexcuse。NowItellyou，sir\"（allthroughhisstoryhewasalwaysmakinguseofthatexpression，itseemedtoinfusefreshspiritintohim，tohelphismemoryinobscureplaces，togivehimthemasteryofhisemotions;itwaslikethepieceofpaperanervousmanholdsinhishandtohelphimthroughaspeech），\"thereneverwasamanwithafinersoulthanmyfriendDalton。Hewasnotclever，thoughhehadreadmuch;andsometimesperhapshewastoofondoftalking。Buthewasagentleman;helistenedtomeasifI
hadbeenachild;hewasnotashamedofme——andittakesagentlemannottobeashamedofadrunkenmaninthestreetsofLondon;GodknowswhatthingsIsaidtohimwhileweweresittingthere！Hetookmetohishomeandputmetobedhimself;forIwasdownagainwithfever。\"Hestopped，turnedslightlyfromme，andputhishanduptohisbrow。\"Well，thenitwas，sir，thatIfirstsawher。IamnotapoetandIcannottellyouwhatsheseemedtome。Iwasdelirious，butIalwaysknewwhenshewasthere。Ihaddreamsofsunshineandcornfields，ofdancingwavesatsea，youngtrees——neverthesamedreams，neveranythingforlongtogether;andwhenIhadmysensesI
wasafraidtosaysoforfearshewouldgoaway。She’dbeinthecorneroftheroom，withherhairhangingaboutherneck，abrightgoldcolour;sheneverworkedandneverread，butsatandtalkedtoherselfinawhisper，orlookedatmeforalongtimetogetheroutofherblueeyes，alittlefrownbetweenthem，andherupperlipclosedfirmonherlowerlip，whereshehadanuneventooth。Whenherfathercame，she’djumpupandhangontohisneckuntilhegroaned，thenrunaway，butpresentlycomestealingbackontiptoe。Iusedtolistenforherfootstepsonthestairs，thentheknock，thedoorflungbackoropenedquietly——younevercouldtellwhich;andhervoice，withalittlelisp，’Areyoubettertoday，Mr。Brune？Whatfunnythingsyousaywhenyou’redelirious！Fathersaysyou’vebeeninheapsofbattles！\"’
Hegotup，pacedrestlesslytoandfro，andsatdownagain。\"I
remembereverywordasifitwereyesterday，allthethingsshesaid，anddid;I’vehadalongtimetothinkthemover，yousee。Well，I
musttellyou，thefirstmorningthatIwasabletogetup，Imissedher。Daltoncameinherplace，andIaskedhimwhereshewas。’Mydearfellow，’heanswered，’I’vesentEilieawaytoheroldnurse’sinndownontheriver;she’sbetterthereatthistimeofyear。’Welookedateachother，andIsawthathehadsentherawaybecausehedidn’ttrustme。Iwashurtbythis。Illnessspoilsone。Hewasright，hewasquiteright，forallheknewaboutmewasthatIcouldfightandhadgotdrunk;butIamveryquick—tempered。Imadeupmymindatoncetoleavehim。ButIwastooweak——hehadtoputmetobedagain。TheverynextmorninghecameandproposedthatIshouldgointopartnershipwithhim。Hekeptafencing—schoolandpistol—
gallery。ItseemedlikethefingerofGod;andperhapsitwas——whoknows？\"Hefellintoareverie，andtakingouthiscaporal，rolledhimselfacigarette;havinglightedit，hewentonsuddenly:\"There，intheroomabovetheschool，weusedtositintheevenings，oneoneachsideofthegrate。Theroomwasonthesecondfloor，Iremember，withtwowindows，andaviewofnothingbutthehousesopposite。Thefurniturewascoveredupwithchintz。Thethingsonthebookshelfwereneverdisturbed，theywereEilie’s——half—brokencaseswithbutterflies，adeadfroginabottle，ahorse—shoecoveredwithtinfoil，someshellstoo，andacardboardboxwiththreespeckledeggsinit，andthesewordswrittenonthelid:’Missel—
thrushfromLucy’stree——secondfamily，onlyoneblown。’\"Hesmokedfiercely，withpuffsthatwerelikesharpsighs。
\"Daltonwaswrappedupinher。Hewasnevertiredoftalkingtomeabouther，andIwasnevertiredofhearing。Wehadanumberofpupils;butintheeveningwhenwesatthere，smoking——ourtalkwouldsoonerorlater——comeroundtoher。Herbedroomopenedoutofthatsitting——room;hetookmeinonceandshowedmeanarrowlittleroomthewidthofapassage，freshandwhite，withaphotographofhermotherabovethebed，andanemptybasketforadogorcat。\"Hebrokeoffwithavexedair，andresumedsternly，asiftryingtobindhimselftothenarrationofhismoreimportantfacts:\"Shewasthenfifteen——hermotherhadbeendeadtwelveyears——abeautiful，face，hermother’s;ithadbeenherdeaththatsentDaltontofightwithus。Well，sir，onedayinAugust，veryhotweather，heproposedarunintothecountry，andwhoshouldmeetusontheplatformwhenwearrivedbutEilie，inabluesun—bonnetandfrock—flaxblue，herfavouritecolour。IwasangrywithDaltonfornottellingmethatweshouldseeher;myclotheswerenotquite——myhairwantedcutting。
Itwasblackthen，sir，\"headded，tracingapatterninthedarknesswithhisstick。\"Shehadalittledonkey—cart;shedrove，and，whilewewalkedoneoneachside，shekeptlookingatmefromunderhersunbonnet。Imusttellyouthatsheneverlaughed——hereyesdanced，hercheekswouldgopink，andherhairshakeaboutonherneck，butsheneverlaughed。Heroldnurse，Lucy，averybroad，goodwoman，hadmarriedtheproprietoroftheinninthevillagethere。Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethatinn:sweetbriaruptotheroof！Andthescent——Iamverysusceptibletoscents！\"Hisheaddrooped，andthecigarettefellfromhishand。Atrainpassingbeneathsentupashowerofsparks。Hestarted，andwenton:\"Wehadourlunchintheparlour——Irememberthatroomverywell，forIspentthehappiestdaysofmylifeafterwardsinthatinn……Wewentintoameadowafterlunch，andmyfriendDaltonfellasleep。Awonderfulthinghappenedthen。Eiliewhisperedtome，’Let’shaveajollytime。’
Shetookmeforthemostgloriouswalk。Theriverwascloseby。
Alovelystream，yourriverThames，socalmandbroad;itislikethespiritofyourpeople。Iwasbewitched;Iforgotmyfriend，I
thoughtofnothingbuthowtokeephertomyself。Itwassuchaday！
Therearedaysthatarethedevil’s，butthatwastrulyoneofGod’s。
Shetookmetoalittlepondunderanelm—tree，andwedraggedit，wetwo，anhour，forakindoftinyredwormtofeedsomecreaturethatshehad。Wefoundtheminthemud，andwhileshewasbendingover，thecurlsgotinhereyes。Ifyoucouldhaveseenherthen，Ithink，sir，youwouldhavesaidshewaslikethefirstsightofspring……
Wehadteaafterwards，alltogether，inthelonggrassundersomefruit—trees。IfIhadtheknackofwords，therearethingsthatI
couldsay。\"Hebent，asthoughindeferencetothoseunspokenmemories。\"Twilightcameonwhileweweresittingthere。Awonderfulthingistwilightinthecountry！Itbecametimeforustogo。
Therewasanavenueoftreescloseby——likeachurchwithawindowattheend，wheregoldenlightcamethrough。Iwalkedupanddownitwithher。’Willyoucomeagain？’shewhispered，andsuddenlysheliftedupherfacetobekissed。Ikissedherasifshewerealittlechild。Andwhenwesaidgood—bye，hereyeswerelookingatmeacrossherfather’sshoulder，withsurpriseandsorrowinthem。’Whydoyougoaway？’theyseemedtosay……ButImusttellyou，\"hewentonhurriedly，\"ofathingthathappenedbeforewehadgoneahundredyards。Weweresmokingourpipes，andI，thinkingofher——whenoutshesprangfromthehedgeandstoodinfrontofus。Daltoncriedout，’Whatareyouhereforagain，youmadgirl？’Sherusheduptohimandhuggedhim;butwhenshelookedatme，herfacewasquitedifferent——careless，defiant，asonemightsay——ithurtme。I
couldn’tunderstandit，andwhatonedoesn’tunderstandfrightensone。
IV
\"Timewenton。Therewasnoswordsman，orpistol—shotlikemeinLondon，theysaid。Wehadasmanypupilsasweliked——itwastheonlypartofmylifewhenIhavebeenabletosavemoney。Ihadnochancetospendit。Wegavelessonsallday，andintheeveningweretootiredtogoout。ThatyearIhadthemisfortunetolosemydearmother。Ibecamearichman——yes，sir，atthattimeImusthavehadnotlessthansixhundredayear。
\"ItwasalongtimebeforeIsawEilieagain。ShewentabroadtoDresdenwithherfather’ssistertolearnFrenchandGerman。Itwasintheautumnof1875whenshecamebacktous。Shewasseventeenthen——abeautifulyoungcreature。\"Hepaused，asiftogatherhisforcesfordescription，andwenton。
\"Tall，asayoungtree，witheyeslikethesky。Iwouldnotsayshewasperfect，butherimperfectionswerebeautifultome。Whatisitmakesyoulove——ah！sir，thatisveryhiddenandmysterious。Shehadneverlostthetrickofclosingherlipstightlywhensherememberedheruneventooth。Youmaysaythatwasvanity，butinayounggirl——
andwhichofusisnotvain，eh？’Oldmenandmaidens，youngmenandchildren！’
\"AsIsaid，shecamebacktoLondontoherlittleroom，andintheeveningswasalwaysreadywithourtea。Youmustn’tsupposeshewashousewifely;thereissomethinginmethatneveradmiredhousewifeliness——afinequality，nodoubt，still——\"Hesighed。
\"No，\"heresumed，\"Eiliewasnotlikethat，forshewasneverquitethesametwodaystogether。Itoldyouhereyeswerelikethesky——
thatwastrueofallofher。Inonething，however，atthattime，shealwaysseemedthesame——inloveforherfather。Forme！Idon’tknowwhatIshouldhaveexpected;butmypresenceseemedtohavetheeffectofmakingherdumb;Iwouldcatchherlookingatmewithafrown，andthen，asiftomakeuptoherownnature——andamorelovingnaturenevercameintothisworld，thatIshallmaintaintomydyingday——shewouldgotoherfatherandkisshim。WhenItalkedwithhimshepretendednottonotice，butIcouldseeherfacegrowcoldandstubborn。Iamnotquick;anditwasalongtimebeforeI
understoodthatshewasjealous，shewantedhimalltoherself。I’veoftenwonderedhowshecouldbehisdaughter，forhewastheverysoulofjusticeandaslowmantoo——andshewasasquickasabird。
ForalongtimeafterIsawherdislikeofme，Irefusedtobelieveit——ifonedoesnotwanttobelieveathingtherearealwaysreasonswhyitshouldnotseemtrue，atleastsoitiswithme，andIsupposewithallselfishmen。
\"Ispenteveningaftereveningthere，when，ifIhadnotthoughtonlyofmyself，Ishouldhavekeptaway。ButonedayIcouldnolongerbeblind。
\"ItwasaSundayinFebruary。IalwayshadaninvitationonSundaystodinewiththeminthemiddleoftheday。Therewasnooneinthesitting—room;butthedoorofEilie’sbedroomwasopen。Iheardhervoice:’Thatman，alwaysthatman！’Itwasenoughforme，Iwentdownagainwithoutcomingin，andwalkedaboutallday。
\"ForthreeweeksIkeptaway。TotheschoolofcourseIcameasusual，butnotupstairs。Idon’tknowwhatItoldDalton——itdidnotsignifywhatyoutoldhim，healwayshadatheoryofhisown，andwaspersuadedofitstruth——averysingle—mindedman，sir。
\"ButnowIcometothemostwonderfuldaysofmylife。Itwasanearlyspringthatyear。Ihadfallenawayalreadyfrommyresolution，andusedtoslinkup——seldom，it’strue——andspendtheeveningwiththemasbefore。OneafternoonIcameuptothesitting—
room;thelightwasfailing——itwaswarm，andthewindowswereopen。
Intheairwasthatfeelingwhichcomestoyouonceayear，inthespring，nomatterwhereyoumaybe，inacrowdedstreet，oraloneinaforest;onlyonce——afeelinglike——butIcannotdescribeit。
\"Eiliewassittingthere。Ifyoudon’tknow，sir，Ican’ttellyouwhatitmeanstobenearthewomanoneloves。Shewasleaningonthewindowsill，staringdownintothestreet。Itwasasthoughshemightbelookingoutforsomeone。Istood，hardlybreathing。Sheturnedherhead，andsawme。Hereyeswerestrange。Theyseemedtoaskmeaquestion。ButIcouldn’thavespokenfortheworld。Ican’ttellyouwhatIfelt——Idarednotspeak，orthink，orhope。Ihavebeeninnineteenbattles——severaltimesinpositionsofsomedanger，whentheliftingofafingerperhapsmeantdeath;butIhaveneverfeltwhatIwasfeelingatthatmoment。Iknewsomethingwascoming;andIwasparalysedwithterrorlestitshouldnotcome！\"Hedrewalongbreath。
\"Theservantcameinwithalightandbrokethespell。AllthatnightIlayawakeandthoughtofhowshehadlookedatme，withthecolourcomingslowlyupinhercheeks\"ItwasthreedaysbeforeIpluckedupcouragetogoagain;andthenIfelthereyesonmeatonce——shewasmakinga’cat’scradle’withabitofstring，butIcouldseethemstealingupfromherhandstomyface。Andshewentwanderingabouttheroom，fingeringateverything。Whenherfathercalledout:’What’sthematterwithyou，Elie？’shestaredathimlikeachildcaughtdoingwrong。Ilookedstraightatherthen，shetriedtolookatme，butshecouldn’t;andaminutelatershewentoutoftheroom。GodknowswhatsortofnonsenseItalked——Iwastoohappy。
\"Thenbeganourlove。Ican’ttellyouofthattime。OftenandoftenDaltonsaidtome:’What’scometothechild？NothingIcandopleasesher。’Alltheloveshehadgivenhimwasnowforme;buthewastoosimpleandstraighttoseewhatwasgoingon。Howmanytimeshaven’tIfeltcriminaltowardshim！Butwhenyou’rehappy，withthetideinyourfavour，youbecomeacowardatonce……
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\"Well，sir，\"hewenton，\"weweremarriedonhereighteenthbirthday。
ItwasalongtimebeforeDaltonbecameawareofourlove。Butonedayhesaidtomewithaverygravelook:
\"’Eiliehastoldme，Brune;Iforbidit。She’stooyoung，andyou’re——tooold！’Iwasthenforty—five，myhairasblackandthickasarook’sfeathers，andIwasstrongandactive。Iansweredhim:
’Weshallbemarriedwithinamonth！’Wepartedinanger。ItwasaMaynight，andIwalkedoutfarintothecountry。There’snoremedyforanger，or，indeed，foranything，sofineaswalking。OnceI
stopped——itwasonacommon，withoutahouseorlight，andthestarsshininglikejewels。Iwashotfromwalking，Icouldfeelthebloodboilinginmyveins——Isaidtomyself’Old，areyou？’AndIlaughedlikeafool。Itwasthethoughtoflosingher——Iwishedtobelievemyselfangry，butreallyIwasafraid;fearandangerinmeareverymuchthesame。Afriendofmine，abitofapoet，sir，oncecalledthem’thetwoblackwingsofself。’Andsotheyare，sotheyare……！
ThenextmorningIwenttoDaltonagain，andsomehowImadehimyield。I’mnotaphilosopher，butithasoftenseemedtomethatnobenefitcancometousinthislifewithoutanequallosssomewhere，butdoesthatstopus？No，sir，notoften……
\"Weweremarriedonthe3othofJune1876，intheparishchurch。TheonlypeoplepresentwereDalton，Lucy，andLucy’shusband——abig，red—facedfellow，withblueeyesandagoldenbeardpartedintwo。
Ithadbeenarrangedthatweshouldspendthehoneymoondownattheirinnontheriver。Mywife，DaltonandI，wenttoarestaurantforlunch。Shewasdressedingrey，thecolourofapigeon’sfeathers。\"
Hepaused，leaningforwardoverthecrutchhandleofhisstick;