InaquarterofanhourshewassurveyingherselfinhermirrorjustasPhyllishadbeendoinganhoursooner；onlyonherfacewasaverydifferentexpressionfromthatwhichPhyllishadworn。Hereyeswerebrilliantastheyneverhadbeenbefore，exceptonce；herfacewasnotpale，butfullofsoftcolor，asifshewerestandingbeneaththeshadowofamightyrose-leafwiththesunlightabove。Herneckandarmswereofthesamedelicatetinge。Hersmileshegaveasshesurveyedherselfwasasmileoftriumph，verydifferentfromtheexpressiononpoorPhyllis\'featuresassheflungherhatacrosstheroom。
“Mine，mine，mine！“shewhispered，noddingwithasmileatthelovelythingsofullofwarmlifethatfacedherwithasmile。“Heismine——
hehascomebacktome，Iwillkeephim。Ishallbeabletokeephim，Ithink。”
Shehadscarcelyenteredthedrawingroombeforehewasbesideher，andhehadscarcelyenteredbeforeaservantannouncedthatdinnerwasserved。Theywereseatedatthedinnertablebeforetheyhadexchangedhalfadozenwords——beforeshehadtimetoaskhimwhyhehadreturned。
Andatthetable，withaservantateachend，whatcouldtheysay?
Well，shegaveindetail，withtheaccuracyofarailwaytime-table，thehoursofthedepartureofthevariousguests，downtothelastdepartedguest，whochancedtobeMissAyrton。Yes，shewasobligedtogouptotowntobepresentatthatimportantfunctionwhichwastobegiveninthepresenceofRoyalty，though，she，Mrs。Linton，wasconvincedthatPhylliswouldmuchpreferremaininginthemidstofthatexquisitequietudewhichseemedtobefoundonlyuptheriver。
ShehadwantedherdearPhyllistostayuntilthemorrow，butpoorPhyllis\'senseofdutyhadbeen，asunfortunatelyitalwayswas，toogreatforherinclination。
“Unfortunately?“saidHerbert。
“DidIsayunfortunately?“shecried。“Howfunny！Imeantofcourse，unfortunatelyforherfriends——formyselfinthisparticularcase。
But，afterall，wehadadelightfulweektogether。Ithasdoneusallgood——evenyou。”
“Whythe\'even\'?“heasked，withalaugh。
“Oh，well，becauseyouarenotexpectedtofeelthefatiguesofaLondonseason。Andthenyoumustrememberthatyouhadayachtingcruisewhichmusthavedoneyouaworldofgood，“sheadded，withasmilebornofthemoodwhichwasonher——amoodofjoyandlaughteranddaring。Shefeltthatshecouldsayanythingshepleasedtosaytohimnow；shecouldhavereferredwithalaughtohisrunningawayonthatstrangecruiseofhis。
“Yes，“hesaid，“itdidmeagreatdealofgood。”
Hespokeslowly，andherquickeardetectedatoneofgravityinhisvoice。Whatcouldhemean?Oh，yes。
“Ihopethatthatlastphaseoftheminewillsoonbesettled，“saidshe。“Itwasthatwhichcurtailedyourcruise，youwillremember。”
“Icertainlydoremember。”
“Ihopethebusinesswillsoonbesettledonewayoranother。Idon\'tthinkthisrunningtoParissofrequentlyisgoodforStephen。Haven\'tyounoticedhowpoorlyhehasbeenlookingoflate?“
“Hedidn\'tseemtometobeparticularlyrobust。ButIthinkthathepulledhimselftogetherwhilehewashere。Oh，yes！anotherweekwillseeusfreefromthisbusiness。”
“Andwithanextramillionorsoinyourpockets。”
“Well，somethinginthatway。”
Thatwashowtheytalkedwhiletheservantswerepresent——aboutbusinessandmoneyandmattersthatmaybediscussedinthepresenceofservants。
Thentheywenttogetherintothedrawingroom。Itwasnotyetdarkenoughforthecandlestobelighted。Theexquisitesummertwilightwashangingovertheriverandthebanksopposite，woodedfromthewater\'sedgetothesummit。Itwasthehourofdelicatebluetouchedwithpinkabouttheborders。Thehourofpurpleandsilverstarshadnotyetcome。
Shethrewopenoneofthewindowsonitshinges，andinamomenttheroomwasfloodedwiththeperfumeoftherosesofthegarden。Shestoodintheopeningofthewindowandseemedtodrinkinthegardenscentsbeforetheyfloatedintotheroom。Thenfromsomesecretnestlingplaceinthedarkdepthsoftheclippedhedgetherecametheeven-songofablackbird。Itwasrepliedtofromthedistance；andthesilencethatfollowedonlyseemedtobesilence。Itwasasilencemadevocalbythebendingofathousandnotes——allmusical。Theblackbirds，thethrushes，therobinsmadeupachorusofharmonyassoothingtothesoulassilence。Thencamethecooingsofthewoodpigeons。Theoccasionalshriekofapeacockwastheonlynoteoutofharmonywiththefeelingbreathedbythetwilight。
Shestoodattheopenwindow，herbackturnedtohim，forsometime。
Hefeltslightlyembarrassed。Herattitudesomehowsuggestedtohimanimprisonment；hewascaptured；shewasstandingbetweenhimandtheopenair；shewasbarringhispassage。
Suddenlysheturned。Withhermovementthereseemedtofloatintotheroomagreatbreathofrose-scent。Itwasonlythatthelightshowedhimmoreclearlyatthatmomenttheglowingwhitenessofherneckandshouldersandarms。
“Whyhaveyoucomeback?“shecried，almostpiteously。
“Surelyyouknowwhy，Ella，“saidhe。
“Iknownothing:amanisonethingonedayandquitetheoppositethenextday。HowcanIknowanythingofwhatisinyourmindto-day——inyourheartto-day?“
“Icamebackthinkingtofindherherestill——Ifanciedthatyousaidshewouldstayuntilyouwerereturningto-morrow。”
“Youcamebackforher?“
“Icamebacktoseeher——IfindthatIcannotlivewithoutseeingher。”
“Youhaveonlyfoundthatoutsinceyoulefthereyesterdaymorning?“
“OnlysinceIlefthere。ItoldyouthatIwasnotsureofmyself。
ThatiswhyIwentaway。”
“Youwentawaytomakesureofyourself，andnowyoureturntomakesureofher?“
“Ah，ifIcouldbutthinkthat！IfIcouldonlybeassureofherasI
amofmyself。ButwhatamIthatIshoulddaretohope?Oh，sheisaboveallwomankind——acrownofgirlhood！WhatamIthatIshouldasktowearthiscrownofgirlhood?“
“Youareakingofmen，Bertie。Onlyforthekingofmenissuchacrown。”
Shelaughedasshestoodlookingathimassheleanedagainstthehalfopendoorofthewindow，onehandbeingontheframeworkaboveherhead。
“Ella，youknowher！“hecried，facingher。Shebegantoswinggentlytotheextentofaninchortwo，stillleaningontheedgeofthehingedwindow。Shewaslookingathimthroughhalf-closed，curiouseyes。“Ella，youknowher——shehasalwaysbeenyourfriend；tellmeifIshouldspeaktoherorifIshouldgobacktotheworkthatIhavebeguninNewGuinea。”
“Wouldyoubeguidedbyme，Bertie?“sheasked，suddenlyceasinghermovementwiththewindowandgoingveryclosetohimindeed——soclosethathecouldfeelthegraciouswarmthofherfaceandbareneckandshoulders。“Wouldyoubeguidedbyme，Iwonder?“
“HaveInotbeenguidedbyyouuptothepresent，Ella?“saidhe。
“ShouldIbehereto-nightifitwerenotforyourgoodness?Ilaughedsometimeago——howlongagoitseems！——whenyoutoldme——yousaiditwasyourdearestwish——Ididnotthenbelieveitpossible——“
“AnddoyoufancythatIbelieveditpossible?“sheasked，withsomesadnessinhervoice。
“GreatHeavens！Ella，doyoumeantotellmethatyou——Oh，no，itisimpossible！Youknewme。”
“IfanciedthatIknewyou，Bertie。IfanciedthatIknewmyself。”
“Ella，Ella，forGod\'ssakedon\'tletusdriftagain。Haveyounorecollectionofthatterribletimethroughwhichwebothpassed——thatordealbyfire。Ella，wewerepluckedfromthefire——shepluckedusfromtheveryfireofhellitself——oh，don\'tletusdriftinthatdirectionagain！“
Hehadwalkedawayfromher。Hewasbeginningtorecalltoovividlytheolddays，undertheinfluenceofhergraciouspresencesoclosetohim——notsocloseasithadbeen，butstillcloseenoughtobringbackoldmemories。
“Comehereandstandbesideme，Bertie，“saidshe。
Afteramoment\'shesitationhewenttoher，slowly，notwiththeraptureofalover——notwiththeoldpassiontremblinginhishands，onhislips。
Hewenttoher。
Sheputherhandsbehindherandlookedathiminthefaceforalongtime。Theeven-songsofthebirdsmixedwiththescentoftheroses；
theblueshadowofthetwilightwasdarkeningoverthetreesatthefootofhergarden。
“Doyouremembertheoleanders?“shesaid。“Ineverbreatheinsuchatwilightasthiswithoutseeingbeforemetheoleandersoutlinedagainstitsblue。ItwasverysweetatthatoldplaceontheArno。”
“Ella，Ella——forGod\'ssake——“
“Youtoldmethatterriblesecretofyourlife——thatyoulovedme。I
wonderifIknewwhatitmeant，Bertie?ItoldyouthatIlovedyou:
thatwasmoreterriblestill。Iwonderifyouknewwhatthatmeant，Bertie?“
Hedidnotspeak。
Thebird\'ssongsoutsidewerebecomingsofterandmoreintermittent。
Shegaveasuddencryasifstungwithpain，andstartedawayfromthewindow。Shethrewherselfdownonthecouch，buryingherfaceinthepillows——hecouldseethroughthedimroomthewhitenessofherarms。
Shewasbreathingconvulsively；butshewasnotsobbing。
Heremainedbesidetheopenwindow。He，too，wasnotbreathingsoregularlyashehadbreathedashorttimebefore。
Heheardthesighthatcamefromherassheraisedherheadfromthepillow。
Thenshesaid:
“Iwonderifyoueverreallylovedme，Bertie。”
“Oh，myGod！“
“Iwonderifyoueverlovedme；andIwonderifIeverlovedyouuntilthismoment。”
Therewasasilence。Outsidetherewasalittlewhisperofmovingwings，butnovoiceofbird。
Therewasasilence，andoutofitalowvoicecriedsoftly，softly:
“Bertie，Bertie，mylove，cometome。”
Hetookasteptowardher，asecondstep——andthenhestood，rigid，breathless，forheheardanothersoftvoicethatsaid:
“/Hishonoristhehonorofhismotherandhissister，uponwhichnostainmustcome。/“
Heheardthatvoice，andwithacryhecoveredhisfacewithhishands，andturning，fledthroughtheopenwindowintothegarden。
Shelaythereonhercouch，thatlovelywhitecreaturewhohadbeensavedsoasbyfire。Therearetwofires:theoneisthefirethatconsumestheheartuntilallthatisleftofitisthedustofashes；
theotheristhefirethatpurifiesthesoulevenuntoitssalvation；
andyetbothfiresburnalike，sothatmenandwomenknownotwhichisburningwithinthem。
Didsheknowthatshewassavedsoasbyfire?
Shelaughedasthoughhecouldstillhearher；butafterherlaughtherecameafewmomentsofoverwhelmingbitternessthatsentheronherkneesbythesideofthecouchinself-abasement。
“Killme——killme，OGod！“shewailed。“Killme，forIamnotfittolive！“
Butshewasspared。
Afteratimeshefoundstrengthtorise。Sheseemedsurprisedtofindthattheroomwasindarkness。Shestruckalight，andinafewminutesadozencandleswereflaringroundthewalls；andthenshewentmechanicallytoclosethewindow。Onesideshehadjustfastenedwhenitseemedtoherthatsheheardthesoundofvoicesapproaching。
Shelistened，herheadbentforwardthroughthesideofthewindowthatremainedunclosed。
Yes，theirvoicesweresoundingclearlythroughthestillnight——hisvoiceand——whattrickwasbeingplayeduponherbyherhearing?
Phyllis\'voice?HowcoulditbePhyllis\'voice?PhyllishadreturnedtoLondon。Oh，itwassometrick！Hernerveswereplayingsometrickuponher——theywereoutoforder，theywerebeyondhercontrol。
Phyllis\'voice——GreatHeavens！itwasPhyllisherselfwhowaswalkingthroughthegardenbyhisside！
Ellastoodattheopensideofthewindowstaringoutatthem。Theystoodatthefootofthehalfdozenstepsthatleaduptothewindow。
Phyllislaughed，——wasthereatraceofmockeryinherlaugh?——buthewassilent。
“Idon\'twonderatyourfancyingthatIamaghost，Ella，“criedthegirl。“IfeelthatIdeservetobetreatedasdiscourteouslyasmostpoorghostsaretreatedwhentheyvisittheirfriends。Youneveryetheardofaghostbeingaskedtostaytodinner，didyou，Mr。
Courtland?Butaghostmayfairlyclaimtobeaskedtoenterthehouseofherdearestfriend，especiallyafteradoublerailwayjourney。”
EllahadnotmovedfromherplaceattheopenspaceofthewindowwhilePhylliswasspeaking，butthemomentthatthegirl\'slaughsounded，shetoolaughed。SherandownthestepsandputherarmsaboutPhyllis，kissingherontheface。
“Thisismorethanthemostexactingofghostscouldreasonablelookfor，“criedPhyllis。“Oh，Ella！I\'msogladthatIfollowedmyownimpulseandcamebacktoyou。Ithoughtyouwerehereallalone——howcouldIknowthatMr。Courtlandwouldreturninthemeantimetocompletehisvisit?——andwhenIlookedoutonthedustandthesmokeofthetownandthoughtofthis——this——thisexquisitestillness，——youcanjusthearthewateroftheweir，——thisgarden，thisscentofroses，butchieflywhenIthoughtofyousittinginyourloneliness——Well，isitanywonderthatIamherenow?——youimploredofmetostay，youknow，Ella。”
“Itisnowonderindeed，beingwhatyouare——agoodangel，mygoodangel，Phyllis，“criedthewoman。“Oh，dearest，youarewelcome！WhydidyouleavemePhyllis?Whydidyouleaveme?Oh，thegoodangelscanneverbetrusted。Youshouldnothaveleftmetomyself，dear。I
amonlyawoman。Ah，youdon\'tyetknowwhatawomanis。Thatistheworstofangelsandmen；theydon\'tknowwhatawomanis。Comeintothehouse，Phyllis。Comein，Herbert。Howdidyoumanagetomeet?“
“YouknowIwentouttothegarden——“saidtheman。
“Yes；Iknewthat——youleftmealone，“saidthewoman，andshegavealaugh。
“Istrolledfromthegardentotheroad——IhadtoaskthepeopleattheOldBelltokeeparoomforme，ofcourse。”
“Ofcourse。”
“AndjustoutsidetheinnIcamefacetofacewithMissAyrton\'sfly。
MissAyrtonwasgoodenoughtogetoutandwalkwithme，sendingtheflyonwithhermaid。Itoldthemantowaitinordertotakemyportmanteautotheinn。Itmustbeatthehalldoornow。Weenteredbythegardengate。”
“Nothingcouldbesimpler，“saidElla。Theyhadbythistimewalkedupthestepsintothedrawingroom。“Nothingcouldbesimpler。”ThensheturnedtoPhyllis。“Buthowdidyoucontrivetoevadethegreatfunctionto-night?“
“Papadidnotfeelverywell，“saidPhyllis，“andIknowthathewasonlytoogladofanexcusetostayathome。”
“Andyouforsookyoursickfathertocometome?Oh，mydearPhyllis，whathaveyoudone?“
“IfyouaskmeinconfidenceIshouldsaythatpapaisnotquitesoillastostandinneedofanurse，“shewhispered。“Oh，no！Makeyourmindeasy。Ihaveneglectednodutyincomingtoyou。”
“Exceptyourdutytoyourself；youcouldnothavehadtimetotakeanydinnerathome。Ishallhaveyouaservants\'hallsupperintenminutes。”
“Pleasegetnothingforme。Ihadacapitalsortofdinnerathome。
ButIshoulddearlylikeacupoftea。”
“Itwillbereadyforyouthemomentyoureturnfromtakingoffyourhat。I\'llgoupwithyoutoyourroom；Mr。CourtlandknowsthatevenI
makemyselfathomeinthishouse。Hewillpardonus。”
“Imustn\'tkeeptheflywaitingformyportmanteau，“saidMr。
Courtland。“Ifyouwillallowme，Ishalllooktoitnow，andsaygood-night。”
“What！Oh，youmustn\'tthinkofrunningoffinthisway，“saidElla。
“Whatreasonhadyouforreturningatallifyourunoffatthishour?“
“Itisgettingquitelate。Imustn\'tkeepthegoodpeopleoftheOldBelluponmyaccount，“saidhe。“Besides，amanrepresentsacertaininharmoniouselementuponsuchanoccasionasthis。MissAyrtonreturnedexpectingtobewithyoualone。Iknowthedisabilitiesofamanquitewell。Yes，Imustsaygood-night。”
“Nonsense！Praytalktohim，Phyllis，“criedElla。“Youmaymakehimamenabletoreason。”
ButPhyllisstoodmutewithherhandonthehandleofthedoor；sheonlysmiled，andthereisneitherreasonnorargumentinasmile。
“Good-night！“saidhe。
“Oh，well，ifyoureallyhavenothingtosaytoeitherofus，——toeitherPhyllisorme，——youhadbettergo，Isuppose，“saidElla，givinghimherhand，butshedidnotlookathiminthefacewhilehishandwastouchinghers。
Curiouslyenough，neitherdidPhyllislookathimaswasherwont。
Andsoheleftthemthatnight。
CHAPTERXXXIV。
GIVEHIMBACKTOME——GIVEHIMBACKTOME！
Theyseemedtohavebeenpartedformonthsinsteadofhours，somuchhadtheytosaytoeachother，andsorapidlydidtheysayit。
Rapidly?——feverishlyrather。Phyllishadonlytoremoveherhatandsmoothherhairatplaces，disorderingitatothers，inordertobeallright；buthalfanhourhadgonebybeforetheywentdownstairs，arminarm，afterthemannerofgirlswhohavebeentalkingfeverishlyandkissingeverynowandagain。
ItwasmadnessforPhyllistothinkofteaatthathourofthenight，Elladeclared；butsheknewPhyllis\'fanciesinthepast——sheknewthatwhatwouldsetothergirls\'nervesinmotion，wouldonlyhavetheeffectofsoothinghers。SoPhyllisdrankherteaandatehercakeinthedrawingroom，andEllalaybackonthesofaandwatchedherwithacuriousinterestinhereyes。
“Iamsogladthatwearespendingtogetherinthiswaythelastnightofourdelightfulweek，“saidPhyllis。“Whatalovelyweekithasbeen！andthecharmofitis，ofcourse，tobefoundinthefactthatithasbeenstolenfromthebestpartoftheseason。Inanothermonthitwouldnotbenearlysodelightful——everyonewillbehurryingofftotheriverorelsewhere。”
“Suchaweekisoneoftheincidentsthatapersonplansbutthatrarelycomesoffaccordingtoone\'sviews，“saidElla。“ItoldyouwhenIsetmyheartuponHurleywhatmyideawas。”
“Andyouhavecertainlyrealizeditduringthisweek。Whatapityitisthatthisisourlastnighttogether！“
“Doyouknow，Phyllis，thewayyousaidthatsuggestedtomethatyoumeant\'WhatapityitisthatHerbertCourtlandisnotoneofourpartyto-night\'！“
Ellawasstilllyingonthebroadpillowsofthecouch，herhandsclaspedatthebackofherhead。ShewasstillwatchingPhyllisthroughherhalf-closedeyes。
“IwasnotthinkingaboutMr。CourtlandintheleastwhenIspoke。HowcanyoufancythatIshouldbesoinsincere?Isayitisdelightfulforus，youandmeonly，mind，tobetogetherto-night，becausewecansayjustwhateveroccurstous——Ithoughtwecould，youknow；butsinceyoumadethathorridsuggestionIthinkImusttakebackallthatIsaid。Itis，afterall，notnearlysonicetobealonewithyouasonewouldimagine。”
“Thatwas，I\'mafraid，theconclusionthatHerbertCourtlandcametosometimeago，“saidElla。“Hewasalonewithmehere——yes，forsomeminutes；butheleftme——heleftmeandfoundyou。”
“Itwassofunny！“criedPhyllis。“Whowouldhavethoughtofseeingsuchafigure——bareheadedandineveningdress——ontheroad?Iknewhimatonce，however。Andhewaswalkingsoquicklytoo——walkingasif——asif——“
“Asifthedevilwerebehindhim——that\'showmenputit，“saidElla。
“Itwouldneverdoforustosaythat，ofcourse，butinthisparticularcasewemightventureonitforthesakeofstrictaccuracy；thedevilwasbehindhim。Heescapedfromitbytheaidofhisgoodangel。Didn\'thecallyouhisgoodangelonce，myPhyllis?“
“Yes，hecalledmesoonce，“saidPhyllis。“ButwhyshouldwetalkaboutMr。Courtland?Whyshouldwetalkaboutanybodyto-night?
DearestElla，letustalkaboutourselves。Youareofmoreinteresttomethananyoneintheworld，andIknowthatIamofmoreinteresttoyouthantoanyoneelse。Letustalkaboutourselves。”
“Certainlyweshalltalkaboutourselves，“saidElla。“Tobegin，I
shouldlikeverymuchtoknowifyouwereawarethatHerberthadreturnedtothishouseafterhisdayortwointown。”
Phyllisundoubtedlycoloredbeforeshesaid，withalaugh:
“Didn\'tyoupromisetotalksolelyaboutourselves?Ideclinetotalkonanyothertopic。”
Shearosefromwhereshehadbeensittingbeforeacupofteaatalittletablethatalsoheldcake，andthrewherselfbackinafancifulseatshapedlikeashell。
“Thatbeingso，Ishouldlikeverymuchtoknowhowyoulearnedthathemeanttoreturn，“pursuedElla。
“Youarebecomingquitehorrid，andIexpectedyoutobesonice，“
saidPhyllis，poutingveryprettily。
“AndIexpectedyoutoconfideinme，“saidEllareproachfully。“I
havebeenwatchingyouforsometime——notmerelyduringthepastweek，butlongbefore；andIhaveseen——whatIhaveseen。Hecouldnothavetoldyouthathemeanttoreturn——youmusthavecrossedeachotherinthetrains。Howdidyouknow，mydeargirl?Letmecoaxitoutofyou。”
Phyllismadenoanswerforsometime；shewasexamining，withanewlyacquired，butveryintenseinterest，thetextureofthesheenoftheblousewhichshewaswearing。Atlastsheraisedhereyes，andsawhowEllawaslookingather。Thenshesaidslowly:
“Isawhiminthetrainthatwasleavingwhenourtrainarrived。”
“Heavens！thatisaconfession！“criedEllaquitemerrily。
“Youforceditfromme，“saidPhyllis。“Butwhyshouldtherebeanymysterybetweenus?I\'msureImaytellyouallthesecretsofmylife。Suchastheyare，youknowthemalready。”
“Theyaresafeinmykeeping。MydearPhyllis，don\'tyouknowthatithasalwaysbeenmydearesthopetoseeyouandHerbertCourtland——
well，interestedineachother?Isawthathewasinterestedinyoulongago；butIwasn\'tsureofyou。ThatisjustwhyIwassoanxiousforyoutocomedownherefortheweekwehavejustpassed。Iwantedtobringyoubothtogether。Iwantedtoseeyouinlovewitheachother；Iwantedtoseeyoubothmarried。”
“Ella——Ella！“
“Iwantedit，Itellyou，notbecauseIlovedyou，thoughyouknowthatIloveyoubetterthananyoneintheworld。”
“DearestElla！“
“NotbecauseIknewthatyouandhewouldbehappy，butbecauseI
wishedtosnatchmyownsoulfromperdition。Ithinkitissafenow——
butoh，myGod！itislikethesoulsofmanyothermortals——savedinspiteofmyself！Phyllis，youhavebeenmysalvation。Youareagirl；
youcannotunderstandhownearawomanmaygotothebottomlesspitthroughtheloveofaman。Youfancythatloveliftsonetotheheavenofheavens；thatitmeanspurity——self-sacrifice。Well，thereisalovethatmeanspurity；andthereisalovethatmeansself-sacrifice。
Self-sacrifice:thatis，thatawomanisreadytosacrificeherself——
herlife——hersoul——forthemanwhomsheloves。Itellyou——I，whoknowthetruth——I，whohavebeenatthebrink。Itisnotthatthepitisdeartous；itisthatthemanisdeartous，andwemustgowithhim，——whereverhegoes，——evendownintohellitselfwithhim。”
“Oh，Ella，Ella！thisistheloveofthesatyr。ItisnottheloveoftheonewhoismadeintheimageofGod。”
“Letitbewhatitis；itisapowerthathastobereckoneduponsolongasweremaincreaturesoftheearth，earthy。”
“Itisathingthatweshouldbeatintotheearthfromwhichitcame。”
Thegirlhadsprungtoherfeet，andwasspeakingwithwhitefaceandclenchedhands。“Downintotheearth“——shestampeduponthefloor——
“evenifwehavetothrowourbodiesintothegraveintowhichwetrampleit。Woman，Itellyouthattheotherlove，——thelovewhichisthetruth，——isstrongerthantheloveofthesatyr。”
“Isit?isit，Phyllis?Yes，sometimes。Yes；itwasawordthatyouspokeinhishearingthatsavedhim——him——Herbert——andthatsavedmethatnightwhenIcametoyou——whenIwaitedforyou——youdidnotknowanythingofwhyIcame。Iwilltellyounow——“
“No，no，no！Oh，Ella！forGod\'ssake，tellmenothing！IthinkIknowallthatIwanttoknow；andIknowthatyouhadstrengthgiventoyoubyGodtocometomethatnight。Ihadnottogotoyou。ButIhavecometoyouto-night。Wearetogether，youandI；andwearethesameaswhenweweregirlstogether——oh，justthesame！Whoshallcomebetweenus，Ella?“
“Who?Who?Youcameheretosaveme。Iknewit。Butyouhadsavedmebeforeyoucame。Phyllis，inthisveryroomIwasalonewithhim。I
wasmad——madwithjealousyatthethoughtoflosinghim——thoughIknewthatIhadlosthim——Iwasmad！Thepassionbreathedfromtheroses——
thetwilightfullofthememoriesofthespringwespenttogetherinItaly——alltookpossessionofmyheart——mysoul。Iwhisperedtohimtocometome——tocometome。Andhecame。”
Thecrythegirlgave，asshecoveredherfacewithherhandsanddroppedbackintoherchair，wasverypitiful。
“Hecametome——butonlyonestep——onelittlestep，Phyllis；thentherecamebeforehiseyesavisionofyourface——hefeltyourhand——
coolasalily——uponhiswrist——heheardyourvoicespeakingintohisear；heturnedandfled——fledthroughthatwindow——fledfromthedemonthathadtakenpossessionofthisroom——Isaidsotoyou。”
“ThankGod——oh，Ella，thankGod！“
“Thatismycry——thankGod——thankGod；andyet——andyet——Godhelpme！
Ifeelreadytothrowmyselfatyourfeetandsay\'Givehimbacktome！Givehimbacktome！\'“
Shehadstoodwithherhandsclaspedaboveherheadatherfirstutteranceofthatimploration——“Givehimbacktome！“Thenshethrewherselfonherkneesandpassionatelycaughtboththegirl\'shandsinherown，crying，“Givehimbacktome！“
Phyllisflungherarmsaboutherneck，andbowedherownheaddowntotheshoulderofthewomanwhomshelovedandpitied。
Andthen——
Thenthroughthesilenceofthehouse——thehourwasalmostmidnight——
theresoundedtheloudandcontinuousringingofabell。
Itwasonlytheusualvisitors\'bellofthehouse；butitseffectatthathourwasstartling——shocking！
Thetwowomenwereontheirfeet，waitinginsilence，butwithwildlybeatinghearts，forwhatwascoming——theyfeltthatsomethingterriblewascoming。Thebellhadanominousjangle。Theyheardthefootstepsoftheoneservantwhoremaineduptoputoutthelights，goingtoanswerthesummonsofthebell——theyheardaman\'svoicespeakinginalowtoneinthehall——theyheardaman\'sstepsapproachthedooroftheirroom。Thedooropened，andMr。Ayrtonappearedbeforethem。
Heclosedthedoorslowly，andstoodtherestaringnotathisdaughter，butatEllaLinton。OnhisfacewasanexpressionthatPhyllishadneverseenonitbefore。Itfrightenedher。Shecouldnotspeak。
Hestoodthere，withhiseyesfixeduponEllaLinton——rigid——silentasafigurethatsymbolizesDeath。
Thesilencebecameappalling。
“ForGod\'ssakespeak，ifyouareliving！“criedEllainawhispertremulouswithterror。
Hedidnotspeak——hestoodthere，staringather。
“Whatdoeshemean?Whatdoeshemean?“saidthewoman，afteranotherdreadfulpause。“Whydoeshestandthere，Phyllis，staringatme?
Why——Oh，myGod！Iseeit——Iseeitonhisface——myhusband——
Stephen——dead——heisdead——youcametobringthenewstome。Look，Phyllis，hecannotsay\'No\'——hewouldsay\'No\'unlessIhadguessedthetruth——hewouldsayit——hewouldhavesomepity。Isitthetruth?
Man——speak——sayyes，orno——forGod\'ssake！forGod\'ssake！“
Shehadtakenhalfadozenrapidstepstohimandgraspedhimbythearm，gazingintohisface。
Hebowedhishead。
Sheflunghisarmfromher，andburstintoalaugh。
“Ah，Phyllis！Iseeitallnow。HewasthemanIloved——Iknowitnow——hewasthemanIloved。ItwasforhimIcriedoutjustnow——\'Givehimbacktome——givehimbacktome！\'“
Thewildshriekwithwhichshecriedthewordsthesecondtimerangthroughthehouse。Shefelluponherknees，clutchingatPhyllis\'handasbefore，andthen，makingamotionasifabouttorise，shefellbackandlaywithherwhitefaceturnedtotheceiling，herwhitearmsstretchedlimplyoutoneachsideofherlikethearmsofacrucifiedwoman。
Servantscamewithrestoratives。
CHAPTERXXXV。
IFGODWOULDONLYGIVEMEANOTHERCHANCE！
“Poorcreature！Poorcreature！“saidMr。Ayrton。HehadjustreturnedfromtheroomtowhichtheyhadcarriedElla。Phylliswaslyingonthesofawithherfacedowntothepillow。“Poorcreature！Noonecouldhavehadanyideathatshewassoattachedtohim！ShewillbeoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。Hefelldownintheclubbetweennineandten。Hisheart。SirJosephwasnotsurprised。Hesaidhehadtoldhimashorttimeagothathehadnotsixmonthstolive。Hecannothavelethiswifeknow。Well，well，perhapsitwasforthebest。Hismancametomeinaterriblestate。Howwasittobebrokentoher?I
justmanagedtocatchthelasttrain。Hemusthavebeenworthoveramillion。ShewillbeoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。EveninAmericaawomanwiththree-quartersofamillionisreckonedmoderatelywelloff。Poorcreature！Ah！theshornlamb！——thewindistempered。\'Inthemidstoflife——\'DearPhyllis！youmustnotallowyourselftobreakdown。Yoursympatheticnatureishardtocontrol，I
know，butstill——oh，mychild！“
ButPhyllisrefusedtobecomforted。Shelaysobbingonthepillow，andwhenherfatherputhisarmaboutherandraisedher，sheputherheadonhisshoulder，crying:
“Heisgonefrommeforever——heisgonefrommeforever！Oh，Iamthecruelestwomanonearth！ItisnotforherterribleblowthatIamcrying，itisbecauseIhavelosthim——Iseeit——Ihavelosthim！“
Herfatherbecamefrightened。Whatintheworldcouldshemeanbytalkingaboutthemanbeinggonefromher?Hehadneverheardofawoman\'ssympathyextendingtosuchlimitsascausedhertofeelapersonaldeprivationwhendeathhadtakenanotherwoman\'shusband。
“Oh，Iamselfish——cruel——heartless！“sobbedPhyllis。“Ithoughtofmyself，notofher。Heishers；hewillbegivenbacktoherassheprayed——sheprayedsotomebeforeyouappearedatthedoor，papa。
\'Givehimbacktome！Givehimbacktome！\'thatwasherprayer。”
“Mydearestchild，youmustnottalkthatway，“saidthefather。
“Come，Phyllis，yourstrengthhasbeenovertaxed。Youmustgotobedandtrytosleep。”
Shestillmoanedabouthercruelty——herselfishness，untilthedoctorwhohadbeensentforandhadbeenwithEllainherroom，appearedinordertoletthemknowthatMrs。Lintonhadregainedconsciousness。
Theblowhad，ofcourse，beenaterribleone:butshewasyoung，andNaturewouldsoonreassertherself，hedeclared，whateverhemeantbythat。Hethoughtitstrange，hesaid，thatMrs。Lintonhadnotbeenawareofherhusband\'sweakness。Tohim，thephysician，theconditionoftheunfortunategentlemanhadbeenapparentfromthefirstmomenthehadseenhim。Hehadexpectedtohearofhisdeathanyday。HeconcludedbyadvisingPhyllistogotobedandhaveaslongasleepaspossible。HewouldreturninthemorningandseeifMrs。LintonmighttraveltoLondon。
Phylliswenttoherroom，andherfatherwenttotheonewhichhadbeenpreparedforhim。Foraminuteortwoheremainedthoughtful。
Whatcouldhisdaughterhavemeantbythoseself-accusations?Afterashorttime，however，hesmiled。Thepoorthinghadbeenupsetbytheshockingnewsofthedeathofthehusbandofherdearestfriend。Shewassympathetictoquiteaphenomenaldegree。Thatsympathywhichfeltherfriend\'slossasthoughitwerewhollyherownwascertainlynottobemetwitheveryday。
InthemorningPhyllisshowedtracesofhavingspentabadnight。Butshespokerationallyandnotinthewildwayinwhichshehadspokenbeforeretiring，andherfatherfeltthattherewasnoneedforhimtobeuneasyinregardtohercondition。Heallowedhertogotothesideofherfriend，Ella，andashewasleavingthemtogetherineachother\'sarms，heheardEllasay:
“Ah，Phyllis，Iknowitnow。Hewasthemanwhohadallmylove——all——
all！Ah，ifGodwouldonlygivemeanotherchance——onemorechance！“
Mr。Ayrtonhadheardthatpassionateappealforanotherchanceuponmorethanonepreviousoccasion。HehadheardthehusbandwhohadtorturedhiswifetodeathmakeapassionateappealtoGodtogivehimanotherchance。HeknewthatGodhadnevergivenhimanotherchancewiththesamewife；butGodhadgivenhimanotherwifeinthecourseoftime——awifewhowasnotmadeonthespirituallinesofthosewhodiebytorture；awifewhowasabletoformulatealistofherownrights，andtherightsofhersisters，andwhopossessedaWill。
Themanwhowantedanotherchancehadnochancewithsuchawoman。
Hehadheardthewife，whohaddesertedherhusbandinfavoroftheteetotalplatform，cryoutforanotherchance，whenherhusbandhaddiedawayfromher。ButGodhadcompassionuponthehusband。Shedidnotgethimback。
HepitiedwithallhisheartthepoorwomanwhowouldbeoneoftherichestwomeninEnglandinthecourseofadayortwo，andhesaidsotoMr。Courtlandwhenhecalledearlyinthemorning。Mr。Courtlanddidnotremainforlonginthehouse。ItmighthavebeenassumedthatsointimateafriendofMr。andMrs。Linton\'swouldbeanacceptablevisitortothewidow；butMr。Courtlandknewbetter。Hehurriedawaytotownwithoutevenaskingtoseeher。HeonlybeggedofMr。Ayrtontolethimknowifhecouldbeofanyuseintown——thereweredetails——ghastly；buthewouldtakecarethattherewasnoinquest。
PhylliswentuptotownwithpoorElla，andremainedbyhersideinthatdarkenedhousethroughalltheterribledaysthatfollowed。Mr。
Linton\'sdeathhadanappreciableinfluenceuponthequarter\'srevenueofthecountry。Theprobatedutypaidbytheexecutorswasalargefortuneinitself，andEllawas，asMr。Ayrtonhadpredictedshewouldbe，oneoftherichestwomeninEngland。Thehundredthousandpoundsbequeathedtosomeunostentatiouscharities——charitiesthatexistedforthecauseofcharity，notforthebenefitoftheofficialstaff——
madenodifferenceworthspeakingofinthepositionofMrs。LintonasoneoftherichestwomeninEngland。
ButthecodiciltothewillwhichsurprisedmostpeoplewasthatwhichplacedinthehandsofMrs。LintonandtheRev。GeorgeHollandasjointtrusteesthesumofsixtythousandpounds，forthebuildingandendowmentofachurch，thecharacterandaimsofwhichwouldbeinsympathywiththeprinciplesrecentlyformulatedbytheRev。GeorgeHollandinhisbookentitled“RevisedVersions，“andinhismagazinearticleentitled“TheEnemytoChristianity，“thedetailstobedecidedbytheRev。GeorgeHollandandMrs。Lintonasjointtrustees。
Thecodicilwas，ofcourse，averyrecentone；butitwasexecutedinproperform；itrequiredtwopagesofengrossingtomakethetestator\'sdesiresplaintoeveryintelligencethathadreceivedathoroughtraininginlegaltechnicalities。Itwassusceptibleofagooddealofinterpretationtoanordinaryintelligence。
WhenitwasexplainedtoMrs。Linton，shealsowasatfirstagooddealsurprised。Itreadverylikeajestofsomesubtlety:forshehadnoideathatherhusbandhadtheslightestfeelingonewayoranotheronthesubjectofthedevelopmentofoneChurchoranother；andasfortheestablishmentofanentirelynewChurch——yes，itstruckheratfirstthathersolicitorwasmakingaboldandcertainlyquiteanunusualattempttocheerherupinherbereavementbybringingunderhernoticeajestoftheorder/pachydermato/。
Butsoonitdawneduponherthatherhusbandmeantagooddealbythiscodicilofhis。
“Iamgettingtounderstandhimbettereveryday，“shesaidtoPhyllis。“HeknewthatIlovedhimandhimonly。Hehasgivenmethisworktodo，andwithGod\'shelpIwilldoitthoroughly。YoudidnotbelieveinthevalueofGeorgeHolland\'sdoctrines。NeitherdidI:I
neverthoughtaboutthem。Iwillacceptmyhusband\'sjudgmentregardingthem，andperhapsImaythinkaboutthemlateron。OurChurchwillbethemostpotentinfluenceforgoodthatthecenturyhasyetseen。Yes，Iwillthrowmyselfheartandsoulintothework。Afterall，itmustbeadmittedthattheChurchhasneverdoneitsdutyasaChurch。”
Phyllissaidnothing。
ButtheRev。GeorgeHollandhadagooddealtosayonthesubjectofthecodicil，whenhewasalonewithMrs。Linton，afewdayslater。HehadbynomeansmadeuphismindtoseverhisconnectionwiththedearoldmotherChurch，hesaid。Hecouldnotseethattherewasanyneedforhistakingsoseriousastep——anirrevocablestep。Itwashisfeelingatthatmoment，hedeclared，thathemightbeabletoeffecttheobjectofhislife——whichwas，ofcourse，thereformoftheChurch——betterbyremainingwithinitswallsthanbyseveringhimselffromit。Hemusttaketimetoconsiderhisposition。
HeleftMrs。Lintongreatlydisappointed。IthadbeenherbeliefthatMr。Hollandwouldjumpatthechance——thatwasthephrasewhichsheemployedinexpressingherdisappointmenttoPhyllis——ofbecomingthefounderofabrand-newreligion。
ShewasgreatlydisappointedinMr。Holland。IfBuddhaorEdwardIrving，orsomeoftheotherfoundersofnewreligionshadhadsuchachanceofferedtotheminearlylife，wouldtheynothaveembracediteagerly?sheasked。
AnditwastobesuchastrikingChurch！Shehadmadeuphermindtothat。Itwastobealastingmemorialtothelargenessofsoulofherhusband——tohisappreciationoftherequirementsofthethinkingmenandwomenoftheage。Shehadmadeuphermindalreadyastothecharacterofthepaintedwindows。Thechurchwoulditself，ofcourse，bethepurestGothic。Asfortheservices，sheratherthoughtthatthesimplicityoftheEarlyChurchmightbeeffectivelycombinedwithsomeofthemoststrikingelementsofModernRitualism。However，thatwouldhavetobedecidedlateron。
ButwhenthebishopheardofthecodicilhehadanotherinterviewwithGeorgeHolland，andimpartedtothatyoungclerichisopinionthatheshouldavailhimselfoftheopportunityofferedtohimoftryingwhatwouldundoubtedlybeamostinterestingexperiment，andonetothecarryingoutofwhichalltruechurchmenwouldlookforwardmosthopefully。Whocouldsay，heinquired，ifthelargerfreedomwhichwouldbeenjoyedbyanearnest，sincere，andhighlyintellectualclergyman，notinimmediatecontactwiththeEstablishment，mightnotavailhimtoperfectsuchaschemeofreformaswouldeventuallybeadoptedbytheChurch?
ThatinterviewwasveryhelpfultoGeorgeHollandinmakinguphismindonthesubjectofthenewChurch。Heresignedhispastorate，greatlytotheregretofthechurchwardens；thoughnoexpressionofsuchregretwaseverheardfromthebishop。
Butthenabishopissupposedtohavehisfeelingthoroughlyundercontrol。
ThishappenedthreeweeksafterthedeathofStephenLinton，andduringtheseweeksHerbertCourtlandhadneveronceaskedtoseeEllaLinton。
CHAPTERXXXVI。
MARRIAGEISTHEPICTURESQUEGATEWAYLEADING
TOACOMMONPLACEESTATE。
SosoonasPhyllisAyrtonhadreturnedhome，shegotaletterfromHerbertCourtland，askingherifshewouldbegoodenoughtogranthimaninterview。Sherepliedatoncethatitwouldpleaseherverymuchtoseehimonthefollowingafternoon——shewasgoingtoScotlandwithherfatherinaweek，ifParliamenthadrisenbythattime。
Hecametoher。Shewasaloneinthedrawingroomwhereshehadalwaysreceivedhimpreviously。
Theservanthadscarcelylefttheroombeforehehadtoldherhehadcometotellherthathelovedher——toaskherifhemighthopetohavesomeofherloveinreturn。
Hehadnotseatedhimself，norhadshe。Theyremainedstandingtogetherinthemiddleoftheroom。Hehadnotevenretainedherhand。
“Whyhaveyoucometome——to/me/?“sheaskedhim。Herfacewaspaleandherlips，whenhehadbeenspeakingtoher，werefirmlyset。
“Ihavecometoyou，notbecauseIamworthyofthepricelessgiftofyourlove，“saidhe，“butbecauseyouhavetaughtmenotmerelytoloveyou——youhavetaughtmewhatloveitselfis。Youhavesavedmysoul。”
“No，no！donotsaythat；itpainsme，“shecried。
“Icannotbutsayit；itisthetruth。Youhavesavedmefromadegradationsuchasyoucouldnotunderstand。GreatGod！howshouldI
feelto-dayifyouhadnotcomeforwardtosaveme?“
Hewalkedawayfromher。Hestoodwithhisbackturnedtoher，lookingoutofthewindow。
Sheremainedwherehehadlefther。Shedidnotspeak。Whyshouldshespeak?
Hesuddenlyfacedheronceagain。Theexpressionuponhisfaceastonishedher。Shehadneverbeforeseenamansocompletelyinthepowerofastrongemotion。Shesawhimmakingtheattempttospeak，butnotsucceedingforsometime。Herheartwasfullofpityforhim。
“You——youcannotunderstand，“hemanagedtosay。“Youcannotunderstand，andIcannot，Idarenot，trytoexplainanythingoftheperilfromwhichyousnatchedme。Youknownothingofthebaseness，thecruelty，ofamanwhoallowshimselftobeswayedbyhisownpassions。Butyousavedme——yousavedme！“
“IthankGodforthat，“shesaidslowly。“Butyoumustnotcometometoaskmeformylove。Itisnottomeyoushouldcome。Itisforherwhowasreadytosacrificeeverythingforyou。Youmustgotoherwhenthetimecomes，notnow——shehasnotrecoveredfromhershock。”
“Youknow——shehastoldyou?“
“Iknewallthatterriblestory——thatpitifulstory——beforeIhearditfromherlips。”
“Andyet——yet——youcouldspeaktome——youcouldbewithmedayafterday?“
“Oh，Iknowwhatyouwouldsay！YouwouldsaythatIledyouon——thatIgaveyoutobelievethatIlovedyou。Thatiswhatyouwouldsay，anditwouldbethetruth。Imadeupmymindtoleadyouon；IgaveyoutounderstandthatIcaredforyou。ButIconfesstoyounowthatIdidsobecauseIhopedtosaveher。Youseeitwasaplotonmypart——theplotofonewomananxioustosavehersisterfromdestruction。I
succeeded。ThankGodforthat——thankGodforthat！“
“Yousucceeded——yousucceededindeed。”Hespokeslowlyandinalowtone，hiseyesfixeduponherburningface。“Yes，youledmeon——youledmefromearthtoheaven。Yousavedher——yousavedme。ThatiswhyIamhereto-day。”
“Oh，itisnothereyoushouldbe，Mr。Courtland。”Shehadturnedquicklyawayfromhimwithagestureofimpatienceandhadwalkedtotheotherendoftheroom。Therewasmorethanasuspicionofindignationinhervoice。“Youshouldbewiththewomanwhomyouloved；thewomanwhoshowedyouhowshelovedyou；thewomanwhowasreadytogiveupeverything——honor——husband——God——foryou。Gotoher——
toher——whenthenumbnesshaspassedawayfromher，andthereisnobarrierbetweenyouandher。ThatisallIhavetosaytoyou，Mr。
Courtland。”
“Isitindeedall，Phyllis?“hesaid。“Butyouwillletmespeaktoyou。YouwillletmeaskifEllaalonewasreadytosacrificeherself?
Yousaythatyouledmetoloveyouinordertosaveher。Howdidyouleadmeon?Bygivingmetounderstandthatyouwerenotindifferenttome——thatyouhadsomeloveforme。Letmeaskyouifyouwereactingalieatthattime?“
“Iwantedtosaveher。”
“Andyousucceeded。Wereyouactingalie?“
Shewassilent。
“Youwerewillingtosaveher?“hecontinued。“Howdidyoumeantosaveher?WereyoupreparedtogotothelengthofmarryingmewhenI
hadbeenledontothatpointbyyou?Answerme，Phyllis。”
“Iwillnotansweryou，Mr。Courtland——youhavenorighttoaskmetoansweryou。Oneterriblemomenthadchangedalltheconditionsunderwhichwewereliving。Ifshehadbeenfree，——assheisnow，——doyoufancyforamomentthatIshouldhavecomebetweenyou——thatIshouldhavetriedtoleadyouawayfromher?Well，then，surelyyoumustseeasclearlyasIdoatthepresentmomentthatnowourrelativepositionsarethesameastheywouldhavebeensomemonthsago，ifEllahadbeenfree——ifshecouldhavelovedyouwithoutbeingguiltyofacrime?Oh，Mr。Courtlanddonotaskmetohumiliatemyselffurther。Pleasegoaway。Ah，cannotyouseethatitwouldbeimpossibleformetoactnowasImighthaveactedbefore?CannotyouseethatIamnotawomanwhowouldbereadytostealhappinessformyselffrommydearestfriend?“
“IthinkIambeginningtoseewhatsortofwomanyouare——whatsortofabeingawomanmaybe。Youloveme，Phyllis，andyetyouwillsendmeawayfromyoulestyoushoulddoEllaawrong?“
“Iimploreofyoutogoawayfromme，becauseifEllahadbeenfreeamonthagoassheisto-day，shewouldhavemarriedyou。”
“Butshefanciedthatshelovedmeamonthago。Sheknowsthatshedoesnotlovemenow。Youloveme——you，Phyllis，mylove，mybeloved；
youdarenotsaythatwhenyouledmetoloveyou，youwerenotledunthinkinglytolovemeyourself。Willyoudenythat，mydarling?“
Hehadstrodepassionatelyuptoher，andbeforeshecouldresisthehadputhisarmsaboutherandwaskissingherontheface。Foramomentonlysheresisted，thenshesubmittedtohiskisses。
“Youaremine——mine——mine！“hewhispered，andsheknewthatshewas。
Shenowknewhowtoaccountforthebrilliantsuccessesofthemaninplaceswhereeveryothercivilizedmanhadperished。Hewasamasterofmen。“Youloveme，darling，andIloveyou。Whatshallseparateus?“
Withalittlecryshefreedherself。
“Youhavesaidthetruth！“shecried；“thebittertruth。Iloveyou！I
loveyou！Iloveyou！Youaremylove，mydarling，mykingforever。
ButItellyoutogofromme。ItellyouthatIshallneverstealfromanysisterwhatishersbyright。Iwouldhavesacrificedmyself——I
didnotloveyouthen——tokeepyoufromher；Iamnowreadytosacrificemyself——nowthatIloveyou——togiveyoutoher。Ah，mylove，myowndearlove，youknowme，andyouknowthatIshouldhatemyself——thatIshouldhateyou，too，ifIweretomarryyou，nowthatsheisfree。Go，mybeloved——go！“
Helookedatherfacemadebeautifulwithtears。“Letmepleadwithyou，Phyllis。Letmesay——“
“Oh，go！go！go！“
Heputouthishandtoher。
“Iamgoing！“hesaid。“IamleavingEngland，butfromdaytodayI
shallletyouknowwhereIam，sothatyoucansendtomewhenyouwantmetoreturntoyou。Writeonapaper，\'Cometome，\'andIwillcome，thoughyearsshouldpassbeforeIreadthosewords。Ideservetosuffer，asIknowIshallsuffer。”
Heheldouthishand。Shetookit。Hertearsfelluponit。Shedidnotspeakashewenttothedoor。Thenshegaveacrylikethecryofawoundedanimal。Sheheldoutherhandstohim。
“Notyet！Notyet！“shesaid。
Sheflungherselfintohisarms，kissinghimandkissinghim，holdinghimtoherwithherarmsabouthisneck。
“Good-by！Good-by，mydarling，mybestbeloved。Oh，go！Go，Herbert，beforeIdieinyourarms。Go！“
Shewaslyingalongthefloorwithherheadonthesofa。
Hewasgone。
Shelookedwildlyaroundtheroom，wipingthetearsfromhereyes。Shesprangtoherfeet，crying:
“Comeback！Comebacktome，mybeloved！Oh，Iwasafool！Suchafoolaswomenarewhentheythinkofsuchthingsasheavenandtruthandright！Afool！Afool！“
AnhourafterwardEllacalledtosaygood-bytoher。ShewasgoingtoSwitzerlandfirst，shesaid，toaquietspotthatsheknew，whereshemightthinkoutsomeofthedetailsoftheChurch。Mr。HollandwouldmeetherinItalyinthewintertoconsidersomeofthearchitecturaldetails。
Whenthehourofherdeparturewasathandshereferredtoanothermatter——amatteronwhichshespokemuchmoreseriouslythanshehadyetspokenonthesubjectoftheChurch。
“Icouldnotgo，mydearPhyllis，“saidshe，“withouttellingyouthatIknowHerbertCourtlandwillcometoyou。”
“No！“saidPhyllis。“Hewillnotcometome。Hehasbeenwithme。Heisnowgone。”
“Gone?Thatwouldbeimpossible！“criedElla。“Youwouldnotsendhimaway。Hetoldyouthathelovedyou。”
“Yes，hetoldmethat。”
“Andyetyousenthimaway?Oh，Phyllis，youwouldnotbreakmyheart。
Iknowthatyoulovehim。”
“DoI?“
“Youdolovehim。Oh，myPhyllis，Itoldhimmonthsagothatitwasthedearestwishofmyhearttoseeyoumarriedtohim。Atthattimehelaughed。Oh，itishorribletometorecallnowhowhelaughed。
ShallIeverforgetthatterribledream?Butnowhelovesyou。Iknowit。What！youthinkhimunworthyofyoubecauseof——ofthatdreamwhichwasuponus?Phyllis，don\'tforgetthathefoughtwiththesinandovercameit。How?Ah！youknowhow。Heovercamethepassionthatisofearthbythelovethatisofheaven。Itwashispureloveforyouthatgavehimthevictory。Whyshouldyousendhimaway?“
“Heknows。Heunderstands。Heisgone。”
“ButIdonotunderstand。”
SheheldPhyllis\'handandlookedintoherface。Shegaveasuddenstart——alittlestart。
“Oh，surely，myPhyllis，youdon\'tthinkthatI——I——Oh，no！youcannotthinkthatofme。Oh，mydarling，ifyoushouldbesofoolishastothinkthatI——thatIstill——Ah，Icannotspeakaboutit。
Listentome，Phyllis:Itellyouthatasheconqueredhimselfbythelovewhichisofheaven，sohaveIconqueredbythesameDivinePower。
Thelovewhichisinheaven——thelovewhichismine——hasgivenmethevictoryalso。DearPhyllis，thatmanisnothingtometo-day。Itellyouheisnothing——nothing！Ah，Idon\'tevenhatehim。IfIshouldeverspeaktohimagainitwouldbetosendhimbacktoyou。”
Phyllissaidnothing，andjustthenherfathercameintotheroom，andafterafewminutes\'conventionalchatEllawentaway。
Mr。AyrtonremarkedtoPhyllisthatherdearestfriendwaslookingbetterthanshehadlookedformanymonths，andthenhelaughed。
Phyllisdidnotlikehislaugh。Shelookedathim——gravely——
reproachfully。
“Pardonme，mydear，“saidhe；“butIwasonlythinkingthat——well——
thatshe——Ah，afterall，whatismarriage?“
Phyllisdidnotreply。Shesawbyhiseyesthathehadfoundanotherphrase。Whatwerephrasestoher?
“Marriageisthemosthonorablepreliminarytoaneffectivewidowhood，“saidhe。
Shewentoutoftheroom。
DuringthenexteightmonthsPhyllisreceivedmanylettersfromElla——
somefromSwitzerland，somefromItaly，andonefromCalcutta。EllahadgonetoIndiatomakefurtherinquiriesonthesubjectofBuddhism。Atanyrate，noonewhoseheartwassetuponbuildingupaNewChurchcouldafford，shesaid，toignoreBuddhismasapower。
Mr。Hollandagreedwithher，shesaid。HehadgonethroughIndiawithher。
ShereturnedtoEnglandinApril，andofcoursewenttoseePhylliswithoutdelay。SomemenhadwantedtomarryPhyllisduringthewinter，aseverybodyknew，butshehadbeenpleasantlyirresponsive。SomeofherclosestfriendsfemalelaughedandsaidthatshehadfoundouthowsillyshehadbeeninthrowingoverMr。Holland。
Itwasnot，however，ofthesesuitorsthatEllatalkedtoher。ItwasofHerbertCourtland。
Hadsheheardfromhim?sheasked。
Yes；heoccasionallysentherhisaddress，Phyllissaid——thatwasall。
“Youwillwritetohimtocomebacktoyou，Phyllis?“saidEllaentreatingly。
Phyllisshookherhead。
“Dearestchild，“continuedElla，“Iknowthegoodnessofyourheart。I
knowthehighidealofhonorandfaithwhichyouhavesetbeforeyou。
IsawHerbertwhenoursteamerstoppedatPortSaid。HehadbeeninAbyssinia——youknowthat?“
“Iknewthat。”
“Italkedwithhimforanhour，“saidElla。“Hetoldmeagreatdealaboutyou——aboutyourpartingfromhim。YouwillwritethosewordstohimbeforeIleavethisroom。”
Phyllisshookherhead。
“Oh，yes，youwill，whenItellyouwhatIdidnottellhim——whenI
tellyouthatGeorgeHollandandIhaveagreedthatourpositionsasjointtrusteesoftheNewChurchwillbeimmeasurablystrengthenedifwearemarried。”
“What?“
Phyllishadrisen。
“Wearetobemarriedinthreemonths。Thematteris，ofcourse，toremainasecret——peoplearesogiventotalk。”
Phyllisfellintoherarmsandkissedhertearfully——butthetearswerenotallherown。
“Nowyouwillwritethosewords，“saidElla。
PhyllisrantoalittleFrenchescritoireandsnatchedupasheetofpaper。
“Cometome，mybeloved，“shewroteuponit；thensheleanedherfaceuponherarm，weepinghappily。
Ellacamebehindher。Shepickedupthepaperandfoldeditup。Shepressedthebell。
“PleasegivethattoMr。Courtlandinthestudy，“shesaidtotheservant。
Phyllissprangupwithacry。
“Iforgottotellyou，mydearest，thatIbroughtbackHerbertCourtlandinthatsteamerwithme，andthathecamewithmeto-day。Heiscomingtoyou——listen——threestepsatatime。”
Andthatwasjusthowhedidcometoher。
“Blessmysoul！“criedMr。Ayrton，tenminuteslater。“Blessmysoul！
Ialwaysfanciedthat——Ah，afterall，whatismarriage?“
“Oh！“criedPhyllis。
“Thelastwordthatcanbesaidregardingitisthatmarriageisthepicturesquegatewayleadingtothecommonplaceestate。”
“Oh！“criedPhyllisEnd