Thehairintherector’sdescriptionwaslightbrownandnotplentiful。Thiswoman’shair，superblyluxuriantinitsgrowth，wasoftheoneunpardonablyremarkableshadeofcolorwhichtheprejudiceoftheNorthernnationsneverentirelyforgives——itwas_red！_Theforeheadintherector’sdescriptionwashigh，narrow，andslopingbackwardfromthebrow;theeyebrowswerefaintlymarked;andtheeyessmall，andincoloreithergrayorhazel。
Thiswoman’sforeheadwaslow，upright，andbroadtowardthetemples;hereyebrows，atoncestronglyanddelicatelymarked，wereashadedarkerthanherhair;hereyes，large，bright，andwellopened，wereofthatpurelybluecolor，withoutatingeinitofgrayorgreen，sooftenpresentedtoouradmirationinpicturesandbooks，sorarelymetwithinthelivingface。Thenoseintherector’sdescriptionwasaquiline。Thelineofthiswoman’snosebentneitheroutwardnorinward:itwasthestraight，delicatelymoldednosewiththeshortupperlipbeneathoftheancientstatuesandbusts。Thelipsintherector’sdescriptionwerethinandtheupperliplong;thecomplexionwasofadull，sicklypaleness;thechinretreatingandthemarkofamoleorascarontheleftsideofit。Thiswoman’slipswerefull，rich，andsensual。Hercomplexionwasthelovelycomplexionwhichaccompaniessuchhairashers——sodelicatelybrightinitsrosiertints，sowarmlyandsoftlywhiteinitsgentlergradationsofcolorontheforeheadandtheneck。
Herchin，roundanddimpled，waspureoftheslightestblemishineverypartofit，andperfectlyinlinewithherforeheadtotheend。Nearerandnearer，andfairerandfairershecame，intheglowofthemorninglight——themoststartling，themostunanswerablecontradictionthateyecouldseeormindconceivetothedescriptionintherector’sletter。
Bothgovernessandpupilwereclosetothesummer-housebeforetheylookedthatway，andnoticedMidwinterstandinginside。Thegovernesssawhimfirst。
“Afriendofyours，MissMilroy？”sheasked，quietly，withoutstartingorbetrayinganysignofsurprise。
Neelierecognizedhiminstantly。PrejudicedagainstMidwinterbyhisconductwhenhisfriendhadintroducedhimatthecottage，shenowfairlydetestedhimastheunluckyfirstcauseofhermisunderstandingwithAllanatthepicnic。Herfaceflushedandshedrewbackfromthesummerhousewithanexpressionofmercilesssurprise。
“HeisafriendofMr。Armadale’s。”sherepliedsharply。“Idon’tknowwhathewants，orwhyheishere。”
“AfriendofMr。Armadale’s！“Thegoverness’sfacelightedupwithasuddenlyrousedinterestassherepeatedthewords，ShereturnedMidwinter’slook，stillsteadilyfixedonher，withequalsteadinessonherside。
“Formypart。”pursuedNeelie，resentingMidwinter’sinsensibilitytoherpresenceonthescene，“Ithinkitagreatlibertytotreatpapa’sgardenasifitweretheopenpark！“
Thegovernessturnedround，andgentlyinterposed。
“MydearMissMilroy。”sheremonstrated，“therearecertaindistinctionstobeobserved。ThisgentlemanisafriendofMr。
Armadale’s。Youcouldhardlyexpressyourselfmorestronglyifhewasaperfectstranger。”
“Iexpressmyopinion。”retortedNeelie，chafingunderthesatiricallyindulgenttoneinwhichthegovernessaddressedher。
“It’samatteroftaste，MissGwilt;andtastesdiffer。”Sheturnedawaypetulantly，andwalkedbackbyherselftothecottage。
“Sheisveryyoung。”saidMissGwilt，appealingwithasmiletoMidwinter’sforbearance;“and，asyoumustseeforyourself，sir，sheisaspoiledchild。”Shepaused——showed，foraninstantonly，hersurpriseatMidwinter’sstrangesilenceandstrangepersistencyinkeepinghiseyesstillfixedonher——thensetherself，withacharminggraceandreadiness，tohelphimoutofthefalsepositioninwhichhestood。“Asyouhaveextendedyourwalkthusfar。”sheresumed，“perhapsyouwillkindlyfavorme，onyourreturn，bytakingamessagetoyourfriend？Mr。ArmadalehasbeensogoodastoinvitemetoseetheThorpeAmbrosegardensthismorning。WillyousaythatMajorMilroypermitsmetoaccepttheinvitationincompanywithMissMilroybetweentenandeleveno’clock？”Foramomenthereyesrested，witharenewedlookofinterest，onMidwinter’sface。Shewaited，stillinvain，foranansweringwordfromhim——smiled，asifhisextraordinarysilenceamusedratherthanangeredher——andfollowedherpupilbacktothecottage。
ItwasonlywhenthelasttraceofherhaddisappearedthatMidwinterrousedhimself，andattemptedtorealizethepositioninwhichhestood。Therevelationofherbeautywasinnorespectanswerableforthebreathlessastonishmentwhichhadheldhimspell-bounduptothismoment。Theoneclearimpressionshehadproduceonhimthusfarbeganandendedwithhisdiscoveryoftheastoundingcontradictionthatherfaceoffered，inonefeatureafteranother，tothedescriptioninMr。Brock’sletter。Allbeyondthiswasvagueandmisty——adimconsciousnessofatall，elegantwoman，andofkindwords，modestlyandgracefullyspokentohim，andnothingmore。
Headvancedafewstepsintothegardenwithoutknowingwhy——stopped，glancinghitherandthitherlikeamanlost——recognizedthesummer-housebyaneffort，asifyearshadelapsedsincehehadseenit——andmadehiswayoutagain，atlast，intothepark。Evenhere，hewanderedfirstinonedirection，theninanother。Hismindwasstillreelingundertheshockthathadfallenonit;hisperceptionswereallconfused。
Somethingkepthimmechanicallyinaction，walkingeagerlywithoutamotive，walkingheknewnotwhere。
Afarlesssensitivelyorganizedmanmighthavebeenoverwhelmed，ashewasoverwhelmednow，bytheimmense，theinstantaneousrevulsionoffeelingwhichtheeventofthelastfewminuteshadwroughtinhismind。
Atthememorableinstantwhenhehadopenedthedoorofthesummer-house，noconfusinginfluencetroubledhisfaculties。Inallthatrelatedtohispositiontowardhisfriend，hehadreachedanabsolutelydefiniteconclusionbyanabsolutelydefiniteprocessofthought。ThewholestrengthofthemotivewhichhaddrivenhimintotheresolutiontopartfromAllanrooteditselfinthebeliefthathehadseenatHurleMerethefatalfulfillmentofthefirstVisionoftheDream。Andthisbelief，initsturn，rested，necessarily，ontheconvictionthatthewomanwhowastheonesurvivorofthetragedyinMadeiramustbealsoinevitablythewomanwhomhehadseenstandingintheShadow’splaceatthepool。Firminthatpersuasion，hehadhimselfcomparedtheobjectofhisdistrustandoftherector’sdistrustwiththedescriptionwrittenbytherectorhimself——adescription，carefullyminute，byamanentirelytrustworthy——andhisowneyeshadinformedhimthatthewomanwhomhehadseenattheMere，andthewomanwhomMr。BrockhadidentifiedinLondon，werenotone，butTwo。IntheplaceoftheDreamShadow，therehadstood，ontheevidenceoftherector’sletter，nottheinstrumentoftheFatality——butastranger！
Nosuchdoubtsasmighthavetroubledalesssuperstitiousman，werestartedin_his_mindbythediscoverythathadnowopenedonhim。
ItneveroccurredtohimtoaskhimselfwhetherastrangermightnotbetheappointedinstrumentoftheFatality，nowwhentheletterhadpersuadedhimthatastrangerhadbeenrevealedasthefigureinthedreamlandscape。Nosuchideaenteredorcouldenterhismind。Theonewomanwhom_his_superstitiondreadedwasthewomanwhohadentwinedherselfwiththelivesofthetwoArmadalesinthefirstgeneration，andwiththefortunesofthetwoArmadalesinthesecond——whowasatoncethemarkedobjectofhisfather’sdeath-bedwarning，andthefirstcauseofthefamilycalamitieswhichhadopenedAllan’swaytotheThorpeAmbroseestate——thewoman，inaword，whomhewouldhaveknowninstinctively，butforMr。Brock’sletter，tobethewomanwhomhehadnowactuallyseen。
Lookingateventsastheyhadjusthappened，undertheinfluenceofthemisapprehensionintowhichtherectorhadinnocentlymisledhim，hismindsawandseizeditsnewconclusioninstantaneously，actingpreciselyasithadactedinthepasttimeofhisinterviewwithMr。BrockattheIsleofMan。
Exactlyashehadoncedeclaredittobeanall-sufficientrefutationoftheideaoftheFatality，thathehadnevermetwiththetimber-shipinanyofhisvoyagesatsea，sohenowseizedonthesimilarlyderivedconclusion，thatthewholeclaimoftheDreamtoasupernaturaloriginstoodself-refutedbythedisclosureofastrangerintheShadow’splace。Oncestartedfromthispoint——onceencouragedtolethisloveforAllaninfluencehimundividedlyagain，hismindhurriedalongthewholeresultingchainofthoughtatlightningspeed。IftheDreamwasprovedtobenolongerawarningfromtheotherworld，itfollowedinevitablythataccidentandnotfatehadledthewaytothenightontheWreck，andthatalltheeventswhichhadhappenedsinceAllanandhehadpartedfromMr。Brockwereeventsinthemselvesharmless，whichhissuperstitionhaddistortedfromtheirpropershape。InlessthanamomenthismobileimaginationhadtakenhimbacktothemorningatCastletownwhenhehadrevealedtotherectorthesecretofhisname;whenhehaddeclaredtotherector，withhisfather’sletterbeforehiseyes，thebetterfaiththatwasinhim。NowoncemorehefelthisheartholdingfirmlybythebondofbrotherhoodbetweenAllanandhimself;nowoncemorehecouldsaywiththeeagersincerityoftheoldtime，“Ifthethoughtofleavinghimbreaksmyheart，thethoughtofleavinghimiswrong！“Asthatnoblerconvictionpossesseditselfagainofhismind——quietingthetumult，clearingtheconfusionwithinhim——thehouseatThorpeAmbrose，withAllanonthesteps，waiting，lookingforhim，openedonhiseyesthroughthetrees。Asenseofillimitablereliefliftedhiseagerspirithighabovethecares，anddoubts，andfearsthathadoppresseditsolong，andshowedhimoncemorethebetterandbrighterfutureofhisearlydreams。Hiseyesfilledwithtears，andhepressedtherector’sletter，inhiswild，passionateway，tohislips，ashelookedatAllanthroughthevistaofthetrees。“Butforthismorselofpaper。”hethought，“mylifemighthavebeenonelongsorrowtome，andmyfather’scrimemighthavepartedusforever！“
Suchwastheresultofthestratagemwhichhadshownthehousemaid’sfacetoMr。BrockasthefaceofMissGwilt。Andso——byshakingMidwinter’strustinhisownsuperstition，intheonecaseinwhichthatsuperstitionpointedtothetruth——didMotherOldershaw’scunningtriumphoverdifficultiesanddangerswhichhadneverbeencontemplatedbyMotherOldershawherself。
CHAPTERXI。
MISSGWILTAMONGTHEQUICKSANDS。
1。_FromtheRev。DecimusBrocktoOziasMidwinter。_
“Thursday。
“MYDEARMIDWINTER——Nowordscantellwhatareliefitwastometogetyourletterthismorning，andwhatahappinessIhonestlyfeelinhavingbeenthusfarprovedtobeinthewrong。TheprecautionsyouhavetakenincasethewomanshouldstillconfirmmyapprehensionsbyventuringherselfatThorpeAmbroseseemtometobeallthatcanbedesired。Youarenodoubtsuretohearofherfromoneorotherofthepeopleinthelawyer’soffice，whomyouhaveaskedtoinformyouoftheappearanceofastrangerinthetown。
“IamthemorepleasedatfindinghowentirelyIcantrustyouinthismatter;forIamlikelytobeobligedtoleaveAllan’sinterestslongerthanIsupposedsolelyinyourhands。MyvisittoThorpeAmbrosemust，Iregrettosay，bedeferredfortwomonths。Theonlyoneofmybrother-clergymeninLondonwhoisabletotakemydutyformecannotmakeitconvenienttoremovewithhisfamilytoSomersetshirebeforethattime。Ihavenoalternativebuttofinishmybusinesshere，andbebackatmyrectoryonSaturdaynext。Ifanythinghappens，youwill，ofcourse，instantlycommunicatewithme;and，inthatcase，betheinconveniencewhatitmay，ImustleavehomeforThorpeAmbrose。
If，ontheotherhand，allgoesmoresmoothlythanmyownobstinateapprehensionswillallowmetosuppose，thenAllantowhomIhavewrittenmustnotexpecttoseemetillthisdaytwomonths。
“Noresulthas，uptothistime，rewardedourexertionstorecoverthetracelostattherailway。Iwillkeepmyletteropen，however，untilposttime，incasethenextfewhoursbringanynews。
“Alwaystrulyyours，DECIMUSBROCK。
“P。S——Ihavejustheardfromthelawyers。TheyhavefoundoutthenamethewomanpassedbyinLondon。Ifthisdiscoverynotaveryimportantone，Iamafraidsuggestsanynewcourseofproceedingtoyou，prayactonitatonce。Thenameis——MissGwilt。”
2。_FromMissGwilttoMrs。Oldershaw。_
TheCottage，ThorpeAmbrose，Saturday，June28。
“IFyouwillpromisenottobealarmed，MammaOldershaw，Iwillbeginthisletterinaveryoddway，bycopyingapageofaletterwrittenbysomebodyelse。Youhaveanexcellentmemory，andyoumaynothaveforgottenthatIreceivedanotefromMajorMilroy’smotheraftershehadengagedmeasgovernessonMondaylast。Itwasdatedandsigned;andhereitis，asfarasthefirstpage:’June23d，1851。DearMadam——Prayexcusemytroublingyou，beforeyougotoThorpeAmbrose，withawordmoreaboutthehabitsobservedinmyson’shousehold。WhenIhadthepleasureofseeingyouattwoo’clockto-day，inKingsdownCrescent，IhadanotherappointmentinadistantpartofLondonatthree;and，inthehurryofthemoment，oneortwolittlemattersescapedmewhichIthinkIoughttoimpressonyourattention。’Therestoftheletterisnotoftheslightestimportance，butthelinesthatIhavejustcopiedarewellworthyofalltheattentionyoucanbestowonthem。Theyhavesavedmefromdiscovery，mydear，beforeIhavebeenaweekinMajorMilroy’sservice！
“Ithappenednolaterthanyesterdayevening，anditbeganandendedinthismanner:
“Thereisagentlemanhere，ofwhomIshallhavemoretosaypresentlywhoisanintimatefriendofyoungArmadale’s，andwhobearsthestrangenameofMidwinter。Hecontrivedyesterdaytospeaktomealoneinthepark。Almostassoonasheopenedhislips，IfoundthatmynamehadbeendiscoveredinLondonnodoubtbytheSomersetshireclergyman;andthatMr。MidwinterhadbeenchosenevidentlybythesamepersontoidentifytheMissGwiltwhohadvanishedfromBromptonwiththeMissGwiltwhohadappearedatThorpeAmbrose。Youforesawthisdanger，Iremember;
butyoucouldscarcelyhaveimaginedthattheexposurewouldthreatenmesosoon。
“Ispareyouthedetailsofourconversationtocometotheend。
Mr。Midwinterputthematterverydelicately，declaring，tomygreatsurprise，thathefeltquitecertainhimselfthatIwasnottheMissGwiltofwhomhisfriendwasinsearch;andthatheonlyactedashedidoutofregardtotheanxietyofapersonwhosewisheshewasboundtorespect。WouldIassisthiminsettingthatanxietycompletelyatrest，asfarasIwasconcerned，bykindlyansweringoneplainquestion——whichhehadnootherrighttoaskmethantherightmyindulgencemightgivehim？Thelost’MissGwilt’hadbeenmissedonMondaylast，attwoo’clock，inthecrowdontheplatformoftheNorth-westernRailway，inEustonSquare。WouldIauthorizehimtosaythatonthatday，andatthathour，theMissGwiltwhowasMajorMilroy’sgovernesshadneverbeenneartheplace？
“IneedhardlytellyouthatIseizedthefineopportunityhehadgivenmeofdisarmingallfuturesuspicion。Itookahightoneonthespot，andmethimwiththeoldlady’sletter。Hepolitelyrefusedtolookatit。Iinsistedonhislookingatit。’Idon’tchoosetobemistaken，’Isaid，’forawomanwhomaybeabadcharacter，becauseshehappenstobear，ortohaveassumed，thesamenameasmine。Iinsistonyourreadingthefirstpartofthisletterformysatisfaction，ifnotforyourown。’Hewasobligedtocomply;andtherewastheproof，intheoldlady’shandwriting，that，attwoo’clockonMondaylast，sheandIweretogetherinKingsdownCrescent，whichanydirectorywouldtellhimisa’crescent’inBayswater！Ileaveyoutoimaginehisapologies，andtheperfectsweetnesswithwhichIreceivedthem。
“Imight，ofcourse，ifIhadnotpreservedtheletter，havereferredhimtoyou，ortothemajor’smother，withsimilarresults。Asitis，theobjecthasbeengainedwithouttroubleordelay。_Ihavebeenprovednottobemyself;_andoneofthemanydangersthatthreatenedmeatThorpeAmbroseisadangerblownoverfromthismoment。Yourhouse-maid’sfacemaynotbeaveryhandsomeone;butthereisnodenyingthatithasdoneusexcellentservice。
“Somuchforthepast;nowforthefuture。YoushallhearhowI
getonwiththepeopleaboutme;andyoushalljudgeforyourselfwhatthechancesareforandagainstmybecomingmistressofThorpeAmbrose。
“LetmebeginwithyoungArmadale——becauseitisbeginningwithgoodnews。Ihaveproducedtherightimpressiononhimalready，andHeavenknows_that_isnothingtoboastof！Anymoderatelygood-lookingwomanwhochosetotakethetroublecouldmakehimfallinlovewithher。Heisarattle-patedyoungfool——oneofthosenoisy，rosy，light-haired，good-temperedmenwhomI
particularlydetest。Ihadawholehouralonewithhiminaboat，thefirstdayIcamehere，andIhavemadegooduseofmytime，I
cantellyou，fromthatdaytothis。Theonlydifficultywithhimisthedifficultyofconcealingmyownfeelings，especiallywhenheturnsmydislikeofhimintodownrighthatredbysometimesremindingmeofhismother。IreallyneversawamanwhomIcouldusesoill，ifIhadtheopportunity。Hewillgivemetheopportunity，Ibelieve，ifnoaccidenthappens，soonerthanwecalculatedon。Ihavejustreturnedfromapartyatthegreathouse，incelebrationoftherent-daydinner，andthesquire’sattentionstome，andmymodestreluctancetoreceivethem，havealreadyexcitedgeneralremark。
“Mypupil，MissMilroy，comesnext。She，too，isrosyandfoolish;and，whatismore，awkwardandsquatandfreckled，andill-temperedandill-dressed。Nofearof_her，_thoughshehatesmelikepoison，whichisagreatcomfort，forIgetridofheroutoflessontimeandwalkingtime。ItisperfectlyeasytoseethatshehasmadethemostofheropportunitieswithyoungArmadaleopportunities，by-the-by，whichwenevercalculatedon，andthatshehasbeenstupidenoughtolethimslipthroughherfingers。WhenItellyouthatsheisobliged，forthesakeofappearances，togowithherfatherandmetothelittleentertainmentsatThorpeAmbrose，andtoseehowyoungArmadaleadmiresme，youwillunderstandthekindofplaceIholdinheraffections。ShewouldtrymepastallenduranceifIdidn’tseethatIaggravateherbykeepingmytemper，so，ofcourse，Ikeepit。IfIdobreakout，itwillbeoverourlessons——notoverourFrench，ourgrammar，history，andglobes——butoverourmusic。NowordscansayhowIfeelforherpoorpiano。HalfthemusicalgirlsinEnglandoughttohavetheirfingerschoppedoffintheinterestsofsociety，and，ifIhadmyway，MissMilroy’sfingersshouldbeexecutedfirst。
“Asforthemajor，IcanhardlystandhigherinhisestimationthanIstandalready。Iamalwaysreadytomakehisbreakfast，andhisdaughterisnot。Icanalwaysfindthingsforhimwhenhelosesthem，andhisdaughtercan’t。Ineveryawnwhenheproses，andhisdaughterdoes。Ilikethepoordearharmlessoldgentleman，soIwon’tsayawordmoreabouthim。
“Well，hereisafairprospectforthefuturesurely？MygoodOldershaw，thereneverwasaprospectyetwithoutanuglyplaceinit。_My_prospecthastwouglyplacesinit。ThenameofoneofthemisMrs。Milroy，andthenameoftheotherisMr。
Midwinter。
“Mrs。Milroyfirst。BeforeIhadbeenfiveminutesinthecottage，onthedayofmyarrival，whatdoyouthinkshedid？Shesentdownstairsandaskedtoseeme。Themessagestartledmealittle，afterhearingfromtheoldlady，inLondon，thatherdaughter-in-lawwastoogreatasufferertoseeanybody;but，ofcourse，whenIgothermessage，Ihadnochoicebuttogoupstairstothesick-room。Ifoundherbedriddenwithanincurablespinalcomplaint，andareallyhorribleobjecttolookat，butwithallherwitsabouther;and，ifIamnotgreatlymistaken，asdeceitfulawoman，withasvileatemper，asyoucouldfindanywhereinallyourlongexperience。Herexcessivepoliteness，andherkeepingherownfaceintheshadeofthebed-curtainswhileshecontrivedtokeepmineinthelight，putmeonmyguardthemomentIenteredtheroom。Weweremorethanhalfanhourtogether，withoutmysteppingintoanyoneofthemanycleverlittletrapsshelaidforme。Theonlymysteryinherbehavior，whichIfailedtoseethroughatthetime，washerperpetuallyaskingmetobringherthingsthingssheevidentlydidnotwant
fromdifferentpartsoftheroom。
“Sincetheneventshaveenlightenedme。Myfirstsuspicionswereraisedbyoverhearingsomeoftheservants’gossip;andIhavebeenconfirmedinmyopinionbytheconductofMrs。Milroy’snurse。
“OnthefewoccasionswhenIhavehappenedtobealonewiththemajor，thenursehasalsohappenedtowantsomethingofhermaster，andhasinvariablyforgottentoannounceherappearancebyknocking，atthedoor。DoyouunderstandnowwhyMrs。MilroysentformethemomentIgotintothehouse，andwhatshewantedwhenshekeptmegoingbackwardandforward，firstforonethingandthenforanother？Thereishardlyanattractivelightinwhichmyfaceandfigurecanbeseen，inwhichthatwoman’sjealouseyeshavenotstudiedthemalready。Iamnolongerpuzzledtoknowwhythefatheranddaughterstarted，andlookedateachother，whenIwasfirstpresentedtothem;orwhytheservantsstillstareatmewithamischievousexpectationintheireyeswhenIringthebellandaskthemtodoanything。Itisuselesstodisguisethetruth，MotherOldershaw，betweenyouandme。WhenIwentupstairsintothatsickroom，Imarchedblindfoldintotheclutchesofajealouswoman。IfMrs。Milroy_can_turnmeoutofthehouse，Mrs。Milroy_will;_and，morningandnight，shehasnothingelsetodointhatbedprisonofhersbuttofindouttheway。
“Inthisawkwardposition，myowncautiousconductisadmirablysecondedbythedearoldmajor’sperfectinsensibility。Hiswife’sjealousyofhimisasmonstrousadelusionasanythatcouldbefoundinamad-house;itisthegrowthofherownviletemper，undertheaggravationofanincurableillness。Thepoormanhasn’tathoughtbeyondhismechanicalpursuits;andIdon’tbelieveheknowsatthismomentwhetherIamahandsomewomanornot。Withthischancetohelpme，Imayhopetosetthenurse’sintrusionsandthemistress’scontrivancesatdefiance——foratime，atanyrate。Butyouknowwhatajealouswomanis，andI
thinkIknowwhatMrs。Milroyis;andIownIshallbreathemorefreelyonthedaywhenyoungArmadaleopenshisfoolishlipstosomepurpose，andsetsthemajoradvertisingforanewgoverness。
“Armadale’snameremindsmeofArmadale’sfriend。Thereismoredangerthreateninginthatquarter;and，whatisworse，Idon’tfeelhalfaswellarmedbeforehandagainstMr。MidwinterasIdoagainstMrs。Milroy。
“Everythingaboutthismanismoreorlessmysterious，whichI
don’tlike，tobeginwith。HowdoeshecometobeintheconfidenceoftheSomersetshireclergyman？Howmuchhasthatclergymantoldhim？Howisitthathewassofirmlypersuaded，whenhespoketomeinthepark，thatIwasnottheMissGwiltofwhomhisfriendwasinsearch？Ihaven’ttheghostofananswertogivetoanyofthosethreequestions。Ican’tevendiscoverwhoheis，orhowheandyoungArmadalefirstbecameacquainted。
Ihatehim。No，Idon’t;Ionlywanttofindoutabouthim。Heisveryyoung，littleandlean，andactiveanddark，withbrightblackeyeswhichsaytomeplainly，’Webelongtoamanwithbrainsinhisheadandawillofhisown;amanwhohasn’talwaysbeenhangingaboutacountryhouse，inattendanceonafool。’
Yes;IampositivelycertainMr。Midwinterhasdonesomethingorsufferedsomethinginhispastlife，youngasheis;andIwouldgiveIdon’tknowwhattogetatit。Don’tresentmytakingupsomuchspaceinmywritingabouthim。HehasinfluenceenoughoveryoungArmadaletobeaveryawkwardobstacleinmyway，unlessI
cansecurehisgoodopinionatstarting。
“Well，youmayask，andwhatistopreventyoursecuringhisgoodopinion？Iamsadlyafraid，MotherOldershaw，IhavegotitontermsIneverbargainedfor。Iamsadlyafraidthemanisinlovewithmealready。
“Don’ttossyourheadandsay，’Justlikehervanity！’AfterthehorrorsIhavegonethrough，Ihavenovanityleft;andamanwhoadmiresmeisamanwhomakesmeshudder。Therewasatime，I
own——Pooh！whatamIwriting？Sentiment，Ideclare！Sentimentto_you！_Laughaway，mydear。Asforme，Ineitherlaughnorcry;I
mendmypen，andgetonwithmy——whatdothemencallit？——myreport。
“Theonlythingworthinquiringis，whetherIamrightorwronginmyideaoftheimpressionIhavemadeonhim。
“Letmesee;Ihavebeenfourtimesinhiscompany。Thefirsttimewasinthemajor’sgarden，wherewemetunexpectedly，facetoface。Hestoodlookingatme，likeamanpetrified，withoutspeakingaword。Theeffectofmyhorridredhair，perhaps？Quitelikely;letuslayitonmyhair。ThesecondtimewasingoingovertheThorpeAmbrosegrounds，withyoungArmadaleononesideofme，andmypupilinthesulksontheother。OutcomesMr。
Midwintertojoinus，thoughhehadworktodointhesteward’soffice，whichhehadneverbeenknowntoneglectonanyotheroccasion。Laziness，possibly？oranattachmenttoMissMilroy？I
can’tsay;wewilllayitonMissMilroy，ifyoulike;Ionlyknowhedidnothingbutlookat_me。_Thethirdtimewasattheprivateinterviewinthepark，whichIhavetoldyouofalready。
Ineversawamansoagitatedatputtingadelicatequestiontoawomaninmylife。But_that_mighthavebeenonlyawkwardness;
andhisperpetuallylookingbackaftermewhenwehadpartedmighthavebeenonlylookingbackattheview。Layitontheview;byallmeans，layitontheview！Thefourthtimewasthisveryevening，atthelittleparty。Theymademeplay;and，asthepianowasagoodone，Ididmybest。Allthecompanycrowdedroundme，andpaidmetheircomplimentsmycharmingpupilpaidhers，withafacelikeacat’sjustbeforeshespits，exceptMr。
Midwinter。_He_waitedtillitwastimetogo，andthenhecaughtmealoneforamomentinthehall。Therewasjusttimeforhimtotakemyhand，andsaytwowords。ShallItellyou_how_hetookmyhand，andwhathisvoicesoundedlikewhenhespoke？Quiteneedless！YouhavealwaystoldmethatthelateMr。Oldershawdotedonyou。Justrecallthefirsttimehetookyourhand，andwhisperedawordortwoaddressedtoyourprivateear。Towhatdidyouattributehisbehaviorthatoccasion？Ihavenodoubt，ifyouhadbeenplayingonthepianointhecourseoftheevening，youwouldhaveattributeditentirelytothemusic！
“No！youmaytakemywordforit，theharmisdone。_This_manisnorattle-patedfool，whochangeshisfanciesasreadilyashechangeshisclothes。Thefirethatlightsthosebigblackeyesofhisisnotaneasyfire，whenawomanhasoncekindledit，forthatwomantoputout。Idon’twishtodiscourageyou;Idon’tsaythechangesareagainstus。ButwithMrs。Milroythreateningmeononeside，andMr。Midwinterontheother，theworstofallriskstorunistheriskoflosingtime。YoungArmadalehashintedalready，aswellassuchaloutcanhint，ataprivateinterview！MissMilroy’seyesaresharp，andthenurse’seyesaresharper;andIshalllosemyplaceifeitherofthemfindmeout。
Nomatter！Imusttakemychance，andgivehimtheinterview。
Onlyletmegethimalone，onlyletmeescapethepryingeyesofthewomen，and——ifhisfrienddoesn’tcomebetweenus——Ianswerfortheresult！
“Inthemeantime，haveIanythingmoretotellyou？ArethereanyotherpeopleinourwayatThorpeAmbrose？Notanothercreature！
Noneoftheresidentfamiliescallhere，youngArmadalebeing，mostfortunately，inbadodorintheneighborhood。Therearenohandsomehighly-bredwomentocometothehouse，andnopersonsofconsequencetoprotestagainsthisattentionstoagoverness。
Theonlyguestshecouldcollectathispartyto-nightwerethelawyerandhisfamilyawife，ason，andtwodaughters，andadeafoldwomanand_her_son——allperfectlyunimportantpeople，andallobedienthumbleservantsofthestupidyoungsquire。
“Talkingofobedienthumbleservants，thereisoneotherpersonestablishedhere，whoisemployedinthesteward’soffice——amiserable，shabby，dilapidatedoldman，namedBashwood。Heisaperfectstrangertome，andIamevidentlyaperfectstrangertohim，forhehasbeenaskingthehouse-maidatthecottagewhoI
am。Itispayingnogreatcomplimenttomyselftoconfessit，butitisnotthelesstruethatIproducedthemostextraordinaryimpressiononthisfeebleoldcreaturethefirsttimehesawme。
Heturnedallmannerofcolors，andstoodtremblingandstaringatme，asiftherewassomethingperfectlyfrightfulinmyface。
Ifeltquitestartledforthemoment，for，ofallthewaysinwhichmenhavelookedatme，nomaneverlookedatmeinthatwaybefore。DidyoueverseetheboaconstrictorfedattheZoologicalGardens？Theyputaliverabbitintohiscage，andthereisamomentwhenthetwocreatureslookateachother。I
declareMr。Bashwoodremindedmeoftherabbit。
“WhydoImentionthis？Idon’tknowwhy。PerhapsIhavebeenwritingtoolong，andmyheadisbeginningtofailme。PerhapsMr。Bashwood’smannerofadmiringmestrikesmyfancybyitsnovelty。Absurd！Iamexcitingmyself，andtroublingyouaboutnothing。Oh，whataweary，longletterIhavewritten！andhowbrightlythestarslookatmethroughthewindow，andhowawfullyquietthenightis！Sendmesomemoreofthosesleepingdrops，andwritemeoneofyournice，wicked，amusingletters。YoushallhearfrommeagainassoonasIknowalittlebetterhowitisalllikelytoend。Good-night，andkeepacornerinyourstonyoldheartforL。G。”
3。_FromMrs。OldershawtoMissGwilt。_
“DianaStreet，Pimlico，Monday。
“MYDEARLYDIA——Iaminnostateofmindtowriteyouanamusingletter。Yournewsisverydiscouraging，andtherecklessnessofyourtonequitealarmsme。ConsiderthemoneyIhavealreadyadvanced，andtheinterestswebothhaveatstake。Whateverelseyouare，don’tbereckless，forHeaven’ssake！
“WhatcanIdo？Iaskmyself，asawomanofbusiness，whatcanI
dotohelpyou？Ican’tgiveyouadvice，forIamnotonthespot，andIdon’tknowhowcircumstancesmayalterfromonedaytoanother。Situatedaswearenow，Icanonlybeusefulinoneway。Icandiscoveranewobstaclethatthreatensyou，andI
thinkIcanremoveit。
“Yousay，withgreattruth，thatthereneverwasaprospectyetwithoutanuglyplaceinit，andthattherearetwouglyplacesinyourprospect。Mydear，theremaybe_three_uglyplaces，ifI
don’tbestirmyselftopreventit;andthenameofthethirdplacewillbe——Brock！Isitpossibleyoucanrefer，asyouhavedone，totheSomersetshireclergyman，andnotseethattheprogressyoumakewithyoungArmadalewillbe，soonerorlater，reportedtohimbyyoungArmadale’sfriend？Why，nowIthinkofit，youaredoublyattheparson’smercy！Youareatthemercyofanyfreshsuspicionwhichmaybringhimintotheneighborhoodhimselfataday’snotice;andyouareatthemercyofhisinterferencethemomenthehearsthatthesquireiscommittinghimselfwithaneighbor’sgoverness。IfIcandonothingelse，I
cankeepthisadditionaldifficultyoutofyourway。Andoh，Lydia，withwhatalacrityIshallexertmyself，afterthemannerinwhichtheoldwretchinsultedmewhenItoldhimthatpitiablestoryinthestreet！IdeclareItinglewithpleasureatthisnewprospectofmakingafoolofMr。Brock。
“Andhowisittobedone？Justaswehavedoneitalready，tobesure。Hehaslost’MissGwilt’otherwisemyhouse-maid，hasn’the？Verywell。Heshallfindheragain，whereverheisnow，suddenlysettledwithineasyreachofhim。Aslongas_she_stopsintheplace，_he_willstopinit;andasweknowheisnotatThorpeAmbrose，thereyouarefreeofhim！Theoldgentleman’ssuspicionshavegivenusagreatdealoftroublesofar。Letusturnthemtosomeprofitableaccountatlast;letustiehim，byhissuspicions，tomyhouse-maid’sapron-string。Mostrefreshing。
Quiteamoralretribution，isn’tit？
“TheonlyhelpIneedtroubleyouforishelpyoucaneasilygive。FindoutfromMr。Midwinterwheretheparsonisnow，andletmeknowbyreturnofpost。IfheisinLondon，Iwillpersonallyassistmyhousemaidinthenecessarymystificationofhim。Ifheisanywhereelse，Iwillsendherafterhim，accompaniedbyapersononwhosediscretionIcanimplicitlyrely。
“Youshallhavethesleepingdropsto-morrow。Inthemeantime，I
sayattheendwhatIsaidatthebeginning——norecklessness。
Don’tencouragepoeticalfeelingsbylookingatthestars;anddon’ttalkaboutthenightbeingawfullyquiet。Therearepeopleinobservatoriespaidtolookatthestarsforyou;leaveittothem。Andasforthenight，dowhatProvidenceintendedyoutodowiththenightwhenProvidenceprovidedyouwitheyelids——gotosleepinit。Affectionatelyyours，“MARIAOLDERSHAW。”
4。_FromtheReverendDecimusBrocktoOziasMidwinter。_
“BascombeRectory，WestSomerset，Thursday，July8。
“MYDEARMIDWINTER——Onelinebeforethepostgoesout，torelieveyouofallsenseofresponsibilityatThorpeAmbrose，andtomakemyapologiestotheladywholivesasgovernessinMajorMilroy’sfamily。
“_The_MissGwilt——orperhapsIoughttosay，thewomancallingherselfbythatname——has，tomyunspeakableastonishment，openlymadeherappearancehere，inmyownparish！Sheisstayingattheinn，accompaniedbyaplausible-lookingman，whopassesasherbrother。Whatthisaudaciousproceedingreallymeans——unlessitmarksanewstepintheconspiracyagainstAllan，takenundernewadvice——is，ofcourse，morethanIcanyetfindout。
“Myownideais，thattheyhaverecognizedtheimpossibilityofgettingatAllan，withoutfindingmeoryouasanobstacleintheirway;andthattheyaregoingtomakeavirtueofnecessitybyboldlytryingtoopentheircommunicationsthroughme。Themanlookscapableofanystretchofaudacity;andbothheandthewomanhadtheimpudencetobowwhenImettheminthevillagehalfanhoursince。TheyhavebeenmakinginquiriesalreadyaboutAllan’smotherhere，whereherexemplarylifemaysettheirclosestscrutinyatdefiance。Iftheywillonlyattempttoextortmoney，asthepriceofthewoman’ssilenceonthesubjectofpoorMrs。Armadale’sconductinMadeiraatthetimeofhermarriage，theywillfindmewellpreparedforthembeforehand。Ihavewrittenbythisposttomylawyerstosendacompetentmantoassistme，andhewillstayattherectory，inanycharacterwhichhethinksitsafesttoassumeunderpresentcircumstances。
“Youshallhearwhathappensinthenextdayortwo。
“Alwaystrulyyours，DECIMUSBROCK。”
CHAPTERXII。
THECLOUDINGOFTHESKY。
NINEdayshadpassed，andthetenthdaywasnearlyatanend，sinceMissGwiltandherpupilhadtakentheirmorningwalkinthecottagegarden。
Thenightwasovercast。Sincesunset，therehadbeensignsintheskyfromwhichthepopularforecasthadpredictedrain。Thereception-roomsatthegreathousewereallemptyanddark。Allanwasaway，passingtheeveningwiththeMilroys;andMidwinterwaswaitinghisreturn——notwhereMidwinterusuallywaited，amongthebooksinthelibrary，butinthelittlebackroomwhichAllan’smotherhadinhabitedinthelastdaysofherresidenceatThorpeAmbrose。
Nothinghadbeentakenaway，butmuchhadbeenaddedtotheroom，sinceMidwinterhadfirstseenit。ThebookswhichMrs。Armadalehadleftbehindher，thefurniture，theoldmattingonthefloor，theoldpaperonthewalls，wereallundisturbed。ThestatuetteofNiobestillstoodonitsbracket，andtheFrenchwindowstillopenedonthegarden。Butnow，totherelicsleftbythemother，wereaddedthepersonalpossessionsbelongingtotheson。Thewall，barehitherto，wasdecoratedwithwater-colordrawings——withaportraitofMrs。ArmadalesupportedononesidebyaviewoftheoldhouseinSomersetshire，andontheotherbyapictureoftheyacht。AmongthebookswhichboreinfadedinkMrs。Armadale’sinscriptions，“Frommyfather。”wereotherbooksinscribedinthesamehandwriting，inbrighterink，“Tomyson。”
Hangingtothewall，rangedonthechimney-piece，scatteredoverthetable，wereahostoflittleobjects，someassociatedwithAllan’spastlife，othersnecessarytohisdailypleasuresandpursuits，andallplainlytestifyingthattheroomwhichhehabituallyoccupiedatThorpeAmbrosewastheveryroomwhichhadoncerecalledtoMidwinterthesecondvisionofthedream。Here，strangelyunmovedbythescenearoundhim，solatelytheobjectofhissuperstitiousdistrust，Allan’sfriendnowwaitedcomposedlyforAllan’sreturn;andhere，morestrangelystill，helookedonachangeinthehouseholdarrangements，dueinthefirstinstanceentirelytohimself。Hisownlipshadrevealedthediscoverywhichhehadmadeonthefirstmorninginthenewhouse;hisownvoluntaryacthadinducedthesontoestablishhimselfinthemother’sroom。
Underwhatmotiveshadhespokenthewords？Undernomotiveswhichwerenotthenaturalgrowthofthenewinterestsandthenewhopesthatnowanimatedhim。
TheentirechangewroughtinhisconvictionsbythememorableeventthathadbroughthimfacetofacewithMissGwiltwasachangewhichitwasnotinhisnaturetohidefromAllan’sknowledge。Hehadspokenopenly，andhadspokenasitwasinhischaractertospeak。Themeritofconqueringhissuperstitionwasameritwhichheshrankfromclaiming，untilhehadfirstunsparinglyexposedthatsuperstitioninitsworstandweakestaspectstoview。
ItwasonlyafterhehadunreservedlyacknowledgedtheimpulseunderwhichhehadleftAllanattheMere，thathehadtakencredittohimselfforthenewpointofviewfromwhichhecouldnowlookattheDream。Then，andnottillthen，hehadspokenofthefulfillmentofthefirstVisionasthedoctorattheIsleofManmighthavespokenofit。Hehadasked，asthedoctormighthaveasked，Wherewasthewonderoftheirseeingapoolatsunset，whentheyhadawholenetworkofpoolswithinafewhours’driveofthem？andwhatwasthereextraordinaryindiscoveringawomanattheMere，whentherewereroadsthatledtoit，andvillagesinitsneighborhood，andboatsemployedonit，andpleasurepartiesvisitingit？Soagain，hehadwaitedtovindicatethefirmerresolutionwithwhichhelookedtothefuture，untilhehadfirstrevealedallthathenowsawhimselfoftheerrorsofthepast。Theabandonmentofhisfriend’sinterests，theunworthinessoftheconfidencethathadgivenhimthesteward’splace，theforgetfulnessofthetrustthatMr。
BrockhadreposedinhimallimpliedintheoneideaofleavingAllan——wereallpointedout。Theglaringself-contradictionsbetrayedinacceptingtheDreamastherevelationofafatality，andinattemptingtoescapethatfatalitybyanexertionoffree-will——intoilingtostoreupknowledgeofthesteward’sdutiesforthefuture，andinshrinkingfromlettingthefuturefindhiminAllan’shouse——were，intheirturn，unsparinglyexposed。Toeveryerror，toeveryinconsistency，heresolutelyconfessed，beforeheventuredonthelastsimpleappealwhichclosedall，“Willyoutrustmeinthefuture？Willyouforgiveandforgetthepast？”
Amanwhocouldthusopenhiswholeheart，withoutonelurkingreserveinspiredbyconsiderationforhimself，wasnotamantoforgetanyminoractofconcealmentofwhichhisweaknessmighthaveledhimtobeguiltytowardhisfriend。ItlayheavyonMidwinter’sconsciencethathehadkeptsecretfromAllanadiscoverywhichheoughtinAllan’sdearestintereststohaverevealed——thediscoveryofhismother’sroom。
Butonedoubtstillclosedhislips——thedoubtwhetherMrs。
Armadale’sconductinMadeirahadbeenkeptsecretonherreturntoEngland。
Carefulinquiry，firstamongtheservants，thenamongthetenantry，carefulconsiderationofthefewreportscurrentatthetime，asrepeatedtohimbythefewpersonsleftwhorememberedthem，convincedhimatlastthatthefamilysecrethadbeensuccessfullykeptwithinthefamilylimits。Oncesatisfiedthatwhateverinquiriesthesonmightmakewouldleadtonodisclosurewhichcouldshakehisrespectforhismother’smemory，Midwinterhadhesitatednolonger。HehadtakenAllanintotheroom，andhadshownhimthebooksontheshelves，andallthatthewritinginthebooksdisclosed。Hehadsaidplainly，“MyonemotivefornottellingyouthisbeforesprangfrommydreadofinterestingyouintheroomwhichIlookedatwithhorrorasthesecondofthescenespointedatintheDream。Forgivemethisalso，andyouwillhaveforgivenmeall。”
WithAllan’sloveforhismother’smemory，butoneresultcouldfollowsuchanavowalasthis。Hehadlikedthelittleroomfromthefirst，asapleasantcontrasttotheoppressivegrandeuroftheotherroomsatThorpeAmbrose，and，nowthatheknewwhatassociationswereconnectedwithit，hisresolutionwasatoncetakentomakeitespeciallyhisown。Thesameday，allhispersonalpossessionswerecollectedandarrangedinhismother’sroom——inMidwinter’spresence，andwithMidwinter’sassistancegiventothework。
Underthosecircumstanceshadthechangenowwroughtinthehouseholdarrangementsbeenproduced;andinthiswayhadMidwinter’svictoryoverhisownfatalism——bymakingAllanthedailyoccupantofaroomwhichhemightotherwisehardlyeverhaveentered——actuallyfavoredthefulfillmentoftheSecondVisionoftheDream。
ThehourworeonquietlyasAllan’sfriendsatwaitingforAllan’sreturn。Sometimesreading，sometimesthinkingplacidly，hewhiledawaythetime。Novexingcares，nobodingdoubts，troubledhimnow。Therent-day，whichhehadoncedreaded，hadcomeandgoneharmlessly。AfriendlierunderstandinghadbeenestablishedbetweenAllanandhistenants;Mr。Bashwoodhadprovedhimselftobeworthyoftheconfidencereposedinhim;thePedgifts，fatherandson，hadamplyjustifiedtheirclient’sgoodopinionofthem。WhereverMidwinterlooked，theprospectwasbright，thefuturewaswithoutacloud。
Hetrimmedthelamponthetablebesidehimandlookedoutatthenight。Thestableclockwaschimingthehalf-hourpastelevenashewalkedtothewindow，andthefirstrain-dropswerebeginningtofall。Hehadhishandonthebelltosummontheservant，andsendhimovertothecottagewithanumbrella，whenhewasstoppedbyhearingthefamiliarfootsteponthewalkoutside。
“Howlateyouare！“saidMidwinter，asAllanenteredthroughtheopenFrenchwindow。“Wasthereapartyatthecottage？”
“No！onlyourselves。Thetimeslippedawaysomehow。”Heansweredinlowertonesthanusual，andsighedashetookhischair。
“Youseemtobeoutofspirits？”pursuedMidwinter。“What’sthematter？”
Allanhesitated。“Imayaswelltellyou。”hesaid，afteramoment。“It’snothingtobeashamedof;Ionlywonderyouhaven’tnoticeditbefore！There’sawomaninit，asusual——I’minlove。”
Midwinterlaughed。“HasMissMilroybeenmorecharmingto-nightthanever？”heasked，gayly。
“MissMilroy！“repeatedAllan。“Whatareyouthinkingof！I’mnotinlovewithMissMilroy。”
“Whoisit，then？”
“Whoisit！Whataquestiontoask！WhocanitbebutMissGwilt？”
Therewasasuddensilence。Allansatlistlessly，withhishandsinhispockets，lookingoutthroughtheopenwindowatthefallingrain。IfhehadturnedtowardhisfriendwhenhementionedMissGwilt’snamehemightpossiblyhavebeenalittlestartledbythechangehewouldhaveseeninMidwinter’sface。
“Isupposeyoudon’tapproveofit？”hesaid，afterwaitingalittle。
Therewasnoanswer。
“It’stoolatetomakeobjections。”proceededAllan。“IreallymeanitwhenItellyouI’minlovewithher。”
“AfortnightsinceyouwereinlovewithMissMilroy。”saidtheother，inquiet，measuredtones。
“Pooh！amereflirtation。It’sdifferentthistime。I’minearnestaboutMissGwilt。”
Helookedroundashespoke。Midwinterturnedhisfaceasideontheinstant，andbentitoverabook。
“Iseeyoudon’tapproveofthething。”Allanwenton。“Doyouobjecttoherbeingonlyagoverness？Youcan’tdothat，I’msure。Ifyouwereinmyplace，herbeingonlyagovernesswouldn’tstandinthewaywith_you？_“
“No。”saidMidwinter;“Ican’thonestlysayitwouldstandinthewaywithme。”Hegavetheanswerreluctantly，andpushedhischairbackoutofthelightofthelamp。
“Agovernessisaladywhoisnotrich。”saidAllan，inanoracularmanner;“andaduchessisaladywhoisnotpoor。Andthat’sallthedifferenceIacknowledgebetweenthem。MissGwiltisolderthanIam——Idon’tdenythat。Whatagedoyouguessherat，Midwinter？Isay，sevenoreightandtwenty。Whatdoyousay？”
“Nothing。Iagreewithyou。”
“Doyouthinksevenoreightandtwentyistoooldforme？Ifyouwereinlovewithawomanyourself，youwouldn’tthinksevenoreightandtwentytooold——wouldyou？”
“Ican’tsayIshouldthinkittooold，if——“
“Ifyouwerereallyfondofher？”
Oncemoretherewasnoanswer。
“Well。”resumedAllan，“ifthere’snoharminherbeingonlyagoverness，andnoharminherbeingalittleolderthanIam，what’stheobjectiontoMissGwilt？”
“Ihavemadenoobjection。”
“Idon’tsayyouhave。Butyoudon’tseemtolikethenotionofit，forallthat。”
Therewasanotherpause。Midwinterwasthefirsttobreakthesilencethistime。
“Areyousureofyourself，Allan？”heasked，withhisfacebentoncemoreoverthebook。“Areyoureallyattachedtothislady？
Haveyouthoughtseriouslyalreadyofaskinghertobeyourwife？”
“Iamthinkingseriouslyofitatthismoment。”saidAllan。“I
can’tbehappy——Ican’tlivewithouther。Uponmysoul，Iworshiptheverygroundshetreadson！“
“Howlong——“Hisvoicefaltered，andhestopped。“Howlong。”hereiterated，“haveyouworshippedtheverygroundshetreadson？”
“Longerthanyouthinkfor。IknowIcantrustyouwithallmysecrets——“
“Don’ttrustme！“
“Nonsense！I_will_trustyou。ThereisalittledifficultyinthewaywhichIhaven’tmentionedyet。It’samatterofsomedelicacy，andIwanttoconsultyouaboutit。Betweenourselves，IhavehadprivateopportunitieswithMissGwilt——“
Midwintersuddenlystartedtohisfeet，andopenedthedoor。
“We’lltalkofthisto-morrow。”hesaid。“Good-night。”
Allanlookedroundinastonishment。Thedoorwasclosedagain，andhewasaloneintheroom。
“Hehasnevershakenhandswithme！“exclaimedAllan，lookingbewilderedattheemptychair。
Asthewordspassedhislipsthedooropened，andMidwinterappearedagain。
“Wehaven’tshakenhands。”hesaid，abruptly。“Godblessyou，Allan！We’lltalkofitto-morrow。Good-night。”
Allanstoodaloneatthewindow，lookingoutatthepouringrain。
Hefeltillatease，withoutknowingwhy。“Midwinter’swaysgetstrangerandstranger。”hethought。“Whatcanhemeanbyputtingmeofftillto-morrow，whenIwantedtospeaktohimto-night？”
Hetookuphisbedroomcandlealittleimpatiently，putitdownagain，and，walkingbacktotheopenwindow，stoodlookingoutinthedirectionofthecottage。“Iwonderifshe’sthinkingofme？”
hesaidtohimselfsoftly。
She_was_thinkingofhim。ShehadjustopenedherdesktowritetoMrs。Oldershaw;andherpenhadthatmomenttracedtheopeningline:“Makeyourmindeasy。Ihavegothim！“
CHAPTERXIII。
EXIT。
ITrainedallthroughthenight，andwhenthemorningcameitwasrainingstill。
Contrarytohisordinaryhabit，Midwinterwaswaitinginthebreakfast-roomwhenAllanenteredit。Helookedwornandweary，buthissmilewasgentlerandhismannermorecomposedthanusual。ToAllan’ssurpriseheapproachedthesubjectofthepreviousnight’sconversationofhisownaccordassoonastheservantwasoutoftheroom。
“Iamafraidyouthoughtmeveryimpatientandveryabruptwithyoulastnight。”hesaid。“Iwilltrytomakeamendsforitthismorning。IwillheareverythingyouwishtosaytomeonthesubjectofMissGwilt。”
“Ihardlyliketoworryyou。”saidAllan。“Youlookasifyouhadhadabadnight’srest。”
“Ihavenotsleptwellforsometimepast。”repliedMidwinter，quietly。“Somethinghasbeenwrongwithme。ButIbelieveIhavefoundoutthewaytoputmyselfrightagainwithouttroublingthedoctors。LateinthemorningIshallhavesomethingtosaytoyouaboutthis。Letusgetbackfirsttowhatyouweretalkingoflastnight。Youwerespeakingofsomedifficulty——“Hehesitated，andfinishedthesentenceinatonesolowthatAllanfailedtohearhim。“Perhapsitwouldbebetter。”hewenton，“if，insteadofspeakingtome，youspoketoMr。Brock？”
“Iwouldratherspeakto_you，_“saidAllan。“Buttellmefirst，wasIrightorwronglastnightinthinkingyoudisapprovedofmyfallinginlovewithMissGwilt？”
Midwinter’slean，nervousfingersbegantocrumblethebreadinhisplate。HiseyeslookedawayfromAllanforthefirsttime。
“Ifyouhaveanyobjection。”persistedAllan，“Ishouldliketohearit。”
Midwintersuddenlylookedupagain，hischeeksturningashypale，andhisglitteringblackeyesfixedfullonAllan’sface。
“Youloveher。”hesaid。“Does_she_love_you？_“
“Youwon’tthinkmevain？”returnedAllan。“ItoldyouyesterdayIhadhadprivateopportunitieswithher——“
Midwinter’seyesdroppedagaintothecrumbsonhisplate。“I
understand。”heinterposed，quickly。“Youwerewronglastnight。
Ihadnoobjectionstomake。”
“Don’tyoucongratulateme？”askedAllan，alittleuneasily。
“Suchabeautifulwoman！suchacleverwoman！“
Midwinterheldouthishand。“Ioweyoumorethanmerecongratulations。”hesaid。“InanythingwhichisforyourhappinessIoweyouhelp。”HetookAllan’shand，andwrungithard。“CanIhelpyou？”heasked，growingpalerandpalerashespoke。
“Mydearfellow。”exclaimedAllan，“whatisthematterwithyou？
Yourhandisascoldasice。”
Midwintersmiledfaintly。“Iamalwaysinextremes。”hesaid;“myhandwasashotasfirethefirsttimeyoutookitattheoldwest-countryinn。Cometothatdifficultywhichyouhavenotcometoyet。Youareyoung，rich，yourownmaster——andshelovesyou。
Whatdifficultycantherebe？”
Allanhesitated。“Ihardlyknowhowtoputit。”hereplied。“Asyousaidjustnow，Iloveher，andshelovesme;andyetthereisasortofstrangenessbetweenus。Onetalksagooddealaboutone’sselfwhenoneisinlove，atleastIdo。I’vetoldherallaboutmyselfandmymother，andhowIcameinforthisplace，andtherestofit。Well——thoughitdoesn’tstrikemewhenwearetogether——itcomesacrossmenowandthen，whenI’mawayfromher，thatshedoesn’tsaymuchonherside。Infact，Iknownomoreaboutherthanyoudo。”
“DoyoumeanthatyouknownothingaboutMissGwilt’sfamilyandfriends？”
“That’sit，exactly。”
“Haveyouneveraskedheraboutthem？”
“Isaidsomethingofthesorttheotherday。”returnedAllan:
“andI’mafraid，asusual，Isaiditinthewrongway。Shelooked——Ican’tquitetellyouhow;notexactlydispleased，but——oh，whatthingswordsare！I’dgivetheworld，Midwinter，ifIcouldonlyfindtherightwordwhenIwantitaswellasyoudo。”
“DidMissGwiltsayanythingtoyouinthewayofareply？”
“That’sjustwhatIwascomingto。Shesaid，’Ishallhaveamelancholystorytotellyouoneofthesedays，Mr。Armadale，aboutmyselfandmyfamily;butyoulooksohappy，andthecircumstancesaresodistressing，thatIhavehardlythehearttospeakofitnow。’Ah，_she_canexpressherself——withthetearsinhereyes，mydearfellow，withthetearsinhereyes！Ofcourse，Ichangedthesubjectdirectly。Andnowthedifficultyishowtogetbacktoit，delicately，withoutmakinghercryagain。
We_must_getbacktoit，youknow。Notonmyaccount;Iamquitecontenttomarryherfirstandhearofherfamilymisfortunes，poorthing，afterward。ButIknowMr。Brock。IfIcan’tsatisfyhimaboutherfamilywhenIwritetotellhimofthiswhich，ofcourse，Imustdo，hewillbedeadagainstthewholething。I’mmyownmaster，ofcourse，andIcandoasIlikeaboutit。ButdearoldBrockwassuchagoodfriendtomypoormother，andhehasbeensuchagoodfriendtome——youseewhatImean，don’tyou？”
“Certainly，Allan;Mr。Brockhasbeenyoursecondfather。Anydisagreementbetweenyouaboutsuchaseriousmatterasthiswouldbethesaddestthingthatcouldhappen。YououghttosatisfyhimthatMissGwiltiswhatIamsureMissGwiltwillprovetobeworthy，ineverywayworthy——“Hisvoicesankinspiteofhim，andheleftthesentenceunfinished。
“Justmyfeelinginthematter！“Allanstruckin，glibly。“NowwecancometowhatIparticularlywantedtoconsultyouabout。Ifthiswasyourcase，Midwinter，youwouldbeabletosaytherightwordstoher——youwouldputitdelicately，eventhoughyouwereputtingitquiteinthedark。Ican’tdothat。I’mablunderingsortoffellow;andI’mhorriblyafraid，ifIcan’tgetsomehintatthetruthtohelpmeatstarting，ofsayingsomethingtodistressher。Familymisfortunesaresuchtendersubjectstotouchon，especiallywithsucharefinedwoman，suchatender-heartedwoman，asMissGwilt。Theremayhavebeensomedreadfuldeathinthefamily——somerelationwhohasdisgracedhimself——someinfernalcrueltywhichhasforcedthepoorthingoutontheworldasagoverness。Well，turningitoverinmymind，itstruckmethatthemajormightbeabletoputmeontherighttack。ItisquitepossiblethathemighthavebeeninformedofMissGwilt’sfamilycircumstancesbeforeheengagedher，isn’tit？”
“Itispossible，Allan，certainly。”
“Justmyfeelingagain！Mynotionistospeaktothemajor。IfI
couldonlygetthestoryfromhimfirst，IshouldknowsomuchbetterhowtospeaktoMissGwiltaboutitafterward。Youadvisemetotrythemajor，don’tyou？”
TherewasapausebeforeMidwinterreplied。Whenhedidanswer，itwasalittlereluctantly。
“Ihardlyknowhowtoadviseyou，Allan。”hesaid。“Thisisaverydelicatematter。”
“Ibelieveyouwouldtrythemajor，ifyouwereinmyplace。”
returnedAllan，revertingtohisinveteratelypersonalwayofputtingthequestion。
“PerhapsImight。”saidMidwinter，moreandmoreunwillingly。
“ButifIdidspeaktothemajor，Ishouldbeverycareful，inyourplace，nottoputmyselfinafalseposition。Ishouldbeverycarefultoletnoonesuspectmeofthemeannessofpryingintoawoman’ssecretsbehindherback。”
Allan’sfaceflushed。“Goodheavens，Midwinter。”heexclaimed，“whocouldsuspectmeofthat？”
“Nobody，Allan，whoreallyknowsyou。”
“Themajorknowsme。Themajoristhelastmanintheworldtomisunderstandme。AllIwanthimtodoistohelpmeifhecan
tospeakaboutadelicatesubjecttoMissGwilt，withouthurtingherfeelings。Cananythingbesimplerbetweentwogentlemen？”
Insteadofreplying，Midwinter，stillspeakingasconstrainedlyasever，askedaquestiononhisside。“DoyoumeantotellMajorMilroy。”hesaid，“whatyourintentionsreallyaretowardMissGwilt？”
Allan’smanneraltered。Hehesitated，andlookedconfused。
“Ihavebeenthinkingofthat。”hereplied;“andImeantofeelmywayfirst，andthentellhimornotafterward，asmattersturnout？”
AproceedingsocautiousasthiswastoostrikinglyinconsistentwithAllan’scharacternottosurpriseanyonewhoknewhim。
Midwintershowedhissurpriseplainly。
“YouforgetthatfoolishflirtationofminewithMissMilroy。”
Allanwenton，moreandmoreconfusedly。“Themajormayhavenoticedit，andmayhavethoughtImeant——well，whatIdidn’tmean。Itmightberatherawkward，mightn’tit，toproposetohisfaceforhisgovernessinsteadofhisdaughter？”
Hewaitedforawordofanswer，butnonecame。Midwinteropenedhislipstospeak，andsuddenlycheckedhimself。Allan，uneasyathissilence，doublyuneasyundercertainrecollectionsofthemajor’sdaughterwhichtheconversationhadcalledup，rosefromthetableandshortenedtheinterviewalittleimpatiently。
“Come！come！“hesaid，“don’tsittherelookingunutterablethings;don’tmakemountainsoutofmole-hills。Youhavesuchanold，oldhead，Midwinter，onthoseyoungshouldersofyours！
Let’shavedonewithallthese_pros_and_cons。_。Doyoumeantotellmeinplainwordsthatitwon’tdotospeaktothemajor？”
“Ican’ttaketheresponsibility，Allan，oftellingyouthat。Tobeplainerstill，Ican’tfeelconfidentofthesoundnessofanyadviceImaygiveyouin——inourpresentpositiontowardeachother。AllIamsureofisthatIcannotpossiblybewronginentreatingyoutodotwothings。”
“Whatarethey？”
“IfyouspeaktoMajorMilroy，prayrememberthecautionIhavegivenyou！Praythinkofwhatyousaybeforeyousayit！“
“I’llthink，neverfear！Whatnext？”
“Beforeyoutakeanyseriousstepinthismatter，writeandtellMr。Brock。Willyoupromisemetodothat？”
“Withallmyheart。Anythingmore？”
“Nothingmore。Ihavesaidmylastwords。”
Allanledthewaytothedoor。“Comeintomyroom。”hesaid，“andI’llgiveyouacigar。Theservantswillbeinheredirectlytoclearaway，andIwanttogoontalkingaboutMissGwilt。”
“Don’twaitforme。”saidMidwinter;“I’llfollowyouinaminuteortwo。”
HeremainedseateduntilAllanhadclosedthedoor，thenrose，andtookfromacorneroftheroom，whereitlayhiddenbehindoneofthecurtains，aknapsackreadypackedfortraveling。Ashestoodatthewindowthinking，withtheknapsackinhishand，astrangelyold，care-wornlookstoleoverhisface:heseemedtolosethelastofhisyouthinaninstant。
Whatthewoman’squickerinsighthaddiscovereddayssince，theman’sslowerperceptionhadonlyrealizedinthepastnight。ThepangthathadwrunghimwhenheheardAllan’savowalhadsetthetruthself-revealedbeforeMidwinterforthefirsttime。HehadbeenconsciousoflookingatMissGwiltwithneweyesandanewmind，onthenextoccasionwhentheymetafterthememorableinterviewinMajorMilroy’sgarden;buthehadneveruntilnowknownthepassionthatshehadrousedinhimforwhatitreallywas。Knowingitatlast，feelingitconsciouslyinfullpossessionofhim，hehadthecouragewhichnomanwithahappierexperienceoflifewouldhavepossessed——thecouragetorecallwhatAllanhadconfidedtohim，andtolookresolutelyatthefuturethroughhisowngratefulremembrancesofthepast。
Steadfastly，throughthesleeplesshoursofthenight，hehadbenthismindtotheconvictionthathemustconquerthepassionwhichhadtakenpossessionofhim，forAllan’ssake;andthattheonewaytoconqueritwas——togo。Noafter-doubtastothesacrificehadtroubledhimwhenmorningcame;andnoafter-doubttroubledhimnow。TheonequestionthatkepthimhesitatingwasthequestionofleavingThorpeAmbrose。ThoughMr。Brock’sletterrelievedhimfromallnecessityofkeepingwatchinNorfolkforawomanwhowasknowntobeinSomersetshire;thoughthedutiesofthesteward’sofficeweredutieswhichmightbesafelyleftinMr。Bashwood’striedandtrustworthyhands——still，admittingtheseconsiderations，hismindwasnoteasyatthethoughtofleavingAllan，atatimewhenacrisiswasapproachinginAllan’slife。
Heslungtheknapsacklooselyoverhisshoulderandputthequestiontohisconscienceforthelasttime。“Canyoutrustyourselftoseeher，daybydayasyoumustseeher——canyoutrustyourselftohearhimtalkofher，hourbyhour，asyoumusthearhim——ifyoustayinthishouse？”Againtheanswercame，asithadcomeallthroughthenight。Againhisheartwarnedhim，intheveryinterestsofthefriendshipthatheheldsacred，togowhilethetimewashisown;togobeforethewomanwhohadpossessedherselfofhislovehadpossessedherselfofhispowerofself-sacrificeandhissenseofgratitudeaswell。
Helookedroundtheroommechanicallybeforeheturnedtoleaveit。EveryremembranceoftheconversationthathadjusttakenplacebetweenAllanandhimselfpointedtothesameconclusion，andwarnedhim，ashisownconsciencehadwarnedhim，togo。
Hadhehonestlymentionedanyoneoftheobjectionswhichhe，oranyman，musthaveseentoAllan’sattachment？Hadhe——ashisknowledgeofhisfriend’sfacilecharacterboundhimtodo——warnedAllantodistrusthisownhastyimpulses，andtotesthimselfbytimeandabsence，beforehemadesurethatthehappinessofhiswholelifewasboundupinMissGwilt？No。Thebaredoubtwhether，inspeakingofthesethings，hecouldfeelthathewasspeakingdisinterestedly，hadclosedhislips，andwouldclosehislipsforthefuture，tillthetimeforspeakinghadgoneby。WastherightmantorestrainAllanthemanwhowouldhavegiventheworld，ifhehadit，tostandinAllan’splace？Therewasbutoneplaincourseofactionthatanhonestmanandagratefulmancouldfollowinthepositioninwhichhestood。Farremovedfromallchanceofseeingher，andfromallchanceofhearingofher——alonewithhisownfaithfulrecollectionofwhatheowedtohisfriend——hemighthopetofightitdown，ashehadfoughtdownthetearsinhischildhoodunderhisgypsymaster’sstick;ashehadfoughtdownthemiseryofhislonelyyouthtimeinthecountrybookseller’sshop。“I
mustgo。”hesaid，asheturnedwearilyfromthewindow，“beforeshecomestothehouseagain。Imustgobeforeanotherhourisovermyhead。”
Withthatresolutionhelefttheroom;and，inleavingit，tooktheirrevocablestepfromPresenttoFuture。
Therainwasstillfalling。Thesullensky，allroundthehorizon，stillloweredwateryanddark，whenMidwinter，equippedfortraveling，appearedinAllan’sroom。
“Goodheavens！“criedAllan，pointingtotheknapsack，“whatdoes_that_mean？”
“Nothingveryextraordinary。”saidMidwinter。“Itonlymeans——good-by。”
“Good-by！“repeatedAllan，startingtohisfeetinastonishment。
Midwinterputhimbackgentlyintohischair，anddrewaseatneartoitforhimself。
“WhenyounoticedthatIlookedillthismorning。”hesaid，“I
toldyouthatIhadbeenthinkingofawaytorecovermyhealth，andthatImeanttospeaktoyouaboutitlaterintheday。Thatlattertimehascome。Ihavebeenoutofsorts，asthephraseis，forsometimepast。Youhaveremarkedityourself，Allan，morethanonce;and，withyourusualkindness，youhaveallowedittoexcusemanythingsinmyconductwhichwouldhavebeenotherwiseunpardonable，eveninyourfriendlyeyes。”
“Mydearfellow。”interposedAllan，“youdon’tmeantosayyouaregoingoutonawalkingtourinthispouringrain！“
“Nevermindtherain。”rejoinedMidwinter。“TherainandIareoldfriends。Youknowsomething，Allan，ofthelifeIledbeforeyoumetwithme。FromthetimewhenIwasachild，Ihavebeenusedtohardshipandexposure。Nightandday，sometimesformonthstogether，Ineverhadmyheadunderaroof。Foryearsandyears，thelifeofawildanimal——perhapsIoughttosay，thelifeofasavage——wasthelifeIled，whileyouwereathomeandhappy。Ihavetheleavenofthevagabond——thevagabondanimal，orthevagabondman，Ihardlyknowwhich——inmestill。Doesitdistressyoutohearmetalkofmyselfinthisway？Iwon’tdistressyou。Iwillonlysaythatthecomfortandtheluxuryofourlifehereare，attimes，Ithink，alittletoomuchforamantowhomcomfortsandluxuriescomeasstrangethings。Iwantnothingtoputmerightagainbutmoreairandexercise;fewergoodbreakfastsanddinners，mydearfriend，thanIgethere。Letmegobacktosomeofthehardshipswhichthiscomfortablehouseisexpresslymadetoshutout。LetmemeetthewindandweatherasIusedtomeetthemwhenIwasaboy;letmefeelwearyagainforalittlewhile，withoutacarriageneartopickmeup;andhungrywhenthenightfalls，withmilesofwalkingbetweenmysupperandme。Givemeaweekortwoaway，Allan——upnorthward，onfoot，totheYorkshiremoors——andIpromisetoreturntoThorpeAmbrose，bettercompanyforyouandforyourfriends。I
shallbebackbeforeyouhavetimetomissme。Mr。Bashwoodwilltakecareofthebusinessintheoffice;itisonlyforafortnight，anditisformyowngood——letmego！“
“Idon’tlikeit。”saidAllan。“Idon’tlikeyourleavingmeinthissuddenmanner。There’ssomethingsostrangeanddrearyaboutit。Whynottryriding，ifyouwantmoreexercise;allthehorsesinthestablesareatyourdisposal。Atallevents，youcan’tpossiblygoto-day。Lookattherain！“
Midwinterlookedtowardthewindow，andgentlyshookhishead。
“Ithoughtnothingoftherain。”hesaid，“whenIwasamerechild，gettingmylivingwiththedancingdogs——whyshouldI
thinkanythingofitnow？_My_gettingwet，and_your_gettingwet，Allan，aretwoverydifferentthings。WhenIwasafisherman’sboyintheHebrides，Ihadn’tadrythreadonmeforweekstogether。“