\"Callitthen，ifyoudon’tliketheword，yoursympathy。\"
Ihadgivenhertime，however，toproduceatlastsomethingthat，itvisiblyoccurredtoher，mightpass。\"AssoonasIwasnotwithyou——I
meanwithyoupersonally——youNEVERhadmysympathy。\"
\"Ismypersonthensoirresistible？\"
Well，shewasbrave。\"ItWAS。Butit’snot，thankGod，now！\"
\"Thenthereweareagainatourmystery！Idon’tthink，youknow，\"I
madeoutforher，\"itwasmyperson，really，thatgaveitscharmtomytheory；Ithinkitwasmuchmoremytheorythatgaveitscharmtomyperson。
Myperson，Iflattermyself，hasremainedthroughthesefewhours——hoursoftension，butofatension，yousee，purelyintellectual——asgoodasever；sothatifwe’renot，eveninouranomaloussituation，indangerfromanysuchsource，it’ssimplythatmytheoryisdeadandthattheblightoftherestisinvolved。\"
Mywordswereindeedmany，butsheplumpedstraightthroughthem。\"AssoonasIwasawayfromyouIhatedyou。\"
\"HatedME？\"
\"Well，hatedwhatyoucall’therest’——hatedyourtheory。\"
\"Isee。Yet，\"Ireflected，\"you’renotatpresent——thoughyouwishtogoodness，nodoubt，youWERE——awayfromme。\"
\"Oh，Idon’tcarenow，\"shesaidwithcourage；\"since——foryouseeI
believeyou——we’reawayfromyourdelusions。\"
\"Youwouldn’t，inspiteofyourbelief，\"——Ismiledather——\"liketobealittlefurtheroffyet？\"Butbeforeshecouldanswer，andbecausealso，doubtless，thequestionhadtoomuchthesoundofataunt，Icameup，asifforherrealconvenience，quiteinanotherplace。\"Perhapsmyidea——mytiming，thatis，ofyourcrisis——istheresult，inmymind，ofmyownassociationwiththatparticularinstant。ItcomesbacktomethatwhatIwasmostfullofwhileyourfacesignedtomeandyourvoicethensograciouslyconfirmedit，andwhiletoo，asI’vesaid，Longwalkedaway——whatIwasmostfullof，asaconsequenceofanothergo，justended，atLadyJohn，was，oncemore，thissameLadyJohn’swantofadjustabilitytothecharacteryouandI，inourassociatedspeculationofthemorning，hadsocandidlytriedtofitherwith。Iwasstilleventhen，yousee，speculating——allonmyownhook，alas！——andithadjustrolledovermewithrenewedforcethatshewasnothingwhatever，nottheleastlittlebit，toourpurpose。
Themoment，inotherwords，ifyouunderstand，happenedtobeoneofMY
moments；sothat，bythesametoken，Isimplywonderedifitmightn’tlikewisehavehappenedtobeoneofyours。\"
\"ItWASoneofmine，\"Mrs。BrissrepliedaspromptlyasIcouldreasonablyhaveexpected；\"inthesensethat——asyou’veonlytoconsider——itwastoleadmoreorlessdirectlytothesepresentwordsofours。\"
IfIhadonlytoconsider，nothingwasmoreeasy；buteachtimeIconsidered，Iwasreadytoshow，thelessthereseemedleftbytheact。\"Ah，butyouhadthenALREADYbackedout。Won’tyouunderstand——foryou’realittlediscouraging——thatIwanttocatchyouattheearlierstage？\"
\"To’catch’me？\"Ihadindeedexpressions！
\"Absolutelycatch！Focusyouunderthefirstshockoftheobservationthatwastomakeeverythingfalltopiecesforyou。\"
\"ButI’vetoldyou，\"shestoutlyresisted，\"thattherewasno’first’
shock。\"
\"Well，then，thesecondorthethird。\"
\"Therewasnoshock，\"Mrs。Brissmagnificentlysaid，\"atall。\"
Itmademesomehowbreakintolaughter。\"Youfounditsonaturalthen——andyousoratherlikedit——tomakeupyourmindofasuddenthatyouhadbeensteepedinthelastintellectualintimacywithamaniac？\"
Shethoughtoncemore，andthen，asImyselfhadjustpreviouslydone，cameupinanotherplace。\"IhadatthemomentyouspeakofwhollygivenupanyideaofLadyJohn。\"
Butitwassofeebleitmademesmile。\"Ofcourseyouhad，youpoorinnocent！Youcouldn’totherwise，hoursbefore，havestrappedthesaddlesotightonanotherwoman。\"
\"Ihadgivenupeverything，\"shestubbornlycontinued。
\"It’sexactlywhat，inreferencetothatjuncture，Iperfectlyembrace。\"
\"Well，eveninreferencetothatjuncture，\"sheresumed，\"youmaycatchmeasmuchasyoulike。\"Withwhich，suddenly，duringsomeseconds，Isawherholdherselfforaleap。\"Youtalkof’focussing，’butwhatelse，eveninthoseminutes，wereyouinfactengagedin？\"
\"Ah，then，youdorecognisethem，\"Icried——\"thoseminutes？\"
Shetookherjump，thoughwithsomethingofaflop。\"Yes——as，consentingthustobecatechised，Icudgelmybrainforyouramusement——Idorecognisethem。IrememberwhatIthought。Youfocussed——Ifeltyoufocus。Isawyouwonderwhereabouts，inwhatyoucallourassociatedspeculation，I
wouldbythattimebe。Iaskedmyselfwhetheryou’dunderstandifIshouldtrytoconveytoyousimplybymyexpressionsuchalookaswouldtellyouall。By’all’Imeantthefactthat，sorryasIwasforyou——orperhapsformyself——ithadstruckmeasonlyfairtoletyouknowasstraightaspossiblethatIwasnowhere。ThatwaswhyIstaredso，andIofcoursecouldn’texplaintoyou，\"shelucidlypursued，\"towhommystarehadreference。\"
Ihungonherlips。\"ButyoucanNOW？\"
\"Perfectly。ToMr。Long。\"
Iremainedsuspended。\"Ah，butthisislovely！It’swhatIwant。\"
IsawIshouldhavemoreofit，andmoreinfactcame。\"Youweresayingjustnowwhatyouwerefullof，andIcandothesame。IwasfullofHIM。\"
I，onmyside，wasnowfullofeagerness。\"Yes？Hehadleftyoufullashewalkedaway？\"
Shewincedalittleatthisrenewedevocationofhisretreat，butshetookitasshehadnotdonebefore，andIfeltthatwithanotherpushshewouldbefairlyafloat。\"Hehadreasontowalk！\"
Iwondered。\"Whathadyousaidtohim？\"
Shepieceditout。\"Nothing——orverylittle。ButIhadlistened。\"
\"AndtoWHAT？\"
\"Towhathesays。Tohisplatitudes。\"
\"Hisplatitudes？\"Istared。\"Long’s？\"
\"Why，don’tyouknowhe’saprizefool？\"
Imused，scepticalbutreasonable。\"HeWAS。\"
\"HeIS！\"
Mrs。Brisswassuperb，but，asIquicklyfeltImightremindher，therewasherpossiblyweakjudgment。\"Yourconfidenceissplendid；onlymustn’tIrememberthatyoursenseofthefinerkindsofclevernessisn’tperhapsabsolutelysecure？Don’tyouknow？——youalso，tilljustnow，thoughtME
aprizefool。\"
IfIhadhoped，however，heretotripherup，Ihadreckonedwithouttheimpulse，andevenperhapstheexample，thatsheproperlyowedtome。
\"Oh，no——notanythingofthatsort，you，atall。Onlyanintelligentmangonewrong。\"
Ifollowed，butbeforeIcaughtup，\"WhereasLong’sonlyastupidmangoneright？\"Ithrewout。
Itcheckedhertoobriefly，andtherewasindeedsomethingofmyownitbroughtstraightback。\"Ithoughtthatjustwhatyoutoldme，thismorningoryesterday，wasthatyouhadneverknownacaseoftheconversionofanidiot。\"
Ilaughedatherreadiness。Well，Ihadwantedtomakeherfight！\"It’strueitwouldhavebeentheonlyone。\"
\"Ah，you’llhavetodowithoutit！\"Oh，shewasbrisknow。\"AndifyouknowwhatIthinkofhim，youknownomorethanHEdoes。\"
\"Youmeanyoutoldhim？\"
Shehungfirebutaninstant。\"Itoldhim，practically——anditwasinfactallIdidhavetosaytohim。Itwasenough，however，andhedisgustedlyleftmeonit。Thenitwasthat，asyougavemethechance，Itriedtotelegraphyou——tosaytoyouonthespotandunderthesharpimpression：
’Whatonearthdoyoumeanbyyournonsense？Itdoesn’tholdwater！’It’sapityIdidn’tsucceed！\"shecontinued——forshehadbecomealmostvoluble。
\"Itwouldhavesettledthequestion，andIshouldhavegonetobed。\"
Iweigheditwiththegrimacethat，Ifeared，hadbecomealmostasfixedasMrs。Server’s。\"Itwouldhavesettledthequestionperhaps；butIshouldhavelostthisimpressionofyou。\"
\"Oh，thisimpressionofme！\"
\"Ah，butdon’tundervalueit：it’swhatIwant！WhatwasitthenLonghadsaid？\"
Shehaditmoreandmore，butshehaditasnothingatall。\"Notawordtorepeat——youwouldn’tbelieve！Hedoessaynothingatall。Onecan’tremember。It’swhatImean。Itriedhimonpurpose，whileIthoughtofyou。Buthe’sperfectlystupid。Idon’tseehowwecanhavefancied——！\"
Ihadinterruptedherbythemovementwithwhichagain，uncontrollablytossedononeofmysurgesofcertitude，Iturnedaway。HOWdeeptheymusthavebeenintogetherforhertohavesoatlastgatheredherselfup，andinhowdoublyinterestingalight，aboveall，itseemedtopresentLongforthefuture！Thatwas，whileIwarnedmyself，whatImostreadin——literallyanimplicationoftheenhancementofthislattersideoftheprodigy。Ifhiscleverness，underthealarmthat，firststirringtheirconsciousnessbutdimly，hadsoswiftlydevelopedastomakenextofeachamirrorfortheother，andthentoprecipitateforthem，insomesilencedeeperthandarkness，theexchangeofrecognitions，admissionsand，astheycertainlywouldhavephrasedit，tips——ifhisexcitedacutenesswashenceforthtoprotectitselfbydissimulation，whatwouldn’tperhaps，forone’sdiversion，bethenewspectacleandwonder？IcouldinamanneralreadymeasurethislargerplaybytheamplitudefreshlydeterminedinMrs。Briss，andIwasforamomentactuallyheldbythethoughtofthepossiblefinishourfriendwouldfinditinhimtogivetoarepresented，afictiveineptitude。Thesharpestjostletomythought，inthisrush，mightwellhavebeen，Iconfess，thereflectionthatasitwasIwhohadarrested，whohadspoiledtheirunconsciousness，soitwasnaturaltheyshouldfightagainstmeforapossiblelifeinthestateIhadgiventheminstead。Ihadspoiledtheirunconsciousness，Ihaddestroyedit，anditwasconsciousnessalonethatcouldmakethemeffectivelycruel。Therefore，iftheywerecruel，itwasIwhohaddeterminedit，inasmuchas，consciously，theycouldonlywant，theycouldonlyintend，tolive。Wouldn’tthatquestionhavebeen，Imanagedevennowtoaskmyself，theverybasisonwhichtheyhadinscrutablycometogether？\"It’slife，youknow，\"eachhadsaidtotheother，\"andI，accordingly，canonlyclingtomine。Butyou，poordear——shallYOUgiveup？\"\"Giveup？\"theotherhadreplied：\"forwhatdoyoutakeme？Ishallfightbyyourside，please，andwecancompareandexchangeweaponsandmanoeuvres，andyoumayineverywaycountuponme。\"
Thatwaswhat，withgreatervividness，wasfortherestoftheoccasionbeforeme，orbehindme；andthatIhaddoneitallandhadonlymyselftothankforitwaswhat，fromthisminute，bythesametoken，wasmoreandmoreformetheinneressenceofMrs。Briss’sattitude。Iknownotwhatheavyadmonitionofmyresponsibilityhadthussuddenlydescendedonme；butnothing，underit，wasindeedmoresensiblethanthatpracticallyitparalysedme。AndIcouldonlysaytomyselfthatthiswastheprice——thepriceofthesecretsuccess，thelonelylibertyandtheintellectualjoy。
Therewerethingsthatforsoprivateandsplendidarevel——thatoftheexclusivekingwithhisWagneropera——Icouldonlyletgo，andthespecialtormentofmycasewasthattheconditionoflight，ofthesatisfactionofcuriosityandoftheattestationoftriumph，wasinthisdirectwaythesacrificeoffeeling。Therewasnopointatwhichmyassurancecould，bythescientificmethod，judgeitselfcompleteenoughnottoregardfeelingasaninterferenceand，inconsequence，asapossiblecheck。IfithadtogoIknewwellwhowentwithit，butIwasn’ttheretosaveTHEM。I
wastheretosavemypricelesspearlofaninquiryandtoharden，tothatend，myheart。Ishouldneedindeedallmyhardness，aswellasmybrightness，moreover，tomeetMrs。BrissonthehighleveltowhichIhadatlastinducedhertomount，and，evenwhileIprolongedthemovementbywhichIhadmomentarilystayedher，theintermissionofherspeechbecameitselfformeahintofthepeculiarpertinenceofcaution。Itlastedlongenough，thisdrop，tosuggestthatherattentionwasthesharperformyhavingturnedawayfromit，andIshouldhavefearedarenewedchallengeifshehadn’t，bygoodluck，presentlygoneon：\"There’sreallynothinginhimatall！\"
Chapter14
Ihadfacedheragainjustintimetotakeit，andIimmediatelymadeupmymindhowbesttodoso。\"ThenIgoutterlytopieces！\"
\"Youshouldn’thaveperchedyourself，\"shelaughed——shecouldbythistimealmostcoarselylaugh——\"insuchapreposterousplace！\"
\"Ah，that’smyaffair，\"Ireturned，\"andifIaccepttheconsequencesIdon’tquiteseewhatyou’vetosaytoit。ThatIdoacceptthem——sofarasImakethemoutasnottoointolerableandyouasnotintendingthemtobe——thatIdoacceptthemiswhatI’vebeentryingtosignifytoyou。
Onlymyfall，\"Iadded，\"isaninevitableshock。Youremarkedtomeafewminutessincethatyoudidn’trecoveryourselfinaflash。Idifferfromyou，yousee，inthatido；Itakemycollapseallatonce。HerethenI
am。I’msmashed。Idon’tsee，asIlookaboutme，apieceIcanpickup。
Idon’tattempttoaccountformygoingwrong；Idon’tattempttoaccountforyourswithme；Idon’tattempttoaccountforanything。IfLongIS
justwhathealwayswasitsettlesthematter，andthespecialclincherforuscanbebutyourhonestfinalimpression，madepreciselymoreawareofitselfbyrepentanceforthelevitywithwhichyouhadoriginallyyieldedtomycontagion。\"
Shedidn’tinsistonherrepentance；shewastootakenupwiththefactsthemselves。\"Oh，butaddtomyimpressioneveryoneelse’simpression！Hasanyonenoticedanything？\"
\"Ah，Idon’tknowwhatanyonehasnoticed。Ihaven’t，\"Ibrooded，\"ventured——asyouknow——toaskanyone。\"
\"Well，ifyouhadyou’dhaveseen——seen，Imean，alltheydon’tsee。
Iftheyhadbeenconsciousthey’dhavetalked。\"
Ithought。\"Tome？\"
\"Well，I’mnotsuretoyou；peoplehavesuchanotionofwhatyouembroideronthingsthatthey’reratherafraidtocommitthemselvesortoleadyouon：they’resometimesin，youknow，\"sheluminouslyremindedme，\"formorethantheybargainfor，thantheyquiteknowwhattodowith，orthantheycaretohaveontheirhands。\"
Itriedtodojusticetothisaccountofmyself。\"YoumeanIseesomuch？\"
Itwasadelicatematter，butsheriskedit。\"Don’tyousometimesseehorrors？\"
Iwondered。\"Well，namesareaconvenience。Peoplecatchmeintheact？\"
\"Theycertainlythinkyoucritical。\"
\"Andiscriticismthevisionofhorrors？\"
Shecouldn’tquitebesurewhereIwastakingher。\"Itisn’t，perhaps，somuchthatyouseethem——\"
Istarted。\"AsthatIperpetratethem？\"
Shewassurenow，however，andwouldn’thaveit，forshewasserious。
\"Dearno——youdon’tperpetrateanything。Perhapsitwouldbebetterifyoudid！\"shetossedoffwithanoddlaugh。\"But——alwaysbypeople’sidea——youlikethem。\"
Ifollowed。\"Horrors？\"
\"Well，youdon’t——\"
\"Yes——？\"
Butshewouldn’tbehurriednow。\"Youtakethemtoomuchforwhattheyare。Youdon’tseemtowant——\"
\"Tocomedownonthemstrong？Oh，butIoftendo！\"
\"Somuchthebetterthen。\"
\"ThoughIdolike——whetherforthatornot，\"Ihastenedtoconfess，\"tolookthemfirstwellintheface。\"
Oureyesmet，withthis，foraminute，butshemadenothingofthat。
\"WhentheyHAVEnoface，then，youcan’tdoit！Itisn’tatalleventsnowaquestion，\"shewenton，\"ofpeople’skeepinganythingback，andyou’reperhapsinanycasenotthepersontowhomitwouldfirsthavecome。\"
Itriedtothinkthenwhothepersonwouldbe。\"ItwouldhavecometoLonghimself？\"
Butshewasimpatientofthis。\"Oh，onedoesn’tknowwhatcomes——orwhatdoesn’t——toLonghimself！I’mnotsurehe’stoomodesttomisrepresent——ifhehadtheintelligencetoplayapart。\"
\"Whichhehasn’t！\"Iconcluded。
\"Whichhehasn’t。It’stoMEtheymighthavespoken——ortoeachother。\"
\"ButIthoughtyouexactlyheldtheyHADchatteredinaccountingforhisstatebytheinfluenceofLadyJohn。\"
Shegotthematterinstantlystraight。\"Notabit。Thatchatterwasmineonly——andproducedtomeetyours。Therehadso，byyourtheory，tobeawoman——\"
\"That，toobligeme，youinventedHER？Precisely。ButIthought——\"
\"Youneedn’thavethought！\"Mrs。Brissbrokein。\"Ididn’tinventher。\"
\"Thenwhatareyoutalkingabout？\"
\"Ididn’tinventher，\"sherepeated，lookingatmehard。\"She’strue。\"
Iechoeditinvagueness，thoughinstinctivelyagaininprotest；yetI
heldmybreath，forthiswasreallythepointatwhichIfeltmycompanion’sforcesmosttohavemustered。Hermannernowmoreovergavemeagreatideaofthem，andherwholeairwasoftakingimmediateadvantageofmyimpression。
\"Well，seehere：sinceyou’vewantedit，I’mafraidthat，howeverlittleyoumaylikeit，you’llhavetotakeit。You’vepressedmeforexplanationsanddrivenmemuchharderthanyoumusthaveseenIfoundconvenient。IfI’veseemedtobeataboutthebushit’sbecauseIhadn’tonlymyselftothinkof。Onecanbesimpleforone’sself——onecan’tbe，always，forothers。\"
\"Ah，towhomdoyousayit？\"Iencouraginglysighed；notevenyetquiteseeingforwhatissueshewasheading。
Shecontinuedtomakeforthespot，whateveritwas，withacertainmajesty。\"IshouldhavepreferredtotellyounothingmorethanwhatI
HAVEtoldyou。Ishouldhavepreferredtocloseourconversationonthesimpleannouncementofmyrecoveredsenseofproportion。ButyouHAVE，Isee，gotmeintoodeep。\"
\"O—oh！\"Icourteouslyattenuated。
\"You’vemadeofme，\"shelucidlyinsisted，\"toobigatalker，toobigathinker，ofnonsense。\"
\"Thankyou，\"Ilaughed，\"forintimatingthatItriflesoagreeably。\"
\"Oh，YOU’VEappearednottomind！Butletmethenatlastnotfailoftheluxuryofadmittingthatimind。Yes，Imindparticularly。Imay，bebad，butI’veagrainofgumption。\"
\"’Bad’？\"Itseemedmorecloselytoconcernme。
\"BadImaybe。Infact，\"shepursuedatthishighpitchandpressure；
\"there’snodoubtwhateverIAM。\"
\"I’mdelightedtohearit，\"Icried，\"foritwasexactlysomethingstrongIwantedofyou！\"
\"ItISthenstrong\"——andIcouldseeindeedshewasreadytosatisfyme。\"You’veworriedmeformymotiveandharassedmeformy’moment，’andI’vehadtoprotectothersand，atthecostofadecentappearance，topretendtobemyselfhalfanidiot。I’vehadeven，forthesamepurpose——ifyoumusthaveit——todepartfromthetruth；togiveyou，thatis，afalseaccountofthemannerofmyescapefromyourtangle。Butnowthetruthshallbetold，andotherscantakecareofthemselves！\"Shehadsowoundherselfupwiththis，reachedsothepointoffairlyheavingwithcourageandcandour，thatIforaninstantalmostmiscalculatedherdirectionandbelievedshewasreallythrowinguphercards。Itwasasifshehaddecided，onsomestillfinerlines，justtorubmynoseintowhatIhadbeenspellingout；whichwouldhavebeenananticipationofmyownjourney’scrownofthemostdisconcertingsort。Iwantedmypersonalconfidence，butIwantednobody’sconfession，andwithoutthejourney’scrownwhereWASthepersonalconfidence？Withoutthepersonalconfidence，moreover，wherewasthepersonalhonour？ThatwouldbereallythesinglethingtowhichIcouldattachauthority，foraconfessionmight，afterall，beitselfalie。Anybody，atallevents，couldfittheshoetoone。Myfriend’sintention，however，remainedbutbrieflyequivocal；mydangerpassed，andIrecognisedinitsplaceastillricherassurance。Itwasnottheunnamed，inshort，whoweretobenamed。
\"LadyJohnISthewoman。\"
Yeteventhiswasprodigious。\"ButIthoughtyourpresentpositionwasjustthatshe’sNOT！\"
\"LadyJohnISthewoman，\"Mrs。Brissagainannounced。
\"ButIthoughtyourpresentpositionwasjustthatnobodyis！\"
\"LadyJohnISthewoman，\"sheathirdtimedeclared。
Itnaturallyleftmegaping。\"ThenthereISone？\"Icriedbetweenbewildermentandjoy。
\"Awoman？There’sHER！\"Mrs。Brissrepliedwithmoreforcethangrammar。
\"Iknow，\"shebriskly，almostbreezilyadded，\"thatIsaidshewouldn’tdo（asIhadoriginallysaidshewoulddobetterthananyone），whenyouawhileagomentionedher。Butthatwastosaveher。\"
\"Andyoudon’tcarenow，\"Ismiled，\"ifshe’slost！\"
Shehesitated。\"SheISlost。Butshecantakecareofherself。\"
Icouldbuthelplesslythinkofher。\"I’mafraidindeedthat，withwhatyou’vedonewithher，ican’ttakecareofher。Butwhyisshenowtothepurpose，\"Iarticulatelywondered，\"anymorethanshewas？\"
\"Why？Ontheverysystemyouyourselflaiddown。Whenwetookhimforbrilliant，shecouldn’tbe。Butnowthatweseehimasheis——\"
\"WecanonlyseeheralsoasSHEis？\"Well，Itried，asfarasmyamusementwouldpermit，sotoseeher；butstillthereweredifficulties。\"Possibly！\"
Iatmostconceded。\"Doyouoweyourdiscovery，however，whollytomysystem？
Mysystem，wheresomuchmadeforprotection，\"Iexplained，\"wasn’tintendedtohavetheeffectofexposure。\"
\"Itappearstohavebeenatalleventsintended，\"mycompanionreturned，\"tohavetheeffectofdrivingmetothewall；andtheconsequenceofthateffectisnobody’sfaultbutyourown。\"
Shewasalllogicnow，andIcouldeasilysee，betweenmylightandmydarkness，howshewouldremainso。YetIwasscarcesatisfied。\"Andit’sonlyon’thateffect’——？\"
\"ThatI’vemadeupmymind？\"Shewaspositivelyfreeatlasttoenjoymydiscomfort。\"Wouldn’titbesurely，ifyourideaswereworthanything，enough？Butitisn’t，\"sheadded，\"onlyonthat。It’sonsomethingelse。\"
Ihadafteraninstantextractedfromthisthesinglemeaningitcouldappeartoyield。\"I’mtounderstandthatyouKNOW？\"
\"Thatthey’reintimateenoughforanything？\"Shefaltered，butshebroughtitout。\"Iknow。\"
Itwastheoddestthingintheworldforalittle，thewaythisaffectedmewithoutmyatallbelievingit。Itwaspreposterous，hangthoughitwouldwithhersomersault，andshehadquitesucceededingivingitthenoteofsincerity。Itwasthemeresoundofitthat，asIfeltevenatthetime，madeitalittleofablow——ablowofthesmartofwhichIwasconsciousjustlongenoughinwardlytomurmur：\"WhatifsheSHOULDberight？\"
Shehadforthesesecondstheadvantageofstirringwithinmethememoryofherhavingindeed，thedayprevious，atPaddington，\"known\"asIhadn’t。
IthadbeenreallyonwhatsheTHENknewthatweoriginallystarted，andanelementofourstarthadbeenthatIadmiredherfreedom。Theformofit，atleast——sobeautifullyhadsherecoveredherself——wasalltherenow。
Well，Iatanyratereflected，itwasn’ttheformthatneedtroubleme，andIquicklyenoughputheraquestionthatrelatedonlytothematter。
\"Ofcourseifsheis——itISsmash！\"
\"Andhaven’tyouyetgotusedtoitsbeing？\"
Ikeptmyeyesonher；Itracedtheburiedfigureintheruins。\"She’sgoodenoughforafool；andso\"——Imadeitout——\"ishe！IfheISthesameass——yes——theyMIGHTbe。\"
\"ANDheis，\"saidMrs。Briss，\"thesameass！\"
Icontinuedtolookather。\"Hewouldhavenoneedthenofherhavingtransformedandinspiredhim。\"
\"OrofherhavingDEformedandidiotisedherself，\"myfriendsubjoined。
Oh，howitsharpenedmylook！\"No，no——shewouldn’tneedthat。\"
\"ThegreatpointisthatHEwouldn’t！\"Mrs。Brisslaughed。
Ikeptitup。\"Shewoulddoperfectly。\"
Mrs。Brisswasnotbehind。\"Mydearman，shehasgottodo！\"
Thiswasbriskerstill，butIheldmyway。\"Almostanyonewoulddo。\"
Itseemedforalittle，betweenhumourandsadness，tostrikeher。\"AlmostanyoneWOULD。Still，\"shelesspensivelydeclared，\"wewanttherightone。\"
\"Surely；therightone\"——Icouldonlyechoit。\"Buthow，\"Ithenproceeded，\"hasithappilybeenconfirmedtoyou？\"
Itpulledherupatrifle。\"’Confirmed’——？\"
\"Thathe’sherlover。\"