InthisironicalestimateoftheirrelationGlennardfoundhimselfstrangelyrelievedofallconcernastohiswife’sfeelingsforFlamel。FromanOlympianpinnacleofindifferencehecalmlysurveyedtheirinoffensiveantics。Itwassurprisinghowhischeapeningofhiswifeputhimateasewithhimself。Farasheandshewerefromeachothertheyyethad，inasense，thetacitnearnessofcomplicity。Yes，theywereaccomplices；hecouldnomorebejealousofherthanshecoulddespisehim。Thejealousythatwouldoncehaveseemedabluronherwhitenessnowappearedlikeatributetoidealsinwhichhenolongerbelieved……
Glennardwaslittlegiventoexploringtheoutskirtsofliterature。Healwaysskippedthe\"literarynotices\"inthepapersandhehadsmallleisurefortheintermittentpleasuresoftheperiodical。Hehadthereforenonotionoftheprolongedreverberationswhichthe\"AubynLetters\"hadawakenedintheprecinctsofcriticism。Whenthebookceasedtobetalkedabouthesupposedithadceasedtoberead；andthisapparentsubsidenceoftheagitationaboutitbroughtthereassuringsensethathehadexaggerateditsvitality。Theconviction，ifitdidnoteasehisconscience，atleastofferedhimtherelativereliefofobscurity：
hefeltlikeanoffendertakendownfromthepilloryandthrustintothesoothingdarknessofacell。
Butoneevening，whenAlexahadlefthimtogotoadance，hechancedtoturnoverthemagazinesonhertable，andthecopyoftheHoroscope，towhichhesettleddownwithhiscigar，confrontedhim，onitsfirstpage，withaportraitofMargaretAubyn。Itwasareproductionofthephotographthathadstoodsolongonhisdesk。Thedesiccatingairofmemoryhadturnedherintothemereabstractionofawoman，andthisunexpectedevocationseemedtobringhernearerthanshehadeverbeeninlife。Wasitbecauseheunderstoodherbetter？Helookedlongintohereyes；littlepersonaltraitsreachedouttohimlikecaresses——thetireddroopofherlids，herquickwayofleaningforwardasshespoke，themovementsofherlongexpressivehands。Allthatwasfeminineinher，thequalityhehadalwaysmissed，stoletowardhimfromherunreproachfulgaze；andnowthatitwastoolatelifehaddevelopedinhimthesubtlerperceptionswhichcoulddetectitineventhispoorsemblanceofherself。Foramomenthefoundconsolationinthethoughtthat，atanycost，theyhadthusbeenbroughttogether；thenafloodofshamerushedoverhim。Facetofacewithher，hefelthimselflaidbaretotheinmostfoldofconsciousness。Theshamewasdeep，butitwasarenovatinganguish；hewaslikeamanwhomintolerablepainhasrousedfromthecreepinglethargyofdeath……
HerosenextmorningtoasfreshasenseoflifeasthoughhishourofmutecommunionwithMargaretAubynhadbeenamoreexquisiterenewaloftheirearliermeetings。Hiswakingthoughtwasthathemustseeheragain；andasconsciousnessaffirmeditselfhefeltanintensefearoflosingthesenseofhernearness。Butshewasstillclosetohim；herpresenceremainedthesolerealityinaworldofshadows。Allthroughhisworkinghourshewasre—livingwithincredibleminutenesseveryincidentoftheirobliteratedpast；asamanwhohasmasteredthespiritofaforeigntongueturnswithrenewedwondertothepageshisyouthhasploddedover。Inthislucidityofretrospectionthemosttrivialdetailhaditssignificance，andtheraptureofrecoverywasembitteredtoGlennardbytheperceptionofallthathehadmissed。Hehadbeenpitiably，grotesquelystupid；andtherewasironyinthethoughtthat，butforthecrisisthroughwhichhewaspassing，hemighthavelivedonincomplacentignoranceofhisloss。Itwasasthoughshehadboughthimwithherblood……
ThateveningheandAlexadinedalone。Afterdinnerhefollowedhertothedrawing—room。Henolongerfelttheneedofavoidingher；hewashardlyconsciousofherpresence。Afterafewwordstheylapsedintosilenceandhesatsmokingwithhiseyesonthefire。Itwasnotthathewasunwillingtotalktoher；hefeltacuriousdesiretobeaskindaspossible；buthewasalwaysforgettingthatshewasthere。Herfullbrightpresence，throughwhichthecurrentsoflifeflowedsowarmly，hadgrownastenuousasashadow，andhesawsofarbeyondher——
Presentlysheroseandbegantomoveabouttheroom。Sheseemedtobelookingforsomethingandherousedhimselftoaskwhatshewanted。
\"OnlythelastnumberoftheHoroscope。IthoughtI’dleftitonthistable。\"Hesaidnothing，andshewenton：\"Youhaven’tseenit？\"
\"No，\"hereturnedcoldly。Themagazinewaslockedinhisdesk。
Hiswifehadmovedtothemantel—piece。Shestoodfacinghimandashelookeduphemethertentativegaze。\"Iwasreadinganarticleinit——areviewofMrs。Aubyn’sletters，\"sheadded，slowly，withherdeep，deliberateblush。
Glennardstoopedtotosshiscigarintothefire。Hefeltasavagewishthatshewouldnotspeaktheotherwoman’sname；
nothingelseseemedtomatter。\"Youseemtodoalotofreading，\"
hesaid。
Shestillearnestlyconfrontedhim。\"Iwaskeepingthisforyou——
Ithoughtitmightinterestyou，\"shesaid，withanairofgentleinsistence。
Hestoodupandturnedaway。Hewassuresheknewthathehadtakenthereviewandhefeltthathewasbeginningtohateheragain。
\"Ihaven’ttimeforsuchthings，\"hesaid，indifferently。Ashemovedtothedoorheheardhertakeaprecipitatestepforward；
thenshepausedandsankwithoutspeakingintothechairfromwhichhehadrisen。
XI
AsGlennard，intherawFebruarysunlight，mountedtheroadtothecemetery，hefeltthebeatitudethatcomeswithanabruptcessationofphysicalpain。Hehadreachedthepointwhereself—
analysisceases；theimpulsethatmovedhimwaspurelyintuitive。
Hedidnotevenseekareasonforit，beyondtheobviousonethathisdesiretostandbyMargaretAubyn’sgravewaspromptedbynoattemptatasentimentalreparation，butratherbythevagueneedtoaffirminsomewaytherealityofthetiebetweenthem。
TheironicalpromiscuityofdeathhadbroughtMrs。Aubynbacktosharethenarrowhospitalityofherhusband’slastlodging；butthoughGlennardknewshehadbeenburiednearNewYorkhehadnevervisitedhergrave。Hewasoppressed，ashenowthreadedthelongavenues，byachillingvisionofherreturn。Therewasnofamilytofollowherhearse；shehaddiedalone，asshehadlived；
andthe\"distinguishedmourners\"whohadformedtheescortofthefamouswriterknewnothingofthewomantheywerecommittingtothegrave。Glennardcouldnotevenrememberatwhatseasonshehadbeenburied；buthismoodindulgedthefancythatitmusthavebeenonsomesuchdayofharshsunlight，theincisiveFebruarybrightnessthatgivesperspicuitywithoutwarmth。Thewhiteavenuesstretchedbeforehiminterminably，linedwithstereotypedemblemsofaffliction，asthoughalltheplatitudeseverutteredhadbeenturnedtomarbleandsetupovertheunresistingdead。
Hereandthere，nodoubt，afrigidurnoraninsipidangelimprisonedsomefine—fibredgrief，asthemosthackneyedwordsmaybecomethevehicleofraremeanings；butforthemostparttheendlessalignmentofmonumentsseemedtoembodythoseeasygeneralizationsaboutdeaththatdonotdisturbthereposeoftheliving。Glennard’seye，ashefollowedthewayindicatedtohim，hadinstinctivelysoughtsomelowmoundwithaquietheadstone。
Hehadforgottenthatthedeadseldomplantheirownhouses，andwithapanghediscoveredthenamehesoughtonthecyclopeanbaseofagraniteshaftrearingitsaggressiveheightattheangleoftwoavenues。
\"Howshewouldhavehatedit!\"hemurmured。
Abenchstoodnearandheseatedhimself。Themonumentrosebeforehimlikesomepretentiousuninhabiteddwelling；hecouldnotbelievethatMargaretAubynlaythere。ItwasaSundaymorningandblackfiguresmovedamongthepaths，placingflowersonthefrost—boundhillocks。Glennardnoticedthattheneighboringgraveshadbeenthusnewlydressed；andhefanciedablindstirofexpectancythroughthesod，asthoughthebaremoundsspreadaparchedsurfacetothatcommemorativerain。Herosepresentlyandwalkedbacktotheentranceofthecemetery。
Severalgreenhousesstoodnearthegates，andturninginatthefirstheaskedforsomeflowers。
\"Anythingintheemblematicline？\"askedtheanaemicmanbehindthedrippingcounter。
Glennardshookhishead。
\"Justcutflowers？Thisway，then。\"Thefloristunlockedaglassdoorandledhimdownamoistgreenaisle。Thehotairwaschokedwiththescentofwhiteazaleas，whitelilies，whitelilacs；alltheflowerswerewhite；theywerelikeaprolongation，amysticalefflorescence，ofthelongrowsofmarbletombstones，andtheirperfumeseemedtocoveranodorofdecay。TherichatmospheremadeGlennarddizzy。Asheleanedinthedoorpost，waitingfortheflowers，hehadapenetratingsenseofMargaretAubyn’snearness——nottheimponderablepresenceofhisinnervision，butalifethatbeatwarminhisarms……
Thesharpaircaughthimashesteppedoutintoitagain。Hewalkedbackandscatteredtheflowersoverthegrave。Theedgesofthewhitepetalsshrivelledlikeburntpaperinthecold；andashewatchedthemtheillusionofhernearnessfaded，shrankbackfrozen。
XII
Themotiveofhisvisittothecemeteryremainedundefinedsaveasafinaleffortofescapefromhiswife’sinexpressiveacceptanceofhisshame。Itseemedtohimthataslongashecouldkeephimselfalivetothatshamehewouldnotwhollyhavesuccumbedtoitsconsequences。Hischieffearwasthatheshouldbecomethecreatureofhisact。Hiswife’sindifferencedegradedhim；itseemedtoputhimonalevelwithhisdishonor。MargaretAubynwouldhaveabhorredthedeedinproportiontoherpityfortheman。Thesenseofherpotentialpitydrewhimbacktoher。Theonewomanknewbutdidnotunderstand；theother，itsometimesseemed，understoodwithoutknowing。
Initslastdisguiseofretrospectiveremorse，hisself—pityaffectedadesireforsolitudeandmeditation。Helosthimselfinmorbidmusings，infutilevisionsofwhatlifewithMargaretAubynmighthavebeen。Thereweremomentswhen，inthestrangedislocationofhisview，thewronghehaddoneherseemedatiebetweenthem。
Toindulgetheseemotionshefellintothehabit，onSundayafternoons，ofsolitarywalksprolongedtillafterdusk。Thedayswerelengthening，therewasatouchofspringintheair，andhiswanderingsnowusuallyledhimtotheParkanditsoutlyingregions。
OneSunday，tiredofaimlesslocomotion，hetookacabattheParkgatesandletitcarryhimouttotheRiversideDrive。Itwasagrayafternoonstreakedwitheastwind。Glennard’scabadvancedslowly，andasheleanedback，gazingwithabsentintentnessatthedesertedpathsthatwoundunderbareboughsbetweengrassbanksofprematurevividness，hisattentionwasarrestedbytwofigureswalkingaheadofhim。Thiscouple，whohadthepathtothemselves，movedatanunevenpace，asthoughadaptingtheirgaittoaconversationmarkedbymeditativeintervals。Nowandthentheypaused，andinoneofthesepausesthelady，turningtowardhercompanion，showedGlennardtheoutlineofhiswife’sprofile。
ThemanwasFlamel。
ThebloodrushedtoGlennard’sforehead。Hesatupwithajerkandpushedbackthelidintheroofofthehansom；butwhenthecabmanbentdownhedroppedintohisseatwithoutspeaking。Then，becomingconsciousoftheprolongedinterrogationoftheliftedlid，hecalledout——\"Turn——driveback——anywhere——I’minahurry——\"
Asthecabswungroundhecaughtalastglimpseofthetwofigures。Theyhadnotmoved；Alexa，withbenthead，stoodlistening。
\"MyGod，myGod——\"hegroaned。
Itwashideous——itwasabominable——hecouldnotunderstandit。
Thewomanwasnothingtohim——lessthannothing——yetthebloodhummedinhisearsandhungacloudbeforehim。Heknewitwasonlythestirringoftheprimalinstinct，thatithadnomoretodowithhisreasoningselfthananyrefleximpulseofthebody；
butthatmerelyloweredanguishtodisgust。Yes，itwasdisgusthefelt——almostaphysicalnausea。Thepoisonousfumesoflifewereinhislungs。Hewassick，unutterablysick……
Hedrovehomeandwenttohisroom。Theyweregivingalittledinnerthatnight，andwhenhecamedowntheguestswerearriving。
Helookedathiswife：herbeautywasextraordinary，butitseemedtohimthebeautyofasmoothseaalonganunlitcoast。Shefrightenedhim。
Hesatlatethatnightinhisstudy。Heheardtheparlor—maidlockthefrontdoor；thenhiswifewentupstairsandthelightswereputout。Hisbrainwaslikesomegreatemptyhallwithanechoinit；onethoughtreverberatedendlessly……Atlengthhedrewhischairtothetableandbegantowrite。Headdressedanenvelopeandthenslowlyre—readwhathehadwritten。
\"MYDEARFLAMEL\"
\"Manyapologiesfornotsendingyousoonertheenclosedcheck，whichrepresentsthecustomarypercentageonthesaleoftheLetters。\"
\"Trustingyouwillexcusetheoversight，\"Yourstruly，\"STEPHENGLENNARD。\"
Helethimselfoutofthedarkenedhouseanddroppedtheletterinthepost—boxatthecorner。
Thenextafternoonhewasdetainedlateathisoffice，andashewaspreparingtoleaveheheardsomeoneaskingforhimintheouterroom。HeseatedhimselfagainandFlamelwasshownin。
Thetwomen，asGlennardpushedasideanobstructivechair，hadamomenttomeasureeachother；thenFlameladvanced，anddrawingouthisnote—case，laidaslipofpaperonthedesk。
\"Mydearfellow，whatonearthdoesthismean？\"Glennardrecognizedhischeck。
\"ThatIwasremiss，simply。Itoughttohavegonetoyoubefore。\"
Flamel’stonehadbeenthatofunaffectedsurprise，butatthishisaccentchangedandheasked，quickly：\"Onwhatground？\"
Glennardhadmovedawayfromthedeskandstoodleaningagainstthecalf—backedvolumesofthebookcase。\"OnthegroundthatyousoldMrs。Aubyn’slettersforme，andthatIfindtheintermediaryinsuchcasesisentitledtoapercentageonthesale。\"
Flamelpausedbeforeanswering。\"Youfind，yousay。It’sarecentdiscovery？\"
\"Obviously，frommynotsendingthechecksooner。YouseeI’mnewtothebusiness。\"
\"Andsincewhenhaveyoudiscoveredthattherewasanyquestionofbusiness，asfarasIwasconcerned？\"
Glennardflushedandhisvoiceroseslightly。\"Areyoureproachingmefornothavingremembereditsooner？\"
Flamel，whohadspokenintherapidrepressedtoneofamanonthevergeofanger，staredamomentatthisandthen，inhisnaturalvoice，rejoined，good—humoredly，\"Uponmysoul，Idon’tunderstandyou!\"
ThechangeofkeyseemedtodisconcertGlennard。\"It’ssimpleenough——\"hemuttered。
\"Simpleenough——yourofferingmemoneyinreturnforafriendlyservice？Idon’tknowwhatyourotherfriendsexpect!\"
\"Someofmyfriendswouldn’thaveundertakenthejob。Thosewhowouldhavedonesowouldprobablyhaveexpectedtobepaid。\"
HeliftedhiseyestoFlamelandthetwomenlookedateachother。
Flamelhadturnedwhiteandhislipsstirred，butheheldhistemperatenote。\"Ifyoumeantoimplythatthejobwasnotaniceone，youlayyourselfopentotheretortthatyouproposedit。
ButformypartI’veneverseen，Inevershallsee，anyreasonfornotpublishingtheletters。\"
\"That’sjustit!\"
\"What——？\"
\"Thecertaintyofyournotseeingwaswhatmademegotoyou。
Whenaman’sgotstolengoodstopawnhedoesn’ttakethemtothepolice—station。\"
\"Stolen？\"Flamelechoed。\"Theletterswerestolen？\"
Glennardburstintoacoarselaugh。\"Howmuchlongertoyouexpectmetokeepupthatpretenceabouttheletters？Youknewwellenoughtheywerewrittentome。\"
Flamellookedathiminsilence。\"Werethey？\"hesaidatlength。
\"Ididn’tknowit。\"
\"Anddidn’tsuspectit，Isuppose，\"Glennardsneered。
Theotherwasagainsilent；thenhesaid，\"Imayremindyouthat，supposingIhadfeltanycuriosityaboutthematter，Ihadnowayoffindingoutthattheletterswerewrittentoyou。Younevershowedmetheoriginals。\"
\"Whatdoesthatprove？Therewerefiftywaysoffindingout。
It’sthekindofthingonecaneasilydo。\"
Flamelglancedathimwithcontempt。\"Ourideasprobablydifferastowhatamancaneasilydo。Itwouldnothavebeeneasyforme。\"
Glennard’sangerventeditselfinthewordsuppermostinhisthought。\"Itmay，then，interestyoutohearthatmywifeDOES
knowabouttheletters——hasknownforsomemonths……\"
\"Ah，\"saidtheother，slowly。Glennardsawthat，inhisblindclutchataweapon，hehadseizedtheonemostapttowound。
Flamel’smuscleswereundercontrol，buthisfaceshowedtheundefinablechangeproducedbytheslowinfiltrationofpoison。
Everyimplicationthatthewordscontainedhadreacheditsmark；
butGlennardfeltthattheirobviousintentionwaslostintheanguishofwhattheysuggested。HewassurenowthatFlamelwouldneverhavebetrayedhim；buttheinferenceonlymadeawideroutletforhisanger。HepausedbreathlesslyforFlameltospeak。
\"Ifsheknows，it’snotthroughme。\"ItwaswhatGlennardhadwaitedfor。
\"Throughyou，byGod？Whosaiditwasthroughyou？DoyousupposeIleaveittoyou，ortoanybodyelse，forthatmatter，tokeepmywifeinformedofmyactions？Ididn’tsupposeevensuchegregiousconceitasyourscoulddeludeamantothatdegree!\"
Strugglingforafootholdinthesmalllandslideofhisdignity，headded，inasteadiertone，\"Mywifelearnedthefactsfromme。\"
Flamelreceivedthisinsilence。Theother’soutbreakseemedtohavereinforcedhisself—control，andwhenhespokeitwaswithadeliberationimplyingthathiscoursewaschosen。\"InthatcaseI
understandstillless——\"
\"Stillless——？\"
\"Themeaningofthis。\"Hepointedtothecheck。\"WhenyoubegantospeakIsupposedyouhadmeantitasabribe；nowIcanonlyinferitwasintendedasarandominsult。Ineithercase，here’smyanswer。\"
HetoretheslipofpaperintwoandtossedthefragmentsacrossthedesktoGlennard。Thenheturnedandwalkedoutoftheoffice。
Glennarddroppedhisheadonhishands。Ifhehadhopedtorestorehisself—respectbythesimpleexpedientofassailingFlamel’s，theresulthadnotjustifiedhisexpectation。Theblowhehadstruckhadbluntedtheedgeofhisanger，andtheunforeseenextentofthehurtinflicteddidnotalterthefactthathisweaponhadbrokeninhishands。HesawnowthathisrageagainstFlamelwasonlythelastprojectionofapassionateself—
disgust。Thisconsciousnessdidnotdullhisdislikeoftheman；
itsimplymadereprisalsineffectual。Flamel’sunwillingnesstoquarrelwithhimwasthelaststageofhisabasement。
Inthelightofthisfinalhumiliationhisassumptionofhiswife’sindifferencestruckhimashardlysofatuousasthesentimentalresuscitationofhispast。Hehadbeenlivinginafactitiousworldwhereinhisemotionswerethesycophantsofhisvanity，anditwaswithinstinctivereliefthathefeltitsruinscrashabouthishead。
Itwasnearlydarkwhenhelefthisoffice，andhewalkedslowlyhomewardinthecompletementalabeyancethatfollowsonsuchacrisis。Hewasnotawarethathewasthinkingofhiswife；yetwhenhereachedhisowndoorhefoundthat，intheinvoluntaryreadjustmentofhisvision，shehadoncemorebecomethecentralpointofconsciousness。
XIII
Ithadneverbeforeoccurredtohimthatshemight，afterall，havemissedthepurportofthedocumenthehadputinherway。
Whatif，inherhurriedinspectionofthepapers，shehadpasseditoverasrelatedtotheprivatebusinessofsomeclient？What，forinstance，wastopreventherconcludingthatGlennardwasthecounseloftheunknownpersonwhohadsoldthe\"AubynLetters。\"
Thesubjectwasonenotlikelytofixherattention——shewasnotacuriouswoman。
Glennardatthispointlaiddownhisforkandglancedatherbetweenthecandle—shades。Thealternativeexplanationofherindifferencewasnotslowinpresentingitself。HerheadhadthesamelisteningdroopaswhenhehadcaughtsightofherthedaybeforeinFlamel’scompany；theattituderevivedthevividnessofhisimpression。Itwassimpleenough，afterall。Shehadceasedtocareforhimbecauseshecaredforsomeoneelse。
Ashefollowedherupstairshefeltasuddenstirringofhisdormantanger。Hissentimentshadlostalltheirfactitiouscomplexity。Hehadalreadyacquittedherofanyconnivanceinhisbaseness，andhefeltonlythathelovedherandthatshehadescapedhim。Thiswasnow，strangelyenough，hisdominatingthought：theconsciousnessthatheandshehadpassedthroughthefusionofloveandhademergedfromitasincommunicablyapartasthoughthetransmutationhadnevertakenplace。Everyotherpassion，hemused，leftsomemarkuponthenature；butlovepassedliketheflightofashipacrossthewaters。
Shesankintoherusualseatnearthelamp，andheleanedagainstthechimney，movingaboutwithaninattentivehandtheknick—
knacksonthemantel。
Suddenlyhecaughtsightofherreflectioninthemirror。Shewaslookingathim。Heturnedandtheireyesmet。
Hemovedacrosstheroomandstoodbeforeher。
\"There’ssomethingthatIwanttosaytoyou，\"hebeganinalowtone。
Sheheldhisgaze，buthercolordeepened。Henoticedagain，withajealouspang，howherbeautyhadgainedinwarmthandmeaning。
Itwasasthoughatransparentcuphadbeenfilledwithwine。Helookedatherironically。
\"I’veneverpreventedyourseeingyourfriendshere，\"hebrokeout。\"WhydoyoumeetFlamelinout—of—the—wayplaces？Nothingmakesawomansocheap——\"
Sheroseabruptlyandtheyfacedeachotherafewfeetapart。
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"sheasked。
\"IsawyouwithhimlastSundayontheRiversideDrive，\"hewenton，theutteranceofthechargerevivinghisanger。
\"Ah，\"shemurmured。Shesankintoherchairagainandbegantoplaywithapaper—knifethatlayonthetableatherelbow。
Hersilenceexasperatedhim。
\"Well？\"heburstout。\"Isthatallyouhavetosay？\"
\"Doyouwishmetoexplain？\"sheasked，proudly。
\"DoyouimplyIhaven’ttherightto？\"
\"Iimplynothing。Iwilltellyouwhateveryouwishtoknow。I
wentforawalkwithMr。Flamelbecauseheaskedmeto。\"
\"Ididn’tsupposeyouwentuninvited。Buttherearecertainthingsasensiblewomandoesn’tdo。Shedoesn’tslinkaboutinout—of—the—waystreetswithmen。Whycouldn’tyouhaveseenhimhere？\"
Shehesitated。\"Becausehewantedtoseemealone。\"
\"Didhe，indeed？AndmayIaskifyougratifyallhiswisheswithequalalacrity？\"
\"Idon’tknowthathehasanyotherswhereIamconcerned。\"Shepausedagainandthencontinued，inalowervoicethatsomehowhadanunder—noteofwarning。\"Hewishedtobidmegood—by。He’sgoingaway。\"
Glennardturnedonherastartledglance。\"Goingaway？\"
\"He’sgoingtoEuropeto—morrow。Hegoesforalongtime。I
supposedyouknew。\"
Thelastphraserevivedhisirritation。\"YouforgetthatIdependonyouformyinformationaboutFlamel。He’syourfriendandnotmine。Infact，I’vesometimeswonderedatyourgoingoutofyourwaytobesociviltohimwhenyoumustseeplainlyenoughthatI
don’tlikehim。\"
Heranswertothiswasnotimmediate。Sheseemedtobechoosingherwordswithcare，notsomuchforherownsakeasforhis，andhisexasperationwasincreasedbythesuspicionthatshewastryingtosparehim。
\"Hewasyourfriendbeforehewasmine。IneverknewhimtillI
wasmarried。Itwasyouwhobroughthimtothehouseandwhoseemedtowishmetolikehim。\"
Glennardgaveashortlaugh。Thedefencewasfeeblerthanhehadexpected：shewascertainlynotacleverwoman。
\"Yourdeferencetomywishesisreallybeautiful；butit’snotthefirsttimeinhistorythatamanhasmadeamistakeinintroducinghisfriendstohiswife。Youmust，atanyrate，haveseensincethenthatmyenthusiasmhadcooled；butso，perhaps，hasyoureagernesstoobligeme。\"
Shemetthiswithasilencethatseemedtorobthetauntofhalfitsefficacy。
\"Isthatwhatyouimply？\"hepressedher。
\"No，\"sheansweredwithsuddendirectness。\"Inoticedsometimeagothatyouseemedtodislikehim，butsincethen——\"
\"Well——sincethen？\"
\"I’veimaginedthatyouhadreasonsforstillwishingmetobeciviltohim，asyoucallit。\"
\"Ah，\"saidGlennard，withaneffortatlightness；buthisironydropped，forsomethinginhervoicemadehimfeelthatheandshestoodatlastinthatnakeddesertofapprehensionwheremeaningskulksvainlybehindspeech。
\"Andwhydidyouimaginethis？\"Thebloodmountedtohisforehead。\"BecausehetoldyouthatIwasunderobligationstohim？\"
Sheturnedpale。\"Underobligations？\"
\"Oh，don’tlet’sbeataboutthebush。Didn’thetellyouitwasI
whopublishedMrs。Aubyn’sletters？Answermethat。\"
\"No，\"shesaid；andafteramomentwhichseemedgiventotheweighingofalternatives，sheadded：\"Noonetoldme。\"
\"Youdidn’tknowthen？\"
Sheseemedtospeakwithaneffort。\"Notuntil——notuntil——\"
\"TillIgaveyouthosepaperstosort？\"
Herheadsank。
\"Youunderstoodthen？\"
\"Yes。\"
Helookedatherimmovableface。\"Hadyoususpected——before？\"wasslowlywrungfromhim。
\"Attimes——yes——\"Hervoicedroppedtoawhisper。
\"Why？Fromanythingthatwassaid——？\"
Therewasashadeofpityinherglance。\"Noonesaidanything——
noonetoldmeanything。\"Shelookedawayfromhim。\"Itwasyourmanner——\"
\"Mymanner？\"
\"Wheneverthebookwasmentioned。Thingsyousaid——onceortwice——
yourirritation——Ican’texplain——\"
Glennard，unconsciously，hadmovednearer。Hebreathedlikeamanwhohasbeenrunning。\"Youknew，then，youknew\"——hestammered。
TheavowalofherloveforFlamelwouldhavehurthimless，wouldhaverenderedherlessremote。\"Youknew——youknew——\"herepeated；andsuddenlyhisanguishgatheredvoice。\"MyGod!\"hecried，\"yoususpecteditfirst，yousay——andthenyouknewit——
thisdamnable，thisaccursedthing；youknewitmonthsago——it’smonthssinceIputthatpaperinyourway——andyetyou’vedonenothing，you’vesaidnothing，you’vemadenosign，you’velivedalongsideofmeasifithadmadenodifference——nodifferenceineitherofourlives。Whatareyoumadeof，Iwonder？Don’tyouseethehideousignominyofit？Don’tyouseehowyou’vesharedinmydisgrace？Orhaven’tyouanysenseofshame？\"
Hepreservedsufficientlucidity，asthewordspouredfromhim，toseehowfatallytheyinvitedherderision；butsomethingtoldhimtheyhadbothpassedbeyondthephaseofobviousretaliations，andthatifanychordinherrespondeditwouldnotbethatofscorn。
Hewasright。Sheroseslowlyandmovedtowardhim。
\"Haven’tyouhadenough——withoutthat？\"shesaid，inastrangevoiceofpity。
Hestaredather。\"Enough——？\"
\"Ofmisery……\"
Anironbandseemedloosenedfromhistemples。\"Yousawthen……？\"
hewhispered。
\"Oh，God————oh，God————\"shesobbed。Shedroppedbesidehimandhidheranguishagainsthisknees。Theyclungthusinsilence，alongtime，driventogetherdownthesamefierceblastofshame。
Whenatlengthsheliftedherfaceheavertedhis。Herscornwouldhavehurthimlessthanthetearsonhishands。
Shespokelanguidly，likeachildemergingfromapassionofweeping。\"Itwasforthemoney——？\"
Hislipsshapedanassent。
\"Thatwastheinheritance——thatwemarriedon？\"
\"Yes。\"
Shedrewbackandrosetoherfeet。Hesatwatchingherasshewanderedawayfromhim。
\"Youhateme，\"brokefromhim。
Shemadenoanswer。
\"Sayyouhateme!\"hepersisted。
\"Thatwouldhavebeensosimple，\"sheansweredwithastrangesmile。Shedroppedintoachairnearthewriting—tableandrestedabowedforeheadonherhand。
\"Wasitmuch——？\"shebeganatlength。
\"Much——？\"hereturned，vaguely。
\"Themoney。\"
\"Themoney？\"Thatpartofitseemedtocountsolittlethatforamomenthedidnotfollowherthought。
\"Itmustbepaidback，\"sheinsisted。\"Canyoudoit？\"
\"Oh，yes，\"hereturned，listlessly。\"Icandoit。\"
\"Iwouldmakeanysacrificeforthat!\"sheurged。
Henodded。\"Ofcourse。\"Hesatstaringatherindry—eyedself—
contempt。\"Doyoucountonitsmakingmuchdifference？\"
\"Muchdifference？\"
\"InthewayIfeel——oryoufeelaboutme？\"
Sheshookherhead。
\"It’stheleastpartofit，\"hegroaned。
\"It’stheonlypartwecanrepair。\"
\"Goodheavens!Iftherewereanyreparation——\"Herosequicklyandcrossedthespacethatdividedthem。\"Whydidyouneverspeak？\"heasked。
\"Haven’tyouansweredthatyourself？\"
\"Answeredit？\"
\"Justnow——whenyoutoldmeyoudiditforme。\"Shepausedamomentandthenwentonwithadeepeningnote——\"IwouldhavespokenifIcouldhavehelpedyou。\"
\"Butyoumusthavedespisedme。\"
\"I’vetoldyouthatwouldhavebeensimpler。\"
\"Buthowcouldyougoonlikethis——hatingthemoney？\"
\"Iknewyouwouldspeakintime。Iwantedyou，first，tohateitasIdid。\"
Hegazedatherwithakindofawe。\"You’rewonderful，\"hemurmured。\"Butyoudon’tyetknowthedepthsI’vereached。\"
Sheraisedanentreatinghand。\"Idon’twantto!\"
\"You’reafraid，then，thatyou’llhateme？\"
\"No——butthatyou’llhateME。Letmeunderstandwithoutyourtellingme。\"
\"Youcan’t。It’stoobase。Ithoughtyoudidn’tcarebecauseyoulovedFlamel。\"
Sheblusheddeeply。\"Don’t——don’t——\"shewarnedhim。
\"Ihaven’ttherightto，youmean？\"
\"Imeanthatyou’llbesorry。\"
Hestoodimploringlybeforeher。\"Iwanttosaysomethingworse——
somethingmoreoutrageous。Ifyoudon’tunderstandTHISyou’llbeperfectlyjustifiedinorderingmeoutofthehouse。\"
Sheansweredhimwithaglanceofdivination。\"Ishallunderstand——butyou’llbesorry。\"
\"Imusttakemychanceofthat。\"Hemovedawayandtossedthebooksaboutthetable。Thenheswungroundandfacedher。\"DoesFlamelcareforyou？\"heasked。
Herflushdeepened，butshestilllookedathimwithoutanger。
\"Whatwouldbetheuse？\"shesaidwithanoteofsadness。
\"Ah，Ididn’taskTHAT，\"hepenitentlymurmured。
\"Well，then——\"
Tothisadjurationhemadenoresponsebeyondthatofgazingatherwithaneyewhichseemednowtoviewherasamerefactorinanimmenseredistributionofmeanings。
\"IinsultedFlamelto—day。IlethimseethatIsuspectedhimofhavingtoldyou。Ihatedhimbecauseheknewabouttheletters。\"
Hecaughtthespreadinghorrorofhereyes，andforaninstanthehadtograpplewiththenewtemptationtheylitup。Thenhesaid，withaneffort——\"Don’tblamehim——he’simpeccable。Hehelpedmetogetthempublished；butIliedtohimtoo；Ipretendedtheywerewrittentoanotherman……amanwhowasdead……\"
Sheraisedherarmsinagesturethatseemedtowardoffhisblows。
\"YouDOdespiseme!\"heinsisted。
\"Ah，thatpoorwoman——thatpoorwoman——\"heheardhermurmur。
\"Isparenoone，yousee!\"hetriumphedoverher。Shekeptherfacehidden。
\"Youdohateme，youdodespiseme!\"hestrangelyexulted。
\"Besilent!\"shecommandedhim；butheseemednolongerconsciousofanycheckonhisgatheringpurpose。
\"Hecaredforyou——hecaredforyou，\"herepeated，\"andhenevertoldyouoftheletters——\"
Shesprangtoherfeet。\"Howcanyou？\"sheflamed。\"Howdareyou？THAT——!\"
Glennardwasashypale。\"It’saweapon……likeanother……\"
\"Ascoundrel’s!\"
Hesmiledwretchedly。\"Ishouldhaveuseditinhisplace。\"
\"Stephen!Stephen!\"shecried，asthoughtodrowntheblasphemyonhislips。Sheswepttohimwitharescuinggesture。\"Don’tsaysuchthings。Iforbidyou!Itdegradesusboth。\"
Heputherbackwithtremblinghands。\"NothingthatIsayofmyselfcandegradeyou。We’reondifferentlevels。\"
\"I’monyours，whateveritis!\"
Heliftedhisheadandtheirgazeflowedtogether。
XIV
Thegreatrenewalstakeeffectasimperceptiblyasthefirstworkingsofspring。Glennard，thoughhefelthimselfbroughtnearertohiswife，wasstill，asitwere，hardlywithinspeakingdistance。Hewasbutlaboriouslyacquiringtherudimentsoftheirnewmediumofcommunication；andhehadtogropeforherthroughthedensefogofhishumiliation，thedistortingvaporagainstwhichhispersonalityloomedgrotesqueandmean。
Onlythefactthatweareunawarehowwellournearestknowusenablesustolivewiththem。Loveisthemostimpregnablerefugeofself—esteem，andwehatetheeyethatreachestoournakedness。
IfGlennarddidnothatehiswifeitwasslowly，sufferingly，thattherewasborninhimthatprofounderpassionwhichmadehisearlierfeelingseemamerecommotionoftheblood。Hewaslikeachildcomingbacktothesenseofanenvelopingpresence：hernearnesswasabreastonwhichheleaned。
Theydidnot，atfirst，talkmuchtogether，andeachbeatadevioustrackabouttheoutskirtsofthesubjectthatlaybetweenthemlikeahauntedwood。Buteveryword，everyaction，seemedtoglanceatit，todrawtowardit，asthoughafountofhealingspranginitspoisonedshade。Ifonlytheymightcutawaythroughthethickettothatrestoringspring!
Glennard，watchinghiswifewiththeintentnessofawanderertowhomnonaturalsignisnegligible，sawthatshehadtakentemporaryrefugeinthepurposeofrenouncingthemoney。Ifboth，theoretically，ownedtheinefficacyofsuchamends，thewoman’sinstinctivesubjectivenessmadeherfindreliefinthiscrudeformofpenance。Glennardsawthatshemeanttoliveasfrugallyaspossibletillwhatshedeemedtheirdebtwasdischarged；andheprayedshemightnotdiscoverhowfar—reaching，initsmerelymaterialsense，wastheobligationshethushopedtoacquit。Hermindwasfixedonthesumoriginallypaidfortheletters，andthisheknewhecouldlayasideinayearortwo。Hewastouched，meanwhile，bythespiritthatmadeherdiscardthepettyluxurieswhichsheregardedasthesignsoftheirbondage。Theirsharedrenunciationsdrewhernearertohim，helped，intheirevidenceofherhelplessness，torestorethefullprotectingstatureofhislove。Andstilltheydidnotspeak。
Itwasseveralweekslaterthat，oneafternoonbythedrawing—roomfire，shehandedhimaletterthatshehadbeenreadingwhenheentered。
\"I’veheardfromMr。Flamel，\"shesaid。
Glennardturnedpale。Itwasasthoughalatentpresencehadsuddenlybecomevisibletoboth。Hetookthelettermechanically。
\"It’sfromSmyrna，\"shesaid。\"Won’tyoureadit？\"
Hehandeditback。\"Youcantellmeaboutit——hishand’ssoillegible。\"Hewanderedtotheotherendoftheroomandthenturnedandstoodbeforeher。\"I’vebeenthinkingofwritingtoFlamel，\"hesaid。
Shelookedup。
\"There’sonepoint，\"hecontinued，slowly，\"thatIoughttoclearup。Itoldhimyou’dknownaboutthelettersallalong；foralongtime，atleast；andIsawithurthimhorribly。ItwasjustwhatImeanttodo，ofcourse；butIcan’tleavehimtothatfalseimpression；Imustwritehim。\"
Shereceivedthiswithoutoutwardmovement，buthesawthatthedepthswerestirred。Atlengthshereturned，inahesitatingtone，\"Whydoyoucallitafalseimpression？Ididknow。\"
\"Yes，butIimpliedyoudidn’tcare。\"
\"Ah!\"
Hestillstoodlookingdownonher。\"Don’tyouwantmetosetthatright？\"hetentativelypursued。
Sheliftedherheadandfixedhimbravely。\"Itisn’tnecessary，\"
shesaid。
Glennardflushedwiththeshockoftheretort；then，withagestureofcomprehension，\"No，\"hesaid，\"withyouitcouldn’tbe；
butImightstillsetmyselfright。\"
Shelookedathimgently。\"Don’tI，\"shemurmured，\"dothat？\"
\"Inbeingyourselfmerely？Alas，therehabilitation’stoocomplete!Youmakemeseem——tomyselfeven——whatI’mnot；whatI
canneverbe。Ican’t，attimes，defendmyselffromthedelusion；
butIcanatleastenlightenothers。\"
Thefloodwasloosened，andkneelingbyherhecaughtherhands。
\"Don’tyouseethatit’sbecomeanobsessionwithme？ThatifI
couldstripmyselfdowntothelastlie——onlythere’dalwaysbeanotheroneleftunderit!——anddopenancenakedinthemarket—
place，Ishouldatleasthavethereliefofeasingoneanguishbyanother？Don’tyouseethattheworstofmytortureistheimpossibilityofsuchamends？\"
Herhandslayinhiswithoutreturningpressure。\"Ah，poorwoman，poorwoman，\"heheardhersigh。
\"Don’tpityher，pityme!WhathaveIdonetoherortoyou，afterall？You’rebothinaccessible!ItwasmyselfIsold。\"
Hetookanabruptturnawayfromher；thenhaltedbeforeheragain。\"Howmuchlonger，\"heburstout，\"doyousupposeyoucanstandit？You’vebeenmagnificent，you’vebeeninspired，butwhat’stheuse？Youcan’twipeouttheignominyofit。It’smiserableforyouanditdoesHERnogood!\"
Sheliftedavividface。\"That’sthethoughtIcan’tbear!\"shecried。
\"Whatthought？\"
\"Thatitdoeshernogood——allyou’refeeling，allyou’resuffering。Canitbethatitmakesnodifference？\"
Heavoidedherchallengingglance。\"What’sdoneisdone，\"hemuttered。
\"Isitever，quite，Iwonder？\"shemused。Hemadenoanswerandtheylapsedintooneofthepausesthatareasubterraneanchannelofcommunication。
Itwasshewho，afterawhile，begantospeakwithanewsuffusingdiffidencethatmadehimturnarousedeyeonher。
\"Don’ttheysay，\"sheasked，feelingherwayasinakindoftenderapprehensiveness，\"thattheearlyChristians，insteadofpullingdowntheheathentemples——thetemplesoftheuncleangods——
purifiedthembyturningthemtotheirownuses？I’vealwaysthoughtonemightdothatwithone’sactions——theactionsoneloathesbutcan’tundo。Onecanmake，Imean，awrongthedoortootherwrongsoranimpassablewallagainstthem……\"Hervoicewaveredontheword。\"Wecan’talwaysteardownthetempleswe’vebuilttotheuncleangods，butwecanputgoodspiritsinthehouseofevil——thespiritsofmercyandshameandunderstanding，thatmightneverhavecometousifwehadn’tbeeninsuchgreatneed……\"
Shemovedovertohimandlaidahesitatinghandonhis。Hisheadwasbentandhedidnotchangehisattitude。Shesatdownbesidehimwithoutspeaking；buttheirsilencesnowwerefertileasrain—
clouds——theyquickenedtheseedsofunderstanding。
Atlengthhelookedup。\"Idon’tknow，\"hesaid，\"whatspiritshavecometoliveinthehouseofevilthatIbuilt——butyou’rethereandthat’senoughforme。It’sstrange，\"hewentonafteranotherpause，\"shewishedthebestformesooften，andnow，atlast，it’sthroughherthatit’scometome。ButforherI
shouldn’thaveknownyou——it’sthroughherthatI’vefoundyou。
Sometimes，doyouknow？——thatmakesithardest——makesmemostintolerabletomyself。Can’tyouseethatit’stheworstthingI’vegottoface？IsometimesthinkIcouldhaveborneitbetterifyouhadn’tunderstood!Itookeverythingfromher——everything——
eventothepoorshelterofloyaltyshe’dtrustedin——theonlythingIcouldhavelefther!——Itookeverythingfromher，I
deceivedher，Idespoiledher，Idestroyedher——andshe’sgivenmeYOUinreturn!\"
Hiswife’scrycaughthimup。\"Itisn’tthatshe’sgivenMEtoyou——itisthatshe’sgivenyoutoyourself。\"Sheleanedtohimasthoughsweptforwardonawaveofpity。\"Don’tyousee，\"shewenton，ashiseyeshungonher，\"thatthat’sthegiftyoucan’tescapefrom，thedebtyou’repledgedtoacquit？Don’tyouseethatyou’veneverbeforebeenwhatshethoughtyou，andthatnow，sowonderfully，she’smadeyouintothemansheloved？THAT’S
worthsufferingfor，worthdyingfor，toawoman——that’sthegiftshewouldhavewishedtogive!\"
\"Ah，\"hecried，\"butwoetohimbywhomitcometh。WhatdidI
evergiveher？\"
\"Thehappinessofgiving，\"shesaid。