I。
ThesuccessofVerriandidnotcomeearly,anditdidnotcomeeasily。
Hehadbeentryingalongtimetogethisworkintothebestmagazines,andwhenhehadwonthefavoroftheeditors,whoseinteresthehadperhapshadfromthebeginning,itmightbesaidthattheybegantoaccepthisworkfromtheirconsciences,becauseinitswayitwassogoodthattheycouldnotjustlyrefuseit。TheparticulareditorwhotookVerrian’sserial,afterithadcomebacktotheauthorfromtheeditorsoftheotherleadingperiodicals,wasinfactmovedmainlybythebeliefthatthestorywouldpleasethebettersortofhisreaders。These,iftheywerenotsonumerousastheworse,hefelthadnowandthentherighttohavetheirpleasurestudied。
Itwasaseriousstory,anditwassomewhatbitter,asVerrianhimselfwas,afterhisstruggletoreachthepublicwithworkwhichheknewmeritedrecognition。Buttheworldwhichdoesnotlikepeopletotakethemselvestooseriouslyalsolikesthemtotakethemselvesseriously,andthebitternessinVerrian’sstoryprovedagreeabletoanumberofreadersunexpectedlygreat。Itintimatedaromanticpersonalityintheauthor,andtheworldstilllikestoimagineromanticthingsofauthors。
Itlikesespeciallytoimaginethemofnovelists,nowthattherearenolongerpoets;andwhenitbegantolikeVerrian’sserial,itbegantowritehimallsortsofletters,directly,incareoftheeditor,andindirectlytotheeditor,whomtheyaskedaboutVerrianmorethanabouthisstory。
Itwasaman’sstoryratherthanawoman’sstory,asthesemaybedistinguished;butquiteforthatreasonwomenseemedpeculiarlytakenwithit。Perhapsthewomenhadmoreleisureormorecouragetowritetotheauthorandtheeditor;atanyrate,mostoftheletterswerefromwomen;someofthelettersweresillyandfatuousenough,butotherswereofanintelligencewhichwasnonethelesspenetratingforbeingemotionalratherthancritical。Thesemaidsormatrons,whoeverorwhichevertheywere,knewwonderfullywellwhattheauthorwouldbeat,andtheirinterestinhisstoryimpliedaconstantifnotasingledevotion。NowandthenVerrianwastemptedtoansweroneofthem,andunderfavorofhismother,whohadbeenhisconfidantateverypointofhisliterarycareer,heyieldedtothetemptation;butonedaytherecamealetteraskingananswer,whichneitherhenorhismotherfeltcompetenttodealwith。Theybothperceivedthattheymustreferittotheeditorofthemagazine,anditseemedtothemsoimportantthattheydecidedVerrianmustgowithitinpersontotheeditor。Thenhemustbesofarruledbyhim,ifnecessary,astogivehimtheletterandputhimself,astheauthor,beyondanappealwhichhefoundpeculiarlypoignant。
Theletter,whichhadovercomethetacitmisgivingsofhismotherastheyreaditandreaditagaintogether,wasfromagirlwhohadperhapsnoneedtoconfessherselfyoung,ortoownherinexperienceoftheworldwherestorieswerewrittenandprinted。SheexcusedherselfwithadelicacywhichVerrian’scorrespondentsbynomeansalwaysshowedforintrudinguponhim,andthenpleadedthepowerhisstoryhadoverherastheonlyshadowofrightshehadinaddressinghim。Itsfascination,shesaid,hadbegunwiththefirstnumber,thefirstchapter,almostthefirstparagraph。Itwasnotfortheplotthatshecared;shehadreadtoomanystoriestocarefortheplot;itwastheprobleminvolved。Itwasonewhichshehadsooftenponderedinherownmindthatshefelt,inawayshehopedhewouldnotthinkconceited,almostasifthestorywaswrittenforher。Shehadneverbeenabletosolvetheproblem;howhewouldsolveitshedidnotseehowshecouldwaittoknow;andhereshemadehimaconfidencewithoutwhich,shesaid,sheshouldnothavethecouragetogoon。Shewasaninvalid,andherdoctorhadtoldherthat,thoughshemightliveformonths,therewerechancesthatshemightdieatanymomentsuddenly。Hewouldthinkitstrange,anditwasstrangethatsheshouldtellhimthis,andstrangerstillthatsheshoulddaretoaskhimwhatshewasgoingtoask。Thestoryhadyetfourmonthstorun,andshehadbeguntohaveamorbidforebodingthatsheshouldnotlivetoreaditintheordinarycourse。Shewassoignorantaboutwritersthatshedidnotknowwhethersuchathingwaseverdone,orcouldbedone;
butifhecouldtellherhowthestorywastocomeouthewouldbedoingmoreforherthananythingelsethatcouldbedoneforheronearth。Shehadreadthatsometimesauthorsbegantoprinttheirserialstoriesbeforetheyhadwrittenthemtotheend,andhemightnotbesureoftheendhimself;butifhehadfinishedthisstoryofhis,andcouldletherseethelastpagesinprint,shewouldowehimthegratitudeshecouldneverexpress。
Theletterwaswritteninaneducatedhand,andtherewerenofoiblesofformorexcessesoffashioninthestationerytomarthecharacterofsinceritythesimplewordingconveyed。Thepostaladdress,withthedate,wasfullygiven,andthenamesignedattheendwasevidentlygenuine。
Verrianhimselfhadnoquestionofthegenuinenessoftheletterinanyrespect;hismother,afterherfirstmisgivings,whichwereperhapssensations,thoughtashedidaboutit。Shesaidthestorydealtsoprofoundlywiththedeepestthingsthatitwasnowonderaperson,standinglikethatgirlbetweenlifeanddeath,shouldwishtoknowhowtheauthorsolveditsproblem。Thenshereadthelettercarefullyoveragain,andagainVerrianreadit,withaneffectnotdifferentfromthatwhichitsfirstperusalhadmadewithhim。Hisfaithinhisworkwassogreat,soentire,thatthenotionofanyotherfeelingaboutitwasnotadmissible。
\"Ofcourse,\"hesaid,withasighofsatisfaction,\"ImustshowthelettertoArmigeratonce。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"hismotherreplied。\"Heistheeditor,andyoumustnotdoanythingwithouthisapproval。\"
Thefaithinthewriteroftheletter,whichwasprimarywithhim,wassecondarywithher,butperhapsforthatreason,shewasallthemorefirmlygroundedinit。
II。
Therewasnothingtocloudtheeditor’sjudgment,whenVerriancametohim,exceptthefactthathewasapoetaswellasaneditor。Hereadinasilenceasgreatastheauthor’stheletterwhichVerriansubmitted。
Thenheremainedponderingitforaslongaspacebeforehesaid,\"Thatisverytouching。\"
Verrianjumpedtohisquestion。\"Doyoumeanthatweoughttosendhertheproofsofthestory?\"
\"No,\"theeditorfaltered,buteveninthisdecisionhedidnotdenytheauthorhissympathy。\"You’vetouchedbottominthatstory,Verrian。Youmaygohigher,butyoucannevergodeeper。\"
Verrianflushedalittle。\"Oh,thankyou!\"
\"I’mnotsurprisedthegirlwantstoknowhowyoumanageyourproblem——
suchagirl,standingintheshadowoftheotherworld,whichisalwayseclipsingthis,andseeinghowyou’vecaughtitsawfuloutline。\"
Verrianmadeagratefulmurmuratthepraise。\"Thatiswhatmymotherfelt。Thenyouhavenodoubtofthegoodfaith——\"
\"No,\"theeditorreturned,withthesamequantity,ifnotthesamequality,ofreluctanceasbefore。\"Yousee,itwouldbetoodaring。\"
\"Thenwhynotletherhavetheproofs?\"
\"Thethingissounprecedented——\"
\"Ourdoingitneedn’tformaprecedent。\"
\"No。\"
\"Andifyou’venodoubtofitsbeingatruecase——\"
\"Wemustprovethatitis,or,rather,wemustmakeherproveit。I
quitefeelwithyouaboutit。IfIweretoactuponmyownimpulse,myownconvictions,Ishouldsendhertherestofthestoryandtakethechances。Butshemaybeanenterprisingjournalistindisguiseit’sastonishingwhatwomenwilldowhentheytaketonewspaperwork——andwehavenorighttoriskanything,forthemagazine’ssake,ifnotyoursandmine。Willyouleavethisletterwithme?\"
\"Iexpectedtoleavethewholeaffairinyourhands。Doyoumindtellingmewhatyouproposetodo?Ofcourse,itwon’tbeanything——abrupt——\"
\"Ohno;andIdon’tmindtellingyouwhathasoccurredtome。Ifthisisatruecase,asyousay,andI’venoquestionbutitis,thewriterwillbeonconfidentialtermswithherpastoraswellasherdoctorandI
proposeaskinghertogethimtocertify,inanysortofgeneralterms,toheridentity。Iwilltreatthematterdelicately——Or,ifyouprefertowritetoheryourself——\"
\"Ohno,it’smuchbetterforyoutodoit;youcandoitauthoritatively。\"
\"Yes,andifsheisn’ttherealthing,butmerelyawomanjournalisttryingtoworkusfora’story’inherSundayedition,weshallhearnomorefromher。\"
\"Idon’tseeanythingtoobjecttoinyourplan,\"Verriansaid,uponreflection。\"Shecertainlycan’tcomplainofourbeingcautious。\"
\"No,andshewon’t。Ishallhavetoreferthemattertothehouse——\"
\"Oh,willyou?\"
\"Why,certainly!Icouldn’ttakeasteplikethatwithouttheapprovalofthehouse。\"
\"No,\"Verrianassented,andhemadeanoteofthewriter’saddressfromtheletter。Then,afteramomentspentinlookinghardattheletter,hegaveitbacktotheeditorandwentabruptlyaway。
Hehadproof,thenextmorning,thattheeditorhadactedpromptly,atleastsofarasregardedthehouse。Thehousehadapprovedhisplan,ifonecouldtrusttheromanticparagraphwhichVerrianfoundinhispaperatbreakfast,exploitingthefactconcernedasoneoftheinterestingevidencesoftheholdhisserialhadgotwiththemagazinereaders。Herecognizedintheparagraphthetouchofthegoodfellowwhopreparedtheweeklybulletinsofthehouse,andofferedthepressliteraryintelligenceinaformreadyforimmediateuse。Thecasewasfairlystated,buttheprivacyoftheauthor’scorrespondentwasperfectlyguarded;itwasnotevenmadeknownthatshewasawoman。YetVerrianfelt,inreadingtheparagraph,ashockofguiltydismay,asifhehadbetrayedaconfidencereposedinhim,andhehandedthepaperacrossthetabletohismotherwithratherasicklook。
Afterhisreturnfromthemagazineofficethedaybefore,therehadbeenagooddealoftalkbetweenthemaboutthatgirl。Mrs。Verrianhadagreedwithhimthatnomoreinterestingeventcouldhavehappenedtoanauthor,butshehadtriedtokeephimfromtakingittoopersonally,andfrommakinghimselfmischievousillusionsfromit。Shehadsincesleptuponheranxieties,withtheeffectoffindingthemmorevividatwaking,andshehadbeencastingaboutforanopeningtopenetratehimwiththem,whenfortuneputthisparagraphinherway。
\"Isn’titdisgusting?\"heasked。\"Idon’tseehowArmigercouldletthemdoit。Ihopetoheavenshe’llneverseeit!\"
Hismotherlookedupfromtheparagraphandasked,\"Why?\"
\"Whatwouldshethinkofme?\"
\"Idon’tknow。Shemighthaveexpectedsomethingofthekind。\"
\"Howexpectsomethingofthekind?AmIoneoftheself-advertisers?\"
\"Well,shemusthaverealizedthatshewasdoingratheraboldthing。\"
\"Bold?\"
\"Venturesome,\"Mrs。Verriancompromisedtothekindlingangerinherson’seyes。
\"Idon’tunderstandyou,mother。Ithoughtyouagreedwithmeaboutthewriterofthatletter——hersincerity,simplicity。\"
\"Sincerity,yes。Butsimplicity——Philip,athoroughlysingle-mindedgirlneverwrotethatletter。Youcan’tfeelsuchathingasIdo。
Amancouldn’t。Youcanpaintthecharacterofwomen,andyoudoitwonderfully——but,afterall,youcan’tknowthemasawomandoes。\"
\"Youtalk,\"heanswered,alittlesulkily,\"asifyouknewsomeharmofthegirl。\"
\"No,myson,Iknownothingabouther,exceptthatsheisnotsingle-
minded,andthereisnoharminnotbeingsingle-minded。Agreatmanysingle-mindedwomenarefools,andsomedouble-mindedwomenaregood。\"
\"Well,single-mindedordouble-minded,ifsheiswhatshesayssheis,whatmotiveonearthcouldshehaveinwritingtomeexceptthemotiveshegives?Youdon’tdenythatshetellsthetruthaboutherself?\"
\"Don’tIsaythatsheissincere?Butagirldoesn’talwaysknowherownmotives,orallofthem。Shemayhavewrittentoyoubecauseshewouldliketobeginacorrespondencewithanauthor。Orshemayhavedoneitoutoftheloveofexcitement。Orforthesakeofdistraction,togetawayfromherselfandhergloomyforebodings。\"
\"Andshouldyoublameherforthat?\"
\"No,Ishouldn’t。Ishouldpityherforit。But,allthesame,I
shouldn’twantyoutobetakeninbyher。\"
\"Youthink,then,shedoesn’tcareanythingaboutthestory?\"
\"Ithink,veryprobably,shecaresagreatdealaboutit。Sheisaseriousperson,intellectuallyatleast,anditisaseriousstory。Nowondershewouldliketoknow,atfirsthand,somethingaboutthemanwhowroteit。\"
ThisflatteredVerrian,buthewouldnotallowitsreasonableness。Hetookagulpofcoffeebeforesaying,uncandidly,\"Ican’tmakeoutwhatyou’redrivingat,mother。But,fortunately,there’snohurryaboutyourmeaning。Thething’sintheonlyshapewecouldpossiblygiveit,andI
amsatisfiedtoleaveitinArmiger’shands。I’mcertainhewilldealwiselywithit-andkindly。\"
\"Yes,I’msurehe’lldealkindly。Ishouldbeveryunhappyifhedidn’t。
Hecouldeasilydealmorewisely,though,thanshehas。\"
Verrianchosenottofollowhismotherinthis。\"Allis,\"hesaid,withfinality,\"Ihopeshe’llneverseethatloathsomeparagraph。\"
\"Oh,verylikelyshewon’t,\"hismotherconsoledhim。
III。
OnlyfourdaysafterhehadseenArmiger,Verrianreceivedanenvelopecoveringabriefnotetohimselffromtheeditor,acopyoftheletterhehadwrittentoVerrian’sunknowncorrespondent,andheranswerintheoriginal。Verrianwasalonewhenthepostmanbroughthimthisenvelope,andhecouldindulgeacertainpassionformethodbywhichhereaditscontentsintheordernamed;ifhismotherhadbeenby,shewouldhavemadehimreadthegirl’sreplyfirstofall。Armigerwrote:
\"MYDEARVERRIAN,——Ienclosetwoexhibitswhichwillpossessyouofallthefactsinthecaseoftheyoungladywhofearedshemightdiebeforeshereadtheendofyourstory,butwho,youwillbegladtofind,islikelytolivethroughtheyear。AsthestoryendsinourOctobernumber,sheneednotbesuppliedwithadvancesheets。Iamsorrythehousehurriedoutaparagraphconcerningthematter,butitwillnotbefollowedbyanother。Perhapsyouwillfeel,asIdo,thattheincidentisclosed。Ihavenotrepliedtothewriter,andyouneednotreturnherletter。Yoursever,\"M。ARMIGER。\"
Theeditor’slettertotheyoungladyread:
\"DEARMADAM,——Mr。P。S。Verrianhashandedmeyourletterofthe4th,andIneednottellyouthatithasinterestedusboth。
\"Iamalmostasmuchgratifiedashebythetestimonyyourrequestbearstotheimportanceofhiswork,andifIcouldhaveacteduponmyinstantfeelingIshouldhavehadnohesitationingrantingit,thoughitissoveryunusualastobe,inmyexperienceasaneditor,unprecedented。I
amsurethatyouwouldnothavemadeitsofranklyifyouhadnotbeenpreparedtoguardinreturnanyconfidenceplacedinyou;butyouwillrealizethatasyouarequiteunknowntous,weshouldnotbejustifiedintakingastepsounusualasyouproposewithouthavingsomeguaranteebesidesthatwhichMr。VerrianandIbothfeelfromthecharacterofyourletter。Simply,then,forpurposesofidentification,asthephraseis,Imustbegyoutoaskthepastorofyourchurch,or,betterstill,yourfamilyphysician,towriteyoualinesayingthatheknowsyou,asasortofletterofintroductiontome。ThenIwillsendyoutheadvanceproofsofMr。Verrian’sstory。Youmayliketoaddressmepersonallyinthecareofthemagazine,andnotastheeditor。
\"Yoursveryrespectfully,\"M。ARMIGER。\"
Theeditor’sletterwasdatedthe6thofthemonth;theanswer,datedthe8th,betrayedtheanxioushasteofthewriterinreplying,anditwasnotherfaultifwhatshewrotecametoVerrianwhenhewasnolongerabletodojusticetoherconfession。Undertheaddressgiveninherfirstlettershenowbegan,in,ahandintowhichakindliereyemighthavereadapatheticperturbation:
\"DEARSIR,——Ihavesomethingawfultotellyou。Imightwritepageswithoutmakingyouthinkbetterofme,andIwillletyouthinktheworstatonce。IamnotwhatIpretendedtobe。IwrotetoMr。VerriansayingwhatIdid,andaskingtoseetherestofhisstoryontheimpulseofthemoment。Ihadbeenreadingit,forIthinkitisperfectlyfascinating;
andafriendofmine,anothergirl,andIgottogethertryingtoguesshowhewouldendit,andwebegantodareeachothertowritetohimandask。Atfirstwedidnotdreamofdoingsuchathing,butwewenton,andjustforthefunofitwedrewlotstoseewhichshouldwritetohim。
Thelotfelltome;butwecomposedthatlettertogether,andweputinaboutmydyingforajoke。Weneverintendedtosendit;butthenonethingledtoanother,andIsigneditwithmyrealnameandwesentit。
Wedidnotreallyexpecttohearanythingfromit,forwesupposedhemustgetlotsoflettersabouthisstoryandneverpaidanyattentiontothem。WedidnotrealizewhatwehaddonetillIgotyourletteryesterday。Thenwesawitall,andeversincewehavebeentryingtothinkwhattodo,andIdonotbelieveeitherofushassleptamoment。
Wehavecometotheconclusionthattherewasonlyonethingwecoulddo,andthatwastotellyoujustexactlyhowithappenedandtaketheconsequences。Butthereisnoreasonwhymorethanonepersonshouldbebroughtintoit,andsoIwillnotletmyfriendsignthisletterwithme,butIwillputmyownnamealonetoit。Youmaynotthinkitismyrealname,butitis;youcanfindoutbywritingtothepostmasterhere。
Idonotknowwhetheryouwillpublishitasafraudforthewarningofothers,butIshallnotblameyouifyoudo。Ideserveanything。
Yourstruly,\"JERUSHAPEREGRINEBROWN。\"
IfVerrianhadbeenanoldermanlifemighthavesuppliedhimwiththemeansofjudgingthewriterofthisletter。Buthisexperienceasanauthorhadnotbeenverygreat,andsuchasitwasithadhardenedandsharpenedhim。Therewasnothingwildorwhirlinginhismood,butinthedeadlyhurtwhichhadbeeninflicteduponhisvanityhecoldlyandcarefullystudiedwhatdeadlierhurthemightinflictagain。Hewasofthecruellerintentbecausehehadnotknownhowmuchofpersonalvanitytherewasintheseriousnesswithwhichhetookhimselfandhiswork。Hehadsupposedthathewasrespectinghisethicsandaesthetics,hisidealofconductandofart,butnowitwasbroughthometohimthathewasswollenwiththeconceitofhisownperformance,andthat,howeverwellothersthoughtofit,hisownthoughtofitfaroutrantheirwilltohonorit。Hewishedtorevengehimselfforthisconsciousnessaswellastheoffenceofferedhim;ofthetwotheconsciousnesswasthemoredisagreeable。
Hismother,dressedforthestreet,cameinwherehesatquietathisdesk,withtheeditor’slettersandthegirl’sbeforehim,andhemutelyreferredthemtoherwithahandliftedoverhisshoulder。Shereadthem,andthenshesaid,\"Thisishardtobear,Philip。IwishIcouldbearitforyou,oratleastwithyou;butI’mlateformyengagementwithMrs。Alfred,asitis——No,IwilltelephoneherI’mdetainedandwe’lltalkitover——\"
\"No,no!Notonanyaccount!I’dratherthinkitoutformyself。Youcouldn’thelpme。Afterall,ithasn’tdonemeanyharm——\"
\"Andyou’vehadagreatescape!AndIwon’tsayawordmorenow,butI’llbebacksoon,andthenwe——Oh,I’msosorryI’mgoing。\"
Verriangavealaugh。\"Youcouldn’tdoanythingifyoustayed,mother。
Dogo!\"
\"Well——\"Shelookedathim,smoothinghermuffwithherhandamoment,andthenshedroppedafondkissonhischeekandobeyedhim。
IV
Verrianstillsatathisdesk,thinking,withhisburningfaceinhishands。Itwascoveredwithshameforwhathadhappenedtohim,buthishumiliationhadnoqualityofpityinit。Hemustwritetothatgirl,andwriteatonce,andhissolehesitationwasastotheformheshouldgivehisreply。HecouldnotaddressherasDearMissBrownorasDearMadam。EvenMadamwasnotsharpandforbiddingenough;besides,Madam,aloneorwiththesenselessprefix,wasarchaic,andVerrianwishedtobeverymodernwiththismostoffensiveinstanceofthelatestgirl。
Hedecidedupondealingwithherinthethirdperson,andtrustingtohisliteraryskilltokeeptheformfromclumsiness。
Hetrieditinthatform,anditwassimplydisgusting,theattitudestiffandswelling,andthedictionaffectedandunnatural。Withaquickreversiontotheimpossiblefirsttype,herecasthisletterinwhatwasnowtheonlypossibleshape。
\"MYDEARMISSBROWN,——TheeditoroftheAmericanMiscellanyhassentmeacopyofhisrecentlettertoyouandyourownreply,andhasremandedtomeanaffairwhichresultedfrommygoingtohimwithyourrequesttoseethecloseofmystorynowpublishinginhismagazine。
\"Aftergivingthemattermybestthought,Ihaveconcludedthatitwillbewelltoenclosealltheexhibitstoyou,andInowdothisinthehopethataseriousstudyofthemwillenableyoutosharemysurpriseatthemoralandsocialconditionsinwhichthebusinesscouldoriginate。Iwillinglyleavewithyouthequestionwhichisthemoretrustworthy,yourlettertomeoryourlettertohim,orwhichthemoretrulyrepresentstheinterestingdiversityofyournature。Iconfessthatthefirstmovedmemorethanthesecond,andIdonotseewhyIshouldnottellyouthatassoonasIhadyourrequestIwentwithittoMr。ArmigeranddidwhatIcouldtoprompthiscompliancewithit。Inputtingthesepapersoutofmyhands,IoughttoacknowledgethattheyhaveformedatemptationtomakeliteraryuseoftheaffairwhichIshallnowbethebetterfittedtoresist。Youwill,ofcourse,beamusedbytheeasewithwhichyoucouldabusemyrelianceonyourgoodfaith,andIamsureyouwillnotallowanyshameforyourtricktoqualifyyourpleasureinitssuccess。
\"Itwillnotbenecessaryforyoutoacknowledgethisletteranditsenclosures。Iwillregisterthepackage,sothatitwillnotfailtoreachyou,andIwillreturnanyanswerofyoursunopened,or,ifnotrecognizablyaddressed,thenunread。
\"Yourssincerely,\"P。S。VERRIAN。\"
Hereadandreadagaintheselines,withonlythesenseoftheirinsufficiencyindoingtheeffectofthebitternessinhisheart。Iftheletterwasinsulting,itwasbynomeansasinsultingashewouldhavelikedtomakeit。Whetheritwouldbewoundingenoughwassomethingthatdependeduponthepersonwhomhewishedtowound。Allthatwasproudandvainandcruelinhimsurgedupatthethoughtofthetrickthathadbeenplayeduponhim,andallthatwassweetandkindandgentleinhim,whenhebelievedthetrickwasagenuineappeal,turnedtotheircounterqualities。Yet,feebleandinadequateashisletterwas,heknewthathecouldnotdomoreorworsebytrying,andhesomuchfearedthatbywaitinghemightdolessandbetterthathehurrieditintothepostatonce。Ifhismotherhadbeenathandhewouldhaveshownither,thoughhemightnothavebeenruledbyherjudgmentofit。Hewasgladthatshewasnotwithhim,foreithershewouldhavehadheropinionofwhatwouldbemoretelling,orshewouldhaveinsisteduponhisdelayinganysortofreply,andhecouldnotendurethethoughtofdifferenceordelay。
Heaskedhimselfwhetherheshouldletherseetheroughfirstdraftofhisletterornot,andhedecidedthathewouldnot。Butwhenshecameintohisstudyonherreturnheshowedither。
Shereaditinsilence,andthensheseemedtotemporizeinasking,\"Wherearehertwoletters?\"
\"I’vesentthembackwiththeanswer。\"
Hismotherletthepaperdropfromherhands。\"Philip!Youhaven’tsentthis!\"
\"Yes,Ihave。Itwasn’twhatIwantedtomakeit,butIwishedtogetthedetestableexperienceoutofmymind,anditwasthebestIcoulddoatthemoment。Don’tyoulikeit?\"
\"Oh——\"Sheseemedbeginningtosaysomething,butwithoutsayinganythingshetookthefallenleafupandreaditagain。
\"Well!\"hedemanded,withimpatience。
\"Oh,youmayhavebeenright。Ihopeyou’venotbeenwrong。\"
\"Mother!\"
\"Shedeservedtheseverestthingsyoucouldsay;andyet——\"
\"Well?\"
\"Perhapsshewaspunishedenoughalready。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"Idon’tlikeyourbeing-vindictive。\"
\"Vindictive?\"
\"Beingsoterriblyjust,then。\"Sheadded,athisblankstare,\"Thisiskilling,Philip。\"
Hegaveabitterlaugh。\"Idon’tthinkitwillkillher。Sheisn’tthatkind。\"
\"She’sagirl,\"hismothersaid,withakindofsadabsence。
\"Butnotasingle-mindedgirl,youwarnedme。IwishIcouldhavetakenyourwarning。ItwouldhavesavedmefromplayingthefoolbeforemyselfandgivingmyselfawaytoArmiger,andlettinghimgivehimselfaway。
Idon’tthinkMissBrownwillsuffermuchbeforeshedies。Shewill’gettogether,’asshecallsit,withthatothergirlandhave’arealgoodtime’overit。Youknowthevillagetypeandthevillageconditions,wherethevulgarignoranceofanylargerworldissothickyoucouldcutitwithaknife。Don’tbetroubledbymyvindictivenessormyjustice,mother!IbegintothinkIhavedonejusticeandnotfallenshortofit,asIwasafraid。\"
Mrs。Verriansighed,andagainshegavehisletterbacktoherson。
\"Perhapsyouareright,Philip。Sheisprobablysotoughasnottofeelitverypainfully。\"
\"She’snotsotoughbutshe’llbeverygladtogetoutofitsolightly。
Shehashadausefulscare,andI’vedoneherafavorinmakingthescareasharpone。Isuppose,\"Verrianmused,\"thatshethinksI’vekeptcopiesofherletters。\"
\"Yes。Whydidn’tyou?\"hismotherasked。
Verrianlaughed,onlyalittlelessbitterlythanbefore。\"Ishallbegintobelieveyou’reallalike,mother。
Ididn’tkeepcopiesofherlettersbecauseIwantedtogetherandherlettersoutofmymind,finallyandforever。Besides,Ididn’tchoose。
toemulateherduplicitybyanysortofdissimulation。
\"Iseewhatyoumean,\"hismothersaid。\"And,ofcourse,youhavetakentheonlyhonorableway。\"
Thentheywerebothsilentforatime,thinkingtheirseveralthoughts。
Verrianbrokethesilencetosay,\"IwishIknewwhatsortof’othergirl’itwasthatshe’gottogetherwith。’\"
\"Why?\"
\"Becauseshewroteamorecultivatedletterthanthismagnanimouscreaturewhotakesalltheblametoherself。\"
\"Thenyoudon’tbelievethey’reboththesame?\"
\"Theyareboththesameinstationeryandchirography,butnotinliterature。\"
\"Ihopeyouwon’tgettothinkingabouther,then,\"hismotherentreated,intelligiblybutnotdefinitely。
\"Notseriously,\"Verrianreassuredher。\"I’vehadmymedicine。\"
V。
Continuityissomuchthelessonofexperiencethatinthecourseofalifebynomeanslongitbecomestheinstinctiveexpectation。Theeventthathashappenedwillhappenagain;itwillprolongitselfinaseriesofrecurrencesbywhicheachone’sepisodesharesintheunendinghistoryofall。Thesenseofthisissopervasivethathumanityrefusestoacceptdeathitselfasfinal。Intheagonizedaffections,theshatteredhopes,ofthosewhoremain,theseveredlifekeepsonunbrokenly,andwhentimeandreasonprevail,atleastastothelifehere,thedefeatedfaithappealsforfulfilmenttoanotherworld,andthebeliefofimmortalityholdsagainstthemyriadyearsinwhichnoneofthenumberlessdeadhavemadeanindisputablesigninwitnessofit。Thelostlimbstillreportsitssensationstothebrain;thefixedhabitmechanicallyattemptsitsrepetitionwhentheconditionsrenderitimpossible。
Verrianwasawarehowdeeplyandabsorbinglyhehadbroodedupontheincidentwhichhehaddonehisutmosttoclose,whenhefoundhimselfexpectingananswerofsomesortfromhisunknowncorrespondent。Heperceived,then,withoutowningthefact,thathehadreallyhopedforsomeprotest,someexcuse,someextenuation,whichintheendwouldsufferhimtobemoremerciful。Thoughhehadwishedtocrushherintosilence,andtoforbidherallhopeofhisforgiveness,hehad,inamanner,notmeanttodoit。Hehadkeptasecretplaceinhissoulwherethesinneragainsthimcouldfindrefugefromhisjustice,andwhenthissanctuaryremainedunattemptedhefoundhimselfwitharegretthathehadbarredthewaytoitsoeffectually。Theregretwassovague,soformless,however,thathecouldtacitlydenyittohimselfatalltimes,andexplicitlydenyittohismotheratsuchtimesashertouchtaughthimthatitwastangible。
Oneday,aftertenortwelvedayshadgoneby,sheaskedhim,\"Youhaven’theardanythingmorefromthatgirl?\"
\"Whatgirl?\"hereturned,asifhedidnotknow;andhefrowned。\"Youmeanthegirlthatwrotemeaboutmystory?\"
Hecontinuedtofrownrathermoredarkly。\"Idon’tseehowyoucouldexpectmetohearfromher,afterwhatIwrote。But,tobecategorical,Ihaven’t,mother。\"
\"Oh,ofcoursenot。Didyouthinkshewouldbesoeasilysilenced?\"
\"IdidwhatIcouldtocrushherintosilence。\"
\"Yes,andyoudidquiteright;Iammoreandmoreconvincedofthat。Butsuchaverytoughyoungpersonmighthaverefusedtostaycrushed。Shemightverynaturallyhavegotherselfintoshapeagainandsmoothedoutthecreases,atleastsofartotrysomefurtherdefence。\"
\"Itseemsthatshehasn’t,\"Verriansaid,stilldarkly,butnotsofrowningly。
\"Ishouldhavefancied,\"hismothersuggested,\"thatifshehadwantedtoopenacorrespondencewithyou——ifthatwasheroriginalobject——shewouldnothaveletitdropsoeasily。\"
\"Hassheletitdropeasily?IthoughtIhadlefthernopossiblechanceofresumingit。\"
\"Thatistrue,\"hismothersaid,andforthetimeshesaidnomoreaboutthematter。
NotlongafterthishecamehomefromthemagazineofficeandreportedtoherfromArmigerthatthestorywascatchingonmoreandmorewiththebestclassofreaders。TheeditorhadshownVerriansomereferencestoitinnewspapersofgoodstandingandseverallettersaboutit。
\"Ithoughtyoumightliketolookattheletters,\"Verriansaid,andhetooksomelettersfromhispocketandhandedthemtoheracrossthelunch-table。Shedidnotimmediatelylookatthem,becausehewentontoaddsomethingthattheybothfelttobemoreimportant。\"Armigersaystherehasbeensomeincreaseofthesales,whichIcanattributetomystoryifIhavethecheek。\"
\"Thatisgood。\"
\"Andthehousewantstopublishthebook。Theythink,downthere,thatitwillhaveaveryprettysuccess——notbeabigseller,ofcourse,butsomethingcomfortable。\"
Mrs。Verrian’seyesweresuffusedwithprideandfondness。\"Andyoucanalwaysthink,Philip,thatthishascometoyouwithouttheleastloweringofyourstandard,withoutforsakingyouridealforamoment。\"
\"Thatiscertainlyasatisfaction。\"
Shekeptherproudandtendergazeuponhim。\"NoonewilleverknowasI
dohowfaithfulyouhavebeentoyourart。Didanyofthenewspapersrecognizethat——orsurmiseit,orsuspectit?\"
\"No,thatisn’ttheturntheytake。Theyspeakofthestrongloveinterestinvolvedintheproblem。Andtheabundanceofincident。
Ilookedouttokeepsomethinghappening,youknow。I’msorryIdidn’taskArmigertoletmebringthenoticeshometoyou。I’mnotsurethatI
didwiselynottosubscribetothatpress-clippingsbureau。\"
Hismothersmiled。\"Youmustn’tletprosperitycorruptyou,Philip。
Wouldn’tseeingwhatthepressissayingofitdistractyoufromtherealaimyouhadinyourstory?\"
\"We’reallweak,ofcourse。Itmight,ifthestorywerenotfinished;
butasitis,IthinkIcouldbeproofagainstthestupidestpraise。\"
\"Well,formypart,I’mgladyoudidn’tsubscribetotheclippingsbureau。Itwouldhavebeenadisturbingelement。\"Shenowlookeddownatthelettersasifsheweregoingtotakethemup,andhefollowedthedirectionofhereyes。Asifremindedofthefactbythis,hesaid:
\"ArmigeraskedmeifIhadeverheardanythingmorefromthatgirl。\"
\"Hashe?\"hismothereagerlyasked,transferringherglancefromtheletterstoherson’sface。
\"Notaword。IthinkIsilencedherthoroughly。\"
\"Yes,\"hismothersaid。\"Therecouldhavebeennogoodobjectinprolongingtheaffairandlettingherconfirmherselfinthenotionthatshewasofsufficientimportanceeithertoyouortohimforyoutocontinuethecorrespondencewithher。Shecouldn’tlearntoodistinctlythatshehaddone——averywrongthingintryingtoplaysuchatrickonyou。\"
\"ThatwasthewayIlookedatit,\"Verriansaid,buthedrewalightsigh,ratherwearily。
\"Ihope,\"hismothersaid,witharecurrentglanceattheletters,\"thatthereisnothingofthatsillykindamongthese。\"
\"No,theseareblamelessenough,unlesstheyaretobeblamedforbeingtooflattering。Thatgirlseemstobesoleofherkind,unlessthegirlthatshe’gottogetherwith’wasreallylikeher。\"
\"Idon’tbelievetherewasanyothergirl。Ineverthoughttherewasmorethanone。\"
\"Thereseemedtobetwostylesandtwogradesofculture,suchastheywere。\"
\"Oh,shecouldeasilyimitatetwomanners。Shemusthavebeenaclevergirl,\"Mrs。Verriansaid,withthatadmirationforanysortofclevernessinhersexwhichevenverygoodwomencannothelpfeeling。
\"Well,perhapsshewaspunishedenoughforboththecharacterssheassumed,\"Verriansaid,withasmilethatwasnotgay。
\"Don’tthinkabouther!\"hismotherreturned,withaperceptionofhismood。\"I’monlythankfulthatshe’soutofourlivesineverysortofway。\"
VI。
Verriansaidnothing,buthereflectedwithasortofgloomyamusementhowimpossibleitwasforanywoman,evenawomansowide-mindedandhigh-principledashismother,toescapethepersonalviewofallthingsandallpersonswhichwomentake。Hetacitlynotedthefact,asthenovelistnoteswhateverhappensorappearstohim,buthelettheoccasiondropoutofhismindassoonashecouldafterithaddroppedoutofhistalk。
Thenightwhenthelastnumberofhisstorycametotheminthemagazine,andwasalreadyannouncedasabook,hesatupwithhismothercelebrating,ashesaid,andexultinginthefutureaswellasthepast。
Theyhadalittlesupper,whichshecookedforhiminachafing-dish,inthedining-roomofthetinyapartmentwheretheylivedtogether,andshemadesomecoffeeafterwards,tocarryofftheeffectoftheNewburglobster。Perhapsbecausetherewasnothingtocarryofftheeffectofthecoffee,heheardher,throughthepartitionoftheirrooms,stirringrestlesslyafterhehadgonetobed,andalittlelatershecametohisdoor,whichshesetajar,toask,\"Areyouawake,Philip?\"
\"Youseemtobe,mother,\"heanswered,withanamusementatherquestionwhichseemednottohaveimparteditselftoherwhenshecameinandstoodbesidehisbedinherdressing-gown。
\"Youdon’tthinkwehavejudgedhertooharshly,Philip?\"
\"Doyou,mother?\"
\"No,Ithinkwecouldn’tbetoosevereinathinglikethat。Sheprobablythoughtyouwerelikesomeoftheotherstory-writers;shecouldn’tfeeldifferences,shades。Shepretendedtobetakenwiththecircumstancesofyourwork,butshehadtodothatifshewantedtofoolyou。Well,shehasgothercome-uppings,asshewouldprobablysay。\"
Verrianreplied,thoughtfully,\"Shedidn’tstrikemeasacountryperson——atleast,inherfirstletter。\"
\"Thenyoustillthinkshedidn’twriteboth?\"
\"Ifshedid,shewastryingherhandinapersonalityshehadinvented。\"
\"Girlsareverystrange,\"hismothersighed。\"Theylikeexcitement,adventure。It’sverydullinthoselittleplaces。Ishouldn’twishyoutothinkanyharmofthepoorthing。\"
\"Poorthing?Whythismagnanimouscompassion,mother?\"
\"Oh,nothing。ButIknowhowIwasmyselfwhenIwasagirl。Iusedalmosttodieofhungerforsomethingtohappen。Canyourememberjustwhatyousaidinyourletter?\"
Verrianlaughed。\"NO,Ican’t。ButIdon’tbelieveIsaidhalfenough。
You’renervous,mother。\"
\"Yes,Iam。Butdon’tyougettoworrying。ImerelygottothinkinghowIshouldhatetohaveanybody’sunhappinessmixedupwiththishappinessofours。Idosowantyourpleasureinyoursuccesstobepure,nottaintedwiththepainofanyhumancreature。\"
Verrianansweredwithlightcynicism:\"Itwillbetaintedwiththepainofthefellowswhodon’tlikeme,orwhohaven’tsucceeded,andthey’lltakecaretoletmesharetheirpainifevertheycan。Butifyoumeanthatmerrymaidenupcountry,she’sprobablythinking,ifshethinksaboutitatall,thatshe’stheluckiestgirlintheUnitedStatestohavegotoutofanawfulscrapesoeasily。Attheworst,Ionlyhadfunwithherinmyletter。Probablysheseesthatshehasnothingtogrieveforbutherownbreak。\"
\"No,andyoudidjustasyoushouldhavedone;andIamgladyoudon’tfeelbitterlyaboutit。Youdon’t,doyou?\"
\"Nottheleast。\"
Hismotherstoopedoverandkissedhimwherehelaysmiling。\"Well,that’sgood。Afterall,it’syouIcaredfor。NowIcansaygood-
night。\"Butshelingeredtotuckhiminalittle,fromthepersistenceofthemotherhabit。\"Iwishyoumayneverdoanythingthatyouwillbesorryfor。\"
\"Well,Iwon’t——ifit’sagoodaction。\"
Theylaughedtogether,andshelefttheroom,stilllookingbacktoseeiftherewasanythingmoreshecoulddoforhim,whilehelaysmiling,intelligentlyforwhatshewasthinking,andpatientlyforwhatshewasdoing。
VII。
Eveninthetimewhichwasthencomingandwhichnowis,whensuccessfulauthorsarealmostasmanyasmillionaires,Verrian’sbookbroughthimaprettycelebrity;andthiscelebritywasinawayspecific。Itrelatedtothequalityofhiswork,whichwasquietlyartisticandpsychological,whateverlivelinessofincidentitutteredonthesurface。Hebelongedtothegoodschoolwhichisofnofashionandofeverytime,farbothfromactualityandunreality;andhisrecognitioncamefrompeoplewhoserecognitionwasworthhaving。Withthiscamethewidernoticewhichwasnotworthhaving,likethenoticeofMrs。Westangle,sincesowellknowntosocietyreportersasasocietywoman,whichcouldnotbecalledrecognitionofhim,becauseitdidnotinvolveanyknowledgeofhisbook,notevenitstitle。Shedidnotreadanysortofbooks,andsheassimilatedhimbyasortofatmosphericsense。Shewassureofnothingbuttheattentionpaidhiminacertainverygoodishhouse,bypeoplewhomsheheardtalkinginunintelligiblebutunmistakablepraise,whenshesaid,casually,withaliquidglitterofhersweet,smalleyes,\"Iwishyouwouldcomedowntomyplace,Mr。Verrian。I’maskingafewyoungpeopleforChristmasweek。Willyou?\"
\"Why,thankyou——thankyouverymuch,\"Verriansaid,waitingtohearmoreinexplanationofthehospitalitylaunchedathim。HehadneverseenMrs。Westangletillthen,orheardofher,andhehadnottheleastnotionwhereshelived。Butsheseemedtohavesocialauthority,thoughVerrian,inlookingroundathishostessandherdaughter,whostoodnear,lettingpeopletakeleave,learnednothingfromtheircommonsmile。
Mrs。Westanglehadglidedclosetohim,inthewayshehadofgettingverynearwithoutapparentlyhavingadvancedbysteps,andshestoodgleamingandtwitteringupathim。
\"Ishallsendyoualittlenote;Iwon’tletyouforget,\"shesaid。Thenshesuddenlyshookhandswiththeladiesofthehouseandwasflashinglygone。
Verrianthoughthemightaskthedaughterofthehouse,\"AndifIdon’tforget,amIengagedtospendChristmasweekwithher?\"
Thegirllaughed。\"Ifshedoesn’tforget,youare。Butyou’llhaveagoodtime。She’llknowhowtomanagethat。\"Otherguestskeptcominguptotakeleave,andVerrian,whodidnotwanttogojustyet,wasretiredtothebackground,wherethegirl’svoice,thrownoverhershoulderathim,reachedhiminthewords,asgayasiftheywerethebestofthejoke,\"It’sontheSound。\"
TheinferencewasthatMrs。Westangle’splacewasontheSound;andthatwasallVerrianknewaboutittillhegotherlittlenote。Mrs。
Westangleknewhowtowriteinaformlesshand,butshedidnotknowhowtospell,andshehadthoughtitbesttohaveasecretarywhocouldwritewellandspellcorrectly。Though,asfarasliteracywasconcerned,shewassuchanalmostincomparablyignorantwoman,shehadalltheknowledgethebestsocietywants,or,ifshefoundherselfoutofany,shewentandboughtsome;shewasabletobuyalmostanything。
Verrianthankedthesecretaryforrememberinghim,inthebeliefthathewasdirectlythankingMrs。Westangle,whosewidespreadconsciousnesshishappinessinacceptingdidnotimmediatelyreach;andintheverylargehouseparty,whichhedulyjoinedunderherroof,hewasawareoflosingdistinctivenessalmosttothepointoflosingidentity。ThisdidnotquitehappenonthewaytoBelford,for,whenhewenttotakehisseatinthedrawing-roomcar,agirlinthechairfrontinghimputoutherhandwiththelaughofMissMacroyd。
\"Shedidrememberyou!\"shecriedout。\"Howdelightful!Idon’tseehowsheevergotontoyou\"——shemadetheslangherown——\"inthefirstplace,andshemusthaveworkedhardtobesureofyousince。\"
Verrianhunguphiscoatandputhissuit-casebehindhischair,theporterhavingputitwherehecouldnotwheelhimselfvis-a-viswiththegirl。\"Shetookallthetimetherewas,\"heanswered。\"Igotmyinvitationonlythedaybeforeyesterday,andifIhadbeeninmoredemand,orhadaworseconscience——\"
\"Oh,dosayworseconscience!It’ssomuchmoreinteresting,\"thegirlbrokein。
\"——Ishouldn’thavethepleasureofgoingtoSeasandswithyounow,\"heconcluded,andshegaveherlaugh。\"DoIunderstandthatsimplymygrowingfamewouldn’thaveprevailedwithher?\"
AnythingseemedtomakeMissMacroydlaugh。\"Shecouldn’thavecaredaboutthat,andshewouldn’thaveknown。Youmaybesurethatitwasasocialquestionwithherafterthepersonalquestionwassettled。Shemusthavelikedyourlooks!\"AgainMissMacroydlaughed。
\"OnthatsideI’minvulnerable。It’sonlyaliteraryvanitytobesoothedortobewoundedthatIhave,\"Verriansaid。
\"Oh,therewouldn’tbeanythingpersonalinherlikingyourlooks。Itwouldbemerelydecidingthatpersonallyyouwoulddo,\"MissMacroydlaughed,asalways,andVerrianputonamockseriousnessinasking:
\"ThenIneedn’tbeseriousifthereshouldhappentobeanythingsoWestangularasaMr。Westangle?\"
\"Nottheleastintheworld。\"
\"Butthereissomething?\"
\"Oh,Ibelieveso。ButnotprobablyatSeasands。\"
\"Isthatherhouse?\"
\"Yes。Everyothernamehadbeenused,andshecouldn’tsaySoundsands。\"
\"ThenwherewouldtheMr。Westangularpartmoreprobablybefound?\"
\"Oh,inMontanaorMesopotamia,oranyofthoseplaces。Don’tyouknowabouthim?Howignorantliterarypeoplecanbe!Why,hewastheAmalgamatedClothespin。Youhaven’theardofthat?\"
Shewentontotellhim,withgaydigressions,abouttheinventionwhichenabledWestangletobuyuptheotherclothes-pinsandmergetheminhisown——tobecomeacommercialoctopus,clutchingthethroatsofotherclothespininventorsinthetentaclesoftheWestanglepin。\"Butheisn’tinclothespinsnow。He’sinmines,andbanks,andsteamboats,andrailroads,andIdon’tknowwhatall;andMrs。Westangle,thesecondofhername,neverwasinclothespins。\"
MissMacroydlaughedallthroughhertalk,andshewasinafinalburstoflaughingwhenthetrainslowedintoStamford。Thereagirlcameintothecartrailingherskirtswithasortofvividdebilityandoverturningsomeminorpiecesofhand-baggagewhichherdraperiessweptoutoftheirshelterbesidethechairs。Shehadtotakeoneoftheseatswhichbackagainstthewallofthestate-room,whereshemustfacethewholelengthofthecar。Shesatweaklyfallenbackinthechairandmotionless,asifalmostunconscious;butafterthetrainhadbeguntostirshestartedup,andwithaquickflingingofherveilasideturnedtolookoutofthewindow。IntheflyinginstantVerriansawacolorlessfacewithpinchedandsunkeneyesunderaworn-lookingforehead,andawitheredmouthwhoselipspartedfeebly。
Onherpart,MissMacroydhaddoubtlessalreadynotedthatthegirlwas,withnoshowofexpensiveness,authoritativelywellgownedandpersonallyhatted。Shestaredather,andsaid,\"Whataveryhuntedandescapingeffect。\"
\"Shedoeslookrather-fugitive,\"Verrianagreed,staringtoo。
\"Onemightalmostfancy——anasylum。\"
\"Yes,orahospital。\"
Theycontinuedbothtostareather,helplessforwhateverdifferentreasonstotaketheireyesaway,andtheywerestillinterestedinherwhentheyheardheraskingtheconductor,\"MustIchangeandtakeanothertrainbeforewegettoBelford?Myfriendsthought——\"
\"No,thistrainstopsatSouthfield,\"theconductoranswered,absentlybitingseveralholesintoherdrawing-roomticket。
\"Canshebeoneofus?\"MissMacroyddemanded,inadramaticwhisper。
\"Shemightbeanything,\"Verrianreturned,tryinginstantly,withawhirofhisinventivemachinery,tophraseher。Hemadeasortofluxuriousfailureofit,andrestedcontentwithherface,whichshoweditselfnowinprofileandnowfrontedhiminfull,andnowwasrestlessandnowsubsidedinalookofdelicateexhaustion。Hewouldhavesaid,ifhewouldhavesaidanythingabsolute,thatshewasapersonwhohadsomethingonhermind;atinstantsshehadthathuntedair,passingatotherinstantsintothatairofescape。HediscussedtheseappearanceswithMissMacroyd,butfoundhertoofranklydisputatious;andshelaughedtoomuchandtooloud。
VIII。
AtSouthfield,wheretheyalldescended,MissMacroydpromptlypossessedherselfofagroom,whocameforwardtentatively,touchinghishat。
\"MissMacroyd?\"shesuggested。
\"Yes,miss,\"themansaid,andledthewayroundthestationtothevictoriawhich,whenMissMacroyd’smaidhadmountedtotheplacebesideher,hadnoroom;foranyoneelse。
VerrianaccountedforheractivityuponthetheoryofherquitejustifiablewishnottoarriveatSeasandswithayoungmanwhomshemightthenhavetheeffectofhavingvoluntarilycomeallthewaywith;
andafteroneortwocircuitsofthestationitwasapparenttohimthathewasnottohavebeensentforfromMrs。Westangle’s,buttohavebeenlefttothechancesofthelocaldriversandtheirvehicles。Thesewerereducedtoasinglecarryallandafrowsyhorsewhoseroughwintercoatrecalledtheaspectofhisspeciesintheperiodfollowingtheglacialepoch。Themud,asofaworld-thaw,encrustedthewheelsandcurtainsofthecarryall。
Verrianseizeduponitandthenwentintothewaiting-room,wherehehadlefthissuit-case。Hefoundthestrangerthereinparleywiththeyoungwomanintheticket-officeaboutaconveyancetoMrs。Westangle’s。Itprovedthathehadsecurednotonlytheonlythingofthesort,buttheonlypresenthopeofanyother,andinthehardcasehecouldnothesitatewithdistresssointeresting。Itwouldhavebeenbrutaltodriveoffandleavethatgirlthere,anditwouldhavebeenavulgarflourishtoputtheentirevehicleatherservice。Besides,andperhapsaboveall,Verrianhadnoideaofdeprivinghimselfofsuchachanceasheavenseemedtoofferhim。
Headvancedwiththedelicacyofthehighest-bredherohecouldimagine,andsaid,\"IamgoingtoMrs。Westangle’s,andI’mafraidI’vegottheonlyconveyance——suchasitis。Ifyouwouldletmeofferyouhalfofit?Mr。Verrian,\"headded,atthelightofacceptanceinstantlykindlinginherface,whichflushedthinly,aswithanafterglowofinvalidism。
\"Why,thankyou;I’mafraidImust,Mr。Merriam,\"andVerrianwasawareofbeingvexedatherfailuretocatchhisname;thenameofVerrianoughttohavebeenunmistakable。\"Theyoungladyintheofficesaystherewon’tbeanother,andI’mexpectedpromptly。\"Sheadded,withalittletremorofthelip,\"Idon’tunderstandwhyMrs。Westangle——\"
Butthenshestopped。
Verrianinterpretedforher:\"Thesea-horsesmusthavegivenoutatSeasands。Orprobablythere’ssomemistake,\"andhereflectedbitterlyupontheselfishnessofMissMacroydingrabbingthatvictoriaforherselfandhermaid,notconsideringthatshecouldnotknow,andhasnobusinesstoask,whetherthisgirlwasgoingtoMrs。Westangle’s,too。
\"Haveyouacheck?\"heasked。\"Ithinkourdrivercouldfindroomforsomethingbesidesmyvalise。OrIcouldhaveitcome——\"
\"Notatall,\"thegirlsaid。\"Isentmytrunkaheadbyexpress。\"
Afrowsyman,tomatchthefrowsyhorse,lookedinimpatiently。\"Anyotherbaggage?\"
\"No,\"Verriananswered,andheledthewayoutafterthevanishingdriver。\"Ourchariotisbackhereinhiding,Miss——\"
\"Shirley,\"shesaid,andtrailedbeforehimthroughthedoorheopened。
Hefeltthathedidnotdoitasamanoftheworldwouldhavedoneit,andinputtingherintotheramshacklecarryallheknewthathehadnotthegraceofthesortofmanwhodoesnothingelse。ButMissShirleyseemedtohavegraceenough,ofafeebleandbrokensort,forboth,andheresolvedtosupplyhisownlackwithsincerity。Hethereforesethisjawfirmlyandmadeitsupperanglesjutsharplythroughhisclean-shavencheeks。ItwaswellthatMissShirleyhadsomebeautytospare,too,forVerrianhadscarcelyenoughforhimself。Suchdistinctionashehadwasfromasortofintellectualtensenesswhichshowedratherinthegauntformsofhisfacethaninthegrayeyes,heavilylashedaboveandbelow,andlookingseriousbutdullwiththeirrank,blackbrows。HewaschewingacudofbitternessintheaccusalhemadehimselfofhavingforcedMissShirleytogivehername;butwiththatinterestingpersonalityathisside,underthesametatteredandill-scentedJapanesegoat-skin,hecouldnotrefusetobeglad,withallhisself-blame。
\"I’mafraidit’sratheralongdrive-foryou,MissShirley,\"heventured,withaglanceatherface,whichlookedverylittleunderherhat。\"Thedriversaysit’sfivemilesroundthroughthemarshes。\"
\"Oh,Ishallnotmind,\"shesaid,courageously,ifnotcheerfully,andhedidnotfeelauthorizedfurthertorecognizethefactthatshewasaninvalid,oratbestaconvalescent。
\"Thesewintrytree-formsarefine,though,\"hefoundhimselfobligedtoconcludehisapology,ratherirrelevantly,asthewheelsoftherattling,andtiltingcarryallcrunchedthesurfaceoftheroadinthesuccessionofjerksrespondingtothealternatewalkandgallopofthehorse。
\"Yes,theyare,\"MissShirleyanswered,lookingaroundwithacertainsurprise,asifseeingthemnowforthefirsttime。\"Somuchvarietyofcolor;andthatburnishedlookthatsomeofthemhave。\"Thetrees,farandnear,weregivingtheirtonesandlustresinthelowDecembersun。
\"Yes,\"hesaid,\"it’sdecidedlymorerefinedthantheautumnalcoloringwebragof。\"
\"Itis,\"sheapproved,aswithnovelconviction。\"Thelandscapeisreallybeautiful。Soniceandflat,\"sheadded。
Hetookherintention,andhesaid,ashecranedhisneckoutofthecarryalltoincludethenearerroadsidestretches,withtheirlowbushesliftingintoremotertrees,\"It’srestfulinawaythatneitherthemountainsnorthesea,quitemanage。\"
\"Ohyes,\"shesighed,withakindofwearinesswhichexplaineditselfinwhatsheadded:\"It’sthekindofthingyou’dliketohavekeeponandon。\"Sheseemedtosaythatmoretoherselfthantohim,andhiseyesquestionedher。Shesmiledslightlyinexplaining:\"IsupposeIfinditallthemorebeautifulbecausethisismyfirstreallookintotheworldaftersixmonthsindoors。\"
\"Oh!\"hesaid,andtherewasnodoubtapromptinginhistone。