\"Mydarlinggrandmother,\"shecried,\"I
thoughtyouwouldnevercomehome。\"
\"Itwasn’tmyfault,dear。MissHillisandanimbecileyoungdoctormademebelieveIhadacold。Ihadnocold。IhadnothingatallbutwhatIoughttohave。I’vebeenmadetotakeallsortsofthings,anddoallsortsofthingsthatIhatetotakeandhatetodo。FortendaysI’vebeenkickingmyoldheelsagainstbedclothes。YesterdayItookthingsinmyownhands。\"
\"Nevermind,Grannydear,itwasallagooddiscipline。\"
\"Discipline!Youimpertinentyounglady!Disciplineforyourgrandmother!
Discipline,indeed!Thatonewordmaycostyouathousanddollars,miss。\"
\"Idon’tcareifitdoes,onlyyoumustgivethethousanddollarstopoorMissHillis。\"
\"PoorMissHillishashadamostcomfortabletimewithmeallsummer。\"
\"Iknowshehas,consequentlyshewillfeelhercomfortlessroomandpovertyallthemoreafterit。Giveherthethousand,Granny。
I’mwilling。\"
\"Whatkindofcompanyhaveyoubeenkeeping,EthelRawdon?Whohastaughtyoutosquanderdollarsbythethousand?
Discipline!Ithinkyouaregivingmealittlenow——athousanddollarsalesson,itseems——
nowonder,afterthecarryings-onatRawdonCourt。\"
\"Deargrandmother,wehadtheloveliesttimeyoucanimagine。Andthereisnot,inalltheworld,suchanobleoldgentlemanasSquirePercivalRawdon。\"
\"IknowallaboutPercivalRawdon——aproud,careless,extravagant,loose-at-endsman,dancingandsingingandlovingasitsuitedtimeandseason,takingnothoughtforthefuture,andspendingwithbothhands;
hardonwomen,too,ascouldbe。\"
\"Grandmother,Ineversawamorecourteousgentleman。Heworshipswomen。Hewasnevertiredoftalkingaboutyou。\"
\"Whathadhetosayaboutme?\"
\"Thatyouweretheloveliestgirlinthecounty,andthathenevercouldforgetthefirsttimehesawyou。Hesaidyouwerelikethevisionofanangel。\"
\"Nonsense!Iwasjustaprettygirlinabookmuslinfrockandawhitesash,witharoseatmybreast。Ibelievetheyusebookmuslinforliningsnow,butitdidmakethesheerest,lightestfrocksanygirlcouldwant。
Yes,Irememberthattime。Iwasgoingtoalittlepartyandcrossingameadowtoshortenthewalk,andSquirePercivalhadbeenoutwithhisgun,andhelaiditdownandrantohelpmeoverthestile。Ahandsomeyoungfellowhewasthenaseversteppedinshoeleather。\"
\"Andhemusthavelovedyoudearly。HewouldsithourafterhourtellingRuthandmehowbrightyouwere,andhowalltheyoungbeauxaroundMonk-Rawdonadoredyou。\"
\"Nonsense!Nonsense!Ihadbeauxtobesure。Whatprettygirlhasn’t?\"
\"AndhesaidhisbrotherEdwardwonyoubecausehewasmostworthyofyourlove。\"
\"Well,now,IchoseEdwardRawdonbecausehewaswillingtocometoAmerica。I
longedtogetawayfromMonk-Rawdon。I
wasfaintandwearywiththewholestupidplace。Andtheideaoflivingafreeandequallife,andnotcaringwhatlordsandsquiresandtheirproudladiessaidordid,pleasedmewonderfully。WereadaboutNiagaraandthegreatprairiesandthenewbrightcities,andEdwardandIresolvedtomakeourhomethere。Yourgrandfatherwasn’tamantolikebeing`theSquire’sbrother。’Hecouldstandalone。\"
\"AreyougladyoucametoAmerica?\"
\"Neversorryaminuteforit。TenyearsinNewYorkisworthfiftyyearsinMonk-
Rawdon,orRawdonCourteither。\"
\"SquirePercivalwasveryfondofme。
HethoughtIresembledyou,grandmother,butheneveradmittedIwasashandsomeasyouwere。\"
\"Well,Etheldear,youarehandsomeenoughforthekindofmenyou’llpickupinthisgeneration——mostofthembaldatthirty,wearingspectaclesattwentyorearlier,andinspiteofthefusstheymakeaboutathleticsbreakingalltonervousbitsaboutfifty。\"
\"Grandmother,thatispureslander。I
knowsomeveryfineyoungmen,handsomeandathleticboth。\"
\"Beautyisamatteroftaste,andastotheirathletics,theycanrunamilewithablacksmith,butwhenthethermometerrisestoeighty-fivedegreesitknocksthemalltopieces。Theysitfanningthemselveslikeschoolgirls,andcallforjulepsandice-water。
I’vegoteyesyet,mydear。SquirePercivalwasadifferentkindofman;hecouldfollowthehoundsalldayanddanceallnight。Thehunthadnotariderlikehim;hebalkedatneitherhedge,gate,norwater;arightgallant,courageous,honorable,affectionategentlemanaseverYorkshirebred,andshe’sbredlotsofsuperfineones。Whatevermadehimgetintosuchamesswithhisestate?
Yourgrandfatherthoughthimasstraightasastringinmoneymatters。\"
\"Yousaidjustnowhewascarelessandextravagant。\"
\"Well,Ididhimwrong,andI’msorryforit。Howdidhemanagetoneedeightythousandpounds?\"
\"Itisratherapitifulstory,grandmother,butheneveronceblamedthosewhowereinthewrong。Hissonformanyyearshadbeentherealmanageroftheestate。Hewasaspeculator;hisgrandsonswerewildandextravagant。Theybegantoborrowmoneytenyearsagoandhadtogoon。\"
\"Whomdidtheyborrowfrom?\"
\"FredMostyn’sfather。\"
\"Thedevil!Excuseme,Ethel——butthenamesuitsandmaystand。\"
\"ThedearoldSquirewouldhavetakenthefaultonhimselfifhecouldhavedoneso。
Theythatwrongedhimwerehisown,andtheyweredead。Heneverspokeofthembutwithaffection。\"
\"PoorPercival!YourfathertoldmehewasnowoutofMostyn’spower;hesaidyouhadsavedtheestate,buthegavemenoparticulars。Howdidyousaveit?\"
\"Boughtit!\"
\"Nonsense!\"
\"Houseandlandsandoutlyingfarmsandtimber——everything。\"
ThenarosycoloroverspreadMadam’sface,hereyessparkled,sherosetoherfeet,madeEthelasweepingcourtesy,andsaid:
\"MyrespectandcongratulationstoEthel,LadyofRawdonManor。\"
\"Deargrandmother,whatelsecouldI
do?\"
\"Youdidright。\"
\"TheSquireisLordoftheManoraslongashelives。MyfathersaysIhavedonewelltobuyit。Inthefuture,ifIdonotwishtokeepit,NicholasRawdonwillrelievemeatagreatfinancialadvantage。\"
\"Whydidn’tyouletNicholasRawdonbuyitnow?\"
\"Hewouldhavewantedpromptpossession。
TheSquirewouldhavehadtoleavehishome。Itwouldhavebrokenhisheart。\"
\"Idaresay。Hehasasoft,lovingheart。
Thatisn’talwaysablessing。Itcangiveoneadealofsuffering。AndIhearyouhaveallbeenmakingidolsoftheseTyrrel-Rawdons。
Fredtellsmetheyareasvulgaralotascanbe。\"
\"Fredlies!Excuseme,grandmother——butthewordsuitsandmaystand。Mr。Nicholasispompous,andwalksasslowlyasifhehadtocarrytheweightofhisgreatfortune;buthismannersareallright,andhiswifeandsonaredelightful。Sheishandsome,welldressed,andsogood-heartedthatherprettycountyidiomsarereallycharming。JohnThomasisamanbyhimself——nothandsome,butrunningoverwithgoodtemper,andexceedinglycleverandwide-awake。ManytimesIwasforcedtotellmyself,JohnThomaswouldmakeanidealSquireofRawdon。\"
\"Whydon’tyoumarryhim。\"
\"Heneveraskedme。\"
\"Whatwasthematterwiththemen?\"
\"Hewasalreadyengagedtoaverylovelyyounglady。\"
\"Iamgladsheisalady。\"
\"Sheisalsoveryclever。Shehasbeentocollegeandtakenhighhonors,athingIhavenotdone。\"
\"Youmighthavedoneandoverdonethatcaper;youweretoosensibletotryit。Well,I’mgladthatpartofthefamilyislookingup。Theyhadtherightstuffinthem,anditisagoodthingforfamiliestodwelltogetherinunity。WehaveKingDavid’swordforthat。Myobservationleadsmetothinkitisfarbetterforfamiliestodwellapart,inunity。Theyseldomgetalongcomfortablytogether。\"
ThenEthelrelatedmanypleasant,piquantscenesbetweenthetwofamiliesatMonk-
Rawdon,andespeciallythatoneinwhichtheroomofthefirstTyrrelhadbeenopenedandhislikenessrestoredtoitsplaceinthefamilygallery。Ittouchedtheoldladytotears,andshemurmured,\"Poorlad!Poorlad!I
wonderifheknows!Iwonderifheknows!\"
ThecrucialpointofEthel’srevelationshadnotyetbeenrevealed,butMadamwasnowinagentlemood,andEtheltooktheopportunitytointroducehertoTyrrelRawdon。
Shewasexpectingandwaitingforthistopic,butstubbornlyrefusedtogiveEthelanyhelptowardbringingitforward。Atlast,thegirlfeltalittleangeratherpretendedindifference,andsaid,\"IsupposeFredMostyntoldyouaboutMr。TyrrelRawdon,ofCalifornia?\"
\"TyrrelRawdon,ofCalifornia!Pray,whomayhebe?\"
\"ThesonofColonelRawdon,oftheUnitedStatesArmy。\"
\"Oh,tobesure!Well,whatofhim?\"
\"Iamgoingtomarryhim。\"
\"Ishallseeaboutthat。\"
\"Wewerecomingheretogethertoseeyou,butbeforeweleftthesteamerhegotatelegramurginghimtogoatoncetohisfather,whoisveryill。\"
\"Ihavenotaskedhimtocomeandseeme。PerhapshewillwaittillIdoso。\"
\"IfyouarenotgoingtoloveTyrrel,youneednotloveme。Iwon’thaveyouforagrandmotheranylonger。\"
\"Ididwithoutyousixtyyears。Ishallnotliveanothertwelvemonths,andIthinkIcanmanagetodowithoutyouforagranddaughteranylonger。\"
\"Youcannotdowithoutme。Youwouldbreakyourheart,andIshouldbreakmine。\"
WhereuponEthelbegantocrywithapassionthatquitegratifiedtheoldlady。Shewatchedherafewmoments,andthensaidgently:
\"Therenow,thatwilldo。WhenhecomestoNewYorkbringhimtoseeme。Anddon’tnamethemaninthemeantime。Iwon’ttalkabouthimtillI’veseenhim。Itisn’tfaireitherway。Freddidn’tlikehim。\"
\"FredlikesnoonebutDoraStanhope。\"
\"Eh!What!Isthatnonsensegoingonyet?\"
ThenEtheldescribedherlasttwointerviewswithDora。Shedidthiswithscrupulousfidelity,makingnosuggestionsthatmightprejudicethecase。Forshereallywantedhergrandmother’sdecisioninordertoframeherownconductbyit。Madamwasnot,however,inahurrytogiveit。
\"Whatdoyouthink?\"sheaskedEthel。
\"IhaveknownDoraformanyyears;shehasalwaystoldmeeverything。\"
\"ButnothingaboutFred?\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Nothingtotell,perhaps?\"
\"Perhaps。\"
\"Wheredoesherexcellenthusbandcomein?\"
\"Shesaysheisverykindtoherinhisway。\"
\"Andhiswayistodragherovertheworldtoseethecathedralsthereof,andtovarythatpleasurewithinspectingschoolsandreformatoriesandlisteningtogreatpreachers。Uponmyword,Ifeelsorryforthechild!AndI
knowallaboutsuchexcellentpeopleastheStanhopes。Iusedtogotowhattheycall`apleasantevening’withthem。Wesataroundabigroomlitwithwaxcandles,andheldimprovingconversation,orsomeonesangoneortwoofMrs。Hemans’songs,like`PassingAway’or`HeNeverSmiledAgain。’Perhapstherewasacomicrecitation,atwhichnoonelaughed,andfinallywehadwineandhotwater——theycalledit`portnegus’——andtonguesandwichesandcarawaycakes。MydearEthel,IyawnnowwhenI
thinkofthosedrearyevenings。WhatmustDorahavefelt,rightoutofthemaelstromofNewYork’soperasandtheatersanddancingparties?\"
\"Still,Doraoughttotrytofeelsomeinterestinthechurchaffairs。Shesaysshedoesnotcareahairpinforthem,andBasilfeelssohurt。\"
\"Idaresayhedoes,poorfellow!HethinksSt。Jude’sKindergartenandsewingcirclesandmissionarysocietiesaretheonlyjoysintheworld。RightenoughforBasil,buthowaboutDora?\"
\"Theyarehisprofession;sheoughttofeelaninterestinthem。\"
\"Comenow,lookatthequestionsensibly。
DidDora’sfatherbringhis`deals’andstock-jobberyhome,andexpectDoraandhermothertofeelaninterestinthem?Dodoctorstelltheirwivesabouttheirpatients,andexpectthemtopaysympathizingvisits?
DoesyourfatherexpectRuthandyourselftolistentohiscasesandarguments,andvisithispoorclientsormakeunderclothingforthem?Domen,ingeneral,consideritawife’splacetointerfereintheirprofessionorbusiness?\"
\"Clergymenaredifferent。\"
\"Notatall。Preachingandphilanthropyistheirbusiness。Theygetsomuchayearfordoingit。Idon’tbelieveSt。Jude’spaysMrs。Stanhopearedcent。Therenow,andifsheisn’tpaid,she’srightnottowork。Amentothat!\"
\"BeforeshewasmarriedDorasaidshefeltagreatinterestinchurchwork。\"
\"Idaresayshedid。Marriagemakesadealofdifferenceinawoman’slikesanddislikes。
Churchworkwascourting-timebeforemarriage;aftermarriageshehadotheropportunities。\"
\"IthinkyoumightspeaktoFredMostyn————\"
\"Imight,butitwouldn’tbeworthwhile。
Betruetoyourfriendaslongasyoucan。
InYorkshirewestandbyourfriends,rightorwrong,andwearen’ttooparticularastotheirbeingright。Myfatherenjoyedjustifyingamanthateveryoneelsewasdownon;
andI’vestoodbymanyawomannobodyhadagoodwordfor。Iwasneversorryfordoingit,either。I’llbegoingintoastrangecountrysoon,andIshouldnotwonderifsomeofthemthathavegonetherefirstwillbereadytostandbyme。Wedon’tknowwhatfriendswe’llbegladofthere。\"
Thedinnerbellbrokeupthisconversation,andEthelduringittoldMadamaboutthecookandcookingattheCourtandatNicholasRawdon’s,whereJohnThomashadinstalledaFrenchchef。Otherdomesticarrangementswerediscussed,andwhentheJudgecalledforhisdaughteratfouro’clock,Madamvowed\"shehadspentoneofthehappiestdaysofherlife。\"
\"Ruthtellsme,\"saidtheJudge,\"thatDoraStanhopecalledforEthelsoonaftershelefthomethismorning。Ruthseemstroubledatthecontinuanceofthisfriendship。
Haveyouspokentoyourgrandmother,Ethel,aboutDora?\"
\"Shehastoldmeallthereistotell,Idaresay,\"answeredMadam。
\"Well,mother,whatdoyouthink?\"
\"Iseenoharminityetawhile。Itisnotfair,Edward,tocondemnuponlikelihoods。
Wearenosaints,sinfulmenandwomen,allofus,andasmuchinclinedtoforbiddenfruitasanygoodChristianscanbe。Ethelcandoasshefeelsaboutit;she’sgotamindofherown,andIhopetogoodnessshe’llnotletRuthBayardbitandbridleit。\"
GoinghometheJudgeevidentlyponderedthisquestion,forhesaidafteralengthysilence,\"Grandmother’sethicsdonotalwaysfitthesocialethicsofthisday,Ethel。Shecriticisespeoplewithherheart,notherintellect。
Youmustbeprudent。ThereisaremarkablethingcalledRespectabilitytobereckonedwithrememberthat。\"
AndEthelanswered,\"NooneneedworryaboutDora。Somewomenmayshowtheedgesoftheircharactersoiledandragged,butDorawillbesuretohavehersreputablyfinishedwithahemofthewidestpropriety。\"
AndafterashortsilencetheJudgeadded,almostinsoliloquy,\"And,moreover,Ethel,\"`There’sadivinitythatshapesourends,Rough-hewthemhowwewill。’\"
PARTFOURTH
THEREAPINGOFTHESOWING
CHAPTERX
WHENEthelandTyrrelpartedatthesteamertheydidnotexpectalongseparation,butColonelRawdonneverrecoveredhishealth,andformanyexcellentreasonsTyrrelcouldnotleavethedyingman。NordidEthelwishhimtodoso。UnderthesecircumstancesbeganthesecondbeautifulphaseofEthel’swooing,asweet,dailycorrespondence,thebestofallpreparationsformatrimonialonenessandunderstanding。LookingforTyrrel’sletters,readingthem,andansweringthempassedmanyhappyhours,fortobothitwasanabsolutenecessitytoassureeachotherconstantly,\"SinceIwrotetheeyestereveIdolovethee,Love,believe,Twelvetimesdearer,twelvehourslonger,Onedreamdeeperonenightstronger,Onesunsurer——thismuchmoreThanIlovedthee,dear,before。\"
Andfortherest,shetookupheroldlifewithafreshenthusiasm。
AmongtheseinterestsnoneweremoreurgentintheirclaimsthanDoraStanhope;
andfortifiedbyhergrandmother’sopinion,Ethelwentatoncetocallonher。ShefoundBasilwithhiswife,andhiseffortstomakeEthelseehowmuchheexpectedfromherinfluence,andyetatthesametimenotevenhintadisapprovalofDora,werealmostpathetic,forhewassovoidofsophistrythathisinnuendoeswereflagrantlyopentodetection。
Dorafeltacontemptforthem,andhehadhardlylefttheroomereshesaid:
\"Basilhasgonetohisvestryinhighspirits。WhenItoldhimyouwerecomingtoseemeto-dayhesmiledlikeanangel。Hebelievesyouwillkeepmeoutofmischief,andhefeelsagrandconfidenceinsomethingwhichhecalls`yourinfluence。’\"
\"Whatdoyoumeanbymischief?\"
\"Oh,IsupposegoingaboutwithFredMostyn。Ican’thelpthat。Imusthavesomeonetolookafterme。AlltheyoungmenI
usedtoknowpassmenowwithaliftedhatorawordortwo。Thegirlshaveforgottenme。Idon’tsupposeIshallbeaskedtoasingledancethiswinter。\"
\"TheladiesinSt。Jude’schurchwouldmakeapetofyouif————\"
\"Theoldcatsandkittens!No,thankyou,IamnotgoingtochurchexceptonSundaymornings——thatisrespectableandright;butastobeingthepetofSt。Jude’sladies!No,no!Howtheywouldmewovermydelinquencies,andwhatscratchesIshouldgetfromtheirvelvet-shodclaws!IfIhavetobetalkedabout,Iprefertheladiesoftheworldtodiscussmyfrailties。\"
\"ButifIwereyou,Iwouldgivenooneareasonforsayingawordagainstme。Whyshouldyou?\"
\"Fredwillsupplythemwithreasons。I
can’tkeepthemanawayfromme。Idon’tbelieveIwantto——heisveryniceanduseful。\"
\"Youaretalkingnonsense,thingsyoudon’tmean,Dora。YouarenotsuchafoolishwomanastoliketobeseenwithFredMostyn,thatlittlemonocularsnob,afterthearistocratic,handsomeBasilStanhope。Thecomparisonisamockery。BasilisthefinestgentlemanIeversaw。Socially,heisperfection,and————\"
\"Heisonlyaclergyman。\"
\"Evenasaclergymanheisofreligiouslyroyaldescent。Therearegenerationsofclergymenbehindhim,andheisaprinceinthepulpit。Everymanthatknowshimgiveshimthehighestrespect,everywomanthinksyouthemostfortunateofwives。NoonecaresforFredMostyn。Eveninhisnativeplaceheisheldincontempt。HehadninehundredvotestoyoungRawdon’stwelvethousand。\"
\"Idon’tmindthat。Iamgoingtothematineeto-morrowwithFred。Hewantedtotakemeoutinhisautothisafternoon,butwhenIsaidIwouldgoifyouwouldhedrewback。Whatisthereason?Didhemakeyouofferofhishand?Didyourefuseit?\"
\"Henevermademeanoffer。Icountthattomyselfasagreatcompliment。Ifhehaddonesuchathing,hewouldcertainlyhavebeenrefused。\"
\"Icantellthathereallyhatesyou。WhatdirtytrickdidyouservehimaboutRawdonCourt?\"
\"SohecalledthereleaseofSquireRawdona`dirtytrick’?ItwouldhavebeenaverydirtytricktohaveletFredMostyngethiswaywithSquireRawdon。\"
\"Ofcourse,Ethel,whenamanlendshismoneyasanobligationheexpectstogetitbackagain。\"
\"Mostyngoteveryfarthingduehim,andhewantedoneofthefinestmanorsinEng-
landinreturnfortheobligation。Hedidnotgetit,thankGodandmyfather!\"
\"Hewillnotforgetyourfather’sinterference。\"
\"Ihopehewillrememberit。\"
\"DoyouknowwhofurnishedthemoneytopayFred?Hesaysheissureyourfatherdidnothaveit。\"
\"Tellhimtoaskmyfather。Hemightevenaskyourfather。Whethermyfatherhadthemoneyornotwasimmaterial。Fathercouldborrowanysumhewanted,I
think。\"
\"Whomdidheborrowfrom?\"
\"IamsurethatFredtoldyoutoaskthatquestion。Ishewritingtoyou,Dora?\"
\"Supposeheis?\"
\"Icannotsupposesuchathing。Itistooimpossible。\"
ThiswasthebeginningofaseriesofeventsallmoreorlessqualifiedtobringaboutunspeakablemiseryinBasil’shome。Butthereisnothinginlifelikethemarriagetie。Thetugsitwillbearandnotbreak,thewrongsitwilllookover,thechronicmisunderstandingsitwillforgive,makeitoneofthemysteriesofhumanity。ItwasnotinadayoraweekthatBasilStanhope’sdreamofloveandhomewasshattered。Dorahadfrequentandthenlessfrequenttimesofreturntoherbetterself;andeverysuchtimerenewedherhusband’shopethatshewasmerelypassingthroughaperiodoftransitionandassimilation,andthatintheendshewouldbeallhisdesirehopedfor。
ButEthelsawwhathedidnotsee,thatMostynwasgraduallyinspiringherwithhisownopinions,perhapsevenwithhisownpassion。
Inthisemergency,however,shewasgratifiedtofindthatDora’smotherappearedtohavegraspedthesituation。ForifDorawenttothetheaterwithMostyn,Mrs。DenningorBrycewasalsothere;andtherecklessautodriving,shopping,andlunchinghadatleastashowofrespectableassociation。
Yetwhentheoperaseasonopened,theconstantcompanionshipofMostynandDorabecameentirelytooremarkable,notonlyinthepublicestimation,butinBasil’smiserableconceptionofhisownwrong。Theyounghusbandusedeveryartandpersuasion——andfailed。Andhisfailurewastooapparenttobeslighted。Hebecamefeverishandnervous,andhisfriendsreadhismiseryineyesheavywithunshedtears,andinthewastingpallorcausedbyhissleepless,sorrowfulnights。
Doraalsoshowedsignsofthechangesorapidlyworkingonher。Shewassullenandpassionatebyturns;shecomplainedbitterlytoEthelthatheryouthandbeautyhadbeenwasted;thatshewasonlynineteen,andherlifewasover。ShewantedtogotoParis,togetawayfromNewYorkanywhereandanyhow。
ShebegantodislikeeventhepresenceofBasil。Hisstatelybeautyoffendedher,hislow,calmvoicewastheverykeynoteofirritation。
OnemorningnearChristmashecametoherwithasmiling,radiantface。\"Dora,\"
hesaid,\"Dora,mylove,Ihavesomethingsointerestingtotellyou。Mrs。ColbyandMrs。Schafflerandsomeotherladieshaveabeautifulidea。TheywishtogiveallthechildrenofthechurchundereightyearsoldthegrandestChristmastreeimaginable——
reallyrichpresentsandtheythoughtyoumightliketohaveithere。\"
\"Whatdoyousay,Basil!\"
\"Youwerealwayssofondofchildren。
You————\"
\"Inevercouldendurethem。\"
\"Weallthoughtyoumightenjoyit。Indeed,IwassosurethatIpromisedforyou。
Itwillbesuchapleasuretomealso,dear。\"
\"Iwillhavenosuchchildishnonsenseinmyhouse。\"
\"Ipromisedit,Dora。\"
\"Youhadnorighttodoso。Thisismyhouse。Myfatherboughtitandgavemeit,anditismyown。I————\"
\"Itseems,then,thatIintrudeinyourhouse。Isitso?Speak,Dora。\"
\"Ifyouwillaskquestionsyoumusttaketheanswer。Youdointrudewhenyoucomewithsuchridiculousproposals——infact,youintrudeveryoftenlately。\"
\"DoesMr。Mostynintrude?\"
\"Mr。Mostyntakesmeout,givesmealittlesensiblepleasure。YouthinkIcanbeinterestedinaChristmastree。Theidea!\"
\"Alas,alas,Dora,youaretiredofme!
Youdonotloveme!Youdonotloveme!\"
\"Ilovenobody。IamsorryIgotmarried。
Itwasallamistake。Iwillgohomeandthenyoucangetadivorce。\"
Atthislastwordthewholemanchanged。
Hewassuffused,transfiguredwithanangerthatwasatoncerighteousandimpetuous。
\"Howdareyouusethatwordtome?\"hedemanded。\"TothepriestofGodnosuchwordexists。Idonotknowit。Youaremywife,willingorunwilling。Youaremywifeforever,whetheryoudwellwithmeornot。
YoucannotseverbondstheAlmightyhastied。Youaremine,DoraStanhope!Minefortimeandeternity!Mineforeverandever!\"
Shelookedathiminamazement,andsawamanafteranimageshehadneverimagined。
Shewasterrified。Sheflungherselfonthesofainawhirlwindofpassion。Shecriedaloudagainsthisclaim。Shegaveherselfuptoavehementragethatwasstronglyinfusedwithachildishdismayandpanic。
\"Iwillnotbeyourwifeforever!\"sheshrieked。\"Iwillneverbeyourwifeagain——never,notforonehour!Letmego!Takeyourhandsoffme!\"ForBasilhadkneltdownbythedistraughtwoman,andclaspingherinhisarmssaid,evenonherlips,\"YouAREmydearwife!Youaremyveryowndearwife!Tellmewhattodo。Anythingthatisright,reasonableIwilldo。Wecanneverpart。\"
\"Iwillgotomyfather。Iwillnevercomebacktoyou。\"Andwiththesewordssherose,threwoffhisembrace,andwithasobbingcryran,likeaterrifiedchild,outoftheroom。
Hesatdownexhaustedbyhisemotion,andsickwiththethoughtshehadevokedinthatoneevilword。Thepublicity,thedisgrace,thewrongtoHolyChurch——ah,thatwasthecruelestwound!Hisownwrongwashardenough,butthathe,whowouldgladlydiefortheChurch,shouldputhertoopenshame!Howcouldhebearit?Thoughitkilledhim,hemustpreventthatwrong;yes,iftherighteyeoffendeditmustbepluckedout。Hemustthrowoffhiscassock,andturnawayfromthesacredaisles;hemust——hecouldnotsaytheword;hewouldwaitalittle。
Dorawouldnotleavehim;itwasimpossible。
Hewaitedinatranceofachingsuspense。
Nothingforanhourormorebrokeit——nofootfall,nosoundofcommandorcomplaint。
HewasfinallyinhopesthatDoraslept。
Thenhewascalledtolunch,andhemadeapretenseofeatingitalone。Dorasentnoexcuseforherabsence,andhecouldnottrusthimselftomakeinquiryabouther。Inthemiddleoftheafternoonheheardacarriagedrivetothedoor,andDora,withherjewel-
caseinherhand,entereditandwasdrivenaway。Thesightastoundedhim。Herantoherroom,andfoundhermaidpackingherclothing。Thewomanansweredhisquestionssullenly。Shesaid\"Mrs。StanhopehadgonetoMrs。Denning’s,andhadleftordersforhertrunkstobesentthere。\"Beyondthisshewassilentandignorant。Nosympathyforeitherhusbandorwifewasinherheart。
Theirquarrelwasinterferingwithherownplans;shehatedbothoftheminconsequence。
InthemeantimeDorahadreachedherhome。Hermotherwasdismayedandhesitating,andherattituderaisedagaininDora’sheartthepassionwhichhadprovokedthestepshehadtaken。Sheweptlikealostchild。SheexclaimedagainstthehorrorofbeingBasil’swifeforeverandever。Shereproachedhermotherforsufferinghertomarrywhileshewasonlyachild。Shesaidshehadbeencruellyusedinordertogetthefamilyintosocialrecognition。Shewasinafrenzyofgriefathersupposedsacrificewhenherfathercamehome。Hercasewasthenwon。Withherarmsroundhisneck,sobbingagainsthisheart,hertearsandentreatiesonhislips,BenDenninghadnofeelingandnocareforanyonebuthisdaughter。Hetookherviewofthingsatonce。\"SheHADbeenbadlyused。ItWASashametotieagirllikeDoratosermonsandsuchlike。Itwaslikeshuttingherupinaconvent。\"Dora’stearsandcomplaintsfiredhimbeyondreason。Hepromisedherfreedomwhateveritcosthim。
Andwhilehesatinhisprivateroomconsideringthecase,alltheracialpassionsofhisroughancestryburningwithinhim,BasilStanhopecalledtoseehim。Hepermittedhimtocomeintohispresence,butheroseasheentered,andwalkedhastilyafewstepstomeethim。
\"Whatdoyouwanthere,sir?\"heasked。
\"Mywife。\"
\"Mydaughter。Youshallnotseeher。I
havetakenherbacktomyowncare。\"
\"Sheismywife。Noonecantakeherfromme。\"
\"Iwillteachyouadifferentlesson。\"
\"ThelawofGod。\"
\"Thelawofthelandgoeshere。You’llfinditmorethanyoucandefy。\"
\"Sir,IentreatyoutoletmespeaktoDora。\"
\"Iwillnot。\"
\"IwillstayhereuntilIseeher。\"
\"Iwillgiveyoufiveminutes。Idonotwishtoofferyourprofessionaninsult;ifyouhaveanyrespectforityouwillobeyme。\"
Answermeonequestion——whathaveI
donewrong?\"
\"Amancanbesointolerablyright,thathebecomesunbearablywrong。Youhavenobusinesswithawifeandahome。Youaread————sighttoogoodforagoodlittlegirlthatwantsabitofinnocentamusement。SermonsandChristmastrees!GreatScott,whatsensiblewomanwouldnotbesickofitall?Sir,Idon’twantanotherminuteofyourcompany。LittlewonderthatmyDoraisillwithit。Obligemebyleavingmyhouseasquietlyaspossible。\"Andhewalkedtothedoor,flungitopen,andstoodglaringatthedistractedhusband。\"Go,\"hesaid。\"Goatonce。Mylawyerwillseeyouinthefuture。
Ihavenothingfurthertosaytoyou。\"
Basilwent,butnottohisdesolatehome。
Hehadaprivatekeytothevestryinhischurch,andinitsdarknessandsolitudehefacedthefirstshockofhisruinedlife,forheknewwellallwasover。Allhadbeen。Hesanktotheflooratthefootofthelargecrosswhichhungonitsbarewhitewalls。Grief’sillimitablewavewentoverhim,andlikeadrowningmanheutteredaninarticulatecryofagony——thecryofasoulthathadwrongeditsdestiny。
Lovehadbetrayedhimtoruin。Allhehaddonemustbeabandoned。Allhehadwonmustbegivenup。SinandshameindeeditwouldbeifinhispersonasacramentoftheChurchshouldbedraggedthroughadivorcecourt。Allotherconsiderationspaledbeforethisdisgrace。Hemustresignhiscuracy,striphimselfofthehonorableliveryofheaven,obliteratehispersonandhisname。Itwasakindofdeath。
Afterawhileherose,dranksomewater,liftedtheshadeandletthemoonlightin。
ThenaboutthatlittleroomhewalkedwithGodthroughthelongnight,tellingHimhissorrowandperplexity。Andthereisadepthinourownnaturewherethedivineandhumanareone。ThatnightBasilStanhopefoundit,andhenceforwardknewthatthebitternessofdeathwasbehindhim,notbefore。
\"Imademynesttoodearonearth,\"
hesighed,\"andithasbeensweptbare——thatis,thatImaybuildinheaven。
Now,therevelationofsorrowistheclearestofallrevelations。Stanhopeunderstoodthathourwhathemustdo。Nodoubtsweakenedhiscourse。HewentbacktothehouseDoracalled\"hers,\"tookawaywhathevalued,andwhiletheservantswereeatingtheirbreakfastandtalkingoverhismaritaltroubles,hepassedacrossitsthresholdforthelasttime。Hetoldnoonewherehewasgoing;hedroppedassilentlyanddumblyoutofthelifethathadknownhimasastonedroppedintomid-ocean。
EthelconsideredherselffortunateinbeingfromhomeatthetimethisdisastrousculminationofBasilStanhope’smarriedlifewasreached。OnthatsamemorningtheJudge,accompaniedbyRuthandherself,hadgonetoLenoxtospendtheholidayswithsomeoldfriends,andshewasquiteignorantofthematterwhenshereturnedaftertheNewYear。Brycewasherfirstinformant。
Hecalledspeciallytogiveherthenews。Hesaidhissisterhadbeentooillandtoobusytowrite。Hehadnowordofsympathyfortheunhappypair。Hespokeonlyoftheanxietyithadcausedhim。\"Hewasnowengaged,\"
hesaid,\"toMissCaldwell,andshewassuchanextremelyproper,innocentlady,andamemberofSt。Jude’s,ithadreallybeenatryingtimeforher。\"BrycealsoremindedEthelthathehadbeenagainstBasilStanhopefromthefirst。\"Hehadalwaysknownhowthatmarriagewouldend,\"andsoon。
Etheldeclinedtogiveanyopinion。\"Shemusthearbothsides,\"shesaid。\"Dorahadbeensoreasonablelately,shehadappearedhappy。\"
\"Oh,Doraisalittlefox,\"hereplied;\"shedoublesonherselfalways。\"
Ruthwasproperlyregretful。Shewondered\"ifanymarriedwomanwasreallyhappy。\"ShedidnotapparentlyconcernherselfaboutBasil。TheJudgeratherleanedtoBasil’sconsideration。HeunderstoodthatDora’sovertacthadshatteredhisprofessionalcareeraswellashispersonalhappiness。
Hecouldfeelforthemanthere。\"Mydears,\"hesaid,withhisdilettanteair,\"thegoddessCalamityisdelicate,andherfeetaretender。Shetreadsnotupontheground,butmakesherpathupontheheartsofmen。\"Inthisnon-committalwayhegavehiscomment,forheusuallyfoundabitofclassicalwisdomtofitmodernemergencies,andthehabithadimpartedanantiquebon-tontohisconversation。Ethelcouldonlywonderatthelackofrealsympathy。
Inthemorningshewenttoseehergrandmother。
Theoldladyhad\"heard\"allshewantedtohearaboutDoraandBasilStanhope。
Ifmenwouldmarryafoolbecauseshewasyoungandpretty,theymusttaketheconsequences。\"AndwhyshouldStanhopehavemarriedatall?\"sheaskedindignantly。
\"NomancanserveGodandawomanatthesametime。Hehadtobeabadpriestandagoodhusband,orabadhusbandandagoodpriest。BasilStanhopewashonored,wasdoinggood,andhemustneedsbehappyalso。
Hewantedtoomuch,andlosteverything。
Servehimright。\"
\"AllcannowfindsomefaultinpoorBasilStanhope,\"saidEthel。\"BrycewasbitteragainsthimbecauseMissCaldwellshiversattheword`divorce。’\"
\"WhathasBrycetodowithJaneCaldwell?\"
\"Heisgoingtomarryher,hesays。\"
\"Likeenough;she’samerrymissoftwo-
score,andrich。Bryce’smarriagewithanyonewillbeawell-consideredaffair——amarriagewithalltheadvantagesofagoodbargain。I’mtiredofthewholesubject。IfwomenwillmarrytheyshouldbeaspatientasGriselda,incasethereeverwassuchawoman;ifnot,there’sanendofthematter。\"
\"TherearenoGriseldasinthiscentury,grandmother。\"
\"Thenthereoughttobenomarriages。
BasilStanhopewasagrandmaninpublic。
Whatkindofamanwasheinhishome?
Measureamanbyhishomeconduct,andyou’llnotgowrong。It’stherightplacetodrawyourpictureofhim,Icantellyouthat。\"
\"Hehasnohomenow,poorfellow。\"
\"Whosefaultwasit?Godonlyknows。
Whereishiswife?\"
\"ShehasgonetoParis。\"
\"Shehasgonetotherightplaceifshewantstoplaythefool。Butthere,now,GodforbidIshouldjudgeherinthedark。
Womenshouldstandbywomen——considering。\"
\"Considering?\"
\"Whattheymayhavetoputupwith。Itiseasytoseefaultsinothers。Ihavesometimesmetwithpeoplewhoshouldseefaultsinthemselves。Theyareratheruncommon,though。\"
\"IamsureBasilStanhopewillbemiserableallhislife。Hewillbreakhisheart,I
dobelieve。\"
\"Notso。Agoodheartishardtobreak,itgrowsstrongintrouble。BasilStanhope’sbodywillfaillongbeforehisheartdoes;andevensoanendmustcometolife,andafterthatpeaceorwhatGodwills。\"
ThisscantsympathyEthelfoundtobetheusualtoneamongheracquaintances。St。