\"JESSIE,\"herepeatedslowly。Themuteemotionofhisfaceaffectedherstrangely。Shehadtospeak。\"It’snotsuchaverywonderfulname,isit?\"shesaid,withalaughtobreaktheintensity。
Heopenedhismouthandshutitagain,and,withasuddenwincingofhisfeatures,abruptlyturnedandbentdowntoopenthelanterninfrontofhermachine。Shelookeddownathim,almostkneelinginfrontofher,withanunreasonableapprobationinhereyes。Itwas,asIhaveindicated,thehourandseasonofthefullmoon。
XXV
Mr。Hoopdriverconductedtherestofthatnight’sjourneywiththesameconfidentdignityasbefore,anditwaschieflybygoodluckandthefactthatmostroadsaboutatownconvergethereupon,thatChichesterwasatlastattained。Itseemedatfirstasthougheveryonehadgonetobed,buttheRedHotelstillglowedyellowandwarm。ItwasthefirsttimeHoopdriverbaddaredthemysteriesofa’first—class’hotel。’Butthatnighthewasinthemoodtodareanything。
\"SoyoufoundyourYoungLadyatlast,\"saidtheostleroftheRedHotel;foritchancedhewasoneofthoseofwhomHoopdriverhadmadeinquiriesintheafternoon。
\"Quiteamisunderstanding,\"saidHoopdriver,withsplendidreadiness。\"MysisterhadgonetoBognorButIbroughtherbackhere。I’vetookafancytothisplace。Andthemoonlight’ssimplydee—vine。\"
\"We’vehadsupper,thenks,andwe’retired,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
\"Isupposeyouwon’ttakeanything,——Jessie?\"
Thegloryofhavingher,evenasasister!andtocallherJessielikethat!Buthecarrieditoffsplendidly,ashefelthimselfboundtoadmit。\"Good—night,Sis,\"hesaid,\"andpleasantdreams。
I’lljust’avealookatthispaperbeforeIturnin。\"Butthiswaslivingindeed!hetoldhimself。
SogallantlydidMr。HoopdrivercomporthimselfuptotheveryedgeoftheMostWonderfulDayofall。Ithadbegunearly,youwillremember,withavigilinalittlesweetstuffshopnextdoortotheAngelatMidhurst。Buttothinkofallthethingsthathadhappenedsincethen!Hecaughthimselfinthemiddleofayawn,pulledouthiswatch,sawthetimewashalfpasteleven,andmarchedoff,withafinesenseofheroism,bedward。
THESURBITONINTERLUDE
XXVI
Andhere,thankstothegloriousinstitutionofsleep,comesabreakinthenarrativeagain。Theseabsurdyoungpeoplearesafelytuckedawaynow,theirheadsfullofglowingnonsense,indeed,butthecourseofeventsatanyrateissafefromanyfreshdevelopmentsthroughtheiractivitiesforthenexteighthoursormore。Theyarebothsleepinghealthilyyouwillperhapsbeastonishedtohear。Hereisthegirl——whatgirlsarecomingtonowadaysonlyMrs。LynnLintoncantell!——incompanywithanabsolutestranger,oflowextractionanduncertainaccent,unchaperonedandunabashed;indeed,nowshefanciessheissafe,sheis,ifanything,alittleproudofherownshareinthesetransactions。ThenthisMr。Hoopdriverofyours,roseateidiotthatheis!isinillegalpossessionofastolenbicycle,astolenyounglady,andtwostolennames,establishedwiththeminanhotelthatisquitebeyondhismeans,andimmenselyproudofhimselfinasomnolentwayfortheseincomparablefollies。Thereareoccasionswhenamoralisingnovelistcanmerelywringhishandsandleavematterstotaketheircourse。ForallHoopdriverknowsorcareshemaybelockeduptheveryfirstthingto—morrowmorningfortherapeofthecycle。TheninBognor,letalonethatmelancholyvestige,Bechamel(withwhomourdealingsare,thankGoodness!over),thereisaCoffeeTavernwithasteakMr。
Hoopdriverordered,donetoacinderlongago,hisAmerican—clothparcelinabedroom,andhisownproperbicycle,bywayofguarantee,carefullylockedupinthehayloft。To—morrowhewillbeaMystery,andtheywillbelookingforhisbodyalongtheseafront。AndsofarwehavenevergivenaglanceatthedesolatehomeinSurbiton,familiartoyounodoubtthroughthemediumofillustratedinterviews,wheretheunhappystepmother——
Thatstepmother,itmustbeexplained,isquitewellknowntoyou。ThatisalittlesurpriseIhavepreparedforyou。Sheis’ThomasPlantagenet,’thegiftedauthoressofthatwittyanddaringbook,\"ASoulUntrammelled,\"andquiteanexcellentwomaninherway,——onlyitissuchacrookedway。HerrealnameisMilton。Sheisawidowandacharmingone,onlytenyearsolderthanJessie,andsheisalwayscarefultodedicatehermoredaringworkstothe’sacredmemoryofmyhusband’toshowthatthere’snothingpersonal,youknow,inthematter。Consideringherliteraryreputation(shewasalwaysspeakingofherselfasoneImartyredfortruth,’becausethecriticsadvertisedherwrittenindecorumsincolumnlong’slates’),——consideringherliteraryreputation,Isay,shewasoneofthemostrespectablewomenitispossibletoimagine。Shefurnishedcorrectly,dressedcorrectly,hadseverenotionsofwhomshemightmeet,wenttochurch,andevenattimestookthesacramentinsomeesotericspirit。AndJessieshebroughtupsocarefullythatsheneverevenletherread\"ASoulUntrammelled。\"Which,therefore,naturallyenough,Jessiedid,andwentonfromthattoafeastofadvancedliterature。Mrs。MiltonnotonlybroughtupJessiecarefully,butveryslowly,sothatatseventeenshewasstillacleverschoolgirl(asyouhaveseenher)andquiteinthebackgroundofthelittleliterarycircleofunimportantcelebritieswhich’ThomasPlantagenet’adorned。Mrs。MiltonknewBechamel’sreputationofbeingadangerousman;butthenbadmenarenotbadwomen,andshelethimcometoherhousetoshowshewasnotafraid——shetooknoaccountofJessie。Whentheelopementcame,therefore,itwasadoubledisappointmenttoher,forsheperceivedhishandbyakindofinstinct。Shedidthecorrectthing。Thecorrectthing,asyouknow,istotakehansomcabs,regardlessofexpense,andweepandsayyoudonotknowWHATtodo,roundthecircleofyourconfidentialfriends。ShecouldnothaveriddennorweptmorehadJessiebeenherowndaughter——sheshowedtheproperestspirit。Andshenotonlyshowedit,butfeltit。
Mrs。Milton,asasuccessfullittleauthoressandstillmoresuccessfulwidowofthirty—two,——\"ThomasPlantagenetisacharmingwoman,\"herreviewersusedtowriteinvariably,eveniftheyspokeillofher,——foundthesteadygrowthofJessieintowomanhoodanunmitigatednuisanceandhadbeenwillingenoughtokeepherinthebackground。AndJessie——whohadstartedthisintercourseatfourteenwithabstractobjectionstostepmothers——hadbeenactiveenoughinresentingthis。Increasingrivalryandantagonismhadsprungupbetweenthem,untiltheycouldengenderquiteavividhatredfromadroppedhairpinorthecuttingofabookwithasharpenedknife。Thereisverylittledeliberatewickednessintheworld。Thestupidityofourselfishnessgivesmuchthesameresultsindeed,butintheethicallaboratoryitshowsadifferentnature。Andwhenthedisastercame,Mrs。Milton’sremorsefortheirgraduallossofsympathyandhershareinthelosingofit,wasgenuineenough。
Youmayimaginethecomfortshegotfromherfriends,andhowWestKensingtonandNottingHillandHampstead,theliterarysuburbs,thosedecentpenitentiariesofaonceBohemiancalling,hummedwiththebusiness,Her’Men’——asacharmingliteraryladyshehad,ofcourse,anorganisedcorps——wereimmenselyexcited,andweresympathetic;helpfullyenergetic,suggestive,alert,astheiridealsoftheirvariousdispositionsrequiredthemtobe。
\"AnynewsofJessie?\"wasthepatheticopeningofadozenmelancholybutinterestingconversations。ToherMenshewasnotperhapssodampasshewastoherwomenfriends,butinaquietwayshewasevenmoretouching。Forthreedays,Wednesdaythatis,Thursday,andFriday,nothingwasheardofthefugitives。ItwasknownthatJessie,wearingapatentcostumewithbuttonupskirts,andmountedonadiamondframesafetywithDunlops,andaloofahcoveredsaddle,hadriddenforthearlyinthemorning,takingwithherabouttwopoundssevenshillingsinmoney,andagreytouringcasepacked,andthere,saveforabriefnotetoherstepmother,——adeclarationofindependence,itwassaid,anassertionofherEgocontainingextensiveandveryannoyingquotationsfrom\"ASoulUntrammelled,\"andgivingnodefiniteintimationofherplans——knowledgeceased。Thatnotewasshowntofew,andthenonlyinthestrictestconfidence。
ButonFridayeveninglatecameabreathlessManFriend,Widgery,acorrespondentofhers,whohadheardofhertroubleamongthefirst。HehadbeentouringinSussex,——hisknapsackwasstillonhisback,——andhetestifiedhurriedlythatataplacecalledMidhurst,inthebarofanhotelcalledtheAngel,hehadheardfromabarmaidavividaccountofaYoungLadyinGrey。
Descriptionstallied。Butwhowasthemaninbrown?\"Thepoor,misguidedgirl!Imustgotoheratonce,\"shesaid,choking,andrisingwithherhandtoherheart。
\"It’simpossibleto—night。Therearenomoretrains。Ilookedonmyway。\"
\"Amother’slove,\"shesaid。\"IbearherTHAT。\"
\"Iknowyoudo。\"Hespokewithfeeling,fornooneadmiredhisphotographsofscenerymorethanMrs。Milton。\"it’smorethanshedeserves。\"
\"Oh,don’tspeakunkindlyofher!Shehasbeenmisled。\"
Itwasreallyveryfriendlyofhim。Hedeclaredhewasonlysorryhisnewsendedthere。Shouldhefollowthem,andbringherback?
Hehadcometoherbecauseheknewofheranxiety。\"ItisGOODofyou,\"shesaid,andquiteinstinctivelytookandpressedhishand。\"Andtothinkofthatpoorgirl——tonight!It’sdreadful。\"
Shelookedintothefirethatshehadlitwhenhecamein,thewarmlightfelluponherdarkpurpledress,andleftherfeaturesinawarmshadow。Shelookedsuchaslight,frailthingtobetroubledso。\"Wemustfollowher。\"Herresolutionseemedmagnificent。\"Ihavenoonetogowithme。\"
\"Hemustmarryher,\"saidtheman。
\"Shehasnofriends。Wehavenoone。Afterall——Twowomen。——Sohelpless。\"
Andthisfair—hairedlittlefigurewasthewomanthatpeoplewhoknewheronlyfromherbooks,calledbold,prurienteven!Simplybecauseshewasgreat—hearted——intellectual。Hewasovercomebytheunspeakablepathosofherposition。
\"Mrs。Milton,\"hesaid。\"Hetty!\"
Sheglancedathim。Theoverflowwasimminent。\"Notnow,\"shesaid,\"notnow。Imustfindherfirst。\"
\"Yes,\"hesaidwithintenseemotion。(Hewasoneofthosebig,fatmenwhofeeldeeply。)\"Butletmehelpyou。Atleastletmehelpyou。\"
\"Butcanyousparetime?\"shesaid。\"ForME。\"
\"Foryou——\"
\"ButwhatcanIdo?whatcanWEdo?\"
\"GotoMidhurst。Followheron。Traceher。ShewasthereonThursdaynight,lastnight。Shecycledoutofthetown。Courage!\"
hesaid。\"Wewillsaveheryet!\"
Sheputoutherhandandpressedhisagain。
\"Courage!\"herepeated,findingitsowellreceived。
Therewerealarmsandexcursionswithout。Sheturnedherbacktothefire,andhesatdownsuddenlyinthebigarmchair,whichsuitedhisdimensionsadmirably。Thenthedooropened,andthegirlshowedinDangle,wholookedcuriouslyfromonetotheother。Therewasemotionhere,hehadheardthearmchaircreaking,andMrs。Milton,whosefacewasflushed,displayedasuspiciousalacritytoexplain。\"You,too,\"shesaid,\"areoneofmygoodfriends。Andwehavenewsofheratlast。\"
ItwasdecidedlyanadvantagetoWidgery,butDangledeterminedtoshowhimselfamanofresource。Intheendhe,too,wasacceptedfortheMidhurstExpedition,totheintensedisgustofWidgery;andyoungPhipps,acallowyouthoffewwords,faultlesscollars,andferventdevotion,wasalsoenrolledbeforetheeveningwasout。Theywouldscourthecountry,allthreeofthem。
Sheappearedtobrightenupalittle,butitwasevidentshewasprofoundlytouched。Shedidnotknowwhatshehaddonetomeritsuchfriends。Hervoicebrokealittle,shemovedtowardsthedoor,andyoungPhipps,whowasayouthofactionratherthanofwords,sprangandopenedit——proudtobefirst。
\"Sheissorelytroubled,\"saidDangletoWidgery。\"Wemustdowhatwecanforher。\"
\"Sheisawonderfulwoman,\"saidDangle。\"Sosubtle,sointricate,somanyfaceted。Shefeelsthisdeeply。\"
YoungPhippssaidnothing,buthefeltthemore。
Andyettheysaytheageofchivalryisdead!
ButthisisonlyanInterlude,introducedtogiveourwandererstimetorefreshthemselvesbygood,honestsleeping。Forthepresent,therefore,wewillnotconcernourselveswiththestartingoftheRescueParty,norwithMrs。Milton’ssimplebutbecominggreydress,withthehealthyWidgery’sNorfolkjacketandthickboots,withtheslenderDangle’senergeticbearing,norwiththewonderfulchequeringsthatsetoffthelegsofthegolf—suitedPhipps。Theyareafterus。Inalittlewhiletheywillbeuponus。YoumustimagineasyoubestcanthecompetitiveraidingsatMidhurstofWidgery,Dangle,andPhipps。HowWidgerywasgreatatquestions,andDanglegoodatinference,andPhippssoconspicuouslyinferiorineverythingthathefeltit,andsulkedwithMrs。Miltonmostoftheday,afterthemannerofyourcallowyouththewholeworldover。Mrs。MiltonstoppedattheAngelandwasverysadandcharmingandintelligent,andWidgerypaidthebill。intheafternoonofSaturday,Chichesterwasattained。Butbythattimeourfugitives——Asyoushallimmediatelyhear。
THEAWAKENINGOFMR。HOOPDRIVER
XXVII
Mr。Hoopdriverstirredonhispillow,openedhiseyes,and,staringunmeaningly,yawned。Thebedclothesweresoftandpleasant。Heturnedthepeakednosethatoverridestheinsufficientmoustache,uptotheceiling,apinkishprojectionoverthebillowofwhite。Youmightseeitwrinkleasheyawnedagain,andthenbecamequiet。Somattersremainedforaspace。
Veryslowlyrecollectionreturnedtohim。Thenashockofindeterminatebrownhairappeared,andfirstonewaterygreyeyea—wondering,andthentwo;thebedupheaved,andyouhadhim,histhinneckprojectingabruptlyfromtheclothesheheldabouthim,hisfacestaringabouttheroom。Heheldtheclothesabouthim,IhopeImayexplain,becausehisnight—shirtwasatBognorinanAmerican—clothpacket,derelict。Heyawnedathirdtime,rubbedhiseyes,smackedhislips。Hewasrecallingalmosteverythingnow。Thepursuit,thehotel,thetremulousdaringofhisentry,theswiftadventureoftheinnyard,themoonlight——Abruptlyhethrewtheclothesbackandroseintoasittingpositionontheedgeofthebed。Withoutwasthenoiseofshuttersbeingunfastenedanddoorsunlocked,andthepassingofhoofsandwheelsinthestreet。Helookedathiswatch。Half—pastsix。Hesurveyedthesumptuousroomagain。
\"Lord!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Itwasn’tadream,afterall。\"
\"IwonderwhattheychargefortheseJuicedrooms!\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver,nursingonerosyfoot。
Hebecamemeditative,tuggingathisinsufficientmoustache。
Suddenlyhegaveventtoanoiselesslaugh。\"Whatarushitwas!
Rushedinandoffwithhisgirlrightunderhisnose。Planneditwelltoo。Talkofhighwayrobbery!TalkofbrigandsUpandoff!
HowjuicedSOLDhemustbefeelingItwasashavetoo——inthecoachyard!\"
Suddenlyhebecamesilent。Abruptlyhiseyebrowsroseandhisjawfell。\"Isa—a—ay!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
Hehadneverthoughtofitbefore。Perhapsyouwillunderstandthewhirlhehadbeeninovernight。Butoneseesthingsclearerinthedaylight。\"I’mhangedifIhaven’tbeenandstolenablessedbicycle。\"
\"Whocares?\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,presently,andhisfacesuppliedtheanswer。
ThenhethoughtoftheYoungLadyinGreyagain,andtriedtoputamoreheroiccomplexiononthebusiness。Butofanearlymorning,onanemptystomach(aswithcharacteristiccoarseness,medicalmenputit)heroicsareofamoredifficultgrowththanbymoonlight。Everythinghadseemedexceptionallyfineandbrilliant,butquitenatural,theeveningbefore。
Mr。Hoopdriverreachedouthishand,tookhisNorfolkjacket,laiditoverhisknees,andtookoutthemoneyfromthelittleticketpocket。\"Fourteenandsix—half,\"hesaid,holdingthecoinsinhislefthandandstrokinghischinwithhisright。Heverified,bypatting,thepresenceofapocketbookinthebreastpocket。\"Five,fourteen,six—half,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Left。\"
WiththeNorfolkjacketstillonhisknees,heplungedintoanothersilentmeditation。\"Thatwouldn’tmatter,\"hesaid。\"It’sthebike’sthebother。
\"NogoodgoingbacktoBognor。
\"Mightsenditbackbycarrier,ofcourse。Thankinghimfortheloan。Havingnofurtheruse——\"Mr。Hoopdriverchuckledandlapsedintothesilentconcoctionofadelightfullyimpudentletter。
\"Mr。J。Hoopdriverpresentshiscompliments。\"Butthegravenotereasserteditself。
\"Mighttrundlebackthereinanhour,ofcourse,andexchangethem。MYoldcrock’ssoblessedshabby。He’ssuretobespitefultoo。Havemerunin,perhaps。Thenshe’dbeinjustthesameoldfix,onlyworse。Yousee,I’mherKnight—errant。Itcomplicatesthingsso。\"
Hiseye,wanderingloosely,restedonthespongebath。\"Whatthejuicedotheywantwithcreampansinabedroom?\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver,enpassant。
\"Bestthingwecandoistosetoutofhereassoonaspossible,anyhow。Isupposeshe’llgohometoherfriends。Thatbicycleisajuicynuisance,anyhow。Juicynuisance!\"
Hejumpedtohisfeetwithasuddenawakeningofenergy,toproceedwithhistoilet。ThenwithacertainhorrorherememberedthatthesimplenecessariesofthatprocesswereatBognor!\"Lord!\"heremarked,andwhistledsilentlyforaspace。
\"Rummygo!profitandloss;profit,onesisterwithbicyclecomplete,wotoffers?——cheapfortoothand’airbrush,vests,night—shirt,stockings,andsundries。
\"Makethebestofit,\"andpresently,whenitcametohair—brushing,hehadtosmoothhistroubledlockswithhishands。Itwasapoorresult。\"Sneakoutandgetashave,I
suppose,andbuyabrushandsoon。Chinkagain!Bearddon’tshowmuch。\"
Heranhishandoverhischin,lookedathimselfsteadfastlyforsometime,andcurledhisinsufficientmoustacheupwithsomecare。Thenhefella—meditatingonhisbeauty。Heconsideredhimself,three—quarterface,leftandright。Anexpressionofdistastecreptoverhisfeatures。\"Lookingwon’talterit,Hoopdriver,\"heremarked。\"You’reaweedycustomer,myman。
Shouldersnarrow。Skimpy,anyhow。\"
Heputhisknucklesonthetoilettableandregardedhimselfwithhischinliftedintheair。\"GoodLord!\"hesaid。\"WHATaneck!
WonderwhyIgotsuchathunderinglumpthere。\"
Hesatdownonthebed,hiseyestillontheglass。\"IfI’dbeenexercisedproperly,ifI’dbeenfedreasonable,ifIhadn’tbeenshovedoutofasillyschoolintoasillyshop——Butthere!theoldfolksdidn’tknownobetter。Theschoolmasteroughttohave。
Buthedidn’t,pooroldfool!——Still,whenitcomestomeetingagirllikethis——It’s’ARD。
\"IwonderwhatAdam’dthinkofme——asaspecimen。Civilisation,eigh?Heiroftheages!I’mnothing。Iknownothing。Ican’tdoanything——sketchabit。Whywasn’tImadeanartist?
\"Beastlycheap,afterall,thissuitdoeslook,inthesunshine。\"
\"Nogood,Hoopdriver。Anyhow,youdon’ttellyourselfanyliesaboutit。Loversain’tyourgame,——anyway。Butthere’sotherthingsyet。Youcanhelptheyounglady,andyouwill——Isupposeshe’llbegoinghome——Andthatbusinessofthebicycle’stoseeto,too,myman。FORWARD,Hoopdriver!Ifyouain’tabeauty,that’snoreasonwhyyoushouldstopandbecopped,isit?\"
Andhavinggotbackinthiswaytoagloomykindofself—satisfaction,hehadanotherattemptathishairpreparatorytoleavinghisroomandhurryingonbreakfast,foranearlydeparture。WhilebreakfastwaspreparinghewanderedoutintoSouthStreetandrefurnishedhimselfwiththeelementsofluggageagain。\"Noexpensetobespared,\"hemurmured,disgorgingthehalf—sovereign。
THEDEPARTUREFROMCHICHESTER
XXVIII
Hecausedhis’sister’tobecalledrepeatedly,andwhenshecamedown,explainedwithahumoroussmilehislegalrelationshiptothebicycleintheyard。\"Mightbedisagreeable,y’know。\"Hisanxietywasobviousenough。\"Verywell,\"shesaid(quitefriendly);\"hurrybreakfast,andwe’llrideout。Iwanttotalkthingsoverwithyou。\"Thegirlseemedmorebeautifulthaneverafterthenight’ssleep;herhairincomelydarkwavesfromherforehead,herungauntletedfinger—tipspinkandcool。Andhowdecidedshewas!Breakfastwasanervousceremony,conversationfraternalbutthin;thewaiteroverawedhim,andhewascowedbyamultiplicityofforks。Butshecalledhim\"Chris。\"Theydiscussedtheirrouteoverhissixpennycountymapforthesakeoftalking,butavoidedadecisioninthepresenceoftheattendant。Thefive—poundnotewaschangedforthebill,andthroughHoopdriver’sdeterminationtobequitethegentleman,thewaiterandchambermaidgothalfacrowneachandtheostleraflorin。\"’Olidays,\"saidtheostlertohimself,withoutgratitude。Thepublicmountingofthebicyclesinthestreetwasamomentoftrepidation。Apolicemanactuallystoppedandwatchedthemfromtheoppositekerb。Supposehimtocomeacrossandask:
\"Isthatyourbicycle,sir?\"Fight?Ordropitandrun?Itwasatimeofbewilderingapprehension,too,goingthroughthestreetsofthetown,sothatamilkcartbarelyescapeddestructionunderMr。Hoopdriver’schancywheel。Thatrecalledhimtoasenseoferraticsteering,andhepulledhimselftogether。Inthelaneshebreathedfreer,andalessformalconversationpresentlybegan。
\"You’veriddenoutofChichesterinagreathurry,\"saidJessie。
\"Well,thefactofitis,I’mworried,justalittlebit。Aboutthismachine。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"shesaid。\"Ihadforgottenthat。Butwherearewegoing?\"
\"Jestaturningortwomore,ifyoudon’tmind,\"saidHoopdriver。
\"Jestamileorso。Ihavetothinkofyou,youknow。Ishouldfeelmoreeasy。Ifwewaslockedup,youknow——NotthatIshouldmindonmyownaccount——\"
Theyrodewithastreaky,greyseacomingandgoingontheirlefthand。EverymiletheyputbetweenthemselvesandChichesterMr。
Hoopdriverfeltalittlelessconscience—stricken,andalittlemoreofthegallantdesperado。HerehewasridingonasplendidmachinewithaSlap—upgirlbesidehim。WhatwouldtheythinkofitintheEmporiumifanyofthemweretoseehim?HeimaginedindetailtheastonishmentofMissIsaacsandofMissHowe。\"Why!
It’sMr。Hoopdriver,\"MissIsaacswouldsay。\"Never!\"
emphaticallyfromMissHowe。ThenheplayedwithBriggs,andthentriedthe’G。V。’inashay。\"Fancyintroducing’emtoher——Mysisterprotem。\"HewasherbrotherChris——Chriswhat?——Confoundit!Harringon,Hartington——somethinglikethat。Havetokeepoffthattopicuntilhecouldremember。Wishhe’dtoldherthetruthnow——almost。Heglancedather。Shewasridingwithhereyesstraightaheadofher。Thinking。Alittleperplexed,perhaps,sheseemed。Henoticedhowwellsherodeandthatsherodewithherlipsclosed——athinghecouldnevermanage。
Mr。Hoopdriver’smindcameroundtothefuture。Whatwasshegoingtodo?Whatweretheybothgoingtodo?Histhoughtstookagravercolour。Hehadrescuedher。Thiswasfine,manlyrescueworkhewasengagedupon。Sheoughttogohome,inspiteofthatstepmother。Hemustinsistgravelybutfirmlyuponthat。Shewasthespiritedsort,ofcourse,butstill——Wonderifshehadanymoney?Wonderwhatthesecond—classfarefromHavanttoLondonis?Ofcoursehewouldhavetopaythat——itwastheregularthing,hebeingagentleman。Thenshouldhetakeherhome?Hebegantoroughinamovingsketchofthereturn。Thestepmother,repentantofherindescribablecruelties,wouldbepresent,——eventheserichpeoplehavetheirtroubles,——probablyanuncleortwo。
Thefootmanwouldannounce,Mr。——(botherthatname!)andMissMilton。Thentwowomenweepingtogether,andaknightlyfigureinthebackgrounddressedinahandsomeNorfolkjacket,stillconspicuouslynew。Hewouldconcealhisfeelinguntiltheveryend。Then,leaving,hewouldpauseinthedoorwayinsuchanattitudeasMr。GeorgeAlexandermightassume,andsay,slowlyanddwindlingly:\"Bekindtoher——BEkindtoher,\"andsodepart,heartbrokentothemeanestintelligence。Butthatwasamatterforthefuture。Hewouldhavetobegindiscussingthereturnsoon。Therewasnotrafficalongtheroad,andhecameupbesideher(hehadfallenbehindinhismusing)。Shebegantotalk。\"Mr。
Denison,\"shebegan,andthen,doubtfully,\"Thatisyourname?
I’mverystupid——\"
\"Itis,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。(Denison,wasit?Denison,Denison,Denison。Whatwasshesaying?)
\"Iwonderhowfaryouarewillingtohelpme?\"Confoundedlyhardtoansweraquestionlikethatonthespurofthemoment,withoutsteeringwildly。\"Youmayrely——\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,recoveringfromaviolentwabble。\"Icanassureyou——Iwanttohelpyouverymuch。Don’tconsidermeatall。Leastways,considermeentirelyatyourservice。\"(Nuisancenottobeabletosaythiskindofthingright。)
\"Yousee,Iamsoawkwardlysituated。\"
\"IfIcanonlyhelpyou——youwillmakemeveryhappy——\"Therewasapause。Roundabendintheroadtheycameuponagrassyspacebetweenhedgeandroad,setwithyarrowandmeadowsweet,whereafelledtreelayamongthegreen。Thereshedismounted,andproppinghermachineagainstastone,satdown。\"Here,wecantalk,\"shesaid。
\"Yes,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,expectant。
Sheansweredafteralittlewhile,sitting,elbowonknee,withherchininherhand,andlookingstraightinfrontofher。\"I
don’tknow——IamresolvedtoLivemyOwnLife。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Naturally。\"
\"IwanttoLive,andIwanttoseewhatlifemeans。Iwanttolearn。Everyoneishurryingme,everythingishurryingme;Iwanttimetothink。\"
Mr。Hoopdriverwaspuzzled,butadmiring。Itwaswonderfulhowclearandreadyherwordswere。Butthenonemightspeakwellwithathroatandlipslikethat。Heknewhewasinadequate,buthetriedtomeettheoccasion。\"Ifyouletthemrushyouintoanythingyoumightrepentof,ofcourseyou’dbeverysilly。\"
\"Don’tYOUwanttolearn?\"sheasked。
\"Iwaswonderingonlythismorning,\"hebegan,andstopped。
Shewastoointentuponherownthoughtstonoticethisinsufficiency。\"Ifindmyselfinlife,anditterrifiesme。I
seemtobelikealittlespeck,whirlingonawheel,suddenlycaughtup。’WhatamIherefor?’Iask。Simplytobehereatatime——Iaskeditaweekago,Iaskedityesterday,andIaskitto—day。Andlittlethingshappenandthedayspass。Mystepmothertakesmeshopping,peoplecometotea,thereisanewplaytopassthetime,oraconcert,oranovel。Thewheelsoftheworldgoonturning,turning。Itishorrible。IwanttodoamiraclelikeJoshuaandstopthewhirluntilIhavefoughtitout。Athome——It’simpossible。\"
Mr。Hoopdriverstrokedhismoustache。\"ItISso,\"hesaidinameditativetone。\"ThingsWILLgoon,\"hesaid。Thefaintbreathofsummerstirredthetrees,andabunchofdandelionpuffliftedamongthemeadowsweetandstruckandbrokeintoadozenseparatethreadsagainsthisknee。Theyflewonapart,andsank,asthebreezefell,amongthegrass:sometogerminate,sometoperish。
Hiseyefollowedthemuntiltheyhadvanished。
\"Ican’tgobacktoSurbiton,\"saidtheYoungLadyinGrey。
\"EIGH?\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,catchingathismoustache。Thiswasanunexpecteddevelopment。
\"Iwanttowrite,yousee,\"saidtheYoungLadyinGrey,\"towriteBooksandalterthings。TodoGood。IwanttoleadaFreeLifeandOwnmyself。Ican’tgoback。Iwanttoobtainapositionasajournalist。Ihavebeentold——ButIknownoonetohelpmeatonce。NoonethatIcouldgoto。Thereisoneperson——Shewasamistressatmyschool。IfIcouldwritetoher——Butthen,howcouldIgetheranswer?\"
\"H’mp,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,verygrave。
\"Ican’ttroubleyoumuchmore。Youhavecome——youhaveriskedthings——\"
\"Thatdon’tcount,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"It’sdoublepaytoletmedoit,sotospeak。\"
\"Itisgoodofyoutosaythat。SurbitonissoConventional。IamresolvedtobeUnconventional——atanycost。Butwearesohampered。IfIcouldonlyburgeonoutofallthathindersme!I
wanttostruggle,totakemyplaceintheworld。Iwanttobemyownmistress,toshapemyowncareer。Butmystepmotherobjectsso。Shedoesasshelikesherself,andisstrictwithmetoeaseherconscience。AndifIgobacknow,gobackowningmyselfbeaten——\"Shelefttheresttohisimagination。
\"Iseethat,\"agreedMr。Hoopdriver。HeMUSThelpher。Withinhisskullhewasdoingsomeintricatearithmeticwithfivepoundssixandtwopence。InsomevaguewayheinferredfromallthisthatJessiewastryingtoescapefromanundesirablemarriage,butwassayingthesethingsoutofmodesty。Hiscircleofideaswassolimited。
\"Youknow,Mr。——I’veforgottenyournameagain。\"
Mr。Hoopdriverseemedlostinabstraction。\"Youcan’tgobackofcourse,quitelikethat,\"hesaidthoughtfully。Hisearswaxedsuddenlyredandhischeeksflushed。
\"ButwhatISyourname?\"
\"Name!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Why!——Benson,ofcourse。\"
\"Mr。Benson——yesit’sreallyverystupidofme。ButIcanneverremembernames。Imustmakeanoteonmycuff。\"Sheclickedalittlesilverpencilandwrotethenamedown。\"IfIcouldwritetomyfriend。Ibelieveshewouldbeabletohelpmetoanindependentlife。Icouldwritetoher——ortelegraph。Write,I
think。Icouldscarcelyexplaininatelegram。Iknowshewouldhelpme。\"
Clearlytherewasonlyonecourseopentoagentlemanunderthecircumstances。\"Inthatcase,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,\"ifyoudon’tmindtrustingyourselftoastranger,wemightcontinueasweareperhaps。Foradayorso。Untilyouheard。\"(Supposethirtyshillingsaday,thatgivesfourdays,sayfourthirtiesishun’
andtwenty,sixquid,——well,threedays,say;fourten。)
\"Youareverygoodtome。\"
Hisexpressionwaseloquent。
\"Verywell,then,andthankyou。It’swonderful——it’smorethanI
deservethatyou——\"Shedroppedthethemeabruptly。\"WhatwasourbillatChichester?\"
\"Eigh?\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,feigningacertainstupidity。Therewasabriefdiscussion。Secretlyhewasdelightedatherinsistenceinpaying。Shecarriedherpoint。Theirtalkcameroundtotheirimmediateplansfortheday。Theydecidedtorideeasily,throughHavant,andstop,perhaps,atFarehamorSouthampton。Forthepreviousdayhadtriedthemboth。Holdingthemapextendedonhisknee,Mr。Hoopdriver’seyefellbychanceonthebicycleathisfeet。\"Thatbicycle,\"heremarked,quiteirrelevantly,\"wouldn’tlookthesamemachineifIgotabig,doubleElaruminsteadofthatlittlebell。\"
\"Why?\"
\"Jestathought。\"Apause。
\"Verywell,then,——Havantandlunch,\"saidJessie,rising。
\"Iwish,somehow,wecouldhavemanageditwithoutstealingthatmachine,\"saidHoopdriver。\"BecauseitISstealingit,youknow,cometothinkofit。\"
\"Nonsense。IfMr。Bechameltroublesyou——Iwilltellthewholeworld——ifneedbe。\"
\"Ibelieveyouwould,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,admiringher。\"You’repluckyenough——goodnessknows。\"
Discoveringsuddenlythatshewasstanding,he,too,roseandpickeduphermachine。Shetookitandwheeleditintotheroad。
Thenhetookhisown。Hepaused,regardingit。\"Isay!\"saidhe。
\"How’dthisbikelook,now,ifitwasenamelledgrey?\"Shelookedoverhershoulderathisgraveface。\"Whytryandhideitinthatway?\"
\"Itwasjestapassingthought,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,airily。
\"Didn’tMEANanything,youknow。\"
AstheywereridingontoHavantitoccurredtoMr。Hoopdriverinatransitorymannerthattheinterviewhadbeenquiteotherthanhisexpectation。ButthatwasthewaywitheverythinginMr。
Hoopdriver’sexperience。AndthoughhisWisdomlookedgravewithinhim,andCautionwaschinkingcoins,andanancientprejudiceinfavourofPropertyshookherhead,somethingelsewastheretoo,shoutinginhismindtodrownallthesesanerconsiderations,theintoxicatingthoughtofridingbesideHerallto—day,allto—morrow,perhapsforotherdaysafterthat。Oftalkingtoherfamiliarly,beingbrotherofallherslenderstrengthandfreshness,ofhavingagolden,real,andwonderfultimebeyondallhisimaginings。Hisoldfamiliarfancyingsgaveplacetoanticipationsasimpalpableandfluctuatingandbeautifulasthesunsetofasummerday。
AtHavanthetookanopportunitytopurchase,atsmallhairdresser’sinthemainstreet,atoothbrush,pairofnailscissors,andalittlebottleofstufftodarkenthemoustache,anarticletheshopmanintroducedtohisattention,recommendedhighly,andsoldintheexcitementoftheoccasion。
THEUNEXPECTEDANECDOTEOFTHELION
XXIX
TheyrodeontoCoshamandlunchedlightlybutexpensivelythere。
Jessiewentoutandpostedherlettertoherschoolfriend。ThenthegreenheightofPortsdownHilltemptedthem,andleavingtheirmachinesinthevillagetheyclambereduptheslopetothesilentred—brickfortthatcrownedit。ThencetheyhadaviewofPortsmouthanditsclusterofsistertowns,thecrowdednarrowsoftheharbour,theSolentandtheIsleofWightlikeabluecloudthroughthehothaze。JessiebysomemiraclehadbecomeaskirtedwomanintheCoshaminn。Mr。Hoopdriverloungedgracefullyontheturf,smokedaRedHerringcigarette,andlazilyregardedthefortifiedtownsthatspreadlikeamapawaythere,theinnerlineofdefenceliketoyfortifications,amileoffperhaps;andbeyondthatafewlittlefieldsandthenthebeginningsofLandportsuburbandthesmokyclusterofthemultitudinoushouses。TotherightattheheadoftheharbourshallowsthetownofPorchesterroseamongthetrees。Mr。
Hoopdriver’sanxietyrecededtosomeremotecornerofhisbrainandthatfloridhalf—voluntaryimaginationofhissharedthestagewiththeimageofJessie。Hebegantospeculateontheimpressionhewascreating。Hetookstockofhissuitinamoreoptimisticspirit,andreviewed,withsomecomplacency,hisactionsforthelastfourandtwentyhours。Thenhewasdashedatthethoughtofherinfiniteperfections。
Shehadbeenobservinghimquietly,rathermorecloselyduringthelasthourorso。Shedidnotlookathimdirectlybecauseheseemedalwayslookingather。Herowntroubleshadquieteddownalittle,andhercuriosityaboutthechivalrous,worshipping,butsingulargentlemaninbrown,wasawakening。Shehadrecalled,too,thecuriousincidentoftheirfirstencounter。Shefoundhimhardtoexplaintoherself。Youmustunderstandthatherknowledgeoftheworldwasratherlessthannothing,havingbeenobtainedentirelyfrombooks。Youmustnottakeacertainignoranceforfoolishness。
Shehadbegunwithafewexperiments。HedidnotknowFrenchexcept’sivverplay,’aphraseheseemedtoregardasaverygoodlighttablejokeinitself。HisEnglishwasuncertain,butnotsuchasbooksinformedherdistinguishedthelowerclasses。Hismannersseemedtohergoodonthewhole,butatrifleover—respectfulandoutoffashion。HecalledherIMadam’once。
Heseemedapersonofmeansandleisure,butheknewnothingofrecentconcerts,theatres,orbooks。Howdidhespendhistime?
Hewascertainlychivalrous,andatriflesimpleminded。Shefancied(somuchisthereinachangeofcostume)thatshehadnevermetwithsuchamanbefore。WhatCOULDhebe?
\"Mr。Benson,\"shesaid,breakingasilencedevotedtolandscape。
Herolledoverandregardedher,chinonknuckles。
\"Atyourservice。\"
\"Doyoupaint?Areyouanartist?\"
\"Well。\"Judiciouspause。\"IshouldhardlycallmyselfaNartist。\"
youknow。IDOpaintalittle。Andsketch,youknow——skittykindofthings。\"
Hepluckedandbegantonibbleabladeofgrass。Itwasreallynotsomuchlyingashisquickimaginationthatpromptedhimtoadd,\"InPapers,youknow,andallthat。\"
\"Isee,\"saidJessie,lookingathimthoughtfully。Artistswereaveryheterogeneousclasscertainly,andgeniuseshadatrickofbeingalittleodd。Heavoidedhereyeandbithisgrass。\"I
don’tdoMUCH,youknow。\"
\"It’snotyourprofession?
\"Oh,no,\"saidHoopdriver,anxiousnowtohedge。\"Idon’tmakearegularthingofit,youknow。jestnowandthensomethingcomesintomyheadanddownitgoes。No——I’mnotaregularartist。\"
\"Thenyoudon’tpractiseanyregularprofession?Mr。Hoopdriverlookedintohereyesandsawtheirquietunsuspiciousregard。Hehadvagueideasofresumingthedetectiverole。\"It’slikethis,\"
hesaid,togaintime。\"Ihaveasortofprofession。Onlythere’sakindofreason——nothingmuch,youknow\"
\"Ibegyourpardonforcross—examiningyou。\"
\"Notrouble,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"OnlyIcan’tverywell——I
leaveittoyou,youknow。Idon’twanttomakeanymysteryofit,sofarasthatgoes。\"Shouldheplungeboldlyandbeabarrister?Thatanyhowwassomethingprettygood。Butshemightknowaboutbarristry。
\"IthinkIcouldguesswhatyouare。\"
\"Well——guess,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
\"Youcomefromoneofthecolonies?\"
\"Dearme!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,veeringroundtothenewwind。
\"HowdidyoufindoutTHAT?\"(themanwasborninaLondonsuburb,dearReader。)
\"Iguessed,\"shesaid。
Heliftedhiseyebrowsasoneastonished,andclutchedanewpieceofgrass。
\"Youwereeducatedupcountry。\"
\"Goodagain,\"saidHoopdriver,rollingoveragainintoherelbow。
\"You’reaCLAIRVOYant。\"Hebitatthegrass,smiling。\"Whichcolonywasit?\"
\"ThatIdon’tknow。\"
\"Youmustguess,\"saidHoopdriver。
\"SouthAfrica,\"shesaid。\"IstronglyinclinetoSouthAfrica。\"
\"SouthAfrica’squitealargeplace,\"hesaid。
\"ButSouthAfricaisright?\"
\"You’rewarm,\"saidHoopdriver,\"anyhow,\"andthewhilehisimaginationwaseagerlyexploringthisnewprovince。
\"SouthAfricaISright?\"sheinsisted。
Heturnedoveragainandnodded,smilingreassuringlyintohereyes。
\"WhatmademethinkofSouthAfricawasthatnovelofOliveSchreiner’s,youknow——TheStoryofanAfricanFarm。’GregoryRoseissolikeyou。\"
\"Ineverread’TheStoryofanAfricanFarm,’\"saidHoopdriver。
\"Imust。What’shelike?\"
\"Youmustreadthebook。Butit’sawonderfulplace,withitsmixtureofraces,anditsbrand—newcivilisationjostlingtheoldsavagery。WereyounearKhama?\"
\"Hewasalongwayofffromourplace,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Wehadalittleostrichfarm,youknow——Justafewhundredof’em,outJohannesburgway。\"
\"OntheKarroo——wasitcalled?\"
\"That’stheterm。Someofitwasfreeholdthough。Luckily。Wegotalongverywellintheolddays。——Butthere’snoostrichesonthatfarmnow。\"Hehadadiamondmineinhishead,justatthemoment,buthestoppedandleftalittletothegirl’simagination。Besideswhichithadoccurredtohimwithakindofshockthathewaslying。
\"Whatbecameoftheostriches?\"
\"Wesold’emoff,whenwepartedwiththefarm。DoyoumindifI
haveanothercigarette?ThatwaswhenIwasquitealittlechap,youknow,thatwehadthisostrichfarm。\"
\"DidyouhaveBlacksandBoersaboutyou?\"
\"Lots,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,strikingamatchonhisinstepandbeginningtofeelhotatthenewresponsibilityhehadbroughtuponhimself。
\"Howinteresting!Doyouknow,I’veneverbeenoutofEnglandexcepttoParisandMentoneandSwitzerland。\"
\"Onegetstiredoftravelling(puff)afterabit,ofcourse。\"
\"YoumusttellmeaboutyourfarminSouthAfrica。Italwaysstimulatesmyimaginationtothinkoftheseplaces。Icanfancyallthetallostrichesbeingdrivenoutbyablackherd——tograze,Isuppose。Howdoostrichesfeed?\"
\"Well,\"saidHoopdriver。\"That’srathervarious。Theyhavetheirfancies,youknow。There’sfruit,ofcourse,andthatkindofthing。Andchickenfood,andsoforth。Youhavetousejudgment。\"
\"Didyoueverseealion?\"\"Theyweren’tverycommoninourdistrict,\"saidHoopdriver,quitemodestly。\"ButI’veseenthem,ofcourse。Onceortwice。\"
\"Fancyseeingalion!Weren’tyoufrightened?\"
Mr。HoopdriverwasnowthoroughlysorryhehadacceptedthatofferofSouthAfrica。HepuffedhiscigaretteandregardedtheSolentlanguidlyashesettledthefateonthatlioninhismind。
\"Iscarcelyhadtime,\"hesaid。\"Itallhappenedinaminute。\"
\"Goon,\"shesaid。
\"Iwasgoingacrosstheinnerpaddockwherethefattedostricheswere。\"
\"DidyouEATostriches,then?Ididnotknow——\"
\"Eatthem!——often。VerynicetheyAREtoo,properlystuffed。
Well,we——I,rather——wasgoingacrossthispaddock,andIsawsomethingstandingupinthemoonlightandlookingatme。\"Mr。
Hoopdriverwasinahotperspirationnow。Hisinventionseemedtohavegonelimp。\"LuckilyIhadmyfather’sgunwithme。Iwasscared,though,Icantellyou。(Puff。)IjustaimedattheendthatIthoughtwasthehead。Andletfly。(Puff。)Andoveritwent,youknow。\"
\"Dead?\"
\"ASdead。ItwasoneoftheluckiestshotsIeverfired。AndI
wasn’tmuchovernineatthetime,neither。\"
\"_I_shouldhavescreamedandrunaway。\"
\"There’ssomethingsyoucan’trunawayfrom,\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver。\"TorunwouldhavebeenDeath。\"
\"Idon’tthinkIevermetalion—killerbefore,\"sheremarked,evidentlywithaheightenedopinionofhim。
Therewasapause。Sheseemedmeditatingfurtherquestions。Mr。