Hoopdriver,revertingtoanger,ifwithaslightcatchinhisthroat——thanwhichthreatofpersonalviolencenothinghadbeenfurtherfromhisthoughtsonenteringtheroom。Hesaidthisbecausehecouldthinkofnothingelsetosay,andstuckouthiselbowstruculentlytohidethesinkingofhisheart。Itiscurioushowsituationsrunawaywithus。
\"’Ullo,Charlie!\"saidthelittleman,and\"Myeye!\"saidtheownerofthechins。’You’regoingtowipeyourbootson’im?\"
saidthefairyoungman,inatoneofmildsurprise。
\"Iam,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,withemphaticresolution,andglaredintheyoungman’sface。
\"That’sfairandreasonable,\"saidthemaninthevelveteenjacket;\"ifyoucan。\"
Theinterestofthemeetingseemedtransferredtotheyoungmaninthewhitetic。\"Ofcourse,ifyoucan’tfindoutwhichitis,Isupposeyou’repreparedtowipeyourbootsinaliberalwayoneverybodyintheroom,\"saidthisyoungman,inthesametoneofimpersonalquestion。\"Thisgentleman,thechampionlightweight——\"
\"Ownup,Charlie,\"saidtheyoungmanwiththegaiters,lookingupforamoment。\"Anddon’tgoa—dragginginyourbetters。It’sfairandsquare。Youcan’tgetoutofit。\"
\"Wasitthis——gent?\"beganMr。Hoopdriver。
\"Ofcourse,\"saidtheyoungmaninthewhitetie,\"whenitcomestotalkingofwipingboots——\"
\"I’mnottalking;I’mgoingtodoit,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
Helookedroundatthemeeting。Theywerenolongerantagonists;
theywerespectators。Hewouldhavetogothroughwithitnow。
ButthistoneofpersonalaggressiononthemakeroftheremarkhadsomehowgotridoftheoppressivefeelingofHoopdrivercontramundum。Apparently,hewouldhavetofightsomeone。Wouldhegetablackeye?Wouldhegetverymuchhurt?Praygoodnessitwasn’tthatsturdychapinthegaiters!Shouldheriseandbegin?
Whatwouldshethinkifhebroughtablackeyetobreakfastto—morrow?\"Isthistheman?\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,withabusiness—likecalm,andarmsmoreangularthanever。
\"Eat’im!\"saidthelittlemanwiththebeard;\"eat’imstraightorf。\"
\"Steadyon!\"saidtheyoungmaninthewhitetie。\"Steadyonaminute。IfIdidhappentosay——\"
\"Youdid,didyou?\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
Backingoutofit,Charlie?\"saidtheyoungmanwiththegaiters。
\"Notabit,\"saidCharlie。\"Surelywecanpassabitofajoke——\"
\"I’mgoingtoteachyoutokeepyourjokestoyourself,\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver。
\"Bray—vo!\"saidtheshepherdoftheflockofchins。
\"CharlieISabittoofreewithhisjokes,\"saidthelittlemanwiththebeard。
\"It’sdownrightdisgusting,\"saidHoopdriver,fallingbackuponhisspeech。\"Aladycan’trideabicycleinacountryroad,orwearadressalittleoutoftheordinary,buteverydirtylittlegreasermustneedsgoshoutinginsults——\"
\"_I_didn’tknowtheyoungladywouldhearwhatIsaid,\"saidCharlie。\"Surelyonecanspeakfriendlytoone’sfriends。HowwasItoknowthedoorwasopen——\"
Hoopdriverbegantosuspectthathisantagonistwas,ifpossible,moreseriouslyalarmedattheprospectofviolencethanhimself,andhisspiritsroseagain。Thesechapsoughttohaveathoroughlesson。\"OfCOURSEyouknewthedoorwasopen,\"heretortedindignantly。\"OfCOURSEyouthoughtweshouldhearwhatyousaid。
Don’tgotellingliesaboutit。It’snogoodyoursayingthingslikethat。You’vehadyourfun,andyoumeanttohaveyourfun。
AndImeantomakeanexampleofyou,Sir。\"
\"Gingerbeer,\"saidthelittlemanwiththebeard,inaconfidentialtonetothevelveteenjacket,\"isregularupthis’otweather。Bustin’itsbottlesitiseverywhere。\"
\"What’sthegoodofscrappingaboutinapublichouse?\"saidCharlie,appealingtothecompany。\"Afairfightwithoutinterruptions,now,IWOULDN’Tmind,ifthegentleman’ssodisposed。\"
Evidentlythemanwashorriblyafraid。Mr。Hoopdrivergrewtruculent。
\"Whereyoulike,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"jestwhereveryoulike。\"
\"Youinsultedthegent,\"saidthemaninvelveteen。
\"Don’tbeabloomin’funk,Charlie,\"saidthemaningaiters。
\"Why,yougotastoneofhim,ifyougotanounce。\"
\"WhatIsay,isthis,\"saidthegentlemanwiththeexcessivechins,tryingtogetahearingbybanginghischairarms。\"IfCharliegoessayingthings,heoughttoback’emup。That’swhatIsay。Idon’tmindhissayin’suchthings’tall,butheoughttobepreparedtoback’emup。\"
\"I’llBACK’emupallright,\"saidCharlie,withextremelybitteremphasison’back。’\"IfthegentlemanlikestocomeToosdayweek——\"
\"Rot!\"choppedinHoopdriver。\"Now。\"
\"’Ear,’ear,\"saidtheownerofthechins。
\"Neverputofftillto—morrow,Charlie,whatyoucandoto—day,\"
saidthemaninthevelveteencoat。
\"Yougottodoit,Charlie,\"saidthemaningaiters。\"It’snogood。\"
\"It’slikethis,\"saidCharlie,appealingtoeveryoneexceptHoopdriver。\"Here’sme,gottotakeinherladyship’sdinnerto—morrownight。HowshouldIlookwithablackeye?Andgoingroundwiththecarriagewithasplitlip?\"
\"Ifyoudon’twantyourfacesp’iled,Charlie,whydon’tyoukeepyourmouthshut?\"saidthepersoningaiters。
\"Exactly,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,drivingithomewithgreatfierceness。\"Whydon’tyoushutyouruglymouth?\"
\"It’sasmuchasmysituation’sworth,\"protestedCharlie。
\"Youshouldhavethoughtofthatbefore,\"saidHoopdriver。
\"There’snooccasiontobesothunderin’’otaboutit。Ionlymeantthethingjoking,\"saidCharlie。\"ASonegentlemantoanother,I’mverysorryifthegentleman’sannoyed——\"
Everybodybegantospeakatonce。Mr。Hoopdrivertwirledhismoustache。HefeltthatCharlie’srecognitionofhisgentlemanlinesswasatanyratearedeemingfeature。Butitbecamehisposetoridehardandheavyovertheroutedfoc。Heshoutedsomeinsultingphraseoverthetumult。
\"You’reregularabject,\"themaningaiterswassayingtoCharlie。
Moreconfusion。
\"Onlydon’tthinkI’mafraid,——notofaspindle—leggedcusslikehimshoutedCharlie。\"BecauseIain’t。\"
\"Changeoffront,\"thoughtHoopdriver,alittlestartled。\"Wherearewegoing?\"
\"Don’tsitthereandbeabusive,\"saidthemaninvelveteen。
\"He’sofferedtohityou,andifIwashim,I’dhityounow。\"
\"Allright,then,\"saidCharlie,withasuddenchangeoffrontandspringingtohisfeet。\"IfImust,Imust。Now,then!\"Atthat,Hoopdriver,thechildofFate,rosetoo,withahorriblesensethathisinternalmonitorwasright。Thingshadtakenaturn。Hehadmadeamessofit,andnowtherewasnothingforit,sofarashecouldsee,buttohitthemanatonce。HeandCharliestoodsixfeetapart,withatablebetween,bothverybreathlessandfierce。Avulgarfightinapublic—house,andwithwhatwasonlytoopalpablyafootman!GoodHeavens!Andthiswasthedignified,scornfulremonstrance!Howthejuicehaditallhappened?Goroundthetableathim,Isuppose。Butbeforethebrawlcouldachieveitself,themaningaitersintervened。\"Nothere,\"hesaid,steppingbetweentheantagonists。Everyonewasstandingup。
\"Charlie’sartful,\"saidthelittlemanwiththebeard。
\"Buller’syard,\"saidthemanwiththegaiters,takingthecontroloftheentireaffairwiththeeasyreadinessofanaccomplishedpractitioner。\"IfthegentlemanDON’Tmind。\"
Buller’syard,itseemed,wastheveryplace。\"We’lldothethingregularanddecent,ifyouplease。\"Andbeforehecompletelyrealizedwhatwashappening,Hoopdriverwasbeingmarchedoutthroughthebackpremisesoftheinn,tothefirstandonlyfightwithfiststhatwasevertoglorifyhislife。
Outwardly,sofarastheintermittentmoonlightshowed,Mr。
Hoopdriverwasquietlybuteagerlypreparedtofight。Butinwardlyhewasachaosofconflictingpurposes。Itwasextraordinaryhowthingshappened。Oneremarkhadtrodsocloselyontheheelsofanother,thathehadhadthegreatestdifficultyinfollowingthedevelopmentofthebusiness。Hedistinctlyrememberedhimselfwalkingacrossfromoneroomtotheother,——adignified,evenanaristocraticfigure,primedwithconsideredeloquence,intentuponascathingremonstrancetothesewretchedyokels,regardingtheirmanners。Thenincidenthadflickeredintoincidentuntilherehewasoutinamoonlitlane,——aslight,darkfigureinagroupoflarger,indistinctfigures,——marchinginaquiet,business—likewaytowardssomeunknownhorroratBuller’syard。Fists!Itwasastonishing。Itwasterrible!InfrontofhimwasthepallidfigureofCharles,andhesawthatthemaningaitersheldCharleskindlybutfirmlybythearm。
\"It’sblastedrot,\"Charleswassaying,\"gettingupafightjustforathinglikethat;allverywellfor’im。’E’sgot’is’olidays;’e’asn’tnoblesseddinnertotakeupto—morrownightlikeI’ave。——Noneedtonumbmyarm,ISthere?\"
TheywentintoBuller’syardthroughgates。TherewereshedsinBuller’syard——shedsofmysterythatthemoonlightcouldnotsolve——asmellofcows,andapumpstoodoutclearandblack,throwingaclearblackshadowonthewhitewashedwall。Andhereitwashisfacewastobebatteredtoapulp。Heknewthiswastheuttermostfolly,tostanduphereandbepounded,butthewayoutofitwasbeyondhisimagining。Yetafterwards——?Couldheeverfaceheragain?HepattedhisNorfolkjacketandtookhisgroundwithhisbacktothegate。Howdidonesquare?So?Supposeoneweretoturnandrunevennow,runstraightbacktotheinnandlockhimselfintohisbedroom?Theycouldn’tmake,himcomeout——anyhow。Hecouldprosecutethemforassaultiftheydid。Howdidonesetaboutprosecutingforassault?HesawCharles,withhisfaceghastlywhiteunderthemoon,squaringinfrontofhim。
Hecaughtablowonthearmandgaveground。Charlespressedhim。
Thenhehitwithhisrightandwiththeviolenceofdespair。Itwasahitofhisowndevising,——animpromptu,——butitchancedtocoincidewiththeregulationhookhitatthehead。HeperceivedwithaleapofexultationthatthethinghisfisthadmetwasthejawboneofCharles。Itwasthesolegleamofpleasureheexperiencedduringthefight,anditwasquitemomentary。HehadhardlygothomeuponCharlesbeforehewasstruckinthechestandwhirledbackward。Hehadthegreatestdifficultyinkeepinghisfeet。Hefeltthathisheartwassmashedflat。\"Gorddarm!\"
saidsomebody,dancingtoeinhandsomewherebehindhim。AsMr。
Hoopdriverstaggered,Charlesgavealoudandfear—compellingcry。HeseemedtotoweroverHoopdriverinthemoonlight。Bothhisfistswerewhirling。Itwasannihilationcoming——noless。Mr。
Hoopdriverduckedperhapsandcertainlygavegroundtotheright,hit,andmissed。Charlessweptroundtotheleft,missinggenerously。AblowglancedoverMr。Hoopdriver’sleftear,andtheflankingmovementwascompleted。Anotherblowbehindtheear。
HeavenandearthspunfuriouslyroundMr。Hoopdriver,andthenhebecameawareofafigureinalightsuitshootingviolentlythroughanopengateintothenight。ThemaningaiterssprangforwardpastMr。Hoopdriver,buttoolatetointerceptthefugitive。Therewereshouts,laughter,andMr。Hoopdriver,stillsolemnlysquaring,realizedthegreatandwonderfultruth——Charleshadfled。He,Hoopdriver,hadfoughtand,byalltherulesofwar,hadwon。
\"Thatwasaprettycutunderthejawyougavehim,\"thetoothlesslittlemanwiththebeardwasremarkinginanunexpectedlyfriendlymanner。
\"Thefactofitis,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,sittingbesidetheroadtoSalisbury,andwiththesoundofdistantchurchbellsinhiscars,\"Ihadtogivethefellowalesson;simplyhadto。\"
\"Itseemssodreadfulthatyoushouldhavetoknockpeopleabout,\"saidJessie。
\"Theseloutsgetunbearable,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Ifnowandthenwedidn’tgivethemalesson,——well,aladycyclistintheroadswouldbeanimpossibility。\"
\"Isupposeeverywomanshrinksfromviolence,\"saidJessie。\"I
supposemenAREbraver——inaway——thanwomen。Itseemstome—I
can’timagine—howonecouldbringoneselftofacearoomfulofroughcharacters,pickoutthebravest,and。givehimanexemplarythrashing。Iquailattheidea。IthoughtonlyOuida’sguardsmendidthingslikethat。\"
\"Itwasnothingmorethanmyjuty——asagentleman,\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver。
\"Buttowalkstraightintothefaceofdanger!\"
\"It’shabit,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,quitemodestly,flickingoffaparticleofcigaretteashthathadsettledonhisknee。
THEABASEMENTOFMR。HOOPDRIVER
XXXIII
OnMondaymorningthetwofugitivesfoundthemselvesbreakfastingattheGoldenPheasantinBlandford。TheywereinthecourseofanelaboratedoublingmovementthroughDorsetshiretowardsRingwood,whereJessieanticipatedananswerfromherschoolmistressfriend。Bythistimetheyhadbeennearlysixtyhourstogether,andyouwillunderstandthatMr。Hoopdriver’sfeelingshadundergoneaconsiderableintensificationanddevelopment。AtfirstJessiehadbeenonlyanimpressionistsketchuponhismind,somethingfeminine,active,anddazzling,somethingemphatically\"above\"him,castintohiscompanybyakindlyfate。Hischiefidea,attheoutset,asyouknow,hadbeentoliveuptoherlevel,bypretendingtobemoreexceptional,morewealthy,bettereducated,and,aboveall,betterbornthanhewas。Hisknowledgeofthefemininemindwasalmostentirelyderivedfromtheyoungladieshehadmetinbusiness,andinthatclass(asinmilitarysocietyandamonggentlemen’sservants)thegoodoldtraditionofabrutalsocialexclusivenessisstillreligiouslypreserved。HehadanalmostintolerabledreadofherthinkinghimaIbounder。’Laterhebegantoperceivethedistinctionofheridiosyncracies。Coupledwithamagnificentwantofexperiencewasasplendidenthusiasmforabstractviewsofthemostadvanceddescription,andherstrengthofconvictioncompletelycarriedHoopdriveraway。ShewasgoingtoLiveherOwnLife,withemphasis,andMr。Hoopdriverwasprofoundlystirredtosimilarresolves。Sosoonashegraspedthetenorofherviews,heperceivedthathehimselfhadthoughtasmuchfromhisearliestyears。\"Ofcourse,\"heremarked,inaflashofsexualpride,\"amanisfreerthanawoman。EndintheColonies,y’know,thereisn’thalftheConventionalityyoufindinsocietyinthiscountry。\"
Hemadeoneortwoessaysinthedisplayofunconventionality,andwasquiteunawarethatheimpressedherasanarrow—mindedperson。Hesuppressedthehabitsofyearsandmadenoproposaltogotochurch。Hediscussedchurch—goinginaliberalspirit。
\"It’sjestahabit,\"hesaid,\"jestacustom。Idon’tseewhatgooditdoesyouatall,really。\"Andhemadealotofexcellentjokesatthechimney—pothat,jokeshehadreadintheGlobe’turnovers’onthatsubject。ButheshowedhisgentlebreedingbykeepinghisglovesonallthroughtheSunday’sride,andostentatiouslythrowingawaymorethanhalfacigarettewhentheypassedachurchwhosecongregationwasgatheringforafternoonservice。Hecautiouslyavoidedliterarytopics,exceptbywayofcompliment,seeingthatshewaspresentlytobewritingbooks。
ItwasonJessie’sinitiativethattheyattendedserviceintheold—fashionedgalleryofBlandfordchurch。Jessie’sconscience,I
mayperhapstellyou,wasnowsufferingtheseveresttwinges。Sheperceivedclearlythatthingswerenotworkingoutquitealongthelinesshehaddesigned—。ShehadreadherOliveSchreinerandGeorgeEgerton,andsoforth,withallthewantofperfectcomprehensionofonewhoisstillemotionallyagirl。SheknewthethingtodowastohaveaflatandtogototheBritishMuseumandwriteleadingarticlesforthedailyp,tpersuntilsomethingbettercamealong。IfBechamel(detestableperson)hadkepthispromises,insteadofbehavingwithunspeakablehorridness,allwouldhavebeenwell。Nowheronlyhopewasthatliberal—mindedwoman,MissMergle,who,ayearago,hadsentherout,highlyeducated,intotheworld。MissMerglehadtoldheratpartingtolivefearlesslyandtruly,andhadfurthergivenheravolumeofEmerson’sEssaysandMotley’s\"DutchRepublic,\"tohelpherthroughtherapidsofadolescence。
Jessie’sfeelingsforherstepmother’shouseholdatSurbitonamountedtoanactivedetestation。Therearenograverormoresolemnwomenintheworldthantheseclevergirlswhosescholasticadvancementhasretardedtheirfemininecoquetry。Inspiteoftheadvancedtoneof’ThomasPlantagenet’s’antimaritalnovel,Jessiehadspeedilyseenthroughthatamiablewoman’samiabledefences。Thevarietyofposenecessitatedbythecorpsof’Men’annoyedhertoanaltogetherunreasonabledegree。Toreturntothislifeofridiculousunreality——unconditionalcapitulationto’Conventionality’wasanexasperatingprospect。
Yetwhatelsewastheretodo?Youwillunderstand,therefore,thatattimesshewasmoody(andMr。Hoopdriverrespectfullysilentandattentive)andattimesinclinedtoeloquentdenunciationoftheexistingorderofthings。ShewasaSocialist,Hoopdriverlearnt,andhegaveavagueintimationthathewentfurther,intending,thereby,nolessthanthehorrorsofanarchism。HewouldhaveowneduptothedestructionoftheWinterPalaceindeed,hadhehadthefaintestideawheretheWinterPalacewas,andhadhisassuranceamountedtocertaintythattheWinterPalacewasdestroyed。Heagreedwithhercordiallythatthepositionofwomenwasintolerable,butcheckedhimselfonthe’vergeofthepropositionthatagirloughtnottoexpectafellowtohanddownboxesforherwhenhewasgettingthe’swap’fromacustomer。ItwasJessie’spreoccupationwithherownperplexities,nodoubt,thatdelayedtheunveilingofMr。
HoopdriverallthroughSaturdayandSunday。Onceortwice,however,therewereincidentsthatputhimaboutterribly——evenquestionsthatsavouredofsuspicion。
OnSundaynight,fornoconceivablereason,anunwontedwakefulnesscameuponhim。Unaccountablyherealisedhewasacontemptibleliar,AllthroughthesmallhoursofMondayhereviewedthetaleofhisfalsehoods,andwhenhetriedtoturnhismindfromthat,thefinancialproblemsuddenlyroseuponhim。
Heheardtwoo’clockstrike,andthree。Itisoddhowunhappysomeofusareattimes,whenweareatourhappiest。
XXXIV
\"Goodmorning,Madam,\"saidHoopdriver,asJessiecameintothebreakfastroomoftheGoldenPheasantonMondaymorning,andhesmiled,bowed,rubbedhishandstogether,andpulledoutachairforher,andrubbedhishandsagain。
Shestoppedabruptly,withapuzzledexpressiononherface。
\"WhereHAVEIseenthatbefore?\"shesaid。
\"Thechair?\"saidHoopdriver,flushing。
\"No——theattitude。\"
Shecameforwardandshookhandswithhim,lookingthewhilecuriouslyintohisface。\"And——Madam?\"
\"It’sahabit,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,guiltily。\"Abadhabit。
CallingladiesMadam。Youmustputitdowntoourcolonialroughness。Outthereupcountry——y’know——theladies——sorare——wecall’emallMadam。\"
\"YouHAVEsomefunnyhabits,brotherChris,\"saidJessie。\"Beforeyousellyourdiamondsharesandgointosociety,asyousay,andstandforParliament——Whatafinethingitistobeaman!——youmustcureyourself。Thathabitofbowingasyoudo,andrubbingyourhands,andlookingexpectant。\"
\"It’sahabit。\"
\"Iknow。ButIdon’tthinkitagoodone。Youdon’tmindmytellingyou?\"
\"Notabit。I’mgrateful。\"
\"I’mblessedorafflictedwithatrickofobservation,\"saidJessie,lookingatthebreakfasttable。Mr。Hoopdriverputhishandtohismoustacheandthen,thinkingthismightbeanotherhabit,checkedhisarmandstuckhishandintohispocket。Hefeltjuicedawkward,tousehisprivateformula。Jessie’seyewanderedtothearmchair,whereapieceofbindingwasloose,and,possiblytocarryouthertheoryofanobservantdisposition,sheturnedandaskedhimforapin。
Mr。Hoopdriver’shandflutteredinstinctivelytohislappel,andthere,plantedbyhabit,wereacoupleofstraypinshehadimpounded。
\"Whatanoddplacetoputpins!\"exclaimedJessie,takingit。
\"It’s’andy,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Isawachapinashopdoitonce。\"
\"Youmusthaveacarefuldisposition,\"shesaid,overhershoulder,kneelingdowntothechair。
\"InthecentreofAfrica——upcountry,thatis——onelearnstovaluepins,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,afteraperceptiblepause。
\"Thereweren’tovermanypinsinAfrica。Theydon’tlieaboutonthegroundthere。\"Hisfacewasnowinafine,redglow。Wherewouldthedraperbreakoutnext?Hethrusthishandsintohiscoatpockets,thentookoneoutagain,furtivelyremovedthesecondpinanddroppeditbehindhimgently。Itfellwithaloud’ping’onthefender。Happilyshemadenoremark,beingpreoccupiedwiththebindingofthechair。
Mr。Hoopdriver,insteadofsittingdown,wentuptothetableandstoodagainstit,withhisfinger—tipsuponthecloth。Theywerekeepingbreakfastatremendoustime。Hetookuphisrolledserviettelookedcloselyandscrutinisinglyatthering,thenputhishandunderthefoldofthenapkinandexaminedthetexture,andputthethingdownagain。Thenhehadavagueimpulsetofingerhishollowwisdomtooth——happilychecked。Hesuddenlydiscoveredhewasstandingasifthetablewasacounter,andsatdownforthwith。Hedrummedwithhishandonthetable。Hefeltdreadfullyhotandself—conscious。
\"Breakfastislate,\"saidJessie,standingup。
\"Isn’tit?\"
Conversationwasslack。JessiewantedtoknowthedistancetoRingwood。Thensilencefellagain。
Mr。Hoopdriver,veryuncomfortableandstudyinganeasybearing,lookedagainatthebreakfastthingsandthenidlyliftedthecornerofthetableclothontheendsofhisfingers,andregardedit。\"Fifteenthree,\"hethought,privately。
\"Whydoyoudothat?\"saidJessie。
\"WHAT?\"saidHoopdriver,droppingthetableclothconvulsively。
\"Lookattheclothlikethat。Isawyoudoityesterday,too。\"
Mr。Hoopdriver’sfacebecamequiteabrightred。Hebeganpullinghismoustachenervously。\"Iknow,\"hesaid。\"Iknow。It’saqueerhabit,Iknow。Butoutthere,youknow,there’snativeservants,youknow,and——it’saqueerthingtotalkabout——butonehastolookatthingstosee,don’ty’know,whetherthey’requitecleanornot。It’sgottobeahabit。\"
\"Howodd!\"saidJessie。
\"Isn’tit?\"mumbledHoopdriver。
\"IfIwereaSherlockHolmes,\"saidJessie,\"IsupposeIcouldhavetoldyouwereacolonialfromlittlethingslikethat。Butanyhow,Iguessedit,didn’tI?\"
\"Yes,\"saidHoopdriver,inamelancholytone,\"youguessedit。\"
Whynotseizetheopportunityforaneatconfession,andadd,\"unhappilyinthiscaseyouguessedwrong。\"Didshesuspect?
Then,atthepsychologicalmoment,thegirlbumpedthedooropenwithhertrayandbroughtinthecoffeeandscrambledeggs。
\"Iamratherluckywithmyintuitions,sometimes,\"saidJessie。
Remorsethathadbeenaccumulatinginhismindfortwodayssurgedtothetopofhismind。Whatashabbyliarhewas!
And,besides,hemustsoonerorlater,inevitably,givehimselfaway。
XXXV
Mr。Hoopdriverhelpedtheeggsandthen,insteadofbeginning,satwithhischeekonhishand,watchingJessiepouroutthecoffee。Hisearswereabrightred,andhiseyesbright。Hetookhiscoffeecupclumsily,clearedhisthroat,suddenlyleantbackinhischair,andthrusthishandsdeepintohispockets。\"I’lldoit,\"hesaidaloud。
\"Dowhat?\"saidJessie,lookingupinsurpriseoverthecoffeepot。Shewasjustbeginningherscrambledegg。
\"Ownup。\"
\"Ownwhat?\"
\"MissMilton——I’maliar。\"Heputhisheadononesideandregardedherwithafrownoftremendousresolution。Theninmeasuredaccents,andmovinghisheadslowlyfromsidetoside,heannounced,\"Ay’maderaper。\"
\"You’readraper?Ithought——\"
\"Youthoughtwrong。Butit’sboundtocomeup。Pins,attitude,habits——It’splainenough。
\"I’madraper’sassistantletoutforaten—daysholiday。Jestadraper’sassistant。Notmuch,isit?Acounter—jumper。\"
\"Adraper’sassistantisn’tapositiontobeashamedof,\"shesaid,recovering,andnotquiteunderstandingyetwhatthisallmeant。
\"Yes,itis,\"hesaid,\"foraman,inthiscountrynow。Tobejustanotherman’shand,asIam。Tohavetowearwhatclothesyouaretold,andgotochurchtopleasecustomers,andwork——There’snootherkindofmenstandsuchhours。Adrunkenbricklayer’sakingtoit。\"
\"Butwhyareyoutellingmethisnow?\"
\"It’simportantyoushouldknowatonce。\"
\"But,Mr。Benson——\"
\"Thatisn’tall。Ifyoudon’tmindmyspeakingaboutmyselfabit,there’safewthingsI’dliketotellyou。Ican’tgoondeceivingyou。Myname’snotBenson。WHYItoldyouBenson,I
DON’Tknow。ExceptthatI’makindoffool。Well——IwantedsomehowtoseemmorethanIwas。Myname’sHoopdriver。\"
\"Yes?\"
\"AndthataboutSouthAfrica——andthatlion。\"
\"Well?\"
\"Lies。\"
\"Lies!\"
Andthediscoveryofdiamondsontheostrichfarm。Liestoo。Andallthereminiscencesofthegiraffes——liestoo。Ineverrodeonnogiraffes。I’dbeafraid。\"
Helookedatherwithakindofsullensatisfaction。Hehadeasedhisconscience,anyhow。Sheregardedhimininfiniteperplexity。
Thiswasanewsidealtogethertotheman。\"ButWHY,\"shebegan。
\"WhydidItellyousuchthings?_I_don’tknow。Sillysortofchap,Iexpect。IsupposeIwantedtoimpressyou。Butsomehow,now,Iwantyoutoknowthetruth。\"
Silence。Breakfastuntouched。\"IthoughtI’dtellyou,\"saidMr。
Hoopdriver。\"Isupposeit’ssnobbishnessandallthatkindofthing,asmuchasanything。Ilayawakeprettynearalllastnightthinkingaboutmyself;thinkingwhatagot—upimitationofamanIwas,andallthat。\"
\"Andyouhaven’tanydiamondshares,andyouarenotgoingintoParliament,andyou’renot——\"
\"AllLies,\"saidHoopdriver,inasepulchralvoice。\"Liesfrombeginningtoend。’OwIcametotell’emIDON’Tknow。\"
Shestaredathimblankly。
\"IneverseteyesonAfricainmylife,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver,completingtheconfession。Thenhepulledhisrighthandfromhispocket,andwiththenonchalanceofonetowhomthebitternessofdeathispassed,begantodrinkhiscoffee。
\"It’salittlesurprising,\"beganJessie,vaguely。
\"Thinkitover,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"I’msorryfromthebottomofmyheart。\"
Andthenbreakfastproceededinsilence。Jessieateverylittle,andseemedlostinthought。Mr。Hoopdriverwassoovercomebycontritionandanxietythatheconsumedanextraordinarilylargebreakfastoutofpurenervousness,andatehisscrambledeggsforthemostpartwiththespoonthatbelongedproperlytothemarmalade。Hiseyesweregloomilydowncast。Sheglancedathimthroughhereyelashes。Onceortwiceshestruggledwithlaughter,onceortwicesheseemedtobeindignant。
\"Idon’tknowwhattothink,\"shesaidatlast。\"Idon’tknowwhattomakeofyou——brotherChris。Ithought,doyouknow?thatyouwereperfectlyhonest。Andsomehow——\"
\"Well?\"
\"Ithinksostill。\"
\"Honest——withallthoselies!\"
\"Iwonder。\"
\"Idon’t,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"I’mfairashamedofmyself。Butanyhow——I’vestoppeddeceivingyou。\"
\"ITHOUGHT,\"saidtheYoungLadyinGrey,\"thatstoryofthelion——\"
\"Lord!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Don’tremindmeofTHAT。\"
\"Ithought,somehow,IFELT,thatthethingsyousaiddidn’tringquitetrue。\"Shesuddenlybrokeoutinlaughter,attheexpressionofhisface。\"OfCOURSEyouarehonest,\"shesaid。
\"HowcouldIeverdoubtit?Asif_I_hadneverpretended!Iseeitallnow。\"
Abruptlysherose,andextendedherhandacrossthebreakfastthings。Helookedatherdoubtfully,andsawthedancingfriendlinessinhereyes。Hescarcelyunderstoodatfirst。Herose,holdingthemarmaladespoon,andtookherprofferedhandwithabjecthumility。\"Lord,\"hebrokeout,\"ifyouaren’tenough——butthere!\"
\"Iseeitallnow。\"Abrilliantinspirationhadsuddenlyobscuredherhumour。Shesatdownsuddenly,andhesatdowntoo。\"Youdidit,\"shesaid,\"becauseyouwantedtohelpme。AndyouthoughtI
wastooConventionaltotakehelpfromoneImightthinkmysocialinferior。\"
\"Thatwaspartlyit,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
\"Howyoumisunderstoodme!\"shesaid。
\"Youdon’tmind?\"
\"Itwasnobleofyou。ButIamsorry,\"shesaid,\"youshouldthinkmelikelytobeashamedofyoubecauseyoufollowadecenttrade。\"
\"Ididn’tknowatfirst,yousee,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
Andhesubmittedmeeklytoarestorationofhisself—respect。Hewasasusefulacitizenascouldbe,——itwasproposedandcarried,——andhislyingwasofthenoblest。Andsothebreakfastconcludedmuchmorehappilythanhisbrightestexpectation,andtheyrodeoutofruddylittleBlandfordasthoughnoshadowofanysorthadcomebetweenthem。
XXXVI
Astheyweresittingbytheroadsideamongthepinetreeshalf—wayupastretchofhillbetweenWimborneandRingwood,however,Mr。Hoopdriverreopenedthequestionofhisworldlyposition。
\"Juthink,\"hebeganabruptly,removingameditativecigarettefromhismouth,\"thatadraper’sshopmanISadecentcitizen?\"
\"Whynot?\"
\"Whenheputspeopleoffwithwhattheydon’tquitewant,forinstance?\"
\"Needhedothat?\"
\"Salesmanship,\"saidHoopdriver。\"Wouldn’tgetacribifhedidn’t。——It’snogoodyourarguing。It’snotaparticularlyhonestnoraparticularlyusefultrade;it’snotveryhighup;
there’snofreedomandnoleisure——seventoeight—thirtyeverydayintheweek;don’tleavemuchedgetoliveon,doesit?——realworkmenlaughatusandeducatedchapslikebankclerksandsolicitors’clerkslookdownonus。Youlookrespectableoutside,andinsideyouarepackedindormitorieslikeconvicts,fedonbreadandbutterandbulliedlikeslaves。You’rejustsuperiorenoughtofeelthatyou’renotsuperior。Withoutcapitalthere’snoprospects;onedraperinahundreddon’tevenearnenoughtomarryon;andifheDOESmarry,hisG。V。canjustusehimtoblackbootsifhelikes,andhedaren’tputhisbackup。That’sdrapery!Andyoutellmetobecontented。WouldYOUbecontentedifyouwasashopgirl?\"
Shedidnotanswer。Shelookedathimwithdistressinherbrowneyes,andheremainedgloomilyinpossessionofthefield。
Presentlyhespoke。\"I’vebeenthinking,\"hesaid,andstopped。
Sheturnedherface,restinghercheekonthepalmofherhand。
Therewasalightinhereyesthatmadetheexpressionofthemtender。Mr。Hoopdriverhadnotlookedinherfacewhilehehadtalked。Hehadregardedthegrass,andpointedhisremarkswithredknuckledhandsheldopenandpalmsupwards。Nowtheyhunglimplyoverhisknees。
\"Well?\"shesaid。
\"Iwasthinkingitthismorning,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。
\"Yes?\"
\"Ofcourseit’ssilly。\"\"Well?\"
\"It’slikethis。I’mtwenty—three,about。Ihadmyschoolingallrighttofifteen,say。Well,thatleavesmeeightyearsbehind。——Isittoolate?Iwasn’tsobackward。Ididalgebra,andLatinuptoauxiliaryverbs,andFrenchgenders。Igotakindofgrounding。\"
\"Andnowyoumean,shouldyougoonworking?\"
\"Yes,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"That’sit。Youcan’tdomuchatdraperywithoutcapital,youknow。ButifIcouldgetreallyeducated。I’vethoughtsometimes……\"
\"Whynot?saidtheYoungLadyinGrey。
Mr。Hoopdriverwassurprisedtoseeitinthatlight。\"Youthink?\"hesaid。\"Ofcourse。YouareaMan。Youarefree——\"Shewarmed。\"IwishIwereyoutohavethechanceofthatstruggle。\"
\"AmIManENOUGH?\"saidMr。Hoopdriveraloud,butaddressinghimself。\"There’sthateightyears,\"hesaidtoher。
\"Youcanmakeitup。Whatyoucalleducatedmen——They’renotgoingon。Youcancatchthem。Theyarequitesatisfied。Playinggolf,andthinkingofcleverthingstosaytowomenlikemystepmother,anddiningout。You’reinfrontofthemalreadyinonething。Theythinktheyknoweverything。Youdon’t。Andtheyknowsuchlittlethings。\"
\"Lord!\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。\"Howyouencourageafellow!\"
\"IfIcouldonlyhelpyou,\"shesaid,andleftaneloquenthiatus。Hebecamepensiveagain。
\"It’sprettyevidentyoudon’tthinkmuchofadraper,\"hesaidabruptly。
Anotherinterval。\"Hundredsofmen,\"shesaid,\"havecomefromtheverylowestranksoflife。TherewasBurns,aploughman;andHughMiller,astonemason;andplentyofothers。Dodsleywasafootman——\"
\"Butdrapers!We’retoosortofshabbygenteeltorise。Ourcoatsandcuffsmightgetcrumpled——\"
\"Wasn’tthereaClarkewhowrotetheology?Hewasadraper。\"
\"Therewasonestartedasewingcotton,theonlyoneIeverheardtellof。\"
\"Haveyoueverread’HeartsInsurgent’?\"
\"Never,\"saidMr。Hoopdriver。Hedidnotwaitforhercontext,butsuddenlybrokeoutwithanaccountofhisliteraryrequirements。\"Thefactis——I’vereadpreciouslittle。Onedon’tgetmuchofachance,situatedasIam。Wehavealibraryatbusiness,andI’vegonethroughthat。MostBesantI’veread,andalotofMrs。Braddon’sandRiderHaggardandMarieCorelli——and,well——aOuidaorso。They’regoodstories,ofcourse,andfirst—classwriters,buttheydidn’tseemtohavemuchtodowithme。Butthere’sheapsofbooksonehearstalkedabout,IHAVEN’T
read。\"
\"Don’tyoureadanyotherbooksbutnovels?\"
\"Scarcelyever。Onegetstiredafterbusiness,andyoucan’tgetthebooks。Ihavebeentosomeextensionlectures,ofcourse,’LizabethanDramatists,’itwas,butitseemedalittlehigh—flown,youknow。AndIwentanddidwood—carvingatthesameplace。Butitdidn’tseemleadingnowhere,andIcutmythumbandchuckedit。\"
Hemadeadepressingspectacle,withhisfaceanxiousandhishandslimp。\"Itmakesmesick,\"hesaid,\"tothinkhowI’vebeenfooledwith。MyoldschoolmasteroughttohaveajuicedHIDING。
He’sathief。Hepretendedtoundertaketomakeamanofme,andbe’sstoletwenty—threeyearsofmylife,filledmeupwithscrapsandsweepings。HereIam!Idon’tKNOWanything,andI
can’tDOanything,andallthelearningtimeisover。\"
\"Isit?\"shesaid;buthedidnotseemtohearher。\"Myo’
peopledidn’tknowanybetter,andwentandpaidthirtypoundspremium——thirtypoundsdowntohavememadeTHIS。TheG。V。
promisedtoteachmethetrade,andhenevertaughtmeanythingbuttobeaHand。It’sthewaytheydowithdraper’sapprentices。
Ifeveryswindlerwaslockedup——well,you’dhavenowheretobuytapeandcotton。It’sallverywelltobringupBurnsandthosechaps,butI’mnotthatmake。YetI’mnotsuchmuckthatImightnothavebeenbetter——withteaching。Iwonderwhatthechapswhosneerandlaughatsuchasmewouldbeifthey’dbeenfooledaboutasI’vebeen。Attwenty—three——it’salongstart。\"
Helookedupwithawintrysmile,asadderandwiserHoopdriverindeedthanhimofthegloriousimaginings。\"It’sYOUdonethis,\"
hesaid。\"You’rereal。AnditsetsmethinkingwhatIreallyam,andwhatImighthavebeen。Supposeitwasalldifferent——\"
\"MAKEitdifferent。\"
\"How?\"
\"WORK。Stopplayingatlife。Faceitlikeaman。\"
\"Ah!\"saidHoopdriver,glancingatheroutofthecornersofhiseyes。\"Andeventhen——\"
\"No!It’snotmuchgood。I’mbeginningtoolate。\"
Andthere,inblanklythoughtfulsilence,thatconversationended。
INTHENEWFOREST
XXXVII
AtRingwoodtheylunched,andJessiemetwithadisappointment。
Therewasnoletterforheratthepostoffice。Oppositethehotel,TheChequeredCareer,wasamachineshopwithaconspicuouslysecond—handMarlboroughClubtandemtricycledisplayedinthewindow,togetherwiththeannouncementthatbicyclesandtricycleswereonhirewithin。TheestablishmentwasimpressedonMr。Hoopdriver’smindbytheproprietor’sactionincomingacrosstheroadandnarrowlyinspectingtheirmachines。
Hisactionrevivedanumberofdisagreeableimpressions,but,happily,cametonothing。Whiletheywerestilllunching,atallclergyman,withaheatedface,enteredtheroomandsatdownatthetablenexttotheirs。Hewasinakindofholidaycostume;
thatistosay,hehadamorethanusuallyhighcollar,fastenedbehindandrathertheworsefortheweather,andhislong—tailcoathadbeenreplacedbyablackjacketofquiteremarkablebrevity。Hehadfadedbrownshoesonhisfeet,histrouserlegsweregreywithdust,andheworeahatofpiebaldstrawintheplaceofthecustomarysoftfelt。Hewasevidentlysociallyinclined。