"No,no,"hesaidsoftly。"Itisallright。Youmaydependonme。"
Shelookedathimearnestly。Hehadtakenherhandtosteadyher,forshewasswayingalittle。"Areyousure,"shesaid,graspinghisarm。"Areyouquitesure？"
"Absolutelycertain。YouknowIamalwaysright,doyounot？"
"Yes,oh,yes;youhavealwaysbeentruetome。You——"Herehersensescamebackwitharush。Droppinghishandasifithadbecomeredhot,shesaidsharply,"Whatareyoutalkingabout？"
"Idon'tknow,"hesaid,resuminghisindifferentmannerwithalaugh。"Areyoubetter？LetmedriveyoutotheBeeches。Mystableiswithinastone'sthrow;Icangetatrapoutintenminutes。"
"No,thankyou,"saidGertrudehaughtily。"Idonotwishtodrive。"Shepaused,andaddedinsomebewilderment,"Whathashappened？"
"Youfainted,and——"
"Ididnotfaint,"saidGertrudeindignantly。"Ineverfaintedinmylife。"
"Yes,youdid。"
"Pardonme,Mr。Trefusis。Ididnot。"
"Youshalljudgeforyourself。IwascomingthroughthisfieldwhenIsawyougatheringhemlock。HemlockisinterestingonaccountofSocrates,andyouwereinterestingasayoungladygatheringpoison。SoIstoppedtolookon。Presentlyyoucameoutfromamongthebushesasifyouhadseenasnakethere。Thenyoufellintomyarms——whichledmetosupposethatyouhadfainted——andMax,concludingthatitwasallmyfault,nearlysprangatmythroat。Youwereoverpoweredbythescentofthewater—hemlock,whichyoumusthavebeeninhalingfortenminutesormore。"
"Ididnotknowthattherewasanydanger,"saidGertrude,crestfallen。"IfeltverytiredwhenIcameto。ThatwaswhyI
laysolongthesecondtime。Ireallycouldnothelpit。"
"Youdidnotlieverylong。"
"NotwhenIfirstfell;thatwasonlyafewseconds,Iknow。ButImusthavelaintherenearlytenminutesafterIrecovered。"
"Youwerenearlyaminuteinsensiblewhenyoufirstfell,andwhenyourecoveredyouonlyrestedforaboutonesecond。Afterthatyouraved,andIinventedsuitableanswersuntilyousuddenlyaskedmewhatIwastalkingabout。"
Gertrudereddenedalittleasthepossibilityofherhavingravedindiscreetlyoccurredtoher。"Itwasverysillyofmetofaint,"
shesaid。
"Youcouldnothelpit;youareonlyhuman。IshallwalkwithyoutotheBeeches。"
"Thankyou;Iwillnottroubleyou,"shesaidquickly。
Heshookhishead。"Idonotknowhowlongtheeffectofthatabominablewater—weedmaylast,"hesaid,"andIdarenotleaveyoutowalkalone。IfyoupreferitIcansendyouinatrapwithmygardener,butIhadratheraccompanyyoumyself。"
"Youaregivingyourselfagreatdealofunnecessarytrouble。I
willwalk。Iamquitewellagainandneednoassistance。"
Theystartedwithoutanotherword。Gertrudehadtoconcentrateallherenergytoconcealfromhimthatshewasgiddy。Numbnessandlassitudecreptuponher,andshewasbeginningtohopethatshewasonlydreamingitallwhenherousedherbysaying,"Takemyarm。"
"No,thankyou。"
"Donotbesosenselesslyobstinate。Youwillhavetoleanonthehedgeforsupportifyourefusemyhelp。IamsorryIdidnotinsistongettingthetrap。"
Gertrudehadnotbeenspokentointhistonesinceherchildhood。
"Iamperfectlywell,"shesaidsharply。"Youarereallyveryofficious。"
"Youarenotperfectlywell,andyouknowit。However,ifyoumakeabravestruggle,youwillprobablybeabletowalkhomewithoutmyassistance,andtheeffortmaydoyougood。"
"Youareveryrude,"shesaidperemptorily。
"Iknowit,"herepliedcalmly。"Youwillfindthreeclassesofmenpolitetoyou——slaves,menwhothinkmuchoftheirmannersandnothingofyou,andyourlovers。Iamnoneofthese,andthereforegiveyoubackyourillmannerswithinterest。Whydoyouresistyourgoodangelbysuppressingthosenaturalandsincereimpulseswhichcometoyouoftenenough,andsometimesbringalookintoyourfacethatmighttameabear——alookwhichyouhastentoextinguishasathiefdarkenshislanternatthesoundofafootstep。"
"Mr。Trefusis,Iamnotaccustomedtobelectured。"
"ThatiswhyIlectureyou。Ifeltcurioustoseehowyourgoodbreeding,bywhichIthinkyousetsomestore,wouldserveyouinentirelynovelcircumstances——thoseofamanspeakinghismindtoyou,forinstance。Whatistheresultofmyexperiment？InsteadofrebukingmewiththesweetnessanddignitywhichIcouldnot,inspiteofmypastobservation,helpexpectingfromyou,youchurlishlyrepelmyofferoftheassistanceyouneed,tellmethatIamveryrude,veryofficious,and,inshort,dowhatyoucantomakemypositiondisagreeableandhumiliating。"
Shelookedathimhaughtily,buthisexpressionwasvoidofoffenceorfear,andhecontinued,unanswered。
"Iwouldbearallthisfromaworkingwomanwithoutremonstrance,forshewouldowemenogracesofmannerormorals。Butyouarealady。Thatmeansthatmanyhavestarvedanddrudgedinuncleanlydiscomfortinorderthatyoumayhavewhiteandunbrokenhands,finegarments,andexquisitemanners——thatyoumaybealivingfountainofthoseinfluencesthatsoftenournaturesandlives。
Whensuchacostlythingasaladybreaksdownatthefirsttouchofafirmhand,Ifeeljustifiedincomplaining。"
Gertrudewalkedonquickly,andsaidbetweenherteeth,"Idon'twanttohearanyofyourabsurdviews,Mr。Trefusis。"
Helaughed。"Myunfortunateviews！"hesaid。"WheneverImakeaninconvenientremarkitisalwayssetasideasanexpressionofcertaindangerouscrazeswithwhichIamsupposedtobeafflicted。WhenIpointouttoSirCharlesthatoneofhisfavoriteartistshasnotaccuratelyobservedsomethingbeforeattemptingtodrawit,hereplies,'Youknowourviewsdifferonthesethings,Trefusis。'WhenItoldMissWylie'sguardianthathisemigrationschemewaslittlebetterthanafraud,hesaid,'Youmustexcuseme,butIcannotenterintoyourpeculiarviews。'OneofmyviewsatpresentisthatMissLindsayismoreamiableundertheinfluenceofhemlockthanunderthatofthesocialsystemwhichhasmadehersounhappy。"
"Well！"exclaimedGertrude,outraged。Then,afterapause,"IwasundertheimpressionthatIhadacceptedtheescortofagentleman。"Then,afteranotherpause,Trefusisbeingquiteundisturbed,"HowdoyouknowthatIamunhappy？"
"Byacertaindefectinyourcountenance,whichlacksthecrowningbeautyofhappiness;andacertaindefectinyourvoicewhichwillneverdisappearuntilyoulearntoloveorpitythosetowhomyouspeak。"
"Youarewrong,"saidGertrude,withcalmdisdain。"Youdonotunderstandmeintheleast。Iamparticularlyattachedtomyfriends。"
"ThenIhaveneverseenyouintheircompany。"
"Youarestillwrong。"
"Thenhowcanyouspeakasyoudo,lookasyoudo,actasyoudo？"
"Whatdoyoumean？HOWdoIlookandact？"
"LikeoneoftherailingsofBelgraveSquare,cursedwithconsciousnessofitself,fearsofthejudgmentoftheotherrailings,anddoubtsoftheirfitnesstostandinthesamerowwithit。Youarecold,mistrustful,crueltonervousorclumsypeople,andmoreafraidofthecriticismsofthosewithwhomyoudanceanddinethanofyourconscience。Allofwhichpreventsyoufromlookinglikeanangel。"
"Thankyou。Doyouconsiderpayingcomplimentstheperfectionofgentlemanlybehavior？"
"HaveIbeenpayingyoumany？Thatlastremarkofminewasnotmeantasone。Onmyhonor,theangelswillnotdisappointmeiftheyarenolovelierthanyoushouldbeifyouhadthatlookinyourfaceandthattoneinyourvoiceIspokeofjustnow。Itcanhardlydispleaseyoutohearthat。IfIwereparticularlyhandsomemyself,Ishouldliketobetoldso。"
"IamsorryIcannottellyouso。"
"Oh！Ha！ha！Whataretort,MissLindsay！Youarenotsorryeither;youareratherglad。"
Gertrudeknewit,andwasangrywithherself,notbecauseherretortwasfalse,butbecauseshethoughtitunladylike。"Youhavenorighttoannoyme,"sheexclaimed,inspiteofherself。
"Nonewhatever,"hesaid,humbly。"IfIhavedoneso,forgivemebeforewepart。Iwillgonofurtherwithyou;Maxwillgivethealarmifyoufaintintheavenue,whichIdon'tthinkyouarelikelytodo,asyouhaveforgottenallaboutthehemlock。"
"Oh,howmaddening！"shecried。"Ihaveleftmybasketbehind。"
"Nevermind;Iwillfinditandhaveitfilledandsenttoyou。"
"Thankyou。Iamsorrytotroubleyou。"
"Notatall。Ihopeyoudonotwantthehemlocktohelpyoutogetridoftheburdenoflife。"
"Nonsense。Iwantitformyfather,whousesitformedicine。"
"Iwillbringitmyselfto—morrow。Isthatsoonenough？"
"Quite。Iaminnohurry。Thankyou,Mr。Trefusis。Good—bye。"
Shegavehimherhand,andevensmiledalittle,andthenhurriedaway。Hestoodwatchingherasshepassedalongtheavenueunderthebeeches。Once,whenshecameintoabandofsunlightatagapinthetrees,shemadesoprettyafigureinherspringdressofvioletandwhitethathiseyeskindledashegazed。Hetookouthisnote—book,andenteredhernameandthedate,withabriefmemorandum。
"Ihavethawedher,"hesaidtohimselfasheputuphisbook。
"SheshalllearnalessonortwotohandontoherchildrenbeforeIhavedonewithher。Atrifleunderbred,too,orshewouldnotinsistsomuchonherbreeding。Henriettausedtowearadresslikethat。Iamgladtoseethatthereisnodangerofhertakingtomepersonally。"
Heturnedaway,andsawacronepassing,bendingbeneathabundleofsticks。Heeyeditcuriously;andshescowledathimandhurriedon。
"Hallo,"hesaid。
Shecontinuedforafewsteps,buthercouragefailedherandshestopped。
"YouareMrs。Hickling,Ithink？"
"Yes,pleaseyourworship。"
"YouarethewomanwhocarriedawayanoldwoodengatethatlayonSirCharlesBrandon'slandlastwinteranduseditforfirewood。Youwereimprisonedforsevendaysforit。"
"Youmaysendmethereagainifyoulike,"sheretorted,inacrackedvoice,assheturnedatbay。"ButtheLordwillmakemeevenwithyousomeday。Cursedbethemthatoppressthepoorandneedy;itisoneofthesevendeadlysins。"
"Thosegreenlathsonyourbackaretheremainderofmygardengate,"hesaid。"YoutookthefirsthalflastSaturday。Nexttimeyouwantfuelcometothehouseandaskforcoals,andletmygatesalone。Isupposeyoucanenjoyafirewithoutstealingthecombustibles。Stow256paymeformygatebytellingmesomethingIwanttoknow。"
"Andakindgentlemantoo,sir;blessings。"
"Whatisthehemlockgoodfor？"
"Thehemlock,kindgentleman？Fortheevil,sir,tobesure。"
"Scrofulousulcers！"heexclaimed,recoiling。"Thefatherofthatbeautifulgirl！"Heturnedhomeward,andtrudgedalongwithhisheadbent,muttering,"Allrottentothebone。Oh,civilization！
civilization！civilization！"
CHAPTERXIV
"WhathascomeoverGertrude？"saidAgathaonedaytoLadyBrandon。
"Why？Isanythingthematterwithher？"
"Idon'tknow;shehasnotbeenthesamesinceshepoisonedherself。Andwhydidshenottellaboutit？ButforTrefusisweshouldneverhaveknown。"
"Gertrudealwaysmadesecretsofthings。"
"Shewasinaviletemperfortwodaysafter;andnowsheisquitechanged。Shefallsintolongreveries,anddoesnothearawordofwhatisgoingonaround。Thenshestartsintolifeagain,andbegsyourpardonwiththegreatestsweetnessfornotcatchingwhatyouhavesaid。"
"Ihateherwhensheispolite;itisnotnaturaltoher。Astohergoingtosleep,thatistheeffectofthehemlock。Weknowamanwhotookaspoonfulofstrychnineinabath,andheneverwasthesameafterwards。"
"IthinksheismakinguphermindtoencourageErskine,"saidAgatha。"WhenIcameherehehardlydaredspeaktoher——atleast,shealwayssnubbedhim。Nowsheletshimtalkasmuchashelikes,andactuallysendshimonmessagesandallowshimtocarrythingsforher。"
"Yes。IneversawanybodylikeGertrudeinmylife。InLondon,ifmenwereattentivetoher,shesatonthemforbeingofficious;
andiftheyletheraloneshewasangryatbeingneglected。
Erskineisquitegoodenoughforher,Ithink。"
HereErskineappearedatthedoorandlookedroundtheroom。
"She'snothere,"saidJane。
"IamseekingSirCharles,"hesaid,withdrawingsomewhatstiffly。
"Whatalie！"saidJane,discomfitedbyhisreceptionofherjest。"HewastalkingtoSirCharlestenminutesagointhebilliardroom。Menaresuchconceitedfools！"
Agathahadstrolledtothewindow,andwaslookingdiscontentedlyattheprospect,asshehadoftendoneatschoolwhenalone,andsometimesdidnowinsociety。Thedooropenedagain,andSirCharlesappeared。He,too,lookedround,butwhenhisrovingglancereachedAgatha,itcastanchor;andhecamein。
"Areyoubusyjustnow,MissWylie？"heasked。
"Yes,"saidJanehastily。"Sheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"
"Really,Jane,"hesaid,"IthinkyouareoldenoughtowriteyourletterswithouttroublingMissWylie。"
"WhenIdowritemyownlettersyoualwaysfindfaultwiththem,"
sheretorted。
"Ithoughtperhapsyoumighthaveleisuretotryoveraduetwithme,"hesaid,turningtoAgatha。
"Certainly,"shereplied,hopingtosmoothmattersbyhumoringhim。"Theletterwilldoanytimebeforeposthour。"
Janereddened,andsaidshortly,"Iwillwriteitmyself,ifyouwillnot。"
SirCharlesquitelosthistemper。"Howcanyoubesodamnablyrude？"hesaid,turninguponhiswife。"WhatobjectionhaveyoutomysingingduetswithMissWylie？"
"Nicelanguagethat！"saidJane。"IneversaidIobjected;andyouhavenorighttodragherawaytothepianojustwhensheisgoingtowritealetterforme。"
"IdonotwishMissWylietodoanythingexceptwhatpleasesherbest。Itseemstomethatwritingletterstoyourtradespeoplecannotbeaverypleasantoccupation。"
"Praydon'tmindme,"saidAgatha。"Itisnottheleasttroubletome。IusedtowriteallJane'slettersforheratschool。
SupposeIwritetheletterfirst,andthenwecanhavetheduet。
Youwillnotmindwaitingfiveminutes？"
"Icanwaitaslongasyouplease,ofcourse。ButitseemssuchanabsurdabuseofyourgoodnaturethatIcannothelpprotest！"
"Oh,letitwait！"exclaimedJane。"SucharidiculousfusstomakeaboutaskingAgathatowritealetter,justbecauseyouhappentowanthertoplayyouyourduets！Iamcertainsheisheartilysickandtiredofthem。"
Agatha,toescapethealtercation,wenttothelibraryandwrotetheletter。Whenshereturnedtothedrawing—room,shefoundnoonethere;butSirCharlescameinpresently。
"Iamsosorry,MissWylie,"hesaid,asheopenedthepianoforher,"thatyoushouldbeincommodedbecausemywifeissillyenoughtobejealous。"
"Jealous！"
"Ofcourse。Idiocy！"
"Oh,youaremistaken,"saidAgatha,incredulously。"Howcouldshepossiblybejealousofme？"
"Sheisjealousofeverybodyandeverything,"herepliedbitterly,"andshecaresfornobodyandfornothing。YoudonotknowwhatIhavetoenduresometimesfromher。"
Agathathoughthermostdiscreetcoursewastositdownimmediatelyandbegin"Iwouldthatmylove。"Whilstsheplayedandsang,shethoughtoverwhatSirCharleshadjustletslip。
Shehadfoundhimapleasantcompanion,light—hearted,fondofmusicandfun,politeandconsiderate,appreciativeofhertalents,quick—wittedwithoutbeingoppressivelyclever,and,asamarriedman,disinterestedinhisattentions。Butitnowoccurredtoherthatperhapstheyhadbeenagooddealtogetheroflate。
SirCharleshadbythistimewanderedfromhispartintohers;
andhenowrecalledhertothemusicbystoppingtoaskwhetherhewasright。Knowingbyexperiencewhathisdifficultywaslikelytobe,shegavehimhisnoteandwenton。TheyhadnotbeensinginglongwhenJanecamebackandsatdown,expressingahopethatherpresencewouldnotdisturbthem。Itdiddisturbthem。Agathasuspectedthatshehadcometheretowatchthem,andSirCharlesknewit。Besides,LadyBrandon,evenwhenhermindwastranquil,washabituallyrestless。Shecouldnotspeakbecauseofthemusic,and,thoughsheheldanopenbookinherhand,shecouldnotreadandwatchsimultaneously。Shegaped,andleanedtooneendofthesofauntil,onthepointofoverbalancing'sherecoveredherselfwithaprodigiousbounce。
Thefloorvibratedathereverymovement。Atlastshecouldkeepsilencenolonger。
"Oh,dear！"shesaid,yawningaudibly。"Itmustbefiveo'clockattheveryearliest。"
Agathaturnedrounduponthepiano—stool,feelingthatmusicandLadyBrandonwereincompatible。SirCharles,forhisguest'ssake,triedhardtorestrainhisexasperation。
"Probablyyourwatchwilltellyou,"hesaid。
"Thankyoufornothing,"saidJane。"Agatha,whereisGertrude？"
"HowcanMissWyliepossiblytellyouwheresheis,Jane？Ithinkyouhavegonemadto—day。"
"SheismostlikelyplayingbilliardswithMr。Erskine,"saidAgatha,interposingquicklytoforestallaretortfromJane,withitsusualsequelofadomesticsquabble。
"IthinkitisverystrangeofGertrudetopassthewholedaywithChesterinthebilliardroom,"saidJanediscontentedly。
"Thereisnottheslightestimproprietyinherdoingso,"saidSirCharles。"IfourhospitalitydoesnotplaceMissLindsayabovesuspicion,themoreshameforus。Howwouldyoufeelifanyoneelsemadesucharemark？"
"Oh,stuff！"saidJanepeevishly。"Youarealwayspreachinglongrigmarolesaboutnothingatall。IdidnotsaytherewasanyimproprietyaboutGertrude。Sheistoopropertobepleasant,inmyopinion。"
SirCharles,unabletotrusthimselffurther,frownedandlefttheroom,Janespeedinghimwithacontemptuouslaugh。
"Don'teverbesuchafoolastogetmarried,"shesaid,whenhewasgone。Shelookedupasshespoke,andwasalarmedtoseeAgathaseatedonthepianoforte,withheranklesswingingintheoldschoolfashion。
"Jane,"shesaid,surveyingherhostesscoolly,"doyouknowwhatIwoulddoifIwereSirCharles？"
Janedidnotknow。
"Iwouldgetabigstick,beatyoublackandblue,andthenlockyouuponbreadandwaterforaweek。"
Janehalfrose,redandangry。"Wh——why？"shesaid,relapsinguponthesofa。
"IfIwereaman,Iwouldnot,formerechivalry'ssake,letawomantreatmelikeatroublesomedog。Youwantasoundthrashing。"
"I'dliketoseeanybodythrashme,"saidJane,risingagainanddisplayingherformidablepersonerect。Thensheburstintotears,andsaid,"Iwon'thavesuchthingssaidtomeinmyownhouse。Howdareyou？"
"Youdeserveitforbeingjealousofme,"saidAgatha。
Jane'seyesdilatedangrily。"I！——I！——jealousofyou！"Shelookedround,asifforamissile。Notfindingone,shesatdownagain,andsaidinavoicestifledwithtears,"J——JealousofYOU,indeed！"
"Youhavegoodreasontobe,forheisfonderofmethanofyou。"
Janeopenedhermouthandeyesconvulsively,butonlyutteredagasp,andAgathaproceededcalmly,"Iampolitetohim,whichyouneverare。WhenhespeakstomeIallowhimtofinishhissentencewithoutexpressing,asyoudo,aforegoneconclusionthatitisnotworthattendingto。Idonotyawnandtalkwhilstheissinging。Whenheconverseswithmeonartorliterature,aboutwhichheknowstwiceasmuchasIdo,andatleasttentimesasmuchasyou"（Janegaspedagain）"Idonotmakeasillyanswerandturntomyneighborattheothersidewitharemarkaboutthetablesortheweather。Whenheiswillingtobepleased,ashealwaysis,Iamwillingtobepleasant。Andthatiswhyhelikesme。"
"HedoesNOTlikeyou。Heisthesametoeveryone。"
"Excepthiswife。Helikesmesomuchthatyou,likeagreatgooseasyouare,cameupheretowatchusatourduets,andmadeyourselfasdisagreeableasyoupossiblycouldwhilstIwasmakingmyselfcharming。Thepoormanwasashamedofyou。"
"Hewasn't,"saidJane,sobbing。"Ididn'tdoanything。Ididn'tsayanything。Iwon'tbearit。Iwillgetadivorce。Iwill——"
"Youwillmendyourwaysifyouhaveanysenseleft,"saidAgatharemorselessly。"Donotmakesuchanoise,orsomeonewillcometoseewhatisthematter,andIshallhavetogetdownfromthepiano,whereIamverycomfortable。"
"Itisyouwhoarejealous。"
"Oh,isit,Jane？IhavenotallowedSirCharlestofallinlovewithmeyet,butIcandosoveryeasily。Whatwillyouwagerthathewillnotkissmebeforeto—morrowevening？"
"Itwillbeverymeanandnastyofyouifhedoes。YouseemtothinkthatIcanbetreatedlikeachild。"
"Soyouareachild,"saidAgatha,descendingfromherperchandpreparingtogo。"Anoccasionalslappingdoesyougood。"
"ItisnothingtoyouwhetherIagreewithmyhusbandornot,"
saidJanewithsuddenfierceness。
"Notifyouquarrelwithhiminprivate,aswellbredcouplesdo。
Butwhenitoccursinmypresenceitmakesmeuncomfortable,andIobjecttobeingmadeuncomfortable。"
"YouwouldnotbehereatallifIhadnotaskedyou。"
"Justthinkhowdullthehousewouldbewithoutme,Jane！"
"Indeed！Itwasnotdullbeforeyoucame。Gertrudealwaysbehavedlikealady,atleast。"
"Iamsorrythatherexamplewassoutterlylostonyou。"
"Iwon'tbearit,"saidJanewithasobandaplungeuponthesofathatmadethelustresofthechandeliersrattle。"Iwouldn'thaveaskedyouifIhadthoughtyoucouldbesohateful。Iwillneveraskyouagain。"
"IwillmakeSirCharlesdivorceyouforincompatibilityoftemperandmarryme。ThenIshallhavetheplacetomyself。"
"Hecan'tdivorcemeforthat,thankgoodness。Youdon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout。"
Agathalaughed。"Come,"shesaidgood—humoredly,"don'tbeanoldass,Jane。Washyourfacebeforeanyoneseesit,andrememberwhatIhavetoldyouaboutSirCharles。"
"Itisveryhardtobecalledanassinone'sownhouse。"
"Itishardertobetreatedasone,likeyourhusband。Iamgoingtolookforhiminthebilliardroom。"
Janeranafterher,andcaughtherbythesleeve。
"Agatha,"shepleaded,"promisemethatyouwon'tbemean。Saythatyouwon'tmakelovetohim。"
"Iwillconsideraboutit,"repliedAgathagravely。
Janeutteredagroanandsankintoachair,whichcreakedattheshock。Agathaturnedonthethreshold,andseeinghershakingherhead,pressinghereyes,andtappingwithherheelinarestrainedfrenzy,saidquickly,"HerearetheWaltons,andtheFitzgeorges,andMr。Trefusiscomingupstairs。Howdoyoudo,Mrs。Walton？LadyBrandonwillbeSOgladtoseeyou。Good—evening,Mr。Fitzgeorge。"
Janesprangup,wipedhereyes,and,withherhandsonherhair,smoothingit,rushedtoamirror。Novisitorsappearing,sheperceivedthatshewas,forperhapsthehundredthtimeinherlife,thevictimofanimposturedevisedbyAgatha。She,gratifiedbythesuccessofherattempttoregainheroldascendancyoverJane——shehadmadeitwithmisgiving,notwithstandingherapparentconfidence——wentdownstairstothelibrary,whereshefoundSirCharlesgloomilytryingtodrownhisdomestictroublesinartcriticism。
"Ithoughtyouwereinthebilliardroom,"saidAgatha。
"Ionlypeepedin,"hereplied;"butasIsawsomethingparticulargoingon,Ithoughtitbesttoslipaway,andIhavebeenaloneeversince。"
ThesomethingparticularwhichSirCharleshadnotwishedtointerruptwasonlyagameofbilliards。