ItwastheinauguralmeetingoftheSocietyforthePromotionoftheBirthRate,overwhichshehadpromisedtopreside。Theschemewasoneinwhichshehadbeenprominentfromthestart,appealingasitdidtoherlargeandfull—bloodednature。Manymovements,towhichshefounditimpossibletorefusehername,hadinthemselvesbutsmallattraction;anditwasarealcomforttofeelsomethingapproachingenthusiasmforonebranchofherpublicwork。Notthattherewasanyacademicconsistencyaboutherinthematter,forinprivatelifeamongstherfriendsshewasnotnarrowlydogmaticonthedutyofwivestomultiplyexceedingly。Shethoughtimperiallyonthesubject,withoutbigotry。Large,healthyfamilies,inallcasessaveindividualones！Theprimeideaatthebackofhermindwas——
　　NationalExpansion！Hermotto,andsheintendedifpossibletomakeitthemottooftheLeague,was:'Del'audace,etencoredel'audace！'Itwasaquestionofthefullrealizationofthenation。
　　Shehadatrue,andinasensetouchingbeliefin'theflag,'apartfromwhatitmightcover。Itwasheridealism。"Youmaytalk,"shewouldsay,"asmuchasyoulikeaboutdirectingnationallifeinaccordancewithsocialjustice！Whatdoesthenationcareaboutsocialjustice？Thethingismuchbiggerthanthat。It'samatterofsentiment。Wemustexpand！"
　　Onthewaytothemeeting,occupiedwithherspeech,shemadenoattempttodrawBarbaraintoconversation。Thatmustwait。Thechild,thoughlanguid,andpale,waslookingsobeautifulthatitwasapleasuretohavehersupportinsuchamovement。
　　InalittledarkroombehindthehalltheCommitteewerealreadyassembled,andtheywentatonceontotheplatform。
　　CHAPTERII
　　Unmovedbythestaresoftheaudience,Barbarasatabsorbedinmoodythoughts。
　　IntothethreeweekssinceMiltoun'selectiontherehadbeencrowdedsuchamultitudeoffunctionsthatshehadfound,asitwere,notime,noenergytoknowwhereshestoodwithherself。Sincethatmorninginthestable,whenhehadwatchedherwiththehorseHal,Harbingerhadseemedtoliveonlytobeclosetoher。Andtheconsciousnessofhispassiongaveheratinglingsenseofpleasure。
　　Shehadbeenridinganddancingwithhim,andsometimesthishadbeenalmostblissful。Butthereweretimestoo,whenshefelt——thoughalwayswithacertaincontemptofherself,aswhenshesatonthatsunwarmedstonebelowthetor——aqueerdissatisfaction,alongingforsomethingoutsideaworldwhereshehadtoinventherownstarvationsandsimplicities,tomake—believeinearnestness。
　　ShehadseenCourtierthreetimes。Oncehehadcometodine,inresponsetoaninvitationfromLadyValleyswordedinthatcharming,almostwistfulstyle,whichshehadtaughtherselftousetothosebelowherinsocialrank,especiallyiftheywereintelligent;oncetotheValleysHousegardenparty;andnextday,havingtoldhimwhattimeshewouldberiding,shehadfoundhimintheRow,notmounted,butstandingbytherailjustwhereshemustpass,withthatlookonhisfaceofmingleddeferenceandironicself—containment,ofwhichhewasamaster。ItappearedthathewasleavingEngland;andtoherquestionswhy,andwhere,hehadonlyshruggedhisshoulders。Uponthisdustyplatform,inthehotbarehall,facingallthosepeople,listeningtospeecheswhosesenseshewastoolanguidandpreoccupiedtotakein,thewholemedleyofthoughts,andfacesroundher,andthesoundofthespeakers'voices,formedakindofnightmare,outofwhichshenotedwithextremeexactitudethecolourofhermother'sneckbeneathalargeblackhat,andtheexpressiononthefaceofaCommitteemantotheright,whowasbitinghisfingersundercoverofabluepaper。Sherealizedthatsomeonewasspeakingamongsttheaudience,castingforth,asitwere,smallbunchesofwords。Shecouldseehim——alittlemaninablackcoat,withawhitefacewhichkeptjerkingupanddown。
　　"Ifeelthatthisisterrible,"sheheardhimsay;"Ifeelthatthisisblasphemy。Thatweshouldtrytotamperwiththegreatestforce,thegreatestandthemostsacredandsecret—force,that——thatmovesintheworld,istomehorrible。Icannotbeartolisten;itseemstomakeeverythingsosmall！"Shesawhimsitdown,andhermotherrisingtoanswer。
　　"Wemustallsympathizewiththesincerityandtoacertainextentwiththeintentionofourfriendinthebodyofthehall。Butwemustaskourselves:
　　Havewetherighttoallowourselvestheluxury,ofprivatefeelingsinamatterwhichconcernsthenationalexpansion。Wemustnotgivewaytosentiment。Ourfriendinthebodyofthehallspoke——hewillforgivemeforsayingso——likeapoet,ratherthanaseriousreformer。Iamafraidthatifweletourselvesdropintopoetry,thebirthrateofthiscountrywillverysoondropintopoetrytoo。AndthatIthinkitisimpossibleforustocontemplatewithfoldedhands。TheresolutionIwasabouttoproposewhenourfriendinthebodyofthehall————"
　　ButBarbara'sattention,hadwanderedoffagainintothatqueermedleyofthoughts,andfeelings,outofwhichthelittlemanhadsoabruptlyrousedher。Thensherealizedthatthemeetingwasbreakingup,andhermothersaying:
　　"Now,mydear,it'shospitalday。We'vejusttime。"
　　Whentheywereoncemoreinthecar,sheleanedbackverysilent,watchingthetraffic。
　　LadyValleyseyedhersidelong。
　　"Whatalittlebombshell,"shesaid,"fromthatsmallperson！Hemusthavegotinbymistake。IhearMr。CourtierhasacardforHelenGloucester'sballto—night,Babs。"
　　"Poorman！"
　　"Youwillbethere,"saidLadyValleysdryly。
　　Barbaradrewbackintohercorner。
　　"Don'tteaseme,Mother！"
　　AnexpressionofcompunctioncrossedLadyValleys'face;shetriedtopossessherselfofBarbara'shand。Butthatlanguidhanddidnotreturnhersqueeze。
　　"Iknowthemoodyou'rein,dear。Itwantsallone'splucktoshakeitoff;don'tletitgrowonyou。You'dbettergodowntoUncleDennisto—morrow。You'vebeenoverdoingit。"
　　Barbarasighed。
　　"Iwishitwereto—morrow。"
　　Thecarhadstopped,andLadyValleyssaid:
　　"Willyoucomein,orareyoutootired？Italwaysdoesthemgoodtoseeyou。"
　　"You'retwiceastiredasme,"Barbaraanswered;"ofcourseI'llcome。"
　　Attheentranceofthetwoladies,thereroseatonceafaintbuzzandmurmur。LadyValleys,whoseamplepresenceradiatedsuddenlyabusinesslikeandcheeryconfidence,wenttoabedsideandsatdown。
　　ButBarbarastoodinathinstreakoftheJulysunlight,uncertainwheretobegin,amongstthefacesturnedtowardsher。Thepoordearslookedsohumble,andsowistful,andsotired。Therewasonelyingquiteflat,whohadnotevenraisedherheadtoseewhohadcomein。
　　Thatslumbering,pale,highcheek—bonedfacehadafrailtyasifatouch,abreath,wouldshatterit;awispoftheblackesthair,finerthansilk,layacrosstheforehead;theclosedeyesweredeepsunk;
　　onehand,scarredalmosttothebonewithwork,restedaboveherbreast。Shebreathedbetweenlipswhichhadnocolour。Abouther,sleeping,wasakindofbeauty。Andtherecameoverthegirlaqueerrushofemotion。Thesleeperseemedsoapartfromeverythingthere,fromalltheformalityandstiffnessoftheward。Tolookathersweptawaythelanguid,hollowfeelingwithwhichshehadcomein;itmadeherthinkofthetorsathome,whenthewindwasblowing,andallwasbare,andgrand,andsometimesterrible。Therewassomethingelementalinthatstillsleep。Andtheoldladyinthenextled,withabrownwrinkledfaceandbrightblackeyesbrimfuloflife,seemedalmostvulgarbesidesuchremotetranquillity,whileshewastellingBarbarathatalittlebunchofheatherinthebetterhalfofasoap—dishonthewindow—sillhadcomefromWales,because,assheexplained:"MymotherwasborninStirling,dearie;soIlikesabitofheather,thoughIneverbeenouto'BethnalGreenmeself。"
　　ButwhenBarbaraagainpassed,thesleepingwomanwassittingup,andlookedbutapoorordinarything——herstrangefragilebeautyallwithdrawn。
　　ItwasareliefwhenLadyValleyssaid:
　　"Mydear,myNavalBazaaratfive—thirty;andwhileI'mthereyoumustgohomeandhavearest,andfreshenyourselfupfortheevening。WedineatPlasseyHouse。"
　　TheDuchessofGloucester'sBall,afunctionwhichnoonecouldverywellmiss,hadbeenfixedforthislatedateowingtotheDuchess'sannounceddesiretoprolongtheseasonandsohelpthehackneycabmen;andthougheverybodysympathized,ithadbeenfeltbymostthatitwouldbesimplertogoaway,motoruponthedayoftheBall,andmotordownagainonthefollowingmorning。Andthroughouttheweekbywhichtheseasonwasthusprolonged,inlongrowsattherailwaystations,andontheirstands,thehackneycabmen,unconsciousofwhatwasbeingdoneforthem,waited,patientastheirhorses。Butsinceeverybodywasmakingthisspecialeffort,anexceptionallylarge,exclusive,andbrilliantcompanyreassembledatGloucesterHouse。
　　Inthevastballroomoverthemedleyofentwinedrevolvingcouples,punkahshadbeenfixed,toclearandfreshenthelanguidair,andthesehugefans,movingwithincredibleslowness,droveafaintrefreshingdraughtdownovertheseaofwhiteshirt—frontsandbarenecks,andfreedthescentfrominnumerableflowers。
　　Lateintheevening,closebyoneofthegreatclumpsofbloom,averyprettywomanstoodtalkingtoBertieCaradoc。Shewashiscousin,LilyMalvezin,sisterofGeoffreyWinlow,andwifeofaLiberalpeer,acharmingcreature,whosepinkcheeks,brighteyes,quicklips,androundedfigure,endowedherwiththeprettiestairofanimation。Andwhileshespokeshekeptstealingslyglancesatherpartner,tryingasitweretopiercethearmourofthatself—
　　containedyoungman。
　　"No,mydear,"shesaidinhermockingvoice,"you'llneverpersuademethatMiltounisgoingtocatchon。'Ilesttropintransigeant'。
　　Ah！there'sBabs！"
　　Forthegirlhadcomeglidingby,hereyeswanderinglazily,herlipsjustparted;herneck,hardlylesspalethanherwhitefrock;herfacepale,andmarkedwithlanguor,undertheheavycoilofhertawnyhair;andherswayingbodyseemingwitheachturnofthewaltztobecaughtbythearmsofherpartnerfromoutofaswoon。
　　Withthatimmobilityoflips,learnedbyallimprisonedinSociety,LilyMalvezinmurmured:
　　"Who'sthatshe'sdancingwith？Isitthedarkhorse,Bertie？"
　　ThroughlipsnolessimmobileBertieanswered:
　　"Fortytoone,notakers。"
　　ButthoseinquisitivebrighteyesstillfollowedBarbara,driftinginthedance,likeagreatwaterlilycaughtintheswirlofamillpool;
　　andthethoughtpassedthroughthatprettyhead:
　　"She'shookedhim。It'snaughtyofBabs,really！"Andthenshesawleaningagainstapillaranotherwhoseeyesalsowerefollowingthosetwo;andshethought:"H'm！PoorClaud——nowonderhe'slookinglikethat。Oh！Babs！"
　　ByoneofthestatuesontheterraceBarbaraandherpartnerstood,wheretrees,disfiguredbynogaudylanterns,offeredtherefreshmentoftheirdarknessandserenity。
　　Wrappedinhernewpalelanguor,stillbreathingdeeplyfromthewaltz,sheseemedtoCourtiertooutterlymouldedoutofloveliness。
　　Towhatendshouldamanframespeechestoavision！Shewasbutanincarnationofbeautyimprintedontheair,andwouldfadeoutatatouch—likethesuddenghostsofenchantmentthatcametooneundertheblue,andthestarlitsnowofamountainnight,orinabirchwoodallwistfulgolden！Speechseemedbutdesecration！Besides,whatofinterestwasthereforhimtosayinthisworldofhers,sobewilderingandofsuchglibassurance——thisworldthatwaslikeabuilding,whoseeverywindowwasshutandhadablinddrawndown。A
　　buildingthatadmittednonewhohadnotsworn,asitwere,tobelieveittheworld,thewholeworld,andnothingbuttheworld,outsidewhichwereonlythenibbledremainsofwhathadbuiltit。This,worldofSociety,inwhichhefeltlikeonetravellingthroughadesert,longingtomeetafellow—creature。
　　ThevoiceofHarbingerbehindthemsaid:
　　"Lady—Babs！"
　　Longdidthepunkahswafttheirbreezeoverthatbrave—huedwheelofpleasure,andthesoundoftheviolinsquaverandwailoutintothemorning。Thenquickly,asthespanglesofdewvanishoffgrasswhenthesunrises,allmeltedaway;andinthegreatroomswerenonebutflunkeyspresidingoverthepolishedsurfaceslikeflamingoesbysomelakesideatdawn。
　　CHAPTERIII
　　Abrickdower—houseoftheFitz—Harolds,justoutsidethelittleseasidetownofNettlefold,shelteredthetranquildaysofLordDennis。Inthatsouth—coastair,sanestandmosthealinginallEngland,heragedveryslowly,takinglittlethoughtofdeath,andmuchquietpleasureinhislife。Likethetalloldhousewithitshighwindowsandsquatchimneys,hewasmarvellouslyself—contained。
　　Hisbooks,forhesomewhatpassionatelyexaminedoldcivilizations,anddescribedtheirhabitsfromtimetotimewithadryandnottoopoignantpeninacertainold—fashionedmagazine;hismicroscope,forhestudiedinfusoria;andthefishingboatofhisfriendJohnBogle,whohadlongperceivedthatLordDenniswasthebiggestfishheevercaught;allthese,withoccasionalvisitors,andlittlerunstoLondon,toMonkland,andothercountryhouses,madeupthesumofalifewhich,ifnotdesperatelybeneficial,wasuniformlykindandharmless,and,byitsnotorioussimplicity,hadacertainnegativeinfluencenotonlyonhisownclassbutontherelationsofthatclasswiththecountryatlarge。ItwascommonlysaidinNettlefold,thathewasagentleman;iftheywerealllikehimtherewasn'tmuchinallthistalkagainsttheLords。Theshoppeopleandlodging—
　　housekeepersfeltthattheinterestsofthecountryweresaferinhishands:thaninthehandsofpeoplewhowantedtomeddlewitheverythingforthegoodofthosewhowereonlyanxioustobeletalone。AmantoowhocouldsocompletelyforgethewasthesonofaDuke,thatotherpeopleneverforgotit,wasthemanfortheirmoney。
　　Itwastruethathehadneverhadasayinpublicaffairs;butthiswasoverlooked,becausehecouldhavehaditifheliked,andthefactthathedidnotlike,onlyshowedoncemorethathewasagentleman。
　　Justashewastheonepersonalityofthelittletownagainstwhompracticallynothingwasever,said,sowashishousetheonehousewhichdefiedcriticism。Timehadmadeitutterlysuitable。Theiviedwalls,andpurplishrooflichenedyellowinplaces,thequietmeadowsharbouringponiesandkine,reachingfromittothesea——allwasmellow。Intruthitmadealltheotherhousesofthetownseemshoddy——standingalonebeyondthem,likeits,master,ifanythingalittletooestheticallyremotefromcommonwants。
　　Hehadpracticallynonearneighboursofwhomhesawanything,exceptonceinawayyoungHarbingerthreemilesdistantatWhitewater。Butsincehehadthefacultyofnotbeingboredwithhisownsociety,thisdidnotworryhim。Oflocalcharity,especiallytothefishersofthetown,whosewintermonthswerenowadaysverybareofprofit,hewasprodigaltothevergeofextravagance,forhisincomewasnotgreat。Butinpolitics,beyondactingasthefigure—headofcertainmunicipalefforts,hetooklittleornopart。HisToryismindeedwasofthemildorder,thathadlittlebeliefintheregenerationofthecountrybyanymeansbutthoseofkindlyfeelingbetweentheclasses。
　　Whenaskedhowthatwastobebroughtabout,hewouldanswerwithhisdry,slightlymalicious,suavity,thatifyoustirredhornets'nestswithsticksthehornetswouldcomeforth。Havingnoland,hewasshyofexpressinghimselfonthatvexedquestion;butifresolutelyattackedwouldgiveutterancetosomesuchsentimentasthis:"Theland'sbestinourhandsonthewhole,butwewantfewerdogs—in—the—
　　mangeramongus。"
　　Hehad,asbecameoneofhisrace,afeelingforland,tenderandprotective,andcouldnotbeartothinkofitsbeingputouttofarmwiththatcoldMother,theState。HewasironicalovertheviewsofRadicalsorSocialists,butdislikedtohearsuchpeoplepersonallyabusedbehindtheirbacks。Itmustbeconfessed,however,thatifcontradictedheincreasedconsiderablytheironicaldecisionofhissentiments。Withdrawnfromallchanceinpubliclifeofenforcinghisviewsonothers,thenaturalaristocratwithinhimwasforcedtofindsomeexpression。
　　Eachyear,towardstheendofJuly,heplacedhishouseattheserviceofLordValleys,whofounditaconvenientcentreforattendingGoodwood。
　　ItwasonthemorningaftertheDuchessofGloucester'sBall,thathereceivedthisnote:
　　"VALLEYSHOUSE。
　　"DEARESTUNCLEDENNIS,"MayIcomedowntoyoualittlebeforetimeandrest？Londonissoterriblyhot。Motherhasthreefunctionsstilltostayfor,andI
　　shallhavetocomebackagainforourlastevening,thepoliticalone——soIdon'twanttogoallthewaytoMonkland;andanywhereelse,exceptwithyou,wouldberackety。Eustacelookssoseedy。
　　I'lltryandbringhim,ifImay。Grannyisterriblywell。
　　"Bestlove,dear,fromyour。
　　"BABS。"
　　Thesameafternoonshecame,butwithoutMiltoun,drivingupfromthestationinafly。LordDennismetheratthegate;and,havingkissedher,lookedathersomewhatanxiously,caressinghiswhitepeakedbeard。HehadneveryetknownBabssickofanything,exceptwhenhetookheroutinJohnBogle'sboat。Shewascertainlylookingpale,andherhairwasdonedifferently——afactdisturbingtoonewhodidnotdiscoverit。Slippinghisarmthroughhersheledheroutintoameadowstillfullofbuttercups,whereanoldwhitepony,whohadcarriedherintheRowtwelveyearsago,cameuptothemandrubbedhismuzzleagainstherwaist。AndsuddenlythereroseinLordDennisthethoroughlydiscomfortingandstrangesuspicionthat,thoughthechildwasnotgoingtocry,shewantedtimetogetoverthefeelingthatshewas。Withoutappearingtoseparatehimselffromher,hewalkedtothewallattheendofthefield,andstoodlookingatthesea。
　　Thetidewasnearlyup;theSouthwinddrivingoveritbroughthimthescentofthesea—flowers,andthecrisprustleoflittlewavesswimmingalmosttohisfeet。Farout,wherethesunlightfell,thesmilingwaterslaywhiteandmysteriousinJulyhaze,givinghimaqueerfeeling。ButLordDennis,thoughhehadhismomentsofpoeticsentiment,wasonthewholequiteabletokeeptheseainitsproperplace——forafterallitwastheEnglishChannel;andlikeagoodEnglishmanherecognizedthatifyouonceletthingsgetawayfromtheirnames,theyceasedtobefacts,andiftheyceasedtobefacts,theybecame——thedevil！Intruthhewasnotthinkingmuchofthesea,butofBarbara。Itwasplainthatshewasintroubleofsomekind。AndthenotionthatBabscouldfindtroubleinlifewasextraordinarilyqueer;forhefelt,subconsciously,whatagreatdrivingforceofdisturbancewasnecessarytopenetratethehundredfoldsoftheluxuriouscloakenwrappingonesoyoungandfortunate。
　　ItwasnotDeath;thereforeitmustbeLove;andhethoughtatonceofthatfellowwiththeredmoustaches。Ideaswereallverywell——noonewouldobjecttoasmanyasyouliked,intheirproperplace——thedinner—table,forexample。Buttofallinlove,ifindeeditwereso,withamanwhonotonlyhadideas,butaninclinationtoliveuptothem,andonthem,andonnothingelse,seemedtoLordDennis'outre'。
　　Shehadfollowedhimtothewall,andhelooked——atherdubiously。
　　"TorestinthewatersofLethe,Babs？Bytheway,seenanythingofourfriendMr。Courtier？Verypicturesque——thatQuixotictheoryoflife！"
　　Andinsayingthat,hisvoice（likesomanyrefinedvoiceswhichhaveturnedtheirbacksonspeculation）wastriple—toned—mockingatideas,mockingatitselfformockingatideas,yetshowingplainlythatatbottomitonlymockedatitselfformockingatideas,becauseitwouldbe,asitwere,crudenottodoso。
　　ButBarbaradidnotanswerhisquestion,andbegantospeakofotherthings。AndallthatafternoonandeveningshetalkedawaysolightlythatLordDennis,butforhisinstinct,wouldhavebeendeceived。
　　Thatwonderfulsmilingmask——theinscrutabilityofYouth——waslaidasidebyheratnight。Sittingatherwindow,underthemoon,'agold—brightmothslow—spinningupthesky,'shewatchedthedarknesshungrily,asthoughitwereagreatthoughtintowhoseheartshewastryingtosee。Nowandthenshestrokedherself,gettingstrangecomfortoutofthepresenceofherbody。Shehadthatoldunhappyfeelingofhavingtwoselveswithinher。Andthissoftnightfullofthequietstirofthesea,andofdarkimmensity,wokeinheraterriblelongingtobeatonewithsomething,somebody,outsideherself。AttheBalllastnightthe'flyingfeeling'hadseizedonheragain;andwasstillthere——aqueermanifestationofherstreakofrecklessness。AndthisresultofhercontactswithCourtier,this'cacoethesvolandi',andfeelingofclippedwings,hurther——asbeingforbiddenhurtsachild。
　　Sherememberedhowinthehousekeeper'sroomatMonklandtherelivedamagpiewhohadoncesoughtshelterinanorchid—housefromsomepursuer。Assoonastheythoughthimweddedtocivilization,theyhadlethimgo,toseewhetherhewouldcomeback。Forhourshehadsatupinahightree,andatlastcomedownagaintohiscage;
　　whereupon,fearinglesttherooksshouldattackhimwhenhenexttookthisvoyageofdiscovery,theyclippedoneofhiswings。Afterthatthetwilightbird,thoughhelivedhappilyenough,hoppingabouthiscageandtheterracewhichservedhimforexerciseyard,wouldseemattimesrestiveandfrightened,movinghiswingsasifflyinginspirit,andsadthathemuststayonearth。
　　So,too,atherwindowBarbaraflutteredherwings;then,gettingintobed,laysighingandtossing。Aclockstruckthree;andseizedbyanintolerableimpatienceatherowndiscomfort,sheslippedamotorcoatoverhernight—gown,putonslippers,andstoleoutintothepassage。Thehousewasverystill。Shecreptdownstairs,smotheringherfootsteps。Gropingherwaythroughthehall,inhabitedbythethinghostsofwould—belight,sheslidbackthechainofthedoor,andfledtowardsthesea。Shemadenomorenoiserunninginthedew,thanabirdfollowingthepathsofair;andthetwoponies,whofeltherfigurepassinthedarkness,snuffled,sendingoutsoftsighsofalarmamongsttheclosedbuttercups。Sheclimbedthewallovertothebeach。Whileshewasrunning,shehadfullymeanttodashintotheseaandcoolherself,butitwassoblack,withjustathinedgingscarfofwhite,andtheskywasblack,bereftoflights,waitingfortheday！
　　Shestood,andlooked。Andalltheleapingsandpulsingsoffleshandspiritslowlydiedinthatwidedarkloneliness,wheretheonlysoundwasthewistfulbreakingofsmallwaves。Shewaswellusedtothesedeadhours——onlylastnight,atthisverytime,Harbinger'sarmhadbeenroundherinalastwaltz！Butherethedeadhourshadsuchdifferentfaces,wide—eyed,solemn,andtherecametoBarbara,staringoutatthem,asensethatthedarknesssawherverysoul,sothatitfeltlittleandtimidwithinher。Sheshiveredinherfur—
　　linedcoat,asifalmostfrightenedatfindingherselfsomarvellouslynothingbeforethatblackskyanddarksea,whichseemedallone,relentlesslygreat……Andcrouchingdown,shewaitedforthedawntobreak。
　　ItcamefromovertheDowns,sweepingarushofcoldaironitswings,flightingtowardsthesea。Withitthedaringsooncreptbackintoherblood。Shestripped,andrandownintothedarkwater,fastgrowingpale。Itcoveredherjealously,andshesettoworktoswim。
　　Thewaterwaswarmerthantheair。Shelayonherbackandsplashed,watchingtheskyflush。Tobathelikethisinthehalf—dark,withherhairfloatingout,andnowetclothesclingingtoherlimbs,gaveherthejoyofachilddoinganaughtything。Sheswamoutofherdepth,thenscaredatherownadventure,swaminagainasthesunrose。
　　Shedashedintohertwogarments,climbedthewall,andscurriedbacktothehouse。Allherdejection,andfeverishuncertaintyweregone;
　　shefeltkeen,fresh,terriblyhungry,andstealingintothedarkdining—room,beganrummagingforfood。Shefoundbiscuits,andwasstillmunching,whenintheopendoorwayshesawLordDennis,apistolinonehandandalightedcandleintheother。Withhiscarvedfeaturesandwhitebeardaboveanoldbluedressing—gown,helookedimpressive,havingatthemomentadistinctresemblancetoLadyCasterley,asthoughdangerhadarmouredhiminsteel。
　　"Youcallthisresting！"hesaid,dryly;then,lookingatherdrownedhair,added:"IseeyouhavealreadyentrustedyourtroubletothewatersofLethe。"
　　ButwithoutanswerBarbaravanishedintothedimhallandupthestairs。
　　CHAPTERIV
　　WhileBarbarawasswimmingtomeetthedawn,MiltounwasbathinginthosewatersofmansuetudeandtruthwhichrollfromwalltowallintheBritishHouseofCommons。
　　InthatlongdebateontheLandquestion,forwhichhehadwaitedtomakehisfirstspeech,hehadalreadyrisenninetimeswithoutcatchingtheSpeaker'seye,andslowlyasenseofunrealitywascreepingoverhim。SurelythisgreatChamber,wherewithoutendrosethesmallsoundofasinglehumanvoice,andqueermechanicalburstsofapprobationandresentment,didnotexistatallbutasagiganticfancyofhisown！Andallthesefigureswerefigmentsofhisbrain！
　　Andwhenheatlastspoke,itwouldbehimselfalonethatheaddressed！Thetorpidairtaintedwithhumanbreath,theunwinkingstareofthecountlesslights,thelongrowsofseats,thequeerdistantroundsofpalelisteningfleshperchedupsohigh,theywereallemanationsofhimself！Eventhecomingandgoinginthegangwaywasbutthecomingandgoingoflittlewilfulpartsofhim！AndrustlingdeepdowninthisTitaniccreatureofhisfancywas'themurmuration'ofhisownunspokenspeech,sweepingawaythepuffballsofwordsflungupbythatfar—away,small,varyingvoice。