Then,suddenlyallthatdreamcreaturehadvanished;hewasonhisfeet,withathumpingheart,speaking。
　　Soonhehadnotremors,onlyadimconsciousnessthathiswordssoundedstrange,andaqueericypleasureinflingingthemoutintothesilence。Roundhimthereseemednolongermen,onlymouthsandeyes。Andhehadenjoymentinthefeelingthatwiththesewordsofhishewasholdingthosehungrymouthsandeyesdumbandunmoving。
　　Thenheknewthathehadreachedtheendofwhathehadtosay,andsatdown,remainingmotionlessinthecentreofavarioussound;
　　staringatthebackoftheheadinfrontofhim,withhishandsclaspedroundhisknee。Andsoon,whenthatlittlefarawayvoicewasoncemorespeaking,hetookhishat,andglancingneithertorightnorleft,wentout。
　　Insteadofthesensationofreliefandwildelationwhichfillstheheartofthosewhohavetakenthefirstplunge,Miltounhadnothinginhisdeepdarkwellbutthewatersofbitterness。Intruth,withthedeliveryofthatspeechhehadbutpartedwithwhathadbeenasortofanodynetosuffering。Hehadonlyputthefinepointonhisconviction,ofhowvainwashiscareernowthathecouldnotshareitwithAudreyNoel。HewalkedslowlytowardstheTemple,alongtheriverside,wherethelampswerepalingintonothingnessbeforethatdailycelebrationofDivinity,themeetingofdarkandlight。
　　ForMiltounwasnotoneofthosewhotakethingslyingdown;hetookthingsdesperately,deeply,andwithrevolt。Hetookthemlikeariderridinghimself,plungingatthedigofhisownspurs,chafingandwincingatthecrueltugsofhisownbitt;bearinginhisfriendless,proudheartalltheburdenofstruggleswhichshallowerormoregenialnaturessharedwithothers。
　　Helookedhardlylesshaggard,walkinghome,thansomeofthosehomelessoneswhosleptnightlybytheriver,asthoughtheyknewthattolienearonewhocouldsoreadilygrantoblivion,alonecouldsavethemfromseekingthatconsolation。Hewasperhapsunhappierthanthey,whosespirits,atallevents,hadlongceasedtoworrythem,havingoozedoutfromtheirbodiesunderthefootofLife:
　　NowthatAudreyNoelwaslosttohim,herlovelinessandthatindescribablequalitywhichmadeherlovable,floatedbeforehim,theverytorture—flowersofabeautynevertobegrasped——yet,thathecouldgrasp,'ifheonlywould！Thatwastheheartandfervourofhissuffering。Tobegraspedifheonlywould！Hewassuffering,too,physicallyfromakindofslowfever,theresultofhiswettingonthedaywhenhelastsawher。Andthroughthatlatentfever,thingsandfeelings,likehissensationsintheHousebeforehisspeech,wereallasitweremuffledinahorribleway,asiftheyallcametohimwrappedinasortofflannelcoating,throughwhichhecouldnotcut。Andallthetimethereseemedtobewithinhimtwomenatmortalgripswithoneanother;themanoffaithindivinesanctionandauthority,onwhichallhisbeliefshadhithertohinged,andadesperatewarm—bloodedhungrycreature。Hewasverymiserable,cravingstrangelyforthesocietyofsomeonewhocouldunderstandwhathewasfeeling,。and,fromlonghabitofmakingnoconfidants,notknowinghowtosatisfythatcraving。
　　Itwasdawnwhenhereachedhisrooms;and,surethathewouldnotsleep,hedidnotevengotobed,butchangedhisclothes,madehimselfsomecoffee,andsatdownatthewindowwhichoverlookedthefloweredcourtyard。
　　InMiddleTempleHallaBallwasstillinprogress,thoughtheglamourfromitsChineselanternswasalreadydarkenedandgone。
　　Miltounsawamanandagirl,shelteredbyanoldfountain,sittingouttheirlastdance。Herheadhadsunkonherpartner'sshoulder;
　　theirlipswerejoined。Andtherefloateduptothewindowthescentofheliotrope,withthetuneofthewaltzthatthosetwoshouldhavebeendancing。Thiscouplesostealthilyenlaced,thegleamoftheirfurtivelyturnedeyes,thewhisperingoftheirlips,thatstonynichebelowthetwitteringsparrows,socunninglysoughtout——itwastheworldhehadabjured！Whenhelookedagain,they——likeavisionseen——hadstolenawayandgone;themusictoohadceased,therewasnoscentofheliotrope。Inthestonynichecrouchedastraycatwatchingthetwitteringsparrows。
　　Miltounwentout,and,turningintotheemptyStrand,walkedon——
　　withoutheedingwhere,tilltowardsfiveo'clockhefoundhimselfonPutneyBridge。
　　Herestedthere,leaningovertheparapet,lookingdownatthegreywater。Thesunwasjustbreakingthroughtheheathaze;earlywaggonswerepassing,andalreadymenwerecomingintowork。Towhatenddidtheriverwanderupanddown;andahumanriverflowacrossittwiceeveryday？Towhatendweremenandwomensuffering？
　　OfthefullcurrentofthislifeMiltouncouldnomoreseetheaim,thanthatofthewheelinggullsintheearlysunlight。
　　LeavingthebridgehemadetowardsBarnesCommon。Thenightwasstillensnaredthereonthegorsebushesgreywithcobwebsandstarrydewdrops。Hepassedatrampfamilystillsleeping,huddledalltogether。Eventhehomelesslayineachother'sarms！
　　>FromtheCommonheemergedontheroadnearthegatesofRavensham;
　　turninginthere,hefoundhiswaytothekitchengarden,andsatdownonabenchclosetotheraspberrybushes。Theywereprotectedfromthieves,butatMiltoun'sapproachtwoblackbirdsflusteredoutthroughthenettingandflewaway。
　　Hislongfigurerestingsomotionlessimpresseditselfontheeyesofagardener,whocausedareporttobecirculatedthathisyounglordshipwasinthefruitgarden。ItreachedtheearsofClifton,whohimselfcameouttoseewhatthismightmean。TheoldmantookhisstandinfrontofMiltounveryquietly。
　　"Youhavecometobreakfast,mylord？"
　　"Ifmygrandmotherwillhaveme,Clifton。"
　　"Iunderstoodyourlordshipwasspeakinglastnight。"
　　"Iwas。"
　　"YoufindtheHouseofCommonssatisfactory,Ihope。"
　　"Fairly,thankyou,Clifton。"
　　"Theyarenotwhattheywereinthegreatdaysofyourgrandfather,I
　　believe。Hehadaverygoodopinionofthem。Theyvary,nodoubt。"
　　"Temporamutantur。"
　　"Thatisso。Ifindquiteanewspirittowardspublicaffairs。Theha'pennyPress;onetakesitin,butonehardlyapproves。Ishallbeanxioustoreadyourspeech。Theysayafirstspeechisagreatstrain。"
　　"Itisrather。"
　　"Butyouhadnoreasontobeanxious。I'msureitwasbeautiful。"
　　Miltounsawthattheoldman'sthinsallowcheekshadflushedtoadeeporangebetweenhissnow—whitewhiskers。
　　"Ihavelookedforwardtothisday,"hestammered,"eversinceIknewyourlordship——twenty—eightyears。Itisthebeginning。"
　　"Ortheend,Clifton。"
　　Theoldman'sfacefellinalookofdeepandconcernedastonishment。
　　"No,no,"hesaid;"withyourantecedents,never。"
　　Miltountookhishand。
　　"Sorry,Clifton——didn'tmeantoshockyou。"
　　Andforaminuteneitherspoke,lookingattheirclaspedhandsasifsurprised。
　　"Wouldyourlordshiplikeabath——breakfastisstillateight。Icanprocureyouarazor。"
　　WhenMiltounenteredthebreakfastroom,hisgrandmother,withacopyoftheTimesinherhands,wasseatedbeforeagrapefruit,which,withashreddedwheatbiscuit,constitutedherfirstmeal。HerappearancehardlywarrantedBarbara'sdescriptionof'terriblywell';
　　intruthshelookedalittlewhite,asifshehadbeenfeelingtheheat。Buttherewasnolackofanimationinherlittlesteel—greyeyes,norofdecisioninhermanner。
　　"Isee,"shesaid,"thatyou'vetakenalineofyourown,Eustace。
　　I'venothingtosayagainstthat;infact,quitethecontrary。Butrememberthis,mydear,howeveryoumaychangeyoumustn'twobble。
　　Onlyonethingcountsinthatplace,hittingthesamenailontheheadwiththesamehammerallthetime。Youaren'tlookingatallwell。"
　　Miltoun,bendingtokissher,murmured:
　　"Thanks,I'mallright。"
　　"Nonsense,"repliedLadyCasterley。"Theydon'tlookafteryou。WasyourmotherintheHouse？"
　　"Idon'tthinkso。"
　　"Exactly。AndwhatisBarbaraabout？Sheoughttobeseeingtoyou。"
　　"BarbaraisdownwithUncleDennis。"
　　LadyCasterleysetherjaw;thenlookinghergrandsonthroughandthrough,said:
　　"Ishalltakeyoudowntherethisveryday。Ishallhavetheseatoyou。Whatdoyousay,Clifton？"
　　"Hislordshipdoeslookpale。"
　　"Havethecarriage,andwe'llgofromClaphamJunction。Thomascangoinandfetchyousomeclothes。Or,better,thoughIdislikethem,wecantelephonetoyourmotherforacar。It'sveryhotfortrains。
　　Arrangethat,please,Clifton！"
　　TothisprojectMiltounraisednoobjection。AndallthroughthedriveheremainedsunkinanindifferenceandlassitudewhichtoLadyCasterleyseemedinthehighestdegreeominous。Forlassitude,toher,wasthestrange,theunpardonable,state。Thelittlegreatlady——casketofthearistocraticprinciple——waspermeatedtotheverybackbonewiththeinstinctofartificialenergy,ofthatalertvigourwhichthosewhohavenothingsociallytohopeforareforcedtodevelop,lesttheyshoulddecayandbeagainobligedtohope。Tospeakhonesttruth,shecouldnotforbearanitchtorunsomesharpandforeignsubstanceintohergrandson,torousehimsomehow,forsheknewthereasonofhisstate,andwastemperamentallyoutofpatiencewithsuchacauseforbacksliding。Haditbeenanyotherofhergrandchildrenshewouldnothavehesitated,buttherewasthatinMiltounwhichheldevenLadyCasterleyincheck,andonlyonceduringthefourhoursoftraveldidsheattempttobreakdownhisreserve。
　　Shediditinamannerverysoftforher——washenotofalllivingthingsthehopeandprideofherheart？Tuckingherlittlethinsharphandunderhisarm,shesaidquietly:
　　"Mydear,don'tbroodoverit。Thatwillneverdo。"
　　ButMiltounremovedherhandgently,andlaiditbackonthedustrug,nordidheanswer,orshowothersignofhavingheard。
　　AndLadyCasterley,deeplywounded,pressedherfadedlipstogether,andsaidsharply:
　　"Slower,please,Frith！"
　　CHAPTERV
　　ItwastoBarbarathatMiltoununfolded,ifbutlittle,thetroubleofhisspirit,lyingthatsameafternoonunderaraggedtamariskhedgewiththetidefarout。HecouldneverhavedonethisiftherehadnotbeenbetweenthemtheaccidentalrevelationofthatnightatMonkland;noreventhenperhapshadhenotfeltinthisyoungsisterofhisthewarmthoflifeforwhichhewasyearning。InsuchamatterasloveBarbarawastheelderofthesetwo。For,besidesthemotherlyknowledgeoftheheartpeculiartomostwomen,shehadtheinherentwoman—of—the—worldlinesstobeexpectedofadaughterofLordandLadyValleys。Ifsheherselfwereindoubtastothestateofheraffections,itwasnotaswithMiltoun,onthescoreofthesensesandtheheart,butonthescoreofherspiritandcuriosity,whichCourtierhadawakenedandcausedtoflaptheirwingsalittle。
　　SheworriedoverMiltoun'sforlorncase;ithurthertootothinkofMrs。Noeleatingherheartoutinthatlonelycottage。Asisterso——
　　goodandearnestasAgathahadeverinclinedBarbaratoarebelliousviewofmorals,anddisinclinedheraltogethertoreligion。Andso,shefeltthatifthosetwocouldnotbehappyapart,theyshouldbehappytogether,inthenameofallthejoytherewasinlife！
　　Andwhileherbrotherlayfacetotheskyunderthetamarisks,shekepttryingtothinkofhowtoconsolehim,consciousthatshedidnotintheleastunderstandthewayhethoughtaboutthings。Overthefieldsbehind,thelarkswerehymningthepromiseoftheunripecorn;theforeshorewaspaintedallcolours,fromvividgreentomushroompink;bytheedgeofthebluesealittleblackfiguresstooped,gatheringsapphire。Theairsmelledsweetintheshadeofthetamarisk;therewasineffablepeace。AndBarbara,coveredbythenetworkofsunlight,couldnothelpimpatiencewithasufferingwhichseemedtohersocorrigiblebyaction。Atlastsheventured:
　　"Lifeisshort,Eusty！"
　　Miltoun'sanswer,givenwithoutmovement,startledher:
　　"Persuademethatitis,Babs,andI'llblessyou。Ifthesingingoftheselarksmeansnothing,ifthatblueupthereisamorassofourinvention,ifwearepettily,creepingonfurtheringnothing,ifthere'snopurposeinourlives,persuademeofit,forGod'ssake！"
　　Carriedsuddenlybeyondherdepth,Barbaracouldonlyputoutherhand,andsay:"Oh！don'ttakethingssohard！"
　　"Sinceyousaythatlifeisshort,"Miltounmuttered,withhissmile,"youshouldn'tspoilitbyfeelingpity！InolddayswewenttotheTowerforourconvictions。Wecanstandalittleprivateroasting,I
　　hope;orhasthesandrunoutofusaltogether？"
　　Stungbyhistone,Barbaraansweredinratherahardvoice:
　　"Whatwemustbear,wemust,Isuppose。Butwhyshouldwemaketrouble？That'swhatIcan'tstand！"
　　"Oprofoundwisdom！"
　　Barbaraflushed。
　　"IloveLife！"shesaid。
　　Thegalleonsofthewesteringsunwerealreadysailinginabroadgoldfleetstraightforthatforeshorewherethelittleblackstoopingfigureshadnotyetfinishedtheirtoil,thelarksstillsangovertheunripecorn——whenHarbinger,gallopingalongthesandsfromWhitewatertoSeaHouse,cameonthatsilentcouplewalkinghometodinner。
　　Itwouldnotbesafetosayofthisyoungmanthathereadilydiagnosedaspiritualatmosphere,butthiswasthelesshisdemerit,sinceeverythingfromhiscradleuphadconspiredtokeepthespiritualthermometerofhissurroundingsat60intheshade。Andthefactthathisownspiritualthermometerhadnowrunupsothatitthreatenedtoburstthebulb,renderedhimlesslikelythanevertoseewhatwashappeningwithotherpeople's。Yet,hedidnoticethatBarbarawaslookingpale,and——itseemed——sweeterthanever……Withhereldestbrotherhealwayssomehowfeltillatease。Hecouldnotexactlyaffordtodespiseanuncompromisingspiritinoneofhisownorder,buthewasnomoreimperviousthanotherstoMiltoun'scaustic,thinly—veiledcontemptforthecommonplace;andhavingafull—bloodedbeliefinhimself———usualwithmenoffinephysique,whoselotsaresocastthatthisbeliefcanneveroralmostneverbereallyshaken——hegreatlydislikedthefeelingofbeingalittlelookeddownon。Itwasanintenserelief,when,sayingthathewantedacertainmagazine,Miltounstrodeoffintothetown。
　　ToHarbinger,nolessthantoMiltounandBarbara,lastnighthadbeenbitterandrestless。Thesightofthatpaleswayingfigure,withthepartedlips,whirlingroundinCourtier'sarms,hadclungtohisvisioneversince,theBall。Duringhisownlastdancewithherhehadbeenalmostsavagelysilent;onlybyagreateffortrestraininghistonguefrommordantallusionstothat'prancing,red—
　　hairedfellow,'ashesecretlycalledthechampionoflostcauses。
　　Infact,hissensationsthereandsincehadbeenarevelation,orwouldhaveteenifhecouldhavestoodaparttoseethem。True,hehadgoneaboutnextdaywithhisusualcool,off—handmanner,becauseonenaturallydidnotletpeoplesee,butitwaswithsuchaninnerachingandrageofwantandjealousyastoreallymeritpity。Menofhisphysicallybig,ratherrushing,type,arethelasttopossesstheirsoulsinpatience。WalkinghomeaftertheBallhehaddeterminedtofollowherdowntothesea,whereshehadsaid,somaliciously;thatshewasgoing。Afterasecondalmostsleeplessnighthehadnolongeranyhesitation。Hemustseeher！Afterall,amanmightgotohisown'place'withimpunity;hedidnotcareifitwereapointedthingtodo……Pointed！Themorepointedthebetter！Therewasbeginningtoberousedinhimanuglystubbornnessofmaledetermination。Sheshouldnotescapehim！
　　Butnowthathewaswalkingatherside,allthatdeterminationandassurancemeltedtoperplexedhumility。Hemarchedalongbyhishorsewithhisheaddown,justfeelingtheacheofbeingsoclosetoherandyetsofar;angrywithhisownsilenceandawkwardness,almostangrywithherforherloveliness,andthepainitmadehimsuffer。Whentheyreachedthehouse,andshelefthimatthestable—
　　yard,sayingshewasgoingtogetsomeflowers,hejerkedthebeast'sbridleandsworeatitforitsslownessinenteringthestable。He,wasterrifiedthatshewouldbegonebeforehecouldgetintothegarden;yethalfafraidoffindingherthere。Butshewasstillpluckingcarnationsbytheboxhedgewhichledtotheconservatories。
　　Andassherosefromgatheringthoseblossoms,beforeheknewwhathewasdoing,Harbingerhadthrownhisarmaroundher,heldherasinavice,kissedherunmercifully。
　　Sheseemedtooffernoresistance,hersmoothcheeksgrowingwarmerandwarmer,evenherlipspassive;butsuddenlyherecoiled,andhisheartstoodstillathisownoutrageousdaring。Whathadhedone？
　　Hesawherleaningbackalmostburiedintheclippedboxhedge,andheardhersaywithasortoffaintmockery:"Well！"
　　Hewouldhaveflunghimselfdownonhiskneestoaskforpardonbutforthethoughtthatsomeonemightcome。Hemutteredhoarsely:"ByGod,Iwasmad！"andstoodgloweringinsullensuspensebetweenhardihoodandfear。Heheardhersay,quietly:
　　"Yes,youwere—rather。"
　　Thenseeingherputherhanduptoherlipsasifhehadhurtthem,hemutteredbrokenly:
　　"Forgiveme,Babs！"
　　Therewasafullminute'ssilencewhilehestoodthere,nolongerdaringtolookather,beatenalloverbyhisemotions。Then,withbewilderment,heheardhersay:
　　"Ididn'tmindit——foronce！"
　　Helookedupatthat。Howcouldshelovehim,andspeaksocoolly！
　　Howcouldshenotmind,ifshedidnotlovehim！Shewaspassingherhandsoverherfaceandneckandhair,repairingthedamageofhiskisses。
　　"Nowshallwegoin？"shesaid。
　　Harbingertookastepforward。
　　"Iloveyouso,"hesaid;"Iwillputmylifeinyourhands,andyoushallthrowitaway。"
　　Atthosewords,ofwhoseexactnaturehehadverylittleknowledge,hesawhersmile。
　　"IfIletyoucomewithinthreeyards,willyoubegood？"
　　Hebowed;and,insilence,theywalkedtowardsthehouse。
　　Dinnerthateveningwasastrange,uncomfortablemeal。Butitscomedy,toosubtlyplayedforMiltounandLordDennis,seemedtransparenttotheeyesofLadyCasterley;for,whenHarbingerhadsalliedforthtoridebackalongthesands,shetookhercandleandinvitedBarbaratoretire。Then,havingadmittedhergranddaughtertotheapartmentalwaysreservedforherself,andspeciallyfurnishedwithpracticallynothing,shesatdownoppositethattall,young,solidfigure,asitweretakingstockofit,andsaid:
　　"Soyouarecomingtoyoursenses,atallevents。Kissme！'
　　Barbara,stoopingtoperformthisrite,sawatearstealingdownthecarvedfinenose。Knowingthattonoticeitwouldbetoodreadful,sheraisedherself,andwenttothewindow。There,staringoutoverthedarkfieldsanddarksea,bythesideofwhichHarbingerwasridinghome,sheputherhanduptoher,lips,andthoughtforthehundredthtime:
　　"Sothat'swhatit'slike！"
　　CHAPTERVI
　　Threedaysafterhisfirst,andashepromisedhimself,hislastSocietyBall,CourtierreceivedanotefromAudreyNoel,sayingthatshehadleftMonklandforthepresent,andcomeuptoalittleflat——
　　ontheriversidenotfarfromWestminster。
　　WhenhemadehiswaytherethatsameJulyday,theHousesofParliamentwerebrightunderasunwhichwarmedallthegraveairemanatingfromtheircounselsofperfection:Courtierpassedbydubiously。Hisfeelingsinthepresenceofthosetowerswerealwaysalittlemixed。Therewasnotsomuchofthepoetinhimastocausehimtoseenothingthereatallsaveonlysamelinesagainstthesky,buttherewasenoughofthepoettomakehimlongtokicksomething;
　　andinthismoodhewendedhiswaytotheriverside。
　　Mrs。Noelwasnotathome,butsincethemaidinformedhimthatshewouldbeindirectly,hesatdowntowait。Herflat,whichwason—
　　thefirstfloor,overlookedtheriverandhadevidentlybeentakenfurnished,fortherewerevisiblemarksofarecentstrugglewithanEdwardiantastewhich,flushedfromtriumphoverVictorianism,hadfilledtheroomswithearlyGeorgianremains。Ontheonlydefinitevictory,arose—colouredwindowseatofgreatcomfortandlittleage,Courtiersatdown,andresignedhimselftodoingnothingwiththeeaseofanoldsoldier。
　　Totheprotectivefeelinghehadoncehadforaverygraceful,dark—
　　hairedchild,hejoinednotonlythechampioningpityofamanofwarmheartwatchingawomanindistress,buttheimpatienceofone,who,thoughtemperamentallyincapableoffeelingoppressedhimself,rebelledatsightofallformsoftyrannyaffectingothers。
　　Thesightofthegreytowers,stilljustvisible,underwhichMiltounandhisfathersat,annoyedhimdeeply;symbolizingtohim,Authority——foetohisdeathlessmistress,thesweet,invinciblelostcauseofLiberty。Butpresentlytheriver;bringingupinfloodtheunboundwaterthathadbathedeveryshore,touchedallsands,andseentherisingandfallingofeachmortalstar,sosoothedhimwithitssoundlesshymntoFreedom,thatAudreyNoelcominginwithherhandsfullofflowers,foundhimsleepingfirmly,withhismouthshut。
　　Noiselesslyputtingdowntheflowers,shewaitedforhisawakening。
　　Thatsanguinevisage,withitsprominentchin,flaringmoustaches,andeyebrowsraisedratherV—shapedabovehisclosedeyes,woreanexpressionofcheerydefianceeveninsleep;andperhapsnofaceinallLondonwassoutterlyitsobverse,asthatofthisdark,soft—
　　hairedwoman,delicate,passive,andtremulouswithpleasureatsightoftheonlypersonintheworldfromwhomshefeltshemightlearnofMiltoun,withoutlosingherself—respect。
　　Hewokeatlast,andmanifestingnodiscomfiture,said:
　　"Itwaslikeyounottowakeme。"
　　Theysatforalongwhiletalking,theriversidetrafficdrowsilyaccompanyingtheirvoices,theflowersdrowsilyfillingtheroomwithscent;andwhenCourtierleft,hisheartwassore。Shehadnotspokenofherselfatall,buthadtalkednearlyallthetimeofBarbara,praisingherbeautyandhighspirit;growingpaleonceortwice,andevidentlydrinkinginwithsecretavidityeveryallusiontoMiltoun。Clearly,herfeelingshadnotchanged,thoughshewouldnotshowthem！Courtier'spityforherbecamewell—nighviolent。
　　Itwasinsuchamood,mingledwithverydifferentfeelings,thathedonnedeveningclothesandsetouttoattendthelastgatheringoftheseasonatValleysHouse,afunctionwhich,heldsolateinJuly,wasperforcealmostperfectlypolitical。
　　Mountingthewideandshiningstaircase,thathadsooftenbaffledthearithmeticoflittleAnn,hewasremindedofapictureentitled'TheStepstoHeaven'inhisnurseryfour—and—thirtyyearsbefore。
　　Atthetopofthisstaircase,andsurroundedbyacquaintances,hecameonHarbinger,whonoddedcurtly。Theyoungman'shandsomefaceandfigureappearedtoCourtier'sjaundicedeyemoreobviouslysuccessfulandcomplacentthanever;sothathepassedhimbysardonically,andmanoeuvredhiswaytowardsLadyValleys,whomhecouldperceivestationed,likeageneral,inalittleclearedspace,wheretoandfroflowedconstantstreamsofpeople,liketheraysofastar。Shewaslookingherverybest,goingwellwithgreatandhighly—polishedspaces;andshegreetedCourtierwithaspecialcordialityoftone,whichhadinit,besideskindnesstowardsonewhomustbefeelingastrangebird,acertaindiplomaticquality,compoundedofdesire,asitwere,to'warnhimoff,'andfearofsayingsomethingthatmightirritateandmakehimmoredangerous。
　　Shehadheard,shesaid,thathewasboundforPersia;shehopedhewasnotgoingtotryandmakethingsmoredifficultthere;thenwiththewords:"Sogoodofyoutohavecome！"shebecameoncemorethecentreofherbattlefield。
　　Perceivingthathewasfinishedwith,Courtierstoodbackagainstawallandwatched。Thusisolated,hewaslikeasolitarycuckoocontemplatingthegyrationsofaflockofrooks。TheirmotionsseemedalittlemeaninglesstoonesofarremovedfromallthefetishesandshibbolethsofWestminster。HeheardthemdiscussingMiltoun'sspeech,therealsignificanceofwhichapparentlyhadonlyjustbeengrasped。Thewords'doctrinaire,''extremist,'cametohisears,togetherwiththesaying'anewforce。'Peoplewereevidentlypuzzled,disturbed,notpleased——asifsomestarnothithertoaccountedforhadsuddenlyappearedamongsttheproperconstellations。
　　SearchingthiscrowdforBarbara,Courtierhadallthetimeanuneasysenseofshame。Whatbusinesshadhetocomeamongstthesepeoplesostrangetohim,justforthesakeofseeingher！Whatbusinesshadhetobehankeringafterthisgirlatall,knowinginhisheartthathecouldnotstandtheatmosphereshelivedinforaweek,andthatshewasutterlyunsuitedforanyatmospherethathecouldgiveher;
　　tosaynothingoftheunlikelihoodthathecouldflutterthepulsesofonehalfhisage！
　　Avoice,behindhimsaid:"Mr。Courtier！"
　　Heturned,andtherewasBarbara。
　　"Iwanttotalktoyouaboutsomethingserious:Willyoucomeintothepicturegallery？"
　　WhenatlasttheywereclosetoafamilygroupofGeorgianCaradocs,andcouldasitwereshutoutthethrongsufficientlyforprivatespeech,shebegan:
　　"Miltoun'ssohorriblyunhappy;Idon'tknowwhattodoforhim:He'smakinghimselfill！"
　　Andshesuddenlylookedup,inCourtier'sface。Sheseemedtohimveryyoung,andtouching,atthatmoment。Hereyeshadagleamoffaithinthem,likeachild'seyes;asifshereliedonhimtostraightenoutthistangle,totellhernotonlyaboutMiltoun'strouble,butaboutalllife,itsmeaning,andthesecretofitshappiness:Andhesaidgently:
　　"WhatcanIdo？Mrs。NoelisinTown。Butthat'snogood,unless——"
　　Notknowinghowtofinishthissentence;hewassilent。
　　"IwishIwereMiltoun,"shemuttered。
　　Atthatquaintsaying,Courtierwashardputtoitnottotakeholdofthehandssoclosetohim。Thisflashofrebellioninherhadquickenedallhisblood。Butsheseemedtohaveseenwhathadpassedinhim,forhernextspeechwaschilly。