Can'thelpit,andmoreover,sir,speakingforself,don'twantto。
　　We'llhavenoloosemoralsinpubliclifedownhere,pleaseGod！"
　　Therewasrealfeelinginhiswords;then,catchingsightofCourtier'sface,headded:"Doyouknowthislady？"
　　"Eversinceshewasachild。Anyonewhospeaksevilofher,hastoreckonwithme。"
　　Themanwiththerefinedfacesaidearnestly:
　　"Believeme,Mr。Courtier,Ientirelysympathize。Wehadnothingtodowiththeparagraph。It'soneofthoseincidentswhereonebenefitsagainstone'swill。MostunfortunatethatshecameoutontothegreenwithLordMiltoun;youknowwhatpeopleare。"
　　"It'sthehead—linethatdoesit;"saidthethirdCommittee—man;"they'veputwhatwillattractthepublic。"
　　"Idon'tknow,Idon'tknow,"saidthelittle—eyedmanstubbornly;
　　"ifLordMiltounwillspendhiseveningswithlonelyladies,hecan'tblameanybodybuthimself。"
　　Courtierlookedfromfacetoface。
　　"Thisclosesmyconnectionwiththecampaign,"hesaid:"What'stheaddressofthispaper？"Andwithoutwaitingforananswer,hetookupthejournalandhobbledfromtheroom。Hestoodaminuteoutsidefindingtheaddress,thenmadehiswaydownthestreet。
　　CHAPTERVIII
　　BythesideoflittleAnn,Barbarasatleaningbackamongstthecushionsofthecar。Inspiteofbeingalreadylaunchedintohigh—
　　castelifewhichbringswithitanearlyknowledgeoftheworld,shehadstillsomeoftheeagernessinherfacewhichmakeschildrenlovable。YetshelookednegligentlyenoughatthecitizensofBucklandbury,beingalreadyalittleconsciousofthestrangemixtureofsentimentpeculiartohercountrymeninpresenceofherself——thatcuriousexpressionontheirfacesresultingfromthecontinualattempttolookdowntheirnoseswhileslantingtheireyesupwards。
　　Yes,shewasalreadyalivetothatmysteriousglancewhichhadbuiltthenationalhouseandinsureditafterwards——foetocynicism,pessimism,andanythingFrenchorRussian;parentofallthenationalvirtues,andallthenationalvices;ofidealismandmuddle—
　　headedness,ofindependenceandservility;fostererofconduct,murdererofspeculation;lookingup,andlookingdown,butneverstraightatanything;mosthigh,mostdeep,mostqueer;andeverbubbling—upfromtheessentialWellofEmulation。
　　Surroundedbythatglance,waitingforCourtier,Barbara,notlessBritishthanherneighbours,wassecretlyslantingherowneyesupanddownovertheabsentfigureofhernewacquaintance。Shetoowantedsomethingshecouldlookupto,andatthesametimeseedamnedfirst。Andinthisknight—errantitseemedtoherthatshehadgotit。
　　Hewasacreaturefromanotherworld。Shehadmetmanymen,butnotasyetonequiteofthissort。Itwasrathernicetobewithacleverman,whohadnonethelessdonesomanyoutdoorthings,beenthroughsomanybodilyadventures。Themerewriters,oreventhe'Bohemians,'whomsheoccasionallymet,wereafterallonly'chaplainstotheCourt,'necessarytokeeparistocracyintouchwiththelatestdevelopmentsofliteratureandart。ButthisMr。Courtierwasamanofaction;hecouldnotbelookedonwiththeamused,admiringtolerationsuitedtomenremarkableonlyforideas,andthewaytheyputthemintopaintorink。Hehadused,andcoulduse,thesword,eveninthecauseofPeace。Hecouldlove,hadloved,orsotheysaid:IfBarbarahadbeenagirloftwentyinanotherclass,shewouldprobablyneverhaveheardofthis,andifshehadheard,itmightverywellhavedismayedorshockedher。Butshehadheard,andwithoutshock,becauseshehadalreadylearnedthatmenwerelikethat,andwomentoosometimes。
　　Itwaswithquitealittlepangofconcernthatshesawhimhobblingdownthestreettowardsher;andwhenhewasoncemoreseated,shetoldthechauffeur:"Tothestation,Frith。Quick,please！"andbegan:
　　"Youarenottobetrustedabit。Whatwereyoudoing？"
　　ButCourtiersmiledgrimlyovertheheadofAnn,insilence。
　　Atthis,almostthefirsttimeshehadeveryetencounteredadistinctrebuff,Barbaraquivered,asthoughshehadbeentouchedlightlywithawhip。Herlipsclosedfirmly,hereyesbegantodance。"Verywell,mydear,"shethought。Butpresentlystealingalookathim,shebecameawareofsuchaqueerexpressiononhisface,thatsheforgotshewasoffended。
　　"Isanythingwrong,Mr。Courtier？"
　　"Yes,LadyBarbara,somethingisverywrong——thatmiserablemeanthing,thehumantongue。"
　　Barbarahadanintuitiveknowledgeofhowtohandlethings,akindofmoralsangfroid,drawninfromthefacesshehadwatched,thetalkshehadheard,fromheryouthup。Shetrustedthoseintuitions,andlettinghereyesconspirewithhisoverAnn'sbrownhair,shesaid:
　　"AnythingtodowithMrs。N—————？"Seeing"Yes"inhiseyes,sheaddedquickly:"AndM—————？"）
　　Courtiernodded。
　　"Ithoughtthatwascoming。Letthembabble！Whocares？"
　　Shecaughtanapprovingglance,andtheword,"Good！"
　　ButthecarhaddrawnupatBucklandburyStation。
　　ThelittlegreyfigureofLadyCasterley,comingoutofthestationdoorway,showedbutslightsignofherlongtravel。Shestoppedtotakethecarin,fromchauffeurtoCourtier。
　　"Well,Frith！——Mr。Courtier,isit？Iknowyourbook,andIdon'tapproveofyou;you'readangerousman——Howdoyoudo？Imusthavethosetwobags。Thecartcanbringtherest……Randle,getupinfront,anddon'tgetdusty。Ann！"ButAnnwasalreadybesidethechauffeur,havinglongplannedthisimprovement。"H'm！Soyou'vehurtyourleg,sir？Keepstill！Wecansitthree……Now,mydear,Icankissyou！You'vegrown！"
　　LadyCasterley'skiss,oncereceived,wasneverforgotten;neitherperhapswasBarbara's。Yettheyweredifferent。For,inthecaseofLadyCasterley,theoldeyes,brightandinvestigating,couldbeseendecidingtheexactspotforthelipstotouch;thenthefacewithitsfirmchinwasdartedforward;thelipspausedasecond,asthoughtomakequitecertain,thensuddenlydughardanddryintothemiddleofthecheek,quaveredforthefractionofasecondasiftryingtoremembertobesoft,andwererelaxedliketheelasticofacatapult。
　　AndinthecaseofBarbara,firstasortoflightcameintohereyes,thenherchintiltedalittle,thenherlipspoutedalittle,herbodyquivered,asifitweregettingasizelarger,herhairbreathed,therewasasmallsweetsound;itwasover。
　　Thuskissinghergrandmother,Barbararesumedherseat,andlookedatCourtier。'Sittingthree'astheywere,hewastouchingher,anditseemedtohersomehowthathedidnotmind。
　　Thewindhadrisen,blowingfromtheWest,andsunshinewasflyingonit。Thecallofthecuckoos——alittlesharpened——followedtheswift—
　　travellingcar。Andthatessentialsweetnessofthemoor,bornoftheheatherrootsandtheSouth—Westwind,wasstealingoutfromundertheyoungferns。
　　Withherthinnostrilsdistendedtothisscent,LadyCasterleyboreadistinctresemblancetoasmall,finegame—bird。
　　"Yousmellnicedownhere,"shesaid。"Now,Mr。Courtier,beforeI
　　forget——whoisthisMrs。LeesNoelthatIhearsomuchof？"
　　Atthatquestion,Barbaracouldnothelpslidinghereyesround。HowwouldhestanduptoGranny？Itwasthemomenttoseewhathewasmadeof。Grannywasterrific！
　　"Averycharmingwoman,LadyCasterley。"
　　"Nodoubt;butIamtiredofhearingthat。Whatisherstory？"
　　"Hassheone？"
　　"Ha！"saidLadyCasterley。
　　EversoslightlyBarbaraletherarmpressagainstCourtiers。ItwassodelicioustohearGrannygettingnoforwarder。
　　"Imaytakeitshehasapast,then？"
　　"Notfromme,LadyCasterley。"
　　AgainBarbaragavehimthatimperceptibleandflatteringtouch。
　　"Well,thisisallverymysterious。Ishallfindoutformyself。
　　Youknowher,mydear。Youmusttakemetoseeher。"
　　"DearGranny！Ifpeoplehadn'tpasts,theywouldn'thavefutures。"
　　LadyCasterleyletherlittleclaw—likehanddescendonhergrand—
　　daughter'sthigh。
　　"Don'ttalknonsense,anddon'tstretchlikethat！"shesaid;"you'retoolargealready……"
　　Atdinnerthatnighttheywereallinpossessionofthenews。SirWilliamhadbeeninformedbythelocalagentatStaverton,whereLordHarbinger'sspeechhadsufferedfromsomerudeinterruptions。TheHon。GeoffreyWinlow;havingsenthiswifeon,hadflownoverinhisbiplanefromWinkleigh,andbroughtacopyof'therag'withhim。
　　Theonememberofthesmallhouse—partywhohadnotheardthereportbeforedinnerwasLordDennisFitz—Harold,LadyCasterley'sbrother。
　　Little,ofcourse,wassaid。Butaftertheladieshadwithdrawn,Harbinger,withthatplain—spokenspontaneitywhichwassounexpected,perhapsalittleintentionallyso,inconnectionwithhisalmostclassicallyformedface,utteredwordstotheeffectthat,iftheydidnotfundamentallykickthatrumour,itwasallupwithMiltoun。Reallythiswasserious！Andthebeggarsknewit,andtheyweregoingtoworkit。AndMiltounhadgoneuptoTown,nooneknewwhatfor。Itwasthedevilofamess！
　　Inalltheconversationofthisyoungmantherewasthatpeculiarbrandofvoice,whichseemseverrebuttinganaccusationofbeingserious——abrandofvoiceandmannerwarrantedagainstanythingsaveridicule;andinthefaceofridiculeapttodisappear。Thewords,justalittlesatiricallyspoken:"Whatis,mydearyoungman？"
　　stoppedhimatonce。
　　LookingforthecomplementandcounterpartofLadyCasterley,onewouldperhapshavesingledoutherbrother。Allherabruptdecisionwasnegatedinhisprofound,ironicalurbanity。Hisvoiceandlookandmannerwerelikehisvelvetcoat,whichhadhereandthereawhitishsheen,asifithadbeentouchedbymoonlight。Hishairtoohadthatsheen。HisverydelicatefeatureswereframedinawhitebeardandmoustacheofElizabethanshape。Hiseyes,hazelandstillclear,lookedoutverystraight,withacertaindrykindliness。Hisface,thoughunweatheredandunseamed,andmuchtoofineandthinintexture,hadacuriousaffinitytothefacesofoldsailorsorfishermenwhohavelivedasimple,practicallifeinthelightofanovermasteringtradition。Itwasthefaceofamanwithaverysetcreed,andinclinedtobesatirictowardsinnovations,examinedbyhimandrejectedfullfiftyyearsago。Onefeltthatabrainnotdevoideitherofsubtletyoraestheticqualityhadlonggivenupallattemptstointerferewithconduct;thatallshrewdnessofspeculationhadgivenplacetoshrewdnessofpracticaljudgmentbasedonverydefiniteexperience。Owingtolackofadvertisingpower,naturaltoonesoconsciousofhisdignityastohavelostallcareforit,andtohisdevotiontoacertainlady,onlyclosedbydeath,hislifehadbeenlived,asitwere,inshadow。Still,hepossessedapeculiarinfluenceinSociety,becauseitwasknowntobeimpossibletogethimtolookatthingsinacomplicatedway。Hewasregardedratherasalastresort,however。"Badasthat？Well,there'soldFitz—Harold！Tryhim！Hewon'tadviseyou,buthe'llsaysomething。"
　　Andintheheartofthatirreverentyoungman,Harbinger,therestirredasortofmisgiving。Hadheexpressedhimselftoofreely？
　　Hadhesaidanythingtoothick？Hehadforgottentheoldboy！
　　StirringBertieupwithhisfoot,hemurmured"Forgotyoudidn'tknow,sir。Bertiewillexplain。"
　　Thuscalledon,Bertie,openinghislipsaverylittleway,andfixinghishalf—closedeyesonhisgreat—uncle,explained。Therewasaladyatthecottage——anicewoman——Mr。Courtierknewher——oldMiltounwenttheresometimes——ratherlatetheotherevening——thesedevilsweremakingthemostofit——suggesting——losehimtheelection,iftheydidn'tlookout。Perfectrot,ofcourse！
　　Inhisopinion,oldMiltoun,thoughassteadyasTime,hadbeenaflattoletthewomancomeoutwithhimontotheGreen,showingclearlywherehehadbeen,whenherantoCourtier'srescue。Youcouldn'tplayaboutwithwomenwhohadnoformthatanyoneknewanythingof,howeverpromisingtheymightlook。
　　Then,outofasilenceWinlowasked:Whatwastobedone？ShouldMiltounbewiredfor？Athinglikethisspreadlikewildfire！SirWilliam——amannotaccustomedtounderratedifficulties——wasafraiditwasgoingtobetroublesome。Harbingerexpressedtheopinionthattheeditoroughttobekicked。DidanybodyknowwhatCourtierhaddonewhenheheardofit。Wherewashe——dininginhisroom？BertiesuggestedthatifMiltounwasatValleysHouse,itmightn'tbetoolatetowiretohim。Thethingoughttobestemmedatonce！Andinallthisconcernaboutthesituationtherekeptcroppingoutquaintlittleoutburstsofdesiretodisregardthewholethingasinfernalinsolence,andmetaphoricallytopunchthebeggars'heads,naturaltoyoungmenofbreeding。
　　Then,outofanothersilencecamethevoiceofLordDennis:
　　"Iamthinkingofthispoorlady。"
　　Turningalittleabruptlytowardsthatdrysuavevoice,andrecoveringtheself—possessionwhichseldomdesertedhim,Harbingermurmured:
　　"Quiteso,sir;ofcourse！"
　　CHAPTERIX
　　Inthelesserwithdrawingroom,usedwhentherewassosmallaparty,Mrs。Winlowhadgonetothepianoandwasplayingtoherself,forLadyCasterley,LadyValleys,andhertwodaughtershaddrawntogetherasthoughunitedtofacethisinvadingrumour。
　　ItwascurioustestimonytoMiltoun'scharacterthat,nomoreherethaninthedining—hall,wasthereanydoubtoftheintegrityofhisrelationswithMrs。Noel。Butwhereas,therethematterwasconfinedtoitselectioneeringaspect,herethataspectwasalreadyperceivedtobeonlythefringeofitsimportance。Thosefeminineminds,goingwithintuitiveswiftnesstothecoreofanythingwhichaffectedtheirownmales,hadalreadygraspedthefactthattherumourwould,asitwere,chainamanofMiltoun'stempertothiswoman。
　　Buttheywerewalkingonsuchathincrustoffacts,andtherewassodeepaquagmireofsuppositionbeneath,thattalkwasalmostpainfullydifficult。NeverbeforeperhapshadeachofthesefourwomenrealizedsoclearlyhowmuchMiltoun——thatratherstrangeandunknowngrandson,son,andbrother——countedintheschemeofexistence。Theirsuppressedagitationwasmanifestedinverydifferentways。LadyCasterley,uprightinherchair,showeditonlybyanaddeddecisionofspeech,acontinualrestlessmovementofonehand,athinlinebetweenherusuallysmoothbrows。LadyValleysworeapuzzledlook,asifalittlesurprisedthatshefeltserious。
　　Agathalookedfranklyanxious。Shewasinherquietwayawomanofmuchcharacter,endowedwiththatnaturalpiety,whichacceptswithoutquestioningtheestablishedorderinlifeandreligion。Theworldtoherbeinghomeandfamily,shehadareal,ifgentlyexpressed,horrorofallthatsheinstinctivelyfelttobesubversiveofthisideal。Peoplejudgedheralittlequiet,dull,andnarrow;
　　theycomparedhertoahenforevercluckingroundherchicks。Thestreakofheroismthatlayinhernaturewasnotperhapsofpatentorder。Herfeelingaboutherbrother'ssituationhoweverwassincereandnottobechangedorcomforted。Shesawhimindangerofbeingdamagedintheonlysenseinwhichshecouldconceiveofaman——asahusbandandafather。Itwasthisthatwenttoherheart,thoughherpietyproclaimedtoheralsotheperilofhissoul;forshesharedtheHighChurchviewoftheindissolubilityofmarriage。
　　AstoBarbara,shestoodbythehearth,leaningherwhiteshouldersagainstthecarvedmarble,herhandsbehindher,lookingdown。Nowandthenherlipscurled,herlevelbrowstwitched,afaintsighcamefromher;thenalittlesmilewouldbreakout,andbeinstantlysuppressed。Shealonewassilent——YouthcriticizingLife;herjudgmentvoiceditselfonlyintheuntroubledriseandfallofheryoungbosom,theimpatienceofherbrows,thedownwardlookofherblueeyes,fullofalazy,inextinguishablelight:
　　LadyValleyssighed。
　　"Ifonlyheweren'tsuchaqueerboy！He'squitecapableofmarryingherfromsheerperversity。"
　　"What！"saidLadyCasterley。
　　"Youhaven'tseenher,mydear。Amostunfortunatelyattractivecreature——quiteacharmingface。"
　　Agathasaidquietly:
　　"Mother,ifshewasdivorced,Idon'tthinkEustacewould。"
　　"There'sthat,certainly,"murmuredLadyValleys;"hopeforthebest！"
　　"Don'tyouevenknowwhichwayitwas？"saidLadyCasterley。
　　"Well,thevicarsaysshedidthedivorcing。Buthe'sverycharitable;itmaybeasAgathahopes。"
　　"Idetestvagueness。Whydoesn'tsomeoneaskthewoman？"
　　"Youshallcomewithme,Grannydear,andaskheryourself;youwilldoitsonicely。"
　　LadyCasterleylookedup。
　　"Weshallsee,"shesaid。Somethingstruggledwiththeautocraticcriticisminhereyes。NomorethantherestoftheworldcouldshehelpindulgingBarbara。Asonewhobelievedinthedivinityofherorder,shelikedthissplendidchild。Sheevenadmired——thoughadmirationwasnotwhatsheexcelledin——thatwarmjoyinlife,asofsomegreatnymph,partingthewaveswithbarelimbs,tossingfromherthefoamofbreakers。Shefeltthatinthisgranddaughter,ratherthaninthegoodAgatha,thepatricianspiritwashoused。TherewerepointstoAgatha,earnestnessandhighprinciple;butsomethingmorallynarrowandover—Anglicanslightlyoffendedthepractical,this—worldlytemperofLadyCasteriey。Itwasaweakness,andshedislikedweakness。Barbarawouldneverbesqueamishovermoralquestionsormatterssuchaswerenotreally,essentialtoaristocracy。Shemight,indeed,errtoomuchtheotherwayfromsheerhighspirits。Astheimpudentchildhadsaid:"Ifpeoplehadnopasts,theywouldhavenofutures。"AndLadyCasterleycouldnotbearpeoplewithoutfutures。Shewasambitious;notwiththelowambitionofonewhohadrisenfromnothing,butwiththehighpassionofoneonthetop,whomeanttostaythere。
　　"Andwherehaveyoubeenmeetingthis——er——anonymouscreature？"sheasked。
　　Barbaracamefromthehearth,andbendingdownbesideLadyCasterley'schair,seemedtoenvelophercompletely。
　　"I'mallright,Granny;shecouldn'tcorruptme。"
　　LadyCasterley'sfacepeeredoutdoubtfullyfromthatwarmth,wearingalookofdisapprovingpleasure。
　　"Iknowyourwiles！"shesaid。"Come,now！"
　　"Iseeherabout。She'snicetolookat。Wetalk。"
　　AgainwiththathurriedquietnessAgathasaid:
　　"MydearBabs,Idothinkyououghttowait。"
　　"MydearAngel,why？Whatisittomeifshe'shadfourhusbands？"
　　Agathabitherlips,andLadyValleysmurmuredwithalaugh:
　　"Youreallyareaterror,Babs。"
　　ButthesoundofMrs。Winlow'smusichadceased——themenhadcomein。
　　Andthefacesofthefourwomenhardened,asiftheyhadslippedonmasks;forthoughthiswasalmostorquiteafamilyparty,theWinlowsbeingsecondcousins,stillthesubjectwasonewhicheachofthesefourintheirverydifferentwaysfelttobebeyondgeneraldiscussion。Talk,now,beganglancingfromthewarscare——Winlowhaditveryspeciallythatthiswouldbeoverinaweek——toBrabrook'sspeech,inprogressatthatverymoment,ofwhichHarbingerprovidedanimitation。ItspedtoWinlow'sflight——toAndrewGrant'sarticlesinthe'Parthenon'——tothecaricatureofHarbingerinthe'Cackler',inscribed'TheNewTory。LordH—rb—ng—rbringsSocialReformbeneaththenoticeofhisfriends,'whichdepictedhimintroducinganakedbabytoanumberofcoronetedoldladies。Thencetoadancer。
　　ThencetotheBillforUniversalAssurance。Thenbacktothewarscare;tothelastbookofagreatFrenchwriter;andoncemoretoWinlow'sflight。Itwasallstraightforwardandoutspoken,eachseemingtosayexactlywhatcameintothehead。Forallthat,therewasacuriousavoidanceofthespiritualsignificancesofthesethings;orwasitperhapsthatsuchsignificanceswerenotseen？
　　LordDennis,atthefarendoftheroom,studyingaportfolioofengravings,feltatouchonhischeek;andconsciousofacertainfragrance,saidwithoutturninghishead:
　　"Nicethings,these,Babs！"
　　Receivingnoanswerhelookedup。
　　ThereindeedstoodBarbara。
　　"Idohatesneeringbehindpeople'sbacks！"
　　Therehadalwaysbeengoodcomradeshipbetweenthesetwo,sincethedayswhenBarbara,agolden—hairedchild,astrideofagreypony,hadbeenhismorningcompanionintheRowallthroughtheseason。Hisridingdayswerepast;hehadnownooutdoorpursuitsavefishing,whichhefollowedwiththeironicpersistenceofaself—contained,high—spiritednature,whichrefusestoadmitthatthemysteriousfingerofoldageislaidacrossit。Butthoughshewasnolongerhiscompanion,hestillhadahabitofexpectingherconfidences;andhelookedafterher,movingawayfromhimtoawindow,withsurprisedconcern。
　　Itwasoneofthosenights,darkyetgleaming,whenthereseemsaflyingmaliceintheheavens;whenthestars,fromunderandabovetheblackclouds,arelikeeyesfrowningandflashingdownatmenwithpurposedmalevolence。Thegreatsighingtreesevenhadcaughtthisspirit,saveone,adark,spire—likecypress,plantedthreehundredandfiftyyearsbefore,whosetallformincarnatedtheveryspiritoftradition,andneitherswayednorsoughedliketheothers。
　　>Fromher,tooclose—fibred,tooresisting,toadmitthebreathofNature,onlyadryrustlecame。Stillalmostexotic,inspiteofhercenturiesofsojourn,andnowbroughttolifebytheeyesofnight,sheseemedalmostterrifying,inhernarrow,spear—likeausterity,asthoughsomethinghaddriedanddiedwithinhersoul。Barbaracamebackfromthewindow。
　　"Wecan'tdoanythinginourlives,itseemstome,"shesaid,"butplayattakingrisks！"
　　LordDennisreplieddryly:
　　"Idon'tthinkIunderstand,mydear。"
　　"LookatMr。Courtier！"mutteredBarbara。"Hislife'ssomuchmoreriskyaltogetherthananyofourmenfolklead。Andyettheysneerathim。"
　　"Let'ssee,whathashedone？"
　　"Oh！Idaresaynotverymuch;butit'sallneckornothing。ButwhatdoesanythingmattertoHarbinger,forinstance？IfhisSocialReformcomestonothing,he'llstillbeHarbinger,withfiftythousandayear。"
　　LordDennislookedupalittlequeerly。
　　"What！Isitpossibleyoudon'ttaketheyoungmanseriously,Babs？"
　　Barbarashrugged;astrapslippedalittleoffonewhiteshoulder。
　　"It'sallplayreally;andheknowsit——youcantellthatfromhisvoice。Hecan'thelpitsnotmattering,ofcourse;andheknowsthattoo。"
　　"Ihaveheardthathe'safteryou,Babs;isthattrue？"
　　"Hehasn'tcaughtmeyet。"
　　"Willhe？"
　　Barbara'sanswerwasanothershrug;and,foralltheirstatuesquebeauty,themovementofhershoulderswasliketheshrugofalittlegirlinherpinafore。
　　"AndthisMr。Courtier,"saidLordDennisdryly:"Areyouafterhim？"
　　"I'maftereverything;didn'tyouknowthat,dear？"
　　"Inreason,mychild。"
　　"Inreason,ofcourse——likepoorEusty！"Shestopped。Harbingerhimselfwasstandingtherecloseby,withanairasnearlyapproachingreverenceaswasevertobeseenonhim。Intruth,thewayinwhichhewaslookingatherwasalmosttimorous。
　　"WillyousingthatsongIlikesomuch,LadyBabs？"
　　Theymovedawaytogether;andLordDennis,gazingafterthatmagnificentyoungcouple,strokedhisbeardgravely。
　　CHAPTERX
　　Miltoun'ssuddenjourneytoLondonhadbeenundertakeninpursuanceofaresolveslowlyformingfromthemomenthemetMrs。NoelinthestoneflaggedpassageofBurracombeFarm。Ifshewouldhavehimandsincelasteveninghebelievedshewould——heintendedtomarryher。
　　Ithasbeensaidthatexceptforonelapsehislifehadbeenaustere,butthisisnottoassertthathehadnocapacityforpassion。Thecontrarywasthecase。Thatflamewhichhadbeensojealouslyguardedsmouldereddeepwithinhim——asmotheredfirewithbutlittleairtofeedon。Themomenthisspiritwastouchedbythespiritofthiswoman,ithadflaredup。Shewastheincarnationofallthathedesired。Herhair,hereyes,herform;thetinytuckordimpleatthecornerofhermouthjustwhereachildplacesitsfinger;herwayofmoving,asortofunconsciousswayingoryieldingtotheair;thetoneinhervoice,whichseemedtocomenotsomuchfromhappinessofherownasfromaninnatewishtomakeothershappy;andthatnatural,ifnotrobust,intelligence,whichbelongstotheverysympathetic,andisrarelyfoundinwomenofgreatambitionsorenthusiasms——allthesethingshadtwinedthemselvesroundhisheart。
　　Henotonlydreamedofher,andwantedher;hebelievedinher。Shefilledhisthoughtsasonewhocouldneverdowrong;asonewho,thoughawifewouldremainamistress,andthoughamistress,wouldalwaysbethecompanionofhisspirit。
　　IthasbeensaidthatnoonespokeorgossipedaboutwomeninMiltoun'spresence,andthetaleofherdivorcewaspresenttohismindsimplyintheformofaconvictionthatshewasaninjuredwoman。Afterhisinterviewwiththevicar,hehadonlyonceagainalludedtoit,andthatinanswertothespeechofaladystayingattheCourt:"Oh！yes,Irememberhercaseperfectly。Shewasthepoorwomanwho————""Didnot,Iamcertain,LadyBonington。"Thetoneofhisvoicehadmadesomeonelaughuneasily;thesubjectwaschanged。
　　Alldivorcewasagainsthisconvictions,butinablurredwayheadmittedthattherewerecaseswherereleasewasunavoidable。Hewasnotamantoaskforconfidences,orexpectthemtobegivenhim。Hehimselfhadneverconfidedhisspiritualstrugglestoanylivingcreature;andtheunspiritualstrugglehadlittleinterestforMiltoun。Hewasreadyatanymomenttostakehislifeontheperfectionoftheidolhehadsetupwithinhissoul,assimplyandstraightforwardlyashewouldhaveplacedhisbodyinfrontofhertoshieldherfromharm。
　　Thesamefanaticism,whichlookedonhispassionasaflowerbyitself,entirelyapartfromitssuitabilitytothesocialgarden,wasalsothedrivingforcewhichsenthimuptoLondontodeclarehisintentiontohisfatherbeforehespoketoMrs。Noel。Thethingshouldbedonesimply,andinrightorder。Forhehadthekindofmoralcouragefoundinthosewholiveretiredwithintheshelloftheirownaspirations。Yetitwasnotperhapssomuchactivemoralcourageasindifferencetowhatothersthoughtordid,comingfromhisinbredresistancetotheappreciationofwhattheyfelt。
　　ThatpeculiarsmileoftheoldTudorCardinal——whichhadinitinvincibleself—reliance,andasortofspiritualsneer——playedoverhisfacewhenhespeculatedonhisfather'sreceptionofthecomingnews;andverysoonheceasedtothinkofitatall,buryinghimselfintheworkhehadbroughtwithhimforthejourney。Forhehadinhighdegreethefaculty,soessentialtopubliclife,ofswitchingoffhiswholeattentionfromonesubjecttoanother。
　　OnarrivingatPaddingtonhedrovestraighttoValleysHouse。
　　Thislargedwellingwithitspillaredportico,seemedtowearanairoffaintsurprisethat,attheheightoftheseason,itwasnotmoreinhabited。ThreeservantsrelievedMiltounofhislittleluggage;