Thenpresentlyweresumedourmonstrous，momentousdialogue。I
　　can’tnowmakeouthowlongthatdialoguewenton。Itspreaditself，Iknow，inheavyfragmentsovereitherthreedaysorfour。IremembermyselfgroupedwithMarion，talkingsittingonourbedinherroom，talkingstandinginourdining-room，savingthisthingorthat。Twicewewentforlongwalks。Andwehadalongeveningalonetogether，withjadednervesandheartsthatfluctuatedbetweenahardanddrearyrecognitionoffactsand，onmypartatleast，astrangeunwontedtenderness；becauseinsomeextraordinarywaythiscrisishaddestroyedourmutualapathyandmadeusfeeloneanotheragain。
　　Itwasadialoguethathaddiscrepantpartsthatfellintolumpsoftalkthatfailedtojoinontotheirpredecessors，thatbeganagainatadifferentlevel，higherorlower，thatassumednewaspectsintheintervalsandassimilatednewconsiderations。Wediscussedthefactthatwetwowerenolongerlovers；neverbeforehadwefacedthat。Itseemsastrangethingtowrite，butasIlookback，IseeclearlythatthoseseveraldayswerethetimewhenMarionandIwereclosesttogether，lookedforthefirstandlasttimefaithfullyandsteadfastlyintoeachother’ssoul。Forthosedaysonly，therewerenopretences，Imadenoconcessionstohernorshetome；weconcealednothing，exaggeratednothing。Wehaddonewithpretending。Wehaditoutplainlyandsoberlywitheachother。Moodfollowedmoodandgotitsstarkexpression。
　　Ofcoursetherewasquarrelingbetweenus，bitterquarreling，andwesaidthingstooneanother——longpent-upthingsthatbruisedandcrushedandcut。Butoveritallinmymemorynowisaneffectofdeliberateconfrontation，andthefigureofMarionstandsup，pale，melancholy，tear-stained，injured，implacableanddignified。
　　“Youloveher？”sheaskedonce，andjerkedthatdoubtintomymind。
　　Istruggledwithtangledideasandemotions。“Idon’tknowwhatloveis。It’sallsortsofthings——it’smadeofadozenstrandstwistedinathousandways。”
　　“Butyouwanther？Youwanthernow——whenyouthinkofher？”
　　“Yes。”Ireflected。“Iwanther——rightenough。”
　　“Andme？WheredoIcomein？”
　　“Isupposeyoucomeinhere。”
　　“Well，butwhatareyougoingtodo？”
　　“Do！”Isaidwiththeexasperationofthesituationgrowinguponme。“Whatdoyouwantmetodo？”
　　AsIlookbackuponallthattime——acrossagulfoffifteenactiveyears——IfindIseeitwithanunderstandingjudgment。I
　　seeitasifitwerethebusinessofsomeoneelse——indeedoftwootherpeople——intimatelyknownyetjudgedwithoutpassion。Iseenowthatthisshock，thissuddenimmensedisillusionment，didinrealfactbringoutamindandsoulinMarion；thatforthefirsttimesheemergedfromhabits，timidities，imitations，phrasesandacertainnarrowwill-impulse，andbecameapersonality。
　　Herrulingmotiveatfirstwas，Ithink，anindignantandoutragedpride。Thissituationmustend。SheaskedmecategoricallytogiveupEffie，andI，fulloffreshandglowingmemories，absolutelyrefused。
　　“It’stoolate，Marion。”Isaid。“Itcan’tbedonelikethat。”
　　“Thenwecan’tverywellgoonlivingtogether。”shesaid。“Canwe？”
　　“Verywell。”Ideliberated“ifyoumusthaveitso。”
　　“Well，canwe？”
　　“Canyoustayinthishouse？Imean——ifIgoaway？”
　　“Idon’tknow。Idon’tthinkIcould。”
　　“Then——whatdoyouwant？”
　　Slowlyweworkedourwayfrompointtopoint，untilatlasttheword“divorce“wasbeforeus。
　　“Ifwecan’tlivetogetherweoughttobefree。”saidMarion。
　　“Idon’tknowanythingofdivorce。”Isaid——“ifyoumeanthat。
　　Idon’tknowhowitisdone。Ishallhavetoasksomebody——orlookitup。Perhaps，afterall，itisthethingtodo。Wemayaswellfaceit。”
　　Webegantotalkourselvesintoarealisationofwhatourdivergentfuturesmightbe。Icamebackontheeveningofthatdaywithmyquestionsansweredbyasolicitor。
　　“Wecan’tasamatteroffact。”Isaid，“getdivorcedasthingsare。Apparently，sofarasthelawgoesyou’vegottostandthissortofthing。It’ssillybutthatisthelaw。However，it’seasytoarrangeadivorce。Inadditiontoadulterytheremustbedesertionorcruelty。ToestablishcrueltyIshouldhavetostrikeyou，orsomethingofthatsort，beforewitnesses。That’simpossible——butit’ssimpletodesertyoulegally。Ihavetogoawayfromyou；that’sall。Icangoonsendingyoumoney——andyoubringasuit，whatisit？——forRestitutionofConjugalRights。TheCourtordersmetoreturn。Idisobey。Thenyoucangoontodivorceme。YougetaDecreeNisi，andoncemoretheCourttriestomakemecomeback。Ifwedon’tmakeitupwithinsixmonthsandifyoudon’tbehavescandalouslytheDecreeismadeabsolute。That’stheendofthefuss。That’showonegetsunmarried。It’seasier，yousee，tomarrythanunmarry。”
　　“Andthen——howdoIlive？Whatbecomesofme？”
　　“You’llhaveanincome。Theycallitalimony。Fromathirdtoahalfofmypresentincome——moreifyoulike——Idon’tmind——threehundredayear，say。You’vegotyouroldpeopletokeepandyou’llneedallthat。”
　　“Andthen——thenyou’llbefree？”
　　“Bothofus。”
　　“Andallthislifeyou’vehated“
　　Ilookedupatherwrungandbitterface。“Ihaven’thatedit。”
　　Ilied，myvoicenearbreakingwiththepainofitall。“Haveyou？”
　　Theperplexingthingaboutlifeistheirresolvablecomplexityofreality，ofthingsandrelationsalike。Nothingissimple。
　　Everywrongdonehasacertainjusticeinit，andeverygooddeedhasdregsofevil。Asforus，youngstill，andstillwithoutself-knowledge，resoundedahundreddiscordantnotesintheharshangleofthatshock。Wewerefuriouslyangrywitheachother，tenderwitheachother，callouslyselfish，generouslyself-sacrificing。
　　IrememberMarionsayinginnumerabledetachedthingsthatdidn’thangtogetheronewithanother，thatcontradictedoneanother，thatwere，nevertheless，allintheirplacesprofoundlytrueandsincere。Iseethemnowassomanyvainexperimentsinherefforttoapprehendthecrumpledconfusionsofourcomplexmorallandslide。SomeIfoundirritatingbeyondmeasure。Iansweredher——sometimesquiteabominably。
　　“Ofcourse。”shewouldsayagainandagain，“mylifehasbeenafailure。”
　　“I’vebesiegedyouforthreeyears。”Iwouldretort“askingitnottobe。You’vedoneasyoupleased。IfI’veturnedawayatlast——“
　　Oragainshewouldreviveallthestressesbeforeourmarriage。
　　“Howyoumusthateme！Imadeyouwait。Wellnow——Isupposeyouhaveyourrevenge。”
　　“REVENGE！”Iechoed。
　　Thenshewouldtryovertheaspectsofournewseparatedlives。
　　“Ioughttoearnmyownliving。”shewouldinsist。
　　“Iwanttobequiteindependent。I’vealwayshatedLondon。
　　PerhapsIshalltryapoultryfarmandbees。Youwon’tmindatfirstmybeingaburden。Afterwards——“
　　“We’vesettledallthat。”Isaid。
　　“Isupposeyouwillhatemeanyhow。”
　　Thereweretimeswhensheseemedtoregardourseparationwithabsolutecomplacency，whenshewouldplanallsortsoffreedomsandcharacteristicinterests。
　　“IshallgooutalotwithSmithie。”shesaid。
　　AndonceshesaidanuglythingthatIdidindeedhateherfor。
　　thatIcannotevennowquiteforgiveher。
　　“Yourauntwillrejoiceatallthis。Shenevercaredforme。”
　　IntomymemoryofthesepainsandstressescomesthefigureofSmithie，full-chargedwithemotion，sobreathlessinthepresenceofthehorridvillainofthepiecethatshecouldmakenoarticulatesounds。ShehadlongtearfulconfidenceswithMarion，Iknow，sympatheticcloseclingings。Thereweremomentswhenonlyabsolutespeechlessnesspreventedhergivingmeastupendous“talking-to“——Icouldseeitinhereye。Thewrongthingsshewouldhavesaid！AndIrecall，too，Mrs。Ramboat’sslowawakeningtosomethingin，theair，thegrowingexpressionofsolicitudeinhereye，onlyherwell-trainedfearofMarionkeepingherfromspeech。
　　Andatlastthroughallthiswelter，likeathingfatedandaltogetherbeyondourcontrol，partingcametoMarionandme。