InthisironicalestimateoftheirrelationGlennardfoundhimselfstrangelyrelievedofallconcernastohiswife’sfeelingsforFlamel。FromanOlympianpinnacleofindifferencehecalmlysurveyedtheirinoffensiveantics。Itwassurprisinghowhischeapeningofhiswifeputhimateasewithhimself。Farasheandshewerefromeachothertheyyethad，inasense，thetacitnearnessofcomplicity。Yes，theywereaccomplices；hecouldnomorebejealousofherthanshecoulddespisehim。Thejealousythatwouldoncehaveseemedabluronherwhitenessnowappearedlikeatributetoidealsinwhichhenolongerbelieved……
　　Glennardwaslittlegiventoexploringtheoutskirtsofliterature。Healwaysskippedthe"literarynotices"inthepapersandhehadsmallleisurefortheintermittentpleasuresoftheperiodical。Hehadthereforenonotionoftheprolongedreverberationswhichthe"AubynLetters"hadawakenedintheprecinctsofcriticism。Whenthebookceasedtobetalkedabouthesupposedithadceasedtoberead；andthisapparentsubsidenceoftheagitationaboutitbroughtthereassuringsensethathehadexaggerateditsvitality。Theconviction，ifitdidnoteasehisconscience，atleastofferedhimtherelativereliefofobscurity：
　　hefeltlikeanoffendertakendownfromthepilloryandthrustintothesoothingdarknessofacell。
　　Butoneevening，whenAlexahadlefthimtogotoadance，hechancedtoturnoverthemagazinesonhertable，andthecopyoftheHoroscope，towhichhesettleddownwithhiscigar，confrontedhim，onitsfirstpage，withaportraitofMargaretAubyn。Itwasareproductionofthephotographthathadstoodsolongonhisdesk。Thedesiccatingairofmemoryhadturnedherintothemereabstractionofawoman，andthisunexpectedevocationseemedtobringhernearerthanshehadeverbeeninlife。Wasitbecauseheunderstoodherbetter？Helookedlongintohereyes；littlepersonaltraitsreachedouttohimlikecaresses——thetireddroopofherlids，herquickwayofleaningforwardasshespoke，themovementsofherlongexpressivehands。Allthatwasfeminineinher，thequalityhehadalwaysmissed，stoletowardhimfromherunreproachfulgaze；andnowthatitwastoolatelifehaddevelopedinhimthesubtlerperceptionswhichcoulddetectitineventhispoorsemblanceofherself。Foramomenthefoundconsolationinthethoughtthat，atanycost，theyhadthusbeenbroughttogether；thenafloodofshamerushedoverhim。Facetofacewithher，hefelthimselflaidbaretotheinmostfoldofconsciousness。Theshamewasdeep，butitwasarenovatinganguish；hewaslikeamanwhomintolerablepainhasrousedfromthecreepinglethargyofdeath……
　　HerosenextmorningtoasfreshasenseoflifeasthoughhishourofmutecommunionwithMargaretAubynhadbeenamoreexquisiterenewaloftheirearliermeetings。Hiswakingthoughtwasthathemustseeheragain；andasconsciousnessaffirmeditselfhefeltanintensefearoflosingthesenseofhernearness。Butshewasstillclosetohim；herpresenceremainedthesolerealityinaworldofshadows。Allthroughhisworkinghourshewasre—livingwithincredibleminutenesseveryincidentoftheirobliteratedpast；asamanwhohasmasteredthespiritofaforeigntongueturnswithrenewedwondertothepageshisyouthhasploddedover。Inthislucidityofretrospectionthemosttrivialdetailhaditssignificance，andtheraptureofrecoverywasembitteredtoGlennardbytheperceptionofallthathehadmissed。Hehadbeenpitiably，grotesquelystupid；andtherewasironyinthethoughtthat，butforthecrisisthroughwhichhewaspassing，hemighthavelivedonincomplacentignoranceofhisloss。Itwasasthoughshehadboughthimwithherblood……
　　ThateveningheandAlexadinedalone。Afterdinnerhefollowedhertothedrawing—room。Henolongerfelttheneedofavoidingher；hewashardlyconsciousofherpresence。Afterafewwordstheylapsedintosilenceandhesatsmokingwithhiseyesonthefire。Itwasnotthathewasunwillingtotalktoher；hefeltacuriousdesiretobeaskindaspossible；buthewasalwaysforgettingthatshewasthere。Herfullbrightpresence，throughwhichthecurrentsoflifeflowedsowarmly，hadgrownastenuousasashadow，andhesawsofarbeyondher——
　　Presentlysheroseandbegantomoveabouttheroom。Sheseemedtobelookingforsomethingandherousedhimselftoaskwhatshewanted。
　　"OnlythelastnumberoftheHoroscope。IthoughtI’dleftitonthistable。"Hesaidnothing，andshewenton："Youhaven’tseenit？"
　　"No，"hereturnedcoldly。Themagazinewaslockedinhisdesk。
　　Hiswifehadmovedtothemantel—piece。Shestoodfacinghimandashelookeduphemethertentativegaze。"Iwasreadinganarticleinit——areviewofMrs。Aubyn’sletters，"sheadded，slowly，withherdeep，deliberateblush。
　　Glennardstoopedtotosshiscigarintothefire。Hefeltasavagewishthatshewouldnotspeaktheotherwoman’sname；
　　nothingelseseemedtomatter。"Youseemtodoalotofreading，"
　　hesaid。
　　Shestillearnestlyconfrontedhim。"Iwaskeepingthisforyou——
　　Ithoughtitmightinterestyou，"shesaid，withanairofgentleinsistence。
　　Hestoodupandturnedaway。Hewassuresheknewthathehadtakenthereviewandhefeltthathewasbeginningtohateheragain。
　　"Ihaven’ttimeforsuchthings，"hesaid，indifferently。Ashemovedtothedoorheheardhertakeaprecipitatestepforward；
　　thenshepausedandsankwithoutspeakingintothechairfromwhichhehadrisen。
　　XI
　　AsGlennard，intherawFebruarysunlight，mountedtheroadtothecemetery，hefeltthebeatitudethatcomeswithanabruptcessationofphysicalpain。Hehadreachedthepointwhereself—
　　analysisceases；theimpulsethatmovedhimwaspurelyintuitive。
　　Hedidnotevenseekareasonforit，beyondtheobviousonethathisdesiretostandbyMargaretAubyn’sgravewaspromptedbynoattemptatasentimentalreparation，butratherbythevagueneedtoaffirminsomewaytherealityofthetiebetweenthem。
　　TheironicalpromiscuityofdeathhadbroughtMrs。Aubynbacktosharethenarrowhospitalityofherhusband’slastlodging；butthoughGlennardknewshehadbeenburiednearNewYorkhehadnevervisitedhergrave。Hewasoppressed，ashenowthreadedthelongavenues，byachillingvisionofherreturn。Therewasnofamilytofollowherhearse；shehaddiedalone，asshehadlived；
　　andthe"distinguishedmourners"whohadformedtheescortofthefamouswriterknewnothingofthewomantheywerecommittingtothegrave。Glennardcouldnotevenrememberatwhatseasonshehadbeenburied；buthismoodindulgedthefancythatitmusthavebeenonsomesuchdayofharshsunlight，theincisiveFebruarybrightnessthatgivesperspicuitywithoutwarmth。Thewhiteavenuesstretchedbeforehiminterminably，linedwithstereotypedemblemsofaffliction，asthoughalltheplatitudeseverutteredhadbeenturnedtomarbleandsetupovertheunresistingdead。
　　Hereandthere，nodoubt，afrigidurnoraninsipidangelimprisonedsomefine—fibredgrief，asthemosthackneyedwordsmaybecomethevehicleofraremeanings；butforthemostparttheendlessalignmentofmonumentsseemedtoembodythoseeasygeneralizationsaboutdeaththatdonotdisturbthereposeoftheliving。Glennard’seye，ashefollowedthewayindicatedtohim，hadinstinctivelysoughtsomelowmoundwithaquietheadstone。
　　Hehadforgottenthatthedeadseldomplantheirownhouses，andwithapanghediscoveredthenamehesoughtonthecyclopeanbaseofagraniteshaftrearingitsaggressiveheightattheangleoftwoavenues。
　　"Howshewouldhavehatedit!"hemurmured。
　　Abenchstoodnearandheseatedhimself。Themonumentrosebeforehimlikesomepretentiousuninhabiteddwelling；hecouldnotbelievethatMargaretAubynlaythere。ItwasaSundaymorningandblackfiguresmovedamongthepaths，placingflowersonthefrost—boundhillocks。Glennardnoticedthattheneighboringgraveshadbeenthusnewlydressed；andhefanciedablindstirofexpectancythroughthesod，asthoughthebaremoundsspreadaparchedsurfacetothatcommemorativerain。Herosepresentlyandwalkedbacktotheentranceofthecemetery。
　　Severalgreenhousesstoodnearthegates，andturninginatthefirstheaskedforsomeflowers。
　　"Anythingintheemblematicline？"askedtheanaemicmanbehindthedrippingcounter。
　　Glennardshookhishead。
　　"Justcutflowers？Thisway，then。"Thefloristunlockedaglassdoorandledhimdownamoistgreenaisle。Thehotairwaschokedwiththescentofwhiteazaleas，whitelilies，whitelilacs；alltheflowerswerewhite；theywerelikeaprolongation，amysticalefflorescence，ofthelongrowsofmarbletombstones，andtheirperfumeseemedtocoveranodorofdecay。TherichatmospheremadeGlennarddizzy。Asheleanedinthedoorpost，waitingfortheflowers，hehadapenetratingsenseofMargaretAubyn’snearness——nottheimponderablepresenceofhisinnervision，butalifethatbeatwarminhisarms……
　　Thesharpaircaughthimashesteppedoutintoitagain。Hewalkedbackandscatteredtheflowersoverthegrave。Theedgesofthewhitepetalsshrivelledlikeburntpaperinthecold；andashewatchedthemtheillusionofhernearnessfaded，shrankbackfrozen。
　　XII
　　Themotiveofhisvisittothecemeteryremainedundefinedsaveasafinaleffortofescapefromhiswife’sinexpressiveacceptanceofhisshame。Itseemedtohimthataslongashecouldkeephimselfalivetothatshamehewouldnotwhollyhavesuccumbedtoitsconsequences。Hischieffearwasthatheshouldbecomethecreatureofhisact。Hiswife’sindifferencedegradedhim；itseemedtoputhimonalevelwithhisdishonor。MargaretAubynwouldhaveabhorredthedeedinproportiontoherpityfortheman。Thesenseofherpotentialpitydrewhimbacktoher。Theonewomanknewbutdidnotunderstand；theother，itsometimesseemed，understoodwithoutknowing。
　　Initslastdisguiseofretrospectiveremorse，hisself—pityaffectedadesireforsolitudeandmeditation。Helosthimselfinmorbidmusings，infutilevisionsofwhatlifewithMargaretAubynmighthavebeen。Thereweremomentswhen，inthestrangedislocationofhisview，thewronghehaddoneherseemedatiebetweenthem。
　　Toindulgetheseemotionshefellintothehabit，onSundayafternoons，ofsolitarywalksprolongedtillafterdusk。Thedayswerelengthening，therewasatouchofspringintheair，andhiswanderingsnowusuallyledhimtotheParkanditsoutlyingregions。
　　OneSunday，tiredofaimlesslocomotion，hetookacabattheParkgatesandletitcarryhimouttotheRiversideDrive。Itwasagrayafternoonstreakedwitheastwind。Glennard’scabadvancedslowly，andasheleanedback，gazingwithabsentintentnessatthedesertedpathsthatwoundunderbareboughsbetweengrassbanksofprematurevividness，hisattentionwasarrestedbytwofigureswalkingaheadofhim。Thiscouple，whohadthepathtothemselves，movedatanunevenpace，asthoughadaptingtheirgaittoaconversationmarkedbymeditativeintervals。Nowandthentheypaused，andinoneofthesepausesthelady，turningtowardhercompanion，showedGlennardtheoutlineofhiswife’sprofile。
　　ThemanwasFlamel。
　　ThebloodrushedtoGlennard’sforehead。Hesatupwithajerkandpushedbackthelidintheroofofthehansom；butwhenthecabmanbentdownhedroppedintohisseatwithoutspeaking。Then，becomingconsciousoftheprolongedinterrogationoftheliftedlid，hecalledout——"Turn——driveback——anywhere——I’minahurry——"
　　Asthecabswungroundhecaughtalastglimpseofthetwofigures。Theyhadnotmoved；Alexa，withbenthead，stoodlistening。
　　"MyGod，myGod——"hegroaned。
　　Itwashideous——itwasabominable——hecouldnotunderstandit。
　　Thewomanwasnothingtohim——lessthannothing——yetthebloodhummedinhisearsandhungacloudbeforehim。Heknewitwasonlythestirringoftheprimalinstinct，thatithadnomoretodowithhisreasoningselfthananyrefleximpulseofthebody；
　　butthatmerelyloweredanguishtodisgust。Yes，itwasdisgusthefelt——almostaphysicalnausea。Thepoisonousfumesoflifewereinhislungs。Hewassick，unutterablysick……
　　Hedrovehomeandwenttohisroom。Theyweregivingalittledinnerthatnight，andwhenhecamedowntheguestswerearriving。
　　Helookedathiswife：herbeautywasextraordinary，butitseemedtohimthebeautyofasmoothseaalonganunlitcoast。Shefrightenedhim。
　　Hesatlatethatnightinhisstudy。Heheardtheparlor—maidlockthefrontdoor；thenhiswifewentupstairsandthelightswereputout。Hisbrainwaslikesomegreatemptyhallwithanechoinit；onethoughtreverberatedendlessly……Atlengthhedrewhischairtothetableandbegantowrite。Headdressedanenvelopeandthenslowlyre—readwhathehadwritten。
　　"MYDEARFLAMEL"
　　"Manyapologiesfornotsendingyousoonertheenclosedcheck，whichrepresentsthecustomarypercentageonthesaleoftheLetters。"
　　"Trustingyouwillexcusetheoversight，"Yourstruly，"STEPHENGLENNARD。"
　　Helethimselfoutofthedarkenedhouseanddroppedtheletterinthepost—boxatthecorner。
　　Thenextafternoonhewasdetainedlateathisoffice，andashewaspreparingtoleaveheheardsomeoneaskingforhimintheouterroom。HeseatedhimselfagainandFlamelwasshownin。
　　Thetwomen，asGlennardpushedasideanobstructivechair，hadamomenttomeasureeachother；thenFlameladvanced，anddrawingouthisnote—case，laidaslipofpaperonthedesk。
　　"Mydearfellow，whatonearthdoesthismean？"Glennardrecognizedhischeck。
　　"ThatIwasremiss，simply。Itoughttohavegonetoyoubefore。"
　　Flamel’stonehadbeenthatofunaffectedsurprise，butatthishisaccentchangedandheasked，quickly："Onwhatground？"
　　Glennardhadmovedawayfromthedeskandstoodleaningagainstthecalf—backedvolumesofthebookcase。"OnthegroundthatyousoldMrs。Aubyn’slettersforme，andthatIfindtheintermediaryinsuchcasesisentitledtoapercentageonthesale。"
　　Flamelpausedbeforeanswering。"Youfind，yousay。It’sarecentdiscovery？"
　　"Obviously，frommynotsendingthechecksooner。YouseeI’mnewtothebusiness。"
　　"Andsincewhenhaveyoudiscoveredthattherewasanyquestionofbusiness，asfarasIwasconcerned？"
　　Glennardflushedandhisvoiceroseslightly。"Areyoureproachingmefornothavingremembereditsooner？"
　　Flamel，whohadspokenintherapidrepressedtoneofamanonthevergeofanger，staredamomentatthisandthen，inhisnaturalvoice，rejoined，good—humoredly，"Uponmysoul，Idon’tunderstandyou!"
　　ThechangeofkeyseemedtodisconcertGlennard。"It’ssimpleenough——"hemuttered。
　　"Simpleenough——yourofferingmemoneyinreturnforafriendlyservice？Idon’tknowwhatyourotherfriendsexpect!"
　　"Someofmyfriendswouldn’thaveundertakenthejob。Thosewhowouldhavedonesowouldprobablyhaveexpectedtobepaid。"
　　HeliftedhiseyestoFlamelandthetwomenlookedateachother。
　　Flamelhadturnedwhiteandhislipsstirred，butheheldhistemperatenote。"Ifyoumeantoimplythatthejobwasnotaniceone，youlayyourselfopentotheretortthatyouproposedit。
　　ButformypartI’veneverseen，Inevershallsee，anyreasonfornotpublishingtheletters。"
　　"That’sjustit!"
　　"What——？"
　　"Thecertaintyofyournotseeingwaswhatmademegotoyou。
　　Whenaman’sgotstolengoodstopawnhedoesn’ttakethemtothepolice—station。"
　　"Stolen？"Flamelechoed。"Theletterswerestolen？"
　　Glennardburstintoacoarselaugh。"Howmuchlongertoyouexpectmetokeepupthatpretenceabouttheletters？Youknewwellenoughtheywerewrittentome。"
　　Flamellookedathiminsilence。"Werethey？"hesaidatlength。
　　"Ididn’tknowit。"
　　"Anddidn’tsuspectit，Isuppose，"Glennardsneered。
　　Theotherwasagainsilent；thenhesaid，"Imayremindyouthat，supposingIhadfeltanycuriosityaboutthematter，Ihadnowayoffindingoutthattheletterswerewrittentoyou。Younevershowedmetheoriginals。"
　　"Whatdoesthatprove？Therewerefiftywaysoffindingout。
　　It’sthekindofthingonecaneasilydo。"
　　Flamelglancedathimwithcontempt。"Ourideasprobablydifferastowhatamancaneasilydo。Itwouldnothavebeeneasyforme。"
　　Glennard’sangerventeditselfinthewordsuppermostinhisthought。"Itmay，then，interestyoutohearthatmywifeDOES
　　knowabouttheletters——hasknownforsomemonths……"
　　"Ah，"saidtheother，slowly。Glennardsawthat，inhisblindclutchataweapon，hehadseizedtheonemostapttowound。
　　Flamel’smuscleswereundercontrol，buthisfaceshowedtheundefinablechangeproducedbytheslowinfiltrationofpoison。
　　Everyimplicationthatthewordscontainedhadreacheditsmark；
　　butGlennardfeltthattheirobviousintentionwaslostintheanguishofwhattheysuggested。HewassurenowthatFlamelwouldneverhavebetrayedhim；buttheinferenceonlymadeawideroutletforhisanger。HepausedbreathlesslyforFlameltospeak。
　　"Ifsheknows，it’snotthroughme。"ItwaswhatGlennardhadwaitedfor。
　　"Throughyou，byGod？Whosaiditwasthroughyou？DoyousupposeIleaveittoyou，ortoanybodyelse，forthatmatter，tokeepmywifeinformedofmyactions？Ididn’tsupposeevensuchegregiousconceitasyourscoulddeludeamantothatdegree!"
　　Strugglingforafootholdinthesmalllandslideofhisdignity，headded，inasteadiertone，"Mywifelearnedthefactsfromme。"
　　Flamelreceivedthisinsilence。Theother’soutbreakseemedtohavereinforcedhisself—control，andwhenhespokeitwaswithadeliberationimplyingthathiscoursewaschosen。"InthatcaseI
　　understandstillless——"
　　"Stillless——？"
　　"Themeaningofthis。"Hepointedtothecheck。"WhenyoubegantospeakIsupposedyouhadmeantitasabribe；nowIcanonlyinferitwasintendedasarandominsult。Ineithercase，here’smyanswer。"
　　HetoretheslipofpaperintwoandtossedthefragmentsacrossthedesktoGlennard。Thenheturnedandwalkedoutoftheoffice。
　　Glennarddroppedhisheadonhishands。Ifhehadhopedtorestorehisself—respectbythesimpleexpedientofassailingFlamel’s，theresulthadnotjustifiedhisexpectation。Theblowhehadstruckhadbluntedtheedgeofhisanger，andtheunforeseenextentofthehurtinflicteddidnotalterthefactthathisweaponhadbrokeninhishands。HesawnowthathisrageagainstFlamelwasonlythelastprojectionofapassionateself—
　　disgust。Thisconsciousnessdidnotdullhisdislikeoftheman；
　　itsimplymadereprisalsineffectual。Flamel’sunwillingnesstoquarrelwithhimwasthelaststageofhisabasement。
　　Inthelightofthisfinalhumiliationhisassumptionofhiswife’sindifferencestruckhimashardlysofatuousasthesentimentalresuscitationofhispast。Hehadbeenlivinginafactitiousworldwhereinhisemotionswerethesycophantsofhisvanity，anditwaswithinstinctivereliefthathefeltitsruinscrashabouthishead。
　　Itwasnearlydarkwhenhelefthisoffice，andhewalkedslowlyhomewardinthecompletementalabeyancethatfollowsonsuchacrisis。Hewasnotawarethathewasthinkingofhiswife；yetwhenhereachedhisowndoorhefoundthat，intheinvoluntaryreadjustmentofhisvision，shehadoncemorebecomethecentralpointofconsciousness。
　　XIII
　　Ithadneverbeforeoccurredtohimthatshemight，afterall，havemissedthepurportofthedocumenthehadputinherway。
　　Whatif，inherhurriedinspectionofthepapers，shehadpasseditoverasrelatedtotheprivatebusinessofsomeclient？What，forinstance，wastopreventherconcludingthatGlennardwasthecounseloftheunknownpersonwhohadsoldthe"AubynLetters。"
　　Thesubjectwasonenotlikelytofixherattention——shewasnotacuriouswoman。
　　Glennardatthispointlaiddownhisforkandglancedatherbetweenthecandle—shades。Thealternativeexplanationofherindifferencewasnotslowinpresentingitself。HerheadhadthesamelisteningdroopaswhenhehadcaughtsightofherthedaybeforeinFlamel’scompany；theattituderevivedthevividnessofhisimpression。Itwassimpleenough，afterall。Shehadceasedtocareforhimbecauseshecaredforsomeoneelse。
　　Ashefollowedherupstairshefeltasuddenstirringofhisdormantanger。Hissentimentshadlostalltheirfactitiouscomplexity。Hehadalreadyacquittedherofanyconnivanceinhisbaseness，andhefeltonlythathelovedherandthatshehadescapedhim。Thiswasnow，strangelyenough，hisdominatingthought：theconsciousnessthatheandshehadpassedthroughthefusionofloveandhademergedfromitasincommunicablyapartasthoughthetransmutationhadnevertakenplace。Everyotherpassion，hemused，leftsomemarkuponthenature；butlovepassedliketheflightofashipacrossthewaters。
　　Shesankintoherusualseatnearthelamp，andheleanedagainstthechimney，movingaboutwithaninattentivehandtheknick—
　　knacksonthemantel。
　　Suddenlyhecaughtsightofherreflectioninthemirror。Shewaslookingathim。Heturnedandtheireyesmet。
　　Hemovedacrosstheroomandstoodbeforeher。
　　"There’ssomethingthatIwanttosaytoyou，"hebeganinalowtone。
　　Sheheldhisgaze，buthercolordeepened。Henoticedagain，withajealouspang，howherbeautyhadgainedinwarmthandmeaning。
　　Itwasasthoughatransparentcuphadbeenfilledwithwine。Helookedatherironically。
　　"I’veneverpreventedyourseeingyourfriendshere，"hebrokeout。"WhydoyoumeetFlamelinout—of—the—wayplaces？Nothingmakesawomansocheap——"
　　Sheroseabruptlyandtheyfacedeachotherafewfeetapart。
　　"Whatdoyoumean？"sheasked。
　　"IsawyouwithhimlastSundayontheRiversideDrive，"hewenton，theutteranceofthechargerevivinghisanger。
　　"Ah，"shemurmured。Shesankintoherchairagainandbegantoplaywithapaper—knifethatlayonthetableatherelbow。
　　Hersilenceexasperatedhim。
　　"Well？"heburstout。"Isthatallyouhavetosay？"
　　"Doyouwishmetoexplain？"sheasked，proudly。
　　"DoyouimplyIhaven’ttherightto？"
　　"Iimplynothing。Iwilltellyouwhateveryouwishtoknow。I
　　wentforawalkwithMr。Flamelbecauseheaskedmeto。"
　　"Ididn’tsupposeyouwentuninvited。Buttherearecertainthingsasensiblewomandoesn’tdo。Shedoesn’tslinkaboutinout—of—the—waystreetswithmen。Whycouldn’tyouhaveseenhimhere？"
　　Shehesitated。"Becausehewantedtoseemealone。"
　　"Didhe，indeed？AndmayIaskifyougratifyallhiswisheswithequalalacrity？"
　　"Idon’tknowthathehasanyotherswhereIamconcerned。"Shepausedagainandthencontinued，inalowervoicethatsomehowhadanunder—noteofwarning。"Hewishedtobidmegood—by。He’sgoingaway。"
　　Glennardturnedonherastartledglance。"Goingaway？"
　　"He’sgoingtoEuropeto—morrow。Hegoesforalongtime。I
　　supposedyouknew。"
　　Thelastphraserevivedhisirritation。"YouforgetthatIdependonyouformyinformationaboutFlamel。He’syourfriendandnotmine。Infact，I’vesometimeswonderedatyourgoingoutofyourwaytobesociviltohimwhenyoumustseeplainlyenoughthatI
　　don’tlikehim。"
　　Heranswertothiswasnotimmediate。Sheseemedtobechoosingherwordswithcare，notsomuchforherownsakeasforhis，andhisexasperationwasincreasedbythesuspicionthatshewastryingtosparehim。
　　"Hewasyourfriendbeforehewasmine。IneverknewhimtillI
　　wasmarried。Itwasyouwhobroughthimtothehouseandwhoseemedtowishmetolikehim。"
　　Glennardgaveashortlaugh。Thedefencewasfeeblerthanhehadexpected：shewascertainlynotacleverwoman。
　　"Yourdeferencetomywishesisreallybeautiful；butit’snotthefirsttimeinhistorythatamanhasmadeamistakeinintroducinghisfriendstohiswife。Youmust，atanyrate，haveseensincethenthatmyenthusiasmhadcooled；butso，perhaps，hasyoureagernesstoobligeme。"
　　Shemetthiswithasilencethatseemedtorobthetauntofhalfitsefficacy。
　　"Isthatwhatyouimply？"hepressedher。
　　"No，"sheansweredwithsuddendirectness。"Inoticedsometimeagothatyouseemedtodislikehim，butsincethen——"
　　"Well——sincethen？"
　　"I’veimaginedthatyouhadreasonsforstillwishingmetobeciviltohim，asyoucallit。"
　　"Ah，"saidGlennard，withaneffortatlightness；buthisironydropped，forsomethinginhervoicemadehimfeelthatheandshestoodatlastinthatnakeddesertofapprehensionwheremeaningskulksvainlybehindspeech。
　　"Andwhydidyouimaginethis？"Thebloodmountedtohisforehead。"BecausehetoldyouthatIwasunderobligationstohim？"
　　Sheturnedpale。"Underobligations？"
　　"Oh，don’tlet’sbeataboutthebush。Didn’thetellyouitwasI
　　whopublishedMrs。Aubyn’sletters？Answermethat。"
　　"No，"shesaid；andafteramomentwhichseemedgiventotheweighingofalternatives，sheadded："Noonetoldme。"
　　"Youdidn’tknowthen？"
　　Sheseemedtospeakwithaneffort。"Notuntil——notuntil——"
　　"TillIgaveyouthosepaperstosort？"
　　Herheadsank。
　　"Youunderstoodthen？"
　　"Yes。"
　　Helookedatherimmovableface。"Hadyoususpected——before？"wasslowlywrungfromhim。
　　"Attimes——yes——"Hervoicedroppedtoawhisper。
　　"Why？Fromanythingthatwassaid——？"
　　Therewasashadeofpityinherglance。"Noonesaidanything——
　　noonetoldmeanything。"Shelookedawayfromhim。"Itwasyourmanner——"
　　"Mymanner？"
　　"Wheneverthebookwasmentioned。Thingsyousaid——onceortwice——
　　yourirritation——Ican’texplain——"
　　Glennard，unconsciously，hadmovednearer。Hebreathedlikeamanwhohasbeenrunning。"Youknew，then，youknew"——hestammered。
　　TheavowalofherloveforFlamelwouldhavehurthimless，wouldhaverenderedherlessremote。"Youknew——youknew——"herepeated；andsuddenlyhisanguishgatheredvoice。"MyGod!"hecried，"yoususpecteditfirst，yousay——andthenyouknewit——
　　thisdamnable，thisaccursedthing；youknewitmonthsago——it’smonthssinceIputthatpaperinyourway——andyetyou’vedonenothing，you’vesaidnothing，you’vemadenosign，you’velivedalongsideofmeasifithadmadenodifference——nodifferenceineitherofourlives。Whatareyoumadeof，Iwonder？Don’tyouseethehideousignominyofit？Don’tyouseehowyou’vesharedinmydisgrace？Orhaven’tyouanysenseofshame？"
　　Hepreservedsufficientlucidity，asthewordspouredfromhim，toseehowfatallytheyinvitedherderision；butsomethingtoldhimtheyhadbothpassedbeyondthephaseofobviousretaliations，andthatifanychordinherrespondeditwouldnotbethatofscorn。
　　Hewasright。Sheroseslowlyandmovedtowardhim。
　　"Haven’tyouhadenough——withoutthat？"shesaid，inastrangevoiceofpity。
　　Hestaredather。"Enough——？"
　　"Ofmisery……"
　　Anironbandseemedloosenedfromhistemples。"Yousawthen……？"
　　hewhispered。
　　"Oh，God————oh，God————"shesobbed。Shedroppedbesidehimandhidheranguishagainsthisknees。Theyclungthusinsilence，alongtime，driventogetherdownthesamefierceblastofshame。
　　Whenatlengthsheliftedherfaceheavertedhis。Herscornwouldhavehurthimlessthanthetearsonhishands。
　　Shespokelanguidly，likeachildemergingfromapassionofweeping。"Itwasforthemoney——？"
　　Hislipsshapedanassent。
　　"Thatwastheinheritance——thatwemarriedon？"
　　"Yes。"
　　Shedrewbackandrosetoherfeet。Hesatwatchingherasshewanderedawayfromhim。
　　"Youhateme，"brokefromhim。
　　Shemadenoanswer。
　　"Sayyouhateme!"hepersisted。
　　"Thatwouldhavebeensosimple，"sheansweredwithastrangesmile。Shedroppedintoachairnearthewriting—tableandrestedabowedforeheadonherhand。
　　"Wasitmuch——？"shebeganatlength。
　　"Much——？"hereturned，vaguely。
　　"Themoney。"
　　"Themoney？"Thatpartofitseemedtocountsolittlethatforamomenthedidnotfollowherthought。
　　"Itmustbepaidback，"sheinsisted。"Canyoudoit？"
　　"Oh，yes，"hereturned，listlessly。"Icandoit。"
　　"Iwouldmakeanysacrificeforthat!"sheurged。
　　Henodded。"Ofcourse。"Hesatstaringatherindry—eyedself—
　　contempt。"Doyoucountonitsmakingmuchdifference？"
　　"Muchdifference？"
　　"InthewayIfeel——oryoufeelaboutme？"
　　Sheshookherhead。
　　"It’stheleastpartofit，"hegroaned。
　　"It’stheonlypartwecanrepair。"
　　"Goodheavens!Iftherewereanyreparation——"Herosequicklyandcrossedthespacethatdividedthem。"Whydidyouneverspeak？"heasked。
　　"Haven’tyouansweredthatyourself？"
　　"Answeredit？"
　　"Justnow——whenyoutoldmeyoudiditforme。"Shepausedamomentandthenwentonwithadeepeningnote——"IwouldhavespokenifIcouldhavehelpedyou。"
　　"Butyoumusthavedespisedme。"
　　"I’vetoldyouthatwouldhavebeensimpler。"
　　"Buthowcouldyougoonlikethis——hatingthemoney？"
　　"Iknewyouwouldspeakintime。Iwantedyou，first，tohateitasIdid。"
　　Hegazedatherwithakindofawe。"You’rewonderful，"hemurmured。"Butyoudon’tyetknowthedepthsI’vereached。"
　　Sheraisedanentreatinghand。"Idon’twantto!"
　　"You’reafraid，then，thatyou’llhateme？"
　　"No——butthatyou’llhateME。Letmeunderstandwithoutyourtellingme。"
　　"Youcan’t。It’stoobase。Ithoughtyoudidn’tcarebecauseyoulovedFlamel。"
　　Sheblusheddeeply。"Don’t——don’t——"shewarnedhim。
　　"Ihaven’ttherightto，youmean？"
　　"Imeanthatyou’llbesorry。"
　　Hestoodimploringlybeforeher。"Iwanttosaysomethingworse——
　　somethingmoreoutrageous。Ifyoudon’tunderstandTHISyou’llbeperfectlyjustifiedinorderingmeoutofthehouse。"
　　Sheansweredhimwithaglanceofdivination。"Ishallunderstand——butyou’llbesorry。"
　　"Imusttakemychanceofthat。"Hemovedawayandtossedthebooksaboutthetable。Thenheswungroundandfacedher。"DoesFlamelcareforyou？"heasked。
　　Herflushdeepened，butshestilllookedathimwithoutanger。
　　"Whatwouldbetheuse？"shesaidwithanoteofsadness。
　　"Ah，Ididn’taskTHAT，"hepenitentlymurmured。
　　"Well，then——"
　　Tothisadjurationhemadenoresponsebeyondthatofgazingatherwithaneyewhichseemednowtoviewherasamerefactorinanimmenseredistributionofmeanings。
　　"IinsultedFlamelto—day。IlethimseethatIsuspectedhimofhavingtoldyou。Ihatedhimbecauseheknewabouttheletters。"
　　Hecaughtthespreadinghorrorofhereyes，andforaninstanthehadtograpplewiththenewtemptationtheylitup。Thenhesaid，withaneffort——"Don’tblamehim——he’simpeccable。Hehelpedmetogetthempublished；butIliedtohimtoo；Ipretendedtheywerewrittentoanotherman……amanwhowasdead……"
　　Sheraisedherarmsinagesturethatseemedtowardoffhisblows。
　　"YouDOdespiseme!"heinsisted。
　　"Ah，thatpoorwoman——thatpoorwoman——"heheardhermurmur。
　　"Isparenoone，yousee!"hetriumphedoverher。Shekeptherfacehidden。
　　"Youdohateme，youdodespiseme!"hestrangelyexulted。
　　"Besilent!"shecommandedhim；butheseemednolongerconsciousofanycheckonhisgatheringpurpose。
　　"Hecaredforyou——hecaredforyou，"herepeated，"andhenevertoldyouoftheletters——"
　　Shesprangtoherfeet。"Howcanyou？"sheflamed。"Howdareyou？THAT——!"
　　Glennardwasashypale。"It’saweapon……likeanother……"
　　"Ascoundrel’s!"
　　Hesmiledwretchedly。"Ishouldhaveuseditinhisplace。"
　　"Stephen!Stephen!"shecried，asthoughtodrowntheblasphemyonhislips。Sheswepttohimwitharescuinggesture。"Don’tsaysuchthings。Iforbidyou!Itdegradesusboth。"
　　Heputherbackwithtremblinghands。"NothingthatIsayofmyselfcandegradeyou。We’reondifferentlevels。"
　　"I’monyours，whateveritis!"
　　Heliftedhisheadandtheirgazeflowedtogether。
　　XIV
　　Thegreatrenewalstakeeffectasimperceptiblyasthefirstworkingsofspring。Glennard，thoughhefelthimselfbroughtnearertohiswife，wasstill，asitwere，hardlywithinspeakingdistance。Hewasbutlaboriouslyacquiringtherudimentsoftheirnewmediumofcommunication；andhehadtogropeforherthroughthedensefogofhishumiliation，thedistortingvaporagainstwhichhispersonalityloomedgrotesqueandmean。
　　Onlythefactthatweareunawarehowwellournearestknowusenablesustolivewiththem。Loveisthemostimpregnablerefugeofself—esteem，andwehatetheeyethatreachestoournakedness。
　　IfGlennarddidnothatehiswifeitwasslowly，sufferingly，thattherewasborninhimthatprofounderpassionwhichmadehisearlierfeelingseemamerecommotionoftheblood。Hewaslikeachildcomingbacktothesenseofanenvelopingpresence：hernearnesswasabreastonwhichheleaned。
　　Theydidnot，atfirst，talkmuchtogether，andeachbeatadevioustrackabouttheoutskirtsofthesubjectthatlaybetweenthemlikeahauntedwood。Buteveryword，everyaction，seemedtoglanceatit，todrawtowardit，asthoughafountofhealingspranginitspoisonedshade。Ifonlytheymightcutawaythroughthethickettothatrestoringspring!
　　Glennard，watchinghiswifewiththeintentnessofawanderertowhomnonaturalsignisnegligible，sawthatshehadtakentemporaryrefugeinthepurposeofrenouncingthemoney。Ifboth，theoretically，ownedtheinefficacyofsuchamends，thewoman’sinstinctivesubjectivenessmadeherfindreliefinthiscrudeformofpenance。Glennardsawthatshemeanttoliveasfrugallyaspossibletillwhatshedeemedtheirdebtwasdischarged；andheprayedshemightnotdiscoverhowfar—reaching，initsmerelymaterialsense，wastheobligationshethushopedtoacquit。Hermindwasfixedonthesumoriginallypaidfortheletters，andthisheknewhecouldlayasideinayearortwo。Hewastouched，meanwhile，bythespiritthatmadeherdiscardthepettyluxurieswhichsheregardedasthesignsoftheirbondage。Theirsharedrenunciationsdrewhernearertohim，helped，intheirevidenceofherhelplessness，torestorethefullprotectingstatureofhislove。Andstilltheydidnotspeak。
　　Itwasseveralweekslaterthat，oneafternoonbythedrawing—roomfire，shehandedhimaletterthatshehadbeenreadingwhenheentered。
　　"I’veheardfromMr。Flamel，"shesaid。
　　Glennardturnedpale。Itwasasthoughalatentpresencehadsuddenlybecomevisibletoboth。Hetookthelettermechanically。
　　"It’sfromSmyrna，"shesaid。"Won’tyoureadit？"
　　Hehandeditback。"Youcantellmeaboutit——hishand’ssoillegible。"Hewanderedtotheotherendoftheroomandthenturnedandstoodbeforeher。"I’vebeenthinkingofwritingtoFlamel，"hesaid。
　　Shelookedup。
　　"There’sonepoint，"hecontinued，slowly，"thatIoughttoclearup。Itoldhimyou’dknownaboutthelettersallalong；foralongtime，atleast；andIsawithurthimhorribly。ItwasjustwhatImeanttodo，ofcourse；butIcan’tleavehimtothatfalseimpression；Imustwritehim。"
　　Shereceivedthiswithoutoutwardmovement，buthesawthatthedepthswerestirred。Atlengthshereturned，inahesitatingtone，"Whydoyoucallitafalseimpression？Ididknow。"
　　"Yes，butIimpliedyoudidn’tcare。"
　　"Ah!"
　　Hestillstoodlookingdownonher。"Don’tyouwantmetosetthatright？"hetentativelypursued。
　　Sheliftedherheadandfixedhimbravely。"Itisn’tnecessary，"
　　shesaid。
　　Glennardflushedwiththeshockoftheretort；then，withagestureofcomprehension，"No，"hesaid，"withyouitcouldn’tbe；
　　butImightstillsetmyselfright。"
　　Shelookedathimgently。"Don’tI，"shemurmured，"dothat？"
　　"Inbeingyourselfmerely？Alas，therehabilitation’stoocomplete!Youmakemeseem——tomyselfeven——whatI’mnot；whatI
　　canneverbe。Ican’t，attimes，defendmyselffromthedelusion；
　　butIcanatleastenlightenothers。"
　　Thefloodwasloosened，andkneelingbyherhecaughtherhands。
　　"Don’tyouseethatit’sbecomeanobsessionwithme？ThatifI
　　couldstripmyselfdowntothelastlie——onlythere’dalwaysbeanotheroneleftunderit!——anddopenancenakedinthemarket—
　　place，Ishouldatleasthavethereliefofeasingoneanguishbyanother？Don’tyouseethattheworstofmytortureistheimpossibilityofsuchamends？"
　　Herhandslayinhiswithoutreturningpressure。"Ah，poorwoman，poorwoman，"heheardhersigh。
　　"Don’tpityher，pityme!WhathaveIdonetoherortoyou，afterall？You’rebothinaccessible!ItwasmyselfIsold。"
　　Hetookanabruptturnawayfromher；thenhaltedbeforeheragain。"Howmuchlonger，"heburstout，"doyousupposeyoucanstandit？You’vebeenmagnificent，you’vebeeninspired，butwhat’stheuse？Youcan’twipeouttheignominyofit。It’smiserableforyouanditdoesHERnogood!"
　　Sheliftedavividface。"That’sthethoughtIcan’tbear!"shecried。
　　"Whatthought？"
　　"Thatitdoeshernogood——allyou’refeeling，allyou’resuffering。Canitbethatitmakesnodifference？"
　　Heavoidedherchallengingglance。"What’sdoneisdone，"hemuttered。
　　"Isitever，quite，Iwonder？"shemused。Hemadenoanswerandtheylapsedintooneofthepausesthatareasubterraneanchannelofcommunication。
　　Itwasshewho，afterawhile，begantospeakwithanewsuffusingdiffidencethatmadehimturnarousedeyeonher。
　　"Don’ttheysay，"sheasked，feelingherwayasinakindoftenderapprehensiveness，"thattheearlyChristians，insteadofpullingdowntheheathentemples——thetemplesoftheuncleangods——
　　purifiedthembyturningthemtotheirownuses？I’vealwaysthoughtonemightdothatwithone’sactions——theactionsoneloathesbutcan’tundo。Onecanmake，Imean，awrongthedoortootherwrongsoranimpassablewallagainstthem……"Hervoicewaveredontheword。"Wecan’talwaysteardownthetempleswe’vebuilttotheuncleangods，butwecanputgoodspiritsinthehouseofevil——thespiritsofmercyandshameandunderstanding，thatmightneverhavecometousifwehadn’tbeeninsuchgreatneed……"
　　Shemovedovertohimandlaidahesitatinghandonhis。Hisheadwasbentandhedidnotchangehisattitude。Shesatdownbesidehimwithoutspeaking；buttheirsilencesnowwerefertileasrain—
　　clouds——theyquickenedtheseedsofunderstanding。
　　Atlengthhelookedup。"Idon’tknow，"hesaid，"whatspiritshavecometoliveinthehouseofevilthatIbuilt——butyou’rethereandthat’senoughforme。It’sstrange，"hewentonafteranotherpause，"shewishedthebestformesooften，andnow，atlast，it’sthroughherthatit’scometome。ButforherI
　　shouldn’thaveknownyou——it’sthroughherthatI’vefoundyou。
　　Sometimes，doyouknow？——thatmakesithardest——makesmemostintolerabletomyself。Can’tyouseethatit’stheworstthingI’vegottoface？IsometimesthinkIcouldhaveborneitbetterifyouhadn’tunderstood!Itookeverythingfromher——everything——
　　eventothepoorshelterofloyaltyshe’dtrustedin——theonlythingIcouldhavelefther!——Itookeverythingfromher，I
　　deceivedher，Idespoiledher，Idestroyedher——andshe’sgivenmeYOUinreturn!"
　　Hiswife’scrycaughthimup。"Itisn’tthatshe’sgivenMEtoyou——itisthatshe’sgivenyoutoyourself。"Sheleanedtohimasthoughsweptforwardonawaveofpity。"Don’tyousee，"shewenton，ashiseyeshungonher，"thatthat’sthegiftyoucan’tescapefrom，thedebtyou’repledgedtoacquit？Don’tyouseethatyou’veneverbeforebeenwhatshethoughtyou，andthatnow，sowonderfully，she’smadeyouintothemansheloved？THAT’S
　　worthsufferingfor，worthdyingfor，toawoman——that’sthegiftshewouldhavewishedtogive!"
　　"Ah，"hecried，"butwoetohimbywhomitcometh。WhatdidI
　　evergiveher？"
　　"Thehappinessofgiving，"shesaid。