Croquetisaprettygameoutofdoors，andchessisdelightfulinadrawing—room。Battledoreandshuttlecockandhunt—the—slipperhavealsotheirattractions。Proverbsaregood，andcrossquestionswithcrookedanswersmaybemadeveryamusing。Butnoneofthesegamesareequaltothegameoflove—making——providingthattheplayerscanbequitesurethatthereshallbenoheartinthematter。Anytouchofheartnotonlydestroysthepleasureofthegame，butmakestheplayerawkwardandincapableandrobshimofhisskill。Andthusitisthattherearemanypeoplewhocannotplaythegameatall。Adeficiencyofsomeneededinternalphysicalstrengthpreventstheownersoftheheartfromkeepingapropercontroloveritsvalves，andthusemotionsetsin，andthepulsesareaccelerated，andfeelingsupervenes。Forsuchaonetoattemptthegameoflove—making，isasthoughyourfriendwiththegoutshouldinsistonplayingcroquet。Asenseoftheridiculous，ifnothingelse，shouldineithercasedetertheafflictedonefromtheattempt。
TherewasnosuchabsurditywithourfriendMrsDobbsBroughtonandConwayDalrymple。Theirvalvesandpulseswereallright。Theycouldplaythegamewithouttheslightestdangerofanyinconvenientresult；——ofanyinconvenientresult，thatis，asregardedtheirownfeelings。Blindpeoplecannotseeandstupidpeoplecannotunderstand——anditmightbethatMrDobbsBroughton，beingbothblindandstupidinsuchmatters，mightperceivesomethingoftheplayingofthegameandnotknowthatitwasonlyagameofskill。
WhenIsaythatasregardedthesetwoloverstherewasnothingoflovebetweenthem，andthatthegamewasthereforesofarinnocent，Iwouldnotbeunderstoodasassertingthatthesepeoplehadnoheartsintheirbosoms。MrsDobbsBroughtonprobablylovedherhusbandinasensible，humdrumway，feelinghimtobeabore，knowinghimtobevulgar，awarethatheoftentookagooddealmorewinethanwasgoodforhim，andthathewasalmostasuneducatedasahog。Yetshelovedhim，andshowedherlovebytakingcarethatheshouldhavethingsfordinnerwhichhelikedtoeat。Butinthisalonethereweretobefoundnoneofthecharmsofafeveredexistence，andtherefore，MrsDobbsBroughton，requiringthosecharmsforhercomfort，playedherlittlegamewithConwayDalrymple。
AndasregardedtheartisthimselfletnoreaderpresumehimtohavebeenheartlessbecauseheflirtedwithMrsDobbsBroughton。Doubtlesshewillmarrysomeday，andwillhavealargefamilyforwhichhewillworkhard，andwillmakeagoodhusbandtosomestoutladywhowillbecarefulinlookingafterhislinen。Butonthepresentoccasionhefellintosomeslighttroubleinspiteoftheinnocenceofhisgame。Ashequittedhisfriend’sroomheheardthehall—doorslammedheavily；thentherewasaquicksteponthestairs，andonthelanding—placeabovethefirstflighthemetthemasterofthehouse，somewhatflurried，asitseemed，andnotlookingcomfortable，eitherasregardedhispersonorhistemper。’ByGeorge，he’sbeendrinking！’Conwaysaidtohimself，afterthefirstglance。NowitcertainlywasthecasethatDobbsBroughtonwouldsometimesdrinkatimproperhours。
’Whatthedevilareyoudoinghere？’saidDobbsBroughtontohisfriendtheartist。’You’realwayshere。You’rehereadoosedsightmorethanI
like。’Husbandswhentheyhavebeendrinkingareveryapttomakemistakesastothepurportofthegame。
’WhyDobbs，’saidthepainter，’there’ssomethingwrongwithyou。’
’No，thereain’t。There’snothingwrong；andiftherewas，what’sthattoyou？Ishan’taskyoutopayanythingforme，Isuppose？’
’Well；——Ihopenot。’
’Iwon’thaveyouhere，andletthatbeanendofit。It’sallverywellwhenIchoosetohaveafewfriendstodinner，butmywifecandoverywellwithoutyourfal—lallinghereallday。Willyourememberthat，ifyouplease？’
ConwayDalrymple，knowingthathehadbetternotargueanyquestionwithadrunkenman，tookhimselfoutofthehouse，shrugginghisshouldersashethoughtofthemiseryofwhichhispoordearplayfellowwouldnowbecalledontoendure。
CHAPTERXXVII
AHEROATHOME
OnthemorningafterhisvisittoMissDemolines，JohnEamesfoundhimselfatthePaddingtonStationaskingforaticketforGuestwick，andashepickeduphischangeanothergentlemanalsodemandedaticketforthesameplace。HadGuestwickbeenasLiverpoolorManchester，Eameswouldhavethoughtnothingaboutit。ItisamatterofcoursethatmenshouldalwaysbegoingfromLondontoLiverpoolandManchester；butitseemedoddtohimthattwomenshouldwantfirst—classticketsforsosmallaplaceasGuestwickatthesamemoment。Andwhen，afterwards，hewasplacedbytheguardinthesamecarriagewiththisothertraveller，hecouldnotbutfeelsomelittlecuriosity。ThemanwasfourorfiveyearsJohnny’ssenior，agood—lookingfellow，withapleasantface，andtheoutwardappurtenancesofagentleman。TheintelligentreaderwillnodoubtbeawarethatthestrangerwasMajorGrantly；buttheintelligentreaderhasinthisrespecthadmuchadvantageoverJohnEames，whouptothistimehadneverevenheardofhiscousinGraceCrawley’slover。’I
thinkyouwereaskingforatickettoGuestwick，’saidJohnny；
——whereuponthemajorownedthatsuchwasthecase。’IlivedinGuestwickforthegreaterpartofmylife，’saidJohnny，’andit’sthedullest，dearestlittletowninallEngland。’’Ineverwastherebefore，’saidthemajor，’andindeedIcanhardlysayIamgoingtherenow。Ishallonlypassthroughit。’Thenhegotouthisnewspaper，andJohnnyalsogothisout，andforatimetherewasnoconversationbetweenthem。Johnrememberedhowholywastheerranduponwhichhewasintent，andgatheredhisthoughtstogether，resolvingthathavingsogreatamatteronhismindhewouldthinkaboutnothingelseandspeakaboutnothingatall。HewasgoingdowntoAllingtontoaskLilyDaleforthelasttimewhethershewouldbehiswife；toascertainwhetherhewastobesuccessfulorunsuccessfulintheonegreatwishofhislife；
and，assuchwasthecasewithhim——ashehadinhandathingsovital，itcouldbenothingtohimwhetherthechancecompanionofhisvoyagewasanagreeableordisagreeableperson。Hehimself，inanyoftheordinarycircumstancesoflife，wasproneenoughtotalkwithanyonehemightmeet。Hecouldhavetravelledfortwelvehourstogetherwithanoldlady，andcouldlistentoherormakeherlistentohimwithouthalf—an—hour’sinterruption。Butthisjourneywasmadeonnoordinaryoccasion，anditbehovedhimtothinkofLily。Therefore，afterthefirstlittlealmostnecessaryeffortatcivility，hefellbackintogloomysilence。HewasgoingtodohisbesttowinLilyDale，andthisdoingofhisbestwouldrequireallhisthoughtsandallhisenergy。
AndprobablyMajorGrantly’smindwasbentinthesamedirection。He，too，hadthisworkbeforehim，andcouldnotlookuponhisworkasathingthatwhichhewasintentuponobtaining。Heknew——healmostknew——thathehadwontheheartofthegirlwhomhewasseeking。Therehadbeenthatbetweenhimandherwhichjustifiedhiminsupposingthathewasdeartoher，althoughnoexpressionofaffectionhadeverpassedfromherlipstohisears。Menmayknowallthattheyrequiretoknowonthatsubjectwithoutanyplainlyspokenwords。GraceCrawleyhadspokennoword，andyethehadknown——atanyratehadnotdoubted，thathecouldhavetheplaceinherheartofwhichhedesiredtobethemaster。
Shewouldneversurrenderherselfaltogethertillshehadtaughtherselftobesureofhimtowhomshegaveherself。Butshehadlistenedtohimwithsilencethathadnotrebukedhim，andhehadtoldhimselfthathemightventure，withoutfearofthatrebukeastowhichthemindsofsomemenaresensitivetoadegreewhichothermencannotevenunderstand。
ButforallthisMajorGrantlycouldnotbealtogetherhappyastohismission；hewouldaskGraceCrawleytobehiswife；buthewouldberuinedbyhisownsuccess。Andtheremembrancethathewouldbeseveredfromhisownfamilybythethingthathewasdoing，wasverybittertohim。IngenerosityhemightbesilentaboutthistoGrace，butwhocanenduretobesilentonsuchasubjecttothewomanwhoistobehiswife？Andthenitwouldnotbepossibleforhimtoabstainfromsomeexplanation。HewasnowfollowingherdowntoAllington，astepwhichhecertainlywouldnothavetakenbutthemisfortunewhichhadbefallenherfather，andhemustexplaintoherinsomesortofwaywhyhedidso。Hemustsaytoher——ifnotinsomanywords，stillalmostasplainlyaswordscouldspeak——Iamherenowtoaskyoutobemywife，becauseyouspeciallyrequiretheprotectionandcountenanceofthemanwholovesyou，inthepresentcircumstancesofyourfather’saffairs。Heknewthathewasdoingright；——perhapshadsomeideathathewasdoingnobly；butthisveryappreciationofhisowngoodqualitiesmadethetaskbeforethemoredifficult。
MajorGrantlyhadTheTimes，andJohnEameshadTheDailyNews，andtheyexchangedpapers。OnehadthelastSaturday，andtheotherthelastSpectator，andtheexchangedthesealso。BothhadThePallMallGazette，ofwhichenterprisingperiodicaltheygraduallycametodiscussthemeritsanddemerits，thusfallingintoconversationatlast，inspiteoftheweightofthemissiononwhicheachofthemwasintent。Then，atlast，whentheywerewithinhalf—an—houroftheendoftheirjourney，MajorGrantlyaskedhiscompanionwhatwasthebestinnatGuestwick。HehadatfirstbeenmindedtogoontoAllingtonatonce——togoontoAllingtonandgethisworkdone，andthenreturnhomeorremainthere，orfindthenearestinnwithadecentbed，ascircumstancesmightdirecthim。Butonreconsideration，ashedrewnearertothesceneofhisfutureoperations，hethoughtthatitmightbewellforhimtoremainthatnightatGuestwick。HedidnotquiteknowhowfarAllingtonwasfromGuestwick，buthedidknowthatitwasstillmid—winter，andthatthedayswereshort。’TheMagpie’wasthebestinn，Johnnysaid。HavinglivedatGuestwickallhislife，andhavingamotherlivingtherenow，hehadneverhimselfputupat’TheMagpie’buthebelievedittoagoodcountryinn。Theykeptpost—horsesthere，heknew。HedidnottellthestrangerthathislateoldfriendLordDeGuest，andhispresentoldfriendLadyJulia，alwayshiredpost—horsesfrom’TheMagpie’，buthegroundedhisreadyassertionontheremembranceofthatfact。’IthinkI
shallstaytheretonight，’saidthemajor。’You’llfinditprettycomfortable，Idon’tdoubt，’saidJohnny。’Though，indeed，italwaysseemstomethatamanaloneataninnhasaverybadtimeofit。
Readingisallverywell，butonegetstiredofitatlast。AndthenI
hatehorse—hairchairs。’’Itisn’tverydelightful，’saidthemajor，’butbeggarsmustn’tbechoosers。’Thentherewasapause，afterwhichthemajorspokeagain。’Youdon’thappentoknowwhichwayAllingtonlies？’
’Allington！’saidJohnny。
’Yes，Allington。IstherenotavillagecalledAllington？’
’ThereisavillagecalledAllington，certainly。Itliesoverthere。’
AndJohnnypointedwithhisfingerthroughthewindow。’Asyoudonotknowthecountryyoucanseenothing，butIcanseetheAllingtontreesatthismoment。’
’IsupposethereisnoinnatAllington？’
’There’sapublic—house，withaverynicebedroom。Itiscalledthe"RedLion"。MrsForrardkeepsit。Iwouldquiteassoonstaythereasat"TheMagpie"。Onlyiftheydon’texpectyou，theywouldn’thavemuchfordinner。’
’ThenyouknowthevillageofAllington？’
’Yes，IknowthevillageofAllingtonverywell。Ihavefriendslivingthere。Indeed，ImaysayIknoweverybodylivinginAllington。’
’DoyouknowMrsDale？’
’MrsDale，’saidJohnny。’Yes，IknowMrsDale。IhaveknownMrsDaleprettynearlyallmylife。’WhocouldthismanbewhowasgongdowntoseeMrsDale——MrsDale，andconsequently，LilyDale？HethoughtthatheknewMrsDalesowell，thatshecouldhavenovisitorofwhomhewouldnotbeentitledtohavesomeknowledge。ButMajorGrantlyhadnothingmoretosayatthemomentaboutMrsDale。HehadneverseenMrsDaleinhislife，andwasnowgoingtoherhouse，nottoseeher，butafriendofhers。Hefoundthathecouldnotverywellexplainthistoastranger，andthereforeatthemomenthesaidnothingfurther。ButJohnnywouldnotallowthesubjecttobedropped。’HaveyouknownMrsDalelong？’heasked。
’Ihavenotthepleasureofknowingheratall，’saidthemajor。
’Ithought，perhaps，byyouraskingafterher——’
’Iintendtocalluponher，thatisall。Isupposetheywillhaveanomnibusherefrom"TheMagpie"？’Eamessaidthattherenodoubtwouldbeanomnibusfrom’TheMagpie’，andthentheywereattheirjourney’send。
ForthepresentwewillfollowJohnEames，whowentatoncetohismother’shouse。Itwashisintentiontoremaintherefortwoorthreedays，andthengoovertothehouse，orrathertothecottage，ofhisgreatallyLadyJulia，whichlayjustbeyondGuestwickManor，andsomewhatnearertoAllingtonthantothetownofGuestwick。HehadmadeuphismindthathewouldnothimselftooovertoAllingtontillhecoulddosofromGuestwickCottage，asitwascalled，feelingthat，undercertainuntowardcircumstances——shoulduntowardcircumstancesarise——LadyJulia’ssympathymightbemoreendurablethanthatofhismother。ButhewouldtakecarethatitshouldbeknownatAllingtonthathewasintheneighbourhood。HeunderstoodthenecessarystrategyofhiscampaigntoowelltosupposethathecouldstartleLilyintoacceptance。
Withhisownmotherandsister，JohnEameswasinthesedaysquiteahero。Hewasaherowiththemnow，becauseinhisearlyboyishdaystherehadbeensolittleabouthimthatwasheroic。Thentherehadbeenadoubtwhetherhewouldeverearnhisdailybread，andhehadbeenaveryheavyburdenontheslightfamilyresourcesinthematterofjacketsandtrousers。ThepridetakeninJohnnyhadnotbeengreat，thoughthelovefeltforhimhadbeenwarm。Butgraduallythingshadchanged，andJohnEameshadbecomeheroinhismother’seyes。AchancecircumstancehadendearedhimtoEarlDeGuest，andfromthatmomentthingshadgonewellwithhim。Theearlhadgivenhimawatchandhadlefthimafortune，andSirRaffleBufflehadmadehimhisprivatesecretary。Intheolddays，whenJohnny’sloveforLilyDalewasfirstdiscussedbyhismotherandsister，theyhadthoughtitimpossiblethatLilyshouldeverbringherselftoregardwithaffectionsohumbleasuitor；——fortheDaleshaveeverheldtheirheadsupintheworld。ButnowthereisnomisgivingonthatscorewithMrsEamesandherdaughter。
TheirwonderthatLilyDaleshouldbesuchafoolastodeclinetheloveofsuchaman。SoJohnnywasreceivedwithrespectduetoahero，aswellaswiththeaffectionbelongingtoason；——bywhichImeanittobeinferredthatMrsEameshadgotalittlebitoffishfordinneraswellasalegofmutton。
’AmancamedowninthetrainwithmewhosaysheisgoingovertoAllington，’saidJohnny。’Iwonderwhohecanbe。Heisstayingat"TheMagpie"。’
’AfriendofCaptainDale’sprobably，’saidMary。CaptainDalewasthesquire’snephewandhisheir。
’Butthismanwasnotgoingtothesquire’s。HewasgoingtotheSmallHouse。’
’Ishegoingtostaythere？’
’Isupposenot，asheaskedabouttheinn。’Then，JohnnyreflectedthathemightpossiblybeafriendofCrosbie’s，andbecamemelancholyinconsequence。Crosbiemighthavethoughtitexpedienttosendanambassadordowntopreparethegroundforhimbeforeheshouldventureagainuponthescenehimself。Ifitwereso，woulditnotbewellthathe，JohnEames，shouldgetovertoLilyassoonaspossible，andnotwaittillheshouldbestayingwithLadyJulia？
ItwasatanyrateincumbentuponhimtocalluponLadyJuliathenextmorning，becauseofhiscommission。TheBerlinwoolmightremaininhisportmanteautillhisportmanteaushouldgowithhimtothecottage；buthewouldtakethespectaclesatonce，andhemustexplaintoLadyJuliawhatthelawyershadtoldhimabouttheincome。Sohehiredasaddle—horsefrom’TheMagpie’andstartedafterbreakfastonthemorningafterhisarrival。Inhisunheroicdayshewouldhavewalked——ashehaddone，scoresoftimes，overthewholedistancefromGuestwicktoAllington。Butnow，inthesegranderdays，hethoughtabouthisbootsandthemud，andtheformalappearanceofthething。’Ahdear，’hesaidtohimself，asthenagwalkedslowlyoutofthetown，’itusedtobebetterwiththeolddays。Ihardlyhopedthatshewouldeveracceptme，butatleastshehadneverrefusedme。AndthenthatbrutehadnotasyetmadehiswaydowntoAllington！’
Hedidnotgoveryfast。Afterleavingthetownhetrottedonforamileorso。ButwhenhegottothepalingsofGuestwickManorhelettheanimalwalkagain，andhismindranbackovertheincidentsofhislifewhichwereconnectedwiththeplace。HerememberedacertainlongramblewhichhehadtakeninthosedayswoodsafterLilyhadrefusedhim。ThathadbeensubsequenttotheCrosbieepisodeinhislife，andJohnnyhadbeenledtohopebycertainofhisfriends——especiallybyLordDeGuestandhissister——thathemightthenbesuccessful。Buthehadbeenunsuccessful，andhadpassedthebitteresthouroflifewanderingaboutinthosewoods。Sincethathehadbeenunsuccessfulagainandagain；butthebitternessoffailurehadnotbeensostrongwithhimasonthatfirstoccasion。Hewouldtryagainnow，andifhefailed，hewouldfailforthelasttime。Ashewasthinkingofallthis，agigovertookhimontheroad，andonlookingroundhesawthattheoccupantofthegigwasthemanwhohadtravelledwithhimonthepreviousdayinthetrain。
MajorGrantlywasaloneinthegig，andasherecognisedJohnEameshestoppedhishorse。’AreyougoingtoAllington？’heasked。JohnEames，withsomethingofscorninhisvoice，repliedthathehadnointentionofgoingtoAllingtononthatday。HestillthoughtthatthismanmightbeanemissaryfromCrosbie，andthereforeresolvedthatbutscantcourtesywasduetohim。’Iamonmywaytherenow，’saidGrantly，’andamgoingtothehouseofyourfriend。MayItellherthatItravelledwithyouyesterday？’
’Yes，sir，’saidJohnny。’YoumaytellherthatyoucamedownwithJohnEames。’
’AndareyouJohnEames？’askedthemajor。
’Ifyouhavenoobjection，’saidJohnny。’ButIcanhardlysupposethatyouhaveheardofmynamebefore？’
’ItisfamiliartomebecauseIhavethepleasureofknowingacousinofyours，GraceCrawley。’
’MycousinisatpresentstayingatAllingtonwithMrsDale，’saidJohnny。
’Justso，’saidthemajor，whonowbegantoreflectthathehadbeenindiscreetinmentioningGraceCrawley’sname。Nodoubteveryoneconnectedwiththefamily，alltheCrawleys，alltheDales，andalltheEames’s，wouldsoonknowthebusinesswhichhadbroughthimdowntoAllngton；butheneednothavetakenthetroubleofbeginningthestoryhimself。JohnEames，intruth，hadneverheardofMajorGrantly’sname，andwasquiteunawareofthefortunewhichawaitedhiscousin。Evenafterwhathehadnowbeentold，hestillsuspectedthestrangerofbeinganemissaryfromhisenemy；butthemajor，notgivinghimcreditforhisignorance，wasannoyedwithhimselfforhavingtoldsomuchofhisownhistory。’IwilltelltheladiesthatIhadthepleasureofmeetingyou，’hesaid；’thatis，ifIamluckyenoughtoseethem。’Andthenhedroveon。
’IknowIshouldhatethatfellowifIweretomeethimanywhereagain，’
saidJohnnytohimselfasherodeon。’WhenItakeanaversiontoafellowatfirstsight，Ialwayssticktoit。It’sinstinct，Isuppose。’
AndhewasstillgivinghimselfcreditforthestrengthofhisinstinctswhenhereachedLadyJulia’scottage。Herodeatonceintothestable—yard，withtheprivilegeofanaccustomedfriendofthehouse，andhavinggivenuphishorse，enteredthecottagebythebackdoor。’Ismyladyathome，Jemima？’hesaidtothemaid。
’Yes，MrJohn；sheisinthedrawing—room，andfriendsofyoursarewithher。’Thenhewasannounced，andfoundhimselfinthepresenceofLadyJulia，LilyDale，andGraceCrawley。
Hewasverywarmlyreceived。LadyJuliareallylovedhimdearly，andwouldhavedoneanythinginherpowertobringaboutamatchbetweenhimandLily。Gracewashiscousin，andthoughshehadnotseenhimoften，shewaspreparedtolovehimdearlyasLily’slover。AndLily——Lilylovedhimdearlytoo——ifonlyshecouldhavebroughtherselftolovehimashewishedtobeloved！ToallofthemJohnnyEameswassomethingofahero。Atanyrateintheeyesofallofthemhepossessedthosevirtueswhichseemedtothemtojustifytheminpettinghimandmakingmuchofhim。
’Iamsogladyou’vecome——thatis，ifyou’vebroughtmyspectacles，’
saidLadyJulia。
’Mypocketsarecrammedwithspectacles，’saidJohnny。
’Andwhenareyoucomingtome？’
’IwasthinkingofTuesday。’
’No；don’tcometillWednesday。ButImeanMonday。No；Mondaywon’tdo。ComeonTuesday——early，anddrivemeout。Andnowtellusthenews。’
Johnnysworethattherewasnonews。HemadeabraveattempttobegayandeasybeforeLily；buthefailed，andheknewthathefailed——andheknewthatsheknewthathefailed。’Mammawillbesogladtoseeyou，’
saidLily。’Isupposeyouhaven’tseenBellyet？’
’IonlygottoGuestwickyesterdayafternoon，’saidhe。
’AnditwillbesoniceourhavingGraceattheSmallHouse；——won’tit？
UncleChristopherhasquitetakenapassionforGrace——sothatIamhardlyanybodynowintheAllingtonworld。’
’By—the—by，’saidJohnny，’Icamedownherewithafriendofyours，Grace。’
’Afriendofmine？’saidGrace。
’Sohesays，andheisatAllingtonatthismoment。Hepassedmeinthegigdownhere。’
’Andwhatwashisname？’Lilyasked。
’Ihavenottheremotestidea，’saidJohnny。’Heisamanaboutmyownage，verygood—looking，andapparentlyverywellabletotakecareofhimself。Heisshort—sighted，andholdsaglassinoneeyewhenhelooksoutofacarriagewindow。That’sallIknowabouthim。
GraceCrawley’sfacehadbecomesuffusedwithblushesatthefirstmentionofthefriendandthegig；butthenGraceblushedveryeasily。
Lilyknewallaboutitatonce；——atoncedivinedwhomustbethefriendinthegig，andwasalmostbesideherselfwithjoy。LadyJulia，whohadheardnomoreofthemajorthanhadJohnny，wasstillcleverenoughtoperceivethatthefriendmustbeaparticularfriend——forshehadnoticedMissCrawley’sblushes。AndGraceherselfhadnodoubtastotheman。Thepictureofherlover，withtheglassinhiseyeashelookedoutofthewindow，hadbeentooperfecttoadmitofadoubt。InherdistresssheputoutherhandandtookholdofLily’sdress。
’AndyousayheisatAllingtonnow？’saidLily。
’IhavenodoubtheisattheSmallHouseatthismoment，’saidJohnny。