hecan’tliveontheinterestofhisfeelings。HeworshipsSophyandsheseemedtobefondofhim。Ifshe’schangedit’sbeenverysudden。Andiftheypartlikethis，angrilyandinarticulately，itwillhurthimhorribly——hurthisverysoul。Butthat，asyousay，isbetweenthetwo。Whatconcernsmeishisassociatingyouwiththeirquarrel。
　　Owen’slikemyownson——ifyou’dseenhimwhenIfirstcamehereyou’dknowwhy。Wewereliketwoprisonerswhotalktoeachotherbytappingonthewall。He’sneverforgottenit，norI。WhetherhebreakswithSophy，orwhethertheymakeitup，Ican’tlethimthinkyouhadanythingtodowithit。"
　　SheraisedhereyesentreatinglytoDarrow’s，andreadinthemtheforbearanceofthemanresignedtothediscussionofnon—existentproblems。
　　"I’lldowhateveryouwantmeto，"hesaid；"butIdon’tyetknowwhatitis。"
　　Hissmileseemedtochargeherwithinconsequence，andthepricktoherpridemadehercontinue："Afterall，it’snotsounnaturalthatOwen，knowingyouandSophytobealmoststrangers，shouldwonderwhatyouweresayingtoeachotherwhenhesawyoutalkingtogether。"
　　Shefeltawarningtremorasshespoke，asthoughsomeinstinctdeeperthanreasonsurgedupindefenseofitstreasure。ButDarrow’sfacewasunstirredsavebytheflitofhishalf—amusedsmile。
　　"Well，mydear——andcouldn’tyouhavetoldhim？"
　　"I？"shefalteredoutthroughherblush。
　　"Youseemtoforget，oneandallofyou，thepositionyouputmeinwhenIcamedownhere：yourappealtometoseeOwenthrough，yourassurancetohimthatIwould，MadamedeChantelle’sattempttowinmeover；andmostofall，myownsenseofthefactyou’vejustrecalledtome：theimportance，forbothofus，thatOwenshouldlikeme。ItseemedtomethatthefirstthingtodowastogetasmuchlightasIcouldonthewholesituation；andtheobviouswayofdoingitwastotrytoknowMissVinerbetter。OfcourseI’vetalkedwithheralone——I’vetalkedwithherasoftenasIcould。I’vetriedmybesttofindoutifyouwererightinencouragingOwentomarryher。"
　　Shelistenedwithagrowingsenseofreassurance，strugglingtoseparatetheabstractsenseofhiswordsfromthepersuasioninwhichhiseyesandvoiceenvelopedthem。
　　"Isee——Idosee，"shemurmured。
　　"Youmustsee，also，thatIcouldhardlysaythistoOwenwithoutoffendinghimstillmore，andperhapsincreasingthebreachbetweenMissVinerandhimself。WhatsortoffigureshouldIcutifItoldhimI’dbeentryingtofindoutifhe’dmadeaproperchoice？Inanycase，it’snoneofmybusinesstoofferanexplanationofwhatshejustlysaysdoesn’tneedone。Ifshedeclinestospeak，it’sobviouslyonthegroundthatOwen’sinsinuationsareabsurd；andthatsurelypledgesmetosilence。"
　　"Yes，yes！Isee，"Annarepeated。"ButIdon’twantyoutoexplainanythingtoOwen。"
　　"Youhaven’tyettoldmewhatyoudowant。"
　　Shehesitated，consciousofthedifficultyofjustifyingherrequest；then："IwantyoutospeaktoSophy，"shesaid。
　　Darrowbrokeintoanincredulouslaugh。"Consideringwhatmypreviousattemptshaveresultedin————！"
　　Sheraisedhereyesquickly。"Theyhaven’t，atleast，resultedinyourlikingherless，inyourthinkinglesswellofherthanyou’vetoldme？"
　　Shefanciedhefrownedalittle。"Iwonderwhyyougobacktothat？"
　　"Iwanttobesure——IoweittoOwen。Won’tyoutellmetheexactimpressionshe’sproducedonyou？"
　　"Ihavetoldyou——IlikeMissViner。"
　　"Doyoustillbelieveshe’sinlovewithOwen？"
　　"Therewasnothinginourshorttalkstothrowanyparticularlightonthat。"
　　"Youstillbelieve，though，thatthere’snoreasonwhyheshouldn’tmarryher？"
　　Againhebetrayedarestrainedimpatience。"HowcanI
　　answerthatwithoutknowingherreasonsforbreakingwithhim？"
　　"That’sjustwhatIwantyoutofindoutfromher。"
　　"Andwhyintheworldshouldshetellme？"
　　"Because，whatevergrievanceshehasagainstOwen，shecancertainlyhavenoneagainstme。Shecan’twanttohaveOwenconnectmeinhismindwiththiswretchedquarrel；andshemustseethathewilluntilhe’sconvincedyou’vehadnoshareinit。"
　　Darrow’selbowdroppedfromthemantel—pieceandhetookarestlesssteportwoacrosstheroom。Thenhehaltedbeforeher。
　　"Whycan’tyoutellherthisyourself？"
　　"Don’tyousee？"
　　Heeyedherintently，andshepressedon："YoumusthaveguessedthatOwen’sjealousofyou。"
　　"Jealousofme？"Thebloodflewupunderhisbrownskin。
　　"Blindwithit——whatelsewoulddrivehimtothisfolly？AndIcan’thaveherthinkmejealoustoo！I’vesaidallI
　　could，shortofmakingherthinkso；andshe’srefusedawordmoretoeitherofus。Ouronlychancenowisthatsheshouldlistentoyou——thatyoushouldmakeherseetheharmhersilencemaydo。"
　　Darrowutteredaprotestingexclamation。"It’salltoopreposterous——whatyousuggest！Ican’t，atanyrate，appealtoheronsuchagroundasthat！"
　　Annalaidherhandonhisarm。"AppealtoheronthegroundthatI’malmostOwen’smother，andthatanyestrangementbetweenyouandhimwouldkillme。Sheknowswhatheis——
　　she’llunderstand。Tellhertosayanything，doanything，shewishes；butnottogoawaywithoutspeaking，nottoleaveTHATbetweenuswhenshegoes！"
　　Shedrewbackastepandliftedherfacetohis，tryingtolookintohiseyesmoredeeplythanshehadeverlooked；butbeforeshecoulddiscernwhattheyexpressedhehadtakenholdofherhandsandbenthisheadtokissthem。
　　"You’llseeher？You’llseeher？"sheentreated；andheanswered："I’lldoanythingintheworldyouwantmeto。"
　　XXVI
　　Darrowwaitedaloneinthesitting—room。
　　Noplacecouldhavebeenmoredistastefulasthesceneofthetalkthatlaybeforehim；buthehadaccededtoAnna’ssuggestionthatitwouldseemmorenaturalforhertosummonSophyVinerthanforhimtogoinsearchofher。Ashistroubledpacingscarriedhimbackandfortharelentlesshandseemedtobetearingawayallthetenderfibresofassociationthatboundhimtothepeacefulroom。Here，inthisveryplace，hehaddrunkhisdeepestdraughtsofhappiness，hadhadhislipsatthefountain—headofitsoverflowingrivers；butnowthatsourcewaspoisonedandhewouldtastenomoreofanuntaintedcup。
　　Foramomenthefeltanactualphysicalanguish；thenhisnerveshardenedforthecomingstruggle。Hehadnonotionofwhatawaitedhim；butafterthefirstinstinctiverecoilhehadseeninaflashtheurgentneedofanotherwordwithSophyViner。HehadbeeninsincereinlettingAnnathinkthathehadconsentedtospeakbecausesheaskedit。Inrealityhehadbeenfeverishlycastingaboutforthepretextshehadgivenhim；andforsomereasonthistrivialhypocrisyweighedonhimmorethanallhisheavyburdenofdeceit。
　　AtlengthheheardastepbehindhimandSophyVinerentered。Whenshesawhimshepausedonthethresholdandhalfdrewback。
　　"IwastoldthatMrs。Leathhadsentforme。"
　　"Mrs。LeathDIDsendforyou。She’llbeherepresently；
　　butIaskedhertoletmeseeyoufirst。"
　　Hespokeverygently，andtherewasnoinsincerityinhisgentleness。Hewasprofoundlymovedbythechangeinthegirl’sappearance。Atsightofhimshehadforcedasmile；
　　butitlitupherwretchednesslikeacandle—flameheldtoadeadface。
　　Shemadenoreply，andDarrowwenton："Youmustunderstandmywantingtospeaktoyou，afterwhatIwastoldjustnow。"
　　Sheinterposed，withagestureofprotest："I’mnotresponsibleforOwen’sravings！"
　　"Ofcourse————"。Hebrokeoffandtheystoodfacingeachother。Sheliftedahandandpushedbackherlooselockwiththegesturethatwasburntintohismemory；thenshelookedaboutheranddroppedintothenearestchair。
　　"Well，you’vegotwhatyouwanted，"shesaid。
　　"WhatdoyoumeanbywhatIwanted？"
　　"Myengagement’sbroken——youheardmesayso。"
　　"Whydoyousaythat’swhatIwanted？AllIwished，fromthebeginning，wastoadviseyou，tohelpyouasbestIcould——
　　——"
　　"That’swhatyou’vedone，"sherejoined。"You’veconvincedmethatit’sbestIshouldn’tmarryhim。"
　　Darrowbrokeintoadespairinglaugh。"Attheverymomentwhenyou’dconvincedmetothecontrary！"
　　"HadI？"Hersmileflickeredup。"Well，Ireallybelievedittillyoushowedme……warnedme……"
　　"Warnedyou？"
　　"ThatI’dbemiserableifImarriedamanIdidn’tlove。"
　　"Don’tyoulovehim？"
　　Shemadenoanswer，andDarrowstartedupandwalkedawaytotheotherendoftheroom。Hestoppedbeforethewriting—
　　table，wherehisphotograph，well—dressed，handsome，self—
　　sufficient——theportraitofamanoftheworld，confidentofhisabilitytodealadequatelywiththemostdelicatesituations——offereditshugefatuitytohisgaze。Heturnedbacktoher。"It’sratherhardonOwen，isn’tit，thatyoushouldhavewaiteduntilnowtotellhim？"
　　Shereflectedamomentbeforeanswering。"ItoldhimassoonasIknew。"
　　"Knewthatyoucouldn’tmarryhim？"
　　"KnewthatIcouldneverliveherewithhim。"Shelookedabouttheroom，asthoughtheverywallsmustspeakforher。
　　ForamomentDarrowcontinuedtosearchherfaceperplexedly；thentheireyesmetinalongdisastrousgaze。
　　"Yes————"shesaid，andstoodup。
　　BelowthewindowtheyheardEffiewhistlingforherdogs，andthen，fromtheterrace，hermothercallingher。
　　"There——THATforinstance，"SophyVinersaid。
　　Darrowbrokeout："It’sIwhooughttogo！"
　　Shekepthersmallpalesmile。"Whatgoodwouldthatdoanyofus——now？"
　　Hecoveredhisfacewithhishands。"GoodGod！"hegroaned。
　　"HowcouldItell？"
　　"Youcouldn’ttell。Weneitherofuscould。"Sheseemedtoturntheproblemovercritically。"Afterall，itmighthavebeenYOUinsteadofme！"
　　Hetookanotherdistractedturnabouttheroomandcomingbacktohersatdowninachairatherside。Amockinghandseemedtodashthewordsfromhislips。Therewasnothingonearththathecouldsaytoherthatwasn’tfoolishorcruelorcontemptible……
　　"Mydear，"hebeganatlast，"oughtn’tyou，atanyrate，totry？"
　　Hergazegrewgrave。"Trytoforgetyou？"
　　Heflushedtotheforehead。"Imeant，trytogiveOwenmoretime；togivehimachance。He’smadlyinlovewithyou；
　　allthegoodthat’sinhimisinyourhands。Hisstep—motherfeltthatfromthefirst。Andshethought——shebelieved————
　　"
　　"ShethoughtIcouldmakehimhappy。Wouldshethinksonow？"
　　"Now……？Idon’tsaynow。Butlater？Timemodifies……rubsout……morequicklythanyouthink……Goaway，butlethimhope……I’mgoingtoo——WE’REgoing——"hestumbledontheplural——"inaveryfewweeks：goingforalongtime，probably。Whatyou’rethinkingofnowmayneverhappen。Wemaynotallbeheretogetheragainforyears。"
　　Sheheardhimoutinsilence，herhandsclaspedonherknee，hereyesbentonthem。"Forme，"shesaid，"you’llalwaysbehere。"
　　"Don’tsaythat——oh，don’t！Thingschange……peoplechange……You’llsee！"
　　"Youdon’tunderstand。Idon’twantanythingtochange。I
　　don’twanttoforget——torubout。AtfirstIimaginedI
　　did；butthatwasafoolishmistake。AssoonasIsawyouagainIknewit……It’snotbeingherewithyouthatI’mafraidof——inthesenseyouthink。It’sbeinghere，oranywhere，withOwen。"Shestoodupandbenthertragicsmileonhim。"Iwanttokeepyoualltomyself。"
　　Theonlywordsthatcametohimwerefutiledenunciationsofhisfolly；butthesenseoftheirfutilitycheckedthemonhislips。"Poorchild——youpoorchild！"heheardhimselfvainlyrepeating。
　　Suddenlyhefeltthestrongreactionofrealityanditsimpetusbroughthimtohisfeet。"Whateverhappens，I
　　intendtogo——togoforgood，"heexclaimed。"Iwantyoutounderstandthat。Oh，don’tbeafraid——I’llfindareason。
　　Butit’sperfectlyclearthatImustgo。"
　　Sheutteredaprotestingcry。"Goaway？You？Don’tyouseethatthatwouldtelleverything——drageverybodyintothehorror？"
　　Hefoundnoanswer，andhervoicedroppedbacktoitscalmernote。"Whatgoodwouldyourgoingdo？Doyousupposeitwouldchangeanythingforme？"Shelookedathimwithamusingwistfulness。"Iwonderwhatyourfeelingformewas？
　　ItseemsqueerthatI’veneverreallyknown——IsupposeweDON’Tknowmuchaboutthatkindoffeeling。Isitliketakingadrinkwhenyou’rethirsty？……Iusedtofeelasifallofmewasinthepalmofyourhand……"
　　Hebowedhishumbledhead，butshewentonalmostexultantly："Don’tforaminutethinkI’msorry！Itwaswortheverypennyitcost。Mymistakewasinbeingashamed，justatfirst，ofitshavingcostsuchalot。Itriedtocarryitoffasajoke——totalkofittomyselfasan’adventure’。I’dalwayswantedadventures，andyou’dgivenmeone，andItriedtotakeyourattitudeaboutit，to’playthegame’andconvincemyselfthatIhadn’triskedanymoreonitthanyou。Then，whenImetyouagain，IsuddenlysawthatIHADriskedmore，butthatI’dwonmore，too——suchworlds！I’dbeentryingallthewhiletoputeverythingI
　　couldbetweenus；nowIwanttosweepeverythingaway。I’dbeentryingtoforgethowyoulooked；nowIwanttorememberyoualways。I’dbeentryingnottohearyourvoice；nowI
　　neverwanttohearanyother。I’vemademychoice——that’sall：I’vehadyouandImeantokeepyou。"Herfacewasshininglikehereyes。"Tokeepyouhiddenawayhere，"sheended，andputherhanduponherbreast。
　　Aftershehadlefthim，Darrowcontinuedtositmotionless，staringbackintotheirpast。Hithertoithadlingeredontheedgeofhismindinavaguepinkblur，likeoneofthelittlerose—leafcloudsthatasettingsundropsfromitsdisk。Nowitwasahugeloomingdarkness，throughwhichhiseyesvainlystrained。Thewholeepisodewasstillobscuretohim，savewherehereandthere，astheytalked，somephraseorgestureorintonationofthegirl’shadlitupalittlespotinthenight。
　　Shehadsaid："Iwonderwhatyourfeelingformewas？"andhefoundhimselfwonderingtoo……Heremembereddistinctlyenoughthathehadnotmeanttheperilouspassion——eveninitsmosttransientform——toplayapartintheirrelation。
　　Inthatrespecthisattitudehadbeenabovereproach。Shewasanunusuallyoriginalandattractivecreature，towhomhehadwantedtogiveafewdaysofharmlesspleasuring，andwhowasalertandexpertenoughtounderstandhisintentionandsparehimtheboredomofhesitationsandmisinterpretations。Thathadbeenhisfirstimpression，andhersubsequentdemeanourhadjustifiedit。Shehadbeen，fromtheoutset，justthefrankandeasycomradehehadexpectedtofindher。Wasithe，then，who，inthesequel，hadgrownimpatientoftheboundshehadsethimself？Wasithiswoundedvanitythat，seekingbalmforitshurt，yearnedtodipdeeperintothehealingpoolofhercompassion？Inhisconfusedmemoryofthesituationheseemednottohavebeenguiltlessofsuchyearnings……Yetforthefirstfewdaystheexperimenthadbeenperfectlysuccessful。Herenjoymenthadbeenuncloudedandhispleasureinitundisturbed。Itwasverygradually——heseemedtosee——thatashadeoflassitudehadcreptovertheirintercourse。
　　Perhapsitwasbecause，whenherlightchatteraboutpeoplefailed，hefoundshehadnootherfundtodrawon，orperhapssimplybecauseofthesweetnessofherlaugh，orofthecharmofthegesturewithwhich，onedayinthewoodsofMarly，shehadtossedoffherhatandtiltedbackherheadatthecallofacuckoo；orbecause，wheneverhelookedatherunexpectedly，hefoundthatshewaslookingathimanddidnotwanthimtoknowit；orperhaps，invaryingdegrees，becauseofallthesethings，thattherehadcomeamomentwhennowordseemedtoflyhighenoughordivedeepenoughtoutterthesenseofwell—beingeachgavetotheother，andthenaturalsubstituteforspeechhadbeenakiss。
　　Thekiss，atallevents，hadcomeattheprecisemomenttosavetheirventurefromdisaster。Theyhadreachedthepointwhenheramazingreminiscenceshadbeguntoflag，whenherfuturehadbeenexhaustivelydiscussed，hertheatricalprospectsminutelystudied，herquarrelwithMrs。Murrettretoldwiththelastamplificationofdetail，andwhen，perhapsconsciousofherexhaustedresourcesandhisdwindlinginterest，shehadcommittedthefatalerrorofsayingthatshecouldseehewasunhappy，andentreatinghimtotellherwhy……
　　Fromthebrinkofestrangingconfidences，andfromtheriskofunfavourablecomparisons，hisgesturehadsnatchedherbacktosafety；andassoonashehadkissedherhefeltthatshewouldneverborehimagain。Shewasoneoftheelementalcreatureswhoseemotionisallintheirpulses，andwhobecomeinexpressiveorsentimentalwhentheytrytoturnsensationintospeech。Hiscaresshadrestoredhertohernaturalplaceintheschemeofthings，andDarrowfeltasifhehadclaspedatreeandanymphhadbloomedfromit……
　　Themerefactofnothavingtolistentoheranylongeraddedimmenselytohercharm。Shecontinued，ofcourse，totalktohim，butitdidn’tmatter，becausehenolongermadeanyefforttofollowherwords，butlethervoicerunonasamusicalundercurrenttohisthoughts。
　　Shehadn’tadropofpoetryinher，butshehadsomeofthequalitiesthatcreateitinothers；andinmomentsofheattheimaginationdoesnotalwaysfeelthedifference……
　　Lyingbesideherintheshade，Darrowfeltherpresenceasapartofthecharmedstillnessofthesummerwoods，astheelementofvaguewell—beingthatsuffusedhissensesandlulledtosleeptheacheofwoundedpride。Allheaskedofher，asyet，wasatouchonthehandoronthelips——andthatsheshouldlethimgoonlyingtherethroughthelongwarmhours，whileablack—bird’ssongthrobbedlikeafountain，andthesummerwindstirredinthetrees，andcloseby，betweenthenearestbranchesandthebrimofhistiltedhat，aslightwhitefiguregatheredupallthefloatingthreadsofjoy……
　　Herecalled，too，havingnoticed，ashelaystaringatabreakinthetree—tops，astreamofmares’—tailscomingupthesky。Hehadsaidtohimself："Itwillrainto—morrow，"
　　andthethoughthadmadetheairseemwarmerandthesunmorevividonherhair……Perhapsifthemares’—tailshadnotcomeuptheskytheiradventuremighthavehadnosequel。
　　Butthecloudbroughtrain，andnextmorninghelookedoutofhiswindowintoacoldgreyblur。Theyhadplannedanall—dayexcursiondowntheSeine，tothetwoAndelysandRouen，andnow，withthelonghoursontheirhands，theywerebothalittleataloss……TherewastheLouvre，ofcourse，andtheLuxembourg；buthehadtriedlookingatpictureswithher，shehadfirstsopersistentlyadmiredtheworstthings，andthensofranklylapsedintoindifference，thathehadnowishtorepeattheexperiment。Sotheywentout，aimlessly，andtookacoldwetwalk，turningatlengthintothedesertedarcadesofthePalaisRoyal，andfinallydriftingintooneofitsequallydesertedrestaurants，wheretheylunchedaloneandsomewhatdolefully，servedbyawanoldwaiterwiththelookofacastawaywhohasgivenupwatchingforasail……Itwasoddhowthewaiter’sfacecamebacktohim……
　　Perhapsbutfortherainitmightneverhavehappened；butwhatwastheuseofthinkingofthatnow？Hetriedtoturnhisthoughtstomoreurgentissues；but，byastrangeperversityofassociation，everydetailofthedaywasforcingitselfonhismindwithaninsistencefromwhichtherewasnoescape。Reluctantlyherelivedthelongwetwalkbacktothehotel，afteratedioushouratacinematographshowontheBoulevard。Itwasstillrainingwhentheywithdrewfromthisstalespectacle，butshehadobstinatelyrefusedtotakeacab，hadeven，ontheway，insistedonloiteringunderthedrippingawningsofshop—
　　windowsandpokingintodraughtypassages，andfinally，whentheyhadnearlyreachedtheirdestination，hadgonesofarastosuggestthattheyshouldturnbacktohuntupsomeshowshehadheardofinatheatreattheBatignolles。Butatthathehadsomewhatirritablyprotested：herememberedthat，forthefirsttime，theywerebothratherirritable，andvaguelydisposedtoresistoneanother’ssuggestions。
　　Hisfeetwerewet，andhewastiredofwalking，andsickofthesmellofstuffyunairedtheatres，andhehadsaidhemustreallygetbacktowritesomeletters——andsotheyhadkeptontothehotel……
　　XXVII
　　DarrowhadnoideahowlonghehadsattherewhenheheardAnna’shandonthedoor。Theeffortofrising，andofcomposinghisfacetomeether，gavehimafactitioussenseofself—control。Hesaidtohimself："Imustdecideonsomething————"andthatliftedhimahair’sbreadthabovethewhirlingwaters。
　　Shecameinwithalighterstep，andheinstantlyperceivedthatsomethingunforeseenandreassuringhadhappened。
　　"She’sbeenwithme。Shecameandfoundmeontheterrace。
　　We’vehadalongtalkandshe’sexplainedeverything。I
　　feelasifI’dneverknownherbefore！"
　　Hervoicewassomovedandtenderthatitcheckedhisstartofapprehension。
　　"She’sexplained————？"
　　"It’snatural，isn’tit，thatsheshouldhavefeltalittlesoreatthekindofinspectionshe’sbeensubjectedto？Oh，notfromyou——Idon’tmeanthat！ButMadamedeChantelle’sopposition——andhersendingforAdelaidePainter！Shetoldmefranklyshedidn’tcaretooweherhusbandtoAdelaidePainter……ShethinksnowthatherannoyanceatfeelingherselfsotalkedoverandscrutinizedmayhaveshownitselfinhermannertoOwen，andsethimimaginingtheinsanethingshedid……Iunderstandallshemusthavefelt，andI
　　agreewithherthatit’sbestsheshouldgoawayforawhile。She’smademe，"Annasummedup，"feelasifI’dbeendreadfullythick—skinnedandobtuse！"
　　"YOU？"
　　"Yes。AsifI’dtreatedherlikethebric—a—bracthatusedtobesentdownhere’onapproval，’toseeifitwouldlookwellwiththeotherpieces。"Sheadded，withasuddenflushofenthusiasm："I’mgladshe’sgotitinhertomakeonefeellikethat！"
　　SheseemedtowaitforDarrowtoagreewithher，ortoputsomeotherquestion，andhefinallyfoundvoicetoask：
　　"Thenyouthinkit’snotafinalbreak？"
　　"Ihopenot——I’veneverhopeditmore！IhadawordwithOwen，too，afterIlefther，andIthinkheunderstandsthathemustlethergowithoutinsistingonanypositivepromise。She’sexcited……hemustlethercalmdown……"
　　Againshewaited，andDarrowsaid："Surelyyoucanmakehimseethat。"
　　"She’llhelpmeto——she’stoseehim，ofcourse，beforeshegoes。Shestartsimmediately，bytheway，withAdelaidePainter，whoismotoringovertoFrancheuiltocatchtheoneo’clockexpress——andwho，ofcourse，knowsnothingofallthis，andissimplytobetoldthatSophyhasbeensentforbytheFarlows。"
　　Darrowmutelysignedhiscomprehension，andshewenton：
　　"OwenisparticularlyanxiousthatneitherAdelaidenorhisgrandmothershouldhavetheleastinklingofwhat’shappened。TheneedofshieldingSophywillhelphimtocontrolhimself。He’scomingtohissenses，poorboy；he’sashamedofhiswildtalkalready。Heaskedmetotellyouso；nodoubthe’lltellyousohimself。"
　　Darrowmadeamovementofprotest。"Oh，astothat——thething’snotworthanotherword。"
　　"Oranotherthought，either？"Shebrightened。"Promisemeyouwon’teventhinkofit——promisemeyouwon’tbehardonhim！"
　　Hewasfindingiteasiertosmilebackather。"WhyshouldyouthinkitnecessarytoaskmyindulgenceforOwen？"
　　Shehesitatedamoment，hereyeswanderingfromhim。Thentheycamebackwithasmile。"PerhapsbecauseIneeditformyself。"
　　"Foryourself？"