carestohearme。'

Everywomanwhomakesapermanentimpressiononamanisusuallyrecalledtohismind'seyeassheappearedinoneparticularscene，whichseemsordainedtobeherspecialformofmanifestationthroughoutthepagesofhismemory。AsthepatronSainthasherattitudeandaccessoriesinmediaevalillumination，sothesweetheartmaybesaidtohavehersuponthetableofhertrueLove'sfancy，withoutwhichsheisrarelyintroducedthereexceptbyeffort；andthisthoughshemay，onfurtheracquaintance，havebeenobservedinmanyotherphaseswhichonewouldimaginetobefarmoreappropriatetolove'syoungdream。

MissElfride'simagechosetheforminwhichshewasbeheldduringtheseminutesofsinging，forherpermanentattitudeofvisitationtoStephen'seyesduringhissleepingandwakinghoursinafterdays。Theprofileisseenofayoungwomaninapalegraysilkdresswithtrimmingsofswan's-down，andopeningupfromapointinfront，likeawaistcoatwithoutashirt；thecoolcolourcontrastingadmirablywiththewarmbloomofherneckandface。

Thefurthermostcandleonthepianocomesimmediatelyinalinewithherhead，andhalfinvisibleitself，formstheaccidentallyfrizzledhairintoanebuloushazeoflight，surroundinghercrownlikeanaureola。Herhandsareintheirplaceonthekeys，herlipsparted，andtrillingforth，inatenderdiminuendo，theclosingwordsofthesadapostrophe:

'OLove，whobewailestThefrailtyofallthingshere，WhychooseyouthefrailestForyourcradle，yourhome，andyourbier!'

Herheadisforwardalittle，andhereyesdirectedkeenlyupwardtothetopofthepageofmusicconfrontingher。ThencomesarapidlookintoStephen'sface，andastillmorerapidlookbackagaintoherbusiness，herfacehavingdroppeditssadness，andacquiredacertainexpressionofmischievousarchnessthewhile；

whichlingeredthereforsometime，butwasneverdevelopedintoapositivesmileofflirtation。

Stephensuddenlyshiftedhispositionfromherrighthandtoherleft，wheretherewasjustroomenoughforasmallottomantostandbetweenthepianoandthecorneroftheroom。Intothisnookhesqueezedhimself，andgazedwistfullyupintoElfride'sface。Solongandsoearnestlygazedhe，thathercheekdeepenedtoamoreandmorecrimsontintaseachlinewasaddedtohersong。Concluding，andpausingmotionlessafterthelastwordforaminuteortwo，sheventuredtolookathimagain。Hisfeaturesworeanexpressionofunutterableheaviness。

'Youdon'thearmanysongs，doyou，Mr。Smith，totakesomuchnoticeoftheseofmine？'

'PerhapsitwasthemeansandvehicleofthesongthatIwasnoticing:Imeanyourself，'heansweredgently。

'Now，Mr。Smith!'

'Itisperfectlytrue；Idon'thearmuchsinging。YoumistakewhatIam，Ifancy。BecauseIcomeasastrangertoasecludedspot，youthinkImustneedscomefromalifeofbustle，andknowthelatestmovementsoftheday。ButIdon't。Mylifeisasquietasyours，andmoresolitary；solitaryasdeath。'

'Thedeathwhichcomesfromaplethoraoflife？Butseriously，I

canquiteseethatyouarenottheleastwhatIthoughtyouwouldbebeforeIsawyou。Youarenotcritical，orexperienced，or——

muchtomind。That'swhyIdon'tmindsingingairstoyouthatI

onlyhalfknow。'Findingthatbythisconfessionshehadvexedhiminawayshedidnotintend，sheaddednaively，'Imean，Mr。

Smith，thatyouarebetter，notworse，forbeingonlyyoungandnotveryexperienced。Youdon'tthinkmylifeheresoverytameanddull，Iknow。'

'Idonot，indeed，'hesaidwithfervour。'Itmustbedelightfullypoetical，andsparkling，andfresh，and——'

'Thereyougo，Mr。Smith!Well，menofanotherkind，whenIgetthemtobehonestenoughtoownthetruth，thinkjustthereverse:

thatmylifemustbeadreadfulboreinitsnormalstate，thoughpleasantfortheexceptionalfewdaystheypasshere。'

'Icouldliveherealways!'hesaid，andwithsuchatoneandlookofunconsciousrevelationthatElfridewasstartledtofindthatherharmonieshadfiredasmallTroy，intheshapeofStephen'sheart。Shesaidquickly:

'Butyoucan'tliveherealways。'

'Ohno。'Andhedrewhimselfinwiththesensitivenessofasnail。

Elfride'semotionsweresuddenashisinkindling，buttheleastofwoman'slesserinfirmities——loveofadmiration——causedaninflammabledispositiononhispart，soexactlysimilartoherown，toappearasmeritoriousinhimasmodestymadeherownseemculpableinher。

ChapterIV

'Whereheavestheturfinmanyamould'ringheap。'

Forreasonsofhisown，StephenSmithwasstirringashorttimeafterdawnthenextmorning。Fromthewindowofhisroomhecouldsee，first，twoboldescarpmentsslopingdowntogetherliketheletterV。Towardsthebottom，likeliquidinafunnel，appearedthesea，grayandsmall。Onthebrowofonehill，ofrathergreateraltitudethanitsneighbour，stoodthechurchwhichwastobethesceneofhisoperations。Thelonelyedificewasblackandbare，cuttingupintotheskyfromtheverytipofthehill。Ithadasquaremoulderingtower，owningneitherbattlementnorpinnacle，andseemedamonolithictermination，ofonesubstancewiththeridge，ratherthanastructureraisedthereon。Roundthechurchranalowwall；over-toppingthewallingenerallevelwasthegraveyard；notasagraveyardusuallyis，afragmentoflandscapewithitsduevarietyofchiaro-oscuro，butamereprofileagainstthesky，serratedwiththeoutlinesofgravesandaveryfewmemorialstones。Notatreecouldexistupthere:

nothingbutthemonotonousgray-greengrass。

Fiveminutesafterthiscasualsurveywasmadehisbedroomwasempty，anditsoccupanthadvanishedquietlyfromthehouse。

Attheendoftwohourshewasagainintheroom，lookingwarmandglowing。Henowpursuedtheartisticdetailsofdressing，whichonhisfirstrisinghadbeenentirelyomitted。Andaverybloomingboyhelooked，afterthatmysteriousmorningscamper。

Hismouthwasatriumphofitsclass。Itwasthecleanly-cut，piquantlypursed-upmouthofWilliamPitt，asrepresentedinthewellorlittleknownbustbyNollekens——amouthwhichisinitselfayoungman'sfortune，ifproperlyexercised。Hisroundchin，whereitsupperpartturnedinward，stillcontinueditsperfectandfullcurve，seemingtopressintoapointthebottomofhisnetherlipattheirplaceofjunction。

OncehemurmuredthenameofElfride。Ah，thereshewas!Onthelawninaplaindress，withouthatorbonnet，runningwithaboy'svelocity，superaddedtoagirl'slightness，afteratamerabbitshewasendeavouringtocapture，herstrategicintonationsofcoaxingwordsalternatingwithdesperaterushessomuchoutofkeepingwiththem，thatthehollownessofsuchexpressionswasbuttooevidenttoherpet，whodartedanddodgedincarefullytimedcounterpart。

Thescenedowntherewasaltogetherdifferentfromthatofthehills。Athicketofshrubsandtreesenclosedthefavouredspotfromthewildernesswithout；evenatthistimeoftheyearthegrasswasluxuriantthere。Nowindblewinsidetheprotectingbeltofevergreens，wastingitsforceuponthehigherandstrongertreesformingtheoutermarginofthegrove。

Thenheheardaheavypersonshufflingaboutinslippers，andcalling'Mr。Smith!'Smithproceededtothestudy，andfoundMr。

Swancourt。Theyoungmanexpressedhisgladnesstoseehishostdownstairs。

'Ohyes；IknewIshouldsoonberightagain。Ihavenotmadetheacquaintanceofgoutformorethantwoyears，anditgenerallygoesoffthesecondnight。Well，wherehaveyoubeenthismorning？Isawyoucomeinjustnow，Ithink!'

'Yes；Ihavebeenforawalk。'

'Startearly？'

'Yes。'

'Veryearly，Ithink？'

'Yes，itwasratherearly。'

'Whichwaydidyougo？Tothesea，Isuppose。Everybodygoesseaward。'

'No；Ifolloweduptheriverasfarastheparkwall。'

'Youaredifferentfromyourkind。Well，Isupposesuchawildplaceisanovelty，andsotemptedyououtofbed？'

'Notaltogetheranovelty。Ilikeit。'

Theyouthseemedaversetoexplanation。

'Youmust，youmust；togocock-watchingthemorningafterajourneyoffourteenorsixteenhours。Butthere'snoaccountingfortastes，andIamgladtoseethatyoursarenomeaner。Afterbreakfast，butnotbefore，Ishallbegoodforatenmiles'walk，MasterSmith。'

Certainlythereseemednothingexaggeratedinthatassertion。Mr。

Swancourtbydaylightshowedhimselftobeamanwho，incommonwiththeothertwopeopleunderhisroof，hadreallystrongclaimstobeconsideredhandsome，——handsome，thatis，inthesenseinwhichthemoonisbright:theravinesandvalleyswhich，onacloseinspection，areseentodiversifyitssurfacebeingleftoutoftheargument。Hisfacewasofatintthatneverdeepeneduponhischeeksnorlighteneduponhisforehead，butremaineduniformthroughout；theusualneutralsalmon-colourofamanwhofeedswell——nottosaytoowell——anddoesnotthinkhard；everyporebeinginvisibleworkingorder。Histoutensemblewasthatofahighlyimprovedclassoffarmer，dressedupinthewrongclothes；

thatofafirm-standingperpendicularman，whosefallwouldhavebeenbackwardsindirectionifhehadeverlosthisbalance。

Thevicar'sbackgroundwasatpresentwhatavicar'sbackgroundshouldbe，hisstudy。Heretheconsistencyends。Allalongthechimneypiecewererangedbottlesofhorse，pig，andcowmedicines，andagainstthewallwasahightable，madeupofthefragmentsofanoldoakIychgate。Uponthisstoodstuffedspecimensofowls，divers，andgulls，andoverthembunchesofwheatandbarleyears，labelledwiththedateoftheyearthatproducedthem。

Somecasesandshelves，moreorlessladenwithbooks，theprominenttitlesofwhichwereDr。Brown's'NotesontheRomans，'Dr。Smith's'NotesontheCorinthians，'andDr。Robinson's'NotesontheGalatians，Ephesians，andPhilippians，'justsavedthecharacteroftheplace，inspiteofagirl'sdoll's-housestandingabovethem，amarineaquariuminthewindow，andElfride'shathangingonitscorner。

'Business，business!'saidMr。Swancourtafterbreakfast。Hebegantofinditnecessarytoactthepartofafly-wheeltowardsthesomewhatirregularforcesofhisvisitor。

Theypreparedtogotothechurch；thevicar，onsecondthoughts，mountinghiscoal-blackmaretoavoidexertinghisfoottoomuchatstarting。Stephensaidheshouldwantamantoassisthim。

'Worm!'thevicarshouted。

Aminuteortwoafteravoicewasheardroundthecornerofthebuilding，mumbling，'Ah，Iusedtobestrongenough，but'tisalterednow!Well，there，I'masindependentasonehereandthere，eveniftheydowrite'squireaftertheirnames。'

'What'sthematter？'saidthevicar，asWilliamWormappeared；

whentheremarkswererepeatedtohim。

'Wormsayssomeverytruethingssometimes，'Mr。Swancourtsaid，turningtoStephen。'Now，asregardsthatword"esquire。”Why，Mr。Smith，thatword"esquire"isgonetothedogs，——usedonthelettersofeveryjackanapeswhohasablackcoat。Anythingelse，Worm？'

'Ay，thefolkhavebegunfryingagain!'

'Dearme!I'msorrytohearthat。'

'Yes，'WormsaidgroaninglytoStephen，'I'vegotsuchanoiseinmyheadthatthere'snolivingnightnorday。'Tisjustforalltheworldlikepeoplefryingfish:fry，fry，fry，alldaylonginmypoorhead，tillIdon'tknowwhe'rI'mhereoryonder。There，GodA'mightywillfinditoutsoonerorlater，Ihope，andrelieveme。'

'Now，mydeafness，'saidMr。Swancourtimpressively，'isadeadsilence；butWilliamWorm'sisthatofpeoplefryingfishinhishead。Veryremarkable，isn'tit？'

'Icanhearthefrying-pana-fizzingasnaterelaslife，'saidWormcorroboratively。

'Yes，itisremarkable，'saidMr。Smith。

'Verypeculiar，verypeculiar，'echoedthevicar；andtheyallthenfollowedthepathupthehill，boundedoneachsidebyalittlestonewall，fromwhichgleamedfragmentsofquartzandblood-redmarbles，apparentlyofinestimablevalue，intheirsettingofbrownalluvium。Stephenwalkedwiththedignityofamanclosetothehorse'shead，Wormstumbledalongastone'sthrowintherear，andElfridewasnowhereinparticular，yeteverywhere；sometimesinfront，sometimesbehind，sometimesatthesides，hoveringabouttheprocessionlikeabutterfly；notdefinitelyengagedintravelling，yetsomehowchiminginatpointswiththegeneralprogress。

Thevicarexplainedthingsashewenton:'Thefactis，Mr。Smith，Ididn'twantthisbotherofchurchrestorationatall，butitwasnecessarytodosomethinginself-defence，onaccountofthosed——

dissenters:Iusethewordinitsscripturalmeaning，ofcourse，notasanexpletive。'

'Howveryodd!'saidStephen，withtheconcerndemandedofseriousfriendliness。

'Odd？That'snothingtohowitisintheparishofTwinkley。Boththechurchwardensare——；there，Iwon'tsaywhattheyare；andtheclerkandthesextonaswell。'

'Howverystrange!'saidStephen。

'Strange？Mydearsir，that'snothingtohowitisintheparishofSinnerton。However，astoourownparish，Ihopeweshallmakesomeprogresssoon。'

'Youmusttrusttocircumstances。'

'Therearenocircumstancestotrustto。WemayaswelltrustinProvidenceifwetrustatall。Buthereweare。Awildplace，isn'tit？ButIlikeitonsuchdaysasthese。'

Thechurchyardwasenteredonthissidebyastonestile，overwhichhavingclambered，youremainedstillonthewildhill，thewithinnotbeingsodividedfromthewithoutastoobliteratethesenseofopenfreedom。Adelightfulplacetobeburiedin，postulatingthatdelightcanaccompanyamantohistombunderanycircumstances。Therewasnothinghorribleinthischurchyard，intheshapeoftightmoundsbondedwithsticks，whichshoutimprisonmentintheearsratherthanwhisperrest；ortrimgarden-

flowers，whichonlyraiseimagesofpeopleinnewblackcrapeandwhitehandkerchiefscomingtotendthem；orwheel-marks，whichremindusofhearsesandmourningcoaches；orcypress-bushes，whichmakeaparadeofsorrow；orcoffin-boardsandboneslyingbehindtrees，showingthatweareonlyleaseholdersofourgraves。

No；nothingbutlong，wild，untutoredgrass，diversifyingtheformsofthemoundsitcovered，——themselvesirregularlyshaped，withnoeyetoeffect；theimpressivepresenceoftheoldmountainthatallthiswasapartofbeingnowhereexcludedbydisguisingart。Outsideweresimilarslopesandsimilargrass；andthenthesereneimpassivesea，visibletoawidthofhalfthehorizon，andmeetingtheeyewiththeeffectofavastconcave，liketheinteriorofabluevessel。Detachedrocksstooduprightafar，acollaroffoamgirdingtheirbases，andrepeatinginitswhitenesstheplumageofacountlessmultitudeofgullsthatrestlesslyhoveredabout。

'Now，Worm!'saidMr。Swancourtsharply；andWormstartedintoanattitudeofattentionatoncetoreceiveorders。Stephenandhimselfwerethenleftinpossession，andtheworkwentontillearlyintheafternoon，whendinnerwasannouncedbyUnityofthevicaragekitchenrunningupthehillwithoutabonnet。

Elfridedidnotmakeherappearanceinsidethebuildingtilllateintheafternoon，andcamethenbyspecialinvitationfromStephenduringdinner。ShelookedsointenselyLIVINGandfullofmovementasshecameintotheoldsilentplace，thatyoungSmith'sworldbegantobelitby'thepurplelight'inallitsdefiniteness。Wormwasgotridofbysendinghimtomeasuretheheightofthetower。

Whatcouldshedobutcomeclose——soclosethataminutearcofherskirttouchedhisfoot——andaskedhimhowhewasgettingonwithhissketches，andsetherselftolearntheprinciplesofpracticalmensurationasappliedtoirregularbuildings？Thenshemustascendthepulpittore-imagineforthehundredthtimehowitwouldseemtobeapreacher。

Presentlysheleantoverthefrontofthepulpit。

'Don'tyoutellpapa，willyou，Mr。Smith，ifItellyousomething？'shesaidwithasuddenimpulsetomakeaconfidence。

'Ohno，thatIwon't，'saidhe，staringup。

'Well，Iwritepapa'ssermonsforhimveryoften，andhepreachesthembetterthanhedoeshisown；andthenafterwardshetalkstopeopleandtomeaboutwhathesaidinhissermonto-day，andforgetsthatIwroteitforhim。Isn'titabsurd？'

'Howcleveryoumustbe!'saidStephen。'Icouldn'twriteasermonfortheworld。'

'Oh，it'seasyenough，'shesaid，descendingfromthepulpitandcomingclosetohimtoexplainmorevividly。'Youdoitlikethis。Didyoueverplayagameofforfeitscalled"Whenisit？

whereisit？whatisit？"'

'No，never。'

'Ah，that'sapity，becausewritingasermonisverymuchlikeplayingthatgame。Youtakethetext。Youthink，whyisit？whatisit？andsoon。Youputthatdownunder"Generally。”ThenyouproceedtotheFirst，Secondly，andThirdly。Papawon'thaveFourthlys——saystheyareallmyeye。ThenyouhaveafinalCollectively，severalpagesofthisbeingputingreatblackbrackets，writingopposite，"LEAVETHISOUTIFTHEFARMERSARE

FALLINGASLEEP。”ThencomesyourInConclusion，thenAFewWordsAndIHaveDone。Well，allthistimeyouhaveputonthebackofeachpage，"KEEPYOURVOICEDOWN"——Imean，'sheadded，correctingherself，'that'showIdoinpapa'ssermon-book，becauseotherwisehegetslouderandlouder，tillatlastheshoutslikeafarmerupa-field。Oh，papaissofunnyinsomethings!'

Then，afterthischildishburstofconfidence，shewasfrightened，asifwarnedbywomanlyinstinct，whichforthemomentherardourhadoutrun，thatshehadbeentooforwardtoacomparativestranger。

Elfridesawherfatherthen，andwentawayintothewind，beingcaughtbyagustassheascendedthechurchyardslope，inwhichgustshehadthemotions，withoutthemotives，ofahoiden；thegrace，withouttheself-consciousness，ofapirouetter。Sheconversedforaminuteortwowithherfather，andproceededhomeward，Mr。SwancourtcomingontothechurchtoStephen。Thewindhadfreshenedhiswarmcomplexionasitfreshenstheglowofabrand。Hewasinamoodofjollity，andwatchedElfridedownthehillwithasmile。

'Youlittleflyaway!youlookwildenoughnow，'hesaid，andturnedtoStephen。'Butshe'snotawildchildatall，Mr。Smith。

Assteadyasyou；andthatyouaresteadyIseefromyourdiligencehere。'

'IthinkMissSwancourtveryclever，'Stephenobserved。

'Yes，sheis；certainly，sheis，'saidpapa，turninghisvoiceasmuchaspossibletotheneutraltoneofdisinterestedcriticism。

'Now，Smith，I'lltellyousomething；butshemustn'tknowitfortheworld——notfortheworld，mind，forsheinsistsuponkeepingitadeadsecret。Why，SHEWRITESMYSERMONSFORMEOFTEN，andaverygoodjobshemakesofthem!'

'Shecandoanything。'

'Shecandothat。Thelittlerascalhastheverytrickofthetrade。But，mindyou，Smith，notawordaboutittoher，notasingleword!'

'Notaword，'saidSmith。

'Lookthere，'saidMr。Swancourt。'Whatdoyouthinkofmyroofing？'Hepointedwithhiswalking-stickatthechancelroof'Didyoudothat，sir？'

'Yes，Iworkedinshirt-sleevesallthetimethatwasgoingon。I

pulleddowntheoldrafters，fixedthenewones，putonthebattens，slatedtheroof，allwithmyownhands，Wormbeingmyassistant。Weworkedlikeslaves，didn'twe，Worm？'

'Ay，sure，wedid；harderthansomehereandthere——hee，hee!'

saidWilliamWorm，croppingupfromsomewhere。'Likeslaves，'ab'lieve——hee，hee!Andweren'tyefoamingmad，sir，whenthenailswouldn'tgostraight？MightyI!There，'tisn'tsobadtocussandkeepitinastocussandletitout，isit，sir？'

'Well——why？'

'Becauseyou，sir，whenyewerea-puttingontheroof，onlyusedtocussinyourmind，whichis，Isuppose，noharmatall。'

'Idon'tthinkyouknowwhatgoesoninmymind，Worm。'

'Oh，doan'tI，sir——hee，hee!MaybeI'mbutapoorwamblingthing，sir，andcan'treadmuch；butIcanspellaswellassomehereandthere。Doan'tyemind，sir，thatblustrousnightwhenyeaskedmetoholdthecandletoyeinyerworkshop，whenyouweremakinganewchairforthechancel？'

'Yes；whatofthat？'

'Istoodwiththecandle，andyousaidyoulikedcompany，if'twasonlyadogorcat——maningme；andthechairwouldn'tdonohow。'

'Ah，Iremember。'

'No；thechairwouldn'tdonohow。'Awasverywelltolookat；

but，Lord!——'

'Worm，howoftenhaveIcorrectedyouforirreverentspeaking？'

'——'Awasverywelltolookat，butyoucouldn'tsitinthechairnohow。'Twasalla-twistwi'thechair，liketheletterZ，directlyyousatdownuponthechair。"Getup，Worm，"saysyou，whenyouseedthechairgoalla-swaywi'me。Upyoutookthechair，andflungenlikefireandbrimstonetot'otherendofyourshop——allinapassion。"Damnthechair!"saysI。"JustwhatI

wasthinking，"saysyou，sir。"Icouldseeitinyourface，sir，"

saysI，"andIhopeyouandGodwillforgi'emeforsayingwhatyouwouldn't。”Tosaveyourlifeyoucouldn'thelplaughing，sir，atapoorwamblerreadingyourthoughtssoplain。Ay，I'maswiseasonehereandthere。'

'Ithoughtyouhadbetterhaveapracticalmantogooverthechurchandtowerwithyou，'Mr。SwancourtsaidtoStephenthefollowingmorning，'soIgotLordLuxellian'spermissiontosendforamanwhenyoucame。Itoldhimtobethereatteno'clock。

He'saveryintelligentman，andhewilltellyouallyouwanttoknowaboutthestateofthewalls。HisnameisJohnSmith。'

ElfridedidnotliketobeseenagainatthechurchwithStephen。

'Iwillwatchhereforyourappearanceatthetopofthetower，'

shesaidlaughingly。'Ishallseeyourfigureagainstthesky。'

'AndwhenIamupthereI'llwavemyhandkerchieftoyou，MissSwancourt，'saidStephen。'Intwelveminutesfromthispresentmoment，'headded，lookingathiswatch，'I'llbeatthesummitandlookoutforyou。'

Shewentroundtothecornerofthesbrubbery，whenceshecouldwatchhimdowntheslopeleadingtothefootofthehillonwhichthechurchstood。Thereshesawwaitingforhimawhitespot——amasoninhisworkingclothes。Stephenmetthismanandstopped。

Tohersurprise，insteadoftheirmovingontothechurchyard，theybothleisurelysatdownuponastoneclosebytheirmeeting-

place，andremainedasifindeepconversation。Elfridelookedatthetime；nineofthetwelveminuteshadpassed，andStephenshowednosignsofmoving。Moreminutespassed——shegrewcoldwithwaiting，andshivered。Itwasnottilltheendofaquarterofanhourthattheybegantoslowlywendupthehillatasnail'space。

'Rudeandunmannerly!'shesaidtoherself，colouringwithpique。

'Anybodywouldthinkhewasinlovewiththathorridmasoninsteadofwith——'

Thesentenceremainedunspoken，thoughnotunthought。

Shereturnedtotheporch。

'Isthemanyousentforalazy，sit-still，do-nothingkindofman？'sheinquiredofherfather。

'No，'hesaidsurprised；'quitethereverse。HeisLordLuxellian'smaster-mason，JohnSmith。'

'Oh，'saidElfrideindifferently，andreturnedtowardsherbleakstation，andwaitedandshiveredagain。Itwasatrifle，afterall——achildishthing——lookingoutfromatowerandwavingahandkerchief。Buthernewfriendhadpromised，andwhyshouldheteaseherso？Theeffectofablowisasproportionatetothetextureoftheobjectstruckastoitsownmomentum；andshehadsuchasuperlativecapacityforbeingwoundedthatlittlehitsstruckherhard。

Itwasnottilltheendofhalfanhourthattwofigureswereseenabovetheparapetofthedrearyoldpile，motionlessasbitternsonaruinedmosque。EventhenStephenwasnottrueenoughtoperformwhathewassocourteoustopromise，andhevanishedwithoutmakingasign。

Hereturnedatmidday。Elfridelookedvexedwhenunconsciousthathiseyeswereuponher；whenconscious，severe。However，herattitudeofcoldnesshadlongoutlivedthecoldnessitself，andshecouldnolongerutterfeignedwordsofindifference。

'Ah，youweren'tkindtokeepmewaitinginthecold，andbreakyourpromise，'shesaidatlastreproachfully，intonestoolowforherfather'spowersofhearing。

'Forgive，forgiveme!'saidStephenwithdismay。'Ihadforgotten——quiteforgotten!Somethingpreventedmyremembering。'

'Anyfurtherexplanation？'saidMissCapricious，pouting。

Hewassilentforafewminutes，andlookedaskance。

'None，'hesaid，withtheaccentofonewhoconcealedasin。

ChapterV

'Bosom'dhighintuftedtrees。'

Itwasbreakfasttime。

Asseenfromthevicaragedining-room，whichtookawarmtoneoflightfromthefire，theweatherandsceneoutsideseemedtohavestereotypedthemselvesinunrelievedshadesofgray。Thelong-

armedtreesandshrubsofjuniper，cedar，andpinevarieties，weregrayishblack；thoseofthebroad-leavedsort，togetherwiththeherbage，weregrayish-green；theeternalhillsandtowerbehindthemweregrayish-brown；thesky，droppingbehindall，grayofthepurestmelancholy。

Yetinspiteofthissombreartisticeffect，themorningwasnotonewhichtendedtolowerthespirits。Itwasevencheering。Foritdidnotrain，norwasrainlikelytofallformanydaystocome。

Elfridehadturnedfromthetabletowardsthefireandwasidlyelevatingahand-screenbeforeherface，whensheheardtheclickofalittlegateoutside。

'Ah，here'sthepostman!'shesaid，asashuffling，activemancamethroughanopeningintheshrubberyandacrossthelawn。Shevanished，andmethimintheporch，afterwardscominginwithherhandsbehindherback。

'Howmanyarethere？Threeforpapa，oneforMr。Smith，noneforMissSwancourt。And，papa，lookhere，oneofyoursisfrom——whomdoyouthink？——LordLuxellian。AndithassomethingHARDinit——alumpofsomething。I'vebeenfeelingitthroughtheenvelope，andcan'tthinkwhatitis。'

'WhatdoesLuxellianwritefor，Iwonder？'Mr。Swancourthadsaidsimultaneouslywithherwords。HehandedStephenhisletter，andtookhisown，puttingonhiscountenanceahigherclassoflookthanwascustomary，asbecameapoorgentlemanwhowasgoingtoreadaletterfromapeer。

Stephenreadhismissivewithacountenancequitethereverseofthevicar's。

'PERCYPLACE，ThursdayEvening。

'DEARSMITH，——OldH。isinatoweringragewithyouforbeingsolongaboutthechurchsketches。Swearsyouaremoretroublethanyouareworth。HesaysIamtowriteandsayyouaretostaynolongeronanyconsideration——thathewouldhavedoneitallinthreehoursveryeasily。Itoldhimthatyouwerenotlikeanexperiencedhand，whichheseemedtoforget，butitdidnotmakemuchdifference。However，betweenyouandmeprivately，ifIwereyouIwouldnotalarmmyselfforadayorso，ifIwerenotinclinedtoreturn。Iwouldmakeouttheweekandfinishmyspree。HewillblowupjustasmuchifyouappearhereonSaturdayasifyoukeepawaytillMondaymorning——Yoursverytruly，'SIMPKINSJENKINS。

'Dearme——veryawkward!'saidStephen，ratherenl'air，andconfusedwiththekindofconfusionthatassailsanunderstrapperwhenhehasbeenenlargedbyaccidenttothedimensionsofasuperior，andissomewhatrudelypareddowntohisoriginalsize。

'Whatisawkward？'saidMissSwancourt。

Smithbythistimerecoveredhisequanimity，andwithittheprofessionaldignityofanexperiencedarchitect。

'ImportantbusinessdemandsmyimmediatepresenceinLondon，I

regrettosay，'hereplied。

'What!Mustyougoatonce？'saidMr。Swancourt，lookingovertheedgeofhisletter。'Importantbusiness？Ayoungfellowlikeyoutohaveimportantbusiness!'

'Thetruthis，'saidStephenblushing，andratherashamedofhavingpretendedevensoslightlytoaconsequencewhichdidnotbelongtohim，——'thetruthis，Mr。HewbyhassenttosayIamtocomehome；andImustobeyhim。'

'Isee；Isee。Itispolitictodoso，youmean。NowIcanseemorethanyouthink。Youaretobehispartner。IbookedyouforthatdirectlyIreadhislettertometheotherday，andthewayhespokeofyou。Hethinksagreatdealofyou，Mr。Smith，orhewouldn'tbesoanxiousforyourreturn。'

UnpleasanttoStephensuchremarksasthesecouldnotsound；tohavetheexpectancyofpartnershipwithoneofthelargest-

practisingarchitectsinLondonthrustuponhimwascheering，howeveruntenablehefelttheideatobe。Hesawthat，whateverMr。Hewbymightthink，Mr。Swancourtcertainlythoughtmuchofhimtoentertainsuchanideaonsuchslendergroundastobeabsolutelynogroundatall。Andthen，unaccountably，hisspeakingfaceexhibitedacloudofsadness，whichareflectionontheremotenessofanysuchcontingencycouldhardlyhavesufficedtocause。

Elfridewasstruckwiththatlookofhis；evenMr。Swancourtnoticedit。

'Well，'hesaidcheerfully，'nevermindthatnow。Youmustcomeagainonyourownaccount；notonbusiness。Cometoseemeasavisitor，youknow——say，inyourholidays——allyoutownmenhaveholidayslikeschoolboys。Whenarethey？'

'InAugust，Ibelieve。'

'Verywell；comeinAugust；andthenyouneednothurryawayso。

Iamgladtogetsomebodydecenttotalkto，orat，inthisoutlandishultimaThule。But，bythebye，Ihavesomethingtosay——youwon'tgoto-day？'

'No；Ineednot，'saidStephenhesitatingly。'IamnotobligedtogetbackbeforeMondaymorning。'

'Verywell，then，thatbringsmetowhatIamgoingtopropose。

ThisisaletterfromLordLuxellian。Ithinkyouheardmespeakofhimastheresidentlandownerinthisdistrict，andpatronofthisliving？'

'I——knowofhim。'

'HeisinLondonnow。Itseemsthathehasrunuponbusinessforadayortwo，andtakenLadyLuxellianwithhim。Hehaswrittentoaskmetogotohishouse，andsearchforapaperamonghisprivatememoranda，whichheforgottotakewithhim。'

'Whatdidhesendintheletter？'inquiredElfride。

'Thekeyofaprivatedeskinwhichthepapersare。Hedoesn'tliketotrustsuchamattertoanybodyelse。Ihavedonesuchthingsforhimbefore。AndwhatIproposeis，thatwemakeanafternoonofit——allthreeofus。GoforadrivetoTarganBay，comehomebywayofEndelstowHouse；andwhilstIamlookingoverthedocumentsyoucanrambleabouttheroomswhereyoulike。I

havetherunofthehouseatanytime，youknow。Thebuilding，thoughnothingbutamassofgablesoutside，hasasplendidhall，staircase，andgallerywithin；andthereareafewgoodpictures。'

'Yes，thereare，'saidStephen。

'Haveyouseentheplace，then？

'IsawitasIcameby，'hesaidhastily。

'Ohyes；butIwasalludingtotheinterior。Andthechurch——St。

Eval's——ismucholderthanourSt。Agnes'here。Idodutyinthatandthisalternately，youknow。Thefactis，Ioughttohavesomehelp；ridingacrossthatparkfortwomilesonawetmorningisnotatallthething。Ifmyconstitutionwerenotwellseasoned，asthankGoditis，'——hereMr。Swancourtlookeddownhisfront，asifhisconstitutionwerevisiblethere，——'Ishouldbecoughingandbarkingalltheyearround。Andwhenthefamilygoesaway，thereareonlyaboutthreeservantstopreachtowhenIgetthere。

Well，thatshallbethearrangement，then。Elfride，youwillliketogo？'

Elfrideassented；andthelittlebreakfast-partyseparated。

Stephenrosetogoandtakeafewfinalmeasurementsatthechurch，thevicarfollowinghimtothedoorwithamysteriousexpressionofinquiryonhisface。

'You'llputupwithournothavingfamilyprayerthismorning，I

hope？'hewhispered。

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