"Idonotunderstandthis,"saidMr。Jansenius,reddeningashetookinthepurportofhisson—in—law'sletter。"Iwillnotsubmittoit。Whatdoesitmean,Ruth？"
"Idon'tknow。Sidneyismad,Ithink;andhishoneymoonhasbroughthismadnessout。ButyoumustnotlethimthrowHenriettaonmyhandsagain。"
"Mad！Doeshethinkhecanshirkhisresponsibilitytohiswifebecausesheismydaughter？Doeshethink,becausehismother'sfatherwasabaronet,thathecanputHenriettaasidethemomenthersocietypallsonhim？"
"Oh,it'snothingofthatsort。Heneverthoughtofus。ButI
willmakehimthinkofus,"saidMr。Jansenius,raisinghisvoiceingreatagitation。"Heshallanswerforit。"
JustthenHenriettareturned,andsawherfathermovingexcitedlytoandfro,repeating,"Heshallanswertomeforthis。Heshallanswerforit。"
Mrs。Janseniusfrownedatherdaughtertoremainsilent,andsaidsoothingly,"Don'tloseyourtemper,John。"
"ButIwilllosemytemper。Insolenthound！Damnedscoundrel！"
"Heisnot,"whimperedHenrietta,sittingdownandtakingoutherhandkerchief。
"Oh,come,come！"saidMrs。Janseniusperemptorily,"wehavehadenoughcrying。Letushavenomoreofit。"
Henriettasprangupinapassion。"IwillsayanddoasI
please,"sheexclaimed。"Iamamarriedwoman,andIwillreceivenoorders。AndIwillhavemyhusbandbackagain,nomatterwhathedoestohidehimself。Papa,won'tyoumakehimcomebacktome？Iamdying。Promisethatyouwillmakehimcomeback。"
And,throwingherselfuponherfather'sbosom,shepostponedfurtherdiscussionbygoingintohysterics,andstartlingthehouseholdbyherscreams。
CHAPTERIII
OneoftheprofessorsatAltonCollegewasaMrs。Miller,anold—fashionedschoolmistresswhodidnotbelieveinMissWilson'ssystemofgovernmentbymoralforce,andcarrieditoutunderprotest。Thoughnotill—natured,shewasnarrow—mindedenoughtobeinsomedegreecontemptible,andwasconsequentlypronetosuspectothersofdespisingher。ShesuspectedAgathainparticular,andtreatedherwithdisdainfulcurtnessinsuchintercourseastheyhad——itwasfortunatelylittle。Agathawasnothurtbythis,forMrs。Millerwasanunsympatheticwoman,whomadenofriendsamongthegirls,andsatisfiedheraffectionateimpulsesbypettingalargecatnamedGracchus,butgenerallycalledBacchusbyanendearingmodificationoftheharshinitialconsonant。
OneeveningMrs。Miller,seatedwithMissWilsoninthestudy,correctingexaminationpapers,heardinthedistanceacrylikethatofacatindistress。Sherantothedoorandlistened。
Presentlytherearoseaprolongedwail,slurringupthroughtwooctaves,andsubsidingagain。Itwasatruefelinescreech,impossibletolocalize;butitwasinterruptedbyasob,asnarl,afiercespitting,andascuffling,comingunmistakablyfromaroomonthefloorbeneath,inwhich,atthathour,theoldergirlsassembledforstudy。
"MypoorGracchy！"exclaimedMrs。Miller,runningdownstairsasfastasshecould。Shefoundtheroomunusuallyquiet。EverygirlwasdeepinstudyexceptMissCarpenter,who,pretendingtopickupafallenbook,waspurplewithsuppressedlaughterandthecongestioncausedbystooping。
"WhereisMissWard？"demandedMrs。Miller。
"MissWardhasgoneforsomeastronomicaldiagramsinwhichweareinterested,"saidAgatha,lookingupgravely。JustthenMissWard,diagramsinhand,entered。
"Hasthatcatbeeninhere？"shesaid,notseeingMrs。Miller,andspeakinginatoneexpressiveofantipathytoGracchus。
Agathastartedanddrewupherankles,asiffearfulofhavingthembitten。Then,lookingapprehensivelyunderthedesk,shereplied,"Thereisnocathere,MissWard。"
"Thereisonesomewhere;Iheardit,"saidMissWardcarelessly,unrollingherdiagrams,whichshebegantoexplainwithoutfurtherparley。Mrs。Miller,anxiousforherpet,hastenedtoseekitelsewhere。Inthehallshemetoneofthehousemaids。
"Susan,"shesaid,"haveyouseenGracchus？"
"He'sasleeponthehearthruginyourroom,ma'am。ButIheardhimcryingdownhereamomentago。Ifeelsurethatanothercathasgotin,andthattheyarefighting。"
Susansmiledcompassionately。"Lor'blessyou,ma'am,"shesaid,"thatwasMissWylie。It'sasortofplay—actingthatshegoesthrough。Thereisthebeeonthewindow—pane,andthesoldierupthechimley,andthecatunderthedresser。Shedoesthemalllikelife。"
"Thesoldierinthechimney！"repeatedMrs。Miller,shocked。
"Yes,ma'am。Likeasitwereafollowerthathadhidtherewhenheheardthemistresscoming。"
Mrs。Miller'sfacesetdeterminedly。Shereturnedtothestudyandrelatedwhathadjustoccurred,addingsomesarcasticcommentsontheefficacyofmoralforceinmaintainingcollegiatediscipline。MissWilsonlookedgrave;consideredforsometime;
andatlastsaid:"Imustthinkoverthis。Wouldyoumindleavingitinmyhandsforthepresent？"
Mrs。Millersaidthatshedidnotcareinwhosehandsitremainedprovidedherownwerewashedofit,andresumedherworkatthepapers。MissWilsonthen,wishingtobealone,wentintotheemptyclassroomattheothersideofthelanding。ShetooktheFaultBookfromitsshelfandsatdownbeforeit。Itsrecordclosedwiththeannouncement,inAgatha'shandwriting:
"MissWilsonhascalledmeimpertinent,andhaswrittentomyunclethatIhaverefusedtoobeytherules。Iwasnotimpertinent;andIneverrefusedtoobeytherules。SomuchforMoralForce！"
MissWilsonrosevigorously,exclaiming:"Iwillsoonletherknowwhether——"Shecheckedherself,andlookedroundhastily,superstitiouslyfancyingthatAgathamighthavestolenintotheroomunobserved。Reassuredthatshewasalone,sheexaminedherconscienceastowhethershehaddonewrongincallingAgathaimpertinent,justifyingherselfbythereflectionthatAgathahad,infact,beenimpertinent。YetsherecollectedthatshehadrefusedtoadmitthispleaonarecentoccasionwhenJaneCarpenterhadadvanceditinextenuationofhavingcalledafellow—studentaliar。HadshethenbeenunjusttoJane,orinconsideratetoAgatha？
HercasuistrywasinterruptedbysomeonesoftlywhistlingathemefromtheoverturetoMasaniello,popularatthecollegeintheformofanarrangementforsixpianofortesandtwelvehands。
Therewasonlyonestudentunladylikeandmusicalenoughtowhistle;andMissWilsonwasashamedtofindherselfgrowingnervousattheprospectofanencounterwithAgatha,whoenteredwhistlingsweetly,butwithalugubriouscountenance。Whenshesawinwhosepresenceshestood,shebeggedpardonpolitely,andwasabouttowithdraw,whenMissWilson,summoningallherJudgmentandtact,andhopingthattheywould——contrarytotheircustominemergencies——respondtothesummons,said:
"Agatha,comehere。Iwanttospeaktoyou。"
Agathaclosedherlips,drewinalongbreaththroughhernostrils,andmarchedtowithinafewfeetofMissWilson,whereshehaltedwithherhandsclaspedbeforeher。
"Sitdown。"
Agathasatdownwithasinglemovement,likeadoll。
"Idon'tunderstandthat,Agatha,"saidMissWilson,pointingtotheentryintheRecordingAngel。"Whatdoesitmean？"
"Iamunfairlytreated,"saidAgatha,withsignsofagitation。
"Inwhatway？"
"Ineveryway。Iamexpectedtobesomethingmorethanmortal。
Everyoneelseisencouragedtocomplain,andtobeweakandsilly。ButImusthavenofeeling。Imustbealwaysintheright。
Everyoneelsemaybehome—sick,orhuffed,orinlowspirits。I
musthavenonerves,andmustkeepotherslaughingalldaylong。
Everyoneelsemaysulkwhenawordofreproachisaddressedtothem,andmaymaketheprofessorsafraidtofindfaultwiththem。
Ihavetobearwiththeinsultsofteacherswhohavelessself—controlthanI,agirlofseventeen！andmustcoaxthemoutofthedifficultiestheymakeforthemselvesbytheirownilltemper。"
"But,Agatha——"
"Oh,IknowIamtalkingnonsense,MissWilson;butcanyouexpectmetobealwayssensible——tobeinfallible？"
"Yes,Agatha;Idonotthinkitistoomuchtoexpectyoutobealwayssensible;and——"
"Thenyouhaveneithersensenorsympathyyourself,"saidAgatha。
Therewasanawfulpause。Neithercouldhavetoldhowlongitlasted。ThenAgatha,feelingthatshemustdoorsaysomethingdesperate,orelsefly,madeadistractedgestureandranoutoftheroom。
Sherejoinedhercompanionsinthegreathallofthemansion,wheretheywereassembledafterstudyfor"recreation,"anoisyprocesswhichalwayssetinspontaneouslywhentheprofessorswithdrew。Sheusuallysatwithhertwofavoriteassociatesonahighwindowseatnearthehearth。Thatplacewasnowoccupiedbyalittlegirlwithflaxenhair,whomAgatha,regardlessofmoralforce,liftedbytheshouldersanddepositedonthefloor。Thenshesatdownandsaid:
"Oh,suchapieceofnews！"
MissCarpenteropenedhereyeseagerly。GertrudeLindsayaffectedindifference。
"Someoneisgoingtobeexpelled,"saidAgatha。
"Expelled！Who？"
"Youwillknowsoonenough,Jane,"repliedAgatha,suddenlygrave。"ItissomeonewhomadeanimpudententryintheRecordingAngel。"
FearstoleuponJane,andshebecameveryred。"Agatha,"shesaid,"itwasyouwhotoldmewhattowrite。Youknowyoudid,andyoucan'tdenyit。"
"Ican'tdenyit,can'tI？IamreadytoswearthatIneverdictatedawordtoyouinmylife。"
"Gertrudeknowsyoudid,"exclaimedJane,appalled,andalmostintears。
"There,"saidAgatha,pettingherasifshewereavastbaby。"Itshallnotbeexpelled,soitshan't。HaveyouseentheRecordingAngellately,eitherofyou？"
"Notsinceourlastentry,"saidGertrude。
"Chips,"saidAgatha,callingtotheflaxen—hairedchild,"goupstairstoNo。6,and,ifMissWilsonisn'tthere,fetchmetheRecordingAngel。"
Thelittlegirlgrumbledinarticulatelyanddidnotstir。
"Chips,"resumedAgatha,"didyoueverwishthatyouhadneverbeenborn？"
"Whydon'tyougoyourself？"saidthechildpettishly,butevidentlyalarmed。
"Because,"continuedAgatha,ignoringthequestion,"youshallwishyourselfdeadandburiedundertheblackestflaginthecoalcellarifyoudon'tbringmethebookbeforeIcountsixteen。
One——two——"
"Goatonceanddoasyouaretold,youdisagreeablelittlething,"saidGertrudesharply。"Howdareyoubesodisobliging？"
"——nine——ten——eleven——"pursuedAgatha。
Thechildquailed,wentout,andpresentlyreturned,huggingtheRecordingAngelinherarms。
"Youareagoodlittledarling——whenyourbetterqualitiesarebroughtoutbyajudiciousapplicationofmoralforce,"saidAgatha,good—humoredly。"Remindmetosavetheraisinsoutofmypuddingforyouto—morrow。Now,Jane,youshallseetheentryforwhichthebest—heartedgirlinthecollegeistobeexpelled。
Voila！"
Thetwogirlsreadandwereawestruck;Janeopeninghermouthandgasping,Gertrudeclosinghersandlookingveryserious。
"DoyoumeantosaythatyouhadthedreadfulcheektolettheLadyAbbessseethat？"saidJane。
"Pooh！shewouldhaveforgiventhat。YoushouldhaveheardwhatI
saidtoher！Shefaintedthreetimes。"
"That'sastory,"saidGertrudegravely。
"Ibegyourpardon,"saidAgatha,swiftlygraspingGertrude'sknee。
"Nothing,"criedGertrude,flinchinghysterically。"Don't,Agatha。"
"HowmanytimesdidMissWilsonfaint？"
"Threetimes。Iwillscream,Agatha;Iwillindeed。"
"Threetimes,asyousay。AndIwonderthatagirlbroughtupasyouhavebeen,bymoralforce,shouldbecapableofrepeatingsuchafalsehood。Butwehadanawfulrow,reallyandtruly。Shelosthertemper。Fortunately,Ineverlosemine。"
"Well,I'mbrowed！"exclaimedJaneincredulously。"Ilikethat。"
"Foragirlofcountyfamily,youareinexcusablyvulgar,Jane。I
don'tknowwhatIsaid;butshewillneverforgivemeforprofaningherpetbook。IshallbeexpelledascertainlyasIamsittinghere。"
"Anddoyoumeantosaythatyouaregoingaway？"saidJane,falteringasshebegantorealizetheconsequences。
"Ido。AndwhatistobecomeofyouwhenIamnotheretogetyououtofyourscrapes,orofGertrudewithoutmetocheckherinveteratesnobbishness,ismorethanIcanforesee。"
"Iamnotsnobbish,"saidGertrude,"althoughIdonotchoosetomakefriendswitheveryone。ButIneverobjectedtoyou,Agatha。"
"No;Ishouldliketocatchyouatit。Hallo,Jane！"（whohadsuddenlyburstintotears）:"what'sthematter？Itrustyouarenotpermittingyourselftotakethelibertyofcryingforme。"
"Indeed,"sobbedJaneindignantly,"IknowthatIamaf——foolformypains。Youhavenoheart。"
"Youcertainlyareaf——fool,asyouaptlyexpressit,"saidAgatha,passingherarmroundJane,anddisregardinganangryattempttoshakeitoff;"butifIhadanyheartitwouldbetouchedbythisproofofyourattachment。"
"Ineversaidyouhadnoheart,"protestedJane;"butIhatewhenyouspeaklikeabook。"
"YouhatewhenIspeaklikeabook,doyou？Mydear,sillyoldJane！Ishallmissyougreatly。"
"Yes,Idaresay,"saidJane,withtearfulsarcasm。"Atleastmysnoringwillneverkeepyouawakeagain。"
"Youdon'tsnore,Jane。Wehavebeeninaconspiracytomakeyoubelievethatyoudo,that'sall。Isn'titgoodofmetotellyou？"
Janewasovercomebythisrevelation。Afteralongpause,shesaidwithdeepconviction,"IalwaysknewthatIdidn't。Oh,thewayyoukeptitup！IsolemnlydeclarethatfromthistimeforthIwillbelievenobody。"
"Well,andwhatdoyouthinkofitall？"saidAgatha,transferringherattentiontoGertrude,whowasverygrave。
"Ithink——Iamnowspeakingseriously,Agatha——Ithinkyouareinthewrong。"
"Whydoyouthinkthat,pray？"demandedAgatha,alittleroused。
"Youmustbe,orMissWilsonwouldnotbeangrywithyou。Ofcourse,accordingtoyourownaccount,youarealwaysintheright,andeveryoneelseisalwayswrong;butyoushouldn'thavewrittenthatinthebook。YouknowIspeakasyourfriend。"
"Andpraywhatdoesyourwretchedlittlesoulknowofmymotivesandfeelings？"
"Itiseasyenoughtounderstandyou,"retortedGertrude,nettled。"Self—conceitisnotsouncommonthatoneneedbeatalosstorecognizeit。Andmind,AgathaWylie,"shecontinued,asifgoadedbysomeunbearablereminiscence,"ifyouarereallygoing,Idon'tcarewhetherwepartfriendsornot。Ihavenotforgottenthedaywhenyoucalledmeaspitefulcat。"
"Ihaverepented,"saidAgatha,unmoved。"OnedayIsatdownandwatchedBacchusseatedonthehearthrug,withhismoonyeyeslookingintospacesothoughtfullyandpatientlythatI
apologizedforcomparingyoutohim。IfIweretocallhimaspitefulcathewouldonlynotbelieveme。"
"Becauseheisacat,"saidJane,withthegigglewhichwasseldomfarbehindhertears。
"No;butbecauseheisnotspiteful。Gertrudekeepsarecordingangelinsideherlittlehead,anditissofullofotherpeople'sfaults,writteninlargehandandreadthroughamagnifyingglass,thatthereisnoroomtoenterherown。"
"Youareverypoetic,"saidGertrude;"butIunderstandwhatyoumean,andshallnotforgetit。"
"Youungratefulwretch,"exclaimedAgatha,turninguponhersosuddenlyandimperiouslythatsheinvoluntarilyshrankaside:
"howoften,whenyouhavetriedtobeinsolentandfalsewithme,haveInotdrivenawayyourbadangel——byticklingyou？Hadyouafriendinthecollege,excepthalf—a—dozentoadies,untilIcame？
Andnow,becauseIhavesometimes,foryourowngood,shownyouyourfaults,youbearmaliceagainstme,andsaythatyoudon'tcarewhetherwepartfriendsornot！"
"Ididn'tsayso。"
"Oh,Gertrude,youknowyoudid,"saidJane。
"YouseemtothinkthatIhavenoconscience,"saidGertrudequerulously。
"Iwishyouhadn't,"saidAgatha。"Lookatme！Ihavenoconscience,andseehowmuchpleasanterIam！"
"Youcarefornoonebutyourself,"saidGertrude。"Youneverthinkthatotherpeoplehavefeelingstoo。Nooneeverconsidersme。"
"Oh,Iliketohearyoutalk,"criedJaneironically。"Youareconsideredagreatdealmorethanisgoodforyou;andthemoreyouareconsideredthemoreyouwanttobeconsidered。"
"Asif,"declaimedAgathatheatrically,"increaseofappetitedidgrowbywhatitfedon。Shakespeare！"
"BotherShakespeare,"saidJane,impetuously,"——oldfoolthatexpectscreditforsayingthingsthateverybodyknows！Butifyoucomplainofnotbeingconsidered,Gertrude,howwouldyouliketobeme,whomeverybodysetsdownasafool？ButIamnotsuchafoolas——"
"Asyoulook,"interposedAgatha。"Ihavetoldyousoscoresoftimes,Jane;andIamgladthatyouhaveadoptedmyopinionatlast。Whichwouldyouratherbe,agreaterfoolthany——"
"Oh,shutup,"saidJane,impatiently;"youhaveaskedmethattwicethisweekalready。"
Thethreeweresilentforsomesecondsafterthis:Agathameditating,Gertrudemoody,Janevacantandrestless。AtlastAgathasaid:
"Andareyoutwoalsosmartingunderasenseoftheinconsideratenessandselfishnessoftherestoftheworld——bothmisunderstood——everythingexpectedfromyou,andnoallowancesmadeforyou？"
"Idon'tknowwhatyoumeanbybothofus,"saidGertrudecoldly。
"NeitherdoI,"saidJaneangrily。"Thatisjustthewaypeopletreatme。Youmaylaugh,Agatha;andshemayturnuphernoseasmuchasshelikes;youknowit'strue。ButtheideaofGertrudewantingtomakeoutthatsheisn'tconsideredisnothingbutsentimentality,andvanity,andnonsense。"
"Youareexceedinglyrude,MissCarpenter,"saidGertrude。
"Mymannersareasgoodasyours,andperhapsbetter,"retortedJane。"Myfamilyisasgood,anyhow。"
"Children,children,"saidAgatha,admonitorily,"donotforgetthatyouareswornfriends。"
"Wedidn'tswear,"saidJane。"Weweretohavebeenthreeswornfriends,andGertrudeandIwerewilling,butyouwouldn'tswear,andsothebargainwascriedoff。"
"Justso,"saidAgatha;"andtheresultisthatIspendallmytimeinkeepingpeacebetweenyou。Andnow,togobacktooursubject,mayIaskwhetherithaseveroccurredtoyouthatnooneeverconsidersme？"
"Isupposeyouthinkthatveryfunny。Youtakegoodcaretomakeyourselfconsidered,"sneeredJane。
"YoucannotsaythatIdonotconsideryou,"saidGertrudereproachfully。
"NotwhenItickleyou,dear。"
"Iconsideryou,andIamnotticklesome,"saidJanetenderly。
"Indeed！Letmetry,"saidAgatha,slippingherarmaboutJane'samplewaist,andelicitingapiercingcombinationoflaughandscreamfromher。
"Sh——sh,"whisperedGertrudequickly。"Don'tyouseetheLadyAbbess？"
MissWilsonhadjustenteredtheroom。Agatha,withoutappearingtobeawareofherpresence,stealthilywithdrewherarm,andsaidaloud:
"Howcanyoumakesuchanoise,Jane？Youwilldisturbthewholehouse。"
Janereddenedwithindignation,buthadtoremainsilent,fortheeyesoftheprincipalwereuponher。MissWilsonhadherbonneton。SheannouncedthatshewasgoingtowalktoLyvern,thenearestvillage。Didanyofthesixthformyoungladieswishtoaccompanyher？
Agathajumpedfromherseatatonce,andJanesmotheredalaugh。
"MissWilsonsaidthesixthform,MissWylie,"saidMissWard,whohadenteredalso。"Youarenotinthesixthform。"
"No,"saidAgathasweetly,"butIwanttogo,ifImay。"
MissWilsonlookedround。Thesixthformconsistedoffourstudiousyoungladies,whosegoalinlifeforthepresentwasanexaminationbyoneoftheUniversities,or,asthecollegephrasewas,"theCambridgeLocal。"Noneofthemresponded。
"Fifthform,then,"saidMissWilson。
Jane,Gertrude,andfourothersroseandstoodwithAgatha。
"Verywell,"saidMissWilson。"Donotbelongdressing。"
Theylefttheroomquietly,anddashedatthestaircasethemomenttheywereoutofsight。Agatha,thoughvoidofemulationfortheCambridgeLocal,alwayscompetedwithardorforthehonorofbeingfirstupordownstairs。
Theysoonreturned,cladforwalking,andleftthecollegeinprocession,twobytwo,JaneandAgathaleading,GertrudeandMissWilsoncominglast。TheroadtoLyvernlaythroughacresofpastureland,formerlyarable,nowabandonedtocattle,whichmademoremoneyforthelandlordthanthemenwhomtheyhaddisplaced。MissWilson'syoungladies,beinginstructedineconomics,knewthatthisprovedthatthelandwasbeingusedtoproducewhatwasmostwantedfromit;andifalltheadvantagewenttothelandlord,thatwasbutnatural,ashewasthechiefgentlemanintheneighborhood。Stillthearrangementhaditsdisagreeableside;foritinvolvedagreatmanycows,whichmadethemafraidtocrossthefields;agreatmanytramps,whomadethemafraidtowalktheroads;andascarcityofgentlemensubjectsforthemaidenartoffascination。
Theskywascloudy。Agatha,recklessofdustystockings,wadedthroughtheheapsoffallenleaveswiththedelightofachildpaddlinginthesea;Gertrudepickedherstepscarefully,andtheresttrampedalong,chattingsubduedly,occasionallymakingsomescientificorphilosophicalremarkinaloudertone,inorderthatMissWilsonmightoverhearandgivethemduecredit。Saveaherdsman,whoseemedtohavecaughtsomethingofthenatureandexpressionofthebeastshetended,theymetnooneuntiltheyapproachedthevillage,where,onthebrowofanacclivity,masculinehumanityappearedintheshapeoftwocurates:onetall,thin,close—shaven,withabookunderhisarm,andhisneckcranedforward;theothermiddle—sized,robust,upright,andaggressive,withshortblackwhiskers,andanairofprotestagainstsuchnotionsasthataclergymanmaynotmarry,hunt,playcricket,orsharethesportsofhonestlaymen。TheshavenonewasMr。Josephs,hiscompanionMr。Fairholme。ObviousscripturalperversionsofthisbraceofnameshadbeenintroducedbyAgatha。
"HerecomePharaohandJoseph,"shesaidtoJane。"Josephwillblushwhenyoulookathim。Pharaohwon'tblushuntilhepassesGertrude,soweshalllosethat。"
"Josephs,indeed！"saidJanescornfully。
"Helovesyou,Jane。Thinpersonslikeafinearmfulofawoman。
Pharaoh,whoisacad,likesbluebloodonthesameprincipleoftheattractionofopposites。ThatiswhyheiscaptivatedbyGertrude'saristocraticair。"
"Ifheonlyknewhowshedespiseshim！"
"Heistoovaintosuspectit。Besides,Gertrudedespiseseveryone,evenus。Or,rather,shedoesn'tdespiseanyoneinparticular,butiscontemptuousbynature,justasyouarestout。"
"Me！Ihadratherbestoutthanstuck—up。Oughtwetobow？"
"Iwill,certainly。IwanttomakePharoahblush,ifIcan。"
Thetwoparsonshadbeensimulatinganinterestinthecloudyfirmamentasanexcusefornotlookingatthegirlsuntilcloseathand。JanesentaneyeflashatJosephswithaskillwhichprovedherfavoriteassertionthatshewasnotsostupidaspeoplethought。Heblushedandtookoffhissoft,low—crownedfelthat。Fairholmesalutedverysolemnly,forAgathabowedtohimwithmarkedseriousness。Butwhenhisgravityandhisstiffsilkhatwereattheirhighestpointshedartedamockingsmileathim,andhetooblushed,allthedeeperbecausehewasenragedwithhimselffordoingso。
"Didyoueverseesuchapairoffools？"whisperedJane,giggling。
"Theycannothelptheirsex。Theysaywomenarefools,andsotheyare;butthankHeaventheyarenotquitesobadasmen！I
shouldliketolookbackandseePharaohpassingGertrude;butifhesawmehewouldthinkIwasadmiringhim;andheisconceitedenoughalreadywithoutthat。"
Thetwocuratesbecameredderandredderastheypassedthecolumnofyoungladies。MissLindsaywouldnotlooktotheirsideoftheroad,andMissWilson'snodandsmilewerenotquitesincere。Sheneverspoketocurates,andkeptupnomoreintercoursewiththevicarthanshecouldnotavoid。Hesuspectedherofbeinganinfidel,thoughneitherhenoranyothermortalinLyvernhadeverheardawordfromheronthesubjectofherreligiousopinions。Butheknewthat"moralscience"wastaughtsecularlyatthecollege;andhefeltthatwheremoralsweremadeadepartmentofsciencethedemandforreligionmustfalloffproportionately。
"Whatalifetoleadandwhataplacetolivein！"exclaimedAgatha。"Wemeettwocreatures,morelikesuitsofblackthanmen;andthatisanincident——astartlingincident——inourexistence！"
"Ithinkthey'reawfulfun,"saidJane,"exceptthatJosephshassuchlargeears。"
Thegirlsnowcametoaplacewheretheroaddippedthroughaplantationofsombresycamoreandhorsechestnuttrees。Astheypasseddownintoit,alittlewindsprangup,thefallenleavesstirred,andthebranchesheavedalong,rustlingsigh。
"Ihatethisbitofroad,"saidJane,hurryingon。"It'sjustthesortofplacethatpeoplegetrobbedandmurderedin。"
"Itisnotsuchabadplacetoshelterinifwegetcaughtintherain,asIexpectweshallbeforewegetback,"saidAgatha,feelingthefitfulbreezestrikeominouslyonhercheek。"AnicepickleIshallbeinwiththeselightshoeson！IwishIhadputonmystrongboots。IfitrainsmuchIwillgointotheoldchalet。"
"MissWilsonwon'tletyou。It'strespassing。"
"Whatmatter！Nobodylivesinit,andthegateisoffitshinges。
Ionlywanttostandundertheveranda——nottobreakintothewretchedplace。Besides,thelandlordknowsMissWilson;hewon'tmind。There'sadrop。"
MissCarpenterlookedup,andimmediatelyreceivedaheavyraindropinhereye。
"Oh！"shecried。"It'spouring。Weshallbedrenched。"
Agathastopped,andthecolumnbrokeintoagroupabouther。
"MissWilson,"shesaid,"itisgoingtorainintorrents,andJaneandIhaveonlyourshoeson。"
MissWilsonpausedtoconsiderthesituation。SomeonesuggestedthatiftheyhurriedontheymightreachLyvernbeforetheraincamedown。
"Morethanamile,"saidAgathascornfully,"andtheraincomingdownalready！"
Someoneelsesuggestedreturningtothecollege。
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