"Morethantwomiles,"saidAgatha。"Weshouldbedrowned。"
"Thereisnothingforitbuttowaithereunderthetrees,"saidMissWilson。
"Thebranchesareverybare,"saidGertrudeanxiously。"Ifitshouldcomedownheavilytheywilldripworsethantherainitself。"
"Muchworse,"saidAgatha。"Ithinkwehadbettergetundertheverandaoftheoldchalet。Itisnothalfaminute'swalkfromhere。"
"Butwehavenoright——"Heretheskydarkenedthreateningly。
MissWilsoncheckedherselfandsaid,"Isupposeitisstillempty。"
"Ofcourse,"repliedAgatha,impatienttobemoving。"Itisalmostaruin。"
"Thenletusgothere,byallmeans,"saidMissWilson,notdisposedtostandontriflesattheriskofabadcold。
Theyhurriedon,andcamepresentlytoagreenhillbythewayside。OntheslopewasadilapidatedSwisscottage,surroundedbyaverandaonslenderwoodenpillars,aboutwhichclungafewtendrilsofwitheredcreeper,theirstrayendsstillswingingfromtherecentwind,nowmomentarilyhushedasiflisteningforthecomingoftherain。Accessfromtheroadwaywasbyaroughwoodengateinthehedge。TothesurpriseofAgatha,whohadlastseenthisgateoffitshingesandonlyattachedtothepostbyarustychainandpadlock,itwasnowrehungandfastenedbyanewhasp。Theweatheradmittingofnodelaytoconsidertheserepairs,sheopenedthegateandhasteneduptheslope,followedbythetroopofgirls。Theirascentendedwitharush,fortherainsuddenlycamedownintorrents。
Whentheyweresafeundertheveranda,panting,laughing,grumbling,orcongratulatingthemselvesonhavingbeensoclosetoaplaceofshelter,MissWilsonobserved,withsomeuneasiness,aspade——new,likethehaspofthegate——stickinguprightinapatchofgroundthatsomeonehadevidentlybeendigginglately。Shewasabouttocommentonthissignofhabitation,whenthedoorofthechaletwasflungopen,andJanescreamedasamandartedouttothespade,whichhewasabouttocarryinoutofthewet,whenheperceivedthecompanyundertheveranda,andstoodstillinamazement。Hewasayounglaborerwithareddish—brownbeardofaweek'sgrowth。Heworecorduroytrousersandalinen—sleevedcorduroyvest;both,likethehaspandspade,new。Acoarseblueshirt,withavulgarred—and—orangeneckerchief,alsonew,completedhisdress;and,toshieldhimselffromtherain,heheldupasilkumbrellawithasilver—mountedebonyhandle,whichheseemedunlikelytohavecomebyhonestly。MissWilsonfeltlikeaboycaughtrobbinganorchard,butsheputaboldfaceonthematterandsaid:
"Willyouallowustotakeshelterhereuntiltherainisover？"
"Forcertain,yourladyship,"hereplied,respectfullyapplyingthespadehandletohishair,whichwascombeddowntohiseyebrows。"Yourladyshipdoesmeproudtotakerefugefromtheonclemencyoftheyallovrmentsbeneathmy'umblerooftree。"Hisaccentwasbarbarous;andhe,likealowcomedian,seemedtorelishitsvulgarity。Ashespokehecameinamongthemforshelter,andproppedhisspadeagainstthewallofthechalet,kickingthesoilfromhishobnailedblucherboots,whichwerenew。
"Icameout,honoredlady,"heresumed,muchathisease,"tohousemyspade,wherebyIearnmyliving。Whatthepenistothepoet,suchisthespadetotheworkingman。"Hetookthekerchieffromhisneck,wipedhistemplesasifthesweatofhonesttoilwerethere,andcalmlytieditonagain。
"Ifyou'll'scusearemarkfromacommonman,"heobserved,"yourladyshiphasafinefamilyofdaughters。"
"Theyarenotmydaughters,"saidMissWilson,rathershortly。
"Sisters,mebbe？"
"No。"
"Ithoughttheymoutbe,acauseIhaveasistermyself。NotthatIwouldmakeboldfortodrorcomparisons,eveninmyownmind,forshe'sonlyacommonwoman——ascommonaoneaseveryousee。
Butfewwomenriseabovethecommon。LastSunday,inyonvillagechurch,Iheardtheministerreadoutthatonemaninathousandhadhefound,'butonewomaninallthese,'hesays,'haveInotfound,'andIthinkstomyself,'Rightyouare！'ButIwarranthenevermetyourladyship。"
Alaugh,thinlydisguisedasacough,escapedfromMissCarpenter。
"Youngladya—ketchin'cold,I'mafeerd,"hesaid,withrespectfulsolicitude。
"Doyouthinktherainwilllastlong？"saidAgathapolitely。
Themanexaminedtheskywithaweather—wiseairforsomemoments。ThenheturnedtoAgatha,andrepliedhumbly:"TheLordonlyknows,Miss。Itisnotforacommonmanlikemetosay。"
Silenceensued,duringwhichAgatha,furtivelyscrutinizingthetenantofthechalet,noticedthathisfaceandneckwerecleanerandlesssunburntthanthoseoftheordinarytoilersofLyvern。
Hishandswerehiddenbylargegardeningglovesstainedwithcoaldust。Lyvernlaborers,asarule,hadlittleobjectiontosoiltheirhands;theyneverworegloves。Still,shethought,therewasnoreasonwhyaneccentricworkman,insufferablytalkative,andcapableofanallusiontothepenofthepoet,shouldnotindulgehimselfwithcheapgloves。Butthenthesilk,silvermountedumbrella——
"Theyounglady'shi,"hesaidsuddenly,holdingouttheumbrella,"isfixedonthishere。Iamwellawarethatitisnotforthelowestofthelowtocarryagentleman'sbrolly,andI
askyourladyship'spardonfortheliberty。Icomebyitaccidental—like,andshouldbegladofareasonableofferfromanygentlemaninwantofahonestarticle。"
Ashespoketwogentlemen,muchinwantofthearticle,astheirclingingwetcoatsshowed,ranthroughthegatewayandmadeforthechalet。Fairholmearrivedfirst,exclaiming:"Fearfulshower！"andbrisklyturnedhisbacktotheladiesinordertostandattheedgeoftheverandaandshakethewateroutofhishat。Josephscamenext,shrinkingfromthedampcontactofhisowngarments。HecringedtoMissWilson,andhopedthatshehadescapedawetting。
"SofarIhave,"shereplied。"Thequestionis,howarewetogethome？"
"Oh,it'sonlyashower,"saidJosephs,lookingupcheerfullyattheunbrokencurtainofcloud。"Itwillclearuppresently。"
"Itain'tforacommonmantosetuphisopinionagain'agentlemanwothaveprofesh'nalknowledgeoftheheavens,asonemaysay,"saidtheman,"butIwould'umblyoffertobetmyumbrellartohiswideawakethatitdon'tceaserainingthissideofseveno'clock。"
"Thatmanliveshere,"whisperedMissWilson,"andIsupposehewantstogetridofus。"
"H'm！"saidFairholme。Then,turningtothestrangelaborerwiththeairofapersonnottobetrifledwith,heraisedhisvoice,andsaid:"Youlivehere,doyou,myman？"
"Ido,sir,byyourgoodleave,ifImaymakesobold。"
"What'syourname？"
"JeffSmilash,sir,atyourservice。"
"Wheredoyoucomefrom？"
"Brixtonbury,sir。"
"Brixtonbury！Where'sthat？"
"Well,sir,Idon'trightlyknow。Ifagentlemanlikeyou,knowingjographyandsuch,can'ttell,howcanI？"
"Yououghttoknowwhereyouwereborn,man。Haven'tyougotcommonsense？"
"Wherecouldsuchaoneasmegetcommonsense,sir？Besides,I
wasonlyafoundling。MebbeIwarn'sbornatall。"
"DidIseeyouatchurchlastSunday？"
"No,sir。Ionlycomeo'Wensday。"
"Well,letmeseeyoutherenextSunday,"saidFairholmeshortly,turningawayfromhim。
MissWilsonlookedattheweather,atJosephs,whowasconversingwithJane,andfinallyatSmilash,whoknuckledhisforeheadwithoutwaitingtobeaddressed。
"HaveyouaboywhomyoucansendtoLyverntogetusaconveyance——acarriage？Iwillgivehimashillingforhistrouble。"
"Ashilling！"saidSmilashjoyfully。"Yourladyshipisanoblelady。Twofour—wheeledcabs。There'seightonyou。"
"ThereisonlyonecabinLyvern,"saidMissWilson。"TakethiscardtoMr。Marsh,thejotmaster,andtellhimthepredicamentwearein。Hewillsendvehicles。"
Smilashtookthecardandreaditataglance。Hethenwentintothechalet。Reappearingpresentlyinasou'westerandoilskins,heranoffthroughtherainandvaultedoverthegatewithridiculouselegance。Nosoonerhadhevanishedthan,asoftenhappenstoremarkablemen,hebecamethesubjectofconversation。
"Adecentworkman,"saidJosephs。"Awell—manneredman,consideringhisclass。"
"Abornfool,though,"saidFairholme。
"Orarogue,"saidAgatha,emphasizingthesuggestionbyaglitterofhereyesandteeth,whilstherschoolfellows,ratherdisapprovingofherfreedom,stoodstifflydumb。"HetoldMissWilsonthathehadasister,andthathehadbeentochurchlastSunday,andhehasjusttoldyouthatheisafoundling,andthatheonlycamelastWednesday。Hisaccentisputon,andhecanread,andIdon'tbelieveheisaworkmanatall。Perhapsheisaburglar,comedowntostealthecollegeplate。"
"Agatha,"saidMissWilsongravely,"youmustbeverycarefulhowyousaythingsofthatkind。"
"Butitissoobvious。Hisexplanationabouttheumbrellawasmadeuptodisarmsuspicion。Hehandleditandleanedonitinawaythatshowedhowmuchmorefamiliaritwastohimthanthatnewspadehewassoanxiousabout。Andallhisclothesarenew。"
"True,"saidFairholme,"butthereisnotmuchinallthat。
Workmennowadaysapegentlemenineverything。However,Iwillkeepaneyeonhim。"
"Oh,thankyousomuch,"saidAgatha。Fairholme,suspectingmockery,frowned,andMissWilsonlookedseverelyatthemocker。
Littlemorewassaid,exceptastothechances——manifestlysmall——oftherainceasing,untilthetopsofacab,adecayedmourningcoach,andthreedrippinghatswereseenoverthehedge。
Smilashsatontheboxofthecoach,besidethedriver。Whenitstopped,healighted,re—enteredthechaletwithoutspeaking,cameoutwiththeumbrella,spreaditaboveMissWilson'shead,andsaid:
"Now,ifyourladyshipwillcomewithme,Iwillseeyoudryintothestray,andthenI'llbringyourhonoredniecesonebyone。"
"Ishallcomelast,"saidMissWilson,irritatedbyhisassumptionthatthepartywasafamilyone。"Gertrude,youhadbettergofirst。"
"Allowme,"saidFairholme,steppingforward,andattemptingtotaketheumbrella。
"Thankyou,Ishallnottroubleyou,"shesaidfrostily,andtrippedawayovertheoozingfieldwithSmilash,whoheldtheumbrellaoverherwithostentatioussolicitude。Inthesamemannerheledtheresttothevehicles,inwhichtheypackedthemselveswithsomedifficulty。Agatha,whocamelastbutone,gavehimthreepence。
"Youhaveanoble'artandanexpressivehi,Miss,"hesaid,apparentlymuchmoved。"Blessingsonboth！Blessingsonboth！"
HewentbackforJane,whoslippedonthewetgrassandfell。Hehadtoputforthhisstrengthashehelpedhertorise。"Hopeyouain'tsoppedupmuchoftherainfall,Miss,"hesaid。"Youareafineyoungladyforyourage。Nighontwelvestone,Ishouldthink。"
Shereddenedandhurriedtothecab,whereAgathawas。Butitwasfull;andJane,muchagainstherwill,hadtogetintothecoach,considerablydiminishingthespaceleftforMissWilson,towhomSmilashhadreturned。
"Now,dearlady,"hesaid,"takecareyoudon'tslip。Comealong。"
MissWilson,ignoringtheinvitation,tookashillingfromherpurse。
"No,lady,"saidSmilashwithavirtuousair。"Iamanhonestmanandhaveneverseentheinsideofajailexceptfourtimes,andonlytwiceforstealing。Youryoungestdaughter——herwiththeexpressivehi——havepaidmefarbeyondwhatisproper。"
"Ihavetoldyouthattheseyoungladiesarenotmydaughters,"
saidMissWilsonsharply。"Whydoyounotlistentowhatissaidtoyou？"
"Don'tbetoohardonacommonman,lady,"saidSmilashsubmissively。"Theyoungladyhavejustgivenmethree'arf—crowns。"
"Threehalf—crowns！"exclaimedMissWilson,angeredatsuchextravagance。
"Blessherinnocence,shedon'tknowwhatispropertogivetoalowsortlikeme！ButIwillnotrobtheyounglady。'Arf—a—crownisnomorenorisfairforthejob,andarf—a—crownwillIkeep,ifagreeabletoyournobleladyship。ButIgiveyoubackthefivebobintrustforher。Haveyouevernoticedherexpressivehi？"
"Nonsense,sir。Youhadbetterkeepthemoneynowthatyouhavegotit。"
"Wot！Sellforfivebobthehighopinionyourladyshiphasofme！
No,dearlady;notlikely。Myfather'sverylastwordstomewas——"
"Yousaidjustnowthatyouwereafoundling,"saidFairholme。
"Whatarewetobelieve？Eh？"
"SoIwere,sir;butbymother'ssidealone。Herladyshipwillpleasetotakebackthemoney,forkeepitIwillnot。Iamofthelowerorders,andthereforenotamanofmyword;butwhenI
dosticktoit,Isticklikewax。"
"Takeit,"saidFairholmetoMissWilson。"Takeit,ofcourse。
Sevenandsixpenceisaridiculoussumtogivehimforwhathehasdone。Itwouldonlysethimdrinking。"
"Hisreverencesaystrue,lady。Theone'arfcrownwillkeepmecomfortablytightuntilSundaymorning;andmoreIdonotdesire。"
"Justalittlelessofyourtongue,myman,"saidFairholme,takingthetwocoinsfromhimandhandingthemtoMissWilson,whobadetheclergymengoodafternoon,andwenttothecoachundertheumbrella。
"IfyourladyshipshouldwantahandymantodoanoddjobupatthecollegeIhopeyouwillrememberme,"Smilashsaidastheywentdowntheslope。
"Oh,youknowwhoIam,doyou？"saidMissWilsondrily。
"Allthecountryknowsyou,Miss,andworshipsyou。Ihavefewequalsasacoiner,andifyoushouldrequireamedalstrucktogiveawayforgoodbehaviororthelike,IthinkIcouldstrikeonetoyoursatisfaction。Andifyourladyshipshouldwantatrifleofsmuggledlace——"
"Youhadbetterbecarefuloryouwillgetintotrouble,I
think,"saidMissWilsonsternly。"Tellhimtodriveon。"
Thevehiclesstarted,andSmilashtookthelibertyofwavinghishatafterthem。Thenhereturnedtothechalet,lefttheumbrellawithin,cameoutagain,lockedthedoor,putthekeyinhispocket,andwalkedoffthroughtherainacrossthehillwithouttakingtheleastnoticeoftheastonishedparsons。
InthemeantimeMissWilson,unabletocontainherannoyanceatAgatha'sextravagance,spokeofittothegirlswhosharedthecoachwithher。ButJanedeclaredthatAgathaonlypossessedthreepenceintheworld,andthereforecouldnotpossiblyhavegiventhemanthirtytimesthatsum。Whentheyreachedthecollege,Agatha,confrontedwithMissWilson,openedhereyesinwonder,andexclaimed,laughing:"Ionlygavehimthreepence。Hehassentmeapresentoffourandninepence！"
CHAPTERIV
SaturdayatAltonCollege,nominallyahalfholiday,wasreallyawholeone。Classesingymnastics,dancing,elocution,anddrawingwereheldinthemorning。Theafternoonwasspentatlawntennis,towhichladyguestsresidentintheneighborhoodwereallowedtobringtheirhusbands,brothers,andfathers——MissWilsonbeinganxioustosendherpupilsforthintotheworldfreefromtheuncouthstiffnessofschoolgirlsunaccustomedtosociety。
LateinOctobercameaSaturdaywhichprovedanythingbutaholidayforMissWilson。Athalf—pastone,luncheonbeingover,shewentoutofdoorstoalawnthatlaybetweenthesouthernsideofthecollegeandashrubbery。HereshefoundagroupofgirlswatchingAgathaandJane,whoweredraggingarolleroverthegrass。Oneofthem,tossingaballaboutwithherracket,happenedtodriveitintotheshrubbery,whence,tothesurpriseofthecompany,Smilashpresentlyemerged,carryingtheball,blinking,andproclaimingthat,thoughacommonman,hehadhisfeelingslikeanother,andthathiseyewasneitherasticknorastone。Hewasdressedasbefore,buthisgarments,soiledwithclayandlime,nolongerlookednew。
"Whatbringsyouhere,pray？"demandedMissWilson。
"Iwasledintothebeliefthatyousentforme,lady,"hereplied。"Thebaker'sladtoldmesoashepassedmy'umblecotthismorning。Ithoughthewereincapableofdeceit。"
"Thatisquiteright;Ididsendforyou。Butwhydidyounotgoroundtotheservants'hall？"
"Iamatpresentinsearchofit,lady。Iwerelookingforitwhenthisballcotchmehere"（touchinghiseye）。"Acruelblowonthehi'nat'rallyspiresitsvisionandexpressionandmakesahonestmanlooklikeathief。"
"Agatha,"saidMissWilson,"comehere。"
"Mydootytoyou,Miss,"saidSmilash,pullinghisforelock。
"ThisisthemanfromwhomIhadthefiveshillings,whichhesaidyouhadjustgivenhim。Didyoudoso？"
"Certainlynot。Ionlygavehimthreepence。"
"ButIshowedthemoneytoyourladyship,"saidSmilash,twistinghishatagitatedly。"Igevityou。Wherewouldthelikeofmegetfiveshillingsexceptbythebountyoftherichandnoble？IftheyoungladythinksIhadn'torttohavekep'thetother'arfcrown,Iwouldnotobjecttoitsbein'stoppedfrommywagesifIweregivenajobofworkhere。But——"
"Butit'snonsense,"saidAgatha。"Inevergaveyouthreehalf—crowns。"
"Perhapsyoumout'a'madeamistake。Penceissummatsimilarto'arf—crowns,andthedaywereverydark。"
"Icouldn'thave,"saidAgatha。"Janehadmypursealltheearlierpartoftheweek,MissWilson,andshecantellyouthattherewasonlythreepenceinit。YouknowthatIgetmymoneyonthefirstofeverymonth。Itneverlastslongerthanaweek。Theideaofmyhavingsevenandsixpenceonthesixteenthisridiculous。"
"ButIputittoyou,Miss,ain'tittwiceasridiculousforme,apoorlaborer,togiveupmoneywotInevergot？"
VaguealarmcreptuponAgathaasthetestimonyofhersenseswascontradicted。"AllIknowis,"sheprotested,"thatIdidnotgiveittoyou;somypenniesmusthaveturnedintohalf—crownsinyourpocket。"
"Mebbeso,"saidSmilashgravely。"I'veheard,andIknowitforafact,thatmoneygrowsinthepocketsoftherich。Whynotinthepocketsofthepooraswell？Whyshouldyoubesu'prisedatwot'appenseveryday？"
"Hadyouanymoneyofyourownaboutyouatthetime？"
"Wherecouldthelikeofmegetmoney？——askingpardonformakingsoboldastocatechiseyourladyship。"
"Idon'tknowwhereyoucouldgetit,"saidMissWilsontestily;
"Iaskyou,hadyouany？"
"Well,lady,Idisremember。Iwillnotimposeuponyou。I
disremember。"
"Thenyou'vemadeamistake,"saidMissWilson,handinghimbackhismoney。"Here。Ifitisnotyours,itisnotours;soyouhadbetterkeepit。"
"Keepit！Oh,lady,butthisistheheighthofnobility！AndwhatshallIdotoearnyourbounty,lady？"
"Itisnotmybounty:Igiveittoyoubecauseitdoesnotbelongtome,and,Isuppose,mustbelongtoyou。Youseemtobeaverysimpleman。"
"Ithankyourladyship;IhopeIam。Respectingtheday'swork,now,lady;wasyouthinkingofemployingapoormanatall？"
"No,thankyou;Ihavenooccasionforyourservices。IhavealsotogiveyoutheshillingIpromisedyouforgettingthecabs。
Hereitis。"
"Anothershillin'！"criedSmilash,stupefied。
"Yes,"saidMissWilson,beginningtofeelveryangry。"Letmehearnomoreaboutit,please。Don'tyouunderstandthatyouhaveearnedit？"
"Iamacommonman,andunderstandnexttonothing,"herepliedreverently。"Butifyourladyshipwouldgivemeaday'sworktokeepmegoin',IcouldputupallthismoneyinalittlewoodensavingsbankIhaveathome,andkeepittospendwhensicknessoroddageshall,inamannerofspeaking,laytheir'endsuponme。Icouldsmooththatgrassbeautiful;themyoungladies'llstrainthemselveswiththatheavyroller。Iftennisistheword,Icanputupnetsfittocatchbirdsofparadisein。Ifthecourtsistobechalkedoutinwhite,Icandrawalinesostraightthatyoucouldhardlykeepyourselffromerectinganequilateraltriangleonit。Iamhonestwhenwellwatched,andI
canwaitattableequaltotheLordMayoro'London'sbutler。"
"Icannotemployyouwithoutacharacter,"saidMissWilson,amusedbyhisscrapofEuclid,andwonderingwherehehadpickeditup。
"Ibearthebestofcharacters,lady。Thereverendrectorhasknownmefromaboy。"
"Iwasspeakingtohimaboutyouyesterday,"saidMissWilson,lookinghardathim,"andhesaysyouareaperfectstrangertohim。"
"Gentlemenissoforgetful,"saidSmilashsadly。"ButIalludedtomynativerector——meaningtherectorofmynativevillage,Auburn。'SweetAuburn,loveliestvillageoftheplain,'asthegentlemancalledit。"
"ThatwasnotthenameyoumentionedtoMr。Fairholme。Idonotrecollectwhatnameyougave,butitwasnotAuburn,norhaveI
everheardofanysuchplace。"
"NeverreadofsweetAuburn！"
"Notinanygeographyorgazetteer。Doyourecollecttellingmethatyouhavebeeninprison？"
"Onlysixtimes,"pleadedSmilash,hisfeaturesworkingconvulsively。"Don'tbeartoohardonacommonman。Onlysixtimes,andallthroughdrink。ButIhavetookthepledge,andkep'itfaithfulforeighteenmonthspast。"
MissWilsonnowsetdownthemanasoneofthosekeen,half—wittedcountryfellows,contemptuouslystyledoriginals,whounintentionallymakethemselvespopularbyflatteringthesenseofsanityinthosewhosefacultiesarebetteradaptedtocircumstances。
"Youhaveabadmemory,Mr。Smilash,"shesaidgood—humoredly。
"Younevergivethesameaccountofyourselftwice。"
"IamwellawarethatIdonotexpressmyselfwithexactability。
Ladiesandgentlemenhavethatpoweroverwordsthattheycanalwayssaywhattheymean,butacommonmanlikemecan't。Wordsdon'tcomenaturaltohim。Hehasmorethoughtsthanwords,andwhatwordshehasdon'tfithisthoughts。MightItakeaturnwiththeroller,andmakemyselfusefulabouttheplaceuntilnightfall,forninepence？"
MissWilson,whowasexpectingmorethanherusualSaturdayvisitors,consideredthepropositionandassented。"Andremember,"shesaid,"thatasyouareastrangerhere,yourcharacterinLyverndependsupontheuseyoumakeofthisopportunity。"
"Iamgratefultoyournobleladyship。Mayyourladyship'sgoodnesssewuptheholewhichisinthepocketwhereIcarrymycharacter,andwhichhascausedmetoloseitsofrequent。It'sabadplaceformentokeeptheircharactersin;butsuchisthefashion。Andsohurrayforthegloriousnineteenthcentury！"
Hetookoffhiscoat,seizedtheroller,andbegantopullitwithanenergyforeigntothemeasuredmillhorsemanneroftheaccustomedlaborer。MissWilsonlookeddoubtfullyathim,but,beinginhaste,wentindoorswithoutfurthercomment。Thegirlsmistrustinghiseccentricity,keptaloof。Agathadeterminedtohaveanotherandbetterlookathim。Racketinhand,shewalkedslowlyacrossthegrassandcameclosetohimjustashe,unawareofherapproach,utteredagroanofexhaustionandsatdowntorest。
"Tiredalready,Mr。Smilash？"shesaidmockingly。
Helookedupdeliberately,tookoffoneofhiswashleathergloves,fannedhimselfwithit,displayingawhiteandfinehand,andatlastreplied,inthetoneandwiththeaccentofagentleman:
"Very。"
Agatharecoiled。Hefannedhimselfwithouttheleastconcern。
"You——youarenotalaborer,"shesaidatlast。
"Obviouslynot。"
"Ithoughtnot。"
Henodded。
"SupposeItellonyou,"shesaid,growingbolderassherecollectedthatshewasnotalonewithhim。
"IfyoudoIshallgetoutofitjustasIgotoutofthehalf—crowns,andMissWilsonwillbegintothinkthatyouaremad。"
"ThenIreallydidnotgiveyouthesevenandsixpence,"shesaid,relieved。
"Whatisyourownopinion？"heanswered,takingthreepenniesfromhispocket,jinglingtheminhispalm。"Whatisyourname？"
"Ishallnottellyou,"saidAgathawithdignity。
Heshruggedhisshoulders。"Perhapsyouareright,"hesaid。"I
wouldnottellyoumineifyouaskedme。"
"Ihavenottheslightestintentionofaskingyou。"
"No？ThenSmilashshalldoforyou,andAgathawilldoforme。"
"Youhadbettertakecare。"
"Ofwhat？"
"Ofwhatyousay,and——areyounotafraidofbeingfoundout？"
"Iamfoundoutalready——byyou,andIamnonetheworse。"
"Supposethepolicefindyouout！"
"Notthey。Besides,Iamnothidingfromthepolice。IhavearighttowearcorduroyifIpreferittobroadcloth。Considertheadvantagesofit！IthasprocuredmeadmissiontoAltonCollege,andthepleasureofyouracquaintance。WillyouexcusemeifIgoonwithmyrolling,justtokeepupappearances？IcantalkasI
roll。"
"Youmay,ifyouarefondofsoliloquizing,"shesaid,turningawayasherose。
"Seriously,Agatha,youmustnottelltheothersaboutme。"
"DonotcallmeAgatha,"shesaidimpetuously。"WhatshallIcallyou,then？"
"Youneednotaddressmeatall。"
"Ineed,andwill。Don'tbeill—natured。"
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