Hehadcomefromalongday'selectioneering,hadbeenheckledattwomeetings,andwasstillsorefromtheexperience。Towatchher,tobesoothed,andministeredtobyherhadneverbeensorestful;andstretchedoutinalongchairhelistenedtoherplaying。
OverthehillaPierrotmoonwasslowlymovingupinaskythecolourofgreyirises。AndinasortoftranceMiltounstaredattheburnt—
outstar,travellinginbrightpallor。
Acrossthemooraseaofshallowmistwasrolling;andthetreesinthevalley,likebrowsingcattle,stoodknee—deepinwhiteness,withalltheairabovethemwanfromaninnumerablerainasofmoondust,fallingintothatwhitesea。Thenthemoonpassedbehindthelime—
tree,sothatagreatlightedChineselanternseemedtohangblue—
blackfromthesky。
Suddenly,jarringandshiveringthemusic,cameasoundofhooting。
Itswelled,diedaway,andswelledagain。
Miltounrose。
"Thathasspoiledmyvision,"hesaid。"Mrs。Noel,IhavesomethingIwanttosay。"Butlookingdownather,sittingsostill,withherhandsrestingonthekeys,hewassilentinsheeradoration。
Avoicefromthedoorejaculated:
"Oh！ma'am——oh！mylord！They'redevillingagentlemanonthegreen！"
CHAPTERVI
WhentheimmortalDonsetouttoringallthebellsofmerriment,hewasfollowedbyoneclown。CharlesCourtierontheotherhandhadalwaysbeenaccompaniedbythousands,whoreallycouldnotunderstandtheconductofthismanwithnocommercialsense。Butthoughhepuzzledhiscontemporaries,theydidnotexactlylaughathim,becauseitwasreportedthathehadreallykilledsomemen,andlovedsomewomen。Theyfoundsuchacombinationirresistible,whencoupledwithanappearancebothvigorousandgallant。ThesonofanOxfordshireclergyman,andmountedonalostcause,hehadbeenridingthroughtheworldeversincehewaseighteen,withoutoncegettingoutofthesaddle。Thesecretofthisendurancelayperhapsinhisunconsciousnessthathewasinthesaddleatall。Itwasasmuchhisnaturalseatasofficestoolstoothermortals。Hemadenocapitaloutoferrantry,histemperamentbeingfartoolikehisred—
goldhair,whichpeoplecomparedtoflames,consumingallbeforethem。Hisviceswerepatent;tooincurableanoptimism;anadmirationforbeautysuchasmustsometimeshavecausedhimtoforgetwhichwomanhewasmostinlovewith;toothinaskin;toohotaheart;hatredofhumbug,andhabitualneglectofhisowninterest。
Unmarried,andwithmanyfriends,andmanyenemies,hekepthisbodylikeasword—blade,andhissoulalwaysatwhiteheat。
Thatonewhoadmittedtohavingtakenpartinfivewarsshouldbemixinginaby—electioninthecauseofPeace,wasnotsoinconsistentasmightbesupposed;forhehadalwaysfoughtonthelosingside,andthereseemedtohimatthemomentnosidesolosingasthatofPeace。Nogreatpolitician,hewasnotanorator,norevenaglibtalker;yetaquietmordancyoftongue,andthewhite—hotlookinhiseyes,neverfailedtomakeanimpressionofsomekindonanaudience。
Therewas,however,hardlyacornerofEnglandwhereorationsonbehalfofPeacehadapoorerchancethantheBucklandburydivision。
TosaythatCourtierhadmadehimselfunpopularwithitsmatter—of—
fact,independent,stolid,yetquick—temperedpopulation,wouldbeinadequate。Hehadoutragedtheirbeliefs,androusedthemostprofoundsuspicions。Theycouldnot,forthelifeofthem,makeoutwhathewasat。Thoughbyhisadventuresandhisbook,"Peace—alostCause,"hewas,inLondon,aconspicuousfigure,theyhadnaturallyneverheardofhim;andhisadventuretothesepartsseemedtothemanalmostludicrousexampleofpureideapokingitsnoseintoplainfacts——theideathatnationsoughtto,andcouldliveinpeacebeingsoverypure;andthefactthattheyneverhad,soveryplain！
AtMonkland,whichwasallCourtestate,therewerenaturallybutfewsupportersofMiltoun'sopponent,Mr。HumphreyChilcox,andthereceptionaccordedtothechampionofPeacesoonpassedfromcuriositytoderision,fromderisiontomenace,tillCourtier'sattitudebecamesodefiant,andhissentencessoheatedthathewasonlysavedfromaroughhandlingbytheinfluentialinterpositionofthevicar。
Yetwhenhebegantoaddressthemhehadfeltirresistiblyattracted。
Theylookedsuchcapital,independentfellows。Waitingforhisturntospeak,hehadmarkedthemdownasmenafterhisownheart。ForthoughCourtierknewthatagainstanunpopularideatheremustalwaysbeamajority,heneverthoughtsoillofanyindividualastosupposehimcapableofbelongingtothatill—omenedbody。
Surelythesefine,independentfellowswerenottobehoodwinkedbythejingoes！Ithadbeenonemoredisillusion。Hehadnottakenitlyingdown;neitherhadhisaudience。Theydispersedwithoutforgiving;theycametogetheragainwithouthavingforgotten。
ThevillageInn,alittlewhitebuildingwhosesmallwindowswereovergrownwithcreepers,hadasingleguest'sbedroomontheupperfloor,andalittlesitting—roomwhereCourtiertookhismeals。Therestofthehousewasbutstone—flooredbarwithalongwoodenbenchagainstthebackwall,whencenightlyastreamoftalkwouldissue,allharsha's,andsuddensoftu's;whencetooafigure,alittleunsteady,wouldnowandagainemerge,toachorusof'Gudenaights,'
standstillundertheash—treestolighthispipe,thenmoveslowlyhome。
Butonthatevening,whenthetrees,likecattle,stoodknee—deepinthemoon—dust,thosewhocameoutfromthebar—roomdidnotgoaway;
theyhungaboutintheshadows,andwerejoinedbyotherfigurescreepingfurtivelythroughthebrightmoonlight,frombehindtheInn。
Presentlymorefiguresmovedupfromthelanesandthechurchyardpath,tillthirtyormorewerehuddledthere,andtheirstealthymurmuroftalkdistilledararesavourofillicitjoy。Unholyhilarity,indeed,seemedlurkinginthedeeptree—shadow,beforethewanInn,whencefromasinglelightedwindowcameforththehalf—
chantingsoundofaman'svoicereadingoutloud。Laughterwassmothered,talkwhispered。
"He'ma—practisin'hisspaches。""Smokethecunnin'oldvoxout！"
"Redpepper'stheproperstuff。""Seemensneeze！We'vea—screedupthedoor。"
Then,asafaceshowedatthelightedwindow,aburstofharshlaughterbrokethehush。
Heatthewindowwasseenstrugglingviolentlytowrenchawayabar。
Thelaughterswelledtohooting。Theprisonerforcedhiswaythrough,droppedtotheground,rose,staggered,andfell。
Avoicesaidsharply:
"What'sthis？"
Outofthesoundsofscufflingandscatteringcamethewhisper:"Hislordship！"Andtheshadeundertheash—treesbecamedeserted,savebythetalldarkfigureofaman,andawoman'swhiteshape。
"Isthatyou,Mr。Courtier？Areyouhurt？"
Achucklerosefromtherecumbentfigure。
"Onlymyknee。Thebeggars！Theypreciousnearlychokedme,though。"
CHAPTERVII
BertieCaradoc,leavingthesmoking—roomatMonklandCourtthatsameevening,——onhiswaytobed,wenttotheGeorgiancorridor,wherehispetbarometerwashanging。Tolookattheglasshadbecomethenightlyhabitofonewhogaveallthetimehecouldsparefromhisprofessiontohuntinginthewinterandtoracinginthesummer。'
TheHon。HubertCaradoc,anapprenticetothecallingofdiplomacy,morecompletelythananylivingCaradocembodiedthecharacteristicstrengthandweaknessesofthatfamily。Hewasoffairheight,andwirybuild。Hisweatheredface,undersleek,darkhair,hadregular,rathersmallfeatures,andworeanexpressionofalertresolution,maskedbyimpassivity。Overhisinquiring,hazel—greyeyesthelidswerealmostreligiouslykepthalfdrawn。Hehadbeenbornreticent,andgreat,indeed,wastheemotionunderwhichhesufferedwhenthewholeofhiseyeswerevisible。Hisnosewasfinelychiselled,andhadlittleflesh。Hislips,coveredbyasmall,darkmoustache,scarcelyopenedtoemithisspeeches,whichwereutteredinavoicesingularlymuffled,yetunexpectedlyquick。Thewholepersonalitywasthatofamanpractical,spirited,guarded,resourceful,withgreatpowerofself—control,wholookedatlifeasifshewereahorseunderhim,towhomhemustgivewayjustsofaraswasnecessarytokeepmasteryofher。Amantowhomideaswereofnovalue,exceptwhenweddedtoimmediateaction;essentiallyneat;
demandingtobe'donewell,'butcapableofstoicismifnecessary;
urbane,yetalwaysinreadinesstothrust;ableonlytocondonethefailingsandtocompassionatethekindsofdistresswhichhisownexperiencehadtaughthimtounderstand。SuchwasMiltoun'syoungerbrotherattheageoftwenty—six。
Havingnotedthattheglasswassteady,hewasabouttoseekthestairway,whenhesawatthefartherendoftheentrance—hallthreefiguresadvancingarm—in—arm。Habituallybothcuriousandwary,hewaitedtilltheycamewithintheradiusofalamp;then,seeingthemtobethoseofMiltounandafootman,supportingbetweenthemalameman,heatoncehastenedforward。
"Haveyouputyourkneeout,sir？Holdonaminute！Getachair,Charles。"
Seatingthestrangerinthischair,Bertierolledupthetrouser,andpassedhisfingersroundtheknee。Therewasasort,ofloving—
kindnessinthatmovement,asofahandwhichhadinitstimefeltthejointsandsinewsofinnumerablehorses。
"H'm！"hesaid;"canyoustandabitofajerk？Catchholdofhimbehind,Eustace。Sitdownonthefloor,Charles,andholdthelegsofthechair。Nowthen！"Andtakingupthefoot,hepulled。Therewasaclick,alittlenoiseofteethgroundtogether;andBertiesaid:"Goodman——shan'thavetohavethevet。toyou,thistime。"
HavingconductedtheirlameguesttoaroomintheGeorgiancorridorhastilyconvertedtoabedroom,thetwobrotherspresentlylefthimtotheattentionsofthefootman。
"Well,oldman,"saidBertie,astheysoughttheirrooms;"that'sputpaidtohisname——won'tdoyouanymoreharmthisjourney。Goodpluckedone,though！"
ThereportthatCourtierwasharbouredbeneaththeirroofwenttheroundofthefamilybeforebreakfast,throughtheagencyofonewhosepracticeitwastoknowallthings,andtoseethatotherspartookofthatknowledge,LittleAnn,payinghercustomarymorningvisittohermother'sroom,tookherstandwithfaceturnedupandhandsclaspingherbelt,andbeganatonce。
"UncleEustacebroughtamanlastnightwithawoundedleg,andUncleBertiepulleditoutstraight。WilliamsaysthatCharlessaysheonlymadeanoiselikethis"——therewasafaintsoundofsmallchumpingteeth:"Andhe'sthemanthat'sstayingattheInn,andthestairsweretoonarrowtocarryhimup,Williamsays;andifhiskneewasputouthewon'tbeabletowalkwithoutastickforalongtime。
CanIgotoFather？"
Agatha,whowashavingherhairbrushed,thought:
"I'mnotsurewhetherbeltssolowasthatarewholesome,"murmured:
"Waitaminute！"
ButlittleAnnwasgone;andhervoicecouldbeheardinthedressing—roomclimbinguptowardsSirWilliam,whofromthesoundofhisreplies,wasmanifestlyshaving。WhenAgatha,whonevercouldresistalegitimateopportunityofapproachingherhusband,lookedin,hewasalone,andratherthoughtful——atallmanwithasolid,steadyfaceandcautiouseyes,notintruthremarkableexcepttohisownwife。
"ThatfellowCourtier'scaughtbytheleg,"hesaid。"Don'tknowwhatyourMotherwillsaytoanenemyinthecamp。"
"Isn'theafreethinker,andrather————"
SirWilliam,followinghisownthoughts,interrupted:
"Justaswell,ofcourse,sofarasMiltoun'sconcerned,tohavegothimhere。"
Agathasighed:"Well,Isupposeweshallhavetobenicetohim。
I'lltellMother。"
SirWilliamsmiled。
"Annwillseetothat,"hesaid。
Annwasseeingtothat。
Seatedintheembrasureofthewindowbehindthelooking—glass,whereLadyValleyswasstilloccupied,shewassaying:
"Hefelloutofthewindowbecauseoftheredpepper。MissWallacesaysheisahostage——whatdoeshostagemean,Granny？"
WhensixyearsagothatwordhadfirstfallenonLadyValleys'ears,shehadthought:"Oh！dear！AmIreallyGranny？"Ithadbeenashock,hadseemedtheendofsomuch;butthematter—of—factheroismofwomen,somuchquickertoaccepttheinevitablethanmen,hadsooncometoheraid,andnow,unlikeherhusband,shedidnotcareabit。
Forallthatsheanswerednothing,partlybecauseitwasnotnecessarytospeakinordertosustainaconversationwithlittleAnn,andpartlybecauseshewasdeepinthought。
Themanwasinjured！Hospitality,ofcourse——especiallysincetheirowntenantshadcommittedtheoutrage！Still,towelcomeamanwhohadgoneoutofhiswaytocomedownhereandstumpthecountryagainstherownson,wasratheratallorder。Itmighthavebeenworse,nodoubt。If;forinstance,hehadbeensome'impossible'
NonconformistRadical！ThisMr。Courtierwasafreelance——ratherawell—knownman,aninterestingcreature。Shemustseethathefelt'athome'andcomfortable。Ifhewerepumpedjudiciously,nodoubtonecouldfindoutaboutthiswoman。Moreover,theacceptanceoftheir'salt'wouldsilencehimpoliticallyifsheknewanythingofthattypeofman,whoalwayshadsomethinginhimoftheArab'screed。Hermind,thatofacapableadministrator,tookinallthepracticalsignificanceofthisincident,which,althoughuntoward,wasnotwithoutitscomicsidetoonedisposedtofindzestandhumourineverythingthatdidnotabsolutelyruncountertoherinterestsandphilosophy。
ThevoiceoflittleAnnbrokeinonherreflections。
"I'mgoingtoAuntieBabsnow。"
"Verywell;givemeakissfirst。"
LittleAnnthrustupherface,sothatitssuddenlittlenosepenetratedLadyValleys'softcurvinglips……
WhenearlythatsameafternoonCourtier,leaningonastick,passedfromhisroomoutontotheterrace,hewasconfrontedbythreesunlitpeacocksmarchingslowlyacrossalawntowardsastatueofDiana。Withincredibledignitythosebirdsmoved,asifneverintheirliveshadtheybeenhurried。Theyseemedindeedtoknowthatwhentheygotthere,therewouldbenothingforthemtodobuttocomebackagain。Beyondthem,throughthetalltrees,oversomewoodedfoot—hillsofthemoorlandandapromisedlandofpinkishfields,pasture,andorchards,theprospectstretchedtothefarsea。
Heatclothedthisviewwithakindofopalescence,afairygarment,transmutingallvalues,sothatthefoursquarewallsandtallchimneysofthepottery—worksafewmilesdownthevalleyseemedtoCourtierlikeavisionofsomeoldfortifiedItaliantown。Hissensations,findinghimselfinthisgalley,werepeculiar。ForhisfeelingtowardsMiltoun,whomhehadtwicemetatMrs。Noel's,was,inspiteofdisagreements,bynomeansunfriendly;whilehisfeelingtowardsMiltoun'sfamilywasnotyetinexistence。Havinglivedfromhandtomouth,andinmanycountries,sinceheleftWestminsterSchool,hehadnowpracticallynoclassfeelings。Anattitudeofhostilitytoaristocracybecauseitwasaristocracy,wasasincomprehensibletohimasanattitudeofdeference。
Hissensationshabituallyshapedthemselvesinaccordancewiththosetwopermanentrequirementsofhisnature,likingforadventure,andhatredoftyranny。Thelabourerwhobeathiswife,theshopmanwhosweatedhis'hands,'theparsonwhoconsignedhisparishionerstohell,thepeerwhoroderoughshod——allwereequallyodioustohim。
Hethoughtofpeopleasindividuals,anditwas,asitwere,byaccidentthathehadconceivedtheclassgeneralizationwhichhehadfiredbackatMiltounfromMrs。Noel'swindow。Sanguine,accustomedtoqueerenvironments,andalwayscatchingatthemomentasitflew,hehadnottofightwiththetimiditiesandirritationsofanervoustemperament。Hischeerycourtesywasonlydisturbedwhenhebecameconsciousofsomesentimentwhichappearedtohimmeanorcowardly。
Onsuchoccasions,notperhapsinfrequent,hisfacelookedasifhisheartwerephysicallyfuming,andsincehisshellofstoicismwasneverquitemeltedbythisheat,averypeculiarexpressionwastheresult,asortofcalm,sardonic,desperate,jollylook。
Hischieffeeling,then,attheoutragewhichhadlaidhimcaptiveintheenemy'scamp,wasoneofvagueamusement,andcuriosity。PeopleroundaboutspokefairlywellofthisCaradocfamily。Theredidnotseemtobeanylackofkindlyfeelingbetweenthemandtheirtenants;
therewassaidtobenogripingdestitution,noranyparticularill—
housingontheirestate。Andiftheinhabitantswerenotencouragedtoimprovethemselves,theywereatalleventsmaintainedatacertainlevel,bysteadyandnotungeneroussupervision。Whenaroofrequiredthatchingitwasthatched;whenamanbecametoooldtowork,hewasnotsufferedtolapseintotheWorkhouse。Inbadyearsforwool,orbeasts,orcrops,thefarmersreceivedagraduatedremissionofrent。Thepottery—workswererunonaliberalifautocraticbasis。ItwastruethatthoughLordValleyswassaidtobeastaunchsupporterofa'backtotheland'policy,nodispositionwasshowntoencouragepeopletosettleontheseparticularlands,nodoubtfromafeelingthatsuchsettlerswouldnotdothemsomuchjusticeastheirpresentowner。Indeedsofirmlydidthisconvictionseeminglyobtain,thatLordValleys'agentwasnotunfrequentlyobservedtobebuyingalittlebitmore。
But,sinceinthislifeonenoticesonlywhatinterestshim,allthisgossip,halfcomplimentary,halfnot,hadfallenbutlightlyontheearsofthechampionofPeaceduringhiscampaign,forhewas,ashas,beensaid,butapoorpolitician,androdehisownhorseverymuchhisownway。
Whilehestoodthereenjoyingtheview,heheardasmallhighvoice,andbecameconsciousofalittlegirlinaveryshadyhatsofarbackonherbrownhairthatitdidnotshadeher;andofasmallhandputoutinfront。Hetookthehand,andanswered:
"Thankyou,Iamwell——andyou？"perceivingthewhilethatapairofwidefrankeyeswereexamininghisleg。
"Doesithurt？"
"Nottospeakof。"
"Mypony'slegwasblistered。Grannyiscomingtolookatit。"
"Isee。"
"Ihavetogonow。Ihopeyou'llsoonbebetter。Good—bye！"
Then,insteadofthelittlegirl,Courtiersawatallandratherfloridwomanregardinghimwithasortofquizzicaldignity。Sheworeastiffishfawn—coloureddressthatseemedtobecutalittletootightroundhersubstantialhips,foritquiteneglectedtoembraceherknees。Shehadonnohat,nogloves,noornaments,excepttheringsonherfingers,andalittlejewelledwatchinaleatherbraceletonherwrist。Therewas,indeed,aboutherwholefigureanairofalmostprofessionalescapefromfinery。
Stretchingoutawell—shapedbutnotsmallhand,shesaid:
"Imostheartilyapologizetoyou,Mr。Courtier。"
"Notatall。"
"Idohopeyou'recomfortable。Havetheygivenyoueverythingyouwant？"
"Morethaneverything。"
"Itreallywasdisgraceful！Howeverit'sbroughtusthepleasureofmakingyouracquaintance。I'vereadyourbook,ofcourse。"
ToCourtieritseemedthatonthislady'sfacehadcomealookwhichseemedtosay:Yes,verycleverandamusing,quiteenjoyable！Buttheideas————What？Youknowverywelltheywon'tdo——infacttheymustn'tdo！
"That'sveryniceofyou。"
ButintoLadyValleys'answer,"Idon'tagreewithitabit,youknow！"therehadcreptatouchofasperity,asthoughsheknewthathehadsmiledinside。"Whatwewantpreachedinthesedaysarethewarlikevirtues——especiallybyawarrior。"
"Believeme,LadyValleys,thewarlikevirtuesarebestlefttomenofmorevirginimagination。"
Hereceivedaquicklook,andthewords:"Anyway,I'msureyoudon'tcarearapforpolitics。YouknowMrs。LeesNoel,don'tyou？Whataprettywomansheis！"
ButasshespokeCourtiersawayounggirlcomingalongtheterrace。
Shehadevidentlybeenriding,forsheworehighbootsandaskirtwhichhadenabledhertositastride。Hereyeswereblue,andherhair——thecolourofbeech—leavesinautumnwiththesunshiningthrough——wascoileduptightunderasmallsofthat。Shewastall,andmovedtowardsthemlikeoneendowedwithgreatlengthfromthehipjointtotheknee。Joyoflife,serene,unconsciousvigour,seemedtoradiatefromherwholefaceandfigure。
AtLadyValleys'words:
"Ah,Babs！MydaughterBarbara——Mr。Courtier,"heputouthishand,receivedwithinitsomegauntletedfingersheldoutwithasmile,andheardhersay:
"Miltoun'sgoneuptoTown,Mother;IwasgoingtomotorintoBucklandburywithamessagehegaveme;soIcanfetchGrannyoutfromthestation:"
"YouhadbettertakeAnn,orshe'llmakeourlivesaburden;andperhapsMr。Courtierwouldlikeanairing。Isyourkneefit,doyouthink？"
Glancingattheapparition,Courtierreplied:
"Itis。"
Neversincetheageofsevenhadhebeenabletolookonfemininebeautywithoutasenseofwarmthandfaintexcitement;andseeingnowperhapsthemostbeautifulgirlhehadeverbeheld,hedesiredtobewithherwherevershemightbegoing。Therewastoosomethingveryfascinatinginthewayshesmiled,asifshehadalittleseenthroughhissentiments。
"Wellthen,"shesaid,"we'dbetterlookforAnn。"
AftershortbutvigoroussearchlittleAnnwasfound——inthecar,instincthavingtoldherofaforwardmovementinwhichitwasherdutytotakepart。Andsoontheyhadstarted,Annbetweentheminthatpeculiarstateofsilencetowhichshebecameliablewhenreallyinterested。
>FromtheMonklandestate,flowered,lawned,andtimbered,totheopenmoor,waslikepassingtoanotherworld;fornosoonerwasthelastlodgeoftheWesterndriveleftbehind,thantherecameintosuddenviewthemostpaganbitoflandscapeinallEngland。Inthiswildparliament—house,clouds,rocks,sun,andwindsmetandconsulted。
The'old'men,too,hadlefttheirspiritsamongthegreatstones,whichlaycouchedlikelionsonthehill—tops,underthewhiteclouds,andtheirbrethren,thehuntingbuzzardhawks。Heretheveryrockswererestless,changingform,andsense,andcolourfromdaytoday,asthoughworshippingtheunexpected,andrefusingthemselvestolaw。Thewindstoointheirpassagerevoltedagainsttheircourses,andcametearingdownwherevertherewerecombesorcrannies,sothatmenintheirsheltersmightstilllearnthepowerofthewildgods。
ThewondersofthisprospectwereentirelylostonlittleAnn,andsomewhatsoonCourtier,deeplyengagedinreconcilingthosetwoalienprinciples,courtesy,andtheloveoflookingataprettyface。
Hewaswonderingtoowhatthisgirloftwenty,whohadtheself—
possessionofawomanofforty,mightbethinking。ItwaslittleAnnwhobrokethesilence。
"AuntieBabs,itwasn'taverystronghouse,wasit？"
Courtierlookedinthedirectionofhersmallfinger。Therewasthewreckofalittlehouse,whichstoodclosetoastonemanwhohadobviouslypossessedthathillbeforethereweremenofflesh。Overonecornerofthesorryruin,asinglepatchofroofstillclung,buttherestwasopen。
"Hewasasillymantobuildit,wasn'the,Ann？That'swhytheycallitAshman'sFolly。"
"Ishealive？"
"Notquite——it'sjustahundredyearsago。"
"Whatmadehimbuildithere？"
"Hehatedwomen,and——therooffellinonhim。"
"Whydidhehatewomen？"
"Hewasacrank。"
"Whatisacrank？"
"AskMr。Courtier。"
Underthisgirl'scalmquizzicalglance,Courtierendeavouredtofindananswertothatquestion。
"Acrank,"hesaidslowly,"isamanlikeme。"
Heheardalittlelaugh,andbecameacutelyconsciousofAnn'sdispassionateexaminingeyes。
"IsUncleEustaceacrank？"
"Youknownow,Mr。Courtier,whatAnnthinksofyou。YouthinkagooddealofUncleEustace,don'tyou,Ann？"
"Yes,"saidAnn,andfixedhereyesbeforeher。ButCourtiergazedsideways——overherhatlesshead。
Hisexhilarationwasincreasingeverymoment。Thisgirlremindedhimofatwo—year—oldfillyhehadonceseen,steppingoutofAscotpaddockforherfirstrace,withthesunglisteningonhersatinchestnutskin,herneckheldhigh,hereyesallfire——assuretowin,asthatgrasswasgreen。ItwasdifficulttobelieveherMiltoun'ssister。ItwasdifficulttobelieveanyofthosefouryoungCaradocsrelated。ThegraveasceticMiltoun,wrappedinthegarmentofhisspirit;mild,domestic,strait—lacedAgatha;Bertie,muffled,shrewd,andsteely;andthisfrank,joyfulconqueringBarbara——therangewaswide。
Butthecarhadleftthemoor,and,downasteephill,waspassingthesmallvillasandlittlegreyworkmen'shousesoutsidethetownofBucklandbury。
"AnnandIhavetogoontoMiltoun'sheadquarters。ShallIdropyouattheenemy's,Mr。Courtier？Stop,please,Frith。"
AndbeforeCourtiercouldassent,theyhadpulledupatahouseonwhichwasinscribedwithextraordinaryvigour:"ChilcoxforBucklandbury。"
HobblingintotheCommittee—roomofMr。HumphreyChilcox,whichsmelledofpaint,Courtiertookwithhimthescentedmemoryofyouth,andambergris,andHarristweed。
Inthatroomthreemenwereassembledroundatable;theeldestofwhom,endowedwithlittlegreyeyes,astubblybeard,andthatmysterioussomethingonlyfoundinthosewhohavebeenmayors,roseatonceandcametowardshim。
"Mr。Courtier,Ibelieve,"hesaidbluffly。"Gladtoseeyou,sir。
Mostdistressedtohearofthisoutrage。Thoughinaway,it'sdoneusgood。Yes,really。Grosslyagainstfairplay。Shouldn'tbesurprisedifitturnedacoupleofhundredvotes。Youcarrytheeffectsofitaboutwithyou,Isee。"
Athin,refinedman,withwiryhair,alsocameup,holdinganewspaperinhishand。
"Ithashadoneratherembarrassingeffect,"hesaid。"Readthis'OUTRAGEONADISTINGUISHEDVISITOR。
'LORDMILTOUN'SEVENINGADVENTURE。'"
Courtierreadaparagraph。
Themanwiththelittleeyesbroketheominoussilencewhichensued。
"Oneofoursidemusthaveseenthewholething,jumpedonhisbicycleandbroughtintheaccountbeforetheywenttopress。Theymakenoimputationonthelady——simplystatethefacts。Quiteenough,"headdedwithimpersonalgrimness;"Ithinkhe'sdoneforhimself,sir。"
Themanwiththerefinedfaceaddednervously:
"Wecouldn'thelpit,Mr。Courtier;Ireallydon'tknowwhatwecando。Idon'tlikeitabit。"
"Hasyourcandidateseenthis？"Courtierasked。
"Can'thave,"struckinthethirdCommittee—man;"wehadn'tseenitourselvesuntilanhourago。"
"Ishouldneverhavepermittedit,"saidthemanwiththerefinedface;"Iblametheeditorgreatly。"
"Cometothat————"saidthelittle—eyedman,"it'saplainpieceofnews。Ifitmakesastir,that'snotourfault。Thepaperimputesnothing,itstates。Positionoftheladyhappenstodotherest。
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