onlysaidittoteaseJimmy————"

Heramusementobscurelyannoyedhim。"Oh，you’reallalike！"heexclaimed，movedbyanunaccountablesenseofdisappointment。

Shecaughthimupinaflash——shedidn’tmissthings！"YousaythatbecauseyouthinkI’mspitefulandenvious？Yes——I

wasenviousofLadyUlrica……Oh，notonaccountofyouorJimmyBrance！SimplybecauseshehadalmostallthethingsI’vealwayswanted：clothesandfunandmotors，andadmirationandyachtingandParis——why，Parisalonewouldbeenough！——Andhowdoyousupposeagirlcanseethatsortofthingaboutherdayafterday，andneverwonderwhysomewomen，whodon’tseemtohaveanymorerighttoit，haveitalltumbledintotheirlaps，whileothersarewritingdinnerinvitations，andstraighteningoutaccounts，andcopyingvisitinglists，andfinishinggolf—stockings，andmatchingribbons，andseeingthatthedogsgettheirsulphur？Onelooksinone’sglass，afterall！"

Shelaunchedtheclosingwordsathimonacrythatliftedthemabovethepetulanceofvanity；buthissenseofherwordswaslostinthesurpriseofherface。Undertheflyingcloudsofherexcitementitwasnolongerashallowflower—cupbutadarkeninggleamingmirrorthatmightgivebackstrangedepthsoffeeling。Thegirlhadstuffinher——

hesawit；andsheseemedtocatchtheperceptioninhiseyes。

"That’sthekindofeducationIgotatMrs。Murrett’s——andIneverhadanyother，"shesaidwithashrug。

"GoodLord——wereyoutheresolong？"

"Fiveyears。Istuckitoutlongerthananyoftheothers。"

Shespokeasthoughitweresomethingtobeproudof。

"Well，thankGodyou’reoutofitnow！"

Againajustperceptibleshadowcrossedherface。"Yes——I’moutofitnowfastenough。"

"Andwhat——ifImayask——areyoudoingnext？"

Shebroodedamomentbehinddroopedlids；then，withatouchofhauteur："I’mgoingtoParis：tostudyforthestage。"

"Thestage？"Darrowstaredather，dismayed。Allhisconfusedcontradictoryimpressionsassumedanewaspectatthisannouncement；andtohidehissurpriseheaddedlightly："Ah——thenyouwillhaveParis，afterall！"

"HardlyLadyUlrica’sParis。Itsnotlikelytoberoses，rosesalltheway。"

"It’snot，indeed。"Realcompassionpromptedhimtocontinue："Haveyouany——anyinfluenceyoucancounton？"

Shegaveasomewhatflippantlittlelaugh。"Nonebutmyown。I’veneverhadanyothertocounton。"

Hepassedovertheobviousreply。"Buthaveyouanyideahowtheprofessionisover—crowded？IknowI’mtrite————"

"I’veaveryclearidea。ButIcouldn’tgoonasIwas。"

"Ofcoursenot。Butsince，asyousay，you’dstuckitoutlongerthananyoftheothers，couldn’tyouatleasthaveheldontillyouweresureofsomekindofanopening？"

Shemadenoreplyforamoment；thensheturnedalistlessglancetotherain—beatenwindow。"Oughtn’twebestarting？"sheasked，withaloftyassumptionofindifferencethatmighthavebeenLadyUlrica’s。

Darrow，surprisedbythechange，butacceptingherrebuffasaphaseofwhatheguessedtobeaconfusedandtormentedmood，rosefromhisseatandliftedherjacketfromthechair—backonwhichshehadhungittodry。Asheheldittowardhershelookedupathimquickly。

"Thetruthis，wequarrelled，"shebrokeout，"andIleftlastnightwithoutmydinner——andwithoutmysalary。"

"Ah——"hegroaned，withasharpperceptionofallthesordiddangersthatmightattendsuchabreakwithMrs。Murrett。

"Andwithoutacharacter！"sheadded，assheslippedherarmsintothejacket。"Andwithoutatrunk，asitappears——

butdidn’tyousaythat，beforegoing，there’dbetimeforanotherlookatthestation？"

Therewastimeforanotherlookatthestation；butthelookagainresultedindisappointment，sincehertrunkwasnowheretobefoundinthehugeheapdisgorgedbythenewly—

arrivedLondonexpress。ThefactcausedMissVineramoment’sperturbation；butshepromptlyadjustedherselftothenecessityofproceedingonherjourney，andherdecisionconfirmedDarrow’svagueresolvetogotoParisinsteadofretracinghiswaytoLondon。

MissVinerseemedcheeredattheprospectofhiscompany，andsustainedbyhisoffertotelegraphtoCharingCrossforthemissingtrunk；andhelefthertowaitintheflywhilehehastenedbacktothetelegraphoffice。Theenquirydespatched，hewasturningawayfromthedeskwhenanotherthoughtstruckhimandhewentbackandinditedamessagetohisservantinLondon："IfanyletterswithFrenchpost—markreceivedsincedepartureforwardimmediatelytoTerminusHotelGareduNordParis。"

ThenherejoinedMissViner，andtheydroveoffthroughtheraintothepier。

III

AlmostassoonasthetrainleftCalaisherheadhaddroppedbackintothecorner，andshehadfallenasleep。

Sittingopposite，inthecompartmentfromwhichhehadcontrivedtohaveothertravellersexcluded，Darrowlookedathercuriously。Hehadneverseenafacethatchangedsoquickly。Amomentsinceithaddancedlikeafieldofdaisiesinasummerbreeze；now，underthepallidoscillatinglightofthelampoverhead，itworethehardstampofexperience，asofasoftthingchilledintoshapebeforeitscurveshadrounded：anditmovedhimtoseethatcarealreadystoleuponherwhensheslept。

Thestoryshehadimpartedtohiminthewheezingshakingcabin，andattheCalaisbuffet——wherehehadinsistedonofferingherthedinnershehadmissedatMrs。Murrett’s——

hadgivenadistincteroutlinetoherfigure。FromthemomentofenteringtheNewYorkboarding—schooltowhichapreoccupiedguardianhadhastilyconsignedherafterthedeathofherparents，shehadfoundherselfaloneinabusyandindifferentworld。Heryouthfulhistorymight，infact，havebeensummedupinthestatementthateverybodyhadbeentoobusytolookafterher。Herguardian，adrudgeinabigbankinghouse，wasabsorbedby"theoffice"；theguardian’swife，byherhealthandherreligion；andaneldersister，Laura，married，unmarried，remarried，andpursuing，throughallthesealternatingphases，somevaguely"artistic"idealonwhichtheguardianandhiswifelookedaskance，had（asDarrowconjectured）takentheirdisapprovalasapretextfornottroublingherselfaboutpoorSophy，towhom——perhapsforthisreason——shehadremainedtheincarnationofremoteromanticpossibilities。

Inthecourseoftimeasudden"stroke"oftheguardian’shadthrownhispersonalaffairsintoastateofconfusionfromwhich——afterhiswidelylamenteddeath——itbecameevidentthatitwouldnotbepossibletoextricatehisward’sinheritance。Noonedeploredthismoresincerelythanhiswidow，whosawinitonemoreproofofherhusband’slifehavingbeensacrificedtotheinnumerabledutiesimposedonhim，andwhocouldhardly——butforthecounselsofreligion——havebroughtherselftopardontheyounggirlforherindirectshareinhasteninghisend。

Sophydidnotresentthispointofview。Shewasreallymuchsorrierforherguardian’sdeaththanforthelossofherinsignificantfortune。Thelatterhadrepresentedonlythemeansofholdingherinbondage，anditsdisappearancewastheoccasionofherimmediateplungeintothewidebrightseaoflifesurroundingtheisland—ofhercaptivity。

Shehadfirstlanded——thankstotheinterventionoftheladieswhohaddirectedhereducation——inaFifthAvenueschool—roomwhere，forafewmonths，sheactedasabufferbetweenthreeautocraticinfantsandtheirbodyguardofnursesandteachers。Thetoo—pressingattentionsoftheirfather’svalethadcausedhertoflythisshelteredspot，againsttheexpressadviceofhereducationalsuperiors，whoimpliedthat，intheirowncase，refinementandself—respecthadalwayssufficedtokeepthemostungovernablepassionsatbay。Theexperienceoftheguardian’swidowhavingbeenpreciselysimilar，andthedeplorableprecedentofLaura’scareerbeingpresenttoalltheirminds，noneoftheseladiesfeltanyobligationtointervenefartherinSophy’saffairs；andshewasaccordinglylefttoherownresources。

AschoolmatefromtheRockyMountains，whowastakingherfatherandmothertoEurope，hadsuggestedSophy’saccompanyingthem，and"goinground"withherwhileherprogenitors，inthecareofthecourier，nursedtheirailmentsatafashionablebath。Darrowgatheredthatthe"goinground"withMamieHokewasavariedanddivertingprocess；butthisrelativelybrilliantphaseofSophy’scareerwascutshortbytheelopementoftheinconsiderateMamiewitha"matineeidol"whohadfollowedherfromNewYork，andbytheprecipitatereturnofherparentstonegotiatefortherepurchaseoftheirchild。

Itwasthen——afteranintervalofreposewithcompassionatebutimpecuniousAmericanfriendsinParis——thatMissVinerhadbeendrawnintotheturbidcurrentofMrs。Murrett’scareer。TheimpecuniouscompatriotshadfoundMrs。Murrettforher，anditwaspartlyontheiraccount（becausetheyweresuchdears，andsounconscious，poorconfidingthings，ofwhattheywerelettingherinfor）thatSophyhadstuckitoutsolonginthedreadfulhouseinChelsea。TheFarlows，sheexplainedtoDarrow，werethebestfriendsshehadeverhad（andtheonlyoneswhohadever"beendecent"

aboutLaura，whomtheyhadseenonce，andintenselyadmired）；butevenaftertwentyyearsofParistheywerethemostincorrigiblyinexperiencedangels，andquitepersuadedthatMrs。Murrettwasawomanofgreatintellectualeminence，andthehouseatChelsea"thelastofthesalons"

——Darrowknewwhatshemeant？Andshehadn’tlikedtoundeceivethem，knowingthattodosowouldbevirtuallytothrowherselfbackontheirhands，andfeeling，moreover，afterherpreviousexperiences，theurgentneedofgaining，atanycost，anameforstability；besideswhich——shethrewitoffwithaslightlaugh——nootherchance，inalltheseyears，hadhappenedtocometoher。

Shehadbrushedinthisoutlineofhercareerwithlightrapidstrokes，andinatoneoffatalismoddlyuntingedbybitterness。Darrowperceivedthatsheclassifiedpeopleaccordingtotheirgreaterorless"luck"inlife，butsheappearedtoharbournoresentmentagainsttheundefinedpowerwhichdispensedthegiftinsuchunequalmeasure。

Thingscameone’swayortheydidn’t；andmeanwhileonecouldonlylookon，andmakethemostofsmallcompensations，suchaswatching"theshow"atMrs。

Murrett’s，andtalkingovertheLadyUlricasandotherfootlightfigures。Andatanymoment，ofcourse，aturnofthekaleidoscopemightsuddenlytossabrightspangleintothegreypatternofone’sdays。

Thislight—heartedphilosophywasnotwithoutcharmtoayoungmanaccustomedtomoretraditionalviews。GeorgeDarrowhadhadafairlyvariedexperienceoffemininetypes，butthewomenhehadfrequentedhadeitherbeenpronouncedly"ladies"ortheyhadnot。Gratefultobothforministeringtothemorecomplexmasculinenature，anddisposedtoassumethattheyhadbeenevolved，ifnotdesigned，tothatend，hehadinstinctivelykeptthetwogroupsapartinhismind，avoidingthatintermediatesocietywhichattemptstoconciliateboththeoriesoflife。"Bohemianism"seemedtohimacheaperconventionthantheothertwo，andheliked，aboveall，peoplewhowentasfarastheycouldintheirownline——likedhis"ladies"andtheirrivalstobeequallyunashamedofshowingforexactlywhattheywere。Hehadnotindeed——thefactofLadyUlricawastheretoremindhim——

beenwithouthisexperienceofathirdtype；butthatexperiencehadlefthimwithacontemptuousdistasteforthewomanwhousestheprivilegesofoneclasstoshelterthecustomsofanother。

Astoyounggirls，hehadneverthoughtmuchaboutthemsincehisearlyloveforthegirlwhohadbecomeMrs。Leath。

Thatepisodeseemed，ashelookedbackonit，tobearnomorerelationtorealitythanapaledecorativedesigntotheconfusedrichnessofasummerlandscape。Henolongerunderstoodtheviolentimpulsesanddreamypausesofhisownyoungheart，ortheinscrutableabandonmentsandreluctancesofhers。Hehadknownamomentofanguishatlosingher——themadplungeofyouthfulinstinctsagainstthebarrieroffate；butthefirstwaveofstrongersensationhadsweptawayallbuttheoutlineoftheirstory，andthememoryofAnnaSummershadmadetheimageoftheyounggirlsacred，buttheclassuninteresting。

Suchgeneralisationsbelonged，however，toanearlierstageofhisexperience。Themorehesawoflifethemoreincalculablehefoundit；andhehadlearnedtoyieldtohisimpressionswithoutfeelingtheyouthfulneedofrelatingthemtoothers。Itwasthegirlintheoppositeseatwhohadrousedinhimthedormanthabitofcomparison。Shewasdistinguishedfromthedaughtersofwealthbyheravowedacquaintancewiththerealbusinessofliving，afamiliarityasdifferentaspossiblefromtheirtheoreticalproficiency；

yetitseemedtoDarrowthatherexperiencehadmadeherfreewithouthardnessandself—assuredwithoutassertiveness。

TherushintoAmiens，andtheflashofthestationlightsintotheircompartment，brokeMissViner’ssleep，andwithoutchangingherpositionsheliftedherlidsandlookedatDarrow。Therewasneithersurprisenorbewildermentinthelook。Sheseemedinstantlyconscious，notsomuchofwhereshewas，asofthefactthatshewaswithhim；andthatfactseemedenoughtoreassureher。Shedidnoteventurnherheadtolookout；hereyescontinuedtorestonhimwithavaguesmilewhichappearedtolightherfacefromwithin，whileherlipskepttheirsleepydroop。

Shoutsandthehurriedtreadoftravellerscametothemthroughtheconfusingcross—lightsoftheplatform。Aheadappearedatthewindow，andDarrowthrewhimselfforwardtodefendtheirsolitude；buttheintruderwasonlyatrainhandgoinghisroundofinspection。Hepassedon，andthelightsandcriesofthestationdroppedaway，mergedinawiderhazeandahollowerresonance，asthetraingathereditselfupwithalongshakeandrolledoutagainintothedarkness。

MissViner’sheadsankbackagainstthecushion，pushingoutaduskywaveofhairaboveherforehead。Theswayingofthetrainloosenedalockoverherear，andsheshookitbackwithamovementlikeaboy’s，whilehergazestillrestedonhercompanion。

"You’renottootired？"

Sheshookherheadwithasmile。

"Weshallbeinbeforemidnight。We’reverynearlyontime。"Heverifiedthestatementbyholdinguphiswatchtothelamp。

Shenoddeddreamily。"It’sallright。ItelegraphedMrs。

Farlowthattheymustn’tthinkofcomingtothestation；butthey’llhavetoldtheconciergetolookoutforme。"

"You’llletmedriveyouthere？"

Shenoddedagain，andhereyesclosed。ItwasverypleasanttoDarrowthatshemadenoefforttotalkortodissemblehersleepiness。Hesatwatchinghertilltheupperlashesmetandmingledwiththelower，andtheirblentshadowlayonhercheek；thenhestoodupanddrewthecurtainoverthelamp，drowningthecompartmentinabluishtwilight。

AshesankbackintohisseathethoughthowdifferentlyAnnaSummers——orevenAnnaLeath——wouldhavebehaved。Shewouldnothavetalkedtoomuch；shewouldnothavebeeneitherrestlessorembarrassed；butheradaptability，herappropriateness，wouldnothavebeennaturebut"tact。"Theoddnessofthesituationwouldhavemadesleepimpossible，or，ifwearinesshadovercomeherforamoment，shewouldhavewakedwithastart，wonderingwhereshewas，andhowshehadcomethere，andifherhairweretidy；andnothingshortofhairpinsandaglasswouldhaverestoredherself—

possession……

Thereflectionsethimwonderingwhetherthe"sheltered"

girl’sbringing—upmightnotunfitherforallsubsequentcontactwithlife。HowmuchnearertoithadMrs。Leathbeenbroughtbymarriageandmotherhood，andthepassageoffourteenyears？Whatwereallherreticencesandevasionsbuttheresultofthedeadeningprocessofforminga"lady"？

Thefreshnesshehadmarvelledatwasliketheunnaturalwhitenessofflowersforcedinthedark。

Ashelookedbackattheirfewdaystogetherhesawthattheirintercoursehadbeenmarked，onherpart，bythesamehesitationsandreserveswhichhadchilledtheirearlierintimacy。Oncemoretheyhadhadtheirhourtogetherandshehadwastedit。Asinhergirlhood，hereyeshadmadepromiseswhichherlipswereafraidtokeep。Shewasstillafraidoflife，ofitsruthlessness，itsdangerandmystery。

Shewasstillthepettedlittlegirlwhocannotbeleftaloneinthedark……Hismemoryflewbacktotheiryouthfulstory，andlong—forgottendetailstookshapebeforehim。

Howfrailandfaintthepicturewas！Theyseemed，heandshe，liketheghostlyloversoftheGrecianUrn，foreverpursuingwithouteverclaspingeachother。Tothisdayhedidnotquiteknowwhathadpartedthem：thebreakhadbeenasfortuitousastheflutteringapartoftwoseed—vesselsonawaveofsummerair……

Theveryslightness，vagueness，ofthememorygaveitanaddedpoignancy。Hefeltthemysticpangoftheparentforachildwhichhasjustbreathedanddied。Whyhadithappenedthus，whentheleastshiftingofinfluencesmighthavemadeitallsodifferent？Ifshehadbeengiventohimthenhewouldhaveputwarmthinherveinsandlightinhereyes：wouldhavemadeherawomanthroughandthrough。

Musingthus，hehadthesenseofwastethatisthebitterestharvestofexperience。Alovelikehismighthavegivenherthedivinegiftofself—renewal；andnowhesawherfatedtowaneintooldagerepeatingthesamegestures，echoingthewordsshehadalwaysheard，andperhapsneverguessingthat，justoutsideherglazedandcurtainedconsciousness，liferolledaway，avastblacknessstarredwithlights，likethenightlandscapebeyondthewindowsofthetrain。

Theenginelowereditsspeedforthepassagethroughasleepingstation。InthelightoftheplatformlampDarrowlookedacrossathiscompanion。Herheadhaddroppedtowardoneshoulder，andherlipswerejustfarenoughapartforthereflectionoftheupperonetodeepenthecolouroftheother。Thejoltingofthetrainhadagainshakenloosethelockaboveherear。Itdancedonhercheekliketheflitofabrownwingoverflowers，andDarrowfeltanintensedesiretoleanforwardandputitbackbehindherear。

IV

Astheirmotor—cab，onthewayfromtheGareduNord，turnedintothecentralglitteroftheBoulevard，Darrowhadbentovertopointoutanincandescentthreshold。

"There！"

Abovethedoorway，anarchofflameflashedoutthenameofagreatactress，whoseclosingperformancesinaplayofunusualoriginalityhadbeenthethemeoflongarticlesintheParispaperswhichDarrowhadtossedintotheircompartmentatCalais。

"That’swhatyoumustseebeforeyou’retwenty—fourhoursolder！"

Thegirlfollowedhisgestureeagerly。Shewasallawakeandalivenow，asiftheheadyrumoursofthestreets，withtheirlongeffervescencesoflight，hadpassedintoherveinslikewine。

"Cerdine？Isthatwheresheacts？"Sheputherheadoutofthewindow，strainingbackforaglimpseofthesacredthreshold。Astheyflewpastitshesankintoherseatwithasatisfiedsigh。

"It’sdeliciousenoughjusttoKNOWshe’sthere！I’veneverseenher，youknow。WhenIwasherewithMamieHokeweneverwentanywherebuttothemusichalls，becauseshecouldn’tunderstandanyFrench；andwhenIcamebackafterwardtotheFarlows’Iwasdeadbroke，andcouldn’taffordtheplay，andneithercouldthey；sotheonlychancewehadwaswhenfriendsoftheirsinvitedus——andonceitwastoseeatragedybyaRoumanianlady，andtheothertimeitwasfor’L’AmiFritz’attheFrancais。"

Darrowlaughed。"Youmustdobetterthanthatnow。’LeVertige’isafinething，andCerdinegetssomewonderfuleffectsoutofit。Youmustcomewithmetomorroweveningtoseeit——withyourfriends，ofcourse。——Thatis，"headded，"ifthere’sanysortofchanceofgettingseats。"

Theflashofastreetlamplitupherradiantface。"Oh，willyoureallytakeus？Whatfuntothinkthatit’stomorrowalready！"

Itwaswonderfullypleasanttobeabletogivesuchpleasure。Darrowwasnotrich，butitwasalmostimpossibleforhimtopicturethestateofpersonswithtastesandperceptionslikehisown，towhomaneveningatthetheatrewasanunattainableindulgence。TherefloatedthroughhismindananswerofMrs。Leath’stohisenquirywhethershehadseentheplayinquestion。"No。Imeantto，ofcourse，butoneissooverwhelmedwiththingsinParis。AndthenI’mrathersickofCerdine——oneisalwaysbeingdraggedtoseeher。"

That，amongthepeoplehefrequented，wastheusualattitudetowardsuchopportunities。Thereweretoomany，theywereanuisance，onehadtodefendone’sself！Heevenrememberedwondering，atthemoment，whethertoareallyfinetastetheexceptionalthingcouldeverbecomeindifferentthroughhabit；whethertheappetiteforbeautywassosoondulledthatitcouldbekeptaliveonlybyprivation。Here，atanyrate，wasafinechancetoexperimentwithsuchahunger：healmostwishedhemightstayoninParislongenoughtotakethemeasureofMissViner’sreceptivity。

Shewasstilldwellingonhispromise，"It’stoobeautifulofyou！Oh，don’tyouTHINKyou’llbeabletogetseats？"Andthen，afterapauseofbrimmingappreciation："I

wonderifyou’llthinkmehorrid？——butitmaybemyonlychance；andifyoucan’tgetplacesforusall，wouldn’tyouperhapsjusttakeME？Afterall，theFarlowsmayhaveseenit！"

Hehadnot，ofcourse，thoughtherhorrid，butonlythemoreengaging，forbeingsonatural，andsounashamedofshowingthefrankgreedofherfamishedyouth。"Oh，youshallgosomehow！"hehadgailypromisedher；andshehaddroppedbackwithasighofpleasureastheircabpassedintothedimly—litstreetsoftheFarlows’quarterbeyondtheSeine……

Thislittlepassagecamebacktohimthenextmorning，asheopenedhishotelwindowontheearlyroaroftheNorthernTerminus。

Thegirlwasthere，intheroomnexttohim。Thathadbeenthefirstpointinhiswakingconsciousness。Thesecondwasasenseofreliefattheobligationimposedonhimbythisunexpectedturnofeverts。Towaketothenecessityofaction，topostponeperforcethefruitlesscontemplationofhisprivategrievance，wascauseenoughforgratitude，evenifthesmalladventureinwhichhefoundhimselfinvolvedhadnot，onitsownmerits，rousedaninstinctivecuriositytoseeitthrough。

Whenheandhiscompanion，thenightbefore，hadreachedtheFarlows’doorintheruedelaChaise，itwasonlytofind，afterrepeatedassaultsonitspanels，thattheFarlowswerenolongerthere。Theyhadmovedawaytheweekbefore，notonlyfromtheirapartmentbutfromParis；andMissViner’sbreachwithMrs。Murretthadbeentoosuddentopermitherletterandtelegramtoovertakethem。Bothcommunications，nodoubt，stillreposedinapigeon—holeoftheloge；

butitscustodian，whendrawnfromhislair，sulkilydeclinedtoletMissVinerverifythefact，andonlyflungout，inreturnforDarrow’sbribe，thestatementthattheAmericanshadgonetoJoigny。

Topursuethemthereatthathourwasmanifestlyimpossible，andMissViner，disturbedbutnotdisconcertedbythisnewobstacle，hadquitesimplyaccededtoDarrow’ssuggestionthatsheshouldreturnforwhatremainedofthenighttothehotelwherehehadsenthisluggage。

Thedrivebackthroughthedarkhushbeforedawn，withthenocturnalblazeoftheBoulevardfadingaroundthemlikethefalselightsofamagician’spalace，hadsoplayedonherimpressionabilitythatsheseemedtogivenofartherthoughttoherownpredicament。Darrownoticedthatshedidnotfeelthebeautyandmysteryofthespectacleasmuchasitspressureofhumansignificance，allitshiddenimplicationsofemotionandadventure。AstheypassedtheshadowycolonnadeoftheFrancais，remoteandtemple—likeinthepalinglights，hefeltaclutchonhisarm，andheardthecry："TherearethingsTHEREthatIwantsodesperatelytosee！"andallthewaybacktothehotelshecontinuedtoquestionhim，withshrewdprecisionandanartlessthirstfordetail，aboutthetheatricallifeofParis。Hewasstruckafresh，ashelistened，bythewayinwhichhernaturalnesseasedthesituationofconstraint，leavingtoitonlyapleasantsavourofgoodfellowship。Itwasthekindofepisodethatonemight，inadvance，havecharacterizedas"awkward"，yetthatwasproving，intheevent，asmuchoutsidesuchdefinitionsasasunrisestrollwithadryadinadew—drenchedforest；andDarrowreflectedthatmankindwouldneverhaveneededtoinventtactifithadnotfirstinventedsocialcomplications。

Ithadbeenunderstood，withhisgood—nighttoMissViner，thatthenextmorninghewastolookuptheJoignytrains，andseehersafelytothestation；but，whilehebreakfastedandwaitedforatime—table，herecalledagainhercryofjoyattheprospectofseeingCerdine。Itwascertainlyapity，sincethatmostelusiveandincalculableofartistswasleavingthenextweekforSouthAmerica，tomisswhatmightbealastsightofherinhergreatestpart；andDarrow，havingdressedandmadetherequisiteexcerptsfromthetime—table，decidedtocarrytheresultofhisdeliberationstohisneighbour’sdoor。

Itinstantlyopenedathisknock，andshecameforthlookingasifshehadbeenplungedintosomesparklingelementwhichhadcurledupallherdroopingtendrilsandwrappedherinashimmeroffreshleaves。

"Well，whatdoyouthinkofme？"shecried；andwithahandatherwaistshespunaboutasiftoshowoffsomemiracleofParisiandress—making。

"Ithinkthemissingtrunkhascome——andthatitwasworthwaitingfor！"

"YouDOlikemydress？"

"Iadoreit！Ialwaysadorenewdresses——why，youdon’tmeantosayit’sNOTanewone？"

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫，醒来一梦似千年，重生于下堂妃身躯中的她，将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读