Shetookitinwithherpresentoddmixtureofthereceptiveandthederisive。"Arrangedwhat？"

"Oh，askHER！"

"IwouldifIcouldfindher！"Afterwhich，foramoment，myinterlocutressagainconsidered。"ButIthoughtitwasjustyourcontentionthatSHEdoesn’tshine。Ifit’sLadyJohn’sperfectrepairthatputsthatsortofthingoutofthequestion，yourimage，itseemstome，breaksdown。"

Itdidalittle，Isaw，butIgaveitatiltup。"Notatall。It’sacaseofshiningasBrissendenshines。"IwonderedifImightgofurther——thenriskedit。"Bysacrifice。"

IperceivedatoncethatIneedn’tfear：herconsciencewastoogood——shewasonlyamused。"Sacrifice，formercy’ssake，ofwhat？"

"Well——formercy’ssake——ofhistime。"

"Histime？"Shestared。"Hasn’theallthetimehewants？"

"Mydearlady，"Ismiled，"hehasn’tallthetimeYOUwant！"

ButsheevidentlyhadnotaglimmeringofwhatImeant。"Don’tImakethingsofanease，don’tImakelifeofacharm，forhim？"

I’mafraidIlaughedout。"That’sperhapsexactlyit！It’swhatGilbertLongdoesforHISvictim——makesthings，makeslife，ofaneaseandacharm。"

Shestoppedyetagain，reallywonderingatmenow。"Thenit’sthewoman，simply，who’shappiest？"

"BecauseBrissenden’sthemanwhois？Precisely！"

Onwhichforaminute，withouthergoingon，welookedateachother。

"DoyoureallymeanthatifyouonlyknewMEasIam，itwouldcometoyouinthesamewaytohuntformyconfederate？Imeanifheweren’tmadeobvious，youknow，byhisbeingmyhusband。"

Iturnedthisover。"Ifyouwereonlyinflirtation——asyouremindedmejustnowthatyou’renot？Surely！"Ideclared。"Ishouldarriveathim，perfectly，afteralleliminations，ontheprincipleoflookingforthegreatesthappiness——"

"Ofthesmallestnumber？Well，hemaybeasmallnumber，"sheindulgentlysighed，"buthe’swhollycontent！Lookathimnowthere，"sheaddedthenextmoment，"andjudge。"Wehadresumedourwalkandturnedthecornerofthehouse，amovementthatbroughtusintoviewofacouplejustroundtheangleoftheterrace，acouplewho，likeourselves，musthavepausedinasociablestroll。Thelady，withherbacktous，leanedalittleonthebalustradeandlookedatthegardens；thegentlemanclosetoher，withthesamesupport，offeredusthefaceofGuyBrissenden，asrecognisableatadistanceasthenumberedcardofa"turn"——theblackfigureuponwhite——atamusic—hall。Onseeingushesaidawordtohiscompanion，whoquicklyjerkedround。Thenhiswifeexclaimedtome——onlywithmoresharpness——asshehadexclaimedatMme。deDreuil："Byallthat’slovely——MayServer！"

Itookit，onthespot，forakindof"Eureka！"butwithoutcatchingmyfriend’sidea。Iwasonlyawareatfirstthatthisidealeftmeasunconvincedaswhentheotherpossibilitieshadpassedbeforeus。Wasn’titsimplytheresultofthislady’sbeingtheonlyonewehadhappenednottoeliminate？

Shehadnotevenoccurredtous。Shewasprettyenoughperhapsforanymagic，butshehadn’ttheothersigns。Ididn’tbelieve，somehow——certainlynotonsuchshortnotice——eitherinherhappinessorinherflatness。Therewasavaguesuggestion，ofasort，inourhavingfoundhertherewithBrissenden：

therewouldhavebeenapertinence，toourcuriosity，oratleasttomine，inthisjuxtapositionofthetwopersonswhopaid，asIhadamusedmyselfwithcallingit，soheroically；yetIhadonlytohaveitmarkedforme（toseethem，thatis，sidebyside，）inordertofeelhowlittle——atanyratesuperficially——thegraceful，natural，charmingwomanrangedherselfwiththesuperannuatedyouth。

Shehadsaidawordtohimatsightofus，inanswertohisown，andinaminuteortwotheyhadmetus。Thishadgivenmetimeformorethanonereflection。IthadalsogivenMrs。Brissendentimetoinsisttomeonheridentification，whichIcouldseeshewouldbemuchlessquicktodropthanintheformercases。"Wehaveher，"shemurmured；"wehaveher；

it’sSHE！"Itwasbyherinsistanceinfactthatmythoughtwasquickened。

Itevenfeltakindofchill——anoddrevulsion——atthetouchofhereagerness。

Singularperhapsthatonlythen——yetquitecertainlythen——thecuriositytowhichIhadsofreelysurrenderedmyselfbegantostrikemeaswantingintaste。ItwasreflectedinMrs。Brissendenquitebymyfault，andI

can’tsayjustwhatcauseforshame，aftersomuchtalkofoursearchandourscent，Ifoundinourawakenedandconfirmedkeenness。Whyintheworldhadn’tIfounditbefore？Myscruple，inshort，wasathingoftheinstant；

itwasinapositiveflashthattheamusingquestionwasstampedformeasnoneofmybusiness。OneofthereflectionsIhavejustmentionedwasthatIhadnothadahappyhandinmakingitsocompletelyMrs。Brissenden’s。

Anotherwas，however，thatnothing，fortunately，thathadhappenedbetweenusreallysignified。Forwhathadsosuddenlyovertakenmewastheconsciousnessofthisanomaly：thatIwasatthesametimeasdisgustedasifIhadexposedMrs。ServerandabsolutelyconvincedthatIhadyetNOTexposedher。

While，aftertheothershadgreetedusandwestoodinvaguetalk，I

caughtafreshtheeffectoftheirjuxtaposition，Igrasped，withaprivatejoythatwasquiteextravagant——assobeyondtheneededmark——atthereassuranceitoffered。Thisreassurancesprangstraightfromaspecialsource。Brissenden’ssecretwassoawareofitselfastobealwaysonthedefensive。Shyandsuspicious，itwasasmuchonthedefensiveatpresentasIhadfeltittobe——sofarasIwasconcerned——thenightbefore。WhatwasthereaccordinglyinMrs。Server——frankandfragrantinthemorningair——tocorrespondtoanysuchconsciousness？Nothingwhatever——notasymptom。Whateversecretsshemighthavehad，shehadnotTHATone；shewasnotinthesamebox；

thesacredfount，inher，wasnotthreatenedwithexhaustion。Weallsoonre—enteredthehousetogether，butMrs。Brissenden，duringthefewminutesthatfollowed，managedtopossessherselfofthesubjectofherdenunciation。

SheputmeoffwithGuy，andIcouldn’thelpfeelingitasasignofherconcentration。ShewarmedtothequestionjustasIhadthrownitover；

andIaskedmyselfratherruefullywhatonearthIhadbeenthinkingof。

Ihadn’tintheleasthaditinmindto"compromise"anindividual；butanindividualwouldbecompromisedifIdidn’tnowtakecare。

Chapter4

IHAVEsaidthatIdidmanythingsonthiswonderfulday，butperhapsthesimplestwaytodescribetherestofthemisasasustainedattempttoavertthatdisaster。Isucceeded，byvigilance，inpreventingmylatecompanionfromcarryingMrs。Serveroff；Ihadnowishtoseeherstudied——byanyonebutmyselfatleast——inthelightofmytheory。IfeltbythistimethatIunderstoodmytheory，butIwasnotobligedtobelievethatMrs。

Brissendendid。IamafraidImustfranklyconfessthatIcalleddeceptiontomyaid；toseparatethetwoladiesIgavethemoreinitiatedalookinwhichIinvitedhertoreadvolumes。Thislook，orratherthelookshereturned，comesbacktomeasthefirstnoteofatolerablytight，tenselittledrama，alittledramaofwhichourremaininghoursatNewmarchwerethealltooamplestage。Sheunderstoodme，asImeant，thatshehadbetterleavemetogetatthetruth——owingmesomeobligation，asshedid，forsomuchofitasIhadalreadycommunicated。Thisstepwasofcourseatacitpledgethatsheshouldhavetherestfrommelateron。Iknewofsomepicturesinoneoftheroomsthathadnotbeenlightedthepreviousevening，andImadethesemypretextfortheeffectIdesired。IaskedMrs。Serverifshewouldn’tcomeandseethemwithme，admittingatthesametimethatIcouldscarceexpecthertoforgivemeformyshareintheinvasionofthequietcornerinwhichpoorBrisshadevidentlymanagedsotointeresther。

"Oh，yes，"sherepliedaswewentourway，"heHADmanagedtointerestme。Isn’thecuriouslyinteresting？ButIhadn’t，"shecontinuedonmybeingtoostruckwithherquestionforanimmediateanswer——"Ihadn’tmanagedtointerestHIM。Ofcourseyouknowwhy！"shelaughed。"NooneinterestshimbutLadyJohn，andhecouldthinkofnothing，whileIkepthimthere，butofhowsoonhecouldreturntoher。"

Theseremarks——ofwhichIgiveratherthesensethantheform，fortheywerealittlescatteredandtroubled，andIhelpedthemoutandpiecedthemtogether——theseremarkshadforme，Iwastofind，unexpectedsuggestions，notallofwhichwasIpreparedonthespottotakeup。"AndisLadyJohninterestedinourfriend？"

"Not，Isuppose，givenhersituation，somuchashewouldperhapsdesire。

Youdon’tknowwhathersituationIS？"shewentonwhileIdoubtlessappearedtobesunkininnocence。"Isn’titrathermarkedthatthere’sonlyonepersonshe’sinterestedin？"

"Oneperson？"Iwasthoroughlyatsea。

ButwehadreachedwithitthegreatpicturedsaloonwithwhichIhadproposedtoassisthertorenewacquaintanceandinwhichtwovisitorshadanticipatedus。"Why，hereheis！"sheexclaimedaswepaused，foradmiration，inthedoorway。Thehighfrescoedceilingarchedoverafloorsohighlypolishedthatitseemedtoreflectthefadedpastelsset，inrococoborders，inthewallsandconstitutingthedistinctionoftheplace。

Ourcompanions，examiningtogetheroneoftheportraitsandturningtheirbacks，wereattheoppositeend，andoneofthemwasGilbertLong。

Iimmediatelynamedtheother。"DoyoumeanFordObert？"

Shegaveme，withalaugh，oneofherbeautifullooks。"Yes！"

Itwasanswerenoughforthemoment，andthemannerofitshowedmetowhatlegendshewascommitted。Iaskedmyself，whilethetwomenfacedabouttomeetus，whyshewascommittedtoit，andIfurtherconsideredthatifGraceBrissenden，againsteveryappearance，wasright，therewouldnowbesomethingformetosee。Whichofthetwo——theagentortheobjectofthesacrifice——wouldtakemostprecautions？Ikeptmycompanionpurposely，foralittlewhile，onoursideoftheroom，leavingtheothers，interestedintheirobservations，totaketheirtimetojoinus。Itgavemeoccasiontowonderifthequestionmightn’tbecleareduponthespot。ThereWAS

noquestion，Ihadcompunctiouslymadeupmymind，forMrs。Server；butnowIshouldseetheproofofthatconclusion。Theproofofitwouldbe，betweenherandherimputedlover，theabsenceofanythingthatwasnotperfectlynatural。Mrs。Server，withhereyesraisedtothepainteddome，withresponsecharmedalmosttosolemnityinherexquisiteface，struckmeatthismoment，Ihadtoconcede，asmorethaneverapersontohavealoverimputed。Theplace，saveforitspicturesoflaterdate，atriumphofthefloriddecorationoftwocenturiesago，evidentlymetherspecialtaste，andakindofprofanepietyhaddroppedonher，drizzlingdown，inthecoldlight，insilver，incrystal，infaint，mixeddelicaciesofcolour，almostasonapilgrimatashrine。Idon’tknowwhatitwasinher——save，thatis，thepositivepitchofdelicacyinherbeauty——thatmadeher，soimpressedandpresented，indescribablytouching。Shewaslikeanawestruckchild；shemighthavebeenherself——allGreuzetints，allpalepinksandbluesandpearlywhitesandcandideyes——anolddeadpastelunderglass。

Shewasnottooreducedtothisstate，however，nottotake，soonenough，herownprecaution——ifaprecautionitwastobedeemed。IwasacutelyconsciousthatthenaturalnesstowhichIhavejustalludedwouldbe，foreitherparty，theonlyprecautionworthspeakingof。Wemovedslowlyroundtheroom，pausinghereandthereforcuriosity；duringwhichtimethetwomenremainedwherewehadfoundthem。Shehadbegunatlasttowatchthemandhadproposedthatweshouldseeinwhattheyweresoabsorbed；butIcheckedherinthemovement，raisingmyhandinafriendlyadmonitiontowait。Wewaitedthen，facetoface，lookingateachotherasiftocatchastrainofmusic。ThiswaswhatIhadintended，forithadjustcometomethatoneofthevoiceswasintheairandthatithadimposedcloseattention。Thedistinguishedpainterlistenedwhile——toallappearance——GilbertLongdid，inthepresenceofthepicture，theexplaining。FordObertmoved，afteralittle，butnotsoastointerrupt——onlysoastoshowmehisfaceinarecallofwhathadpassedbetweenusthenightbeforeinthesmoking—room。

IturnedmyeyesfromMrs。Server’s；Iallowedmyselftocommunealittle，acrosstheshiningspace，withthoseofourfellow—auditor。Theoccasionhadthusforaminutetheoddestlittleairofanaestheticlecturepromptedbyaccidental，butimmense，suggestionsanddeliveredbyGilbertLong。

Icouldn’t，atthedistance，withmycompanion，quitefollowit，butObertwasclearlypatientenoughtobetraythathewasstruck。HisimpressionwasatanyratedoubtlesshisshareofsurpriseatLong’sgiftoftalk。

Thiswaswhathiseyesindeedmostseemedtothrowovertome——"Whatanunexpecteddemonofacritic！"Itwasextraordinarilyinteresting——Idon’tmeanthespecialdriftofLong’seloquence，whichIcouldn’t，asIsay，catch；butthephenomenonofhis，ofallpeople，dealinginthatarticle。

Itputbeforemethequestionofwhether，inthesestrangerelationsthatIbelievedIhadthusgotmyglimpseof，theactionoftheperson"sacrificed"

mightn’tbequiteoutofproportiontotheresourcesofthatperson。Itwasasiftheseelementsmightreallymultiplyinthetransfermadeofthem；asiftheborrowerpracticallyfoundhimself——orherself——inpossessionofagreatersumthantheknownpropertyofthecreditor。Thesurrender，inthisway，added，bypurebeauty，tothethingsurrendered。WeallknowtheFrenchadageaboutthatplusbellefilledumondewhocangivebutwhatshehas；yetifMrs。Server，forinstance，HADbeentheheroineofthisparticularconnection，thecommunicationofherintelligencetoherfriendwouldquitehavefalsifiedit。Shewouldhavegivenmuchmorethanshehad。

WhenLonghadfinishedhisdemonstrationandhischargedvoicehaddropped，wecrossedtoclaimacquaintancewiththeworkthathadinspiredhim。TheplacehadnotbeencompletelynewtoMrs。Serveranymorethantomyself，andtheimpressionnowmadeonherwasbuttheintenservibrationofachordalreadystirred；neverthelessIwasstruckwithhersaying，asaresultofmoreremembrancethanIhadattributedtoher"Ohyes，——themanwiththemaskinhishand！"OnourjoiningtheothersIexpressedregretatourhavingturneduptoolatefortheideasthat，onathemesopromising，theywouldhavebeensuretoproduce，andObert，quiteagreeingthatwehadlostatreat，saidfrankly，inreferencetoLong，butaddressinghimselfmoreespeciallytoMrs。Server："He’sperfectlyamazing，youknow——he’sperfectlyamazing！"

IobservedthatasaconsequenceofthisLonglookedneitheratMrs。

ServernoratObert；helookedonlyatme，andwithquiteapenetrableshadeofshyness。Thenagainastrangethinghappened，astrangerthingeventhanmyquicksense，thepreviousafternoonatthestation，thathewasachangedman。Itwasasifhewerestillmorechanged——hadalteredasmuchsincetheeveningbeforeasduringthesomuchlongerintervalofwhichIhadoriginallytotakeaccount。HehadalteredalmostlikeGraceBrissenden——helookedfairlydistinguished。Isaidtomyselfthat，withouthisstatureandcertainsignsinhisdress，Ishouldprobablynothaveplacedhim。EngrossedaninstantwiththisviewandwithnotlosingtouchoftheuneasinessthatIconceivedIhadfastenedonhim，IbecameawareonlyaftershehadspokenthatMrs。ServerhadgailyandgracefullyaskedofObertwhyintheworldsocleveramanshouldNOThavebeenclever。

"Obert，"Iaccordinglytookuponmyselftoremark，"hadevidentlylabouredundersomeextraordinarydelusion。HemustliterallyhavedoubtedifLongWASclever。"

"Fancy！"Mrs。ServerexplainedwithacharmingsmileatLong，who，stilllookingpleasantlycompetentandnottoofatuous，amiablyreturnedit。

"They’renatural，they’renatural，"Iprivatelyreflected；"thatis，he’snaturaltoHER，buthe’snotsotome。"Andasifseeingdepthsinthis，andtotryit，Iappealedtohim。"Do，mydearman，letushaveitagain。It’sthepicture，ofallpictures，thatmostneedsaninterpreter。

DON’Twewant，"IaskedofMrs。Server，"toknowwhatitmeans？"Thefigurerepresentedisayoungmaninblack——aquaint，tightblackdress，fashionedinyearslongpast；withapale，lean，lividfaceandastare，fromeyeswithouteyebrows，likethatofsomewhitenedold—worldclown。Inhishandheholdsanobjectthatstrikesthespectatoratfirstsimplyassomeobscure，someambiguousworkofart，butthatonasecondviewbecomesarepresentationofahumanface，modelledandcoloured，inwax，inenamelledmetal，insomesubstancenothuman。Theobjectthusappearsacompletemask，suchasmighthavebeenfantasticallyfittedandworn。

"Yes，whatintheworlddoesitmean？"Mrs。Serverreplied。"Onecouldcallit——thoughthatdoesn’tgetonemuchfurther——theMaskofDeath。"

"Whyso？"Idemandedwhileweallagainlookedatthepicture。"Isn’titmuchrathertheMaskofLife？It’stheman’sownfacethat’sDeath。

Theotherone，bloomingandbeautiful——"

"Ah，butwithanawfulgrimace！"Mrs。Serverbrokein。

"Theotherone，bloomingandbeautiful，"Irepeated，"isLife，andhe’sgoingtoputiton；unlessindeedhehasjusttakenitoff。"

"He’sdreadful，he’sawful——that’swhatImean，"saidMrs。Server。"ButwhatdoesMr。Longthink？"

"Theartificialface，ontheotherhand，"Iwenton，asLongnowsaidnothing，"isextremelystudiedand，whenyoucarefullylookatit，charminglypretty。Idon’tseethegrimace。"

"Idon’tseeanythingelse！"Mrs。Servergood—humouredlyinsisted。"AndwhatdoesMr。Obertthink？"

Hekepthiseyesonheramomentbeforereplying。"Hethinksitlookslikealovelylady。"

"Thatgrinningmask？Whatlovelylady？"

"Itdoes，"Ideclaredtohim，reallyseeingwhathemeant——"itdoeslookremarkablylikeMrs。Server。"

Shelaughed，butforgivingly。"I’mimmenselyobliged。Youdeserve，"

shecontinuedtome，"thatIshouldsaythegentleman’sownfaceistheimageofacertainothergentleman’s。"

"Itisn’ttheimageofyours，"Obertsaidtome，fittingthecap，"butit’safunnythingthatitshouldreallyrecalltoonesomefaceamongushere，onthisoccasion——Imeansomefaceinourparty——thatIcan’tthinkof。"Wehadoureyesagainontheominousfigure。"We’veseenhimyesterday——we’veseenhimalreadythismorning。"Obert，oddlyenough，stillcouldn’tcatchit。"Whothedeuceisit？"

"Iknow，"Ireturnedafteramoment——ourfriend’sreferencehavingagain，inaflash，becomeilluminating。"Butnothingwouldinducemetotell。"

"Ifiweretheflatteredindividual，"Longobserved，speakingforthefirsttime，"I’veanideathatyou’dgivemethebenefitofthecompliment。

Thereforeit’sprobablynotme。"

"Oh，it’snotyouintheleast，"Mrs。Serverblandlytookuponherselftoobserve。"Thisfaceissobad——"

"Andmineissogood？"ourcompanionlaughed。"Thankyouforsavingme！"

Iwatchedthemlookateachother，fortherehadbeenasyetbetweenthemnocompleteexchange。Yes，theywerenatural。Icouldn’thavemadeitoutthattheywerenot。Buttherewassomething，allthesame，thatIwantedtoknow，andIputitimmediatelytoLong。"Whydoyoubringagainstmesuchanaccusation？"

Hemetthequestion——singularlyenough——asifhisreadinesshadsuddenlydesertedhim。"Idon’tknow！"——andheturnedofftoanotherpicture。

ItleftthethreeofusallthemoreconfrontedwiththeconundrumlaunchedbyObert，andMrs。Server’scuriosityremained。"DOname，"shesaidtome，"theflatteredindividual。"

"No，it’saresponsibilityIleavetoObert。"

Buthewasclearlystillatfault；hewaslikeamandesiring，butunable，tosneeze。"Iseethefellow——yetIdon’t。Nevermind。"Heturnedawaytoo。"He’llcometome。"

"Theresemblance，"saidLong，onthis，atadistancefromusandnotturning，"theresemblance，whichIshouldn’tthinkwouldpuzzleanyone，issimplyto’poorBriss’！"

"Oh，ofcourse！"——andObertgaveajumpround。

"Ah——Idoseeit，"Mrs。Serverconcededwithherheadononeside，butasifspeakingratherforharmony。

Ididn’tbelieveshesawit，butthatonlymadeherthemorenatural；

whichwasalsotheairshehadongoingtojoinLong，inhisnewcontemplation，afterIhadadmittedthatitwasofBrissendenImyselfhadthought。ObertandIremainedtogetherinthepresenceoftheManwiththeMask，and，theothersbeingoutofearshot，heremindedmethatIhadpromisedhimthenightbeforeinthesmoking—roomtogivehimto—daytheknowledgeI

hadthenwithheld。IfIhadannouncedthatIwasonthetrackofadiscovery，prayhadImadeityet，andwhatwasit，atanyrate，thatIproposedtodiscover？Ifeltnow，intruth，moreuncomfortablethanIhadexpectedinbeingkepttomyobligation，andIbeataboutthebushalittletill，insteadofmeetingit，Iwasabletoputthenaturalquestion："WhatwonderfulthingswasLongjustsayingtoyou？"

"Oh，characteristiconesenough——whimsical，fanciful，funny。Thethingshesays，youknow。"

Itwasindeedafreshview。"Theystrikeyouascharacteristic？"

"Ofthemanhimselfandhistypeofmind？Surely。Don’tYOU？Hetalkstotalk，buthe’sreallyamusing。"

Iwaswatchingourcompanions。"Indeedheis——extraordinarilyamusing。"

ItwashighlyinterestingtometohearatlastofLong’s"typeofmind。"

"SeehowamusingheisatthepresentmomenttoMrs。Server。"

Oberttookthisin；shewasconvulsed，intheextravagancealwayssoprettyastobepardonable，withlaughter，andsheevenlookedoveratusasiftointimatewithhershining，lingeringeyesthatwewouldn’tbesurprisedathertransportsifwesuspectedwhatherentertainer，whomshehadneverknownforsuchahumourist，wassaying。Insteadofgoingtofindout，allthesame，weremainedanotherminutetogether。Itwasforme，now，Icouldsee，thatOberthadhisbestattention。"What’sthematterwiththem？"

Itstartledmealmostasmuchasifhehadaskedmewhatwasthematterwithmyself——forthatsomethingWAS，underthishead，Iwasbythistimeunabletoignore。NottwentyminuteshadelapsedsinceourmeetingwithMrs。ServerontheterracehaddeterminedGraceBrissenden’selation，butitwasafactthatmynervousnesshadtakenanextraordinarystride。I

hadperhapsnottillthisinstantbeenfullyawareofit——itwasreallybroughtoutbythewayObertlookedatmeasifhefanciedhehadheardmeshake。Mrs。Servermightbenatural，andGilbertLongmightbe，butIshouldnotpreservethatcalmunlessIpulledmyselfwelltogether。I

madetheeffort，facingmysharpinterlocutor；andIthinkitwasatthispointthatIfullymeasuredmydismay。Ihadgrown——thatwaswhatwasthematterwithmeprecipitately，preposterouslyanxious。Insteadofdropping，thediscomfortproducedinmebyMrs。Brissendenhaddeepenedtoagitation，andthisinspiteofthefactthatinthebriefintervalnothingworse，nothingbutwhatwasright，hadhappened。HadImyselfsuddenlyfallensomuchinlovewithMrs。Serverthatthecareforherreputationhadbecomewithmeanobsession？ItwasofnousesayingIsimplypitiedher：whatdidIpityherforifshewasn’tindanger？SheWASindanger：thatrushedovermeatpresent——rushedovermewhileItriedtolookeasyanddelayedtoanswermyfriend。SheWASindanger——ifonlybecauseshehadcaughtandheldthesearchlightofObert’sattention。Itookuphisinquiry。"Thematterwiththem？Idon’tknowanythingbutthatthey’reyoungandhandsomeandhappy——children，aswhoshouldsay，oftheworld；childrenofleisureandpleasureandprivilege。"

Obert’seyeswentbacktothem。"DoyourememberwhatIsaidtoyouaboutheryesterdayafternoon？Shedartsfromflowertoflower，butsheclings，forthetime，toeach。You’vebeenfeeling，Ijudge，theforceofmyremark。"

"Oh，shedidn’tatall’dart，’"Ireplied，"justnowatme。Idarted，muchrather，atHER。"

"Longdidn’t，then，"Obertsaid，stillwithhiseyesonthem。

Ihadtowaitamoment。"Doyoumeanhestruckyouasavoidingher？"

Heinturnconsidered。"Hestruckmeashavingnoticedwithwhatintensity，eversincewecamedown，shehaskeptalighting。Sheinauguratedit，theinstantshearrived，withme，andeverymanofushashadhisturn。Idaresayit’sonlyfair，certainly，thatLongshouldhave。"

"He’sluckytogetit，thebrute！She’sascharmingasshecanpossiblybe。"

"That’sit，precisely；andit’swhatnowomanoughttobe——ascharmingasshepossiblycan！——morethanonceortwiceinherlife。Thisladyissoeveryblessedminute，andtoeveryblessedmale。It’sasifsheweretooawfullyafraidonewouldn’ttakeitin。Ifshebutknewhowonedoes！

However，"myfriendcontinued，"you’llrecollectthatwedifferedaboutheryesterday——andwhatdoesitsignify？Oneshouldofcoursebearlightlyonanythingsolight。ButIsticktoitthatshe’sdifferent。"

Ipondered。"Differentfromwhom？"

"Differentfromherself——asshewaswhenIpaintedher。There’ssomethingthematterwithher。"

【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