SomeknightwhohadfoughtintheFrenchwarsofthattime，andhadsurvivedhisbattlesandcomehometohisoldhalls，hadbeenstirredupbyhisconscience，orbywhatwasequivalentinthosedays，hisconfessor，tobuildandendowahospitalfortwelvedecayedsoldiers，andachapelwhereintheyweretoattendthedailymassesheordainedtobesaidtilltheendofalltime（whicheternitylastedrathermorethanacentury，prettywellforaneternitybespokenbyaman），forhissoulandthesoulsofthosewhomhehadslain。Therewasalargedivisionofthequadrangularbuildingsetapartforthepriestwhowastosaythesemasses;andtowatchoverthewell—beingofthebedesmen。Inprocessofyearstheoriginandprimarypurposeofthehospitalhadbeenforgottenbyallexceptingthelocalantiquaries;
andtheplaceitselfcametoberegardedasaverypleasantquaintsetofalmshouses;andthewarden\'soffice（hewhoshouldhavesaidorsunghisdailymasseswasnowcalledthewarden，andreaddailyprayersandpreachedasermononSundays）anagreeablesinecure。AnotherlegacyofoldSirSimonBraywasthatofasmallcroftofland，therentorprofitsofwhichweretogotowardsgivingtoallwhoaskedforitamanchetofbreadandacupofgoodbeer。Thisbeerwas，soSirSimonordained，tobemadeafteracertainreceiptwhichheleft，inwhichgroundivytooktheplaceofhops。Butthereceipt，aswellasthemasses，wasmodernizedaccordingtotheprogressoftime。Philipstoodunderagreatbroadstonearchway;theback—doorintothewarden\'shousewasontherightside;akindofbuttery—hatchwasplacedbytheporter\'sdoorontheoppositeside。Aftersomeconsideration，Philipknockedattheclosedshutter，andthesignalseemedtobewellunderstood。
Heheardamovementwithin;thehatchwasdrawnaside，andhisbreadandbeerwerehandedtohimbyapleasant—lookingoldman，whoprovedhimselfnotatalldisinclinedforconversation。\'Youmaysitdownonyonderbench，\'saidhe。\'Nay，man！siti\'thesun，forit\'sachillyplace，this，andthenyoucanlookthroughthegrateandwatchth\'oldfellowstoddlingaboutinth\'quad。\'PhilipsatdownwherethewarmOctobersunslanteduponhim，andlookedthroughtheironrailingatthepeacefulsight。Agreatsquareofvelvetlawn，intersecteddiagonallywithbroadflag—pavedwalks，thesamekindofwalkgoingallroundthequadrangle;lowtwo—storiedbrickhouses，tintedgrayandyellowbyage，andinmanyplacesalmostcoveredwithvines，Virginiancreepers，andmonthlyroses;beforeeachhousealittleplotofgardenground，brightwithflowers，andevidentlytendedwiththeutmostcare;onthefarthersidethemassivechapel;hereandthereanoldorinfirmmansunninghimself，orleisurelydoingabitofgardening，ortalkingtooneofhiscomrades——theplacelookedasifcareandwant，andevensorrow，werelockedoutandexcludedbytheponderousgatethroughwhichPhilipwasgazing。\'It\'saniceenoughplace，bean\'tit？\'saidtheporter，interpretingPhilip\'slooksprettyaccurately。\'Leastways，forthemaslikesit。I\'vegotabitwearyonitmyself;it\'ssofarfromth\'world，asamanmaysay;notadecentpublicwithinamileandahalf，whereonecanhearabito\'newsofanevening。\'\'IthinkIcouldmakemyselfverycontenthere，\'repliedPhilip。\'That\'stosay，ifonewereeasyinone\'smind。\'\'Ay，ay，myman。That\'siteverywhere。Why，Idon\'tthinkthatIcouldenjoymyself——notevenatth\'WhiteHart，wheretheygiveyouasgoodaglassofalefortwopenceasanywherei\'th\'fourkingdoms——Icouldn\'t，tosay，flavourmyaleeventhere，ifmyoldwomanlaya—dying;whichisasignasit\'stheheart，andnottheale，asmakesthedrink。\'Justthenthewarden\'sback—dooropened，andoutcamethewardenhimself，dressedinfullclericalcostume。Hewasgoingintotheneighbouringcity，buthestoppedtospeaktoPhilip，thewoundedsoldier;andallthemorereadilybecausehisoldfadeduniformtoldthewarden\'sexperiencedeyethathehadbelongedtothemarines。\'IhopeyouenjoythevictualprovidedforyoubythefounderofSt。Sepulchre，\'
saidhe，kindly。\'Youlookbutpoorly，mygoodfellow，andasifasliceofgoodcoldmeatwouldhelpyourbreaddown。\'\'Thankyou，sir！\'saidPhilip。\'I\'mnothungry，onlyweary，andgladofadraughtofbeer。\'\'You\'vebeenintheMarines，Isee。Wherehaveyoubeenserving？\'\'IwasatthesiegeofAcre，lastMay，sir。\'\'AtAcre！Wereyou，indeed？ThenperhapsyouknowmyboyHarry？Hewasinthe————th。\'\'Itwasmycompany，\'saidPhilip，warmingupalittle。Lookingbackuponhissoldier\'slife，itseemedtohimtohavemanycharms，becauseitwassofullofsmalldailyinterests。\'Then，didyouknowmyson，LieutenantPennington？\'\'Itwashethatgavemethiscloak，sir，whentheyweresendingmebacktoEngland。IhadbeenhisservantforashorttimebeforeIwaswoundedbytheexplosiononboardtheTheseus，andhesaidIshouldfeelthecoldofthevoyage。He\'sverykind;andI\'veheardsayhepromisestobeafirst—rateofficer。\'\'Youshallhaveasliceofroastbeef，whetheryouwantitornot，\'saidthewarden，ringingthebellathisownback—door。\'Irecognizethecloaknow——theyoungscamp！Howsoonhehasmadeitshabby，though，\'hecontinued，takingupacornerwheretherewasanimmensetearnottoowellbotchedup。\'AndsoyouwereonboardtheTheseusatthetimeoftheexplosion？
Bringsomecoldmeathereforthegoodman——orstay！Comeinwithme，andthenyoucantellMrsPenningtonandtheyoungladiesallyouknowaboutHarry，——andthesiege，——andtheexplosion。\'SoPhilipwasusheredintothewarden\'shouseandmadetoeatroastbeefalmostagainsthiswill;andhewasquestionedandcross—questionedbythreeeagerladies，allatthesametime，asitseemedtohim。Hehadgivenallpossibledetailsonthesubjectsaboutwhichtheywerecurious;andwasbeginningtoconsiderhowhecouldbestmakehisretreat，whentheyoungerMissPenningtonwentuptoherfather——whohadallthistimestood，withhishaton，holdinghiscoat—tailsoverhisarms，withhisbacktothefire。Hebenthiseardownaverylittletohearsomewhisperedsuggestionofhisdaughter\'s，noddedhishead，andthenwentonquestioningPhilip，withkindlyinquisitivenessandpatronage，astherichdoquestionthepoor。\'Andwhereareyougoingtonow？\'Philipdidnotanswerdirectly。Hewonderedinhisownmindwherehewasgoing。Atlengthhesaid，\'Northwards，Ibelieve。ButperhapsIshallneverreachthere。\'\'Haven\'tyoufriends？Aren\'tyougoingtothem？\'Therewasagainapause;acloudcameoverPhilip\'scountenance。Hesaid，\'No！I\'mnotgoingtomyfriends。Idon\'tknowthatI\'vegotanyleft。\'Theyinterpretedhislooksandthisspeechtomeanthathehadeitherlosthisfriendsbydeath，oroffendedthembyenlisting。Thewardenwenton，\'Iask，becausewe\'vegotacottagevacantinthemead。OldDobson，whowaswithGeneralWolfeatthetakingofQuebec，diedafortnightago。Withsuchinjuriesasyours，Ifearyou\'llneverbeabletoworkagain。Butwerequirestricttestimonialsastocharacter，\'headded，withaspenetratingalookashecouldsummonupatPhilip。Philiplookedunmoved，eitherbytheofferofthecottage，ortheillusiontothepossibilityofhischaracternotbeingsatisfactory。Hewasgratefulenoughinreality，buttooheavyathearttocareverymuchwhatbecameofhim。Thewardenandhisfamily，whowereaccustomedtoconsiderasettlementatSt。Sepulchre\'sasthesumofallgoodtoaworn—outsoldier，werealittleannoyedatPhilip\'scoolwayofreceivingtheproposition。Thewardenwentontonamethecontingentadvantages。\'Besidesthecottage，youwouldhavealoadofwoodforfiringonAllSaints\'，onChristmas，andonCandlemasdays——abluegownandsuitofclothestomatcheveryMichaelmas，andashillingadaytokeepyourselfinallotherthings。Yourdinneryouwouldhavewiththeothermen，inhall。\'\'Thewardenhimselfgoesintohalleveryday，andseesthateverythingiscomfortable，andsaysgrace，\'addedthewarden\'slady。\'IknowIseemstupid，\'saidPhilip，almosthumbly，\'nottobemoregrateful，forit\'sfarbeyondwhatliverexpectedorthoughtforagain，andit\'sagreattemptation，forI\'mjustwornoutwithfatigue。SeveraltimesI\'vethoughtImustliedownunderahedge，andjustdieforveryweariness。
ButonceIhadawifeandachildupinthenorth，\'hestopped。\'Andaretheydead？\'askedoneoftheyoungladiesinasoftsympathizingtone。HereyesmetPhilip\'s，fullofdumbwoe。Hetriedtospeak;hewantedtoexplainmorefully，yetnottorevealthetruth。\'Well！\'saidthewarden，thinkingheperceivedtherealstateofthings，\'whatIproposeisthis。YoushallgointooldDobson\'shouseatonce，asakindofprobationarybedesman。I\'llwritetoHarry，andgetyourcharacterfromhim。StephenFreemanIthinkyousaidyournamewas？BeforeIcanreceivehisreplyyou\'llhavebeenabletotellhowyou\'dlikethekindoflife;andatanyrateyou\'llhavetherestyouseemtorequireinthemeantime。Yousee，ItakeHarry\'shavinggivenyouthatcloakasakindofcharacter，\'addedhe，smilingkindly。\'Ofcourseyou\'llhavetoconformtorulesjustlikealltherest，——chapelateight，dinnerattwelve，lightsoutatnine;butI\'lltellyoutheremainderofourregulationsaswewalkacrossquadtoyournewquarters。\'AndthusPhilip，almostinspiteofhimself，becameinstalledinabedesman\'shouseatSt。Sepulchre。
chapter42CHAPTERXLIIAFABLEATFAULTPhiliptookpossessionofthetworoomswhichhadbelongedtothedeadSergeantDobson。Theywerefurnishedsufficientlyforeverycomfortbythetrusteesofthehospital。Somelittlefragmentsofornament，somesmallarticlespickedupindistantcountries，afewtatteredbooks，remainedintheroomsaslegaciesfromtheirformeroccupant。AtfirstthereposeofthelifeandtheplacewasinexpressiblygratefultoPhilip。Hehadalwaysshrunkfromencounteringstrangers，anddisplayinghisblackenedandscarredcountenancetothem，evenwheresuchdisfigurementwasmostregardedasamarkofhonour。InSt。Sepulchre\'shemetnonebutthesamesetdayafterday，andwhenhehadoncetoldthetaleofhowithappenedandsubmittedtotheirgaze，itwasoverforever，ifhesominded。
Theslightemploymenthisgardengavehim——therewasakitchen—gardenbehindeachhouse，aswellastheflower—plotinfront——andthedailyarrangementofhisparlourandchamberwere，atthebeginningofhistimeofoccupation，asmuchbodilylabourashecouldmanage。TherewassomethingstatelyandutterlyremovedfromallPhilip\'spreviousexistenceintheformsobservedateveryday\'sdinner，whenthetwelvebedesmenmetinthelargequainthall，andthewardencameinhiscollege—capandgowntosaythelongLatingracewhichwoundupwithsomethingverylikeaprayerforthesoulofSirSimonBray。Ittooksometimetogetareplytoshiplettersinthosetimeswhennoonecouldexactlysaywherethefleetmightbefound。AndbeforeDrPenningtonhadreceivedtheexcellentcharacterofStephenFreeman，whichhissongladlysentinanswertohisfather\'sinquiries，Philiphadbecomerestlessanduneasyinthemidstofallthispeaceandcomfort。Sittingaloneoverhisfireinthelongwinterevenings，thescenesofhispastliferosebeforehim;hischildhood;hisauntRobson\'scareofhim;hisfirstgoingtoFoster\'sshopinMonkshaven;HaytersbankFarm，andthespellinglessonsinthebrightwarmkitchenthere;Kinraid\'sappearance;
themiserablenightoftheCorneys\'party;thefarewellhehadwitnessedonMonkshavensands;thepress—gang，andallthelongconsequencesofthatactofconcealment;poorDanielRobson\'strialandexecution;hisownmarriage;
hischild\'sbirth;andthenhecametothatlastdayatMonkshaven:andhewentoverandoveragainthetorturingdetails，thelooksofcontemptandanger，thewordsofloathingindignation，tillhealmostbroughthimself，outofhisextremesympathywithSylvia，tobelievethathewasindeedthewretchshehadconsideredhimtobe。Heforgothisownexcusesforhavingactedashehaddone;thoughtheseexcuseshadatonetimeseemedtohimtowearthegarbofreasons。Afterlongthoughtandbittermemorycamesomewonder。WhatwasSylviadoingnow？Wherewasshe？Whatwashischildlike——hischildaswellashers？
Andthenherememberedthepoorfootsorewifeandthelittlegirlshecarriedinherarms，thatwasjusttheageofBella;hewishedhehadnoticedthatchildmore，thataclearvisionofitmightriseupwhenhewantedtopictureBella。Onenighthehadgoneroundthismill—wheelcircleofideastillhewaswearytotheverymarrowofhisbones。Toshakeoffthemonotonousimpressionherosetolookforabookamongsttheoldtatteredvolumes，hopingthathemightfindsomethingthatwouldsufficientlylayholdofhimtochangethecurrentofhisthoughts。TherewasanoddvolumeofPeregrinePickle，abookofsermons;halfanarmylistof1774，andtheSevenChampionsofChristendom。Philiptookupthislast，whichhehadneverseenbefore。
InithereadhowSirGuy，EarlofWarwick，wenttofightthePayniminhisowncountry，andwasawayforsevenlongyears;andwhenhecamebackhisownwifePhillis，thecountessinhercastle，didnotknowthepoortravel—wornhermit，whocamedailytoseekhisdoleofbreadatherhandsalongwithmanybeggarsandmuchpoor。Butatlast，whenhelaya—dyinginhiscaveintherock，hesentforherbyasecretsignknownbuttothemtwain。Andshecamewithgreatspeed，forsheknewitwasherlordwhohadsentforher;andtheyhadmanysweetandholywordstogetherbeforehegaveuptheghost，hisheadlyingonherbosom。TheoldstoryknowntomostpeoplefromtheirchildhoodwasallnewandfreshtoPhilip。Hedidnotquitebelieveinthetruthofit，becausethefictitiousnatureofthehistoriesofsomeoftheotherChampionsofChristendomwastoopatent。Buthecouldnothelpthinkingthatthisonemightbetrue;
andthatGuyandPhillismighthavebeenasrealfleshandblood，long，longago，asheandSylviahadevenbeen。Theoldroom，thequietmoonlitquadrangleintowhichthecross—barredcasementlooked，thequaintaspectofeverythingthathehadseenforweeksandweeks;allthispredisposedPhiliptodwelluponthestoryhehadjustbeenreadingasafaithfullegendoftwoloverswhoseboneswerelongsincedust。HethoughtthatifhecouldthusseeSylvia，himselfunknown，unseen——couldliveathergates，sotospeak，andgazeuponherandhischild——somedaytoo，whenhelaya—dying，hemightsendforher，andinsoftwordsofmutualforgivenessbreathehislifeawayinherarms。Orperhaps————andsohelosthimself，andfromthinking，passedontodreaming。AllnightlongGuyandPhillis，Sylviaandhischild，passedinandoutofhisvisions;itwasimpossibletomakethefragmentsofhisdreamscohere;buttheimpressionmadeuponhimbythemwasnotthelessstrongforthis。HefeltasifhewerecalledtoMonkshaven，wantedatMonkshaven，andtoMonkshavenheresolvedtogo;
althoughwhenhisreasonovertookhisfeeling，heknewperfectlyhowunwiseitwastoleaveahomeofpeaceandtranquillityandsurroundingfriendliness，togotoaplacewherenothingbutwantandwretchednessawaitedhimunlesshemadehimselfknown，andifhedid，adeeperwant，amorewoefulwretchedness，wouldinallprobabilitybehisportion。Inthesmalloblongoflooking—glasshungagainstthewall，Philipcaughtthereflectionofhisownface，andlaughedscornfullyatthesight。Thethinhairlayuponhistemplesintheflakesthatbetokenlongill—health;
hiseyeswerethesameasever，andtheyhadalwaysbeenconsideredthebestfeatureinhisface;buttheyweresunkintheirorbits，andlookedhollowandgloomy。Asforthelowerpartofhisface，blackened，contracted，drawnawayfromhisteeth，theoutlineentirelychangedbythebreakageofhisjaw—bone，hewasindeedafoolifhethoughthimselffittogoforthtowinbackthatlovewhichSylviahadforsworn。Asahermitandabeggar，hemustreturntoMonkshaven，andfallperforceintothesamepositionwhichGuyofWarwickhadonlyassumed。ButstillheshouldseehisPhillis，andmightfeasthissadhopelesseyesfromtimetotimewiththesightofhischild。Hissmallpensionofsixpenceadaywouldkeephimfromabsolutewantofnecessaries。SothatverydayhewenttothewardenandtoldhimhethoughtofgivinguphisshareinthebequestofSirSimonBray。Sucharelinquishmenthadneveroccurredbeforeinallthewarden\'sexperience;andhewasverymuchinclinedtobeoffended。\'ImustsaythatforamannottobesatisfiedasabedesmanofSt。Sepulchre\'sarguesaverywrongstateofmind，andaveryungratefulheart。\'\'I\'msure，sir，it\'snotfromanyingratitude，forIcanhardlyfeelthankfultoyouandtoSirSimon，andtomadam，andtheyoungladies，andallmycomradesinthehospital，andIniverexpecttobeeithersocomfortableorsopeacefulagain，but————\'\'But？Whatcanyouhavetosayagainsttheplace，then？Notbutwhattherearealwaysplentyofapplicantsforeveryvacancy;onlyIthoughtIwasdoingakindnesstoamanoutofHarry\'scompany。Andyou\'llnotseeHarryeither;he\'sgothisleaveinMarch！\'\'I\'mverysorry。Ishouldliketohaveseenthelieutenantagain。ButI
cannotrestanylongersofarawayfrom——peopleIonceknew。\'\'Tentoonethey\'redead，orremoved，orsomethingorotherbythistime;
andit\'llserveyourightiftheyare。Mind！noonecanbechosentwicetobeabedesmanofSt。Sepulchre\'s。\'Thewardenturnedaway;andPhilip，uneasyatstaying，disheartenedatleaving，wenttomakehisfewpreparationsforsettingoutoncemoreonhisjourneynorthwards。Hehadtogivenoticeofhischangeofresidencetothelocaldistributorofpensions;andoneortwofarewellshadtobetaken，withmorethanusualsadnessatthenecessity;forPhilip，underhisnameofStephenFreeman，hadattachedsomeoftheolderbedesmenagooddealtohim，fromhisunselfishness，hiswillingnesstoreadtothem，andtorenderthemmanylittleservices，and，perhaps，asmuchasanything，byhishabitualsilence，whichmadehimaconvenientrecipientofalltheirgarrulousness。Sobeforethetimeforhisdeparturecame，hehadtheopportunityofonemoreinterviewwiththewarden，ofamorefriendlycharacterthanthatinwhichhegaveuphisbedesmanship。Andsofaritwaswell;andPhilipturnedhisbackuponSt。Sepulchre\'swithhissoreheartpartlyhealedbyhisfourmonths\'residencethere。Hewasstronger，too，inbody，morecapableoftheday—after—daywalksthatwererequiredofhim。Hehadsavedsomemoneyfromhisallowanceasbedesmanandfromhispension，andmightoccasionallyhavetakenanoutsideplaceonacoach，haditnotbeenthatheshrankfromthefirstlookofeverystrangeruponhisdisfiguredface。Yetthegentle，wistfuleyes，andthewhiteandfaultlessteethalwaysdidawaywiththefirstimpressionassoonaspeoplebecamealittleacquaintedwithhisappearance。ItwasFebruarywhenPhilipleftSt。Sepulchre\'s。ItwasthefirstweekinAprilwhenhebegantorecognizethefamiliarobjectsbetweenYorkandMonkshaven。Andnowhebegantohangback，andtoquestionthewisdomofwhathehaddone——justasthewardenhadprophesiedthathewould。Thelastnightofhistwohundredmilewalkhesleptatthelittleinnatwhichhehadbeenenlistednearlytwoyearsbefore。Itwasbynointentionofhisthatherestedatthatidenticalplace。Nightwasdrawingon;and，inmaking，ashethought，ashortcut，hehadmissedhisway，andwasfaintoseekshelterwherehemightfindit。Butitbroughthimverystraightfacetofacewithhislifeatthattime，andeversince。Hismad，wildhopes——halftheresultofintoxication，ashenowknew——alldeadandgone;
thecareerthenfreshlyopeningshutupagainsthimnow;hisyouthfulstrengthandhealthchangedintoprematureinfirmity，andthehomeandthelovethatshouldhaveopenedwideitsdoorstoconsolehimforall，whyintwoyearsDeathmighthavebeenbusy，andtakenawayfromhimhislastfeeblechanceofthefainthappinessofseeinghisbelovedwithoutbeingseenorknownofher。Allthatnightandallthenextday，thefearofSylvia\'spossibledeathovercloudedhisheart。Itwasstrangethathehadhardlyeverthoughtofthisbefore;sostrange，thatnow，whentheterrorcame，ittookpossessionofhim，andhecouldalmosthaveswornthatshemustbelyingdeadinMonkshavenchurchyard。OrwasitlittleBella，thatblooming，lovelybabe，whomhewasnevertoseeagain？Therewasthetollingofmournfulbellsinthedistantairtohisdisturbedfancy，andthecryofthehappybirds，theplaintivebleatingofthenew—droppedlambs，wereallomensofevilimporttohim。Aswellashecould，hefoundhiswaybacktoMonkshaven，overthewildheightsandmoorshehadcrossedonthatblackdayofmisery;whyheshouldhavechosenthatpathhecouldnottell——itwasasifhewereled，andhadnofreewillofhisown。Thesoftcleareveningwasdrawingon，andhisheartbeatthick，andthenstopped，onlytostartagainwithfreshviolence。Therehewas，atthetopofthelong，steeplanethatwasinsomepartsaliteralstaircaseleadingdownfromthehill—topintotheHighStreet，throughtheveryentryupwhichhehadpassedwhenheshrankawayfromhisformerandhisthenpresentlife。Therehestood，lookingdownoncemoreatthenumerousirregularroofs，themanystacksofchimneysbelowhim，seekingoutthatwhichhadoncebeenhisowndwelling——whodwelttherenow？Theyellowergleamsgrewnarrower;theeveningshadowsbroader，andPhilipcreptdownthelaneaweary，woefulman。Ateverygapintheclose—packedbuildingsheheardthemerrymusicofaband，thecheerfulsoundofexcitedvoices。Stillhedescendedslowly，scarcelywonderingwhatitcouldbe，foritwasnotassociatedinhismindwiththeonepervadingthoughtofSylvia。WhenhecametotheangleofjunctionbetweenthelaneandtheHighStreet，heseemedplungedallatonceintotheverycentreofthebustle，andhedrewhimselfupintoacornerofdeepshadow，fromwhencehecouldlookoutuponthestreet。AcircuswasmakingitsgrandentryintoMonkshaven，withallthepompofcolourandofnoisethatitcouldmuster。Trumpetersinparti—colouredclothesrodefirst，blaringouttriumphantdiscord。Nextcameagold—and—scarletchariotdrawnbysixpiebaldhorses，andthewindingsofthisteamthroughthetortuousnarrowstreetwereprettyenoughtolookupon。Inthechariotsatekingsandqueens，heroesandheroines，orwhatweremeantforsuch;
allthelittleboysandgirlsrunningalongsideofthechariotenviedthem;
buttheythemselveswereverymuchtired，andshiveringwithcoldintheirheroicpompofclassicclothing。AllthisPhilipmighthaveseen;didsee，infact;butheedednotonejot。Almostoppositetohim，nottenyardsapart，standingontheraisedstepatthewell—knownshopdoor，wasSylvia，holdingachild，amerrydancingchild，upinherarmstoseetheshow。
Shetoo，Sylvia，waslaughingforpleasure，andforsympathywithpleasure。
SheheldthelittleBellaaloftthatthechildmightseethegaudyprocessionthebetterandthelonger，lookingatitherselfwithredlipsapartandwhiteteethglancingthrough;thensheturnedtospeaktosomeonebehindher——Coulson，asPhilipsawthemomentafterwards;hisanswermadeherlaughonceagain。Philipsawitall;herbonnycarelesslooks，herprettymatronlyform，herevidenteaseofmindandprosperousoutwardcircumstances。
Theyearsthathehadspentingloomysorrow，amongstwildscenes，onlandorbysea，hislifeinfrequentperilofabloodyend，hadgonebywithherlikesunnydays;allthemoresunnybecausehewasnotthere。Sobitterlythoughtthepoordisabledmarine，as，wearyanddespairing，hestoodinthecoldshadowandlookeduponthehomethatshouldhavebeenhishaven，thewifethatshouldhavewelcomedhim，thechildthatshouldhavebeenhiscomfort。Hehadbanishedhimselffromhishome;hiswifehadforswornhim;hischildwasblossomingintointelligenceunwittingofanyfather。
Wife，andchild，andhome，werealldoingwellwithouthim;whatmadnesshadtemptedhimthither？anhourago，likeafancifulfool，hehadthoughtshemightbedead——deadwithsadpenitenceforhercruelwordsatherheart——withmournfulwonderattheunaccounted—forabsenceofherchild\'sfatherpreyingonherspirits，andinsomemeasurecausingthedeathhehadapprehended。
Buttolookathertherewhereshestood，itdidnotseemasifshehadhadanhour\'spainfulthoughtinallherbloominglife。Ay！gointothewarmhearth，motherandchild，nowthegaycavalcadehasgoneoutofsight，andthechillofnighthassucceededtothesun\'ssetting。
Husbandandfather，stealoutintothecolddarkstreet，andseeksomepoorcheaplodgingwhereyoumayrestyourwearybones，andcheatyourmorewearyheartintoforgetfulnessinsleep。TheprettystoryoftheCountessPhillis，whomournedforherhusband\'sabsencesolong，isafableofoldtimes;orrathersayEarlGuyneverweddedhiswife，knowingthatoneshelovedbetterthanhimwasaliveallthetimeshehadbelievedhimtobedead。
chapter43CHAPTERXLIIITHEUNKNOWNAfewdaysbeforethatonwhichPhiliparrivedatMonkshaven，KesterhadcometopaySylviaavisit。Astheearliestfriendshehad，andalsoasonewhoknewtherealsecretsofherlife，Sylviaalwaysgavehimthewarmwelcome，thecordialwords，andthesweetlooksinwhichtheoldmandelighted。
Hehadasortofdelicacyofhisownwhichkepthimfromgoingtoseehertoooften，evenwhenhewasstationaryatMonkshaven;buthelookedforwardtothetimeswhenheallowedhimselfthispleasureasachildatschoollooksforwardtoitsholidays。ThetimeofhisserviceatHaytersbankhad，onthewhole，beenthehappiestinailhislongmonotonousyearsofdailylabour。Sylvia\'sfatherhadalwaystreatedhimwiththeroughkindnessoffellowship;Sylvia\'smotherhadneverstintedhiminhismeatorgrudgedhimhisshareofthebestthatwasgoing;andonce，whenhewasillforafewdaysintheloftabovethecow—house，shehadmadehimpossets，andnursedhimwiththesametendernesswhichherememberedhismothershowingtohimwhenhewasalittlechild，butwhichhehadneverexperiencedsincethen。HehadknownSylviaherself，asbud，andsweetpromiseofblossom;
andjustasshewasopeningintothefull—blownrose，and，ifshehadbeenhappyandprosperous，mighthavepassedoutofthenarrowcircleofKester\'sinterests，onesorrowafteranothercamedownuponherprettyinnocenthead，andKester\'speriodofservicetoDanielRobson，herfather，wastragicallycutshort。AllthismadeSylviathegreatcentreofthefaithfulherdsman\'saffection;andBella，whoremindedhimofwhatSylviawaswhenfirstKesterknewher，onlyoccupiedthesecondplaceinhisheart，althoughtothechildhewasmuchmoredemonstrativeofhisregardthantothemother。HehaddressedhimselfinhisSundaybest，andalthoughitwasonlyThursday，hadforestalledhisSaturday\'sshaving;hehadprovidedhimselfwithapaperofhumbugsforthechild——\'humbugs\'beingthenorth—countrytermforcertainlumpsoftoffy，well—flavouredwithpeppermint——andnowhesatintheaccustomedchair，asneartothedoorasmightbe，inSylvia\'spresence，coaxingthelittleone，whowasnotquitesureofhisidentity，t9cometohim，byopeningthepaperparcel，andlettingitssweetcontentsbeseen。\'She\'slikethee——andyetshefavoursherfeyther，\'saidhe;andthemomenthehadutteredtheincautiouswordshelookeduptoseehowSylviahadtakentheunpremeditated，unusualreferencetoherhusband。Hisstealthyglancedidnotmeethereye;butthoughhethoughtshehadcolouredalittle，shedidnotseemoffendedashehadfeared。ItwastruethatBellahadherfather\'sgrave，thoughtful，darkeyes，insteadofhermother\'sgreyones，outofwhichthechildlikeexpressionofwonderwouldneverentirelypassaway。AndasBellaslowlyandhalfdistrustfullymadeherwaytowardsthetemptationofferedher，shelookedatKesterwithjustherfather\'slook。Sylviasaidnothingindirectreply;Kesteralmostthoughtshecouldnothaveheardhim。But，by—and—by，shesaid，——\'Yo\'llhavehearedhowKinraid——who\'sacaptainnow，andagrandofficer——hasgoneandgotmarried。\'\'Nay！\'saidKester，ingenuinesurprise。\'Heniverhas，forsure！\'\'Ay，buthehas，\'saidSylvia。\'AndI\'msureIdunnotseewhyheshouldn\'t。\'\'Well，well！\'saidKester，notlookingupather，forhecaughttheinflectionsinthetonesofhervoice。\'Hewereafinestirrin\'chap，yon;an\'hewereallaysfordoin\'summut;an\'whenhefundashecouldn\'tha\'onethingashe\'dsethismindon，areckonhethoughthemunputupwi\'another。\'\'It\'udbeno\"puttingup，\"\'saidSylvia。\'ShewerestayingatBessyDawson\'s，andshecomeheretoseeme——she\'sasprettyayoungladyasyo\'dseeonasummer\'sday;andareallady，too，wi\'afortune。Shedidn\'tspeaktwowordswi\'outbringinginherhusband\'sname——\"thecaptain，\"asshecalledhim。\'\'An\'shecometoseethee？\'saidKester，cockinghiseyeatSylviawiththeoldshrewdlook。\'Thatweresummutqueer，weren\'tit？\'Sylviareddenedagooddeal。\'He\'stoofausetohavespokentoheronme，int\'oldway，——asheusedfort\'speaktome。IwerenoughttoherbutPhilip\'swife。\'\'An\'whatt\'dickinshadshetodowi\'Philip？\'askedKester，inintensesurprise;andsoabsorbedincuriositythatheletthehumbugsallfalloutofthepaperuponthefloor，andthelittleBellasatdown，plump，inthemidstoftreasuresasgreatasthosefabledtoexistonTomTiddler\'sground。Sylviawasagainsilent;butKester，knowingherwell，wassurethatshewasstrugglingtospeak，andbidedhistimewithoutrepeatinghisquestion。\'Shesaid——andIthinkhertaleweretrue，thoughIcannotgettot\'rightsonit，thinkonitasIwill——asPhilipsavedherhusband\'slifesomewheerenearaboutstoJerusalem。Shewouldhaveitthatt\'captain——forIthinkI\'llniverca\'himKinraidagain——wasinagreatbattle，andwerenearuponbeingshotbyt\'French，whenPhilip——ourPhilip——comeupandwentrightintot\'fireo\'t\'guns，andsavedherhusband\'slife。Andshespokeasifbothsheandt\'captainweremorebeholdentoPhilipthanwordscouldtell。Andshecometoseeme，totryandgetnewsonhim。\'It\'saqueerkindo\'story，\'saidKester，meditatively。\'Ashouldha\'
thoughtasPhilipweremorelikelytoha\'gi\'enhimashoveintot\'thickonit，thant\'helphimouto\'t\'scrape。\'\'Nay！\'saidSylvia，suddenlylookingstraightatKester;\'yo\'reouttheere。
Philiphadadealo\'goodinhim。AndIdunnotthinkashe\'dha\'goneandmarriedanotherwomansosoon，ifhe\'dbeeni\'Kinraid\'splace。\'\'An\'yo\'veniverhearedonPhilipsin\'heleft？\'askedKester，afterawhile。\'Niver;noughtbutwhatshetoldme。Andshesaidthatt\'captainmadeinquiryforhimrightandleft，assoonafterthathappenedasmightbe，andcouldhearniverawordabouthim。Noonehadseenhim，orknowedhisname。\'\'Yo\'niverhearedofhisgoin\'fort\'beasoldier？\'perseveredKester。\'Niver。I\'vetoldyo\'once。ItwereunlikePhiliptothinko\'suchathing。\'\'Butthoumunha\'beenthinkin\'onhimattimesi\'a\'theseyears。Badashe\'dbehavedhissel\'，heweret\'feythero\'thylittleun。Whatdidtathinkhehadbeenagaitonwhenhelefthere？\'\'Ididn\'tknow。Iwerenoanesokeena—thinkingonhimatfirst。Itriedtoputhimouto\'mythoughts。a\'together，foritmademelikemadtothinkhowhe\'dstoodbetweenmeand——thatother。ButI\'dbeguntowonderandtowonderabouthim，andtothinkIshouldliketohearasheweredoingwell。IreckonIthoughthewerei\'London，wheerehe\'dbeenthattimeafore，yo\'know，andhadallaysspokeasifhe\'denjoyedhissel\'tolerable;
andthenMollyBruntontoldmeont\'otherone\'smarriage;and，somehow，itgavemeashakeinmyheart，andIbeganfortowishIhadn\'tsaidallthemwordsi\'mypassion;andthenthatfineyoungladycomewi\'herstory——andI\'vethoughtadealonitsince，——andmymindhascomeoutclear。Philip\'sdead，anditwerehisspiritascometot\'other\'shelpinhistimeo\'
need。I\'veheardfeythersayasspiritscannotresti\'theirgravesfortryingtoundot\'wrongsthey\'vedonei\'theirbodies。\'\'Them\'smyconclusions，\'saidKester，solemnly。\'Awasfainfortohearwhatwereyo\'rjudgmentsfirst;butthem\'stheconclusionsIcomedtoassoonasIheardt\'tale。\'\'Letalonethatonething，\'saidSylvia，\'hewereakind，goodman。\'\'Itwereabigdealona\"onething，\"though，\'saidKester。\'Itjustspoiltyo\'rlife，mypoorlass;an\'mightha\'goneneartospoilin\'CharleyKinraid\'stoo。\'\'Mentakesadealmorenorwomentospoiltheirlives，\'saidSylvia，bitterly。\'Nota\'mak\'o\'men。Ireckon，lass，Philip\'slifewereprettywellonforbein\'spoiltatafterhelefthere;anditweremebbe，agoodthinghegotridonitsosoon。\'\'IwishI\'djusthadafewkindwordswi\'him，Ido，\'saidSylvia，almostonthepointofcrying。\'Come，lass，it\'sasillmoanin\'afterwhat\'spastasit\'udbeformet\'fillmyeyeswi\'weepin\'aftert\'humbugsasthislittlewencho\'thinehasgrubbedupwhilstwe\'nbeentalkin\'。Why，there\'snotoneon\'emleft！\'\'She\'sasadspoiltlittlepuss！\'saidSylvia，holdingoutherarmstothechild，whoranintothem，andbeganpattinghermother\'scheeks，andpullingatthesoftbrowncurlstuckedawaybeneaththematronlycap。\'Mammyspoilsher，andHesterspoilsher————\'\'GrannyRosedoesn\'tspoilme，\'saidthechild，withquick，intelligentdiscrimination，interruptinghermother\'slist。\'No;butJeremiahFosterdoesaboveabit。He\'llcomeinfro\'t\'Bank，Kester，andaskforher，a\'mostiveryday。Andhe\'llbringherthingsinhispocket;andshe\'ssofause，sheallaysgoesstraighttopeepin，andthenheshiftst\'appleort\'toyintoanother。Eh！butshe\'salittlefauseone，\'——halfdevouringthechildwithherkisses。\'Andhecomesandtakesherawalkoftentimes，andhegoesasslowasifhewerequiteanoldman，tokeeppacewi\'Bella\'ssteps。Ioftenrunupstairsandwatch\'emouto\'t\'window;hedoesn\'tcaretohavemewith\'em，he\'ssofaint\'havet\'childalltohisself。\'\'She\'sabonnyun，forsure，\'saidKester;\'butnotsoprettyasthouwas，Sylvie。A\'venivertell\'dtheewhatacomefortho\'，andit\'sabouttimeformet\'begoin\'。A\'mofftot\'Cheviotsto—morrowmornt\'fetchhomesomesheepasJonasBlundellhaspurchased。It\'llbeajobo\'betternortwomonthsareckon。\'\'It\'llbeanicetimeo\'year，\'saidSylvia，alittlesurprisedatKester\'sevidentdiscouragementattheprospectofthejourneyorabsence;hehadoftenbeenawayfromMonks—havenforalongertimewithoutseemingtocaresomuchaboutit。\'Well，yo\'seeit\'sabitharduponmefort\'leavemysistersheasist\'widow—woman，wheereaputupwhena\'mathome。Thingsismainan\'dear;
four—poundloavesisatsixteenpence;an\'there\'sadealo\'talkonafaminei\'t\'land;an\'whatenapaidformyvictualan\'t\'bedi\'t\'lean—tohelpedt\'oudwomanabit，——an\'she\'ssadlydowni\'t\'mouth，forshecannothearonalodgerfort\'tak\'myplace，fora\'she\'smovedo\'ertot\'othersideo\'t\'bridgefort\'benearert\'newbuildings，an\'t\'grandnewwalkthey\'remakin\'roundt\'cliffsthinkin\'she\'dbelikeliert\'pickupalaboureraswouldbegladonabednearhiswork。A\'dha\'likedtoha\'setheragaitwi\'a\'sponsiblelodgeraforea\'dha\'left，forshe\'sjustsosoft—hearted，anyscampmayputuponherifhenobbutgetshoudonherblindside。\'\'CanIhelpher？\'saidSylvia，inhereagerway。\'Ishouldbesoglad;