\"Youshallnotsayit，\"sheinterruptedher。\"Iwill。Thereisareasonnowwhyyoucannotstayhere——whyyoushallnotstayhere。ThatwaswhyIbeggedyoutogo。Youmustgo，evenifIstaybehindalone。\"
NeverhadthebeautifulMissVanderpoel’seyeswornsofullytheirlookofbeingbluebellsunderwater。Thatthistimidcreatureshouldsostandatbaytodefendherwasmoremovingthananythingelsecouldhavebeen。
\"Thankyou，Rosy——thankyou，\"sheanswered。\"Butyoushallnotbeleftalone。Youmustgo，too。Thereisnootherway。Difficultieswillbemadeforus，butwemustfacethem。Fatherwillseethesituationfromapracticalman’sstandpoint。Menknowthethingsothermencannotdo。
Womendon’t。Generallytheyknownothingaboutthelawandcanbebulliedintofeelingthatitisdangerousandcompromisingtoinquireintoit。Nigelhasalwaysseenthatitwaseasytomanagewomen。Astrongbusinessmanwhohasmoreexactlegalinformationthanhehashimselfwillbeanewfactortodealwith。Andhecannotmakeobjectionablelovetohim。Itisbecauseheknowsthesethingsthathesaysthatmysendingforfatherwillbeadeclarationofwar。\"
\"Didhesaythat？\"alittlebreathlessly。
\"Yes，andItoldhimthatitneednotbeso。Buthewouldnotlisten。\"
\"Andyouaresurefatherwillcome？\"
\"Iamsure。Inaweekortwohewillbehere。\"
LadyAnstruthers’lipsshook，hereyesliftedthemselvestoBetty’sinatouchinglydistressedappeal。Hadhermomentarycouragefledbeyondrecall？Ifso，thatwouldbetheworstcomingtotheworst，indeed。Yetitwasnotordinaryfearwhichexpresseditselfinherface，butadeeperpiteousness，asuddenhopelesspain，bafflingbecauseitseemedanewemotion，orperhapstheupheavalofanoldonelongandcarefullyhidden。
\"Youwillbebrave？\"Bettyappealedtoher。\"Youwillnotgiveway，Rosy？\"
\"Yes，Imustbebrave——Iamnotillnow。Imustnotfailyou——Iwon’t，Betty，but————\"
Sheslippedupontheflooranddroppedherfaceuponthegirl’sknee，sobbing。
Bettybentoverher，puttingherarmsroundtheheavingshoulders，andpleadingwithhertospeak。Wastheresomethingmoretobetold，somethingshedidnotknow？
\"Yes，yes。Oh，Ioughttohavetoldyoulongago——butI
havealwaysbeenafraidandashamed。Ithasmadeeverythingsomuchworse。Iwasafraidyouwouldnotunderstandandwouldthinkmewicked——wicked。\"
ItwasBettywhonowlostashadeofcolour。Butsheheldtheslimlittlebodycloserandkissedhersister’scheek。
\"Whathaveyoubeenafraidandashamedtotellme？Donotbeashamedanymore。Youmustnothideanything，nomatterwhatitis，Rosy。Ishallunderstand。\"
\"IknowImustnothideanything，nowthatallisoverandfatheriscoming。Itis——itisaboutMr。Ffolliott。\"
\"Mr。Ffolliott？\"repeatedBettyquitesoftly。
LadyAnstruthers’face，liftedwithdesperateeffort，waslikeaweepingchild’s。Somuchsoinitstear—wetsimplenessandutterlackofanyeffortatconcealment，thatafteronequicklookatitBetty’shastenedpulsesceasedtobeatatdouble—quicktime。
\"Tellme，dear，\"shealmostwhispered。
\"Mr。Ffolliotthimselfdoesnotknow——andIcouldnothelpit。HewaskindtomewhenIwasdyingofunkindness。Youdon’tknowwhatitwasliketobedrowninginlonelinessandmisery，andtoseeonegoodhandstretchedouttohelpyou。
Beforehewentaway——oh，Betty，IknowitwasawfulbecauseIwasmarried！——Ibegantocareforhimverymuch，andI
havecaredforhimeversince。Icannotstopmyselfcaring，eventhoughIamterrified。\"
Bettykissedheragainwithapassionoftenderpity。Poorlittle，simpleRosy，too！Thetidehadcreptaroundheralso，andhadsweptheroffherfeet，tossingheruponitssurflikeawispofseaweedandbearinghereachdayfartherfromfirmshore。
\"Donotbeterrified，\"shesaid。\"Youneedonlybeafraidif——ifyouhadtoldhim。\"
\"Hewillneverknow——never。Onceinthemiddleofthenight，\"therewasanguishinthedelicateface，pureanguish，\"astrangeloudcrywakenedme，anditwasImyselfwhohadcriedout——becauseinmysleepithadcomehometomethattheyearswouldgoonandon，andatlastsomedayhewoulddieandgooutoftheworld——andIshoulddieandgooutoftheworld。Andhewouldneverknow——evenKNOW。\"
Betty’sclaspofherloosenedandshesatverystill，lookingstraightbeforeherintosomeunseenplace。
\"Yes，\"shesaidinvoluntarily。\"Yes，_I_know——Iknow——I
know。\"
LadyAnstruthersfellbackalittletogazeather。
\"YOUknow？YOUknow？\"shebreathed。\"Betty？\"
ButBettyatfirstdidnotspeak。Herlovelyeyesdweltonthefar—awayplace。
\"Betty，\"whisperedRosy，\"doyouknowwhatyouhavesaid？\"
Thelovelyeyesturnedslowlytowardsher，andthesoftcornersofBetty’smouthdeepenedinacuriousunsteadiness。
\"Yes。Ididnotintendtosayit。Butitistrue。_I_know——
Iknow——Iknow。Donotaskmehow。\"
Rosalieflungherarmsroundherwaistandforamomenthidherface。
\"YOU！YOU！\"shemurmured，butstoppedherselfalmostassheutteredtheexclamation。\"Iwillnotaskyou，\"shesaidwhenshespokeagain。\"ButnowIshallnotbesoashamed。
Youareabeautyandwonderful，andIamnot；butifyouKNOW，thatmakesusalmostthesame。YouwillunderstandwhyIbrokedown。ItwasbecauseIcouldnotbeartothinkofwhatwillhappen。Ishallbesavedandtakenhome，butNigelwillwreakrevengeonHIM。AndIshallbetheshamethatisputuponhim——onlybecausehewaskind——KIND。Whenfathercomesitwillallbegin。\"Shewrungherhands，becomingalmosthysterical。
\"Hush，\"saidBetty。\"Hush！AmanlikethatCANNOT
behurt，evenbyamanlikeNigel。Thereisawayout——
thereIS。Oh，Rosy，wemustBELIEVEit。\"
Shesoothedandcaressedherandledherontorelievingherlonglocked—upmiserybyspeech。Itwaseasytoseethewaysinwhichherfeelinghadmadeherlifehardertobear。Shewasasinexperiencedasagirl，andhadaccusedherselfcruelly。
WhenNigelhadtormentedherwithevil，carefullychosentaunts，shehadfelthalfguiltyandhadcolouredscarletorturnedpale，afraidtomeethissneeringlysmilingface。Shehadtriedtoforgetthekindvoice，thekindly，understandingeyes，andhadblamedherselfasacriminalbecauseshecouldnot。
\"Ihadnothingelsetoremember——butunhappiness——anditseemedasifIcouldnothelpbutrememberHIM，\"shesaidassimplyastheRosywhohadleftNewYorkatnineteenmighthavesaidit。\"Iwasafraidtotrustmyselftospeakhisname。
WhenNigelmadeinsultingspeechesIcouldnotanswerhim，andheusedtosaythatwomenwhohadadventuresshouldtraintheirfacesnottobetraythemeverytimetheywerelookedat。
\"Oh！\"brokefromBetty’slips，andshestooduponthehearthandthrewoutherhands。\"IwishthatforonedayImightbeaman——andyourbrotherinsteadofyoursister！\"
\"Why？\"
Bettysmiledstrangely——asmilewhichwasnotamused——
whichwasperhapsnotasmileatall。Hervoiceassheansweredwasatoncelowandtense。
\"Because，thenIshouldknowwhattodo。Whenamalecreaturecannotbereachedthroughmanhoodordecencyorshame，thereisonewayinwhichhecanbepunished。Aman——arealman——shouldtakehimbyhisthroatandlashhimwithawhip——whileotherslookon——lashhimuntilhehowlsaloudlikeadog。\"
Shehadnotexpectedtosayit，butshehadsaidit。LadyAnstrutherslookedatherfascinated，andthenshecoveredherfacewithherhands，huddlingherselfinaheapasshekneltontherug，lookingsingularlysmallandfrail。
\"Betty，\"shesaidpresently，inanew，awfullittlevoice，\"I——Iwilltellyousomething。IneverthoughtIshoulddaretotellanyonealive。Ihaveshudderedatitmyself。Therehavebeendays——awful，helplessdays，whenIwassuretherewasnohopeformeinalltheworld——whendeepdowninmysoulIunderstoodwhatwomenfeltwhentheyMURDEREDpeople——crepttothemintheirwickedsleepandSTRUCKthemagain——andagain——andagain。Likethat！\"Shesatupsuddenly，asifshedidnotknowwhatshewasdoing，anduncoveringherlittleghastlyfacestruckdownwardthreefiercetimesatnothingness——butasifitwerenotnothingness，andasifsheheldsomethinginherhand。
Therewashorrorinit——Bettysprangatthehandandcaughtit。
\"No！no！\"shecriedout。\"PoorlittleRosy！DarlinglittleRosy！No！no！no！\"
ThatinstantLadyAnstrutherslookedupathershockedandawake。ShewasRosyagain，andclungtoher，holdingtoherdress，piteousandpanting。
\"No！no！\"shesaid。\"Whenitcametomeinthenight——
itwasalwaysinthenight——Iusedtogetoutofbedandpraythatitmightnever，nevercomeagain，andthatImightbeforgiven——justforgiven。ItwastoohorriblethatIshouldevenUNDERSTANDitsowell。\"Awoeful，wrylittlesmiletwistedhermouth。\"Iwasnotbraveenoughtohavedoneit。IcouldneverhaveDONEit，Betty；butthethoughtwasthere——itwasthere！Iusedtothinkithadmadeablackmarkonmysoul。\"……
Thelettertooklongtowrite。Itledaconsecutivestoryuptothepointwhereitculminatedinasituationwhichpresenteditselfasnolongertobedealtwithbymeansathand。
Partsofthestorypreviouslettershadrelated，thoughsomeofthemithadnotseemedabsolutelynecessarytorelateindetail。
Nowtheymustbemadeclear，andBettymadethemso。
\"Becauseyoutrustedmeyoumademetrustmyself，\"wasoneofthethingsshewrote。\"ForsometimeIfeltthatitwasbesttofightformyownhandwithouttroublingyou。I
hopedperhapsImightbeabletoleadthingstoadecoroussortofissue。IsawthatsecretlyRosyhopedandprayedthatitmightbepossible。Shegaveupexpectinghappinessbeforeshewastwenty，andmeredecentpeacewouldhaveseemedheaventoher，ifshecouldhavebeenallowedsometimestoseethoseshelovedandlongedfor。NowthatImustgiveupmyhope——whichwasperhapsaratherfoolishone——andnowthatI
cannotremainatStornham，shewouldhavenodefenceatallifshewereleftalone。Herconditionwouldbemorehopelessthanbefore，becauseNigelwouldneverforgetthatwehadtriedtorescueherandhadfailed。IfIwereaman，orifI
wereverymucholder，Ineednotbeactuallydrivenaway，butasitisIthinkthatyoumustcomeandtakethematterintoyourownhands。\"
Shehadremainedinhersister’sroomuntillongaftermidnight，andbythetimetheAmericanletterwascompletedandsealed，apaletouchofdawninglightwasshowingitself。Sherose，andgoingtothewindowdrewtheblindupandlookedout。Thelookingoutmadeheropenthewindow，andwhenshehaddonesoshestoodfeelingthealmostunearthlyfreshnessofthemorningabouther。Themysteryofthefirstfaintlightwasalmostunearthly，too。Treesandshrubswerebeginningtotakeformandoutlinethemselvesagainstthestillpallorofthedawn。Beforelongthewakingofthebirdswouldbegin——abriefchirpingnotehereandtherebreakingthesilenceandwarningtheworldwithfaintinsistencethatithadbeguntoliveagainandmustbestiritself。Shehadgotoutofherbedsometimesonasummermorningtowatchthebeautyofit，toseetheflowersgraduallyrevealtheircolourtotheeye，tohearthewarmlynestingthingsbegintheirjoyousday。Therewerefewerbirdsoundsnow，andthegardenbedswereautumnal。
Buthowbeautifulitallwas！Howwonderfullifeinsuchaplacemightbeifflowersandbirdsandsweepofsward，andmassofstately，broad—branchedtrees，werepartsofthehomeonelovedandwhichsurelywouldinitsownwayloveoneinreturn。Butsoonallthisphaseoflifewouldbeover。Rosalie，oncesafeathome，wouldlookback，rememberingtheplacewithashudder。AsUghtredgrewolderthepassingofyearswoulddimmiserablechildmemories，andwhenhisinheritancefelltohimhemightreturntoseeitwithhappiereyes。ShebegantopicturetoherselfRosy’svoyageintheshipwhichwouldcarryheracrosstheAtlantictohermotherandthescenesconnectedinhermindonlywithagirl’shappiness。Whatsoeverhappenedbeforeittookplace，thevoyagewouldbemadeintheend。AndRosaliewouldbelikeacreatureinadream——aheavenly，unbelievabledream。Bettycouldimaginehowshewouldlookwrappedupandsittinginhersteamerchair，gazingoutwithrapturouseyesupontheracingwaves\"Shewillbehappy，\"shethought。\"ButIshallnot。No，Ishallnot。\"
Shedrewinthemorningairandunconsciouslyturnedtowardstheplacewhere，acrosstherisingandfallinglandsandbehindthetrees，sheknewthegreatwhitehousestoodfaraway，withwatchers’lightsshowingdimlybehindthelineofballroomwindows。
\"Idonotknowhowsuchathingcouldbe！Idonotknowhowsuchathingcouldbe！\"shesaid。\"ItCOULDnot。\"Andsheliftedahighhead，notevenaskingherselfwhatremotesenseinherbeingsoobstinatelydefiedandthrewdowntheglovetoFate。
Soundsgainacuriousdistinctnessandmeaninginthehourofthebreakofthedawn；insuchanhourtheyseemevenmoresignificantthansoundsheardinthedeadofnight。Whenshehadgonetothewindowshehadfanciedthatsheheardsomethinginthecorridoroutsideherdoor，butwhenshehadlistenedtherehadbeenonlysilence。Nowtherewassoundagain——thatofasoftlymovedslipperedfoot。Shewenttotheroom’scentreandwaited。Yes，certainlysomethinghadstirredinthepassage。Shewenttothedooritself。Thedraggingstephadhesitated——stopped。CoulditbeRosaliewhohadcometoherforsomething。Foronesecondherimpulsewastoopenthedoorherself；thenext，shehadchangedhermindwithasenseofshock。Someonehadactuallytouchedthehandleandverydelicatelyturnedit。Itwasnotpleasanttostandlookingatitandseeitturn。Sheheardalow，evidentlyunintentionallyutteredexclamation，andsheturnedaway，andwithnoattemptatsofteningthesoundofherfootstepswalkedacrosstheroom，hotwithpassionatedisgust。Aswellasifshehadflungthedooropen，sheknewwhostoodoutside。ItwasNigelAnstruthers，haggardandunseemly，withburned—
out，sleeplesseyesandbittenlip。
Badandmadasshehadatlastseenthesituationtobe，itwasuglierandmoredesperatethanshecouldwellknow。
CHAPTERXLV
THEPASSINGBELL
ThefollowingmorningSirNigeldidnotappearatthebreakfasttable。Hebreakfastedinhisownroom，anditbecameknownthroughoutthehouseholdthathehadsuddenlydecidedtogoaway，andhismanwaspackingforthejourney。
WhatthejourneyorthereasonforitsbeingtakenhappenedtobewerethingsnotexplainedtoanyonebutLadyAnstruthers，atthedoorofwhosedressingroomheappearedwithoutwarning，justasshewasleavingit。
Rosaliestartedwhenshefoundherselfconfrontinghim。Hiseyeslookedhotandhollowwithfeverishsleeplessness。
\"Youlookill，\"sheexclaimedinvoluntarily。\"Youlookasifyouhadnotslept。\"
\"Thankyou。Youalwaysencourageaman。Iamnotinthehabitofsleepingmuch，\"heanswered。\"Iamgoingawayformyhealth。Itisaswellyoushouldknow。IamgoingtolookupoldBroadmorlands。Iwanttoknowexactlywhereheis，incaseitbecomesnecessaryformetoseehim。IalsorequiresometriflingdataconnectedwithFfolliott。Ifyourfatheriscoming，itwillbeaswelltobeabletolaymyhandsonthings。YoucanexplaintoBetty。Good—morning。\"Hewaitedfornoreply，butwheeledaboutandlefther。
Bettyherselfworeachangedfacewhenshecamedown。A
cloudhadpassedoverherblooming，ascloudspassoveramorningskyanddimit。Rosalieaskedherselfifshehadnotnoticedsomethinglikethisbefore。Shebegantothinkshehad。Yes，shewassurethatatintervalstherehadbeenmomentswhenshehadglancedatthebrilliantfacewithanuneasyandyethalf—unrealisingsenseoflookingataglowinglighttemporarilywaning。Thefeelinghadbeenunrealisable，becauseitwasnottobeexplained。Bettywasneverill，shewasneverlow—
spirited，shewasneveroutofhumourorafraidofthings——thatwaswhyitwassowonderfultolivewithher。But——yes，itwastrue——therehadbeendayswhenthestrong，finelightofherhadwaned。LadyAnstruthers’comprehensionofitarosenowfromhermemoryofthelookshehadseenthenightbeforeintheeyeswhichsuddenlyhadgazedstraightbeforeher，asintoanunknownplace。
\"Yes，Iknow——Iknow——Iknow！\"Andthetoneinthegirl’svoicehadbeenoneRosyhadnotheardbefore。
Slightwonder——ifyouKNEW——atanyoutwardchangewhichshoweditself，thoughinyourownmostdesperatedespite。ItwouldbesoevenwithBetty，who，inhersister’seyes，wasunlikeanyothercreature。Butperhapsitwouldbebettertomakenocomment。Tomakecommentwouldbealmostlikeaskingthequestionshehadbeenforbiddentoask。
Whiletheservantswereintheroomduringbreakfasttheytalkedofcommonthings，resortingeventotheweatherandthenewsofthevillage。Afterwardstheypassedintothemorningroomtogether，andBettyputherarmaroundRosalieandkissedher。
\"Nigelhassuddenlygoneaway，Ihear，\"shesaid。\"Doyouknowwherehehasgone？\"
\"Hecametomydressing—roomtotellme。\"Bettyfeltthewholeslimbodystiffenitselfwithadeterminationtoseemcalm。\"HesaidhewasgoingtofindoutwheretheoldDukeofBroadmorlandswasstayingatpresent。\"
\"Thereissomeforethoughtinthat，\"wasBetty’sanswer。\"HeisnotonsuchtermswiththeDukethathecanexpecttobereceivedasacasualvisitor。Itwillrequireaptcontrivancetoarrangeaninterview。Iwonderifhewillbeabletoaccomplishit？\"
\"Yes，hewill，\"saidLadyAnstruthers。\"Ithinkhecanalwayscontrivethingslikethat。\"Shehesitatedamoment，andthenadded：\"HesaidalsothathewishedtofindoutcertainthingsaboutMr。Ffolliott——`triflingdata，’hecalledit——thathemightbeabletolayhishandsonthingsiffathercame。
Hetoldmetoexplaintoyou。\"
\"Thatwasintendedforataunt——butit’sawarning，\"Bettysaid，thinkingthethingover。\"Weareratherlikeladiesleftalonetodefendabesiegedcastle。Hewishedustofeelthat。\"
Shetightenedherenclosingarm。\"Butwestandtogether——
together。Weshallnotfaileachother。Wecanfacesiegeuntilfathercomes。\"
\"Youwrotetohimlastnight？\"
\"Alongletter，whichIwishhimtoreceivebeforehesails。
HemightdecidetoactuponitbeforeleavingNewYork，toadvisewithsomelegalauthorityheknowsandtrusts，toprepareourmotherinsomeway——todosomewisethingwecannotforeseethevalueof。Hehasknowntheoutlineofthestory，butnotexactdetails——particularlyrecentones。Ihaveheldbacknothingitwasnecessaryheshouldknow。Iamgoingouttopostthelettermyself。IshallsendacableaskinghimtopreparetocometousafterhehasreflectedonwhatI
havewritten。\"
Rosaliewasveryquiet，butwhen，havinglefttheroomtopreparetogotothevillage，Bettycamebacktosayalastword，hersistercametoherandlaidherhandonherarm。
\"Ihavebeensoweakandtroddenuponforyearsthatitwouldnotbenaturalforyoutoquitetrustme，\"shesaid。\"ButIwon’tfailyou，Betty——Iwon’t。\"
Thewinterwasdrawingin，thelastautumndayswereshortandoftengreyanddreary；thewindhadswepttheleavesfromthetreesandscatteredthemoverparklandsandlanes，wheretheylayamellow—hued，rustlingcarpet，shiftingwitheachchillbreezethatblew。Theberriedbrionygarlandsclungtothebaredhedges，andhereandthereflaredscarlet，stillholdingtheirreddefiantlyuntilhardfrostsshouldcometoshrivelandblackenthem。Therarehoursofsunshinewereamberhoursinsteadofgolden。
AsshepassedthroughtheparkgateBettywasthinkingofthefirstmorningonwhichshehadwalkeddownthevillagestreetbetweentheirregularrowsofred—tiledcottageswiththeraggedlittleenclosinggardens。Thentheairandsunshinehadbeenofthejustawakeningspring，nowtheskywasbrightlycold，andthroughthesmall—panedwindowsshecaughtglimpsesoffireglow。Abentoldmanwalkingveryslowly，leaningupontwosticks，hadared—brownwoollenmufflerwrappedroundhisneck。Seeingher，hestoppedandshuffledthetwosticksintoonehandthathemightleavetheotherfreetotouchhiswrinkledforeheadstiffly，hisfacestretchingintoaslowsmileasshestoppedtospeaktohim。
\"Good—morning，Marlow，\"hesaid。\"Howistherheumatismto—day？\"
Hewasadeafoldman，whoseconversationwascarriedonprincipallybyguesswork，anditwaseasyforhimtogatherthatwhenherladyship’shandsomeyoungsisterhadgivenhimgreetingshehadnotforgottentoinquirerespectingthe\"rheumatics，\"whichformedthegreaterpartofexistence。
\"Mornin’，miss——mornin’，\"heansweredinthehigh，crackedvoiceofruralancientry。\"Winterbenigh，an’theydampdaysbefullofrheumatiz。’T’inteasytogetaboutonmyoldlegs，butIbemainthankfulfortheywarmthingsyousent，miss。This’ere，\"fumblingathisred—brownmufflerproudly，\"’tisacomfortonwindydays，so’tis，andwarmthbeagoodthingtoamanwhenhebegoin’downhillinyears。\"
\"Allofyouwhoarenotabletoearnyourownfiresshallbewarmthiswinter，\"herladyship’shandsomesistersaid，speakingclosertohisear。\"Youshallallbewarm。Don’tbeafraidofthecolddayscoming。\"
Heshuffledhissticksandtouchedhisforeheadagain，lookingupatheradmiringlyandchuckling。
\"’T’willbeanewtaleforStornhamvillage，\"hecackled。
\"’T’willbeanewtale。Thankye，miss。Thankye。\"
Asshenoddedsmilinglyandpassedon，sheheardhimcacklingstillunderhisbreathashehobbledonhisslowway，comfortedandelate。Howalmostshamefullyeasyitwas；afewloadsofcoalandfaggotshereandthere，afewblanketsandwarmgarmentswhosecostcountedforsolittlewhenone’shandswerefull，couldchangeagruesomevillagewinterintoaseasonduringwhichlabour—stiffenedandbrokenoldthings，closingtheircottagedoors，coulddrawtheirchairsroundthehearthandhoverluxuriouslyovertheredglow，whichinitscomfortingfashionofseemingtohaveunderstandingofthedulldreamsinoldeyes，wasmoretobelovedthananyhumanfriend。
ButshehadnotneededherpassingspeechwithMarlowtostimulaterealisationofhowmuchshehadlearnedtocareforthemerelivingamongthesepeople，towhomsheseemedtohavebeguntobelong，andwhosecomfortablylightingfaceswhentheymethershowedthattheyknewhertobeonewhomightbeturnedtoinanyhouroftroubleordismay。Thecenturieswhichhadtrainedthemtodependupontheir\"betters\"hadtaughttheslowestofthemtojudgewithkeensightthosewhoweretobetrusted，notaloneaspowerandwealthholders，butascreatureshumanlyuprightandmercifulwiththeirkind。
\"Workin’folkallusknowsgentry，\"oldDobyhadonceshrilledtoher。\"Gentry’sgentry，an’usknows’emwheresoevertheybe。Better’ntheyknowtheirselves。Sousdo！\"
Yes，theyknew。Andthoughtheyacceptedmanythingsasbeingmerelytheirnaturalrights，theygaveanunsentimentalaffectionandappreciationinreturn。Thepatriarchalnoteinthelifewaslovabletoher。Eachcreatureshepassedwasasortoffriendwhoseemedalmostofherownblood。Ithadcometothat。Thisparticularexistencewasmoresatisfyingtoherthananyother，moreheart—fillingandwarmlycomplete。
\"ThoughIamonlyanimpostor，\"shethought；\"IwasborninFifthAvenue；yetsinceIhaveknownthisIshallbequitehappyinnootherplacethananEnglishvillage，withaNormanchurchtowerlookingdownuponitandrowsoflittlegardenswithspearsofwhiteandbluelupinsandCanterburybellsstandingguardbeforecottagedoors。\"
AndRosalie——ontheeveningofthatfirststrangedaywhenshehadcomeuponherpiteousfigureamongtheheatherunderthetreesnearthelake——Rosaliehadheldherarmwithahotlittlehandandhadsaidfeverishly：
\"IfIcouldheartheroarofBroadwayagain！Dothestagesrattleastheyusedto，Betty？Ican’thelphopingthattheydo。\"
Shecarriedherlettertothepostandstoppedtotalkafewminuteswiththepostmaster，whotransactedhisofficialbusinessinasmallshopwheresidesofbaconandhamshungsuspendedfromtheceiling，whilegroceries，flannels，dressprints，andglassbottlesofsweetstufffilledtheshelves。
\"Mr。Tewson’s\"wasthecentralpointofStornhaminacommercialsense。Theestablishmenthadalsocertainsocialqualifications。
Mr。Tewsonknewthesecretsofallheartswithinthevillageradius，alsothesecretsofallconstitutions。Heknewbysomeoccultmeanswhohadbeen\"takenbad，\"orwhohad\"takenaturn，\"andwasawareatoncewhenanyonewas\"sinkin’