\'Youhaveseenhisletterscometomeeversincehisfirstvisit，papa，andyouknewtheywereasortof——love-letters；andsincehehasbeenhereyouhavelethimbealonewithmealmostentirely；
andyouguessed，youmusthaveguessed，whatwewerethinkingof，anddoing，andyoudidn\'tstophim。Nexttolove-makingcomeslove-winning，andyouknewitwouldcometothat，papa。\'
Thevicarparriedthiscommon-sensethrust。\'Iknow——sinceyoupressmeso——IknowIdidguesssomechildishattachmentmightarisebetweenyou；IownIdidnottakemuchtroubletopreventit；butIhavenotparticularlycountenancedit；and，Elfride，howcanyouexpectthatIshouldnow？Itisimpossible；nofatherinEnglandwouldhearofsuchathing。\'
\'Butheisthesameman，papa；thesameineveryparticular；andhowcanhebelessfitformethanhewasbefore？\'
\'Heappearedayoungmanwithwell-to-dofriends，andalittleproperty；buthavingneither，heisanotherman。\'
\'Youinquirednothingabouthim？\'
\'IwentbyHewby\'sintroduction。Heshouldhavetoldme。Soshouldtheyoungmanhimself；ofcourseheshould。Iconsideritamostdishonourablethingtocomeintoaman\'shouselikeatreacherousI-don\'t-know-what。\'
\'Buthewasafraidtotellyou，andsoshouldIhavebeen。Helovedmetoowelltoliketoruntherisk。Andastospeakingofhisfriendsonhisfirstvisit，Idon\'tseewhyheshouldhavedonesoatall。Hecamehereonbusiness:itwasnoaffairofourswhohisparentswere。Andthenheknewthatifhetoldyouhewouldneverbeaskedhere，andwouldperhapsneverseemeagain。Andhewantedtoseeme。Whocanblamehimfortrying，byanymeans，tostaynearme——thegirlheloves？Allisfairinlove。Ihaveheardyousaysoyourself，papa；andyouyourselfwouldhavedonejustashehas——sowouldanyman。\'
\'Andanyman，ondiscoveringwhatIhavediscovered，wouldalsodoasIdo，andmendmymistake；thatis，getshotofhimagain，assoonasthelawsofhospitalitywillallow。\'ButMr。SwancourtthenrememberedthathewasaChristian。\'Iwouldnot，fortheworld，seemtoturnhimoutofdoors，\'headded；\'butIthinkhewillhavethetacttoseethathecannotstaylongafterthis，withgoodtaste。\'
\'Hewill，becausehe\'sagentleman。Seehowgracefulhismannersare，\'Elfridewenton；thoughperhapsStephen\'smanners，likethefeatsofEuryalus，owedtheirattractivenessinhereyesrathertotheattractivenessofhispersonthantotheirownexcellence。
\'Ay；anybodycanbewhatyoucallgraceful，ifhelivesalittletimeinacity，andkeepshiseyesopen。Andhemighthavepickeduphisgentlemanlinessbygoingtothegalleriesoftheatres，andwatchingstagedrawing-roommanners。HeremindsmeofoneoftheworststoriesIeverheardinmylife。\'
\'Whatstorywasthat？\'
\'Ohno，thankyou!Iwouldn\'ttellyousuchanimpropermatterfortheworld!\'
\'IfhisfatherandmotherhadlivedinthenorthoreastofEngland，\'gallantlypersistedElfride，thoughhersobsbegantointerruptherarticulation，\'anywherebuthere——you——wouldhave——
onlyregarded——HIM，andnotTHEM!Hisstation——wouldhave——beenwhat——hisprofessionmakesit，——andnotfixedby——hisfather\'shumbleposition——atall；whomheneverliveswith——now。ThoughJohnSmithhassavedlotsofmoney，andisbetteroffthanweare，theysay，orhecouldn\'thaveputhissontosuchanexpensiveprofession。Anditiscleverand——honourable——ofStephen，tobethebestofhisfamily。\'
\'Yes。\"Letabeastbelordofbeasts，andhiscribshallstandattheking\'smess。”\'
\'Youinsultme，papa!\'sheburstout。\'Youdo，youdo!HeismyownStephen，heis!\'
\'Thatmayormaynotbetrue，Elfride，\'returnedherfather，againuncomfortablyagitatedinspiteofhimself\'Youconfusefutureprobabilitieswithpresentfacts，——whattheyoungmanmaybewithwhatheis。Wemustlookatwhatheis，notwhatanimprobabledegreeofsuccessinhisprofessionmaymakehim。Thecaseisthis:thesonofaworking-maninmyparishwhomayormaynotbeabletobuymeup——ayouthwhohasnotyetadvancedsofarintolifeastohaveanyincomeofhisowndeservingthename，andthereforeofhisfather\'sdegreeasregardsstation——wantstobeengagedtoyou。HisfamilyarelivinginpreciselythesamespotinEnglandasyours，sothroughoutthiscounty——whichistheworldtous——youwouldalwaysbeknownasthewifeofJackSmiththemason\'sson，andnotunderanycircumstancesasthewifeofaLondonprofessionalman。Itisthedrawback，notthecompensatingfact，thatistalkedofalways。There，saynomore。Youmayargueallnight，andprovewhatyouwill；I\'llsticktomywords。\'
Elfridelookedsilentlyandhopelesslyoutofthewindowwithlargeheavyeyesandwetcheeks。
\'Icallitgreattemerity——andlongtocallitaudacity——inHewby，\'resumedherfather。\'Ineverheardsuchathing——givingsuchahobbledehoynativeofthisplacesuchanintroductiontomeashedid。NaturallyyouweredeceivedaswellasIwas。Idon\'tblameyouatall，sofar。\'HewentandsearchedforMr。Hewby\'soriginalletter。\'Here\'swhathesaidtome:\"DearSir，——
Agreeablytoyourrequestofthe18thinstant，Ihavearrangedtosurveyandmakedrawings，\"etcetera。\"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith\"——assistant，youseehecalledhim，andnaturallyI
understoodhimtomeanasortofpartner。Whydidn\'thesay\"clerk\"？\'
\'Theynevercallthemclerksinthatprofession，becausetheydonotwrite。Stephen——Mr。Smith——toldmeso。SothatMr。Hewbysimplyusedtheacceptedword。\'
\'Letmespeak，please，Elfride!\"Myassistant，Mr。StephenSmith，willleaveLondonbytheearlytrainto-morrowmorning……MANY
THANKSFORYOURPROPOSALTOACCOMMODATEHIM……YOUMAYPUTEVERY
CONFIDENCEINHIM，andmayrelyuponhisdiscernmentinthematterofchurcharchitecture。”Well，IrepeatthatHewbyoughttobeashamedofhimselfformakingsomuchofapoorladofthatsort。\'
\'ProfessionalmeninLondon，\'Elfrideargued，\'don\'tknowanythingabouttheirclerks\'fathersandmothers。Theyhaveassistantswhocometotheirofficesandshopsforyears，andhardlyevenknowwheretheylive。Whattheycando——whatprofitstheycanbringthefirm——that\'sallLondonmencareabout。Andthatishelpedinhimbyhisfacultyofbeinguniformlypleasant。\'
\'Uniformpleasantnessisratheradefectthanafaculty。Itshowsthatamanhasn\'tsenseenoughtoknowwhomtodespise。\'
\'Itshowsthatheactsbyfaithandnotbysight，asthoseyouclaimsuccessionfromdirected。\'
\'That\'ssomemoreofwhathe\'sbeentellingyou，Isuppose!Yes，I
wasinclinedtosuspecthim，becausehedidn\'tcareaboutsaucesofanykind。Ialwaysdiddoubtaman\'sbeingagentlemanifhispalatehadnoacquiredtastes。Anunedifiedpalateistheirrepressibleclovenfootoftheupstart。Theideaofmybringingoutabottleofmy\'40Martinez——onlyelevenofthemleftnow——toamanwhodidn\'tknowitfromeighteenpenny!ThentheLatinlinehegavetomyquotation；itwasverycut-and-dried，very；orI，whohaven\'tlookedintoaclassicalauthorforthelasteighteenyears，shouldn\'thaverememberedit。Well，Elfride，youhadbettergotoyourroom；you\'llgetoverthisbitoftomfooleryintime。\'
\'No，no，no，papa，\'shemoaned。Forofallthemiseriesattachingtomiserablelove，theworstisthemiseryofthinkingthatthepassionwhichisthecauseofthemallmaycease。
\'Elfride，\'saidherfatherwithroughfriendliness，\'Ihaveanexcellentschemeonhand，whichIcannottellyouofnow。A
schemetobenefityouandme。Ithasbeenthrustuponmeforsomelittletime——yes，thrustuponme——butIdidn\'tdreamofitsvaluetillthisafternoon，whentherevelationcame。Ishouldbemostunwisetorefusetoentertainit。\'
\'Idon\'tlikethatword，\'shereturnedwearily。\'Youhavelostsomuchalreadybyschemes。Isitthosewretchedminesagain？\'
\'No；notaminingscheme。\'
\'Railways？\'
\'Norrailways。Itislikethosemysteriousoffersweseeadvertised，bywhichanygentlemanwithnobrainsatallmaymakesomuchaweekwithoutrisk，trouble，orsoilinghisfingers。
However，Iamintendingtosaynothingtillitissettled，thoughIwilljustsaythismuch，thatyousoonmayhaveotherfishtofrythantothinkofStephenSmith。Remember，Iwish，nottobeangry，butfriendly，totheyoungman；foryoursakeI\'llregardhimasafriendinacertainsense。Butthisisenough；inafewdaysyouwillbequitemywayofthinking。There，now，gotoyourbedroom。Unityshallbringyouupsomesupper。Iwishyounottobeherewhenhecomesback。\'
ChapterX
\'Beneaththeshelterofanagedtree。\'
Stephenretracedhisstepstowardsthecottagehehadvisitedonlytwoorthreehourspreviously。HedrewnearandundertherichfoliagegrowingabouttheoutskirtsofEndelstowPark，thespottylightsandshadesfromtheshiningmoonmaintainingaraceoverhisheadanddownhisbackinanendlessgambol。Whenhecrossedtheplankbridgeandenteredthegarden-gate，hesawanilluminatedfigurecomingfromtheenclosedplottowardsthehouseontheotherside。Itwashisfather，withhishandinasling，takingageneralmoonlightviewofthegarden，andparticularlyofaplotoftheyoungestofyoungturnips，previoustoclosingthecottageforthenight。
Hesalutedhissonwithcustomaryforce。\'Hallo，Stephen!Weshouldha\'beeninbedinanothertenminutes。Cometoseewhat\'sthematterwi\'me，Isuppose，mylad？\'
Thedoctorhadcomeandgone，andthehandhadbeenpronouncedasinjuredbutslightly，thoughitmightpossiblyhavebeenconsideredafarmoreseriouscaseifMr。Smithhadbeenamoreimportantman。Stephen\'sanxiousinquirydrewfromhisfatherwordsofregretattheinconveniencetotheworldofhisdoingnothingforthenexttwodays，ratherthanofconcernforthepainoftheaccident。Togethertheyenteredthehouse。
JohnSmith——brownasautumnastoskin，whiteaswinterastoclothes——wasasatisfactoryspecimenofthevillageartificerinstone。Incommonwithmostruralmechanics，hehadtoomuchindividualitytobeatypical\'working-man\'——aresultantofthatbeach-pebbleattritionwithhiskindonlytobeexperiencedinlargetowns，whichmetamorphosestheunitSelfintoafractionoftheunitClass。
Therewasnotthespecialityinhislabourwhichdistinguishesthehandicraftsmenoftowns。Thoughonlyamason，strictlyspeaking，hewasnotabovehandlingabrick，ifbricksweretheorderoftheday；oraslateortile，ifaroofhadtobecoveredbeforethewetweathersetin，andnobodywasnearwhocoulddoitbetter。
Indeed，ononeortwooccasionsinthedepthofwinter，whenfrostperemptorilyforbidsalluseofthetrowel，makingfoundationstosettle，stonestofly，andmortartocrumble，hehadtakentofellingandsawingtrees。Moreover，hehadpractisedgardeninginhisownplotforsomanyyearsthat，onanemergency，hemighthavemadealivingbythatcalling。
Probablyourcountrymanwasnotsuchanaccomplishedartificerinaparticulardirectionashistownbrethreninthetrades。Buthewas，intruth，likethatclumsypin-makerwhomadethewholepin，andwhowasdespisedbyAdamSmithonthataccountandrespectedbyMacaulay，muchmoretheartistnevertheless。
Appearingnow，indoors，bythelightofthecandle，hisstalwarthealthinesswasasighttosee。HisbeardwascloseandknottedasthatofachiselledHercules；hisshirtsleeveswerepartlyrolledup，hiswaistcoatunbuttoned；thedifferenceinhuebetweenthesnowylinenandtheruddyarmsandfacecontrastinglikethewhiteofanegganditsyolk。Mrs。Smith，onhearingthementer，advancedfromthepantry。
Mrs。Smithwasamatronwhosecountenanceaddresseditselftothemindratherthantotheeye，thoughnotexclusively。Sheretainedherpersonalfreshnessevennow，intheprosyafternoon-timeofherlife；butwhatherfeatureswereprimarilyindicativeofwasasoundcommonsensebehindthem；asawhole，appearingtocarrywiththemasortofargumentativecommentaryontheworldingeneral。
ThedetailsoftheaccidentwerethenrehearsedbyStephen\'sfather，inthedramaticmanneralsocommontoMartinCannister，otherindividualsoftheneighbourhood，andtheruralworldgenerally。Mrs。Smiththrewinhersentimentsbetweentheacts，asCoryphaeusofthetragedy，tomakethedescriptioncomplete。
Thestoryatlastcametoanend，asthelongestwill，andStephendirectedtheconversationintoanotherchannel。
\'Well，mother，theyknoweverythingaboutmenow，\'hesaidquietly。
\'Welldone!\'repliedhisfather；\'nowmymind\'satpeace。\'
\'Iblamemyself——Inevershallforgivemyself——fornottellingthembefore，\'continuedtheyoungman。
Mrs。Smithatthispointabstractedhermindfromtheformersubject。\'Idon\'tseewhatyouhavetogrieveabout，Stephen，\'
shesaid。\'Peoplewhoaccidentallygetfriendsdon\'t，asafirststroke，tellthehistoryoftheirfamilies。\'
\'Ye\'vedonenowrong，certainly，\'saidhisfather。
\'No；butIshouldhavespokensooner。There\'smoreinthisvisitofminethanyouthink——agooddealmore。\'
\'NotmorethanIthink，\'Mrs。Smithreplied，lookingcontemplativelyathim。Stephenblushed；andhisfatherlookedfromonetotheotherinastateofutterincomprehension。
\'She\'saprettypieceenough，\'Mrs。Smithcontinued，\'andverylady-likeandclevertoo。Butthoughshe\'sverywellfitforyouasfarasthatis，why，mercy\'ponme，whateverdoyouwantanywomanatallforyet？\'
Johnmadehisnaturallyshortmouthalongone，andwrinkledhisforehead，\'That\'sthewaythewindd\'blow，isit？\'hesaid。
\'Mother，\'exclaimedStephen，\'howabsurdlyyouspeak!Criticizingwhethershe\'sfitformeorno，asiftherewereroomfordoubtonthematter!Why，tomarryherwouldbethegreatblessingofmylife——sociallyandpractically，aswellasinotherrespects。Nosuchgoodfortuneasthat，I\'mafraid；she\'stoofaraboveme。
Herfamilydoesn\'twantsuchcountryladsasIinit。\'
\'Theniftheydon\'twantyou，I\'dseethemdeadcorpsesbeforeI\'dwantthem，andgotobetterfamilieswhodowantyou。\'
\'Ah，yes；butIcouldneverputupwiththedistasteofbeingwelcomedamongsuchpeopleasyoumean，whilstIcouldgetindifferenceamongsuchpeopleashers。\'
\'Whatcrazytwisto\'thinkingwillenteryourheadnext？\'saidhismother。\'Andcometothat，she\'snotabittoohighforyou，oryoutoolowforher。SeehowcarefulIbetokeepmyselfup。I\'msureIneverstopformorethanaminutetogethertotalktoanyjourneymenpeople；andIneverinviteanybodytoourpartyo\'
Christmaseswhoarenotinbusinessforthemselves。AndItalktoseveraltoppermostcarriagepeoplethatcometomylord\'swithoutsayingma\'amorsirto\'em，andtheytakeitasquietaslambs。\'
\'Youcurtseyedtothevicar，mother；andIwishyouhadn\'t。\'
\'ButitwasbeforehecalledmebymyChristianname，orhewouldhavegotverylittlecurtseyingfromme!\'saidMrs。Smith，bridlingandsparklingwithvexation。\'Yougoonatme，Stephen，asifIwereyourworstenemy!WhatelsecouldIdowiththemantogetridofhim，bangingitintomeandyourfatherbysideandbyseam，abouthisgreatness，andwhathappenedwhenhewasayoungfellowatcollege，andIdon\'tknowwhat-all；thetongueo\'
enfloppingroundhismouthlikeamop-ragroundadairy。That\'adid，didn\'the，John？\'
\'That\'saboutthesizeo\'t，\'repliedherhusband。
\'Everywomannow-a-days，\'resumedMrs。Smith，\'ifshemarryatall，mustexpectafather-in-lawofaranklowerthanherfather。
Themenhavegoneupso，andthewomenhavestoodstill。Everymanyoumeetismorethedandthanhisfather；andyouarejustlevelwi\'her。\'
\'That\'swhatshethinksherself。\'
\'Itonlyshowshersense。Iknewshewasafter\'ee，Stephen——I
knewit。\'
\'Afterme!GoodLord，whatnext!\'
\'AndIreallymustsayagainthatyououghtnottobeinsuchahurry，andwaitforafewyears。Youmightgohigherthanabankruptpa\'son\'sgirlthen。\'
\'Thefactis，mother，\'saidStephenimpatiently，\'youdon\'tknowanythingaboutit。Ishallnevergohigher，becauseIdon\'twantto，norshouldIifIlivedtobeahundred。Astoyousayingthatshe\'safterme，Idon\'tlikesucharemarkabouther，foritimpliesaschemingwoman，andamanworthschemingfor，bothofwhicharenotonlyuntrue，butludicrouslyuntrue，ofthiscase。
Isn\'titso，father？\'
\'I\'mafraidIdon\'tunderstandthematterwellenoughtogiemyopinion，\'saidhisfather，inthetoneofthefoxwhohadacoldandcouldnotsmell。
\'Shecouldn\'thavebeenverybackwardanyhow，consideringtheshorttimeyouhaveknownher，\'saidhismother。\'WellIthinkthatfiveyearshenceyou\'llbeplentyyoungenoughtothinkofsuchthings。Andreallyshecanverywellaffordtowait，andwilltoo，takemyword。Livingdowninanout-stepplacelikethis，Iamsuresheoughttobeverythankfulthatyoutooknoticeofher。She\'dmostlikelyhavediedanoldmaidifyouhadn\'tturnedup。\'
\'Allnonsense，\'saidStephen，butnotaloud。
\'Anicelittlethingsheis，\'Mrs。SmithwentoninamorecomplacenttonenowthatStephenhadbeentalkeddown；\'there\'snotawordtosayagainsther，I\'llown。Iseehersometimesdeckedoutlikeahorsegoingtofair，andIadmireherfor\'t。A
perfectlittlelady。Butpeoplecan\'thelptheirthoughts，andifshe\'dlearnttomakefiguresinsteadofletterswhenshewasatschool\'twouldhavebeenbetterforherpocket；forasIsaid，thereneverwereworsetimesforsuchasshethannow。\'
\'Now，now，mother!\'saidStephenwithsmilingdeprecation。
\'ButIwill!\'saidhismotherwithasperity。\'Idon\'treadthepapersfornothing，andIknowmenallmoveupastagebymarriage。Menofherclass，thatis，parsons，marrysquires\'
daughters；squiresmarrylords\'daughters；lordsmarrydukes\'
daughters；dukesmarryqueens\'daughters。Allstagesofgentlemenmateastagehigher；andtheloweststageofgentlewomenareleftsingle，ormarryoutoftheirclass。\'
\'Butyousaidjustnow，dearmother——\'retortedStephen，unabletoresistthetemptationofshowinghismotherherinconsistency。
Thenhepaused。
\'Well，whatdidIsay？\'AndMrs。Smithpreparedherlipsforanewcampaign。
Stephen，regrettingthathehadbegun，sinceavolcanomightbetheconsequence，wasobligedtogoon。
\'YousaidIwasn\'toutofherclassjustbefore。\'
\'Yes，there，there!That\'syou；that\'smyownfleshandblood。
I\'llwarrantthatyou\'llpickholesineverythingyourmothersays，ifyoucan，Stephen。Youarejustlikeyourfatherforthat；takeanybody\'spartbutmine。WhilstIamspeakingandtalkingandtryingandslavingawayforyourgood，youarewaitingtocatchmeoutinthatway。Soyouareinherclass，but\'tiswhatHERpeoplewouldCALLmarryingoutofherclass。Don\'tbesoquarrelsome，Stephen!\'
Stephenpreservedadiscreetsilence，inwhichhewasimitatedbyhisfather，andforseveralminutesnothingwasheardbutthetickingofthegreen-facedcase-clockagainstthewall。
\'I\'msure，\'addedMrs。Smithinamorephilosophictone，andasaterminativespeech，\'ifthere\'dbeensomuchtroubletogetahusbandinmytimeasthereisinthesedays——whenyoumustmakeagod-almightyofamantogetentohaeye——I\'dhavetrodclayforbricksbeforeI\'deverhaveloweredmydignitytomarry，orthere\'snobreadinnineloaves。\'
Thediscussionnowdropped，andasitwasgettinglate，Stephenbadehisparentsfarewellfortheevening，hismothernonethelesswarmlyfortheirsparring；foralthoughMrs。SmithandStephenwerealwayscontending，theywereneveratenmity。
\'Andpossibly，\'saidStephen，\'Imayleaveherealtogetherto-
morrow；Idon\'tknow。SothatifIshouldn\'tcallagainbeforereturningtoLondon，don\'tbealarmed，willyou？\'
\'Butdidn\'tyoucomeforafortnight？\'saidhismother。\'Andhaven\'tyouamonth\'sholidayaltogether？Theyaregoingtoturnyouout，then？\'
\'Notatall。Imaystaylonger；Imaygo。IfIgo，youhadbettersaynothingaboutmyhavingbeenhere，forhersake。AtwhattimeofthemorningdoesthecarrierpassEndelstowlane？\'
\'Seveno\'clock。\'
Andthenheleftthem。Histhoughtswere，thatshouldthevicarpermithimtobecomeengaged，tohopeforanengagement，orinanywaytothinkofhisbelovedElfride，hemightstaylonger。Shouldhebeforbiddentothinkofanysuchthing，heresolvedtogoatonce。Andthelatter，eventoyounghopefulness，seemedthemoreprobablealternative。
Stephenwalkedbacktothevicaragethroughthemeadows，ashehadcome，surroundedbythesoftmusicalpurlofthewaterthroughlittleweirs，themodestlightofthemoon，thefresheningsmellofthedewsout-spreadaround。Itwasatimewhenmereseeingismeditation，andmeditationpeace。StephenwashardlyphilosopherenoughtoavailhimselfofNature\'soffer。Hisconstitutionwasmadeupofverysimpleparticulars；wasonewhich，rareinthespring-timeofcivilizations，seemstogrowabundantasanationgetsolder，individualityfades，andeducationspreads；thatis，hisbrainhadextraordinaryreceptivepowers，andnogreatcreativeness。Quicklyacquiringanykindofknowledgehesawaroundhim，andhavingaplasticadaptabilitymorecommoninwomanthaninman，hechangedcolourlikeachameleonasthesocietyhefoundhimselfinassumedahigherandmoreartificialtone。Hehadnotmanyoriginalideas，andyettherewasscarcelyanideatowhich，underpropertraining，hecouldnothaveaddedarespectableco-ordinate。
Hesawnothingoutsidehimselfto-night；andwhathesawwithinwasawearinesstohisflesh。Yettoadispassionateobserver，hispretensionstoElfride，thoughratherpremature，werefarfromabsurdasmarriagesgo，unlesstheaccidentalproximityofsimplebuthonestparentscouldbesaidtomakethemso。
Theclockstruckelevenwhenheenteredthehouse。Elfridehadbeenwaitingwithscarcelyamovementsincehedeparted。Beforehehadspokentohershecaughtsightofhimpassingintothestudywithherfather。Shesawthathehadbysomemeansobtainedtheprivateinterviewhedesired。
AnervousheadachehadbeengrowingontheexcitablegirlduringtheabsenceofStephen，andnowshecoulddonothingbeyondgoingupagaintoherroomasshehaddonebefore。Insteadoflyingdownshesatagaininthedarknesswithoutclosingthedoor，andlistenedwithabeatinghearttoeverysoundfromdownstairs。Theservantshadgonetobed。Sheultimatelyheardthetwomencomefromthestudyandcrosstothedining-room，wheresupperhadbeenlingeringformorethananhour。Thedoorwasleftopen，andshefoundthatthemeal，suchasitwas，passedoffbetweenherfatherandherloverwithoutanyremark，savecommonplacesastocucumbersandmelons，theirwholesomenessandculture，utteredinastiffandformalway。Itseemedtoprefigurefailure。
ShortlyafterwardsStephencameupstairstohisbedroom，andwasalmostimmediatelyfollowedbyherfather，whoalsoretiredforthenight。Notinclinedtogetalight，shepartlyundressedandsatonthebed，wheresheremainedinpainedthoughtforsometime，possiblyanhour。Thenrisingtocloseherdoorpreviouslytofullyunrobing，shesawastreakoflightshiningacrossthelanding。Herfather\'sdoorwasshut，andhecouldbeheardsnoringregularly。ThelightcamefromStephen\'sroom，andtheslightsoundsalsocomingthenceemphaticallydenotedwhathewasdoing。Intheperfectsilenceshecouldheartheclosingofalidandtheclickingofalock，——hewasfasteninghishat-box。Thenthebucklingofstrapsandtheclickofanotherkey，——hewassecuringhisportmanteau。Withtrebledforebodingsheopenedherdoorsoftly，andwenttowardshis。Onesensationpervadedhertodistraction。Stephen，herhandsomeyouthanddarling，wasgoingaway，andshemightneverseehimagainexceptinsecretandinsadness——perhapsnevermore。Atanyrate，shecouldnolongerwaittillthemorningtoheartheresultoftheinterview，asshehadintended。Sheflungherdressing-gownroundher，tappedlightlyathisdoor，andwhispered\'Stephen!\'Hecameinstantly，openedthedoor，andsteppedout。
\'Tellme；arewetohope？\'
Herepliedinadisturbedwhisper，andatearapproacheditsoutlet，thoughnonefell。
\'Iamnottothinkofsuchapreposterousthing——that\'swhathesaid。AndIamgoingto-morrow。Ishouldhavecalledyouuptobidyougood-bye。\'
\'Buthedidn\'tsayyouweretogo——OStephen，hedidn\'tsaythat？\'
\'No；notinwords。ButIcannotstay。\'
\'Oh，don\'t，don\'tgo!Docomeandletustalk。Letuscomedowntothedrawing-roomforafewminutes；hewillhearushere。\'
Sheprecededhimdownthestaircasewiththetaperlightinherhand，lookingunnaturallytallandthininthelongdove-coloureddressing-gownshewore。Shedidnotstoptothinkoftheproprietyorotherwiseofthismidnightinterviewundersuchcircumstances。Shethoughtthatthetragedyofherlifewasbeginning，and，forthefirsttimealmost，feltthatherexistencemighthaveagraveside，theshadeofwhichenvelopedandrenderedinvisiblethedelicategradationsofcustomandpunctilio。
Elfridesoftlyopenedthedrawing-roomdoorandtheybothwentin。
Whenshehadplacedthecandleonthetable，heenclosedherwithhisarms，driedhereyeswithhishandkerchief，andkissedtheirlids。
\'Stephen，itisover——happyloveisover；andthereisnomoresunshinenow!\'
\'Iwillmakeafortune，andcometoyou，andhaveyou。Yes，I
will!\'
\'Papawillneverhearofit——never——never!Youdon\'tknowhim。I
do。Heiseitherbiassedinfavourofathing，orprejudicedagainstit。Argumentispowerlessagainsteitherfeeling。\'
\'No；Iwon\'tthinkofhimso，\'saidStephen。\'IfIappearbeforehimsometimehenceasamanofestablishedname，hewillacceptme——Iknowhewill。Heisnotawickedman。\'
\'No，heisnotwicked。Butyousay\"sometimehence，\"asifitwerenotime。Toyou，amongbustleandexcitement，itwillbecomparativelyashorttime，perhaps；oh，tome，itwillbeitsreallengthtrebled!Everysummerwillbeayear——autumnayear——
winterayear!OStephen!andyoumayforgetme!\'
Forget:thatwas，andis，therealstingofwaitingtofond-
heartedwoman。TheremarkawokeinStephentheconversefear。
\'You，too，maybepersuadedtogivemeup，whentimehasmademefainterinyourmemory。For，remember，yourloveformemustbenourishedinsecret；therewillbenolongvisitsfrommetosupportyou。Circumstanceswillalwaystendtoobliterateme。\'
\'Stephen，\'shesaid，filledwithherownmisgivings，andunheedinghislastwords，\'therearebeautifulwomenwhereyoulive——ofcourseIknowthereare——andtheymaywinyouawayfromme。\'Hertearscamevisiblyasshedrewamentalpictureofhisfaithlessness。\'Anditwon\'tbeyourfault，\'shecontinued，lookingintothecandlewithdolefuleyes。\'No!Youwillthinkthatourfamilydon\'twantyou，andgettoincludemewiththem。
Andtherewillbeavacancyinyourheart，andsomeotherswillbeletin。\'
\'Icouldnot，Iwouldnot。Elfie，donotbesofullofforebodings。\'
\'Ohyes，theywill，\'shereplied。\'Andyouwilllookatthem，notcaringatfirst，andthenyouwilllookandbeinterested，andafterawhileyouwillthink，\"Ah，theyknowallaboutcitylife，andassemblies，andcoteries，andthemannersofthetitled，andpoorlittleElfie，withallthefussthat\'smadeaboutherhavingme，doesn\'tknowaboutanythingbutalittlehouseandafewcliffsandaspaceofsea，faraway。”Andthenyou\'llbemoreinterestedinthem，andthey\'llmakeyouhavetheminsteadofme，onpurposetobecrueltomebecauseIamsilly，andtheyarecleverandhateme。AndIhatethem，too；yes，Ido!\'
Herimpulsivewordshadpowertoimpresshimatanyratewiththerecognitionoftheuncertaintyofallthatisnotaccomplished。
And，worsethanthatgeneralfeeling，thereofcourseremainedthesadnesswhicharosefromthespecialfeaturesofhisowncase。
Howeverremoteadesiredissuemaybe，themerefactofhavingenteredthegroovewhichleadstoit，cheerstosomeextentwithasenseofaccomplishment。HadMr。Swancourtconsentedtoanengagementofnolesslengththantenyears，Stephenwouldhavebeencomparativelycheerfulinwaiting；theywouldhavefeltthattheyweresomewhereontheroadtoCupid\'sgarden。But，withapossibilityofashorterprobation，theyhadnotasyetanyprospectofthebeginning；thezeroofhopehadyettobereached。
Mr。Swancourtwouldhavetorevokehisformidablewordsbeforethewaitingformarriagecouldevensetin。Andthiswasdespair。
\'Iwishwecouldmarrynow，\'murmuredStephen，asanimpossiblefancy。
\'SodoI，\'saidshealso，asifregardinganidledream。\'\'Tistheonlythingthateverdoessweetheartsgood!\'
\'Secretlywoulddo，woulditnot，Elfie？\'
\'Yes，secretlywoulddo；secretlywouldindeedbebest，\'shesaid，andwentonreflectively:\'Allwewantistorenderitabsolutelyimpossibleforanyfuturecircumstancetoupsetourfutureintentionofbeinghappytogether；nottobeginbeinghappynow。\'
\'Exactly，\'hemurmuredinavoiceandmannerthecounterpartofhers。\'Tomarryandpartsecretly，andliveonaswearelivingnow；merelytoputitoutofanybody\'spowertoforceyouawayfromme，dearest。\'
\'Oryouawayfromme，Stephen。\'
\'Ormefromyou。Itispossibletoconceiveaforceofcircumstancestrongenoughtomakeanywomanintheworldmarryagainstherwill:noconceivablepressure，uptotortureorstarvation，canmakeawomanoncemarriedtoherloveranybodyelse\'swife。\'
Nowuptothispointtheideaofanimmediatesecretmarriagehadbeenheldbybothasanuntenablehypothesis，wherewithsimplytobeguileamiserablemoment。DuringapausewhichfollowedStephen\'slastremark，afascinatingperception，thenanalluringconviction，flashedalongthebrainofboth。TheperceptionwasthatanimmediatemarriageCOULDbecontrived；theconvictionthatsuchanact，inspiteofitsdaring，itsfathomlessresults，itsdeceptiveness，wouldbepreferredbyeachtothelifetheymustleadunderanyotherconditions。
Theyouthspokefirst，andhisvoicetrembledwiththemagnitudeoftheconceptionhewascherishing。\'Howstrongweshouldfeel，Elfride!goingonourseparatecoursesasbefore，withoutthefearofultimateseparation!OElfride!thinkofit；thinkofit!\'
Itiscertainthattheyounggirl\'sloveforStephenreceivedafanningfromherfather\'soppositionwhichmadeitblazewithadozentimestheintensityitwouldhaveexhibitedifleftalone。
Neverwereconditionsmorefavourablefordevelopingagirl\'sfirstpassingfancyforahandsomeboyishface——afancyrootedininexperienceandnourishedbyseclusion——intoawildunreflectingpassionfervidenoughforanything。Alltheelementsofsuchadevelopmentwerethere，thechiefonebeinghopelessness——anecessaryingredientalwaystoperfectthemixtureoffeelingsunitedunderthenameoflovingtodistraction。
\'Wewouldtellpapasoon，wouldwenot？\'sheinquiredtimidly。
\'Nobodyelseneedknow。Hewouldthenbeconvincedthatheartscannotbeplayedwith；loveencouragedbereadytogrow，lovediscouragedbereadytodie，atamoment\'snotice。Stephen，doyounotthinkthatifmarriagesagainstaparent\'sconsentareeverjustifiable，theyarewhenyoungpeoplehavebeenfavoureduptoapoint，aswehave，andthenhavehadthatfavoursuddenlywithdrawn？\'
\'Yes。Itisnotasifwehadfromthebeginningactedinoppositiontoyourpapa\'swishes。Onlythink，Elfie，howpleasanthewastowardsmebutsixhoursago!Helikedme，praisedme，neverobjectedtomybeingalonewithyou。\'
\'IbelieveheMUSTlikeyounow，\'shecried。\'Andifhefoundthatyouirremediablybelongedtome，hewouldownitandhelpyou。\'OStephen，Stephen，\'sheburstoutagain，astheremembranceofhispackingcameafreshtohermind，\'Icannotbearyourgoingawaylikethis!Itistoodreadful。AllIhavebeenexpectingmiserablykilledwithinmelikethis!\'
Stephenflushedhotwithimpulse。\'Iwillnotbeadoubttoyou——
thoughtofyoushallnotbeamiserytome!\'hesaid。\'Wewillbewifeandhusbandbeforewepartforlong!\'
Shehidherfaceonhisshoulder。\'AnythingtomakeSURE!\'shewhispered。
\'Ididnotliketoproposeitimmediately，\'continuedStephen。
\'Itseemedtome——itseemstomenow——liketryingtocatchyou——agirlbetterintheworldthanI。\'
\'Notthat，indeed!AndamIbetterinworldlystation？What\'stheuseofhavebeens？Wemayhavebeensomethingonce；wearenothingnow。\'
Thentheywhisperedlongandearnestlytogether；Stephenhesitatinglyproposingthisandthatplan，Elfridemodifyingthem，withquickbreathings，andhecticflush，andunnaturallybrighteyes。Itwastwoo\'clockbeforeanarrangementwasfinallyconcluded。
Shethentoldhimtoleaveher，givinghimhislighttogouptohisownroom。Theypartedwithanagreementnottomeetagaininthemorning。Afterhisdoorhadbeensometimeclosedheheardhersoftlyglidingintoherchamber。
ChapterXI
\'Journeysendinloversmeeting。\'
StephenlaywatchingtheGreatBear；Elfridewasregardingamonotonousparallelogramofwindowblind。Neithersleptthatnight。
Earlythenextmorning——thatistosay，fourhoursaftertheirstoleninterview，andjustastheearliestservantwasheardmovingabout——StephenSmithwentdownstairs，portmanteauinhand。
ThroughoutthenighthehadintendedtoseeMr。Swancourtagain，butthesharprebuffofthepreviouseveningrenderedsuchaninterviewparticularlydistasteful。Perhapstherewasanotherandlesshonestreason。Hedecidedtoputitoff。Whateverofmoraltimidityorobliquitymayhavelaininsuchadecision，noperceptionofitwasstrongenoughtodetainhim。Hewroteanoteinhisroom，whichstatedsimplythathedidnotfeelhappyinthehouseafterMr。Swancourt\'ssuddenvetoonwhathehadfavouredafewhoursbefore；butthathehopedatimewouldcome，andthatsoon，whenhisoriginalfeelingsofpleasureasMr。Swancourt\'sguestmightberecovered。
Heexpectedtofindthedownstairsroomswearingthegrayandcheerlessaspectthatearlymorninggivestoeverythingoutofthesun。Hefoundinthediningroomabreakfastlaid，ofwhichsomebodyhadjustpartaken。
Stephengavethemaid-servanthisnoteofadieu。ShestatedthatMr。Swancourthadrisenearlythatmorning，andmadeanearlybreakfast。Hewasnotgoingawaythatsheknewof。
Stephentookacupofcoffee，leftthehouseofhislove，andturnedintothelane。Itwassoearlythattheshadedplacesstillsmeltlikenighttime，andthesunnyspotshadhardlyfeltthesun。Thehorizontalraysmadeeveryshallowdipinthegroundtoshowasawell-markedhollow。Eventhechannelofthepathwasenoughtothrowshade，andtheverystonesoftheroadcasttaperingdashesofdarknesswestward，aslongasJael\'stent-nail。
Ataspotnotmorethanahundredyardsfromthevicar\'sresidencethelaneleadingthencecrossedthehighroad。Stephenreachedthepointofintersection，stoodstillandlistened。Nothingcouldbeheardsavethelengthy，murmuringlineoftheseaupontheadjacentshore。Helookedathiswatch，andthenmountedagateuponwhichheseatedhimself，toawaitthearrivalofthecarrier。Whilsthesatheheardwheelscomingintwodirections。
Thevehicleapproachingonhisrighthesoonrecognizedasthecarrier\'s。Thereweretheaccompanyingsoundsoftheowner\'svoiceandthesmackofhiswhip，distinctinthestillmorningair，bywhichheencouragedhishorsesupthehill。
TheothersetofwheelssoundedfromthelaneStephenhadjusttraversed。Oncloserobservation，heperceivedthattheyweremovingfromtheprecinctsoftheancientmanor-houseadjoiningthevicaragegrounds。Acarriagethenlefttheentrancegatesofthehouse，andwheelingroundcamefullyinsight。Itwasaplaintravellingcarriage，withasmallquantityofluggage，apparentlyalady\'s。Thevehiclecametothejunctionofthefourwayshalf-
a-minutebeforethecarrierreachedthesamespot，andcrosseddirectlyinhisfront，proceedingbythelaneontheotherside。
InsidethecarriageStephencouldjustdiscernanelderlyladywithayoungerwoman，whoseemedtobehermaid。TheroadtheyhadtakenledtoStratleigh，asmallwatering-placesixteenmilesnorth。
Heheardthemanor-housegatesswingagain，andlookingupsawanotherpersonleavingthem，andwalkingoffinthedirectionoftheparsonage。\'Ah，howmuchIwishIweremovingthatway!\'feltheparenthetically。Thegentlemanwastall，andresembledMr。
Swancourtinoutlineandattire。Heopenedthevicaragegateandwentin。Mr。Swancourt，then，itcertainlywas。InsteadofremaininginbedthatmorningMr。Swancourtmusthavetakenitintohisheadtoseehisnewneighbouroffonajourney。Hemusthavebeengreatlyinterestedinthatneighbourtodosuchanunusualthing。
Thecarrier\'sconveyancehadpulledup，andStephennowhandedinhisportmanteauandmountedtheshafts。\'Whoisthatladyinthecarriage？\'heinquiredindifferentlyofLickpanthecarrier。
\'That，sir，isMrs。Troyton，awidderwi\'aminto\'money。She\'stheownerofallthatpartofEndelstowthatisnotLordLuxellian\'s。Onlybeenhereashorttime；shecameintoitbylaw。Theownerformerlywasaterriblemysteriousparty——neverlivedhere——hardlyeverwasseenhereexceptinthemonthofSeptember，asImightsay。\'
Thehorseswerestartedagain，andnoiserenderedfurtherdiscourseamatteroftoogreatexertion。Stephencreptinsideunderthetilt，andwassoonlostinreverie。