Hehadcomefromalongday\'selectioneering,hadbeenheckledattwomeetings,andwasstillsorefromtheexperience。Towatchher,tobesoothed,andministeredtobyherhadneverbeensorestful;andstretchedoutinalongchairhelistenedtoherplaying。
OverthehillaPierrotmoonwasslowlymovingupinaskythecolourofgreyirises。AndinasortoftranceMiltounstaredattheburnt—
outstar,travellinginbrightpallor。
Acrossthemooraseaofshallowmistwasrolling;andthetreesinthevalley,likebrowsingcattle,stoodknee—deepinwhiteness,withalltheairabovethemwanfromaninnumerablerainasofmoondust,fallingintothatwhitesea。Thenthemoonpassedbehindthelime—
tree,sothatagreatlightedChineselanternseemedtohangblue—
blackfromthesky。
Suddenly,jarringandshiveringthemusic,cameasoundofhooting。
Itswelled,diedaway,andswelledagain。
Miltounrose。
\"Thathasspoiledmyvision,\"hesaid。\"Mrs。Noel,IhavesomethingIwanttosay。\"Butlookingdownather,sittingsostill,withherhandsrestingonthekeys,hewassilentinsheeradoration。
Avoicefromthedoorejaculated:
\"Oh！ma\'am——oh！mylord！They\'redevillingagentlemanonthegreen！\"
CHAPTERVI
WhentheimmortalDonsetouttoringallthebellsofmerriment,hewasfollowedbyoneclown。CharlesCourtierontheotherhandhadalwaysbeenaccompaniedbythousands,whoreallycouldnotunderstandtheconductofthismanwithnocommercialsense。Butthoughhepuzzledhiscontemporaries,theydidnotexactlylaughathim,becauseitwasreportedthathehadreallykilledsomemen,andlovedsomewomen。Theyfoundsuchacombinationirresistible,whencoupledwithanappearancebothvigorousandgallant。ThesonofanOxfordshireclergyman,andmountedonalostcause,hehadbeenridingthroughtheworldeversincehewaseighteen,withoutoncegettingoutofthesaddle。Thesecretofthisendurancelayperhapsinhisunconsciousnessthathewasinthesaddleatall。Itwasasmuchhisnaturalseatasofficestoolstoothermortals。Hemadenocapitaloutoferrantry,histemperamentbeingfartoolikehisred—
goldhair,whichpeoplecomparedtoflames,consumingallbeforethem。Hisviceswerepatent;tooincurableanoptimism;anadmirationforbeautysuchasmustsometimeshavecausedhimtoforgetwhichwomanhewasmostinlovewith;toothinaskin;toohotaheart;hatredofhumbug,andhabitualneglectofhisowninterest。
Unmarried,andwithmanyfriends,andmanyenemies,hekepthisbodylikeasword—blade,andhissoulalwaysatwhiteheat。
Thatonewhoadmittedtohavingtakenpartinfivewarsshouldbemixinginaby—electioninthecauseofPeace,wasnotsoinconsistentasmightbesupposed;forhehadalwaysfoughtonthelosingside,andthereseemedtohimatthemomentnosidesolosingasthatofPeace。Nogreatpolitician,hewasnotanorator,norevenaglibtalker;yetaquietmordancyoftongue,andthewhite—hotlookinhiseyes,neverfailedtomakeanimpressionofsomekindonanaudience。
Therewas,however,hardlyacornerofEnglandwhereorationsonbehalfofPeacehadapoorerchancethantheBucklandburydivision。
TosaythatCourtierhadmadehimselfunpopularwithitsmatter—of—
fact,independent,stolid,yetquick—temperedpopulation,wouldbeinadequate。Hehadoutragedtheirbeliefs,androusedthemostprofoundsuspicions。Theycouldnot,forthelifeofthem,makeoutwhathewasat。Thoughbyhisadventuresandhisbook,\"Peace—alostCause,\"hewas,inLondon,aconspicuousfigure,theyhadnaturallyneverheardofhim;andhisadventuretothesepartsseemedtothemanalmostludicrousexampleofpureideapokingitsnoseintoplainfacts——theideathatnationsoughtto,andcouldliveinpeacebeingsoverypure;andthefactthattheyneverhad,soveryplain！
AtMonkland,whichwasallCourtestate,therewerenaturallybutfewsupportersofMiltoun\'sopponent,Mr。HumphreyChilcox,andthereceptionaccordedtothechampionofPeacesoonpassedfromcuriositytoderision,fromderisiontomenace,tillCourtier\'sattitudebecamesodefiant,andhissentencessoheatedthathewasonlysavedfromaroughhandlingbytheinfluentialinterpositionofthevicar。
Yetwhenhebegantoaddressthemhehadfeltirresistiblyattracted。
Theylookedsuchcapital,independentfellows。Waitingforhisturntospeak,hehadmarkedthemdownasmenafterhisownheart。ForthoughCourtierknewthatagainstanunpopularideatheremustalwaysbeamajority,heneverthoughtsoillofanyindividualastosupposehimcapableofbelongingtothatill—omenedbody。
Surelythesefine,independentfellowswerenottobehoodwinkedbythejingoes！Ithadbeenonemoredisillusion。Hehadnottakenitlyingdown;neitherhadhisaudience。Theydispersedwithoutforgiving;theycametogetheragainwithouthavingforgotten。
ThevillageInn,alittlewhitebuildingwhosesmallwindowswereovergrownwithcreepers,hadasingleguest\'sbedroomontheupperfloor,andalittlesitting—roomwhereCourtiertookhismeals。Therestofthehousewasbutstone—flooredbarwithalongwoodenbenchagainstthebackwall,whencenightlyastreamoftalkwouldissue,allharsha\'s,andsuddensoftu\'s;whencetooafigure,alittleunsteady,wouldnowandagainemerge,toachorusof\'Gudenaights,\'
standstillundertheash—treestolighthispipe,thenmoveslowlyhome。
Butonthatevening,whenthetrees,likecattle,stoodknee—deepinthemoon—dust,thosewhocameoutfromthebar—roomdidnotgoaway;
theyhungaboutintheshadows,andwerejoinedbyotherfigurescreepingfurtivelythroughthebrightmoonlight,frombehindtheInn。
Presentlymorefiguresmovedupfromthelanesandthechurchyardpath,tillthirtyormorewerehuddledthere,andtheirstealthymurmuroftalkdistilledararesavourofillicitjoy。Unholyhilarity,indeed,seemedlurkinginthedeeptree—shadow,beforethewanInn,whencefromasinglelightedwindowcameforththehalf—
chantingsoundofaman\'svoicereadingoutloud。Laughterwassmothered,talkwhispered。
\"He\'ma—practisin\'hisspaches。\"\"Smokethecunnin\'oldvoxout！\"
\"Redpepper\'stheproperstuff。\"\"Seemensneeze！We\'vea—screedupthedoor。\"
Then,asafaceshowedatthelightedwindow,aburstofharshlaughterbrokethehush。
Heatthewindowwasseenstrugglingviolentlytowrenchawayabar。
Thelaughterswelledtohooting。Theprisonerforcedhiswaythrough,droppedtotheground,rose,staggered,andfell。
Avoicesaidsharply:
\"What\'sthis？\"
Outofthesoundsofscufflingandscatteringcamethewhisper:\"Hislordship！\"Andtheshadeundertheash—treesbecamedeserted,savebythetalldarkfigureofaman,andawoman\'swhiteshape。
\"Isthatyou,Mr。Courtier？Areyouhurt？\"
Achucklerosefromtherecumbentfigure。
\"Onlymyknee。Thebeggars！Theypreciousnearlychokedme,though。\"
CHAPTERVII
BertieCaradoc,leavingthesmoking—roomatMonklandCourtthatsameevening,——onhiswaytobed,wenttotheGeorgiancorridor,wherehispetbarometerwashanging。Tolookattheglasshadbecomethenightlyhabitofonewhogaveallthetimehecouldsparefromhisprofessiontohuntinginthewinterandtoracinginthesummer。\'
TheHon。HubertCaradoc,anapprenticetothecallingofdiplomacy,morecompletelythananylivingCaradocembodiedthecharacteristicstrengthandweaknessesofthatfamily。Hewasoffairheight,andwirybuild。Hisweatheredface,undersleek,darkhair,hadregular,rathersmallfeatures,andworeanexpressionofalertresolution,maskedbyimpassivity。Overhisinquiring,hazel—greyeyesthelidswerealmostreligiouslykepthalfdrawn。Hehadbeenbornreticent,andgreat,indeed,wastheemotionunderwhichhesufferedwhenthewholeofhiseyeswerevisible。Hisnosewasfinelychiselled,andhadlittleflesh。Hislips,coveredbyasmall,darkmoustache,scarcelyopenedtoemithisspeeches,whichwereutteredinavoicesingularlymuffled,yetunexpectedlyquick。Thewholepersonalitywasthatofamanpractical,spirited,guarded,resourceful,withgreatpowerofself—control,wholookedatlifeasifshewereahorseunderhim,towhomhemustgivewayjustsofaraswasnecessarytokeepmasteryofher。Amantowhomideaswereofnovalue,exceptwhenweddedtoimmediateaction;essentiallyneat;
demandingtobe\'donewell,\'butcapableofstoicismifnecessary;
urbane,yetalwaysinreadinesstothrust;ableonlytocondonethefailingsandtocompassionatethekindsofdistresswhichhisownexperiencehadtaughthimtounderstand。SuchwasMiltoun\'syoungerbrotherattheageoftwenty—six。
Havingnotedthattheglasswassteady,hewasabouttoseekthestairway,whenhesawatthefartherendoftheentrance—hallthreefiguresadvancingarm—in—arm。Habituallybothcuriousandwary,hewaitedtilltheycamewithintheradiusofalamp;then,seeingthemtobethoseofMiltounandafootman,supportingbetweenthemalameman,heatoncehastenedforward。
\"Haveyouputyourkneeout,sir？Holdonaminute！Getachair,Charles。\"
Seatingthestrangerinthischair,Bertierolledupthetrouser,andpassedhisfingersroundtheknee。Therewasasort,ofloving—
kindnessinthatmovement,asofahandwhichhadinitstimefeltthejointsandsinewsofinnumerablehorses。
\"H\'m！\"hesaid;\"canyoustandabitofajerk？Catchholdofhimbehind,Eustace。Sitdownonthefloor,Charles,andholdthelegsofthechair。Nowthen！\"Andtakingupthefoot,hepulled。Therewasaclick,alittlenoiseofteethgroundtogether;andBertiesaid:\"Goodman——shan\'thavetohavethevet。toyou,thistime。\"
HavingconductedtheirlameguesttoaroomintheGeorgiancorridorhastilyconvertedtoabedroom,thetwobrotherspresentlylefthimtotheattentionsofthefootman。
\"Well,oldman,\"saidBertie,astheysoughttheirrooms;\"that\'sputpaidtohisname——won\'tdoyouanymoreharmthisjourney。Goodpluckedone,though！\"
ThereportthatCourtierwasharbouredbeneaththeirroofwenttheroundofthefamilybeforebreakfast,throughtheagencyofonewhosepracticeitwastoknowallthings,andtoseethatotherspartookofthatknowledge,LittleAnn,payinghercustomarymorningvisittohermother\'sroom,tookherstandwithfaceturnedupandhandsclaspingherbelt,andbeganatonce。
\"UncleEustacebroughtamanlastnightwithawoundedleg,andUncleBertiepulleditoutstraight。WilliamsaysthatCharlessaysheonlymadeanoiselikethis\"——therewasafaintsoundofsmallchumpingteeth:\"Andhe\'sthemanthat\'sstayingattheInn,andthestairsweretoonarrowtocarryhimup,Williamsays;andifhiskneewasputouthewon\'tbeabletowalkwithoutastickforalongtime。
CanIgotoFather？\"
Agatha,whowashavingherhairbrushed,thought:
\"I\'mnotsurewhetherbeltssolowasthatarewholesome,\"murmured:
\"Waitaminute！\"
ButlittleAnnwasgone;andhervoicecouldbeheardinthedressing—roomclimbinguptowardsSirWilliam,whofromthesoundofhisreplies,wasmanifestlyshaving。WhenAgatha,whonevercouldresistalegitimateopportunityofapproachingherhusband,lookedin,hewasalone,andratherthoughtful——atallmanwithasolid,steadyfaceandcautiouseyes,notintruthremarkableexcepttohisownwife。
\"ThatfellowCourtier\'scaughtbytheleg,\"hesaid。\"Don\'tknowwhatyourMotherwillsaytoanenemyinthecamp。\"
\"Isn\'theafreethinker,andrather————\"
SirWilliam,followinghisownthoughts,interrupted:
\"Justaswell,ofcourse,sofarasMiltoun\'sconcerned,tohavegothimhere。\"
Agathasighed:\"Well,Isupposeweshallhavetobenicetohim。
I\'lltellMother。\"
SirWilliamsmiled。
\"Annwillseetothat,\"hesaid。
Annwasseeingtothat。
Seatedintheembrasureofthewindowbehindthelooking—glass,whereLadyValleyswasstilloccupied,shewassaying:
\"Hefelloutofthewindowbecauseoftheredpepper。MissWallacesaysheisahostage——whatdoeshostagemean,Granny？\"
WhensixyearsagothatwordhadfirstfallenonLadyValleys\'ears,shehadthought:\"Oh！dear！AmIreallyGranny？\"Ithadbeenashock,hadseemedtheendofsomuch;butthematter—of—factheroismofwomen,somuchquickertoaccepttheinevitablethanmen,hadsooncometoheraid,andnow,unlikeherhusband,shedidnotcareabit。
Forallthatsheanswerednothing,partlybecauseitwasnotnecessarytospeakinordertosustainaconversationwithlittleAnn,andpartlybecauseshewasdeepinthought。
Themanwasinjured！Hospitality,ofcourse——especiallysincetheirowntenantshadcommittedtheoutrage！Still,towelcomeamanwhohadgoneoutofhiswaytocomedownhereandstumpthecountryagainstherownson,wasratheratallorder。Itmighthavebeenworse,nodoubt。If;forinstance,hehadbeensome\'impossible\'
NonconformistRadical！ThisMr。Courtierwasafreelance——ratherawell—knownman,aninterestingcreature。Shemustseethathefelt\'athome\'andcomfortable。Ifhewerepumpedjudiciously,nodoubtonecouldfindoutaboutthiswoman。Moreover,theacceptanceoftheir\'salt\'wouldsilencehimpoliticallyifsheknewanythingofthattypeofman,whoalwayshadsomethinginhimoftheArab\'screed。Hermind,thatofacapableadministrator,tookinallthepracticalsignificanceofthisincident,which,althoughuntoward,wasnotwithoutitscomicsidetoonedisposedtofindzestandhumourineverythingthatdidnotabsolutelyruncountertoherinterestsandphilosophy。
ThevoiceoflittleAnnbrokeinonherreflections。
\"I\'mgoingtoAuntieBabsnow。\"
\"Verywell;givemeakissfirst。\"
LittleAnnthrustupherface,sothatitssuddenlittlenosepenetratedLadyValleys\'softcurvinglips……
WhenearlythatsameafternoonCourtier,leaningonastick,passedfromhisroomoutontotheterrace,hewasconfrontedbythreesunlitpeacocksmarchingslowlyacrossalawntowardsastatueofDiana。Withincredibledignitythosebirdsmoved,asifneverintheirliveshadtheybeenhurried。Theyseemedindeedtoknowthatwhentheygotthere,therewouldbenothingforthemtodobuttocomebackagain。Beyondthem,throughthetalltrees,oversomewoodedfoot—hillsofthemoorlandandapromisedlandofpinkishfields,pasture,andorchards,theprospectstretchedtothefarsea。
Heatclothedthisviewwithakindofopalescence,afairygarment,transmutingallvalues,sothatthefoursquarewallsandtallchimneysofthepottery—worksafewmilesdownthevalleyseemedtoCourtierlikeavisionofsomeoldfortifiedItaliantown。Hissensations,findinghimselfinthisgalley,werepeculiar。ForhisfeelingtowardsMiltoun,whomhehadtwicemetatMrs。Noel\'s,was,inspiteofdisagreements,bynomeansunfriendly;whilehisfeelingtowardsMiltoun\'sfamilywasnotyetinexistence。Havinglivedfromhandtomouth,andinmanycountries,sinceheleftWestminsterSchool,hehadnowpracticallynoclassfeelings。Anattitudeofhostilitytoaristocracybecauseitwasaristocracy,wasasincomprehensibletohimasanattitudeofdeference。
Hissensationshabituallyshapedthemselvesinaccordancewiththosetwopermanentrequirementsofhisnature,likingforadventure,andhatredoftyranny。Thelabourerwhobeathiswife,theshopmanwhosweatedhis\'hands,\'theparsonwhoconsignedhisparishionerstohell,thepeerwhoroderoughshod——allwereequallyodioustohim。
Hethoughtofpeopleasindividuals,anditwas,asitwere,byaccidentthathehadconceivedtheclassgeneralizationwhichhehadfiredbackatMiltounfromMrs。Noel\'swindow。Sanguine,accustomedtoqueerenvironments,andalwayscatchingatthemomentasitflew,hehadnottofightwiththetimiditiesandirritationsofanervoustemperament。Hischeerycourtesywasonlydisturbedwhenhebecameconsciousofsomesentimentwhichappearedtohimmeanorcowardly。
Onsuchoccasions,notperhapsinfrequent,hisfacelookedasifhisheartwerephysicallyfuming,andsincehisshellofstoicismwasneverquitemeltedbythisheat,averypeculiarexpressionwastheresult,asortofcalm,sardonic,desperate,jollylook。
Hischieffeeling,then,attheoutragewhichhadlaidhimcaptiveintheenemy\'scamp,wasoneofvagueamusement,andcuriosity。PeopleroundaboutspokefairlywellofthisCaradocfamily。Theredidnotseemtobeanylackofkindlyfeelingbetweenthemandtheirtenants;
therewassaidtobenogripingdestitution,noranyparticularill—
housingontheirestate。Andiftheinhabitantswerenotencouragedtoimprovethemselves,theywereatalleventsmaintainedatacertainlevel,bysteadyandnotungeneroussupervision。Whenaroofrequiredthatchingitwasthatched;whenamanbecametoooldtowork,hewasnotsufferedtolapseintotheWorkhouse。Inbadyearsforwool,orbeasts,orcrops,thefarmersreceivedagraduatedremissionofrent。Thepottery—workswererunonaliberalifautocraticbasis。ItwastruethatthoughLordValleyswassaidtobeastaunchsupporterofa\'backtotheland\'policy,nodispositionwasshowntoencouragepeopletosettleontheseparticularlands,nodoubtfromafeelingthatsuchsettlerswouldnotdothemsomuchjusticeastheirpresentowner。Indeedsofirmlydidthisconvictionseeminglyobtain,thatLordValleys\'agentwasnotunfrequentlyobservedtobebuyingalittlebitmore。
But,sinceinthislifeonenoticesonlywhatinterestshim,allthisgossip,halfcomplimentary,halfnot,hadfallenbutlightlyontheearsofthechampionofPeaceduringhiscampaign,forhewas,ashas,beensaid,butapoorpolitician,androdehisownhorseverymuchhisownway。
Whilehestoodthereenjoyingtheview,heheardasmallhighvoice,andbecameconsciousofalittlegirlinaveryshadyhatsofarbackonherbrownhairthatitdidnotshadeher;andofasmallhandputoutinfront。Hetookthehand,andanswered:
\"Thankyou,Iamwell——andyou？\"perceivingthewhilethatapairofwidefrankeyeswereexamininghisleg。
\"Doesithurt？\"
\"Nottospeakof。\"
\"Mypony\'slegwasblistered。Grannyiscomingtolookatit。\"
\"Isee。\"
\"Ihavetogonow。Ihopeyou\'llsoonbebetter。Good—bye！\"
Then,insteadofthelittlegirl,Courtiersawatallandratherfloridwomanregardinghimwithasortofquizzicaldignity。Sheworeastiffishfawn—coloureddressthatseemedtobecutalittletootightroundhersubstantialhips,foritquiteneglectedtoembraceherknees。Shehadonnohat,nogloves,noornaments,excepttheringsonherfingers,andalittlejewelledwatchinaleatherbraceletonherwrist。Therewas,indeed,aboutherwholefigureanairofalmostprofessionalescapefromfinery。
Stretchingoutawell—shapedbutnotsmallhand,shesaid:
\"Imostheartilyapologizetoyou,Mr。Courtier。\"
\"Notatall。\"
\"Idohopeyou\'recomfortable。Havetheygivenyoueverythingyouwant？\"
\"Morethaneverything。\"
\"Itreallywasdisgraceful！Howeverit\'sbroughtusthepleasureofmakingyouracquaintance。I\'vereadyourbook,ofcourse。\"
ToCourtieritseemedthatonthislady\'sfacehadcomealookwhichseemedtosay:Yes,verycleverandamusing,quiteenjoyable！Buttheideas————What？Youknowverywelltheywon\'tdo——infacttheymustn\'tdo！
\"That\'sveryniceofyou。\"
ButintoLadyValleys\'answer,\"Idon\'tagreewithitabit,youknow！\"therehadcreptatouchofasperity,asthoughsheknewthathehadsmiledinside。\"Whatwewantpreachedinthesedaysarethewarlikevirtues——especiallybyawarrior。\"
\"Believeme,LadyValleys,thewarlikevirtuesarebestlefttomenofmorevirginimagination。\"
Hereceivedaquicklook,andthewords:\"Anyway,I\'msureyoudon\'tcarearapforpolitics。YouknowMrs。LeesNoel,don\'tyou？Whataprettywomansheis！\"
ButasshespokeCourtiersawayounggirlcomingalongtheterrace。
Shehadevidentlybeenriding,forsheworehighbootsandaskirtwhichhadenabledhertositastride。Hereyeswereblue,andherhair——thecolourofbeech—leavesinautumnwiththesunshiningthrough——wascoileduptightunderasmallsofthat。Shewastall,andmovedtowardsthemlikeoneendowedwithgreatlengthfromthehipjointtotheknee。Joyoflife,serene,unconsciousvigour,seemedtoradiatefromherwholefaceandfigure。
AtLadyValleys\'words:
\"Ah,Babs！MydaughterBarbara——Mr。Courtier,\"heputouthishand,receivedwithinitsomegauntletedfingersheldoutwithasmile,andheardhersay:
\"Miltoun\'sgoneuptoTown,Mother;IwasgoingtomotorintoBucklandburywithamessagehegaveme;soIcanfetchGrannyoutfromthestation:\"
\"YouhadbettertakeAnn,orshe\'llmakeourlivesaburden;andperhapsMr。Courtierwouldlikeanairing。Isyourkneefit,doyouthink？\"
Glancingattheapparition,Courtierreplied:
\"Itis。\"
Neversincetheageofsevenhadhebeenabletolookonfemininebeautywithoutasenseofwarmthandfaintexcitement;andseeingnowperhapsthemostbeautifulgirlhehadeverbeheld,hedesiredtobewithherwherevershemightbegoing。Therewastoosomethingveryfascinatinginthewayshesmiled,asifshehadalittleseenthroughhissentiments。
\"Wellthen,\"shesaid,\"we\'dbetterlookforAnn。\"
AftershortbutvigoroussearchlittleAnnwasfound——inthecar,instincthavingtoldherofaforwardmovementinwhichitwasherdutytotakepart。Andsoontheyhadstarted,Annbetweentheminthatpeculiarstateofsilencetowhichshebecameliablewhenreallyinterested。
>FromtheMonklandestate,flowered,lawned,andtimbered,totheopenmoor,waslikepassingtoanotherworld;fornosoonerwasthelastlodgeoftheWesterndriveleftbehind,thantherecameintosuddenviewthemostpaganbitoflandscapeinallEngland。Inthiswildparliament—house,clouds,rocks,sun,andwindsmetandconsulted。
The\'old\'men,too,hadlefttheirspiritsamongthegreatstones,whichlaycouchedlikelionsonthehill—tops,underthewhiteclouds,andtheirbrethren,thehuntingbuzzardhawks。Heretheveryrockswererestless,changingform,andsense,andcolourfromdaytoday,asthoughworshippingtheunexpected,andrefusingthemselvestolaw。Thewindstoointheirpassagerevoltedagainsttheircourses,andcametearingdownwherevertherewerecombesorcrannies,sothatmenintheirsheltersmightstilllearnthepowerofthewildgods。
ThewondersofthisprospectwereentirelylostonlittleAnn,andsomewhatsoonCourtier,deeplyengagedinreconcilingthosetwoalienprinciples,courtesy,andtheloveoflookingataprettyface。
Hewaswonderingtoowhatthisgirloftwenty,whohadtheself—
possessionofawomanofforty,mightbethinking。ItwaslittleAnnwhobrokethesilence。
\"AuntieBabs,itwasn\'taverystronghouse,wasit？\"
Courtierlookedinthedirectionofhersmallfinger。Therewasthewreckofalittlehouse,whichstoodclosetoastonemanwhohadobviouslypossessedthathillbeforethereweremenofflesh。Overonecornerofthesorryruin,asinglepatchofroofstillclung,buttherestwasopen。
\"Hewasasillymantobuildit,wasn\'the,Ann？That\'swhytheycallitAshman\'sFolly。\"
\"Ishealive？\"
\"Notquite——it\'sjustahundredyearsago。\"
\"Whatmadehimbuildithere？\"
\"Hehatedwomen,and——therooffellinonhim。\"
\"Whydidhehatewomen？\"
\"Hewasacrank。\"
\"Whatisacrank？\"
\"AskMr。Courtier。\"
Underthisgirl\'scalmquizzicalglance,Courtierendeavouredtofindananswertothatquestion。
\"Acrank,\"hesaidslowly,\"isamanlikeme。\"
Heheardalittlelaugh,andbecameacutelyconsciousofAnn\'sdispassionateexaminingeyes。
\"IsUncleEustaceacrank？\"
\"Youknownow,Mr。Courtier,whatAnnthinksofyou。YouthinkagooddealofUncleEustace,don\'tyou,Ann？\"
\"Yes,\"saidAnn,andfixedhereyesbeforeher。ButCourtiergazedsideways——overherhatlesshead。
Hisexhilarationwasincreasingeverymoment。Thisgirlremindedhimofatwo—year—oldfillyhehadonceseen,steppingoutofAscotpaddockforherfirstrace,withthesunglisteningonhersatinchestnutskin,herneckheldhigh,hereyesallfire——assuretowin,asthatgrasswasgreen。ItwasdifficulttobelieveherMiltoun\'ssister。ItwasdifficulttobelieveanyofthosefouryoungCaradocsrelated。ThegraveasceticMiltoun,wrappedinthegarmentofhisspirit;mild,domestic,strait—lacedAgatha;Bertie,muffled,shrewd,andsteely;andthisfrank,joyfulconqueringBarbara——therangewaswide。
Butthecarhadleftthemoor,and,downasteephill,waspassingthesmallvillasandlittlegreyworkmen\'shousesoutsidethetownofBucklandbury。
\"AnnandIhavetogoontoMiltoun\'sheadquarters。ShallIdropyouattheenemy\'s,Mr。Courtier？Stop,please,Frith。\"
AndbeforeCourtiercouldassent,theyhadpulledupatahouseonwhichwasinscribedwithextraordinaryvigour:\"ChilcoxforBucklandbury。\"
HobblingintotheCommittee—roomofMr。HumphreyChilcox,whichsmelledofpaint,Courtiertookwithhimthescentedmemoryofyouth,andambergris,andHarristweed。
Inthatroomthreemenwereassembledroundatable;theeldestofwhom,endowedwithlittlegreyeyes,astubblybeard,andthatmysterioussomethingonlyfoundinthosewhohavebeenmayors,roseatonceandcametowardshim。
\"Mr。Courtier,Ibelieve,\"hesaidbluffly。\"Gladtoseeyou,sir。
Mostdistressedtohearofthisoutrage。Thoughinaway,it\'sdoneusgood。Yes,really。Grosslyagainstfairplay。Shouldn\'tbesurprisedifitturnedacoupleofhundredvotes。Youcarrytheeffectsofitaboutwithyou,Isee。\"
Athin,refinedman,withwiryhair,alsocameup,holdinganewspaperinhishand。
\"Ithashadoneratherembarrassingeffect,\"hesaid。\"Readthis\'OUTRAGEONADISTINGUISHEDVISITOR。
\'LORDMILTOUN\'SEVENINGADVENTURE。\'\"
Courtierreadaparagraph。
Themanwiththelittleeyesbroketheominoussilencewhichensued。
\"Oneofoursidemusthaveseenthewholething,jumpedonhisbicycleandbroughtintheaccountbeforetheywenttopress。Theymakenoimputationonthelady——simplystatethefacts。Quiteenough,\"headdedwithimpersonalgrimness;\"Ithinkhe\'sdoneforhimself,sir。\"
Themanwiththerefinedfaceaddednervously:
\"Wecouldn\'thelpit,Mr。Courtier;Ireallydon\'tknowwhatwecando。Idon\'tlikeitabit。\"
\"Hasyourcandidateseenthis？\"Courtierasked。
\"Can\'thave,\"struckinthethirdCommittee—man;\"wehadn\'tseenitourselvesuntilanhourago。\"
\"Ishouldneverhavepermittedit,\"saidthemanwiththerefinedface;\"Iblametheeditorgreatly。\"
\"Cometothat————\"saidthelittle—eyedman,\"it\'saplainpieceofnews。Ifitmakesastir,that\'snotourfault。Thepaperimputesnothing,itstates。Positionoftheladyhappenstodotherest。