第9章
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  \"Whatluck!\"criedJon。\"ItJammed。\"

  \"Yes,\"saidFleur;\"Iwasholdingit。\"

  Thetrainmovedout,andJonfellonhisknees。

  \"Lookoutforthecorridor,\"shewhispered;\"and——quick!\"

  Herlipsmethis。Andthoughtheirkissonlylastedperhapstenseconds,Jon’ssoullefthisbodyandwentsofarbeyond,that,whenhewasagainsittingoppositethatdemurefigure,hewaspaleasdeath。Heheardhersigh,andthesoundseemedtohimthemostprecioushehadeverheard——anexquisitedeclarationthathemeantsomethingtoher。

  \"Sixweeksisn’treallylong,\"shesaid;\"andyoucaneasilymakeitsixifyoukeepyourheadoutthere,andneverseemtothinkofme。\"

  Jongasped。

  \"Thisisjustwhat’sreallywanted,Jon,toconvincethem,don’tyousee?Ifwe’rejustasbadwhenyoucomebackthey’llstopbeingridiculousaboutit。Only,I’msorryit’snotSpain;there’sagirlinaGoyapictureatMadridwho’slikeme,Fathersays。Onlysheisn’t——we’vegotacopyofher。\"

  ItwastoJonlikearayofsunshinepiercingthroughafog。\"I’llmakeitSpain,\"hesaid,\"Motherwon’tmind;she’sneverbeenthere。

  AndmyFatherthinksalotofGoya。\"

  \"Oh!yes,he’sapainter——isn’the?\"

  \"Onlywater—colour,\"saidJon,withhonesty。

  \"WhenwecometoReading,Jon,getoutfirstandgodowntoCavershamlockandwaitforme。I’llsendthecarhomeandwe’llwalkbythetowing—path。\"

  Jonseizedherhandingratitude,andtheysatsilent,withtheworldwelllost,andoneeyeonthecorridor。Butthetrainseemedtoruntwiceasfastnow,anditssoundwasalmostlostinthatofJon’ssighing。

  \"We’regettingnear,\"saidFleur;\"thetowing—path’sawfullyexposed。

  Onemore!Oh!Jon,don’tforgetme。\"

  Jonansweredwithhiskiss。Andverysoon,aflushed,distracted—

  lookingyouthcouldhavebeenseen——astheysay——leapingfromthetrainandhurryingalongtheplatform,searchinghispocketsforhisticket。

  Whenatlastsherejoinedhimonthetowing—pathalittlebeyondCavershamlockhehadmadeaneffort,andregainedsomemeasureofequanimity。Iftheyhadtopart,hewouldnotmakeascene!A

  breezebythebrightriverthrewthewhitesideofthewillowleavesupintothesunlight,andfollowedthosetwowithitsfaintrustle。

  \"ItoldourchauffeurthatIwastrain—giddy,\"saidFleur。\"Didyoulookprettynaturalasyouwentout?\"

  \"Idon’tknow。Whatisnatural?\"

  \"It’snaturaltoyoutolookseriouslyhappy。WhenIfirstsawyouI

  thoughtyouweren’tabitlikeotherpeople。\"

  \"ExactlywhatIthoughtwhenIsawyou。IknewatonceIshouldneverloveanybodyelse。\"

  Fleurlaughed。

  \"We’reabsurdlyyoung。Andlove’syoungdreamisoutofdate,Jon。

  Besides,it’sawfullywasteful。Thinkofallthefunyoumighthave。

  Youhaven’tbegun,even;it’sashame,really。Andthere’sme。I

  wonder!\"

  ConfusioncameonJon’sspirit。Howcouldshesaysuchthingsjustastheyweregoingtopart?

  \"Ifyoufeellikethat,\"hesaid,\"Ican’tgo。IshalltellMotherthatIoughttotryandwork。There’salwaystheconditionoftheworld!\"

  \"Theconditionoftheworld!\"

  Jonthrusthishandsdeepintohispockets。

  \"Butthereis,\"hesaid;\"thinkofthepeoplestarving!\"

  Fleurshookherhead。\"No,no,Inever,neverwillmakemyselfmiserablefornothing。\"

  \"Nothing!Butthere’sanawfulstateofthings,andofcourseoneoughttohelp。\"

  \"Oh!yes,Iknowallthat。Butyoucan’thelppeople,Jon;they’rehopeless。Whenyoupullthemouttheyonlygetintoanotherhole。

  Lookatthem,stillfightingandplottingandstruggling,thoughthey’redyinginheapsallthetime。Idiots!\"

  \"Aren’tyousorryforthem?\"

  \"Oh!sorry——yes,butI’mnotgoingtomakemyselfunhappyaboutit;

  that’snogood。\"

  Andtheyweresilent,disturbedbythisfirstglimpseofeachother’snatures。

  \"Ithinkpeoplearebrutesandidiots,\"saidFleurstubbornly。

  \"Ithinkthey’repoorwretches,\"saidJon。Itwasasiftheyhadquarrelled——andatthissupremeandawfulmoment,withpartingvisibleoutthereinthatlastgapofthewillows!

  \"Well,goandhelpyourpoorwretches,anddon’tthinkofme。\"

  Jonstoodstill。Sweatbrokeoutonhisforehead,andhislimbstrembled。Fleurtoohadstopped,andwasfrowningattheriver。

  \"Imustbelieveinthings,\"saidJonwithasortofagony;\"we’reallmeanttoenjoylife。\"

  Fleurlaughed。\"Yes;andthat’swhatyouwon’tdo,ifyoudon’ttakecare。Butperhapsyourideaofenjoymentistomakeyourselfwretched。Therearelotsofpeoplelikethat,ofcourse。\"

  Shewaspale,hereyeshaddarkened,herlipshadthinned。WasitFleurthusstaringatthewater?Jonhadanunrealfeelingasifhewerepassingthroughthesceneinabookwheretheloverhastochoosebetweenloveandduty。Butjustthenshelookedroundathim。

  Neverwasanythingsointoxicatingasthatvivaciouslook。Itactedonhimexactlyasthetugofachainactsonadog——broughthimuptoherwithhistailwaggingandhistongueout。

  \"Don’tlet’sbesilly,\"shesaid,\"time’stooshort。Look,Jon,youcanjustseewhereI’vegottocrosstheriver。There,roundthebend,wherethewoodsbegin。\"

  Jonsawagable,achimneyortwo,apatchofwallthroughthetrees—

  —andfelthisheartsink。

  \"Imustn’tdawdleanymore。It’snogoodgoingbeyondthenexthedge,itgetsallopen。Let’sgetontoitandsaygood—bye。\"

  Theywentsidebyside,handinhand,silentlytowardthehedge,wherethemay—flower,bothpinkandwhite,wasinfullbloom。

  \"MyClub’sthe’Talisman,’StrattonStreet,Piccadilly。Letterstherewillbequitesafe,andI’malmostalwaysuponceaweek。\"

  Jonnodded。Hisfacehadbecomeextremelyset,hiseyesstaredstraightbeforehim。

  \"To—day’sthetwenty—thirdofMay,\"saidFleur;\"ontheninthofJulyIshallbeinfrontofthe’BacchusandAriadne’atthreeo’clock;

  willyou?\"

  \"Iwill。\"

  \"IfyoufeelasbadasIit’sallright。Letthosepeoplepass!\"

  AmanandwomanairingtheirchildrenwentbystrungoutinSundayfashion。

  Thelastofthempassedthewicketgate。

  \"Domesticity!\"saidFleur,andblottedherselfagainstthehawthornhedge。Theblossomsprayedoutaboveherhead,andonepinkclusterbrushedhercheek。Jonputuphishandjealouslytokeepitoff。

  \"Good—bye,Jon。\"Forasecondtheystoodwithhandshardclasped。

  Thentheirlipsmetforthethirdtime,andwhentheypartedFleurbrokeawayandfledthroughthewicketgate。Jonstoodwhereshehadlefthim,withhisforeheadagainstthatpinkcluster。Gone!Foraneternity——forsevenweeksallbuttwodays!Andherehewas,wastingthelastsightofher!Herushedtothegate。Shewaswalkingswiftlyontheheelsofthestragglingchildren。Sheturnedherhead,hesawherhandmakealittleflittinggesture;thenshespedon,andthetrailingfamilyblottedheroutfromhisview。

  Thewordsofacomicsong——

  \"Paddingtongroan—worsteverknown——

  HegaveasepulchralPaddingtongroan——\"

  cameintohishead,andhespedincontinentlybacktoReadingstation。AllthewayuptoLondonanddowntoWansdonhesatwith\"TheHeartoftheTrail\"openonhisknee,knittinginhisheadapoemsofulloffeelingthatitwouldnotrhyme。

  XII

  CAPRICE

  Fleurspedon。Shehadneedofrapidmotion;shewaslate,andwantedallherwitsaboutherwhenshegotin。Shepassedtheislands,thestation,andhotel,andwasabouttotaketheferry,whenshesawaskiffwithayoungmanstandingupinit,andholdingtothebushes。

  \"MissForsyte,\"hesaid;\"letmeputyouacross。I’vecomeonpurpose。\"

  Shelookedathiminblankamazement。

  \"It’sallright,I’vebeenhavingteawithyourpeople。IthoughtI’dsaveyouthelastbit。It’sonmyway,I’mjustoffbacktoPangbourne。Myname’sMont。Isawyouatthepicture—gallery——youremember——whenyourfatherinvitedmetoseehispictures。\"

  \"Oh!\"saidFleur;\"yes——thehandkerchief。\"

  TothisyoungmansheowedJon;and,takinghishand,shesteppeddownintotheskiff。Stillemotional,andalittleoutofbreath,shesatsilent;notsotheyoungman。Shehadneverheardanyonesaysomuchinsoshortatime。Hetoldherhisage,twenty—four;

  hisweight,tenstoneeleven;hisplaceofresidence,notfaraway;

  describedhissensationsunderfire,andwhatitfeltliketobegassed;criticizedtheJuno,mentionedhisownconceptionofthatgoddess;commentedontheGoyacopy,saidFleurwasnottooawfullylikeit;sketchedinrapidlytheconditionofEngland;spokeofMonsieurProfond——orwhateverhisnamewas——as\"anawfulsport\";

  thoughtherfatherhadsome\"ripping\"picturesandsomerather\"dug—

  up\";hopedhemightrowdownagainandtakeherontheriverbecausehewasquitetrustworthy;inquiredheropinionofTchekov,gaveherhisown;wishedtheycouldgototheRussianballettogethersometime——consideredthenameFleurForsytesimplytopping;cursedhispeopleforgivinghimthenameofMichaelonthetopofMont;

  outlinedhisfather,andsaidthatifshewantedagoodbooksheshouldread\"Job\";hisfatherwasratherlikeJobwhileJobstillhadland。

  \"ButJobdidn’thaveland,\"Fleurmurmured;\"heonlyhadflocksandherdsandmovedon。\"

  \"Ah!\"answeredMichaelMont,\"Iwishmygov’norwouldmoveon。NotthatIwanthisland。Land’sanawfulboreinthesedays,don’tyouthink?\"

  \"Weneverhaveitinmyfamily,\"saidFleur。\"Wehaveeverythingelse。Ibelieveoneofmygreat—unclesoncehadasentimentalfarminDorset,becausewecamefromthereoriginally,butitcosthimmorethanitmadehimhappy。\"

  \"Didhesellit?\"

  \"No;hekeptit。\"

  \"Why?\"

  \"Becausenobodywouldbuyit。\"

  \"Goodfortheoldboy!\"

  \"No,itwasn’tgoodforhim。Fathersaysitsouredhim。HisnamewasSwithin。\"

  \"Whatacorkingname!\"

  \"Doyouknowthatwe’regettingfartheroff,notnearer?Thisriverflows。\"

  \"Splendid!\"criedMont,dippinghisscullsvaguely;\"it’sgoodtomeetagirlwho’sgotwit。\"

  \"Butbettertomeetayoungmanwho’sgotitintheplural。\"

  YoungMontraisedahandtotearhishair。

  \"Lookout!\"criedFleur。\"Yourscull!\"

  \"Allright!It’sthickenoughtobearascratch。\"

  \"Doyoumindsculling?\"saidFleurseverely。\"Iwanttogetin。\"

  \"Ah!\"saidMont;\"butwhenyougetin,yousee,Ishan’tseeyouanymoreto—day。Fini,astheFrenchgirlsaidwhenshejumpedonherbedaftersayingherprayers。Don’tyoublessthedaythatgaveyouaFrenchmother,andanamelikeyours?\"

  \"Ilikemyname,butFathergaveitme。MotherwantedmecalledMarguerite。\"

  \"Whichisabsurd。DoyoumindcallingmeM。M。andlettingmecallyouF。F。?It’sinthespiritoftheage。\"

  \"Idon’tmindanything,solongasIgetin。\"

  Montcaughtalittlecrab,andanswered:\"Thatwasanastyone!\"

  \"Pleaserow。\"

  \"Iam。\"Andhedidforseveralstrokes,lookingatherwithruefuleagerness。\"Ofcourse,youknow,\"heejaculated,pausing,\"thatI

  cametoseeyou,notyourfather’spictures。\"

  Fleurrose。

  \"Ifyoudon’trow,Ishallgetoutandswim。\"

  \"Reallyandtruly?ThenIcouldcomeinafteryou。\"

  \"Mr。Mont,I’mlateandtired;pleaseputmeonshoreatonce。\"

  Whenshesteppedoutontothegardenlanding—stageherose,andgraspinghishairwithbothhands,lookedather。

  Fleursmiled。

  \"Don’t!\"criedtheirrepressibleMont。\"Iknowyou’regoingtosay:

  ’Out,damnedhair!’\"

  Fleurwhiskedround,threwhimawaveofherhand。\"Good—bye,Mr。

  M。M。!\"shecalled,andwasgoneamongtherose—trees。Shelookedatherwrist—watchandthewindowsofthehouse。Itstruckherascuriouslyuninhabited。Pastsix!Thepigeonswerejustgatheringtoroost,andsunlightslantedonthedovecot,ontheirsnowyfeathers,andbeyondinashoweronthetopboughsofthewoods。Theclickofbilliard—ballscamefromtheingle—nook——JackCardigan,nodoubt;afaintrustling,too,fromaneucalyptus—tree,startlingSouthernerinthisoldEnglishgarden。Shereachedtheverandahandwaspassingin,butstoppedatthesoundofvoicesfromthedrawing—roomtoherleft。Mother!MonsieurProfond!Frombehindtheverandahscreenwhichfencedtheingle—nooksheheardthesewords:

  \"Idon’t,Annette。\"

  DidFatherknowthathecalledhermother\"Annette\"?AlwaysonthesideofherFather——aschildrenareeverononesideortheotherinhouseswhererelationsarealittlestrained——shestood,uncertain。

  Hermotherwasspeakinginherlow,pleasing,slightlymetallicvoice——onewordshecaught:\"Demain。\"AndProfond’sanswer:\"Allright。\"Fleurfrowned。Alittlesoundcameoutintothestillness。

  ThenProfond’svoice:\"I’mtakin’asmallstroll。\"

  Fleurdartedthroughthewindowintothemorning—room。Therehecamefromthedrawing—room,crossingtheverandah,downthelawn;andtheclickofbilliard—ballswhich,inlisteningforothersounds,shehadceasedtohear,beganagain。Sheshookherself,passedintothehall,andopenedthedrawing—roomdoor。Hermotherwassittingonthesofabetweenthewindows,herkneescrossed,herheadrestingonacushion,herlipshalfparted,hereyeshalfclosed。Shelookedextraordinarilyhandsome。

  \"Ah!Hereyouare,Fleur!Yourfatherisbeginningtofuss。\"

  \"Whereishe?\"

  \"Inthepicture—gallery。Goup!\"

  \"Whatareyougoingtodoto—morrow,Mother?\"

  \"To—morrow?IgouptoLondonwithyouraunt。\"

  \"Ithoughtyoumightbe。Willyougetmeaquiteplainparasol?\"

  Whatcolour?\"

  \"Green。They’reallgoingback,Isuppose。\"

  \"Yes,all;youwillconsoleyourfather。Kissme,then。\"

  Fleurcrossedtheroom,stooped,receivedakissonherforehead,andwentoutpasttheimpressofaformonthesofa—cushionsintheothercorner。Sheranup—stairs。

  Fleurwasbynomeanstheold—fashioneddaughterwhodemandstheregulationofherparents’livesinaccordancewiththestandardimposeduponherself。Sheclaimedtoregulateherownlife,notthoseofothers;besides,anunerringinstinctforwhatwaslikelytoadvantageherowncasewasalreadyatwork。InadisturbeddomesticatmospheretheheartshehadsetonJonwouldhaveabetterchance。

  Nonethelesswassheoffended,asaflowerbyacrispingwind。Ifthatmanhadreallybeenkissinghermotheritwas——serious,andherfatheroughttoknow。\"Demain!\"\"Allright!\"AndhermothergoinguptoTown!Sheturnedintoherbedroomandhungoutofthewindowtocoolherface,whichhadsuddenlygrownveryhot。Jonmustbeatthestationbynow!WhatdidherfatherknowaboutJon?Probablyeverything——prettynearly!

  Shechangedherdress,soastolookasifshehadbeeninsometime,andranuptothegallery。

  SoameswasstandingstubbornlystillbeforehisAlfredStevens——thepicturehelovedbest。Hedidnotturnatthesoundofthedoor,butsheknewhehadheard,andsheknewhewashurt。Shecameupsoftlybehindhim,putherarmsroundhisneck,andpokedherfaceoverhisshouldertillhercheeklayagainsthis。Itwasanadvancewhichhadneveryetfailed,butitfailedhernow,andsheauguredtheworst。

  \"Well,\"hesaidstonily,\"soyou’vecome!\"

  \"Isthatall,\"murmuredFleur,\"fromabadparent?\"Andsherubbedhercheekagainsthis。

  Soamesshookhisheadsofarasthatwaspossible。

  \"Whydoyoukeepmeontenterhookslikethis,puttingmeoffandoff?\"

  \"Darling,itwasveryharmless。\"

  \"Harmless!Muchyouknowwhat’sharmlessandwhatisn’t。\"

  Fleurdroppedherarms。

  \"Well,then,dear,supposeyoutellme;andbequitefrankaboutit。\"

  Andshewentovertothewindow—seat。

  Herfatherhadturnedfromhispicture,andwasstaringathisfeet。

  Helookedverygrey。’Hehasnicesmallfeet,’shethought,catchinghiseye,atonceavertedfromher。

  \"You’remyonlycomfort,\"saidSoamessuddenly,\"andyougoonlikethis。\"

  Fleur’sheartbegantobeat。

  \"Likewhat,dear?\"

  AgainSoamesgaveheralookwhich,butfortheaffectioninit,mighthavebeencalledfurtive。

  \"YouknowwhatItoldyou,\"hesaid。\"Idon’tchoosetohaveanythingtodowiththatbranchofourfamily。\"

  \"Yes,ducky,butIdon’tknowwhyIshouldn’t。

  Soamesturnedonhisheel。

  \"I’mnotgoingintothereasons,\"hesaid;\"yououghttotrustme,Fleur!\"

  ThewayhespokethosewordsaffectedFleur,butshethoughtofJon,andwassilent,tappingherfootagainstthewainscot。Unconsciouslyshehadassumedamodernattitude,withonelegtwistedinandoutoftheother,withherchinononebentwrist,herotherarmacrossherchest,anditshandhuggingherelbow;therewasnotalineofherthatwasnotinvoluted,andyet——inspiteofall——sheretainedacertaingrace。

  \"Youknewmywishes,\"Soameswenton,\"andyetyoustayedontherefourdays。AndIsupposethatboycamewithyouto—day。\"

  Fleurkepthereyesonhim。

  \"Idon’taskyouanything,\"saidSoames;\"Imakenoinquisitionwhereyou’reconcerned。\"

  Fleursuddenlystoodup,leaningoutatthewindowwithherchinonherhands。Thesunhadsunkbehindtrees,thepigeonswereperched,quitestill,ontheedgeofthedove—cot;theclickofthebilliard—

  ballsmounted,andafaintradianceshoneoutbelowwhereJackCardiganhadturnedthelightup。

  \"Willitmakeyouanyhappier,\"shesaidsuddenly,\"ifIpromiseyounottoseehimforsay——thenextsixweeks?\"Shewasnotpreparedforasortoftrembleintheblanknessofhisvoice。

  \"Sixweeks?Sixyears——sixtyyearsmorelike。Don’tdeludeyourself,Fleur;don’tdeludeyourself!\"

  Fleurturnedinalarm。

  \"Father,whatisit?\"

  Soamescamecloseenoughtoseeherface。

  \"Don’ttellme,\"hesaid,\"thatyou’refoolishenoughtohaveanyfeelingbeyondcaprice。Thatwouldbetoomuch!\"Andhelaughed。

  Fleur,whohadneverheardhimlaughlikethat,thought:’Thenitisdeep!Oh!whatisit?’Andputtingherhandthroughhisarmshesaidlightly:

  \"No,ofcourse;caprice。Only,IlikemycapricesandIdon’tlikeyours,dear。\"

  \"Mine!\"saidSoamesbitterly,andturnedaway。

  Thelightoutsidehadchilled,andthrewachalkywhitenessontheriver。Thetreeshadlostallgaietyofcolour。ShefeltasuddenhungerforJon’sface,forhishands,andthefeelofhislipsagainonhers。Andpressingherarmstightacrossherbreastsheforcedoutalittlelightlaugh。

  \"Ola!la!Whatasmallfuss!asProfondwouldsay。Father,Idon’tlikethatman。\"

  Shesawhimstop,andtakesomethingoutofhisbreastpocket。

  \"Youdon’t?\"hesaid。\"Why?\"

  \"Nothing,\"murmuredFleur;\"justcaprice!\"

  \"No,\"saidSoames;\"notcaprice!\"Andhetorewhatwasinhishandsacross。\"You’reright。Idon’tlikehimeither!\"

  \"Look!\"saidFleursoftly。\"Therehegoes!Ihatehisshoes;theydon’tmakeanynoise。\"

  DowninthefailinglightProsperProfondmoved,hishandsinhissidepockets,whistlingsoftlyinhisbeard;hestopped,andglancedupatthesky,asifsaying:\"Idon’tthinkmuchofthatsmallmoon。\"

  Fleurdrewback。\"Isn’theagreatcat?\"shewhispered;andthesharpclickofthebilliard—ballsrose,asifJackCardiganhadcappedthecat,themoon,caprice,andtragedywith:\"Inoffthered!\"

  MonsieurProfondhadresumedhisstroll,toateasinglittletuneinhisbeard。Whatwasit?Oh!yes,from\"Rigoletto\":\"Donnaamobile。\"Justwhathewouldthink!Shesqueezedherfather’sarm。

  \"Prowling!\"shemuttered,asheturnedthecornerofthehouse。Itwaspastthatdisillusionedmomentwhichdividesthedayandnight—

  stillandlingeringandwarm,withhawthornscentandlilacscentclingingontheriversideair。Ablackbirdsuddenlyburstout。JonwouldbeinLondonbynow;intheParkperhaps,crossingtheSerpentine,thinkingofher!Alittlesoundbesidehermadeherturnhereyes;herfatherwasagaintearingthepaperinhishands。Fleursawitwasacheque。

  \"Ishan’tsellhimmyGauguin,\"hesaid。\"Idon’tknowwhatyourauntandImogenseeinhim。\"

  \"OrMother。\"

  \"Yourmother!\"saidSoames。

  ’PoorFather!’shethought。’Heneverlookshappy——notreallyhappy。

  Idon’twanttomakehimworse,butofcourseIshallhaveto,whenJoncomesback。Oh!well,sufficientuntothenight!’

  \"I’mgoingtodress,\"shesaid。

  Inherroomshehadafancytoputonher\"freak\"dress。Itwasofgoldtissuewithlittletrousersofthesame,tightlydrawninattheankles,apage’scapeslungfromtheshoulders,littlegoldshoes,andagold—wingedMercuryhelmet;andalloverherweretinygoldbells,especiallyonthehelmet;sothatifsheshookherheadshepealed。WhenshewasdressedshefeltquitesickbecauseJoncouldnotseeher;itevenseemedapitythatthesprightlyyoungmanMichaelMontwouldnothaveaview。Butthegonghadsounded,andshewentdown。

  Shemadeasensationinthedrawing—room。Winifredthoughtit\"Mostamusing。\"Imogenwasenraptured。JackCardigancalledit\"stunning,\"\"ripping,\"\"topping,\"and\"corking。

  MonsieurProfond,smilingwithhiseyes,said:\"That’sanicesmalldress!\"Hermother,veryhandsomeinblack,satlookingather,andsaidnothing。Itremainedforherfathertoapplythetestofcommonsense。\"Whatdidyouputonthatthingfor?You’renotgoingtodance。\"

  Fleurspunround,andthebellspealed。

  \"Caprice!\"

  Soamesstaredather,and,turningaway,gavehisarmtoWinifred。

  JackCardigantookhermother。ProsperProfondtookImogen。Fleurwentinbyherself,withherbellsjingling……

  The\"small\"moonhadsoondroppeddown,andMaynighthadfallensoftandwarm,enwrappingwithitsgrape—bloomcolouranditsscentsthebillioncaprices,intrigues,passions,longings,andregretsofmenandwomen。HappywasJackCardiganwhosnoredintoImogen’swhiteshoulder,fitasaflea;orTimothyinhis\"mausoleum,\"toooldforanythingbutbaby’sslumber。Forsomanylayawake,ordreamed,teasedbythecriss—crossoftheworld。

  Thedewfellandtheflowersclosed;cattlegrazedonintherivermeadows,feelingwiththeirtonguesforthegrasstheycouldnotsee;

  andthesheepontheDownslayquietasstones。PheasantsinthetalltreesofthePangbournewoods,larksontheirgrassynestsabovethegravel—pitatWansdon,swallowsintheeavesatRobinHill,andthesparrowsofMayfair,allmadeadreamlessnightofit,soothedbythelackofwind。TheMayflyfilly,hardlyaccustomedtohernewquarters,scrapedatherstrawalittle;andthefewnight—flittingthings——bats,moths,owls——werevigorousinthewarmdarkness;butthepeaceofnightlayinthebrainofallday—timeNature,colourlessandstill。Menandwomen,alone,ridingthehobby—horsesofanxietyorlove,burnedtheirwaveringtapersofdreamandthoughtintothelonelyhours。

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