\"Ah！\"hesaid，\"whatbeauty！Andtheydon’tseeit——notoneinathousand！Pity，isn’tit？Beautyistheholything！\"
Fort，inhisturn，shruggedhisshoulders。\"Everymantohisvision！\"hesaid。\"Myleg’sbeginningtobotherme;I’mafraidI
musttakeacab。Here’smyaddress;anytimeyouliketocome。I’mofteninaboutseven。Ican’ttakeyouanywhere，Isuppose？\"
\"Athousandthanks，monsieur;butIgonorth。Ilovedyourwordsaboutthepack。Ioftenwakeatnightandhearthehowlingofallthepacksoftheworld。Thosewhoarebynaturegentlenowadaysfeeltheyarestrangersinafarland。Goodnight，monsieur！\"
Hetookoffhisqueerhat，bowedlow，andcrossedoutintotheStrand，likeonewhohadcomeinadream，andfadedoutwiththewaking。Forthailedacab，andwenthome，stillseeingNoel’sface。
Therewasone，ifyouliked，waitingtobethrowntothewolves，waitingfortheworld’spacktobeginhowlingroundher——thatlovelychild;andthefirst，theloudestofallthepack，perhaps，mustbeherownfather，thelean，darkfigurewiththegentleface，andtheburntbrighteyes。Whataghastlybusiness！HisdreamsthatnightwerenotsuchasLeilawouldhaveapproved。
IX
Wheninthecupboardthereisarealandverybonyskeleton，carefullykeptfromthesightofasinglememberofthefamily，thepositionofthatmemberisliabletobecomelonely。ButPierson，whohadbeenlonelyfifteenyears，didnotfeelitsomuch，perhaps，asmostmenwouldhave。Inhisdreamynaturetherewasacuriousself—
sufficiency，whichonlyviolentshocksdisturbed，andhewentonwithhisroutineofduty，whichhadbecomeforhimassetasthepavementshetrodonhiswaytoandfromit。Itwasnotexactlytrue，asthepainterhadsaid，thatthisroutinedidnotbringhimintotouchwithlife。Afterallhesawpeoplewhentheywereborn，whentheymarried，whentheydied。Hehelpedthemwhentheywantedmoney，andwhentheywereill;hetoldtheirchildrenBiblestoriesonSundayafternoons;heservedthosewhowereinneedwithsoupandbreadfromhissoupkitchen。Heneversparedhimselfinanyway，andhisearswerealwaysattheserviceoftheirwoes。Andyethedidnotunderstandthem，andtheyknewthat。Itwasasthoughhe，orthey，werecolour—blind。Thevalueswerealldifferent。Hewasseeingonesetofobjects，theyanother。
Onestreetofhisparishtouchedamainlineofthoroughfare，andformedalittlepartofthenewhunting—groundsofwomen，who，chasedforthfromtheirusualhauntsbytheAuthoritiesunderpressureofthecountry’sdanger，nowpursuedtheircallinginthedark。ThisparticularevilhadalwaysbeenasortofnightmaretoPierson。Thestarvationwhichruledhisownexistenceinclinedhimtoaparticularlysevereviewandseveritywasnothisstrongpoint。Inconsequencetherewaseverwithinhimasortofverypersonalandpoignantstrugglegoingonbeneaththatseemingattitudeofrigiddisapproval。Hejoinedthehunters，asitwere，becausehewasafraid—not，ofcourse，ofhisowninstincts，forhewasfastidious，agentleman，andapriest，butofbeinglenienttoasin，tosomethingwhichGodabhorred:Hewas，asitwere，boundtotakeaprofessionalviewofthisparticularoffence。Wheninhiswalksabroadhepassedoneofthesewomen，hewouldunconsciouslypursehislips，andfrown。
Thedarknessofthestreetsseemedtolendthemsuchpower，suchunholysovereigntyoverthenight。Theyweresuchadangertothesoldiers，too;andinturn，thesoldiersweresuchadangertothelambsofhisflock。Domesticdisastersinhisparishcametohisearsfromtimetotime;casesofyounggirlswhoseheadswereturnedbysoldiers，sothattheywereabouttobecomemothers。Theyseemedtohimpitifulindeed;buthecouldnotforgivethemfortheirgiddiness，forputtingtemptationinthewayofbraveyoungmen，fighting，orabouttofight。Theglamourwhichsurroundedsoldierswasnotexcuseenough。Whenthebabieswereborn，andcametohisnotice，heconsultedaCommitteehehadformed，ofthreemarriedandtwomaidenladies，whovisitedthemothers，andifnecessarytookthebabiesintoacreche;forthosebabieshadanewvaluetothecountry，andwerenot——poorlittlethings！——tobeheldresponsiblefortheirmothers’faults。Hehimselfsawlittleoftheyoungmothers;shyofthem，secretlyafraid，perhaps，ofnotbeingcensoriousenough。ButonceinawayLifesethimfacetofacewithone。
OnNewYear’sEvehewassittinginhisstudyaftertea，atthathourwhichhetriedtokeepforhisparishioners，whenaMrs。Mitchettwasannounced，asmallbookseller’swife，whomheknewforanoccasionalCommunicant。Shecamein，accompaniedbyayoungdark—eyedgirlinaloosemouse—colouredcoat。Athisinvitationtheysatdowninfrontofthelongbookcaseonthetwogreenleatherchairswhichhadgrownwornintheserviceoftheparish;and，screwedroundinhischairatthebureau，withhislongmusician’sfingerspressedtogether，helookedatthemandwaited。Thewomanhadtakenoutherhandkerchief，andwaswipinghereyes;butthegirlsatquiet，asthemouseshesomewhatresembledinthatcoat。
\"Yes，Mrs。Mitchett？\"Hesaidgently，atlast。
Thewomanputawayherhandkerchief，sniffedresolutely，andbegan:
\"It’s’Ilda，sir。SuchathingMitchettandmenevercould’aveexpected，comin’onussosudden。Ithoughtitbesttobring，’erround，poorgirl。Ofcourse，it’sallthewar。I’vewarned’eradozentimes;butthereitis，comin’nextmonth，andthemaninFrance。\"Piersoninstinctivelyavertedhisgazefromthegirl，whohadnotmovedhereyesfromhisface，whichshescannedwithaseemingabsenceofinterest，asifshehadlonggivenupthinkingoverherlot，andleftitnowtoothers。
\"Thatissad，\"hesaid;\"very，verysad。\"
\"Yes，\"murmuredMrs。Mitchett;\"that’swhatItell’Ilda。\"
Thegirl’sglance，loweredforasecond，resumeditsimpersonalscrutinyofPierson’sface。
\"Whatistheman’snameandregiment？PerhapswecangetleaveforhimtocomehomeandmarryHildaatonce。\"
Mrs。Mitchettsniffed。\"Shewon’tgiveit，sir。Now，’Ilda，giveittoMr。Pierson。\"Andhervoicehadarealnoteofentreaty。Thegirlshookherhead。Mrs。Mitchettmurmureddolefully:\"That’s’owsheis，sir;notawordwillshesay。AndasItellher，wecanonlythinktheremust’avebeenmorethanone。Andthatdoesputustoshameso！\"
Butstillthegirlmadenosign。
\"Youspeaktoher，sir;I’mreallyatmywit’send。\"
\"Whywon’tyoutellus？\"saidPierson。\"Themanwillwanttodotherightthing，’I’msure。\"
Thegirlshookherhead，andspokeforthefirsttime。
\"Idon’tknowhisname。\"
Mrs。Mitchett’sfacetwitched。
\"Oh，dear！\"shesaid:\"Thinkofthat！She’sneversaidasmuchtous。\"
\"Notknowhisname？\"Piersonmurmured。\"Buthow——howcouldyou——\"
hestopped，buthisfacehaddarkened。\"Surelyyouwouldneverhavedonesuchathingwithoutaffection？Come，tellme！\"
\"Idon’tknowit，\"thegirlrepeated。
\"It’stheseParks，\"saidMrs。Mitchett，frombehindherhandkerchief。\"Andtothinkthatthis’llbeourfirstgrandchildandall！’Ildaisdifficult;asquiet，asquiet;butthatstubborn——\"
Piersonlookedatthegirl，whoseemed，ifanything，lessinterestedthanever。Thisimpenetrabilityandsomethingmulishinherattitudeannoyedhim。\"Ican’tthink，\"hesaid，\"howyoucouldsohaveforgottenyourself。It’strulygrievous。\"
Mrs。Mitchettmurmured:\"Yes，sir;thegirlsgetsitintotheirheadsthatthere’sgoingtobenoyoungmenforthem。\"
\"That’sright，\"saidthegirlsullenly。
Pierson’slipsgrewtighter。\"Well，whatcanIdoforyou，Mrs。
Mitchett？\"hesaid。\"Doesyourdaughtercometochurch？\"
Mrs。Mitchettshookherheadmournfully。\"Neversinceshehadherbyke。\"
Piersonrosefromhischair。Theoldstory！Controlanddisciplineundermined，andthesebitterapplestheresult！
\"Well，\"hesaid，\"ifyouneedourcreche，youhaveonlytocometome，\"andheturnedtothegirl。\"Andyou——won’tyouletthisdreadfulexperiencemoveyourheart？Mydeargirl，wemustallmasterourselves，ourpassions，andourfoolishwilfulness，especiallyinthesetimeswhenourcountryneedsusstrong，andself—
disciplined，notthinkingofourselves。I’msureyou’reagoodgirlatheart。\"
Thegirl’sdarkeyes，unmovedfromhisface，rousedinhimaspasmofnervousirritation。\"Yoursoulisingreatdanger，andyou’reveryunhappy，Icansee。TurntoGodforhelp，andinHismercyeverythingwillbemadesodifferentforyou——soverydifferent！
Come！\"
Thegirlsaidwithasortofsurprisingquietness:\"Idon’twantthebaby！\"
Theremarkstaggeredhim，almostasifshehadutteredahideousoath。
’Ildawasinmunitions，\"saidhermotherinanexplanatoryvoice:
\"earnin’amatteroffourpoundaweek。Oh！dear，itisawastean’
all！\"Aqueer，ratherterriblelittlesmilecurledPierson’slips。
\"Ajudgment！\"hesaid。\"Goodevening，Mrs。Mitchett。Goodevening，Hilda。Ifyouwantmewhenthetimecomes，sendforme。\"
Theystoodup;heshookhandswiththem;andwassuddenlyawarethatthedoorwasopen，andNoelstandingthere。Hehadheardnosound;
andhowlongshehadbeentherehecouldnottell。Therewasasingularfixityinherfaceandattitude。Shewasstaringatthegirl，who，asshepassed，liftedherface，sothatthedarkeyesandthegreyeyesmet。Thedoorwasshut，andNoelstoodtherealonewithhim。
\"Aren’tyouearly，mychild？\"saidPierson。\"Youcameinveryquietly。\"
\"Yes;Iheard。\"
Aslightshockwentthroughhimatthetoneofhervoice;herfacehadthatpossessedlookwhichhealwaysdreaded。\"Whatdidyouhear？\"hesaid。
\"Iheardyousay:’Ajudgment！’You’llsaythesametome，won’tyou？Only，Idowantmybaby。\"
Shewasstandingwithherbacktothedoor，overwhichadarkcurtainhung;herfacelookedyoungandsmallagainstitsstuff，hereyesverylarge。Withonehandshepluckedatherblouse，justoverherheart。
Piersonstaredather，andgrippedthebackofthechairhehadbeensittingin。Alifetimeofrepressionservedhiminthehalf—realisedhorrorofthatmoment。Hestammeredoutthesingleword\"Nollie！\"
\"It’squitetrue，\"shesaid，turnedround，andwentout。
Piersonhadasortofvertigo;ifhehadmoved，hemusthavefallendown。Nollie！Heslidroundandsankintohischair，andbysomehorriblecruelfictionofhisnerves，heseemedtofeelNoelonhisknee，as，whenalittlegirl，shehadbeenwonttosit，withherfairhairfluffingagainsthischeek。Heseemedtofeelthathairticklinghisskin;itusedtobethegreatestcomforthehadknownsincehermotherdied。Atthatmomenthisprideshrivelledlikeaflowerheldtoaflame;allthatabundantsecretprideofafatherwholovesandadmires，whoworshipsstilladeadwifeinthechildrenshehaslefthim;who，humblebynature，yetneverknowshowproudheistillthebitterthinghappens;allthelongprideofthepriestwho，bydintofexhortationandremonstrancehascoatedhimselfinasuperiorityhehardlysuspects——allthisprideshrivelledinhim。
Thensomethingwrithedandcriedwithin，asatorturedbeastcries，atlosstoknowwhyitisbeingtortured。Howmanytimeshasnotamanusedthosewords:\"MyGod！MyGod！WhyhastThouforsakenme！\"
Hesprangupandtriedtopacehiswayoutofthiscageofconfusion:
Histhoughtsandfeelingsmadethestrangestmedley，spiritualandworldly——Socialostracism——hersoulinperil——atrialsentbyGod！
Thefuture！Imaginationfailedhim。Hewenttohislittlepiano，openedit，closeditagain;tookhishat，andstoleout。Hewalkedfast，withoutknowingwhere。Itwasverycold——aclear，bitterevening。Silentrapidmotioninthefrostyairwassomerelief。AsNoelhadfledfromhim，havingutteredhernews，sodidheflyfromher。Theafflictedwalkfast。Hewassoondownbytheriver，andturnedWestalongitswall。Themoonwasup，brightandnearlyfull，andthesteel—likeshimmerofitslightburnishedtheebbingwater。
Acruelnight！HecametotheObelisk，andleanedagainstit，overcomebyaspasmofrealisation。Heseemedtoseehisdeadwife’sfacestaringathimoutofthepast，likeanaccusation。\"HowhaveyoucaredforNollie，thatsheshouldhavecometothis？\"Itbecamethefaceofthemoonlitsphinx，staringstraightathim，thebroaddarkfacewithwidenostrils，cruellips，fulleyesblankofpupils，alllivenedandwhitenedbythemoonlight——anembodimentofthemarvellousunseeingenergyofLife，twistingandturningheartswithoutmercy。Hegazedintothoseeyeswithasortofscareddefiance。Thegreatclawedpawsofthebeast，thestrengthandremorselessserenityofthatcrouchingcreaturewithhumanhead，madelivingbyhisimaginationandthemoonlight，seemedtohimlikeatemptationtodenyGod，likearefutationofhumanvirtue。
Then，thesenseofbeautystirredinhim;hemovedwherehecouldseeitsflankscoatedinsilverbythemoonlight，theribsandthegreatmuscles，andthetailwithtipcoiledoverthehaunch，liketheheadofaserpent。Itwasweirdlyliving;fineandcruel，thatgreatman—
madething。Itexpressedsomethinginthesoulofman，pitilessandremotefromlove——orrather，theremorselessnesswhichmanhadseen，lurkingwithinman’sfate。Piersonrecoiledfromit，andresumedhismarchalongtheEmbankment，almostdesertedinthebittercold。Hecametowhere，intheopeningoftheUndergroundrailway，hecouldseethelittleformsofpeoplemoving，littleorangeandredlightsglowing。Thesightarrestedhimbyitswarmthandmotion。Wasitnotalladream？Thatwomanandherdaughter，hadtheyreallycome？
HadnotNoelbeenbutanapparition，herwordsatrickwhichhisnerveshadplayedhim？Then，toovividlyagain，hesawherfaceagainstthedarkstuffofthecurtain，thecurveofherhandpluckingatherblouse，heardthesoundofhisownhorrified:\"Nollie！\"Noillusion，nodeception！Theedificeofhislifewasinthedust。
Andaqueerandghastlycompanyoffacescameabouthim;faceshehadthoughtfriendly，ofgoodmenandwomenwhomheknew，yetatthatmomentdidnotknow，allgatheredroundNoel，withfingerspointingather。Hestaggeredbackfromthatvision，couldnotbearit，couldnotrecognisethiscalamity。Withasortofcomfort，yetanachingsenseofunreality，hismindflewtoallthosesummerholidaysspentinScotland，Ireland，Cornwall，Wales，bymountainandlake，withhistwogirls;whatsunsets，andturningleaves，birds，beasts，andinsectstheyhadwatchedtogether！Fromtheiryouthfulcompanionship，theireagerness，theirconfidenceinhim，hehadknownsomuchwarmthandpleasure。Ifallthosememoriesweretrue，surelythiscouldnotbetrue。Hefeltsuddenlythathemusthurryback，gostraighttoNoel，tellherthatshehadbeencrueltohim，orassurehimselfthat，forthemoment，shehadbeeninsane:Histemperrosesuddenly，tookfire。Hefeltangeragainsther，againsteveryoneheknew，againstlifeitself。Thrustinghishandsdeepintothepocketsofhisthinblackovercoat，heplungedintothatnarrowglowingtunnelofthestationbooking—office，whichledbacktothecrowdedstreets。Butbythetimehereachedhomehisangerhadevaporated;
hefeltnothingbututterlassitude。Itwasnineo’clock，andthemaidshadclearedthediningtable。IndespairNoelhadgoneuptoherroom。Hehadnocourageleft，andsatdownsupperlessathislittlepiano，lettinghisfingersfindsoftpainfulharmonies，sothatNoelperhapsheardthefaintfarthrummingofthatmusicthroughuneasydreams。Andtherehestayed，tillitbecametimeforhimtogoforthtotheOldYear’sMidnightService。
Whenhereturned，Piersonwrappedhimselfinarugandlaydownontheoldsofainhisstudy。Themaid，cominginnextmorningto\"do\"
thegrate，foundhimstillasleep。Shestoodcontemplatinghiminawe;abroad—faced，kindly，fresh—colouredgirl。Helaywithhisfacerestingonhishand，hisdark，justgrizzlinghairunruffled，asifhehadnotstirredallnight;hisotherhandclutchedtherugtohischest，andhisbootedfeetprotrudedbeyondit。Toheryoungeyeshelookedratherappallinglyneglected。Shegazedwithinterestatthehollowsinhischeeks，andthefurrowsinhisbrow，andthelips，dark—moustachedandbearded，sotightlycompressed，evenin。
sleep。Beingholydidn’tmakeamanhappy，itseemed！Whatfascinatedherwerethecinderyeyelashesrestingonthecheeks，thefaintmovementoffaceandbodyashebreathed，thegentlehissofbreathescapingthroughthetwitchingnostrils。Shemovednearer，bendingdownoverhim，withthechildlikenotionofcountingthoselashes。Herlipspartedinreadinesstosay:\"Oh！\"ifhewaked。
Somethinginhisface，andthelittletwitcheswhichpassedoverit，madeherfeel\"thatsorry\"forhim。Hewasagentleman，hadmoney，preachedtohereverySunday，andwasnotsoveryold——whatmorecouldamanwant？Andyet——helookedsotired，withthosecheeks。
Shepitiedhim;helplessandlonelyheseemedtoher，asleepthereinsteadofgoingtobedproperly。Andsighing，shetiptoedtowardsthedoor。
\"Isthatyou，Bessie？\"
Thegirlturned:\"Yes，sir。I’msorryIwokeyou，sir。’AppyNewYear，sir！\"
\"Ah，yes。AHappyNewYear，Bessie。\"
Shesawhisusualsmile，sawitdie，andafixedlookcomeonhisface;itscaredher，andshehurriedaway。Piersonhadremembered。
Forfullfiveminuteshelaytherestaringatnothing。Thenherose，foldedtherugmechanically，andlookedattheclock。Eight！Hewentupstairs，knockedonNoel’sdoor，andentered。
Theblindsweredrawnup，butshewasstillinbed。Hestoodlookingdownather。\"AHappyNewYear，mychild！\"hesaid;andhetrembledallover，shiveringvisibly。Shelookedsoyoungandinnocent，soround—facedandfresh，afterhernight’ssleep，thatthethoughtsprangupinhimagain:’Itmusthavebeenadream！’Shedidnotmove，butaslowflushcameupinhercheeks。Nodream——dream！Hesaidtremulously:\"Ican’trealise。I——IhopedIhadheardwrong。
Didn’tI，Nollie？Didn’tI？\"
Shejustshookherhead。
\"Tellme——everything，\"hesaid;\"forGod’ssake！\"
Hesawherlipsmoving，andcaughtthemurmur:Theresnothingmore。
GratianandGeorgeknow，andLeila。Itcan’tbeundone，Daddy。
PerhapsIwouldn’thavewantedtomakesure，ifyouhadn’ttriedtostopCyrilandme——andI’mgladsometimes，becauseIshallhavesomethingofhis——\"Shelookedupathim。\"Afterall，it’sthesame，really;only，there’snoring。It’snogoodtalkingtomenow，asifIhadn’tbeenthinkingofthisforages。I’musedtoanythingyoucansay;I’vesaidittomyself，yousee。There’snothingbuttomakethebestofit。\"
Herhothandcameoutfromunderthebedclothes，andclutchedhisverytight。Herflushhaddeepened，andhereyesseemedtohimtoglitter。
\"Oh，Daddy！Youdolooktired！Haven’tyoubeentobed？PoorDaddy！\"
Thathotclutch，andthewords:\"PoorDaddy！\"broughttearsintohiseyes。Theyrolledslowlydowntohisbeard，andhecoveredhisfacewiththeotherhand。Hergriptightenedconvulsively;suddenlyshedraggedittoherlips，kissedit，andletitdrop。
\"Don’t！\"shesaid，andturnedawayherface。
Piersoneffacedhisemotion，andsaidquitecalmly:
\"Shallyouwishtobeathome，mydear，ortogoelsewhere？\"
Noelhadbeguntotossherheadonherpillow，likeafeverishchildwhosehairgetsinitseyesandmouth。
\"Oh！Idon’tknow;whatdoesitmatter？\"
\"Kestrel;wouldyouliketogothere？Youraunt——Icouldwritetoher。\"Noelstaredathimamoment;astruggleseemedgoingonwithinher。
\"Yes，\"shesaid，\"Iwould。Only，notUncleBob。\"
\"Perhapsyourunclewouldcomeuphere，andkeepmecompany。\"
Sheturnedherfaceaway，andthattossingmovementofthelimbsbeneaththeclothesbeganagain。\"Idon’tcare，\"shesaid;
\"anywhere——itdoesn’tmatter。\"
Piersonputhischillyhandonherforehead。\"Gently！\"hesaid，andkneltdownbythebed。\"MercifulFather，\"hemurmured，\"giveusstrengthtobearthisdreadfultrial。Keepmybelovedchildsafe，andbringherpeace;andgivemetounderstandhowIhavedonewrong，howIhavefailedtowardsThee，andher。Inallthingschastenandstrengthenher，mychild，andme。\"
Histhoughtsmovedonintheconfused，inarticulatesuspenseofprayer，tillheheardhersay:\"Youhaven’tfailed;whydoyoutalkoffailing——itisn’ttrue;anddon’tprayforme，Daddy。\"
Piersonraisedhimself，andmovedbackfromthebed。Herwordsconfoundedhim，yethewasafraidtoanswer。Shepushedherheaddeepintothepillow，andlaylookingupattheceiling。
\"Ishallhaveason;Cyrilwon’tquitehavedied。AndIdon’twanttobeforgiven。\"
Hedimlyperceivedwhatlongdumbprocessesofthoughtandfeelinghadgoneoninhertoproducethishardenedstateofmind，whichtohimseemedalmostblasphemous。Andintheverymidstofthisturmoilinhisheart，hecouldnothelpthinkinghowlovelyherfacelooked，lyingbacksothatthecurveofherthroatwasbared，withtheshorttendrilsofhaircoilingaboutit。Thatflung—backhead，movingrestlesslyfromsidetosideintheheatofthesoftpillow，hadsuchapassionofprotestinglifeinit！Andhekeptsilence。
\"Iwantyoutoknowitwasallme。ButIcan’tpretend。OfcourseI’lltryandnotletithurtyoumorethanIpossiblycan。I’msorryforyou，poorDaddy;oh！I’msorryforyou！\"Withamovementincrediblylitheandswift，sheturnedandpressedherfacedowninthepillow，sothatallhecouldseewashertumbledhairandthebedclothestremblingabovehershoulders。Hetriedtostrokethathair，butsheshookherheadfree，andhestoleout。
Shedidnotcometobreakfast;andwhenhisownwretchedmealwasover，themechanismofhisprofessionallifecaughthimagainatonce。NewYear’sDay！Hehadmuchtodo。Hehad，beforeall，tobeofacheerfulcountenancebeforehisflock，togreetallandanywithanairofhopeandcourage。
X
1
ThirzaPierson，seeingherbrother—in—law’shandwriting，naturallysaid:\"Here’saletterfromTed。\"
BobPierson，withamouthfullofsausage，asnaturallyresponded:
\"Whatdoeshesay？\"
Inreadingon，shefoundthattoanswerthatquestionwasoneofthemostdifficulttaskseversether。Itsnewsmovedanddisturbedherdeeply。Underherwingthisdisasterhadhappened！Downherehadbeenwroughtthismostdeplorablemiracle，fraughtwithsuchdislocationoflives！Noel’sface，absorbedandpassionate，outsidethedoorofherroomonthenightwhenCyrilMorlandwentaway——herinstincthadbeenright！
\"Hewantsyoutogoupandstaywithhim，Bob。\"
\"Whynotbothofus？\"
\"HewantsNollietocomedowntome;she’snotwell。\"
\"Notwell？What’sthematter？\"
Totellhimseemeddisloyaltytohersex;nottotellhim，disloyaltytoherhusband。Asimpleconsiderationoffactandnotofprinciple，decidedher。Hewouldcertainlysayinamoment:’Here！Pitchitover！’andshewouldhaveto。Shesaidtranquilly:
\"YourememberthatnightwhenCyrilMorlandwentaway，andNoelbehavedsostrangely。Well，mydear;sheisgoingtohaveachildatthebeginningofApril。Thepoorboyisdead，Bob;hediedfortheCountry。\"
Shesawtheredtideflowupintohisface。
\"What！\"
\"PoorEdwardisdreadfullyupset。Wemustdowhatwecan。Iblamemyself。\"Byinstinctsheusedthosewords。
\"Blameyourself？Stuff！Thatyoung——！\"Hestopped。
Thirzasaidquietly:\"No，Bob;ofthetwo，I’msureitwasNoel;shewasdesperatethatday。Don’tyourememberherface？Oh！thiswar！
It’sturnedthewholeworldupsidedown。That’stheonlycomfort;
nothing’snormal\"
BobPiersonpossessedbeyondmostmenthesecretofhappiness，forhewasalwaysabsorbedinthemoment，tothepointofunself—
consciousness。Eatinganegg，cuttingdownatree，sittingonaTribunal，makinguphisaccounts，plantingpotatoes，lookingatthemoon，ridinghiscob，readingtheLessons——nopartofhimstoodasidetoseehowhewasdoingit，orwonderwhyhewasdoingit，ornotdoingitbetter。Hegrewlikeacork—tree，andactedlikeasturdyandwell—natureddog。Hisgriefs，angers，andenjoymentsweresimpleasachild’s，orashissomewhatnoisyslumbers。Theywerenotablywell—suited，forThirzahadthesamesecretofhappiness，thoughher，absorptioninthemomentdidnot——asbecameawoman——preventherbeingconsciousofothers;indeed，suchformedthechiefsubjectofherabsorptions。Onemightsaythattheyneitherofthemhadphilosophyyetwereasphilosophicacoupleasonecouldmeetonthisearthoftheself—conscious。Dailylifetothesetwowasstillofsimplesavour。Tobeabsorbedinlife——thequeerendlesstissueofmomentsandthingsfeltanddoneandsaidandmade，theoddinspiritingconjunctionsofcountlesspeople——wasnaturaltothem;
buttheyneverthoughtwhethertheywereabsorbedornot，orhadanyparticularattitudetoLifeorDeath——agreatblessingattheepochinwhichtheywereliving。
BobPierson，then，pacedtheroom，soabsorbedinhisdismayandconcern，thathewasalmosthappy。
\"ByJove！\"hesaid，\"whataghastlything！
Nollie，ofallpeople！Ifeelperfectlywretched，Thirza;wretchedbeyondwords。\"Butwitheachrepetitionhisvoicegrewcheerier，andThirzafeltthathewasalreadyovertheworst。
\"Yourcoffee’sgettingcold！\"shesaid。
\"Whatdoyouadvise？ShallIgoup，heh？\"
\"Ithinkyou’llbeagodsendtopoorTed;you’llkeephisspiritsup。