Ansellyawned。
\"IsawRickietoo。OnceIdinedthere。\"
Anotheryawn。
\"MycousinthinksMrs。Elliotoneofthemosthorriblewomenhehaseverseen。Hecallsher’MedusainArcady。’She’ssopleasant，too。Butcertainlyitwasaverystonymeal。\"
\"Whatkindofstoniness\"
\"Noonestoppedtalkingforamoment。\"
\"That’stherealkind，\"saidAnsellmoodily。\"Theonlykind。\"
\"Well，I，\"hecontinued，\"aminclinedtocomparehertoanelectriclight。Click！she’son。Click！she’soff。Nowaste。Noflicker。\"
\"Iwishshe’dfuse。\"
\"She’llneverfuse——unlessanythingwastohappenatthemain。\"
\"Whatdoyoumeanbythemain？\"saidAnsell，whoalwayspursuedametaphorrelentlessly。
Widdringtondidnotknowwhathemeant，andsuggestedthatAnsellshouldvisitSawstontoseewhetheronecouldknow。
\"Itisnogoodmegoing。IshouldnotfindMrs。Elliot:shehasnorealexistence。\"
\"Rickiehas。\"
\"Iverymuchdoubtit。IhadtwolettersfromIlfracombelastApril，andIverymuchdoubtthatthemanwhowrotethemcanexist。\"Bendingdownwardshebegantoadornthemanuscriptofhisdissertationwithasquare，andinsidethatacircle，andinsidethatanothersquare。Itwashisseconddissertation:thefirsthadfailed。
\"Ithinkheexists:heissounhappy。\"
Ansellnodded。\"Howdidyouknowhewasunhappy？\"
\"Becausehewasalwaystalking。\"Afterapauseheadded，\"Whatcleveryoungmenweare！\"
\"Aren’twe？Iexpectweshallgetaskedinmarriagesoon。Isay，Widdrington，shallwe——？\"
\"Accept？Ofcourse。Itisnotyoungmanlytosayno。\"
\"Imeantshallweeverdoamoretremendousthing，——fuseMrs。
Elliot。\"
\"No，\"saidWiddringtonpromptly。\"Weshallneverdothatinallourlives。\"Headded，\"IthinkyoumightgodowntoSawston，though。\"
\"Ihavealreadyrefusedorignoredthreeinvitations。\"
\"SoIgathered。\"
\"What’sthegoodofit？\"saidAnsellthroughhisteeth。\"1willnotputupwithlittlethings。IwouldratherberudethantolistentotwaddlefromamanI’veknown。
\"YoumightgodowntoSawston，justforanight，toseehim。\"
\"Isawhimlastmonth——atleast，soTilliardinformsme。Hesaysthatweallthreelunchedtogether，thatRickiepaid，andthattheconversationwasmostinteresting。\"
\"Well，Icontendthathedoesexist，andthatifyougo——oh，I
can’tbecleveranylonger。Youreallymustgo，man。I’mcertainhe’smiserableandlonely。DunwoodHousereeksofcommerceandsnobberyandallthethingshehatedmost。Hedoesn’tdoanything。Hedoesn’tmakeanyfriends。Heissoodd，too。Inthisday—boyrowthathasjuststartedhe’sgoneformycousin。Wouldyoubelieveit？Quitespitefully。ItmadequiteadifficultywhenIwantedtodine。Itisn’tlikehimeitherthesentimentsorthebehaviour。I’msurehe’snothimself。Pembrokeusedtolookaftertheday—boys，andsohecan’tverywelltaketheleadagainstthem，andperhapsRickie’sdoinghisdirtywork——andhasoverdoneit，asdecentpeoplegenerallydo。He’sevenalteringtotalkto。
Yethe’snotbeenmarriedayear。Pembrokeandthatwifesimplyrunhim。Idon’tseewhytheyshould，andnomoredoyou;andthat’swhyIwantyoutogotoSawston，ifonlyforonenight。\"
Ansellshookhishead，andlookedupatthedomeasothermenlookatthesky。Initthegreatarclampssputteredandflared，forthemonthwasagainNovember。Thenheloweredhiseyesfromthecoldvioletradiancetothebooks。
\"No，Widdrington;no。Wedon’tgotoseepeoplebecausetheyarehappyorunhappy。Wegowhenwecantalktothem。IcannottalktoRickie，thereforeIwillnotwastemytimeatSawston。\"
\"Ithinkyou’reright，\"saidWiddringtonsoftly。\"Butwearebloodlessbrutes。Iwonderwhether—Ifweweredifferentpeople——somethingmightbedonetosavehim。Thatisthecurseofbeingalittleintellectual。Youandoursorthavealwaysseentooclearly。Westandaside——andmeanwhileheturnsintostone。
TwophilosophicyouthsrepiningintheBritishMuseum！Whathavewedone？Whatshallweeverdo？Justdriftandcriticize，whilepeoplewhoknowwhattheywantsnatchitawayfromusandlaugh。\"
\"Perhapsyouarethatsort。I’mnot。WhenthemomentcomesI
shallhitoutlikeanyploughboy。Don’tbelievethoseliesaboutintellectualpeople。They’reonlywrittentosoothethemajority。
Doyousuppose，withtheworldasitis，thatit’saneasymattertokeepquiet？DoyousupposethatIdidn’twanttorescuehimfromthatghastlywoman？Action！Nothing’seasierthanaction;asfoolstestify。ButIwanttoactrightly。\"
\"Thesuperintendentislookingatus。Imustgetbacktomywork。\"
\"Youthinkthisallnonsense，\"saidAnsell，detaininghim。
\"PleaserememberthatifIdoact，youareboundtohelpme。\"
Widdringtonlookedalittlegrave。Hewasnoanarchist。AfewplaintivecriesagainstMrs。Elliotwereallthathepreparedtoemit。
\"There’snomystery，\"continuedAnsell。\"Ihaven’ttheshadowofaplaninmyhead。IknownotonlyRickiebutthewholeofhishistory:yourememberthedaynearMadingley。Nothingineitherhelpsme:I’mjustwatching。\"
\"Butwhatfor？\"
\"FortheSpiritofLife。\"
Widdringtonwassurprised。Itwasaphraseunknowntotheirphilosophy。Theyhadtrespassedintopoetry。
\"Youcan’tfightMedusawithanythingelse。IfyouaskmewhattheSpiritofLifeis，ortowhatitisattached，Ican’ttellyou。Ionlytellyou，watchforit。MyselfI’vefounditinbooks。Somepeoplefinditoutofdoorsorineachother。Nevermind。It’sthesamespirit，andItrustmyselftoknowitanywhere，andtouseitrightly。\"
Butatthispointthesuperintendentsentamessage。
Widdringtonthensuggestedastrollinthegalleries。Itwasfoggy:theyneededfreshair。Helovedandadmiredhisfriend，buttodayhecouldnotgrasphim。TheworldasAnsellsawitseemedsuchafantasticplace，governedbybrand—newlaws。WhatmorecouldonedothantoseeRickieasoftenaspossible，toinvitehisconfidence，toofferhimspiritualsupport？AndMrs。
Elliot——whatpowercould\"fuse\"arespectablewoman？
Ansellconsentedtothestroll，but，asusual，onlybreatheddepression。Thecomfortofbooksdesertedhimamongthosemarblegoddessesandgods。Theeyeofanartistfindspleasureintextureandpoise，buthecouldonlythinkofthevanishedincenseanddesertedtemplesbesideanunfurrowedsea。
\"Letusgo，\"hesaid。\"Idonotlikecarvedstones。\"
\"Youaretooparticular，\"saidWiddrington。\"Youarealwaysexpectingtomeetlivingpeople。Oneneverdoes。IamcontentwiththeParthenonfrieze。\"Andhemovedalongafewyardsofit，whileAnsellfollowed，consciousonlyofitspathos。
\"There’sTilliard，\"heobserved。\"Shallwekillhim？\"
\"Please，\"saidWiddrington，andashespokeTilliardjoinedthem。
Hebroughtthemnews。ThatmorninghehadheardfromRickie:Mrs。
Elliotwasexpectingachild。
\"Achild？\"saidAnsell，suddenlybewildered。
\"Oh，Iforgot，\"interposedWiddrington。\"Mycousindidtellme。\"
\"Youforgot！Well，afterall，Iforgotthatitmightbe，Weareindeedyoungmen。\"HeleantagainstthepedestalofIlissusandrememberedtheirtalkabouttheSpiritofLife。Inhisignoranceofwhatachildmeanshewonderedwhethertheopportunityhesoughtlayhere。
\"Iamveryglad，\"saidTilliard，notwithoutintention。\"Achildwilldrawthemevenclosertogether。Iliketoseeyoungpeoplewrappedupintheirchild。\"
\"IsupposeImustbegettingbacktomydissertation，\"saidAnsell。HelefttheParthenontopassbythemonumentsofourmorereticentbeliefs——thetempleoftheEphesianArtemis，thestatueoftheCnidianDemeter。Honest，heknewthatherewerepowershecouldnotcopewith，nor，asyet，understand。
XXI
ThemiststhathadgatheredroundRickieseemedtobebreaking。
Hehadfoundlightneitherinworkforwhichhewasunfittednorinawomanwhohadceasedtorespecthim，andwhomhewasceasingtolove。Thoughhecalledhimselffickleandtookalltheblameoftheirmarriageonhisownshoulders，thereremainedinAgnescertainterriblefaultsofheartandhead，andnoself—reproachwoulddiminishthem。Theglamourofwedlockhadfaded;indeed，hesawnowthatithadfadedevenbeforewedlock，andthatduringthefinalmonthshehadshuthiseyesandpretendeditwasstillthere。Butnowthemistswerebreaking。
ThatNovemberthesupremeeventapproached。HesawitwithNature’seyes。Itdawnedonhim，asonAnsell，thatpersonalloveandmarriageonlycoveronesideoftheshield，andthatontheotherisgraventheepicofbirth。Inthemidstoflessonshewouldgrowdreamy，asonewhospiesanewsymbolfortheuniverse，afreshcirclewithinthesquare。Withinthesquareshallbeacircle，withinthecircleanothersquare，untilthevisualeyeisbaffled。Hereismeaningofakind。Hismotherhadforgottenherselfinhim。Hewouldforgethimselfinhisson。
Hewasathisdutieswhenthenewsarrived——takingpreparation。
Boysaremarvellouscreatures。Perhapstheywillsinkbelowthebrutes;perhapstheywillattaintoawoman’stenderness。ThoughtheydespisedRickie，andhadsufferedunderAgnes’smeanness，theironethoughtthistermwastobegentleandtogivenotrouble。
\"Rickie——onemoment——\"
Hisfacegrewashen。HefollowedHerbertintothepassage，closingthedoorofthepreparationroombehindhim。\"Oh，isshesafe？\"hewhispered。
\"Yes，yes，\"saidHerbert;buttheresoundedinhisanswerasombrehostilenote。
\"Ourboy？\"
\"Girl——agirl，dearRickie;alittledaughter。She——sheisinmanywaysahealthychild。Shewilllive——ohyes。\"Aflashofhorrorpassedoverhisface。Hehurriedintothepreparationroom，liftedthelidofhisdesk，glancedmechanicallyattheboys，andcameoutagain。
Mrs。Lewinappearedthroughthedoorthatledintotheirownpartofthehouse。
\"Bothgoingonwell！\"shecried;buthervoicealsowasgrave，exasperated。
\"Whatisit？\"hegasped。\"It’ssomethingyoudaren’ttellme。\"
\"Onlythis——stutteredHerbert。\"Youmustn’tmindwhenyousee——
she’slame。\"
Mrs。Lewindisappeared。\"Lame！butnotaslameasIam？\"
\"Oh，mydearboy，worse。Don’t——oh，beamaninthis。Comeawayfromthepreparationroom。Remembershe’lllive——inmanywayshealthy——onlyjustthisonedefect。\"
Thehorrorofthatweekneverpassedawayfromhim。Totheendofhislifeherememberedtheexcuses——theconsolationsthatthechildwouldlive;sufferedverylittle，ifatall;wouldwalkwithcrutches;wouldcertainlylive。Godwasmoremerciful。A
windowwasopenedtoowideonadraughtyday——afterashort，painlessillnesshisdaughterdied。ButthelessonhehadlearntsogliblyatCambridgeshouldbeheedednow;nochildshouldeverbeborntohimagain。
XXII
ThatsametermtheretookplaceatDunwoodHouseanotherevent。
Withtheirprivatetragedyitseemedtohavenoconnection;butintimeRickieperceiveditasabittercomment。Itsdevelopmentswereunforeseenandlasting。Itwasperhapsthemostterriblethinghehadtobear。
Vardenhadnowbeenaboarderfortenmonths。Hishealthhadbrokeninthepreviousterm，——partly，itistobefeared，astheresultoftheindifferentfood——andduringthesummerholidayshewasattackedbyaseriesofagonizingearaches。Hismother，afeebleperson，wishedtokeephimathome，butHerbertdissuadedher。SoonafterthedeathofthechildtherearoseatDunwoodHouseoneofthosewavesofhostilityofwhichnoboyknowstheoriginnoranymastercancalculatethecourse。Vardenhadneverbeenpopular——therewasnoreasonwhyheshouldbe——buthehadneverbeenseriouslybulliedhitherto。Oneeveningnearlythewholehousesetonhim。Theprefectsabsentedthemselves，thebiggerboysstoodroundandthelesserboys，towhompowerwasdelegated，flunghimdown，andrubbedhisfaceunderthedesks，andwrenchedathisears。Thenoisepenetratedthebaizedoors，andHerbertsweptthroughandpunishedthewholehouse，includingVarden，whomitwouldnotdotoleaveout。Thepoormanwashorrified。Heapprovedofalittlehealthyroughness，butthiswaspurebrutalization。Whathadcomeoverhisboys？Weretheynotgentlemen’ssons？Hewouldnotadmitthatifyouherdto—
getherhumanbeingsbeforetheycanunderstandeachotherthegreatgodPanisangry，andwillintheendevadeyourregulationsanddrivethemmad。Thatnightthevictimwasscreamingwithpain，andthedoctornextdayspokeofanoperation。Thesuspenselastedawholeweek。Commentwasmadeinthelocalpapers，andthereputationnotonlyofthehousebutoftheschoolwasimperilled。\"IfonlyIhadknown，\"repeatedHerbert——\"ifonlyIhadknownIwouldhavearrangeditalldifferently。Heshouldhavehadacubicle。\"Theboydidnotdie，butheleftSawston，nevertoreturn。
ThedaybeforehisdepartureRickiesatwithhimsometime，andtriedtotalkinawaythatwasnotpedantic。Inhisownsorrow，whichhecouldsharewithnoone，leastofallwithhiswife，hewasstillalivetothesorrowsofothers。Hestillfoughtagainstapathy，thoughhewaslosingthebattle。
\"Don’tloseheart，\"hetoldhim。\"Theworldisn’tallgoingtobelikethis。Therearetemptationsandtrials，ofcourse，butnothingatallofthekindyouhavehadhere。\"
\"Butschoolistheworldinminiature，isitnot，sir？\"askedtheboy，hopingtopleaseonemasterbyechoingwhathadbeentoldhimbyanother。Hewasalwaysonthelookoutforsympathy——:itwasoneofthethingsthathadcontributedtohisdownfall。
\"Inevernoticedthatmyself。Iwasunhappyatschool，andintheworldpeoplecanbeveryhappy。\"
Vardensighedandrolledabouthiseyes。\"Arethefellowssorryforwhattheydidtome？\"heaskedinanaffectedvoice。\"IamsureIforgivethemfromthebottomofmyheart。Weoughttoforgiveourenemies，oughtn’twe，sir？\"
\"Buttheyaren’tyourenemies。Ifyoumeetinfiveyears’timeyoumayfindeachothersplendidfellows。\"
Theboywouldnotadmitthis。Hehadbeenreadingsomerevivalisticliterature。\"Weoughttoforgiveourenemies，\"herepeated;\"andhoweverwickedtheyare，weoughtnottowishthemevil。WhenIwasill，anddeathseemednearest，Ihadmanykindlettersonthissubject。\"
Rickieknewaboutthese\"manykindletters。\"Vardenhadinducedthesillynursetowritetopeople——peopleofallsorts，peoplethathescarcelyknewordidnotknowatall——detailinghismisfortune，andaskingforspiritualaidandsympathy。
\"Iamsorryforthem，\"hepursued。\"Iwouldnotliketobelikethem。\"
Rickiesighed。HesawthatayearatDunwoodHousehadproducedasanctimoniousprig。\"Don’tthinkaboutthem，Varden。Thinkaboutanythingbeautiful——say，music。Youlikemusic。Behappy。It’syourduty。Youcan’tbegooduntilyou’vehadalittlehappiness。
Thenperhapsyouwillthinklessaboutforgivingpeopleandmoreaboutlovingthem。\"
\"Ilovethemalready，sir。\"AndRickie，indesperation，askedifhemightlookatthemanykindletters。
Permissionwasgladlygiven。Aneatbundlewasproduced，andforabouttwentyminutesthemasterperusedit，whiletheinvalidkeptwatchonhisface。Rookscawedoutintheplaying—fields，andcloseundertilewindowtherewasthesoundofdelightful，good—temperedlaughter。Aboyisnodevil，whateverboysmaybe。
Theletterswerechillyproductions，somewhatclericalintone，bywhomsoeverwritten。Varden，becausehewasillatthetime，hadbeentakenseriously。Thewritersdeclaredthathisillnesswasfulfillingsomemysteriouspurpose:sufferingengenderedspiritualgrowth:hewasshowingsignsofthisalready。Theyconsentedtoprayforhim，somemajestically，othersshyly。Buttheyallconsentedwithoneexception，whowordedhisrefusalasfollows:——
DearA。C。Varden，——
IoughttosaythatIneverrememberseeingyou。Iamsorrythatyouareill，andhopeyouarewrongaboutit。Whydidyounotwritebefore，forIcouldhavehelpedyouthen？Whentheypulledyourear，yououghttohavegonelikethis（herewasaroughsketch）。Icouldnotundertakepraying，butwouldthinkofyouinstead，ifthatwoulddo。Iamtwenty—twoinApril，builtratherheavy，ordinarybroadface，witheyes，etc。Iwriteallthisbecauseyouhavemixedmewithsomeoneelse，forIamnotmarried，anddonotwanttobe。Icannotthinkofyoualways，butwillpromiseaquarterofanhourdaily（say7。00—7。15A。M。），andmightcometoseeyouwhenyouarebetter——thatis，ifyouareakid，andyoureadlikeone。Ihavebeenotter—hunting——
Yourssincerely，StephenWonhamXXIII
RiekiewentstraightfromVardentohiswife，wholayonthesofainherbedroom。Therewasnowawidegulfbetweenthem。She，liketheworldshehadcreatedforhim，wasunreal。
\"Agnes，darling，\"hebegan，strokingherhand，\"suchanawkwardlittlethinghashappened。\"
\"Whatisit，dear？JustwaittillI’veaddedupthishook。\"
Shehadgotoverthetragedy:shegotovereverything。
Whenshewasatleisurehetoldher。HithertotheyhadseldommentionedStephen。Hewasclassedamongtheunprofitabledead。
Shewasmoresympatheticthanheexpected。\"DearRickie，\"shemurmuredwithavertedeyes。\"Howtiresomeforyou。\"
\"IwishthatVardenhadstoppedwithMrs。Orr。\"
\"Well，heleavesusforgoodtomorrow。\"
\"Yes，yes。AndImadehimanswertheletterandapologize。Theyhadnevermet。ItwassomeconfusionwithamanintheChurchArmy，livingataplacecalledCodford。Iaskedthenurse。Itisallexplained。\"
\"Therethematterends。\"
\"Isupposeso——ifmatterseverend。\"
\"If，byill—luck，thepersondoescall。Iwilljustseehimandsaythattheboyhasgone。\"
\"You，orI。Ihavegotoverallnonsensebythistime。He’sabsolutelynothingtomenow。\"Hetookupthetradesman’sbookandplayedwithitidly。Onitscrimsoncoverwasstampedagrotesquesheep。Howstaleandstupidtheirlifehadbecome！
\"Don’ttalklikethat，though，\"shesaiduneasily。\"Thinkhowdisastrousitwouldbeifyoumadeaslipinspeakingtohim。\"
\"Wouldit？Itwouldhavebeendisastrousonce。ButIexpect，asamatteroffact，thatAuntEmilyhasmadetheslipalready。\"
Hiswifewasdispleased。\"Youneednottalkinthatcynicalway。
IcreditAuntEmilywithbetterfeeling。WhenIwasthereshedidmentionthematter，butonlyonce。She，andI，andallwhohaveanysenseofdecency，knowbetterthantomakeslips，ortothinkofmakingthem。\"
Agneskeptupwhatshecalled\"thefamilyconnection。\"ShehadbeenoncealonetoCadover，andalsocorrespondedwithMrs。
Failing。ShehadnevertoldRickieanythingabouthervisitnorhadheeveraskedher。But，fromthismoment，thewholesubjectwasreopened。
\"Mostcertainlyheknowsnothing，\"shecontinued。\"Why，hedoesnotevenrealizethatVardenlivesinourhouse！Weareperfectlysafe——unlessAuntEmilyweretodie。Perhapsthen——butweareperfectlysafeforthepresent。\"
\"Whenshedidmentionthematter，whatdidshesay？\"
\"Wehadalongtalk，\"saidAgnesquietly。\"Shetoldmenothingnew——nothingnewaboutthepast，Imean。Butwehadalongtalkaboutthepresent。Ithink\"andhervoicegrewdispleasedagain——
\"thatyouhavebeenbothwrongandfoolishinrefusingtomakeupyourquarrelwithAuntEmily。\"
\"Wrongandwise，Ishouldsay。\"
\"Itisn’ttobeexpectedthatshe——somucholderandsosensitive——canmakethefirststep。ButIknowshe’dhegladtoseeyou。\"
\"AsfarasIcanrememberthatfinalsceneinthegarden，I
accusedherof’forgettingwhatotherpeoplewerelike。’She’llneverpardonmeforsayingthat。\"
Agneswassilent。Toherthephrasewasmeaningless。YetRickiewascorrect:Mrs。Failinghadresenteditmorethananything。
\"Atallevents，\"shesuggested，\"youmightgoandseeher。\"
\"No，dear。Thankyou，no。\"
\"Sheis，afterall——\"Shewasgoingtosay\"yourfather’ssister，\"buttheexpressionwasscarcelyahappyone，andsheturneditinto，\"Sheis，afterall，growingoldandlonely。\"
\"Soareweall！\"hecried，withalapseoftonethatwasnowcharacteristicinhim。
\"Sheoughtn’ttobesoisolatedfromherproperrelatives。
Therewasamoment’ssilence。Stillplayingwiththebook，heremarked，\"Youforget，she’sgotherfavouritenephew。\"
Abrightredflushspreadoverhercheeks。\"Whatisthematterwithyouthisafternoon？\"sheasked。\"Ishouldthinkyou’dbettergoforawalk。\"
\"BeforeIgo，tellmewhatisthematterwithyou。\"Healsoflushed。\"Whydoyouwantmetomakeitupwithmyaunt？\"
\"Becauseit’srightandproper。\"
\"So？Orbecausesheisold？\"
\"Idon’tunderstand，\"sheretorted。Buthereyesdropped。Hissuddensuspicionwastrue:shewaslegacyhunting。
\"Agnes，dearAgnes，\"hebeganwithpassingtenderness，\"howcanyouthinkofsuchthings？Youbehavelikeapoorperson。Wedon’twantanymoneyfromAuntEmily，orfromanyoneelse。Itisn’tvirtuethatmakesmesayit:wearenottemptedinthatway:wehaveasmuchaswewantalready。\"
\"Forthepresent，\"sheanswered，stilllookingaside。
\"Thereisn’tanyfuture，\"hecriedinagustofdespair。
\"Rickie，whatdoyoumean？\"
Whatdidhemean？Hemeantthattherelationsbetweenthemwerefixed——thattherewouldneverbeaninfluxofinterest，norevenofpassion。Totheendoflifetheywouldgoonbeatingtime，andthiswasenoughforher。Shewascontentwiththedailyround，thecommontask，performedindifferently。Buthehaddreamtofanotherhelpmate，andofotherthings。
\"Wedon’twantmoney——why，wedon’tevenspendanyontravelling。
I’veinvestedallmysalaryandmore。Asfarashumanforesightgoes，weshallneverwantmoney。\"Andhisthoughtswentouttothetinygrave。\"Youspokeof’rightandproper，’buttherightandproperthingformyaunttodoistoleaveeverypennyshe’sgottoStephen。\"
Herlipquivered，andforonemomenthethoughtthatshewasgoingtocry。\"WhatamItodowithyou？\"shesaid。\"Youtalklikeapersoninpoetry。\"
\"I’llputitinprose。He’slivedwithherfortwentyyears，andheoughttobepaidforit。\"
PoorAgnes！Indeed，whatwasshetodo？ThefirstmomentshesetfootinCadovershehadthought，\"Oh，hereismoney。Wemusttryandgetit。\"Beingalady，shenevermentionedthethoughttoherhusband，butsheconcludedthatitwouldoccurtohimtoo。Andnow，thoughithadoccurredtohimatlast，hewouldnotevenwritehisauntalittlenote。
Hewastotryheryetfurther。Whiletheyarguedthispointheflashedoutwith，\"Ioughttohavetoldhimthatdaywhenhecalleduptoourroom。There’swhereIwentwrongfirst。\"
\"Rickie！\"
\"InthosedaysIwassentimental。Iminded。FortwopinsI’dwritetohimthisafternoon。Whyshouldn’theknowhe’smybrother？What’sallthisridiculousmystery？\"
Shebecameincoherent。
\"ButWHYnot？Areasonwhyheshouldn’tknow。\"
\"AreasonwhyheSHOULDknow，\"sheretorted。\"Ineverheardsuchrubbish！Givemeareasonwhyheshouldknow。\"
\"Becausethelieweactedhasruinedourlives。\"
Shelookedinbewildermentatthewell—appointedroom。
\"It’sbeenlikeapoisonwewon’tacknowledge。Howmanytimeshaveyouthoughtofmybrother？I’vethoughtofhimeveryday——
notinlove;don’tmisunderstand;onlyasamedicineIshirked。
Downinwhattheycallthesubconsciousselfhehasbeenhurtingme。\"Hisvoicebroke。\"Oh，mydarling，weactedaliethen，andthisletterremindsusofitandgivesusonemorechance。Ihavetosay’we’lied。IshouldbelyingagainifItookquitealltheblame。LetusaskGod’sforgivenesstogether。Thenletuswrite，ascoldlyasyouplease，toStephen，andtellhimheismyfather’sson。\"
Herreplyneednotbequoted。Itwasthelasttimeheattemptedintimacy。Andtheremainderoftheirconversation，thoughlongandstormy，isalsobestforgotten。
ThusthefirsteffectofVarden’sletterwastomakethemquarrel。Theyhadnotopenlydisagreedbefore。Intheeveninghekissedherandsaid，\"HowabsurdIwastogetangryaboutthingsthathappenedlastyear。Iwillcertainlynotwritetotheperson。\"Shereturnedthekiss。Butheknewthattheyhaddestroyedthehabitofreverence，andwouldquarrelagain。
OnhisroundshelookedinatVardenandaskednonchalantlyfortheletter。Hecarrieditofftohisroom。Itwasunwiseofhim，forhisnerveswerealreadyunstrung，andthemanhehadtriedtoburywasstirringominously。Inthesilenceheexaminedthehandwritingtillhefeltthatalivingcreaturewaswithhim，whereashe，becausehischildhaddied，wasdead。HeperceivedmoreclearlythecrueltyofNature，towhomourrefinementandpietyarebutasbubbles，hurryingdownwardsontheturbidwaters。Theybreak，andthestreamcontinues。Hisfather，asafinalinsult，hadbroughtintotheworldamanunlikealltherestofthem，amandoweredwithcoarsekindlinessandrusticstrength，akindofcynicalploughboy，againstwhomtheirownmiseryandweaknessmightstandmorevividlyrelieved。\"BornanElliot——bornagentleman。\"Sothevilephraseran。ButherewasanElliotwhosebadnesswasnotevengentlemanly。ForthatStephenwasbadinherentlyheneverdoubtedforamomentandhewouldhavechildren:he，notRickie，wouldcontributetothestream;he，throughhisremoteposterity，mightmingledwiththeunknownsea。