“But，mygoodfellow，“protestedtheduke，despitefeelingatouchofthethrillagain，“unfortunately，shewouldnotsuspectyouoflookingatherbecauseyouwererecallingTorfredaandHerewardtheWake。Menstareatherforanotherreason。”
“That”swhatIknowabouthalfaswellagainasIknowanythingelse，“
answeredTembarom。Headded，withadeliberationholdingitsownmeaning，“That”swhatI”mcomingto。”
Thedukewaited。Whatwasithewascomingto？
“Readingthatnovelputmewisetothingsinanewway。She”sbeenwipingherfeetonmehardforagoodwhile，andIsortofmadeupmymindI”dgottoletheruntilIwassurewhereIwas。Iwon”tsayI
didn”tmindit，butIcouldstandit。Butthatnightshecaughtmelookingather，thewayshelookedbackatmemademeseeallofasuddenthatitwouldbeeasierforherifItoldherstraightthatshewasmistaken。”
“Thatsheismistakeninthinking——？“
“Whatshedoesthink。Shewouldn”thavethoughtitiftheoldladyhadn”tbeendrivinghermadbyhammeringitin。She”dhavehatedmeallright，andIdon”tblameherwhenIthinkofhowpoorJemwastreated；butshewouldn”thavethoughtthateverytimeItriedtobedecentandfriendlytoherIwasbuttinginandmakingasickfoolofmyself。She”sgottostaywherehermotherkeepsher，andshe”sgottolistentoher。Oh，hell！She”sgottobetold！“
Thedukesetthetipsofhisfingerstogether。
“Howwouldyoudoit？“heinquired。
“Juststraight，“repliedT。Tembarom。“There”snootherway。”
Fromtheoldworldlingbrokeforthaninvoluntarylowlaugh，whichwasasortofcackle。Sothiswaswhathewascomingto。
“Icannotthinkofanydeviousmethod，“hesaid，“whichwouldmakeitlessthanadelicatethingtodo。Abeautifulyoungwoman，whosehostyouare，hasfloutedyoufuriouslyforweeks，undertheimpressionthatyouareoffensivelyinlovewithher。Youproposetotellherthatherjudgmenthasbetrayedher，andthat，asyousay，`There”snothingdoing。”“
“Notadarnedthing，andneverhasbeen，“saidT。Tembarom。Helookedquitegraveandnotatallembarrassed。Heplainlydidnotseeitasasituationtoberegardedwithhumor。
“Ifshewilllisten”thedukebegan。
“Oh，she”lllisten，“putinTembarom。“I”llmakeher。”
Hiswasaself-contradictingcountenance，thedukereflected，ashetookhiminwithasomewhatlonglook。Onedidnotusuallyseeafacebuiltupofboyishnessandmaturity，simplenesswhichwasbaffling，andagoodnaturewhichcouldbehard。Atthemoment，itwasbothoftheselastatoneandthesametime。
“IknowsomethingofLadyJoanandIknowsomethingofyou，“hesaid，“butIdon”texactlyforeseewhatwillhappen。IwillnotsaythatI
shouldnotliketobepresent。”
“There”llbenobodypresentbutjustmeandher，“Tembaromanswered。
CHAPTERXXX
ThevisitsofLadyMalloweandCaptainPalliserhadhadtheirfeatures。Neitherofthepairhadcometooneofthemostimposing“places“inLancashiretolivealifeofhermit-likeseclusionanddullness。Theyhadarrivedwiththeintentionofavailingthemselvesofallsuchopportunitiesforentertainmentascouldbeguidedintheirdirectionbythedeftnessofexperience。Asaresult，therehadbeenhospitalitiesatTempleBarholmsuchasithadnotbeheldduringthelastgenerationatleast。T。Tembaromhadlookedon，aninterestedspectator，asthesefestivitieshadbeenadroitlyarrangedandmanagedforhim。Hehadnot，however，intheleastresentedactingasasortoffigureheadinthepositionofsponsorandhost。
“TheythinkIdon”tknowI”mnotdoingitallmyself，“washiseasymentalsumming-up。“They”vegottheideathatI”mpleasedbecauseI
believeI”mIt。Butthat”salltothemerry。It”swhatI”vesetmymindonhavinggoingonhere，andIcouldn”thavestarteditaswellmyself。Ishouldn”thaveknownhow。They”reteachingme。AllIhopeisthatAnn”sgrandmotheriskeepingtab。”
“DoyouandRoseknowoldMrs。Hutchinson？“hehadinquiredofPearsonthenightbeforethetalkwiththeduke。
“Well，nottosayexactlyknowher，sir，buteverybodyknowsofher。
Sheisamostremarkableoldperson，sir。”Then，afterwatchinghisfaceforamomentorso，headdedtentatively，“Wouldyouperhapswishustomakeheracquaintancefor——foranyreason？“
Tembaromthoughtthematteroverspeculatively。HehadlearnedthathisfirstlikingforPearsonhadbeenfoundeduponarock。Hewasalwaystobetrustedtounderstand，andalsotoapplyaquiteunusualintelligencetosuchmattersashebecameawareofwithouthavingbeentoldaboutthem。
“WhatI”dlikewouldbeforhertohearthatthere”splentydoingatTempleBarholm；thatpeoplearecomingandgoingallthetime；andthatthere”sladiestoburn——andmostofthemlookers，atthat，“washisanswer。
HowPearsonhaddiscoveredtheexoticsubtletiesofhismaster”ssituationandmentalattitudetowardit，onlythoseofhisclassandgiftedwithhisoccultpowerscouldexplainindetail。ThefactexiststhatPearsondidknowanimmensenumberofthingshisemployerhadnotmentionedtohim，andheldthemlockedinhisbosominhonoredsecurity，likealittlegentleman。Hemadehisreplywithapoliteconvictionwhichcarriedweight。
“ItwouldnotbenecessaryforeitherRoseormetomakeoldMrs。
Hutchinson”sacquaintancewithaviewtoinformingherofanythingwhichoccursontheestateorinthevillage，sir，“heremarked。“Mrs。
Hutchinsonknowsmoreofthingsthananyoneevertellsher。Shesitsinhercottagethere，andshejustknowsthingsandseesthroughpeopleinawaythat”dbealmostunearthly，ifshewasn”tagoodoldperson，andsorespectablethatthere”sthosethattouchestheirhatstoherasifshebelongedtothegentry。She”sgotablueeye，sir”
“Hasshe？“exclaimedTembarom。
“Yes，sir。Asblueasababy”s，sir，andasclear，thoughshe”spasteighty。Andtheytellmethere”saquiet，steadylookinitthatill-
doersdownrightquailbefore。It”sasifshewasakindofjudgethatsentencedthemwithoutspeaking。Theycan”tstandit。Oh，sir！youcandependuponoldMrs。Hutchinsonastowho”sbeenhere，andevenwhatthey”vethoughtaboutit。Thevillagejustflockstohertotellherthenewsandgetadviceaboutthings。She”dknow。”
ItwasasaresultofthisthatonhisreturnfromStoneHoverhedismissedthecarriageatthegatesandwalkedthroughthemtomakeavisitinthevillage。OldMrs。Hutchinson，sittingknittinginherchairbehindtheabnormallyflourishingfuchsias，geraniums，andcampanulacarpaticasinhercottage-window，lookedbetweenthebanked-
upflower-potstoseethatMr。TempleBarholmhadopenedherwicket-
gateandwaswalkingupthecleanbrickedpathtoherfrontdoor。WhenheknockedshecalledoutinthebroadLancashireshehadalwaysspoken，“Coomin！“Whenheenteredhetookoffhishatandlookedather，friendlybuthesitant，andwiththeexpressionofayoungmanwhohasnotquitemadeuphismindastowhatheisabouttoencounter。
“I”mTempleTempleBarholm，Mrs。Hutchinson，“heannounced。
“Iknowthat，“sheanswered。“Notthatthalooksloiketh”TempleBarholms，butI”vebeenwatchin”theewalkan”drivepasthereeversincethacoomtoth”place。”
Shewatchedhimsteadilywithanastonishinglylimpidpairofoldeyes。Theywereoldandyoungatthesametime；oldbecausetheyhelddeepsofwisdom，youngbecausetheyweresoaliveandfullofquestion。
“Idon”tknowwhetherIoughttohavecometoseeyouornot，“hesaid。
“Well，tha”stcoom，“shereplied，goingonwithherknitting。“Sittheedounandhaveabitofachat。”
“Say！“hebrokeout。“Ain”tyougoingtoshakehandswithme？“Heheldhishandoutimpetuously。Heknewhewasallrightifshe”dshakehands。
“Theer”snowtagenthatsurely，“sheanswered，withashrewdbitofasmile。Shegavehimherhand。“IfIwasnastiffinmylegs，it”smyplacetogetupan”mak”theeacurtsey，butth”rheumaticshasnorespectevenforth”lordo”th”manor。”
“Ifyougotupandmademeacurtsey，“Tembaromsaid，“Ishouldthrowafit。Say，Mrs。Hutchinson，IbetyouknowthataswellasIdo。”
Theshrewdbitofasmilelightedhereyesaswellastwinkledabouthermouth。
“Sittheedoun，“shesaidagain。
Sohesatdownandlookedatherasstraightasshelookedathim。
“Tha”dgiveagoodbit，“shesaidpresently，overherflashingneedles，“toknowhowmuchLittleAnn”stow”dmeaboutthee。”
“I”dgivealottoknowhowmuchit”dbesquaretoaskyoutotellmeabouther，“hegavebacktoher，hesitatingyeteager。
“Whatdoesthameanbysquare？“shedemanded。
“Imean`fair。”CanItalktoyouaboutheratall？IpromisedI”dstickitouthereanddoasshesaid。Shetoldmeshewasn”tgoingtowritetomeorletherfatherwrite。I”vepromised，andI”mnotgoingtofalldownwhenI”vesaidathing。”
“Sothacoomtoseehergrandmother？“
Hereddened，butheldhisheadup。
“I”mnotgoingtoaskhergrandmotherathingshedoesn”twantmetobetold。ButI”vebeenupagainstitprettyhardlately。IreadsomethingsintheNewYorkpapersaboutherfatherandhisinvention，andabouthertravelingroundwithhimandhelpinghimwithhisbusiness。”
“InGermanytheywur，“sheputin，forgettingherself。“They”rehavin”
bigdoin”soverth”invention。WhatJoe”u”ddowi”outth”lassI
cannatell。She”sdoin”everybito”th”managin”an”contrivin”wi”
themfurriners——buthe”llneverknowit。She”sgotachaptotravelwi”himascantalkawth”languagesunderth”sun。”
Herfaceflushedandshestoppedherselfsharply。
“I”mtalkin”abouthertothee！“shesaid。“Iwouldnaha”believedo”
mysen”。”
Hegotupfromhischair。
“IguessIoughtn”ttohavecome，“hesaid，restlessly。“Butyouhaven”ttoldmemorethanIgothereandthereinthepapers。Thatwaswhatstartedme。Itwaslikewatchingher。Icouldhearhertalkingandseethewayshewasdoingthingstillitdrovemehalfcrazy。Allofasudden，IjustgotwildandmadeupmymindI”dcomehere。I”vewantedtodoitmanyatime，butI”vekeptaway。”
“Thashowedsensei”doin”that，“remarkedMrs。Hutchinson。“She”dnotha”thowtwello”theeiftha”dcoomrunnin”tohergrandmothereverydayorso。Whatshelikesabouttheeisasshethinkstha”sgotastrongbackboneo”thyown。”
Shelookedupathimoverherknitting，lookedstraightintohiseyes，andtherewasthatinherownwhichmadehimreddenandfeelhispulsequicken。Itwasactuallysomethingwhichevenremotelysuggestedthatshewasnot——inthedeepsofherstrongoldmind——aswhollyunswervingasherwordsmightimply。Itwassomethingmoresubtlethanwords。Shewasnotkeepinghimwhollyinthedarkwhenshesaid“Whatshelikesaboutthee。”IfAnnsaidthingslikethattoher，hewasprettywelloff。
“Happenalookatalass”sgrandmother——whenthaconnagetatth”lasshersen——isabito”comfort，“sheadded。“Butdon”tthagowalkin”byheretolookinatth”windowtoooften。Shewouldnathinkwello”
thateither。”
“Say！There”sonethingI”mgoingtogetoffmychestbeforeIgo，“heannounced，“justonething。Shecangowhereshelikesanddowhatshelikes，butI”mgoingtomarryherwhenshe”sdoneit——unlesssomethingknocksmeontheheadandfinishesme。I”mgoingtomarryher。”
“Thaart，arttha？“laconically；buthereyeswerestillonhis，andthesomethingintheirdepthsbynomeansdiminished。
“I”mkeepingupmyendhere，andit”snoslouchofajob，butI”mnotforgettingwhatshepromisedforoneminute！AndI”mnotforgettingwhatherpromisemeans，“hesaidobstinately。
“Tha”dlikemetotellherthat？“shesaid。
“Ifshedoesn”tknowit，youtellingherwouldn”tcutanyice，“washisreply。“I”msayingitbecauseIwantyoutoknowit，andbecauseitdoesmegoodtosayitoutloud。I”mgoingtomarryher。”
“That”sforherandtheetosettle，“shecommented，impersonally。
“Itissettled，“heanswered。“There”snowayoutofit。WillyoushakehandswithmeagainbeforeIgo？“
“Aye，“sheconsented，“Iwill。”
Whenshetookhishandshehelditaminute。Herownwaswarm，andtherewasnolimpnessaboutit。Thesecretwhichhadseemedtoconcealitselfbehindhereyeshadsomedifficultyinkeepingitselfwhollyinthebackground。
“Sheknowsawtha”does，“shesaidcoolly，asifshewerenotsuddenlyrevealingimmensities。“Sheknowswhocoomsan”whogoes，an”whattheythinko”thee，an”howthagetsonwi””em。Nowgettheegone，lad，an”dunnotthacoombacktillherormesendsforthee。”
WithinanhourofthistimetheafternoonpostbroughttoLadyMallowealetterwhichshereadwithanexpressioninwhichherdaughterrecognizedrelief。Itwasinfactaletterforwhichshehadwaitedwithanxiety，andtheinvitationitcontainedwasatributetohersocialskillatitshighestwatermark。Inherlessheroicmoments，shehadfeltdoubtsofreceivingit，whichhadcausedshudderstoruntheentirelengthofherspine。
“I”mgoingtoBroomeHaughton，“sheannouncedtoJoan。
“When？“Joaninquired。
“Attheendoftheweek。Iaminvitedforafortnight。”
“AmIgoing？“Joanasked。
“No。YouwillgotoLondontomeetsomefriendswhoarecomingoverfromParis。”
Joanknewthatcommentwasunnecessary。BothsheandhermotherwereonintimatetermswiththesehypotheticalfriendswhosofrequentlyturnedupfromParisorelsewherewhenitwasnecessarythatsheshouldsuddenlygobacktoLondonandliveinsqualidseclusionintheunopenedhouse，withacharwomantoprovideherwithunderdoneorburntchops，andeggsateighteenashilling，whiletheshuttersofthefrontroomswereclosed，anddustydesolationreigned。Shekneweverydetailofthemelancholysqualorofit，thedragginghours，thenightsoflyingawakelisteningtotheoccasionalpassingofbelatedcabs，orthesqueaksandnibblingofmiceintheoldwalls。
“Ifyouhadconductedyourselfsensiblyyouneednothavegone，“
continuedhermother。“Icouldhavemadeanexcuseandleftyouhere。
Youwouldatleasthavebeensureofgoodfoodanddecentcomforts。”
“Afteryourvisit，arewetoreturnhere？“wasLadyJoan”ssolereply。
“Don”tlookatmelikethat，“saidLadyMallowe。“Ithoughtthecountrywouldfreshenyourcoloratleast；butyouaregoingoffmoreeveryday。YoulookliketheWitchofEndorsometimes。”
Joansmiledfaintly。Thiswasthebrandishingofanoldweapon，andsheunderstoodallitssignificance。Itmeantthatthetimeforopportunitieswasslippingpastherlikethewatersofarapidriver。
“IdonotknowwhatwillhappenwhenIleaveBroomeHaughton，“hermotheradded，anoteofraspeduncertaintyinhervoice。“Wemaybeobligedtocomehereforashorttime，orwemaygoabroad。”
“IfIrefusetocome，wouldyouletmestarvetodeathinPiersStreet？“Joaninquired。
LadyMallowelookedherover，feelingasortoffrenzyatthesightofher。Intruth，thefuturewasahideousthingtocontemplateifnorescueatallwasinsight。ItwouldbeworseforherthanforJoan，becauseJoandidnotcarewhathappenedordidnothappen，andshecareddesperately。Shehadindeedarrivedatamaddeningmoment。
“Yes，“shesnapped，fiercely。
AndwhenJoanfaintlysmiledagainsheunderstoodwhywomenofthelowerordersbeatoneanotheruntilpolicemeninterfere。SheknewperfectlywellthatthegirlhadsomehowfoundoutthatSirMosesMonaldiniwastobeatBroomeHaughton，andthatwhenhelefttherehewasgoingabroad。Sheknewalsothatshehadnotbeenabletoconcealthathisindifferencehadoflategivenhersomeghastlyhours，andthatherplayforthislagginginvitationhadbeenafranticallyboldone。Thatthemostingeniouseffortsanddeviceshadendedinsuccessonlyaftersuchdelaymadeitallthemorenecessarythatnostrawmustremainunseizedon。
“Icanwearsomeofyourthings，withalittlealteration，“shesaid。
“Rosewilldoitforme。Hatsandglovesandornamentsdonotrequirealtering。IshallneedthingsyouwillnotneedinLondon。Whereareyourkeys？“
LadyJoanroseandgotthemforher。Sheevenflushedslightly。Theywereoftenobligedtoborroweachother”spossessions，butforamomentshefeltherselfmovedbyasortofhardpity。
“Wearelikeratsinatrap，“sheremarked。“Ihopeyouwillgetout。”
“IfIdo，youwillbeleftinside。Getoutyourself！Getoutyourself！“saidLadyMalloweinafiercewhisper。
HerregretsatthenecessityoftheirleavingTempleBarholmwereexpressedwithfluenttouchingnessatthedinner-table。Thevisithadbeensodelightful。Mr。TempleBarholmandMissAliciahadbeensokind。Thelovelinessofthewholedearplacehadsoembracedthemthattheyfeltasiftheywereleavingahomeinsteadofendingadelightfulvisit。Itwasextraordinarywhataneffectthehousehadonone。Itwasasifonehadlivedinitalways——andalwayswould。Sofewplacesgaveonethesamefeeling。Theyshouldbothlookforward——
greedyasitseemed——tobeingallowedsometimetocomeagain。ShehaddecidedfromthefirstthatitwasnotnecessarytogotoanyextremeofcautionorsubtletywithherhostandMissAlicia。Hermethodofpavingthewayforfuturevisitswasperhapsmorethanashadetooelaborate。Shefelt，however，thatitsufficed。Forthemostpart，LadyJoansatwithlidsdroppedoverherburningeyes。Shetriedtoforceherselfnottolisten。Thiswasthekindofthingwhichmadehersickwithhumiliation。Howsoeverrudimentarythesepeoplewere，theycouldnotfailtocomprehendthatafootholdinthehousewasbeingbidfor。Theyshouldatleastseethatshedidnotjoininthebidding。Herownvisithadbeenfilledwithfeelingsatwarwithoneanother。Therehadbeenhourstoomanyinwhichshewouldhavebeenglad——evenwiththedingyhorrorsoftheclosedtownhousebeforeher——
tohaveflownfromthehundredthingswhichcalledouttoheroneveryside。Inthelong-pastthreemonthsofhappiness，Jemhaddescribedthemalltoher——therooms，gardens，pleachedwalks，pictures，theveryfurnitureitself。Shecouldenternoroom，walkinnospotshedidnotseemtoknow，andpassionatelyloveinspiteofherself。Shelovedthemsomuchthatthereweretimeswhensheyearnedtostayintheplaceatanycost，andotherswhenshecouldnotendurethemiseryitwokeinher——thepuremisery。Nowitwasoverforthetimebeing，andshewasfacingsomethingnew。Therewereendlessvarietiesofwretchedness。Shehadbeenwatchinghermotherforsomemonths，andhadunderstoodhervaryingmoodsoftemporaryelationorprolongedanxiety。EachonehadmeantsomephaseoftheepisodeofSirMosesMonaldini。ThepeoplewholivedatBroomeHaughtonwereenormouslyrichHebrews，whowererelatedtohim。Theyhadtakenthebeautifuloldcountry-seatandwerefillingitwithhugepartiesoftheirfriends。ThepartywhichLadyMallowewastojoinwouldnodoubtofferopportunitiesofthemostdesirablekind。Amongthisspecialclassofpeopleshewasagreatsuccess。Heramazinglyachievedtoilettes，herripegoodlooks，herairofbelongingtothegreatworld，impressedthemselvesimmensely。
T。TembaromthoughtheneverhadseenLadyJoanlookashandsomeasshelookedto-night。Thecoloronhercheekburned，hereyeshadadrivenlonelinessinthem。Shehadawonderfullybeautifulmouth，anditscurvedroopedinanewway。HewishedAnncouldgetherinacornerandsitdownandtalksensetoher。Herememberedwhathehadsaidtotheduke。Perhapsthiswasthetime。Ifshewasgoingaway，andhermothermeanttodragherbackagainwhenshewasready，itwouldmakeiteasierforhertoleavetheplaceknowingsheneednothatetocomeback。Butthedukewasn”tmakinganymisshitwhenhesaiditwouldn”tbeeasy。ShewasnotlikeAnn，whowouldfeelsomepityforthebiggestfoolonearthifshehadtothrowhimdownhard。
LadyJoanwouldfeelneithercompunctionsnorrelentings。Heknewthewayshecouldlookatafellow。Ifhecouldn”tmakeherunderstandwhathewasaimingat，theywouldbothbeworseoffthantheywouldbeifheleftthingsastheywere。But——thehardlineshoweditselfabouthismouth——hewasn”tgoingtoleavethingsastheywere。
Astheypassedthroughthehallafterdinner，LadyMalloweglancedataside-tableonwhichlaysomelettersarrivedbythelatepost。Animposingenvelopewasonthetopoftherest。Joansawherfacelightasshetookitup。
“IthinkthisisfromBroomeHaughton，“shesaid。“Ifyouwillexcuseme，Iwillgointothelibraryandreadit。Itmayrequireansweringatonce。”
Sheturnedhotandcold，poorwoman，andwentaway，sothatshemightbefreefromthedisasterofanaudienceifanythinghadgonewrong。
Itwouldbebettertobealoneevenifthingshadgoneright。TheletterwasfromSirMosesMonaldini。Grotesqueandignobleasitnaturallystrikestheuninitiatedasseeming，thesituationhaditstouchofhideouspathos。Shehadfoughtforherownhandforyears；
shecouldnotdig，andtobegshewasnotashamed；butatimehadcomewheneventhemostadroitbeggingbegantoborepeople。Theysawthroughit，andthenthereresultedstrainedrelations，slightstiffnessofmanner，eveninthemostusefulandamiablepersons，lackofdesiretobehospitable，orevencondescendinglygenerous。Coldshoulderswereturned，therewereominousthreateningsoficybackspresentingthemselves。Theverytradesmenhadfoundthisout，andcouldnotbepersuadedthattheadvertisementfurnishedbythefactthattwobeautifulwomenoffashionate，drank，andworethearticleswhichformedtheitemsintheirunpaidbills，wassufficientreturnfortheoutlayofcapitalrequired。EvenMrs。Mellish，whengraciouslyapproachedbythe“relativeofMissTempleBarholm，whoseperfectwardrobeyousupplied，“hadlistenedtoallseductionswithacivileyefixedunmovedlyandhadreferredtothe“rulesoftheestablishment。”Nearerandnearertheedgeoftheabysstheyearshadpushedthem，andnowifsomethingdidnothappen——something——
something——eventheincreasinglyshabbysmallhouseintownwouldbecomeathingofthepast。Andwhatthen？CouldanyonewondershesaidtoherselfthatshecouldhavebeatenJoanfuriously。Itwouldnotmattertoanyoneelseiftheydroppedoutoftheworldintosqualidoblivion——oh，sheknewthat——sheknewthatwithbittercertainty！——butoh，howitwouldmattertothem！——atleasttoherself。
ItwasallverywellforMudie”stopourforthstreamsofsentimentalnovelspreachingthehorrorsofgirlsmarryingformoney，butwhatwereyoutodo——whatinheaven”snamewereyoutodo？So，feelingterrifiedenoughactuallytoofferupaprayer，shetooktheimposinglyaddressedletterintothelibrary。
Themenhadcomeintothedrawing-roomwhenshereturned。Assheentered，Joandidnotglanceupfromthebookshewasreading，butatthefirstsoundofhervoicesheknewwhathadoccurred。
“IwasobligedtodashoffanotetoBroomeHaughtonsothatitwouldbereadyfortheearlypost，“LadyMallowesaid。Shewasatherbest。
Pallisersawthatsomeyearshadslippedfromhershoulders。Themomentwhichrelievesorevenpromisestorelievefearsdoesastonishingthings。Tembaromwonderedwhethershehadhadgoodnews，andMissAliciathoughtthathereveningdresswasmorebecomingthananyshehadeverseenherwearbefore。Herbrilliantairofsocialeasereturnedtoher，andshebegantotalkfluentlyofwhatwasbeingdoneinLondon，andtotouchlightlyuponthepossibilityoftakingpartingreatfunctions。Forsometimeshehadratherevadedtalkofthefuture。Palliserhadknownthatthefuturehadseemedtobeclosinginuponher，andleavingherstaringatahighblankwall。
Personswhosefortunatenameshadceasedtofalleasilyfromherlipsappearedagainuponthehorizon。MissAliciawasimpressedanewwiththefeelingthatshehadknowneverybrilliantorimportantpersonageinthebigworldofsocialLondon；thatshehadtakenpartineverydazzlingevent。Tembaromsomehowrealizedthatshehadbeenafraidofsomethingorother，andwasforsomereasonnotafraidanymore。Suchachange，whatsoeverthereasonforit，oughttohavehadsomeeffectonherdaughter。Surelyshewouldshareherluck，ifluckhadcometoher。
ButLadyJoansatapartandkepthereyesuponherbook。Thiswasoneofthethingssheoftenchosetodo，inspiteofhermother”sindignantprotest。
“Icameherebecauseyoubroughtme，“shewouldanswer。“Ididnotcometobeentertainingorpolite。”
Shewasreadingthisevening。SheheardeverywordofLadyMallowe”sagreeableandslightlyexcitedconversation。Shedidnotknowexactlywhathadhappened；butsheknewthatitwassomethingwhichhadbuoyedherupwithahopefulnesswhichexhilaratedheralmosttoomuch——asanextraglassofwinemighthavedone。Onceortwicesheevenlostherheadalittleandwasatrifleswaggering。T。Tembaromwouldnotrecognizetheslip，butJoansawPalliser”sfaintsmilewithoutlookingupfromherbook。Heobservedshadesintasteandbearing。
BeforeherownfutureJoansawtheblankwallofstonebuildingitselfhigherandhigher。IfSirMoseshadcapitulated，shewouldbecountedout。Withwhatdegreeofboldnesscouldamothercastherpennilessdaughterontheworld？Whatunendurableprovisionmakeforher？DaretheyofferapoundaweekandsendhertoliveintheslumsuntilshechosetomarrysomeHebrewfriendofherstep-father”s？Thatsheknewwouldbethefinalalternative。Acruellittlesmiletouchedherlips，asshereviewedthenumberofthingsshecouldnotdotoearnherliving。Shecouldnottakeinsewingorwashing，andtherewasnothingshecouldteach。Starvationormarriage。Thewallbuiltitselfhigherandyethigher。Whatahideousthingitwasforapennilessgirltobebroughtupmerelytobeabeauty，andinconsequencesupposablyagreatlady。Andyetifshewasborntoacertainrankandhadheightandfigure，alovelymouth，adelicatenose，unusualeyesandlashes，totrainhertobeadressmakerorahousemaidwouldbeastupidinvestmentofcapital。Ifnothingtragicinterferedandtherightmanwantedsuchagirl，shehadbeentrainedtopleasehim。Buttragicthingshadhappened，andbeforehergrewthewallwhileshepretendedtoreadherbook。
T。Tembaromwascomingtowardher。ShehadheardPallisersuggestagameofbilliards。
“Willyoucomeandplaybilliardswithus？“Tembaromasked。“Pallisersaysyouplaysplendidly。”
“Sheplaysbrilliantly，“putinLadyMallowe。“Come，Joan。”
“No，thankyou，“sheanswered。“Letmestayhereandread。”
LadyMalloweprotested。Shetriedanairofplayfulmaternalreproachbecauseshewasingoodspirits。JoansawPallisersmilingquietly，andtherewasthatinhissmilewhichsuggestedtoherthathewasthinkingheranobstinatefool。
“YouhadbettershowTempleBarholmwhatyoucando，“heremarked。
“Thiswillbeyourlastchance，asyouleavesosoon。Yououghtneverletalastchanceslipby。Ineverdo。”
Tembaromstoodstillandlookeddownatherfromhisgoodheight。HedidnotknowwhatPalliser”sspeechmeant，butaninstinctmadehimfeelthatitsomehowheldanugly，quiettaunt。
“WhatIwouldliketodo，“wastheunspokencruditywhichpassedthroughhismind，“wouldbetoswathimonthemouth。He”sgettingatherjustwhensheoughttobeletalone。”
“Wouldyoulikeitbettertostayhereandread？“heinquired。
“Muchbetter，ifyouplease，“washerreply。
“Thenthatgoes，“heanswered，andlefther。
Heswepttheothersoutoftheroomwithagood-naturedpromptnesswhichputanendtoargument。Whenhesaidofanything“Thenthatgoes，“itusuallydidso。
CHAPTERXXXI
WhenshewasaloneJoansatandgazednotatherwallbutatthepicturesthatcamebacktoheroutofapartofherlifewhichseemedtohavebeenlivedcenturiesago。Theywerethepicturesthatcamebackcontinuallywithoutbeingcalled，theclearnessofwhichalwaysstartledherafresh。Sometimesshethoughttheyspranguptoaddtohertorment，butsometimesitseemedasiftheycametosaveherfromherself——hermad，wickedself。Afterall，thereweremomentswhentoknowthatshehadbeenthegirlwhoseeighteen-year-oldhearthadleapedsowhensheturnedandmetJem”seyes，ashestoodgazingatherunderthebeech-tree，wassomethingtoclingto。ShehadbeenthatgirlandJemhadbeen——Jem。Andshehadbeenthegirlwhohadjoinedhiminthatyoung，ardentvowthattheywouldsaythesameprayersatthesamehoureachnighttogether。Ah！howyoungithadbeen——howYOUNG！Herthroatstraineditselfbecausesobsroseinit，andhereyeswerehotwiththeswelloftears。
Shecouldhearvoicesandlaughterandtheclickofballsfromthebilliard-room。HermotherandPalliserlaughedthemost，butsheknewthesoundofhermother”svoicewouldceasesoon，becauseshewouldcomebacktoher。Sheknewshewouldnotleaveherlong，andsheknewthekindofscenetheywouldpassthroughtogetherwhenshereturned。
Theoldthingswouldbesaid，theoldargumentsused，butanewonewouldbeadded。Itwasapleasantthingtowaithere，knowingthatitwascoming，andthatforallherfierceprideandfiercespiritshehadnodefense。Itwasatoncehorribleandridiculousthatshemustsitandlisten——andstareatthegrowingwall。ItwasasshecaughtherbreathagainstthechokingswelloftearsthatsheheardLadyMallowereturning。Shecameinwithanactualsweepacrosstheroom。
Hersocietyairhadfled，andshewasunadornedlyfuriouswhenshestoppedbeforeJoan”schair。Forafewsecondssheactuallyglared；
thenshebrokeforthinasuppressedundertone：
“Comeintothebilliard-room。Icommandit！“
Joanliftedhereyesfromherbook。Hervoicewasaslowashermother”s，butsteadier。
“No，“sheanswered。
“Isthisconducttocontinue？Isit？“LadyMallowepanted。
“Yes，“saidJoan，andlaidherbookonthetablenearher。Therewasnothingelsetosay。Wordsmadethingsworse。
LadyMallowehadlostherhead，butshestillspokeinthesuppressedvoice。
“YouSHALLbehaveyourself！“shecried，underherbreath，andactuallymadeapassionatehalf-starttowardher。“Youviolent-naturedvirago！
Theverylookonyourfaceisenoughtodriveonemad！“
“IknowIamviolent-natured，“saidJoan。“Butdon”tyouthinkitwisetorememberthatyoucannotmakethekindofsceneherethatyoucaninyourownhouse？Weareabad-temperedpair，andwebehaveratherlikefishwiveswhenweareinarage。Butwhenweareguestsinotherpeople”shouses”
LadyMallowe”stemperwasaselementalasanyBillingsgatecouldprovide。
“Youthinkyoucantakeadvantageofthat！“shesaid。“Don”ttrustyourselftoofar。DoyouimaginethatjustwhenallmightgowellformeIwillallowyoutospoileverything？“
“HowcanIspoileverything？“
“Bybehavingasyouhavebeenbehavingsincewecamehere——refusingtomakeahomeforyourself；byhangingroundmynecksothatitwillappearthatanyonewhotakesmemusttakeyoualso。”
“Thereareservantsoutside，“Joanwarnedher。
“Youshallnotstopme！“criedLadyMallowe。
“Youcannotstopyourself，“saidJoan。“Thatistheworstofit。Itisbadenoughwhenwestandandhissateachotherinastagewhisper；
butwhenyoulosecontroloveryourselfandraiseyourvoice”
“Icameinheretotellyouthatthisisyourlastchance。Ishallnevergiveyouanother。Doyouknowhowoldyouare？“
“Ishallsoonbetwenty-seven，“Joananswered。“IwishIwereahundred。Thenitwouldallbeover。”
“Butitwillnotbeoverforyearsandyearsandyears，“hermotherflungbackather。“Haveyouforgottenthattheveryragsyouweararenotpaidfor？“
“No，Ihavenotforgotten。”Thescenewasworkingitselfupontheoldlines，asJoanhadknownitwould。Hermotherneverfailedtosaythesamethings，everytimesuchascenetookplace。
“Youwillgetnomoresuchrags——paidorunpaidfor。Whatdoyouexpecttodo？Youdon”tknowhowtowork，andifyoudidnodecentwomanwouldemployyou。Youaretoogood-lookingandtoobad-
tempered。”
Joanknewshewasperfectlyright。Knowingit，sheremainedsilent，andhersilenceaddedtohermother”shelplessrage。Shemovedastepnearertoherandflungthejavelinwhichshealwaysknewwouldstrikedeep。
“Youhavemadeyourselfalaughing-stockforallLondonforyears。Youaremadaboutamanwhodisgracedandruinedhimself。”
Shesawthejavelinquiverasitstruck；butJoan”svoiceasitansweredherhadaqualityoflowanddeadlysteadiness。
“Youhavesaidthatathousandtimes，andyouwillsayitanotherthousand——thoughyouknowthestorywasalieandwasprovedtobeone。”
LadyMalloweknewherwaythoroughly。
“Whoremembersthedenials？WhattheworldremembersisthatJemTempleBarholmwasstampedasacheatandatrickster。Noonehastimetoremembertheotherthing。Heisdead——dead！Whenaman”sdeadit”stoolate。”
Shewasdesperateenoughtodriveherjavelinhomedeeperthanshehadeverchancedtodriveitbefore。Thetruth——theawfultruthsheutteredshookJoanfromheadtofoot。Shesprangupandstoodbeforeherinheart-wrungfury。
“Oh！Youareahideouslycruelwoman！“shecried。“Theysayeventigerscarefortheiryoung！Butyou——youcansaythatto_me_。”Whenaman”sdead，it”stoolate。”“
“It_is_toolate——itIStoolate！“LadyMallowepersisted。Whyhadnotshestruckthisnotebefore？Itwasbreakingherwill：“Iwouldsayanythingtobringyoutoyoursenses。”
Joanbegantomoverestlesslytoandfro。
“Oh，whatafoolIam！“sheexclaimed。“Asifyoucouldunderstand——asifyoucouldcare！“
Struggleasshemighttobedefiant，shewasbreaking，LadyMallowerepeatedtoherself。Shefollowedherasahuntermighthavefollowedayoungleopardesswithawoundinitsflank。
“Icameherebecauseit_is_yourlastchance。Palliserknewwhathewassayingwhenhemadeajokeofitjustnow。Heknewitwasn”tajoke。YoumighthavebeentheDuchessofMerthshire；youmighthavebeenLadySt。Maur，withahusbandwithmillions。Andhereyouare。
Youknowwhat”sbeforeyou——whenIamoutofthetrap。”
Joanlaughed。Itwasawildlittlelaugh，andshefelttherewasnosenseinit。
“ImightapplyforaplaceinMissAlicia”sHomeforDecayedGentlewomen，“shesaid。
LadyMallowenoddedherheadfiercely。
“Apply，then。TherewillbenoplaceforyouinthehomeIamgoingtolivein，“sheretorted。
Joanceasedmovingabout。Shewasabouttoheartheoneargumentthatwasnew。
“Youmayaswelltellme，“shesaid，wearily。
“IhavehadaletterfromSirMosesMonaldini。HeistobeatBroomeHaughton。Heisgoingtherepurposelytomeetme。Whathewritescanmeanonlyonething。Hemeanstoaskmetomarryhim。I”myourmother，andI”mnearlytwentyyearsolderthanyou；butyouseethatI”moutofthetrapfirst。”
“Iknewyouwouldbe，“answeredJoan。
“Hedetestsyou，“LadyMallowewenton。“Hewillnothearofyourlivingwithus——orevennearus。Hesaysyouareoldenoughtotakecareofyourself。Takemyadvice。Iamdoingyouagoodturningivingit。ThisNewYorknewsboyismadoveryou。Ifhehadn”tbeenweshouldhavebeenbundledoutofthehousebeforethis。Heneverhasspokentoaladybeforeinhislife，andhefeelsasifyouwereagoddess。Gointothebilliard-roomthisinstant，anddoallawomancan。Go！“Andsheactuallystampedherfootonthecarpet。
Joan”sthunder-coloredeyesseemedtogrowlargerasshestaredather。Herbreastlifteditself，andherfaceslowlyturnedpale。
Perhaps——shethoughtitwildly——peoplesometimesdiddieoffeelingslikethis。
“Hewouldcrawlatyourfeet，“hermotherwenton，pursuingwhatshefeltsurewasheradvantage。Shewassosureofitthatsheaddedwordsonlyafoolorawomanhalfhystericwithragewouldhaveadded。
“YoumightliveintheveryhouseyouwouldhavelivedinwithJemTempleBarholm，ontheincomehecouldhavegivenyou。”
Shesawthecrassnessofherblunderthenextmoment。Ifshehadhadanadvantage，shehadlostit。Wickedly，withoutatouchofmirth，Joanlaughedinherface。
“Jem”shouseandJem”smoney——andtheNewYorknewsboyinhisshoes，“
sheflungather。“T。Tembaromtolivewithuntilonelaydownonone”sdeathbed。T。Tembarom！“
Suddenly，somethingwasgivingwayinher，LadyMallowethoughtagain。
Joanslippedintoachairanddroppedherheadandhiddenfaceonthetable。
“Oh！Mother！Mother！“sheended。“Oh！Jem！Jem！“
Wasshesobbingortryingtochokesobbingback？Therewasnotimetobelost。Hermotherhadneverknownascenetoendinthiswaybefore。
“Crying！“therewasabsolutespiteinhervoice。“Thatshowsyouknowwhatyouareinfor，atallevents。ButI”vesaidmylastword。Whatdoesitmattertome，afterall？You”reinthetrap。I”mnot。Getoutasbestyoucan。I”vedonewithyou。”
Sheturnedherbackandwentoutoftheroom——asshehadcomeintoit——
withasweepJoanwouldhavesmiledatasrathervulgarifshehadseenit。Asachildinthenursery，shehadoftenseenthatherladyshipwasvulgar。
Butshedidnotseethesweepbecauseherfacewashidden。Somethinginherhadbrokenthistime，ashermotherhadfelt。Thatbitter，sordidtruth，drivenhomeasithadbeen，haddoneit。Whohadtimetorememberdenials，orliesprovedtobelies？Nobodyintheworld。Whohadtimetogivetothedefenseofadeadman？Therewasnottimeenoughtogivetolivingones。Itwastrue——true！Whenamanisdead，itistoolate。Thewallhadbuiltitselfuntilitreachedhersky；
butitwasnotthewallshebentherheadandsobbedover。ItwasthatsuddenlyshehadseenagainJem”sfaceashehadstoodwithslow-
growingpallor，andlookedroundattheringofeyeswhichstaredathim；Jem”sfaceashestrodebyherwithoutaglanceandwentoutoftheroom。Sheforgoteverythingelseonearth。Sheforgotwhereshewas。Shewaseighteenagain，andshesobbedinherarmsaseighteensobswhenitsheartistornfromit。
“OhJem！Jem！“shecried。“Ifyouwereonlyinthesameworldwithme！
Ifyouwerejustinthesameworld！“
Shehadforgottenallelse，indeed。Sheforgottoolong。Shedidnotknowhowlong。Itseemedthatnomorethanafewminuteshadpassedbeforeshewaswithoutwarningstruckwiththeshockoffeelingthatsomeonewasintheroomwithher，standingnearher，lookingather。
Shehadbeenmadnottorememberthatexactlythisthingwouldbesuretohappen，bysomeabominablechance。Hermovementassherosewasalmostviolent，shecouldnotholdherselfstill，andherfacewashorriblywetwithshameless，unconcealabletears。Shamelessshefeltthem——indecent——asortofnudityofthesoul。Ifithadbeenaservantwhohadintruded，orifithadbeenPalliseritwouldhavebeenintolerableenough。ButitwasT。Tembaromwhoconfrontedherwithhiscommonface，movedmysteriouslybysomefeelingsheresentedevenmorethansheresentedhispresence。Hewastoogrosslyignoranttoknowthatamanofbreeding，havingenteredbychance，wouldhaveturnedandgoneaway，professingnottohaveseen。Heseemedtothink——thedolt！——thathemustmakesomeapology。
“Say！LadyJoan！“hebegan。“Ibegyourpardon。Ididn”twanttobuttin。”
“Thengoaway，“shecommanded。“Instantly——instantly！“
Sheknewhemustseethatshespokealmostthroughherteethinherefforttocontrolhersobbingbreath。Buthemadenomovetowardleavingher。Heevendrewnearer，lookingatherinasortofmeditative，obstinateway。
“N-no，“hereplied，deliberately。“Iguess——Iwon”t。”
“Youwon”t？“LadyJoanrepeatedafterhim。“ThenIwill。”
Hemadeastrideforwardandlaidhishandonherarm。
“No。Notonyourlife。Youwon”t，either——ifIcanhelpit。Andyou”regoingtoLETmehelpit。”
Almostanyonebutherself——anyone，atleast，whodidnotresenthisveryexistence——wouldhavefeltthedropinhisvoicewhichsuddenlystruckthenoteofboyish，friendlyappealinthelastsentence。
“You”regoingtoLETme，“herepeated。
Shestoodlookingdownatthedaring，unconscioushandonherarm。
“Isuppose，“shesaid，withcuttingslowness，“thatyoudonoteven_know_thatyouareinsolent。Takeyourhandaway，“inarrogantcommand。
Heremoveditwithanunabashedhalf-smile。
“Ibegyourpardon，“hesaid。“Ididn”tevenknowI”dputitthere。Itwasabreak——butIwantedtokeepyou。”
Thathenotonlywantedtokeepher，butintendedtodosowasapparent。Hisairwasneitherroughnorbrutal，buthehadingeniouslyplacedhimselfintheoutletbetweenthebigtableandthewaytothedoor。Heputhishandsinhispocketsinhisvulgar，unconsciousway，andwatchedher。
“Say，LadyJoan！“hebrokeforth，inthefrankoutburstofamanwhowantstogetsomethingover。“IshouldbeafoolifIdidn”tseethatyou”reupagainstit——hard！What”sthematter？“Hisvoicedroppedagain。
Therewassomethinginthedropthistimewhich——perhapsbecauseofherrecentemotion——soundedtoheralmostasifhewereaskingthequestionwiththeprotectingsympathyofthetoneonewoulduseinspeakingtoachild。Howdarehe！ButitcamehometoherthatJemhadoncesaid“What”sthematter？“toherinthesameway。
“DoyouthinkitlikelythatIshouldconfideinyou？“shesaid，andinwardlyquakedatthememoryasshesaidit。
“No，“heanswered，consideringthemattergravely。“It”snotlikely——
thewaythingslooktoyounow。Butifyouknewmebetterperhapsitwouldbelikely。”
“IonceexplainedtoyouthatIdonotintendtoknowyoubetter，“shegaveanswer。
Henoddedacquiescently。
“Yes。Igotontothat。Andit”sbecauseit”suptomethatIcameoutheretotellyousomethingIwantyoutoknowbeforeyougoaway。I”mgoingtoconfideinyou。”
“CannotevenyouseethatIamnotinthemoodtoacceptconfidences？“
sheexclaimed。
“Yes，Ican。Butyou”regoingtoacceptthisone，“steadily。“No，“asshemadeaswiftmovement，“I”mnotgoingtoclearthewaytillI”vedone。”
“Iinsist！“shecried。“Ifyouwere”
Heputouthishand，butnottotouchher。
“Iknowwhatyou”regoingtosay。IfIwereagentleman——Well，I”mnotlayingclaimtothat——butI”masortofaman，anyhow，thoughyoumayn”tthinkit。Andyou”regoingtolisten。”
Shebegantostareathim。Itwasnottheridiculousboyishdropinhisvoicewhicharrestedherattention。Itwasafantastic，incongruous，whollydifferentthing。Hehadsuddenlydroppedhisslouchandstoodupright。Didherealizethathehadslunghiswordsatherasiftheywereanordergivenwiththeringofauthority？
“I”venotbuckedagainstanythingyou”vesaidordonesinceyou”vebeenhere，“hewenton，speakingfastandgrimly。“Ididn”tmeanto。I
hadmyreasons。TherewerethingsthatI”dhavegivenagooddealtosaytoyouandaskyouabout，butyouwouldn”tletme。Youwouldn”tgivemeachancetosquarethingsforyou——iftheycouldbesquared。
YouthrewmedowneverytimeItried！“
Hewastoowildlyincomprehensiblewithhischangesfromhumannesstofolly。Rememberingwhathehadattemptedtosayonthedayhehadfollowedherintheavenue，shewasinflamedagain。
“WhatinthenameofNewYorkslangdoesthatmean？“shedemanded。
“NevermindNewYork，“heanswered，coolaswellasgrim。“Afellowthat”slearnedslanginthestreetshaslearnedsomethingelseaswell。He”slearnedtokeephiseyesopen。He”sontoawayofseeingthings。AndwhatI”veseenisthatyou”resodoggonemiserablethat——
thatyou”realmostdownandout。”
Thistimeshespoketohiminthevoicewiththequalityofdeadlinessinitwhichshehadusedtohermother。
“Doyouthinkthatbecauseyouareinyourownhouseyoucanbeasintrusivelyinsultingasyouchoose？“shesaid。
“No，Idon”t，“heanswered。“WhatIthinkisquitedifferent。Ithinkthatifamanhasahouseofhisown，andthere”sanyoneinbigtroubleundertheroofofit——awomanmostofall——he”sacheapskateifhedon”tgetbusyandtrytohelp——justplain，straighthelp。”
Hesawinhereyesallherconcentrateddisdainofhim，buthewenton，stillobstinateandcoolandgrim。
“Iguess”help”istoobigawordjustyet。Thatmaycomelater，anditmayn”t。WhatI”mgoingtotryatnowismakingiteasierforyou——
justeasier。”
Hercontemptuousgestureregisterednoimpressiononhimashepausedamomentandlookedfixedlyather。
“Youjusthateme，don”tyou？“Itwasamerestatementwhichcouldn”thavebeenmoreimpersonaltohimselfifhehadbeenmadeofwood。
“That”sallright。Iseemlikealow-downintrudertoyou。Well，that”sallright，too。Butwhatain”tallrightiswhatyourmotherhassetyouontothinkingaboutme。You”dneverhavethoughtityourself。You”dhaveknownbetter。”
“What，“fiercely，“isthat？“
“ThatI”mmuttenoughtohaveamashonyou。”
Thecommonslangycrassnessofitwasakindofshock。Shecaughtherbreathandmerelystaredathim。Buthewasnotstaringather；hewassimplylookingstraightintoherface，anditamazinglyflasheduponherthattheextraordinarywordsweresoentirelyunembarrassedanddirectthattheywereactuallynotoffensive。
Hewasmerelytellinghersomethinginhisownway，notcaringtheleastabouthisowneffect，butabsolutelydeterminedthatsheshouldhearandunderstandit。
Hercaughtbreathendedinsomethingwhichwaslikeahalf-laugh。Hisqueer，sharp，incomprehensibleface，hisqueer，unmovedvoiceweretooextraordinarilyunlikeanythingshehadeverseenorheardbefore。
“Idon”twanttobebrash——andwhatIwanttosaymayseemkindofthatwaytoyou。Butitain”t。Anyhow，Iguessit”llrelieveyourmind。LadyJoan，you”realooker——you”reabeautfromBeautville。IfI
wereyourkind，andthingsweredifferent，I”dbecrazyaboutyou——
crazy！ButI”mnotyourkind——andthingsaredifferent。”Hedrewastepnearerstilltoherinhisintentness。“They”rethisdifferent。
Why，LadyJoan！I”mdeadstuckonanothergirl！“
Shecaughtherbreathagain，leaningforward。
“Another——！“
“Shesaysshe”snotalady；shethrewmedownjustbecauseallthisdarnedmoneycametome，“hehastenedon，andsuddenlyhewasimperturbablenolonger，butflushedandboyish，andmoreofNewYorkthanever。“She”salittlebitofaquietthingandshedropsherh”s，butgee——！You”realooker——you”reaqueenandshe”snot。ButLittleAnnHutchinson——Why，LadyJoan，asfarasthisboy”sconcerned“——andheoddlytouchedhimselfonthebreast”shemakesyoulooklikethirtycents。”
Joanquicklysatdownonthechairshehadjustleft。Sherestedanelbowonthetableandshadedherfacewithherhand。Shewasnotlaughing；shescarcelyknewwhatshewasdoingorfeeling。
“YouareinlovewithAnnHutchinson，“shesaid，inalowvoice。
“AmI？“heansweredhotly。“Well，Ishouldsmile！“Hedisdainedtosaymore。
Thenshebegantoknowwhatshefelt。Therecamebacktoherinflashesscenesfromthepastweeksinwhichshehaddoneherworstbyhim；inwhichshehadswepthimaside，loathedhim，setherfeetonhim，usedthedevicesofaningeniousdemontodiscomfitandshowhimathispoorestandleastready。Andhehadnotbeengivingathoughttothethingforwhichshehadstriventopunishhim。Andheplainlydidnotevenhateher。Hismindwasclear，aswaterisclear。Hehadcomebacktoherthiseveningtodoheragoodturn——agoodturn。
Knowingwhatshewascapableofinthewayofarroganceandvillainoustemper，hehaddeterminedtodoher——inspiteofherself——agoodturn。
“Idon”tunderstandyou，“shefaltered。
“Iknowyoudon”t。Butit”sonlybecauseI”msodeadeasytounderstand。There”snothingtofindout。I”mjustfriendly——friendly——
that”sall。”
“Youwouldhavebeenfriendswithme！“sheexclaimed。“Youwouldhavetoldme，andIwouldn”tletyou！Oh！“withanimpulsiveflingingoutofherhandtohim，“yougood——goodfellow！“
“Goodbedarned！“heanswered，takingthehandatonce。
“Youaregoodtotellme！Ihavebehavedlikeadeviltoyou。Butoh！
ifyouonlyknew！“
Hisfacebecamematureagain；buthetookamostinformalseatontheedgeofthetablenearher。
“Idoknow——partofit。That”swhyI”vebeentryingtobefriendswithyouallthetime。”Hesaidhisnextwordsdeliberately。“IfIwasthewomanJemTempleBarholmhadlovedwouldn”tithavedrivenmemadtoseeanothermaninhisplace——andrememberwhatwasdonetohim。I
neverevensawhim，but，goodGod！“——shesawhishandclenchitself——
“whenIthinkofitIwanttokillsomebody！Iwanttokillhalfadozen。Whydidn”ttheyknowitcouldn”tbetrueofafellowlikethat！“
Shesatupstifflyandwatchedhim。
“Do——you——feellikethat——abouthim？“
“DoI！“red-hotly。“Therewerementherethatknewhim！Therewerewomentherethatknewhim！Whywasn”ttherejustonetostandbyhim？
Amanthat”sbeensquareallhislifedoesn”tturnintoacard-sharpinanight。Damnfools！Ibegyourpardon，“hastily。Andthen，ashastilyagain：“No，Imeanit。Damnfools！“
“Oh！“shegasped，justonce。
Herpassionateeyesweresuddenlyblindedwithtears。Shecaughtathisclenchedhandanddraggedittoher，lettingherfacedroponitandcryinglikeachild。
Thewayhetookherutterbreakingdownwasjustlikehimandlikenooneelse。HeputtheotherhandonhershoulderandspoketoherexactlyashehadspokentoMissAliciaonthatfirstafternoon。
“Don”tyoumindme，LadyJoan，“hesaid。“Don”tyoumindmeabit。
I”llturnmyback。I”llgointothebilliard-roomandkeepthemplayinguntilyougetawayup-stairs。Nowweunderstandeachother，it”llbebetterforbothofus。”
“No，don”tgo！Don”t！“shebegged。“Itissowonderfultofindsomeonewhoseesthecrueltyofit。”Shespokefastandpassionately。“Noonewouldlistentoanydefenseofhim。MymothersimplyravedwhenI
saidwhatyouaresaying。”
“Doyouwant“——heputittoherwithacuriouscomprehendingofheremotion”totalkabouthim？Woulditdoyougood？“
“Yes！Yes！Ihavenevertalkedtoanyone。Therehasbeennoonetolisten。”
“Talkallyouwant，“heanswered，withimmensegentleness。“I”mhere。”
“Ican”tunderstanditevennow，buthewouldnotseeme！“shebrokeout。“Iwashalfmad。Iwrote，andhewouldnotanswer。IwenttohischamberswhenIheardhewasgoingtoleaveEngland。Iwenttobeghimtotakemewithhim，marriedorunmarried。Iwouldhavegoneonmykneestohim。Hewasgone！Oh，why？Why？“
“Youdidn”tthinkhe”dgonebecausehedidn”tloveyou？“heputittoherquiteliterallyandunsentimentally。“Youknewbetterthanthat？“
“HowcouldIbesureofanything！Whenhelefttheroomthatawfulnighthewouldnotlookatme！Hewouldnotlookatme！“
“SinceI”vebeenhereI”vebeenreadingalotofnovels，andI”vefoundoutalotofthingsaboutfellowsthatarenotthecommon，practicalkind。Now，hewasn”t。He”dlivedprettymuchlikeafellowinanovel，Iguess。What”sstruckmeaboutthatsortisthattheythinktheyhavetomakenoblesacrifices，andthey”lljustwalkalloverawomanbecausetheywon”tdoanythingtohurther。There”snotabitofsenseinit，butthatwaswhathewasdoing。Hebelievedhewasdoingthesquarethingbyyou——andyoumaybetyourlifeithurthimlikehell。Ibegyourpardon——butthat”stheword——justplainhell。”
“Iwasonlyagirl。Hewaslikeiron。Hewentawayalone。Hewaskilled，andwhenhewasdeadthetruthwastold。”
“That”swhatI”veremembered“——quiteslowly”everytimeI”velookedatyou。Bygee！I”dhavestoodanythingfromawomanthathadsufferedasmuchasthat。”
Itmadehercry——hisgenuineness——andshedidnotcareintheleastthatthetearsstreameddownhercheeks。Howhehadstoodthings！Howhehadborne，inthatodd，unimpressiveway，insolenceandarroganceforwhichsheoughttohavebeenbeatenandblackballedbydecentsociety！Shecouldscarcelybearit。
“Oh！tothinkitshouldhavebeenyou，“shewept，“justyouwhounderstood！“
“Well，“heansweredspeculatively，“Imightn”thaveunderstoodaswellifithadn”tbeenforAnn。Byjings！Iusedtolieawakeatnightsometimesthinking`supposingitbadbeenAnnandme！”I”dsortofworkitoutasitmighthavehappenedinNewYork——attheofficeoftheSundayEarth。Supposingsomefellowthat”dhadagrouchagainstmehadmanageditsothatGaltonthoughtI”dbeengettingawaywithmoneythatdidn”tbelongtome——fixingupmyexpenseaccount，orworse。AndGaltonwouldn”tlistentowhatIsaid，andfiredme；andIcouldn”tgetajobanywhereelsebecauseIwasdownandoutforgood。Andnobodywouldlisten。AndIwaskilledwithoutclearingmyself。AndLittleAnnwaslefttostandit——LittleAnn！OldHutchinsonwouldn”tlisten，Iknowthat。Anditwouldbeallshutupburninginherbiglittleheart——burning。AndT。T。dead，andnotawordtosayforhimself。Jehoshaphat！“——takingouthishandkerchiefandtouchinghisforehead”itusedtomakethecoldsweatstartoutonme。It”sdoingitnow。AnnandmemighthavebeenJemandyou。That”swhyI
understood。”
Heputouthishandandcaughthersandfranklysqueezedit——squeezedithard；andtheunconventionalclutchwasawonderfulthingtoher。
“It”sallrightnow，ain”tit？“hesaid。“We”vegotitstraightenedout。You”llnotbeafraidtocomebackhereifyourmotherwantsyouto。”Hestoppedforamomentandthenwentonwithsomethingofhesitation：“Wedon”twanttotalkaboutyourmother。Wecan”t。ButI
understandher，too。Folksaredifferentfromeachotherintheirways。She”sdifferentfromyou。I”ll——I”llstraightenitoutwithherifyoulike。”
“NothingwillneedstraighteningoutafterItellherthatyouaregoingtomarryLittleAnnHutchinson，“saidJoan，withahalf-smile。
“Andthatyouwereengagedtoherbeforeyousawme。”
“Well，thatdoessortoffinishthingsup，doesn”tit？“saidT。
Tembarom。
Helookedathersospeculativelyforamomentafterthisthatshewonderedwhetherhehadsomethingmoretosay。Hehad。
“There”ssomethingIwanttoaskyou，“heventured。
“Askanything。”
“Doyouknowanyone——justanyone——whohasaphoto——justanyoldphoto——ofJemTempleBarholm？“
Shewasratherpuzzled。
“Yes。Iknowawomanwhohaswornonefornearlyeightyears。Doyouwanttoseeit？“
“I”dgiveagooddealto，“washisanswer。
Shetookaflatlocketfromherdressandhandedittohim。
“Womendon”twearlocketsinthesedays。”Hecouldbarelyhearhervoicebecauseitwassolow。“ButI”venevertakenitoff。Iwanthimnearmyheart。It”sJem！“
Hehelditonthepalmofhishandandstoodunderthelight，studyingitasifhewantedtobesurehewouldn”tforgetit。
“It”s——sorterlikethatpictureofMilesHugo，ain”tit？“hesuggested。
“Yes。Peoplealwayssaidso。Thatwaswhyyoufoundmeinthepicture-
gallerythefirsttimewemet。”
“Iknewthatwasthereason——andIknewI”dmadeabreakwhenIbuttedin，“heanswered。Then，stilllookingatthephotograph，“You”dknowthisfaceagainmostanywhereyousawit，Iguess。”
“Therearenofaceslikeitanywhere，“saidJoan。
“Iguessthat”sso，“hereplied。“Andit”sonethatwouldn”tchangemucheither。Thankyou，LadyJoan。”
Hehandedbackthepicture，andsheputoutherhandagain。
“IthinkI”llgotomyroomnow，“shesaid。“You”vedoneastrangethingtome。You”vetakennearlyallthehatredandbitternessoutofmyheart。Ishallwanttocomebackherewhethermymothercomesornot——Ishallwantto。”
“Thesoonerthequicker，“hesaid。“AndsolongasI”mhereI”llbereadyandwaiting。”
“Don”tgoaway，“shesaidsoftly。“Ishallneedyou。”
“Isn”tthatgreat？“hecried，flushingdelightedly。“Isn”titjustgreatthatwe”vegotthingsstraightenedsothatyoucansaythat。
Gee！Thisisaqueeroldworld！There”ssuchalottodoinit，andsofewhoursintheday。Seemslikethereain”ttimetostoplongenoughtohateanybodyandkeepagrouchon。Afellow”sgottokeephustlingnottomissthethingsworthwhile。”
Thelikinginhereyeswasactuallywistful。
“That”syourwayofthinking，isn”tit？“shesaid。“Teachittomeifyoucan。Iwishyoucould。Good-night。”Shehesitatedasecond。“Godblessyou！“sheadded，quitesuddenly——almostfantasticasthewordssoundedtoher。Thatshe，JoanFayre，shouldbecallingdowndevoutbenisonsontheheadofT。Tembarom——T。Tembarom！
Hermotherwasinherroomwhenshereachedit。Shehadcomeupearlytolookoverherpossessions——andJoan”s——beforeshebeganherpacking。Thebed，thechairs，andtableswerespreadwithevening，morning，andwalking-dresses，andthemillinerycollectedfromtheircombinedwardrobes。Shewasexamininganxiouslyalaceappliquedandembroideredwhitecoat，andturnedaslightlyflushedfacetowardtheopeningdoor。
“Iamgoingoveryourthingsaswellasmyown，“shesaid。“IshalltakewhatIcanuse。YouwillrequirenothinginLondon。Youwillrequirenothinganywhereinfuture。Whatisthematter？“shesaidsharply，asshesawherdaughter”sface。
Joancameforwardfeelingitastrangethingthatshewasnotinthemoodtofight——tolashoutandbegladtodoit。
“CaptainPallisertoldmeasIcameupthatMr。TempleBarholmhadbeentalkingtoyou，“hermotherwenton。“Heheardyouhavingsomesortofsceneashepassedthedoor。Asyouhavemadeyourdecision，ofcourseIknowIneedn”thopethatanythinghashappened。”
“Whathashappenedhasnothingtodowithmydecision。Hewasn”twaitingforthat，“Joanansweredher。“Wewerebothentirelymistaken，Mother。”
“Whatareyoutalkingabout？“criedLadyMallowe，butshetemporarilylaidthewhitecoatonachair。“Whatdoyoumeanbymistaken？“
“Hedoesn”twantme——heneverdid，“Joanansweredagain。Ashadowofasmilehoveredoverherface，andtherewasnoderisioninit，onlyawarmingrecollectionofhisearnestnesswhenhehadsaidthewordsshequoted：“HeiswhattheycallinNewYork`deadstuckonanothergirl。””
LadyMallowesatdownonthechairthatheldthewhitecoat，andshedidnotpushthecoataside。
“Hetoldyouthatinhisvulgarslang！“shegaspeditout。“You——yououghttohavestruckhimdeadwithyouranswer。”
“ExceptpoorJemTempleBarholm，“wastheamazingreplyshereceived，“heistheonlyfriendIeverhadinmylife。”
CHAPTERXXXII
ItwasbusinessofseriousimportancewhichwastobringCaptainPalliser”svisittoaclose。HeexplaineditperfectlytoMissAliciaadayorsoafterLadyMalloweandherdaughterleftthem。HehadlatelybeenmostamiableinhismannertowardMissAlicia，andhadgivenhermuchvaluableinformationaboutcompaniesandstocks。HeratherunexpectedlyfounditimperativethatheshouldgotoLondonandBerlinto“seepeople“——dealersingreatfinancialschemeswhoweredeeplyinterestedinsolidbusinessspeculations，suchashisown，whichwerefundamentallydifferentfromallothersintheimpeccablefirmnessoftheirfoundations。
“Isupposehewillbeveryrichsomeday，“MissAliciaremarkedthefirstmorningsheandT。Tembaromtooktheirbreakfastalonetogetherafterhisdeparture。“Itwouldfrightenmetothinkofhavingasmuchmoneyasheseemslikelytohavequitesoon。”
“Itwouldscaremetodeath，“saidTembarom。Sheknewhewasmakingasortofjoke，butshethoughtthepointofitwashertremoratthethoughtofgreatfortune。
“Heseemedtothinkthatitwouldbeanexcellentthingforyoutoinvestin——I”mnotsurewhetheritwastheIndiaRubberTreeCompany，orthemahoganyforestsorthecopperminesthathavesomuchgoldandsilvermixedinthemthatitwillpayfortheexpenseofthedigging——
“shewenton。
“Iguessitwasthewholelot，“putinTembarom。
“Perhapsitwas。Theyareallgoingtomakeeverybodysorichthatitisquitebewildering。Heisverycleverinbusinessmatters。Andsokind。HeevensaidthatifIreallywishedithemightbeabletoinvestmyincomeformeandactuallytrebleitinayear。ButofcourseItoldhimthatmyincomewasyourgenerousgifttome，andthatitwasfarmorethansufficientformyneeds。”
Tembaromputdownhiscoffee-cupsosuddenlytolookatherthatshewasfearfulthatshehadappearedtodoCaptainPallisersomevagueinjustice。
“Iamsurehemeanttobemostobliging，dear，“sheexplained。“Iwasreallyquitetouched。Hesaidmostsympatheticallyanddelicatelythatwhenwomenwereunmarried，andunaccustomedtoinvestment，sometimesabusinessmancouldbeofusetothem。Heforgot“——affectionately——
“thatIhadyou。”
Tembaromregardedherwithtendercuriosity。SheoftenopenedupvistasforhimashehimselfopenedthemfortheDukeofStone。
“Ifyouhadn”thadme，wouldyouhavelethimtrebleyourincomeinayear？“heasked。
Herexpressionwasthatofasoft，woodlandrabbitoratrustingspinsterdove。
“Well，ofcourse，ifonewerequitealoneintheworldandhadonlyasmallincome，itwouldbenicetohaveitwonderfullyaddedtoinsuchashorttime，“sheanswered。“Butitwashisfriendlysolicitudewhichtouchedme。Ihavenotbeenaccustomedtosuchinteresteddelicacyonthepartof——ofgentlemen。”Herhesitancebeforethelastwordbeingtheresultoftraining，whichhadmadeherfeelthatitwasalittleboldfor“ladies“toreferquiteopenlyto“gentlemen。”
“Yousometimesreadinthenewspapers，“saidTembarom，butteringhistoast，“aboutladieswhoareallaloneintheworldwithalittleincome，butthey”renotoftenleftalonewithitlong。It”slikeyousaid——you”vegotme；butifthetimeevercomeswhenyouhaven”tgotmejustyoumakeadead-surethingofitthatyoudon”tletanysolicitousbusinessgentlemantrebleyourincomeinayear。Ifit”sanincomethatcomestomorethanfivecents，don”tyouhanditovertobemadeintofifteen。Fivecentsisaheapbetter——justplainfive。”
“Temple！“gaspedMissAlicia。“You——yousurelycannotmeanthatyoudonotthinkCaptainPalliseris——sincere！“
Tembaromlaughedoutright，hismosthilariousandcomfortinglaugh。Hehadnointentionofenlighteningherinsuchamanneraswouldleadheratoncetobeholdpicturesofhimasthepossiblevictimofappallingcatastrophes。Helikedhertoowellasshewas。
“Sincere？“hesaid。“He”ssinceredowntotheground——inwhathe”sreachingafter。Buthe”snotgoingtotrebleyourincome，normine。Ifheevermakesthatofferagain，youjusttellhimI”minterested，andthatI”lltalkitoverwithhim。”
“IcouldnothelpsayingtohimthatIdidn”tthinkyoucouldwantanymoremoneywhenyouhadsomuch，“sheadded，“buthesaidoneneverknewwhatmighthappen。HewasgreatlyinterestedwhenItoldhimyouhadoncesaidtheverysamethingyourself。”
Theirbreakfastwasatanend，andhegotup，laughingagain，ashecametoherendofthetableandputhisarmaroundhershouldersintheunconventionalyoungcaresssheadoredhimfor。
“It”snicetobebyourselvesagainforawhile，“hesaid。“Letusgoforawalktogether。Putonthelittlebonnetanddressthatarethecolorofamouse。Thoselittledudsjustgetme。Youlooksoprettyinthem。”
Thesixteen-year-oldblushranuptotherootsofhergrayside-
ringlets。Justimaginehisrememberingthecolorofherdressandbonnet，andthinkingthatanythingcouldmakeherlookpretty！Shewasoverwhelmedwithinnocentandgratefulconfusion。Therereallywasnooneelseintheleastlikehim。
“Youdolookwell，ma”am，“Rosesaid，whenshehelpedhertodress。
“You”vegotsuchanicecolor，andthattinybitofoldroseMrs。
Mellishputinthebonnetdoesbringitout。”
“Iwonderifitiswrongofmetobesopleased，“MissAliciathought。
“Imustmakeitasubjectofprayer，andasktobeaidedtoconquerahaughtyandvain-gloriousspirit。”
Shewaspatheticallyserious，havingbeentrainedtoaviewoftheGreatFirstCauseasfigurativelyembodiedintheimageofagigantic，irascible，omnipotentoldgentleman，especiallywroughttofurybyfemininefolliesconnectedwithbecomingheadgear。
“IthassometimesevenseemedtomethatourHeavenlyFatherhasaspecialobjectiontoladies，“shehadoncetimorouslyconfessedtoTembarom。“Isupposeitisbecausewearesomuchweakerthanmen，andsomuchmoregiventovanityandpettyvices。”
Hehadcaughtherinhisarmsandactuallyhuggedherthattime。Theirintimacyhadreachedthepointwheretheaffectionateoutburstdidnotalarmher。
“Say！“hehadlaughed。“It”snotthemenwhoaregoingtohavethebiggestpullwiththeauthoritieswhenfolkstrytogetintotheplacewherethingsareevenedup。WhatI”mgoingtoworkmypassagewithisalistofthefew”ladies”I”veknown。YouandAnnwillbeattheheadofit。Ishalljustslideitinatthebox-officewindowandsay，”Justlookoverthis，willyou？Thesewerefriendsofmine，andtheyweremightygoodtome。Iguessiftheydidn”tturnmedown，youneedn”t。Iknowthey”reinhere。Reservedseats。I”mnotexpectingtobeputwiththembutifI”mallowedtohangaroundwheretheyarethat”llbeheavenenoughforme。”“
“Iknowyoudon”tmeantobeirreverent，dearTemple，“shegasped。“I
amquitesureyoudon”t！Itis——itisonlyyourAmericanwayofexpressingyourkindthoughts。Andofcourse“——quitehastily”theAlmightymustunderstandAmericans——ashemadesomany。”Andhalffrightenedthoughshewas，shepattedhisarmwiththewarmthofcomfortinhersoulandmoistureinhereyes。Somehoworother，hewasalwayssocomforting。
Heheldherarmastheytooktheirwalk。Shehadbecomeusedtothatalso，andnolongerthoughtitodd。Itwasonlyoneofthewayshehadofmakingherfeelthatshewasbeingtakencareof。Theyhadnotbeenabletohavemanywalkstogethersincethearrivalofthevisitors，andthisoccasionwasatonceacauseofreliefandinwardrejoicing。
Theentiretruthwasthatshehadnotbeenaltogetherhappyabouthimoflate。Sometimes，whenhewasnottalkingandsayingamusingNewYorkthingswhichmadepeoplelaugh，heseemedalmosttoforgetwherehewasandtobethinkingofsomethingwhichbaffledandtriedhim。
Thewayinwhichhepulledhimselftogetherwhenherealizedthatanyonewaslookingathimwas，tohermind，themostdisturbingfeatureofhisfitsofabstraction。Itsuggestedthatifhereallyhadatroubleitwasaprivateoneonwhichhewouldnotlikehertointrude。Naturally，heradoringeyeswatchedhimoftenerthanheknew，andshetriedtofindplausibleandnottoopainfulreasonsforhismood。Healwaysmadelightofhisunaccustomednesstohisnewlife；
butperhapsitmadehimfeelmoreunrestfulthanhewouldadmit。
Astheywalkedthroughtheparkandthevillage，herheartwasgreatlywarmedbythewayinwhicheachpersontheymetgreetedhim。Theygreetednooneelseinthesameway，andyetitwasdifficulttoexplainwhatthedifferencewas。Theylikedhim——reallylikedhim，thoughhowhehadovercometheirnaturaldistrustofhisnewsboyandbootblackrecordnoonebuthimselfknew。Infact，shehadreasontobelievethatevenhehimselfdidnotknow——hadindeedneveraskedhimself。Theyhadgraduallybeguntolikehim，thoughnoneofthemhadeveraccusedhimofbeingagentlemanaccordingtotheirownacceptanceoftheword。Everymantouchedhiscaporforeheadwithafriendlygrinwhichspreaditselftheinstanthecaughtsightofhim。
Grinandsaluteweresynchronous。Itwasasifthereweresomeextremelyhumanjokebetweenthem。MissAliciahaddelightedlyrememberedaremarktheDukeofStonehadmadetoheronhisreturnfromoneoftheirlongdrives。
“Heisthemostpopularmaninthecounty，“hehadchuckled。“Ifwarbrokeoutandhewereinthearmy，hecouldraisearegimentathisowngateswhichwouldfollowhimwheresoeverhechosetoleadit——ifitwereintohottestHades。”
Tembaromwasrathersilentduringthefirstpartoftheirwalk，andwhenhespokeitwasofCaptainPalliser。
“He”safellowthat”sgotlotsofcuriosity。Iguesshe”saskedyoumorequestionsthanhe”saskedme，“hebeganatlast，andhelookedatherinterestedly，thoughshewasnotawareofit。
“Ithought”shehesitatedslightlybecauseshedidnotwishtobecritical”Isometimesthoughtheaskedmetoomany。”
“Whatwashetryingtogetontomostly？“
“HeaskedsomanythingsaboutyouandyourlifeinNewYork——butmore，Ithink，aboutyouandMr。Strangeways。HewasreallyquitepersistentonceortwiceaboutpoorMr。Strangeways。”
“Whatdidheask？“
“HeaskedifIhadseenhim，andifyouhadpreferredthatIshouldnot。HecallshimyourMystery，andthinksyourkeepinghimhereissoextraordinary。”
“Iguessitis——thewayhe”dlookatit，“Tembaromdroppedin。