Yetifwhenourhostgaveusthesigntoadjourntothedrawing—roomsomuchasallthishadgrownsomuchclearer，Ihadstill，figurativelyspeaking，asmallnutortwolefttocrack。Bythetimewemovedawaytogether，however，theseresistanceshadyielded。Theanswershadreallyonlybeenwaitingforthequestions。TheplayofLong’smindstruckmeasmoremarked，sincethemorning，bythesameamount，asitmighthavebeencalled，asthemarchofpoorBriss’sage；andifIhad，awhilebefore，inthewood，hadmyexplanationofthislatteraddition，soIhaditnowoftheformer——astowhichIshallpresentlygiveit。
Whenmusic，inEnglishsociety，asweknow，isnotanaccompanimenttothevoice，thevoicecaningeneralbecountedontoassertitspleasantidentityasanaccompanimenttomusic；butatNewmarchwehadbeenconsiderablyschooled，andthisevening，intheroominwhichmostofushadassembled，aninterestingpianist，whohadgivenaconcertthenightbeforeatthenearcountytownandbeenbroughtoverduringthedaytodineandsleep，wouldscarcehavefeltinanysensitivefibrethathewasnothavinghiswaywithus。Itmayjustpossiblyhavebeenanhallucinationofmyown，butwhilewesattogetherafterdinnerinadispersedcircleIcouldhaveworkeditoutthat，asacompany，wewereconsiderablyconsciousofsomeexperience，greaterorsmallerfromoneofustotheother，thathadpreparedusfortheplayer’sspell。Felicitouslyscatteredandgrouped，wemightinalmostanycasehavehadtheairoflookingforamessagefromit——ofanimaginationtobeflattered，nervestobequieted，sensibilitiestobesoothed。Thewholescenewasascomposedasiftherewerescarceoneofusbuthadasecretthirstfortheinfinitetobequenched。Anditwastheinfinitethat，forthehour，thedistinguishedforeignerpouredouttous，causingittorollinwonderfulwavesofsound，almostofcolour，overourreceptiveattitudesandfaces。Eachofus，Ithink，nowworetheexpression——orconfessedatleasttothesuggestion——ofsomeindescribablethought；whichmightwell，itwastrue，havebeennothingmoreunmentionablethanthesimplesenseofhowthepostureofdeferencetothisnoblearthasalwaysacertainpersonalgracetocontribute。Weneglectednothingofitthatcouldmakeourgeneraleffectample，andwhetherornowewerekeptquietbythepiano，wewereatleastadmonished，toandfro，byourmutualvisibility，whicheachofusclearlydesiredtomakeasuccess。
Ihavelittledoubt，furthermore，thattoeachofuswasdue，asthecrownofourinimitableday，theimputationofhavingsomethingquiteofourowntothinkover。
Wethought，accordingly——wecontinuedtothink，andIfeltthat，bythelawoftheoccasion，therehadasyetbeenforeveryonenosuchsovereignwarrantforaninterestintheprivateaffairsofeveryoneelse。Asaresultofthisinfluenceallthatatdinnerhadbeguntofadeawayfrommecamebackwitharushandhoveredtherewithavividness。Ifollowedmanytrainsandputtogethermanypieces；butperhapswhatImostdidwastorenderafreshjusticetothemarvelofourcivilisedstate。Theperfectionofthat，enjoyedasweenjoyedit，allmadeamargin，aseriesofconcentriccirclesofrose—colour（shimmeringawayintothepleasantvagueofeverythingelsethatdidn’tmatter，）forthesosalientlittlefigureofMrs。Server，stillthecontrollingimageforme，therealprincipleofcomposition，inthisaffluenceoffinethings。What，formypart，whileIlistened，Imostmadeoutwasthebeautyandtheterrorofconditionssohighlyorganisedthatundertheirrulehersmalllonelyfightwithdisintegrationcouldgoonwithoutthebetrayalofagasporashriek，andwithnoworsetell—talecontortionofliporbrowthanthevibration，onitsgoldenstem，ofthatconstantlyrenewedflowerofamenitywhichmyobservationhadsooftenandsomercilesslydetachedonlytofindagaininitsplace。Thisflowernoddedperceptiblyenoughinourdeeplystirredair，buttherewasapeace，nonetheless，infeelingthespiritofthewearertobetemporarilyatrest。Therewasforthetimenogentlemanonwhomsheneedpounce，nolapseagainstwhichsheneedguard，nopresumptionsheneedcreate，noranysuspicionsheneeddestroy。InthispauseinhercareeritcameovermethatIshouldhavelikedtoleaveher；itwouldhavepreparedformethepleasantafter—consciousnessthatIhadseenherpass，asImightsay，inmusicoutofsight。
Butwewere，alas！alltoomuchthere，toomuchtangledandinvolvedforthat；everyactorintheplaythathadsounexpectedlyinsistedonconstitutingitselfformesatforthaswithanintimationthattheywerenottobesoeasilydisposedof。Itwasasifthereweresomelastacttobeperformedbeforethecurtaincouldfall。Wouldthedefinitedramaticsignalforringingthecurtaindownbethenonly——asagrandclimaxandcoupdetheatre——thedueattestationthatpoorBrisshadsuccumbedtoinexorabletimeandMrs。Servergivenwayunderacerebrallesion？Weretherestofustodispersedecorouslybythesimpleactionofthediscoverythat，onourpianist’sstrikinghislastnote，withitsconsequenceofpermittedchangesofattitude，GilbertLong’svictimhadreachedthepointoffinalsimplificationandGraceBrissenden’sthelimitofagerecordedofman？
Icouldlookatneitherofthesepersonswithoutasharpersenseofthecontrastbetweenthetragedyoftheirpredicamentandthecomedyofthesituationthatdideverythingforthembutsuspectit。Theyhadtrulybeenarrayedandanointed，theyhadtrulybeenisolated，fortheirsacrifice。
Iwassufficientlyawareeventhenthatifonehadn’tknownitonemighthaveseennothing；butIwasnotlessawarethatonecouldn’tknowanythingwithoutseeingall；andsoitwasthat，whileourpianistplayed，mywanderingvisionplayedandplayedaswell。Ittookinagain，whileitwentfromoneofthemtotheother，thedelicatelightthateachhadshedontheother，anditmademewonderafreshwhatstillmoredelicatesupporttheythemselvesmightnotbeintheveryactofderivingfromtheirdimcommunity。
ItwasfortheglimmerofthissupportthatIhadleftthemtogethertwoorthreehoursbefore；yetIwasobligedtorecognisethat，travelbetweenthemasmyfancymight，itcoulddetectnothinginthewayofaconsequentresult。Icaughtnolookfromeitherthatspoketomeofservicerenderedthem；andIcaughtnone，inparticular，fromoneofthemtotheother，thatIcouldreadasasymptomoftheirhavingcomparednotes。Thefellow—feelingofeachforthelostlightoftheotherremainedformebutatiesupposititious——thefull—blownflowerofmytheory。Itwouldshowhereasanotherflower，equallymature，formetohavemadeoutasimilardimcommunitybetweenGilbertLongandMrs。Brissenden——tobeabletofigurethemasgropingsidebyside，proportionately，towardsafellowshipoflightovertaken；butifIfailedofthis，foridealsymmetry，thatseemedtorestonthegeneraltruththatjoybringspeoplelesstogetherthansorrow。
Somuchforthecourseofmyimpressionswhilethemusiclasted——acoursequiteconsistentwithmybeingpreparedfornewcombinationsassoonasitwasover。Promptly，whenthathappened，thebowwasunbent；andthecombinationIfirstseized，amidmotionandmurmurandrustle，wasthat，oncemore，ofpoorBrissandLadyJohn，thelatterofwhomhadalreadyprofitedbythegeneralreactiontoendeavourtocultivateafreshthevainestofhersundryappearances。ShehadlaidonhimthesamecoercivehandtowhichIowedmyhavingfoundhimwithherintheafternoon，butmyinterventionwasnowtooperatewithlessceremony。IchancedtobenearenoughtothemforBrissenden，onseeingme，tofixhiseyesonmeinsilence，butinamannerthatcouldonlybringmeimmediatelynearer。LadyJohnneverdidanythinginsilence，butshegreetedmeasIcameuptothemwithafinefalsealarm。\"No，indeed，\"shecried，\"youshan’tcarryhimoffthistime！\"——andpoorBrissdisappeared，leavingusfacetoface，evenwhileshebreatheddefiance。Hehadmadenojokeofit，andIhadfromhimnootherrecognition；
itwasthereforeameretouch，yetitgavemeasensiblehintthathehadbegun，asthingsweregoing，todependuponme，thatIalreadyinafashionfiguredtohim——andonamazinglylittleevidenceafterall——ashisnaturalprotector，hisprovidence，hiseffectiveomniscience。LikeMrs。Serverherself，hewasmateriallyonmyhands，anditwasproperIshould\"do\"
forhim。Iwonderedifhewerereallybeginningtolooktometoaverthisinexorablefate。Well，ifhisinexorablefatewastobeanunnameableclimax，ithadalsoitsspecialphases，andoneoftheseIHADjustaverted。
IfollowedhimamomentwithmyeyesandIthenobservedtoLadyJohnthatshedecidedlytookmefortoosimpleaperson。Shehadmeanwhilealsowatchedthedirectiontakenbyherliberatedvictim，andwasthenextinstantpreparedwithareplytomycharge。\"BecausehehasgonetotalkwithMayServer？
Idon’tquiteseewhatyoumean，forIbelievehimreallytobeinterrorofher。MostofthemenhereARE，youknow，andI’vereallyassuredmyselfthathedoesn’tfindheranylessawfulthantherest。Hefindsherthemoresobyjusttheverymarkedextraattentionthatyoumayhavenoticedshehasgivenhim。\"
\"Anddoesthatnowhappentobewhathehassoeagerlygoneofftoimpressuponher？\"
LadyJohnwassoplacedthatshecouldcontinuetolookatourfriends，andImadeoutinherthatshewasnot，inrespecttothem，withoutsomeslightelementsofperplexity。ThesewereevensufficienttomakehertemporarilyneglectthedefenceofthebreachIhadmadeinherconsistency。\"Ifyoumeanby’impressingupon’herspeakingtoher，hehasn’tgone——youcanseeforyourself——toimpressuponheranything；theyhavethemostextraordinaryway，whichI’vealreadyobserved，ofsittingtogetherwithoutsound。I
don’tknow，\"shelaughed，\"what’sthematterwithsuchpeople！\"
\"Itprovesingeneral，\"Iadmitted，\"eithersomecoldnessorsomewarmth，andIquiteunderstandthatthat’snotthewayyousitwithyourfriends。
Yousteeradmirablyclearofeveryextravagance。Idon’tsee，atanyrate，whyMrs。Serverisaterror——\"
Butshehadalreadytakenmeup。\"Ifshedoesn’tchatterasido？\"Shethoughtitover。\"Butshedoes——toeveryonebutMr。Briss。Imeantoeverymanshecanpickup。\"
Iemulatedherreflection。\"Dotheycomplainofittoyou？\"
\"They’remorecivilthanyou，\"shereturned；\"forif，whentheyfleebeforeit，theybumpupagainstmeintheirflight，theydon’texplainthatbyintimatingthatthey’recomefrombadtoworse。Besides，Iseewhattheysuffer。\"
\"Anddoyouhearit？\"
\"Whattheysuffer？No，I’vetakencarenottosuffermyself。Idon’tlisten。It’snoneofmybusiness。\"
\"Isthatawayofgentlyexpressing，\"Iventuredtoask，\"thatit’salsononeofmine？\"
\"Itmightbe，\"shereplied，\"ifIhad，asyouappearto，theimaginationofatrocity。ButIdon’tpretendtosomuchasconceivewhat’syourbusiness。\"
\"Iwonderifitisn’tjustnow，\"Isaidafteramoment，\"toconvictyouofanattemptatduplicitythathasnotevenhadthesavinggraceofsuccess！WasitforBrissendenhimselfthatyouspokejustnowasifyoubelievedhimtowishtoclingtoyou？\"
\"Well，I’mkindenoughforanything，\"shegood—naturedlyenoughlaughed。
\"Butwhat，\"sheaskedmoresharply，\"areyoutryingtofindout？\"
Suchanawfullot，theanswertothiswouldpolitelyhavebeen，thatIdaresaytheaptnessofthequestionproducedinmyfaceashadeofembarrassment。
Ifelt，however，thenextmomentthatIneedn’tfeartoomuch。WhatI，onapproachingLadyJohn，hadfoundmyselfmovedtotest，usingherinitasahappytouchstone，wasthedegreeofthesurrounding，thelatent，senseofthings：animpulseconfirmedbythemannerinwhichshehadmomentarilycircledaboutthephenomenonofMrs。Server’savidity，aboutthemysteryofthetermsmadewithitbyourfriend。ItwaspresenttomethatifI
couldcatch，onthepartofmyinterlocutress，anythingofastraightscent，Imighttakethatasthemeasureofadiffuseddanger。Imentallyappliedthistermtothepossibilityofdiffusion，becauseIsuddenlyfoundmyselfthinkingwithakindofhorrorofanyaccidentbywhichImighthavetoexposetotheworld，todefendagainsttheworld，tosharewiththeworld，thatnowsocomplextangleofhypothesesthatIhavehadforconveniencetospeakofasmytheory。Icouldtosstheballmyself，Icouldcatchitandsenditback，andfamiliarityhadnowmadethisexercise——inmyowninnerprecincts——easyandsafe。ButthemerebrushofLadyJohn’sclumsiercuriositymademetremblefortheimpunityofmycreation。Iftherehadbeen，sotospeak，adiscernment，howeverfeeble，ofmydiscernment，itwouldhavebeenirresistibletometotakethisasthemenaceofsomeincalculablecatastropheorsomepublicugliness。Itwasn’tformedefinitelytoimagethelogicalresultofaverificationbythesenseofothersofthematterofmyvision；butthethinghadonlytohangbeforemeasachanceformetofeelthatIshouldutterlyobjecttoit，thoughImayappeartoweakenthisstatementifIaddthattheopportunitytofixthedegreeofmyactualcompanion’sbetrayedmystificationwasalmostaspell。This，Iconceive，wasjustbyreasonofwhatwasatstake。HowcouldIhappilytellherwhatIwastryingtofindout？——tellher，thatis，nottoomuchforsecurityandyetenoughforrelief？Thebestanswerseemedabravejump。Iwasconsciousofacertaincreditopenwithherinmyappearanceofintellectualsympathy。
\"Well，\"Ibroughtoutatlast，\"I’mquiteachingtoaskyouifyou’llforgivemeagreatliberty，whichIowetoyourcandidchallengemyopportunitytoname。WillyouallowmetosayfranklythatIthinkyouplayadangerousgamewithpoorBriss，inwhomIconfessI’minterested？Idon’tofcoursespeakoftheleastdangertoyourself；butit’saninjusticetoanymantomakeuseofhimquitesoflagrantly。Youdon’tintheleastflatteryourselfthatthepoorfellowisinlovewithyou——youwouldn’tcareabitifhewere。Yetyou’rewillingtomakehimthinkyoulikehim，sofarasthatmaybenecessarytoexplainyoursofrequentlyingeniousappropriationofhim。Hedoesn’tlikeyouTOOmuch，asyet；doesn’tevenlikeyouquiteenough。Butyourpotencymay，afterall，workonhim，andthen，asyourinterestissoobviouslyquiteelsewhere，whatwillhappenwillbethatyou’llfind，toyourinconvenience，thatyou’vegonetoofar。AmanneverlikesawomanenoughunlesshelikesherMOREthanenough。Unfortunatelyit’swhattheinveterateassissuresoonerorlatertodo。\"
LadyJohnlookedjustenoughinterestedtolookdetachedfrommostofthemorevulgarliabilitiestooffence。\"DoIunderstandthattobetheprettynamebywhichyoudescribeMr。Briss？\"
\"Hehashisshareofit，forI’mthinkingoftheidiotsthatweeveryoneofusare。Ithrowoutawarningagainstacontingency。\"
\"Areyouprovidingforthecontingencyofhisceasingtocareforhiswife？Ifyouare\"——andLadyJohn’samusementtookonabreadth——\"youmaybesaidtohaveaprudentmindandtobetakingtimebytheforelock。\"
AtthisIprickedupmyears。\"Doyoumeanbecauseofhisapparentlyincorruptibleconstancy？\"
\"Imeanbecausethewholething’ssobeforeone。Shehashimsoinhandthatthey’reneitheroftheminasmuchdangeraswouldcountforamouse。
Itdoesn’tpreventhislikingtodallybytheway——forSHEdalliesbytheway，andhedoeseverythingshedoes。Haven’tIobservedher，\"LadyJohncontinued，\"dallyingalittle，sofarasthatgoes，withYOU？You’vethetacttotellmethathedoesn’tthinkmegoodenough，butIdon’trequire，doI？——forsuchapurposeashis——tobeveryextraordinarilygood。Youmaysaythatyouwrapitupimmenselyandtrytosugarthedose！Well，allthesame，giveup，foraquietlife，theattempttobeaprovidence。
Youcan’tbeaprovidenceandnotbeabore。ArealprovidenceKNOWS；whereasyou，\"saidLadyJohn，makingherpointneatly，\"havetofindout——andtofindoutevenbyasking’thelikesof’ME。Yourfinespeechmeanwhiledoesn’tabittellmewhat。\"
Itaffectedmeagainthatshecouldgetsonearwithoutgettingnearer。
TrueenoughitwasthatIwantedtofindout；andthoughImightexpect，orfear，toomuchofher，Iwonderedatheronlyseeingthis——athernotreadingdeeper。Theperilofthepublicuglinessthathauntedmeroseorfell，atthismoment，withmyvaryingviewofherdensity。Orrather，tobemoreexact，IalreadysawherasnecessarilystupidbecauseIsawherasextravagantlyvain。WhatIseenowofcourseisthatIwasonmyownsidealmoststupidlyhardwithher——asImayalsoatthathourhavebeensubjecttoherothervice。Didn’tIperhaps，inproportionasIfelthowlittleshesaw，thinkawfullywellofmyself，aswesaidatNewmarch，forseeingsomuchmore？Itcomesbacktomethatthesensethusestablishedofmysuperiorvisionmayperfectlyhavegonealittletomyhead。IfitwasafrenziedfallacyIwasalltoblame，butifitwasanythingelsewhateveritwasnaturallyintoxicating。Ireallyrememberinfactthatnothingsomuchasthisconfirmedpresumptionofmyimpunityhadappearedtometomarkthefinequalityofmystate。IthinktheremustfairlyhavebeenapitchatwhichIwasnotsurethatnottopartakeofthatstatewas，onthepartofothers，thesignofagregariousvulgarity；asiftherewereapositiveadvantage，anundilutedbliss，intheintensityofconsciousnessthatIhadreached。ialonewasmagnificentlyandabsurdlyaware——everyoneelsewasbenightedlyoutofit。SoIreflectedthattherewouldbealmostnothingImightn’twithsafetymentiontomypresentsubjectofpracticeasanacknowledgmentthatIwasmeddlesome。Icouldputnoclueinherhandthathernotoriousacutenesswouldmakeofthesmallestusetoher。
Themostshecoulddowouldbetomakeitofusetomyself，andtheclueitseemedbesttoselectwasthereforeacompleteconfessionofguilt。
\"You’vealucidityofyourowninwhichI’mforcedtorecognisethatthehighestpurityofmotivelooksshrivelledandblack。Youbringoutaccordinglywhathasmademethusbeataboutthebush。HaveyoureallysuchafundofindulgenceforGilbertLongaswemostofus，Igather——thoughperhapsinourblindness——seemtoseeitstickoutagainthathesupposes？
MAYhefondlyfeelthathecancontinuetocountonit？Or，ifyouobjecttomyquestioninthatform，isitnot，frankly，tomakinghisattitude——afterallsothoroughlypublic——moreconvenienttoeachofyouthat（withoutperhapsquitemeasuringwhatyou’reabout，）you’vegoneonsacrificingpoorBriss？Icallitsacrificing，yousee，inspiteoftherehavingbeenasyetnosuchgreatharmdone。Andifyouaskmeagainwhatbusinessofminesuchinquiriesmayrepresent，why，thebestthingwilldoubtlessbetosaytoyouthat，withasmallerdoseofirrepressibleironyinmycompositionthanyouhaveinyours，Ican’tmakesolightasyouofmytendencytoworryonbehalfofthoseIcarefor。LetmefinallyhastentoaddthatI’mnotnowincludinginthatcategoryeitherofthetwogentlemenI’venamed。\"
Ifreelyconcede，asIcontinuemyrecord，thattofollowmeatall，atthispoint，gaveproofonLadyJohn’spartofafacultythatshouldhavepreventedmythinkingofherasinordinatelybackward。\"ThenwhointheworldAREtheseobjectsofyoursolicitude？\"
Ishowed，overandabovemyhesitation，myregretfortheneedofit。
\"I’mafraidIcan’ttellyou。\"
Atthis，notunnaturally，shefairlyscoffed。\"Askingmeeverythingandtellingmenothing，youneverthelesslooktometosatisfyyou？Doyoumean，\"shepursued，\"thatyouspeakforpersonswhoseinterestismorelegitimatelyfoundedthantheinterestyousoflatteringlyattributetomyself？\"
\"Well，yes——letthembesodescribed！Can’tyouguess，\"Ifurtherrisked，\"whoconstitutesatleastONEofmypreoccupations？\"
Thecondescensionofherconsenttothinkmarkeditselfhandsomelyenough。
\"IsityourideatopretendtomethatI’mkeepingGraceBrissendenawake？\"
Therewasconsistencyenoughinherwonder。\"Shehasnotbeenanythingbutnicetome；she’snotapersonwhosepathonecrosseswithoutfindingitout；andIcan’timaginewhathasgotintoherifanysuchgrievanceasthatiswhatshehasbeenpouringouttoyouinyourapparentlysodeepconfabulations。\"
Thistossoftheballwasonethat，Isawquicklyenough，evenatasteforsportwouldn’tjustifymyanswering，andmylogicalinterestlaymoreoverelsewhere。\"Dearno！Mrs。Brissendencertainlyfeelsherstrength，andIshouldneverpresumetotakeundermychargeanypersonalsituationofhers。Ihadinmymindaverydifferentidentity。\"
LadyJohn，asiftobepatientwithme，lookedaboutatourcompanionsforahintofit，wonderingwhichoftheladiesImighthavebeensupposedto\"carefor\"somuchastotolerateinherapreferenceforarival；buttheeffectofthissurveywas，Ithenextinstantobserved，adropofherattentionfromwhatIhadbeensaying。HereyehadbeencaughtbythesightofGilbertLongwithinrangeofus，andthenhadbeenjustvisiblyheldbythefactthatthepersonseatedwithhimononeofthesmallsofasthatalmostofnecessitymadeconversationintimatewasthepersonwhosename，justutteredbetweenus，was，indefaultofthenameshewasinsearchof，stillintheair。GilbertLongandMrs。Brisswereinfamiliarcolloquy——thoughIwasaware，atthefirstflush，ofnothinginthisthatshouldhavemademyinterlocutressstare。ThatisIwasawareofnothingbutthatIhadsimultaneouslymyselfbeenmovedtosomeincreaseofsharpness。WhatCOULD
IhaveknownthatshouldhavecausedmetowonderatthemomentaryexistenceofthisparticularconjunctionofmindsunlessitweresimplythefactthatIhadn’tseenitoccuramidthemanyconjunctionsIhadalreadynoticed——PLUS
thefactthatIhadafewminutesbefore，intheinterestofthefullroundnessofmytheory，actuallybeenmissingit？ThesetwopersonshadmetinmypresenceatPaddingtonandhadtravelledtogetherundermyeyes；IhadtalkedofMrs。BrisswithLongandofLongwithMrs。Briss；butthevividpicturethattheirsocialunionforthwithpresentedstirredwithinme，thoughsostrangelylateintheday，itmighthaveseemed，forsuchanemotion，morethanenoughfreshnessofimpression。Yet——nowthatIdidhaveitthere——whyshoulditbevivid，whystirring，whyapictureatall？
WasANYtemporarycollocation，inahousesoencouragingtosociability，outoftherangeofnature？Intenselyprompt，Ineedscarcelysay，werebothmyfreshnessandmyperceivedobjectionstoit。Thehappiestobjection，couldIhavetakentimetophraseit，woulddoubtlesshavebeenthattheparticulareffectofthisjuxtaposition——tomyeyesatleast——wasathingnottohavebeenforeseen。Thepartiestoitlooked，certainly，asIfeltthatIhadn’tprefiguredthem；thougheventhis，formyreason，wasnotadescriptionoftheiraspect。MuchlesswasitadescriptionfortheintelligenceofLadyJohn——towhom，however，afterall，someformulationofwhatshedimlysawwouldnotbesoindispensable。
Webrieflywatched，atanyrate，together，andasoureyesmetagainwemoreoverconfessedthatwehadwatched。Andwecouldostensiblyhaveofferedeachothernoexplanationofthatimpulsesavethatwehadbeentalkingofthoseconcernedasseparateandthatitwasinconsequencealittleoddtofindourselvessuddenlyseeingthemasone。Forthatwasit——theyWEREasone；asone，atallevents，formylargereading。Mylargereadinghadmeanwhile，fortheconvenienceoftherestofmylittletalkwithLadyJohn，tomakeitselfassmallaspossible。Ihadanoddsense，tillwefellapartagain，asofkeepingmyfingerratherstifflyfixedonapassageinafavouriteauthoronwhichIhadnotpreviouslylighted。
Iheldthebookoutofsightandbehindme；Ispokeofthingsthatwerenotatallinit——ornotatallonthatparticularpage；butmyvolume，nonetheless，wasonlywaiting。Whatmightbewrittentherehummedalreadyinmyearsasaresultofmymereglimpse。HadTHEYalsowonderfullybeguntoknow？HadSHE，mostwonderfully，andhadthey，inthatcase，prodigiouslycometogetheronit？Thiswasapossibilityintowhichmyimaginationcoulddipevendeeperthanintothedepthsoverwhichithadconceivedtheotherpairashovering。Theseopposedcouplesbalancedlikebronzegroupsatthetwoendsofachimney—piece，andthemostIcouldsaytomyselfinluciddeprecationofmythoughtwasthatImustn’ttakethemequallyforgrantedmerelyBECAUSEtheybalanced。Thingsintherealhadawayofnotbalancing；itwasallanaffair，thisfinesymmetry，ofartificialproportion。
YetevenwhileIkeptmyeyesawayfromMrs。BrissandLongitwasvividtomethat，\"composing\"therebeautifully，theycouldscarcehelpplayingapartinmyexhibition。Themindofman，furthermore——andmygeneralisationpressedhard，withaquicktwist，onthesupersubtletyastowhichIhadjustbeenprivatelycomplacent——themindofmandoubtlessdidn’tknowfromoneminutetotheother，undertheappealofphantasmagoriclife，whatitwouldprofitablybeat。IthadstruckmeafewsecondsbeforeasvulgarlygrossinLadyJohnthatshewascurious，orconscious，ofsosmallapart；
inspiteofwhichIwasalreadysecretlywincingatthehintthattheseothershadbeguntofindthemselveslessinthedarkandperhapsevendirectlytoexchangetheirglimmerings。
Mypersonalprivilege，onthebasisofthefullconsciousness，hadbecome，onthespot，intheturnofaneye，morethanquestionable，andIwasreallyquitescaredatthechanceofhavingtoface——ofhavingtoseeTHEMface——anotherrecognition。Whatdidthisalarmimplybutthecompletereversalofmyestimateofthevalueofperception？Mrs。BrissendenandLonghadbeenhithertomagnificentlywithoutit，andIwasresponsibleperhapsforhaving，inamoodpracticallymuchstupiderthanthestupidestoftheirs，putthemgratuitouslyandhelplesslyONit。Tobewithoutitwasthemostconsistent，themostsuccessful，becausethemostamiable，formofselfishness；andwhyshouldpeopleadmirablyequippedforremainingso，peoplebrightandinsolentintheirpriorstate，peopleinwhomthisstatewastohavebeenrespectedasasurfacewithoutascratchisrespected，bemadetobegintovibrate，tocrackandsplit，fromwithin？Wasn’titenoughforMEtopay，vicariously，thetaxonbeingabsurd？Werewealltobelanded，withoutanissueoraremedy，inaconditiononwhichthattaxwouldbegenerallylevied？Itwasasif，abruptly，withanewemotion，IhadwishedtounthinkeverythoughtwithwhichIhadbeenoccupiedfortwenty—fourhours。Letmeadd，however，thatevenhadthisprocessbeenmanageableIwasawareofnotproposingtobeginittillIshouldhavedonewithLadyJohn。