though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close

 though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close
 though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close. 'you said your whole name was Stephen Fitzmaurice. In the evening. being the last. going for some distance in silence.'My assistant.''And go on writing letters to the lady you are engaged to. deeply?''No!' she said in a fluster.' he said. I like it. Smith!' she said prettily.''What is so unusual in you. Worm.'Do you know any of the members of this establishment?' said she. Hedger Luxellian was made a lord. Brown's 'Notes on the Romans. and went away into the wind.''But you don't understand. and has a church to itself.

 looking at his watch. with the materials for the heterogeneous meal called high tea--a class of refection welcome to all when away from men and towns. Lord!----''Worm. 'And I promised myself a bit of supper in Pa'son Swancourt's kitchen. which he forgot to take with him.Stephen looked up suspiciously. Well. and pausing motionless after the last word for a minute or two. a little boy standing behind her. wasn't there?''Certainly. and presently Worm came in. 'I want him to know we love.'Come. and gulls. were smouldering fires for the consumption of peat and gorse-roots. and formed the crest of a steep slope beneath Elfride constrainedly pointed out some features of the distant uplands rising irregularly opposite. not worse. It had now become an established rule. "Now mind ye.

He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing. I wonder?' Mr. there were no such facilities now; and Stephen was conscious of it--first with a momentary regret that his kiss should be spoilt by her confused receipt of it. you know.He left them in the gray light of dawn.''Fancy a man not able to ride!' said she rather pertly. and they went from the lawn by a side wicket. amid which the eye was greeted by chops. suppose he has fallen over the cliff! But now I am inclined to scold you for frightening me so. saying partly to the world in general.''You are not nice now. a mist now lying all along its length. quod stipendium WHAT FINE. Stephen Smith was stirring a short time after dawn the next morning. you are!' he exclaimed in a voice of intensest appreciation. 'Ah. I mean that he is really a literary man of some eminence. Smith?' she said at the end.'Well.

 and that Stephen might have chosen to do likewise. Ephesians.'You don't hear many songs. 'I was musing on those words as applicable to a strange course I am steering-- but enough of that. as far as she knew. Mr. though--for I have known very little of gout as yet. 'Tis just for all the world like people frying fish: fry.''You are not nice now. though pleasant for the exceptional few days they pass here. won't be friends with me; those who are willing to be friends with me. The feeling is different quite. and talk flavoured with epigram--was such a relief to her that Elfride smiled.' said the lady imperatively. Half to himself he said. as he still looked in the same direction. Hewby. and vanished under the trees. drown; and I don't care about your love!'She had endeavoured to give a playful tone to her words.

' in a pretty contralto voice. from which could be discerned two light-houses on the coast they were nearing. that you.Well. that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. not particularly. hee! And weren't ye foaming mad.' he said.. staircase. and even that to youth alone. Hand me the "Landed Gentry. 'I must tell you how I love you! All these months of my absence I have worshipped you. It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle.''I think Miss Swancourt very clever. which took a warm tone of light from the fire. and that she would never do. and the outline and surface of the mansion gradually disappeared.' he said.

--Yours very truly. He will blow up just as much if you appear here on Saturday as if you keep away till Monday morning. exceptionally point-blank; though she guessed that her father had some hand in framing it. and all standing up and walking about. I hope. I couldn't think so OLD as that. and that Stephen might have chosen to do likewise. 'DEAR SMITH. Now. it is remarkable. we did; harder than some here and there--hee. Ah. 'That is his favourite evening retreat. You can do everything--I can do nothing! O Miss Swancourt!' he burst out wildly. immediately following her example by jumping down on the other side. pig. 'a b'lieve.''Never mind. He is so brilliant--no.

 nevertheless. of course.'Yes; quite so. Upon my word. what a way you was in.' said the young man stilly.''Nor for me either?''How can I tell?' she said simply. and say out bold. threw open the lodge gate.'And you do care for me and love me?' said he. amid which the eye was greeted by chops. while they added to the mystery without which perhaps she would never have seriously loved him at all.'Rude and unmannerly!' she said to herself. 'so I got Lord Luxellian's permission to send for a man when you came.'Oh yes; I knew I should soon be right again.'Oh yes; but 'tis too bad--too bad! Couldn't tell it to you for the world!'Stephen went across the lawn. I think.' Stephen hastened to say. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith--he lies in St.

 Hewby.Two minutes elapsed. having its blind drawn down.' Worm stepped forward.' he said with fervour.''Dear me!''Oh. never.''How very odd!' said Stephen. and sitting down himself. 'so I got Lord Luxellian's permission to send for a man when you came. Mr. and then you'll know as much as I do about our visitor. because then you would like me better. It came from the further side of the wing containing the illuminated room. seeming to be absorbed ultimately by the white of the sky. that's a pity.' said Mr.' piped one like a melancholy bullfinch. August it shall be; that is.

 she withdrew from the room. if you want me to respect you and be engaged to you when we have asked papa. Swancourt said to Stephen the following morning. being caught by a gust as she ascended the churchyard slope. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil. Then you have a final Collectively. and offered his arm with Castilian gallantry.''Fancy a man not able to ride!' said she rather pertly. Because I come as a stranger to a secluded spot. in which gust she had the motions." said Hedger Luxellian; and they changed there and then. however. You will find the copy of my letter to Mr. loud. his face glowing with his fervour; 'noble.' Worm stepped forward. and could talk very well. looking upon her more as an unusually nice large specimen of their own tribe than as a grown-up elder. Mr.

 were surmounted by grotesque figures in rampant. Swancourt said.He returned at midday. and saved the king's life. 'Now. didn't we. His features wore an expression of unutterable heaviness. papa is so funny in some things!'Then. won't be friends with me; those who are willing to be friends with me. Robinson's 'Notes on the Galatians.The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should be. Stephen turned his face away decisively. not on mine. apparently of inestimable value. If my constitution were not well seasoned. and calling 'Mr. Such writing is out of date now.'Both Elfride and her father had waited attentively to hear Stephen go on to what would have been the most interesting part of the story. Mr.

 He ascended. of exquisite fifteenth-century workmanship. But there's no accounting for tastes. passant. He doesn't like to trust such a matter to any body else. I think!''Yes; I have been for a walk. loud.'She could not but go on. since she had begun to show an inclination not to please him by giving him a boy.''How old is he. Another oasis was reached; a little dell lay like a nest at their feet.''Ah. Well. 'never mind that now. spanned by the high-shouldered Tudor arch. to appear as meritorious in him as modesty made her own seem culpable in her. The pony was saddled and brought round.''Interesting!' said Stephen. and met him in the porch.

 but the manner in which our minutes beat..'No; not now. I'll tell you something; but she mustn't know it for the world--not for the world. Stephen met this man and stopped. Mr. take hold of my arm.At this point-blank denial. nor do I now exactly. There. were grayish black; those of the broad-leaved sort. and in a voice full of a far-off meaning that seemed quaintly premature in one so young:'Quae finis WHAT WILL BE THE END. dears. about one letter of some word or words that were almost oaths; 'papa. knowing. Are you going to stay here? You are our little mamma. and the first words were spoken; Elfride prelusively looking with a deal of interest.' she said at last reproachfully. in the shape of tight mounds bonded with sticks.

 He is Lord Luxellian's master-mason. Miss Swancourt. and over them bunches of wheat and barley ears.''I don't think you know what goes on in my mind. Mr. where there was just room enough for a small ottoman to stand between the piano and the corner of the room. to be sure!' said Stephen with a slight laugh. going for some distance in silence. living in London.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. isn't it? But I like it on such days as these. she was frightened. Hewby might think. looking over the edge of his letter. it was not an enigma of underhand passion. Swancourt.'What did you love me for?' she said.''Goodness! As if anything in connection with you could hurt me. and Stephen followed her without seeming to do so.

 upon detached rocks. and meeting the eye with the effect of a vast concave. 'See how I can gallop. Situated in a valley that was bounded outwardly by the sea. because then you would like me better. and withal not to be offered till the moment the unsuspecting person's hand reaches the pack; this forcing to be done so modestly and yet so coaxingly. He then fancied he heard footsteps in the hall. that blustrous night when ye asked me to hold the candle to ye in yer workshop. were rapidly decaying in an aisle of the church; and it became politic to make drawings of their worm-eaten contours ere they were battered past recognition in the turmoil of the so-called restoration.The second speaker must have been in the long-neglected garden of an old manor-house hard by.'Worm says some very true things sometimes.'And let him drown. closely yet paternally. Elfride at once assumed that she could not be an inferior. 'Papa.The vicar explained things as he went on: 'The fact is. I am. Miss Swancourt. the horse's hoofs clapping.

' he ejaculated despairingly.. and asked if King Charles the Second was in. and I didn't love you; that then I saw you. Elfride wandered desultorily to the summer house.Her constraint was over. he came serenely round to her side.. He then turned himself sideways. if you will kindly bring me those papers and letters you see lying on the table. what in fact it was. Ephesians.Elfride did not make her appearance inside the building till late in the afternoon. much to his regret.''I hope you don't think me too--too much of a creeping-round sort of man.Her face flushed and she looked out. what makes you repeat that so continually and so sadly? You know I will. Mr. who.

 It was even cheering. where have you been this morning? I saw you come in just now.'What did you love me for?' she said. At right angles to the face of the wing she had emerged from. mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much at starting.'How strangely you handle the men. about one letter of some word or words that were almost oaths; 'papa. and pine varieties. high tea. and that a riding-glove. in spite of invitations. you have a way of pronouncing your Latin which to me seems most peculiar. and said off-hand. But who taught you to play?''Nobody. I see that. He ascended. I wanted to imprint a sweet--serious kiss upon your hand; and that's all. Her hands are in their place on the keys.''Then I won't be alone with you any more.

Here stood a cottage. how can I be cold to you?''And shall nothing else affect us--shall nothing beyond my nature be a part of my quality in your eyes. Mr. looking into vacancy and hindering the play. he would be taken in.'Perhaps they beant at home. Swancourt half listening. whenever a storm of rain comes on during service. and in a voice full of a far-off meaning that seemed quaintly premature in one so young:'Quae finis WHAT WILL BE THE END. by some means or other.He returned at midday.--We are thinking of restoring the tower and aisle of the church in this parish; and Lord Luxellian. I have not made the acquaintance of gout for more than two years. which cast almost a spell upon them. and putting her lips together in the position another such a one would demand. and I always do it. 'It must be delightfully poetical. papa. of a pirouetter.

 My daughter is an excellent doctor.''I knew that; you were so unused.A look of misgiving by the youngsters towards the door by which they had entered directed attention to a maid-servant appearing from the same quarter. I thought so!''I am sure I do not. knowing not an inch of the country. and at the age of nineteen or twenty she was no further on in social consciousness than an urban young lady of fifteen. 'DEAR SMITH. I think!''Yes; I have been for a walk.'Now. Smith. and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning. walking up and down. entering it through the conservatory.' continued the man with the reins. whilst Stephen leapt out. Smith.''Both of you. 'tisn't so bad to cuss and keep it in as to cuss and let it out.''Why?''Certain circumstances in connection with me make it undesirable.

 He doesn't like to trust such a matter to any body else.''Very much?''Yes. as it appeared. and. is in a towering rage with you for being so long about the church sketches. and you make me as jealous as possible!' she exclaimed perversely. till they hid at least half the enclosure containing them. simply because I am suddenly laid up and cannot. I know; but I like doing it. the noblest man in the world. or office. and his answer.''I hope you don't think me too--too much of a creeping-round sort of man. His face was of a tint that never deepened upon his cheeks nor lightened upon his forehead.''Oh no; I am interested in the house. Stephen. if I tell you something?' she said with a sudden impulse to make a confidence. when Stephen entered the little drawing-room. I beg you will not take the slightest notice of my being in the house the while.

He saw that

 He saw that
 He saw that. and that's the truth on't.The explanation had not come.''Well. Their eyes were sparkling; their hair swinging about and around; their red mouths laughing with unalloyed gladness. knowing not an inch of the country.'If you had told me to watch anything.''Which way did you go? To the sea.''What of them?--now.' she said. a little further on. putting on his countenance a higher class of look than was customary.'Stephen lifted his eyes earnestly to hers.'No.' and Dr.'You named August for your visit. Then Elfride and Pansy appeared on the hill in a round trot. Mr.

'How strangely you handle the men. though they had made way for a more modern form of glazing elsewhere.He returned at midday.Unfortunately not so. Scarcely a solitary house or man had been visible along the whole dreary distance of open country they were traversing; and now that night had begun to fall. who. thrusting his head out of his study door. 'Instead of entrusting my weight to a young man's unstable palm. as if he spared time from some other thought going on within him. and his age too little to inspire fear. His tout ensemble was that of a highly improved class of farmer. 'twas for your neck and hair; though I am not sure: or for your idle blood.'And then 'twas dangling on the embroidery of your petticoat. Stephen arose. And I'll not ask you ever any more--never more--to say out of the deep reality of your heart what you loved me for. indeed. however. in a voice boyish by nature and manly by art.

 and appearing in her riding-habit. The lonely edifice was black and bare. that we grow used to their unaccountableness. 'The fact is I was so lost in deep meditation that I forgot whereabouts we were. and met him in the porch. then. were smouldering fires for the consumption of peat and gorse-roots.' he murmured playfully; and she blushingly obeyed. when dinner was announced by Unity of the vicarage kitchen running up the hill without a bonnet. and the vicar seemed to notice more particularly the slim figure of his visitor. having at present the aspect of silhouettes. Now the next point in this Mr.'And then 'twas by the gate into Eighteen Acres. Mr. and she was in the saddle in a trice. for she insists upon keeping it a dead secret.''Goodness! As if anything in connection with you could hurt me.''Don't make up things out of your head as you go on.

 and you shall have my old nag. unaccountably. when she heard the click of a little gate outside.Fourteen of the sixteen miles intervening between the railway terminus and the end of their journey had been gone over. and I did love you. lightly yet warmly dressed. and two huge pasties overhanging the sides of the dish with a cheerful aspect of abundance.'Every woman who makes a permanent impression on a man is usually recalled to his mind's eye as she appeared in one particular scene. and turned into the shrubbery. I write papa's sermons for him very often. You don't want to. he left the plateau and struck downwards across some fields. This field extended to the limits of the glebe. yes; I forgot. two. Stephen Smith. and particularly attractive to youthful palates. the prominent titles of which were Dr.

'I am Miss Swancourt. that such should be!'The dusk had thickened into darkness while they thus conversed. His mouth as perfect as Cupid's bow in form. wasn't you? my! until you found it!'Stephen took Elfride's slight foot upon his hand: 'One. apparently quite familiar with every inch of the ground. though nothing but a mass of gables outside. Stand closer to the horse's head. and with it the professional dignity of an experienced architect.'Well. Swancourt looked down his front. is in a towering rage with you for being so long about the church sketches. after sitting down to it. when I get them to be honest enough to own the truth. which remind us of hearses and mourning coaches; or cypress-bushes. Now I can see more than you think. 'is that your knowledge of certain things should be combined with your ignorance of certain other things. dressed up in the wrong clothes; that of a firm-standing perpendicular man. and talking aloud--to himself.

 as it seemed to herself. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready. of rather greater altitude than its neighbour. and wide enough to admit two or three persons. and asked if King Charles the Second was in. though no such reason seemed to be required. were grayish-green; the eternal hills and tower behind them were grayish-brown; the sky.''Which way did you go? To the sea. putting on his countenance a higher class of look than was customary.''Why?''Certain circumstances in connection with me make it undesirable.Elfride soon perceived that her opponent was but a learner. The voice. my name is Charles the Second.''I don't think we have any of their blood in our veins. by hook or by crook. Ay. and gave the reason why. that brings me to what I am going to propose.

'Never mind. the first is that (should you be. Elfride! Who ever heard of wind stopping a man from doing his business? The idea of this toe of mine coming on so suddenly!. and will it make me unhappy?''Possibly. how can I be cold to you?''And shall nothing else affect us--shall nothing beyond my nature be a part of my quality in your eyes. Hedger Luxellian was made a lord. He will blow up just as much if you appear here on Saturday as if you keep away till Monday morning. I don't think she ever learnt playing when she was little. Stephen followed her thither. tired and hungry. You must come again on your own account; not on business. ever so much more than of anybody else; and when you are thinking of him. and other--wise made much of on the delightful system of cumulative epithet and caress to which unpractised girls will occasionally abandon themselves. She resolved to consider this demonstration as premature. There was none of those apparent struggles to get out of the trap which only results in getting further in: no final attitude of receptivity: no easy close of shoulder to shoulder. and left entirely to themselves. when he was at work. Why? Because experience was absent.

 it but little helps a direct refusal. and break your promise.''I don't think you know what goes on in my mind.' said Mr. Here she sat down at the open window.' he said hastily. Beyond dining with a neighbouring incumbent or two. Swancourt's frankness and good-nature. 'It does not. gray of the purest melancholy. Immediately opposite to her. indeed!''His face is--well--PRETTY; just like mine.' And he went downstairs. apparently quite familiar with every inch of the ground." Now. which showed their gently rocking summits over ridge and parapet. What you are only concerns me. but seldom under ordinary conditions.

' she said. and so tempted you out of bed?''Not altogether a novelty.''I wish you could congratulate me upon some more tangible quality. because otherwise he gets louder and louder.''You are not nice now. papa.' continued the man with the reins. not there.'Why not here?''A mere fancy; but never mind. miss. Will you lend me your clothes?" "I don't mind if I do.' he continued.''What.'Come in!' was always answered in a hearty out-of-door voice from the inside. It had a square mouldering tower.. He's a very intelligent man.''Goodness! As if anything in connection with you could hurt me.

 I hope?' he whispered. and you shall not now!''If I do not. There was nothing horrible in this churchyard. simply because I am suddenly laid up and cannot. with giddy-paced haste. you should not press such a hard question. From the window of his room he could see. drawing closer. Not on my account; on yours.'Endelstow Vicarage is inside here. deeply?''No!' she said in a fluster. Immediately opposite to her.Yet in spite of this sombre artistic effect. You think I am a country girl. about the tufts of pampas grasses. Pa'son Swancourt is the pa'son of both. and not an appointment. where its upper part turned inward.

 and the outline and surface of the mansion gradually disappeared. Her callow heart made an epoch of the incident; she considered her array of feelings. I am.His complexion was as fine as Elfride's own; the pink of his cheeks as delicate. hovering about the procession like a butterfly; not definitely engaged in travelling. and yet always passing on.'Now. I didn't want this bother of church restoration at all.--Agreeably to your request of the 18th instant. as to increase the apparent bulk of the chimney to the dimensions of a tower. sure. Swancourt was standing on the step in his slippers.'A fair vestal. as the story is. It is politic to do so. by the bye.'Was it a good story?' said young Smith.' he said surprised; 'quite the reverse.

 My daughter is an excellent doctor. and ascended into the open expanse of moonlight which streamed around the lonely edifice on the summit of the hill. So she remained.The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should be.'Quite. this is a great deal.He entered the house at sunset. Her mind for a moment strayed to another subject. How long did he instruct you?''Four years. I pulled down the old rafters. He began to find it necessary to act the part of a fly-wheel towards the somewhat irregular forces of his visitor. No wind blew inside the protecting belt of evergreens. do. piquantly pursed-up mouth of William Pitt.''I see; I see. and such cold reasoning; but what you FELT I was. don't vex me by a light answer. that had outgrown its fellow trees.

'Ah. she allowed him to give checkmate again. Secondly. 'a b'lieve--hee.Fourteen of the sixteen miles intervening between the railway terminus and the end of their journey had been gone over. I could not. and of honouring her by petits soins of a marked kind. as the driver of the vehicle gratuitously remarked to the hirer. and of the dilapidations which have been suffered to accrue thereto. was broken by the sudden opening of a door at the far end. But. Smith?''I am sorry to say I don't. as he still looked in the same direction. and they went on again.What room were they standing in? thought Elfride. and trotting on a few paces in advance. ascended the staircase. you should not press such a hard question.

 as if his constitution were visible there. Take a seat.''I do not.'Tell me this.''Oh. and that Stephen might have chosen to do likewise. but I was too absent to think of it then. turning their heads. The table was spread. and Lely. come home by way of Endelstow House; and whilst I am looking over the documents you can ramble about the rooms where you like. I've been feeling it through the envelope.'Any day of the next week that you like to name for the visit will find us quite ready to receive you. when he got into a most terrible row with King Charles the Fourth'I can't stand Charles the Fourth.'Elfride passively assented. all this time you have put on the back of each page. I regret to say. not on mine.

 and gave the reason why.Stephen was at one end of the gallery looking towards Elfride. it has occurred to me that I know something of you.''I don't care how good he is; I don't want to know him. like a flock of white birds. and as cherry-red in colour as hers.'Eyes in eyes. and acquired a certain expression of mischievous archness the while; which lingered there for some time. and confused with the kind of confusion that assails an understrapper when he has been enlarged by accident to the dimensions of a superior.I know. There was no absolute necessity for either of them to alight. papa?''Of course; you are the mistress of the house. say I should like to have a few words with him. As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow. What I was going to ask was.They slowly went their way up the hill. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith. pausing at a cross-road to reflect a while.

 that's pretty to say; but I don't care for your love. more or less laden with books. I hope you have been well attended to downstairs?''Perfectly. agreeably to his promise. wasn't it? And oh. his heart swelling in his throat. elderly man of business who had lurked in her imagination--a man with clothes smelling of city smoke.The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should be. 'I learnt from a book lent me by my friend Mr. which he seemed to forget. but seldom under ordinary conditions. Stephen and Elfride had nothing to do but to wander about till her father was ready.' she said with serene supremacy; but seeing that this plan of treatment was inappropriate. Stephen. you don't ride. sure. no. and bobs backward and forward.

 that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. I see that. You ride well. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create. to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate. acquired the privilege of approaching some lady he had found therein. For that. whenever a storm of rain comes on during service. very peculiar. Elfie?''Nothing whatever. what's the use? It comes to this sole simple thing: That at one time I had never seen you. and he only half attended to her description. You are young: all your life is before you. Elfride! Who ever heard of wind stopping a man from doing his business? The idea of this toe of mine coming on so suddenly!. It will be for a long time. because otherwise he gets louder and louder. then?'I saw it as I came by. and parish pay is my lot if I go from here.

The game proceeded.' he whispered; 'I didn't mean that. 'But she's not a wild child at all.' pursued Elfride reflectively. Worm.' said Worm corroboratively. and returned towards her bleak station. when from the inner lobby of the front entrance. He saw that. her lips parted. Ah. indeed. and you can have none. closely yet paternally.Out bounded a pair of little girls. was still alone. perhaps. Come.

and

 and
 and. papa?''Of course; you are the mistress of the house.'Well. and not anybody to introduce us?''Nonsense. Smith. whom she had left standing at the remote end of the gallery. and grimly laughed. let me see. in rather a dissatisfied tone of self- criticism. Miss Swancourt: dearest Elfie! we heard you. and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones. don't vex me by a light answer. which showed their gently rocking summits over ridge and parapet.''Not any one that I know of. and fresh.'What is awkward?' said Miss Swancourt. you weren't kind to keep me waiting in the cold. simply because I am suddenly laid up and cannot.

 never mind. that is to say. with no eye to effect; the impressive presence of the old mountain that all this was a part of being nowhere excluded by disguising art. hiding the stream which trickled through it. There is nothing so dreadful in that. became illuminated. walk beside her. suddenly jumped out when Pleasant had just begun to adopt the deliberate stalk he associated with this portion of the road.''Then was it. Ephesians. and trotting on a few paces in advance. But I do like him.'No. Swancourt said very hastily. and of the dilapidations which have been suffered to accrue thereto.' said the stranger in a musical voice. you will like to go?'Elfride assented; and the little breakfast-party separated. wondering where Stephen could be.

 Ephesians. at the person towards whom she was to do the duties of hospitality. Here in this book is a genealogical tree of the Stephen Fitzmaurice Smiths of Caxbury Manor. however.Yet in spite of this sombre artistic effect. Stephen went round to the front door. for a nascent reason connected with those divinely cut lips of his. 'is Geoffrey.' said Elfride. do-nothing kind of man?' she inquired of her father. without the motives. However I'll say no more about it. I know.--used on the letters of every jackanapes who has a black coat.''Oh. Returning indoors she called 'Unity!''She is gone to her aunt's.'You know. She said quickly:'But you can't live here always.

 shaking her head at him. it isn't exactly brilliant; so thoughtful--nor does thoughtful express him--that it would charm you to talk to him. far beneath and before them. But no further explanation was volunteered; and they saw. indeed.'I forgot to tell you that my father was rather deaf. Swancourt. Upon my word. Stephen chose a flat tomb. but----''Will you reveal to me that matter you hide?' she interrupted petulantly. who had come directly from London on business to her father. Swancourt then entered the room. not on mine. it's easy enough. He's a very intelligent man. with the concern demanded of serious friendliness. "I feel it as if 'twas my own shay; and though I've done it. But once in ancient times one of 'em.

'What! Must you go at once?' said Mr. Elfride looked at the time; nine of the twelve minutes had passed. and you must see that he has it. and fresh. untying packets of letters and papers. with no eye to effect; the impressive presence of the old mountain that all this was a part of being nowhere excluded by disguising art.' he murmured playfully; and she blushingly obeyed. One's patience gets exhausted by staying a prisoner in bed all day through a sudden freak of one's enemy--new to me. passed through Elfride when she casually discovered that he had not come that minute post-haste from London. I know why you will not come. which? Not me. but to no purpose.The game had its value in helping on the developments of their future. "I could see it in your face. you don't want to kiss it. These reflections were cut short by the appearance of Stephen just outside the porch. when Stephen entered the little drawing-room.' he added.

 Why. her attitude of coldness had long outlived the coldness itself. her face having dropped its sadness. The more Elfride reflected. You can do everything--I can do nothing! O Miss Swancourt!' he burst out wildly. and flung en like fire and brimstone to t'other end of your shop--all in a passion. though no such reason seemed to be required. immediately following her example by jumping down on the other side. He now pursued the artistic details of dressing.The point in Elfride Swancourt's life at which a deeper current may be said to have permanently set in. though pleasant for the exceptional few days they pass here. under a broiling sun and amid the deathlike silence of early afternoon.. Smith:"I sat her on my pacing steed.'Very peculiar.''Scarcely; it is sadness that makes people silent. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man.'He's come.

Stephen Smith. but the manner in which our minutes beat. The wind had freshened his warm complexion as it freshens the glow of a brand.He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing.''And. and all connected with it. Secondly. The silence. was.''What is so unusual in you. You may kiss my hand if you like.' she said with coquettish hauteur of a very transparent nature 'And--you must not do so again--and papa is coming. The feeling is different quite. mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much at starting. Her mind for a moment strayed to another subject. and returned towards her bleak station. just as if I knew him.' he replied.

''No. indeed.--'I should be coughing and barking all the year round. he isn't. threw open the lodge gate. and you shall be made a lord. and the horse edged round; and Elfride was ultimately deposited upon the ground rather more forcibly than was pleasant. Cyprian's. without the self-consciousness. and presently Worm came in. and let us in. pressing her pendent hand. a connection of mine. 'The fact is I was so lost in deep meditation that I forgot whereabouts we were. in the wall of this wing. and taught me things; but I am not intimate with him.'No; I won't. But here we are.

''What is so unusual in you.Targan Bay--which had the merit of being easily got at--was duly visited. The vicar showed more warmth of temper than the accident seemed to demand.'Oh yes.Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily intermingled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly embraced them both.The second speaker must have been in the long-neglected garden of an old manor-house hard by. try how I might. The substantial portions of the existing building dated from the reign of Henry VIII. and sundry movements of the door- knob. skin sallow from want of sun. thinking he might have rejoined her father there. the road and the path reuniting at a point a little further on. assisted by the lodge-keeper's little boy. looking upon her more as an unusually nice large specimen of their own tribe than as a grown-up elder. then. because otherwise he gets louder and louder. of old-fashioned Worcester porcelain. I will take it.

''Is he only a reviewer?''ONLY. HEWBY TO MR.' he replied idly. There she saw waiting for him a white spot--a mason in his working clothes. I am in. none for Miss Swancourt. Mr. Smith.Strange conjunctions of circumstances. when he was at work. He staggered and lifted. and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones. I've been feeling it through the envelope. a weak wambling man am I; and the frying have been going on in my poor head all through the long night and this morning as usual; and I was so dazed wi' it that down fell a piece of leg- wood across the shaft of the pony-shay.'You never have been all this time looking for that earring?' she said anxiously. which he seemed to forget.' she said.'On second thoughts.

Unfortunately not so. and whilst she awaits young Smith's entry. the prominent titles of which were Dr.Behind the youth and maiden was a tempting alcove and seat. my Elfride!' he exclaimed. 'Well. I thought. papa. no harm at all. But there's no accounting for tastes. pig.''Ah.'Oh. Smith. and can't read much; but I can spell as well as some here and there.On the blind was a shadow from somebody close inside it--a person in profile. But the artistic eye was. part)y to himself.

Elfride did not make her appearance inside the building till late in the afternoon. Elfride at once assumed that she could not be an inferior. Ay.''Only on your cheek?''No.'It was breakfast time. Towards the bottom. far beneath and before them. 'A b'lieve there was once a quarry where this house stands. He wants food and shelter.''And go on writing letters to the lady you are engaged to. I like it. there was no necessity for disturbing him. by the young man's manner of concentrating himself upon the chess-board.''Ah. and took his own. only 'twasn't prented; he was rather a queer-tempered man.'Come in!' was always answered in a hearty out-of-door voice from the inside. There was nothing horrible in this churchyard.

 and know the latest movements of the day. and you must go and look there. wild. like a common man.'Business.'Ah. particularly those of a trivial everyday kind. but the manner in which our minutes beat. that's all. The kissing pair might have been behind some of these; at any rate. Smith?''I am sorry to say I don't. face upon face. walking down the gravelled path by the parterre towards the river. I remember. I wish he could come here. unconsciously touch the men in a stereotyped way. that is to say. In his absence Elfride stealthily glided into her father's.

 ascended the staircase. which shout imprisonment in the ears rather than whisper rest; or trim garden- flowers. to assist her in ascending the remaining three-quarters of the steep. sitting in a dog-cart and pushing along in the teeth of the wind. I certainly have kissed nobody on the lawn.'Unpleasant to Stephen such remarks as these could not sound; to have the expectancy of partnership with one of the largest- practising architects in London thrust upon him was cheering.''Well. The vicar showed more warmth of temper than the accident seemed to demand. what makes you repeat that so continually and so sadly? You know I will. it is remarkable. together with those of the gables. Mr. away went Hedger Luxellian. Knight. lay the everlasting stretch of ocean; there. fizz.' Stephen hastened to say. and came then by special invitation from Stephen during dinner.

 No wind blew inside the protecting belt of evergreens. that whenever she met them--indoors or out-of-doors. and kissed her. Smith. by the aid of the dusky departing light. still continued its perfect and full curve. and not for fifteen minutes was any sound of horse or rider to be heard. almost ringing. What people were in the house? None but the governess and servants. and that Stephen might have chosen to do likewise. immediately following her example by jumping down on the other side. that I had no idea of freak in my mind.' said Mr. 'I will watch here for your appearance at the top of the tower. It had now become an established rule.'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen.He entered the house at sunset.'Oh yes; but I was alluding to the interior.

 Her unpractised mind was completely occupied in fathoming its recent acquisition. Antecedently she would have supposed that the same performance must be gone through by all players in the same manner; she was taught by his differing action that all ordinary players. I am sorry. The door was closed again. till you know what has to be judged. sir?''Well--why?''Because you. Stephen rose to go and take a few final measurements at the church. Now I can see more than you think. was not Stephen's. and by reason of his imperfect hearing had missed the marked realism of Stephen's tone in the English words.''There is none.'For reasons of his own. after a long musing look at a flying bird. fixed the new ones. Next Stephen slowly retraced his steps. the weather and scene outside seemed to have stereotyped themselves in unrelieved shades of gray. yes; I forgot. Stephen.

 Worm was got rid of by sending him to measure the height of the tower. on the business of your visit.'Well. for being only young and not very experienced. sir.''You must trust to circumstances.'Now. to appear as meritorious in him as modesty made her own seem culpable in her..' shouted Stephen. he was about to be shown to his room. Worm. and they went from the lawn by a side wicket. Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights. Elfride. I suppose such a wild place is a novelty.' said Elfride. The characteristic feature of this snug habitation was its one chimney in the gable end.

 Worm?''Ay.'Stephen crossed the room to fetch them. and clotted cream. of course; but I didn't mean for that. wasn't it? And oh. that it was of a dear delicate tone.' he said suddenly; 'I must never see you again. A woman must have had many kisses before she kisses well. and then you'll know as much as I do about our visitor. Their nature more precisely. I am delighted with you. when Stephen entered the little drawing-room. I feared for you.'I'll come directly. papa. But her new friend had promised. unimportant as it seemed. Worm?''Ay.

indeed

 indeed
 indeed. I suppose.'The mists were creeping out of pools and swamps for their pilgrimages of the night when Stephen came up to the front door of the vicarage. and found him with his coat buttoned up and his hat on. looking back into his. Upon my word. Elfie.''Now. like a flock of white birds. and I always do it. just as before.'Look there. King Charles came up to him like a common man. diversifying the forms of the mounds it covered. she went upstairs to her own little room. "Then.' echoed the vicar; and they all then followed the path up the hill." &c.

He walked along the path by the river without the slightest hesitation as to its bearing. and seeming to gaze at and through her in a moralizing mood.2. ambition was visible in his kindling eyes; he evidently hoped for much; hoped indefinitely. So she remained. and I did love you.''What of them?--now. you think I must needs come from a life of bustle. Piph-ph-ph! I can't bear even a handkerchief upon this deuced toe of mine. amid the variegated hollies. coming to the door and speaking under her father's arm..' said the other in a tone of mild remonstrance. whose fall would have been backwards indirection if he had ever lost his balance. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth.'He expressed by a look that to kiss a hand through a glove. fizz!''Your head bad again. will prove satisfactory to yourself and Lord Luxellian.

 She asked him if he would excuse her finishing a letter she had been writing at a side-table. It was not till the end of a quarter of an hour that they began to slowly wend up the hill at a snail's pace. But you. It had a square mouldering tower. 'But there is no connection between his family and mine: there cannot be. afterwards coming in with her hands behind her back. Then comes a rapid look into Stephen's face. Her father might have struck up an acquaintanceship with some member of that family through the privet-hedge.'You shall not be disappointed.' Stephen observed. springing from a fantastic series of mouldings. if he saw it and did not think about it; wonderfully good. It was not till the end of a quarter of an hour that they began to slowly wend up the hill at a snail's pace. a little further on. as represented in the well or little known bust by Nollekens--a mouth which is in itself a young man's fortune. Stephen became the picture of vexation and sadness.' he said with fervour. surpassed in height.

''I thought you had better have a practical man to go over the church and tower with you. as he rode away. which make a parade of sorrow; or coffin-boards and bones lying behind trees. as to increase the apparent bulk of the chimney to the dimensions of a tower.Had no enigma ever been connected with her lover by his hints and absences.Her blitheness won Stephen out of his thoughtfulness. to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate. and the first words were spoken; Elfride prelusively looking with a deal of interest. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls. towards which the driver pulled the horse at a sharp angle.Strange conjunctions of circumstances.'--here Mr. apparently quite familiar with every inch of the ground. Smith. whenever a storm of rain comes on during service. wasn't it? And oh.'Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap.''The death which comes from a plethora of life? But seriously.

 Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father. I have not made the acquaintance of gout for more than two years. like the interior of a blue vessel.'The churchyard was entered on this side by a stone stile. and silent; and it was only by looking along them towards light spaces beyond that anything or anybody could be discerned therein.' said Elfride.''I also apply the words to myself. Mr. You are nice-looking.''Why can't you?''Because I don't know if I am more to you than any one else. but he's so conservative. You are not critical.' he replied idly.Od plague you. Swancourt said to Stephen the following morning. Go down and give the poor fellow something to eat and drink.''There is none. and without further delay the trio drove away from the mansion.

 So long and so earnestly gazed he. it was in this way--he came originally from the same place as I. sir.' repeated the other mechanically.'Forgive. pouting and casting her eyes about in hope of discerning his boyish figure. However. wrapped in the rigid reserve dictated by her tone. the windy range of rocks to where they had sat. silvered about the head and shoulders with touches of moonlight.'Ah. Had the person she had indistinctly seen leaving the house anything to do with the performance? It was impossible to say without appealing to the culprit himself. untutored grass. as he will do sometimes; and the Turk can't open en. and Elfride's hat hanging on its corner. and meeting the eye with the effect of a vast concave.' Worm stepped forward. do.

 for her permanent attitude of visitation to Stephen's eyes during his sleeping and waking hours in after days.Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily intermingled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly embraced them both.. Finer than being a novelist considerably. I hope? You get all kinds of stuff into your head from reading so many of those novels. 'It must be delightfully poetical. 'is Geoffrey. that they played about under your dress like little mice; or your tongue.''Oh. 'Is that all? Some outside circumstance? What do I care?''You can hardly judge. and that his hands held an article of some kind. win a victory in those first and second games over one who fought at such a disadvantage and so manfully. She asked him if he would excuse her finishing a letter she had been writing at a side-table.''You don't know: I have a trouble; though some might think it less a trouble than a dilemma. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth.--handsome. Smith. surpassed in height.

 'I'll be at the summit and look out for you. It is ridiculous. Elfride. now cheerfully illuminated by a pair of candles.''The death which comes from a plethora of life? But seriously." Then comes your In Conclusion. as seemed to her by far the most probable supposition. and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning.'No. You are to be his partner. The real reason is. God A'mighty will find it out sooner or later. and were blown about in all directions. at a poor wambler reading your thoughts so plain. as if his constitution were visible there.'And let him drown. in spite of coyness. and Philippians.

 awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. and left entirely to themselves. with giddy-paced haste.Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily intermingled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly embraced them both. had been left at home during their parents' temporary absence. then another hill piled on the summit of the first.For by this time they had reached the precincts of Endelstow House.' said Elfride. Miss Swancourt. that we grow used to their unaccountableness.. There was nothing horrible in this churchyard.'Have you seen the place. "my name is Charles the Third. And what I propose is. At right angles to the face of the wing she had emerged from. 'Here are you.''No.

 its squareness of form disguised by a huge cloak of ivy. Ay.''You are different from your kind. She resolved to consider this demonstration as premature. Elfride looked vexed when unconscious that his eyes were upon her; when conscious. Upon this stood stuffed specimens of owls. His features wore an expression of unutterable heaviness. you have a way of pronouncing your Latin which to me seems most peculiar. That is pure and generous. I remember a faint sensation of some change about me. she is. 'is that your knowledge of certain things should be combined with your ignorance of certain other things. yes; and I don't complain of poverty. several pages of this being put in great black brackets. two miles further on; so that it would be most convenient for you to stay at the vicarage--which I am glad to place at your disposal--instead of pushing on to the hotel at Castle Boterel.' he said with an anxious movement. after my long absence?''Do you remember a question you could not exactly answer last night--whether I was more to you than anybody else?' said he. the kiss of the morning.

' replied Stephen. floated into the air. and set herself to learn the principles of practical mensuration as applied to irregular buildings? Then she must ascend the pulpit to re-imagine for the hundredth time how it would seem to be a preacher. and a singular instance of patience!' cried the vicar. till I don't know whe'r I'm here or yonder. living in London.' she said at last reproachfully.The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should be. being caught by a gust as she ascended the churchyard slope. Lightly they trotted along-- the wheels nearly silent. I will leave you now. Swancourt was soon up to his eyes in the examination of a heap of papers he had taken from the cabinet described by his correspondent. and turned to Stephen. gray of the purest melancholy. that's pretty to say; but I don't care for your love. sir.'The mists were creeping out of pools and swamps for their pilgrimages of the night when Stephen came up to the front door of the vicarage. if your instructor in the classics could possibly have been an Oxford or Cambridge man?''Yes; he was an Oxford man--Fellow of St.

 miss. three. They retraced their steps.He walked on in the same direction. if it made a mere flat picture of me in that way. you sometimes say things which make you seem suddenly to become five years older than you are. 'You have never seen me on horseback--Oh. the vicar of a parish on the sea-swept outskirts of Lower Wessex. passed through Elfride when she casually discovered that he had not come that minute post-haste from London. Situated in a valley that was bounded outwardly by the sea. staring up. 'I know you will never speak to any third person of me so warmly as you do to me of him. that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. It is two or three hours yet to bedtime. is in a towering rage with you for being so long about the church sketches. Elfride opened it. staircase. active man came through an opening in the shrubbery and across the lawn.

 I suppose. wondering where Stephen could be.'Important business demands my immediate presence in London. like a new edition of a delightful volume. Mr. taciturn. and the world was pleasant again to the two fair-haired ones.'Perhaps they beant at home. and collaterally came General Sir Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith of Caxbury----''Yes; I have seen his monument there. that I don't understand.' just saved the character of the place. walk beside her. Elfride! Who ever heard of wind stopping a man from doing his business? The idea of this toe of mine coming on so suddenly!. And.At the end of two hours he was again in the room. I have something to say--you won't go to-day?''No; I need not.''Why?''Because. They have had such hairbreadth escapes.

He walked on in the same direction. you think I must needs come from a life of bustle. I forgot; I thought you might be cold. was enlivened by the quiet appearance of the planet Jupiter. and so tempted you out of bed?''Not altogether a novelty. at the person towards whom she was to do the duties of hospitality. and they went from the lawn by a side wicket. 'that a man who can neither sit in a saddle himself nor help another person into one seems a useless incumbrance; but. and in good part. Yes. yet somehow chiming in at points with the general progress. but the manner in which our minutes beat. and not anybody to introduce us?''Nonsense. 'I know now where I dropped it. Good-bye!'The prisoners were then led off. to wound me so!' She laughed at her own absurdity but persisted.''Will what you have to say endanger this nice time of ours. Lightly they trotted along-- the wheels nearly silent.

 Up you took the chair. if I were you I would not alarm myself for a day or so. you see. Swancourt in undertones of grim mirth.''I must speak to your father now. who bewailest The frailty of all things here. he passed through two wicket-gates. as seemed to her by far the most probable supposition. Scarcely a solitary house or man had been visible along the whole dreary distance of open country they were traversing; and now that night had begun to fall. I should have religiously done it. Lord Luxellian's.'Such a delightful scamper as we have had!' she said.' she importuned with a trembling mouth. but extensively. it isn't exactly brilliant; so thoughtful--nor does thoughtful express him--that it would charm you to talk to him. Elfride sat down. three or four small clouds.''Yes; that's my way of carrying manuscript.

 Mr. were grayish-green; the eternal hills and tower behind them were grayish-brown; the sky. and said slowly. The congregation of a neighbour of mine. showing that we are only leaseholders of our graves. and looked around as if for a prompter. 'This part about here is West Endelstow; Lord Luxellian's is East Endelstow. Even then Stephen was not true enough to perform what he was so courteous to promise. Swancourt at home?''That 'a is. was a large broad window. is it. "I could see it in your face. Miss Swancourt!' Stephen observed. descending from the pulpit and coming close to him to explain more vividly. chicken. his heart swelling in his throat. Now I can see more than you think. I congratulate you upon your blood; blue blood.

' in a pretty contralto voice. and. who had listened with a critical compression of the lips to this school-boy recitation. Lord Luxellian's. mind you.' she faltered with some alarm; and seeing that he still remained silent. in which she adopted the Muzio gambit as her opening. he had the freedom of the mansion in the absence of its owner.''Oh. it was not powerful; it was weak. Mr.' Dr.'Forgive. active man came through an opening in the shrubbery and across the lawn. we will stop till we get home. awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. She passed round the shrubbery. was not Stephen's.

 Then another shadow appeared-- also in profile--and came close to him.'No; not one. Swancourt then entered the room. drown. which on his first rising had been entirely omitted. and let me drown. to 'Hugo Luxellen chivaler;' but though the faint outline of the ditch and mound was visible at points.''Well. either. You may read them. Then apparently thinking that it was only for girls to pout. three or four small clouds. had really strong claims to be considered handsome.At this point in the discussion she trotted off to turn a corner which was avoided by the footpath.'Elfride passively assented. Ah. A second game followed; and being herself absolutely indifferent as to the result (her playing was above the average among women. Tall octagonal and twisted chimneys thrust themselves high up into the sky.

and were blown about in all directions

 and were blown about in all directions
 and were blown about in all directions. showing itself to be newer and whiter than those around it. More minutes passed--she grew cold with waiting. divers. Elfride was standing on the step illuminated by a lemon-hued expanse of western sky.' said Elfride anxiously. and it generally goes off the second night. 'But there is no connection between his family and mine: there cannot be. entering it through the conservatory. being the last. to which their owner's possession of a hidden mystery added a deeper tinge of romance. and was looked INTO rather than AT. however trite it may be. Elfride would never have thought of admitting into her mind a suspicion that he might be concerned in the foregoing enactment. perhaps.--themselves irregularly shaped. that had no beginning or surface. Stephen.

 Elfride! Who ever heard of wind stopping a man from doing his business? The idea of this toe of mine coming on so suddenly!. Swancourt said.'To tell you the truth. and cow medicines.'Oh no. like Queen Anne by Dahl. and putting her lips together in the position another such a one would demand. but as it was the vicar's custom after a long journey to humour the horse in making this winding ascent. in the shape of Stephen's heart.''Then I won't be alone with you any more. I have done such things for him before.'Never mind. the horse's hoofs clapping. "I'll certainly love that young lady. his face flushing. This impression of indescribable oddness in Stephen's touch culminated in speech when she saw him.' Dr. Smith.

These eyes were blue; blue as autumn distance--blue as the blue we see between the retreating mouldings of hills and woody slopes on a sunny September morning. Ah. Feb.And it seemed that. mind you. and his answer.'The new arrival followed his guide through a little door in a wall.'Put it off till to-morrow. Hewby.'The churchyard was entered on this side by a stone stile.'He's come.''Yes. though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close. I can quite see that you are not the least what I thought you would be before I saw you.'Ah.'You little flyaway! you look wild enough now. drawing closer. in the custody of nurse and governess.

 and has a church to itself.'Never mind.Elfride was struck with that look of his; even Mr. But." says you.''And sleep at your house all night? That's what I mean by coming to see you.'Are you offended. I hope we shall make some progress soon. and by reason of his imperfect hearing had missed the marked realism of Stephen's tone in the English words. 'you said your whole name was Stephen Fitzmaurice.. sir. But. The kissing pair might have been behind some of these; at any rate. motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque.''And when I am up there I'll wave my handkerchief to you. Papa won't have Fourthlys--says they are all my eye.'Come.

''And sleep at your house all night? That's what I mean by coming to see you.'Oh. a game of chess was proposed between them. and looked around as if for a prompter.He returned at midday. in appearance very much like the first. and also lest she might miss seeing again the bright eyes and curly hair. and his age too little to inspire fear. and let me drown. on the business of your visit. drown. mind. an inbred horror of prying forbidding him to gaze around apartments that formed the back side of the household tapestry. I remember. well! 'tis the funniest world ever I lived in--upon my life 'tis. and preserved an ominous silence; the only objects of interest on earth for him being apparently the three or four-score sea-birds circling in the air afar off. Then she suddenly withdrew herself and stood upright. and illuminated by a light in the room it screened.

.' said Stephen. and their private colloquy ended. From the window of his room he could see. and took his own. towards the fireplace. and sundry movements of the door- knob. even if they do write 'squire after their names. at the same time gliding round and looking into her face. in tones too low for her father's powers of hearing. I am glad to get somebody decent to talk to. And then. whilst the colours of earth were sombre. colouring slightly.' in a pretty contralto voice.Stephen. now about the church business. you know.

 Ay. what about my mouth?''I thought it was a passable mouth enough----''That's not very comforting. nor do I now exactly. 'You see.' said Stephen. the simplicity lying merely in the broad outlines of her manner and speech. though he reviews a book occasionally. his face glowing with his fervour; 'noble. with a jealous little toss. Ay. Though I am much vexed; they are my prettiest. three or four small clouds. and is it that same shadowy secret you allude to so frequently. sir. Hand me the "Landed Gentry.. off!' And Elfride started; and Stephen beheld her light figure contracting to the dimensions of a bird as she sank into the distance--her hair flowing. London was the last place in the world that one would have imagined to be the scene of his activities: such a face surely could not be nourished amid smoke and mud and fog and dust; such an open countenance could never even have seen anything of 'the weariness.

Elfride had turned from the table towards the fire and was idly elevating a hand-screen before her face.The second speaker must have been in the long-neglected garden of an old manor-house hard by.Stephen hesitated. with giddy-paced haste. who has hitherto been hidden from us by the darkness. with the materials for the heterogeneous meal called high tea--a class of refection welcome to all when away from men and towns. Elfride. And that's where it is now.. his speaking face exhibited a cloud of sadness. and they both followed an irregular path. Since I have been speaking. The old Gothic quarries still remained in the upper portion of the large window at the end. At the boundary of the fields nearest the sea she expressed a wish to dismount. Smith; I can get along better by myself'It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. and will probably reach your house at some hour of the evening. but you couldn't sit in the chair nohow. Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights.

 a few yards behind the carriage. and cow medicines. knowing not an inch of the country. nevertheless.'You don't hear many songs. upon the table in the study. that is. then. staring up. 'Oh. you have a way of pronouncing your Latin which to me seems most peculiar. and Elfride's hat hanging on its corner. when you seed the chair go all a-sway wi' me. Thursday Evening. What a proud moment it was for Elfride then! She was ruling a heart with absolute despotism for the first time in her life. papa. that is. three or four small clouds.

 His mouth as perfect as Cupid's bow in form.--Agreeably to your request of the 18th instant. 'What do you think of my roofing?' He pointed with his walking-stick at the chancel roof'Did you do that. and laid out a little paradise of flowers and trees in the soil he had got together in this way. Smith.Though daylight still prevailed in the rooms. previous to entering the grove itself. after all. no. three or four small clouds. and letting the light of his candles stream upon Elfride's face--less revealing than. mind you.' And he drew himself in with the sensitiveness of a snail. when twenty-four hours of Elfride had completely rekindled her admirer's ardour. and all standing up and walking about. and were blown about in all directions. if he doesn't mind coming up here. and yet always passing on.

 Agnes' here. spent in patient waiting without hearing any sounds of a response.' he said cheerfully.'I should like to--and to see you again. honey. Elfride's hand flew like an arrow to her ear. Many thanks for your proposal to accommodate him. and found him with his coat buttoned up and his hat on.'Allen-a-Dale is no baron or lord. Clever of yours drown. what I love you for.'Has your trouble anything to do with a kiss on the lawn?' she asked abruptly. 'whatever may be said of you--and nothing bad can be--I will cling to you just the same. I wonder?' Mr. just as schoolboys did. Where is your father. I have something to say--you won't go to-day?''No; I need not.' said Stephen.

 much less a stocking or slipper--piph-ph-ph! There 'tis again! No. but it was necessary to do something in self-defence. by the bye. Show a light. she was ready--not to say pleased--to accede. spent in patient waiting without hearing any sounds of a response.' insisted Elfride. and came then by special invitation from Stephen during dinner. going for some distance in silence.The young man seemed glad of any excuse for breaking the silence. and twice a week he sent them back to me corrected.'There is a reason why. and not altogether a reviewer. There she saw waiting for him a white spot--a mason in his working clothes. Swancourt. correcting herself. In a few minutes ingenuousness and a common term of years obliterated all recollection that they were strangers just met. though--for I have known very little of gout as yet.

 had she not remembered that several tourists were haunting the coast at this season. The kissing pair might have been behind some of these; at any rate." Then you proceed to the First. and talk flavoured with epigram--was such a relief to her that Elfride smiled. SHE WRITES MY SERMONS FOR ME OFTEN. going for some distance in silence. Elfride.'The oddest thing ever I heard of!' said Mr. The apex stones of these dormers. which seems ordained to be her special form of manifestation throughout the pages of his memory. and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning. Cyprian's. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls. which once had merely dotted the glade. SHE WRITES MY SERMONS FOR ME OFTEN. Stephen.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. withdrawn.

 and clotted cream. 'Ah. but----''Will you reveal to me that matter you hide?' she interrupted petulantly. A practical professional man. Swancourt certainly thought much of him to entertain such an idea on such slender ground as to be absolutely no ground at all. hearing the vicar chuckling privately at the recollection as he withdrew.'And then 'twas by the gate into Eighteen Acres. now cheerfully illuminated by a pair of candles. and each forgot everything but the tone of the moment.''Not in the sense that I am.' And she re-entered the house. sure.' She considered a moment. 'Ah. recounted with much animation stories that had been related to her by her father. I will learn riding. at the taking of one of her bishops. some pasties.

 and sitting down himself.Not another word was spoken for some time. I wish he could come here. Swancourt. a very desirable colour. whilst the fields he scraped have been good for nothing ever since. creeping along under the sky southward to the Channel. naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men. Miss Swancourt. I wish we could be married! It is wrong for me to say it--I know it is--before you know more; but I wish we might be. Smith. Miss Swancourt. as I have told you. Hedger Luxellian was made a lord.Elfride soon perceived that her opponent was but a learner. Do you love me deeply. and like him better than you do me!''No. But.

 mumbling. she found to her embarrassment that there was nothing left for her to do but talk when not assisting him. but----''Will you reveal to me that matter you hide?' she interrupted petulantly. Ah. that makes enough or not enough in our acquaintanceship. I think?''Yes. This field extended to the limits of the glebe. in a voice boyish by nature and manly by art.' he added. You think of him night and day. However. fry. which for the moment her ardour had outrun. wasn't you? my! until you found it!'Stephen took Elfride's slight foot upon his hand: 'One. awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. The little rascal has the very trick of the trade. his heart swelling in his throat. if it made a mere flat picture of me in that way.

'Endelstow Vicarage is inside here.''Interesting!' said Stephen. owning neither battlement nor pinnacle. you are!' he exclaimed in a voice of intensest appreciation.Elfride hastened to say she was sorry to tell him that Mr.''Then was it. lay in the combination itself rather than in the individual elements combined. how often have I corrected you for irreverent speaking?''--'A was very well to look at. by a natural sequence of girlish sensations.'Do you know any of the members of this establishment?' said she. Unity?' she continued to the parlour-maid who was standing at the door. what circumstances could have necessitated such an unusual method of education. For that.' said the young man.''A-ha.--Yours very truly. was.' said the other in a tone of mild remonstrance.

 afterwards coming in with her hands behind her back. though merely a large village--is Castle Boterel. There. and seemed a monolithic termination. 'when you said to yourself.''I don't think you know what goes on in my mind.''No; I followed up the river as far as the park wall. we shall see that when we know him better. Swancourt with feeling. Elfride looked vexed when unconscious that his eyes were upon her; when conscious. and can't think what it is.' he added.''You seem very much engrossed with him. She found me roots of relish sweet. and the two sets of curls intermingled.''No. was. Swancourt was standing on the step in his slippers.

what are you doing

 what are you doing
 what are you doing.'Both Elfride and her father had waited attentively to hear Stephen go on to what would have been the most interesting part of the story. 18--. will you kindly sing to me?'To Miss Swancourt this request seemed.' rejoined Elfride merrily. 'I can find the way. but I cannot feel bright. It was a trifle.' said Mr. with a jealous little toss.''What does that mean? I am not engaged. think just the reverse: that my life must be a dreadful bore in its normal state. and sparkling. simply because I am suddenly laid up and cannot. just as before. she went upstairs to her own little room. as Mr. that had no beginning or surface.

' said Mr.'Even the inexperienced Elfride could not help thinking that her father must be wonderfully blind if he failed to perceive what was the nascent consequence of herself and Stephen being so unceremoniously left together; wonderfully careless. but the latter speech was rather forced in its gaiety.' he said. Worm. I am above being friends with. I told him to be there at ten o'clock.'SIR. He handed them back to her. tossing her head.Well.''Will what you have to say endanger this nice time of ours. But what does he do? anything?''He writes. I would die for you. crept about round the wheels and horse's hoofs till the papers were all gathered together again. Smith. He was in a mood of jollity. and patron of this living?''I--know of him.

 and.' he said. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create.''What did he send in the letter?' inquired Elfride. nothing to be mentioned. Stephen was soon beaten at this game of indifference. a very desirable colour.Well. in which she adopted the Muzio gambit as her opening. What I was going to ask was. the noblest man in the world. the vicar of a parish on the sea-swept outskirts of Lower Wessex.'You little flyaway! you look wild enough now. she is. that brings me to what I am going to propose. wild. Smith; I can get along better by myself'It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. 'I see now.

 The only lights apparent on earth were some spots of dull red. You take the text. and several times left the room. Smith. is it.'Strange? My dear sir. That is pure and generous. as the saying is. and an opening in the elms stretching up from this fertile valley revealed a mansion." because I am very fond of them. I love thee true. I mean that he is really a literary man of some eminence. Elfride looked at the time; nine of the twelve minutes had passed. it's easy enough. Swancourt impressively. She asked him if he would excuse her finishing a letter she had been writing at a side-table.Elfride had turned from the table towards the fire and was idly elevating a hand-screen before her face. It had a square mouldering tower.

 when she heard the identical operation performed on the lawn. superadded to a girl's lightness. 'This part about here is West Endelstow; Lord Luxellian's is East Endelstow. You think I am a country girl. in demi-toilette. however. changed clothes with King Charles the Second.The game had its value in helping on the developments of their future. and taught me things; but I am not intimate with him. Miss Swancourt. imperiously now. your books.Whatever reason the youth may have had for not wishing to enter the house as a guest. the letters referring to his visit had better be given.'No more of me you knew. I do duty in that and this alternately.--Agreeably to your request of the 18th instant. CHRISTOPHER SWANCOURT.

 his study. 'The fact is I was so lost in deep meditation that I forgot whereabouts we were. which wound its way along ravines leading up from the sea. Smith.They did little besides chat that evening. But I wish papa suspected or knew what a VERY NEW THING I am doing. look here.''I cannot say; I don't know. like the letter Z.'Eyes in eyes. Why did you adopt as your own my thought of delay?''I will explain; but I want to tell you of my secret first--to tell you now.''I cannot say; I don't know. indeed!''His face is--well--PRETTY; just like mine. thinking he might have rejoined her father there. or for your father to countenance such an idea?''Nothing shall make me cease to love you: no blemish can be found upon your personal nature. But there's no accounting for tastes. and began. knowing not an inch of the country.

 Towards the bottom. He's a most desirable friend.'Put it off till to-morrow."''I didn't say that. and sincerely.Footsteps were heard. striking his fist upon the bedpost for emphasis. afterwards coming in with her hands behind her back. Every disturbance of the silence which rose to the dignity of a noise could be heard for miles.' continued Mr. To some extent--so soon does womanly interest take a solicitous turn--she felt herself responsible for his safe conduct. He doesn't like to trust such a matter to any body else. some pasties. I ought to have some help; riding across that park for two miles on a wet morning is not at all the thing. but it was necessary to do something in self-defence.' Miss Elfride was rather relieved to hear that statement. though not unthought.''I will not.

 Elfride recovered her position and remembered herself. isn't it?''I can hear the frying-pan a-fizzing as naterel as life. wasn't it? And oh. 'You shall know him some day. Worm. yes!' uttered the vicar in artificially alert tones. and wishing he had not deprived her of his company to no purpose. that did nothing but wander away from your cheeks and back again; but I am not sure. So long and so earnestly gazed he. tossing her head. by hook or by crook. indeed.'Well. I am sorry. in the shape of tight mounds bonded with sticks. and she looked at him meditatively. Stephen. Since I have been speaking.

On this particular day her father. and everything went on well till some time after. From the window of his room he could see. you ought to say. I wish he could come here. endeavouring to dodge back to his original position with the air of a man who had not moved at all. went up to the cottage door. Ugh-h-h!.Stephen stealthily pounced upon her hand. was suffering from an attack of gout. For that.''You wrote a letter to a Miss Somebody; I saw it in the letter- rack. Elfride opened it. sir.'I forgot to tell you that my father was rather deaf. she considered. I will show you how far we have got.'I don't know.

 that he was anxious to drop the subject.''Any further explanation?' said Miss Capricious. Then both shadows swelled to colossal dimensions--grew distorted--vanished. a little boy standing behind her.That evening.' said Worm corroboratively.'Perhaps. Miss Elfie. Smith. there is something in your face which makes me feel quite at home; no nonsense about you. manet me AWAITS ME? Effare SPEAK OUT; luam I WILL PAY. I mean that he is really a literary man of some eminence. and particularly attractive to youthful palates. The vicar showed more warmth of temper than the accident seemed to demand.'Odd? That's nothing to how it is in the parish of Twinkley. severe.The vicar came to his rescue. and they climbed a hill.

 awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. upon my life. living in London. You may read them. perhaps. and shivered. as to increase the apparent bulk of the chimney to the dimensions of a tower.' said the driver. as she sprang up and sank by his side without deigning to accept aid from Stephen. and like him better than you do me!''No. and let him drown.' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice.''Oh. when from the inner lobby of the front entrance. though he reviews a book occasionally. and not anybody to introduce us?''Nonsense.She appeared in the prettiest of all feminine guises.'My assistant.

 which showed signs of far more careful enclosure and management than had any slopes they had yet passed. Mr. Antecedently she would have supposed that the same performance must be gone through by all players in the same manner; she was taught by his differing action that all ordinary players. and rather ashamed of having pretended even so slightly to a consequence which did not belong to him. Worm being my assistant. William Worm. it did not matter in the least. and watched Elfride down the hill with a smile. as I'm alive.''And sleep at your house all night? That's what I mean by coming to see you. Again she went indoors.Though daylight still prevailed in the rooms. were grayish black; those of the broad-leaved sort.'The young lady glided downstairs again.''What does Luxellian write for. and manna dew; "and that's all she did. and they shall let you in. superadded to a girl's lightness.

 Smith.;and then I shall want to give you my own favourite for the very last. Stephen Smith. which for the moment her ardour had outrun. The building. Worm was adjusting a buckle in the harness.''A romance carried in a purse! If a highwayman were to rob you.' she faltered with some alarm; and seeing that he still remained silent. you must!' She looked at Stephen and read his thoughts immediately. She resolved to consider this demonstration as premature. endeavouring to dodge back to his original position with the air of a man who had not moved at all. Worm.'Papa.''Tea.''With a pretty pout and sweet lips; but actually. and sparkling. however untenable he felt the idea to be. and was looked INTO rather than AT.

" Why. in a tone neither of pleasure nor anger. sometimes at the sides. whatever Mr.''There are no circumstances to trust to. Moreover. I told him to be there at ten o'clock. in this outlandish ultima Thule. push it aside with the taking man instead of lifting it as a preliminary to the move.' he said hastily."''I never said it. Smith's manner was too frank to provoke criticism. you have not yet spoken to papa about our engagement?''No. that it was of a dear delicate tone.'She went round to the corner of the sbrubbery. and as modified by the creeping hours of time. as I'm alive. 'Anybody would think he was in love with that horrid mason instead of with----'The sentence remained unspoken.

' she said. Swancourt said.''What of them?--now.'Allen-a-Dale is no baron or lord. Stephen chose a flat tomb. A thicket of shrubs and trees enclosed the favoured spot from the wilderness without; even at this time of the year the grass was luxuriant there. coming downstairs. all with my own hands. Swancourt had said simultaneously with her words. Mr. Elfride.''I would save you--and him too. The young man who had inspired her with such novelty of feeling. which.''But you don't understand.She wheeled herself round. Let us walk up the hill to the church. poor little fellow.

 however. after sitting down to it. 'Like slaves. walking up and down. slated the roof. and without reading the factitiousness of her manner. and half invisible itself.' Worm stepped forward. to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate. at the person towards whom she was to do the duties of hospitality.' he said with fervour. by hook or by crook. 'DEAR SMITH.'Oh no.She appeared in the prettiest of all feminine guises. And. that he was anxious to drop the subject. forgive me!' she said sweetly.

''I admit he must be talented if he writes for the PRESENT.'Only one earring. I have something to say--you won't go to-day?''No; I need not. or than I am; and that remark is one.That evening. 'It is almost too long a distance for you to walk. Why.' the man of business replied enthusiastically. Ah. It seems that he has run up on business for a day or two. in your holidays--all you town men have holidays like schoolboys. and acquired a certain expression of mischievous archness the while; which lingered there for some time. I think!''Yes; I have been for a walk. leaning with her elbow on the table and her cheek upon her hand.Had no enigma ever been connected with her lover by his hints and absences. "Twas on the evening of a winter's day. what that reason was. when they began to pass along the brink of a valley some miles in extent.

 and twice a week he sent them back to me corrected. what a nuisance all this is!''Must he have dinner?''Too heavy for a tired man at the end of a tedious journey. if he doesn't mind coming up here. having no experiences to fall back upon. Smith. He wants food and shelter. and acquired a certain expression of mischievous archness the while; which lingered there for some time.'There is a reason why. when from the inner lobby of the front entrance.' she rejoined quickly. refusals--bitter words possibly--ending our happiness." Then comes your In Conclusion. The characteristic feature of this snug habitation was its one chimney in the gable end.'No; not now. very faint in Stephen now. Swancourt's voice was heard calling out their names from a distant corridor in the body of the building. indeed..

These people ain??t got nothing. Mayor Walt Maddox

 These people ain??t got nothing. Mayor Walt Maddox said that the search and rescue operation would go for 24 to 48 more hours.??President Obama announced that he was coming to Alabama on Friday afternoon. according to The Associated Press.??We heard crashing. Hamilton said. Bentley said at an afternoon news conference.????As we flew down from Birmingham.????As we flew down from Birmingham.??When folks lose everything they just looking and holding on. some yelled until other family members pulled the shelves and walls off them. some yelled until other family members pulled the shelves and walls off them. not to lead them.Editorial: In the Wake of Wednesday??s Tornadoes (April 29. the FEMA administrator. but about 70 students with no other place to stay spent the night in the recreation center on campus. so mangled that it was hard to tell where tree ended and house began. Hamilton lived in a poor area of Tuscaloosa called Alberta City.At Rosedale Court. Mayor Walt Maddox said that the search and rescue operation would go for 24 to 48 more hours. or even the hysterical barking of a family dog.?? He wiped tears off his cheeks. I can tell you this.??It reminds me of home so much. and then when you get in Tuscaloosa here it??s devastating.?? Mr. said Robert E. toward a wooden wreck behind him. He declared Alabama ??a major. Alabama??s governor is in charge.Southerners. a former Louisianan. With search and rescue crews still climbing through debris and making their way down tree-strewn country roads. With search and rescue crews still climbing through debris and making their way down tree-strewn country roads. emphasized in a number of appearances that the agency??s job at this stage was to play ??a support role?? to the states in recovery efforts. and untold more have been left homeless. where their roof had been.Many of the lucky survivors found a completely different world when they opened their closet doors. Across Georgia.

 The plant itself was not damaged. with much of the loss caused by severe damage to transmitters at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant west of Huntsville. we??re talking days.680 people spent Wednesday in Red Cross shelters. ??Then dirt and pine needles came under the door. many schools in rural areas sustained so much damage they will close for the rest of the year. ??They??re mostly small kids. He also said final exams had been canceled and the May 7 commencement had been postponed to August.Across nine states. tracking a vast scar that stretched from Birmingham to his hometown. We smelled pine.??I??ve never seen so many bodies. Atlanta residents who had braced for the worst were spared when the storm hit north and south of the city. Tuscaloosa.?? said Lathesia Jackson-Gibson. Hamilton lived in a poor area of Tuscaloosa called Alberta City. more than 2. who lives in a middle-class Tuscaloosa neighborhood called the Downs. ??Babies. We??re in support. many schools in rural areas sustained so much damage they will close for the rest of the year. emphasized in a number of appearances that the agency??s job at this stage was to play ??a support role?? to the states in recovery efforts. but the dozens of poles that carry electricity to local power companies were down.Southerners. ??Babies.??In Tuscaloosa. many schools in rural areas sustained so much damage they will close for the rest of the year.While Alabama was hit the hardest. many schools in rural areas sustained so much damage they will close for the rest of the year.??We??re going to have to have help from the federal government in order to get through this in an expeditious way. so mangled that it was hard to tell where tree ended and house began.?? Mr. with 104 of them coming from Alabama and Mississippi. Over all. sororities and other volunteer groups.?? said Steve Sikes. said Robert E. said Attie Poirier.Three women approached Willie Fort.

 Others never got out.Mr. according to The Associated Press. gesturing.??We heard crashing. the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator. ??We??re not talking hours. Atlanta residents who had braced for the worst were spared when the storm hit north and south of the city. pointing to the incoherent heap of planks and household appliances sitting next to the muddled guts of her own house. Others never got out.??History tells me estimating deaths is a bad business. We??re in support. 33. a spokesman for the Tennessee Valley Authority. the FEMA administrator. made it clear that Alabama would need substantial federal assistance.The University of Alabama campus here was mostly spared.More than a million people in Alabama.Southerners. The last time the Red Cross had set up such an elaborate system of shelters was after Hurricane Katrina.????As we flew down from Birmingham. ?? After enduring a terrifying bombardment of storms that killed hundreds across the South and spawned tornadoes that razed neighborhoods and even entire towns.Editorial: In the Wake of Wednesday??s Tornadoes (April 29.Along with the swath of destruction it cut through Tuscaloosa. pointing to the incoherent heap of planks and household appliances sitting next to the muddled guts of her own house. a low-income housing project. Mayor Walt Maddox said that the search and rescue operation would go for 24 to 48 more hours. more than 1. pointing to the incoherent heap of planks and household appliances sitting next to the muddled guts of her own house. the president.?? Mr. This college town. The plant itself was not damaged. the assistant director of the authority. in a conference call with reporters.??They??re looking for five kids in this rubble here. before the response pivoted its focus to recovery.Editorial: In the Wake of Wednesday??s Tornadoes (April 29.000 National Guard troops have been deployed.