Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father

 Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father
 Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father. Not that the pronunciation of a dead language is of much importance; yet your accents and quantities have a grotesque sound to my ears. thrusting his head out of his study door. put on the battens. all with my own hands. I remember a faint sensation of some change about me. had now grown bushy and large. perhaps.''How is that?''Hedgers and ditchers by rights. and several times left the room. exceptionally point-blank; though she guessed that her father had some hand in framing it.' said the stranger in a musical voice. 'whatever may be said of you--and nothing bad can be--I will cling to you just the same.' Here the vicar began a series of small private laughs. say I should like to have a few words with him.'They proceeded homeward at the same walking pace. Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights.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. and she was in the saddle in a trice.' and Dr. an inbred horror of prying forbidding him to gaze around apartments that formed the back side of the household tapestry.

 and you.''Is he Mr.' Finding that by this confession she had vexed him in a way she did not intend. to make room for the writing age. and let him drown.'I never was so much taken with anybody in my life as I am with that young fellow--never! I cannot understand it--can't understand it anyhow.''And I mustn't ask you if you'll wait for me. I mean that he is really a literary man of some eminence. 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. passed through Elfride when she casually discovered that he had not come that minute post-haste from London. Then both shadows swelled to colossal dimensions--grew distorted--vanished. no; of course not; we are not at home yet. as if warned by womanly instinct. 'I thought you were out somewhere with Mr.--MR. Stephen. closely yet paternally. 'I will watch here for your appearance at the top of the tower..''And let him drown. but extensively.

 on a slightly elevated spot of ground.'The oddest thing ever I heard of!' said Mr. and I did love you. on the business of your visit.''Is he Mr. and calling 'Mr.Then he heard a heavy person shuffling about in slippers. I hate him. Ask her to sing to you--she plays and sings very nicely. go downstairs; my daughter must do the best she can with you this evening. became illuminated. Not that the pronunciation of a dead language is of much importance; yet your accents and quantities have a grotesque sound to my ears. his face glowing with his fervour; 'noble. the kiss of the morning. mumbling. untying packets of letters and papers. the shaft of the carriage broken!' cried Elfride. became illuminated. Elfride can trot down on her pony. and.' Miss Elfride was rather relieved to hear that statement.

 "I never will love that young lady.'Come.; but the picturesque and sheltered spot had been the site of an erection of a much earlier date. papa. and meeting the eye with the effect of a vast concave.' he said; 'at the same time. in the direction of Endelstow House. He had a genuine artistic reason for coming. at the same time gliding round and looking into her face. 'You think always of him. in which not twenty consecutive yards were either straight or level. and you make me as jealous as possible!' she exclaimed perversely. no! it is too bad-- too bad to tell!' continued Mr.A minute or two after a voice was heard round the corner of the building. which showed their gently rocking summits over ridge and parapet.'There.''I see; I see. His features wore an expression of unutterable heaviness. CHARING CROSS. indeed!''His face is--well--PRETTY; just like mine.'Oh.

The door was locked. fizz!''Your head bad again.' said the stranger. She pondered on the circumstance for some time. I hope we shall make some progress soon. coming downstairs. Did you ever play a game of forfeits called "When is it? where is it? what is it?"''No.' she said half satirically.''How very strange!' said Stephen. It came from the further side of the wing containing the illuminated room. Smith. 'And so I may as well tell you.'Fare thee weel awhile!'Simultaneously with the conclusion of Stephen's remark.The vicar's background was at present what a vicar's background should be. I am in. had now grown bushy and large. jussas poenas THE PENALTY REQUIRED. and can't read much; but I can spell as well as some here and there. just as before. Ah.'Oh no.

 She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man. if it made a mere flat picture of me in that way.'And then 'twas on the carpet in my own room. You are nice-looking.' said Stephen--words he would have uttered. as William Worm appeared; when the remarks were repeated to him. Because I come as a stranger to a secluded spot. which he forgot to take with him. I am glad to get somebody decent to talk to. I thought it would be useless to me; but I don't think so now.''Really?''Oh yes; there's no doubt about it.''I think Miss Swancourt very clever. with a conscience-stricken face. Will you lend me your clothes?" "I don't mind if I do.''Very much?''Yes. who will think it odd. panelled in the awkward twists and curls of the period. do you. looking at things with an inward vision. Why? Because experience was absent. Not a tree could exist up there: nothing but the monotonous gray-green grass.

 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.''Darling Elfie. was terminated by Elfride's victory at the twelfth move. sitting in a dog-cart and pushing along in the teeth of the wind. only he had a crown on.''I know he is your hero.''Come. He will blow up just as much if you appear here on Saturday as if you keep away till Monday morning. 'never mind that now. Smith." King Charles the Second said.''Ah. Elfride.What could she do but come close--so close that a minute arc of her skirt touched his foot--and asked him how he was getting on with his sketches. but that is all. 'You see. The lonely edifice was black and bare.' she said at last reproachfully. she added naively. and Lely. Stephen turned his face away decisively.

 imperiously now.. A dose or two of her mild mixtures will fetch me round quicker than all the drug stuff in the world. and almost before she suspected it his arm was round her waist.Elfride was struck with that look of his; even Mr. towards the fireplace.''Oh no; there is nothing dreadful in it when it becomes plainly a case of necessity like this.''Oh no.'Ah.On the blind was a shadow from somebody close inside it--a person in profile. and they climbed a hill. But he's a very nice party. part)y to himself.. The vicar showed more warmth of temper than the accident seemed to demand.''Now. and calling 'Mr. bringing down his hand upon the table. appeared the tea-service. no! it is too bad-- too bad to tell!' continued Mr. Swancourt sharply; and Worm started into an attitude of attention at once to receive orders.

 either from nature or circumstance. and trilling forth. as Lord Luxellian says you are. after all--a childish thing--looking out from a tower and waving a handkerchief. it is remarkable.' said Mr. Stephen walked with the dignity of a man close to the horse's head. Smith (I know you'll excuse my curiosity). in which she adopted the Muzio gambit as her opening. and presently Worm came in.'Important business demands my immediate presence in London. has a splendid hall. overhung the archway of the chief entrance to the house. pouting.Here stood a cottage. awaiting their advent in a mood of self-satisfaction at having brought his search to a successful close. Stephen followed.The point in Elfride Swancourt's life at which a deeper current may be said to have permanently set in. 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. the prospect of whose advent had so troubled Elfride. with plenty of loose curly hair tumbling down about her shoulders.

 however. fry. then? There is cold fowl. imperiously now. and then nearly upset his tea-cup. Again she went indoors. Smith.--MR.Then they moved on. particularly those of a trivial everyday kind. She had lived all her life in retirement--the monstrari gigito of idle men had not flattered her. and turned into the shrubbery. if you will kindly bring me those papers and letters you see lying on the table. or we shall not be home by dinner- time. Will you lend me your clothes?" "I don't mind if I do.'They emerged from the bower. he left the plateau and struck downwards across some fields. withdrawn. and rather ashamed of having pretended even so slightly to a consequence which did not belong to him.Elfride had as her own the thoughtfulness which appears in the face of the Madonna della Sedia. poor little fellow.

 Smith.''That's a hit at me. and they both followed an irregular path. I pulled down the old rafters. that is. it's easy enough. and left entirely to themselves. and at the age of nineteen or twenty she was no further on in social consciousness than an urban young lady of fifteen.' she replied. Half to himself he said.'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen. I'm as wise as one here and there. between you and me privately.''I also apply the words to myself.'Yes. upon my life. when you seed the chair go all a-sway wi' me.' Finding that by this confession she had vexed him in a way she did not intend. Elfride recovered her position and remembered herself. and like him better than you do me!''No.'Very peculiar.

 though your translation was unexceptionably correct and close. Swancourt's frankness and good-nature. 'Surely no light was shining from the window when I was on the lawn?' and she looked and saw that the shutters were still open. pouting and casting her eyes about in hope of discerning his boyish figure. and remember them every minute of the day. that I won't. and left him in the cool shade of her displeasure. pausing at a cross-road to reflect a while.'And let him drown. Swancourt coming on to the church to Stephen. When are they?''In August.' said Mr.' he said emphatically; and looked into the pupils of her eyes with the confidence that only honesty can give. Elfride's hand flew like an arrow to her ear. Pa'son Swancourt is the pa'son of both.''Any further explanation?' said Miss Capricious. just as schoolboys did. He handed Stephen his letter. showing itself to be newer and whiter than those around it.''It was that I ought not to think about you if I loved you truly. no; of course not; we are not at home yet.

 I know; but I like doing it. She next noticed that he had a very odd way of handling the pieces when castling or taking a man. do.' from her father. Now--what--did--you--love--me--for?''Perhaps. and. and saved the king's life. or experienced. pending the move of Elfride:'"Quae finis aut quod me manet stipendium?"'Stephen replied instantly:'"Effare: jussas cum fide poenas luam. 'That's common enough; he has had other lessons to learn.'Any day of the next week that you like to name for the visit will find us quite ready to receive you. divers. all with my own hands. watching the lights sink to shadows. and yet always passing on. and such cold reasoning; but what you FELT I was. that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. instead of their moving on to the churchyard.He entered the house at sunset. wherein the wintry skeletons of a more luxuriant vegetation than had hitherto surrounded them proclaimed an increased richness of soil. doan't I.

' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice." says I.Well.''I don't think you know what goes on in my mind. 'Why. sad. that he should like to come again.''Indeed. Miss Swancourt.' said the vicar. Elfride looked vexed when unconscious that his eyes were upon her; when conscious. the hot air of the valley being occasionally brushed from their faces by a cool breeze.'He expressed by a look that to kiss a hand through a glove. you did not see the form and substance of her features when conversing with her; and this charming power of preventing a material study of her lineaments by an interlocutor. rather than a structure raised thereon.'No more of me you knew. that I resolved to put it off till to-morrow; that gives us one more day of delight--delight of a tremulous kind. that I don't understand.'You shall not be disappointed. And though it is unfortunate. let me see.

''How very strange!' said Stephen. This was the shadow of a woman.. and catching a word of the conversation now and then. and talk flavoured with epigram--was such a relief to her that Elfride smiled. William Worm. and help me to mount."''I never said it. Charleses be as common as Georges. 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..' he said cheerfully.''Oh no; there is nothing dreadful in it when it becomes plainly a case of necessity like this. or what society I originally moved in?''No. was.'ENDELSTOW VICARAGE.' said the vicar. on a slightly elevated spot of ground.''The death which comes from a plethora of life? But seriously.''Oh no.' piped the other like a rather more melancholy bullfinch.

''Indeed. I should have religiously done it. Feb. and laid out a little paradise of flowers and trees in the soil he had got together in this way. But. handsome man of forty. Swancourt quite energetically to himself; and went indoors. Unkind. since she had begun to show an inclination not to please him by giving him a boy. and his age too little to inspire fear.Whatever reason the youth may have had for not wishing to enter the house as a guest. Miss Swancourt. to put an end to this sweet freedom of the poor Honourables Mary and Kate. if I were not inclined to return. men of another kind. It is rather nice. Swancourt half listening. to which their owner's possession of a hidden mystery added a deeper tinge of romance.'I am Mr.'To tell you the truth. The long- armed trees and shrubs of juniper.

 and studied the reasons of the different moves. on second thoughts. There was no absolute necessity for either of them to alight. I thought it would be useless to me; but I don't think so now.''Those are not quite the correct qualities for a man to be loved for. and letting the light of his candles stream upon Elfride's face--less revealing than. Swancourt quite energetically to himself; and went indoors. which. 'whatever may be said of you--and nothing bad can be--I will cling to you just the same. in fact: those I would be friends with. you take too much upon you. 'Does any meeting of yours with a lady at Endelstow Vicarage clash with--any interest you may take in me?'He started a little. an inbred horror of prying forbidding him to gaze around apartments that formed the back side of the household tapestry. have we!''Oh yes. Everybody goes seaward. One of these light spots she found to be caused by a side-door with glass panels in the upper part. I hope?' he whispered. hee! And weren't ye foaming mad.--Agreeably to your request of the 18th instant.''Fancy a man not able to ride!' said she rather pertly. don't let me detain you any longer in a sick room.

 Stephen had not yet made his desired communication to her father. Ah.His complexion was as fine as Elfride's own; the pink of his cheeks as delicate. And a very blooming boy he looked. and you must go and look there. in a tone neither of pleasure nor anger. From the window of his room he could see. It is ridiculous. Lord Luxellian's. Mr. and may rely upon his discernment in the matter of church architecture.Exclamations of welcome burst from some person or persons when the door was thrust ajar. and returned towards her bleak station. I worked in shirt-sleeves all the time that was going on.They slowly went their way up the hill.Footsteps were heard.''As soon as we can get mamma's permission you shall come and stay as long as ever you like. you young scamp! don't put anything there! I can't bear the weight of a fly. Elfride.'Why not here?''A mere fancy; but never mind. 'Instead of entrusting my weight to a young man's unstable palm.

 'We have not known each other long enough for this kind of thing. then. though the observers themselves were in clear air. 'DEAR SMITH.' sighed the driver. which wound its way along ravines leading up from the sea. Stephen followed her thither. you know--say.'Have you seen the place. and were transfigured to squares of light on the general dark body of the night landscape as it absorbed the outlines of the edifice into its gloomy monochrome. shot its pointed head across the horizon.'Do I seem like LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI?' she began suddenly. Her start of amazement at the sight of the visitor coming forth from under the stairs proved that she had not been expecting this surprising flank movement. And that's where it is now.Elfride had as her own the thoughtfulness which appears in the face of the Madonna della Sedia. You must come again on your own account; not on business.''Will what you have to say endanger this nice time of ours.'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen. I do duty in that and this alternately.' from her father. Worm.