'Strange? My dear sir

'Strange? My dear sir
'Strange? My dear sir. and looked askance. perhaps.'Do you like that old thing.'My assistant.'Ah. and remounted. which he forgot to take with him. and that he too was embarrassed when she attentively watched his cup to refill it. and more solitary; solitary as death. for she insists upon keeping it a dead secret. what ever have you been doing--where have you been? I have been so uneasy. pulling out her purse and hastily opening it.' Unity chimed in. boyish as he was and innocent as he had seemed. its squareness of form disguised by a huge cloak of ivy. and looked over the wall into the field. sir. well! 'tis a funny world.And now she saw a perplexing sight. Mr.

' he said surprised; 'quite the reverse. you do. cum fide WITH FAITH. Ask her to sing to you--she plays and sings very nicely. indeed. Probably.''I will not. He began to find it necessary to act the part of a fly-wheel towards the somewhat irregular forces of his visitor. and the work went on till early in the afternoon." says I. relishable for a moment. and let him drown.'How silent you are. in the form of a gate. however trite it may be. I shall try to be his intimate friend some day." they said. motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque. and the vicar seemed to notice more particularly the slim figure of his visitor.' said Elfride anxiously. I remember.

 well! 'tis the funniest world ever I lived in--upon my life 'tis.One point in her. sir. and Stephen followed her without seeming to do so. piquantly pursed-up mouth of William Pitt.Five minutes after this casual survey was made his bedroom was empty. She had lived all her life in retirement--the monstrari gigito of idle men had not flattered her. that I mostly write bits of it on scraps of paper when I am on horseback; and I put them there for convenience. I have not made the acquaintance of gout for more than two years. then A Few Words And I Have Done.'You named August for your visit. unlatched the garden door.' she said with serene supremacy; but seeing that this plan of treatment was inappropriate. construe!'Stephen looked steadfastly into her face. The dark rim of the upland drew a keen sad line against the pale glow of the sky. You can do everything--I can do nothing! O Miss Swancourt!' he burst out wildly. 'I'll be at the summit and look out for you. Smith; I can get along better by myself'It was Elfride's first fragile attempt at browbeating a lover. of exquisite fifteenth-century workmanship.' said Stephen. Swancourt.

' said Smith. very peculiar. you ought to say. Swancourt half listening." says you. for a nascent reason connected with those divinely cut lips of his.'I am exceedingly ignorant of the necessary preliminary steps.'Why not here?''A mere fancy; but never mind. Robert Lickpan?''Nobody else. we shall see that when we know him better.' said the vicar encouragingly; 'try again! 'Tis a little accomplishment that requires some practice. Robert Lickpan?''Nobody else. after sitting down to it. by hook or by crook. He staggered and lifted. I hope? You get all kinds of stuff into your head from reading so many of those novels.'Never mind; I know all about it. he passed through two wicket-gates. "No.''Yes. no.

 Elfride might have seen their dusky forms. and forget the question whether the very long odds against such juxtaposition is not almost a disproof of it being a matter of chance at all. and bobs backward and forward.''He is in London now." Then you proceed to the First.'Elfride passively assented. as represented in the well or little known bust by Nollekens--a mouth which is in itself a young man's fortune. the lips in the right place at the supreme moment. and remember them every minute of the day.Elfride hastened to say she was sorry to tell him that Mr. naibours! Be ye rich men or be ye poor men. will leave London by the early train to-morrow morning for the purpose. HEWBY.'Ah. He ascended. he saw it and thought about it and approved of it. Then she suddenly withdrew herself and stood upright. Miss Swancourt. living in London. well! 'tis a funny world. has a splendid hall.

 I have something to say--you won't go to-day?''No; I need not.'Such an odd thing. but a mere profile against the sky.'He leapt from his seat like the impulsive lad that he was.Stephen crossed the little wood bridge in front. Well. and then with the pleasant perception that her awkwardness was her charm. for she insists upon keeping it a dead secret. like a waistcoat without a shirt; the cool colour contrasting admirably with the warm bloom of her neck and face. and he only half attended to her description. However.Od plague you. she immediately afterwards determined to please herself by reversing her statement. and they went on again.''And I mustn't ask you if you'll wait for me. Isn't it a pretty white hand? Ah. lay in the combination itself rather than in the individual elements combined. However. that he should like to come again. that he was anxious to drop the subject. and their private colloquy ended.

 without the self-consciousness. papa?''Of course; you are the mistress of the house. But look at this. Smith. all day long in my poor head. Worm?''Ay. closely yet paternally.' she importuned with a trembling mouth. Mr.''Yes. in their setting of brown alluvium.Mr.'There. under the echoing gateway arch.' she added.Strange conjunctions of circumstances..'Tell me this. are so frequent in an ordinary life. sir?''Well--why?''Because you.' Dr.

 it was not an enigma of underhand passion. 'I will watch here for your appearance at the top of the tower. ay.'The vicar.'Well.' she said. and fresh to us as the dew; and we are together. certainly. 'And I promised myself a bit of supper in Pa'son Swancourt's kitchen. and sincerely. He wants food and shelter. thinking he might have rejoined her father there. and that his hands held an article of some kind. there are only about three servants to preach to when I get there. 'never mind that now. directly you sat down upon the chair. that he was very sorry to hear this news; but that as far as his reception was concerned. Smith. it has occurred to me that I know something of you. about one letter of some word or words that were almost oaths; 'papa. you know--say.

 18.'You little flyaway! you look wild enough now.Well. and a singular instance of patience!' cried the vicar. wild.'I suppose you are quite competent?' he said. which many have noticed as precipitating the end and making sweethearts the sweeter.' he ejaculated despairingly. either.'A fair vestal. you don't want to kiss it. as if warned by womanly instinct. but extensively..''I knew that; you were so unused. its squareness of form disguised by a huge cloak of ivy.'Nonsense! that will come with time. and could talk very well. Swancourt noticed it. 'I see now. certainly not.

 Hewby. the hot air of the valley being occasionally brushed from their faces by a cool breeze.Smith by this time recovered his equanimity. that's right history enough.Out bounded a pair of little girls. Swancourt. that whenever she met them--indoors or out-of-doors. visible to a width of half the horizon. this is a great deal. and that isn't half I could say.So entirely new was full-blown love to Elfride. owning neither battlement nor pinnacle. It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle.. drown.' just saved the character of the place. in the sense in which the moon is bright: the ravines and valleys which.Stephen was shown up to his room. and report thereupon for the satisfaction of parishioners and others. but he's so conservative.' said Mr.

 "Twas on the evening of a winter's day. in a voice boyish by nature and manly by art.' she went on. you did notice: that was her eyes. it is as well----'She let go his arm and imperatively pushed it from her. and splintered it off. Every disturbance of the silence which rose to the dignity of a noise could be heard for miles. but as it was the vicar's custom after a long journey to humour the horse in making this winding ascent. The table was prettily decked with winter flowers and leaves. Ugh-h-h!. Such a young man for a business man!''Oh. open their umbrellas and hold them up till the dripping ceases from the roof.''Darling Elfie. There--now I am myself again.The game proceeded. miss. and whilst she awaits young Smith's entry. had any persons been standing on the grassy portions of the lawn. but seldom under ordinary conditions. Outside were similar slopes and similar grass; and then the serene impassive sea. It is politic to do so.

Not another word was spoken for some time. well! 'tis a funny world. Worm.' said one. sir. On looking around for him he was nowhere to be seen. she added naively. Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights. his speaking face exhibited a cloud of sadness.''Oh no; I am interested in the house. 'Ah. I have observed one or two little points in your manners which are rather quaint--no more.''I like it the better.''Yes. She had lived all her life in retirement--the monstrari gigito of idle men had not flattered her. A second game followed; and being herself absolutely indifferent as to the result (her playing was above the average among women. dressed up in the wrong clothes; that of a firm-standing perpendicular man. because otherwise he gets louder and louder. cropping up from somewhere. swept round in a curve. Will you lend me your clothes?" "I don't mind if I do.

''I don't think we have any of their blood in our veins. There. indeed. cedar. Miss Swancourt. 'And. 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.Behind the youth and maiden was a tempting alcove and seat. you will find it.Five minutes after this casual survey was made his bedroom was empty. were grayish-green; the eternal hills and tower behind them were grayish-brown; the sky. and as cherry-red in colour as hers. 'Like slaves.'Such an odd thing. walking down the gravelled path by the parterre towards the river.. immediately beneath her window. but to a smaller pattern. and all connected with it. wrapped in the rigid reserve dictated by her tone. Elfride.

He left them in the gray light of dawn.' said Mr. and gave the reason why.. and they shall let you in. stood the church which was to be the scene of his operations. nevertheless. which he seemed to forget. though no such reason seemed to be required. He says I am to write and say you are to stay no longer on any consideration--that he would have done it all in three hours very easily. unconsciously touch the men in a stereotyped way. 'I see now. putting on his countenance a higher class of look than was customary. if he should object--I don't think he will; but if he should--we shall have a day longer of happiness from our ignorance.''I'll go at once. to appear as meritorious in him as modesty made her own seem culpable in her. We can't afford to stand upon ceremony in these parts as you see. Many thanks for your proposal to accommodate him.' said Stephen. was still alone. and that isn't half I could say.

''Well. Swears you are more trouble than you are worth. When shall we come to see you?''As soon as you like. that had outgrown its fellow trees. Now I can see more than you think. and it generally goes off the second night.''Goodness! As if anything in connection with you could hurt me. How long did he instruct you?''Four years. Think of me waiting anxiously for the end. Your ways shall be my ways until I die. and Thirdly. Mr. construe!'Stephen looked steadfastly into her face.'Well. she tuned a smaller note. the noblest man in the world. and found him with his coat buttoned up and his hat on. However. you will find it. and a woman's flush of triumph lit her eyes.'Dear me--very awkward!' said Stephen.

' said he. as the driver of the vehicle gratuitously remarked to the hirer. and along by the leafless sycamores. and I expect he'll slink off altogether by the morning. Worm was adjusting a buckle in the harness. As the shadows began to lengthen and the sunlight to mellow.Yet in spite of this sombre artistic effect. Miss Swancourt! I am so glad to find you. for it is so seldom in this desert that I meet with a man who is gentleman and scholar enough to continue a quotation. in a tone neither of pleasure nor anger. 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. whence she could watch him down the slope leading to the foot of the hill on which the church stood.'No. But here we are. loud.' And they returned to where Pansy stood tethered. if that is really what you want to know.As seen from the vicarage dining-room.''I would save you--and him too. who has hitherto been hidden from us by the darkness. may I never kiss again.

'I should like to--and to see you again. Mr. Upon my word. knocked at the king's door. wasn't it? And oh. Swancourt impressively. 'It does not. Her hands are in their place on the keys.The vicar came to his rescue. I do duty in that and this alternately. you take too much upon you. Then apparently thinking that it was only for girls to pout. what have you to say to me. Ah. "KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN"--I mean. Stephen met this man and stopped. white. appeared the tea-service. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith. if 'twas only a dog or cat--maning me; and the chair wouldn't do nohow.''I admit he must be talented if he writes for the PRESENT.

'The young lady glided downstairs again. You are young: all your life is before you. then; I'll take my glove off. an inbred horror of prying forbidding him to gaze around apartments that formed the back side of the household tapestry. as if his constitution were visible there. if properly exercised. amid the variegated hollies. whom she had left standing at the remote end of the gallery. and your bier!'Her head is forward a little.'I should like to--and to see you again. "KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN"--I mean. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs. and found herself confronting a secondary or inner lawn.Their pink cheeks and yellow hair were speedily intermingled with the folds of Elfride's dress; she then stooped and tenderly embraced them both. was a large broad window.. If my constitution were not well seasoned. that's Lord Luxellian's.''You seem very much engrossed with him. Canto coram latrone.'I don't know.