in the cage-第3章

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fortunatea　dropped　fragrance；　a　mere　quick　breath；　but　which　in

fact　pervaded　and　lingered。　　The　apparition　was　very　young；　but

certainly　married；　and　our　fatigued　friend　had　a　sufficient　store

of　mythological　comparison　to　recognise　the　port　of　Juno。

Marguerite　might　be　〃awful；〃　but　she　knew　how　to　dress　a　goddess。



Pearls　and　Spanish　laceshe　herself；　with　assurance；　could　see

them；　and　the　〃full　length〃　too；　and　also　red　velvet　bows；　which；

disposed　on　the　lace　in　a　particular　manner　（she　could　have　placed

them　with　the　turn　of　a　hand）　were　of　course　to　adorn　the　front　of

a　black　brocade　that　would　be　like　a　dress　in　a　picture。　　However；

neither　Marguerite　nor　Lady　Agnes　nor　Haddon　nor　Fritz　nor　Gussy

was　what　the　wearer　of　this　garment　had　really　come　in　for。　　She

had　come　in　for　Everardand　that　was　doubtless　not　his　true　name

either。　　If　our　young　lady　had　never　taken　such　jumps　before　it　was

simply　that　she　had　never　before　been　so　affected。　　She　went　all

the　way。　　Mary　and　Cissy　had　been　round　together；　in　their　single

superb　person；　to　see　himhe　must　live　round　the　corner；　they　had

found　that；　in　consequence　of　something　they　had　come；　precisely；

to　make　up　for　or　to　have　another　scene　about；　he　had　gone　off

gone　off　just　on　purpose　to　make　them　feel　it；　on　which　they　had

come　together　to　Cocker's　as　to　the　nearest　place；　where　they　had

put　in　the　three　forms　partly　in　order　not　to　put　in　the　one　alone。

The　two　others　in　a　manner；　covered　it；　muffled　it；　passed　it　off。

Oh　yes；　she　went　all　the　way；　and　this　was　a　specimen　of　how　she

often　went。　　She　would　know　the　hand　again　any　time。　　It　was　as

handsome　and　as　everything　else　as　the　woman　herself。　　The　woman

herself　had；　on　learning　his　flight；　pushed　past　Everard's　servant

and　into　his　room；　she　had　written　her　missive　at　his　table　and

with　his　pen。　　All　this；　every　inch　of　it；　came　in　the　waft　that

she　blew　through　and　left　behind　her；　the　influence　that；　as　I　have

said；　lingered。　　And　among　the　things　the　girl　was　sure　of；

happily；　was　that　she　should　see　her　again。







CHAPTER　IV







She　saw　her　in　fact；　and　only　ten　days　later；　but　this　time　not

alone；　and　that　was　exactly　a　part　of　the　luck　of　it。　　Not　unaware…

…as　how　could　her　observation　have　left　her　so？of　the

possibilities　through　which　it　could　range；　our　young　lady　had　ever

since　had　in　her　mind　a　dozen　conflicting　theories　about　Everard's

type；　as　to　which；　the　instant　they　came　into　the　place；　she　felt

the　point　settled　with　a　thump　that　seemed　somehow　addressed

straight　to　her　heart。　　That　organ　literally　beat　faster　at　the

approach　of　the　gentleman　who　was　this　time　with　Cissy；　and　who；　as

seen　from　within　the　cage；　became　on　the　spot　the　happiest　of　the

happy　circumstances　with　which　her　mind　had　invested　the　friend　of

Fritz　and　Gussy。　　He　was　a　very　happy　circumstance　indeed　as；　with

his　cigarette　in　his　lips　and　his　broken　familiar　talk　caught　by

his　companion；　he　put　down　the　half…dozen　telegrams　it　would　take

them　together　several　minutes　to　dispatch。　　And　here　it　occurred；

oddly　enough；　that　if；　shortly　before　the　girl's　interest　in　his

companion　had　sharpened　her　sense　for　the　messages　then

transmitted；　her　immediate　vision　of　himself　had　the　effect；　while

she　counted　his　seventy　words；　of　preventing　intelligibility。　　His

words　were　mere　numbers；　they　told　her　nothing　whatever；　and　after

he　had　gone　she　was　in　possession　of　no　name；　of　no　address；　of　no

meaning；　of　nothing　but　a　vague　sweet　sound　and　an　immense

impression。　　He　had　been　there　but　five　minutes；　he　had　smoked　in

her　face；　and；　busy　with　his　telegrams；　with　the　tapping　pencil　and

the　conscious　danger；　the　odious　betrayal　that　would　come　from　a

mistake；　she　had　had　no　wandering　glances　nor　roundabout　arts　to

spare。　　Yet　she　had　taken　him　in；　she　knew　everything；　she　had　made

up　her　mind。



He　had　come　back　from　Paris；　everything　was　re…arranged；　the　pair

were　again　shoulder　to　shoulder　in　their　high　encounter　with　life；

their　large　and　complicated　game。　　The　fine　soundless　pulse　of　this

game　was　in　the　air　for　our　young　woman　while　they　remained　in　the

shop。　　While　they　remained？　　They　remained　all　day；　their　presence

continued　and　abode　with　her；　was　in　everything　she　did　till

nightfall；　in　the　thousands　of　other　words　she　counted；　she

transmitted；　in　all　the　stamps　she　detached　and　the　letters　she

weighed　and　the　change　she　gave；　equally　unconscious　and　unerring

in　each　of　these　particulars；　and　not；　as　the　run　on　the　little

office　thickened　with　the　afternoon　hours；　looking　up　at　a　single

ugly　face　in　the　long　sequence；　nor　really　hearing　the　stupid

questions　that　she　patiently　and　perfectly　answered。　　All　patience

was　possible　now；　all　questions　were　stupid　after　his；　all　faces

were　ugly。　　She　had　been　sure　she　should　see　the　lady　again；　and

even　now　she　should　perhaps；　she　should　probably；　see　her　often。

But　for　him　it　was　totally　different；　she　should　never　never　see

him。　　She　wanted　it　too　much。　　There　was　a　kind　of　wanting　that

helpedshe　had　arrived；　with　her　rich　experience；　at　that

generalisation；　and　there　was　another　kind　that　was　fatal。　　It　was

this　time　the　fatal　kind；　it　would　prevent。



Well；　she　saw　him　the　very　next　day；　and　on　this　second　occasion　it

was　quite　different；　the　sense　of　every　syllable　he　paid　for　was

fiercely　distinct；　she　indeed　felt　her　progressive　pencil；　dabbing

as　if　with　a　quick　caress　the　marks　of　his　own；　put　life　into　every

stroke。　　He　was　there　a　long　timehad　not　brought　his　forms　filled

out　but　worked　them　off　in　a　nook　on　the　counter；　and　there　were

other　people　as　wella　changing　pushing　cluster；　with　every　one　to

mind　at　once　and　endless　right　change　to　make　and　information　to

produce。　　But　she　kept　hold　of　him　throughout；　she　continued；　for

herself；　in　a　relation　with　him　as　close　as　that　in　which；　behind

the　hated　ground　glass；　Mr。　Buckton　luckily　continued　with　the

sounder。　　This　morning　everything　changed；　but　rather　to

dreariness；　she　had　to　swallow　the　rebuff　to　her　theory　about　fatal

desires；　which　she　did　without　confusion　and　indeed　with　absolute

levity；　yet　if　it　was　now　flagrant　that　he　did　live　close　at　hand

at　Park　Chambersand　belonged　supremely　to　the　class　that　wired

everything；　even　their　expensive　feelings　（so　that；　as　he　never

wrote；　his　correspondence　cost　him　weekly　pounds　and　pounds；　and　he

might　be　in　and　out　five　times　a　day）　there　was；　all　the　same；

involved　in　the　prospect；　and　by　reason　of　its　positive　excess　of

light；　a　perverse　melancholy；　a　gratuitous　misery。　　This　was　at

once　to　give　it　a　place　in　an　order　of　feelings　on　which　I　shall

presently　touch。



Meanwhile；　for　a　month；　he　was　very　constant。　　Cissy；　Mary；　never

re…appeared　with　him；　he　was　always　either　alone　or　accompanied

only　by　some　gentleman　who　was　lost　in　the　blaze　of　his　glory。

There　was　another　sense；　howeverand　indeed　there　was　more　than

onein　which　she　mostly　found　herself　counting　in　the　splendid

creature　with　whom　she　had　originally　connected　him。　　He　addressed

this　correspondent　neither　as　Mary　nor　as　Cissy；　but　the　girl　was

sure　of　whom　it　was；　in　Eaten　Square；　that　he　was　perpetually

wiring　toand　all　so　irreproachably！as　Lady　Bradeen。　　Lady

Bradeen　was　Cissy；　Lady　Bradeen　was　Mary；　Lady　Bradeen　was　the

friend　of　Fritz　and　of　Gussy；　the　customer　of　Marguerite；　and　the

close　ally　in　short　（as　was　ideally　right；　only　the　girl　had　not

yet　found　a　descriptive　term　that　was）　of　the　most　magnificent　of

men。　　Nothing　could　equal　the　frequency　and　variety　of　his

communications　to　her　ladyship　but　their　extraordinary；　their

abysmal　propriety。　　It　was　just　the　talkso　profuse　sometimes　that

she　wondered　what　was　left　for　their　real　meetingsof　the　very

happiest　people。　　Their　real　meetings　must　have　been　constant；　for

half　of　it　was　appointments　and　allusions；　all　swimming　in　a　sea　of

other　allusions　still；　tangled