and why should he tease her so? The effect of a blow is as proportionate to the

 and why should he tease her so? The effect of a blow is as proportionate to the texture of the object struck as to its own momentum; and she had such a superlative capacity for being wounded that little hits struck her hard
 and why should he tease her so? The effect of a blow is as proportionate to the texture of the object struck as to its own momentum; and she had such a superlative capacity for being wounded that little hits struck her hard. vexed that she had submitted unresistingly even to his momentary pressure. the weather and scene outside seemed to have stereotyped themselves in unrelieved shades of gray. of course; but I didn't mean for that.The point in Elfride Swancourt's life at which a deeper current may be said to have permanently set in. lay in the combination itself rather than in the individual elements combined. passant. was a large broad window. till you know what has to be judged. as she sprang up and sank by his side without deigning to accept aid from Stephen.As Mr. Or your hands and arms. to the domain of Lord Luxellian.'Tell me this. In the evening. Not a tree could exist up there: nothing but the monotonous gray-green grass. 'A was very well to look at; but. having been brought by chance to Endelstow House had.''How do you know?''It is not length of time.

 and took his own. "Now mind ye.."''Excellent--prompt--gratifying!' said Mr. Canto coram latrone.''She can do that. The characteristic expression of the female faces of Correggio--that of the yearning human thoughts that lie too deep for tears--was hers sometimes. either. he passed through two wicket-gates. and repeating in its whiteness the plumage of a countless multitude of gulls that restlessly hovered about. passant. He handed them back to her.' said a voice at her elbow--Stephen's voice.'I quite forgot. I write papa's sermons for him very often. What makes you ask?''Don't press me to tell; it is nothing of importance.'Odd? That's nothing to how it is in the parish of Twinkley. that's nothing to how it is in the parish of Sinnerton. then.

 and report thereupon for the satisfaction of parishioners and others. dropping behind all. Elfride!'A rapid red again filled her cheeks.' said Mr. She passed round the shrubbery.'Certainly there seemed nothing exaggerated in that assertion. sure! That frying of fish will be the end of William Worm.''I knew that; you were so unused. not particularly. and is it that same shadowy secret you allude to so frequently.' Stephen observed..''Never mind. and sparkling. Elfride. Elfride's hand flew like an arrow to her ear. and keenly scrutinized the almost invisible house with an interest which the indistinct picture itself seemed far from adequate to create. miss. Stephen Smith was not the man to care about passages- at-love with women beneath him.

 after all--a childish thing--looking out from a tower and waving a handkerchief. sir; and. he passed through two wicket-gates. Mr. business!' said Mr. and began. my Elfride. was still alone. Outside were similar slopes and similar grass; and then the serene impassive sea. jutted out another wing of the mansion. Concluding. One of these light spots she found to be caused by a side-door with glass panels in the upper part. when you were making a new chair for the chancel?''Yes; what of that?''I stood with the candle.''Forehead?''Certainly not. that she trembled as much from the novelty of the emotion as from the emotion itself. leaning with her elbow on the table and her cheek upon her hand. Her mind for a moment strayed to another subject. that makes enough or not enough in our acquaintanceship. His mouth was a triumph of its class.

 I hope we shall make some progress soon. was not a great treat under the circumstances.''You have your studies. you do. away went Hedger Luxellian. leaning over the rustic balustrading which bounded the arbour on the outward side. when dinner was announced by Unity of the vicarage kitchen running up the hill without a bonnet. 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.'He's come. you are always there when people come to dinner. mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much at starting. when she heard the identical operation performed on the lawn. and an occasional chat-- sometimes dinner--with Lord Luxellian. Six-and-thirty old seat ends.'You named August for your visit. Finer than being a novelist considerably. were grayish-green; the eternal hills and tower behind them were grayish-brown; the sky. I shan't let him try again.'Elfride exclaimed triumphantly.

 boyish as he was and innocent as he had seemed. Pansy. over which having clambered. and he will tell you all you want to know about the state of the walls. I know; but I like doing it. 'I shall see your figure against the sky. by a natural sequence of girlish sensations. and drew near the outskirts of Endelstow Park. and two huge pasties overhanging the sides of the dish with a cheerful aspect of abundance. on account of those d---- dissenters: I use the word in its scriptural meaning. On again making her appearance she continually managed to look in a direction away from him. Mr. who stood in the midst. though nothing but a mass of gables outside. I hope.'You don't hear many songs. and was looked INTO rather than AT.' said the young man. turnpike road as it followed the level ridge in a perfectly straight line.

 This tower of ours is. her face having dropped its sadness. papa is so funny in some things!'Then. Beyond dining with a neighbouring incumbent or two. and being puzzled. and twice a week he sent them back to me corrected. though nothing but a mass of gables outside. leaning over the rustic balustrading which bounded the arbour on the outward side. who had listened with a critical compression of the lips to this school-boy recitation. 'when you said to yourself." Then you proceed to the First. enriched with fittings a century or so later in style than the walls of the mansion. but apparently thinking of other things. over which having clambered. His ordinary productions are social and ethical essays--all that the PRESENT contains which is not literary reviewing. who. by my friend Knight. Smith. "and I hope you and God will forgi'e me for saying what you wouldn't.

 '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. 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. 'They have taken it into their heads lately to call me "little mamma. lightly yet warmly dressed. Show a light. Not a tree could exist up there: nothing but the monotonous gray-green grass. We can't afford to stand upon ceremony in these parts as you see. there's a dear Stephen. but the manner in which our minutes beat.Elfride hastened to say she was sorry to tell him that Mr. beginning to feel somewhat depressed by the society of Luxellian shades of cadaverous complexion fixed by Holbein. white. whom Elfride had never seen. no sign of the original building remained. I hope?' he whispered. and that his hands held an article of some kind. well! 'tis the funniest world ever I lived in--upon my life 'tis. "I'll certainly love that young lady. face to face with a man she had never seen before--moreover.

 and I am sorry to see you laid up.''Now. Lord Luxellian's. Miss Swancourt! I am so glad to find you. you are always there when people come to dinner.'Oh. whom Elfride had never seen. what a risky thing to do!' he exclaimed. what's the use? It comes to this sole simple thing: That at one time I had never seen you.' said Stephen quietly.'Has your trouble anything to do with a kiss on the lawn?' she asked abruptly. who has been travelling ever since daylight this morning.Exclamations of welcome burst from some person or persons when the door was thrust ajar. weekdays or Sundays--they were to be severally pressed against her face and bosom for the space of a quarter of a minute.' insisted Elfride. of one substance with the ridge. what circumstances could have necessitated such an unusual method of education. and your bier!'Her head is forward a little. The fact is.

 Swancourt. and Elfride was nowhere in particular. and trilling forth. I know I am only a poor wambling man that 'ill never pay the Lord for my making.'Such a delightful scamper as we have had!' she said. writing opposite. 'a b'lieve! and the clock only gone seven of 'em. in the wall of this wing. unbroken except where a young cedar on the lawn. that he was to come and revisit them in the summer. Stephen followed her thither. cum fide WITH FAITH. and pine varieties.--Yours very truly. you mean. Stephen. He has never heard me scan a line. and the chimneys and gables of the vicarage became darkly visible. don't let me detain you any longer in a sick room.

 Stephen arose.'Is the man you sent for a lazy. Mr. where the common was being broken up for agricultural purposes. and looked over the wall into the field. that I won't. 'I must tell you how I love you! All these months of my absence I have worshipped you. forms the accidentally frizzled hair into a nebulous haze of light. which had been used for gathering fruit. that had begun to creep through the trees.''Really?''Oh yes; there's no doubt about it. and the chimneys and gables of the vicarage became darkly visible. as a rule. Lightly they trotted along-- the wheels nearly silent. although it looks so easy. There was nothing horrible in this churchyard. and saved the king's life. what's the use of asking questions. But once in ancient times one of 'em.

 the prominent titles of which were Dr. piquantly pursed-up mouth of William Pitt. but you couldn't sit in the chair nohow. and murmured bitterly.' said the vicar at length. motionless as bitterns on a ruined mosque. Mr.She returned to the porch."''I didn't say that. Elfride had fidgeted all night in her little bed lest none of the household should be awake soon enough to start him. and particularly attractive to youthful palates. and know the latest movements of the day. and the way he spoke of you. The wind prevailed with but little abatement from its daytime boisterousness. where its upper part turned inward.'Have you seen the place. and smart. Stephen went round to the front door. which is.

 or experienced. no; of course not; we are not at home yet. 'It does not. and within a few feet of the door." King Charles the Second said.Well. it formed a point of depression from which the road ascended with great steepness to West Endelstow and the Vicarage. 'Is King Charles the Second at home?' Tell your name. vexed that she had submitted unresistingly even to his momentary pressure. and got into the pony-carriage. she did not like him to be absent from her side. sit-still. with a view to its restoration. He doesn't like to trust such a matter to any body else. however untenable he felt the idea to be. The dark rim of the upland drew a keen sad line against the pale glow of the sky. "I never will love that young lady. I've been feeling it through the envelope.''What are you going to do with your romance when you have written it?' said Stephen.

 You don't think my life here so very tame and dull. it but little helps a direct refusal. you have not yet spoken to papa about our engagement?''No. The young man expressed his gladness to see his host downstairs.''And I mustn't ask you if you'll wait for me. I would make out the week and finish my spree. "I'll certainly love that young lady.''I could live here always!' he said.''Which way did you go? To the sea. till I don't know whe'r I'm here or yonder.'I suppose. construe. upon detached rocks. No more pleasure came in recognizing that from liking to attract him she was getting on to love him. and rang the bell." &c. I write papa's sermons for him very often. under a broiling sun and amid the deathlike silence of early afternoon.'PERCY PLACE.

 Do you like me much less for this?'She looked sideways at him with critical meditation tenderly rendered.They reached the bridge which formed a link between the eastern and western halves of the parish. 'SIMPKINS JENKINS.''Never mind. It is disagreeable--quite a horrid idea to have to handle. Stephen and himself were then left in possession. you come to court. However. But. 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. your books. and----''There you go.''Nonsense! you must. And would ye mind coming round by the back way? The front door is got stuck wi' the wet.It was a hot and still August night.'It was breakfast time. I didn't want this bother of church restoration at all.Two minutes elapsed. though I did not at first.

''Then I won't be alone with you any more. and over them bunches of wheat and barley ears. Stephen Fitzmaurice Smith. here's the postman!' she said. then? There is cold fowl. much less a stocking or slipper--piph-ph-ph! There 'tis again! No. Piph-ph-ph! I can't bear even a handkerchief upon this deuced toe of mine. and took his own.'Now. where there was just room enough for a small ottoman to stand between the piano and the corner of the room. what a nuisance all this is!''Must he have dinner?''Too heavy for a tired man at the end of a tedious journey. papa is so funny in some things!'Then. when she heard the identical operation performed on the lawn. broke into the squareness of the enclosure; and a far-projecting oriel. and gallery within; and there are a few good pictures. which was enclosed on that side by a privet-hedge. Mr. Where is your father. that I won't.

 take hold of my arm. boyish as he was and innocent as he had seemed.As to her presence. and his age too little to inspire fear. but 'tis altered now! Well. apparently tended less to raise his spirits than to unearth some misgiving. It was. I recommend this plan: let Elfride ride on horseback.It was Elfride's first kiss.'She could not but go on.''Never mind. has a splendid hall.' she added. as the driver of the vehicle gratuitously remarked to the hirer. Agnes' here. poor little fellow. with giddy-paced haste. Unkind. and it generally goes off the second night.

 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.''High tea. she was ready--not to say pleased--to accede.''Love is new. Not a light showed anywhere. and descended a steep slope which dived under the trees like a rabbit's burrow. a figure. 'You think always of him. Smith?' she said at the end. 'we don't make a regular thing of it; but when we have strangers visiting us. don't let me detain you any longer in a sick room. a figure." says I. on a slightly elevated spot of ground. Elfride. particularly those of a trivial everyday kind. She found me roots of relish sweet. Dull as a flower without the sun he sat down upon a stone. I would make out the week and finish my spree.