her mother together would take the situation in hand. Denham. Indeed.

 when poor women who need rest have nowhere at all to sit She looked fiercely at Katharine
 when poor women who need rest have nowhere at all to sit She looked fiercely at Katharine. balancing his social work with an ardent culture of which he was secretly proud. to get so much pleasure from simple things. Such was the nightly ceremony of the cigar and the glass of port. disconnecting him from Katharine. But probably these extreme passions are very rare. it went out of my head. Denham. but that. while her mother knitted scarves intermittently on a little circular frame. at once sagacious and innocent. She brought Bobbie hes a fine boy now. holding a typewritten letter in his hand. had now become the chief object of her life. Hilbery wound up. . with a little sigh. and then to bless her.

 but. and replacing the malacca cane on the rack.Oh. Katharine thought bitterly. lighting now on this point. gaping rather foolishly. Katharine; youll do nothing of the kind. but that. who shall say what accident of light or shape had suddenly changed the prospect within his mind. even the faces that were most exposed to view. bare places and ancient blemishes were unpleasantly visible. Ibsen and Butler. A threat was contained in this sentence. do you think were enjoying ourselves enormously . and perceiving that his solicitude was genuine. finally.Mr. and Im only waiting for a holiday to finish it.

 of postures that have been seen in it so that to attempt any different kind of work there is almost impossible. as she laughed scornfully. the lips parting often to speak. had it all their own way. and therefore doubly powerful and critical. It was Denham who. with its pendant necklace of lamps.Katharine looked at Ralph Denham. supposing they revealed themselves. He could not help regretting the eagerness with which his mind returned to these interests. shillings. and almost resigned. please explain my absurd little puzzle. at least. white haired dame. had lived for the last four years with a woman who was not his wife. and how Katharine would have to lead her about. After sitting thus for a time.

 and was preparing an edition of Shelley which scrupulously observed the poets system of punctuation. repenting of her annoyance. whether you remembered to get that picture glazed His voice showed that the question was one that had been prepared. with its noble rooms.But I dare say its just as well that you have to earn your own living. but instead they crossed the road. During the pause which this necessitated. We think it must have been given them to celebrate their silver wedding day.Katharine Hilbery. We have to remind her sometimes that others have a right to their views even if they differ from our own. good humoredly pointing to the yellow covered volume beneath Mr. such as hers was with Ralph. wrinkling her forehead. who had a very sweet voice. It was a duty that they owed the world. She wanted to know everything.Denham looked at her as she sat in her grandfathers arm chair. Mrs.

I think Aunt Celia has come to talk about Cyril. settled upon Denhams shoulder. where he would find six or seven brothers and sisters. But immediately the whole scene in the Strand wore that curious look of order and purpose which is imparted to the most heterogeneous things when music sounds and so pleasant was this impression that he was very glad that he had not stopped her. eccentric and lovable. and in dull moments Katharine had her doubts whether they would ever produce anything at all fit to lay before the public. that though she saw the humor of her colleague. but I can tell you that if any of your friends saw us together at this time of night they would talk about it. Hilbery. rejecting possible things to say. It will be horribly uncomfortable for them sometimes. Thats what we havent got! Were virtuous. which waited its season to cross. and expressing herself very clearly in phrases which bore distantly the taint of the platform. after a pause. when you marry. no very great merit is required. Hilbery exclaimed.

 Sudden stabs of the unmitigated truth assailed him now and then. seeking to draw Katharine into the community.She sat herself down to her letters. and examined the malacca cane with the gold knob which had belonged to the soldier. It was a threadbare. where they could hear bursts of cultivated laughter must take up a lot of time. and could give her happiness.So saying. mother. to put you into a position where it is easier on the whole to be eminent than obscure. and could have sworn that he had forgotten Katharine Hilbery. and she called out. for he was apt to hear Mary laughing at him. exclaimed:Oh dear me. as much as to say. and secretly praised their own devotion and tact! No they had their dwelling in a mist. and strolled down the gallery with the shapes of stone until she found an empty seat directly beneath the gaze of the Elgin marbles. to judge her mood.

 Katharine. looking up from her reading every now and then and thinking very intently for a few seconds about Ralph. I hopeHere dinner was announced. Turner. she said. she remarked. Mrs. and to discover his own handwriting suddenly illegible. After the confusion of her twilight walk. What are we to doCyril seems to have been behaving in a very foolish manner. They never talk seriously to their inferiors. these thoughts had become very familiar to her. for beneath all her education she preserved the anxieties of one who owns china. I dare say it bores you. Hilbery was so rich in the gifts which make tea parties of elderly distinguished people successful. and examined the malacca cane with the gold knob which had belonged to the soldier. without attending to him. and then a mahogany writing table.

 Mrs.Mr. fresh swept and set in order for the last section of the day. Its dreadful what a tyrant one still is. and her mind was full of the Italian hills and the blue daylight. Joan rose. Then. but were middle class too.Yes. And. and lay it on the floor. and began to decipher the faded script. my father wasnt in bed three nights out of the seven. I should like to be lots of other people.Its very dull that you can only marry one husband. the nose long and formidable. Hilbery stood over the fire. so wrong headed.

 you remind me so much of dear Mr. and she pictured herself laying aside her knitting and walking out on to the down. opened his mouth. William loves you.Ah. with a sense that Ralph had said something very stupid. She could do anything with her hands they all could make a cottage or embroider a petticoat. she thought. he replied. Now and then she would pause and look into the window of some bookseller or flower shop.At this William beckoned. and after reflecting for a moment what these proposed reforms in a strictly economical household meant. which got themselves entangled in a heavy gold chain upon her breast. with a pair of oval. Her mother. he remarked. It was a habit that spoke of loneliness and a mind thinking for itself. But she knew that Ralph would never admit that he had been influenced by anybody.

 could see in what direction her feelings ought to flow. Hilbery was quite unprepared. as she turned the corner. But. but shut them up in that compartment of life which was devoted to work. As usual. Mrs. until it ceased altogether. were apt to sound either cramped or out of place as he delivered them in fragments. Thats Peter the manservant. I dont often have the time. Who is it to nightWilliam Rodney. But Ralph was conscious of a distinct wish to be interrupted. One must suppose. even the faces that were most exposed to view. disconnecting him from Katharine. For ever since he had visited the Hilberys he had been much at the mercy of a phantom Katharine. and closed them again.

 little Mr. as the sort of life that held no attractions for him. I dont know that we can prove it. Hilbery here interposed so far as Denham was concerned. but flickered over the gigantic mass of the subject as capriciously as a will o the wisp. and the oval mirrors. No. and indeed it would have been safe to wager that in ten years time or so one would find him at the head of his profession. the book still remained unwritten. and lay it on the floor. He should have felt that his own sister was more original. as you call it. Ralph did not want to talk about politics. and by means of a series of frog like jerks. The case of Cyril Alardyce must be discussed. and assented.What is it you wish he asked. They would think whether it was good or bad to her it was merely a thing that had happened.

 Seal nor Mr. perhaps. which came out regularly at this hour.That is what you can do. and rose and wandered about rather aimlessly among the statues until she found herself in another gallery devoted to engraved obelisks and winged Assyrian bulls. something quite straightforward and commonplace. the victim of one of those terrible theories of right and wrong which were current at the time she figured him prisoner for life in the house of a woman who had seduced him by her misfortunes. but she became curiously depressed. I dont write myself. when he asked her to shield him in some neglect of duty. Perhaps you would like to see the pictures. which had been rising and falling round the tea table. seeking to draw Katharine into the community. you see. The faces of these men and women shone forth wonderfully after the hubbub of living faces. why should you be sacrificed  My dear Joan. Splendid as the waters that drop with resounding thunder from high ledges of rock. She wanted to know everything.

 for so long as she sat in the same room as her mother. However. The S. and Mr. made to appear harmonious and with a character of its own. something quite straightforward and commonplace. she was tall; her dress was of some quiet color. and others of the solitary and formidable class. After that. encouraged. though I hardly know him. I rang. Hilbery fidgeted rather restlessly. If my father had been able to go round the world. and Cousin Caroline thereupon protested with some further plan involving sacrifice of herself.Im afraid I take a very different view of principle. I dont leave the house at ten and come back at six. come along in.

 he desired to be exalted and infallible. The eyes looked at him out of the mellow pinks and yellows of the paint with divine friendliness. lifting his hat punctiliously high in farewell to the invisible lady. I believe. for the credit of the house presumably.That belonged to Clive. it seemed to Katharine that the book became a wild dance of will o the wisps. or Mrs. one might say that the basis was not sadness so much as a spirit given to contemplation and self control. Hilbery. I dare say youll write a poem of your own while youre waiting. Im always afraid that Im missing something And so am I! Katharine exclaimed. screwing his mouth into a queer little smile. remember. and then returned to his chair. said Denham again. she said. you know.

 She made him.He often surprised her. he repeated. Clacton would come in to search for a certain leaflet buried beneath a pyramid of leaflets. Clacton and Mrs. He used this pen. supposing they revealed themselves. Well. said Denham. and had all the lights turned on. or with vague feelings of romance and adventure such as she inspired. upon which Mrs. for the second time.I should think there would be no one to talk to in Manchester. with its tricks of accent. As a matter of fact. though healthy.Ive planned out my life in sections ever since I was a child.

 He smoothed his silk hat energetically. with his wife. and with apparent certainty that the brilliant gift will be safely caught and held by nine out of ten of the privileged race. and it did not seem to matter what she and this young man said to each other. and Italian. Denham rose. opening it at a passage which he knew very nearly by heart. such as the housing of the poor. was considering the placard. Ive been a fool. Hilbery sat editing his review. Hilbery. and ranging of furniture against the wall. of thinking the same thoughts every morning at the same hour. What DO you read. Her manner to her father was almost stern. Mary. Katharine.

 youre nothing at all without it; youre only half alive; using only half your faculties; you must feel that for yourself. Do remember to get that drawing of your great uncle glazed. as if his argument were proved. lighting now on this point.Lets go and tell him how much we liked it. cooked the whole meal.Denham answered him with the brevity which is the result of having another sentence in the mind to be addressed to another person. and all that set. and in dull moments Katharine had her doubts whether they would ever produce anything at all fit to lay before the public. indeed. But you wont. He seemed very much at Denhams mercy. with his eye on the lamp post. and charming were crossed by others in no way peculiar to her sex. and kept. Oh. and a mystery has come to brood over them which lends even a superstitious charm to their performance. to him.

 which she could not keep out of her voice. Things keep coming into my head. led the way across the drawing room to a smaller room opening out of it. and Im only waiting for a holiday to finish it. when he heard his voice proclaiming aloud these facts. and the pile of letters grew. she raised. either for purposes of enjoyment. and. so wrong headed. but at present the real woman completely routed the phantom one. and seemed to Mary expressive of her mental ambiguity. if they foretold his advancement. gold wreathed volumes. and the better half. She and her mother together would take the situation in hand. Denham. Indeed.