the secret places of the heart-第26章

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it　seems　is　where　everything　is　to　be　settled　against　you。　Belinda　is　a　sort　of　companion　I　have　acquired　for　the　purposes　of　independent　travel。　She　was　Red　Cross　too。　I　must　have　somebody　and　I　cannot　bear　a　maid。　Her　name　is　Belinda　Seyffert。　From　Philadelphia　originally。　You　have　that？　Seyffert；　Grammont？〃　〃And　Hardy？〃　〃Sir　Richmond　and　Dr。　Martineau。〃　〃And…Ah！That　great　green　bank　there　just　coming　into　sight　must　be　Old　Sarum。　The　little　ancient　city　that　faded　away　when　Salisbury　lifted　its　spire　into　the　world。　We　will　stop　here　for　a　little　while。　。　。　。　〃　Then　it　was　that　Dr。　Martineau　was　grim　about　the　stretching　of　his　legs。　Section　4　The　sudden　prospect　which　now　opened　out　before　Sir　Richmond　of　talking　about　history　and　suchlike　topics　with　a　charming　companion　for　perhaps　two　whole　days　instead　of　going　on　with　this　tiresome；　shamefaced；　egotistical　business　of　self…　examination　was　so　attractive　to　him　that　it　took　immediate　possession　of　his　mind；　to　the　entire　exclusion　and　disregard　of　Dr。　Martineau's　possible　objections　to　any　such　modification　of　their　original　programme。　When　they　arrived　in　Salisbury；　the　doctor　did　make　some　slight　effort　to　suggest　a　different　hotel　from　that　in　which　the　two　ladies　had　engaged　their　rooms；　but　on　the　spur　of　the　moment　and　in　their　presence　he　could　produce　no　sufficient　reason　for　refusing　the　accommodation　the　Old　George　had　ready　for　him。　He　was　reduced　to　a　vague：　〃We　don't　want　to　inflict　ourselves〃　He　could　not　get　Sir　Richmond　aside　for　any　adequate　expression　of　his　feelings　about　Miss　Seyffert；　before　the　four　of　them　were　seated　together　at　tea　amidst　the　mediaeval　modernity　of　the　Old　George　smoking…room。　And　only　then　did　he　begin　to　realize　the　depth　and　extent　of　the　engagements　to　which　Sir　Richmond　had　committed　himself。　〃I　was　suggesting　that　we　run　back　to　Avebury　to…morrow；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃These　ladies　were　nearly　missing　it。〃　The　thing　took　the　doctor's　breath　away。　For　the　moment　he　could　say　nothing。　He　stared　over　his　tea…cup　dour…faced。　An　objection　formulated　itself　very　slowly。　〃But　that　dicky；〃　he　whispered。　His　whisper　went　unnoted。　Sir　Richmond　was　talking　of　the　completeness　of　Salisbury。　From　the　very　beginning　it　had　been　a　cathedral　city；　it　was　essentially　and　purely　that。　The　church　at　its　best；　in　the　full　tide　of　its　mediaeval　ascendancy；　had　called　it　into　being。　He　was　making　some　extremely　loose　and　inaccurate　generalizations　about　the　buildings　and　ruins　each　age　had　left　for　posterity；　and　Miss　Grammont　was　countering　with　equally　unsatisfactory　qualifications。　〃Our　age　will　leave　the　ruins　of　hotels；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃Railway　arches　and　hotels。〃　〃Baths　and　aqueducts；〃　Miss　Grammont　compared。　〃Rome　of　the　Empire　comes　nearest　to　it　。　。　。　。　〃　As　soon　as　tea　was　over；　Dr。　Martineau　realized；　they　meant　to　walk　round　and　about　Salisbury。　He　foresaw　that　walk　with　the　utmost　clearness。　In　front　and　keeping　just　a　little　beyond　the　range　of　his　intervention；　Sir　Richmond　would　go　with　Miss　Grammont；　he　himself　and　Miss　Seyffert　would　bring　up　the　rear。　〃If　I　do；〃　he　muttered；　〃I'll　be　damned！〃　an　unusually　strong　expression　for　him。　〃You　said？〃　asked　Miss　Seyffert。　〃That　I　have　some　writing　to　dobefore　the　post　goes；〃　said　the　doctor　brightly。　〃Oh！　come　and　see　the　cathedral！〃　cried　Sir　Richmond　with　ill…concealed　dismay。　He　was；　if　one　may　put　it　in　such　a　fashion；　not　looking　at　Miss　Seyffert　in　the　directest　fashion　when　he　said　this。　〃I'm　afraid；〃　said　the　doctor　mulishly。　〃Impossible。〃　（With　the　unspoken　addition　of；　〃You　try　her　for　a　bit。〃）　Miss　Grammont　stood　up。　Everybody　stood　up。　〃We　can　go　first　to　look　for　shops；〃　she　said。　〃There's　those　things　you　want　to　buy；　Belinda；　a　fountain　pen　and　the　little　books。　We　can　all　go　together　as　far　as　that。　And　while　you　are　shopping；　if　you　wouldn't　mind　getting　one　or　two　things　for　me。　。　。　。〃　It　became　clear　to　Dr。　Martineau　that　Sir　Richmond　was　to　be　let　off　Belinda。　It　seemed　abominably　unjust。　And　it　was　also　clear　to　him　that　he　must　keep　closely　to　his　own　room　or　he　might　find　Miss　Seyffert　drifting　back　alone　to　the　hotel　and　eager　to　resume　with　him。　。　。　。　Well；　a　quiet　time　in　his　room　would　not　be　disagreeable。　He　could　think　over　his　notes。　。　。　。　But　in　reality　he　thought　over　nothing　but　the　little　speeches　he　would　presently　make　to　Sir　Richmond　about　the　unwarrantable；　the　absolutely　unwarrantable；　alterations　that　were　being　made　without　his　consent　in　their　common　programme。　。　。　。　For　a　long　time　Sir　Richmond　had　met　no　one　so　interesting　and　amusing　as　this　frank…minded　young　woman　from　America。　〃Young　woman〃　was　how　he　thought　of　her；　she　didn't　correspond　to　anything　so　prim　and　restrained　and　extensively　reserved　and　withheld　as　a　〃young　lady　〃；　and　though　he　judged　her　no　older　than　five　and　twenty；　the　word　〃girl〃　with　its　associations　of　virginal　ignorances；　invisible　purdah；　and　trite　ideas　newly　discovered；　seemed　even　less　appropriate　for　her　than　the　word　〃boy。〃　She　had　an　air　of　having　in　some　obscure　way　graduated　in　life；　as　if　so　far　she　had　lived　each　several　year　of　her　existence　in　a　distinctive　and　conclusive　manner　with　the　utmost　mental　profit　and　no　particular　tarnish　or　injury。　He　could　talk　with　her　as　if　he　talked　with　a　man　like　himselfbut　with　a　zest　no　man　could　give　him。　It　was　evident　that　the　good　things　she　had　said　at　first　came　as　the　natural　expression　of　a　broad　stream　of　alert　thought；　they　were　no　mere　display　specimens　from　one　of　those　jackdaw　collections　of　bright　things　so　many　clever　women　waste　their　wits　in　accumulating。　She　was　not　talking　for　effect　at　all；　she　was　talking　because　she　was　tremendously　interested　in　her　discovery　of　the　spectacle　of　history；　and　delighted　to　find　another　person　as　possessed　as　she　was。　Belinda　having　been　conducted　to　her　shops；　the　two　made　their　way　through　the　bright　evening　sunlight　to　the　compact　gracefulness　of　the　cathedral。　A　glimpse　through　a　wrought…　iron　gate　of　a　delightful　garden　of　spring　flowers；　alyssum；　aubrietia；　snow…upon…the…mountains；　daffodils；　narcissus　and　the　like；　held　them　for　a　time；　and　then　they　came　out　upon　the　level；　grassy　space；　surrounded　by　little　ripe　old　houses；　on　which　the　cathedral　stands。　They　stood　for　some　moments　surveying　it。　〃It's　a　perfect　little　lady　of　a　cathedral；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃But　why；　I　wonder；　did　we　build　it？　〃　〃Your　memory　ought　to　be　better　than　mine；〃　she　said；　with　her　half…closed　eyes　blinking　up　at　the　sunlit　spire　sharp　against　the　blue。　〃I've　been　away　for　so　long…over　there…that　I　forget　altogether。　Why　DID　we　build　it？〃　She　had　fallen　in　quite　early　with　this　freak　of　speaking　and　thinking　as　if　he　and　she　were　all　mankind。　It　was　as　if　her　mind　had　been　prepared　for　it　by　her　own　eager　exploration　in　Europe。　〃My　friend；　the　philosopher；〃　he　had　said；　〃will　not　have　it　that　we　are　really　the　individuals　we　think　we　are。　You　must　talk　to　himhe　is　a　very　curious　and　subtle　thinker。　We　are　just　thoughts　in　the　Mind　of　the　Race；　he　says；　passing　thoughts。　We　arewhat　does　he　call　it？　Man　on　his　Planet；　taking　control　of　life。〃　〃Man　and　woman；〃　she　had　amended。　But　just　as　man　on　his　planet　taking　control　of　lif