which followed Audrey'sarrival at Sanstead mar

and she had struggled against the chain. But now,for the first time, we were beginn

was past. Ihad not imagined it possible that I could ever experience towardsher such a tranquil emotion as this easy friendliness. For thelast five years my imagination had been playing round her memory,until I suppose I had built up in my mind some almost superhumanimage, some goddess. What I was passing t

mp. His last thought, as he enters the flame, isprobably one of self-congratulation

ling particularly safe and

thestudy. There was a noble fire burning in the grate, and thedarkness lit by the glow of the coals, the dripping of the rain,the good behaviour of my pipe, and the reflection that, as I satthere, Glossop was engaged downstairs in wrestling with my class,co

rd the drawing-room door o

one here,' she said. 'I'm froz

n,' I said. 'You do

her in the firelight, and mypulse was regular and my brain cool. I had a momentary vision ofmyself a

fire. Little spurts offlame whistled comfo

intly, and flurries of rain das

ce in here,' sh

eace

Her eyes, seen for an instant inth

tening to you,' I said. 'I li

alway

Do you remember one ev

ch eve

ticular evening whenyou played that thing. It s

oked up

afterwards and

t up t

e by with a

wo d

e sur

ll-dog and a

Jove, you're right. A fox-terrierw

ight

They came up t

them cho

ck slowly i

a wonderful me

without speaking. The r

ll like my pl

thing in it now that Idon't believe there u

edge, Peter,' she sai

eal in those five years. It may not bealtogether pleasant seeing life, but--well, it makes

that she spoke a

d time, Audrey, thes

etty

'm s

together. I've

again, her eyes f

ou thinking a

great man

leas

hat was,that I am very lucky to be doing the work I am d

shiv

ell me about those ye

some of the t

haded her face from the firewith a n

nurse for some time at the La

's hard

a while. But--it teachesyou.... You learn...

agination. You get real troublein a

ittleuncomfortable, a little at a disadvantage, as one

I was a

waitr

and I went on to try something else. I forget what camenext. I think it was the stage. I travelled for a year with atouring company. That wa

t was

et Mr

id that

,she was always at the studio, and we became great friends, and oneday, after all these things I have been telling you of, I thoughtI would write to her, and see if she could not find me somethingto do. She was a _dear_.' Her voice trembled, and she low

ott!' I cri

ghed rath

I knew next tonothing. I ought to have been ha

at little fiend, didn't he

ood as gold--for him; that's to say, if Ididn't interfere with him too much, and I did

as a sort of ex-governess,to continue

e la

or les

and then she put into words theth

ting together chatting like this,P

ke a

glad.... You don't know how I've

t talk like that. Don

, it was

hook he

at we didn't under

nodded

n't understan

' I said. 'We're

leam from the fire fell upon her face,lighting up her eyes; and at the sight something in me began

gripping the arms of m

curious sensation of beingon the thresh

over, and with it this talk by the firelight. In a few minutesso

ave tripped in thedarkness. She stumbled forward,

nt. She recovered herself, m

el of her, warm and alive, that had shattered forever that flimsy structure of friendship which I had fancied sostrong. I had said to Love,