A Room with a View

r, had built Windy Corner, as a speculation at the time the district was opening up, and, falling in love with his own creation, had ended by living there himself. Soon after his marriage the so

wife accepted the situation without either pride or humility. "I cannot think what people are doing," she would say, "but it is extremely fortunate for the children." She called everywhere; her calls were returned with enthusiasm, and by the time pe

ife, so far as she troubled to conceive it, was a circle of rich, pleasant people, with identical interests and identical foes. In this circle, one thought, married, and died. Outside it were poverty and vulgarity for ever trying to enter, just as the London fog tries to enter the pine-woods pouring through the gaps in the northern hills. But, in Italy, where any one who choos

ed her environment by the thousand little civilities that create a tenderness in time, and that though her eyes saw its defects, her heart refused to despise it entirely. Nor did he realize a more important point-that if she was too great for this society, she was too great for all society, a

triking tennis-balls high into the air, so that they fall over the net and immoderately bounce; some hit Mrs. Honeychurch; others are l

t he, then they-no one knowing what t

s ago-she was wondering how often the butcher called, and my reply of once a month

're old and silly one's expected to say 'How sweet!' I hate their 'if'-ing

uting over the tennis-court. Cecil was absent-

ncircled by a ring. "If they are coming, Sir Harry will let them move in before the twenty-ninth, and he will cross out the clause about

ppy," cried Freddy, joining them.

doesn't

bounces

he do

etter than the Beau

" said Mrs.

iful White Devil in her hand, ready to plug it in. That's right, Minnie,

tiful White Devil r

me of this ball is Vittoria Corombona, pl

howling wilderness. Up in the house Cecil heard them, and, though he was full of entertaining news, he did not come down to impart it, in case he got hurt. He

Beebe, just as Lucy, who was nursing the injured Mi

Miss Alans?"

taken Cis

asn't t

all fell most agreeably on to

ked Lucy, with her bro

ame of the people

dy! You know no

,'"-Freddy was an indifferent mimic-"'ahem! ahem! I have at last procured really

. The Mi

. More like

xclaimed. "Do you notice, Lucy, I'm always right? I said don't interfere with C

reddy doesn't even know the name of the

I've got i

t na

bet you anyth

" said Lucy quietly. "I wish I ha

be, whose opinion of her rose daily, whispered to his niece that

had diverted Mrs. Honeychurch from t

Do you know what E

sister and like most young people, he was naturally attracted by the idea of equality, an

gain-"I see you looking down your nose and thinking your mother's a snob. But the

mon enough name,

pine-clad promontories descending one beyond another into the Weald. The

ed they were no relations of Emerson the philosophe

they're friends of Cecil; so"-elaborate irony-"you and the ot

exclaim

r placidly. "Lucy, don't screech. It'

has C

so really dee-sire-rebel. Ahem! Honeych

up from

had borne it like a good girl. She might well "screech" when she heard that it came partly from her lover. Mr. Vyse was a tease-something worse than

hat-" he did not consider that the exclamation was strange, but saw in it an opportunity

aled to Lucy. "There was a great scene over some violets. They picked violets and filled all the vases in the room of these very Miss Alans who have failed to come to Cissie Villa. Poor little ladies! So shocked and so pleased. It used to be one of Miss Catharine's

t his sister's face was very red. She could not recover hersel

d young man; not a fool, I fancy, but very immature-pessimism, et cetera. Our special joy

ch gossip, but he was trying to shelter Lucy in her little

the Pension Bertolini must have been the oddest place. That's the second murderer I've heard of as bein

he was perfectly sure that there had been a second tourist of whom the same story had been told. The name escaped her. What wa

brother wheth

ied, and tried to cat

y. "Don't be silly. You alwa

her nerves and made her connect these Emersons, friends of Cecil's, with a pair of nondescript tourists. Hitherto truth had come to her naturally. She saw that for the future she must be

ec

re's better fun up here. I, even I, have won a great victory for the Comic Muse. George Meredith's right-the cause of Comedy and the cause of Truth are re

face was bright, and he dispelled

u. Just think of all the trouble I took for nothing! Certainly the Miss Alans are a littl

" But she remained standing where she was. "Do you know where I met these desira

people!" she said nervously

ca Signorelli-of course, quite stupidly. However, we got talkin

" proceeded

n to run down for week-ends. I thought, 'What a chance of scoring off Sir Harry!' and I took their address a

t fair. I've probab

re he

is too disgusting with his 'decayed gentlewomen.' I meant to read him a lesson some time. No, Lucy, the classes ought to

napped. "You don't kno

ain that she had failed to be

rtistic-that of

do my work about the Miss Alans, and make me look ridiculous. You call it scoring off Sir

left

hought, raisin

ans, she had not minded. He perceived that these new tenants might be of value educationally. He would tolerate the father