Spring Days

ou; I shall miss my train. It

I cannot start now. I haven't

ell, ve

er parcels in his most methodical and most dilatory manner

n Berkins left? They had a row,

so loud, Sally; you can be

tell

much upset. I couldn't speak to him

ut it to-night. You are going to m

coming to lu

send him on here, we migh

irs, what a trouble young girls were in a house. "The

rspersed with shrubs in the most modern fashion, and the sumptuous glass-houses could be seen gleaming in the sun. It was a hot day, and the brick wall was dappled with hanging foliage, and further out, opposite the windows of the "Stag and Hounds," where Steyning's ales could be obtained, the over-reaching sprays of a great chestnut tree fell in delicate tracery on the white dust. The road led under the railway embankment, an

the green, it is too public then. It is to the green that elevens come from far and near to play their matches. All the summer through the green is a fete of cricket. It is to the green the brass bands come on Saturday. On the green, bat and trap is played till the ball disappears in shadow. The green is common; horses and cows are turned o

road, and parallel with the green is Mr. Brookes's property-a solid five acres, with all

Oxford, why can I not know them now? Here we are doing the same thing from year's end to year's end; why, with our money we ought to be hob-nobbing with the duke." In moments of dejection this was one of Willy's commonest thoughts. "I did my best, but I was op

s horses. He had then insisted on dinner-parties, and some few people more or less "county" had been collected; the pretext was politics, but Willy and politics were but a doleful mixture, and the

circumstances could Willy have shone in society. He failed to interest the ladies he met on the King's Road, he knew this; and to sum up his deficiencies, let us

often in you a true heart abides; you

ove with a girl whom he had seen play "Sweet Anne Page." They remembered long letters, tears and wild looks. He had sent her diamonds; and one night he had attempted suic

fitable investments-that was to be his aim in life; and as each year closed his thoughts fixed themselves more definitely and entirely on it; and it was natural that it should be so, since all other outlets for the passion of life were barred to him. His forced retirement from the distillery did not worry him. No one could please his father in business; his uncle had once threatened to throw his brother out of the window. Besides, the business was a declining one, and twelve thousand pounds for a junior partnership was not bad. Nor did his failure to make a success of the manure agency discourage him; the shop was a different matter, that was his own idea, he had thought of a fortune, and had lost two thousand pounds. It had crippled him for li

vanity. Now he stood leaning on the wooden paling, and his movements showed the back and loins in strong outline, marking the thick calves. Without taking any heed, his eyes followed the cricket ball, which was in turn slogged into the horse-pond and cottage gardens. Through long familiarity, the green had faded from his notice, nor did the burnt-up crops on the Downs attract his thoughts, nor yet the sinuous lines of the hills. From the platform one saw the whole of Southwick. The green with its cricket match, Mrs. Horlock and her dogs, the forge, the stile, the various cottages, the long fields full of green wheat, and, far away, the carriages passing like insects along the road under the Downs; then on the right were the back gardens of the cottages, a large inscription announcing the diffe

shes of light and shade, Brighton stretched from hill to hill. Morning was still in the sky, and the sea was deep blue between the yellow chimney-pots. A puff of steam showed up upon a dist

ch other's rooms, and so their friendship had been decided, and, in spite of-or, perhaps, on account of-a very marked difference in their characters and temperaments, gathered strength as it matured. Another link between the men was that Escott had accompanied Willy to the theatre when he went to

cle, whose heir he was, had sent him, if not to study, at least to think about art in Italy. From Italy

me in?" Willy asked whe

ot out carefully, and, looking through the confusion of luggage and bookstall trade, he saw Escott questioning a porter and hailing a

vat in a sailor's knot, fastened with a small diamond. His hands were coarse and brown; he wore two rings, and a bracelet fell out of his cuff when he dropped his arm. His chest was broad and full, but the shoulders were too square; the coat was padded. There was little that could be called Celtic in his face or voice, the admixture of race was manifested in that dim blue stare, at once vague and wild, which the eyes of the Celt so often exhibit. The nose was long, low, and straight, the nostrils were cleanly marked, the mouth was uncertain, the chin was uncertain, the face was long, deadly pale, rather large, the forehead was high, receding at the temples. The hair (now he removes his hat, for the air is heavy and hot, and the sun falls fiercely on the pavement) is pale brown, and it waves thinly over the high fore

go in for dress n

pend on it; but tell me,

s it? Did Walpole make it?

Walpole's, but I

coat, but a morning coat! I did not know it cou

suppose you think I am not fit to walk with you. I daresay it doesn

genuinely glad to see each other, that their

Willy said drily and punctiliously; "you were more

escribed than any country, and yet it is quite different from what one imagines; it is gr

faded if all one hears is true,

an girl I met at Milan. It was a job to get away from her; she followed me, 'pon my word, she did; she declared she

nt. One of these days I must go abroad and hav

see why one shouldn't say he is as great. Of course there are things, the daughters of-I forget the name-the group of two women leaning back in each other's arms in the British Museum. But I don't know, Michael Ang

ing? I must go to Truefi

ld place, I see. Do you stil

o long. Nothing like a good shampoo; for a guinea

re used to be such a pretty girl

read Punch aloud to each other; they cracked jokes with the hairdressers; they snorted and laughed through the soap and jets of hot and cold w

took step from his friend, he said: "By George! it m

ke one feel joll

just nice. What shall we do? Sit down

. Just look at those boats! One

brown fishing-boats lay becalmed, heaving tremulously like tired butterflies upon the breast of a blue flower. The nursemaids lay together on the shingle, and their novels slipped down the stones to their feet. The children played with the tide and the sand. There were crowds of wo

ss, Triss. Splendid dog that is. If I were to let hi

a feroci

that; unfortunately, he's the wrong colour; if he were brind

rank explained that it was only his manner. Frank took the paw that was extended to him, but Tr

to sit here with th

Triss? Kiss me, kiss me at once," and amid many growls of al

uld tie him up

atened and finally forced the dog to lie down. He continued to expatiate on the dog's points-the number of wrinkl

do whistle-you go into a diffe

I threw her a bouquet, a splendid one it was, too, cost me three guineas in Covent Garden. We went afterwards and had sup

of her? One nev

ed soon

spoke of her;

r a long silence, Willy said: "I h

r that I must be allowed to come to the house, and he had to give way. You don't know the river? Well, it is wonderful to awake at Maidenhead in the morning and hear the sparrows twittering in a piece of tangled vine; to see that great piece of water flowing so mildly in all the p

was it br

to town, and I filled an album with verses. I used to write them at night. My window was right in front of the river, and the moon used to sail past, and in the morning I used to read her the poems I made overnight beneath the branches of the cedar, where we used to run the boat. But the

her father in that way, why w

f character. The young lady, whom he called Nellie, had told him she would wait if he would elect a profession and work for a place in it. But Frank had not been able to forego late hours and restaurants,

ou didn't believ

mind on that point, perhaps it would be better if he did marry her. Well, the woman whom he has loved with a merely sensual passion comes back, and to revenge herself she tries to tempt the good girl to go wrong; she talks to her of men and pleasures; this is a good idea, I think, for I feel sure it is women far more than men who lead women astray. Then the first woman whom he has loved for her beauty merely, comes along and continues the diabolical work of the first, by suggesting-I don't know, anything-that the young girl should go in for dress; the young man finds out the scheme, and to sav

say; I never like giving an opinio

ut what do

y Triss. He rushed forth, and Frank was only in time to prevent a pitched battle. He retur

a big dog without wanting to go for him. Do

easure you can find

s a habit of growling, but he does not mean

Have you seen anything nice lately? What's

ed-up nose, a pinched-in waist, beautiful shoulders. Hair of a golden tinge, diamonds, and dresses covered with beads. She flirted a great deal. We talked about love, and we l

would pu

ale brown hair, and such wonderful teeth-her laughter, I assure you, was beautiful. I asked her what she thought of the piece. She looked away and didn't answer. It was rather a slap in the face for me, but I am not easily done. I immediately said: 'I should have apologised before for the way I inconvenienced you in crushing into my seat, but, really, the place is so narrow that you don't know how to get by.' This rather stumped her, she was obliged to say something. The girl on the other side (not half a bad looking girl, short brown curly hair, rather a roguish face) was the most civil at fi

an idea-a

ime. I got it out of them at last; they

gir

es

very pretty; rather dangero

I assure you the one that sat next to me spoke just like a lady. You know in these hard t

friend had heard what he had been saying. Triss, seeing that smelling and fighting were equally vain endeavours, had laid himself out in the sun, and he returned his ma

esay i

of a good place? What about th

gh, "the fact is, I must lunch at my office;

u had an office-a

shall drop it. I am arranging to go on the Stock Exchange. The difficulty is whether

busi

disti

ged to lunch at your office? Are you expecting cu

n Brighton for a few weeks. The child has been ailing a

s! I know not

oted to me. We've been together now two years or more,

the c

e. She had the child

s the matte

ng and healthy although she may never have what you would call a good figure. But ther

wh

ou will see at lunc

y against it." Willy did not answer. Frank waited for an

nd of her; she is

other one?" The question wounded, but Frank wa

ld. How many years older am I than you-seven, I think?

and-twenty-you do

ave had so much trouble as I have

er? I was talking to a novelist the other day; he told me thestory of a book he is writing. It is about a woman who leaves the husband she has n

en. I am sure that wh

ve of the man who took her away from her husband. He made the husband a snivelling little creature, and the lover good-looking-that's the old game. I would have made the lover insignificant and the husband good-looking. Nevertheless she loved the lover better. I k

't try to conve

at I was very young then? I was only twenty, n

what we were t

her I believe you are quite right

times more do you w

you are goin

arry, that goes without saying, but one likes to have things settled. I have been with her now more

nto the feelings of a man whom an undue sense of order and regularity compelled to marry his

for he came to the point sharply when

o an entailed es

ailed estate. Mount Rork

cut me off with a shilling if he were to hear I had married without his consent, and I shou

not in love with her-at least not

t you und

u mean that you are dow

s me." "The marriage must be kept a secret. If my father were to hear of it I should be ruined, whereas if Mary will consent to go on living as we are living now, one of these days she will be

e her. You've no doubt told her and fully explained to her wha

nly cut me off; tell her that he is sixty-six, that it is a hundred to one against his living till he is eighty, even if he did there would be only fourteen

all I tell h

my offices, she'll be there. We'll

t's start. Com

ef whenever he saw a likely pair of legs or a dog tha

so many people to lunch in your office;

me, and I thought I should be able to let the upper part; I did have a tenant for a little whi

they went upstairs. The windows of the front room were in view of a church spire, and overlooked a little shadowy

your moth

oom cooking he

ly, honest-eyed woman,

my friend, Mr. Escott, you ha

king hands with you, si

k, too. Just you wait an

gs and a pie

ood enough

e herr

me, I must go back; they want a deal of attending to." Presently she appeared with a tra

allowed to fetch

afraid you are

ren, she continued: "I am getting quite strong now; I was down on the beach this morning, and watched the little boys and g

when the

with Billy and

there are too many people abo

hickly, hiding the crookedness of the shoulders. She was nine years old, an

tion in the county, and the necessity of sustaining it. Frank thought this rather bad taste; but he assured Mrs. Brookes, with much Celtic gesticulation, that her marriage must be kept a secret till her father-in-law's death. The young men and Mrs. Brookes remained talking till the rays trailed among the green grass of the graves, and the blue roofs that descended into the val

le to leave you, even if he felt inclined, and you will know that only one

arms about him; "but as you like. I shall never say anything about the marriage till Willy tells

e said, squeezing and plantin

ing love is!" he said to himself, and the world melted away from him in the happiness he

I ought not to say that, but one never knows. I dare say no such accident could happen to any one else, but if I leave the

we sat on

I shall be home the