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YOU。 I've been monstrously indelicate。 But I never meant to be；
andandI was coming to see you just now when we metto see you
Miss Gageand ask hertell her that weImust tell you and Mrs。
MarchMr。 March！ At the hop last night I asked her to be my wife；
and as soon as she can hear from her fatherBut the first thing
when I woke this morning； I saw that I must tell Mrs。 March and you。
And youyou must forgive usor me； rather； for it was my fault
for not telling you last nightat onceoh； thank you！ thank you！〃
I had seized his hand； and was wringing it vehemently in expression
of my pleasure in what he had told me。 In that first moment I felt
nothing but pure joy and an immeasurable relief。 I drew my breath；
a very deep and full one； in a sudden； absolute freedom from
anxieties which had been none the less real and constant because so
often burlesqued。 Afterward considerations presented themselves to
alloy my rapture； but for that moment； as I say； it was nothing but
rapture。 There was no question in it of the lovers' fitness for
each other； of their acceptability to their respective families； of
their general conduct； or of their especial behaviour toward us。
All that I could realise was that it was a great escape for both of
us； and a great triumph for me。 I had been afraid that I should not
have the courage to speak to Kendricks of the matter at all； much
less ask him to go away； and here I had actually spoken to him； with
the splendid result that I need only congratulate him on his
engagement to the lady whose unrequited affections I had been
wishing him to spare。 I don't remember just the terms I used in
doing this； but they seemed satisfactory to Kendricks； probably a
repetition of the letters of the alphabet would have been equally
acceptable。 At last I said； 〃Well； now I must go and tell the great
news to Mrs。 March；〃 and I shook hands with him again； we had been
shaking hands at half…minutely intervals ever since the first time。
CHAPTER XVIII
I saw Mrs。 March waiting for me on the hotel verandah。 She wore her
bonnet； and she warned me not to approach； and then ran down to meet
me。
〃Well； my dear；〃 she said； as she pushed her hand through my arm and
began to propel me away from the sight and hearing of people on the
piazza； 〃I hope you didn't make a fool of yourself with Kendricks。
They're engaged！〃
She apparently expected me to be prostrated by this stroke。 〃Yes；〃
I said very coolly； 〃I was just coming to tell you。〃
〃How did you know it？ Who told you？ Did Kendricks？ I don't
believe it！〃 she cried in an excitement not unmixed with resentment。
〃No one told me；〃 I said。 〃I simply divined it。〃
She didn't mind that for a moment。 〃Well； I'm glad he had the grace
to do so； and I hope he did it before you asked him any leading
questions。〃 Without waiting to hear whether this was so or not； she
went on； with an emphasis on the next word that almost blotted it
out of the language； 〃SHE came back to me almost the instant you
were gone； and told me everything。 She said she wanted to tell me
last night； but she hadn't the courage； and this morning； when she
saw that I was beginning to hint up to Mr。 Kendricks a little； she
hadn't the courage at all。 I sent her straight off to telegraph for
her father。 She is behaving splendidly。 And now； what are we going
to do？〃
〃What the rest of the world isnothing。 It seems to me that we are
out of the story； my dear。 At any rate； I shan't attempt to compete
with Miss Gage in splendid behaviour； and I hope you won't。 It
would be so easy for us。 I wonder what Papa Gage is going to be
like。〃
I felt my thrill of apprehension impart itself to her。 〃Yes！〃 she
gasped； 〃what if he shouldn't like it？〃
〃Well； then； that's his affair。〃 But I did not feel so lightly
about it as I spoke； and from time to time during the day I was
overtaken with a cold dismay at the thought of the unknown quantity
in the problem。
When we returned to the hotel after a tour of the block； we saw
Kendricks in our corner of the verandah with Miss Gage。 They were
both laughing convulsively； and they ran down to meet us in yet
wilder throes of merriment。
〃We've just been comparing notes；〃 he said； 〃and at the very moment
when I was telling you； Mr。 March； Julia was telling Mrs。 March。〃
〃Wonderful case of telepathy；〃 I mocked。
〃Give it to the Psychical Research。〃
They both seemed a little daunted； and Miss Gage said； 〃I know Mr。
March doesn't like the way we've done。〃
〃Like it！〃 cried Mrs。 March； contriving to shake me a little with
the hand she still had in my arm。 〃Of course he likes it。 He was
just saying you had behaved splendidly。 He said HE wouldn't attempt
to compete with you。 But you mustn't regard him in the least。〃
I admired the skill with which Isabel saved her conscience in this
statement too much to dispute it； and I suppose that whatever she
had said； Miss Gage would have been reassured。 I cannot
particularly praise the wisdom of her behaviour during that day； or；
for the matter of that； the behaviour of Kendricks either。 The
ideal thing would have been for him to keep away now till her father
came； but it seemed to me that he was about under our feet all the
while； and that she； so far from making him remain at his own hotel；
encouraged him to pass the time at ours。 Without consulting me；
Mrs。 March asked him to stay to dinner after he had stayed all the
forenoon； and he made this a pretext for spending the afternoon in
our corner of the verandah。 She made me give it up to him and Miss
Gage； so that they could be alone together； though I must say they
did not seem to mind us a great deal when we were present； he was
always leaning on the back of her chair； or sitting next her with
his hand dangling over it in a manner that made me sick。 I wondered
if I was ever such an ass as that； and I quite lost the respect for
Kendricks's good sense and good taste which had been the ground of
my liking for him。
I felt myself withdrawn from the affair farther and farther in
sympathy； since it had now passed beyond my control； and I resented
the strain of the responsibility which I had thrown off； I found；
only for a moment； and must continue to suffer until the girl's
father appeared and finally relieved me。 The worst was that I had
to bear it alone。 It was impossible to detach Mrs。 March's interest
from Miss Gage； as a girl who had been made love to； long enough to
enable her to realise her as a daughter with filial ties and duties。
She did try in a perfunctory way to do it； but I could see that she
never gave her mind to it。 I could not even make her share my sense
of my own culpability； a thing she was only too willing to do in
most matters。 She admitted that it was absurd for me to have let my
fancy play about the girl when I first saw her until we felt that I
must do something for her； but I could not get her to own that we
had both acted preposterously in letting Mrs。 Deering leave Miss
Gage in our charge。 In the first place； she denied that she had
been left in our charge。 She had simply been left in the hotel
where we were staying； and we should have been perfectly free to do
nothing for her。 But when Kendricks turned up so unexpectedly； it
was quite natural we should ask him to be polite to her。 Mrs。 March
saw nothing strange in all that。 What was I worrying about？ What
she had been afraid of was that he had not been in love with the
girl when she was so clearly in love with him。 But now！
〃And suppose her father doesn't like it！〃
〃Not like Mr。 Kendricks！〃 She stared at me； and I could see how
infatuated she was。
I was myself always charmed with the young fellow。 He was not only
good and generous and handsome； and cleverI never thought him a
first…class talentbut he was beautifully well bred； and he was
very well born； as those things go with us。 That is； he came of
people who had not done much of anything for a generation； and had
acquired merit with themselves for it。 They were not very rich； but
they had a right to think that he might have done nothing； or done
something better than literature； and I wish I could set forth
exactly the terms； tacit and explicit； in which his mother and
sisters condoned his dereliction to me at a reception where he
presented me to them。 In virtue of his wish to do something； he had
become a human being； and they could not quite follow him； but they
were very polite in tolerating me； and trying to make me feel that I
was not at all odd； though he was so queer in being proud of writing
for my paper； as they called it。 He was so unlike them all that I
liked him more than ever after meeting them。 Still； I could imagine
a fond father； as I imagined Miss Gage's father to be； objecting to
him； on some grounds at least； till he knew him； and Mrs。 March
apparently could not imagine even this。
I do not know why I should have prefigured Miss Gage's father as
tall and lank。 She was not herself so very tall； though she was
rather tall than short； and though she was rather of the Diana or
girlish type of goddess； she was by no means lank。 Yet it was in
this shape that