CHAPTER 4

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    Maggie and Lucy

    BY the end of the week Dr Kenn had made up his mind that there was only one way in which he could secure Maggie a suitable living at St Oggs. Even with his twenty years experience as a parish priest, he was aghast at the obstinate tinuanputations against her in the face of evidence. Hitherto he had been rather more adored and appealed to than was quite agreeable to him; but now, in attempting to open the ears of women to reason and their sces to justi behalf of Maggie Tulliver, he suddenly found himself as powerless as he was aware he would have been if he had attempted to influehe shape of bos. Dr Kenn could not be tradicted: he was listeo in silence; but when he left the room, a parison of opinions among his hearers yielded mubbr></abbr>ch the same result as before. Miss Tulliver had undeniably acted in a blamable manner: even Dr Kenn did not deny that: how then could he think so lightly of her as to put that favourable interpretation ohing she had done? Even on the supposition that required the utmost stretch of belief - namely, that none of the things said about Miss Tulliver were true; still, sihey had been said about her, they had cast an odour around her which must cause her to be shrunk from by every woman who had to take care of her owation - and of society. To have taken Maggie by the hand and said, `I will not believe unproved evil of you: my lips shall not utter it; my ears shall be closed against it. I, too, am an erring mortal, liable to stumble, apt to e short of my most ear efforts. Your lot has been harder than mine, your temptatioer. Let us help each other to stand and walk without more falling - to have dohis would have demanded ce, deep pity, self-knowledge, generous trust - would have demanded a mind that tasted no piquan evil-speaking, that felt no self-exaltation in ning, that cheated itself with ne words into the belief that life  have any moral end, any high religion, which excludes the striving after perfect truth, justice, and love towards the individual men and women who e across our own path. The ladies of St Oggs were not beguiled by any wide speculative ceptions; but they had their favourite abstra, called society, which served to make their sces perfectly easy in doing what satisfied their own egoism - thinking and speaking the worst of Maggie Tulliver and turning their backs upon her. It was naturally disappointing to Dr Kenn, after two years of superfluous inse from his feminine parishioners, to find them suddenly maintaining their views in opposition to his; but then, they maintaihem in opposition to a higher authority, which they had veed lohat authority had furnished a very explicit ao persons who might inquire where their social duties began, and might be ined to take wide views as to the starting-point. The answer had not turned oimate good of society, but on `a certain man who was found in trouble by the wayside. Not that St Oggs was empty of women with some tenderness of heart and sce: probably it had as fair a proportion of human goodness in it as any other small trading town of that day. But until every good man is brave, we must expect to find many good women timid: too timid even to believe in the correess of their ow promptings, when these would place them in a minority. And the men at St Oggs were not all brave, by any means: some of them were even fond of sdal - and to aent that might have given their versation an effeminate character, if it had not been distinguished by mase jokes and by an occasional shrug of the shoulders at the mutual hatred of women. It was the general feeling of the mase mind at St Oggs that women were not to be interfered with ireatment of each other.

    And so, every dire in which Dr Kenn had turned in the hope of pr some kind nition and some employment fgie, proved a disappoio him. Mrs James Torry could not think of taking Maggie as a nursery governess, even temporarily - a young woman about whom `such things had been said, and about whom `gentlemen joked; and Miss Kirke who had a spinal plaint and wanted a reader and panio quite sure that Maggies mind must be of a quality with which she, for her part, could not risk any tact. Why did not Miss Tulliver accept the shelter offered her by her aunt Glegg? - it did not bee a girl like her to refuse it. Or else, why did she not go out of the neighbourhood, a a situation where she was not known? (It was not apparently of so much importahat she should carry her dangerous tendencies inte families unknown at St Oggs.) She must be very bold and hardeo wish to stay in a parish where she was so much stared at and whispered about.

    Dr Kenn, having great natural firmness, began, in the presence of this opposition, as every firm man would have doo tract a certain streng<big></big>th of determination over and above what would have been called forth by the end in view. He himself wanted a daily governess for his younger children; and though he had hesitated in the first instao offer this position to Maggie, the resolution to protest with the utmost force of his personal and priestly character against her being crushed and driven away by slander, was now decisive. Maggie gratefully accepted an employment that gave her high duties as well as a support: her days would be filled now, and solitary evenings would be a wele rest. She no longer he sacrifice her mother made in staying with her, and Mrs Tulliver ersuaded to go back to the Mill.

    But now it began to be dised that Dr Kenn, exemplary as he had hitherto appeared, had his crotchets, - possibly his weakhe mase mind of St Oggs smiled pleasantly, and did not wohat Kenn liked to see a fine pair of eyes daily, or that he was ined to take so le a view of the past: the feminine mind, regarded at that period as less powerful, took a more melancholy view of the case. If Dr Kenn should be beguiled into marrying that Miss Tulliver! It was not safe to be too fident even about the best of men: an apostle had fallen - a bitterly afterwards; and though Peters denial was not a close pret, his repentance was likely to be.

    Maggie had not taken her daily walks to the Rectory for more than three weeks, before the dreadful possibility of her some time or other being the Rectors wife had been talked of so often in fidehat ladies were beginning to discuss how they should behave to her in that position. For Dr Kenn, it had been uood, had sat in the schoolroom half and hour one m when Miss Tulliver was giving her lessons; nay, he had sat there every m: he had once walked home with her - he almost always walked home with her - and if not, he went to see her in the evening. What an artful creature she was! What a mother for those children! It was enough to make poor Mrs Kenn turn in her grave, that they should be put uhe care of this girl only a few weeks after her death. Would he be so lost to propriety as to marry her before the year was out? The mase mind was sarcastid thought not.

    The Miss Guests saw an alleviation to the sorrow of witnessing a folly in their rector: at least, their brother would be safe; and their knowledge of Stephens tenacity was a stant ground of alarm to them, lest he should e bad marry Maggie. They were not among those who disbelieved their brothers letter; but they had no fiden Maggies adhereo her renunciation of him; they suspected that she had shrunk rather from the elopement than from the marriage, and that she lingered in St Oggs, relying on his return to her. They had always thought her disagreeable: they now thought her artful and proud; having quite as good grounds for that judgment as you and I probably have for many strong opinions of the same kind. Formerly they had not altogether delighted in the plated match with Lucy, but now their dread of a marriage between Stephen and Maggie added its momentum to their gey and indignation on behalf of the gentle forsaken girl, in making them desire that he should return to her. As soon as Lucy was able to leave home she was to seek relief from the oppressive heat of this August by going to the coast with the Miss Guests; and it was in their plans that Stephen should be io join them. On the very first hint of gossip ing Maggie and Dr Kenn, the report was veyed in Miss Guests letter to her brother.

    Maggie had frequent tidings through her mother, or aunt Glegg, or Dr Kenn, of Lucys gradual progress towards recovery, ahoughts tended tinually towards her uncle Deanes house: she hungered for an interview with Lucy if it were only for five minutes - to utter a word of peniteo be assured by Lucys own eyes and lips that she did not believe in the willing treachery of those whom she had loved and trusted. But she khat, even if her uncles indignation had not closed his house against her, the agitation of su interview would have been forbidden to Lucy. Only to have seen her without speaking, would have been some relief; fgie was haunted by a face cruel in its very gentleness: a face that had been turned on hers with glad sweet looks of trust and love from the twilight time of memory: ged now to a sad and weary face by a first heart-stroke; and as the days passed on, that pale image became more and more distinct - the picture grew and grew into more speaking definiteness uhe avenging hand of remorse; the soft hazel eyes in their look of pain, were bent for ever on Maggie and pierced her the more because she could see no anger in them. But Lucy was not yet able to go to church, or any place where Maggie could see her; and even the hope of that departed, when the news was told her by aunt Glegg, that Lucy was really going away in a few days to Scarbh with the Miss Guests, who had been heard to say that they expected their brother to meet them there.

    Only those who have known what hardest inward flict is  know what Maggie felt as she sat in her lonelihe evening after hearing that news frlegg - only those who have known what it is to dread their own selfish desires as the watg mother would dread the sleeping-potion that was to still her own pain.

    She sat without dle iwilight with the window wide open towards the river; the sense of oppressive heat adding itself undistinguishably to the burthen of her lot. Seated on a chair against the window, with her arm on the window-sill, she was looking blankly at the flowing river, swift with the advang tide, - struggling to see still the sweet fa its unreproag sadness, that seemed now from moment to moment to sink away and be hidden behind a form that thrust itself between and made darkness. Hearing the door open, she thought Mrs Jakin was ing in with her supper, as usual; and with that repugo trivial speech whies with languor and wretess, she shrank from turning round and saying she wanted nothing: good little Mrs Jakin would be sure to make some well-meant remarks. But the  moment, without her having dised the sound of a footstep, she felt a light hand on her shoulder, and heard a voice close to her saying, `Maggie!

    The face was there - ged, but all the sweeter: the hazel eyes were there, with their heart-pierg tenderness.

    `Maggie! the soft voice said. `Lucy! answered a voice with a sharp ring of anguish in it.

    And Lucy threw her arms round Maggies ned leaned he pale cheek against the burning brow.

    `I stole out, said Lucy, almost in a whisper, while she sat down close to Maggie and held her hand, `when papa and the rest were away. Alice is e with me. I asked her to help me. But I must only stay a little while, because it is so late.

    I was easier to say that at first than to say anything else. They sat looking at each other. It seemed as if the interview must end without more speech, for speech was very difficult. Each felt that there would be something scorg in the words that would recall the irretrievable wrong. But soon, as Maggie looked, every distinct thought began to be overflowed by a wave of loviend words burst forth with a sob.

    `God bless you for ing, Lucy.

    The sobs came thi each other after that.

    `Maggie, dear, be forted, said Luow, putting her cheek against Maggies again. `Dont grieve. And she sat still, hoping to soothe Maggie with that gentle caress.

    `I dido deceive you, Lucy, said Maggie, as soon as she could speak. `It always made me wretched that I felt what I didnt like you to know... It was because I thought it would all be quered, and you might never see anything to wound you.

    `I know, dear, said Lucy. `I know you never meant to make me unhappy... It is a trouble that has e on us all: - you have more to bear than I have - and you gave him up, when - You did what it must have been very hard to do.

    They were silent again a little while, sitting with clasped hands, and cheeks leao></a>gether.

    `Lucy, Maggie begain again, `he struggled too. He wao be true to you. He will e back to you. Five him - he will be happy then...

    These words were wrung forth from Maggies deepest soul with an effort like the vulsed clutch of a drowning man. Lucy trembled and was silent.

    A gentle knock came at<mark>..</mark> the door. It was Alice, the maid, who entered and said,

    `I darednt stay any longer, Miss Deaheyll find it out, and therell be suger at your ing out so late.

    Lucy rose and said, `Very well, Alice - in a minute.

    `Im to go away on Friday, Maggie, she added, when Alice had closed the dain. `When I e bad am strong, they will let me do as I like. I shall e to you when I please then.

    `Lucy, said Maggie, with anreat effort, `I pray to God tinually that I may never be the cause of sorrow to you any more.

    She pressed the little hand that she held between hers and looked up into the face that was bent over hers. Luever fot that look.

    `Maggie, she said in a low voice, that had the solemnity of fession in it, `you are better than I am. I t...

    She broke off there, and said no more. But they clasped each ain in a last embrace.

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