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most of all made you miserable。 But I shall get it out of you yet！
There was something in the boy that suggested to you；〃 I continued；
〃that he covered and concealed their relation。〃
〃Oh； he couldn't prevent〃
〃Your learning the truth？ I daresay！ But； heavens；〃 I fell；
with vehemence； athinking； 〃what it shows that they must；
to that extent； have succeeded in making of him！〃
〃Ah； nothing that's not nice NOW！〃 Mrs。 Grose lugubriously pleaded。
〃I don't wonder you looked queer；〃 I persisted； 〃when I mentioned
to you the letter from his school！〃
〃I doubt if I looked as queer as you！〃 she retorted with homely force。
〃And if he was so bad then as that comes to； how is he such an angel now？〃
〃Yes； indeedand if he was a fiend at school！ How； how； how？
Well；〃 I said in my torment； 〃you must put it to me again；
but I shall not be able to tell you for some days。 Only； put it
to me again！〃 I cried in a way that made my friend stare。
〃There are directions in which I must not for the present
let myself go。〃 Meanwhile I returned to her first example
the one to which she had just previously referred
of the boy's happy capacity for an occasional slip。
〃If Quinton your remonstrance at the time you speak of
was a base menial； one of the things Miles said to you；
I find myself guessing； was that you were another。〃
Again her admission was so adequate that I continued：
〃And you forgave him that？〃
〃Wouldn't YOU？〃
〃Oh； yes！〃 And we exchanged there； in the stillness；
a sound of the oddest amusement。 Then I went on：
〃At all events； while he was with the man〃
〃Miss Flora was with the woman。 It suited them all！〃
It suited me； too； I felt； only too well； by which I mean
that it suited exactly the particularly deadly view I
was in the very act of forbidding myself to entertain。
But I so far succeeded in checking the expression of this view
that I will throw； just here； no further light on it than may be
offered by the mention of my final observation to Mrs。 Grose。
〃His having lied and been impudent are； I confess； less engaging
specimens than I had hoped to have from you of the outbreak in him
of the little natural man。 Still；〃 I mused； 〃They must do；
for they make me feel more than ever that I must watch。〃
It made me blush； the next minute； to see in my friend's face
how much more unreservedly she had forgiven him than her anecdote
struck me as presenting to my own tenderness an occasion for doing。
This came out when； at the schoolroom door； she quitted me。
〃Surely you don't accuse HIM〃
〃Of carrying on an intercourse that he conceals from me？
Ah； remember that； until further evidence； I now accuse nobody。〃
Then； before shutting her out to go； by another passage；
to her own place； 〃I must just wait；〃 I wound up。
IX
I waited and waited； and the days； as they elapsed；
took something from my consternation。 A very few of them；
in fact； passing； in constant sight of my pupils；
without a fresh incident； sufficed to give to grievous fancies
and even to odious memories a kind of brush of the sponge。
I have spoken of the surrender to their extraordinary
childish grace as a thing I could actively cultivate；
and it may be imagined if I neglected now to address myself
to this source for whatever it would yield。 Stranger than I
can express； certainly； was the effort to struggle against my
new lights； it would doubtless have been； however； a greater
tension still had it not been so frequently successful。
I used to wonder how my little charges could help guessing that I
thought strange things about them； and the circumstances that
these things only made them more interesting was not by itself
a direct aid to keeping them in the dark。 I trembled lest they
should see that they WERE so immensely more interesting。
Putting things at the worst； at all events； as in meditation I
so often did； any clouding of their innocence could only be
blameless and foredoomed as they werea reason the more for
taking risks。 There were moments when； by an irresistible impulse；
I found myself catching them up and pressing them to my heart。
As soon as I had done so I used to say to myself：
〃What will they think of that？ Doesn't it betray too much？〃
It would have been easy to get into a sad； wild tangle about how
much I might betray； but the real account； I feel； of the hours
of peace that I could still enjoy was that the immediate
charm of my companions was a beguilement still effective
even under the shadow of the possibility that it was studied。
For if it occurred to me that I might occasionally excite
suspicion by the little outbreaks of my sharper passion for them；
so too I remember wondering if I mightn't see a queerness
in the traceable increase of their own demonstrations。
They were at this period extravagantly and preternaturally fond
of me； which； after all； I could reflect； was no more than a
graceful response in children perpetually bowed over and hugged。
The homage of which they were so lavish succeeded； in truth；
for my nerves； quite as well as if I never appeared to myself；
as I may say； literally to catch them at a purpose in it。
They had never； I think； wanted to do so many things for their
poor protectress； I meanthough they got their lessons better
and better； which was naturally what would please her most
in the way of diverting； entertaining； surprising her；
reading her passages； telling her stories； acting her charades；
pouncing out at her； in disguises； as animals and historical
characters； and above all astonishing her by the 〃pieces〃 they
had secretly got by heart and could interminably recite。
I should never get to the bottomwere I to let myself go even now
of the prodigious private commentary； all under still more
private correction； with which； in these days； I overscored
their full hours。 They had shown me from the first a facility
for everything； a general faculty which； taking a fresh start；
achieved remarkable flights。 They got their little tasks
as if they loved them； and indulged； from the mere exuberance
of the gift； in the most unimposed little miracles of memory。
They not only popped out at me as tigers and as Romans；
but as Shakespeareans； astronomers； and navigators。
This was so singularly the case that it had presumably
much to do with the fact as to which； at the present day；
I am at a loss for a different explanation： I allude to my
unnatural composure on the subject of another school for Miles。
What I remember is that I was content not； for the time；
to open the question； and that contentment must have sprung
from the sense of his perpetually striking show of cleverness。
He was too clever for a bad governess； for a parson's daughter；
to spoil； and the strangest if not the brightest thread
in the pensive embroidery I just spoke of was the impression
I might have got； if I had dared to work it out； that he was
under some influence operating in his small intellectual life
as a tremendous incitement。
If it was easy to reflect； however； that such a boy could postpone school；
it was at least as marked that for such a boy to have been
〃kicked out〃 by a schoolmaster was a mystification without end。
Let me add that in their company nowand I was careful almost
never to be out of itI could follow no scent very far。 We lived
in a cloud of music and love and success and private theatricals。
The musical sense in each of the children was of the quickest；
but the elder in especial had a marvelous knack of catching and repeating。
The schoolroom piano broke into all gruesome fancies； and when that failed
there were confabulations in corners； with a sequel of one of them going
out in the highest spirits in order to 〃come in〃 as something new。
I had had brothers myself； and it was no revelation to me that little
girls could be slavish idolaters of little boys。 What surpa