A fy dez pást awe, n Caʈrin, ɖo nt alawñ hrslf t sspct hr frend, cd nt hlp woćñ hr closli. Ɖ rzult v hr obẓveśnz wz nt agriybl. Iẓbela sīmd an oltrd crīćr. Ẃn ś sw hr, indd, srǎndd onli bî ɖer imījt frendz in Edgr’z Bildñz or Pŭltni Strīt, hr ćenj v manrz wz so trîf̣lñ ɖt, hd it gn no farɖr, it mt hv pást uņotist. A smʈñ v lanḡd indifṛns, or v ɖt bostd absns v mînd ẃć Caʈrin hd nvr hŕd v bfr, wd oceźṇli cm acrs hr; bt hd nʈñ wrs apird, ɖt mt onli hv spred a ny gres n inspîrd a wormr inṭrest. Bt ẃn Caʈrin sw hr in public, admitñ Captin Tilni’z atnśnz az reḍli az ɖe wr ofrd, n alawñ him olmst an īql śer wɖ Jemz in hr notis n smîlz, ɖ olṭreśn bcem tù poẓtiv t b pást ovr. Ẃt cd b mnt bî sć unstedi cnduct, ẃt hr frend cd b at, wz bynd hr comprihnśn. Iẓbela cd nt b awer v ɖ pen ś wz inflictñ; bt it wz a dgri v wilfl ʈtlisnis ẃć Caʈrin cd nt bt rznt. Jemz wz ɖ sufrr. Ś sw him grev n unīzi; n hvr cerlis v hiz preznt cumf̣t ɖ wmn mt b hu hd gvn him hr hart, t hr it wz olwz an objict. Fr pur Captin Tilni tù ś wz gretli cnsrnd. Ɖo hiz lcs dd nt plīz hr, hiz nem wz a pasport t hr gdwil, n ś ʈt wɖ sinsir cmpaśn v hiz aproćñ dis’pôntmnt; fr, in spît v ẃt ś hd b’livd hrslf t oṿhír in ɖ pumprūm, hiz bhevyr wz so incmpatibl wɖ a nolij v Iẓbela’z ingejmnt ɖt ś cd nt, upn rflex́n, imajn him awer v it. H mt b jeḷs v hr bruɖr az a rîvl, bt f mor hd sīmd implaid, ɖ fōlt mst hv bn in hr misaprihnśn. Ś wśt, bî a jntl remnstṛns, t rmînd Iẓbela v hr sićueśn, n mc hr awer v ɖs dubl uncîndnis; bt fr remnstṛns, îɖr oṗtyṇti or comprihnśn wz olwz agnst hr. F ebl t sjst a hint, Iẓbela cd nvr unḍstand it. In ɖs dstres, ɖ intndd dparćr v ɖ Tilni faṃli bcem hr ćīf conṣleśn; ɖer jrni intu Glostrśr wz t tec ples wɖn a fy dez, n Captin Tilni’z rmuvl wd at līst rstor pīs t evri hart bt hiz ǒn. Bt Captin Tilni hd at preznt no intnśn v rmuvñ; h wz nt t b v ɖ parti t Norʈangr; h wz t cntiny at Baʈ. Ẃn Caʈrin ń ɖs, hr reẓluśn wz d’recli md. Ś spouc t Henri Tilni on ɖ subjict, rgretñ hiz bruɖr’z evidnt parśiaḷti fr Mis Ʈorp, n intritñ him t mc noun hr prîr ingejmnt.
“Mî bruɖr dz nǒ it,” wz Henri’z ansr.
“Dz h? Ɖen ẃ dz h ste hir?”
H md no rplî, n wz bginñ t tōc v smʈñ els; bt ś īgrli cntinyd, “Ẃ d nt y pswed him t g awe? Ɖ longr h stez, ɖ wrs it wl b fr him at last. Pre advîz him fr hiz ǒn sec, n fr evrbdi’z sec, t līv Baʈ d’recli. Absns wl in tîm mc him cumftbl agn; bt h cn hv no hop hir, n it z onli steyñ t b mizṛbl.”
Henri smîld n sd, “I am śr mî bruɖr wd nt wś t d ɖt.”
“Ɖen y wl pswed him t g awe?”
“Psweźn z nt at cmand; bt pardn m, f I canot īvn indevr t pswed him. I hv mslf tld him ɖt Mis Ʈorp z ingejd. H nz ẃt h z abt, n mst b hiz ǒn mastr.”
“No, h dz nt nǒ ẃt h z abt,” craid Caʈrin; “h dz nt nǒ ɖ pen h z gvñ mî bruɖr. Nt ɖt Jemz hz evr tld m so, bt I am śr h z vri uncumftbl.”
“N r y śr it z mî bruɖr’z dwñ?”
“Yes, vri śr.”
“Z it mî bruɖr’z atnśnz t Mis Ʈorp, or Mis Ʈorp’s admiśn v ɖm, ɖt gvz ɖ pen?”
“Z nt it ɖ sem ʈñ?”
“I ʈnc Mr Morḷnd wd acnolij a difṛns. No man z ofndd bî anɖr man’z adṃreśn v ɖ wmn h luvz; it z ɖ wmn onli hu cn mc it a torment.”
Caʈrin bluśt fr hr frend, n sd, “Iẓbela z roñ. Bt I am śr ś canot mīn t torment, fr ś z vri mć ataćt t mî bruɖr. Ś hz bn in luv wɖ him evr sins ɖe frst met, n ẃl mî faɖr’z cnsnt wz unsrtn, ś fretd hrslf olmst intu a fīvr. Y nǒ ś mst b ataćt t him.”
“I unḍstand: ś z in luv wɖ Jemz, n flrts wɖ Fredric.”
“Ǒ! no, nt flrts. A wmn in luv wɖ wn man canot flrt wɖ anɖr.”
“It z probbl ɖt ś wl nɖr luv so wel, nr flrt so wel, az ś mt d îɖr sngli. Ɖ jntlṃn mst ć gv p a litl.”
Aftr a śort pōz, Caʈrin rzymd wɖ, “Ɖen y d nt b’liv Iẓbela so vri mć ataćt t mî bruɖr?”
“I cn hv no opińn on ɖt subjict.”
“Bt ẃt cn yr bruɖr mīn? F h nz hr ingejmnt, ẃt cn h mīn bî hiz bhevyr?”
“Y r a vri clos qsćnr.”
“Am I? I onli asc ẃt I wont t b tld.”
“Bt d y onli asc ẃt I cn b xpctd t tel?”
“Yes, I ʈnc so; fr y mst nǒ yr bruɖr’z hart.”
“Mî bruɖr’z hart, az y trm it, on ɖ preznt oceźn, I aśur y I cn onli ges at.”
“Wel?”
“Wel! Nê, f it z t b geswrc, let s ol ges fr ǎrslvz. T b gîdd bî secnd-hand cnjcćr z pitifl. Ɖ preṃsz r bfr y. Mî bruɖr z a lîvli n phps smtmz a ʈtlis yuñ man; h hz hd abt a wīc’s aqentns wɖ yr frend, n h hz noun hr ingejmnt olmst az loñ az h hz noun hr.”
“Wel,” sd Caʈrin, aftr sm momnts’ cnsiḍreśn, “y me b ebl t ges at yr bruɖr’z intnśnz fṛm ol ɖs; bt I am śr I canot. Bt z nt yr faɖr uncumftbl abt it? Dz nt h wont Captin Tilni t g awe? Śr, f yr faɖr wr t spīc t him, h wd g.”
“Mî dir Mis Morḷnd,” sd Henri, “in ɖs emịbl s’liṣtyd fr yr bruɖr’z cumf̣t, me y nt b a litl mstecn? R y nt carid a litl tù far? Wd h ʈanc y, îɖr on hiz ǒn acǎnt or Mis Ʈorp’s, fr s’pozñ ɖt hr afx́n, or at līst hr gd bhevyr, z onli t b s’krd bî hr siyñ nʈñ v Captin Tilni? Z h sef onli in soḷtyd? Or z hr hart constnt t him onli ẃn unṣliṣtd bî enwn els? H canot ʈnc ɖs—n y me b śr ɖt h wd nt hv y ʈnc it. I wl nt se, ‘D nt b unīzi,’ bcz I nǒ ɖt y r so, at ɖs momnt; bt b az litl unīzi az y cn. Y hv no dǎt v ɖ ḿćl ataćmnt v yr bruɖr n yr frend; dpnd upn it, ɖrfr, ɖt riyl jeḷsi nvr cn xist btwn ɖm; dpnd upn it ɖt no dis’grīmnt btwn ɖm cn b v eni jreśn. Ɖer harts r opn t ć uɖr, az nɖr hart cn b t y; ɖe nǒ xacli ẃt z rqîrd n ẃt cn b bòrn; n y me b srtn ɖt wn wl nvr tīz ɖ uɖr bynd ẃt z noun t b pleznt.”
Psivñ hr stl t lc dǎtfl n grev, h add, “Ɖo Fredric dz nt līv Baʈ wɖ s, h wl probbli rmen bt a vri śort tîm, phps onli a fy dez bhnd s. Hiz līv v absns wl sn xpîr, n h mst rtrn t hiz rejimnt. N ẃt wl ɖen b ɖer aqentns? Ɖ mesrūm wl drinc Iẓbela Ʈorp fr a fortnît, n ś wl laf wɖ yr bruɖr ovr pur Tilni’z paśn fr a munʈ.”
Caʈrin wd cntnd no longr agnst cumf̣t. Ś hd rzistd its aproćz jrñ ɖ hol leñʈ v a spīć, bt it nǎ carid hr captiv. Henri Tilni mst nǒ bst. Ś blemd hrslf fr ɖ xtnt v hr firz, n rzolvd nvr t ʈnc so sirịsli on ɖ subjict agn.
Hr reẓluśn wz s’portd bî Iẓbela’z bhevyr in ɖer partñ inṭvy. Ɖ Ʈorps spent ɖ last īvnñ v Caʈrin’z ste in Pŭltni Strīt, n nʈñ pást btwn ɖ luvrz t xît hr unīzinis, or mc hr qit ɖm in aprihnśn. Jemz wz in xḷnt spirits, n Iẓbela most ingejñli plasid. Hr tndrnis fr hr frend sīmd rɖr ɖ frst fīlñ v hr hart; bt ɖt at sć a momnt wz alawbl; n wns ś gev hr luvr a flat contṛdix́n, n wns ś drù bac hr hand; bt Caʈrin rmembrd Henri’z instrux́nz, n plest it ol t jdiśs afx́n. Ɖ imbresz, tirz, n proṃsz v ɖ partñ fer wnz me b fansid.
