CHAPTER XII

Charlesneednothavebeenanxious.MissSchlegelhadneverheardofhismother’sstrangerequest.Shewastohearofitinafteryears,whenshehadbuiltupherlifedifferently,anditwastofitintopositionastheheadstoneofthecorner.Hermindwasbentonotherquestionsnow,andbyheralsoitwouldhavebeenrejectedasthefantasyofaninvalid. ShewaspartingfromtheseWilcoxesforthesecondtime.Paulandhismother,rippleandgreatwave,hadflowedintoherlifeandebbedoutofitforever.Theripplehadleftnotracesbehindthewavehadstrewnatherfeetfragmentstornfromtheunknown.Acuriousseeker,shestoodforawhileatthevergeoftheseathattellssolittle,buttellsalittle,andwatchedtheoutgoingofthislasttremendoustide.Herfriendhadvanishedinagony,butnot,shebelieved,indegradation.Herwithdrawalhadhintedatotherthingsbesidesdiseaseandpain.Someleaveourlifewithtears,otherswithaninsanefrigidityMrs.Wilcoxhadtakenthemiddlecourse,whichonlyrarernaturescanpursue.Shehadkeptproportion.Shehadtoldalittleofhergrimsecrettoherfriends,butnottoomuchshehadshutupherheart—almost,butnotentirely.Itisthus,ifthereisanyrule,thatweoughttodie—neitherasvictimnorasfanatic,butastheseafarerwhocangreetwithanequaleyethedeepthatheisentering,andtheshorethathemustleave. Thelastword—whateveritwouldbe—hadcertainlynotbeensaidinHiltonchurchyard.Shehadnotdiedthere.Afuneralisnotdeath,anymorethanbaptismisbirthormarriageunion.Allthreearetheclumsydevices,comingnowtoolate,nowtooearly,bywhichSocietywouldregisterthequickmotionsofman.InMargaret’seyesMrs.Wilcoxhadescapedregistration.Shehadgoneoutoflifevividly,herownway,andnodustwassotrulydustasthecontentsofthatheavycoffin,loweredwithceremonialuntilitrestedonthedustoftheearth,noflowerssoutterlywastedasthechrysanthemumsthatthefrostmusthavewitheredbeforemorning.Margarethadoncesaidshe“lovedsuperstition.”Itwasnott