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256 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
tents); when she remembers all the abuse her brother lavishes
against Philip as, Heaven bless some of them ! dear relatives can
best do ; when she thinks how cold he has of late been—how he will
come smelling of cigars—how he won't conform to the usages du
monde, and has neglected all the decencies of society—how she
often can't understand his strange rhapsodies about poetry, painting,
and the like, nor how he can live with such associates as those who
seem to delight him—and now how he is showing himself actually
unprincipled and abetting his horrid father; when we consider
mither pressing sair, and all these points in mither's favour, I
don't think we can order Agnes to instant execution for the resolution
to which she is coming. She will give him up—she will give
him up. Good-bye, Philip. Good-bye the past. Be forgotten, be
forgotten, fond words spoken in not unwilling ears ! Be still and
breathe not, eager lips, that have trembled so near to one another !
Unlock, hands, and part for ever, that seemed to be formed for
life's long journey ! Ah, to part for ever is hard ; but harder and
more humiliating still to part without regret !
That papa and mamma had influenced Miss Twysden in her
behaviour my wife and I could easily imagine, when Philip, in his
wrath and grief, came to us and poured out the feelings of his heart.
My wife is a repository of men's secrets, an untiring consoler and
comforter ; and she knows many a sad story which we are not at
liberty to tell, like this one of which this person, Mr. Firmin, has
given us possession.
" Father and mother's orders," shouts Philip, " I daresay, Mrs.
Pendennis ; but the wish was father to the thought of parting, and
it was for the blackamoor's parks and acres that the girl jilted me.
Look here. I told you just now that I slept perfectly well on that
infernal night after I had said farewell to her. Well, I didn't. It
was a lie. I walked ever so many times the whole length of the
cliff, from Hove to Rottingdean almost, and then went to bed
afterwards, and slept a little out of sheer fatigue. And as I was
passing by Horizontal Terrace—(I happened to pass by there two
or three times in the moonlight, like a great jackass)—you know
those verses of mine which I have hummed here sometimes ?"
(Hummed! he used to roar them!) " 'When the locks of
burnished gold, lady, shall to silver turn !' Never mind the rest.
You know the verses about fidelity and old age ? She was singing
them on that night, to that negro. And I heard the beggar's voice
say, ' Bravo !' through the open windows."
" Ah, Philip ! it was cruel," says my wife, heartily pitying our
friend's anguish and misfortune. "It was cruel indeed. I am
sure we can feel for you. But think what certain misery a marriage