le reports!" "What, sir?" says she, affecting to be
ignorant of my meaning. "It is my--duty--as--your pastor," said I, "to
tell you both everything that I myself see reprehensible in your conduct,
and all I have reason to suspect, and what others tell me concerning
you."--So I told her!'

'You did, sir?' cried I, starting from my seat and striking my fist on
the table. He merely glanced towards me, and continued--addressing his
hostess:--

'It was a painful duty, Mrs. Markham--but I told her!'

'And how did she take it?' asked my mother.

'Hardened, I fear--hardened!' he replied, with a despondent shake of the
head; 'and, at the same time, there was a strong display of unchastened,
misdirected passions. She turned white in the face, and drew her breath
through her teeth in a savage sort of way;--but she offered no
extenuation or defence; and with a kind of shameless calmness--shocking
indeed to witness in one so young--as good as told me that my
remonstrance was unavailing, and my pastoral advice quite thrown away
upon her--nay, that my very presence was displeasing while I spoke such
things. And I withdrew at length, too plainly seeing that nothing could
be done--and sadly grieved to find her case so hopeless. But I am fully
determined, Mrs. Markham, that my daughters--shall--not--consort with
her. Do you adopt the same resolution with regard to yours!--As for your
sons--as for you, young man,' he continued, sternly turning to me--

'As for ME, sir,' I began, but checked by some impediment in my
utterance, and finding that my whole frame trembled with fury, I said no
more, but took the wiser part of snatching up my hat and bolting from the
room, slamming the door behind me, with a bang that shook the house to
its foundations, and made my mother scream, and gave a momentary relief
to my excited feelings.

The next minute saw me hurrying with rapid strides in the direction of
Wildfell Hall--to what intent or purpose I could scarcely tell, but I
must be moving somewhere, and no other goal would do--I must see her too,
and speak to her--that was certain; but what to say, or how to act, I had
no definite idea. Such stormy thoughts--so many different resolutions
crowded in upon me, that my mind was little better than a chaos of
conflicting passions.

CHAPTER XII

In little more than twenty minutes the journey was accomplished. I
paused at the gate to wipe my streaming forehead, and recover my breath