it more natural still, and I said never a word. But
mother, strangely enough, spoke of it to me, in
time, of her own accord very much later on. He
hadn't been with us for ever so long, but we were
used to that. She must have had some fear, some
conviction that I had an idea, some idea of her own
that it was the best thing to do. She came out as
abruptly as Marian had done,?? If you hear anything
against your father anything I mean, except that
he's odious and vile remember it's perfectly false.
That was the way I knew it was true, though I
recall that I said to her then that I of course knew
it wasn t. She might have told me it was true, and
yet have trusted me to contradict fiercely enough
any accusation of him that I should meet to con
tradict it much more fiercely and effectively, I think,
than she would have done herself. As it happens,
however," the girl went on, " I ve never had occa
sion, and I ve been conscious of it with a sort of sur
prise. It has made the world, at times, seem more
decent. No one has so much as breathed to me.
That has been a part of the silence, the silence that
surrounds him, the silence that, for the world, has
washed him out. He doesn't exist for people.
And yet I'm as sure as ever. In fact, though I know
no more than I did then, I'm more sure. And that,"
she wound up, " is what I sit here and tell you about
my own father. If you don't call it a proof of con
fidence I don't know what will satisfy you."

"It satisfies me beautifully," Densher declared,

[[76]]

p075 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p076w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p077

v?