earecontinueandJacob,whowasreadingthePhaedrus,heardpeoplevociferatingroundthelamp-post,andthewomanbatteringatthedoorandcrying,"Letmein!"asifacoalhaddroppedfromthefire,orafly,fallingfromtheceiling,hadlainonitsback,tooweaktoturnover.
ThePhaedrusisverydifficult.Andso,whenatlengthonereadsstraightahead,fallingintostep,marchingon,becoming(soitseems)momentarilypartofthisrolling,imperturbableenergy,whichhasdrivendarknessbeforeitsincePlatowalkedtheAcropolis,itisimpossibletoseetothefire.
Thedialoguedrawstoitsclose.Plato'sargumentisdone.Plato'sargumentisstowedawayinJacob'smind,andforfiveminutesJacob'smindcontinuesalone,onwards,intothedarkness.Then,gettingup,hepartedthecurtains,andsaw,withastonishingclearness,howtheSpringettsoppositehadgonetobedhowitrainedhowtheJewsandtheforeignwoman,attheendofthestreet,stoodbythepillar-box,arguing.
Everytimethedooropenedandfreshpeoplecamein,thosealreadyintheroomshiftedslightlythosewhowerestandinglookedovertheirshouldersthosewhoweresittingstoppedinthemiddleofsentences.Whatwiththelight,thewine,thestrummingofaguitar,somethingexcitinghappenedeachtimethedooropened.Whowascomingin?
"That'sGibson."
"Thepainter?"
"Butgoonwithwhatyouweresaying."
Theyweresayingsomethingthatwasfar,fartoointimatetobesaidoutright.ButthenoiseofthevoicesservedlikeaclapperinlittleMrs.Withers'smind,scaringintotheairblocksofsmallbirds,andthenthey'dsettle,andthenshe'dfeelafraid,putonehandtoherhair,bindbothroundherknees,andlookupatOliverSkeltonnervously,andsay:
"Promise,PROMISE,you'lltellnoone."…soconsideratehewas,sotender.Itwasherhusband'scharacterthatshediscussed.Hewascold,shesaid.
DownuponthemcamethesplendidMagdalen,brown,warm,voluminous,scarcelybrushingthegrasswithhersandalledfeet.Herhairflewpinsseemedscarcelytoattachtheflyingsilks.Anactressofcourse,alineoflightperpetuallybeneathher.Itwasonly"Mydear"thatshesaid,buthervoicewentjodellingbetweenAlpinepasses.Anddownshetumbledonthefloor,andsang,sincetherewasnothingtobesaid,roundah'sandoh's.Mangin,thepoet,cominguptoher,stoodlookingdownather,drawingathispipe.Thedancingbegan.
Grey-hairedMrs.KeymeraskedDickGravestotellherwhoManginwas,andsaidthatshehadseentoomuchofthissortofthinginParis(Magdalenhadgotuponhiskneesnowhispipewasinhermouth)tobeshocked."Whoisthat?"shesaid,stayingherglasseswhentheycametoJacob,fori