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 REINVENTING

GRAVITY
A PHYSICIST GOES BEYOND EINSTEIN

John W. Moffat
To Patricia

whose dedication and help

made this book possible
 Contents

Introduction: A N E W G R A V I T Y T H E O R Y v

Prologue: T H E E L U S I V E P L A N E T V U L C A N , A P A R A B L E 1

P A R T 1: D I S C O V E R I N G A N D R E I N V E N T I N G G R A V I T Y 7

1: T H E G R E E K S T O N E W T O N 9

2: E I N S T E I N 25

PA R T 2: T H E S TA N D A R D M O D E L O F G R AV I T Y 49

3: T H E B E G I N N I N G S O F M O D E R N C O S M O L O G Y 51

4: D A R K M A T T E R 69

5: C O N V E N T I O N A L B L A C K H O L E S 78

PA R T 3: U P D AT I N G T H E S TA N D A R D M O D E L 89

6: I N F L A T I O N A N D V A R I A B L E S P E E D O F L I G H T ( V S L ) 91

7: N E W C O S M O L O G I C A L D A T A 110

PA R T 4: S E A R C H I N G F O R A N E W G R AV I T Y T H E O R Y 125

8: S T R I N G S A N D Q U A N T U M G R A V I T Y 127

9: O T H E R A L T E R N A T I V E G R A V I T Y T H E O R I E S 14 3

10: M O D I F I E D G R A V I T Y ( M O G ) 15 3
iv CONTENTS

PA R T 5: EN V ISIONING A ND T ES T ING
THE MOG UNIVERSE 171

11: T H E P I O N E E R A N O M A LY 173

12: M O G A S A P R E D I C T I V E T H E O R Y 181

13: C O S M O L O G Y W I T H O U T D A R K M A T T E R 19 3

14: D O B L A C K H O L E S E X I S T I N N A T U R E ? 200

15: D A R K E N E R G Y A N D T H E A C C E L E R A T I N G U N I V E R S E 205

16: T H E E T E R N A L U N I V E R S E 212

Epilogue 221

Notes 225

Glossary 24 6

Bibliography 257

Acknowledgments 26 0

Index 261

About the Author

Credits
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
 Introduction
A N E W G R AV I T Y T H E O R Y

n 1916, Einstein published his new theory of gravity called general

I relativity. In 1919, the theory was validated by the observation of the

bending of light during a solar eclipse, as the sun’s gravitational pull
warped spacetime. Since then, there has been much speculation as to
whether Einstein’s theory of gravity is perfect and unchangeable, much like
Michelangelo’s David. Why would we want to modify Einstein’s outstanding
intellectual achievement?
Until recently, most physicists have considered Einstein’s general relativ-
ity theory to be in perfect agreement with observational data. However, this
is not necessarily true. Neither have the attempts succeeded to unify Ein-
stein’s gravitational theory with quantum mechanics, despite much effort:
Many physicists consider the search for a successful quantum gravity theory
the holy grail of modern physics. Moreover, there are some fundamentally
unsatisfactory features of Einstein’s theory, such as those related to the be-
ginning of the universe and the collapse of stars under their own gravita-
tional forces.
Finally, since the early 1980s, a growing amount of observational data has
been accumulating that shows that Newtonian and Einstein gravity cannot
describe the motion of the outermost stars and gas in galaxies correctly if
only their visible mass is accounted for in the gravitational field equations.*
There are much stronger gravitational forces being observed—causing the
peripheral orbiting stars and gas to move faster—than are predicted by New-
ton’s and Einstein’s theories. There is now overwhelming evidence for stron-

* Einstein’s gravity theory reduces to Newton’s theory for weak gravitational fields
and slowly moving bodies.
vi I N T R O D U C T I O N

ger gravity in galaxies. To put this in perspective, consider that Einstein’s

correction to Mercury’s orbit, which constituted a major test for general rela-
tivity theory in 1915, was tiny, representing only 43 arc seconds per centu-
ry.* In contrast, the discrepancy between the rotational speeds of stars in the
outermost parts of giant spiral galaxies and the predictions of the prevailing
theories of gravity is enormous: The stars are moving at about twice the
speed that they should be, according to Newtonian and Einstein gravity.
To save Einstein’s and Newton’s theories, many physicists and astrono-
mers have postulated that there must exist a large amount of “dark matter” in
galaxies and also clusters of galaxies that could strengthen the pull of gravity
and lead to an agreement of the theories with the data. The clusters and su-
perclusters of galaxies are the largest observed objects in the universe. Most
physicists believe that without dark matter, the clusters of galaxies could not
be stable objects, for the gravitational force determined by Einstein’s and New-
ton’s theories is not strong enough to hold the galaxies together in the cluster.
This invisible and undetected dark matter neatly removes any need to modify
Newton’s and Einstein’s gravitational theories. Invoking dark matter is a less
radical, less scary alternative for most physicists than modifying the theo-
ries; indeed, for almost a century, Einstein’s gravity theory has constituted the
“standard model of gravity.” Thus a consensus has formed among astronomers
and physicists that dark matter really exists, even though all attempts to detect
the particles that supposedly constitute the dark matter have so far failed.
Since 1998, this disturbing discrepancy between theory and observation
in the galaxies and clusters of galaxies has been compounded by a discovery
that has catapulted cosmology into a state of chaos. Two independent groups
of astronomers in California and Australia have found that the expansion
of the universe is actually accelerating, rather than slowing down, which
is what one would expect. In order to explain this remarkable discovery,
physicists have postulated that there must exist a mysterious form of “dark
energy” that has negative pressure and therefore can act like antigravity.
In contrast to the putative dark matter, it must be uniformly distributed
throughout the universe. Like dark matter, though, it can only be detected
through the action of gravity. Together with the dark matter, this means
that about 96 percent of all the matter and energy comprising the universe
is invisible! This remarkable conclusion is held to be true by the majority
of physicists and astronomers today, and is an accepted part of the standard
model of cosmology.

* In astronomy, an arc minute is an angle in the sky that is one-sixtieth of a degree,

and an arc second is one-sixtieth of an arc minute.
 INTRODUCTION vii

Could it be, nevertheless, that Einstein’s theory is wrong? Might it be

necessary to modify it—to find a new theory of gravity that can explain both
the stronger gravity and the apparent antigravity being observed today—
rather than simply throwing in invisible things to make the standard model
work?
Our view of the universe changed dramatically from the mechanis-
tic universe of Newton when Einstein published his new gravity theory.
Through Einstein, we understood that space and time were not absolute, that
gravity was not a “force,” but a characteristic of the geometry of “spacetime,”
and that matter and energy warped the geometry of spacetime. Yet Einstein
himself was never satisfied with his revolutionary theory. He was always
seeking a more complete theory.
After publishing the final form of general relativity in March 1916, Ein-
stein attempted to construct a unified theory of gravitation and electromag-
netism. At that time, these were the only known forces in nature. This led to
a discouraging series of fruitless attempts over many years, as Einstein tried
to repeat the outstanding success of his discovery of the law of gravitation.
Einstein never did succeed in unifying the forces of nature, but a primary
motivation for attempting this intellectual feat was his dissatisfaction with
one feature of general relativity: At certain points in spacetime his equa-
tions developed singularities; that is, the solutions of the equations became
infinitely large.
This disturbing feature has important consequences for the view of the
universe depicted by Einstein’s general relativity. At the birth of the uni-
verse, according to the generally accepted standard model of cosmology, the
big bang starts in an infinitely small volume of space with matter of infinite
density. Similarly, when a star collapses under its own gravitational forces,
the density of the matter in the star becomes infinitely large as it collapses
into an infinitely small volume. One of the predictions of general relativity
is that when the mass of a star is greater than a certain critical value, and
if it collapses under its own gravitational force, then it forms a black hole.
No light can escape the black hole, and at its center lurks an infinitely dense
singularity. Einstein was not in favor of the black hole solutions of his theory,
because he considered them unphysical. The astronomer Sir Arthur Edding-
ton, who was a champion of Einstein and led one of the first expeditions to
observe the bending of light during a solar eclipse, was also adamantly op-
posed to the idea of stars collapsing into black holes. “I think there should
be a law of Nature to prevent a star from behaving in this absurd way!” he
declared in a speech to the Royal Astronomical Society.1 Thus, finding a more
general framework that would describe the structure of spacetime so that it
viii I N T R O D U C T I O N

did not contain unphysical singularities was one of the primary motivations
for Einstein’s attempts to create a more general unified theory.
When I began studying physics as a young student in Copenhagen in
the early 1950s, outside the academic environment, my first objective was
to understand Einstein’s latest work on his unified theory. This was the first
step on my lifelong path to develop a generalization of Einstein’s gravita-
tional theory. In his later years, Einstein worked on what he called the “non-
symmetric field theory.” He claimed that this theory contained James Clerk
Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetic fields. This turned out to be false,
and Einstein died in 1955 before he was able to complete this work.
In a series of letters between Einstein and myself when I was twenty
years old and he was nearing the end of his life, we discussed his current work
on unified field theory as well as how he viewed the discipline of physics at
that time. In retrospect, it is clear to me, looking back over my own research
during the past fifty years, that I have been following in Einstein’s footsteps,
tracking the course he would have taken if he were alive today.
The story I tell in this book is my quest for a new gravity theory. Like
Einstein, I began by constructing a Nonsymmetric Gravitation Theory
(NGT). In contrast to Einstein, however, I did not consider the nonsymmetric
theory a unified theory of gravitation and electromagnetism, but a general-
ized theory of pure gravity. Over a period of thirty years, with successes
and setbacks along the way, I developed NGT into ever simpler versions that
eventually became my Modified Gravity Theory (MOG). In Parts I, II, and
III of this book, I set the new ideas of MOG against the historical background
of the discovery of gravity, Einstein’s monumental contributions, and the
development of modern cosmology. In Parts IV and V, I describe how I de-
veloped MOG and how it departs from Einstein’s and Newton’s theories,
as well as from the consensus view of mainstream cosmologists, physicists,
and astronomers. I also set MOG in the context of other alternative gravity
theories, including strings and quantum gravity.
I have had two types of readers in mind during the writing of this book:
the curious non-physicist who loves science, and the reader with a more tech-
nical background in physics. If you are the first type of reader, I encourage
you to forge ahead through any sections that might seem difficult. There will
be generalizations and comparisons coming that will enable you to grasp the
significance of challenging passages and to see the emerging big picture. If
you are the second type of reader, then the notes at the end of the book are
designed for you, if you would like to know more about the mathematics and
other technical details behind the topics.
MOG solves three of the most pressing problems in modern physics and
 INTRODUCTION ix

cosmology. Because MOG has stronger gravity than the standard model,
it does away entirely with the need for exotic dark matter. It also explains
the origin of the dark energy. Moreover, MOG has no vexing singularities.
Through the mathematics of the theory, MOG reveals the universe to be a
different kind of place—perhaps even a more straightforward and sensible
place—than we have been led to believe.
MOG contains a new force in nature, a fifth force similar in strength to
gravity. It makes its presence known beyond the solar system, in the motions
of stars in galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and in the large-scale structure of the
universe—which is to say, in the entire universe. This fifth force appears as
a new degree of freedom in the equations of MOG, and is one of the primary
ingredients when we generalize Einstein’s theory. Now we can say that there
are five basic forces of Nature: gravitation, electromagnetism, the weak force
that governs radioactivity, the strong force that binds the nucleus in an atom,
and the new force. This new force changes the nature of the warping of the
spacetime geometry in the presence of matter. It has a “charge” that is as-
sociated with matter, much as electric charge is responsible for the existence
of electric and magnetic fields. However, in one representation of the theory,
the fifth force can be thought of as a gravitational degree of freedom—part
of the overall geometry or warping of spacetime.
Another important feature of the new theory is that Newton’s gravita-
tional constant is no longer a constant, but varies in space and time. Together
with the fifth force, this varying element strengthens the pull of gravity in
faraway galaxies and in clusters of galaxies. It also alters the geometry of
spacetime in the expanding universe, and allows for an agreement with the
satellite observations of the cosmic microwave background. MOG does away
with the need for dark matter in cosmology, as well as in the galaxies and
clusters of galaxies. It also alters Newton’s inverse square law of gravity for
weak gravitational fields.
MOG changes our view of what happens when a star collapses under its
own gravitational forces. Because general relativity’s prediction of a black
hole can be changed in MOG, we can only say that the star collapses to a
very dense object, which is not exactly black, but possibly “grey.” Therefore,
information such as some light can escape the “grey star.” The dark energy,
or vacuum energy, that is responsible for the acceleration of the universe can
also play an important role in stabilizing astrophysical bodies against gravi-
tational collapse. Thus MOG may dramatically change our view of black
holes, one of the most exotic predictions of Einstein’s gravitational theory.
Finally, if MOG turns out to be true, one of the most popular hypotheses
in science may fall: The big bang theory may be incorrect as a description of
x INTRODUCTION

the very early universe. Because of the smoothness of spacetime in MOG,

there is no actual singular beginning to the universe, although there is a
special time equal to zero (t = 0), as there is in the big bang theory. But in
MOG, t = 0 is free of singularities. The universe at t = 0 is empty of matter,
spacetime is flat, and the universe stands still. Because this state is unstable,
eventually matter is created, gravity asserts itself, spacetime becomes curved
and the universe expands. In contrast to the big bang scenario, the MOG uni-
verse is an eternal, dynamically evolving universe—which may have impli-
cations for philosophy and religion as well as astrophysics and cosmology.
Adopting a new gravity theory means changing a major scientific para-
digm that has endured and served us well for many years. Newton’s gravity
theory, still correct within the solar system, including on the Earth, has been
valid for more than three centuries. Einstein’s general relativity has stood
the test of time for almost a century. Physicists tend to be conservative when
faced with the possibility of overthrowing a paradigm, and that is how it
should be. Only when a mass of accumulating new data provides overwhelm-
ing observational evidence that a revolution is necessary are most scientists
willing to support a new theory.
It has become fashionable in modern physics to construct mathematical
castles in the air, with little or no relation to reality, little or no hope of ever
finding data to verify those theories. Yet fitting the observational data is a
driving force in my work on MOG. Throughout this book, I stress the impor-
tance of finding data that can verify or falsify the theory, for I believe strongly
that a successful theory of nature must be grounded in observation.
Let me state the current situation very clearly. There are only two ways
of explaining the wealth of observational data showing the surprisingly fast
rotational speeds of stars in galaxies and the stability of clusters: Either dark
matter exists and presumably will be found, and Newton’s and Einstein’s
gravity theories will remain intact; or dark matter does not exist and we must
find a new gravity theory.
Today it is possible that we are standing on the brink of a paradigm shift.
It is likely that the consensus that dark matter exists will serve as the tipping
point, and that someday the dark matter hypothesis will seem as embarrass-
ing as the emperor’s new clothes.
 Prologue
THE ELUSIV E PL ANE T VULCAN,
A PA R A BL E

or a time in the late nineteenth century, the planet Vulcan was con-

F sidered a reality—an observed planet. The great French mathemati-

cal astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier predicted the existence
of the new planet in 1859 based on astronomical observations and
mathematical calculations using Newton’s gravitational equations. Since the
new planet would now be the closest planet to the sun, closer than its hot
neighbor Mercury, Le Verrier christened it “Vulcan” after the Roman god of
fire and iron. (The Greeks had named the planets after the gods of Olympus,
and later the Romans translated them into the names by which the inner
planets are known today: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.)
Le Verrier had discovered an anomaly in the orbit of Mercury. Like all
planets, Mercury traced an ellipse in its orbit around the sun, and the posi-
tion of its closest approach to the sun, called the “perihelion,” advanced with
successive revolutions. The pattern of the planet’s orbit thus looked like a
complex rosette shape over time. Le Verrier had already taken into account
the effects of the other planets on Mercury’s orbit, calculating the precession
accurately according to Newton’s celestial mechanics. However, there was
a small discrepancy between the Newtonian prediction for the perihelion
precession and contemporary astronomical observations. According to Le
Verrier, this could only be explained by the gravitational pull of an as-yet-
unseen planet or perhaps a ring of dark, unseen asteroids around the sun. A
hunt soon ensued, as astronomers around the world vied to become the first
to observe Vulcan.
Le Verrier had already had resounding success in predicting the existence
of an unknown planet. In 1846, he had published his calculations of the
wayward movements in the orbital motion of Uranus, the planet discovered
2 REINVENTING GR AVIT Y

by William Herschel in 1781. Uranus’s orbit had long been a problem for
astronomers, and several of them claimed that there must be an error in
Newton’s universal law of attraction. From his calculations using Newton’s
gravity theory, Le Verrier concluded that there must be another planet orbit-
ing the sun on the far side of Uranus. He christened it “Neptune” after the
god of the sea. He even predicted the approximate coordinates of the planet’s
position in the solar system. In that same year, on the instructions of Le Ver-
rier, the German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet
Neptune at right ascension 21 hours, 53 minutes and 25.84 seconds, very
close to where Le Verrier had predicted it would be.
This was a great triumph for Le Verrier, and his fame spread. He became
one of the most influential astronomers in the world, and in 1854 succeeded
the renowned doyen of French astronomers, François Jean Dominique Arago,
as director of the Paris Observatory. In 1859, Le Verrier fully expected Vulcan
to eventually be identified by astronomers’ telescopes, just as Neptune had
been thirteen years earlier.
From the vantage point of early-twenty-first-century physics and cos-
mology, we can use the modern term “dark matter” to characterize the pre-
dictions of Neptune and Vulcan. That is, gravitational anomalies in the orbits
of two known planets implied the existence of unknown, unseen, or “dark”
objects nearby. Those unseen bodies would be responsible for the extra gravi-
tational force exerted on the known planets’ orbits. Their discovery would
explain the anomalies in the observational data and would yet again demon-
strate the correctness of Sir Isaac Newton’s gravitational theory.
In March 1859, in Orgères-en-Beauce, France, a small community about
twenty miles north of Orléans in the Loire district, an amateur astrono-
mer and physician, Edmond Modeste Lescarbault, observed a small black dot
crossing the face of the sun from the small observatory adjacent to his clinic.
Having heard of Le Verrier’s prediction of the planet Vulcan, he excitedly
identified the black dot as the missing planet. In December 1859, Lescarbault
wrote to Le Verrier claiming that he had verified the existence of the dark
planet Vulcan. Together with an assistant, the busy imperial astronomer paid
a visit to Lescarbault in Orgères, completing the final part of the journey on
foot through the countryside from the railway station.
The imperious Le Verrier was at first dismissive of Lescarbault’s claim,
and cross-examined him for an hour. Nevertheless, he was strongly moti-
vated to accept the rural physician’s discovery, and left Orgères convinced
that the dark planet had been found. The news of the discovery took Paris
by storm, and Lescarbault became famous overnight. In 1860 the emperor
Napoléon III conferred the Légion d’Honneur on him, and the Royal Astro-
 THE ELUSIVE PL ANET VULCAN, A PARABLE 3

nomical Society in England lavished praise on him. Thus the village physi-
cian and amateur astronomer had solved one of the greatest mysteries of
nineteenth-century astronomy. He had found the “dark matter” predicted
by Newton’s gravitational equations.
Unfortunately for Lescarbault and Le Verrier, the story does not end
here. The accolades eventually turned to accusations. Subsequent investiga-
tors never found Vulcan, even though several solar eclipse expeditions were
mounted in various parts of the world to find the best vantage point from
which to observe Vulcan traversing the face of the sun. At the July 29, 1878,
eclipse of the sun, the last total solar eclipse observable from the United
States in the nineteenth century, the astronomer Craig Watson claimed to
have observed Vulcan from Rawlins, Wyoming, in Indian country. Watson
devoted the rest of his life to defending this claim, and near the end of his life
he constructed an underground observatory that he hoped would vindicate
him.
As it turned out, the dark planet supposedly seen by Watson was not big
enough to explain the anomalous precession of Mercury, so various astrono-
mers proposed that other dark matter planets must be waiting to be discov-
ered too. Lewis Swift, an amateur astronomer from Rochester, New York,
also claimed to have observed the dark planet by independent observations at
the time of the solar eclipse, thereby confirming Watson’s discovery. How-
ever, Christian Peters of Germany was highly skeptical of the whole Vulcan
enterprise, and publicly disputed the claims of both Watson and Swift, be-
coming an archenemy of Watson in the process.
With no widely accepted verification of Lescarbault’s original discovery,
it wasn’t long before scientific papers began appearing in astronomical jour-
nals disputing the Vulcan discovery. Articles even appeared in the English
and French newspapers discussing these disclaimers by important astrono-
mers. Meetings were held at the astronomical societies in London and Paris,
with papers presented for and against the existence and discovery of Vulcan.
Although Le Verrier continued to maintain that his prediction was cor-
rect and Vulcan would eventually be found, this nineteenth-century “dark
matter” problem subsided into an unresolved, sleeper issue for sixty-five
years. Le Verrier and most of the astronomers who had participated in the
hunt died without knowing the ending to the Vulcan story.
The problem of the anomalous perihelion advance of Mercury remained.
The German astronomer Hugo von Seeliger proposed his zodiacal light
theory in 1906. He suggested that small, ellipsoidal concentrations of dark
matter particles existed near the sun, and were responsible for the anomalous
perturbation of Mercury’s orbit. Zodiacal light is light reflected from dust
4 REINVENTING GR AVIT Y

particles left by comets and asteroids in the solar system. Even the famous
French mathematician Henri Poincaré postulated rings of dark matter par-
ticles around the sun, and the celebrated American astronomer Simon New-
comb supported these suggestions.
The decades-long battle over the elusive Vulcan only ended in 1916 when
Einstein published his general theory of relativity. In 1915, when he was
still developing his new gravity theory, Einstein performed a calculation
investigating the anomalous advance of the perihelion of Mercury, which
a half-century earlier had created such excitement and the prediction of a
new planet. He discovered that when he inserted the mass of the sun and
Newton’s gravitational constant into his equations, his emerging theory of
general relativity correctly predicted the strange precession of Mercury’s
orbit. Thus, Le Verrier’s Vulcan was discarded and the anomalous orbit of
Mercury turned out to be caused by a predictable warping of the geometry
of spacetime near the sun. Einstein’s new theory of gravity was something
that the nineteenth-century astronomers could never have imagined. A new
planet or dark matter particles ringing the sun were no longer needed to
explain the Mercury anomaly. Thus the dark and nonexistent planet Vulcan
served as a watershed in the history of gravitation theory and celestial me-
chanics. Einstein’s gravity theory precipitated a revolutionary change in our
understanding of space and time.
Einstein’s calculations were in startling agreement with more than a cen-
tury of observations of Mercury’s orbit. Einstein discovered that Mercury
should precess faster than the predicted Newtonian speed by the tiny amount
of 0.1 arc seconds for each orbital revolution, amounting to 43 arc seconds
per century, very close to the observed value. With this first success, Einstein
realized that he was definitely on the right track: He had a robust new gravity
theory that would eventually overthrow Newton’s.
Thus the Vulcan “dark matter” problem was resolved not by the detection
of a dark planet or dark matter particles but by modifying the laws of gravita-
tion. Le Verrier turned out to be right with his prediction of the discovery of
Neptune, and wrong with the prediction of Vulcan.
We are confronted with a surprisingly similar situation today in physics
and cosmology. Astronomical observations of the motion of stars in galaxies,
and the motion of galaxies within clusters of galaxies, do not agree with either
Newton’s or Einstein’s gravitation equations when only the visible matter
making up the stars, galaxies, and gas is taken into account. Much stronger
gravity and acceleration are actually being observed in faraway stars and
galaxies than one would expect from Newton’s and Einstein’s gravitational
theories. In order to fit the theories to the observational data for galaxies
Other documents randomly have
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And the time it had taken to dig! and the long months of blackness
before! And at last her eyes travelled slowly from it back to his face.
And he said with curious intonation: “The decision is the same as
hitherto.”
“But God’s decision! Tell me that!” and the pain in her voice was
very terrible.
“The decision of God is that it is as He has made it.”
“That is sufficient. Thank you,” and she moved away; strong only
in the friendship of that silent man, who in so few words conveyed so
much of meaning.
So once more she made her way to the little hut, where the frog as
usual sat waiting; but her lips were set in a smile so stony, that she
said never a word, but sat down in her chair by the fire, and forgot to
try to form even a syllable.
At last her eyes lighted on the frog sitting there upon the hearth.
Its big, wide, mournful mouth drooped at the corners, and its round
saucer eyes were brimming with tears, yet there was something very
comic in its attitude—so much so that Rosalie laughed. At this it
jumped so literally that had it not borne a charmed life it would
certainly have settled in the fire, but as it was, it came down inside
the fender, and then hopped out.
“Ah! when you laugh in sorrow your heart must needs be broken
altogether,” it said.
“Oh, no! I feel nothing, nothing at all, one way or the other, only
hard and empty, and sorry, not for myself, but for others, that they
should be so blind.”
“It’s well you feel hard. It doesn’t do to feel soft at times like this,”
said the frog, and tried to speak cheerfully, but somehow failed.
Outside a white mist was settling, so silently that they never
noticed it. But just then the frog piled more coal on the fire, and soon
the room looked very cheerful.
“Come and sit on my knee,” said Rosalie presently; and she almost
laughed again at the rapidity with which her request was granted.
Although they had lived together so long, this was, as it were, the
first time she had seen the frog close.
 She took one of its little feet in her fingers, and noticed it was
pierced with a hole. Then in turn she looked at each foot separately,
and found the same mark in each.
“How did you come by these? They look as if they must have been
very painful at one time.”
“It was very stupid of me,” said the frog shyly. “Generally I put a
jewel into each, and everyone remarks about my pretty feet, but to-
day, with thinking about your affairs, I forgot. It was most negligent
of me.”
“Where did you get the jewels from?”
“My master said I found them by myself, but I think he really gave
them to me.”
“But tell me about these holes, unless you’d rather not.”
“It’s a short and very common story,” it answered evasively; “I
don’t think it would interest you.”
“Indeed it would; you have been so kind to me all along that I
know you won’t deny me this.”
“Well, there was a time when I used to be a very ordinary little
frog, jumping about, and eating all that I could get. And I was very
vain of my appearance, for I knew that my coat was brighter than any
of my neighbours, and I wished them to know it too. But I wasn’t
content with being admired by my own kith and kin; I thought I
should like to gain the admiration of mankind as well. Instead of
confining myself to the shrubs and well in the garden, I contrived to
make myself plainly seen by hopping about the paths. There were no
children in the house adjoining, so that I felt doubly safe, for the two
servant maids used to walk in the garden often at dusk, and talk
about their sweethearts, and at these times they always found a kind
and flattering word for me. Meeting with such kind treatment from
them, I grew doubly proud, and formed the erroneous idea that all
mankind was equally kind and simple. I made no doubt that had I
been taken before the Queen, my manners, colour, and deportment
would have astonished her, and called forth her admiration. As
discontentment had first grown toward my own people, so at last it
grew towards the maid-servants. I wanted more than two admirers,
and almost lost my brilliant colour pining for them. About this time,
however, my old mother died, and what with the nursing of her, and
seeing to her respectable removal afterwards, I had little time for
thinking of myself. But when things had settled themselves again, my
old longing revived. I must go out along the paths again and try to
gain more admiration.
“Now, there lived in that house a man. He always wore spectacles,
and whenever he walked in the garden always carried a book, and
from what I could gather from the maids’ conversation, was really
very clever. Now, being myself very ignorant, I naturally admired
clever people, and a great longing grew in my mind to gain his
approbation and attention. So whenever he walked out in the garden,
I watched my opportunity, and hopped along the path beside him.
But for a long time he either never noticed me, or if he did do so, was
never attracted by my charms. This upset me so much that my health
became visibly enfeebled. I felt that if he could but see it, I might
become of value in his eyes, and thus raise myself in his good graces
and esteem. Still, I felt I could not give in, for I had a friend of
somewhat duller coat always watching me, ready to say upon the first
occasion: ‘I told you so.’ So I continued hopping by his side in these
walks, which, of late, had become habitual. But one day, as he came
down the path, he closed his book, and his eyes suddenly lighted on
me. I know not what the expression in them was, but my vanity took
it favourably. I sat there as still as a frog can sit, because I had heard
it was a sign of good breeding to sit still, and pretended to be gazing
at the sun, because I thought it would appear good taste to admire a
thing so generally esteemed. And he stood still too, but I was quite
content that he should be admiring me. It would have disappointed
me had he turned his attention likewise to the sun. Suddenly he
stooped down, and made a grab in my direction. I had almost waited
for this, and being prepared, hopped quickly to one side. I felt it
would not enhance my charms to be caught too quickly. He made no
further attempt to catch me, but went back into the house, and I
heard my friend of the duller coat laughing, as much as to say, ‘I told
you so.’ But I pretended to consider we had made great advances. In
a little while, however, he came out again. He carried in his hand a
curious string thing, which is called a net, and this he laid with great
ingenuity across the path where he and I had previously been
walking. This I took as a great compliment; the ground was evidently
not good enough for me to walk upon. Over this he spread a few
crumbs. They were not, certainly, to my mind, as I liked more tasty
things, but I thought he had probably noticed my fragile appearance,
and was showing his sympathy with my delicacy. So to show my trust
in and appreciation of him, after a little coquettish skipping on the
edge, I hopped straight to the centre of the net. He was kneeling by
the side, and I must admit my heart beat loudly at my own boldness,
but still remembering the kindness of the maids, the only human
beings that I knew, I felt no particular or definite fear. In fact, I felt
like some great queen before a kneeling courtier. But the next
moment I was much upset to find the net swung over me, and both of
us caught roughly and inelegantly from the ground, in a manner I
had never before experienced. I struggled, but only succeeded in
getting one leg through the net. My position was indeed perilous. The
last thing I heard in the garden was the laughter of my friend who
had the duller coat. So can the frog heart be upon occasion very hard.
“I was thrown down afterwards upon a table that had neither moss
nor anything else upon it, still enveloped in the hateful net, so that
there was no chance of me getting away, and there I stayed for a long
time, choking with fear and partial suffocation.”
A tremor ran through its little body.
“I shouldn’t like to speak of all that followed. As frogs go, and
being cold-blooded, I can stand a fair amount. But that was neither
here nor there. I don’t know how long I lived there, but it was a long
time, and almost every day I was put to some torture or other. Often
others used to come in to see how the different inflictions affected
me, and once someone remonstrated with him, and said I must
suffer; but he said he was always very careful with me, and the other
one seemed satisfied.
“‘Besides,’ he added, ‘it is in the cause of science. And what little
inconveniences may be suffered by this reptile may be the means of
saving many lives.’
“That night as I was lying in my prison, with every limb aching and
swollen, and big pains shooting through my body, I thought on his
words. It was only the extreme pain that kept me from growing
proud, so instead I felt a little thankful.
“But after that the times of torture were growing more frequent, or
I less able to bear them, and I longed and prayed to something I
couldn’t understand to set me free. And one day, as he took me out of
my cell, he said to someone who was with him at the time—I think he
called him his assistant: ‘This thing is on its last legs; I’ll just try one
more experiment with it, and then it can be thrown to the midden.’
“That was a little comfort to me.
“But just then he ran something through my hand that made me
struggle and gasp with pain, and then the other three, and I was lying
fast nailed to a board, and could not even struggle. I’ll never forget it,
though the worst never comes back to me. It was the last time, the
last time with a vengeance, and there I died. And I think I must have
looked very queer at the last, for the last thing I was conscious of was
that someone laughed. But how could one compose one’s features
nailed to a board, and suffering agony. And when I woke up I was in
this pretty garden, and I was as feeble as a baby. But my master
tended me with his own hands, and before long I had grown strong
and happy again, and less wishful to been seen. And though my coat
is brighter now than ever it had been, I think less of it and more of
other things. But even now it’s sweet to hear a little praise, and never
anyone has come to see my master but they have a pleasant word for
me.”
“Then why do you stay with me? You should be hopping in the
garden, not in this dull place.”
“Oh, I asked to come. I knew you’d have a deal of sorrow once you
came here; it’s meant to be a place of sorrow; and I remembered that
period of my own life when I was all alone without companions. And
I think if someone could have come to me and said, ‘Cheer up,
Croaker, it’ll soon all be over,’ I would have felt a trifle stronger for
the end.”
“Was your name Croaker?” asked Rosalie gently, for the story had
much affected her.
“Yes; I used always to be longing to be called ‘Bright Coat’ or ‘Slim
Body,’ or one of those names when I was young, but my parents had
different thoughts from me, and gave me just a family name. The
scientists sometimes called me ‘Goggle Eyes,’ and I believe my eyes
did grow unnaturally big whilst I was there.”
“It’s very kind of you to stay with me when I’m so dull.”
“You’re not dull,” said the frog. “No one is, unless they do nothing
but nurse their sorrow, and expect other people to carry both them
and it.”
Rosalie laughed.
“Yes, one has a great deal to learn,” she answered, and took down a
book from the shelf.
And hereafter most of her time was given to learning, for the
lesson-books had suddenly developed into coherent reading. They
were still hard and dull, and many a time she would have given up
but for the ever-ringing voice that revived her lagging spirits, and
above all the remembrance of that jewel of pure light, the like that
she had seen within the temple.
Outside the mist still continued heavy and white, so that it was
impossible to find the way about. It hung like a heavy curtain. This
continued for a long time, until one day it gradually lightened, and in
a week’s time the sky was clear again.
“I’m going to dig again,” said Rosalie to the frog, laughing. “I feel I
am intended to. The ground is soft, and though my eagerness has
gone, I still can work when there is opportunity.”
And so in the same way she unbedded another stone, and though it
was smaller than the last, and not of the same worth by any means, it
had its merits, and one pure flash in the centre to show it was related
to the larger one. Having given it into the Governor’s hands, she
returned to her own dwelling, and waited some short time.
But one day as she was going round the plantation, holding a book
and reading, with the frog hopping by her side, she was startled to
hear someone calling over the gateway, “Good morning, Rosalie!”
and looking, she beheld Billy standing there, his arms folded over it,
and his face all laughing, as was usual when he came.
“Good morning!” said she, and her eyes brightened at such a
change in the day’s programme.
“I’ve brought you bad news.”
“Ah! then don’t repeat it. I know already what it is,” and Rosalie
sighed.
“You know, I don’t think you’re ever going to get out of this little
paddock,” said he.
“I don’t think so myself. Soon I shall be getting past breaking in.”
“How do you like digging?”
 “Oh, I’ve taken to it fairly well, thanks to my little friend Croaker
here. I regard myself as a worm, and feel lowly contentment. Many a
time I have thought myself dead and the sun set.”
“You must be very wretched to wish yourself dead.”
“Yes, the day is intensely long.”
“The worm will develop.”
“With a bruised head?”
“It’s imagination! A second miracle, and the worm becomes a
serpent.”
“I would much rather remain as I am. The worm is harmless—the
serpent dangerous; the one a little use—the other useless.”
“And you from Lucifram!”
“Ah! your mind was fixed on one particular Serpent. Defend me
from it.”
“You don’t look much older, Rosalie, for all your work.”
“But you were tall before, and now you’re taller. You actually seem
older than I, and when first I saw you I reckoned you quite ten years
younger.”
“Well, you’ve been burrowing in the ground. I’ve been advancing.
It makes all the difference. What effect has my news had upon you?”
he continued.
“Oh! for a change it has made me angry.”
“Has the worm turned?”
“I believe it has been so long in a state of constant wriggle that one
turn more or less makes little difference.”
“Suppose you leave your unprofitable trade, and come away?”
She took two steps forward with a thankful heart, and then a great
stubbornness rose within her. She shook her head.
“I won’t go yet,” she said. “It would be giving up too early. I have
pleased God, and by God’s grace I’ll please man, and if man is not to
be pleased by God’s grace, what is it that can please him?”
“That is a question for my father. I should not like to say. What do
you intend to do here now?”
 “Dig again. Begin to-day. There is no frost, and the ground is soft
and loose.”
“Is that the message I’m to return?”
“I can think of no other. It was good of you to bring the news to
me.”
“I thought it very ill. I never delivered an unpleasant message in
my life before, and did it just for practice. I had much rather have
told you the other thing.”
“Your face was very expressive of sorrow when you came to me.”
“I’m glad. I imagined my countenance was too smiling.”
She laughed.
“Never look sad on my account. I have no wish to forfeit your
company for a sad mask. Indeed, I counted it a very great kindness
your coming to me at all.”
“Truly, Rosalie, you are improving. I think you must be growing
older.”
“I’ve forgotten my age. It’s a thing women never remember. Years
were a form of imaginative punishment invented by the devil. Some
folks are sensitive about them.”
“When you have finished this, will you bring it to my father?”
“Most certainly; who else could I take it to?”
“He has brought you little luck.”
“It’s a word I should never use in connection with him.”
“Well, I will leave you, and may you be prosperous. I don’t know
what else I can say, except that you will forgive me for the news I
brought.”
So saying, he turned about, and went away again.
And the old work began once more.
 CHAPTER XX
A SIMPLE CONVERSATION

One day, when Rosalie had about completed the stone she was
engaged upon, the Governor sent for her, by the frog.
“And I think,” said Brightcoat, for Rosalie had changed its name,
not liking Croaker, “that it would not be at all a bad plan for us to
look and see if there are any new clothes anywhere about. This old
dress you are wearing is most worn and shabby.”
“There are none,” said she. “I have looked many a time, and have
never found anything except the coarse brown apron I wear to
protect my dress from the soil.”
“Well, there’s a time, and not a time, for looking for things.
Suppose we look in the little wardrobe together now. If you stay
dinner with the Governor, you must be fairly suitably dressed for it.”
And what was Rosalie’s surprise, on looking in the diminutive
dress-closet, to find a pretty dress of softest silk, white and apple
green, just ready made to fit her figure, and everything besides to
match, even to silken stockings and pretty slippers, and a cluster of
red and golden leaves upon the dressing-table, as simple and pretty
as the rest.
Rosalie, from feeling old as the hills, suddenly felt young as a blue-
bell blowing on an early summer morning.
“Oh, Brightcoat! I never felt so happy in my life. To get rid of this
old black and red thing! Why, that in itself is Paradise. But to wear
these! It’s past belief. Now, if you were me, how would you wear your
hair—high or low? Which do you think suits me?”
“I say in that loose bundle at the back you used to wear when you
first came to us.”
 “The way Mariana did it.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. Oh, dear, dear! I’m afraid I shan’t do it a bit nicely. When you
try to do your hair nicely it always looks hideous; have you ever
noticed that?”
“No; you see I haven’t got any.”
“Of course not! My dress is almost the exact colours of your skin.
Have you noticed it?”
“Yes. My master said the colours were chosen out of compliment to
me.”
“How delightful! Frog green! It’s quite an innovation in fashions,
and a very pretty one.”
Brightcoat’s eyes sparkled with pleasure at this little bit of
innocent flattery, and if it showed vanity, vanity of a sort is a very
delightful thing.
So Rosalie dressed with fluttering happiness and eager haste.
“Your hair doesn’t look a bit as if you’d taken pains with it,” said
the frog from the bed, where it was sitting.
“What do you mean?” she asked, with sudden alarm.
“It’s very becoming.”
“I’d rather your flattery was a little less open. I know you mean
well, but it’s embarrassing to have one’s defects spoken of so
charmingly.”
By this time the dressing was completed, and in the eyes of her
simple companion no one had ever looked more lovely.
“You must come too, Brightcoat. I shouldn’t think of leaving you
here alone. Besides, you are always welcome at the house, and I am
only there on suffrage. If I behave badly I must go. It’s a very terrible
thing that, when you think about it. Enough to make me tremble and
shake all over.”
So the frog jumped lightly from the bed on to her shoulder, and
made a most delightful ornament.
As they walked across the garden to the house the nightingales
were singing in the soft still air of night.
 The Governor, who was walking on the terrace, greeted his guests,
and they passed into the house, which was all brilliantly lit to receive
them.
“This is your last night with us, so I have asked you here to dine
with me,” said the old man.
“My last night?” Her voice was full of wonder and sadness.
“You surely will not be sorry to leave the soil?”
“Ah! but you and Brightcoat are here. I would much rather stay.
Besides, my heart is in the garden yet, and here with the jewels that I
brought to you. Oh, you have been my friend; and there is none
other. Where else can I go? Let me still live in the little hut, with the
freedom I have bought to-night.”
But he shook his head and smiled as they sat down to dinner just
alone.
“You imagine you have become attached to the hut. But there are
other and better places, believe me.”
“And does the way back lead as I came?”
“Pretty much so, I believe.”
“Into Marble House, with its shadows and cobwebs. I’m sure I
daren’t go.”
“Perhaps it has become less shadowy since you were there. There
is spring cleaning, you know, in all well-regulated houses.”
“But it is not well regulated. There is one part all moths and
mildew, and people live in it, or rather work there. I know, for
Mariana does. How I should love to see her once again! And upstairs
it is wretchedly lit. In fact, Mr. Barringcourt’s private room was the
only human-looking place I ever saw there. But perhaps by now he
has a wife. But she’ll need great strength of mind to get the necessary
repairs done, I’m thinking. He seemed as if he would be very
conservative, except where things affected his own comfort.”
“I don’t think he’s got a wife yet,” said the Governor.
When they had finished the meal, and the frog had had its full
share of the dainties that were to its taste, the Governor led the way
to his own room, and placing a chair for Rosalie near the fire, he
drew his own to the other side of the fireplace and sat down.
“Do you object to smoke?” he asked.
 “Oh, no! Uncle had a pipe that he had smoked for years and years
and years. And the night before he died he let it fall, and it broke. I
remember how sad he looked at the time—and perhaps there was
more in it than just the breaking of the pipe, for he said nothing, but
that he could soon get a new one. And if all things had been right I
think it would have angered him.”
“You were greatly attached to your uncle?”
“Oh, yes! I loved them both. No one could have been kinder to me
than they.”
“And now, when you go back to Lucifram, you have neither friend
nor relation to go to.”
“No. Must I indeed go?”
“I see no other way for it. But there are some friends of mine live
there, or friends of someone that I know. They will fill, to the best of
their ability, the old place.”
“How do you know? They might take the utterest distaste to me on
first sight, and then what would happen?”
“They are not people of prejudice.”
“I wish I were not.”
“You fear, then, you may take a dislike to them?”
“Oh, no! I’m always trying to get the better of my feelings, because
they are so often wrong.”
“Well,” said he, “second thoughts are best. I give you the benefit of
a second opinion upon most things.”
“But there is where I fear to go back to Lucifram. It’s a place where
one is so terribly misjudged, and it’s a place, too, where you have just
the knack of saying the things you wished unsaid.”
“Well, then, choose. Will you go back, or will you stay?”
But Rosalie, on second thoughts, made answer:
“You know best, and it is for you to choose. Somehow, I could not
think to doubt or question what you say; and after all, why should
one bother about to-morrow, if one does one’s duty to-day.”
“And I have promised you friends in the place of your aunt and
uncle.”
 “Yes; but I thought Mr. Barringcourt might have a word to say
about that.”
“Well, we’re all bound to trust the future to a certain extent. There
is no telling; on second acquaintance he might prove kinder.”
“When must I go?”
“To-morrow, in the early morning. The journey takes a day; it will
be dark before you reach your journey’s end, for autumn is far
advanced with them.”
Here the frog, who had so far sat quiet on the hearthrug, put in a
word.
“It will be very lonely going back to Lucifram alone. My advice and
companionship might be of some little help occasionally.”
“Oh, yes!” cried Rosalie eagerly. “You have been such a faithful and
loving friend to me, that your brightness would dispel half the gloom,
I’m sure it would.”
Both of them turned their eyes toward the Governor to gain his
opinion.
“You bear a charmed life, little frog,” said he, “so I don’t see what
harm or inconvenience can happen to you. In fact, I think the outing
would be a pleasant trip for you, and add something to your store of
knowledge.”
“You don’t think,” said Rosalie anxiously, for second thoughts were
beginning to intrude themselves, “that any harm could come of it. I
remember Mr. Barringcourt saying something about vivisection
once. It would be terrible if anything happened, and I was powerless
to prevent it.”
“I don’t think anything could happen,” replied the Governor. “A
frog that has once jumped from Lucifram successfully to heaven
could, on a pinch, repeat the process with much less inconvenience.”
And soon after this the interview and evening ended.
 CHAPTER XXI
A MAN WHO STOOD ON HIS HEAD,
ACCORDING TO LUCIFRAM

The two wanderers were standing once more in the cold,

inhospitable streets of Lucifram. But they were not alone. A tall lady
descending from her carriage had noticed the forlorn Rosalie, and
pitying her tired condition had taken her within her house,
promising her one night’s shelter at least. It may be simply stated to
whom Rosalie in this hour of need had come. In this particular house
in Lime Tree Square of the chief city of Lucifram there lived a very
great painter and his sister. In his early youth he had had a hard
struggle, not so much because he was poor, but because he was
original. Now, for a man to have his own ideas in the city of Lucifram
was to set all the dogs barking, the mob stone-flinging, and the Riot
Act fluttering.
It was very strange, but thousands of years of experience had
taught little or nothing.
The painter, as has been said, had his own ideas, and so at first
they said he was an upstart, and very justly laughed at him. But
laughter never yet cured madness or stamped out the truth, and as
the painter seemed to be giving surreptitious invisible spiritual bites
all round him, and setting the infection flying, it was recognised at
last there must be some truth in his madness, and to a certain extent
they let him be.
And so from being badly abused the painter at last sprung into
fame. He was a shy and reserved man, and somewhat irritable in his
temper. But that was because his temperament and his work were of
a kind that wear the nerves unevenly. But still when he liked he could
be very charming, even Lucifram admitted that, and for the hidden
virtues, they left those with a shrug to God the Serpent.
And so in comparative early middle age he found himself the
recipient of a knighthood; that is, he received a title very similar to
“Sir”—and for simplicity we will call it such. Some spiteful people
said this was on account of his good looks, but as it was a man
sovereign who gave him the title, it’s hard to see what that could have
to do with it. Now, Sir John himself had little belief in titles, but his
sister had great belief in him, and though herself the simplest of
plain women, she had ambitions so far as he was concerned.
“A title’s an empty thing,” said he, looking at her in his serious,
thoughtful way.
“No one knows it better than I,” she answered, in her downright
one. “And if you hadn’t the real thing to outshine it, I’d hate to see it
offered to you. But it’s a courtesy you owe to the world in return for
its courtesy. If you don’t accept it, you are churlish. Besides, I always
think it’s the greatest honour that can befal a sovereign, to confer
distinction upon genius, so that, even on a royal consideration, I
think you ought to accept.”
And so plain John Crokerly became Sir John, and was just the
same before and after—neither more or less brilliant or imposing.
From being poor he became rich. He never married, but continued
happily in the society of his one unmarried sister. The affection and
understanding were very mutual, and perfectly to the contentment of
both.
On this particular night Miss Crokerly entered her brother’s
presence with some trepidation. After all, she had a reputation for
common sense, though, like him, maybe a little eccentric, and the
brightness of the frog and the prettiness of Rosalie’s face hardly
seemed pretext enough on second thoughts for inviting her into the
house.
“John,” said she, betraying no misgiving in her voice, as she closed
the door, “I’ve invited a young girl from the country, who is lost, to
come in and shelter for the night.”
“What’s her name?” and he looked up over the top of the paper
which he was reading, for daylight was precious just then, and
morning meals too hasty to allow of much newspaper indulgence
during them.
“I don’t know; she is a perfect stranger to me. I came to see if you
approved.”
“It won’t matter to me. I shan’t see her,” he answered.
“Of course not.” Then, after a pause: “You think I’m not running
any risks by bringing her in?”
“I don’t know. You can’t very well turn her out again now you’ve
done it. Small-pox is pretty prevalent, to be sure. Did you make
particular inquiries if she’d been successfully vaccinated?”
“You have no objection to what I’ve done?”
“Not after you’ve done it,” and he relapsed once more behind the
paper.
But Miss Crokerly, after turning to the door, looked round again.
“I should like you to see her,” she said, for her, very hesitatingly.
“In the morning,” he answered.
“In the morning you will have less time and inclination than now.”
“But what purpose should I serve in going to look at her? Is she
different from the generality of country folk?”
“I don’t know,” she replied slowly; “but I think she is much
prettier. And she has with her a frog with the most brilliant colour I
ever saw.”
At this he laughed. “My curiosity is not excited in the least,” he
answered.
“But mine is,” she said, with a return to her decided manner; “and
you really must come, if but to see the frog. It is a marvel.”
“Bring it here to me, then.”
“Certainly not, unless I bring her too. You are growing terribly
lazy, Jack.”
“Well, come along,” he said impatiently. “Only please don’t drag
me into any more of your charitable whims, frogs or no frogs.”
“Of course not. This is an exception. You might ask her her name
and address. I quite forgot to do so.”
 So together they went into the hall where Rosalie still sat. The frog,
with a wisdom born of its dead vanity, had again settled itself
conspicuously to attract attention on her shoulder.
Rosalie’s pale face and large bright eyes also possessed a peculiar
beauty and fascination, although she was tired with the journey and
sick from want of food.
Now, Sir John’s heart was as kind as that of his sister, and,
moreover, he had a great admiration for woman when her beauty
was of that delicate yet exquisite type that approaches the ideal, and
contains little of the heaviness or substantiality of flesh. As they both
came toward her, Rosalie rose, and her movements were so quiet,
graceful, and well-bred, that one might have thought the frog’s spirit
of wishing to do the correct thing for the sake of admiration had
settled upon her. All his irritability, which was not of a very lasting or
savage kind, vanished.
“You have a delightful little companion there,” said he pleasantly,
looking at the frog.
“Yes.”
“It is rather an uncommon kind of pet,” put in Miss Crokerly; “and
how brilliant! Is it real, or some highly-polished stone?”
Rosalie laughed softly.
“Oh! it is real enough, and can jump prodigiously.” And she put
her hand up caressingly to its coat.
“And you,” said Sir John—“you look tired. What part of the
country have you come from to get lost in the city?”
“I have been walking all day. I came from a little hut and
plantation beyond the forest.”
At this the painter looked at his sister and she at him. For outside
this city of Lucifram there was a tremendous forest full of jungles,
and only the pure in spirit and those led by a light of superhuman
brightness could pass through it.
“And did you pass through the forest unhurt?” he asked.
“Yes. We were pleasant company to each other. But I lost one of
my garden clogs. I think that was very unfortunate, because I never
missed it till it was too late to turn back.”
 She spoke evidently without any knowledge of the terrors of the
forest. But whatever reticence she showed about her journey was
from now respected by them.
“Then you have no home to return to?” said Miss Crokerly, after a
pause, during which she had revolved things in her mind.
“No,” said Rosalie simply, and her wistful eyes filled with anxiety
and shadow.
“You must spend the night here, then, as I said before, and in the
morning we will arrange things. Come with me.”
Then Sir John shook hands with her in that grave, kind way of his,
and wished her good-night, and then went back to his easy-chair and
paper.
He himself knew something of the terrors and blackness of the
forest. It had been responsible for some of his best work. But he was
a man whose hair was turning grey, and this girl, whose name, by the
way, he had forgotten to ask, appeared so very young. He was
interested in, and felt sorry for her, and yet could scarcely credit the
tale that she had come hither from the forest; on second thoughts it
seemed so utterly improbable.
Yet where else anywhere upon Lucifram could that brilliant frog
have come from—or Rosalie’s expressive, shining eyes?
So when his sister came back later in the evening, he said:
“I think, for the present, at any rate, we must keep her. Providence
has sent her to us, and converts a duty into pleasure.”
“Yes, indeed. She has had supper and gone to bed. And strange to
say,” she continued reflectively, “although for the last twenty-five
years I have been trying to cure myself of impulsiveness as one of my
besetting sins, and was just thinking as I drove home to-night that at
last I had quite succeeded, yet now I cannot help loving her at sight,
as much,” she added softly, “as if she were my own sister.”
“That is fortunate for her,” replied he. “She appears so destitute.”
“And I don’t doubt fortunate for me. It is not often one receives a
traveller from the forest.”
“You have ascertained, then, that she really came from there?”
“Of course! I ascertained it by attending simply to her voice and
manner. One needs no other guarantees.”
 “Well, I can but hope your friendship stands the test of time. For
myself, I can only say, as usual, I think you showed true discernment
in admitting her to shelter for the night, though at first, to speak
truthfully, I must admit your conduct greatly astonished me. What is
her name?”
“Rosalie Paleaf.”
 CHAPTER XXII
A NEW LEASE OF LIFE

When Rosalie awoke next morning, it was in a comfortable

modern bedroom, furnished with regard to health, and a conception
of beauty thrown in.
For the first time truly in her life and experience she awoke with a
light heart, and such unusual brightness of spirits that she seemed at
last, for the time at least, to have realised the pleasure and joy of
simply being alive. The tired sickness of the night before had entirely
vanished.
The sky overhead was blue and bright, the air cold. Nothing could
have been more promising for a new entry into an old world.
Brightcoat, who had spent the night on the marble washing-stand,
now took recreation in the basin of water Rosalie poured for him,
whilst she, being less cold-blooded, as it were, was nothing loath to
accept the warm water that was brought for her.
But this part of the day’s programme being finished, Rosalie
turned disconsolately to her dress.
“It’s so shabby and short,” said she.
“Well, look amongst your luggage,” said Brightcoat, who was
engaged in jumping for further recreation over all the articles on the
washstand.
“My luggage,” said she, looking towards the little hand-bag. “It
can’t be in there.”
“No harm in looking,” said the frog, and jumped clean over the
water-jug, and then sat as still as if jumping were the last thing it
would ever think of doing.
Rosalie laughed, and then opened the bag and looked.
 There was packed into that little leather hand-bag everything to
make a perfect though not extravagant outfit. A coat and skirt that no
fashionable tailor would be ashamed to turn out, a pretty, simple
dress for household wear, the evening dress which she had worn the
other night, slippers, gloves, and all accessories. Last but not least,
there was a little box of jewellery in perfect taste and finish.
“Oh, Brightcoat, look, look!” she cried, as one after the other she
drew out those new delights. “Who can have done it? I don’t think it
could have been the Governor. I’m sure he never bothered much
about one’s clothes.”
And then the frog’s voice fell to a reverent whisper, so it almost
seemed.
“I once saw the Governor’s wife pack a Christmas box for a little
boy a long way off at school, and it was quite miraculous.”
“Was he her son?”
“Oh, no! At least, not exactly her son. But she was very fond of
him. She forgot nothing, and sent it in such little room that no one
thought she was sending anything much at all.”
“You have seen her, then?”
“Yes, I’ve seen her; and never anything more absolutely beautiful.
It was she who put her tender, gentle hand upon me when first I
came all dead and dull and stunned from Lucifram, and by her
radiating brightness changed my poor coat to brilliancy. But have
you turned out all the contents of your bag?”
“Yes. No. Here are two letters. One for me and one to Sir—John—
Crokerly. Who’s he, I wonder?”
“The man who lives here,” said the frog, who was primitive, and
believed in calling men men, and women women, with no thought of
discourtesy, but from lack of education in those matters.
“The gentleman,” said Rosalie. “He’s sure to be a gentleman if he
has a title. But how do you know his name?”
“Well, I heard someone speak of the—the lady last night as Miss
Crokerly, and they said something about Sir John. And putting two
and two together, I’ve come to the conclusion it is he who lives here.”
“How strange!”
“Stranger things have happened. Have you read your letter?”
 “No,” and she broke open the envelope. At first she read it
seriously, then burst out laughing.
“What is it?” asked Brightcoat eagerly, who, having long ago got
over the seriousness of vanity, could enjoy a joke.
“Oh, this letter! It’s been written in a kind of rhyme, and I’m sure I
don’t know what it means. It seems utter nonsense.”
“If it’s not very private, and you read it aloud, I might be able to
help you,” the frog replied courteously.
“Well, listen. There is no address. It begins:
“‘The road of Life
Is the path to my wife.
Its struggles and turmoils ended—
Horses so white they dazzle the sun,
A car of dazzling glory spun,
Driver all fearless of peril.
From depth to height the race is run,
The equipage right royal.
The meet a queen come decked as a queen
In shining garments past satin,
With pearl-sewn tears to laughter changed
And heart-blood drops to jewels.
A thousand colours of rainbow light
The trophies of many a hard-won fight,
Before pale faith was lost in sight
And eyes cease weeping on trial.
A driver find,
A purse well lined,
A gate and road all open.
And horses six,
To avoid the Styx,
Yet climb the invisible mountain.’

There now, Brightcoat, what do you think of that? Can you fathom it?
I think it’s a very charming puzzle.”
“Who do you think wrote it?”
“Why, the Governor! And out of compliment to his wife I feel
bound somehow or other to—to endeavour to accomplish the task set
me.”
“Horses so white they dazzle the sun, and six of them,” said
Brightcoat thoughtfully. “Do you think you’ll ever manage it?”
 “I don’t know. But there’s no harm in trying.” And she laughed
again, and was most becomingly dressed in no time.
Then together, the frog taking its accustomed place upon her
shoulder, they descended the staircase.
In the hall Miss Crokerly and her brother stood talking, he in a
thick overcoat ready for going out.
Rosalie approached and handed her letter to him, which he
received kindly, though with some surprise.
“I found it in my bag,” said she, “and had no idea it was there. I
think you are Sir John?”
“Yes.”
After he had read the letter enclosed, he handed it to his sister. She
read it with evident interest, then returned it to him, and holding out
her hand to the new-comer, said:
“We’re very pleased to receive you, Rosalie. And as long as you
care to stay with us you will be welcome, apart from any
considerations except those of friendship.”
“I’m afraid I’m too poor to accept your hospitality for a longer time
than it takes me to find work.”
“Poor? The letter to my brother is from the wealthiest banker of
our acquaintance, the safest and surest. And his statement proves
you anything but poor.”
Then Rosalie remembered the jewels she had found, and remained
silent. She had prized them very much and loved them, and now she
understood their value, in one of those flashes of perception that
occasionally comes to all of us.
After that Sir John went away, and Miss Crokerly led the way into
the dining-room, where breakfast was laid for Rosalie only, as the
others had long since had theirs.
And that day passed away as healthily and normally as Rosalie
could wish, and a morning’s shopping was quite a pleasant
recreation to her, and in fact the first of its kind she had ever
indulged in in her life.
For to be dumb is a great drawback, as most of us can understand,
and curtails most pleasures, little or big.
 And then for tea some very interesting people dropped in, or so
Rosalie found them, and altogether the weary, dead, dull, lonely level
of life seemed to have vanished.
 CHAPTER XXIII
THE SCANDAL OF THE TEMPLE

Now it chanced one night that Miss Crokerly wrote a letter after
the bag had gone to post, and Rosalie, seeing that it was dry and
frosty, had offered to take it to the pillar-box, which was a few
minutes’ walk away at the end of the next square. It was so pleasant
out of doors that she took the longest way, and having slipped the
letter in the box, prepared to take the same road back.
On turning a corner, her attention was attracted by someone
coming towards her, scarcely fifty yards away, reading a letter, so it
seemed to her, with apparently no more trouble than if it had been
daylight. But that fact, though it afterwards occurred to her, was
forgotten in the shock of recognising that here was Mr. Barringcourt.
Rosalie stood still under the gas-lamp, unable to move, paralysed
with fear. An instinct of safety should have made her move along, but
here she stood, courting observation by standing directly in the path,
with big wide eyes fixed upon his face. Just then he looked up with
bent brows and eyes. They came directly in contact with Rosalie’s
white and terrified face. In an instant his abstracted air vanished,
and a very present alertness took the place of his thoughts. Like a
flash of lightning Rosalie turned and sped the near way home,
reaching the safety of the doorstep in less than three minutes. She
did not stop to breathe till safe within the friendly shelter of the hall,
where something told her to regain a little composure, at any rate,
before appearing before Miss Crokerly. She went upstairs and
removed her hat and the rich evening wrap she had drawn round
her, sat down for a little while to recover her breath, and then
descended to the drawing-room again.
Miss Crokerly, intent upon some fine needlework, did not look up
on her entrance; but Rosalie had one friend whose eyes were sharper
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