Miss Winchelsea's Heart by H.G. Wells
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her nature had coarsened very_much, miss Winchelsea perceived, since_the old Training college days; she had become hard and cynical . she thought he had a weak face, mistaking refinement for weakness as people of her stamp are apt to_do, and when she heard his name was Snooks, she said she had expected something of_the sort . miss Winchelsea was careful to spare her own feelings after_that, but Fanny was less circumspect .

the girls parted in London, and miss Winchelsea returned, with a new interest in life, to_the Girls' high school in_which she had_been an increasingly valuable assistant for_the_last three years . her new interest in life was Fanny as a correspondent, and to_give her a lead she wrote her a lengthy descriptive letter within a fortnight of her return .Fanny answered, very disappointingly .Fanny indeed had no literary gift, but it_was new to miss Winchelsea to_find herself deploring the want of gifts in a friend . that letter was even criticised aloud in_the safe solitude of miss Winchelsea's study, and her criticism, spoken with great bitterness, was " twaddle ! " it_was full of just the things miss Winchelsea's letter had_been full of, particulars of_the school . and of Mr Snooks, only this much: " I_have_had a letter from Mr Snooks, and he has_been over to_see me on two Saturday afternoons running . he talked about Rome and you; we both talked about you . your ears must_have burnt, my dear .. ."

miss Winchelsea repressed a desire to demand more explicit information, and wrote the sweetest, long letter again ." tell me all about yourself, dear . that journey has quite refreshed our ancient friendship, and I do_so want to_keep in touch with_you ." about Mr Snooks she simply wrote on_the fifth page that she was glad Fanny had seen him, and_that if he _should ask after her, she was to_be remembered to him very kindly ( underlined) . and Fanny replied most obtusely in_the key of_that " ancient friendship," reminding miss Winchelsea of a dozen foolish things of_those old schoolgirl days at_the Training college, and saying not a word about Mr Snooks !

for nearly a week miss Winchelsea was so angry at_the failure of Fanny as a go- between that she_could_not write to her . and then she wrote less effusively, and in her letter she asked point- blank, " have_you seen Mr Snooks ? " Fanny's letter was unexpectedly satisfactory ." I_have_seen Mr Snooks," she wrote, and having once named him she kept on about him; it_was all Snooks--Snooks this and Snooks that . he_was to_give a public lecture, said Fanny, among other things . yet miss Winchelsea, after_the first glow of gratification, still found this letter a little unsatisfactory .Fanny did_not report Mr Snooks as saying anything about miss Winchelsea, nor as looking a little white and worn, as he ought_to_have been doing . and behold ! before she had replied, came a second letter from Fanny on_the same theme, quite agushing letter, and covering six sheets with her loose feminine hand .

and about_this second letter was a rather odd little thing that miss Winchelsea only noticed as she re- read it the third time .Fanny's natural femininity had prevailed even against the round and clear traditions of_the Training college; she was one of_those she-creatures born to_make all her m'_s and n'_s and u'_s and r'_s and e'_s alike, and to leave her o'_s and a'_s open and her i'_s undotted . so that_it_was only after an elaborate comparison of word with word that miss Winchelsea felt assured Mr Snooks was not really " Mr Snooks" at all ! in Fanny's first letter of gush he_was Mr "Snooks," in her second the spelling was changed to Mr "Senoks ." miss Winchelsea's hand positively trembled as she turned the sheet over-- it meant so_much to her . for_it had already begun to seem to her that even the name of Mrs Snooks might_be avoided at too great a price, and suddenly-- this possibility ! she turned over the six sheets, all dappled with_that critical name, and everywhere the first letter had the form of an _e ! for a time she walked the room with a hand pressed upon her heart .

she spent a whole day pondering this change, weighing a letter of inquiry that should_be at once discreet and effectual; weighing, too, what action she should take after_the answer came . she was resolved that if_this altered spelling was anything more than a quaint fancy of Fanny's, she_would write forthwith to Mr Snooks . she had now reached a stage when_the minor refinements of behaviour disappear . her excuse remained uninvented, but she had the subject of her letter clear in her mind, even to_the hint that " circumstances in my life have changed very greatly since we talked together ." but she never gave that hint . there came a third letter from_that fitful correspondent Fanny . the first line proclaimed her " the happiest girl alive ."

miss Winchelsea crushed the letter in her hand-- the rest unread-- and sat with her face suddenly very still . she had received it just before morning school, and had opened it when_the junior mathematicians were well under way . presently she resumed reading with an appearance of great calm . but after_the first sheet she went on reading the third without discovering the error:--" told him frankly I_did_not like his name," the third sheet began ." he_told me he_did_not like it himself-- you_know that sort of sudden, frank way he has"-- miss Winchelsea did know ." so I_said, 'couldn't you change it ? ' he didn't see it at first . well, you_know, dear, he had told me what it really meant; it means Sevenoaks, only it has got down to Snooks-- both Snooks and Noaks, dreadfully vulgar surnames though they be, are really worn forms of Sevenoaks . so I_said-- even I_have my bright ideas at times--' if_it got down from Sevenoaks to Snooks, why_not get it back from Snooks to Sevenoaks ? ' and_the long and_the short of it_is, dear, he couldn't refuse me, and he changed his spelling there and then to Senoks for_the bills of_the new lecture . and afterwards, when we_are married, we_shall put in_the apostrophe and make it Se'noks .Wasn't it kind of him to mind that fancy of_mine, when many men would_have taken offence ? but it_is just like him all over; he_is as kind as he_is clever . because he_knew as_well as I_did that i_would_have had him in_spite of it, had he been ten times Snooks . but he_did it all the same ."

the class was startled by_the sound of paper being viciously torn, and looked up to_see miss Winchelsea white in_the face and with some very_small pieces of paper clenched in one hand . for a few seconds they stared at her stare, and then her expression changed back to a more familiar one ." has any_one finished number three ? " she asked in an even tone . she remained calm after_that . but impositions ruled high that day . and she spent two laborious evenings writing letters of various sorts to Fanny, before she found a decent congratulatory vein . her reason struggled hopelessly against the persuasion that Fanny had behaved in an exceedingly treacherous manner .

one may_be extremely refined and still capable of a very sore heart . certainly miss Winchelsea's heart was very sore . she had moods of sexual hostility, in_which she generalised uncharitably about mankind ." he forgot himself with me," she said ." but Fanny is pink and pretty and soft and a fool--a very excellent match for a man ." and by way of awedding present she sent Fanny agracefully bound volume of poetry by George Meredith, and Fanny wrote back a grossly happy letter to_say that_it_was "_all_ beautiful ." miss Winchelsea hoped that some day Mr Senoks might take up that slim book and think for a moment of_the donor .Fanny wrote several_times before and about her marriage, pursuing that fond legend of_their " ancient friendship," and giving her happiness in_the fullest detail . and miss Winchelsea wrote to Helen for_the first time after_the Roman journey, saying nothing about_the marriage, but expressing very cordial feelings .

they had_been in Rome at Easter, and Fanny was married in_the August vacation . she wrote a garrulous letter to miss Winchelsea, describing her home-coming and_the astonishing arrangements of_their "teeny, weeny" little house .Mr Se'noks was now beginning to assume a refinement in miss Winchelsea's memory out of all proportion to_the facts of_the case, and she tried in vain to imagine his cultured greatness in a"teeny weeny" little house ."Am busy enamelling a cosy corner," said Fanny, sprawling to_the end of her third sheet, " so excuse more ." miss Winchelsea answered in her best style, gently poking fun at Fanny's arrangements, and hoping intensely that Mr Se'noks might see the letter . only this hope enabled her to write at all, answering not_only that letter but one in November and one at Christmas .

the two latter communications contained urgent invitations for her to_come to Steely bank on a visit during the Christmas holidays . she tried to_think that he had told her to ask that, but it_was too_much like Fanny's opulent good- nature . she_could_not but believe that he_must_be sick of_his blunder by_this_time; and she had more than a hope_that he_would presently write her a letter beginning " dear friend ." something subtly tragic in_the separation was a great support to her, a sad misunderstanding . to_have_been jilted would_have_been intolerable . but he never wrote that letter beginning " dear friend ."

for two years miss Winchelsea could_not go to_see her friends, in_spite of_the reiterated invitations of Mrs Sevenoaks-- it became full Sevenoaks in_the second year . then one day near the Easter rest she felt lonely and without a soul to understand her in_the_world, and her mind ran once more on what_is called Platonic friendship .Fanny was clearly happy and busy in her new sphere of domesticity, but no_doubt he had his lonely hours . did he ever think of_those days in Rome, gone now beyond recalling ? no one had understood her as he had done; no one in all the world . it would_be a sort of melancholy pleasure to_talk to him again, and what harm could it do ? why should she deny herself ? that night she wrote a sonnet, all but the last two lines of_the octave-- which would_not come; and_the next_day she composed a graceful little note to_tell Fanny she was coming down .

and so she saw him again .

even at_the first encounter it_was evident he had changed; he_seemed stouter and less nervous, and it speedily appeared that his conversation had already lost much of_its old delicacy . there even seemed a justification for Helen's description of weakness in_his face-- in certain lights it_was weak . he_seemed busy and preoccupied about his affairs, and almost under the impression that miss Winchelsea had come for_the sake of Fanny . he discussed his dinner with Fanny in an intelligent way . they only had one good long talk together, and_that came to nothing . he_did_not refer to Rome, and spent some_time abusing a man who had stolen an idea he had had for a text- book . it did_not seem a very wonderful idea to miss Winchelsea . she discovered he had forgotten the names of more than half the painters whose work they had rejoiced over in Florence .

it_was a sadly disappointing week, and miss Winchelsea was glad when it came to an end . under various excuses she avoided visiting them again . after a time the visitor's room was occupied by their two little boys, and Fanny's invitations ceased . the intimacy of her letters had long since faded away .

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