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           MrsBolton,ofcourse,wasverywarmwhenshe’talkedTevershall’.Carriedaway,infact.Anditwasmarvellous,thethingsthathappenedandthatsheknewabout.Shewouldhaveruntodozensofvolumes.

           Conniewasfascinated,listeningtoher.Butafterwardsalwaysalittleashamed.Sheoughtnottolistenwiththisqueerrabidcuriosity.Afterall,onemayhearthemostprivateaffairsofotherpeople,butonlyinaspiritofrespectforthestruggling,batteredthingwhichanyhumansoulis,andinaspiritoffine,discriminativesympathy.Forevensatireisaformofsympathy.Itisthewayoursympathyflowsandrecoilsthatreallydeterminesourlives.Andhereliesthevastimportanceofthenovel,properlyhandled.Itcaninformandleadintonewplacestheflowofoursympatheticconsciousness,anditcanleadoursympathyawayinrecoilfromthingsgonedead.Therefore,thenovel,properlyhandled,canrevealthemostsecretplacesoflife:foritisinthepassionalsecretplacesoflife,aboveall,thatthetideofsensitiveawarenessneedstoebbandflow,cleansingandfreshening.

           Butthenovel,likegossip,canalsoexcitespurioussympathiesandrecoils,mechanicalanddeadeningtothepsyche.Thenovelcanglorifythemostcorruptfeelings,solongastheyareconventionally’pure’.Thenthenovel,likegossip,becomesatlastvicious,and,likegossip,allthemoreviciousbecauseitisalwaysostensiblyonthesideoftheangels.MrsBolton’sgossipwasalwaysonthesideoftheangels.’Andhewassuchabadfellow,andshewassuchanicewoman.