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41 views50 pages

(Ebook PDF) Exploring Microsoft Office Excel 2016 Comprehensive

The document provides links to various comprehensive eBooks focused on Microsoft Office applications, specifically Excel and Access, available for download on ebookluna.com. It includes detailed contents and chapters covering features, functions, data management, and analysis tools within Excel 2016 and 2019. The document promotes instant access to digital formats like PDF, ePub, and MOBI for enhanced reading experiences.

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dehemdonald
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Contents
Microsoft Office 2016
■ CHAPTER ONE Office 2016 Common Features: Taking the First Step 2
CASE STUDY SPOTTED BEGONIA ART GALLERY 2 MODIFY DOCUMENT LAYOUT AND PROPERTIES 42
GETTING STARTED WITH OFFICE APPLICATIONS 4 Using Backstage View 42
Starting an Office Application 4 Changing the Document View 44
Working with Files 5 Changing the Page Layout 45
Using Common Interface Components 8 Inserting a Header and Footer 48
Getting Help 15 Previewing and Printing a File 49
Installing Add-ins 17 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Modify Document Layout and Properties 51
Getting Started with Office Applications 19 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 56
FORMAT DOCUMENT CONTENT 24 KEY TERMS MATCHING 58
Using Templates and Applying Themes 24 MULTIPLE CHOICE 59
Modifying Text 26 PRACTICE EXERCISES 60
Relocating Text 30 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 64
Checking Spelling and Grammar 32 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 66
Working with Pictures and Graphics 34 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 67
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2
Format Document Content 37

Microsoft Office Excel 2016


■ CHAPTER ONE Introduction to Excel: Creating and Formatting
a Worksheet 68
CASE STUDY OK OFFICE SYSTEMS 68 WORKSHEET FORMATTING 110
INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEETS 70 Applying Cell Styles, Alignment, and Font Options 110
Exploring the Excel Window 70 Applying Number Formats 113
Entering and Editing Cell Data 73 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Worksheet Formatting 116
Introduction to Spreadsheets 79 WORKSHEETS, PAGE SETUP, AND PRINTING 121
MATHEMATICAL OPERATIONS AND FORMULAS 83 Managing Worksheets 121
Creating Formulas 83 Selecting Page Setup Options 123
Displaying Cell Formulas 86 Previewing and Printing a Worksheet 129
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 5
Mathematical Operations and Formulas 88 Worksheets, Page Setup, and Printing 131
WORKSHEET STRUCTURE AND CLIPBOARD CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 135
TASKS 93 KEY TERMS MATCHING 137
Managing Columns and Rows 93 MULTIPLE CHOICE 138
Selecting, Moving, Copying, and Pasting Data 98 PRACTICE EXERCISES 139
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 145
Worksheet Structure and Clipboard Tasks 104 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 148
CAPSTONE EXERCISE 149

Contents vii
■ CHAPTER TWO Formulas and Functions: Performing Quantitative Analysis 152
CASE STUDY TOWNSEND MORTGAGE COMPANY 152 LOGICAL, LOOKUP, AND FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS 174
FORMULA BASICS 154 Determining Results with the IF Function 174
Using Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Cell Using Lookup Functions 177
References in Formulas 154 Calculating Payments with the PMT Function 180
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
Formula Basics 158 Logical, Lookup, and Financial Functions 182
FUNCTION BASICS 161 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 187
Inserting a Function 161 KEY TERMS MATCHING 188
Inserting Basic Math and Statistics Functions 163 MULTIPLE CHOICE 189
Using Date Functions 167 PRACTICE EXERCISES 190
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 193
Function Basics 169 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 196
CAPSTONE EXERCISE 197

■ CHAPTER THREE Charts: Depicting Data Visually 198


CASE STUDY COMPUTER JOB OUTLOOK 198 Modifying the Data Source 241
CHART BASICS 200 Creating and Customizing Sparklines 243
Selecting the Data Source 200 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
Choosing a Chart Type 202 Chart Design and Sparklines 246
Moving, Sizing, and Printing a Chart 214
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 249
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 KEY TERMS MATCHING 251
Chart Basics 218 MULTIPLE CHOICE 252
CHART ELEMENTS 224 PRACTICE EXERCISES 253
Adding, Editing, and Formatting Chart Elements 225 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 257
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 260
Chart Elements 235 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 261

CHART DESIGN AND SPARKLINES 240


Applying a Chart Style and Colors 240

■ CHAPTER FOUR Datasets and Tables: Managing Large Volumes of Data 262


CASE STUDY REID FURNITURE STORE 262 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
LARGE DATASETS 264 Table Manipulation 295
Freezing Rows and Columns 265 TABLE AGGREGATION AND CONDITIONAL FORMATTING 302
Printing Large Datasets 266 Adding a Total Row 302
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Applying Conditional Formatting 304
Large Datasets 270 Creating a New Rule 309
EXCEL TABLES 275 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
Understanding the Benefits of Data Tables 275 Table Aggregation and Conditional Formatting 312
Designing and Creating Tables 275 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 317
Applying a Table Style 280 KEY TERMS MATCHING 318
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MULTIPLE CHOICE 319
Excel Tables 282 PRACTICE EXERCISES 320
TABLE MANIPULATION 287 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 324
Creating Structured References in Formulas 287 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 326
Sorting Data 288 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 327
Filtering Data 290

viii Contents
■ CHAPTER FIVE  ubtotals, PivotTables, and PivotCharts:
S
Summarizing and Analyzing Data 328
CASE STUDY IVORY HALLS PUBLISHING COMPANY 328 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
SUBTOTALS AND OUTLINES 330 PivotTable Options 364
Subtotaling Data 330 DATA MODELING AND PIVOTCHARTS 369
Grouping and Ungrouping Data 333 Creating a Data Model 369
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Creating a PivotChart 372
Subtotals and Outlines 335 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
PIVOTTABLE BASICS 339 Data Modeling and PivotCharts 374
Creating a PivotTable 339 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 379
Modifying a PivotTable 343 KEY TERMS MATCHING 381
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MULTIPLE CHOICE 382
PivotTable Basics 350 PRACTICE EXERCISES 384
PIVOTTABLE OPTIONS 355 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 389
Filtering and Slicing a PivotTable 355 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 392
Creating a Calculated Field 359 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 393
Changing the PivotTable Design 362

■ CHAPTER SIX What-If Analysis: Using Decision-Making Tools 396


CASE STUDY PERSONAL FINANCE: BUYING YOUR HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
FIRST HOME 396 Goal Seek and Scenario Manager 424
RANGE NAMES 398 SOLVER 428
Creating and Maintaining Range Names 398 Loading the Solver Add-In 428
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Optimizing Results with Solver 429
Range Names 402 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
ONE- AND TWO-VARIABLE DATA TABLES 406 Solver 435
Creating a One-Variable Data Table 406 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 440
Creating a Two-Variable Data Table 410 KEY TERMS MATCHING 441
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MULTIPLE CHOICE 442
One- and Two-Variable Data Tables 413 PRACTICE EXERCISES 443
GOAL SEEK AND SCENARIO MANAGER 418 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 447
Determining Optimal Input Values Using BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 450
Goal Seek 418 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 451
Using Scenario Manager 419

■ CHAPTER SEVEN Specialized Functions: Using Date, Logical, Lookup,


Database, and Financial Functions 454
CASE STUDY TRANSPAYNE FILTRATION 454 FINANCIAL FUNCTIONS 482
DATE, LOGICAL, AND LOOKUP FUNCTIONS 456 Using Financial Functions 482
Using Date Functions 456 Creating a Loan Amortization Table 484
Creating a Nested Logical Function 457 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
Using Advanced Lookup Functions 462 Financial Functions 488
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 493
Date, Logical, and Lookup Functions 466 KEY TERMS MATCHING 494
DATABASE FILTERING AND FUNCTIONS 471 MULTIPLE CHOICE 495
Applying Advanced Filtering 471 PRACTICE EXERCISES 496
Manipulating Data with Database Functions 475 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 502
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 506
Database Filtering and Functions 478 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 507

Contents ix
■ CHAPTER EIGHT Statistical Functions: Analyzing Statistics 510
CASE STUDY EDUCATION EVALUATION 510 INFERENTIAL STATISTICS 534
MATH AND STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS 512 Loading the Analysis ToolPak 534
Using Conditional Math and Statistical Performing Analysis Using the Analysis ToolPak 535
Functions 512 Creating a Forecast Sheet 538
Calculating Relative Standing with Statistical HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
Functions 516 Inferential Statistics 540
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 545
Math and Statistical Functions 520 KEY TERMS MATCHING 546
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS 525 MULTIPLE CHOICE 547
Measuring Central Tendency 525 PRACTICE EXERCISES 548
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 552
Descriptive Statistical Functions 531 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 555
CAPSTONE EXERCISE 556

■ CHAPTER NINE  ultiple-Sheet Workbook Management:


M
Ensuring Quality Control 558
CASE STUDY CIRCLE CITY SPORTING GOODS 558 FORMULA AUDITS AND DATA VALIDATION 585
MULTIPLE WORKSHEETS 560 Auditing Formulas 586
Working with Grouped Worksheets 560 Setting Up a Watch Window 589
Inserting Hyperlinks 563 Validating Data 590
Managing Windows 565 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Formula Audits and Data Validation 594
Multiple Worksheets 569 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 600
3-D FORMULAS AND LINKED WORKBOOKS 574 KEY TERMS MATCHING 602
Inserting Formulas and Functions with 3-D MULTIPLE CHOICE 603
References 574 PRACTICE EXERCISES 604
Linking Workbooks 577 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 609
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 612
3-D Formulas and Linked Workbooks 581 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 613

■ CHAPTER TEN Imports, XML, and Power Add-Ins: Managing Data 616
CASE STUDY STOCK ANALYSIS 616 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
EXTERNAL DATA 618 XML 642
Importing Data from External Sources 618 POWER ADD-INS 644
Managing Connections 624 Using Power Pivot Functionality 644
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Importing Data with Power Query 646
External Data 627 Visualizing Data with Power View 648
TEXT MANIPULATION 630 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
Converting Text to Columns 630 Power Add-Ins 650
Manipulating Text with Functions 631 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 656
Using Flash Fill 633 KEY TERMS MATCHING 657
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 MULTIPLE CHOICE 658
Text Manipulation 634 PRACTICE EXERCISES 659
XML 638 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 664
Understanding XML Syntax 638 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 666
Importing XML Data into Excel 640 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 667

x Contents
■ CHAPTER ELEVEN  ollaboration and Workbook Distribution:
C
Sharing Data with Others 670
CASE STUDY MARCHING BAND SENIOR DINNER 670 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
WORKBOOK CUSTOMIZATION 672 Workbook Information 709
Customizing Excel Options 672 WORKBOOK DISTRIBUTION 713
Changing Properties 677 Saving a Workbook in Different Formats 713
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 Sending a Workbook to Others 715
Workbook Customization 680 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
COLLABORATION 683 Workbook Distribution 719
Inserting Comments 683 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 722
Sharing and Merging Workbooks 686 KEY TERMS MATCHING 724
Tracking Changes 690 MULTIPLE CHOICE 725
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 PRACTICE EXERCISES 726
Collaboration 694 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 730
WORKBOOK INFORMATION 701 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 733
Checking for Issues 701 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 734
Protecting a Workbook 705

■ CHAPTER TWELVE  emplates, Styles, and Macros: Standardizing


T
Workbooks 736
CASE STUDY STAFF ACCOUNTING SERVICES 736 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 3
TEMPLATES, THEMES, AND STYLES 738 Macros 768
Selecting a Template 738 VISUAL BASIC FOR APPLICATIONS 773
Applying Themes and Backgrounds 739 Creating a Sub Procedure 773
Applying Cell Styles 741 Creating a Custom Function 776
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 1 HANDS-ON EXERCISES 4
Templates, Themes, and Styles 745 Visual Basic for Applications 778
CUSTOM TEMPLATES AND WORKBOOK PROTECTION 749 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES REVIEW 781
Creating and Using a Template 749 KEY TERMS MATCHING 782
Protecting a Cell, a Worksheet, and a Workbook 750 MULTIPLE CHOICE 783
HANDS-ON EXERCISES 2 PRACTICE EXERCISES 784
Custom Templates and Workbook Protection 755 MID-LEVEL EXERCISES 788
MACROS 761 BEYOND THE CLASSROOM 790
Creating a Macro 761 CAPSTONE EXERCISE 791
Creating Macro Buttons 764
Setting Macro Security 766

Application Capstone Exercises


Excel Introductory Capstone Exercise (Chs. 1–4) 792
Excel Comprehensive Capstone Exercise (Chs. 5–12) 795
MICROSOFT OFFICE 2016 SPECIALIST EXCEL 799

GLOSSARY 807

INDEX 817

Contents xi
Acknowledgments
The Exploring team would like to acknowledge and thank all the reviewers who helped us throughout the years by providing us with their
invaluable comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism.

Adriana Lumpkin Brian Powell Dawn Medlin


Midland College West Virginia University Appalachian State University
Alan S. Abrahams Carol Buser Debby Keen
Virginia Tech Owens Community College University of Kentucky
Alexandre C. Probst Carol Roberts Debra Chapman
Colorado Christian University University of Maine University of South Alabama
Ali Berrached Carolyn Barren Debra Hoffman
University of Houston–Downtown Macomb Community College Southeast Missouri State
University
Allen Alexander Carolyn Borne
Delaware Technical & Community College Louisiana State University Derrick Huang
Florida Atlantic University
Andrea Marchese Cathy Poyner
Maritime College, State University of Truman State University Diana Baran
New York Henry Ford Community College
Charles Hodgson
Andrew Blitz Delgado Community College Diane Cassidy
Broward College; Edison State College The University of North Carolina at
Chen Zhang
Charlotte
Angel Norman Bryant University
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Diane L. Smith
Cheri Higgins
Henry Ford Community College
Angela Clark Illinois State University
University of South Alabama Dick Hewer
Cheryl Brown
Ferris State College
Ann Rovetto Delgado Community College
Horry-Georgetown Technical College Don Danner
Cheryl Hinds
San Francisco State University
Astrid Todd Norfolk State University
Guilford Technical Community College Don Hoggan
Cheryl Sypniewski
Solano College
Audrey Gillant Macomb Community College
Maritime College, State University of Don Riggs
Chris Robinson
New York SUNY Schenectady County Community
Northwest State Community College
College
Barbara Stover Cindy Herbert
Marion Technical College Doncho Petkov
Metropolitan Community College–Longview
Eastern Connecticut State University
Barbara Tollinger Craig J. Peterson
Sinclair Community College Donna Ehrhart
American InterContinental University
State University of New York at
Ben Brahim Taha Dana Hooper Brockport
Auburn University University of Alabama
Elaine Crable
Beverly Amer Dana Johnson Xavier University
Northern Arizona University North Dakota State University
Elizabeth Duett
Beverly Fite Daniela Marghitu Delgado Community College
Amarillo College Auburn University
Erhan Uskup
Biswadip Ghosh David Noel Houston Community College–Northwest
Metropolitan State University of Denver University of Central Oklahoma
Eric Martin
Bonita Volker David Pulis University of Tennessee
Tidewater Community College Maritime College, State University of
Erika Nadas
Bonnie Homan New York
Wilbur Wright College
San Francisco State University David Thornton
Floyd Winters
Brad West Jacksonville State University
Manatee Community College
Sinclair Community College

xii Acknowledgments
Frank Lucente Jill Young Linda Johnsonius
Westmoreland County Community College Southeast Missouri State University Murray State University
G. Jan Wilms Jim Chaffee Linda Lau
Union University The University of Iowa Tippie College of Longwood University
Business Linda Theus
Gail Cope
Sinclair Community College Joanne Lazirko Jackson State Community College
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Linda Williams
Gary DeLorenzo
California University of Pennsylvania Jodi Milliner Marion Technical College
Kansas State University Lisa Miller
Gary Garrison
Belmont University John Hollenbeck University of Central Oklahoma
Blue Ridge Community College Lister Horn
Gary McFall
Purdue University John Seydel Pensacola Junior College
Arkansas State University Lixin Tao
George Cassidy
Sussex County Community College Judith A. Scheeren Pace University
Westmoreland County Community College Loraine Miller
Gerald Braun
Xavier University Judith Brown Cayuga Community College
The University of Memphis Lori Kielty
Gerald Burgess
Western New Mexico University Juliana Cypert Central Florida Community College
Tarrant County College Lorna Wells
Gladys Swindler
Fort Hays State University Kamaljeet Sanghera Salt Lake Community College
George Mason University Lorraine Sauchin
Hector Frausto
California State University Karen Priestly Duquesne University
Los Angeles Northern Virginia Community College Lucy Parakhovnik
Heith Hennel Karen Ravan California State University, Northridge
Valencia Community College Spartanburg Community College Lynn Keane
Henry Rudzinski Karen Tracey University of South Carolina
Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University Lynn Mancini
Irene Joos Kathleen Brenan Delaware Technical Community College
La Roche College Ashland University Mackinzee Escamilla
Iwona Rusin Ken Busbee South Plains College
Baker College; Davenport University Houston Community College Marcia Welch
J. Roberto Guzman Kent Foster Highline Community College
San Diego Mesa College Winthrop University Margaret McManus
Jacqueline D. Lawson Kevin Anderson Northwest Florida State College
Henry Ford Community College Solano Community College Margaret Warrick
Jakie Brown Jr. Kim Wright Allan Hancock College
Stevenson University The University of Alabama Marilyn Hibbert
James Brown Kristen Hockman Salt Lake Community College
Central Washington University University of Missouri–Columbia Mark Choman
James Powers Kristi Smith Luzerne County Community College
University of Southern Indiana Allegany College of Maryland Maryann Clark
Jane Stam Laura Marcoulides University of New Hampshire
Onondaga Community College Fullerton College Mary Beth Tarver
Janet Bringhurst Laura McManamon Northwestern State University
Utah State University University of Dayton Mary Duncan
Jean Welsh Laurence Boxer University of Missouri–St. Louis
Lansing Community College Niagara University Melissa Nemeth
Jeanette Dix Leanne Chun Indiana University-Purdue University
Ivy Tech Community College Leeward Community College Indianapolis
Jennifer Day Lee McClain Melody Alexander
Sinclair Community College Western Washington University Ball State University
Jill Canine Linda D. Collins Michael Douglas
Ivy Tech Community College Mesa Community College University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Acknowledgments xiii
Michael Dunklebarger Richard Cacace Sue A. McCrory
Alamance Community College Pensacola Junior College Missouri State University
Michael G. Skaff Richard Hewer Sumathy Chandrashekar
College of the Sequoias Ferris State University Salisbury University
Michele Budnovitch Richard Sellers Susan Fuschetto
Pennsylvania College of Technology Hill College Cerritos College
Mike Jochen Rob Murray Susan Medlin
East Stroudsburg University Ivy Tech Community College UNC Charlotte
Mike Michaelson Robert Banta Susan N. Dozier
Palomar College Macomb Community College Tidewater Community College
Mike Scroggins Robert Dus̆ek Suzan Spitzberg
Missouri State University Northern Virginia Community College Oakton Community College
Mimi Spain Robert G. Phipps Jr. Suzanne M. Jeska
Southern Maine Community College West Virginia University County College of Morris
Muhammed Badamas Robert Sindt Sven Aelterman
Morgan State University Johnson County Community College Troy University
NaLisa Brown Robert Warren Sy Hirsch
University of the Ozarks Delgado Community College Sacred Heart University
Nancy Grant Rocky Belcher Sylvia Brown
Community College of Allegheny County– Sinclair Community College Midland College
South Campus Roger Pick Tanya Patrick
Nanette Lareau University of Missouri at Kansas City Clackamas Community College
University of Arkansas Community Ronnie Creel Terri Holly
College–Morrilton Troy University Indian River State College
Nikia Robinson Rosalie Westerberg Terry Ray Rigsby
Indian River State University Clover Park Technical College Hill College
Pam Brune Ruth Neal Thomas Rienzo
Chattanooga State Community College Navarro College Western Michigan University
Pam Uhlenkamp Sandra Thomas Tina Johnson
Iowa Central Community College Troy University Midwestern State University
Patrick Smith Sheila Gionfriddo Tommy Lu
Marshall Community and Technical College Luzerne County Community College Delaware Technical Community College
Paul Addison Sherrie Geitgey Troy S. Cash
Ivy Tech Community College Northwest State Community College Northwest Arkansas Community College
Paula Ruby Sherry Lenhart Vicki Robertson
Arkansas State University Terra Community College Southwest Tennessee Community
Peggy Burrus Sophia Wilberscheid Vickie Pickett
Red Rocks Community College Indian River State College Midland College
Peter Ross Sophie Lee Weifeng Chen
SUNY Albany California State University, California University of Pennsylvania
Philip H. Nielson Long Beach Wes Anthony
Salt Lake Community College Stacy Johnson Houston Community College
Philip Valvalides Iowa Central Community College William Ayen
Guilford Technical Community College Stephanie Kramer University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Ralph Hooper Northwest State Community College Wilma Andrews
University of Alabama Stephen Z. Jourdan Virginia Commonwealth University
Ranette Halverson Auburn University at Montgomery Yvonne Galusha
Midwestern State University Steven Schwarz University of Iowa
Richard Blamer Raritan Valley Community College
John Carroll University

xiv Acknowledgments
Special thanks to our content development and technical team:

Barbara Stover Janet Pickard


Lori Damanti Steven Rubin
Elizabeth Lockley Lhe Smith
Joyce Nielsen Mara Zebest

Acknowledgments xv
Preface
The Exploring Series and You
Exploring is Pearson’s Office Application series that requires students like you to think “beyond the point
and click.” In this edition, we have worked to restructure the Exploring experience around the way you,
today’s modern student, actually use your resources.
The goal of Exploring is, as it has always been, to go farther than teaching just the steps to accomplish
a task—the series provides the theoretical foundation for you to understand when and why to apply a
skill. As a result, you achieve a deeper understanding of each application and can apply this critical
thinking beyond Office and the classroom.

The How & Why of This Revision


Outcomes matter. Whether it’s getting a good grade in this course, learning how to use Excel so
students can be successful in other courses, or learning a specific skill that will make learners successful
in a future job, everyone has an outcome in mind. And outcomes matter. That is why we revised our
chapter opener to focus on the outcomes students will achieve by working through each Exploring
chapter. These are coupled with objectives and skills, providing a map students can follow to get
everything they need from each chapter.
Critical Thinking and Collaboration are essential 21st century skills. Students want and need
to be successful in their future careers—so we used motivating case studies to show relevance of these
skills to future careers and incorporated Soft Skills, Collaboration, and Analysis Cases with Critical
Thinking steps in this edition to set students up for success in the future.
Students today read, prepare, and study differently than students used to. Students use
textbooks like a tool—they want to easily identify what they need to know and learn it efficiently. We
have added key features such as Tasks Lists (in purple), Step Icons, Hands-On Exercise Videos, and
tracked everything via page numbers that allow efficient navigation, creating a map students can easily
follow.
Students are exposed to technology. The new edition of Exploring moves beyond the basics of the
software at a faster pace, without sacrificing coverage of the fundamental skills that students need to
know.
Students are diverse. Students can be any age, any gender, any race, with any level of ability or
learning style. With this in mind, we broadened our definition of “student resources” to include physical
Student Reference cards, Hands-On Exercise videos to provide a secondary lecture-like option of review;
and MyITLab, the most powerful and most ADA-compliant online homework and assessment tool
around with a direct 1:1 content match with the Exploring Series. Exploring will be accessible to all
students, regardless of learning style.

Providing You with a Map to Success to Move


Beyond the Point and Click
All of these changes and additions will provide students an easy and efficient path to follow to be
successful in this course, regardless of where they start at the beginning of this course. Our goal is to
keep students engaged in both the hands-on and conceptual sides, helping achieve a higher level of
understanding that will guarantee success in this course and in a future career.
In addition to the vision and experience of the series creator, Robert T. Grauer, we have assembled a
tremendously talented team of Office Applications authors who have devoted themselves to teaching
the ins and outs of Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. Led in this edition by series editor
Mary Anne Poatsy, the whole team is dedicated to the Exploring mission of moving students beyond
the point and click.

xvi Preface
Key Features
The How/Why Approach helps students move beyond the point and click to a true understanding of
how to apply Microsoft Office skills.

• White Pages/Yellow Pages clearly distinguish the theory (white pages) from the skills covered in
the Hands-On Exercises (yellow pages) so students always know what they are supposed to be doing
and why.

• Case Study presents a scenario for the chapter, creating a story that ties the Hands-On Exercises
together.

• Hands-On Exercise Videos are tied to each Hands-On Exercise and walk students through the
steps of the exercise while weaving in conceptual information related to the Case Study and the
objectives as a whole.

The Outcomes focus allows students and instructors to know the higher-level learning goals and how
those are achieved through discreet objectives and skills.
• Outcomes presented at the beginning of each chapter identify the learning goals for students and
instructors.

• Enhanced Objective Mapping enables students to follow a directed path through each chapter,
from the objectives list at the chapter opener through the exercises at the end of the chapter.
• Objectives List: This provides a simple list of key objectives covered in the chapter. This includes
page numbers so students can skip between objectives where they feel they need the most help.
• Step Icons: These icons appear in the white pages and reference the step numbers in the Hands-
On Exercises, providing a correlation between the two so students can easily find conceptual help
when they are working hands-on and need a refresher.
• Quick Concepts Check: A series of questions that appear briefly at the end of each white
page section. These questions cover the most essential concepts in the white pages required for
students to be successful in working the Hands-On Exercises. Page numbers are included for easy
reference to help students locate the answers.
• Chapter Objectives Review: Appears toward the end of the chapter and reviews all important
concepts throughout the chapter. Newly designed in an easy-to-read bulleted format.

• MOS Certification Guide for instructors and students to direct anyone interested in prepping for
Watch the Video the MOS exam to the specific locations to find all content required for the test.
for this Hands-
On Exercise!
End-of-Chapter Exercises offer instructors several options for assessment. Each chapter has
approximately 11–12 exercises ranging from multiple choice questions to open-ended projects.

• Multiple Choice, Key Terms Matching, Practice Exercises, Mid-Level Exercises, Beyond
ANALYSIS the Classroom Exercises, and Capstone Exercises appear at the end of all chapters.
CASE • Enhanced Mid-Level Exercises include a Creative Case (for PowerPoint and Word), which
allows students some flexibility and creativity, not being bound by a definitive solution, and an
CREATIVE Analysis Case (for Excel and Access), which requires students to interpret the data they are
CASE using to answer an analytic question, as well as Discover Steps, which encourage students to
use Help or to problem-solve to accomplish a task.

• Application Capstone exercises are included in the book to allow instructors to test students on
HOE1 Training Grader
the entire contents of a single application.

Key Features xvii


Resources
Instructor Resources
The Instructor’s Resource Center, available at www.pearsonhighered.com, includes the
­following:
• Instructor Manual provides one-stop-shop for instructors, including an overview of all available
resources, teaching tips, as well as student data and solution files for every exercise.

• Solution Files with Scorecards assist with grading the Hands-On Exercises and end-of-chapter
exercises.

• Prepared Exams allow instructors to assess all skills covered in a chapter with a single project.

• Rubrics for Mid-Level Creative Cases and Beyond the Classroom Cases in Microsoft Word format
enable instructors to customize the assignments for their classes.

• PowerPoint Presentations with notes for each chapter are included for out-of-class study or
review.
• Multiple Choice, Key Term Matching, and Quick Concepts Check Answer Keys

• Test Bank provides objective-based questions for every chapter.

• Scripted Lectures offer an in-class lecture guide for instructors to mirror the Hands-On Exercises.

• Syllabus Templates
• Outcomes, Objectives, and Skills List
• Assignment Sheet
• File Guide

Student Resources
Student Data Files
Access your student data files needed to complete the exercises in this textbook at
www.pearsonhighered.com/exploring.

Available in MyITLab
• Hands-On Exercise Videos allow students to review and study the concepts taught in the Hands-
On Exercises.
• Audio PowerPoints provide a lecture review of the chapter content, and include narration.
• Multiple Choice quizzes enable you to test concepts you have learned by answering auto-graded
questions.
• Book-specific 1:1 Simulations allow students to practice in the simulated Microsoft Office 2016
environment using hi-fidelity, HTML5 simulations that directly match the content in the Hands-On
Exercises.
• eText available in some MyITLab courses and includes links to videos, student data files, and other
learning aids.
• Book-specific 1:1 Grader Projects allow students to complete end-of-chapter Capstone Exercises
live in Microsoft Office 2016 and receive immediate feedback on their performance through various
reports.

xviii Resources
(ex•ploring)
S E RIE S

1. Investigating in a systematic way: examining. 2. Searching into


or ranging over for the purpose of discovery.

Microsoft
®

Excel 2016 COMPREHENSIVE


Common
Features Office 2016
Common Features
Learning You will apply skills common across the Microsoft Office suite to create and format
Outcome documents and edit content in Office 2016 applications.

OBJECTIVES & SKILLS: After you read this chapter, you will be able to:

Getting Started with Office Applications Objective 8: Relocate text 30


Cut, Copy, and Paste Text; Use the Office Clipboard
Objective 1: Start an Office application 4 Objective 9: Check spelling and grammar 32
Open a Microsoft Office Application, Change Your Check Spelling and Grammar
Microsoft Account Objective 10: Work with pictures and graphics 34
Objective 2: Work with files 5 Insert Pictures and Graphics, Resize and Format
Create a New File, Open a File, Save a File Pictures and Graphics
Objective 3: Use common interface components 8
Use the Ribbon, Use a Shortcut Menu, Use Keyboard Hands-On Exercise 2:
Format Document Content 37
Shortcuts, Customize the Ribbon, Use the Quick
Access Toolbar, Customize the Quick Access Toolbar
Objective 4: Get help 15 Modify Document Layout and Properties
Use the Tell me what you want to do Box, Use
Objective 11: Use Backstage view 42
Enhanced ScreenTips
Customize Application Options, Enter Document
Objective 5: Install add-ins 17
Properties
Use an Add-in from the Store
Objective 12: Change the document view 44
Hands-On Exercise 1: Change the Document View
Getting Started With Office Applications 19 Objective 13: Change the page layout 45
Change Margins, Change Page Orientation, Use the
Format Document Content Page Setup Dialog Box
Objective 14: Insert a header and footer 48
Objective 6: Use templates and apply themes 24 Insert a Footer, Insert a Header
Open a Template, Apply a Theme Objective 15: Preview and print a file 49
Objective 7: Modify text 26 Preview a File, Print a File
Select Text, Edit Text, Use the Mini Toolbar, Use
Format Painter
Hands-On Exercise 3:
Modify Document Layout and Properties 51

Case Study | Spotted Begonia Art Gallery


You are an administrative assistant for Spotted Begonia, a local art gallery. The gallery does
a lot of community outreach and tries to help local artists develop a network of clients
and supporters. Local schools are invited to bring students to the gallery for enrichment
­programs.
As the administrative assistant for Spotted Begonia, you are responsible for overseeing
the production of documents, spreadsheets, newspaper articles, and presentations that will
be used to increase public awareness of the gallery. Other clerical assistants who are familiar
with Microsoft Office will prepare the promotional materials, and you will proofread, make
necessary corrections, adjust page layouts, save and print documents, and identify appropri-
ate templates to simplify tasks. Your experience with Microsoft Office 2016 is limited, but
you know that certain fundamental tasks that are common to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
will help you accomplish your oversight task. You are excited to get started with your work!
Random documents with unrelated
content Scribd suggests to you:
"I don't deserve it. I'm a scoundrel, for with every thought of my
heart, with every breath I draw, I'm making love to another man's
wife!"
"You mustn't do it!"
He laughed, and his laugh was so strange that it startled them both.
"Your advice is good; I can't follow it, that's all. Rachel, for God's
sake, tell me the truth: do you love Belhaven, did you marry him of
your own free will?"
Rachel turned from him and went to the fireplace; she folded her
arms and laid her head upon them. She did not remember that
Belhaven had stood there on the day of their marriage. She was
cruelly placed; her love for Charter seemed to be the only thing in
the world. What real claim had Belhaven upon her? He had deceived
her, he had traded upon her loyalty to her sister, he had accepted
her sacrifice, he was only her husband in name. But what if she told
Charter the truth? He was good, but if she told him the truth? She
loved him with all her soul.
"I don't believe you love him," he argued; "you're wretched, I can
see it. I believe these hideous stories. Rachel, I have a right to know
the truth, only the truth!"
She shuddered. The truth? Oh, God, how she longed to tell him the
truth; her heart leaped at the thought!
"I ask for nothing else; if you love him, if you married him of your
own free choice, tell me; it will help me, it will drive me away. I'm
asking for bread, Rachel, and you've given me a stone."
She was weeping now, for she dared not tell him the truth, she
dared not.
"Only the truth, Rachel!"
Her tears dried, they seemed burned into her eyes, and she pressed
her hands against her throat; she felt as if she must surely strangle
to death.
"Did you marry Belhaven of your own choice?" John asked again and
his voice cut her to the heart; it was not like him to force her into a
corner, but he was battling for life himself and this vivid revelation of
his love was an acute agony to her.
She raised her head; she did not look at him, and her voice was very
low as she replied, "Of my own choice!"
Charter turned from her and hid his face a moment in his hands,—
strong, muscular, expressive hands, they were like him.
There was an intense silence.
At last he went slowly to the door. "Forgive me, I've been a brute—
good-by."
But the limit of her endurance had been reached. "John," she cried,
"come back!"
He turned and faced her; he looked as he had looked at death in
battle. "It's no use, Rachel; thank you for telling me the truth."
"I didn't; I lied to you."
He uttered an inarticulate sound.
"I lied to you," said Rachel steadily; "now I'm going to tell you the
truth. It's wrong, but I shall do it; I shall tell you the whole truth. I
married Belhaven to shield my sister from Astry's anger. Astry
accused her and Belhaven, she begged me to save her from
disgrace. I yielded, I married him; I never loved him, I'm only his
wife in name."
"Good God, was there no one in the world to stop you? No one to
save you from such madness? Rachel, did you have no thought of
me?"
"I thought—" her voice broke a little; she steadied herself again,
"John, let it go—I married him."
"I couldn't let it go—Rachel, you knew I loved you?"
She shook her head sadly.
"You knew it, you must have known it!"
"No woman knows it until she's told."
"Is it possible that you married him thinking I didn't? What a fool I
was, what a dunce! If I had only written you! But, Rachel, there was
the cholera in the camp and I was with the poor fellows all the time.
I thought you knew I loved you, I only tormented myself because I
wasn't sure of you!"
"We were neither of us sure, it seems; it's our poor, stupid, little
tragedy, John; let it go—it's over."
"You love me?" he asked gravely.
"Yes."
They stood looking at each other. There was no light in either face,
no triumphant recognition of mutual feeling; to both the situation
was horrible. He understood perfectly her feelings; that the fact of
her marriage was unchanged, that it constituted an insuperable
barrier between them; but he could not be restrained.
"I can't stand this, Rachel. Your marriage is in fact no marriage.
Belhaven has no right to hold you to it; it must be broken, you shall
be free!"
"I can't; don't you see it?" She held out both hands with a pathetic
gesture. "Can't you see it? It would undo all I've done to save her."
"Do you think for a moment that I'll give you up for Eva?"
Her face quivered pitifully. She longed to give up, to let him take the
lead and sweep her on to liberty. Then her tortured soul rose again
to the struggle. "I knew you wouldn't give up; that's why I lied to
you just now. I never did before, John."
"Is it possible you want this to go on?"
"It must!"
"It can't and it shan't!" he cried hotly. "I'm human, I won't give you
up; you shan't be bound by such a miserable tie—the man was a
cowardly brute to let you shield him."
"I did it for Eva; I've betrayed her by telling you."
"Eva wasn't worth it," said John, in honest wrath. "No one is worth
it. Rachel, I won't endure it."
"We've got to endure it; I can't publicly disgrace my sister."
"You needn't; Belhaven can make the way easy,—he can and he
shall!"
She shook her head. "He won't."
"He must."
She still shook her head.
A light broke in on John. "He loves you!" he cried suddenly.
She blushed and her eyes filled with tears. "Yes."
He turned and walked to and fro, his white face set and hard. She
watched him, reading him, trembling for him, with that intuitive
knowledge of his strength and his weakness which is an instinct with
a woman who loves much.
He swung around suddenly and faced her. "And you?" he asked, with
great bitterness.
She met his eyes bravely; she tried to speak but it was too much.
John caught her in his arms. "You do love me still?" he cried
passionately.
"With all my heart!" she said, for one blind moment swept away,
and, yielding to her own grief and his rebellion, she clung to him.
Then she recalled herself, her heart struggled back to meet fate
again. "John, we must part now—I'd hoped to keep your friendship,
but we've lost even that—there was, after all, no middle course."
"Do you think I'll give you up now? This marriage is a mockery; it's
got to be annulled."
She looked up at him, struggling to be calm. "John, I've always
believed in you, I've always trusted you; I trust you now to help me
to do right. I'm weak; I'm broken down; you know it, you've felt it—
help me to be myself!"
"I can't, and it isn't right, it's an outrage; who ever heard of such a
thing? Eva has no right to your life, Belhaven has no right to you—
you're mine!"
"I'm not yours while I'm his wife," she said steadily, and she slipped
out of his arms and stood trembling.
"His wife!" John laughed bitterly. "You're not, you can't remain his
wife, loving me. I can't think that of you, Rachel!"
"Don't think it. I couldn't."
"And you call it right to keep up this sham? It's a lie, Rachel, a living
lie!"
She wrung her hands in a kind of agony. "John, I can't bear much
more; you'll have to leave me now. Give me a little time, I—I can't
bear it!"
"My darling, forgive me!"
"Don't, John," she sobbed, "don't kiss me again—I've got to give you
up."
"I won't give you up."
"I've no right to disgrace poor Eva, to disgrace Astry; he's had
enough to bear, and that's what it would cost. Can't you see it?"
"It needn't, but Belhaven must release you, I'll make him."
"John, I can't do it. I love you, let me believe in you."
"Have I got to suffer for Belhaven?"
She slipped down on her knees beside a chair, and burying her head
on her arms, gave way to her grief. The spiritual agony had given
birth to agony of the body and she wept bitterly. He tried to raise
her in his arms but she resisted, still weeping.
"Rachel, you'll make me kill Belhaven."
She looked up at that, her eyes still full of tears.
"John, I did it of my own free will. The man has suffered too; it's
cruel to him, I can't disgrace and ruin him now. I can't betray Eva, I
can't simply think of my own happiness; I'm not like that! I did it
myself. I thought you didn't care; I was angry, blind, and, yes, I did
want to save my sister, but I've often thought that perhaps I
wouldn't have done it but for my anger. I deserve to be punished,
and I've got to bear it somehow. What would be the use of it all if,
at the first temptation, I gave in and told the world the whole
miserable story? When mother was dying she made me promise to
be good to Eva; she said she might need all that I could give, she
knew her! I can't disgrace her. She's heart-broken about it all, she's
sorry; I think I can bring her back to her husband. It's worth trying,
John. I've always believed in you, I've always trusted you; help me
to be true to myself, help me—because you love me!"
"I can't give you up."
She turned away from him, struggling hard for more composure.
"Give me a little time, John. I—I can't bear any more now!"
"You mean you want me to go now? I'll do your bidding, Rachel, but
I'll never give you up; I can't."
"Oh, I know—I know, but go—please, John, I can't answer now—I
can't do wrong."
"I'm going—you see I'm not trying to force it; I won't even touch
you, but I won't give you up."
She did not answer, but stood with bowed head, the charm and
grace of her figure outlined against the soft, warm glow of the room,
her hands wrung together to hide their trembling. He turned at the
door and looked back at her and she tried to smile. There is
sometimes mortal agony behind a smile.
"Because I love you, John," she said, with a gesture of appeal.
He turned with a groan and went out into the night.
XVI
IT was nearly an hour later when Charter made his way to the
fashionable club that he knew Belhaven commonly frequented. He
went deliberately, after a brief space of time given to what he would
have called deliberation, but which did not deserve the name. He
had left Rachel in a storm of feeling, so much more violent than
anything usual to his equable nature that he had been unable at first
to think with coherence. All smaller considerations, even the events
of yesterday, seemed relegated to the limbo of eternal forgetfulness,
and nothing was of consequence but this terrible fact, thrust so
rudely into his life, this trapping of the woman he loved by a coward
who was using her, so Charter felt, as a shield to save him from the
punishment which he so richly deserved. Yet, even in his passion, he
saw that Rachel's argument was true, that he could do nothing
without exposing both sisters to an open scandal, but, in his present
mood, even that seemed a small matter compared to Rachel's
vindication, and he had no pity for Eva at all.
It was certain, however, that he could not apply primitive methods to
the case, and he did not even dream of wringing Belhaven's neck,
but, in spite of his rage against him, he was also aware that he could
not let this go on without informing him of his own position. When
he left the old house on the hill, he had felt keenly the sting of
shame and disgust. It seemed to him that he had been there on
Belhaven's own errand, to make love to another man's wife, that he
was falling to the level of his adversary. But he would not give
Rachel up; every instinct battled against such a renunciation, and,
being determined to rescue her at any cost, he suddenly hit upon
the only course that seemed open to one of his temperament. He
would see Belhaven and warn him; he would tell him, face to face,
exactly what he intended to do. This idea taking possession of him,
he acted upon it with a sudden deviation from his usual tardy
deliberation; he went directly to the club and inquired for Belhaven.
As he supposed, he had no difficulty in finding him, seated in a
corner of the library reading, or pretending to read, a new book that
in reality was only a cover to prevent the interruption of his thought,
for Belhaven had more than enough to occupy his mind.
Catching sight of his dark head and handsome profile bent over his
book in a remote corner of the big room, Charter walked in, and
observing that the only other occupants, two rather elderly men,
were deeply engaged with their newspapers, he went over to
Belhaven's retreat and addressed him with an abruptness that made
him start slightly and lay his book upon his knee.
"I want a word with you."
Belhaven's face darkened with the recollection of John's hands on
his throat but he restrained himself with admirable determination.
"I can't exactly prevent you from saying it here," he remarked coolly.
But John took no notice of his manner; instead he leaned against
the wall opposite and folded his arms across his breast, perhaps to
be certain that he would not make too violent use of them, but he
spoke as calmly as Belhaven had, only with a slight stiffening of the
lips that with him was a sign of great anger hardly controlled.
"I came over here to tell you that I've just been to your house; I
don't want you to think I'm a sneak or a coward. I went there to see
Mrs. Belhaven because I've heard—pretty plainly—all the
circumstances of your marriage."
Belhaven took up the pipe which he had laid down at John's
approach and held it thoughtfully between his fingers, looking into
the bowl of it.
"After what occurred the other day I suppose I needn't say I think
it's none of your business."
"That's just the point; it is. I love Mrs. Belhaven and I won't give her
up to you—after all I've found out!"
Belhaven threw back his head and their eyes met.
"Has she told you?"
Charter hesitated, his face flushing as darkly as his interrogator's. He
had not foreseen this natural question.
"I refuse to answer."
Belhaven smiled bitterly. "In other words you've been making love to
my wife."
"Exactly; that's what I want to say. I don't propose to be a sneak
about it; I love her and I won't allow her to be nothing more than a
shield to protect you from Astry."
Belhaven considered this a moment. His first impulse was to resent it
angrily, but, after a little thought, he decided to let it go
unquestioned. "Perhaps you don't know that she's determined to
protect Mrs. Astry."
"I don't consider that Mrs. Astry is worth her life."
"You think she's ruining her life to marry me?"
"You know well enough that you had no right to marry her!"
Belhaven's hand trembled slightly, but he emptied the ashes out of
his pipe before he replied.
"You're taking the natural view of a man in love with another man's
wife."
"That's neither here nor there; she's the one to consider. If you're a
man you'll simply give her her freedom. It's the least thing you can
do, the only reparation you can make."
"I don't suppose it occurs to you that, perhaps, she wouldn't take it."
"That's inconceivable."
"You don't know then that she has peculiar ideas about the
sacredness of the marriage ceremony?"
"Which couldn't apply to this case; you must see that yourself."
"You mean because she's married me? But I don't suppose I've
anything to do with a fixed principle."
"You think she'd apply her scruples even to such a mockery of
marriage as this?"
Belhaven assented grimly.
"You've no right to let her do it!"
"Has it occurred to you that I've a right to have my own feelings
about it?"
"You haven't; you've got to consider her, to give her up."
"And if I refuse?"
John's angry blue eyes glowed deeply. "Do you think that I'm going
to stand it? I'm a factor in this case."
Belhaven eyed him coldly. "Has she made you so?"
Charter winced; he felt keenly that Rachel had not. "No!" he said
sharply.
"Well, she won't. I know her well enough for that. You think you
know all about her because you're in love with her, but you don't if
you imagine she's like that; she—" he stopped and drew a deep
breath that was nearer pain than a sigh—"she's too fine for that! I
know her better than you do and if I choose to hold her to it I can;
she won't listen to you if she feels it to be wrong, and she will."
"And you mean to take advantage of her very goodness to keep her
to such a bargain?"
His scorn cut like a knife but Belhaven met it without self-betrayal.
"Why should I give her up to you?" he asked, after a moment.
Charter looked at him attentively. He remembered that Rachel had
admitted that Belhaven loved her and he began to suspect now that
he would never give her up, that he meant to use his claim upon her
to keep her against her will. Such an attitude was almost
inconceivable to John.
"You intend to make her stay because you've fallen in love with
her?"
"That's no affair of yours."
John glanced across at the old man opposite, who was hunting now
for another newspaper on the table. In the distance he saw Count
Massena coming through the corridor.
"I'm sorry that this is a place where I can't tell you just what I think
of you," he said.
Belhaven did not move. "I can't see that you're in a better situation
than I am," he retorted coolly. "You've no right to make love to my
wife."
"You've no right to make your wife endure this misery and I tell you
now I won't allow it."
Rachel's husband watched him thoughtfully, a drawn look changing
his face yet more deeply.
"See here, Charter," he said suddenly, "I'm willing to say this: I've
lived in the same house with Rachel long enough to be a changed
man. She's humanized me. I'm not quite what you think me, and I'll
let her decide in the end, but, by Jove, I won't give her up just for
you; I'd die first!"
John looked at him squarely. "If you're a man," he said again, "you'll
set her free; then she could choose. Now—if you hold her—"
"Well, and if I do?"
"Then," said John, "you're a damned scoundrel!" and he turned his
back on him and walked out of the room.
XVII
ASTRY was amusing himself driving the billiard balls about on the
table, practising some of his favorite strokes. He was an unusually
graceful man and he showed it as he handled his cue, his cigarette
between his teeth and his eyes narrowed in thought. He had long
ago ceased to be a happy man. There had been moments, years
before, when he had been considered rather jolly; men liked him
and women liked him too. He was greatly changed; the hardening
process had destroyed some of the more tender amenities of life.
He drove the ball successfully and stopped to chalk his cue; on the
wire over his head one of his parrots balanced, sidling along and
talking once and a while in strange jargon. Astry watched him, half
amused, then he continued to play with the balls. The house was
profoundly quiet; at the moment they had no house guests, though
Eva courted company for she dreaded being alone with her husband.
He had asked John Charter to come to them but John had refused.
The refusal did not surprise Astry; it only confirmed him in certain
suspicions and, as the balls danced away from his driving cue, he
was thinking of Rachel. Hers was undoubtedly the figure of the
drama and he knew that she was unhappy; he divined much more
though he made no sign. But he was as other men; he desired love,
he craved happiness, he had been embittered by the loss of both,
poisoned by the contact of treachery, and he had ceased to believe,
he had even ceased to forgive. Forgiveness is godlike, and very few
of us ever know it, feel it, or receive it. Forgiveness is like the work
in a stone quarry; it takes hard labor and only the morally great
accomplish it. But Astry saw revealed Rachel's love for Eva and the
sight of it was almost irritating; it seemed as if she wasted it, that
Eva gave back so little. He had come to think that Eva had very little
to give.
He continued to play with the balls. Presently the old clock in the hall
chimed sweetly, five o'clock. Then he heard his wife coming. She
had been out and had just returned; she came through the drawing-
room, her dress rustling, her light footstep uneven. He reached up
and, taking the chattering parrot from the wire, put him into the
conservatory and came back with his cue in his hand just as Eva
looked in.
"Playing billiards alone," she remarked languidly. "I should think it
would bore you to death."
"My dear Eva, I'm bored to extinction, but one must have something
to do."
She came slowly into the room and, going to the window, stood
there looking out.
"I suppose you'd really be happier if you weren't so rich," she
remarked.
"Do you think it's altogether a matter of money? That the possession
of it brings misery?"
"Sometimes I think it does. I don't seem to think of any one I know
who's very rich and happy too."
Astry put his cue down on the table and sat down; he seemed
willing to discuss the point. "Suppose you were poor to-morrow,
Eva; would you be any less wretched?"
She gave him a startled look over her shoulder. "Who said I was
wretched?"
He smiled grimly. "He who runs may read."
She drew a quick breath of alarm, pressing her cheek against the
window-pane and looking out with unseeing eyes. Before her was
the wide terrace, the level stretch of lawn with here and there a
mound of unmelted snow, and beyond the bare, brown trees and
the winter sky.
Astry spoke again with a certain moderation, a mental detachment
that made her feel how wide was the chasm between them.
"I can see you're unhappy and I'm sorry. I don't know that there's
much to do about it. Divorce is common but a little vulgar. I'm not
sure that you care to have me offer you such an avenue of escape."
"I must have been very unpleasant," she said slowly. "I didn't intend
to make people think things like that."
"Like what?" he asked gently.
"What you said—just now—that I might want a divorce."
"Do you?"
She did not reply; her face was turned now directly to the window
and he only saw the hand that rested on the pane tremble slightly.
He moved uneasily in his chair.
"I didn't know it was as bad as that, Eva!"
"As bad as that?" her voice trembled. "I don't understand."
"I didn't know that you wanted a divorce."
"It isn't that!"
He leaned forward, watching her, his expression singularly grave.
"Would you mind telling me just what you do mean?"
Eva turned from the window and came toward him, and as the light
fell on her face Astry was startled. He rose involuntarily from his seat
and Eva stood still, her slender hands clutching at the back of a
chair. She tried to speak twice before the words came.
"I can't bear it any longer, Johnstone; I'm going to tell the truth—the
whole truth."
He did not speak; he was watching her strangely.
She shivered and then went on, not looking at him, her voice at first
a mere whisper, growing a little firmer.
"Rachel married Belhaven—to save my good name."
He was still silent for a moment, regarding her.
"You mean that you—told me a falsehood that night?"
"About Rachel? Yes."
"Good God!"
She hid her face in her hands, but her voice, small and thin and
quivering, struggled on. She had to confess, she had to tell him, she
could endure it no longer.
"I lied about Rachel."
"And you—" he dragged out the words—"you were guilty?"
"Indeed—no! In thought, in the intention, yes." She broke off and
then after a moment of agony went on, her face still hidden in her
hands. "I was going to run away with him that day."
Astry did not speak, he did not even move, and Eva sank down into
a chair.
"I was going and you caught me; you accused me and—" she
stopped again and then went on, "and I was frightened. I'm a
coward; I told you a falsehood about Rachel, then I went to her—"
"And Rachel?" his voice was hoarse.
"She forgave me, she sacrificed herself for me; she's an angel."
"And you let her marry that—that scoundrel to save you?"
"I was afraid you'd kill him."
"He ought to have been killed."
Her head sank lower.
"It's incredible! To let your sister marry that scoundrel to save his
life, to shield you!"
"She's forgiven me," Eva's voice broke pitifully. "I told her—she—"
He had risen in his agitation and he swung around now, facing her.
"Did she know?"
"That I was guilty?" Eva turned darkly crimson. "No, not until the
other day—I told her—and she forgave me."
"It's past belief."
"That she should forgive me? Rachel? She's so good to me."
"I know Rachel, but it's past belief that you could let her do it,
sacrifice her to save that hound."
"Wait!" Eva rose; she tried to face him steadily. "Listen, you told me
that if she didn't marry him you'd kill him."
"Well?"
"That you'd kill him because of me. I told her that and she married
him to save my good name."
"It was my business to take care of your good name."
"No, it was mine," she was gaining strength now. "It was mine and
I'd failed. I was weak, wicked, foolish; I thought I loved him."
"You thought you loved him? Do you mean you didn't?"
"Not—not afterwards."
"Not after you saw the coward shield himself behind a woman?"
She wrung her hands together. "Yes, it was that; I hated that!"
Astry stood looking at her, a strange conflict of emotions in his face.
"Are you telling me the truth, Eva, or are you trying to shield him
again?"
"I'm telling you the truth. I thought I loved him, I was afraid of you,
—you frightened me sometimes then,—and I had loved him once, I
—"
"You never loved me then?"
She hesitated; again a dark blush mounted from throat to brow. "At
first I married you because—because Aunt Drusilla wanted it,
because—" she stopped.
"Yes—because?" he was watching her sternly.
"Because I wanted to make a great match."
"Oh, for my money!"
"If you want to put it that way."
"And afterwards you called back Belhaven?"
Again she assented.
"You thought it easy to be free of the millionaire after—" He
stopped, something in the mute agony of her attitude, her evident
humiliation, checking him.
"I thought I loved Belhaven," she said simply, determined not to
spare herself. "I was going to run away with him. He begged me to
—but it wasn't any more his fault than mine. I'm trying to tell you
the truth, the whole truth. Then came that night and your anger and
—and I saw he was afraid."
"The hound!"
"I saw he was afraid," her voice trailed on, quivering, "and I saw
how Rachel suffered. Johnstone, I've been punished; I deserve it,
but—the way is fearful, that way of the transgressors. Not my feet
only, but my heart bleeds. I went to Rachel; I begged her, I've
begged her twice, to get a divorce, to marry Charter; they love each
other. She won't do it—because—" Eva's voice broke with a sob
—"she says she can't, that it would ruin me."
"So it would—now."
"Then let it! I can't bear this, Johnstone; cast me out, help Rachel to
get free. I can't bear it any longer, it's killing me!"
"You've quite forgotten me, Eva."
"No, no, I haven't!" She burst into sudden, violent weeping. "I
haven't; I know now—I know you've suffered too. Johnstone, you
won't kill him?"
"Not now. It would disgrace Rachel. Think what I—your husband—
owe to Rachel."
"Then it's for her, you mean? It can't be done on her account?"
He nodded; speech was not easy.
Eva stood up, stretching out her arms with her impotent, childish
gesture of despair. "I never thought—oh, God, why can't I die?"
"Why didn't you tell me the truth then, as you're telling me now?
What if I killed him?"
"I was afraid; I'm a coward, I've told you so!" She stopped and
stood looking at him, then suddenly her face quivered. "Can you
forgive me? I've suffered, I'd like to feel that you'd forgiven me."
"Does it make any difference? Does it matter?"
"It matters to me."
He turned and met her eyes and his face paled. "Eva," he said
gently, "did you ever even for one moment love me?"
She pressed her hands together tightly, looking at him strangely.
"Would—would it make it easier to forgive me?"
"Yes," he replied slowly, "I, too, have traveled a long way, Eva; I,
too, came to find that there was no love for me; I, too, have
suffered,—I'm really quite human. But I could forgive you, I would
forgive you even this, if I felt that you'd ever been honest with me,
ever loved your husband for a moment in your life."
She drew a step nearer, her eyes dilated. "Did—did you ever love
me?"
"Once."
"And I lost it?"
"You didn't want it."
She covered her face with her hands again.
"And you—did you ever love me?" he asked bitterly.
"Not then."
"Do you mean?" he paused, and then unsteadily: "Have you come
back to your husband, Eva?"
"Not then—but now!"
Astry stood still; for a moment the fundamental forces of life seemed
suspended. He was amazed. Then he took a step forward, but
before he spoke Eva suddenly swayed and would have fallen but for
his arms around her.
He lifted her and carried her up-stairs. She was unconscious and her
head lay helpless, her pretty soft hair against his breast. He carried
her across the hall and into her own room and laid her on the bed
with a touch as tender as a woman's. The disdain and anger and
bitterness that had been waging a battle in his soul receded before
the wave of humanity, of pity, almost of tenderness, that suddenly
submerged his being. Her helplessness, the appeal of her childish
face, the evident grief and humiliation that she had suffered to tell
him the truth, touched his heart. He summoned her maid and then
went out softly and closed the door.
Before him he seemed to see the long, cruel way that her small,
bleeding feet had traveled, coming back at last to him.
In his heart he had already forgiven her.
XVIII
IT was nearly dusk on Thursday afternoon when Belhaven came in
and found Rachel in the living-room. He was pale and fagged and
came slowly across the room to the tea-table. She was sitting in a
deep chair by the fire but she rose mechanically and went to pour
tea for him. The little service had become so familiar that it was a
matter of habit. He glanced at her as he took the cup from her
hands and was startled by her face.
"There's something wrong, Rachel?"
"No, I'm a little tired, that's all."
His glance traveled around the room and came back to her again,
with a peculiar significance.
"I know that you're unhappy here," he said, a strong note of
restraint in his voice, unaware that he was repeating Astry's words
to Eva.
Rachel rallied her thoughts. "Not more so than you are," she replied
without bitterness.
"In a way that's true; you've been unhappy but, none the less,
you've made this house a home to me. I can pay no greater tribute
to your unselfishness; you've been cruelly placed but you've uttered
no reproaches."
"Oh, that isn't so much to my credit; reproaches are idle enough!"
He set his untasted tea on the table and leaned forward, looking at
her, his clasped hands between his knees, his dark face perturbed.
The light of the candelabrum on the tea-table flickered softly
between them; the long room was full of keen shadows. Rachel's
face, pale and spiritualized, was thrown into high relief; it had never
seemed so nearly beautiful, with the subtle charm of the shadowed
eyes and the soft, dark hair. She had passed through deep waters
but Charter knew she loved him; there was comfort in that. The
feeling of Charter's presence was with her, as it must be in great
love, even in the immortal moment of renunciation.
Belhaven, looking at her with a comprehension of suffering,
discerned the crisis. He saw that she had been deep in the struggle,
he divined that Eva had, at last, confessed the truth, and his soul
drew back shuddering from the thought of Rachel's judgment of him
—and the justice of it. There was a long silence. At last he broke it.
"Rachel, I've been thinking it all over and I've tried to put myself out
of it; for you it's intolerable."
She looked up in vague surprise; in the pause her mind had floated
with the stream and she had almost forgotten Belhaven's point of
view. "Not more intolerable than it has been—except I know now
that Eva deceived me. But I still believe you told me the truth, that
it's past with you both now, and I suppose it's best to let things go—
even for Astry."
"You never seem to think of yourself."
She colored deeply. "I've thought much of myself."
He saw the blush and a pang of hideous jealousy tore through the
remorse of his mood, but he gripped himself again. "I know you
hate me!" he began.
Rachel looked up quickly. "I don't hate you, far from it. I'm sorry for
you."
He smiled grimly, thinking of Charter. Had he come here to do
Charter's bidding after all? But he was resolved to go on. "Thank
you," he said, "I have, it seems, the beggar's meed—pity! Yet I feel
that my very presence here must be hateful to you. I've traded on
your generosity, your womanliness, even your pity. I've felt at times
that I'd be content to be a dog on your hearth-rug, but it's not so
now. Every day I'm with you I grow to love you more deeply—"
She turned to interrupt him but he held up a protesting hand. "Let
me finish. I know my love's hideous to you, but, none the less, I love
you for your sweetness, your justice, your kindness, and at last a
spark of generosity has been born in my own heart. I've been a
good deal of a scoundrel, Rachel; I can plead no decent excuse, but
there's enough manhood in me to feel that I've got to set you free."
A sudden hope, keen as joy, leaped in her heart for an instant, only
to pass into eclipse. "It's impossible without ruining Eva. I did it
myself, I dreaded the public scandal for her; it's just as much my
fault, in a way, as yours."
"There are ways that involve but little scandal."
Rachel sat looking at the fire. Her heart cried out again; she desired
happiness as fiercely as the most unreasoning child of circumstance,
but she remembered the obligations that had led to her sacrifice.
"It would be the end for Eva. Besides," she hesitated, "perhaps you
don't understand how I feel about marriage—I don't think I've got a
right to get a divorce. I knew what I was doing. You've blamed
yourself; have you ever thought of the wrong I did?"
"You?" He looked at her amazed, and encountering her eyes, that
had the sweet, abashed look of a frightened girl, a sudden wild hope
leaped up. "You mean you consider your marriage too sacred to
break?"
She inclined her head.
He drew a quick breath. "Rachel!" then the sight of her face, stricken
with grief and reluctance, brought him back to his senses. "I see,
you mean from the religious point of view. I've always understood
that; I knew you had scruples."
"I've always abhorred the light view, as if it wasn't sacred at all. I
know, I feel I wronged you when I married you. I haven't any right
to bring discredit on you by a divorce, unless—" she looked up
gravely—"if you wish to be free to—to find happiness elsewhere,
then I don't think I'd have the same right to—to insist on bearing my
share of it."
He met her eyes directly; his own face blanched. "You forget that I
love you!" he said slowly.
She colored painfully. "That's another thing that lies heavy on my
soul. I had no right to marry you—forgive me!"
"Rachel, could you ever—have loved me?"
She covered her face with her hands; she was thinking of Charter.
"N-no."
Belhaven still regarded her. He thought that she really abhorred him
and the idea stung him. He had traveled the long road, he had
reached the end of it, and met disaster and defeat. "You've refused
divorce," he said, in a strange voice, "yet you despise me. I suppose
I'm a very toad in your sight, but you would still save Eva! You're
right, I accept your wishes, but—there are other ways."
She did not understand him; she still hid her face, shutting out the
horror of the situation. Eva's lover as her husband! She could not
bring herself to speak to him.
"There are other ways," he repeated quietly, "but, for your sake, I
wish it wasn't so hard. I wish I could lighten it, Rachel."
"In a way you've done much to lighten it. I'm—I'm grateful."
He stood looking at her bowed head, remembering grimly that the
thought of his love had made her shudder as he had seen women
shudder at the sight of a reptile. Then he turned and went out
without another word.
It was a long time after that before Rachel seemed to be aware of
sounds and movements in the house. She had remained where
Belhaven left her, looking into the fire, her chin in her hand. Her gray
eyes, lit by the glow of the falling embers, were intent on some
distant thought, her gaze full of introspection; she saw nothing in
the room and, for a while, heard nothing. She seemed to have been
dragged through an endless chain of events, a series of agonizing
scenes. She was no longer what she had been a week ago, or even
yesterday; she seemed suddenly separated from herself, or was
rather a new self, born of suffering and joy,—the joy of feeling that
Charter knew,—and looking back at her old self,—the self of slow
growth, of childhood and girlhood and womanhood. She had,
indeed, been born again in anguish. She had renounced her own
happiness, and what had she gained? In that dreadful moment she
felt that she had not even gained her own salvation, for the awful
feeling of complicity in their guilt remained. She and Eva and
Belhaven had wretchedly cheated Astry; it was to Astry that she
owed the inexorable debt. If she could only feel that she had saved
Eva, brought her back to her husband!
Then came the temptation to escape from her sacrifice, to nullify her
act by accepting the first means of escape. Her heart clamored for
happiness and her love for Charter rebelled against all scruples.
What right had she to make Charter unhappy? There is no argument
so subtle, so unanswerable as the argument of love. Her own heart
cried out against her judgment; it would gladly have broken her
bonds and stultified her sacrifice. She thought that it would be easier
to bear if Charter knew, but it was a million times harder, for Charter
rebelled against it. Charter, who was good, saw no virtue in her self-
immolation; he, too, craved happiness. While Belhaven had offered
her divorce, at the cost, as she saw, of great personal misery, he
had offered her freedom. Her presence in the house had become
dear to him; her kindness, her quick sympathy, her womanliness,
had penetrated the armor of his worldliness and, at last, his soul had
risen to meet hers in an act of self-sacrifice. Though she did not
know it, she had gone far to save Belhaven. It would have been
natural for her to have despised him, to have let him feel himself
outside of her life, the cause of all, but she had not despised him,
she had been gentle and forbearing, and he had seen new and
charming qualities in her simplicity.
If Rachel could have known this, it would have comforted her a little,
but she had not even that small comfort as she sat brooding over
the fire. This was the Thursday of the dinner at the Astrys' and
Belhaven had reluctantly promised to go, for there were many
reasons that made him careful of the conventionalities; Rachel had
dined alone and early.
A big fire leaped in the old-fashioned chimney and there was a rich
and luxurious glow of color and light; the heavy, crimson curtains
were drawn over the windows, but it was storming outside, and she
heard the sleet on the window-panes. The wind shouted under the
old gables. Rachel went to a window and looked out; it was still light
enough to discern the cedars beaten by the gale. An old hemlock
near the house stretched spectral arms, sheeted in ice. The gray veil
of fog and rain cloaked the long slope of the landscape, and she
could not discover the distant city. It grew dark fast. She let the
curtain fall across the sash again and went to the fire, stretching out
both hands to the blaze with a shiver. A strange feeling of
uneasiness stirred in her heart, some vague forewarning; delicate
and floating like a tendril, it trembled back again into uncertainty.
She opened a book at random and began to read. It chanced to be a
life of St. Francis of Assisi, exquisitely illuminated, that Belhaven had
picked up for its artistic setting rather than its religious teachings, for
he was something of a connoisseur in books.
Rachel turned the leaf.
"Never set an empty pot to boil on the fire, in hope that your
neighbor will fill it!" ran the proverb.
She sighed. Had not Belhaven set his empty heart on the fire with
the hope that she would fill it for him? And she had not. In this,
then, Brother Giles understood the world; evidently he entertained
no hope for the filling of the pot.
Rachel turned the page, her fingers trembling slightly.
"And they twain ate the pottage of flour by reason of his
importunate charity. And they were refreshed much more by
devotion than by the food."
"And they twain ate of the pottage—" and she and Belhaven had
eaten of it to their despair. They had not been refreshed by
devotion, they had eaten it of necessity; had she found the key at
last? They had eaten the pottage and the taste of it was very bitter.
Rachel leaned forward and looked into the fire, where the red
embers fell and the flame continued to leap merrily.
"And they twain ate the pottage."
She heard the outer door open and close and a step come across
the hall. She turned sharply; some one had braved the storm. It was
Astry.
He stood in the door looking at her, as Belhaven had done. His fur
coat was thrown back and disclosed his evening dress; his face, as
usual, was pale and fair.
"I came for Belhaven," he said.
Rachel was surprised. "He's getting ready now; I thought the hour
was eight."
"It is, but I was determined to have no failures and I particularly
want Belhaven; you know he didn't want to come."
"Has any one failed you?"
"Only Mrs. Billop."
She smiled involuntarily. "Eva won't regret that."
"There are special dispensations. I don't see why we keep on inviting
those creatures unless it is because they're related to Paul. I
suppose Belhaven really means to come; it isn't informal enough to
let him off, you know."
"There seems to be no question about his coming."
Astry smiled again. "My dear Rachel," he said carelessly, "there
might be a question about it; if I were Belhaven there would be a
question about it."
She colored and Astry saw that she understood.
"Even an Arab has a right to protection; his bread and salt should
not be abused," he said, watching her.
"But his bread and salt protect the life of the stranger who tastes
them," she answered quickly.
Astry smiled bitterly. "I never thought of you as one to plead for the
transgressor."
Rachel put the little book down on the table and sat looking at him
with grave eyes, her heart throbbing heavily. Had Eva told him or—
some one else?
He came over and stood beside her. "Rachel, I'm deeply sorry that
there seems no way out, that you've got to bear it—or else your
sacrifice goes for nothing."
"You mean—" she could not go on.
"Eva has told me."
Rachel sank back in her chair, her hands trembling in her lap.
"Johnstone—you've forgiven her?"
He had averted his face and she saw only the outlines of the strong,
lithe figure and fine head. There was a brief significant pause, then
he turned, and Rachel saw the wreck of happiness in his face.
"I've tried to."
She hid her own face in her hands; the relief was intense that the
concealment was over! Astry turned and walked twice across the
room.
"Why didn't you let me kill him that night?"
"I couldn't—and I had to save Eva."
"That would have saved her and he—he needed killing!"
Rachel's hands fell in her lap again; she looked at him gravely, her
face tear-stained and pale. "Would it have saved the poor child to
have destroyed her name, to murder a man, and hang for it
yourself?"
He was silenced.
"That was it, that is what you would have done, Johnstone, and I
had to save you both. I did wrong, I've suffered for it, but oh, thank
God, Eva's told you the truth!"
"Rachel, I've felt, and I know Eva feels, that we've no right to accept
your sacrifice; we want to set you free even at the price of scandal.
Eva begs me to set you free, but—"
"You see how it is? If I get a divorce it will ruin Eva."
"I see how it is, otherwise I'd shoot that fellow now, but I can't
touch him without injury to you both. Yet—my God, Rachel, I've no
right to hold you to it."
"You don't. I feel so differently from you about it, you don't
understand. I can't break the marriage; I've got to take the
punishment, for I did it myself. I've got to keep my contract."
"You mean that your scruples won't permit you to break it?"
"Don't you understand? I was wrong to do it; I see it. I did it to save
Eva, but I had no right to take the vows as I did. I dare not break
them."
"Do you mean you're afraid of the scandal, or the odium of it all?"
"I'll have to be very plain—I'm afraid of God."
He stood looking at her a while in silence. Then his face changed
and softened.
"Like Felix, I'm almost persuaded," he said.
Rachel made a slight deprecating gesture. "Would I have made this
sacrifice if I'd contemplated making it void?"
He reflected. "I suppose not; you're a singular woman."
"I'm singularly placed."
He walked to and fro again. Rachel, meanwhile, heard Belhaven
slowly descending the stairs.
"Johnstone, you—you don't mean to quarrel with him now?"
"I've told you I can't; he's safe enough."
"I'm thankful for that!"
Astry stood still, regarding her earnestly, his heavy pale eyes
seeming to concentrate thought.
"You're unhappy."
She turned away. "Pardon me, we've said enough."
"I accept my rebuke as I long ago accepted my congé," he said
gently. "Nevertheless you're wretched, and you've been a good angel
to Eva; I owe about all I've got left to you."
Her lips quivered. "Please don't!"
He looked at her strangely. "I've been a brute, I've always been a
brute, and I've hurt you again. I feel as if we'd trapped you, Rachel;
can you forgive us?"
She looked beyond him, struggling to regain her composure, and she
heard the wind shouting under the gables while the rain leaped
against the window-panes. She could not answer Astry and before
he spoke again Belhaven came to the door.
"I heard you were waiting for me, Astry; it's certainly obliging to go
after your guests in such a storm. The rain's turning into snow and
sleet."
"My dear Belhaven," said Astry easily, "I particularly wanted you. I
have a word to say to you beforehand."
Belhaven glanced keenly from Astry to Rachel.
"I've no intentions of shirking my responsibilities," he said. "You'll
find me ready."
Astry turned. "Then we'd better be off. Good night, Rachel."
She made no reply but as she looked up she met Belhaven's eyes
and they were full of regret, of kindness, of appeal. The glance was

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