第7章

NothinginthesefervidfantasiespreventedhisrespondingwithduedrynesstoFulkerson"scheery"Hello，oldman!"whenhefoundhimselfinthebuildingfittedupforthe"EveryOtherWeek"office。Fulkerson"sroomwasbackofthesmalleroneoccupiedbythebookkeeper；theyhadbeenrespectivelythereception-roomanddining-roomofthelittleplaceinitsdwelling-housedays，andtheyhadbeensimplyandtastefullytreatedintheirtransformationintobusinesspurposes。Thenarrowoldtrimofthedoorsandwindowshadbeenkept，andthequaintlyuglymarblemantels。Thearchitecthadsaid，Betterletthemstaytheyexpressedepoch，ifnotcharacter。

"Well，haveyoucomeroundtogotowork?Justhangupyourcoatontheflooranywhere，"Fulkersonwenton。

"I"vecometobringyouthatletter，"saidBeaton，allthemorehaughtilybecausehefoundthatFulkersonwasnotalonewhenhewelcomedhiminthesefreeandeasyterms。Therewasaquiet-lookingman，ratherstout，andalittleabovethemiddleheight，withafull，close-croppediron-

graybeard，seatedbeyondthetablewhereFulkersontiltedhimselfback，withhiskneessetagainstit；andleaningagainstthemanteltherewasayoungmanwithasingularlygentleface，inwhichthelookofgoodnessqualifiedandtransfiguredacertainsimplicity。Hislargeblueeyesweresomewhatprominent；andhisrathernarrowfacewasdrawnforwardinanosealittletoolongperhaps，ifithadnotbeenforthefullchindeeplycutbelowthelip，andjuttingfirmlyforward。

"IntroduceyoutoMr。March，oureditor，Mr。Beaton，"Fulkersonsaid，rollinghisheadinthedirectionoftheelderman；andthennoddingittowardtheyounger，hesaid，"Mr。Dryfoos，Mr。Beaton。"BeatonshookhandswithMarch，andthenwithMr。Dryfoos，andFulkersonwenton，gayly:"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，Beaton——well，youknowtheoldsaying。Mr。March，asItoldyou，isoureditor，andMr。Dryfooshaschargeofthepublishingdepartment——he"sthecounting-roomincarnate，thesourceofpower，thefountainofcorruption，theelementthatpreventsjournalismbeingthehighandholythingthatitwouldbeiftherewerenomoneyinit。"Mr。Dryfoosturnedhislarge，mildeyesuponBeaton，andlaughedwiththeuneasyconcessionwhichpeoplemaketoacharacterwhentheydonotquiteapproveofthecharacter"slanguage。

"WhatMr。MarchandIaretryingtodoistocarryonthisthingsothattherewon"tbeanymoneyinit——orverylittle；andwe"replanningtogivethepublicabetterarticleforthepricethanit"severhadbefore。

Nowhere"sadummywe"vehadmadeupfor"EveryOtherWeek"，andaswe"vedecidedtoadoptit，wewouldnaturallylikeyouropinionofit，so"stoknowwhatopiniontohaveofyou。"HereachedforwardandpushedtowardBeatonavolumealittleabovethesizeoftheordinaryduodecimobook；

itsivory-whitepebbledpapercoverwasprettilyillustratedwithawater-coloreddesignirregularlywashedoverthegreaterpartofitssurface:

quiteacrossthepageattop，andnarrowingfromrighttoleftasitdescended。Inthetriangularspaceleftblankthetitleoftheperiodicalandthepublisher"simprintweretastefullyletteredsoastobepartlycoveredbythebackgroundofcolor。

"It"slikesomeofthoseTartarinbooksofDaudet"s，"saidBeacon，lookingatitwithmoreinterestthanhesufferedtobeseen。"Butit"sabook，notamagazine。"Heopeneditspagesofthick，mellowwhitepaper，withuncutleaves，thefirstfewpagesexperimentallyprintedinthetypeintendedtobeused，andillustratedwithsomesketchesdrawnintoandoverthetext，forthesakeoftheeffect。

"ADaniel——aDanielcometojudgment!Sitdown，Dan"el，andtakeiteasy。"FulkersonpushedachairtowardBeaton，whodroppedintoit。

"You"reright，Dan"el；it"sabook，toallpracticalintentsandpurposes。AndwhatweproposetodowiththeAmericanpublicistogiveittwenty-fourbookslikethisayear——acompletelibrary——fortheabsurdsumofsixdollars。Wedon"tintendtosell"em——it"snonameforthetransaction——buttogive"em。Andwhatwewanttogetoutofyou——beg，borrow，buy，orstealfromyouisanopinionwhetherweshallmaketheAmericanpublicthisprincelypresentinpapercoverslikethis，orinsomesortofflexibleboards，sotheycansetthemontheshelfandsaynomoreaboutit。Now，Dan"el，cometojudgment，asourrespectedfriendShylockremarked。"

Beaconhadgotdonelookingatthedummy，andhedroppeditonthetablebeforeFulkerson，whopusheditaway，apparentlytofreehimselffrompartiality。"Idon"tknowanythingaboutthebusinessside，andIcan"ttellabouttheeffectofeitherstyleonthesales；butyou"llspoilthewholecharacterofthecoverifyouuseanythingthickerthanthatthickishpaper。"

"Allright；verygood；first-rate。Theayeshaveit。Paperitis。I

don"tmindtellingyouthatwehaddecidedforthatpaperbeforeyoucamein。Mr。Marchwantedit，becausehefeltinhisbonesjustthewayyoudoaboutit，andMr。Dryfooswantedit，becausehe"sthecounting-roomincarnate，andit"scheaper；andI"wantedit，becauseIalwaysliketogowiththemajority。Nowwhatdoyouthinkofthatlittledesignitself?"

"Thesketch?"Beatonpulledthebooktowardhimagainandlookedatitagain。"Ratherdecorative。Drawing"snotremarkable。Graceful；rathernice。"Hepushedthebookawayagain，andFulkersonpulledittohisaideofthetable。

"Well，that"sapieceofthatamateurtrashyoudespisesomuch。IwenttoapainterIknow-by-the-way，hewasguiltyofsuggestingyouforthisthing，butItoldhimIwasaheadofhim——andIgothimtosubmitmyideatooneofhisclass，andthat"stheresult。Well，now，thereain"tanythinginthisworldthatsellsabooklikeaprettycover，andwe"regoingtohaveaprettycoverfor"EveryOtherWeek"everytime。We"vecutloosefromtheoldtraditionalquartoliterarynewspapersize，andwe"vecutloosefromtheoldtwo-columnbigpagemagazinesize；we"regoingtohaveaduodecimopage，clearblackprint，andpaperthat"llmakeyourmouthwater；andwe"regoingtohaveafreshillustrationforthecoverofeachnumber，andweain"tagoingtogivethepublicanyrestatall。Sometimeswe"regoingtohaveadelicatelittlelandscapelikethis，andsometimeswe"regoingtohaveanindelicatelittlefigure，orasmuchsoasthelawwillallow。"

Theyoungmanleaningagainstthemantelpieceblushedasortofprotest。

Marchsmiledandsaid，dryly，"ThosearethenumbersthatMr。Fulkersonisgoingtoedithimself。"

"Exactly。AndMr。Beaton，here，isgoingtosupplythefloatingfemales，gracefullyairingthemselvesagainstasunsetorsomethingofthatkind。"

Beatonfrownedinembarrassment，whileFulkersonwentonphilosophically；

"It"sastonishinghowyoufellowscankeepitupatthisstageoftheproceedings；youcanpaintthingsthatyourharshestcriticwouldbeashamedtodescribeaccurately；you"reasfreeasthetheatre。Butthat"sneitherherenorthere。WhatI"mafteristhefactthatwe"regoingtohavevarietyinourtitle-pages，andwearegoingtohavenoveltyintheillustrationsofthebodyofthebook。March，here，ifhehadhisownway，wouldn"thaveanyillustrationsatall。"

"NotbecauseIdon"tlikethem，Mr。Beacon，"Marchinterposed，"butbecauseIlikethemtoomuch。IfindthatIlookatthepicturesinanillustratedarticle，butIdon"treadthearticleverymuch，andIfancythat"sthecasewithmostotherpeople。You"vegottodoingthemsoprettilythatyoutakeoureyesofftheliterature，ifyoudon"ttakeourmindsoff。"

"Likethesocietybeautiesonthestage:peoplegoinforthebeautysomuchthattheydon"tknowwhattheplayis。Butthebox-officegetsthereallthesame，andthat"swhatMr。Dryfooswants。"FulkersonlookedupgaylyatMr。Dryfoos，whosmileddeprecatingly。

"Itwasdifferent，"Marchwenton，"whentheillustrationsusedtobebad。Thenthetexthadsomechance。"

"Oldlegitimatedramadays，whenuglinessandgeniuscombinedtostormthegalleries，"saidFulkerson。

"Wecanstillmakethembadenough，"saidBeaton，ignoringFulkersoninhisremarktoMarch。

Fulkersontookthereplyuponhimself。"Well，youneedn"tmake"emsobadastheold-stylecuts；butyoucanmakethemunobtrusive，modestlyretiring。We"vegotholdofaprocesssomethinglikethatthoseFrenchfellowsgaveDaudetthirty-fivethousanddollarstowriteanoveltousewith；kindofthingthatbeginsatoneside；oronecorner，andspreadsinasortofdimreligiousstyleovertheprinttillyoucan"ttellwhichiswhich。Thenwe"vegotanotionthatwherethepicturesdon"tbehavequitesosociably，theycanbedroppedintothetext，likealittlecasualremark，don"tyouknow，oracommentthathassomeconnection，ormaybenoneatall，withwhat"sgoingoninthestory。Somethinglikethis。"Fulkersontookawayonekneefromthetablelongenoughtoopenthedrawer，andpullfromitabookthatheshovedtowardBeacon。

"That"saSpanishbookIhappenedtoseeatBrentano"s，andIfrozetoitonaccountofthepictures。Iguessthey"reprettygood。"

"Doyouexpecttogetsuchdrawingsinthiscountry?"askedBeaton，afteraglanceatthebook。"uchcharacter——suchdrama?Youwon"t。"

"Well，I"mnotsosure，"saidFulkerson，"cometogetouramateurswarmeduptothework。ButwhatIwantistogetthephysicaleffect，sotospeak-getthatsizedpictureintoourpage，andsetthefashionofit。

Ishouldn"tcareiftheillustrationwassometimesconfinedtoaninitialletterandatail-piece。"

"Couldn"tbedonehere。Wehaven"tthetouch。We"regoodinsomethings，butthisisn"tinourway，"saidBeaton，stubbornly。"Ican"tthinkofamanwhocoulddoit；thatis，amongthosethatwould。"

"Well，thinkofsomewoman，then，"saidFulkerson，easily。"I"vegotanotionthatthewomencouldhelpusoutonthisthing，cometoget"eminterested。Thereain"tanythingsopopularasfemalefiction；whynottryfemaleart?"

"Thefemalesthemselveshavebeensupposedtohavebeentryingitforagoodwhile，"Marchsuggested；andMr。Dryfooslaughednervously；Beatonremainedsolemnlysilent。

"Yes，Iknow，"Fulkersonassented。"ButIdon"tmeanthatkindexactly。

Whatwewanttodoistoworkthe"ewigWeibliche"inthisconcern。Wewanttomakeamagazinethatwillgoforthewomen"sfancyeverytime。

Idon"tmeanwithrecipesforcookingandfashionsandpersonalgossipaboutauthorsandsociety，butrealhigh-toneliteraturethatwillshowwomentriumphinginallthestories，orelsesufferingtremendously。

We"vegottorecognizethatwomenformthree-fourthsofthereadingpublicinthiscountry，andgofortheirtastesandtheirsensibilitiesandtheirsex-pietyalongthewholeline。Theydoliketothinkthatwomencandothingsbetterthanmen；andifwecanletitleakoutandgetaroundinthepapersthatthemanagersof"EveryOtherWeek"couldn"tstirapeginthelineoftheillustrationstheywantedtilltheygotalotofGod-giftedgirlstohelpthem，it"llmakethefortuneofthething。See?"

Helookedsunnilyroundattheothermen，andMarchsaid:"YououghttobeinchargeofaSiamesewhiteelephant，Fulkerson。It"sadisgracetobeconnectedwithyou。"

"Itseemstome，"saidBecton，"thatyou"dbettergetaGod-giftedgirlforyourarteditor。"

Fulkersonleanedalertlyforward，andtouchedhimontheshoulder，withacompassionatesmile。"Mydearboy，theyhaven"tgotthegeniusoforganization。Ittakesaverymasculinemanforthat——amanwhocombinesthemostsubtleandrefinedsympathieswiththemostforcefulpurposesandthemostferruginouswill-power。WhichhisnameisAngusBeaton，andherehesets!"

TheotherslaughedwithFulkersonathisgrossburlesqueofflattery，andBectonfrownedsheepishly。"Isupposeyouunderstandthisman"sstyle，"

hegrowledtowardMarch。

"Hedoes，myson，"saidFulkerson。"HeknowsthatIcannottellalie。"

Hepulledouthiswatch，andthengotsuddenlyuponhisfeet。

"It"squarteroftwelve，andI"vegotanappointment。"Beatonrosetoo，andFulkersonputthetwobooksinhislaxhands。"Takethesealong，MichelangeloDaVinci，myfriend，andputyourmultitudinousmindonthemforaboutanhour，andletushearfromyouto-morrow。Wehanguponyourdecision。"

"There"snodecidingtobedone，"saidBeaton。"Youcan"tcombinethetwostyles。They"dkilleachother。"

"ADan"el，aDan"elcometojudgment!Iknewyoucouldhelpusout!

Take"emalong，andtelluswhichwillgothefurthestwiththe"ewigWeibliche。"Dryfoos，Iwantawordwithyou。"Heledthewayintothefrontroom，flirtinganairyfarewelltoBeatonwithhishandashewent。

VII。

MarchandBeatonremainedalonetogetherforamoment，andMarchsaid:

"Ihopeyouwillthinkitworthwhiletotakeholdwithus，Mr。Beaton。

Mr。Fulkersonputsitinhisownway，ofcourse；butwereallywanttomakeanicethingofthemagazine。"Hehadthattimidityoftheelderinthepresenceoftheyoungermanwhichtheyounger，preoccupiedwithhisowntimidityinthepresenceoftheelder，cannotimagine。Besides，MarchwasawareofthegulfthatdividedhimasaliterarymanfromBeatonasanartist，andheonlyventuredtofeelhiswaytowardsympathywithhim。"Wewanttomakeitgood；wewanttomakeithigh。Fulkersonisrightaboutaimingtopleasethewomen，butofcoursehecaricaturesthewayofgoingaboutit。"

Foranswer，Beatonflungout，"Ican"tgoinforathingIdon"tunderstandtheplanof。"

Marchtookitforgrantedthathehadwoundedsomeexposedsensibility，ofBeaton"s。Hecontinuedstillmoredeferentially:"Mr。Fulkerson"snotion——Imustsaythenotionishis，evolvedfromhissyndicateexperience——isthatweshalldobestinfictiontoconfineourselvestoshortstories，andmakeeachnumbercompleteinitself。Hefoundthatthemostsuccessfulthingshecouldfurnishhisnewspaperswereshortstories；weAmericansaresupposedtoexcelinwritingthem；andmostpeoplebeginwiththeminfiction；andit"sMr。Fulkerson"sideatoworkunknowntalent，ashesays，andsohethinkshecannotonlygetthemeasily，butcangraduallyformaschoolofshort-storywriters。Ican"tsayIfollowhimaltogether，butIrespecthisexperience。Weshallnotdespisetranslationsofshortstories，butotherwisethematterwillallbeoriginal，and，ofcourse，itwon"tallbeshortstories。Weshallusesketchesoftravel，andessays，andlittledramaticstudies，andbitsofbiographyandhistory；butallverylight，andalwaysshortenoughtobecompletedinasinglenumber。Mr。Fulkersonbelievesinpictures，andmostofthethingswouldbecapableofillustration。"

"Isee，"saidBeaton。

"Idon"tknowbutthisisthewholeaffair，"saidMarch，beginningtostiffenalittleattheyoungman"sreticence。

"Iunderstand。Thankyoufortakingthetroubletoexplain。Good-

morning。"Beatonbowedhimselfoff，withoutofferingtoshakehands。

Fulkersoncameinafterawhilefromtheouteroffice，andMr。Dryfoosfollowedhim。"Well，whatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?"

"Isheourarteditor?"askedMarch。"Iwasn"tquitecertainwhenheleft。"

"Didhetakethebooks?"

"Yes，hetookthebooks。"

"Iguesshe"sallright，then。"Fulkersonadded，inconcessiontotheumbragehedetectedinMarch。

"Beatonhashistimesofbeingthegreatestassinthesolarsystem，butheusuallytakesitoutinpersonalconduct。Whenitcomestowork，he"saregularhorse。"

"Heappearstohavecompromisedforthepresentbybeingaperfectmule，"

saidMarch。

"Well，he"sinatransitionstate，"Fulkersonallowed。"He"sthemanforus。Hereallyunderstandswhatwewant。You"llsee；he"llcatchon。

Thatluridglareofhiswillwearoffinthecourseoftime。He"sreallyagoodfellowwhenyoutakehimoffhisguard；andhe"sfullofideas。

He"sspreadoutoveragooddealofgroundatpresent，andsohe"sprettythin；butcometogatherhimupintoalump，there"sagooddealofsubstancetohim。Yes，thereis。He"safirst-ratecritic，andhe"sanicefellowwiththeotherartists。Theylaughathisuniversality，buttheyalllikehim。He"sthebestkindofateacherwhenhecondescendstoit；andhe"sjustthemantodealwithourvolunteerwork。Yes，sir，he"saprize。Well，Imustgonow。"

Fulkersonwentoutofthestreetdoor，andthencamequicklyback。"By-

the-bye，March，IsawthatolddynamiterofyoursroundatBeaton"sroomyesterday。"

"Whatolddynamiterofmine?"

"Thatoldone-handedDutchman——friendofyouryouth——theonewesawatMaroni"s——"

"Oh-Lindau!"saidMarch，withavaguepangofselfreproachforhavingthoughtofLindausolittleafterthefirstfloodofhistenderfeelingtowardhimwaspast。

"Yes，ourversatilefriendwasmodellinghimasJudasIscariot。Lindaumakesafirst-rateJudas，andBeatonhasgotabigthinginthatheadifheworksthereligiouspeopleright。ButwhatIwasthinkingofwasthis——itstruckmejustasIwasgoingoutofthedoor:Didn"tyoutellmeLindauknewfortyorfifty，differentlanguages?"

"Fourorfive，yes。"

"Well，wewon"tquarrelaboutthenumber。Thequestionis，Whynotworkhiminthefieldofforeignliterature?Youcan"tgooveralltheirreviewsandmagazines，andhecoulddothesmellingforyou，ifyoucouldtrusthisnose。Wouldheknowagoodthing?"

"Ithinkhewould，"saidMarch，onwhomthescopeofFulkerson"ssuggestiongraduallyopened。"Heusedtohavegoodtaste，andhemustknowtheground。Why，it"sacapitalidea，Fulkerson!LindauwroteveryfairEnglish，andhecouldtranslate，withalittlerevision。"

"Andhewouldprobablyworkcheap。Well，hadn"tyoubetterseehimaboutit?Iguessit"llbequiteawindfallforhim。"

"Yes，itwill。I"lllookhimup。Thankyouforthesuggestion，Fulkerson。"

"Oh，don"tmentionit!Idon"tminddoing"EveryOtherWeek"agoodturnnowandthenwhenitcomesinmyway。"Fulkersonwentoutagain，andthistimeMarchwasfinallyleftwithMr。Dryfoos。

"Mrs。Marchwasverysorrynottobeathomewhenyoursisterscalledtheotherday。Shewishedmetoaskiftheyhadanyafternooninparticular。

Therewasnoneonyourmother"scard。"

"No，sir，"saidtheyoungman，withaflushofembarrassmentthatseemedhabitualwithhim。"Shehasnoday。She"sathomealmosteveryday。

Shehardlyevergoesout。"

"Mightwecomesomeevening?"Marchasked。"Weshouldbeverygladtodothat，ifshewouldexcusetheinformality。ThenIcouldcomewithMrs。March。"

"Motherisn"tveryformal，"saidtheyoungman。"Shewouldbeverygladtoseeyou。"

"Thenwe"llcomesomenightthisweek，ifyouwillletus。Whendoyouexpectyourfatherback?"

"NotmuchbeforeChristmas。He"stryingtosettleupsomethingsatMoffitt。"

"Andwhatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?"askedMarch，withasmile，forthechangeofsubject。

"Oh，Idon"tknowmuchaboutsuchthings，"saidtheyoungman，withanotherofhisembarrassedflushes。"Mr。Fulkersonseemstofeelsurethatheistheoneforus。"

"Mr。FulkersonseemedtothinkthatIwastheoneforyou，too，"saidMarch；andhelaughed。"That"swhatmakesmedoubthisinfallibility。

Buthecouldn"tdoworsewithMr。Beaton。"

Mr。Dryfoosreddenedandlookeddown，asifunableorunwillingtocopewiththedifficultyofmakingapoliteprotestagainstMarch"sself-

depreciation。Hesaid，afteramoment:"It"snewbusinesstoallofusexceptMr。Fulkerson。ButIthinkitwillsucceed。Ithinkwecandosomegoodinit。"

Marchaskedratherabsently，"Somegood?"Thenheadded:"Ohyes；

Ithinkwecan。Whatdoyoumeanbygood?Improvethepublictaste?

Elevatethestandardofliterature?Giveyoungauthorsandartistsachance?"

ThiswastheonlygoodthathadeverbeeninMarch"smind，exceptthegoodthatwastocomeinamaterialwayfromhissuccess，tohimselfandtohisfamily。

"Idon"tknow，"saidtheyoungman；andhelookeddowninashamefacedfashion。HeliftedhisheadandlookedintoMarch"sface。"IsupposeI

wasthinkingthatsometimewemighthelpalong。IfweweretohavethosesketchesofyoursaboutlifeineverypartofNewYork——"

March"sauthorialvanitywastickled。"Fulkersonhasbeentalkingtoyouaboutthem?Heseemedtothinktheywouldbeacard。Hebelievesthatthere"snosubjectsofascinatingtothegeneralaverageofpeoplethroughoutthecountryaslifeinNewYorkCity；andhelikedmynotionofdoingthesethings。"MarchhopedthatDryfooswouldanswerthatFulkersonwasperfectlyenthusiasticabouthisnotion；buthedidnotneedthisstimulus，and，atanyrate，hewentonwithoutit。"Thefactis，it"ssomethingthatstruckmyfancythemomentIcamehere；Ifoundmyselfintenselyinterestedintheplace，andIbegantomakenotes，consciouslyandunconsciously，atonce。Yes，IbelieveIcangetsomethingquiteattractiveoutofit。Idon"tintheleastknowwhatitwillbeyet，exceptthatitwillbeverydesultory；andIcouldn"tatallsaywhenIcangetatit。IfwepostponethefirstnumbertillFebruaryImightgetalittlepaperintothat。Yes，Ithinkitmightbeagoodthingforus，"Marchsaid，withmodestself-appreciation。

"Ifyoucanmakethecomfortablepeopleunderstandhowtheuncomfortablepeoplelive，itwillbeaverygoodthing，Mr。March。Sometimesitseemstomethattheonlytroubleisthatwedon"tknowoneanotherwellenough；andthatthefirstthingistodothis。"Theyoungfellowspokewiththeseriousnessinwhichthebeautyofhisfaceresided。Wheneverhelaughedhisfacelookedweak，evensilly。Itseemedtobeasenseofthisthatmadehimhanghisheadorturnitawayatsuchtimes。

"That"strue，"saidMarch，fromthesurfaceonly。"Andthen，thosephasesoflowlifeareimmenselypicturesque。Ofcourse，wemusttrytogetthecontrastsofluxuryforthesakeofthefulleffect。Thatwon"tbesoeasy。Youcan"tpenetratetothedinner-partyofamillionaireunderthewingofadetectiveasyoucouldtoacarouseinMulberryStreet，ortohischildren"snurserywithaphilanthropistasyoucantoastreet-boy"slodging-house。"Marchlaughed，andagaintheyoungmanturnedhisheadaway。"Still，somethingcanbedoneinthatwaybytactandpatience。"

VII。

ThateveningMarchwentwithhiswifetoreturnthecalloftheDryfoosladies。Ontheirwayup-townintheElevatedhetoldherofhistalkwithyoungDryfoos。"IconfessIwasalittleashamedbeforehimafterwardforhavinglookedatthemattersoentirelyfromtheaestheticpointofview。Butofcourse，youknow，ifIwenttoworkatthosethingswithanethicalintentionexplicitlyinmind，Ishouldspoilthem。"

"Ofcourse，"saidhiswife。Shehadalwaysheardhimsaysomethingofthiskindaboutsuchthings。

Hewenton:"ButIsupposethat"sjustthepointthatsuchanatureasyoungDryfoos"scan"tgetholdof，orkeepholdof。We"reaqueerlot，downthere，Isabel——perfectmenagerie。Ifithadn"tbeenthatFulkersongotustogether，andreallyseemstoknowwhathediditfor，Ishouldsayhewastheoddeststickamongus。ButwhenIthinkofmyselfandmyowncrankinessfortheliterarydepartment；andyoungDryfoos，whooughtreallytobeinthepulpit，oramonastery，orsomething，forpublisher；

andthatyoungBeaton，whoprobablyhasn"tamoralfibreinhiscomposition，fortheartman，Idon"tknowbutwecouldgiveFulkersonoddsandstillbeathiminoddity。"

Hiswifeheavedadeepsighofapprehension，ofrenunciation，ofmonition。"Well，I"mgladyoucanfeelsolightaboutit，Basil。"

"Light?Ifeelgay!WithFulkersonatthehelm，Itellyoutherocksandtheleeshorehadbetterkeepoutoftheway。"Helaughedwithpleasureinhismetaphor。"JustwhenyouthinkFulkersonhastakenleaveofhissenseshesaysordoessomethingthatshowsheisonthemostintimateandinalienabletermswiththemallthetime。YouknowhowI"vebeenworryingoverthoseforeignperiodicals，andtryingtogetsometranslationsfromthemforthefirstnumber?Well，Fulkersonhasbroughthiscentipedalmindtobearonthesubject，andhe"ssuggestedthatoldGermanfriendofmineIwastellingyouof——theoneImetintherestaurant——thefriendofmyyouth。"

"Doyouthinkhecoulddoit?"askedMrs。March，sceptically。

"He"saperfectBabelofstrangetongues；andhe"stheverymanforthework，andIwasashamedIhadn"tthoughtofhimmyself，forIsuspectheneedsthework。"

"Well，becarefulhowyougetmixedupwithhim，then，Basil，"saidhiswife，whohadthenaturalmisgivingconcerningthefriendsofherhusband"syouththatallwiveshave。"YouknowtheGermansaresounscrupulouslydependent。Youdon"tknowanythingabouthimnow。"

"I"mnotafraidofLindau，"saidMarch。"HewasthebestandkindestmanIeversaw，themosthigh-minded，themostgenerous。Helostahandinthewarthathelpedtosaveusandkeepuspossible，andthatstumpofhisischaracterenoughforme。"

"Oh，youdon"tthinkIcouldhavemeantanythingagainsthim!"saidMrs。

March，withthetenderfervorthateverywomanwholivedinthetimeofthewarmustfeelforthosewhosufferedinit。"AllthatImeantwasthatIhopedyouwouldnotgetmixedupwithhimtoomuch。You"resoapttobecarriedawaybyyourimpulses。"

"Theydidn"tcarrymeveryfarawayinthedirectionofpooroldLindau，I"mashamedtothink，"saidMarch。"ImeantallsortsoffinethingsbyhimafterImethim；andthenIforgothim，andIhadtoberemindedofhimbyFulkerson。"

Shedidnotanswerhim，andhefellintoaremorsefulreverie，inwhichherehabilitatedLindauanew，andprovidedhandsomelyforhisoldage。

Hegothimburiedwithmilitaryhonors，andhadashaftraisedoverhim，withamedallionlikenessbyBeatonandanepitaphbyhimself，bythetimetheyreachedForty-secondStreet；therewasnotimetowriteLindau"slife，howeverbriefly，beforethetrainstopped。

TheyhadtowalkupfourblocksandthenhalfablockacrossbeforetheycametotheindistinctivebrownstonehousewheretheDryfooseslived。

Itwaslargerthansomeinthesameblock，butthenextneighborhoodofahugeapartment-housedwarfeditagain。Marchthoughtherecognizedtheveryflatinwhichhehaddisciplinedthesurlyjanitor，buthedidnottellhiswife；hemadehernoticethetransitioncharacterofthestreet，whichhadbeenmostlybuiltupinapartment-houses，withhereandthereasingledwellingdroppedfardownbeneathandbesidethem，tothatjag-

toothedeffectonthesky-linesooftenobservableinsuchNewYorkstreets。"Idon"tknowexactlywhattheoldgentlemanboughtherefor，"

hesaid，astheywaitedonthestepsafterringing，"unlessheexpectstoturnitintoflatsby-and-by。Otherwise，Idon"tbelievehe"llgethismoneyback。"

AnIrishserving-man，withacertainsurprisethatdelayedhim，saidtheladieswereathome，andlettheMarchesin，andthencarriedtheircardsup-stairs。Thedrawing-room，wherehesaidtheycouldsitdownwhilehewentonthiserrand，wasdelicately，decoratedinwhiteandgold，andfurnishedwithasortofextravagantgoodtaste；therewasnothingtoobjecttointhesatinfurniture，thepale，soft，richcarpet，thepictures，andthebronzeandchinabric-a-brac，exceptthattheircostlinesswastooevident；everythingintheroommeantmoneytooplainly，andtoomuchofit。TheMarchesrecognizedthisinthehoarsewhisperswhichpeoplecannotgettheirvoicesabovewhentheytrytotalkawaytheintervalofwaitinginsuchcircumstances；theyconjecturedfromwhattheyhadheardoftheDryfoosesthatthistastefulluxuryinnowiseexpressedtheircivilization。"Thoughwhenyoucometothat，"saidMarch，"Idon"tknowthatMrs。Green"sgimcrackeryexpressesours。"

"Well，Basil，Ididn"ttakethegimcrackery。Thatwasyour——"

TherustleofskirtsonthestairswithoutarrestedMrs。Marchinthewell-meritedpunishmentwhichsheneverfailedtoinflictuponherhusbandwhenthequestionofthegimcrackery——theyalwayscalleditthat——

cameup。Sheroseattheentranceofabright-looking，pretty-looking，mature，youngishlady，inblacksilkofaneutralimplication，whoputoutherhandtoher，andsaid，withaverycheery，veryladylikeaccent，"Mrs。March?"andthenaddedtobothofthem，whilesheshookhandswithMarch，andbeforetheycouldgetthenameoutoftheirmonths:"No，notMissDryfoos!Neitherofthem；norMrs。Dryfoos。Mrs。Mandel。Theladieswillbedowninamoment。Won"tyouthrowoffyoursacque，Mrs。

March?I"mafraidit"sratherwarmhere，comingfromtheoutside。"

"Iwillthrowitback，ifyou"llallowme，"saidMrs。March，withasortofprovisionality，asif，pendingsomeuncertaintyastoMrs。Mandel"squalityandauthority，shedidnotfeelherselfjustifiedingoingfurther。

ButifshedidnotknowaboutMrs。Mandel，Mrs。Mandelseemedtoknowabouther。"Oh，well，do!"shesaid，withasortofrecognitionoftheproprietyofhercaution。"IhopeyouarefeelingalittleathomeinNewYork。Weheardsomuchofyourtroubleingettingaflat，fromMr。

Fulkerson。"

"Well，atrueBostoniandoesn"tgiveupquitesosoon，"saidMrs。March。

"ButIwillsayNewYorkdoesn"tseemsofaraway，nowwe"rehere。"

"I"msureyou"lllikeit。Everyonedoes。"Mrs。MandeladdedtoMarch，"It"sverysharpout，isn"tit?"

"Rathersharp。ButafterourBostonwintersIdon"tknowbutIoughttorepudiatetheword。"

"Ah，waittillyouhavebeenherethroughMarch!"saidMrs。Mandel。Shebeganwithhim，butskillfullytransferredthecloseofherremark，andthelittlesmileofmenacethatwentwithit，tohiswife。

"Yes，"saidMrs。March，"orApril，either:Talkaboutoureastwinds!"

"Oh，I"msuretheycan"tbeworsethanourwinds，"Mrs。Mandelreturned，caressingly。

"IfweescapeNewYorkpneumonia，"Marchlaughed，"itwillonlybetofallapreytoNewYorkmalariaassoonasthefrostisoutoftheground。"

"Oh，butyouknow，"saidMrs。Mandel，"Ithinkourmalariahasreallybeenslanderedalittle。It"smoreamatterofdrainage——ofplumbing。

Idon"tbelieveitwouldbepossibleformalariatogetintothishouse，we"vehaditgoneoversothoroughly。"

Mrs。Marchsaid，whileshetriedtodivineMrs。Mandel"spositionfromthisstatement，"It"scertainlythefirstduty。"

"IfMrs。Marchcouldhavehadherway，weshouldhavehadthedrainageofourwholewardputinorder，"saidherhusband，"beforeweventuredtotakeafurnishedapartmentforthewinter。"

Mrs。MandellookeddiscreetlyatMrs。Marchforpermissiontolaughatthis，butatthesamemomentbothladiesbecamepreoccupiedwithasecondrustlingonthestairs。

Twotall，well-dressedyounggirlscamein，andMrs。Mandelintroduced，"MissDryfoos，Mrs。March；andMissMelaDryfoos，Mr。March，"sheadded，andthegirlsshookhandsintheirseveralwayswiththeMarches。

MissDryfooshadkeenblackeyes，andherhairwasintenselyblack。Herface，butfortheslightinwardcurveofthenose，wasregular，andthesmallnessofhernoseandofhermouthdidnotweakenherface，butgaveitacuriouseffectoffierceness，ofchallenge。Shehadalargeblackfaninherhand，whichshewavedintalking，withaslow，watchfulnervousness。Hersisterwasblonde，andhadaprofilelikeherbrother"s；butherchinwasnotsosalient，andtheweaklookofthemouthwasnotcorrectedbythespiritualityorthefervorofhiseyes，thoughherswereofthesamemottledblue。ShedroppedintothelowseatbesideMrs。Mandel，andintertwinedherfingerswiththoseofthehandwhichMrs。Mandelletherhave。ShesmiledupontheMarches，whileMissDryfooswatchedthemintensely，withhereyesfirstononeandthenontheother，asifshedidnotmeantoletanyexpressionoftheirsescapeher。

"Mymotherwillbedowninaminute，"shesaidtoMrs。March。

"Ihopewe"renotdisturbingher。Itissogoodofyoutoletuscomeintheevening，"Mrs。Marchreplied。

"Oh，notatall，"saidthegirl。"Wereceiveintheevening。"

"Whenwedoreceive，"MissMelaputin。"Wedon"talwaysgetthechanceto。"Shebeganalaugh，whichshecheckedatasmilefromMrs。Mandel，whichnoonecouldhaveseentobereproving。

MissDryfooslookeddownatherfan，andlookedupdefiantlyatMrs。

March。"Isupposeyouhavehardlygotsettled。Wewereafraidwewoulddisturbyouwhenwecalled。"

"Ohno!Wewereverysorrytomissyourvisit。Wearequitesettledinournewquarters。Ofcourse，it"sallverydifferentfromBoston。"

"Ihopeit"smoreofasociableplacethere，"MissMelabrokeinagain。

"IneversawsuchanunsociableplaceasNewYork。We"vebeeninthishousethreemonths，andIdon"tbelievethatifwestayedthreeyearsanyoftheneighborswouldcall。"

"Ifancyproximitydoesn"tcountformuchinNewYork，"Marchsuggested。

Mrs。Mandelsaid:"That"swhatItellMissMela。Butsheisaverysocialnature，andcan"treconcileherselftothefact。"

"No，Ican"t，"thegirlpouted。"IthinkitwastwiceasmuchfuninMoffitt。IwishIwastherenow。"

"Yes，"saidMarch，"Ithinkthere"sagreatdealmoreenjoymentinthosesmallerplaces。There"snotsomuchgoingoninthewayofpublicamusements，andsopeoplemakemoreofoneanother。Therearenotsomanyconcerts，theatres，operas——"

"Oh，they"vegotasplendidopera-houseinMoffitt。It"sjustgrand，"

saidMissMela。

"Haveyoubeentotheoperahere，thiswinter?"Mrs。Marchaskedoftheeldergirl。

Shewasglaringwithafrownathersister，anddetachedhereyesfromherwithaneffort。"Whatdidyousay?"shedemanded，withanabsentbluntness。"Ohyes。Yes!Wewentonce。FathertookaboxattheMetropolitan。"

"ThenyougotagooddoseofWagner，Isuppose?"saidMarch。

"What?"askedthegirl。

"Idon"tthinkMissDryfoosisveryfondofWagner"smusic，"Mrs。Mandelsaid。"IbelieveyouareallgreatWagneritesinBoston?"

"I"maverybadBostonian，Mrs。Mandel。IsuspectmyselfofpreferringVerdi，"Marchanswered。

MissDryfooslookeddownatherfanagain，andsaid，"Ilike"Trovatore"

thebest。"

"It"sanoperaInevergettiredof，"saidMarch，andMrs。MarchandMrs:

Mandelexchangedasmileofcompassionforhissimplicity。Hedetectedit，andadded:"ButIdaresayIshallcomedownwiththeWagnerfeverintime。I"vebeenexposedtosomemalignantcasesofit。"

"Thatnightwewerethere，"saidMissMela，"theyhadtoturnthegasdownallthroughonepartofit，andthepaperssaidtheladieswereawfulmadbecausetheycouldn"tshowtheirdiamonds。Idon"twonder，iftheyallhadtopayasmuchfortheirboxesaswedid。Wehadtopaysixtydollars。"ShelookedattheMarchesfortheirsensationatthisexpense。

Marchsaid:"Well，IthinkIshalltakemyboxbythemonth，then。Itmustcomecheaper，wholesale。"

"Ohno，itdon"t，"saidthegirl，gladtoinformhim。"Thepeoplethatowntheirboxes，andthathadtogivefifteenortwentythousanddollarsapieceforthem，havetopaysixtydollarsanightwheneverthere"saperformance，whethertheygoornot。"

"ThenIshouldgoeverynight，"Marchsaid。

"Mostoftheladieswerelowneck——"

Marchinterposed，"Well，Ishouldn"tgolow-neck。"

Thegirlbrokeintoafondlyapprovinglaughathisdrolling。"Oh，I

guessyoulovetotrain!Usgirlswantedtogolowneck，too；butfathersaidweshouldn"t，andmothersaidifwedidshewouldn"tcometothefrontoftheboxonce。Well，shedidn"t，anyway。Wemightjustaswell"a"gonelowneck。Shestayedbackthewholetime，andwhentheyhadthatdance——theballet，youknow——shejustshuthereyes。Well，Conraddidn"tlikethatpartmuch，either；butusgirlsandMrs。Mandel，webrazeneditoutrightinthefrontofthebox。Wewereabouttheonlyonestherethatwenthighneck。Conradhadtowearaswallow-tail；

butfatherhadn"tany，andhehadtopatchoutwithawhitecravat。

Youcouldn"tseewhathehadoninthebacko"thebox，anyway。"

Mrs。MarchlookedatMissDryfoos，whowaswavingherfanmoreandmoreslowlyupanddown，andwho，whenshefeltherselflookedat，returnedMrs。March"ssmile，whichshemeanttobeingratiatingandperhapssympathetic，withaflashthatmadeherstart，andthenranherfierceeyesoverMarch"sface。"Herecomesmother，"shesaid，withasortofbreathlessness，asifspeakingherthoughtaloud，andthroughtheopendoortheMarchescouldseetheoldladyonthestairs。

Shepausedhalf-waydown，andturning，calledup:"Coonrod!Coonrod!

Youbringmyshawldownwithyou。"

HerdaughterMelacalledouttoher，"Now，mother，Christine"llgiveittoyoufornotsendingMike。"

"Well，Idon"tknowwhereheis，Mely，child，"themotheransweredback。

"Heain"tneveraroundwhenhe"swanted，andwhenheain"t，itseemslikeabodycouldn"tgitshetofhim，nohow。"

"Well，yououghttoringforhim!"criedMissMela，enjoyingthejoke。

Hermothercameinwithaslowstep；herheadshookslightlyasshelookedabouttheroom，perhapsfromnervousness，perhapsfromatouchofpalsy。IneithercasethefacthadapathoswhichMrs。Marchconfessedintheaffectionwithwhichshetookherhard，dry，large，oldhandwhenshewasintroducedtoher，andinthesinceritywhichsheputintothehopethatshewaswell。

"I"mjustmiddlin"，"Mrs。Dryfoosreplied。"Iain"tneversowell，nowadays。ItellfawtherIdon"tbelieveitagreeswithmeverywellhere，buthesaysI"llgitusedtoit。He"sawaynow，outatMoffitt，"

shesaidtoMarch，andwaveredonfootamomentbeforeshesankintoachair。Shewasatallwoman，whohadbeenabeautifulgirl，andhergrayhairhadamemoryofblondenessinitlikeLindau"s，Marchnoticed。Sheworeasimplesilkgown，ofaQuakerlygray，andsheheldahandkerchieffoldedsquare，asithadcomefromthelaundress。SomethingliketheSabbathquietofalittlewoodenmeeting-houseinthickWesternwoodsexpresseditselftohimfromherpresence。

"Laws，mother!"saidMissMela；"whatyougotthatoldthingonfor?IfI"d"a"knownyou"d"a"comedowninthat!"

"Coonrodsaiditwasallright，Mely，"saidhermother。

MissMelaexplainedtotheMarches:"MotherwasraisedamongtheDunkards，andshethinksit"swickedtowearanythingbutagraysilkevenfordress-up。"

"Youhain"tneverhearedo"theDunkards，Ireckon，"theoldwomansaidtoMrs。March。"Somefolkscalls"emtheBeardyMen，becausetheydon"tnevershave；andtheywashfeetliketheydointheTestament。Myunclewasone。Heraisedme。"

"Iguessprettymucheverybody"saBeardyMannowadays，ifheain"taDunkard!"

MissMelalookedroundforapplauseofhersally，butMarchwassayingtohiswife:"It"saPennsylvaniaGermansect，Ibelieve——somethingliketheQuakers。IusedtoseethemwhenIwasaboy。"

"Aren"ttheysomethingliketheMennists?"askedMrs。Mandel。

"They"regoodpeople，"saidtheoldwoman，"andtheworld"dbeaheapbetteroffiftherewasmorelike"em。"

Hersoncameinandlaidasoftshawloverhershouldersbeforeheshookhandswiththevisitors。"Iamgladyoufoundyourwayhere，"hesaidtothem。

Christine，whohadbeenbendingforwardoverherfan，nowliftedherselfupwithasighandleanedbackinherchair。

"I"msorrymyfatherisn"there，"saidtheyoungmantoMrs。March。

"He"snevermetyouyet?"

"No；andIshouldliketoseehim。Wehearagreatdealaboutyourfather，youknow，fromMr。Fulkerson。"

"Oh，Ihopeyoudon"tbelieveeverythingMr。Fulkersonsaysaboutpeople，"Melacried。"He"sthegreatestpersonforcarryingonwhenhegetsgoingIeversaw。ItmakesChristinejustasmadwhenhimandmothergetstotalkingaboutreligion；shesayssheknowshedon"tcareanythingmoreaboutitthanthemaninthemoon。Ireckonhedon"ttryitonmuchwithfather。"

"Yourfawtherain"teverbeenaperfessor，"hermotherinterposed；"buthe"salwaysbeenagoodchurch-goin"man。"

"NotsincewecometoNewYork，"retortedthegirl。

"He"sbeenallbrokeupsincehecometoNewYork，"saidtheoldwoman，withanaggrievedlook。