第11章

"Now，Conrad，here，"saidtheoldman，withasortofpatheticrancor，"wouldratherhavethegloryalone。Ibelievehedon"tevencaremuchforyourkindofglory，either，Mr。Fulkerson。"

FulkersonranhislittleeyescuriouslyoverConrad"sfaceandthenMarch"s，asifsearchingforatracethereofsomethinggonebeforewhichwouldenablehimtoreachDryfoos"swholemeaning。Heapparentlyresolvedtolaunchhimselfuponconjecture。"Oh，well，weknowhowConradfeelsaboutthethingsofthisworld，anyway。Ishouldliketotake"emontheplaneofanothersphere，too，sometimes；butInoticedagoodwhileagothatthiswastheworldIwasborninto，andsoImadeupmymindthatIwoulddoprettymuchwhatIsawtherestofthefolksdoingherebelow。AndIcan"tseebutwhatConradrunsthethingonbusinessprinciplesinhisdepartment，andIguessyou"llfinditsoifyoulookintoit。Iconsiderthatwe"reawholeteamandbigdogunderthewagonwithyoutodrawonforsupplies，andMarch，here，attheheadoftheliterarybusiness，andConradinthecounting-room，andmetodotheheavylyingintheadvertisingpart。Oh，andBeaton，ofcourse，intheart。I"mostforgotBeaton——HamletwithHamletleftout。"

Dryfooslookedacrossathisson。"Wasn"tthatthefellow"snamethatwastherelastnight?"

"Yes，"saidConrad。

Theoldmanrose。"Well，IreckonIgottobegoing。Youreadytogoup-town，Conrad?"

"Well，notquiteyet，father。"

TheoldmanshookhandswithMarch，andwentdownstairs，followedbyhisson。

Fulkersonremained。

"Hedidn"tjumpatthechanceyougavehimtocomplimentusallround，Fulkerson，"saidMarch，withasmilenotwhollyofpleasure。

Fulkersonasked，withaslittlejoyinthegrinhehadon，"Didn"thesayanythingtoyoubeforeIcamein?"

"Notaword。"

"DoggedifIknowwhattomakeofit，"sighedFulkerson，"butIguesshe"sbeenhavingatalkwithConradthat"ssouredonhim。Ireckonmaybehecamebackexpectingtofindthatboyreconciledtothegloryofthisworld，andConrad"sshowedhimselfjustassetagainstitasever。"

"Itmighthavebeenthat，"Marchadmitted，pensively。"Ifanciedsomethingofthekindmyselffromwordstheoldmanletdrop。"

Fulkersonmadehimexplain，andthenhesaid:

"That"sit，then；andit"sallright。Conrad"llcomeroundintime；andallwe"vegottodoistohavepatiencewiththeoldmantillhedoes。

Iknowhelikesyou。"Fulkersonaffirmedthisonlyinterrogatively，andlookedsoanxiouslytoMarchforcorroborationthatMarchlaughed。

"Hedissembledhislove，"hesaid；butafterward，indescribingtohiswifehisinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos，hewaslessamusedwiththisfact。

Whenshesawthathewasalittlecastdownbyit，shebegantoencouragehim。"He"sjustacommon，ignorantman，andprobablydidn"tknowhowtoexpresshimself。Youmaybeperfectlysurethathe"sdelightedwiththesuccessofthemagazine，andthatheunderstandsaswellasyoudothatheowesitalltoyou。"

"Ah，I"mnotsosure。Idon"tbelieveaman"sanybetterforhavingmademoneysoeasilyandrapidlyasDryfooshasdone，andIdoubtifhe"sanywiser。Idon"tknowjustthepointhe"sreachedinhisevolutionfromgrubtobeetle，butIdoknowthatsofarasit"sgonetheprocessmusthaveinvolvedabewilderingchangeofidealsandcriterions。Iguesshe"scometodespiseagreatmanythingsthatheoncerespected，andthatintellectualabilityisamongthem——whatwecallintellectualability。

Hemusthaveundergoneamoraldeterioration，anatrophyofthegenerousinstincts，andIdon"tseewhyitshouldn"thavereachedhismentalmake-

up。Hehassharpened，buthehasnarrowed；hissagacityhasturnedintosuspicion，hiscautiontomeanness，hiscouragetoferocity。That"sthewayIphilosophizeamanofDryfoos"sexperience，andIamnotveryproudwhenIrealizethatsuchamanandhisexperiencearetheidealandambitionofmostAmericans。Iratherthinktheycameprettynearbeingmine，once。"

"No，dear，theyneverdid，"hiswifeprotested。

"Well，they"renotlikelytobeinthefuture。TheDryfoosfeatureof"EveryOtherWeek"isthoroughlydistastefultome。"

"Why，buthehasn"treallygotanythingtodowithit，hashe，beyondfurnishingthemoney?"

"That"stheimpressionthatFulkersonhasallowedustoget。Butthemanthatholdsthepurseholdsthereins。Hemayletusguidethehorse，butwhenhelikeshecandrive。Ifwedon"tlikehisdriving，thenwecangetdown。"

Mrs。Marchwaslessinterestedinthisfigureofspeechthaninthepersonalaspectsinvolved。"ThenyouthinkMr。Fulkersonhasdeceivedyou?"

"Ohno!"saidherhusband，laughing。"ButIthinkhehasdeceivedhimself，perhaps。"

"How?"shepursued。

"HemayhavethoughthewasusingDryfoos，whenDryfooswasusinghim，andhemayhavesupposedhewasnotafraidofhimwhenhewasverymuchso。Hiscouragehadn"tbeenputtothetest，andcourageisamatterofproof，likeproficiencyonthefiddle，youknow:youcan"ttellwhetheryou"vegotittillyoutry。"

"Nonsense!DoyoumeanthathewouldeversacrificeyoutoMr。Dryfoos?"

"Ihopehemaynotbetempted。ButI"dratherbetakingthechanceswithFulkersonalonethanwithFulkersonandDryfoostobackhim。Dryfoosseems，somehow，totakethepoetryandthepleasureoutofthething。"

Mrs。Marchwasalongtimesilent。Thenshebegan，"Well，mydear，I

neverwantedtocometoNewYork——"

"NeitherdidI，"Marchpromptlyputin。

"Butnowthatwe"rehere，"shewenton，"I"mnotgoingtohaveyoulettingeverylittlethingdiscourageyou。Idon"tseewhattherewasinMr。Dryfoos"smannertogiveyouanyanxiety。He"sjustacommon，stupid，inarticulatecountryperson，andhedidn"tknowhowtoexpresshimself，asIsaidinthebeginning，andthat"sthereasonhedidn"tsayanything。"

"Well，Idon"tdenyyou"rerightaboutit。"

"It"sdreadful，"hiswifecontinued，"tobemixedupwithsuchamanandhisfamily，butIdon"tbelievehe"llevermeddlewithyourmanagement，and，tillhedoes，allyouneeddoistohaveaslittletodowithhimaspossible，andgoquietlyonyourownway。"

"Oh，Ishallgoonquietlyenough，"saidMarch。"IhopeIsha"n"tbegingoingstealthily。"

"Well，mydear，"saidMrs。March，"justletmeknowwhenyou"retemptedtodothat。Ifeveryousacrificethesmallestgrainofyourhonestyoryourself-respecttoMr。Dryfoos，oranybodyelse，Iwillsimplyrenounceyou。"

"InviewofthatI"mrathergladthemanagementof"EveryOtherWeek"

involvestastesandnotconvictions，"saidMarch。

III。

ThatnightDryfooswaswakenedfromhisafter-dinnernapbythesoundofgaytalkandnervousgigglinginthedrawing-room。Thetalk，whichwasChristine"s，andthegiggling，whichwasMela"s，wereintershotwiththeheaviertonesofaman"svoice；andDryfooslayawhileontheleathernloungeinhislibrary，tryingtomakeoutwhetherheknewthevoice。Hiswifesatinadeepchairbeforethefire，withhereyesonhisface，waitingforhimtowake。

"Whoisthatoutthere?"heasked，withoutopeninghiseyes。

"Indeed，indeed，Idon"tknow，Jacob，"hiswifeanswered。"Ireckonit"sjustsomevisitorofthegirls"。"

"WasIsnoring?"

"Notabit。Youwassleepingasquiet!Ididhatetohave"emwakeyou，andIwasjustgoin"outtoshoothem。They"vebeenplayin"something，andthatmadethemlaugh。"

"Ididn"tknowbutIhadsnored，"saidtheoldman，sittingup。

"No，"saidhiswife。Thensheasked，wistfully，"Wasyououtattheoldplace，Jacob?"

"Yes。"

"Diditlooknatural?"

"Yes；mostly。They"resinkingthewellsdowninthewoodspasture。"

"And——thechildren"sgraves?"

"Theyhaven"ttouchedthatpart。ButIreckonwegottohave"emmovedtothecemetery。Iboughtalot。"

Theoldwomanbegansoftlytoweep。"Itdoesseemtoohardthattheycan"tbelettorestinpeace，porelittlethings。Iwantedyouandmetolaythere，too，whenourtimecome，Jacob。Justthere，backo"thebeehivesandunderthemshoomakes——my，Icanseetheveryplace!AndI

don"tbelieveI"lleverfeelathomeanywhereselse。Iwoon"tknowwhereIamwhenthetrumpetsounds。IhavetothinkbeforeIcantellwheretheeastisinNewYork；andwhatifIshouldgitfacedthewrongwaywhenIraise?Jacob，Iwonderyoucouldsellit!"Herheadshook，andthefirelightshoneonhertearsasshesearchedthefoldsofherdressforherpocket。

Apealoflaughtercamefromthedrawing-room，andthenthesoundofchordsstruckonthepiano。

"Hush!Don"tyoucry，"Liz"beth!"saidDryfoos。"Here；takemyhandkerchief。I"vegotanicelotinthecemetery，andI"mgoin"tohaveamonument，withtwolambsonit——liketheoneyoualwayslikedsomuch。

Itain"tthefashion，anymore，tohavefamilyburyin"grounds；they"recollectin""emintothecemeteries，allround。"

"IreckonIgottobearit，"saidhiswife，mufflingherfaceinhishandkerchief。"AndIsupposetheLordkinfindme，whereverIam。ButI

alwaysdidwanttolayjustthere。Youmindhowweusedtogooutandsetthere，aftermilkin"，andwatchthesungodown，andtalkaboutwheretheirangelswas，andtrytofiggeritout?"

"Iremember，"Liz"beth。"

Theman"svoiceinthedrawing-roomsangasnatchofFrenchsong，insolent，mocking，salient；andthenChristine"sattemptedthesamestrain，andanothercryoflaughterfromMelafollowed。

"Well，Ialwaysdidexpecttolaythere。ButIreckonit"sallright。

Itwon"tbeagreatwhile，now，anyway。Jacob，Idon"tbelieveI"ma-

goin"toliveverylong。Iknowitdon"tagreewithmehere。"

"Oh，Iguessitdoes，"Liz"beth。You"rejustalittlepulleddownwiththeweather。It"scomingspring，andyoufeelit；butthedoctorsaysyou"reallright。Istoppedin，onthewayup，andhesaysso。"

"Ireckonhedon"tknoweverything，"theoldwomanpersisted:"I"vebeenrunnin"downeversinceweleftMoffitt，andIdidn"tfeelanytoowellthere，even。It"saverystrangething，Jacob，thatthericheryougit，thelessyouain"tabletostaywhereyouwantto，deadoralive。"

"It"sforthechildrenwedoit，"saidDryfoos。"Wegottogivethemtheirchanceintheworld。"

"Oh，theworld!Theyoughttobeartheyokeintheiryouth，likewedone。Iknowit"swhatCoonrodwouldliketodo。"

Dryfoosgotuponhisfeet。"IfCoonrod"llmindhisownbusiness，anddowhatIwanthimto，he"llhaveyokeenoughtobear。"Hemovedfromhiswife，withoutfurtherefforttocomforther，andpotteredheavilyoutintothedining-room。Beyonditsobscuritystretchedtheglitterofthedeepdrawing-room。Hisfeet，intheirbroad；flatslippers，madenosoundonthedensecarpet，andhecameunseenuponthelittlegrouptherenearthepiano。Melapercheduponthestoolwithherbacktothekeys，andBeatonbentoverChristine，whosatwithabanjoinherlap，lettinghimtakeherhandsandputthemintherightplaceontheinstrument。

Herfacewasradiantwithhappiness，andMelawaswatchingherwithfoolish，unselfishpleasureinherbliss。

TherewasnothingwrongintheaffairtoamanofDryfoos"straditionsandperceptions，andifithadbeenathomeinthefarmsitting-room，oreveninhisparloratMoffitt，hewouldnothavemindedayoungman"splacinghisdaughter"shandsonabanjo，orevenholdingthemthere；

itwouldhaveseemedaproper，attentionfromhimifhewascourtingher。

Buthere，insuchahouseasthis，withthedaughterofamanwhohadmadeasmuchmoneyashehad，hedidnotknowbutitwasaliberty。

Hefelttheangrydoubtofitwhichbesethiminregardtosomanyexperiencesofhischangedlife；hewantedtoshowhissenseofit，ifitwasaliberty，buthedidnotknowhow，andhedidnotknowthatitwasso。Besides，hecouldnothelpatouchofthepleasureinChristine"shappinesswhichMelashowed；andhewouldhavegonebacktothelibrary，ifhecould，withoutbeingdiscovered。

ButBeatonhadseenhim，andDryfoos，withanonchalantnodtotheyoungman，cameforward。"Whatyougotthere，Christine?"

"Abanjo，"saidthegirl，blushinginherfather"spresence。

Melagurgled。"Mr。Beatonislearnun"herthefirstposition。"

Beatonwasnotembarrassed。Hewasineveningdress，andhisface，pointedwithitsbrownbeard，showedextremelyhandsomeabovetheexpanseofhisbroad，whiteshirt-front。Hegavebackasnonchalantanodashehadgot，and，withoutfurthergreetingtoDryfoos，hesaidtoChristine:

"No，no。Youmustkeepyourhandandarmso。"Heheldtheminposition。

"There!Nowstrikewithyourrighthand。See?"

"Idon"tbelieveIcaneverlearn，"saidthegirl，withafondupwardlookathim。

"Ohyes，youcan，"saidBeaton。

TheybothignoredDryfoosinthelittleplayofprotestswhichfollowed，andhesaid，halfjocosely，halfsuspiciously，"Andisthebanjothefashion，now?"Heremembereditastheemblemoflow-downshowbusiness，andassociateditwithend-menandblackenedfacesandgrotesqueshirt-

collars。

"It"salltherage，"Melashouted，inanswerforall。"Everybodyplaysit。Mr。Beatonborrowedthisfromaladyfriendofhis。"

"Humph!PityIgotyouapiano，then，"saidDryfoos。"Abanjowouldhavebeencheaper。"

Beatonsofaradmittedhimtotheconversationastoseemremindedofthepianobyhismentioningit。HesaidtoMela，"Oh，won"tyoujuststrikethosechords?"andasMelawheeledaboutandbeatthekeyshetookthebanjofromChristineandsatdownwithit。"Thisway!"Hestrummedit，andmurmuredthetuneDryfooshadheardhimsingingfromthelibrary，whilehekepthisbeautifuleyesfloatingonChristine"s。"Youtrythat，now；it"sverysimple。"

"WhereisMrs。Mandel?"Dryfoosdemanded，tryingtoasserthimself。

NeitherofthegirlsseemedtohaveheardhimatfirstinthechattertheybrokeintooverwhatBeatonproposed。ThenMelasaid，absently，"Oh，shehadtogoouttoseeoneofherfriendsthat"ssick，"andshestruckthepianokeys。"Come；tryit，Chris!"

Dryfoosturnedaboutunheededandwentbacktothelibrary。HewouldhavelikedtoputBeatonoutofhishouse，andinhisheartheburnedagainsthimasacontumacioushand；hewouldhavelikedtodischargehimfromtheartdepartmentof"EveryOtherWeek"atonce。ButhewasawareofnothavingtreatedBeatonwithmuchceremony，andiftheyoungmanhadreturnedhisbehaviorinkind，withanelectricalresponsetohisownfeeling，hadheanyrighttocomplain?Afterall，therewasnoharminhisteachingChristinethebanjo。

Hiswifestillsatlookingintothefire。"Ican"tsee，"shesaid，"aswe"vegotabitmorecomfortofourlives，Jacob，becausewe"vegotsuchpilesandpilesofmoney。Iwishttograciouswewasbackonthefarmthisminute。Iwishtyouhadheldoutag"instthechildernaboutsellin"it；"twould"a"binthebestthingfur"em，Isay。Ibelieveinmysoulthey"llgitspoiledhereinNewYork。Ikinseeachangein"ema"ready——inthegirls。"

Dryfoosstretchedhimselfontheloungeagain。"Ican"tseeasCoonrodismuchcomfort，either。Whyain"theherewithhissisters?WhatdoesallthatworkofhisontheEastSideamountto?Itseemsasifhedoneittocrossme，asmuchasanything。"Dryfooscomplainedtohiswifeonthebasisofmereaffectionalhabit，whichinmarriedlifeoftensurvivesthesenseofintellectualequality。Hedidnotexpecthertoreasonwithhim，buttherewashelpinherlistening，andthoughshecouldonlysoothehisfretfulnesswithsoftanswerswhichwereoftenwideofthepurpose，hestillwenttoherforsolace。"Here，I"vegoneintothisnewspaperbusiness，orwhateveritis，onhisaccount，andhedon"tseemanymoresatisfiedthanever。Icanseehehain"tgothisheartinit。"

"Theporeboytries；Iknowhedoes，Jacob；andhewantstopleaseyou。

Buthegiveupagooddealwhenhegiveupbein"apreacher；Is"poseweoughttorememberthat。"

"Apreacher!"sneeredDryfoos。"Ireckonbein"apreacherwouldn"tsatisfyhimnow。Hehadtheimpudencetotellmethisafternoonthathewouldliketobeapriest；andhethrewituptomethathenevercouldbebecauseI"dkepthimfromstudyin"。"

"Hedon"tmeanaCatholicpriest——notaRomanone，Jacob，"theoldwomanexplained，wistfully。"He"stoldmeallaboutit。Theyain"tthekindo"Catholicswebeenusedto；somesortof"Piscopalians；andtheydoaheapo"goodamongstthepoorfolksoverthere。Hesaysweain"tgotanyideahowfolkslivesinthemtenementhouses，hundredsof"eminonehouse，andwholefamiliesinaroom；anditburnsinhishearttohelp"emlikethemFathers，asbecalls"em，thatgivestheirlivestoit。

Hecan"tbeaFather，hesays，becausehecan"tgittheeddicationnow；

buthecanbeaBrother；andIcan"tfindawordtosayag"instit，whenitgitstotalkin"，Jacob。"

"Iain"tsayinganythingagainsthispriests，"Liz"beth，"saidDryfoos。

"They"reallwellenoughintheirway；they"vegivenuptheirlivestoit，andit"samatterofbusinesswiththem，likeanyother。ButwhatI"mtalkingaboutnowisCoonrod。Idon"tobjecttohisdoin"allthecharityhewantsto，andtheLordknowsI"veneverbeenstingywithhimaboutit。Hemighthaveallthemoneyhewants，togiveroundanywayhepleases。"

"That"swhatItoldhimonce，buthesaysmoneyain"tthething——ornottheonlythingyougottogivetothempoorfolks。Yougottogiveyourtimeandyourknowledgeandyourlove——Idon"tknowwhatallyougottogiveyourself，ifyouexpecttohelp"em。That"swhatCoonrodsays。"

"Well，Icantellhimthatcharitybeginsathome，"saidDryfoos，sittingupinhisimpatience。"Andhe"dbettergivehimselftousalittle——tohisoldfatherandmother。Andhissisters。What"shedoin"goin"offtheretohismeetings，andIdon"tknowwhatall，an"leavin"themherealone?"

"Why，ain"tMr。Beatonwith"em?"askedtheoldwoman。"IthoughtI

hearedhisvoice。"

"Mr。Beaton!Ofcourseheis!Andwho"sMr。Beaton，anyway?"

"Why，ain"theoneofthemeninCoonrod"soffice?IthoughtIheared——"

"Yes，heis!Butwhoishe?What"shedoingroundhere?Ishemakin"

uptoChristine?"

"Ireckonheis。FromMely"stalk，she"saboutcrazyoverthefellow。

Don"tyoulikehim，Jacob?"

"Idon"tknowhim，orwhatheis。Hehasn"tgotanymanners。Whobroughthimhere?How"dhecometocome，inthefirstplace?"

"Mr。Fulkersonbrunghim，Ibelieve，"saidtheoldwoman，patiently。

"Fulkerson!"Dryfoossnorted。"Where"sMrs。Mandel，Ishouldliketoknow?Hebroughther，too。Doesshegotraipsin"offthiswayeveryevening?"

"No，sheseemstobehereprettyregularmosto"thetime。Idon"tknowhowwecouldevergitalongwithouther，Jacob；sheseemstoknowjustwhattodo，andthegirlswouldbetentimesasoutbreakin"withouther。

Ihopeyouain"tthinkin"o"turnin"heroff，Jacob?"

Dryfoosdidnotthinkitnecessarytoanswersuchaquestion。"It"sallFulkerson，Fulkerson，Fulkerson。ItseemstomethatFulkersonaboutrunsthisfamily。HebroughtMrs。Mandel，andhebroughtthatBeaton，andhebroughtthatBostonfellow!IguessIgivehimadose，though；

andI"lllearnFulkersonthathecan"thaveeverythinghisownway。I

don"twantanybodytohelpmespendmymoney。Imadeit，andIcanmanageit。IguessMr。Fulkersoncanbearalittlewatchingnow。He"sbeentravellingprettyfree，andhe"sgotthenotionhe"sdriving，maybe。

I"ma-goingtolookafterthatbookalittlemyself。"

"You"llkillyourself，Jacob，"saidhiswife，"tryin"todosomanythings。Andwhatisitallfur?Idon"tseeaswe"rebetteroff，any，forallthemoney。It"sjustasmuchcareasitusedtobewhenwewasallthereonthefarmtogether。Iwishtwecouldgoback，Ja——"

"Wecan"tgoback!"shoutedtheoldman，fiercely。"There"snofarmanymoretogobackto。Thefieldsisfullofgas-wellsandoil-wellsandhell-holesgenerally；thehouseistoredown，andthebarn"sgoin"——"

"Thebarn!"gaspedtheoldwoman。"Oh，my!"

"IfIwastogiveallI"mworththisminute，wecouldn"tgobacktothefarm，anymorethanthemgirlsintherecouldgobackandbelittlechildren。Idon"tsaywe"reanybetteroff，forthemoney。I"vegotmoreofitnowthanIeverhad；andthere"snoendtotheluck；itpoursin。ButIfeellikeIwastiedhandandfoot。Idon"tknowwhichwaytomove；Idon"tknowwhat"sbesttodoaboutanything。Themoneydon"tseemtobuyanythingbutmoreandmorecareandtrouble。Wegotabighousethatweain"tathomein；andwegotalotofhiredgirlsroundunderourfeetthathinderanddon"thelp。Ourchildrendon"tmindus，andwegotnofriendsorneighbors。Butithadtobe。Icouldn"thelpbutsellthefarm，andwecan"tgobacktoit，foritain"tthere。Sodon"tyousayanythingmoreaboutit，"Liz"beth。"

"PoreJacob!"saidhiswife。"Well，Iwoon"t，dear。"

IV

ItwascleartoBeatonthatDryfoosdistrustedhim；andthefactheightenedhispleasureinChristine"slikingforhim。Hewasassureofthisashewasoftheother，thoughhewasnotsosureofanyreasonforhispleasureinit。Shehadhercharm；thecharmofwildnesstowhichacertainwildnessinhimselfresponded；andthereweretimeswhenhisfancycontrivedacommonfutureforthem，whichwouldhaveaprosperityforcedfromtheoldfellow"sloveofthegirl。Beatonlikedtheideaofthiscompulsionbetterthanhelikedtheideaofthemoney；therewassomethingalittlerepulsiveinthat；heimaginedhimselfrejectingit；

healmostwishedhewasenoughinlovewiththegirltomarryherwithoutit；thatwouldbefine。Hewastakenwithherinacertain"measure，inacertainway；thequestionwasinwhatmeasure，inwhatway。

Itwaspartlytoescapefromthisquestionthathehurrieddown-town，anddecidedtospendwiththeLeightonsthehourremainingonhishandsbeforeitwastimetogotothereceptionforwhichhewasdressed。

ItseemedtohimimportantthatheshouldseeAlmaLeighton。Afterall，itwashercharmthatwasmostabidingwithhim；perhapsitwastobefinal。Hefoundhimselfveryhappyinhispresentrelationswithher。

Shehaddroppedthatbarrierofpretencesandironicalsurprise。Itseemedtohimthattheyhadgonebacktotheoldgroundofcommonartisticinterestwhichhehadfoundsopleasantthesummerbefore。

ApparentlysheandhermotherhadbothforgivenhisneglectoftheminthefirstmonthsoftheirstayinNewYork；hewassurethatMrs。

Leightonlikedhimaswellasever，and，iftherewasstillsomethingalittleprovisionalinAlma"smannerattimes，itwassomethingthatpiquedmorethanitdiscouraged；itmadehimcurious，notanxious。

HefoundtheyoungladieswithFulkersonwhenherang。Heseemedtobeamusingthemboth，andtheywerebothamusedbeyondthemeritofsosmallapleasantry，Beatonthought，whenFulkersonsaid:"Introducemyself，Mr。Beaton:Mr。Fulkersonof"EveryOtherWeek。"ThinkI"vemetyouatourplace。"Thegirlslaughed，andAlmaexplainedthathermotherwasnotverywell，andwouldbesorrynottoseehim。Thensheturned，ashefelt，perversely，andwentontalkingwithFulkersonandlefthimtoMissWoodburn。

Shefinallyrecognizedhisdisappointment:"Ahdon"toftengetachanceatyou，Mr。Beaton，andAh"mjustgoin"totoakyo"todeath。Yo"havebeenSoathyo"self，andyo"knowho"wedotoak。"

"I"vesurvivedtosayyes，"Beatonadmitted。

"Oh，now，doyouthinkwetoaksomuchmo"thanyoudointheNo"th?"

theyoungladydeprecated。

"Idon"tknow。Ionlyknowyoucan"ttalktoomuchforme。IshouldliketohearyousaySoathandhouseandaboutfortherestofmylife。"

"That"swhatAhcallraghtpersonal，Mr。Beaton。NowAh"mgoin"tobepersonal，too。"MissWoodburnflungoutoverherlapthesquareofclothshewasembroidering，andaskedhim:"Don"tyouthinkthat"sbeautiful?

Now，asanawtust——agreatawtust?"

"Asagreatawtust，yes，"saidBeaton，mimickingheraccent。"IfIwerelessthangreatImighthavesomethingtosayaboutthearrangementofcolors。You"reasboldandoriginalasNature。"

"Really?Oh，now，dotellmeyo"favo"itecolo"，Mr。Beaton。"

"Myfavoritecolor?Blessmysoul，whyshouldIpreferany?Isbluegood，orredwicked?Dopeoplehavefavoritecolors?"Beatonfoundhimselfsuddenlyinterested。

"Ofco"setheydo，"answeredthegirl。"Don"tawtusts?"

"Ineverheardofonethathad——consciously。"

"Isitpossible?Isupposedtheyallhad。Nowmahfavo"itecolo"isgawnet。Don"tyouthinkit"saprettycolo"?"

"Itdependsuponhowit"sused。Doyoumeaninneckties?"BeatonstoleaglanceattheoneFulkersonwaswearing。

MissWoodburnlaughedwithherfaceboweduponherwrist。"AhdothinkyougentlemenintheNo"thawetentahmsaslahvelyastheladies。"

"Strange，"saidBeaton。"IntheSouth——Soath，excuseme!Imadetheobservationthattheladiesweretentimesaslivelyasthegentlemen。

Whatisthatyou"reworking?"

"This?"MissWoodburngaveitanotherflirt，andlookedatitwithaglanceofdawningrecognition。"Oh，thisisatable-covah。Wouldn"tyoulahketoseewhereit"stogo?"

"Why，certainly。"

"Well，ifyou"llberaghtgoodI"llletyo"givemesomeprofessionaladvassaboutputtingsomethingintheco"nersornot，whenyouhaveseenitonthetable。"

Sheroseandledthewayintotheotherroom。Beatonknewshewantedtotalkwithhimaboutsomethingelse；buthewaitedpatientlytoletherplayhercomedyout。Shespreadthecoveronthetable，andheadvisedher，ashesawshewished，againstputtinganythinginthecorners；justrunalineofherstitcharoundtheedge，hesaid。

"Mr。FulkersonandAh，why，we"vebeenhavingaregularfaghtaboatit，"

shecommented。"Butwebothagreed，fahnally，toleaveittoyou；Mr。

Fulkersonsaidyou"dbesuretoberaght。Ah"msogladyoutookmahsahde。Buthe"sagreatadmahrerofyours，Mr。Beaton，"sheconcluded，demurely，suggestively。

"Ishe?Well，I"magreatadmirerofFulkerson，"saidBeaton，withacapriciouswillingnesstohumorherwishtotalkaboutFulkerson。

"He"sacapitalfellow；generous，magnanimous，withquiteanidealoffriendshipandaneyesingletothemainchanceallthetime。Hewouldadvertise"EveryOtherWeek"onhisfamilyvault。"

MissWoodburnlaughed，andsaidsheshouldtellhimwhatBeatonhadsaid。

"Do。Buthe"susedtodefamationfromme，andhe"llthinkyou"rejoking。"

"Ahsuppose，"saidMissWoodburn，"thathe"squahtethetahpeofaNewYorkbusinessman。"Sheadded，asifitfollowedlogically，"He"ssodifferentfromwhatIthoughtaNewYorkbusinessmanwouldbe。"

"It"syourVirginiatraditiontodespisebusiness，"saidBeaton，rudely。

MissWoodburnlaughedagain。"Despahseit?Mahgoodness!wewanttogetintoitandwoakitfo"allit"swo"th，"asMr。Fulkersonsays。Thattraditionisallpast。Youdon"tknowwhattheSoathisnow。Ahsupposemahfathawdespahsesbusiness，buthe"satraditionhimself，asAhtellhim。"Beatonwouldhaveenjoyedjoiningtheyoungladyinanythingshemightbegoingtosayinderogationofherfather，butherestrainedhimself，andshewentonmoreandmoreasifshewishedtoaccountforherfather"shabitualhauteurwithBeaton，ifnottoexcuseit。"Ahtellhimhedon"tunderstandtherisinggeneration。Hewasbroughtupintheoldschool，andhethinkswe"realljustlahkehewaswhenhewasyoung，withallthoseahdealsofchivalryandfamily；but，mahgoodness!it"smoneythatcyoantsno"adaysintheSoath，justlahkeitdoeseverywhereelse。Ahsuppose，ifwecouldhaveslaverybackinthefawmmahfathawthinksitcouldhavebeenbroughtupto，whenthecommercialspiritwouldn"tletitalone，itwouldbethebestthing；butwecan"thaveitback，andAhtellhimwehadbetterhavethecommercialspiritasthenextbestthing。"

MissWoodburnwenton，withsufficientloyaltyandpiety，toexposethedifferenceofherownandherfather"sideals，butwithwhatBeatonthoughtlessreferencetohisownunsympatheticattentionthantoaknowledgefinallyofthepersonnelandmaterielof"EveryOtherWeek。"

andMr。Fulkerson"srelationtotheenterprise。"Youmostexcusemyaskingsomanyquestions，Mr。Beaton。Youknowit"sallmahdoingthatweaweheahinNewYork。Ahjusttoldmahfathawthatifhewasevahgoin"todoanythingwithhiswrahtings，hehadgottocomeNo"th，andAhmadehimcome。Ahbelievehe"dhavestayedintheSoathallhislahfe。

AndnowMr。Fulkersonwantshimtolethiseditorseesomeofhiswrahtings，andAhwantedtoknowsomethingaboatthemagazine。Weaweagreatdealexcitedaboatitinthishoase，youknow，Mr。Beaton，"sheconcluded，withalookthatnowtransferredtheinterestfromFulkersontoAlma。Sheledthewaybacktotheroomwheretheyweresitting，andwentuptotriumphoverFulkersonwithBeaton"sdecisionaboutthetable-

cover。

AlmawasleftwithBeatonnearthepiano，andhebegantotalkabouttheDryfoosesashesatdownonthepiano-stool。HesaidhehadbeengivingMissDryfoosalessononthebanjo；hehadborrowedthebanjoofMissVance。ThenhestruckthechordhehadbeentryingtoteachChristine，andplayedovertheairhehadsung。

"Howdoyoulikethat?"heasked，whirlinground。

"Itseemsratheradisrespectfullittletune，somehow，"saidAlma，placidly。

Beatonrestedhiselbowonthecornerofthepianoandgazeddreamilyather。"Yourperceptionsarewonderful。Itisdisrespectful。Iplayedit，upthere，becauseIfeltdisrespectfultothem。"

"Doyouclaimthatasamerit?"

"No，Istateitasafact。Howcanyourespectsuchpeople?"

"Youmightrespectyourself，then，"saidthegirl。"Orperhapsthatwouldn"tbesoeasy，either。"

"No，itwouldn"t。Iliketohaveyousaythesethingstome，"saidBeaton，impartially。

"Well，Iliketosaythem，"Almareturned。

"Theydomegood。"

"Oh，Idon"tknowthatthatwasmymotive。"

"Thereisnoonelikeyou——noone，"saidBeaton，asifapostrophizingherinherabsence。"Tocomefromthathouse，withitsassertionsofmoney——

youcanhearitchink；youcansmellthefouloldbanknotes；itstiflesyou——intoanatmospherelikethis，islikecomingintoanotherworld。"

"Thankyou，"saidAlma。"I"mgladthereisn"tthatunpleasantodorhere；

butIwishtherewasalittlemoreofthechinking。"

"No，no!Don"tsaythat!"heimplored。"Iliketothinkthatthereisonesouluncontaminatedbythesenseofmoneyinthisbig，brutal，sordidcity。"

"Youmeantwo，"saidAlma，withmodesty。"ButifyoustifleattheDryfooses"，whydoyougothere?"

"WhydoIgo?"hemused。"Don"tyoubelieveinknowingallthenatures，thetypes，youcan?Thosegirlsareastrangestudy:theyoungoneisasimple，earthlycreature，ascommonasanoat-fieldandtheotherasortofsylvanlife:fierce，flashing，feline——"

Almaburstoutintoalaugh。"Whataptalliteration!Anddotheylikebeingstudied?Ishouldthinkthesylvanlifemight——scratch。"

"No，"saidBeaton，withmelancholyabsence，"itonly-purrs。"

Thegirlfeltarisingindignation。"Well，then，Mr。Beaton，Ishouldhopeitwouldscratch，andbite，too。Ithinkyou"venobusinesstogoaboutstudyingpeople，asyoudo。It"sabominable。"

"Goon，"saidtheyoungman。"ThatPuritanconscienceofyours!

ItappealstotheoldCovenanterstraininme——likeavoiceofpre-

existence。Goon——"

"Oh，ifIwentonIshouldmerelysayitwasnotonlyabominable，butcontemptible。"

"Youcouldbemyguardianangel，Alma，"saidtheyoungman，makinghiseyesmoreandmoreslumbrousanddreamy。

"Stuff!IhopeIhaveasoulabovebuttons!"

Hesmiled，assherose，andfollowedheracrosstheroom。"Good-night；

Mr。Beaton，"shesaid。

MissWoodburnandFulkersoncameinfromtheotherroom。"What!You"renotgoing，Beaton?"

"Yes；I"mgoingtoareception。Istoppedinonmyway。"

"Tokilltime，"Almaexplained。

"Well，"saidFulkerson，gallantly，"thisisthelastplaceIshouldliketodoit。ButIguessI"dbetterbegoing，too。Ithassometimesoccurredtomethatthereissuchathingasstayingtoolate。ButwithBrotherBeaton，here，juststartinginforanevening"samusement，itdoesseemalittleearlyyet。Can"tyouurgemetostay，somebody?"

Thetwogirlslaughed，andMissWoodburnsaid:

"Mr。Beatonissuchabutterflyoffashion!AhwishAhwasonmahwaytoapawty。Ahfeelquahteenvious。"

"Buthedidn"tsayittomakeyou，"Almaexplained，withmeeksoftness。

"Well，wecan"tallbeswells。Whereisyourparty，anyway，Beaton?"

askedFulkerson。"Howdoyoumanagetogetyourinvitationstothosethings?Isupposeafellowhastokeephintingroundprettylively，Neigh?"

Beatontookthesemockeriesserenely，andshookhandswithMissWoodburn，withtheeffectofhavingalreadyshakenhandswithAlma。Shestoodwithhersclaspedbehindher。

V。

BeatonwentawaywiththesmileonhisfacewhichhehadkeptinlisteningtoFulkerson，andcarrieditwithhimtothereception。

HebelievedthatAlmawasvexedwithhimformorepersonalreasonsthanshehadimplied；itflatteredhimthatsheshouldhaveresentedwhathetoldheroftheDryfooses。Shehadscoldedhimintheirbehalfapparently；butreallybecausehehadmadeherjealousbyhisinterest，ofwhateverkind，insomeoneelse。Whatfollowed，hadfollowednaturally。Unlessshehadbeenquiteasimpletonshecouldnothavemethisprovisionallove-makingonanyotherterms；andthereasonwhyBeatonchieflylikedAlmaLeightonwasthatshewasnotasimpleton。Evenupinthecountry，whenshewasoverawedbyhisacquaintance，atfirst，shewasnotverydeeplyoverawed，andattimesshewasnotoverawedatall。

Atsuchtimessheastonishedhimbytakinghismostsolemnhistrionicswithflippantincredulity，andevenburlesquingthem。Buthecouldsee，allthesame，thathehadcaughtherfancy，andheadmiredtheskillwithwhichshepunishedhisneglectwhentheymetinNewYork。HehadreallycomeverynearforgettingtheLeightons；theintangibleobligationsofmutualkindnesswhichholdsomemensofast，hunglooselyuponhim；

itwouldnothavehurthimtobreakfromthemaltogether；butwhenherecognizedthematlast，hefoundthatitstrengthenedthemindefinitelytohaveAlmaignorethemsocompletely。Ifshehadbeensentimental，orsoftlyreproachful，thatwouldhavebeentheend；hecouldnothavestoodit；hewouldhavehadtodropher。Butwhenshemethimonhisownground，andobligedhimtobesentimental，thegamewasinherhands。

Beatonlaughed，now，whenhethoughtofthat，andhesaidtohimselfthatthegirlhadgrownimmenselysinceshehadcometoNewYork；nothingseemedtohavebeenlostuponher；shemusthavekepthereyesuncommonlywideopen。Henoticedthatespeciallyintheirtalksoverherwork；shehadprofitedbyeverythingshehadseenandheard；shehadallofWetmore"sideaspat；itamusedBeatontoseehowsheseizedeveryusefulwordthathedropped，too，andturnedhimtotechnicalaccountwhenevershecould。Helikedthat；shehadagreatdealoftalent；therewasnoquestionofthat；ifshewereamantherecouldbenoquestionofherfuture。Hebegantoconstructafutureforher；itincludedprovisionforhimself，too；itwasacommonfuture，inwhichtheirlivesandworkwereunited。

HewasfulloftheglowofitsprosperitywhenhemetMargaretVanceatthereception。

Thehousewasonewherepeoplemightchatalongtimetogetherwithoutpubliclycommittingthemselvestoaninterestineachotherexceptsuchagrewoutofeachother"sideas。MissVancewastherebecausesheunitedinhercatholicsympathiesorambitionstheobjectsofthefashionablepeopleandoftheaestheticpeoplewhometthereoncommonground。ItwasalmosttheonlyhouseinNewYorkwherethishappenedoften，anditdidnothappenveryoftenthere。Itwasaliteraryhouse，primarily，withartisticqualifications，andthefrequentersofitweremostlyauthorsandartists；Wetmore，whowasalwaystryingtofiteverythingwithaphrase，saiditwastheunfrequenterswhowerefashionable。Therewasgreateasethere，andsimplicity；andiftherewasnotdistinction，itwasnotforwantofdistinguishedpeople，butbecausethereseemstobesomesolventinNewYorklifethatreducesallmentoacommonlevel，thattoucheseverybodywithitspotentmagicandbringstothesurfacethedeeplyunderlyingnobody。Theeffectforsometemperaments，forconsciousness，foregotism，isadmirable；forcuriosity，forheroworship，itisratherbaffling。Itisthespiritofthestreettransferredtothedrawing-room；indiscriminating，levelling，butdoubtlessfinallywholesome，andwitnessingtheimmensityoftheplace，ifnotconsentingtothegrandeurofreputationsorpresences。

Beatonnowdeniedthatthishouserepresentedasalonatall，intheoldsense；andheheldthatthesalonwasimpossible，evenundesirable，withus，whenMissVancesighedforit。Atanyrate，hesaidthatthisturmoilofcomingandgoing，thisbubbleandbabble，thiscacklingandhissingofconversationwasnottheexpressionofanysuchcivilizationashadcreatedthesalon。Here，heowned，weretheelementsofintellectualdelightfulness，buthesaidtheirassemblageinsuchquantityalonedeniedthesalon；therewastoomuchofagoodthing。