第16章

"Iknowhedidn"tsleeplastnight，afteryouallwentaway，"Conradpursued，"andofcoursethatmadehimmoreirritable；andhewastriedagooddealbysomeofthethingsthatMr。Lindausaid。"

"Iwastriedagooddealmyself，"saidMarch。"Lindauoughtnevertohavebeenthere。"

"No。"Conradseemedonlypartiallytoassent。

"ItoldMr。Fulkersonso。IwarnedhimthatLindauwouldbeapttobreakoutinsomeway。Itwasn"tjusttohim，anditwasn"tjusttoyourfather，toaskhim。"

"Mr。Fulkersonhadagoodmotive，"Conradgentlyurged。"Hediditbecausehehurthisfeelingsthatdayaboutthepension。"

"Yes，butitwasamistake。HeknewthatLindauwasinflexibleabouthisprinciples，ashecallsthem，andthatoneofhisfirstprinciplesistodenouncetherichinseasonandoutofseason。Idon"trememberjustwhathesaidlastnight；andIreallythoughtI"dkepthimfrombreakingoutinthemostoffensiveway。Butyourfatherseemsverymuchincensed。"

"Yes，Iknow，"saidConrad。

"Ofcourse，Idon"tagreewithLindau。Ithinkthereareasmanygood，kind，justpeopleamongtherichasthereareamongthepoor，andthattheyareasgenerousandhelpful。ButLindauhasgotholdofoneofthosepartialtruthsthathurtworsethanthewholetruth，and——"

"Partialtruth!"theyoungmaninterrupted。"Didn"ttheSaviourhimselfsay，"HowhardlyshalltheythathaverichesenterintothekingdomofGod?""

"Why，blessmysoul!"criedMarch。"DoyouagreewithLindau?"

"IagreewiththeLordJesusChrist，"saidtheyoungman，solemnly，andastrangelightoffanaticism，ofexaltation，cameintohiswideblueeyes。

"AndIbelieveHemeantthekingdomofheavenuponthisearth，aswellasintheskies。"

Marchthrewhimselfbackinhischairandlookedathimwithakindofstupefaction，inwhichhiseyewanderedtothedoorway，wherehesawFulkersonstanding，itseemedtohimalongtime，beforeheheardhimsaying:"Hello，hello!What"stherow?ConradpitchingintoyouonoldLindau"saccount，too?"

Theyoungmanturned，and，afteraglanceatFulkerson"slight，smilingface，wentout，asifinhispresentmoodhecouldnotbearthecontactofthatpersiflantspirit。

Marchfelthimselfgettingprovisionallyveryangryagain。"Excuseme，Fulkerson，butdidyouknowwhenyouwentoutwhatMr。Dryfooswantedtoseemefor?"

"Well，no，Ididn"texactly，"saidFulkerson，takinghisusualseatonachairandlookingoverthebackofitatMarch。"Isawhewasonhiscaraboutsomething，andIthoughtI"dbetternotmonkeywithhimmuch。

IsupposedhewasgoingtobringyoutobookaboutoldLindau，somehow。"

Fulkersonbrokeintoalaugh。

Marchremainedserious。"Mr。Dryfoos，"hesaid，willingtoletthesimplestatementhaveitsownweightwithFulkerson，andnothingmore，"cameinhereandorderedmetodischargeLindaufromhisemploymentonthemagazine——toturnhimoff，asheputit。"

"Didhe?"askedFulkerson，withunbrokencheerfulness。"Theoldmanisbusiness，everytime。Well，IsupposeyoucaneasilygetsomebodyelsetodoLindau"sworkforyou。Thistownisjustrunningoverwithhalf-

starvedlinguists。Whatdidyousay?"

"WhatdidIsay?"Marchechoed。"Lookhere，Fulkerson；youmayregardthisasajoke，butIdon"t。I"mnotusedtobeingspokentoasifI

weretheforemanofashop，andtoldtodischargeasensitiveandcultivatedmanlikeLindau，asifhewereadrunkenmechanic；andifthat"syourideaofme——"

"Oh，hello，now，March!Youmustn"tmindtheoldman"sway。Hedon"tmeananythingbyit——hedon"tknowanybetter，ifyoucometothat。"

"ThenIknowbetter，"saidMarch。"IrefusedtoreceiveanyinstructionsfromMr。Dryfoos，whomIdon"tknowinmyrelationswith"EveryOtherWeek，"andIreferredhimtoyou。"

"Youdid?，"Fulkersonwhistled。"Heownsthething!"

"Idon"tcarewhoownsthething，"saidMarch。"Mynegotiationswerewithyoualonefromthebeginning，andIleavethismatterwithyou。

WhatdoyouwishdoneaboutLindau?"

"Oh，betterlettheoldfooldrop，"saidFulkerson。"He"lllightonhisfeetsomehow，anditwillsavealotofrumpus。"

"AndifIdeclinetolethimdrop?"

"Oh，come，now，March；don"tdothat，"Fulkersonbegan。

"IfIdeclinetolethimdrop，"Marchrepeated，"whatwillyoudo?"

"I"llbedoggedifIknowwhatI"lldo，"saidFulkerson。"Ihopeyouwon"ttakethatstand。Iftheoldmanwentsofarastospeaktoyouaboutit，hismindismadeup，andwemightaswellknockunderfirstaslast。"

"AnddoyoumeantosaythatyouwouldnotstandbymeinwhatI

consideredmyduty-inamatterofprinciple?"

"Why，ofcourse，March，"saidFulkerson，coaxingly，"Imeantodotherightthing。ButDryfoosownsthemagazine——"

"Hedoesn"townme，"saidMarch，rising。"Hehasmadethelittlemistakeofspeakingtomeasifhedid；andwhen"——Marchputonhishatandtookhisovercoatdownfromitsnail——"whenyoubringmehisapologies，orcometosaythat，havingfailedtomakehimunderstandtheywerenecessary，youarepreparedtostandbyme，Iwillcomebacktothisdesk。Otherwisemyresignationisatyourservice。"

Hestartedtowardthedoor，andFulkersoninterceptedhim。"Ah，now，lookhere，March!Don"tdothat!Hangitall，don"tyouseewhereitleavesme?Now，youjustsitdownaminuteandtalkitover。Icanmakeyousee——Icanshowyou——Why，confoundtheoldDutchbeer-buzzer!Twentyofhimwouldn"tbeworththetroublehe"smakin"。Lethimgo，andtheoldman"llcomeroundintime。"

"Idon"tthinkwe"veunderstoodeachotherexactly，Mr。Fulkerson，"saidMarch，veryhaughtily。"Perhapswenevercan；butI"llleaveyoutothinkitout。"

Hepushedon，andFulkersonstoodasidetolethimpass，withadazedlookandamechanicalmovement。TherewassomethingcomicinhisruefulbewildermenttoMarch，whowastemptedtosmile，buthesaidtohimselfthathehadasmuchreasontobeunhappyasFulkerson，andhedidnotsmile。HisindignationkepthimhotinhispurposetosufferanyconsequenceratherthansubmittothedictationofamanlikeDryfoos；

hefeltkeenlythedegradationofhisconnectionwithhim，andallhisresentmentofFulkerson"soriginaluncandorreturned；atthesametimehisheartachedwithforeboding。Itwasnotmerelytheworkinwhichhehadconstantlygrownhappierthathesawtakenfromhim；buthefeltthemiseryofthemanwhostakesthesecurityandplentyandpeaceofhomeuponsomecast，andknowsthatlosingwillsweepfromhimmostthatmostmenfindsweetandpleasantinlife。Hefacedthefact，whichnogoodmancanfrontwithoutterror，thathewasriskingthesupportofhisfamily，andforapointofpride，ofhonor，whichperhapshehadnorighttoconsiderinviewofthepossibleadversity。Herealized，aseveryhirelingmust，nomatterhowskillfullyorgracefullythetieiscontrivedforhiswearing，thathebelongstoanother，whosewillishislaw。HisindignationwasshotwithabjectimpulsestogobackandtellFulkersonthatitwasallright，andthathegaveup。Toendtheanguishofhisstrugglehequickenedhissteps，sothathefoundhewasreachinghomealmostatarun。

VIII。

Hemusthavemademoreclatterthanhesupposedwithhiskeyattheapartmentdoor，forhiswifehadcometolethiminwhenheflungitopen。"Why，Basil，"shesaid，"what"sbroughtyouback?Areyousick?

You"reallpale。Well，nowonder!ThisisthelastofMr。Fulkerson"sdinnersyoushallgoto。You"renotstrongenoughforit，andyourstomachwillbealloutoforderforaweek。Howhotyouare!andinadripofperspiration!Nowyou"llbesick。"Shetookhishataway，whichhungdanglinginhishand，andpushedhimintoachairwithtenderimpatience。"Whatisthematter?Hasanythinghappened?"

"Everythinghashappened，"hesaid，gettinghisvoiceafteroneortwohuskyendeavorsforit；andthenhepouredoutaconfusedandhuddledstatementofthecase，fromwhichsheonlygotatthesituationbyprolongedcross-questioning。

Attheendshesaid，"IknewLindauwouldgetyouintotrouble。"

ThiscutMarchtotheheart。"Isabel!"hecried，reproachfully。

"Oh，Iknow，"sheretorted，andthetearsbegantocome。"Idon"twonderyoudidn"twanttosaymuchtomeaboutthatdinneratbreakfast。

Inoticedit；butIthoughtyouwerejustdull，andsoIdidn"tinsist。

IwishIhad，now。IfyouhadtoldmewhatLindauhadsaid，Ishouldhaveknownwhatwouldhavecomeofit，andIcouldhaveadvisedyou——"

"Wouldyouhaveadvisedme，"Marchdemanded，curiously，"tosubmittobullyinglikethat，andmeeklyconsenttocommitanactofcrueltyagainstamanwhohadoncebeensuchafriendtome?"

"Itwasanunluckydaywhenyoumethim。Isupposeweshallhavetogo。

AndjustwhenwebadgotusedtoNewYork，andbeguntolikeit。Idon"tknowwhereweshallgonow；Bostonisn"tlikehomeanymore；andwecouldn"tliveontwothousandthere；Ishouldbeashamedtotry。I"msureIdon"tknowwherewecanliveonit。Isupposeinsomecountryvillage，wheretherearenoschools，oranythingforthechildren。I

don"tknowwhatthey"llsaywhenwetellthem，poorthings。"

EverywordwasastabinMarch"sheart，soweaklytendertohisown；hiswife"stears，aftersomuchexperienceofthecomparativelightnessofthegriefsthatweepthemselvesoutinwomen，alwaysseemedwrungfromhisownsoul；ifhischildrensufferedintheleastthroughhim，hefeltlikeamurderer。Itwasfarworsethanhecouldhaveimagined，thewayhiswifetooktheaffair，thoughhehadimaginedcertainwords，orperhapsonlylooks，fromherthatwerebadenough。Hehadallowedfortrouble，buttroubleonhisaccount:asvmpathythatmightburdenandembarrasshim；buthehadnotdreamedofthismerelydomestic，thispetty，thissordidviewoftheirpotentialcalamity，whichlefthimwhollyoutofthequestion，andembracedonlywhatwasmostcrushinganddesolatingintheprospect。Hecouldnotbearit。Hecaughtuphishatagain，and，withsomehopethathiswifewouldtrytokeephim，rushedoutofthehouse。Hewanderedaimlesslyabout，thinkingthesameexhaustingthoughtsoverandover，tillhefoundhimselfhorriblyhungry；

thenhewentintoarestaurantforhislunch，andwhenhepaidhetriedtoimaginehowheshouldfeelifthatwerereallyhislastdollar。

Hewenthometowardthemiddleoftheafternoon，baselyhopingthatFulkersonhadsenthimsomeconciliatorymessage，orperhapswaswaitingthereforhimtotalkitover；Marchwasquitewillingtotalkitovernow。Butitwashiswifewhoagainmethimatthedoor，thoughitseemedanotherwomanthantheonehehadleftweepinginthemorning。

"Itoldthechildren，"shesaid，insmilingexplanationofhisabsencefromlunch，"thatperhapsyouweredetainedbybusiness。Ididn"tknowbutyouhadgonebacktotheoffice。"

"DidyouthinkIwouldgobackthere，Isabel?"askedMarch，withahaggardlook。"Well，ifyousayso，Iwillgoback，anddowhatDryfoosorderedmetodo。I"msufficientlycowedbetweenhimandyou，Icanassureyou。"

"Nonsense，"shesaid。"Iapproveofeverythingyoudid。Butsitdown，now，anddon"tkeepwalkingthatway，andletmeseeifIunderstanditperfectly。Ofcourse，Ihadtohavemysayout。"

ShemadehimgoalloverhistalkwithDryfoosagain，andreporthisownlanguageprecisely。Fromtimetotime，asshegothispoints，shesaid，"Thatwassplendid，""Goodenoughforhim!"and"Oh，I"msogladyousaidthattohim!"Attheendshesaid:

"Well，now，let"slookatitfromhispointofview。Let"sbeperfectlyjusttohimbeforewetakeanotherstepforward。"

"Orbackward，"Marchsuggested，ruefully。"Thecaseissimplythis:heownsthemagazine。"

"Ofcourse。"

"AndhehasarighttoexpectthatIwillconsiderhispecuniaryinterests——"

"Oh，thosedetestablepecuniaryinterests!Don"tyouwishtherewasn"tanymoneyintheworld?"

"Yes；orelsethattherewasagreatdealmoreofit。AndIwasperfectlywillingtodothat。Ihavealwayskeptthatinmindasoneofmydutiestohim，eversinceIunderstoodwhathisrelationtothemagazinewas。"

"Yes，Icanbearwitnesstothatinanycourtofjustice。You"vedoneitagreatdealmorethanIcould，Basil。Anditwasjustthesamewaywiththosehorribleinsurancepeople。"

"Iknow，"Marchwenton，tryingtobeproofagainstherflatteries，oratleasttolookasifhedidnotdeservepraise；"IknowthatwhatLindausaidwasoffensivetohim，andIcanunderstandhowhefeltthathehadarighttopunishit。AllIsayisthathehadnorighttopunishitthroughme。"

"Yes，"saidMrs。March，askingly。

"Ifithadbeenaquestionofmaking"EveryOtherWeek"thevehicleofLindau"speculiaropinions——thoughthey"renotsoverypeculiar；hemighthavegotthemostofthemoutofRuskin——Ishouldn"thavehadanygroundtostandon，oratleastthenIshouldhavehadtoaskmyselfwhetherhisopinionswouldbeinjurioustothemagazineornot。"

"Idon"tsee，"Mrs。Marchinterpolated，"howtheycouldhurtitmuchworsethanColonelWoodburn"sarticlecryingupslavery。"

"Well，"saidMarch，impartially，"wecouldprintadozenarticlespraisingtheslaveryit"simpossibletohaveback，anditwouldn"thurtus。ButifweprintedonepaperagainsttheslaverywhichLindauclaimsstillexists，somepeoplewouldcallusbadnames，andthecounting-roomwouldbegintofeelit。Butthatisn"tthepoint。Lindau"sconnectionwith"EveryOtherWeek"isalmostpurelymechanical；he"smerelyatranslatorofsuchstoriesandsketchesashefirstsubmitstome，anditisn"tatallaquestionofhisopinionshurtingus，butofmybecominganagenttopunishhimforhisopinions。ThatiswhatIwouldn"tdo；that"swhatIneverwilldo。"

"Ifyoudid，"saidhiswife，"Ishouldperfectlydespiseyou。Ididn"tunderstandhowitwasbefore。IthoughtyouwerejustholdingoutagainstDryfoosbecausehetookadictatorialtonewithyou，andbecauseyouwouldn"trecognizehisauthority。ButnowI"mwithyou，Basil，everytime，asthathorridlittleFulkersonsays。Butwhowouldeverhavesupposedhewouldbesobaseastosideagainstyou?"

"Idon"tknow，"saidMarch，thoughtfully，"thatwehadarighttoexpectanythingelse。Fulkerson"sstandardsarelow；they"remerelybusinessstandards，andthegoodthat"sinhimisincidentalandsomethingquiteapartfromhismoralsandmethods。He"snaturallyagenerousandright-

mindedcreature，butlifehastaughthimtotruckleandtrick，liketherestofus。"

"Ithasn"ttaughtyouthat，Basil。"

"Don"tbesosure。Perhapsit"sonlythatI"mapoorscholar。ButI

don"tknow，really，thatIdespiseFulkersonsomuchforhiscoursethismorningasforhisgrossandfulsomeflatteriesofDryfooslastnight。

Icouldhardlystomachit。"

Hiswifemadehimtellherwhattheywere，andthenshesaid，"Yes，thatwasloathsome；Icouldn"thavebelieveditofMr。Fulkerson。"

"Perhapsheonlydidittokeepthetalkgoing，andtogivetheoldmanachancetosaysomething，"Marchlenientlysuggested。"Itwasaworseeffectbecausehedidn"torcouldn"tfollowupFulkerson"slead。"

"Itwasloathsome，allthesame，"hiswifeinsisted。"It"stheendofMr。Fulkerson，asfarasI"mconcerned。"

"Ididn"ttellyoubefore，"Marchresumed，afteramoment，"ofmylittleinterviewwithConradDryfoosafterhisfatherleft，"andnowhewentontorepeatwhathadpassedbetweenhimandtheyoungman。

"Isuspectthatheandhisfatherhadbeenhavingsomewordsbeforetheoldmancameuptotalkwithme，andthatitwasthatmadehimsofurious。"

"Yes，butwhatastrangepositionforthesonofsuchamantotake!

Doyousupposehesayssuchthingstohisfather?"

"Idon"tknow；butIsuspectthatinhismeekwayConradwouldsaywhathebelievedtoanybody。Isupposewemustregardhimasakindofcrank。"

"Pooryoungfellow!Healwaysmakesmefeelsad，somehow。Hehassuchapatheticface。Idon"tbelieveIeversawhimlookquitehappy，exceptthatnightatMrs。Horn"s，whenhewastalkingwithMissVance；andthenhemademefeelsadderthanever。"

"Idon"tenvyhimthelifeheleadsathome，withthoseconvictionsofhis。Idon"tseewhyitwouldn"tbeastolerablethereforoldLindauhimself。"

"Well，now，"saidMrs。March，"letusputthemalloutofourmindsandseewhatwearegoingtodoourselves。"

Theybegantoconsidertheirwaysandmeans，andhowandwheretheyshouldlive，inviewofMarch"sseveranceofhisrelationswith"EveryOtherWeek。"Theyhadnotsavedanythingfromthefirstyear"ssalary；

theyhadonlypreparedtosave；andtheyhadnothingsolidbuttheirtwothousandtocountupon。ButtheybuiltafutureinwhichtheyeasilylivedonthatandonwhatMarchearnedwithhispen。Hebecameafreelance，andfoughtinwhatevercausehethoughtjust；hehadnoties，nochains。TheywentbacktoBostonwiththeheroicwilltodowhatwasmostdistasteful；theywouldhavereturnedtotheirownhouseiftheyhadnotrenteditagain；but，anyrate，Mrs。Marchhelpedoutbytakingboarders，orperhapsonlylettingroomstolodgers。Theyhadsomehardstruggles，buttheysucceeded。

"Thegreatthing，"shesaid，"istoberight。I"mtentimesashappyasifyouhadcomehomeandtoldmethatyouhadconsentedtodowhatDryfoosaskedandhehaddoubledyoursalary。"

"Idon"tthinkthatwouldhavehappenedinanyevent，"saidMarch，dryly。

"Well，nomatter。Ijustuseditforanexample。"

Theybothexperiencedabuoyantrelief，suchasseemstocometopeoplewhobeginlifeanewonwhateverterms。"Ihopeweareyoungenoughyet，Basil，"shesaid，andshewouldnothaveitwhenhesaidtheyhadoncebeenyounger。

Theyheardthechildren"sknockonthedoor；theyknockedwhentheycamehomefromschoolsothattheirmothermightletthemin。"Shallwetellthematonce?"sheasked，andrantoopenforthembeforeMarchcouldanswer。

Theywerenotalone。Fulkerson，smilingfromeartoear，waswiththem。

"IsMarchin?"heasked。

"Mr。Marchisathome，yes，"shesaidveryhaughtily。"He"sinhisstudy，"andsheledthewaythere，whilethechildrenwenttotheirrooms。

"Well，March，"Fulkersoncalledoutatsightofhim，"it"sallright!

Theoldmanhascomedown。"

"Isupposeifyougentlemenaregoingtotalkbusiness——"Mrs。Marchbegan。

"Oh，wedon"twantyoutogoaway，"saidFulkerson。"IreckonMarchhastoldyou，anyway。"

"Yes，I"vetoldher，"saidMarch。"Don"tgo，Isabel。Whatdoyoumean，Fulkerson?"

"He"sjustgoneonuphome，andhesentmeroundwithhisapologies。

Heseesnowthathehadnobusinesstospeaktoyouashedid，andhewithdrawseverything。He"d"a"comeroundhimselfifI"dsaidso，butI

toldhimIcouldmakeitallright。"

Fulkersonlookedsohappyinhavingthewholeaffairputright，andtheMarchesknewhimtobesokindlyaffectedtowardthem，thattheycouldnotrefuseforthemomenttosharehismood。Theyfeltthemselvesslippingdownfromthemoralheightwhichtheyhadgained，andMarchmadeaclutchtostayhimselfwiththequestion，"AndLindau?"

"Well，"saidFulkerson，"he"sgoingtoleaveLindautome。Youwon"thaveanythingtodowithit。I"lllettheoldfellowdowneasy。"

"Doyoumean，"askedMarch，"thatMr。Dryfoosinsistsonhisbeingdismissed?"

"Why，thereisn"tanydismissingaboutit，"Fulkersonargued。"Ifyoudon"tsendhimanymorework，hewon"tdoanymore，that"sall。Orifhecomesround，youcan——He"stobereferredtome。"

Marchshookhishead，andhiswife，withasigh，feltherselfpluckedupfromthesoftcircumstanceoftheirlives，whichshehadsunkbackintosoquickly，andsetbesidehimonthatcoldpeakofprincipleagain。

"Itwon"tdo，Fulkerson。It"sverygoodofyou，andallthat，butitcomestothesamethingintheend。IcouldhavegoneonwithoutanyapologyfromMr。Dryfoos；hetranscendedhisauthority，butthat"saminormatter。Icouldhaveexcusedittohisignoranceoflifeamonggentlemen；butIcan"tconsenttoLindau"sdismissal——itcomestothat，whetheryoudoitorIdoit，andwhetherit"sapositiveoranegativething——becauseheholdsthisopinionorthat。"

"Butdon"tyousee，"saidFulkerson，"thatit"sjustLindau"sopinionstheoldmancan"tstand?Hehasn"tgotanythingagainsthimpersonally。

Idon"tsupposethere"sanybodythatappreciatesLindauinsomewaysmorethantheoldmandoes。"

"Iunderstand。Hewantstopunishhimforhisopinions。Well，Ican"tconsenttothat，directlyorindirectly。Wedon"tprinthisopinions，andhehasaperfectrighttoholdthem，whetherMr。Dryfoosagreeswiththemornot。"

Mrs。Marchhadjudgeditdecorousforhertosaynothing，butshenowwentandsatdowninthechairnextherhusband。

"Ah，dogonit!"criedFulkerson，rumplinghishairwithbothhishands。

"WhatamItodo?Theoldmansayshe"sgottogo。"

"AndIdon"tconsenttohisgoing，"saidMarch。

"Andyouwon"tstayifhegoes。"

Fulkersonrose。"Well，well!I"vegottoseeaboutit。I"mafraidtheoldmanwon"tstandit，March；Iam，indeed。Iwishyou"dreconsider。

I——I"dtakeitasapersonalfavorifyouwould。Itleavesmeinafix。

YouseeI"vegottosidewithoneortheother。"

Marchmadenoreplytothis，excepttosay，"Yes，youmuststandbyhim，oryoumuststandbyme。"

"Well，well!Holdonawhile!I"llseeyouinthemorning。Don"ttakeanysteps——"

"Oh，therearenostepstotake，"saidMarch，withamelancholysmile。

"Thestepsarestopped；that"sall。"HesankbackintohischairwhenFulkersonwasgoneanddrewalongbreath。"Thisisprettyrough。I

thoughtwehadgotthroughit。"

"No，"saidhiswife。"ItseemsasifIhadtomakethefightalloveragain。"

"Well，it"sagoodthingit"saholywar。"

"Ican"tbearthesuspense。Whydidn"tyoutellhimoutrightyouwouldn"tgobackonanyterms?"

"Imightaswell，andgottheglory。He"llnevermoveDryfoos。I

supposewebothwouldliketogoback，ifwecould。"

"Oh，Isupposeso。"

Theycouldnotregaintheirlostexaltation，theirlostdignity。AtdinnerMrs。MarchaskedthechildrenhowtheywouldliketogobacktoBostontolive。

"Why，we"renotgoing，arewe?"askedTom，withoutenthusiasm。

"Iwasjustwonderinghowyoufeltaboutit，now，"shesaid，withanunderlookatherhusband。

"Well，ifwegoback，"saidBella，"IwanttoliveontheBackBay。It"sawfullyMickyattheSouthEnd。"

"IsupposeIshouldgotoHarvard，"saidTom，"andI"droomoutatCambridge。ItwouldbeeasiertogetatyouontheBackBay。"

Theparentssmiledruefullyateachother，and，inviewofthesegrandexpectationsofhischildren，MarchresolvedtogoasfarashecouldinmeetingDryfoos"swishes。Heproposedthetheatreasadistractionfromtheanxietiesthatheknewwerepressingequallyonhiswife。"Wemightgotothe"OldHomestead，""hesuggested，withasadirony，whichonlyhiswifefelt。

"Ohyes，let"s!"criedBella。

Whiletheyweregettingready，someonerang，andBellawenttothedoor，andthencametotellherfatherthatitwasMr。Lindau。"Hesayshewantstoseeyoujustamoment。He"sintheparlor，andhewon"tsitdown，oranything。"

"Whatcanhewant?"groanedMrs。March，fromtheircommondismay。

Marchapprehendedastormintheoldman"sface。Butheonlystoodinthemiddleoftheroom，lookingverysadandgrave。"YouareGoingoudt，"hesaid。"Iwon"tgeepyoulong。Ihafgometopringpackdosemacassinesanddismawney。Ican"tdoanymorevoarkforyou；andI

can"tgeepthemawneyyouhafbaidmea"ready。Itissnothawnestmawney——thathassbeenoarnedpyvoark；itissmawneythathasspeenmatepysbeculation，andtheobbressionofflapor，andthenecessityoftheboor，pyaman——Hereitis，eferytollar，eferyzent。Dakeit；Ifeelasifderevasploodtonit。"

"Why，Lindau，"Marchbegan，buttheoldmaninterruptedhim。

"Ton"tdalktome，Passil!Icouldnothafbelievedtitofyou。WhenyouknowhowIfeelaboutdosetings，whytidn"tyoudellmewhosemawneyyoubayoudttome?Ach，Iton"tplameyou——Iton"trebroachyou。Youhafneferthoughtofit；boatIhavethought，andIshouldbeGuilty，Imustsharethatman"sGuilt，ifIgepthissmawney。Ifyouhattoldtmeatthepeginning——ifyouhatpeenfrankwithmeboatitissallrighdt；

youcangoon；youton"tseedesetingsasIseethem；andyouhafcotafamily，andIamafreeman。Ivoarktomyself，andwhenIton"tvoark，Isdarfetomyself。But。Igeepmyhandtsglean，voarkorsdarfe。Gifhimhissmawneypack!Iamsawryforhim；Iwouldnothoarthissfeelings，boatIcouldnotpeartodouchhim，andhissmawneyisslikeboison!"

MarchtriedtoreasonwithLindau，toshowhimthefolly，theinjustice，theabsurdityofhiscourse；itendedintheirbothgettingangry，andinLindau"sgoingawayinawhirlofGermanthatincludedBasilintheguiltofthemanwhomLindaucalledhismaster。

"Well，"saidMrs。March。"Heisacrank，andIthinkyou"rewellridofhim。NowyouhavenoquarrelwiththathorridoldDryfoos，andyoucankeeprighton。"

"Yes，"saidMarch，"Iwishitdidn"tmakemefeelsosneaking。Whatalongdayit"sbeen!ItseemslikeacenturysinceIgotup。"

"Yes，athousandyears。Isthereanythingelselefttohappen?"

"Ihopenot。I"dliketogotobed。"

"Why，aren"tyougoingtothetheatre?"wailedBella，cominginuponherfather"sdesperateexpression。

"Thetheatre?Ohyes，certainly!Imeantafterwegothome，"andMarchamusedhimselfatthepuzzledcountenanceofthechild。"Comeon!

IsTomready?"

IX。

FulkersonpartedwiththeMarchesinsuchtroubleofmindthathedidnotfeelabletomeetthatnightthepeoplewhomheusuallykeptsogayatMrs。Leighton"stable。HewenttoMaroni"sforhisdinner，forthisreasonandforothersmoreobscure。HecouldnotexpecttodoanythingmorewithDryfoosatonce；heknewthatDryfoosmustfeelthathehadalreadymadeanextremeconcessiontoMarch，andhebelievedthatifhewastogetanythingmorefromhimitmustbeafterDryfooshaddined。

Buthewasnotwithoutthehope，vagueandindefiniteasitmightbe，thatheshouldfindLindauatMaroni"s，andperhapsshouldgetsomeconcessionfromhim，somewordofregretorapologywhichhecouldreporttoDryfoos，andatlestmakethemeansofreopeningtheaffairwithhim；

perhapsLindau，whenheknewhowmattersstood，wouldbackdownaltogether，andforMarch"ssakewouldwithdrawfromallconnectionwith"EveryOtherWeek"himself，andsoleaveeverythingserene。Fulkersonfeltcapable，inhisdesperation，ofdelicatelysuggestingsuchacoursetoLindau，orevenofplainlyadvisingit:hedidnotcareforLindauagreatdeal，andhedidcareagreatdealforthemagazine。

ButhedidnotfindLindauatMaroni"s；heonlyfoundBeaton。HesatlookingatthedoorwayasFulkersonentered，andFulkersonnaturallycameandtookaplaceathistable。SomethinginBeaton"slarge-eyedsolemnityofaspectinvitedFulkersontoconfidence，andhesaid，ashepulledhisnapkinopenandstrungit，stillalittledamp(asthescanty，often-washedlinenatMaroni"swasapttobe)，acrosshisknees，"Iwaslookingforyouthismorning，totalkwithyouabouttheChristmasnumber，andIwasagooddealworkedupbecauseIcouldn"tfindyou；butIguessImightaswellhavesparedmyselfmyemotions。"

"Why?"askedBeaton，briefly。

"Well，Idon"tknowasthere"sgoingtobeanyChristmasnumber。"

"Why?"Beatonaskedagain。

"Rowbetweenthefinancialangelandtheliteraryeditoraboutthechieftranslatorandpolyglotsmeller。"

"Lindau?"

"Lindauishisname。"

"WhatdoestheliteraryeditorexpectafterLindau"sexpressionofhisviewslastnight?"

"Idon"tknowwhatheexpected，butthegroundhetookwiththeoldmanwasthat，asLindau"sopinionsdidn"tcharacterizehisworkonthemagazine，hewouldnotbemadetheinstrumentofpunishinghimforthemtheoldmanwantedhimturnedoff，ashecallsit。"

"Seemstobeprettygoodground，"saidBeaton，impartially，whilehespeculated，withadulltroubleatheart，ontheeffecttherowwouldhaveonhisownfortunes。Hislatevisithomehadmadehimfeelthattheclaimofhisfamilyuponhimforsomerepaymentofhelpgivencouldnotbemuchlongerdelayed；withhismothersickandhisfathergrowingold，hemustbegintodosomethingforthem，butuptothistimehehadspenthissalaryevenfasterthanhehadearnedit。WhenFulkersoncameinhewaswonderingwhetherhecouldgethimtoincreaseit，ifhethreatenedtogiveuphiswork，andhewishedthathewasenoughinlovewithMargaretVance，orevenChristineDryfoos，tomarryher，onlytoendinthesorrowfulconvictionthathewasreallyinlovewithAlmaLeighton，whohadnomoney，andwhohadapparentlynowishtobemarriedforlove，even。"Andwhatareyougoingtodoaboutit?"heasked，listlessly。

"BedoggedifIknowwhatI"mgoingtodoaboutit，"saidFulkerson。

"I"vebeenroundallday，tryingtopickupthepieces——rowbeganrightafterbreakfastthismorning——andonetimeIthoughtI"dgotthethingallputtogetheragain。IgottheoldmantosaythathehadspokentoMarchalittletooauthoritativelyaboutLindau；that，infact，heoughttohavecommunicatedhiswishesthroughme；andthathewaswillingtohavemegetridofLindau，andMarchneedn"thaveanythingtodowithit。

Ithoughtthatwasprettywhite，butMarchsaystheapologiesandregretsareallwellenoughintheirway，buttheyleavethemainquestionwheretheyfoundit。"

"Whatisthemainquestion?"Beatonasked，pouringhimselfoutsomeChianti。AshesettheflaskdownhemadethereflectionthatifhewoulddrinkwaterinsteadofChiantihecouldsendhisfatherthreedollarsaweek，onhisbackdebts，andheresolvedtodoit。

"Themainquestion，asMarchlooksatit，isthequestionofpunishingLindauforhisprivateopinions；hesaysthatifheconsentstomybouncingtheoldfellowit"sthesameasifhebouncedhim。"

"Itmighthavethatcomplexioninsomelights，"saidBeaton。HedrankoffhisChianti，andthoughthewouldhaveittwiceaweek，ormakeMaronikeepthehalf-bottlesoverforhim，andsendhisfathertwodollars。"Andwhatareyougoingtodonow?"

"That"swhatIdon"tknow，"saidFulkerson，ruefully。Afteramomenthesaid，desperately，"Beaton，you"vegotaprettygoodhead；whydon"tyousuggestsomething?"

"Whydon"tyouletMarchgo?"Beatonsuggested。

"Ah，Icouldn"t，"saidFulkerson。"IgothimtobreakupinBostonandcomehere；Ilikehim；nobodyelsecouldgetthehangofthethinglikehehas；he"s——afriend。"Fulkersonsaidthiswiththenearestapproachhecouldmaketoseriousness，whichwasakindofunhappiness。

Beatonshrugged。"Oh，ifyoucanaffordtohaveideals，Icongratulateyou。They"retooexpensiveforme。Then，supposeyougetridofDryfoos?"

Fulkersonlaughedforlornly。"Goon，Bildad。Liketosprinkleafewashesovermyboils?Don"tmindme!"

Theybothsatsilentalittlewhile，andthenBeatonsaid，"Isupposeyouhaven"tseenDryfoosthesecondtime?"

"No。IcameinheretogirdupmyloinswithalittledinnerbeforeI

tackledhim。ButsomethingseemstobethematterwithMaroni"scook。

Idon"twantanythingtoeat。"

"Thecooking"saboutasbadasusual，"saidBeaton。Afteramomentheadded，ironically，forhefoundFulkerson"smiseryakindofrelieffromhisown，andwaswillingtoprotractitaslongasitwasamusing，"Whynottryanenvoyextraordinaryandministerplenipotentiary?"

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"GetthatotheroldfooltogotoDryfoosforyou!"

"Whichotheroldfool?Theoldfoolsseemtobeasthickasflies。"

"ThatSouthernone。"

"ColonelWoodburn?"

"Mmmmm。"

"Hedidseemtorathertaketothecolonel!"Fulkersonmusedaloud。

"Ofcoursehedid。Woodburn，withhisidiotictalkaboutpatriarchalslavery，isthemanonhorsebacktoDryfoos"smuddyimagination。He"dlistentohimabjectly，andhe"ddowhateverWoodburntoldhimtodo。"

Beatonsmiledcynically。

Fulkersongotupandreachedforhiscoatandhat。"You"vestruckit，oldman。"Thewaitercameuptohelphimonwithhiscoat；Fulkersonslippedadollarinhishand。"Nevermindthecoat；youcangivetherestofmydinnertothepoor，Paolo。Beaton，shake!You"vesavedmylife，littleboy，thoughIdon"tthinkyoumeantit。"HetookBeaton"shandandsolemnlypressedit，andthenalmostranoutofthedoor。

TheyhadjustreachedcoffeeatMrs。Leighton"swhenhearrivedandsatdownwiththemandbegantoputsomeofthelifeofhisnewhopeintothem。Hisappetiterevived，and，afterprotestingthathewouldnottakeanythingbutcoffee，hewentbackandatesomeoftheearliercourses。

Butwiththepressureofhispurposedrivinghimforward，hedidnotconcealfromMissWoodburn，atleast，thathewaseagertogetherapartfromtherestforsomereason。Whenheaccomplishedthis，itseemedasifhehadcontriveditallhimself，butperhapshehadnotwhollycontrivedit。

"I"msogladtogetachancetospeaktoyoualone，"hesaidatonce；andwhileshewaitedforthenextwordhemadeapause，andthensaid，desperately，"Iwantyoutohelpme；andifyoucan"thelpme，there"snohelpforme。"

"Mahgoodness，"shesaid，"isthecasesobadasthat?Whatinthewoaldisthetrouble?"

"Yes，it"sabadcase，"saidFulkerson。"Iwantyourfathertohelpme。"

"Oh，Ithoatyousaidme!"

"Yes；Iwantyoutohelpmewithyourfather。IsupposeIoughttogotohimatonce，butI"malittleafraidofhim。"

"Andyouawenotafraidofme?Idon"tthinkthat"sveryflattering，Mr。

Fulkerson。YououghttothinkAh"mtwahceasawfulaspapa。"

"Oh，Ido!Yousee，I"mquiteparalyzedbeforeyou，andsoIdon"tfeelanything。"

"Well，it"saprettylahvelykyandofparalysis。But——goon。"

"Iwill——Iwill。IfIcanonlybegin。"

"PohapsAhmaghtbeginfo"you。"

"No，youcan"t。Lordknows，I"dliketoletyou。Well，it"slikethis。"

Fulkersonmadeaclutchathishair，andthen，afteranotherhesitation，heabruptlylaidthewholeaffairbeforeher。HedidnotthinkitnecessarytostatetheexactnatureoftheoffenceLindauhadgivenDryfoos，forhedoubtedifshecouldgraspit，andhewasprofuseofhisexcusesfortroublingherwiththematter，andofwonderathimselfforhavingdoneso。Intheraptureofhisconcernathavingperhapsmadeafoolofhimself，heforgotwhyhehadtoldher；butsheseemedtolikehavingbeenconfidedin，andshesaid，"Well，Ahdon"tseewhatyoucandowithyou"ahdealsoffriendshipexceptstandbahMr。Mawch。"

"Myidealsoffriendship?Whatdoyoumean?"

"Oh，don"tyousupposeweknow?Mr。Beatonsaidyouwe"apofectBahyardinfriendship，andyouwouldsacrificeanythingtoit。"

"Isthatso?"saidFulkerson，thinkinghoweasilyhecouldsacrificeLindauinthiscase。Hehadneversupposedbeforethathewaschivalrousinsuchmatters，buthenowbegantoseeitinthatlight，andhewonderedthathecouldeverhaveentertainedforamomenttheideaofthrowingMarchover。

"ButAhmostsay，"MissWoodburnwenton，"Ahdon"tenvyyouyou"nextinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos。Ahsupposeyou"llhavetoseehimatonceaboatit。"

TheconjecturerecalledFulkersontotheobjectofhisconfidences。

"Ah，there"swhereyourhelpcomesin。I"veexhaustedalltheinfluenceIhavewithDryfoos——"

"Goodgracious，youdon"texpectAhcouldhaveany!"

Theybothlaughedatthecomicdismaywithwhichsheconveyedthepreposterousnotion；andFulkersonsaid，"IfIjudgedfrommyself，Ishouldexpectyoutobringhimroundinstantly。"

"Oh，thankyou，Mr。Fulkerson，"shesaid，withmockmeekness。

"Notatall。Butitisn"tDryfoosIwantyoutohelpmewith；it"syourfather。IwantyourfathertointerviewDryfoosforme，andI-I"mafraidtoaskhim。"

"Poo"Mr。Fulkerson!"shesaid，andsheinsinuatedsomethingthroughherburlesquecompassionthatliftedhimtotheskies。Hesworeinhisheartthatthewomanneverlivedwhowassowitty，sowise，sobeautiful，andsogood。"Comeraghtwithmethisminute，ifthecyoast"sclea"。"Shewenttothedoorofthediningroomandlookedinacrossitsgloomtothelittlegallerywhereherfathersatbesidealampreadinghiseveningpaper；Mrs。Leightoncouldbeheardincolloquywiththecookbelow，andAlmahadgonetoherroom。ShebeckonedFulkersonwiththehandoutstretchedbehindher，andsaid，"Goandaskhim。"

"Alone!"hepalpitated。

"Oh，whatacyowahd!"shecried，andwentwithhim。"Ahsupposeyou"llwantmetotellhimaboatit。"

"Well，Iwishyou"dbegin，MissWoodburn，"hesaid。"Thefactis，youknow，I"vebeenoveritsomuchI"mkindofsickofthething。"

MissWoodburnadvancedandputherhandonherfather"sshoulder。"Lookheah，papa!Mr。Fulkersonwantstoaskyousomething，andhewantsmetodoitfo"him。"

Thecolonellookedupthroughhisglasseswiththesortofferocityelderlymensometimeshavetoputoninordertokeeptheirglassesfromfallingoff。Hisdaughtercontinued:"He"sgotintoanawfuldifficultywithhisedito"andhisproprieto"，andhewantsyoutopacifythem。"

"IdonotknowwhethahIunderstandthecaseexactly，"saidthecolonel，"butMr。Fulkersonmaycommandmetotheextentofmyability。"

"Youdon"tunderstanditaftahwhatAh"vesaid?"criedthegirl。"ThenAhdon"tseebutwhatyou"llhavetoexplainityou"self，Mr。Fulkerson。"

"Well，MissWoodburnhasbeensoluminousaboutit，colonel，"saidFulkerson，gladofthejokingshapeshehadgiventheaffair，"thatIcanonlythrowinalittleside-lighthereandthere。"

ThecolonellistenedasFulkersonwenton，withagravediplomaticsatisfaction。Hefeltgratified，honored，even，hesaid，byMr。

Fulkerson"sappealtohim；andprobablyitgavehimsomethingofthehighjoythatanaffairofhonorwouldhavebroughthiminthedayswhenhehadarrangedformeetingsbetweengentlemen。Nexttobearingachallenge，thisworkofcomposingadifficultymusthavebeengrateful。

Buthegavenooutwardsignofhissatisfactioninmakingaresumeofthecasesoastogetthepointsclearlyinhismind。

"Iwasafraid，sir，"hesaid，withthestateduetotheseriousnatureofthefacts，"thatMr。LindauhadgivenMr。Dryfoosoffencebysomeofhisquestionsatthedinner-tablelastnight。"

"Perfectredragtoabull，"Fulkersonputin；andthenhewantedtowithdrawhiswordsatthecolonel"slookofdispleasure。

"IhavenoreflectionstomakeuponMr。Landau，"ColonelWoodburncontinued，andFulkersonfeltgratefultohimforgoingon；"IdonotagreewithMr。Lindau；Itotallydisagreewithhimonsociologicalpoints；butthecourseoftheconversationhadinvitedhimtotheexpressionofhisconvictions，andhehadarighttoexpressthem，sofarastheyhadnopersonalbearing。"

"Ofcourse，"saidFulkerson，whileMissWoodburnperchedonthearmofherfather"schair。

"Atthesametime，sir，IthinkthatifMr。DryfoosfeltapersonalcensureinMr。Lindau"squestionsconcerninghissuppressionofthestrikeamonghisworkmen，hehadarighttoresentit。"

"Exactly，"Fulkersonassented。

"Butitmustbeevidenttoyou，sir，thatahigh-spiritedgentlemanlikeMr。March——Iconfessthatmyfeelingsarewithhimverywarmlyinthematter——couldnotsubmittodictationofthenatureyoudescribe。"

"Yes，Isee，"saidFulkerson；and，withthatstrangeduplexactionofthehumanmind，hewishedthatitwashishair，andnotherfather"s，thatMissWoodburnwaspokingapartwiththecornerofherfan。

"Mr。Lindau，"thecolonelconcluded，"wasrightfromhispointofview，andMr。Dryfooswasequallyright。ThepositionofMr。Marchisperfectlycorrect——"

Hisdaughterdroppedtoherfeetfromhischair-arm。"Mahgoodness!

Ifnobody"sinthewrong，ho"aweyouevahgoingtogetthemattahstraight?"