第17章
"Yes，yousee，"Fulkersonadded，"nobodycangivein。"
"Pardonme，"saidthecolonel，"thecaseisoneinwhichallcangivein。"
"Idon"tknowwhich"llbegin，"saidFulkerson。
Thecolonelrose。"Mr。Lindaumustbegin，sir。WemustbeginbyseeingMr。Lindau，andsecuringfromhimtheassurancethatintheexpressionofhispeculiarviewshehadnointentionofofferinganypersonaloffencetoMr。Dryfoos。IfIhaveformedacorrectestimateofMr。Lindau，thiswillbeperfectlysimple。"
Fulkersonshookhishead。"Butitwouldn"thelp。Dryfoosdon"tcarearapwhetherLindaumeantanypersonaloffenceornot。Asfarasthatisconcerned，he"sgotahidelikeahippopotamus。ButwhathehatesisLindau"sopinions，andwhathesaysisthatnomanwhoholdssuchopinionsshallhaveanyworkfromhim。AndwhatMarchsaysisthatnomanshallbepunishedthroughhimforhisopinions，hedon"tcarewhattheyare。"
Thecolonelstoodamomentinsilence。"Andwhatdoyouexpectmetodounderthecircumstances?"
"Icametoyouforadvice——Ithoughtyoumightsuggest——?"
"DoyouwishmetoseeMr。Dryfoos?"
"Well，that"saboutthesizeofit，"Fulkersonadmitted。"Yousee，colonel，"hehastenedon，"Iknowthatyouhaveagreatdealofinfluencewithhim；thatarticleofyoursisabouttheonlythinghe"severreadin"EveryOtherWeek，"andhe"sproudofyouracquaintance。Well，youknow"——
andhereFulkersonbroughtinthefigurethatstruckhimsomuchinBeaton"sphraseandhadbeenonhistongueeversince——"you"rethemanonhorsebacktohim；andhe"dbemoreapttodowhatyousaythanifanybodyelsesaidit。"
"Youareverygood，sir，"saidthecolonel，tryingtobeproofagainsttheflattery，"butIamafraidyouoverratemyinfluence。"Fulkersonlethimponderitsilently，andhisdaughtergovernedherimpatiencebyholdingherfanagainstherlips。Whatevertheprocesswasinthecolonel"smind，hesaidatlast:"Iseenogoodreasonfordecliningtoactforyou，Mr。Fulkerson，andIshallbeveryhappyifIcanbeofservicetoyou。But"——hestoppedFulkersonfromcuttinginwithprecipitatethanks——"IthinkIhavearight，sir，toaskwhatyourcoursewillbeintheeventoffailure?"
"Failure?"Fulkersonrepeated，indismay。
"Yes，sir。Iwillnotconcealfromyouthatthismissionisonenotwhollyagreeabletomyfeelings。"
"Oh，Iunderstandthat，colonel，andIassureyouthatIappreciate，I——"
"Thereisnousetryingtoblinkthefact，sir，thattherearecertainaspectsofMr。Dryfoos"scharacterinwhichheisnotagentleman。
Wehavealludedtothisfactbefore，andIneednotdwelluponitnow:I
maysay，however，thatmymisgivingswerenotwhollyremovedlastnight。"
"No，"Fulkersonassented；thoughinhishearthethoughttheoldmanhadbehavedverywell。
"WhatIwishtosaynowisthatIcannotconsenttoactforyou，inthismatter，merelyasanintermediarywhosefailurewouldleavetheaffairinstatequo。"
"Isee，"saidFulkerson。
"AndIshouldlikesomeintimation，someassurance，astowhichpartyyourownfeelingsarewithinthedifference。"
ThecolonelbenthiseyessharplyonFulkerson；MissWoodburnlethersfall；Fulkersonfeltthathewasbeingtested，andhesaid，togaintime，"AsbetweenLindauandDryfoos?"thoughheknewthiswasnotthepoint。
"AsbetweenMr。DryfoosandMr。March，"saidthecolonel。
Fulkersondrewalongbreathandtookhiscourageinbothhands。"Therecan"tbeanychoiceformeinsuchacase。I"mforMarch，everytime。"
Thecolonelseizedhishand，andMissWoodburnsaid，"Iftherehadbeenanychoicefo"youinsuchacase，Ishouldneverhaveletpapastirastepwithyou。"
"Why，inregardtothat，"saidthecolonel，witha，literalapplicationoftheidea，"wasityourintentionthatweshouldbothgo?"
"Well，Idon"tknow；Isupposeitwas。"
"Ithinkitwillbebetterformetogoalone，"saidthecolonel；and，withacolorfromhisexperienceinaffairsofhonor，headded:"Inthesemattersaprincipalcannotappearwithoutcompromisinghisdignity。
IbelieveIhaveallthepointsclearlyinmind，andIthinkIshouldactmorefreelyinmeetingMr。Dryfoosalone。"
Fulkersontriedtohidetheeagernesswithwhichhemettheseagreeableviews。Hefelthimselfexaltedinsomesorttothelevelofthecolonel"ssentiments，thoughitwouldnotbeeasytosaywhetherthiswasthroughthedesperationbredofhavingcommittedhimselftoMarch"sside，orthroughthebuoyanthopehehadthatthecolonelwouldsucceedinhismission。
"I"mnotafraidtotalkwithDryfoosaboutit，"hesaid。
"Thereisnoquestionofcourage，"saidthecolonel。"Itisaquestionofdignity——ofpersonaldignity。"
"Well，don"tletthatdelayyou，papa，"saidhisdaughter，followinghimtothedoor，whereshefoundhimhishat，andFulkersonhelpedhimonwithhisovercoat。"Ahshallbejostwaldtoknowho"it"stonedoat。"
"Won"tyouletmegouptothehousewithyou?"Fulkersonbegan。
"Ineedn"tgoin——"
"Iprefertogoalone，"saidthecolonel。"Iwishtoturnthepointsoverinmymind，andIamafraidyouwouldfindmeratherdullcompany。"
Hewentout，andFulkersonreturnedwithMissWoodburntothedrawing-
room，whereshesaidtheLeightonswere。They，werenotthere，butshedidnotseemdisappointed。
"Well，Mr。Fulkerson，"shesaid，"youhavegotanahdealoffriendship，sureenough。"
"Me?"saidFulkerson。"Oh，myLord!Don"tyouseeIcouldn"tdoanythingelse?AndI"mscaredhalftodeath，anyway。Ifthecoloneldon"tbringtheoldmanround，Ireckonit"sallupwithme。Buthe"llfetchhim。AndI"mjustprostratedwithgratitudetoyou，MissWoodburn。"
Shewavedhisthanksasidewithherfan。"Whatdoyoumeanbyitsbeingallupwithyou?"
"Why，iftheoldmanstickstohisposition，andIsticktoMarch，we"vebothgottogooverboardtogether。Dryfoosownsthemagazine；hecanstopit，orhecanstopus，whichamountstothesamething，asfaraswe"reconcerned。"
"Andthenwhat?"thegirlpursued。
"Andthen，nothing——tillwepickourselvesup。"
"DoyoumeanthatMr。Dryfooswillputyoubothoatofyourplaces?"
"Hemay。"
"AndMr。Mawchtakestheriskofthatjostfo"aprinciple?"
"Ireckon。"
"Andyoudoitjostfo"anahdeal?"
"Itwon"tdotoownit。Imusthavemylittleaxetogrind，somewhere。"
"Well，menawesplendid，"sighedthegirl。"Ahwillsayit。"
"Oh，they"renotsomuchbetterthanwomen，"saidFulkerson，withanervousjocosity。"IguessMarchwouldhavebackeddownifithadn"tbeenforhiswife。Shewasashotaspepperaboutit，andyoucouldseethatshewouldhavesacrificedallherhusband"srelationssoonerthanlethimbackdownaninchfromthestandhehadtaken。It"sprettyeasyforamantosticktoaprincipleifhehasawomantostandbyhim。
Butwhenyoucometoplayitalone——"
"Mr。Fulkerson，"saidthegirl，solemnly，"Ahwillstandbahyouinthis，ifallthewoaldtonesagainstyou。"Thetearscameintohereyes，andsheputoutherhandtohim。
"Youwill?"heshouted，inarapture。"Ineveryway——andalways——aslongasyoulive?Doyoumeanit?"Hehadcaughtherhandtohisbreastandwasgrapplingittightthereanddrawinghertohim。
Thechangingemotionschasedoneanotherthroughherheartandoverherface:dismay，shame，pride，tenderness。"Youdon"tbelieve，"shesaid，hoarsely，"thatAhmeantthat?"
"No，butIhopeyoudomeanit；forifyoudon"t，nothingelsemeansanything。"
Therewasnospace，therewasonlyapointofwavering。"Ahdomeanit。"
Whentheyliftedtheireyesfromeachotheragainitwashalf-pastten。
"No"youmostgo，"shesaid。
"Butthecolonel——ourfate?"
"Theco"nelisoftenoatlate，andAh"mnotafraidofouahfate，no"thatwe"vetakenitintoouahownhands。"Shelookedathimwithdewyeyesoftrust，ofinspiration。
"Oh，it"sgoingtocomeoutallright，"hesaid。"Itcan"tcomeoutwrongnow，nomatterwhathappens。Butwho"dhavethoughtit，whenI
cameintothishouse，insuchastateofsinandmisery，halfanhourago——"
"Threehouahsandahalfago!"shesaid。"No!youmostjostgo。Ah"mtahedtodeath。Good-night。Youcancomeinthemawningtosee-papa。"
Sheopenedthedoorandpushedhimoutwithenrapturingviolence，andheranlaughingdownthestepsintoherfather"sarms。
"Why，colonel!Iwasjustgoinguptomeetyou。"Hehadreallythoughthewouldwalkoffhisexultationinthatdirection。
"Iamverysorrytosay，Mr。Fulkerson，"thecolonelbegan，gravely，"thatMr。Dryfoosadherestohisposition。"
"Oh，allright，"saidFulkerson，withunabatedjoy。"It"swhatI
expected。Well，mycourseisclear；IshallstandbyMarch，andIguesstheworldwon"tcometoanendifhebouncesusboth。ButI"meverlastinglyobligedtoyou，ColonelWoodburn，andIdon"tknowwhattosaytoyou。I——Iwon"tdetainyounow；it"ssolate。I"llseeyouinthemorning。Good-ni——"
Fulkersondidnotrealizethatittakestwotopart。Thecolonellaidholdofhisarmandturnedawaywithhim。"Iwillwalktowardyourplacewithyou。IcanunderstandwhyyoushouldbeanxioustoknowtheparticularsofmyinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos"；andinthestatementwhichfollowedhedidnotsparehimthesmallest。Itoutlastedtheirwalkanddetainedthemlongonthestepsofthe"EveryOtherWeek"building。ButattheendFulkersonlethimselfinwithhiskeyaslightofheartasifhehadbeenlisteningtothegayestpromisesthatfortunecouldmake。
BythetunehemetMarchattheofficenextmorning，alittle，butonlyaverylittle，misgivingsaddenedhisgoldenheaven。HetookMarch"shandwithhighcourage，andsaid，"Well，theoldmanstickstohispoint，March。"Headded，withthesenseofsayingitbeforeMissWoodburn:"AndIstickbyyou。I"vethoughtitallover，andI"dratherberightwithyouthanwrongwithhim。"
"Well，Iappreciateyourmotive，Fulkerson，"saidMarch。"Butperhaps——
perhapswecansaveoverourheroicsforanotheroccasion。Lindauseemstohavegotinwithhis，forthepresent。"
HetoldhimofLindau"slastvisit，andtheystoodamomentlookingateachotherratherqueerly。Fulkersonwasthefirsttorecoverhisspirits。"Well，"hesaid，cheerily，"thatlet"susout。"
"Doesit?I"mnotsureitletsmeout，"saidMarch；buthesaidthisintributetohiscrippledself-respectratherthanasaforecastofanyactioninthematter。
"Why，whatareyougoingtodo?"Fulkersonasked。"IfLindauwon"tworkforDryfoos，youcan"tmakehim。"
Marchsighed。"Whatareyougoingtodowiththismoney?"Heglancedattheheapofbillshehadflungonthetablebetweenthem。
Fulkersonscratchedhishead。"Ah，doggedifIknow:Can"twegiveittothedeservingpoor，somehow，ifwecanfind"em?"
"Isupposewe"venorighttouseitinanyway。YoumustgiveittoDryfoos。"
"Tothedeservingrich?Well，youcanalwaysfindthem。Ireckonyoudon"twanttoappearinthetransaction!Idon"t，either；butIguessI
must。"FulkersongatheredupthemoneyandcarriedittoConrad。
Hedirectedhimtoaccountforitinhisbooksasconscience-money，andheenjoyedthejokemorethanConradseemedtodowhenhewastoldwhereitcamefrom。
Fulkersonwasabletowearoffthedisagreeableimpressiontheaffairleftduringthecourseofthefore-noon，andhemetMissWoodburnwithallalover"sbuoyancywhenhewenttolunch。Shewasashappyashewhenhetoldherhowfortunatelythewholethinghadended，andhetookherviewthatitwasarewardofhiscourageinhavingdaredtheworst。
Theybothfelt，asthenewlyplightedalwaysdo，thattheywereinthebestrelationswiththebeneficentpowers，andthattheirfelicityhadbeenespeciallylookedtointhedispositionofevents。Theywereinaglowofrapturouscontentwiththemselvesandradiantworshipofeachother；shewassurethathemeritedthebrightfutureopeningtothemboth，asmuchasifheoweditdirectlytosomenobleactionofhisown；
hefeltthathewasindebtedforthefavorofHeavenentirelytothestillincredibleaccidentofherpreferenceofhimoverothermen。
ColonelWoodburn，whowasnotyetinthesecretoftheirlove，perhapsfailedforthisreasontosharetheirsatisfactionwitharesultsounexpectedlybroughtabout。TheblessingontheirhopesseemedtohisignorancetoinvolvecertainsacrificesofpersonalfeelingatwhichhehintedinsuggestingthatDryfoosshouldnowbeaskedtomakesomeabstractconcessionsandacknowledgments；hisdaughterhastenedtodenythatthesewereatallnecessary；andFulkersoneasilyexplainedwhy。
Thethingwasover；whatwastheuseofopeningitupagain?
"Perhapsnone，"thecoloneladmitted。Butheadded，"IshouldliketheopportunityoftakingMr。Lindau"shandinthepresenceofMr。DryfoosandassuringhimthatIconsideredhimamanofprincipleandamanofhonor——agentleman，sir，whomIwasproudandhappytohaveknown。"
"Well，Ah"venodoabt，"saidhisdaughter，demurely，"thatyou"llhavethechancesomeday；andwewouldalllahketojoinyou。Butatthesametahme，AhthinkMr。Fulkersoniswelloatofitfo"thepresent。"
EndAHazardofNewFortunesV5
ByWilliamDeanHowellsPARTFIFTH
I。
Superficially，theaffairsof"EveryOtherWeek"settledintotheirwontedformagain，andforFulkersontheyseemedthoroughlyreinstated。
ButMarchhadafeelingofimpermanencyfromwhathadhappened，mixedwithafantasticsenseofshametowardLindau。HedidnotsympathizewithLindau"sopinions；hethoughthisremedyforexistingevilsaswildlyimpracticableasColonelWoodburn"s。Butwhilehethoughtthis，andwhilehecouldjustlyblameFulkersonforLindau"spresenceatDryfoos"sdinner，whichhiszealhadbroughtaboutinspiteofMarch"sprotests，stillhecouldnotridhimselfofthereproachofuncandorwithLindau。Heoughttohavetoldhimfranklyabouttheownershipofthemagazine，andwhatmannerofmanthemanwaswhosemoneyhewastaking。
Buthesaidthathenevercouldhaveimaginedthathewasseriousinhispreposterousattitudeinregardtoaclassofmenwhoembodyhalftheprosperityofthecountry；andhehadmomentsofrevoltagainsthisownhumiliationbeforeLindau，inwhichhefounditmonstrousthatheshouldreturnDryfoos"smoneyasifithadbeenthespoilofarobber。Hiswifeagreedwithhiminthesemoments，andsaiditwasagreatreliefnottohavethattiresomeoldGermancomingabout。Theyhadtoaccountforhisabsenceevasivelytothechildren，whomtheycouldnotverywelltellthattheirfatherwaslivingonmoneythatLindaudisdainedtotake，eventhoughLindauwaswrongandtheirfatherwasright。ThisheightenedMrs。
March"sresentmenttowardbothLindauandDryfoos，whobetweenthemhadplacedherhusbandinafalseposition。Ifanything，sheresentedDryfoos"sconductmorethanLindau"s。HehadneverspokentoMarchabouttheaffairsinceLindauhadrenouncedhiswork，oraddedtotheapologeticmessageshehadsentbyFulkerson。SofarasMarchknew，DryfooshadbeenlefttosupposethatLindauhadsimplystoppedforsomereasonthatdidnotpersonallyaffecthim。Theyneverspokeofhim，andMarchwastooproudtoaskeitherFulkersonorConradwhethertheoldmanknewthatLindauhadreturnedhismoney。HeavoidedtalkingtoConrad，fromafeelingthatifbedidheshouldinvoluntarilyleadhimontospeakofhisdifferenceswithhisfather。BetweenhimselfandFulkerson，even，hewasuneasilyawareofawantoftheiroldperfectfriendliness。
Fulkersonhadfinallybehavedwithhonorandcourage；buthisprovisionalreluctancehadgivenMarchthemeasureofFulkerson"scharacterinonedirection，andhecouldnotignorethefactthatitwassmallerthanhecouldhavewished。
HecouldnotmakeoutwhetherFulkersonsharedhisdiscomfortornot。
Itcertainlyworeaway，evenwithMarch，astimepassed，andwithFulkerson，intheblissofhisfortunatelove，itwasprobablyfarmoretransient，ifitexistedatall。Headvancedintothewinterasradiantlyasiftomeetthespring，andhesaidthatiftherewereanypleasantermonthoftheyearthanNovember，itwasDecember，especiallywhentheweatherwasgoodandwetandmuddymostofthetime，sothatyouhadtokeepindoorsalongwhileafteryoucalledanywhere。
ColonelWoodburnhadtheanxiety，inviewofhisdaughter"sengagement，whensheaskedhisconsenttoit，thatsuchadreamermusthaveinregardtoanyrealitythatthreatenstoaffectthecourseofhisreveries。Hehadnotperhapstakenhermarriageintoaccount，exceptasaremotecontingency；andcertainlyFulkersonwasnotthekindofson-in-lawthathehadimaginedindealingwiththatabstraction。Butbecausehehadnothingofthesortdefinitelyinmind，hecouldnotopposetheselectionofFulkersonwithsuccess；hereallyknewnothingagainsthim，andheknew，manythingsinhisfavor；Fulkersoninspiredhimwiththelikingthateveryonefeltforhiminameasure；heamusedhim，hecheeredhim；
andthecolonelhadbeensomuchusedtoleavingactionofallkindstohisdaughterthatwhenhecametoclosequarterswiththequestionofason-in-lawhefelthelplesstodecideit，andheletherdecideit，asifitwerestilltobedecidedwhenitwassubmittedtohim。Shewascompetenttotreatitinallitsphases:notmerelythoseofpersonalinterest，butthoseofdutytothebrokenSouthernpast，sentimentallydeartohim，andpracticallyabsurdtoher。NosuchSouthasherememberedhadeverexistedtoherknowledge，andnosuchcivilizationasheimaginedwouldeverexist，toherbelief，anywhere。Shetooktheworldasshefoundit，andmadethebestofit。ShetrustedinFulkerson；shehadprovedhismagnanimityinaseriousemergency；andinsmallthingsshewaswillingfearlesslytochanceitwithhim。Shewasnotasentimentalist，andtherewasnothingfantasticinherexpectations；shewasagirlofgoodsenseandrightmind，andshelikedtheimmediatepracticalityaswellasthefinalhonorofFulkerson。Shedidnotidealizehim，butinthehighesteffectsherealizedhim；shedidhimjustice，andshewouldnothavebelievedthatshedidhimmorethanjusticeifshehadsometimesknownhimtodohimselfless。
TheirengagementwasafacttowhichtheLeightonhouseholdadjusteditselfalmostassimplyastheloversthemselves；MissWoodburntoldtheladiesatonce，anditwasnotathingthatFulkersoncouldkeepfromMarchverylong。HesentwordofittoMrs。Marchbyherhusband；andhisengagementperhapsdidmorethananythingelsetoconfirmtheconfidenceinhimwhichhadbeenshakenbyhisearlybehaviorintheLindauepisode，andnotwhollyrestoredbyhistardyfidelitytoMarch。
Butnowshefeltthatamanwhowishedtogetmarriedsoobviouslyandentirelyforlovewasfullofallkindsofthebestinstincts，andonlyneededtheguidanceofawife，tobecomeverynoble。Sheinterestedherselfintenselyinbalancingtherespectivemeritsoftheengagedcouple，andafterhercalluponMissWoodburninhernewcharactershepridedherselfuponrecognizingtheworthofsomestrictlySouthernqualitiesinher，whilemaintainingthegeneralaverageofNewEnglandsuperiority。ShecouldnotreconcileherselftotheVirginiancustomillustratedinherhavingbeenchristenedwiththesurnameofMadison；
andshesaidthatitspetformofMad，whichFulkersonpromptlyinvented，onlymadeitmoreridiculous。
FulkersonwasslowerintellingBeaton。Hewasafraid，somehow，ofBeaton"stakingthematterinthecynicalway；MissWoodburnsaidshewouldbreakofftheengagementifBeatonwaslefttoguessitorfinditoutbyaccident，andthenFulkersonpluckeduphiscourage。Beatonreceivedthenewswithgravity，andwithasortofmelancholymeeknessthatstronglymovedFulkerson"ssympathy，andmadehimwishthatBeatonwasengaged，too。
ItmadeBeatonfeelveryold；itsomehowlefthimbehindandforgotten；
inamanner，itmadehimfeeltrifledwith。Somethingoftheunfriendlinessoffateseemedtoovercasthisresentment，andheallowedthesadnessofhisconvictionthathehadnotthemeanstomarryontotingehisrecognitionofthefactthatAlmaLeightonwouldnothavewantedhimtomarryherifhehad。Hewasnowofteninthatmartyrmoodinwhichhewishedtohelphisfather；notonlytodenyhimselfChianti，buttoforegoafur-linedovercoatwhichheintendedtogetforthewinter，HepostponedthemomentofactualsacrificeasregardedtheChianti，andheboughttheovercoatinananguishofself-reproach。
HeworeitthefirsteveningafterhegotitingoingtocallupontheLeightons，anditseemedtohimapieceofghastlyironywhenAlmacomplimentedhispicturesquenessinitandaskedhimtolethersketchhim。
"Oh，youcansketchme，"hesaid，withsomuchgloomthatitmadeherlaugh。
"Ifyouthinkit"ssoserious，I"drathernot。"
"No，no!Goahead!Howdoyouwantme?"
Oh，flingyourselfdownonachairinoneofyourattitudesofstudiednegligence；andtwistonecornerofyourmustachewithaffectedabsenceofmind。"
"AndyouthinkI"malwaysstudied，alwaysaffected?"
"Ididn"tsayso。"
"Ididn"taskyouwhatyousaid。"
"AndIwon"ttellyouwhatIthink。"
"Ah，Iknowwhatyouthink。"
"Whatmadeyouask，then?"Thegirllaughedagainwiththesatisfactionofhersexincorneringaman。
Beatonmadeashowofnotdeigningtoreply，andputhimselfintheposeshesuggested，frowning。
"Ah，that"sit。Butalittlemoreanimation——
""Aswhenagreatthoughtstrikesalongthebrain，Andflushesallthecheek。""
Sheputherforeheaddownonthebackofherhandandlaughedagain。
"Yououghttobephotographed。Youlookasifyouweresittingforit。"
Beatonsaid:"That"sbecauseIknowIambeingphotographed，inoneway。
Idon"tthinkyououghttocallmeaffected。Ineveramsowithyou；I
knowitwouldn"tbeofanyuse。"
"Oh，Mr。Beaton，youflatter。"
"No，Ineverflatteryou。"
"Imeantyouflatteredyourself。"
"How?"
"Oh，Idon"tknow。Imagine。"
"Iknowwhatyoumean。YouthinkIcan"tbesincerewithanybody。"
"Ohno，Idon"t。"
"Whatdoyouthink?"
"Thatyoucan"t——try。"Almagaveanothervictoriouslaugh。
MissWoodburnandFulkersonwouldoncehavebothfeignedagreatinterestinAlma"ssketchingBeaton，andmadeitthesubjectoftalk，inwhichtheyapproachedasnearlyaspossibletherealinterestoftheirlives。
Nowtheyfranklyremainedawayinthedining-room，whichwasverycozyafterthedinnerhaddisappeared；thecolonelsatwithhislampandpaperinthegallerybeyond；Mrs。Leightonwasaboutherhousekeepingaffairs，inthecontentshealwaysfeltwhenAlmawaswithBeaton。
"Theyseemtobehavingaprettygoodtimeinthere，"saidFulkerson，detachinghimselffromhisownabsolutegoodtimeaswellashecould。
"AtleastAlmadoes，"saidMissWoodburn。
"Doyouthinkshecaresforhim?"
"Quahteasmochashedesoves。"
"WhatmakesyoualldownonBeatonaroundhere?He"snotsuchabadfellow。"
"Weawenotalldoanonhim。Mrs。Leightonisn"tdoanonhim。"
"Oh，Iguessifitwastheoldlady，therewouldn"tbemuchquestionaboutit。"
Theybothlaughed，andAlmasaid，"Theyseemtobegreatlyamusedwithsomethinginthere。"
"Me，probably，"saidBeaton。"Iseemtoamuseeverybodyto-night。"
"Don"tyoualways?"
"Ialwaysamuseyou，I"mafraid，Alma。"
Shelookedathimasifsheweregoingtosnubhimopenlyforusinghername；butapparentlyshedecidedtodoitcovertly。"Youdidn"tatfirst。Ireallyusedtobelieveyoucouldbeserious，once。"
"Couldn"tyoubelieveitagain?Now?"
"Notwhenyouputonthatwind-harpstop。"
"Wetmorehasbeentalkingtoyouaboutme。Hewouldsacrificehisbestfriendtoaphrase。Hespendshistimemakingthem。"
"He"smadesomeveryprettyonesaboutyou。"
"Liketheoneyoujustquoted?"
"No，notexactly。Headmiresyoueversomuch。Hesays"Shestopped，teasingly。
"What?"
"Hesaysyoucouldbealmostanythingyouwished，ifyoudidn"twishtobeeverything。"
"ThatsoundsmoreliketheschoolofWetmore。That"swhatyousay，Alma。
Well，ifthereweresomethingyouwishedmetobe，Icouldbeit。"
"WemightadaptKingsley:"Begood，sweetman，andletwhowillbeclever。""Hecouldnothelplaughing。Shewenton:"Ialwaysthoughtthatwasthemostpatronizingandexasperatingthingeveraddressedtoahumangirl；andwe"vehadtostandagooddealinourtime。Ishouldliketohaveitappliedtotheother"sect"awhile。Asifanygirlthatwasagirlwouldbegoodifshehadtheremotestchanceofbeingclever。"
"Thenyouwouldn"twishmetobegood?"Beatonasked。
"Notifyouwereagirl。"
"Youwanttoshockme。Well，IsupposeIdeserveit。ButifIwereone-
tenthpartasgoodasyouare，Alma，IshouldhavealighterheartthanI
havenow。IknowthatI"mfickle，butI"mnotfalse，asyouthinkIam。"
"WhosaidIthoughtyouwerefalse?"
"Noone，"saidBeaton。"Itisn"tnecessary，whenyoulookit——liveit。"
"Oh，dear!Ididn"tknowIdevotedmywholetimetothesubject。"
"IknowI"mdespicable。Icouldtellyousomething——thehistoryofthisday，even——thatwouldmakeyoudespiseme。"Beatonhadinmindhispurchaseoftheovercoat，whichAlmawasgettinginsoeffectively，withthemoneyheoughttohavesenthisfather。"But，"hewenton，darkly，withasensethatwhathewasthatmomentsufferingforhisselfishnessmustsomehowbeakindofatonement，whichwouldfinallyleavehimtotheguiltlessenjoymentoftheovercoat，"youwouldn"tbelievethedepthsofbasenessIcoulddescendto。"
"Iwouldtry，"saidAlma，rapidlyshadingthecollar，"ifyou"dgivemesomehint。"
Beatonhadasuddenwishtopourouthisremorsetoher，buthewasafraidofherlaughingathim。Hesaidtohimselfthatthiswasaverywholesomefear，andthatifhecouldalwayshaveherathandheshouldnotmakeafoolofhimselfsooften。Amanconceivesofsuchanofficeastheverynoblestforawoman；heworshipsherforitifheismagnanimous。ButBeatonwassilent，andAlmaputbackherheadfortherightdistanceonhersketch。"Mr。FulkersonthinksyouarethesublimestofhumanbeingsforadvisinghimtogetColonelWoodburntointerviewMr。DryfoosaboutLindau。WhathaveyoueverdonewithyourJudas?"
"Ihaven"tdoneanythingwithit。Nadelthoughthewouldtakeholdofitatonetime，buthedroppeditagain。Afterall，Idon"tsupposeitcouldbepopularized。Fulkersonwantedtoofferitasapremiumtosubscribersfor"EveryOtherWeek，"butIsatdownonthat。"
Almacouldnotfeeltheabsurdityofthis，andshemerelysaid，""EveryOtherWeek"seemstobegoingonjustthesameasever。"
"Yes，thetroublehasallblownover，Ibelieve。Fulkerson，"saidBeaton，withareturntowhattheyweresaying，"hasmanagedthewholebusinessverywell。Butheexaggeratesthevalueofmyadvice。"
"Verylikely，"Almasuggested，vaguely。"Or，no!Excuseme!Hecouldn"t，hecouldn"t!"ShelaugheddelightedlyatBeaton"sfoolishlookofembarrassment。
Hetriedtorecoverhisdignityinsaying，"He"s"averygoodfellow，andhedeserveshishappiness。"
"Oh，indeed!"saidAlma，perversely。"Doesanyonedeservehappiness?"
"IknowIdon"t，"sighedBeaton。
"Youmeanyoudon"tgetit。"
"Icertainlydon"tgetit。"
"Ah，butthatisn"tthereason。"
"Whatis?"
"That"sthesecretoftheuniverse，"Shebitinherlowerlip，andlookedathimwitheyes，ofgleamingfun。
"Areyouneverserious?"heasked。
"Withseriouspeoplealways。"
"Iamserious；andyouhavethesecretofmyhappiness——"Hethrewhimselfimpulsivelyforwardinhischair。
"Oh，pose，pose!"shecried。
"Iwon"tpose，"heanswered，"andyouhavegottolistentome。YouknowI"minlovewithyou；andIknowthatonceyoucaredforme。Can"tthattime——won"tit——comebackagain?Trytothinkso，Alma!"
"No，"shesaid，brieflyandseriouslyenough。
"Butthatseemsimpossible。WhatisitI"vedonewhathaveyouagainstme?"
"Nothing。Butthattimeispast。Icouldn"trecallitifIwished。Whydidyoubringitup?You"vebrokenyourword。YouknowIwouldn"thaveletyoukeepcominghereifyouhadn"tpromisednevertorefertoit。"
"HowcouldIhelpit?Withthathappinessnearus——Fulkerson——"
"Oh，it"sthat?Imighthaveknownit!"
"No，itisn"tthat——it"ssomethingfardeeper。Butifit"snothingyouhaveagainstme，whatisit，Alma，thatkeepsyoufromcaringformenowasyoudidthen?Ihaven"tchanged。"
"ButIhave。Ishallnevercareforyouagain，Mr。Beaton；youmightaswellunderstanditonceforall。Don"tthinkit"sanythinginyourself，orthatIthinkyouunworthyofme。I"mnotsoself-satisfiedasthat；
IknowverywellthatI"mnotaperfectcharacter，andthatI"venoclaimonperfectioninanybodyelse。Ithinkwomenwhowantthatarefools；
theywon"tgetit，andtheydon"tdeserveit。ButI"velearnedagood。
dealmoreaboutmyselfthanIknewinSt。Barnaby，andalifeofwork，ofart，andofartalonethat"swhatI"vemadeupmymindto。"
"Awomanthat"smadeuphermindtothathasnohearttohinderher!"
"Wouldamanhavethathaddoneso?"
"ButIdon"tbelieveyou，Alma。You"remerelylaughingatme。And，besides，withmeyouneedn"tgiveupart。Wecouldworktogether。YouknowhowmuchIadmireyourtalent。IbelieveIcouldhelpit——serveit；
Iwouldbeitswillingslave，andyours，Heavenknows!"
"Idon"twantanyslave——noranyslavery。Iwanttobefreealways。Nowdoyousee?Idon"tcareforyou，andInevercouldintheoldway；butIshouldhavetocareforsomeonemorethanIbelieveIevershalltogiveupmywork。Shallwegoon?"Shelookedathersketch。
"No，weshallnotgoon，"hesaid，gloomily，asherose。
"Isupposeyoublameme，"shesaid，risingtoo。
"Ohno!Iblamenoone——oronlymyself。Ithrewmychanceaway。"
"I"mgladyouseethat；andI"mgladyoudidit。Youdon"tbelieveme，ofcourse。Whydomenthinklifecanbeonlytheonethingtowomen?
Andifyoucometotheselfishview，whoarethehappywomen?I"msurethatifworkdoesn"tfailme，healthwon"t，andhappinesswon"t。"
"Butyoucouldworkonwithme——"
"Secondfiddle。DoyousupposeIshouldn"tbewomanenoughtowishmyworkalwayslessandlowerthanyours?AtleastI"veheartenoughforthat!"
"You"veheartenoughforanything，Alma。Iwasafooltosayyouhadn"t。"
"Ithinkthewomenwhokeeptheirheartshaveanevenchance，atleast，ofhavingheart——"
"Ah，there"swhereyou"rewrong!"
"Butmineisn"tminetogiveyou，anyhow。AndnowIdon"twantyouevertospeaktomeaboutthisagain。"
"Oh，there"snodanger!"hecried，bitterly。"Ishallneverwillinglyseeyouagain。"
"That"sasyoulike，Mr。Beaton。We"vehadtobeveryfrank，butIdon"tseewhyweshouldn"tbefriends。Still，weneedn"t，ifyoudon"tlike。"
"AndImaycome——Imaycomehere——as——asusual?"
"Why，ifyoucanconsistently，"shesaid，withasmile，andsheheldoutherhandtohim。
Hewenthomedazed，andfeelingasifitwereabadjokethathadbeenputuponhim。Atleasttheaffairwentsodeepthatitestrangedtheaspectofhisfamiliarstudio。Someofthethingsinitwerenotveryfamiliar；hehadspentlatelyagreatdealonrugs，onstuffs，onJapanesebric-a-brac。Whenhesawthesethingsintheshopshehadfeltthathemusthavethem；thattheywerenecessarytohim；andhewaspartlyindebtforthem，stillwithouthavingsentanyofhisearningstopayhisfather。Ashelookedatthemnowhelikedtofancysomethingweirdandconsciousinthemasthesilentwitnessesofabrokenlife。
Hefeltaboutamongsomeofthesmallerobjectsonthemantelforhispipe。Beforeheslepthewasaware，intheluxuryofhisdespair，ofaremoterelief，anescape；and，afterall，theunderstandinghehadcometowithAlmawasonlytheexplicitformulationoftermslongtacitbetweenthem。Beatonwouldhavebeenpuzzledmorethanheknewifshehadtakenhimseriously。Itwasinevitablethatheshoulddeclarehimselfinlovewithher；buthewasnotdisappointedatherrejectionofhislove；perhapsnotsomuchashewouldhavebeenatitsacceptance，thoughhetriedtothinkotherwise，andtogivehimselfairsoftragedy。
Hedidnotreallyfeelthattheresultwasworsethanwhathadgonebefore，anditlefthimfree。
ButhedidnotgototheLeightonsagainforsolongatimethatMrs。
LeightonaskedAlmawhathadhappened。Almatoldher。
"Andhewon"tcomeanymore?"hermothersighed，withreservedcensure。
"Oh，Ithinkhewill。Hecouldn"tverywellcomethenextnight。Buthehasthehabitofcoming，andwithMr。Beatonhabitiseverything——eventhehabitofthinkinghe"sinlovewithsomeone。"
"Alma，"saidhermother，"Idon"tthinkit"sveryniceforagirltoletayoungmankeepcomingtoseeheraftershe"srefusedhim。"
"Whynot，ifitamuseshimanddoesn"thurtthegirl?"
"Butitdoeshurther，Alma。It——it"sindelicate。Itisn"tfairtohim；
itgiveshimhopes。"
"Well，mamma，ithasn"thappenedinthegivencaseyet。IfMr。Beatoncomesagain，Iwon"tseehim，andyoucanforbidhimthehouse。"
"IfIcouldonlyfeelsure，Alma，"saidhermother，takingupanotherbranchoftheinquiry，"thatyoureallyknewyourownmind，Ishouldbeeasieraboutit。"
"Thenyoucanrestperfectlyquiet，mamma。Idoknowmyownmind；and，what"sworse，IknowMr。Beaton"smind。"
"Whatdoyoumean?"
"ImeanthathespoketometheothernightsimplybecauseMr。
Fulkerson"sengagementhadbrokenhimallup。"
"Whatexpressions!"Mrs。Leightonlamented。
"Heletitouthimself，"Almawenton。"Andyouwouldn"thavethoughtitwasveryflatteringyourself。WhenI"mmadeloveto，afterthis，Iprefertobemadelovetoinanoff-year，whenthereisn"tanotherengagedcoupleanywhereabout。"
"Didyoutellhimthat，Alma?"
"Tellhimthat!Whatdoyoumean，mamma?Imaybeindelicate，butI"mnotquitesoindelicateasthat。"
"Ididn"tmeanyouwereindelicate，really，Alma，butIwantedtowarnyou。IthinkMr。Beatonwasverymuchinearnest。"
"Oh，sodidhe!"
"Andyoudidn"t?"
"Ohyes，forthetimebeing。Isupposehe"sverymuchinearnestwithMissVanceattimes，andwithMissDryfoosatothers。Sometimeshe"sapainter，andsometimeshe"sanarchitect，andsometimeshe"sasculptor。
Hehastoomanygifts——toomanytastes。"
"AndifMissVanceandMissDryfoos——"
"Oh，dosaySculptureandArchitecture，mamma!It"sgettingsodreadfullypersonal!"
"Alma，youknowthatIonlywishtogetatyourrealfeelinginthematter。"
"AndyouknowthatIdon"twanttoletyou——especiallywhenIhaven"tgotanyrealfeelinginthematter。ButIshouldthink——speakingintheabstractentirely——thatifeitherofthoseartswasevergoingtobeinearnestabouthim，itwouldwanthisexclusivedevotionforaweekatleast。"
"Ididn"tknow，"saidMrs。Leighton，"thathewasdoinganythingnowattheothers。Ithoughthewasentirelytakenupwithhisworkon"EveryOtherWeek。""
"Oh，heis!heis!"
"Andyoucertainlycan"tsay，mydear，thathehasn"tbeenverykind——
veryusefultoyou，inthatmatter。"
"AndsoIoughttohavesaidyesoutofgratitude?Thankyou，mamma!I
didn"tknowyouheldmesocheap。"
"YouknowwhetherIholdyoucheapornot，Alma。Idon"twantyoutocheapenyourself。Idon"twantyoutotriflewithanyone。Iwantyoutobehonestwithyourself。"
"Well，comenow，mamma!Supposeyoubegin。I"vebeenperfectlyhonestwithmyself，andI"vebeenhonestwithMr。Beaton。Idon"tcareforhim，andI"vetoldhimIdidn"t；sohemaybesupposedtoknowit。Ifhecomeshereafterthis，he"llcomeasaplain，unostentatiousfriendofthefamily，andit"sforyoutosaywhetherheshallcomeinthatcapacityornot。Ihopeyouwon"ttriflewithhim，andlethimgetthenotionthathe"scomingonanyotherbasis。"
Mrs。Leightonfeltthecomfortofthecriticalattitudefartookeenlytoabandonitforanythingconstructive。Sheonlysaid，"Youknowverywell，Alma，that"samatterIcanhavenothingtodowith。"
"Thenyouleavehimentirelytome?"
"Ihopeyouwillregardhisrighttocandidandopentreatment。"
"He"shadnothingbutthemostopenandcandidtreatmentfromme，mamma。
It"syouthatwantstoplayfastandloosewithhim。And，totellyouthetruth，Ibelievehewouldlikethatagooddealbetter；Ibelievethat，ifthere"sanythinghehates，it"sopennessandcandor。"
Almalaughed，andputherarmsroundhermother，whocouldnothelplaughingalittle，too。
II。
ThewinterdidnotrenewforChristineandMelathesocialopportunitywhichthespringhadoffered。AfterthemusicaleatMrs。Horn"s，theybothmadetheirparty-call，asMelasaid，indueseason；buttheydidnotfindMrs。Hornathome，andneithershenorMissVancecametoseethemafterpeoplereturnedtotowninthefall。TheytriedtobelieveforatimethatMrs。Hornhadnotgottheircards；thispretencefailedthem，andtheyfellbackupontheirpride，orratherChristine"spride。Melahadlittlebuthergood-naturetoavailherinanyexigency，andifMrs。
HornorMissVancehadcometocallafterayearofneglect，shewouldhavereceivedthemasamiablyasiftheyhadnotlostadayincoming。
ButChristinehaddrawnalinebeyondwhichtheywouldnothavebeenforgiven；andshehadplannedthewordsandthebehaviorwithwhichshewouldhavepunishedthemiftheyhadappearedthen。Neithersisterimaginedherselfinanywiseinferiortothem；butChristinewassuspicious，atleast，anditwasMelawhoinventedthehypothesisofthelostcards。Asnothinghappenedtoproveortodisprovethefact，shesaid，"ImoveweputCoonroduptogittun"itoutofMissVance，atsomeoftheirmeetun"s。"
"Ifyoudo，"saidChristine，"I"llkillyou。"
Christine，however，hadthevisitsofBeatontoconsoleher，and，iftheseseemedtohavenodefiniteaim，shewaswillingtorestinthepleasuretheygavehervanity；butMelahadnothing。Sometimessheevenwishedtheywereallbackonthefarm。
"Itwouldbethebestthingforbothofyou，"saidMrs。Dryfoos，inanswertosuchaburstofdesperation。"Idon"tthinkNewYorkisanyplaceforgirls。"
"Well，whatIhate，mother，"saidMela，"is，itdon"tseemtobeanyplaceforyoungmen，either。"ShefoundthissogoodwhenshehadsaiditthatshelaughedoverittillChristinewasangry。
"Abodywouldthinktherehadneverbeenanyjokebefore。"
"Idon"tseeasit"sajoke，"saidMrs。Dryfoos。"It"stheplaintruth。"
"Oh，don"tmindher，mother，"saidMela。"She"sputoutbecauseheroldMr。Beatonha"r"tbeenroundforacoupleo"weeks。Ifyoudon"twatchout，thatfellow"llgiveyoutheslipyit，Christine，afterallyourpains。"
"Well，thereain"tanybodytogiveyoutheslip，Mela，"Christineclawedback。
"No；Iha"n"teversetmytrapsforanybody。"ThiswaswhatMelasaidforwantofabetterretort；butitwasnotquitetrue。WhenKendrickscamewithBeatontocallafterherfather"sdinner，sheusedallhercunningtoensnarehim，andshehadhimtoherselfaslongasBeatonstayed；Dryfoossentdownwordthathewasnotverywellandhadgonetobed。ThenoveltyofMelahadwornoffforKendricks，andshefoundhim，asshefranklytoldhim，nothalfasentertainingashewasatMrs。