第11章

XVII

Thesummerflewby。TheawasgladwhenRayKennedyhadaSundayintownandcouldtakeherdriving。Outamongthesandhillsshecouldforgetthe"newroom"whichwasthesceneofwearingandfruitlesslabor。Dr。Archiewasawayfromhomeagooddealthatyear。HehadputallhismoneyintominesaboveColo—

radoSprings，andhehopedforgreatreturnsfromthem。

Inthefallofthatyear，Mr。KronborgdecidedthatTheaoughttoshowmoreinterestinchurchwork。Heputittoherfrankly，onenightatsupper，beforethewholefamily。

"HowcanIinsistontheothergirlsinthecongregationbeingactiveinthework，whenoneofmyowndaughtersmanifestssolittleinterest？"

"ButIsingeverySundaymorning，andIhavetogiveuponenightaweektochoirpractice，"Theadeclaredrebelliously，pushingbackherplatewithanangrydeter—

minationtoeatnothingmore。

"Onenightaweekisnotenoughforthepastor’sdaugh—

ter，"herfatherreplied。"Youwon’tdoanythinginthesewingsociety，andyouwon’ttakepartintheChristianEndeavorortheBandofHope。Verywell，youmustmakeitupinotherways。Iwantsomeonetoplaytheorganandleadthesingingatprayer—meetingthiswinter。DeaconPottertoldmesometimeagothathethoughttherewouldbemoreinterestinourprayer—meetingsifwehadtheorgan。

MissMeyersdon’tfeelthatshecanplayonWednesdaynights。Andthereoughttobesomebodytostartthehymns。

Mrs。Potterisgettingold，andshealwaysstartsthemtoohigh。Itwon’ttakemuchofyourtime，anditwillkeeppeoplefromtalking。"

ThisargumentconqueredThea，thoughsheleftthe

tablesullenly。Thefearofthetongue，thatterroroflittletowns，isusuallyfeltmorekeenlybytheminister’sfamilythanbyotherhouseholds。WhenevertheKronborgswantedtodoanything，eventobuyanewcarpet，theyhadtotakecounseltogetherastowhetherpeoplewouldtalk。

Mrs。Kronborghadherownconvictionthatpeopletalkedwhentheyfeltlikeit，andsaidwhattheychose，nomatterhowtheminister’sfamilyconductedthemselves。Butshedidnotimpartthesedangerousideastoherchildren。Theawasstillunderthebeliefthatpublicopinioncouldbeplacated；thatifyoucluckedoftenenough，thehenswouldmistakeyouforoneofthemselves。

Mrs。Kronborgdidnothaveanyparticularzestforprayer—meetings，andshestayedathomewhenevershehadavalidexcuse。Thorwastoooldtofurnishsuchanexcusenow，soeveryWednesdaynight，unlessoneofthechildrenwassick，shetrudgedoffwithThea，behindMr。Kronborg。

AtfirstTheawasterriblybored。Butshegotusedtoprayer—

meeting，goteventofeelamournfulinterestinit。

Theexerciseswerealwaysprettymuchthesame。AfterthefirsthymnherfatherreadapassagefromtheBible，usuallyaPsalm。Thentherewasanotherhymn，andthenherfathercommenteduponthepassagehehadreadand，ashesaid，"appliedtheWordtoournecessities。"Afterathirdhymn，themeetingwasdeclaredopen，andtheoldmenandwomentookturnsatprayingandtalking。Mrs。

Kronborgneverspokeinmeeting。Shetoldpeoplefirmlythatshehadbeenbroughtuptokeepsilentandletthementalk，butshegaverespectfulattentiontotheothers，sittingwithherhandsfoldedinherlap。

Theprayer—meetingaudiencewasalwayssmall。Theyoungandenergeticmembersofthecongregationcameonlyonceortwiceayear，"tokeeppeoplefromtalking。"

TheusualWednesdaynightgatheringwasmadeupofoldwomen，withperhapssixoreightoldmen，andafewsicklygirlswhohadnotmuchinterestinlife；twoofthem，in—

deed，werealreadypreparingtodie。Theaacceptedthemournfulnessoftheprayer—meetingsasakindofspiritualdiscipline，likefunerals。Shealwaysreadlateaftershewenthomeandfeltastrongerwishthanusualtoliveandtobehappy。

ThemeetingswereconductedintheSunday—Schoolroom，wheretherewerewoodenchairsinsteadofpews；

anoldmapofPalestinehungonthewall，andthebracketlampsgaveoutonlyadimlight。TheoldwomensatmotionlessasIndiansintheirshawlsandbonnets；someofthemworelongblackmourningveils。Theoldmendroopedintheirchairs。Everyback，everyface，everyheadsaid"resignation。"Oftentherewerelongsilences，whenyoucouldhearnothingbutthecracklingofthesoftcoalinthestoveandthemuffledcoughofoneofthesickgirls。

Therewasoneniceoldlady，——tall，erect，self—respect—

ing，withadelicatewhitefaceandasoftvoice。Sheneverwhined，andwhatshesaidwasalwayscheerful，thoughshespokesonervouslythatTheaknewshedreadedgettingup，andthatshemadearealsacrificeto，asshesaid，"tes—

tifytothegoodnessofherSaviour。"Shewasthemotherofthegirlwhocoughed，andTheausedtowonderhowsheexplainedthingstoherself。Therewas，indeed，onlyonewomanwhotalkedbecauseshewas，asMr。Kronborgsaid，"tonguey。"Theothersweresomehowimpressive。Theytoldaboutthesweetthoughtsthatcametothemwhiletheywereattheirwork；how，amidtheirhouseholdtasks，theyweresuddenlyliftedbythesenseofadivinePresence。

Sometimestheytoldoftheirfirstconversion，ofhowintheiryouththathigherPowerhadmadeitselfknowntothem。OldMr。Carsen，thecarpenter，whogavehisser—

vicesasjanitortothechurch，usedoftentotellhow，whenhewasayoungmanandascoffer，bentonthedestructionofbothbodyandsoul，hisSaviourhadcometohimintheMichiganwoodsandhadstood，itseemedtohim，besidethetreehewasfelling；andhowhedroppedhisaxeand

kneltinprayer"toHimwhodiedforusuponthetree。"

Theaalwayswantedtoaskhimmoreaboutit；abouthismysteriouswickedness，andaboutthevision。

Sometimestheoldpeoplewouldaskforprayersfortheirabsentchildren。SometimestheyaskedtheirbrothersandsistersinChristtopraythattheymightbestrongeragainsttemptations。Oneofthesickgirlsusedtoaskthemtopraythatshemighthavemorefaithinthetimesofdepressionthatcametoher，"whenallthewaybeforeseemeddark。"Sherepeatedthathuskyphrasesooften，thatTheaalwaysrememberedit。

Oneoldwoman，whonevermissedaWednesdaynight，andwhonearlyalwaystookpartinthemeeting，cameallthewayupfromthedepotsettlement。Shealwaysworeablackcrocheted"fascinator"overherthinwhitehair，andshemadelong，tremulousprayers，fullofrailroadtermin—

ology。Shehadsixsonsintheserviceofdifferentrailroads，andshealwaysprayed"fortheboysontheroad，whoknownotatwhatmomenttheymaybecutoff。When，inThydivinewisdom，theirhourisuponthem，maythey，OourHeavenlyFather，seeonlywhitelightsalongtheroadtoEternity。"Sheusedtospeak，too，of"theenginesthatracewithdeath"；andthoughshelookedsooldandlittlewhenshewasonherknees，andhervoicewassoshaky，herprayershadathrillofspeedanddangerinthem；theymadeonethinkofthedeepblackcanyons，theslendertrestles，thepoundingtrains。Thealikedtolookathersunkeneyesthatseemedfullofwisdom，atherblackthreadgloves，muchtoolonginthefingersandsomeeklyfoldedoneovertheother。Herfacewasbrown，andwornawayasrocksarewornbywater。Therearemanywaysofdescribingthatcolorofage，butinrealityitisnotlikeparchment，orlikeanyofthethingsitissaidtobelike。Thatbrownnessandthattextureofskinarefoundonlyinthefacesofoldhumancreatures，whohaveworkedhardandwhohavealwaysbeenpoor。

OnebitterlycoldnightinDecembertheprayer—meetingseemedtoThealongerthanusual。Theprayersandthetalkswentonandon。Itwasasiftheoldpeoplewereafraidtogooutintothecold，orwerestupefiedbythehotairoftheroom。Shehadleftabookathomethatshewasimpatienttogetbackto。AtlasttheDoxologywassung，buttheoldpeoplelingeredaboutthestovetogreeteachother，andTheatookhermother’sarmandhurriedouttothefrozensidewalk，beforeherfathercouldgetaway。Thewindwaswhistlingupthestreetandwhippingthenakedcottonwoodtreesagainstthetelegraphpolesandthesidesofthehouses。Thinsnowcloudswereflyingoverhead，sothattheskylookedgray，withadullphosphorescence。

Theicystreetsandtheshingleroofsofthehousesweregray，too。Allalongthestreet，shuttersbangedorwindowsrattled，orgateswobbled，heldbytheirlatchbutshakingonloosehinges。TherewasnotacatoradoginMoonstonethatnightthatwasnotgivenawarmshelter；thecatsunderthekitchenstove，thedogsinbarnsorcoal—sheds。

WhenTheaandhermotherreachedhome，theirmufflerswerecoveredwithice，wheretheirbreathhadfrozen。Theyhurriedintothehouseandmadeadashfortheparlorandthehard—coalburner，behindwhichGunnerwassittingonastool，readinghisJulesVernebook。Thedoorstoodopenintothedining—room，whichwasheatedfromtheparlor。

Mr。Kronborgalwayshadalunchwhenhecamehomefromprayer—meeting，andhispumpkinpieandmilkweresetoutonthedining—table。Mrs。Kronborgsaidshethoughtshefelthungry，too，andaskedTheaifshedidn’twantsomethingtoeat。

"No，I’mnothungry，mother。IguessI’llgoupstairs。"

"Iexpectyou’vegotsomebookupthere，"saidMrs。

Kronborg，bringingoutanotherpie。"You’dbetterbringitdownhereandread。Nobody’lldisturbyou，andit’sterriblecoldupinthatloft。"

Theawasalwaysassuredthatnoonewoulddisturbher

ifshereaddownstairs，buttheboystalkedwhentheycamein，andherfatherfairlydelivereddiscoursesafterhehadbeenrenewedbyhalfapieandapitcherofmilk。

"Idon’tmindthecold。I’lltakeahotbrickupformyfeet。IputoneinthestovebeforeIleft，ifoneoftheboyshasn’tstolenit。Good—night，mother。"Theagotherbrickandlantern，anddashedupstairsthroughthewindyloft。

Sheundressedattopspeedandgotintobedwithherbrick。

Sheputapairofwhiteknittedglovesonherhands，andpinnedoverherheadapieceofsoftflannelthathadbeenoneofThor’slongpetticoatswhenhewasababy。Thusequipped，shewasreadyforbusiness。Shetookfromhertableathickpaper—backedvolume，oneofthe"line"ofpapernovelsthedruggistkepttoselltotravelingmen。

Shehadboughtit，onlyyesterday，becausethefirstsen—

tenceinterestedherverymuch，andbecauseshesaw，assheglancedoverthepages，themagicalnamesoftwoRussiancities。Thebookwasapoortranslationof"AnnaKarenina。"Theaopeneditatamark，andfixedhereyesintentlyuponthesmallprint。Thehymns，thesickgirl，theresignedblackfigureswereforgotten。ItwasthenightoftheballinMoscow。

Theawouldhavebeenastonishedifshecouldhaveknownhow，yearsafterward，whenshehadneedofthem，thoseoldfacesweretocomebacktoher，longaftertheywerehiddenawayundertheearth；thattheywouldseemtoherthenasfullofmeaning，asmysteriouslymarkedbyDestiny，asthepeoplewhodancedthemazurkaundertheelegantKorsunsky。

XVIII

Mr。Kronborgwastoofondofhiseaseandtoosensibletoworryhischildrenmuchaboutreligion。

Hewasmoresincerethanmanypreachers，butwhenhespoketohisfamilyaboutmattersofconductitwasusuallywitharegardforkeepingupappearances。Thechurchandchurchworkwerediscussedinthefamilyliketheroutineofanyotherbusiness。Sundaywastheharddayoftheweekwiththem，justasSaturdaywasthebusydaywiththemerchantsonMainStreet。Revivalswereseasonsofextraworkandpressure，justasthreshing—timewasonthefarms。Visitingeldershadtobelodgedandcookedfor，thefolding—bedintheparlorwasletdown，andMrs。

Kronborghadtoworkinthekitchenalldaylongandattendthenightmeetings。

DuringoneoftheserevivalsThea’ssisterAnnaprofessedreligionwith，asMrs。Kronborgsaid，"agooddealoffluster。"WhileAnnawasgoinguptothemourners’benchnightlyandaskingfortheprayersofthecongregation，shedisseminatedgeneralgloomthroughoutthehousehold，andaftershejoinedthechurchshetookonanairof"set—apart—

ness"thatwasextremelytryingtoherbrothersandhersister，thoughtheyrealizedthatAnna’ssanctimoniousnesswasperhapsagoodthingfortheirfather。Apreacheroughttohaveonechildwhodidmorethanmerelyacquiesceinreligiousobservances，andTheaandtheboysweregladenoughthatitwasAnnaandnotoneofthemselveswhoassumedthisobligation。

"Anna，she’sAmerican，"Mrs。Kronborgusedtosay。

TheScandinavianmouldofcountenance，moreorlessmarkedineachoftheotherchildren，wasscarcelydis—

cernibleinher，andshelookedenoughlikeotherMoon—

stonegirlstobethoughtpretty。Anna’snaturewascon—

ventional，likeherface。Herpositionastheminister’seldestdaughterwasimportanttoher，andshetriedtoliveuptoit。Shereadsentimentalreligiousstory—booksandemulatedthespiritualstrugglesandmagnanimousbehavioroftheirpersecutedheroines。EverythinghadtobeinterpretedforAnna。Heropinionsaboutthesmall—

estandmostcommonplacethingsweregleanedfromtheDenverpapers，thechurchweeklies，fromsermonsandSunday—Schooladdresses。Scarcelyanythingwasattrac—

tivetoherinitsnaturalstate——indeed，scarcelyanythingwasdecentuntilitwasclothedbytheopinionofsomeauthority。Herideasabouthabit，character，duty，love，marriage，weregroupedunderheads，likeabookofpopularquotations，andweretotallyunrelatedtotheemergenciesofhumanliving。ShediscussedallthesesubjectswithotherMethodistgirlsofherage。Theywouldspendhours，forinstance，indecidingwhattheywouldorwouldnottoler—

ateinasuitororahusband，andthefrailtiesofmasculinenatureweretoooftenasubjectofdiscussionamongthem。

InherbehaviorAnnawasaharmlessgirl，mildexceptwhereherprejudiceswereconcerned，neatandindustrious，withnograverfaultthanpriggishness；buthermindhadreallyshockinghabitsofclassification。ThewickednessofDenverandofChicago，andevenofMoonstone，occupiedherthoughtstoomuch。Shehadnoneofthedelicacythatgoeswithanatureofwarmimpulses，butthekindoffishycuriositywhichjustifiesitselfbyanexpressionofhorror。

Thea，andallThea’swaysandfriends，seemedindecor—

oustoAnna。ShenotonlyfeltagravesocialdiscriminationagainsttheMexicans；shecouldnotforgetthatSpanishJohnnywasadrunkardandthat"nobodyknewwhathedidwhenheranawayfromhome。"Theapretended，ofcourse，thatshelikedtheMexicansbecausetheywerefondofmusic；buteveryoneknewthatmusicwasno—

thingveryreal，andthatitdidnotmatterinagirl’sre—

lationswithpeople。Whatwasreal，then，andwhatdidmatter？PoorAnna！

AnnaapprovedofRayKennedyasayoungmanofsteadyhabitsandblamelesslife，butsheregrettedthathewasanatheist，andthathewasnotapassengerconductorwithbrassbuttonsonhiscoat。Onthewhole，shewon—

deredwhatsuchanexemplaryyoungmanfoundtolikeinThea。Dr。ArchieshetreatedrespectfullybecauseofhispositioninMoonstone，butsheKNEWhehadkissedtheMexicanbarytone’sprettydaughter，andshehadawholeDOSSIERofevidenceabouthisbehaviorinhishoursofrelax—

ationinDenver。Hewas"fast，"anditwasbecausehewas"fast"thatThealikedhim。Theaalwayslikedthatkindofpeople。Dr。Archie’swholemannerwithThea，Annaoftentoldhermother，wastoofree。HewasalwaysputtinghishandonThea’shead，orholdingherhandwhilehelaughedandlookeddownather。Thekindliermanifesta—

tionofhumannature（aboutwhichAnnasangandtalked，intheinterestsofwhichshewenttoconventionsandworewhiteribbons）wereneverrealitiestoherafterall。Shedidnotbelieveinthem。Itwasonlyinattitudesofprotestorreproof，clingingtothecross，thathumanbeingscouldbeeventemporarilydecent。

PreacherKronborg’ssecretconvictionswereverymuchlikeAnna’s。Hebelievedthathiswifewasabsolutelygood，buttherewasnotamanorwomaninhiscongregationwhomhetrustedalltheway。

Mrs。Kronborg，ontheotherhand，waslikelytofindsomethingtoadmireinalmostanyhumanconductthatwaspositiveandenergetic。Shecouldalwaysbetakeninbythestoriesoftrampsandrunawayboys。Shewenttothecircusandadmiredthebarebackriders，whowere"likelygoodenoughwomenintheirway。"SheadmiredDr。Archie’sfinephysiqueandwell—cutclothesasmuchasTheadid，andsaidshe"feltitwasaprivilegetobehandledbysuchagentlemanwhenshewassick。"

SoonafterAnnabecameachurchmembershebegantoremonstratewithTheaaboutpracticing——playing"secu—

larmusic"——onSunday。OneSundaythedisputeintheparlorgrewwarmandwascarriedtoMrs。Kronborginthekitchen。ShelistenedjudiciallyandtoldAnnatoreadthechapterabouthowNaamantheleperwaspermittedtobowdowninthehouseofRimmon。Theawentbacktothepiano，andAnnalingeredtosaythat，sinceshewasintheright，hermothershouldhavesupportedher。

"No，"saidMrs。Kronborg，ratherindifferently，"Ican’tseeitthatway，Anna。Ineverforcedyoutopractice，andIdon’tseeasIshouldkeepTheafromit。Iliketohearher，andIguessyourfatherdoes。YouandTheawilllikelyfol—

lowdifferentlines，andIdon’tseeasI’mcalledupontobringyouupalike。"

Annalookedmeekandabused。"Ofcourseallthechurchpeoplemusthearher。Oursistheonlynoisyhouseonthisstreet。Youhearwhatshe’splayingnow，don’tyou？"

Mrs。Kronborgrosefrombrowninghercoffee。"Yes；

it’stheBlueDanubewaltzes。I’mfamiliarwith’em。Ifanyofthechurchpeoplecomeatyou，youjustsend’emtome。Iain’tafraidtospeakoutonoccasion，andI

wouldn’tmindonebittellingtheLadies’Aidafewthingsaboutstandardcomposers。"Mrs。Kronborgsmiled，andaddedthoughtfully，"No，Iwouldn’tmindthatonebit。"

Annawentaboutwithareservedanddistantairforaweek，andMrs。Kronborgsuspectedthatsheheldalargerplacethanusualinherdaughter’sprayers；butthatwasanotherthingshedidn’tmind。

Althoughrevivalsweremerelyapartoftheyear’swork，likeexaminationweekatschool，andalthoughAnna’spietyimpressedherverylittle，atimecamewhenTheawasperplexedaboutreligion。AscourgeoftyphoidbrokeoutinMoonstoneandseveralofThea’sschoolmatesdiedofit。Shewenttotheirfunerals，sawthemputintothe

ground，andwonderedagooddealaboutthem。Butacertaingrimincident，whichcausedtheepidemic，troubledherevenmorethanthedeathofherfriends。

EarlyinJuly，soonafterThea’sfifteenthbirthday，aparticularlydisgustingsortoftrampcameintoMoonstoneinanemptyboxcar。Theawassittinginthehammockinthefrontyardwhenhefirstcrawleduptothetownfromthedepot，carryingabundlewrappedindirtytickingunderonearm，andundertheotherawoodenboxwithrustyscreeningnailedoveroneend。Hehadathin，hungryfacecoveredwithblackhair。Itwasjustbeforesupper—

timewhenhecamealong，andthestreetsmelledoffriedpotatoesandfriedonionsandcoffee。Theasawhimsniffingtheairgreedilyandwalkingslowerandslower。Helookedoverthefence。Shehopedhewouldnotstopattheirgate，forhermotherneverturnedanyoneaway，andthiswasthedirtiestandmostutterlywretched—lookingtrampshehadeverseen。Therewasaterribleodorabouthim，too。

Shecaughtitevenatthatdistance，andputherhandker—

chieftohernose。Amomentlatershewassorry，forsheknewthathehadnoticedit。Helookedawayandshuffledalittlefaster。

AfewdayslaterTheaheardthatthetramphadcampedinanemptyshackoverontheeastedgeoftown，besidetheravine，andwastryingtogiveamiserablesortofshowthere。Hetoldtheboyswhowenttoseewhathewasdoing，thathehadtraveledwithacircus。Hisbundlecontainedafilthyclown’ssuit，andhisboxheldhalfadozenrattle—

snakes。

Saturdaynight，whenTheawenttothebutchershoptogetthechickensforSunday，sheheardthewhineofanaccordionandsawacrowdbeforeoneofthesaloons。Thereshefoundthetramp，hisbonybodygrotesquelyattiredintheclown’ssuit，hisfaceshavedandpaintedwhite，——thesweattricklingthroughthepaintandwashingitaway，——

andhiseyeswildandfeverish。Pullingtheaccordionin

andoutseemedtobealmosttoogreataneffortforhim，andhepantedtothetuneof"MarchingthroughGeorgia。"

Afteraconsiderablecrowdhadgathered，thetrampex—

hibitedhisboxofsnakes，announcedthathewouldnowpassthehat，andthatwhentheonlookershadcontributedthesumofonedollar，hewouldeat"oneoftheselivingreptiles。"Thecrowdbegantocoughandmurmur，andthesaloonkeeperrushedoffforthemarshal，whoarrestedthewretchforgivingashowwithoutalicenseandhurriedhimawaytothecalaboose。

Thecalaboosestoodinasunflowerpatch，——anoldhutwithabarredwindowandapadlockonthedoor。Thetrampwasutterlyfilthyandtherewasnowaytogivehimabath。Thelawmadenoprovisiontogrub—stakevagrants，soaftertheconstablehaddetainedthetrampfortwenty—

fourhours，hereleasedhimandtoldhimto"getoutoftown，andgetquick。"Thefellow’srattlesnakeshadbeenkilledbythesaloonkeeper。Hehidinaboxcarinthefreightyard，probablyhopingtogetaridetothenextstation，buthewasfoundandputout。Afterthathewasseennomore。Hehaddisappearedandleftnotraceexceptanugly，stupidword，chalkedontheblackpaintoftheseventy—five—footstandpipewhichwasthereservoirfortheMoonstonewater—supply；thesameword，inanothertongue，thattheFrenchsoldiershoutedatWaterloototheEnglishofficerwhobadetheOldGuardsurrender；acommentonlifewhichthedefeated，alongthehardroadsoftheworld，sometimesbawlatthevictorious。

Aweekafterthetrampexcitementhadpassedover，thecitywaterbegantosmellandtotaste。TheKron—

borgshadawellintheirbackyardanddidnotusecitywater，buttheyheardthecomplaintsoftheirneighbors。

Atfirstpeoplesaidthatthetownwellwasfullofrot—

tingcottonwoodroots，buttheengineeratthepumping—

stationconvincedthemayorthatthewaterleftthewelluntainted。Mayorsreasonslowly，but，thewellbeing

eliminated，theofficialmindhadtotraveltowardthestandpipe——therewasnoothertrackforittogoin。

Thestandpipeamplyrewardedinvestigation。ThetramphadgotevenwithMoonstone。Hehadclimbedthestandpipebythehandholdsandlethimselfdownintoseventy—fivefeetofcoldwater，withhisshoesandhatandrollofticking。Thecitycouncilhadamildpanicandpassedanewordinanceabouttramps。Butthefeverhadalreadybrokenout，andseveraladultsandhalfadozenchildrendiedofit。

TheahadalwaysfoundeverythingthathappenedinMoonstoneexciting，disastersparticularlyso。Itwasgrat—

ifyingtoreadsensationalMoonstoneitemsintheDenverpaper。Butshewishedshehadnotchancedtoseethetrampashecameintotownthatevening，sniffingthesupper—ladenair。Hisfaceremainedunpleasantlyclearinhermemory，andhermindstruggledwiththeproblemofhisbehaviorasifitwereahardpageinarithmetic。Evenwhenshewaspracticing，thedramaofthetrampkeptgoingoninthebackofherhead，andshewasconstantlytryingtomakeherselfrealizewhatpitchofhatredordespaircoulddriveamantodosuchahideousthing。Shekeptseeinghiminhisbedraggledclownsuit，thewhitepaintonhisroughlyshavenface，playinghisaccordionbeforethesaloon。Shehadnoticedhisleanbody，hishigh，baldforeheadthatslopedbacklikeacurvedmetallid。Howcouldpeoplefallsofaroutoffortune？ShetriedtotalktoRayKennedyaboutherperplexity，butRaywouldnotdiscussthingsofthatsortwithher。Itwasinhissentimentalconceptionofwomenthattheyshouldbedeeplyreligious，thoughmenwereatlibertytodoubtandfinallytodeny。Apicturecalled"TheSoulAwakened，"

popularinMoonstoneparlors，prettywellinterpretedRay’sideaofwoman’sspiritualnature。

Oneeveningwhenshewashauntedbythefigureofthetramp，TheawentuptoDr。Archie’soffice。Shefoundhim

sewinguptwobadgashesinthefaceofalittleboywhohadbeenkickedbyamule。Aftertheboyhadbeenban—

dagedandsentawaywithhisfather，Theahelpedthedoc—

torwashandputawaythesurgicalinstruments。Thenshedroppedintoheraccustomedseatbesidehisdeskandbegantotalkaboutthetramp。Hereyeswerehardandgreenwithexcitement，thedoctornoticed。

"Itseemstome，Dr。Archie，thatthewholetown’stoblame。I’mtoblame，myself。Iknowhesawmeholdmynosewhenhewentby。Father’stoblame。IfhebelievestheBible，heoughttohavegonetothecalabooseandcleanedthatmanupandtakencareofhim。That’swhatIcan’tunderstand；dopeoplebelievetheBible，ordon’tthey？Ifthenextlifeisallthatmatters，andwe’reputheretogetreadyforit，thenwhydowetrytomakemoney，orlearnthings，orhaveagoodtime？There’snotonepersoninMoonstonethatreallylivesthewaytheNewTestamentsays。Doesitmatter，ordon’tit？"