下载辰思小说免费APP
Itwaspastmidnightwhenthepriestwasawakenedfromhissleepbyaknockonthedoor。Hewrappedhisgreatbuffalo-coatabouthim，andansweredthesummons。
WithoutinthedampdarknessstoodPierre。
"Father，"hecried，"Ninonhassentforyou。Sincesheleftyou，shehasbeenveryill。IhavedonewhatIcould；butnowshehardlyspeaks，butImakeoutthatshewantsyou。”Tenminuteslater，theywereinNinon\'scabin。WhenFatherdeSmetlookedatherheknewshewasdying。HehadseentheIndianslikethatmanytimesduringthewinter。Itwastheplague，butdrivenintopreyuponthesystembytheexposure。TheParisienne\'steethwereset，butshemanagedtosmileuponhervisitorashethrewoffhiscoatandbentoverher。
Hepouredsomewhiskeyforher；butshecouldnotgettheliquidoverherthroat。
"Donot，"shesaidfiercelybetweenthosesetwhiteteeth，"donotforgetthelilies。”Shesankbackandfixedherglazingeyesontheantlers，andkeptthemtherewatchingthosedanglingsilkenscarves，whilethepriest，inhaste，spokethewordsforthedepartingsoul。
Thenextmorningshelaydeadamongthosehalfbarbaricrelicsofhercoquetry，andtwowhitelilieswithheartsofgoldshedperfumefromanaltarinawilderness。
UptheGulch"GOWest？"sighedKate。"Why，yes!I\'dliketogoWest。”
Shelookedatthebabies，whowereplay-
ingonthefloorwiththeirfather，andsighedagain。
"You\'vegottogosomewhere，youknow，Kate。Itmightaswellbewestasinanyotherdirection。Andthisissuchachance!
Wecan\'thavemammalyingaroundonsofaswithoutanyrosesinhercheeks，canwe？"Heputthislasttothechildren，who，beingyetattheagewhentheytalkedin"EarlyEnglish，"astheirfathercalledit，madeaclamorousbutinarticulatereply。
MajorShelly，thegrandfatheroftheseveryyoungpersons，strokedhismustacheandlookedindulgent。
"Showalmosthumanintelligence，don\'tthey？"saidtheirfather，ashelayflatonhisbackandpermittedthebabiestoclimboverhim。
"Ya-as，"drawledthemajor。"Theydo。
Don\'tseehowyouaccountforit，Jack。”
Jackroared，andthelipsofthebabiestrembledwithfear。
Theirmothersaidnothing。Shewasonthesofa，herhandslyinginert，hereyesfixedonherrosybabieswithanexpressionwhichherfather-in-lawandherhusbandtriedhardnottonotice。
ItwasnoteasytotellwhyKatewasailing。Ofcourse，thebabieswereyoung，buttherewereotherreasons。
"Ibelieveyou\'retoohappy，"Jacksome-
timessaidtoher。"Trynottobequitesohappy，Kate。Atleast，trynottotakeyourhappinesssoseriously。Pleasedon\'tadoremeso；I\'monlyacommonplacefellow。Andthebabies——they\'renotgoingtoblowaway。”
ButKatecontinuedtolookwithintenseeyesatherlittleworld，andtodrawintoitwithlovingandgeneroushandsallwhowerewillingtocome。
"Kateisjustlikeakite，"Jackexplainedtohisfather，themajor；"shecan\'tkeepafloatwithoutjustsomanybobs。”
Kate\'s"bobs"weretheunfortunatesshecollectedaroundher。Theseabsorbedherstrength。Shefelttheirmiserywithsym-
pathiesthatwereabnormal。Theverylaborerinthestreetsfelthistoillesskeenlythanshe，asshewatchedthedropsgatheronhisbrow。
"Islifeworthkeepingatthecostofalotlikethat？"shewouldask。Shefeltashamedofherownease。Sheapologizedforherownsereneandperfecthappiness。
Sheevenfeltsorryforthosemotherswhohadnotchildrenasradiantlybeautifulasherown。
"Katemusthaveachange，"themajorhadgivenout。HewasgoingWestonbusinessandinsistedontakingherwithhim。Jacklookeddoubtful。Hewasn\'tsurehowhewouldgetalongwithoutKatetolookaftereverything。Secretly，hehadanideathatservantswereakindofwildanimalthathadtobefedbyanexperiencedkeeper。Butwhenthetimecame，hekissedhergood-byinasjocularamannerashecouldsummon，andrefusedtoseethetearsthatgatheredinhereyes。
UntilChicagowasreached，therewasnothingverydifferentfromthatwhichKatehadbeeninthehabitofseeing。
Afterthat，shesetherselftowatchforWesterncharacteristics。Shefeltthatshewouldknowthemassoonasshesawthem。
"Iexpectedtobestirredupandshocked，"
sheexplainedtothemajor。Butsomehow，theWesterntypedidnotappear。Common-
placewomenwithwornfaces——brownedandseamed，thoughnotaged——wereatthestations，waitingforsomethingorsomeone。Menwithahurried，nervousairwereeverywhere。KatelookedinvainforthegayetyandheartinesswhichshehadalwaysassociatedwiththeWest。
Aftertheygotbeyondthetimbercountryandrodehourafterhouronatractsmoothasabecalmedocean，shegaveherselfuptothefeelingofimmeasurablevastnesswhichtookpossessionofher。Thesunrolledoutoftheskyintooblivionwithafrantic，head-
longhaste。Nothingsoftenedtheaspectofitswrath。Near，red，familiar，itseemedtovisiblybowlalongtheheavens。Inthemorningitroseasbaldlyasithadset。
Andbackandforthovertheawfulplainblewthewinds，——blewfromeasttowestandbackagain，strongasiffreshfromthechambersoftheirbirth，fullofelementalscentsandofmightymurmurings。
"ThisistheWest!"Katecried，againandagain。
Themajorlistenedtoherunsmilingly。
Italwaysseemedtohimawasteofmuscu-
larenergytosmile。Hedidnottalkmuch。
Conversationhadneverappealedtohiminthelightofanart。Hespokewhentherewasadirectionoracommandtobegiven，oraninquirytobemade。Themajor，ifthetruthmustbeknown，wasmaterial。
Thingsthathecouldtaste，touch，see，appealedtohim。Hehadbeenavolunteerinthecivilwar，——avolunteerwithagoodrecord，——whichhenevermentioned；and，havingacquittedhimselfdecently，letthemattergowithoutaskingreprisalorpay-
mentforwhathehadfreelygiven。Hewentintobusinessandsoldcerealfoods。
"Ibelieveinusefulthings，"themajorexpressedhimself。"Oatmeal，wheat，——
menhavetohavethem。Godintendedtheyshould。There\'sJack——myson——
JackShelly——lawyer。What\'stheuseoflitigation？Goddidn\'tdesignlitigation。
Itdoesn\'tdoanybodyanygood。Itisn\'tjusticeyouget。It\'ssomethingentirelydifferent，——averdictaccordingtolaw。
TheysayJack\'sclever。ButI\'mmightygladIsellwheat。”
Hedidn\'tsellitasaspeculator，how-
ever。Thatwasn\'thisway。
"IearnwhatImake，"heoftensaid；andhehadgrownrichinthesellingofhiswholesomefoods……
Helenaliesamonground，brownhills。
Aboveitisaskyofdeepandillimitableblue。Inthestreetsarecrumbsofgold，butitnolongerpaystomineforthese；
because，asrealestate，thepropertyismorevaluable。Itisaplaceoffictitiousvalues。
Thereisexcitementintheair。Menhavethefacesofspeculators。Everylaborerispatientathistaskbecausehecherishesahopethatsomedayhewillbeamillion-
naire。Thereishospitality，andcordialityandgoodfellowship，andanundeniabledemocracy。Thereiswealthandluxuriousliving。Thereisevenculture，——butitisobtrudedasasortofnovelty；itisnotacceptedasamatterofcourse。
Kateandthemajorweredrivenovertwoorthreemilesofdusty，hardroadtoadis-
tanthotel，whichstandsinthemidstofgreenness，——inanoasis。Immediatelyabovethegreenswardthatsurroundsitthebrownhillsrise，thegrassscorchedbythesun。
Kateyieldedherselftothealmostabsurdluxuryoftheplacewitheaseandcompla-
cency。Shetookkindlytothegreatveran-
das。Sheadaptedherselftotheelaborateandill-assortedmeals。Shebathedinthemarvellouspool，warmwiththeheatofeternalfiresinmid-earth。ThispoolwascoveredwithapicturesqueMoorishstruct-
ure，andatoneendacascadetumbled，overwhichthesun，comingthroughcoloredwin-
dows，madeamimicprisminthewhitespray。Thelifewasnotunendurable。Themajorwasseldomwithher，beingobligedtogoabouthisbusiness；andKateamusedherselfbydrivingoverthehills，bywatch-
ingtheinhabitants，bywonderingaboutthelivesinthegreat，pretentious，unhomelikehouseswiththeirtreelessyardsandtheirclosedshutters。Thesunlight，whiteastheglareonArabiansands，penetratedeverywhere。Itseemedtofairlyscorchtheeye-balls。
"Oh，we\'reWest，now，"Katesaid，exult-
antly。"I\'veseenathousandtypes。Butyet——notquiteTHEtype——nottheimper-
sonationofsimplicityanddaringthatIwaslookingfor。”
Themajordidn\'tknowquitewhatshewastalkingabout。Butheacquiesced。
Allhecaredaboutwastoseehergrowstronger；andthatshewasdoingeveryday。
Shewasgrowingamazinglylovely，too，——
atleastthemajorthoughtso。Everyonelookedather；butthatwas，perhaps，be-
causeshewassuchasylphofawoman。
Besidethestalwartmajor，shelookedlikeafairyprincess。
Onedayshesuddenlyrealizedthefactthatshehadhadacompanionontheverandaforseveralmornings。Ofcourse，therewereagreatmanypersons——invalids，largely——sittingabout，butoneofthemhadbeenobtrudinghimselfpersistentlyintoherconsciousness。Itwasnotthathewasrude；itwasonlythathewasthinkingabouther。ApersonwithatemperamentlikeKate\'scouldnotlongbeoblivioustoathinglikethat；andshefurtivelyobservedtheoffenderwiththatgeniusforpsycho-
logicalperceptionwhichwasatoncehergreatestdangerandhercharm。
Themanwasdressedwithachildishattemptatdisplay。Hisshirt-frontwasdecoratedwithadiamond，andhiscuff-
buttonswereofonyxwithdiamondsettings。
Hisclotheswereexpensiveandperceptiblynew，andheoftenchangedhiscostumes，butwithanoticeabledisregardforpro-
priety。Hewasveryconsciousofhissilkhat，andfrequentlywipeditwithahandker-
chiefonwhichhismonogramwasworkedinblue。
Whenthe\'bussesbroughtuptheirloads，hewasalwaysonhandtowatchthenew-
comers。Hetookalongtimeathisdin-
ners，andappearedtoorderagreatdealandeatverylittle。Therewerecard-roomsandabilliard-hall，nottomentionabowling-
alleyandatennis-court，wheretheotherguestsofthehotelspentmuchtime。Butthismannevervisitedthem。Hesatoftenwithoneofthelatereviewsinhishand，lookingasifheintendedgivinghisatten-
tiontoitatanymoment。Butafterhehadscrupulouslycuttheleaveswithalittlecarvedivorypaper-cutter，hesatstaringstraightbeforehimwiththebookopen，butunread，inhishand。
Katetookmoreinterestinthismelan-
choly，middle-agedmanthanshewouldhavedoneifshehadnotbeenontheout-
lookforherWesterntype，——themanwhowastocombineallthequalitiesofchivalry，daring，bombast，andgenerosity，seasonedwithpiquantgrammar，whichshefirmlybelievedtobetherealthing。Butnotwith-
standingthiskindlyandsomewhatcuriousinterest，shemightneverhavemadehisacquaintanceifithadnotbeenforaratherunpleasantadventure。
Themajorwas"closingupadeal"andhadhurriedawayafterbreakfast，andKate，intheluxuryofconvalescence，half-reclinedinagreatchairontheverandaandwatchedtheduskybluemisttwiningitselfaroundthebrownhills。Shewasnotthinkingofthebabies；shewasnotworryingabouthome；shewasnotlongingforanything，orevenindulginginadream。Thatvacuouscontentwhichengrossesthebodyafterlongindisposition，heldherimperatively。Sud-
denlyshewasarousedfromthishappycon-
ditionofnothingnessbythespectacleofanenormousbull-dogapproachingherwiththreateningteeth。Shehadnoticedthemonsterofteninhiskennelnearthesta-
bles，anditwaswellunderstoodthathewasnevertobepermittedhisfreedom。Nowhewalkedtowardherwithasolidstepandanalarmingdeliberateness。Katesatstillandtriedtoassureherselfthathemeantnomis-
chief，butbythetimethegreatbodyhadmadeitselffeltontheskirtofhergownshecouldrestrainherfearnolonger，andgaveanervouscryofalarm。Thebruteansweredwithagrowl。Ifhehadlackedprovocationbefore，heconsideredthathehaditnow。
Heshowedhisteethandflunghisdetestablebodyuponher；andKatefeltherselfgrow-
ingdizzywithfear。Butjustthenanarmwasinterposedandthedogwasflungback。
Therewasamomentarystruggle。Somegentlemencamehurryingoutoftheoffice；
andastheybeatthedogbacktoitsretreat，Katesummonedwordsfromherparchedthroattothankherbenefactor。
Itwasthemelancholymanwiththenewclothes。Thismorninghewasdressedinasuitofthelightestgray，withawhitemarseilleswaistcoat，overwhichhisglitter-
ingchainshoneostentatiously。Whitetennis-shoes，awhiteroseinhisbutton-
hole，andawhitestrawhatinhishandcom-
pletedatoiletoverwhichmuchtimehadevidentlybeenspent。Katenotedthesedetailsassheheldoutherhand。
"Imayhavebeenalarmedwithoutcause，"
shesaid；"butIwashorriblyfrightened。
Thankyousomuchforcomingtomyres-
cue。AndIthink，ifyouwouldaddtoyourkindnessbygettingmeaglassofwater——"
Whenhecameback，hishandwastrem-
blingalittle；andasKatelookeduptolearnthecause，shesawthathisfacewasflushed。Hewasembarrassed。Shedecidedthathewasnotaccustomedtothesocietyofladies。"Bruteslikethatdogain\'tnoplaceinth\'world——that\'smyopinion。
Therearesomebadthingswecan\'thelphavin\'aroun\'；butabull-dogain\'toneof\'em。”
"Iquiteagreewithyou，"Kateacqui-
esced，asshedrankthewater。"ButasthisisthefirstunpleasantexperienceofanykindthatIhavehadsinceIcamehere，Idon\'tfeelthatIhaveanyrighttocomplain。”
"You\'reherefuryurhealth？"
"Yes。AndIamgettingit。You\'renotaninvalid，Iimagine？"
"No——no-op。I\'mherebe——well，I\'vethoughtfuralongtimeI\'dliket\'stayatthisherehotel。”
"Indeed!"
"Yes。I\'vebeenupth\'gulchthesefif-
teenyears。Binlivin\'onashelfofblackrock。
Th\'sungot\'round\'boutten。Couldn\'tmakeathinggrow。”Themanwaslook-
ingofftowardthehills，withanexpressionofdeepsadnessinhiseyes。"Didn\'tneverliveinaplacewherenothin\'\'dgrow，didyou？Itookgeraniumsupthartimean\'timeagin。Redones。Mademethinkofmother；she\'sinGermany。Watered\'emmornin\'an\'night。Th\'damnedthingsdied。”
Theoathslippedoutwithanartlessun-
consciousness，andtherewasalittlemoist-
ureinhiseyes。Katefeltsheoughttobringtheconversationtoaclose。ShewonderedwhatJackwouldsayifhesawhertalkingwithaperfectstrangerwhousedoaths!Shewouldhavegoneintothehousebutforsomethingthatcaughthereye。Itwasthehandoftheman；thathandwasabludgeon。Allgraceandflexibilityhadgoneoutofit，andithadbecomeamereinstrumentoftoil。Itwasseamedandmisshapen；yetithadbeencarefullymani-
cured，andthepointednailslookedfantasticandanimal-like。Agreatseal-ringboreanelaboratemonogram，whilethelittlefingerdisplayedacollectionofdiamondsandemeraldstrulydazzlingtobehold。Animpulseofhumanityandasortofartisticcuriosity，muchstrongerthanherdiscretion，urgedKatetocontinueherconversation。
"Whatwereyoudoingupthegulch？"
shesaid。
Themanleanedbackinhischairandregardedheramomentbeforeanswering。
Herealizedthesignificanceofherquestion。
Hetookitasasignthatshewaswillingtobefriendly。Alookofgratitude，almosttender，sprangintohiseyes，——dullgrayeyes，theywere，withakindlinessfortheironlyrecommendation。
"Makin\'mypile，"hereplied。"I\'vebeeninthesepartstwentyyears。WhenI
comehere，IthoughtIwasgoin\'tomakeafortunerightoff。Ihadallth\'moneythatmothercouldgiveme，andIlosteverythingI
hadinthreemonths。Iwentupth\'gulch。”
Hepaused，andwipedhisforeheadwithhishandkerchief。
TherewassomethinginhisremarkandtheintonationwhichmadeKatesaysoftly:
"Isupposeyou\'vehadahardtimeofit。”
"Tharyouwere!"hecried。"Tharwasth\'rock——risin\'，risin\'，black!Atth\'
bottomwusth\'creek，howlin\'dayan\'
night!Lonesome!Gee!Noonet\'talkto。Ofcourse，th\'men。Hadsomewithmealways。Theydidn\'ttalk。It\'stoo——
tooquiett\'talkmuch。Theyplayedcards。
Curious，butIneverplayedcards。Don\'tthinkI\'dfinditamusin\'。No，Iworked。
Camedownhereonceinsixmonthsorthreemonths。Hadt\'come——grub-stakedth\'men，youknow。Didyouevereatsaltpork？"HeturnedtoKatesuddenlywiththisquestion。
"Why，yes；afewtimes。Didyouhaveit？"
"Nothin\'else，much。Iusedt\'thinkofth\'thingsmothercooked。Motherunder-
stoodcookin\'，ifeverawomandid。I\'llneverforgetth\'dinnershegavemeth\'dayIcameaway。Awomanoughtt\'cook。I
hearAmericanwomendon\'tgoinmuchforcookin\'。”
"Oh，Ithinkthat\'samistake，"Katehastenedtointerrupt。"AllthatIknowun-
derstandhowtoserveexcellentdinners。Ofcourse，theymaynotcookthemthemselves，butIthinktheycouldifitwerenecessary。”
"Hum!"HepickedupalongglovethathadfallenfromKate\'slapandfingereditbeforereturningit。
"Is\'poseyoucook？"
"Imakeaspecialtyofsaladsandsor-
bets，"smiledKate。"IguessIcouldroastmeatandmakebread；butcircumstanceshavenotyetcompelledmetodoit。ButI\'veatheorythatanAmericanwomancandoanythingsheputshermindto。”
Themanlaughedoutloud，——alaughquiteoutofproportiontothemildgoodhumoroftheremark；butitwasevidentthathecouldnolongerconcealhisdelightatthiscompanionship。
"Howaboutraisin\'flowers？"heasked。
"Areyoustrongonthat？"
"I\'veonlytolookataplanttomakeitgrow，"Katecried，withenthusiasm。
"Whenmyfriendsareindespairoveraplant，theybringittome，andIjustpetitalittle，anditbrightensup。I\'vethemostwonderfulferneryyoueversaw。It\'sgreen，summerandwinter。Hundredsofpeoplestopandlookupatit，itissogreenandenticing，thereabovethecitystreets。”
"Whatcity？"
"Philadelphia。”
"Mother\'sjestthatway。Shehasagar-
denofroses。Andthemignonette——"
Buthebrokeoffsuddenly，andsatoncemorestaringbeforehim。
"Butnotadamnedthing，"headded，withpoeticpensiveness，"wouldgrowinthatgulch。”
"Whydidyoustaytheresolong？"askedKate，afteralittlepauseinwhichsheman-
agedtoregainherwaningcourage。
"Badluck。Youneverseeaplacewithsomanyfalseleads。To-dayyou\'dgetastreakthatlookedbig。To-morrowyou\'dfinditapocket。OnenightI\'dgot\'bedwithmyheartgoin\'likearace-horse。
Nextnightitwouldbeploddin\'alonglikeawindedburro。Don\'tknowwhatmademestickt\'it。Itwashotthere，too!Andcold!Alwaysroastin\'urfreezin\'。It\'dbeendifferentifI\'dhadanyonet\'helpmestandit。Butth\'menwerealwaysfindin\'
fault。Theyblamedmefureverythin\'。I
usedt\'lieawakeatnightan\'hear\'emtalkin\'meover。Itmademelonesome，I
tellyou!Tharwasn\'tnoone!Motherusedt\'write。ButInevertoldherth\'
truth。Sheain\'tasuspicionofwhatI\'vebeena-goin\'through。”
Katesatandlookedathiminsilence。
Hisfacewasseamed，thoughfarfromold。
Hisbodywasawkward，butimpressedherwithasenseofmagnificentstrength。
"Icouldn\'tasknowomant\'sharemyhardtimes，"heresumedafteratime。"I
alwayssaidwhenIgotawoman，itwasgoin\'t\'bet\'makeherhappy。Itwer\'n\'tt\'bet\'askhert\'drudge。”
Therewasanothersilence。Thismanoutofthesolitudeseemedtobeelatedpastexpressionathisnewcompanionship。HelookedwithappreciationatthelittlepointedtoesofKate\'sslippers，astheyglancedfrombelowtheskirtofherdaintyorgandie。Henotedthebandofpearlsonherfinger。Hiseyesrestedlongonthedaisiesatherwaist。
Thewindtosseduplittlecurlsofherwarmbrownhair。Hereyessuffusedwithinter-
est，hertendermouthseemedreadytolenditselftoanyemotion，andwithalshewassosmall，socompact，soexquisite。Themanwipedhisforeheadagain，inmereexuberance。
"Here\'smycard，"hesaid，verysolemnly，ashedrewanengravedbitofpasteboardfromitsleathercase。Katebowedandtookit。
"Mr。PeterRoeder，"sheread。
"I\'venocard，"shesaid。"MynameisShelly。I\'mhereformyhealth，asItoldyou。”Sheroseatthispoint，andheldoutherhand。"Imustthankyouoncemoreforyourkindness，"shesaid。
Hiseyesfastenedonherswithanappealforalessformalword。Therewassomethingalmostterribleintheirsilenteloquence。
"Ihopewemaymeetagain，"shesaid。
Mr。PeterRoedermadeaverylowandawkwardbow，andopenedthedoorintothecorridorforher。
ThateveningthemajorannouncedthathewasobligedtogotoSeattle。Thejourneywasnotaninvitingone；Katewaswellplacedwhereshewas，andhedecidedtoleaveher。
Shewaswellenoughnowtotakelongerdrives；andshefoundstrange，lonelycan-
yons，wildandbeautiful，whereyellowwatersburstthroughrockybarrierswithroarandfury，——tortuous，terribleplaces，suchasshehadneverdreamedof。Comingbackfromoneofthesedrives，twodaysafterherconversationonthepiazzawithPeterRoeder，shemethimridingamassiveroan。
HesattheanimalwiththatairofperfectunconsciousnesswhichistheattributeoftheWesternman，andhisattire，eventohisEnglishstock，wasfaultless，——faultilyfaultless。
"Ihopeyouwon\'tobjecttohavin\'meridebesideyou，"hesaid，wheelinghishorse。Totellthetruth，Katedidnotobject。Shewasalittledull，andhadbeenconsciousallthemorningofthatpeculiarphysicaldepressionwhichmarksthebegin-
ningofafitofhomesickness。
"Thewindgitsafinesweep，"saidRoeder，afterhavingobtainedthepermis-
sionhedesired。"Nowinthegulchweeitherhadadeadstagnation，orelsethewindwastearin\'upanddownlikeawildbeast。”
Katedidnotreply，andtheywentontogether，facingtheriotouswind。
"Youcan\'tguesshowqueeritseemst\'
behere，"hesaid，confidentially。"Itseemst\'measifIhadcomefromsomeotherplanet。Thardon\'trightlyseemt\'benoplacefurme。Itellyouwhatit\'slike。
It\'sasifI\'dcomedownt\'enlistinth\'
ranks，an\'found\'emfull，——everymanmarchin\'alonginhisplace，an\'noplaceleftfurme。”
Katecouldnotfindareply。
"Iain\'tafriend，——notafriend!Iain\'tcomplainin\'。Itain\'tth\'faultofanyone——butmyself。Youdon\'knowwhatadurnedfoolI\'vebin。Someway，uptharinth\'gulchIgott\'seemin\'sosortofimpor-
tantt\'myself，andmymakin\'mystakeseemedsuchabigthing，thatIthoughtI
hadonlyt\'comedownheret\'Helenat\'
havefolkswantt\'knowme。Ididn\'tparticularwantth\'moneybecauseitwusmoney。Butouthereyouworkfurit，jestasyouworkfurotherthingsinotherplaces，——jestbecauseeveryoneisworkin\'furit，andit\'sthemanwhogetsth\'mostthatbeats。Itain\'tthattheyareanymoregreedythanmenanywhereelse。Mypile\'saprettygood-sizedone。An\'it\'slikelytobebigger；butnooneelseseemst\'care。
Th\'paperprintedsomepiecesaboutit。
Someofth\'mencameroundt\'seeme；
butIsawtheirgame。IsaidIguessedI\'dlookfurtherfurmyacquaintances。I
ain\'tspokentoalady，——notareallady，youknow，——t\'talkwith，friendlylike，butyou，fur——years。”
Hisfaceflushedinthatsuddenwayagain。
Theywerepassingsomeofthosepreten-
tioushouseswhichriseinthemidstofHelena\'sraggedstreetswithsuchanextra-
neousair，andKateleanedforwardtolookatthem。Thedriver，seeingherinterest，drewupthehorsesforamoment。
"Fine，fine!"ejaculatedRoeder。"Buttheyain\'tgotnogarden。Ahousedon\'tseemanythin\'t\'mewithoutagarden。
DoyouknowwhatIthinkwouldbeth\'
mostbeautifulthinginth\'world？A
babyinarose-garden!Doyouknow，I
ain\'thadababyinmyhands，excep\'NedRamsey\'slittlekid，once，fortenyear!"
Kate\'sfaceshonewithsympathy。
"Howdreadful!"shecried。"Icouldn\'tlivewithoutababyabout。”
"Likebabies，doyou？Well，well。
Boys？Likeboys？"
"Notabitbetterthangirls，"saidKate，stoutly。
"Ilikeboys，"respondedRoeder，withconviction。"Mymotherlikedboys。Shehadthreegirls，butshelikedmeadamnedsightthebest。”
Katelaughedoutright。
"Whydoyouswear？"shesaid。"I
neverheardamanswearbefore，——atleast，notonewithwhomIwastalking。That\'soneofyourgulchhabits。Youmustgetoverit。”
Roeder\'sblondfaceturnedscarlet。
"Youmustexcuseme，"hepleaded。
"I\'llcuremyselfofit!Jestgivemeachance。”
ThiswasalittlemorepersonalthanKateapprovedof，andsheraisedherparasoltoconcealherannoyance。Itwasabrilliantlittlefluffofathingwhichlookedasifitweremadeofbutterflies\'wings。Roedertoucheditwithawe。
"Youhavesechbeautifulthings，"hesaid。"Ididn\'tknowwomenworesechnicethings。Nowthatdress——it\'slike——Idon\'tknowwhatit\'slike。”Itwasasimplelittletaffeta，withwarpandwoofofazureandofcream，andgayknotsofribbonaboutit。
"Wehavetheadvantageofmen，"shesaid。"Ioftenthinkoneofthegreatestdrawbackstobeingamanwouldbethesombreclothes。Iliketoweartheprettiestthingsthatcanbefound。”
"Lace？"queriedRoeder。"Doyoulikelace？"
"Ishouldsayso!Didyoueverseeawomanwhodidn\'t？"
"Hu——um!ThesewomenI\'veknowndon\'tknowlace，——thesewivesofth\'menouthere。They\'reth\'onlykindI\'veseenthislongtime。”
"Oh，ofcourse，butImean——"
"Iknowwhatyoumean。Mymotherhasachestfulloflinenan\'lace。Sheshoweditt\'meth\'dayIleft。\'Peter，\'shesaid，\'somedayyoubringawifehomewithyou，an\'I\'llgiveyouthatlacean\'thatlinen。\'
An\'I\'mgoin\'t\'doit，too，"hesaidquietly。
"Ihopeso，"saidKate，withhereyesmoist。"Ihopeyouwill，andthatyourmotherwillbeveryhappy。”……
Therewasahopatthehotelthatnight，anditwasalmostamatterofcourtesyforKatetogo。Ladieswereindemand，fortherewerenotverymanyofthematthehotel。Everyonewasexpectedtodohisbesttomakeitasuccess；andKate，notatallaversetoawaltzortwo，dressedherselffortheoccasionwithherhabitualstrivingafterartisticeffect。Shewasoneofthosewomenwhomakeapictureofthemselvesasnaturallyasabirdsings。ShehadanopalnecklacewhichJackhadgivenherbecause，hesaid，shehadasmanymoodsasanopalhadcolors；andsheworethiswithacré；pegown，thetintofthegreenlightsinhernecklace。Aboxofflowerscameforherasshewasdressing；theywerePuritanroses，andPeterRoeder\'scardwasinthemidstofthem。Shewasusedtohavingflowersgivenher。Itwouldhaveseemedremark-
ableifsomeonehadnotsentherabouquetwhenshewasgoingtoaball。
"Ishalldancebuttwice，"shesaidtothosewhosoughtherforapartner。
"Neithermorenorless。”
"Ain\'tyougoin\'t\'dancewithmeatall？"Roedermanagedtosaytoherinthemidstofherlaughingaltercationwiththegentlemen。
"Dancewithyou!"criedKate。"Howdomenlearntodancewhentheyareupagulch？"
"Ikendance，"hesaidstubbornly。Hewasmortifiedatherchaffing。
"Thenyoumayhavethesecondwaltz，"
shesaid，inquickcontrition。"Nowyouothergentlemenhavebeendancinganynumberoftimestheselastfifteenyears。
ButMr。Roederisjustbackfromahardcampaign，——acampaignagainstfate。Mysecondwaltzishis。AndIshalldancemybest。”
Ithappenedtobejusttherightsortofspeech。Thewomentriedgood-naturedlytomakeRoeder\'seveningapleasantone。
Theywerefilledwithcompassionforamanwhohadnotenjoyedthesocietyoftheirsexforfifteenyears。Theyfoundmuchamuse-
mentinleadinghimthroughthesquaredances，theformsofwhichwereutterlyunknowntohim。Buthewaltzedwithasortofseriousalertnessthatwasnotsobadasitmighthavebeen。
Katedancedwell。Herslightbodyseemedasfullofthespiritofthewaltzasathrush\'sbodyisofsong。PeterRoedermovedalongwithherinamaze，onlyhalf-
answeringherquestions，hisgrayeyesfullofmystery。
Oncetheystoppedforamoment，andhelookeddownather，aswithflushedfaceshestoodsmilingandwavinghergossamerfan，eachmotionstirringthefrailleavesoftheroseshehadsenther。
"It\'scur\'ous，"hesaidsoftly，"butIkeepthinkin\'aboutthatblackgulch。”
"Forgetit，"shesaid。"Whydoyouthinkofagulchwhen——"Shestoppedwithasuddenrecollectionthathewasnotusedtopersiflage。Butheanticipatedwhatshewasabouttosay。
"Whythinkofthegulchwhenyouarehere？"hesaid。"Why，becauseitisonlyth\'gulchthatseemsreal。Allthis，——thesepleasant，politepeople，thisbeautifulroom，th\'flowerseverywhere，andyou，andmeasIam，seemasifIwasdreamin\'。Tharain\'tanythinginitallthatislikewhatI
thoughtitwouldbe。”
"Notasyouthoughtitwouldbe？"
"No。Different。Ithoughtitwouldbe——well，Ithoughtth\'peoplewouldnotbequitesohigh-toned。Ihopeyoudon\'tmindthatword。”
"Notintheleast，"shesaid。"It\'samu-
sicalterm。Itappliesverywelltopeople。”
Theytookupthedanceagainandwaltzedbreathlesslytilltheclose。Katewastired；
theexertionhadbeenalittlemorethanshehadbargainedfor。Shesatverystillontheverandaunderthewhiteglareofanelectricball，andletRoederdothetalking。Herthoughts，inspiteoftheentertainmentshewasderivingfromherpresentexperiences，wouldgobacktothebabies。Shesawthemtuckedwellinbed，eachinalittleironcrib，withthemuslincurtainsshieldingtheirrosyfacesfromthelight。ShewonderedifJackwerereadingaloneinthelibraryorwasattheclub，orperhapsatthesummercon-
cert，withtheswelloftheviolinsinhisears。Jackdidsolovemusic。Asshethoughthowdelicatehisperceptionswere，howherespondedtoeverythingmostsubtleinnatureandinart，ofhowlifeitselfwasafineartwithhim，andjoyathingtobecultivated，sheturnedwithasenseofdeepcompassiontothesimplemanbyherside。
Hisroughfacelookedalittlemoreunat-
tractivethanusual。Hiseveningclotheswerealmostgrotesque。Hisfaceworealookofsolitude，ofhunger。
"Whatwereyousaying？"shesaid，dreamily。"Ibegyourpardon。”
"Iwassayin\'howIusedt\'dreamofsittin\'onthestepsofahotellikethis，andnothavin\'athingt\'do。WhenIusedt\'
comedownhereoutofthegulch，andseemenwhohadhadgooddinners，an\'goodbaths，sittin\'aroundsmokin\'，withmoneyt\'goovertheret\'th\'bookstan\'an\'getany-
thin\'they\'dwant，itusedt\'seemt\'meaboutallasinglemancouldwishfur。”
"Well，you\'vegotitallnow。”
"ButIdidn\'tanyofth\'timesupposethatwouldsatisfyamanlong。OnlyIwassodarnedtiredIcouldn\'thelpwantin\'t\'
rest。ButI\'mnotsoselfishurs\'narrowastobesatisfiedwithTHAT。No，I\'mnotgoin\'t\'spendm\'pilethatway——quite!"
Helaughedoutloud，andthensatinsilencewatchingKateasshelaybackwearilyinherchair。
"I\'vegott\'havethattheregarden，"hesaid，laughingly。"Gott\'getthemroses。
An\'I\'llhaveabigbath-house，——plentyofspringsinthiscountry。Youkenhaveabathherethatwon\'tfreezesummerNOR
winter。An\'ababy!I\'vegott\'haveababy。He\'llgowithth\'rosesan\'th\'
bath。”Helaughedagainheartily。
"It\'saqueerjoke，isn\'tit？"Roederasked。"Talkin\'aboutmybaby，an\'I
haven\'tevenawife。”Hisfaceflushedandheturnedhiseyesaway。
"HaveIshownyouthepicturesofmybabies？"Kateinquired。"You\'dlikemyboy，Iknow。Andmygirlisjustlikeme，——inminiature。”
Therewasasilence。Shelookedupafteramoment。Roederappearedtobeexaminingthemonogramonhisringasifhehadneverseenitbefore。
"Ididn\'tunderstandthatyouweremar-
ried，"hesaidgently。
"Didn\'tyou？Idon\'tthinkyouevercalledmebyanynameatall，orIshouldhavenoticedyourmistakeandsetyouright。
Yes，I\'mmarried。Icameoutheretogetstrongforthebabies。”
"Gotaboyan\'agirl，eh？"
"Yes。”
"Howold\'sth\'boy？"
"Five。”
"An\'th\'girl？"
"She\'llsoonbefour。”
"An\'yerhusband——he\'slivin\'？"
"Ishouldsayso!I\'maveryhappywoman，Mr。Roeder。IfonlyIwerestronger!"
"Yerlookin\'muchbetter，"hesaid，gravely，"thanwhenyoucome。You\'llbeallright。”
Themoonbegantocomeupscarletbeyondtheeasternhills。Thetwowatcheditinsilence。Katehadafeelingofguilt，asifshehadbeenhurtingsomehelplessthing。
"Iwasinhopes，"hesaid，suddenly，inavoicethatseemedabruptandshrill，"thetyou\'dseefitt\'stayhere。”
"HereinHelena？Oh，no!"
"Iwasthinkin\'I\'dofferyouthattwohundredthousanddollars，ifyou\'dstay。”
"Mr。Roeder!Youdon\'tmean——
surely——"
"Why，yes。Whynot？"Hespokeratherdoggedly。"I\'llneverseenootherwomanlikeyou。You\'redifferentfromothers。Howgoodyou\'vebeent\'me!"
"Good!I\'mafraidI\'vebeenverybad——atleast，verystupid。”
"Isay，now——yourhusband\'sgoodt\'
you，ain\'the？"
"Heisthekindestmanthateverlived。”
"Oh，well，Ididn\'tknow。”
AratherawkwardpausefollowedwhichwasbrokenbyRoeder。
"Idon\'tseejestwhatI\'mgoin\'t\'dowiththatthartwohundredthousanddol-
lars，"hesaid，mournfully。
"Dowithit？Why，livewithit!Sendsometoyourmother。”
"Oh，I\'vedonethat。Fivethousanddollars。Itdon\'tseemmuchhere；butit\'llseemalott\'her。I\'dsendhermore，onlyitwould\'vebotheredher。”
"Thenthereisyourhouse，——thehousewiththebath-room。ButIsupposeyou\'llhaveotherrooms？"
Peterlaughedalittleinspiteofhimself。
"IguessIwon\'thaveahouse，"hesaid。
"An\'Icouldn\'tmakeagardenalone。”
"Hireamantohelpyou。”Katewastrembling，butshekepttalkinggayly。Shewasprayingthatnothingveryseriouswouldhappen。Therewasanundercurrentofsom-
brenessintheman\'smannerthatfrightenedher。
"IguessI\'lljesthavet\'keepondreamin\'ofthatboyplayin\'withth\'roses。”
"No，no，"criedKate；"hewillcometruesomeday!Iknowhe\'llcometrue。”
Petergotupandstoodbyherchair。
"Youdon\'tknownothin\'aboutit，"hesaid。"Youdon\'tknow，an\'youcan\'tknowwhatit\'sbint\'met\'talkwithyou。HereIcomeoutofaplacewherethereain\'tnosoundbutthewaterandthepines。Yearscomean\'go。Stillnosound。Onlythinkin\'，thinkin\'，thinkin\'!Missin\'allth\'thingsmencarefur!Dreamin\'ofatimewhenIsh\'dstriketh\'pile。ThenI
seedhome，wife，aboy，flowers，everythin\'。
You\'resobeautiful，an\'you\'resogood。
You\'veawayofpickin\'aman\'sheartrightoutofhim。FirsttimeIsetmyeyesonyouIthoughtyouwereth\'nicestthingI
eversee!Andhowlittleyouare!Thathandofyours，——lookatit，——it\'slikealeaf!An\'howeasyyousmile。Upth\'
gulchwedidn\'tsmile；welaughed，butgen\'lybecausesomeonegotinafix。Thenyourvoice!Ah，I\'vethoughtfuryearsthatsomedayImighthearavoicelikethat!Don\'tyougo!Sitstill!I\'mnotblamin\'youfuranythin\'；butImaynever，\'slong\'sIlive，findanyonewhowillunderstandthingsth\'wayyouunder-
stand\'em。Here!Itellyouaboutthatgulchan\'youseethatgulch。Youknowhowth\'rainsoundedthar，an\'howth\'
shacklooked，an\'th\'lifeIled，an\'allth\'
thoughtsIhad，an\'th\'longnights，an\'
th\'timeswhen——butnevermind。Iknowyouknowitall。Isawitinyereyes。I
tellyouofmother，an\'yousee\'er。Youknow\'eroldGermanface，an\'\'erproudways，an\'herprideinme，an\'howshewouldthinkIwuzawfullyrich。An\'youseehowshewouldgiveoutthemlinens，allmarkedfurmywife，an\'howIwouldsitan\'watchherdoin\'it，an\'——youseeevery-
thing。Iknowyoudo。Icouldfeelyoudoin\'it。ThenIsaytomyself:\'Hereisth\'onewomaninth\'worldmadefurme。
WhateverIhave，sheshallhave。I\'llspendmylifewaitin\'onher。She\'lltellmeallth\'thingsIoughtt\'know，an\'hevmissedknowin\'；she\'llreadt\'me；she\'llbepatientwhenshefindshowdullI\'vegrown。Andthar\'llbeth\'boy——\'"
Heseizedherhandandwrungit，andwasgone。Katesawhimnomorethatnight。
Thenextmorningthemajorreturned。
Katethrewherarmsaroundhisneckandwept。
"Iwantthebabies，"sheexplainedwhenthemajorshowedhisconsternation。"Don\'tmindmycrying。Yououghttobeusedtoseeingmecrybythistime。Imustgethome，that\'sall。ImustseeJack。”
Sothatnighttheystarted。
AtthedoorofthecarriagestoodPeterRoeder，waiting。
"I\'mgoingt\'ridedownwithyou，"hesaid。Themajorlookednonplussed。
Kategotinandthemajorfollowed。
"Come，"shesaidtoRoeder。Hesatoppositeandlookedatherasifhewouldfastenherimageonhismind。
"Youremember，"hesaidafteratime，"thatItoldyouIusedt\'dreamofsittin\'ontheverandaofth\'hotelandhavin\'nothin\'
t\'do？"
"Yes。”
"Well，Idon\'tthinkIcarefurit。I\'vehadamonthofit。I\'mgoin\'backupth\'gulch。”
"No!"criedKate，instinctivelyreachingoutherhandstowardhim。
"Whynot？Iguessyoudon\'tknowme。
IknewthatsomewhereI\'dfindafriend。I
foundthatfriend；an\'nowI\'maloneagain。It\'sprettyquietuptharinthegulch；butI\'lltryit。”
"No，no。GotoEurope；gotoseeyourmother。”
"Ithoughtaboutthatagooddeal，awhileago。ButIdon\'tseemt\'havenoheartfuritnow。IfeelasifI\'dbesaferinth\'gulch。”
"Safer？"
