第4章

’Thesewilldo，’hesaidatlast；’Ican’tsayIthinkmuchofyourtasteinslippers，butthefit’sthething。’Heslippedhisfeetintoapairofsock—likesambhur—skinfootcoverings，foundalongchair，andlayatlength。

’They’remyownpetpair，’Torpenhowsaid。’Iwasjustgoingtoputthemonmyself。’

’Allyourreprehensibleselfishness。Justbecauseyouseemehappyforaminute，youwanttoworrymeandstirmeup。Findanotherpair。’

’GoodforyouthatDickcan’twearyourclothes，Torp。Youtwolivecommunistically，’saidtheNilghai。

’DickneverhasanythingthatIcanwear。He’sonlyusefultospongeupon。’

’Confoundyou，haveyoubeenrummagingroundamongmyclothes，then？’saidDick。’Iputasovereigninthetobacco—jaryesterday。Howdoyouexpectamantokeephisaccountsproperlyifyou————’

HeretheNilghaibegantolaugh，andTorpenhowjoinedhim。

’Hidasovereignyesterday！You’renosortoffinancier。Youlentmeafiveraboutamonthback。Doyouremember？’Torpenhowsaid。

’Yes，ofcourse。’

’DoyourememberthatIpaidityoutendayslater，andyouputitatthebottomofthetobacco？’

’ByJove，didI？Ithoughtitwasinoneofmycolour—boxes。’

’Youthought！AboutaweekagoIwentintoyourstudiotogetsome’baccyandfoundit。’

’Whatdidyoudowithit？’

’TooktheNilghaitoatheatreandfedhim。’

’Youcouldn’tfeedtheNilghaiundertwicethemoney——notthoughyougavehimArmybeef。Well，IsupposeIshouldhavefounditoutsoonerorlater。Whatistheretolaughat？’

’You’reamostamazingcuckooinmanydirections，’saidtheNilghai，stillchucklingoverthethoughtofthedinner。’Nevermind。Wehadbothbeenworkingveryhard，anditwasyourunearnedincrementwespent，andasyou’reonlyaloaferitdidn’tmatter。’

’That’spleasant——fromthemanwhoisburstingwithmymeat，too。I’llgetthatdinnerbackoneofthesedays。Supposewegotoatheatrenow。’

’Putourbootson，——anddress，——andwash？’TheNilghaispokeverylazily。

’Iwithdrawthemotion。’

’Suppose，justforachange——asastartlingvariety，youknow——we，thatistosaywe，getourcharcoalandourcanvasandgoonwithourwork。’

Torpenhowspokepointedly，butDickonlywriggledhistoesinsidethesoftleathermoccasins。

’Whataone—ideaedcluckerthatis！IfIhadanyunfinishedfiguresonhand，Ihaven’tanymodel；ifIhadmymodel，Ihaven’tanyspray，andI

neverleavecharcoalunfixedovernight；andifIhadmysprayandtwentyphotographsofbackgrounds，Icouldn’tdoanythingto—night。I

don’tfeelthatway。’

’Binkie—dog，he’salazyhog，isn’the？’saidtheNilghai。

’Verygood，Iwilldosomework，’saidDick，risingswiftly。’I’llfetchtheNungapungaBook，andwe’lladdanotherpicturetotheNilghaiSaga。’

’Aren’tyouworryinghimalittletoomuch？’askedtheNilghai，whenDickhadlefttheroom。

’Perhaps，butIknowwhathecanturnoutifhelikes。ItmakesmesavagetohearhimpraisedforpastworkwhenIknowwhatheoughttodo。YouandIarearrangedfor————’

’ByKismetandourownpowers，more’sthepity。Ihavedreamedofagooddeal。’

’SohaveI，butweknowourlimitationsnow。I’mdashedifIknowwhatDick’smaybewhenhegiveshimselftohiswork。That’swhatmakesmesokeenabouthim。’

’Andwhenall’ssaidanddone，youwillbeputaside——quiterightly——forafemalegirl。’

’Iwonder……Wheredoyouthinkhehasbeento—day？’

’Tothesea。Didn’tyouseethelookinhiseyeswhenhetalkedabouther？

He’sasrestlessasaswallowinautumn。’

’Yes；butdidhegoalone？’

’Idon’tknow，andIdon’tcare，buthehasthebeginningsofthego—feveruponhim。Hewantstoup—stakesandmoveout。There’snomistakingthesigns。Whateverhemayhavesaidbefore，hehasthecalluponhimnow。’

’Itmightbehissalvation，’Torpenhowsaid。

’Perhaps——ifyoucaretotaketheresponsibilityofbeingasaviour。’

Dickreturnedwiththebigclaspedsketch—bookthattheNilghaiknewwellanddidnotlovetoomuch。InitDickhaddrawnallmannerofmovingincidents，experiencedbyhimselforrelatedtohimbytheothers，ofallthefourcornersoftheearth。ButthewiderrangeoftheNilghai’sbodyandlifeattractedhimmost。Whentruthfailedhefellbackonfictionofthewildest，andrepresentedincidentsintheNilghai’scareerthatwereunseemly，——hismarriageswithmanyAfricanprincesses，hisshamelessbetrayal，forArabwives，ofanarmycorpstotheMahdi，histattoomentbyskilledoperatorsinBurmah，hisinterview（andhisfears）

withtheyellowheadsmanintheblood—stainedexecution—groundofCanton，andfinally，thepassingsofhisspiritintothebodiesofwhales，elephants，andtoucans。Torpenhowfromtimetotimehadaddedrhymeddescriptions，andthewholewasacuriouspieceofart，becauseDickdecided，havingregardtothenameofthebookwhichbeinginterpretedmeans’naked，’thatitwouldbewrongtodrawtheNilghaiwithanyclotheson，underanycircumstances。Consequentlythelastsketch，representingthatmuch—enduringmancallingontheWarOfficetopresshisclaimstotheEgyptianmedal，washardlydelicate。HesettledhimselfcomfortablyonTorpenhow’stableandturnedoverthepages。

’WhatafortuneyouwouldhavebeentoBlake，Nilghai！’hesaid。’There’sasucculentpinknessaboutsomeofthesesketchesthat’smorethanlife—like。"TheNilghaisurroundedwhilebathingbytheMahdieh"——thatwasfoundedonfact，eh？’

’Itwasverynearlymylastbath，youirreverentdauber。HasBinkiecomeintotheSagayet？’

’No；theBinkie—boyhasn’tdoneanythingexcepteatandkillcats。Let’ssee。Hereyouareasastained—glasssaintinachurch。Deuceddecorativelinesaboutyouranatomy；yououghttobegratefulforbeinghandeddowntoposterityinthisway。Fiftyyearshenceyou’llexistinrareandcuriousfacsimilesattenguineaseach。WhatshallItrythistime？ThedomesticlifeoftheNilghai？’

’Hasn’tgotany。’

’TheundomesticlifeoftheNilghai，then。Ofcourse。Mass—meetingofhiswivesinTrafalgarSquare。That’sit。TheycamefromtheendsoftheearthtoattendNilghai’sweddingtoanEnglishbride。Thisshallbeanepic。It’sasweetmaterialtoworkwith。’

’It’sascandalouswasteoftime，’saidTorpenhow。

’Don’tworry；itkeepsone’shandin——speciallywhenyoubeginwithoutthepencil。’Hesettoworkrapidly。’That’sNelson’sColumn。PresentlytheNilghaiwillappearshinningupit。’

’Givehimsomeclothesthistime。’

’Certainly——aveilandanorange—wreath，becausehe’sbeenmarried。’

’Gad，that’scleverenough！’saidTorpenhowoverhisshoulder，asDickbroughtoutofthepaperwiththreetwirlsofthebrushaveryfatbackandlabouringshoulderpressedagainststone。

’Justimagine，’Dickcontinued，’ifwecouldpublishafewofthesedearlittlethingseverytimetheNilghaisubsidisesamanwhocanwrite，togivethepublicanhonestopinionofmypictures。’

’Well，you’lladmitIalwaystellyouwhenIhavedoneanythingofthatkind。IknowIcan’thammeryouasyououghttobehammered，soIgivethejobtoanother。YoungMaclagan，forinstance————’

’No—o——onehalf—minute，oldman；stickyourhandoutagainstthedarkofthewall—paper——youonlyburbleandcallmenames。Thatleftshoulder’soutofdrawing。Imustliterallythrowaveiloverthat。Where’smypen—knife？Well，whataboutMaclagan？’

’Ionlygavehimhisriding—ordersto——tolambastyouongeneralprinciplesfornotproducingworkthatwilllast。’

’Whereuponthatyoungfool，’——Dickthrewbackhisheadandshutoneeyeasheshiftedthepageunderhishand，——’beingleftalonewithanink—potandwhatheconceivedwerehisownnotions，wentandspiltthembothovermeinthepapers。Youmighthaveengagedagrownmanforthebusiness，Nilghai。Howdoyouthinkthebridalveillooksnow，Torp？’

’Howthedeucedothreedabsandtwoscratchesmakethestuffstandawayfromthebodyasitdoes？’saidTorpenhow，towhomDick’smethodswerealwaysnew。

’Itjustdependsonwhereyouput’em。IfMaclaganhadknowthatmuchabouthisbusinesshemighthavedonebetter。’

’Whydon’tyouputthedamneddabsintosomethingthatwillstay，then？’

insistedtheNilghai，whohadreallytakenconsiderabletroubleinhiringforDick’sbenefitthepenofayounggentlemanwhodevotedmostofhiswakinghourstoananxiousconsiderationoftheaimsandendsofArt，which，hewrote，wasoneandindivisible。

’WaitaminutetillIseehowIamgoingtomanagemyprocessionofwives。Youseemtohavemarriedextensively，andImustrough’eminwiththepencil——Medes，Parthians，Edomites……Now，settingasidetheweaknessandthewickednessand——andthefat—headednessofdeliberatelytryingtodoworkthatwilllive，astheycallit，I’mcontentwiththeknowledgethatI’vedonemybestuptodate，andIshan’tdoanythinglikeitagainforsomehoursatleast——probablyyears。Mostprobablynever。’

’What！anystuffyouhaveinstockyourbestwork？’saidTorpenhow。

’Anythingyou’vesold？’saidtheNilghai。

’Ohno。Itisn’thereanditisn’tsold。Betterthanthat，itcan’tbesold，andIdon’tthinkanyoneknowswhereitis。I’msureIdon’t……Andyetmoreandmorewives，onthenorthsideofthesquare。Observethevirtuoushorrorofthelions！’

’Youmayaswellexplain，’saidTorpenhow，andDickliftedhisheadfromthepaper。

’Thesearemindedmeofit，’hesaidslowly。’Iwishithadn’t。Itweighssomefewthousandtons——unlessyoucutitoutwithacoldchisel。’

’Don’tbeanidiot。Youcan’tposewithushere，’saidtheNilghai。

’There’snoposeinthematteratall。It’safact。IwasloafingfromLimatoAucklandinabig，old，condemnedpassenger—shipturnedintoacargo—boatandownedbyasecond—hadItalianfirm。Shewasacrazybasket。Wewerecutdowntofifteentonofcoaladay，andwethoughtourselvesluckywhenwekickedsevenknotsanhouroutofher。Thenweusedtostopandletthebearingscooldown，andwonderwhetherthecrackintheshaftwasspreading。’

’Wereyouastewardorastokerinthosedays？’

’Iwasflushforthetimebeing，soIwasapassenger，orelseIshouldhavebeenasteward，Ithink，’saidDick，withperfectgravity，returningtotheprocessionofangrywives。’IwastheonlyotherpassengerfromLima，andtheshipwashalfempty，andfullofratsandcockroachesandscorpions。’

’Butwhathasthistodowiththepicture？’

’Waitaminute。ShehadbeenintheChinapassengertradeandherlowerdeckshadbunksfortwothousandpigtails。Thosewerealltakendown，andshewasemptyuptohernose，andthelightscamethroughtheportholes——mostannoyinglightstoworkintillyougotusedtothem。Ihadn’tanythingtodoforweeks。Theship’schartswereinpiecesandourskipperdaren’trunsouthforfearofcatchingastorm。SohedidhisbesttoknockalltheSocietyIslandsoutofthewateronebyone，andIwentintothelowerdeck，anddidmypictureontheportsideasfarforwardinherasIcouldgo。Therewassomebrownpaintandsomegreenpaintthattheyusedfortheboats，andsomeblackpaintforironwork，andthatwasallIhad。’

’Thepassengersmusthavethoughtyoumad。’

’Therewasonlyone，anditwasawoman；butitgavemethenotionofmypicture。’

’Whatwasshelike？’saidTorpenhow。

’ShewasasortofNegroid—Jewess—Cuban；withmoralstomatch。Shecouldn’treadorwrite，andshedidn’twantto，butsheusedtocomedownandwatchmepaint，andtheskipperdidn’tlikeit，becausehewaspayingherpassageandhadtobeonthebridgeoccasionally。’

’Isee。Thatmusthavebeencheerful。’

’ItwasthebesttimeIeverhad。Tobeginwith，wedidn’tknowwhetherweshouldgouporgodownanyminutewhentherewasaseaon；andwhenitwascalmitwasparadise；andthewomanusedtomixthepaintsandtalkbrokenEnglish，andtheskipperusedtostealdowneveryfewminutestothelowerdeck，becausehesaidhewasafraidoffire。So，yousee，wecouldnevertellwhenwemightbecaught，andIhadasplendidnotiontoworkoutinonlythreekeysofcolour。’

’Whatwasthenotion？’

’TwolinesinPoe——

NeithertheanglesinHeavenabovenorthedemonsdownunderthesea，CaneverdissevermysoulfromthesoulofthebeautifulAnnabelLee。

Itcameoutofthesea——allbyitself。Idrewthatfight，foughtoutingreenwateroverthenaked，chokingsoul，andthewomanservedasthemodelforthedevilsandtheangelsboth——sea—devilsandsea—angels，andthesoulhalfdrownedbetweenthem。Itdoesn’tsoundmuch，butwhentherewasagoodlightonthelowerdeckitlookedveryfineandcreepy。Itwassevenbyfourteenfeet，alldoneinshiftinglightforshiftinglight。’

’Didthewomaninspireyoumuch？’saidTorpenhow。

’Sheandtheseabetweenthem——immensely。Therewasaheapofbaddrawinginthatpicture。IrememberIwentoutofmywaytoforeshortenforsheerdelightofdoingit，andIforeshorteneddamnably，butforallthatit’sthebestthingI’veeverdone；andnowIsupposetheship’sbrokenuporgonedown。Whew！Whatatimethatwas！’

’Whathappenedafterall？’

’Itallended。TheywereloadingherwithwoolwhenIlefttheship，buteventhestevedoreskeptthepicturecleartothelast。Theeyesofthedemonsscaredthem，Ihonestlybelieve。’

’Andthewoman？’

’Shewasscaredtoowhenitwasfinished。Sheusedtocrossherselfbeforeshewentdowntolookatit。Justthreecoloursandnochanceofgettinganymore，andtheseaoutsideandunlimitedlove—makinginside，andthefearofdeathatopofeverythingelse，OLord！’Hehadceasedtolookatthesketch，butwasstaringstraightinfrontofhimacrosstheroom。

’Whydon’tyoutrysomethingofthesamekindnow？’saidtheNilghai。

’Becausethosethingscomenotbyfastingandprayer。WhenIfindacargo—boatandaJewess—Cubanandanothernotionandthesameoldlife，Imay。’

’Youwon’tfindthemhere，’saidtheNilghai。

’No，Ishallnot。’Dickshutthesketch—bookwithabang。’Thisroom’sashotasanoven。Openthewindow，someone。’

Heleanedintothedarkness，watchingthegreaterdarknessofLondonbelowhim。Thechambersstoodmuchhigherthantheotherhouses，commandingahundredchimneys——crookedcowlsthatlookedlikesittingcatsastheyswunground，andotheruncouthbrickandzincmysteriessupportedbyironstanchionsandclampedby8—pieces。NorthwardthelightsofPiccadillyCircusandLeicesterSquarethrewacopper—colouredglareabovetheblackroofs，andsouthwardbyalltheorderlylightsoftheThames。Atrainrolledoutacrossoneoftherailwaybridges，anditsthunderdrownedforaminutethedullroarofthestreets。TheNilghailookedathiswatchandsaidshortly，’That’stheParisnight—mail。YoucanbookfromheretoSt。Petersburgifyouchoose。’

Dickcrammedheadandshouldersoutofthewindowandlookedacrosstheriver。Torpenhowcametohisside，whiletheNilghaipassedoverquietlytothepianoandopenedit。Binkie，makinghimselfaslargeaspossible，spreadoutuponthesofawiththeairofonewhoisnottobelightlydisturbed。

’Well，’saidtheNilghaitothetwopairsofshoulders，’haveyouneverseenthisplacebefore？’

Asteam—tugontheriverhootedasshetowedherbargestowharf。Thentheboomofthetrafficcameintotheroom。TorpenhownudgedDick。

’Goodplacetobankin——badplacetobunkin，Dickie，isn’tit？’

Dick’schinwasinhishandasheanswered，inthewordsofageneralnotwithoutfame，stilllookingoutonthedarkness——’"MyGod，whatacitytoloot！"’

Binkiefoundthenightairticklinghiswhiskersandsneezedplaintively。

’WeshallgivetheBinkie—dogacold，’saidTorpenhow。’Comein，’andtheywithdrewtheirheads。’You’llbeburiedinKensalGreen，Dick，oneofthesedays，ifitisn’tclosedbythetimeyouwanttogothere——buriedwithintwofeetofsomeoneelse，hiswifeandhisfamily。’

’Allahforbid！Ishallgetawaybeforethattimecomes。Giveamanroomtostretchhislegs，Mr。Binkie。’DickflunghimselfdownonthesofaandtweakedBinkie’svelvetears，yawningheavilythewhile。

’You’llfindthatwardrobe—caseverymuchoutoftune，’TorpenhowsaidtotheNilghai。’It’snevertouchedexceptbyyou。’

’Apieceofgrossextravagance，’Dickgrunted。’TheNilghaionlycomeswhenI’mout。’

’That’sbecauseyou’realwaysout。Howl，Nilghai，andlethimhear。’？

’ThelifeoftheNilghaiisfraudandslaughter，HiswritingsarewateredDickensandwater；

ButthevoiceoftheNilghairaisedonhighMakeseventheMahdiehgladtodie！’？

DickquotedfromTorpenhow’sletterpressintheNungapungaBook。

’HowdotheycallmooseinCanada，Nilghai？’

Themanlaughed。Singingwashisonepoliteaccomplishment，asmanyPress—tentsinfar—offlandshadknown。

’WhatshallIsing？’saidhe，turninginthechair。

’"MollRoeintheMorning，"’saidTorpenhow，ataventure。

’No，’saidDick，sharply，andtheNilghaiopenedhiseyes。Theoldchantywhereofhe，amongaveryfew，possessedallthewordswasnotaprettyone，butDickhadhearditmanytimesbeforewithoutwincing。Withoutpreludehelaunchedintothatstatelytunethatcallstogetherandtroublestheheartsofthegipsiesofthesea——

’Farewellandadieutoyou，Spanishladies，Farewellandadieutoyou，ladiesofSpain。’？

Dickturneduneasilyonthesofa，forhecouldhearthebowsoftheBarralongcrashingintothegreenseasonherwaytotheSouthernCross。

Thencamethechorus——

’We’llrantandwe’llroarliketrueBritishsailors，We’llrantandwe’llroaracrossthesaltseas，UntilwetakesoundingsintheChannelofOldEnglandFromUshanttoScilly’tisforty—fiveleagues。’？

’Thirty—five—thirty—five，’saidDick，petulantly。’Don’ttamperwithHolyWrit。Goon，Nilghai。’？

’ThefirstlandwemadeitwascalledtheDeadman，’？

andtheysangtotheendveryvigourously。

’Thatwouldbeabettersongifherheadwereturnedtheotherway——totheUshantlight，forinstance，’saidtheNilghai。

’Flinginghisarmsaboutlikeamadwindmill，’saidTorpenhow。’Giveussomethingelse，Nilghai。You’reinfinefog—hornformtonight。’

’Giveusthe"GangesPilot"；yousangthatinthesquarethenightbeforeEl—Maghrib。Bytheway，Iwonderhowmanyofthechorusarealiveto—night，’saidDick。

Torpenhowconsideredforaminute。’ByJove！IbelieveonlyyouandI。

Raynor，Vicery，andDeenes——alldead；VincentcaughtsmallpoxinCairo，carriedithereanddiedofit。Yes，onlyyouandIandtheNilghai。’

’Umph！Andyetthemenherewho’vedonetheirworkinawell—warmedstudioalltheirlives，withapolicemanateachcorner，saythatIchargetoomuchformypictures。’

’Theyarebuyingyourwork，notyourinsurancepolicies，dearchild，’

saidtheNilghai。

’Igambledwithonetogetattheother。Don’tpreach。Goonwiththe"Pilot。"Whereintheworlddidyougetthatsong？’

’Onatombstone，’saidtheNilghai。’Onatombstoneinadistantland。I

madeitanaccompanimentwithheapsofbasechords。’

’Oh，Vanity！Begin。’AndtheNilghaibegan——

’Ihaveslippedmycable，messmates，I’mdriftingdownwiththetide，Ihavemysailingorders，whileyetananchorride。

AndneveronfairJunemorninghaveIputouttoseaWithclearerconscienceorbetterhope，oraheartmorelightandfree。

’Shouldertoshoulder，Joe，myboy，intothecrowdlikeawedgeStrikewiththehangers，messmates，butdonotcutwiththeedge。

CriesCharnock，"Scatterthefaggots，doublethatBrahminintwo，Thetallpalewidowforme，Joe，thelittlebrowngirlforyou！"

’YoungJoe（you’renearingsixty），whyisyourhidesodark？

Katiehassoftfairblueeyes，whoblackenedyours？——Why，hark！’？

Theywereallsingingnow，Dickwiththeroarofthewindoftheopenseaabouthisearsasthedeepbassvoiceletitselfgo。

’Themorninggun——Ho，steady！thearquebusestome！？

Iha’soundedtheDutchHighAdmiral’sheartasmyleaddothsoundthesea。

’Sounding，soundingtheGanges，floatingdownwiththetide，MooremeclosetoCharnock，nexttomynut—brownbride。

MyblessingtoKateatFairlight——Holwell，mythankstoyou；

Steady！Westeerforheaven，throughsand—driftscoldandblue。’？

’Nowwhatisthereinthatnonsensetomakeamanrestless？’saidDick，haulingBinkiefromhisfeettohischest。

’Itdependsontheman，’saidTorpenhow。

’Themanwhohasbeendowntolookatthesea，’saidtheNilghai。

’Ididn’tknowshewasgoingtoupsetmeinthisfashion。’

’That’swhatmensaywhentheygotosaygood—byetoawoman。It’smoreeasythoughtogetridofthreewomenthanapieceofone’slifeandsurroundings。’

’Butawomancanbe————’beganDick，unguardedly。

’Apieceofone’slife，’continuedTorpenhow。’No，shecan’t。Hisfacedarkenedforamoment。’Shesaysshewantstosympathisewithyouandhelpyouinyourwork，andeverythingelsethatclearlyamanmustdoforhimself。Thenshesendsroundfivenotesadaytoaskwhythedickensyouhaven’tbeenwastingyourtimewithher。’

’Don’tgeneralise，’saidtheNilghai。’Bythetimeyouarriveatfivenotesadayyoumusthavegonethroughagooddealandbehavedaccordingly。

Shouldn’tbeginthesethings，myson。’

’Ishouldn’thavegonedowntothesea，’saidDick，justalittleanxioustochangetheconversation。’Andyoushouldn’thavesung。’

’Theseaisn’tsendingyoufivenotesaday，’saidtheNilghai。

’No，butI’mfatallycompromised。She’sanenduringoldhag，andI’msorryIevermether。Whywasn’tIbornandbredanddeadinathree—pairback？’

’Hearhimblaspheminghisfirstlove！Whyintheworldshouldn’tyoulistentoher？’saidTorpenhow。

BeforeDickcouldreplytheNilghailifteduphisvoicewithashoutthatshookthewindows，in’TheMenoftheSea，’thatbegins，asallknow，’Theseaisawickedoldwoman，’andafterradingthrougheightlineswhoseimageryistruthful，endsinarefrain，slowastheclackingofacapstanwhentheboatcomesunwillinglyuptothebarswherethemensweatandtrampintheshingle。

’"Yethatboreus，Orestoreus！？

Sheiskinderthanye；

Forthecallisonourheart—strings！"

SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？

TheNilghaisangthatversetwice，withsimplecunning，intendingthatDickshouldhear。ButDickwaswaitingforthefarewellofthementotheirwives。

’"Yethatloveus，canyemoveus？

Sheisdearerthanye；

Andyoursleepwillbethesweeter，"

SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？

TheroughwordsbeatliketheblowsofthewavesonthebowsofthericketyboatfromLimainthedayswhenDickwasmixingpaints，makinglove，drawingdevilsandangelsinthehalfdark，andwonderingwhetherthenextminutewouldputtheItaliancaptain’sknifebetweenhisshoulder—blades。Andthego—feverwhichismorerealthanmanydoctors’

diseases，wakedandraged，urginghimwholovedMaisiebeyondanythingintheworld，togoawayandtastetheoldhot，unregeneratelifeagain，——toscuffle，swear，gamble，andlovelightloveswithhisfellows；totakeshipandknowtheseaoncemore，andbyherbegetpictures；totalktoBinatamongthesandsofPortSaidwhileYellow’Tinamixedthedrinks；tohearthecrackleofmusketry，andseethesmokerolloutward，thinandthickenagaintilltheshiningblackfacescamethrough，andinthathelleverymanwasstrictlyresponsibleforhisownhead，andhisownalone，andstruckwithanunfetteredarm。Itwasimpossible，utterlyimpossible，but——

’"Oh，ourfathersinthechurchyard，Sheisolderthanye，Andourgraveswillbethegreener，"

SaidTheMenoftheSea。’？

’Whatistheretohinder？’saidTorpenhow，inthelonghushthatfollowedthesong。

’Yousaidalittletimesincethatyouwouldn’tcomeforawalkroundtheworld，Torp。’

’Thatwasmonthsago，andIonlyobjectedtoyourmakingmoneyfortravellingexpenses。You’veshotyourbolthereandithasgonehome。Goawayanddosomework，andseesomethings。’

’Getsomeofthefatoffyou；you’redisgracefullyoutofcondition，’saidtheNilghai，makingaplungefromthechairandgraspingahandfulofDickgenerallyovertherightribs。’Softasputty——puretallowbornofover—feeding。Trainitoff，Dickie。’

’We’reallequallygross，Nilghai。Nexttimeyouhavetotakethefieldyou’llsitdown，winkyoureyes，gasp，anddieinafit。’

’Nevermind。Yougoawayonaship。GotoLimaagain，ortoBrazil。

There’salwaystroubleinSouthAmerica。’

’DoyousupposeIwanttobetoldwheretogo？GreatHeavens，theonlydifficultyistoknowwhereI’mtostop。ButIshallstayhere，asItoldyoubefore。’

’Thenyou’llbeburiedinKensalGreenandturnintoadipocerewiththeothers，’saidTorpenhow。’Areyouthinkingofcommissionsinhand？Payforfeitandgo。You’vemoneyenoughtotravelasakingifyouplease。’

’You’vethegrisliestnotionsofamusement，Torp。IthinkIseemyselfshippingfirstclassonasix—thousand—tonhotel，andaskingthethirdengineerwhatmakestheenginesgoround，andwhetheritisn’tverywarminthestokehold。Ho！ho！IshouldshipasaloaferifeverIshippedatall，whichI’mnotgoingtodo。Ishallcompromise，andgoforasmalltriptobeginwith。’

’That’ssomethingatanyrate。Wherewillyougo？’saidTorpenhow。’Itwoulddoyouallthegoodintheworld，oldman。’

TheNilghaisawthetwinkleinDick’seye，andrefrainedfromspeech。

’IshallgointhefirstplacetoRathray’sstable，whereIshallhireonehorse，andtakehimverycarefullyasfarasRichmondHill。ThenIshallwalkhimbackagain，incaseheshouldaccidentallyburstintoalatherandmakeRathrayangry。Ishalldothatto—morrow，forthesakeofairandexercise。’

’Bah！’DickhadbarelytimetothrowuphisarmandwardoffthecushionthatthedisgustedTorpenhowheavedathishead。

’Airandexerciseindeed，’saidtheNilghai，sittingdownheavilyonDick。

’Let’sgivehimalittleofboth。Getthebellows，Torp。’

Atthispointtheconferencebrokeupindisorder，becauseDickwouldnotopenhismouthtilltheNilghaiheldhisnosefast，andtherewassometroubleinforcingthenozzleofthebellowsbetweenhisteeth；andevenwhenitwasthereheweaklytriedtopuffagainsttheforceoftheblast，andhischeeksblewupwithagreatexplosion；andtheenemybecominghelplesswithlaughterhesobeatthemovertheheadwithasoftsofacushionthatthatbecameunsewnanddistributeditsfeathers，andBinkie，interferinginTorpenhow’sinterests，wasbundledintothehalf—emptybagandadvisedtoscratchhiswayout，whichhedidafterawhile，travellingrapidlyupanddownthefloorintheshapeofanagitatedgreenhaggis，andwhenhecameoutlookingforsatisfaction，thethreepillarsofhisworldwerepickingfeathersoutoftheirhair。

’Aprophethasnohonourinhisowncountry，’saidDick，ruefully，dustinghisknees。’Thisfilthyfluffwillneverbrushoffmylegs。’

’Itwasallforyourowngood，’saidtheNilghai。’Nothinglikeairandexercise。’

’Allforyourgood，’saidTorpenhow，notintheleastwithreferencetopastclowning。’Itwouldletyoufocusthingsattheirproperworthandpreventyourbecomingslackinthishothouseofatown。Indeeditwould，oldman。Ishouldn’thavespokenifIhadn’tthoughtso。Only，youmakeajokeofeverything。’

’BeforeGodIdonosuchthing，’saidDick，quicklyandearnestly。’Youdon’tknowmeifyouthinkthat。’

Idon’tthinkit，’saidtheNilghai。

’Howcanfellowslikeourselves，whoknowwhatlifeanddeathreallymean，daretomakeajokeofanything？Iknowwepretendit，tosaveourselvesfrombreakingdownorgoingtotheotherextreme。Can’tIsee，oldman，howyou’realwaysanxiousaboutme，andtrytoadvisemetomakemyworkbetter？DoyousupposeIdon’tthinkaboutthatmyself？

Butyoucan’thelpme——youcan’thelpme——notevenyou。Imustplaymyownhandaloneinmyownway。’

’Hear，hear，’fromtheNilghai。

’What’stheonethingintheNilghaiSagathatI’veneverdrawnintheNungapungaBook？’DickcontinuedtoTorpenhow，whowasalittleastonishedattheoutburst。

NowtherewasoneblankpageinthebookgivenovertothesketchthatDickhadnotdrawnofthecrowningexploitintheNilghai’slife；whenthatman，beingyoungandforgettingthathisbodyandbonesbelongedtothepaperthatemployedhim，hadriddenoversunburnedslipperygrassintherearofBredow’sbrigadeonthedaythatthetroopersflungthemselvesatCaurobert’sartillery，andforaughttheyknewtwentybattalionsinfront，tosavethebattered24thGermanInfantry，togivetimetodecidethefateofVionville，andtolearneretheirremnantcamebacktoFlavigaythatcavalrycanattackandcrumpleandbreakunshakeninfantry。Wheneverhewasinclinedtothinkoveralifethatmighthavebeenbetter，anincomethatmighthavebeenlarger，andasoulthatmighthavebeenconsiderablycleaner，theNilghaiwouldcomforthimselfwiththethought，’IrodewithBredow’sbrigadeatVionville，’andtakeheartforanylesserbattlethenextdaymightbring。

’Iknow，’hesaidverygravely。’Iwasalwaysgladthatyouleftitout。’

’IleftitoutbecauseNilghaitaughtmewhattheGermanyarmylearnedthen，andwhatSchmidttaughttheircavalry。Idon’tknowGerman。

Whatisit？"Takecareofthetimeandthedressingwilltakecareofitself。"Imustridemyownlinetomyownbeat，oldman。’

’Tempeistrichtung。You’velearnedyourlessonwell，’saidtheNilghai。

’Hemustgoalone。Hespeakstruth，Torp。’

’MaybeI’maswrongasIcanbe——hideouslywrong。Imustfindthatoutformyself，asIhavetothinkthingsoutformyself，butIdaren’tturnmyheadtodressbythenextman。Ithurtsmeagreatdealmorethanyouknownottobeabletogo，butIcannot，that’sall。Imustdomyownworkandlivemyownlifeinmyownway，becauseI’mresponsibleforboth。

Onlydon’tthinkIfrivolaboutit，Torp。Ihavemyownmatchesandsulphur，andI’llmakemyownhell，thanks。’

Therewasanuncomfortablepause。ThenTorpenhowsaidblandly，’WhatdidtheGovernorofNorthCarolinasaytotheGovernorofSouthCarolina？’

’Excellentnotion。Itisalongtimebetweendrinks。Therearethemakingsofaveryfinepriginyou，Dick，’saidtheNilghai。

’I’veliberatedmymind，estimableBinkie，withthefeathersinhismouth。’Dickpickedupthestillindignantoneandshookhimtenderly。

’You’retiedupinasackandmadetorunaboutblind，Binkie—wee，withoutanyreason，andithashurtyourlittlefeelings。Nevermind。Sicvolo，sicjubeo，stetprorationevoluntas，anddon’tsneezeinmyeyebecauseItalkLatin。Good—night。’

Hewentoutoftheroom。

’That’sdistinctlyoneforyou，’saidtheNilghai。’Itoldyouitwashopelesstomeddlewithhim。He’snotpleased。’

’He’dswearatmeifheweren’t。Ican’tmakeitout。Hehasthego—feveruponhimandhewon’tgo。Ionlyhopethathemayn’thavetogosomedaywhenhedoesn’twantto，’saidTorpenhow。

******

InhisownroomDickwassettlingaquestionwithhimself——andthequestionwaswhetheralltheworld，andallthatwastherein，andaburningdesiretoexploitboth，wasworthonethreepennypiecethrownintotheThames。

’Itcameofseeingthesea，andI’macurtothinkaboutit，’hedecided。

’Afterall，thehoneymoonwillbethattour——withreservations；only……

onlyIdidn’trealisethattheseawassostrong。Ididn’tfeelitsomuchwhenIwaswithMaisie。Thesedamnablesongsdidit。He’sbeginningagain。’

ButitwasonlyHerrick’sNightpiecetoJuliathattheNilghaisang，andbeforeitwasendedDickreappearedonthethreshold，notaltogetherclothedindeed，butinhisrightmind，thirstyandatpeace。

ThemoodhadcomeandgonewiththerisingandthefallingofthetidebyFortKeeling。

CHAPTERIX

’IfIhavetakenthecommonclayAndwroughtitcunninglyIntheshapeofagodthatwasdiggedaclod，Thegreaterhonourtome。’？

’Ifthouhasttakenthecommonclay，AndthyhandsbenotfreeFromthetaintofthesoil，thouhastmadethyspoilThegreatershametothee。’——TheTwoPotters。？

HEDIDnoworkofanykindfortherestoftheweek。ThencameanotherSunday。Hedreadedandlongedforthedayalways，butsincethered—hairedgirlhadsketchedhimtherewasrathermoredreadthandesireinhismind。

HefoundthatMaisiehadentirelyneglectedhissuggestionsaboutline—work。Shehadgoneoffatscorefiledwithsomeabsurdnotionfora’fancyhead。’ItcostDicksomethingtocommandhistemper。

’What’sthegoodofsuggestinganything？’hesaidpointedly。

’Ah，butthiswillbeapicture，——arealpicture；andIknowthatKamiwillletmesendittotheSalon。Youdon’tmind，doyou？’

’Isupposenot。Butyouwon’thavetimefortheSalon。’

Maisiehesitatedalittle。Sheevenfeltuncomfortable。

’We’regoingovertoFranceamonthsoonerbecauseofit。IshallgettheideasketchedouthereandworkitupatKami’s。

Dick’sheartstoodstill，andhecameveryneartobeingdisgustedwithhisqueenwhocoulddonowrong。’JustwhenIthoughtIhadmadesomeheadway，shegoesoffchasingbutterflies。It’stoomaddening！’

Therewasnopossibilityofarguing，forthered—hairedgirlwasinthestudio。Dickcouldonlylookunutterablereproach。

’I’msorry，’hesaid，’andIthinkyoumakeamistake。Butwhat’stheideaofyournewpicture？’

’Itookitfromabook。’

’That’sbad，tobeginwith。Booksaren’ttheplacesforpictures。And————’

’It’sthis，’saidthered—hairedgirlbehindhim。’IwasreadingittoMaisietheotherdayfromTheCityofDreadfulNight。D’youknowthebook？’

’Alittle。IamsorryIspoke。Therearepicturesinit。Whathastakenherfancy？’

’ThedescriptionoftheMelancolia——

’Herfoldedwingsasofamightyeagle，ButalltooimpotenttolifttheregalRobustnessofherearth—bornstrengthandpride。

Andhereagain。（Maisie，getthetea，dear。）

’Theforeheadchargedwithbalefulthoughtsanddreams，Thehouseholdbunchofkeys，thehousewife’sgown，Voluminousindented，andyetrigidAsthoughashellofburnishedmetalfrigid，Herfeetthick—shodtotreadallweaknessdown。’？

Therewasnoattempttoconcealthescornofthelazyvoice。Dickwinced。

’ButthathasbeendonealreadybyanobscureartistbythenameofDurer，’saidhe。’Howdoesthepoemrun？——

’Threecenturiesandthreescoreyearsago，Withphantasiesofhispeculiarthought。

YoumightaswelltrytorewriteHamlet。Itwillbeawasteoftime。

’No，itwon’t，’saidMaisie，puttingdowntheteacupswithaclattertoreassureherself。’AndImeantodoit。Can’tyouseewhatabeautifulthingitwouldmake？’

’Howinperditioncanonedoworkwhenonehasn’thadthepropertraining？Anyfoolcangetanotion。Itneedstrainingtodrivethethingthrough，——trainingandconviction；notrushingafterthefirstfancy。’Dickspokebetweenhisteeth。

’Youdon’tunderstand，’saidMaisie。’IthinkIcandoit。’

Againthevoiceofthegirlbehindhim——

’Baffledandbeatenback，sheworksonstill；

Wearyandsickofsoul，sheworksthemore。

Sustainedbyherindomitablewill，Thehandsshallfashion，andthebrainshallpore，Andallhersorrowshallbeturnedtolabour————

IfancyMaisiemeanstoembodyherselfinthepicture。’

’Sittingonathroneofrejectedpictures？No，Ishan’t，dear。Thenotioninitselfhasfascinatedme。——Ofcourseyoudon’tcareforfancyheads，Dick。

Idon’tthinkyoucoulddothem。Youlikebloodandbones。’

’That’sadirectchallenge。IfyoucandoaMelancoliathatisn’tmerelyasorrowfulfemalehead，Icandoabetterone；andIwill，too。Whatd’youknowaboutMelacolias？’Dickfirmlybelievedthathewaseventhentastingthree—quartersofallthesorrowintheworld。

’Shewasawoman，’saidMaisie，’andshesufferedagreatdeal，——tillshecouldsuffernomore。Thenshebegantolaughatitall，andthenIpaintedherandsenthertotheSalon。’

Thered—hairedgirlroseupandlefttheroom，laughing。

DicklookedatMaisiehumblyandhopelessly。

’Nevermindaboutthepicture，’hesaid。’AreyoureallygoingbacktoKami’sforamonthbeforeyourtime？’

’Imust，ifIwanttogetthepicturedone。’

’Andthat’sallyouwant？’

’Ofcourse。Don’tbestupid，Dick。’

’Youhaven’tthepower。Youhaveonlytheideas——theideasandthelittlecheapimpulses。Howyoucouldhavekeptatyourworkfortenyearssteadilyisamysterytome。Soyouarereallygoing，——amonthbeforeyouneed？’

’Imustdomywork。’

’Yourwork——bah！……No，Ididn’tmeanthat。It’sallright，dear。Ofcourseyoumustdoyourwork，and——IthinkI’llsaygood—byeforthisweek。’

’Won’tyouevenstayfortea？

’No，thankyou。HaveIyourleavetogo，dear？There’snothingmoreyouparticularlywantmetodo，andtheline—workdoesn’tmatter。’

’Iwishyoucouldstay，andthenwecouldtalkovermypicture。Ifonlyonesinglepicture’sasuccess，itdrawsattentiontoalltheothers。Iknowsomeofmyworkisgood，ifonlypeoplecouldsee。Andyouneedn’thavebeensorudeaboutit。’

’I’msorry。We’lltalktheMelancoliaoversomeoneoftheotherSundays。

Therearefourmore——yes，one，two，three，four——beforeyougo。Good—bye，Maisie。’

Maisiestoodbythestudiowindow，thinking，tillthered—hairedgirlreturned，alittlewhiteatthecornersofherlips。

’Dick’sgoneoff，’saidMaisie。’JustwhenIwantedtotalkaboutthepicture。Isn’titselfishofhim？’

Hercompanionopenedherlipsasiftospeak，shutthemagain，andwentonreadingTheCityofDreadfulNight。

DickwasinthePark，walkingroundandroundatreethathehadchosenashisconfidanteformanySundayspast。Hewasswearingaudibly，andwhenhefoundthattheinfirmitiesoftheEnglishtonguehemmedinhisrage，hesoughtconsolationinArabic，whichisexpresslydesignedfortheuseoftheafflicted。Hewasnotpleasedwiththerewardofhispatientservice；norwashepleasedwithhimself；anditwaslongbeforehearrivedatthepropositionthatthequeencoulddonowrong。

’It’salosinggame，’hesaid。’I’mworthnothingwhenawhimofhersisinquestion。ButinalosinggameatPortSaidweusedtodoublethestakesandgoon。ShedoaMelancolia！Shehasn’tthepower，ortheinsight，orthetraining。Onlythedesire。She’scursedwiththecurseofReuben。Shewon’tdoline—work，becauseitmeansrealwork；andyetshe’sstrongerthanIam。I’llmakeherunderstandthatIcanbeatheronherownMelancolia。Eventhenshewouldn’tcare。ShesaysIcanonlydobloodandbones。Idon’tbelieveshehasbloodinherveins。AllthesameIloverher；andImustgoonlovingher；andifIcanhumbleherinordinatevanityIwill。I’lldoaMelancoliathatshallbesomethinglikeaMelancolia——"theMelancoliathattranscendsallwit。"I’lldoitatonce，con——blessher。’

Hediscoveredthatthenotionwouldnotcometoorder，andthathecouldnotfreehismindforanhourfromthethoughtofMaisie’sdeparture。HetookverysmallinterestinherroughstudiesfortheMelancoliawhensheshowedthemnextweek。TheSundayswereracingpast，andthetimewasathandwhenallthechurchbellsinLondoncouldnotringMaisiebacktohim。OnceortwicehesaidsomethingtoBinkieabout’hermaphroditicfutilities，’butthelittledogreceivedsomanyconfidencesbothfromTorpenhowandDickthathedidnottroublehistulip—earstolisten。

Dickwaspermittedtoseethegirlsoff。TheyweregoingbytheDovernight—boat；andtheyhopedtoreturninAugust。ItwasthenFebruary，andDickfeltthathewasbeinghardlyused。MaisiewassobusystrippingthesmallhouseacrossthePark，andpackinghercanvases，thatshehadnottimeforthought。DickwentdowntoDoverandwastedadaytherefrettingoverawonderfulpossibility。WouldMaisieattheverylastallowhimonesmallkiss？Hereflectedthathemightcaptureherbythestrongarm，ashehadseemwomencapturedintheSouthernSoudan，andleadheraway；butMaisiewouldneverbeled。Shewouldturnhergrayeyesuponhimandsay，’Dick，howselfishyouare！’Thenhiscouragewouldfailhim。Itwouldbebetter，afterall，tobegforthatkiss。

Maisielookedmorethanusuallykissableasshesteppedfromthenight—mailontothewindypier，inagraywaterproofandalittlegrayclothtravelling—cap。Thered—hairedgirlwasnotsolovely。Hergreeneyeswerehollowandherlipsweredry。Dicksawthetrunksaboard，andwenttoMaisie’ssideinthedarknessunderthebridge。Themail—bagswerethunderingintotheforehold，andthered—hairedgirlwaswatchingthem。

’You’llhavearoughpassageto—night，’saidDick。’It’sblowingoutside。I

supposeImaycomeoverandseeyouifI’mgood？’

’Youmustn’t。Ishallbebusy。Atleast，ifIwantyouI’llsendforyou。ButIshallwritefromVitry—sur—Marne。Ishallhaveheapsofthingstoconsultyouabout。Oh，Dick，youhavebeensogoodtome！——sogoodtome！’

’Thankyouforthat，dear。Ithasn’tmadeanydifference，hasit？’

’Ican’ttellafib。Ithasn’t——inthatway。Butdon’tthinkI’mnotgrateful。’

’Damnthegratitude！’saidDick，huskily，tothepaddle—box。

’What’stheuseofworrying？YouknowIshouldruinyourlife，andyou’druinmine，asthingsarenow。YourememberwhatyousaidwhenyouweresoangrythatdayinthePark？Oneofushastobebroken。

Can’tyouwaittillthatdaycomes？’

’No，love。Iwantyouunbroken——alltomyself。’

Maisieshookherhead。’MypoorDick，whatcanIsay！’

’Don’tsayanything。Givemeakiss。Onlyonekiss，Maisie。I’llswearI

won’ttakeanymore。Youmightaswell，andthenIcanbesureyou’regrateful。’

Maisieputhercheekforward，andDicktookhisrewardinthedarkness。

Itwasonlyonekiss，but，sincetherewasnotime—limitspecified，itwasalongone。Maisiewrenchedherselffreeangrily，andDickstoodabashedandtinglingfromheadtotoe。

’Good—bye，darling。Ididn’tmeantoscareyou。I’msorry。Only——keepwellanddogoodwork，——speciallytheMelancolia。I’mgoingtodoone，too。RemembermetoKami，andbecarefulwhatyoudrink。Countrydrinking—waterisbadeverywhere，butit’sworseinFrance。Writetomeifyouwantanything，andgood—bye。Saygood—byetothewhatever—you—call—umgirl，and——can’tIhaveanotherkiss？No。You’requiteright。Good—bye。’

Ashouldtoldhimthatitwasnotseemlytochargeofthemail—bagincline。Hereachedthepierasthesteamerbegantomoveoff，andhefollowedherwithhisheart。

’Andthere’snothing——nothinginthewideworld——tokeepusapartexceptherobstinacy。TheseCalaisnight—boatsaremuchtoosmall。I’llgetTorptowritetothepapersaboutit。She’sbeginningtopitchalready。’

MaisiestoodwhereDickhadlefthertillsheheardalittlegaspingcoughatherelbow。Thered—hairedgirl’seyeswerealightwithcoldflame。

’Hekissedyou！’shesaid。’Howcouldyoulethim，whenhewasn’tanythingtoyou？Howdaredyoutotakeakissfromhim？Oh，Maisie，let’sgototheladies’cabin。I’msick，——deadlysick。’

’Wearen’tintoopenwateryet。Godown，dear，andI’llstayhere。Idon’tlikethesmelloftheengines……PoorDick！Hedeservedone，——onlyone。

ButIdidn’tthinkhe’dfrightenmeso。’

Dickreturnedtotownnextdayjustintimeforlunch，forwhichhehadtelegraphed。Tohisdisgust，therewereonlyemptyplatesinthestudio。

Helifteduphisvoicelikethebearsinthefairy—tale，andTorpenhowentered，lookingguilty。

’H’sh！’saidhe。’Don’tmakesuchanoise。Itookit。Comeintomyrooms，andI’llshowyouwhy。’

Dickpausedamazedatthethreshold，foronTorpenhow’ssofalayagirlasleepandbreathingheavily。Thelittlecheapsailor—hat，theblue—and—whitedress，fitterforJunethanforFebruary，dabbledwithmudattheskirts，thejackettrimmedwithimitationAstrakhanandrippedattheshoulder—seams，theone—and—elevenpennyumbrella，and，aboveall，thedisgracefulconditionofthekid—toppedboots，declaredallthings。

’Oh，Isay，oldman，thisistoobad！Youmustn’tbringthissortuphere。

Theystealthingsfromtherooms。’

’Itlooksbad，Iadmit，butIwascominginafterlunch，andshestaggeredintothehall。Ithoughtshewasdrunkatfirst，butitwascollapse。I

couldn’tleaveherasshewas，soIbroughtheruphereandgaveheryourlunch。Shewasfaintingfromwantoffood。Shewentfastasleeptheminuteshehadfinished。’

’Iknowsomethingofthatcomplaint。She’sbeenlivingonsausages，I

suppose。Torp，youshouldhavehandedherovertoapolicemanforpresumingtofaintinarespectablehouse。Poorlittlewretch！Lookattheface！Thereisn’tanounceofimmoralityinit。Onlyfolly，——slack，fatuous，feeble，futilefolly。It’satypicalhead。D’younoticehowtheskullbeginstoshowthroughthefleshpaddingonthefaceandcheek—bone？’

’Whatacold—bloodedbarbarianitis！Don’thitawomanwhenshe’sdown。Can’twedoanything？Shewassimplydroppingwithstarvation。

Shealmostfellintomyarms，andwhenshegottothefoodsheatelikeawildbeast。Itwashorrible。’

’Icangivehermoney，whichshewouldprobablyspendindrinks。Isshegoingtosleepforever？’

Thegirlopenedhereyesandglaredatthemenbetweenterrorandeffrontery。

’Feelingbetter？’saidTorpenhow。

’Yes。Thankyou。Therearen’tmanygentlementhatareaskindasyouare。Thankyou。’

’Whendidyouleaveservice？’saidDick，whohadbeenwatchingthescarredandchappedhands。

’HowdidyouknowIwasinservice？Iwas。Generalservant。Ididn’tlikeit。’

’Andhowdoyoulikebeingyourownmistress？’

’DoIlookasifIlikedit？’

’Isupposenot。Onemoment。Wouldyoubegoodenoughtoturnyourfacetothewindow？’

Thegirlobeyed，andDickwatchedherfacekeenly，——sokeenlythatshemadeasiftohidebehindTorpenhow。

’Theeyeshaveit，’saidDick，walkingupanddown。’Theyaresuperbeyesformybusiness。And，afterall，everyheaddependsontheeyes。Thishasbeensentfromheaventomakeupfor——whatwastakenaway。Nowtheweeklystrain’soffmyshoulders，Icangettoworkinearnest。

Evidentlysentfromheaven。Yes。Raiseyourchinalittle，please。’

’Gently，oldman，gently。You’rescaringsomebodyoutofherwits，’saidTorpenhow，whocouldseethegirltrembling。

’Don’tlethimhitme！Oh，pleasedon’tlethimhitme！I’vebeenhitcruelto—daybecauseIspoketoaman。Don’tlethimlookatmelikethat！He’sreg’larwicked，thatone。Don’tlethimlookatmelikethat，neither！Oh，I

feelasifIhadn’tnothingonwhenhelooksatmelikethat！’

Theoverstrainednervesinthefrailbodygaveway，andthegirlweptlikealittlechildandbegantoscream。Dickthrewopenthewindow，andTorpenhowflungthedoorback。

’Thereyouare，’saidDick，soothingly。’Myfriendherecancallforapoliceman，andyoucanrunthroughthatdoor。Nobodyisgoingtohurtyou。’

Thegirlsobbedconvulsivelyforafewminutes，andthentriedtolaugh。

’Nothingintheworldtohurtyou。Nowlistentomeforaminute。I’mwhattheycallanartistbyprofession。Youknowwhatartistsdo？’

’Theydrawthethingsinredandblackinkonthepop—shoplabels。’

’Idaresay。Ihaven’trisentopop—shoplabelsyet。ThosearedonebytheAcademicians。Iwanttodrawyourhead。’

’Whatfor？’

’Becauseit’spretty。Thatiswhyyouwillcometotheroomacrossthelandingthreetimesaweekateleveninthemorning，andI’llgiveyouthreequidaweekjustforsittingstillandbeingdrawn。Andthere’saquidonaccount。’

’Fornothing？Oh，my！’Thegirlturnedthesovereigninherhand，andwithmorefoolishtears，’Ain’tneithero’youtwogentlemenafraidofmybilkingyou？’

’No。Onlyuglygirlsdothat。Tryandrememberthisplace。And，bytheway，what’syourname？’

’I’mBessic，——Bessie————It’snousegivingtherest。BessieBroke，——Stone—broke，ifyoulike。What’syournames？Butthere，——nooneevergivestherealones。’

DickconsultedTorpenhowwithhiseyes。

’Myname’sHeldar，andmyfriend’scalledTorpenhow；andyoumustbesuretocomehere。Wheredoyoulive？’

’South—the—water，——oneroom，——fiveandsixpenceaweek。Aren’tyoumakingfunofmeaboutthatthreequid？’

’You’llseelateron。And，Bessie，nexttimeyoucome，remember，youneedn’twearthatpaint。It’sbadfortheskin，andIhaveallthecoloursyou’llbelikelytoneed。’

Bessiewithdrew，scrubbinghercheekwitharaggedpocket—handkerchief。Thetwomenlookedateachother。

’You’reaman，’saidTorpenhow。

’I’mafraidI’vebeenafool。Itisn’tourbusinesstorunabouttheearthreformingBessieBrokes。Andawomanofanykindhasnorightonthislanding。’

’Perhapsshewon’tcomeback。’

’Shewillifshethinksshecangetfoodandwarmthhere。Iknowshewill，worseluck。Butremember，oldman，sheisn’tawoman；she’smymodel；

andbecareful。’

’Theidea！She’sadissolutelittlescarecrow，——agutter—snippetandnothingmore。’

’Soyouthink。Waittillshehasbeenfedalittleandfreedfromfear。Thatfairtyperecoversitselfveryquickly。Youwon’tknowherinaweekortwo，whenthatabjectfearhasdiedoutofhereyes。She’llbetoohappyandsmilingformypurposes。’

’Butsurelyyou’renottakingheroutofcharity？——topleaseme？’

’Iamnotinthehabitofplayingwithhotcoalstopleaseanybody。Shehasbeensentfromheaven，asImayhaveremarkedbefore，tohelpmewithmyMelancolia。’

’Neverheardawordabouttheladybefore。’

’What’stheuseofhavingafriend，ifyoumustslingyournotionsathiminwords？YououghttoknowwhatI’mthinkingabout。You’veheardmegruntlately？’

’Evenso；butgruntsmeananythinginyourlanguage，frombad’baccytowickeddealers。AndIdon’tthinkI’vebeenmuchinyourconfidenceforsometime。’

’Itwasahighandsoulfulgrunt。YououghttohaveunderstoodthatitmeanttheMelancolia。’DickwalkedTorpenhowupanddowntheroom，keepingsilence。Thenhesmotehimintheribs，’Nowdon’tyouseeit？

Bessie’sabjectfutility，andtheterrorinhereyes，weldedontooneortwodetailsinthewayofsorrowthathavecomeundermyexperiencelately。Likewisesomeorangeandblack，——twokeysofeach。ButIcan’texplainonanemptystomach。’

’Itsoundsmadenough。You’dbettersticktoyoursoldiers，Dick，insteadofmaunderingaboutheadsandeyesandexperiences。’

’Thinkso？’Dickbegantodanceonhisheels，singing——

’They’reasproudasaturkeywhentheyholdthereadycash，Yououghtto’earthewaytheylaughan’joke；

Theyaretrickyan’they’refunnywhenthey’vegotthereadymoney，——

Ow！butsee’emwhenthey’reallstone—broke。’？

ThenhesatdowntopourouthishearttoMaisieinafour—sheetletterofcounselandencouragement，andregisteredanoaththathewouldgettoworkwithanundividedheartassoonasBessieshouldreappear。

Thegirlkeptherappointmentunpaintedandunadorned，afraidandoverboldbyturns。Whenshefoundthatshewasmerelyexpectedtositstill，shegrewcalmer，andcriticisedtheappointmentsofthestudiowithfreedomandsomepoint。Shelikedthewarmthandthecomfortandthereleasefromfearofphysicalpain。Dickmadetwoorthreestudiesofherheadinmonochrome，buttheactualnotionoftheMelancoliawouldnotarrive。

’Whatamessyoukeepyourthingsin！’saidBessie，somedayslater，whenshefeltherselfthoroughlyathome。’Is’poseyourclothesarejustasbad。

Gentlemenneverthinkwhatbuttonsandtapearemadefor。’

’Ibuythingstowear，andwear’emtilltheygotopieces。Idon’tknowwhatTorpenhowdoes。’

Bessiemadediligentinquiryinthelatter’sroom，andunearthedabaleofdisreputablesocks。’SomeoftheseI’llmendnow，’shesaid，’andsomeI’lltakehome。D’youknow，Isitalldaylongathomedoingnothing，justlikealady，andnomorenoticingthemothergirlsinthehousethaniftheywassomanyflies。Idon’thaveanyunnecessarywords，butIput’emdownquick，Icantellyou，whentheytalktome。No；it’squitenicethesedays。Ilockmydoor，andtheycanonlycallmenamesthroughthekeyhole，andIsitinside，justlikealady，mendingsocks。Mr。Torpenhowwearshissocksoutbothendsatonce。’

’Threequidaweekfromme，andthedelightsofmysociety。Nosocksmended。NothingfromTorpexceptanodonthelandingnowandagain，andallhissocksmended。Bessieisverymuchawoman，’thoughtDick；

andhelookedatherbetweenhalf—shuteyes。Foodandresthadtransformedthegirl，asDickknewtheywould。

’Whatareyoulookingatmelikethatfor？’shesaidquickly。’Don’t。Youlookreg’larbadwhenyoulookthatway。Youdon’tthinkmucho’me，doyou？’

’Thatdependsonhowyoubehave。’

Bessiebehavedbeautifully。Onlyitwasdifficultattheendofasittingtobidhergooutintothegraystreets。Sheverymuchpreferredthestudioandabigchairbythestove，withsomesocksinherlapasanexcusefordelay。ThenTorpenhowwouldcomein，andBessiewouldbemovedtotellstrangeandwonderfulstoriesofherpast，andstillstrangeronesofherpresentimprovedcircumstances。Shewouldmakethemteaasthoughshehadarighttomakeit；andonceortwiceontheseoccasionsDickcaughtTorpenhow’seyesfixedonthetrimlittlefigure，andbecauseBessie’’flittingsabouttheroommadeDickardentlylongforMaisie，herealisedwhitherTorpenhow’sthoughtsweretending。AndBessiewasexceedinglycarefuloftheconditionofTorpenhow’slinen。Shespokeverylittletohim，butsometimestheytalkedtogetheronthelanding。

’Iwasagreatfool，’Dicksaidtohimself。’Iknowwhatredfirelightlookslikewhenaman’strampingthroughastrangetown；andoursisalonely，selfishsortoflifeatthebest。IwonderMaisiedoesn’tfeelthatsometimes。ButIcan’torderBessieaway。That’stheworstofbeginningthings。Oneneverknowswheretheystop。’

Oneevening，afterasittingprolongedtothelastlimitofthelight，DickwasrousedfromanapbyabrokenvoiceinTorpenhow’sroom。Hejumpedtohisfeet。’NowwhatoughtItodo？Itlooksfoolishtogoin。——Oh，blessyou，Binkie！’ThelittleterrierthrustTorpenhow’sdooropenwithhisnoseandcameouttotakepossessionofDick’schair。Thedoorswungwideunheeded，andDickacrossthelandingcouldseeBessieinthehalf—lightmakingherlittlesupplicationtoTorpenhow。Shewaskneelingbyhisside，andherhandswereclaspedacrosshisknee。

’Iknow，——Iknow，’shesaidthickly。’’Tisn’trighto’metodothis，butI

can’thelpit；andyouweresokind，——sokind；andyounevertookanynoticeo’me。AndI’vemendedallyourthingssocarefully，——Idid。Oh，please，’tisn’tasifIwasaskingyoutomarryme。Iwouldn’tthinkofit。

Butyou——couldn’tyoutakeandlivewithmetillMissRightcomesalong？

I’monlyMissWrong，Iknow，butI’dworkmyhandstothebareboneforyou。AndI’mnotuglytolookat。Sayyouwill！’

DickhardlyrecognisedTorpenhow’svoiceinreply——

’Butlookhere。It’snouse。I’mliabletobeorderedoffanywhereataminute’snoticeifawarbreaksout。Ataminute’snotice——dear。’

’Whatdoesthatmatter？Untilyougo，then。Untilyougo。’Tisn’tmuchI’masking，and——youdon’tknowhowgoodIcancook。’Shehadputanarmroundhisneckandwasdrawinghisheaddown。

’Until——I——go，then。’

’Torp，’saidDick，acrossthelanding。Hecouldhardlysteadyhisvoice。