下载辰思小说免费APP
"Don\'tspeakofit，madam，"saidthegentleman，"ifyoucanoverlookthetroubleweawegivingyouatsuchanunseasonablehouah。"
"Ah\'mahoasekeepahmahself，"MissWoodburnjoinedin，"andAhknowho\'
toaccyoantfo\'everything。"
Mrs。Leightonledthewayup-stairs，andtheyoungladydecideduponthelargefrontroomandsmallsideroomonthethirdstory。Shesaidshecouldtakethesmallone，andtheotherwassolargethatherfathercouldbothsleepandworkinit。SheseemednotashamedtoaskifMrs。
Leighton\'spricewasinflexible，butgavewaylaughingwhenherfatherrefusedtohaveanybargaining，withahaughtyself-respectwhichhesoftenedtodeferenceforMrs。Leighton。Hisimpulsivenessopenedthewayforsomeconfidencefromher，andbeforetheaffairwasarrangedshewasenjoyinginherqualityofclericalwidowthebalmoftheVirginians\'
reverentsympathy。Theysaidtheywerechurchpeoplethemselves。
"Ahdon\'tknowwhatyo\'mothahmeansbyyo\'hoasenotbeinginoddah，"
theyoungladysaidtoAlmaastheywentdown-stairstogether。"Ah\'magreathoasekeepahmahself，andAhmeanwhatAhsay。"
TheyhadallturnedmechanicallyintotheroomwheretheLeightonsweresittingwhentheWoodburnsrang:Mr。Woodburnconsentedtositdown，andheremainedlisteningtoMrs。LeightonwhilehisdaughterbustleduptothesketchespinnedroundtheroomandquestionedAlmaaboutthem。
"Ahsupposeyouawegoingtobeagreatawtust?"shesaid，infriendlybanter，whenAlmaownedtohavingdonethethings。"Ah\'veagreatnotiontotakeafewlessonsmahself。Who\'syo\'teachah?"
AlmasaidshewasdrawinginMr。Wetmore\'sclass，andMissWoodburnsaid:
"Well，it\'sjustbeautiful，MissLeighton；it\'sgrand。Ahsupposeit\'sraghtexpensive，now?Mahgoodness!wehavetocyoantthecoastsomuchnowadays；itseemstomewedonothingbutcyoantit。Ah\'dliketohahsomethingoncewithoutaskin\'theprice。"
"Well，ifyoudidn\'taskit，"saidAlma，"Idon\'tbelieveMr。Wetmorewouldeverknowwhatthepriceofhislessonswas。Hehastothink，whenyouaskhim。"
"Why，hemostbechomming，"saidMissWoodburn。"PerhapsAhmaghtgetthelessonsfornothingfromhim。Well，AhbelieveinmysoulAh\'lltrah。Nowho\'didyoubegin?andho\'doyouexpecttogetanythingoatofit?"SheturnedonAlmaeyesbrimmingwithashrewdmixtureoffunandearnest，andAlmamadenoteofthefactthatshehadanearlynineteenth-centuryface，round，arch，alittlecoquettish，butextremelysensibleandunspoiled-looking，suchasusedtobepaintedagooddealinminiatureatthatperiod；atendencyofherbrownhairtotwineandtwistatthetempleshelpedtheeffect；ahighcombwouldhavecompletedit，Almafelt，ifshehadherbonnetoff。ItwasalmostaYankeecountry-
girltype；butperhapsitappearedsotoAlmabecauseitwas，likethat，pureAnglo-Saxon。Almaherself，withherdull，darkskin，slenderinfigure，slowinspeech，witharistocraticformsinherlonghands，andtheovalofherfinefacepointedtoalongchin，feltherselfmuchmoreSoutherninstylethanthisblooming，bubbling，bustlingVirginian。
"Idon\'tknow，"sheanswered，slowly。
"Goingtotakepo\'traits，"suggestedMissWoodburn，"orjustpainttheahdeal?"Ademureburlesquelurkedinhertone。
"IsupposeIdon\'texpecttopaintatall，"saidAlma。"I\'mgoingtoillustratebooks——ifanybodywillletme。"
"Ahshouldthinkthey\'djustjoampatyou，"saidMissWoodburn。"Ah\'lltellyouwhatlet\'sdo，MissLeighton:youmakesomepictures，andAh\'llwrahteabookfo\'them。Ah\'vegottodosomething。Alimaghtaswellwrahteabook。YouknowweSouthernershaveallhadtogotowoak。ButAhdon\'tmandit。ItellpapaIshouldn\'tca\'fo\'thedisgraceofbein\'
poo\'ifitwasn\'tfo\'theinconvenience。"
"Yes，it\'sinconvenient，"saidAlma；"butyouforgetitwhenyou\'reatwork，don\'tyouthink?"
"Mah，yes!Perhapsthat\'sonereasonwhypoo\'peoplehavetowoaksohawd-tokeeptheirwandsofftheirpoverty。"
Thegirlsbothtittered，andturnedfromtalkinginalowtonewiththeirbackstowardtheirelders，andfacedthem。
"Well，Madison，"saidMr。Woodburn，"itistimeweshouldgo。Ibidyougood-night，madam，"hebowedtoMrs。Leighton。"Good-night，"hebowedagaintoAlma。
Hisdaughtertookleaveoftheminformalphrase，butwithajollycordialityofmannerthatdeformalizedit。"Weshallberoandraghtsooninthemawning，then，"shethreatenedatthedoor。
"Weshallbeallreadyforyou，"Almacalledafterherdownthesteps。
"Well，Alma?"hermotherasked，whenthedoorcloseduponthem。
"Shedoesn\'tknowanymoreaboutart，"saidAlma，"than——nothingatall。
Butshe\'sjollyandgood-hearted。Shepraisedeverythingthatwasbadinmysketches，andsaidshewasgoingtotakelessonsherself。Whenapersontalksabouttakinglessons，asiftheycouldlearnit，youknowwheretheybelongartistically。"
Mrs。Leightonshookherheadwithasigh。"IwishIknewwheretheybelongedfinancially。Weshallhavetogetintwogirlsatonce。I
shallhavetogooutthefirstthinginthemorning，andthenourtroubleswillbegin。"
"Well，didn\'tyouwantthemtobegin?Iwillstayhomeandhelpyougetready。Ourprosperitycouldn\'tbeginwithoutthetroubles，ifyoumeanboarders，andboardersmeanservants。Ishallbeverygladtobeafflictedwithacookforawhilemyself。"
"Yes；butwedon\'tknowanythingaboutthesepeople，orwhethertheywillbeabletopayus。Didshetalkasiftheywerewelloff?"
"Shetalkedasiftheywerepoor；poo\'shecalledit。"
"Yes，howqueerlyshepronounced，"saidMrs。Leighton。"Well，IoughttohavetoldthemthatIrequiredthefirstweekinadvance。"
"Mamma!Ifthat\'sthewayyou\'regoingtoact!"
"Oh，ofcourse，Icouldn\'t，afterhewouldn\'tletherbargainfortherooms。Ididn\'tlikethat。"
"Idid。Andyoucanseethattheywereperfectladies；oratleastoneofthem。"Almalaughedatherself，buthermotherdidnotnotice。
"Theirbeingladieswon\'thelpifthey\'vegotnomoney。It\'llmakeitalltheworse。"
"Verywell，then；wehavenomoney，either。We\'reamatchforthemanydaythere。Wecanshowthemthattwocanplayatthatgame。"
III。
ArnusBeaton\'sstudiolookedatfirstglancelikemanyotherpainters\'
studios。Agraywallquadrangularlyvaultedtoalargenorthlight；
castsoffeet，hands，faceshungtonailsabout；prints，sketchesinoilandwater-colorstuckhereandtherelowerdown；aricketytable，withpaintandpalettesandbottlesofvarnishandsiccativetossedcomfortlesslyonit；aneasel，withastripofsomefadedmediaevalsilktrailingfromit；alayfiguresimperinginincompletenakedness，withitsheadononeside，andastockingononeleg，andaJapanesedressdroppedbeforeit；dustyrugsandskinskickingoverthevarnishedfloor；
canvasesfacedtothemop-board；anopentrunkoverflowingwithcostumes:
thesefeaturesonemightnoticeanywhere。But，besides，therewasabookcasewithanunusualnumberofbooksinit，andtherewasanopencolonialwriting-desk，claw-footed，brass-handled，andscutcheoned，withforeignperiodicals——FrenchandEnglish——litteringitsleaf，andsomepagesofmanuscriptscatteredamongthem。Aboveall，therewasasculptor\'srevolvingstand，supportingabustwhichBeatonwasmodelling，withaneyefixedassimultaneouslyaspossibleontheclayandontheheadoftheoldmanwhosatontheplatformbesideit。
Fewmenhavebeenabletogetthroughtheworldwithseveralgiftstoadvantageinall；andmostmenseemhandicappedfortheraceiftheyhavemorethanone。Buttheyareapparentlyimmenselyinterestedaswellasdistractedbythem。WhenBeatonwaswriting，hewouldhaveagreed，uptoacertainpoint，withanyonewhosaidliteraturewashisproperexpression；but，then，whenhewaspainting，uptoacertainpoint，hewouldhavemaintainedagainsttheworldthathewasacolorist，andsupremelyacolorist。Atthecertainpointineitherarthewasapttobreakawayinafrenzyofdisgustandwreakhimselfuponsomeother。
Inthesemoodshesometimesdesignedelevationsofbuildings，verystriking，veryoriginal，verychic，veryeverythingbuthabitable。
Itwasinthiswaythathehadtriedhishandonsculpture，whichhehadatfirstapproachedratherslightinglyasameredecorativeaccessoryofarchitecture。Butithadgrowninhisrespecttillhemaintainedthattheaccessorybusinessoughttobealltheotherway:thattemplesshouldberaisedtoenshrinestatues，notstatuesmadetoornamenttemples；thatwasputtingthecartbeforethehorsewithavengeance。ThiswaswhenhehadcarriedaplasticstudysofarthatthesculptorswhosawitsaidthatBeatonmighthavebeenanarchitect，butwouldcertainlyneverbeasculptor。Atthesametimehedidsomehurried，nervousthingsthathadapopularcharm，andthatsoldinplasterreproductions，totheprofitofanother。Beatonjustlydespisedthepopularcharminthese，aswellasinthepaintingshesoldfromtimetotime；hesaiditwasflatburglarytohavetakenmoneyforthem，andhewouldhavebeenlivingalmostwhollyuponthebountyoftheoldtombstone-cutterinSyracuseifithadnotbeenforthesyndicateletterswhichhesuppliedtoFulkersonfortendollarsaweek。
Theywereverywelldone，buthehateddoingthemafterthefirsttwoorthree，andhadtobepunchedupforthembyFulkerson，whodidnotceasetoprizethem，andwhoneverfailedtopunchhimup。Beatonbeingwhathewas，Fulkersonwashiscreditoraswellaspatron；andFulkersonbeingwhathewas，hadanenthusiasticpatiencewiththeelusive，facile，adaptable，unpracticalnatureofBeaton。Hewasveryproudofhisart-
letters，ashecalledthem；butthenFulkersonwasproudofeverythinghesecuredforhissyndicate。Thefactthathehadsecureditgaveitvalue；hefeltasifhehadwrittenithimself。
Onearttroduponanother\'sheelswithBeaton。Thedaybeforehehadrusheduponcanvastheconceptionofapicturewhichhesaidtohimselfwasglorious，andtoothers(atthetabled\'hoteofMaroni)wasnotbad。
Hehadworkedatitinafurytillthelightfailedhim，andheexecratedthedyingday。ButhelithislampandtransferredtheprocessofhisthinkingfromthecanvastotheopeningofthesyndicateletterwhichbeknewFulkersonwouldbecomingforinthemorning。Heremainedtalkingsolongafterdinnerinthesamestrainashehadpaintedandwritteninthathecouldnotfinishhisletterthatnight。Thenextmorning，whilehewasmakinghisteaforbreakfast，thepostmanbroughthimaletterfromhisfatherenclosingalittlecheck，andbegginghimwithtender，almostdeferential，urgencetocomeaslightlyuponhimaspossible，forjustnowhisexpenseswereveryheavy。ItbroughttearsofshameintoBeaton\'seyes——thefine，smouldering，floatingeyesthatmanyladiesadmired，underthethickbang——andhesaidtohimselfthatifhewerehalfamanhewouldgohomeandgotoworkcuttinggravestonesinhisfather\'sshop。Buthewouldwait，atleast，tofinishhispicture；andasasoptohisconscience，tostayitsimmediateravening，heresolvedtofinishthatsyndicateletterfirst，andborrowenoughmoneyfromFulkersontobeabletosendhisfather\'scheckback；or，ifnotthat，thentoreturnthesumofitpartlyinFulkerson\'scheck。WhilehestillteemedwithbothofthesegoodintentionstheoldmanfromwhomhewasmodellinghisheadofJudascame，andBeatonsawthathemustgetthroughwithhimbeforehefinishedeitherthepictureortheletter；hewouldhavetopayhimforthetime，anyway。HeutilizedtheremorsewithwhichhewastinglingtogivehisJudasanexpressionwhichhefoundnovelinthetreatmentofthatcharacter——alookofsuchtouching，appealingself-
abhorrencethatBeaton\'sartisticjoyinitamountedtorapture；betweenthebreathlessmomentswhenheworkedindeadsilenceforaneffectthatwastryingtoescapehim，hesangandwhistledfragmentsofcomicopera。
InoneofthehushestherecameablowontheoutsideofthedoorthatmadeBeatonjump，andswearwithamodifiedprofanitythatmergeditselfinapostrophicprayer。HeknewitmustbeFulkerson，andafterroaring"Comein!"hesaidtothemodel，"That\'lldothismorning，Lindau。"
FulkersonsquaredhisfeetinfrontofthebustandcompareditbyfleetingglanceswiththeoldmanashegotstifflyupandsufferedBeatontohelphimonwithhisthin，shabbyovercoat。
"Canyoucometo-morrow，Lindau?"
"No，notto-morrow，Mr。Peaton。Ihaftozitfortheyoungladties。"
"Oh!"saidBeaton。"Wet-more\'sclass?IsMissLeightondoingyou?"
"Idon\'tknowtheirnamess，"Lindaubegan，whenFulkersonsaid:
"Hopeyouhaven\'tforgottenmine，Mr。Lindau?ImetyouwithMr。MarchatMaroni\'sonenight。"Fulkersonofferedhimauniversallyshakablehand。
"Ohyes!Iamgladttozeeyouagain，Mr。Vulkerson。AndMr。Marge——hedon\'tzeemtogomeanymore?"
"Uptohiseyesinwork。BeenmovingonfromBostonandgettingsettled，andstartinginonourenterprise。Beatonherehasn\'tgotaveryflatteringlikenessofyou，hey?Well，good-morning，"hesaid，forLindauappearednottohaveheardhimandwasescapingwithabowthroughthedoor。
Beatonlitacigarettewhichhepinchednervouslybetweenhislipsbeforehespoke。"You\'vecomeforthatletter，Isuppose，Fulkerson?Itisn\'tdone。"
Fulkersonturnedfromstaringatthebusttowhichhehadmounted。"Whatyoufrettingaboutthatletterfor?Idon\'twantyourletter。"
Beatonstoppedbitinghiscigaretteandlookedathim。"Don\'twantmyletter?Oh，verygood!"hebristledup。Hetookhiscigarettefromhislips，andblewthesmokethroughhisnostrils，andthenlookedatFulkerson。
"No；Idon\'twantyourletter；Iwantyou。"
Beacondisdainedtoaskanexplanation，butheinternallyloweredhiscrest，whilehecontinuedtolookatFulkersonwithoutchanginghisdefiantcountenance。ThissuitedFulkersonwellenough，andhewentonwithrelish，"I\'mgoingoutofthesyndicatebusiness，oldman，andI\'monanewthing。"Heputhislegoverthebackofachairandrestedhisfootonitsseat，and，withonehandinhispocket，helaidtheschemeof\'EveryOtherWeek\'beforeBeatonwiththehelpoftheother。Theartistwentabouttheroom，meanwhile，withaneffectofindifferencewhichbynomeansoffendedFulkerson。Hetooksomewaterintohismouthfromatumbler，whichheblewinafinemistovertheheadofJudasbeforeswathingitinadirtycottoncloth；hewashedhisbrushesandsethispalette；heputuponhiseaselthepicturehehadblockedonthedaybefore，andstaredatitwithagloomyface；thenhegatheredthesheetsofhisunfinishedlettertogetherandslidthemintoadrawerofhiswriting-desk。BythetimehehadfinishedandturnedagaintoFulkerson，Fulkersonwassaying:"IdidthinkwecouldhavethefirstnumberoutbyNew-Year\'s；butitwilltakelongerthanthat——amonthlonger；butI\'mnotsorry，fortheholidayskilleverything；andbyFebruary，orthemiddleofFebruary，peoplewillgettheirbreathagainandbegintolookroundandaskwhat\'snew。Thenwe\'llreplyinthelanguageofShakespeareandMilton，\'EveryOtherWeek；anddon\'tyouforgetit。\'"
Hetookdownhislegandasked，"Gotapipeof\'baccyanywhere?"
BeatonnoddedataclaystemstickingoutofaJapanesevaseofbronzeonhismantel。"There\'syours，"hesaid；andFulkersonsaid，"Thanks，"andfilledthepipeandsatdownandbegantosmoketranquilly。
Beatonsawthathewouldhavetospeaknow。"Andwhatdoyouwantwithme?"
"You?Ohyes，"Fulkersonhumorouslydramatizedareturntohimselffromapensiveabsence。"Wantyoufortheartdepartment。"
Beatonshookhishead。"I\'mnotyourman，Fulkerson，"hesaid，compassionately。"Youwantamorepracticalhand，onethat\'sintouchwithwhat\'sgoing。I\'mgettingfurtherandfurtherawayfromthiscenturyanditsclaptrap。Idon\'tbelieveinyourenterprise；Idon\'trespectit，andIwon\'thaveanythingtodowithit。Itwould-chokeme，thatkindofthing。"
"That\'sallright，"saidFulkerson。Heesteemedamanwhowasnotgoingtolethimselfgocheap。"Orifitisn\'t，wecanmakeit。YouandMarchwillpulltogetherfirst-rate。Idon\'tcarehowmuchidealyouputintothething；themorethebetter。Icanlookaftertheotherendoftheschoonermyself。"
"Youdon\'tunderstandme，"saidBeaton。"I\'mnottryingtogetariseoutofyou。I\'minearnest。Whatyouwantissomemanwhocanhavepatiencewithmediocrityputtingonthestyleofgenius，andwithgeniusturningmediocrityonhishands。Ihaven\'tanyluckwithmen；Idon\'tgetonwiththem；I\'mnotpopular。"Beatonrecognizedthefactwiththesatisfactionwhichitsomehowalwaysbringstohumanpride。
"Somuchthebetter!"Fulkersonwasreadyforhimatthispoint。
"Idon\'twantyoutoworktheold-establishedracketthereputations。
WhenIwantthemI\'llgotothemwithapocketfulofrocks——knock-downargument。Butmyideaistodealwiththevolunteermaterial。Lookatthewaytheperiodicalsarecarriedonnow!Names!names!names!Inacountrythat\'sjustboilingoverwithliteraryandartisticabilityofeverykindthenewfellowshavenochance。Theeditorsallengagetheirmaterial。Idon\'tbelievetherearefiftyvolunteercontributionsprintedinayearinalltheNewYorkmagazines。It\'sallwrong；it\'ssuicidal。\'EveryOtherWeek\'isgoingbacktothegoodoldanonymoussystem，theonlyfairsystem。It\'sworkedwellinliterature，anditwillworkwellinart。"
"Itwon\'tworkwellinart，"saidBeaton。"Thereyouhaveatotallydifferentsetofconditions。Whatyou\'llgetbyinvitingvolunteerillustrationswillbealotofamateurtrash。Andhowareyougoingtosubmityourliteratureforillustration?Itcan\'tbedone。Atanyrate，Iwon\'tundertaketodoit。"
"We\'llgetupaSchoolofIllustration，"saidFulkerson，withcynicalsecurity。"Youcanreadthethingsandexplain\'em，andyourpupilscanmaketheirsketchesunderyoureye。Theywouldn\'tbemuchfurtheroutthanmostillustrationsareiftheyneverknewwhattheywereillustrating。Youmightselectfromwhatcomesinandmakeupasortofpictorialvariationstotheliteraturewithoutanyparticularreferencetoit。Well，Iunderstandyoutoaccept?"
"No，youdon\'t。"
"Thatis，toconsenttohelpuswithyouradviceandcriticism。That\'sallIwant。Itwon\'tcommityoutoanything；andyoucanbeasanonymousasanybody。"AtthedoorFulkersonadded:"By-the-way，thenewman——thefellowthat\'stakenmyoldsyndicatebusiness——willwantyoutokeepon；
butIguesshe\'sgoingtotrytobeatyoudownonthepriceoftheletters。He\'sgoinginforretrenchment。Ibroughtalongacheckforthisone；I\'mtopayforthat。"HeofferedBeatonanenvelope。
"Ican\'ttakeit，Fulkerson。Theletter\'spaidforalready。"Fulkersonsteppedforwardandlaidtheenvelopeonthetableamongthetubesofpaint。
"Itisn\'tthelettermerely。Ithoughtyouwouldn\'tobjecttoalittleadvanceonyour\'EveryOtherWeek\'worktillyoukindofgotstarted。"
Beatonremainedinflexible。"Itcan\'tbedone，Fulkerson。Don\'tItellyouIcan\'tsellmyselfouttoathingIdon\'tbelievein?Can\'tyouunderstandthat?"
"Ohyes；Icanunderstandthatfirst-rate。Idon\'twanttobuyyou；I
wanttoborrowyou。It\'sallright。See?Comeroundwhenyoucan；I\'dliketointroduceyoutooldMarch。That\'sgoingtobeouraddress。"Heputacardonthetablebesidetheenvelope，andBeatonallowedhimtogowithoutmakinghimtakethecheckback。Hehadrememberedhisfather\'splea；thatunnervedhim，andhepromisedhimselfagaintoreturnhisfather\'spoorlittlecheckandtoworkonthatpictureandgiveittoFulkersonforthecheckhehadleftandforhisbackdebts。Heresolvedtogotoworkonthepictureatonce；hehadsethispaletteforit；butfirsthelookedatFulkerson\'scheck。Itwasforonlyfiftydollars，andthecannyScotchbloodinBeatonrebelled；hecouldnotletthispicturegoforanysuchmoney；hefeltalittlelikeamanwhosegenerosityhasbeentrifledwith。Theconflictofemotionsbrokehimup，andhecouldnotwork。
IV
ThedaywastedawayinBeaton\'shands；athalf-pastfouro\'clockhewentouttoteaatthehouseofaladywhowasAtHomethatafternoonfromfourtillseven。BythistimeBeatonwasinpossessionofoneofthoseotherselvesofwhichweeachhaveseveralaboutus，andwasagainthelaconic，staccato，ratherworldlifiedyoungartistwhosemomentsofacontrolledutteranceandacertaindistinctionofmannerhadcommendedhimtoMrs。Horn\'sfancyinthesummeratSt。Barnaby。
Mrs。Horn\'sroomswerelarge，andtheyneverseemedveryfull，thoughthisperhapswasbecausepeoplewerealwayssoquiet。Theladies，whooutnumberedthemententoone，astheyalwaysdoataNewYorktea，weredressedinsympathywiththelowtoneeveryonespokein，andwiththesubduedlightwhichgaveacrepuscularuncertaintytothefewobjects，thedimpictures，theunexcitedupholstery，oftherooms。Onebreathedfreeofbric-a-bracthere，andthenew-comerbreathedsoftlyasonedoesongoingintochurchafterservicehasbegun。Thismightbeasuggestionfromthevoicelessbehavioroftheman-servantwholetyouin，butitwasalsobecauseMrs。Horn\'sAtHomewasaceremony，adecorum，andnotfestival。Atfargreaterhousestherewasmoregayety，atricherhousestherewasmorefreedom；thesuppressionatMrs。Horn\'swasapersonal，notasocial，effect；itwasaneffluxofhercharacter，demure，silentious，vague，butverycorrect。
Beatoneasilyfoundhiswaytoheraroundthegroupedskirtsandamongthedetachedfigures，andreceivedapressureofwelcomefromthehandwhichshemomentarilyrelaxedfromthetea-pot。Shesatbehindatableputcrosswiseofaremotecorner，andofferedteatopeoplewhomanieceofhersreceivedprovisionallyorspedfinallyintheouterroom。Theydidnotusuallytaketea，andwhentheydidtheydidnotusuallydrinkit；butBeatonwas，feverishlygladofhiscup；hetookrumandlemoninit，andstoodtalkingatMrs。Horn\'ssidetillthenextarrivalshoulddisplacehim:hetalkedinhisFrenchmanner。
"Ihavebeenhopingtoseeyou，"shesaid。"IwantedtoaskyouabouttheLeightons。Didtheyreallycome?"
"Ibelieveso。Theyareintown——yes。Ihaven\'tseenthem。"
"Thenyoudon\'tknowhowthey\'regettingon——thatprettycreature，withhercleverness，andpoorMrs。Leighton?Iwasafraidtheywereventuringonarashexperiment。Doyouknowwheretheyare?"
"InWestEleventhStreetsomewhere。MissLeightonisinMr。Wetmore\'sclass。"
"Imustlookthemup。Doyouknowtheirnumber?"
"Notatthemoment。Icanfindout。"
"Do，"saidMrs。Horn。"Whatcouragetheymusthave，toplungeintoNewYorkasthey\'vedone!Ireallydidn\'tthinktheywould。Iwonderifthey\'vesucceededingettinganybodyintotheirhouseyet?"
"Idon\'tknow，"saidBeaton。
"IdiscouragedtheircomingallIcould，"shesighed，"andIsupposeyoudid，too。Butit\'squiteuselesstryingtomakepeopleinaplacelikeSt。Barnabyunderstandhowitisintown。"
"Yes，"saidBeaton。Hestirredhistea，whileinwardlyhetriedtobelievethathehadreallydiscouragedtheLeightonsfromcomingtoNewYork。PerhapsthevexationofhisfailuremadehimcallMrs。Horninhisheartafraud。
"Yes，"shewenton，"itisvery，veryhard。Andwhentheywon\'tunderstand，andrushontheirdoom，youfeelthattheyaregoingtoholdyourespons——"
Mrs。Horn\'seyeswanderedfromBeaton；hervoicefalteredinthefadedinterestofherremark，andthenrosewithrenewedvigoringreetingaladywhocameupandstretchedhergloveacrossthetea-cups。
Beatongothimselfawayandoutofthehousewithamuchbrieferadieutotheniecethanhehadmeanttomake。ThepatronizingcompassionofMrs。
HornfortheLeightonsfilledhimwithindignationtowardher，towardhimself。Therewasnoreasonwhyheshouldnothaveignoredthemashehaddone；buttherewasafeeling。Itwashisnaturetobecareless，andhehadbeenspoiledintorecklessness；heneglectedeverybody，andonlyrememberedthemwhenitsuitedhiswhimorhisconvenience；buthefiercelyresentedtheinattentionsofotherstowardhimself。Hehadnoscrupleaboutbreakinganengagementorfailingtokeepanappointment；
hemadepromiseswithoutthinkingoftheirfulfilment，andnotbecausehewasafaithlessperson，butbecausehewasimaginative，andexpectedatthetimetodowhathesaid，butwasfickle，andsodidnot。Asmostofhisshortcomingswereofasocietysort，nogreatharmwasdonetoanybodyelse。Hehadcontractedsomewhatthecircleofhisacquaintancebywhatsomepeoplecalledhisrudeness，butmostpeopletreateditashisoddity，andwerepatientwithit。Oneladysaidshevaluedhiscomingwhenhesaidhewouldcomebecauseithadthecharmoftheunexpected。"Onlyitshowsthatitisn\'talwaystheunexpectedthathappens，"sheexplained。
Itdidnotoccurtohimthathisbehaviorwasimmoral；hedidnotrealizethatitwascreatingareputationifnotacharacterforhim。Whilewearestillyoungwedonotrealizethatouractionshavethiseffect。Itseemstousthatpeoplewilljudgeusfromwhatwethinkandfeel。Laterwefindoutthatthisisimpossible；perhapswefinditouttoolate；
someofusneverfinditoutatall。
InspiteofhisshameabouttheLeightons，BeatonhadnopresentintentionoflookingthemuporsendingMrs。Horntheiraddress。Asamatteroffact，heneverdidsendit；buthehappenedtomeetMr。Wetmoreandhiswifeattherestaurantwherehedined，andhegotitofthepainterforhimself。HedidnotaskhimhowMissLeightonwasgettingon；butWetmorelaunchedout，withAlmaforatacittext，onthefutilityofwomengenerallygoinginforart。"Evenwhentheyhavetalentthey\'vegottoomuchagainstthem。Whereagirldoesn\'tseemverystrong，likeMissLeighton，noamountofchicisgoingtohelp。"
Hiswifedisputedhimonbehalfofhersex，aswomenalwaysdo。
"No，Dolly，"hepersisted；"she\'dbetterbehomemilkingthecowsandleadingthehorsetowater。"
Doyouthinkshe\'dbetterbeuptilltwointhemorningatballsandgoingalldaytoreceptionsandluncheons?"
"Oh，guessitisn\'taquestionofthat，evenifsheweren\'tdrawing。
Youknewthemathome，"hesaidtoBeaton。
"Yes。"
"Iremember。Hermothersaidyousuggestedme。Well，thegirlhassomenotionofit；there\'snodoubtaboutthat。But——she\'sawoman。Thetroublewiththesetalentedgirlsisthatthey\'reallwoman。Iftheyweren\'t，therewouldn\'tbemuchchanceforthemen，Beaton。Butwe\'vegotProvidenceonourownsidefromthestart。I\'mabletowatchalltheirinspirationswithperfectcomposure。Iknowjusthowsoonit\'sgoingtoendinnervousbreakdown。Somebodyoughttomarrythemallandputthemoutoftheirmisery。"
"Andwhatwillyoudowithyourstudentswhoaremarriedalready?"hiswifesaid。Shefeltthatshehadlethimgoonlongenough。
"Oh，theyoughttogetdivorced。"
"Yououghttobeashamedtotaketheirmoneyifthat\'swhatyouthinkofthem。"
"Mydear，Ihaveawifetosupport。"
Beatonintervenedwithaquestion。"DoyoumeanthatMissLeightonisn\'tstandingitverywell?"
"HowdoIknow?Sheisn\'tthekindthatbends；she\'sthekindthatbreaks。"
AfteralittlesilenceMrs。Wetmoreasked，"Won\'tyoucomehomewithus，Mr。Beaton?"
"Thankyou；no。Ihaveanengagement。"
"Idon\'tseewhythatshouldpreventyou，"saidWetmore。"Butyoualwayswereapunctiliouscuss。Well!"
Beatonlingeredoverhiscigar；butnooneelsewhomheknewcamein，andheyieldedtothethreefoldimpulseofconscience，ofcuriosity，ofinclination，ingoingtocallattheLeightons\'。Heaskedfortheladies，andthemaidshowedhimintotheparlor，wherehefoundMrs。
LeightonandMissWoodburn。
Thewidowmethimwithawelcomeneatlymarkedbyresentment；shemeanthimtofeelthathisnotcomingsoonerhadbeennoticed。MissWoodburnbubbledandgurgledon，anddidwhatshecouldtomitigatehispunishment，butshedidnotfeelauthorizedtostayit，tillMrs。
Leighton，bystudiedavoidanceofherdaughter\'sname，obligedBeatontoaskforher。ThenMissWoodburncaughtupherwork，andsaid，"Ah\'llgoandtellher，Mrs。Leighton。"AtthetopofthestairsshefoundAlma，andAlmatriedtomakeitseemasifshehadnotbeenstandingthere。
"Mahgoodness，chald!there\'sthehandsomestyoungmanaskingforyoudownthereyouevahsaw。Alhtoldyou\'mothahAhwouldcomeupfo\'you。"
"What——whoisit?"
"Don\'tyouknow?Butbo\'couldyou?He\'sgotthemostbeautifuleyes，andhewea\'shishai\'inabang，andhetalksEnglishlikeitwassomethingelse，andhisname\'sMr。Beaton。"
"Didhe-askforme?"saidAlma，withadreamytone。Sheputherhandonthestairsrail，andalittleshiverranoverher。
"Didn\'tItellyou?Ofcoasehedid!Andyououghttogoraghtdownifyouwanttosavethepoo\'fellah\'slahfe；you\'mothah\'sjustfreezin\'himtodeath。"
V。
"Sheis?"criedAlma。"Tchk!"Sheflewdownstairs，andflittedswiftlyintotheroom，andfluttereduptoBeaton，andgavehimacrushinghand-
shake。
"Howverykind，ofyoutocomeandseeus，Mr。Beaton!WhendidyoucometoNewYork?Don\'tyoufinditwarmhere?We\'veonlyjustlightedthefurnace，butwiththismildweatheritseemstooearly。Mammadoeskeepitsohot!"Sherushedaboutopeningdoorsandshuttingregisters，andthencamebackandsatfacinghimfromthesofawithamaskofradiantcordiality。"Howhaveyoubeensincewesawyou?"
"Verywell，"saidBeaton。"Ihopeyou\'rewell，MissLeighton?"
"Oh，perfectly!IthinkNewYorkagreeswithusbothwonderfully。I
neverknewsuchair。Andtothinkofournothavingsnowyet!Ishouldthinkeverybodywouldwanttocomehere!Whydon\'tyoucome，Mr。Beaton?"
Beatonliftedhiseyesandlookedather。"I——IliveinNewYork，"hefaltered。
"InNewYorkCity!"sheexclaimed。
"Surely，Alma，"saidhermother，"yourememberMr。Beaton\'stellingushelivedinNewYork。"
"ButIthoughtyoucamefromRochester；orwasitSyracuse?。Ialwaysgetthoseplacesmixedup。"
"ProbablyItoldyoumyfatherlivedatSyracuse。I\'vebeeninNewYorkeversinceIcamehomefromParis，"saidBeaton，withtheconfusionofamanwhofeelshimselfplayeduponbyawoman。
"FromParis!"Almaechoed，leaningforward，withhersmilingmasktighton。"Wasn\'titMunichwhereyoustudied?"
"IwasatMunich，too。ImetWetmorethere。"
"Oh，doyouknowMr。Wetmore?"
"Why，Alma，"hermotherinterposedagain，"itwasMr。BeatonwhotoldyouofMr。Wetmore。"
"Wasit?Why，yes，tobesure。ItwasMrs。HornwhosuggestedMr。
Ilcomb。Iremembernow。Ican\'tthankyouenoughforhavingsentmetoMr。Wetmore，Mr。Beaton。Isn\'thedelightful?Ohyes，I\'maperfectWetmorian，Icanassureyou。Thewholeclassisthesameway。"
"IjustmethimandMrs。Wetmoreatdinner，"saidBeaton，attemptingtherecoveryofsomethingthathehadlostthroughthegirl\'sshiningeaseandsteelysprightliness。Sheseemedtohimsosmoothandhard，witharepellentelasticityfromwhichhewasflungoff。"Ihopeyou\'renotworkingtoohard，MissLeighton?"
"Ohno!Ienjoyeveryminuteofit，andgrowstrongeronit。DoIlookverymuchwastedaway?"Shelookedhimfullintheface，brilliantlysmiling，andintentionallybeautiful。
"No，"hesaid，withaslowsadness；"Ineversawyoulookingbetter。"
"PoorMr。Beaton!"shesaid，inrecognitionofhisdolefultune。"Itseemstobequiteablow。"
"Ohno——"
"Irememberallthegoodadviceyouusedtogivemeaboutnotworkingtoohard，andprobablyit\'sthatthat\'ssavedmylife——thatandthehouse-
hunting。Hasmammatoldyouofouradventuresingettingsettled?
Sometimewemust。Itwassuchfun!Anddidn\'tyouthinkwewerefortunatetogetsuchaprettyhouse?Youmustseebothourparlors。"
Shejumpedup，andhermotherfollowedherwithabewilderedlookassheranintothebackparlorandflashedupthegas。
"Comeinhere，Mr。Beaton。Iwanttoshowyouthegreatfeatureofthehouse。"Sheopenedthelowwindowsthatgaveuponaglazedverandastretchingacrosstheendoftheroom。"JustthinkofthisinNewYork!
Youcan\'tseeitverywellatnight，butwhenthesouthernsunpoursinherealltheafternoon——"
"Yes，Icanimagineit，"hesaid。Heglancedupatthebird-cagehangingfromtheroof。"IsupposeGypsyenjoysit。"
"YourememberGypsy?"shesaid；andshemadeacooing，kissinglittlenoiseupatthebird，whorespondeddrowsily。"PooroldGypsum!Well，hesha\'n\'tbedisturbed。Yes，it\'sGyp\'sdelight，andColonelWoodburnlikestowritehereinthemorning。Thinkofushavingarealliveauthorinthehouse!AndMissWoodburn:I\'msogladyou\'veseenher!
They\'reSouthernpeople。"
"Yes，thatwasobviousinhercase。"
"Fromheraccent?Isn\'titfascinating?Ididn\'tbelieveIcouldeverendureSoutherners，butwe\'relikeonefamilywiththeWoodburns。I
shouldthinkyou\'dwanttopaintMissWoodburn。Don\'tyouthinkhercoloringisdelicious?Andsuchaquaintkindofeighteenth-centurytypeofbeauty!Butshe\'sperfectlylovelyeveryway，andeverythingshesaysissofunny。TheSouthernersseemtobesuchgreattalkers；betterthanweare，don\'tyouthink?"
"Idon\'tknow，"saidBeaton，inpensivediscouragement。Hewassensibleofbeingmanipulated，operated，buthewashelplesstoescapefromtheperformerortofathomhermotives。Hispensivenesspassedintogloom，andwasdegeneratingintosulkyresentmentwhenhewentaway，afterseveralfailurestogetbacktotheoldgroundhehadheldinrelationtoAlma。HeretrievedsomethingofitwithMrs。Leighton；butAlmaglittereduponhimtothelastwithakeenimpenetrablecandor，achild-
likesinglenessofglance，coveringunfathomablereserve。
"Well，Alma，"saidhermother，whenthedoorhadcloseduponhim。
"Well，mother。"Then，afteramoment，shesaid，witharush:"DidyouthinkIwasgoingtolethimsupposewewerepiquedathisnotcoming?
DidyousupposeIwasgoingtolethimpatronizeus，orthinkthatwewereintheleastdependentonhisfavororfriendship?"
Hermotherdidnotattempttoanswerher。Shemerelysaid，"Ishouldn\'tthinkhewouldcomeanymore。"
"Well，wehavegotonsofarwithouthim；perhapswecanlivethroughtherestofthewinter。"
"Icouldn\'thelpfeelingsorryforhim。Hewasquitestupefied。Icouldseethathedidn\'tknowwhattomakeofyou。"
"He\'snotrequiredtomakeanythingofme，"saidAlma。
"Doyouthinkhereallybelievedyouhadforgottenallthosethings?"
"Impossibletosay，mamma。"
"Well，Idon\'tthinkitwasquiteright，Alma。"
"I\'llleavehimtoyouthenexttime。MissWoodburnsaidyouwerefreezinghimtodeathwhenIcamedown。"
"Thatwasquitedifferent。But，therewon\'tbeanynexttime，I\'mafraid，"sighedMrs。Leighton。
Beatonwenthomefeelingsuretherewouldnot。Hetriedtoreadwhenhegottohisroom；butAlma\'slooks，tones，gestures，whirredthroughandthroughthewoofofthestorylikeshuttles；hecouldnotkeepthemout，andhefellasleepatlast，notbecauseheforgotthem，butbecauseheforgavethem。Hewasabletosaytohimselfthathehadbeenjustlycutofffromkindnesswhichheknewhowtovalueinlosingit。HedidnotexpectevertorighthimselfinAlma\'sesteem，buthehopedsomedaytoletherknowthathehadunderstood。Itseemedtohimthatitwouldbeagoodthingifsheshouldfinditoutafterhisdeath。Heimaginedherbeingtouchedbyitunderthosecircumstances。
VI。
InthemorningitseemedtoBeatonthathehaddonehimselfinjustice。
WhenheuncoveredhisJudasandlookedatit，hecouldnotbelievethatthemanwhowascapableofsuchworkdeservedthepunishmentMissLeightonhadinflicteduponhim。Hestillforgaveher，butinthepresenceofathinglikethathecouldnothelprespectinghimself；hebelievedthatifshecouldseeitshewouldbesorrythatshehadcutherselfofffromhisacquaintance。Hecarriedthisstrainofconvictionallthroughhissyndicateletter，whichhenowtookoutofhisdeskandfinished，withanincreasingsecurityofhisopinionsandamountingseverityinhisjudgments。Heretaliateduponthegeneralconditionofartamongusthepangsofwoundedvanity，whichAlmahadmadehimfeel，andhefoldeduphismanuscriptandputitinhispocket，almosthealedofhishumiliation。Hehadbeenabletoescapefromitsstingsoentirelywhilehewaswritingthatthenotionofmakinghislifemoreandmoreliterarycommendeditselftohim。Asitwasnowevidentthatthefuturewastobeoneofrenunciation，ofself-forgetting，anobliviontingedwithbitterness，heformlesslyreasonedinfavorofreconsideringhisresolutionagainstFulkerson\'soffer。Onemustcallitreasoning，butitwasratherthatswiftinternaldramatizationwhichconstantlygoesoninpersonsofexcitablesensibilities，andwhichnowseemedtosweepBeatonphysicallyalongtowardthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'office，andcarriedhismindwithlightningcelerityontoatimewhenheshouldhavegiventhatjournalsuchqualityandauthorityinmattersofartashadneverbeenenjoyedbyanyinAmericabefore。Withtheprosperitywhichhemadeattendhisworkhechangedthecharacteroftheenterprise，andwithFulkerson\'senthusiasticsupporthegavethepublicanartjournalofashighgradeas\'LesLettresetlesArts\'，andverymuchthatsortofthing。AllthisinvolvednowtheunavailingregretofAlmaLeighton，andnowhisreconciliationwithhertheyweremarriedinGraceChurch，becauseBeatonhadonceseenamarriagethere，andhadintendedtopaintapictureofitsometime。
