第7章

NothinginthesefervidfantasiespreventedhisrespondingwithduedrynesstoFulkerson\'scheery"Hello，oldman!"whenhefoundhimselfinthebuildingfittedupforthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'office。Fulkerson\'sroomwasbackofthesmalleroneoccupiedbythebookkeeper；theyhadbeenrespectivelythereception-roomanddining-roomofthelittleplaceinitsdwelling-housedays，andtheyhadbeensimplyandtastefullytreatedintheirtransformationintobusinesspurposes。Thenarrowoldtrimofthedoorsandwindowshadbeenkept，andthequaintlyuglymarblemantels。Thearchitecthadsaid，Betterletthemstaytheyexpressedepoch，ifnotcharacter。

"Well，haveyoucomeroundtogotowork?Justhangupyourcoatontheflooranywhere，"Fulkersonwenton。

"I\'vecometobringyouthatletter，"saidBeaton，allthemorehaughtilybecausehefoundthatFulkersonwasnotalonewhenhewelcomedhiminthesefreeandeasyterms。Therewasaquiet-lookingman，ratherstout，andalittleabovethemiddleheight，withafull，close-croppediron-

graybeard，seatedbeyondthetablewhereFulkersontiltedhimselfback，withhiskneessetagainstit；andleaningagainstthemanteltherewasayoungmanwithasingularlygentleface，inwhichthelookofgoodnessqualifiedandtransfiguredacertainsimplicity。Hislargeblueeyesweresomewhatprominent；andhisrathernarrowfacewasdrawnforwardinanosealittletoolongperhaps，ifithadnotbeenforthefullchindeeplycutbelowthelip，andjuttingfirmlyforward。

"IntroduceyoutoMr。March，oureditor，Mr。Beaton，"Fulkersonsaid，rollinghisheadinthedirectionoftheelderman；andthennoddingittowardtheyounger，hesaid，"Mr。Dryfoos，Mr。Beaton。"BeatonshookhandswithMarch，andthenwithMr。Dryfoos，andFulkersonwenton，gayly:"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，Beaton——well，youknowtheoldsaying。Mr。March，asItoldyou，isoureditor，andMr。Dryfooshaschargeofthepublishingdepartment——he\'sthecounting-roomincarnate，thesourceofpower，thefountainofcorruption，theelementthatpreventsjournalismbeingthehighandholythingthatitwouldbeiftherewerenomoneyinit。"Mr。Dryfoosturnedhislarge，mildeyesuponBeaton，andlaughedwiththeuneasyconcessionwhichpeoplemaketoacharacterwhentheydonotquiteapproveofthecharacter\'slanguage。

"WhatMr。MarchandIaretryingtodoistocarryonthisthingsothattherewon\'tbeanymoneyinit——orverylittle；andwe\'replanningtogivethepublicabetterarticleforthepricethanit\'severhadbefore。

Nowhere\'sadummywe\'vehadmadeupfor\'EveryOtherWeek\'，andaswe\'vedecidedtoadoptit，wewouldnaturallylikeyouropinionofit，so\'stoknowwhatopiniontohaveofyou。"HereachedforwardandpushedtowardBeatonavolumealittleabovethesizeoftheordinaryduodecimobook；

itsivory-whitepebbledpapercoverwasprettilyillustratedwithawater-coloreddesignirregularlywashedoverthegreaterpartofitssurface:

quiteacrossthepageattop，andnarrowingfromrighttoleftasitdescended。Inthetriangularspaceleftblankthetitleoftheperiodicalandthepublisher\'simprintweretastefullyletteredsoastobepartlycoveredbythebackgroundofcolor。

"It\'slikesomeofthoseTartarinbooksofDaudet\'s，"saidBeacon，lookingatitwithmoreinterestthanhesufferedtobeseen。"Butit\'sabook，notamagazine。"Heopeneditspagesofthick，mellowwhitepaper，withuncutleaves，thefirstfewpagesexperimentallyprintedinthetypeintendedtobeused，andillustratedwithsomesketchesdrawnintoandoverthetext，forthesakeoftheeffect。

"ADaniel——aDanielcometojudgment!Sitdown，Dan\'el，andtakeiteasy。"FulkersonpushedachairtowardBeaton，whodroppedintoit。

"You\'reright，Dan\'el；it\'sabook，toallpracticalintentsandpurposes。AndwhatweproposetodowiththeAmericanpublicistogiveittwenty-fourbookslikethisayear——acompletelibrary——fortheabsurdsumofsixdollars。Wedon\'tintendtosell\'em——it\'snonameforthetransaction——buttogive\'em。Andwhatwewanttogetoutofyou——beg，borrow，buy，orstealfromyouisanopinionwhetherweshallmaketheAmericanpublicthisprincelypresentinpapercoverslikethis，orinsomesortofflexibleboards，sotheycansetthemontheshelfandsaynomoreaboutit。Now，Dan\'el，cometojudgment，asourrespectedfriendShylockremarked。"

Beaconhadgotdonelookingatthedummy，andhedroppeditonthetablebeforeFulkerson，whopusheditaway，apparentlytofreehimselffrompartiality。"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthebusinessside，andIcan\'ttellabouttheeffectofeitherstyleonthesales；butyou\'llspoilthewholecharacterofthecoverifyouuseanythingthickerthanthatthickishpaper。"

"Allright；verygood；first-rate。Theayeshaveit。Paperitis。I

don\'tmindtellingyouthatwehaddecidedforthatpaperbeforeyoucamein。Mr。Marchwantedit，becausehefeltinhisbonesjustthewayyoudoaboutit，andMr。Dryfooswantedit，becausehe\'sthecounting-roomincarnate，andit\'scheaper；andI\'wantedit，becauseIalwaysliketogowiththemajority。Nowwhatdoyouthinkofthatlittledesignitself?"

"Thesketch?"Beatonpulledthebooktowardhimagainandlookedatitagain。"Ratherdecorative。Drawing\'snotremarkable。Graceful；rathernice。"Hepushedthebookawayagain，andFulkersonpulledittohisaideofthetable。

"Well，that\'sapieceofthatamateurtrashyoudespisesomuch。IwenttoapainterIknow-by-the-way，hewasguiltyofsuggestingyouforthisthing，butItoldhimIwasaheadofhim——andIgothimtosubmitmyideatooneofhisclass，andthat\'stheresult。Well，now，thereain\'tanythinginthisworldthatsellsabooklikeaprettycover，andwe\'regoingtohaveaprettycoverfor\'EveryOtherWeek\'everytime。We\'vecutloosefromtheoldtraditionalquartoliterarynewspapersize，andwe\'vecutloosefromtheoldtwo-columnbigpagemagazinesize；we\'regoingtohaveaduodecimopage，clearblackprint，andpaperthat\'llmakeyourmouthwater；andwe\'regoingtohaveafreshillustrationforthecoverofeachnumber，andweain\'tagoingtogivethepublicanyrestatall。Sometimeswe\'regoingtohaveadelicatelittlelandscapelikethis，andsometimeswe\'regoingtohaveanindelicatelittlefigure，orasmuchsoasthelawwillallow。"

Theyoungmanleaningagainstthemantelpieceblushedasortofprotest。

Marchsmiledandsaid，dryly，"ThosearethenumbersthatMr。Fulkersonisgoingtoedithimself。"

"Exactly。AndMr。Beaton，here，isgoingtosupplythefloatingfemales，gracefullyairingthemselvesagainstasunsetorsomethingofthatkind。"

Beatonfrownedinembarrassment，whileFulkersonwentonphilosophically；

"It\'sastonishinghowyoufellowscankeepitupatthisstageoftheproceedings；youcanpaintthingsthatyourharshestcriticwouldbeashamedtodescribeaccurately；you\'reasfreeasthetheatre。Butthat\'sneitherherenorthere。WhatI\'mafteristhefactthatwe\'regoingtohavevarietyinourtitle-pages，andwearegoingtohavenoveltyintheillustrationsofthebodyofthebook。March，here，ifhehadhisownway，wouldn\'thaveanyillustrationsatall。"

"NotbecauseIdon\'tlikethem，Mr。Beacon，"Marchinterposed，"butbecauseIlikethemtoomuch。IfindthatIlookatthepicturesinanillustratedarticle，butIdon\'treadthearticleverymuch，andIfancythat\'sthecasewithmostotherpeople。You\'vegottodoingthemsoprettilythatyoutakeoureyesofftheliterature，ifyoudon\'ttakeourmindsoff。"

"Likethesocietybeautiesonthestage:peoplegoinforthebeautysomuchthattheydon\'tknowwhattheplayis。Butthebox-officegetsthereallthesame，andthat\'swhatMr。Dryfooswants。"FulkersonlookedupgaylyatMr。Dryfoos，whosmileddeprecatingly。

"Itwasdifferent，"Marchwenton，"whentheillustrationsusedtobebad。Thenthetexthadsomechance。"

"Oldlegitimatedramadays，whenuglinessandgeniuscombinedtostormthegalleries，"saidFulkerson。

"Wecanstillmakethembadenough，"saidBeaton，ignoringFulkersoninhisremarktoMarch。

Fulkersontookthereplyuponhimself。"Well，youneedn\'tmake\'emsobadastheold-stylecuts；butyoucanmakethemunobtrusive，modestlyretiring。We\'vegotholdofaprocesssomethinglikethatthoseFrenchfellowsgaveDaudetthirty-fivethousanddollarstowriteanoveltousewith；kindofthingthatbeginsatoneside；oronecorner，andspreadsinasortofdimreligiousstyleovertheprinttillyoucan\'ttellwhichiswhich。Thenwe\'vegotanotionthatwherethepicturesdon\'tbehavequitesosociably，theycanbedroppedintothetext，likealittlecasualremark，don\'tyouknow，oracommentthathassomeconnection，ormaybenoneatall，withwhat\'sgoingoninthestory。Somethinglikethis。"Fulkersontookawayonekneefromthetablelongenoughtoopenthedrawer，andpullfromitabookthatheshovedtowardBeacon。

"That\'saSpanishbookIhappenedtoseeatBrentano\'s，andIfrozetoitonaccountofthepictures。Iguessthey\'reprettygood。"

"Doyouexpecttogetsuchdrawingsinthiscountry?"askedBeaton，afteraglanceatthebook。"uchcharacter——suchdrama?Youwon\'t。"

"Well，I\'mnotsosure，"saidFulkerson，"cometogetouramateurswarmeduptothework。ButwhatIwantistogetthephysicaleffect，sotospeak-getthatsizedpictureintoourpage，andsetthefashionofit。

Ishouldn\'tcareiftheillustrationwassometimesconfinedtoaninitialletterandatail-piece。"

"Couldn\'tbedonehere。Wehaven\'tthetouch。We\'regoodinsomethings，butthisisn\'tinourway，"saidBeaton，stubbornly。"Ican\'tthinkofamanwhocoulddoit；thatis，amongthosethatwould。"

"Well，thinkofsomewoman，then，"saidFulkerson，easily。"I\'vegotanotionthatthewomencouldhelpusoutonthisthing，cometoget\'eminterested。Thereain\'tanythingsopopularasfemalefiction；whynottryfemaleart?"

"Thefemalesthemselveshavebeensupposedtohavebeentryingitforagoodwhile，"Marchsuggested；andMr。Dryfooslaughednervously；Beatonremainedsolemnlysilent。

"Yes，Iknow，"Fulkersonassented。"ButIdon\'tmeanthatkindexactly。

Whatwewanttodoistoworkthe\'ewigWeibliche\'inthisconcern。Wewanttomakeamagazinethatwillgoforthewomen\'sfancyeverytime。

Idon\'tmeanwithrecipesforcookingandfashionsandpersonalgossipaboutauthorsandsociety，butrealhigh-toneliteraturethatwillshowwomentriumphinginallthestories，orelsesufferingtremendously。

We\'vegottorecognizethatwomenformthree-fourthsofthereadingpublicinthiscountry，andgofortheirtastesandtheirsensibilitiesandtheirsex-pietyalongthewholeline。Theydoliketothinkthatwomencandothingsbetterthanmen；andifwecanletitleakoutandgetaroundinthepapersthatthemanagersof\'EveryOtherWeek\'couldn\'tstirapeginthelineoftheillustrationstheywantedtilltheygotalotofGod-giftedgirlstohelpthem，it\'llmakethefortuneofthething。See?"

Helookedsunnilyroundattheothermen，andMarchsaid:"YououghttobeinchargeofaSiamesewhiteelephant，Fulkerson。It\'sadisgracetobeconnectedwithyou。"

"Itseemstome，"saidBecton，"thatyou\'dbettergetaGod-giftedgirlforyourarteditor。"

Fulkersonleanedalertlyforward，andtouchedhimontheshoulder，withacompassionatesmile。"Mydearboy，theyhaven\'tgotthegeniusoforganization。Ittakesaverymasculinemanforthat——amanwhocombinesthemostsubtleandrefinedsympathieswiththemostforcefulpurposesandthemostferruginouswill-power。WhichhisnameisAngusBeaton，andherehesets!"

TheotherslaughedwithFulkersonathisgrossburlesqueofflattery，andBectonfrownedsheepishly。"Isupposeyouunderstandthisman\'sstyle，"

hegrowledtowardMarch。

"Hedoes，myson，"saidFulkerson。"HeknowsthatIcannottellalie。"

Hepulledouthiswatch，andthengotsuddenlyuponhisfeet。

"It\'squarteroftwelve，andI\'vegotanappointment。"Beatonrosetoo，andFulkersonputthetwobooksinhislaxhands。"Takethesealong，MichelangeloDaVinci，myfriend，andputyourmultitudinousmindonthemforaboutanhour，andletushearfromyouto-morrow。Wehanguponyourdecision。"

"There\'snodecidingtobedone，"saidBeaton。"Youcan\'tcombinethetwostyles。They\'dkilleachother。"

"ADan\'el，aDan\'elcometojudgment!Iknewyoucouldhelpusout!

Take\'emalong，andtelluswhichwillgothefurthestwiththe\'ewigWeibliche。\'Dryfoos，Iwantawordwithyou。"Heledthewayintothefrontroom，flirtinganairyfarewelltoBeatonwithhishandashewent。

VII。

MarchandBeatonremainedalonetogetherforamoment，andMarchsaid:

"Ihopeyouwillthinkitworthwhiletotakeholdwithus，Mr。Beaton。

Mr。Fulkersonputsitinhisownway，ofcourse；butwereallywanttomakeanicethingofthemagazine。"Hehadthattimidityoftheelderinthepresenceoftheyoungermanwhichtheyounger，preoccupiedwithhisowntimidityinthepresenceoftheelder，cannotimagine。Besides，MarchwasawareofthegulfthatdividedhimasaliterarymanfromBeatonasanartist，andheonlyventuredtofeelhiswaytowardsympathywithhim。"Wewanttomakeitgood；wewanttomakeithigh。Fulkersonisrightaboutaimingtopleasethewomen，butofcoursehecaricaturesthewayofgoingaboutit。"

Foranswer，Beatonflungout，"Ican\'tgoinforathingIdon\'tunderstandtheplanof。"

Marchtookitforgrantedthathehadwoundedsomeexposedsensibility，ofBeaton\'s。Hecontinuedstillmoredeferentially:"Mr。Fulkerson\'snotion——Imustsaythenotionishis，evolvedfromhissyndicateexperience——isthatweshalldobestinfictiontoconfineourselvestoshortstories，andmakeeachnumbercompleteinitself。Hefoundthatthemostsuccessfulthingshecouldfurnishhisnewspaperswereshortstories；weAmericansaresupposedtoexcelinwritingthem；andmostpeoplebeginwiththeminfiction；andit\'sMr。Fulkerson\'sideatoworkunknowntalent，ashesays，andsohethinkshecannotonlygetthemeasily，butcangraduallyformaschoolofshort-storywriters。Ican\'tsayIfollowhimaltogether，butIrespecthisexperience。Weshallnotdespisetranslationsofshortstories，butotherwisethematterwillallbeoriginal，and，ofcourse，itwon\'tallbeshortstories。Weshallusesketchesoftravel，andessays，andlittledramaticstudies，andbitsofbiographyandhistory；butallverylight，andalwaysshortenoughtobecompletedinasinglenumber。Mr。Fulkersonbelievesinpictures，andmostofthethingswouldbecapableofillustration。"

"Isee，"saidBeaton。

"Idon\'tknowbutthisisthewholeaffair，"saidMarch，beginningtostiffenalittleattheyoungman\'sreticence。

"Iunderstand。Thankyoufortakingthetroubletoexplain。Good-

morning。"Beatonbowedhimselfoff，withoutofferingtoshakehands。

Fulkersoncameinafterawhilefromtheouteroffice，andMr。Dryfoosfollowedhim。"Well，whatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?"

"Isheourarteditor?"askedMarch。"Iwasn\'tquitecertainwhenheleft。"

"Didhetakethebooks?"

"Yes，hetookthebooks。"

"Iguesshe\'sallright，then。"Fulkersonadded，inconcessiontotheumbragehedetectedinMarch。

"Beatonhashistimesofbeingthegreatestassinthesolarsystem，butheusuallytakesitoutinpersonalconduct。Whenitcomestowork，he\'saregularhorse。"

"Heappearstohavecompromisedforthepresentbybeingaperfectmule，"

saidMarch。

"Well，he\'sinatransitionstate，"Fulkersonallowed。"He\'sthemanforus。Hereallyunderstandswhatwewant。You\'llsee；he\'llcatchon。

Thatluridglareofhiswillwearoffinthecourseoftime。He\'sreallyagoodfellowwhenyoutakehimoffhisguard；andhe\'sfullofideas。

He\'sspreadoutoveragooddealofgroundatpresent，andsohe\'sprettythin；butcometogatherhimupintoalump，there\'sagooddealofsubstancetohim。Yes，thereis。He\'safirst-ratecritic，andhe\'sanicefellowwiththeotherartists。Theylaughathisuniversality，buttheyalllikehim。He\'sthebestkindofateacherwhenhecondescendstoit；andhe\'sjustthemantodealwithourvolunteerwork。Yes，sir，he\'saprize。Well，Imustgonow。"

Fulkersonwentoutofthestreetdoor，andthencamequicklyback。"By-

the-bye，March，IsawthatolddynamiterofyoursroundatBeaton\'sroomyesterday。"

"Whatolddynamiterofmine?"

"Thatoldone-handedDutchman——friendofyouryouth——theonewesawatMaroni\'s——"

"Oh-Lindau!"saidMarch，withavaguepangofselfreproachforhavingthoughtofLindausolittleafterthefirstfloodofhistenderfeelingtowardhimwaspast。

"Yes，ourversatilefriendwasmodellinghimasJudasIscariot。Lindaumakesafirst-rateJudas，andBeatonhasgotabigthinginthatheadifheworksthereligiouspeopleright。ButwhatIwasthinkingofwasthis——itstruckmejustasIwasgoingoutofthedoor:Didn\'tyoutellmeLindauknewfortyorfifty，differentlanguages?"

"Fourorfive，yes。"

"Well，wewon\'tquarrelaboutthenumber。Thequestionis，Whynotworkhiminthefieldofforeignliterature?Youcan\'tgooveralltheirreviewsandmagazines，andhecoulddothesmellingforyou，ifyoucouldtrusthisnose。Wouldheknowagoodthing?"

"Ithinkhewould，"saidMarch，onwhomthescopeofFulkerson\'ssuggestiongraduallyopened。"Heusedtohavegoodtaste，andhemustknowtheground。Why，it\'sacapitalidea，Fulkerson!LindauwroteveryfairEnglish，andhecouldtranslate，withalittlerevision。"

"Andhewouldprobablyworkcheap。Well，hadn\'tyoubetterseehimaboutit?Iguessit\'llbequiteawindfallforhim。"

"Yes，itwill。I\'lllookhimup。Thankyouforthesuggestion，Fulkerson。"

"Oh，don\'tmentionit!Idon\'tminddoing\'EveryOtherWeek\'agoodturnnowandthenwhenitcomesinmyway。"Fulkersonwentoutagain，andthistimeMarchwasfinallyleftwithMr。Dryfoos。

"Mrs。Marchwasverysorrynottobeathomewhenyoursisterscalledtheotherday。Shewishedmetoaskiftheyhadanyafternooninparticular。

Therewasnoneonyourmother\'scard。"

"No，sir，"saidtheyoungman，withaflushofembarrassmentthatseemedhabitualwithhim。"Shehasnoday。She\'sathomealmosteveryday。

Shehardlyevergoesout。"

"Mightwecomesomeevening?"Marchasked。"Weshouldbeverygladtodothat，ifshewouldexcusetheinformality。ThenIcouldcomewithMrs。March。"

"Motherisn\'tveryformal，"saidtheyoungman。"Shewouldbeverygladtoseeyou。"

"Thenwe\'llcomesomenightthisweek，ifyouwillletus。Whendoyouexpectyourfatherback?"

"NotmuchbeforeChristmas。He\'stryingtosettleupsomethingsatMoffitt。"

"Andwhatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?"askedMarch，withasmile，forthechangeofsubject。

"Oh，Idon\'tknowmuchaboutsuchthings，"saidtheyoungman，withanotherofhisembarrassedflushes。"Mr。Fulkersonseemstofeelsurethatheistheoneforus。"

"Mr。FulkersonseemedtothinkthatIwastheoneforyou，too，"saidMarch；andhelaughed。"That\'swhatmakesmedoubthisinfallibility。

Buthecouldn\'tdoworsewithMr。Beaton。"

Mr。Dryfoosreddenedandlookeddown，asifunableorunwillingtocopewiththedifficultyofmakingapoliteprotestagainstMarch\'sself-

depreciation。Hesaid，afteramoment:"It\'snewbusinesstoallofusexceptMr。Fulkerson。ButIthinkitwillsucceed。Ithinkwecandosomegoodinit。"

Marchaskedratherabsently，"Somegood?"Thenheadded:"Ohyes；

Ithinkwecan。Whatdoyoumeanbygood?Improvethepublictaste?

Elevatethestandardofliterature?Giveyoungauthorsandartistsachance?"

ThiswastheonlygoodthathadeverbeeninMarch\'smind，exceptthegoodthatwastocomeinamaterialwayfromhissuccess，tohimselfandtohisfamily。

"Idon\'tknow，"saidtheyoungman；andhelookeddowninashamefacedfashion。HeliftedhisheadandlookedintoMarch\'sface。"IsupposeI

wasthinkingthatsometimewemighthelpalong。IfweweretohavethosesketchesofyoursaboutlifeineverypartofNewYork——"

March\'sauthorialvanitywastickled。"Fulkersonhasbeentalkingtoyouaboutthem?Heseemedtothinktheywouldbeacard。Hebelievesthatthere\'snosubjectsofascinatingtothegeneralaverageofpeoplethroughoutthecountryaslifeinNewYorkCity；andhelikedmynotionofdoingthesethings。"MarchhopedthatDryfooswouldanswerthatFulkersonwasperfectlyenthusiasticabouthisnotion；buthedidnotneedthisstimulus，and，atanyrate，hewentonwithoutit。"Thefactis，it\'ssomethingthatstruckmyfancythemomentIcamehere；Ifoundmyselfintenselyinterestedintheplace，andIbegantomakenotes，consciouslyandunconsciously，atonce。Yes，IbelieveIcangetsomethingquiteattractiveoutofit。Idon\'tintheleastknowwhatitwillbeyet，exceptthatitwillbeverydesultory；andIcouldn\'tatallsaywhenIcangetatit。IfwepostponethefirstnumbertillFebruaryImightgetalittlepaperintothat。Yes，Ithinkitmightbeagoodthingforus，"Marchsaid，withmodestself-appreciation。

"Ifyoucanmakethecomfortablepeopleunderstandhowtheuncomfortablepeoplelive，itwillbeaverygoodthing，Mr。March。Sometimesitseemstomethattheonlytroubleisthatwedon\'tknowoneanotherwellenough；andthatthefirstthingistodothis。"Theyoungfellowspokewiththeseriousnessinwhichthebeautyofhisfaceresided。Wheneverhelaughedhisfacelookedweak，evensilly。Itseemedtobeasenseofthisthatmadehimhanghisheadorturnitawayatsuchtimes。

"That\'strue，"saidMarch，fromthesurfaceonly。"Andthen，thosephasesoflowlifeareimmenselypicturesque。Ofcourse，wemusttrytogetthecontrastsofluxuryforthesakeofthefulleffect。Thatwon\'tbesoeasy。Youcan\'tpenetratetothedinner-partyofamillionaireunderthewingofadetectiveasyoucouldtoacarouseinMulberryStreet，ortohischildren\'snurserywithaphilanthropistasyoucantoastreet-boy\'slodging-house。"Marchlaughed，andagaintheyoungmanturnedhisheadaway。"Still，somethingcanbedoneinthatwaybytactandpatience。"

VII。

ThateveningMarchwentwithhiswifetoreturnthecalloftheDryfoosladies。Ontheirwayup-townintheElevatedhetoldherofhistalkwithyoungDryfoos。"IconfessIwasalittleashamedbeforehimafterwardforhavinglookedatthemattersoentirelyfromtheaestheticpointofview。Butofcourse，youknow，ifIwenttoworkatthosethingswithanethicalintentionexplicitlyinmind，Ishouldspoilthem。"

"Ofcourse，"saidhiswife。Shehadalwaysheardhimsaysomethingofthiskindaboutsuchthings。

Hewenton:"ButIsupposethat\'sjustthepointthatsuchanatureasyoungDryfoos\'scan\'tgetholdof，orkeepholdof。We\'reaqueerlot，downthere，Isabel——perfectmenagerie。Ifithadn\'tbeenthatFulkersongotustogether，andreallyseemstoknowwhathediditfor，Ishouldsayhewastheoddeststickamongus。ButwhenIthinkofmyselfandmyowncrankinessfortheliterarydepartment；andyoungDryfoos，whooughtreallytobeinthepulpit，oramonastery，orsomething，forpublisher；

andthatyoungBeaton，whoprobablyhasn\'tamoralfibreinhiscomposition，fortheartman，Idon\'tknowbutwecouldgiveFulkersonoddsandstillbeathiminoddity。"

Hiswifeheavedadeepsighofapprehension，ofrenunciation，ofmonition。"Well，I\'mgladyoucanfeelsolightaboutit，Basil。"

"Light?Ifeelgay!WithFulkersonatthehelm，Itellyoutherocksandtheleeshorehadbetterkeepoutoftheway。"Helaughedwithpleasureinhismetaphor。"JustwhenyouthinkFulkersonhastakenleaveofhissenseshesaysordoessomethingthatshowsheisonthemostintimateandinalienabletermswiththemallthetime。YouknowhowI\'vebeenworryingoverthoseforeignperiodicals，andtryingtogetsometranslationsfromthemforthefirstnumber?Well，Fulkersonhasbroughthiscentipedalmindtobearonthesubject，andhe\'ssuggestedthatoldGermanfriendofmineIwastellingyouof——theoneImetintherestaurant——thefriendofmyyouth。"

"Doyouthinkhecoulddoit?"askedMrs。March，sceptically。

"He\'saperfectBabelofstrangetongues；andhe\'stheverymanforthework，andIwasashamedIhadn\'tthoughtofhimmyself，forIsuspectheneedsthework。"

"Well，becarefulhowyougetmixedupwithhim，then，Basil，"saidhiswife，whohadthenaturalmisgivingconcerningthefriendsofherhusband\'syouththatallwiveshave。"YouknowtheGermansaresounscrupulouslydependent。Youdon\'tknowanythingabouthimnow。"

"I\'mnotafraidofLindau，"saidMarch。"HewasthebestandkindestmanIeversaw，themosthigh-minded，themostgenerous。Helostahandinthewarthathelpedtosaveusandkeepuspossible，andthatstumpofhisischaracterenoughforme。"

"Oh，youdon\'tthinkIcouldhavemeantanythingagainsthim!"saidMrs。

March，withthetenderfervorthateverywomanwholivedinthetimeofthewarmustfeelforthosewhosufferedinit。"AllthatImeantwasthatIhopedyouwouldnotgetmixedupwithhimtoomuch。You\'resoapttobecarriedawaybyyourimpulses。"

"Theydidn\'tcarrymeveryfarawayinthedirectionofpooroldLindau，I\'mashamedtothink，"saidMarch。"ImeantallsortsoffinethingsbyhimafterImethim；andthenIforgothim，andIhadtoberemindedofhimbyFulkerson。"

Shedidnotanswerhim，andhefellintoaremorsefulreverie，inwhichherehabilitatedLindauanew，andprovidedhandsomelyforhisoldage。

Hegothimburiedwithmilitaryhonors，andhadashaftraisedoverhim，withamedallionlikenessbyBeatonandanepitaphbyhimself，bythetimetheyreachedForty-secondStreet；therewasnotimetowriteLindau\'slife，howeverbriefly，beforethetrainstopped。

TheyhadtowalkupfourblocksandthenhalfablockacrossbeforetheycametotheindistinctivebrownstonehousewheretheDryfooseslived。

Itwaslargerthansomeinthesameblock，butthenextneighborhoodofahugeapartment-housedwarfeditagain。Marchthoughtherecognizedtheveryflatinwhichhehaddisciplinedthesurlyjanitor，buthedidnottellhiswife；hemadehernoticethetransitioncharacterofthestreet，whichhadbeenmostlybuiltupinapartment-houses，withhereandthereasingledwellingdroppedfardownbeneathandbesidethem，tothatjag-

toothedeffectonthesky-linesooftenobservableinsuchNewYorkstreets。"Idon\'tknowexactlywhattheoldgentlemanboughtherefor，"

hesaid，astheywaitedonthestepsafterringing，"unlessheexpectstoturnitintoflatsby-and-by。Otherwise，Idon\'tbelievehe\'llgethismoneyback。"

AnIrishserving-man，withacertainsurprisethatdelayedhim，saidtheladieswereathome，andlettheMarchesin，andthencarriedtheircardsup-stairs。Thedrawing-room，wherehesaidtheycouldsitdownwhilehewentonthiserrand，wasdelicately，decoratedinwhiteandgold，andfurnishedwithasortofextravagantgoodtaste；therewasnothingtoobjecttointhesatinfurniture，thepale，soft，richcarpet，thepictures，andthebronzeandchinabric-a-brac，exceptthattheircostlinesswastooevident；everythingintheroommeantmoneytooplainly，andtoomuchofit。TheMarchesrecognizedthisinthehoarsewhisperswhichpeoplecannotgettheirvoicesabovewhentheytrytotalkawaytheintervalofwaitinginsuchcircumstances；theyconjecturedfromwhattheyhadheardoftheDryfoosesthatthistastefulluxuryinnowiseexpressedtheircivilization。"Thoughwhenyoucometothat，"saidMarch，"Idon\'tknowthatMrs。Green\'sgimcrackeryexpressesours。"

"Well，Basil，Ididn\'ttakethegimcrackery。Thatwasyour——"

TherustleofskirtsonthestairswithoutarrestedMrs。Marchinthewell-meritedpunishmentwhichsheneverfailedtoinflictuponherhusbandwhenthequestionofthegimcrackery——theyalwayscalleditthat——

cameup。Sheroseattheentranceofabright-looking，pretty-looking，mature，youngishlady，inblacksilkofaneutralimplication，whoputoutherhandtoher，andsaid，withaverycheery，veryladylikeaccent，"Mrs。March?"andthenaddedtobothofthem，whilesheshookhandswithMarch，andbeforetheycouldgetthenameoutoftheirmonths:"No，notMissDryfoos!Neitherofthem；norMrs。Dryfoos。Mrs。Mandel。Theladieswillbedowninamoment。Won\'tyouthrowoffyoursacque，Mrs。

March?I\'mafraidit\'sratherwarmhere，comingfromtheoutside。"

"Iwillthrowitback，ifyou\'llallowme，"saidMrs。March，withasortofprovisionality，asif，pendingsomeuncertaintyastoMrs。Mandel\'squalityandauthority，shedidnotfeelherselfjustifiedingoingfurther。

ButifshedidnotknowaboutMrs。Mandel，Mrs。Mandelseemedtoknowabouther。"Oh，well，do!"shesaid，withasortofrecognitionoftheproprietyofhercaution。"IhopeyouarefeelingalittleathomeinNewYork。Weheardsomuchofyourtroubleingettingaflat，fromMr。

Fulkerson。"

"Well，atrueBostoniandoesn\'tgiveupquitesosoon，"saidMrs。March。

"ButIwillsayNewYorkdoesn\'tseemsofaraway，nowwe\'rehere。"

"I\'msureyou\'lllikeit。Everyonedoes。"Mrs。MandeladdedtoMarch，"It\'sverysharpout，isn\'tit?"

"Rathersharp。ButafterourBostonwintersIdon\'tknowbutIoughttorepudiatetheword。"

"Ah，waittillyouhavebeenherethroughMarch!"saidMrs。Mandel。Shebeganwithhim，butskillfullytransferredthecloseofherremark，andthelittlesmileofmenacethatwentwithit，tohiswife。

"Yes，"saidMrs。March，"orApril，either:Talkaboutoureastwinds!"

"Oh，I\'msuretheycan\'tbeworsethanourwinds，"Mrs。Mandelreturned，caressingly。

"IfweescapeNewYorkpneumonia，"Marchlaughed，"itwillonlybetofallapreytoNewYorkmalariaassoonasthefrostisoutoftheground。"

"Oh，butyouknow，"saidMrs。Mandel，"Ithinkourmalariahasreallybeenslanderedalittle。It\'smoreamatterofdrainage——ofplumbing。

Idon\'tbelieveitwouldbepossibleformalariatogetintothishouse，we\'vehaditgoneoversothoroughly。"

Mrs。Marchsaid，whileshetriedtodivineMrs。Mandel\'spositionfromthisstatement，"It\'scertainlythefirstduty。"

"IfMrs。Marchcouldhavehadherway，weshouldhavehadthedrainageofourwholewardputinorder，"saidherhusband，"beforeweventuredtotakeafurnishedapartmentforthewinter。"

Mrs。MandellookeddiscreetlyatMrs。Marchforpermissiontolaughatthis，butatthesamemomentbothladiesbecamepreoccupiedwithasecondrustlingonthestairs。

Twotall，well-dressedyounggirlscamein，andMrs。Mandelintroduced，"MissDryfoos，Mrs。March；andMissMelaDryfoos，Mr。March，"sheadded，andthegirlsshookhandsintheirseveralwayswiththeMarches。

MissDryfooshadkeenblackeyes，andherhairwasintenselyblack。Herface，butfortheslightinwardcurveofthenose，wasregular，andthesmallnessofhernoseandofhermouthdidnotweakenherface，butgaveitacuriouseffectoffierceness，ofchallenge。Shehadalargeblackfaninherhand，whichshewavedintalking，withaslow，watchfulnervousness。Hersisterwasblonde，andhadaprofilelikeherbrother\'s；butherchinwasnotsosalient，andtheweaklookofthemouthwasnotcorrectedbythespiritualityorthefervorofhiseyes，thoughherswereofthesamemottledblue。ShedroppedintothelowseatbesideMrs。Mandel，andintertwinedherfingerswiththoseofthehandwhichMrs。Mandelletherhave。ShesmiledupontheMarches，whileMissDryfooswatchedthemintensely，withhereyesfirstononeandthenontheother，asifshedidnotmeantoletanyexpressionoftheirsescapeher。

"Mymotherwillbedowninaminute，"shesaidtoMrs。March。

"Ihopewe\'renotdisturbingher。Itissogoodofyoutoletuscomeintheevening，"Mrs。Marchreplied。

"Oh，notatall，"saidthegirl。"Wereceiveintheevening。"

"Whenwedoreceive，"MissMelaputin。"Wedon\'talwaysgetthechanceto。"Shebeganalaugh，whichshecheckedatasmilefromMrs。Mandel，whichnoonecouldhaveseentobereproving。

MissDryfooslookeddownatherfan，andlookedupdefiantlyatMrs。

March。"Isupposeyouhavehardlygotsettled。Wewereafraidwewoulddisturbyouwhenwecalled。"

"Ohno!Wewereverysorrytomissyourvisit。Wearequitesettledinournewquarters。Ofcourse，it\'sallverydifferentfromBoston。"

"Ihopeit\'smoreofasociableplacethere，"MissMelabrokeinagain。

"IneversawsuchanunsociableplaceasNewYork。We\'vebeeninthishousethreemonths，andIdon\'tbelievethatifwestayedthreeyearsanyoftheneighborswouldcall。"

"Ifancyproximitydoesn\'tcountformuchinNewYork，"Marchsuggested。

Mrs。Mandelsaid:"That\'swhatItellMissMela。Butsheisaverysocialnature，andcan\'treconcileherselftothefact。"

"No，Ican\'t，"thegirlpouted。"IthinkitwastwiceasmuchfuninMoffitt。IwishIwastherenow。"

"Yes，"saidMarch，"Ithinkthere\'sagreatdealmoreenjoymentinthosesmallerplaces。There\'snotsomuchgoingoninthewayofpublicamusements，andsopeoplemakemoreofoneanother。Therearenotsomanyconcerts，theatres，operas——"

"Oh，they\'vegotasplendidopera-houseinMoffitt。It\'sjustgrand，"

saidMissMela。

"Haveyoubeentotheoperahere，thiswinter?"Mrs。Marchaskedoftheeldergirl。

Shewasglaringwithafrownathersister，anddetachedhereyesfromherwithaneffort。"Whatdidyousay?"shedemanded，withanabsentbluntness。"Ohyes。Yes!Wewentonce。FathertookaboxattheMetropolitan。"

"ThenyougotagooddoseofWagner，Isuppose?"saidMarch。

"What?"askedthegirl。

"Idon\'tthinkMissDryfoosisveryfondofWagner\'smusic，"Mrs。Mandelsaid。"IbelieveyouareallgreatWagneritesinBoston?"

"I\'maverybadBostonian，Mrs。Mandel。IsuspectmyselfofpreferringVerdi，"Marchanswered。

MissDryfooslookeddownatherfanagain，andsaid，"Ilike\'Trovatore\'

thebest。"

"It\'sanoperaInevergettiredof，"saidMarch，andMrs。MarchandMrs:

Mandelexchangedasmileofcompassionforhissimplicity。Hedetectedit，andadded:"ButIdaresayIshallcomedownwiththeWagnerfeverintime。I\'vebeenexposedtosomemalignantcasesofit。"

"Thatnightwewerethere，"saidMissMela，"theyhadtoturnthegasdownallthroughonepartofit，andthepaperssaidtheladieswereawfulmadbecausetheycouldn\'tshowtheirdiamonds。Idon\'twonder，iftheyallhadtopayasmuchfortheirboxesaswedid。Wehadtopaysixtydollars。"ShelookedattheMarchesfortheirsensationatthisexpense。

Marchsaid:"Well，IthinkIshalltakemyboxbythemonth，then。Itmustcomecheaper，wholesale。"

"Ohno，itdon\'t，"saidthegirl，gladtoinformhim。"Thepeoplethatowntheirboxes，andthathadtogivefifteenortwentythousanddollarsapieceforthem，havetopaysixtydollarsanightwheneverthere\'saperformance，whethertheygoornot。"

"ThenIshouldgoeverynight，"Marchsaid。

"Mostoftheladieswerelowneck——"

Marchinterposed，"Well，Ishouldn\'tgolow-neck。"

Thegirlbrokeintoafondlyapprovinglaughathisdrolling。"Oh，I

guessyoulovetotrain!Usgirlswantedtogolowneck，too；butfathersaidweshouldn\'t，andmothersaidifwedidshewouldn\'tcometothefrontoftheboxonce。Well，shedidn\'t，anyway。Wemightjustaswell\'a\'gonelowneck。Shestayedbackthewholetime，andwhentheyhadthatdance——theballet，youknow——shejustshuthereyes。Well，Conraddidn\'tlikethatpartmuch，either；butusgirlsandMrs。Mandel，webrazeneditoutrightinthefrontofthebox。Wewereabouttheonlyonestherethatwenthighneck。Conradhadtowearaswallow-tail；

butfatherhadn\'tany，andhehadtopatchoutwithawhitecravat。

Youcouldn\'tseewhathehadoninthebacko\'thebox，anyway。"

Mrs。MarchlookedatMissDryfoos，whowaswavingherfanmoreandmoreslowlyupanddown，andwho，whenshefeltherselflookedat，returnedMrs。March\'ssmile，whichshemeanttobeingratiatingandperhapssympathetic，withaflashthatmadeherstart，andthenranherfierceeyesoverMarch\'sface。"Herecomesmother，"shesaid，withasortofbreathlessness，asifspeakingherthoughtaloud，andthroughtheopendoortheMarchescouldseetheoldladyonthestairs。

Shepausedhalf-waydown，andturning，calledup:"Coonrod!Coonrod!

Youbringmyshawldownwithyou。"

HerdaughterMelacalledouttoher，"Now，mother，Christine\'llgiveittoyoufornotsendingMike。"

"Well，Idon\'tknowwhereheis，Mely，child，"themotheransweredback。

"Heain\'tneveraroundwhenhe\'swanted，andwhenheain\'t，itseemslikeabodycouldn\'tgitshetofhim，nohow。"

"Well，yououghttoringforhim!"criedMissMela，enjoyingthejoke。

Hermothercameinwithaslowstep；herheadshookslightlyasshelookedabouttheroom，perhapsfromnervousness，perhapsfromatouchofpalsy。IneithercasethefacthadapathoswhichMrs。Marchconfessedintheaffectionwithwhichshetookherhard，dry，large，oldhandwhenshewasintroducedtoher，andinthesinceritywhichsheputintothehopethatshewaswell。

"I\'mjustmiddlin\'，"Mrs。Dryfoosreplied。"Iain\'tneversowell，nowadays。ItellfawtherIdon\'tbelieveitagreeswithmeverywellhere，buthesaysI\'llgitusedtoit。He\'sawaynow，outatMoffitt，"

shesaidtoMarch，andwaveredonfootamomentbeforeshesankintoachair。Shewasatallwoman，whohadbeenabeautifulgirl，andhergrayhairhadamemoryofblondenessinitlikeLindau\'s，Marchnoticed。Sheworeasimplesilkgown，ofaQuakerlygray，andsheheldahandkerchieffoldedsquare，asithadcomefromthelaundress。SomethingliketheSabbathquietofalittlewoodenmeeting-houseinthickWesternwoodsexpresseditselftohimfromherpresence。

"Laws，mother!"saidMissMela；"whatyougotthatoldthingonfor?IfI\'d\'a\'knownyou\'d\'a\'comedowninthat!"

"Coonrodsaiditwasallright，Mely，"saidhermother。

MissMelaexplainedtotheMarches:"MotherwasraisedamongtheDunkards，andshethinksit\'swickedtowearanythingbutagraysilkevenfordress-up。"

"Youhain\'tneverhearedo\'theDunkards，Ireckon，"theoldwomansaidtoMrs。March。"Somefolkscalls\'emtheBeardyMen，becausetheydon\'tnevershave；andtheywashfeetliketheydointheTestament。Myunclewasone。Heraisedme。"

"Iguessprettymucheverybody\'saBeardyMannowadays，ifheain\'taDunkard!"

MissMelalookedroundforapplauseofhersally，butMarchwassayingtohiswife:"It\'saPennsylvaniaGermansect，Ibelieve——somethingliketheQuakers。IusedtoseethemwhenIwasaboy。"

"Aren\'ttheysomethingliketheMennists?"askedMrs。Mandel。

"They\'regoodpeople，"saidtheoldwoman，"andtheworld\'dbeaheapbetteroffiftherewasmorelike\'em。"

Hersoncameinandlaidasoftshawloverhershouldersbeforeheshookhandswiththevisitors。"Iamgladyoufoundyourwayhere，"hesaidtothem。

Christine，whohadbeenbendingforwardoverherfan，nowliftedherselfupwithasighandleanedbackinherchair。

"I\'msorrymyfatherisn\'there，"saidtheyoungmantoMrs。March。

"He\'snevermetyouyet?"

"No；andIshouldliketoseehim。Wehearagreatdealaboutyourfather，youknow，fromMr。Fulkerson。"

"Oh，Ihopeyoudon\'tbelieveeverythingMr。Fulkersonsaysaboutpeople，"Melacried。"He\'sthegreatestpersonforcarryingonwhenhegetsgoingIeversaw。ItmakesChristinejustasmadwhenhimandmothergetstotalkingaboutreligion；shesayssheknowshedon\'tcareanythingmoreaboutitthanthemaninthemoon。Ireckonhedon\'ttryitonmuchwithfather。"

"Yourfawtherain\'teverbeenaperfessor，"hermotherinterposed；"buthe\'salwaysbeenagoodchurch-goin\'man。"

"NotsincewecometoNewYork，"retortedthegirl。

"He\'sbeenallbrokeupsincehecometoNewYork，"saidtheoldwoman，withanaggrievedlook。