下载辰思小说免费APP
"Now，Conrad，here，"saidtheoldman，withasortofpatheticrancor，"wouldratherhavethegloryalone。Ibelievehedon\'tevencaremuchforyourkindofglory，either，Mr。Fulkerson。"
FulkersonranhislittleeyescuriouslyoverConrad\'sfaceandthenMarch\'s，asifsearchingforatracethereofsomethinggonebeforewhichwouldenablehimtoreachDryfoos\'swholemeaning。Heapparentlyresolvedtolaunchhimselfuponconjecture。"Oh，well，weknowhowConradfeelsaboutthethingsofthisworld，anyway。Ishouldliketotake\'emontheplaneofanothersphere，too，sometimes；butInoticedagoodwhileagothatthiswastheworldIwasborninto，andsoImadeupmymindthatIwoulddoprettymuchwhatIsawtherestofthefolksdoingherebelow。AndIcan\'tseebutwhatConradrunsthethingonbusinessprinciplesinhisdepartment，andIguessyou\'llfinditsoifyoulookintoit。Iconsiderthatwe\'reawholeteamandbigdogunderthewagonwithyoutodrawonforsupplies，andMarch，here，attheheadoftheliterarybusiness，andConradinthecounting-room，andmetodotheheavylyingintheadvertisingpart。Oh，andBeaton，ofcourse，intheart。I\'mostforgotBeaton——HamletwithHamletleftout。"
Dryfooslookedacrossathisson。"Wasn\'tthatthefellow\'snamethatwastherelastnight?"
"Yes，"saidConrad。
Theoldmanrose。"Well，IreckonIgottobegoing。Youreadytogoup-town，Conrad?"
"Well，notquiteyet，father。"
TheoldmanshookhandswithMarch，andwentdownstairs，followedbyhisson。
Fulkersonremained。
"Hedidn\'tjumpatthechanceyougavehimtocomplimentusallround，Fulkerson，"saidMarch，withasmilenotwhollyofpleasure。
Fulkersonasked，withaslittlejoyinthegrinhehadon，"Didn\'thesayanythingtoyoubeforeIcamein?"
"Notaword。"
"DoggedifIknowwhattomakeofit，"sighedFulkerson，"butIguesshe\'sbeenhavingatalkwithConradthat\'ssouredonhim。Ireckonmaybehecamebackexpectingtofindthatboyreconciledtothegloryofthisworld，andConrad\'sshowedhimselfjustassetagainstitasever。"
"Itmighthavebeenthat，"Marchadmitted，pensively。"Ifanciedsomethingofthekindmyselffromwordstheoldmanletdrop。"
Fulkersonmadehimexplain，andthenhesaid:
"That\'sit，then；andit\'sallright。Conrad\'llcomeroundintime；andallwe\'vegottodoistohavepatiencewiththeoldmantillhedoes。
Iknowhelikesyou。"Fulkersonaffirmedthisonlyinterrogatively，andlookedsoanxiouslytoMarchforcorroborationthatMarchlaughed。
"Hedissembledhislove，"hesaid；butafterward，indescribingtohiswifehisinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos，hewaslessamusedwiththisfact。
Whenshesawthathewasalittlecastdownbyit，shebegantoencouragehim。"He\'sjustacommon，ignorantman，andprobablydidn\'tknowhowtoexpresshimself。Youmaybeperfectlysurethathe\'sdelightedwiththesuccessofthemagazine，andthatheunderstandsaswellasyoudothatheowesitalltoyou。"
"Ah，I\'mnotsosure。Idon\'tbelieveaman\'sanybetterforhavingmademoneysoeasilyandrapidlyasDryfooshasdone，andIdoubtifhe\'sanywiser。Idon\'tknowjustthepointhe\'sreachedinhisevolutionfromgrubtobeetle，butIdoknowthatsofarasit\'sgonetheprocessmusthaveinvolvedabewilderingchangeofidealsandcriterions。Iguesshe\'scometodespiseagreatmanythingsthatheoncerespected，andthatintellectualabilityisamongthem——whatwecallintellectualability。
Hemusthaveundergoneamoraldeterioration，anatrophyofthegenerousinstincts，andIdon\'tseewhyitshouldn\'thavereachedhismentalmake-
up。Hehassharpened，buthehasnarrowed；hissagacityhasturnedintosuspicion，hiscautiontomeanness，hiscouragetoferocity。That\'sthewayIphilosophizeamanofDryfoos\'sexperience，andIamnotveryproudwhenIrealizethatsuchamanandhisexperiencearetheidealandambitionofmostAmericans。Iratherthinktheycameprettynearbeingmine，once。"
"No，dear，theyneverdid，"hiswifeprotested。
"Well，they\'renotlikelytobeinthefuture。TheDryfoosfeatureof\'EveryOtherWeek\'isthoroughlydistastefultome。"
"Why，buthehasn\'treallygotanythingtodowithit，hashe，beyondfurnishingthemoney?"
"That\'stheimpressionthatFulkersonhasallowedustoget。Butthemanthatholdsthepurseholdsthereins。Hemayletusguidethehorse，butwhenhelikeshecandrive。Ifwedon\'tlikehisdriving，thenwecangetdown。"
Mrs。Marchwaslessinterestedinthisfigureofspeechthaninthepersonalaspectsinvolved。"ThenyouthinkMr。Fulkersonhasdeceivedyou?"
"Ohno!"saidherhusband，laughing。"ButIthinkhehasdeceivedhimself，perhaps。"
"How?"shepursued。
"HemayhavethoughthewasusingDryfoos，whenDryfooswasusinghim，andhemayhavesupposedhewasnotafraidofhimwhenhewasverymuchso。Hiscouragehadn\'tbeenputtothetest，andcourageisamatterofproof，likeproficiencyonthefiddle，youknow:youcan\'ttellwhetheryou\'vegotittillyoutry。"
"Nonsense!DoyoumeanthathewouldeversacrificeyoutoMr。Dryfoos?"
"Ihopehemaynotbetempted。ButI\'dratherbetakingthechanceswithFulkersonalonethanwithFulkersonandDryfoostobackhim。Dryfoosseems，somehow，totakethepoetryandthepleasureoutofthething。"
Mrs。Marchwasalongtimesilent。Thenshebegan，"Well，mydear，I
neverwantedtocometoNewYork——"
"NeitherdidI，"Marchpromptlyputin。
"Butnowthatwe\'rehere，"shewenton，"I\'mnotgoingtohaveyoulettingeverylittlethingdiscourageyou。Idon\'tseewhattherewasinMr。Dryfoos\'smannertogiveyouanyanxiety。He\'sjustacommon，stupid，inarticulatecountryperson，andhedidn\'tknowhowtoexpresshimself，asIsaidinthebeginning，andthat\'sthereasonhedidn\'tsayanything。"
"Well，Idon\'tdenyyou\'rerightaboutit。"
"It\'sdreadful，"hiswifecontinued，"tobemixedupwithsuchamanandhisfamily，butIdon\'tbelievehe\'llevermeddlewithyourmanagement，and，tillhedoes，allyouneeddoistohaveaslittletodowithhimaspossible，andgoquietlyonyourownway。"
"Oh，Ishallgoonquietlyenough，"saidMarch。"IhopeIsha\'n\'tbegingoingstealthily。"
"Well，mydear，"saidMrs。March，"justletmeknowwhenyou\'retemptedtodothat。Ifeveryousacrificethesmallestgrainofyourhonestyoryourself-respecttoMr。Dryfoos，oranybodyelse，Iwillsimplyrenounceyou。"
"InviewofthatI\'mrathergladthemanagementof\'EveryOtherWeek\'
involvestastesandnotconvictions，"saidMarch。
III。
ThatnightDryfooswaswakenedfromhisafter-dinnernapbythesoundofgaytalkandnervousgigglinginthedrawing-room。Thetalk，whichwasChristine\'s，andthegiggling，whichwasMela\'s，wereintershotwiththeheaviertonesofaman\'svoice；andDryfooslayawhileontheleathernloungeinhislibrary，tryingtomakeoutwhetherheknewthevoice。Hiswifesatinadeepchairbeforethefire，withhereyesonhisface，waitingforhimtowake。
"Whoisthatoutthere?"heasked，withoutopeninghiseyes。
"Indeed，indeed，Idon\'tknow，Jacob，"hiswifeanswered。"Ireckonit\'sjustsomevisitorofthegirls\'。"
"WasIsnoring?"
"Notabit。Youwassleepingasquiet!Ididhatetohave\'emwakeyou，andIwasjustgoin\'outtoshoothem。They\'vebeenplayin\'something，andthatmadethemlaugh。"
"Ididn\'tknowbutIhadsnored，"saidtheoldman，sittingup。
"No，"saidhiswife。Thensheasked，wistfully，"Wasyououtattheoldplace，Jacob?"
"Yes。"
"Diditlooknatural?"
"Yes；mostly。They\'resinkingthewellsdowninthewoodspasture。"
"And——thechildren\'sgraves?"
"Theyhaven\'ttouchedthatpart。ButIreckonwegottohave\'emmovedtothecemetery。Iboughtalot。"
Theoldwomanbegansoftlytoweep。"Itdoesseemtoohardthattheycan\'tbelettorestinpeace，porelittlethings。Iwantedyouandmetolaythere，too，whenourtimecome，Jacob。Justthere，backo\'thebeehivesandunderthemshoomakes——my，Icanseetheveryplace!AndI
don\'tbelieveI\'lleverfeelathomeanywhereselse。Iwoon\'tknowwhereIamwhenthetrumpetsounds。IhavetothinkbeforeIcantellwheretheeastisinNewYork；andwhatifIshouldgitfacedthewrongwaywhenIraise?Jacob，Iwonderyoucouldsellit!"Herheadshook，andthefirelightshoneonhertearsasshesearchedthefoldsofherdressforherpocket。
Apealoflaughtercamefromthedrawing-room，andthenthesoundofchordsstruckonthepiano。
"Hush!Don\'tyoucry，\'Liz\'beth!"saidDryfoos。"Here；takemyhandkerchief。I\'vegotanicelotinthecemetery，andI\'mgoin\'tohaveamonument，withtwolambsonit——liketheoneyoualwayslikedsomuch。
Itain\'tthefashion，anymore，tohavefamilyburyin\'grounds；they\'recollectin\'\'emintothecemeteries，allround。"
"IreckonIgottobearit，"saidhiswife，mufflingherfaceinhishandkerchief。"AndIsupposetheLordkinfindme，whereverIam。ButI
alwaysdidwanttolayjustthere。Youmindhowweusedtogooutandsetthere，aftermilkin\'，andwatchthesungodown，andtalkaboutwheretheirangelswas，andtrytofiggeritout?"
"Iremember，\'Liz\'beth。"
Theman\'svoiceinthedrawing-roomsangasnatchofFrenchsong，insolent，mocking，salient；andthenChristine\'sattemptedthesamestrain，andanothercryoflaughterfromMelafollowed。
"Well，Ialwaysdidexpecttolaythere。ButIreckonit\'sallright。
Itwon\'tbeagreatwhile，now，anyway。Jacob，Idon\'tbelieveI\'ma-
goin\'toliveverylong。Iknowitdon\'tagreewithmehere。"
"Oh，Iguessitdoes，\'Liz\'beth。You\'rejustalittlepulleddownwiththeweather。It\'scomingspring，andyoufeelit；butthedoctorsaysyou\'reallright。Istoppedin，onthewayup，andhesaysso。"
"Ireckonhedon\'tknoweverything，"theoldwomanpersisted:"I\'vebeenrunnin\'downeversinceweleftMoffitt，andIdidn\'tfeelanytoowellthere，even。It\'saverystrangething，Jacob，thatthericheryougit，thelessyouain\'tabletostaywhereyouwantto，deadoralive。"
"It\'sforthechildrenwedoit，"saidDryfoos。"Wegottogivethemtheirchanceintheworld。"
"Oh，theworld!Theyoughttobeartheyokeintheiryouth，likewedone。Iknowit\'swhatCoonrodwouldliketodo。"
Dryfoosgotuponhisfeet。"IfCoonrod\'llmindhisownbusiness，anddowhatIwanthimto，he\'llhaveyokeenoughtobear。"Hemovedfromhiswife，withoutfurtherefforttocomforther，andpotteredheavilyoutintothedining-room。Beyonditsobscuritystretchedtheglitterofthedeepdrawing-room。Hisfeet，intheirbroad；flatslippers，madenosoundonthedensecarpet，andhecameunseenuponthelittlegrouptherenearthepiano。Melapercheduponthestoolwithherbacktothekeys，andBeatonbentoverChristine，whosatwithabanjoinherlap，lettinghimtakeherhandsandputthemintherightplaceontheinstrument。
Herfacewasradiantwithhappiness，andMelawaswatchingherwithfoolish，unselfishpleasureinherbliss。
TherewasnothingwrongintheaffairtoamanofDryfoos\'straditionsandperceptions，andifithadbeenathomeinthefarmsitting-room，oreveninhisparloratMoffitt，hewouldnothavemindedayoungman\'splacinghisdaughter\'shandsonabanjo，orevenholdingthemthere；
itwouldhaveseemedaproper，attentionfromhimifhewascourtingher。
Buthere，insuchahouseasthis，withthedaughterofamanwhohadmadeasmuchmoneyashehad，hedidnotknowbutitwasaliberty。
Hefelttheangrydoubtofitwhichbesethiminregardtosomanyexperiencesofhischangedlife；hewantedtoshowhissenseofit，ifitwasaliberty，buthedidnotknowhow，andhedidnotknowthatitwasso。Besides，hecouldnothelpatouchofthepleasureinChristine\'shappinesswhichMelashowed；andhewouldhavegonebacktothelibrary，ifhecould，withoutbeingdiscovered。
ButBeatonhadseenhim，andDryfoos，withanonchalantnodtotheyoungman，cameforward。"Whatyougotthere，Christine?"
"Abanjo，"saidthegirl，blushinginherfather\'spresence。
Melagurgled。"Mr。Beatonislearnun\'herthefirstposition。"
Beatonwasnotembarrassed。Hewasineveningdress，andhisface，pointedwithitsbrownbeard，showedextremelyhandsomeabovetheexpanseofhisbroad，whiteshirt-front。Hegavebackasnonchalantanodashehadgot，and，withoutfurthergreetingtoDryfoos，hesaidtoChristine:
"No，no。Youmustkeepyourhandandarmso。"Heheldtheminposition。
"There!Nowstrikewithyourrighthand。See?"
"Idon\'tbelieveIcaneverlearn，"saidthegirl，withafondupwardlookathim。
"Ohyes，youcan，"saidBeaton。
TheybothignoredDryfoosinthelittleplayofprotestswhichfollowed，andhesaid，halfjocosely，halfsuspiciously，"Andisthebanjothefashion，now?"Heremembereditastheemblemoflow-downshowbusiness，andassociateditwithend-menandblackenedfacesandgrotesqueshirt-
collars。
"It\'salltherage，"Melashouted，inanswerforall。"Everybodyplaysit。Mr。Beatonborrowedthisfromaladyfriendofhis。"
"Humph!PityIgotyouapiano，then，"saidDryfoos。"Abanjowouldhavebeencheaper。"
Beatonsofaradmittedhimtotheconversationastoseemremindedofthepianobyhismentioningit。HesaidtoMela，"Oh，won\'tyoujuststrikethosechords?"andasMelawheeledaboutandbeatthekeyshetookthebanjofromChristineandsatdownwithit。"Thisway!"Hestrummedit，andmurmuredthetuneDryfooshadheardhimsingingfromthelibrary，whilehekepthisbeautifuleyesfloatingonChristine\'s。"Youtrythat，now；it\'sverysimple。"
"WhereisMrs。Mandel?"Dryfoosdemanded，tryingtoasserthimself。
NeitherofthegirlsseemedtohaveheardhimatfirstinthechattertheybrokeintooverwhatBeatonproposed。ThenMelasaid，absently，"Oh，shehadtogoouttoseeoneofherfriendsthat\'ssick，"andshestruckthepianokeys。"Come；tryit，Chris!"
Dryfoosturnedaboutunheededandwentbacktothelibrary。HewouldhavelikedtoputBeatonoutofhishouse，andinhisheartheburnedagainsthimasacontumacioushand；hewouldhavelikedtodischargehimfromtheartdepartmentof\'EveryOtherWeek\'atonce。ButhewasawareofnothavingtreatedBeatonwithmuchceremony，andiftheyoungmanhadreturnedhisbehaviorinkind，withanelectricalresponsetohisownfeeling，hadheanyrighttocomplain?Afterall，therewasnoharminhisteachingChristinethebanjo。
Hiswifestillsatlookingintothefire。"Ican\'tsee，"shesaid，"aswe\'vegotabitmorecomfortofourlives，Jacob，becausewe\'vegotsuchpilesandpilesofmoney。Iwishttograciouswewasbackonthefarmthisminute。Iwishtyouhadheldoutag\'instthechildernaboutsellin\'it；\'twould\'a\'binthebestthingfur\'em，Isay。Ibelieveinmysoulthey\'llgitspoiledhereinNewYork。Ikinseeachangein\'ema\'ready——inthegirls。"
Dryfoosstretchedhimselfontheloungeagain。"Ican\'tseeasCoonrodismuchcomfort，either。Whyain\'theherewithhissisters?WhatdoesallthatworkofhisontheEastSideamountto?Itseemsasifhedoneittocrossme，asmuchasanything。"Dryfooscomplainedtohiswifeonthebasisofmereaffectionalhabit，whichinmarriedlifeoftensurvivesthesenseofintellectualequality。Hedidnotexpecthertoreasonwithhim，buttherewashelpinherlistening，andthoughshecouldonlysoothehisfretfulnesswithsoftanswerswhichwereoftenwideofthepurpose，hestillwenttoherforsolace。"Here，I\'vegoneintothisnewspaperbusiness，orwhateveritis，onhisaccount，andhedon\'tseemanymoresatisfiedthanever。Icanseehehain\'tgothisheartinit。"
"Theporeboytries；Iknowhedoes，Jacob；andhewantstopleaseyou。
Buthegiveupagooddealwhenhegiveupbein\'apreacher；Is\'poseweoughttorememberthat。"
"Apreacher!"sneeredDryfoos。"Ireckonbein\'apreacherwouldn\'tsatisfyhimnow。Hehadtheimpudencetotellmethisafternoonthathewouldliketobeapriest；andhethrewituptomethathenevercouldbebecauseI\'dkepthimfromstudyin\'。"
"Hedon\'tmeanaCatholicpriest——notaRomanone，Jacob，"theoldwomanexplained，wistfully。"He\'stoldmeallaboutit。Theyain\'tthekindo\'Catholicswebeenusedto；somesortof\'Piscopalians；andtheydoaheapo\'goodamongstthepoorfolksoverthere。Hesaysweain\'tgotanyideahowfolkslivesinthemtenementhouses，hundredsof\'eminonehouse，andwholefamiliesinaroom；anditburnsinhishearttohelp\'emlikethemFathers，asbecalls\'em，thatgivestheirlivestoit。
Hecan\'tbeaFather，hesays，becausehecan\'tgittheeddicationnow；
buthecanbeaBrother；andIcan\'tfindawordtosayag\'instit，whenitgitstotalkin\'，Jacob。"
"Iain\'tsayinganythingagainsthispriests，\'Liz\'beth，"saidDryfoos。
"They\'reallwellenoughintheirway；they\'vegivenuptheirlivestoit，andit\'samatterofbusinesswiththem，likeanyother。ButwhatI\'mtalkingaboutnowisCoonrod。Idon\'tobjecttohisdoin\'allthecharityhewantsto，andtheLordknowsI\'veneverbeenstingywithhimaboutit。Hemighthaveallthemoneyhewants，togiveroundanywayhepleases。"
"That\'swhatItoldhimonce，buthesaysmoneyain\'tthething——ornottheonlythingyougottogivetothempoorfolks。Yougottogiveyourtimeandyourknowledgeandyourlove——Idon\'tknowwhatallyougottogiveyourself，ifyouexpecttohelp\'em。That\'swhatCoonrodsays。"
"Well，Icantellhimthatcharitybeginsathome，"saidDryfoos，sittingupinhisimpatience。"Andhe\'dbettergivehimselftousalittle——tohisoldfatherandmother。Andhissisters。What\'shedoin\'goin\'offtheretohismeetings，andIdon\'tknowwhatall，an\'leavin\'themherealone?"
"Why，ain\'tMr。Beatonwith\'em?"askedtheoldwoman。"IthoughtI
hearedhisvoice。"
"Mr。Beaton!Ofcourseheis!Andwho\'sMr。Beaton，anyway?"
"Why，ain\'theoneofthemeninCoonrod\'soffice?IthoughtIheared——"
"Yes，heis!Butwhoishe?What\'shedoingroundhere?Ishemakin\'
uptoChristine?"
"Ireckonheis。FromMely\'stalk，she\'saboutcrazyoverthefellow。
Don\'tyoulikehim，Jacob?"
"Idon\'tknowhim，orwhatheis。Hehasn\'tgotanymanners。Whobroughthimhere?How\'dhecometocome，inthefirstplace?"
"Mr。Fulkersonbrunghim，Ibelieve，"saidtheoldwoman，patiently。
"Fulkerson!"Dryfoossnorted。"Where\'sMrs。Mandel，Ishouldliketoknow?Hebroughther，too。Doesshegotraipsin\'offthiswayeveryevening?"
"No，sheseemstobehereprettyregularmosto\'thetime。Idon\'tknowhowwecouldevergitalongwithouther，Jacob；sheseemstoknowjustwhattodo，andthegirlswouldbetentimesasoutbreakin\'withouther。
Ihopeyouain\'tthinkin\'o\'turnin\'heroff，Jacob?"
Dryfoosdidnotthinkitnecessarytoanswersuchaquestion。"It\'sallFulkerson，Fulkerson，Fulkerson。ItseemstomethatFulkersonaboutrunsthisfamily。HebroughtMrs。Mandel，andhebroughtthatBeaton，andhebroughtthatBostonfellow!IguessIgivehimadose，though；
andI\'lllearnFulkersonthathecan\'thaveeverythinghisownway。I
don\'twantanybodytohelpmespendmymoney。Imadeit，andIcanmanageit。IguessMr。Fulkersoncanbearalittlewatchingnow。He\'sbeentravellingprettyfree，andhe\'sgotthenotionhe\'sdriving，maybe。
I\'ma-goingtolookafterthatbookalittlemyself。"
"You\'llkillyourself，Jacob，"saidhiswife，"tryin\'todosomanythings。Andwhatisitallfur?Idon\'tseeaswe\'rebetteroff，any，forallthemoney。It\'sjustasmuchcareasitusedtobewhenwewasallthereonthefarmtogether。Iwishtwecouldgoback，Ja——"
"Wecan\'tgoback!"shoutedtheoldman，fiercely。"There\'snofarmanymoretogobackto。Thefieldsisfullofgas-wellsandoil-wellsandhell-holesgenerally；thehouseistoredown，andthebarn\'sgoin\'——"
"Thebarn!"gaspedtheoldwoman。"Oh，my!"
"IfIwastogiveallI\'mworththisminute，wecouldn\'tgobacktothefarm，anymorethanthemgirlsintherecouldgobackandbelittlechildren。Idon\'tsaywe\'reanybetteroff，forthemoney。I\'vegotmoreofitnowthanIeverhad；andthere\'snoendtotheluck；itpoursin。ButIfeellikeIwastiedhandandfoot。Idon\'tknowwhichwaytomove；Idon\'tknowwhat\'sbesttodoaboutanything。Themoneydon\'tseemtobuyanythingbutmoreandmorecareandtrouble。Wegotabighousethatweain\'tathomein；andwegotalotofhiredgirlsroundunderourfeetthathinderanddon\'thelp。Ourchildrendon\'tmindus，andwegotnofriendsorneighbors。Butithadtobe。Icouldn\'thelpbutsellthefarm，andwecan\'tgobacktoit，foritain\'tthere。Sodon\'tyousayanythingmoreaboutit，\'Liz\'beth。"
"PoreJacob!"saidhiswife。"Well，Iwoon\'t，dear。"
IV
ItwascleartoBeatonthatDryfoosdistrustedhim；andthefactheightenedhispleasureinChristine\'slikingforhim。Hewasassureofthisashewasoftheother，thoughhewasnotsosureofanyreasonforhispleasureinit。Shehadhercharm；thecharmofwildnesstowhichacertainwildnessinhimselfresponded；andthereweretimeswhenhisfancycontrivedacommonfutureforthem，whichwouldhaveaprosperityforcedfromtheoldfellow\'sloveofthegirl。Beatonlikedtheideaofthiscompulsionbetterthanhelikedtheideaofthemoney；therewassomethingalittlerepulsiveinthat；heimaginedhimselfrejectingit；
healmostwishedhewasenoughinlovewiththegirltomarryherwithoutit；thatwouldbefine。Hewastakenwithherinacertain\'measure，inacertainway；thequestionwasinwhatmeasure，inwhatway。
Itwaspartlytoescapefromthisquestionthathehurrieddown-town，anddecidedtospendwiththeLeightonsthehourremainingonhishandsbeforeitwastimetogotothereceptionforwhichhewasdressed。
ItseemedtohimimportantthatheshouldseeAlmaLeighton。Afterall，itwashercharmthatwasmostabidingwithhim；perhapsitwastobefinal。Hefoundhimselfveryhappyinhispresentrelationswithher。
Shehaddroppedthatbarrierofpretencesandironicalsurprise。Itseemedtohimthattheyhadgonebacktotheoldgroundofcommonartisticinterestwhichhehadfoundsopleasantthesummerbefore。
ApparentlysheandhermotherhadbothforgivenhisneglectoftheminthefirstmonthsoftheirstayinNewYork；hewassurethatMrs。
Leightonlikedhimaswellasever，and，iftherewasstillsomethingalittleprovisionalinAlma\'smannerattimes，itwassomethingthatpiquedmorethanitdiscouraged；itmadehimcurious，notanxious。
HefoundtheyoungladieswithFulkersonwhenherang。Heseemedtobeamusingthemboth，andtheywerebothamusedbeyondthemeritofsosmallapleasantry，Beatonthought，whenFulkersonsaid:"Introducemyself，Mr。Beaton:Mr。Fulkersonof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'ThinkI\'vemetyouatourplace。"Thegirlslaughed，andAlmaexplainedthathermotherwasnotverywell，andwouldbesorrynottoseehim。Thensheturned，ashefelt，perversely，andwentontalkingwithFulkersonandlefthimtoMissWoodburn。
Shefinallyrecognizedhisdisappointment:"Ahdon\'toftengetachanceatyou，Mr。Beaton，andAh\'mjustgoin\'totoakyo\'todeath。Yo\'havebeenSoathyo\'self，andyo\'knowho\'wedotoak。"
"I\'vesurvivedtosayyes，"Beatonadmitted。
"Oh，now，doyouthinkwetoaksomuchmo\'thanyoudointheNo\'th?"
theyoungladydeprecated。
"Idon\'tknow。Ionlyknowyoucan\'ttalktoomuchforme。IshouldliketohearyousaySoathandhouseandaboutfortherestofmylife。"
"That\'swhatAhcallraghtpersonal，Mr。Beaton。NowAh\'mgoin\'tobepersonal，too。"MissWoodburnflungoutoverherlapthesquareofclothshewasembroidering，andaskedhim:"Don\'tyouthinkthat\'sbeautiful?
Now，asanawtust——agreatawtust?"
"Asagreatawtust，yes，"saidBeaton，mimickingheraccent。"IfIwerelessthangreatImighthavesomethingtosayaboutthearrangementofcolors。You\'reasboldandoriginalasNature。"
"Really?Oh，now，dotellmeyo\'favo\'itecolo\'，Mr。Beaton。"
"Myfavoritecolor?Blessmysoul，whyshouldIpreferany?Isbluegood，orredwicked?Dopeoplehavefavoritecolors?"Beatonfoundhimselfsuddenlyinterested。
"Ofco\'setheydo，"answeredthegirl。"Don\'tawtusts?"
"Ineverheardofonethathad——consciously。"
"Isitpossible?Isupposedtheyallhad。Nowmahfavo\'itecolo\'isgawnet。Don\'tyouthinkit\'saprettycolo\'?"
"Itdependsuponhowit\'sused。Doyoumeaninneckties?"BeatonstoleaglanceattheoneFulkersonwaswearing。
MissWoodburnlaughedwithherfaceboweduponherwrist。"AhdothinkyougentlemenintheNo\'thawetentahmsaslahvelyastheladies。"
"Strange，"saidBeaton。"IntheSouth——Soath，excuseme!Imadetheobservationthattheladiesweretentimesaslivelyasthegentlemen。
Whatisthatyou\'reworking?"
"This?"MissWoodburngaveitanotherflirt，andlookedatitwithaglanceofdawningrecognition。"Oh，thisisatable-covah。Wouldn\'tyoulahketoseewhereit\'stogo?"
"Why，certainly。"
"Well，ifyou\'llberaghtgoodI\'llletyo\'givemesomeprofessionaladvassaboutputtingsomethingintheco\'nersornot，whenyouhaveseenitonthetable。"
Sheroseandledthewayintotheotherroom。Beatonknewshewantedtotalkwithhimaboutsomethingelse；buthewaitedpatientlytoletherplayhercomedyout。Shespreadthecoveronthetable，andheadvisedher，ashesawshewished，againstputtinganythinginthecorners；justrunalineofherstitcharoundtheedge，hesaid。
"Mr。FulkersonandAh，why，we\'vebeenhavingaregularfaghtaboatit，"
shecommented。"Butwebothagreed，fahnally，toleaveittoyou；Mr。
Fulkersonsaidyou\'dbesuretoberaght。Ah\'msogladyoutookmahsahde。Buthe\'sagreatadmahrerofyours，Mr。Beaton，"sheconcluded，demurely，suggestively。
"Ishe?Well，I\'magreatadmirerofFulkerson，"saidBeaton，withacapriciouswillingnesstohumorherwishtotalkaboutFulkerson。
"He\'sacapitalfellow；generous，magnanimous，withquiteanidealoffriendshipandaneyesingletothemainchanceallthetime。Hewouldadvertise\'EveryOtherWeek\'onhisfamilyvault。"
MissWoodburnlaughed，andsaidsheshouldtellhimwhatBeatonhadsaid。
"Do。Buthe\'susedtodefamationfromme，andhe\'llthinkyou\'rejoking。"
"Ahsuppose，"saidMissWoodburn，"thathe\'squahtethetahpeofaNewYorkbusinessman。"Sheadded，asifitfollowedlogically，"He\'ssodifferentfromwhatIthoughtaNewYorkbusinessmanwouldbe。"
"It\'syourVirginiatraditiontodespisebusiness，"saidBeaton，rudely。
MissWoodburnlaughedagain。"Despahseit?Mahgoodness!wewanttogetintoitandwoakitfo\'allit\'swo\'th，\'asMr。Fulkersonsays。Thattraditionisallpast。Youdon\'tknowwhattheSoathisnow。Ahsupposemahfathawdespahsesbusiness，buthe\'satraditionhimself，asAhtellhim。"Beatonwouldhaveenjoyedjoiningtheyoungladyinanythingshemightbegoingtosayinderogationofherfather，butherestrainedhimself，andshewentonmoreandmoreasifshewishedtoaccountforherfather\'shabitualhauteurwithBeaton，ifnottoexcuseit。"Ahtellhimhedon\'tunderstandtherisinggeneration。Hewasbroughtupintheoldschool，andhethinkswe\'realljustlahkehewaswhenhewasyoung，withallthoseahdealsofchivalryandfamily；but，mahgoodness!it\'smoneythatcyoantsno\'adaysintheSoath，justlahkeitdoeseverywhereelse。Ahsuppose，ifwecouldhaveslaverybackinthefawmmahfathawthinksitcouldhavebeenbroughtupto，whenthecommercialspiritwouldn\'tletitalone，itwouldbethebestthing；butwecan\'thaveitback，andAhtellhimwehadbetterhavethecommercialspiritasthenextbestthing。"
MissWoodburnwenton，withsufficientloyaltyandpiety，toexposethedifferenceofherownandherfather\'sideals，butwithwhatBeatonthoughtlessreferencetohisownunsympatheticattentionthantoaknowledgefinallyofthepersonnelandmaterielof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'
andMr。Fulkerson\'srelationtotheenterprise。"Youmostexcusemyaskingsomanyquestions，Mr。Beaton。Youknowit\'sallmahdoingthatweaweheahinNewYork。Ahjusttoldmahfathawthatifhewasevahgoin\'todoanythingwithhiswrahtings，hehadgottocomeNo\'th，andAhmadehimcome。Ahbelievehe\'dhavestayedintheSoathallhislahfe。
AndnowMr。Fulkersonwantshimtolethiseditorseesomeofhiswrahtings，andAhwantedtoknowsomethingaboatthemagazine。Weaweagreatdealexcitedaboatitinthishoase，youknow，Mr。Beaton，"sheconcluded，withalookthatnowtransferredtheinterestfromFulkersontoAlma。Sheledthewaybacktotheroomwheretheyweresitting，andwentuptotriumphoverFulkersonwithBeaton\'sdecisionaboutthetable-
cover。
AlmawasleftwithBeatonnearthepiano，andhebegantotalkabouttheDryfoosesashesatdownonthepiano-stool。HesaidhehadbeengivingMissDryfoosalessononthebanjo；hehadborrowedthebanjoofMissVance。ThenhestruckthechordhehadbeentryingtoteachChristine，andplayedovertheairhehadsung。
"Howdoyoulikethat?"heasked，whirlinground。
"Itseemsratheradisrespectfullittletune，somehow，"saidAlma，placidly。
Beatonrestedhiselbowonthecornerofthepianoandgazeddreamilyather。"Yourperceptionsarewonderful。Itisdisrespectful。Iplayedit，upthere，becauseIfeltdisrespectfultothem。"
"Doyouclaimthatasamerit?"
"No，Istateitasafact。Howcanyourespectsuchpeople?"
"Youmightrespectyourself，then，"saidthegirl。"Orperhapsthatwouldn\'tbesoeasy，either。"
"No，itwouldn\'t。Iliketohaveyousaythesethingstome，"saidBeaton，impartially。
"Well，Iliketosaythem，"Almareturned。
"Theydomegood。"
"Oh，Idon\'tknowthatthatwasmymotive。"
"Thereisnoonelikeyou——noone，"saidBeaton，asifapostrophizingherinherabsence。"Tocomefromthathouse，withitsassertionsofmoney——
youcanhearitchink；youcansmellthefouloldbanknotes；itstiflesyou——intoanatmospherelikethis，islikecomingintoanotherworld。"
"Thankyou，"saidAlma。"I\'mgladthereisn\'tthatunpleasantodorhere；
butIwishtherewasalittlemoreofthechinking。"
"No，no!Don\'tsaythat!"heimplored。"Iliketothinkthatthereisonesouluncontaminatedbythesenseofmoneyinthisbig，brutal，sordidcity。"
"Youmeantwo，"saidAlma，withmodesty。"ButifyoustifleattheDryfooses\'，whydoyougothere?"
"WhydoIgo?"hemused。"Don\'tyoubelieveinknowingallthenatures，thetypes，youcan?Thosegirlsareastrangestudy:theyoungoneisasimple，earthlycreature，ascommonasanoat-fieldandtheotherasortofsylvanlife:fierce，flashing，feline——"
Almaburstoutintoalaugh。"Whataptalliteration!Anddotheylikebeingstudied?Ishouldthinkthesylvanlifemight——scratch。"
"No，"saidBeaton，withmelancholyabsence，"itonly-purrs。"
Thegirlfeltarisingindignation。"Well，then，Mr。Beaton，Ishouldhopeitwouldscratch，andbite，too。Ithinkyou\'venobusinesstogoaboutstudyingpeople，asyoudo。It\'sabominable。"
"Goon，"saidtheyoungman。"ThatPuritanconscienceofyours!
ItappealstotheoldCovenanterstraininme——likeavoiceofpre-
existence。Goon——"
"Oh，ifIwentonIshouldmerelysayitwasnotonlyabominable，butcontemptible。"
"Youcouldbemyguardianangel，Alma，"saidtheyoungman，makinghiseyesmoreandmoreslumbrousanddreamy。
"Stuff!IhopeIhaveasoulabovebuttons!"
Hesmiled，assherose，andfollowedheracrosstheroom。"Good-night；
Mr。Beaton，"shesaid。
MissWoodburnandFulkersoncameinfromtheotherroom。"What!You\'renotgoing，Beaton?"
"Yes；I\'mgoingtoareception。Istoppedinonmyway。"
"Tokilltime，"Almaexplained。
"Well，"saidFulkerson，gallantly，"thisisthelastplaceIshouldliketodoit。ButIguessI\'dbetterbegoing，too。Ithassometimesoccurredtomethatthereissuchathingasstayingtoolate。ButwithBrotherBeaton，here，juststartinginforanevening\'samusement，itdoesseemalittleearlyyet。Can\'tyouurgemetostay，somebody?"
Thetwogirlslaughed，andMissWoodburnsaid:
"Mr。Beatonissuchabutterflyoffashion!AhwishAhwasonmahwaytoapawty。Ahfeelquahteenvious。"
"Buthedidn\'tsayittomakeyou，"Almaexplained，withmeeksoftness。
"Well，wecan\'tallbeswells。Whereisyourparty，anyway，Beaton?"
askedFulkerson。"Howdoyoumanagetogetyourinvitationstothosethings?Isupposeafellowhastokeephintingroundprettylively，Neigh?"
Beatontookthesemockeriesserenely，andshookhandswithMissWoodburn，withtheeffectofhavingalreadyshakenhandswithAlma。Shestoodwithhersclaspedbehindher。
V。
BeatonwentawaywiththesmileonhisfacewhichhehadkeptinlisteningtoFulkerson，andcarrieditwithhimtothereception。
HebelievedthatAlmawasvexedwithhimformorepersonalreasonsthanshehadimplied；itflatteredhimthatsheshouldhaveresentedwhathetoldheroftheDryfooses。Shehadscoldedhimintheirbehalfapparently；butreallybecausehehadmadeherjealousbyhisinterest，ofwhateverkind，insomeoneelse。Whatfollowed，hadfollowednaturally。Unlessshehadbeenquiteasimpletonshecouldnothavemethisprovisionallove-makingonanyotherterms；andthereasonwhyBeatonchieflylikedAlmaLeightonwasthatshewasnotasimpleton。Evenupinthecountry，whenshewasoverawedbyhisacquaintance，atfirst，shewasnotverydeeplyoverawed，andattimesshewasnotoverawedatall。
Atsuchtimessheastonishedhimbytakinghismostsolemnhistrionicswithflippantincredulity，andevenburlesquingthem。Buthecouldsee，allthesame，thathehadcaughtherfancy，andheadmiredtheskillwithwhichshepunishedhisneglectwhentheymetinNewYork。HehadreallycomeverynearforgettingtheLeightons；theintangibleobligationsofmutualkindnesswhichholdsomemensofast，hunglooselyuponhim；
itwouldnothavehurthimtobreakfromthemaltogether；butwhenherecognizedthematlast，hefoundthatitstrengthenedthemindefinitelytohaveAlmaignorethemsocompletely。Ifshehadbeensentimental，orsoftlyreproachful，thatwouldhavebeentheend；hecouldnothavestoodit；hewouldhavehadtodropher。Butwhenshemethimonhisownground，andobligedhimtobesentimental，thegamewasinherhands。
Beatonlaughed，now，whenhethoughtofthat，andhesaidtohimselfthatthegirlhadgrownimmenselysinceshehadcometoNewYork；nothingseemedtohavebeenlostuponher；shemusthavekepthereyesuncommonlywideopen。Henoticedthatespeciallyintheirtalksoverherwork；shehadprofitedbyeverythingshehadseenandheard；shehadallofWetmore\'sideaspat；itamusedBeatontoseehowsheseizedeveryusefulwordthathedropped，too，andturnedhimtotechnicalaccountwhenevershecould。Helikedthat；shehadagreatdealoftalent；therewasnoquestionofthat；ifshewereamantherecouldbenoquestionofherfuture。Hebegantoconstructafutureforher；itincludedprovisionforhimself，too；itwasacommonfuture，inwhichtheirlivesandworkwereunited。
HewasfulloftheglowofitsprosperitywhenhemetMargaretVanceatthereception。
Thehousewasonewherepeoplemightchatalongtimetogetherwithoutpubliclycommittingthemselvestoaninterestineachotherexceptsuchagrewoutofeachother\'sideas。MissVancewastherebecausesheunitedinhercatholicsympathiesorambitionstheobjectsofthefashionablepeopleandoftheaestheticpeoplewhometthereoncommonground。ItwasalmosttheonlyhouseinNewYorkwherethishappenedoften，anditdidnothappenveryoftenthere。Itwasaliteraryhouse，primarily，withartisticqualifications，andthefrequentersofitweremostlyauthorsandartists；Wetmore，whowasalwaystryingtofiteverythingwithaphrase，saiditwastheunfrequenterswhowerefashionable。Therewasgreateasethere，andsimplicity；andiftherewasnotdistinction，itwasnotforwantofdistinguishedpeople，butbecausethereseemstobesomesolventinNewYorklifethatreducesallmentoacommonlevel，thattoucheseverybodywithitspotentmagicandbringstothesurfacethedeeplyunderlyingnobody。Theeffectforsometemperaments，forconsciousness，foregotism，isadmirable；forcuriosity，forheroworship，itisratherbaffling。Itisthespiritofthestreettransferredtothedrawing-room；indiscriminating，levelling，butdoubtlessfinallywholesome，andwitnessingtheimmensityoftheplace，ifnotconsentingtothegrandeurofreputationsorpresences。
Beatonnowdeniedthatthishouserepresentedasalonatall，intheoldsense；andheheldthatthesalonwasimpossible，evenundesirable，withus，whenMissVancesighedforit。Atanyrate，hesaidthatthisturmoilofcomingandgoing，thisbubbleandbabble，thiscacklingandhissingofconversationwasnottheexpressionofanysuchcivilizationashadcreatedthesalon。Here，heowned，weretheelementsofintellectualdelightfulness，buthesaidtheirassemblageinsuchquantityalonedeniedthesalon；therewastoomuchofagoodthing。
