第12章

TheFrenchwordimpliedalongeveningofgeneraltalkamongtheguests，crownedwithalittlechickenatsupper，endingatcock-crow。Herewastea，withmilkorwithlemon-bathsofitandclaret-cupforthehardierspiritsthroughouttheevening。Itwasverynice，verypleasant，butitwasnotthelittlechicken——notthesalon。Infact，heaffirmed，thesalondescendedfromabove，outofthegreatworld，andincludedtheaestheticworldinit。Butourgreatworld——therichpeople，werestupid，withnowishtobeotherwise；theywerenotevencuriousaboutauthorsandartists。Beatonfanciedhimselfspeakingimpartially，andsoheallowedhimselftospeakbitterly；hesaidthatinnoothercityintheworld，exceptVienna，perhaps，weresuchpeoplesolittleapartofsociety。

"Itisn\'taltogethertherichpeople\'sfault，"saidMargaret；andshespokeimpartially，too。"Idon\'tbelievethattheliterarymenandtheartistswouldlikeasalonthatdescendedtothem。MadameGeoffrin，youknow，wasveryplebeian；herhusbandwasabusinessmanofsomesort。"

"HewouldhavebeenahowlingswellinNewYork，"saidBeaton，stillimpartially。

Wetmorecameuptotheircorner，withascrollofbreadandbutterinonehandandacupofteaintheother。Largeandfat，andclean-shaven，helookedlikeamonkineveningdress。

"Weweretalkingaboutsalons，"saidMargaret。

"Whydon\'tyouopenasalonyourself?"askedWetmore，breathingthicklyfromtheanxietyofgettingthroughthecrowdwithoutspillinghistea。

"LikepoorLadyBarberinaLemon?"saidthegirl，withalaugh。"Whatagoodstory!Thatideaofawomanwhocouldn\'tbeinterestedinanyoftheartsbecauseshewassociallyandtraditionallythematerialofthem!

Wecan，neverreachthatheightofnonchalanceinthiscountry。"

"Notifwetriedseriously?"suggestedthepainter。"I\'veanideathatiftheAmericansevergavetheirmindstothatsortofthing，theycouldtakethepalm——orthecake，asBeatonherewouldsay——justastheydoineverythingelse。Whenwedohaveanaristocracy，itwillbeanaristocracythatwillgoaheadofanythingtheworldhaseverseen。

Whydon\'tsomebodymakeabeginning，andgoinopenlyforanancestry，andalowermiddleclass，andanhereditarylegislature，andalltherest?We\'vegotliveries，andcrests，andpalaces，andcastefeeling。

We\'reallrightasfaraswe\'vegone，andwe\'vegotthemoneytogoanylength。"

"Likeyournatural-gasman，Mr。Beaton，"saidthegirl，withasmilingglanceroundathim。

"Ah!"saidWetmore，stirringhistea，"hasBeatongotanatural-gasman?"

"Mynatural-gasman，"saidBeaton，ignoringWetmore\'squestion，"doesn\'tknowhowtoliveinhispalaceyet，andIdoubtifhehasanycastefeeling。Ifancyhisfamilybelievethemselvesvictimsofit。Theysay——oneoftheyoungladiesdoes——thatsheneversawsuchanunsociableplaceasNewYork；nobodycalls。"

"That\'sgood!"saidWetmore。"Isupposethey\'reallreadyforcompany，too:goodcook，furniture，servants，carriages?"

"Galore，"saidBeaton。

"Well，that\'stoobad。There\'sachanceforyou，MissVance。Doesn\'tyourphilanthropyembracethesociallydestituteaswellasthefinancially?Justthinkofafamilylikethat，withoutafriend，inagreatcity!Ishouldthinkcommoncharityhadadutythere——nottomentiontheuncommon。"

HedistinguishedthatkindasMargaret\'sbyaglanceofironicaldeference。Shehadareputeforgoodworkswhichwasoutofproportiontotheworks，asitalwaysis，butshewasreallyactiveinthatway，underthevagueobligation，whichwenowallfeel，tobehelpful。ShewasofthechurchwhichseemstohavefoundareversiontotheimposingritualofthepastthewaybacktotheearlyidealsofChristianbrotherhood。

"Oh，theyseemtohaveMr。Beaton，"Margaretanswered，andBeatonfeltobscurelyflatteredbyherreferencetohispatronageoftheDryfooses。

HeexplainedtoWetmore:"Theyhavemebecausetheypartlyownme。

DryfoosisFulkerson\'sfinancialbackerin\'EveryOtherWeek\'。"

"Isthatso?Well，that\'sinteresting，too。Aren\'tyouratherastonished，MissVance，toseewhatapettythingBeatonismakingofthatmagazineofhis?"

"Oh，"saidMargaret，"it\'ssoverynice，everyway；itmakesyoufeelasifyoudidhaveacountry，afterall。It\'saschic——thatdetestablelittleword!——asthosenewFrenchbooks。"

"Beatonmodelleditonthem。Butyoumustn\'tsupposehedoeseverythingabout\'EveryOtherWeek\'；he\'dlikeyouto。Beaton，youhaven\'tcomeuptothatcoverofyourfirstnumber，since。Thatwasthedesignofoneofmypupils，MissVance——alittlegirlthatBeatondiscovereddowninNewHampshirelastsummer。"

"Ohyes。Andhaveyougreathopesofher，Mr。Wetmore?"

"SheseemstohavemoreloveofitandknackforitthananyoneofhersexI\'veseenyet。Itreallylookslikeacaseofartforart\'ssake，attimes。Butyoucan\'ttell。They\'reliabletogetmarriedatanymoment，youknow。Lookhere，Beaton，whenyournatural-gasmangetstothepicture-buyingstageinhisdevelopment，justrememberyouroldfriends，willyou?Youknow，MissVance，thosenewfellowshavetheirregularstages。Theyneverknowwhattodowiththeirmoney，buttheyfindoutthatpeoplebuypictures，atonepoint。Theyshutyourthingsupintheirhouseswherenobodycomes，andafterawhiletheyovereatthemselves——theydon\'tknowwhat，elsetodo——anddieofapoplexy，andleaveyourpicturestoagallery，andthentheyseethelight。It\'sslow，butit\'sprettysure。Well，IseeBeatonisn\'tgoingtomoveon，asheoughttodo；andsoImust。Healwayswasanunconventionalcreature。"

Wetmorewentaway，butBeatonremained，andheoutstayedseveralotherpeoplewhocameuptospeaktoMissVance。Shewasinterestedineverybody，andshelikedthetalkofthesecleverliterary，artistic，clerical，eventheatricalpeople，andshelikedthesortofcourtwithwhichtheyrecognizedherfashionaswellashercleverness；itwasverypleasanttobetreatedintellectuallyasifshewereoneofthemselves，andsociallyasifshewasnothabituallythesame，butasortofguestinBohemia，adistinguishedstranger。IfitwasArcadiaratherthanBohemia，stillshefeltherqualityofdistinguishedstranger。Theflatteryofittouchedherfancy，andnothervanity；shehadverylittlevanity。Beaton\'sdevotionmadethesamesortofappeal；itwasnotsomuchthatshelikedhimasshelikedbeingtheobjectofhisadmiration。

Shewasagirlofgenuinesympathies，intellectualratherthansentimental。Infact，shewasanintellectualperson，whomqualitiesoftheheartsavedfrombeingdisagreeable，astheysavedherontheotherhandfrombeingworldlyorcruelinherfashionableness。Shehadreadagreatmanybooks，andhadideasaboutthem，quitecourageousandoriginalideas；sheknewaboutpictures——shehadbeeninWetmore\'sclass；shewasfondofmusic；shewaswillingtounderstandevenpolitics；inBostonshemighthavebeenagnostic，butinNewYorkshewassincerelyreligious；

shewasveryaccomplished；andperhapsitwashergoodnessthatpreventedherfeelingwhatwasnotbestinBeaton。

"Doyouthink，"shesaid，aftertheretreatofoneofthecomersandgoersleftheralonewithhimagain，"thatthoseyoungladieswouldlikemetocallonthem?"

"Thoseyoungladies?"Beatonechoed。"MissLeightonand——"

"No；Ihavebeentherewithmyaunt\'scardsalready。"

"Ohyes，"saidBeaton，asifhehadknownofit；headmiredthepluckandpridewithwhichAlmahadrefrainedfromevermentioningthefacttohim，andhadkepthermotherfrommentioningit，whichmusthavebeendifficult。

"ImeantheMissDryfooses。Itseemsreallybarbarous，ifnobodygoesnearthem。Wedoallkindsofthings，andhelpallkindsofpeopleinsomeways，butweletstrangersremainstrangersunlesstheyknowhowtomaketheirwayamongus。"

"TheDryfoosescertainlywouldn\'tknowhowtomaketheirwayamongyou，"

saidBeaton，withasortofdreamyabsenceinhistone。

MissVancewenton，speakingouttheprocessofreasoninginhermind，ratherthananyconclusionsshehadreached。"Wedefendourselvesbytryingtobelievethattheymusthavefriendsoftheirown，orthattheywouldthinkuspatronizing，andwouldn\'tlikebeingmadetheobjectsofsocialcharity；buttheyneedn\'treallysupposeanythingofthekind。"

"Idon\'timaginetheywould，"saidBeaton。"Ithinkthey\'dbeonlytoohappytohaveyoucome。Butyouwouldn\'tknowwhattodowitheachother，indeed，MissVance。"

"Perhapsweshalllikeeachother，"saidthegirl，bravely，"andthenweshallknow。WhatChurcharetheyof?"

"Idon\'tbelievethey\'reofany，"saidBeaton。"ThemotherwasbroughtupaDunkard。"

"ADunkard?"

Beatontoldwhatheknewoftheprimitivesect，withitsearlyChristianpolity，itsliteralinterpretationofChrist\'sethics，anditsquaintceremonialoffoot-washing；hemadesomethingpicturesqueofthat。

"ThefatherisaMammon-worshipper，pureandsimple。Isupposetheyoungladiesgotochurch，butIdon\'tknowwhere。Theyhaven\'ttriedtoconvertme。"

"I\'lltellthemnottodespair——afterI\'veconvertedthem，"saidMissVance。"Willyouletmeuseyouasa\'pointd\'appui\'，Mr。Beaton?"

"Anywayyoulike。Ifyou\'rereallygoingtoseethem，perhapsI\'dbettermakeaconfession。Ileftyourbanjowiththem，afterIgotitputinorder。"

"Howverynice!Thenwehaveacommoninterestalready。"

"Doyoumeanthebanjo，or——"

"Thebanjo，decidedly。Whichofthemplays?"

"Neither。Buttheeldestheardthatthebanjowas\'alltherage，\'astheyoungestsays。Perhapsyoucanpersuadethemthatgoodworksaretherage，too。"

BeatonhadnoverylivelybeliefthatMargaretwouldgotoseetheDryfooses；hedidsofewofthethingsheproposedthathewentuponthetheorythatothersmustbeasfaithless。Still，hehadacruelamusementinfiguringthepossibleencounterbetweenMargaretVance，withherintellectualelegance，hereagersympathiesandgenerousideals，andthosegirlswiththeirrudepast，theirfalseanddistortedperspective，theirsordidandhungryselfishness，andtheirfaithintheomnipotenceoftheirfather\'swealthwoundedbytheirexperienceofitspresentsocialimpotence。Atthebottomofhishearthesympathizedwiththemratherthanwithher；hewasmorelikethem。

Peoplehadceasedcoming，andsomeofthemweregoing。MissVancesaidshemustgo，too，andshewasabouttorise，whenthehostcameupwithMarch；Beatonturnedaway。

"MissVance，IwanttointroduceMr。March，theeditorof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Yououghtn\'ttoberestrictedtotheartdepartment。Weliteraryfellowsthinkthatarmoftheservicegetstoomuchoftheglorynowadays。"HisbanterwasforBeaton，buthewasalreadybeyondear-

shot，andthehostwenton:

Mr。MarchcantalkwithyouaboutyourfavoriteBoston。He\'sjustturnedhisbackonit。"

"Oh，Ihopenot!"saidMissVance。"Ican\'timagineanybodyvoluntarilyleavingBoston。"

"Idon\'tsayhe\'ssobadasthat，"saidthehost，committingMarchtoher。"HecametoNewYorkbecausehecouldn\'thelpit——liketherestofus。Ineverknowwhetherthat\'sacomplimenttoNewYorkornot。"

TheytalkedBostonalittlewhile，withoutfindingthattheyhadcommonacquaintancethere；MissVancemusthaveconcludedthatsocietywasmuchlargerinBostonthanshehadsupposedfromhervisitsthere，orelsethatMarchdidnotknowmanypeopleinit。Butshewasnotagirltocaremuchfortheinferencesthatmightbedrawnfromsuchconclusions；

sheratherpridedherselfupondespisingthem；andshegaveherselftothepleasureofbeingtalkedtoasifshewereofMarch\'sownage。

Intheglowofhersympatheticbeautyandelegancehetalkedhisbest，andtriedtoamuseherwithhisjokes，whichhehadtheartoftingeingwithalittleseriousnessononeside。Hemadeherlaugh；andheflatteredherbymakingherthink；inherturnshecharmedhimsomuchbyenjoyingwhathesaidthathebegantobragofhiswife，asagoodhusbandalwaysdoeswhenanotherwomancharmshim；andsheasked，OhwasMrs。Marchthere；andwouldheintroduceher?

SheaskedMrs。Marchforheraddress，andwhethershehadaday；andshesaidshewouldcometoseeher，ifshewouldlether。Mrs。MarchcouldnotbesoenthusiasticaboutherasMarchwas，butastheywalkedhometogethertheytalkedthegirlover，andagreedaboutherbeautyandheramiability。Mrs。Marchsaidsheseemedveryunspoiledforapersonwhomusthavebeensomuchspoiled。Theytriedtoanalyzehercharm，andtheysucceededinformulatingitasacombinationofintellectualfashionablenessandworldlyinnocence。"Ithink，"saidMrs。March，"thatcitygirls，broughtupasshemusthavebeen，areoftenthemostinnocentofall。Theyneverimaginethewickednessoftheworld，andiftheymarryhappilytheygothroughlifeasinnocentaschildren。

Everythingcombinestokeepthemso；theveryhollownessofsocietyshieldsthem。Theyaretheloveliestofthehumanrace。Butperhapstheresthavetopaytoomuchforthem。"

"ForsuchanexquisitecreatureasMissVance，"saidMarch，"wecouldn\'tpaytoomuch。"

Awildlaughingcrysuddenlybrokeupontheairatthestreet-crossinginfrontofthem。Agirl\'svoicecalledout:"Run，run，Jen!Thecopperisafteryou。"Awoman\'sfigurerushedstumblingacrossthewayandintotheshadowofthehouses，pursuedbyaburlypoliceman。

"Ah，butifthat\'spartoftheprice?"

Theywentalongfallenfromthegayspiritoftheirtalkintoasilencewhichhebrokewithasigh。"Canthatpoorwretchandtheradiantgirlweleftyonderreallybelongtothesamesystemofthings?Howimpossibleeachmakestheotherseem!"

VI。

Mrs。Hornbelievedintheworldandinsocietyanditsunwrittenconstitutiondevoutly，andshetoleratedherniece\'sbenevolentactivitiesasshetoleratedheraestheticsympathiesbecausethesethings，howeveroddly，weretolerated——evenencouraged——bysociety；

andtheygaveMargaretacharm。Theymadeheroriginalityinteresting。

Mrs。Horndidnotintendthattheyshouldevergosofarastomakehertroublesome；anditwaswithasenseofthisabeyantauthorityofheraunt\'sthatthegirlaskedherapprovalofherproposedcallupontheDryfooses。Sheexplainedaswellasshecouldthesocialdestitutionoftheseopulentpeople，andshehadofcoursetonameBeatonasthesourceofherknowledgeconcerningthem。

"DidMr。Beatonsuggestyourcallingonthem?"

"No；heratherdiscouragedit。"

"Andwhydoyouthinkyououghttogointhisparticularinstance?NewYorkisfullofpeoplewhodon\'tknowanybody。"

Margaretlaughed。"Isupposeit\'slikeanyothercharity:youreachthecasesyouknowof。Theothersyousayyoucan\'thelp，andyoutrytoignorethem。"

"It\'sveryromantic，"saidMrs。Horn。"Ihopeyou\'vecountedthecost；

allthepossibleconsequences。"

MargaretknewthatheraunthadinmindtheircommonexperiencewiththeLeightons，whom，togivetheircommonconsciencepeace，shehadcalleduponwithheraunt\'scardsandexcuses，andaninvitationforherThursdays，somewhattoolatetomakethevisitseemawelcometoNewYork。Shewassocoldlyreceived，notsomuchforherselfasinherqualityofenvoy，thatherauntexperiencedallthecomfortwhichvicariouspenancebrings。Shedidnotperhapsconsidersufficientlyherniece\'sguiltlessnessintheexpiation。MargaretwasnotwithheratSt。Barnabyinthefatalfortnightshepassedthere，andneversawtheLeightonstillshewenttocalluponthem。Shenevercomplained:thestrainofasceticism，whichmysteriouslyexistsinusall，andmakesusputpeas，boiledorunboiled，inourshoes，gaveherpatiencewiththesnubwhichtheLeightonspresentedherforheraunt。Butnowshesaid，withthisinmind:"Nothingseemssimplerthantogetridofpeopleifyoudon\'twantthem。Youmerelyhavetoletthemalone。"

"Itisn\'tsopleasant，lettingthemalone，"saidMrs。Horn。

"Orhavingthemletyoualone，"saidMargaret；forneitherMrs。LeightonnorAlmahadevercometoenjoythebelatedhospitalityofMrs。Horn\'sThursdays。

"Yes，orhavingthemletyoualone，"Mrs。Horncourageouslyconsented。

"AndallthatIaskyou，Margaret，istobesurethatyoureallywanttoknowthesepeople。"

"Idon\'t，"saidthegirl，seriously，"intheusualway。"

"Thenthequestioniswhetheryoudointheunusualway。Theywillbuildagreatdealuponyou，"saidMrs。Horn，realizinghowmuchtheLeightonsmusthavebuiltuponher，andhowmuchoutofproportiontoherdeserttheymustnowdislikeher；forsheseemedtohavehadthemonhermindfromthetimetheycame，andhadalwaysmeanttorecognizeanyreasonableclaimtheyhaduponher。

"Itseemsveryodd，verysad，"Margaretreturned，"thatyounevercouldactunselfishlyinsocietyaffairs。IfIwishedtogoandseethosegirlsjusttodothemapleasure，andperhapsbecauseifthey\'restrangeandlonely，Imightdothemgood，even——itwouldbeimpossible。"

"Quite，"saidheraunt。"Suchathingwouldbequixotic。Societydoesn\'trestuponanysuchbasis。Itcan\'t；itwouldgotopieces，ifpeopleactedfromunselfishmotives。"

"Thenit\'sapaintedsavage!"saidthegirl。"Allitsfavorsarereallybargains。It\'sgiftsareforgiftsbackagain。"

"Yes，thatistrue，"saidMrs。Horn，withnomoresenseofwronginthefactthanthepoliticaleconomisthasinthefactthatwagesarethemeasureofnecessityandnotofmerit。"Yougetwhatyoupayfor。It\'samatterofbusiness。"Shesatisfiedherselfwiththisformula，whichshedidnotinvent，asfullyasifitwereareason；butshedidnotdislikeherniece\'srevoltagainstit。ThatwaspartofMargaret\'soriginality，whichpleasedherauntinproportiontoherownconventionality；shewasreallyatimidperson，andshelikedtheshowofcouragewhichMargaret\'smagnanimityoftenreflecteduponher。Shehadthroughherarepute，withpeoplewhodidnotknowherwell，forintellectualandmoralqualities；shewassupposedtobeliteraryandcharitable；shealmosthadopinionsandideals，butreallyfellshortoftheirpossession。Shethoughtthatshesetboundstothegirl\'soriginalitybecausesherecognizedthem。Margaretunderstoodthisbetterthanheraunt，andknewthatshehadconsultedheraboutgoingtoseetheDryfoosesoutofdeference，andwithnoexpectationofluminousinstruction。Shewasusedtobeingalawtoherself，butsheknewwhatshemightandmightnotdo，sothatshewasratheraby-law。Shewasthekindofgirlthatmighthavefanciesforartistsandpoets，butmightendbymarryingaprosperousbroker，andleaveningavastlumpofmoneyedandfashionablelifewithherculture，generosity，andgood-will。Theintellectualinterestswerefirstwithher，butshemightbeequaltosacrificingthem；shehadthebestheart，butshemightknowhowtohardenit；ifshewaseccentric，hersocialorbitwasdefined；cometsthemselvestraversespaceonfixedlines。Shewaslikeeveryoneelse，acongeriesofcontradictionsandinconsistencies，butobedienttothegeneralexpectationofwhatagirlofherpositionmustandmustnotfinallybe。Provisionally，shewasverymuchwhatshelikedtobe。

VII

MargaretVancetriedtogiveherselfsomereasonforgoingtocallupontheDryfooses，butshecouldfindnonebetterthanthewishtodoakindthing。Thisseemedqueererandlessandlesssufficientassheexaminedit，andsheevenadmittedalittlecuriosityasaharmlesselementinhermotive，withoutbeingverywellsatisfiedwithit。Shetriedtoaddaslightsenseofsocialduty，andthenshedecidedtohavenomotiveatall，butsimplytopayhervisitasshewouldtoanyothereligiblestrangersshesawfittocallupon。Sheperceivedthatshemustbeverycarefulnottoletthemseethatanyotherimpulsehadgovernedher；shedetermined，ifpossible，toletthempatronizeher；tobeverymodestandsincereanddiffident，and，aboveall，nottoplayapart。Thiswaseasy，comparedwiththechoiceofamannerthatshouldconveytothemthefactthatshewasnotplayingapart。WhenthehesitatingIrishserving-

manhadacknowledgedthattheladieswereathome，andhadtakenhercardtothem，shesatwaitingfortheminthedrawing-room。Herstudyofitsappointments，withtheirimpersonalcostliness，gavehernosuggestionhowtoproceed；thetwosisterswereuponherbeforeshehadreallydecided，andsherosetomeetthemwiththeconvictionthatshewasgoingtoplayapartforwantofsomechosenmeansofnotdoingso。Shefoundherself，beforesheknewit，makingherbanjoapropertyinthelittlecomedy，andprofessingsomuchpleasureinthefactthatMissDryfooswastakingitup；shehadherselfbeensomuchinterestedbyit。Anything，shesaid，wasarelieffromthepiano；andthen，betweentheguitarandthebanjo，onemustreallychoosethebanjo，unlessonewantedtodevoteone\'swholenaturallifetotheviolin。Ofcourse，therewasthemandolin；butMargaretaskediftheydidnotfeelthatthebitofshellyoustruckitwithinterposedadistancebetweenyouandtherealsouloftheinstrument；andthenitdidhavesuchafaint，mosquitoylittletone!

Shemademuchofthequestion，whichtheylefthertodebatealonewhiletheygazedsolemnlyathertillshecharacterizedthetoneofthemandolin，whenMelabrokeintoalarge，coarselaugh。

"Well，that\'sjustwhatitdoessoundlike，"sheexplaineddefiantlytohersister。"Ialwaysfeellikeitwasgoingtosettlesomewhere，andI

wanttohitmyselfaslapbeforeitbeginstobite。Idon\'tseewhateverbroughtsuchathingintofashion。"

Margarethadnotexpectedtobesopowerfullyseconded，andsheasked，aftergatheringherselftogether，"Andyouarebothlearningthebanjo?"

"My，no!"saidMela，"I\'vegonethroughenoughwiththepiano。Christineislearnun\'it。"

"I\'msogladyouaremakingmybanjousefulattheoutset，MissDryfoos。"

Bothgirlsstaredather，butfoundithardtocopewiththefactthatthiswastheladyfriendwhosebanjoBeatonhadlentthem。"Mr。Beatonmentionedthathehadleftithere。Ihopeyou\'llkeepitaslongasyoufindituseful。"

AtthisamiablespeechevenChristinecouldnothelpthankingher。

"Ofcourse，"shesaid，"Iexpecttogetanother，rightoff。Mr。Beatonisgoingtochooseitforme。"

"Youareveryfortunate。Ifyouhaven\'tateacheryetIshouldsoliketorecommendmine。"

Melabrokeoutinherlaughagain。"Oh，IguessChristine\'sprettywellsuitedwiththeoneshe\'sgot，"shesaid，withinsinuation。Hersistergaveherafrowningglance，andMargaretdidnottempthertoexplain。

"Thenthat\'smuchbetter，"shesaid。"Ihaveakindofsuperstitioninsuchmatters；Idon\'tliketomakeasecondchoice。InashopIliketotakethefirstthingofthekindI\'mlookingfor，andevenifIchoosefurtherIcomebacktotheoriginal。"

"Howfunny!"saidMela。"Well，now，I\'mjusttheotherway。Ialwaystakethelastthing，afterI\'vepickedoveralltherest。Myluckalwaysseemstobeatthebottomoftheheap。Now，Christine，she\'smorelikeyou。Ibelieveshecouldwalkrightupblindfoldedandputherhandonthethingshewantseverytime。"

"I\'mlikefather，"saidChristine，softenedalittlebythecelebrationofherpeculiarity。"Hesaysthereasonsomanypeopledon\'tgetwhattheywantisthattheydon\'twantitbadenough。Now，whenIwantathing，itseemstomethatIwantitallthrough。"

"Well，that\'sjustlikefather，too，"saidMela。"That\'sthewayhedonewhenhegotthateighty-acrepiecenexttoMoffittthathekeptwhenhesoldthefarm，andthat\'sgotsomeofthebestgas-wellsonitnowthatthereisanywhere。"Sheaddressedtheexplanationtohersister，totheexclusionofMargaret，who，nevertheless，listenedwithasmilingfaceandaresolutelypoliteairofbeingapartytotheconversation。Melarewardedheramiabilitybysayingtoher，finally，"You\'veneverbeeninthenatural-gascountry，haveyou?"

"Ohno!AndIshouldsomuchliketoseeit!"saidMargaret，withafervorthatwaspartly，voluntary。

"Wouldyou?Well，we\'rekindofsickofit，butIsupposeitwouldstrikeastranger。"

"Inevergottiredoflookingatthebigwellswhentheylitthemup，"

saidChristine。"Itseemsasiftheworldwasonfire。"

"Yes，andwhenyouseethesurface-gasburnun\'downinthewoods，likeitusedtobyourspring-house-sostill，andneverspreadun\'any，justlikeabedofsomekindofwildflowerswhenyouketchsightofitapieceoff。"

Theybegantotellofthewondersoftheirstrangelandinanantiphonyofreminiscencesanddescriptions；theyunconsciouslyimputedamerittothemselvesfromthenumberandviolenceofthewellsontheirfather\'sproperty；theybraggedofthehighcivilizationofMoffitt，whichtheycomparedtoitsadvantagewiththatofNewYork。TheybecameexcitedbyMargaret\'sinterestinnaturalgas，andforgottobesuspiciousandenvious。

Shesaid，assherose，"Oh，howmuchIshouldliketoseeitall!"Thenshemadealittlepause，andadded:

"I\'msosorrymyaunt\'sThursdaysareover；sheneverhasthemafterLent，butwe\'retohavesomepeopleTuesdayeveningatalittleconcertwhichamusicalfriendisgoingtogivewithsomeotherartists。Therewon\'tbeanybanjos，I\'mafraid，butthere\'llbesomeverygoodsinging，andmyauntwouldbesogladifyoucouldcomewithyourmother。"

Sheputdownheraunt\'scardonthetablenearher，whileMelagurgled，asifitwerethebestjoke:"Oh，my!Mothernevergoesanywhere；youcouldn\'tgetheroutforloveormoney。"ButshewasherselfoverwhelmedwithasimplejoyatMargaret\'spoliteness，andshoweditinasensuousway，likeachild，asifshehadbeentickled。ShecameclosertoMargaretandseemedabouttofawnphysicallyuponher。

"Ain\'tshejustaslovelyasshecanlive?"shedemandedofhersisterwhenMargaretwasgone。

"Idon\'tknow，"saidChristine。"IguessshewantedtoknowwhoMr。Beatonhadbeenlendingherbanjoto。"

"Pshaw!Doyousupposeshe\'sinlovewithhim?"askedMela，andthenshebrokeintoherhoarselaughatthelookhersistergaveher。"Well，don\'teatme，Christine!Iwonderwhosheis，anyway?I\'mgoun\'togititoutofMr。Beatonthenexttimehecalls。Iguessshe\'ssomebody。

Mrs。Mandelcantell。Iwishthatoldfriendofherswouldhurryupandgitwell——orsomething。ButIguessweappearedaboutaswellasshedid。Icouldseeshewasafraidofyou，Christine。Ireckonit\'sgittun\'aroundalittleaboutfather；andwhenitdoesIdon\'tbelieveweshallwantforcallers。Say，areyougoun\'?Tothatconcertoftheirs?"

"Idon\'tknow。NottillIknowwhotheyarefirst。"

"Well，we\'vegottohumpourselvesifwe\'regoun\'tofindoutbeforeTuesday。"

AsshewenthomeMargaretfeltwroughtinherthatmostincredibleofthemiracles，which，nevertheless，anyonemaymakehisexperience。Shefeltkindlytothesegirlsbecauseshehadtriedtomakethemhappy，andshehopedthatintheinterestshehadshowntherehadbeennoneofthepoisonofflattery。Shewasawarethatthiswasarisksheraninsuchanattempttodogood。IfshehadescapedthiseffectshewaswillingtoleavetherestwithProvidence。

VIII。

ThenotionthatagirlofMargaretVance\'straditionswouldnaturallyformofgirlslikeChristineandMelaDryfooswouldbethattheywereabashedinthepresenceofthenewconditionsoftheirlives，andthattheymustreceivetheadvanceshehadmadethemwithacertaingratefulhumility。Howevertheyreceivedit，shehadmadeituponprinciple，fromaromanticconceptionofduty；butthiswasthewaysheimaginedtheywouldreceiveit，becauseshethoughtthatshewouldhavedonesoifshehadbeenasignorantandunbredasthey。Hererrorwasinarguingtheirattitudefromherowntemperament，andendowingthem，forthepurposesofargument，withherperspective。Theyhadnotthemeans，intellectualormoral，offeelingasshefancied。Iftheyhadremainedathomeonthefarmwheretheywereborn，Christinewouldhavegrownupthatembodimentofimpassionedsuspicionwhichwefindoftenestinthenarrowestspheres，andMelawouldalwayshavebeenagood-naturedsimpleton；buttheywouldneverhavedoubtedtheirequalitywiththewisestandthefinest。Asitwas，theyhadnotlearnedenoughatschooltodoubtit，andthesplendoroftheirfather\'ssuccessinmakingmoneyhadblindedthemforevertoanypossibledifferenceagainstthem。TheyhadnoquestionofthemselvesinthesocialabeyancetowhichtheyhadbeenleftinNewYork。Theyhadbeensurprised，mystified；itwasnotwhattheyhadexpected；theremustbesomemistake。

Theywerethevictimsofanaccident，whichwouldberepairedassoonasthefactoftheirfather\'swealthhadgotaround。Theyhadbeensteadfastintheirfaith，throughalltheirdisappointment，thattheywerenotonlybetterthanmostpeoplebyvirtueofhismoney，butasgoodasany；andtheytookMargaret\'svisit，sofarasthey，investigateditsmotive，forasignthatatlastitwasbeginningtogetaround；ofcourse，athingcouldnotgetaroundinNewYorksoquickasitcouldinasmallplace。TheywereconfirmedintheirbeliefbythesensationofMrs。Mandelwhenshereturnedtodutythatafternoon，andtheyconsultedheraboutgoingtoMrs。Horn\'smusicale。IfshehadfeltanydoubtatthenamefortherewereHornsandHorns——theaddressonthecardputthematterbeyondquestion；andshetriedtomakeherchargesunderstandwhatapreciouschancehadbefallenthem。Shedidnotsucceed；theyhadnotthepremises，theexperience，forasufficientimpression；andsheundidherworkinpartbytheefforttoexplainthatMrs。Horn\'sstandingwasindependentofmoney；thatthoughshewaspositivelyrich，shewascomparativelypoor。ChristineinferredthatMissVancehadcalledbecauseshewishedtobethefirsttogetinwiththemsinceithadbeguntogetaround。ThisviewcommendeditselftoMela，too，butwithoutwarpingherfromheropinionthatMissVancewasallthesametoosweetforanything。Shehadnotsovividaconsciousnessofherfather\'smoneyasChristinehad；butshereposedperhapsallthemoreconfidentlyuponitspower。Shewasfarfromthinkingmeanlyofanyonewhothoughthighlyofherforit；thatseemedsonaturalaresultastobeamiable，evenadmirable；shewaswillingthatanysuchpersonshouldgetallthegoodtherewasinsuchanattitudetowardher。

Theydiscussedthematterthatnightatdinnerbeforetheirfatherandmother，whomostlysatsilentattheirmeals；thefatherfrowningabsentlyoverhisplate，withhisheadclosetoit，andmakingplayintohismouthwiththebackofhisknife(hehadgotsofartowardtheuseofhisforkastodespisethosewhostillatefromtheedgeoftheirknives)，andthemotherpartlymissinghersattimesinthenervoustremorthatshookherfacefromsidetoside。

AfterawhilethesubjectofMela\'shoarsebabbleandofChristine\'shigh-pitched，thin，sharpforaysofassertionanddenialinthefieldwhichhersister\'svoiceseemedtocover，madeitswayintotheoldman\'sconsciousness，andheperceivedthattheyweretalkingwithMrs。Mandelaboutit，andthathiswifewasfromtimetotimeofferinganirrelevantandmistakencomment。HeagreedwithChristine，andsilentlytookherviewoftheaffairsometimebeforehemadeanysignofhavinglistened。

Therehadbeenatimeinhislifewhenotherthingsbesideshismoneyseemedadmirabletohim。Hehadoncerespectedhimselfforthehard-

headed，practicalcommonsensewhichfirstgavehimstandingamonghiscountryneighbors；whichmadehimsupervisor，schooltrustee，justiceofthepeace，countycommissioner，secretaryoftheMoffittCountyAgriculturalSociety。Inthosedayshehadservedthepublicwithdisinterestedzealandproudability；heusedtowritetotheLakeShoreFarmeronagriculturaltopics；hetookpartinopposing，throughtheMoffittpapers，thelegislativewasteofthepeople\'smoney；onthequestionofsellingalocalcanaltotherailroadcompany，whichkilledthatfineoldStatework，andletthedryditchgrowuptograss，hemighthavegonetotheLegislature，buthecontentedhimselfwithdefeatingtheMoffittmemberwhohadvotedforthejob。Ifheopposedsomemeasuresforthegeneralgood，likehighschoolsandschoollibraries，itwasbecausehelackedperspective，inhisintenseindividualism，andsuspectedallexpenseofbeingspendthrift。Hebelievedingooddistrictschools，andhehadafondness，crudebutgenuine，forsomekindsofreading——history，andforensicsofanelementarysort。

Withhisgoodheadforfigureshedoubteddoctorsanddespisedpreachers；

hethoughtlawyerswereallrascals，butherespectedthemfortheirability；hewasnothimselflitigious，butheenjoyedtheintellectualencountersofadifficultlawsuit，andheoftenattendedasittingofthefalltermofcourt，whenhewenttotown，forthepleasureofhearingthespeeches。Hewasagoodcitizen，andagoodhusband。Asagoodfather，hewasratherseverewithhischildren，andusedtowhipthem，especiallythegentleConrad，whosomehowcrossedhimmost，tillthetwinsdied。

Afterthatheneverstruckanyofthem；andfromthesightofablowdealtahorseheturnedasifsick。Itwasalongtimebeforeheliftedhimselfupfromhissorrow，andthenthewillofthemanseemedtohavebeenbreachedthroughhisaffections。Heletthegirlsdoastheypleased——thetwinshadbeengirls；heletthemgoawaytoschool，andgotthemapiano。Itwastheywhomadehimsellthefarm。IfConradhadonlyhadtheirspirithecouldhavemadehimkeepit，hefelt；andheresentedthewantofsupporthemighthavefoundinalessyieldingspiritthanhisson\'s。

Hismoraldecaybeganwithhisperceptionoftheopportunityofmakingmoneyquicklyandabundantly，whichoffereditselftohimafterhesoldhisfarm。Heawoketoitslowly，fromadesolationinwhichhetastedthelastbitterofhomesickness，theuttermiseryofidlenessandlistlessness。Whenhebrokedownandcriedforthehard-working，wholesomelifehehadlost，hewasneartheendofthisseasonofdespair，buthewasalsoneartheendofwhatwasbestinhimself。

Hedevolveduponameaneridealthanthatofconservativegoodcitizenship，whichhadbeenhischiefmoralexperience:themoneyhehadalreadymadewithouteffortandwithoutmeritbreditsunholyself-loveinhim；hebegantohonormoney，especiallymoneythathadbeenwonsuddenlyandinlargesums；formoneythathadbeenearnedpainfully，slowly，andinlittleamounts，hehadonlypityandcontempt。Thepoisonofthatambitiontogosomewhereandbesomebodywhichthelocalspeculatorshadinstilledintohimbegantoworkinthevanitywhichhadsucceededhissomewhatscornfulself-respect；herejectedEuropeastheproperfieldforhisexpansion；herejectedWashington；hepreferredNewYork，whitherthemenwhohavemademoneyanddonotyetknowthatmoneyhasmadethem，allinstinctivelyturn。Hecamewherehecouldwatchhismoneybreedmoremoney，andbringgreaterincreaseofitskindinanhourofluckthanthetoilofhundredsofmencouldearninayear。Hecalleditspeculation，stocks，theStreet；andhispride，hisfaithinhimself，mountedwithhisluck。Heexpected，whenhehadsatedhisgreed，tobegintospend，andhehadformulatedanintentiontobuildagreathouse，toaddanothertothepalacesofthecountry-bredmillionaireswhohavecometoadornthegreatcity。Inthemeantimehemadelittleaccountofthethingsthatoccupiedhischildren，excepttofretattheungratefulindifferenceofhissontotheintereststhatcouldalonemakeamanofhim。Hedidnotknowwhetherhisdaughterswereinsocietyornot；withpeoplecomingandgoinginthehousehewouldhavesupposedtheymustbeso，nomatterwhothepeoplewere；insomevaguewayhefeltthathehadhiredsocietyinMrs。Mandel，atsomuchayear。Henevermetasuperiorhimselfexceptnowandthenamanoftwentyorthirtymillionstohisoneortwo，andthenhefelthissoulcreepwithinhim，withoutasenseofsocialinferiority；itwasaquestionoffinancialinferiority；andthoughDryfoos\'ssoulboweditselfandcrawled，itwaswithagambler\'sadmirationofwonderfulluck。Othermensaidthesemany-millionedmillionairesweresmart，andgottheirmoneybysharppracticestowhichlessermencouldnotattain；butDryfoosbelievedthathecouldcompassthesameends，bythesamemeans，withthesamechances；

herespectedtheirmoney，notthem。

WhenhenowheardMrs。Mandelandhisdaughterstalkingofthatperson，whoevershewas，thatMrs。Mandelseemedtothinkhadhonoredhisgirlsbycomingtoseethem，hiscuriositywasprickedasmuchashispridewasgalled。

"Well，anyway，"saidMela，"Idon\'tcarewhetherChristine\'sgoon\'ornot；Iam。Andyougottogowithme，Mrs。Mandel。"

"Well，there\'salittledifficulty，"saidMrs。Mandel，withherunfailingdignityandpoliteness。"Ihaven\'tbeenasked，youknow。"

"Thenwhatarewegoun\'todo?"demandedMela，almostcrossly。Shewasphysicallytooamiable，shefelttoowellcorporeally，evertobequitecross。"Shemight\'a\'knowed——wellknown——wecouldn\'t\'a\'comealone，inNewYork。Idon\'tseewhy，wecouldn\'t。Idon\'tcallitmuchofaninvitation。"

"Isupposeshethoughtyoucouldcomewithyourmother，"Mrs。Mandelsuggested。

"Shedidn\'tsayanythingaboutmother:Didshe，Christine?Or，yes，shedid，too。AndItoldhershecouldn\'tgitmotherout。Don\'tyouremember?"

"Ididn\'tpaymuchattention，"saidChristine。"Iwasn\'tcertainwewantedtogo。"

"Ireckonyouwasn\'tgoun\'toletherseethatwecaredmuch，"saidMela，halfreproachful，halfproudofthisattitudeofChristine。"Well，Idon\'tseebutwhatwegottostayathome。"Shelaughedatthislameconclusionofthematter。

"PerhapsMr。Conrad——youcouldveryproperlytakehimwithoutanexpressinvitation——"Mrs。Mandelbegan。

Conradlookedupinalarmandprotest。"I——Idon\'tthinkIcouldgothatevening——"

"What\'sthereason?"hisfatherbrokein，harshly。"You\'renotsuchasheepthatyou\'reafraidtogointocompanywithyoursisters?Orareyoutoogoodtogowiththem?"

"Ifit\'stobeanythinglikethatnightwhenthemhussiescomeoutanddancedthatway，"saidMrs。Dryfoos，"Idon\'tblameCoonrodfornotwantun\'togo。Ineversawthebeatofit。"

Melasentayellinglaughacrossthetabletohermother。"Well，IwishMissVancecould\'a\'heardthat!Why，mother，didyouthinkitliketheballet?"

"Well，Ididn\'tknow，Mely，child，"saidtheoldwoman。"Ididn\'tknowwhatitwaslike。Ihain\'tneverbeentoone，andyoucan\'tbetookeerfulwhereyougo，inaplacelikeNewYork。"

"What\'sthereasonyoucan\'tgo?"Dryfoosignoredthepassagebetweenhiswifeanddaughterinmakingthisdemandofhisson，withasourface。

"Ihaveanengagementthatnight——it\'soneofourmeetings。"

"Ireckonyoucanletyourmeetinggoforonenight，"saidDryfoos。

"Itcan\'tbesoimportantasallthat，thatyoumustdisappointyoursisters。"

"Idon\'tliketodisappointthosepoorcreatures。Theydependsomuchuponthemeetings——"

"Ireckontheycanstanditforonenight，"saidtheoldman。Headded，"Thepooryehavewithyoualways。"

"That\'sso，Coonrod，"saidhismother。"It\'stheSaviour\'sownwords。"

"Yes，mother。Butthey\'renotmeantjustasfatherusedthem。"

"Howdoyouknowhowtheyweremeant?OrhowIusedthem?"criedthefather。"Nowyoujustmakeyourplanstogowiththegirls，Tuesdaynight。Theycan\'tgoalone，andMrs。Mandelcan\'tgowiththem。"

"Pshaw!"saidMela。"Wedon\'twanttotakeConradawayfromhismeetun\'，dowe，Chris?"

"Idon\'tknow，"saidChristine，inherhigh，finevoice。"Theycouldgetalongwithouthimforonenight，asfathersays。"

"Well，I\'mnota-goun\'totakehim，"saidMela。"Now，Mrs。Mandel，justthinkoutsomeotherway。Say!What\'sthereasonwecouldn\'tgetsomebodyelsetotakeusjustaswell?Ain\'tthatrulable?"

"Itwouldbeallowable——"

"Allowable，Imean，"Melacorrectedherself。

"Butitmightlookalittlesignificant，unlessitwassomeoldfamilyfriend。"

"Well，let\'sgetMr。Fulkersontotakeus。He\'stheoldestfamilyfriendwegot。"

"Iwon\'tgowithMr。Fulkerson，"saidChristine，serenely。

"Why，I\'msure，Christine，"hermotherpleaded，"Mr。Fulkersonisaverygoodyoungman，andveryniceappearun\'。"

Melashouted，"He\'stentimesaspleasantasthatoldMr。BeatonofChristine\'s!"

Christinemadenoefforttobreaktheconstraintthatfelluponthetableatthissally，butherfathersaid:"Christineisright，Mela。Itwouldn\'tdoforyoutogowithanyotheryoungman。Conradwillgowithyou。"

"I\'mnotcertainIwanttogo，yet，"saidChristine。

"Well，settlethatamongyourselves。Butifyouwanttogo，yourbrotherwillgowithyou。"

"Ofcourse，Coonrod\'llgo，ifhissisterswantshimto，"theoldwomanpleaded。"Ireckonitain\'tagoun\'tobeanythingverybad；andifitis，Coonrod，whyyoucanjustgitrightupandcomeout。"

"Itwillbeallright，mother。AndIwillgo，ofcourse。"