第17章

"Yes，yousee，"Fulkersonadded，"nobodycangivein。"

"Pardonme，"saidthecolonel，"thecaseisoneinwhichallcangivein。"

"Idon\'tknowwhich\'llbegin，"saidFulkerson。

Thecolonelrose。"Mr。Lindaumustbegin，sir。WemustbeginbyseeingMr。Lindau，andsecuringfromhimtheassurancethatintheexpressionofhispeculiarviewshehadnointentionofofferinganypersonaloffencetoMr。Dryfoos。IfIhaveformedacorrectestimateofMr。Lindau，thiswillbeperfectlysimple。"

Fulkersonshookhishead。"Butitwouldn\'thelp。Dryfoosdon\'tcarearapwhetherLindaumeantanypersonaloffenceornot。Asfarasthatisconcerned，he\'sgotahidelikeahippopotamus。ButwhathehatesisLindau\'sopinions，andwhathesaysisthatnomanwhoholdssuchopinionsshallhaveanyworkfromhim。AndwhatMarchsaysisthatnomanshallbepunishedthroughhimforhisopinions，hedon\'tcarewhattheyare。"

Thecolonelstoodamomentinsilence。"Andwhatdoyouexpectmetodounderthecircumstances?"

"Icametoyouforadvice——Ithoughtyoumightsuggest——?"

"DoyouwishmetoseeMr。Dryfoos?"

"Well，that\'saboutthesizeofit，"Fulkersonadmitted。"Yousee，colonel，"hehastenedon，"Iknowthatyouhaveagreatdealofinfluencewithhim；thatarticleofyoursisabouttheonlythinghe\'severreadin\'EveryOtherWeek，\'andhe\'sproudofyouracquaintance。Well，youknow"——

andhereFulkersonbroughtinthefigurethatstruckhimsomuchinBeaton\'sphraseandhadbeenonhistongueeversince——"you\'rethemanonhorsebacktohim；andhe\'dbemoreapttodowhatyousaythanifanybodyelsesaidit。"

"Youareverygood，sir，"saidthecolonel，tryingtobeproofagainsttheflattery，"butIamafraidyouoverratemyinfluence。"Fulkersonlethimponderitsilently，andhisdaughtergovernedherimpatiencebyholdingherfanagainstherlips。Whatevertheprocesswasinthecolonel\'smind，hesaidatlast:"Iseenogoodreasonfordecliningtoactforyou，Mr。Fulkerson，andIshallbeveryhappyifIcanbeofservicetoyou。But"——hestoppedFulkersonfromcuttinginwithprecipitatethanks——"IthinkIhavearight，sir，toaskwhatyourcoursewillbeintheeventoffailure?"

"Failure?"Fulkersonrepeated，indismay。

"Yes，sir。Iwillnotconcealfromyouthatthismissionisonenotwhollyagreeabletomyfeelings。"

"Oh，Iunderstandthat，colonel，andIassureyouthatIappreciate，I——"

"Thereisnousetryingtoblinkthefact，sir，thattherearecertainaspectsofMr。Dryfoos\'scharacterinwhichheisnotagentleman。

Wehavealludedtothisfactbefore，andIneednotdwelluponitnow:I

maysay，however，thatmymisgivingswerenotwhollyremovedlastnight。"

"No，"Fulkersonassented；thoughinhishearthethoughttheoldmanhadbehavedverywell。

"WhatIwishtosaynowisthatIcannotconsenttoactforyou，inthismatter，merelyasanintermediarywhosefailurewouldleavetheaffairinstatequo。"

"Isee，"saidFulkerson。

"AndIshouldlikesomeintimation，someassurance，astowhichpartyyourownfeelingsarewithinthedifference。"

ThecolonelbenthiseyessharplyonFulkerson；MissWoodburnlethersfall；Fulkersonfeltthathewasbeingtested，andhesaid，togaintime，"AsbetweenLindauandDryfoos?"thoughheknewthiswasnotthepoint。

"AsbetweenMr。DryfoosandMr。March，"saidthecolonel。

Fulkersondrewalongbreathandtookhiscourageinbothhands。"Therecan\'tbeanychoiceformeinsuchacase。I\'mforMarch，everytime。"

Thecolonelseizedhishand，andMissWoodburnsaid，"Iftherehadbeenanychoicefo\'youinsuchacase，Ishouldneverhaveletpapastirastepwithyou。"

"Why，inregardtothat，"saidthecolonel，witha，literalapplicationoftheidea，"wasityourintentionthatweshouldbothgo?"

"Well，Idon\'tknow；Isupposeitwas。"

"Ithinkitwillbebetterformetogoalone，"saidthecolonel；and，withacolorfromhisexperienceinaffairsofhonor，headded:"Inthesemattersaprincipalcannotappearwithoutcompromisinghisdignity。

IbelieveIhaveallthepointsclearlyinmind，andIthinkIshouldactmorefreelyinmeetingMr。Dryfoosalone。"

Fulkersontriedtohidetheeagernesswithwhichhemettheseagreeableviews。Hefelthimselfexaltedinsomesorttothelevelofthecolonel\'ssentiments，thoughitwouldnotbeeasytosaywhetherthiswasthroughthedesperationbredofhavingcommittedhimselftoMarch\'sside，orthroughthebuoyanthopehehadthatthecolonelwouldsucceedinhismission。

"I\'mnotafraidtotalkwithDryfoosaboutit，"hesaid。

"Thereisnoquestionofcourage，"saidthecolonel。"Itisaquestionofdignity——ofpersonaldignity。"

"Well，don\'tletthatdelayyou，papa，"saidhisdaughter，followinghimtothedoor，whereshefoundhimhishat，andFulkersonhelpedhimonwithhisovercoat。"Ahshallbejostwaldtoknowho\'it\'stonedoat。"

"Won\'tyouletmegouptothehousewithyou?"Fulkersonbegan。

"Ineedn\'tgoin——"

"Iprefertogoalone，"saidthecolonel。"Iwishtoturnthepointsoverinmymind，andIamafraidyouwouldfindmeratherdullcompany。"

Hewentout，andFulkersonreturnedwithMissWoodburntothedrawing-

room，whereshesaidtheLeightonswere。They，werenotthere，butshedidnotseemdisappointed。

"Well，Mr。Fulkerson，"shesaid，"youhavegotanahdealoffriendship，sureenough。"

"Me?"saidFulkerson。"Oh，myLord!Don\'tyouseeIcouldn\'tdoanythingelse?AndI\'mscaredhalftodeath，anyway。Ifthecoloneldon\'tbringtheoldmanround，Ireckonit\'sallupwithme。Buthe\'llfetchhim。AndI\'mjustprostratedwithgratitudetoyou，MissWoodburn。"

Shewavedhisthanksasidewithherfan。"Whatdoyoumeanbyitsbeingallupwithyou?"

"Why，iftheoldmanstickstohisposition，andIsticktoMarch，we\'vebothgottogooverboardtogether。Dryfoosownsthemagazine；hecanstopit，orhecanstopus，whichamountstothesamething，asfaraswe\'reconcerned。"

"Andthenwhat?"thegirlpursued。

"Andthen，nothing——tillwepickourselvesup。"

"DoyoumeanthatMr。Dryfooswillputyoubothoatofyourplaces?"

"Hemay。"

"AndMr。Mawchtakestheriskofthatjostfo\'aprinciple?"

"Ireckon。"

"Andyoudoitjostfo\'anahdeal?"

"Itwon\'tdotoownit。Imusthavemylittleaxetogrind，somewhere。"

"Well，menawesplendid，"sighedthegirl。"Ahwillsayit。"

"Oh，they\'renotsomuchbetterthanwomen，"saidFulkerson，withanervousjocosity。"IguessMarchwouldhavebackeddownifithadn\'tbeenforhiswife。Shewasashotaspepperaboutit，andyoucouldseethatshewouldhavesacrificedallherhusband\'srelationssoonerthanlethimbackdownaninchfromthestandhehadtaken。It\'sprettyeasyforamantosticktoaprincipleifhehasawomantostandbyhim。

Butwhenyoucometoplayitalone——"

"Mr。Fulkerson，"saidthegirl，solemnly，"Ahwillstandbahyouinthis，ifallthewoaldtonesagainstyou。"Thetearscameintohereyes，andsheputoutherhandtohim。

"Youwill?"heshouted，inarapture。"Ineveryway——andalways——aslongasyoulive?Doyoumeanit?"Hehadcaughtherhandtohisbreastandwasgrapplingittightthereanddrawinghertohim。

Thechangingemotionschasedoneanotherthroughherheartandoverherface:dismay，shame，pride，tenderness。"Youdon\'tbelieve，"shesaid，hoarsely，"thatAhmeantthat?"

"No，butIhopeyoudomeanit；forifyoudon\'t，nothingelsemeansanything。"

Therewasnospace，therewasonlyapointofwavering。"Ahdomeanit。"

Whentheyliftedtheireyesfromeachotheragainitwashalf-pastten。

"No\'youmostgo，"shesaid。

"Butthecolonel——ourfate?"

"Theco\'nelisoftenoatlate，andAh\'mnotafraidofouahfate，no\'thatwe\'vetakenitintoouahownhands。"Shelookedathimwithdewyeyesoftrust，ofinspiration。

"Oh，it\'sgoingtocomeoutallright，"hesaid。"Itcan\'tcomeoutwrongnow，nomatterwhathappens。Butwho\'dhavethoughtit，whenI

cameintothishouse，insuchastateofsinandmisery，halfanhourago——"

"Threehouahsandahalfago!"shesaid。"No!youmostjostgo。Ah\'mtahedtodeath。Good-night。Youcancomeinthemawningtosee-papa。"

Sheopenedthedoorandpushedhimoutwithenrapturingviolence，andheranlaughingdownthestepsintoherfather\'sarms。

"Why，colonel!Iwasjustgoinguptomeetyou。"Hehadreallythoughthewouldwalkoffhisexultationinthatdirection。

"Iamverysorrytosay，Mr。Fulkerson，"thecolonelbegan，gravely，"thatMr。Dryfoosadherestohisposition。"

"Oh，allright，"saidFulkerson，withunabatedjoy。"It\'swhatI

expected。Well，mycourseisclear；IshallstandbyMarch，andIguesstheworldwon\'tcometoanendifhebouncesusboth。ButI\'meverlastinglyobligedtoyou，ColonelWoodburn，andIdon\'tknowwhattosaytoyou。I——Iwon\'tdetainyounow；it\'ssolate。I\'llseeyouinthemorning。Good-ni——"

Fulkersondidnotrealizethatittakestwotopart。Thecolonellaidholdofhisarmandturnedawaywithhim。"Iwillwalktowardyourplacewithyou。IcanunderstandwhyyoushouldbeanxioustoknowtheparticularsofmyinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos"；andinthestatementwhichfollowedhedidnotsparehimthesmallest。Itoutlastedtheirwalkanddetainedthemlongonthestepsofthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'building。ButattheendFulkersonlethimselfinwithhiskeyaslightofheartasifhehadbeenlisteningtothegayestpromisesthatfortunecouldmake。

BythetunehemetMarchattheofficenextmorning，alittle，butonlyaverylittle，misgivingsaddenedhisgoldenheaven。HetookMarch\'shandwithhighcourage，andsaid，"Well，theoldmanstickstohispoint，March。"Headded，withthesenseofsayingitbeforeMissWoodburn:"AndIstickbyyou。I\'vethoughtitallover，andI\'dratherberightwithyouthanwrongwithhim。"

"Well，Iappreciateyourmotive，Fulkerson，"saidMarch。"Butperhaps——

perhapswecansaveoverourheroicsforanotheroccasion。Lindauseemstohavegotinwithhis，forthepresent。"

HetoldhimofLindau\'slastvisit，andtheystoodamomentlookingateachotherratherqueerly。Fulkersonwasthefirsttorecoverhisspirits。"Well，"hesaid，cheerily，"thatlet\'susout。"

"Doesit?I\'mnotsureitletsmeout，"saidMarch；buthesaidthisintributetohiscrippledself-respectratherthanasaforecastofanyactioninthematter。

"Why，whatareyougoingtodo?"Fulkersonasked。"IfLindauwon\'tworkforDryfoos，youcan\'tmakehim。"

Marchsighed。"Whatareyougoingtodowiththismoney?"Heglancedattheheapofbillshehadflungonthetablebetweenthem。

Fulkersonscratchedhishead。"Ah，doggedifIknow:Can\'twegiveittothedeservingpoor，somehow，ifwecanfind\'em?"

"Isupposewe\'venorighttouseitinanyway。YoumustgiveittoDryfoos。"

"Tothedeservingrich?Well，youcanalwaysfindthem。Ireckonyoudon\'twanttoappearinthetransaction!Idon\'t，either；butIguessI

must。"FulkersongatheredupthemoneyandcarriedittoConrad。

Hedirectedhimtoaccountforitinhisbooksasconscience-money，andheenjoyedthejokemorethanConradseemedtodowhenhewastoldwhereitcamefrom。

Fulkersonwasabletowearoffthedisagreeableimpressiontheaffairleftduringthecourseofthefore-noon，andhemetMissWoodburnwithallalover\'sbuoyancywhenhewenttolunch。Shewasashappyashewhenhetoldherhowfortunatelythewholethinghadended，andhetookherviewthatitwasarewardofhiscourageinhavingdaredtheworst。

Theybothfelt，asthenewlyplightedalwaysdo，thattheywereinthebestrelationswiththebeneficentpowers，andthattheirfelicityhadbeenespeciallylookedtointhedispositionofevents。Theywereinaglowofrapturouscontentwiththemselvesandradiantworshipofeachother；shewassurethathemeritedthebrightfutureopeningtothemboth，asmuchasifheoweditdirectlytosomenobleactionofhisown；

hefeltthathewasindebtedforthefavorofHeavenentirelytothestillincredibleaccidentofherpreferenceofhimoverothermen。

ColonelWoodburn，whowasnotyetinthesecretoftheirlove，perhapsfailedforthisreasontosharetheirsatisfactionwitharesultsounexpectedlybroughtabout。TheblessingontheirhopesseemedtohisignorancetoinvolvecertainsacrificesofpersonalfeelingatwhichhehintedinsuggestingthatDryfoosshouldnowbeaskedtomakesomeabstractconcessionsandacknowledgments；hisdaughterhastenedtodenythatthesewereatallnecessary；andFulkersoneasilyexplainedwhy。

Thethingwasover；whatwastheuseofopeningitupagain?

"Perhapsnone，"thecoloneladmitted。Butheadded，"IshouldliketheopportunityoftakingMr。Lindau\'shandinthepresenceofMr。DryfoosandassuringhimthatIconsideredhimamanofprincipleandamanofhonor——agentleman，sir，whomIwasproudandhappytohaveknown。"

"Well，Ah\'venodoabt，"saidhisdaughter，demurely，"thatyou\'llhavethechancesomeday；andwewouldalllahketojoinyou。Butatthesametahme，AhthinkMr。Fulkersoniswelloatofitfo\'thepresent。"

EndAHazardofNewFortunesV5

ByWilliamDeanHowellsPARTFIFTH

I。

Superficially，theaffairsof\'EveryOtherWeek\'settledintotheirwontedformagain，andforFulkersontheyseemedthoroughlyreinstated。

ButMarchhadafeelingofimpermanencyfromwhathadhappened，mixedwithafantasticsenseofshametowardLindau。HedidnotsympathizewithLindau\'sopinions；hethoughthisremedyforexistingevilsaswildlyimpracticableasColonelWoodburn\'s。Butwhilehethoughtthis，andwhilehecouldjustlyblameFulkersonforLindau\'spresenceatDryfoos\'sdinner，whichhiszealhadbroughtaboutinspiteofMarch\'sprotests，stillhecouldnotridhimselfofthereproachofuncandorwithLindau。Heoughttohavetoldhimfranklyabouttheownershipofthemagazine，andwhatmannerofmanthemanwaswhosemoneyhewastaking。

Buthesaidthathenevercouldhaveimaginedthathewasseriousinhispreposterousattitudeinregardtoaclassofmenwhoembodyhalftheprosperityofthecountry；andhehadmomentsofrevoltagainsthisownhumiliationbeforeLindau，inwhichhefounditmonstrousthatheshouldreturnDryfoos\'smoneyasifithadbeenthespoilofarobber。Hiswifeagreedwithhiminthesemoments，andsaiditwasagreatreliefnottohavethattiresomeoldGermancomingabout。Theyhadtoaccountforhisabsenceevasivelytothechildren，whomtheycouldnotverywelltellthattheirfatherwaslivingonmoneythatLindaudisdainedtotake，eventhoughLindauwaswrongandtheirfatherwasright。ThisheightenedMrs。

March\'sresentmenttowardbothLindauandDryfoos，whobetweenthemhadplacedherhusbandinafalseposition。Ifanything，sheresentedDryfoos\'sconductmorethanLindau\'s。HehadneverspokentoMarchabouttheaffairsinceLindauhadrenouncedhiswork，oraddedtotheapologeticmessageshehadsentbyFulkerson。SofarasMarchknew，DryfooshadbeenlefttosupposethatLindauhadsimplystoppedforsomereasonthatdidnotpersonallyaffecthim。Theyneverspokeofhim，andMarchwastooproudtoaskeitherFulkersonorConradwhethertheoldmanknewthatLindauhadreturnedhismoney。HeavoidedtalkingtoConrad，fromafeelingthatifbedidheshouldinvoluntarilyleadhimontospeakofhisdifferenceswithhisfather。BetweenhimselfandFulkerson，even，hewasuneasilyawareofawantoftheiroldperfectfriendliness。

Fulkersonhadfinallybehavedwithhonorandcourage；buthisprovisionalreluctancehadgivenMarchthemeasureofFulkerson\'scharacterinonedirection，andhecouldnotignorethefactthatitwassmallerthanhecouldhavewished。

HecouldnotmakeoutwhetherFulkersonsharedhisdiscomfortornot。

Itcertainlyworeaway，evenwithMarch，astimepassed，andwithFulkerson，intheblissofhisfortunatelove，itwasprobablyfarmoretransient，ifitexistedatall。Headvancedintothewinterasradiantlyasiftomeetthespring，andhesaidthatiftherewereanypleasantermonthoftheyearthanNovember，itwasDecember，especiallywhentheweatherwasgoodandwetandmuddymostofthetime，sothatyouhadtokeepindoorsalongwhileafteryoucalledanywhere。

ColonelWoodburnhadtheanxiety，inviewofhisdaughter\'sengagement，whensheaskedhisconsenttoit，thatsuchadreamermusthaveinregardtoanyrealitythatthreatenstoaffectthecourseofhisreveries。Hehadnotperhapstakenhermarriageintoaccount，exceptasaremotecontingency；andcertainlyFulkersonwasnotthekindofson-in-lawthathehadimaginedindealingwiththatabstraction。Butbecausehehadnothingofthesortdefinitelyinmind，hecouldnotopposetheselectionofFulkersonwithsuccess；hereallyknewnothingagainsthim，andheknew，manythingsinhisfavor；Fulkersoninspiredhimwiththelikingthateveryonefeltforhiminameasure；heamusedhim，hecheeredhim；

andthecolonelhadbeensomuchusedtoleavingactionofallkindstohisdaughterthatwhenhecametoclosequarterswiththequestionofason-in-lawhefelthelplesstodecideit，andheletherdecideit，asifitwerestilltobedecidedwhenitwassubmittedtohim。Shewascompetenttotreatitinallitsphases:notmerelythoseofpersonalinterest，butthoseofdutytothebrokenSouthernpast，sentimentallydeartohim，andpracticallyabsurdtoher。NosuchSouthasherememberedhadeverexistedtoherknowledge，andnosuchcivilizationasheimaginedwouldeverexist，toherbelief，anywhere。Shetooktheworldasshefoundit，andmadethebestofit。ShetrustedinFulkerson；shehadprovedhismagnanimityinaseriousemergency；andinsmallthingsshewaswillingfearlesslytochanceitwithhim。Shewasnotasentimentalist，andtherewasnothingfantasticinherexpectations；shewasagirlofgoodsenseandrightmind，andshelikedtheimmediatepracticalityaswellasthefinalhonorofFulkerson。Shedidnotidealizehim，butinthehighesteffectsherealizedhim；shedidhimjustice，andshewouldnothavebelievedthatshedidhimmorethanjusticeifshehadsometimesknownhimtodohimselfless。

TheirengagementwasafacttowhichtheLeightonhouseholdadjusteditselfalmostassimplyastheloversthemselves；MissWoodburntoldtheladiesatonce，anditwasnotathingthatFulkersoncouldkeepfromMarchverylong。HesentwordofittoMrs。Marchbyherhusband；andhisengagementperhapsdidmorethananythingelsetoconfirmtheconfidenceinhimwhichhadbeenshakenbyhisearlybehaviorintheLindauepisode，andnotwhollyrestoredbyhistardyfidelitytoMarch。

Butnowshefeltthatamanwhowishedtogetmarriedsoobviouslyandentirelyforlovewasfullofallkindsofthebestinstincts，andonlyneededtheguidanceofawife，tobecomeverynoble。Sheinterestedherselfintenselyinbalancingtherespectivemeritsoftheengagedcouple，andafterhercalluponMissWoodburninhernewcharactershepridedherselfuponrecognizingtheworthofsomestrictlySouthernqualitiesinher，whilemaintainingthegeneralaverageofNewEnglandsuperiority。ShecouldnotreconcileherselftotheVirginiancustomillustratedinherhavingbeenchristenedwiththesurnameofMadison；

andshesaidthatitspetformofMad，whichFulkersonpromptlyinvented，onlymadeitmoreridiculous。

FulkersonwasslowerintellingBeaton。Hewasafraid，somehow，ofBeaton\'stakingthematterinthecynicalway；MissWoodburnsaidshewouldbreakofftheengagementifBeatonwaslefttoguessitorfinditoutbyaccident，andthenFulkersonpluckeduphiscourage。Beatonreceivedthenewswithgravity，andwithasortofmelancholymeeknessthatstronglymovedFulkerson\'ssympathy，andmadehimwishthatBeatonwasengaged，too。

ItmadeBeatonfeelveryold；itsomehowlefthimbehindandforgotten；

inamanner，itmadehimfeeltrifledwith。Somethingoftheunfriendlinessoffateseemedtoovercasthisresentment，andheallowedthesadnessofhisconvictionthathehadnotthemeanstomarryontotingehisrecognitionofthefactthatAlmaLeightonwouldnothavewantedhimtomarryherifhehad。Hewasnowofteninthatmartyrmoodinwhichhewishedtohelphisfather；notonlytodenyhimselfChianti，buttoforegoafur-linedovercoatwhichheintendedtogetforthewinter，HepostponedthemomentofactualsacrificeasregardedtheChianti，andheboughttheovercoatinananguishofself-reproach。

HeworeitthefirsteveningafterhegotitingoingtocallupontheLeightons，anditseemedtohimapieceofghastlyironywhenAlmacomplimentedhispicturesquenessinitandaskedhimtolethersketchhim。

"Oh，youcansketchme，"hesaid，withsomuchgloomthatitmadeherlaugh。

"Ifyouthinkit\'ssoserious，I\'drathernot。"

"No，no!Goahead!Howdoyouwantme?"

Oh，flingyourselfdownonachairinoneofyourattitudesofstudiednegligence；andtwistonecornerofyourmustachewithaffectedabsenceofmind。"

"AndyouthinkI\'malwaysstudied，alwaysaffected?"

"Ididn\'tsayso。"

"Ididn\'taskyouwhatyousaid。"

"AndIwon\'ttellyouwhatIthink。"

"Ah，Iknowwhatyouthink。"

"Whatmadeyouask，then?"Thegirllaughedagainwiththesatisfactionofhersexincorneringaman。

Beatonmadeashowofnotdeigningtoreply，andputhimselfintheposeshesuggested，frowning。

"Ah，that\'sit。Butalittlemoreanimation——

"\'Aswhenagreatthoughtstrikesalongthebrain，Andflushesallthecheek。\'"

Sheputherforeheaddownonthebackofherhandandlaughedagain。

"Yououghttobephotographed。Youlookasifyouweresittingforit。"

Beatonsaid:"That\'sbecauseIknowIambeingphotographed，inoneway。

Idon\'tthinkyououghttocallmeaffected。Ineveramsowithyou；I

knowitwouldn\'tbeofanyuse。"

"Oh，Mr。Beaton，youflatter。"

"No，Ineverflatteryou。"

"Imeantyouflatteredyourself。"

"How?"

"Oh，Idon\'tknow。Imagine。"

"Iknowwhatyoumean。YouthinkIcan\'tbesincerewithanybody。"

"Ohno，Idon\'t。"

"Whatdoyouthink?"

"Thatyoucan\'t——try。"Almagaveanothervictoriouslaugh。

MissWoodburnandFulkersonwouldoncehavebothfeignedagreatinterestinAlma\'ssketchingBeaton，andmadeitthesubjectoftalk，inwhichtheyapproachedasnearlyaspossibletherealinterestoftheirlives。

Nowtheyfranklyremainedawayinthedining-room，whichwasverycozyafterthedinnerhaddisappeared；thecolonelsatwithhislampandpaperinthegallerybeyond；Mrs。Leightonwasaboutherhousekeepingaffairs，inthecontentshealwaysfeltwhenAlmawaswithBeaton。

"Theyseemtobehavingaprettygoodtimeinthere，"saidFulkerson，detachinghimselffromhisownabsolutegoodtimeaswellashecould。

"AtleastAlmadoes，"saidMissWoodburn。

"Doyouthinkshecaresforhim?"

"Quahteasmochashedesoves。"

"WhatmakesyoualldownonBeatonaroundhere?He\'snotsuchabadfellow。"

"Weawenotalldoanonhim。Mrs。Leightonisn\'tdoanonhim。"

"Oh，Iguessifitwastheoldlady，therewouldn\'tbemuchquestionaboutit。"

Theybothlaughed，andAlmasaid，"Theyseemtobegreatlyamusedwithsomethinginthere。"

"Me，probably，"saidBeaton。"Iseemtoamuseeverybodyto-night。"

"Don\'tyoualways?"

"Ialwaysamuseyou，I\'mafraid，Alma。"

Shelookedathimasifsheweregoingtosnubhimopenlyforusinghername；butapparentlyshedecidedtodoitcovertly。"Youdidn\'tatfirst。Ireallyusedtobelieveyoucouldbeserious，once。"

"Couldn\'tyoubelieveitagain?Now?"

"Notwhenyouputonthatwind-harpstop。"

"Wetmorehasbeentalkingtoyouaboutme。Hewouldsacrificehisbestfriendtoaphrase。Hespendshistimemakingthem。"

"He\'smadesomeveryprettyonesaboutyou。"

"Liketheoneyoujustquoted?"

"No，notexactly。Headmiresyoueversomuch。Hesays"Shestopped，teasingly。

"What?"

"Hesaysyoucouldbealmostanythingyouwished，ifyoudidn\'twishtobeeverything。"

"ThatsoundsmoreliketheschoolofWetmore。That\'swhatyousay，Alma。

Well，ifthereweresomethingyouwishedmetobe，Icouldbeit。"

"WemightadaptKingsley:\'Begood，sweetman，andletwhowillbeclever。\'"Hecouldnothelplaughing。Shewenton:"Ialwaysthoughtthatwasthemostpatronizingandexasperatingthingeveraddressedtoahumangirl；andwe\'vehadtostandagooddealinourtime。Ishouldliketohaveitappliedtotheother\'sect\'awhile。Asifanygirlthatwasagirlwouldbegoodifshehadtheremotestchanceofbeingclever。"

"Thenyouwouldn\'twishmetobegood?"Beatonasked。

"Notifyouwereagirl。"

"Youwanttoshockme。Well，IsupposeIdeserveit。ButifIwereone-

tenthpartasgoodasyouare，Alma，IshouldhavealighterheartthanI

havenow。IknowthatI\'mfickle，butI\'mnotfalse，asyouthinkIam。"

"WhosaidIthoughtyouwerefalse?"

"Noone，"saidBeaton。"Itisn\'tnecessary，whenyoulookit——liveit。"

"Oh，dear!Ididn\'tknowIdevotedmywholetimetothesubject。"

"IknowI\'mdespicable。Icouldtellyousomething——thehistoryofthisday，even——thatwouldmakeyoudespiseme。"Beatonhadinmindhispurchaseoftheovercoat，whichAlmawasgettinginsoeffectively，withthemoneyheoughttohavesenthisfather。"But，"hewenton，darkly，withasensethatwhathewasthatmomentsufferingforhisselfishnessmustsomehowbeakindofatonement，whichwouldfinallyleavehimtotheguiltlessenjoymentoftheovercoat，"youwouldn\'tbelievethedepthsofbasenessIcoulddescendto。"

"Iwouldtry，"saidAlma，rapidlyshadingthecollar，"ifyou\'dgivemesomehint。"

Beatonhadasuddenwishtopourouthisremorsetoher，buthewasafraidofherlaughingathim。Hesaidtohimselfthatthiswasaverywholesomefear，andthatifhecouldalwayshaveherathandheshouldnotmakeafoolofhimselfsooften。Amanconceivesofsuchanofficeastheverynoblestforawoman；heworshipsherforitifheismagnanimous。ButBeatonwassilent，andAlmaputbackherheadfortherightdistanceonhersketch。"Mr。FulkersonthinksyouarethesublimestofhumanbeingsforadvisinghimtogetColonelWoodburntointerviewMr。DryfoosaboutLindau。WhathaveyoueverdonewithyourJudas?"

"Ihaven\'tdoneanythingwithit。Nadelthoughthewouldtakeholdofitatonetime，buthedroppeditagain。Afterall，Idon\'tsupposeitcouldbepopularized。Fulkersonwantedtoofferitasapremiumtosubscribersfor\'EveryOtherWeek，\'butIsatdownonthat。"

Almacouldnotfeeltheabsurdityofthis，andshemerelysaid，"\'EveryOtherWeek\'seemstobegoingonjustthesameasever。"

"Yes，thetroublehasallblownover，Ibelieve。Fulkerson，"saidBeaton，withareturntowhattheyweresaying，"hasmanagedthewholebusinessverywell。Butheexaggeratesthevalueofmyadvice。"

"Verylikely，"Almasuggested，vaguely。"Or，no!Excuseme!Hecouldn\'t，hecouldn\'t!"ShelaugheddelightedlyatBeaton\'sfoolishlookofembarrassment。

Hetriedtorecoverhisdignityinsaying，"He\'s\'averygoodfellow，andhedeserveshishappiness。"

"Oh，indeed!"saidAlma，perversely。"Doesanyonedeservehappiness?"

"IknowIdon\'t，"sighedBeaton。

"Youmeanyoudon\'tgetit。"

"Icertainlydon\'tgetit。"

"Ah，butthatisn\'tthereason。"

"Whatis?"

"That\'sthesecretoftheuniverse，"Shebitinherlowerlip，andlookedathimwitheyes，ofgleamingfun。

"Areyouneverserious?"heasked。

"Withseriouspeoplealways。"

"Iamserious；andyouhavethesecretofmyhappiness——"Hethrewhimselfimpulsivelyforwardinhischair。

"Oh，pose，pose!"shecried。

"Iwon\'tpose，"heanswered，"andyouhavegottolistentome。YouknowI\'minlovewithyou；andIknowthatonceyoucaredforme。Can\'tthattime——won\'tit——comebackagain?Trytothinkso，Alma!"

"No，"shesaid，brieflyandseriouslyenough。

"Butthatseemsimpossible。WhatisitI\'vedonewhathaveyouagainstme?"

"Nothing。Butthattimeispast。Icouldn\'trecallitifIwished。Whydidyoubringitup?You\'vebrokenyourword。YouknowIwouldn\'thaveletyoukeepcominghereifyouhadn\'tpromisednevertorefertoit。"

"HowcouldIhelpit?Withthathappinessnearus——Fulkerson——"

"Oh，it\'sthat?Imighthaveknownit!"

"No，itisn\'tthat——it\'ssomethingfardeeper。Butifit\'snothingyouhaveagainstme，whatisit，Alma，thatkeepsyoufromcaringformenowasyoudidthen?Ihaven\'tchanged。"

"ButIhave。Ishallnevercareforyouagain，Mr。Beaton；youmightaswellunderstanditonceforall。Don\'tthinkit\'sanythinginyourself，orthatIthinkyouunworthyofme。I\'mnotsoself-satisfiedasthat；

IknowverywellthatI\'mnotaperfectcharacter，andthatI\'venoclaimonperfectioninanybodyelse。Ithinkwomenwhowantthatarefools；

theywon\'tgetit，andtheydon\'tdeserveit。ButI\'velearnedagood。

dealmoreaboutmyselfthanIknewinSt。Barnaby，andalifeofwork，ofart，andofartalonethat\'swhatI\'vemadeupmymindto。"

"Awomanthat\'smadeuphermindtothathasnohearttohinderher!"

"Wouldamanhavethathaddoneso?"

"ButIdon\'tbelieveyou，Alma。You\'remerelylaughingatme。And，besides，withmeyouneedn\'tgiveupart。Wecouldworktogether。YouknowhowmuchIadmireyourtalent。IbelieveIcouldhelpit——serveit；

Iwouldbeitswillingslave，andyours，Heavenknows!"

"Idon\'twantanyslave——noranyslavery。Iwanttobefreealways。Nowdoyousee?Idon\'tcareforyou，andInevercouldintheoldway；butIshouldhavetocareforsomeonemorethanIbelieveIevershalltogiveupmywork。Shallwegoon?"Shelookedathersketch。

"No，weshallnotgoon，"hesaid，gloomily，asherose。

"Isupposeyoublameme，"shesaid，risingtoo。

"Ohno!Iblamenoone——oronlymyself。Ithrewmychanceaway。"

"I\'mgladyouseethat；andI\'mgladyoudidit。Youdon\'tbelieveme，ofcourse。Whydomenthinklifecanbeonlytheonethingtowomen?

Andifyoucometotheselfishview，whoarethehappywomen?I\'msurethatifworkdoesn\'tfailme，healthwon\'t，andhappinesswon\'t。"

"Butyoucouldworkonwithme——"

"Secondfiddle。DoyousupposeIshouldn\'tbewomanenoughtowishmyworkalwayslessandlowerthanyours?AtleastI\'veheartenoughforthat!"

"You\'veheartenoughforanything，Alma。Iwasafooltosayyouhadn\'t。"

"Ithinkthewomenwhokeeptheirheartshaveanevenchance，atleast，ofhavingheart——"

"Ah，there\'swhereyou\'rewrong!"

"Butmineisn\'tminetogiveyou，anyhow。AndnowIdon\'twantyouevertospeaktomeaboutthisagain。"

"Oh，there\'snodanger!"hecried，bitterly。"Ishallneverwillinglyseeyouagain。"

"That\'sasyoulike，Mr。Beaton。We\'vehadtobeveryfrank，butIdon\'tseewhyweshouldn\'tbefriends。Still，weneedn\'t，ifyoudon\'tlike。"

"AndImaycome——Imaycomehere——as——asusual?"

"Why，ifyoucanconsistently，"shesaid，withasmile，andsheheldoutherhandtohim。

Hewenthomedazed，andfeelingasifitwereabadjokethathadbeenputuponhim。Atleasttheaffairwentsodeepthatitestrangedtheaspectofhisfamiliarstudio。Someofthethingsinitwerenotveryfamiliar；hehadspentlatelyagreatdealonrugs，onstuffs，onJapanesebric-a-brac。Whenhesawthesethingsintheshopshehadfeltthathemusthavethem；thattheywerenecessarytohim；andhewaspartlyindebtforthem，stillwithouthavingsentanyofhisearningstopayhisfather。Ashelookedatthemnowhelikedtofancysomethingweirdandconsciousinthemasthesilentwitnessesofabrokenlife。

Hefeltaboutamongsomeofthesmallerobjectsonthemantelforhispipe。Beforeheslepthewasaware，intheluxuryofhisdespair，ofaremoterelief，anescape；and，afterall，theunderstandinghehadcometowithAlmawasonlytheexplicitformulationoftermslongtacitbetweenthem。Beatonwouldhavebeenpuzzledmorethanheknewifshehadtakenhimseriously。Itwasinevitablethatheshoulddeclarehimselfinlovewithher；buthewasnotdisappointedatherrejectionofhislove；perhapsnotsomuchashewouldhavebeenatitsacceptance，thoughhetriedtothinkotherwise，andtogivehimselfairsoftragedy。

Hedidnotreallyfeelthattheresultwasworsethanwhathadgonebefore，anditlefthimfree。

ButhedidnotgototheLeightonsagainforsolongatimethatMrs。

LeightonaskedAlmawhathadhappened。Almatoldher。

"Andhewon\'tcomeanymore?"hermothersighed，withreservedcensure。

"Oh，Ithinkhewill。Hecouldn\'tverywellcomethenextnight。Buthehasthehabitofcoming，andwithMr。Beatonhabitiseverything——eventhehabitofthinkinghe\'sinlovewithsomeone。"

"Alma，"saidhermother，"Idon\'tthinkit\'sveryniceforagirltoletayoungmankeepcomingtoseeheraftershe\'srefusedhim。"

"Whynot，ifitamuseshimanddoesn\'thurtthegirl?"

"Butitdoeshurther，Alma。It——it\'sindelicate。Itisn\'tfairtohim；

itgiveshimhopes。"

"Well，mamma，ithasn\'thappenedinthegivencaseyet。IfMr。Beatoncomesagain，Iwon\'tseehim，andyoucanforbidhimthehouse。"

"IfIcouldonlyfeelsure，Alma，"saidhermother，takingupanotherbranchoftheinquiry，"thatyoureallyknewyourownmind，Ishouldbeeasieraboutit。"

"Thenyoucanrestperfectlyquiet，mamma。Idoknowmyownmind；and，what\'sworse，IknowMr。Beaton\'smind。"

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"ImeanthathespoketometheothernightsimplybecauseMr。

Fulkerson\'sengagementhadbrokenhimallup。"

"Whatexpressions!"Mrs。Leightonlamented。

"Heletitouthimself，"Almawenton。"Andyouwouldn\'thavethoughtitwasveryflatteringyourself。WhenI\'mmadeloveto，afterthis，Iprefertobemadelovetoinanoff-year，whenthereisn\'tanotherengagedcoupleanywhereabout。"

"Didyoutellhimthat，Alma?"

"Tellhimthat!Whatdoyoumean，mamma?Imaybeindelicate，butI\'mnotquitesoindelicateasthat。"

"Ididn\'tmeanyouwereindelicate，really，Alma，butIwantedtowarnyou。IthinkMr。Beatonwasverymuchinearnest。"

"Oh，sodidhe!"

"Andyoudidn\'t?"

"Ohyes，forthetimebeing。Isupposehe\'sverymuchinearnestwithMissVanceattimes，andwithMissDryfoosatothers。Sometimeshe\'sapainter，andsometimeshe\'sanarchitect，andsometimeshe\'sasculptor。

Hehastoomanygifts——toomanytastes。"

"AndifMissVanceandMissDryfoos——"

"Oh，dosaySculptureandArchitecture，mamma!It\'sgettingsodreadfullypersonal!"

"Alma，youknowthatIonlywishtogetatyourrealfeelinginthematter。"

"AndyouknowthatIdon\'twanttoletyou——especiallywhenIhaven\'tgotanyrealfeelinginthematter。ButIshouldthink——speakingintheabstractentirely——thatifeitherofthoseartswasevergoingtobeinearnestabouthim，itwouldwanthisexclusivedevotionforaweekatleast。"

"Ididn\'tknow，"saidMrs。Leighton，"thathewasdoinganythingnowattheothers。Ithoughthewasentirelytakenupwithhisworkon\'EveryOtherWeek。\'"

"Oh，heis!heis!"

"Andyoucertainlycan\'tsay，mydear，thathehasn\'tbeenverykind——

veryusefultoyou，inthatmatter。"

"AndsoIoughttohavesaidyesoutofgratitude?Thankyou，mamma!I

didn\'tknowyouheldmesocheap。"

"YouknowwhetherIholdyoucheapornot，Alma。Idon\'twantyoutocheapenyourself。Idon\'twantyoutotriflewithanyone。Iwantyoutobehonestwithyourself。"

"Well，comenow，mamma!Supposeyoubegin。I\'vebeenperfectlyhonestwithmyself，andI\'vebeenhonestwithMr。Beaton。Idon\'tcareforhim，andI\'vetoldhimIdidn\'t；sohemaybesupposedtoknowit。Ifhecomeshereafterthis，he\'llcomeasaplain，unostentatiousfriendofthefamily，andit\'sforyoutosaywhetherheshallcomeinthatcapacityornot。Ihopeyouwon\'ttriflewithhim，andlethimgetthenotionthathe\'scomingonanyotherbasis。"

Mrs。Leightonfeltthecomfortofthecriticalattitudefartookeenlytoabandonitforanythingconstructive。Sheonlysaid，"Youknowverywell，Alma，that\'samatterIcanhavenothingtodowith。"

"Thenyouleavehimentirelytome?"

"Ihopeyouwillregardhisrighttocandidandopentreatment。"

"He\'shadnothingbutthemostopenandcandidtreatmentfromme，mamma。

It\'syouthatwantstoplayfastandloosewithhim。And，totellyouthetruth，Ibelievehewouldlikethatagooddealbetter；Ibelievethat，ifthere\'sanythinghehates，it\'sopennessandcandor。"

Almalaughed，andputherarmsroundhermother，whocouldnothelplaughingalittle，too。

II。

ThewinterdidnotrenewforChristineandMelathesocialopportunitywhichthespringhadoffered。AfterthemusicaleatMrs。Horn\'s，theybothmadetheirparty-call，asMelasaid，indueseason；buttheydidnotfindMrs。Hornathome，andneithershenorMissVancecametoseethemafterpeoplereturnedtotowninthefall。TheytriedtobelieveforatimethatMrs。Hornhadnotgottheircards；thispretencefailedthem，andtheyfellbackupontheirpride，orratherChristine\'spride。Melahadlittlebuthergood-naturetoavailherinanyexigency，andifMrs。

HornorMissVancehadcometocallafterayearofneglect，shewouldhavereceivedthemasamiablyasiftheyhadnotlostadayincoming。

ButChristinehaddrawnalinebeyondwhichtheywouldnothavebeenforgiven；andshehadplannedthewordsandthebehaviorwithwhichshewouldhavepunishedthemiftheyhadappearedthen。Neithersisterimaginedherselfinanywiseinferiortothem；butChristinewassuspicious，atleast，anditwasMelawhoinventedthehypothesisofthelostcards。Asnothinghappenedtoproveortodisprovethefact，shesaid，"ImoveweputCoonroduptogittun\'itoutofMissVance，atsomeoftheirmeetun\'s。"

"Ifyoudo，"saidChristine，"I\'llkillyou。"

Christine，however，hadthevisitsofBeatontoconsoleher，and，iftheseseemedtohavenodefiniteaim，shewaswillingtorestinthepleasuretheygavehervanity；butMelahadnothing。Sometimessheevenwishedtheywereallbackonthefarm。

"Itwouldbethebestthingforbothofyou，"saidMrs。Dryfoos，inanswertosuchaburstofdesperation。"Idon\'tthinkNewYorkisanyplaceforgirls。"

"Well，whatIhate，mother，"saidMela，"is，itdon\'tseemtobeanyplaceforyoungmen，either。"ShefoundthissogoodwhenshehadsaiditthatshelaughedoverittillChristinewasangry。

"Abodywouldthinktherehadneverbeenanyjokebefore。"

"Idon\'tseeasit\'sajoke，"saidMrs。Dryfoos。"It\'stheplaintruth。"

"Oh，don\'tmindher，mother，"saidMela。"She\'sputoutbecauseheroldMr。Beatonha\'r\'tbeenroundforacoupleo\'weeks。Ifyoudon\'twatchout，thatfellow\'llgiveyoutheslipyit，Christine，afterallyourpains。"

"Well，thereain\'tanybodytogiveyoutheslip，Mela，"Christineclawedback。

"No；Iha\'n\'teversetmytrapsforanybody。"ThiswaswhatMelasaidforwantofabetterretort；butitwasnotquitetrue。WhenKendrickscamewithBeatontocallafterherfather\'sdinner，sheusedallhercunningtoensnarehim，andshehadhimtoherselfaslongasBeatonstayed；Dryfoossentdownwordthathewasnotverywellandhadgonetobed。ThenoveltyofMelahadwornoffforKendricks，andshefoundhim，asshefranklytoldhim，nothalfasentertainingashewasatMrs。