第19章

theycotnofriendts!Theycotnomoneytopribeyou，todreatyou!"

Theofficerliftedhisclub，andtheoldmanthrewhisleftarmuptoshieldhishead。ConradrecognizedZindau，andnowhesawtheemptysleevedangleintheairoverthestumpofhiswrist。Heheardashotinthatturmoilbesidethecar，andsomethingseemedtostrikehiminthebreast。Hewasgoingtosaytothepoliceman:"Don\'tstrikehim!He\'sanoldsoldier!Youseehehasnohand!"buthecouldnotspeak，hecouldnotmovehistongue。Thepolicemanstoodthere；hesawhisface:

itwasnotbad，notcruel；itwaslikethefaceofastatue，fixed，perdurable——amereimageofirresponsibleandinvoluntaryauthority。

ThenConradfellforward，piercedthroughtheheartbythatshotfiredfromthecar。

Marchheardtheshotashescrambledoutofhiscar，andatthesamemomenthesawLindaudropundertheclubofthepoliceman，wholefthimwherehefellandjoinedtherestofthesquadinpursuingtherioters。

Thefightingroundthecarintheavenueceased；thedriverwhippedhishorsesintoagallop，andtheplacewasleftempty。

Marchwouldhavelikedtorun；hethoughthowhiswifehadimploredhimtokeepawayfromtherioting；buthecouldnothaveleftLindaulyingthereifhewould。Somethingstrongerthanhiswilldrewhimtothespot，andtherehesawConrad，deadbesidetheoldman。

VI。

InthecareswhichMrs。Marchsharedwithherhusbandthatnightshewassupportedpartlybyprinciple，butmainlybythe，potentexcitementwhichbewilderedConrad\'sfamilyandtookallrealityfromwhathadhappened。

ItwasnearlymidnightwhentheMarchesleftthemandwalkedawaytowardtheElevatedstationwithFulkerson。Everythinghadbeendone，bythattime，thatcouldbedone；andFulkersonwasnotwithoutthatsatisfactioninthebusiness-likedespatchofallthedetailswhichattendseachstepinsuchanaffairandhelpstomakedeathtolerableeventothemostsorelystricken。Wearecreaturesofthemoment；welivefromonelittlespacetoanother；andonlyoneinterestatatimefillsthese。Fulkersonwascheerfulwhentheygotintothestreet，almostgay；andMrs。Marchexperiencedareboundfromherdepressionwhichshefeltthatsheoughtnottohaveexperienced。Butshecondonedtheoffencealittleinherself，becauseherhusbandremainedsoconstantinhisgravity；and，pendingthefinalaccountinghemustmakeherforhavingbeenwherehecouldbeofsomuchusefromthefirstinstantofthecalamity，shewastenderly，gratefullyproudofalltheusehehadbeentoConrad\'sfamily，andespeciallyhismiserableoldfather。Tohermind，Marchwastheprincipalactorinthewholeaffair，andmuchmoreimportantinhavingseenitthanthosewhohadsufferedinit。Infact，hehadsufferedincomparably。

"Well，well，"saidFulkerson。"They\'llgetalongnow。We\'vedoneallwecould，andthere\'snothingleftbutforthemtobearit。Ofcourseit\'sawful，butIguessit\'llcomeoutallright。Imean，"headded，"they\'llpullthroughnow。"

"Isuppose，"saidMarch，"thatnothingisputonusthatwecan\'tbear。

ButIshouldthink，"hewenton，musingly，"thatwhenGodseeswhatwepoorfinitecreaturescanbear，hemmedroundwiththiseternaldarknessofdeath，Hemustrespectus。"

"Basil!"saidhiswife。Butinherheartshedrewnearertohimforthewordsshethoughtsheoughttorebukehimfor。

"Oh，Iknow，"hesaid，"weschoolourselvestodespisehumannature。

ButGoddidnotmakeusdespicable，andIsay，whateverendHemeantusfor，Hemusthavesomesuchthrillofjoyinouradequacytofateasafatherfeelswhenhissonshowshimselfaman。WhenIthinkwhatwecanbeifwemust，Ican\'tbelievetheleastofusshallfinallyperish。"

"Oh，IreckontheAlmightywon\'tscoopanyofus，"saidFulkerson，withapietyofhisown。

"Thatpoorboy\'sfather!"sighedMrs。March。"Ican\'tgethisfaceoutofmysight。Helookedsomuchworsethandeath。"

"Oh，deathdoesn\'tlookbad，"saidMarch。"It\'slifethatlookssoinitspresence。Deathispeaceandpardon。IonlywishpooroldLindauwasaswelloutofitasConradthere。"

"Ah，Lindau!Hehasdoneharmenough，"saidMrs。March。"Ihopehewillbecarefulafterthis。"

MarchdidnottrytodefendLindauagainsthertheoryofthecase，whichinexorablyheldhimresponsibleforConrad\'sdeath。

"Lindau\'sgoingtocomeoutallright，Iguess，"saidFulkerson。"Hewasfirst-ratewhenIsawhimatthehospitalto-night。"HewhisperedinMarch\'sear，atachancehegotinmountingthestationstairs:"Ididn\'tliketotellyouthereatthehouse，butIguessyou\'dbetterknow。TheyhadtotakeLindau\'sarmoffneartheshoulder。Smashedalltopiecesbytheclubbing。"

Inthehouse，vainlyrichandfoolishlyunfitforthem，thebereavedfamilywhomtheMarcheshadjustleftlingeredtogether，andtriedtogetstrengthtopartforthenight。Theywereallspentwiththefatiguethatcomesfromheaventosuchmiseryastheirs，andtheysatinatorporinwhicheachwaitedfortheothertomove，tospeak。

Christinemoved，andMelaspoke。Christineroseandwentoutoftheroomwithoutsayingaword，andtheyheardhergoingup-stairs。ThenMelasaid:

"Ireckontherestofusbetterbegoun\'too，father。Here，let\'sgitmotherstarted。"

Sheputherarmroundhermother，toliftherfromherchair，buttheoldmandidnotstir，andMelacalledMrs。Mandelfromthenextroom。

Betweenthemtheyraisedhertoherfeet。

"Ain\'tthereanybodyagoin\'tosetupwithit?"sheasked，inherhoarsepipe。"Itappearslikefolkshain\'tgotanyfeelin\'sinNewYork。

Woon\'tsomeo\'theneighborscomeandoffertosetup，withoutwaitin\'tobeasked?"

"Oh，that\'sallright，mother。Themen\'llattendtothat。Don\'tyoubotherany，"Melacoaxed，andshekeptherarmroundhermother，withtenderpatience。

"Why，Mely，child!Ican\'tfeelrighttohaveitlefttohirelin\'sso。

Butthereain\'tanybodyanymoretoseethingsdoneastheyought。IfCoonrodwason\'yhere——"

"Well，mother，youareprettymixed!"saidMela，withastrongtendencytobreakintoherlargeguffaw。Butshecheckedherselfandsaid:

"Iknowjusthowyoufeel，though。Itkeepsacomun\'andagoun\'；andit\'ssoanditain\'tso，allatonce；that\'stheplagueofit。Well，father!

Ain\'tyougoun\'tocome?"

"I\'mgoin\'tostay，Mela，"saidtheoldman，gently，withoutmoving。

"Getyourmothertobed，that\'sagoodgirl。"

"Yougoin\'tosetupwithhim，Jacob?"askedtheoldwoman。

"Yes，\'Liz\'beth，I\'llsetup。Yougotobed。"

"Well，Iwill，Jacob。AndIbelieveit\'lldoyougoodtosetup。

IwishedIcouldsetupwithyou；butIdon\'tseemtohavethestren\'thIdidwhenthetwinsdied。Imustgitmysleep，so\'sto——Idon\'tlikeverywelltohaveyoubrokeofyourrest，Jacob，buttheredon\'tappeartobeanybodyelse。Youwouldn\'thavetodoitifCoonrodwashere。

ThereIgoag\'in!Mercy!mercy!"

"Well，docomealong，then，mother，"saidMela；andshegotheroutoftheroom，withMrs。Mandel\'shelp，andupthestairs。

Fromthetoptheoldwomancalleddown，"YoutellCoonrod——"Shestopped，andheheardhergroanout，"MyLord!myLord!"

Hesat，onesilenceinthedining-room，wheretheyhadalllingeredtogether，andinthelibrarybeyondthehirelingwatchersat，anothersilence。Thetimepassed，butneithermoved，andthelastnoiseinthehouseceased，sothattheyheardeachotherbreathe，andthevague，remoterumorofthecityinvadedtheinnerstillness。Itgrewloudertowardmorning，andthenDryfoosknewfromthewatcher\'sdeeperbreathingthathehadfallenintoadoze。

Hecreptbyhimtothedrawing-room，wherehissonwas；theplacewasfulloftheawfulsweetnessoftheflowersthatFulkersonhadbrought，andthatlayabovethepulselessbreast。Theoldmanturnedupaburnerinthechandelier，andstoodlookingonthemajesticserenityofthedeadface。

Hecouldnotmovewhenhesawhiswifecomingdownthestairwayinthehall。Shewasinherlong，whiteflannelbedgown，andthecandleshecarriedshookwithhernervoustremor。Hethoughtshemightbewalkinginhersleep，butshesaid，quitesimply，"Iwokeup，andIcouldn\'tgittosleepag\'inwithoutcomin\'tohavealook。"Shestoodbesidetheirdeadsonwithhim。"well，he\'sbeautiful，Jacob。Hewastheprettiestbaby!Andhewasalwaysgood，Coonrodwas；I\'llsaythatforhim。

Idon\'tbelieveheevergivemeaminute\'scareinhiswholelife。

IreckonIlikedhimaboutthebestofallthechildren；butIdon\'tknowasIeverdonemuchtoshowit。Butyouwasalwaysgoodtohim，Jacob；

youalwaysdonethebestforhim，eversincehewasalittlefeller。

Iusedtobeafraidyou\'dspoilhimsometimesinthemdays；butIguessyou\'regladnowforeverytimeyoudidn\'tcrosshim。Idon\'tsupposesincethetwinsdiedyoueverhithimalick。"Shestoopedandpeeredcloserattheface。"Why，Jacob，what\'sthattherebyhisporeeyeDryfoossawit，too，thewoundthathehadfearedtolookfor，andthatnowseemedtoreddenonhiseight。Hebrokeintoalow，waveringcry，likeachild\'sindespair，likeananimal\'sinterror，likeasoul\'sintheanguishofremorse。

VII。

Theeveningafterthefuneral，whiletheMarchessattogethertalkingitover，andmakingapproaches，throughitsshadow，tothequestionoftheirownfuture，whichitinvolved，theywerestartledbythetwitteroftheelectricbellattheirapartmentdoor。Itwasreallynotsolateasthechildren\'shavinggonetobedmadeitseem；butatnineo\'clockitwastoolateforanyprobablevisitorexceptFulkerson。Itmightbehe，andMarchwasgladtopostponetheimpendingquestiontohiscuriosityconcerningtheimmediatebusinessFulkersonmighthavewithhim。Hewenthimselftothedoor，andconfrontedtherealadydeeplyveiledinblackandattendedbyaverydecorousserving-woman。

"Areyoualone，Mr。March——youandMrs。March?"askedthelady，behindherveil；and，ashehesitated，shesaid:"Youdon\'tknowme!MissVance"；andshethrewbackherveil，showingherfacewanandagitatedinthedarkfolds。"Iamveryanxioustoseeyou——tospeakwithyouboth。

MayIcomein?"

"Why，certainly，MissVance，"heanswered，stilltoomuchstupefiedbyherpresencetorealizeit。

Shepromptlyentered，andsaying，withaglanceatthehallchairbythedoor，"Mymaidcansithere?"followedhimtotheroomwherehehadlefthiswife。

Mrs。Marchshowedherselfmorecapableofcopingwiththefact。ShewelcomedMissVancewiththelikingtheybothfeltforthegirl，andwiththesympathywhichhertroubledfaceinspired。

"Iwon\'ttireyouwithexcusesforcoming，Mrs。March，"shesaid，"foritwastheonlythingleftformetodo；andIcomeatmyaunt\'ssuggestion。"Sheaddedthisasifitwouldhelptoaccountforhermoreontheconventionalplane，andshehadtheinstinctivegoodtastetoaddressherselfthroughouttoMrs。Marchasmuchaspossible，thoughwhatshehadtosaywasmainlyforMarch。"Idon\'tknowhowtobegin——Idon\'tknowhowtospeakofthisterribleaffair。ButyouknowwhatImean。

IfeelasifIhadlivedawholelifetimesinceithappened。Idon\'twantyoutopitymeforit，"shesaid，forestallingapolitenessfromMrs。March。"I\'mthelastonetobethoughtof，andyoumustn\'tmindmeifItrytomakeyou。IcametofindoutallofthetruththatIcan，andwhenIknowjustwhatthatisIshallknowwhattodo。Ihavereadtheinquest；it\'sallburnedintomybrain。ButIdon\'tcareforthat——

formyself:youmustletmesaysuchthingswithoutmindingme。Iknowthatyourhusband——thatMr。Marchwasthere；Ireadhistestimony；andI

wishedtoaskhim——toaskhim——"Shestoppedandlookeddistractedlyabout。"Butwhatfolly!Hemusthavesaideverythingheknew——hehadto。"Hereveswanderedtohimfromhiswife，onwhomshehadkeptthemwithinstinctivetact。

"Isaideverything——yes，"hereplied。"Butifyouwouldliketoknow——"

"PerhapsIhadbettertellyousomethingfirst。Ihadjustpartedwithhim——itcouldn\'thavebeenmorethanhalfanhour——infrontofBrentano\'s；hemusthavegonestraighttohisdeath。Weweretalking，andI——Isaid，Whydidn\'tsomeonegoamongthestrikersandpleadwiththemtobepeaceable，andkeepthemfromattackingthenewmen。IknewthathefeltasIdidaboutthestrikers:thathewastheirfriend。Didyousee——doyouknowanythingthatmakesyouthinkhehadbeentryingtodothat?"

"Iamsorry，"Marchbegan，"Ididn\'tseehimatalltill——tillIsawhimlyingdead。"

"Myhusbandwastherepurelybyaccident，"Mrs。Marchputin。"Ihadbeggedandentreatedhimnottogonearthestrikinganywhere。Andhehadjustgotoutofthecar，andsawthepolicemanstrikethatwretchedLindau——he\'sbeensuchananxietytomeeversincewehavehadanythingtodowithhimhere；myhusbandknewhimwhenhewasaboyintheWest。

Mr。Marchcamehomefromitallperfectlyprostrated；itmadeusallsick!Nothingsohorribleevercameintoourlivesbefore。Iassureyouitwasthemostshockingexperience。"

MissVancelistenedtoherwiththatlookofpatiencewhichthosewhohaveseenmuchoftherealsufferingoftheworld——thedailyportionofthepoor——haveforthenervouswoesofcomfortablepeople。Marchhunghishead；heknewitwouldbeuselesstoprotestthathisshareofthecalamitywas，bycomparison，infinitesimallysmall。

AftershehadheardMrs。Marchtotheendevenofherrepetitions，MissVancesaid，asifitwereamerematterofcoursethatsheshouldhavelookedtheaffairup，"Yes，IhaveseenMr。Lindauatthehospital——"

"Myhusbandgoeseverydaytoseehim，"Mrs。Marchinterrupted，togive。

afinaltouchtotheconceptionofMarch\'smagnanimitythroughout。

"Thepoormanseemstohavebeeninthewrongatthetime，"saidMissVance。

"Icouldalmostsayhehadearnedtherighttobewrong。He\'samanofthemostgenerousinstincts，andahighidealofjustice，ofequity——toohightobeconsideredbyapolicemanwithaclubinhishand，"saidMarch，withabolddefianceofhiswife\'sdifferentopinionofLindau。

"It\'sthepoliceman\'sbusiness，Isuppose，toclubtheidealwhenhefindsitincitingariot。"

"Oh，Idon\'tblameMr。Lindau；Idon\'tblamethepoliceman；hewasasmuchamereinstrumentashisclubwas。IamonlytryingtofindouthowmuchIamtoblamemyself。IhadnothoughtofMr。Dryfoos\'sgoingthere——ofhisattemptingtotalkwiththestrikersandkeepthemquiet；

Iwasonlythinking，aswomendo，ofwhatIshouldtrytodoifIwereaman。

Butperhapsheunderstoodmetoaskhimtogo——perhapsmywordssenthimtohisdeath。"

Shehadasortofcalminhercouragetoknowtheworsttruthastoherresponsibilitythatforbadeanywishtoflatterheroutofit。"I\'mafraid，"saidMarch，"thatiswhatcanneverbeknownnow。"Afteramomentheadded:"Butwhyshouldyouwishtoknow?Ifhewentthereasapeacemaker，hediedinagoodcause，insuchawayashewouldwishtodie，Ibelieve。"

"Yes，"saidthegirl；"Ihavethoughtofthat。Butdeathisawful；wemustnotthinkpatiently，forgivinglyofsendinganyonetotheirdeathinthebestcause。""IfancylifewasanawfulthingtoConradDryfoos，"

Marchreplied。"Hewasthwartedanddisappointed，withoutevenpleasingtheambitionthatthwartedanddisappointedhim。Thatpooroldman，hisfather，warpedhimfromhissimple，lifelongwishtobeaminister，andwastryingtomakeabusinessmanofhim。Ifitwillbeanyconsolationtoyoutoknowit，MissVance，Icanassureyouthathewasveryunhappy，andIdon\'tseehowhecouldeverhavebeenhappyhere。"

"Itwon\'t，"saidthegirl，steadily。"Ifpeoplearebornintothisworld，it\'sbecausetheyweremeanttoliveinit。Itisn\'taquestionofbeinghappyhere；nooneishappy，inthatold，selfishway，orcanbe；buthecouldhavebeenofgreatuse。"

"Perhapshewasofuseindying。Whoknows?HemayhavebeentryingtosilenceLindau。"

"Oh，Lindauwasn\'tworthit!"criedMrs。March。

MissVancelookedatherasifshedidnotquiteunderstand。ThensheturnedtoMarch。"Hemighthavebeenunhappy，asweallare；butIknowthathislifeherewouldhavehadahigherhappinessthanwewishfororaimfor。"Thetearsbegantorunsilentlydownhercheeks。

"Helookedstrangelyhappythatdaywhenheleftme。Hehadhurthimselfsomehow，andhisfacewasbleedingfromascratch；hekepthishandkerchiefup；hewaspale，butsuchalightcameintohisfacewhenheshookhands——ah，IknowhewenttotryanddowhatIsaid!"Theywereallsilent，whileshedriedhereyesandthenputherhandkerchiefbackintothepocketfromwhichshehadsuddenlypulledit，withaseriesofvivid，young-ladyishgestures，whichstruckMarchbytheirincongruitywiththeoccasionoftheirtalk，andyetbytheirharmonywiththerestofherelegance。"Iamsorry，MissVance)"bebegan，"thatIcan\'treallytellyouanythingmore——"

"Youareverykind，"shesaid，controllingherselfandrisingquickly。

"Ithankyou——thankyoubothverymuch。"SheturnedtoMrs。Marchandshookhandswithherandthenwithhim。"Imighthaveknown——Ididknowthattherewasn\'tanythingmoreforyoutotell。ButatleastI\'vefoundoutfromyouthattherewasnothing，andnowIcanbegintobearwhatI

must。Howarethosepoorcreatures——hismotherandfather，hissisters?

Someday，Ihope，Ishallbeashamedtohavepostponedthemtothethoughtofmyself；butIcan\'tpretendtobeyet。Icouldnotcometothefuneral；Iwantedto。"

SheaddressedherquestiontoMrs。March，whoanswered:"Icanunderstand。Buttheywerepleasedwiththeflowersyousent；peopleare，atsuchtimes，andtheyhaven\'tmanyfriends。"

"Wouldyougotoseethem?"askedthegirl。"WouldyoutellthemwhatI\'vetoldyou?"

Mrs。Marchlookedatherhusband。

"Idon\'tseewhatgooditwoulddo。Theywouldn\'tunderstand。Butifitwouldrelieveyou——"

"I\'llwaittillitisn\'taquestionofself-relief，"saidthegirl。

"Good-bye!"

Sheleftthemtolongdebateoftheevent。AttheendMrs。Marchsaid，"Sheisastrangebeing；suchamixtureofthesocietygirlandthesaint。"

Herhusbandanswered:"She\'sthepotentialityofseveralkindsoffanatic。She\'sveryunhappy，andIdon\'tseehowshe\'stobehappieraboutthatpoorfellow。Ishouldn\'tbesurprisedifshedidinspirehimtoattemptsomethingofthatkind。"

"Well，yougotoutofitverywell，Basil。Iadmiredthewayyoumanaged。Iwasafraidyou\'dsaysomethingawkward。"

"Oh，withaplainlineoftruthbeforeme，astheonlypossiblething，Icangetonprettywell。Whenitcomestoanythingdecorative，I\'dratherleaveittoyou，Isabel。"

Sheseemedinsensibleofhisjest。"Ofcourse，hewasinlovewithher。

Thatwasthelightthatcameintohisfacewhenhewasgoingtodowhathethoughtshewantedhimtodo。"

"Andshe——doyouthinkthatshewas——"

"Whatanidea!Itwouldhavebeenperfectlygrotesque!"

VIII。

TheirafflictionbroughttheDryfoosesintohumanerrelationswiththeMarches，whohadhithertoregardedthemasanecessaryevil，astheodiousmeansoftheirownprosperity。Mrs。Marchfoundthatthewomenofthefamilyseemedgladofhercoming，andinthesenseofherusefulnesstothemallshebegantofeelakindnessevenforChristine。Butshecouldnothelpseeingthatbetweenthegirlandherfathertherewasanunsettledaccount，somehow，andthatitwasChristineandnottheoldmanwhowasholdingout。Shethoughtthattheirsorrowhadtendedtorefinetheothers。Melawasmuchmoresubdued，and，exceptwhensheabandonedherselftoachildishinterestinhermourning，shedidnothingtoshockMrs。March\'stasteortoseemunworthyofhergrief。Shewasverygoodtohermother，whomtheblowhadleftunchanged，andtoherfather，whomithadapparentlyfallenuponwithcrushingweight。Once，aftervisitingtheirhouse，Mrs。MarchdescribedtoMarchalittlescenebetweenDryfoosandMela，whenhecamehomefromWallStreet，andthegirlmethimatthedoorwithakindofcountrysimpleness，andtookhishatandstick，andbroughthimintotheroomwhereMrs。Marchsat，lookingtiredandbroken。

ShefoundthislookofDryfoos\'spathetic，anddweltonthesortofstupefactiontherewasinit；hemusthavelovedhissonmorethantheyeverrealized。"Yes，"saidMarch，"Isuspecthedid。He\'sneverbeenabouttheplacesincethatday；hewasalwaysdroppinginbefore，onhiswayup-town。HeseemstogodowntoWallStreeteveryday，justasbefore，butIsupposethat\'smechanical；hewouldn\'tknowwhatelsetodo；Idaresayit\'sbestforhim。ThesanguineFulkersonisgettingalittleanxiousaboutthefutureof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'NowConrad\'sgone，heisn\'tsuretheoldmanwillwanttokeeponwithit，orwhetherhe\'llhavetolookupanotherAngel。Hewantstogetmarried，Iimagine，andhecan\'tventuretillthispointissettled。"

"It\'saverymaterialpointtoustoo，Basil，"saidMrs。March。

"Well，ofcourse。Ihadn\'toverlookedthat，youmaybesure。OneofthethingsthatFulkersonandIhavediscussedisaschemeforbuyingthemagazine。Itssuccessisprettywellassurednow，andIshouldn\'tbeafraidtoputmoneyintoit——ifIhadthemoney。"

"Icouldn\'tletyousellthehouseinBoston，Basil!"

"AndIdon\'twantto。Iwishwecouldgobackandliveinitandgettherent，too!Itwouldbequiteasupport。ButIsupposeifDryfooswon\'tkeepon，itmustcometoanotherAngel。Ihopeitwon\'tbealiteraryone，withafancyforrunningmydepartment。"

"Oh，Iguesswhoevertakesthemagazinewillbegladenoughtokeepyou!"

"Doyouthinkso?Well，perhaps。ButIdon\'tbelieveFulkersonwouldletmestandlongbetweenhimandanAngeloftherightdescription。"

"Well，then，Ibelievehewould。Andyou\'veneverseenanything，Basil，tomakeyoureallythinkthatMr。Fulkersondidn\'tappreciateyoutotheutmost。"

"IthinkIcameprettynearanundervaluationinthatLindautrouble。

IshallalwayswonderwhatputabackboneintoFulkersonjustatthatcrisis。Fulkersondoesn\'tstrikemeasthestuffofamoralhero。"

"Atanyrate，hewasone，"saidMrs。March，"andthat\'squiteenoughforme。"

Marchdidnotanswer。"Whatanoblethinglifeis，anyway!HereIam，wellonthewaytofifty，aftertwenty-fiveyearsofhardwork，lookingforwardtothepotentialpoor-houseasconfidentlyasIdidinyouth。

Wemighthavesavedalittlemorethanwehavesaved；butthelittlemorewouldn\'tavailifIwereturnedoutofmyplacenow；andweshouldhavelivedsordidlytonopurpose。Someonealwayshasyoubythethroat，unlessyouhavesomeoneelseinyourgrip。Iwonderifthat\'stheattitudetheAlmightyintendedHisrespectablecreaturestotaketowardoneanother!IwonderifHemeantourcivilization，thebattlewefightin，thegamewetrickin!IwonderifHeconsidersitfinal，andifthekingdomofheavenonearth，whichweprayfor——"

"HaveyouseenLindauto-day?"Mrs。Marchasked。

"Youinferreditfromthequalityofmypiety?"Marchlaughed，andthensuddenlysobered。"Yes，Isawhim。It\'sgoingratherhardwithhim，I\'mafraid。Theamputationdoesn\'thealverywell；theshockwasverygreat，andhe\'sold。It\'lltaketime。There\'ssomuchpainthattheyhavetokeephimunderopiates，andIdon\'tthinkhefullyknewme。Atanyrate，Ididn\'tgetmypietyfromhimto-day。"

"It\'shorrible!Horrible!"saidMrs。March。"Ican\'tgetoverit!

Afterlosinghishandinthewar，tolosehiswholearmnowinthisway!

Itdoesseemtoocruel!Ofcourseheoughtn\'ttohavebeenthere；wecansaythat。Butyououghtn\'ttohavebeenthere，either，Basil。"

"Well，Iwasn\'texactlyadvisingthepolicetogoandclubtherailroadpresidents。"

"NeitherwaspoorConradDryfoos。"

"Idon\'tdenyit。Allthatwasdistinctlythechanceoflifeanddeath。

ThatbelongedtoGod；andnodoubtitwaslaw，thoughitseemschance。

ButwhatIobjecttoisthiseconomicchance-worldinwhichwelive，andwhichwemenseemtohavecreated。Itoughttobelawasinflexibleinhumanaffairsastheorderofdayandnightinthephysicalworldthatifamanwillworkheshallbothrestandeat，andshallnotbeharassedwithanyquestionastohowhisreposeandhisprovisionshallcome。

Nothinglessidealthanthissatisfiesthereason。Butinourstateofthingsnooneissecureofthis。Nooneissureoffindingwork；nooneissureofnotlosingit。Imayhavemyworktakenawayfrommeatanymomentbythecaprice，themood，theindigestionofamanwhohasnotthequalificationforknowingwhetherIdoitwell，orill。Atmytimeoflife——ateverytimeoflife——amanoughttofeelthatifhewillkeepondoinghisdutyheshallnotsufferinhimselforinthosewhoaredeartohim，exceptthroughnaturalcauses。Butnomancanfeelthisasthingsarenow；andsowegoon，pushingandpulling，climbingandcrawling，thrustingasideandtramplingunderfoot；lying，cheating，stealing；andthenwegettotheend，coveredwithbloodanddirtandsinandshame，andlookbackoverthewaywe\'vecometoapalaceofourown，orthepoor-house，whichisabouttheonlypossessionwecanclaimincommonwithourbrother-men，Idon\'tthinktheretrospectcanbepleasing。"

"Iknow，Iknow!"saidhiswife。"Ithinkofthosethings，too，Basil。

Lifeisn\'twhatitseemswhenyoulookforwardtoit。ButIthinkpeoplewouldsufferless，andwouldn\'thavetoworksohard，andcouldmakeallreasonableprovisionforthefuture，iftheywerenotsogreedyandsofoolish。"

"Oh，withoutdoubt!Wecan\'tputitallontheconditions；wemustputsomeoftheblameoncharacter。Butconditionsmakecharacter；andpeoplearegreedyandfoolish，andwishtohaveandtoshine，becausehavingandshiningarehelduptothembycivilizationasthechiefgoodoflife。Weallknowtheyarenotthechiefgood，perhapsnotgoodatall；butifsomeoneventurestosayso，alltherestofuscallhimafraudandacrank，andgomoilingandtoilingontothepalaceorthepoor-house。Wecan\'thelpit。Ifonewerelessgreedyorlessfoolish，someoneelsewouldhaveandwouldshineathisexpense。Wedon\'tmoilandtoiltoourselvesalone；thepalaceorthepoor-houseisnotmerelyforourselves，butforourchildren，whomwe\'vebroughtupinthesuperstitionthathavingandshiningisthechiefgood。Wedarenotteachthemotherwise，forfeartheymayfalterinthefightwhenitcomestheirturn，andthechildrenofotherswillcrowdthemoutofthepalaceintothepoor-house。Ifwefeltsurethathonestworksharedbyallwouldbringthemhonestfoodsharedbyall，someheroicfewofus，whodidnotwishourchildrentoriseabovetheirfellows——thoughwecouldnotbeartohavethemfallbelow——mighttrustthemwiththetruth。Butwehavenosuchassurance，andsowegoontremblingbeforeDryfoosesandlivingingimcrackeries。"

"Basil，Basil!Iwasalwayswillingtolivemoresimplythanyou。YouknowIwas!"

"Iknowyoualwayssaidso，mydear。Buthowmanybell-ratchetsandspeaking-tubeswouldyoubewillingtohaveatthestreetdoorbelow?

Irememberthatwhenwewerelookingforaflatyourejectedeverybuildingthathadabell-ratchetoraspeaking-tube，andwouldhavenothingtodowithanythathadmorethananelectricbutton；youwantedahall-boy，withelectricbuttonsalloverhim。Idon\'tblameyou。I

findsuchthingsquiteasnecessaryasyoudo。"

"Anddoyoumeantosay，Basil，"sheasked，abandoningthisunprofitablebranchoftheinquiry，"thatyouarereallyuneasyaboutyourplace?

thatyouareafraidMr。DryfoosmaygiveupbeinganAngel，andMr。

Fulkersonmayplayyoufalse?"

"Playmefalse?Oh，itwouldn\'tbeplayingmefalse。Itwouldbemerelylookingoutforhimself，ifthenewAngelhadeditorialtastesandwantedmyplace。It\'swhatanyonewoulddo。"

"Youwouldn\'tdoit，Basil!"

"Wouldn\'tI?Well，ifanyoneofferedmemoresalarythan\'EveryOtherWeek\'pays——say，twiceasmuch——whatdoyouthinkmydutytomysufferingfamilywouldbe?It\'sgiveandtakeinthebusinessworld，Isabel；

especiallytake。Butastobeinguneasy，I\'mnot，intheleast。I\'vethespiritofalion，whenitcomestosuchachanceasthat。WhenIseehowreadilythesensibilitiesofthepassingstrangercanbeworkedinNewYork，IthinkoftakinguptheroleofthatdesperatemanonThirdAvenuewhowentalonglookingforgarbageintheguttertoeat。IthinkIcouldpickupatleasttwentyorthirtycentsadaybythatlittlegame，andmaintainmyfamilyintheaffluenceit\'sbeenaccustomedto。"

"Basil!"criedhiswife。"Youdon\'tmeantosaythatmanwasanimpostor!AndI\'vegoneabout，eversince，feelingthatonesuchcaseinamillion，thebarepossibilityofit，wasenoughtojustifyallthatLindausaidabouttherichandthepoor!"

Marchlaughedteasingly。"Oh，Idon\'tsayhewasanimpostor。Perhapshereallywashungry；but，ifhewasn\'t，whatdoyouthinkofacivilizationthatmakestheopportunityofsuchafraud?thatgivesusallsuchabadconsciencefortheneedwhichisthatweweakentotheneedthatisn\'t?Supposethatpoorfellowwasn\'tpersonallyfoundedonfact:nevertheless，herepresentedthetruth；hewastheidealofthesufferingwhichwouldbelesseffectiveifrealisticallytreated。Thatmanisagreatcomforttome。HeprobablyriotedfordaysonthatquarterIgavehim；madeadinnerverylikely，orachampagnesupper；andif\'EveryOtherWeek\'wantstogetridofme，Iintendtoworkthatracket。YoucanhangroundthecornerwithBella，andTomcancomeuptomeintears，atstatedintervals，andaskmeifI\'vefoundanythingyet。

Tobesure，wemightbearrestedandsentupsomewhere。Buteveninthatextremecaseweshouldbeprovidedfor。Ohno，I\'mnotafraidoflosingmyplace!I\'vemerelyasortofpsychologicalcuriositytoknowhowmenlikeDryfoosandFulkersonwillworkouttheproblembeforethem。"

IX。

ItwasacuriositywhichFulkersonhimselfshared，atleastconcerningDryfoos。"Idon\'tknowwhattheoldman\'sgoingtodo，"hesaidtoMarchthedayaftertheMarcheshadtalkedtheirfutureover。"Saidanythingtoyouyet?"

"No，notaword。"

"You\'reanxious，Isuppose，sameasIam。Factis，"saidFulkerson，blushingalittle，"Ican\'tasktohaveadaynamedtillIknowwhereI

aminconnectionwiththeoldman。Ican\'ttellwhetherI\'vegottolookoutforsomethingelseorsomebodyelse。Ofcourse，it\'sfullsoonyet。"

"Yes，"Marchsaid，"muchsoonerthanitseemstous。We\'resoanxiousaboutthefuturethatwedon\'trememberhowveryrecentthepastis。"

"That\'ssomethingso。Theoldman\'shardlyhadtimeyettopullhimselftogether。Well，I\'mgladyoufeelthatwayaboutit，March。Iguessit\'smoreofablowtohimthanwerealize。HewasagooddealboundupinCoonrod，thoughhedidn\'talwaysusehimverywell。Well，Ireckonit\'sapttohappensooftentimes；curioushowcruellovecanbe。Heigh?

We\'reanawfulmixture，March!"

"Yes，that\'sthemarvelandthecurse，asBrowningsays。"

"Why，thatpoorboyhimself，"pursuedFulkerson，hadstreaksofthemuleinhimthatcouldgiveoddstoBeaton，andhemusthavetriedtheoldmanbythewayhewouldgiveintohiswillandholdoutagainsthisjudgment。Idon\'tbelieveheeverbudgedahairs-breadthfromhisoriginalpositionaboutwantingtobeapreacherandnotwantingtobeabusinessman。Well，ofcourse!Idon\'tthinkbusinessisallinall；

butitmusthavemadetheoldmanmadtofindthatwithoutsayinganything，ordoinganythingtoshowit，andafterseemingtocomeovertohisground，andreallycoming，practically，Coonrodwasjustexactlywherehefirstplantedhimself，everytime。"

"Yes，peoplethathaveconvictionsaredifficult。Fortunately，they\'rerare。"

"Doyouthinkso?Itseemstomethateverybody\'sgotconvictions。

Beatonhimself，whohasn\'taprincipletothrowatadog，hasgotconvictionsthesizeofabarn。Theyain\'talwaysthesameones，Iknow，butthey\'realwaystothesameeffect，asfarasBeaton\'sbeingNumberOneisconcerned。Theoldman\'sgotconvictionsordidhave，unlessthisthinglatelyhasshakenhimallup——andhebelievesthatmoneywilldoeverything。ColonelWoodburn\'sgotconvictionsthathewouldn\'tpartwithforuntoldmillions。Why，March，yougotconvictionsyourself!"

"HaveI?"saidMarch。"Idon\'tknowwhattheyare。"

"Well，neitherdoI；butIknowyouwerereadytokickthetroughoverforthemwhentheoldmanwantedustobounceLindauthattime。"

"Ohyes，"saidMarch；herememberedthefact；buthewasstilluncertainjustwhattheconvictionswerethathehadbeensostanchfor。

"Isupposewecouldhavegotalongwithoutyou，"Fulkersonmusedaloud。

"It\'sastonishinghowyoualwayscangetalonginthisworldwithoutthemanthatissimplyindispensable。Makesafellowrealizethathecouldtakeadayoffnowandthenwithoutderangingthesolarsystemagreatdeal。Nowhere\'sCoonrod——or，rather，heisn\'t。ButthatboymanagedhispartoftheschoonersowellthatIusedtotremblewhenIthoughtofhisgettingthebetteroftheoldmanandgoingintoaconventorsomethingofthatkind；andnowhereheis，snuffedoutinhalfasecond，andIdon\'tbelievebutwhatweshallbesailingalongjustaschipperasusualinsideofthirtydays。IreckonitwillbringtheoldmantothepointwhenIcometotalkwithhimaboutwho\'stobeputinCoonrod\'splace。Idon\'tlikeverywelltostartthesubjectwithhim；butit\'sgottobedonesometime。"

"Yes，"Marchadmitted。"It\'sterribletothinkhowunnecessaryeventhebestandwisestofusistothepurposesofProvidence。WhenIlookedatthatpooryoungfellow\'sfacesometimes——sogentleandtrueandpure——

Iusedtothinktheworldwasappreciablyricherforhisbeinginit。

Butareweappreciablypoorerforhisbeingoutofitnow?"

"No，Idon\'treckonweare，"saidFulkerson。"AndwhatalotoftherawmaterialofallkindstheAlmightymusthave，towasteusthewayHeseemstodo。ThinkofthrowingawayapreciouscreaturelikeCoonrodDryfoosononechanceinathousandofgettingthatoldfoolofaLindauoutofthewayofbeingclubbed!ForIsupposethatwaswhatCoonrodwasupto。Say!HaveyoubeenroundtoseeLindauto-day?"

SomethinginthetoneorthemannerofFulkersonstartledMarch。"No!

Ihaven\'tseenhimsinceyesterday。"

"Well，Idon\'tknow，"saidFulkerson。"IguessIsawhimalittlewhileafteryoudid，andthatyoungdoctorthereseemedtofeelkindofworriedabouthim。

Ornotworried，exactly；theycan\'taffordtoletsuchthingsworrythem，Isuppose；but——"

"He\'sworse?"askedMarch。

"Oh，hedidn\'tsayso。ButIjustwonderedifyou\'dseenhimto-day。"

"IthinkI\'llgonow，"saidMarch，withapangatheart。HehadgoneeverydaytoseeLindau，butthisdayhehadthoughthewouldnotgo，andthatwaswhyhisheartsmotehim。HeknewthatifhewereinLindau\'splaceLindauwouldneverhavelefthissideifhecouldhavehelpedit。

Marchtriedtobelievethatthecasewasthesame，asitstoodnow；itseemedtohimthathewasalwaysgoingtoorfromthehospital；hesaidtohimselfthatitmustdoLindauharmtobevisitedsomuch。ButbeknewthatthiswasnottruewhenhewasmetatthedoorofthewardwhereLindaulaybytheyoungdoctor，whohadcometofeelapersonalinterestinMarch\'sinterestinLindau。

Hesmiledwithoutgayety，andsaid，"He\'sjustgoing。"

"What!Discharged?"

"Ohno。Hehasbeenfailingveryfastsinceyousawhimyesterday，andnow——"Theyhadbeenwalkingsoftlyandtalkingsoftlydowntheaislebetweenthelongrowsofbeds。"Wouldyoucaretoseehim?"

Thedoctormadeaslightgesturetowardthewhitecanvasscreenwhichinsuchplacesformsthedeath-chamberofthepoorandfriendless。"Comeroundthisway——hewon\'tknowyou!I\'vegotratherfondofthepooroldfellow。Hewouldn\'thaveaclergyman——sortofagnostic，isn\'the?A

goodmanyoftheseGermansare——buttheyoungladywho\'sbeencomingtoseehim——"

Theybothstopped。Lindau\'sgrand，patriarchalhead，foreshortenedtotheirview，laywhiteuponthepillow，andhisbroad，whitebeardfloweduponthesheet，whichheavedwiththoselonglastbreaths。BesidehisbedMargaretVancewaskneeling；herveilwasthrownback，andherfacewaslifted；sheheldclaspedbetweenherhandsthehandofthedyingman；

shemovedherlipsinaudibly。

X。

Inspiteoftheexperienceofthewholeracefromtimeimmemorial，whendeathcomestoanyoneweknowwehelplesslyregarditasanincidentoflife，whichwillpresentlygoonasbefore。Perhapsthisisaninstinctiveperceptionofthetruththatitdoesgoonsomewhere；butwehaveasenseofdeathasabsolutelytheendevenforearthonlyifitrelatestosomeoneremoteorindifferenttous。MarchtriedtoprojectLindautothenecessarydistancefromhimselfinordertorealizethefactinhiscase，buthecouldnot，thoughthemanwithwhomhisyouthhadbeenassociatedinapoeticfriendshiphadnotactuallyreenteredtheregionofhisaffectiontothesamedegree，orinanylikedegree。Thechangedconditionsforbadethat。Hehadasorenessofheartconcerninghim；buthecouldnotmakesurewhetherthissorenesswasgriefforhisdeath，orremorseforhisownuncandorwithhimaboutDryfoos，oraforebodingofthataccountingwithhisconsciencewhichheknewhiswifewouldnowexactofhimdowntothelastminutestparticularoftheirjointandseveralbehaviortowardLindaueversincetheyhadmethiminNewYork。

Hefeltsomethingknockagainsthisshoulder，andhelookeduptohavehishatstruckfromhisheadbyahorse\'snose。Hesawthehorseputhisfootonthehat，andhereflected，"Nowitwillalwayslooklikeanaccordion，"andheheardthehorse\'sdriveraddresshimsomesarcasmsbeforehecouldfullyawakentothesituation。HewasstandingbareheadedinthemiddleofFifthAvenueandblockingthetideofcarriagesflowingineitherdirection。AmongthefacesputoutofthecarriagewindowshesawthatofDryfooslookingfromacoupe。Theoldmanknewhim，andsaid，"Jumpinhere，Mr。March"；andMarch，whohadmechanicallypickeduphishat，andwasthinking，"NowIshallhavetotellIsabelaboutthisatonce，andshewillnevertrustmeonthestreetagainwithouther，"mechanicallyobeyed。HerconfidenceinhimhadbeenunderminedbyhisbeingsonearConradwhenhewasshot；anditwentthroughhismindthathewouldgetDryfoostodrivehimtoahatter\'s，wherehecouldbuyanewhat，andnotbeobligedtoconfesshisnarrowescapetohiswifetilltheincidentwassomedaysoldandshecouldbearitbetter。ItquitedroveLindau\'sdeathoutofhismindforthemoment；

andwhenDryfoossaidifhewasgoinghomehewoulddriveuptothefirstcross-streetandturnbackwithhim，Marchsaidhewouldbegladifhewouldtakehimtoahat-store。TheoldmanputhisheadoutagainandtoldthedrivertotakethemtotheFifthAvenueHotel。"There\'sahat-

storearoundtheresomewhere，seemstome，"hesaid；andtheytalkedofMarch\'saccidentaswellastheycouldintherattleandclatterofthestreettilltheyreachedtheplace。Marchgothishat，passingajokewiththehatterabouttheimpossibilityofpressinghisoldhatoveragain，andcameouttothankDryfoosandtakeleaveofhim。

"Ifyouain\'tinanygreathurry，"theoldmansaid，"Iwishyou\'dgetinhereaminute。I\'dliketohavealittletalkwithyou。"

"Oh，certainly，"saidMarch，andhethought:"It\'scomingnowaboutwhatheintendstodowith\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Well，Imightaswellhaveallthemiseryatonceandhaveitover。"

Dryfooscalleduptohisdriver，whobenthisheaddownsidewisetolisten:"GooverthereonMadisonAvenue，ontothatasphalt，andkeepdrivin\'upanddowntillIstopyou。Ican\'thearmyselfthinkonthesepavements，"hesaidtoMarch。Butaftertheygotupontheasphalt，andbegansmoothlyrollingoverit，heseemedinnohastetobegin。Atlasthesaid，"Iwantedtotalkwithyouaboutthat——thatDutchmanthatwasatmydinner——Lindau，"andMarch\'sheartgaveajumpwithwonderwhetherhecouldalreadyhaveheardofLindau\'sdeath；butinaninstantheperceivedthatthiswasimpossible。"Ibeentalkin\'withFulkersonabouthim，andhesaystheyhadtotakethebalanceofhisarmoff。"

Marchnodded；itseemedtohimhecouldnotspeak。Hecouldnotmakeoutfromtheclosefaceoftheoldmananythingofhismotive。Itwasset，butsetasapieceofbrokenmechanismiswhenithaslostthepowertorelaxitself。Therewasnootherhistoryinitofwhatthemanhadpassedthroughinhisson\'sdeath。

"Idon\'tknow，"Dryfoosresumed，lookingasideattheclothwindow-strap，whichhekeptfingering，"asyouquiteunderstoodwhatmademethemaddest。Ididn\'ttellhimIcouldtalkDutch，becauseIcan\'tkeepitupwitharegularGerman；butmyfatherwasPennsylvanyDutch，andI

couldunderstandwhathewassayingtoyouaboutme。IknowIhadnobusinesstounderstoodit，afterIlethimthinkIcouldn\'tbutIdid，andIdidn\'tlikeverywelltohaveamancallin\'meatraitorandatyrantatmyowntable。Well，Ilookatitdifferentlynow，andIreckonIhadbetterhavetriedtoputupwithit；andIwould，ifIcouldhaveknown——"Hestoppedwithaquiveringlip，andthenwenton:"Then，again，Ididn\'tlikehistalkin\'thatpaternalismofhis。Ialwayshearditwastheworstkindofthingforthecountry；Iwasbroughtuptothinkthebestgovernmentwastheonethatgovernstheleast；andIdidn\'twanttohearthatkindoftalkfromamanthatwaslivin\'onmymoney。

Icouldn\'tbearitfromhim。OrIthoughtIcouldn\'tbefore——before——"

Hestoppedagain，andgulped。"Ireckonnowthereain\'tanythingI

couldn\'tbear。"Marchwasmovedbythebluntwordsandthemutestareforwardwithwhichtheyended。"Mr。Dryfoos，Ididn\'tknowthatyouunderstoodLindau\'sGerman，orIshouldn\'thaveallowedhimhewouldn\'thaveallowedhimself——togoon。Hewouldn\'thaveknowinglyabusedhispositionofguesttocensureyou，nomatterhowmuchhecondemnedyou。"

"Idon\'tcareforitnow，"saidDryfoos。"It\'sallpastandgone，asfarasI\'mconcerned；butIwantedyoutoseethatIwasn\'ttryin\'topunishhimforhisopinions，asyousaid。"

"No；Iseenow，"Marchassented，thoughhethought，hispositionstilljustified。"Iwish——"

"Idon\'tknowasIunderstandmuchabouthisopinions，anyway；butI

ain\'treadytosayIwantthemendependentonmetomanagemybusinessforme。Ialwaystriedtodothesquarethingbymyhands；andinthatparticularcaseoutthereItookonalltheoldhandsjustasfastastheylefttheirUnion。AsforthegameIcameonthem，itwasdogeatdog，anyway。"

MarchcouldhavelaughedtothinkhowfarthisoldmanwasfromevenconceivingofLindau\'spoint\'ofview，andhowhewassayingtheworstofhimselfthatLindaucouldhavesaidofhim。Noonecouldhavecharacterizedthekindofthinghehaddonemoreseverelythanhewhenhecalleditdogeatdog。

"There\'sagreatdealtobesaidonbothsides，"Marchbegan，hopingtoleadupthroughthisgeneralitytothefactofLindau\'sdeath；buttheoldmanwenton:

"Well，allIwantedhimtoknowisthatIwasn\'ttryingtopunishhimforwhathesaidaboutthingsingeneral。Younaturallygotthatidea，I

reckon；butIalwayswentinforlettin\'peoplesaywhattheypleaseandthinkwhattheyplease；it\'stheonlywayinafreecountry。"

"I\'mafraid，Mr。Dryfoos，thatitwouldmakelittledifferencetoLindaunow——"

"Idon\'tsupposehebearsmaliceforit，"saidDryfoos，"butwhatIwanttodoistohavehimtoldso。HecouldunderstandjustwhyIdidn\'twanttobecalledhardnames，andyetIdidn\'tobjecttohisthinkin\'whateverhepleased。I\'dlikehimtoknow——"

"Noonecanspeaktohim，noonecantellhim，"Marchbeganagain，butagainDryfoospreventedhimfromgoingon。

"Iunderstandit\'sadelicatething；andI\'mnotaskin\'youtodoit。

WhatIwouldreallyliketodo——ifyouthinkhecouldbepreparedforit，someway，andcouldstandit——wouldbetogotohimmyself，andtellhimjustwhatthetroublewas。I\'minhopes，ifIdonethat，hecouldseehowIfeltaboutit。"

ApictureofDryfoosgoingtothedeadLindauwithhisvainregretspresenteditselftoMarch，andhetriedoncemoretomaketheoldmanunderstand。"Mr。Dryfoos，"besaid，"Lindauispastallthatforever，"

andhefelttheghastlycomedyofitwhenDryfooscontinued，withoutheedinghim"IgotaparticularreasonwhyIwanthimtobelieveitwasn\'thisideasIobjectedto——themideasofhisaboutthegovernmentcarryin\'everythingonandgivin\'work。Idon\'tunderstand\'emexactly，butIfoundawritin\'——among——myson\'s-things"(heseemedtoforcethewordsthroughhisteeth)，"andIreckonhe——thought——thatway。Kindofadiary——wherehe——putdown-histhoughts。Mysonandme——wedifferedaboutagood-

manythings。"Hischinshook，andfromtimetotimehestopped。"I

wasn\'tverygoodtohim，Ireckon；IcrossedhimwhereIguessIgotnobusinesstocrosshim；butIthoughteverythingof——Coonrod。Hewasthebestboy，fromababy，thateverwas；justsopatientandmild，anddonewhateverhewastold。Ioughtto\'a\'lethimbeenapreacher!Oh，myson!myson!"Thesobscouldnotbekeptbackanylonger；theyshooktheoldmanwithaviolencethatmadeMarchafraidforhim；buthecontrolledhimselfatlastwithaseriesofhoarsesoundslikebarks。"Well，it\'sallpastandgone!ButasIunderstandyoufromwhatyousaw，whenCoonrodwas——killed，hewastryin\'tosavethatoldmanfromtrouble?"

Yes，yes!Itseemedsotome。"

"That\'lldo，then!Iwantyoutohavehimcomebackandwriteforthebookwhenhegetswell。Iwantyoutofindoutandletmeknowifthere\'sanythingIcandoforhim。I\'llfeelasifIdoneit——formy——

son。I\'lltakehimintomyownhouse，anddoforhimthere，ifyousayso，whenhegetssohecanbemoved。I\'llwaitonhimmyself。It\'swhatCoonrod\'ddo，ifhewashere。Idon\'tfeelanyhardnesstohimbecauseitwashimthatgotCoonrodkilled，asyoumightsay，inonesenseoftheterm；butI\'vetriedtothinkitout，andIfeellikeIwasallthemorebeholdentohimbecausemysondiedtryin\'tosavehim。WhateverIdo，I\'llbedoin\'itforCoonrod，andthat\'senoughforme。"Heseemedtohavefinished，andheturnedtoMarchasiftohearwhathehadtosay。

Marchhesitated。"I\'mafraid，Mr。Dryfoos——Didn\'tFulkersontellyouthatLindauwasverysick?"

"Yes，ofcourse。Buthe\'sallright，hesaid。"

Nowithadtocome，thoughthefacthadbeenlatterlyplayingfastandloosewithMarch\'sconsciousness。Somethingalmostmadehimsmile；thewillingnesshehadoncefelttogivethisoldmanpain；thenheconsoledhimselfbythinkingthatatleasthewasnotobligedtomeetDryfoos\'swishtomakeatonementwiththefactthatLindauhadrenouncedhim，andwouldonnotermsworkforsuchamanashe，orsufferanykindnessfromhim。InthislightLindauseemedtheharderofthetwo，andMarchhadthemomentaryforcetosay"Mr。Dryfoos——itcan\'tbe。Lindau——Ihavejustcomefromhim——isdead。"

XI。

"Howdidhetakeit?Howcouldhebearit?Oh，Basil!Iwonderyoucouldhavethehearttosayittohim。Itwascruel!"

"Yes，cruelenough，mydear，"Marchownedtohiswife，whentheytalkedthematteroveronhisreturnhome。Hecouldnotwaittillthechildrenwereoutoftheway，andafterwardneitherhenorhiswifewassorrythathehadspokenofitbeforethem。Thegirlcriedplentifullyforheroldfriendwhowasdead，andsaidshehatedMr。Dryfoos，andthenwassorryforhim，too；andtheboylistenedtoall，andspokewithaserioussensethatpleasedhisfather。"Butastohowhetookit，"Marchwentontoanswerhiswife\'squestionaboutDryfoos——"howdoanyofustakeathingthathurts?Someofuscryout，andsomeofusdon\'t。Dryfoosdrewakindoflong，quiveringbreath，asachilddoeswhenitgrieves——there\'ssomethingcuriouslysimpleandprimitiveabouthim——anddidn\'tsayanything。Afterawhileheaskedmehowhecouldseethepeopleatthehospitalabouttheremains；IgavehimmycardtotheyoungdoctortherethathadchargeofLindau。Isupposehewasstillcarryingforwardhisplanofreparationinhismind——tothedeadforthedead。Buthowuseless!IfhecouldhavetakenthelivingLindauhomewithhim，andcaredforhimallhisdays，whatwouldithaveprofitedthegentlecreaturewhoselifehisworldlyambitionvexedandthwartedhere?

HemightaswellofferasacrificeatConrad\'sgrave。Children，"saidMarch，turningtothem，"deathisanexilethatnoremorseandnolovecanreach。Rememberthat，andbegoodtoeveryonehereonearth，foryourlongingtoretrieveanyharshnessorunkindnesstothedeadwillbetheveryecstasyofanguishtoyou。Iwonder，"hemused，"ifoneofthereasonswhywe\'reshutuptoourignoranceofwhatistobehereafterisn\'tbecauseifweweresureofanotherworldwemightbestillmorebrutaltooneanotherhere，inthehopeofmakingreparationsomewhereelse。Perhaps，ifweevercometoobeythelawofloveonearth，themysteryofdeathwillbetakenaway。"

"Well"——theancestralPuritanismspokeinMrs。March——"thesetwooldmenhavebeenterriblypunished。Theyhavebothbeenviolentandwilful，andtheyhavebothbeenpunished。Nooneneedevertellmethereisnotamoralgovernmentoftheuniverse!"

Marchalwaysdislikedtohearhertalkinthisway，whichdidbothherheadandheartinjustice。"AndConrad，"hesaid，"whatwashepunishedfor?"

"He?"sheanswered，inanexaltation——"hesufferedforthesinsofothers。"

"Ah，well，ifyouputitinthatway，yes。Thatgoesoncontinually。

That\'sanothermystery。"

Hefelltobroodingonit，andpresentlyheheardhissonsaying，"Isuppose，papa，thatMr。Lindaudiedinabadcause?"

Marchwasstartled。HehadalwaysbeensosorryforLindau，andadmiredhiscourageandgenerositysomuch，thathehadneverfairlyconsideredthisquestion。"Why，yes，"heanswered；"hediedinthecauseofdisorder；hewastryingtoobstructthelaw。Nodoubttherewasawrongthere，aninconsistencyandaninjusticethathefeltkeenly；butitcouldnotbereachedinhiswaywithoutgreaterwrong。"

"Yes；that\'swhatIthought，"saidtheboy。"Andwhat\'stheuseofoureverfightingaboutanythinginAmerica?Ialwaysthoughtwecouldvoteanythingwewanted。"

"Wecan，ifwe\'rehonest，anddon\'tbuyandselloneanother\'svotes，"

saidhisfather。"AndmenlikeLindau，whorenouncetheAmericanmeansashopeless，andlettheirloveofjusticehurrythemintosympathywithviolence——yes，theyarewrong；andpoorLindaudiddieinabadcause，asyousay，Tom。"