第3章

thedressofhermodelhadbeenframeduponasymmetricallyattenuatedFrenchcorset，andtheunfortunateMinty\'sfullerandamplercurveshadunderhersimplecountrystaysknownnomorerestrainingcincturethanknewtheVenusofMilo。Thealterationwasahideousfailure，itwasneitherMinty\'sstatuesqueoutlinenorLouiseMacy\'sgracefulcontour。Mintywasnofool，andtherevelationofthissloweducationofthefigureandtrainingofoutline——whetherfairorfalseinart——struckherquickintelligencewithallitsfullandhopelesssignificance。Abitterlightsprangtohereyes；shetorethewretchedshamfromhershoulders，andthenwrappingashawlaroundher，threwherselfheavilyandsullenlyonthebed。ButinactionwasnotacharacteristicofMinty\'semotion；

shepresentlyroseagain，and，takinganoldwork-boxfromhertrunk，begantorummageinitsrecesses。Itwasanoldshell-

incrustedaffair，andtheapparentreceptacleofsuchcheapoddsandendsofjewelryasshepossessed；ahideouscameoring，thepropertyofthelateMrs。Sharpe，wasmissing。Sheagainrapidlyexploredthecontentsofthebox，andthenaninspirationseizedher，andshedartedintoherbrother\'sbedroom。

ThatprecociousandgallantLovelaceoften，despiteallsentiment，hadbaselysuccumbedtothegrossmaterialismofyouthfulslumber。

Onacotinthecorner，halfhiddenunderthewreckofhisowncarelessandhurrieddisrobing，withonearmhangingoutofthecoverlid，Richelieulaysupremelyunconscious。Ontheforefingerofhissmallbutdirtyhandthemissingcameowasstillglitteringguiltily。WithaswiftmovementofindignationMintyrushedwithupliftedpalmtowardsthetemptingexpanseofyouthfulcheekthatlayinvitinglyexposeduponthepillow。Thenshestoppedsuddenly。

Shehadseenhimlyingthusahundredtimesbefore。Onthepillownearhimanindistinguishablemassofgoldenfur——thehelplessbulkofasquirrelchainedtothelegofhiscot；athisfeetawall-

eyedcat，whohadfollowedhistyrannouscapriceswiththelong-

sufferingdevotionofhersex；ontheshelfabovehimaloathsomecollectionoffliesandtarantulasindullgreenbottles:aslabofginger-breadforlightnocturnalrefection，andherownpotofbear\'sgrease。Perhapsitwasthepiteousdefencelessnessofyouthfulsleep，perhapsitwassomelingeringmemoryofherfather\'scaress；butasshegazedathimwithtroubledeyes，thejuvenilereprobateslippedbackintothebaby-boythatshehadcarriedinherownchildisharmssuchashorttimeago，whenthematernalresponsibilityhaddescendedwiththedeadmother\'sill-

fittingdressesuponherlankgirlishfigureandscantvirginbreast——andherhandfelllistlesslyatherside。

Thesleeperstirredslightlyandawoke。Atthesamemoment，bysomemysterioussympathy，apairofbeadybrighteyesappearedinthebulkoffurnearhiscurls，thecatstretchedherself，andevenavagueagitationwasheardinthebottlesontheshelf。Richelieu\'sblinkingeyeswanderedfromthecandletohissister，andthentheguiltyhandwassuddenlywithdrawnunderthebedclothes。

"Nomatter，dear，"saidMinty；"it\'smar\'s，andyoukinwearitwhenyoulike，ifyou\'llonlyaskforit。”

Richelieuwonderedifhewasdreaming!Thisunexpectedmildness——

thisinexplicabletremorinhissister\'svoice:itmustbesomeoccultinfluenceofthenightseasononthesisterlymind，possiblyakintoafearofghosts!Hemadeamentalnoteofitinviewoffuturefavors，yetforthemomenthefeltembarrassedlygratified。

"Yeain\'twantin\'anything，Minty，"hesaidaffectionately；"apailo\'coldwaterfromthefarspring——nonothin\'？"Hemadeanostentatiousmovementasiftorise，yetsufficientlyprotractedtopreventanyhastyacceptanceofhisprodigaloffer。

"No，dear，"shesaid，stillgazingathimwithanabsorbedlookinherdarkeyes。

Richelieufeltaslightcreepysensationunderthatlonelyfar-offgaze。"Youreyeslookawfulbigatnight，Minty，"hesaid。Hewouldhaveadded"andpretty，"butshewashissister，andhehadtheloftyfraternalconvictionofhisdutyinrepressingtheinordinatevanityofthesex。"Ye\'resureyeain\'twantin\'

nothin\'？"

"Notnow，dear。”Shepausedamoment，andthensaiddeliberately:

"Butyouwouldn\'tmindturnin\'outaftersun-upandrunnin\'anerrandformeovertoTheLookout？"

Richelieu\'seyessparkledsosuddenlythateveninherabsorptionMintynoticedthechange。"Butye\'renotgoin\'totarryoverthere，nergossip——youhear？Yertotakethisyermessage。Yertosay\'thatitwillbeonpossibleformetocomebackthere，onaccount——onaccountof——\'"

"Importantbusiness，"suggestedRichelieu；"that\'stheperlitestyle。”

"Efyoulike。”Sheleanedoverthebedandputherlipstohisforehead，stilldampwiththedewsofsleep，andthentohislong-

lashedlids。"MindNip!"——thesquirrel——hepracticallysuggested。

Foraninstanttheirblondcurlsmingledonthepillow。"Nowgotosleep，"shesaidcurtly。

ButRichelieuhadtakenherwhiteneckintheshortstrangulatoryhugofthesmallboy，andheldherfast。"Ye\'llletmeputonmybestpants？"

"Yes。”

"Andwearthatring？"

"Yes"——alittlesadly。

"Thenyerkincountmein，Minty；andseehere"——hisvoicesanktoaconfidentialwhisper——"mebbeesomedayye\'llbebeholdentoME

foraloto\'realjewelry。”

Shereturnedslowlytoherroom，and，openingthewindow，lookedoutuponthenight。ThesamemoonthathadlentsuchsupererogatorygracetothenaturalbeautyofTheLookout，hereseemedtohavefailed；asMintyhad，indisguisingtherelentlesslimitationsofNatureorthecruelbondsofcustom。Theblackplainofgranite，underitsrays，appearedonlytoextenditspovertytosomeremoterbarrier；theblackenedstumpsoftheburntforeststoodbleakeragainstthesky，likebrokenandtwistedpillarsofiron。ThecavityofthebrokenledgewhereRichelieuhadprospectedwasahideouschasmofbluishblackness，overwhichapurplevaporseemedtohover；the"brushdump"besidethehouseshowedacavernofwrithinganddistortedobjectsstiffenedintodarkrigidity。Shehadoftenlookedupontheprospect:ithadneverseemedsohardandchangeless；yetsheacceptedit，asshehadaccepteditbefore。

Sheturnedaway，undressedherselfmechanically，andwenttobed。

Shehadanideathatshehadbeenveryfoolish；thatherescapefrombeingstillmorefoolishwassomethingmiraculous，andinsomemeasureconnectedwithProvidence，herfather，herlittlebrother，andherdeadmother，whosedressshehadrecklesslyspoiled。Butthatshehadevensoslightlytouchedthebitternessandgloryofrenunciation——aswrittenofheroinesandfineladiesbynovelistsandpoets——neverenteredthefoolishheadofMintySharpe，theblacksmith\'sdaughter。

CHAPTERIV。

ItwasalittleafterdaybreaknextmorningthatMainwaringawokefromthefirstunrefreshingnighthehadpassedatTheLookout。Hewassofeverishandrestlessthathedressedhimselfatsunrise，andcautiouslysteppedoutuponthestillsilentveranda。ThechairswhichheandLouiseMacyhadoccupiedwerestill，itseemedtohim，conspicuouslyconfidentialwitheachother，andheseparatedthem，butashelookeddownintotheGreatCanyonathisfeethewasconsciousofsomeundefinablechangeintheprospect。Aslightmistwasrisingfromthevalley，asifitwerethelastoflastnight\'sillusions；thefirstlevelsunbeamswereobtrusivelysearching，andthekeenmorningairhadadrylypracticalinsistencewhichirritatedhim，untilalightfootsteponthefartherendoftheverandacausedhimtoturnsharply。

Itwasthesingularapparitionofasmallboy，bearingasurprisingresemblancetoMintySharpe，anddressedinanuniquefashion。Onatumbledseaofblondcurlsa"chip"sailorhat，withabroadredribbon，rodejauntily。Butherethenauticalsuggestionchanged，ashadthedesireofbecomingapiratewhichinducedit。Aredshirt，withawhitecollar，andayellowplaidribbontie，thatalsorecalledMintySharpe，lightlyturnedthesuggestionofhiscostumetomining。Shortblackvelvettrousers，comingtohisknee，andostentatiouslynewshort-leggedboots，withvisiblestrapslikecurlingears，completedtheentirelyoriginalcharacterofhislowerlimbs。

Mainwaring，alwayseasilygentleandfamiliarwithchildrenandhisinferiors，lookedathimwithanencouragingsmile。Richelieu——foritwashe——advancedgravelyandheldouthishand，withthecameoringapparent。Mainwaring，withequalgravity，shookitwarmly，andremovedhishat。Richelieu，keenlyobservant，didthesame。

"IsJimBradleyoutyet？"askedRichelieu，carelessly。

"No；Ithinknot。ButI\'mFrankMainwaring。WillIdo？"

Richelieusmiled。Thedimples，thewhiteteeth，thedark，laughingeyes，weresurelyMinty\'s？

"I\'mRichelieu，"herejoinedwithequalcandor。

"Richelieu？"

"Yes。ThatFrenchman——theLordCardinal——youknow。MarsawForrestdohimoutinSt。Louis。”

"Dohim？"

"Yes，inthetheayter。”

Withaconfusedmisconceptionofhismeaning，MainwaringtriedtorecallthehistoricaldressofthegreatCardinalandfitittothemasquerader——ifsuchhewere——beforehim。ButRichelieurelievedhimbyadding，——

"RichelieuSharpe。”

"Oh，that\'syourNAME!"saidMainwaring，cheerfully。"Thenyou\'reMissMinty\'sbrother。Iknowher。Howjollylucky!"

Theybothshookhandsagain。Richelieu，eagertogetridoftheburdenofhissister\'smessage，whichhefeltwasinthewayoffree-and-easyintercoursewiththischarmingstranger，lookeduneasilytowardsthehouse。

"Isay，"saidMainwaring，"ifyou\'reinahurry，you\'dbettergointhereandknock。Ihearsomeonestirringinthekitchen。”

Richelieunodded，butfirstwentbacktothestepsoftheveranda，pickedupasmallblueknottedhandkerchief，apparentlycontainingsomeheavyobjects，andrepassedMainwaring。

"What!haveyoucutit，Richelieu，withyourvaluables？Whathaveyougotthere？"

"Specimins，"saidRichelieu，shortly，andvanished。

Hereturnedpresently。"Well，Cardinal，didyouseeanybody？"

askedMainwaring。

"Mrs。Bradley；butJim\'sovertothemill。I\'mgoin\'there。”

"DidyouseeMissMacy？"continuedMainwaring，carelessly。

"Loo？"

"Loo!——well；yes。”

"No。She\'sphilanderin\'withCaptainGreyson。”

"PhilanderingwithGreyson？"echoedMainwaring，inwonder。

"Yes；onhorsebackontheridge。”

"Youmeanshe\'sridingoutwithMr——withCaptainGreyson？"

"Yes；ridin\'ANDphilanderin\'，"persistedRichelieu。

"Andwhatdoyoucallphilandering？"

"Well；Ireckonyouandsheoughterknow，"returnedRichelieu，withaprecociousair。

"Certainly，"saidMainwaring，withafaintsmile。RichelieureallywaslikeMinty。

Therewasalongsilence。ThisyoungEnglishmanwasbecomingexceedinglyuninteresting。Richelieufeltthathewasgainingneitherprofitnoramusement，andlosingtime。"I\'mgoing，"hesaid。

"Goodmorning，"saidMainwaring，withoutlookingup。

Richelieupickeduphisspecimens，thoroughlyconvincedofthestranger\'sglitteringdeceitfulness，andvanished。

Itwasnearlyeighto\'clockwhenMrs。Bradleycamefromthehouse。

Sheapologized，withaslightlydistraitsmile，forthetardinessofthehousehold。"Mr。Bradleystayedatthemillallnight，andwillnotbehereuntilbreakfast，whenhebringsyourfriendMr。

Richardsonwithhim"——Mainwaringscarcelyrepressedamovementofimpatience——"whoarrivesearly。It\'sunfortunatethatMissSharpecan\'tcometo-day。”

InhisabstractionMainwaringdidnotnoticethatMrs。BradleyslightlyaccentedMinty\'sformalappellation，andsaidcarelessly，——

"Oh，that\'swhyherbrothercameoverheresoearly!"

"DidYOUseehim？"askedMrs。Bradley，almostabruptly。

"Yes。Heisanamusinglittlebeggar；butIthinkheshareshissister\'spreferenceforMr。Bradley。Hedesertedmehereintheverandaforhimatthemill。”

"Louisewillkeepyoucompanyassoonasshehaschangedherdress，"continuedMrs。Bradley。"Shewasoutridingearlythismorningwithafriend。She\'sveryfondofearlymorningrides。”

"ANDphilandering，"repeatedMainwaringtohimself。ItwasquitenaturalforMissMacytorideoutinthemorning，afterthefashionofthecountry，withanescort；butwhyhadthecubinsistedonthe"philandering"？Hehadsaid，"ANDphilandering，"distinctly。Itwasanastythingforhimtosay。Anyotherfellowbuthe，Mainwaring，mightmisunderstandthewholething。Perhapsheoughttowarnher——butno!hecouldnotrepeatthegossipofachild，andthatchildthebrotherofoneofherinferiors。ButwasMintyaninferior？DidsheandMintytalktogetheraboutthisfellowGreyson？Atallevents，itwouldonlyrevivetheawkwardnessoftheprecedingday，andheresolvedtosaynothing。

Hewasrewardedbyahalf-inquiring，half-confidinglookinLouise\'sbrighteyes，whenshepresentlygreetedhimontheveranda。"Shehadquiteforgotten，"shesaid，"totellhimlastnightofhermorning\'sengagement；indeed，shehadhalfforgottenIT。Itusedtobeafavoritepracticeofhers，withCaptainGreyson；butshehadlatelygivenitup。Shebelievedshehadnotriddensince——since——"

"Sincewhen？"askedMainwaring。

"Well，sinceyouwereill，"shesaidfrankly。

AquickpleasureshoneinMainwaring\'scheekandeye；butLouise\'sprettylidsdidnotdrop，norherfaint，quietbloomdeepen。

BreakfastwasalreadywaitingwhenMr。Richardsonarrivedalone。

HeexplainedthatMr。Bradleyhadsomeimportantandunexpectedbusinesswhichhaddelayedhim，butwhich，headded，"Mr。Bradleysaysmayproveinterestingenoughtoyoutoexcusehisabsencethismorning。”Mainwaringwasnotdispleasedthathiscriticalandobservanthostwasnotpresentattheirmeeting。LouiseMacywas，however，asdemurelyconsciousofthedifferentbearingofthetwocompatriots。Richardson\'ssomewhatself-importantpatronageofthetwoladies，andthatCalifornianfamiliarityhehadacquired，changedtoacertainuneasydeferencetowardsMainwaring；whiletheyoungerEnglishman\'sslightlystiffanddeliberatecordialitywas，nevertheless，mingledwithamysteriousunderstandingthatappearedinnateandunconscious。Louisewasquicktoseethatthesetwomen，morewidelydivergentinqualitythananytwoofherowncountrymen，wereyetmoresubtlyconnectedbysomeunknownsympathythanthemostequalofAmericans。Minty\'spropheticbeliefoftheeffectofthetwowomenuponRichardsonwascertainlytrueasregardedMrs。Bradley。Thebanker——alargematerialnature——wasquicklyfascinatedbythedemure，puritanicgracesofthatlady，andwasinclinedtoexhibitasomewhatbroadandostentatiousgallantrythatannoyedMainwaring。Whentheywereseatedaloneontheveranda，whichtheladieshaddiscreetlylefttothem，Richardsonsaid，——

"OddIdidn\'thearofBradley\'swifebefore。Sheseemsaspicy，pretty，comfortablecreature。Regularlythrownawaywithhimuphere。”

Mainwaringrepliedcoldlythatshewas"anadmirablehelpmeetofaveryadmirableman，"not，however，withoutanuneasyrecollectionofherpreviousconfidencesrespectingherhusband。"Theyhavebeenmostthoroughlygoodandkindtome；myownbrotherandsistercouldnothavedonemore。Andcertainlynotwithbettertasteordelicacy，"headded，markedly。

"Certainly，certainly，"saidRichardson，hurriedly。"IwrotetoLadyMainwaringthatyouweretakencapitalcareofbysomeveryhonestpeople；andthat——"

"LadyMainwaringalreadyknowswhatIthinkofthem，andwhatsheowestotheirkindness，"saidMainwaring，dryly。

"True，true，"saidRichardson，apologetically。"Ofcourseyoumusthaveseenagooddealofthem。IonlyknowBradleyinabusinessway。He\'sbeentryingtogettheBanktohelphimtoputupsomenewmillshere；butwedidn\'tseeit。Idaresayheisgoodcompany——ratheramusing，eh？"

Mainwaringhadthegiftofhisclassofsnubbingbythepoliteandforgivingoblivionofsilence。Richardsonshifteduneasilyinhischair，butcontinuedwithassumedcarelessness:——

"No；Ionlyknewofthiscousin，MissMacy。IheardofherwhenshewasvisitingsomefriendsinMenloParklastyear。Ratheranattractivegirl。TheysayColonelJohnson，ofSacramento，tookquiteafancytoher——itwouldhavebeenagoodmatch，Idaresay，forheisveryrich——butthethingfellthroughinsomeway。Then，theysay，SHEwantedtomarrythatSpaniard，youngPico，oftheAmadorRanche；buthisfamilywouldn\'thearofit。Somehow，she\'sdeucedunlucky。Isupposeshe\'llmakeamessofitwithCaptainGreysonshewasoutridingwiththismorning。”

"Didn\'ttheBankthinkBradley\'smillsagoodinvestment？"askedMainwaringquietly，whenRichardsonpaused。

"Notwithhiminit；heisnotabusinessman，youknow。”

"Ithoughthewas。Heseemstomeanenergeticman，whoknowshiswork，andisnotafraidtolookafterithimself。”

"That\'sjustit。Hehasgotabsurdideasofco-operatingwithhisworkmen，youknow，anddoingeverythingslowlyandonalimitedscale。Theonlythingtobedoneistobuyupallthelandonthisridge，runoffthesettlers，freezeoutalltheothermills，andputitintoabigSanFranciscocompanyonshares。That\'stheonlywaywewouldlookatit。”

"Butyoudon\'tconsidertheinvestmentbad，evenfromHISpointofview？"

"Perhapsnot。”

"Andyouonlydeclineitbecauseitisn\'tbigenoughfortheBank？"

"Exactly。”

"Richardson，"saidMainwaring，slowlyrising，puttinghishandsinhistrouserspockets，andsuddenlylookingdownuponthebankerfromtheeasylevelofhabitualsuperiority，"Iwishyou\'dattendtothisthingforme。IdesiretomakesomereturntoMr。Bradleyforhiskindness。Iwishtogivehimwhathelphewants——inhisownway——youunderstand。Iwishit，andIbelievemyfatherwishesit，too。Ifyou\'dlikehimtowritetoyoutothateffect——"

"Bynomeans，it\'snotatallnecessary，"saidRichardson，droppingwithequalsuddennessintohisold-worldobsequiousness。"Ishallcertainlydoasyouwish。Itisnotabadinvestment，Mr。

Mainwaring，andasyousuggest，averyproperreturnfortheirkindness。And，beinghere，itwillcomequitenaturallyformetotakeuptheaffairagain。”

"And——Isay，Richardson。”

"Yes，sir？"

"Astheseladiesarerathershort-handedintheirdomesticservice，youknow，perhapsyou\'dbetternotstaytoluncheonordinner，butgoontotheSummitHouse——it\'sonlyamileortwofarther——andcomebackherethisevening。Ishan\'twantyouuntilthen。”

"Certainly!"stammeredRichardson。"I\'lljusttakeleaveoftheladies!"

"It\'snotatallnecessary，"saidMainwaring，quietly；"youwouldonlydisturbthemintheirhouseholdduties。I\'lltellthemwhatI\'vedonewithyou，iftheyask。You\'llfindyourstickandhatinthepassage，andyoucanleavetheverandabythesesteps。Bytheway，youhadbettermanageattheSummittogetsomeonetobringmytrapsfromheretobeforwardedtoSacramentoto-morrow。I\'llwantaconveyance，orahorseofsomekind，myself，forI\'vegivenupwalkingforawhile；butwecansettleaboutthatto-night。

Comeearly。Goodmorning？"

Heaccompaniedhisthoroughlysubjugatedcountryman——who，however，farfromattemptingtoreasserthimself，actuallyseemedeasierandmorecheerfulinhissubmission——totheendoftheveranda，andwatchedhimdepart。Asheturnedback，hesawtheprettyfigureofLouiseMacyleaningagainstthedoorway。Howgracefulandrefinedshelookedinthatsimplemorningdress!WhatwonderthatshewasadmiredbyGreyson，byJohnson，andbythatSpaniard!——no，byJove，itwasSHEthatwantedtomarryhim!

"WhathaveyousentawayMr。Richardsonfor？"askedtheyounggirl，withahalf-reproachful，half-mischievouslookinherbrighteyes。

"IpackedhimoffbecauseIthoughtitwasalittletoohardonyouandMrs。Bradleytoentertainhimwithouthelp。”

"ButashewasOURguest，youmighthaveleftthattous，"saidMissMacy。

"ByJove!Ineverthoughtofthat，"saidMainwaring，coloringinconsternation。"Prayforgiveme，MissMacy——butyouseeIknewtheman，andcouldsayit，andyoucouldn\'t。”

"Well，Iforgiveyou，foryoulookreallysocutup，"saidLouise，laughing。"ButIdon\'tknowwhatJennywillsayofyourdisposingofherconquestsosummarily。”Shestoppedandregardedhimmoreattentively。"Hashebroughtyouanybadnews？ifso，it\'sapityyoudidn\'tsendhimawaybefore。He\'squitespoilingourcure。”

Mainwaringthoughtbitterlythathehad。"Butit\'sacureforallthat，MissMacy，"hesaid，withanattemptatcheerfulness，"andbeingacure，yousee，there\'snolongeranexcuseformystayinghere。Ihavebeenmakingarrangementsforleavinghereto-morrow。”

"Sosoon？"

"Doyouthinkitsoon，MissMacy？"askedMainwaring，turningpaleinspiteofhimself。

"Iquiteforgot——thatyouwerehereasaninvalidonly，andthatweoweourpleasuretotheaccidentofyourpain。”

Shespokealittleartificially，hethought，yethercheekshadnotlosttheirpinkbloom，norhereyestheirtranquillity。HadheheardMinty\'scriticismhemighthavebelievedthattheorganicomissionnoticedbyherwasafact。

"AndnowthatyourgoodworkasSisterofCharityiscompleted，you\'llbeabletoentertheworldofgayetyagainwithaclearconscience，"saidMainwaring，withasmilethatheinwardlyfeltwasamiserablefailure。"You\'llbeabletoresumeyourmorningrides，youknow，whichthewretchedinvalidinterrupted。”

Louiseraisedhercleareyestohis，withoutreproach，indignation，orevenwonder。Hefeltasifhehadattemptedaninsultandfailed。

"Doesmycousinknowyouaregoingsosoon？"sheaskedfinally。

"No，Ididnotknowmyselfuntilto-day。Yousee，"headdedhastily，whilehishonestbloodblazonedthelieinhischeek，"I\'veheardofsomemiserablebusinessaffairsthatwillbringmebacktoEnglandsoonerthatIexpected。”

"Ithinkyoushouldconsideryourhealthmoreimportantthananymerebusiness，"saidLouise。"Idon\'tmeanthatyoushouldremainHERE，"sheaddedwithahastylaugh，"butitwouldbeapity，nowthatyouhavereapedthebenefitofrestandtakingcareofyourself，thatyoushouldnotmakeityouronlybusinesstoseekitelsewhere。”

Mainwaringlongedtosaythatwithinthelasthalfhour，livingordyinghadbecomeoflittlemomenttohim；buthedoubtedthetruthorefficacyofthistimewornheroicofpassion。Hefelt，too，thatanythinghesaidwasameresubterfugefortherealreasonofhissuddendeparture。Andhowwashetoquestionherastothatreason？Inescapingfromthesesubterfuges——hewascompelledtolieagain。Withanassumptionofchangingthesubject，hesaidcalmly，"Richardsonthoughthehadmetyoubefore——inMenloPark，I

think。”

Amazedattheevidentirrelevanceoftheremark，Louisesaidcoldly，thatshedidnotrememberhavingseenhimbefore。

"IthinkitwasataMr。Johnson\'s——orWITHaMr。Johnson——orperhapsatoneofthoseSpanishranches——IthinkhementionedsomenamelikePico!"

Louiselookedathimwonderinglyforaninstant，andthengavewaytoafrank，irrepressiblelaugh，whichlentherdelicatebutrathersetlittlefaceallthecolorhehadmissed。Partiallyrelievedbyherunconcern，andyetmortifiedthathehadonlyprovokedhersenseoftheludicrous，hetriedtolaughalso。

"Then，tobequiteplain，"saidLouise，wipinghernowhumideyes，"youwantmetounderstandthatyoureallydidn\'tpaysufficientattentiontohearcorrectly!Thankyou；that\'saprettyEnglishcompliment，Isuppose。”

"Idaresayyouwouldn\'tcallit\'philandering\'？"

"Icertainlyshouldn\'t，forIdon\'tknowwhat\'philandering\'

means。”

Mainwaringcouldnotreply，withRichelieu，"Yououghttoknow"；

nordidhedareexplainwhathethoughtitmeant，andhowheknewit。Louise，however，innocentlysolvedthedifficulty。

"There\'sacountrysongI\'veheardMintysing，"shesaid。"Itruns——

Come，Philander，letusbea-marchin\'，Everyoneforhistruelovea-sarchin\'

Chooseyourtruelovenowornever……

Haveyoubeenlisteningtoheralso？"

"No，"saidMainwaring，withasuddenincomprehensible，bututterlyirrepressible，resolution；"butI\'M\'a-marchin\'，\'youknow，andperhapsImust\'choosemytruelovenowornever。\'Willyouhelpme，MissMacy？"

Hedrewgentlynearher。Hehadbecomequitewhite，butalsoverymanly，anditstruckher，moredeeply，thoroughly，andconscientiouslysincerethananymanwhohadbeforeaddressedher。

Shemovedslightlyaway，asiftorestherselfbylayingbothhandsuponthebackofthechair。

"Wheredoyouexpecttobeginyour\'sarchin\'\'？"shesaid，leaningonthechairandtiltingitbeforeher；"orareyouasvagueasusualastolocality？Isitatsome\'Mr。Johnson\'or\'Mr。Pico，\'

or——"

"Here，"heinterruptedboldly。

"Ireallythinkyououghttofirsttellmycousinthatyouaregoingawayto-morrow，"shesaid，withafaintsmile。"It\'ssuchshortnotice。She\'sjustinthere。”Shenoddedherprettyhead，withoutraisinghereyes，towardsthehall。

"Butitmaynotbesosoon，"saidMainwaring。

"Oh，thenthe\'sarchin\'\'isnotsoimportant？"saidLouise，raisingherhead，andlookingtowardsthehallwithsomeuneasybutindefinablefeminineinstinct。

Shewasright；thesitting-roomdooropened，andMrs。Bradleymadehersmilingappearance。

"Mr。Mainwaringwasjustlookingforyou，"saidLouise，forthefirsttimeraisinghereyestohim。"He\'snotonlysentoffMr。

Richardson，buthe\'sgoingawayhimselfto-morrow。”

Mrs。Bradleylookedfromtheonetotheotherinmutewonder。

MainwaringcastanimploringglanceatLouise，whichhadthedesiredeffect。Muchmoreseriously，andinaquaint，business-

likeway，theyounggirltookituponherselftoexplaintoMrs。

BradleythatRichardsonhadbroughttheinvalidsomeimportantnewsthatwould，unfortunately，notonlyshortenhisstayinAmerica，butevencompelhimtoleaveTheLookoutsoonerthanheexpected，perhapsto-morrow。Mainwaringthankedherwithhiseyes，andthenturnedtoMrs。Bradley。

"WhetherIgoto-morrowornextday，"hesaidwithsimpleandearnestdirectness，"Iintend，youknow，toseeyousoonagain，eitherhereorinmyownhomeinEngland。Idonotknow，"headdedwithmarkedgravity，"thatIhavesucceededinconvincingyouthatIhavemadeyourfamilyalreadywellknowntomypeople，andthat"——

hefixedhiseyeswithameaninglookonLouise——"nomatterwhen，orinwhatway，youcometothem，yourplaceismadereadyforyou。