第2章

"Ah!"saidJack，withthoughtfulgravity。"Well，kindlygivemylovetoyoursister，willyou?"

"GeorgeWashingtondidn\'thavenosister，"saidtheboy，cunningly。

"CanIhavebeenmistaken?"saidHamlin，liftinghishandtohisforeheadwithgrievedaccents。"ThenitseemsYOUhave。Kindlygivehermylove。"

"Whichone?"askedtheboy，withaswiftglanceofmischief。"I\'vegotfour。"

"Theonethat\'slikeyou，"returnedHamlin，withpromptexactitude。

"Now，where\'sthe\'bresh\'youspokeof?"

"Keepalongtheedgeuntilyoucometothelog-slide。Follerthat，andit\'llleadyouintothewoods。Butyewon\'tgofar，Itellye。

Whenyouhavetoturnback，insteado\'comin\'backhere，youkintakethetrailthatgoesroundthewoods，andthat\'llbringyeoutintothestageroadag\'innearthepost-officeattheGreenSpringscrossin\'andthenewhotel。That\'llbewarye\'llturnup，I

reckon，"headded，reflectively。"Fellersthatcomeyergunnin\'

andfishin\'gin\'rallydo，"heconcluded，withahalf-inquisitiveair。

"Ah?"saidMr。Hamlin，quietlysheddingtheinquiry。"GreenSpringsHoteliswherethestagestops，eh?"

"Yes，andatthepost-office，"saidtheboy。"She\'llbealongheresoon，"headded。

"IfyoumeantheSantaCruzstage，"saidHamlin，"she\'sherealready。Ipassedherontheridgehalfanhourago。"

Theboygaveasuddenstart，andaquickuneasyexpressionpassedoverhisface。"Go\'longwithye!"hesaid，withaforcedsmile:

"itain\'thertimeyet。"

"ButISAWher，"repeatedHamlin，muchamused。"Areyouexpectingcompany?Hullo!Whereareyouoffto?Comeback。"

Buthiscompanionhadalreadyvanishedinthethicketwiththeundeliberateandimpulsiveactofananimal。Therewasamomentaryrustleinthealdersfiftyfeetaway，andthenallwassilent。Thehiddenbrooktookupitsmonotonousmurmur，thetappingofadistantwoodpeckerbecamesuddenlyaudible，andMr。Hamlinwasagainalone。

"Wonderwhetherhe\'sgotparentsinthestage，andhasbeenplayingtruanthere，"hemused，lazily。"Lookedasifhe\'dbeenuptosomedevilment，ormorelikeasifhewasprimedforit。Ifhe\'dbeenalittleolder，I\'dhavebethewasinleaguewithsomeroad-agentstowatchthecoach。JustmylucktohavehimlightoutasIwasbeginningtogetsometalkoutofhim。"Hepaused，lookedathiswatch，andstraightenedhimselfinhisstirrups。"Fouro\'clock。I

reckonImightaswelltrythewoodsandwhatthatimpcallsthe\'bresh；\'Imaystrikeashantyoranativebytheway。"

Withthisdetermination，Mr。Hamlinurgedhishorsealongthefainttrailbythebrinkofthewatercoursewhichtheboyhadjustindicated。Hehadnodefiniteendinviewbeyondtheonethathadbroughthimthedaybeforetothatlocality——hisquestoftheunknownpoetess。Hiscluewouldhaveseemedtoordinaryhumanitythefaintest。Hehadmerelynotedtheprovincialnameofacertainplantmentionedinthepoem，andlearnedthatitshabitatwaslimitedtothesouthernlocalrange；whileitspeculiarnomenclaturewasclearlyofFrenchCreoleorGulfStateorigin。Thisgavehimalargethoughsparsely-populatedareaforlocality，whileitsuggestedasettlementofLouisianiansorMississippiansneartheSummit，ofwhom，throughtheirnativegamblingproclivities，hewasprofessionallycognizant。ButhemainlytrustedFortune。Secureinhisfaithinthefemininecharacterofthatgoddess，hereliedagreatdealonherwell-knownweaknessforscampsofhisquality。

Itwasnotlongbeforehecametothe"slide"——alightly-cutorshallowditch。Itdescendedslightlyinacoursethatwasfarfromstraight，attimesdivergingtoavoidtheobstaclesoftreesorboulders，attimesshavingthemsocloselyastoleavesmoothabrasionsalongtheirsidesmadebythegrindingpassageoflonglogsdowntheincline。Thetrackitselfwasslipperyfromthis，andpreoccupiedallHamlin\'sskillasahorseman，eventothepointofstoppinghisusualcarelesswhistle。Attheendofhalfanhourthetrackbecamelevelagain，andhewasconfrontedwithasingularphenomenon。

Hehadenteredthewood，andthetrailseemedtocleavethroughafar-stretching，motionlessseaoffernsthatflowedoneithersidetotheheightofhishorse\'sflanks。Thestraightshaftsofthetreesroselikecolumnsfromtheirhiddenbasesandwerelostagaininaroofofimpenetrableleafage，leavingaclearspaceoffiftyfeetbetween，throughwhichthesurroundinghorizonofskywasperfectlyvisible。Allthelightthatenteredthisvastsylvanhallcamefromthesides；nothingpermeatedfromabove；nothingradiatedfrombelow；theheightofthecrestonwhichthewoodwasplacedgaveitthislateralillumination，butgaveitalsotheprofoundisolationofsometempleraisedbylong-forgottenhands。

Inspiteoftheheightoftheseclearshafts，theyseemeddwarfedbytheexpanseofthewood，andinthefarthestperspectivethebaseoffernsandthecapitaloffoliageappearedalmosttomeet。

Astheboyhadwarnedhim，theslidehadturnedaside，skirtingthewoodtofollowtheincline，andpresentlythelittletrailhenowfollowedvanishedutterly，leavinghimandhishorseadriftbreast-

highinthisgreenandyellowseaoffronds。ButMr。Hamlin，imperiousofobstacles，andtouchedbysomecuriosity，continuedtoadvancelazily，takingthebearingsofalargerred-woodinthecentreofthegroveforhisobjectivepoint。Theelasticmassgavewaybeforehim，brushinghiskneesorcombinghishorse\'sflankswithwide-spreadelfinfingers，andclosingupbehindhimashepassed，asiftoobliterateanytrackbywhichhemightreturn。

Yethisusualluckdidnotdeserthimhere。Beingonhorseback，hefoundthathecoulddetectwhathadbeeninvisibletotheboyandprobablytoallpedestrians，namely，thatthegrowthwasnotequallydense，thattherewerecertainthinnerandmoreopenspacesthathecouldtakeadvantageofbymorecircuitousprogression，always，however，keepingthebearingsofthecentraltree。Thisheatlastreached，andhaltedhispantinghorse。Hereanewideawhichhadbeenhauntinghimsinceheenteredthewoodtookfullerpossessionofhim。Hehadseenorknownallthisbefore!Therewasastrangefamiliarityeitherintheseobjectsorintheimpressionorspelltheyleftuponhim。Herememberedtheverses!

Yes，thiswasthe"underbrush"whichthepoetesshaddescribed:thegloomaboveandbelow，thelightthatseemedblownthroughitlikethewind，thesuggestionofhiddenlifebeneaththistangledluxuriance，whichshealonehadpenetrated，——allthiswashere。

But，morethanthat，herewastheatmospherethatshehadbreathedintotheplaintivemelodyofherverse。ItdidnotnecessarilyfollowthatMr。Hamlin\'stranslationofhersentimentwasthecorrectone，orthattheideasherverseshadprovokedinhismindwereatallwhathadbeenhers:inhiseasysusceptibilityhewassimplythrownintoacorrespondingmoodofemotionandrelievedhimselfwithsong。Oneoftheverseshehadalreadyassociatedinhismindwiththerhythmofanoldplantationmelody，anditstruckhisfancytotakeadvantageofthesolitudetotryitseffect。

Hummingtohimself，atfirstsoftly，heatlastgrewbolder，andlethisvoicedriftawaythroughthestarkpillarsofthesylvancolonnadetillitseemedtosuffuseandfillitwithnomoreeffortthanthelightwhichstrayedinoneitherside。Sittingthus，hishatthrownalittlebackfromhisclusteringcurls，thewhiteneckandshouldersofhishorseupliftinghimabovethecrestedmassoffern，hisredsashtheonefleckofcolorintheirolivedepths，I

amafraidhelookedmuchmoreliketherealminstrelofthegrovethantheunknownpoetesswhotransfiguredit。Butthis，ashasbeenalreadyindicated，wasJackHamlin\'speculiargift。Evenashehadpreviouslyoutshonethevaqueroinhisborroweddress，henowsilencedandsupplantedafewflutteringblue-jays——rightfultenantsofthewood——withamoregracefulandairypresenceandafarsweetervoice。

TheopenhorizontowardsthewesthadtakenawarmercolorfromthealreadyslantingsunwhenMr。Hamlin，havingrestedhishorse，turnedtothatdirection。Hehadnoticedthatthewoodwasthinnerthere，and，pushingforward，hewaspresentlyrewardedbythesoundoffar-offwheels，andknewhemustbenearthehigh-roadthattheboyhadspokenof。Havinggivenuphispreviousintentionofcrossingthestream，thereseemednothingbetterforhimtodothantofollowthetruant\'sadviceandtaketheroadbacktoGreenSprings。Yethewasloathtoleavethewood，haltingonitsverge，andturningtolookbackintoitscharmedrecesses。Onceortwice——

perhapsbecauseherecalledthewordsofthepoem——thatyellowishseaoffernshadseemedinstinctwithhiddenlife，andhehadevenfancied，hereandthere，aswayingofitsplumedcrests。Howbeit，hestilllingeredlongenoughfortheopensunlightintowhichhehadobtrudedtopointoutthebraveryofhishandsomefigure。Thenhewheeledhishorse，thelightglancedfrompolisheddoublebitandbridle-fripperies，caughthisredsashandbullionbuttons，struckapartingflashfromhissilverspurs，andhewasgone!

Foramomentthelightstreamedunbrokenlythroughthewood。AndthenitcouldbeseenthattheyellowmassofundergrowthHADmovedwiththepassageofanotherfigurethanhisown。Foreversincehehadenteredtheshade，awoman，shawledinavague，shapelessfashion，hadwatchedhimwonderingly，eagerly，excitedly，glidingfromtreetotreeasheadvanced，orelsedroppingbreathlesslybelowthefrondsoffernwhenceshegazedathimasbetweenpartedfingers。Whenhewheeledshehadrunopenlytothewest，albeitwithhiddenfaceandstillclingingshawl，andtakenalastlookathisretreatingfigure。Andthen，withafaintbutlingeringsigh，shedrewbackintotheshadowofthewoodagainandvanishedalso。

CHAPTERIII

AttheendoftwentyminutesMr。Hamlinreinedinhismare。Hehadjustobservedinthedistantshadowsofaby-lanethatintersectedhisroadthevanishingflutteroftwolightprintdresses。Withoutamoment\'shesitationhelightlyswervedoutofthehigh-roadandfollowedtheretreatingfigures。

Ashenearedthem，theyseemedtobetwoslimyounggirls，evidentlysopreoccupiedwiththerusticamusementofedgingeachotheroffthegrassyborderintothedustofthetrackthattheydidnotperceivehisapproach。Littleshrieks，slightscufflings，andinterjectionsof"Cynthy!youlimb!""Quitthat，Eunice，now!"

and"Ijustcallthatrealmean!"apparentlydrownedthesoundofhiscanterinthesoftdust。Checkinghisspeedtoagentletrot，andpressinghishorseclosebesidetheoppositefence，hepassedthemwithgravelyupliftedhatandaserious，preoccupiedair。Butinthatsingle，seeminglyconventionalglance，Mr。Hamlinhadseenthattheywerebothpretty，andthatonehadtheshortupperlipofhiserrantlittleguide。Ahundredyardsfartheronhehalted，asifirresolutely，gazeddoubtfullyaheadofhim，andthenturnedback。Anexpressionofinnocent——almost

childlike——concernwascloudingtherascal\'sface。Itwaswell，asthetwogirlshaddrawncloselytogether，havingbeenapparentlysurprisedinthemidstofaglowingeulogiumofthisgloriouspassingvisionbyitssuddenreturn。Athisnearerapproach，theonewiththeshortupperliphidthatpiquantfeatureandtherestofherrosyfacebehindtheother\'sshoulder，whichwassuddenlyandsignificantlyopposedtotheadvanceofthishandsomeintruder，withacertaindignity，halfreal，halfaffected，butwhollycharming。Theprotectressappeared——possiblyfromherdefensiveattitude——thesuperiorofhercompanion。

AudaciousasJackwastohisownsex，hehadearlylearnedthatsuchrarebutdiscomposinggracesashepossessedrequiredacertainapologeticattitudewhenpresentedtowomen，andthatitwasonlyaplainmanwhocouldbealwayscomplacentlyself-

confidentintheirpresence。Therewas，consequently，ahesitatingloweringofthishypocrite\'sbrowneyelashesashesaid，inalmostpainedaccents，——

"Excuseme，butIfearI\'vetakenthewrongroad。I\'mgoingtoGreenSprings。"

"Ireckonyou\'vetakenthewrongroad，whereveryou\'regoing，"

returnedtheyounglady，havingapparentlymadeuphermindtoresenteachofJack\'sperfectionsasaseparateimpertinence:"thisisaPRIVATEroad。"Shedrewherselffairlyuphere，althoughgurgledatintheearandpinchedinthearmbyhercompanion。

"Ibegyourpardon，"saidJack，meekly。"IseeI\'mtrespassingonyourgrounds。I\'mverysorry。Thankyoufortellingme。Ishouldhavegoneonamileortwofarther，Isuppose，untilIcametoyourhouse，"headded，innocently。

"Amileortwo!You\'dhaverunchockag\'in\'ourgateinanotherminit，"saidtheshort-lippedone，eagerly。Butasharpnudgefromhercompanionsentherbackagainintocover，whereshewaitedexpectantlyforanothercrushingretortfromherprotector。

But，alas!itdidnotcome。Onecannotbealwayswitty，andJacklookeddistressed。Nevertheless，hetookadvantageofthepause。

"Itwassostupidinme，asIthinkyourbrother"——lookingatShort-lip——"verycarefullytoldmetheroad。"

Thetwogirlsdartedquickglancesateachother。"Oh，Bawb!"saidthefirstspeaker，inweariedaccents，——"THATlimb!Hedon\'tkeer。"

"ButheDIDcare，"saidHamlin，quietly，"andgavemeagooddealofinformation。Thankstohim，Iwasabletoseethatfernywoodthat\'ssofamous——abouttwomilesuptheroad。Youknow——theonethatthere\'sapoemwrittenabout!"

Theshottold!Short-lipburstintoadisplayofdazzlinglittleteethandcaughttheothergirlconvulsivelybytheshoulders。Thesuperiorgirlbentherprettybrows，andsaid，"Eunice，what\'sgoneofye?Quitthat!"but，asHamlinthought，paledslightly。

"Ofcourse，"saidHamlin，quickly，"youknow——thepoemeverybody\'stalkingabout。Dearme!letmesee!howdoesitgo?"Therascalknithisbrows，said，"Ah，yes，"andthenmurmuredtheversehehadlatelysungquiteasmusically。

Short-lipwasshamelesslyexaltedandexcited。Reallyshecouldscarcelybelieveit!Shealreadyheardherselfrelatingthewholeoccurrence。Herewasthemostbeautifulyoungmanshehadeverseen——anentirestranger——talkingtotheminthemostbeautifulandnaturalway，rightinthelane，andrecitingpoetrytohersister!

Itwaslikeanovel——onlymoreso。ShethoughtthatCynthia，ontheotherhand，lookeddistressed，and——shemustsayit——"silly。"

AllofwhichJacknoted，andwaswise。Hehadgotallhewanted——

atpresent。Hegathereduphisreins。

"Thankyousomuch，andyourbrother，too，MissCynthia，"hesaid，withoutlookingup。Then，adding，withapartingglanceandsmile，"Butdon\'ttellBobhowstupidIwas，"heswiftlydeparted。

InhalfanhourhewasattheGreenSpringsHotel。Asherodeintothestableyard，henoticedthatthecoachhadonlyjustarrived，havingbeendetainedbyaland-slipontheSummitroad。WiththerecollectionofBobfreshinhismind，heglancedattheloungersatthestageoffice。Theboywasnotthere，butamomentlaterJackdetectedhimamongthewaitingcrowdatthepost-officeopposite。Withaviewoffollowinguphisinquiries，hecrossedtheroadastheboyenteredthevestibuleofthepost-office。Hearrivedintimetoseehimunlockoneofarowofnumberedletter-

boxesrentedbysubscribers，whichoccupiedapartitionbythewindow，andtakeoutasmallpackageandaletter。ButinthatbriefglanceMr。Hamlindetectedtheprintedaddressofthe"ExcelsiorMagazine"onthewrapper。Itwasenough。Luckwascertainlywithhim。

Hehadtimetogetridofthewickedsparklethathadlithisdarkeyes，andtoloungecarelesslytowardstheboyasthelatterbrokeopenthepackage，andthenhurriedlyconcealeditinhisjacket-

pocket，andstartedforthedoor。Mr。Hamlinquicklyfollowedhim，unperceived，and，ashesteppedintothestreet，gentlytappedhimontheshoulder。Theboyturnedandfacedhimquickly。ButMr。

Hamlin\'seyesshowednothingbutlazygood-humor。

"Hullo，Bob。Whereareyougoing?"

Theboyagainlookedupsuspiciouslyatthisrevelationofhisname。

"Home，"hesaid，briefly。

"Oh，overyonder，"saidHamlin，calmly。"Idon\'tmindwalkingwithyouasfarasthelane。"

Hesawtheboy\'seyesglancefurtivelytowardsanalleythatranbesidetheblacksmith\'sshopafewrodsahead，andwasconvincedthatheintendedtoevadehimthere。Slippinghisarmcarelesslyintheyouth\'s，heconcludedtoopenfireatonce。

"Bob，"hesaid，withirresistiblegravity，"IdidnotknowwhenI

metyouthismorningthatIhadthehonorofaddressingapoet——

noneotherthanthefamousauthorof\'Underbrush。\'"

Theboystartedback，andendeavoredtowithdrawhisarm，butMr。

Hamlintightenedhishold，without，however，changinghiscarelessexpression。

"Yousee，"hecontinued，"theeditorisafriendofmine，and，beingafraidthispackagemightnotgetintotherighthands——asyoudidn\'tgiveyourname——hedeputizedmetocomehereandseethatitwasallsquare。Asyou\'reratheryoung，forallyou\'resogifted，IreckonI\'dbettergohomewithyou，andtakeareceiptfromyourparents。That\'saboutsquare，Ithink?"

TheconsternationoftheboywassoevidentandsofarbeyondMr。

Hamlin\'sexpectationthatheinstantlyhaltedhim，gazedintohisshiftingeyes，andgavealongwhistle。

"WhosaiditwasforME?Wotyoutalkin\'about?Lemmego!"gaspedtheboy，withtheshortintermittentbreathofmingledfearandpassion。

"Bob，"saidMr。Hamlin，inasingularlycolorlessvoicewhichwasveryrarewithhim，andanexpressionquiteunlikehisown，"whatisyourlittlegame?"

Theboylookeddownindoggedsilence。

"Outwithit!Whoareyouplayingthison?"

"It\'sallamongmyownfolks；it\'snothin\'toYOU，"saidtheboy，suddenlybeginningtostruggleviolently，asifinspiredbythisextenuatingfact。

"Amongyourownfolks，eh?WhiteVioletandtherest，eh?ButSHE\'Snotinit?"

Noreply。

"Handmeoverthatpackage。I\'llgiveitbacktoyouagain。"

TheboyhandedittoMr。Hamlin。Hereadtheletter，andfoundtheinclosurecontainedatwenty-dollargold-piece。Ahalf-

supercilioussmilepassedoverhisfaceatthisrevelationoftheinadequateemolumentsofliteratureandthetriflinginducementstocrime。Indeed，Ifeartheaffairbegantotakealessseriousmoralcomplexioninhiseyes。

"ThenWhiteViolet——yoursisterCynthia，youknow，"continuedMr。

Hamlin，ineasyparenthesis——"wroteforthis?"holdingthecoincontemplativelyinhisfingers，"andyoucalculatedtonabityourself?"

ThequicksearchingglancewithwhichBobreceivedthenameofhissister，Mr。Hamlinattributedonlytohisnaturalsurprisethatthisstrangershouldbeonsuchfamiliartermswithher；buttheboyrespondedimmediatelyandbluntly:——

"No!SHEdidn\'twriteforit。Shedidn\'twantnobodytoknowwhoshewas。Nobodywroteforitbutme。NobodyKNEWFOLKSWASPAID

FORPO\'TRYBUTME。Ifounditoutfromafeller。Iwroteforit。

Iwasn\'tgoin\'toletthatskunkofaneditorhaveithimself!"

"AndyouthoughtYOUwouldtakeit，"saidHamlin，hisvoiceresumingitsoldtone。"Well，George——ImeanBob，yourconductwaspraiseworthy，althoughyourintentionswerebad。Still，twentydollarsisrathertoomuchforyourtrouble。Supposewesayfiveandcallitsquare?"Hehandedtheastonishedboyfivedollars。

"Now，GeorgeWashington，"hecontinued，takingfourothertwenty-

dollarpiecesfromhispocket，andaddingthemtotheinclosure，whichhecarefullyrefolded，"I\'mgoingtogiveyouanotherchancetoliveuptoyourreputation。You\'lltakethatpackage，andhandittoWhiteViolet，andsayyoufoundit，justasitis，inthelock-box。I\'llkeeptheletter，foritwouldknockyouendwaysifitwasseen，andI\'llmakeitallrightwiththeeditor。But，asI\'vegottotellhimthatI\'veseenWhiteVioletmyself，andknowshe\'sgotit，IexpectYOUtomanageinsomewaytohavemeseeher。I\'llmanagetherestofit；andIwon\'tblowonyou，either。

You\'llcomebacktothehotel，andtellmewhatyou\'vedone。Andnow，George"concludedMr。Hamlin，succeedingatlastinfixingtheboy\'sevasiveeyewithapeculiarlook，"itmaybejustaswellforyoutounderstandthatIknoweverynookandcornerofthisplace，thatI\'vealreadybeenthroughthatunderbrushyouspokeofoncethismorning，andthatI\'vegotamarethatcangowhereverYOUcan，andad——dsightquicker!"

"I\'llgivethepackagetoWhiteViolet，"saidtheboy，doggedly。

"Andyou\'llcomebacktothehotel?"

Theboyhesitated，andthensaid，"I\'llcomeback。"

"Allright，then。Adios，general。"

Bobdisappearedaroundthecornerofacross-roadatarapidtrot，andMr。Hamlinturnedintothehotel。

"Smartlittlechapthat!"hesaidtothebarkeeper。

"Youbet!"returnedtheman，who，havingrecognizedMr。Hamlin，wasdelightedattheprospectofconversingwithagentlemanofsuchdecidedlydangerousreputation。"Buthe\'sbeenallowedtorunalittlewildsinceoldmanDelatourdied，andthewidder\'sgotenoughtodo，Ireckon，lookin\'arterherfourgals，andtakin\'

keerofoldDelatour\'sranchoveryonder。Iguessit\'sprettyhardsleddin\'forhersometimestogetclo\'esandgrubforthefamerly，withoutfollerin\'Bobaround。"

"Sharpgirls，too，Ireckon；oneofthemwritesthingsforthemagazines，doesn\'tshe?——Cynthia，eh?"saidMr。Hamlin，carelessly。

Evidentlythisfactwasnotanotoriousonetothebarkeeper。He，however，said，"Dunno；mabbee；herfatherwaseddicated，andthewidderDelatour，too，thoughshe\'ssorterqueer，I\'veheardtell。

Lord!Mr。Hamlin，YOUoughterrememberoldmanDelatour!FromOpelousas，Louisiany，youknow!HigholdsportFrenchstyle，frilledbosom——open-handed，andus\'terbuckag\'in\'faroawful!

Why，hedroppedaheapo\'moneytoYOUoverinSanJosetwoyearsagoatpoker!Youmustrememberhim!"

TheslightestpossibleflushpassedoverMr。Hamlin\'sbrowundertheshadowofhishat，butdidnotgetlowerthanhiseyes。HesuddenlyHADrecalledthespendthriftDelatourperfectly，andasquicklyregrettednowthathehadnotdoubledthehonorariumhehadjustsenttohisportionlessdaughter。Butheonlysaid，coolly，"No，"andthen，raisinghispalefaceandaudaciouseyes，continuedinhislaziestandmostinsultingmanner，"no:thefactis，mymindisjustnowpreoccupiedinwonderingifthegasisleakinganywhere，andifanythingiseverservedoverthisbarexceptelegantconversation。Whenthegentlemanwhomixesdrinkscomesback，perhapsyou\'llbegoodenoughtotellhimtosendawhiskysourtoMr。JackHamlinintheparlor。Meantime，youcanturnoffyoursodafountain:Idon\'twantanyfizzinmine。"

Havingthusquiterecoveredhimself，Mr。Hamlinloungedgracefullyacrossthehallintotheparlor。Ashedidso，adarkishyoungman，withaslimboyishfigure，athinface，andadiscontentedexpression，rosefromanarmchair，heldouthishand，and，withasaturninesmile，said:——

"Jack!"

"Fred!"

Thetwomenremainedgazingateachotherwithahalf-amused，half-

guardedexpression。Mr。Hamlinwasfirsttobegin。"Ididn\'tthinkYOU\'Dbesuchafoolastotryonthiskindofthing，Fred，"

hesaid，halfseriously。

"Yes，butitwastokeepyoufrombeingamuchbiggeronethatI

huntedyouup，"saidtheeditor，mischievously。"Readthat。Igotitanhourafteryouleft。"AndheplacedalittletriumphantlyinJack\'shandtheletterhehadreceivedfromWhiteViolet。

Mr。Hamlinreaditwithanunmovedface，andthenlaidhistwohandsontheeditor\'sshoulders。"Yes，myyoungfriend，andyousatdownandwroteheraprettyletterandsenthertwentydollars——

which，permitmetosay，wasd——dpoorpay!Butthatisn\'tyourfault，Ireckon:it\'sthemeannessofyourproprietors。"

"Butitisn\'tthequestion，either，justnow，Jack，howeveryouhavebeenabletoanswerit。Doyoumeantosayseriouslythatyouwanttoknowanythingmoreofawomanwhocouldwritesuchaletter?"

"Idon\'tknow，"saidJack，cheerfully。"Shemightbeadevilishsightfunnierthanifshehadn\'twrittenit——whichisthefact。"

"YoumeantosaySHEdidn\'twriteit?"

"Yes。"

"Whodid，then?"

"HerbrotherBob。"

Afteramoment\'sscrutinyofhisfriend\'sbewilderedface，Mr。

Hamlinbrieflyrelatedhisadventures，fromthemomentofhismeetingBobatthemountain-streamtothebarkeeper\'sgossipingcommentandsequel。"Therefore，"heconcluded，"theauthorof\'Underbrush\'isMissCynthiaDelatour，oneoffourdaughtersofawidowwholivestwomilesfromhereatthecrossing。Ishallseeherthiseveningandmakesure；butto-morrowmorningyouwillpaymethebreakfastyouoweme。She\'sgood-looking，butIcan\'tsayI

fancythepoeticstyle:it\'salittletoohigh-tonedforme。

However，IlovemylovewithaC，becausesheisyourContributor；

IhateherwithaC，becauseofherConnections；ImetherbyChanceandtreatedherwithCivility；hernameisCynthia，andshelivesonaCross-road。"

"Butyousurelydon\'texpectyouwilleverseeBob，again!"saidtheeditor，impatiently。"YouhavetrustedhimwithenoughtostarthimfortheSandwichIslands，tosaynothingoftheruinousprecedentyouhaveestablishedinhismindofthevalueofpoetry。

Iamsurprisedthatamanofyourknowledgeoftheworldwouldhavefaithinthatimpthesecondtime。"

"Myknowledgeoftheworld，"returnedMr。Hamlin，sententiously，"tellsmethat\'stheonlywayyoucantrustanybody。ONCEdoesn\'tmakeahabit，norshowacharacter。Icouldseebyhisbunglingthathehadnevertriedthisonbefore。Justnowthetemptationtowipeouthispunishmentbydoingthesquarething，andcomingbackasortofhero，isstrongerthananyother。\'Tisn\'teverybodythatgetsthatchance，"headded，withanoddlaugh。

Nevertheless，threehourspassedwithoutbringingBob。Thetwomenhadgonetothebilliard-room，whenawaiterbroughtanote，whichhehandedtoMr。Hamlinwithsomeapologetichesitation。Itborenosuperscription，buthadbeenbroughtbyaboywhodescribedMr。

Hamlinperfectly，andrequestedthatthenoteshouldbehandedtohimwiththeremarkthat"Bobhadcomeback。"

"Andishetherenow?"askedMr。Hamlin，holdingtheletterunopenedinhishand。

"No，sir；herunrightoff。"

Theeditorlaughed，butMr。Hamlin，havingperusedthenote，putawayhiscue。"Comeintomyroom，"hesaid。

Theeditorfollowed，andMr。Hamlinlaidthenotebeforehimonthetable。"Bob\'sallright，"hesaid，"forI\'llbetathousanddollarsthatnoteisgenuine。"

Itwasdelicatelywritten，inacultivatedfemininehand，utterlyunlikethescrawlthathadfirstexcitedtheeditor\'scuriosity，andranasfollows:——

Hewhobroughtmethebountyofyourfriend——forIcannotcallarecompensesofarabovemydesertsbyanyothername——givesmealsotounderstandthatyouwishedforaninterview。Icannotbelievethatthisismereidlecuriosity，orthatyouhaveanymotivethatisnotkindlyandhonorable，butIfeelthatImustbegandprayyounottoseektoremovetheveilbehindwhichIhavechosentohidemyselfandmypooreffortsfromidentification。ITHINKI

knowyou——IKNOWIknowmyself——wellenoughtobelieveitwouldgiveneitherofusanyhappiness。YouwillsaytoyourgenerousfriendthathehasalreadygiventheUnknownmorecomfortandhopethancouldcomefromanypersonalcomplimentorpublicity，andyouwillyourselfbelievethatyouhaveallunconsciouslybrightenedasadwoman\'sfancywithaDreamandaVisionthatbeforetodayhadbeenunknowntoWHITEVIOLET。

"Haveyoureadit?"askedMr。Hamlin。

"Yes。"

"Thenyoudon\'twanttoseeitanymore，orevenrememberyoueversawit，"saidMr。Hamlin，carefullytearingthenoteintosmallpiecesandlettingthemdriftfromthewindowslikeblownblossoms。

"But，Isay，Jack!lookhere；Idon\'tunderstand!Yousayyouhavealreadyseenthiswoman，andyet"——

"IHAVEN\'Tseenher，"saidJack，composedly，turningfromthewindow。

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"ImeanthatyouandI，Fred，aregoingtodropthisfoolingrighthereandleavethisplaceforFriscobyfirststageto-morrow，and——

thatIoweyouthatdinner。"

CHAPTERIV