第2章

Hathaway，"explainedCaptainStidger，naivelyobliviousofanydiscourtesyontheirpart，ashefollowedHathaway\'sglanceandtookhisarmastheymovedaway。"Nottheleastofourtreasures，sir。Mostofthemdaughtersofpioneers——andallCalifornianbredandeducated。Connoisseurshaveawardedthemthepalm，anddeclarethatforGrace，Intelligence，andWoman\'sHighestCharmstheEastcannotfurnishtheirequal!"HavingdeliveredthisParthiancomplimentinanoratoricalpassagethroughthedoorway，thecaptaindescended，outside，intofamiliarspeech。"ButIsupposeyouwillfindthatoutforyourselfifyoustayherelong。SanFranciscomightfurnishafittingbridetoCalifornia\'syoungestsenator。"

"Iamafraidthatmystayheremustbebrief，andlimitedtobusiness，"saidHathaway，whohadmerelynoticedthattheprincipalgirlwashandsomeandoriginal-looking。"Infact，Iamherepartlytoseeanoldacquaintance——ColonelPendleton。"

Thethreemenlookedateachothercuriously。"Oh!HarryPendleton，"saidMr。Hoskins，incredulously"Youdon\'tknowHIM?"

"Anoldpioneer——ofcourse，"interposedShear，explanatorilyandapologetically。"Why，inPaul\'stimethecolonelwasabigmanhere。"

"Iunderstandthecolonelhasbeenunfortunate，"saidHathaway，gravely；"butinMYtimehewasPresidentoftheElDoradoBank。"

"Andthebankhasn\'tgotthroughitssettlementyet，"saidHoskins"IhopeYOUain\'texpectingtogetanythingoutofit?"

"No，"saidHathaway，smiling；"Iwasaboyatthattime，andliveduptomysalary。Iknownothingofhisbankdifficulties，butitalwaysstruckmethatColonelPendletonwashimselfanhonorableman。"

"Itain\'tthat，"saidCaptainStidgerenergetically，"butthetroublewithHarryPendletonisthathehasn\'tgrownwiththeState，andneveradjustedhimselftoit。Andhewon\'t。HethinkstheMillenniumwasbetweenthefallof\'49andthespringof\'50，andafterthateverythingdropped。Hebelongstotheolddays，whenaman\'ssimpleWORDwasgoodforanyamountifyouknewhim；

andtheysaythattheoldbankhadn\'tascrapofpaperforhalfthatwasowingtoit。Thatwasallverywell，sir，in\'49and\'50，and——Luck；butitwon\'tdofor\'59and\'60，and——Business!Andtheoldmancan\'tseeit。"

"Butheisreadytofightforitnow，asintheoldtime，"saidMr。

Slate，"andthat\'sanothertroublewithhischronology。He\'sdonemoretokeepupduelingthananyothermanintheState，anddon\'tknowthewholespiritofprogressandcivilizationisagainstit。"

ItwasimpossibletotellfromPaulHathaway\'sfacewhetherhissympathywithColonelPendleton\'sfoiblesorhisassenttothecriticismsofhisvisitorswasthetruer。Bothwerenodoubtequallysincere。Butthepartywaspresentlyengagedintheabsorptionofrefreshment，which，beingofapurely，spirituousandexhilaratingquality，tendedtoincreasetheirgoodhumorwiththehosttilltheyparted。Eventhenagratuitousadvertisementofhisvirtuesandtheirownintentionsincallinguponhimwasoratoricallyvoicedfromavailableplatformsandlandings，inthehallsandstairways，untilitwasprettywellknownthroughouttheGoldenGateHotelthattheHon。Mr。PaulHathawayhadarrivedfromSacramentoandhadreceiveda"spontaneousovation。"

Meantimetheobjectofithaddroppedintoaneasy-chairbythewindowofhisroom，andwasendeavoringtorecallalessprofitablememory。Theprocessofhumanforgetfulnessisnotadifficultonebetweentheagesofeighteenandtwenty-six，andPaulHathawayhadnotonlyfulfilledtheMayor\'srequestbyforgettingtheparticularsofacertaintransferthathehadwitnessedintheMayor\'soffice，butintheyearsucceedingthatrequest，beingabouttotryhisfortunesinthemountains，hehadformallyconstitutedColonelPendletontoactashisproxyintheadministrationofMrs。Howard\'ssingularTrust，inwhich，however，hehadneverparticipatedexceptyearlytosignhisname。Hewas，consequently，somewhatastonishedtohavereceivedaletterafewdaysbeforefromColonelPendleton，askinghimtocallandseehimregardingit。

Hevaguelyrememberedthatitwaseightyearsago，andeightyearshadworkedconsiderablechangeintheoriginaltrustees，greatestofallinhissuperiorofficer，theMayor，whohaddiedtheyearfollowing，leavinghistrusteeshiptohissuccessorinoffice，whomPaulHathawayhadneverseen。TheBankofElDorado，despiteMrs。

Howard\'ssanguinebelief，hadlongbeeninbankruptcy，and，althoughColonelPendletonstillsurvivedit，itwascertainthatnootherpresidentwouldsucceedtohisofficeastrustee，andthatthefunctionwouldlapsewithhim。Paulhimself，asoldieroffortune，althoughhabituallylucky，hadonlylatelysucceededtoaprofession——ifhispoliticalfunctionscouldbesodescribed。Evenwithhisluck，energy，andambition，whileeverythingwaspossible，nothingwassecure。Itseemed，therefore，asifthesoullessofficialmusteventuallyassumethedutiesofthetwosympathizingfriendswhohadoriginatedthem，andhadstoodinlocoparentistotheconstructiveorphan。Themother，Mrs。Howard，haddisappearedayearaftertheTrusthadbeenmade——itwascharitablypresumedinordertopreventanycomplicationsthatmightarisefromherpresenceinthecountry。Withthesefactsbeforehim，PaulHathawaywasmoreconcernedinwonderingwhatPendletoncouldwantwithhimthan，Ifear，anydirectsympathywiththesituation。Onthecontrary，itappearedtohimmorefavorableforkeepingthesecretofMrs。Howard\'srelationship，whichwouldnowdiewithColonelPendletonandhimself；andtherewasnodangerofanyemotionalbetrayalofitinthecoldofficialadministrationofamanwhohadreceivedtheTrustthroughtheformalhandsofsuccessivepredecessors。Hehadforgottenthetimelimitedfortheguardianship，butthegirlmustsoonbeofageandofftheirhands。

Iftherehadeverbeenanyromanticorchivalrousimpressionleftuponhismemorybythesceneinthemayor\'soffice，Ifearhehadputitawaywithvariousotherfoolishillusionsofhisyouth，towhichhenowbelievedhewassuperior。

Nevertheless，hewouldseethecolonel，andatonce，andsettlethequestion。Helookedattheaddress，"St。CharlesHotel。"Herememberedanoldhostelryofthatname，nearthePlaza。Coulditbepossiblethatithadsurvivedthealterationsandimprovementsofthecity?Itwasaneasywalkthroughrememberedstreets，yetwithchangedshopsandhousesandfaces。WhenhereachedthePlaza，scarcerecognizableinitslaterfrontagesofbrickandstone，hefoundtheoldwoodenbuildingstillintact，withitsvilla-likegalleriesandverandasincongruouslyandostentatiouslyoverlookedbytwonewandaspiringerectionsoneitherside。Foraninstanthetriedtorecalltheglamourofolddays。Herememberedwhenhisboyisheyesregardeditasthecrowningworkofopulenceanddistinction；herememberedaballgiventhereonsomepublicoccasion，whichwastohimtheacmeofsocialbrilliancyanddisplay。Howtawdryandtrivialitlookedbesidethoselaterandmoresolidstructures!Howinconsistentwerethoselonglatticedverandasandbalconies，patheticrecordofthatfirstillusionofthepioneersthattheirclimatewasatropicalone!Arestaurantandbilliard-saloonhadaggrandizedallofthelowerstory；buttherewasstillthefanlight，overwhichtherememberedtitleof"St。Charles，"ingildedletters，wasnowreinforcedbythetoodemonstrativelegend，"ApartmentsandBoard，bytheDayorWeek。"

Wasitpossiblethatthisnarrow，creakingstaircasehadonceseemedtohimthebroadstepsofFameandFortune?Onthefirstlanding，apreoccupiedIrishservant-girl，withamop，directedhimtoadoorattheendofthepassage，atwhichheknocked。Thedoorwasopenedbyagrizzlednegroservant，whowasstillholdingapieceofoilychamois-leatherinhishand；andthecontentsofadueling-case，scattereduponatableinthecentreoftheroom，showedwhathadbeenhisoccupation。AdmittingHathawaywithgreatcourtesy，hesaid:——

"MarseHarrybinhavin\'hisoletrubble，sah，andbinengagedjustdismomen\'onhistoylet；efyo\'llaccommodateyo\'selfondesofa，Iinformhimyo\'isheah。"

Asthenegropassedintothenextroom，Paulcastahastyglancearoundtheapartment。Thefurniture，originallyrichandelegant，wasnowwornthreadbareandlustreless。Abook-case，containing，amongothervolumes，afewlawbooks——therebeingavaguetradition，asPaulremembered，thatColonelPendletonhadoncebeenconnectedwiththelaw——afewFrenchchairsoftarnishedgilt，arifleinthecorner，apresentationswordinamahoganycase，afewclassicalprintsonthewalls，andoneortwoirondeed-boxesmarked"ElDoradoBank，"weretheprincipalobjects。Amildflavorofdrydecayandmethylatedspiritspervadedtheapartment。Yetitwasscrupulouslycleanandwellkept，andafewclothesneatlybrushedandfoldedonachairborewitnesstotheservant\'scare。

AsPaul，however，glancedbehindthesofa，hewasconcernedtoseeacoat，whichhadevidentlybeenthrusthurriedlyinacorner，withthesleevelininginsideout，andaneedleandthreadstillstickingintheseam。Itstruckhiminstantlythatthishadbeenthenegro\'soccupation，andthatthepistol-cleaningwasapolitefiction。

"Yo\'\'llhavetoskuseMarseHarryseein\'yoinbed，buthislaig\'spow\'fulbadto-day，andhecan\'tstand，"saidtheservantreenteringtheroom。"Skuseme，sah，"headdedinadignifiedconfidentialwhisper，halfclosingthedoorwithhishand，"butifyo\'wouldn\'tmindavoidin\'\'xcitin\'orcontroversicaltopicsinyo\'

conversation，itwouldbedebetterfo\'him。"

Paulsmilinglyassented，andtheblackretainer，withevenmorethantheusualsolemnceremoniousexaggerationofhisrace，usheredhimintothebedroom。Itwasfurnishedinthesamefadedgloryasthesitting-room，withtheexceptionofalow，ironcamp-bedstead，inwhichthetall，soldierlyfigureofColonelPendleton，cladinthreadbaresilkdressing-gown，wasstretched。Hehadchangedineightyears:hishairhadbecomegray，andwasthinnedoverthesunkentemples，buthisiron-graymoustachewasstillparticularlylongandwellpointed。Hisfaceboremarksofillnessandcare；

thereweredeeplinesdowntheangleofthenostrilthatspokeofalternatesavageoutbreakandrepression，andgavehissmileasardonicrigidity。Hisdarkeyes，thatshonewiththeexaltationoffever，fixedPaul\'sonentering，andwiththetyrannyofaninvalidneverleftthem。

"Well，Hathaway?"

WiththesoundofthatvoicePaulfelttheyearsslipaway，andhewasagainaboy，lookingupadmiringlytothestrongman，whonowlayhelplessbeforehim。Hehadenteredtheroomwithafaintsenseofsympathizingsuperiorityandaconsciousnessofhavinghadexperienceincontrollingmen。ButallthisfledbeforeColonelPendleton\'sauthoritativevoice；evenitsbrokentonescarriedtheolddominantspiritoftheman，andPaulfoundhimselfadmiringaqualityinhisoldacquaintancethathemissedinhisnewerfriends。

"Ihaven\'tseenyouforeightyears，Hathaway。Comehereandletmelookatyou。"

Paulapproachedthebedsidewithboyishobedience。Pendletontookhishandandgazedathimcritically。

"Ishouldhaverecognizedyou，sir，forallyourmoustacheandyourinches。ThelasttimeIsawyouwasinJackHammersley\'soffice。

Well，Jack\'sdead，andhereIam，littlebetter，Ireckon。YourememberHammersley\'shouse?"

"Yes，"saidPaul，albeitwonderingatthequestion。

"Somethinglikethis，Swissvillastyle。IrememberwhenJackputitup。Well，thelasttimeIwasout，Ipassedthere。Andwhatdoyouthinkthey\'vedonetoit?"

Paulcouldnotimagine。

"Well，sir，"saidthecolonelgravely，"they\'vechangeditintoachurchmissionaryshopandyoungmen\'sChristianreading-room!Butthat\'s\'progress\'and\'improvement\'!"Hepaused，and，slowlywithdrawinghishandfromPaul\'s，addedwithgrimapology，"You\'reyoung，andbelongtothenewschool，perhaps。Well，sir，I\'vereadyourspeech；Idon\'tbelongtoyourparty——minediedtenyearsago——

butIcongratulateyou。George!Confounditwhere\'sthatboygone?"

Thenegroindicatedbythisyouthfultitle，althoughhemusthavebeentenyearsolderthanhismaster，afterahurriedshufflinginthesitting-roomeventuallyappearedatthedoor。

"George，champagneandmaterialsforcocktailsforthegentleman。

TheBEST，youunderstand。Nonew-fanglednotionsfromthatnewbarkeeper。"

Paul，whothoughtheobservedatroubledblinkinginGeorge\'seyelid，andreferredittoafearofpossibleexcitementforhispatient，herebeggedhishostnottotroublehimself——thatheseldomtookanythinginthemorning。

"Possiblynot，sir；possiblynot，"returnedthecolonel，hastily。

"Iknowthenewideasareprohibitive，andsomeotherblankthing，butyou\'resafeherefromyourconstituents，andbygad，sir，I

shan\'tforceyoutotakeit!It\'sMYcustom，Hathaway——anoldone——

playedout，perhaps，likealltheothers，butacustomnevertheless，andI\'monlysurprisedthatGeorge，whoknowsit，shouldhaveforgottenit。"

"Fackis，MarseHarry，"saidGeorge，withfeverishapology，"itbingone\'scapedmyminddismo\'nin\'indeprerogationobbusiness，butI\'mgoin\'now，shuah!"andhedisappeared。

"Agoodboy，sir，butbeginningtobecontaminated。BroughthimherefromNashvilleovertenyearsago。Eightyearsagotheyprovedtohimthathewasnolongeraslave，andmadehimd——dunhappyuntilIpromisedhimitshouldmakenodifferencetohimandhecouldstay。Ihadtosendforhiswifeandchild——ofcourse，adeadlossofeighteenhundreddollarswhentheysetfootintheState——butI\'mblankedifheisn\'tjustasmiserablewiththemhere，forhehastotaketwohoursinthemorningandthreeintheafternooneverydaytobewith\'em。Itriedtogethimtotakehisfamilytotheminesandmakehisfortune，likethosefellowstheycallbankersandoperatorsandstockbrokersnowadays；ortogotoOregonwherethey\'llmakehimsomekindofamayororsheriff——

buthewon\'t。HecollectsmyrentsonsomelittlepropertyIhaveleft，andpaysmybills，sir，and，ifthisblankcivilizationwouldonlyleavehimalone，he\'dbeagoodenoughboy。"

Paulcouldn\'thelpthinkingthattherentsGeorgecollectedweresomewhatinconsistentwiththosehewasevidentlymendingwhenhearrived，butatthatmomentthejingleofglasseswasheardinthesitting-room，andtheoldnegroreappearedatthedoor。Drawinghimselfupwithceremoniouscourtesy，headdressedPaul。"Wo\'dyo\'

mind，sah，takingaglanceatdewineforyo\'choice?"Paulrose，andfollowedhimintothesitting-room，whenGeorgecarefullyclosedthedoor。TohissurpriseHathawaybeheldatraywithtwoglassesofwhiskeyandbitters，butnowine。"Skuseme，sah，"saidtheoldmanwithdignifiedapology，"butdeKernelwon\'thaveanybutdebestchampagneforhono\'blegemmenlikeyo\'self，andI\'sedespairedtosayitcan\'tbegotindehouseordesubburbs。DebestchampagnedatwegivesvisitorsisdeWidderGlencoe。Wo\'dyo\'mind，sah，fordesakeo\'not\'xcitin\'deKernelwidtriflin\'

culinarymatter，tosaydatyo\'don\'takebutdeonebrand?"

"Certainly，"saidPaul，smiling。"Ireallydon\'tcareforanythingsoearly；"then，returningtothebedroom，hesaidcarelessly，"You\'llexcusemetakingtheliberty，colonel，ofsendingawaythechampagneandcontentingmyselfwithwhiskey。Eventhebestbrand——

theWidowCliquot"——withaglanceatthegratifiedGeorge——"Ifindrathertryingsoearlyinthemorning。"

"Asyouplease，Hathaway，"saidthecolonel，somewhatstiffly。"I

daresaythere\'sanewfashionindrinksnow，andagentleman\'sstomachisathingofthepast。Then，Isuppose，wecansparetheboy，asthisishistimeforgoinghome。PutthattinboxwiththeTrustpapersonthebed，George，andMr。Hathawaywillexcuseyourwaiting。"Astheoldservantmadeanexaggeratedobeisancetoeach，Paulremarked，asthedoorcloseduponhim，"Georgecertainlykeepshisstyle，colonel，inthefaceoftheprogressyoudeplore。"

"Hewasalwaysa\'dandynigger，\'"returnedPendleton，hisfaceslightlyrelaxingasheglancedafterhisgrizzledhenchman，"buthisexaggerationofcourtesyisablanksightmorenaturalandmanlythantheexaggerationofdiscourtesywhichyoursuperiorcivilized\'helps\'thinkisself-respect。Theexcuseofservitudeofanykindisitsspontaneityandaffection。Whenyouknowamanhatesyouandservesyoufrominterest，youknowhe\'sacurandyou\'reatyrant。It\'syourblankprogressthat\'smademenialservicedegradingbyteachingmentoavoidit。Why，sir，whenI

firstarrivedhere，JackHammersleyandmyselftookturnsascooktotheparty。Ididn\'tconsidermyselfanytheworsemasterforit。Butenoughofthis。"Hepaused，and，raisinghimselfonhiselbow，gazedforsomesecondshalfcautiously，halfdoubtfully，uponhiscompanion。"I\'vegotsomethingtotellyou，Hathaway，"hesaid，slowly。"You\'vehadaneasytimewiththisTrust；yourshareoftheworkhasn\'tworriedyou，keptyouawakenights，orinterferedwithyourcareer。Iunderstandperfectly，"hecontinued，inreplytoHathaway\'sdeprecatinggesture。"Iacceptedtoactasyourproxy，andIHAVE。I\'mnotcomplaining。ButitistimethatyoushouldknowwhatI\'vedone，andwhatyoumaystillhavetodo。Hereistherecord。OnthedayafterthatinterviewintheMayor\'soffice，theElDoradoBank，ofwhichIwas，andstillam，president，receivedseventy-fivethousanddollarsintrustfromMrs。Howard。Twoyearsafterwards，onthatsameday，thebankhad，byluckyspeculations，increasedthatsumtothecreditofthetrustonehundredandfiftythousanddollars，ordoubletheoriginalcapital。Inthefollowingyearthebanksuspendedpayment。"

CHAPTERII。

InaninstantthewholesituationandhisrelationstoitflasheduponPaulwithaterrible，butalmostgrotesque，completeness。

Herehewas，attheoutsetofhiscareer，responsibleforthewastedfortuneofthedaughterofasocialoutcast，andsaddledwithhersupport!HenowknewwhyColonelPendletonhadwishedtoseehim；foroneshamefulmomenthebelievedhealsoknewwhyhehadbeencontenttotakehisproxy!Thequestionablecharacterofthewholetransaction，hisowncarelessness，whichsprangfromthatveryconfidenceandtrustthatPendletonhadlatelyextolled——whatWOULD，whatCOULDnotbemadeofit!Healreadyheardhimselfabusedbyhisopponents——perhaps，moreterriblestill，faintlyexcusedbyhisfriends。Allthiswasvisibleinhispalefaceandflashingeyesasheturnedthemonthehelplessinvalid。

ColonelPendletonreceivedhislookwiththesamecritical，half-

curiousscrutinythathadaccompaniedhisspeech。Atlasthisfacechangedslightly，afaintlookofdisappointmentcrossedhiseyes，andasardonicsmiledeepenedthelinesofhismouth。

"There，sir，"hesaidhurriedly，asifdismissinganunpleasantrevelation；"don\'talarmyourself!Takeadrinkofthatwhiskey。

Youlookpale。Well；turnyoureyesonthosewalls。Youdon\'tseeanyofthatmoneylaidouthere——doyou?Lookatme。Idon\'tlooklikeamanenrichedwithotherpeople\'smoney——doI?Well，letthatcontentyou。EverydollarofthatTrustfund，Hathaway，withalltheinterestsandprofitsthathaveaccruedtoit，isSAFE!

EverycentofitislockedupingovernmentbondswithRothschild\'sagent。Therearethereceipts，datedaweekbeforethebanksuspended。ButenoughofTHAT——THATisn\'twhatIaskedyoutocomeandseemefor。"

ThebloodhadrushedbacktoPaul\'scheeksuncomfortably。Hesawnow，asimpulsivelyashehadpreviouslysuspectedhisco-trustee，thatthemanhadprobablyruinedhimselftosavetheTrust。Hestammeredthathehadnotquestionedthemanagementofthefundnoraskedtowithdrawhisproxy。

"Nomatter，sir，"saidthecolonel，impatiently；"youhadtheright，andIsuppose，"headdedwithhalf-concealedscorn，"itwasyourduty。Butletthatpass。Themoneyissafeenough；but，Mr。

Hathaway，——andthisisthepointIwanttodiscusswithyou，——itbeginstolookasiftheSECRETwassafenolonger!"HehadraisedhimselfwithsomepainanddifficultytodrawnearertoPaul，andhadagainfixedhiseyeseagerlyuponhim。ButPaul\'sresponsiveglancewassovaguethatheaddedquickly，"Youunderstand，sir；I

believethattherearehounds——Isayhounds!——whowouldbeabletoblurtoutatanymomentthatthatgirlatSantaClaraisKateHoward\'sdaughter。"

AtanyothermomentPaulmighthavequestionedthegravityofanysuchcontingency，buttheterribleearnestnessofthespeaker，hisdominanttone，andacertainrespectwhichhadlatelysprungupinhisbreastforhim，checkedhim，andheonlyaskedwithasmuchconcernashecouldmasterforthemoment:——

"Whatmakesyouthinkso?"

"That\'swhatIwanttotellyou，Hathaway，andhowI，andIalone，amresponsibleforit。WhenthebankwasindifficultyandImadeupmymindtoguardtheTrustwithmyownpersonalandprivatecapital，Iknewthattheremightbesomecommentonmyaction。Itwasadelicatemattertoshowanypreferenceorexclusionatsuchamoment，andItooktwoorthreeofmybrotherdirectorswhomI

thoughtIcouldtrustintomyconfidence。Itoldthemthewholestory，andhowtheTrustwassacred。Imadeamistake，sir，"

continuedPendletonsardonically，"agravemistake。Ididnottakeintoaccountthateveninthreeyearscivilizationandreligionhadgainedgroundhere。Therewasahoundthere——ablankJudasintheTrust。Well；hedidn\'tseeit。IthinkhetalkedScriptureandmorality。Hesaidsomethingaboutthewagesofsinbeinginfamous，andonlyworthyofconfiscation。Hetalkedaboutthesinsofthefatherbeingvisiteduponthechildren，andjustly。Istoppedhim。

Well!Doyouknowwhat\'sthematterwithmyankle?Look!"Hestoppedand，withsomedifficultyandinvinciblegravity，throwingasidehisdressing-gown，turneddownhisstocking，andexposedtoPaul\'sgazethehealedcicatrixofanoldbullet-wound。"Troubledmedamnablynearayear。WhereIhitHIM——hasn\'ttroubledhimatallsince!

"Ithink，"continuedthecolonel，fallingbackuponthepillowwithanairofrelief，"thathetoldothers——ofhisownkidney，sir，——

thoughitwasasecretamonggentlemen。Buttheyhavepreferredtobesilentnow——thanAFTERWARDS。TheyknowthatI\'mready。ButI

can\'tkeepthisuplong；sometime，youknow，they\'reboundtoimproveinpracticeandhithigherup!AsfarasI\'mconcerned，"

headded，withagrimglancearoundthefadedwallsandthreadbarefurniture，"itdon\'tmind；butmineisn\'tthemouthtobestopped。"

Hepaused，andthenabruptly，yetwithasuddenandpatheticdroppingofhisdominantnote，said:"Hathaway，you\'reyoung，andHammersleylikedyou——what\'stobedone?Ithoughtofpassingovermytoolstoyou。Youcanshoot，andIhearyouHAVE。Buttheh——lofitisthatifyoudroppedamanortwopeoplewouldaskWHY，andwanttoknowwhatitwasabout；while，whenIdo，nobodyherethinksitanythingbutMYWAY!Idon\'tmeanthatitwouldhurtyouwiththecrowdtowipeoutoneortwoofthesehoundsduringthecanvass，butthetroubleisthattheybelongtoYOURPARTY，and，"

headdedgrimly，"thatwouldn\'thelpyourcareer。"

"But，"saidPaul，ignoringthesarcasm，areyounotmagnifyingtheeffectofadisclosure?Thegirlisanheiress，excellentlybroughtup。Whowillbotherabouttheantecedentsofthemother，whohasdisappeared，whomsheneverknew，andwhoislegallydeadtoher?"

"Inmyday，sir，noonewhoknewthecircumstances，"returnedthecolonel，quickly。"ButwearelivinginablessederaofChristianretributionandcivilizedpropriety，andIbelievetherearealotofmenandwomenaboutwhohavenootherwayofshowingtheirownvirtuethanbyshowingupanother\'svice。We\'reinareactionofreform。It\'stheolddrunkardswhoarealwaysmoreclamorousfortotalabstinencethanthemoderatelytemperate。Itellyou，Hathaway，therecouldn\'tbeanunluckiermomentforoursecretcomingout。"

"Butshewillbeofagesoon。"

"Intwomonths。"

"Andsuretomarry。"

"Marry!"repeatedPendleton，withgrimirony。"WouldYOUmarryher?"

"That\'sanotherquestion，"saidtheyoungman，promptly，"andoneofindividualtaste；butitdoesnotaffectmygeneralbeliefthatshecouldeasilyfindahusbandasgoodandbetter。"

"SupposeshefoundoneBEFOREthesecretisout。Oughthebetold?"

"Certainly。"

"AndthatwouldimplytellingHER?"

"Yes，"saidPaul，butnotsopromptly。"AndyouconsiderTHAT

fulfillingthepromiseoftheTrust——thepledgesexchangedwiththatwoman?"continuedPendleton，withglitteringeyesandareturntohisowndominanttone。

"Mydearcolonel，"saidPaul，somewhatlesspositively，butstillsmiling，"youhavemadearomantic，almostimpossiblecompactwithMrs。Howardthat，youyourselfarenowobligedtoadmit，circumstancesmaypreventyourcarryingoutsubstantially。Youforget，also，thatyouhavejusttoldmethatyouhavealreadybrokenyourpledge——undercircumstances，itistrue，thatdoyouhonor——andthatnowyourdesperateattemptstoretrieveithavefailed。Now，Ireallyseenothingwronginyourtellingtoapresumptivewell-wisherofthegirlwhatyouhavetoldtoherenemy。"

Therewasadeadsilence。Theprostratemanutteredaslightgroan，asifinpain，anddrewuphislegtochangehisposition。

Afterapause，hesaid，inarestrainedvoice，"Idifferfromyou，Mr。Hathaway；butenoughofthisforthepresent。Ihavesomethingelsetosay。ItwillbenecessaryforoneofustogoatoncetoSantaClaraandseeMissYerbaBuena。"

"Goodheavens!"saidPaul，quickly。"DoyoucallherTHAT?"

"Certainly，sir。Yougaveherthename。Haveyouforgotten?"

"Ionlysuggestedit，"returnedPaul，hopelessly；"butnomatter——

goon。"

"Icannotgothere，asyousee，"continuedPendleton，withawearygesturetowardshiscrippledankle；"andIshouldparticularlylikeyoutoseeherbeforewemakethejointdispositionofheraffairswiththeMayor，twomonthshence。Ihavesomepapersyoucanshowher，andIhavealreadywrittenaletterintroducingyoutotheLadySuperiorattheconvent，andtoher。Youhaveneverseenher?"

"No，"saidPaul。"Butofcourseyouhave?"

"Notforthreeyears。"

Paul\'seyesevidentlyexpressedsomewonder，foramomentafterthecoloneladded，"Ibelieve，Hathaway，Iamlookeduponasaqueersurvivalofaratherlawlessandimproperpast。Atleast，Ihavethoughtitbetternotsociallytocompromiseherbymypresence。

TheMayorgoesthere——attheexaminationsandexercises，Ibelieve，sir；theymakeasortofreceptionforhim——witha——a——banquet——

lemonadeandspeeches。"

"IhadintendedtoleaveforSacramentoto-morrownight，"saidPaul，glancingcuriouslyatthehelplessman；"butIwillgothereifyouwish。"

"Thankyou。Itwillbebetter。"

Therewereafewwordsoffurtherexplanationofthepapers，andPendletonplacedthepacketinhisvisitor\'shands。Paulrose。

Somehow，itappearedtohimthattheroomlookedmorefadedandforgottenthanwhenheenteredit，andthefigureofthemanbeforehimmorelonely，helpless，andabandoned。Withoneofhissympatheticimpulseshesaid:——

"Idon\'tliketoleaveyouherealone。AreyousureyoucanhelpyourselfwithoutGeorge?CanIdoanythingbeforeIgo?"

"Iamquiteaccustomedtoit，"saidPendleton，quietly。"Ithappensonceortwiceayear，andwhenIgoout——well——ImissmorethanIdohere。"

HetookPaul\'sprofferedhandmechanically，withaslightreturnofthecritical，doubtinglookhehadcastuponhimwhenheentered。

hisvoice，too，hadquiterecovereditsolddominance，ashesaid，withhalf-patronizingconventionality，"You\'llhavetofindyourwayoutalone。LetmeknowhowyouhavespedatSantaClara，willyou?Good-by。"

ThestaircaseandpassageseemedtohavegrownshabbierandmeanerasPaul，slowlyandhesitatingly，descendedtothestreet。Atthefootofthestairshepausedirresolutely，andloiteredwithavagueideaofturningbackonsomepretense，onlythathemightrelievehimselfofthesenseofdesertion。Hehadalreadydetermineduponmakingthatinquiryintothecolonel\'spersonalandpecuniaryaffairswhichhehadnotdaredtoofferpersonally，andhadahalf-formedplanoftestinghisownpowerandpopularityinacertainlineofreliefthatatoncesatisfiedhissympathiesandambitions。Nevertheless，afterreachingthestreet，helingeredamoment，whenanoddideaoftemporizingwithhisinclinationsstruckhim。Atthefartherendofthehotel——oneoftheparasiteslivingonitsdecayedfortunes——wasasmallbarber\'sshop。Byhavinghishairtrimmedandhisclothesbrushedhecouldlingeralittlelongerbeneaththesameroofwiththehelplesssolitary，andperhapscometosomeconclusion。Heenteredthecleanbutscantilyfurnishedshop，andthrewhimselfintooneofthenearestchairs，hardlynotingthattherewerenoothercustomers，andthatasingleassistant，stroppingarazorbehindaglassdoor，wastheonlyoccupant。Buttherewasafamiliarnoteofexaggeratedpolitenessaboutthevoiceofthismanasheopenedthedoorandcametowardsthebackofthechairwiththeformula:——

"Mo\'nin\'，sah!Shallwehabdepleshureofshavin\'orhah-cuttin\'

dismo\'nin\'?"Paulraisedhiseyesquicklytothemirrorbeforehim。ItreflectedtheblackfaceandgrizzledhairofGeorge。

Morerelievedatfindingtheoldservantstillnearhismasterthancaringtocomprehendthereason，Hathawaysaidpleasantly，"Well，George，isthisthewayyoulookafteryourfamily?"

Theoldmanstarted；foraninstanthisfullredlipsseemedtobecomedryandashen，thewhitesofhiseyesweresuffusedandstaring，ashemetPaul\'ssmilingfaceintheglass。Butalmostasquicklyherecoveredhimself，and，withapolitebutdeprecatingbow，said，——"ForGodsake，sah!Iadmitdesarkumstancesisaginme，butdesimplefackisdatI\'mtemper\'lyoccupyin\'deplaceofanolefrien\'，sah，whoiscalledrounddecornah。"

"AndI\'mdevilishgladofanyfact，George，thatgivesmeachanceofhavingmyhaircutbyColonelPendleton\'sright-handman。Sofireaway!"

Thegratifiedsmilewhichnowsuddenlyoverspreadthewholeoftheoldman\'sface，andseemedtoquicklystiffentheruggedandwrinkledfingersthathadatfirsttrembledindrawingapairofshearsfromaraggedpocket，appearedtosatisfyPaul\'scuriosityforthepresent。Butafterafewmoments\'silentsnipping，duringwhichhecoulddetectinthemirrorsometracesofagitationstilltwitchingthenegro\'sface，hesaidwithanairofconviction:——

"Lookhere，George——whydon\'tyouregularlyuseyourleisuremomentsinthistrade?You\'dmakeyourfortunebyyourtasteandskillatit。"

Forthenexthalfminutetheoldman\'sframeshookwithsilentchildlikelaughterbehindPaul\'schair。"Well，MarseHathaway，yo\'sanolefrien\'o\'mymassa，andagemmanyo\'self，sah，andasenetah，andIdo\'anmindtellin\'yo\'——dat\'sjesswhatIbingonedone!Itmakesalittlereadymoneyfordeolewomananddechilleren。ButdeKerneldon\'no\'。Ah，sah!deKernelkillmeorhisselfifhesomuchas\'spicionedme。DeKernelishigh-toned，sah!——bein\'agemmanyo\'self，yo\'understand。Hewouldn\'theahobhisniggahworken\'fortwomassas——forallhe\'swillen\'tolemmegoandhelpmyse\'f。But，Lordblessyo\'，sah，datain\'tindecategory!DeKernelcouldn\'tgetalongwidoutme。"

"Youcollecthisrents，don\'tyou?"saidPaul，quietly。

"Yes，sah。"

"Much?"

"Well，no，sah；notsomuchasfom\'ly，sah!Yo\'see，deKernel\'sprop\'tyliesindeolepartsobdetown，wheredepo\'whitefolkslib，anddeyain\'treg\'lar。DeKerneldatsof\'inhisheart，hedaren\'press\'em；someof\'emisolefo\'ty-niners，likehisself，sah；andsomeisSpanish，sah，anddeyissof\'too，andain\'tnomoregumptiondanchilleren，andtinkit\'soletimecomeag\'in，anddey\'sindeoleplaceslikeafo\'deMexicanwah!anddeydon\'binpayin\'noffin\'。Butwegetsalong，sah，——wegetsalong，——notindeprimafaciestyle，sah!mebbenotindemoddenwaydutdeKerneldon\'tlike；butwekeepsourse\'f，sah，andhaswinefo\'ourfriends。Whenyo\'comeagain，sah，yo\'\'llfinddeWidderGlencoeondesideboard。"

"Hasthecolonelmanyfriendshere?"

"Mos\'deoleonesbindonegone，sah，anddeKerneldon\'cottontodenew。Hedon\'mixmuchinsassietytilldebanksettlementsbingonedone。Skuseme，sah!——butyoudon\'happentoknowwhendatis?Itwouldbeapow\'fulheapoffdeKernel\'smindifitwasdone。Bein\'ahighandmightymanincommitteesupdahinSacramento，sah，Ididn\'tknowbutwhatyo\'mightknowasitmightcomebefo\'yo\'。"

"I\'llseeaboutit，"saidPaul，withanodd，abstractedsmile。

"Shampoodismornen\'，sah?"

"Nothingmoreinthisline，"saidPaul，risingfromhischair，"butsomethingmore，perhaps，inthelineofyourotherduties。You\'reagoodbarberforthepublic，George，andIdon\'ttakebackwhatI

saidaboutyourfuture；butJUSTNOWIthinkthecolonelwantsallyourservice。He\'snotatallwell。Takethis，"hesaid，puttingatwenty-dollargoldpieceintheastonishedservant\'shand，"andforthenextthreeorfourdaysdroptheshop，andundersomepretextoranotherarrangetobewithhim。Thatmoneywillcoverwhatyoulosehere，andassoonasthecolonel\'sallrightagainyoucancomebacktowork。Butareyounotafraidofbeingrecognizedbysomeone?"

"No，sah，dat\'sjustit。On\'ystrangersdatdon\'tknownobettercomeyere。"

"Butsupposeyourmastershoulddropin?It\'squiteconvenienttohisrooms。"

"MarseHarryinabarber-shop!"saidtheoldmanwithasilentlaugh。"Skuseme，sah，"headded，withanapologeticmixtureofrespectanddignity，"butfo\'twentyyearsnomanheztoucheddeKernel\'schinbutmyself。WhenMarseHarryheztogotoabarber\'sshop，itwon\'tmakenomatterwho\'sdar。"

"Let\'shopehewillnot，"saidPaulgayly；then，anxioustoevadethegratitudewhich，sincehismunificence，hehadseenbeamingintheoldnegro\'seyeandevidentlytryingtofindpolysyllabicandelevatedexpressiononhislips，hesaidhurriedly，"IshallexpecttofindyouwiththecolonelwhenIcallagaininadayortwo，"

andsmilinglydeparted。