下载辰思小说免费APP
What\'s-your-name，you\'vecalledheretoseemeabouttwentytimesalreadyandatlastIamgoingtosaysomethingdefiniteaboutyourinvention。"Hislistener\'sface，whichhadwornforamomentalookoffrightandbewilderment，gladdenedswiftlytoagratitudethatseemedtheedgeofanoutburstoftears。"Yes，"
continuedColeman，"Iamgoingtosaysomethingdefinite。Iamgoingtosaythatitisthemostimbecilebitofnonsensethathascomewithintherangeofmylargenewspaperexperience。Itissimplytheaberrationofaratherremarkablelunatic。Itisnogood；
itisnotworththepriceofacheesesandwich。Iunderstandthatitsonefeathasbeentobreakyourleg；ifitevergoesoffagain，persuadeittobreakyourneck。AndnowIwantyoutotakethisnurseryrhymeofyoursandgetout。Anddon\'tevercomehereagain。DoYouunderstand？Youunderstand，doyou？"
Hearoseandbowedincourteousdismissal。
TheGermanwasregardinghimwiththesurpriseandhorrorofayouthshotmortally。Hecouldnotfindhistongueforamoment。Ultimatelyhegasped:"But，MisterEditor"——Colemaninterruptedhimtigerishly。"YouheardwhatIsaid？Getout。"Themanbowedhisheadandwentslowlytowardthedoor。
Colemanplacedthelittlegreynoteinhisbreastpocket。Hetookhishatandtopcoat，andevadingthedismalbandbyashamelessmanoeuvre，passedthroughthehallstotheentrancetotheelevatorshaft。HeheardamovementbehindhimandsawthattheGermanwasalsowaitingfortheelevator。
Standinginthegloomofthecorridor，ColemanfeltthemournfulowlisheyesoftheGermanrestinguponhim。Hetookacasefromhispocketandelaboratelylitacigarette。Suddenlytherewasaflashoflightandacageofbronze，giltandsteeldropped，magicallyfromabove。Colemanyelled:"Down!"A
doorflewopen。Coleman，followedbytheGerman，steppedupontheelevator。"Well，Johnnie，"hesaidcheerfullytotheladwhooperatedthismachine，"isbusinessgood？""Yes，sir，prettygood，"answeredtheboy，grinning。Thelittlecagesankswiftly；floorafterfloorseemedtoberisingwithmarvellousspeed；thewholebuildingwaswingingstraightintothesky。
Thereweresoaringlights，figuresandtheopalescentglowofgroundglassdoorsmarkedwithblackinscriptions。Otherliftswerespringingheavenward。Alltheloftycorridorsrangwithcries。"Up!"Down!""Down!""Up!"Theboy\'shandgraspedaleverandhismachineobeyedhislightestmovementwithsometimesanunbalancingswiftness。
Colemandiscoursedbrisklytotheyouthfulattendant。OnceheturnedandregardedwithaquickstareofinsolentannoyancethedespairingcountenanceoftheGermanwhoseeyeshadneverlefthim。Whentheelevatorarrivedatthegroundfloor，Colemandepartedwiththeoutragedairofamanwhoforatimehadbeencompelledtooccupyacellincompanywithaharmlessspectre。
Hewalkedquicklyaway。OppositeacorneroftheCityHallhewasimpelledtolookbehindhim。Throughthehordesofpeoplewithcablecarsmarchinglikepanopliedelephants，hewasabletodistinguishtheGerman，motionlessandgazingafterhim。Colemanlaughed。"That\'sacomicoldboy，"hesaid，tohimself。
Inthegrill-roomofaBroadwayhotelhewasobligedtowaitsomeminutesforthefulfillmentofhisordersandhespentthetimeinreadingandstudyingthelittlegreynote。Whenhisluncheonwasservedheatewithanexpressionofmorosedignity。
CHAPTERIV。
MARJORYpausedagainatherfather\'sdoor。Afterhesitatingintheoriginalwaysheenteredthelibrary。Herfatheralmostrepresentedanemblematicfigure，seateduponacolumnofbooks。"Well，"hecried。Then，seeingitwasMarjory，hechangedhistone。"Ah，underthecircumstances，mydear，I
admityourprivilegeofinterruptingmeatanyhouroftheday。
Youhaveimportantbusinesswithme。"Hismannerwassatanicallyindulgent。
Thegirlfingeredabook。Sheturnedtheleavesinabsolutesemblanceofapersonreading。"RufusColemancalled。"
"Indeed，"saidtheprofessor。
"AndI\'vecometoyou，father，beforeseeinghim。"
Theprofessorwassilentforatime。"Well，Marjory，"hesaidatlast，"whatdoyouwantmetosay？"Hespokeverydeliberately。"Iamsurethisisasingularsituation。HereappearsthemanIformallyforbidyoutomarry。IamsureIdonotknowwhatIamtosay。"
"Iwishtoseehim，"saidthegirl。
"Youwishtoseehim？"enquiredtheprofessor。"Youwishtoseehim"Marjory，ImayaswelltellyounowthatwithallthebooksandplaysI\'veread，Ireallydon\'tknowhowtheobduratefathershouldconducthimself。
Heisalwayspicturedasanexceedinglydensegentlemanwithwhitewhiskers，whodoesalltheunintelligentthingsintheplot。YouandIaregoingtoplaynodrama，arewe，Marjory？I
admitthatIhavewhitewhiskers，andIamanobduratefather。I
am，asyouwellmaysay，averyobduratefather。YouarenottomarryRufusColeman。Youunderstandtherestofthematter。
Heishere；youwanttoseehim。Whatwillyousaytohimwhenyouseehim？"
"Iwillsaythatyourefusetoletmemarryhim，fatherand-"
Shehesitatedamomentbeforesheliftedhereyesfullyandformidablytoherfather\'sface。"AndthatIshallmarryhimanyhow。"
Theprofessordidnotcavortwhenthisstatementcamefromhisdaughter。Henoddedandthenpassedintoaperiodofreflection。Finallyheasked:"Butwhen？Thatisthepoint。
When？"
Thegirlmadeasadgesture。"Idon\'tknow。Idon\'tknow。
PerhapswhenyoucometoknowRufusbetter-"
"Knowhimbetter。Knowthatrapscallionbetter？Why，I
knowhimmuchbetterthanheknowshimself。Iknowhimtoowell。DoyouthinkIamtalkingoffhandaboutthisaffair？DoyouthinkIamtalkingwithoutproperinformation？"
Marjorymadenoreply。
"Well，"saidtheprofessor，"youmayseeColemanonconditionthatyouinformhimatoncethatIforbidyourmarriagetohim。Idon\'tunderstandatallhowtomanagethesesituations。Idon\'tknowwhattodo。IsupposeIshouldgomyselfand-No，youcan\'tseehim，Majory。"
Stillthegirlmadenoreply。Herheadsankforwardandshebreathedatrifleheavily。
"Marjory，"criedtheprofessor，itisimpossiblethatyoushouldthinksomuchofthisman。"Hearoseandwenttohisdaughter。"Marjory，manywisechildrenhavebeenguidedbyfoolishfathers，butwebothsuspectthatnofoolishchildhaseverbeenguidedbyawisefather。Letuschangeit。Ipresentmyselftoyouasawisefather。FollowmywishesinthisaffairandyouwillbeatleasthappierthanifyoumarrythiswretchedColeman。"
Sheanswered:"Heiswaitingforme。"
Theprofessorturnedabruptlyfromheranddroppedintohischairatthetable。Heresumedagriponhispen。"Go，"hesaid，wearily。"Go。Butifyouhavearemnantofsense，rememberwhatIhavesaidtoyou。Go。"Hewavedhishandinadismissalthatwasslightlyscornful。"Ihopedyouwouldhaveaminorconceptionofwhatyouweredoing。Itseemsapity。"Droopingintears，thegirlslowlylefttheroom。
Colemanhadanideathathehadoccupiedthechairforseveralmonths。Hegazedaboutatthepicturesandtheoddsandendsofadrawing-roominanattempttotakeaninterestinthem。ThegreatgarlandedpapershadeoverthepianolampconsoledhisimpatienceinamilddegreebecauseheknewthatMarjoryhadmadeit。Henotedtheclustersofclothvioletswhichshehadpinnedupontheyellowpaperandhedreamedoverthefact。Hewasabletoendowthisshadewithcertainqualitiesofsentimentthatcausedhisstaretobecomealmostapartofanintimacy，acommunion。Helookedasifhecouldhaveunburdenedhissoultothisshadeoverthepianolamp。
UpontheappearanceofMarjoryhesprangupandcameforwardrapidly。"Dearest，"hemurmured，stretchingoutbothhands。Shegavehimonesetoffingerswithchillingconvention。Shesaidsomethingwhichheunderstoodtobe"
Good-afternoon。"Hestartedasifthewomanbeforehimhadsuddenlydrawnaknife。"Marjory，"hecried，"whatisthematter？。"Theywalkedtogethertowardawindow。Thegirllookedathiminpoliteenquiry。"Why？"shesaid。"DoIseemstrange？"Therewasamoment\'ssilencewhilehegazedintohereyes，eyesfullofinnocenceandtranquillity。Atlastshetappedherfootuponthefloorinexpressionofmildimpatience。
"Peopledonotliketobeaskedwhatisthematterwhenthereisnothingthematter。Whatdoyoumean？"
Coleman\'sfacehadgraduallyhardened。"Well，whatiswrong？"hedemanded，abruptly。"Whathashappened？Whatisit，Marjory？"
Sheraisedherglanceinaperfectrealityofwonder。"Whatiswrong？Whathashappened？Howabsurd!Whynothing，ofcourse。"Shegazedoutofthewindow。"Look，"sheadded，brightly，thestudentsarerollingsomebodyinadrift。Oh，thepoorMan!"
Coleman，nowwearingabewilderedair，madesomepretenseofbeingoccupiedwiththescene。"Yes，"hesaid，ironically。
"Veryinteresting，indeed。"
"Oh，"saidMarjory，suddenly，"Iforgottotellyou。FatherisgoingtotakemotherandmetoGreecethiswinterwithhimandtheclass。"
Colemanrepliedatonce。"Ah，indeed？Thatwillbejolly。"
"Yes。Won\'titbecharming？"
"Idon\'tdoubtit，"hereplied。HiscomposureMayhavedispleasedher，forsheglancedathimfurtivelyandinawaythatdenotedsurprise，perhaps。
"Oh，ofcourse，"shesaid，inagladvoice。"Itwillbemorefun。Weexpecttonaveafinetime。ThereissuchanicelotofboysgoingSometimesfatherchoosesthesedreadfullystudiousones。Butthistimeheactsasifheknewpreciselyhowtomakeupaparty。"
Hereachedforherhandandgraspeditvise-like。"Marjory，"hebreathed，passionately，"don\'ttreatmeso。Don\'ttreatme-"
Shewrenchedherhandfromhiminregalindignation。"Oneortworingsmakeituncomfortableforthehandthatisgraspedbyanangrygentleman。"Sheheldherfingersandgazedasifsheexpectedtofindthemmeredebris。"Iamsorrythatyouarenotinterestedinthestudentsrollingthatmaninthesnow。Itisthegreatestsceneourquietlifecanafford。"
Hewasregardingherasajudgefacesalyingculprit。"I
know，"hesaid，afterapause。"Somebodyhasbeentellingyousomestories。Youhavebeenhearingsomethingaboutme。"
"Somestories？"sheenquired。"Somestoriesaboutyou？
Whatdoyoumean？DoyoumeanthatIrememberstoriesImayhappentohearaboutpeople？"
TherewasanotherpauseandthenColeman\'sfaceflaredred。
Hebeathishandviolentlyuponatable。"GoodGod，Marjory!
Don\'tmakeafoolofme。Don\'tmakethiskindofafoolofme，atanyrate。Tellmewhatyoumean。Explain-"
Shelaughedathim。"Explain？Really，yourvocabularyisgettingextensive，butitisdreadfullyawkwardtoaskpeopletoexplainwhenthereisnothingtoexplain。"
Heglancedather，"IknowaswellasyoudothatyourfatheristakingyoutoGreeceinordertogetridofme。"
"AnddopeoplehavetogotoGreeceinordertogetridofyou？"sheasked，civilly。"Ithinkyouaregettingexcited。"
"Marjory，"hebegan，stormily。
Sheraisedherhand。"Hush，"shesaid，"thereissomebodycoming。"Abellhadrung。Amaidenteredtheroom。"Mr。
Coke，"shesaid。Marjorynodded。Intheintervalofwaiting，Colemangavethegirlaglancethatmingleddespairwithrageandpride。ThenCokeburstwithhalf-tamedraptureintotheroom。"Oh，MissWainwright，"healmostshouted，"Ican\'ttellyouhowgladIam。Ijustheardto-dayyouweregoing。Imagineit。Itwillbemore——oh，howareyouColeman，howareyou""
Marjorywelcomedthenew-comerwithacordialitythatmightnothavethrilledColemanwithpleasure。Theytookchairsthatformedatriangleandonesideofitvibratedwithtalk。CokeandMarjoryengagedinatumultuousconversationconcerningtheprospectivetriptoGreece。TheSundayeditor，asremoteasiftheapexofhisanglewasthetopofahill，couldonlystudythegirl\'sclearprofile。Theyouthfulvoicesofthetwoothersranglikebells。HedidnotscowlatCoke；hemerelylookedathimasifbegentlydisdainedhismentalcalibre。Infactallthetalkseemedtotirehim；itwaschildish；asforhim，heapparentlyfoundthisbabblealmostinsupportable。
"And，justthinkofthecamelrideswe\'llhave，"criedCoke。
"Camelrides，"repeatedColeman，dejectedly。"MydearCoke。"
Finallyhearoselikeanoldmanclimbingfromasickbed。
"Well，IamafraidImustgo，MissWainwright。"ThenhesaidaffectionatelytoCoke:"Good-bye，oldboy。Ihopeyouwillhaveagoodtime。"
Marjorywalkedwithhimtothedoor。Heshookherhandinafriendlyfashion。"Good-bye，Marjory，\'hesaid。"PerhapsitmayhappenthatIshan\'tseeyouagainbeforeyoustartforGreeceandsoIhadbestbidyouGod-speed——orwhateverthetermisnow。Youwillhaveacharmingtime；Greecemustbeadelightfulplace。Really，Ienvyyou，Marjory。Andnowmydearchild"-hisvoicegrewbrotherly，filledwiththepatronageofgenerousfraternallove，"althoughImayneverseeyouagainletmewishyoufiftyashappyyearsasthislastonehasbeenforme。"Hesmiledfranklyintohereyes；thendroppingherhand，hewentaway。
CokerenewedhistempestoftalkasMarjoryturnedtowardhim。Butafteraseriesofsplendideruptions，whoseredfireilluminedallofancientandmodemGreece，hetoowentaway。
Theprofessorwasinhis。libraryapparentlyabsorbedinabookwhenatotteringpale-facedwomanappearedtohimand，inhercoursetowardacouchinacorneroftheroom，describedalmostasemi-circle。Sheflungherselffacedownward。Athickstrandofhairsweptoverhershoulder。"Oh，myheartisbroken!Myheartisbroken!"
Theprofessorarose，grizzledandthrice-oldwithpain。Hewenttothecouch，buthefoundhimselfahandless，fetlessman。"Mypoorchild，"hesaid。"Mypoorchild。"Heremainedlisteningstupidlytoherconvulsivesobbing。Aghastlykindofsolemnitycameupontheroom。
Suddenlythegirlliftedherselfandsweptthestrandofhairawayfromherface。Shelookedattheprofessorwiththewide-
opendilatedeyesofonewhostillsleeps。"Father，"shesaidinahollowvoice，"hedon\'tloveme。Hedon\'tloveme。Hedon\'tloveme。atall。Youwereright，father。"Shebegantolaugh。
"Marjory，"saidtheprofessor，trembling。"Bequiet，child。Bequiet。"
"But，"shesaid，"Ithoughthelovedme——Iwassureofit。Butitdon\'t-don\'tmatter。I——Ican\'tgetoverit。Women-women，the-
butitdon\'tmatter。"
"Marjory，"saidtheprofessor。"Marjory，mypoordaughter。"
Shedidnotheedhisappeal，butcontinuedinadullwhisper。
"Hewasplayingwithme。Hewas——was-wasflirtingwithme。
Hedidn\'tcarewhenItoldhim——Itoldhim——
Iwasgoing-goingaway。"Sheturnedherfacewildlytothecushionsagain。Heryoungshouldersshookasiftheymightbreak。"Wo-men-women-theyalways——"
CHAPTERV。
ByastrangemishapofmanagementthetrainwhichboreColemanbacktowardNewYorkwasfetchedintoanobscureside-trackofsomelonelyregionandtherecompelledtobideachangeoffate。Theenginewheezedandsneezedlikeapausedfatman。Thelampsinthecarspervadedastuffyodorofsmokeandoil。Colemanexaminedhiscaseandfoundonlyonecigar。
Importantbrakemenproceededrapidlyalongtheaisles，andwhentheyswungopenthedoors，apolarwindcircledthelegsofthepassengers。"Well，now，whatisallthisfor？"demandedColeman，furiously。"IwanttogetbacktoNewYork。"
Theconductorrepliedwithsarcasm，"MaybeyouthinkI\'mstuckonit"Iain\'trunningtheroad。I\'mrunningthistrain，andI
runitaccordingtoorders。"Amidthedismalcomfortsofthewaitingcars，Colemanfeltalltheprofoundmiseryoftherebuffedtruelover。Hehadbeensentenced，hethought，toapenalservitudeoftheheart，ashewatchedthedusky，vagueribbonsofsmokecomefromthelampsandfelttohiskneesthecoldwindsfromthebrakemen\'sbusyflights。Whenthetrainstartedwithawhistleandajolt，hewaselateasifinhisabjectionhisbeloved\'shandhadreachedtohimfromtheclouds。
WhenhehadarrivedinNewYork，acabrattledhimtoanuptownhotelwithspeed。Intherestauranthefirstorderedalargebottleofchampagne。Thelastofthewinehefinishedinsombremoodlikeanunbrokenanddefiantmanwhochewsthestrawthatlittershisprisonhouse。Duringhisdinnerhewascontinuallysendingoutmessengerboys。Hewasarrangingapokerparty。ThroughawindowhewatchedthebeautifulmovinglifeofupperBroadwayatnight，withitscrowdsandclangingcablecarsanditselectricsigns，mammothandglittering，likethejewelsofagiantess。
Wordwasbroughttohimthatthepokerplayerswerearriving。Hearosejoyfully，leavinghischeese。Inthebroadhall，occupiedmainlybymiscellaneouspeopleandactors，alldeepinleatherchairs，hefoundsomeofhisfriendswaiting。TheytroopedupstairstoColeman\'srooms，whereasapreliminary，Colemanbegantohurlbooksandpapersfromthetabletothefloor。Aboycamewithdrinks。Mostofthemen，inordertoprepareforthegame，removedtheircoatsandcuffsanddrewupthesleevesoftheirshirts。Theelectricglobesshedablindinglightuponthetable。Thesoundofclinkingchipsarose；theelectedbankerspunthecards，carelessanddexterous。
Later，duringapauseofdealing，Colemansaid:
"Billie，whatkindofaladisthatyoungCokeupatWashurst？"
Headdressedanoldcollegefriend。
"Oh，youmeantheSophomoreCoke？"askedthefriend。
"Seemsadecentsortofafellow。Idon\'tknow。Why？"
"Well，whoishe？Wheredoeshecomefrom？Whatdoyouknowabouthim？"
"He\'soneofthoseOhioCokes-regularthing——fathermillionaire-usedtobeabarber-goodoldboy-why？"
"Nothin\'，"saidColeman，lookingathiscards。"Iknowthelad。Ithoughthewasagooddealofanass。Iwonderedwhohispeoplewere。"
"Oh，hispeopleareallright-inoneway。Fatherownsrollingmills。Doyouraiseit，Henry？Well，inordertomakeviceabhorrenttotheyoung，I\'mobligedtoraiseback。"
"I\'llseeit，"observedColeman，slowlypushingforwardtwobluechips。Afterwardhereachedbehindhimandtookanotherglassofwine。
TotheothersColemanseemedtohavesomethingbitteruponhismind。Heplayedpokerquietly，steadfastly，and，withoutchangeofeye，followingthemathematicalreligionofthegame。Outsideoftheplayhewassavage，almostinsupportable。
"What\'sthematterwithyou，Rufus？"saidhisoldcollegefriend。"Lostyourjob？Girlgonebackonyou？You\'reahellof-ahost。Wedon\'tgetany。thingbutinsultsanddrinks。"
LateatnightColemanbegantolosesteadily。Inthemeantimehedrankglassafterglassofwine。Finallyhemaderecklessbetsonamediocrehandandanopponentfollowedhimthoughtfullybetbybet，undaunted，calm，absolutelywithoutemotion。Colemanlost；hehurleddownhiscards。"
Nobodybutadamnedfoolwouldhaveseenthatlastraiseonanythinglessthanafullhand。"
"Steady。Comeoff。What\'swrongwithyou，Rufus？"criedhisguests。
"You\'renotdrunk，areyou？"saidhisoldcollegefriend，puritanically。
"\'Drunk\'？"repeatedColeman。
"Oh，say，"criedaman，"let\'splaycards。What\'sallthisgabbling？"
Itwaswhenagrey，dirtylightofdawnevadedthethickcurtainsandfoughtonthefloorwiththefeebledelectricglowthatColeman，inthemidstofplay，lurchedhischestheavilyuponthetable。Somechipsrattledtothefloor。"I\'llcallyou，"
hemurmured，sleepily。
"Well，"repliedaman，sternly，"threekings。"
TheotherplayerswithdifficultyextractedfivecardsfrombeneathColeman\'spillowedhead。"Notapair!Come，come，thiswon\'tdo。Oh，let\'sstopplaying。ThisistherottenestgameI
eversatin。Let\'sgohome。Whydon\'tyouputhim。tobed，Billie？"
WhenColemanawokenextmorning，helookedbackuponthepokergameassomethingthathadtranspiredinpreviousyears。Hedressedandwentdowntothegrill-room。Forhisbreakfastheorderedsomeeggsontoastandapintofchampagne。AprivilegeoflibertybelongedtoacertainIrishwaiter，andthiswaiterlookedathim，grinning。"Maybeyouhadaprettylivelytimelastnight，MrColeman？"
"Yes，Pat，"answeredColeman，"Idid。Itwasallbecauseofanunrequitedaffection，Patrick。"Themanstoodnear，anapkinoverhisarm。Colemanwentonimpressively。"Thewaysofthemodernloverarestrange。Now，I，Patrick，amamodernlover，andwhen，yesterday，thedaggerofdisappointmentwasdrivendeepintomyheart，IimmediatelyplayedpokerashardasI
couldandincidentallygotloaded。Thisisthemodernpointofview。Iunderstandongoodauthoritythatinoldtimesloversusedto。languish。Thatisprobablyalie，butatanyratewedonot，inthesetimes，languishtoanygreatextent。Wegetdrunk。
Doyouunderstand，Patrick？"
ThewaiterwasusedtoaharangueatColeman\'sbreakfasttime。Heplacedhishandoverhismouthandgiggled。"Yessir。"
"Ofcourse，"continuedColeman，thoughtfully。"Itmightbepointedoutbyuneducatedpersonsthatitisdifficulttomaintainahighstandardofdrunkennessfortheadequatelengthoftime，butintheseriesofexperimentswhichIamabouttomakeIamsureIcaneasilyprovethemtobeinthewrong。"
"Iamsure，sir，"saidthewaiter，"theyoungladieswouldnotliketobehearingyoutalkthisway。"
"Yes；nodoubt，nodoubt。Theyoungladieshavestillquitemedievalideas。Theydon\'tunderstand。Theystillpreferloverstolanguish。"
"Atanyrate，sir，Idon\'tseethatyourheartissureenoughbroken。Youseemtotakeitveryeasy。"
"Broken!"criedColeman。"Easy？Man，myheartisinfragments。Bringmeanothersmallbottle。"
CHAPTERVI。
Sixweekslater，ColemanwenttotheofficeoftheproprietoroftheEclipse。Colemanwasoneofthosesmooth-shavenold-youngmenwhowearuponsomeoccasionsasingularairoftemperanceandpurity。Atthesetimes，hisfeatureslosttheirqualityofworldlyshrewdnessandendlesssuspicionandbloomedasthefaceofsomeinnocentboy。Itthenwouldbehardtotellthathehadeverencounteredevensuchacrimeasalieoracigarette。Ashewalkedintotheproprietor\'sofficehewasaperfectsemblanceofafine，inexperiencedyouth。PeopleusuallyconcludedthischangewasduetoaTurkishbathorsomeotherexpedientofrecuperation，butitwasdueprobablytothepowerofaphysicalcharacteristic。
"Bossin？"saidColeman。
"Yeh，"saidthesecretary，jerkinghisthumbtowardaninnerdoor。Inhisprivateoffice，Sturgeonsatontheedgeofthetabledanglingoneleganddreamilysurveyingthewall。AsColemanenteredhelookedupquickly。"Rufus，"hecried，"you\'rejustthemanIwantedtosee。I\'vegotascheme。Agreatscheme。"
Heslidfromthetableandbegantopacebrisklytoandfro，hishandsdeepinhistrousers\'pockets，hischinsunkinhiscollar，hislightblueeyesafirewithinterest。"Nowlisten。
Thisisimmense。TheEclipseenlistsabattalionofmentogotoCubaandfighttheSpaniardsunderitsownflag-theEclipseflag。
Collecttrainedofficersfromhereandthere-enlisteveryyoungdevilwesee-drill\'em——bestrifles-loadsofammunition-
provisions-staffofdoctorsandnurses-acoupleofdynamiteguns-everythingcompletebestintheworld。Now，isn\'tthatgreat？What\'sthematterwiththatnow？Eh？Eh？Isn\'tthatgreat？It\'sgreat，isn\'tit？Eh？Why，myboy，we\'llfree-"
Colemandidnotseemtoignite。"Ihavebeenarrestedfourorfivetimesalreadyonfoolmattersconnectedwiththenewspaperbusiness，"heobserved，gloomily，"butI\'veneveryetbeenhung。Ithinkyourschemeisabeauty。"
Sturgeonpausedinastonishment。"Why，whathappenstobethematterwithyou？Whatareyoukickingabout？"
Colemanmadeaslowgesture。"I\'mtired，"heanswered。"I
needavacation。"
"Vacation!"criedSturgeon。"Whydon\'tyoutakeonethen？"
"That\'swhatI\'vecometoseeyouabout。I\'vehadaprettyheavystrainonmeforthreeyearsnow，andIwanttogetalittlerest。"
"Well，whointhunderhasbeenkeepingyoufromit？Ithasn\'tbeenme。"
"Iknowithasn\'tbeenyou，but，ofcourse，IwantedthepapertogoandIwantedtohavemyshareinitssuccess，butnowthateverythingisallrightIthinkImightgoawayforatimeifyoudon\'tmind。"
"Mind!"exclaimedSturgeonfallingintohischairandreachingforhischeckbook。"Wheredoyouwanttogo？Howlongdoyouwanttobegone？Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？"
"Idon\'twantverymuch。AndasforwhereIwanttogo，I
thoughtImightliketogotoGreeceforawhile。"
Sturgeonhadbeenwritingacheck。Hepoisedhispenintheairandbegantolaugh。"That\'saqueerplacetogoforarest。
Why，thebiggestwarofmoderntimes——awarthatmayinvolveallEurope-islikelytostartthereatanymoment。YouarenotlikelytogetanyrestinGreece。"
"Iknowthat，"answeredColeman。"Iknowthereislikelytobeawarthere。ButIthinkthatisexactlywhatwouldrestme。I
wouldliketoreportthewar。"
"Youareaqueerbird，"answeredSturgeondeeplyfascinatedwiththisnewidea。HehadapparentlyforgottenhisvisionofaCubanvolunteerbattalion。"WarcorrespondenceisaboutthemostoriginalmediumforarestIeverheardof。"
"Oh，itmayseemfunny，butreally，anychangewillbegoodformenow。I\'vebeenwhackingatthisoldSundayeditionuntilI\'msickofit，andsome，。timesIwishtheEclipsewasinhell。"
That\'sallright，"laughedtheproprietoroftheEclipse。"ButIstilldon\'tseehowyou\'aregoingtogetanyvacationoutofawarthatwillupsetthewholeofEurope。Butthat\'syouraffair。Ifyouwanttobecomethechiefcorrespondentinthefieldincaseofanysuchwar，why，ofcourse，Iwouldbegladtohaveyou。Icouldn\'tgetanybodybetter。ButIdon\'tseewhereyourvacationcomesin。"
"I\'lltakecareofthat，"answeredColeman。"WhenItakeavacationIwanttotakeitmyownway，andIthinkthiswillbeavacationbecauseitwillbedifferent-don\'tyousee-different？"
"No，Idon\'tseeanysenseinit，butifyouthinkthatisthewaythatsuitsyou，why，goahead。Howmuchmoneydoyouwant？"
"Idon\'twantmuch。justenoughtoseemethroughnicely。"
Sturgeonscribbledonhischeckbookandthenrippedacheckfromit。"Here\'sathousanddollars。Willthatdoyoutostartwith？"
"That\'splenty。"
"Whendoyouwanttostart？"
"To-morrow。"
"Oh，"saidSturgeon。"You\'reinahurry。"Thisimpetuousmannerofexitfrombusinessseemedtoappealtohim。"To-morrow，"herepeatedsmiling。Inrealityhewassomekindofapoetusinghismillionsromantically，spendingwildlyonasentimentthatmightbewithbeautyorwithoutbeauty，accordingtothemomentaryvacillation。Thevaguely-defineddesperationinColeman\'slastannouncementappearedtodelighthim。Hegrinnedandplacedthepointsofhisfingerstogetherstretchingouthislegsinacarefulattitudeofindifferencewhichmightevenmeandisapproval。"To-morrow，"
hemurmuredteasingly。
"Byjiminy，"exclaimedColeman，ignoringtheotherman\'smood，"I\'msickofthewholebusiness。I\'vegotoutaSundaypaperonceaweekforthreeyearsandIfeelabsolutelyincapableofgettingoutanotheredition。Itwouldbeallrightifwewererunningonordinarylines，butwheneachissueismoreorlessofanattempttobeatthepreviousissue，itbecomesratherwearing，youknow。IfIcan\'tgetavacationnowItakeonelaterinalunaticasylum。"
"Why，I\'mnotobjectingtoyourhavingavacation。I\'msimplymarvellingatthekindofvacationyouwanttotake。And\'to-morrow，\'too，eh？"
"Well，itsuitsme，"mutteredColeman，sulkily。
"Well，ifitsuitsyou，that\'senough。Here\'syourcheck。Clearoutnowanddon\'tletmeseeyouagainuntilyouarethoroughlyrested，evenifittakesayear。"Hearoseandstoodsmiling。Hewasmightilypleasedwithhimself。Helikedtoperforminthisway。HewasalmostseraphicashethrustthecheckforathousanddollarstowardColeman。
Thenhismannerchangedabruptly。"Holdonaminute。I
mustthinkalittleaboutthisthingifyouaregoingtomanagethecorrespondence。Ofcourseitwillbealongandbloodywar。"
"Youbet。"
"ThebigchanceisthatallEuropewillbedraggedintoit。OfcoursethenyouwouldhavetocomeoutofGreeceandtakeupabetterposition-sayVienna。"
"No，Iwouldn\'tcaretodothat，"saidColemanpositively。"I
justwanttotakecareoftheGreekendofit。"
"Itwillbeanidioticwaytotakeavacation，"observedSturgeon。
"Well，itsuitsme，"mutteredColemanagain。"Itellyouwhatitis-"headdedsuddenly。"I\'vegotsomeprivatereasons-
see？"
Sturgeonwasradiantwithjoy。"Privatereasons。"HewascharmedbythesombrepaininColeman\'seyesandhisownabilitytoejectit。"Good。Gonowandbeblowed。IwillcablefinalinstructiontomeetyouinLondon。AssoonasyougettoGreece，cablemeanaccountofthesituationthereandwewillarrangeourplans。"Hebegantolaugh。"Privatereasons。Comeouttodinnerwithme。"
"Ican\'tverywell，"saidColeman。"IfIgotomorrow，I\'vegottopack-"
Butheretherealtyrantappeared，emergingsuddenlyfrombehindthecurtainofsentiment，appearinglikeareddevilinapantomine。"Youcan\'t？"snappedSturgeon。"Nonsense——"
CHAPTERVII。
SWEEPINGoutfrombetweentworemote，half-submergeddunesonwhichstoodslendersentrylight。houses，thesteamerbegantorollwithagentleinsinuatingmotion。Passengersintheirstateroomssawatrhythmicalintervalsthesprayracingfleetlypasttheportholes。Thewavesgrappledhurriedlyatthesidesofthegreatflyingsteamerandboileddiscomfitedasterninaturmoilofgreenandwhite。Fromthetopsoftheenormousfunnelsstreamedlevelmassesofsmokewhichwereimmediatelytorntonothingbytheheadlongwind。Meanwhileasthesteamerrushedintothenortheast，menincapsandulsterscomfortablyparadedthedecksandstewardsarrangeddeckchairsforthereceptionofvariouswomenwhowerecomingfromtheircabinswithrugs。
Inthesmokingroom，oldvoyagersweresettlingdowncomfortablywhilenewvoyagerswereregardingthemwithadiffidentrespect。AmongthepassengersColemanfoundanumberofpeoplewhomheknew，includingawholesalewinemerchant，aChicagorailwaymagnateandaNewYorkmillionaire。Theylivedpracticallyinthesmokingroom。
Necessitydrovethemfromtimetotimetothesalon，ortotheirberths。Onceindeedthemillionairewasabsent，fromthegroupwhilepenningashortnotetohiswife。
WhentheIrishcoastwassightedColemancameondecktolookatit。Atallyoungwomanimmediatelyhaltedinherwalkuntilhehadsteppeduptoher。"Well，ofallungallantmen，RufusColeman，youarethestar，"shecriedlaughingandheldoutherhand。
"Awfullysorry，I\'msure，"hemurmured。"Beenplayingpokerinthesmokingroomallvoyage。Didn\'thavealookatthepassengerlistuntiljustnow。Whydidn\'tyousendmeword？"
Theseliesweretoldsomodestlyandsincerelythatwhenthegirlflashedher，brillianteyesfullupontheirauthortherewasamixtofadmirationintheindignation。
"Sendyouacard"Idon\'tbelieveyoucanread，elseyouwouldhaveknownIwastosailonthissteamer。IfIhadn\'tbeenilluntilto-dayyouwouldhaveseenmeinthesalon。IopenattheFollyTheatrenextweek。Dearol\'Lunnon，y\'know。"
"Ofcourse，Iknewyouweregoing，"saidColeman。
"ButIthoughtyouweretogolater。Whatdoyouopenin？"
"FlybyNight。Comewalkalongwithme。Seethosetwooldladies"They\'vebeenwatchingformelikehawkseversinceweleftNewYork。Theyexpectedmetoflirtwitheverymanonboard。ButI\'vefooledthem。I\'vebeenjustasg-o-o-d。Ihadtobe。"
