下载辰思小说免费APP
Hewasactuallycompelledtogotoherandoffercongratulationsuponherescape，ashehadcongratulatedtheprofessor。
Ifhismannertoherparentshadbeenfilial，hismannertoherwasparental。"Well，Marjory，"hesaidkindly，"youhavebeeninconsiderabledanger。Isupposeyou\'regladtobethroughwithit。"Sheatthattimemadenoreply，butbyhercasualturnheknewthathewasexpectedtowalkalongbyherside。Theothersknewit，too，andtherestofthepartyleftthemfreetowalksidebysideintherear。
"Thisisabeautifulcountryhere-aboutsifonegetsagoodchancetoseeit，"heremarked。Thenheadded:"ButIsupposeyouhadaviewofitwhenyouweregoingouttoNikopolis？"
Sheansweredinmuffledtones。"Yes，wethoughtitverybeautiful。"
Didyounotethosestreamsfromthemountains"ThatseemedtomethepurestwaterI\'deverseen，butIbetitwouldmakeoneilltodrinkit。Thereis，youknow，aprominentGermanchemistwhohasalmostproventhatreallypurewaterispracticalpoisontothehumanstomach。"
"Yes？"shesaid。
Therewasaperiodofsilence，duringwhichhewasperfectlycomfortablebecauseheknewthatshewasillatease。Ifthesilencewasawkward，shewassufferingfromit。Asforhimself，hehadnoinclinationtobreakit。Hispositionwas，asfarastheentireWainwrightpartywasconcerned，aplacewherehecouldaffordtowait。Sheturnedtohimatlast。"Ofcourse，Iknowhowmuchyouhavedoneforus，andIwantyoutofeelthatweallappreciateitdeeply-deeply。"Therewasdiscernibletotheearacertainnoteofdesperation。
"Oh，notatall，"hesaidgenerously。"Notatall。Ididn\'tdoanything。Itwasquiteanaccident。Don\'tletthattroubleyouforamoment。"
"Well，ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，"shesaidmoresteadily。"ButI-we-weknowhowgoodandhow-braveitwasinyoutocomeforus，andI——wemustneverforgetit。"
Asamatteroffact，"repliedColeman，withanappearanceofingenuouscandor，"IwassentoutherebytheEclipsetofindyoupeople，andofcourseIworkedratherhardtoreachyou，butthefinalmeetingwaspurelyaccidentalanddoesnotredoundtomycreditintheleast。"
Ashehadanticipated，Marjoryshothimalittleglanceofdisbelief。"Ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，"sherepeatedwithgloomybutflatteringconviction。
"Oh，ifIhadbeenagreathero，"hesaidsmiling，"nodoubtIwouldhavekeptupthissamemannerwhichnowsetssowelluponme，butIamtellingyouthetruthwhenIsaythatIhadnopartinyourrescueatall。"
Shebecameslightlyindignant。"Oh，ifyoucaretotellusconstantlythatyouwereofnoservicetous，Idon\'tseewhatwecandobutcontinuetodeclarethatyouwere。"
Suddenlyhefeltvulgar。Hespoketoherthistimewithrealmeaning。"Ibegof\'younevertomentionitagain。Thatwillbethebestway。"
Buttothisshewouldnotaccede。"No，wewilloftenwanttospeakofit。"
Hereplied"HowdoyoulikeGreece？Don\'tyouthinkthatsomeoftheseruinsareratheroutofshapeinthepopularmind？Now，formypart，IwouldratherlookatagoodstrongfinishatahorseracethantoseetenthousandParthenonsinabunch。"
Shewasimmediatelyinthepositionofdefendinghimfromhimself。"Youwouldratherseenosuchthing。Youshouldn\'ttalkinthatutterlytrivialway。IliketheParthenon，ofcourse，butIcan\'tthinkofitnowbecausemyhead。istoofullofmyescapefromwhereIwasso-sofrightened。"
Colemangrinned。"Wereyoureallyfrightened？"
"Naturally，"sheanswered。"IsupposeIwasmorefrightenedformotherandfather，butIwasfrightenedenoughformyself。Itwasnot-notanicething。"
"No，itwasn\'t，"saidColeman。"Icouldhardlybelievemysenses，whentheministeratAthenstoldmethat，youallhadventuredintosuchatrap，andthereisnodoubtbutwhatyoucanbegladthatyouarewelloutofit。"
Sheseemedtohavesomestrugglewithherselfandthenshedeliberatelysaid:"Thankstoyou。"
Colemanembarkedonwhatheintendedtomakeaseriesofhigh-mindedprotests。"Notatall-"butatthatmomentthedragomanwhirledbackfromthevan-guardwithagreatcollectionofthedifficultieswhichhadbeengatheringuponhim。ColemanwasobligedtoresignMarjoryandagaintakeuptheactiveleadership。Hedisposedofthedragoman\'sdifficultiesmainlybydeclaringthattheywerenotdifficultiesatall。Hehadlearnedthatthiswasthewaytodealwithdragomen。
Thefoghadalreadyliftedfromthevalleyand，astheypassedalongthewoodedmountain-sidethefragranceofleavesandearthcametothem。Ahead，alongthehoodedroad，theycouldseethebluecladfiguresofGreekinfantrymen。
Finallytheypassedanencampmentofabattalionwhoselinewasatarightangletothehighway。AhundredyardsinadvancewasthebridgeacrosstheLourosriver。Andthereabatteryofartillerywasencamped。ThedragomanbecameinvolvedinallsortsofdiscussionswithotherGreeks，butColemanstucktohiselbowandstifledallaimlessoration。TheWainwrightpartywaitedforthemintherearinanobservantbutpatientgroup。
Acrossaplain，thehillsdirectlybehindArtaloomedupshowingthestraightyellowscarofamodernentrenchment。TothenorthofArtaweresomegreymountainswithadimlymarkedroadwindingtothesummit。Ononesideofthisroadweretwoshadows。Ittookamomentfortheeyetofindtheseshadows，butwhenthiswasaccomplisheditwasplainthattheyweremen。ThecaptainofthebatteryexplainedtothedragomanthathedidnotknowthattheywerenotalsoTurks。
InwhichcasetheroadtoArtawasadangerouspath。ItwasnogoodnewstoColeman。HewaitedamomentinordertogaincomposureandthenwalkedbacktotheWainwrightparty。
Theymusthaveknownatoncefromhispeculiargravitythatallwasnotwell。Fiveofthestudentsandtheprofessorimmediatelyasked:"Whatisit？"
Hehadatfirstsomeold-fashionedideaofconcealingtheilltidingsfromtheladies，butheperceivedwhatflagrantnonsensethiswouldbeincircumstancesinwhichallwerefairlylikelytoincurequaldangers，andatanyratehedidnotseehiswaycleartoallowtheirimaginationtorunriotoverasituationwhichmightnotturnouttobetoobad。Hesaidslowly:"Youseethosemountainsoverthere？Well，troopshavebeenseenthereandthecaptainofthisbatterythinkstheyareTurks。IftheyareTurkstheroadtoArtaisdistinctly-er-unsafe。"
ThisnewblowfirstaffectedtheWainwrightpartyasbeingtoomuchtoendure。"Theythoughttheyhadgonethroughenough。Thiswasageneralsentiment。Afterwardtheemotiontookcolouraccordingtotheindividualcharacter。Onestudentlaughedandsaid:"Well，Iseeourfinish。"
Anotherstudentpipedout:"HowdotheyknowtheyareTurks？WhatmakesthemthinktheyareTurks"
Anotherstudentexpressedhimselfwithasigh。"ThisisalongwayfromtheBowery。"
Theprofessorsaidnothingbutlookedannihilated；Mrs。
Wainwrightweptprofoundly；MarjorylookedexpectantlytowardColeman。
Asforthecorrespondenthewasadamantineandreliableandstern，forhehadnottheslightestideathatthosemenonthedistanthillwereTurksatall。
CHAPTERXIV。
"OH，"saidastudent，"thisgameoughttoquit。Ifeellikethirtycents。Wedidn\'tcomeoutheretobepursuedaboutthecountrybytheseTurks。Whydon\'ttheystopit？"
Colemanwasremarking:"Really，theonlysensiblethingtodonowistohavebreakfast。Thereisnouseinworryingourselvessillyoverthisthinguntilwe\'vegotto。"
Theyspreadtheblanketsonthegroundandsataboutafeastofbread，watercressandtinnedbeef。Colemanwastherealhost，buthecontrivedtomaketheprofessorappearasthathonourableperson。Theyate，castingtheireyesfromtimetotimeatthedistantmountainwithitstwoshadows。PeoplebegantoflydowntheroadfromJannina，peasantshurriedlydrivinglittleflocks，womenandchildrenondonkeysandlittlehorseswhichtheyclubbedunceasingly。Onemanrodeatagallop，shriekingandflailinghisarmsintheair。TheywereallChristianpeasantsofTurkey，buttheywereinflightnowbecausetheydidnotwishtobeathomeiftheTurkwasgoingtoreturnandreaprevengeforhismortification。TheWainwrightpartylookedatColemaninabruptquestioning。
"Oh，it\'sallright，"hesaid，easily。"Theyarealwaystakingonthatway。"
SuddenlythedragomangaveashoutanddasheduptheroadtothesceneofameleewherealittleratfacedgroomwasvociferouslydefendingthreehorsesfromsomeGreekofficers，whoasvociferouslywerestatingtheirrighttorequisitionthem。
Colemanranafterhisdragoman。Therewasasickeningpow-wow，butintheendColeman，straightandeasyinthesaddle，camecanteringbackonasuperbopen-mouthedsnortingbayhorse。Hedidnotmindifthehalf-wildanimalplungedcrazily。Itwaspartofhisrole。"Theyweretryingtostealmyhorses，"heexplained。Heleapedtotheground，andholdingthehorsebythebridle，headdressedhisadmiringcompanions。"Thegroom-
themanwhohaschargeofthehorses-saysthathethinksthatthepeopleonthemountain-sideareTurks，butIdon\'tseehowthatispossible。Yousee-"hepointedwisely-"thatroadleadsdirectlysouthtoArta，anditishardlypossiblethattheGreekarmywouldcomeoverhereandleavethatapproachtoArtautterlyunguarded。Itwouldbetoofoolish。Theymusthaveleftsomementocoverit，andthatiscertainlywhatthosetroopsare。Ifyouareallreadyandwilling，Idon\'tseeanythingtodobutmakeagood，stout-hearteddashforArta。Itwouldbenomoredangerousthantosithere。"
Theprofessorwasatlastabletomakehisformalspeech。"Mr。Coleman，"hesaiddistinctly，"weplaceourselvesentirelyinyourhands。"Itwassome。howpitiful。Thismanwho，foryearsandyearshadreignedinalittlecollegetownalmostasamonarch，passingjudgmentwiththeairofonewhowordsthelaw，dealingcriticismupontheuniverseasonetowhomallthingsareplain，publiclydisdainingdefeatasonetowhomallthingsareeasy-thismanwasnowveritablyappealingtoColemantosavehiswife，hisdaughterandhimself，andreallydeclaredhimselfde。pendentforsafetyupontheingenuityandcourageofthecorrespondent。
Theattitudeofthestudentswasutterlyindifferent。Theydidnotconsiderthemselveshelplessatall。theywereevidentlyquitereadytowithstandanythingbuttheylookedfranklyuptoColemanastheirintelligentleader。Iftheysufferedany，theironlyexpressionofitwasinthesimplegrimslangoftheirperiod。
"IwishIwasatConeyIsland。"
"Thisisnotsobadastrigonometry，butit\'sworsethanplayingbilliardsforthebeers。"
AndCokesaidprivatelytoColeman:"Say，whatinhellarethesetwodamnpeoplesfightingfor，anyhow？"
Whenhesawthatallopinionswereinfavouroffollowinghimloyally，Colemanwasimpelledtofeelaresponsibility。Hewasnownoerrantrescuer，butaproperlyelectedleaderoffellowbeingsindistress。Whileoneofthestudentsheldhishorse，hetookthedragomanforanotherconsultationwiththecaptainofthebattery。Theofficerwassittingonalargestone，withhiseyesfixedintohisfieldglasses。Whenagainquestionedhecouldgivenosatisfactionastotheidentityofthetroopsonthedistantmountain。HemerelyshruggedhisshouldersandsaidthatiftheywereGreeksitwasverygood，butiftheywereTurksitwasverybad。Heseemedmoreoccupiedintryingtoimpressthecorrespondentthatitwasamatterofsoldierlyindifferencetohimself。
Coleman，afterloathinghimsufficientlyinsilence，returnedtotheothersandsaid:"Well，we\'llchanceit。"
Theylookedtohimtoarrangethecaravan。Speakingtothemenofthepartyhesaid:"Ofcourse，anyoneofyouiswelcometomyhorseifyoucanrideit，but-ifyou\'renottootired-IthinkIhadmyselfbetterride，sothatIcangoaheadattimes。"
Hismannerwassofineashesaidthisthatthestudentsseemedfairlytoworshiphim。Ofcourseithadbeenmostimprobablethatanyofthemcouldhaveriddenthatvolcanicanimalevenifoneofthemhadtriedit。
HesawMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryuponthebacksoftheirtwolittlenatives，andhoistedtheprofessorintothesaddleofthegroom\'shorse，leavinginstructionswiththeservanttoleadtheanimalalwaysandcarefully。Heandthedragomanthenmountedattheheadoftheprocession，andamidcuriousquestioningsfromthesoldierytheycrossedthebridgeandstartedonthetrailtoArta。Therearwasbroughtupbythelittlegreyhorsewiththeluggage，ledbyonestudentandfloggedbyanother。
Coleman，checkingwithdifficultythebattlingdispositionofhishorse，wasveryuneasyinhismindbecausethelastwordsofthecaptainofthebatteryhadmadehimfeelthatperhapsonthisridehewouldbeplacedinapositionwhereonlythebestcouragewouldcount，andhedidnotseehiswaycleartofeelingveryconfidentabouthisconductinsuchacase。
Lookingbackuponthecaravan，hesawitasamostunwieldything，notevencapableofrunningaway。Hehurrieditwithsudden，sharpcontemptuousphrases。
Onthe。marchthereincidentallyflasheduponhimanewtruth。MorethanhalfofthatstudentbandweredeeplyinlovewithMarjory。Ofcourse，whenhehadbeendistantfromherhehadhadaneternaljealousreflectiontothateffect。ItwasnaturalthatheshouldhavethoughtoftheintimatecampingrelationsbetweenMarjoryandtheseyoungstudentswithagreatdealofbitterness，grindinghisteethwhenpicturingtheiropportunitiestomakeMarjoryfallinlovewithsomeoneofthem。HehadragedparticularlyaboutCoke，whosefatherhadmillionsofdollars。Buthehadforgottenallthesejealousiesinthegeneralsplendourofhisexploits。Now，whenhesawthetruth，itseemed。tobringhimbacktohiscommonlifeandhesawhimselfsuddenlyasnotbeingfranticallysuperiorinanywaytothoseotheryoungmen。Themorecloselyhelookedatthislastfact，themoreconvincedhewasofitstruth。HeseemedtoseethathehadbeenimpropererlyelatedoverhisservicestotheWainwrights，andthat，intheend，thegirlmightfancyamanbecausethemanhaddonehernoserviceatall。Hesawhisproudpositionloweritselftobeapawninthegame。Lookingbackoverthestudents，hewonderedwhichoneMarjorymightlove。ThishideousNikopolishadgiveneightmenchancetowinher。HisscornandhismalicequitecentereduponCoke，forhecouldneverforgetthattheman\'sfatherhadmillionsofdollars。TheunfortunateCokechosethatmomenttoaddresshimquerulously:"Lookhere，Coleman，can\'tyoutellushowfaritistoArta？"
"Coke，"saidColeman，"Idon\'tsupposeyoutakemeforatouristagency，butifyoucanonlytrytodistinguishbetweenmeandamapwiththescaleofmilesprintedinthelowerleft-
handcorner，youwillnotcontributesomuchtothesufferingsofthepartywhichyounowadorn。"
ThestudentswithinhearingguffawedandCokeretired，inconfusion。
Themarchwasnotrapid。Colemanalmostworeouthisarmsholdingincheckhisimpetuoushorse。Oftenthecaravanflounderedthroughmud，whileatthesametimeahot，yellowdustcamefromthenorth。
TheywereperhapshalfwaytoArtawhenColemandecidedthatarestandluncheonwerethethingstobeconsidered。Hehaltedhistroopthenintheshadeofsomegreattrees，andprivatelyhebadehisdragomanpreparethebestfeastwhichcouldcomeoutofthosesaddle-bagsfreshfromAthens。Theresultwasrathergorgeousintheeyesofthepoorwanderers。
Firstofalltherewerethreeknives，threeforks，threespoons，threetincupsandthreetinplaies，whichtheentirepartyoftwelveusedonamostamiablesocialisticprinciple。Therewerecrisp，saltybiscuitsandolives，forwhichtheyspearedinthebottle。Therewaspottedturkey，andpottedham，andpottedtongue，alltastingpreciselyalike。Thereweresardinesand
TherewasanagitationontheroadtowardArta。Somepeoplewerecomingonhorses。Hepaidsmallheeduntilheheardathumpofpausinghoofsnearhim，andamusicalvoicesay:"Rufus!"
Helookedupquickly，andthenallpresentsawhiseyesreallybulge。ThereonafatandglossyhorsesatNoraBlack，dressedinprobablyoneofthemostcorrectridinghabitswhichhadeverbeenseenintheEast。Shewassmilingaradiantsmile，whichheldtheeightstudentssimptyspell-bound。TheywouldhaverecognisedherifithadnotbeenforthisapparitionalcominginthewildsofsoutheasternEurope。Behindherwereherpeople-someservantsandanoldladyonaverylittlepony。
"Well，Rufus？"shesaid。
Colemanmadethemistakeofhesitating。Forafractionofamomenthehadactedasifhewereembarrassed，andwasonlygoingtonodandsay:"Howd\'do？"
Hearoseandcameforwardtoolate。Shewaslookingathimwithamenacingglancewhichmeantdifficultiesforhimifhewasnotskilful。Keenasaneagle，shesweptherglanceoverthefaceandfigureofMarjory。Without。furtherintroduction，thegirlsseemedtounderstandthattheywereenemies。
Despitehisfeelingofawkwardness，Coleman\'smindwasmainlyoccupiedbypureastonishment。"NoraBlack？"hesaid，asifeventhenhecouldnotbelievehissenses。"Howintheworlddidyougetdownhere？
Shewasnottooamiable，evidently，overhisreception，andsheseemedtoknowperfectlythatitwasinherpowertomakehimfeelextremelyunpleasant。"Oh，it\'snotsofar，"sheanswered。"Idon\'tseewhereyoucomeintoaskmewhatI\'mdoinghere。Whatareyoudoinghere？"SheliftedhereyesandshotthehalfofaglanceatMarjory。Intoherlastquestionshehadinterjectedaspiritofownershipinwhichhesawfuturewoe。Itturnedhimcowardly。"Why，youknowIwassentupherebythepapertorescuetheWainwrightparty，andI\'vegotthem。I\'mtakingthemtoArta。Butwhyareyouhere？"
"Iamhere，"shesaid，givinghimthemostdefiantofglances，"principallytolookforyou。"
Eventhehorsesherodebetrayedanintentionofabidinguponthatspotforever。ShehadmadehercommunicationwithColemanappeartotheWainwrightpartyasasortoftenderreunion。
Colemanlookedatherwithasteelyeye。"Nora，youcancertainlybeadevilwhenyouchoose。"
"Whydon\'tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？Mis，；NoraBlack，specialcorrespondentoftheNewYorkDaylighi，ifyouplease。Ibelongtoyouropposition。Iamyourrival，Rufus，andIdrawabiggersalary-see？Funnylookinggang，that。
WhoistheoldJohnnieinthewhitewig？"
"Er-whereyougoin\'-youcan\'t"-blunderedColemanmiserably"Aw-thearmyisinretreatandyoumustgobackto-
don\'tyousee？"
"Isit？"sheagked。Afterapausesheaddedcoolly:"ThenI
shallgobacktoArtawithyouandyourpreciousWainwrights。"
CHAPTERXV。
GIVINGColemananotherglanceofsubtlemenaceNorarepeated:"Whydon\'tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？"
Colemanhadbeenswiftlysearchingthewholeworldforawayclearofthisunhappiness，butheknewatlastthathecouldonlydieathisguns。"Why，certainly，"hesaidquickly，"ifyouwishit。"Hesaunteredeasilybacktotheluncheonblanket。
"ThisisMissBlackoftheNewYorkDaylightandshesaysthatthosepeopleonthemountainareGreeks。"Thestudentsweregapingathim，andMarjoryandherfathersatinthesamesilence。ButtothereliefofColemanandtothehighedificationofthestudents，Mrs。Wainwrightcriedout:"Why，issheanAmericanwoman？"AndseeingColeman\'snodofassentsherustledtoherfeetandadvancedhastilyuponthecomplacenthorsewoman。"I\'mdelightedtoseeyou。WhowouldthinkofseeinganAmericanwomanwayoverhere。Haveyoubeenherelong？Areyougoingonfurther？Oh，we\'vehadsuchadreadfultime。"ColemanremainedlongenoughtohearNorasay:"
Thankyouverymuch，butIshan\'tdismount。IamgoingtoridebacktoArtapresently。"
ThenheheardMrs。Wainwrightcry:"Oh，areyouindeed？
Whywe，too，aregoingatoncetoArta。Wecanallgotogether。"Colemanfledthentothebosomofthestudents，whoalllookedathimwitheyesofcynicalpenetration。HecastaglanceatMarjorymorethanfearingaglarewhichdenotedanimplacableresolutionnevertoforgivethisthing。Onthecontraryhehadneverseenhersocontentandserene。"Youhaveallowedyourcoffeetogetchilled，"shesaidconsiderately。"Won\'tyouhavethemanwarmyousomemore？"
"Thanks，no，"heansweredwithgratitude。
Nora，changinghermind，haddismountedandwascomingwithMrs。Wainwright。Thatworthyladyhadlonghadafundofinformationandanecdotethesoundofwhichneitherherhusbandnorherdaughterwouldendureforamoment。Ofcoursetherascallystudentswereoutofthequestion。Here，then，wasreallythefirstearamiablyandcheerfullyopen，andshewastalkingatwhatthestudentscalledher"thirtyknotgait。"
"Losteverything。Absolutelyeverything。Neitherofushaveevenabrushandcomb，oracakeofsoap，orenoughhairpinstoholdupourhair。I\'mgoingtotakeMarjory\'sawayfromherandletherbraidherhairdownherback。Youcanimaginehowdreadfulitis——"
FromtimetotimethecoolvoiceofNorasoundedwithouteffortthroughthisclamour。"Oh，itwillbenotroubleatall。Ihavemorethanenoughofeverything。Wecandivideverynicely。"
Colemanbrokesomewhatimperiouslyintothisfemininechat。
"Well，wemustbemoving，youknow，"andhisvoicestartedthemenintoactivity。WhenthetrapswereallpackedagainonthehorseColemanlookedbacksurprisedtoseethethreewomenengagedinthemostfriendlydiscussion。Thecombinedpartiesnowmadeaveryrespectablesquadron。Colemanrodeoffatitsheadwithoutglancingbehindatall。Heknewthattheywerefollowingfromthesoftpoundingofthehorseshoofsonthesodandfromthemellowhumofhumanvoices。
Foralongtimehedidnotthinktolookuponhimselfasanythingbutamanmuchinjuredbycircumstances。Amonghisfriendshecouldcountnumberswhohadlivedlongliveswithouthavingthispeculiarclassofmisfortunecometothem。
Infactitwassounusualamisfortunethatmenoftheworldhadnotfounditnecessarytopassfrommindtomindaperfectformulafordealingwithit。ButhesoonbegantoconsiderhimselfanextraordinarilyluckypersoninasmuchasNoraBlackhadcomeuponhimwithhersaddlebagspackedwithinflammablesubstances，sotospeak，andtherehadbeenasyetonlyenoughfiretoboilcoffeeforluncheon。HelaughedtenderlywhenhethoughtoftheinnocenceofMrs。
Wainwright，buthisfaceandbackflushedwithheatwhenliethoughtofthecanninessoftheeightAmericancollegestudents。
HeheardahorsecanteringuponhisleftsideandlookinghesawNoraBlack。Shewasbeamingwithsatisfactionandgoodnature。"Well，Rufus，"shecriedflippantly，"howgoesitwiththegallantrescuer？You\'vemadeahit，myboy。Youarethesuccessoftheseason。"
ColemanreflectedupontheprobableresultofadirectappealtoNora。Heknewofcoursethatsuchappealswereusuallyidle，buthedidnotconsiderNoraanordinaryperson。Hisdecisionwastoventureit。Hedrewhishorseclosetohers。"Nora，"hesaid，"doyouknowthatyouareraisingtheverydevil？"
Sheliftedherfinelypenciledeyebrowsandlookedathimwiththebaby-stare。"How？"sheenquired。
"Youknowwellenough，"hegrittedoutwrathfully。
"Raisingtheverydevil？"sheasked。"Howdoyoumean？"
Shewaspalpablyinterestedforhisanswer。Shewaitedforhisreplyforaninterval，andthensheaskedhimoutright。"RufusColemandoyoumeanthatIamnotarespectablewoman？"
Inrealityhehadmeantnothingofthekind，butthisdirectthrottlingofagreatquestionstupefiedhimutterly，forhesawnowthatshe\'wouldprobablyneverunderstandhimintheleastandthatshewouldatanyratealwayspretendnottounderstandhimandthatthemorehesaidthemoreharmhemanufactured。Shestudiedhimovercarefullyandthenwheeledherhorsetowardstherearwithsomepartingremarks。"Isupposeyoushouldattendmorestrictlytoyourownaffairs，Rufus。InsteadofraisingthedevilI
amlendinghairpins。Ihaveseenyouinsultpeople，butIhaveneverseenyouinsultanyonequiteforthewhimofthething。
Gosoakyourhead。"
NotconsideringitadvisabletothenindulgeinsuchimmersionColemanrodemoodilyonward。Thehotdustcontinuedtostingthecheeksofthetravellersandinsomeplacesgreatcloudsofdeadleavesroaredincirclesaboutthem。
AlloftheWainwrightpartywereutterlyfagged。Colemanfelthisskincrackleandhisthroatseemedtobecoatedwiththewhitedust。HeworriedhisdragomanastothedistancetoArtauntilthedragomanliedtothepointwherehealwaysdeclaredthatArtawasonlyoffsomehundredsofyards。
AttheirplacesintheprocessionMrs。WainwrightandMarjorywereanimatedlytalkingtoNoraandtheoldladyonthelittlepony。Theyhadatfirstsufferedgreatamazementatthevoluntarypresenceoftheoldlady，butshewastherereallybecausesheknewnobetter。Hercolossalignorancetooktheform，mainly，ofamostobstreperouspatriotism，andindeedshealwaysactedinaforeigncountryasifshewerethespecialcommissionerofthePresident，orperhapsasaspecialcommissionercouldnotactatall。Shewasveryaggressive，andwhenanyofthetravellingarrangementsinEuropedidnotsuitherideasshewaswon\'ttoshrillyexclaim:"Well!NewYorkisgoodenoughforme。"Nora，morbidlyafraidthatherex-
pensebilltotheDaylightwouldnotbelargeenough，haddraggedherbodilyofftoGreeceashercompanion，friendandprotection。AtArtatheyhadheardofthegrandsuccessoftheGreekarmy。TheTurkshadnotstoodforamomentbeforethatgallantandterribleadvance；no；theyhadscamperedhowlingwithfearintothenorth。Janninawouldfall-well，JanninawouldfallassoonastheGreeksarrived。Therewasnodoubtofit。Thecorrespondentandherfriend，deludedandhurriedbythelight-heartedconfidenceoftheGreeksinArta，hadhastenedoutthenonaregulartourist\'sexcursiontoseeJanninaafteritscapture。NoraconcealedfromherfriendthefactthattheeditoroftheDaylightparticularlywishedhertoseeabattlesothatshemightwriteanarticleonactualwarfarefromawoman\'spointofview。
Withhernameasaqueenofcomicopera，suchanarticlefromherpenwouldbeaburning，sensation。
ColemanhadbeenthefirsttopointouttoNorathatinsteadofgoingonapicnictoJannina，shehadbetterrunbacktoArta。Whentheoldladyheardthattheyhadnotbeenentirelysafe，shewasfuriouswithNora。"Theidea!"sheexclaimedtoMrs。Wainwright。"Theymighthavecaughtus!Theymighthavecaughtus!"
"Well，"saidMrs。Wainwright。"IverilybelievetheywouldhavecaughtusifithadnotbeenforMr。Coleman。"
"Ishethegentlemanonthefinehorse？"
"Yes；that\'shim。Oh，hehasbeensim-pleesplendid。I
confessIwasalittlebit-er-surprised。Hewasincollegeundermyhusband。Idon\'tknowthatwethoughtverygreatthingsofhim，butifeveramanwongoldenopinionshehasdonesofromus。"
"Oh，thatmustbetheColemanwhoissuchagreatfriendofNora\'s。"
"Yes？"saidMrs。Wainwrightinsidiously。"Ishe？Ididn\'tknow。Ofcourseheknowssomanypeople。"HermindhadbeensuddenlyilluminedbytheoldladyandshethoughtextravagantlyofthearrivalofNorauponthescene。Sheremainedallsweetnesstotheoldlady。"Didyouknowhewashere？Didyouexpecttomeethim？Iseemedsuchadelightfulcoincidence。"Intruthshewasbeingsubterraneouslyclever。
"Oh，no；Idon\'tthinkso。Ididn\'thearNoramentionit。Ofcourseshewouldhavetoldme。Youknow，ourcomingtoGreecewassuchasurprise。NorahadanengagementinLondonattheFollyTheatreinFlybyNight，butthemanagerwasinsufferable，oh，insufferable。So，ofcourse，Norawouldn\'tstanditaminute，andthenthesenewspaperpeoplecamealongandaskedhertogotoGreeceforthemandsheaccepted。IamsureI
neverexpectedtofindus-aw-fleeingfromtheTurksorI
shouldn\'thaveCome。"
"Mrs。Wainwrightwasgasping。"Youdon\'tmeanthatsheis——
sheisNoraBlack，theactress。"
"Ofcoursesheis，"saidtheoldladyjubilantly。
"Why，howstrange，"chokedMrs。Wainwrignt。NothingsheknewofNoracouldaccountforherstupefactionandgrief。
Whathappenedglaringlytoherwastheduplicityofman。
Colemanwasaribalddeceiver。HemusthaveknownandyethehadpretendedthroughoutthatthemeetingwasapureaccidentSheturnedwithanervousimpulsetosympathistwithherdaughter，butdespitethelovelytranquillityofthegirl\'sfacetherewassomethingaboutherwhichforbadethemothertomeddle。AnyhowMrs。WainwrightwassorrythatshehadtoldnicethingsofColeman\'sbehaviour，soshesaidtotheoldlady:
"Youngmenofthesetimesgetafalseagesoquickly。Wehavealwaysthoughtitagreatpity，aboutMr。Coleman。"
"Why，howso？"askedtheoldlady。
"Oh，reallynothing。Only，tousheseemedrather——er-
prematurelyexperiencedorsomethingofthatkind。
Theoldladydidnotcatchthemeaningofthephrase。
Sheseemedsurprised。"Why，I\'veneverseenanyfull-grownpersoninthisworldwhogotexperienceanytooquickforhisowngood。"
Atthetailoftheprocessiontherewastalkbetweenthetwostudentswhohadinchargethelittlegreyhorse-onetoleadandonetoflog。"Billie，"saidone，"itnowbecomesnecessarytolosethishobbyintothehandsofsomeoftheotherfellows。WherebywewillgainopportunitytopayhomagetothegreatNora。Why，youegregiousthick-head，thisisthechanceofalife-time。I\'mdamnedifI\'mgoingtotowthisbeastofburdenmuchfurther。"
"Youwouldn\'tstandashow，"saidBilliepessimistically。"LookatColeman。"
"That\'sallright。DoyoumeantosaythatyouprefertocontinuetowingpackhorsesinthepresenceofthisqueenofsongandthedancejustbecauseyouthinkColemancanthrowouthischestalittlemorethanyou。Notso。Thinkofyourbrightandsparklingyouth。There\'sCokeandPeteTounleynearMarjory。We\'llcall\'em。"Whereuponhesetupacry。"Say，youpeople，we\'renotgettinga，salaryforthis。Supposin\'youtryforatime。It\'lldoyougood。"Whenthetwoaddressedbadhaltedtoawaitthearrivalofthelittlegreyhorse，theytookonglumexpressions。"Youlooklikepoisonedpups，"saidthestudentwholedthehorse。"Toostrongforlightwork。Grabontothehalter，now，Peter，andtow。
WearegoingaheadtotalktoNoraBlack。"
"Goodtimeyou\'llhave，"answeredPeterTounley。
"Colemaniscuttin\'upscandalous。Youwon\'tstandashow。"
"Whatdoyouthinkofhim？"saidCoke。"Seemscurious，all\'round。Doyousupposeheknewshewouldshowup？Itwasnervyto——"
"Nervytowhat？"askedBillie。
"Well，"saidCoke，"seemstomeheisplayingbothendsagainstthemiddle。Idon\'tknowanythingaboutNoraBlack，but-"
Thethreeotherstudentsexpressedthemselveswithconvictionandinchorus。"Coleman\'sallright。"
"Well，anyhow，"continuedCoke，"Idon\'tseemywayfreetoadmiringhimintroducingNoraBlacktotheWainwrights。"
"Hedidn\'t，"saidtheothers，stillinchorus。
"Queergame，"saidPeterTounley。"Heseemstoknowherprettywell。"
"Prettydamnwell，"saidBillie。
"Anyhowhe\'sabrick，"saidPeterTounley。"Wemustn\'tforgetthat。Lo，IbegintofeelthatourRufusisaflyguyofmanydifferentkinds。Anyplaythatheisincommandsmyrespect。Hewon\'tbehitbyachimneyinthedaytime，foruntohimhascomemuchwisdom，I
don\'tthinkI\'llworry。"
