下载辰思小说免费APP
"IshestuckonNoraBlack，doyouknow？"askedBillie。
"Onethingisplain，"repliedCoke。"Shehasgothimsomehowbytheshorthairandsheintendshimtohollermurder。Anybodycanseethat。"
"Well，hewon\'thollermurder，"saidoneofthemwithconviction。"I\'llbetyouhewon\'t。He\'llhammerthewar-postandbeatthetom-tomuntilhedrops，buthewon\'thollermurder。"
"OldMotherWainwrightwillbeinhiswoolpresently，"
quothPeterTounleymusingly，"Icouldseeitcominginhereye。Somebodyhasgivenhissnapaway，orsomething。"
"Aw，hehadnosnap，"saidBillie。"Couldn\'tyouseehowrattledhewas？HewouldhavegivenalacifdearNorahadn\'tturnedup。"
"Ofcourse，"theothersassented。"Hewasrattled。"
"Looksqueer。Andnasty，"saidCoke。
"Noraherselfhadanaxereadyforhim。"
Theybegantolaugh。"Ifshehadhadanumbrellashewouldhavebastedhimovertheheadwithit。Oh，my!Hewasgreen。"
"Nevertheless，"saidPeterTounley，"IrefusetoworryoverourRufus。Whenhecan\'ttakecareofhimselftherestofuswanttohuntcover。Heisaflyguy-"
ColemaninthemeantimehadbecomeawarethatthelightofMrs。Wainwright\'scountenancewasturnedfromhim。Thepartystoppedatawell，andwhenheofferedheradrinkfromhiscuphethoughtsheaccepteditwithscantthanks。Marjorywasstillgracious，alwaysgracious，butthisdidnotreassurehim，becausehefelttherewasmuchunfathomabledeceptioninit。Whenheturnedtoseekconsolationinthemanneroftheprofessorhefoundhimasbefore，stunnedwithsurprise，andtheonlyideahehadwastobeastractableasachild。
Whenhereturnedtotheheadofthecolumn，Noraagaincanteredforwardtojoinhim。"Well，megayLochinvar，"shecried，"andhasyourdispositionimproved？"
"Youareveryfresh，"hesaid。
Shelaughedloudenoughtobeheardthefulllengthofthecaravan。Itwasabeautifullaugh，butfullofinsolenceandconfidence。Heflashedhiseyesmalignantlyuponher，butthensheonlylaughedmore。Shecouldseethathewishedtostrangleher。"Whatadisposition!"shesaid。"Whatadisposition!Youarenot。nearlysoniceasyourfriends。Now，theyarecharming，butyou-Rufus，Iwishyouwouldgetthattempermended。DearRufus，doittopleaseme。Youknowyouliketopleaseme。Don\'tyounow，dear？"
Hefinallylaughed。"Confoundyou，Nora。Iwouldliketokillyou。"
Butathislaughshewasallsunshine。Itwasasifshe。
hadbeentryingtotaunthimintogoodhumourwithher。
"Aw，now，Rufus，don\'tbeangry。I\'llbegood，Rufus。
Really，Iwill。Listen。Iwanttotellyousomething。DoyouknowwhatIdid？Well，youknow，Ineverwascutoutforthisbusiness，and，backthere，whenyoutoldmeabouttheTurksbeingnearandallthatsortofthing，Iwasfrightenedalmosttodeath。Really，Iwas。So，whennobodywaslooking，Isneakedtwoorthreelittledrinksoutofmyflask。Twoorthreelittledrinks-"
CHAPTERXVI。
"GOODGod!"saidColeman。"Youdon\'tMean-"
Norasmiledrosilyathim。"Oh，I\'mallright，"sheanswered。"Don\'tworryaboutyourAuntNora，mypreciousboy。Notforaminute。"
Colemanwashorrified。"Butyouarenotgoingto-youarenotgoingto-"
"Notatall，meson。Notatall，"sheanswered。
I\'mnotgoingtoprance。I\'mgoingtobeasniceaspie，andjustridequietlyalongherewithdearlittleRufus。
Only**youknowwhatIcandowhenIgetstarted，soyouhadbetterbeaverygoodboy。Imighttakeitintomyheadtosaysomethings，youknow。"
Boundhandandfootathisstake，hecouldnotevenchanthisdefianttorturesong。Itmightprecipitate——infact，hewassureitwouldprecipitatethegrandsmash。Buttotheverycoreofhissoul，heforthetimehatedNoraBlack。Hedidnotdaretoremindherthathewouldrevengehimself；hedaredonlytodreamofthisrevenge，butitfairlymadehisthoughtsflame，anddeepinhisthroathewasswearinganinflexiblepersecutionofNoraBlack。Theoldexpressionofhissexcametohim，"Oh，ifshewereonlyaman!"shehadbeenaman，hewouldhavefallenuponhertoothandnail。Hermotivesforallthisimpressedhimnotatall；shewassimplyawitchwhoboundhimhelplesswiththepwerofherfemininity，andmadehimeatcinders。Hewassosurethathisfacebetrayedhimthathedidnotdareletherseeit。"Well，whatareyougoingtodoaboutit？"heasked，overhisshoulder。
"0-o-oh，"shedrawled，impudently。"Nothing。"Hecouldseethatshewasdeterminednottobeconfessed。"ImaydothisorImaydothat。Italldependsuponyourbehaviour，mydearRufus。"
Astheyrodeon，hedeliberatedastothebestmeansofdealingwiththiscondition。SuddenlyheresolvedtogowiththewholetaledirecttoMarjory，andtothisendhehalfwheeledhishorse。Hewouldreiteratethathelovedherandthenexplain-
explain!Hegroanedwhenhecametotheword，andceasedformulation。
ThecavalcadereachedatlastthebankoftheAracthusriver，withitslemongrovesandlushgrass。Abatterywheeledbeforethemovertheancientbridge-aflightofshort，broadcobbledstepsupasfarasthecentreofthestreamandasimilarflightdowntotheotherbank。Thereturningaplombofthetravellerswaswellillustratedbytheprofessor，who，uponsightingthisbridge，murmured:"Byzantine。"
Thiswasthefirstindicationthathehadstillwithinhimapowertoresumethenormal。
Thesteepandnarrowstreetwascrowdedwithsoldiers；thesmokylittlecoffeeshopswerea-babblewithpeoplediscussingthenewsfromthefront。Noneseemedtoheedtheremarkableprocessionthatwendeditswaytothecableoffice。HereColemanresolutelytookprecedence。Heknewthattherewasnogoodinexpectingintelligenceoutofthechaoticclerks，buthemanagedtogetuponthewiresthismessage:
"Eclipse，NewYork:GotWainwrightparty；allwell。Coleman。"
ThestudentshadstruggledtosendmessagestotheirpeopleinAmerica，buttheyhadonlysucceededindeepeningthetragicboredomoftheclerks。
WhenColemanreturnedtothestreethethoughtthathehadseldomlookeduponamoremovingspectaclethantheWainwrightpartypresentedatthatmoment。Mostofthestudentswereseatedinarow，dejectedly，uponthekerb。TheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightlookedliketwooldpictures，which，afteranexistenceinaconsiderategloom，hadbeenbroughtoutintheirtawdrinesstotheclearlight。Hotwhitedustcoveredeverybody，andfromoutthegrimyfacestheeyesblinked，red-fringedwithsleeplessness。Desolationsatuponall，saveMarjory。Shepossessedsomemarvellouspoweroflookingalwaysfresh。ThisqualityhadindeedimpressedtheoldladyonthelittleponyuntilshehadsaidtoNoraBlack:"Thatgirlwouldlookwellanywhere。"NoraBlackhadnotbeenamiableinherreply。
Colemancalledtheprofessorandthedragomanforadurbar。
Thedragomansaid:"Well，Icangetonecarriage，andwecangoimmediate-lee。"
"Carriagebeblowed!"saidColeman。"Whatthesepeopleneedisrest，sleep。Youmustfindaplaceatonce。Thesepeoplecan\'tremaininthestreet。"Hespokeinanger，asifhehadpreviouslytoldthedragomanandthelatterhadbeeninattentive。Themanimmediatelydeparted。
Colemanremarkedthattherewasnocoursebuttoremaininthestreetuntilhisdragomanhadfoundthemahabitation。Itwasamournfulwaiting。Thestudentssatonthekerb。OncetheywhisperedtoColeman，suggestingadrink，buthetoldthemthatheknewonlyonecafe，theentranceofwhichwouldbeinplainsightoftherestoftheparty。Theladiestalkedtogetherinagroupoffour。NoraBlackwasburstingwiththefactthatherservanthadhiredroomsinArtaontheiroutcomingjourney，andshewishedMrs。WainwrightandMarjorytocometothem，atleastforatime，butshedarednotriskarefusal，andshefeltsomethinginMrs。Wainwright\'smannerwhichledhertobecertainthatsuchwouldbetheanswertoherinvitation。
Colemanandtheprofessorstrolledslowlyupanddownthewalk。
"Well，myworkisover，sir，"saidColeman。"Mypapertoldmetofindyou，and，throughnovirtueofmyown，Ifoundyou。
Iamverygladofit。Idon\'tknowofanythinginmylifethathasgivenmegreaterpleasure。"
Theprofessorwashimselfagaininsofarashehadlostallmannerofdependence。Butstillhecouldnotyetbebumptious。
"Mr。Coleman，"hesaid，"Iamplacedunderlife-longobligationtoyou。***Iamnotthinkingofmyselfsomuch。***Mywifeanddaughter——"Hisgratitudewassogenuinethathecouldnotfinishitsexpression。
"Oh，don\'tspeakofit，"saidColeman。"Ireallydidn\'tdoanythingatall。"
Thedragomanfinallyreturnedandledthemalltoahousewhichhehadrentedforgold。Inthegreat，bare，upperchamberthestudentsdroppedwearilytothefloor，whilethewomanofthehousetooktheWainwrightstoamoresecludedapartment。，Asthedoorclosedonthem，Colemanturnedlikeaflash。
"Haveadrink，"hesaid。Thestudentsarosearoundhimlikethewaveofaflood。"Youbet。"Intheabsenceofchangesofclothing，ordinaryfood，thepossibilityofabath，andinthepresenceofgreatwearinessanddust，Coleman\'swhiskyseemedtothemaglisteningluxury。Afterwardtheylaiddownasiftosleep，butinrealitytheyweretoodirtyandtoofaggedtosleep。TheysimplylaymurmuringPeterTounleyevendevelopedasmallfever。
ItwasatthistimethatColeman。suddenlydiscoveredhisacuteinterestintheprogressivetroublesofhisaffairofthehearthadplacedthebusinessofhisnewspaperintherearofhismind。ThegreaterpartofthenexthourhespentingettingofftoNewYorkthatdispatchwhichcreatedsomuchexcitementforhimlater。AfterwardhewasfreetoreflectmoodilyupontheabilityofNoraBlacktodistresshim。She，withherretinue，haddisappearedtowardherownrooms。Atduskhewentintothestreet，andwasedifiedtoseeNora\'sdragomandodgingalonginhiswake。HethoughtthatthiswassimplyanothermanifestationofNora\'sinterestinhismovements，andsoheturnedacorner，andtherepausing，waiteduntilthedragomanspunarounddirectlyintohisarms。Butitseemedthatthemanhadanotetodeliver，andthiswasonlyhisOrientalwayofdoingit。
Thenoteread:"Comeanddinewithmeto-night。"Itwas，notarequest。Itwasperemptory。"Allright，"hesaid，scowlingattheman。
Hedidnotgoatonce，forhewishedtoreflectforatimeandfindifhecouldnotevolvesomeweaponsofhisown。Itseemedtohimthatalltheotherswereliberallysuppliedwithweapons。
Aclear，coldnighthadcomeupontheearthwhenhesignifiedtothelurkingdragomanthathewasinreadinesstodepartwithhimtoNora\'sabode。Theypassedfinallyintoadarkcourt-yard，upawindingstaircase，acrossanemboweredbalcony，andColemanenteredalonearoomwheretherewerelights。
His，feetwerescarcelyoverthethresholdbeforehehadconcludedthatthetigresswasnowgoingtotrysomevelvetpurring。Henotedthattheartsofthestagehadnotbeenthoughttoocheaplyobviousforuse。Norasatfacingthedoor。Abitofyellowsilkhadbeentwistedaboutthecrudeshapeofthelamp，anditmadetheplayoflight，amber-like，shadowyandyetperfectlyclear，thelightwhichwomenlove。ShewasarrayedinapuzzlinggownofthatkindofGre-
ciansilkwhichissodocilethatonecanpullyardsofitthrougharing。Itwasofthecolourofnewstraw。
Herchinwasleanedpensivelyuponherpalmandthelightfellonapearlyroundedforearm。Shewaslookingathimwithapairoffamouseyes，azure，per-
haps-certainlypurpleattimes-anditmaybe，blackatoddmoments-apairofeyesthathadmademanyanhonestman\'sheartjumpifhethoughttheywerelookingathim。Itwasavision，yes，butColeman\'scynicalknowledgeofdramaoverpoweredhissenseofitsbeauty。Hebrokeoutbrutally，inthephrasesoftheAmericanstreet。"Yourdragomanisarubber-neck。
IfhekeepsdarkingmeIwillsimplyhavetokickthestuffingoutofhim。"
Shewasaloneintheroom。Heroldladyhadbeeninstructedtohaveaheadacheandsendapologies。ShewasnotdisturbedbyColeman\'swords。"Sitdown，Rufus，andhaveacigarette，anddon\'tbecross，becauseIwon\'tstandit。"
Heobeyedherglumly。Shehadplacedhischairwherenotacharmofhercouldbelostuponanobservantman。Evidentlyshedidnotpurposetoallowhimtoirritateherawayfromheroriginalplan。Purringwasnowhermethod，andnoneofhisinsolencecouldachieveagrowlfromthetigress。Shearose，sayingsoftly:"Youlooktired，almostill，poorboy。Iwillgiveyousomebrandy。IhavealmosteverythingthatIcouldthinktomakethoseDaylightpeoplebuy。"Withasweepofherhandsheindicatedtheastonishingopulenceofthepossessionsindifferentpartsoftheroom。
Asshestoodoverhimwiththebrandytherecamethroughthesmokeofhiscigarettetheperfumeoforris-rootandviolet。
Aservantbegantoarrangethelittlecolddinneronacamptable，andColemansawwithanenthusiasmwhichhecouldnotfullymaster，fourquartbottlesofanotablebrandofchampagneplacedinarankonthefloor。
AtdinnerNorawassisterly。Shewatchedhim，waiteduponhim，treatedhimtoanaffectionateinti。macyforwhichheknewathousandmenwhowouldhavehatedhim。Thechampagnewascold。
Slowlyhemelted。BythetimethattheboycamewithlittlecupsofTurkishcoffeehewasatleastamiable。Noratalkeddreamily。"Thedragomansaysthisroomusedtobepartoftheharemlongago。"Sheshothimawatchfulglance，asifshehadexpectedthefacttoaffecthim。"Seemscurious，doesn\'tit？A
harem。Fancythat。"Hesmokedonecigarandthendiscardedtobacco，fortheperfumeoforris-rootandvioletwasmakinghimmeditate。Noratalkedoninalowvoice。Sheknewthat，throughhalf-closedlids，hewaslookingatherinsteadyspeculation。Sheknewthatshewasconquering，butnomovementofhersbetrayedanelation。Withthemostexquisiteartsheaidedhiscontemplation，baringtohim，forinstance，thegloriesofastatuesqueneck，doingitallwiththemannerofasplendidandfabulousvirginwhoknewnotthattherewassuchathingasshame。Herstockingswereofblacksilk。
Colemanpresentlyansweredheronlyinmonosyllable，makingsmalldistinctionbetweenyesandno。Hesimplysatwatchingherwitheyesinwhichthereweretwolittlecovetoussteel-colouredflames。
Hewasthinking，"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate-notabadfate。"
CHAPTERXVII。
"Comeoutonthebalcony，"cooedNora。"Therearesomefunnyoldstorksontopofsomechimneysnearhereandtheyclatterlikemadalldayandnight。"
Theymovedtogetherouttothebalcony，butNoraretreatedwithalittlecrywhenshefeltthecoldnessofthenight。Shesaidthatshewouldgetacloak。Colemanwasnotunlikeamaninadream。Hewalkedtotherailofthebalconywhereagreatvineclimbedtowardtheroof。Henotedthatitwasdottedwith。blossoms，whichinthedeeppurpleoftheOrientalnightwerecolouredinstrangeshadesofmaroon。ThistruthpenetratedhisabstractionuntilwhenNoracameshefoundhimstaringatthemasiftheircolourwasarevelationwhichaffectedhimvitally。
Shemovedtohissidewithoutsoundandhefirstknewofherpresencefromthedamningfragrance。Shespokejustaboveherbreath。"It\'sabeautifulevening。"
"Yes，"heanswered。Shewasathisshoulder。Ifhemovedtwoincheshemustcomeincontact。Theyremainedinsilenceleaningupontherail。
Finallyhebegantomuttersomecommonplaceswhichmeantnothingparticularly，butintohistoneashemouthedthemwasthenoteofaforlornandpassionatelover。ThenasifbyaccidenthetraversedthetwoinchesandhisshoulderwasagainstthesoftandyetfirmshoulderofNoraBlack。Therewassomethinginhisthroatatthistimewhichchangedhisvoiceintoamerechokingnoise。
Shedidnotmove。Hecouldseehereyesglowinginnocentlyoutofthepallourwhichthedarknessgavetoherface。Ifhewastouchingher，shedidnotseemtoknowit。
"Iamawfullytired，"saidColeman，thickly。"IthinkI
willgohomeandturnin。"
"Youmustbe，poorboy，"saidNoratenderly。
"Wouldn\'tyoulikealittlemoreofthatchampagne？"
"Well，Idon\'tmindanotherglass。"
Shelefthimagainandhisgallopingthoughtpoundedtotheoldrefrain。"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate-
notabadfate。"Whenshereturnedhedrankhisglassofchampagne。Thenhemumbled:"Youmustbecold。Letmeputyourcapearoundyoubetter。Itwon\'tdotocatchcoldhere，youknow。"
Shemadeasweetpretenceofrenderingherselftohiscare。"Oh，thanks***Iamnotreallycold***Therethat\'sbetter。"
Ofcourseallhismanipulationofthecloakhadbeenafervidcaress，andalthoughheractinguptothispointhadremainedintheroleofthesplendidandfabulousvirginshenowturnedherliquideyestohiswithalookthatexpressedknowledge，triumphanddelight。Shewassureofhervictory。Andshesaid:
"Sweetheart***don\'tyouthinkIamasniceasMarjory？"Theimpulsehadbeenairilyconfident。
Itwasasifthesilkencordshadbeenpartedbythesweepofasword。Coleman\'sfacehadinstantlystiffenedandhelookedlikeamansuddenlyrecalledtothewaysoflight。Itmayeasilyhavebeenthatinamomenthewouldhavelapsedagaintohisluxuriousdreaming。Butinhisfacethegirlhadreadafatalcharactertoherblunderandherresentmentagainsthimtookprecedenceofanyotheremotion。Shewheeledabruptlyfromhimandsaidwithgreatcontempt:"Rufus，youhadbettergohome。You\'retiredandsleepy，andmoreorlessdrunk。"
Heknewthatthegrandtumbleofalltheirlittleemboweredincidentcouldbeneitherstayedormended。"Yes，"heanswered，sulkily，"Ithinksotoo。"Theyshookhandshuffilyandhewentaway。
Whenhearrivedamongthestudentshefoundthattheyhadappropriatedeverythingofhiswhichwouldconducetotheircomfort。Hewasfuriousoverit。Buttohisbitterspeechestheyrepliedinjibes。
"Rufusishimselfagain。Admirehisangelicdisposition。Seehimsmile。Gentlesoul。"
Asleepyvoicesaidfromacomer:"Iknowwhatpincheshim。"
"What？"askedseveral。
"He\'sbeentoseeNoraandsheflunghimoutbodily。"
"Yes？"sneeredColeman。"AttimesIseemtoseeinyou，Coke，thefermentationofsomeprimevalformofsensation，asifitwerepossibleforyoutode-
velopamindintwoorthreethousandyears，andthenatothertimesyouappear***muchasyouarenow。"
AssoonastheyhadwellmeasuredColeman\'stemperallofthestudentssaveCokekepttheirmouthstightlyclosed。Cokeeitherdidnotunderstandorhismoodwastoovindictiveforsilence。"Well，Iknowyougotathrow-downallright，"hemuttered。
"AndhowwouldyouknowwhenIgotathrowdown？Youpimply，milk-fedsophomore。"
Theothersperkeduptheirearsinmirthfulappreciationofthislanguage。
"Ofcourse，"continuedColeman，"noonewouldprotestagainstyourcontinuedexistence，Coke，unlessyouinsistonrecallingyourselfviolentlytopeople\'sattentioninthisway。
Themerefactofyourlivingwouldnotusuallybeoffensivetopeopleifyouweren\'teternallyturningasortofcalciumlightonyourprehensileattributes。"
Cokewassuddenlyangry，angrymuchlikeapeasant，andhisangerfirstevinceditselfinameresputteringandspluttering。
Finallyhegotoutaratherlongspeech，fullofgrumblingnoises，buthewasunderstoodbyalltodeclarethathisprehensileattributeshadnotledhimtocartanotoriouswomanabouttheworldwithhim。WhentheyquicklylookedatColemantheysawthathewaslivid。"You-"
But，ofcourse，thereimmediatelyaroseallsortsofprotestingcriesfromthesevennon-combatants。Coleman，ashetooktwostridestowardCoke\'scorner，lookedfullyabletobreakhimacrosshisknee，butforthisCokedidnotseemtocareatall。Hewasonhisfeetwithachallengeinhiseye。Uponeachcheekburnedasuddenhecticspot。Theotherswereclamouring，"Oh，say，thiswon\'tdo。Quitit。Oh，wemustn\'thaveafight。Hedidn\'tmeanit，Coleman。"PeterTounleypressedCoketothewallsaying:"Youdamnedyoungjackass，bequiet。"
Theywereinthemidstofthese。festivitieswhenadooropenedanddisclosedtheprofessor。Hemight。havebeencomingintothemiddleofarowinoneofthecorridorsofthecollegeathomeonlythistimehecarriedacandle。Hisspeech，however，wasaWashurstspeech:"Gentlemen，gentlemen，whatdoesthismean？"AllseemedtoexpectColemantomaketheanswer。Hewassuddenlyverycool。"Nothing，professor，"hesaid，"onlythatthis-onlythatCokehasinsultedme。Isupposethatitwasonlytheirresponsibilityofaboy，andIbegthatyouwillnottroubleoverit。"
"Mr。Coke，"saidtheprofessor，indignantly，"whathaveyoutosaytothis？"EvidentlyhecouldnotclearlyseeCoke，andhepeeredaroundhiscandleatwherethevirtuousPeterTounleywasexpostulatingwiththeyoungman。Thefiguresofalltheexcitedgroupmovinginthecandlelightcausedvastanduncouthshadowstohaveconflictsintheendoftheroom。
PeterTounley\'staskwasnotlight，andbeyondthathehadtheconvictionthathisstrugglewithCokewasmakinghimalsotoappearasarowdy。Thisconvictionwasproventobetruebyasuddenthunderfromtheoldprofessor，"Mr。Tounley，desist!"
InwrathhedesistedandCokeflunghimselfforward。Hepaidlessattentiontotheprofessorthanifthelatterhadbeenajack-rabbit。"YousayIinsultedyou？heshoutedcrazilyinColeman\'sface。
"Well***Imeantto，doyousee？"
Colemanwasglacialandloftybeyondeverything。
"IamgladtohaveyouadmitthetruthofwhatIhavesaid。"
Cokewas，stillsuffocatingwithhispeasantrage，whichwouldnotallowhimtomeettheclear，calmexpressionsofColeman。"Yes***Iinsultedyou***IinsultedyoubecausewhatIsaidwascorrect**myprehensileattributes**yesbutIhavenever——"
Hewasinterruptedbyachorusfromtheotherstudents。
"Oh，no，thatwon\'tdo。Don\'tsaythat。Don\'trepeatthat，Coke。"
Colemanrememberedtheweakbewildermentofthelittleprofessorinhoursthathadnotlongpassed，anditwaswithsomethingofanimpersonalsatisfac-
tionthathesaidtohimself:"Theoldboy\'sgothiswar-paintonagain。"TheprofessorhadsteppedsharplyuptoCokeandlookedathimwitheyesthatseemedtothrowoutflameandheat。Therewasamoment\'spause，andthentheoldscholarspoke，bit-
inghiswordsasiftheywereeachashortsectionofsteelwire。"Mr。Coke，yourbehaviourwillendyourcollegecareerabruptlyandingloom，Ipromiseyou。
Youhavebeendrinking。"
Coke，hisheadsimplyfloatinginaseaofuniversaldefiance，atonceblurtedout:"Yes，sir。"
"Youhavebeendrinking？"criedtheprofessor，ferociously。
"Retiretoyour-retiretoyour——retire——"Andtheninavoiceofthunderheshouted:"Retire。"
Whereuponsevenhoodlumstudentswaitedadecentmoment，thenshriekedwithlaughter。Buttheoldprofessorwouldhavenoneoftheirnonsense。Hequelledthemallwithforceandfinish。
Colemannowspokeafewwords。"Professor，I
can\'ttellyouhowsorryIamthatIshouldbeconcernedinanysuchriotasthis，andsincewearedoomedtobeboundsocloselyintoeachother\'ssocietyIoffermyselfwithoutreservationasbeingwillingtorepairthedamageaswellasmaybe，done。I
dontseehowIcanforgetatoncethatCoke\'sconductwasinsolentlyunwarranted，but***ifhehasanythingtosayofanaturethatmighthealthebreachIwouldbewillingtotomeethimintheopenestmanner。"Ashemadethesere-
marksColeman\'sdignitywassomethinggrand，and，Morever，therewasnowuponhisfacethatcuriouslookoftemperanceandpuritywhichhadbeennotedinNewYorkasasingularphysicalcharacteristic。Ifhe。wasguiltyofanythinginthisaffairatall-infact，ifhehadeveratanytimebeenguiltyofanything-
nomarkhadcometostainthatbloomofinnocence。
Theprofessornoddedinthefullestappreciationandsympathy。"Ofcourse***reallythereisnoothersleepingplaceIsupposeitwouldbebetter-"
ThenheagainattackedCoke。"Youngman，youhavechosenanunfortunatemomenttofilluswithasuspicionthatyoumaynotbeagentleman。Forthetimethereisnothingtobedonewithyou。"Headdressedtheotherstudents。"Thereisnothingformetodo，younggentleman，buttoleaveMr。Cokeinyourcare。
Good-night，sirs。Good-night，Coleman。"Helefttheroomwithhiscandle。
WhenCokewasbadeto"Retire"hehad，ofcourse，simplyretreatedfumingtoacorneroftheroomwhereheremainedlookingwithyelloweyeslikeananimalfromacave。WhentheotherswereabletoseethroughthehazeofmentalconfusiontheyfoundthatColemanwaswithdeliberationtakingoffhisboots。"Afterward，whenheremovedhiswaist-coat，hetookgreatcaretowindhislargegoldwatch。
Thestudents，muchsubdued，layagainintheirplaces，andwhentherewasanytalkingitwasofanextremelylocalnature，referringprincipallytothefloorAsbeingunsuitableforbedsandalsoreferringfromtimetotimetoarealoranallegedselfishnessonthepartofsomeoneoftherecumbentmen。Soontherewasonlythesoundofheavybreathing。
WhentheprofessorhadreturnedtowhathecalledtheWainwrightpartofthehousehewasgreetedinstantlywiththequestion:"Whatwasit？"Hiswifeanddaughterwereupinalarm。"Whatwasit"theyrepeated，wildly。
Hewaspeevish。"Oh，nothing，nothing。ButthatyoungCokeisaregularruffian。Hehadgottenhim。selfintosometremendousuproarwithColeman。WhenIarrivedheseemedactuallytryingtoassaulthim。Revolting!Hehadbeendrinking。
Coleman\'sbehaviour，Imustsay，wassplendid。Recognisedatoncethedelicacyofmyposition-henotbeingastudent。IfIhadfoundhiminthewrongitwouldhavebeensimplerthanfindinghimintheright。ConfoundthatrascalofaCoke。"Then，ashebeganapartialdisrobing，hetreatedthemtogruntedscrapofinformation。
"Cokewasquiteinsane***IfearedthatIcouldn\'tcontrolhim***Colemanwaslikeice***andasmuchasI
haveseentoadmireinhimduringthelastfewdays，thisquietbeatitall。Ifhehadnotrecognisedmyhelplessnessasfarashewasconcernedthewholethingmighthavebeenamostmiserablebusiness。Heisaveryfineyoungman。"ThedissentingvoicetothislasttributewasthevoiceofMrs。
Wainwright。Shesaid:"Well，Colemandrinks，too-everybodyknowsthat。"
"Iknow，"respondedtheprofessor，ratherbashfully，butI
amconfidentthathehadnottouchedadrop。"Marjorysaidnothing。
TheearlierartillerybattleshadfrightenedmostofthefurnitureoutofthehousesofArta，andtherewasleftinthisroomonlyafewoldredcushions，andtheWainwrightswerecampinguponthefloor。MarjorywasenwrappedinColeman\'smacintosh，andwhiletheprofessorandhiswifemaintainedsomelowtalkoftherecentincidentsheinsilencehadturnedhercheekintotheyellowvelvetcollarofthecoat。Shefeltsomethingagainstherbosom，andputtingherhandcarefullyintothetoppocketofthecoatshefoundthreecigars。
Theseshetookinthedarknessandlaidaside，tellingherselftoremembertheirpositioninthemorning。ShehadnodoubtthatColeman:wouldrejoiceoverthem，beforehecouldgetbackto，Athenswheretherewereothergoodcigars。
CHAPTERXVIII。
THEladiesoftheWainwrightpartyhadnotcomplainedatallwhendeprivedofevensuchcivilisedadvantagesasashelterandaknifeandforkandsoapandwater，butMrs。
Wainwrightcomplainedbitterlyamidthehalf-civilisationofArta。Shecouldseeherenoexcusefortheabsenceofseveralhundredthingswhichshehadalwaysregardedasessentialtolife。Shebeganat8。30A。M。tomakeboththeprofessorandMarjorywoefulwithanendlessdissertationuponthebedsinthehotelatAthens。Ofcourseshehadnotregardedthematthetimeasbeingexceptionalbeds***thatwasquitetrue，*
**butthenonereallyneverknewwhatonewasreallymissinguntilonereallymissedit***ShewouldneverhavethoughtthatshewouldcometoconsiderthoseAthenianbedsasexcellent***butexperienceisagreatteacher***makes-
onereflectuponthepeoplewhoyearinandyearouthavenobedsatall，poorthings。***Well，itmadeonegladifonedidhaveagoodbed，evenifitwasatthetimeontheothersideoftheworld。Ifsheeverreacheditshedidnotknowwhatcouldeverinducehertoleaveitagain。***Shewouldneverbeinduced——
"\'Induced!\'"snarledtheprofessor。Thewordrepresentedtohimapracticedfemininemisusageoftruth，andatsuchhiswhitewarlockalwaysarose。""Induced!\'OutoffourAmericanwomenIhaveseenlately，youseemtobetheonlyonewhowouldsaythatyouhadenduredthisthingbecauseyouhadbeen\'induced\'byotherstocomeoverhere。Howabsurd!"
Mrs。Wainwrightfixedherhusbandwithasteelyeye。Shesawopportunityforashatteringretort。"Youdon\'tmean，Harrison，toincludeMarjoryandIinthesamebreathwiththosetwowomen？"
Theprofessorsawnodangeraheadforhimself。Hemerelyanswered:"Ihadnothoughteitherway。Itdidnotseemimportant。"
"Well，itisimportant，"snappedMrs。Wainwright。
"DoyouknowthatyouarespeakinginthesamebreathofMarjoryandNoraBlack，theactress？"
"No，"saidtheprofessor。"Isthatso？"Hewasastonished，buthewasnotaghastatall。"DoyoumeantosaythatisNoraBlack，thecomicoperastar？"
"That\'sexactlywhosheis，"saidMrs。Wainwright，dramatically。"AndIconsiderthat-IconsiderthatRufusColemanhasdonenolessthan-misledus。"
Thislastdeclarationseemedtohavenoeffectupontheprofessor\'spureastonishment，butMarjorylookedathermothersuddenly。However，shesaidnoword，exhibitingagainthatstrangeand，inscrutablecountenancewhichmaskedeventhetiniestofhermaidenlyemotions。
Mrs。Wainwrightwastriumphant，andsheimmediatelysetaboutcelebratinghervictory。"Menneverseethosethings，"
shesaidtoherhusband。"Menneverseethosethings。Youwouldhavegoneonforeverwithoutfindingoutthatyour-your-
hospitalitywas，beingabusedbythatRufusColeman。"
Theprofessorwokeup。"Hospitality？"hesaid，indignantly。"Hospitality？Ihavenothadanyhospitalitytobeabused。Whydon\'tyoutalksense？
Itisnotthat，but-itmight-"Hehesitatedandthenspokeslowly。"Itmightbeveryawkward。Ofcourseoneneverknowsanythingdefiniteaboutsuchpeople，butIsuppose***Anyhow，itwasstrangeinColemantoallowhertomeetus。"
"ItWasallapre-arrangedplan，"announcedthetriumphantMrs。Wainwright。"ShecamehereonputposetomeetRufusColeman，andheknewit，andIshouldnotwonderiftheyhadnottheexactspotpickedoutwheretheyweregoingtomeet。"
"Icanhardlybelievethat，"saidtheprofessor，indistress。
"Ican，hardlybelievethat。Itdoes，notseemtomethatColeman——"
"Ohyes。YourdearRufusColeman，"criedMrs。
Wainwright。"Youthinkheisveryfinenow。ButIcanrememberwhenyoudidn\'tthink——"
Andtheparentsturnedtogetheranabashedlookattheirdaughter。Theprofessoractuallyflushedwithshame。Itseemedtohimthathehadjustcommittedanatrocityupontheheartofhischild。Theinstinctofeachofthemwastogotoherandconsoleherintheirarms。Shenoteditimmediately，andseemedtofearit。Shespokeinaclearandevenvoice。"Idon\'tthink，father，thatyoushoulddistressmebysupposingthatIamconcernedatallifMr。ColemancarestogetNoraBlackoverhere。"
"Notatall，"stutteredtheprofessor。"I——"
Mrs。Wainwright\'sconsternationturnedsuddenlyto，anger。
"Heisascapegrace。Arascal。A——a——"
"Oh，"saidMarjory，coolly，"Idon\'tseewhyitisn\'thisownaffair。Hedidn\'treallypresenthertoyou，mother，youremember？Sheseemedquitetoforceherwayatfirst，andthenyou-youdidtherest。Itshouldbeveryeasytoavoidher，nowthatweareoutofthewilderness。AndthenitbecomesaprivatematterofMr。Coleman\'s。Formypart，Iratherlikedher。Idon\'tseesuchadreadfulcalamity。"
"Marjory!"screamedhermother。"Howdreadful。Likedher!
Don\'tletmehearyousaysuchshockingthings。"
"Ifailtoseeanythingshocking，"answeredMarjory，stolidly。
Theprofessorwaslookinghelplesslyfromhisdaughtertohiswife，andfromhiswifetohisdaughter，likeamanwhowasconvincedthathistroubleswouldneverend。Thisnewcatastrophecreatedadifferentkindofdifficulty，butheconsideredthatthedifficultieswereasrobustashadbeentheprecedingones。Heputonhishatandwentoutoftheroom。
HefeltanimpossibilityofsayinganythingtoColeman，buthefeltthathemustlookuponhim。Hemustlookuponthismanandtrytoknowfromhismannerthemeasureofguilt。Andincidentallyhelongedforthemachineryofafinishedsocietywhichpreventsitspartsfromclashing，preventsitwithitsgreatseriesofIlawuponlaw，easilyoperativebutrelentless。Herehefeltasamanflungintothejunglewithhiswifeanddaughter，wheretheycouldbecomethevictimsofanysortofsavagery。
HisthoughtreferredoncemoretowhatheconsideredtheinvaluableservicesofColeman，andasheobservedtheminconjunctionwiththepresentaccusation，hewassimplydazed。Itwasthenpossiblethatonemancouldplaytwosuchdivergentparts。HehadnotlearnedthisatWashurst。Butno；theworldwasnotsuchabedofputrefaction。Hewouldnotbelieveit；hewouldnotbelieveit。
Afteradventureswhichrequiregreatnervousen。durance，itisonlyuponthesecondorthirdnightthatthecommonmansleepshard。Thestudentshadexpectedtoslumberlikedogsonthefirstnightaftertheirtrials。butnonesleptlong，Andfewslept。
Colemanwasthefirstmantoarise。Whenhelefttheroomthestudentswerejustbeginningtoblink。HetookhisdragomanamongtheshopsandheboughtthereallthelittleoddsandendswhichmightgotomakeupthebestbreakfastinArta。Ifhehadhadnewsofcertaintalkheprobablywouldnothavebeenbuyingbreakfastforelevenpeople。Instead，hewouldhavebeenbuyingbreakfastforone。Duringhisabsencethestudentsaroseandperformedtheirfrugaltoilets。
