下载辰思小说免费APP
ConsiderableattentionwaspaidtoCokebytheothers。"Hemadeamonkeyofyou，"saidPeterTounleywithunction。"Hetwistedyouuntilyoulookedlikeawet，greyrag。Youhadbetterleavethiswiseguyalone。"
ItwasnotthenightnorwasitmeditationthathadtaughtCokeanything，butheseemedtohavelearnedsomethingfromthemerelapseoftime。Inappearancehewassubdued，buthemanagedtomakeatemporaryjauntinessashesaid:"Oh，I
don\'tknow。"
"Well，yououghttoknow，"saidhewhowascalledBillie。
"Yououghttoknow。Youmadeanegregioussnarkofyourself。Indeed，yousometimesresembledaboojum。Anyhow，youwereaplainchump。Youexplodedyourfaceaboutsomethingofwhichyouknewnothing，andI\'mdamnedifI
believeyou\'dmakeevenagoodretriever。"
"You\'reahalf-bredwater-spaniel，"blurtedPeterTounley。
"And，"headded，musingly，"thatisaprettylowanimal。"
Cokewasargumentative。"WhyamI？"heasked，turninghisheadfromsidetoside。"Idon\'tseewhereIwassowrong。"
"Oh，dances，balloons，picnics，paradesandascensions，"
theyretorted，profanely。"Youswamvoluntarilyintowaterthatwastoodeepforyou。Swimout。Getdry。Here\'satowel。"
Coke，smitteninthefacewithawetclothrolledintoaball，grabbeditandflungitfutilelyatawell-dodgingcompanion"No，"hecried，"Idon\'tseeit。Nowlookhere。I
don\'tseewhyweshouldn\'tallresentthisNoraBlackbusiness。"
Onestudentsaid:"Well，what\'sthematterwithNoraBlack，anyhow？"
Anotherstudentsaid"Idon\'tseehowyou\'vebeenissuedanylicensetosaythingsaboutNoraBlack。"
Anotherstudentsaiddubiously:"Well，heknowsherwell。"
Andthenthreeorfourspokeatonce。"Hewasverybadlyrattledwhensheappeareduponthescene。"
PeterTounleyasked:"Well，whichofyoupeopleknowanythingwrongaboutNoraBlack？"
Therewasapause，andthenCokesaid:"Oh，ofcourse-I
don\'tknow-but-"
HewhowascalledBilliethenaddressedhiscom-panions。
"Itwouldn\'tberighttorepeatanyoldlieaboutNoraBlack，andbythesametokenitwouldn\'tberighttoseeoldMotherWainwrightchummin\'withher。Thereisnowisdomingoingfurtherthanthat。OldMotherWainwrightdon\'tknowthatherfaircompanionofyesterdayisthefamouscomicoperastar。Formypart，IbelievethatColemanissimplyafraidtotellher。I
don\'tthinkhewishedtoseeNoraBlackyesterdayanymorethanhewishedtoseethedevil。Thediscussion，asI
understanditconcerneditselfonlywithwhatColemanhadtodowiththething，andyesterdayanybodycouldseethathewasinapanic。"
Theyheardasteponthestair，anddirectlyColemanentered，followedbyhisdragoman。Theywereladenwiththerawmaterialforbreakfast。Thecorrespondentlookedkeenlyamongthestudents，foritwasplainthattheyhadbeentalkingofhim。
It，filledhimwithrage，andforastiflingmomenthecouldnotthinkwhyhefailedtoimmediatelydecampinchagrinandleaveelevenorphanstowhateverfate。theirgeneralincompetencemightleadthem。Itstruckhimasadeepshamethateventhenheandhispaidmanwerecarryinginthebreakfast。Hewantedtoflingitallonthefloorandwalkout。ThenherememberedMarjory。Shewasthereason。Shewasthereasonforeverything。
Buthecouldnotrepresscertain，ofhisthoughts。"Say，youpeople，"hesaid，icily，"youhadbettersoonlearntohustleforyourselves。Imaybeadragoman，andabutler，andacook，andahousemaid，butI\'mblowedifI\'mawetnurse。"Inreality，hehadtakenthemostgenerouspleasureinworkingfortheothersbeforetheireyeshadevenbeenopenedfromsleep，butitwasnowallturnedtowormwood。Itiscertainthateventhiscouldnothavedeviatedthisexecutivemanfromlabourandmanagement。becausethesewerehislife。Buthefeltthathewasabouttowalkoutoftheroom，consigningthemalltoHades。
Hisglanceofangry，reproachfasteneditselfmainlyuponPeterTounley，becauseheknewthatofall，Peterwasthemostinnocent。
Peter，Tounleywasabashedbythisglance。Soyou\'vebroughtussomethingtoeat，oldman。Thatistremendouslyniceofyou-we-appreciateitlikeeverything。"
ColemanwasmollifiedbyPeter\'stone。Peterhadhadthatemotionwhichisequivalenttoasenseofguilt，althoughinrealityhewasspeckless。Twoorthreeoftheotherstudentsbobbeduptoasenseofthesituation。TheyrantoColeman，andwithpolitecriestookhisprovisionsfromhim。Onedroppedabunchoflettuceonthefloor，andothersreproachedhimwithscholasticcurses。Cokewasseatednearthewindow，halfmilitant，halfconciliatory。ItwasimpossibleforhimtokeepupamannerofdeadlyenmitywhileColemanwasbringinginhisbreakfast。HewouldhavemuchpreferredthatColemanhadnotbroughtinhisbreakfast。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredtohaveforegonebreakfastaltogether。Hewouldhavemuchpreferredanything。Thereseemedtobeaconspiracyofcircumstancetoputhiminthewrongandmakehimappearasaridiculousyoungpeasant。Hewasthevictimofabenefaction，andhehatedColemanhardernowthanatanyprevioustime。Hesawthatifhestalkedoutandtookhisbreakfastaloneinacafe，theotherswouldconsiderhimstillmoreofanoutsider。Colemanhadexpressedhimselflikeamanoftheworldandagentleman，andCokewasconvincedthathewasasuperiormanoftheworldandasuperiorgentleman，butthathesimplyhadnothadwordstoexpresshispositionatthepropertime。Colemanwasglib。
Therefore，Cokehadbeenthevictimofanattitudeaswellasofabenefaction。AndsohedeeplyhatedColeman。
Theothersweretalkingcheerfully。"Whatthedeucearethese，Coleman？Sausages？Oh，my。Andlookattheseburlesquefishes。Say，theseGreeksdon\'tcarewhattheyeat。
Themtharthingsamsardinesinthecrudestate。No？GreatGod，lookatthosethings。Look。What？Yes，theyare。
Radishes。Greeksynonymforradishes。"
Theprofessorentered。"Oh，"hesaidapologetically，asifhewereintrudinginaboudoir。AllhisseriousdesiretoprobeColemantothebottomendedinembarrassment。
Mayhapitwasnotalawoffeeling，butithappenedatanyrate。
"Hehadcomeinapuzzledframeofmind，evenanaccusativeframeofmind，andalmostimmediatelyhefoundhimselfsuffer。
inglikeaculpritbeforehisjudge。Itisaphenomenonofwhatwecallguiltandinnocence。
"Colemanwelcomedhimcordially。"Well，professor，good-morning。I\'veroundedupsomethingsthatatleastmaybeeaten。"
"Youareverygood"veryconsiderate，Mr。Coleman，"
answeredtheprofessor，hastily。"I\'amsurewearemuchindebtedtoyou。"Hehadscannedthecorrespondent\'sface，landithadbeensodevoidofguilethathewasfearfulthathissuspicion，abasesuspicion，ofthisnoblesoulwouldbedetected。"No，no，wecanneverthankyouenough。"
Someofthestudentsbegantocaperwithasortofdecoroushilaritybeforetheirteacher。"Lookatthesausage，professor。
Didyoueverseesuchsausage"Isn\'titsalubrious"Andseetheseotherthings，sir。Aren\'ttheycurious"Ishouldn\'twonderiftheywerealive。Turnips，sir？No，sir。IthinktheyarePharisees。IhaveseenaPhariseelooklikeapelican，butIhaveneverseenaPhariseelooklikeaturnip，soIthinktheseturnipsmustbePharisees，sir，Yes，theymaybewalrus。We\'renotsure。
Anyhow，theiranglesaregeometricallyallwrong。Peter，lookout。"
Somegreenstuffwasflungacrosstheroom。Theprofessorlaughed；
Colemanlaughed。DespiteCoke，dark-browed，sulking。andyetdesirousofreinstatinghimself，theroomhadwaxedwarmwiththeoldcollegefeeling，thefeelingofladswhoseemednevertotreatanythingrespectfullyandyetatthesametimemanagedtotreattherealthingswithrespect。TheprofessorhimselfcontributedtotheirwildcarouseoverthestrangeGreekviands。
Itwasavivaciousmomentcommontothisclassintimesofrelaxation，anditwasunderstoodperfectly。
Cokearose。"Idon\'tseethatIhaveanyfriendshere，"hesaid，hoarsely，"andinconsequenceIdon\'tseewhyIshouldremainhere。"
Alllookedathim。AtthesamemomentMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryenteredtheroom。
CHAPTERXIX。
"Good-morning，"saidMrs。WainwrightjoviallytothestudentsandthenshestaredatColemanasifhewereasweepatawedding。
"Good-morning，"saidMarjory。
Colemanandthestudentsmadereply。"Good-morning。
Good-morning。Good-morning。Good-morning——"
Itwascurioustoseethisgreeting，thiscommonphrase，thisbitofoldware，thisantique，comeuponadramaticsceneandpulveriseit。Nothingremainedbutaridiculousdust。Coke，glowering，withhislipsstilltremblingfromheroicspeech，wasanangryclown，apantalooninrage。Nothingwastobedonetokeephimfromlookinglikeanass。He，strodetowardthedoormumblingaboutawalkbeforebreakfast。
Mrs。Wainwrightbeameduponhim。"Why，Mr。Coke，notbeforebreakfast？Yousurelywon\'thavetime。"Itwasgrimpunishment。Heappearedtogoblind，andhefairlystaggeredoutofthedoormumblingagain，mumblingthanksorapologiesorexplanations。AboutthemouthofColemanplayedasinistersmile。Theprofessorcast。uponhiswifeaglanceexpressingweariness。Itwasasifhesaid"Thereyougoagain。Youcan\'tkeepyourfootoutofit。"Sheunderstoodtheglance，andsosheaskedblankly:"Why，What\'sthematter？Oh。"
HerbelatedmindgraspedthatitwawanaftermathofthequarrelofColemanandCoke。Marjorylookedasifshewasdistressedinthebeliefthathermotherhadbeenstupid。Colemanwasoutwardlyserene。ItwasPeterTounleywhofinallylaughedacheery，healthylaughandtheyalllookedathimwithgratitudeasifhissuddenmirthhadbeenarealstatementorrecon-ciliationandconsequentpeace。
Thedragomanandothersdisportedthemselvesuntilabreakfastwaslaiduponthefloor。Theadventurerssquatteduponthefloor。Theymadealargecompany。TheprofessorandColemandiscussedthemeansofgettingtoAthens。PeterTounleysatnexttoMarjory。"Peter，"shesaid，privately，"whatwasallthistroublebetweenColemanandCoke？"
Peteransweredblandly:"Oh，nothingatNothingatall。"
"Well，but——"shepersisted，"whatwasthecauseofit？"
Helookedatherquaintly。Hewasnotoneofthoseinlovewithher，butbewasinterestedintheaffair。"Don\'tyouknow？"heasked。
Sheunderstoodfromhismannerthatshehadbeensomekindofanissueinthequarrel。"No，"sheanswered，hastily。"I
don\'t。"
"Oh，Idon\'tmeanthat，"saidPeter。"Ionlymeant——Ionlymeant——oh，well，itwasnothing-really。"
"Itmusthavebeenaboutsomething，"continuedMarjory。
Shecontinued，becausePeterhaddeniedthatshewasconcernedinit。"Whosefault？"
"Ireallydon\'tknow。Itwasallratherconfusing，"liedPeter，tranquilly。
Colemanandtheprofessordecidedtoacceptaplanofthecorrespondent\'sdragomantostartsoononthefirststageofthejourneytoAthens。Thedragomanhadsaidthathehadfoundtwolargecarriagesrentable。
Coke，theoutcast，walkedaloneinthenarrowstreets。Theflightofthecrownprince\'sarmyfromLarissahadjustbeenannouncedinArta，butCokewasprobablythemostwoebegoneobjectontheGreekpeninsula。
Heencounteredastrangesightonthestreets。AwomangarbedinthestyleforwalkingofanafternoononupperBroadwaywasapproachinghimthroughamassofkiltedmountaineersandsoldiersinsoiledovercoats。OfcourseherecognisedNoraBlack。
Inhisconvictionthateverybodyintheworldwasatthistimeconsideringhimamereworm，hewassurethatshewouldnotheedhim。Beyondthathehadbeenpresentedtohernoticeinbutatransientandcursoryfashion。Butcontrarytohisconviction，sheturnedaradiantsmileuponhim。"Oh，"shesaid，brusquely，"youareoneofthestudents。Goodmorning。"Inhermannerwasalltheconfidenceofanoldwarrior，aveteran，whoaddressestheuniversewithassurancebecauseofhispastbattles。
Cokegrinnedatthisstrangegreeting。"Yes，MissBlack，"heanswered，"Iamoneofthestudents。"
Shedidnotseemtoquiteknowhowtoformulatehernextspeech。"Er-Isupposeyou\'regoingtoAthensatonce"Youmustbegladafteryourhorridexperiences。"
"IbelievetheyaregoingtostartforAthenstoday，"saidCoke。
Norawasallattention。"\'They？\'"sherepeated。
"Aren\'tyougoingwiththem？"
"Well，"hesaid，"**Well——"
Shesawofcoursethattherehadbeensomekindoftrouble。
Shelaughed。"Youlookasifsomebodyhadkickedyoudownstairs，"shesaid，candidly。Sheatonceassumedanintimatemannertowardhimwhichwaslikeatemporarymotherhood。"
Come，walkwithmeandtellmeallaboutit。"Therewasinhertoneamostartisticsuggestionthatwhateverhadhappenedshewasonhisside。Hewasnotloath。Thestreetwasfullofsoldierswhosetonguesclatteredsoloudlythatthetwoforeignersmighthavebeenwanderinginagreatcaveofthewinds。"Well，whatwastherowabout？"askedNora。"Andwhowasinit？"
ItwouldhavebeennosolacetoCoketopourouthistaleevenifithadbeenastorythathecouldhavetoldNora。
Hewasnotstoppedbythefactthathehadgottenhimselfinthequarrelbecausehehadinsultedthenameofthegirtathisside。Hedidnotthinkofitatthattime。Thewholethingwasnowextremelyvagueinoutlinetohimandheonlyhadadullfeelingofmiseryandloneliness。Hewantedhertocheerhim。
Noralaughedagain。"Why，you\'rearegularlittlekid。Doyoumeantosayyou\'vecomeoutheresulkingalonebecauseofsomenurseryquarrel？"Hewasruffledbyhermanner。Itdidnotcontainthecheeringherequired。"Oh，Idon\'tknowthatI\'msucharegularlittlekid，"hesaid，sullenly。"Thequarrelwasnotanurseryquarrel。"
"Whydon\'tyouchallengehimtoaduel？"askedNora，suddenly。Shewaswatchinghimclosely。
"Who？"saidCoke。
"Coleman，youstupid，"answeredNora。
Theystaredateachother，Cokepayingherfirstthetributeofastonishmentandthenthetributeofadmiration。"Why，howdidyouguessthat？"hedemanded。
"Oh，"saidNora。，"I\'veknownRufusColemanforyears，andheisalwaysrowingwithpeople。"
"Thatisjustit，"criedCokeeagerly。"Thatisjustit。
Ifairlyhatetheman。Almostalloftheotherfellowswillstandhisabuse，butitrilesme，Itellyou。Ithinkheisabeast。And，ofcourse，ifyouseriouslymeantwhatyousaidaboutchallenginghimtoaduel——I
meanifthereisanysenseinthatsortofthing-IwouldchallengeColeman。IswearIwould。Ithinkhe\'sagreatbluffer，anyhow。Shouldn\'twonderifhewouldbackout。
Really，Ishouldn\'t。
Norasmiledhumourouslyatahouseonhersideofthenarrowway。"Iwouldn\'twonderifhedideither"sheanswered。Afteratimeshesaid"Well，doyoumeantosaythatyouhavedefinitelyshakenthem？Aren\'tyougoingbacktoAthenswiththemoranything？"
"I-Idon\'tseehowIcan，"hesaid，morosely。
"Oh，"shesaid。Shereflectedforatime。Atlastsheturnedtohimarchlyandasked:"Somewordsoveralady？"
Cokelookedatherblankly。Hesuddenlyrememberedthehorriblefacts。"No-no-notoveralady。"
"Mydearboy，youarealiar，"saidNora，freely。"Youarealittleunskilfulliar。Itwassomewordsoveralady，andthelady\'snameisMarjoryWainwright。"
Cokefeltasthoughhehadsuddenlybeenletoutofacell，buthecontinuedamechanicaldenial。"No，no**Itwasn\'ttruly**uponmyword**"
"Nonsense，"saidNora。"Iknowbetter。Don\'tyouthinkyoucanfoolme，youlittlecub。Iknowyou\'reinlovewithMarjoryWainwright，andyouthinkColemanisyourrival。Whatablockheadyouare。Can\'tyouunderstandthatpeopleseethesethings？"
"Well-"stammeredCoke。
"Nonsense，"saidNoraagain。"Don\'ttrytofoolme，youmayaswellunderstandthatit\'suseless。I
amtoowise。"
"Well-"stammeredCoke。
"Goahead，"urgedNora。"Tellmeaboutit。Haveitout。"
Hebeganwithgreatimportanceandsolemnity。"Now，totellyouthetruth**thatiswhyIhatehim**Ihatehimlikeanything。**Ican\'tseewhyeverybodyadmireshimso。
Idon\'tseeanythingtohimmyself。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sgotanymoreprinciplethanawolf。Iwouldn\'ttrusthimwithtwodollars。Why，Iknowstoriesabouthimthatwouldmakeyourhaircurl。WhenIthinkofagirllikeMarjory——"
Hisspeechhadbecomeatorrent。ButhereNoraraisedherhand。"Oh!Oh!Oh!Thatwilldo。Thatwilldo。
Don\'tloseyoursenses。Idon\'tseewhythisgirlMarjoryisanytoogood。Sheisnochicken，I\'llbet。Don\'tletyourselfgetfooledwiththatsortofthing。"
Cokewasunawareofhisincautiousexpressions。Heflounderedon。whileNoralookedathimasifshewantedtowringhisneck。"No-she\'stoofineandtoogood-forhimoranybodylikehim-she\'stoofineandtoogood-"
"Aw，rats，"interruptedNora，furiously。"Youmakemetired。"
Cokehadawooden-headedconvictionthathemustmakeNoraunderstandMarjory\'sinfinitesuperioritytoallothersofhersex，andsohepassedintoapariegyric，eachwordofwhichwasahotcoaltothegirladdressed。Nothingwouldstophim，apparently。Heevenmadethemoststupidrepetitions。Norafinallystampedherfootformidably。"Willyoustop？
Willyoustop？"shesaidthroughherclenchedteeth。
"DoyouthinkIwanttolistentoyoureverlastingtwaddleabouther？Why，she\'s-she\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youignorantlittlemamma\'sboy。She\'snobetterthanotherpeople，youswab!"
Cokelookedatherwiththeeyesofafish。Hedidnotunderstand。"Butsheisbetterthanotherpeople，"hepersisted。
Noraseemedtodecidesuddenlythattherewouldbenoaccomplishmentinflyingdesperatelyagainstthisrock-walledconviction。"Oh，well，"shesaid，withmarvellousgoodnature，"perhapsyouareright，numbskull。But，lookhere；doyouthinkshecaresforhim？"
Inhisheart，hisjealousheart，hebelievedthatMarjorylovedColeman，buthereiteratedeternallytohimselfthatitwasnottrue。Asforspeakingitto，another，thatwasoutofthequestion。"No，"hesaid，stoutly，"shedoesn\'tcareasnapforhim。"Ifhehadadmittedit，itwouldhaveseemedtohimthat。
hewassomehowadvancingColeman\'schances。
"\'Oh，shedoesn\'t，eh？"saidNoraenigmatically。
"Shedoesn\'t？"Hestudiedherfacewithanabrupt，miserablesuspicion，butherepeateddoggedly:"No，shedoesn\'t。"
"Ahem，"repliedNora。"Why，she\'ssethercapforhimallright。She\'safterhimforcertain。It\'sasplainasday。Can\'tyouseethat，stupidity？"
"No，"hesaidhoarsely。
"Youareafool，"saidNora。"Itisn\'tColemanthat\'safterher。ItisshethatisafterColeman。"
Cokewasmulish。"Nosuchthing。Coleman\'scrazyabouther。Everybodyhasknowniteversincehewasincollege。Youaskanyoftheotherfellows。"
Norawasnowveryserious，almostdoleful。Sheremainedstillforatime，castingatCokelittleglancesofhatred。"Idon\'tseemywaycleartoaskanyoftheotherfellows，"shesaidatlast，withconsiderablebitterness。"I\'mnotinthehabitofconductingsuchenquiries。"
Cokefeltnowthathedislikedher，andhereadplainlyherdislikeofhim。Iftheywerethetwovillainsoftheplay，theywerenothavingfuntogetheratall。Eachhadsomekindofadeepknowledgethattheiraspirations，farfromcolliding，wereofsuchcharacterthatthesuccessofonewouldmeanatleastassistancetotheother，butneithercouldseehowtoconfessif。Pethaptitwasfromshame，perhapsitwasbecauseNorathoughtCoketohavelittlewit；
perhapsitwasbecauseCokethoughtNoratohavelittleconscience。Theirtalkwasmainlyrudderless。
FromtimetotimeNorahadaninspirationtocomeboldlyatthepoint，butthisinspirationwascommonlydefeatedby，someextraordinarymanifestationofCoke\'sincapacity。Tohermind，then，itseemedlikeapropositiontoallyherselftoabutcher-boyinamatterpurelysentimental。SheWonderedindignantlyhowshewasgoingtoconspireWiththislad，whopuffedouthisinfantilecheeksinordertoconceitedlydemonstratethathedidnotunderstandthegameatall。ShehatedMarjoryforit。Evidentlyitwasonlytheweaklingswhofellinlovewiththatgirl。
Colemanwasanexception，butthen，Colemanwasmisled，byextraordinaryartifices。ShemeditatecfforamomentifsheshouldtellCoketogohomeandnotbotherher。Whatatlastdecidedthequestionwashisunhappiness。Shdclungtothisunhappinessforitsvalueasitstoodalone，andbecauseitsreasonforexistencewasrelatedtoherownunhappiness。"YouSayyouarenotgoingbacktoAthenswithyourparty。
Idon\'tsupposeyou\'regoingtostayhere。I\'mgoingbacktoAthensto-day。Icameupheretoseeabattle，butitdoesn\'tseemthattherearetobeanymorebattles。，Thefightingwillnowallbeontheothersideof\'themountains。"ApparentshehadlearnedinsomehaphazardwaythattheGreekpeninsulawasdividedbyaspineofalmostinaccessiblemountains，andthewarwasthussplitintotwosimultaneouscampaigns。TheArtacampaignwasknowntobeended。"IfyouwanttogobacktoAthenswithoutconsortingwithyourfriends，youhadbettergobackwithme。Icantakeyouinmycarriageasfarasthebeginningoftherailroad。Don\'tyouworry。
You\'vegotmoneyenough，haven\'tyou？Thepro-
fessorisn\'tkeepingyourmoney？"
"Yes，"hesaidslowly，"I\'vegotmoneyenough。"
Hewasapparentlydubiousovertheproposal。
IntheirabstractedwalktheyhadarrivedinfrontofthehouseoccupiedbyColemanandtheWainwrightparty。Twocarriages，forlornindustyage，stoodbe-
forethedoor。Menwerecarryingoutnewleatherluggageandflingingitintothetrapsamidagreatdealoftalkwhichseemedtorefertonothing。NoraandCokestoodlookingatthescenewithouteitherthinkingoftheimportanceofrunningaway，whenouttumbledsevenstudents，followedimmediatelybutinmoredecorousfashionbytheWainwrightsandColeman。
Somestudentsetupawhoop。"Oh，thereheis。
There\'sCoke。Hey，Coke，whereyoubeen？Hereheis，professor。"
Foramomentafterthehoodlumhadsubsided，thetwocampsstaredateachotherinsilence。
CHAPTERXX。
NORAandCokewereanoddlookingpairatthetime。Theystoodindeedasifrootedtothespot，staringvacuously，liketwovillagers，atthesurprisingtravellers。Itwasnotaneternitybeforethepracticedgirlofthestagerecoveredherpoise，buttotheendoftheincidentthegreenyouthlookedlikeaculpritandafool。Mrs。Wainwright\'sglowerofoffensiveincredulitywasamasterpiece。Marjorynoddedpleasantly；theprofessornodded。Thesevenstudentsclamberedboisterouslyintotheforwardcarriagemakingitclangwithnoiselikearook\'snest。TheyshoutedtoCoke。"Comeon；allaboard；comeon，Coke；-we\'reoff。Hey，there，Cokey，hurryup。"
Theprofessor，assoonashehadseatedhimselfontheforwardseatof\'thesecondcarriage，turnedinCoke\'sgeneraldirectionandaskedformally:"Mr。
Coke，youarecomingwithus？"Hefeltseeminglymuchindoubtastotheproprietyofabandoningtheheadstrongyoungman，andthisdoubtwasnotatalldecreasedbyCoke\'sappearancewithNoraBlack。Asfarashecouldtell，anyassertionofauthorityonhispartwouldendonlyinasceneinwhichCokewouldprobablyinsulthimwithsomegrossviolationofcollegiateconduct。Asatfirsttheyoungmanmadenoreply，theprofessorafterwaitingspokeagain。
"Youunderstand，Mr。Coke，thatifyouseparateyourselffromthepartyyouencountermystrongestdisapproval，andifIdidnotfeelresponsibletothecollegeandyourfatherforyoursafejourneytoNewYorkI-Idon\'tknowbutwhatIwouldhaveyouex-
pelledbycableifthatwerepossible。"
AlthoughCokehadbeensilent，andNoraBlackhadhadtheappearanceofbeingsilent，inrealityshehadloweredherchinandwhisperedsidewaysandswiftly。
Shehadsaid:"Now，here\'syourtime。Decidequickly，anddon\'tlooksuchawoodenIndian。"
Cokepulledhimselftogetherwithavisibleeffort，andspoketotheprofessorfromaninspirationinwhichhehadnofaith。"Iunderstandmydutiestoyou，sir，perfectly。Ialsounderstandmydutytothecollege。ButIfailtoseewhereeitheroftheseobligationsrequiremetoaccepttheintroductionofobjectionablepeopleintotheparty。IfIoweadutytothecollegeandtoyou，Idon\'toweanytoColeman，and，asIunderstandit，Colemanwasnotintheoriginalplanofthisexpedition。Ifsuchhadbeenthecase，Iwouldnothavebeenhere。Ican\'ttellwhatthecollegemayseefittodo，butasformyfatherI
Ihavenodoubtofhowhewillviewit。"
ThefirstonetobeelectrifiedbythespeechwasCokehimself。Hesawwithakindofsub-consciousamazementthisvolleyofbird-shottakeeffectuponthefaceoftheoldprofessor。ThefaceofMarjoryflushedcrimsonasifhermindhadsprungtoafearthatifCokecoulddevelopabilityinthissingularfashionhemightsucceedinhumiliatingherfatherinthestreetinthepresenceofthesevenstudents，hermother，Colemanand-herself。Shehadfeltthebird-
shotstingherfather。
WhenCokehadlaunchedforth，Colemanwithhislegsstretchedfaraparthadjuststruckamatchonthewallofthehouseandwasabouttolightacigar。
Hisgroomwasleadinguphishorse。HesawthevalueofCoke\'sargumentmoreappreciativelyandsoonerperhapsthandidCoke。Thematchdroppedfromhisfingers，andinthewhitesunshineandstillairitburntonthepavementorangecolouredandwithlangour。Colemanheldhiscigarwithallfivefingers-inamanneroutofallthelawsofsmoking。
HeturnedtowardCoke。Therewasdangerinthemoment，buttheninaflashitcameuponhimthathisrolewasnotofsquabblingwithCoke，farlessofpunchinghim。Onthecontrary，hewastoactthepartofacoolandinstructedmanwhorefusedtobewaylaidintofoolishnessbytheoutcriesofthispoutingyoungsterandwhoplacedhimselfincompletedeferencetothewishesoftheprofessor。BeforetheprofessorhadtimetoembarkuponanyreplytoCoke，Colemanwasatthesideofthecarriageand，withafineassumptionofdistress，wassaying:"Professor，IcouldveryeasilyridebacktoAgrinionalone。Itwouldbeallright。Idon\'twantto-"
Tohissurprisetheprofessorwavedathimtobesilentasifhewereamerechild。Theoldman\'sfacewassetwiththeresolutionofexactlywhathewasgoingtosaytoCoke。Hebeganinmeasuredtone，speakingwithfeeling，butwithnotraceofanger。
"Mr。Coke，ithasprobablyescapedyourattentionthatMr。Coleman，atwhatIconsideragreatdealofperiltohimself，cameouttorescuethisparty-youandothers-andalthoughhestudiouslydisclaimsallmeritinhisfindingusandbringingusin，Idonotregarditinthatway，andIamsurprisedthatanymemberofthispartyshouldconducthimselfinthismannertowardamanwhohasbeenmostdevotedlyandgenerouslyatourservice。"ItwasatthistimethattheprofessorraisedhimselfandshookhisfingeratCoke，hisvoicenowringingwithscorn。Insuchmomentswordscametohimandformedthemselvesintosentencesalmosttoorapidlyforhimtospeakthem。"YouareoneofthemostremarkableproductsofourcivilisationwhichIhaveyetcomeupon。Whatdoyoumean，sir？Whereareyoursenses？Doyouthinkthatallthispullingandpuckingismanhood？IwilltellyouwhatIwilldowithyou。IthoughtIbroughtouteightstudentstoGreece，butwhenIfindthatIbroughtout，sevenstudentsand——er——an——ourang-outang——don\'tgetangry，sir——Idon\'tcareforyouranger——IsaywhenI
discoverthisIamnaturallypuzzledforamoment。I
willleaveyoutothejudgmentofyourpeers。Younggentlemen!"
Ofthesevenheadsoftheforwardcarriagenonehadtobeturned。Allhadbeenturnedsincethebeginningofthetalk。Iftheprofessor\'sspeechhadbeendeliveredinoneoftheclass-roomsofWashursttheywouldhaveglowedwithdelightoverthebutcheryofCoke，buttheyfeltitsportentousaspect。
ButcheryhereinGreecethousandsofmilesfromhomepresentedtothemmoreoftheemphasisofdownrightdeathanddestruction。Theprofessorcalledout"Younggentlemen，IhavedoneallthatI
candowithoutusingforce，which，muchtomyregret，isimpracticable。IfyouwillpersuadeyourfellowstudenttoaccompanyyouIthinkourconscienceswillbethebetterfornothavingleftaweakmindedbrotheraloneamongtheby-paths。"
Thevaluableaggregationofintelligenceandrefine-
mentwhichdecoratedtheinteriorofthefirstcarriagedidnothesitateoveransweringthisappeal。Infact，hisfellowstudentshadworriedamongthemselvesoverCoke，andtheirdesiretoseehimcomeoutofhistroublesinfairconditionwasintensifiedbythefactthattheyhadlatelyconcentratedmuchthoughtuponhim。TherewasasomewhatcomicpretenseofspeakingsothatonlyCokecouldhear。Theirchoruswaslawsung。"Oh，cheeseit，Coke。Letuponyour-self，youblindass。WaittillyougettoAthensandthengoandactlikeamonkey。Allthisisnogood-"
Theadvicewhichcamefromthecarriagewasallinonedirection，andtherewassomuchofitthatthehumofvoicessoundedlikeawindblowingthroughaforest。
CokespunsuddenlyandsaidsomethingtoNoraBlack。Noralaughedratherloudly，andthenthetwoturnedsquarelyandtheWainwrightpartycontemplatedwhatweresurelyatthattimethetwomostinsolentbacksintheworld。
Theprofessorlookedasifhemightbegoingtohaveafit。Mrs。Wainwrightliftedhereyestowardheaven，andflingingouthertremblinghands，cried:
"Oh，whatanoutrage。Whatanoutrage!Thatminx-"TheconcensusofopinioninthefirstcarriagewasperfectlyexpressedbyPeterTounley，whowithadeepdrawnbreath，said:"Well，I\'mdamned!"
Marjoryhadmoanedandloweredherheadasfromasenseofcompletepersonalshame。Colemanlithiscigarandmountedhishorse。"Well，Isupposethereisnothingforitbuttobeoff，professor？"Histonewasfullofregret，withsortofpoeticregret。Foramomenttheprofessorlookedathimblankly，andthengraduallyrecoveredpartofhisusualmanner。"Yes，"
hesaidsadly，"thereisnothingforitbuttogoon。"
Atawordfromthedragoman，thetwoimpatientdriversspokegutturallytotheirhorsesandthecar-
riageswhirledoutofArta。Coleman，hisdragomanandthegroomtrottedinthedustfromthewheelsoftheWainwrightcarriage。Thecorrespondentalwaysfoundhisreflectivefacultiesimprovedbytheconstantpoundingofahorseonthetrot，andhewasnotsorrytohavenowaperiodforreflection，aswellasthisartificialstimulant。Asheviewedthegamehehadinhishandaboutallthecardsthatwerevaluable。Infact，heconsideredthattheonlyaceagainsthimwasMrs。
Wainwright。Hehadalwaysregardedherasastupidperson，concealingherselfbehindamassoftrivialitieswhichwereallconventional，buthethoughtnowthatthemorestupidshewasandthemoreconventionalinhertrivialitythemoresheapproachedtobeingtheveryaceoftrumpsitself。Shewasjustthesortofacardthatwouldcomeuponthetablemidtheneatplayofexpertsandbysomeinexplicablearrangementofcircumstance，loseawholegameforthewrongman。
AfterMrs。Wainwrightheworriedoverthestudents。
Hebelievedthemtobereasonableenough；
infact，hehonouredthemdistinctlyinregardtotheirpowersofreason，butheknewthatpeoplegenerallyhatedarow。It，putthemofftheirbalance，madethemsweatoveralotofprosandcons，andpreventedthemfromthinkingforatimeatleastonlyofthemselves。
Thentheycametoresenttheprincipalsinarow。Ofcoursetheprincipal，whowasthoughttobeinthewrong，wasthemostrescnted，butColemanbe-
lievedthat，afterall，peoplealwayscametoresenttheotherprincipal，oratleastbeimpatientandsuspiciousofhim。Ifhewasacorrectperson，whywasheinarowatall？Theprincipalwhohadbeenintherightoftenbroughtthisimpatienceandsuspicionuponhimself，nodoubt，byneverlettingthematterend，continuingtoyawpabouthisvirtuoussuffering，andnotallowingpeopletoreturntothesteadycontemplationoftheirownaffairs。Asaprecautionarymeasurehedecidedtosaynothingatallaboutthelatetrouble，unlesssomeoneaddressedhimuponit。
Eventhenhewouldbeserenelylaconic。Hefeltthathemustbepopularwiththesevenstudents。Inthefirstplace，itwasnicethatinthepresenceofMarjorytheyshouldlikehim，andinthesecondplacehefearedtodispleasethemasabodybecausehebelievedthathehadsomedignity。Hoodlumsareseldomdangeroustootherhoodlums，butiftheycatchpomposityaloneinthefield，pomposityistheirprey。
Theytearhimtomerebloodyribbons，amidheartlessshrieks。WhenColemanputhimselfonthesamebasiswiththestudents，hecouldcopewiththemeasily，buthedidnotwantthewildpackafterhimwhenMarjorycouldseethechase。Andsoberea-
sonedthathisbestattitudewastobeoneofrathertaciturnserenity。
Onthehardmilitaryroadthehoofsofthehorsesmadesuchclatterthatitwaspracticallyimpossibletoholdtalkbetweenthecarriagesandthehorsemenwithoutallpartiesbellowing。Theprofessor，how-
ever，strovetoovercomethedifficulties。HewasapparentlyundergoingagreatamiabilitytowardColeman。Frequentlyheturnedwithabrightface，andpointingtosomeobjectinthelandscape，obviouslytriedtoconveysomethingentertainingtoColeman\'smind。Colemancouldseehislipsmouththewords。
Healwaysnoddedcheerilyinanswerandyelled。
Theroadultimatelybecamethatstraightlance-handlewhichColeman-itseemedasifmanyyearshadpassed-hadtraversedwithhisdragomanandthefunnylittlecarriers。HewasfixinginhismindapossiblestorytotheWainwrightsaboutthesnakeandhisfirstdeadTurk。ButsuddenlythecarriagesleftthisroadandbeganacircuitoftheGulfofArta，windingaboutanendlessseriesofpromontories。Thejourneydevelopedintoanexcessofdustwhirlingfromaroad，whichhalfcircledthewaistofcapeaftercape。
Alldramaticswerelostintherumbleofwheelsandintheclickofhoofs。Theypassedalittlesoldierleadingaprisonerbyastring。Theypassedmorefrightenedpeasants，whoseemedresolvedtofleedownintotheverybootsofGreece。Andpeoplelookedatthemwithscowls，envyingthemtheirspeed。AtthelittletownfromwhichColemanembarkedatonestageoftheupwardjourney，theyfoundcrowdsinthestreets。Therewasnolongeranylaughter，anyconfidence，anyvim。AllthespiritofthevisibleGreeknationseemedtohavebeenknockedoutofitintwoblows。Butstilltheytalkedandneverceasedtalking。
Colemannoticedthatthemostcuriouschangeshadcomeuponthemsincehisjourneytothefrontier。
Theynolongerapprovedofforeigners。Theyseemedtoblamethetravellersforsomethingwhichhadtranspiredinthepastfewdays。Itwasnotthattheyreallyblamedthetravellersforthenation\'scalamity:
Itwassimplythattheirmindswerehalfstunnedbythenewsofdefeats，and，notthinkingforamomenttoblamethemselves，orevennotthinkingtoattributethedefeatstomerenumbersandskill，theyweresavagelyeagertofastenituponsomethingnearenoughathandfortheoperationofvengeance。
