第6章

RubyfeltacrossthetableuntilCork”sfirmhandcloseduponhers。

“Areyouafraid，Eddie？“shewhispered。“Areyouafraidyou”llgetafreeride？“

“Nothin”doin”intheteeth-chatterin”line，“saidCork。“IguessRooney”sbeenslowwithhisenvelope。Don”tyouworry，girly；I”lllookoutforyouallright。”

YetMr。McManus”seasewasonlyskin-andmuscle-deep。WiththepolicelookingeverywhereforBuckMalone”sassailant，andwithCorriganstillontheoceanwave，hefeltthattobecaughtinapoliceraidwouldmeananendedcareerforhim。HewishedhehadremainedinthehighrearroomofthetrueCapuletreadingthepinkextras。

Rooneyseemedtohaveopenedthefrontdoorbelowandengagedthepoliceinconferenceinthedarkhall。Thewordlesslowgrowloftheirvoicescameupthestairway。Frankmadeawirelessnewsstationofhimselfattheupperdoor。Suddenlyheclosedthedoor，hurriedtotheextremerearoftheroomandlightedadimgasjet。

“Thisway，everybody！“hecalledsharply。“Inahurry；butnonoise，please！“

Theguestscrowdedinconfusiontotherear。Rooney”slieutenantswungopenapanelinthewall，overlookingthebackyard，revealingaladderalreadyplacedfortheescape。

“Downandout，everybody！“hecommanded。“Ladiesfirst！Lesstalking，please！Don”tcrowd！There”snodanger。”

Amongthelast，CorkandRubywaitedtheirturnattheopenpanel。

Suddenlysheswepthimasideandclungtohisarmfiercely。

“Beforewegoout，“shewhisperedinhisear”beforeanythinghappens，tellmeagain，Eddie，doyoul——doyoureallylikeme？“

“Onthedeadlevel，“saidCork，holdingherclosewithonearm，“whenitcomestoyou，I”mallin。”

Whentheyturnedtheyfoundtheywerelostandindarkness。Thelastofthefleeingcustomershaddescended。Halfwayacrosstheyardtheyboretheladder，stumbling，giggling，hurryingtoplaceitagainstadjoininglowbuildingovertheroofofwhichtheironlyroutetosafety。

“Wemayaswellsitdown，“saidCorkgrimly。“MaybeRooneywillstandthecopsoff，anyhow。”

Theysatatatable；andtheirhandscametogetheragain。

Anumberofmenthenenteredthedarkroom，feelingtheirwayabout。

Oneofthem，Rooneyhimself，foundtheswitchandturnedontheelectriclight。Theothermanwasacopoftheoldregime——abigcop，athickcop，afuming，abruptcop——notaprettycop。Hewentuptothepairatthetableandsneeredfamiliarlyatthegirl。

“Whatareyousedoin”inhere？“heasked。

“Droppedinforasmoke，“saidCorkmildly。

“Hadanydrinks？“

“Notlaterthanoneo”clock。”

“Getout——quick！“orderedthecop。Then，“Sitdown！“hecountermanded。

HetookoffCork”shatroughlyandscrutinizedhimshrewdly。

“Yourname”sMcManus。”

“Badguess，“saidCork。“It”sPeterson。”

“CorkMcManus，orsomethinglikethat，“saidthecop。“YouputaknifeintoamaninDutchMike”ssaloonaweekago。”

“Aw，forgetit！“saidCork，whoperceivedashadeofdoubtintheofficer”stones。“You”vegotmymugmixedwithsomebodyelse”s。”

“HaveI？Well，you”llcometothestationwithme，anyhow，andbelookedover。Thedescriptionfitsyouallright。”ThecoptwistedhisfingersunderCork”scollar。“Comeon！“heorderedroughly。

CorkglancedatRuby。Shewaspale，andherthinnostrilsquivered。Herquickeyedancedfromoneman”sfacetotheotherastheyspokeormoved。Whathardluck！Corkwasthinking——

Corriganonthebriny；andRubymetandlostalmostwithinanhour！Somebodyatthepolicestationwouldrecognizehim，withoutadoubt。Hardluck！

Butsuddenlythegirlsprangupandhurledherselfwithbotharmsextendedagainstthecop。HisholdonCork”scollarwasloosenedandhestumbledbacktwoorthreepaces。

“Don”tgosofast，Maguire！“shecriedinshrillfury。“Keepyourhandsoffmyman！Youknowme，andyouknowI”mgivin”yougoodadvice。Don”tyoutouchhimagain！He”snottheguyyouarelookin”for——I”llstandforthat。”

“Seehere，Fanny，“saidtheCop，redandangry，“I”lltakeyou，too，ifyoudon”tlookout！Howdoyouknowthisain”tthemanIwant？

Whatareyoudoinginherewithhim？“

“HowdoIknow？“saidthegirl，flamingredandwhitebyturns。

“BecauseI”veknownhimayear。He”smine。Oughtn”tItoknow？

AndwhatamIdoin”herewithhim？That”seasy。”

Shestoopedlowandreacheddownsomewhereintoaswirlofflirteddraperies，heliotropeandblack。Anelasticsnapped，shethrewonthetabletowardCorkafoldedwadofbills。Themoneyslowlystraighteneditselfwithlittleleisurelyjerks。

“Takethat，Jimmy，andlet”sgo，“saidthegirl。“I”mdeclarin”

theusualdividends，Maguire，“shesaidtotheofficer。“Youhadyourusualfive-dollargraftattheusualcorneratten。”

“Alie！“saidthecop，turningpurple。“YougoonmybeatagainandI”llarrestyoueverytimeIseeyou。”

“No，youwon”t，“saidthegirl。“AndI”lltellyouwhy。Witnessessawmegiveyouthemoneyto-night，andlastweek，too。I”vebeengettingfixedforyou。”

Corkputthewadofmoneycarefulyintohispocket，andsaid：“Comeon，Fanny；let”shavesomechopsueybeforewegohome。”

“Clearout，quick，bothofyou，orI”ll”

Thecop”sblustertrailedawayintoinconsequentiality。

Atthecornerofthestreetthetwohalted。Corkhandedbackthemoneywithoutaword。Thegirltookitandslippeditslowlyintoherhand-bag。HerexpressionwasthesameshehadwornwhensheenteredRooney”sthatnight——shelookedupontheworldwithdefiance，suspicionandsullenwonder。

“IguessImightaswellsaygood-byehere，“shesaiddully。“Youwon”twanttoseemeagain，ofcourse。Willyou——shakehands——

Mr。McManus。”

“Imightn”thavegotwiseifyouhadn”tgivethesnapaway，“saidCork。“Whydidyoudoit？“

“You”dhavebeenpinchedifIhadn”t。That”swhy。Ain”tthatreasonenough？“Thenshebegantocry。“Honest，Eddie，Iwasgoin”tobethebestgirlintheworld。IhatedtobewhatIam；

Ihatedmen；IwasreadyalmosttodiewhenIsawyou。Andyouseemeddifferentfromeverybodyelse。AndwhenIfoundyoulikedme，too，why，IthoughtI”dmakeyoubelieveIwasgood，andIwasgoin”tobegood。Whenyouaskedtocometomyhouseandseeme，why，I”dhavediedratherthandoanythingwrongafterthat。Butwhat”stheuseoftalkingaboutit？I”llsaygood-by，ifyouwill，Mr。McManus。”

Corkwaspullingathisear。“IknifedMalone，“saidhe。“Iwastheonethecopwanted。”

“Oh，that”sallright，“saidthegirllistlessly。“Itdidn”tmakeanydifferenceaboutthat。”

“ThatwasallhotairaboutWallStreet。Idon”tdonothin”buthangoutwithatoughgangontheEastSide。”

“Thatwasallright，too，“repeatedthegirl。“Itdidn”tmakeanydifference。”

Corkstraightenedhimself，andpulledhishatdownlow。“IcouldgetajobatO”Brien”s，“hesaidaloud，buttohimself。

“Good-by，“saidthegirl。

“Comeon，“saidCork，takingherarm。“Iknowaplace。”

Twoblocksawayheturnedwithherupthestepsofaredbrickhousefacingalittlepark。

“Whathouseisthis？“sheasked，drawingback。“Whyareyougoinginthere？“

Astreetlampshonebrightlyinfront。Therewasabrassnameplateatonesideoftheclosedfrontdoors。Corkdrewherfirmlyupthesteps。“Readthat，“saidhe。

Shelookedatthenameontheplate，andgaveacrybetweenamoanandascream。“No，no，no，Eddie！Oh，myGod，no！Iwon”tletyoudothat——notnow！Letmego！Youshan”tdothat！Youcan”t——youmus”n”t！Notafteryouknow！No，no！Comeawayquick！Oh，myGod！

Please，Eddie，come！“

Halffainting，shereeled，andwascaughtinthebendofhisarm。

Cork”srighthandfeltfortheelectricbuttonandpresseditlong。

Anothercop——howquicklytheyscenttroublewhentroubleisonthewing！——camealong，sawthem，andranupthesteps。“Here！Whatareyoudoingwiththatgirl？“hecalledgruffly。

“She”llbeallrightinaminute，“saidCork。“It”sastraightdeal。”

“ReverendJeremiahJones，“readthecopfromthedoor-platewithtruedetectivecunning。

“Correct，“saidCork。“Onthedeadlevel，we”regoin”togetmarried。”

XXI

THEVENTURERS

Letthestorywreckitselfonthespreadingrailsofthe_NonSequitur_

Limited，ifitwill；firstyoumusttakeyourseatintheobservationcar“_Raisond”^etre_“foronemoment。Itisfornolongerthantoconsiderabriefessayonthesubject——letuscallit：“What”sAroundtheCorner。”

_Omnemundusinduaspartesdivisumest_——menwhowearrubbersandpaypoll-taxes，andmenwhodiscovernewcontinents。Therearenomorecontinentstodiscover；butbythetimeovershoesareoutofdateandthepollhasdevelopedintoanincometax，theotherhalfwillbeparallelingthecanalsofMarswithradiumrailways。

Fortune，Chance，andAdventurearegivenassynonymousinthedictionaries。Totheknowingeachhasadifferentmeaning。

Fortuneisaprizetobewon。Adventureistheroadtoit。Chanceiswhatmaylurkintheshadowsattheroadside。ThefaceofFortuneisradiantandalluring；thatofAdventureisflushedandheroic。ThefaceofChanceisthebeautifulcountenance——perfectbecausevagueanddream-born——thatweseeinourtea-cupsatbreakfastwhilewegrowloverourchopsandtoast。

TheVENTURERisonewhokeepshiseyeonthehedgerowsandwaysidegrovesandmeadowswhilehetravelstheroadtoFortune。ThatisthedifferencebetweenhimandtheAdventurer。EatingtheforbiddenfruitwasthebestrecordevermadebyaVenturer。TryingtoprovethatithappenedisthehighestworkoftheAdventuresome。Tobeeitherisdisturbingtothecosmogonyofcreation。So，asbracket-

sawedandcity-directoriedcitizens，letuslightourpipes，chidethechildrenandthecat，arrangeourselvesinthewillowrockerundertheflickeringgasjetatthecoolestwindowandscanthislittletaleoftwomodernfollowersofChance。

“DidyoueverhearthatstoryaboutthemanfromtheWest？“askedBillinger，inthelittledark-oakroomtoyourleftasyoupenetratetheinteriorofthePowhatanClub。

“Doubtless，“saidJohnReginaldForster，risingandleavingtheroom。

Forstergothisstrawhat(strawswillbeinandmaybeoutagainlongbeforethisisprinted)fromthecheckroomboy，andwalkedoutoftheair(asHamletsays)。Billingerwasusedtohavinghisstoriesinsultedandwouldnotmind。Forsterwasinhisfavoritemoodandwantedtogoawayfromanywhere。Aman，inordertogetongoodtermswithhimself，musthavehisopinionscorroboratedandhismoodsmatchedbysomeoneelse。(Ihadwrittenthat“somebody“；butanA。D。T。boywhooncetookatelegramformepointedoutthatIcouldsavemoneybyusingthecompoundword。

Thisisaviceversacase)。

Forster”sfavoritemoodwasthatofgreatlydesiringtobeafollowerofChance。HewasaVenturerbynature，butconvention，birth，traditionandthenarrowinginfluencesofthetribeofManhattanhaddeniedhimfullprivilege。Hehadtroddenallthemain-traveledthoroughfaresandmanyofthesideroadsthataresupposedtorelievethetediumoflife。Butnonehadsufficed。Thereasonwasthatheknewwhatwastobefoundattheendofeverystreet。Heknewfromexperienceandlogicalmostpreciselytowhatendeachdigressionfromroutinemustlead。Hefoundadepressingmonotonyinallthevariationsthatthemusicofhisspherehadgrafteduponthetuneoflife。Hehadnotlearnedthat，althoughtheworldwasmaderound，thecirclehasbeensquared，andthatit”strueinterestistobein“What”sAroundtheCorner。”

ForsterwalkedabroadaimlesslyfromthePowhatan，tryingnottotaxeitherhisjudgmentorhisdesireastowhatstreetshetraveled。

Hewouldhavebeengladtolosehiswayifitwerepossible；buthehadnohopeofthat。AdventureandFortunemoveatyourbeckandcallintheGreaterCity；butChanceisoriental。Sheisaveiledladyinasedanchair，protectedbyaspecialtrafficsquadofdragonians。Crosstown，uptown，anddowntownyoumaymovewithoutseeingher。

Attheendofanhour”sstroll，Forsterstoodonacornerofabroad，smoothavenue，lookingdisconsolatelyacrossitatapicturesqueoldhotelsoftlybutbrilliantlylit。Disconsolately，becauseheknewthathemustdine；anddininginthathotelwasnoventure。Itwasoneofhisfavoritecaravansaries，andsosilentandswiftwouldbetheserviceandsodelicatelychoicethefood，thatheregrettedthehungerthatmustbeappeasedbythe“deadperfection“oftheplace”scuisine。Eventhemusicthereseemedtobealwaysplaying_dacapo_。

Fancycametohimthathewoulddineatsomecheap，evendubious，restaurantlowerdowninthecity，wheretheerraticchefsfromallcountriesoftheworldspreadtheirnationalcookeryfortheomnivorousAmerican。Somethingmighthappenthereoutoftheroutine——hemightcomeuponasubjectwithoutapredicate，aroadwithoutanend，aquestionwithoutananswer，acausewithoutaneffect，agulfstreaminlife”ssaltocean。Hehadnotdressedforevening；heworeadarkbusinesssuitthatwouldnotbequestionedevenwherethewaitersservedthespaghettiintheirshirtsleeves。

SoJohnReginaldForsterbegantosearchhisclothesformoney；

becausethemorecheaplyyoudine，themoresurelymustyoupay。

Allofthethirteenpockets，largeandsmall，ofhisbusinesssuitheexploredcarefullyandfoundnotapenny。HisbankbookshowedabalanceoffivefigurestohiscreditintheOldIronsidesTrustCompany，but——

Forsterbecameawareofamannearbyathislefthandwhowasreallyregardinghimwithsomeamusement。helookedlikeanybusinessmanofthirtyorso，neatlydressedandstandingintheattitudeofonewaitingforastreetcar。Buttherewasnocarlineonthatavenue。

SohisproximityandunconcealedcuriosityseemedtoForstertopartakeofthenatureofapersonalintrusion。But，ashewasaconsistentseekerafter“What”sAroundtheCorner，“insteadofmanifestingresentmentheonlyturnedahalf-embarrassedsmileupontheother”sgrinofamusement。

“Allin？“askedtheintruder，drawingnearer。

“Seemsso，“saidForster。“Now，Ithoughttherewasadollarin”

“Oh，Iknow，“saidtheotherman，withalaugh。“Buttherewasn”t。

I”vejustbeenthroughthesameprocessmyself，asIwascomingaroundthecorner。Ifoundinanuppervestpocket——Idon”tknowhowtheygotthere——exactlytwopennies。Youknowwhatkindofadinnerexactlytwopennieswillbuy！“

“Youhaven”tdined，then？“askedForster。

“Ihavenot。ButIwouldliketo。Now，I”llmakeyouaproposition。

Youlooklikeamanwhowouldtakeupone。Yourclotheslookneatandrespectable。Excusepersonalities。Ithinkminewillpassthescrutinyofaheadwaiter，also。Supposewegoovertothathotelanddinetogether。Wewillchoosefromthemenulikemillionaires——or，ifyouprefer，likegentlemeninmoderatecircumstancesdiningextravagantlyforonce。Whenwehavefinishedwewillmatchwithmytwopenniestoseewhichofuswillstandthebruntofthehouse”sdispleasureandvengeance。MynameisIves。Ithinkwehavelivedinthesamestationoflife——beforeourmoneytookwings。”

“You”reon，“saidForster，joyfully。

HerewasaventureatleastwithinthebordersofthemysteriouscountryofChange——anyhow，itpromisedsomethingbetterthanthestaleinfestivityofatabled”h^ote。

Thetwoweresoonseatedatacornertableinthehoteldiningroom。IveschuckedoneofhispenniesacrossthetabletoForster。

“Matchforwhichofusgivestheorder，“hesaid。

Forsterlost。

Iveslaughedandbegantonameliquidsandviandstothewaiterwiththeabsorbedbutcalmdeliberationofonewhowastothemenuborn。Forster，listening，gavehisadmiringapprovaloftheorder。

“Iamaman，“saidIves，duringtheoysters，“Whohasmadealifetimesearchaftertheto-be-continued-in-our-next。Iamnotliketheordinaryadventurerwhostrikesforacovetedprize。NoryetamIlikeagamblerwhoknowsheiseithertowinorloseacertainsetstake。WhatIwantistoencounteranadventuretowhichIcanpredictnoconclusion。ItisthebreathofexistencetometodareFateinitsblindestmanifestations。Theworldhascometorunsomuchbyroteandgravitationthatyoucanenteruponhardlyanyfootpathofchanceinwhichyoudonotfindsignboardsinformingyouofwhatyoumayexpectatitsend。IamliketheclerkintheCircumlocutionOfficewhoalwayscomplainedbitterlywhenanyonecameintoaskinformation。”Hewantedto_know_，youknow！”wasthekickhemadetohisfellow-clerks。Well，Idon”twanttoknow，Idon”twanttoreason，Idon”twanttoguess——Iwanttobetmyhandwithoutseeingit。”

“Iunderstand，“saidForsterdelightedly。“I”veoftenwantedthewayIfeelputintowords。You”vedoneit。Iwanttotakechancesonwhat”scoming。SupposewehaveabottleofMosellewiththenextcourse。”

“Agreed，“saidIves。“I”mgladyoucatchmyidea。Itwillincreasetheanimosityofthehousetowardtheloser。Ifitdoesnotwearyyou，wewillpursuethetheme。OnlyafewtimeshaveImetatrueventurer——onewhodoesnotaskascheduleandmapfromFatewhenhebeginsajourney。But，astheworldbecomesmorecivilizedandwiser，themoredifficultitistocomeuponanadventuretheendofwhichyoucannotforesee。IntheElizabethandaysyoucouldassaultthewatch，wringknockersfromdoorsandhaveajollyset-towiththebladesinanyconvenientangleofawalland”getawaywithit。”

Nowadays，ifyouspeakdisrespectfullytoapoliceman，allthatislefttothemostromanticfancyistoconjectureinwhatparticularpolicestationhewilllandyou。”

“Iknow——Iknow，“saidForster，noddingapproval。

“IreturnedtoNewYorkto-day，“continuedIves，“fromathreeyears”

ramblearoundtheglobe。Thingsarenotmuchbetterabroadthantheyareathome。Thewholeworldseemstobeoverrunbyconclusions。Theonlythingthatinterestsmegreatlyisapremise。I”vetriedshootingbiggameinAfrica。Iknowwhatanexpressriflewilldoatsomanyyards；andwhenanelephantorarhinocerosfallstothebullet，I

enjoyitaboutasmuchasIdidwhenIwaskeptinafterschooltodoasuminlongdivisionontheblackboard。”

“Iknow——Iknow，“saidForster。

“Theremightbesomethinginaeroplanes，“wentonIves，reflectively。

“I”vetriedballooning；butitseemstobemerelyacut-and-driedaffairofwindandballast。”

“Women，“suggestedForster，withasmile。

“Threemonthsago，“saidIves。“IwaspotteringaroundinoneofthebazaarsinConstantinople。Inoticedalady，veiled，ofcourse，butwithapairofespeciallyfineeyesvisible，whowasexaminingsomeamberandpearlornamentsatoneofthebooths。Withherwasanattendant——abigNubian，asblackascoal。Afterawhiletheattendantdrewnearertomebydegreesandslippedascrapofpaperintomyhand。IlookedatitwhenIgotachance。Onitwasscrawledhastilyinpencil：”ThearchedgateoftheNghtingaleGardenatnineto-night。”Doesthatappeartoyoutobeaninterestingpremise，Mr。Forster？“

“ImadeinquiriesandlearnedthattheNightingaleGardenwasthepropertyofanoldTurk——agrandvizier，orsomethingofthesort。

OfcourseIprospectedforthearchedgateandwasthereatnine。

ThesameNubianattendantopenedthegatepromptlyontime，andIwentinsideandsatonabenchbyaperfumedfountainwiththeveiledlady。Wehadquiteanextendedchat。ShewasMyrtleThompson，aladyjournalist，whowaswritinguptheTurkishharemsforaChicagonewspaper。ShesaidshenoticedtheNewYorkcutofmyclothesinthebazaarandwonderedifIcouldn”tworksomethingintothemetropolitanpapersaboutit。”

“Isee，“saidForster。“Isee。”

“I”vecanoedthroughCanada，“saidIves，“downmanyrapidsandovermanyfalls。ButIdidn”tseemtogetwhatIwantedoutofitbecauseIknewtherewereonlytwopossibleoutcomes——Iwouldeithergotothebottomorarriveatthesealevel。I”veplayedallgamesatcards；butthemathematicianshavespoiledthatsportbycomputingthepercentages。I”vemadeacquaintancesontrains，I”veansweredadvertisements，I”verungstrangedoor-bells，I”vetakeneverychancethatpresenteditself；buttherehasalwaysbeentheconventionalending——thelogicalconclusiontothepremise。”

“Iknow，“repeatedForster。“I”vefeltitall。ButI”vehadfewchancestotakemychanceatchances。Isthereanylifesodevoidofimpossibilitiesaslifeinthiscity？Thereseemstobeamyriadofopportunitiesfortestingtheundeterminable；butnotoneinathousandfailstolandyouwhereyouexpectedittostop。Iwishthesubwaysandstreetcarsdisappointedoneasseldom。”

“Thesunhasrisen，“saidIves，“ontheArabiannights。Therearenomorecaliphs。Thefisherman”svaseisturnedtoavacuumbottle，warrantedtokeepanygenieboilingorfrozenforforty-eighthours。

Lifemovesbyrote。Sciencehaskilledadventure。TherearenomoreopportunitiessuchasColumbusandthemanwhoatethefirstoysterhad。Theonlycertainthingisthatthereisnothinguncertain。”

“Well，“saidForster，“myexperiencehasbeenthelimitedoneofacityman。Ihaven”tseentheworldasyouhave；butitseemsthatweviewitwiththesameopinion。But，ItellyouIamgratefulforeventhislittleventureofoursintothebordersofthehaphazard。

Theremaybeatleastonebreathlessmomentwhenthebillforthedinnerispresented。Perhaps，afterall，thepilgrimswhotraveledwithoutscriporpursefoundakeenertastetolifethandidtheknightsoftheRoundTablewhorodeabroadwitharetinueandKingArthur”scertifiedchecksintheliningoftheirhelmets。Andnow，ifyou”vefinishedyourcoffee，supposewematchoneofyourinsufficientcoinsfortheimpendingblowofFate。WhathaveI

up？“

“Heads，“calledIves。

“Headsitis，“saidForster，liftinghishand。“Ilose。Weforgottoagreeuponaplanforthewinnertoescape。Isuggestthatwhenthewaitercomesyoumakearemarkabouttelephoningtoafriend。

Iwillholdthefortandthedinnerchecklongenoughforyoutogetyourhatandbeoff。Ithankyouforaneveningoutoftheordinary，Mr。Ives，andwishwemighthaveothers。”

“Ifmymemoryisnotatfault，“saidIves，laughing，“thenearestpolicestationisinMacDougalStreet。Ihaveenjoyedthedinner，too，letmeassureyou。”

Forstercrookedhisfingerforthewaiter。Victor，withalocomotiveeffortthatseemedtoowemoretopneumaticsthantopedestrianism，glidedtothetableandlaidthecard，facedownward，bytheloser”scup。Forstertookitupandaddedthefigureswithdeliberatecare。

Ivesleanedbackcomfortablyinhischair。

“Escuseme，“saidForster；“butIthoughyouweregoingtoringGrimesaboutthattheatrepartyforThursdaynight。Hadyouforgottenaboutit？“

“Oh，“saidIves，settlinghimselfmorecomfortably，“Icandothatlateron。Getmeaglassofwater，waiter。”

“Wanttobeinatthedeath，doyou？“askedForster。

“Ihopeyoudon”tobject，“saidIves，pleadingly。“NeverinmylifehaveIseenagentlemanarrestedinapublicrestaurantforswindlingitoutofadinner。”

“Allright，“saidForster，calmly。“YouareentitledtoseeaChristiandieinthearenaasyour_pousse-caf”e_。”

Victorcamewiththeglassofwaterandremained，withthedisengagedairofaninexorablecollector。

Forsterhesitatedforfifteenseconds，andthentookapencilfromhispocketandscribbledhisnameonthedinnercheck。Thewaiterbowedandtookitaway。

“Thefactis，“saidForster，withalittleembarrassedlaugh，“IdoubtwhetherI”mwhattheycalla”gamesport”whichmeansthesameasa”soldierofFortune。”I”llhavetomakeaconfession。I”vebeendiningatthishoteltwoorthreetimesaweekformorethanayear。

Ialwayssignmychecks。”Andthen，withanoteofappreciationinhisvoice：“Itwasfirst-rateofyoutostaytoseemethroughwithitwhenyouknewIhadnomoney，andthatyoumightbescoopedin，too。”

“IguessI”llconfess，too，“saidIves，withagrin。“Iownthehotel。

Idon”trunit，ofcourse，butIalwayskeepasuiteonthethirdfloorformyusewhenIhappentostrayintotown。”

Hecalledawaiterandsaid：“IsMr。Gilmorestillbehindthedesk？

Allright。TellhimthatMr。Ivesishere，andaskhimtohavemyroomsmadereadyandaired。”

“Anotherventurecutshortbytheinevitable，“saidForster。“Isthereaconundrumwithoutananswerinthenextnumber？Butlet”sholdtooursubjectjustforaminuteortwo，ifyouwill。Itisn”toftenthatImeetamanwhounderstandstheflawsIpickinexistence。

Iamengagedtobemarriedamonthfromto-day。”

“Ireservecomment，“saidIves。

“Right；Iamgoingtoaddtotheassertion。Iamdevotedlyfondofthelady；butIcan”tdecidewhethertoshowupatthechurchormakeasneakforAlaska。It”sthesameidea，youknow，thatwewerediscussing——itdoesforafellowasfaraspossibilitiesareconcerned。Everybodyknowstheroutine——yougetakissflavoredwithCeylonteaafterbreakfast；yougototheoffice；youcomebackhomeanddressfordinner——theatretwiceaweek——bills——mopingaroundmosteveningstryingtomakeconversation——alittlequarreloccasionally——maybesometimesabigone，andaseparation——orelseasettlingdownintoamiddle-agedcontentment，whichisworstofall。”

“Iknow，“saidIves，noddingwisely。

“It”sthedeadcertaintyofthething，“wentonForster，“thatkeepsmeindoubt。There”llnevermorebeanythingaroundthecorner。”

“Nothingafterthe”LittleChurch”“saidIves。“Iknow。”

“Understand，“saidForster，“thatIaminnodoubtastomyfeelingstowardthelady。ImaysaythatIlovehertrulyanddeeply。Butthereissomethinginthecurrentthatrunsthroughmyveinsthatcriesoutagainstanyformofthecalculable。IdonotknowwhatIwant；butIknowthatIwantit。I”mtalkinglikeanidiot，I

suppose，butI”msureofwhatImean。”

“Iunderstandyou，“saidIves，withaslowsmile。“Well，IthinkI

willbegoinguptomyroomsnow。Ifyouwoulddinewithmehereoneeveningsoon，Mr。Forster，I”dbeglad。”

“Thursday？“suggestedForster。

“Atseven，ifit”sconvenient，“answeredIves。

“Sevengoes，“assentedForster。

Athalft-pasteightIvesgotintoacabandwasdriventoanumberinoneofthecorrectWestSeventies。Hiscardadmittedhimtothereceptionroomofanold-fashionedhouseintowhichthespiritsofFortune，ChanceandAdventurehadneverdaredtoenter。OnthewallsweretheWhistleretchings，thesteelengravingsbyOh-what”s-

his-name？，thestill-lifepaintingsofthegrapesandgardentruckwiththewatermelonseedsspilledonthetableasnaturalaslife，andtheGreuzehead。Itwasahousehold。Therewasevenbrassandirons。Onatablewasanalbum，half-morocco，withoxidized-

silverprotectionsonthecornersofthelids。Aclockonthemanteltickedloudly，withawarningclickatfiveminutestonine。Iveslookedatitcuriously，rememberingatime-pieceinhisgrandmother”shomethatgavesuchawarning。

AndthendownthestairsandintotheroomcameMaryMarsden。Shewastwenty-four，andIleavehertoyourimagination。ButImustsaythismuch——youthandhealthandsimplicityandcourageandgreenish-violeteyesarebeautiful，andshehadallthese。ShegaveIvesherhandwiththesweetcordialityofanoldfriendship。

“Youcan”tthinkwhatapleasureitis，“shesaid，“tohaveyoudropinonceeverythreeyearsorso。”

Forhalfanhourtheytalked。IconfessthatIcannotrepeattheconversation。Youwillfinditinbooksinthecirculatinglibrary。

Whenthatpartofitwasover，Marysaid：

“Anddidyoufindwhatyouwantedwhileyouwereabroad？“

“WhatIwanted？“saidIves。

“Yes。Youknowyouwerealwaysqueer。Evenasaboyyouwouldn”tplaymarblesorbaseballoranygamewithrules。Youwantedtodiveinwaterwhereyoudidn”tknowwhetheritwasteninchesortenfeetdeep。Andwhenyougrewupyouwerejustthesame。We”veoftentalkedaboutyourpeculiarways。”

“IsupposeIamanincorrigible，“saidIves。“Iamopposedtothedoctrineofpredestination，totheruleofthree，gravitation，taxation，andeverythingofthekind。Lifehasalwaysseemedtomesomethinglikeaserialstorywouldbeiftheyprintedaboveeachinstalmentasynopsisof_succeeding_chapters。”

Marylaughedmerrily。

“BobAmestoldusonce，“shesaid，“ofafunnythingyoudid。ItwaswhenyouandhewereonatrainintheSouth，andyougotoffatatownwhereyouhadn”tintendedtostopjustbecausethebrakemanhungupasignintheendofthecarwiththenameofthenextstationonit。”

“Iremember，“saidIves。“That”nextstation”hasbeenthethingI”vealwaystriedtogetawayfrom。”

“Iknowit，“saidMary。“Andyou”vebeenveryfoolish。Ihopeyoudidn”tfindwhatyouwantednottofind，orgetoffatthestationwheretherewasn”tany，orwhateveritwasyouexpectedwouldn”thappentoyouduringthethreeyearsyou”vebeenaway。”

“TherewassomethingIwantedbeforeIwentaway，“saidIves。

Marylookedinhiseyesclearly，withaslight，butperfectlysweetsmile。

“Therewas，“shesaid。“Youwantedme。Andyoucouldhavehadme，asyouverywellknow。”

Withoutreplying，Iveslethisgazewanderslowlyabouttheroom。

Therehadbeennochangeinitsincelasthehadbeeninit，threeyearsbefore。Hevividlyrecalledthethoughtsthathadbeeninhismindthen。Thecontentsofthatroomwereasfixedintheirway，astheeverlastinghills。Nochangewouldevercomethereexcepttheinevitableoneswroughtbytimeanddecay。Thatsilver-mountedalbumwouldoccupythatcornerofthattable，thosepictureswouldhangonthewalls，thosechairsbefoundintheirsameplaceseverymornandnoonandnightwhilethehouseholdhungtogether。Thebrassandironsweremonumentstoorderandstability。Herreandtherewererelicsofahundredyearsagowhichwerestilllivingmementosandwouldbeformanyyearstocome。Onegoingfromandcomingbacktothathousewouldneverneedtoforecastordoubt。Hewouldfindwhatheleft，andleavewhathefound。Theveiledlady，Chance，wouldneverliftherhandtotheknockerontheouterdoor。

Andbeforehimsattheladywhobelongedintheroom。Coolandsweetandunchangeableshewas。Sheofferednosurprises。Ifoneshouldpasshislifewithher，thoughshemightgrowwhite-hairedandwrinkled，hewouldneverperceivethechange。Threeyearshehadbeenawayfromher，andshewasstillwaitingforhimasestablishedandconstantasthehouseitself。Hewassurethatshehadoncecaredforhim。Itwastheknowledgethatshewouldalwaysdosothathaddrivenhimaway。Thushisthoughtsran。

“Iamgoingtobemarriedsoon，“saidMary。

OnthenextThursdayafternoonForstercamehurriedlytoIve”shotel。

“Oldman，“saidhe，“we”llhavetoputthatdinneroffforayearorso；I”mgoingabroad。Thesteamersailsatfour。Thatwasagreattalkwehadtheothernight，anditdecidedme。I”mgoingtoknockaroundtheworldandgetridofthatincubusthathasbeenweighingonbothyouandme——theterribledreadofknowingwhat”sgoingtohappen。I”vedoneonethingthathurtsmyconsciencealittle；butIknowit”sbestforbothofus。I”vewrittentotheladytowhomIwasengagedandexplainedeverything——toldherplainlywhyIwasleaving——thatthemonotonyofmatrimonywouldneverdoforme。Don”tyouthinkIwasright？“

“Itisnotformetosay，“answeredIves。“Goaheadandshootelephantsifyouthinkitwillbringtheelementofchanceintoyourlife。We”vegottodecidethesethingsforourselves。ButItellyouonething，Forster，I”vefoundtheway。I”vefoundoutthebiggesthazardintheworld——agameofchancethatneverisconcluded，aventurethatmayendinthehighestheavenortheblackestpit。Itwillkeepamanonedgeuntiltheclodsfallonhiscoffin，becausehewillneverknow——notuntilhislastday，andnotthenwillheknow。Itisavoaygewithoutarudderorcompass，andyoumustbecaptainandcrewandkeepwatch，everydayandnight，yourself，withnoonetorelieveyou。IhavefoundtheVENTURE。Don”tbotheryourselfaboutleavingMaryMarsden，Forster。Imarriedheryesterdayatnoon。”

XXII

THEDUEL

Thegods，lyingbesidetheirnectaron”Lympusandpeepingovertheedgeofthecliff，perceiveadifferenceincities。Althoughitwouldseemthattotheirvisiontownsmustappearaslargeorsmallant-hillswithoutspecialcharacteristics，yetitisnotso。

Studyingthehabitsofantsfrmsogreataheightshouldbebutamilddiversionwhencoupledwiththesoftdrinkthatmythologytellsusistheironlysolace。Butdoubtlesstheyhaveamusedthemselvesbythecomparisonofvillagesandtowns；anditwillbenonewstothem(nor，perhaps，tomanymortals)，thatinoneparticularityNewYorkstandsuniqueamongthecitiesoftheworld。ThisshallbethethemeofalittlestoryaddressedtothemanwhositssmokingwithhisSabbath-slipperedfeetonanotherchair，andtothewomanwhosnatchesthepaperforamomentwhileboilinggreensoranarcotizedbabyleavesherfree。WiththeseIlovetosituponthegroundandtellsadstoriesofthedeathofKings。

NewYorkCityisinhabitedby4，000，000mysteriousstrangers；thusbeatingBirdCentrebythreemillionsandhalfadozennine”s。Theycamehereinvariouswaysandformanyreasons——HendrikHudson，theartschools，greengoods，thestork，theannualdressmakers”

convention，thePennsylvaniaRailroad，loveofmoney，thestage，cheapexcursionrates，brains，personalcolumnads。，heavywalkingshoes，ambition，freighttrains——allthesehavehadahandinmakingupthepopulation。

ButeverymanJackwhenhefirstsetsfootonthestonesofManhattanhasgottofight。Hehasgottofightatonceuntileitherheorhisadversarywins。Thereisnorestingbetweenrounds，fortherearenorounds。Itissluggingfromthefirst。Itisafighttoafinish。

YouropponentistheCity。Youmustdobattlewithitfromthetimetheferry-boatlandsyouontheislanduntileitheritisyoursorithasconqueredyou。Itisthesamewhetheryouhaveamillioninyourpocketoronlythepriceofaweek”slodging。

ThebattleistodecidewhetheryoushallbecomeaNewYorkerorturntherankestoutlanderandPhilistine。Youmustbeoneortheother。Youcannotremainneutral。Youmustbefororagainst——

loverorenemy——bosomfriendoroutcast。And，oh，thecityisageneralinthering。Notonlybyblowsdoesitseektosubdueyou。

Itwoosyoutoitsheartwiththesubtletyofasiren。ItisacombinationofDelilah，greenChartreuse，Beethoven，chloralandJohnL。inhisbestdays。

Inothercitiesyoumaywanderandabideasastrangermanaslongasyouplease。YoumayliveinChicagountilyourhairwhitens，andbeacitizenandstillprateofbeansifBostonmotheredyou，andwithoutrebuke。YoumaybecomeacivicpillarinanyothertownbutKnickerbocker”s，andallthetimepubliclysneeringatitsbuildings，comparingthemwiththearchitectureofColonelTelfair”sresidenceinJackson，Miss。，whenceyouhail，andyouwillnotbesetupon。ButinNewYorkyoumustbeeitheraNewYorkeroraninvaderofamodernTroy，concealedinthewoodenhorseofyourconceitedprovincialism。AndthisdrearypreambleisonlytointroducetoyoutheunimportantfiguresofWilliamandJack。

TheycameoutoftheWesttogether，wheretheyhadbeenfriends。

Theycametodigtheirfortunesoutofthebigcity。

FatherKnickerbockermetthemattheferry，givingonearight-

handeronthenoseandtheotheranupper-cutwithhisleft，justtoletthemknowthatthefightwason。

Williamwasforbusiness；JackwasforArt。Bothwereyoungandambitious；sotheycounteredandclinched。IthinktheywerefromNebraskaorpossiblyMissouriorMinnesota。Anyhow，theywereoutforsuccessandscrapsandscads，andtheytackledthecityliketwoLochinvarswithbrassknucksandapullattheCityHall。

FouryearsafterwardWilliamandJackmetatluncheon。ThebusinessmanblewinlikeaMarchwind，hurledhissilkhatatawaiter，droppedintothechairthatwaspushedunderhim，seizedthebilloffare，andhadorderedasfarascheesebeforetheartisthadtimetodomorethannod。Afterthenodahumoroussmilecameintohiseyes。

“Billy，“hesaid，“you”redonefor。Thecityhasgobbledyouup。

Ithastakenyouandcutyoutoitspatternandstampedyouwithitsbrand。YouaresonearlyliketenthousandmenIhaveseento-daythatyoucouldn”tbepickedoutfromthemifitweren”tforyourlaundrymarks。”

“Camembert，“finishedWilliam。“What”sthat？Oh，you”vestillgotyourhammeroutforNewYork，haveyou？Well，littleoldNoisyville-on-the-Subwayisgoodenoughforme。It”sgivingmemine。And，say，IusedtothinktheWestwasthewholeroundworld——onlyslightlyflattenedatthepoleswheneverBryanran。

Iusedtoyellmyselfhoarseaboutthefreeexpense，andhangmyhatonthehorizon，andsaycuttingthingsinthegrocerytolittlesoapdrummersfromtheEast。ButI”dneverseenNewYork，then，Jack。Meforitfromtherathskellersup。SixthAvenueistheWesttomenow。HaveyouheardthisfellowCrusoesing？Thedesertisleforhim，Isay，butmywifemademego。GivemeMayIrwinorE。S。

Willardanytime。”

“PoorBilly，“saidtheartist，delicatelyfingeringacigarette。

“Youremember，whenwewereonourwaytotheEasthowwetalkedaboutthisgreat，wonderfulcity，andhowwemeanttoconqueritandneverletitgetthebestofus？Weweregoingtobejustthesamefellowswehadalwaysbeen，andneverletitmasterus。Ithasdownedyou，oldman。Youhavechangedfromamaverickintoabutterick。”

“Don”tseeexactlywhatyouaredrivingat，“saidWilliam。“Idon”twearanalpacacoatwithbluetrousersandaseersuckervestondressoccasions，likeIusedtodoathome。Youtalkaboutbeingcuttoapattern——well，ain”tthepatternallright？Whenyou”reinRomeyou”vegottodoastheDagoesdo。Thistownseemstometohaveotherallegedmetropolisesskinnedtoflagstations。AccordingtotherailroadscheduleI”vegotinmind，ChicagoandSaintJoandParis，France，areasteriskstops——whichmeansyouwavearedflagandgetoneveryotherTuesday。IlikethislittlesuburbofTarrytown-on-the-Hudson。There”ssomethingorsomebodydoingallthetime。I”mclearing$8，000ayearsellingautomaticpumps，andI”mlivinglikekings-up。Why，yesterday，IwasintroducedtoJohnW。Gates。Itookanautoridewithawineagent”ssister。

Isawtwomenrunoverbyastreetcar，andIseenEdnaMayplayintheevening。TalkabouttheWest，why，theothernightIwokeeverybodyupinthehotelhollaring。IdreamedIwaswalkingonaboardsidewalkinOshkosh。Whathaveyougotagainstthistown，Jack？There”sonlyonethinginitthatIdon”tcarefor，andthat”saferryboat。”

Theartistgazeddreamilyatthecartridgepaperonthewall。“Thistown，“saidhe，“isaleech。Itdrainsthebloodofthecountry。

Whoevercomestoitacceptsachallengetoaduel。Abandoningthefigureoftheleech，itisajuggernaut，aMoloch，amonstertowhichtheinnocence，thegenius，andthebeautyofthelandmustpaytribute。Handtohandeverynewcomermuststrugglewiththeleviathan。You”velost，Billy。Itshallneverconquerme。Ihateitasonehatessinorpestilenceor——thecolorworkinaten-centmagazine。Idespiseitsveryvastnessandpower。Ithasthepoorestmillionaires，thelittlestgreatmen，thelowestskyscrapers，thedolefulestpleasuresofanytownIeversaw。Ithascaughtyou，oldman，butIwillneverrunbesideitschariotwheels。ItglossesitselfastheChinamanglosseshiscollars。Givemethedomesticfinish。Icouldstandatownruledbywealthoroneruledbyanaristocracy；butthisisonecontrolledbyitslowestingredients。

Claimingculture，itisthecrudest；asseveratingitspre-eminence，itisthebasest；denyingalloutsidevaluesandvirtue，itisthenarrowest。GivemethepureandtheopenheartoftheWestcountry。

Iwouldgobackthereto-morrowifIcould。”

“Don”tyoulikethis_filetmgnon_？“saidWilliam。“Shucks，now，what”stheusetoknockthetown！It”sthegreatestever。I

couldn”tselloneautomaticpumpbetweenHarrisburgandTommyO”Keefe”ssaloon，inSacramento，whereIselltwentyhere。AndhaveyouseenSaraBernardtin”AndrewMack”yet？“

“Thetown”sgotyou，Billy，“saidJack。

“Allright，“saidWilliam。“I”mgoingtobuyacottageonLakeRonkonkomanextsummer。”

AtmidnightJackraisedhiswindowandsatclosetoit。Hecaughthisbreathatwhathesaw，thoughhehadseenandfeltitahundredtimes。

Farbelowandaroundlaythecitylikearaggedpurpledream。Theirregularhouseswerelikethebrokenexteriorsofcliffsliningdeepgulchesandwindingstreams。Someweremountainous；somelayinlong，desertca~nons。Suchwasthebackgroundofthewonderful，cruel，enchanting，bewildering，fatal，greatcity。Butintothisbackgroundwerecutmyriadsofbrilliantparallelogramsandcirclesandsquaresthroughwhichglowedmanycoloredlights。Andoutofthevioletandpurpledepthsascendedlikethecity”ssoulsoundsandodorsandthrillsthatmakeupthecivicbody。Therearosethebreathofgaietyunrestrained，oflove，ofhate，ofallthepassionsthatmancanknow。Therebelowhimlayallthings，goodorbad，thatcanbebroughtfromthefourcornersoftheearthtoinstruct，please，thrill，enrich，despoil，elevate，castdown，nurtureorkill。Thustheflavorofitcameuptohimandwentintohisblood。

Therewasaknockonhisdoor。Atelegramhadcomeforhim。ItcamefromtheWest，andthesewereitswords：

“Comebackandtheanswerwillbeyes。

“DOLLY。”

Hekepttheboywaitingtenminutes，andthenwrotethereply：

“Impossibletoleavehereatpresent。”Thenhesatatthewindowagainandletthecityputitscupofmandragoratohislipsagain。

Afterallitisn”tastory；butIwantedtoknowwhichoneoftheheroeswonthebattleagainstthecity。SoIwenttoaverylearnedfriendandlaidthecasebeforehim。Whathesaidwas：“Pleasedon”tbotherme；IhaveChristmaspresentstobuy。”

Sothereitrests；andyouwillhavetodecideforyourself。

XXIII

“WHATYOUWANT“

NighthadfallenonthatgreatandbeautifulcityknownasBagdad-

on-the-Subway。AndwiththenightcametheenchantedglamourthatbelongsnottoArabiaalone。Indifferentmasqueradethestreets，bazaarsandwalledhousesoftheoccidentalcityofromancewerefilledwiththesamekindoffolkthatsomuchinterestedourinterestingoldfriend，thelateMr。H。A。Rashid。

TheyworeclotheselevenhundredyearsnearertothelateststylesthanH。A。sawinoldBagdad；buttheywereaboutthesamepeopleunderneath。Withtheeyeoffaith，youcouldhaveseentheLittleHunchback，SinbadtheSailor，FitbadtheTailor，theBeautifulPersian，theone-eyedCalenders，AliBabaandFortyRobbersoneveryblock，andtheBarberandhisSixBrothers，andalltheoldArabiangangeasily。

Butletusrevenuetoourlambchops。

OldTomCrowleywasacaliph。Hehad$42，000，000inpreferredstocksandbondswithsolidgoldedges。Inthesetimes，tobecalledacaliphyoumusthavemoney。Theold-stylecaliphbusinessasconductedbyMr。Rashidisnotsafe。IfyouholdupapersonnowadaysinabazaaroraTurkishbathorasidestreet，andinquireintohisprivateandpersonalaffairs，thepolicecourt”llgetyou。

OldTomwastiredofclubs，theatres，dinners，friends，music，moneyandeverything。That”swhatmakesacaliph——youmustgettodespiseeverythingthatmoneycanbuy，andthengooutandtrytowantsomethingthatyoucan”tpayfor。

“I”lltakealittletrotaroundtownallbymyself，“thoughtoldTom，“andtryifIcanstirupanythingnew。Let”ssee——itseemsI”vereadaboutakingoraCardiffgiantorsomethinginoldtimeswhousedtogoaboutwithfalsewhiskerson，makingPersiandateswithfolkshehadn”tbeenintroducedto。Thatdon”tlistenlikeabadidea。IcertainlyhavegotacaseofhumdrumnessandfatigueonfortheonesIdoknow。ThatoldCardiffusedtopickupcasesoftroubleasheranupon”emandgive”emgold——sequins，Ithinkitwas——andmake”emmarryorgot”emgoodGovernmentjobs。Now，I”dlikesomethingofthatsort。MymoneyisasgoodashiswasevenifthemagazinesdoaskmeeverymonthwhereIgotit。Yes，IguessI”lldoalittleCardiffbusinessto-night，andseehowitgoes。”

Plainlydressed，oldTomCrowleylefthisMadisonAvenuepalace，andwalkedwestwardandthensouth。Ashesteppedtothesidewalk，Fate，whoholdstheendsofthestringsinthecentralofficesofalltheenchantedcitiespulledathread，andayoungmantwentyblocksawaylookedatawallclock，andthenputonhiscoat。

JamesTurnerworkedinoneofthoselittlehat-cleaningestablishmentsonSixthAvenueinwhichafirealarmsringswhenyoupushthedooropen，andwheretheycleanyourhatwhileyouwait——twodays。Jamesstoodalldayatanelectricmachinethatturnedhatsaroundfasterthanthebestbrandsofchampagneevercouldhavedone。Overlookingyourmildimpertinenceinfeelingacuriosityaboutthepersonalappearanceofastranger，Iwillgiveyouamodifieddescriptionofhim。Weight，118；complexion，hairandbrain，light；height，fivefeetsix；age，abouttwenty-three；

dressedina$10suitofgreenish-blueserge；pocketscontainingtwokeysandsixty-threecentsinchange。

ButdonotmisconjecturebecausethisdescriptionsoundslikeaGeneralAlarmthatJameswaseitherlostoradeadone。

_Allons！_

Jamesstoodalldayathiswork。Hisfeetweretenderandextremelysusceptibletoimpositionsbeingputuponorbelowthem。Alldaylongtheyburnedandsmarted，causinghimmuchsufferingandinconvenience。Buthewasearningtwelvedollarsperweek，whichheneededtosupporthisfeetwhetherhisfeetwouldsupporthimornot。

JamesTurnerhadhisownconceptionofwhathappinesswas，justasyouandIhaveours。Yourdelightistogadabouttheworldinyachtsandmotor-carsandtohurlducatsatwildfowl。Mineistosmokeapipeatevenfallandwatchabadger，arattlesnake，andanowlgointotheircommonprairiehomeonebyone。

JamesTurner”sideaofblisswasdifferent；butitwashis。Hewouldgodirectlytohisboarding-housewhenhisday”sworkwasdone。Afterhissupperofsmallsteak，Bessemerpotatoes，stooed(notstewed)applesandinfusionofchicory，hewouldascendtohisfifth-floor-backhallroom。Thenhewouldtakeoffhisshoesandsocks，placethesolesofhisburningfeetagainstthecoldbarsofhisironbed，andreadClarkRussell”sseayarns。Thedeliciousreliefofthecoolmetalappliedtohissmartingsoleswashisnightlyjoy。Hisfavoritenovelsneverpalleduponhim；theseaandtheadventuresofitsnavigatorswerehissoleintellectualpassion。NomillionairewaseverhappierthanJamesTurnertakinghisease。

WhenJamesleftthehat-cleaningshophewalkedthreeblocksoutofhiswayhometolookoverthegoodsofasecond-handbookstall。Onthesidewalkstandshehadmorethanoncepickedupapaper-coveredvolumeofClarkRussellathalfprice。

Whilehewasbendingwithascholarlystoopoverthemarked-downmiscellanyofcast-offliterature，oldTomthecaliphsaunteredby。

Hisdiscerningeye，madekeenbytwentyyears”experienceinthemanufactureoflaundrysoap(savethewrappers！)recognizedinstantlythepooranddiscerningscholar，aworthyobjectofhiscaliphanousmood。Hedescendedthetwoshallowstonestepsthatledfromthesidewalk，andaddressedwithouthesitationtheobjectofhisdesignedmunificence。Hisfirstwordswerenoworsethansalutatoryandtentative。

JamesTurnerlookedupcoldly，with“SartorResartus“inonehandand“AMadMarriage“intheother。

“Beatit，“saidhe。“Idon”twanttobuyanycoathangersortownlotsinHankipoo，NewJersey。Runalong，now，andplaywithyourTeddybear。”

“Youngman，“saidthecaliph，ignoringtheflippancyofthehatcleaner，“Iobservethatyouareofastudiousdisposition。Learningisoneofthefinestthingsintheworld。Ineverhadanyofitworthmentioning，butIadmiretoseeitinothers。IcomefromtheWest，whereweimaginenothingbutfacts。MaybeIcouldn”tunderstandthepoetryandallusionsinthembooksyouarepickingover，butI

liketoseesomebodyelseseemtoknowwhattheymean。I”mworthabout$40，000，000，andI”mgettingrichereveryday。ImadetheheightofitmanufacturingAuntPatty”sSilverSoap。Iinventedtheartofmakingit。IexperimentedforthreeyearsbeforeIgotjusttherightquantityofchlorideofsodiumsolutionandcausticpotashmixturetocurdleproperly。AndafterIhadtakensome$9，000，000outofthesoapbusinessImadetherestincornandwheatfutures。Now，youseemtohavetheliteraryandscholarlyturnofcharacter；andI”lltellyouwhatI”lldo。I”llpayforyoureducationatthefinestcollegeintheworld。I”llpaytheexpenseofyourrummagingoverEuropeandtheartgalleries，andfinallysetyouupinagoodbusiness。Youneedn”tmakeitsoapifyouhaveanyobjections。Iseebyyourclothesandfrazzlednecktiethatyouaremightypoor；andyoucan”taffordtoturndowntheoffer。Well，whendoyouwanttobegin？“

ThehatcleanerturneduponoldTomtheeyeoftheBigCity，whichisaneyeexpressiveofcoldandjustifiablesuspicion，ofjudgmentsuspendedashighasHamanwashung，ofself-preservation，ofchallenge，curiosity，defiance，cynicism，and，strangeasyoumaythinkit，ofachildlikeyearningforfriendlinessandfellowshipthatmustbehiddenwhenonewalksamongthe“strangerbands。”

ForinNewBagdadone，inordertosurvive，mustsuspectwhosoeversits，dwells，drinks，rides，walksorsleepsintheadjacentchair，house，booth，seat，pathorroom。

“Say，Mike，“saidJamesTurner，“what”syourline，anyway——shoelaces？I”mnotbuyinganything。Youbetterputanegginyourshoeandbeatitbeforeincidentsoccurtoyou。Youcan”tworkoffanyfountainpens，goldspectaclesyoufoundonthestreet，ortrustcompanycertificatehouseclearingsonme。Say，doIlooklikeI”dclimbeddownoneofthemmissingfire-escapesatHeliconHall？

What”svitiatingyou，anyhow？“

“Son，“saidthecaliph，inhismostHarunishtones，“asIsaid，I”mworth$40，000，000。Idon”twanttohaveitallputinmycoffinwhenIdie。Iwanttodosomegoodwithit。Iseenyouhandlingovertheseherevolumesofliterature，andIthoughtI”dkeepyou。

I”vegivethemissionarysocieties$2，000，000，butwhatdidIgetoutofit？Nothingbutareceiptfromthesecretary。Now，youarejustthekindofyoungmanI”dliketotakeupandseewhatmoneycouldmakeofhim。”

VolumesofClarkRussellwerehardtofindthateveningattheOldBookShop。AndJamesTurner”ssmartingandachingfeetdidnottendtoimprovehistemper。Humblehatcleanerthoughhewas，hehadaspiritequaltoanycaliph”s。

“Say，youoldfaker，“hesaid，angrily，“beonyourway。Idon”tknowwhatyourgameis，unlessyouwantchangeforabogus$40，000，000bill。Well，Idon”tcarrythatmucharoundwithme。

ButIdocarryaprettyfairleft-handedpunchthatyou”llgetifyoudon”tmoveon。”

“Youareablamedimpudentlittlegutterpup，“saidthecaliph。

ThenJamesdeliveredhisself-praisedpunch；oldTomseizedhimbythecollarandkickedhimthrice；thehatcleanerralliedandclinched；twobookstandswereoverturned，andthebookssentflying。Acopycameup，tookanarmofeach，andmarchedthemtotheneareststationhouse。“Fightinganddisorderlyconduct，“

saidthecoptothesergeant。

“Threehundreddollarsbail，“saidthesergeantatonce，asseveratinglyandinquiringly。

“Sixty-threecents，“saidJamesTurnerwithaharshlaugh。

Thecaliphsearchedhispocketsandcollectedsmallbillsandchangeamountingtofourdollars。

“Iamworth，“hesaid，“fortymilliondollars，but”

“Lock”emup，“orderedthesergeant。

Inhiscell，JamesTurnerlaidhimselfonhiscot，ruminating。“Maybehe”sgotthemoney，andmaybeheain”t。Butifhehasorheain”t，whatdoeshewanttogo”roundbuttingintootherfolks”sbusinessfor？

Whenamanknowswhathewants，andcangetit，it”sthesameas$40，000，000tohim。”

Thenanideacametohimthatbroughtapleasedlooktohisface。

Heremovedhissocks，drewhiscotclosetothedoor，stretchedhimselfoutluxuriously，andplacedhistorturedfeetagainstthecoldbarsofthecelldoor。Somethinghardandbulkyundertheblanketsofhiscotgaveoneshoulderdiscomfort。Hereachedunder，anddrewoutapaper-coveredvolumebyClarkRussellcalled“ASailor”sSweetheart。”Hegaveagreatsighofcontentment。

Presently，tohiscellcamethedoormanandsaid：

“Say，kid，thatoldgazabothatwaspinchedwithyouforscrappingseemstohavebeenthegoodsafterall。He”phonedtohisfriends，andhe”soutatthedesknowwitharollofyellowbacksasbigasaPullmancarpillow。Hewantstobailyou，andforyoutocomeoutandseehim。”

“TellhimIain”tin，“saidJamesTurner。

End