第6章

HerformallittlewayofsayinghisnamewaslikeAnn”s。

“DoI？I”mtickledtodeath。MymotherdiedwhenIwasten，andI”veneverhadanywomenkin-folks。”

“Poorbo”Shehadnearlysaid“Poorboy！“andonlycheckedthefamiliarityjustintime”PoorMr。TempleBarholm！“

“Say，whatarewetwotoeachother，anyhow？“Heputittoherwithgreatinterest。

“Itisaverydistantrelationship，ifitisoneatall，“sheanswered。“Yousee，IwasonlyasecondcousintothelateMr。TempleBarholm，andIhadnotreallytheSLIGHTESTclaimuponhim。”Sheplacedpatheticemphasisonthefact。“Itwasmostgenerousofhimtobesokindtome。WhenmypoorfatherdiedandIwasleftquitepenniless，hegavemea——asortofhomehere。”

“Asortofhome？“Tembaromrepeated。

“MyfatherwasaclergymaninVERYstraitenedcircumstances。Wehadbarelyenoughtoliveupon——barely。Hecouldleavemenothing。ItactuallyseemedasifIshouldhavetostarve——itdid，indeed。”Therewasadelicatequiverinhervoice。“AndthoughthelateMr。TempleBarholmhadagreatantipathytoladies，hewasso——sonobleastosendwordtomethattherewereahundredandfiftyroomsinhishouse，andthatifIwouldkeepoutofhiswayImightliveinoneofthem。”

“Thatwasnoble，“commentedherdistantrelative。

“Oh，yes，indeed，especiallywhenoneconsidershowhedislikedtheoppositesexandwhatareclusehewas。Hecouldnotendureladies。I

scarcelyeversawhim。Myroomwasinquitearemotewingofthehouse，andIneverwentoutifIknewhewasinthepark。Iwasmostcareful。AndwhenhediedofcourseIknewImustgoaway。”

Tembaromwaswatchingheralmosttenderly。

“Wheredidyougo？“

“ToakindclergymaninShropshirewhothoughthemighthelpme。”

“Howwashegoingtodoit？“

Sheansweredwithanefforttosteadyasomewhatloweredandhesitatingvoice。

“Therewasnearhisparishaverynice——charity，“——herbreathcaughtitselfpathetically”somemostcomfortablealmshousesfordecayedgentlewomen。Hethoughthemightbeabletousehisinfluencetogetmeintoone。”Shepausedandsmiled，buthersmall，wrinkledhandsheldeachotherclosely。

Tembaromlookedaway。Hespokeasthoughtohimself，andwithoutknowingthathewasthinkingaloud。

“Almshouses！“hesaid。“Wouldn”tthatjoltyou！“Heturnedonheragainwithachangetocheerfulconcern。“Say，thatcushionofyoursain”tcomfortable。I”mgoingtogetyouanotherone。”Hejumpedupand，takingonefromasofa，begantoarrangeitbehindherdexterously。

“ButImustn”ttroubleyouanylonger。Imustgo，really，“shesaid，halfrisingnervously。Heputahandonhershoulderandmadehersitagain。

“Gowhere？“hesaid。“Justleanbackonthatcushion，MissAlicia。ForthenextfewminutesthisisgoingtobeMYfuneral。”

Shewasatoncestartledanduncomprehending。Whatanextraordinaryexpression！WhatCOULDitmean？

“F——funeral？“shestammered。

Suddenlyheseemedsomehowtohavechanged。Helookedasseriousasthoughhewasbeginningtothinkoutsomethingallatonce。Whatwashegoingtosay？

“That”sNewYorkslang，“heanswered。“ItmeansthatIwanttoexplainmyselftoyouandaskafewquestions。”

“Certainly，certainly，Mr。TempleBarholm。”

Heleanedhisbackagainstthemantel，andwentintothematterpractically。

“Firstoff，haven”tyouANYfolks？“Then，answeringherpuzzledlook，added，“Imeanrelations。”

MissAliciagentlyshookherhead。

“Nosistersorbrothersorunclesorauntsorcousins？“

Sheshookherheadagain。

Hehesitatedamoment，puttinghishandsinhispocketsandtakingthemoutagainawkwardlyashelookeddownather。

“Nowhere”swhereI”mupagainstit，“hewenton。“Idon”twanttobetoofreshortobuttin，but——didn”toldTempleBarholmleaveyouANY

money？“

“Oh，no！“sheexclaimed。“Dearme！no！Icouldn”tpossiblyEXPECTsuchathing。”

Hegazedatherasthoughconsideringthesituation。“Couldn”tyou？“

hesaid。

Therewasanoddreflectioninhiseyes，andheseemedtoconsiderherandthesituationagain。

“Well，“hebeganafterhispause，“whatIwanttoknowiswhatyouexpectMEtodo。”

Therewasnounkindnessinhismanner，infact，quitethecontrary，evenwhenheutteredwhatseemedtoMissAliciatheseawful，unwarrantedwords。Asthoughshehadforcedherselfintohispresencetomakedemandsuponhischarity！Theymadehertrembleandturnpaleasshegotupquickly，shockedandalarmed。

“Oh，nothing！nothing！nothingWHATEVER，Mr。TempleBarholm！“sheexclaimed，heragitationdoingitsbesttohideitselfbehindafinelittledignity。Hesawinaninstantthathisstyleofputtingithadbeen“”wayoff，“thathisignorancehadbetrayedhim，thatshehadmisunderstoodhimaltogether。Healmostjumpedather。

“Oh，say，Ididn”tmeanTHAT！“hecriedout。“FortheLord”ssake！

don”tthinkI”msuchaTenderlointoughastomakeabreaklikethat！

Notonyourlife！“

NeversinceherbirthhadamalecreaturelookedatMissAliciawiththeappealwhichshoweditselfinhiseyesasheactuallyputhisarmhalfaroundhershoulders，likeaboybeggingafavorfromhismotherorhisaunt。

“WhatImeantwas”Hebrokeoffandbeganagainquiteanxiously，“say，justasafavor，willyousitdownagainandletmetellyouwhatIdidmean？“

Itwasthatnatural，warm，boyishwaywhichovercameherutterly。Itremindedheroftheonlyboyshehadeverreallyknown，theonemalecreaturewhohadallowedhertobefondofhim。Therewasmoistureinhereyesasshelethimputherbackintoherchair。Whenhehaddoneit，hesatdownontheottomanagainandpouredhimselfforth。

“YouknowwhatkindofachapIam。No，youdon”t，either。Youmayn”tknowathingaboutme；andIwanttotellyou。I”msodifferentfromeverythingyou”veeverknownthatIscareyou。Andnowonder。It”sthewayI”velived。Ifyouknew，you”dunderstandwhatIwasthinkingofwhenIspokejustnow。I”vebeencold，I”vebeenhungry，I”vewalkedthewetstreetsonmyuppers。IknowallaboutGOINGWITHOUT。AnddoyouexpectthatIamgoingtoleta——alittlethinglikeyou——goawayfromherewithoutfriendsandwithoutmoneyonthechanceofgettingintoanalmshousethatisn”tvacant？Doyouexpectthatofme？Notonyourlife！ThatwaswhatImeant。”

MissAliciaquivered；thepale-purpleribbonsonherlittlelacecapquivered。

“Ihaven”t，“shesaid，andthefinelittledignitywaspiteous，“aSHADOWofaclaimuponyou。”Itwasnecessaryforhertoproduceapocket-handkerchief。Hetookitfromher，andtouchedhereyesassoftlyasthoughshewereababy。

“Claimnothing！“hesaid。“I”vegotaclaimonYOU。I”mgoingtostakeoneoutrightnow。”Hegotupandgesticulated，takinginthebigroomanditsbigfurniture。“Lookatallthis！Itfellonmelikeathunderbolt。It”snearlyknockedthelifeoutofme。I”mlikealostcatonBroadway。Youcan”tgoawayandleaveme，MissAlicia；it”syourdutytostay。You”vejustGOTtostaytotakecareofme。”Hecameovertoherwithawheedlingsmile。“Ineverwastakencareofinmylife。JustbeasnobletomeasoldTempleBarholmwastoyou：givemeasortofhome。”

Ifalittlegentlewomancouldstare，itmightbesaidthatMissAliciastaredathim。Shetrembledwithamazedemotion。

“Doyoumean”Despiteallhehadsaid，shescarcelydaredtoutterthewordslest，afterall，shemightbetakingforgrantedmorethanitwascrediblecouldbetrue。“CanyoumeanthatifIstayedherewithyouitwouldmakeTempleBarholmseemmorelikeHOME？Isitpossibleyou——youmeanTHAT？“

“Imeanjustthatverything。”

Itwastoomuchforher。Finelyrestrainedlittleelderlygentlewomanasshewas，sheopenlybrokedownunderit。

“Itcan”tbetrue！“sheejaculatedshakily。“Itisn”tpossible。Itistoo——toobeautifulandkind。Doforgiveme！Ic-a-n”thelpit。”Sheburstintotears。

Sheknewitwasmoststupidlywrong。Sheknewgentlemendidnotliketears。Herfatherhadtoldherthatmenneverreallyforgavewomenwhocriedatthem。Andhere，whenherfatehunginthebalance，shewasnotabletobehaveherselfwithfemininedecorum。

YetthenewMr。TempleBarholmtookitinasmatter-of-factamannerasheseemedtotakeeverything。HestoodbyherchairandsoothedherinhisdearNewYorkvoice。

“That”sallright，MissAlicia，“hecommented。“Youcryasmuchasyouwantto，justsothatyoudon”tsayno。You”vebeenworriedandyou”retired。I”lltellyouthere”sbeentwoorthreetimeslatelywhenI

shouldliketohavecriedmyselfifI”dknownhow。Say，“headdedwithasuddenoutburstofimagination，“Ibetanythingit”sabouttimeyouhadtea。”

Thesuggestionwassoentirelywithinthenormalorderofthingsthatitmadeherfeelsteadier，andshewasabletoglanceattheclock。

“Acupofteawouldberefreshing，“shesaid。“Theywillbringitinverysoon，butbeforetheservantscomeImusttrytoexpress”

Butbeforeshecouldexpressanythingfurthertheteaappeared。

Burrillandafootmanbroughtitonsplendidsalvers，inmassiveurnandtea-pot，withchaste，sacrificialflameflickering，andwonderful，hotbutteredandtoastedthingsandwafersofbreadandbutterattendant。Astheycrossedthethreshold，thesightofMissAlicia”ssmallformenthronedintheiremployer”schairwasonesoobviouslyunanticipatedthatBurrillmadeastepbackwardandthefootmanalmostlostthefirmnessofhisholdonthesmallertray。Eachrecoveredhimselfintime，however，andnotuntiltheteawasarrangeduponthetablenearthefirewasanyoutwardrecognitionofMissAlicia”spresencemade。ThenBurrill，pausing，madeanannouncemententirelywithoutprejudice：

“Ibegpardon，sir，butHiggins”scarthascomeforMissTempleBarholm”sbox；heisaskingwhenshewantsthetrap。”

“Shedoesn”twantitatall，“answeredTembarom。“Carryhertrunkup-

stairsagain。She”snotgoingaway。”

ThelackofproperknowledgecontainedinthesuggestionthatBurrillshouldcarrytrunksupstairscausedMissAliciatoquailinsecret，butshespokewithoutwardcalm。

“No，Burrill，“shesaid。“Iamnotgoingaway。”

“Verygood，Miss，“Burrillreplied，andwithimpressivecivilityhepreparedtoleavetheroom。Tembaromglancedatthetea-things。

“There”sonlyonecuphere，“hesaid。“Bringoneforme。”

Burrill”sexpressionmightperhapshavebeensaidtostartslightly。

“Verygood，sir，“hesaid，andmadehisexit。MissAliciawasflutteringagain。

“Thatcupwasreallyforyou，Mr。TempleBarholm，“sheventured。

“Well，nowit”sforyou，andI”velethimknowit，“repliedTembarom。

“Oh，PLEASE，“shesaidinanoutburstoffeeling”PLEASEletmetellyouhowGRATEFUL——howgratefulIam！“

Buthewouldnotlether。

“Ifyoudo，“hesaid，“I”lltellyouhowgrateful_I_am，andthat”llbeworse。No，that”sallfixedupbetweenus。Itgoes。Wewon”tsayanymoreaboutit。”

Hetookthewholesituationinthatway，asthoughhewasassumingnoresponsibilitywhichwasnotthesimple，inevitableresultoftheirdriftingacrosseachother——asthoughitwasonlywhatanymanwouldhavedone，evenasthoughshewasasortofdelightful，unexpectedhappening。Heturnedtothetray。

“Say，thatlooksallright，doesn”tit？“hesaid。“Nowyouarehere，I

likethewayitlooks。Ididn”tyesterday。”

Burrillhimselfbroughttheextracupandsaucerandplate。Hewishedtomakesurethathissenseshadnotdeceivedhim。Butthereshesatwhothroughyearshadexisteddiscreetlyinthemostunconsideredroomsinanuninhabitedwing，knowingbetterthantopresumeuponherprivileges——thereshesatwithanawedandraptfacegazingupatthisnewoutbreakintoTempleBarholm”sand“himjokingandgrinningasthoughhewasaspleasedasPunch。”

CHAPTERXV

ToemploythefigureofBurrill，Tembaromwasindeed“aspleasedasPunch。”Hewasoneofthelargenumberofmenwho，apartfromallsentimentalrelations，aremadeparticularlyhappybythekindlysocietyofwomen；whoexpandwithquiteunconsciousrejoicingwhenawomanbeginstotakecareoftheminonewayoranother。Theunconsciousnessisatouchingpartofthecondition。Thefemininenearnesssuppliesaprimevalhumanneed。Themostcompleteofmen，aswellastheweaklings，feelit。Itisasurvivalofdayswhenwarmarmsheldandprotected，warmhandsserved，andaffectionatevoicessoothed。Anaccomplishedmaleservantmayperformeverydomesticserviceperfectly，butthefactthathecannotbeawomanleavesasenseoflack。Anaccustomedfemininewarmthinthesurroundingdailyatmospherehascausedmanyamantomarryhishousekeeperorevenhiscook，ascircumstancesprompted。

TembaromhadknownnowomanwelluntilhehadmetLittleAnn。HisfeelingforMrs。Bowseherselfhadvergedonaffection，becausehewouldhavebeenfondofanywomanofdecenttemperandkindliness，especiallyifshegavehimopportunitiestodofriendlyservice。

LittleAnnhadseemedtheapotheosisofthefeminine，thewarmlyhelpful，thesubtlysupporting，thekind。Shehadbeentohimanamazementandarevelation。Shehadcontinuallysurprisedhimbyrevealingnewcharacteristicswhichseemedtohimnicerthingsthanhehadeverknownbefore，butwhich，ifhehadbeenawareofit，werenotreallysurprisingatall。Theywereonlythecharacteristicsofaveryniceyoungfemininecreature。

ThepresenceofMissAlicia，withthelong-belatedfashionofherringletsandherlittlecap，wasdelightfultohim。Hefeltasthoughhewouldliketotakeherinhisarmsandhugher。HethoughtperhapsitwaspartlybecauseshewasalittlelikeAnn，andkeptrepeatinghisnameinAnn”sformallittleway。Herdelicateterrorofpresumingorintrudinghefeltinitseveryshade。Mentallyshetouchedhimenormously。Hewantedtomakeherfeelthatsheneednotbeafraidofhimintheleast，thathelikedher，thatinhisopinionshehadmorerightinthehousethanhehad。Hewasalittlefrightenedlestthroughignoranceheshouldsaythingsthewrongway，ashehadsaidthatthingaboutwantingtoknowwhatsheexpectedhimtodo。Whatheoughttohavesaidwas，“You”renotexpectingmetoletthatsortofthinggoon。”Ithadmadehimsickwhenhesawwhatabreakhe”dmadeandthatshethoughthewassortofinsultingher。Theroomseemedallrightnowthatshewasinit。Smallandunassumingasshewas，sheseemedtomakeitlessover-sized。Hedidn”tsomuchmindtheloftinessoftheceiling，thedepthandsizeofthewindows，andthewallscoveredwiththousandsofbooksheknewnothingwhateverabout。

Theinnumerablebookshadbeenanoppressingfeature。Ifhehadbeenoneofthose“collegeguys“whonevercouldgetenoughofbooks，whata“cinch“theplacewouldhavebeenforhim——goodastheAstorLibrary！Hehadn”tawordtosayagainstbooks，——goodLord！no；——butevenifhe”dhadtheeducationandthetimetoread，hedidn”tbelievehewasnaturallythatkind，anyhow。Youhadtobe“thatkind“toknowaboutbooks。Hedidn”tsupposeshe——meaningMissAlicia——waslearnedenoughtomakeyouthrowafit。Shedidn”tlookthatway，andhewasmightygladofit，becauseperhapsshewouldn”tlikehimmuchifshewas。Itwouldworryherwhenshetriedtotalktohimandfoundouthedidn”tknowadarnedthingheoughtto。

They”dgetontogethereasieriftheycouldjustchinaboutcommonsortofevery-daythings。Butthoughshedidn”tlookliketheVassarsort，heguessedthatshewasnotlikehimself：shehadlivedinlibrariesbefore，andbooksdidn”tfrightenher。She”dbeenbornamongpeoplewhoreadlotsofthemandmaybecouldtalkaboutthem。Thatwaswhyshesomehowseemedtofitintotheroom。Hewasawarethat，timidasshewasandshabbyasherneatdresslooked，shefittedintothewholeplace，ashedidnot。She”dbeenapoorrelativeandhadbeenafraidtodeathofoldTempleBarholm，butshe”dnotbeenafraidofhimbecauseshewasn”thissort。Shewasalady；thatwaswhatwasthematterwithher。Itwaswhatmadethingsharderforher，too。Itwaswhatmadehervoicetremblewhenshe”dtriedtoseemsocontentedandpolitewhenshe”dtalkedaboutgoingintooneofthose“decayedalms-

houses。”Asiftheoldladieswerevegetablesthathadgonewrong，bygee！hethought。

Helikedherlittle，modest，delicateoldfaceandhercurlsandherlittlecapwiththeribbonssomuchthathesmiledwithatwinklingeyeeverytimehelookedather。Hewantedtosuggestsomethinghethoughtwouldbemightycomfortable，buthewashalfafraidhemightbeaskinghertodosomethingwhichwasn”t“herjob，“anditmighthurtherfeelings。Butheventuredtohintatit。

“HasBurrillgottocomebackandpourthatout？“heasked，withanawkwardgesturetowardthetea-tray。“HashejustGOTto？“

“Oh，no，unlessyouwishit，“sheanswered。“Shall——mayIgiveittoyou？“

“Willyou？“heexclaimeddelightedly。“Thatwouldbefine。IshallfeellikearegularClarence。”

Shewasgoingtositatthetableinastraight-backedchair，buthesprangather。

“Thisbigoneismorecomfortable，“hesaid，andhedraggeditforwardandmadehersitinit。“Yououghttohaveafootstool，“headded，andhegotoneandputitunderherfeet。“There，that”sallright。”

Afootstool，asthoughshewerearoyalpersonageandhewereagentlemaninwaiting，onlyprobablygentlemeninwaitingdidnotjumpaboutandlooksopleased。Thecheerfulcontentofhisboyishfacewhenhehimselfsatdownnearthetablewasdelightful。

“Now，“hesaid，“wecanringupforthefirstact。”

Shefilledthetea-potandhelditforamoment，andthensetitdownasthoughherfeelingsweretoomuchforher。

“IfeelasifIwereinadream，“shequaveredhappily。“Idoindeed。”

“Butit”saniceone，ain”tit？“heanswered。“IfeelasifIwasintwo。Sittinghereinthisbigroomwithallthesefinethingsaboutme，andhavingafternoonteawitharelation！Itjustaboutsuitsme。

Itdidn”tfeellikethisyesterday，youbetyourlife！“

“Doesitseem——nicerthanyesterday？“sheventured。“Really，Mr。

TempleBarholm？“

“Nicer！“heejaculated。“It”sgotyesterdaybeatentoafrazzle。”

Itwasbeyondallbelief。Hewasspeakingasthoughtheadvantage，therelief，thehappiness，wereallonhisside。Shelongedtoenlightenhim。

“Butyoucan”trealizewhatitistome，“shesaidgratefully，“tosithere，notterrifiedandhomelessand——abeggaranymore，withyourkindfacebeforeme。Doforgivemeforsayingit。Youhavesuchakindyoungface，Mr。TempleBarholm。Andtohaveaneasy-chairandcushions，andactuallyabuffetbroughtformyfeet！“Shesuddenlyrecollectedherself。“Oh，Imustn”tletyourteagetcold，“sheadded，takingupthetea-potapologetically。“Doyoutakecreamandsugar，andisittobeonelumportwo？“

“Itakeeverythinginsight，“herepliedjoyously，“andtwolumps，please。”

Shepreparedthecupofteawithasdelicateacareasthoughithadbeenasacramentalchalice，andwhenshehandedittohimshesmiledwistfully。

“Noonebutyoueverthoughtofsuchathingasbringingabuffetformyfeet——nooneexceptpoorlittleJem，“shesaid，andhervoicewaswistfulaswellashersmile。

Shewasobviouslyunawarethatshewasintroducinganentirelynewacquaintancetohim。PoorlittleJemwassupposedtobesomeonewhosewholehistoryheknew。

“Jem？“herepeated，carefullytransferringapieceofhotbutteredcrumpettohisplate。

“JemTempleBarholm，“sheanswered。“IsaylittleJembecauseI

rememberhimonlyasachild。Ineversawhimafterhewaselevenyearsold。”

“Whowashe？“heasked。Thetoneofhervoice，andhermannerofspeakingmadehimfeelthathewantedtohearsomethingmore。

Shelookedratherstartledbyhisignorance。“Haveyou——haveyouneverheardofhim？“sheinquired。

“No。Isheanotherdistantrelation？“

Herhesitationcausedhimtoneglecthiscrumpet，tolookupather。

Hesawatoncethatsheworetheairofasensitiveandbeautifullymanneredelderlyladywhowasafraidshehadmadeamistakeandsaidsomethingawkward。

“Iamsosorry，“sheapologized。“PerhapsIoughtnottohavementionedhim。”

“Whyshouldn”thebementioned？“

Shewasembarrassed。Sheevidentlywishedshehadnotspoken，butbreedingdemandedthatsheshouldignoretheawkwardnessofthesituation，ifawkwardnessexisted。

“Ofcourse——Ihopeyourteaisquiteasyoulikeit——ofcoursethereisnorealreason。But——shallIgiveyousomemorecream？No？Yousee，ifhehadn”tdied，he——hewouldhaveinheritedTempleBarholm。”

Nowhewasinterested。Thiswastheotherchap。

“Insteadofme？“heasked，tomakesure。Sheendeavorednottoshowembarrassmentandtoldherselfitdidn”treallymatter——toathoroughlyniceperson。But——

“Hewasthenextofkin——beforeyou。I”msosorryIdidn”tknowyouhadn”theardofhim。ItseemednaturalthatMr。Palfordshouldhavementionedhim。”

“Hedidsaythattherewasayoungfellowwhohaddied，buthedidn”ttellmeabouthim。IguessIdidn”task。Thereweresuchalotofotherthings。I”dliketohearabouthim。Yousayyouknewhim？“

“Onlywhenhewasalittlefellow。Neverafterhegrewup。Somethinghappenedwhichdispleasedmyfather。I”mafraidpapawasveryeasilydispleased。Mr。TempleBarholmdislikedhim，too。HewouldnothavehimatTempleBarholm。”

“Hehadn”tmuchluckwithhisfolks，hadhe？“remarkedTembarom。

“Hehadnoluckwithanyone。Iseemedtobetheonlypersonwhowasfondofhim，andofcourseIdidn”tcount。”

“Ibetyoucountedwithhim，“saidTembarom。

“IdothinkIdid。Bothhisparentsdiedquitesoonafterhewasborn，andpeoplewhooughttohavecaredforhimwereratherjealousbecausehestoodsoneartoTempleBarholm。IfMr。TempleBarholmhadnotbeensoeccentricandbitter，everythingwouldhavebeendoneforhim；butasitwas，heseemedtobelongtonoone。Whenhecametothevicarageitusedtomakemesohappy。HeusedtocallmeAuntAlicia，andhehadsuchprettyways。”Shehesitatedandlookedquitetenderlyatthetea-pot，asortofshynessinherface。“Iamsure，“sheburstforth，“Ifeelquitesurethatyouwillunderstandandwon”tthinkitindelicate；butIhadthoughtsooftenthatIshouldliketohavealittleboy——ifIhadmarried，“sheaddedinhastytributetopropriety。

Tembarom”seyesrestedonherinathoughtfulnessopenlytouchedwithaffection。Heputouthishandandpattedherstwoorthreetimesinencouragingsympathy。

“Say，“hesaidfrankly，“Ijustbelieveeverywomanthat”stherealthing”dliketohavealittleboy——oralittlegirl——oralittlesomethingorother。That”swhypetcatsanddogshavesuchacinchofit。Andthere”smenthat”sthesameway。It”ssortofnature。”

“Hehadsuchahighspiritandsuchprettyways，“shesaidagain。“Oneofhisprettywayswasrememberingtodolittlethingstomakeonecomfortable，likethinkingofgivingoneacushionorabuffetforone”sfeet。InoticeditsomuchbecauseIhadneverseenboysormenwaituponwomen。Myowndearpapawasusedtohavingwomenwaituponhim——bringhisslippers，youknow，andgivehimthebestchair。Hedidn”tlikeJem”sways。Hesaidhelikedaboywhowasaboyandnotanaffectednincompoop。Hewasn”treallyquitejust。”Shepausedregretfullyandsighedasshelookedbackintoapastdoubtlesslyenrichedwithmanysimilarmemoriesof“dearpapa。”“PoorJem！PoorJem！“shebreathedsoftly。

Tembaromthoughtthatshemusthavefelttheboy”slossverymuch，almostasmuchasthoughshehadreallybeenhismother；perhapsmorepatheticallybecauseshehadnotbeenhismotheroranybody”smother。

Hecouldseewhatagoodlittlemothershewouldhavemade，lookingafterherchildrenanddoingeverythingonearthtomakethemhappyandcomfortable，justthekindofmotherAnnwouldmake，thoughshehadnotAnn”ssteadywonderofalittleheadorhershrewdfarsightedness。Jemwouldhavebeeninluckifhehadbeenherson。Itwasadarnedpityhehadn”tbeen。Ifhehad，perhapshewouldnothavediedyoung。

“Yes，“heansweredsympathetically，“it”shardforayoungfellowtodie。Howoldwashe，anyhow？Idon”tknow。”

“Notmucholderthanyouarenow。Itwassevenyearsago。Andifhehadonlydied，poordear！Therearethingssomuchworsethandeath。”

“Worse！“

“Awfuldisgraceisworse，“shefaltered。Shewasplainlytryingtokeepmoistureoutofhereyes。

“Didhegetintosomebadmix-up，poorfellow？“Iftherehadbeenanythinglikethat，nowonderitbrokeheruptothinkofhim。

Itsurelydidbreakherup。Sheflushedemotionally。

“Thecruelthingwasthathedidn”treallydowhathewasaccusedof，“

shesaid。

“Hedidn”t？“

“No；buthewasaruinedman，andhewentawaytotheKlondikebecausehecouldnotstayinEngland。Andhewaskilled——killed，poorboy！Andafterwarditwasfoundoutthathewasinnocent——toolate。”

“Gee！“Tembaromgasped，feelinghotandcold。“Couldyoubeatthatforrottenluck！Whatwasheaccusedof？“

MissAlicialeanedforwardandspokeinawhisper。Itwastoodreadfultospeakofaloud。

“Cheatingatcards——agentlemanplayingwithgentlemen。Youknowwhatthatmeans。”

Tembaromgrewhotterandcolder。Nowondershelookedthatway，poorlittlething！

“But，“——hehesitatedbeforehespoke”buthewasn”tthatkind，washe？Ofcoursehewasn”t。”

“No，no。But，yousee，“——shehesitatedherselfhere”everythinglookedsomuchagainsthim。Hehadbeenratherwild。”Shedroppedhervoiceevenlowerinmakingtheadmission。

Tembaromwonderedhowmuchshemeantbythat。

“Hewassomuchindebt。Heknewhewastoberichinthefuture，andhewaspoorjustinthoserecklessyoungdayswhenitseemedunfair。

Andhehadplayedagreatdealandhadbeenverylucky。Hewassoluckythatsometimeshisluckseemeduncanny。Menwhohadplayedwithhimwerehorribleaboutitafterward。”

“Theywouldbe，“putinTembarom。“They”dbesoreaboutit，andbringitup。”

Theybothforgottheirtea。MissAliciaforgoteverythingasshepouredforthherstoryinthemannerofawomanwhohadbeenforcedtokeepsilentandwasgladtoputhercaseintowords。Itwashercase。

TotellthetruthofthisforgottenwrongwasagaintoofferjustificationofpoorhandsomeJemwhomeverybodyseemedtohavedroppedtalkof，andevenpreferrednottohearmentioned。

“Thereweresuchpiteouslycruelthingsaboutit，“shewenton。“Hehadfallenverymuchinlove，andhemeanttomarryandsettledown。

Thoughwehadnotseeneachotherforyears，heactuallywrotetomeandtoldmeaboutit。Hislettermademecry。HesaidIwouldunderstandandcareaboutthethingwhichseemedtohavechangedeverythingandmadehimanewman。Hewassosorrythathehadnotbeenbetterandmorecareful。Hewasgoingtotryalloveragain。Hewasnotgoingtoplayatallafterthisoneeveningwhenhewasobligedtokeepanengagementhehadmademonthsbeforetogivehisrevengetoamanhehadwonagreatdealofmoneyfrom。TheverynighttheawfulthinghappenedhehadtoldLadyJoan，beforehewentintothecard-room，thatthiswastobehislastgame。”

Tembaromhadlookeddeeplyinterestedfromthefirst，butatherlastwordsanewalertnessaddeditself。

“DidyousayLadyJoan？“heasked。“WhowasLadyJoan？“

“Shewasthegirlhewassomuchinlovewith。HernamewasLadyJoanFayre。”

“WasshethedaughteroftheCountessofMallowe？“

“Yes。Haveyouheardofher？“

HerecalledAnn”sreflectiveconsiderationofhimbeforeshehadsaid，“She”llcomeafteryou。”Herepliednow：“Someonespokeofhertomethismorning。Theysayshe”sabeautyandasproudasLucifer。”

“Shewas，andsheisyet，Ibelieve。PoorLadyJoan——aswellaspoorJem！“

“Shedidn”tbelieveit，didshe？“heputinhastily。“Shedidn”tthrowhimdown？“

“Nooneknewwhathappenedbetweenthemafterward。Shewasinthecard-room，lookingon，whentheawfulthingtookplace。”

Shestopped，asthoughtogoonwasalmostunbearable。Shehadbeensooverwhelmedbythepastshameofitthatevenafterthepassingofyearstheanguishwasalivingthing。Hersmallhandsclunghardtogetherastheyrestedontheedgeofthetable。Tembaromwaitedinthrilledsuspense。Shespokeinawhisperagain：

“Hewonagreatdealofmoney——agreatdeal。Hehadthatuncannyluckagain，andofcoursepeopleintheotherroomsheardwhatwasgoingon，andanumberdriftedintolookon。Themanhehadpromisedtogivehisrevengetoalmostshowedsignsofhavingtomakeanefforttoconcealhisirritationanddisappointment。Ofcourse，ashewasagentleman，hewasascoolaspossible；butjustatthemostexcitingmoment，theheightofthegame，Jemmadeaquickmovement，and——andsomethingfelloutofhissleeve。”

“Something，“gaspedTembarom，“felloutofhissleeve！“

MissAlicia”seyesoverflowedasshenoddedherberibbonedlittlecap。

“It“——hervoicewasasobofwoe”itwasamarkedcard。Themanhewasplayingagainstsnatcheditandhelditup。Andhelaughedoutloud。”

“Holycats！“burstfromTembarom；buttheremarkableexclamationwasoneofgenuinehorror，andheturnedpale，gotupfromhisseat，andtooktwoorthreestridesacrosstheroom，asthoughhecouldnotsitstill。

“Yes，helaughed——quiteloudly，“repeatedMissAlicia，“asifhehadguesseditallthetime。Papaheardthewholestoryfromsomeonewhowaspresent。”

Tembaromcamebacktoherratherbreathless。

“Whatinthunderdidhedo——Jem？“heasked。

Sheactuallywrungherpoorlittlehands。

“Whatcouldhedo？Therewasadeadsilence。Peoplemovedjustalittlenearertothetableandstoodandstared，merelywaiting。Theysayitwasawfultoseehisface——awful。Hesprangupandstoodstill，andslowlybecameaswhiteasifheweredyingbeforetheireyes。SomeonethoughtLadyJoanFayretookasteptowardhim，butnoonewasquitesure。Heneverutteredoneword，butwalkedoutoftheroomanddownthestairsandoutofthehouse。”

“Butdidn”thespeaktothegirl？“

“Hedidn”tevenlookather。Hepassedherbyasifshewerestone。”

“Whathappenednext？“

“Hedisappeared。Nooneknewwhereatfirst，andthentherewasarumorthathehadgonetotheKlondikeandhadbeenkilledthere。Andayearlater——onlyayear！Oh，ifhehadonlywaitedinEngland！——aworthlessvillainofavalethehaddischargedforstealingmetwithanaccident，andbecausehethoughthewasgoingtodie，gothorriblyfrightened，andconfessedtotheclergymanthathehadtuckedthecardinpoorJem”ssleevehimselfjusttopayhimoff。Hesaidhediditonthechancethatitwoulddropoutwheresomeonewouldseeit，andamarkedcarddroppingoutofaman”ssleeveanywherewouldlookblackenough，whetherhewasplayingornot。ButpoorJemwasinhisgrave，andnooneseemedtocare，thougheveryonehadbeeninterestedenoughinthescandal。Peopletalkedaboutthatforweeks。”

Tembarompulledathiscollarexcitedly。

“Itmakesmesortofstrangle，“hesaid。“You”vegottostandyourownbadluck，buttohearofachapthat”shadtoliedownandtaketheworstthatcouldcometohimandknowitwasn”this——justKNOWit！Anddiebeforehe”scleared！Thatknocksmeout。”

AlmosteverysentenceheutteredhadamysticalsoundtoMissAlicia，butsheknewhowhewastakingit，withwhathot，younghumansympathyandindignation。Shelovedthewayhetookit，andshelovedthefeelinginhisnextwords“Andthegirl——goodLord！——thegirl？“

“Inevermether，andIknowverylittleofher；butshehasnevermarried。”

“I”mgladofthat，“hesaid。“I”mdarnedgladofit。Howcouldshe？“

Annwouldn”t，heknew。Annwouldhavegonetohergraveunmarried。Butshewouldhavedonethingsfirsttoclearherman”sname。Somehowshewouldhaveclearedhim，ifshe”dhadtofighttoothandnailtillshewaseighty。

“Theysayshehasgrownverybitterandhaughtyinhermanner。I”mafraidLadyMalloweisaveryworldlywoman。Onehearstheydon”tgetontogether，andthatsheisbitterlydisappointedbecauseherdaughterhasnotmadeagoodmatch。Itappearsthatshemighthavemadeseveral，butsheissohardandcynicalthatmenareafraidofher。IwishIhadknownheralittle——ifshereallylovedJem。”

Tembaromhadthrusthishandsintohispockets，andwasstandingdeepinthought，lookingatthehugebankofredcoalsinthefire-grate。

MissAliciahastilywipedhereyes。

“Doexcuseme，“shesaid。

“I”llexcuseyouallright，“hereplied，stilllookingintothecoals。

“IguessIshouldn”texcuseyouasmuchifyoudidn”t“Helethercryinhergentlewaywhilehestared，lostinreflection。

“Andifhehadn”tfiredthatvaletchap，hewouldbeherewithyounow——insteadofme。Insteadofme，“herepeated。

AndMissAliciadidnotknowwhattosayinreply。Thereseemedtobenothingwhich，withproprietyandnaturalfeeling，onecouldsay。

“ItmakesmefeeljustfinetoknowI”mnotgoingtohavemydinnerallbymyself，“hesaidtoherbeforesheleftthelibrary。

Shehadawayofblushingaboutthingshenoticed，whenshewasshyormovedordidn”tknowexactlywhattosay。Thoughshemusthavebeensixty，shediditasthoughsheweresixteen。Andshediditwhenhesaidthis，andlookedasthoughsuddenlyshewasinsomesortoftrouble。

“Youaregoingtohavedinnerwithme，“hesaid，seeingthatshehesitated”dinnerandbreakfastandlunchandteaandsupperandeveryoldthingthatgoes。Youcan”tturnmedownaftermestakingoutthatclaim。”

“I”mafraid”shesaid。“Yousee，Ihavelivedsuchasecludedlife。

Iscarcelyeverleftmyroomsexcepttotakeawalk。I”msureyouunderstand。ItwouldnothavebeennecessaryevenifIcouldhaveaffordedit，whichIreallycouldn”t——I”mafraidIhavenothing——

quitesuitable——foreveningwear。”

“Youhaven”t！“heexclaimedgleefully。“Idon”tknowwhatissuitableforeveningwear，butIhaven”tgotiteither。Pearsontoldmesowithtearsinhiseyes。Itneverwasnecessaryformeeither。I”vegottogetsomethingstoquietPearsondown，butuntilIdoI”vegottoeatmydinnerinatweedcutaway；andwhatI”vecaughtontoisthatit”sunsuitableenoughtothrowamanintojail。Thatlittleblackdressyou”vegotonandthatlittlecaparejust”wayoutofsight，they”resobecoming。Comedownjustlikeyouare。”

ShefeltalittleasPearsonhadfeltwhenconfrontinghisnewemployer”sentirecheerfulnessinfaceofasituationasexoticallyhopelessasthetweedcutaway，andnothingelsebywayofresource。

Buttherewassomethingsoniceabouthim，somethingwhichwasalmostasthoughhewasactuallyagentleman，somethingwhichabsolutely，ifonecouldgosofar，stoodintheplaceofhisbeingagentleman。Itwasimpossibletohelplikinghimmoreandmoreateveryqueerspeechhemade。Still，therewereofcoursethingshedidnotrealize，andperhapsoneoughtinkindnesstogivehimadelicatehint。

“I”mafraid，“shebeganquiteapologetically。“I”mafraidthattheservants，Burrillandthefootmen，youknow，willbe——willthink”

“Say，“hetookherup，“let”sgiveBurrillandthefootmentheWilliesoutandout。Iftheycan”tstandit，theycanwritehometotheirmothersandtell”emthey”vegottotake”emaway。Burrillandthefootmenneedn”tworry。They”resuitableenough，andit”snoneoftheirfuneral，anyhow。”

Hewasn”tupsetintheleast。MissAlicia，who，asatimiddependenteitherupon“poordearpapa“orMr。TempleBarholm，hadbeensecretly，inhersensitive，ladylikelittleway，afraidofsuperiorservantsallherlife，knowingthattheyrealizedherutterlyinsignificanthelplessness，andresentedgivingherattentionbecauseshewasnotabletoshowherappreciationoftheirservicesinthepropermanner——

MissAliciasawthatithadnotoccurredtohimtoendeavortopropitiatethemintheleast，becausesomehowitallseemedajoketohim，andhedidn”tcare。Afterthefirstmomentofbeingstartled，sheregardedhimwithanovelfeeling，almostakindofadmiration。

Tentativelyshedaredtowonderiftherewasnotsomethingevenrather——ratherARISTOCRATICinhisutterindifference。

Ifbehadbeenaduke，hewouldnothaveregardedtheservants”pointofview；itwouldn”thavematteredwhattheythought。Perhaps，shehastilydecided，hewaslikethisbecause，thoughhewasnotaduke，boot-blackinginNewYorknotwithstandinghewasaTempleBarholm。

TherewerefewdukesasoldofbloodasaTempleBarholm。Thatmustbeit。Shewasrelieved。

Whatsoeverlayattherootofhisbeingwhathewasandashewas，hesomehowchangedtheaspectofthingsforher，andwithoutdoinganythingbutbehimself，clearedtheatmosphereofherdreadofthesurpriseandmentalreservationsofthefootmenandBurrillwhenshecamedowntodinnerinherhigh-necked，much-cleaned，andmuch-

repairedblacksilk，andwithnomoredistinguishingchangeinhertoiletthanawhitelacecapinsteadofablackone，andwith“poordearmamma”s“hairbraceletwiththegoldclasponherwrist，andaweeping-willowmadeof“poordearpapa”s“hairinabroochathercollar。

Itwassocurious，thoughstill“nice，“buthedidnotofferherhisarmwhentheyweregoingintothedining-room，andhetookholdofherswithhishandandaffectionatelyhalfled，halfpushed，heralongwithhimastheywent。Andhehimselfdrewbackherchairforherattheendofthetableoppositehisown。Hedidnotletafootmandoit，andhestoodbehindit，talkinginhischeerfulwayallthetime，andhemovedittoexactlytherightplace，andthenactuallybentdownandlookedunderthetable。

“Here，“hesaidtothenearestman-servant，“where”sthereafootstool？Getone，please，“inthatodd，simple，almostaristocraticway。Itwasnotarudedictatorialway，butacasualway，asthoughheknewthemanwastheretodothings，andhedidn”texpectanytimetobewasted。

Anditwashehimselfwhoarrangedthefootstool，makingitcomfortableforher，andthenhewenttohisownchairattheheadofthetableandsatdown，smilingatherjoyfullyacrosstheglassandsilverandflowers。

“Pushthatthinginthemiddleononeside，Burrill，“hesaid。“It”stoohigh。Ican”tseeMissAlicia。”

Burrillfounditdifficulttobelievetheevidenceofhishearing。

“Theepergne，sir？“heinquired。

“Isthatwhatit”scalled，anapern？That”sanewoneonme。Yes，that”swhatImean。Pushtheapernover。”

“ShallIremoveitfromthetable，sir？“Burrillsteeledhimselftoexactcivility。Ofwhatusetobehaveotherwise？Therealwaysremainedthelibertytogivenoticeiftheworstcametotheworst，thoughwhattheworstmighteventuallyprovetobeitrequiredaluridimaginationtodepict。Theepergnewasabeautifulthingofcrystalandgold，acelebratedworkofart，regardedasanexquisitepossession。ItwasalmostremarkablethatMr。TempleBarholmhadnotsaid，“Shoveitononeside，“butBurrillhadbeensparedthepoignantindignityofbeingrequiredto“shove。”

“Yes，supposeyoudo。It”safineenoughthingwhenitisn”tintheway，butI”vegottoseeyouwhileItalk，MissAlicia，“saidMr。

TempleBarholm。Theepisodeoftheepergne——Burrill”sexpression，andtherigidlyrestrainedmouthsofHenryandJamesasthedecorationwasremoved，leavingapainfullyblankspaceoftable-clothuntilBurrillsilentlyfilleditwithflowersinalowbowl——thesethingstemporarilyflurriedMissAliciasomewhat，butthepleasedsmileattheheadofthetablecalmedeventhattryingmoment。

Thenwhatadelightfulmealitwas，tobesure！Howentertainingandcheerfulandfullofinterestingconversation！MissAliciahadalwaysadmiredwhatshereverentlytermed“conversation。”Shehadreadofthehousesofbrilliantpeoplewheretheyhaditattable，atdinnerandsupperparties，andindrawing-rooms。TheFrench，especiallytheFrenchladies，werebrilliantconversationalists。Theyheld“salons“

inwhichtheconversationwaswonderful——Mme。deStaelandMme。

Roland，forinstance；andinEngland，LadyMaryWortleyMontague，SydneySmith，andHoraceWalpole，andsurelyMissFannyBurney，andnodoubtL。E。L。，whoserealnamewasMissLetitiaElizabethLandon——

whatconversationtheymusthavedelightedtheirfriendswithandhowinstructiveitmusthavebeeneventositinthemostobscurecornerandlisten！

SuchgiftedpersonsseemedtohavebeenchosenbyProvidencetodelightandinspireeveryoneprivilegedtohearthem。SuchprivilegeshadbeenomittedfromtheschemeofMissAlicia”sexistence。Shedidnotknow，shewouldhavefeltitsacrilegioustoadmititevenifthefacthaddawneduponher，that“dearpapa“hadbeenaheartlesslyarrogant，utterlyselfish，andtyrannicaloldblackguardofthemostpronouncedtype。Hehadbeenofanabsolutemoralityasfarassociallawswereconcerned。Hehadwrittenanddeliveredadenunciatorysermonaweek，andhadmadeunbearablebyhisministrationsthesufferinghoursandthelastmomentsofhisparishionersduringthelongyearsofhispastorate。WhenMissAlicia，inreadingrecordsofthehelpfulrelationshipofthemaleprogenitorsoftheBrontes，JaneAusten，FannyBurney，andMrs。Browning，wasfrequentlyremindedofhim，sherevealedaperceptionofwhichshewasnotaware。Hehadcombinedthevirilequalitiesofallofthem。Consequently，brilliancyofconversationattablehadnotbeentheattractivehabitofthehousehold；“poordearpapa“hadconfinedhimselftoscathingcriticismoftheincompetenceoffemaleswhocouldnotteachtheirmenialsto“cookadinnerwhichwasnotadisgracetoanydecenthousehold。”Whennotvirulentlyaspersingthemutton，hewasexpressinghisopinionofmuddle-headedweaknesswhichwouldpermithouseholdbillstomountinamannerwhichcouldonlybringruinanddisasteruponaministerofthegospelwhothroughoutaprotractedcareerofusefulnesshadsappedhisintellectualmanhoodintheuselessefforttosupportinsillyidlenessafamilyofbrainlessandmaddeningfools。MissAliciahadheardhercharacter，herunsuccessfulphysicalappearance，hermind，andherpitifuleffortsattable-talk，describedindetailwithachoiceofadjectiveandadverbwhichhadbrokenintoterrifiedfragmentseveryatomofcourageandwillwithwhichshehadbeensparselydowered。

So，nothavingherselfbeengiftedwithconversationalpowerstobeginwith，andneverhavingenjoyedtheexhibitionofsuchpowersinothers，heridealshadbeenhigh。ShewasnotsurethatMr。TempleBarholm”sfluentandcheerfultalkcouldbewithexactnesstermed“conversation。”Itwasperhapsnotsufficientlyloftyandintellectual，anddidnotconfineitselfrigorouslytooneexaltedsubject。Buthowitdidraiseone”sspiritsandopenupcuriousvistas！Andhowgoodtemperedandhumorousitwas，eventhoughsometimesthehumorwasalittlebewildering！Duringthewholedinnerthereneveroccurredevenoneofthosedreadfulpausesinwhichdeadsilencefell，andonetried，likeafrightenedhenflyingfromsidetosideofacoop，tothinkofsomethingtosaywhichwouldnotsoundsilly，butperhapsmightdivertattentionfromdangeroustopics。ShehadoftenthoughtitwouldbesointerestingtohearaSpaniardoranativeHindutalkabouthimselfandhisowncountryinEnglish。

TembaromtalkedaboutNewYorkanditspeopleandatmosphere，andhedidnotknowhowforeignitallwas。Hedescribedthestreets——FifthAvenueandBroadwayandSixthAvenue——andthestreet-carsandtheelevatedrailroad，andtheway“fellows“hadto“hustle““toputitover。”Hespokeofaboarding-housekeptbyacertainMrs。Bowse，andapresidentialcampaign，andtheelectionofamayor，andaquick-

lunchcounter，andwhenPresidentGarfieldhadbeenassassinated，andadepartmentstore；andtheelectriclights，andthewayhehadofmakingasortofpictureofeverythingwasreallyinstructiveand，well，fascinating。Shefeltasthoughshehadbeentakenaboutthecityinoneofthevehiclestheconductorofwhichdescribedthingsthroughamegaphone。

NotthatMr。TempleBarholmsuggestedamegaphone，whatsoeverthatmightbe，buthemerelymadeyoufeelasifyouhadseenthings。Neverhadshebeensoentertainedandenlightened。Ifshehadbeenabeautifulgirl，hecouldnothaveseemedmoreasthoughinamusingherhewasalsoreallypleasinghimself。Hewassoveryfunnysometimesthatshecouldnothelplaughinginawaywhichwasalmostunladylike，becauseshecouldnotstop，andwasobligedtoputherhandkerchiefuptoherfaceandwipeawayactualtearsofmirth。

Fancylaughinguntilyoucried，andtheservantslookingon！

OnceBurrillhimselfwasobligedtoturnhastilyaway，andtwicesheheardhimseverelyreproveanoverpoweredyoungfootmaninarapidundertone。

TembaromatleastfeltthattheunliftingheavinessofatmospherewhichhadsurroundedhimwhileenjoyingthecompanionshipofMr。

Palfordwasathingofthepast。

Thethrilledinterest，thesurpriseanddelightofMissAliciawouldhavestimulatedamaninacomatosecondition，itseemedtohim。Thelittlethingjustlovedeverybitofit——shejust“eatitup。”Sheaskedquestionafterquestion，sometimesquestionswhichwouldhavemadehimshoutwithlaughterifhehadnotbeenafraidofhurtingherfeelings。SheknewaslittleofNewYorkasheknewofTempleBarholm，andwas，itmadehimgrintosee，alluredbyitasbysomeillicitfascination。Shedidnotknowwhattomakeofit，andsometimesshewasobligedhastilytoconcealafearthatitwasasortofSodomandGomorrah；butshewantedtohearmoreaboutit，andstillmore。

Andshebrightenedupuntilsheactuallydidnotlookfrightened，andateherdinnerwithanexcellentappetite。

“Ireallyneverenjoyedadinnersomuchinmylife，“shesaidwhentheywentintothedrawing-roomtohavetheircoffee。“Itwastheconversationwhichmadeitsodelightful。Conversationissuchastimulatingthing！“

Shehadalmostdecidedthatitwas“conversation，“oratleastawonderfulsubstitute。

Whenshesaidgoodnighttohimandwentbeamingtobed，lookingforwardimmenselytobreakfastnextmorning，hewatchedhergoupthestaircase，feelingwonderfullynormalandhappy。

“Someofthesenights，whenshe”susedtome，“hesaidashestuffedtobaccointohislastpipeinthelibrary”someofthesenightsI”mdarnedifIsha”n”tcatchholdofthesweet，littleoldthingandhugherinspiteofmyself。Isha”n”tbeabletohelpit。”Helithispipe，andpuffeditevenexcitedly。“Lord！“hesaid，“there”ssomeblame”foolgoingabouttheworldrightnowthatmighthavemarriedher。Andhe”llneverknowwhatabreakhemadewhenhedidn”t。”

CHAPTERXVI

Afugitivefinedaywhichhadstrayedintothemonthfromtheapproachingspringappearedthenextmorning，andMissAliciawasupliftedbytheenrapturingsuggestionthatsheshouldjoinhernewrelativeintakingawalk，infactthatitshouldbeshewhotookhimtowalkandshowedhimsomeofhispossessions。This，ithadrevealeditselftohim，shecoulddoinaspecialwayofherown，becauseduringherlifeatTempleBarholmshehadfeltitherdutyto“trytodoalittlegood“amongthevillagers。Sheandherlong-deadmotherandsisterhadofcoursebeenworkingadjunctsofthevicarage，andhadnumeroussomewhattryingtaskstoperforminthewayofimprovingupon“dearpapa”s“harryingthemintoattendingchurch，chivyingthemothersintosendingtheirchildrentoSunday-school，andbeingunsparinginseverityofanyconductwhichmightbeconstruedintoimplyinglackofappreciationofthevicarorrespectforhiseloquence。

Ithadbeennecessaryforthemasmembersofthevicar”sfamily——

always，ofcourse，withoutaddingasixpencetothehouseholdbills——

tosupplybowlsofnourishingbrothandarrowroottoinvalidsandtobestowtheaidandencouragementwhichresultinamanofGod”sbeingregardedwithaffectionandgratitudebyhisparishioners。Manyaman”scareerinthechurch，“dearpapa“hadfrequentlyobserved，hadbeenruinedbylackofintelligenceandeffortonthepartofthefemalemembersofhisfamily。

“Nomancouldachieveproperresults，“hehadsaid，“ifhewashamperedbytheselfishinfluenceandfoolishnessofhiswomenkind。

Successinthechurchdependsinonesenseverymuchupontheconductofaman”sfemalerelatives。”

Afterthedeathsofhermotherandsister，MissAliciahadtoiledonpatiently，fadingdaybydayfromaslim，plain，sweet-facedgirltoaslim，evenplainerandsweeter-facedmiddle-agedandatlastelderlywoman。ShehadbythattimereadaloudbybedsidesagreatmanychaptersintheBible，hadgivenagoodmanytracts，andbestowedasmucharrowroot，barley-water，andbeef-teaasshecouldpossiblyencompasswithoutdomesticdisaster。Shehadgivenalargeamountofconscientious，ifnottoointelligent，advice，andhadneverfailedtopresideoverherSunday-schoolclassoratmothers”meetings。Buthertimidunimpressivenesshadnotarousedenthusiasmorawakenedcomprehension。“MissAlicia，“thecottagewomensaid，“she”swellmeanin”，butshe”snotonewithahead。”“Sheremindsme，“oneofthemhadsummedherup，“ofahenthatlaysa”eggeveryday，butit”stoosmallforameal，and”u”dneverhatchintoanythin”。”

DuringherstayatTempleBarholmshehadtentativelytriedtodoalittle“parishwork，“butshehadhadnothingtogive，andshewasalwaysafraidthatifMr。TempleBarholmfoundherout，hewouldbeangry，becausehewouldthinkshewaspresuming。Shewasawarethatthevillagersknewthatshewasanobjectofcharityherself，andapersonwhowas“alady“andyetanobjectofcharitywas，sotospeak，poachingupontheirownlegitimatepreserves。Therectorandhiswifewererathergrandpeople，andcondescendedtohergreatlyonthefewoccasionsoftheiraccidentalmeetings。Shewasneithersmartnorinfluentialenoughtobeconsideredasanasset。

Itwasshewho“conversed“duringtheirwalk，andwhileshetrottedbyTembarom”ssidelookingmoreearly-Victorianthaneverinaneat，fringedmantleandasmallblackbonnetofafashionlongdecentlyinterredbyachangingworld，TembaromhadneverseenanythingresemblingitinNewYork；buthelikeditandherincreasinglyateverymoment。

Itwashewhomadeherconverse。Heledheronbyaskingherquestionsandbeinggreatlyinterestedineveryresponseshemade。Infact，thoughhewasquiteunawareofthesituation，shewascreatingforhimsuchanatmosphereashemighthavefoundinabook，ifhehadhadthehabitofbooks。Everythingshetoldhimwasnewandquaintandveryoftenrathertouching。Sherelatedanecdotesaboutherselfandherpoorlittlepastwithoutknowingshewasdoingit。Beforetheyhadtalkedanhourhehadanastonishingclearideaof“poordearpapa“

and“dearestEmily“and“poordarlingmama“andexistenceatRowcroftVicarage。He“caughtonto“thefactthatthoughshewasverymuchgiventotheword“dear，“——peoplewere“dear，“andsowerethingsandplaces，——sheneverevenbychanceslippedintosaying“dearRowcroft，“

whichshewouldcertainlyhavedoneifshehadeverspentahappymomentinit。

AsshetalkedtohimherealizedthathersimpleaccustomednesstoEnglishvillagelifeandallitsaccompanimentsofcountysurroundingswouldteachhimanythingandeverythinghemightwanttoknow。Herobscurityhadbeensurroundedbystatelymagnificence，withwhichshehadbecomefamiliarwithouttouchingthemerestoutskirtsofitsprivileges。Sheknewnamesandcustomsandfamiliesandthingstobecultivatedoravoided，andthoughshewouldbealittlestartledandmuchmystifiedbyhistotalignoranceofallshehadbreathedinsinceherbirth，hefeltsurethatshewouldnotregardhimeitherwithprivatecontemptorwithalessenedlikingbecausehewasavandalpureandsimple。

Andshehadsuchanice，little，oldpolitewayofsayingthings。

When，inpassingagroupofchildren，hefailedtounderstandthattheirhastybobbingupanddownmeantthattheyweredoingobeisancetohimaslordofthemanor，shespokewiththeprettiestapologeticcourtesy。

“I”msureyouwon”tmindtouchingyourhatwhentheymaketheirlittlecurtsies，orwhenavillagertoucheshisforehead，“shesaid。

“GoodLord！no，“hesaid，starting。“OughtI？Ididn”tknowtheyweredoingitatme。”Andheturnedroundandmadeahandsomebowandgrinnedalmostaffectionatelyatthesmall，amazedparty，firstpuzzling，andthendelighting，them，becausehelookedsoextraordinarilyfriendly。Agentlemanwholaughedatyoulikethatoughttobeequaltoamiscellaneousdistributionofpenniesinthefuture，ifnotonthespot。Theythemselvesgrinnedandchuckledandnudgedoneanother，withstaresandgiggles。

“Iamsorrytosaythatinagreatmanyplacesthevillagersarenotnearlysorespectfulastheyusedtobe，“MissAliciaexplained。“InRowcroftthechildrenwereveryremissaboutcurtseying。It”squitesad。ButMr。TempleBarholmwasverystrictindeedinthematterofdemandingproperrespectfulness。Hehasturnedmenofftheirfarmsforincivility。ThevillagersofTempleBarholmhavemuchbettermannersthansomeevenafewmilesaway。”

“MustItipmyhattoallofthem？“heasked。

“Ifyouplease。Itreallyseemskinder。You——youneedn”tquiteliftit，asyoudidtothechildrenjustnow。Ifyoujusttouchthebrimlightlywithyourhandinasortofmilitarysalute——thatiswhattheyareaccustomedto。”

Aftertheyhadpassedthroughthevillagestreetshepausedattheendofashortlaneandlookedupathimdoubtfully。

“Wouldyou——Iwonderifyouwouldliketogointoacottage，“shesaid。

“Gointoacottage？“heasked。“Whatcottage？Whatfor？“

Hehadnottheremotestideaofanyreasonwhyheshouldgointoacottageinhabitedbypeoplewhowereentirestrangerstohim，andMissAliciafeltatrifleawkwardathavingtoexplainanythingsowhollynatural。

“Yousee，theyareyourcottages，andthepeopleareyourtenants，and”

“Butperhapstheymightn”tlikeit。Itmightmake”emmad，“heargued。

“Iftheirwater-pipeshadbusted，andthey”daskedmetocomeandlookatthemoranything；buttheydon”tknowmeyet。TheymightthinkI

wasMr。Buttinski。”

“Idon”tquite”shebegan。“Buttinskiisaforeignname；itsoundsRussianorPolish。I”mafraidIdon”tquiteunderstandwhytheyshouldmistakeyouforhim。”

Thenhelaughed——aboyishshoutoflaughterwhichbroughtacottagertothenearestwindowtopeepoverthepotsoffuchsiasandgeraniumsbloomingprofuselyagainstthediamondpanes。

“Say，“heapologized，“don”tbemadbecauseIlaughed。I”mlaughingatmyselfasmuchasatanything。It”sawayofsayingthattheymightthinkIwas”buttingin”toomuch——pushinginwhereIwasn”tasked。

See？IsaidtheymightthinkIwasMr。Butt-in-ski！It”sjustabitoffoolslang。You”renotmad，areyou？“

“Oh，no！“shesaid。“Dearme！no。Itisveryfunny，ofcourse。I”mafraidI”mextremelyignorantabout——aboutforeignhumor“Itseemedmoredelicatetosay“foreign“thanmerely“American。”Buthergentlelittlecountenanceforafewsecondsworeabaffledexpression，andshesaidsoftlytoherself，“Mr。Buttinski，Butt-in——tointrude。ItsoundsquitePolish；IthinkevenmorePolishthanRussian。”

Hewasafraidhewouldyellwithglee，buthedidnot。Herculeaneffortenabledhimtorestrainhisfeelings，andpresenttoheronlyanordinary-sizedsmile。

“Ishouldn”tknowonefromtheother，“hesaid；“butifyousayitsoundsmorePolish，Ibetitdoes。”

“Wouldyouliketogointoacottage？“sheinquired。“Ithinkitmightbeaswell。Theywillliketheattention。”

“Willthey？OfcourseI”llgoifyouthinkthat。WhatshallIsay？“heaskedsomewhatanxiously。

“Ifyouthinkthecottagelooksclean，youmighttellthemso，andaskafewquestionsaboutthings。AndyoumustbesuretoinquireaboutSusanHibblethwaite”slegs。”

“What？“ejaculatedTembarom。

“SusanHibblethwaite”slegs，“sherepliedinmildexplanation。“SusanisMr。Hibblethwaite”sunmarriedsister，andshehasverybadlegs。Itisathingonenoticescontinuallyamongvillagepeople，moreespeciallythewomen，thattheycomplainofwhattheycall`badlegs。”

Ineverquiteknowwhattheymean，whetheritisrheumatismorsomethingdifferent，butthetroubleisalwaysspokenofas`badlegs”

Andtheylikeyoutoinquireaboutthem，sothattheycantellyoutheirsymptoms。”

“Whydon”ttheygetthemcured？“

“Idon”tknow，I”msure。Theytakeagooddealofmedicinewhentheycanaffordit。Ithinktheyliketotakeit。They”reverypleasedwhenthedoctorgivesthem`abottleo”summat”astheycallit。Oh，I

mustn”tforgettotellyouthatmostofthemspeakratherbroadLancashire。”

“ShallIunderstandthem？“Tembaromasked，anxiousagain。“IsitasortofDagotalk？“

“ItistheEnglishtheworking-classesspeakinLancashire。”Summat”

means”something。””Whoam”means”home。”ButIshouldthinkyouwouldbeverycleveratunderstandingthings。”

“I”mscaredstiff，“saidTembarom，notintheleastuncourageously；

“butIwanttogointoacottageandhearsomeofit。Whichoneshallwegointo？“

Therewereseveralwhitewashedcottagesinthelane，eachinitsownbitofgardenandbehinditsownhawthornhedge，nowbareandwhollyunsuggestiveofwhiteblossomsandalmondscenttotheuninitiated。

MissAliciahesitatedamoment。

“Wewillgointothisone，wheretheHibblethwaiteslive，“shedecided。“Theyarequiteclean，civilpeople。Theyhaveanaughty，queer，littlecrippledboy，butIsupposetheycan”tkeephiminorderbecauseheisaninvalid。He”sratherrude，I”msorrytosay，buthe”srathersharpandclever，too。Heseemstolieonhissofaandcollectallthegossipofthevillage。”

Theywenttogetherupthebrickedpath，andMissAliciaknockedatthelowdoorwithherknuckles。Astout，apple-facedwomanopenedit，lookingashadenervous。

“Goodmorning，Mrs。Hibblethwaite，“saidMissAliciainakindbutremotemanner。“ThenewMr。TempleBarholmhasbeenkindenoughtocometoseeyou。It”sverygoodofhimtocomesosoon，isn”tit？“

“Itisthat，“Mrs。Hibblethwaiteansweredrespectfully，lookinghimover。“Wiltthacoomin，sir？“

Tembaromacceptedtheinvitation，feelingextremelyawkwardbecauseMissAlicia”sinitiatorycommentuponhisgoodnessinshowinghimselfhad“rattled“him。Ithadmadehimfeelthathemustappearcondescending，andhehadnevercondescendedtoanyoneinthewholecourseofhisexistence。Hehad，indeed，notevenbeencondescendedto。Hehadmetwithslangingandbullying，indifferenceandbrutalityofmanner，buthehadnotmetwithcondescension。

“Ihopeyou”rewell，Mrs。Hibblethwaite，“heanswered。“Youlookit。”

“Ideceivemalooksagoodbit，sir，“sheanswered。“MonyadaymalegsisnighasbadasSusan”s。”

“Tha”rtjealouso”Susan”slegs，“barkedoutasharpvoicefromacornerbythefire。

Theroomhadaflaggedfloor，cleanwithrecentscrubbingwithsandstone；thewhitewashedwallsweredecoratedwithpicturescutfromillustratedpapers；therewasabigfireplace，andbyitwasahard-

lookingsofacoveredwithblue-and-whitecheckedcottonstuff。Aboyofabouttenwaslyingonit，proppedupwithapillow。Hehadabigheadandakeen，ferret-eyedface，andjustnowwaslookingroundtheendofhissofaatthevisitors。“Howdthatongue，Tummas！“saidhismother。“Iwunnothowdit，“Tummasanswered。“Matongue”sth”on”ythingaboutmeasworksright，an”I”mnoangoin”tostopit。”

“He”sayoungnowt，“hismotherexplained；“but，he”sacripple，an”

weconnadoowtwi”him。”

“Donotberude，Thomas，“saidMissAlicia，withdignity。

“Dunnotberudethysen，“repliedTummas。“I”mnoano”thylad。”

Tembaromwalkedovertothesofa。

“Say，“hebeganwithjocularintent，“you”vegotagrouchon，ain”tyou？“

Tummasturnedonhimeyeswhichbored。Ananalyticalobserverorapaintermighthaveseenthathehadaburningcuriousnessoflook，asortofinvestigatoryfeverofexpression。

“Idunnotknowwhatthameans，“hesaid。“Happentha”rttalkin””Merican？“

“That”sjustwhatitis，“admittedTembarom。“Whatareyoutalking？“

“Lancashire，“saidTummas。“Theer”ssomesensei”that。”

Tembaromsatdownnearhim。Theboyturnedoveragainsthispillowandputhischininthehollowofhispalmandstared。

“I”vewantedtoseethee，“heremarked。“I”vemademotheran”AuntSusanan”feythertellmeeverybitthey”vehearedabouttheeinthevillage。Theerwasalotofit。Thacoomfro””Meriker？“

“Yes。”Tembarombeganvaguelytofeelthedemandintheburningcuriosity。

“Gi”methattheerbook，“theboysaid，pointingtoasmalltableheapedwithamiscellaneousjumbleofthingsandstandingnotfarfromhim。“It”sa”atlas，“headdedasTembaromgaveittohim。“Yo”confindplacesinit。”Heturnedtheleavesuntilhefoundamapoftheworld。“Theer”s”Meriker，“hesaid，pointingtotheUnitedStates。

“Thattheer”snorthandthattheer”ssouth。Allth”real”MerikenscomesfromtheNorth，wheerNewYorkis。”

“IcomefromNewYork，“saidTembarom。

“Thawertborni”th”workhouse，tharunaboutth”streetsi”rags，thaprettynighclemmedtodeath，thablackedboots，thasoldnewspapers，thafeytherwasacommonworkin”-mon——andnowtha”scoomintoTempleBarholman”sixtythousandayear。”

“Thelastpart”strueallright，“Tembaromowned，“butthere”ssomemistakesinthefirstpart。Iwasn”tbornintheworkhouse，andthoughI”vebeenhungryenough，Ineverstarvedtodeath——ifthat”swhat`clemmed”means。”

Tummaslookedatoncedisappointedandsomewhatincredulous。

“That”sth”roadtheytelliti”th”village，“heargued。

“Well，letthemtellitthatwayiftheylikeitbest。That”snotgoingtoworryme，“Tembaromreplieduncombatively。

Tummas”seyesboreddeeperintohim。

“Doesnathacare？“hedemanded。

“WhatshouldIcarefor？Leteveryfellowenjoyhimselfhisownway。”

“Tha”rtnotabitlikeoneo”th”gentry，“saidTummas。“Tha”rtquiteacommonchap。Tha”rtascommonasme，forawthafoineclothes。”

“Peoplearecommonenough，anyhow，“saidTembarom。“There”snothingmuchcommoner，isthere？There”smillionsof”emeverywhere——

billionsof”em。Noneofusneedputonairs。”

“Tha”rtascommonasme，“saidTummas，reflectively。“An”yetthaownsTempleBarholman”awthatbrass。Iconnamak”outhowth”loikehappens。”

“NeithercanI；butitdoesallsamee。”

“Itdoesnahappeni””Meriker，“exultedTummas。“Everybody”sequaltheer。”

“Rats！“ejaculatedTembarom。“Whataboutmultimillionaires？“

HeforgotthattheageofTummaswasten。Itwasimpossiblenottoforgetit。Hewas，infact，tenhundred，ifthoseofhisgenerationhadbeenawareofthetruth。Buttherehesat，havingspentonlyadecadeofhismostrecentincarnationinawhitewashedcottage，deprivedoftheuseofhislegs。

MissAlicia，seeingthatTembaromwasinterestedintheboy，enteredintodomesticconversationwithMrs。Hibblethwaiteattheothersideoftheroom。Mrs。HibblethwaitewassoonexplainingtheuncertaintyofSusan”stemperonwash-days，whenitwasnecessarytodependonherlegs。

“Can”tyouwalkatall？“Tembaromasked。Tummasshookhishead。“Howlonghaveyoubeenlame？“

“EversinceIwurborn。It”ssummatlikerickets。I”vebeenlyin”hereawmydays。Ilookonatfoakan”think”emover。I”vegottodosummat。That”swhyIloiketh”atlas。LittleAnnHutchinsongaveittomeonctwhenshecometoseehergrandmother。”

Tembaromsatupright。

“Doyouknowher？“heexclaimed。

“Iknowherbesto”onybodyinth”world。An”Iloikeherbest。”

“SodoI，“rashlyadmittedTembarom。

“Thadoes？“Tummasaskedsuspiciously。“Doessheloikethee？“

“Shesaysshedoes。”Hetriedtosayitwithpropermodesty。

“Well，ifshesaysshedoes，shedoes。An”ifshedoes，thenyoan”

me”llbefriends。”Hestoppedamoment，andseemedtobetakingTembarominwiththoroughness。“Icouldgetalotouto”thee，“hesaidaftertheinspection。

“Alotofwhat？“Tembaromfeltasthoughhewouldreallyliketohear。

“Aloto”thingsIwanttoknowabout。IwishI”dlivedth”lifetha”slived，clemmin”ornoclemmin”。Tha”sseenthingsgoin”oneverydayo”thyloife。”

“Well，yes，there”sbeenplentygoingon，plenty，“Tembaromadmitted。

“I”vebeenlyingherefortenyear”，“saidTummas，savagely。“An”I”vehadnowti”th”worldtodoan”nowttothinkonbutwhatIcouldmak”

foaktellmeaboutth”village。Butnowthappensbutthischapgettin”

drunkan”thatchapdeein”orlosin”hisplace，orwenchesgettin”

marriedorhavin”childer。Iknoweverythingthathappens，butit”snowtbutaloto”womenclackin”。IfI”dnotbeenacripple，I”dha”

beenatworkformonyayearbynow，”arnin”moneytosavebyan”goto”Meriker。”

“YouseemtobesortofstuckonAmerica。How”sthat？“

“Whatdostmean？“

“Imeanyouseemtolikeit。”

“Idunnotloikeitnoryetnotloikeit，butI”veheardabitmoreaboutitthanIhaveaboutth”otherplacesonth”map。Foakgoestheretoseektheirfortune，an”itseemsloikethere”sagoodbitdoin”。”

“Doyouliketoreadnewspapers？“saidTembarom，inspiredtohisquerybyarecollectionofthevisionofthings“doin”“intheSundayEarth。

“Wheer”dIgetpapersfrom？“theboyaskedtestily。“Foaklikeushasn”tgotth”brassfor”em。”

“I”llbringyousomeNewYorkpapers，“promisedTembarom，grinningalittleinanticipation。“Andwe”lltalkaboutthenewsthat”sinthem。

TheSundayEarthisfullofpictures。Iusedtoworkonthatpapermyself。”

“Thadid？“Tummascriedexcitedly。“Didthahelptoprintit，orwasitth”onethasoldi”th”streets？“

“Iwrotesomeofthestuffinit。”

“Wrotesomeofth”stuffinit？Wroteitthaself？Howcouldtha，acommonchaplikethee？“heasked，moreexcitedstill，hisferreteyessnapping。

“Idon”tknowhowIdidit，“Tembaromanswered，withincreasedcheerandinterestinthesituation。“Itwasn”thigh-browsortofwork。”

Tummasleanedforwardinhisincredulouseagerness。

“Doesthameanthattheypaidtheeforwritin”it——paidthee？“

“Iguesstheywouldn”thavedoneitifthey”dbeenLancashire，“Tembaromanswered。”Buttheyhadn”tmuchmoresensethanIhad。Theypaidmetwenty-fivedollarsaweek——that”sfivepounds。”

“Idunnotbelievethee，“saidTummas，andleanedbackonhispillowshortofbreath。

“Ididn”tbelieveitmyselftillI”dpaidmyboardtwoweeksandboughtasuitofclotheswithit，“wasTembarom”sanswer，andhechuckledashemadeit。

ButTummasdidbelieveit。This，afterhehadrecoveredfromtheshock，becameevident。Thecuriosityinhisfaceintensifieditself；

hiseagernesswasevenvaguelytingedwithsomethingremotelyresemblingrespect。Itwasnot，however，respectforthemoneywhichhadbeenearned，butforthestoreofthings“doin”“whichmusthavebeenrequired。Itwasimpossiblethatthischapknewthingsundreamedof。

“Hasthaeverbeentoth”Klondike？“heaskedafteralongpause。

“No。I”veneverbeenoutofNewYork。”

Tummasseemedfrettedanddepressed。

“Eh，I”msorryforthat。Iwishedtha”dbeentoth”Klondike。Iwanttobetowdaboutit，“hesighed。Hepulledtheatlastowardhimandfoundaplaceinit。

“Thattheer”sDawson，“heannounced。TembaromsawthattheregionoftheKlondikehadbeenmuchstudied。Itwasevenratherfadedwiththefrequentpassageofsearchingfingers，asthoughithadbeenporedoverwithspecialcuriosity。

“There”sgowd-moinestheer，“revealedTummas。“An”theer”swellynewtelsebutsnowan”ice。Ayoungchapassetoutfro”heretogettheerfrozetodeathonth”way。”

“Howdidyougettohearaboutit？“

“Annshebrowtmeapaperonet。”Hedugunderhispillow，andbroughtoutapieceofnewspaper，wornandfrayedandcutwithageandusage。

“Thisheer”swhat”sleftofit。”TembaromsawthatitwasafragmentfromanoldAmericansheetandthatacolumnwasheaded“TheRushfortheKlondike。”

“Whydidnathagotheer？“demandedTummas。Helookedupfromhisfragmentandaskedhisquestionwithasuddenreflectiveness，asthoughanewandinterestingaspectofthingshadpresenteditselftohim。