第15章

Therealizationwastheresultofthesquare-shoulderedswingwithwhichT。Tembaromturnedround，andtheexpressionofhiseyesastheyranoverhim。

“Admit！“hesaid。“Admithell！He”sup-stairs，“withaslightjerkofhisheadinthedirectionoftheceiling。

Thedukealonedidnotgasp。Helaughedslightly。

“We”vejustgothere。HecamedownfromLondonwithme，andSirOrmsbyGalloway。”AndhesaiditnottoPalliserbuttoPalfordandGrimby。

“TheSirOrmsbyGalloway？“ItwasanejaculationfromMr。Palfordhimself。

T。Tembaromstoodsquareandgavehisexplanationtothelotofthem，sotospeak，withoutdistinction。

“He”sthebignervespecialist。I”vehadhimlookingafterthecasefromthefirst——beforeIbegantosuspectanything。Itookorders，andordersweretokeephimquietandnotletanyfoolbuttinandexcitehim。That”swhatI”vebeengivingmymindto。ThegreatstuntwastogethimtogoandstayatSirOrmsby”splace。”Hestoppedamomentandsuddenlyflaredforthasifhehadhadaboutenoughofit。Healmostshoutedattheminexasperation。“AllI”mgoingtotellyouisthatforaboutsixmonthsI”vebeentryingtoprovethatJemTempleBarholmwasJemTempleBarholm，andthehardestthingIhadtodowastogethimsothathecouldproveithimself。”Hestrodeovertothehearthandrangabell。“It”snotmyplacetogiveordersherenow，“hesaid，“butJemcommissionedmetoseethisthingthrough。SirOrmsby”lltellyouallyouwanttohear。”

Heturnedandspokesolelytotheduke。

“Thisiswhathappened，“hesaid。“Idaresayyou”lllaughwhenyouhearit。Ialmostlaughedmyself。WhatdoesJemdo，whenhethinksthingsover，butgetsomefoolnotioninhisheadaboutnotcomingbackhereandpushingmeout。Andhelightsoutandleavesthecountry——leavesit——togettimetothinkitoversomemore。”

Thedukedidnotlaugh。Hemerelysmiled——asmilewhichhadashadeofcuriousself-questioninginit。

“Romanticandemotional——andquiteridiculous，“hecommentedslowly。

“He”dhaveawakenedtothatwhenhehadthoughtitout`somemore。”

Thethingcouldn”tbedone。”

Burrillhadpresentedhimselfinanswertothebell，andawaitedorders。HisGracecalledTembarom”sattentiontohim，andTembaromincludedPalliserwithPalfordandGrimbywhenhegavehisgestureofinstruction。

“TakethesegentlementoSirOrmsbyGalloway，andthenaskMr。TempleBarholmifhe”llcomedown-stairs，“hesaid。

ItispossiblethatCaptainPalliserfelthimselfmoreirritatinglyinfoldedintheswathingrealizationthatsomeonewasinaridiculousposition，anditiscertainthatMr。Palfordfeltitnecessarytopreserveanoutwardlyflawlessdignityasthedukesurprisinglylefthischairandjoinedthem。

“Letmego，too，“hesuggested；“Imaybeabletoassistinthrowinglight。”HisincludingmovementinMissAlicia”sdirectionwasdelightfullygraciousandfriendly。ItwasinclusiveofMr。Hutchinsonalso。

“Willyoucomewithus，MissTempleBarholm？“hesaid。“Andyoutoo，Mr。Hutchinson。Weshallgooveritallinitsmostinterestingdetail，andyoumustbeeageraboutit。Iammyself。”

HishappyandentirelycorrectideawasthattheimpendingentranceofMr。JamesTempleBarholmwould“comeoff“betterintheabsenceofaudience。

Hutchinsonalmostbouncedfromhischairinhisreadiness。MissAlicialookedatTembarom。

“Yes，MissAlicia，“heansweredherinquiringglance。“Yougo，too。

You”llgetitalloverquicker。”

RigidproprietyforbadethatMr。Palfordshouldexpressannoyance，buttheefforttorestraintheexpressionofitwasinhiscountenance。

WasitpossiblethattheAmericanhabitofbeingjocularhadactuallyhelditsowninamatterasseriousasthis？Andcouldeventhemostcynicalandlight-mindedofducalpersonageshavebeeninvolvedinitsunworthyfrivolities？Butnoonelookedjocular——Tembarom”sjawwassetinitshardline，andtheduke，takingupthebroadribbonofhisrimlessmonocletofixtheglassinhiseye，woretheexpressionofamanwhosesenseofhumorwastemporarilyinabeyance。

“ArewetounderstandthatyourGrace——？“

“Yes，“saidhisGraceatriflecurtly，“Ihaveknownaboutitforsometime。”

“Butwhywasnobodytold？“putinPalliser。

“Whyshouldpeoplebetold？Therewasnothingsufficientlydefinitetotell。Itwasawaitinggame。”HisGracewastednowords。“Iwastold。

Mr。TempleBarholmdidnotknowEnglandorEnglishmethods。Hisidea——

perhapsamistakenone——wasthatanEnglishdukeoughttobeabletoadvisehim。Hecametomeandmadeacleanbreastofit。Hegoesstraightatthings，thatyoungfellow。Makeswhathecallsa`beeline。”Oh！I”vebeeninit——I”vebeeninit，Iassureyou。”

ItwasastheycrossedthehallthathisGraceslightlylaughed。

“Itstruckmeasasortofwild-goosechaseatfirst。Hehadonlyaghostofaclue——amereresemblancetoaportrait。Buthebelievedinit，andhehadaninstinct。”Helaughedagain。“ThedullestandmostunmelodramaticneighborhoodinEnglandhasbeentakingpartinamelodrama——buttherehasbeennovillaininit——onlyamatter-of-factyoungman，workingoutaqueerthinginhisownqueer，matter-of-factway。”

Whenthedoorclosedbehindthem，TembaromwenttoLadyJoan。Shehadrisenandwasstandingbeforethewindow，herbacktotheroom。Shelookedtallandstraightandtenselybracedwhensheturnedround，buttherewasendurance，notfiercenessinhereyes。

“DidheleavethecountryknowingIwashere——waiting？“sheasked。Hervoicewaslowandfatigued。Shehadrememberedthatyearshadpassed，andthatitwasperhapsafterallonlyhumanthatlonganguishshouldblotthingsout，anddullahopelessman”smemory。

“No，“answeredTembaromsharply。“Hedidn”t。Youweren”tinitthen。

Hebelievedyou”dmarriedthatDukeofMerthshirefellow。Thisisthewayitwas：Letmetellittoyouquick。Aletterthathadbeenwanderingroundcametohimthenightbeforethecave-in，whentheythoughthewaskilled。IttoldhimoldTempleBarholmwasdead。Hestartedoutbeforedaylight，andyoucanbethewasstrunguptillhewasnearcrazywithexcitement。HebelievedthatifhewasinEnglandwithplentyofmoneyhecouldtrackdownthatcardsharplie。Hebelievedyou”dhelphim。Somewhere，whilehewastravelinghecameacrossanoldpaperwithalotofdopeaboutyourbeingengaged。”

Joanrememberedwellhowhermotherhadworkedtosetthestoryafloat——howtheyhadgonethroughthemostawfuloftheirscenes——

almostravingateachother，shutuptogetherintheboudoirinHillStreet。

“That”sallheremembers，exceptthathethoughtsomeonehadhithimacrackonthehead。Nothinghadhithim。He”dhadtoomuchtostandupunderandsomethinggavewayinhisbrain。Hedoesn”tknowwhathappenedafterthat。He”dwakeupsometimesjustenoughtoknowhewaswanderingabouttryingtogethome。It”sbeenthelimittotrytotrackhim。Ifhe”dnotcometohimselfwecouldneverhavebeenquitesure。That”swhyIstuckatit。ButheDIDcometohimself。Allofasudden。SirOrmsbywilltellyouthat”swhatnearlyalwayshappens。

Theywakeupallofasudden。It”sallright；it”sallright。Iusedtopromisehimitwouldbe——whenIwasn”tsurethatIwasn”tlying。”

Andforthefirsttimehebrokeintothefriendlygrin——butitwasmorevaliantthanspontaneous。Hewantedhertoknowthatitwas“allright。”

“Oh！“shecried，“oh！you”

Shestoppedbecausethedoorwasopening。

“It”sJem，“hesaidsharply。“Ann，let”sgo。”AndthatinstantLittleAnnwasnearhim。

“No！no！don”tgo，“criedLadyJoan。

JemTempleBarholmcameinthroughthedoorway。Lifeandsoundandbreathstoppedforasecond，andthenthetwowhirledintoeachother”sarmsasifastormhadsweptthemthere。

“Jem！“shewailed。“Oh，Jem！Myman！Wherehaveyoubeen？“

“I”vebeeninhell，Joan——inhell！“heanswered，choking，”andthiswonderfulfellowhasdraggedmeoutofit。”

ButTembaromwouldhavenoneofit。Hecouldnotstandit。Thissortofthingfilleduphisthroatandputhimatanoverwhelmingdisadvantage。HejustlaidahandonJemTempleBarholm”sshoulderandgavehimanawkwardlyfriendlypush。

“Say，cutmeoutofit！“hesaid。“Yougetbusy，“hisvoiceratherbreaking。“You”vegotalottosaytoher。Itwasuptomebefore；——

now，it”suptoyou。”

LittleAnnwentwithhimintothenextroom。

Theroomtheywentintowasasmallerone，quiet，anditsorielwindowsmuchovershadowedbytrees。BythetimetheystoodtogetherinthecenterofitTembaromhadswallowedsomethingtwiceorthrice，andhadrecoveredhimself。Evenhisoldsmilehadcomebackashetookoneofherhandsineachofhis，andholdingthemwideapartstoodandlookeddownather。

“Godblessyou，LittleAnn，“hesaid。“IjustknewIshouldfindyouhere。I”dhavebetmylastdollaronit。”

Thehandsheheldweretremblingjustalittle，andthedimplesquiveredinandout。Buthereyesweresteady，andalovelyincreasingintensityglowedinthem。

“Youwentafterhimandbroughthimback。Hewasallwroughtup，andheneededsomeonewithgoodcommonsensetostophimintimetomakehimthinkstraightbeforehedidanythingsilly，“shesaid。

“Isaystohim，“T。Tembarommadethematterclear；“`Say，you”veleftsomethingbehindthatbelongstoyou！Comebackandgetit。”ImeantLadyJoan。AndIsays，`GoodLord，man，you”reactinglikeafellowinaplay。Thatplacedoesn”tbelongtome。Itbelongstoyou。Ifitwasmine，fairandsquare，LittleWillie”dhangontoit。There”dbenonoblesacrificeinhis。Yougetabraceon。”“

“Whentheyweretalkinginthatsillywayaboutyou，andsayingyou”drunaway，“saidLittleAnn，herfaceupliftedadoringlyasshetalked，“Isaidtofather，`Ifhe”sgone，he”sgonetogetsomething。Andhe”llbelikelytobringitback。”“

Healmostdroppedherhandsandcaughthertohimthen。Buthesavedhimselfintime。

“Nowthisgreatchangehascome，“hesaid，“everythingwillbedifferent。Themenyou”llknowwilllooklikethepicturesintheadvertisementsatthebacksofmagazines——thosefellowswithchinsandsmoothhair。Ishalllooklikeachauffeuramongthem。”

Butshedidnotblenchintheleast，thoughsherememberedwhosewordshewasquoting。Theintenseandlovelyfemininityinhereyesonlyincreased。Shecameclosertohim，andsobecauseofhisheighthadtolookupmore。

“Youwillalwaysmakejokes——butIdon”tcare。Idon”tcareforanythingbutyou，“shesaid。“Iloveyourjokes；Iloveeverythingaboutyou：Iloveyoureyes——andyourvoice——andyourlaugh。Iloveyourveryclothes。”Hervoicequiveredasherdimplesdid。“TheselastmonthsI”vesometimesfeltasifIshoulddieoflovingyou。”

Itwasawonderfulthing——wonderful。Hiseyes——hiswholeyoungbeinghadkindledashelookeddowndrinkingineveryword。

“Isthatthekindofquietlittlethingyouare？“hesaid。

“Yes，itis，“sheansweredfirmly。

“Andyou”resatisfied——youknow，whoitisIwant？——You”rereadytodowhatyousaidyouwouldthatlastnightatMrs。Bowse”s？“

“Whatdoyouthink？“shesaidinherclearlittlevoice。

Hecaughthertheninastrong，hearty，young，joyousclutch。

“Youcometome，LittleAnn。Youcomerighttome，“hesaid。

CHAPTERXL

Manyanhonestpennywasturned，withtheassistanceoftheromanticTempleBarholmcase，bywritersofparagraphsfornewspaperspublishedintheUnitedStates。ItwasnotmerelyaromancewhichbelongedtoEnglandbutwasexcitinglylinkedtoAmericabythefactthatitsheroregardedhimselfasanAmerican，andhadpassedthroughallthepicturesqueepisodesofamostdesirablystrugglingyouthintheverystreetsofNewYorkitself，andhad“workedhiswayup“totheproudpositionofsocietyreporter“on“ahugeSundaypaper。Itwasgenerallyconsideredtoredoundlargelytohiscreditthatrefusing“inspiteofalltemptationstobelongtoothernations，“hehadbeenborninBrooklyn，thathehadwornraggedclothesandshoeswithholesinthem，thathehadblackedotherpeople”sshoes，runerrands，andsoldnewspapersthere。IfhehadbeenamereEnglishyoungman，onerecountingofhisromancewouldhavedisposedofhim；butashewaspresentedtothenewspaperpubliceverycharacteristiclentitselftoelaboration。Hewas，infact，flaringlyanecdotal。AsanewlyelectedPresidentwhohasmadebootsordrivenacanal-boatinhisunconsideredyouthendearshimselfindescribablytobothparagraphreaderandparagraphpurveyor，sodidT。Tembaromendearhimself。Forweeks，hewasaperennialfount。Whatquitecrediblestorycannotberelatedofahungryladwhoiswildlyflungbychanceintoimmensefortuneandthelapsofdukes，sotospeak？Thefeeblestimaginationmustbestirredbythehighcolorofsuchanepisode，andstimulatedtosuperbeffort。Untilthepublichadbecomesatedwithreadinganecdotesdepictingtheextentofhisearlyprivations，anddwellingonillustrationswhichpresentedlumber-yardsinwhichhehadslept，andthefacadesoftumble-downtenementsinwhichhehadfirstbeheldthelightofday，hewasamodestsourceofincome。Anylumber-yardoranytenementsufficientlydilapidatedwouldserveasamodel；andthefactthatintheshiftingarchitecturallifeofNewYorktheactualoriginalscenesoftheincidentshadbeendemolishedandbuiltuponbynewapartment-houses，ornewrailroadstations，ornewfactoriesseventy-fivestorieshigh，wasanunobstructingtriviality。AccountsofhismannerofconductinghimselfinEuropeancourtstowhichhehadsupposedlybeenbidden，ofhisimmensepopularityinglitteringcircles，ofhisfinelydemocraticbearingwhenconfrontedbyemperorssurroundedbytheirguiltysplendors，werethejoyofremotevillagesandtowns。Athriftyandyoungminornovelisthastilyincorporatedhiminaserial，andsyndicatedituponthespotunderthetitleof“LivingorDead。”Amongitsespecialpublicitwasasuccessofsuchanatureasbetrayeditsauthorintoashastilywritingasecondromance，whichnotbeingrenderedstimulatingbyafoundationoffactfailedtorepeathistriumph。

T。Tembarom，readinginthelibraryatTempleBarholmthefirstnewspaperssentfromNewYork，smiledwidely。

“Youseethey”vegottosaysomething，Jem，“heexplained。“It”stoobigascooptobepassedover。Something”sgottobeturnedin。Anditmeansmoneytothefellows，too。It”sgoodcopy。”

“Suppose，“suggestedJem，watchinghimwithinterest，“youweretowritethefactsyourselfandpassthemontosomedecentchapwho”dbegladtogetthem。”

“Glad！“Tembaromflushedwithdelight。“Anychapwouldbe”wayupintheairatthechance。It”sthebestkindofstuff。Wouldn”tyoumind？

Areyousureyouwouldn”t？“Hewasthewarhorsesnuffingbattlefromafar。

JemTempleBarholmlaughedoutrightatthegleaminhiseyes。

“No，Ishouldn”tcareahang，dearfellow。AndthefactthatI

objectedwouldnotstopthestory。”

“No，itwouldn”t，bygee！Say，I”llgetAnntohelpme，andwe”llsendittothemanwhotookmyplaceontheEarth。It”llmeanboardandbootstohimforamonthifheworksitright。Andit”llbedoingagoodturntoGalton，too。IshallbegladtoseeoldGaltonwhenIgoback。”

“Youarequitesureyouwanttogoback？“inquiredJem。AcertainglowoffeelingwasalwaysinhiseyeswhenheturnedthemonT。Tembarom。

“Goback！Ishouldsmile！OfcourseIshallgoback。I”vegottogetbusyforHutchinsonandI”vegottogetbusyformyself。Iguessthere”llbeworktodothat”lltakemehalfovertheworld；butI”mgoingbackfirst。Ann”sgoingwithme。”

ButtherewasnoreferencetoareturntoNewYorkwhentheSundayEarthandotherwidelycirculatedweeklysheetsgaveprominencetothemarriageofMr。TempleTempleBarholmandMissHutchinson，onlychildandheiressofMr。JosephHutchinson，thecelebratedinventor。Fromanewspaperpointofview，theweddinghadbeenratherunfairlyquiet，anditwasnecessarytofillspacewitharevivaloftherenownedstory，withpicturesofbrideandbridegroom，andofTempleBarholmsurroundedbyancestraloaks。Athrivingbusinesswouldhavebeendonebythereportersifanoceangreyhoundhadlandedthepairatthedocksomemorning，andsnap-shotscouldhavebeentakenastheycrossedthegangway，andwearingappareldescribed。Buthopeofsuchfortunewassweptawaybytheclosingparagraph，whichstatedthatMr。andMrs。

TempleBarholmwould“spendthenexttwomonthsinmotoringthroughItalyandSpainintheir90h。p。Panhard。”

ItwasT。TembaromwhosentthislastitemprivatelytoGalton。

“It”snottrue，“hisletteradded，“butwhatI”mgoingtodoisnobody”sbusinessbutmineandmywife”s，andthiswillsuitpeoplejustaswell。”AndthenheconfidedtoGaltonthethingwhichwasthetruth。

TheSt。Francescaapartment-housewasaverynewone，situatedonacornerofanasyetsparselybuiltbutrapidlyspreadingavenueabovethe“100thStreets“——manynumbersabovethem。Therewasafranklyunfinishedairabouttheneighborhood，buthereandtherea“store“

hadbrokenforthandvaliantlydisplayednecessities，andevenarticlesvergingupontheeconomicallyornamental。Itwasplainlyimperativethattheideashouldbesuggestedthattherewereonthespotsourcesofsupplynotrequiringtheimmediateemploymentoftheservicesoftheelevatedrailroadintheachievementofpurchase，andalsothatenterpriserightlyencouragedmightdevelopintobeingequaltoalldemands。Hereandthereanexceedinglyfreshandclean“marketstore，“brilliantwiththehighlycoloredlabelsadorningtinnedsoupsandmeatsandediblesinglassjars，alluringlypresenteditselftothepasser-by。Theelevatedrailroadpercheduponironsupports，andwithironstairwayssotallthattheylookedalmostperilous，wasaprominentfeatureofthelandscape。Therewerestretchesofwasteground，andhighbackgroundsofbitsofcountryandwoodlandtobeseen。TherushofNewYorktraffichadnotyetreachedthestreets，andtheavenuewasofanagreeablesuburbancleanlinessandcalm。

Peoplewholivedinupperstoriescouldpridethemselvesonhaving“viewsoftheriver。”Thesetheylaidstressuponwhenitwashintedthatthey“livedalongwayuptown。”

TheSt。Francescawasbuiltoflight-brownstoneanddecoratedwithmuchornatemolding。Itwasfourteenstorieshigh，andwassuppliedwithornamentalfire-escapes。Itwas“noslouchofabuilding。”

Everythingdecorativewhichcouldbedoneforithadbeendone。Theentrancewasalmostimposing，andagenerouslavishnessinthewayofcementmosaicflooringandnewandthickredcarpetstrucktheeyeatonce。Thegrill-workoftheelevatorwasoffresh，brightblackness，pickedoutwithgold，andthecoloredelevator-boyworeablueliverywithbrassbuttons。Personsoflimitedmeanswhowerewillingtodiscardtheexcitementsof“downtown“gotagooddealfortheirmoney，andfrequentlyfoundthemselvessecretlysurprisedandupliftedbytheatmosphereofluxurywhichgreetedthemwhentheyenteredtheirred-

carpetedhall。Itwaswonderful，theysaid，congratulatingoneanotherprivately，howmuchcomfortandstyleyougotinaNewYorkapartment-

houseafteryoupassedthe“150ths。”

OnacertainafternoonT。Tembarom，withhishatonthebackofhisheadandhisarmsfullofparcels，havingleapedoffthe“L“whenitstoppedattheneareststation，dartedupanddowntheironstairwaysuntilhereachedtheground，andthenhurriedacrosstheavenuetotheSt。Francesca。Hemadelongstrides，andtwoorthreetimesgrinnedasifthinkingofsomethinghighlyamusing；andonceortwicehebegantowhistleandcheckedhimself。Helookedapprovinglyatthetallbuildinganditssolidlybalustradedentrance-stepsasheapproachedit，andwhenheenteredthered-carpetedhallhegavegreetingtoasmallmulattoboyinlivery。

“Hello，Tom！How”severything？“heinquired，hilariously。“Youtakinggoodcareofthisbuilding？Letanymoreeight-roomapartments？You”vegottokeeprightonthejob，youknow。Can”thaveyouloafingbecauseyou”vegotthosebrassbuttons。”

Thesmallpageshowedhisteethingleefulappreciationoftheirfriendlyintimacy。

“Yassir。That”sso，“heanswered。“Mis”Baromshe”swaitin”foryou。

Themcarpetsiscome，sir。Tracy”swagonbrought”em”boutanhourago。ItoldherI”dhelpherlay”emifshewantedmeto，butshesaidyouwascomin”withthehammeran”tacks。”Twarn”tthatshethoughtI

wastoolittle。Itwasjestthattherewasn”tnotacks。Itol”herjestcallmeinanytimetodoanythin”shewantdone，an”shesaidshewould。”

“She”lldoit，“saidT。Tembarom。“Youjustkeepontap。I”mjustcountingonyouandLighthere，“takingintheelevator-boyashesteppedintotheelevator，“tolookafterherwhenI”mout。”

Theelevator-boygrinnedalso，andtheelevatorshotuptheshaft，thenumbersofthefloorspassingalmosttoorapidlytobedistinguished。

Theelevatorwasnewandsowastheboy，anditwastheprideofhissoultolandeachpassengerathisownparticularfloor，asifhehadbeenpropelledupwardfromacatapult。Buthedidnotgotoorapidlyforthispassenger，atleast，thoughapaperparcelorsowasdroppedinthetransitandhadtobepickedupwhenhestoppedatfloorfourteen。

Theredcarpetswereonthecorridortherealso，andfreshpaintandpaperwereonthewalls。Afewyardsfromtheelevatorhestoppedatadoorandopeneditwithalatch-key，beamingwithinordinatedelight。

Thedooropenedintoanarrowcorridorleadingintoasmallapartment，thefurnitureofwhichwasnotyetsetinorder。Arollofcarpetandsomematsstoodinacorner，chairsandtableswithburlapsroundtheirlegswaitedhereandthere，acotwithamattressonit，evidentlytobetransformedintoa“couch，“heldpackagesofbafflinglyirregularshapesandsizes。Inthetinykitchennewpotsandpansandkettles，somestillwrappedinpaper，tiltedthemselvesatvariousanglesonthegleamingnewrangeorontheclosedlidsofthedoll-sizedstationarywash-tubs。

LittleAnnhadbeenverybusy，andsomeofthethingswereunpacked。

Shehadbeensweepingandmoppingfloorsandpolishingupremotecorners，andshehadonabigwhitepinafore-apronwithlongsleeves，whichtransformedherintoasortofsmallfemalechorister。Shecameintothenarrowcorridorwithabroominherhand，herperiwinkle-bluegazeasthrilledasanexcitedchild”swhenitattacksthearrangementofitsfirstdoll”shouse。Herhairwasalittleruffledwhereitshowedbelowthewhitekerchiefshehadtiedoverherhead。Thewarm，daisypinknessofhercheekswasamazing。

“Hello！“calledoutTembaromatsightofher。“Areyouthereyet？I

don”tbelieveit。”

“Yes，I”mhere，“sheanswered，dimplingathim。

“Notyou！“hesaid。“Youcouldn”tbe！You”vemeltedaway。Let”ssee。”

Andheslidhisparcelsdownonthecotandliftedherupintheairasifshehadbeenababy。“HowcanItell，anyhow？“helaughedout。

“Youdon”tweighanything，andwhenafellowsqueezesyouhe”sgottolookoutwhathe”sdoing。”

Hedidnotseemto“lookout“particularlywhenhecaughthertohiminahugintowhichsheappearedcharminglytomelt。Shemadeherselfpartofit，withsoftarmswhichwentatonceroundhisneckandheldhim。

“Say！“hebrokeforthwhenhesetherdown。“DoyouthinkI”mnotgladtogetback？“

“No，Idon”t，Tem，“sheanswered，“IknowhowgladyouarebythewayI”mgladmyself。”

“Youknowjusteverything！“heejaculated，lookingherover，“justeverydarnedthing——Godblessyou！Butdon”tyoumeltaway，willyou？

That”swhatI”mafraidof。I”lldoanyoldthingonearthifyou”lljuststay。”

Thatwashisgreatjoke，——thoughsheknewitwasnotsogreatajokeasitseemed，——thathewouldnotbelievethatshewasreal，andbelievedthatshemightdisappearatanymoment。Theyhadbeenmarriedthreeweeks，andshestillknewwhenshesawhimpausetolookatherthathewouldsuddenlyseizeandholdherfast，tryingtolaugh，sometimesnotwithentiresuccess。

“Doyouknowhowlongitwas？Doyouknowhowfarawaythatbigplacewasfromeverythingintheworld？“hehadsaidonce。“Andmeholdingonandgrittingmyteeth？Andnotasoultoopenmymouthto！Theolddukewastheonlyonewhounderstood，anyhow。He”dbeenthere。”

“I”llstay，“sheanswerednow，standingbeforehimashesatdownontheendofthe“couch。”Sheputafirm，warm-palmedlittlehandoneachsideofhisface，andhelditbetweenthemasshelookeddeepintohiseyes。“Youlookatme，Tem——andsee。”

“Ibelieveitnow，“hesaid，“butIshan”tinfifteenminutes。”

“We”rebothright-downsilly，“shesaid，hersoft，cosylaughbreakingout。“Lookroundthisroomandseewhatwe”vegottodo。Let”sbeginthisminute。Didyougetthegroceries？“

Hesprangupandbegantogooverhispackagestriumphantly。

“Tea，coffee，sugar，pepper，salt，beefsteak，“hecalledout。

“Wecan”thavebeefsteakoften，“shesaid，soberly，“ifwe”regoingtodoitonfifteenaweek。”

“GoodLord，no！“hegavebacktoher，hilariously。“ButthisisaFifthAvenuefeed。”

“Let”stakethemintothekitchenandputthemintothecupboard，anduntiethepotsandpans。”Shewassuddenlyquiteabsorbedandbusinesslike。“Wemustmaketheroomtidyandtackdownthecarpet，andthencookthedinner。”

Hefollowedherandobeyedherlikeanenrapturedboy。Thewonderofherwasthat，despiteitsunarrangedair，thetinyplacewasalreadyclearedandsetforaction。Shehaddoneitallbeforeshehadsweptouttheundiscoveredcorners。Everythingwasnearthespottowhichitbelonged。Therewasnothingtomoveordragoutoftheway。

“Igotitallreadytoputstraight，“shesaid，“butIwantedyoutofinishitwithme。Itwouldn”thaveseemedrightifI”ddoneitwithoutyou。Itwouldn”thavebeenasmuchOURS。”

Thencameactiveservice。Shewaslikeasmallgeneralcommandinganarmyofone。Theyputthingsonshelves；theyhungthingsonhooks；

theyfoundplacesinwhichthingsbelonged；theysetchairsandtablesstraight；andthen，afterdustingandpolishingthem，setthematamoreimposingangle；theyunrolledthelittlegreencarpetandtackeddownitscorners；andtransformedthecotintoa“couch“bycoveringitwithwhatTracy”sknewasa“throw“andadorningoneendofitwithcotton-stuffedcushions。Theyhunglittlephotogravuresonthewallsandstrungupsomecurtainsbeforethegood-sizedwindow，whichlookeddownfromanenormousheightatthetopoffour-storiedhouses，andtookinbeyondthemtheriverandtheshorebeyond。BecausetherewasnofireplaceTembaromknockedupashelf，and，coveringitwithascarf(fromTracy”s)，setupsomeinoffensiveornamentsonitandflankedthemwithphotographsofJemTempleBarholm，LadyJoanincourtdress，MissAliciainherprettiestcap，andthegreathousewithitshugeterraceandthegriffins。

“Ain”tshealooker？“TembaromsaidofLadyJoan。“Andain”tJemalooker，too？Gee！they”reapair。Jemthinksthishoneymoonstuntofoursisthebestthingheeverheardof——usfixingourselvesupherejustlikewewouldhavedoneifnothinghadeverhappened，andwe”dHADtodoitonfifteenper。Say，“throwinganarmabouther，“areyougettingasmuchfunoutofitasifweHADto，asifImightlosemyjobanyminute，andwemightgetfiredoutofherebecausewecouldn”tpaytherent？Ibelieveyou”dratherliketothinkImightringyouintosomesortoftrouble，sothatyoucouldhelpmetogetyououtofit。”

That”snonsense，“sheanswered，withasweet，untruthfullittleface。

“Ishouldn”tbeverysensibleifIwasn”tgladyouCOULDN”Tloseyourjob。FatherandIareyourjobnow。”

Helaughedaloud。Thiswastheinnocent，fantastictruthofit。Theyhadchosentodothisthing——tospendtheirhoney-mooninthisparticularway，andtherewasnoreasonwhytheyshouldnot。ThelittledreamwhichhadbeenofsuchunattainableproportionsinthedaysofMrs。Bowse”sboarding-housecouldberealizedtoitsfullest。

NooneintheSt。Francescaapartmentsknewthattheyounghoney-

moonersinthefive-roomedapartmentwereotherthanMr。andMrs。T。

Barholm，asrecordedonthetabletofnamesintheentrance。

Hutchinsonknew，andMissAliciaknew，andJemTempleBarholm，andLadyJoan。TheDukeofStoneknew，andthoughttheold-fashionednessoftheideaquitethelasttouchofmodernity。

“Didyouseeanyonewhoknewyouwhenyouwereout？“LittleAnnasked。

“No，andifIhadtheywouldn”thavebelievedthey”dseenme，becausethepaperstoldthemthatMr。andMrs。TempleBarholmarespendingtheirhoneymoonmotoringthroughSpainintheirninety-horse-powerPanhard。”

“Let”sgoandgetdinner，“saidLittleAnn。

Theywentintothedoll”s-housekitchenandcookedthedinner。LittleAnnbroiledsteakandfriedpotatochips，andT。Tembaromproducedawonderfulcustardpiehehadboughtataconfectioner”s。Hesetthetable，andputabunchofyellowdaisiesinthemiddleofit。

“Wecouldn”tdoiteverydayonfifteenperweek，“hesaid。“Ifwewantedflowersweshouldhavetogrowtheminoldtomato-cans。”

LittleAnntookoffherchorister”s-gownapronandherkerchief，andpattedandtouchedupherhair。Shewaspinktoherears，andhadseveralnewdimples；andwhenshesatdownoppositehim，asshehadsatthatfirstnightatMrs。Bowse”sboarding-housesupper，Tembaromstaredatherandcaughthisbreath。

“YouAREthere？“hesaid，“ain”tyou？“

“Yes，Iam，“sheanswered。

Whentheyhadclearedthetableandwashedthedishes，andhadleftthetoykitchenspickandspan，thetenmillionlightsinNewYorkwerelightedandcastingtheirglowabovethecity。TembaromsatdownontheAdamschairbeforethewindowandtookLittleAnnonhisknee。

Shewasofthebuildwhichsettlescomfortablyandwitheaseintosoftcurveswhosenearnessisacaress。LookeddownatfromthefourteenthstoryoftheSt。Francescaapartments，thelightsstrungthemselvesalonglinesofstreets，crossingandrecrossingoneanother；theyglowedandblazedagainstmassesofbuildings，andtheyhungatenormousheightsinmid-airhereandthere，apparentlywithoutanysupport。Everywherewastheglowanddazzleoftheirbrilliancyoflight，withthedistantbeehumofanearingelevatedtrain，atintervalsgraduallydeepeningintoaroar。Theriverlookedmilesbelowthem，andcraftwithsparksorblazeoflightwentslowlyorswiftlytoandfro。

“It”slikeadream，“saidLittleAnn，afteralongsilence。“Andweareupherelikebirdsinanest。”

Hegaveheraclosergrip。

“MissAliciaoncesaidthatwhenIwasalmostdownandout，“hesaid。

“Itgavemeajolt。Shesaidaplacelikethiswouldbelikeanest。

Whereverwego，——andwe”llhavetogotolotsofplacesandliveinlotsofdifferentways，——we”llkeepthisplace，andsometimewe”llbringherhereandlethertryit。I”vejustgottoshowherNewYork。”

“Yes，letuskeepit，“saidLittleAnn，drowsily，“justforanest。”

Therewasanothersilence，andthelightsontheriverfarbelowstilltwinkledorblazedastheydriftedtoandfro。

“Youarethere，ain”tyou？“saidTembarominahalf-whisper。

“Yes——Iam，“murmuredLittleAnn。

Butshehadhadabusyday，andwhenhelookeddownather，shehungsoftlyagainsthisshoulder，fastasleep。

End