第5章

Blixhadcometoknowthegamequiteaswell，ifnotbetter，thanhe.ShecouldalmostinvariablytellwhenCondyheldagoodhand，butonherpartcouldassumeanairofindifferenceabsolutelyinscrutable.

"Cards？"saidCondy，pickingupthedeckafterthedeal.

"I’llstandpat，Condy."

"Thedeuceyousay，"heanswered，withastare."I’lltakethree."

"I’llpassituptoyou，"continuedBlixgravely.

"Well——well，I’llbetyoufivechips."

"Raiseyoutwenty."

Condystudiedhishand，laiddownthecards，pickedthemupagain，scratchedhishead，andmoveduneasilyinhisplace.Thenhethrewdowntwohighpairs.

"No，"hesaid;"Iwon’tseeyou.Whatdidyouhave？Let’ssee，justforthefunofit."

Blixspreadhercardsonthetable.

"Notablessedthing！"exclaimedCondy."Imighthaveknownit.

There’smylastdollargone，too.Lendmefiftycents，Blix."

Blixshookherhead.

"Why，whatalittleniggard！"heexclaimedaggrievedly."I’llpaythemallbacktoyou."

"Now，whyshouldIlendyoumoneytoplayagainstme？I’llnotgiveyouachip;and，besides，Idon’twanttoplayanymore.

Let’sstop."

"I’veamindtostopforgood;stopplayingevenwithyou."

Blixgavealittlecryofjoy.

"Oh，Condy，willyou，couldyou？andnever，nevertouchacardagain？neverplayformoney？I’dbesohappy——butdon’tunlessyouknowyouwouldkeepyourpromise.Iwouldmuchratherhaveyouplayeverynight，downthereatyourclub，thanbreakyourpromise."

Condyfellsilent，bitingthoughtfullyattheknuckleofaforefinger.

"Thinktwiceaboutit，Condy，"urgedBlix;"becausethiswouldbeforalways."

Condyhesitated;then，abstractedlyandasthoughspeakingtohimself：

"It’sdifferentnow.Beforewetookthat——threemonthsago，I

don’tsay.Itwasharderformetoquitthen，butnow——well，everythingisdifferentnow;anditwouldpleaseyou，Blixy！"

"MorethananythingelseIcanthinkof，Condy."

Hegaveherhishand.

"Thatsettlesit，"hesaidquietly."I’llnevergambleagain，Blix."

Blixgrippedhishandhard，thenjumpedup，and，withaquickbreathofsatisfaction，gatheredupthecardsandchipsandflungthemintothefireplace.

"Oh，I’msogladthat’soverwith，"sheexclaimed，herlittleeyesdancing."I’vepretendedtolikeit，butI’vehateditallthetime.Youdon’tknowHOWI’vehatedit！Whatmencanseeinittomakethemsitupallnightlongisbeyondme.Andyoutrulymean，Condy，thatyouneverwillgambleagain？Yes，Iknowyoumeanitthistime.Oh，I’msohappyIcouldsing！"

"GoodHeavens，don’tdothat！"hecriedquickly."You’reanice，amiablegirl，Blix，evenifyou’renotpretty，andyou——"

"Oh，botheryou！"sheretorted;"butyoupromise？"

"Onmyhonor."

"That’senough，"shesaidquietly.

Butevenwhen"loafing"ashewasthisevening，Condycouldnotridhimselfofthethoughtandrecollectionofhisnovel;restingorwriting，ithauntedhim.Otherwisehewouldnothavebeenthestory—writerthathewas.Fromnowonuntilheshouldsetdownthelastsentence，the"thing"wasnevertolethimalone，nevertoallowhimamoment’speace.Hecouldthinkofnothingelse，couldtalkofnothingelse;everyfacultyofhisbrain，everysenseofobservationorimaginationincessantlyconcentratedthemselvesuponthisonepoint.

Astheysatinthebaywindowwatchingthemoonrise，hismindwasstillbusywithit，andhesuddenlybrokeout：

"IoughttoworksomekindofaTREASUREintotheyarn.What’sastoryofadventurewithoutatreasure？ByJove，Blix，IwishI

couldgivemywholetimetothisstuff！It’srippinggoodmaterial，anditoughttobehandledascarefullyasglass.Oughttobeworkedup，youknow."

"Condy，"saidBlix，lookingathimintently，"whatisitstandsinyourwayofleavingthe’Times’？Wouldtheytakeyoubackifyouleftthemlongenoughtowriteyournovel？Youcouldwriteitinamonth，couldn’tyou，ifyouhadnothingelsetodo？Supposeyouleftthemforamonth——wouldtheyholdyourplaceforyou？"

"Yes——yes，Ithinktheywould;butinthemeanwhile，Blix——there’stherub.I’veneversavedacentoutofmysalary.WhenIstop，mypaystops，andwherewithalwouldIbefed？Whatareyoulookingforinthatdrawer——matches？Here，I’vegotamatch."

Blixfacedaboutatthesideboard，shuttingthedrawerbyleaningagainstit.Inbothhandssheheldoneofthedelftsugar—bowls.

Shecameuptothetable，andemptieditscontentsuponthebluedenimtable—cover——twoorthreegoldpieces，somefifteensilverdollars，andahandfulofsmallchange.

DisregardingallCondy’sinquiries，shecountedit，makinglittlepilesofthegoldandsilverandnickelpieces.

"Thirty—fiveandsevenisforty—two，"shemurmured，countingoffonherfingers，"andsixisforty—eight，andtenisfifty—eight，andtenissixty—eight;andhereisten，twenty，thirty，fifty—

fivecentsinchange."Shethrustitalltowardhim，acrossthetable."There，"shesaid，"isyourwherewithal."

Condystared."Mywherewithal！"hemuttered.

"Itoughttobeenoughforoveramonth."

"Wheredidyougetallthat？Whoseisit？"

"It’syourmoney，Condy.Youloanedittome，andnowithascomeinveryhandy."

"ILOANEDittoyou？"

"It’sthemoneyIwonfromyouduringthetimeyou’vebeenplayingpokerwithme.Youdidn’tknowitwouldamounttosomuch，didyou？"

"Pshaw，I’llnottouchit！"heexclaimed，drawingbackfromthemoneyasthoughitwasred—hot.

"Yes，youwill，"shetoldhim."I’vebeensavingitupforyou，Condy，everypennyofit，fromthefirstdayweplayeddownthereatthelake;andIalwaystoldmyselfthatthemomentyoumadeupyourmindtoquitplaying，Iwouldgiveitbacktoyou."

"Why，theveryidea！"hevociferated，hishandsdeepinhispockets，hisfacescarlet."It’s——it’spreposterous，Blix！I

won’tletyouTALKaboutiteven——Iwon’ttouchanickelofthatmoney.But，Blix，you’re——you’re——thefinestwomanIeverknew.

You’reaman’swoman，that’swhatyouare."Hesethisteeth."Ifyoulovedaman，you’dbearegularpaltohim;you’dbackhimup，you’dstandbyhimtillthelastgunwasfired.IcoulddoANYTHINGifaWOMANlikeyoucaredforme.Why，Blix，I——youhaven’tanyidea——"Heclearedhisthroat，stoppingabruptly.

"Butyoumusttakethismoney，"sheanswered;"YOURmoney.Ifyoudidn’t，Condy，itwouldmakemeoutnothingmorenorlessthanagambler.Iwouldn’thavedreamedofplayingcardswithyouifI

hadeverintendedtokeeponepennyofyourmoney.FromtheverystartIintendedtokeepitforyou，andgiveitbacktoyousosoonasyouwouldstop;andnowyouhaveachancetoputthismoneytoagooduse.Youdon’thavetostayonthe’Times’now.

Youcan’tdoyournoveljusticewhileyouaredoingyourhackworkatthesametime，andIdosowant’InDefianceofAuthority’tobeasuccess.I’vefaithinyou，Condy.Iknowifyougottheopportunityyouwouldmakeasuccess."

"ButyouandIhaveplayedliketwomenplaying，"exclaimedCondy.

"HowwoulditlookifSargeant，say，shouldgivemebackthemoneyhehadwonfromme？WhatacadIwouldbetotakeit！"

"That’sjustit——we’venotplayedliketwomen.ThenIWOULDhavebeenagambler.I’veplayedwithyoubecauseIthoughtitwouldmakeawayforyoutobreakoffwiththehabit;andknowingasI

didhowfondyouwereofplayingcardsandhowbaditwasforyou，howwickeditwouldhavebeenformetohaveplayedwithyouinanyotherspirit！Don’tyousee？Andasithasturnedout，you’vegivenupplaying，andyou’veenoughmoneytomakeitpossibleforyoutowriteyournovel.TheCentennialCompanyhaveaskedyoutotryastoryofadventureforthem，you’vefoundonethatissplendid，you’rejustthemanwhocouldhandleit，andnowyou’vegotthemoneytomakeitpossible.Condy，"sheexclaimedsuddenly，"don’tyouseeyourCHANCE？Aren’tyouabigenoughmantoseeyourchancewhenitcomes？And，besides，doyouthinkI

wouldtakeMONEYfromyou？Can’tyouunderstand？Ifyoudon’ttakethismoneythatbelongstoyou，youwouldinsultme.ThatisjustthewayIwouldfeelaboutit.Youmustseethat.Ifyoucareformeatall，you’lltakeit."

*****************

TheeditoroftheSundaySupplementputhistoothpickbehindhisearandfixedCondywithhiseyeglasses.

"Well，it’slikethis，Rivers，"hesaid."Ofcourse，youknowyourownbusinessbest.Ifyoustayonherewithus，itwillbeallright.ButImayaswelltellyouthatIdon’tbelieveIcanholdyourplaceforamonth.Ican’tgetamaninheretodoyourworkforjustamonth，andthenfirehimoutattheendofthattime.Idon’tliketoloseyou，butifyouhaveanopportunitytogetinonanotherpaperduringthisvacationofyours，you’reatlibertytodoso，forallofme."

"ThenyouthinkmychanceofcomingbackherewouldbeprettyslimifIleaveforamonthnow？"

"That’sright."

Therewasasilence.Condyhesitated;thenherose.

"I’lltakethechance，"heannounced.

ToBlix，thatevening，ashetoldheroftheaffair，hesaid：

"It’sneckornothingnow，Blix."

ChapterXII

ButdidBlixcareforhim？

Intheretiredcornerofhisclub，shutoffbytheJapanesescreen，orgoingupanddownthecitytoandfromhiswork，orsittingwithherinthebaywindowofthelittledining—roomlookingdownuponthecity，blurredinthetwilightorradiantwiththesunset，Condyaskedhimselfthequestion.Ascoreoftimeseachdayhecametoafinal，definite，negativedecision;

andascoreoftimesreopenedthewholesubject.BeyondthefactthatBlixhadenjoyedherselfinhiscompanyduringthelastmonths，Condycouldfindnosignortraceofencouragement;andforthatmatterhetoldhimselfthattheindicationspointedratherintheotherdirection.ShehadnocompunctioninleavinghimtogoawaytoNewYork，perhapsnevertoreturn.Inlessthanamonthnowalltheircompanionshipwastoend，andhewouldprobablyseethelastofher.

Hedarednotletherknowthatatlasthehadreallycometoloveher——thatitwasnopretencenow;forheknewthatwithsuchdeclarationtheir"goodtimes"wouldendevenbeforesheshouldgoaway.Buteveryday;everyhourthattheyweretogethermadeitharderforhimtokeephimselfwithinbounds.

Whatwiththistroubleonhismindandthegrimdeterminationwithwhichheheldtohiswork，Condychangedrapidly.Blixhadsteadiedhim，andacertainearnestnessandseriousnessofpurpose，acertainSTRENGTHhehadnotknownbefore，cameswiftlyintobeing.

WasBlixtogoaway，leavehim，perhapsforalltime，andnotknowhowmuchhecared？Wouldhespeakbeforeshewent？Condydidnotknow.Itwasaquestionthatcircumstanceswouldhelphimtodecide.Hewouldnotspeak，soheresolved，unlesshewassurethatshecaredherself;andifshedid，sheherselfwouldgivehimacue，ahintwhereontospeak.Butdayswentby，thetimesetforBlix’sdeparturedrewnearerandnearer，andyetshegavehimnottheslightestsign.

Thesetwointerestshadnowabsorbedhisentirelifeforthemoment——hisloveforBlix，andhisnovel.Littlebylittle"InDefianceofAuthority"tookshape.Theboomrestaurantandthecluboftheexilesweredisposedof，BillyIshambegantocometothefront，thefilibusteringexpeditionandSenoraEstrada（withhertorncallingcard）hadbeenintroduced，andtheexpeditionwasreadytoputtosea.Buthereanewdifficultywasencountered.

"WhatdoIknowaboutships？"CondyconfessedtoBlix."IfBillyIshamisgoingtocommandafilibusteringschooner，I’vegottoknowsomethingaboutaschooner——appearto，anyhow.I’vegottoknownauticallingo，therealthing，youknow.Idon’tbelieveaREALsailoreverinhislifesaid’belaythere，’or’avast.’We’llhavetogooutandseeCaptainJack;getsomemoretechnicaldetail."

Thismovewasproductiveofthemostdelightfulresults.CaptainJackwasallonfirewithinterestthemomentthatCondyandBlixtoldhimoftheidea.

"An’you’regoingtoputBillyIshaminabook.Well，strikemestraight，that’sasnorkin’goodidea.I’vealwayssaidthatallBillyneededwasaticketselleran’anadvanceagent，an’hewasawholeshowinhimself."

"We’regoingtosenditEast，"saidBlix，"assoonasit’sfinished，andhaveitpublished."

"Well，itoughttomakeprimereadin’，Miss;an’that’sagoodfetchin’title，’InDefianceofAuthority.’"

RegularlyWednesdayandSundayafternoons，BlixandCondycameouttothelifeboatstation.CaptainJackreceivedtheminsweaterandvisoredcap，andusheredthemintothefrontroom.

"Well，how’stheyarngettingon？"CaptainJackwouldask.

ThenCondywouldreadthelastchapterwhiletheCaptainpacedthefloor，frowningheavily，smokingcigars，listeningtoeveryword.

Condytoldthestoryinthefirstperson，asifBillyIsham’spartnerwerenarratingscenesandeventsinwhichhehimselfhadmoved.Condycalledthisprotagonist"BurkeCassowan，"andwasratherproudofthename.Butthecaptainwouldnoneofit.

Cassowan，theprotagonist，wassimply"OurMug."

"Now，"Condywouldsay，notebookinhand，"now，Cap.，we’vegotdowntoMazatlan.NowIwanttosortoforganizetheexpeditioninthisnextchapter."

"Isee，Isee，"CaptainJackwouldexclaim，interestedatonce.

"WaitabittillItakeoffmyshoes.Icanthinkbetterwithmyshoesoff";andhavingremovedhisshoes，hewouldbegintopacetheroominhisstockingfeet，puffingfiercelyonhiscigarashewarmedtothetale，blowingthesmokeoutthrougheitherear，gesturingsavagely，hisfaceflushedandhiseyeskindling.

"Well，now，lessee.FirstthingOurMugdoeswhenhegetstoMazatlanistocommunicatehisarrivaltoSenoraEstrada——

telegraphs，youknow;and，bytheway，havehimuseacipher."

"Whatkindofcipher？"

"Countthreelettersonfromtherightletter，see.Ifyouwerespelling’boat，’forinstance，youwouldbeginwithanE，thethirdletterafterB;thenRfortheO，beingthethirdletterfromO.Soyou’dspell’boat，’ERDW;andSenoraEstradaknowswhenshegetsthatdespatchthatshemustcountthreelettersBACK

fromeachlettertogettherightones.TakenowsuchacipherwordasULIOH.ThatmeansRIFLE.CountthreelettersbackfromeachletterofULIOH，andit’llspellRIFLE.Youcanmakeupalotofdespatcheslikethat，justtohavethethinglooknatural;

savvy？"

"Outofsight！"mutteredCondy，makinganote.

"ThenOurMugandBillyIshamstartgettingacrew.AndOurMug，hebuysthesextantthereinMazatlan——thesextant，thatgotoutoforderandspoiledeverything.Or，no;don’thaveitasextant;

haveitaquadrant——anold—fashioned，ebonyquadrant.HaveBillyIshambuyitbecauseitwascheap."

"Howdiditgetoutoforder，CaptainJack？"inquiredBlix."Thatwouldbeagoodtechnicaldetail，wouldn’tit，Condy？"

"Well，it’slikethis.OurMugan’Billygetaschoonerthat’ssoballysmallthattheyhavetodotheircookinginthecabin;

quadrant’sonarackoverthestove，andtheheatwarpsthejoints，sowhenOurMugtakeshisobservationhegetsfiftymilesoffhiscourseandraisesthelandwherethegovernmentforcesarewatchingforhim."

"Andhere’sanotherpoint，Cap.，"saidCondy."Weoughttoworksomekindofatreasureintothisyarn;can’tyouthinkupsomethingnewandoriginalinthewayofatreasure？Idon’twanttheoldgameofaburiedchestofmoney.Let’shavehimgettrackofsomethingthat’sworthafortune——somethingnovel."

"Yes，yes;Iseetheidea，"answeredtheCaptain，stridingoverthefloorwithgreatthudsofhisstockingedfeet."Now，lessee;

letmethink，"hebegan，rubbingallhishairthewrongway."Wewantsomethingnewandqueer，somethingthatain’teverbeenwrittenupbefore.Itellyouwhat！Hereitis！HaveOurMuggetwindofalittleriverschoonerthatsunkfiftyyearsbeforehistimeinoneofthebigSouthAmericanrivers，duringaflood——I

heardofthismyself.Schoonerwentdownandwasburiedtwentyfeetundermudandsand;andsincethattime——youknowhowthebigriversact——thewholeblessedcourseoftheriverhaschangedatthatpoint，andtheschoonerisondryland，orrathertwentyfeetunderit，andassoundasthedayshewaschartered."

"Well？"

"Well，haveitthatwhenshesankshehadaboardofheracargooffivehundredcasesofwhiskey，primestuff，seventhousandquartbottles，sealeduptightasdrums.NowOurMug——norBillyIshameither——theyain’tbornyesterday.No，sir;they’rerightnexttothemselves！Theyfigurethisway.Thisherewhiskey’sbeenkeptfiftyyearswithoutbeingmoved.Now，whatdoyousupposeseventhousandquartbottlesoffifty—year—oldwhiskeywouldbeworth？

Why，twentydollarsaquartwouldn’tbetoofancy.Sothereyouare;there’syourtreasure.OurMugandBillyIshamhaveonlygottodigthroughtwentyfeetofsandtopickupahundredthousanddollars，IFTHEYCANFINDTHESCHOONER."

Blixclappedherhandswithalittlecryofdelight，andCondysmoteaknee，exclaiming：

"ByJove！that’sasgoodasLoudonDodds’opiumship！Why，Cap.，you’reatreasureinyourselfforafellowlookingforstories."

Thenafterthenotesweretakenandthestorytalkedover，CaptainJack，especiallyifthedayhappenedtobeSunday，wouldinsistupontheirstayingtodinner——boiledbeefandcabbage.smokingcoffeeandpickles——thatK.D.B.servedinthelittle，brick—

pavedkitcheninthebackofthestation.Thecrewmessedintheirquartersoverhead.

K.D.B.herselfwasnotuninteresting.Herrespectabilityincasedherlikearmorplate，andsheneverlaughedwithoutputtingthreefingerstoherlips.Shetoldthemthatshehadatonetimebeena"costumereader."

"Acostumereader？"

"Yes;readingextractsfromcelebratedauthorsintheappropriatecostumeofthecharacter.Itusedtopayverywell，anditwasveryrefined.Iusedtodo’InaBalcony，’byMisterBrowning，and’Laska，’thesameevening！anditalwaysmadeahit.I’ddo’InaBalcony’first，andI’dputonaLouis—Quinze—the—fifteenthgownandwig—to—matchoverafemalecowboyoutfit.WhenI’dfinished’InaBalcony，’I’ddoanexit，andshuntthegownandwig—to—match，andcomeonas’Laska，’withthundernoisesoff.Itwasoneofthestrongesteffectsinmyrepertoire，anditalwaysgotmeacurtaincall."

AndCaptainJackwouldwaghisheadandmurmur：

"Extraordinary！extraordinary！"

BlixandCondysoonnotedthatupontheoccasionofeachoneoftheirvisits，K.D.B.foundmeanstoentertainthematgreatlengthwithlongdiscussionsuponcertainsubjectsofcuriouslydiversifiedcharacter.UpontheirfirstvisitsheelectedtotalkupontheAlpsmountains.TheSundayfollowingitwasbacteriology;onthenextWednesdayitwascrystals;whilefortwohoursduringtheirnextvisittothestation，CondyandBlixwereobligedtolistentoK.D.B.’sinterminablediscourseontheorigin，history，anddevelopmentofthekingdomofDenmark.Condywasdumfounded.

"Inevermetsuchaperson，manorwoman，inallmylife.Talkabouteducation！Why，Ithinksheknowseverything！"

"InDefianceofAuthority"soonbegantomakegoodprogress，butCondy，oncelaunchedupontechnicalnavigation，musthaveCaptainJackathiselbowcontinually，tokeephimfromfoundering.Insomeseanovelherememberedtohavecomeacrosstheexpression"garboardstreak，"andfromthecontextguesseditwastobeappliedtoadetailofavessel’sconstruction.Inanunguardedmomenthehadwrittenthathisschooner’sname"waspaintedinshowygiltlettersuponhergarboardstreak."

"What’sthegarboardstreak，Condy？"Blixhadasked，whenhehadreadthechaptertoher.

"That’swheretheypainthername，"hedeclaredpromptly."I

don’tknowexactly，butIlikethesoundofit."

Butthenextday，whenhewasreadingthissamechaptertoCaptainJack，thelattersuddenlyinterruptedwithanexclamationasofacutephysicalanguish.

"What’sthat？Readthatlastoveragain，"hedemanded.

"’Whentheyhadcomewithinafewboat’slengths，’"readCondy，"’theywereabletoreadtheschooner’sname，paintedinshowygiltlettersuponhergarboardstreak.’"

"MyGod！"gaspedtheCaptain，claspinghishead.Then，withashout："Garboardstreak！garboardstreak？Don’tyouknowthatthegarboardstreakisthelastplanknextthekeel？Youmeancounter，notgarboardstreak.Thatregularlygraveledme，thatdid！"

Theystayedtodinnerwiththecouplethatafternoon，andforhalfanhourafterwardK.D.B.toldthemofthewondersofthecavesofElephantis.Onewouldhavebelievedthatshehadactuallybeenattheplace.Butwhenshechangedthesubjecttothescienceoffortification，Blixcouldnolongerrestrainherself.

"Butitisreallywonderfulthatyoushouldknowallthesethings！

Wheredidyoufindtimetostudysomuch？"

"Onemusthaveaneducation，"returnedK.D.B.primly.

ButCondyhadcaughtsightofahalf—filledbook—shelfagainsttheoppositewall，andhadbeensuddenlysmittenwithaninspiration.

Onaleafofhisnotebookhewrote："TryherontheG’sandH’s，"

andfoundmeanstoshowitfurtivelytoBlix.ButBlixwaspuzzled，andattheearliestopportunityCondyhimselfsaidtotheretiredcostumereader：

"Speakingoffortifications，Mrs.Hoskins，Gibraltarnow——that’sawonderfulrock，isn’tit？"

"Rock！"shequeried."Ithoughtitwasanisland."

"Oh，no;it’safortress.Theyhaveacastlethere——acastle，somethinglike——well，liketheoldSchlossatHeidelberg.DidyoueverhearaboutorreadaboutHeidelbergUniversity？"

ButK.D.B.wasallabroadnow.GibraltarandHeidelbergwereunknownsubjectstoher，aswerealsoinoculation，Japan，andKosciusko.AbovetheG’sshewassound;belowthatpointherignorancewasbenighted.

"Butwhatisit，Condy？"demandedBlix，assoonastheywerealone.

"I’vetheidea，"heanswered，chuckling."WaittillafterSundaytoseeifI’mright;thenI’lltellyou.It’sadollartoapaperdime，K.D.B.willhavesomethingforusbySunday，beginningwithanI."

Andshehad.ItwasInternalRevenue.

"Right！right！"Condyshoutedgleefully，asheandBlixwereontheirwayhome."Iknewit.She’sdonewithAsh——Bol，Bol——Car，andallthose，andhasworkedthroughCod——Dem，andDem——Eve.

She’sdowntoHor——Kinnow，andshe’llgothroughthewholelotbeforeshe’sdone——Kin——Mag，Mag——Mot，Mot——Pal，andalltherest."

"TheEncyclopaedia？"

"Don’tyouseeit？Nowondershedidn’tknowbeansaboutGibraltar！Shehadn’tcometotheG’sbythen."

"She’sreadingtheEncyclopaedia."

"Andshegetsthevolumesontheinstahnentplan，don’tyousee？

Readstheleadingarticles，andthensprings’emonus.Toknowthingsandtalkaboutem，that’sherideaofbeingcultured.’Onemusthaveaneducation.’Doyourememberhersayingthat’Oh，ourmatrimonialobjectsarepanningoutbeyondallexpectation！"

Whatadelicious，never—to—be—forgottenmonthitwasforthosetwo！Thereinthemidstoflifetheywereasmuchaloneasuponatropicisland.Blixhaddeliberatelyfreedherselffromaworldthathadgrowndistastefultoher;Condylittlebylittlehaddroppedawayfromhisplaceamongthemenandthewomenofhisacquaintance，andthetwocameandwenttogether，livinginalittleworldoftheirowncreation，happyineachother’ssociety，livingonlyinthepresent，andaskingnothingbetterthantobeleftaloneandtotheirowndevices.

Theysaweachothereveryday.Inthemorningfromninetilltwelve，andintheafternoonuntilthree，Condyworkedawayuponhisnovel，butnotaneveningpassedthatdidnotseehimandBlixinthedining—roomofthelittleflat.ThursdaysandSundayafternoonstheyvisitedthelife—boatstation，andatothertimesprowledabouttheunfrequentedcornersofthecity，nowpassinganafternoonalongthewaterfront，watchingthedepartureofaChinasteamerortheloadingofthegreat，steelwheatships;nowclimbingtheladder—likestreetsofTelegraphHill，orrevisitingthePlaza，Chinatown，andtherestaurant;ortakinglongwalksinthePresidioReservation，watchingcavalryandartillerydrills;

orsittingforhoursontherocksbytheseashore，watchingtheceaselessrollandplungeofthesurf，thewheelingsea—birds，andthesleek—headedsealshuntingtheoffshorefish，happyforahalf—hourwhentheysurprisedonewithhispreyinhisteeth.

Oneday，somethreeweeksbeforetheendoftheyear，towardtwointheafternoon，Condysatinhisusualcorneroftheclub，behindthescreen，writingrapidly.Hiscoatwasoffandthestumpofacigarwasbetweenhisteeth.Athiselbowwastherectangularblockofhismanuscript.Duringthelastweekthestoryhadrunfromhimwithafacilitythathadsurprisedanddelightedhim;wordscametohimwithouteffort，rangingthemselvesintolinewiththepromptitudeofwell—drilledsoldiery;sentencesandparagraphsmarcheddowntheclean—sweptspacesofhispaper，likecompaniesandplatoonsdefilinguponreview;hischapterswerebrigadesthathemarshaledatwill，fallingtheminonebehindtheother，eachprecededbyitschapter—head，likeanofficerinthespacebetweentwodivisions.

Intheguiseofacommander—in—chiefsittinghishorseuponaneminencethatoverlookedthefieldofoperations，Condyatlasttookintheentiresituationataglance，and，withtheforceandprecisionofamachine，marchedhisforcesstraighttothegoalhehadsetforhimselfsolongatimebefore.

Thenatlengthhetookafreshpenfulofink，squaredhiselbows，drewclosertothedesk.andwithasingleswiftspurtofthepenwrotethelastlineofhisnovel，droppingthepenupontheinstantandpressingtheblotteroverthewordsasthoughsettingasealofapprovaluponthecompletedtask.

"There！"hemuttered，betweenhisteeth;"I’vedoneforYOU！"

ThatsameafternoonhereadthelastchaptertoBlix，andshehelpedhimtopreparethemanuscriptforexpressage.Sheinsistedthatitshouldgooffthatveryday，andherselfwrotethedirectionsupontheoutsidewrapper.ThenthetwowentdowntogethertotheWellsFargooffice，and"InDefianceofAuthority"

wassentonitsjourneyacrossthecontinent.

"Now，"shesaid，astheycameoutoftheexpressofficeandstoodforamomentuponthesteps，"nowthere’snothingtodobutwaitfortheCentennialCompany.Idosohopewe’llgettheiranswerbeforeIgoaway.TheyOUGHTtotakeit.It’sjustwhattheyaskedfor.Don’tyouthinkthey’lltakeit，Condy？"

"Oh，botherthat！"answeredCondy."Idon’tcarewhethertheytakeitornot.Howlongnowisitbeforeyougo，Blix？"

ChapterXIII

Aweekpassed;thenanother.Theyearwascomingtoaclose.IntendaysBlixwouldbegone.LettershadbeenreceivedfromAuntKihm，andalsoanexquisiteblackleathertraveling—case，apresenttoherniece，fullofcut—glassbottles，ebony—backedbrushes，andshellcombs.BlixwastoleaveontheseconddayofJanuary.Inthemeanwhileshehadbeenreadingfarintoherfirst—yeartext—books，underscoringandannotating，studyingforhoursuponsuchsubjectsasshedidnotunderstand，sothatshemightgetholdofherworkthereadierwhenitcametoclass—roomroutineandlectures.Herswasatemperamentadmirablysuitedtothestudyshehadchosen——self—reliant，cool，androbust.

Butitwasnoteasyforhertogo.NeverbeforehadBlixbeenawayfromherhome;neverforlongerthanaweekhadshebeenseparatedfromherfather，norfromHowardandSnooky.ThathugecityupontheAtlanticseaboard，withitsvast，fiercelife，wherebeattheheartofthenation，andwherebeyondAuntKihmsheknewnofriend，filledBlixwithavaguesenseofterrorandofoppression.Shewasgoingoutintoanewlife，alifeofworkandofstudy，aharsherlifethanshehadyetknown.Herfather，herfriends，herhome——alltheseweretobeleftbehind.ItwasnotsurprisingthatBlixshouldbedauntedattheprospectofsogreatachangeinherlife，nowsocloseathand.Butifthetearsdidstartattimes，nooneeversawthemfall，andwithacouragethatwasallherownBlixwatchedthelastdaysoftheyeartroopingpastandtheapproachoftheNewYearthatwastobeginthenewlife.

ButCondywasthoroughlyunhappy.Thosewonderfulthreemonthswereatanend.Blixwasgoing.Inlessthanaweeknowshewouldbegone.Hewouldseethelastofher.Thenwhat？Hepicturedhimself——whenhehadsaidgood—bytoherandthetrainhadlessenedtoasmokyblurinthedistance——facingabout，facingthelifethatmustthenbeginforhim，returningtothecityalone，pickinguptheroutineagain.Therewouldbenothingtolookforwardtothen;hewouldnotseeBlixintheafternoon;

wouldnotsitwithherintheeveninginthelittledining—roomoftheflatoverlookingthecityandthebay;wouldnotwakeinthemorningwiththeconsciousnessthatbeforethesunwouldsethewouldseeheragain，bewithher，andhearthesoundofhervoice.

Themonthsthatweretofollowwouldbeonelongache，onelong，harsh，colorlessgrindwithouther.Howwashetogetthroughthatfirsteveningthathemustpassalone？Andshedidnotcareforhim.Condyatlastknewthistobeso.Eventhepoorsolaceofknowingthatshe，too，wasunhappywasdeniedhim.Shehadneverlovedhim，andneverwould.Hewasachumtoher，nothingmore.Condywastooclear—headedtodeceivehimselfuponthispoint.Thetimewascomeforhertogoaway，andshehadgivenhimnosign，nocue.

Thelastdayspassed;Blix’strunkwaspacked，herhalfsectionengaged，herticketbought.Theysaidgood—bytotheoldplacestheyhadcometoknowsowell——Chinatown，theGoldenBalcony，thewater—front，thelakeofSanAndreas，TelegraphHill，andLuna’s——

andhadbadefarewelltoRiccardoandtooldRichardson.TheyhadleftK.D.B.andCaptainJackuntilthelastday.BlixwastogoonthesecondofJanuary.OnNewYear’sDaysheandCondyweretotaketheirlastwalk，weretogoouttothelifeboatstation，andthenonaroundtheshoretothelittleamphitheatreofblackberrybushes——wheretheyhadpromisedalwaystowriteoneanotherontheanniversaryoftheirfirstvisit——andthenforthelasttimeclimbthehill，andgoacrossthebreezydownstothecity.

Thencamethelastdayoftheoldyear，thelastdaybutonethattheywouldbetogether.Theyspentitinalongramblealongthewater—front，followingthelineoftheshippingevenasfarasMeiggs’sWharf.Theyhadcomebacktotheflatforsupper，andafterward，assoonasthefamilyhadleftthemalone，hadsettledthemselvesinthebaywindowtowatchtheNewYearin.

Thelittledining—roomwasdark，butfortheindistinctbluroflightthatcameinthroughthewindow——alightthatwasaminglingoftheafterglow，thenew—risenmoon，andthefainthazethatthecitythrewoffintotheskyfromitsstreetlampsandelectrics.

Fromwheretheysattheycouldlookdown，almostasfromatower，intothecity’sstreets.Hereacornercameintoview;furtheronagreatpuffofgreenfoliage——palmsandpinessidebyside——over—

lookedawall.Hereastreetwasvisibleforalmostitsentirelength，likeastreamofasphaltflowingdownthepitchofthehill，dammedoneithersidebyrowsuponrowsofhouses;whilefurtheronthevagueconfusionofroofsandfacadesopenedoutaroundapatchofgreenlawn，thegardenofsomelargerresidence.

Astheylookedandwatched，theafterglowcaughtwindowafterwindow，tillallthatquarterofthecityseemedtostareupatthemfromathousandruddyeyes.Thewindowsseemedinfiniteinnumber，thestreetsendlessintheircomplications：yeteverythingwasdeserted.Atthishourthestreetswereempty，andwouldremainsountildaylight.Notasoulwasstirring;nofacelookedfromanyofthosemyriadsofglowingwindows;nofootfalldisturbedthesilenceofthoseasphaltstreets.There，almostwithincallbehindthosewindows，shutofffromthoseemptystreets，athousandhumanliveswereteeming，eachthecentreofitsowncircleofthoughtsandwordsandactions;andyetthesolitudewasprofound，thedesolationcomplete.thestillnessunbrokenbyasingleecho.

Thenight——thelastnightoftheoldyear——wasfine;thewhite，clearlightfromamoontheycouldnotseegrewwideandclearoverthecity，asthelastgleamofthesunsetfaded.Itwasjustwarmenoughforthewindowtobeopen，andfornearlythreehoursCondyandBlixsatlookingdownuponthecityintheselastmomentsofthepassingyear，feelingupontheirfacesanoccasionaltouchofthebreeze，thatcarriedwithitthesmelloftreesandflowersfromthegardensbelowthem，andthefaintfinetaintoftheoceanfromfaroutbeyondtheHeads.Butthescenewasnotinrealitysilent.Attimeswhentheylistenedintently，especiallywhentheyclosedtheireyes，therecametothemasubdued，steadybourdon，profound，unceasing，avast，numbmurmur，likenoothersoundinallthegamutofnature——thesoundofacityatnight，thehumofagreat，conglomeratelife，wroughtouttherefrommomenttomomentunderthestarsandunderthemoon，whilethelasthoursoftheoldyeardroppedquietlyaway.

Astarfell.

Sittinginthewindow，thetwonoticeditatonce，andCondystirredforthefirsttimeinfifteenminutes.

"Thatwasaverylongone，"hesaid，inalowvoice."Blix，youmustwritetome——wemustwriteeachotheroften."

"Oh，yes，"sheanswered."Wemustnotforgeteachother;wehavehadtoogoodatimeforthat."

"Fouryearsisalongtime，"hewenton."Lotscanhappeninfouryears.WonderwhatI’llbedoingattheendoffouryears？We’vehadapleasanttimewhileitlasted，Blix."

"Haven’twe？"shesaid，herchinonherhand，themoonlightshininginherlittle，dark—browneyes.

Well，hewasgoingtoloseher.Hehadfoundoutthathelovedheronlyintimetofeelthewrenchofpartingfromherallthemorekeenly.Whatwashetodowithhimselfaftershewasgone？

Whatcouldheturntoinordertofillupthegreatemptinessthathergoingwouldleaveinhisdailylife？Andwasshenevertoknowhowdearshewastohim？Whynotspeaktoher，whynottellherthathelovedher？ButCondyknewthatBlixdidnotlovehim，andtheknowledgeofthatmustkeephimsilent;hemusthughissecrettohim，liketheSpartanboywithhisstolenfox，nomatterhowgrievouslyithurthimtodoso.HeandBlixhadlivedthroughtwomonthsofrarest，mostuntroubledhappiness，withhardlymoreself—consciousnessthantwoyoungandhealthyboys.Tobringthattroublous，disquietingelementoflovebetweenthem——unrequitedlove，ofallthings——wouldbeafolly.Shewouldtellhim——mustinallhonestytellhimthatshedidnotlovehim，andalltheirdeliciouscamaraderiewouldendina"scene."Condy，aboveeverything，wishedtolookbackonthosetwomonths，aftershehadgone，withoutbeingabletorememberthereinonesinglenotethatjarred.Ifthememoryofherwasallthathewastohave，heresolvedthatatleastthatmemoryshouldbeperfect.

Andtheloveofherhadmadeamanofhim——hecouldnotforgetthat;hadgiventohimjustthestrengththatmadeitpossibleforhimtokeepthatresolute，grimsilencenow.Inthosetwomonthshehadgrownfiveyears;hewasmoremasculine，morevirile.Theverysetofhismouthwasdifferent;betweentheeye—browstheclefthaddeepened;hisvoiceitselfvibratedtoaheaviernote.

No，no;solongasheshouldlive，he，mangrownashewas，couldneverforgetthisgirlofnineteenwhohadcomeintohislifesoquietly，sounexpectedly，whohadinfluenceditsoirresistiblyandsounmistakablyforitsbetterment，andwhohadpassedoutofitwiththepassingoftheyear.

ForafewmomentsCondyhadbeenabsent—mindedlysnappingthelidofhiscigarettecase，whilehethought;nowheselectedacigarette，returnedthecasetohispocket，andfumbledforamatch.Butthelittlegun—metalcasehecarriedwasempty.Blixroseandgropedforamomentuponthemantel—shelf，thenreturnedandhandedhimamatch，andstoodoverhimwhilehescrapeditunderthearmofthechairwhereinhesat.Evenwhenhiscigarettewaslightedshestillstoodthere，lookingathim，thefingersofherhandsclaspedinfrontofher，herhair，onesideofhercheek，herchin，andsweet，roundneckoutlinedbythefaintbluroflightthatcamefromtheopenwindow.Thenquietlyshesaid：

"Well，Condy？"

"Well，Blix？"

"Just’well’？"sherepeated."Isthatall？Isthatallyouhavetosaytome？"

Hegaveagreatstart.

"Blix！"heexclaimed.

"Isthatall？Andyouaregoingtoletmegoawayfromyouforsolong，andsaynothingmorethanthattome？Youthinkyouhavebeensocareful，thinkyouhavekeptyoursecretsoclose！Condy，don’tyousupposeIknow？Doyousupposewomenaresoblind？No，youdon’tneedtotellme;Iknow——I’veknownit——oh，forweeks！"

"Youknow——know——knowwhat？"heexclaimed，breathless.

"Thatyouhavebeenpretendingthatyoudidnotloveme.Iknowthatyoudoloveme——Iknowyouhavebeentryingtokeepitfrommeforfearitwouldspoilourgoodtimes，andbecausewehadmadeupourmindstobechums，andhave’nomorefoolishness.’Once——inthosedayswhenwefirstkneweachother——Iknewyoudidnotlovemewhenyousaidyoudid;butnow，since——oh，sincethatafternoonintheChineserestaurant，remember？——I’veknownthatyoudidloveme，althoughyoupretendedyoudidn’t.ItwasthepretenceI

wantedtoberidof;Iwantedtoberidofitwhenyousaidyoulovedmeanddidn’t，andIwanttoberidofitnowwhenYOU

pretendnottolovemeandIKNOWyoudo，"andBlixleanedbackherheadasshespokethat"know，"lookingathimfromunderherlids，asmileuponherlips."It’sthepretencethatIwon’thave，"sheadded."Wemustbesincerewitheachother，youandI."

"Blix，doYOUloveME？"

Condyhadrisentohisfeet，hisbreathwascomingquick，hiscigarettewasflungaway，andhishandsopenedandshutswiftly.

"Oh，Blixy，littlegirl，doYOUloveME？"

Theystoodthereforamomentinthehalfdark，facingoneanother，theirheartsbeating，theirbreathfailingtheminthetensionoftheinstant.Thereinthatroom，highabovethecity，alittleclimaxhadcomeswiftlytoahead，acrisisintwoliveshadsuddenlydeveloped.Themomentthathadbeeninpreparationforthelastfewmonths，thelastfewyears，thelastfewcenturies，behold！ithadarrived.

"Blix，doyouloveme？"

SuddenlyitwastheNewYear.Somewherecloseathandachorusofchimingchurchbellssangtogether.Faroffinthedirectionofthewharves，wherethegreatoceansteamshipslay，cametheglad，sonorousshoutingofawhistle;fromanearbystreetabuglecalledaloud.Andthenfrompointtopoint，fromstreettorooftop，andfromrooftospire，thevaguemurmurofmanysoundsgrewandspreadandwidened，slowly，grandly;thatprofoundandsteadybourdon，asofaninvisibleorganswelling，deepening，andexpandingtothefullmalediapasonofthecityarousedandsignalingtheadventofanotheryear.

Andtheyheardit，theytwoheardit，standingtherefacetoface，lookingintoeachother’seyes，thatunansweredquestionyetbetweenthem，thequestionthathadcometothemwiththeturningoftheyear.ItwastheoldyearyetwhenCondyhadaskedthatquestion.Inthatmoment’spause，whileBlixhesitatedtoanswerhim，theNewYearhadcome.Andwhilethehuge，vastnoteofthecityswelledandvibrated，shestillkeptsilent.Butonlyforamoment.Thenshecameclosertohim，andputahandoneachofhisshoulders.

"HappyNewYear，dear，"shesaid.

*****************

OnNewYear’sDay，thelastdaytheyweretobetogether，BlixandCondytook"theirwalk，"astheyhadcometocallit——thewalkthatincludedthelifeboatstation，theGoldenGate，theoceanbeachbeyondtheoldfort，thegreen，bare，flower—starredhillsanddowns，andthesmoothlevelsofthegolflinks.Blixhadbeenbusywiththelastdetailsofherpacking，andtheydidnotgetstarteduntiltowardtwointheafternoon.

"Strikeme！"exclaimedCaptainJack，asBlixinformedhimthatshehadcometosaygood—by."Why，ain’tthisverysudden—like，MissBessemer？Hey，Kitty，comeinhere.Here’sMissBessemercometosaygood—by;goingtoNewYorkto—morrow."

"We’llregularlybelonesomewithoutyou，miss，"saidK.D.B.，asshecameintothefrontroom，bringingwithherabrisk，pungentodorofboiledvegetables."NewYork——suchatownasitmustbe！

ItwascalledManhattanatfirst，youknow，andwassettledbytheDutch."

EvidentlyK.D.B.hadreachedtheN’s.

Withsuchdeftnessasshepossessed，Blixtriedtoturntheconversationuponthefirstmeetingoftheretiredseacaptainandtheone—timecostumereader，butalltonopurpose.The"MatrimonialObjects"wereperhapsalittleashamedoftheir"personals"bynow，andneitherBlixnorCondywereevertoheartheirversionofthemeetinginthebackdining—roomofLuna’sMexicanrestaurant.CaptainJackwas，infact，anxioustochangethesubject.

"Anynewsoftheyarnyet？"hesuddenlyinquiredofCondy"WhatdothoseEasternpublishin’peoplethinkofOurMugandBillyIshamandthewhiskeyschooner？"

Condyhadreceivedtherejectedmanuscriptof"InDefianceofAuthority"thatmorning，accompaniedbyaletterfromtheCentennialCompany.

"Well，"hesaidinanswer，"they’renot，asyoumightsay，fallingoverthemselvestryingtoseewho’llbethefirsttoprintit.

It’sbeenreturned."

"Thedevilyousay！"respondedtheCaptain."Well，that’skindofdisappointin’toyou，ain’tit？"

"But，"Blixhastenedtoadd，"we’renotatalldiscouraged.We’regoingtosenditoffagainrightaway."

Thenshesaidgood—bytothem.

"Idunnoasyou’llseemeherewhenyoucomeback，miss，"saidtheCaptain，atthegate，hisarmaroundK.D.B."I’vegottoschemin’again.Doyouknow，"headded，inalow，confidentialtone，"thatalltheminesinCaliforniasendtheirclean—upsandgoldbricksdowntotheSelbysmeltin’worksonceeveryweek？Theysend’emtoSanFranciscofirst，andtheyaretakenuptoSelby’sWednesdayafternoonsonalittlestern—wheelsteamercalledthe"Monticello."Allthembricksareinabox——dumpedinlikesomuchcoal——andthatboxsetsjustunderthewheel—house，for’ard.Howmuchmoneydoyousupposethembricksrepresent？Well，I’lltellyou;lastweektheyrepresentedsevenhundredandeightythousanddollars.Well，now，IgotachartofthebaynearVallejo;thechannel’sallright，buttherearemudflatsthatrunoutfromshorethreemiles.Enoughwaterforawhitehall，butnotenoughfor——well，forthepatrolboat，forinstance.Twoorthreeslickboys，ofafoggynight——ofcourse，I’mnotinthatkindofgame，butstrike！itwouldbeadealnow，wouldn’tit？"

"Don’tyoubelievehim，miss，"putinK.D.B."He’sjusttalkingtoshowoff."

"IthinkyourschemeofholdingupaCunardliner，"saidCondy，withgreatearnestness，"ismorefeasible.Youcouldlayacrosshercourseandflyadistresssignal.She’dhavetoheaveto."

"Yes，Ibeenthinkin’o’that;butlookhere——what’stopreventthelinertakingrightafteryourschoonerafteryou’vegotthestuffaboard——justfollowin’yourightaroundan’findin’outwhereyouland？"

"She’dbeundercontracttocarryGovernmentmails，"contradictedCondy."Shecouldn’tdothat.You’dleavehermailsaboardforjustthatreason.Youwouldn’trobherofhermails;justsolongasshewascarryinggovernmentmailsshecouldn’tstop."

TheCaptainclappedhispalmdownuponthegate—post.

"Strikemestraight！Ineverthoughtofthat."

ChapterXIV

BlixandCondywenton;onalongthenarrowroadupontheedgeofthesaltmarshesandtulesthatlaybetweenthestationandtheGoldenGate;ontotheGoldenGateitself，andaroundtheoldgrime—incrustedforttotheoceanshore，withitsreachesofhard，whitesand，wherethebowlderslaytumbledandthesurfgrumbledincessantly.

TheworldseemedveryfarawayfromthemhereontheshoresofthePacific，onthatfirstafternoonoftheNewYear.Theyweresupremelyhappy，andtheysufficedtothemselves.Condyhadforgottenallaboutthenextday，whenhemustsaygood—bytoBlix.

Itdidnotseempossible，itwasnotwithintheboundsofpossibility，thatshewastogoaway——thattheytwoweretobeseparated.Andforthatmatter，to—morrowwasto—morrow.Itwastwenty—fourhoursaway.Thepresentmomentwassufficient.

Thepersistencewithwhichtheyclungtotheimmediatemoment，theirhappinessinlivingonlyinthepresent，hadbroughtaboutarathercuriousconditionofthingsbetweenthem.

Intheirloveforeachothertherewasnothoughtofmarriage;

theyweretoomuchoccupiedwiththejoyofbeingtogetheratthatparticularinstanttothinkofthefuture.Theylovedeachother，andthatwasenough.Theydidnotlookaheadfurtherthanthefollowingday，andthenbutfurtively，andonlyinorderthattheirmorrow’spartingmightintensifytheirhappinessofto—day.

ThatNewYear’sDaywastobetheendofeverything.Blixwasgoing;sheandCondywouldneverseeeachotheragain.Thethoughtofmarriage——withitscertainresponsibilities，itsduties，itsgravity，itsvague，troublousseriousness，itsinevitabledisappointments——wasevenalittledistastefultothem.

Theirromancehadbeenhithertowithoutaflaw;theyhadbeengenuinelyhappyinlittlethings.Itwasaswellthatitshouldendthatday，inallitspristinesweetness，unsulliedbyasinglebittermoment，undimmedbythecloudofasingledisillusionordisappointment.Whateverchancedtotheminlateryears，theycouldatleastcherishthisonememoryofapure，unselfishaffection，youngandunstainedandalmostwithoutthoughtofsex，comeandgoneontheverythresholdoftheirlives.Thiswastheend，theybothunderstood.Theyweregladthatitwastobeso.

Theydidnotevenspeakagainofwritingtoeachother.

Theyfoundoncemorethelittlesemicircleofblackberrybushesandthefallenlog，half—wayupthehillabovetheshore，andsatthereawhile，lookingdownuponthelonggreenrollers，marchingincessantlytowardthebeach，andtherebreakinginaprolongedexplosionofsolidgreenwaterandflyingspume.Andtheirglancefollowedtheirsucceedingranksfurtherandfurtherouttosea，tillthemultitudeblendedintothemass——thevast，green，shiftingmassthatdrewtheeyeonandon，totheabrupt，finelineofthehorizon.

Therewasnodetailinthescene.Therewasnothingbutthegreatreachoftheoceanfloor，theunbrokenplaneofbluesky，andthebaregreenslopeofland——threeimmensities，gigantic，vast，primordial.Itwasnoplacefortrivalideasandthoughtsoflittlethings.Themindharkedbackunconsciouslytothebroad，simpler，basicemotions，thefundamentalinstinctsoftherace.

Thehugespacesofearthandairandwatercarriedwiththemafeelingofkindlybutenormousforce——elementalforce，fresh，untutored，new，andyoung.Therewasbuoyancyinit;afine，breathlesssenseofupliftingandexhilaration;asensationasofbignessandareturntothehomely，human，naturallife，totheprimitiveoldimpulses，irresistible，changeless，andunhampered;

oldastheocean，stableasthehills，vastastheunplumbeddepthsofthesky.

CondyandBlixsatstill，listening，looking，andwatching——theintellectdrowsyandnumb;theemotions，thesenses，allaliveandbrimmingtothesurface.Vaguelytheyfelttheinfluenceofthemoment.Somethingwaspreparingforthem.Fromthelowest，untoucheddepthsintheheartsofeachofthemsomethingwasrisingsteadilytoconsciousnessandthelightofday.Thereisnonameforsuchthings，nonameforthemysterythatspanstheintervalbetweenmanandwoman——themysterythatbearsnorelationtotheirloveforeachother，butthatissomethingbetterthanlove，andwhosecomingsavorsofthemiraculous.

TheafternoonhadwanedandthesunhadbeguntosetwhenBlixrose.

"Weshouldbegoing，Condy，"shetoldhim.

Theystartedupthehill，andCondysaid："IfeelasthoughIhadbeensomehowasleepwithmyeyeswideopen.Whataglorioussunset！ItseemstomeasthoughIwerelivingdoubleeveryminute;andoh！Blix，isn’titthegreatestthingintheworldtoloveeachotheraswedo？"

Theyhadcometothetopofthehillbynow，andwentonacrosstheopen，breezydowns，allstarredwithblueirisandwildheliotrope.Blixdrewhisarmaboutherwaist，andlaidhercheekuponhisshoulderwithalittlecaressingmotion.

"AndIdoloveyou，dear，"shesaid——"loveyouwithallmyheart.

Andit’sforalways，too;Iknowthat.I’vebeenagirluntilwithinthelastthreeorfourdays——justagirl，dearest;notveryserious，I’mafraid，andnotcaringforanythingelsebeyond，whatwashappeningclosearoundme——don’tyouunderstand？ButsinceI’vefoundouthowmuchIlovedyouandknewthatyoulovedme——

why，everythingischangedforme.I’mnotthesame，IenjoythingsthatIneverthoughtofenjoyingbefore，andIfeelso——oh，LARGER，don’tyouknow？——andstronger，andsomuchmoreserious.

JustalittlewhileagoIwasonlynineteen，butIthink，dear，thatbylovingyouIhavebecome——allofasuddenandwithoutknowingit——awoman."

Alittletremblingranthroughherwiththewords.Shestoppedandputbotharmsaroundhisneck，herheadtippedback，hereyeshalfclosed，hersweetyellowhairrollingfromherforehead.Herwholedearbeingradiatedwiththatsweet，cleanperfumethatseemedtocomealikefromherclothes，herneck，herarms，herhair，andmouth——thedelicious，almostdivine，femininearomathatwaspartofherself.

"Youdoloveme，Condy，don’tyou，justasIloveyou？"

Suchwordsashecouldthinkofseemedpitifullyinadequate.Foranswerhecouldonlyholdherthecloser.Sheunderstood.Hereyesclosedslowly，andherfacedrewnearertohis.Justaboveawhisper，shesaid：

"Iloveyou，dear！"

"Iloveyou，Blix！"

Andtheykissedeachotherthenuponthemouth.

Meanwhilethesunhadbeensetting.Suchasunset！Thewholeworld，thethreegreatspacesofseaandlandandsky，wereincarnadinedwiththegloryofit.Theoceanfloorwasablindingredradiance，thehillswereamethyst，theskyonegiganticopal，andtheytwoseemedpoisedinthemidstofallthechaoticgloryofaprimitiveworld.ItwasNewYear’sDay;theearthwasnew，theyearwasnew，andtheirlovewasnewandstrong.Everythingwasbeforethem.Therewasnolongeranypast，nolongeranypresent.Regretsandmemorieshadnoplaceintheirnewworld.

ItwasHope，Hope，Hope，thatsangtothemandcalledtothemandsmoteintolifethenewkeenbloodofthem.

Thensuddenlycamethemiracle，liketheflashingoutofanewstar，whoseradiancetheyfeltbutcouldnotsee，likeaburstofmusicwhoseharmonytheyfeltbutcouldnothear.Andastheystoodtherealoneinallthatsimplegloryofskyandearthandsea，theyknewallinaninstantthatTHEYWEREFOREACHOTHER，foreverandforever，forbetterorforworse，tilldeathshouldthempart.Intotheirromance，intotheirworldoflittlethings，theirjoysofthemoment，theirhappinessofthehour，hadsuddenlydescendedagreatandlastingjoy，thehappinessofthegreat，graveissuesoflife——ahappinesssodeep，sointense，astothrillthemwithasenseofsolemnityandwonder.Insteadofbeingtheend，thatNewYear’sDaywasbutthebeginning——thebeginningoftheirrealromance.Allthefine，virile，masculineenergyofhimwasarousedandrampant.Allhersweet，strongwomanlinesshadbeensuddenlydeepenedandbroadened.Infine，hehadbecomeaman，andshewoman.Youth，life，andtheloveofmanandwoman，thestrengthofthehills，thedepthoftheocean，andthebeautyoftheskyatsunset;thatwaswhattheNewYearhadbroughttothem.

*****************

"It’sgood—by，dear，isn’tit？"saidBlix.

ButCondywouldnothaveitso.

"No，no，"hetoldher;"no，Blix;nomatterhowoftenweseparateafterthiswonderfulNewYear’sDay，nomatterhowfarweareapart，WEtwoshallnever，neversaygood—by."

"Oh，you’reright，you’reright！"sheanswered，thetearsbeginningtoshineinherlittledark—browneyes."No;solongasweloveeachother，nothingmatters.There’snosuchthingasdistanceforus，isthere？Justthink，youwillbehereontheshoresofthePacific，andIontheshoresoftheAtlantic，butthewholecontinentcan’tcomebetweenUS."

"Andwe’llbetogetheragain，Blix，"hesaid;"anditwon’tbeverylongnow.Justgivemetime——afewyearsnow."

"Butsolongasweloveeachother，TIMEwon’tmattereither."

"Whatarethetearsfor，Blixy？"heasked，pressinghishandkerchieftohercheek.

"Becausethisisthesaddestandhappiestdayofmylife，"sheanswered.Thenshepulledfromhimwithalittlelaugh，adding：

"Look，Condy，you’vedroppedyourletter.Youpulleditoutjustnowwithyourhandkerchief."

AsCondypickeditup，shenotedthenameoftheCentennialCompanyuponthecorner.

"It’stheletterIgotwiththemanuscriptofthenovelwhentheysentitback，"heexplained.

"Whatdidtheysay？"

"Oh，theusualthing.Ihaven’treadityet.Here’swhattheysay."Heopeneditandread：

"WereturntoyouherewiththeMS.ofyournovel，’InDefianceofAuthority，’andregretthatourreaderdoesnotrecommenditasavailableforpublicationatpresent.Wehave，however，followedyourworkwithconsiderableinterest，andhavereadastorybyyou，copiedinoneofourexchanges，underthetitle，’AVictoryOverDeath，’whichwewouldhavebeengladtopublishourselves，hadyougivenusthechance.

"WouldyouconsidertheofferoftheassistanteditorshipofourQUARTERLY，aliteraryandcriticalpamphlet，thatwepublishinNewYork，andwithwhichwepresumeyouarefamiliar？Wedonotbelievetherewouldbeanydifficultyinthematteroffinancialarrangements.Incaseyoushoulddecidetocomeon，weincloseR.

R.passesviatheA.T.&S.F.，C.&A.，andNewYorkCentral.

"Verytruly，"THECENTENNIALPUBLISHINGCOMPANY，"NEWYORK."

Thetwoexchangedglances.ButBlixwastooexcitedtospeak，andcouldonlygiveventtoalittle，quivering，chokingsigh.Theletterwasaveritablegodfromthemachine，theonethinglackingtocompletetheirhappiness.

"Idon’tknowhowthislookstoyou，"Condybegan，tryingtobecalm，"butitseemstomethatthisis——thatthis——this——"

Butwhattheysaidthentheycouldneverafterwardremember.Thegoldenhazeofthesunsetsomehowgotintotheirrecollectionofthemoment，andtheycouldonlyrecallthefactthattheyhadbeengayerinthatmomentthaneverbeforeinalltheirlives.

Perhapsasgayastheyeverweretobeagain.Theybegantoknowthedifferencebetweengayetyandhappiness.ThatNewYear’sDay，thatsunset，markedforthemanendandabeginning.Itwastheendoftheirgay，irresponsible，hour—to—hourlifeofthepastthreemonths;anditwasthebeginningofanewlife，whosepossibilitiesofsorrowandoftrouble，ofpleasureandofhappiness，weregreaterthanaughttheyhadyetexperienced.Theyknewthis——theyfeltitinstinctively，aswithacommonimpulsetheyturnedandlookedbackupontheglowingearthandseaandsky，thebreakingsurf，thebeach，thedistant，rime—incrusted，ancientfort——allthatscenethattotheireyesstoodforthedear，free，carelesscompanionshipofthoselastfewmonths.

Theirnew—foundhappinesswasnotwithoutitssadnessalready.

Allwasovernow;theirsolitarywalks，thelong，stilleveningsinthelittledining—roomoverlookingthesleepingcity，theirexcursionstoLuna’s，theirafternoonsspentinthegoldenChinesebalcony，theirmorningsonthelake，calmandstillandhot.

Foreverandforevertheyhadsaidgood—bytothatlife.Alreadythesunsetwaslosingitsglory.

Then，withonelastlook，theyturnedaboutandsettheirfacesfromittothenewlife，totheEast，wherelaytheNation.OutbeyondthepurplebulwarksoftheSierras，faroff，thegreat，grimworldwentclashingthroughitsgrooves——theworldthatnowtheyweretoknow，theworldthatcalledtothem，andwokethem，androusedthem.Theirlittlegayetiesweredone;thelifeoflittlethingswasallbehind.Nowforthefuture.Thesternernotehadstruck——workwastobedone;that，too，theNewYearhadbroughttothem——workforeachofthem，workandtheworldofmen.

Foramomenttheyshrankfromit，lothtotakethefirststepbeyondtheconfinesofthegardenwhereintheyhadlivedsojoyouslyandlearnedtoloveeachother;andastheystoodthere，facingthegrayanddarkeningEasternsky，theirbacksforeverturnedtothesunset，Blixdrewclosertohim，puttingherhandinhis，lookingalittletimidlyintohiseyes.Buthisarmwasaroundher，andthestrongyoungforcethatlookedintohereyesfromhisgavehercourage.

"AhappyNewYear，dear，"shesaid.

"Avery，veryhappyNewYear，Blix，"heanswered.

[TheEnd]