第11章

Sheformulatedthisfeelingnomorethantheothers，butshesaidtoWestover，whomJeffbadehertelloftheengagement："Ita’n’texactlyasIcould’a’wishedittobe。ButIdon’tknowasmothersareeverquitesuitedwiththeirchildren’smarriages。Ipresumeit’sfromalwayskindofhavin’hadherroundundermyfeeteversinceshewasborn，asyoumaysay，andseein’herfamilyalwayssoshiftless。Well，Ican’tsaythatofFrank，either。He’sturnedoutafineboy；butthefather！Cynthyisoneofthemostcapablegirls，smartasatrap，andbrightasabiscuit。

She’smasterful，too！sheNEEDtohaveawillofherownwithJeff。"

Somethingoftheinsensatepridethatmothershaveintheirchildren’sfaults，astheirquicktempers，ortheirwastefulness，ortheirrevengefulness，expresseditselfinhertone；anditwasperhapsthisthatirritatedWestover。

"Ihopehe’llneverletherknowit。Idon’tthinkastrongwillisathingtobeprized，andIshouldn’tconsideritoneofCynthia’sgoodpoints。Thehappiestlifeforherwouldbeonethatneverforcedhertouseit。"

"Idon’tknowasIunderstandyouexactly，"saidMrs。Durgin，withsomedryness。"IknowJeff’sgotratherofadomineeringdisposition，butI

don’tbelievebutshecanmanagehimwithoutmeetin’himonhisownground，asyoumaysay。"

"She’sagirlinathousand，"Westoverreturned，evasively。

"Thenyouthinkhe’sshownsenseinchoosin’ofher？"pursuedJeff’smother，resolutetofindsomepraiseofhiminWestover’swords。

"He’saveryfortunateman，"saidthepainter。

"Well，Iguessyou’reright，"Mrs。Durginacquiesced，asmuchtoJeff’sadvantageasshecould。"YouknowIwasalwaysafraidhewouldmakeafoolofhimself，butIguesshe’skepthiseyesprettywellopenallthewhile。Well！"Sheclosedthesubjectwiththisexclamation。"HimandCynthy’sbeenatmeaboutJackson，"sheadded，abruptly。"They’vecookeditupbetween’emthathe’soutofhealthorrundownorsomething。"

HermannerreferredthemattertoWestover，andhesaid："Heisn’tlookingsowellthissummer。Heoughttogoawaysomewhere。"

"That’swhattheythought，"saidMrs。Durgin，smilinginherpleasureathavingtheiropinionconfirmedbytheoldandvaluedfriendofthefamily。

Whereaboutsdoyouthinkhe’dbestgo？"

"Oh，Idon’tknow。Italy——orEgypt——"

"Iguess，ifyoucouldgetJacksontogoawayatall，itwouldbetosomeofthemoldBiblecountries，"saidMrs。Durgin。"We’vegottohaveafighttogethimoff，makethebestofit，andI’vethoughtitoversincethechildrenspokeaboutit，andIcouldn’tseemtoseeJacksonwillin’

togoouttoCalifornyorColorady，toeitherofhisbrothers。ButI

guesshewouldgotoEgypt。Thatagoodclimateforthe——hiscomplaint？"

Sheenteredeagerlyintothequestion，andWestoverpromisedtowritetoaBostondoctor，whomheknewverywell，andreportJackson’scasetohim，andgethisviewsofEgypt。

"Tellhimhowitis，"saidMrs。Durgin，"andthetussleweshallhavetohaveanywaytomakeJacksonbelievehe’doughttohavearest。He’llgotoEgyptifhe’llgoanywheres，becausehismindkeepsrunnin’onBiblequestions，andit’llinteresthimtogooutthere；andwecanmakehimbelieveit’sjusttobangaroundforthewinter。He’sterriblehopeful。"

Nowthatshebegantospeak，allherlong—repressedanxietypoureditselfout，andshehitchedherchairnearertoWestoverandwistfullyclutchedhissleeve。"That’stheworstofJackson。Youcan’tmakehimbelieveanything’sthematter。SometimesIcan’tbeartohearhimgoonabouthimselfasifhewasawellyoungman。Heexpectsthatmedium’sstuffisgoin’tocurehim！"

"Peoplesickinthatwayarealwayshopeful，"saidWestover。

"Oh，don’tIknowit！Ha’n’tIseenmychildrenandmyhusband——Oh，doaskthatdoctortoanswerasquickashecan！"

XXVI。

WestoverhadadifficultyincongratulatingJeffwhichhecouldscarcelydefinetohimself，butwhichwaslikethatobscureresentmentwefeeltowardpeoplewhomwethinkunequaltotheirgoodfortune。Hewasashamedofhisgrudge，whateveritwas，andthismayhavemadehimoverdohisexpressionsofpleasure。Hewassensibleofafalsecordialityinthem，andhecheckedhimselfinaflowofforcedsentimenttosay，morehonestly："Iwishyou’dspeaktoCynthiaforme。YouknowhowmuchI

thinkofher，andhowmuchIwanttoseeherhappy。Yououghttobeaverygoodfellow，Jeff！"

"I’lltellherthat；she’lllikethat，"saidJeff。"Shethinkstheworldofyou。"

"Doesshe？Well！"

"AndIguessshe’llbegladyousentword。She’sbeenwonderingwhatyouwouldsay；she’salwayssoafraidofyou。"

"Isshe？You’renotafraidofme，areyou？Butperhapsyoudon’tthinksomuchofme。"

"IguessCynthiaandIthinkalikeonthatpoint，"saidJeff，withoutabatingWestover’sdiscomfort。

Therewasastressofsharpcoldthatyearaboutthe20thofAugust。

Thentheweatherturnedwarmagain，andheldfinetillthebeginningofOctober，withinaweekofthetimewhenJacksonwastosail。Ithadnotbeensohardtomakehimconsentwhenheknewwherethedoctorwishedhimtogo，andhehadwillinglyprofitedbyWestover’ssuggestionsaboutgettingtoEgypt。Hisinterestinthematter，whichhetriedtohideatfirstunderamaskofdecorousindifference，mountedwiththefireofWhitwell’senthusiasm，andtheyheldnightlycouncilstogether，studyinghiscourseonthemap，andconsultingplanchetteuponthepointsatvariancethatrosebetweenthem，whileJombateestesatwithhischairtiltedagainstthewall，andpulledsteadilyathispipe，whichmixeditsstrongfumeswiththesmellofthekerosene—lampandtheperennialodorofpotatoesinthecellarunderthelowroomwherethecompanionsforgathered。

TowardtheendofSeptemberWestoverspentthenightbeforehewentbacktotownwiththem。Afteraseasonwithplanchette，theirhostpushedhimselfbackwithhiskneesfromthetabletillhischairreareduponitshindlegs，andshovedhishatupfromhisforeheadintokenofphilosophicalmood。

"Itellyou，Jackson，"hesaid，"you’doughttogetholdo’somethemoccultdevilsoutthere，andsqueezetheirscienceoutof’em。AnyBuddhistsinEgypt，Mr。Westover？"

"Idon’tthinkthereare，"saidWestover。"UnlessJacksonshouldcomeacrosssomewanderingHindu。Orhemightpushon，andcomehomebythewayofIndia。"

"Doit，Jackson！"hisfriendconjuredhim。"Maycostyousomethingmore，butit’llbeworththemoney。Ifit’strue，whatsomethemBlavetskyfellersclaim，youcanvisitushereinyourastralbody——gitinwith’emtherightway。Ishouldliketohaveyoutryit。What’sthereasonIndiawouldn’tbeasgoodforhimasEgypt，anyway？"WhitwelldemandedofWestover。

"Isupposetheclimate’srathertoomoist；theheatwouldberathertryingtohimthere。"

"Thatso？"

"Andhe’stakenhisticketforAlexandria，"Westoverpursued。

"Well，Iguessthat’sso。"Whitwelltiltedhisbackwardslopinghattooneside，soastoscratchthenortheastcornerofhisbeadthoughtfully。

"Butasfarasthatisconcerned，"saidWestover，"andthedoctrineofimmortalitygenerallyisconcerned，JacksonwillhavehishandsfullifhestudiestheEgyptianmonuments。"

"Whattheygottodowithit？"

"Everything。Egyptisthehomeofthebeliefinafuturelife；itwascarriedfromEgypttoGreece。HemightcomehomebywayofAthens。"

"Why，man！"criedWhitwell。"DoyoumeantosaythatthemoldHebrewsaints，Joseph’sbrethren，thatwentdownintoEgyptaftercorn，didn’tknowaboutimmortality，andthemEgyptiandevilsdid？"

"There’sverylittleproofintheOldTestamentthattheIsraelitesknewofit。"

WhitwelllookedatJackson。"Thattheideeyougot？"

"Iguesshe’sright，"saidJackson。"There’ssomethingalittleaboutitinJob，andsomethinginthePsalms：butnotagreatdeal。"

"AndwegotitfromthemEgyptiand————"

"Idon’tsaythat，"Westoverinterposed。"Buttheyhaditbeforewehad。

Asweimagineit，wegotitthoughChristianity。"

Jombateeste，whohadtakenhispipeoutofhismouthinacontroversialmanner，putitbackagain。

Westoveradded，"Butthere’snoquestionbuttheEgyptiansbelievedinthelifehereafter，andinfuturerewardsandpunishmentsforthedeedsdoneinthebody，thousandsofyearsbeforeourera。"

"Well，I’mdumned，"saidWhitwell。

Jombateestetookhispipeoutagain。"Hitshowtheygotgoodsense。

Theyknow——theyfeelitintheirbone——whatgoin’’appen——whenyoudead。

Me，Iguesstheygotsomeprophetfindithoutforthem；thentheygoin’

takethecredit。"

"Iguessthat’ssomethingso，Jombateeste，"saidWhitwell。"Itdon’tstandtoreasonthatfolkswithoutanyalphabet，asyoumaysay，andonlyalotofpicturesforwords，likeInjuns，couldfigureouttheimmortalityofthesoul。Theygottheideebyinspirationsomehow。Why，here！It’slikethis。ThemPharaohsmusthavealwaysbeenclawin’outfortheHebrewsbeforetheygotaholdofJoseph，andwhentheyfoundoutthetruedoctrine，theyhushedupwheretheygotit，andtheirpriestswentonteachin’itasifitwastheirown。"

"That’sw’atIsay。Gotitfromthe’Ebrew。"

"Well，itdon’tmatteragreatdealwheretheygotit，sotheygotit，"

saidJackson，asherose。

"IbelieveI’llgowithyou，"saidWestover。

"Allthereisaboutit，"saidthesickman，solemnly，withafrailefforttostraightenhimself，towhichhissunkenchestwouldnotrespond，"isthis：nomaneverdidfigurethatoutforhimself。Amanseesfolksdie，andasfarashissensesgo，theydon’tliveagain。Butsomehowheknowstheydo；andhisknowledgecomesfromsomewhereelse；it’sinspired——"

"That’sw’atIsay，"Jombateestehastenedtointerpose。"Gotitfromthe’Ebrew。Feelitin’isbone。"

OutunderthestarsJacksonandWestoversilentlymountedthehill—sidetogether。Atoneofthethank—you—marmsintheroadthesickmanstopped，likeawearyhorse，tobreathe。Hetookoffhishatandwipedthesweatofweaknessthathadgathereduponhisforehead，andlookedroundthesky，powderedwiththeconstellationsandtheplanets。"It’ssightly，"hewhispered。

"Yes，itisfine，"Westoverassented。"ButthestarsofourNorthernnightsarenothingtowhatyou’llseeinEgypt。"

Jacksonrepeated，vaguely："Egypt！WhereIshouldliketogoisMars。"

Hefixedhiseyesontheflamingplanets，inalongstare。"ButI

supposetheyhavetheirowntroubles，sameaswedo。Theymustgetsickanddie，liketherestofus。ButIshouldliketoknowmoreabout’em。

Youbelieveit’sinhabited，don’tyou？"

Westover’sagnosticismdidnot，somehow，extendtoMars。"Yes，I’venodoubtofit。"

Jacksonseemedpleased。"I’vereadeverythingIcanlaymyhandsonaboutit。I’vegotanotionthatifthere’sanychoosin’，afterwegetthroughhere，IshouldliketogotoMarsforawhile，oraslongasI

wasalittlehomesickstill，andwantedtokeepasneartheearthasI

could，"headded，quaintly。

Westoverlaughed。"Youcouldstudyupthesubjectofirrigation，there；

theysaythat’swhatkeepstheparallelmarkingsgreenonMars；andtelegraphafewhintstoyourbrotherinColorado，aftertheMartiansperfecttheirsignalcode。"

Perhapstheinvalid’sfancyflagged。Hedrewalong，raggedbreath。

"Idon’tknowasIcaretoleavehome，much。Ifitwa’n’takindofduty，Ishouldn’t。"Heseemedimpelledbyasuddenneedtosay，"HowdoyouthinkJeffersonandmotherwillmakeitouttogether？"

"I’venodoubtthey’llmanage，"saidWestover。

"They’reagooddealalike，"Jacksonsuggested。

Westoverpreferrednottomeethisoverture。You’llbeback，youknow，almostassoonastheseasoncommences，nextsummer。"

"Yes，"Jacksonassented，morecheerfully。"Andnow，Cynthy’ssuretobehere。"

"Yes，shewillbehere，"saidWestover，notsocheerfully。

Jacksonseemedtofindtheopeninghewasseeking，inWestover’stone。

"Whatdoyouthinkofgettin’married，anyway，Mr。Westover？"heasked。

"Wehaven’teitherofusthoughtsowellofitastotryit，Jackson，"

saidthepainter，jocosely。

"Thinkit’sakindofchance？"

"It’sachance。"

Jacksonwassilent。Then，"Ia’n’toneofthem，"hesaid，abruptly，"thatthinkaman’sgoin’tobemadeoverbymarryin’thiswomanorthat。

Ifhea’n’tgoin’tobetherightkindofamanhimself，hea’n’tbecausehiswife’sagoodwoman。SometimesIthinkthataman’swifeisthelastpersonintheworldthatcanchangehisdisposition。Shecaninfluencehimaboutthisandaboutthat，butshecan’tchangehim。Itseemsasifhecouldn’tletherifhetried，andafterthefirststart—offhedon’ttry。"

"That’strue，"Westoverassented。"We’reterriblyinflexible。Nothingbutsomethinglikeachangeofheart，astheyusedtocallit，canmakeusdifferent，andeventhenwe’reapttogobacktoouroldshape。Whenyoulookatitinthatlight，marriageseemsimpossible。Yetittakesplaceeveryday！"

"It’sagreatriskforawoman，"saidJackson，puttingonhishatandstirringforanonwardmovement。"ButIpresumethatifthemanishonestwithherit’sthebestthingshecanhave。Thegreattroubleisforthemantobehonestwithher。"

"Honestyisdifficult，"saidWestover。

HemadeJacksonpromisetospendadaywithhiminBoston，onhiswaytotaketheMediterraneansteameratNewYork。Whentheymetheyieldedtoanimpulsewhichtheinvalid’sforlornnessinspired，andwentontoseehimoff。Hewasgladthathedidthat，for，thoughJacksonwasnotsadatparting，hewasvisiblytouchedbyWestover’skindness。

Ofcoursehetalkedawayfromit。"IguessI’veleft’eminprettygoodshapeforthewinteratLion’sHead，"hesaid。"I’vegotWhitwelltoagreetocomeupandliveinthehousewithmother，andshe’llhaveCynthywithher，anyway；andFrankandJombateestecanlookafterthebosseseasyenough。"

Hehadsaidsomethinglikethisbefore，butWestovercouldseethatitcomfortedhimtorepeatit，andheencouragedhimtodosoinfull。Hemadehimtalkaboutgettinghomeinthespring，afterthefrostwasoutoftheground，buthequestionedinvoluntarily，whilethesickmanspoke，whetherhemightnotthenbelyingunderthesandsthathadneverknownafrostsincetheglacialepoch。Whenthelastwarningforvisitorstogoashorecame，Jacksonsaid，withawansmile，whileheheldWestover’shand："Isha’n’tforgetthisverysoon。"

"Writetome，"saidWestover。

EndTheLandlordAtLionsHeadV2

byWilliamDeanHowellsPartII。

XXVII。

JacksonkepthispromisetowritetoWestover，buthewasbetterthanhiswordtohismother，andwrotetohereveryweekthatwinter。

"Iseemjusttolivefromlettertoletter。It’sridic’lous，"shesaidtoCynthiaoncewhenthegirlbroughtthemailinfromthebarn，wherethemenfolkskeptittilltheyhadputawaytheirhorsesafterdrivingoverfromLovewellwithit。Thetrainsonthebranchroadweretakenoffinthewinter，andthepost—officeatthehotelwasdiscontinued。Themenhadtogotothetownbycutter，overahighwaythatthewindssiftedhalffullofsnowafterithadbeenbrokenoutbytheox—teamsinthemorning。ButMrs。DurginhadstudiedthesteamerdaysandcalculatedthetimeitwouldtakeletterstocomefromNewYorktoLovewell；and，unlessablizzardwasraging，someonehadtogoforthemailwhenthedaycame。

ItwasusuallyJombateeste，whorevertedinwintertothetypeofhabitantfromwhichhehadsprung。Heworeabluewoollencap，likealargesock，pulledoverhisearsandclosetohiseyes，andbelowithisclean—shavenbrownfaceshowed。Hehadbluewoollenmittens，andbootsofrussetleather，withoutheels，cametohisknees；hegotapaireverytimehewenthomeonSt。John’sday。Hisleanlittlebodywasswathedinseveralshortjackets，andhebroughtthelettersbuttonedintooneoftheinnermostpockets。HeproducedtheletterfromJacksonpromptlyenoughwhenCynthiacameouttothebarnforit，andthenhemadeashowofgettinghishorseoutofthecuttershafts，andshoutinginternationalreproachesatit，tillshewasforcedtoask，"Haven’tyougotsomethingforme，Jombateeste？"

"Youexpec’someletter？"hesaid，unbucklingastrapandshoutinglouder。

"YouknowwhetherIdo。Giveittome。"

"Idon’know。IthinkIdropsomethingontheroad。Isawsomethingwhite；maybesnow；gooddealofsnow。"

"Don’tplague！Giveithere！"

"WaitIfinishunhitch。Ican’tfindanylettertillIgetsometimetolook。"

"Oh，now，Jombateeste！Givememyletter！"

"W’atyouwantletterfor？Alwayssamething。Well！’Oldthe’oss；I

goin’tofeel。"

Jombateestefeltinonepocketafteranother，whileCynthiaclungtothecolt’sbridle，andhewasuncertaintillthelastwhetherhehadanyletterforher。Whenitappearedshemadeaflyingsnatchatitandran；

andthecomedywasover，toberepeatedinsomeformthenextweek。

ThegirlsomehowalwayspossessedherselfofwhatwasinherlettersbeforeshereachedtheroomwhereMrs。Durginwaswaitingforhers。ShehadtoreadthataloudtoJackson’smother，andintheeveningshehadtoreaditagaintoMrs。DurginandWhitwellandJombateesteandFrank，aftertheyhaddonetheirchores，andtheyhadgatheredintheoldfarm—

houseparlor，aroundtheair—tightsheet—ironstove，inaheatofeightydegrees。Whitwelllistened，withplanchettereadyonthetablebeforehim，andheconsulteditfortelepathicimpressionsofJackson’sactualmentalstatewhenthereadingwasover。

Hegotverylittleoutoftheperverseinstrument。"Ican’tseemtoworkher。IfJacksonwashere——"

"Weshouldn’tneedtoaskplanchetteabouthim，"Cynthiaoncesuggested，withthesparesenseofhumorthatsometimesrevealeditselfinher。

"Well，Iguessthat’ssomethingso，"herfathercandidlyadmitted。Butthenexttimeheconsultedthehelplessplanchetteashopefullyasbefore。"Youcan’ttell，youcan’ttell，"heurged。

"Thetroubleseemstobethatplanchettecan’ttell，"saidMrs。Durgin，andtheyalllaughed。Theywerenotpeoplewholaughedagreatdeal，andtheywereeachintentuponsomepointinthefuturethatkeptthemfrompleasureinthepresent。ThelittleCanuckwastheonlyonewhosufferedhimselfacontemporaneousconsolation。HisearlyfaithhadsofarlapsedfromhimthathecouldhospitablyentertainthewildpsychicalconjecturesofWhitwellwithoutanaccusingsenseofheresy，andhefoundthewinterofnorthernNewEnglandsomildafterthatofLowerCanadathatheexperiencedahighdegreeofanimalcomfortinit，andlookedforwardtonothingbetter。Tobewellfed，wellhoused，andwellheated；

tosmokesuccessivepipeswhiletheotherstalked，andtocatchthroughhissmoke—wreathsvagueglimpsesoftheirmeanings，wasenough。HefeltthatinbeingpromotedtothecareofthestablesinJackson’sabsenceheoccupiedadignifiedandresponsibleposition，withaconfidentialrelationtotheexilewhichjustifiedhiminsendingspecialmessagestohim，andattachingpeculiarvaluetoJackson’sremembrances。

Theexile’sletterssaidverylittleabouthishealth，whichinthesenseofnonewshismotherheldtobegoodnews，buttheywerefullconcerningthemonumentsandtheethnologicalinterestoflifeinEgypt。

Theywerelargelyrescriptsofeachday’sobservationsandexperiences，closeandfull，ashismotherlikedtheminregardtofact，andgenerouslyphilosophizedonthesideofpoliticsandreligionforWhitwell。TheEasternquestionbecameinthesnow—chokedhillsofNewEnglandtheengrossingconcernofthisspeculativemind，andhewasapttospringituponMrs。DurginandCynthiaatmealtimesandotherdefencelessmoments。HetriedtodebateitwithJombateeste，whoconceivedofitasaformofspiritualisticinquiry，andansweredfromthehay—loft，wherehewasthrowingdownfodderforthecattletoWhitwell，volublyreceivingitonthebarnfloorbelow，thathebelieved，him，everybodygotahastralbody，EnglishsameasMormons。

"GuessyoumeanMoslems，"saidWhitwell，andJombateesteaskedthedifference，defiantly。

TheletterswhichcametoCynthiacouldnotbemadeasmuchageneralinterest，and，infact，nooneelsecaredsomuchforthemasforJackson’sletters，notevenJeff’smother。AfterCynthiagotoneofthem，shewouldask，perfunctorily，whatJeffsaid，butwhenshewastoldtherewasnonewsshedidnotpressherquestion。

"IfJacksondon’tgetbackintimenextsummer，"Mrs。Durginsaid，inoneofthetalksshehadwiththegirl，"IguessIshallhavetoletJeffandyourunthehousealone。"

"Iguessweshallwantalittlehelpfromyou，"saidCynthia，demurely。

ShedidnotrefusetheimplicationofMrs。Durgin’swords，butshewouldnotassumethattherewasmoreinthemthantheyexpressed。

WhenJeffcamehomeforthethreedays’vacationatThanksgiving，hewishedagaintorelinquishhislastyearatHarvard，andCynthiahadtosummonallherforcestokeephimtohispromiseofstaying。Hebroughthomethebookswithwhichhewasworkingoffhisconditions，withahalf—

heartedintentionofstudy，andshetookholdwithhim，andtogethertheyfoughtforwardoverthegroundhehadtogain。Hismotherwasalmostwillingatlastthatheshouldgiveuphislastyearincollege。

"Whatistheuse？"sheasked。"He’sgiveupthelaw，andhemightaswellcommenceherefirstaslast，ifhe’sgoin’to。"

Thegirlhadnoreasontourgeagainstthis；shecouldonlyurgeherfeelingthatheoughttogobackandtakehisdegreewiththerestofhisclass。

"Ifyou’regoingtokeepLion’sHeadthewayyoupretendyouare，"shesaidtohim，asshecouldnotsaytohismother，"youwanttokeepallyourHarvardfriends，don’tyou，andhavethemrememberyou？Goback，Jeff，anddon’tyoucomehereagaintillafteryou’vegotyourdegree。

NevermindtheChristmasvacation，northeEaster。StayinCambridgeandworkoffyourconditions。Youcandoit，ifyoutry。Oh，don’tyousupposeIshouldliketohaveyouhere？"shereproachedhim。

Hewentback，withakindofgrudgeinhisheart，whichheconfessedinhisfirstletterhometoher，whenhetoldherthatshewasrightandhewaswrong。Hewassurenow，withtheimpulsewhichtheirworkonthemincommonhadgivenhim，thatheshouldgethisconditionsoff，andhewantedherandhismothertobeginpreparingtheirmindstocometohisClassDay。Heplannedhowtheycouldbothbeawayfromthehotelforthatday。Thehousewastobeopenedonthe20thofJune，butitwasnotlikelythattherewouldbesomanypeopleatoncethattheycouldnotgivethe21sttoClassDay；FrankandhisfathercouldrunLion’sHeadsomehow，or，iftheycouldnot，thentheopeningcouldbepostponedtillthe24th。Atallevents，theymustnotfailtocome。Cynthiashowedthewholelettertohismother，whorefusedtothinkofsuchathing，andthenasked，asifthefacthadnotbeenfullysetbeforeher："Whenisittobe？"