第5章

don\'tfindthereIwillgetatthePublicLibrary。Ishallwanttoaskyouaquestionnowandthen。”

Thedoctorlookedatherwithakindofadmiration，butthoughtfully，asifhefearedshewasthinkingofatasktooformidableforherslightconstitutionalresource。

Shereturned，instinctively，totheapparentcontradictioninherstatementsaboutherself。

"Iamnotafool，ifIamignorant。Yes，doctor，Isailonawideseaofignorance，butIhavetakensoundingsofsomeofitsshallowsandsomeofitsdepths。Yourprofessiondealswiththefactsoflifethatinterestmemostjustnow，andIwanttoknowsomethingofit。

PerhapsImayfinditacallingsuchaswouldsuitme。”

"Doyouseriouslythinkofbecomingapractitionerofmedicine？"saidthedoctor。

"Certainly，Iseriouslythinkofitasapossibility，butIwanttoknowsomethingmoreaboutitfirst。PerhapsIsha\'n\'tbelieveinmedicineenoughtopractiseit。PerhapsIsha\'n\'tlikeitwellenough。Nomatteraboutthat。Iwishtostudysomeofyourbestbooksonsomeofthesubjectsthatmostinterestme。Iknowaboutbonesandmusclesandallthat，andaboutdigestionandrespirationandsuchthings。Iwanttostudyupthenervoussystem，andlearnallaboutit。Iamofthenervoustemperamentmyself，andperhapsthatisthereason。Iwanttoreadaboutinsanityandallthatrelatestoit。”

Acuriousexpressionflittedacrossthedoctor\'sfeaturesasTheTerrorsaidthis。

"Nervoussystem。Insanity。Shehasheadaches，Iknow，——allthoselarge-headed，hard-thinkinggirlsdo，asamatterofcourse；butwhathassetheroffaboutinsanityandthenervoussystem？Iwonderifanyofhermoreremoterelativesaresubjecttomentaldisorder。

Brightpeopleveryoftenhavecrazyrelations。Perhapssomeofherfriendsareinthatway。Iwonderwhether"——thedoctordidnotspeakanyofthesethoughts，andinfacthardlyshapedhis"whether，"forTheTerrorinterruptedhistrainofreflection，orratherstruckintoitinawaywhichstartledhim。

"WhereisthefirstvolumeofthisMedicalCyclopaedia？"sheasked，lookingatitsemptyplaceontheshelf。

"Onmytable，"thedoctoranswered。"Ihavebeenconsultingit。”

Luridaflungitopen，inhereagerway，andturnedthepagesrapidlyuntilshecametotheoneshewanted。Thedoctorcasthiseyeonthebeadingofthepage，andsawthelargelettersANT。

"Ithoughtso，"hesaidtohimself。"Weshallknoweverythingthereisinthebooksaboutantipathiesnow，ifweneverdidbefore。Shehasaspecialobjectinstudyingthenervoussystem，justasI

suspected。Ithinkshedoesnotcaretomentionitatthistime；butifshefindsoutanythingofinterestshewilltellme，ifshedoesanybody。Perhapsshedoesnotmeantotellanybody。Itisaratherdelicatebusiness，——ayounggirlstudyingthenaturalhistoryofayoungman。Notquitesosafeasbotanyorpalaeontology!

Lurida，latelyTheTerror，nowMissVincent，hadherownplans，andchosetokeepthemtoherself，forthepresent，atleast。Herhandswerefullenough，itmightseem，withoutundertakingthesolutionofthegreatArrowheadVillageenigma。Butshewasinthemostperfecttraining，sofarasherintelligencewasconcerned；andthesummerresthadrestoredherbodilyvigor，sothatherbrainwaslikeanoverchargedbatterywhichwillfindconductorssomewheretocarryoffitscrowdedenergy。

AtthistimeArrowheadVillagewasenjoyingthemostsuccessfulseasonithadeverknown。ThePansophianSocietyflourishedtoanextraordinarydegreeunderthefosteringcareofthenewSecretary。

Therectorwasagoodfigure-headasPresident，buttheSecretarywasthelifeoftheSociety。Communicationscameinabundantly:somefromthevillageanditsneighborhood，somefromtheUniversityandtheInstitute，somefromdistantandunknownsources。ThenewSecretarywasverybusywiththeworkofexaminingthesepapers。

Afteraforenoonsoemployed，thecarpetofherroomlookedlikeabarnfloorafterahusking-match。Aglanceatthemanuscriptsstrewedabout，orlyinginheaps，wouldhavefrightenedanyyoungwriterawayfromthethoughtofauthorshipasabusiness。Ifthecandidateforthatfearfulcallinghadseentheprocessofselectionandelimination，hewouldhavefeltstillmoredesperately。Apaperoftwentypageswouldcomein，withanunderscoredrequesttopleasereadthrough，carefully。Thatrequestaloneiscommonlysufficienttocondemnanypaper，andpreventitshavinganychanceofahearing；

buttheSecretarywasnothardenedenoughyetforthatkindofmartiallawindealingwithmanuscripts。Thelooker-onmighthaveseenhertakeupthepaper，castoneflashingglanceatitstitle，readthefirstsentenceandthelast，dipataventureintotwoorthreepages，anddecideasswiftlyasthelightningcalculatorwouldaddupacolumnoffigureswhatwastobeitsdestination。Ifrejected，itwentintotheheapontheleft；ifapproved，itwaslaidapart，tobesubmittedtotheCommitteefortheirjudgment。Thefoolishwriterswhoinsistonone\'sreadingthroughtheirmanuscriptpoemsandstoriesoughttoknowhowfataltherequestistotheirprospects。Itprovokesthereader，tobeginwith。Thereadingofmanuscriptisfrightfulwork，atthebest；thereadingofworthlessmanuscript——andmostofthatwhichoneisrequestedtoreadthroughisworthless——wouldaddtotheterrorsofTartarus，ifanyinfernaldeitywereingeniousenoughtosuggestitasapunishment。

IfapaperwasrejectedbytheSecretary，itdidnotcomebeforetheCommittee，butwasreturnedtotheauthor，ifhesentforit，whichhecommonlydid。Itsnaturalcoursewastotryforadmissionintosomeoneofthepopularmagazines:into"TheSifter，"themostfastidiousofthemall；ifthatdeclinedit，into"TheSecondBest；"

andifthatreturnedit，into"TheOmnivorous。”Ifitwasrefusedadmittanceatthedoorsofallthemagazines，itmightatlengthfindshelterinthecornerofanewspaper，whereagooddealofveryreadableverseistobemetwithnowadays，someofwhichhasbeen，nodoubt，presentedtothePansophianSociety，butwasnotconsidereduptoitsstandard。

X

ANEWARRIVAL。

Therewasarecentaccessiontothetransientpopulationofthevillagewhichgaverisetosomespeculation。Thenew-comerwasayoungfellow，rathercarelessinhisexterior，butapparentlyasmuchathomeasifheownedArrowheadVillageandeverythinginit。Hecommonlyhadacigarinhismouth，carriedapocketpistol，ofthenon-explosivesort，andastickwithabulldog\'sbeadforitsknob；

woreasoftbat，acoarsechecksuit，alittlebaggy，andgaiterbootswhichhadbeenhalf-soled，——aBohemian-lookingpersonage，altogether。

Thisindividualbeganmakingexplorationsineverydirection。Hewasverycuriousabouttheplaceandallthepeopleinit。HewasespeciallyinterestedinthePansophianSociety，concerningwhichhemadeallsortsofinquiries。ThisledhimtoformasummeracquaintancewiththeSecretary，whowaspleasedtogivehimwhateverinformationheaskedfor；beingproudoftheSociety，asshehadarighttobe，andknowingmoreaboutitthananybodyelse。

ThevisitorcouldnothavebeenlonginthevillagewithouthearingsomethingofMauriceKirkwood，andthestories，trueandfalse，connectedwithhisname。HequestionedeverybodywhocouldtellhimanythingaboutMaurice，andsetdowntheanswersinalittlenote-

bookhealwayshadwithhim。

Allthisnaturallyexcitedthecuriosityofthevillageaboutthisnewvisitor。Amongtherest，MissVincent，notwantinginanattributethoughttobelongmoreespeciallytohersex，becamesomewhatinterestedtoknowmoreexactlywhothisinquiring，note-

takingpersonage，whoseemedtobeeverywhereandtoknoweverybody，mighthimselfbe。MeetinghimatthePublicLibraryatafortunatemoment，whentherewasnobodybuttheoldLibrarian，whowashardofhearing，tointerferewiththeirconversation，thelittleSecretaryhadachancetotrytofindoutsomethingabouthim。

"Thisisaveryremarkablelibraryforasmallvillagetopossess，"

heremarkedtoMissLurida。

"Itis，indeed，"shesaid。"Haveyoufounditwellfurnishedwiththebooksyoumostwant？"

"Oh，yes，——booksenough。Idon\'tcaresomuchforthebooksasIdofortheNewspapers。IlikeaReviewwellenough，——ittellsyouallthereisinabook；butagoodabstractoftheReviewinaNewspapersavesafellowthetroubleofreadingit。”

"Youfindthepapersyouwant，here，Ihope，"saidtheyounglady。

"Oh，Igetalongprettywell。It\'smyoff-time，andIdon\'tdomuchreadingorwriting。Whoisthecitycorrespondentofthisplace？"

"Idon\'tthinkwehaveanyonewhowritesregularly。Nowandthen，thereisaletter，withthegossipoftheplaceinit，oranaccountofsomeofthedoingsatourSociety。Thecitypapersarealwaysgladtogetthereportsofourmeetings，andtoknowwhatisgoingoninthevillage。”

"IsupposeyouwriteabouttheSocietytothepapers，asyouaretheSecretary。”

Thiswasapoint-blankshot。Shemeanttoquestiontheyoungmanabouthisbusiness，andhereshewasonthewitness-stand。Sheduckedherhead，andletthequestiongooverher。

"Oh，thereareplentyofmemberswhoarewillingenoughtowrite，——

especiallytogiveanaccountoftheirownpapers。Ithinktheyliketohavemeputintheapplause，whentheygetany。Idothatsometimes。”(Howmuchmore，shedidnotsay。)

"Ihaveseensomeverywellwrittenarticles，which，fromwhattheytellmeoftheSecretary，Ishouldhavethoughtshemighthavewrittenherself。”

Helookedherstraightintheeyes。

"Ihavetransmittedsomegoodpapers，"shesaid，withoutwinking，orswallowing，orchangingcolor，preciouslittlecolorshehadtochange；herbrainwantedalltheblooditcouldborroworsteal，andmoretoo。"YouspokeofNewspapers，"shesaid，withoutanychangeoftoneormanner:"doyounotfrequentlywriteforthemyourself？"

"IshouldthinkIdid，"answeredtheyoungman。"Iamaregularcorrespondentof\'ThePeople\'sPerennialandHouseholdInquisitor。\'"

"Theregularcorrespondentfromwhere？"

"Where!Oh，anywhere，——theplacedoesnotmakemuchdifference。I

havebeenwritingchieflyfromNaplesandSt。Petersburg，andnowandthenfromConstantinople。”

"Howlongsinceyourreturntothiscountry，mayIask？"

"Myreturn？Ihaveneverbeenoutofthiscountry。Itravelwithagazetteerandsomeguide-books。Itisthecheapestway，andyoucangetthefactsmuchbetterfromthemthanbytrustingyourownobservation。IhavemadethetourofEuropebythehelpofthemandthenewspapers。ButoflateIhavetakentointerviewing。Ifindthataverypleasantspecialty。Itisaboutasgoodsportastrout-

tickling，andmuchthesamekindofbusiness。IshouldliketosendtheSocietyanaccountofoneofmyinterviews。Don\'tyouthinktheywouldliketohearit？"

"Ihavenodoubttheywould。Sendittome，andIwilllookitover；

andiftheCommitteeapproveit，wewillhaveitatthenextmeeting。

YouknoweverythinghastobeexaminedandvotedonbytheCommittee，"saidthecautiousSecretary。

"Verywell，——Iwillriskit。Afteritisread，ifitisread，pleasesenditbacktome，asIwanttosellitto\'TheSifter，\'or\'TheSecondBest，\'orsomeofthepayingmagazines。”

Thisisthepaper，whichwasreadatthenextmeetingofthePansophianSociety。

"IwasorderedbytheeditorofthenewspapertowhichIamattached，\'ThePeople\'sPerennialandHouseholdInquisitor，\'tomakeavisittoacertainwell-knownwriter，andobtainalltheparticularsIcouldconcerninghimandallthatrelatedtohim。Ihaveinterviewedagoodmanypoliticians，whoIthoughtratherlikedtheprocess；butI

hadnevertriedanyoftheseliterarypeople，andIwasnotquitesurehowthisonewouldfeelaboutit。Isaidasmuchtothechief，buthepooh-poohedmyscruples。\'Itisn\'tourbusinesswhethertheylikeitornot，\'saidhe；\'thepublicwantsit，andwhatthepublicwantsit\'sboundtohave，andweareboundtofurnishit。Don\'tbeafraidofyourman；he\'susedtoit，——he\'sbeenpumpedoftenenoughtotakeiteasy，andwhatyou\'vegottodoistopumphimdry。Youneedn\'tbemodest，——askhimwhatyoulike；heisn\'tboundtoanswer，youknow。\'

Ashelivedinarathernicequarterofthetown，Ismartedmyselfupalittle，putonafreshcollarandcuffs，andgotafive-centshineonmybesthigh-lows。Isaidtomyself，asIwaswalkingtowardsthehousewherehelived，thatIwouldkeepveryshadyforawhileandpassforavisitorfromadistance；oneofthose\'admiringstrangers\'

whocallintopaytheirrespects，togetanautograph，andgohomeandsaythattheyhavemetthedistinguishedSoandSo，whichgivesthemacertaindistinctioninthevillagecircletowhichtheybelong。

"Myman，thecelebratedwriter，receivedmeinwhatwasevidentlyhisreception-room。Iobservedthathemanagedtogetthelightfullonmyface，whilehisownwasintheshade。Ihadmeanttohavehisfaceinthelight，butheknewthelocalities，andhadarrangedthingssoastogivehimthatadvantage。Itwasliketwofrigatesmanoeuvring，——eachtryingtogettowindwardoftheother。Inevertakeoutmynote-bookuntilIandmymanhavegotengagedinartlessandearnestconversation，——alwaysabouthimselfandhisworks，ofcourse，ifheisanauthor。

"Ibeganbysayingthathemustreceiveagoodmanycallers。Thosewhohadreadhisbookswerenaturallycurioustoseethewriterofthem。

"Heassented，emphatically，tothisstatement。Hehad，hesaid，agreatmanycallers。

"Iremarkedthattherewasaqualityinhisbookswhichmadehisreadersfeelasiftheyknewhimpersonally，andcausedthemtocherishacertainattachmenttohim。

"Hesmiled，asifpleased。Hewashimselfdisposedtothinkso，hesaid。Infact，agreatmanypersons，strangerswritingtohim，hadtoldhimso。

"Mydearsir，Isaid，thereisnothingwonderfulinthefactyoumention。Youreacharesponsivechordinmanyhumanbreasts。

\'OnetouchofNaturemakesthewholeworldkin。\'

Everybodyfeelsasifhe，andespeciallyshe(hiseyessparkled)，wereyourbloodrelation。Dotheynotnametheirchildrenafteryouveryfrequently？

"Heblushedperceptibly。\'Sometimes，\'heanswered。\'Ihopetheywillallturnoutwell。\'

"IamafraidIamtakinguptoomuchofyourtime，Isaid。

"No，notatall，\'hereplied。\'Comeupintomylibrary；itiswarmerandpleasanterthere。\'

"IfeltconfidentthatIhadhimbytherighthandlethen；foranauthor\'slibrary，whichiscommonlyhisworking-room，is，likealady\'sboudoir，asacredapartment。

"Sowewentupstairs，andagainhegotmewiththedaylightonmyface，whenIwanteditonhas。

"Youhaveafinelibrary，Iremarked。Therewerebooksallroundtheroom，andoneofthosewhirligigsquarebook-cases。IsawinfrontaBibleandaConcordance，ShakespeareandMrs。CowdenClarke\'sbook，andotherclassicalworksandbooksofgraveaspect。Icontrivedtogiveitaturn，andonthesidenextthewallIgotaglimpseofBarnum\'sRhymingDictionary，andseveralDictionariesofQuotationsandcheapcompendsofknowledge。Alwaystwirloneofthoserevolvingbook-caseswhenyouvisitascholar\'slibrary。Thatisthewaytofindoutwhatbookshedoesn\'twantyoutosee，whichofcoursearetheonesyouparticularlywishtosee。

"Somemaycallallthisimpertinentandinquisitive。Whatdoyousupposeisaninterviewer\'sbusiness？Didyoueverseeanoysteropened？Yes？Well，aninterviewer\'sbusinessisthesamething。

Hismanishisoyster，whichhe，notwithsword，butwithpencilandnote-book，mustopen。Markhowtheoysterman\'sthinbladeinsinuatesitself，——howgentlyatfirst，howstrenuouslywhenoncefairlybetweentheshells!

"Andhere，Isaid，youwriteyourbooks，——thosebookswhichhavecarriedyournametoallpartsoftheworld，andwillconveyitdowntoposterity!Isthisthedeskatwhichyouwrite？Andisthisthepenyouwritewith？

"\'Itisthedeskandtheverypen，\'hereplied。

"Hewaspleasedwithmyquestionsandmywayofputtingthem。ItookupthepenasreverentiallyasifithadbeenmadeofthefeatherwhichtheangelIusedtoreadaboutinYoung\'s"NightThoughts"

oughttohavedropped，anddidn\'t。

"Wouldyoukindlywriteyourautographinmynote-book，withthatpen？Iaskedhim。Yes，hewould，withgreatpleasure。

"SoIgotoutmynote-book。

"Itwasaspickandspannewone，boughtonpurposeforthisinterview。Iadmireyourbookcases，saidI。Canyoutellmejusthowhightheyare？

"\'Theyareabouteightfeet，withthecornice。\'

"Ishouldliketohavesomelikethose，ifIevergetrichenough，saidI。Eightfeet，——eightfeet，withthecornice。Imustputthatdown。

"SoIgotoutmypencil。

"Isattherewithmypencilandnote-bookinmyhand，allready，butnotusingthemasyet。

"Ihavehearditsaid，Iobserved，thatyoubeganwritingpoemsataveryearlyage。Isittakingtoogreatalibertytoaskhowearlyyoubegantowriteinverse？

"Hewasgettinginterested，aspeopleareapttobewhentheyarethemselvesthesubjectsofconversation。

"\'Veryearly，——Ihardlyknowhowearly。Icansaytruly，asLouiseColetsaid，\'Jefismespremiersverssanssavoirlesecrire。\'"

"IamnotaverygoodFrenchscholar，saidI；perhapsyouwillbekindenoughtotranslatethatlineforme。

"\'Certainly。Withpleasure。Imademyfirstverseswithoutknowinghowtowritethem。\'

"Howinteresting!ButIneverheardofLouiseColet。Whowasshe？

"Mymanwaspleasedtogi-vemeapieceofliteraryinformation。

"\'Louisethelioness!Neverheardofher？YouhaveheardofAlphonseKarr？\'

"Why，——yes，——moreorless。Totellthetruth，IamnotverywellupinFrenchliterature。Whathadhetodowithyourlioness？

"\'Agooddeal。Hesatirizedher，andshewaitedathisdoorwithacase-knifeinherhand，intendingtostickhimwithit。Byandbyhecamedown，smokingacigarette，andwasmetbythiswomanflourishinghercase-knife。Hetookitfromher，aftergettingacutinhisdressing-gown，putitinhispocket，andwentonwithhiscigarette。

Hekeepsitwithaninscription:

DonneaAlphonseKarrParMadameLouiseColet……

Dansledos。

Livelylittlefemale!\'

"Icouldn\'thelpthinkingthatIshouldn\'thavecaredtointerviewthelivelylittlefemale。HewasevidentlytickledwiththeinterestIappearedtotakeinthestoryhetoldme。Thatmadehimfeelamiablydisposedtowardme。

"Ibeganwithverygeneralquestions，butbydegreesIgotateverythingabouthisfamilyhistoryandthesmalleventsofhisboyhood。Someofthepointstoucheduponweredelicate，butIputagoodboldfaceonmymostaudaciousquestions，andsoIwormedoutagreatdealthatwasnewconcerningmysubject。Hehadbeenwrittenaboutconsiderably，andthepublicwouldn\'thavebeensatisfiedwithoutsomenewfacts；andtheseImeanttohave，andIgot。Nomatteraboutmanyofthemnow，butherearesomequestionsandanswersthatmaybethoughtworthreadingorlisteningto:

"Howdoyouenjoybeingwhattheycall\'acelebrity，\'oracelebratedman？

"\'Sofarasone\'svanityisconcerneditiswellenough。Butself-

loveisacupwithoutanybottom，andyoumightpourtheGreatLakesallthroughit，andneverfillitup。Itbreedsanappetiteformoreofthesamekind。Ittendstomakethecelebrityamerelumpofegotism。Itgeneratesacravingforhigh-seasonedpersonalitieswhichisindangerofbecomingslavery，likethatfollowingtheabuseofalcohol，oropium，ortobacco。Thinkofaman\'shavingeveryday，byeverypost，lettersthattellhimheisthisandthatandtheother，withepithetsandendearments，onetenthpartofwhichwouldhavemadehimblushredhotbeforehebegantobewhatyoucallacelebrity!\'

"Aretherenotsomespecialinconveniencesconnectedwithwhatiscalledcelebrity？

"\'Ishouldthinkso!Supposeyouwereobligedeverydayofyourlifetostandandshakehands，asthePresidentoftheUnitedStateshastoafterhisinauguration:howdoyouthinkyourhandwouldfeelafterafewmonths\'practiceofthatexercise？Supposeyouhadgivenyouthirty-fivemillionsofmoneyayear，inhundred-dollarcoupons，onconditionthatyoucutthemalloffyourselfintheusualmanner:

howdoyouthinkyoushouldlikethelookofapairofscissorsattheendofayear，inwhichyouhadworkedtenhoursadayeverydaybutSunday，cuttingoffahundredcouponsanhour，andfoundyouhadnotfinishedyourtask，afterall？Yonhaveaddressedmeaswhatyouarepleasedtocall"aliterarycelebrity。”Iwon\'tdisputewithyouastowhetherornotIdeservethattitle。IwilltakeitforgrantedIamwhatyoucallme，andgiveyousomefewhintsonmyexperience。

"\'YouknowtherewasformedawhileagoanAssociationofAuthorsforSelf-Protection。Itmeantwell，anditwashopedthatsomethingwouldcomeofitinthewayofrelievingthatoppressedclass，butI

amsorrytosaythatithasnoteffecteditspurpose。\'

"IsuspectedhehadahandindrawinguptheConstitutionandLawsofthatAssociation。Yes，Isaid，anadmirableAssociationitwas，andasmuchneededastheoneforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals。

Iamsorrytohearthatithasnotprovedeffectualinputtingastoptotheabuseofadeservingclassofmen。Itoughttohavedoneit；

itwaswellconceived，anditspublicmanifestowasamasterpiece。

(Isawbyhisexpressionthathewasitsauthor。)

"\'IseeIcantrustyou，\'hesaid。\'Iwillunbosommyselffreelyofsomeofthegrievancesattachingtothepositionoftheindividualtowhomyouhaveappliedtheterm"LiteraryCelebrity。”

"\'Heissupposedtobeamillionaire，invirtueoftheimmensesalesofhisbooks，allthemoneyfromwhich，itistakenforgranted，goesintohispocket。Consequently，allsubscriptionpapersarehandedtohimforhissignature，andeveryneedystrangerwhohasheardhisnamecomestohimforassistance。

"\'Heisexpectedtosubscribeforallperiodicals，andisgoadedbyreceivingblankformulae，which，withtheirpromisestopay，heisexpectedtofillup。

"\'Hereceivestwoorthreebooksdaily，withrequeststoreadandgivehisopinionabouteachofthem，whichopinion，ifithasawordwhichcanbeusedasanadvertisement，hewillfindquotedinallthenewspapers。

"\'Hereceivesthickmassesofmanuscript，proseandverse，whichheiscalledupontoexamineandpronounceontheirmerits；thesemanuscriptshavingalmostinvariablybeenrejectedbytheeditorstowhomtheyhavebeensent，andhavingasarulenoliteraryvaluewhatever。

"\'Heisexpectedtosignpetitions，tocontributetojournals，towriteforfairs，toattendcelebrations，tomakeafter-dinnerspeeches，tosendmoneyforobjectshedoesnotbelieveintoplacesheneverheardof。

"\'Heiscalledontokeepupcorrespondenceswithunknownadmirers，whobeginbysayingtheyhavenoclaimuponhistime，andthenappropriateitbywritingpageafterpage，ifofthemalesex；andsheetaftersheet，ifoftheother。

"\'Ifapoet，itistakenforgrantedthathecansitdownatanymomentandspinoffanynumberofversesonanysubjectwhichmaybesuggestedtohim；suchascongratulationstothewriter\'sgreat-

grandmotheronherreachingherhundredthyear，anelegyonaninfantagedsixweeks，anodefortheFourthofJulyinaWesterntownshipnottobefoundinLippincott\'slastedition，perhapsavalentineforsomebucolicloverwhobelievesthatwooinginrhymeisthewaytowintheobjectofhisaffections。\'

"Isn\'titso？IaskedtheCelebrity。

"\'Iwouldbetontheproselover。Shewillshowtheversestohim，andtheywillbothhaveagoodlaughoverthem。\'

"IhaveonlyreportedasmallpartoftheconversationIhadwiththeLiteraryCelebrity。Hewassomuchtakenupwithhispleasingself-

contemplation，whileImadehimairhisopinionsandfeelingsandspreadhischaracteristicsashislaundressspreadsandairshislinenontheclothes-line，thatIdon\'tbelieveiteveroccurredtohimthathehadbeeninthehandsofanintervieweruntilhefoundhimselfexposedtothewindandsunshineinfulldimensionsinthecolumnsofThePeople\'sPerennialandHouseholdInquisitor。\'"

Afterthereadingofthispaper，muchcuriositywasshownastowhothepersonspokenofasthe"LiteraryCelebrity"mightbe。AmongthevarioussuppositionsthestartlingideawassuggestedthathewasneithermorenorlessthantheunexplainedpersonageknowninthevillageasMauriceKirkwood。Whyshouldthatbehisrealname？WhyshouldnothebetheCelebrity，whohadtakenthisnameandfledtothisretreattoescapefromthepersecutionsofkindfriends，whowereprickinghimandstabbinghimnightodeathwiththeirdaggersofsugarcandy？

TheSecretaryofthePansophianSocietydeterminedtoquestiontheInterviewerthenexttimeshemethimattheLibrary，whichhappenedsoonafterthemeetingwhenhispaperwasread。

"Idonotknow，"shesaid，inthecourseofaconversationinwhichshehadspokenwarmlyofhiscontributiontotheliteraryentertainmentoftheSociety，"thatyoumentionedthenameoftheLiteraryCelebritywhomyouinterviewedsosuccessfully。”

"Ididnotmentionhim，MissVincent，"heanswered，"nordoIthinkitworthwhiletonamehim。Hemightnotcaretohavethewholestorytoldofhowhewashandledsoastomakehimcommunicative。

Besides，ifIdid，itwouldbringhimanewbatchofsympatheticletters，regrettingthathewasbotheredbythosehorridcorrespondents，fullofindignationattheboreswhopresumedtointrudeuponhimwiththeirpagesoftrash，allthewritersofwhichwouldexpectanswerstotheirlettersofcondolence。”

TheSecretaryaskedtheInterviewerifheknewtheyounggentlemanwhocalledhimselfMauriceKirkwood。

"What，"heanswered，"themanthatpaddlesabirchcanoe，andridesallthewildhorsesoftheneighborhood？No，Idon\'tknowhim，butI

havemethimonceortwice，outwalking。Amightyshyfellow，theytellme。Doyouknowanythingparticularabouthim？"

"Notmuch。Noneofusdo，butweshouldliketo。Thestoryisthatbehasaqueerantipathytosomethingortosomebody，nobodyknowswhatorwhom。”

"Tonewspapercorrespondents，perhaps，"saidtheinterviewer。"Whatmadeyouaskmeabouthim？Youdidn\'tthinkhewasmy\'LiteraryCelebrity，\'didyou？"

"Ididnotknow。Ithoughthemightbe。Whydon\'tyouinterviewthismysteriouspersonage？Hewouldmakeagoodsensationforyourpaper，Ishouldthink。”

"Why，whatistheretobeinterviewedinhim？Isthereanystoryofcrime，oranythingelsetospiceacolumnorso，orevenafewparagraphs，with？Ifthereis，Iamwillingtohandlehimprofessionally。”

"Itoldyouhehaswhattheycallanantipathy。Idon\'tknowhowmuchwiseryouareforthatpieceofinformation。”

"Anantipathy!Why，sohaveIanantipathy。Ihateaspider，andasforanakedcaterpillar，——IbelieveIshouldgointoafitifIhadtotouchone。IknowIturnpaleatthesightofsomeofthosegreatgreencaterpillarsthatcomedownfromtheelm-treesinAugustandearlyautumn。”

"Afraidofthem？"askedtheyounglady。

"Afraid？WhatshouldIbeafraidof？Theycan\'tbiteorsting。I

can\'tgiveanyreason。AllIknowisthatwhenIcomeacrossoneofthesecreaturesinmypathIjumptooneside，andcryout，——

sometimesusingveryimproperwords。Thefactis，theymakemecrazyforthemoment。”

"Iunderstandwhatyoumean，"saidMissVincent。"Iusedtohavethesamefeelingaboutspiders，butIwasashamedofit，andkeptalittlemenagerieofspidersuntilIhadgotoverthefeeling；thatis，prettymuchgotoverit，forIdon\'tlovethecreaturesverydearly，thoughIdon\'tscreamwhenIseeone。”

"Whatdidyoutellme，MissVincent，wasthisfellow\'sparticularantipathy？"

Thatisjustthequestion。Itoldyouthatwedon\'tknowandwecan\'tguesswhatitis。Thepeopleherearetiredoutwithtryingtodiscoversomegoodreasonfortheyoungman\'skeepingoutofthewayofeverybody，ashedoes。Theysayheisoddorcrazy，andtheydon\'tseemtobeabletotellwhich。Itwouldmaketheoldladiesofthevillagesleepagreatdealsounder，——yes，andsomeoftheyoungladies，too，——iftheycouldfindoutwhatthisMr。Kirkwoodhasgotintohishead，thathenevercomesnearanyofthepeoplehere。”

"IthinkIcanfindout，"saidtheInterviewer，whoseprofessionalambitionwasbeginningtobeexcited。"InevercameacrossanybodyyetthatIcouldn\'tgetsomethingoutof。Iamgoingtostayhereaweekortwo，andbeforeIgoIwillfindoutthesecret，ifthereisany，ofthisMr。MauriceKirkwood。”

WemustleavetheInterviewertohiscontrivancesuntiltheypresentuswithsomekindofresult，eitherintheshapeofsuccessorfailure。

XI

THEINTERVIEWERATTACKSTHESPHINX。

WhenMissEuthymiaTowersentheroaroffinflashingsplinters，asshepulledherlaststrokeintheboat-race，shedidnotknowwhatastrainshewasputtinguponit。Shedidknowthatshewasdoingherbest，buthowgreattheforceofherbestwasshewasnotawareuntilshesawitseffects。Unconsciousnessbelongedtoherrobustnature，inallitsmanifestations。Shedidnotprideherselfonherknowledge，norreproachherselfforherignorance。Ineverywaysheformedastrikingcontrasttoherfriend，MissVincent。Everywordtheyspokebetrayedthedifferencebetweenthem:thesharptonesofLurida\'shead-voice，penetrative，aggressive，sometimesirritating，revealedthecorrespondingtraitsofmentalandmoralcharacter；thequiet，conversationalcontraltoofEuthymiawastheindexofanaturerestfulandsympathetic。

Thefriendshipsofyounggirlsprefigurethecloserrelationswhichwillonedaycomeinanddissolvetheirearlierintimacies。Thedependenceoftwoyoungfriendsmaybemutual，butonewillalwaysleanmoreheavilythantheother；themasculineandfeminineelementswillbeassuretoassertthemselvesasifthefriendswereofdifferentsexes。

OnallcommonoccasionsEuthymialookeduptoherfriendashersuperior。Shefullyappreciatedallhervariedgiftsandknowledge，anddeferredtoheropinioninevery-daymatters，notexactlyasanoracle，butaswiserthanherselforanyofherothercompanions。Itwasadifferentthing，however，whenthegraverquestionsoflifecameup。Luridawasfullofsuggestions，plans，projects，whichweretooliabletorunintowhimsbeforesheknewwheretheyweretending。

ShewouldlayoutherideasbeforeEuthymiasofluentlyandeloquentlythatshecouldnothelpbelievingthemherself，andfeelingasifherfriendmustacceptthemwithanenthusiasmlikeherown。ThenEuthymiawouldtakethemupwithhersweet，deliberateaccents，andbringhercalmerjudgmenttobearonthem。

Luridawasinanexcitedcondition，inthemidstofallhernewinterestsandoccupations。ShewasconstantlyonthelookoutforpaperstobereadatthemeetingsofherSociety，——forshemadeitherowningreatmeasure，byherzealandenthusiasm，——andinthemeantimeshewasreadinginvariousbookswhichDr。Buttsselectedforher，allbearingontheprofessiontowhich，atleastasapossibility，shewaslookingforward。Privatelyandinaverystillway，shewasoccupyingherselfwiththeproblemoftheyoungstranger，thesubjectofsomedelusion，ordisease，orobliquityofunknownnature，towhichthevaguenameofantipathyhadbeenattached。Euthymiakeptaneyeuponher，partlyinthefearthatover-excitementwouldproducesomementalinjury，andpartlyfromanxietylestsheshouldcompromiseherwomanlydignityinherdesiretogetatthetruthofaverypuzzlingquestion。

"HowdoyoulikethebooksIseeyoureading？"saidEuthymiatoLurida，oneday，astheymetattheLibrary。

"BetterthanallthenovelsIeverread，"sheanswered。"Ihavebeenreadingaboutthenervoussystem，anditseemstomeIhavecomenearerthespringsoflifethaneverbeforeinallmystudies。I

feeljustasifIwereatelegraphoperator。IwassurethatIhadabatteryinmyhead，forIknowmybrainworkslikeone；butIdidnotknowhowmanycentresofenergythereare，andhowtheyareplayeduponbyallsortsofinfluences，externalandinternal。Doyouknow，IbelieveIcouldsolvetheriddleofthe\'ArrowheadVillageSphinx，\'

asthepapercalledhim，ifhewouldonlystayherelongenough？"

"Whatpaperhashadanythingaboutit，Lurida？Ihavenotseenorheardofitsbeingmentionedinanyofthepapers。”

"Youknowthatratherqueer-lookingyoungmanwhohasbeenabouthereforsometime，——thesameonewhogavetheaccountofhisinterviewwithacelebratedauthor？Well，hehashandedmeacopyofapaperinwhichhewrites，\'ThePeople\'sPerennialandHouseholdInquisitor。\'Hetalksaboutthisvillageinaveryfreeandeasyway。

HesaysthereisaSphinxhere，whohasmystifiedusall。”

"Andyouhavebeenchattingwiththatfellow!Don\'tyouknowthathe\'llhaveyouandallofusinhispaper？Don\'tyouknowthatnothingissafewhereoneofthosefellowsgetsinwithhisnote-bookandpencil？Oh，Lurida，Lurida，dobecareful!"Whatwiththismysteriousyoungmanandthisveryquestionablenewspaper-paragraphwriter，youwillbetalkedabout，ifyoudon\'tmind，beforeyouknowit。YouhadbetterlettheriddleoftheSphinxalone。Ifyoumustdealwithsuchdangerouspeople，thesafestwayistosetoneofthemtofindouttheother——Iwonderifwecan\'tgetthisnewmantointerviewthevisitoryouhavesomuchcuriosityabout。Thatmightbemanagedeasilyenoughwithoutyourhavinganythingtodowithit。

Letmealone，andIwillarrangeit。Butmind，now，youmustnotmeddle；ifyoudo，youwillspoileverything，andgetyournameinthe\'HouseholdInquisitor\'inawayyouwon\'tlike。”

"Don\'tbefrightenedaboutme，Euthymia。Idon\'tmeantogivehimachancetoworkmeintohispaper，ifIcanhelpit。Butifyoucangethimtotryhisskilluponthisinterestingpersonageandhisantipathy，somuchthebetter。Iamverycuriousaboutit，andthereforeabouthim。Iwanttoknowwhathasproducedthisstrangestateoffeelinginayoungmanwhooughttohaveallthecommoninstinctsofasocialbeing。Ibelievethereareunexplainedfactsintheregionofsympathiesandantipathieswhichwillrepaystudywithadeeperinsightintothemysteriesoflifethanwehavedreamedofhitherto。Ioftenwonderwhethertherearenotheart-wavesandsoul-wavesaswellas\'brain-waves，\'whichsomehavealreadyrecognized。”

Euthymiawondered，aswellshemight，tohearthisyoungwomantalkingthelanguageofsciencelikeanadept。Thetruthis，Luridawasoneofthosepersonswhoneverareyoung，andwho，bywayofcompensation，willneverbeold。Theyarefoundinbothsexes。Twowell-knowngraduatesofoneofourgreatuniversitiesarelivingexamplesofthisprecociousbutenduringintellectualdevelopment。

Ifthereadersofthisnarrativecannotpickthemout，theyneednotexpectthewriterofittohelpthem。Iftheyguessrightlywhotheyare，theywillrecognizethefactthatjustsuchexceptionalindividualsastheyoungwomanwearedealingwitharemetwithfromtimetotimeinfamilieswhereintelligencehasbeencumulativefortwoorthreegenerations。

Euthymiawasverywillingthatthequestioningandquestionablevisitorshouldlearnallthatwasknowninthevillageaboutthenebulousindividualwhosemistyenvironmentalltheeyesinthevillageweretryingtopenetrate，butthatheshouldlearnitfromsomeotherinformantthanLurida。

Thenextmorning，astheInterviewertookhisseatonabenchoutsidehisdoor，tosmokehisafter-breakfastcigar，abright-lookingandhandsomeyouth，whosefeaturesrecalledthoseofEuthymiasostrikinglythatonemightfeelprettysurehewasherbrother，tookaseatbyhisside。Presentlythetwowereengagedinconversation。

TheIntervieweraskedallsortsofquestionsabouteverybodyinthevillage。WhenhecametoinquireaboutMaurice，theyouthshowedaremarkableinterestregardinghim。Thegreatestcuriosity，hesaid，existedwithreferencetothispersonage。Everybodywastryingtofindoutwhathisstorywas，——forastory，andastrangeone，hemustsurelyhave，——andnobodyhadsucceeded。

TheInterviewerbegantobeunusuallyattentive。Theyoungmantoldhimthevariousantipathystories，abouttheevil-eyehypothesis，abouthishorse-tamingexploits，hisrescuingthestudentwhoseboatwasoverturned，andeveryoccurrencehecouldrecallwhichwouldhelpouttheeffectofhisnarrative。

TheInterviewerwasbecomingexcited。"Can\'tfindoutanythingabouthim，yousaid，didn-\'tyou？Howdoyouknowthere\'sanythingtofind？DoyouwanttoknowwhatIthinkheis？I\'lltellyou。I

thinkheisanactor，——afellowfromoneofthecitytheatres。Thosefellowsgooffintheirsummervacation，andliketopuzzlethecountryfolks。Theyaretheverysamechaps，likeasnot，thevisitorshaveseeninplaysatthecitytheatres；butofcoursetheydon\'tknow\'eminplainclothes。KingsandEmperorslookprettyshabbyoffthestagesometimes，Icantellyou。”

TheyoungmanfollowedtheInterviewer\'slead。"Ishouldn\'twonderifyouwereright，"hesaid。"IrememberseeingayoungfellowinRomeothatlookedagooddeallikethisone。ButInevermettheSphinx，astheycallhim，facetoface。Heisasshyasawoodchuck。

Ibelievetherearepeopleherethatwouldgiveahundreddollarstofindoutwhoheis，andwherehecamefrom，andwhatheisherefor，andwhyhedoesn\'tactlikeotherfolks。Iwonderwhysomeofthosenewspapermendon\'tcomeuphereandgetholdofthisstory。Itwouldbejustthethingforasensationalwriter。”

ToallthistheInterviewerlistenedwithtrueprofessionalinterest。

Alwaysonthelookoutforsomethingtomakeupaparagraphoracolumnabout；drivenoftentimestothestalestofrepetitions，——tothebiggestpumpkinstory，thetallcornstalk，thefatox，thelivefrogfromthehumanstomachstory，thethirdsetofteethandreadingwithoutspectaclesatninetystory，andtherestofthemarvellouscommonplaceswhicharekeptintypewitheoyore6m(everyotheryearoreverysixmonths)atthefoot；alwaysinwantofafreshincident，anewstory，anundescribedcharacter，anunexplainedmystery，itisnowonderthattheInterviewerfastenedeagerlyuponthismosttemptingsubjectforaninventiveandemotionalcorrespondent。

HehadseenPaoloseveraltimes，andknewthathewasMaurice\'sconfidentialservant，buthadneverspokentohim。SohesaidtohimselfthathemustmakePaolo\'sacquaintance，tobeginwith。InthesummerseasonmanykindsofsmalltrafficwerealwayscarriedoninArrowheadVillage。Amongtherest，thesellersoffruits——

oranges，bananas，andothers，accordingtotheseasons——didanactivebusiness。TheInterviewerwatchedoneofthesefruit-sellers，andsawthathishand-cartstoppedoppositethehousewhere，asheknew，MauriceKirkwoodwasliving。PresentlyPaolocameoutofthedoor，andbeganexaminingthecontentsofthehand-cart。TheInterviewersawhisopportunity。Herewasanintroductiontotheman，andthemanmustintroducehimtothemaster。

Heknewverywellhowtoingratiatehimselfwiththeman，——therewasnodifficultyaboutthat。Hehadlearnedhisname，andthathewasanItalianwhomMauricehadbroughttothiscountrywithhim。

"Goodmorning，Mr。Paul，"hesaid。"Howdoyoulikethelookoftheseoranges？"

"Theyprettyfair，"saidPaolo:"nosogoodasthemlas\'week；nosweetasthemwas。”

"Why，howdoyouknowwithouttastingthem？"saidtheInterviewer。

"Iknowbyhislook，——Iknowbyhissmell，——henogoodyaller，——henosmellripe，——Iknoworangeeversincemyheadnobiggerthanheis，"

andPaololaughedathisowncomparison。

TheInterviewerlaughedlouderthanPaolo。

"Good!"saidhe，——"first-rate!Ofcourseyouknowallabout\'em。

Whycan\'tyoupickmeoutacoupleofwhatyouthinkarethebestof\'em？Ishallbegreatlyobligedtoyou。Ihaveasickfriend，andI

wanttogettwonicesweetonesforhim。”

Paolowaspleased。Hisskillandjudgmentwererecognized。Hefeltgratefultothestranger，whohadgivenhim，anopportunityofconferringafavor。Heselectedtwo，aftercarefulexaminationandgravedeliberation。TheInterviewerhadsenseandtactenoughnottoofferhimanorange，andsoshiftthebalanceofobligation。

"HowisMr。Kirkwood，to-day？"heasked。

"Signor？Heverywell。Healwayswell。Whyyouask？Anybodytellyouhesick？"

"No，nobodysaidhewassick。Ihaven\'tseenhimgoingaboutforadayortwo，andIthoughtbemighthavesomethingthematterwithhim。Isheinthehousenow？"

"No:heoffriding。Hetakelong，longrides，sometimegoneallday。

Sometimehegoonlake，paddle，paddleinthemorning，very，veryearly，——innightwhenthemoonshine；sometimestayinhouse，andread，andstudy，andwrite，——hegreatscholar，MisserKirkwood。”

"Agoodmanybooks，hasn\'the？"

"Hegotwholeshelfsfullofbooks。Greatbooks，littlebooks，oldbooks，newbooks，allsortsofbooks。Hegreatscholar，Itellyou。”

"Hasn\'thesomecuriosities，——oldfigures，oldjewelry，oldcoins，orthingsofthatsort？"

Paololookedattheyoungmancautiously，almostsuspiciously。

"Hedon\'tkeepnojewelsnornomoneyinhischamber。Hegotsomeoldthings，——oldjugs，oldbrassfiggers，oldmoney，suchastheyusedtohaveinoldtimes:shedon\'tpassnow。”Paolo\'sgenderswereapttobesomewhatindiscriminatelydistributed。

AluckythoughtstrucktheInterviewer。"Iwonderifhewouldexaminesomeoldcoinsofmine？"saidhe，inamodestlytentativemanner。

"Ithinkheliketoseeanythingcurious。WhenhecomehomeIaskhim。WhowillItellhimwantstoaskhimaboutoldcoin？"

"TellhimagentlemanvisitingArrowheadVillagewouldliketocallandshowhimsomeoldpiecesofmoney，saidtobeRomanones。”

TheInterviewerhadjustrememberedthathehadtwoorthreeoldbatteredbitsofcopperwhichhehadpickedupatatollman\'s，wheretheyhadbeenpassedoffforcents。Hehadboughtthemascuriosities。OnehadthenameofGallienusuponit，tolerablydistinct，——acommonlittleRomanpenny；butitwouldservehispurposeofaskingaquestion，aswouldtwoorthreeotherswithlesslegiblelegends。PaolotoldhimthatifhecamethenextmorninghewouldstandafairchanceofseeingMr。Kirkwood。Atanyrate，hewouldspeaktohismaster。

TheInterviewerpresentedhimselfthenextmorning，afterfinishinghisbreakfastandhiscigar，feelingreasonablysureoffindingMr。

Kirkwoodathome，asheprovedtobe。HehadtoldPaolotoshowthestrangeruptohislibrary，——orstudy，ashemodestlycalledit。

Itwasapleasantroomenough，withalookoutonthelakeinonedirection，andthewoodedhillinanother。Thetenanthadfitteditupinscholarlyfashion。ThebooksPaolospokeofwereconspicuous，manyofthem，bytheirwhitevellumbindingandtastefulgilding，showingthatprobablytheyhadbeenboundinRome，orsomeotherItaliancity。Withthesewereoldervolumesintheirdarkoriginalleather，andrecentonesinclothorpaper。AstheInterviewerranhiseyeoverthem，hefoundthathecouldmakeverylittleoutofwhattheirbackstaughthim。Someofthepaper-coveredbooks，someofthecloth-coveredones，hadnameswhichheknew；butthoseonthebacksofmanyoftheotherswerestrangetohiseyes。TheclassicsofGreekandLatinandItalianliteraturewerethere；andhesawenoughtofeelconvincedthathehadbetternotattempttodisplayhiseruditioninthecompanyofthisyoungscholar。