第2章

"No！"heexclaimed。"Who\'sallthat？"

"Who\'sallwhat？"

"The\'right\'people。\'"

"YouknowwhatImean:thebestpeople,theoldfamilies——thepeoplethathavetherealsocialpositioninthistownandthatknowthey\'vegotit。"

Bibbsindulgedinhissilentchuckleagain;heseemedgreatlyamused。"I

thoughtthatthepeoplewhoactuallyhadtherealwhat—you—may—call—itdidn\'tknowit,"hesaid。"I\'vealwaysunderstoodthatitwasveryunsatisfactory,becauseifyouthoughtaboutityoudidn\'thaveit,andifyouhadityoudidn\'tknowit。"

"That\'sjustbosh,"sheretorted。"Theyknowitinthistown,allright！I

foundoutalotofthings,longbeforewebegantothinkofbuildingoutinthisdirection。Therightpeopleinthistownaren\'talwaysthesociety—columnones,andtheymixaroundwithoutsiders,andtheydon\'tallbelongtoanyoneclub——they\'retakeninallsortsintoalltheirclubs——butthey\'reaclan,justthesame;andtheyhavetheclanfeelingandthey\'rejustasmuchWe,UsandCompanyasanycrowdyoureadaboutanywhereintheworld。

Mostof\'emwereherelongbeforepapacame,andthegrandfathersofthegirlsofmyagekneweachother,and——"

"Isee,"Bibbsinterrupted,gravely。"Theirancestorsfledtogetherfrommanyastrickenfield,andCrusaders\'bloodflowsintheirveins。IalwaysunderstoodthefirsthousewasbuiltbyanoldpartyofthenameofVertreeswhocouldn\'tgetalongwithDan\'lBoone,andhurriedawaytothesepartsbecauseDan\'lwantedhimtogivebackagunhe\'dlenthim。"

Edithgavealittleejaculationofalarm。"Youmustn\'trepeatthatstory,Bibbs,evenifit\'strue。TheVertreesesareTHEbestfamily,andofcoursetheveryoldesthere;theywereanoldfamilyevenbeforeMaryVertrees\'sgreat—great—grandfathercamewestandfoundedthissettlement。HecamefromLynn,Massachusetts,andtheyhaverelativesthereYET——someofthebestpeopleinLynn！"

"No！"exclaimedBibbs,incredulously。

"AndthereareotheroldfamiliesliketheVertreeses,"shewenton,notheedinghim;"theLamhornsandtheKittersbysandtheJ。PalmerstonSmiths——"

"Strangenamestome,"heinterrupted。"Poorthings！Noneofthemhavemyacquaintance。"

"No,that\'sjustit！"shecried。"AndpapahadneverevenheardthenameofVertrees！Mrs。Vertreeswentwithsomeanti—smokecommitteetoseehim,andhetoldherthatsmokewaswhatmadeherhusbandbringhomehiswagesfromthepay—rollonSaturdaynight！HEtoldusaboutit,andIthoughtIjustcouldn\'tlivethroughthenight,Iwassoashamed！Mr。Vertreeshasalwayslivedonhisincome,andpapadidn\'tknowhim,ofcourse。They\'rethestiffist,mostelegantpeopleinthewholetown。Andtocrownitall,papawentandboughtthenextlottotheoldVertreescountrymansion——it\'sintheveryheartofthebestnewresidencedistrictnow,andthat\'swheretheNewHouseis,rightnextdoortothem——andImustsayitmakestheirplacelookrathershabby！ImetMaryVertreeswhenIjoinedtheMissionServiceHelpers,butsheneverdidanymorethanjustbarelybowtome,andsincepapa\'sbreakIdoubtifshe\'lldothat！Theyhaven\'tcalled。"

"AndyouthinkifIspreadthisgossipaboutVertreestheFirststealingDan\'lBoone\'sgun,thechancesthattheyWILLcall——"

"PapaknowswhatabreakhemadewithMrs。Vertrees。Imadehimunderstandthat,"saidEdith,demurely,"andhe\'spromisedtotryandmeetMr。Vertreesandbenicetohim。It\'sjustthisway:ifwedon\'tknowTHEM,it\'spracticallynouseinourhavingbuildtheNewHouse;andifweDOknowthemandthey\'redecenttous,we\'rerightwiththerightpeople。Theycandothewholethingforus。BobbyLamhorntoldSibylhewasgoingtobringhismothertocallonherandonmamma,butitwasweeksago,andInoticehehasn\'tdoneit;andifMrs。Vertreesdecidesnottoknowus,I\'mdarnsureMrs。Lamhorn\'llnevercome。That\'sONEthingSibyldidn\'tmanage！SheSAIDBobbyofferedtobringhismother——"

"YousayheisafriendofRoscoe\'s？"Bibbsasked。

"Oh,he\'safriendofthewholefamily,"shereturned,withapetulancewhichshemadeanefforttodisguise。"Roscoeandhegotacquaintedsomewhere,andtheytakehimtothetheaterabouteveryothernight。Sibylhashimtolunch,too,andkeeps——"Shebrokeoffwithanangrylittlejerkofthehead。"WecanseetheNewHousefromthesecondcornerahead。Roscoehasbuiltstraightacrossthestreetfromus,youknow。Honestly,Sibylmakesmethinkofasnake,sometimes——thewayshepullsthewooloverpeople\'seyes！Shehoneysuptopapaandgetsanythingintheworldshewantsoutofhim,andthenmakesfunofhimbehindhisback——yes,andtohisface,butHEcan\'tseeit！Shegothimtogiveheratwelve—thousand—dollarporchfortheirhouseafteritwas——"

"Goodheavens！"saidBibbs,staringaheadastheyreachedthecornerandthecarswungtotheright,followingabendinthestreet。"IsthattheNewHouse？"

"Yes。Whatdoyouthinkofit？"

"Well,"hedrawled,"I\'mprettysurethesanitarium\'sabouthalfasizebigger;Ican\'tbecertaintillImeasure。"

Andamomentlater,astheyenteredthedriveway,headded,seriously:"Butit\'sbeautiful！"

Itwasgraystone,withlongroofsofthickgreenslate。Anarchitectwholovedthemilder"Gothicmotives"hadbuiltwhatheliked:itwastobeseenatoncethathehadbeenleftunhampered,andhehadwroughtapictureoutofhisheadintoanobleandexultantreality。Atthesametimealandscape—designerhadplayedsogoodasecond,withready—madeaccessoriesofscreen,approachandvista,thatalreadywhateverlookofnewnessremainedupontheplacewastoitsadvantage,asshowingatleastonethingyetcleanunderthegrimysky。For,thoughthesmokewasthinnerinthisdirection,andatthislongdistancefromtheheartofthetown,itwasnotabsent,andundertutelageofwindandweathercouldbemalignantevenhere,wherecowshadwanderedinthemeadowsandcornhadbeengrowingnottenyearsgone。

Altogether,theNewHousewasasuccess。Itwasoneofthosearchitects\'

successeswhichleavetheownersveiledinprivacy;itrevealednothingofthepeoplewholivedinitsavethattheywererich。Therearehousesthatcannotbedetachedfromtheirownpeoplewithoutprotesting:everyinchofmortarseemstomourntheseparation,andsuchahouse——nomatterwhatbedonetoit——isevermurmurouswithregret,whisperingtheoldnamesadlytoitselfunceasingly。ButtheNewHousewasofakindtochangehandswithoutemotion。

Inourswellingcities,greatplacesofitstypeareusefulasfinancialgaugesofthebusinesstides;richfamilies,oneafteranother,taketitleandoccupysuchhousesasfortunesriseandfall——theymarkthehightide。Itwasimpossibletoimagineachild\'stoywagonleftuponawalkordrivewayoftheNewHouse,andyetitwas——asBibbsrightlycalledit——"beautiful。"

Whatthearchitectthoughtofthe"GolfodiNapoli,"whichhunginitsvastgoldrevelofrococoframeagainstthegraywoodofthehall,istobeconjectured——perhapshehadnotseenit。

"Edith,didyousayonlyelevenfeet？"Bibbspanted,staringatit,asthewhite—jacketedtwinofaPullmanporterhelpedhimtogetoutofhisovercoat。

"Elevenwithouttheframe,"sheexplained。"It\'ssplendid,don\'tyouthink？

Itlightensthingsupso。Thehallwaskindofgloomybefore。"

"Nogloomnow！"saidBibbs。

"Thisstatueinthecornerispretty,too,"sheremarked。"MammaandIboughtthat。"AndBibbsturnedatherdirectiontobehold,amidagroveoftubbedpalms,a"life—size,"black—beardedMoor,ofaplasticcompositonpaintedwithunappeasableglossandbrilliancy。Uponhischocolateheadheworeagoldturban;inhishandheheldagold—tippedspear;andfortherest,hewasredandyellowandblackandsilver。

"Hallelujah！"wasthesolecommentofthereturnedwanderer,andEdith,sayingshewould"findmamma,"lefthimblinkingattheMoor。Presently,aftershehaddisappeared,heturnedtothecoloredmanwhostoodwaiting,Bibbs\'straveling—baginhishand。"WhatdoYOUthinkofit？"Bibbsasked,solemnly。

"Gran\'！"repliedtheservitor。"Shemightlyhardtodus\'。Dus\'gitinall\'emwrinkles。Yessuh,shemightyhardtodus\'。"

"Iexpectshemustbe,"saidBibbs,hisglancereturningreflectivelytotheblackbullbeardforamoment。"IsthereaplaceanywhereIcouldliedown？"

"Yessuh。Wegotonenemspareroomsallfixupfo\'you,suh。Rightupstaihs,suh。Niceroom。"

Heledtheway,andBibbsfollowedslowly,stoppingatintervalstorest,andnotingaheavyincreaseinthestaffofservicesincetheexodusfromthe"old"house。MaidsandscrubwomenwereatworkunderthepatentlynominaldirectionofanotherPullmanporter,whowasprofoundlyenjoyinghisownaffectationofbeingharassedwithcare。

"Ev\'ythinggotlookspickan\'spanfo\'thebigdoin\'sto—night,"Bibbs\'sguideexplained,chuckling。"Yessuh,wegotbigdoin\'sto—night！Bigdoin\'s！"

Theroomtowhichheconductedhislaggingchargewasfurnishedineveryparticularlikearoominanewhotel;andBibbsfounditpleasant——though,indeed,anyroomwithagoodbedwouldhaveseemedpleasanttohimafterhisjourney。Hestretchedhimselfflatimmediately,andhavingreplied"Notnow"

totheattendant\'soffertounpackthebag,closedhiseyeswearily。

White—jacket,raciallysympathetic,loweredthewindow—shadesandmadeanexitontiptoe,encounteringtheotherwhite—jacket——theharassedoverseer——inthehallwithout。Saidtheemergingone:"Hemightyshaky,Mist\'Jackson。Droprightdownan\'shethiseyes。Eyelidsallblack。Richfolksgottagosameasanybodyelse。AnybodyastmeifIchange\'ith\'atoleboy——No,suh！Le\'mkeep\'ismoney;Ikeepmyblackskinan\'keepouttheground！"

Mr。Jacksonexpressedthesamepreference。"Yessuh,helooktuhmelikesomebodyawreadylaidout,"heconcluded。Anduponthestairwaylanding,nearby,twooldwomen,onall—foursattheirwork,werelikewisepessimistic。

"Hech！"saidone,lamentinginawhisper。"Itgivemeaturntoseehimgoby——whiteaswaxan\'bonyasadeadfish！Mrs。Cronin,tellme:d\'itmakeyekindo\'sicktolookatum？"

"Sick？Nomorethanthefaceofablessedangelalreadyinheaven！"

"Well,"saidtheother,"I\'dab\'yo\'meowncomehomet\'dieonce——"Shefellsilentatarustlingofskirtsinthecorridorabovethem。

ItwasMrs。Sheridanhurryingtogreetherson。

Shewasoneofthosefat,pinkpeoplewhofadeandcontractwithagelikedryingfruit;andheroutsidewasatrueportraitofher。Herhusbandandherdaughterhadlongagoabsorbedher。Whatintelligenceshehadwasgivenalmostwhollytocomprehendingandservingthosetwo,andexceptinthepresenceofoneofthemshewasnearlyalwaysabsent—minded。Edithlivedalldaywithhermother,asdaughtersdo;andSheridansoheldhiswifetoherunitywithhimthatshehadlongagobecomeunconsciousofherexistenceasathingseparatefromhis。Sheinvariablyperceivedhismoods,andnursedhimthroughthemwhenshedidnotsharethem;andshegavehimaprofoundsympathywiththeinmostspiritandpurposeofhisbeing,eventhoughshedidnotcomprehenditandpartookofitonlyasaspectator。Theyhadknownbutoneactualaltercationintheirlives,andthatwasthirtyyearspast,intheearlydaysofSheridan\'sstruggle,when,inordertoenhancethefavorableimpressionhebelievedhimselftobemakinguponsomecapitalists,hehadthoughtitnecessarytoaccompanythemtoaperformanceof"TheBlackCrook。"

Butshehadnotoncereferredtothisduringthelasttenyears。

Mrs。Sheridan\'smannerwashurriedandinconsequent;herclothesrustledmorethanotherwomen\'sclothes;sheseemedtoweartoomanyatatimeandtobevaguelytroubledbythem,andshewaspattingaskirtdownoversomeunrulyinternaldissensionatthemomentsheopenedBibbs\'sdoor。

Atsightoftherecumbentfigureshebegantoclosethedoorsoftly,withdrawing,buttheyoungmanhadheardtheturningoftheknobandtherustlingofskirts,andheopenedhiseyes。

"Don\'tgo,mother,"hesaid。"I\'mnotasleep。"Heswunghislonglegsoverthesideofthebedtorise,butshesetahandonhisshoulder,restraininghim;andhelayflatagain。

"No,"shesaid,bendingovertokisshischeek,"Ijustcomeforaminute,butIwanttoseehowyouseem。Edithsaid——"

"PoorEdith！"hemurmured。"Shecouldn\'tlookatme。She——"

"Nonsense！"Mrs。Sheridan,havingletinthelightatawindow,camebacktothebedside。"Youlookagreatdealbetterthanwhatyoudidbeforeyouwenttothesanitarium,anyway。It\'sdoneyougood;abodycanseethatrightaway。Youneedfattingup,ofcourse,andyouhaven\'tgotmuchcolor——"

"No,"hesaid,"Ihaven\'tmuchcolor。"

"Butyouwillhavewhenyougetyourstrengthback。"

"Ohyes！"heresponded,cheerfully。"THENIwill。"

"YoulookagreatdealbetterthanwhatIexpected。"

"Edithmusthaveagreatvocabulary！"hechuckled。

"She\'stoosensitive,"saidMrs。Sheridan,"anditmakesherexaggeratealittle。Whataboutyourdiet？"

"That\'sallright。Theytoldmetoeatanything。"

"Anythingatall？"

"Well——anythingIcould。"

"That\'sgood,"shesaid,nodding。"Theymeanforyoujusttobuildupyourstrength。That\'swhattheytoldmethelasttimeIwenttoseeyouatthesanitarium。Youlookbetterthanwhatyoudidthen,andthat\'sonlyalittletimeago。Howlongwasit？"

"Eightmonths,Ithink。"

"No,itcouldn\'tbe。Iknowitain\'tTHATlong,butmaybeitwaslonger\'nI

thought。AndthislastmonthorsoIhaven\'thadscarcelyeventimetowritemorethanjustalinetoaskhowyouweregettin\'along,butItoldEdithtowrite,theweeksIcouldn\'t,andIaskedJimto,too,andtheybothsaidtheywould,soIsupposeyou\'vekeptupprettywellonthehomenews。"

"Ohyes。"

"WhatIthinkyouneed,"saidthemother,gravely,"istolivenupalittleandtakeaninterestinthings。That\'swhatpapawassayin\'thismorning,afterwegotyourtelegram;andthat\'swhat\'llstimilateyourappetite,too。

Hewastalkin\'overhisplansforyou——"

"Plans？"Bibbs,turningonhisside,shieldedhiseyesfromthelightwithhishand,sothathemightseeherbetter。"What——"Hepaused。"Whatplansishemakingforme,mother？"

Sheturnedaway,goingbacktothewindowtodrawdowntheshade。"Well,youbettertalkitoverwithHIM,"shesaid,withperceptiblenervousness。"Hebettertellyouhimself。Idon\'tfeelasifIhadanycall,exactly,togointoit;andyoubettergettosleepnow,anyway。"Shecameandstoodbythebedsideoncemore。"Butyoumustremember,Bibbs,whateverpapadoesisforthebest。Heloveshischuldernandwantstodowhat\'srightbyALLof\'em——andyou\'llalwaysfindhe\'srightintheend。"

Hemadealittlegestureofassent,whichseemedtocontenther;andsherustledtothedoor,turningtospeakagainaftershehadopenedit。"Yougetagoodnap,now,soastobeallrestedupforto—night。"

"You——youmean——he——"Bibbsstammered,havingbeguntospeaktooquickly。

Checkinghimself,hedrewalongbreath,thenasked,quietly,"Doesfatherexpectmetocomedown—stairsthisevening？"

"Well,Ithinkhedoes,"sheanswered。"Yousee,it\'sthe\'house—warming,\'ashecallsit,andhesaidhethinksallourchuldernoughttobearoundus,aswellastheoldfriendsandotherfolks。It\'sjustwhathethinksyouneed——totakeaninterestandlivenup。Youdon\'tfeeltoobadtocomedown,doyou？"

"Mother？"

"Well？"

"Takeagoodlookatme,"hesaid。

"Oh,seehere！"shecried,withbrusquecheerfulness。"You\'renotsobadoffasyouthinkyouare,Bibbs。You\'reonthemend;anditwon\'tdoyouanyharmtopleaseyour——"

"Itisn\'tthat,"heinterrupted。"Honestly,I\'monlyafraiditmightspoilsomebody\'sappetite。Edith——"

"Itoldyouthechildwastoosensitive,"sheinterrupted,inturn。"You\'reaplentygood—lookin\'enoughyoungmanforanybody！Youlooklikeyoubeenthroughalongspellandbeguntogetwell,andthat\'sallthereistoit。"

"Allright。I\'llcometotheparty。Iftherestofyoucanstandit,Ican！"

"It\'lldoyougood,"shereturned,rustlingintothehall。"Nowtakeanap,andI\'llsendoneo\'thehelptowakeyouintimeforyoutogetdressedupbeforedinner。Yougotosleeprightaway,now,Bibbs！"

Bibbswasunabletoobey,thoughhekepthiseyesclosed。Somethingshehadsaidkeptrunninginhismind,repeatingitselfoverandoverinterminably。

"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——"

Andthen,takingtheplaceof"hisplansforyou,"afterwhatseemedalong,longwhile,herflurriedvoicecamebacktohiminsistently,seemingtowhisperinhisear:"Heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern——heloveshischuldern"——"you\'llfindhe\'salwaysright——you\'llfindhe\'salwaysright——"Untilatlast,ashedriftedintothestateofhalf—dreamsanddistortedrealities,thevoiceseemedtomurmurfrombeyondagreatblackwingthatcameoutofthewallandstretchedoverhisbed——itwasablackwingwithintheroom,andatthesametimeitwasablackcloudcrossingthesky,bridgingthewholeearthfrompoletopole。Itwasacloudofblacksmoke,andoutoftheheartofitcameaflurriedvoicewhisperingoverandover,"Hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——hisplansforyou——"Andthentherewasnothing。

Hewokerefreshed,stretchedhimselfgingerly——asonemighthaveacareagainsttooquickortoolongapulluponafrayedelastic——and,gettingtohisfeet,wentblinkingtothewindowandtouchedtheshadesothatitflewup,lettinginapalesunset。

Helookedoutintothelemon—coloredlightandsmiledwanlyatthenexthouse,asEdith\'sgrandiosephrasecametomind,"theoldVertreescountrymansion。"

ItstoodinabroadlawnwhichwasseparatedfromtheSheridans\'byayounghedge;anditwasabig,square,plainoldboxofahousewithagiantsalt—cellaratopforacupola。Painthadbeensparedforalongtime,andnoonecouldhaveputanametothecolorofit,butinspiteofthattheplacehadnolookofbeingoutatheel,andtheswardwasasneatlytrimmedastheSheridans\'own。

TheseparatinghedgeranalmostbeneathBibbs\'swindow——forthiswingoftheNewHouseextendedherealmosttotheedgeofthelot——and,directlyoppositethewindow,theVertreeses\'lawnhadbeengradedsoastomakealittleknolluponwhichstoodasmallrustic"summer—house。"ItwasalmostonalevelwithBibbs\'swindowandnotthirtyfeetaway;anditwaseasyforhimtoimaginethepresentdynastyofVertreesesingrievousoutcrywhentheyhadfoundthisretreatruinedbythejuxtapositionoftheparvenuintruder。Probablythe"summer—house"waspleasantandprettyinsummer。Ithadthelookofaplacewhereinlittlegirlshadplayedforagenerationorsowithdollsand"housekeeping,"orwherealovelyoldladymightcometoreadsomethingdullonwarmafternoons;butnowinthethinlightitwasdesolate,thecolorofdust,andhungwithhaggardvineswhichhadlosttheirleaves。

Bibbslookedatitwithgravesympathy,probablyfeelingsomekinshipwithanythingsodismantled;thenheturnedtoacheval—glassbesidethewindowandpaidhimselfthedubioustributeofathoroughinspection。Helookedthemirrorupanddown,slowly,repeatedly,butcameintheendtoalongandearnestscrutinyoftheface。Throughoutthiscrypticseancehismannerwasprofoundlyimpersonal;hehadtheairofanentomologistintentuponclassifyingaspecimen,butfinallyheappearedtobecomepessimistic。Heshookhisheadsolemnly;thengazedagainandshookhisheadagain,andcontinuedtoshakeitslowly,incompletedisapproval。

"Youcertainlyareonehorriblesight！"hesaid,aloud。

Andatthathewasinstantlyawareofanobserver。Turningquickly,hewasvouchsafedthepictureofacharminglady,framedinarusticapertureofthe"summer—house"andstaringfullintohiswindow——straightintohiseyes,too,fortheinfinitesimalfractionofasecondbeforetheflashinglycensoriouswithdrawalofherown。Composedly,shepulledseveraldeadtwigsfromavine,themannerofheractionconveyingamessageorproclamationtotheeffectthatshewasinthesummer—houseforthesolepurposeofsuch—likepruningandtending,andthatnogentlemancouldsupposeherpresencetheretobeduetoanyotherpurposewhatsoever,orthat,beingthereonthataccount,shehadallowedherattentiontowanderforoneinstantinthedirectionofthingsofwhichshewasinrealityunconscious。

Havingpulledenoughtwigstoemphasizeherunconsciousness——andatthesametimeherdisapproval——ofeverythinginthenatureofaSheridanorbelongingtoaSheridan,shedescendedtheknollwithmaintainedcomposure,andsaunteredtowardaside—doorofthecountrymansionoftheVertreeses。Anelderlylady,bonnetedandcloaked,openedthedoorandcametomeether。

"Areyouready,Mary？I\'vebeenlookingforyou。Whatwereyoudoing？"

"Nothing。JustlookingintooneofSheridans\'windows,"saidMaryVertrees。

"Igotcaughtatit。"

"Mary！"criedhermother。"Justasweweregoingtocall！Goodheavens！"

"We\'llgo,justthesame,"thedaughterreturned。"Isupposethosewomenwouldbegladtohaveusifwe\'dburnedtheirhousetotheground。"

"ButWHOsawyou？"insistedMrs。Vertrees。

"Oneofthesons,Isupposehewas。Ibelievehe\'sinsane,orsomething。AtleastIheartheykeephiminasanitariumsomewhere,andnevertalkabouthim。Hewasstaringathimselfinamirrorandtalkingtohimself。Thenhelookedoutandcaughtme。"

"Whatdidhe——"

"Nothing,ofcourse。"

"Howdidhelook？"

"Likeaghostinabluesuit,"saidMissVertrees,movingtowardthestreetandwavingawhite—glovedhandinfarewelltoherfather,whowasobservingthemfromthewindowofhislibrary。"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。Docomeon,mother,andlet\'sgetitover！"

AndMrs。Vertrees,withmanymisgivings,setforthwithherdaughterfortheirgraciousassaultupontheNewHousenextdoor。

Mr。Vertrees,havingwatchedtheirdeparturewiththeairofamanwhohadsomethingathazardupontheexpedition,turnedfromthewindowandbegantopacethelibrarythoughtfully,pendingtheirreturn。Hewasaboutsixty;asmallman,witheredanddryandfine,atrimlittlesketchofanelderlydandy。Hislambrequinmustache——relicofaforgottenAnglomania——hadbeenprofoundlyblack,butnow,likehissmoothhair,itwasapproachinganequallysheerwhiteness;andthoughhisclotheswereold,theyhadshapelinessandaflavorofmode。Andforgreatersprucenessthereweresomejauntytouches;

grayspats,anarrowblackribbonacrossthegraywaistcoattotheeye—glassesinapocket,afleckofcolorfromabuttoninthelapeloftheblackcoat,labelinghimthedescendantofpatriotwarriors。

Theroomwasnotlikehim,beingcheerfulandhideous,whereasMr。Vertreeswasanxiousanddecorative。Underamantelofimitationblackmarbleamerrylittlecoal—firebeamedforthuponhighandnarrow"Eastlake"bookcaseswithlongglassdoors,anduponcomfortable,incongruousfurniture,anduponmeaningless"woodwork"everywhere,anduponhalfadozenLandseerengravingswhichMr。andMrs。Vertreessometimesmentionedtoeachother,afterthirtyyearsofpossession,as"veryfinethings。"TheyhadbeenthefirstpeopleintowntopossessLandseerengravings,andthere,inart,theyhadrested,buttheystillhadafeelingthatinallsuchmatterstheywereinthevan;andwhenMr。VertreesdiscoveredLandseersuponthewallsofotherpeople\'shouseshethawed,asachieftaintoatrustedfollower;andifhefoundaneditionofBulwerLyttonaccompanyingtheLandseersasafinalcorroborationofculture,hewouldsay,inevitably,"Thosepeopleknowgoodpicturesandtheyknowgoodbooks。"

Thegrowthofthecity,whichmighteasilyhavemadehimamillionaire,hadruinedhimbecausehehadfailedtounderstandit。Whentownsbegintogrowtheyhavewhims,andthewhimsofatownalwaysruinsomebody。Mr。Vertreeshadbeenmoststrikinglythesomebodyinthiscase。AtaboutthetimeheboughttheLandseers,heowned,throughinheritance,anoffice—buildingandalargehousenotfarfromit,wherehespentthewinter;andhehadacountryplace——afarmoffourhundredacres——wherehewentforthesummerstothecomfortable,uglyoldhousethatwashishomenow,perforce,alltheyearround。Ifhehadknownhowtositstillandletthingshappenhewouldhaveprosperedmiraculously;but,strangelyenough,thedaintylittlemanwasoneofthefirsttofalldownandworshipBigness,thewhichproceededstraightwaytoenacttheroleofJuggernautforhisbettereducation。Hewasatrueprophetoftheprodigiousgrowth,buthehadafatalgiftforsellinggoodandbuyingbad。HeshouldhavestayedathomeandlookedathisLandseersandreadhisBulwer,buthetookhiscowtomarket,andthetrainedmilkersmilkedherdryandthenateher。Hesoldtheoffice—buildingandthehouseintowntobuyagreattractoflotsinanewsuburb;thenhesoldthefarm,exceptthehouseandthegroundaboutit,topaythetaxesonthesuburbanlotsandto"keepthemup。"Thelotsrefusedtostayup;buthehadtodosomethingtokeephimselfandhisfamilyup,soindespairhesoldthelots（whichwentupbeautifullythenextyear）for"tractionstock"thatwaspayingdividends;andthereafterheceasedtobuyandsell。ThushedisappearedaltogetherfromthecommercialsurfaceataboutthetimeJamesSheridancameoutsecurelyontop;

andSheridan,untilMrs。Vertreescalleduponhimwithher"anti—smoke"

committee,hadneverheardthename。

Mr。Vertrees,pinched,retiredtohisLandseers,andMrs。Vertrees"managedsomehow"onthedividends,though"managing"becamemoreandmoredifficultastheyearswentbyandmoneyboughtlessandless。ButtherecameadaywhenthreeservitorsofBignessinPhiladelphiatookgreedycounselwithfourfellow—worshipersfromNewYork,andnotlongafterthattherewerenomoredividendsforMr。Vertrees。Infact,therewasnothingforMr。Vertrees,becausethe"tractionstock"henceforthwasnostockatall,andhehadmortgagedhishouselongagotohelp"managesomehow"accordingtohisconceptionofhis"positioninlife"——oneofhisownold—fashionedphrases。

SixmonthsbeforethecompletionoftheNewHousenextdoor,Mr。VertreeshadsoldhishorsesandthewornVictoriaand"station—wagon,"topaythearrearsofhistwoservantsandre—establishcreditatthegrocer\'sandbutcher\'s——

andapairofelderlycarriage—horseswithsuchaccoutrementsarenotveryamplebarter,inthesedays,forsixmonths\'foodandfuelandservice。Mr。

Vertreeshaddiscovered,too,thattherewasnosalaryforhiminallthebuzzingcity——hecoulddonothing。

Itmaybesaidthathewasattheendofhisstring。Suchtimesdocomeinalltheirbitterness,finally,tothemanwithnotradeorcraft,ifhisfeebleclutchonthatslipperyghost,Property,shallfail。

Thewindowsgrewblackwhilehepacedtheroom,andsmokytwilightclosedroundaboutthehouse,yetnotmoredarklythanwhatclosedroundabouttheheartoftheanxiouslittlemanpatrollingthefan—shapedzoneoffirelight。