第6章

Bibbs\'sroom,thatneatapartmentfortransientstowhichthe"lamidal"

Georgehadshownhimuponhisreturn,stillboretheappearanceoftemporaryquarters,possiblybecauseBibbshadnoclearconceptionofhimselfasapermanentincumbent。However,hehadsetuponthemantelpiecethetwophotographsthatheowned:one,a"group"twentyyearsold——hisfatherandmother,withJimandRoscoeasboys——andtheothera"cabinet"ofEdithatsixteen。Anduponatablewerethebookshehadtakenfromhistrunk:SartorResartus,VirginibusPuerisque,HuckleberryFinn,andAfterwhiles。Thereweresomeotherbooksinthetrunk——alargeone,whichremainedunremovedatthefootofthebed,addingtothegeneralimpressionoftransiency。ItcontainednearlyallthepossessionsaswellasthesecretlifeofBibbsSheridan,andBibbssatbesideit,thedayafterhisinterviewwithhisfather,rakingoverasmallcollectionofmanuscriptsinthetoptray。Someoftheseheglancedthroughdubiously,findinglittlecomfortinthem;butonemadehimsmile。Thenheshookhisheadruefullyindeed,andruefullybegantoreadit。Itwaswrittenonpaperstamped"HoodSanitarium,"andborethetitle,"Leisure。"

Amanmaykeepaquietheartatseventymilesanhour,butnotifheisrunningthetrain。Noristhehabitofcontemplationausefulqualityinthestokerofafoundryfurnace;itwillnotbefoundtorecommendhimtotheapprobationofhissuperiors。Foraprofessionadaptedsolelytothepursuitofhappinessinthinking,Iwouldchoosethatofaninvalid:hismoneyistimeandhemayspenditonOlympus。Itwillnotsufficetobeanamateurinvalid。Tomywayofthinking,theperfectpractitionermustbetoalloutwardpurposesalreadydeadifheistobegintheperfectenjoymentoflife。Hisserenitymustnotbedisturbedbyrumorsofrecovery;hemustliesereneinhislongchairinthesunshine。Theworldmustbeontheothersideofthewall,andthewallmustbesothickandsohighthathecannotheartheroaringofthefurnacefiresandthescreamingofthewhistles。Peace——

Havingreadsofarastheword"peace,"Bibbssufferedaninterruptioninterestingasacoincidenceofcontrast。Highvoicessoundedinthehalljustoutsidehisdoor;anditbecameevidentthatawoman\'squarrelwasinprogress,thepartiestoithavingbegunitinEdith\'sroom,andcontinuingitvehementlyastheycameoutintothehall。

"Yes,youBETTERgohome！"Bibbsheardhissistervociferating,shrilly。"YoubettergohomeandkeepyourmindalittlemoreonyourHUSBAND！"

"Edie,Edie！"heheardhismotherremonstrating,aspeacemaker。

"Youseehere！"ThiswasSibyl,andhervoicewasbothacridandtremulous。

"Don\'tyoutalktomethatway！IcameheretotellMotherSheridanwhatI\'dheard,andtolethertellFatherSheridanifshethoughtsheoughtto,andI

diditforyourowngood。"

"Yes,youdid！"AndEdith\'sgibinglaughtertootedloudly。"Yes,youdid！

YOUdidn\'thaveanyotherreason！OHno！YOUdon\'twanttobreakitupbetweenBobbyLamhornandmebecause——"

"Edie,Edie！Now,now！"

"Oh,hushup,mamma！I\'dliketoknow,then,ifshesayshernewfriendstellherhe\'sgotsuchareputationthatheoughtn\'ttocomehere,whatabouthisnotgoingtoHERhouse。How——"

"I\'veexplainedthattoMotherSheridan。"Sibyl\'svoiceindicatedthatshewasdescendingthestairs。"Marriedpeoplearenotthesame。Somethingsthatshouldbeshieldedfromayounggirl——"

ThisseemedtohavenoverysoothingeffectuponEdith。"\'Shieldedfromayounggirl\'！"sheshrilled。"Youseemprettywillingtobetheshield！YoulookoutRoscoedoesn\'tnoticewhatkindofashieldyouare！"

Sibyl\'sanswerwasinaudible,butMrs。Sheridan\'sflurriedattemptsatpacificationwererenewed。"Now,Edie,Edie,shemeansitforyourgood,andyou\'doughtn\'tto——"

"Oh,hushup,mamma,andletmealone！Ifyoudaretellpapa——"

"Now,now！I\'mnotgoingtotellhimto—day,andmaybe——"

"You\'vegottopromiseNEVERtotellhim！"thegirlcried,passionately。

"Well,we\'llsee。Youjustcomebackinyourownroom,andwe\'ll——"

"No！IWON\'T\'talkitover\'！Stoppullingme！LetmeALONE！"AndEdith,flingingherselfviolentlyuponBibbs\'sdoor,jerkeditopen,swungrounditintotheroom,slammedthedoorbehindher,andthrewherself,facedown,uponthebedinsuchariotofemotionthatshehadnoperceptionofBibbs\'spresenceintheroom。Gaspingandsobbinginapassionoftears,shebeatthecoverletandpillowswithherclenchedfists。"Sneak！"shebabbledaloud。

"Sneak！Snake—in—the—grass！Cat！"

Bibbssawthatshedidnotknowhewasthere,andhewentsoftlytowardthedoor,hopingtogetawaybeforeshebecameawareofhim;butsomesoundofhismovementreachedher,andshesatup,startled,facinghim。

"Bibbs！IthoughtIsawyougooutawhileago。"

"Yes。Icameback,though。I\'msorry——"

"DidyouhearmequarrelingwithSibyl？"

"Onlywhatyousaidinthehall。Youliedownagain,Edith。I\'mgoingout。"

"No;don\'tgo。"Sheappliedahandkerchieftohereyes,emittedasob,andrepeatedherrequest。"Don\'tgo。Idon\'tmindyou;you\'requiet,anyhow。

Mamma\'ssofussy,andnevergetsanywhere。Idon\'tmindyouatall,butI

wishyou\'dsitdown。"

"Allright。"Andhereturnedtohischairbesidethetrunk。"Goaheadandcryallyouwant,Edith,"hesaid。"Noharminthat！"

"Sibyltoldmamma——OH！"shebegan,choking。"MaryVertreeshadmammaandSibylandItotea,oneafternoontwoweeksorsoago,andshehadsomewomentherethatSibyl\'sbeencrazytogetinwith,andshejustlaidherselfouttomakeahitwith\'em,andshe\'sbeenrunningafter\'emeversince,andnowshecomesoverhereandsaysTHEYsayBobbyLamhornissobadthat,eventhoughtheylikehisfamily,noneofthenicepeopleintownwouldlethimintheirhouses。Inthefirstplace,it\'safalsehood,andIdon\'tbelieveawordofit;andinthesecondplaceIknowthereasonshedidit,and,what\'smore,sheKNOWSIknowit！Iwon\'tSAYwhatitis——notyet——becausepapaandallofyouwouldthinkI\'mascrazyassheissnaky;andRoscoe\'ssuchafoolhe\'dprobablyquitspeakingtome。Butit\'strue！Justyouwatchher;

that\'sallIask。Justyouwatchthatwoman。You\'llsee！"

Asithappened,Bibbswasliterallywatching"thatwoman。"Glancingfromthewindow,hesawSibylpauseuponthepavementinfrontoftheoldhousenextdoor。Shestoodamoment,indeepthought,thenwalkedquicklyupthepathtothedoor,undoubtedlywiththeintentionofcalling。Buthedidnotmentionthistohissister,who,afterdeliveringherselfofarathervaguejeremiaduponthesubjectofhersister—in—law\'streacheries,departedtoherownchamber,leavinghimtohisspeculations。Thechiefoftheseconcernedthesocialelasticitiesofwomen。Sibylhadjustbeenaparticipantinaviolentscene;shehadsufferedhotinsultofakindthatcouldnotfailtosetherquiveringwithresentment;andyetsheelectedtobetakeherselftothepresenceofpeoplewhomsheknewnomorethan"formally。"Bibbsmarveled。Surely,hereflected,sometracesofemotionmustlingeruponSibyl\'sfaceorinhermanner;shecouldnothaveironeditallquiteoutinthethreeorfourminutesittookhertoreachtheVertreeses\'door。

Andinthishewasnotmistaken,forMaryVertreeswasatthatmomentwonderingwhatinternalexcitementMrs。RoscoeSheridanwasstrivingtomaster。ButSibylhadnoideathatshewasallowingherselftoexhibitanythingexceptthegaietywhichsheconceivedpropertothemannerofacasualcaller。Shewaswhollyintentuponfulfillingthesuddenpurposethatbroughther,andshewasnomoreself—consciousthanshewasfinelyintelligent。ForSibylSheridanbelongedtoatypeScripturalinitsantiquity。Shewasmerelytheidleandhalf—educatedintriguerwhomayanddoesdeludemen,ofcourse,andthebestanddullestofherownsexaswell,findinginvariablystrongsupportersamongtheselatter。Itisatypethathaswroughtsomedamageintheworldandwouldhavewroughtgreater,saveforthecheckputuponitspowerbyintelligentwomenandbyitsown"lackofperspective,"foritisatypethatneverseesitself。Sibylfollowedherimpulseswithnoreflectionorquestion——itwaslikeahoundonthegallopafteramasteronhorseback。Shehadnoteventheinstincttostopandconsiderhereffect。Ifshewishedtomakeacertainimpressionshebelievedthatshemadeit。Shebelievedthatshewasbelieved。

"Mymotheraskedmetosaythatshewassorryshecouldn\'tcomedown,"Marysaid,whentheywereseated。

Sibylranthescaleofacooingsimulanceoflaughter,whichshehadbeenbroughtuptoconsiderthepolitethingtodoafteraremarkaddressedtoherbyanypersonwithwhomshewasnotonfamiliarterms。Itwasintendedpartlyasacourtesyandpartlyasthefoundationforanimpressionofsweetness。

"JustthoughtI\'dflyinaminute,"shesaid,continuingthecooingtorelievethelastdoubtofhergentiality。"IthoughtI\'djustbehavelikeREALcountryneighbors。Wearealmostoutinthecountry,sofarfromdown—town,aren\'twe？AnditseemedsuchaLOVELYday！IwantedtotellyouhowmuchIenjoyedmeetingthosenicepeopleatteathatafternoon。Yousee,cominghereabrideandneverhavinglivedherebefore,I\'vehadtodependonmyhusband\'sfriendsalmostentirely,andIreally\'veknownscarcelyanybody。Mr。Sheridanhasbeensoengrossedinbusinesseversincehewasamereboy,why,ofcourse——"

Shepaused,withtheairofhavingcompletedanexplanation。

"Ofcourse,"saidMary,sympatheticallyacceptingit。

"Yes。I\'vebeenseeingquitealotoftheKittersbyssincethatafternoon,"

Sibylwenton。"They\'rereallydelightfulpeople。Indeedtheyare！Yes——"

Shestoppedwithunconsciousabruptness,hermindplainlywanderingtoanothermatter;andMaryperceivedthatshehadcomeuponadefiniteerrand。

Moreover,atensingofSibyl\'seyelids,inthatmomentofabstractionasshelookedasidefromherhostess,indicatedthattheerrandwasaseriousoneforthecallerandeasilytobeconnectedwiththeslightbutperceptibleagitationunderlyingherassumptionofcheerfulease。Therewasarestlessnesofbreathing,arestlessnessofhands。

"Mrs。Kittersbyandherdaughterwerechattingaboutsometothepeoplehereintowntheotherday,"saidSibyl,repeatingthecooingandprotractingit。

"TheysaidsomethingthattookMEbysurprise！Weweretalkingaboutourmutualfriend,Mr。RobertLamhorn——"

Maryinterruptedherpromptly。"Doyoumean\'mutual\'toincludemymotherandme？"sheasked。

"Why,yes;theKittersbysandyouandallofusSheridans,Imean。"

"No,"saidMary。"Weshouldn\'tconsiderMr。RobertLamhornafriendofours。"

Tohersurprise,Sibylnoddedeagerly,asifgreatlypleased。"That\'sjustthewayMrs。Kittersbytalked！"shecried,withavehemencethatmadeMarystare。"Yes,andIhearthat\'sthewayALLyouoldfamiliesherespeakofhim！"

Marylookedaside,butotherwiseshewasabletomaintainhercomposure。"I

hadtheimpressionhewasafriendofyours,"shesaid;adding,hastily,"andyourhusband\'s"

"Ohyes,"saidthecaller,absently。"Heis,certainly。Aman\'sreputationforalittlegaietyoughtn\'ttomakeagreatdifferencetomarriedpeople,ofcourse。It\'swhereyounggirlsareinquestion。THENitmaybevery,verydangerous。Thereareagreatmanythingssafeandproperformarriedpeoplethatmightbeawf\'lyimprudentforayounggirl。Don\'tyouagree,MissVertrees？"

"Idon\'tknow,"returnedthefrankMary。"DoyoumeanthatyouintendtoremainafriendofMr。Lamhorn\'s,butdisapproveofMissSheridan\'sdoingso？"

"That\'sitexactly！"wasthenaiveandardentresponseofSibyl。"WhatI

feelaboutitisthatamanwithhisreputationisn\'tatallsuitableforEdith,andthefamilyoughttobemadetounderstandit。Itellyou,"shecried,withasuddenaccessofvehemence,"herfatheroughttoputhisfootdown！"

Hereyesflashedwithagreenspark;somethingseemedtoleapoutandthenretreat,butnotbeforeMaryhadcaughtaglimpseofit,asonemightcatchaglimpseofathingdartingforthandthenscuttlingbackintohidingunderabush。

"Ofcourse,"saidSibyl,muchmorecomposedly,"Ihardlyneedsaythatit\'sentirelyonEdith\'saccountthatI\'mworriedaboutthis。I\'masfondofEdithasifshewasreallymysister,andIcan\'thelpfrettingaboutit。ItwouldbreakmyhearttohaveEdith\'slifespoiled。"

Thistunewasoffthekey,toMary\'sear。Sibyltriedtosingwithpathos,butsheflatted。

Andwhenaladyreceivesacallfromanotherwhosuffersunderthestressofsomefeelingwhichshewishestoconceal,thereisnotuncommonlydevelopedaphenomenonofdualitycomparabletotheeffectobtainedbyplacingtwomirrorsoppositeeachother,oneclearandtheotherflawed。Inthiscase,particularly,SibylhadanimperfectconsciousnessofMary。TheMaryVertreesthatshesawwasmerelysomethingtobecozenedtoherownfranticpurpose——aMaryVertreeswhowasincapableofpenetratingthatpurpose。

Sibylsattherebelievingthatshewasprojectingtheimageofherselfthatshedesiredtoproject,neverdreamingthatwitheveryword,everylook,andeverygestureshewasmoreandmorefullydisclosingthepitiabletruthtothecleareyesofMary。AndtheSibylthatMarysawwasanoverdressedwoman,inmannerhalfrustic,andinmindasshallowasapan,butpossessedbyemotionsthatappearedtobestrong——perhapsevenviolent。WhatthoseemotionswereMaryhadnotguessed,butshebegantosuspect。

"AndEdith\'slifeWOULDbespoiled,"Sibylcontinued。"Itwouldbeadreadfulthingforthewholefamily。She\'stheveryappleofFatherSheridan\'seye,andhe\'sasproudofherasheisofJimandRoscoe。ItwouldbeahorriblethingforhimtohavehermarryamanlikeRobertLamhorn;buthedoesn\'tKNOWanythingabouthim,andifsomebodydoesn\'ttellhim,whatI\'mmostafraidofisthatEdithmightgethisconsentandhurryontheweddingbeforehefindsout,andthenitwouldbetoolate。Yousee,MissVertrees,it\'sverydifficultformetodecidejustwhatit\'smydutytodo。"

"Isee,"saidMary,lookingatherthoughtfully,"DoesMissSheridanseemto——tocareverymuchabouthim？"

"He\'sdeliberatelyfascinatedher,"returnedthevisitor,beginningtobreathequicklyandheavily。"Oh,shewasn\'tdifficult！Sheknewshewasn\'tinrightinthistown,andshewascrazytomeetthepeoplethatwere,andshethoughthewasoneof\'em。Butthatwasonlythestartthatmadeiteasyforhim——andhedidn\'tneedit。Hecouldhavedoneit,anyway！"Sibylwaslaunchednow;hereyeswerefuriousandhervoiceshook。"Hewentafterherdeliberately,thewayhedoeseverything;he\'sascold—bloodedasafish。

Allhecaresaboutishisownpleasure,andlatelyhe\'sdecideditwouldbepleasanttogetholdofapieceofrealmoney——andtherewasEdith！Andhe\'llmarryher！Nothingonearthcanstophimunlesshefindsoutshewon\'tHAVEanymoneyifshemarrieshim,andtheonlypersonthatcouldmakehimunderstandthatisFatherSheridan。Somehow,that\'sgottobemanaged,becauseLamhornisgoingtohurryitonasfastashecan。Hetoldmesolastnight。Hesaidhewasgoingtomarryherthefirstminutehecouldpersuadehertoit——andlittleEdith\'sallreadytobepersuaded！"Sibyl\'seyesflashedgreenagain。"Andhesworehe\'ddoit,"shepanted。"Hesworehe\'dmarryEdithSheridan,andnothingonearthcouldstophim！"

AndthenMaryunderstood。Herlipspartedandshestaredatthebabblingcreatureincredulously,asuddenvividpictureinhermind,acanvasofunconsciousSibyl\'spainting。Marybehelditwithpityandhorror:shesawSibylclingingtoRobertLamhorn,raging,inawhisper,perhaps——forRoscoemighthavebeeninthehouse,orservantsmighthavehead。ShesawSibylentreating,beseeching,threateningdespairingly,andLamhorn——tiredofher——firstevasive,thenbrutallylettingherhavethetruth;andatlast,infuriated,"swearing"tomarryherrival。IfSibylhadnotbabbledouttheword"swore"itmighthavebeenlessplain。

Thepoorwomanblunderedon,whollyunawareofwhathehadconfessed。"Yousee,"shesaid,morequietly,"whatever\'sgoingtobedoneoughttodonerightaway。IwentoverandtoldMotherSheridanwhatI\'dheardaboutLamhorn——oh,Iwasopenandaboveboard！ItoldherrightbeforeEdith。I

thinkitoughtalltobedonewithperfectfrankness,becausenobodycansayitisn\'tforthegirl\'sowngoodandwhatherbestfriendwoulddo。ButMotherSheridan\'sunderEdith\'sthumb,andshe\'safraidtoevercomerightoutwithanything。FatherSheridan\'sdifferent。Edithcangetanythingshewantsoutofhiminthewayofmoneyorordinaryindulgence,butwhenitcomestoamatterlikethishe\'dbeasteelrock。Ifit\'saquestionofhiswillagainstanybodyelse\'she\'dmakehiswillruleifitkilled\'emboth！

Now,he\'dneverintheworldletLamhorncomenearthehouseagainifheknewhisreputation。So,yousee,somebody\'sgottotellhim。Itisn\'taveryeasypositionforme,isit,MissVertrees？"

"No,"saidMary,gravely。

"Well,tobefrank,"saidSibyl,smiling,"that\'swhyI\'vecometoyou。"

"ToME！"Maryfrowned。

Sibylrippledandcooedagain。"Thereisn\'tANYBODYevenmadesuchahitwithFatherSheridaninhislifeasyouhave。AndofcourseweALLhopeyou\'renotgoingtobeexactlyanoutsiderintheaffairsofthefamily！"

（Thissallywithanotherandloudereffectoflaughter。）"Andifit\'sMY

duty,why,inaway,Ithinkitmightbethoughtyours,too。"

"No,no！"exclaimedMary,sharply。

"Listen,"saidSibyl。"NowsupposeIgotoFatherSheridanwiththisstory,andEdithsaysit\'snottrue;supposeshesaysLamhornhasagoodreputationandthatI\'mrepeatingirresponsiblegossip,orsuppose（what\'smostlikely）

sheloseshertemperandsaysIinventedit,thenwhatamIgoingtodo？

FatherSheridandoesn\'tknowMrs。Kittersbyandherdaughter,andthey\'reoutofthequestion,anyway。ButsupposeIcouldsay:\'Allright,ifyouwantproof,askMissVertrees。Shecamewithme,andshe\'swaitinginthenextroomrightnow,to——"

"No,no,"saidMary,quickly。"Youmustn\'t——"

"Listenjustaminutemore,"Sibylurged,confidingly。Shewasoneasygroundnow,toherownmind,andhadnodoubtofhersuccess。"Younaturallydon\'twanttobeginbytakingpartinafamilyquarrel,butifYOUtakepartinit,itwon\'tbeone。Youdon\'tknowyourselfwhatweightyoucarryoverthere,andnoonewouldhavetherighttosayyoudiditexceptoutofthepurestkindness。Don\'tyouseethatJimandhisfatherwouldadmireyouallthemoreforit？MissVertrees,listen！Don\'tyouseeweOUGHTtodoit,youandI？DoyousupposeRobertLamhorncaresasnapofhisfingerforher？

DoyousupposeamanlikehimwouldLOOKatEdithSheridanifitwasn\'tforthemoney？"AndagainSibyl\'semotionrosetothesurface。"Itellyouhe\'safternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman\'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！He\'dmarryANYBODYtodoit。MarryEdith？"shecried。"Itellyouhe\'dmarrytheirniggercookforTHAT！"

Shestopped,afraid——atthewrongtime——thatshehadbeentoovehement,butaglaceatMaryreassuredher,andSibyldecidedthatshehadproducedtheeffectshewished。Marywasnotlookingather;shewasstaringstraightbeforeheratthewall,hereyeswideandshining。ShebecamevisiblyalittlepalerasSibyllookedather。

"Afternothingonearthbuttogethisfingerinthatoldman\'smoney—pile,overthere,nextdoor！"Thevoicewasvulgar,thewordswerevulgar——andtheplaintruthwasvulgar！HowitranginMaryVertrees\'sears！Theclearmirrorhadcaughtitsownimageclearlyintheflawedoneatlast。

Sibylputforthherbestbidtoclenchthematter。Sheofferedherbargain。

"Nowdon\'tyouworry,"shesaid,sunnily,"aboutthissettingEdithagainstyou。She\'llgetoveritafterawhile,anyway,butifshetriedtobespitefulandmakeituncomfortableforyouwhenyoudropinoverthere,ormanagedsoastosortofleaveyouout,why,I\'vegotahouse,andJimlikestocomethere。Idon\'tTHINKEdithWOULDbethatway;she\'stoocrazytohaveyoutakeheraroundwiththesmartcrowd,butifsheDID,youneedn\'tworry。Andanotherthing——Iguessyouwon\'tmindJim\'sownsister—in—lawspeakingofit。Ofcourse,Idon\'tknowjusthowmattersstandbetweenyouandJim,butJimandRoscoeareaboutasmuchalikeastwobrotherscanbe,andRoscoewasveryslowmakinguphismind;sometimesIusedtothinkheactuallyneverWOULD。Now,whatImeanis,sisters—in—lawcandolotsofthingstohelpmattersonlikethat。There\'slotsoflittlethingscanbesaid,andlots——"

Shestopped,puzzled。MaryVertreeshadgonefrompaletoscarlet,andnow,stillscarletindeed,sherose,withoutawordofexplanation,oranyotherkindofword,andwalkedslowlytotheopendoorandoutoftheroom。

Sibylwasalittletakenaback。ShesupposedMaryhadrememberedsomethingneglectedandnecessaryfortheinstructionofaservant,andthatshewouldreturninamoment;butitwasratherarudeexcessofabsent—mindednessnottohaveexcusedherself,especiallyasherguestwastalking。And,Mary\'sreturnbeingdelayed,Sibylfoundtimetothinkthisunprefacedexitodderandruderthanshehadfirstconsideredit。Theremighthavebeenmoreexcuseforit,shethought,hadshebeenspeakingofmatterslessimportant——offeringtodothegirlallthekindnessinherpower,too！

Sibylyawnedandswunghermuffimpatiently;sheexaminedthesoleofhershow;shedecidedonanewshapeofheel;shemadeaninventoryofthefurnitureoftheroom,oftherugs,ofthewall—paperandengravings。Thenshelookedatherwatchandfrowned;wenttoawindowandstoodlookingoutuponthebrownlawn,thencamebacktothechairshehadabandoned,andsatagain。Therewasnosoundinthehouse。

Astrangeexpressionbeganimperceptiblytoaltertheplanesofherface,andslowlyshegrewasscarletasMary——scarlettotheears。Shelookedatherwatchagain——andtwenty—fiveminuteshadelapsedsinceshehadlookedatitbefore。

Shewentintothehall,glancedoverhershoulderoddly;thensheletherselfsoftlyoutofthefrontdoor,andwentacrossthestreettoherownhouse。

Roscoemetheruponthethreshold,gloomily。"Sawyoufromthewindow,"heexplained。"Youmustfindalottosaytothatoldlady。"

"Whatoldlady？"

"Mrs。Vertrees。Ibeenwaitingforyoualongtime,andIsawthedaughtercomeout,fifteenminutesago,andpostaletter,andthenwalkonupthestreet。Don\'tstandoutontheporch,"hesaid,crossly。"Comeinhere。

There\'ssomethingit\'scometimeI\'llhavetotalktoyouabout。Comein！"

Butasshewasmovingtoobeyheglancedacrossathisfather\'shouseandstarted。Heliftedhishandtoshieldhiseyesfromthesettingsun,staringfixedly。"Something\'sthematteroverthere,"hemuttered,andthen,moreloudly,asalarmcameintohisvoice,hesaid,"What\'sthematteroverthere？"

Bibbsdashedoutofthegateinanautomobilesetatitshightestspeed,andashesawRoscoehemadeagenturesingularlyeloquentofcalamity,andwaslostatonceinacloudofdustdownthestreet。Edithhadfollowedpartofthewaydownthedrive,anditcouldbeseenthatshewascryingbitterly。

SheliftedbotharmstoRoscoe,summoninghim。

"ByGeorge！"gaspedRoscoe。"Ibelievesomebody\'sdead！"

AndhestartedfortheNewHouseatarun。

Sheridanhaddecidedtoconcludehisday\'sworkearlythatafternoon,andatabouttwoo\'clockhelefthisofficewithamanofaffairsfromforeignparts,whohadtraveledfarforabusinessconferencewithSheridanandhiscolleagues。HerrFavre,inspiteofhisFrenchname,wasagentlemanofBavaria。Itwashisfirstvisittoourcountry,andSheridantookpleasureinshowinghimthesightsofthecountry\'sfinestcity。TheygotintoanopencaratthemainentranceoftheSheridanBuilding,andweredrivenfirst,slowlyandmomentously,throughthewholesaledistrictandtheretaildistrict;thenmorerapidlytheyinspectedthepacking—housesandthestock—yards;thenskirmishedoverthe"parksystem"and"boulevards";andafterthatwhizzedthroughthe"residencesection"ontheirwaytothefactoriesandfoundries。

"Allcray,"observedHerrFavre,smilingly。

"\'Cray\'？"echoedSheridan。"Idon\'tknowwhatyoumean。\'Cray\'？"

"Nowhite,"saidHerrFavre,withawaveofhishandtowardthelongrowsofhousesonbothsidesofthestreet。"Nowhitelacewindow—curtains;allcraylacewindow—curtains。"

"Oh。Isee！"Sheridanlaughedindulgently。"Youmean\'GRAY。\'No,theyain\'t,they\'rewhite。Ineversawanygrayones。"

HerrFavreshookhishead,muchamused。"ThereareNOwhiteones,"hesaid。

"ThereisnowhiteANYTHINGinyourcity;nowhitewindow—curtains,nowhitehouse,nowhitepeeble！"Hepointedupward。"Smoke！"Thenhesniffedtheairandclaspedhisnosebetweenforefingerandthumb。"Smoke！Smokeef\'rywhere。Smokeinyourinsites。"Hetappedhischest。"Smokeinyourlunks！"

"Oh！SMOKE！"Sheridancriedwithgusto,drawinginadeepbreathandpatentlyfindingitdelicious。"YouBETwegotsmoke！"

"Exbensif！"saidHerrFavre。"Ruinsfoliage;ruinsfabrics。Maybeinsummeritissnotsobad,butIwonderyourwifeswillbearit。"

Sheridanlaugheduproariously。"Theyknowitmeansnewspringhatsfor\'em！"

"Theymustneedmany,too！"saidthevistior。"Newhats,newallthings,butnothingwhite。InMunchenwecouldnotdoit;weareasafingpeeble。"

"Where\'sthat？"

"InMunchen。Yousay\'Munich。\'"

"Well,IneverbeentoMunich,butItookintheMediterraneantrip,andI

tellyou,outsideo\'somerightgoodscenery,allIsawwasmightydirtyandmightyshiftlessandmightyrun—downattheheel。Nowcomin\'rightdownTO

it,Mr。Farver,wouldn\'tyouratherlivehereinthistownthaninMunich？I

knowyougotmoreenterpriseuptherethanthepartoftheoldcountryIsaw,andIknowYOU\'REalivebusinessmanandyou\'reassociatedwithotherslikeyou,butwhenitcomestoLIVIN\'inaplace,wouldn\'tyouheapratherbeherethanoverthere？"

"Forme,"saidHerrFavre,"no。HereIshouldnotthinkIwasliving。Itwouldbeliketheminerwhogoesintotheminetowork;nothingelse。"

"Wegotagoodmanygoodcitizensherefromyourparto\'theworld。THEY

likeit。"

"Ohyes。"AndHerrFavrelaugheddeprecatingly。"Thefirstgeneration,theybringtheirGermanywiththem;then,afterthat,theyareAmericans,likeyou。"Hetappedhishost\'sbigkneegenially。"Youarepatriot;soarethey。"

"Well,Ireckonyoumustbeaprettyhotlittlepatriotyourself,Mr。

Farver！"Sheridanexclaimed,gaily。"Youcertainlystandupforyourowntown,ifyousticktosayin\'you\'dratherlivetherethanyouwouldhere。

Yes,SIR！YousurearesomepatriottosayTHAT——afteryou\'veseenourcity！

Itain\'treasonableinyou,butImustsayIkindofadmireyouforit;everymanoughttostickupforhisown,evenwhenheseestheotherfellow\'sgotthegoodsonhim。YetIexpectwaydowndeepinyourheart,Mr。Farver,you\'dratherliverightherethananyplaceelseintheworld,ifyouhadyourchoice。Manalive！thisisGod\'scountry,Mr。Farver,andablindmancouldn\'thelpseein\'it！Youcouldn\'tstandwhereyoudoinabusinesswayandNOTseeit。Soho,boy！Hereweare。Thisisthebigworks,andI\'llshowyousomethingnowthat\'llmakeyoureyesstickout！"