第7章

TheyhadarrivedatthePumpWorks;andforanhourMr。Favrewaspersonallyconductedandpersonallyinstructedbythefounderandpresident,thebuzzingqueenbeeofthosebuzzinghives。

"NowI\'lltakeyouforaspininthecountry,"saidSheridan,whenatlasttheycameouttothecaragain。"We\'lltakeabreezer。"But,withhisfootonthestep,hepausedtohailaneatyoungmanwhocameoutoftheofficesmilingagreeting。"Hello,youngfellow！"Sheridansaid,heartily。"Onthejob,areyou,Jimmie？Ha！Theydon\'tcatchyouOFFofitveryoften,I

guess,thoughIdohearyougoautomobile—ridin\'inthecountrysometimeswithamightyfine—lookin\'girlsettin\'upbesideyou！"Heroaredwithlaughter,clappinghissonupontheshoulder。"That\'sallrightwithme——ifitiswithHER！So,Jimmie？Well,whenwegoin\'tomoveintoyournewwarehouses？Monday？"

"Sunday,ifyouwantto,"saidJim。

"No！"criedhisfather,delighted。"Don\'ttellmeyou\'regoin\'tokeepyourwordaboutdates！That\'snowaytodocontractin\'！Neverheardofacontractoryetdidn\'twantmoretime。"

"They\'llbeallreadyforyouontheminute,"saidJim。"I\'mgoingoverbothof\'emnow,withLinksandSherman,fromfoundationtoroof。Iguessthey\'llpassinspection,too！"

"Well,then,whenyougetthroughwiththat,"saidhisfather,"yougoandtakeyourgirloutridin\'。ByGeorge！you\'veearnedit！YoutellheryoustandhighwithME！"Hesteppedintothecar,wavingawaggishfarewell,andwhenthewheelswereinmotionagain,heturneduponhiscompanionabroadfaceliterallyshiningwithpride。"That\'smyboyJimmie！"hesaid。

"Fineyoungman,yes,"saidHerrFavre。

"Igottwoo\'thefinestboys,"saidSheridan,"Igottwoo\'thefinestboysGodevermade,andthat\'safact,Mr。Farver！Jim\'stheoldest,andItellyoutheygottogetupthedaybeforeiftheyexpecttocatchHIMinbed！Myotherboy,Roscoe,he\'salwaystothegood,too,butJim\'sawizard。Yousawthemtwonew—processwarehouses,justaboutfinished？Well,JIMbuilt\'em。

I\'lltellyouaboutthat,Mr。Farver。"Andherecitedthishistory,describingthenewprocessatlength;infact,hehadsuchprideinJim\'sachievementthathetoldHerrFavreallaboutitmorethanonce。

"Fineyoungman,yes,"repeatedthegoodMunchner,three—quartersofanhourlater。Theyweremanymilesoutintheopencountrybythistime。

"Heisthat！"saidSheridan,adding,asifconfidentially:"Igotafinefamily,Mr。Farver——finechuldern。Igotadaughternow;youtakeherandputheranywhereyouplease,andshe\'llshineupwithANYof\'em。There\'scultureandrefinementandsocietyinthistownbythecar—load,andherelatelyshe\'sbeengettin\'rightinthethickofit——herandmydaughter—in—law,both。Igotamightyfinedaughter—in—law,Mr。Farver。I\'mgoin\'togetyouupforamealwithusbeforeyouleavetown,andyou\'llsee——and,well,sir,fromallIhearthetwoof\'embeenholdin\'theirownwiththebest。Myself,Iandthewifeneverhadtimeformucho\'thatkindo\'doin\'s,butit\'sallrightandgoodforthechuldern;andmydaughtershe\'salwayskindoftakentoit。I\'llreadyouapoemshewrotewhenIgetyouupatthehouse。Shewroteitinschoolandtookthefirstprizeforpoetrywithit。Itellyoutheydon\'tmake\'emanysmarter\'nthatgirl,Mr。

Farver。Yes,sir;takeusallround,we\'reaprettyhappyfamily;yes,sir。

Roscoehasn\'tgotanychuldernyet,andIhaven\'teverspoketohimandhiswifeaboutit——it\'skindofadelicatematter——butit\'sabouttimethewifeandIsawsomegran\'—chulderngrowin\'uparoundus。Icertainlydohankerforaboutfourorfivelittlecurly—headedrascalstotakeonmyknee。Boys,Ihope,o\'course;that\'sonlynatural。Jim\'sgothiseyeonamightysplendid—lookin\'girl;livesrightnextdoortous。Iexpectyouheardmejoshin\'himaboutitbackyonder。She\'soneoftheoleblue—bloodshere,andIguessitwasamightygoodstock——toraiseHER！She\'sonethesegirlsthatstandtightupandlookatyou！Andpretty？She\'stheprettiestthingyoueversaw！Goodsize,too;goodhealthandgoodsense。Jim\'llbejustrightifhegetsher。ImustsayitticklesMEtothinko\'thewaythatboytookaholdo\'thatjobbackyonder。Fourmonthsandahalf！Yes,sir——"

Heexpandedthisthemeoncemore;andthushecontinuedtoentertainthestrangerthroughoutthelongdrive。Darknesshadfallenbeforetheyreachedthecityontheirreturn,anditwasafterfivewhenSheridanallowedHerrFavretodescendatthedoorofhishotel,whereboyswereshriekingextraeditionsoftheeveningpaper。

"Now,goodnight,Mr。Farver,"saidSheridan,leaningfromthecartoshakehandswithhisguest。"Don\'tforgetI\'mgoin\'tocomearoundandtakeyouupto——Goonaway,boy！"

Anewsboyhadthrusthimselfalmostbetweenthem,yelling,"Extry！Secon\'

Extry。Extry,allaboutthehorrableacciDENT。Extry！"

"Getout！"laughedSheridan。"Whowantstoreadaboutaccidents？Getout！"

Theboymovedawayphilosophically。"Extry！Extry！"heshrilled。"Threemenkilled！Extry！Millionairekilled！Twoothermenkilled！Extry！

Extry！"

"Don\'tforget,Mr。Farver。"Sheridancompletedhisinterruptedfarewells。

"I\'llcomebytotakeyouuptoourhousefordinner。I\'llbehereforyouabouthalf—pastfiveto—morrowafternoon。Hopeyou\'njoyedthedrivemuchasIhave。Goodnight——goodnight！"Heleanedback,speakingtothechauffer。

"NowyoucantakemearoundtotheCentralCitybarber—shop,boy。Iwanttogetashave\'foreIgouphome。"

"Extry！Extry！"screamedthenewsboys,zig—zaggingamongthecrowdslikebatsinthedusk。"Extry！AllaboutthehorrableacciDENT！Extry！"ItstruckSheridanthatthepaperssentouttoomany"Extras";theyprinted"Extras"forallsortsofpettycrimesandcasualties。Itwasamistake,hedecided,critically。Crying"Wolf！"toooftenwouldn\'tsellthegoods;itwasbadbusiness。Thepaperswould"makemoreinthelongrun,"hewassure,iftheypublishedan"Extra"onlywhensomethingofrealimportancehappened。

"Extry！Allaboutthehor\'bleAX\'nt！Extry！"aboysquawkedunderhisnose,ashedescendedfromthecar。

"Goonaway！"saidSheridan,gruffly,thoughhesmiled。Helikedtoseetheyoungstersworkingsonoisilytogetonintheworld。

Butashecrossedthepavementtothebrilliantglassdoorsofthebarber—shop,asecondnewsboygraspedthearmoftheonewhohadthuscriedhiswares。

"Say,Yallern,"saidthissecond,hoarsewithawe,"\'n\'tchewknowwhothatIS？"

"Who？"

"It\'sSHERIDAN！"

"Jeest！"criedthefirst,staringinsanely。

Ataboutthesamehour,fourtimesaweek——Monday,Wednesday,Friday,andSaturday——Sheridanstoppedatthisshoptobeshavedbytheheadbarber。Thebarberswerenegroes,hewastheirgreatman,anditwastheirhabittogivehima"reception,"hisentrancebeingalwaysthesignalforaflurryofjocularhospitality,followedbygeneralexcessesofbrisknessandgaiety。

Butitwasnotsothisevening。

Theshopwascrowded。Copiesofthe"Extra"werebeingreadbymenwaiting,andbymeninthelatterstagesoftreatment。"Extras"layuponvacantseatsandshowedfromthepocketsofhangingcoats。

Therewasaloudchatterbetweenthepractitionersandtheirrecumbentpatients,avocalcharivariwhichstoppedabruptlyasSheridanopenedthedoor。Hisnameseemedtofizzintheairlikethelastsputteringofafirework;thebarbersstoppedshavingandclipping;latheredmenturnedtheirprostrateheadstostare,andtherewasamomentofamazingsilenceintheshop。

Theheadbarber,nearestthedoor,stoodlikeabarberinatableau。Hislefthandheldstretchedbetweenthumbandforefingeranelasticsectionofhishelplesscustomer\'scheek,whilehisrighthandhungpoisedaboveit,therazormotionless。Andthen,rousedfromtrancebythedoor\'sclosing,heacceptedthefactofSheridan\'spresence。Thebarberrememberedthattherearenocircumstancesinlife——orjustafterit——underwhichamandoesnotneedtobeshaved。

Hesteppedforward,profoundlygraave。"Ibethroughwiththismaninthechaironeminute,Mist\'Sheridan,"hesaid,inahushedtone。"Yessuh。"Andofasolemnnegroyouthwhostoodby,gazingstupidly,"Yougoin\'RESIGN？"hedemandedinafierceundertone。"Yougoin\'takeMist\'Sheridan\'scoat？"Hesentanangrylookroundtheshop,andthebarbers,takinghismeaning,avertedtheireyesandfelltowork,themurmurofsubduedconversationbuzzingfromchairtochair。

"YousitdownONEminute,Mist\'Sheridan,"saidtheheadbarber,gently。"I

fixnicechairfo\'youtowaitin。"

"Nevermind,"saidSheridan。"Goongetthroughwithyourman。"

"Yessuh。"Andhewentquicklybacktohischairontiptoe,followedbySheridan\'spuzzledgaze。

Somethinghadgonewrongintheshop,evidently。Sheridandidnotknowwhattomakeofit。Ordinarilyhewouldhaveshoutedahilariousdemandforthemeaningofthemystery,butaninexplicablesilencehadbeenimposeduponhimbythehushthatfelluponhisentranceandbytheoddlookeverymanintheshophadbentuponhim。

Vaguelydisquieted,hewalkedtooneoftheseatsintherearoftheshop,andlookedupanddownthetwolinesofbarbers,catchingquicklyshifted,furtiveglanceshereandthere。Hemadethisbriefsurveyafterwonderingifoneofthebarbershaddiedsuddenly,thatday,orthenightbefore;buttherewasnovacancyineitherline。

Theseatnexttohiswasunoccupied,butsomeonehadleftacopyofthe"Extra"there,and,frowning,hepickeditupandglancedatit。Thefirstoftheswollendisplaylineshadlittlemeaningtohim:FatallyFaulty。

NewProcessRoofCollapsesHurlingCapitalisttoDeathwithInventor。SevenEscapeWhenCrashComes。DeathClaims——

Thusfarhadhereadwhenathinhandfelluponthepaper,coveringtheprintfromhiseyes;and,lookingup,hesawBibbsstandingbeforehim,paleandgentle,immeasurablycompassionate。

"I\'vecomeforyou,father,"saidBibbs。"Here\'stheboywithyourcoatandhat。Putthemonandcomehome。"

AndeventhenSheridandidnotunderstand。Sosecurewasheinthestrengthandbignessofeverythingthatwashis,hedidnotknowwhatcalamityhadbefallenhim。Buthewasfrightened。

Withoutaword,hefollowedBibbsheavilyoutthroughtthestillshop,butastheyreachedthepavementhestoppedshortand,graspinghisson\'ssleevewithshakingfingers,swunghimroundsothattheystoodfacetoface。

"What——what——"Hismouthcouldnotdohimtheserviceheaskedofit,hewassofrightened。

"Extry！"screamedanewsboystraightinhisface。"YoungNorthSidemillionaireinsuntlykilled！Extry！"

"Not——JIM！"saidSheridan。

Bibbscaughthisfather\'shandinhisown。

"AndYOUcometotellmethat？"

Sheridandidnotknowwhathesaid。Butinthosefirstwordsandinthefirstanguishofthebig,strickenfaceBibbsunderstoodtheunutteredcryofaccusation:

"Whywasn\'tityou？"

Standingintheblackgroupundergaunttreesatthecemetery,threedayslater,Bibbsunwillinglyletanold,oldthoughtbecomedefiniteinhismind:

thesicklybrotherhadburiedthestrongbrother,andBibbswonderedhowmanymilliontimesthathadhappenedsincemenfirstmadeawordtonamethesonsofonemother。Almostliterallyhehadburiedhisstrongbrother,forSheridanhadgonetopieceswhenhesawhisdeadson。Hehadnothingtohelphimmeettheshock,neitherdefinitereligionnor"philosophy"definiteorindefinite。Hecouldonlybeathisforeheadandbeg,overandover,tobekilledwithanax,whilehiswifewashelplessexcepttoentreathimnotto"takeon,"herselfaddingacontinuouslamentation。Edith,weeping,madetrucewithSibylandsawtoitthatthemourninggarmentswerebeyondcriticism。Roscoewasdazed,andheshirked,justifyinghimselfcuriouslybesayinghe"neverhadanyexperienceinsuchmatters。"SoitwasBibbs,theshyoutsider,whobecame,duringthisdreadfullittletime,themasterofthehouse;forasstrangeathingasthat,sometimes,maybetheresultofadeath。Hemettherelativesfromoutoftownatthestation;hesetthetimeforthefuneralandthetimeformeals;heselectedtheflowersandheselectedJim\'scoffin;hedidallthegrimthingsandalltheotherthings。

JimhadbelongedtoanorderofKnights,wholengthenedtheriteswithapicturesqueceremonyoftheirown,andatfirstBibbswishedtoavoidthis,butuponreflectionheofferednoobjection——hedivinedthattheKnightsandtheirservicewouldbenotpreciselyaconsolation,butasatisfactiontohisfather。SotheKnightsledtheprocession,withtheirbandplayingadirgepartofthelongwaytothecemetery;andthenturnedback,afterformingintwolines,plumedhatssympatheticallyinhand,toletthehearseandthecarriagespassbetween。

"Mightyfine—lookin\'men,"saidSheridan,brokenly。"Theyall——alllikedhim。Hewas——"Hisbreathcaughtinasobandchokedhim。"Hewas——aGrandSupremeHerald。"

Bibbshaddivinedaright。

"Dusttodust,"saidtheminister,underthegaunttrees;andatthatSheridanshookconvulsivelyfromheadtofoot。Alloftheblackgroupshivered,execptBibbs,whenitcameto"Dusttodust。"Bibbsstoodpassive,forhewastheonlyoneofthemwhohadknownthatthoughtasafamiliarneighbor;hehadbeencloseupondusthimselfforalong,longtime,andevennowhecouldprophesynoprotractedseparationbetweenhimselfanddust。Themachine—shophadbroughthimveryclose,andifhehadtogobackitwouldprobablybringhimcloserstill;soclose——asDr。Gurneypredicted——thatnoonewouldbeabletotellthedifferencebetweendustandhimself。AndSheridan,ifBibbsreadhimtruly,wouldbeallthemoredeterminedto"makeaman"ofhim,nowthattherewasamanlessinthefamily。ToBibbs\'sknowledge,nooneandnothinghadeverpreventedhisfatherfromcarryingthroughhisplans,oncehehaddetermineduponthem;andSheridanwasincapableofbelievingthatanyplanofhiswouldnotworkoutaccordingtohiscalculations。Hisnatureunfittedhimtoacceptfailure。Hehadthegiftofterriblepersistence,andwithunfleckedconfidencethathiswaywastheonlywayhewouldholdtothatwayof"makingaman"ofBibbs,whounderstoodverywell,inhispassiveandimpersonalfashion,thatitwasawaywhichmightmake,notaman,butdustofhim。Buthehadnoshudderforthethought。

Hehadnoshudderforthatthoughtorforanyotherthought。ThetruthaboutBibbswasinthepoemwhichEdithhadadopted:hehadsothoroughlyformedtheover—sensitivehabitofhidinghisfeelingsthatnodoubthehadforgotten——bythistime——wherehehadputsomeofthem,especiallythosewhichconcernedhimself。Buthehadnothiddenhisfeelingsabouthisfatherwheretheycouldnotbefound。Hewasstrangetohisfather,buthisfatherwasnotstrangetohim。HeknewthatSheridan\'splanswereconceivedinthestubbornbeliefthattheywouldbringaboutagoodthingforBibbshimself;

andwhatevertheresultwastobe,thesonhadnobitterness。Farotherwise,forashelookedatthebig,woefulfigure,shakingandtortured,analmostunbearablepitylaidhandsuponBibbs\'sthroat。Roscoestoodblinking,hislipquivering;Edithweptaudibly;Mrs。Sheridanleanedinhalfcollapseagainstherhusband;butBibbsknewthathisfatherwastheonewhocared。

Itwasover。Meninoverallssteppedforwardwiththeirshovels,andBibbsnoddedquicklytoRoscoe,makingaslightgesturetowardthelineofwaitingcarriages。Roscoeunderstood——Bibbswouldstayandseethegravefilled;therestweretogo。Thegroupsbegantomoveawayovertheturf;wheelscreakedonthegraveleddrive;andonebyonethecarriagesfilledanddeparted,thehorsessettingoffatawalk。Bibbsgazedsteadfastlyattheworkmen;heknewthathisfatherkeptlookingbackashewenttowardthecarriage,andthatwasathinghedidnotwanttosee。Butafteralittlewhiletherewerenosoundsofwheelsorhoofsonthegravel,andBibbs,glancingup,sawthateveryonehadgone。Acoupehadbeenleftforhim,thedriverdozingpatiently。

Theworkmenplacedtheflowersandwreathsuponthemoundandaboutit,andBibbsalteredthepositionofoneortwoofthese,thenstoodlookingthoughtfullyatthegrotesquebrilliancyofthatfestal—seeminghillockbeneaththedarkeningNovembersky。"It\'stoobad！"hehalfwhispered,hislipsformingthewords——andhismeaningwasthatitwastoobadthatthestrongbrotherhadbeentheonetogo。ForthiswashislastthoughtbeforehewalkedtothecoupeandsawMaryVertreesstanding,allalone,ontheothersideofthedrive。

Shehadjustemergedfromagroveofleaflesstreesthatgrewonaslopewherethetombsweremany;andbehindherroseamultitudeofthebarbaricandclassicshapeswesostrangelystrewaboutourgraveyards:urn—crownedcolumnsandstone—drapedobelisks,shop—carvedangelsandshop—carvedchildrenpoisingonpillarsandshafts,alllifting——inunthoughtpathos——theirblindstoninesstowardthesky。Againstsuchabackground,Bibbswasnotincongruous,withhisfigure,inblack,solongandslender,andhisfacesolongandthinandwhite;norwastheundertaker\'scoupeoutofkeeping,withtheshabbydriverdozingontheboxandtheshaggyhorsesstandingpatientlyinattitudeswithouthopeandwithoutregret。ButforMaryVertrees,herewasagrotesquesetting——shewasavivid,livingcreatureofabeautifulworld。Andagraveyardisnottheplaceforpeopletolookcharming。

Shealsolookedstartledandconfused,butnotmorestartledandconfusedthanBibbs。In"Edith\'s"poemhehaddeclaredhisintentionofhidinghisheart"amongthestars";andinhisboyhoodonedayhehadsuccessfullyhiddenhisbodyinthecoal—pile。Hehadbeennocomradeofotherboysorofgirls,andhisacquaintancesofarecentperiodwereonlyafewfellow—invalidsandthenursesattheHoodSanitarium。AllhislifeBibbshadkepthimselftohimself——hewasbutashyonlookerintheworld。

Nevertheless,thestartledgazehebentupontheunexpectedladybeforehimhadcausesotherthanhisshynessandherunexpectedness。ForMaryVertreeshadbeenashiningfigureinthelittleworldoflategiventotheviewofthishumbleandelusiveoutsider,andspectatorssometimesfindtheirheartsbeatingfasterthanthoseoftheactorsinthespectacle。ThuswithBibbsnow。Hestartedandstared;heliftedhishatwithincredibleawkwardness,hisfingersfumblingathisforeheadbeforetheyfoundthebrim。

"Mr。Sheridan,"saidMary,"I\'mafraidyou\'llhavetotakemehomewithyou。

I——"Shestopped,notlackingamomentaryawkwardnessofherown。

"Why——why——yes,"Bibbsstammered。"I\'ll——I\'llbede——Won\'tyougetin？"

Inthatmannerandinthatplacetheyexchangedtheirfirstwords。ThenMarywithourmoreadogotintothecoupe,andBibbsfollowed,closingthedoor。

"You\'reverykind,"shesaid,somewhatbreathlessly。"Ishouldhavehadtowalk,andit\'sbeginningtogetdark。It\'sthreemiles,Ithink。"

"Yes,"saidBibbs。"It——itisbeginningtogetdark。I——Inoticedthat。"

"Ioughttotellyou——I——"Marybegan,confusedly。Shebitherlip,satsilentamoment,thenspokewithcomposure。"Itmustseemodd,my——"

"No,no！"Bibbsprotested,earnestly。"Notinthe——intheleast。"

"Itdoes,though,"saidMary。"Ihadnotintendedtocometothecemetery,Mr。Sheridan,butoneofthemeninchargeatthehousecameandwhisperedtomethat\'thefamilywishedmeto\'——Ithinkyoursistersenthim。SoIcame。

ButwhenwereachedhereI——oh,IfeltthatperhapsI——"

Bibbsnoddedgravely。"Yes,yes,"hemurmured。

"Igotoutontheoppositesideofthecarriage,"shecontinued。"Imeanoppositefrom——fromwhereallofyouwere。AndIwanderedoffoverintheotherdirection;andIdidn\'trealizehowlittletime——ittakes。FromwhereIwasIcouldn\'tseethecarriagesleaving——atleastIdidn\'tnoticethem。

SowhenIgotback,justnow,youweretheonlyonehere。Ididn\'tknowtheotherpeopleinthecarriageIcamein,andofcoursetheydidn\'tthinktowaitforme。That\'swhy——"

"Yes,"saidBibbs,"I——"Andthatseemedallhehadtosayjustthen。

Marylookedoutthroughthedustywindow。"Ithinkwe\'dbetterbegoinghome,ifyouplease,"shesaid。

"Yes,"Bibbsagreed,notmoving。"Itwillbedarkbeforewegetthere。"

Shegavehimaquicklittleglance。"Ithinkyoumustbeverytired,Mr。

Sheridan;andIknowyouhavereasontobe,"shesaid,gently。"Ifyou\'llletme,I\'ll——"Andwithoutexplainingherpurposesheopenedthedooronhersideofthecoupeandleanedout。

Bibbsstartedinblankperplexity,notknowingwhatshemeanttodo。

"Driver！"shecalled,inherclearvoice,loudly。"Driver！We\'dliketostart,please！Driver！StopatthehousejustnorthofMr。Sheridan\'s,please。"Thewheelsbegantomove,andsheleanedbackbesideBibbsoncemore。"Inoticedthathewasasleepwhenwegotin,"shesaid。"Isupposetheyhaveagreatdealofnightwork。"

Bibbsdrewalongbreathandwaitedtillhecouldcommandhisvoice。"I\'veneverbeenabletoapologizequickly,"hesaid,withhisaccustomedslowness,"becauseifItrytoIstammer。MybrotherRoscoewhippedmeonce,whenwewereboys,forsteppingonhisslate—pencil。Ittookmesolongtotellhimitwasanaccident,hefinishedbeforeIdid。"

MaryVertreeshadneverheardanythingquitelikethedrawling,gentlevoiceortheoddimplicationthathisnotnoticingthemotionlessstateoftheirvehiclewasan"accident。"Shehadformedacasualimpressionofhim,notwithoutsympathy,butatonceshediscoveredthathewasunlikeanyofhercursoryandvagueimaginingsofhim。Andsuddenlyshesawapicturehehadnotintendedtopaintforsympathy:asturdyboyhammeringasmaller,sicklyboy,andthesicklyboyunresentful。Notthatpicturealone;othersflashedbeforeher。InstantaneouslyshehadaglimpseofBibbs\'slifeandintohislife。Shehadaqueerfeeling,newtoherexperience,ofknowinghiminstantly。Itstartledheralitttle;andthen,withsomesurprise,sherealizedthatshewasgladhehadsatsolong,aftergettingintothecoupe,beforehenoticedthatithadnotstarted。Whatshedidnotrealize,however,wasthatshehadmadenoresponsetohisapology,andtheypassedoutofthecemeterygates,neitherhavingspokenagain。

Bibbswassocontentwiththesilencehedidnotknowthatitwassilence。

Thedusk,gatheringintheirsmallinclosure,wasfilledwitharichpresenceforhim;andpresentlyitwassodarkthatneitherofthetwocouldseetheother,nordideventheirgarmentstouch。Butneitherhadanysenseofbeingalone。Thewheelscreakedsteadily,rumblingpresentlyonpavedstreeets;

therewerethesounds,asfromadistance,oftheplod—plodofthehorses;

andsometimesthedriverbecameaudible,coughingasthmatically,orsaying,"You,JOE！"withaspiritlessflapofthewhipuponanunresponsiveback。

Oblongsoflightfromthelampsatstreet—cornerscameswimmingintotheinteriorofthecoupeand,thinningrapidlytolances,passedutterly,leavinggreaterdarkness。AndyetneitherofthesetwolastattendantsatJimSheridan\'sfuneralbrokethesilence。

ItwasMarywhopreceivedthestrangenessofit——toolate。Abruptlysherealizedthatforanindefiniteintervalshehadbeenthinkingofhercompanionandnottalkingtohim。"Mr。Sheridan,"shebegan,notknowingwhatshewasgoingtosay,butimpelledtosayanything,assherealizedthequeernessofthisdrive——"Mr。Sheridan,I——"

Thecoupestopped。"You,JOE！"saidthedriver,reproachfully,andclimbeddownandopenedthedoor。

"What\'sthetrouble？"Bibbsinquired。

"LadysaidstopatthefirsthousenorthofMr。Sheridan\'s,sir。"

Marywasincredulous;shefeltthatitcouldn\'tbetrueandthatitmustn\'tbetruethattheyhaddrivenallthewaywithoutspeaking。

"What？"Bibbsdemanded。

"We\'rethere,sir,"saidthedriver,sympathetically。"NexthousenorthofMr。Sheridan\'s。"

Bibbsdescendedtothecurb。"Why,yes,"hesaid。"Yes,youseemtoberight。"AndwhilehestoodstaringatthedimlyilluminatedfrontwindowsofMr。Vertrees\'shouseMarygotout,unassisted。

"Letmehelpyou,"saidBibbs,steppingtowardhermechanically;andshewasseveralfeetfromthecoupewhenhespoke。

"Ohno,"shemurmured。"IthinkIcan——"Shemeantthatshecouldgetoutofthecoupewithouthelp,but,perceivingthatshehadalreadyaccomplishedthisfeat,shedecidednottocompletethesentence。

"You,JOE！"criedthedriver,angrily,climbingtohisbox。Andherumbledawayathisteam\'sbestpace——asnail\'s。

"Thankyouforbringingmehome,Mr。Sheridan,"saidMary,stiffly。Shedidnotofferherhand。"Goodnight。"

"Goodnight,"Bibbssaidinresponse,and,turningwithher,walkedbesidehertothedoor。Marymadethatashortwalk;shealmostran。Realizationofthequeernessoftheirdrivewasgrowinguponher,beginningtoshockher;

shesteppedasidefromthelightthatfellthroughtheglasspanelsofthedoorandwithheldherhandasittouchedtheold—fashionedbell—handle。

"I\'mquitesafe,thankyou,"shesaid,withalittleemphasis。"Goodnight。"

"Goodnight,"saidBibbs,andwentobediently。Whenhereachedthestreethelookedback,butshehadvanishedwithinthehouse。

Movingslowlyaway,hecaromedagainsttwopeoplewhowereturningoutfromthepavementtocrossthestreet。TheywereRoscoeandhiswife。

"Whereareyoureyes,Bibbs？"demandedRoscoe。"Sleep—walking,asusual？"

ButSibyltookthewandererbythearm。"Comeovertoourhouseforalittlewhile,Bibbs,"sheurged。"Iwantto——"

"No,I\'dbetter——"

"Yes。Iwantyouto。Yourfather\'sgonetobed,andthey\'reallquietoverthere——allwornout。Justcomeforaminute。"

Heyielded,andwhentheywereinthehousesherepeatedherselfwithrealfeeling:"\'Allwornout！\'Well,ifanybodyis,YOUare,Bibbs！AndIdon\'twonder;you\'vedoneeverybitoftheworkofit。Youmustn\'tgetdownsickagain。I\'mgoingtomakeyoutakealittlebrandy。"

Heletherhaveherownway,followingherintothedining—room,andwasgratefulwhenshebroughthimatinyglassfilledfromoneofthedecantersonthesideboard。Roscoegloomilypouredforhimselfamuchheavierlibationinalargerglass;andthetwomensat,whileSibylleanedagainstthesideboard,reviewingtheepisodesofthedayandrecallingthenamesofthedonorsofflowersandwreaths。ShepressedBibbstoremainlongerwhenherosetogo,andthen,ashepersisted,shewentwithhimtothefrontdoor。

Heopenedit,andshesaid:

"Bibbs,youwerecomingoutoftheVertreeses\'housewhenwemetyou。Howdidyouhappentobethere？"

"Ihadonlybeentothedoor,"hesaid。"Goodnight,Sibyl。"

"Wait,"sheinsisted。"Wesawyoucomingout。"

"Iwasn\'t,"heexplained,movingtodepart。"I\'djustbroughtMissVertreeshome。"

"What？"shecried。