第8章

"Yes,"hesaid,andsteppedoutupontheporch,"thatwasit。Goodnight,Sibyl。"

"Wait！"shesaid,followinghimacrossthethreshold。"Howdidthathappen？

Ithoughtyouweregoingtowaitwhilethosemenfilledthe——the——"Shepaused,butmovednearerhiminsistently。

"Ididwait。MissVertreeswasthere,"hesaid,reluctantly。"Shehadwalkedawayforawhileanddidn\'tnoticethatthecarriageswereleaving。

Whenshecamebackthecoupewaitingformewastheonlyoneleft。"

Sheregardedhimwithdilatingeyes。Shespokewithaslowbreathlessness。

"AndshedrovehomefromJim\'sfuneral——withyou！"

Withoutwarningsheburstintolaughter,clappedherhandineffectuallyoverhermouth,andranbackuproariouslyintothehouse,hurlingthedoorshutbehindher。

Bibbswenthomepondering。HedidnotunderstandwhySibylhadlaughed。Thelaughteritselfhadbeenspontaneousandbeyondsuspicion,butitseemedtohimthatshehadonlyaffectedtoefforttosuppressitandthatshewishedittobesignificant。Significantofwhat？Andwhyhadshewishedtoimpressuponhimthefactofheroverwhelmingamusement？Hefoundnoanswer,butshehadsucceededindisturbinghim,andhewishedthathehadnotencounteredher。

Athome,uncles,aunts,andcousinsfromoutoftownwerewanderingaboutthehouse,severalmournfullyadmiringthe"BayofNaples,"andothersoccupiedwiththeMoorandtheplumbing,whiletheywaitedfortrains。Edithandhermotherhadretiredtosomeupperfastness,butBibbsinterviewedJacksonandhadthevariousgroupsofrelativessummonedtothedining—roomforfood。

Onegreat—uncle,oldGideonSheridanfromBoonville,couldnotbefound,andBibbswentinsearchofhim。Heransackedthehouse,discoveringthemissingantiqueatlastbyaccident。Passinghisfather\'scloseddoorontiptoe,Bibbsheardamurmuroussound,andpausedtolisten。Thesoundprovedtobeaquaveringandricketyvoice,monotonouslybleating:

"TheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！Wegottorememberthat;wegottorememberthat！I\'ma—gittin\'along,James;I\'ma—gittin\'along,andI\'veseena—manyof\'emgo——twodaughtersandasontheLordgiveme,andHehastakenallaway。FortheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！

RememberthewordsofBildadtheShuhite,James。BildadtheShuhitesays,\'Heshallhaveneithersonnornephewamonghispeople,noranyremaininginhisdwellings。\'BildadtheShuhite——"

Bibbsopenedthedoorsoftly。Hisfatherwaslyinguponthebed,inhisunderclothes,facedownward,andUncleGideonsatnearby,swingingbackwardandforwardinarocking—chair,strokinghislongwhitebeardandgazingattheceilingashetalked。Bibbsbeckonedhimurgently,butUncleGideonpaidnoattention。

"BibdadtheShuhitespakeandhissays,\'IfthychildrenhavesinnedagainstHimandHehavecastthemaway——"

Therewasamuffledexplosionbeneaththefloor,andthewindowsrattled。

Thefigurelyingfacedownwardonthebeddidnotmove,butUncleGideonleapedfromhischair。"MyGod！"hecried。"What\'sthat？"

Therecameasecondexplosion,andUncleGideonranoutintothehall。Bibbswenttotheheadofthegreatstaircase,and,lookingdown,discoveredthesourceofthedistubance。Gideon\'sgrandson,aboyoffourteen,hadbroughthiscameratothefuneralandwastaking"flash—lights"oftheMoor。UncleGideon,reassuredbyBibbs\'sexplanation,wouldhavereturnedtofinishhisquotationfromBildadtheShuhite,butBibbsdetainedhim,andafteralittleargumentpersuadedhimtodescendtothedining—roomwhitherBibbsfollowed,afterclosingthedoorofhisfather\'sroom。

HekepthiseyeonGideonafterdinner,diplomaticallypreventingseveralattemptsonthepartofthatcomfortertoreascendthestairs;anditwasarelieftoBibbswhenGeorgeannouncedthatanautomobilewaswaitingtoconveytheancientmanandhisgrandsontotheirtrain。Theywerethelasttoleave,andwhentheyhadgoneBibbswentsighingtohisownroom。

Hestretchedhimselfwearilyuponthebed,butpresentlyrose,wenttothewindow,andlookedforalongtimeatthedarkenedhousewhereMaryVertreeslived。Thenheopenhistrunk,tooktherefromasmallnote—bookhalffilledwithfragmentaryscribblings,andbegantowrite:

Laughterafterafuneral。Inthisreactionpeoplewilllaughatanythingandatnothing。Thebandplaysadirgeonthewaytothecemetery,butwhenitturnsback,andthemourningcarriagesareoutofhearing,itstrikesup,"DarktownisOutTo—night。"Thatisnatural——buttherearewomenwhoselaughterislikethewhirringofwhips。Whyisitthatcertainkindsoflaughterseemtospoilsomethinghiddenawayfromthelaughers？Iftheydonotknowofit,andhaveneverseenit,howcantheirlaughterhurtit？

Yetitdoes。Beautyisnotoutofplaceamonggrave—stones。Itisnotoutofplaceanywhere。Butawomanwhohasbeenbetrothedtoamanwouldnotlookbeautifulathisfuneral。Awomanmightlookbeautiful,though,atthefuneralofamanwhomshehadknownandliked。Andinthatcase,too,shewouldprobablynotwanttotalkifshedrovehomefromthecemeterywithhisbrother:norwouldshewantthebrothertotalk。Silenceisusuallyeitherstupidortimid。Butforamanwhostammersifhetriestotalkfast,anddrawlssoslowly,whenhedoesn\'tstammer,thatnobodyhastimetolistentohim,silenceisadvisable。Nevertheless,toomuchsilenceisopentosuspicion。Itmaybereticence,oritmaybeavacuum。Itmaybedignity,oritmaybefalseteeth。Sometimesanimperceptibleodorwillbecomeperceptibleinasmallinclosure,suchasaclosedcarriage。Theghostofgasolinerisingfromalady\'sglovemightbesweetertothemanridingbesideherthanallthescentsofArcadyinspring。Itdependsonthelady——butthereARE！Threemilesmaybethreehundredmiles,oritmaybethreefeet。Whenitisthreefeetyouhavenottimetosayagreatdealbeforeyoureachtheendofit。Still,itmaybethatoneshouldbegintospeak。Noonecouldhelpwishingtostayinaworldthatholdssomeofthepeoplethatareinthisworld。TherearesomesowonderfulyoudonotunderstandhowthedeadCOULDdie。Howcouldtheyletthemselves？Afallingbuildingdoesnotcarewhofallswithit。Itdoesnotchoosewhoshallbeuponitsroofandwhoshallnot。SilenceCANbegolden？Yes。Butperhapsifawomanoftheworldshouldfindherselfbyaccidentsittingbesideamanforthelengthoftimeitmustnecessarilytaketwoslowoldhorsestojogthreemiles,shemightexpectthatmantosaysomethingofsomesort！Evenifshethoughthimafeeblehypochondriac,evenifshehadheardfromothersthathewasadisappointmenttohisownpeople,evenifshehadseenforherselfthathewasauselessandirritatingencumbranceeverywhere,shemightexpecthimatleasttospeak——shemightexpecthimtoopenhismouthandtrytomakesounds,ifheonlybarked。Ifhedidnoteventry,butsateverystepofthewayasdumbasafrozenfish,shemightTHINKhimafrozenfish。Andshemightberight。Shemightberightifshethoughthimaboutaspleasantacompanionas——asBildadtheShuhite！

Bibbsclosedhisnote—book,replacingitinhistrunk。Then,afteraperiodofmelancholycontemplation,heundressed,putonadressing—gownandslippers,andwentsoftlyoutintothehall——tohisfather\'sdoor。UponthefloorwasatraywhichBibbshadsentGeorge,earlierintheevening,toplaceuponatableinSheridan\'sroom——butthefoodwasuntouched。Bibbsstoodlisteningoutsidethedoorforseveralminutes。Therecamenosoundfromwithin,andhewentbacktohisownroomandtobed。

Inthemorninghewoketoastateofbeinghithertounknowninhisexperience。Sometimesintheprocessofwakingthereisalittlepause——sleephasgone,butcoherentthoughthasnotbegun。Itisacurioushalf—void,aglimpseofaphasia;andalthoughthepersonexperiencingitmaynotknowforthatinstanthisownnameorageorsex,hemaybeacutelyconsciousofdepressionorelation。Itisthemoment,aswesay,beforewe"remember";andforthefirsttimeinBibbs\'slifeitcametohimbringingavaguehappiness。Hewoketoasenseofnewriches;hehadthefeelingofaboywakingtoabirthday。Butwhenthenextmomentbroughthimhismemory,hefoundnothingthatcouldexplainhisexhilaration。Onthecontrary,underthecircumstancesitseemedgrotesquelyunwarranted。However,itwasabriefvisitationandwasgonebeforehehadfinisheddressing。Itleftalittletrail,thepleasedrecollectionofitandthepuzzleofit,whichremainedunsolved。And,infact,wakinghappilyinthemorningisnotusuallytheresultofadrivehomefromafuneral。NowonderthesequenceevadedBibbsSheridan！

Hisfatherhadgonewhenhecamedown—stairs。"Wentondownto\'soffice,jes\'same,"Jacksoninformedhim。"Camesatbreakfas\'—table,allby\'mself;

eatnothin\'。Georgebringnicebreakfas\',buthedi\'n\'eatathing。Yessuh,wentondown—town,jes\'sameheyoostado。Yessuh,Ireckonputtymuchev\'y—thinggoin\'goonsameasityoostado。"

ItstruckBibbsthatJacksonwasright。Thedaypassedasotherdayshadpassed。Mrs。SheridanandEdithwereinblack,andMrs。Sheridancriedalittle,nowandthen,butnootherexternaldifferencewastobeseen。Edithwasquiet,butnotnoticeablydepressed,andatlunchprovedherselfabletoarguewithhermotherupontheproprietyofreceivingcallsintheearlieststagesof"mourning。"Lunchwasasusual——forJimandhisfatherhadalwaysluncheddown—town——andtheafternoonwasasusual。Bibbswentforhisdrive,andhismotherwentwithhim,asshesometimesdidwhentheweatherwaspleasant。Altogether,theusualnessofthingswasratherstartlingtoBibbs。

DuringthedriveMrs。SheridantalkedfragmentarilyofJim\'schildhood。"Butyouwouldn\'trememberaboutthat,"shesaid,afternarratinganepisode。

"Youweretoolittle。Hewasalwaysagoodboy,justlikethat。Andhe\'dsavewhateverpapagavehim,andputitinthebank。Ireckonit\'lljustaboutkillyourfathertoputsomebodyinhisplaceaspresidentoftheRealtyCompany,Bibbs。Iknowhecan\'tmoveRoscoeover;hetoldmelastweekhe\'dalreadyputasmuchonRoscoeasanyonemancouldhandleandnotgocrazy。Oh,it\'sapity——"Shestoppedtowipehereyes。"It\'sapityyoudidn\'trunmorewithJim,Bibbs,andkindo\'pickuphisways。Thinkwhatit\'dmeanttopapanow！YouneverdidrunwitheitherRoscoeorJimany,evenbeforeyougotsick。Ofcourse,youwereyounger;butitalwaysDID

seemqueer——andyouthreebein\'brotherslikethat。Idon\'tbelieveIeversawyouandJimsitdowntogetherforagoodtalkinmylife。"

"Mother,I\'vebeenawaysolong,"Bibbsreturned,gently。"AndsinceIcamehomeI——"

"Oh,Iain\'treproachin\'you,Bibbs,"shesaid。"Jimain\'tbeenhomemuchofaneveningsinceyougotback——whatwithhisworkandcallin\'andgoin\'tothetheaterandplaces,andoftennotevenatthehousefordinner。Righttheeveningbeforehegothurthehadhisdinneratsomemiser\'blerest\'rantdownbythePumpWorks,hewassosetonoverseein\'thenightworkandgettin\'everythingfinisheduprighttotheminutehetoldpapahewould。I

reckonyoumight\'a\'putinmoretimewithJimifthere\'dbeenmoreopportunity,Bibbs。Iexpectyoufeelalmostasifyouscarcelyreallyknewhimrightwell。"

"IsupposeIreallydidn\'t,mother。Hewasbusy,yousee,andIhadn\'tmuchtosayaboutthethingsthatinterestedhim,becauseIdon\'tknowmuchaboutthem。"

"It\'sapity！Oh,it\'sapity！"shemoaned。"Andyou\'llhavetolearntoknowabout\'emNOW,Bibbs！Ihaven\'tsaidmuchtoyou,becauseIfeltitwasallbetweenyourfatherandyou,butIhonestlydobelieveitwilljustkillhimifhehastohaveanymoretroubleontopofallthis！Youmustn\'tLET

him,Bibbs——youmustn\'t！Youdon\'tknowhowhe\'sgrievedoveryou,andnowhecan\'tstandanymore——hejustcan\'t！Whateverhesaysforyoutodo,youDOit,Bibbs,youDOit！Iwantyoutopromisemeyouwill。"

"IwouldifIcould,"hesaid,sorrowfully。

"No,no！Whycan\'tyou？"shecried,clutchinghisarm。"Hewantsyoutogobacktothemachine—shopand——"

"And——\'likeit！"saidBibbs。

"Yes,that\'sit——togoinacheerfulspirit。Dr。Gurneysaiditwouldn\'thurtyouifyouwentinacheerfulspirit——thedoctorsaidthathimself,Bibbs。Sowhycan\'tyoudoit？Can\'tyoudothatmuchforyourfather？Yououghttothinkwhathe\'sdoneforYOU。Yougotabeautifulhousetolivein;

yougotautomobilestoridein;yougotfurcoatsandwarmclothes;youbeentakencareofallyourlife。Andyoudon\'tKNOWhowheworkedforthemoneytogiveallthesethingstoyou！Youdon\'tDREAMwhathehadtogothroughandwhatheriskedwhenwewerestartin\'outinlife;andyouneverWILL

know！Andnowthisblowhasfallenonhimoutofaclearsky,andyoumakeitouttobeahardshiptodolikehewantsyouto！Andallonearthheasksisforyoutogobacktotheworkinacheerfulspirit,soitwon\'thurtyou！

That\'sallheasks。Look,Bibbs,we\'regettin\'backnearhome,butbeforewegetthereIwantyoutopromisemethatyou\'lldowhatheasksyouto。

Promiseme！"

Inherearnestnesssheclearedawayherblackveilthatshemightseehimbetter,anditblewoutonthesmokywind。Hereadjusteditforherbeforehespoke。

"I\'llgobackinascheerfulaspiritasIcan,mother,"hesaid。

"There！"sheexclaimed,satisfied。"That\'sagoodboy！That\'sallIwantedyoutosay。"

"Don\'tgivemeanycredit,"hesaid,ruefully。"Thereisn\'tanythingelseformetodo。"

"Now,don\'tbegintalkin\'THATway！"

"No,no,"hesoothedher。"We\'llhavetobegintomakethespiritacheerfulone。Wemay——"Theywereturningintotheirowndrivewayashespoke,andheglancedattheoldhousenextdoor。MaryVertreeswasvisibleinthetwilight,standinguponthefrontsteps,bareheaded,thedooropenbehindher。Shebowedgravely。

"\'Wemay\'——what？"askedMrs。Sheridan,withaslightimpatience。

"Whatisit,mother？"

"Yousaid,\'Wemay,\'anddidn\'tfinishwhatyouweresayin\'。"

"DidI？"saidBibbs,blankly。"Well,whatWEREwesaying？"

"Ofallthequeerboys！"shecried。"Youalwayswere。Always！Youhaven\'tforgotwhatyoujustpromisedme,haveyou？"

"No,"heanswered,asthecarstopped。"No,thespiritwillbeascheerfulasthefleshwillletit,mother。Itwon\'tdotobehavelike——"

Hisvoicewaslow,andinhermovementtodescendfromthecarshefailedtoherehisfinalwords。

"Behavelikewho,Bibbs？"

"Nothing。"

Butshewasfretfulinhergrief。"Yousaiditwouldn\'tdotobehavelikeSOMEBODY。BehavelikeWHO？"

"Itwasjustnonsense,"heexplained,turningtogoin。"AnobscurepersonI

don\'tthinkmuchoflately。"

"BehavelikeWHO？"sherepeated,anduponhisyieldingtoherpetulantinsistence,shemadeuphermindthattheonlythingtodowastotellDr。

Gurneyaboutit。

"LikeBildadtheShuhite！"waswhatBibbssaid。

Theoutwardusualnessofthingscontinuedafterdinner。ItwasSheridan\'scustomtoreadtheeveningpaperbesidethefireinthelibrary,whilehiswife,sittingnearby,eithersewed（fromoldhabit）orallowedherselftoberepeatedlybaffledbyoneofthesimplerformsofsolitaire。To—nightshedidneither,butsatinhercustomarychair,gazingatthefire,whileSheridanlettheunfoldedpaperrestuponhislap,thoughnowandthenheliftedit,asiftoread,andletitfallbackuponhiskneesagain。Bibbscameinnoiselesslyandsatinacorner,doingnothing;andfroma"reception—room"acrossthehallanindistinctvocalmurmurbecamejustaudibleatintervals。Once,whenthismurmurgrewlouder,understressofsomeirrepressiblemerriment,Edith\'svoicecouldbeheard——"Bobby,aren\'tyouawful！"andSheridanglancedacrossathiswifeappealingly。

Sheroseatonceandwentintothe"reception—room";therewasaflurryofwhispering,andthesoundoftiptoeinginthehall——Edithandhersuitorchangingquarterstoamoredistantroom。Mrs。Sheridanreturnedtoherchairinthelibrary。

"Theywon\'tbotheryouanymore,papa,"shesaid,inacomfortingvoice。

"Shetoldmeatlunchhe\'d\'phonedhewantedtocomeupthisevening,andI

saidIthoughthe\'dbetterwaitafewdays,butshesaidshe\'dalreadytoldhimhecould。"Shepaused,thenadded,ratherguiltily:"IgotkindofanotionmaybeRoscoedon\'tlikehimasmuchasheusedto。Maybe——maybeyoubetteraskRoscoe,papa。"AndasSheridannoddedsolemnly,sheconcluded,inhaste:"Don\'tsayIsaidto。Imightbewrongaboutit,anyway。"

Henoddedagain,andtheysatforsometimeinasilencewhichMrs。Sheridanbrokewithalittlesniff,havingfallenintoareveriethatbroughttears。

"ThatMissVertreeswasagoodgirl,"shesaid。"SHEwasallright。"

Herhusbandevidentlyhadnodifficultyinfollowinghertrainofthought,forhenoddedoncemore,affirmatively。

"Didyou——Howdidyoufixitaboutthe——theRealtyCompany？"shefaltered。

"Didyou——

Heroseheavily,helpinghimselftohisfeetbythearmsofhischair。"I

fixedit,"hesaid,inahuskyvoice。"ImovedCantwellup,andputJohnstoninCantwell\'splace,andsplitupJohnston\'sworkamongthefourmenwithsalarieshighenoughtotakeit。"Hewenttoher,puthishanduponhershoulder,anddrewalong,audible,tremulousbreath。"It\'smybedtime,mamma;I\'mgoin\'up。"Hedroppedthehandfromhershoulderandmovedslowlyaway,butwhenhereachedthedoorhestoppedandspokeagain,withoutturningtolookather。"TheRealtyCompany\'llgorightonjustthesame,"

hesaid。"It\'slike——it\'slikesand,mamma。Itputsmeinmindofchuldernplayin\'inasand—pile。Oneof\'emstickshisfingerinthesandandmakesahole,andanotherof\'em\'llpattheplacewithhishand,andallthelittlegrainsofsandruninandfillitupandsettleagainstoneanother;andthen,rightawayit\'sflatontopagain,andyoucan\'ttellthereeverwasaholethere。TheRealtyCompany\'llgoonallright,mamma。Thereain\'tanythinganywhere,Ireckon,thatwouldn\'tgorighton——justthesame。"

Andhepassedoutslowlyintothehall;thentheyheardhisheavytreaduponthestairs。

Mrs。Sheridan,risingtofollowhim,turnedapiteousfacetoherson。"It\'ssoforlong,"shesaid,chokingly。"That\'sthefirsttimehespokesincehecameinthehousethisevening。Iknowitmust\'a\'hurthimtohearEdithlaughin\'withthatLamhorn。She\'doughtn\'ttolethimcome,righttheveryfirsteveningthisway;she\'doughtn\'ttodoneit！Shejustseemstoloseherheadoverhim,anditscaresme。YouheardwhatSibylsaidtheotherday,and——andyouheardwhat——what——"

"WhatEdithsaidtoSibyl？"Bibbsfinishedthesentenceforher。

"WeCAN\'Thaveanytroubleo\'THATkind！"shewailed。"Oh,itlooksasifmovin\'uptothisNewHousehadbroughtusawfulbadluck！Itscaresme！"

Sheputbothherhandsoverherface。"Oh,Bibbs,Bibbs！ifyouonlywasn\'tsoQUEER！Ifyoucouldonlybeenakindofdependableson！Idon\'tknowwhatwe\'reallcomin\'to！"And,weeping,shefollowedherhusband。

Bibbsgazedforawhileatthefire;thenheroseabruptly,likeamanwhohascometoadecision,andbrisklysoughttheroom——itwascalled"thesmoking—room"——whereEdithsatwithMr。Lamhorn。Theylookedupinnowelcomingmanner,atBibbs\'sentrance,andmovedtheirchairstoalessconspicuousadjacency。

"Goodevening,"saidBibbs,pleasantly;andheseatedhimselfinaleathereasy—chairnearthem。

"Whatisit？"askedEdith,plainlyastonished。

"Nothing,"hereturned,smiling。

Shefrowned。"Didyouwantsomething？"sheasked。

"Nothingintheworld。Fatherandmotherhavegoneup—stairs;Isha\'n\'tbegoingupforseveralhours,andtheredidn\'tseemtobeanybodyleftformetochatwithexceptyouandMr。Lamhorn。"

"\'CHATwith\'！"sheechoed,incredulously。

"Icantalkaboutalmostanything,"saidBibbswithanairofgenialpoliteness。"Itdoesn\'tmattertoME。Idon\'tknowmuchaboutbusiness——ifthat\'swhatyouhappenedtobetalkingabout。Butyouaren\'tinbusiness,areyou,Mr。Lamhorn。

"Notnow,"returnedLamhorn,shortly。

"I\'mnot,either,"saidBibbs。"Itwasgettingcloudierthanusual,I

noticed,justbeforedark,andtherewaswindfromthesouthwest。Rainto—morrow,Ishouldn\'tbesurprised。"

Heseemedtofeelthathehadbegunaconversationthesupportofwhichhadnowbecomethepleasurabledutyofotherparties;andhesatexpectantly,lookingfirstathissister,thenatLamhorn,asifimplyingthatitwastheirturntospeak。Edithreturnedhisgazewithamixtureofastonishmentandincreasinganger,whileMr。Lamhornwasobviouslydisturbed,thoughBibbshadbeenasconsiderateaspossibleinpresentingtheweatherasatopic。

BibbshadperceivedthatLamhornhadnothinginhismindatanytimeexcept"personalities"——hecouldtalkaboutpeopleandhecouldmakelove。Bibbs,wishingtobecourteous,offeredtheweather。

Lamhornrefusedit,andconcludedfromBibbs\'sluxuriousattitudeintheleatherchairthatthishalf—crazybrotherwasapermanentfixturefortherestoftheevening。Therewasnotreasontohopethathewouldmove,andLamhornfoundhimselfindangeroflookingsilly。

"Iwasjustgoing,"hesaid,rising。

"OhNO！"Edithcried,sharply。

"Yes。Goodnight！IthinkI——"

"Toobad,"saidBibbs,genially,walkingtothedoorwiththevisitor,whileEdithstoodstaringasthetwodisappearedinthehall。SheheardBibbsofferingto"help"Lamhornwithhisovercoatandthelatterrathercurtlydecliningassistance,theseepisodesofdeparturebeingfollowedbytheclosingoftheouterdoor。Sheranintothehall。

"What\'sthematterwithyou？"shecried,furiously。"WhatdoyouMEAN？Howdidyoudarecomeintherewhenyouknew——"

Hervoicebroke;shemadeagestureofrageanddespair,andranupthestairs,sobbing。Shefledtohermother\'sroom,andwhenBibbscameup,afewminuteslater,Mrs。Sheridanmethimathisdoor。

"Oh,Bibbs,"shesaid,shakingherheadwoefully,"you\'doughtn\'ttodistressyoursister！Shesaysyoudrovethatyoungmanrightoutofthehouse。

You\'doughttobeenmoreconsiderate。"

Bibbssmiledfaintly,notingthatEdith\'sdoorwasopen,withEdith\'snaiveshadowmotionlessacrossitsthreshold。"Yes,"hesaid。"Hedoesn\'tappeartomuchofa\'man\'sman。\'Heranatjustaglimpseofone。"

Edith\'sshadowmoved;hervoicecamequavering:"Youcallyourselfone？"

"No,no,"heanswered。"Isaid,\'justaglimpseofone。\'Ididn\'tclaim——"

Butherdoorslammedangrily;andheturnedtohismother。

"There,"hesaid,sighing。"That\'salmostthefirsttimeinmylifeIevertriedtobeamanofaction,mother,andIsucceededperfectlyinwhatI

triedtodo。AsaconsequenceIfeellikeahorse—thief！"

"Youhurtherfeelin\'s,"shegroaned。"Youmust\'a\'goneatittoorough,Bibbs。"

Helookeduponherwanly。"That\'smytrouble,mother,"hemurmured。"I\'maplain,bluntfellow。Ihaveroughways,andI\'maroughman。"

Foroncesheperceivedsomemeaninginhisqueerness。"Hushyournonsense！"

shesaid,good—naturedly,theastralofatroubledsmileappearing。"Yougotobed。"

Hekissedherandobeyed。

Edithgavehimacoldgreetingthenextmorningatthebreakfast—table。

"Youmustn\'tdothatunderamisapprehension,"hewarnedher,whentheywerealoneinthedining—room。

"Dowhatunderawhat？"sheasked。

"Speaktome。Icameintothesmoking—roomlastnight\'onpurpose,\'"hetoldher,gravely。"Ihaveaprejudiceagainstthatyoungman。"

Shelaughed。"Iguessyouthinkitmeansagreatdealwhoyouhaveprejudicesagainst！"Inmockerysheadoptedthemannerofonewhoimplores。

"Bibbs,forpity\'ssakePROMISEme,DON\'TuseYOURinfluencewithpapaagainsthim！"Andshelaughedlouder。

"Listen,"hesaid,withpeculiarearnestness。"I\'lltellyounow,because——becauseI\'vedecidedI\'moneofthefamily。"Andthen,asiftheearnestnessweretooheavyforhimtocarryitfurther,hecontinued,inhisusualtone,"I\'mdrunkwithpower,Edith。"

"Whatdoyouwanttotellme？"shedamanded,brusquely。

"LamhornmadelovetoSibyl,"hesaid。

Edithhooted。"SHEdidtoHIM！AndbecauseyouoverheardthatspatbetweenustheotherdaywhenIthesameofaccusedherofit,andsaidsomethinglikethattoyouafterward——"

"No,"hesaid,gravely。"IKNOW。"

"How？"

"Iwasthere,onedayaweekago,withRoscoe,andIheardSibylandLamhorn——"

Edithscreamedwithlaughter。"YouwerewithROSCOE——andyouheardLamhornmakinglovetoSibyl！"

"No。Iheardthemquarreling。"

"You\'refunnierthanever,Bibbs！"shecried。"Yousayhemadelovetoherbecauseyouheardthemquarreling！"

"That\'sit。Ifyouwanttoknowwhat\'s\'between\'people,youcan——bythewaytheyquarrel。"

"You\'llkillme,Bibbs！Whatweretheyquarrelingabout？"

"Nothing。That\'showIknew。Peoplewhoquarrelovernothing！——it\'salwayscertain——"

Edithstoppedlaughingabruptly,butcontinuedhermockery。"Yououghttoknow。You\'vehadsomuchexperience,yourself！"

"Ihaven\'tany,Edith,"hesaid。"Mylifehasbeenaboutasexcitingasanincubatorchicken\'s。ButIlookoutthroughtheglassatthings。"

"Well,then,"shesaid,"ifyoulookoutthroughtheglassyoumustknowwhateffectsuchstuffwouldhaveuponME！"Sherose,visiblyagitated。"WhatifitWAStrue？"shedmanded,bitterly。"Whatifitwastrueahundredtimesover？Yousittherewithyoursillyfacehalfreadytogiggleandhalfreadytosniffle,andtellmestorieslikethat,aboutSibylpickingonBobbyLamhornandworryinghimtodeath,andyouthinkitmatterstoME？WhatifI

alreadyKNEWallabouttheir\'quarreling\'？WhatifIunderstoodWHYshe——"

Shebrokeoffwithaviolentgesture,asweepofherarmextendedatfulllength,asifshehurledsomethingtotheground。"DoyouthinkagirlthatreallycaredforamanwouldpayanyattentiontoTHAT？OrtoYOU,BibbsSheridan！"

Helookedathersteadily,andhisgazewasaskeenasitwassteady。Shemetitwithunwaveringpride。Finallyhenoddedslowly,asifshehadspokenandhemeanttoagreewithwhatshesaid。

"Ah,yes,"hesaid。"Iwon\'tcomeintothesmoking—roomagain。I\'msorry,Edith。Nobodycanmakeyouseeanythingnow。You\'llneverseeuntilyouseeforyourself。Therestofuswilldobettertokeepoutofit——especiallyme！"