第12章

"Iknewtherewassomethingelse,"saidMrs。Sheridan,blinkingoverayawn。

"Youbetterletitgotillto—morrowandgettobednow——\'lessyou\'lltellme？"

"SupposesomethinghappenedtoRoscoe,"hesaid。"THENwhat\'dIhavetolookforwardto？THENwhatcouldIdependontoholdthingstogether？Alummix！

Alummixthathasn\'tlearnedhowtopushastripo\'zincalongagroove！"

"Roscoe？"sheyawned。"Youneedn\'tworryaboutRoscoe,papa。He\'sthestrongestchildwehad。Ineverdidknowanybodykeepbetterhealththanhedoes。Idon\'tbelievehe\'sevenhadacoldinfiveyears。Youbettergouptobed,papa。"

"SupposesomethingDIDhappentohim,though。Youdon\'tknowwhatitmeans,keepin\'propertytogetherthesedays——justkeepin\'itALIVE,letalonemakin\'

itgrowthewayIdo。I\'veseentoomanyestateshackedawayinchunks,bigandlittle。Itellyouwhenamandiesthewolvescomeouto\'thewoods,packafterpack,toseewhattheycantearoffforthemselves;andifthatdeadman\'schuldernain\'tonthejob,nightandday,everythinghebuilt\'llgetcarriedoff。Carriedoff？I\'veseenabigfortunebehavelikeanash—barrelinacyclone——therewasn\'tevenadust—heaplefttotellwhereitstood！I\'veseenit,timeandagain。MyLord！whenIthinko\'suchthingscomin\'toME！

Itdon\'tseemlikeIdeservedit——nomanevertriedhardertoraisehisboysrightthanIhave。Iplannedandplannedandplannedhowtobring\'emuptobeguardstodrivethewolvesoff,andhowtobebuilderstobuild,andbuildbigger。Itellyouthisbusinesslifeisnofool\'sjobnowadays——aman\'sgottohaveeyesinthebackofhishead。Youheartalk,sometimes,\'dmakeyouthinkthemillenniumhadcome——butrightthenextbreathyou\'llhearsomebodyhollerin\'about\'thegreatunrest。\'YouBETthere\'sa\'greatunrest\'！Thereain\'tanymanalivesmartenoughtoseewhatit\'sgoin\'todotousintheend,norwhatdayit\'sgotsettobustloose,butit\'sfrothin\'andbubblin\'

intheboiler。Thiscountry\'sbeenfillin\'upwithitfromallovertheworldforagoodmanyyears,andtheoldcamp—meetin\'daysaredeadanddonewith。

Churchain\'twhatitusedtobe。Nothin\'swhatitusedtobe——everything\'sturnedupfromthebottom,andthegrowthissobigtherootsstickoutintheair。There\'sanawfulructiongoin\'on,andyougottokeephoppin\'ifyou\'regoin\'tokeepyourbalanceonthetopofit。Andtheschemers！Theyrunlikebugsonthebottomofaboard——afteranypieceo\'moneytheyhearisloose。

Foolschemesandcrookedschemes;thefoolonesarethemostandtheworst！

YougottoFIGHTtokeepyourmoneyafteryou\'vemadeit。Andthewoodsarefullo\'mightyindustriousmenthat\'sgotonlyonemotto:\'Gettheotherfellow\'smoneybeforehegetsyours！\'Andwhenaman\'sbuiltasIhave,whenhe\'sbuiltgoodandstrong,andmadegoodthingsgrowandprosper——THOSEarethefellowsthatlayforthechancetoslideinandsneakthebenefitofitandputtheirnamestoit！Andwhat\'stheuseofmyhavin\'everbeenborn,ifsuchathingasthatisgoin\'tohappen？What\'stheuseofmyhavin\'workedmylifeandsoulintomybusiness,ifit\'sallgoin\'tobedispersedandscatteredsoonasI\'mintheground？"

Hestrodeupanddownthelongroom,gesticulating——littleregardingthetroubledanddrowsyfigurebythefireside。Histhroatrumbledthunderously;

thewordscamewithstormybitterness。"Youthinkthisisatimeforyoungmentobelyin\'onbedsofease？Itellyouthereneverwassuchatimebefore;thereneverwassuchopportunity。Thesluggardisdespoiledwhilehesleeps——yes,byGeorge！ifamaylaysdownthey\'lleathimbeforehewakes！——butthelivemancanbuildstraightuptillhetouchesthesky！Thisisthebusinessman\'sday;itusedtobethesoldier\'sdayandthestatesman\'sday,butthisisOURS！Anditain\'taSundaytogofishin\'——it\'sturmoil！

turmoil！——andyougottogooutandliveitandbreatheitandMAKEityourself,oryou\'llonlybeadeadmanwalkin\'arounddreamin\'you\'realive。

Andthat\'swhatmysonBibbshasbeendoin\'allhislife,andwhathe\'dratherdonowthangooutanddohispartbyme。AndifanythinghappenstoRoscoe——"

"Oh,dostopworryin\'oversuchnonsense,"Mrs。Sheridaninterrupted,irritatedintosharpwakefulnessforthemoment。"Thereisn\'tanythinggoin\'

tohappentoRoscoe,andyou\'rejusttormentin\'yourselfaboutnothin\'。

Aren\'tyouEVERgoin\'tobed？"

Sheridanhalted。"Allright,mamma,"hesaid,withavastsigh。"Let\'sgoup。"Andhesnappedofftheelectriclight,leavingonlytherosyglowofthefire。

"DidyouspeaktoRoscoe？"sheyawned,risinglopsidedlyinherdrowsiness。

"DidyoumentionaboutwhatItoldyoutheotherevening？"

"No。Iwillto—morrow。"

ButRoscoedidnotcomedown—townthenextday,northenext;nordidSheridanseefittoenterhisson\'shouse。Hewaited。Then,onthefourthdayofthemonth,Roscoewalkedintohisfather\'sofficeatnineinthemorning,whenSheridanhappenedtobealone。

"Theytoldmedown—stairsyou\'dleftwordyouwantedtoseeme。"

"Sitdown,"saidSheridan,rising。

Roscoesat。Hisfatherwalkedclosetohim,sniffedsuspiciously,andthenwalkedaway,smilingbitterly。"Boh！"heexclaimed。"Stillatit！"

"Yes,"saidRoscoe。"I\'vehadacoupleofdrinksthismorning。Whataboutit？"

"IreckonIbetteradoptsomedecentyoungman,"hisfatherreturned。"I\'dbringBibbsuphereandputhiminyourplaceifhewasfit。Iwould！"

"Betterdoit,"Roscoeassently,sullenly。

"When\'dyoubeginthisthing？"

"Ialwaysdiddrinkalittle。EversinceIgrewup,thatis。"

"Leavethattalkout！YouknowwhatImean。"

"Well,Idon\'tknowasIeverhadtoomuchinofficehours——untiltheotherday。"

Sheridanbegancutting。"It\'salie。I\'vehadRayWillsupfromyouroffice。

Hedidn\'twanttogiveyouaway,butIputthehooksintohim,andhecamethrough。Youweredrunktwicebeforeandcouldn\'twork。Youbeenleavin\'

yourofficefordrinkseveryfewhoursforthelastthreeweeks。Ibeenoveryourbooks。Yourofficeiswaybehind。Youhaven\'tdoneanywork,tocount,inamonth。"

"Allright,"saidRoscoe,droopingunderthetorture。"It\'salltrue。"

"Whatyougoin\'todoaboutit？"

Roscoe\'sheadwassunkbetweenhisshoulders。"Ican\'tstandverymuchtalkaboutit,father,"hesaid,pleadingly。

"No！"Sheridancried。"NeithercanI！WhatdoyouthinkitmeanstoME？"Hedroppedintothechairathisbigdesk,groaning。"Ican\'tstandtotalkaboutitanymore\'nyoucantolisten,butI\'mgoin\'tofindoutwhat\'sthematterwithyou,andI\'mgoin\'tostraightenyouout！"

Roscoeshookhisheadhelplessly。

"Youcan\'tstraightenmeout。"

"Seehere！"saidSheridan。"Canyougobacktoyourofficeandstaysoberto—day,whileIgetmyworkdone,orwillIhavetohireacoupleo\'huskiestofollowyouaroundandknockthewhiskeyouto\'yourhandiftheyseeyoutryin\'totakeit？"

"Youneedn\'tworryaboutthat,"saidRoscoe,lookingupwithafaintresentment。"I\'mnotdrinkingbecauseI\'vegotathirst。"

"Well,whathaveyougot？"

"Nothing。Nothingyoucandoanythingabout。Nothing,Itellyou。"

"We\'llseeaboutthat！"saidSheridan,harshly。"NowIcan\'tfoolwithyouto—day,andyougetupouto\'thatchairandgetouto\'myoffice。Youbringyourwifetodinnerto—morrow。Youdidn\'tcomelastSunday——butyoucometo—morrow。I\'lltalkthisoutwithyouwhenthewomen—folksareworkin\'thephonograph,afterdinner。Canyoukeepsobertillthen？Youbetterbesure,becauseI\'mgoingtosendAbercrombiedowntoyourofficeeverylittlewhile,andhe\'llletmeknow。"

Roscoepausedatthedoor。"YoutoldAbercrombieaboutit？"heasked。

"TOLDhim！"AndSheridanlaughedhideously。"Doyousupposethere\'sanelevator—boyinthewholedam\'buildingthatain\'tontoyou？"

Roscoesettledhishatdownoverhiseyesandwentout。

"WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Changety,chang,chang！Bash！Crash！BANG！"

SosangBibbs,hismusicalgaietiesinaudibletohisfellow—workmenbecauseofthenoiseofthemachinery。Hehaddiscoveredlongagothattheuproarwasrhythmical,andithadbeenintolerable;butnow,ontheafternoonofthefourthdayofhisreturn,hewasaccompanyingtheswingandclashofthemetalswithjubilantvaquerofragments,minglingimprovisationsofhisownamongthem,andmockingthezinc—eater\'scrashwithvocalimitations:

Fearlessandbold,Chang！Bash！Behold！WithaleapfromthegroundTothesaddleinabound,Andaway——andaway！Hi—YAY！WHOlooksachang,chang,bash,crash,bang！WHOcaresadashhowyoubashandyoucrash？NIGHT\'SonthewayEACHtimeIsay,Hi—YAY！Crash,chang！Bash,chang！Chang,bang,BANG！

Thelongroomwasceaselesslythunderingwithmetallicsound;theairwasthickwiththesmellofoil;thefloortrembledperpetually;everythingwasimplacablyinmotion——nowherewastherearestforthedizziedeye。ThefirsttimehehadenteredtheplaceBibbshadbecomedizzyinstantly,andsixmonthsofithadonlyaddedincreasingnauseatofaintness。Buthefeltneithernow。

"ALLDAYLONGI\'LLSENDMYTHOUGHTSTOYOU。YOUMUSTKEEPREMEMBERINGTHAT

YOURFRIENDSTANDSBESIDEYOU。"Hesawhertherebesidehim,andthegreasy,roaringplacebecamesuffusedwithradiance。Thepoetwashappyinhismachine—shop;hewasstillapoetthere。Andhefedhisoldzinc—eater,andsang:

Away——andaway！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,crash,bash,CHANG！Wildarehiseyes,Fiercelyhedies！Hi—YAH！Crash,bash,bang！Bash,CHANG！ReadytoflingOurglovesinthering——

Hewasunawareofasensationthatpassedalongthelinesofworkmen。Theirgreatmasterhadcomeamongthem,andtheygrinnedtoseehimstandingwithDr。GurneybehindtheunconsciousBibbs。Sheridannoddedtothosenearesthim——hehadpersonalacquaintancewithnearlyallofthem——buthekepthisattentionuponhisson。Bibbsworkedsteadily,neverturningfromhismachine。Nowandthenhevariedhismusicalprogrammewithremarksaddressedtothezinc—eater。

"Goon,youoldcrash—basher！Chewitup！It\'sgoodforyou,ifyoudon\'ttrytoboltyourvittles。Fletcherize,youpig！That\'sright——YOU\'LLnevergetalumpinyourgizzard。Wantsomemore？Here\'sanice,shinyone。"

Thewordswereindistinguishable,butSheridaninclinedhisheadtoGurney\'searandshoutedfiercely:"Talkin\'tohimself！ByGeorge！"

Gurneylaughedreassuringly,andshookhishead。

Bibbsreturnedtosong:

Chang！Chang,bash,chang！It\'sI！WHOlooksamustangintheeye？Fearlessandbo——

Hisfathergraspedhimbythearm。"Here！"heshouted。"LetMEshowyouhowtorunastripthroughthere。Theforemansaysyou\'resomebetter\'nyouusedtobe,butthat\'snowaytohandle——Getoutthewayandletmeshowyouonce。"

"Betterbecareful,"Bibbswarnedhim,steppingtooneside。

"Careful？Boh！"Sheridanseizedastripofzincfromthebox。"Whatyoutalkin\'toyourselfabout？Tryin\'tomakeyourselfthinkyou\'resoabusedyou\'regoin\'wronginthehead？"

"\'Abused\'？No！"shoutedBibbs。"IwasSINGING——becauseI\'likeit\'！ItoldyouI\'dcomebackand\'likeit。\'"

Sheridanmaynothaveunderstood。Atallevents,hemadenoreply,butbegantorunthestripofzincthroughthemachine。Hediditawkwardly——andwithbadresults。

"Here！"heshouted。"Thisistheway。WatchhowIdoit。There\'snothin\'toit,ifyouputyourmindonit。"Byhisownshowingthenhismindwasnotuponit。Hecontinuedtotalk。"Allyougottolookoutforistokeepitpressedoverto——"

"Don\'trunyourhandupwithit,"Bibbsvociferated,leaningtowardhim。

"Runnothin\'！YouGOTto——"

"Lookout！"shoutedBibbsandGurneytogether,andtheybothsprangforward。

ButSheridan\'srighthandhadfollowedthestriptoofar,andthezinc—eaterhadbittenoffthetipsofthefirstandsecondfingers。Hesworevehemently,andwrunghishand,sendingashowerofreddropsoverhimselfandBibbs,butGurneygraspedhiswrist,andsaid,sharply:

"Comeoutofhere。Comeovertothelavatoryintheoffice。Bibbs,fetchmybag。It\'sinmymachine,outside。"

AndwhenBibbsbroughtthebagtothewashroomhefoundthedoctorstillgraspingSheridan\'swrist,holdingtheinjuredhandoverabasin。Sheridanhadlostcolor,andtemper,too。HeglaredoverhisshoulderathissonasthelatterhandedthebagtoGurney。

"Yougoonbacktoyourwork,"hesaid。"I\'vehadworsesnipsthanthatfromapencil—sharpener。"

"Ohno,youhaven\'t！"saidGurney。

"Ihave,too！"Sheridanretorted,angrily。"Bibbs,yougoonbacktoyourwork。There\'snoreasontostandaroundherewatchin\'oleDocGurneytryin\'

tokeephimselfawakeworkin\'onascratchthatonlyneedsalittlecourt—plaster。Islipped,oritwouldn\'thappened。Yougetbackonyourjob。"

"Allright,"saidBibbs。

"HERE！"Sheridanbellowed,ashissonwaspassingoutofthedoor。"Youwatchoutwhenyou\'rerunnin\'thatmachine！YouhearwhatIsay？Islipped,orIwouldn\'tgotscratched,butyou——YOU\'REliabletogetyourwholehandcutoff！Youkeepyoureyesopen！"

"Yes,sir。"AndBibbsreturnedtothezinc—eaterthoughtfully。

Halfanhourlater,Gurneytouchedhimontheshoulderandbeckonedhimoutside,whereconversationwaspossible。"Isenthimhome,Bibbs。He\'llhavetobecarefulofthathand。Gogetyouroverallsoff。I\'lltakeyouforadriveandleaveyouathome。"

"Can\'t,"saidBibbs。"Gottosticktomyjobtillthewhistleblows。"

"No,youdon\'t,"thedoctorreturned,smotheringayawn。"Hewantsmetotakeyoudowntomyofficeandgiveyouanoverhaulingtoseehowmuchharmthesefourdaysonthemachinehavedoneyou。Iguessyoufolkshavegotthatoldmanprettythoroughlyupset,betweenyou,upatyourhouse！ButIdon\'tneedtogooveryou。Icanseewithmyeyeshalfshut——"

"Yes,"Bibbsinterrupted,"that\'swhattheyare。"

"IsayIcanseeyou\'restartingout,atleast,ingoodshape。What\'smadethedifference？"

"Ilikethemachine,"saidBibbs。"I\'vemadeafriendofit。Iserenadeitandtalktoit,andthenittalksbacktome。"

"Indeed,indeed？Whatdoesitsay？"

"WhatIwanttohear。"

"Well,well！"Thedoctorstretchedhimselfandstampedhisfootrepeatedly。

"Bettercomealongandtakeadrivewithme。Youcantakethetimeoffthatheallowedfortheexamination,and——"

"Notatall,"saidBibbs。"I\'mgoingtostandbymyoldzinc—eatertillfiveo\'clock。ItellyouILIKEit！"

"ThenIsupposethat\'stheendofyourwantingtowrite。"

"Idon\'tknowaboutthat,"Bibbssaid,thoughtfully;"butthezinc—eaterdoesn\'tinterferewithmythinking,atleast。It\'sbetterthanbeinginbusiness;I\'msureofthat。Idon\'twantanythingtochange。I\'dbecontenttoleadjustthelifeI\'mleadingnowtotheendofmydays。"

"Youdobeatthedevil！"exclaimedGurney。"Yourfather\'srightwhenhetellsmeyou\'reamystery。PerhapstheAlmightyknewwhatHewasdoingwhenHemadeyou,butittakesalotoffaithtobelieveit！Well,I\'moff。Goonbacktoyourmurderingoldmachine。"Heclimbedintohiscar,whichheoperatedhimself,butherefrainedfromsettingitimmediatelyinmotion。"Well,I

rubbeditinontheoldmanthatyouhadwarnedhimnottoslidehishandalongtoofar,andthathegothurtbecausehedidn\'tpayattentiontoyourwarning,andbecausehewastryingtoshowyouhowtodosomethingyouwerealreadydoingagreatdealbetterthanhecould。YoutellhimI\'llbearoundtolookatitandchangethedressingto—morrowmorning。Good—by。"

Butwhenhepaidthepromisedvisit,thenextmorning,hedidmorethanchangethedressinguponthedamagedhand。Theinjurywassevereofitskind,andGurneyspentalongtimeoverit,thoughSheridanwasrebelliousandscornful,beingbroughttoadegreeoftractabilityonlybymeansofhorriblethreatsandtalkofamputation。However,heappearedatthedinner—tablewithhishandsupportedinasling,whichheseemedtoregardasanindignity,whilethenaturalinquiriesuponthesubjectevidentlystruckhimasdeliberateinsults。Mrs。Sheridan,havingbeenunabletocontainhersolicitudeseveraltimesduringtheday,andhavingbeencheckedeachtimeinamannerthatblanchedhercheek,hastenedtowarnRoscoeandSibyl,upontheirarrivalatfive,toomitanyreferencetotheinjuryandtoavoidevenlookingattheslingiftheypossiblycould。

TheSheridansdinedonSundaysatfive。Sibylhadtakenpainsnottoarriveeitherbeforeorafterthehandwaspreciselyonthehour;andthemembersofthefamilywereallseatedatthetablewithintwominutesaftersheandRoscoehadenteredthehouse。

Itwasaglumgathering,overhungwithportents。Theairseemedcharged,awaitinganytinyignitiontoexplode;andMrs。Sheridan\'sexpression,asshesatwithhereyesfixedalmostcontinuallyuponherhusband,wasthatofapersonengagedinprayer。Edithwaspaleandintent。Roscoelookedill;

Sibyllookedill;andSheridanlookedbothillandexplosive。Bibbshadmorecolorthananyofthese,andtherewasastrangebrightness,likealight,uponhisface。Itwascurioustoseeanythingsohappyinthetensegloomofthathousehold。

Edithatelittle,butgazednearlyallthetimeatherplate。SheneveroncelookedatSibyl,thoughSibylnowandthengaveheraquickglance,heavilycharged,andthenlookedaway。Roscoeatenothing,and,likeEdith,kepthiseyesuponhisplateandmadebelievetooccupyhimselfwiththeviandsthereon,loadinghisforkfrequently,butnotliftingittohismouth。Hedidnotoncelookathisfather,thoughhisfathergazedheavilyathimmostofthetime。AndbetweenEdithandSibyl,andbetweenRoscoeandhisfather,somebitterwirelesscommunicationseemedcontinuallytobetakingplacethroughoutthelongsilencesprevailingduringthisenliveningceremonyofSabbathrefection。

"Didn\'tyougotochurchthismorning,Bibbs？"hismotherasked,intheefforttobreakuponeofthoseghastlyintervals。

"Whatdidyousay,mother？"

"Didn\'tyougotochurchthismorning？"

"Ithinkso,"heanswered,asfromaroseatetrance。

"YouTHINKso！Don\'tyouknow？"

"Ohyes。Yes,Iwenttochurch！"

"Whichone？"

"Justdownthestreet。It\'sbrick。"

"Whatwasthesermonabout？"

"What,mother？"

"Can\'tyouhearme？"shecried。"Iaskedyouwhatthesermonwasabout？"

Herousedhimself。"Ithinkitwasabout——"Hefrowned,seemingtoconcentratehiswilltorecollect。"IthinkitwasaboutsomethingintheBible。"

White—jacketGeorgewasgladofanopportunitytoleavetheroomandleanuponMist\'Jackson\'sshoulderinthepantry。"Hedon\'tknowtheyWASanysuhmon！"

heconcluded,havingnarratedthedining—roomdialogue。"Allheknowishewaswith\'atladylivesnex\'do\'！"Georgewasright。

"Didyougotochurchallbyyourself,Bibbs？"Sibylasked。

"No,"heanswered。"No,Ididn\'tgoalone。"

"Oh？"Sibylgavetheejaculationanupwardtwist,asofmockinginquiry,andfolloweditbyanother,expressiveofhilariouscomprehension。"OH！"

Bibbslookedatherstudiously,butshespokenofurther。Andthatcompletedtheconversationatthelugubriousfeast。

Coffeecamefinally,wasdisposedofquickly,andthepartydispersedtootherpartsofthehouse。BibbsfollowedhisfatherandRoscoeintothelibrary,butwasnotwellreceived。

"YOUgoandlistentothephonographwiththewomen—folks,"Sheridancommanded。

Bibbsretreated。"Sometimesyoudoseemtobeahardsortofman！"hesaid。

However,hewentobedientlytothegilt—and—brocaderoominwhichhismotherandhissisterandhissister—in—lawhadhelplesslywithdrawn,accordingtotheirSabbaticalcustom。Edithsatinacorner,tappingherfeettogetherandlookingatthem;Sibylsatinthecenteroftheroom,examiningabroochwhichshehaddetachedfromherthroat;andMrs。SheridanwaslookingoveracollectionofrecordsconsistingexclusivelyofCarusoandrag—time。Sheselectedoneofthelatter,remarkingthatshethoughtit"rightpretty,"andfolloweditwithoneoftheformerandthesameremark。

Asthesecondreacheditsconclusion,Georgeappearedinthebroaddoorway,seemingtohaveanerrandthere,buthedidnotspeak。Instead,hefavoredEdithwithabenevolentsmile,andsheimmediatelylefttheroom,Georgesteppingasideforhertoprecedehim,andthendisappearingafterherinthehallwithanairofsuccessfuldiplomacy。HemadeitperfectlyclearthatEdithhadgivenhimsecretinstructionsandthatithadbeenhisprideandpleasuretofulfilthemtotheletter。

Sibylstiffenedinherchair;herlipsparted,andshewatchedwithcuriouseyesthevanishingbackofthewhitejacket。

"What\'sthat？"sheasked,inalowvoice,butsharply。

"Here\'sanotherrightprettyrecord,"saidMrs。Sheridan,affecting——withpatentnervousness——nottohear。Andsheunloosedthemusic。

Sibylbitherlipandbegantotapherchinwiththebrooch。AfteralittlewhilesheturnedtoBibbs,whoreposedathalf—lengthinagoldchair,withhiseyesclosed。

"WheredidEdithgo？"sheasked,curiously。

"Edith？"herepeated,openinghiseyesblankly。"Isshegone？"

Sibylgotupandstoodinthedoorway。Sheleanedagainstthecasing,stilltappingherchinwiththebrooch。Hereyesweredilating;shewassuddenlyathightension,andherexpressionhadbecomeoneofsharpexcitement。Shelistensintently。

WhentherecordwasspunoutshecouldhearSheridanrumblinginthelibrary,duringtheensuingsilence,andRoscoe\'svoice,querulousandhusky;"Iwon\'tsayanythingatall。Itellyou,youmightjustaswellletmealone！"

Buttherewereothersound:arustlingandmurmur,whispering,lowprotestingcadencesinamalevoice。AndasMrs。Sheridanstartedanotherrecord,asudden,vitalresolveleapedlikefireintheeyesofSibyl。Shewalkeddownthehallandstraightintothesmoking—room。

LamhornandEdithbothsprangtotheirfeet,separating。Edithbecameinstantlydeathlywhitewitharagethatsethershakingfromheadtofoot,andLamhornstutteredashetriedtospeak。

ButEdith\'sshakingwasnotsoviolentasSibyl\'s,norwasherfacesowhite。

Atsightofthemandoftheirembrace,allpossibleconsequencesbecamenothingtoSibyl。Shecourtesied,holdingupherskirtsandcontortingherlipstothesemblanceofasmile。

"Sitjustasyouwere——bothofyou！"shesaid。AndthentoEdith:"DidyoutellmyhusbandIhadbeentelephoningtoLamhorn？"

"Youmarchoutofhere！"saidEdith,fiercely。"Marchstraightoutofhere！"

SibylleveledaforefingeratLamhorn。

"DidyoutellherI\'dbeentelphoningyouIwantedyoutocome？"

"Oh,goodGod！"Lamhornsaid。"Hush！"

"Youknewshe\'dtellmyhusband,DIDN\'Tyou？"shecried。"Youknewthat！"

"HUSH！"hebegged,panic—stricken。

"ThatwasaMANLYthingtodo！Oh,itwaslikeagentleman！Youwouldn\'tcome——youwouldn\'tevencomeforfiveminutestohearwhatIhadtosay！YouwereTIREDofwhatIhadtosay！You\'dhearditallathousandtimesbefore,andyouwouldn\'tcome！No！No！NO！"shestormed。"Youwouldn\'tevencomeforfiveminutes,butyoucouldtellthatlittlecat！AndSHEtoldmyhusband！

You\'reaMAN！"

EdithsawinaflashthattheconsequencesofbattlewouldberuinoustoSibyl,andthefuriousgirlneedednofurthertemptationtogivewaytoherfeelings。"Getoutofthishouse！"sheshrieked。"Thisismyfather\'shouse。

Don\'tyoudarespeaktoRobertlikethat！"

"No！No！Imustn\'tSPEAK——"

"Don\'tyouDARE！"

EdithandSibylbegantoscreaminsultsateachothersimultaneously,frontingeachother,theirfuriousfacesclose。Theirvoicesshrilledandroseandcracked——theyscreeched。Theycouldbeheardoverthenoiseofthephonograph,whichwasplayingabrass—bandselection。Theycouldbeheardalloverthehouse。Theywereheardinthekitchen;theycouldhavebeenheardinthecellar。Neitherofthemcaredforthat。

"Youtoldmyhusband！"screamedSibyl,bringingherfacestillclosertoEdith\'s。"Youtoldmyhusband！ThismanputTHATinyouhandstostrikemewith！HEdid！"

"I\'lltellyourhusbandagain！I\'lltellhimeverythingIknow！It\'sTIME

yourhusband——"

Theyweresweptasunderbyabandagedhand。"Doyouwanttheneighborsin？"

Sheridanthundered。

Therefellashockingsilence。FrenziedSibylsawherhusbandandhismotherinthedoorway,andsheunderstoodwhatshehaddone。Shemovedslowlytowardthedoor;thensuddenlyshebegantorun。Sheranintothehall,andthroughit,andoutofthehouse。Roscoefollowedherheavily,hiseyesontheground。

"NOWTHEN！"saidSheridantoLamhorn。