第16章

shewassureallalongitwasgoin\'tohappen;and,besides,Iguessshe\'sgotallthatfoolishnessprettymuchoutofher,bein\'sosick。ButwhatI

thoughtwas,nousebein\'roughwithher,papa——Iexpectshe\'ssufferedagooddeal——andIdon\'tthinkwe\'doughttobe,onRoscoe\'saccount。You\'ll——you\'llbekindo\'politetoher,won\'tyou,papa？"

Hemumbledsomethingwhichwassmotheredunderthecoverlethehadpulledoverhishead。

"What？"shesaid,timidly。"Iwasjustsayin\'Ihopedyou\'dtreatSibylallrightwhenshecomes,thisafternoon。Youwill,won\'tyou,papa？"

Hethrewthecoverletofffuriously。"Ipresumeso！"heroared。

Shedepartedguiltily。

ButifhehadacceptedherprofferedwagerthatBibbswouldgotochurchwithMaryVertreesthatmorning,Mrs。Sheridanwouldhavelost。Nevertheless,BibbsandMarydidcertainlysetoutfromMr。Vertrees\'shousewiththepurposeofgoingtochurch。Thatwastheirintention,andtheyhadnoother。Theymeanttogotochurch。

Butithappenedthattheywereattentivelypreoccupiedinaconversationastheycametothechurch;andthoughMarywaslookingtotherightandBibbswaslookingtotheleft,Bibbs\'sleftwardglanceconvergedwithMary\'srightwardglance,andneitherwaslookingfarbeyondtheotheratthistime。

Italsohappenedthat,thoughtheywerealittlejostledamonggroupsofpeopleinthevicinityofthechurch,theypassedthissomewhatprominentedificewithoutbeingawareoftheirproximitytoit,andtheyhadgoneanincrediblenumberofblocksbeyonditbeforetheydiscoveredtheirerror。

However,feelingthattheymightbeembarrassinglylateiftheyreturned,theydecidedthatawalkwouldmakethemasgood。Itwasawindlesswintermorning,withaninchofcrispsnowovertheground。Sotheywalked,andforthemostparttheyweresilent,butontheirwayhome,aftertheyhadturnedbackatnoon,theybegantobetalkativeagain。

"Mary,"saidBibbs,afteratime,"amIasleep—walker？"

Shelaughedalittle,thenlookedgrave。"Doesyourfathersayyouare？"

"Yes——whenhe\'sinamoodtoflatterme。Othertimes,othernames。Hehasquitealist。"

"Youmustn\'tmind,"shesaid,gently。"He\'sbeengettingsomeprettysevereshocks。Whatyou\'vetoldmemakesmeprettysorryforhim,Bibbs。I\'vealwaysbeensurehe\'sverybig。"

"Yes。Bigand——blind。He\'slikeaHerculeswithouteyesandwithoutanyconsciousnessexceptthatofhisstrengthandofhispurposetogrowstronger。

Strongerforwhat？Fornothing。"

"Areyousure,Bibbs？ItCAN\'Tbefornothing;itmustbestrongerforsomething,eventhoughhedoesn\'tknowwhatitis。PerhapswhatheandhiskindarestrugglingforissomethingsogreattheyCOULDN\'Tseeit——sogreatnoneofuscouldseeit。"

"No,he\'sjustlikesomeblind,unconsciousthingheavingunderground——"

"Tillhebreaksthroughandleapsoutintothedaylight,"shefinishedforhim,cheerily。

"Intothesmoke,"saidBibbs。"Lookatthepowderofcoal—dustalreadydirtyingthedecentsnow,eventhoughit\'sSunday。That\'sfromthelittlepigs;thebigonesaren\'tsobad,onSunday！There\'safleckofsootonyourcheek。Somepigsentitoutintotheair;hemightaswellhavethrownitonyou。Itwouldhavebeenbraver,forthenhe\'dhavetakenhischanceofmywhippinghimforitifIcould。"

"IStheresootonmycheek,Bibbs,orwereyouonlysayingsorhetorically？

ISthere？"

"Isthere？ThereAREsootonyourcheeks,Mary——afleckoneach。OnelandedsinceImentionedthefirst。"

Shehaltedimmediately,givinghimherhandkerchief,andhesucceededintransferringmostoftheblackfromherfacetothecambric。Theywereentirelymatter—of—courseaboutit。

Anelderlycouple,itchanced,hadbeenwalkingbehindBibbsandMaryforthelastblockorso,andpassedaheadduringtheremovalofthesoot。"There！"

saidtheelderlywife。"You\'realwayswrongwhenyoubeginguessingaboutstrangers。Thosetwoyoungpeoplearen\'thoneymoonersatall——they\'vebeenmarriedforyears。Ablindmancouldseethat。"

"IwishIdidknowwhothrewthatsootonyou,"saidBibbs,lookingupattheneighboringchimneys,astheywenton。"Theyarrestchildrenforthrowingsnowballsatthestreet—cars,but——"

"Buttheydon\'tarrestthestreet—carsforshakingallthepicturesinthehousescrookedeverytimetheygoby。Norfortheuproartheymake。Iwonderwhat\'sthecostinnervesforthenoiseofthecityeachyear。Yes,wepaythepriceforlivingina\'growingtown,\'whetherwehavemoneytopayornone。"

"Whoisitgetsthepay？"saidBibbs。

"NotI！"shelaughed。

"Nobodygetsit。Thereisn\'tanypay;there\'sonlymoney。Andonlysomeofthemendown—towngetmuchofthat。That\'swhatmyfatherwantsmetoget。"

"Yes,"shesaid,smilingtohim,andnodding。"Andyoudon\'twantit,andyoudon\'tneedit。"

"Butyoudon\'tthinkI\'masleep—walker,Mary？"Hehadtoldherofhisfather\'snewplansforhim,thoughhehadnotdescribedthevigorandpicturesquenessoftheirsettingforth。"YouthinkI\'mright？"

"Athousandtimes！"shecried。"Therearen\'tsomanyhappypeopleinthisworld,Ithink——andyousayyou\'vefoundwhatmakesyouhappy。Ifit\'sadream——keepit！"

"Thethoughtofgoingdownthere——intothemoneyshuffle——IhateitasIneverhatedtheshop！"hesaid。"Ihateit！Andthecityitself,thecitythatthemoneyshufflehasmade——justlookatit！Lookatitinwinter。Thesnow\'striedhardtomaketheuglinessbearable,buttheuglinessiswinning;it\'smakingthesnowhideous;thesnow\'sgettingdirtyontop,andit\'sfoulunderneathwiththedirtanddiseaseoftheuncleanstreet。Andthedirtandtheuglinessandtherushandthenoisearen\'ttheworstofit;it\'swhatthedirtanduglinessandrushandnoiseMEAN——that\'stheworst！Theoutwardthingsareinsufferable,butthey\'reonlytheexpressionofaspirit——ablindenbryoofaspirit,notyetasoul——oh,justgreed！Andthis\'goahead\'

nonsense！Oughtn\'titalltobeafellowship？Ishouldn\'twanttogetaheadifIcould——I\'dwanttohelptheotherfellowtokeepupwithme。"

"Ireadsomethingtheotherdayandremembereditforyou,"saidMary。"ItwassomethingBurne—Jonessaidofapicturehewasgoingtopaint:\'InthefirstpictureIshallmakeamanwalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofhappylife:children,andloverswalking,andladiesleaningfromthewindowsalldowngreatlengthsofstreetleadingtothecitywalls;andtherethegatesarewideopen,lettinginaspaceofgreenfieldandcornfieldinharvest;andallroundhisheadagreatrainofswirlingautumnleavesblowingfromalttlewalledgraveyard。"

"AndifIpainted,"Bibbsreturned,"I\'dpaintaladywalkinginthestreetofagreatcity,fullofallkindsofuproariousandfutilelife——childrenbeingtaughtonlyhowtomakemoney,andlovershurryingtogetricher,andladieswho\'dgivenuptryingtowashtheirwindowsclean,andthegatesofthecitywideopen,lettinginslumsandslaughter—housesandfreight—yards,andallroundthislady\'sheadagreatrainofswirlingsoot——"Hepaused,adding,thoughtfully:"AndyetIbelieveI\'mgladthatsootgotonyourcheek。ItwasjustasifIwereyourbrother——thewayyougavemeyourhandkerchieftorubitoffforyou。Still,Edithnever——"

"Didn\'tshe？"saidMary,ashepausedagain。

"No。AndI——"Hecontentedhimselfwithshakinghisheadinsteadofofferingmoredefiniteinformation。ThenherealizedthattheywerepassingtheNewHouse,andhesighedprofoundly。"Mary,ourwalk\'salmostover。"

Shelookedasblank。"Soitis,Bibbs。"

Theysaidnomoreuntiltheycametohergate。Astheydriftedslowlytoastop,thedoorofRoscoe\'shouseopened,andRoscoecameoutwithSibyl,whowasstartlinglypale。Sheseemedlittleenfeebledbyherillness,however,walkingratherquicklyatherhusband\'ssideandnottakinghisarm。ThetwocrossedthestreetwithoutappearingtoseeMaryandhercompanion,andenteringtheNewHouse,werelosttosight。Marygazedafterthemgravely,butBibbs,lookingatMary,didnotseethem。

"Mary,"hesaid,"youseemveryserious。Isanythingbotheringyou？"

"No,Bibbs。"Andshegavehimabright,quicklookthatmadehiminstantlyunreasonablyhappy。

"Iknowyouwanttogoin——"hebegan。

"No。Idon\'twantto。"

"Imustn\'tkeepyoustandingher,andImustn\'tgoinwithyou——but——Ijustwantedtosay——I\'veseemedverystupidtomyselfthismorning,grumblingaboutsootandallthat——whileallthetimeI——Mary,Ithinkit\'sbeentheveryhappiestofallthehoursyou\'vegivenme。Ido。And——Idon\'tknowjustwhy——butit\'sseemedtomethatitwasoneI\'dalwaysremember。Andyou,"headded,falteringly,"youlookso——sobeautifulto—day！"

"Itmusthavebeenthesootonmycheek,Bibbs。"

"Mary,willyoutellmesomething？"heasked。

"IthinkIwill。"

"It\'ssomethingI\'vehadalotoftheoriesabout,butnoneofthemeverjustfits。Youusedtowearfursinthefall,butnowit\'ssomuchcolder,youdon\'t——youneverwearthematallanymore。Whydon\'tyou？"

Hereyesfellforamoment,andshegrewred。Thenshelookedupgaily。

"Bibbs,ifItellyoutheanswerwillyoupromisenottoaskanymorequestions？"

"Yes。Whydidyoustopwearingthem？"

"BecauseIfoundI\'dbewarmerwithoutthem！"Shecaughthishandquicklyinherownforaninstant,laughedintohiseyes,andranintothehouse。

Itistheconsolingattributeofunusedbooksthattheirdecorativewarmthwillsooftenmakeevenaready—madelibrarytheactual"living—room"ofafamilytowhomtheshelvedvolumesareindeedsealed。ThusitwaswithSheridan,whoreadnothingexceptnewspapers,businessletters,andfigures;

wholookeduponbooksashelookeduponbric—a—bracorcrocheting——whenhewasathome,andnotabedoreating,hewasinthelibrary。

Hestoodinthemany—coloredlightofthestained—glasswindowatthefarendofthelongroom,whenRoscoeandhiswifecamein,andheexhaledasolemnity。HisdeferencetotheSabbathwasmanifest,asalways,inthelengthofhiscoatandtheclosenessofhisSaturday—nightshave;andhisexpression,tomatchthisreligiouspomp,wasmorethanSabbatical,butthemostdismayingofhisdemonstrationswashiskeepinghishandinhissling。

Sibyladvancedtothemiddleoftheroomandhaltedthere,notlookingathim,butdownathermuff,inwhich,itcouldbeseen,herhandswerenervouslymoving。Roscoewenttoachairinanotherpartoftheroom。Therewasadeadlysilence。

ButSibylfoundashakyvoice,afteranintervalofgulping,thoughshewasunabletolifthereyes,andthedarklinglidscontinuedtoveilthem。Shespokehurriedly,likeanungiftedchildrecitingsomethingcommittedtomemory,buthersinceritywasnonethelessevidentforthat。

"FatherSheridan,youandmotherSheridanhavealwaysbeensokindtome,andIwouldhatetohaveyouthinkIdon\'tappreciateit,fromthewayIacted。

I\'vecometotellyouIamsorryforthewayIdidthatnight,andtosayI

knowaswellasanybodythewayIbehaved,anditwillneverhappenagain,becauseit\'sbeenaprettyhardlesson;andwhenwecomeback,someday,I

hopeyou\'llseethatyou\'vegotadaughter—in—lawyouneverneedtobeashamedofagain。IwanttoaskyoutoexcusemeforthewayIdid,andIcansayI

haven\'tanyfeelingstowardEdithnow,butonlywishherhappinessandgoodinhernewlife。Ithankyouforallyourkindnesstome,andIknowImadeapoorreturnforit,butifyoucanoverlookthewayIbehavedIknowIwouldfeelagooddealhappier——andIknowRoscoewould,too。Iwishtopromisenottobeasfoolishinthefuture,andthesameerrorwouldneveroccuragaintomakeusallsounhappy,ifyoucanbecharitableenoughttoexcuseitthistime。"

Helookedsteadilyatherwithoutreplying,andshestoodbeforehim,neverliftinghereyes;motionless,savewherethemovingfurprovedtheagitationofherhandswithinthemuff。

"Allright,"hesaidatlast。

Shelookedupthenwithvastrelief,thoughtherewasarevelationofheavytearswhentheeyelidslifted。

"Thankyou,"shesaid。"There\'ssomethingelse——aboutsomethingdifferent——I

wanttosaytoyou,butIwantmotherSheridantohearit,too。"

"She\'sup—stairsinherroom,"saidSheridan。"Roscoe——"

Sibylinterrupted。ShehadjustseenBibbspassthroughthehallandbegintoascendthestairs;andinaflashsheinstinctivelyperceivedthechanceforpreciselytheeffectshewanted。

"No,letmego,"shesaid。"Iwanttospeaktoheraminutefirst,anyway。"

Andshewentawayquickly,gainingthetopofthestairsintimetoseeBibbsenterhisroomandclosethedoor。SibylknewthatBibbs,inhisroom,hadoverheardherquarrelwithEdithinthehalloutside;forbitterEdith,thinkingthemoretoshameher,hadsubsequentlyinformedherofthecircumstance。Sibylhadjustrememberedthis,andwiththerecollectiontherehadflashedthethought——outofherownexperience——thatpeopleareoftenmuchmoredeeplyimpressedbywordstheyoverhearthanbywordsdirectlyaddressedtothem。SibylintendedtomakeitimpossibleforBibbsnottooverhear。Shedidnothesitate——herheartwashotwiththeoldsore,andshebelievedwhollyinthejusticeofhercauseandinthetruthofwhatshewasgoingtosay。Fatewasvirtuousattimes;ithaddeliveredintoherhandsthegirlwhohadaffrontedher。

Mrs。Sheridanwasinherownroom。TheapproachofSibylandRoscoehaddrivenherfromthelibrary,forshehadmiscalculatedherhusband\'smood,andshefeltthatifheusedhisinjuredhandasamarkofemphasisagain,inherpresence,shewould（asshethoughtofit）"haveafitrightthere。"SheheardSibyl\'sstep,andpretendedtobeputtingatouchtoherhairbeforeamirror。

"Iwasjustcomingdown,"shesaid,asthedooropened。

"Yes,hewantsyouto,"saidSibyl。"It\'sallright,motherSheridan。He\'sforgivenme。"

Mrs。Sheridansniffedinstantly;tearsappeared。Shekissedherdaughter—in—law\'scheek;then,insilence,regardedthemirrorafresh,wipedhereyes,andappliedpowder。

"AndIhopeEdithwillbehappy,"Sibyladded,incitingmoreapplicationsofMrs。Sheridan\'shandkerchiefandpowder。

"Yes,yes,"murmuredthegoodwoman。"Wemustn\'tmaketheworstofthings。"

"Well,therewassomethingelseIhadtosay,andhewantsyoutohearit,too,"saidSibyl。"Webettergodown,motherSheridan。"

Sheledtheway,Mrs。Sheridanfollowingobediently,butwhentheycametoaspotclosebyBibbs\'sdoor,Sibylstopped。"Iwanttotellyouaboutitfirst,"shesaid,abruptly。"Itisn\'tasecret,ofcourse,inanyway;it\'ssomethingthewholefamilyhastoknow,andthesoonerthewholefamilyknowsitthebetter。It\'ssomethingitwouldn\'tbeRIGHTforusALLnottounderstand,andofcoursefatherSheridanmostofall。ButIwanttojustkindofgooveritfirstwithyou;it\'llkindofhelpmetoseeIgotitallstratight。Ihaven\'tgotanyreasonforsayingitexceptthegoodofthefamily,andit\'snothingtome,onewayortheother,ofcourse,exceptforthat。Ioughtn\'tto\'vebehavedthewayIdidthatnight,anditseemstomeifthere\'sanythingIcandotohelpthefamily,Ioughtto,becauseitwouldhelpshowIfelttherightway。Well,whatIwanttodoistotellthisso\'stokeepthefamilyfrombeingmadeafoolof。Idon\'twanttoseethefamilyjustmadeuseofandtwistedaroundherfingerbysomebodythat\'sgotnomoreheartthansomuchice,andjustassuretobringtroublesinthelongrunas——asEdith\'smistakeis。Well,then,thisisthewayitis。I\'lljusttellyouhowitlookstomeandseeifitdon\'tstrikeyouthesameway。"

Withintheroom,Bibbs,muchannoyed,tappedhisearwithhispencil。Hewishedtheywouldn\'tstandtalkingnearhisdoorwhenhewastryingtowrite。

HehadjusttakenfromhistrunkthemanuscriptofapoembeguntheprecedingSundayafternoon,andhehadsomeideashewantedtofixuponpaperbeforetheymaliciouslyseizedthefirstopportunitytovanish,fortheywerebutgossamer。Bibbswaspleasedwiththebeginningsofhispoem,andifhecouldcarryitthroughhemeanttodaregreatlywithit——hewouldventureituponaneditor。Forhehadhisplanoflifenow:hisdaywouldbeofmanuallaborandthinking——hecouldthinkofhisfriendandhecouldthinkincadencesforpoems,tothecrashingofthestrongmachine——andifhisfatherturnedhimoutofhomeandoutoftheWorks,hewouldworkelsewhereandliveelsewhere。Hisfatherhadtheright,anditmatteredverylittletoBibbs——hefacedtheprospectofaworking—man\'slodging—housewithouttrepidation。Hecouldfindawashstandtowriteupon,hethought;andeveryeveningwhenheleftMaryhewouldwritealittle;andhewouldwriteonholidaysandonSundays——onSundaysintheafternoon。Inalodging—house,atleasthewouldn\'tbeinterruptedbyhissister—in—law\'schoosingtheimmediatevicinityofhisdoorforconversationsevidentlyimportanttoherself,butmerelydisturbingtohim。Hefrownedplaintively,wishinghecouldthinkofsomepolitewayofaskinghertogoaway。But,asshewenton,hestartedviolently,droppingmanuscriptandpenciluponthefloor。

"Idon\'tknowwhetheryouheardit,motherSheridan,"shesaid,"butthisoldVertreeshouse,nextdoor,hadbeensoldonforeclosure,andallTHEYgotoutofitwasanagreementthatlet\'s\'emlivetherealittlelonger。Roscoetoldme,andhesaysheheardMr。Vertreeshasbeenupanddownthestreetsmore\'ntwoyears,tryin\'togetajobhecouldcalla\'position,\'andcouldn\'tlandit。Youheardanythingaboutit,motherSheridan？"

"Well,IDIDknowtheybeendoin\'theirownhouse—workagoodwhileback,"

saidMrs。Sheridan。"Andnowthey\'redoin\'thecookin\',too。"

Sibylsentforthalittletitterwithasharpedge。"Ihopetheyfindsomethingtocook！ShesoldherpianomightyquickafterJimdied！"

Bibbsjumpedup。Hewastremblingfromheadtofootandhewasdizzy——ofalltherealthingshecouldneverhavedreamedinhisdreamthelastwouldhavebeenwhatheheardnow。Hefeltthatsomethingincrediblewashappening,andthathewaspowerlesstostopit。ItseemedtohimthatheavyblowswerefallingonhisheadanduponMary\'s;itseemedtohimthatheandMarywerebeingstruckandbeatenphysically——andthatsomethinghideousimpended。HewantedtoshouttoSibyltobesilent,buthecouldnot;hecouldonlystand,swallowingandtrembling。

"WhatIthinkthewholefamilyoughttounderstandisjustthis,"saidSibyl,sharply。"ThosepeopleweresohardupthatthisMissVertreesstartedafterBibbsbeforetheyknewwhetherhewasINSANEornot！They\'dgotanotionhemightbe,fromhisbeinginasanitarium,andMrs。VertreesASKEDmeifhewasinsane,theveryfirstdayBibbstookthedaughteroutauto—riding！"Shepausedamoment,lookingatMrs。Sheridan,butlisteningintently。Therewasnosoundfromwithintheroom。

"No！"exclaimedMrs。Sheridan。

"It\'sthetruth,"Sibyldeclared,loudly。"Oh,ofcoursewewereallcrazyaboutthatgirlatfirst。Wewereprettygreenwhenwemoveduphere,andwethoughtshe\'dgetusIN——butitdidn\'ttakeMElongtoreadher！Herfamilyweredownandoutwhenitcametomoney——andtheyhadtogoafterit,onewayoranother,SOMEHOW！SoshestartedforRoscoe;butshefoundoutprettyquickhewasmarried,andsheturnedrightaroundtoJim——andshelandedhim！

There\'snodoubtaboutit,shehadJim,andifhe\'dlivedyou\'dhadanotherdaughter—in—lawbeforethis,assureasIstandheretellingyoutheGod\'struthaboutit！Well——whenJimwasleftinthecemeteryshewaswaitingouttheretodrivehomewithBibbs！Jimwasn\'tCOLD——andshedidn\'tknowwhetherBibbswasinsaneornot,buthewastheonlyoneoftherichSheridanboysleft。Shehadtogethim。"

Thetextureofwhatwasthetruthmadeanevenfabricwithwhatwasnot,inSibyl\'smind;shebelievedeverywordthatsheuttered,andshespokewiththerapidityandvehemenceoffierceconviction。

"WhatIfeelaboutitis,"shesaid,"itoughtn\'ttobeallowedtogoon。It\'stoomean！IlikepoorBibbs,andIdon\'twanttoseehimmadesuchafoolof,andIdon\'twanttoseethefamilymadesuchafoolof！IlikepoorBibbs,butifhe\'donlystoptothinkaminutehimselfhe\'dhavetorealizeheisn\'tthekindofmanANYgirlwouldbeapttofallinlovewith。He\'sbetter—lookinglately,maybe,butyouknowhowheWAS——justkindofalongwhiteragingoodclothes。AndgirlslikemenwithsomeSOto\'em——SOMEsortofdashingness,anyhow！NobodyeverlookedatpoorBibbsbefore,andneither\'dshe——no,SIR！nottillshe\'dtriedbothRoscoeandJimfirst！Itwasonlywhenherandherfamilygotdesperatethatshe——"

Bibbs——whiterthanwhenhecamefromthesanitarium——openedthedoor。Hesteppedacrossitsthresholdandstooklookingather。Bothwomenscreamed。

"Oh,goodheavens！"criedSibyl。"WereyouinTHERE？Oh,Iwouldn\'t——"SheseizedMrs。Sheridan\'sarm,pullinghertowardthestairway。"Comeon,motherSheridan！"sheurged,andasthebefuddledandconfusedladyobeyed,Sibylleftatrailofnoisyexclamations:"Goodgracious！Oh,Iwouldn\'t——Toobad！

Ididn\'tDREAMhewasthere！Iwouldn\'thurthisfeelings！Notfortheworld！OfcoursehehadtoknowSOMEtime！But,goodheavens——"

SheheardhisdoorcloseassheandMrs。Sheridanreachedthetopofthestairs,andsheglancedoverhershoulderquickly,butBibbswasnotfollowing;hehadgonebackintohisroom。

"He——helooked——oh,terriblebad！"stammeredMrs。Sheridan。"I——Iwish——"

"Still,it\'sagooddealbetterheknowsaboutit,"saidSibyl。"Ishouldn\'twonderitmightturnouttheverybestthingcouldhappened。Comeon！"

Andcompletingtheirdescenttothelibrary,thetwomadetheirappearancetoRoscoeandhisfather。Sibylatoncegaveafullandtruthfulaccountofwhathadtakenplace,repeatingherownremarks,andomittingonlythefactthatitwasthroughherdesignthatBibbshadoverheardthem。

"ButasItoldmotherSheridan,"shesaid,inconclusion,"itmightturnoutfortheverybestthathedidhear——justthatway。Don\'tyouthinkso,fatherSheridan？"

Hemerelygruntedinreply,andsatrubbingthethickhaironthetopofhisheadwithhislefthandandlookingatthefire。HehadgivennosignofbeingimpressedinanymannerbyherexposureofMaryVertrees\'scharacter;

buthisimpassivitydidnotdismaySibyl——itwasBibbswhomshedesiredtoimpress,andshewascontentinthatmatter。

"I\'msureitwasallforthebest,"shesaid。"It\'sovernow,andheknowswhatsheis。InonewayIthinkitwaslucky,because,justhearingathingthatway,apersoncantellit\'sSO——andheknowsIhaven\'tgotanyaxtogrindexcepthisowngoodandthegoodofthefamily。"

Mrs。Sheridanwentnervouslytothedoorandstoodthere,lookingtowardthestairway。"Iwish——IwishIknewwhathewasdoin\',"shesaid。"Hedidlookterriblebad。Itwaslikesomethinghadbeendonetohimthatwas——Idon\'tknowwhat。Ineversawanybodylooklikehedid。Helooked——soqueer。Itwaslikeyou\'d——"Shecalleddownthehall,"George！"

"Yes\'m？"

"WereyouupinMr。Bibbs\'sroomjustnow？"

"Yes,m。Heringbell;tolememakehimfiahinhisgrate。Idonebuil\'himnicefiah。Ireckonheain\'feelin\'sowell。Yes\'m。"Hedeparted。

"Whatdoyouexpecthewantsafirefor？"sheasked,turningtowardherhusband。"Thehouseiswarmascanbe,IdowishI——"

"Oh,quitfrettin\'！"saidSheridan。

"Well,I——Ikindo\'wishyouhadn\'tsaidanything,Sibyl。Iknowyoumeantitforthebestandall,butIdon\'tbelieveitwouldbeensomuchharmif——"

"MotherSheridan,youdon\'tmeanyouWANTthatkindofagirlinthefamily？

Why,she——"

"Idon\'tknow,Idon\'tknow,"thetroubledwomanquavered。"Ifhelikedheritseemskindofapitytospoilit。He\'ssoqueer,andhehasn\'tevertakenmuchenjoyment。Andbesides,Ibelievethewayitwas,therewasmorechanceofhimbein\'willin\'todowhatpapawantshimto。Ifshewantstomarryhim——"

Sheridaninterruptedherwithahootinglaugh。"Shedon\'t！"hesaid。"You\'rebarkin\'upthewrongtree,Sibyl。Sheain\'tthatkindofagirl。"

"But,fatherSheridan,didn\'tshe——"

Hecuthershort。"That\'senough。Youmaymeanallright,butyouguesswrong。Sodoyou,mamma。"

Sibylcriedout,"Oh！ButjustLOOKhowsheranafterJim——"

"Shedidnot,"hesaid,curtly。"Shewouldn\'ttakeJim。Sheturnedhimdowncold。"

"Butthat\'simpossi——"

"It\'snot。IKNOWshedid。"

Sibyllookedflatlyincredulous。

"AndYOUneedn\'tworry,"hesaid,turningtohiswife。"Thiswon\'thaveanyeffectonyouridea,becausetherewasn\'tanysensetoit,anyhow。D\'youthinkshe\'dbeverylikelytotakeBibbs——aftershewouldn\'ttakeJIM？She\'sagood—heartedgirl,andsheletsBibbscometoseeher,butifshe\'devergivenhimonesignofencouragementthewayyouwomenthink,hewouldn\'tofactedthestubbornfoolhehas——he\'d\'a\'beenatmelongago,beggin\'meforsomekindofajobhecouldsupportawifeon。There\'snothin\'init——andI\'vegotthesameoldfightwithhimonmyhandsI\'vehadallhislife——andtheLordknowswhathewon\'tdotobalkme！What\'shappenednow\'llprobablyonlymakehimtwiceassrubborn,but——"

"SH！"Mrs。Sheridan,stillinthedoorway,liftedherhand。"That\'shisstep——he\'scomin\'down—stairs。"SheshrankawayfromthedoorasifshefearedtohaveBibbsseeher。"I——Iwonder——"shesaid,almostinawhisper——"Iwonderwhathe\'dgoin\'——todo。"

Hertimorousnesshaditseffectupontheothers。Sheridanrose,frowning,butremainedstandingbesidehischair;andRoscoemovedtowardSibyl,whostareduneasilyattheopendoorway。Theylistenedastheslowstepsdescendedthestairsandcametowardthelibrary。

Bibbsstoppeduponthethreshold,andwithsickandhaggardeyeslookedslowlyfromonetotheotheruntilatlasthisgazeresteduponhisfather。Thenhecameandstoodbeforehim。

"I\'msorryyou\'vehadsomuchtroublewithme,"hesaid,gently。"Youwon\'t,anymore。I\'lltakethejobyouofferedme。"

Sheridandidnotspeak——hestared,astoundedandincredulous;andBibbshadlefttheroombeforeanyofitsoccupantsutteredasound,thoughhewentasslowlyashecame。Mrs。Sheridanwasthefirsttomove。Shewentnervouslybacktothedoorway,andthenoutintothehall。Bibbshadgonefromthehouse。

Bibbs\'smotherhadafeelingabouthimthenthatshehadneverknownbefore;

itwasindefiniteandvague,butverypoignant——somethinginhermournedforhimuncomprehendingly。Shefeltthatanawfulthinghadbeendonetohim,thoughshedidnotknowwhatitwas。Shewentuptohisroom。

ThefireGeorgehadbuiltforhimwasalmostsmotheredunderthick,charredashesofpaper。Thelidofhistrunkstoodopen,andthelargeuppertray,whichsherememberedtohaveseenfullofpapersandnote—books,wasempty。

AndsomehowsheunderstoodthatBibbshadgivenupthemysteriousvocationhehadhopedtofollow——andthathehadgivenitupforever。Shethoughtitwasthewisestthinghecouldhavedone——andyet,foranunknownreason,shesatuponthebedandweptalittlebeforeshewentdown—stairs。

SoSheridanhadhiswaywithBibbs,allthrough。