第17章

AsBibbscameoutoftheNewHouse,aSundaytriowasincourseofpassageuponthesidewalk:anampleyoungwoman,placidofface;ablack—clad,thinyoungman,whoseexpressionwasoneofhabitualanxiety,habitualwarinessandhabitualeagerness。Hepropelledaperambulatorcontainingthethird——andallthreewerenewlycleaned,Sundayfied,andmadefittodinewiththewife\'srelatives。

"How\'dyoulikeformetobeTHATyoungfella,mamma？"thehusbandwhispered。

"He\'soneofthesons,andthereain\'tbuttwoleftnow。"

ThewifestaredcuriouslyatBibbs。"Well,Idon\'tknow,"shereturned。"Helookstomelikehehadhisowntroubles。"

"Iexpecthehas,likeanybodyelse,"saidtheyounghusband,"butIguesswecouldstandagooddealifwehadhismoney。"

"Well,maybe,ifyoukeeponthewayyoubeen,baby\'llbeaswellfixedastheSheridans。Youcan\'ttell。"SheglancedbackatBibbs,whohadturnednorth。"Hewalkskindofslowandstoopedover,like。"

"Somuchmoneyinhispocketsitmakeshimsag,Iguess,"saidtheyounghusband,withbitteradmiration。

Mary,happeningtoglancefromawindow,sawBibbscoming,andshestarted,claspingherhandstogetherinasuddenalarm。Shemethimatthedoor。

"Bibbs！"shecried。"Whatisthematter？IsawsomethingwasterriblywrongwhenI——Youlook——"Shepaused,andhecamein,notliftinghiseyestohers。

Alwayswhenhecrossedthatthresholdhehadcomewithhisheadupandhiswistfulgazeseekinghers。"Ah,poorboy！"shesaid,withagestureofunderstandingandpity。"Iknowwhatitis！"

Hefollowedherintotheroomwheretheyalwayssat,andsankintoachair。

"Youneedn\'ttellme,"shesaid。"They\'vemadeyougiveup。Yourfather\'swon——you\'regoingtodowhathewants。You\'vegivenup。"

Stillwithoutlookingather,heinclinedhisheadinaffirmation。

Shegavealittlecryofcompassion,andcameandsatnearhim。"Bibbs,"shesaid。"Icanbegladofonething,thoughit\'sselfish。Icanbegladyoucamestraighttome。It\'smoretomethanevenifyou\'dcomebecauseyouwerehappy。"Shedidnotspeakagainforalittlewhile;thenshesaid:

"Bibbs——dear——couldyoutellmeaboutit？Doyouwantto？"

Stillhedidnotlookup,butinavoice,shakenandhuskyheaskedheraquestionsogrotesquethatatfirstshethoughtshehadmisunderstoodhiswords。

"Mary,"hesaid,"couldyoumarryme？"

"Whatdidyousay,Bibbs？"sheasked,quietly。

Histoneandattitudedidnotchange。"Willyoumarryme？"

Bothofherhandsleapedtohercheeks——shegrewredandthenwhite。Sheroseslowlyandmovedbackwardfromhim,staringathim,atfirstincredulously,thenwithanintenseperplexitymoreandmoreluminousinherwideeyes;itwaslikeaspokenquestion。Theroomfilledwithstrangenessinthelongsilence——thetwoweresostrangetoeachother。Atlastshesaid:

"Whatmadeyousaythat？"

Hedidnotanswer。

"Bibbs,lookatme！"Hervoicewasloudandclear。"Whatmadeyousaythat？

Lookatme！"

Hecouldnotlookather,andhecouldnotspeak。

"Whatwasitthatmadeyou？"shesaid。"Iwantyoutotellme。"

Shewentclosertohim,hereyeseverbrighterandwiderwiththatintensityofwonder。"You\'vegivenup——toyourfather,"shesaid,slowly,"andthenyoucametoaskme——"Shebrokeoff。"Bibbs,doyouwantmetomarryyou？"

"Yes,"hesaid,justaudibly。

"No！"shecried。"Youdonot。Thenwhatmadeyouaskme？Whatisitthat\'shappened？"

"Nothing。"

"Wait,"shesaid。"Letmethink。It\'ssomethingthathappenedsinceourwalkthismorning——yes,sinceyouleftmeatnoon。Somethinghappenedthat——"Shestoppedabruptly,withatremulousmurmurofamazementanddawningcomprehension。SherememberedthatSibylhadgonetotheNewHouse。

Bibbsswallowedpainfullyandcontrivedtosay,"Ido——Idowantyouto——marryme,if——if——youcould。"

Shelookedathim,andslowlyshookherhead。"Bibbs,doyou——"Hervoicewasasunsteadyashis——littlemorethanawhisper。"DoyouthinkI\'m——inlovewithyou？"

"No,"hesaid。

Somewhereinthestillairoftheroomtherewasawhisperedword;itdidnotseemtocomefromMary\'spartedlips,buthewasawareofit。"Why？"

"I\'vehadnothingbutdreams,"Bibbssaid,desolately,"buttheyweren\'tlikethat。Sibylsaidnogirlcouldcareaboutme。"Hesmiledfaintly,thoughstillhedidnotlookatMary。"AndwhenIfirstcamehomeEdithtoldmeSibylwassoanxioustomarrythatshe\'dhavemarriedME。ShemeantittoexpressSibyl\'sextremeity,yousee。ButIhardlyneededeitherofthemtotellme。Ihadn\'tthoughtofmyselfas——well,notasparticularlycaptivating！"

Oddlyenough,Mary\'spallorchangedtoanangryflush。"Thosetwo！"sheexclaimed,sharply;andthen,withthoroughgoingcontempt:"Lamhorn！That\'slikethem！"Sheturnedaway,wenttothebarelittleblackmantel,andstoodleaninguponit。Presentlysheasked:"WHENdidMrs。RoscoeSheridansaythat\'nogirl\'couldcareaboutyou？"

"To—day。"

Marydrewadeepbreath。"IthinkI\'mbeginningtounderstand——alittle。"

Shebitherlip;therewasangeringoodtruthinhereyesandinhervoice。

"Answermeoncemore,"shesaid。"Bibbs,doyouknownowwhyIstoppedwearingmyfurs？"

"Yes。"

"Ithoughtso！Yoursister—in—lawtoldyou,didn\'tshe？"

"I——Iheardhersay——"

"IthinkIknowwhathappened,now。"Mary\'sbreathcamefastandhervoiceshook,butshespokerapidly。"You\'heardhersay\'morethanthat。You\'heardhersay\'thatwewerebitterlypoor,andonthataccountItriedfirsttomarryyourbrother——andthen——"Butnowshefaltered,anditwasonlyafteraconvulsiveeffortthatshewasabletogoon。"Andthen——thatItriedtomarry——you！You\'heardhersay\'that——andyoubelievethatIdon\'tcareforyouandthat\'nogirl\'couldcareforyou——butyouthinkIaminsuchan\'extremity,\'asSibylwas——thatyou——Andso,notwantingme,andbelievingthatIcouldnotwantyou——exceptformy\'extremity\'——youtookyourfather\'sofferandthencametoaskme——tomarryyou！WhathadIshownyouofmyselfthatcouldmakeyou——"

Suddenlyshesankdown,kneeling,withherfaceburiedinherarmsuponthelapofachair,tearsoverwhelmingher。

"Mary,Mary！"hecried,helplessly。"OhNO——you——youdon\'tunderstand。"

"Ido,though！"shesobbed。"Ido！"

Hecameandstoodbesideher。"Youkillme！"hesaid。"Ican\'tmakeitplain。Fromthefirstofyourlovelinesstome,Iwasallself。ItwasalwaysyouthatgaveandIthattook。Iwasthedependent——Ididnothingbutleanonyou。Wealwaystalkedofme,notofyou。Itwasallaboutmyidioticdistressesandtroubles。Ithoughtofyouasakindofwonderfulbeingthathadnomortalorhumansufferingexceptbysympathy。Youseemedtoleandown——outofarosycloud——tobekindtome。IneverdreamedIcoulddoanythingforYOU！Ineverdreamedyoucouldneedanythingtobedoneforyoubyanybody。Andto—dayIheardthat——thatyou——"

"YouheardthatIneededtomarry——someone——anybody——withmoney,"shesobbed。

"Andyouthoughtwewereso——sodesperate——youbelievedthatIhad——"

"No！"hesaid,quickly。"Ididn\'tbelieveyou\'ddoneonekindthingforme——forthat。No,no,no！Iknewyou\'dNEVERthoughtofmeexceptgenerously——togive。IsaidIcouldn\'tmakeitplain！"hecried,despairingly。

"Wait！"Sheliftedherheadandextendedherhandstohimunconsciously,likeachild。"Helpmeup,Bibbs。"Then,whenshewasoncemoreuponherfeet,shewipedhereyesandsmileduponhimruefullyandfaintly,butreassuringly,asiftotellhim,inthatway,thatsheknewhehadnotmeanttohurther。

Andthatsmileofhers,solamentable,butsofaithfullyfriendly,mistedhisowneyes,forhisshamefacednessloweredthemnomore。

"Letmetellyouwhatyouwanttotellme,"shesaid。"Youcan\'t,becauseyoucan\'tputitintowords——theyaretoohumiliatingformeandyou\'retoogentletosaythem。Tellme,though,isn\'tittrue？Youdidn\'tbelievethatI\'dtriedtomakeyoufallinlovewithme——"

"Never！Neverforaninstant！"

"Youdidn\'tbelieveI\'dtriedtomakeyouwanttomarryme——"

"No,no,no！"

"Ibelieveit,Bibbs。YouthoughtthatIwasfondofyou;youknewIcaredforyou——butyoudidn\'tthinkImightbe——inlovewithyou。ButyouthoughtthatImightmarryyouwithoutbeinginlovewithyoubecauseyoudidbelieveIhadtriedtomarryyourbrother,and——"

"Mary,Ionlyknew——forthefirsttime——thatyou——thatyouwere——"

"Weredesperatelypoor,"shesaid。"Youcan\'tevensaythat！Bibbs,itwastrue:IdidtrytomakeJimwanttomarryme。Idid！"Andshesankdownintothechair,weepingbitterlyagain。Bibbswasagonized。

"Mary,"hegroaned,"Ididn\'tknowyouCOULDcry！"

"Listen,"shesaid。"ListentillIgetthrough——Iwantyoutounderstand。Wewerepoor,andweweren\'tfittedtobe。Weneverhadbeen,andwedidn\'tknowwhattodo。We\'dbeenalmostrich;therewasplenty,butmyfatherwantedtotakeadvantageofthegrowthofthetown;hewantedtobericher,butinstead——well,justaboutthetimeyourfatherfinishedbuildingnextdoorwefoundwehadn\'tanything。Peoplesaythat,sometimes,meaningthattheyhaven\'tanythingincomparisonwithotherpeopleoftheirownkind,butwereallyhadn\'tanything——wehadn\'tanythingatall,Bibbs！Andwecouldn\'tDO

anything。YoumightwonderwhyIdidn\'t\'trytobeastenographer\'——andI

wondermyselfwhy,whenafamilylosesitsmoney,peoplealwayssaythedaughters\'oughttogoandbestenographers。\'It\'scurious！——asifawaveofthehandmadeyouintoastenographer。No,I\'dbeenraisedtobeeithermarriedcomfortablyorawell—to—dooldmaid,ifIchosenottomarry。Thepovertycameonslowly,Bibbs,butatlastitwasallthere——andIdidn\'tknowhowtobeastenographer。Ididn\'tknowhowtobeanythingexceptawell—to—dooldmaidorsomebody\'swife——andIcouldn\'tbeawell—to—dooldmaid。Then,Bibbs,IdidwhatI\'dbeenraisedtoknowhowtodo。Iwentouttobefascinatingandbemarried。Ididitopenly,atleast,andwithakindofdecenthonesty。ItoldyourbrotherIhadmeanttofascinatehimandthatIwasnotinlovewithhim,butIlethimthinkthatperhapsImeanttomarryhim。IthinkIdidmeantomaryhim。Ihadnevercaredforanybody,andI

thoughtitmightbetherereallyWASN\'Tanythingmorethanakindofexcitedfondness。Ican\'tbesure,butIthinkthatthoughIdidmeantomarryhimI

nevershouldhavedoneit,becausethatsortofamarriageis——it\'ssacrilege——somethingwouldhavestoppedme。Somethingdidstopme;itwasyoursister—in—law,Sibyl。Shemeantnoharm——butshewashorrible,andsheputwhatIwasdoingintosuchhorriblewords——andtheywerethetruth——oh！ISAW

myself！Shewasproposingamiserablecompactwithme——andIcouldn\'tbreathetheairofthesameroomwithher,thoughI\'dsocheapenedmyselfshehadarighttoassumethatIWOULD。ButIcouldn\'t！Ilefther,andIwrotetoyourbrother——justaquickscrawl。ItoldhimjustwhatI\'ddone;Iaskedhispardon,andIsaidIwouldnotmarryhim。Ipostedtheletter,buthenevergotit。Thatwastheafternoonhewaskilled。That\'sall,Bibbs。NowyouknowwhatIdid——andyouknow——ME！"Shepressedherclenchedhandstightlyagainsthereyes,leaningfarforward,herheadbowedbeforehim。

Bibbshadforgottenhimselflongago;hisheartbrokeforher。"Couldn\'tyou——Isn\'tthere——Won\'tyou——"hestammered。"Mary,I\'mgoingwithfather。

Isn\'ttheresomewayyoucouldusethemoneywithout——without——"

Shegaveachokedlittlelaugh。

"Yougavemesomethingtolivefor,"hesaid。"Youkeptmealive,Ithink——andI\'vehurtyoulikethis！"

"Notyou——ohno！"

"Youcouldforgiveme,Mary？"

"Oh,athousandtimes！"Herrighthandwentoutinafalteringgesture,andjusttouchedhisownforaninstant。"Butthere\'snothingtoforgive。"

"Andyoucan\'t——youcan\'t——"

"Can\'twhat,Bibbs？"

"Youcouldn\'t——"

"Marryyou？"shesaidforhim。

"Yes。"

"No,no,no！"Shesprangup,facinghim,and,withoutknowingwhatshedid,shesetherhandsuponhisbreast,pushinghimbackfromheralittle。"I

can\'t,Ican\'t！Don\'tyouSEE？"

"Mary——"

"No,no！Andyoumustgonow,Bibbs;Ican\'tbearanymore——please——"

"MARY——"

"Never,never,never！"shecried,inapassionoftears。"Youmustn\'tcomeanymore。Ican\'tseeyou,dear！Never,never,never！"

Somehow,inhelpless,stumblingobediencetoherbeseechinggesture,hegothimselftothedoorandoutofthehouse。

SibylandRoscoewereuponthepointofleavingwhenBibbsreturnedtotheNewHouse。HewentstraighttoSibylandspoketoherquietly,butsothattheothersmighthear。

"WhenyousaidthatifI\'dstoptothink,I\'drealizethatnoonewouldbeapttocareenoughaboutmetomarryme,youwereright,"hesaid。"Ithoughtperhapsyouweren\'t,andsoIaskedMissVertreestomarryme。Itprovedwhatyousaidofme,anddisprovedwhatyousaidofher。Sherefused。"

And,havingthusspoken,hequittedtheroomasstraightforwardlyashehadenteredit。

"He\'sSOqueer！"Mrs。Sheridangasped。"Whoonearthwouldthoughtofhisdoin\'THAT？"

"Itoldyou,"saidherhusband,grimly。

"Youdidn\'ttellushe\'dgooverthereand——"

"Itoldyoushewouldn\'thavehim。Itoldyoushewouldn\'thaveJIM,didn\'tI？"

Sibylwasaltogethertakenaback。"Doyousuposeit\'strue？DoyousupposesheWOULDN\'T？"

"Hedidn\'tlookexactlylikeayoungmanthathadjustgotthingsfixedupfinewithhisgirl,"saidSheridan。"Nottome,hedidn\'t！"

"Butwhywould——"

"Itoldyou,"heinterrupted,angrily,"sheain\'tthatkindofagirl！Ifyougottohaveproof,well,I\'lltellyouandgetitoverwith,thoughI\'dprettynearjustassoonnothavetotalkawholelotaboutmydeadboy\'sprivateaffairs。ShewrotetoJimshecouldn\'ttakehim,anditwasagood,straightletter,too。ItcametoJim\'soffice;heneversawit。Shewroteittheafternoonhewashurt。"

"IrememberIsawherputaletterinthemail—boxthatafternoon,"saidRoscoe。"Don\'tyouremember,Sibyl？Itoldyouaboutit——Iwaswaitingforyouwhileyouwereintheresolongtalkingtohermother。Itwasjustbeforewesawthatsomethingwaswrongoverhere,andEdithcameandcalledme。"

Sibylshookherhead,butsheremembered。Andshewasnotcastdown,for,althoughsomeremnantsofperplexitywereleftinhereyes,theyweredimmedbyanincreasingglowoftriumph;andshedeparted——aftersomefurtherfragmentarydiscourse——visablyelated。Afterall,theguiltyhadnotbeenexalted;andsheperceivedvaguely,butnonethelesssurely,thatherinjuryhadbeencopiouslyavenged。Shebestowedacontentedglanceupontheoldhousewiththecupola,assheandRoscoecrossedthestreet。

Whentheyhadgone,Mrs。Sheridanindulgedinreverie,butafterawhileshesaid,uneasily,"Papa,youthinkitwouldbeanyusetotellBibbsaboutthatletter？"

"Idon\'tknow,"heanswered,walkingmoodilytothewindow。"Ibeenthinkin\'

aboutit。"Hecametoadecision。"IreckonIwill。"AndhewentuptoBibbs\'sroom。

"Well,yougoin\'backonwhatyousaid？"heinquired,brusquely,asheopenedthedoor。"Yougoin\'totakeitbackandlaydownonmeagain？"

"No,"saidBibbs。

"Well,perhapsIdidn\'thaveanycalltoaccuseyouofthat。Idon\'tknowasyoueverdidgobackonanythingyousaid,exactly,thoughtheLordknowsyou\'velaiddownonmeenough。Youcertainlyhave！"Sheridanwasbaffled。

Thiswasnotwhathewishedtosay,buthiswordswereunmanageable;hefoundhimselfunabletocontrolthem,andhisquerulousabusewentoninspiteofhim。"Ican\'tsayIexpectmuchofyou——notfromthewayyoualwaysbeen,uptonow——unlessyouturnoveranewleaf,andIdon\'tseeanyencouragementtothinkyou\'regoin\'todoTHAT！Ifyougodownthereandshowasparko\'realGIT—up,Ireckonthewholeoffice\'llfallinafaint。Butifyou\'reevergoin\'toshowany,youbetterbeginrightatthebeginningandbegintoshowitto—morrow。"

"Yes——I\'lltry。"

"Youbetter,ifit\'sinyou！"Sheridanwassheerlynonplussed。Headalwaysbeenabletosaywhateverhewishedtosay,buthistongueseemedbewitched。

HehadcometotellBibbsaboutMary\'sletter,andtohisownangryastonishmenthefounditimpossibletodoanythingexcepttoscoldlikeadrudge—driver。"Youbettercomedowntherewithyourmindmadeuptohustleharderthanthehardestworkin\'—manthat\'sunderyou,oryou\'llnotgetonverygoodwithme,Itellyou！Thewaytogetahead——andyoubettersetitdowninyourbooks——thewaytogetaheadistodotentimestheworkofthehardestworkerthatworksFORyou。Butyoudon\'tknowwhatworkis,yet。Allyou\'veeverdonewasjuststandaroundandfeedamachineachildcouldhandle,andthencomehomeandtakeabathandgocallin\'。Itellyouyou\'reupagainstamightydifferentpropositionnow,andifyou\'reworthyoursalt——andyounevershowedanysignsofityet——notanysignsthatstuckoutenoughtobangsomebodyontheheadandmake\'emsitupandtakenotice——well,Iwanttosay,righthereandnow——andyoubetterlisten,becauseIwanttosayjustwhatIDOsay。Isay——"

Hemeanderedtoafullstop。Hismouthhungopen,andhismindwasahopelessblank。

Bibbslookeduppatiently——anold,oldlook。"Yes,father;I\'mlistening。"

"That\'sall,"saidSheridan,frowningheavily。"That\'sallIcametosay,andyoubettersee\'tyourememberit！"

Heshookhisheadwarningly,andwentout,closingthedoorbehindhimwithacrash。However,nosoundoffootstepsindicatedhisdeparture。Hestoppedjustoutsidethedoor,andstoodthereaminuteormore。Thenabruptlyheturnedtheknobandexhibitedtohissonaforeheadliberallycoveredwithperspiration。

"Lookhere,"hesaid,crossly。"ThatgirloveryonderwroteJimaletter——"

"Iknow,"saidBibbs。"Shetoldme。"

"Well,Ithoughtyouneedn\'tfeelsomuchupsetaboutit——"Thedoorclosedonhisvoiceashewithdrew,buttheconclusionofthesentencewasneverthelessaudible——"ifyouknewshewouldn\'thaveJim,either。"

Andhestampedhiswaydown—stairstotellhiswifetoquitherfrettin\'andnotbotherhimwithanymorefool\'serrands。ShewasabouttoinquirewhatBibbs"said,"butafterasecondthoughtshedecidednottospeakatall。Shemerelymurmuredawordlessassent,andverbalcommunicationwasgivenoverbetweenthemfortherestofthatafternoon。

BibbsandhisfatherweregonewhenMrs。Sheridanwoke,thenextmorning,andshehadadrearyday。ShemissedEdithwoefully,andsheworriedaboutwhatmightbetakingplaceintheSheridanBuilding。ShefeltthateverythingdependedonhowBibbs"tookhold,"anduponherhusband\'sreturnintheeveningsheseizeduponthefirstopportunitytoaskhimhowthingshadgone。

Hewasnon—committal。Whatcouldanybodytellbythefirstday？He\'dseenplentygoatthingswellenoughrightatthestartandthenblowup。Prettynearanybodycouldshowupfairthefirstdayorso。Therewasabigjobahead。Thismaterial,suchasitwas——Bibbs,infact——hadtobebrokenintohandlingtheworkRoscoehaddone;andthen,atleastasanoverseer,hemusttakeJim\'spositionintheRealtyCompanyaswell。Hetoldhertoaskhimagaininamonth。

ButduringthecourseofdinnershegatheredfromsomedisjointedremarksofhisthatheandBibbshadlunchedtogetheratthesmallrestaurantwhereithadbeenSheridan\'scustomtolunchwithJim,andshetookthistobeanencouragingsign。Bibbswenttohisroomassoonastheyleftthetable,andherhusbandwasnotcommunicativeafterreadinghispaper。

ShebecameananxiousspectatorofBibbs\'sprogressasamanofbusiness,althoughitwasaprogressshecouldglimpsebutdimlyandonlyintheevening,throughhisremarksandhisfather\'satdinner。UsuallyBibbswassilent,exceptwhendirectlyaddressed,butonthefirsteveningofthethirdweekofhisnewcareerheofferedanopinionwhichhadapparentlybeenthesubjectofpreviousargument。

"I\'dlikeyoutounderstandjustwhatImeantaboutthosestorage—rooms,father,"hesaid,asJacksonplacedhiscoffeebeforehim。"Abercrombieagreedwithme,butyouwouldn\'tlistentohim。"

"Youcantalk,ifyouwantto,andI\'lllisten,"Sheridanreturned,"butyoucan\'tshowmethatJimevertookupwithabadthing。Therooffellbecauseithadn\'thadtimetosettleandonaccountofweatherconditions。IwantthatbuildingputjustthewayJimplannedit。"

"Youcan\'thaveit,"saidBibbs。"Youcan\'t,becauseJimplannedforthebuildingtostandup,anditwon\'tdoit。Theotherone——theonethatdidn\'tfall——issoshotwithcrackswehaven\'tdareduseitforstorage。Itwon\'tstandweight。There\'sonlyonethingtodo:getbothbuildingsdownasquicklyaswecan,andbuildover。Brick\'sthebestandcheapestinthelongrunforthattype。"

Sheridanlookedsarcastic。"Fine！Whatwegoin\'todoforstorage—roomswhilewe\'rewaitin\'forthosefewbrickstobelaid？"

"Rent,"Bibbsreturned,promptly。"We\'lllosemoneyifwedon\'trent,anyhow——theywerewaitingsolongforyoutogivethewarehousematteryourattentionaftertherooffell。Youdon\'tknowwhatanamountofstuffthey\'vegotpileduponusoverthere。We\'dhavetorentuntilwecouldpatchupthoseprocessperils——andtheKrivitchManufacturingCompany\'splantisempty,rightacrossthestreet。Itookanoptiononitforusthismorning。"

Sheridan\'sexpressionwasqueer。"Lookhere！"hesaid,sharply。"Didyougoanddothatwithoutconsultingme？"

"Itdidn\'tcostanything,"saidBibbs。"It\'sonlyuntilto—morrowafternoonattwoo\'clock。Iundertooktoconvinceyoubeforethen。"

"Oh,youdid？"Sheridan\'stonewassardonic。"Well,justsupposeyoucouldn\'tconvinceme。"

"Ican,though——andIintendto,"saidBibbs,quietly。"Idon\'tthinkyouunderstandtheconditionofthosebuildingsyouwantpatchedup。"

"Now,seehere,"saidSheridan,withslowemphasis;"supposeIhadmymindsetaboutthis。JIMthoughtthey\'dstand,andsupposeitwas——well,kindofamatterofsentimentwithmetoprovehewasright。"

Bibbslookedathimcompassionately。"I\'msorryifyouhaveasentimentaboutit,father,"hesaid。"Butwhetheryouhaveornotcan\'tmakeadifference。

You\'llgetotherpeoplehurtifyoutrustthatprocess,andthatwon\'tdo。

AndifyouwantamonumenttoJim,atleastyouwantonethatwillstand。

Besides,Idon\'tthinkyoucanreasonablydefendsentimentinthisparticularkindofaffair。"

"Oh,youdon\'t？"

"No,butI\'msorryyoudidn\'ttellmeyoufeltit。"

Sheridanwaspuzzledbyhisson\'stone。"Whyareyou\'sorry\'？"heasked,curiously。

"BecauseIhadthebuildinginspectorupthere,thisnoon,"saidBibbs,"andI

hadhimcondemnboththosebuildings。"

"What？"

"He\'dbeenafraidtodoitbefore,untilheheardfromus——afraidyou\'dseehelosthisjob。Buthecan\'tun—condemnthem——they\'vegottocomedownnow。"

Sheridangavehimalongandpiercingstarefrombeneathloweredbrows。

Finallyhesaid,"Howlongdidtheygiveyouonthatoptiontoconvinceme？"

"Untiltwoo\'clockto—morrowafternoon。"

"Allright,"saidSheridan,notrelaxing。"I\'mconvinced。"

Bibbsjumpedup。"Ithoughtyouwouldbe。I\'lltelephonetheKrivitchagent。

Hegavemetheoptionuntilto—morrow,butItoldhimI\'dsettleitthisevening。"

Sheridangazedafterhimashelefttheroom,andthen,thoughhisexpressiondidnotalterintheslightest,asoundcamefromhimthatstartledhiswife。

Ithadbeenalongtimesinceshehadheardanythingresemblingachucklefromhim,andthissound——althoughitwasgrimanddry——borethatresemblance。

Shebrightenedeagerly。"Lookslikehewasstartin\'rightwell,don\'tit,papa？"

"Startin\'？Lord！Hegotmeonthehip！Why,HEknewwhatIwanted——that\'swhyhehadtheinspectorupthere,so\'the\'dhavemebeatbeforeweevenstartedtotalkaboutit。Anddidyouhearhim？\'Can\'treasonablydefendSENTIMENT！\'Andthewayhesays\'Us\':\'TookanoptionforUs\'！\'StuffpileduponUs\'！"

TherewasalwaysanalloyforMrs。sheridan。"Idon\'tjustlikethewayhelooks,though,papa。"

"Oh,there\'sgottobesomething！Onlyonechickleftathome,soyoustarttofrettin\'aboutIT！"

"No。He\'schanged。There\'skindofasettishlooktohisface,and——"

"Iguessthat\'sthecommonsensecomin\'outonhim,then,"saidSheridan。

"You\'llseesymptomslikethatinagoodmanybusinessmen,Iexpect。"