第8章

Herosetohisfeetwithamuffledexclamation，andwalkedthelengthofthepiazzaandback。

"Doyourealizethatyouaresayingnotome，Diantha？"

"Youaremistaken，dear。IhavesaidthatIwillmarryyouwheneveryouchoose。Butitisyouwhoaresaying，’Iwillnotmarryawomanwithabusiness。’"

"Thisisfoolishness！"hesaidsharply。"Noman——thatisaman——wouldmarryawomanandletherrunabusiness。"

"Youaremistaken，"sheanswered。"OneofthefinestmenIeverknewhasaskedmetomarryhim——andkeeponwithmywork！"

"Whydidn’tyoutakehimup？"

"BecauseIdidn’tlovehim。"Shestopped，asobinhervoice，andhecaughtherinhisarmsagain。

Itwaslateindeedwhenhewentaway，walkingswiftly，withablackrebellioninhisheart;andDianthadraggedherselftobed。

Shewasstunned，deadened，exhausted;tornwithadesiretorunafterhimandgiveup——giveupanythingtoholdhislove。Butsomething，partlyreasonandpartlypride，keptsayingwithinher："Ihavenotrefusedhim;hehasrefusedme！"

WHATDIANTHADID

CHAPTERXIII。

ALLTHIS。

TheylaidbeforeherconqueringfeetThespoilsofmanylands;

TheircrownsshonereduponherheadTheirsceptersinherhands。

Sheheardtwomurmuringatnight，Whererose—sweetshadowsrest;

AndcovetedtheblossomredHelaiduponherbreast。

WhenMadamWeatherstoneshooktheplentifuldustofOrchardinafromherexpensiveshoes，andreturnedtoadornthemoreclassicgrovesofPhiladelphia，Mrs。Thaddlerassumedtoholdundisputedswayasasocialleader。

TheSocialLeadershemeanttobe;andmarshalledherforcestothatend。ShePatronizedhere，andDonatedthere;revisedhervisitinglistwithrigidexclusiveness;securedanEminentProfessorandaNotedWriterasvisitors，andgaveentertainmentsofalmostRomanmagnificence。

Herhusbandgrewmoreandmorerestiveundertherisingtideofsocialexactionsindressanddeportment;andspentmoreandmoretimebehindhisfasthorses，oronthestock—ranchwhereheraisedthem。Asaneighborandfellowranchman，hescrapedacquaintancewithRossWarden，andwasabletorenderhimmanysmallservicesintheprocessofsettling。

Mrs。WardenrememberedhisvisittoJopalez，andittookhersometimetorearrangehiminhermindasapersonofwealthandstanding。Havingsorearrangedhim，onsufficientevidence，sheandherdaughtersbecamemostfriendly，andhadhopesofestablishingvaluableacquaintanceinthetown。"It’snotformyselfIcare，"shewouldexplaintoRoss，everydayintheweekandmoreonSundays，"butforthegirls。InthatdreadfulJopaleztherewasabsolutely_no_opportunityforthem;buthere，withhorses，thereisnoreasonweshouldnothavefriends。Youmustconsideryoursisters，Ross！DobemorecordialtoMr。Thaddler。"

ButRosscouldnotatpresentbecordialtoanybody。Hisunexpectedgoodfortune，thefreedomfromhatedcares，andchancetoworkouthismightytheoriesonthefaithfulguinea—pig，oughttohavefilledhissoulwithjoy;butDiantha’scruelobstinacyhadembitteredhiscupofjoy。Hecouldnotbreakwithher;shehadnotrefusedhim，anditwasdifficultincoldbloodtorefuseher。

Hehadstayedawayfortwowholeweeks，inwhichtimetheguinea—pigsnibbledateaseandDiantha’sworkwouldhavesufferedexceptforhermother’sextraefforts。Thenhewenttoseeheragain，miserablebutstubborn，findingheralsomiserableandalsostubborn。Theyarguedtilltherewasgravedangerofanabsolutebreakbetweenthem;thendroppedthesubjectbymutualagreement，andspenteveningsofunsatisfyingefforttotalkaboutotherthings。

DianthaandhermothercalledonMrs。Warden，ofcourse，admiringthegloriousview，thesweethighair，andtheemboweredlovelinessofthetworanchhouses。RossdrewDianthaasideandshowedher"theirs"——alovelylittlewide—porchedconcretecottage，withared—tiledroof，andheavymassesofGoldofOphirandBanksiaroses。

Heheldherhandanddrewherclosetohim。

Hekissedherwhentheyweresafeinside，andmurmured："Come，darling——won’tyoucomeandbemywife？"

"Iwill，Ross——wheneveryousay——but——！"Shewouldnotagreetogiveupherwork，andheflungawayfromherinrecklessdespair。Mrs。Wardenandthegirlsreturnedthecallasamatterofduty，butcamenomore;

themothersayingthatshecouldnottakeherdaughterstoaServantGirls’Club。

AndthoughtheServantGirls’ClubwassoonremovedtoitsnewquartersandUnionHousebecameaquiet，well—conductedhotel，stillthetwofamiliessawbutlittleofeachother。

Mrs。Wardennaturallytookherson’sside，andconsideredDianthaanunnaturalmonsterofhard—heartedness。

ThemattersiftedthroughtotheearsofMrs。Thaddler，whorejoicedinit，andcalleduponMrs。Wardeninherlargestautomobile。Asamotherwithfourmarriageabledaughters，Mrs。Wardenwasdelightedtoacceptandimprovetheacquaintance，butheraristocraticSouthernsoulwasinwardlyrebelliousattheancestorlessnessandunculturedmoneyedprideofhernewfriend。

"IfonlyMadamWeatherstonehadstayed！"shewouldcomplaintoherdaughters。"ShehadFamilyaswellasWealth。"

"There’syoungMrs。Weatherstone，mother——"suggestedDora。

"Anobody！"hermotherreplied。"ShehastheWeatherstonemoney，ofcourse，butnoPosition;andwhatlittleshehassheislosingbyherlowtastes。ShegoesaboutfreelywithDianthaBell——herownhousekeeper！"

"She’snotherhousekeepernow，mother——"

"Well，it’sallthesame！She_was！_Andameregeneralservantbeforethat！AndnowtothinkthatwhenRossiswillingtooverlookitallandmarryher，shewon’tgiveitup！"

Theywereallagreedonthispoint，unlessperhapsthattheyoungesthadherinwardreservations。DorahadalwayslikedDianthabetterthanhadtheothers。

YoungMrs。Weatherstonestayedinherbigemptyhouseforawhile，andasMrs。Wardensaid，wentaboutfrequentlywithDianthaBell。ShelikedMrs。Bell，too——tookherforlongstimulatingridesinhercomfortablecar，andinsistedthatfirstoneandthentheotherofthemshouldhaveabitofvacationatherseashorehomebeforethewinter’sworkgrewtooheavy。

WithMrs。BellshetalkedmuchofhowDianthahadhelpedthetown。

"Shehasnoideaofthepsychiceffects，Mrs。Bell，"saidshe。"Sheseesthebusiness，andshehasagreatviewofallitisgoingtodoforwomentocome;butIdon’tthinksherealizeshowmuchsheisdoingrightnowforwomenhere——andmen，too。ThereweremyfriendsthePornes;theywere’driftingapart，’asthenovelshaveit——andnowonder。Isabelwasabsolutelynogoodasahousekeeper;henaturallydidn’tlikeit——andthebabymadeitalltheworse;shepinedforherwork，yousee，andcouldn’tgetanytimeforit。Nowtheyareashappyascanbe——andit’sjustDianthaBell’sdoings。ThehouseworkisoffIsabel’sshoulders。

"ThentherearetheWagrams，andtheSheldons，andtheBrinks——andeversomanymore——whohavetoldmethemselvesthattheyarefarhappierthantheyeverwerebefore——andcanlivemorecheaply。Sheoughttobethehappiestgirlalive！"

Mrs。Bellwouldagreetothis，andquiteswelledwithhappinessandpride;butMrs。Weatherstone，watchingnarrowly，wasnotsatisfied。

WhenshehadDianthawithhersheopenedfiredirect。"Yououghttobethehappiest，proudest，mosttriumphantwomanintheworld！"shesaid。

"You’remakingoodlesofmoney，yourwholething’sgoingwell，andlookatyourmother——she’smadeover！"

Dianthasmiledandsaidshewashappy;buthereyeswouldstrayofftotheveryrimoftheocean;hermouthsetinpatientlinesthatwerenotintheleasttriumphant。

"Tellmeaboutit，myfriend，"saidherhostess。"Isitthathewon’tletyoukeeponwiththebusiness？"

Dianthanodded。

"Andyouwon’tgiveituptomarryhim？"

"No，"saidDiantha。"No。WhyshouldI？I’dmarryhim——to—morrow！"

Sheheldonehandwiththeother，tight，buttheybothshookalittle。

"I’dbegladto。ButIwillnotgiveupmywork！"

"Youlookthin，"saidMrs。Weatherstone。

"Yes——"

"Doyousleepwell？"

"No——notvery。"

"AndIcanseethatyoudon’teatasyououghtto。Hm！Areyougoingtobreakdown？"

"No，"saidDiantha，"Iamnotgoingtobreakdown。Iamdoingwhatisright，andIshallgoon。It’salittlehardatfirst——havinghimsonear。ButIamyoungandstrongandhaveagreatdealtodo——Ishalldoit。"

AndthenMrs。Weatherstonewouldtellherallsheknewoftheintensesatisfactionofthepeoplesheserved，andpleasantstoriesaboutthegirls。Sheboughtherbookstoreadandsuchgleaningsasshefoundinforeignmagazinesonthesubjectoforganizedhouse—service。

Notonlyso，butshesuppliedtheOrchardinalibrarywithaspecialbibliographyonthesubject，andinducedthenewWoman’sClubtotakeupacourseofreadinginit，sothattheregraduallyfilteredintotheOrchardinamindafaintperceptionthatthiswasnotthefreakofaneccentricindividual，butpartofaninevitablebusinessdevelopment，goingoninvariouswaysinmanynations。

Asthewinterdrewon，Mrs。Weatherstonewhiskedawayagain，butkeptawarmcurrentofinterestinDiantha’slifebymanyletters。

Mr。BellcamedownfromJopalezwithouterreluctancebutinnersatisfaction。Hehadrentedhisplace，andSusiehadthreebabiesnow。

Henderson，Jr。，hadnoplaceforhim，andtodohouseworkforhimselfwasnopartofMr。Bell’splan。

InDiantha’shotelhehadacomfortableroomnexthiswife’s，andacapaciouschairinthefirelithallinwetweather，orontheshadedpiazzaindry。Theexcellentlibrarywasaresourcetohim;hefoundsomecongenialsoulstotalkwith;andunderthenewstimulussucceededatlastinpatentingasmalldevicethatreallyworked。Withthis，andhisrent，hefeltinclinedtoestablisha"homeofhisown，"andthesoulofMrs。Bellsankwithinher。Withoutallowingittocometoanissuebetweenthem，shekeptthequestionopenforendlessdiscussion;

andMr。Belllivedoningreatcontentmentundertheimpressionthathewasabouttomoveatalmostanytime。Tohisfriendsandcronieshedilatedwithprideonhisdaughter’swonderfulachievements。

"She’sasgoodasaboy！"hewoulddeclare。"Womennowadaysseemtodoanythingtheywantto！"Andherigidlypaidhisboardbillwithaflourish。

MeanwhiletheimpressivegatheringsatMrs。Thaddler’s，andthehumblerteaandcardpartiesofDiantha’sfriends，hadanewtopicasashuttlecock。

ANewYorkcompanyhadboughtoneofthelargestandfinestblocksintown——theoldParaplace——andwasdevelopingitinamannerhithertounseen。Thebig，shabby，neglectedestatebegantoturnintosuchafairylandasonlysouthernlandscanknow。Theoldlive—oakswereuntouched;thetoweringeucalyptustreesremainedinraggedmajesty;butanarmyofworkmenwasbusyunderguidanceofamasterofbeauty。

Onelargeandlovelybuildingrose，promptlydubbedahotelbytheunwillingneighbors;others，smaller，showedhereandthereamongthetrees;andthenarose—graywallofconcreteranaroundthewhole，high，tantalizing，withgreenboughsandsweetodorscomingoverit。Thosewhowentinreportedmanybuildings，andmuchactivity。But，whenthewallwasdone，andeachgatesaid"Noadmittanceexceptonbusiness，"

thentheworkofgeniiwasimagined，andtherewasnonetocontradict。

ItwasaSchoolofTheosophy;itwasaChristianScienceCollege;itwasaFree—LoveColony;itwasaSecretSociety;itwasathousandwonders。

"Lotoflittlehousesandonebigone，"theemployeessaidwhenquestioned。

"Hotelandcottages，"theemployerssaidwhenquestioned。

Theymadenosecretofit，theyweretoobusy;butthetownwasunsatisfied。Whyawall？Whatdidanyhonestpersonwantofawall？

Yetthewallcastapleasantshadow;therewereseatshereandtherebetweenbuttresses，and，astheswiftCaliforniaseasonadvanced，rosesandoleandersnoddedoverthetop，andgavehintsofbeautyandrichnessmoresubtlystimulatingthanalltheopengloryofthelow—hedgedgardensnear。

Diantha’ssoulwasstirredwithsecretenvy。Somebigconcernwasabouttocarryoutherdream，orpartofit——perhapstobeahugeandoverflowingrival。Herownworkgrewmeantime，andflourishedaswellasshecouldwish。

Thefood—deliveryservicewasrunningtoitsfullcapacity;thegirlsgotonverywellunderMrs。Jessup，andweredelightedtohaveahouseoftheirownwiththeparlorsandpiazzasalltothemselves，andagardentositinaswell。Ifthisdepletedtheirranksbymarriage，itdidnotmatternow，fortherewasawaitinglistintrainingallthetime。

UnionHousekeptonevenlyandprofitably，andDianthawasbeginningtofeelsafeandsuccessful;buttheyearslookedlongbeforeher。

ShewasalwayscheeredbyMrs。Weatherstone’sletters;andMrs。Pornecametoseeher，andtocomparenotesovertheirfriend’ssuccess。ForMrs。WeatherstonehadbeenpresentedatCourt——atmorethanonecourt，infact;andMrs。WeatherstonehadbeenproposedtobyaDuke——andhadrefusedhim！Orchardinawell—nighswoonedwhenthiswasknown。

Shehadbeenstudying，investigating，hadbecomeknowninscientificaswellassocialcircles，andonherwaybackthestrenuousupperlayerofNewYorkSocietyhadalsomademuchofher。Rumorsgrewofherexquisitecostumes，ofherunusualjewels，ofheruniqueentertainments，ofherpopularityeverywhereshewent。

Otherproposals，ofamagnificentnature，werereported，withmoremagnificentrefusals;andOrchardinabegantobeveryproudofyoungMrs。Weatherstoneandtowishshewouldcomeback。

Shedidatlast，bringinganItalianPrincewithher，andaHochGeboreneGermanCountalso，whoallegedtheyweretravellingtostudythecountry，butwhowerereputedtohavehadaduelalreadyonthebeautifulwidow’saccount。

Allthiswaslong—drawngossipbutboresomefaintresemblancetothefacts。VivaWeatherstoneatthirtywasaverydifferentwomanfrontthepale，sad—eyedgirloffouryearsearlier。Andwhenthegreathouseontheavenuewasarrayedinnewmagnificence，andallOrchardina——thatdared——hadpaiditsrespectstoher，sheopenedtheseason，asitwere，withabrilliantdinner，followedbyareceptionandball。

AllOrchardinacame——sofarasithadbeeninvited。TherewasthePrince，sureenough——apleasant，blue—eyedyoungman。AndtherewastheCount，bearingvisibleevidenceofduelsa—plentyinearlierdays。AndtherewasDianthaBell——receiving，withMrs。PorneandMrs。

Weatherstone。AllOrchardinastared。Dianthahadbeenatthedinner——thatwasclear。Andnowshestoodthereinhersoft，darkeveningdress，theknotofgoldenacaciasnestlingagainsttheblacklaceatherbosom，lookingasfairandsweetasifshehadneverhadacareinherlife。

Hermotherthoughtherthemostbeautifulthingshehadeverseen;andherfather，thoughsomewhatcritical，secretlythoughtso，too。

Mrs。Weatherstonecastmanyalovinglookatthetallgirlbesideherintheintervalsof"Delightedtoseeyou’s，"andsawthatherdoubleburdenhadhadnoworseeffectthantosoftenthelinesofthemouthandgiveahintofpathostothecleardepthsofhereyes。

TheforeignvisitorsweremuchinterestedintheyoungAmazonofIndustry，asthePrinceinsistedoncallingher;andeventheGermanCountforamomentforgothisancestorsinherpleasantpracticaltalk。

Mrs。WeatherstonehadtakenpainstocallupontheWardens——claimingaconnection，ifnotarelationship，andtoinvitethemall。Andasthecrowdgrewbiggerandbigger，DianthasawMrs。Wardenatlastapproachingwithherfourdaughters——andnooneelse。Shegreetedthempolitelyandwarmly;butMrs。Weatherstonedidmore。

Holdingthemallinalittlegroupbesideher，sheintroducedhernoblevisitorstothem;impartedthefurtherinformationthattheirbrotherwas_fiance_toMissBell。"Idon’tseehim，"shesaid，lookingabout。

"Hewillcomelater，ofcourse。Ah，MissMadeline！Howproudyouallmustfeelofyoursister—in—lawtobe！"

Madelineblushedandtriedtosayshewas。

"Sucharemarkableyounglady！"saidtheCounttoAdeline。"Youwilladmire，envy，andimitate！Isitnotso？"

"YourladiesofAmericahaveallthingsinyourhands，"saidthePrincetoMissCora。"Tothinkthatshehasdonesomuch，andisyetsoyoung——andsobeautiful！"

"Iknowyou’reallasproudasyoucanbe，"Mrs。WeatherstonecontinuedtoDora。"Yousee，Dianthahasbeenheardofabroad。"

Theyallpassedonpresently，asotherscame;butMrs。Warden’sheadwasreeling。ShewishedshecouldbyanymeansgetatRoss，and_make_himcome，whichhehadrefusedtodo。

"Ican’t，mother，"hehadsaid。"Yougo——allofyou。Takethegirls。

I’llcallforyouattwelve——butIwon’tgoin。"

Mr。andMrs。Thaddlerwerethere——butnothappy。Shewasnot，atleast，andshowedit;hewasnotuntilanideastruckhim。Hedodgedsoftlyout，andwassoonflyingoff，atdangerousspeedoverthemoon—whitecountryroads。

HefoundRoss，dressedandready，sulkingblacklyonhisshadowyporch。

"Comeandtakeaspinwhileyouwait，"saidMr。Thaddler。

"Thanks，Ihavetogointownlater。"

"I’lltakeyouintown。"

"Thankyou，butIhavetotakethehorsesinandbringoutmymotherandthegirls。"

"I’llbringyoualloutinthecar。Comeon——it’sagreatnight。"

SoRossratherreluctantlycame。

Hesatbackontheluxuriouscushions，hisarmsfoldedsternly，hisbrowsknit，andthestoutgentlemanathissidewatchedhimshrewdly。

"Howdoestheranchgo？"heasked。

"Verywell，thankyou，Mr。Thaddler。"

"ThemChinkspayuppromptly？"

"Aspromptasthemonthcomesround。Theirrentisaveryvaluablepartoftheestate。"

"Yes，"Mr。Thaddlerpursued。"Theyhaveagoodsteadymarketfortheirstuff。Andthechickenman，too。Doyouknowwhobuys’em？"

Rossdidnot。Didnotgreatlycare，heintimated。

"Ishouldthinkyou’dbeinterested——yououghtto——it’sDianthaBell。"

Rossstarted，butsaidnothing。

"Yousee，I’vetakenagreatinterestinherpropositioneversinceshesprungitonus，"Mr。Thaddlerconfided。"She’sgotthegoodsallright。Buttherewasplentyagainstherhere——youknowwhatwomenare！

AndImadeupmymindthesuppliesshouldbegoodandsteady，anyhow。

Shehadnotroublewithhergroceryorders;thatwaseasy。MeatI

couldn’thandle——exceptindirectly——alittlepressure，maybe，hereandthere。"Andhechuckledsoftly。"ButthisranchIboughtonpurpose。"

Rossturnedasifhehadbeenstung。

"You！"hesaid。

"Yes，me。Whynot？It’sagoodproperty。Igotitallfixedright，andthenIboughtyourlittleupstateshop——lock，stockandbarrel——andgaveyouthisforit。Afairexchangeisnorobbery。Thoughitwouldbenicetohaveitallinthefamily，eh？"

Rosswassilentforafewturbulentmoments，revolvingthisfarfrompleasinginformation。

"What’dIdoitfor？"continuedtheunaskedbenefactor。"Whatdoyou_think_Ididitfor？Sothatbrave，sweetlittlegirldownherecouldhaveherheart’sdesire。She’sestablishedherbusiness——she’sprovedherpoint——she’swonthetown——mostofit;andthere’snothingonearthtomakeherunhappynowbutyourpigheadedness！Youngman，Itellyouyou’reaplumbfool！"

Onecannotthrowone’shostoutofhisownswift—flyingcar;norisitwisetojumpoutone’sself。

"Nothingonearthbetweenyoubutyourcussedpride！"Mr。Thaddlerremorselesslywenton。"Thisranchishonestlyyours——byasquaredeal。

YourJopalezbusinesswasworththemoney——youranithonestlyandextendedthetrade。You’dhavemadeaheapbyitifyoucouldhaveunbentalittle。Gosh！Ilimberedupthatstoresomeintwelvemonths！"Andthestoutmansmiledreminiscently。

Rosswasstillsilent。

"Andnowyou’vegotwhatyouwanted——thankstoher，mindyou，thankstoher！——andyouain’twillingtoletherhavewhatshewants！"

Theyoungmanmoistenedhislipstospeak。

"Youain’tdependentonherinanysense——Idon’tmeanthat。Youearnedtheplaceallright，andIdon’tdoubtyou’llmakegood，bothinabusinesswayandascientificway，youngman。ButwhyinHadesyoucan’tletherbehappy，too，ismore’nIcanfigure！Guessyougetyournotionsfromtwogenerationsback——andsome！"

Rossbegan，stumblingly。"IdidnotknowIwasindebtedtoyou，Mr。

Thaddler。"

"You’renot，youngman，you’renot！Iranthatshopofyoursayear——builtupthebusinessandsolditformorethanIpaidforthis。

Soyou’venoroomforheroics——noneatall。WhatIwantyoutorealizeisthatyou’rebreakingtheheartofthefinestwomanIeversaw。Youcan’tbendthatgirl——she’llnevergiveup。Awomanlikethathasgotmorethingstodothanjustmarry！Butshe’spiningforyouallthesame。

"Heresheisto—night，receivingwithMrs。Weatherstone——withthoseBannerets，DukesandEarlsaroundher——standinguptherelikeaPrincessherself——andhereyesonthedoorallthetime——andtearsin’em，I

couldswear——becauseyoudon’tcome！"

*

Theydrewupwithafinecurvebeforethecarriagegate。

"I’lltake’emallhome——theywon’tbereadyforsometimeyet，"saidMr。Thaddler。"AndifyoutwowouldlikethiscarI’llsendfortheotherone。"

Rossshookhandswithhim。"Youareverykind，Mr。Thaddler，"hesaid。

"Iamobligedtoyou。ButIthinkwewillwalk。"

Tallandimpressive，lookingmoredistinguishedinasix—year—oldeveningsuitthaneventheHochGeboreneinhisuniform，hecameatlast，andDianthasawhimthemomentheentered;saw，too，anewlightinhiseyes。

Hewentstraighttoher。AndMrs。Weatherstonedidnotlayitupagainsthimthathehadbutthebriefestofwordsforhishostess。

"Willyoucome？"hesaid。"MayItakeyouhome——now？"

Shewentwithhim，withoutaword，andtheywalkedslowlyhome，byfaroutlyingpaths，andlongwaitsonrose—boweredseatstheyknew。

Themoonfilledalltheworldwithtenderlightandtheorangeblossomsfloodedthestillairwithsweetness。

"Dear，"saidhe，"Ihavebeenaproudfool——Iamyet——butIhavecometoseealittleclearer。Idonotapproveofyourwork——Icannotapproveofit——butwillyouforgivemeforthatandmarryme？Icannotliveanylongerwithoutyou？"

"OfcourseIwill，"saidDiantha。

WHATDIANTHADID

CHAPTERXIV。

ANDHEAVENBESIDE。

Theyweremarriedwhiletheflowerswereknee—deepoverthesunnyslopesandmesas，andthecanyonsgulfsofcolorandfragrance，andwentfortheirfirstmoontogethertoafarhighmountainvalleyhiddenamongwoodedpeaks，withaclearlakeforitscentraljewel。

Amonthofheaven;whilewaveonwaveofperfectrestandworld—forgettingoblivionrolledoverboththeirhearts。

Theyswamtogetherinthedawn—flushedlake，seeingthemorningmistsfloatupfromthesilversurface，breakingthestillreflectionofthicktreesandrosyclouds，rejoicinginthelevelshaftsofforestfilteredsunlight。Theyplayedandranlikechildren，rejoicedovertheirpicnicmeals;layflatamongthecrowdingflowersandsleptunderthetenderstarlight。

"Idon’tsee，"saidherlover，"butthatmystrenuousAmazonisjustasmuchawomanas——asanywoman！"

"WhoeversaidIwasn’t？"quothDianthademurely。

Amonthofperfecthappiness。Itwassoshortitseemedbutamoment;

solonginitsrichperfectionthattheybothagreediflifebroughtnofurtherjoythiswasEnough。

Thentheycamedownfromthemountainsandbeganliving。

*

Dayserviceisnotsoeasilyarrangedonaranchsomemilesfromtown。

Theytrieditforawhile，thenewrunaboutcarbringingoutagirlinthemorningearly，andtakingDianthaintoheroffice。

Butmotorcarsarenotinfallible;andifitmetwithanyaccidenttherewasdelayatbothends，andmoreorlessfriction。

ThenDianthaengagedafirst—classOrientalgentleman，wellrecommendedbythe"vegetableChinaman，"ontheirownplace。Thiswasextremelysatisfactory;hedidtheworkwell，andwasinallwaysreliable;buttherearoseinthetownacurrentofmaliciouscriticismandprotest——thatshe"didnotliveuptoherprinciples。"

Tothisshepaidnoattention;herworkwasnowtoowellplanted，tooincreasinglyprosperoustobeweakenedbysmallsneers。

Hermother，growingplumpernow，thrivingcontinuouslyinhernewlinesofwork，keptthehotelunderherimmediatemanagement，anddidbookkeepingforthewholeconcern。NewUnionHomeranitself，andarticleswerewrittenaboutitinmagazines;sothathereandthereinothercitiessimilarclubswerestarted，withvaryingsuccess。Therestaurantwasincreasinglypopular;Diantha’scookswerehighlyskilledandhandsomelypaid，andfromthecheaplunchtotheexpensivebanquettheygavesatisfaction。

Butthe"c。f。d。"wasthedarlingofherheart，anditprosperedexceedingly。"Thereisnoadvertisementlikeapleasedcustomer，"andherpleasedcustomersgrewinnumbersandinenthusiasm。Familyafterfamilylearnedtoprizethecleanlinessandquiet，theodorlessnessandflylessnessofahomewithoutakitchen，andtheirquestioningguestswereconvertedbytheexcellentofthemeals。

Criticalwomenlearnedatlastthatacompetentcookcanreallyproducebetterfoodthananincompetentone;albeitwithoutthesanctityofthehome。

"Sanctityofyourbootstraps！"protestedoneirasciblegentleman。"Suchtalkisallnonsense！Idon’twant_sacred_meals——Iwantgoodones——andI’mgettingthem，atlast！"

"Wedon’tbragabout’homebrewing’anymore，"saidanother，"or’hometailoring，’or’homeshoemaking。’Whyallthistalkabout’homecooking’？"

Whatpleasedthemenmostwasnotonlythegoodfood，butitsclock—workregularity;andnotonlythereducedbillsbuttheincreasedhealthandhappinessoftheirwives。DomesticblissincreasedinOrchardina，andthedoctorsweremorerigidlyconfinedtothepatronageoftourists。

RossWardendidhisbest。UnderthemercilessfriendlinessofMr。

ThaddlerhehadbeenbroughttoseethatDianthahadarighttodothisifshewould，andthathehadnorighttopreventher;buthedidnotlikeitanythebetter。

Whensherolledawayinherlittlecarinthebright，sweetmornings，alightwentoutofthedayforhim。Hewantedherthere，inthehome——hishome——hiswife——evenwhenhewasnotinithimself。Andinthisparticularcaseitwasharderthanformostmen，becausehewasinthehouseagooddeal，inhisstudy，withnobettercompanythanapoliteChinamansomedistanceoff。

ItwasbynomeanseasyforDiantha，either。Toleavehimtuggedatherheart—strings，asitdidathis;andifhehadtostrugglewithinheritedfeelingsandacquiredtraditions，stillmorewasshebesetwithanunexpecteduprisingofsentimentsanddesiresshehadneverdreamedoffeeling。

Withmarriage，love，happinesscameanoverwhelminginstinctofservice——personalservice。Shewantedtowaitonhim，lovedtodoit;

regardedWangFuwithpositivejealousywhenhebroughtinthecoffeeandRosspraisedit。Shehadasenseoftreason，ofneglectedduty，asshelefttheflower—crownedcottage，daybyday。

Butsheleftit，sheplungedintoherwork，sheschooledherselfreligiously。

"Shameonyou！"sheberatedherself。"Now——_now_thatyou’vegoteverythingonearth——toweaken！Youcouldstandunhappiness;can’tyoustandhappiness？"Andshestrovewithherself;andkeptonwithherwork。

Afterall，thehappinesswaspresentlydilutedbythepressureofthisblankwallbetweenthem。Shecamehome，eager，loving，delightedtobewithhimagain。Hereceivedherwithnocomplaintorcriticism，butalwaysanunspoken，perhapsimagined，senseofprotest。Shewasfulloflovingenthusiasmabouthiswork，andhewoulddilateuponhisharassedguinea—pigsandtheirdevelopmentwithhighsatisfaction。

Buthenevercouldbringhimselftoaskaboutherlaborswithanygenuineapproval;shewaskeenlysensitivetohisdislikeforthesubject，andsoitwasignoredbetweenthem，ortreatedbyhiminaveinofhumorwithwhichhestrovetocoverhisrealfeeling。

When，beforemanymonthswereover，thecrowningtriumphofhereffortrevealeditself，herjoyandprideheldthisbitterdrop——hedidnotsympathize——didnotapprove。Still，itwasagreatglory。

TheNewYorkCompanyannouncedthecompletionoftheirworkandthe_HoteldellasCasas_wasopenedtopublicinspection。"HouseoftheHouses！That’safinename！"saidsomedisparagingly;but，atanyrate，itseemedappropriate。Thebigestatewasonerichgarden，morepicturesque，moredreamilybeautiful，thantheAmericancommercialmindwasusuallyabletocompass，evenwhenpossessedofmillions。Thehotelofitselfwasapleasurepalace——whollyunostentatious，fullofgaietyandcharm，offeringlovelychambersforguestsandresidents，andeveryopportunityforhealthfulamusement。Therewastherareluxuryofabigswimming—pool;therewerebilliardrooms，cardrooms，readingrooms，loungingroomsanddancingroomsofsatisfyingextent。

Outsidethereweretennis—courts，badminton，roque，evencroquet;andthewideroofwasagardenofBabylon，aCourtoftheStars，withviewsofpurplemountains，fair，widevalleyandfar—flashingrimofsea。

Aroundit，eachinitsownhedgedgarden，nestled"LasCasas"——theHouses——twentyinnumber，withwindingshadedpaths，groupsofraretrees，awildernessofflowers，betweenandaboutthem。Inonecornerwasaplaygroundforchildren——awallaroundthis，thattheymightshoutinfreedom;andthenurserytherebygaveeveryprovisionforthehappinessandsafetyofthelittleones。

Thepeoplepouredalongthewindingwalls，enteredtheprettycottages，weremuchimpressedbyalittleflockofwell—flooredtentsinanothercorner，butcamebackwithOhs！andAhs！ofdelighttothelargebuildingintheAvenue。

Dianthawentallovertheplace，inchbyinch，hereyeswideningwithadmiration;Mr。andMrs。PorneandMrs。Weatherstonewithher。Sheenjoyedtheserene，well—plannedbeautyofthewhole;approvedheartilyofthecottages，eachonealittledifferent，eachcharminginitsquietprivacy，admiredtheplentifularrangementsforpleasureandgayassociation;butherprofessionalsoulblazedwithenthusiasmoverthegreatkitchens，cleanasahospital，glitteringinglassandcopperandcooltiling，withtheswift，sureelectricstove。

Thefuelallwentintoasmall，solidlybuiltpowerhouse，andcameoutinlightandheatandforceforthewholesquare。

Dianthasighedinabsoluteappreciation。

"Fine，isn’tit？"saidMr。Porne。

"Howdoyoulikethearchitecture？"askedMrs。Porne。

"Whatdoyouthinkofmyinvestment？"saidMrs。Weatherstone。Dianthastoppedinhertracksandlookedfromonetotheotherofthem。

"Fact。Icontrolthestock——I’mpresidentoftheHoteldellasCasasCompany。Ourfriendsherehavestockinit，too，andmorethatyoudon’tknow。Wethinkit’sgoingtobeapayingconcern。Butifyoucanmakeitgo，mydear，asIthinkyouwill，youcanbuyusalloutandownthewholeoutfit！"

Ittooksometimetoexplainallthis，butthefactswerevisibleenough。

"Nothingremarkableatall，"saidMrs。Weatherstone。"Here’sAstorwiththreebighotelsonhishands——whyshouldn’tIhaveonetoplaywith？

AndI’vegottoemploy_somebody_tomanageit！"

*

WithinayearofhermarriageDianthawasattheheadofthispleasingCentreofHousekeeping。Shekeptthehotelitselfsothatitwasajoytoallitspatrons;shekeptthelittlehouseshomesofpuredelightforthosewhoweresofortunateastoholdthem;andshekeptupher"c。f。

d。"businesstillitgrewsolargeshehadtohavequiteafleetofdeliverywagons。

Orchardinabaskedandprospered;itscitizensfoundtheirhomeshappierandlessexpensivethaneverbefore，anditscitizenessesbegantowakeupandtodothingsworthwhile。

*

Twoyears，andtherewasasmallRossWardenborn。

Shelovedit，nursedit，andranherbusinessatlongrangeforsomesixmonths。Butthenshebroughtnurseandchildtothehotelwithher，placedtheminthecool，airynurseryinthegarden，andvariedherbusydaywithstillhoursbyherself——thebabyinherarms。

Backtheycametogetherbeforesupper，andfoundunbrokenjoyandpeaceinthequietofhome;butalwaysinthebackgroundwasthecurrentofRoss’unspokendisapproval。

Threeyears，fouryears。

Therewerethreebabiesnow;Dianthawasasplendidwomanofthirty，handsomeandstrong，pre—eminentlysuccessful——andyet，thereweretimeswhenshefounditinherhearttoenvythemostordinarypeoplewholovedandquarreledandmadeupinthelittleoutlyingranchhousesalongtheroad;theyhadnothingbetweenthem，atleast。

MeantimeinthefriendlyopportunitiesofOrchardinasociety，addedtobytheunexampledpossibilitiesofLasCasas（andtheydidnotscornthishotelnorDiantha’spositioninit），thethreeolderMissWardenshadmarried。Twoofthempreferred"thegoodoldway，"butonetriedthe"d。s。"andthe"c。f。d。"andlikedthemwell。

Doraamazedanddispleasedherfamily，assoonasshewasofage，byfranklygoingovertoDiantha’ssideandlearningbookkeeping。Shebecameanexcellentaccountantandbadefairtobecomeanexpertmanagersoon。

Rosshadprosperedinhiswork。Itmaybethattheelementofdissatisfactioninhismarriedlifespurredhimon，whiletheunusualopportunitiesofhisranchallowedfreeeffort。Hehadalwaysheldthatthe"non—transmissabilityofacquiredtraits"wasnotestablishedbyanynumberofcurtailedmiceorcrop—earedrats。"Amutilationisnotanacquiredtrait，"heprotested。"Anacquiredtraitisonegainedbyexercise;itmodifiesthewholeorganism。Itmusthaveaneffectontherace。Weexpectthesonsofalineofsoldierstoinherittheirfathers’courage——perhapshishabitofobedience——butnothiswoodenleg。"

Toestablishhisviewsheselectedfromafinefamilyofguinea—pigstwopair;settheone，PairA，inconditionsofordinaryguinea—pigbliss，andsubjectedtheother，PairB，toacourseofdiscipline。Theyweretrainedtorun。They，andtheirdescendantsafterthem，pairfollowingonpair;firstwithslow—turningwheelsasinsquirrelcages，thewheelinexorablygoing，machine—driven，andthelucklesslittlegluttonshavingtomoveon，forgraduallyincreasingperiodsoftime，atgraduallyincreasingspeeds。PairAandtheirprogenywereshelteredandfed，buttherodwasspared;PairBwereastheguestsat"Muldoon’s"——theyhadtoexercise。Withscientificpatienceandingenuity，hedevisedmechanicalsurroundingswhichmadethemjumpincreasingspaces，whichmadethemrunalwaysalittlefasterandalittlefarther;andhekeptarecordascarefullyasiftheselittleshedswereracingstablesforaking。

Severalcenturiesofguinea—pigtimewentby;generationaftergenerationofhealthyguinea—pigspassedunderhismodifyinghands;andaftersomefiveyearshehadinonesmallyardafinegroupofthedescendantsofhisgall—fedpair，andinanothertheoffspringofthetrainedones;nimble，swift，asdifferentfromthefirstastherazor—backedpigoftheforestfromthefattedporkersinthesty。Hesetthemtorace——theyounguntrainedspecimensofthesedistantcousins——andthehareranawayfromthetortoisecompletely。

Greatzoologistsandbiologistscametoseehim，studied，fingered，poked，andexaminedtherecords;arguedanddisbelieved——andsawthemrun。

"Itisnaturalselection，"theysaid。"Itprofitedthemtorun。"

"Notatall，"saidhe。"Theywerefedandcaredforalike，withnogainfromrunning。"

"Itwasartificialselection，"theysaid。"Youpickedoutthespeediestforyourtraining。"

"Notatall，"saidhe。"Itookalwaysanyhealthypairfromthetrainedparentsandfromtheuntrainedones——quitelateinlife，youunderstand，asguinea—pigsgo。"

Anyhow，therewerethepigs;andhetooklittlespecializedpigletsscarceweaned，andpittedthemagainstpigletsoftheuntrainedlot——andtheyoutrantheminaracefor"Mama。"WhereforeMr。RossWardenfoundhimselffamousofasudden;andalloverthescientificworldtheWiesmaniancontroversyragedanew。Hewasinvitedtodeliveralecturebeforesomemostlearnedsocietiesabroad，andinseveralimportantcentersathome，andwent，rejoicing。

Dianthawasgladforhimfromthebottomofherheart，andproudofhimthroughandthrough。Shethoroughlyappreciatedhissturdyoppositiontosuchaweightofauthority;hislongpatience，hiscareful，steadywork。Shewasleftinfullswingwithherbigbusiness，busyandsuccessful，honoredandlikedbyallthetown——practically——andquiteindependentofthesmallfractionwhichstilldisapproved。Somepeoplealwayswill。Shewashappy，too，inherbabies——veryhappy。

TheHoteldellasCasaswasatriumph。

Dianthaowneditnow，andMrs。Weatherstonebuiltothers，inotherplaces，atalargeprofit。

Mrs。WardenwenttolivewithCorainthetown。Corahadmoretimetoentertainher——asshewastheonewhoprofitedbyhersister—in—law’sgeneralservices。

DianthasatinfriendlytalkwithMrs。Weatherstoneonequietday，andadmittedthatshehadnocauseforcomplaint。

"Andyet——？"saidherfriend。

YoungMrs。Wardensmiled。"There’snokeepinganythingfromyou，isthere？Yes——you’reright。I’mnotquitesatisfied。IsupposeIoughtnottocare——butyousee，Ilovehimso！Iwanthimto_approve_ofme！——notjustputupwithit，andbearit！Iwanthimto_feel_withme——tocare。Itisawfultoknowthatallthisbiglifeofmineisjustamistaketohim——thathecondemnsitinhisheart。"

"Butyouknewthisfromthebeginning，mydear，didn’tyou？"

"Yes——Iknewit——butitisdifferentnow。Youknowwhenyouare_married_——"

Mrs。Weatherstonelookedfarawaythroughthewidewindow。"Idoknow，"

shesaid。

Dianthareachedastronghandtoclaspherfriend’s。"IwishIcouldgiveittoyou，"shesaid。"Youhavedonesomuchforme！Somuch！

Youhavepouredoutyourmoneylikewater！"

"Mymoney！WellIlikethat！"saidMrs。Weatherstone。"Ihavetakenmymoneyoutoffiveandsevenpercentinvestments，andputitintotenpercentones，that’sall。ShallInevermakeyourealizethatIamaricherwomanbecauseofyou，DianthaBellWarden！Sodon’ttrytobegrateful——Iwon’thaveit！Yourworkhas_paid_remember——paidmeaswellasyou;andlotsofotherfolksbeside。YouknowthereareeighteengoodimitationsofUnionHouserunningnow，indifferentcities，andthree’LasCasas！’allsucceeding——andthepapersaretalkingaboutthedangersofaCookedFoodTrust！"

Theywerefriendsoldandtried，andhappyinmutualaffection。Dianthahadmanynow，thoughnonequitesodear。Herparentswerecontented——herbrotherandsisterdoingwell——herchildrenthroveandgrewandfoundMamaajoytheyneverhadenoughof。

Yetstillinherheartofheartsshewasnotwhollyhappy。

*

Thenonenightcamebythelastmail，athickletterfromRoss——thickerthanusual。Sheopeneditinherroomalone，theirroom——towhichtheyhadcomesojoyouslyfiveyearsago。

Hetoldherofhisjourneying，hislectures，hiscontroversiesandtriumphs;ratherbriefly——andthen：

"Mydarling，Ihavelearnedsomethingatlast，onmytravels，whichwillinterestyou，Ifancy，morethanthepotentialspeedofalltheguinea—pigsintheworld，anditstransmissability。

"FromwhatIhearaboutyouinforeignlands;fromwhatIreadaboutyouwhereverIgo;and，evenmore，fromwhatIsee，asavisitor，inmanyfamilies;Ihaveatlastbeguntograspthenatureandimportanceofyourwork。

"AsamanofscienceImustacceptanytruthwhenitisonceclearlyseen;and，thoughI’vebeenalongtimeaboutit，Idoseeatlastwhatbrave，strong，valuableworkyouhavebeendoingfortheworld。Doingitscientifically，too。Yourfiguresarequoted，yourrecordsstudied，yourexamplefollowed。Youhaveestablishedcertaintruthsinthebusinessoflivingwhichareofimportancetotherace。AsastudentI

recognizeandappreciateyourwork。AsmantomanI’mproudofyou——tremendouslyproudofyou。Asyourhusband！Ah！mylove！Iamcomingbacktoyou——comingsoon，comingwithmyWholeHeart，Yours！

Justwait，MyDarling，tillIgetbacktoyou！

"YourLoverandHusband。"

Dianthaheldtheletterclose，withhandsthatshookalittle。Shekissedit——kissedithard，overandover——notimprovingitsappearanceasapieceofpolitecorrespondence。

Thenshegavewaytoanovermasteringburstoffeeling，andkneltdownbythewidebed，buryingherfacethere，theletterstillheldfast。Itwasafunnyprayer，ifanyhumanearhadheardit。

"Thankyou！"wasallshesaid，withlong，deepsobbingsighsbetween。

"Thankyou！——O——thankyou！"