第1章

ThefollowingstorywasthefirstfruitofmyNewYorklifewhenIbegantoliveitaftermyquarterofacenturyinCambridgeandBoston，endingin1889；andIusedmyowntransitiontothecommercialmetropolisinframingtheexperiencewhichwaswhollythatofmysupposititiousliteraryadventurer。Hewasacharacterwhom，withhiswife，Ihaveemployedinsomesixoreightotherstories，andwhomImadeasmuchtheheroandheroineof\' TheirWeddingJourney\'astheslightfablewouldbear。InventuringoutofmyadoptiveNewEngland，whereIhadfoundmyselfathomewithmanyimaginaryfriends，Ifounditnaturaltoaskthecompanyofthesefamiliaracquaintances，buttheircompanywasnottobehadatoncefortheasking。WhenIbeganspeakingofthemasBasilandIsabel，inthefashionof\'TheirWeddingJourney，\'theywouldnotrespondwiththeeffectofearlymiddleagewhichIdesiredinthem。Theyremainedwilfully，nottosaywoodenly，theyoungbridalpairofthatromance，withoutthepromiseofnovelfunctioning。ItwasnottillI triedaddressingthemasMarchandMrs。Marchthattheystirredundermyhandwithfreshimpulse，andsetabouttheworkassignedthemaspeopleinsomethingmorethantheirsecondyouth。 ThesceneintowhichIhadinvitedthemtofigurefilledthelargestcanvasIhadyetallowedmyself；and，though\'AHazardofNewFortuneswasnotthefirststoryIhadwrittenwiththeprinteratmyheels，itwasthefirstwhichtookitsowntimetoprescribeitsowndimensions。 IhadthegeneraldesignwellinmindwhenIbegantowriteit，butasitadvanceditcompelledintoitscourseincidents，interests，individualities，whichIhadnotknownlaynear，anditspecializedandamplifiedatpointswhichIhadnotalwaysmeanttotouch，thoughI shouldnotliketointimateanythingmysticalinthefact。Itbecame，tomythinking，themostvitalofmyfictions，throughmyquickenedinterestinthelifeaboutme，atamomentofgreatpsychologicalimport。 Wehadpassedthroughaperiodofstrongemotioninginthedirectionofthehumanereconomics，ifImayphraseitso；therichseemednotsomuchtodespisethepoor，thepoordidnotsohopelesslyrepine。ThesolutionoftheriddleofthepainfulearththroughthedreamsofHenryGeorge，throughthedreamsofEdwardBellamy，throughthedreamsofallthegenerousvisionariesofthepast，seemednotimpossiblyfaroff。ThatsheddingofbloodwhichisfortheremissionofsinshadbeensymbolizedbythebombsandscaffoldsofChicago，andtheheartsofthosewhofeltthewrongsboundupwithourrights，theslaveryimplicatedinourliberty，werethrillingwithgriefsandhopeshithertostrangetotheaverageAmericanbreast。Opportunelyformetherewasagreatstreet-carstrikeinNewYork，andthestorybegantofinditswaytoissuesnoblerandlargerthanthoseofthelove-affairscommontofiction。Iwasinmyfifty-secondyearwhenItookitup，andintheprime，suchasitwas，ofmypowers。ThescenewhichIhadchosenappealedprodigiouslytome，andtheactionpassedasnearlywithoutmyconsciousagencyasIeverallowmyselftothinksuchthingshappen。 Theopeningchapterswerewritteninafine，oldfashionedapartmenthousewhichhadoncebeenafamilyhouse，andinanuppermostroomofwhichIcouldlookfrommyworkacrossthetreesofthelittleparkinStuyvesantSquaretothetowersofSt。George\'sChurch。Thenlaterinthespringof1889theunfinishednovelwascarriedtoacountryhouseontheBelmontborderofCambridge。ThereImusthavewrittenveryrapidlytohavepressedittoconclusionbeforethesummerended。Itcame，indeed，soeasilyfromthepenthatIhadthemisgivingwhichIalwayshaveofthingswhichdonotcostmegreattrouble。 ThereisnothinginthebookwithwhichIamusedmyselfmorethanthehouse-huntingoftheMarcheswhentheywereplacingthemselvesinNewYork；andifthecontemporaryreadershouldturnforinstructiontothepagesinwhichtheirexperienceisdetailedIassurehimthathemaytrusttheirfidelityandaccuracyinthearticleofNewYorkhousingasitwasearlyinthelastdecadeofthelastcentury:Imean，thehousingofpeopleofsuchmoderatemeansastheMarches。InmyzealfortruthI didnotdistinguishbetweenrealityandactualityinthisorothermatters——thatis，onewasasprecioustomeastheother。Butthetypeshereportrayedareastrueasevertheywere，thoughtheworldinwhichtheywerefindingtheirhabitatiswonderfully，almostincrediblydifferent。Yetitisnotwhollydifferent，forayoungliterarypairnowadventuringinNewYorkmighteasilyparalleltheexperienceoftheMarcheswiththeirown，ifnotforsolittlemoney；manyphasesofNewYorkhousingarebetter，butallaredearer。Otheraspectsofthematerialcityhaveundergoneatransformationmuchmorewonderful。 Ifindthatinmybookitspopulationisoncemodestlyspokenofastwomillions，butnowintwentyyearsitistwiceasgreat，andthegrandeuraswellasgrandiosityofitsformsisdoublyapparent。 Thetransitionalpublicthatthenmopedaboutinmildlytinklinghorse-carsisnowhurriedbackandforthinclangingtrolleys，inhonkingandwhirringmotors；theElevatedroadwhichwasthelastwordofspeedisunderminedbytheSubway，shootingitsswiftshuttlesthroughthesubterraneanwoofofthecity\'shaste。FromthesefeetletthewitnessinferourwholemassiveHercules，abulkthatsprawlsandstretchesbeyondtheriversthroughthetunnelspiercingtheirbedsandthattowersintotheskieswithinnumerabletops——aHerculesblentofBriareusandCerberus，butnotsobadamonsterasitseemedthentothreatenbecoming。 Certainhopesoftruerandbetterconditionsonwhichmyheartwasfixedtwentyyearsagoarenotlessdear，andtheyarebynomeanstouchedwithdespair，thoughtheyhavenotyetfoundthefulfilmentwhichIwouldthenhaveprophesiedforthem。Eventshavenotwhollyplayedthemfalse； eventshavenothalted，thoughtheyhavemarchedwithaslownessthatmightaffectayoungerobserverasmarkingtime。Theywhowerethenmindfulofthepoorhavenotforgottenthem，andwhatisbetterthepoorhavenotoftenforgottenthemselvesinviolencessuchasofferedmethematerialoftragedyandpathosinmystory。InmyqualityofartistI couldnotregretthese，andIgratefullyrealizethattheyofferedmetheopportunityofamorestrenuousaction，amoreimpressivecatastrophethanIcouldhaveachievedwithoutthem。Theytendedtogivethewholefabledignityanddoubtlessmadeforitssuccessasabook。Asaserialithadcreptasluggishcoursebeforeapublicapparentlysounmindfulofitthatnorumorofitsacceptanceorrejectionreachedthewriterduringthehalfyearofitspublication；butitroseinbookformfromthatfailureandstooduponitsfeetandwentitswaytogreaterfavorthananybookofhishadyetenjoyed。Ihopethatmyrecognitionofthefactwillnotseemlikeboasting，butthatthereaderwillregarditasaspecialconfidencefromtheauthorandwillletitgonofarther。 KITTERYPOINT，MAINE，July，1909。 PARTFIRST AHAZARDOFNEWFORTUNES I。 \"Now，youthinkthisthingover，March，andletmeknowthelastofnextweek，\"saidFulkerson。Hegotupfromthechairwhichhehadbeensittingastride，withhisfacetoitsback，andtiltingtowardMarchonitshind-legs，andcameandrappeduponhistablewithhisthinbamboostick。\"Whatyouwanttodoistogetoutoftheinsurancebusiness，anyway。Youacknowledgethatyourself。Youneverlikedit，andnowitmakesyousick；inotherwords，it\'skillingyou。Youain\'taninsurancemanbynature。You\'reanatural-bornliteraryman，andyou\'vebeengoingagainstthegrain。Now，Iofferyouachancetogowiththegrain。 Idon\'tsayyou\'regoingtomakeyoureverlastingfortune，butI\'llgiveyoualivingsalary，andifthethingsucceedsyou\'llshareinitssuccess。We\'llallshareinitssuccess。That\'sthebeautyofit。 Itellyou，March，thisisthegreatestideathathasbeenstrucksince\"——Fulkersonstoppedandsearchedhismindforafitimage——\"sincethecreationofman。\" HeputhislegupoverthecornerofMarch\'stableandgavehimselfasharpcutonthethigh，andleanedforwardtogetthefulleffectofhiswordsuponhislistener。 Marchhadhishandsclaspedtogetherbehindhishead，andhetookoneofthemdownlongenoughtoputhisinkstandandmucilage-bottleoutofFulkerson\'sway。Aftermanyyears\'experimentofamustacheandwhiskers，henowworehisgrizzledbeardfull，butcroppedclose；itgavehimacertaingrimness，correctedbythegentlenessofhiseyes。 \"Somepeopledon\'tthinkmuchofthecreationofmannowadays。Whystopatthat?Whynotsaysincethemorningstarssangtogether?\" \"No，sir；no，sir!Idon\'twanttoclaimtoomuch，andIdrawthelineatthecreationofman。I\'msatisfiedwiththat。Butifyouwanttoringthemorningstarsintotheprospectusallright；Iwon\'tgobackonyou。\" \"ButIdon\'tunderstandwhyyou\'vesetyourmindonme，\"Marchsaid。 \"Ihaven\'thad，anymagazineexperience，youknowthat；andIhaven\'tseriouslyattemptedtodoanythinginliteraturesinceIwasmarried。 IgaveupsmokingandtheMusetogether。IsupposeIcouldstillmanageacigar，butIdon\'tbelieveIcould——\" \"Museworthacent。\"Fulkersontookthethoughtoutofhismouthandputitintohisownwords。\"Iknow。Well，Idon\'twantyouto。Idon\'tcareifyouneverwritealineforthething，thoughyouneedn\'trejectanythingofyours，ifithappenstobegood，onthataccount。AndI don\'twantmuchexperienceinmyeditor；rathernothaveit。Youtoldme，didn\'tyou，thatyouusedtodosomenewspaperworkbeforeyousettleddown?\" \"Yes；Ithoughtmylineswerepermanentlycastinthoseplacesonce。ItwasmoreanaccidentthananythingelsethatIgotintotheinsurancebusiness。IsupposeIsecretlyhopedthatifImademylivingbysomethingutterlydifferent，Icouldcomemorefreshlytoliteratureproperinmyleisure。\" \"Isee；andyoufoundtheinsurancebusinesstoomany，foryou。Well，anyway，you\'vealwayshadahankeringfortheinkpots；andthefactthatyoufirstgavemetheideaofthisthingshowsthatyou\'vedonemoreorlessthinkingaboutmagazines。\" \"Yes——less。\" \"Well，allright。Nowdon\'tyoubetroubled。IknowwhatIwant，generally，speaking，andinthisparticularinstanceIwantyou。Imightgetamanofmoreexperience，butIshouldprobablygetamanofmoreprejudiceandself-conceitalongwithhim，andamanwithafollowingoftheliteraryhangers-onthataresuretogetroundaneditorsoonerorlater。Iwanttostartfair，andI\'vefoundoutinthesyndicatebusinessallthementhatareworthhaving。Buttheyknowme，andtheydon\'tknowyou，andthat\'swhereweshallhavethepullonthem。Theywon\'tbeabletoworkthething。Don\'tyoubeanxiousabouttheexperience。I\'vegotexperienceenoughofmyowntorunadozeneditors。 WhatIwantisaneditorwhohastaste，andyou\'vegotit；andconscience，andyou\'vegotit；andhorsesense，andyou\'vegotthat。 AndIlikeyoubecauseyou\'reaWesternman，andI\'manother。IdocottontoaWesternmanwhenIfindhimoffEasthere，holdinghisownwiththebestof\'em，andshowing\'emthathe\'sjustasmuchcivilizedastheyare。Webothknowwhatitistohaveourbrighthomeinthesettingsun；heigh?\" \"IthinkweWesternmenwho\'vecomeEastareapttotakeourselvesalittletooobjectivelyandtofeelourselvesrathermorerepresentativethanweneed，\"Marchremarked。 Fulkersonwasdelighted。\"You\'vehitit!Wedo!Weare!\" \"Andasforholdingmyown，I\'mnotveryproudofwhatI\'vedoneinthatway；it\'sbeenverylittletohold。ButIknowwhatyoumean，Fulkerson，andI\'vefeltthesamethingmyself；itwarmedmetowardyouwhenwefirstmet。Ican\'thelpsuffusingalittletoanymanwhenIhearthathewasbornontheothersideoftheAlleghanies。It\'sperfectlystupid。 IdespisethesamethingwhenIseeitinBostonpeople。\" Fulkersonpulledfirstoneofhisblondwhiskersandthentheother，andtwistedtheendofeachintoapoint，whichhelefttountwineitself。 HefixedMarchwithhislittleeyes，whichhadacuriousinnocenceintheircunning，andtappedthedeskimmediatelyinfrontofhim。\"WhatI likeaboutyouisthatyou\'rebroadinyoursympathies。ThefirsttimeI sawyou，thatnightontheQuebecboat，Isaidtomyself:\'There\'samanIwanttoknow。There\'sahumanbeing。\'IwasalittleafraidofMrs。 Marchandthechildren，butIfeltathomewithyou——thoroughlydomesticated——beforeIpassedawordwithyou；andwhenyouspokefirst，andopenedupwithajokeoverthatfellow\'stablefuloflightliteratureandIndianmoccasinsandbirch-barktoycanoesandstereoscopicviews，Iknewthatwewerebrothers-spiritualtwins。IrecognizedtheWesternstyleoffun，andIthought，whenyousaidyouwerefromBoston，thatitwassomeofthesame。ButIseenowthatitsbeingacoldfact，asfarasthelastfifteenortwentyyearscount，isjustsomuchgain。Youknowbothsections，andyoucanmakethisthinggo，fromoceantoocean。\" \"Wemightringthatintotheprospectus，too，\"Marchsuggested，withasmile。\"Youmightcallthething\'FromSeatoSea。\'By-the-way，whatareyougoingtocallit?\" \"Ihaven\'tdecidedyet；that\'soneofthethingsIwantedtotalkwithyouabout。Ihadthoughtof\'TheSyndicate\'；butitsoundskindofdry，anddoesn\'tseemtocoverthegroundexactly。Ishouldlikesomethingthatwouldexpresstheco-operativecharacterofthething，butIdon\'tknowasIcangetit。\" \"Mightcallit\'TheMutual\'。\" \"They\'dthinkitwasaninsurancepaper。No，thatwon\'tdo。ButMutualcomesprettyneartheidea。Ifwecouldgetsomethinglikethat，itwouldpiquecuriosity；andthenifwecouldgetparagraphsafloatexplainingthatthecontributorsweretobepaidaccordingtothesales，itwouldbeafirst-ratead。\" Hebentawide，anxious，inquiringsmileuponMarch，whosuggested，lazily:\"Youmightcallit\'TheRound-Robin\'。Thatwouldexpressthecentralideaofirresponsibility。AsIunderstand，everybodyistosharetheprofitsandbeexemptfromthelosses。Or，ifI\'mwrong，andthereverseistrue，youmightcallit\'TheArmyofMartyrs\'。Come，thatsoundsattractive，Fulkerson!Orwhatdoyouthinkof\'TheFifthWheel\'? Thatwouldforestallthecriticismthattherearetoomanyliteraryperiodicalsalready。Or，ifyouwanttoputforwardtheideaofcompleteindependence，youcouldcallit\'TheFreeLance\'；or——\" \"Or\'TheHogonIce\'——eitherstanduporfalldown，youknow，\"Fulkersonbrokeincoarsely。\"Butwe\'llleavethenameofthemagazinetillwegettheeditor。Iseethepoison\'sbeginningtoworkinyou，March；andifI hadtimeI\'dleavetheresulttotime。ButIhaven\'t。I\'vegottoknowinsideofthenextweek。Tocomedowntobusinesswithyou，March，I sha\'n\'tstartthisthingunlessIcangetyoutotakeholdofit。\" Heseemedtoexpectsomeacknowledgment，andMarchsaid，\"Well，that\'sveryniceofyou，Fulkerson。\" \"No，sir；no，sir!I\'vealwayslikedyouandwantedyoueversincewemetthatfirstnight。Ihadthisthinginchoatelyinmymindthen，whenI wastellingyouaboutthenewspapersyndicatebusiness——beautifulvisionofalotofliteraryfellowsbreakingloosefromthebondageofpublishersandplayingitalone——\" \"Youmightcallit\'TheLoneHand\'；thatwouldbeattractive，\"Marchinterrupted。\"ThewholeWestwouldknowwhatyoumeant。\" Fulkersonwastalkingseriously，andMarchwaslisteningseriously；buttheybothbrokeoffandlaughed。Fulkersongotdownoffthetableandmadesometurnsabouttheroom。Itwasgrowinglate；theOctobersunhadleftthetopofthetallwindows；itwasstillclearday，butitwouldsoonbetwilight；theyhadbeentalkingalongtime。Fulkersoncameandstoodwithhislittlefeetwideapart，andbenthislittlelean，squarefaceonMarch。\"Seehere!Howmuchdoyougetoutofthisthinghere，anyway?\" \"Theinsurancebusiness?\"Marchhesitatedamomentandthensaid，withacertaineffortofreserve，\"Atpresentaboutthreethousand。\"HelookedupatFulkersonwithaglance，asifhehadamindtoenlargeuponthefact，andthendroppedhiseyeswithoutsayingmore。 WhetherFulkersonhadnotthoughtitsomuchornot，hesaid:\"Well，I\'llgiveyouthirty-fivehundred。Come!Andyourchancesinthesuccess。\" \"Wewon\'tcountthechancesinthesuccess。AndIdon\'tbelievethirty-fivehundredwouldgoanyfurtherinNewYorkthanthreethousandinBoston。\" \"Butyoudon\'tliveonthreethousandhere?\" \"No；mywifehasalittleproperty。\" \"Well，shewon\'tlosetheincomeifyougotoNewYork。Isupposeyoupaytenortwelvehundredayearforyourhousehere。YoucangetplentyofflatsinNewYorkforthesamemoney；andIunderstandyoucangetallsortsofprovisionsforlessthanyoupaynow——threeorfourcentsonthepound。Come!\" Thiswasbynomeansthefirsttalktheyhadhadaboutthematter；everythreeorfourmonthsduringthepasttwoyearsthesyndicatemanhaddroppedinuponMarchtoairtheschemeandtogethisimpressionsofit。 Thishadhappenedsooftenthatithadcometobeasortofjokebetweenthem。ButnowFulkersonclearlymeantbusiness，andMarchhadastruggletomaintainhimselfinafirmpoiseofrefusal。 \"Idaresayitwouldn\'t——oritneedn\'t-costsoverymuchmore，butI don\'twanttogotoNewYork；ormywifedoesn\'t。It\'sthesamething。\" \"Agooddealsamer，\"Fulkersonadmitted。 Marchdidnotquitelikehiscandor，andhewentonwithdignity。 \"It\'sverynaturalsheshouldn\'t。ShehasalwayslivedinBoston；she\'sattachedtotheplace。Now，ifyouweregoingtostart\'TheFifthWheel\' inBoston——\" Fulkersonslowlyandsadlyshookhishead，butdecidedly。\"Wouldn\'tdo。 YoumightaswellsaySt。LouisorCincinnati。There\'sonlyonecitythatbelongstothewholecountry，andthat\'sNewYork。\" \"Yes，Iknow，\"sighedMarch；\"andBostonbelongstotheBostonians，buttheylikeyoutomakeyourselfathomewhileyou\'revisiting。\" \"Ifyou\'llagreetomakephraseslikethat，rightalong，andgettheminto\'TheRound-Robin\'somehow，I\'llsayfourthousand，\"saidFulkerson。 \"Youthinkitovernow，March。YoutalkitoverwithMrs。March；Iknowyouwill，anyway；andImightaswellmakeavirtueofadvisingyoutodoit。TellherIadvisedyoutodoit，andyouletmeknowbeforenextSaturdaywhatyou\'vedecided。\" Marchshutdowntherollingtopofhisdeskinthecorneroftheroom，andwalkedFulkersonoutbeforehim。Itwassolatethatthelastofthechore-womenwhowasheddownthemarblehallsandstairsofthegreatbuildinghadwrungoutherfloor-clothanddeparted，leavingspotlessstoneandaclean，dampsmellinthedarkeningcorridorsbehindher。 \"Couldn\'tofferyousuchswellquartersinNewYork，March，\"Fulkersonsaid，ashewenttack-tackingdownthestepswithhissmallboot-heels。 \"ButI\'vegotmyeyeonalittlehouseroundinWestEleventhStreetthatI\'mgoingtofitupformybachelor\'shallinthethirdstory，andadaptfor\'TheLoneHand\'inthefirstandsecond，ifthisthinggoesthrough； andIguesswe\'llbeprettycomfortable。It\'srightontheSandStrip——nomalariaofanykind。\" \"Idon\'tknowthatI\'mgoingtoshareitssalubritywithyouyet，\"Marchsighed，inanobvioustravailwhichgaveFulkersonhopes。 \"Ohyes，youare，\"hecoaxed。\"Now，youtalkitoverwithyourwife。 Yougiveherafair，unprejudicedchanceatthethingonitsmerits，andI\'mverymuchmistakeninMrs。Marchifshedoesn\'ttellyoutogoinandwin。We\'reboundtowin!\" Theystoodontheoutsidestepsofthevastedificebeetlinglikeagranitecragabovethem，withthestonegroupsofanallegoryoflife-insuranceforeshortenedinthebas-reliefoverhead。Marchabsentlyliftedhiseyestoit。Itwassuddenlystrangeaftersomanyyears\' familiarity，andsowasthewell-knownstreetinitsSaturday-eveningsolitude。Heaskedhimself，withprophetichomesickness，ifitwereanomenofwhatwastobe。Butheonlysaid，musingly:\"Afortnightly。Youknowthatdidn\'tworkinEngland。Thefortnightlyispublishedonceamonthnow。\" \"ItworksinFrance，\"Fulkersonretorted。\"The\'RevuedesDeuxMondes\' isstillpublishedtwiceamonth。IguesswecanmakeitworkinAmerica——withillustrations。\" \"Goingtohaveillustrations?\" \"Mydearboy!Whatareyougivingme?DoIlooklikethesortoflunaticwhowouldstartathinginthetwilightofthenineteenthcenturywithoutillustrations?Comeoff!\" \"Ah，thatcomplicatesit!Idon\'tknowanythingaboutart。\"March\'slookofdiscouragementconfessedtheholdtheschemehadtakenuponhim。 \"Idon\'twantyouto!\"Fulkersonretorted。\"Don\'tyousupposeIshallhaveanartman?\" \"Andwillthey——theartists——workatareducedrate，too，likethewriters，withthehopesofashareinthesuccess?\" \"Ofcoursetheywill!AndifIwantanyparticularman，foracard，I\'llpayhimbigmoneybesides。ButIcangetplentyoffirst-ratesketchesonmyownterms。You\'llsee!They\'llpourin!\" \"Lookhere，Fulkerson，\"saidMarch，\"you\'dbettercallthisfortnightlyofyours\'TheMadnessoftheHalf-Moon\'；or\'BedlamBrokeLoose\' wouldn\'tbebad!Whydoyouthrowawayallyourhardearningsonsuchacrazyventure?Don\'tdoit!\"ThekindnesswhichMarchhadalwaysfelt，inspiteofhiswife\'sfirstmisgivingsandreservations，forthemerry，hopeful，slangy，energeticlittlecreaturetrembledinhisvoice。TheyhadbothformedafriendshipforFulkersonduringtheweektheyweretogetherinQuebec。Whenhewasnotworkingthenewspapersthere，hewentaboutwiththemoverthefamiliargroundtheywereshowingtheirchildren，andwassimplygratefulforthechance，aswellasveryentertainingaboutitall。Thechildrenlikedhim，too；whentheygottheclewtohisintention，andfoundthathewasnotquiteseriousinmanyofthethingshesaid，theythoughthewasgreatfun。TheywerealwaysgladwhentheirfatherbroughthimhomeontheoccasionofFulkerson\'svisitstoBoston；andMrs。March，thoughofacharierhospitality，welcomedFulkersonwithagratefulsenseofhisadmirationforherhusband。HehadawayoftreatingMarchwithdeference，asanolderandablerman，andofqualifyingthefreedomheusedtowardeveryonewithanimplicationthatMarchtolerateditvoluntarily，whichshethoughtverysweetandevenrefined。 \"Ah，nowyou\'retalkinglikeamanandabrother，\"saidFulkerson。\"Why，March，oldman，doyousupposeI\'dcomeonhereandtrytotalkyouintothisthingifIwasn\'tmorally，ifIwasn\'tperfectly，sureofsuccess? Thereisn\'tanyiforandaboutit。Iknowmyground，everyinch；andI don\'tstandaloneonit，\"headded，withasignificancewhichdidnotescapeMarch。\"Whenyou\'vemadeupyourmindIcangiveyoutheproof； butI\'mnotatlibertynowtosayanythingmore。Itellyouit\'sgoingtobeatriumphalmarchfromthewordgo，withcoffeeandlemonadefortheprocessionalongthewholeline。Allyou\'vegottodoistofallin。\"HestretchedouthishandtoMarch。\"Youletmeknowassoonasyoucan。\" Marchdeferredtakinghishandtillhecouldask，\"Whereareyougoing?\" \"ParkerHouse。TaketheelevenforNewYorkto-night。\" \"IthoughtImightwalkyourway。\"Marchlookedathiswatch。\"ButI shouldn\'thavetime。Goodbye!\" HenowletFulkersonhavehishand，andtheyexchangedacordialpressure。Fulkersonstartedawayataquick，lightpace。Halfablockoffhestopped，turnedround，and，seeingMarchstillstandingwherehehadlefthim，hecalledback，joyously，\"I\'vegotthename!\" \"What?\" \"EveryOtherWeek。\" \"Itisn\'tbad。\" \"Ta-ta!\" II。 AllthewayuptotheSouthEndMarchmentallyprolongedhistalkwithFulkerson，andathisdoorinNankeenSquareheclosedtheparleywithaplumprefusaltogotoNewYorkonanyterms。HisdaughterBellawaslyinginwaitforhiminthehall，andshethrewherarmsroundhisneckwiththeexuberanceofherfourteenyearsandwithsomethingofthehistrionicintentionofhersex。Hepressedon，withherclingingabouthim，tothelibrary，and，intheglowofhisdecisionagainstFulkerson，kissedhiswife，whereshesatbythestudylampreadingtheTranscriptthroughherfirstpairofeye-glasses:itwasagreedinthefamilythatshelookeddistinguishedinthem，or，atanyrate，cultivated。Shetookthemofftogivehimaglanceofquestion，andtheirsonTomlookedupfromhisbookforamoment；hewasinhislastyearatthehighschool，andwaspreparingforHarvard。 \"Ididn\'tgetawayfromtheofficetillhalf-pastfive，\"Marchexplainedtohiswife\'sglance，\"andthenIwalked。Isupposedinner\'swaiting。 I\'msorry，butIwon\'tdoitanymore。\" AttablehetriedtobegaywithBella，whobabbledathimwithavolublepertnesswhichherbrotherhadoftenadvisedherparentstocheckinher，unlesstheywantedhertobeuniversallydespised。 \"Papa!\"sheshoutedatlast，\"you\'renotlistening!\"Assoonaspossiblehiswifetoldthechildrentheymightbeexcused。Thensheasked，\"Whatisit，Basil?\" \"Whatiswhat?\"heretorted，withaspeciousbrightnessthatdidnotavail。 \"Whatisonyourmind?\" \"Howdoyouknowthere\'sanything?\" \"Yourkissingmesowhenyoucamein，foronething。\" \"Don\'tIalwayskissyouwhenIcomein?\" \"Notnow。Isupposeitisn\'tnecessaryanymore。\'Celavasansbaiser。\'\" \"Yes，Iguessit\'sso；wegetalongwithoutthesymbolismnow。\" Hestopped，butsheknewthathehadnotfinished。 \"Isitaboutyourbusiness?Havetheydoneanythingmore?\" \"No；I\'mstillinthedark。Idon\'tknowwhethertheymeantosupplantme，orwhethertheyeverdid。ButIwasn\'tthinkingaboutthat。 Fulkersonhasbeentoseemeagain。\" \"Fulkerson?\"Shebrightenedatthename，andMarchsmiled，too。 \"Whydidn\'tyoubringhimtodinner?\" \"Iwantedtotalkwithyou。Thenyoudolikehim?\" \"Whathasthatgottodowithit，Basil?\" \"Nothing!nothing!Thatis，hewasboringawayaboutthatschemeofhisagain。He\'sgotitintodefiniteshapeatlast。\" \"Whatshape?\" Marchoutlineditforher，andhiswifeseizeditsmainfeatureswiththeintuitivesenseofaffairswhichmakeswomensuchgoodbusiness-menwhentheywillletit。 \"Itsoundsperfectlycrazy，\"shesaid，finally。\"Butitmayn\'tbe。TheonlythingIdidn\'tlikeaboutMr。Fulkersonwashisalwayswantingtochancethings。Butwhathaveyougottodowithit?\" \"WhathaveIgottodowithit?\"Marchtoyedwiththedelaythequestiongavehim；thenhesaid，withasortofdeprecatorylaugh:\"ItseemsthatFulkersonhashadhiseyeonmeeversincewemetthatnightontheQuebecboat。Iopenedupprettyfreelytohim，asyoudotoamanyouneverexpecttoseeagain，andwhenIfoundhewasinthatnewspapersyndicatebusinessItoldhimaboutmyearlyliteraryambitions——\" \"Youcan\'tsaythatIeverdiscouragedthem，Basil，\"hiswifeputin。 \"Ishouldhavebeenwilling，anytime，togiveupeverythingforthem。\" \"Well，hesaysthatIfirstsuggestedthisbrilliantideatohim。 PerhapsIdid；Idon\'tremember。Whenhetoldmeabouthissupplyingliteraturetonewspapersforsimultaneouspublication，hesaysIasked: \'Whynotapplytheprincipleofco-operationtoamagazine，andrunitintheinterestofthecontributors?\'andthatsethimtothinking，andhethoughtouthisplanofaperiodicalwhichshouldpayauthorsandartistsalowpriceoutrightfortheirworkandgivethemachanceoftheprofitsinthewayofapercentage。Afterall，itisn\'tsoverydifferentfromthechancesanauthortakeswhenhepublishesabook。AndFulkersonthinksthatthenoveltyofthethingwouldpiquepubliccuriosity，ifitdidn\'tarousepublicsympathy。Andthelongandshortofitis，Isabel，thathewantsmetohelpeditit。\" \"Toeditit?\"Hiswifecaughtherbreath，andshetookalittletimetorealizethefact，whileshestaredhardatherhusbandtomakesurehewasnotjoking。 \"Yes。Hesaysheowesitalltome；thatIinventedtheidea——thegerm——themicrobe。\" Hiswifehadnowrealizedthefact，atleastinadegreethatexcludedtriflingwithit。\"ThatisveryhonorableofMr。Fulkerson；andifheowesittoyou，itwastheleasthecoulddo。\"Havingrecognizedherhusband\'sclaimtothehonordonehim，shebegantokindlewithasenseofthehonoritselfandthevalueoftheopportunity。\"It\'saveryhighcomplimenttoyou，Basil——averyhighcompliment。Andyoucouldgiveupthiswretchedinsurancebusinessthatyou\'vealwayshatedso，andthat\'smakingyousounhappynowthatyouthinkthey\'regoingtotakeitfromyou。GiveitupandtakeMr。Fulkerson\'soffer!It\'saperfectinterposition，comingjustatthistime!Why，doit!Mercy!\"shesuddenlyarrestedherself，\"hewouldn\'texpectyoutogetalongonthepossibleprofits?\"Herfaceexpressedtheawfulnessofthenotion。 Marchsmiledreassuringly，andwaitedtogivehimselfthepleasureofthesensationhemeanttogiveher。\"IfI\'llmakestrikingphrasesforitandeditit，too，he\'llgivemefourthousanddollars。\" Heleanedbackinhischair，andstuckhishandsdeepintohispockets，andwatchedhiswife\'sface，luminouswiththeemotionsthatflashedthroughhermind-doubt，joy，anxiety。 \"Basil!Youdon\'tmeanit!Why，takeit!Takeitinstantly!Oh，whatathingtohappen!Oh，whatluck!Butyoudeserveit，ifyoufirstsuggestedit。Whatanescape，whatatriumphoverallthosehatefulinsurancepeople!Oh，Basil，I\'mafraidhe\'llchangehismind!Yououghttohaveacceptedonthespot。YoumighthaveknownIwouldapprove，andyoucouldsoeasilyhavetakenitbackifIdidn\'t。Telegraphhimnow! Runrightoutwiththedespatch——OrwecansendTom!\" IntheseimperativesofMrs。March\'stherewasalwaysmuchoftheconditional。Shemeantthatheshoulddowhatshesaid，ifitwereentirelyright；andshenevermeanttobeconsideredashavingurgedhim。 \"Andsupposehisenterprisewentwrong?\"herhusbandsuggested。 \"Itwon\'tgowrong。Hasn\'themadeasuccessofhissyndicate?\" \"Hesaysso——yes。\" \"Verywell，then，itstandstoreasonthathe\'llsucceedinthis，too。 Hewouldn\'tundertakeitifhedidn\'tknowitwouldsucceed；hemusthavecapital。\" \"Itwilltakeagreatdealtogetsuchathinggoing；andevenifhe\'sgotanAngelbehindhim——\" Shecaughtattheword——\"AnAngel?\" \"It\'swhatthetheatricalpeoplecallafinancialbacker。Hedroppedahintofsomethingofthatkind。\" \"Ofcourse，he\'sgotanAngel，\"saidhiswife，promptlyadoptingtheword。\"Andevenifhehadn\'t，still，Basil，Ishouldbewillingtohaveyouriskit。Theriskisn\'tsogreat，isit?Weshouldn\'tberuinedifitfailedaltogether。Withourstockswehavetwothousandayear，anyway，andwecouldpinchthroughonthattillyougotintosomeotherbusinessafterward，especiallyifwe\'dsavedsomethingoutofyoursalarywhileitlasted。Basil，Iwantyoutotryit!Iknowitwillgiveyouanewleaseoflifetohaveacongenialoccupation。\"Marchlaughed，buthiswifepersisted。\"I\'mallforyourtryingit，Basil；indeedIam。 Ifit\'sanexperiment，youcangiveitup。\"