第6章

\"Don\'tspeakofit，madam，\"saidthegentleman，\"ifyoucanoverlookthetroubleweawegivingyouatsuchanunseasonablehouah。\" \"Ah\'mahoasekeepahmahself，\"MissWoodburnjoinedin，\"andAhknowho\' toaccyoantfo\'everything。\" Mrs。Leightonledthewayup-stairs，andtheyoungladydecideduponthelargefrontroomandsmallsideroomonthethirdstory。Shesaidshecouldtakethesmallone，andtheotherwassolargethatherfathercouldbothsleepandworkinit。SheseemednotashamedtoaskifMrs。 Leighton\'spricewasinflexible，butgavewaylaughingwhenherfatherrefusedtohaveanybargaining，withahaughtyself-respectwhichhesoftenedtodeferenceforMrs。Leighton。Hisimpulsivenessopenedthewayforsomeconfidencefromher，andbeforetheaffairwasarrangedshewasenjoyinginherqualityofclericalwidowthebalmoftheVirginians\' reverentsympathy。Theysaidtheywerechurchpeoplethemselves。 \"Ahdon\'tknowwhatyo\'mothahmeansbyyo\'hoasenotbeinginoddah，\" theyoungladysaidtoAlmaastheywentdown-stairstogether。\"Ah\'magreathoasekeepahmahself，andAhmeanwhatAhsay。\" TheyhadallturnedmechanicallyintotheroomwheretheLeightonsweresittingwhentheWoodburnsrang:Mr。Woodburnconsentedtositdown，andheremainedlisteningtoMrs。LeightonwhilehisdaughterbustleduptothesketchespinnedroundtheroomandquestionedAlmaaboutthem。 \"Ahsupposeyouawegoingtobeagreatawtust?\"shesaid，infriendlybanter，whenAlmaownedtohavingdonethethings。\"Ah\'veagreatnotiontotakeafewlessonsmahself。Who\'syo\'teachah?\" AlmasaidshewasdrawinginMr。Wetmore\'sclass，andMissWoodburnsaid: \"Well，it\'sjustbeautiful，MissLeighton；it\'sgrand。Ahsupposeit\'sraghtexpensive，now?Mahgoodness!wehavetocyoantthecoastsomuchnowadays；itseemstomewedonothingbutcyoantit。Ah\'dliketohahsomethingoncewithoutaskin\'theprice。\" \"Well，ifyoudidn\'taskit，\"saidAlma，\"Idon\'tbelieveMr。Wetmorewouldeverknowwhatthepriceofhislessonswas。Hehastothink，whenyouaskhim。\" \"Why，hemostbechomming，\"saidMissWoodburn。\"PerhapsAhmaghtgetthelessonsfornothingfromhim。Well，AhbelieveinmysoulAh\'lltrah。Nowho\'didyoubegin?andho\'doyouexpecttogetanythingoatofit?\"SheturnedonAlmaeyesbrimmingwithashrewdmixtureoffunandearnest，andAlmamadenoteofthefactthatshehadanearlynineteenth-centuryface，round，arch，alittlecoquettish，butextremelysensibleandunspoiled-looking，suchasusedtobepaintedagooddealinminiatureatthatperiod；atendencyofherbrownhairtotwineandtwistatthetempleshelpedtheeffect；ahighcombwouldhavecompletedit，Almafelt，ifshehadherbonnetoff。ItwasalmostaYankeecountry- girltype；butperhapsitappearedsotoAlmabecauseitwas，likethat，pureAnglo-Saxon。Almaherself，withherdull，darkskin，slenderinfigure，slowinspeech，witharistocraticformsinherlonghands，andtheovalofherfinefacepointedtoalongchin，feltherselfmuchmoreSoutherninstylethanthisblooming，bubbling，bustlingVirginian。 \"Idon\'tknow，\"sheanswered，slowly。 \"Goingtotakepo\'traits，\"suggestedMissWoodburn，\"orjustpainttheahdeal?\"Ademureburlesquelurkedinhertone。 \"IsupposeIdon\'texpecttopaintatall，\"saidAlma。\"I\'mgoingtoillustratebooks——ifanybodywillletme。\" \"Ahshouldthinkthey\'djustjoampatyou，\"saidMissWoodburn。\"Ah\'lltellyouwhatlet\'sdo，MissLeighton:youmakesomepictures，andAh\'llwrahteabookfo\'them。Ah\'vegottodosomething。Alimaghtaswellwrahteabook。YouknowweSouthernershaveallhadtogotowoak。ButAhdon\'tmandit。ItellpapaIshouldn\'tca\'fo\'thedisgraceofbein\' poo\'ifitwasn\'tfo\'theinconvenience。\" \"Yes，it\'sinconvenient，\"saidAlma；\"butyouforgetitwhenyou\'reatwork，don\'tyouthink?\" \"Mah，yes!Perhapsthat\'sonereasonwhypoo\'peoplehavetowoaksohawd-tokeeptheirwandsofftheirpoverty。\" Thegirlsbothtittered，andturnedfromtalkinginalowtonewiththeirbackstowardtheirelders，andfacedthem。 \"Well，Madison，\"saidMr。Woodburn，\"itistimeweshouldgo。Ibidyougood-night，madam，\"hebowedtoMrs。Leighton。\"Good-night，\"hebowedagaintoAlma。 Hisdaughtertookleaveoftheminformalphrase，butwithajollycordialityofmannerthatdeformalizedit。\"Weshallberoandraghtsooninthemawning，then，\"shethreatenedatthedoor。 \"Weshallbeallreadyforyou，\"Almacalledafterherdownthesteps。 \"Well，Alma?\"hermotherasked，whenthedoorcloseduponthem。 \"Shedoesn\'tknowanymoreaboutart，\"saidAlma，\"than——nothingatall。 Butshe\'sjollyandgood-hearted。Shepraisedeverythingthatwasbadinmysketches，andsaidshewasgoingtotakelessonsherself。Whenapersontalksabouttakinglessons，asiftheycouldlearnit，youknowwheretheybelongartistically。\" Mrs。Leightonshookherheadwithasigh。\"IwishIknewwheretheybelongedfinancially。Weshallhavetogetintwogirlsatonce。I shallhavetogooutthefirstthinginthemorning，andthenourtroubleswillbegin。\" \"Well，didn\'tyouwantthemtobegin?Iwillstayhomeandhelpyougetready。Ourprosperitycouldn\'tbeginwithoutthetroubles，ifyoumeanboarders，andboardersmeanservants。Ishallbeverygladtobeafflictedwithacookforawhilemyself。\" \"Yes；butwedon\'tknowanythingaboutthesepeople，orwhethertheywillbeabletopayus。Didshetalkasiftheywerewelloff?\" \"Shetalkedasiftheywerepoor；poo\'shecalledit。\" \"Yes，howqueerlyshepronounced，\"saidMrs。Leighton。\"Well，IoughttohavetoldthemthatIrequiredthefirstweekinadvance。\" \"Mamma!Ifthat\'sthewayyou\'regoingtoact!\" \"Oh，ofcourse，Icouldn\'t，afterhewouldn\'tletherbargainfortherooms。Ididn\'tlikethat。\" \"Idid。Andyoucanseethattheywereperfectladies；oratleastoneofthem。\"Almalaughedatherself，buthermotherdidnotnotice。 \"Theirbeingladieswon\'thelpifthey\'vegotnomoney。It\'llmakeitalltheworse。\" \"Verywell，then；wehavenomoney，either。We\'reamatchforthemanydaythere。Wecanshowthemthattwocanplayatthatgame。\" III。 ArnusBeaton\'sstudiolookedatfirstglancelikemanyotherpainters\' studios。Agraywallquadrangularlyvaultedtoalargenorthlight； castsoffeet，hands，faceshungtonailsabout；prints，sketchesinoilandwater-colorstuckhereandtherelowerdown；aricketytable，withpaintandpalettesandbottlesofvarnishandsiccativetossedcomfortlesslyonit；aneasel，withastripofsomefadedmediaevalsilktrailingfromit；alayfiguresimperinginincompletenakedness，withitsheadononeside，andastockingononeleg，andaJapanesedressdroppedbeforeit；dustyrugsandskinskickingoverthevarnishedfloor； canvasesfacedtothemop-board；anopentrunkoverflowingwithcostumes: thesefeaturesonemightnoticeanywhere。But，besides，therewasabookcasewithanunusualnumberofbooksinit，andtherewasanopencolonialwriting-desk，claw-footed，brass-handled，andscutcheoned，withforeignperiodicals——FrenchandEnglish——litteringitsleaf，andsomepagesofmanuscriptscatteredamongthem。Aboveall，therewasasculptor\'srevolvingstand，supportingabustwhichBeatonwasmodelling，withaneyefixedassimultaneouslyaspossibleontheclayandontheheadoftheoldmanwhosatontheplatformbesideit。 Fewmenhavebeenabletogetthroughtheworldwithseveralgiftstoadvantageinall；andmostmenseemhandicappedfortheraceiftheyhavemorethanone。Buttheyareapparentlyimmenselyinterestedaswellasdistractedbythem。WhenBeatonwaswriting，hewouldhaveagreed，uptoacertainpoint，withanyonewhosaidliteraturewashisproperexpression；but，then，whenhewaspainting，uptoacertainpoint，hewouldhavemaintainedagainsttheworldthathewasacolorist，andsupremelyacolorist。Atthecertainpointineitherarthewasapttobreakawayinafrenzyofdisgustandwreakhimselfuponsomeother。 Inthesemoodshesometimesdesignedelevationsofbuildings，verystriking，veryoriginal，verychic，veryeverythingbuthabitable。 Itwasinthiswaythathehadtriedhishandonsculpture，whichhehadatfirstapproachedratherslightinglyasameredecorativeaccessoryofarchitecture。Butithadgrowninhisrespecttillhemaintainedthattheaccessorybusinessoughttobealltheotherway:thattemplesshouldberaisedtoenshrinestatues，notstatuesmadetoornamenttemples；thatwasputtingthecartbeforethehorsewithavengeance。ThiswaswhenhehadcarriedaplasticstudysofarthatthesculptorswhosawitsaidthatBeatonmighthavebeenanarchitect，butwouldcertainlyneverbeasculptor。Atthesametimehedidsomehurried，nervousthingsthathadapopularcharm，andthatsoldinplasterreproductions，totheprofitofanother。Beatonjustlydespisedthepopularcharminthese，aswellasinthepaintingshesoldfromtimetotime；hesaiditwasflatburglarytohavetakenmoneyforthem，andhewouldhavebeenlivingalmostwhollyuponthebountyoftheoldtombstone-cutterinSyracuseifithadnotbeenforthesyndicateletterswhichhesuppliedtoFulkersonfortendollarsaweek。 Theywereverywelldone，buthehateddoingthemafterthefirsttwoorthree，andhadtobepunchedupforthembyFulkerson，whodidnotceasetoprizethem，andwhoneverfailedtopunchhimup。Beatonbeingwhathewas，Fulkersonwashiscreditoraswellaspatron；andFulkersonbeingwhathewas，hadanenthusiasticpatiencewiththeelusive，facile，adaptable，unpracticalnatureofBeaton。Hewasveryproudofhisart- letters，ashecalledthem；butthenFulkersonwasproudofeverythinghesecuredforhissyndicate。Thefactthathehadsecureditgaveitvalue；hefeltasifhehadwrittenithimself。 Onearttroduponanother\'sheelswithBeaton。Thedaybeforehehadrusheduponcanvastheconceptionofapicturewhichhesaidtohimselfwasglorious，andtoothers(atthetabled\'hoteofMaroni)wasnotbad。 Hehadworkedatitinafurytillthelightfailedhim，andheexecratedthedyingday。ButhelithislampandtransferredtheprocessofhisthinkingfromthecanvastotheopeningofthesyndicateletterwhichbeknewFulkersonwouldbecomingforinthemorning。Heremainedtalkingsolongafterdinnerinthesamestrainashehadpaintedandwritteninthathecouldnotfinishhisletterthatnight。Thenextmorning，whilehewasmakinghisteaforbreakfast，thepostmanbroughthimaletterfromhisfatherenclosingalittlecheck，andbegginghimwithtender，almostdeferential，urgencetocomeaslightlyuponhimaspossible，forjustnowhisexpenseswereveryheavy。ItbroughttearsofshameintoBeaton\'seyes——thefine，smouldering，floatingeyesthatmanyladiesadmired，underthethickbang——andhesaidtohimselfthatifhewerehalfamanhewouldgohomeandgotoworkcuttinggravestonesinhisfather\'sshop。Buthewouldwait，atleast，tofinishhispicture；andasasoptohisconscience，tostayitsimmediateravening，heresolvedtofinishthatsyndicateletterfirst，andborrowenoughmoneyfromFulkersontobeabletosendhisfather\'scheckback；or，ifnotthat，thentoreturnthesumofitpartlyinFulkerson\'scheck。WhilehestillteemedwithbothofthesegoodintentionstheoldmanfromwhomhewasmodellinghisheadofJudascame，andBeatonsawthathemustgetthroughwithhimbeforehefinishedeitherthepictureortheletter；hewouldhavetopayhimforthetime，anyway。HeutilizedtheremorsewithwhichhewastinglingtogivehisJudasanexpressionwhichhefoundnovelinthetreatmentofthatcharacter——alookofsuchtouching，appealingself- abhorrencethatBeaton\'sartisticjoyinitamountedtorapture；betweenthebreathlessmomentswhenheworkedindeadsilenceforaneffectthatwastryingtoescapehim，hesangandwhistledfragmentsofcomicopera。 InoneofthehushestherecameablowontheoutsideofthedoorthatmadeBeatonjump，andswearwithamodifiedprofanitythatmergeditselfinapostrophicprayer。HeknewitmustbeFulkerson，andafterroaring\"Comein!\"hesaidtothemodel，\"That\'lldothismorning，Lindau。\" FulkersonsquaredhisfeetinfrontofthebustandcompareditbyfleetingglanceswiththeoldmanashegotstifflyupandsufferedBeatontohelphimonwithhisthin，shabbyovercoat。 \"Canyoucometo-morrow，Lindau?\" \"No，notto-morrow，Mr。Peaton。Ihaftozitfortheyoungladties。\" \"Oh!\"saidBeaton。\"Wet-more\'sclass?IsMissLeightondoingyou?\" \"Idon\'tknowtheirnamess，\"Lindaubegan，whenFulkersonsaid: \"Hopeyouhaven\'tforgottenmine，Mr。Lindau?ImetyouwithMr。MarchatMaroni\'sonenight。\"Fulkersonofferedhimauniversallyshakablehand。 \"Ohyes!Iamgladttozeeyouagain，Mr。Vulkerson。AndMr。Marge——hedon\'tzeemtogomeanymore?\" \"Uptohiseyesinwork。BeenmovingonfromBostonandgettingsettled，andstartinginonourenterprise。Beatonherehasn\'tgotaveryflatteringlikenessofyou，hey?Well，good-morning，\"hesaid，forLindauappearednottohaveheardhimandwasescapingwithabowthroughthedoor。 Beatonlitacigarettewhichhepinchednervouslybetweenhislipsbeforehespoke。\"You\'vecomeforthatletter，Isuppose，Fulkerson?Itisn\'tdone。\" Fulkersonturnedfromstaringatthebusttowhichhehadmounted。\"Whatyoufrettingaboutthatletterfor?Idon\'twantyourletter。\" Beatonstoppedbitinghiscigaretteandlookedathim。\"Don\'twantmyletter?Oh，verygood!\"hebristledup。Hetookhiscigarettefromhislips，andblewthesmokethroughhisnostrils，andthenlookedatFulkerson。 \"No；Idon\'twantyourletter；Iwantyou。\" Beacondisdainedtoaskanexplanation，butheinternallyloweredhiscrest，whilehecontinuedtolookatFulkersonwithoutchanginghisdefiantcountenance。ThissuitedFulkersonwellenough，andhewentonwithrelish，\"I\'mgoingoutofthesyndicatebusiness，oldman，andI\'monanewthing。\"Heputhislegoverthebackofachairandrestedhisfootonitsseat，and，withonehandinhispocket，helaidtheschemeof\'EveryOtherWeek\'beforeBeatonwiththehelpoftheother。Theartistwentabouttheroom，meanwhile，withaneffectofindifferencewhichbynomeansoffendedFulkerson。Hetooksomewaterintohismouthfromatumbler，whichheblewinafinemistovertheheadofJudasbeforeswathingitinadirtycottoncloth；hewashedhisbrushesandsethispalette；heputuponhiseaselthepicturehehadblockedonthedaybefore，andstaredatitwithagloomyface；thenhegatheredthesheetsofhisunfinishedlettertogetherandslidthemintoadrawerofhiswriting-desk。BythetimehehadfinishedandturnedagaintoFulkerson，Fulkersonwassaying:\"IdidthinkwecouldhavethefirstnumberoutbyNew-Year\'s；butitwilltakelongerthanthat——amonthlonger；butI\'mnotsorry，fortheholidayskilleverything；andbyFebruary，orthemiddleofFebruary，peoplewillgettheirbreathagainandbegintolookroundandaskwhat\'snew。Thenwe\'llreplyinthelanguageofShakespeareandMilton，\'EveryOtherWeek；anddon\'tyouforgetit。\'\" Hetookdownhislegandasked，\"Gotapipeof\'baccyanywhere?\" BeatonnoddedataclaystemstickingoutofaJapanesevaseofbronzeonhismantel。\"There\'syours，\"hesaid；andFulkersonsaid，\"Thanks，\"andfilledthepipeandsatdownandbegantosmoketranquilly。 Beatonsawthathewouldhavetospeaknow。\"Andwhatdoyouwantwithme?\" \"You?Ohyes，\"Fulkersonhumorouslydramatizedareturntohimselffromapensiveabsence。\"Wantyoufortheartdepartment。\" Beatonshookhishead。\"I\'mnotyourman，Fulkerson，\"hesaid，compassionately。\"Youwantamorepracticalhand，onethat\'sintouchwithwhat\'sgoing。I\'mgettingfurtherandfurtherawayfromthiscenturyanditsclaptrap。Idon\'tbelieveinyourenterprise；Idon\'trespectit，andIwon\'thaveanythingtodowithit。Itwould-chokeme，thatkindofthing。\" \"That\'sallright，\"saidFulkerson。Heesteemedamanwhowasnotgoingtolethimselfgocheap。\"Orifitisn\'t，wecanmakeit。YouandMarchwillpulltogetherfirst-rate。Idon\'tcarehowmuchidealyouputintothething；themorethebetter。Icanlookaftertheotherendoftheschoonermyself。\" \"Youdon\'tunderstandme，\"saidBeaton。\"I\'mnottryingtogetariseoutofyou。I\'minearnest。Whatyouwantissomemanwhocanhavepatiencewithmediocrityputtingonthestyleofgenius，andwithgeniusturningmediocrityonhishands。Ihaven\'tanyluckwithmen；Idon\'tgetonwiththem；I\'mnotpopular。\"Beatonrecognizedthefactwiththesatisfactionwhichitsomehowalwaysbringstohumanpride。 \"Somuchthebetter!\"Fulkersonwasreadyforhimatthispoint。 \"Idon\'twantyoutoworktheold-establishedracketthereputations。 WhenIwantthemI\'llgotothemwithapocketfulofrocks——knock-downargument。Butmyideaistodealwiththevolunteermaterial。Lookatthewaytheperiodicalsarecarriedonnow!Names!names!names!Inacountrythat\'sjustboilingoverwithliteraryandartisticabilityofeverykindthenewfellowshavenochance。Theeditorsallengagetheirmaterial。Idon\'tbelievetherearefiftyvolunteercontributionsprintedinayearinalltheNewYorkmagazines。It\'sallwrong；it\'ssuicidal。\'EveryOtherWeek\'isgoingbacktothegoodoldanonymoussystem，theonlyfairsystem。It\'sworkedwellinliterature，anditwillworkwellinart。\" \"Itwon\'tworkwellinart，\"saidBeaton。\"Thereyouhaveatotallydifferentsetofconditions。Whatyou\'llgetbyinvitingvolunteerillustrationswillbealotofamateurtrash。Andhowareyougoingtosubmityourliteratureforillustration?Itcan\'tbedone。Atanyrate，Iwon\'tundertaketodoit。\" \"We\'llgetupaSchoolofIllustration，\"saidFulkerson，withcynicalsecurity。\"Youcanreadthethingsandexplain\'em，andyourpupilscanmaketheirsketchesunderyoureye。Theywouldn\'tbemuchfurtheroutthanmostillustrationsareiftheyneverknewwhattheywereillustrating。Youmightselectfromwhatcomesinandmakeupasortofpictorialvariationstotheliteraturewithoutanyparticularreferencetoit。Well，Iunderstandyoutoaccept?\" \"No，youdon\'t。\" \"Thatis，toconsenttohelpuswithyouradviceandcriticism。That\'sallIwant。Itwon\'tcommityoutoanything；andyoucanbeasanonymousasanybody。\"AtthedoorFulkersonadded:\"By-the-way，thenewman——thefellowthat\'stakenmyoldsyndicatebusiness——willwantyoutokeepon； butIguesshe\'sgoingtotrytobeatyoudownonthepriceoftheletters。He\'sgoinginforretrenchment。Ibroughtalongacheckforthisone；I\'mtopayforthat。\"HeofferedBeatonanenvelope。 \"Ican\'ttakeit，Fulkerson。Theletter\'spaidforalready。\"Fulkersonsteppedforwardandlaidtheenvelopeonthetableamongthetubesofpaint。 \"Itisn\'tthelettermerely。Ithoughtyouwouldn\'tobjecttoalittleadvanceonyour\'EveryOtherWeek\'worktillyoukindofgotstarted。\" Beatonremainedinflexible。\"Itcan\'tbedone，Fulkerson。Don\'tItellyouIcan\'tsellmyselfouttoathingIdon\'tbelievein?Can\'tyouunderstandthat?\" \"Ohyes；Icanunderstandthatfirst-rate。Idon\'twanttobuyyou；I wanttoborrowyou。It\'sallright。See?Comeroundwhenyoucan；I\'dliketointroduceyoutooldMarch。That\'sgoingtobeouraddress。\"Heputacardonthetablebesidetheenvelope，andBeatonallowedhimtogowithoutmakinghimtakethecheckback。Hehadrememberedhisfather\'splea；thatunnervedhim，andhepromisedhimselfagaintoreturnhisfather\'spoorlittlecheckandtoworkonthatpictureandgiveittoFulkersonforthecheckhehadleftandforhisbackdebts。Heresolvedtogotoworkonthepictureatonce；hehadsethispaletteforit；butfirsthelookedatFulkerson\'scheck。Itwasforonlyfiftydollars，andthecannyScotchbloodinBeatonrebelled；hecouldnotletthispicturegoforanysuchmoney；hefeltalittlelikeamanwhosegenerosityhasbeentrifledwith。Theconflictofemotionsbrokehimup，andhecouldnotwork。 IV ThedaywastedawayinBeaton\'shands；athalf-pastfouro\'clockhewentouttoteaatthehouseofaladywhowasAtHomethatafternoonfromfourtillseven。BythistimeBeatonwasinpossessionofoneofthoseotherselvesofwhichweeachhaveseveralaboutus，andwasagainthelaconic，staccato，ratherworldlifiedyoungartistwhosemomentsofacontrolledutteranceandacertaindistinctionofmannerhadcommendedhimtoMrs。Horn\'sfancyinthesummeratSt。Barnaby。 Mrs。Horn\'sroomswerelarge，andtheyneverseemedveryfull，thoughthisperhapswasbecausepeoplewerealwayssoquiet。Theladies，whooutnumberedthemententoone，astheyalwaysdoataNewYorktea，weredressedinsympathywiththelowtoneeveryonespokein，andwiththesubduedlightwhichgaveacrepuscularuncertaintytothefewobjects，thedimpictures，theunexcitedupholstery，oftherooms。Onebreathedfreeofbric-a-bracthere，andthenew-comerbreathedsoftlyasonedoesongoingintochurchafterservicehasbegun。Thismightbeasuggestionfromthevoicelessbehavioroftheman-servantwholetyouin，butitwasalsobecauseMrs。Horn\'sAtHomewasaceremony，adecorum，andnotfestival。Atfargreaterhousestherewasmoregayety，atricherhousestherewasmorefreedom；thesuppressionatMrs。Horn\'swasapersonal，notasocial，effect；itwasaneffluxofhercharacter，demure，silentious，vague，butverycorrect。 Beatoneasilyfoundhiswaytoheraroundthegroupedskirtsandamongthedetachedfigures，andreceivedapressureofwelcomefromthehandwhichshemomentarilyrelaxedfromthetea-pot。Shesatbehindatableputcrosswiseofaremotecorner，andofferedteatopeoplewhomanieceofhersreceivedprovisionallyorspedfinallyintheouterroom。Theydidnotusuallytaketea，andwhentheydidtheydidnotusuallydrinkit；butBeatonwas，feverishlygladofhiscup；hetookrumandlemoninit，andstoodtalkingatMrs。Horn\'ssidetillthenextarrivalshoulddisplacehim:hetalkedinhisFrenchmanner。 \"Ihavebeenhopingtoseeyou，\"shesaid。\"IwantedtoaskyouabouttheLeightons。Didtheyreallycome?\" \"Ibelieveso。Theyareintown——yes。Ihaven\'tseenthem。\" \"Thenyoudon\'tknowhowthey\'regettingon——thatprettycreature，withhercleverness，andpoorMrs。Leighton?Iwasafraidtheywereventuringonarashexperiment。Doyouknowwheretheyare?\" \"InWestEleventhStreetsomewhere。MissLeightonisinMr。Wetmore\'sclass。\" \"Imustlookthemup。Doyouknowtheirnumber?\" \"Notatthemoment。Icanfindout。\" \"Do，\"saidMrs。Horn。\"Whatcouragetheymusthave，toplungeintoNewYorkasthey\'vedone!Ireallydidn\'tthinktheywould。Iwonderifthey\'vesucceededingettinganybodyintotheirhouseyet?\" \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidBeaton。 \"IdiscouragedtheircomingallIcould，\"shesighed，\"andIsupposeyoudid，too。Butit\'squiteuselesstryingtomakepeopleinaplacelikeSt。Barnabyunderstandhowitisintown。\" \"Yes，\"saidBeaton。Hestirredhistea，whileinwardlyhetriedtobelievethathehadreallydiscouragedtheLeightonsfromcomingtoNewYork。PerhapsthevexationofhisfailuremadehimcallMrs。Horninhisheartafraud。 \"Yes，\"shewenton，\"itisvery，veryhard。Andwhentheywon\'tunderstand，andrushontheirdoom，youfeelthattheyaregoingtoholdyourespons——\" Mrs。Horn\'seyeswanderedfromBeaton；hervoicefalteredinthefadedinterestofherremark，andthenrosewithrenewedvigoringreetingaladywhocameupandstretchedhergloveacrossthetea-cups。 Beatongothimselfawayandoutofthehousewithamuchbrieferadieutotheniecethanhehadmeanttomake。ThepatronizingcompassionofMrs。 HornfortheLeightonsfilledhimwithindignationtowardher，towardhimself。Therewasnoreasonwhyheshouldnothaveignoredthemashehaddone；buttherewasafeeling。Itwashisnaturetobecareless，andhehadbeenspoiledintorecklessness；heneglectedeverybody，andonlyrememberedthemwhenitsuitedhiswhimorhisconvenience；buthefiercelyresentedtheinattentionsofotherstowardhimself。Hehadnoscrupleaboutbreakinganengagementorfailingtokeepanappointment； hemadepromiseswithoutthinkingoftheirfulfilment，andnotbecausehewasafaithlessperson，butbecausehewasimaginative，andexpectedatthetimetodowhathesaid，butwasfickle，andsodidnot。Asmostofhisshortcomingswereofasocietysort，nogreatharmwasdonetoanybodyelse。Hehadcontractedsomewhatthecircleofhisacquaintancebywhatsomepeoplecalledhisrudeness，butmostpeopletreateditashisoddity，andwerepatientwithit。Oneladysaidshevaluedhiscomingwhenhesaidhewouldcomebecauseithadthecharmoftheunexpected。\"Onlyitshowsthatitisn\'talwaystheunexpectedthathappens，\"sheexplained。 Itdidnotoccurtohimthathisbehaviorwasimmoral；hedidnotrealizethatitwascreatingareputationifnotacharacterforhim。Whilewearestillyoungwedonotrealizethatouractionshavethiseffect。Itseemstousthatpeoplewilljudgeusfromwhatwethinkandfeel。Laterwefindoutthatthisisimpossible；perhapswefinditouttoolate； someofusneverfinditoutatall。 InspiteofhisshameabouttheLeightons，BeatonhadnopresentintentionoflookingthemuporsendingMrs。Horntheiraddress。Asamatteroffact，heneverdidsendit；buthehappenedtomeetMr。Wetmoreandhiswifeattherestaurantwherehedined，andhegotitofthepainterforhimself。HedidnotaskhimhowMissLeightonwasgettingon；butWetmorelaunchedout，withAlmaforatacittext，onthefutilityofwomengenerallygoinginforart。\"Evenwhentheyhavetalentthey\'vegottoomuchagainstthem。Whereagirldoesn\'tseemverystrong，likeMissLeighton，noamountofchicisgoingtohelp。\" Hiswifedisputedhimonbehalfofhersex，aswomenalwaysdo。 \"No，Dolly，\"hepersisted；\"she\'dbetterbehomemilkingthecowsandleadingthehorsetowater。\" Doyouthinkshe\'dbetterbeuptilltwointhemorningatballsandgoingalldaytoreceptionsandluncheons?\" \"Oh，guessitisn\'taquestionofthat，evenifsheweren\'tdrawing。 Youknewthemathome，\"hesaidtoBeaton。 \"Yes。\" \"Iremember。Hermothersaidyousuggestedme。Well，thegirlhassomenotionofit；there\'snodoubtaboutthat。But——she\'sawoman。Thetroublewiththesetalentedgirlsisthatthey\'reallwoman。Iftheyweren\'t，therewouldn\'tbemuchchanceforthemen，Beaton。Butwe\'vegotProvidenceonourownsidefromthestart。I\'mabletowatchalltheirinspirationswithperfectcomposure。Iknowjusthowsoonit\'sgoingtoendinnervousbreakdown。Somebodyoughttomarrythemallandputthemoutoftheirmisery。\" \"Andwhatwillyoudowithyourstudentswhoaremarriedalready?\"hiswifesaid。Shefeltthatshehadlethimgoonlongenough。 \"Oh，theyoughttogetdivorced。\" \"Yououghttobeashamedtotaketheirmoneyifthat\'swhatyouthinkofthem。\" \"Mydear，Ihaveawifetosupport。\" Beatonintervenedwithaquestion。\"DoyoumeanthatMissLeightonisn\'tstandingitverywell?\" \"HowdoIknow?Sheisn\'tthekindthatbends；she\'sthekindthatbreaks。\" AfteralittlesilenceMrs。Wetmoreasked，\"Won\'tyoucomehomewithus，Mr。Beaton?\" \"Thankyou；no。Ihaveanengagement。\" \"Idon\'tseewhythatshouldpreventyou，\"saidWetmore。\"Butyoualwayswereapunctiliouscuss。Well!\" Beatonlingeredoverhiscigar；butnooneelsewhomheknewcamein，andheyieldedtothethreefoldimpulseofconscience，ofcuriosity，ofinclination，ingoingtocallattheLeightons\'。Heaskedfortheladies，andthemaidshowedhimintotheparlor，wherehefoundMrs。 LeightonandMissWoodburn。 Thewidowmethimwithawelcomeneatlymarkedbyresentment；shemeanthimtofeelthathisnotcomingsoonerhadbeennoticed。MissWoodburnbubbledandgurgledon，anddidwhatshecouldtomitigatehispunishment，butshedidnotfeelauthorizedtostayit，tillMrs。 Leighton，bystudiedavoidanceofherdaughter\'sname，obligedBeatontoaskforher。ThenMissWoodburncaughtupherwork，andsaid，\"Ah\'llgoandtellher，Mrs。Leighton。\"AtthetopofthestairsshefoundAlma，andAlmatriedtomakeitseemasifshehadnotbeenstandingthere。 \"Mahgoodness，chald!there\'sthehandsomestyoungmanaskingforyoudownthereyouevahsaw。Alhtoldyou\'mothahAhwouldcomeupfo\'you。\" \"What——whoisit?\" \"Don\'tyouknow?Butbo\'couldyou?He\'sgotthemostbeautifuleyes，andhewea\'shishai\'inabang，andhetalksEnglishlikeitwassomethingelse，andhisname\'sMr。Beaton。\" \"Didhe-askforme?\"saidAlma，withadreamytone。Sheputherhandonthestairsrail，andalittleshiverranoverher。 \"Didn\'tItellyou?Ofcoasehedid!Andyououghttogoraghtdownifyouwanttosavethepoo\'fellah\'slahfe；you\'mothah\'sjustfreezin\'himtodeath。\" V。 \"Sheis?\"criedAlma。\"Tchk!\"Sheflewdownstairs，andflittedswiftlyintotheroom，andfluttereduptoBeaton，andgavehimacrushinghand- shake。 \"Howverykind，ofyoutocomeandseeus，Mr。Beaton!WhendidyoucometoNewYork?Don\'tyoufinditwarmhere?We\'veonlyjustlightedthefurnace，butwiththismildweatheritseemstooearly。Mammadoeskeepitsohot!\"Sherushedaboutopeningdoorsandshuttingregisters，andthencamebackandsatfacinghimfromthesofawithamaskofradiantcordiality。\"Howhaveyoubeensincewesawyou?\" \"Verywell，\"saidBeaton。\"Ihopeyou\'rewell，MissLeighton?\" \"Oh，perfectly!IthinkNewYorkagreeswithusbothwonderfully。I neverknewsuchair。Andtothinkofournothavingsnowyet!Ishouldthinkeverybodywouldwanttocomehere!Whydon\'tyoucome，Mr。Beaton?\" Beatonliftedhiseyesandlookedather。\"I——IliveinNewYork，\"hefaltered。 \"InNewYorkCity!\"sheexclaimed。 \"Surely，Alma，\"saidhermother，\"yourememberMr。Beaton\'stellingushelivedinNewYork。\" \"ButIthoughtyoucamefromRochester；orwasitSyracuse?。Ialwaysgetthoseplacesmixedup。\" \"ProbablyItoldyoumyfatherlivedatSyracuse。I\'vebeeninNewYorkeversinceIcamehomefromParis，\"saidBeaton，withtheconfusionofamanwhofeelshimselfplayeduponbyawoman。 \"FromParis!\"Almaechoed，leaningforward，withhersmilingmasktighton。\"Wasn\'titMunichwhereyoustudied?\" \"IwasatMunich，too。ImetWetmorethere。\" \"Oh，doyouknowMr。Wetmore?\" \"Why，Alma，\"hermotherinterposedagain，\"itwasMr。BeatonwhotoldyouofMr。Wetmore。\" \"Wasit?Why，yes，tobesure。ItwasMrs。HornwhosuggestedMr。 Ilcomb。Iremembernow。Ican\'tthankyouenoughforhavingsentmetoMr。Wetmore，Mr。Beaton。Isn\'thedelightful?Ohyes，I\'maperfectWetmorian，Icanassureyou。Thewholeclassisthesameway。\" \"IjustmethimandMrs。Wetmoreatdinner，\"saidBeaton，attemptingtherecoveryofsomethingthathehadlostthroughthegirl\'sshiningeaseandsteelysprightliness。Sheseemedtohimsosmoothandhard，witharepellentelasticityfromwhichhewasflungoff。\"Ihopeyou\'renotworkingtoohard，MissLeighton?\" \"Ohno!Ienjoyeveryminuteofit，andgrowstrongeronit。DoIlookverymuchwastedaway?\"Shelookedhimfullintheface，brilliantlysmiling，andintentionallybeautiful。 \"No，\"hesaid，withaslowsadness；\"Ineversawyoulookingbetter。\" \"PoorMr。Beaton!\"shesaid，inrecognitionofhisdolefultune。\"Itseemstobequiteablow。\" \"Ohno——\" \"Irememberallthegoodadviceyouusedtogivemeaboutnotworkingtoohard，andprobablyit\'sthatthat\'ssavedmylife——thatandthehouse- hunting。Hasmammatoldyouofouradventuresingettingsettled? Sometimewemust。Itwassuchfun!Anddidn\'tyouthinkwewerefortunatetogetsuchaprettyhouse?Youmustseebothourparlors。\" Shejumpedup，andhermotherfollowedherwithabewilderedlookassheranintothebackparlorandflashedupthegas。 \"Comeinhere，Mr。Beaton。Iwanttoshowyouthegreatfeatureofthehouse。\"Sheopenedthelowwindowsthatgaveuponaglazedverandastretchingacrosstheendoftheroom。\"JustthinkofthisinNewYork! Youcan\'tseeitverywellatnight，butwhenthesouthernsunpoursinherealltheafternoon——\" \"Yes，Icanimagineit，\"hesaid。Heglancedupatthebird-cagehangingfromtheroof。\"IsupposeGypsyenjoysit。\" \"YourememberGypsy?\"shesaid；andshemadeacooing，kissinglittlenoiseupatthebird，whorespondeddrowsily。\"PooroldGypsum!Well，hesha\'n\'tbedisturbed。Yes，it\'sGyp\'sdelight，andColonelWoodburnlikestowritehereinthemorning。Thinkofushavingarealliveauthorinthehouse!AndMissWoodburn:I\'msogladyou\'veseenher! They\'reSouthernpeople。\" \"Yes，thatwasobviousinhercase。\" \"Fromheraccent?Isn\'titfascinating?Ididn\'tbelieveIcouldeverendureSoutherners，butwe\'relikeonefamilywiththeWoodburns。I shouldthinkyou\'dwanttopaintMissWoodburn。Don\'tyouthinkhercoloringisdelicious?Andsuchaquaintkindofeighteenth-centurytypeofbeauty!Butshe\'sperfectlylovelyeveryway，andeverythingshesaysissofunny。TheSouthernersseemtobesuchgreattalkers；betterthanweare，don\'tyouthink?\" \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidBeaton，inpensivediscouragement。Hewassensibleofbeingmanipulated，operated，buthewashelplesstoescapefromtheperformerortofathomhermotives。Hispensivenesspassedintogloom，andwasdegeneratingintosulkyresentmentwhenhewentaway，afterseveralfailurestogetbacktotheoldgroundhehadheldinrelationtoAlma。HeretrievedsomethingofitwithMrs。Leighton；butAlmaglittereduponhimtothelastwithakeenimpenetrablecandor，achild- likesinglenessofglance，coveringunfathomablereserve。 \"Well，Alma，\"saidhermother，whenthedoorhadcloseduponhim。 \"Well，mother。\"Then，afteramoment，shesaid，witharush:\"DidyouthinkIwasgoingtolethimsupposewewerepiquedathisnotcoming? DidyousupposeIwasgoingtolethimpatronizeus，orthinkthatwewereintheleastdependentonhisfavororfriendship?\" Hermotherdidnotattempttoanswerher。Shemerelysaid，\"Ishouldn\'tthinkhewouldcomeanymore。\" \"Well，wehavegotonsofarwithouthim；perhapswecanlivethroughtherestofthewinter。\" \"Icouldn\'thelpfeelingsorryforhim。Hewasquitestupefied。Icouldseethathedidn\'tknowwhattomakeofyou。\" \"He\'snotrequiredtomakeanythingofme，\"saidAlma。 \"Doyouthinkhereallybelievedyouhadforgottenallthosethings?\" \"Impossibletosay，mamma。\" \"Well，Idon\'tthinkitwasquiteright，Alma。\" \"I\'llleavehimtoyouthenexttime。MissWoodburnsaidyouwerefreezinghimtodeathwhenIcamedown。\" \"Thatwasquitedifferent。But，therewon\'tbeanynexttime，I\'mafraid，\"sighedMrs。Leighton。 Beatonwenthomefeelingsuretherewouldnot。Hetriedtoreadwhenhegottohisroom；butAlma\'slooks，tones，gestures，whirredthroughandthroughthewoofofthestorylikeshuttles；hecouldnotkeepthemout，andhefellasleepatlast，notbecauseheforgotthem，butbecauseheforgavethem。Hewasabletosaytohimselfthathehadbeenjustlycutofffromkindnesswhichheknewhowtovalueinlosingit。HedidnotexpectevertorighthimselfinAlma\'sesteem，buthehopedsomedaytoletherknowthathehadunderstood。Itseemedtohimthatitwouldbeagoodthingifsheshouldfinditoutafterhisdeath。Heimaginedherbeingtouchedbyitunderthosecircumstances。 VI。 InthemorningitseemedtoBeatonthathehaddonehimselfinjustice。 WhenheuncoveredhisJudasandlookedatit，hecouldnotbelievethatthemanwhowascapableofsuchworkdeservedthepunishmentMissLeightonhadinflicteduponhim。Hestillforgaveher，butinthepresenceofathinglikethathecouldnothelprespectinghimself；hebelievedthatifshecouldseeitshewouldbesorrythatshehadcutherselfofffromhisacquaintance。Hecarriedthisstrainofconvictionallthroughhissyndicateletter，whichhenowtookoutofhisdeskandfinished，withanincreasingsecurityofhisopinionsandamountingseverityinhisjudgments。Heretaliateduponthegeneralconditionofartamongusthepangsofwoundedvanity，whichAlmahadmadehimfeel，andhefoldeduphismanuscriptandputitinhispocket，almosthealedofhishumiliation。Hehadbeenabletoescapefromitsstingsoentirelywhilehewaswritingthatthenotionofmakinghislifemoreandmoreliterarycommendeditselftohim。Asitwasnowevidentthatthefuturewastobeoneofrenunciation，ofself-forgetting，anobliviontingedwithbitterness，heformlesslyreasonedinfavorofreconsideringhisresolutionagainstFulkerson\'soffer。Onemustcallitreasoning，butitwasratherthatswiftinternaldramatizationwhichconstantlygoesoninpersonsofexcitablesensibilities，andwhichnowseemedtosweepBeatonphysicallyalongtowardthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'office，andcarriedhismindwithlightningcelerityontoatimewhenheshouldhavegiventhatjournalsuchqualityandauthorityinmattersofartashadneverbeenenjoyedbyanyinAmericabefore。Withtheprosperitywhichhemadeattendhisworkhechangedthecharacteroftheenterprise，andwithFulkerson\'senthusiasticsupporthegavethepublicanartjournalofashighgradeas\'LesLettresetlesArts\'，andverymuchthatsortofthing。AllthisinvolvednowtheunavailingregretofAlmaLeighton，andnowhisreconciliationwithhertheyweremarriedinGraceChurch，becauseBeatonhadonceseenamarriagethere，andhadintendedtopaintapictureofitsometime。