第7章

NothinginthesefervidfantasiespreventedhisrespondingwithduedrynesstoFulkerson\'scheery\"Hello，oldman!\"whenhefoundhimselfinthebuildingfittedupforthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'office。Fulkerson\'sroomwasbackofthesmalleroneoccupiedbythebookkeeper；theyhadbeenrespectivelythereception-roomanddining-roomofthelittleplaceinitsdwelling-housedays，andtheyhadbeensimplyandtastefullytreatedintheirtransformationintobusinesspurposes。Thenarrowoldtrimofthedoorsandwindowshadbeenkept，andthequaintlyuglymarblemantels。Thearchitecthadsaid，Betterletthemstaytheyexpressedepoch，ifnotcharacter。 \"Well，haveyoucomeroundtogotowork?Justhangupyourcoatontheflooranywhere，\"Fulkersonwenton。 \"I\'vecometobringyouthatletter，\"saidBeaton，allthemorehaughtilybecausehefoundthatFulkersonwasnotalonewhenhewelcomedhiminthesefreeandeasyterms。Therewasaquiet-lookingman，ratherstout，andalittleabovethemiddleheight，withafull，close-croppediron- graybeard，seatedbeyondthetablewhereFulkersontiltedhimselfback，withhiskneessetagainstit；andleaningagainstthemanteltherewasayoungmanwithasingularlygentleface，inwhichthelookofgoodnessqualifiedandtransfiguredacertainsimplicity。Hislargeblueeyesweresomewhatprominent；andhisrathernarrowfacewasdrawnforwardinanosealittletoolongperhaps，ifithadnotbeenforthefullchindeeplycutbelowthelip，andjuttingfirmlyforward。 \"IntroduceyoutoMr。March，oureditor，Mr。Beaton，\"Fulkersonsaid，rollinghisheadinthedirectionoftheelderman；andthennoddingittowardtheyounger，hesaid，\"Mr。Dryfoos，Mr。Beaton。\"BeatonshookhandswithMarch，andthenwithMr。Dryfoos，andFulkersonwenton，gayly:\"Wewerejusttalkingofyou，Beaton——well，youknowtheoldsaying。Mr。March，asItoldyou，isoureditor，andMr。Dryfooshaschargeofthepublishingdepartment——he\'sthecounting-roomincarnate，thesourceofpower，thefountainofcorruption，theelementthatpreventsjournalismbeingthehighandholythingthatitwouldbeiftherewerenomoneyinit。\"Mr。Dryfoosturnedhislarge，mildeyesuponBeaton，andlaughedwiththeuneasyconcessionwhichpeoplemaketoacharacterwhentheydonotquiteapproveofthecharacter\'slanguage。 \"WhatMr。MarchandIaretryingtodoistocarryonthisthingsothattherewon\'tbeanymoneyinit——orverylittle；andwe\'replanningtogivethepublicabetterarticleforthepricethanit\'severhadbefore。 Nowhere\'sadummywe\'vehadmadeupfor\'EveryOtherWeek\'，andaswe\'vedecidedtoadoptit，wewouldnaturallylikeyouropinionofit，so\'stoknowwhatopiniontohaveofyou。\"HereachedforwardandpushedtowardBeatonavolumealittleabovethesizeoftheordinaryduodecimobook； itsivory-whitepebbledpapercoverwasprettilyillustratedwithawater-coloreddesignirregularlywashedoverthegreaterpartofitssurface: quiteacrossthepageattop，andnarrowingfromrighttoleftasitdescended。Inthetriangularspaceleftblankthetitleoftheperiodicalandthepublisher\'simprintweretastefullyletteredsoastobepartlycoveredbythebackgroundofcolor。 \"It\'slikesomeofthoseTartarinbooksofDaudet\'s，\"saidBeacon，lookingatitwithmoreinterestthanhesufferedtobeseen。\"Butit\'sabook，notamagazine。\"Heopeneditspagesofthick，mellowwhitepaper，withuncutleaves，thefirstfewpagesexperimentallyprintedinthetypeintendedtobeused，andillustratedwithsomesketchesdrawnintoandoverthetext，forthesakeoftheeffect。 \"ADaniel——aDanielcometojudgment!Sitdown，Dan\'el，andtakeiteasy。\"FulkersonpushedachairtowardBeaton，whodroppedintoit。 \"You\'reright，Dan\'el；it\'sabook，toallpracticalintentsandpurposes。AndwhatweproposetodowiththeAmericanpublicistogiveittwenty-fourbookslikethisayear——acompletelibrary——fortheabsurdsumofsixdollars。Wedon\'tintendtosell\'em——it\'snonameforthetransaction——buttogive\'em。Andwhatwewanttogetoutofyou——beg，borrow，buy，orstealfromyouisanopinionwhetherweshallmaketheAmericanpublicthisprincelypresentinpapercoverslikethis，orinsomesortofflexibleboards，sotheycansetthemontheshelfandsaynomoreaboutit。Now，Dan\'el，cometojudgment，asourrespectedfriendShylockremarked。\" Beaconhadgotdonelookingatthedummy，andhedroppeditonthetablebeforeFulkerson，whopusheditaway，apparentlytofreehimselffrompartiality。\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthebusinessside，andIcan\'ttellabouttheeffectofeitherstyleonthesales；butyou\'llspoilthewholecharacterofthecoverifyouuseanythingthickerthanthatthickishpaper。\" \"Allright；verygood；first-rate。Theayeshaveit。Paperitis。I don\'tmindtellingyouthatwehaddecidedforthatpaperbeforeyoucamein。Mr。Marchwantedit，becausehefeltinhisbonesjustthewayyoudoaboutit，andMr。Dryfooswantedit，becausehe\'sthecounting-roomincarnate，andit\'scheaper；andI\'wantedit，becauseIalwaysliketogowiththemajority。Nowwhatdoyouthinkofthatlittledesignitself?\" \"Thesketch?\"Beatonpulledthebooktowardhimagainandlookedatitagain。\"Ratherdecorative。Drawing\'snotremarkable。Graceful；rathernice。\"Hepushedthebookawayagain，andFulkersonpulledittohisaideofthetable。 \"Well，that\'sapieceofthatamateurtrashyoudespisesomuch。IwenttoapainterIknow-by-the-way，hewasguiltyofsuggestingyouforthisthing，butItoldhimIwasaheadofhim——andIgothimtosubmitmyideatooneofhisclass，andthat\'stheresult。Well，now，thereain\'tanythinginthisworldthatsellsabooklikeaprettycover，andwe\'regoingtohaveaprettycoverfor\'EveryOtherWeek\'everytime。We\'vecutloosefromtheoldtraditionalquartoliterarynewspapersize，andwe\'vecutloosefromtheoldtwo-columnbigpagemagazinesize；we\'regoingtohaveaduodecimopage，clearblackprint，andpaperthat\'llmakeyourmouthwater；andwe\'regoingtohaveafreshillustrationforthecoverofeachnumber，andweain\'tagoingtogivethepublicanyrestatall。Sometimeswe\'regoingtohaveadelicatelittlelandscapelikethis，andsometimeswe\'regoingtohaveanindelicatelittlefigure，orasmuchsoasthelawwillallow。\" Theyoungmanleaningagainstthemantelpieceblushedasortofprotest。 Marchsmiledandsaid，dryly，\"ThosearethenumbersthatMr。Fulkersonisgoingtoedithimself。\" \"Exactly。AndMr。Beaton，here，isgoingtosupplythefloatingfemales，gracefullyairingthemselvesagainstasunsetorsomethingofthatkind。\" Beatonfrownedinembarrassment，whileFulkersonwentonphilosophically； \"It\'sastonishinghowyoufellowscankeepitupatthisstageoftheproceedings；youcanpaintthingsthatyourharshestcriticwouldbeashamedtodescribeaccurately；you\'reasfreeasthetheatre。Butthat\'sneitherherenorthere。WhatI\'mafteristhefactthatwe\'regoingtohavevarietyinourtitle-pages，andwearegoingtohavenoveltyintheillustrationsofthebodyofthebook。March，here，ifhehadhisownway，wouldn\'thaveanyillustrationsatall。\" \"NotbecauseIdon\'tlikethem，Mr。Beacon，\"Marchinterposed，\"butbecauseIlikethemtoomuch。IfindthatIlookatthepicturesinanillustratedarticle，butIdon\'treadthearticleverymuch，andIfancythat\'sthecasewithmostotherpeople。You\'vegottodoingthemsoprettilythatyoutakeoureyesofftheliterature，ifyoudon\'ttakeourmindsoff。\" \"Likethesocietybeautiesonthestage:peoplegoinforthebeautysomuchthattheydon\'tknowwhattheplayis。Butthebox-officegetsthereallthesame，andthat\'swhatMr。Dryfooswants。\"FulkersonlookedupgaylyatMr。Dryfoos，whosmileddeprecatingly。 \"Itwasdifferent，\"Marchwenton，\"whentheillustrationsusedtobebad。Thenthetexthadsomechance。\" \"Oldlegitimatedramadays，whenuglinessandgeniuscombinedtostormthegalleries，\"saidFulkerson。 \"Wecanstillmakethembadenough，\"saidBeaton，ignoringFulkersoninhisremarktoMarch。 Fulkersontookthereplyuponhimself。\"Well，youneedn\'tmake\'emsobadastheold-stylecuts；butyoucanmakethemunobtrusive，modestlyretiring。We\'vegotholdofaprocesssomethinglikethatthoseFrenchfellowsgaveDaudetthirty-fivethousanddollarstowriteanoveltousewith；kindofthingthatbeginsatoneside；oronecorner，andspreadsinasortofdimreligiousstyleovertheprinttillyoucan\'ttellwhichiswhich。Thenwe\'vegotanotionthatwherethepicturesdon\'tbehavequitesosociably，theycanbedroppedintothetext，likealittlecasualremark，don\'tyouknow，oracommentthathassomeconnection，ormaybenoneatall，withwhat\'sgoingoninthestory。Somethinglikethis。\"Fulkersontookawayonekneefromthetablelongenoughtoopenthedrawer，andpullfromitabookthatheshovedtowardBeacon。 \"That\'saSpanishbookIhappenedtoseeatBrentano\'s，andIfrozetoitonaccountofthepictures。Iguessthey\'reprettygood。\" \"Doyouexpecttogetsuchdrawingsinthiscountry?\"askedBeaton，afteraglanceatthebook。\"uchcharacter——suchdrama?Youwon\'t。\" \"Well，I\'mnotsosure，\"saidFulkerson，\"cometogetouramateurswarmeduptothework。ButwhatIwantistogetthephysicaleffect，sotospeak-getthatsizedpictureintoourpage，andsetthefashionofit。 Ishouldn\'tcareiftheillustrationwassometimesconfinedtoaninitialletterandatail-piece。\" \"Couldn\'tbedonehere。Wehaven\'tthetouch。We\'regoodinsomethings，butthisisn\'tinourway，\"saidBeaton，stubbornly。\"Ican\'tthinkofamanwhocoulddoit；thatis，amongthosethatwould。\" \"Well，thinkofsomewoman，then，\"saidFulkerson，easily。\"I\'vegotanotionthatthewomencouldhelpusoutonthisthing，cometoget\'eminterested。Thereain\'tanythingsopopularasfemalefiction；whynottryfemaleart?\" \"Thefemalesthemselveshavebeensupposedtohavebeentryingitforagoodwhile，\"Marchsuggested；andMr。Dryfooslaughednervously；Beatonremainedsolemnlysilent。 \"Yes，Iknow，\"Fulkersonassented。\"ButIdon\'tmeanthatkindexactly。 Whatwewanttodoistoworkthe\'ewigWeibliche\'inthisconcern。Wewanttomakeamagazinethatwillgoforthewomen\'sfancyeverytime。 Idon\'tmeanwithrecipesforcookingandfashionsandpersonalgossipaboutauthorsandsociety，butrealhigh-toneliteraturethatwillshowwomentriumphinginallthestories，orelsesufferingtremendously。 We\'vegottorecognizethatwomenformthree-fourthsofthereadingpublicinthiscountry，andgofortheirtastesandtheirsensibilitiesandtheirsex-pietyalongthewholeline。Theydoliketothinkthatwomencandothingsbetterthanmen；andifwecanletitleakoutandgetaroundinthepapersthatthemanagersof\'EveryOtherWeek\'couldn\'tstirapeginthelineoftheillustrationstheywantedtilltheygotalotofGod-giftedgirlstohelpthem，it\'llmakethefortuneofthething。See?\" Helookedsunnilyroundattheothermen，andMarchsaid:\"YououghttobeinchargeofaSiamesewhiteelephant，Fulkerson。It\'sadisgracetobeconnectedwithyou。\" \"Itseemstome，\"saidBecton，\"thatyou\'dbettergetaGod-giftedgirlforyourarteditor。\" Fulkersonleanedalertlyforward，andtouchedhimontheshoulder，withacompassionatesmile。\"Mydearboy，theyhaven\'tgotthegeniusoforganization。Ittakesaverymasculinemanforthat——amanwhocombinesthemostsubtleandrefinedsympathieswiththemostforcefulpurposesandthemostferruginouswill-power。WhichhisnameisAngusBeaton，andherehesets!\" TheotherslaughedwithFulkersonathisgrossburlesqueofflattery，andBectonfrownedsheepishly。\"Isupposeyouunderstandthisman\'sstyle，\" hegrowledtowardMarch。 \"Hedoes，myson，\"saidFulkerson。\"HeknowsthatIcannottellalie。\" Hepulledouthiswatch，andthengotsuddenlyuponhisfeet。 \"It\'squarteroftwelve，andI\'vegotanappointment。\"Beatonrosetoo，andFulkersonputthetwobooksinhislaxhands。\"Takethesealong，MichelangeloDaVinci，myfriend，andputyourmultitudinousmindonthemforaboutanhour，andletushearfromyouto-morrow。Wehanguponyourdecision。\" \"There\'snodecidingtobedone，\"saidBeaton。\"Youcan\'tcombinethetwostyles。They\'dkilleachother。\" \"ADan\'el，aDan\'elcometojudgment!Iknewyoucouldhelpusout! Take\'emalong，andtelluswhichwillgothefurthestwiththe\'ewigWeibliche。\'Dryfoos，Iwantawordwithyou。\"Heledthewayintothefrontroom，flirtinganairyfarewelltoBeatonwithhishandashewent。 VII。 MarchandBeatonremainedalonetogetherforamoment，andMarchsaid: \"Ihopeyouwillthinkitworthwhiletotakeholdwithus，Mr。Beaton。 Mr。Fulkersonputsitinhisownway，ofcourse；butwereallywanttomakeanicethingofthemagazine。\"Hehadthattimidityoftheelderinthepresenceoftheyoungermanwhichtheyounger，preoccupiedwithhisowntimidityinthepresenceoftheelder，cannotimagine。Besides，MarchwasawareofthegulfthatdividedhimasaliterarymanfromBeatonasanartist，andheonlyventuredtofeelhiswaytowardsympathywithhim。\"Wewanttomakeitgood；wewanttomakeithigh。Fulkersonisrightaboutaimingtopleasethewomen，butofcoursehecaricaturesthewayofgoingaboutit。\" Foranswer，Beatonflungout，\"Ican\'tgoinforathingIdon\'tunderstandtheplanof。\" Marchtookitforgrantedthathehadwoundedsomeexposedsensibility，ofBeaton\'s。Hecontinuedstillmoredeferentially:\"Mr。Fulkerson\'snotion——Imustsaythenotionishis，evolvedfromhissyndicateexperience——isthatweshalldobestinfictiontoconfineourselvestoshortstories，andmakeeachnumbercompleteinitself。Hefoundthatthemostsuccessfulthingshecouldfurnishhisnewspaperswereshortstories；weAmericansaresupposedtoexcelinwritingthem；andmostpeoplebeginwiththeminfiction；andit\'sMr。Fulkerson\'sideatoworkunknowntalent，ashesays，andsohethinkshecannotonlygetthemeasily，butcangraduallyformaschoolofshort-storywriters。Ican\'tsayIfollowhimaltogether，butIrespecthisexperience。Weshallnotdespisetranslationsofshortstories，butotherwisethematterwillallbeoriginal，and，ofcourse，itwon\'tallbeshortstories。Weshallusesketchesoftravel，andessays，andlittledramaticstudies，andbitsofbiographyandhistory；butallverylight，andalwaysshortenoughtobecompletedinasinglenumber。Mr。Fulkersonbelievesinpictures，andmostofthethingswouldbecapableofillustration。\" \"Isee，\"saidBeaton。 \"Idon\'tknowbutthisisthewholeaffair，\"saidMarch，beginningtostiffenalittleattheyoungman\'sreticence。 \"Iunderstand。Thankyoufortakingthetroubletoexplain。Good- morning。\"Beatonbowedhimselfoff，withoutofferingtoshakehands。 Fulkersoncameinafterawhilefromtheouteroffice，andMr。Dryfoosfollowedhim。\"Well，whatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?\" \"Isheourarteditor?\"askedMarch。\"Iwasn\'tquitecertainwhenheleft。\" \"Didhetakethebooks?\" \"Yes，hetookthebooks。\" \"Iguesshe\'sallright，then。\"Fulkersonadded，inconcessiontotheumbragehedetectedinMarch。 \"Beatonhashistimesofbeingthegreatestassinthesolarsystem，butheusuallytakesitoutinpersonalconduct。Whenitcomestowork，he\'saregularhorse。\" \"Heappearstohavecompromisedforthepresentbybeingaperfectmule，\" saidMarch。 \"Well，he\'sinatransitionstate，\"Fulkersonallowed。\"He\'sthemanforus。Hereallyunderstandswhatwewant。You\'llsee；he\'llcatchon。 Thatluridglareofhiswillwearoffinthecourseoftime。He\'sreallyagoodfellowwhenyoutakehimoffhisguard；andhe\'sfullofideas。 He\'sspreadoutoveragooddealofgroundatpresent，andsohe\'sprettythin；butcometogatherhimupintoalump，there\'sagooddealofsubstancetohim。Yes，thereis。He\'safirst-ratecritic，andhe\'sanicefellowwiththeotherartists。Theylaughathisuniversality，buttheyalllikehim。He\'sthebestkindofateacherwhenhecondescendstoit；andhe\'sjustthemantodealwithourvolunteerwork。Yes，sir，he\'saprize。Well，Imustgonow。\" Fulkersonwentoutofthestreetdoor，andthencamequicklyback。\"By- the-bye，March，IsawthatolddynamiterofyoursroundatBeaton\'sroomyesterday。\" \"Whatolddynamiterofmine?\" \"Thatoldone-handedDutchman——friendofyouryouth——theonewesawatMaroni\'s——\" \"Oh-Lindau!\"saidMarch，withavaguepangofselfreproachforhavingthoughtofLindausolittleafterthefirstfloodofhistenderfeelingtowardhimwaspast。 \"Yes，ourversatilefriendwasmodellinghimasJudasIscariot。Lindaumakesafirst-rateJudas，andBeatonhasgotabigthinginthatheadifheworksthereligiouspeopleright。ButwhatIwasthinkingofwasthis——itstruckmejustasIwasgoingoutofthedoor:Didn\'tyoutellmeLindauknewfortyorfifty，differentlanguages?\" \"Fourorfive，yes。\" \"Well，wewon\'tquarrelaboutthenumber。Thequestionis，Whynotworkhiminthefieldofforeignliterature?Youcan\'tgooveralltheirreviewsandmagazines，andhecoulddothesmellingforyou，ifyoucouldtrusthisnose。Wouldheknowagoodthing?\" \"Ithinkhewould，\"saidMarch，onwhomthescopeofFulkerson\'ssuggestiongraduallyopened。\"Heusedtohavegoodtaste，andhemustknowtheground。Why，it\'sacapitalidea，Fulkerson!LindauwroteveryfairEnglish，andhecouldtranslate，withalittlerevision。\" \"Andhewouldprobablyworkcheap。Well，hadn\'tyoubetterseehimaboutit?Iguessit\'llbequiteawindfallforhim。\" \"Yes，itwill。I\'lllookhimup。Thankyouforthesuggestion，Fulkerson。\" \"Oh，don\'tmentionit!Idon\'tminddoing\'EveryOtherWeek\'agoodturnnowandthenwhenitcomesinmyway。\"Fulkersonwentoutagain，andthistimeMarchwasfinallyleftwithMr。Dryfoos。 \"Mrs。Marchwasverysorrynottobeathomewhenyoursisterscalledtheotherday。Shewishedmetoaskiftheyhadanyafternooninparticular。 Therewasnoneonyourmother\'scard。\" \"No，sir，\"saidtheyoungman，withaflushofembarrassmentthatseemedhabitualwithhim。\"Shehasnoday。She\'sathomealmosteveryday。 Shehardlyevergoesout。\" \"Mightwecomesomeevening?\"Marchasked。\"Weshouldbeverygladtodothat，ifshewouldexcusetheinformality。ThenIcouldcomewithMrs。March。\" \"Motherisn\'tveryformal，\"saidtheyoungman。\"Shewouldbeverygladtoseeyou。\" \"Thenwe\'llcomesomenightthisweek，ifyouwillletus。Whendoyouexpectyourfatherback?\" \"NotmuchbeforeChristmas。He\'stryingtosettleupsomethingsatMoffitt。\" \"Andwhatdoyouthinkofourarteditor?\"askedMarch，withasmile，forthechangeofsubject。 \"Oh，Idon\'tknowmuchaboutsuchthings，\"saidtheyoungman，withanotherofhisembarrassedflushes。\"Mr。Fulkersonseemstofeelsurethatheistheoneforus。\" \"Mr。FulkersonseemedtothinkthatIwastheoneforyou，too，\"saidMarch；andhelaughed。\"That\'swhatmakesmedoubthisinfallibility。 Buthecouldn\'tdoworsewithMr。Beaton。\" Mr。Dryfoosreddenedandlookeddown，asifunableorunwillingtocopewiththedifficultyofmakingapoliteprotestagainstMarch\'sself- depreciation。Hesaid，afteramoment:\"It\'snewbusinesstoallofusexceptMr。Fulkerson。ButIthinkitwillsucceed。Ithinkwecandosomegoodinit。\" Marchaskedratherabsently，\"Somegood?\"Thenheadded:\"Ohyes； Ithinkwecan。Whatdoyoumeanbygood?Improvethepublictaste? Elevatethestandardofliterature?Giveyoungauthorsandartistsachance?\" ThiswastheonlygoodthathadeverbeeninMarch\'smind，exceptthegoodthatwastocomeinamaterialwayfromhissuccess，tohimselfandtohisfamily。 \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidtheyoungman；andhelookeddowninashamefacedfashion。HeliftedhisheadandlookedintoMarch\'sface。\"IsupposeI wasthinkingthatsometimewemighthelpalong。IfweweretohavethosesketchesofyoursaboutlifeineverypartofNewYork——\" March\'sauthorialvanitywastickled。\"Fulkersonhasbeentalkingtoyouaboutthem?Heseemedtothinktheywouldbeacard。Hebelievesthatthere\'snosubjectsofascinatingtothegeneralaverageofpeoplethroughoutthecountryaslifeinNewYorkCity；andhelikedmynotionofdoingthesethings。\"MarchhopedthatDryfooswouldanswerthatFulkersonwasperfectlyenthusiasticabouthisnotion；buthedidnotneedthisstimulus，and，atanyrate，hewentonwithoutit。\"Thefactis，it\'ssomethingthatstruckmyfancythemomentIcamehere；Ifoundmyselfintenselyinterestedintheplace，andIbegantomakenotes，consciouslyandunconsciously，atonce。Yes，IbelieveIcangetsomethingquiteattractiveoutofit。Idon\'tintheleastknowwhatitwillbeyet，exceptthatitwillbeverydesultory；andIcouldn\'tatallsaywhenIcangetatit。IfwepostponethefirstnumbertillFebruaryImightgetalittlepaperintothat。Yes，Ithinkitmightbeagoodthingforus，\"Marchsaid，withmodestself-appreciation。 \"Ifyoucanmakethecomfortablepeopleunderstandhowtheuncomfortablepeoplelive，itwillbeaverygoodthing，Mr。March。Sometimesitseemstomethattheonlytroubleisthatwedon\'tknowoneanotherwellenough；andthatthefirstthingistodothis。\"Theyoungfellowspokewiththeseriousnessinwhichthebeautyofhisfaceresided。Wheneverhelaughedhisfacelookedweak，evensilly。Itseemedtobeasenseofthisthatmadehimhanghisheadorturnitawayatsuchtimes。 \"That\'strue，\"saidMarch，fromthesurfaceonly。\"Andthen，thosephasesoflowlifeareimmenselypicturesque。Ofcourse，wemusttrytogetthecontrastsofluxuryforthesakeofthefulleffect。Thatwon\'tbesoeasy。Youcan\'tpenetratetothedinner-partyofamillionaireunderthewingofadetectiveasyoucouldtoacarouseinMulberryStreet，ortohischildren\'snurserywithaphilanthropistasyoucantoastreet-boy\'slodging-house。\"Marchlaughed，andagaintheyoungmanturnedhisheadaway。\"Still，somethingcanbedoneinthatwaybytactandpatience。\" VII。 ThateveningMarchwentwithhiswifetoreturnthecalloftheDryfoosladies。Ontheirwayup-townintheElevatedhetoldherofhistalkwithyoungDryfoos。\"IconfessIwasalittleashamedbeforehimafterwardforhavinglookedatthemattersoentirelyfromtheaestheticpointofview。Butofcourse，youknow，ifIwenttoworkatthosethingswithanethicalintentionexplicitlyinmind，Ishouldspoilthem。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidhiswife。Shehadalwaysheardhimsaysomethingofthiskindaboutsuchthings。 Hewenton:\"ButIsupposethat\'sjustthepointthatsuchanatureasyoungDryfoos\'scan\'tgetholdof，orkeepholdof。We\'reaqueerlot，downthere，Isabel——perfectmenagerie。Ifithadn\'tbeenthatFulkersongotustogether，andreallyseemstoknowwhathediditfor，Ishouldsayhewastheoddeststickamongus。ButwhenIthinkofmyselfandmyowncrankinessfortheliterarydepartment；andyoungDryfoos，whooughtreallytobeinthepulpit，oramonastery，orsomething，forpublisher； andthatyoungBeaton，whoprobablyhasn\'tamoralfibreinhiscomposition，fortheartman，Idon\'tknowbutwecouldgiveFulkersonoddsandstillbeathiminoddity。\" Hiswifeheavedadeepsighofapprehension，ofrenunciation，ofmonition。\"Well，I\'mgladyoucanfeelsolightaboutit，Basil。\" \"Light?Ifeelgay!WithFulkersonatthehelm，Itellyoutherocksandtheleeshorehadbetterkeepoutoftheway。\"Helaughedwithpleasureinhismetaphor。\"JustwhenyouthinkFulkersonhastakenleaveofhissenseshesaysordoessomethingthatshowsheisonthemostintimateandinalienabletermswiththemallthetime。YouknowhowI\'vebeenworryingoverthoseforeignperiodicals，andtryingtogetsometranslationsfromthemforthefirstnumber?Well，Fulkersonhasbroughthiscentipedalmindtobearonthesubject，andhe\'ssuggestedthatoldGermanfriendofmineIwastellingyouof——theoneImetintherestaurant——thefriendofmyyouth。\" \"Doyouthinkhecoulddoit?\"askedMrs。March，sceptically。 \"He\'saperfectBabelofstrangetongues；andhe\'stheverymanforthework，andIwasashamedIhadn\'tthoughtofhimmyself，forIsuspectheneedsthework。\" \"Well，becarefulhowyougetmixedupwithhim，then，Basil，\"saidhiswife，whohadthenaturalmisgivingconcerningthefriendsofherhusband\'syouththatallwiveshave。\"YouknowtheGermansaresounscrupulouslydependent。Youdon\'tknowanythingabouthimnow。\" \"I\'mnotafraidofLindau，\"saidMarch。\"HewasthebestandkindestmanIeversaw，themosthigh-minded，themostgenerous。Helostahandinthewarthathelpedtosaveusandkeepuspossible，andthatstumpofhisischaracterenoughforme。\" \"Oh，youdon\'tthinkIcouldhavemeantanythingagainsthim!\"saidMrs。 March，withthetenderfervorthateverywomanwholivedinthetimeofthewarmustfeelforthosewhosufferedinit。\"AllthatImeantwasthatIhopedyouwouldnotgetmixedupwithhimtoomuch。You\'resoapttobecarriedawaybyyourimpulses。\" \"Theydidn\'tcarrymeveryfarawayinthedirectionofpooroldLindau，I\'mashamedtothink，\"saidMarch。\"ImeantallsortsoffinethingsbyhimafterImethim；andthenIforgothim，andIhadtoberemindedofhimbyFulkerson。\" Shedidnotanswerhim，andhefellintoaremorsefulreverie，inwhichherehabilitatedLindauanew，andprovidedhandsomelyforhisoldage。 Hegothimburiedwithmilitaryhonors，andhadashaftraisedoverhim，withamedallionlikenessbyBeatonandanepitaphbyhimself，bythetimetheyreachedForty-secondStreet；therewasnotimetowriteLindau\'slife，howeverbriefly，beforethetrainstopped。 TheyhadtowalkupfourblocksandthenhalfablockacrossbeforetheycametotheindistinctivebrownstonehousewheretheDryfooseslived。 Itwaslargerthansomeinthesameblock，butthenextneighborhoodofahugeapartment-housedwarfeditagain。Marchthoughtherecognizedtheveryflatinwhichhehaddisciplinedthesurlyjanitor，buthedidnottellhiswife；hemadehernoticethetransitioncharacterofthestreet，whichhadbeenmostlybuiltupinapartment-houses，withhereandthereasingledwellingdroppedfardownbeneathandbesidethem，tothatjag- toothedeffectonthesky-linesooftenobservableinsuchNewYorkstreets。\"Idon\'tknowexactlywhattheoldgentlemanboughtherefor，\" hesaid，astheywaitedonthestepsafterringing，\"unlessheexpectstoturnitintoflatsby-and-by。Otherwise，Idon\'tbelievehe\'llgethismoneyback。\" AnIrishserving-man，withacertainsurprisethatdelayedhim，saidtheladieswereathome，andlettheMarchesin，andthencarriedtheircardsup-stairs。Thedrawing-room，wherehesaidtheycouldsitdownwhilehewentonthiserrand，wasdelicately，decoratedinwhiteandgold，andfurnishedwithasortofextravagantgoodtaste；therewasnothingtoobjecttointhesatinfurniture，thepale，soft，richcarpet，thepictures，andthebronzeandchinabric-a-brac，exceptthattheircostlinesswastooevident；everythingintheroommeantmoneytooplainly，andtoomuchofit。TheMarchesrecognizedthisinthehoarsewhisperswhichpeoplecannotgettheirvoicesabovewhentheytrytotalkawaytheintervalofwaitinginsuchcircumstances；theyconjecturedfromwhattheyhadheardoftheDryfoosesthatthistastefulluxuryinnowiseexpressedtheircivilization。\"Thoughwhenyoucometothat，\"saidMarch，\"Idon\'tknowthatMrs。Green\'sgimcrackeryexpressesours。\" \"Well，Basil，Ididn\'ttakethegimcrackery。Thatwasyour——\" TherustleofskirtsonthestairswithoutarrestedMrs。Marchinthewell-meritedpunishmentwhichsheneverfailedtoinflictuponherhusbandwhenthequestionofthegimcrackery——theyalwayscalleditthat—— cameup。Sheroseattheentranceofabright-looking，pretty-looking，mature，youngishlady，inblacksilkofaneutralimplication，whoputoutherhandtoher，andsaid，withaverycheery，veryladylikeaccent，\"Mrs。March?\"andthenaddedtobothofthem，whilesheshookhandswithMarch，andbeforetheycouldgetthenameoutoftheirmonths:\"No，notMissDryfoos!Neitherofthem；norMrs。Dryfoos。Mrs。Mandel。Theladieswillbedowninamoment。Won\'tyouthrowoffyoursacque，Mrs。 March?I\'mafraidit\'sratherwarmhere，comingfromtheoutside。\" \"Iwillthrowitback，ifyou\'llallowme，\"saidMrs。March，withasortofprovisionality，asif，pendingsomeuncertaintyastoMrs。Mandel\'squalityandauthority，shedidnotfeelherselfjustifiedingoingfurther。 ButifshedidnotknowaboutMrs。Mandel，Mrs。Mandelseemedtoknowabouther。\"Oh，well，do!\"shesaid，withasortofrecognitionoftheproprietyofhercaution。\"IhopeyouarefeelingalittleathomeinNewYork。Weheardsomuchofyourtroubleingettingaflat，fromMr。 Fulkerson。\" \"Well，atrueBostoniandoesn\'tgiveupquitesosoon，\"saidMrs。March。 \"ButIwillsayNewYorkdoesn\'tseemsofaraway，nowwe\'rehere。\" \"I\'msureyou\'lllikeit。Everyonedoes。\"Mrs。MandeladdedtoMarch，\"It\'sverysharpout，isn\'tit?\" \"Rathersharp。ButafterourBostonwintersIdon\'tknowbutIoughttorepudiatetheword。\" \"Ah，waittillyouhavebeenherethroughMarch!\"saidMrs。Mandel。Shebeganwithhim，butskillfullytransferredthecloseofherremark，andthelittlesmileofmenacethatwentwithit，tohiswife。 \"Yes，\"saidMrs。March，\"orApril，either:Talkaboutoureastwinds!\" \"Oh，I\'msuretheycan\'tbeworsethanourwinds，\"Mrs。Mandelreturned，caressingly。 \"IfweescapeNewYorkpneumonia，\"Marchlaughed，\"itwillonlybetofallapreytoNewYorkmalariaassoonasthefrostisoutoftheground。\" \"Oh，butyouknow，\"saidMrs。Mandel，\"Ithinkourmalariahasreallybeenslanderedalittle。It\'smoreamatterofdrainage——ofplumbing。 Idon\'tbelieveitwouldbepossibleformalariatogetintothishouse，we\'vehaditgoneoversothoroughly。\" Mrs。Marchsaid，whileshetriedtodivineMrs。Mandel\'spositionfromthisstatement，\"It\'scertainlythefirstduty。\" \"IfMrs。Marchcouldhavehadherway，weshouldhavehadthedrainageofourwholewardputinorder，\"saidherhusband，\"beforeweventuredtotakeafurnishedapartmentforthewinter。\" Mrs。MandellookeddiscreetlyatMrs。Marchforpermissiontolaughatthis，butatthesamemomentbothladiesbecamepreoccupiedwithasecondrustlingonthestairs。 Twotall，well-dressedyounggirlscamein，andMrs。Mandelintroduced，\"MissDryfoos，Mrs。March；andMissMelaDryfoos，Mr。March，\"sheadded，andthegirlsshookhandsintheirseveralwayswiththeMarches。 MissDryfooshadkeenblackeyes，andherhairwasintenselyblack。Herface，butfortheslightinwardcurveofthenose，wasregular，andthesmallnessofhernoseandofhermouthdidnotweakenherface，butgaveitacuriouseffectoffierceness，ofchallenge。Shehadalargeblackfaninherhand，whichshewavedintalking，withaslow，watchfulnervousness。Hersisterwasblonde，andhadaprofilelikeherbrother\'s；butherchinwasnotsosalient，andtheweaklookofthemouthwasnotcorrectedbythespiritualityorthefervorofhiseyes，thoughherswereofthesamemottledblue。ShedroppedintothelowseatbesideMrs。Mandel，andintertwinedherfingerswiththoseofthehandwhichMrs。Mandelletherhave。ShesmiledupontheMarches，whileMissDryfooswatchedthemintensely，withhereyesfirstononeandthenontheother，asifshedidnotmeantoletanyexpressionoftheirsescapeher。 \"Mymotherwillbedowninaminute，\"shesaidtoMrs。March。 \"Ihopewe\'renotdisturbingher。Itissogoodofyoutoletuscomeintheevening，\"Mrs。Marchreplied。 \"Oh，notatall，\"saidthegirl。\"Wereceiveintheevening。\" \"Whenwedoreceive，\"MissMelaputin。\"Wedon\'talwaysgetthechanceto。\"Shebeganalaugh，whichshecheckedatasmilefromMrs。Mandel，whichnoonecouldhaveseentobereproving。 MissDryfooslookeddownatherfan，andlookedupdefiantlyatMrs。 March。\"Isupposeyouhavehardlygotsettled。Wewereafraidwewoulddisturbyouwhenwecalled。\" \"Ohno!Wewereverysorrytomissyourvisit。Wearequitesettledinournewquarters。Ofcourse，it\'sallverydifferentfromBoston。\" \"Ihopeit\'smoreofasociableplacethere，\"MissMelabrokeinagain。 \"IneversawsuchanunsociableplaceasNewYork。We\'vebeeninthishousethreemonths，andIdon\'tbelievethatifwestayedthreeyearsanyoftheneighborswouldcall。\" \"Ifancyproximitydoesn\'tcountformuchinNewYork，\"Marchsuggested。 Mrs。Mandelsaid:\"That\'swhatItellMissMela。Butsheisaverysocialnature，andcan\'treconcileherselftothefact。\" \"No，Ican\'t，\"thegirlpouted。\"IthinkitwastwiceasmuchfuninMoffitt。IwishIwastherenow。\" \"Yes，\"saidMarch，\"Ithinkthere\'sagreatdealmoreenjoymentinthosesmallerplaces。There\'snotsomuchgoingoninthewayofpublicamusements，andsopeoplemakemoreofoneanother。Therearenotsomanyconcerts，theatres，operas——\" \"Oh，they\'vegotasplendidopera-houseinMoffitt。It\'sjustgrand，\" saidMissMela。 \"Haveyoubeentotheoperahere，thiswinter?\"Mrs。Marchaskedoftheeldergirl。 Shewasglaringwithafrownathersister，anddetachedhereyesfromherwithaneffort。\"Whatdidyousay?\"shedemanded，withanabsentbluntness。\"Ohyes。Yes!Wewentonce。FathertookaboxattheMetropolitan。\" \"ThenyougotagooddoseofWagner，Isuppose?\"saidMarch。 \"What?\"askedthegirl。 \"Idon\'tthinkMissDryfoosisveryfondofWagner\'smusic，\"Mrs。Mandelsaid。\"IbelieveyouareallgreatWagneritesinBoston?\" \"I\'maverybadBostonian，Mrs。Mandel。IsuspectmyselfofpreferringVerdi，\"Marchanswered。 MissDryfooslookeddownatherfanagain，andsaid，\"Ilike\'Trovatore\' thebest。\" \"It\'sanoperaInevergettiredof，\"saidMarch，andMrs。MarchandMrs: Mandelexchangedasmileofcompassionforhissimplicity。Hedetectedit，andadded:\"ButIdaresayIshallcomedownwiththeWagnerfeverintime。I\'vebeenexposedtosomemalignantcasesofit。\" \"Thatnightwewerethere，\"saidMissMela，\"theyhadtoturnthegasdownallthroughonepartofit，andthepaperssaidtheladieswereawfulmadbecausetheycouldn\'tshowtheirdiamonds。Idon\'twonder，iftheyallhadtopayasmuchfortheirboxesaswedid。Wehadtopaysixtydollars。\"ShelookedattheMarchesfortheirsensationatthisexpense。 Marchsaid:\"Well，IthinkIshalltakemyboxbythemonth，then。Itmustcomecheaper，wholesale。\" \"Ohno，itdon\'t，\"saidthegirl，gladtoinformhim。\"Thepeoplethatowntheirboxes，andthathadtogivefifteenortwentythousanddollarsapieceforthem，havetopaysixtydollarsanightwheneverthere\'saperformance，whethertheygoornot。\" \"ThenIshouldgoeverynight，\"Marchsaid。 \"Mostoftheladieswerelowneck——\" Marchinterposed，\"Well，Ishouldn\'tgolow-neck。\" Thegirlbrokeintoafondlyapprovinglaughathisdrolling。\"Oh，I guessyoulovetotrain!Usgirlswantedtogolowneck，too；butfathersaidweshouldn\'t，andmothersaidifwedidshewouldn\'tcometothefrontoftheboxonce。Well，shedidn\'t，anyway。Wemightjustaswell\'a\'gonelowneck。Shestayedbackthewholetime，andwhentheyhadthatdance——theballet，youknow——shejustshuthereyes。Well，Conraddidn\'tlikethatpartmuch，either；butusgirlsandMrs。Mandel，webrazeneditoutrightinthefrontofthebox。Wewereabouttheonlyonestherethatwenthighneck。Conradhadtowearaswallow-tail； butfatherhadn\'tany，andhehadtopatchoutwithawhitecravat。 Youcouldn\'tseewhathehadoninthebacko\'thebox，anyway。\" Mrs。MarchlookedatMissDryfoos，whowaswavingherfanmoreandmoreslowlyupanddown，andwho，whenshefeltherselflookedat，returnedMrs。March\'ssmile，whichshemeanttobeingratiatingandperhapssympathetic，withaflashthatmadeherstart，andthenranherfierceeyesoverMarch\'sface。\"Herecomesmother，\"shesaid，withasortofbreathlessness，asifspeakingherthoughtaloud，andthroughtheopendoortheMarchescouldseetheoldladyonthestairs。 Shepausedhalf-waydown，andturning，calledup:\"Coonrod!Coonrod! Youbringmyshawldownwithyou。\" HerdaughterMelacalledouttoher，\"Now，mother，Christine\'llgiveittoyoufornotsendingMike。\" \"Well，Idon\'tknowwhereheis，Mely，child，\"themotheransweredback。 \"Heain\'tneveraroundwhenhe\'swanted，andwhenheain\'t，itseemslikeabodycouldn\'tgitshetofhim，nohow。\" \"Well，yououghttoringforhim!\"criedMissMela，enjoyingthejoke。 Hermothercameinwithaslowstep；herheadshookslightlyasshelookedabouttheroom，perhapsfromnervousness，perhapsfromatouchofpalsy。IneithercasethefacthadapathoswhichMrs。Marchconfessedintheaffectionwithwhichshetookherhard，dry，large，oldhandwhenshewasintroducedtoher，andinthesinceritywhichsheputintothehopethatshewaswell。 \"I\'mjustmiddlin\'，\"Mrs。Dryfoosreplied。\"Iain\'tneversowell，nowadays。ItellfawtherIdon\'tbelieveitagreeswithmeverywellhere，buthesaysI\'llgitusedtoit。He\'sawaynow，outatMoffitt，\" shesaidtoMarch，andwaveredonfootamomentbeforeshesankintoachair。Shewasatallwoman，whohadbeenabeautifulgirl，andhergrayhairhadamemoryofblondenessinitlikeLindau\'s，Marchnoticed。Sheworeasimplesilkgown，ofaQuakerlygray，andsheheldahandkerchieffoldedsquare，asithadcomefromthelaundress。SomethingliketheSabbathquietofalittlewoodenmeeting-houseinthickWesternwoodsexpresseditselftohimfromherpresence。 \"Laws，mother!\"saidMissMela；\"whatyougotthatoldthingonfor?IfI\'d\'a\'knownyou\'d\'a\'comedowninthat!\" \"Coonrodsaiditwasallright，Mely，\"saidhermother。 MissMelaexplainedtotheMarches:\"MotherwasraisedamongtheDunkards，andshethinksit\'swickedtowearanythingbutagraysilkevenfordress-up。\" \"Youhain\'tneverhearedo\'theDunkards，Ireckon，\"theoldwomansaidtoMrs。March。\"Somefolkscalls\'emtheBeardyMen，becausetheydon\'tnevershave；andtheywashfeetliketheydointheTestament。Myunclewasone。Heraisedme。\" \"Iguessprettymucheverybody\'saBeardyMannowadays，ifheain\'taDunkard!\" MissMelalookedroundforapplauseofhersally，butMarchwassayingtohiswife:\"It\'saPennsylvaniaGermansect，Ibelieve——somethingliketheQuakers。IusedtoseethemwhenIwasaboy。\" \"Aren\'ttheysomethingliketheMennists?\"askedMrs。Mandel。 \"They\'regoodpeople，\"saidtheoldwoman，\"andtheworld\'dbeaheapbetteroffiftherewasmorelike\'em。\" Hersoncameinandlaidasoftshawloverhershouldersbeforeheshookhandswiththevisitors。\"Iamgladyoufoundyourwayhere，\"hesaidtothem。 Christine，whohadbeenbendingforwardoverherfan，nowliftedherselfupwithasighandleanedbackinherchair。 \"I\'msorrymyfatherisn\'there，\"saidtheyoungmantoMrs。March。 \"He\'snevermetyouyet?\" \"No；andIshouldliketoseehim。Wehearagreatdealaboutyourfather，youknow，fromMr。Fulkerson。\" \"Oh，Ihopeyoudon\'tbelieveeverythingMr。Fulkersonsaysaboutpeople，\"Melacried。\"He\'sthegreatestpersonforcarryingonwhenhegetsgoingIeversaw。ItmakesChristinejustasmadwhenhimandmothergetstotalkingaboutreligion；shesayssheknowshedon\'tcareanythingmoreaboutitthanthemaninthemoon。Ireckonhedon\'ttryitonmuchwithfather。\" \"Yourfawtherain\'teverbeenaperfessor，\"hermotherinterposed；\"buthe\'salwaysbeenagoodchurch-goin\'man。\" \"NotsincewecometoNewYork，\"retortedthegirl。 \"He\'sbeenallbrokeupsincehecometoNewYork，\"saidtheoldwoman，withanaggrievedlook。