第11章

\"Now，Conrad，here，\"saidtheoldman，withasortofpatheticrancor，\"wouldratherhavethegloryalone。Ibelievehedon\'tevencaremuchforyourkindofglory，either，Mr。Fulkerson。\" FulkersonranhislittleeyescuriouslyoverConrad\'sfaceandthenMarch\'s，asifsearchingforatracethereofsomethinggonebeforewhichwouldenablehimtoreachDryfoos\'swholemeaning。Heapparentlyresolvedtolaunchhimselfuponconjecture。\"Oh，well，weknowhowConradfeelsaboutthethingsofthisworld，anyway。Ishouldliketotake\'emontheplaneofanothersphere，too，sometimes；butInoticedagoodwhileagothatthiswastheworldIwasborninto，andsoImadeupmymindthatIwoulddoprettymuchwhatIsawtherestofthefolksdoingherebelow。AndIcan\'tseebutwhatConradrunsthethingonbusinessprinciplesinhisdepartment，andIguessyou\'llfinditsoifyoulookintoit。Iconsiderthatwe\'reawholeteamandbigdogunderthewagonwithyoutodrawonforsupplies，andMarch，here，attheheadoftheliterarybusiness，andConradinthecounting-room，andmetodotheheavylyingintheadvertisingpart。Oh，andBeaton，ofcourse，intheart。I\'mostforgotBeaton——HamletwithHamletleftout。\" Dryfooslookedacrossathisson。\"Wasn\'tthatthefellow\'snamethatwastherelastnight?\" \"Yes，\"saidConrad。 Theoldmanrose。\"Well，IreckonIgottobegoing。Youreadytogoup-town，Conrad?\" \"Well，notquiteyet，father。\" TheoldmanshookhandswithMarch，andwentdownstairs，followedbyhisson。 Fulkersonremained。 \"Hedidn\'tjumpatthechanceyougavehimtocomplimentusallround，Fulkerson，\"saidMarch，withasmilenotwhollyofpleasure。 Fulkersonasked，withaslittlejoyinthegrinhehadon，\"Didn\'thesayanythingtoyoubeforeIcamein?\" \"Notaword。\" \"DoggedifIknowwhattomakeofit，\"sighedFulkerson，\"butIguesshe\'sbeenhavingatalkwithConradthat\'ssouredonhim。Ireckonmaybehecamebackexpectingtofindthatboyreconciledtothegloryofthisworld，andConrad\'sshowedhimselfjustassetagainstitasever。\" \"Itmighthavebeenthat，\"Marchadmitted，pensively。\"Ifanciedsomethingofthekindmyselffromwordstheoldmanletdrop。\" Fulkersonmadehimexplain，andthenhesaid: \"That\'sit，then；andit\'sallright。Conrad\'llcomeroundintime；andallwe\'vegottodoistohavepatiencewiththeoldmantillhedoes。 Iknowhelikesyou。\"Fulkersonaffirmedthisonlyinterrogatively，andlookedsoanxiouslytoMarchforcorroborationthatMarchlaughed。 \"Hedissembledhislove，\"hesaid；butafterward，indescribingtohiswifehisinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos，hewaslessamusedwiththisfact。 Whenshesawthathewasalittlecastdownbyit，shebegantoencouragehim。\"He\'sjustacommon，ignorantman，andprobablydidn\'tknowhowtoexpresshimself。Youmaybeperfectlysurethathe\'sdelightedwiththesuccessofthemagazine，andthatheunderstandsaswellasyoudothatheowesitalltoyou。\" \"Ah，I\'mnotsosure。Idon\'tbelieveaman\'sanybetterforhavingmademoneysoeasilyandrapidlyasDryfooshasdone，andIdoubtifhe\'sanywiser。Idon\'tknowjustthepointhe\'sreachedinhisevolutionfromgrubtobeetle，butIdoknowthatsofarasit\'sgonetheprocessmusthaveinvolvedabewilderingchangeofidealsandcriterions。Iguesshe\'scometodespiseagreatmanythingsthatheoncerespected，andthatintellectualabilityisamongthem——whatwecallintellectualability。 Hemusthaveundergoneamoraldeterioration，anatrophyofthegenerousinstincts，andIdon\'tseewhyitshouldn\'thavereachedhismentalmake- up。Hehassharpened，buthehasnarrowed；hissagacityhasturnedintosuspicion，hiscautiontomeanness，hiscouragetoferocity。That\'sthewayIphilosophizeamanofDryfoos\'sexperience，andIamnotveryproudwhenIrealizethatsuchamanandhisexperiencearetheidealandambitionofmostAmericans。Iratherthinktheycameprettynearbeingmine，once。\" \"No，dear，theyneverdid，\"hiswifeprotested。 \"Well，they\'renotlikelytobeinthefuture。TheDryfoosfeatureof\'EveryOtherWeek\'isthoroughlydistastefultome。\" \"Why，buthehasn\'treallygotanythingtodowithit，hashe，beyondfurnishingthemoney?\" \"That\'stheimpressionthatFulkersonhasallowedustoget。Butthemanthatholdsthepurseholdsthereins。Hemayletusguidethehorse，butwhenhelikeshecandrive。Ifwedon\'tlikehisdriving，thenwecangetdown。\" Mrs。Marchwaslessinterestedinthisfigureofspeechthaninthepersonalaspectsinvolved。\"ThenyouthinkMr。Fulkersonhasdeceivedyou?\" \"Ohno!\"saidherhusband，laughing。\"ButIthinkhehasdeceivedhimself，perhaps。\" \"How?\"shepursued。 \"HemayhavethoughthewasusingDryfoos，whenDryfooswasusinghim，andhemayhavesupposedhewasnotafraidofhimwhenhewasverymuchso。Hiscouragehadn\'tbeenputtothetest，andcourageisamatterofproof，likeproficiencyonthefiddle，youknow:youcan\'ttellwhetheryou\'vegotittillyoutry。\" \"Nonsense!DoyoumeanthathewouldeversacrificeyoutoMr。Dryfoos?\" \"Ihopehemaynotbetempted。ButI\'dratherbetakingthechanceswithFulkersonalonethanwithFulkersonandDryfoostobackhim。Dryfoosseems，somehow，totakethepoetryandthepleasureoutofthething。\" Mrs。Marchwasalongtimesilent。Thenshebegan，\"Well，mydear，I neverwantedtocometoNewYork——\" \"NeitherdidI，\"Marchpromptlyputin。 \"Butnowthatwe\'rehere，\"shewenton，\"I\'mnotgoingtohaveyoulettingeverylittlethingdiscourageyou。Idon\'tseewhattherewasinMr。Dryfoos\'smannertogiveyouanyanxiety。He\'sjustacommon，stupid，inarticulatecountryperson，andhedidn\'tknowhowtoexpresshimself，asIsaidinthebeginning，andthat\'sthereasonhedidn\'tsayanything。\" \"Well，Idon\'tdenyyou\'rerightaboutit。\" \"It\'sdreadful，\"hiswifecontinued，\"tobemixedupwithsuchamanandhisfamily，butIdon\'tbelievehe\'llevermeddlewithyourmanagement，and，tillhedoes，allyouneeddoistohaveaslittletodowithhimaspossible，andgoquietlyonyourownway。\" \"Oh，Ishallgoonquietlyenough，\"saidMarch。\"IhopeIsha\'n\'tbegingoingstealthily。\" \"Well，mydear，\"saidMrs。March，\"justletmeknowwhenyou\'retemptedtodothat。Ifeveryousacrificethesmallestgrainofyourhonestyoryourself-respecttoMr。Dryfoos，oranybodyelse，Iwillsimplyrenounceyou。\" \"InviewofthatI\'mrathergladthemanagementof\'EveryOtherWeek\' involvestastesandnotconvictions，\"saidMarch。 III。 ThatnightDryfooswaswakenedfromhisafter-dinnernapbythesoundofgaytalkandnervousgigglinginthedrawing-room。Thetalk，whichwasChristine\'s，andthegiggling，whichwasMela\'s，wereintershotwiththeheaviertonesofaman\'svoice；andDryfooslayawhileontheleathernloungeinhislibrary，tryingtomakeoutwhetherheknewthevoice。Hiswifesatinadeepchairbeforethefire，withhereyesonhisface，waitingforhimtowake。 \"Whoisthatoutthere?\"heasked，withoutopeninghiseyes。 \"Indeed，indeed，Idon\'tknow，Jacob，\"hiswifeanswered。\"Ireckonit\'sjustsomevisitorofthegirls\'。\" \"WasIsnoring?\" \"Notabit。Youwassleepingasquiet!Ididhatetohave\'emwakeyou，andIwasjustgoin\'outtoshoothem。They\'vebeenplayin\'something，andthatmadethemlaugh。\" \"Ididn\'tknowbutIhadsnored，\"saidtheoldman，sittingup。 \"No，\"saidhiswife。Thensheasked，wistfully，\"Wasyououtattheoldplace，Jacob?\" \"Yes。\" \"Diditlooknatural?\" \"Yes；mostly。They\'resinkingthewellsdowninthewoodspasture。\" \"And——thechildren\'sgraves?\" \"Theyhaven\'ttouchedthatpart。ButIreckonwegottohave\'emmovedtothecemetery。Iboughtalot。\" Theoldwomanbegansoftlytoweep。\"Itdoesseemtoohardthattheycan\'tbelettorestinpeace，porelittlethings。Iwantedyouandmetolaythere，too，whenourtimecome，Jacob。Justthere，backo\'thebeehivesandunderthemshoomakes——my，Icanseetheveryplace!AndI don\'tbelieveI\'lleverfeelathomeanywhereselse。Iwoon\'tknowwhereIamwhenthetrumpetsounds。IhavetothinkbeforeIcantellwheretheeastisinNewYork；andwhatifIshouldgitfacedthewrongwaywhenIraise?Jacob，Iwonderyoucouldsellit!\"Herheadshook，andthefirelightshoneonhertearsasshesearchedthefoldsofherdressforherpocket。 Apealoflaughtercamefromthedrawing-room，andthenthesoundofchordsstruckonthepiano。 \"Hush!Don\'tyoucry，\'Liz\'beth!\"saidDryfoos。\"Here；takemyhandkerchief。I\'vegotanicelotinthecemetery，andI\'mgoin\'tohaveamonument，withtwolambsonit——liketheoneyoualwayslikedsomuch。 Itain\'tthefashion，anymore，tohavefamilyburyin\'grounds；they\'recollectin\'\'emintothecemeteries，allround。\" \"IreckonIgottobearit，\"saidhiswife，mufflingherfaceinhishandkerchief。\"AndIsupposetheLordkinfindme，whereverIam。ButI alwaysdidwanttolayjustthere。Youmindhowweusedtogooutandsetthere，aftermilkin\'，andwatchthesungodown，andtalkaboutwheretheirangelswas，andtrytofiggeritout?\" \"Iremember，\'Liz\'beth。\" Theman\'svoiceinthedrawing-roomsangasnatchofFrenchsong，insolent，mocking，salient；andthenChristine\'sattemptedthesamestrain，andanothercryoflaughterfromMelafollowed。 \"Well，Ialwaysdidexpecttolaythere。ButIreckonit\'sallright。 Itwon\'tbeagreatwhile，now，anyway。Jacob，Idon\'tbelieveI\'ma- goin\'toliveverylong。Iknowitdon\'tagreewithmehere。\" \"Oh，Iguessitdoes，\'Liz\'beth。You\'rejustalittlepulleddownwiththeweather。It\'scomingspring，andyoufeelit；butthedoctorsaysyou\'reallright。Istoppedin，onthewayup，andhesaysso。\" \"Ireckonhedon\'tknoweverything，\"theoldwomanpersisted:\"I\'vebeenrunnin\'downeversinceweleftMoffitt，andIdidn\'tfeelanytoowellthere，even。It\'saverystrangething，Jacob，thatthericheryougit，thelessyouain\'tabletostaywhereyouwantto，deadoralive。\" \"It\'sforthechildrenwedoit，\"saidDryfoos。\"Wegottogivethemtheirchanceintheworld。\" \"Oh，theworld!Theyoughttobeartheyokeintheiryouth，likewedone。Iknowit\'swhatCoonrodwouldliketodo。\" Dryfoosgotuponhisfeet。\"IfCoonrod\'llmindhisownbusiness，anddowhatIwanthimto，he\'llhaveyokeenoughtobear。\"Hemovedfromhiswife，withoutfurtherefforttocomforther，andpotteredheavilyoutintothedining-room。Beyonditsobscuritystretchedtheglitterofthedeepdrawing-room。Hisfeet，intheirbroad；flatslippers，madenosoundonthedensecarpet，andhecameunseenuponthelittlegrouptherenearthepiano。Melapercheduponthestoolwithherbacktothekeys，andBeatonbentoverChristine，whosatwithabanjoinherlap，lettinghimtakeherhandsandputthemintherightplaceontheinstrument。 Herfacewasradiantwithhappiness，andMelawaswatchingherwithfoolish，unselfishpleasureinherbliss。 TherewasnothingwrongintheaffairtoamanofDryfoos\'straditionsandperceptions，andifithadbeenathomeinthefarmsitting-room，oreveninhisparloratMoffitt，hewouldnothavemindedayoungman\'splacinghisdaughter\'shandsonabanjo，orevenholdingthemthere； itwouldhaveseemedaproper，attentionfromhimifhewascourtingher。 Buthere，insuchahouseasthis，withthedaughterofamanwhohadmadeasmuchmoneyashehad，hedidnotknowbutitwasaliberty。 Hefelttheangrydoubtofitwhichbesethiminregardtosomanyexperiencesofhischangedlife；hewantedtoshowhissenseofit，ifitwasaliberty，buthedidnotknowhow，andhedidnotknowthatitwasso。Besides，hecouldnothelpatouchofthepleasureinChristine\'shappinesswhichMelashowed；andhewouldhavegonebacktothelibrary，ifhecould，withoutbeingdiscovered。 ButBeatonhadseenhim，andDryfoos，withanonchalantnodtotheyoungman，cameforward。\"Whatyougotthere，Christine?\" \"Abanjo，\"saidthegirl，blushinginherfather\'spresence。 Melagurgled。\"Mr。Beatonislearnun\'herthefirstposition。\" Beatonwasnotembarrassed。Hewasineveningdress，andhisface，pointedwithitsbrownbeard，showedextremelyhandsomeabovetheexpanseofhisbroad，whiteshirt-front。Hegavebackasnonchalantanodashehadgot，and，withoutfurthergreetingtoDryfoos，hesaidtoChristine: \"No，no。Youmustkeepyourhandandarmso。\"Heheldtheminposition。 \"There!Nowstrikewithyourrighthand。See?\" \"Idon\'tbelieveIcaneverlearn，\"saidthegirl，withafondupwardlookathim。 \"Ohyes，youcan，\"saidBeaton。 TheybothignoredDryfoosinthelittleplayofprotestswhichfollowed，andhesaid，halfjocosely，halfsuspiciously，\"Andisthebanjothefashion，now?\"Heremembereditastheemblemoflow-downshowbusiness，andassociateditwithend-menandblackenedfacesandgrotesqueshirt- collars。 \"It\'salltherage，\"Melashouted，inanswerforall。\"Everybodyplaysit。Mr。Beatonborrowedthisfromaladyfriendofhis。\" \"Humph!PityIgotyouapiano，then，\"saidDryfoos。\"Abanjowouldhavebeencheaper。\" Beatonsofaradmittedhimtotheconversationastoseemremindedofthepianobyhismentioningit。HesaidtoMela，\"Oh，won\'tyoujuststrikethosechords?\"andasMelawheeledaboutandbeatthekeyshetookthebanjofromChristineandsatdownwithit。\"Thisway!\"Hestrummedit，andmurmuredthetuneDryfooshadheardhimsingingfromthelibrary，whilehekepthisbeautifuleyesfloatingonChristine\'s。\"Youtrythat，now；it\'sverysimple。\" \"WhereisMrs。Mandel?\"Dryfoosdemanded，tryingtoasserthimself。 NeitherofthegirlsseemedtohaveheardhimatfirstinthechattertheybrokeintooverwhatBeatonproposed。ThenMelasaid，absently，\"Oh，shehadtogoouttoseeoneofherfriendsthat\'ssick，\"andshestruckthepianokeys。\"Come；tryit，Chris!\" Dryfoosturnedaboutunheededandwentbacktothelibrary。HewouldhavelikedtoputBeatonoutofhishouse，andinhisheartheburnedagainsthimasacontumacioushand；hewouldhavelikedtodischargehimfromtheartdepartmentof\'EveryOtherWeek\'atonce。ButhewasawareofnothavingtreatedBeatonwithmuchceremony，andiftheyoungmanhadreturnedhisbehaviorinkind，withanelectricalresponsetohisownfeeling，hadheanyrighttocomplain?Afterall，therewasnoharminhisteachingChristinethebanjo。 Hiswifestillsatlookingintothefire。\"Ican\'tsee，\"shesaid，\"aswe\'vegotabitmorecomfortofourlives，Jacob，becausewe\'vegotsuchpilesandpilesofmoney。Iwishttograciouswewasbackonthefarmthisminute。Iwishtyouhadheldoutag\'instthechildernaboutsellin\'it；\'twould\'a\'binthebestthingfur\'em，Isay。Ibelieveinmysoulthey\'llgitspoiledhereinNewYork。Ikinseeachangein\'ema\'ready——inthegirls。\" Dryfoosstretchedhimselfontheloungeagain。\"Ican\'tseeasCoonrodismuchcomfort，either。Whyain\'theherewithhissisters?WhatdoesallthatworkofhisontheEastSideamountto?Itseemsasifhedoneittocrossme，asmuchasanything。\"Dryfooscomplainedtohiswifeonthebasisofmereaffectionalhabit，whichinmarriedlifeoftensurvivesthesenseofintellectualequality。Hedidnotexpecthertoreasonwithhim，buttherewashelpinherlistening，andthoughshecouldonlysoothehisfretfulnesswithsoftanswerswhichwereoftenwideofthepurpose，hestillwenttoherforsolace。\"Here，I\'vegoneintothisnewspaperbusiness，orwhateveritis，onhisaccount，andhedon\'tseemanymoresatisfiedthanever。Icanseehehain\'tgothisheartinit。\" \"Theporeboytries；Iknowhedoes，Jacob；andhewantstopleaseyou。 Buthegiveupagooddealwhenhegiveupbein\'apreacher；Is\'poseweoughttorememberthat。\" \"Apreacher!\"sneeredDryfoos。\"Ireckonbein\'apreacherwouldn\'tsatisfyhimnow。Hehadtheimpudencetotellmethisafternoonthathewouldliketobeapriest；andhethrewituptomethathenevercouldbebecauseI\'dkepthimfromstudyin\'。\" \"Hedon\'tmeanaCatholicpriest——notaRomanone，Jacob，\"theoldwomanexplained，wistfully。\"He\'stoldmeallaboutit。Theyain\'tthekindo\'Catholicswebeenusedto；somesortof\'Piscopalians；andtheydoaheapo\'goodamongstthepoorfolksoverthere。Hesaysweain\'tgotanyideahowfolkslivesinthemtenementhouses，hundredsof\'eminonehouse，andwholefamiliesinaroom；anditburnsinhishearttohelp\'emlikethemFathers，asbecalls\'em，thatgivestheirlivestoit。 Hecan\'tbeaFather，hesays，becausehecan\'tgittheeddicationnow； buthecanbeaBrother；andIcan\'tfindawordtosayag\'instit，whenitgitstotalkin\'，Jacob。\" \"Iain\'tsayinganythingagainsthispriests，\'Liz\'beth，\"saidDryfoos。 \"They\'reallwellenoughintheirway；they\'vegivenuptheirlivestoit，andit\'samatterofbusinesswiththem，likeanyother。ButwhatI\'mtalkingaboutnowisCoonrod。Idon\'tobjecttohisdoin\'allthecharityhewantsto，andtheLordknowsI\'veneverbeenstingywithhimaboutit。Hemighthaveallthemoneyhewants，togiveroundanywayhepleases。\" \"That\'swhatItoldhimonce，buthesaysmoneyain\'tthething——ornottheonlythingyougottogivetothempoorfolks。Yougottogiveyourtimeandyourknowledgeandyourlove——Idon\'tknowwhatallyougottogiveyourself，ifyouexpecttohelp\'em。That\'swhatCoonrodsays。\" \"Well，Icantellhimthatcharitybeginsathome，\"saidDryfoos，sittingupinhisimpatience。\"Andhe\'dbettergivehimselftousalittle——tohisoldfatherandmother。Andhissisters。What\'shedoin\'goin\'offtheretohismeetings，andIdon\'tknowwhatall，an\'leavin\'themherealone?\" \"Why，ain\'tMr。Beatonwith\'em?\"askedtheoldwoman。\"IthoughtI hearedhisvoice。\" \"Mr。Beaton!Ofcourseheis!Andwho\'sMr。Beaton，anyway?\" \"Why，ain\'theoneofthemeninCoonrod\'soffice?IthoughtIheared——\" \"Yes，heis!Butwhoishe?What\'shedoingroundhere?Ishemakin\' uptoChristine?\" \"Ireckonheis。FromMely\'stalk，she\'saboutcrazyoverthefellow。 Don\'tyoulikehim，Jacob?\" \"Idon\'tknowhim，orwhatheis。Hehasn\'tgotanymanners。Whobroughthimhere?How\'dhecometocome，inthefirstplace?\" \"Mr。Fulkersonbrunghim，Ibelieve，\"saidtheoldwoman，patiently。 \"Fulkerson!\"Dryfoossnorted。\"Where\'sMrs。Mandel，Ishouldliketoknow?Hebroughther，too。Doesshegotraipsin\'offthiswayeveryevening?\" \"No，sheseemstobehereprettyregularmosto\'thetime。Idon\'tknowhowwecouldevergitalongwithouther，Jacob；sheseemstoknowjustwhattodo，andthegirlswouldbetentimesasoutbreakin\'withouther。 Ihopeyouain\'tthinkin\'o\'turnin\'heroff，Jacob?\" Dryfoosdidnotthinkitnecessarytoanswersuchaquestion。\"It\'sallFulkerson，Fulkerson，Fulkerson。ItseemstomethatFulkersonaboutrunsthisfamily。HebroughtMrs。Mandel，andhebroughtthatBeaton，andhebroughtthatBostonfellow!IguessIgivehimadose，though； andI\'lllearnFulkersonthathecan\'thaveeverythinghisownway。I don\'twantanybodytohelpmespendmymoney。Imadeit，andIcanmanageit。IguessMr。Fulkersoncanbearalittlewatchingnow。He\'sbeentravellingprettyfree，andhe\'sgotthenotionhe\'sdriving，maybe。 I\'ma-goingtolookafterthatbookalittlemyself。\" \"You\'llkillyourself，Jacob，\"saidhiswife，\"tryin\'todosomanythings。Andwhatisitallfur?Idon\'tseeaswe\'rebetteroff，any，forallthemoney。It\'sjustasmuchcareasitusedtobewhenwewasallthereonthefarmtogether。Iwishtwecouldgoback，Ja——\" \"Wecan\'tgoback!\"shoutedtheoldman，fiercely。\"There\'snofarmanymoretogobackto。Thefieldsisfullofgas-wellsandoil-wellsandhell-holesgenerally；thehouseistoredown，andthebarn\'sgoin\'——\" \"Thebarn!\"gaspedtheoldwoman。\"Oh，my!\" \"IfIwastogiveallI\'mworththisminute，wecouldn\'tgobacktothefarm，anymorethanthemgirlsintherecouldgobackandbelittlechildren。Idon\'tsaywe\'reanybetteroff，forthemoney。I\'vegotmoreofitnowthanIeverhad；andthere\'snoendtotheluck；itpoursin。ButIfeellikeIwastiedhandandfoot。Idon\'tknowwhichwaytomove；Idon\'tknowwhat\'sbesttodoaboutanything。Themoneydon\'tseemtobuyanythingbutmoreandmorecareandtrouble。Wegotabighousethatweain\'tathomein；andwegotalotofhiredgirlsroundunderourfeetthathinderanddon\'thelp。Ourchildrendon\'tmindus，andwegotnofriendsorneighbors。Butithadtobe。Icouldn\'thelpbutsellthefarm，andwecan\'tgobacktoit，foritain\'tthere。Sodon\'tyousayanythingmoreaboutit，\'Liz\'beth。\" \"PoreJacob!\"saidhiswife。\"Well，Iwoon\'t，dear。\" IV ItwascleartoBeatonthatDryfoosdistrustedhim；andthefactheightenedhispleasureinChristine\'slikingforhim。Hewasassureofthisashewasoftheother，thoughhewasnotsosureofanyreasonforhispleasureinit。Shehadhercharm；thecharmofwildnesstowhichacertainwildnessinhimselfresponded；andthereweretimeswhenhisfancycontrivedacommonfutureforthem，whichwouldhaveaprosperityforcedfromtheoldfellow\'sloveofthegirl。Beatonlikedtheideaofthiscompulsionbetterthanhelikedtheideaofthemoney；therewassomethingalittlerepulsiveinthat；heimaginedhimselfrejectingit； healmostwishedhewasenoughinlovewiththegirltomarryherwithoutit；thatwouldbefine。Hewastakenwithherinacertain\'measure，inacertainway；thequestionwasinwhatmeasure，inwhatway。 Itwaspartlytoescapefromthisquestionthathehurrieddown-town，anddecidedtospendwiththeLeightonsthehourremainingonhishandsbeforeitwastimetogotothereceptionforwhichhewasdressed。 ItseemedtohimimportantthatheshouldseeAlmaLeighton。Afterall，itwashercharmthatwasmostabidingwithhim；perhapsitwastobefinal。Hefoundhimselfveryhappyinhispresentrelationswithher。 Shehaddroppedthatbarrierofpretencesandironicalsurprise。Itseemedtohimthattheyhadgonebacktotheoldgroundofcommonartisticinterestwhichhehadfoundsopleasantthesummerbefore。 ApparentlysheandhermotherhadbothforgivenhisneglectoftheminthefirstmonthsoftheirstayinNewYork；hewassurethatMrs。 Leightonlikedhimaswellasever，and，iftherewasstillsomethingalittleprovisionalinAlma\'smannerattimes，itwassomethingthatpiquedmorethanitdiscouraged；itmadehimcurious，notanxious。 HefoundtheyoungladieswithFulkersonwhenherang。Heseemedtobeamusingthemboth，andtheywerebothamusedbeyondthemeritofsosmallapleasantry，Beatonthought，whenFulkersonsaid:\"Introducemyself，Mr。Beaton:Mr。Fulkersonof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'ThinkI\'vemetyouatourplace。\"Thegirlslaughed，andAlmaexplainedthathermotherwasnotverywell，andwouldbesorrynottoseehim。Thensheturned，ashefelt，perversely，andwentontalkingwithFulkersonandlefthimtoMissWoodburn。 Shefinallyrecognizedhisdisappointment:\"Ahdon\'toftengetachanceatyou，Mr。Beaton，andAh\'mjustgoin\'totoakyo\'todeath。Yo\'havebeenSoathyo\'self，andyo\'knowho\'wedotoak。\" \"I\'vesurvivedtosayyes，\"Beatonadmitted。 \"Oh，now，doyouthinkwetoaksomuchmo\'thanyoudointheNo\'th?\" theyoungladydeprecated。 \"Idon\'tknow。Ionlyknowyoucan\'ttalktoomuchforme。IshouldliketohearyousaySoathandhouseandaboutfortherestofmylife。\" \"That\'swhatAhcallraghtpersonal，Mr。Beaton。NowAh\'mgoin\'tobepersonal，too。\"MissWoodburnflungoutoverherlapthesquareofclothshewasembroidering，andaskedhim:\"Don\'tyouthinkthat\'sbeautiful? Now，asanawtust——agreatawtust?\" \"Asagreatawtust，yes，\"saidBeaton，mimickingheraccent。\"IfIwerelessthangreatImighthavesomethingtosayaboutthearrangementofcolors。You\'reasboldandoriginalasNature。\" \"Really?Oh，now，dotellmeyo\'favo\'itecolo\'，Mr。Beaton。\" \"Myfavoritecolor?Blessmysoul，whyshouldIpreferany?Isbluegood，orredwicked?Dopeoplehavefavoritecolors?\"Beatonfoundhimselfsuddenlyinterested。 \"Ofco\'setheydo，\"answeredthegirl。\"Don\'tawtusts?\" \"Ineverheardofonethathad——consciously。\" \"Isitpossible?Isupposedtheyallhad。Nowmahfavo\'itecolo\'isgawnet。Don\'tyouthinkit\'saprettycolo\'?\" \"Itdependsuponhowit\'sused。Doyoumeaninneckties?\"BeatonstoleaglanceattheoneFulkersonwaswearing。 MissWoodburnlaughedwithherfaceboweduponherwrist。\"AhdothinkyougentlemenintheNo\'thawetentahmsaslahvelyastheladies。\" \"Strange，\"saidBeaton。\"IntheSouth——Soath，excuseme!Imadetheobservationthattheladiesweretentimesaslivelyasthegentlemen。 Whatisthatyou\'reworking?\" \"This?\"MissWoodburngaveitanotherflirt，andlookedatitwithaglanceofdawningrecognition。\"Oh，thisisatable-covah。Wouldn\'tyoulahketoseewhereit\'stogo?\" \"Why，certainly。\" \"Well，ifyou\'llberaghtgoodI\'llletyo\'givemesomeprofessionaladvassaboutputtingsomethingintheco\'nersornot，whenyouhaveseenitonthetable。\" Sheroseandledthewayintotheotherroom。Beatonknewshewantedtotalkwithhimaboutsomethingelse；buthewaitedpatientlytoletherplayhercomedyout。Shespreadthecoveronthetable，andheadvisedher，ashesawshewished，againstputtinganythinginthecorners；justrunalineofherstitcharoundtheedge，hesaid。 \"Mr。FulkersonandAh，why，we\'vebeenhavingaregularfaghtaboatit，\" shecommented。\"Butwebothagreed，fahnally，toleaveittoyou；Mr。 Fulkersonsaidyou\'dbesuretoberaght。Ah\'msogladyoutookmahsahde。Buthe\'sagreatadmahrerofyours，Mr。Beaton，\"sheconcluded，demurely，suggestively。 \"Ishe?Well，I\'magreatadmirerofFulkerson，\"saidBeaton，withacapriciouswillingnesstohumorherwishtotalkaboutFulkerson。 \"He\'sacapitalfellow；generous，magnanimous，withquiteanidealoffriendshipandaneyesingletothemainchanceallthetime。Hewouldadvertise\'EveryOtherWeek\'onhisfamilyvault。\" MissWoodburnlaughed，andsaidsheshouldtellhimwhatBeatonhadsaid。 \"Do。Buthe\'susedtodefamationfromme，andhe\'llthinkyou\'rejoking。\" \"Ahsuppose，\"saidMissWoodburn，\"thathe\'squahtethetahpeofaNewYorkbusinessman。\"Sheadded，asifitfollowedlogically，\"He\'ssodifferentfromwhatIthoughtaNewYorkbusinessmanwouldbe。\" \"It\'syourVirginiatraditiontodespisebusiness，\"saidBeaton，rudely。 MissWoodburnlaughedagain。\"Despahseit?Mahgoodness!wewanttogetintoitandwoakitfo\'allit\'swo\'th，\'asMr。Fulkersonsays。Thattraditionisallpast。Youdon\'tknowwhattheSoathisnow。Ahsupposemahfathawdespahsesbusiness，buthe\'satraditionhimself，asAhtellhim。\"Beatonwouldhaveenjoyedjoiningtheyoungladyinanythingshemightbegoingtosayinderogationofherfather，butherestrainedhimself，andshewentonmoreandmoreasifshewishedtoaccountforherfather\'shabitualhauteurwithBeaton，ifnottoexcuseit。\"Ahtellhimhedon\'tunderstandtherisinggeneration。Hewasbroughtupintheoldschool，andhethinkswe\'realljustlahkehewaswhenhewasyoung，withallthoseahdealsofchivalryandfamily；but，mahgoodness!it\'smoneythatcyoantsno\'adaysintheSoath，justlahkeitdoeseverywhereelse。Ahsuppose，ifwecouldhaveslaverybackinthefawmmahfathawthinksitcouldhavebeenbroughtupto，whenthecommercialspiritwouldn\'tletitalone，itwouldbethebestthing；butwecan\'thaveitback，andAhtellhimwehadbetterhavethecommercialspiritasthenextbestthing。\" MissWoodburnwenton，withsufficientloyaltyandpiety，toexposethedifferenceofherownandherfather\'sideals，butwithwhatBeatonthoughtlessreferencetohisownunsympatheticattentionthantoaknowledgefinallyofthepersonnelandmaterielof\'EveryOtherWeek。\' andMr。Fulkerson\'srelationtotheenterprise。\"Youmostexcusemyaskingsomanyquestions，Mr。Beaton。Youknowit\'sallmahdoingthatweaweheahinNewYork。Ahjusttoldmahfathawthatifhewasevahgoin\'todoanythingwithhiswrahtings，hehadgottocomeNo\'th，andAhmadehimcome。Ahbelievehe\'dhavestayedintheSoathallhislahfe。 AndnowMr。Fulkersonwantshimtolethiseditorseesomeofhiswrahtings，andAhwantedtoknowsomethingaboatthemagazine。Weaweagreatdealexcitedaboatitinthishoase，youknow，Mr。Beaton，\"sheconcluded，withalookthatnowtransferredtheinterestfromFulkersontoAlma。Sheledthewaybacktotheroomwheretheyweresitting，andwentuptotriumphoverFulkersonwithBeaton\'sdecisionaboutthetable- cover。 AlmawasleftwithBeatonnearthepiano，andhebegantotalkabouttheDryfoosesashesatdownonthepiano-stool。HesaidhehadbeengivingMissDryfoosalessononthebanjo；hehadborrowedthebanjoofMissVance。ThenhestruckthechordhehadbeentryingtoteachChristine，andplayedovertheairhehadsung。 \"Howdoyoulikethat?\"heasked，whirlinground。 \"Itseemsratheradisrespectfullittletune，somehow，\"saidAlma，placidly。 Beatonrestedhiselbowonthecornerofthepianoandgazeddreamilyather。\"Yourperceptionsarewonderful。Itisdisrespectful。Iplayedit，upthere，becauseIfeltdisrespectfultothem。\" \"Doyouclaimthatasamerit?\" \"No，Istateitasafact。Howcanyourespectsuchpeople?\" \"Youmightrespectyourself，then，\"saidthegirl。\"Orperhapsthatwouldn\'tbesoeasy，either。\" \"No，itwouldn\'t。Iliketohaveyousaythesethingstome，\"saidBeaton，impartially。 \"Well，Iliketosaythem，\"Almareturned。 \"Theydomegood。\" \"Oh，Idon\'tknowthatthatwasmymotive。\" \"Thereisnoonelikeyou——noone，\"saidBeaton，asifapostrophizingherinherabsence。\"Tocomefromthathouse，withitsassertionsofmoney—— youcanhearitchink；youcansmellthefouloldbanknotes；itstiflesyou——intoanatmospherelikethis，islikecomingintoanotherworld。\" \"Thankyou，\"saidAlma。\"I\'mgladthereisn\'tthatunpleasantodorhere； butIwishtherewasalittlemoreofthechinking。\" \"No，no!Don\'tsaythat!\"heimplored。\"Iliketothinkthatthereisonesouluncontaminatedbythesenseofmoneyinthisbig，brutal，sordidcity。\" \"Youmeantwo，\"saidAlma，withmodesty。\"ButifyoustifleattheDryfooses\'，whydoyougothere?\" \"WhydoIgo?\"hemused。\"Don\'tyoubelieveinknowingallthenatures，thetypes，youcan?Thosegirlsareastrangestudy:theyoungoneisasimple，earthlycreature，ascommonasanoat-fieldandtheotherasortofsylvanlife:fierce，flashing，feline——\" Almaburstoutintoalaugh。\"Whataptalliteration!Anddotheylikebeingstudied?Ishouldthinkthesylvanlifemight——scratch。\" \"No，\"saidBeaton，withmelancholyabsence，\"itonly-purrs。\" Thegirlfeltarisingindignation。\"Well，then，Mr。Beaton，Ishouldhopeitwouldscratch，andbite，too。Ithinkyou\'venobusinesstogoaboutstudyingpeople，asyoudo。It\'sabominable。\" \"Goon，\"saidtheyoungman。\"ThatPuritanconscienceofyours! ItappealstotheoldCovenanterstraininme——likeavoiceofpre- existence。Goon——\" \"Oh，ifIwentonIshouldmerelysayitwasnotonlyabominable，butcontemptible。\" \"Youcouldbemyguardianangel，Alma，\"saidtheyoungman，makinghiseyesmoreandmoreslumbrousanddreamy。 \"Stuff!IhopeIhaveasoulabovebuttons!\" Hesmiled，assherose，andfollowedheracrosstheroom。\"Good-night； Mr。Beaton，\"shesaid。 MissWoodburnandFulkersoncameinfromtheotherroom。\"What!You\'renotgoing，Beaton?\" \"Yes；I\'mgoingtoareception。Istoppedinonmyway。\" \"Tokilltime，\"Almaexplained。 \"Well，\"saidFulkerson，gallantly，\"thisisthelastplaceIshouldliketodoit。ButIguessI\'dbetterbegoing，too。Ithassometimesoccurredtomethatthereissuchathingasstayingtoolate。ButwithBrotherBeaton，here，juststartinginforanevening\'samusement，itdoesseemalittleearlyyet。Can\'tyouurgemetostay，somebody?\" Thetwogirlslaughed，andMissWoodburnsaid: \"Mr。Beatonissuchabutterflyoffashion!AhwishAhwasonmahwaytoapawty。Ahfeelquahteenvious。\" \"Buthedidn\'tsayittomakeyou，\"Almaexplained，withmeeksoftness。 \"Well，wecan\'tallbeswells。Whereisyourparty，anyway，Beaton?\" askedFulkerson。\"Howdoyoumanagetogetyourinvitationstothosethings?Isupposeafellowhastokeephintingroundprettylively，Neigh?\" Beatontookthesemockeriesserenely，andshookhandswithMissWoodburn，withtheeffectofhavingalreadyshakenhandswithAlma。Shestoodwithhersclaspedbehindher。 V。 BeatonwentawaywiththesmileonhisfacewhichhehadkeptinlisteningtoFulkerson，andcarrieditwithhimtothereception。 HebelievedthatAlmawasvexedwithhimformorepersonalreasonsthanshehadimplied；itflatteredhimthatsheshouldhaveresentedwhathetoldheroftheDryfooses。Shehadscoldedhimintheirbehalfapparently；butreallybecausehehadmadeherjealousbyhisinterest，ofwhateverkind，insomeoneelse。Whatfollowed，hadfollowednaturally。Unlessshehadbeenquiteasimpletonshecouldnothavemethisprovisionallove-makingonanyotherterms；andthereasonwhyBeatonchieflylikedAlmaLeightonwasthatshewasnotasimpleton。Evenupinthecountry，whenshewasoverawedbyhisacquaintance，atfirst，shewasnotverydeeplyoverawed，andattimesshewasnotoverawedatall。 Atsuchtimessheastonishedhimbytakinghismostsolemnhistrionicswithflippantincredulity，andevenburlesquingthem。Buthecouldsee，allthesame，thathehadcaughtherfancy，andheadmiredtheskillwithwhichshepunishedhisneglectwhentheymetinNewYork。HehadreallycomeverynearforgettingtheLeightons；theintangibleobligationsofmutualkindnesswhichholdsomemensofast，hunglooselyuponhim； itwouldnothavehurthimtobreakfromthemaltogether；butwhenherecognizedthematlast，hefoundthatitstrengthenedthemindefinitelytohaveAlmaignorethemsocompletely。Ifshehadbeensentimental，orsoftlyreproachful，thatwouldhavebeentheend；hecouldnothavestoodit；hewouldhavehadtodropher。Butwhenshemethimonhisownground，andobligedhimtobesentimental，thegamewasinherhands。 Beatonlaughed，now，whenhethoughtofthat，andhesaidtohimselfthatthegirlhadgrownimmenselysinceshehadcometoNewYork；nothingseemedtohavebeenlostuponher；shemusthavekepthereyesuncommonlywideopen。Henoticedthatespeciallyintheirtalksoverherwork；shehadprofitedbyeverythingshehadseenandheard；shehadallofWetmore\'sideaspat；itamusedBeatontoseehowsheseizedeveryusefulwordthathedropped，too，andturnedhimtotechnicalaccountwhenevershecould。Helikedthat；shehadagreatdealoftalent；therewasnoquestionofthat；ifshewereamantherecouldbenoquestionofherfuture。Hebegantoconstructafutureforher；itincludedprovisionforhimself，too；itwasacommonfuture，inwhichtheirlivesandworkwereunited。 HewasfulloftheglowofitsprosperitywhenhemetMargaretVanceatthereception。 Thehousewasonewherepeoplemightchatalongtimetogetherwithoutpubliclycommittingthemselvestoaninterestineachotherexceptsuchagrewoutofeachother\'sideas。MissVancewastherebecausesheunitedinhercatholicsympathiesorambitionstheobjectsofthefashionablepeopleandoftheaestheticpeoplewhometthereoncommonground。ItwasalmosttheonlyhouseinNewYorkwherethishappenedoften，anditdidnothappenveryoftenthere。Itwasaliteraryhouse，primarily，withartisticqualifications，andthefrequentersofitweremostlyauthorsandartists；Wetmore，whowasalwaystryingtofiteverythingwithaphrase，saiditwastheunfrequenterswhowerefashionable。Therewasgreateasethere，andsimplicity；andiftherewasnotdistinction，itwasnotforwantofdistinguishedpeople，butbecausethereseemstobesomesolventinNewYorklifethatreducesallmentoacommonlevel，thattoucheseverybodywithitspotentmagicandbringstothesurfacethedeeplyunderlyingnobody。Theeffectforsometemperaments，forconsciousness，foregotism，isadmirable；forcuriosity，forheroworship，itisratherbaffling。Itisthespiritofthestreettransferredtothedrawing-room；indiscriminating，levelling，butdoubtlessfinallywholesome，andwitnessingtheimmensityoftheplace，ifnotconsentingtothegrandeurofreputationsorpresences。 Beatonnowdeniedthatthishouserepresentedasalonatall，intheoldsense；andheheldthatthesalonwasimpossible，evenundesirable，withus，whenMissVancesighedforit。Atanyrate，hesaidthatthisturmoilofcomingandgoing，thisbubbleandbabble，thiscacklingandhissingofconversationwasnottheexpressionofanysuchcivilizationashadcreatedthesalon。Here，heowned，weretheelementsofintellectualdelightfulness，buthesaidtheirassemblageinsuchquantityalonedeniedthesalon；therewastoomuchofagoodthing。