第12章

TheFrenchwordimpliedalongeveningofgeneraltalkamongtheguests，crownedwithalittlechickenatsupper，endingatcock-crow。Herewastea，withmilkorwithlemon-bathsofitandclaret-cupforthehardierspiritsthroughouttheevening。Itwasverynice，verypleasant，butitwasnotthelittlechicken——notthesalon。Infact，heaffirmed，thesalondescendedfromabove，outofthegreatworld，andincludedtheaestheticworldinit。Butourgreatworld——therichpeople，werestupid，withnowishtobeotherwise；theywerenotevencuriousaboutauthorsandartists。Beatonfanciedhimselfspeakingimpartially，andsoheallowedhimselftospeakbitterly；hesaidthatinnoothercityintheworld，exceptVienna，perhaps，weresuchpeoplesolittleapartofsociety。 \"Itisn\'taltogethertherichpeople\'sfault，\"saidMargaret；andshespokeimpartially，too。\"Idon\'tbelievethattheliterarymenandtheartistswouldlikeasalonthatdescendedtothem。MadameGeoffrin，youknow，wasveryplebeian；herhusbandwasabusinessmanofsomesort。\" \"HewouldhavebeenahowlingswellinNewYork，\"saidBeaton，stillimpartially。 Wetmorecameuptotheircorner，withascrollofbreadandbutterinonehandandacupofteaintheother。Largeandfat，andclean-shaven，helookedlikeamonkineveningdress。 \"Weweretalkingaboutsalons，\"saidMargaret。 \"Whydon\'tyouopenasalonyourself?\"askedWetmore，breathingthicklyfromtheanxietyofgettingthroughthecrowdwithoutspillinghistea。 \"LikepoorLadyBarberinaLemon?\"saidthegirl，withalaugh。\"Whatagoodstory!Thatideaofawomanwhocouldn\'tbeinterestedinanyoftheartsbecauseshewassociallyandtraditionallythematerialofthem! Wecan，neverreachthatheightofnonchalanceinthiscountry。\" \"Notifwetriedseriously?\"suggestedthepainter。\"I\'veanideathatiftheAmericansevergavetheirmindstothatsortofthing，theycouldtakethepalm——orthecake，asBeatonherewouldsay——justastheydoineverythingelse。Whenwedohaveanaristocracy，itwillbeanaristocracythatwillgoaheadofanythingtheworldhaseverseen。 Whydon\'tsomebodymakeabeginning，andgoinopenlyforanancestry，andalowermiddleclass，andanhereditarylegislature，andalltherest?We\'vegotliveries，andcrests，andpalaces，andcastefeeling。 We\'reallrightasfaraswe\'vegone，andwe\'vegotthemoneytogoanylength。\" \"Likeyournatural-gasman，Mr。Beaton，\"saidthegirl，withasmilingglanceroundathim。 \"Ah!\"saidWetmore，stirringhistea，\"hasBeatongotanatural-gasman?\" \"Mynatural-gasman，\"saidBeaton，ignoringWetmore\'squestion，\"doesn\'tknowhowtoliveinhispalaceyet，andIdoubtifhehasanycastefeeling。Ifancyhisfamilybelievethemselvesvictimsofit。Theysay——oneoftheyoungladiesdoes——thatsheneversawsuchanunsociableplaceasNewYork；nobodycalls。\" \"That\'sgood!\"saidWetmore。\"Isupposethey\'reallreadyforcompany，too:goodcook，furniture，servants，carriages?\" \"Galore，\"saidBeaton。 \"Well，that\'stoobad。There\'sachanceforyou，MissVance。Doesn\'tyourphilanthropyembracethesociallydestituteaswellasthefinancially?Justthinkofafamilylikethat，withoutafriend，inagreatcity!Ishouldthinkcommoncharityhadadutythere——nottomentiontheuncommon。\" HedistinguishedthatkindasMargaret\'sbyaglanceofironicaldeference。Shehadareputeforgoodworkswhichwasoutofproportiontotheworks，asitalwaysis，butshewasreallyactiveinthatway，underthevagueobligation，whichwenowallfeel，tobehelpful。ShewasofthechurchwhichseemstohavefoundareversiontotheimposingritualofthepastthewaybacktotheearlyidealsofChristianbrotherhood。 \"Oh，theyseemtohaveMr。Beaton，\"Margaretanswered，andBeatonfeltobscurelyflatteredbyherreferencetohispatronageoftheDryfooses。 HeexplainedtoWetmore:\"Theyhavemebecausetheypartlyownme。 DryfoosisFulkerson\'sfinancialbackerin\'EveryOtherWeek\'。\" \"Isthatso?Well，that\'sinteresting，too。Aren\'tyouratherastonished，MissVance，toseewhatapettythingBeatonismakingofthatmagazineofhis?\" \"Oh，\"saidMargaret，\"it\'ssoverynice，everyway；itmakesyoufeelasifyoudidhaveacountry，afterall。It\'saschic——thatdetestablelittleword!——asthosenewFrenchbooks。\" \"Beatonmodelleditonthem。Butyoumustn\'tsupposehedoeseverythingabout\'EveryOtherWeek\'；he\'dlikeyouto。Beaton，youhaven\'tcomeuptothatcoverofyourfirstnumber，since。Thatwasthedesignofoneofmypupils，MissVance——alittlegirlthatBeatondiscovereddowninNewHampshirelastsummer。\" \"Ohyes。Andhaveyougreathopesofher，Mr。Wetmore?\" \"SheseemstohavemoreloveofitandknackforitthananyoneofhersexI\'veseenyet。Itreallylookslikeacaseofartforart\'ssake，attimes。Butyoucan\'ttell。They\'reliabletogetmarriedatanymoment，youknow。Lookhere，Beaton，whenyournatural-gasmangetstothepicture-buyingstageinhisdevelopment，justrememberyouroldfriends，willyou?Youknow，MissVance，thosenewfellowshavetheirregularstages。Theyneverknowwhattodowiththeirmoney，buttheyfindoutthatpeoplebuypictures，atonepoint。Theyshutyourthingsupintheirhouseswherenobodycomes，andafterawhiletheyovereatthemselves——theydon\'tknowwhat，elsetodo——anddieofapoplexy，andleaveyourpicturestoagallery，andthentheyseethelight。It\'sslow，butit\'sprettysure。Well，IseeBeatonisn\'tgoingtomoveon，asheoughttodo；andsoImust。Healwayswasanunconventionalcreature。\" Wetmorewentaway，butBeatonremained，andheoutstayedseveralotherpeoplewhocameuptospeaktoMissVance。Shewasinterestedineverybody，andshelikedthetalkofthesecleverliterary，artistic，clerical，eventheatricalpeople，andshelikedthesortofcourtwithwhichtheyrecognizedherfashionaswellashercleverness；itwasverypleasanttobetreatedintellectuallyasifshewereoneofthemselves，andsociallyasifshewasnothabituallythesame，butasortofguestinBohemia，adistinguishedstranger。IfitwasArcadiaratherthanBohemia，stillshefeltherqualityofdistinguishedstranger。Theflatteryofittouchedherfancy，andnothervanity；shehadverylittlevanity。Beaton\'sdevotionmadethesamesortofappeal；itwasnotsomuchthatshelikedhimasshelikedbeingtheobjectofhisadmiration。 Shewasagirlofgenuinesympathies，intellectualratherthansentimental。Infact，shewasanintellectualperson，whomqualitiesoftheheartsavedfrombeingdisagreeable，astheysavedherontheotherhandfrombeingworldlyorcruelinherfashionableness。Shehadreadagreatmanybooks，andhadideasaboutthem，quitecourageousandoriginalideas；sheknewaboutpictures——shehadbeeninWetmore\'sclass；shewasfondofmusic；shewaswillingtounderstandevenpolitics；inBostonshemighthavebeenagnostic，butinNewYorkshewassincerelyreligious； shewasveryaccomplished；andperhapsitwashergoodnessthatpreventedherfeelingwhatwasnotbestinBeaton。 \"Doyouthink，\"shesaid，aftertheretreatofoneofthecomersandgoersleftheralonewithhimagain，\"thatthoseyoungladieswouldlikemetocallonthem?\" \"Thoseyoungladies?\"Beatonechoed。\"MissLeightonand——\" \"No；Ihavebeentherewithmyaunt\'scardsalready。\" \"Ohyes，\"saidBeaton，asifhehadknownofit；headmiredthepluckandpridewithwhichAlmahadrefrainedfromevermentioningthefacttohim，andhadkepthermotherfrommentioningit，whichmusthavebeendifficult。 \"ImeantheMissDryfooses。Itseemsreallybarbarous，ifnobodygoesnearthem。Wedoallkindsofthings，andhelpallkindsofpeopleinsomeways，butweletstrangersremainstrangersunlesstheyknowhowtomaketheirwayamongus。\" \"TheDryfoosescertainlywouldn\'tknowhowtomaketheirwayamongyou，\" saidBeaton，withasortofdreamyabsenceinhistone。 MissVancewenton，speakingouttheprocessofreasoninginhermind，ratherthananyconclusionsshehadreached。\"Wedefendourselvesbytryingtobelievethattheymusthavefriendsoftheirown，orthattheywouldthinkuspatronizing，andwouldn\'tlikebeingmadetheobjectsofsocialcharity；buttheyneedn\'treallysupposeanythingofthekind。\" \"Idon\'timaginetheywould，\"saidBeaton。\"Ithinkthey\'dbeonlytoohappytohaveyoucome。Butyouwouldn\'tknowwhattodowitheachother，indeed，MissVance。\" \"Perhapsweshalllikeeachother，\"saidthegirl，bravely，\"andthenweshallknow。WhatChurcharetheyof?\" \"Idon\'tbelievethey\'reofany，\"saidBeaton。\"ThemotherwasbroughtupaDunkard。\" \"ADunkard?\" Beatontoldwhatheknewoftheprimitivesect，withitsearlyChristianpolity，itsliteralinterpretationofChrist\'sethics，anditsquaintceremonialoffoot-washing；hemadesomethingpicturesqueofthat。 \"ThefatherisaMammon-worshipper，pureandsimple。Isupposetheyoungladiesgotochurch，butIdon\'tknowwhere。Theyhaven\'ttriedtoconvertme。\" \"I\'lltellthemnottodespair——afterI\'veconvertedthem，\"saidMissVance。\"Willyouletmeuseyouasa\'pointd\'appui\'，Mr。Beaton?\" \"Anywayyoulike。Ifyou\'rereallygoingtoseethem，perhapsI\'dbettermakeaconfession。Ileftyourbanjowiththem，afterIgotitputinorder。\" \"Howverynice!Thenwehaveacommoninterestalready。\" \"Doyoumeanthebanjo，or——\" \"Thebanjo，decidedly。Whichofthemplays?\" \"Neither。Buttheeldestheardthatthebanjowas\'alltherage，\'astheyoungestsays。Perhapsyoucanpersuadethemthatgoodworksaretherage，too。\" BeatonhadnoverylivelybeliefthatMargaretwouldgotoseetheDryfooses；hedidsofewofthethingsheproposedthathewentuponthetheorythatothersmustbeasfaithless。Still，hehadacruelamusementinfiguringthepossibleencounterbetweenMargaretVance，withherintellectualelegance，hereagersympathiesandgenerousideals，andthosegirlswiththeirrudepast，theirfalseanddistortedperspective，theirsordidandhungryselfishness，andtheirfaithintheomnipotenceoftheirfather\'swealthwoundedbytheirexperienceofitspresentsocialimpotence。Atthebottomofhishearthesympathizedwiththemratherthanwithher；hewasmorelikethem。 Peoplehadceasedcoming，andsomeofthemweregoing。MissVancesaidshemustgo，too，andshewasabouttorise，whenthehostcameupwithMarch；Beatonturnedaway。 \"MissVance，IwanttointroduceMr。March，theeditorof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Yououghtn\'ttoberestrictedtotheartdepartment。Weliteraryfellowsthinkthatarmoftheservicegetstoomuchoftheglorynowadays。\"HisbanterwasforBeaton，buthewasalreadybeyondear- shot，andthehostwenton: Mr。MarchcantalkwithyouaboutyourfavoriteBoston。He\'sjustturnedhisbackonit。\" \"Oh，Ihopenot!\"saidMissVance。\"Ican\'timagineanybodyvoluntarilyleavingBoston。\" \"Idon\'tsayhe\'ssobadasthat，\"saidthehost，committingMarchtoher。\"HecametoNewYorkbecausehecouldn\'thelpit——liketherestofus。Ineverknowwhetherthat\'sacomplimenttoNewYorkornot。\" TheytalkedBostonalittlewhile，withoutfindingthattheyhadcommonacquaintancethere；MissVancemusthaveconcludedthatsocietywasmuchlargerinBostonthanshehadsupposedfromhervisitsthere，orelsethatMarchdidnotknowmanypeopleinit。Butshewasnotagirltocaremuchfortheinferencesthatmightbedrawnfromsuchconclusions； sheratherpridedherselfupondespisingthem；andshegaveherselftothepleasureofbeingtalkedtoasifshewereofMarch\'sownage。 Intheglowofhersympatheticbeautyandelegancehetalkedhisbest，andtriedtoamuseherwithhisjokes，whichhehadtheartoftingeingwithalittleseriousnessononeside。Hemadeherlaugh；andheflatteredherbymakingherthink；inherturnshecharmedhimsomuchbyenjoyingwhathesaidthathebegantobragofhiswife，asagoodhusbandalwaysdoeswhenanotherwomancharmshim；andsheasked，OhwasMrs。Marchthere；andwouldheintroduceher? SheaskedMrs。Marchforheraddress，andwhethershehadaday；andshesaidshewouldcometoseeher，ifshewouldlether。Mrs。MarchcouldnotbesoenthusiasticaboutherasMarchwas，butastheywalkedhometogethertheytalkedthegirlover，andagreedaboutherbeautyandheramiability。Mrs。Marchsaidsheseemedveryunspoiledforapersonwhomusthavebeensomuchspoiled。Theytriedtoanalyzehercharm，andtheysucceededinformulatingitasacombinationofintellectualfashionablenessandworldlyinnocence。\"Ithink，\"saidMrs。March，\"thatcitygirls，broughtupasshemusthavebeen，areoftenthemostinnocentofall。Theyneverimaginethewickednessoftheworld，andiftheymarryhappilytheygothroughlifeasinnocentaschildren。 Everythingcombinestokeepthemso；theveryhollownessofsocietyshieldsthem。Theyaretheloveliestofthehumanrace。Butperhapstheresthavetopaytoomuchforthem。\" \"ForsuchanexquisitecreatureasMissVance，\"saidMarch，\"wecouldn\'tpaytoomuch。\" Awildlaughingcrysuddenlybrokeupontheairatthestreet-crossinginfrontofthem。Agirl\'svoicecalledout:\"Run，run，Jen!Thecopperisafteryou。\"Awoman\'sfigurerushedstumblingacrossthewayandintotheshadowofthehouses，pursuedbyaburlypoliceman。 \"Ah，butifthat\'spartoftheprice?\" Theywentalongfallenfromthegayspiritoftheirtalkintoasilencewhichhebrokewithasigh。\"Canthatpoorwretchandtheradiantgirlweleftyonderreallybelongtothesamesystemofthings?Howimpossibleeachmakestheotherseem!\" VI。 Mrs。Hornbelievedintheworldandinsocietyanditsunwrittenconstitutiondevoutly，andshetoleratedherniece\'sbenevolentactivitiesasshetoleratedheraestheticsympathiesbecausethesethings，howeveroddly，weretolerated——evenencouraged——bysociety； andtheygaveMargaretacharm。Theymadeheroriginalityinteresting。 Mrs。Horndidnotintendthattheyshouldevergosofarastomakehertroublesome；anditwaswithasenseofthisabeyantauthorityofheraunt\'sthatthegirlaskedherapprovalofherproposedcallupontheDryfooses。Sheexplainedaswellasshecouldthesocialdestitutionoftheseopulentpeople，andshehadofcoursetonameBeatonasthesourceofherknowledgeconcerningthem。 \"DidMr。Beatonsuggestyourcallingonthem?\" \"No；heratherdiscouragedit。\" \"Andwhydoyouthinkyououghttogointhisparticularinstance?NewYorkisfullofpeoplewhodon\'tknowanybody。\" Margaretlaughed。\"Isupposeit\'slikeanyothercharity:youreachthecasesyouknowof。Theothersyousayyoucan\'thelp，andyoutrytoignorethem。\" \"It\'sveryromantic，\"saidMrs。Horn。\"Ihopeyou\'vecountedthecost； allthepossibleconsequences。\" MargaretknewthatheraunthadinmindtheircommonexperiencewiththeLeightons，whom，togivetheircommonconsciencepeace，shehadcalleduponwithheraunt\'scardsandexcuses，andaninvitationforherThursdays，somewhattoolatetomakethevisitseemawelcometoNewYork。Shewassocoldlyreceived，notsomuchforherselfasinherqualityofenvoy，thatherauntexperiencedallthecomfortwhichvicariouspenancebrings。Shedidnotperhapsconsidersufficientlyherniece\'sguiltlessnessintheexpiation。MargaretwasnotwithheratSt。Barnabyinthefatalfortnightshepassedthere，andneversawtheLeightonstillshewenttocalluponthem。Shenevercomplained:thestrainofasceticism，whichmysteriouslyexistsinusall，andmakesusputpeas，boiledorunboiled，inourshoes，gaveherpatiencewiththesnubwhichtheLeightonspresentedherforheraunt。Butnowshesaid，withthisinmind:\"Nothingseemssimplerthantogetridofpeopleifyoudon\'twantthem。Youmerelyhavetoletthemalone。\" \"Itisn\'tsopleasant，lettingthemalone，\"saidMrs。Horn。 \"Orhavingthemletyoualone，\"saidMargaret；forneitherMrs。LeightonnorAlmahadevercometoenjoythebelatedhospitalityofMrs。Horn\'sThursdays。 \"Yes，orhavingthemletyoualone，\"Mrs。Horncourageouslyconsented。 \"AndallthatIaskyou，Margaret，istobesurethatyoureallywanttoknowthesepeople。\" \"Idon\'t，\"saidthegirl，seriously，\"intheusualway。\" \"Thenthequestioniswhetheryoudointheunusualway。Theywillbuildagreatdealuponyou，\"saidMrs。Horn，realizinghowmuchtheLeightonsmusthavebuiltuponher，andhowmuchoutofproportiontoherdeserttheymustnowdislikeher；forsheseemedtohavehadthemonhermindfromthetimetheycame，andhadalwaysmeanttorecognizeanyreasonableclaimtheyhaduponher。 \"Itseemsveryodd，verysad，\"Margaretreturned，\"thatyounevercouldactunselfishlyinsocietyaffairs。IfIwishedtogoandseethosegirlsjusttodothemapleasure，andperhapsbecauseifthey\'restrangeandlonely，Imightdothemgood，even——itwouldbeimpossible。\" \"Quite，\"saidheraunt。\"Suchathingwouldbequixotic。Societydoesn\'trestuponanysuchbasis。Itcan\'t；itwouldgotopieces，ifpeopleactedfromunselfishmotives。\" \"Thenit\'sapaintedsavage!\"saidthegirl。\"Allitsfavorsarereallybargains。It\'sgiftsareforgiftsbackagain。\" \"Yes，thatistrue，\"saidMrs。Horn，withnomoresenseofwronginthefactthanthepoliticaleconomisthasinthefactthatwagesarethemeasureofnecessityandnotofmerit。\"Yougetwhatyoupayfor。It\'samatterofbusiness。\"Shesatisfiedherselfwiththisformula，whichshedidnotinvent，asfullyasifitwereareason；butshedidnotdislikeherniece\'srevoltagainstit。ThatwaspartofMargaret\'soriginality，whichpleasedherauntinproportiontoherownconventionality；shewasreallyatimidperson，andshelikedtheshowofcouragewhichMargaret\'smagnanimityoftenreflecteduponher。Shehadthroughherarepute，withpeoplewhodidnotknowherwell，forintellectualandmoralqualities；shewassupposedtobeliteraryandcharitable；shealmosthadopinionsandideals，butreallyfellshortoftheirpossession。Shethoughtthatshesetboundstothegirl\'soriginalitybecausesherecognizedthem。Margaretunderstoodthisbetterthanheraunt，andknewthatshehadconsultedheraboutgoingtoseetheDryfoosesoutofdeference，andwithnoexpectationofluminousinstruction。Shewasusedtobeingalawtoherself，butsheknewwhatshemightandmightnotdo，sothatshewasratheraby-law。Shewasthekindofgirlthatmighthavefanciesforartistsandpoets，butmightendbymarryingaprosperousbroker，andleaveningavastlumpofmoneyedandfashionablelifewithherculture，generosity，andgood-will。Theintellectualinterestswerefirstwithher，butshemightbeequaltosacrificingthem；shehadthebestheart，butshemightknowhowtohardenit；ifshewaseccentric，hersocialorbitwasdefined；cometsthemselvestraversespaceonfixedlines。Shewaslikeeveryoneelse，acongeriesofcontradictionsandinconsistencies，butobedienttothegeneralexpectationofwhatagirlofherpositionmustandmustnotfinallybe。Provisionally，shewasverymuchwhatshelikedtobe。 VII MargaretVancetriedtogiveherselfsomereasonforgoingtocallupontheDryfooses，butshecouldfindnonebetterthanthewishtodoakindthing。Thisseemedqueererandlessandlesssufficientassheexaminedit，andsheevenadmittedalittlecuriosityasaharmlesselementinhermotive，withoutbeingverywellsatisfiedwithit。Shetriedtoaddaslightsenseofsocialduty，andthenshedecidedtohavenomotiveatall，butsimplytopayhervisitasshewouldtoanyothereligiblestrangersshesawfittocallupon。Sheperceivedthatshemustbeverycarefulnottoletthemseethatanyotherimpulsehadgovernedher；shedetermined，ifpossible，toletthempatronizeher；tobeverymodestandsincereanddiffident，and，aboveall，nottoplayapart。Thiswaseasy，comparedwiththechoiceofamannerthatshouldconveytothemthefactthatshewasnotplayingapart。WhenthehesitatingIrishserving- manhadacknowledgedthattheladieswereathome，andhadtakenhercardtothem，shesatwaitingfortheminthedrawing-room。Herstudyofitsappointments，withtheirimpersonalcostliness，gavehernosuggestionhowtoproceed；thetwosisterswereuponherbeforeshehadreallydecided，andsherosetomeetthemwiththeconvictionthatshewasgoingtoplayapartforwantofsomechosenmeansofnotdoingso。Shefoundherself，beforesheknewit，makingherbanjoapropertyinthelittlecomedy，andprofessingsomuchpleasureinthefactthatMissDryfooswastakingitup；shehadherselfbeensomuchinterestedbyit。Anything，shesaid，wasarelieffromthepiano；andthen，betweentheguitarandthebanjo，onemustreallychoosethebanjo，unlessonewantedtodevoteone\'swholenaturallifetotheviolin。Ofcourse，therewasthemandolin；butMargaretaskediftheydidnotfeelthatthebitofshellyoustruckitwithinterposedadistancebetweenyouandtherealsouloftheinstrument；andthenitdidhavesuchafaint，mosquitoylittletone! Shemademuchofthequestion，whichtheylefthertodebatealonewhiletheygazedsolemnlyathertillshecharacterizedthetoneofthemandolin，whenMelabrokeintoalarge，coarselaugh。 \"Well，that\'sjustwhatitdoessoundlike，\"sheexplaineddefiantlytohersister。\"Ialwaysfeellikeitwasgoingtosettlesomewhere，andI wanttohitmyselfaslapbeforeitbeginstobite。Idon\'tseewhateverbroughtsuchathingintofashion。\" Margarethadnotexpectedtobesopowerfullyseconded，andsheasked，aftergatheringherselftogether，\"Andyouarebothlearningthebanjo?\" \"My，no!\"saidMela，\"I\'vegonethroughenoughwiththepiano。Christineislearnun\'it。\" \"I\'msogladyouaremakingmybanjousefulattheoutset，MissDryfoos。\" Bothgirlsstaredather，butfoundithardtocopewiththefactthatthiswastheladyfriendwhosebanjoBeatonhadlentthem。\"Mr。Beatonmentionedthathehadleftithere。Ihopeyou\'llkeepitaslongasyoufindituseful。\" AtthisamiablespeechevenChristinecouldnothelpthankingher。 \"Ofcourse，\"shesaid，\"Iexpecttogetanother，rightoff。Mr。Beatonisgoingtochooseitforme。\" \"Youareveryfortunate。Ifyouhaven\'tateacheryetIshouldsoliketorecommendmine。\" Melabrokeoutinherlaughagain。\"Oh，IguessChristine\'sprettywellsuitedwiththeoneshe\'sgot，\"shesaid，withinsinuation。Hersistergaveherafrowningglance，andMargaretdidnottempthertoexplain。 \"Thenthat\'smuchbetter，\"shesaid。\"Ihaveakindofsuperstitioninsuchmatters；Idon\'tliketomakeasecondchoice。InashopIliketotakethefirstthingofthekindI\'mlookingfor，andevenifIchoosefurtherIcomebacktotheoriginal。\" \"Howfunny!\"saidMela。\"Well，now，I\'mjusttheotherway。Ialwaystakethelastthing，afterI\'vepickedoveralltherest。Myluckalwaysseemstobeatthebottomoftheheap。Now，Christine，she\'smorelikeyou。Ibelieveshecouldwalkrightupblindfoldedandputherhandonthethingshewantseverytime。\" \"I\'mlikefather，\"saidChristine，softenedalittlebythecelebrationofherpeculiarity。\"Hesaysthereasonsomanypeopledon\'tgetwhattheywantisthattheydon\'twantitbadenough。Now，whenIwantathing，itseemstomethatIwantitallthrough。\" \"Well，that\'sjustlikefather，too，\"saidMela。\"That\'sthewayhedonewhenhegotthateighty-acrepiecenexttoMoffittthathekeptwhenhesoldthefarm，andthat\'sgotsomeofthebestgas-wellsonitnowthatthereisanywhere。\"Sheaddressedtheexplanationtohersister，totheexclusionofMargaret，who，nevertheless，listenedwithasmilingfaceandaresolutelypoliteairofbeingapartytotheconversation。Melarewardedheramiabilitybysayingtoher，finally，\"You\'veneverbeeninthenatural-gascountry，haveyou?\" \"Ohno!AndIshouldsomuchliketoseeit!\"saidMargaret，withafervorthatwaspartly，voluntary。 \"Wouldyou?Well，we\'rekindofsickofit，butIsupposeitwouldstrikeastranger。\" \"Inevergottiredoflookingatthebigwellswhentheylitthemup，\" saidChristine。\"Itseemsasiftheworldwasonfire。\" \"Yes，andwhenyouseethesurface-gasburnun\'downinthewoods，likeitusedtobyourspring-house-sostill，andneverspreadun\'any，justlikeabedofsomekindofwildflowerswhenyouketchsightofitapieceoff。\" Theybegantotellofthewondersoftheirstrangelandinanantiphonyofreminiscencesanddescriptions；theyunconsciouslyimputedamerittothemselvesfromthenumberandviolenceofthewellsontheirfather\'sproperty；theybraggedofthehighcivilizationofMoffitt，whichtheycomparedtoitsadvantagewiththatofNewYork。TheybecameexcitedbyMargaret\'sinterestinnaturalgas，andforgottobesuspiciousandenvious。 Shesaid，assherose，\"Oh，howmuchIshouldliketoseeitall!\"Thenshemadealittlepause，andadded: \"I\'msosorrymyaunt\'sThursdaysareover；sheneverhasthemafterLent，butwe\'retohavesomepeopleTuesdayeveningatalittleconcertwhichamusicalfriendisgoingtogivewithsomeotherartists。Therewon\'tbeanybanjos，I\'mafraid，butthere\'llbesomeverygoodsinging，andmyauntwouldbesogladifyoucouldcomewithyourmother。\" Sheputdownheraunt\'scardonthetablenearher，whileMelagurgled，asifitwerethebestjoke:\"Oh，my!Mothernevergoesanywhere；youcouldn\'tgetheroutforloveormoney。\"ButshewasherselfoverwhelmedwithasimplejoyatMargaret\'spoliteness，andshoweditinasensuousway，likeachild，asifshehadbeentickled。ShecameclosertoMargaretandseemedabouttofawnphysicallyuponher。 \"Ain\'tshejustaslovelyasshecanlive?\"shedemandedofhersisterwhenMargaretwasgone。 \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidChristine。\"IguessshewantedtoknowwhoMr。Beatonhadbeenlendingherbanjoto。\" \"Pshaw!Doyousupposeshe\'sinlovewithhim?\"askedMela，andthenshebrokeintoherhoarselaughatthelookhersistergaveher。\"Well，don\'teatme，Christine!Iwonderwhosheis，anyway?I\'mgoun\'togititoutofMr。Beatonthenexttimehecalls。Iguessshe\'ssomebody。 Mrs。Mandelcantell。Iwishthatoldfriendofherswouldhurryupandgitwell——orsomething。ButIguessweappearedaboutaswellasshedid。Icouldseeshewasafraidofyou，Christine。Ireckonit\'sgittun\'aroundalittleaboutfather；andwhenitdoesIdon\'tbelieveweshallwantforcallers。Say，areyougoun\'?Tothatconcertoftheirs?\" \"Idon\'tknow。NottillIknowwhotheyarefirst。\" \"Well，we\'vegottohumpourselvesifwe\'regoun\'tofindoutbeforeTuesday。\" AsshewenthomeMargaretfeltwroughtinherthatmostincredibleofthemiracles，which，nevertheless，anyonemaymakehisexperience。Shefeltkindlytothesegirlsbecauseshehadtriedtomakethemhappy，andshehopedthatintheinterestshehadshowntherehadbeennoneofthepoisonofflattery。Shewasawarethatthiswasarisksheraninsuchanattempttodogood。IfshehadescapedthiseffectshewaswillingtoleavetherestwithProvidence。 VIII。 ThenotionthatagirlofMargaretVance\'straditionswouldnaturallyformofgirlslikeChristineandMelaDryfooswouldbethattheywereabashedinthepresenceofthenewconditionsoftheirlives，andthattheymustreceivetheadvanceshehadmadethemwithacertaingratefulhumility。Howevertheyreceivedit，shehadmadeituponprinciple，fromaromanticconceptionofduty；butthiswasthewaysheimaginedtheywouldreceiveit，becauseshethoughtthatshewouldhavedonesoifshehadbeenasignorantandunbredasthey。Hererrorwasinarguingtheirattitudefromherowntemperament，andendowingthem，forthepurposesofargument，withherperspective。Theyhadnotthemeans，intellectualormoral，offeelingasshefancied。Iftheyhadremainedathomeonthefarmwheretheywereborn，Christinewouldhavegrownupthatembodimentofimpassionedsuspicionwhichwefindoftenestinthenarrowestspheres，andMelawouldalwayshavebeenagood-naturedsimpleton；buttheywouldneverhavedoubtedtheirequalitywiththewisestandthefinest。Asitwas，theyhadnotlearnedenoughatschooltodoubtit，andthesplendoroftheirfather\'ssuccessinmakingmoneyhadblindedthemforevertoanypossibledifferenceagainstthem。TheyhadnoquestionofthemselvesinthesocialabeyancetowhichtheyhadbeenleftinNewYork。Theyhadbeensurprised，mystified；itwasnotwhattheyhadexpected；theremustbesomemistake。 Theywerethevictimsofanaccident，whichwouldberepairedassoonasthefactoftheirfather\'swealthhadgotaround。Theyhadbeensteadfastintheirfaith，throughalltheirdisappointment，thattheywerenotonlybetterthanmostpeoplebyvirtueofhismoney，butasgoodasany；andtheytookMargaret\'svisit，sofarasthey，investigateditsmotive，forasignthatatlastitwasbeginningtogetaround；ofcourse，athingcouldnotgetaroundinNewYorksoquickasitcouldinasmallplace。TheywereconfirmedintheirbeliefbythesensationofMrs。Mandelwhenshereturnedtodutythatafternoon，andtheyconsultedheraboutgoingtoMrs。Horn\'smusicale。IfshehadfeltanydoubtatthenamefortherewereHornsandHorns——theaddressonthecardputthematterbeyondquestion；andshetriedtomakeherchargesunderstandwhatapreciouschancehadbefallenthem。Shedidnotsucceed；theyhadnotthepremises，theexperience，forasufficientimpression；andsheundidherworkinpartbytheefforttoexplainthatMrs。Horn\'sstandingwasindependentofmoney；thatthoughshewaspositivelyrich，shewascomparativelypoor。ChristineinferredthatMissVancehadcalledbecauseshewishedtobethefirsttogetinwiththemsinceithadbeguntogetaround。ThisviewcommendeditselftoMela，too，butwithoutwarpingherfromheropinionthatMissVancewasallthesametoosweetforanything。Shehadnotsovividaconsciousnessofherfather\'smoneyasChristinehad；butshereposedperhapsallthemoreconfidentlyuponitspower。Shewasfarfromthinkingmeanlyofanyonewhothoughthighlyofherforit；thatseemedsonaturalaresultastobeamiable，evenadmirable；shewaswillingthatanysuchpersonshouldgetallthegoodtherewasinsuchanattitudetowardher。 Theydiscussedthematterthatnightatdinnerbeforetheirfatherandmother，whomostlysatsilentattheirmeals；thefatherfrowningabsentlyoverhisplate，withhisheadclosetoit，andmakingplayintohismouthwiththebackofhisknife(hehadgotsofartowardtheuseofhisforkastodespisethosewhostillatefromtheedgeoftheirknives)，andthemotherpartlymissinghersattimesinthenervoustremorthatshookherfacefromsidetoside。 AfterawhilethesubjectofMela\'shoarsebabbleandofChristine\'shigh-pitched，thin，sharpforaysofassertionanddenialinthefieldwhichhersister\'svoiceseemedtocover，madeitswayintotheoldman\'sconsciousness，andheperceivedthattheyweretalkingwithMrs。Mandelaboutit，andthathiswifewasfromtimetotimeofferinganirrelevantandmistakencomment。HeagreedwithChristine，andsilentlytookherviewoftheaffairsometimebeforehemadeanysignofhavinglistened。 Therehadbeenatimeinhislifewhenotherthingsbesideshismoneyseemedadmirabletohim。Hehadoncerespectedhimselfforthehard- headed，practicalcommonsensewhichfirstgavehimstandingamonghiscountryneighbors；whichmadehimsupervisor，schooltrustee，justiceofthepeace，countycommissioner，secretaryoftheMoffittCountyAgriculturalSociety。Inthosedayshehadservedthepublicwithdisinterestedzealandproudability；heusedtowritetotheLakeShoreFarmeronagriculturaltopics；hetookpartinopposing，throughtheMoffittpapers，thelegislativewasteofthepeople\'smoney；onthequestionofsellingalocalcanaltotherailroadcompany，whichkilledthatfineoldStatework，andletthedryditchgrowuptograss，hemighthavegonetotheLegislature，buthecontentedhimselfwithdefeatingtheMoffittmemberwhohadvotedforthejob。Ifheopposedsomemeasuresforthegeneralgood，likehighschoolsandschoollibraries，itwasbecausehelackedperspective，inhisintenseindividualism，andsuspectedallexpenseofbeingspendthrift。Hebelievedingooddistrictschools，andhehadafondness，crudebutgenuine，forsomekindsofreading——history，andforensicsofanelementarysort。 Withhisgoodheadforfigureshedoubteddoctorsanddespisedpreachers； hethoughtlawyerswereallrascals，butherespectedthemfortheirability；hewasnothimselflitigious，butheenjoyedtheintellectualencountersofadifficultlawsuit，andheoftenattendedasittingofthefalltermofcourt，whenhewenttotown，forthepleasureofhearingthespeeches。Hewasagoodcitizen，andagoodhusband。Asagoodfather，hewasratherseverewithhischildren，andusedtowhipthem，especiallythegentleConrad，whosomehowcrossedhimmost，tillthetwinsdied。 Afterthatheneverstruckanyofthem；andfromthesightofablowdealtahorseheturnedasifsick。Itwasalongtimebeforeheliftedhimselfupfromhissorrow，andthenthewillofthemanseemedtohavebeenbreachedthroughhisaffections。Heletthegirlsdoastheypleased——thetwinshadbeengirls；heletthemgoawaytoschool，andgotthemapiano。Itwastheywhomadehimsellthefarm。IfConradhadonlyhadtheirspirithecouldhavemadehimkeepit，hefelt；andheresentedthewantofsupporthemighthavefoundinalessyieldingspiritthanhisson\'s。 Hismoraldecaybeganwithhisperceptionoftheopportunityofmakingmoneyquicklyandabundantly，whichoffereditselftohimafterhesoldhisfarm。Heawoketoitslowly，fromadesolationinwhichhetastedthelastbitterofhomesickness，theuttermiseryofidlenessandlistlessness。Whenhebrokedownandcriedforthehard-working，wholesomelifehehadlost，hewasneartheendofthisseasonofdespair，buthewasalsoneartheendofwhatwasbestinhimself。 Hedevolveduponameaneridealthanthatofconservativegoodcitizenship，whichhadbeenhischiefmoralexperience:themoneyhehadalreadymadewithouteffortandwithoutmeritbreditsunholyself-loveinhim；hebegantohonormoney，especiallymoneythathadbeenwonsuddenlyandinlargesums；formoneythathadbeenearnedpainfully，slowly，andinlittleamounts，hehadonlypityandcontempt。Thepoisonofthatambitiontogosomewhereandbesomebodywhichthelocalspeculatorshadinstilledintohimbegantoworkinthevanitywhichhadsucceededhissomewhatscornfulself-respect；herejectedEuropeastheproperfieldforhisexpansion；herejectedWashington；hepreferredNewYork，whitherthemenwhohavemademoneyanddonotyetknowthatmoneyhasmadethem，allinstinctivelyturn。Hecamewherehecouldwatchhismoneybreedmoremoney，andbringgreaterincreaseofitskindinanhourofluckthanthetoilofhundredsofmencouldearninayear。Hecalleditspeculation，stocks，theStreet；andhispride，hisfaithinhimself，mountedwithhisluck。Heexpected，whenhehadsatedhisgreed，tobegintospend，andhehadformulatedanintentiontobuildagreathouse，toaddanothertothepalacesofthecountry-bredmillionaireswhohavecometoadornthegreatcity。Inthemeantimehemadelittleaccountofthethingsthatoccupiedhischildren，excepttofretattheungratefulindifferenceofhissontotheintereststhatcouldalonemakeamanofhim。Hedidnotknowwhetherhisdaughterswereinsocietyornot；withpeoplecomingandgoinginthehousehewouldhavesupposedtheymustbeso，nomatterwhothepeoplewere；insomevaguewayhefeltthathehadhiredsocietyinMrs。Mandel，atsomuchayear。Henevermetasuperiorhimselfexceptnowandthenamanoftwentyorthirtymillionstohisoneortwo，andthenhefelthissoulcreepwithinhim，withoutasenseofsocialinferiority；itwasaquestionoffinancialinferiority；andthoughDryfoos\'ssoulboweditselfandcrawled，itwaswithagambler\'sadmirationofwonderfulluck。Othermensaidthesemany-millionedmillionairesweresmart，andgottheirmoneybysharppracticestowhichlessermencouldnotattain；butDryfoosbelievedthathecouldcompassthesameends，bythesamemeans，withthesamechances； herespectedtheirmoney，notthem。 WhenhenowheardMrs。Mandelandhisdaughterstalkingofthatperson，whoevershewas，thatMrs。Mandelseemedtothinkhadhonoredhisgirlsbycomingtoseethem，hiscuriositywasprickedasmuchashispridewasgalled。 \"Well，anyway，\"saidMela，\"Idon\'tcarewhetherChristine\'sgoon\'ornot；Iam。Andyougottogowithme，Mrs。Mandel。\" \"Well，there\'salittledifficulty，\"saidMrs。Mandel，withherunfailingdignityandpoliteness。\"Ihaven\'tbeenasked，youknow。\" \"Thenwhatarewegoun\'todo?\"demandedMela，almostcrossly。Shewasphysicallytooamiable，shefelttoowellcorporeally，evertobequitecross。\"Shemight\'a\'knowed——wellknown——wecouldn\'t\'a\'comealone，inNewYork。Idon\'tseewhy，wecouldn\'t。Idon\'tcallitmuchofaninvitation。\" \"Isupposeshethoughtyoucouldcomewithyourmother，\"Mrs。Mandelsuggested。 \"Shedidn\'tsayanythingaboutmother:Didshe，Christine?Or，yes，shedid，too。AndItoldhershecouldn\'tgitmotherout。Don\'tyouremember?\" \"Ididn\'tpaymuchattention，\"saidChristine。\"Iwasn\'tcertainwewantedtogo。\" \"Ireckonyouwasn\'tgoun\'toletherseethatwecaredmuch，\"saidMela，halfreproachful，halfproudofthisattitudeofChristine。\"Well，Idon\'tseebutwhatwegottostayathome。\"Shelaughedatthislameconclusionofthematter。 \"PerhapsMr。Conrad——youcouldveryproperlytakehimwithoutanexpressinvitation——\"Mrs。Mandelbegan。 Conradlookedupinalarmandprotest。\"I——Idon\'tthinkIcouldgothatevening——\" \"What\'sthereason?\"hisfatherbrokein，harshly。\"You\'renotsuchasheepthatyou\'reafraidtogointocompanywithyoursisters?Orareyoutoogoodtogowiththem?\" \"Ifit\'stobeanythinglikethatnightwhenthemhussiescomeoutanddancedthatway，\"saidMrs。Dryfoos，\"Idon\'tblameCoonrodfornotwantun\'togo。Ineversawthebeatofit。\" Melasentayellinglaughacrossthetabletohermother。\"Well，IwishMissVancecould\'a\'heardthat!Why，mother，didyouthinkitliketheballet?\" \"Well，Ididn\'tknow，Mely，child，\"saidtheoldwoman。\"Ididn\'tknowwhatitwaslike。Ihain\'tneverbeentoone，andyoucan\'tbetookeerfulwhereyougo，inaplacelikeNewYork。\" \"What\'sthereasonyoucan\'tgo?\"Dryfoosignoredthepassagebetweenhiswifeanddaughterinmakingthisdemandofhisson，withasourface。 \"Ihaveanengagementthatnight——it\'soneofourmeetings。\" \"Ireckonyoucanletyourmeetinggoforonenight，\"saidDryfoos。 \"Itcan\'tbesoimportantasallthat，thatyoumustdisappointyoursisters。\" \"Idon\'tliketodisappointthosepoorcreatures。Theydependsomuchuponthemeetings——\" \"Ireckontheycanstanditforonenight，\"saidtheoldman。Headded，\"Thepooryehavewithyoualways。\" \"That\'sso，Coonrod，\"saidhismother。\"It\'stheSaviour\'sownwords。\" \"Yes，mother。Butthey\'renotmeantjustasfatherusedthem。\" \"Howdoyouknowhowtheyweremeant?OrhowIusedthem?\"criedthefather。\"Nowyoujustmakeyourplanstogowiththegirls，Tuesdaynight。Theycan\'tgoalone，andMrs。Mandelcan\'tgowiththem。\" \"Pshaw!\"saidMela。\"Wedon\'twanttotakeConradawayfromhismeetun\'，dowe，Chris?\" \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidChristine，inherhigh，finevoice。\"Theycouldgetalongwithouthimforonenight，asfathersays。\" \"Well，I\'mnota-goun\'totakehim，\"saidMela。\"Now，Mrs。Mandel，justthinkoutsomeotherway。Say!What\'sthereasonwecouldn\'tgetsomebodyelsetotakeusjustaswell?Ain\'tthatrulable?\" \"Itwouldbeallowable——\" \"Allowable，Imean，\"Melacorrectedherself。 \"Butitmightlookalittlesignificant，unlessitwassomeoldfamilyfriend。\" \"Well，let\'sgetMr。Fulkersontotakeus。He\'stheoldestfamilyfriendwegot。\" \"Iwon\'tgowithMr。Fulkerson，\"saidChristine，serenely。 \"Why，I\'msure，Christine，\"hermotherpleaded，\"Mr。Fulkersonisaverygoodyoungman，andveryniceappearun\'。\" Melashouted，\"He\'stentimesaspleasantasthatoldMr。BeatonofChristine\'s!\" Christinemadenoefforttobreaktheconstraintthatfelluponthetableatthissally，butherfathersaid:\"Christineisright，Mela。Itwouldn\'tdoforyoutogowithanyotheryoungman。Conradwillgowithyou。\" \"I\'mnotcertainIwanttogo，yet，\"saidChristine。 \"Well，settlethatamongyourselves。Butifyouwanttogo，yourbrotherwillgowithyou。\" \"Ofcourse，Coonrod\'llgo，ifhissisterswantshimto，\"theoldwomanpleaded。\"Ireckonitain\'tagoun\'tobeanythingverybad；andifitis，Coonrod，whyyoucanjustgitrightupandcomeout。\" \"Itwillbeallright，mother。AndIwillgo，ofcourse。\"