第16章

\"Iknowhedidn\'tsleeplastnight，afteryouallwentaway，\"Conradpursued，\"andofcoursethatmadehimmoreirritable；andhewastriedagooddealbysomeofthethingsthatMr。Lindausaid。\" \"Iwastriedagooddealmyself，\"saidMarch。\"Lindauoughtnevertohavebeenthere。\" \"No。\"Conradseemedonlypartiallytoassent。 \"ItoldMr。Fulkersonso。IwarnedhimthatLindauwouldbeapttobreakoutinsomeway。Itwasn\'tjusttohim，anditwasn\'tjusttoyourfather，toaskhim。\" \"Mr。Fulkersonhadagoodmotive，\"Conradgentlyurged。\"Hediditbecausehehurthisfeelingsthatdayaboutthepension。\" \"Yes，butitwasamistake。HeknewthatLindauwasinflexibleabouthisprinciples，ashecallsthem，andthatoneofhisfirstprinciplesistodenouncetherichinseasonandoutofseason。Idon\'trememberjustwhathesaidlastnight；andIreallythoughtI\'dkepthimfrombreakingoutinthemostoffensiveway。Butyourfatherseemsverymuchincensed。\" \"Yes，Iknow，\"saidConrad。 \"Ofcourse，Idon\'tagreewithLindau。Ithinkthereareasmanygood，kind，justpeopleamongtherichasthereareamongthepoor，andthattheyareasgenerousandhelpful。ButLindauhasgotholdofoneofthosepartialtruthsthathurtworsethanthewholetruth，and——\" \"Partialtruth!\"theyoungmaninterrupted。\"Didn\'ttheSaviourhimselfsay，\'HowhardlyshalltheythathaverichesenterintothekingdomofGod?\'\" \"Why，blessmysoul!\"criedMarch。\"DoyouagreewithLindau?\" \"IagreewiththeLordJesusChrist，\"saidtheyoungman，solemnly，andastrangelightoffanaticism，ofexaltation，cameintohiswideblueeyes。 \"AndIbelieveHemeantthekingdomofheavenuponthisearth，aswellasintheskies。\" Marchthrewhimselfbackinhischairandlookedathimwithakindofstupefaction，inwhichhiseyewanderedtothedoorway，wherehesawFulkersonstanding，itseemedtohimalongtime，beforeheheardhimsaying:\"Hello，hello!What\'stherow?ConradpitchingintoyouonoldLindau\'saccount，too?\" Theyoungmanturned，and，afteraglanceatFulkerson\'slight，smilingface，wentout，asifinhispresentmoodhecouldnotbearthecontactofthatpersiflantspirit。 Marchfelthimselfgettingprovisionallyveryangryagain。\"Excuseme，Fulkerson，butdidyouknowwhenyouwentoutwhatMr。Dryfooswantedtoseemefor?\" \"Well，no，Ididn\'texactly，\"saidFulkerson，takinghisusualseatonachairandlookingoverthebackofitatMarch。\"Isawhewasonhiscaraboutsomething，andIthoughtI\'dbetternotmonkeywithhimmuch。 IsupposedhewasgoingtobringyoutobookaboutoldLindau，somehow。\" Fulkersonbrokeintoalaugh。 Marchremainedserious。\"Mr。Dryfoos，\"hesaid，willingtoletthesimplestatementhaveitsownweightwithFulkerson，andnothingmore，\"cameinhereandorderedmetodischargeLindaufromhisemploymentonthemagazine——toturnhimoff，asheputit。\" \"Didhe?\"askedFulkerson，withunbrokencheerfulness。\"Theoldmanisbusiness，everytime。Well，IsupposeyoucaneasilygetsomebodyelsetodoLindau\'sworkforyou。Thistownisjustrunningoverwithhalf- starvedlinguists。Whatdidyousay?\" \"WhatdidIsay?\"Marchechoed。\"Lookhere，Fulkerson；youmayregardthisasajoke，butIdon\'t。I\'mnotusedtobeingspokentoasifI weretheforemanofashop，andtoldtodischargeasensitiveandcultivatedmanlikeLindau，asifhewereadrunkenmechanic；andifthat\'syourideaofme——\" \"Oh，hello，now，March!Youmustn\'tmindtheoldman\'sway。Hedon\'tmeananythingbyit——hedon\'tknowanybetter，ifyoucometothat。\" \"ThenIknowbetter，\"saidMarch。\"IrefusedtoreceiveanyinstructionsfromMr。Dryfoos，whomIdon\'tknowinmyrelationswith\'EveryOtherWeek，\'andIreferredhimtoyou。\" \"Youdid?，\"Fulkersonwhistled。\"Heownsthething!\" \"Idon\'tcarewhoownsthething，\"saidMarch。\"Mynegotiationswerewithyoualonefromthebeginning，andIleavethismatterwithyou。 WhatdoyouwishdoneaboutLindau?\" \"Oh，betterlettheoldfooldrop，\"saidFulkerson。\"He\'lllightonhisfeetsomehow，anditwillsavealotofrumpus。\" \"AndifIdeclinetolethimdrop?\" \"Oh，come，now，March；don\'tdothat，\"Fulkersonbegan。 \"IfIdeclinetolethimdrop，\"Marchrepeated，\"whatwillyoudo?\" \"I\'llbedoggedifIknowwhatI\'lldo，\"saidFulkerson。\"Ihopeyouwon\'ttakethatstand。Iftheoldmanwentsofarastospeaktoyouaboutit，hismindismadeup，andwemightaswellknockunderfirstaslast。\" \"AnddoyoumeantosaythatyouwouldnotstandbymeinwhatI consideredmyduty-inamatterofprinciple?\" \"Why，ofcourse，March，\"saidFulkerson，coaxingly，\"Imeantodotherightthing。ButDryfoosownsthemagazine——\" \"Hedoesn\'townme，\"saidMarch，rising。\"Hehasmadethelittlemistakeofspeakingtomeasifhedid；andwhen\"——Marchputonhishatandtookhisovercoatdownfromitsnail——\"whenyoubringmehisapologies，orcometosaythat，havingfailedtomakehimunderstandtheywerenecessary，youarepreparedtostandbyme，Iwillcomebacktothisdesk。Otherwisemyresignationisatyourservice。\" Hestartedtowardthedoor，andFulkersoninterceptedhim。\"Ah，now，lookhere，March!Don\'tdothat!Hangitall，don\'tyouseewhereitleavesme?Now，youjustsitdownaminuteandtalkitover。Icanmakeyousee——Icanshowyou——Why，confoundtheoldDutchbeer-buzzer!Twentyofhimwouldn\'tbeworththetroublehe\'smakin\'。Lethimgo，andtheoldman\'llcomeroundintime。\" \"Idon\'tthinkwe\'veunderstoodeachotherexactly，Mr。Fulkerson，\"saidMarch，veryhaughtily。\"Perhapswenevercan；butI\'llleaveyoutothinkitout。\" Hepushedon，andFulkersonstoodasidetolethimpass，withadazedlookandamechanicalmovement。TherewassomethingcomicinhisruefulbewildermenttoMarch，whowastemptedtosmile，buthesaidtohimselfthathehadasmuchreasontobeunhappyasFulkerson，andhedidnotsmile。HisindignationkepthimhotinhispurposetosufferanyconsequenceratherthansubmittothedictationofamanlikeDryfoos； hefeltkeenlythedegradationofhisconnectionwithhim，andallhisresentmentofFulkerson\'soriginaluncandorreturned；atthesametimehisheartachedwithforeboding。Itwasnotmerelytheworkinwhichhehadconstantlygrownhappierthathesawtakenfromhim；buthefeltthemiseryofthemanwhostakesthesecurityandplentyandpeaceofhomeuponsomecast，andknowsthatlosingwillsweepfromhimmostthatmostmenfindsweetandpleasantinlife。Hefacedthefact，whichnogoodmancanfrontwithoutterror，thathewasriskingthesupportofhisfamily，andforapointofpride，ofhonor，whichperhapshehadnorighttoconsiderinviewofthepossibleadversity。Herealized，aseveryhirelingmust，nomatterhowskillfullyorgracefullythetieiscontrivedforhiswearing，thathebelongstoanother，whosewillishislaw。HisindignationwasshotwithabjectimpulsestogobackandtellFulkersonthatitwasallright，andthathegaveup。Toendtheanguishofhisstrugglehequickenedhissteps，sothathefoundhewasreachinghomealmostatarun。 VIII。 Hemusthavemademoreclatterthanhesupposedwithhiskeyattheapartmentdoor，forhiswifehadcometolethiminwhenheflungitopen。\"Why，Basil，\"shesaid，\"what\'sbroughtyouback?Areyousick? You\'reallpale。Well，nowonder!ThisisthelastofMr。Fulkerson\'sdinnersyoushallgoto。You\'renotstrongenoughforit，andyourstomachwillbealloutoforderforaweek。Howhotyouare!andinadripofperspiration!Nowyou\'llbesick。\"Shetookhishataway，whichhungdanglinginhishand，andpushedhimintoachairwithtenderimpatience。\"Whatisthematter?Hasanythinghappened?\" \"Everythinghashappened，\"hesaid，gettinghisvoiceafteroneortwohuskyendeavorsforit；andthenhepouredoutaconfusedandhuddledstatementofthecase，fromwhichsheonlygotatthesituationbyprolongedcross-questioning。 Attheendshesaid，\"IknewLindauwouldgetyouintotrouble。\" ThiscutMarchtotheheart。\"Isabel!\"hecried，reproachfully。 \"Oh，Iknow，\"sheretorted，andthetearsbegantocome。\"Idon\'twonderyoudidn\'twanttosaymuchtomeaboutthatdinneratbreakfast。 Inoticedit；butIthoughtyouwerejustdull，andsoIdidn\'tinsist。 IwishIhad，now。IfyouhadtoldmewhatLindauhadsaid，Ishouldhaveknownwhatwouldhavecomeofit，andIcouldhaveadvisedyou——\" \"Wouldyouhaveadvisedme，\"Marchdemanded，curiously，\"tosubmittobullyinglikethat，andmeeklyconsenttocommitanactofcrueltyagainstamanwhohadoncebeensuchafriendtome?\" \"Itwasanunluckydaywhenyoumethim。Isupposeweshallhavetogo。 AndjustwhenwebadgotusedtoNewYork，andbeguntolikeit。Idon\'tknowwhereweshallgonow；Bostonisn\'tlikehomeanymore；andwecouldn\'tliveontwothousandthere；Ishouldbeashamedtotry。I\'msureIdon\'tknowwherewecanliveonit。Isupposeinsomecountryvillage，wheretherearenoschools，oranythingforthechildren。I don\'tknowwhatthey\'llsaywhenwetellthem，poorthings。\" EverywordwasastabinMarch\'sheart，soweaklytendertohisown；hiswife\'stears，aftersomuchexperienceofthecomparativelightnessofthegriefsthatweepthemselvesoutinwomen，alwaysseemedwrungfromhisownsoul；ifhischildrensufferedintheleastthroughhim，hefeltlikeamurderer。Itwasfarworsethanhecouldhaveimagined，thewayhiswifetooktheaffair，thoughhehadimaginedcertainwords，orperhapsonlylooks，fromherthatwerebadenough。Hehadallowedfortrouble，buttroubleonhisaccount:asvmpathythatmightburdenandembarrasshim；buthehadnotdreamedofthismerelydomestic，thispetty，thissordidviewoftheirpotentialcalamity，whichlefthimwhollyoutofthequestion，andembracedonlywhatwasmostcrushinganddesolatingintheprospect。Hecouldnotbearit。Hecaughtuphishatagain，and，withsomehopethathiswifewouldtrytokeephim，rushedoutofthehouse。Hewanderedaimlesslyabout，thinkingthesameexhaustingthoughtsoverandover，tillhefoundhimselfhorriblyhungry； thenhewentintoarestaurantforhislunch，andwhenhepaidhetriedtoimaginehowheshouldfeelifthatwerereallyhislastdollar。 Hewenthometowardthemiddleoftheafternoon，baselyhopingthatFulkersonhadsenthimsomeconciliatorymessage，orperhapswaswaitingthereforhimtotalkitover；Marchwasquitewillingtotalkitovernow。Butitwashiswifewhoagainmethimatthedoor，thoughitseemedanotherwomanthantheonehehadleftweepinginthemorning。 \"Itoldthechildren，\"shesaid，insmilingexplanationofhisabsencefromlunch，\"thatperhapsyouweredetainedbybusiness。Ididn\'tknowbutyouhadgonebacktotheoffice。\" \"DidyouthinkIwouldgobackthere，Isabel?\"askedMarch，withahaggardlook。\"Well，ifyousayso，Iwillgoback，anddowhatDryfoosorderedmetodo。I\'msufficientlycowedbetweenhimandyou，Icanassureyou。\" \"Nonsense，\"shesaid。\"Iapproveofeverythingyoudid。Butsitdown，now，anddon\'tkeepwalkingthatway，andletmeseeifIunderstanditperfectly。Ofcourse，Ihadtohavemysayout。\" ShemadehimgoalloverhistalkwithDryfoosagain，andreporthisownlanguageprecisely。Fromtimetotime，asshegothispoints，shesaid，\"Thatwassplendid，\"\"Goodenoughforhim!\"and\"Oh，I\'msogladyousaidthattohim!\"Attheendshesaid: \"Well，now，let\'slookatitfromhispointofview。Let\'sbeperfectlyjusttohimbeforewetakeanotherstepforward。\" \"Orbackward，\"Marchsuggested，ruefully。\"Thecaseissimplythis:heownsthemagazine。\" \"Ofcourse。\" \"AndhehasarighttoexpectthatIwillconsiderhispecuniaryinterests——\" \"Oh，thosedetestablepecuniaryinterests!Don\'tyouwishtherewasn\'tanymoneyintheworld?\" \"Yes；orelsethattherewasagreatdealmoreofit。AndIwasperfectlywillingtodothat。Ihavealwayskeptthatinmindasoneofmydutiestohim，eversinceIunderstoodwhathisrelationtothemagazinewas。\" \"Yes，Icanbearwitnesstothatinanycourtofjustice。You\'vedoneitagreatdealmorethanIcould，Basil。Anditwasjustthesamewaywiththosehorribleinsurancepeople。\" \"Iknow，\"Marchwenton，tryingtobeproofagainstherflatteries，oratleasttolookasifhedidnotdeservepraise；\"IknowthatwhatLindausaidwasoffensivetohim，andIcanunderstandhowhefeltthathehadarighttopunishit。AllIsayisthathehadnorighttopunishitthroughme。\" \"Yes，\"saidMrs。March，askingly。 \"Ifithadbeenaquestionofmaking\'EveryOtherWeek\'thevehicleofLindau\'speculiaropinions——thoughthey\'renotsoverypeculiar；hemighthavegotthemostofthemoutofRuskin——Ishouldn\'thavehadanygroundtostandon，oratleastthenIshouldhavehadtoaskmyselfwhetherhisopinionswouldbeinjurioustothemagazineornot。\" \"Idon\'tsee，\"Mrs。Marchinterpolated，\"howtheycouldhurtitmuchworsethanColonelWoodburn\'sarticlecryingupslavery。\" \"Well，\"saidMarch，impartially，\"wecouldprintadozenarticlespraisingtheslaveryit\'simpossibletohaveback，anditwouldn\'thurtus。ButifweprintedonepaperagainsttheslaverywhichLindauclaimsstillexists，somepeoplewouldcallusbadnames，andthecounting-roomwouldbegintofeelit。Butthatisn\'tthepoint。Lindau\'sconnectionwith\'EveryOtherWeek\'isalmostpurelymechanical；he\'smerelyatranslatorofsuchstoriesandsketchesashefirstsubmitstome，anditisn\'tatallaquestionofhisopinionshurtingus，butofmybecominganagenttopunishhimforhisopinions。ThatiswhatIwouldn\'tdo；that\'swhatIneverwilldo。\" \"Ifyoudid，\"saidhiswife，\"Ishouldperfectlydespiseyou。Ididn\'tunderstandhowitwasbefore。IthoughtyouwerejustholdingoutagainstDryfoosbecausehetookadictatorialtonewithyou，andbecauseyouwouldn\'trecognizehisauthority。ButnowI\'mwithyou，Basil，everytime，asthathorridlittleFulkersonsays。Butwhowouldeverhavesupposedhewouldbesobaseastosideagainstyou?\" \"Idon\'tknow，\"saidMarch，thoughtfully，\"thatwehadarighttoexpectanythingelse。Fulkerson\'sstandardsarelow；they\'remerelybusinessstandards，andthegoodthat\'sinhimisincidentalandsomethingquiteapartfromhismoralsandmethods。He\'snaturallyagenerousandright- mindedcreature，butlifehastaughthimtotruckleandtrick，liketherestofus。\" \"Ithasn\'ttaughtyouthat，Basil。\" \"Don\'tbesosure。Perhapsit\'sonlythatI\'mapoorscholar。ButI don\'tknow，really，thatIdespiseFulkersonsomuchforhiscoursethismorningasforhisgrossandfulsomeflatteriesofDryfooslastnight。 Icouldhardlystomachit。\" Hiswifemadehimtellherwhattheywere，andthenshesaid，\"Yes，thatwasloathsome；Icouldn\'thavebelieveditofMr。Fulkerson。\" \"Perhapsheonlydidittokeepthetalkgoing，andtogivetheoldmanachancetosaysomething，\"Marchlenientlysuggested。\"Itwasaworseeffectbecausehedidn\'torcouldn\'tfollowupFulkerson\'slead。\" \"Itwasloathsome，allthesame，\"hiswifeinsisted。\"It\'stheendofMr。Fulkerson，asfarasI\'mconcerned。\" \"Ididn\'ttellyoubefore，\"Marchresumed，afteramoment，\"ofmylittleinterviewwithConradDryfoosafterhisfatherleft，\"andnowhewentontorepeatwhathadpassedbetweenhimandtheyoungman。 \"Isuspectthatheandhisfatherhadbeenhavingsomewordsbeforetheoldmancameuptotalkwithme，andthatitwasthatmadehimsofurious。\" \"Yes，butwhatastrangepositionforthesonofsuchamantotake! Doyousupposehesayssuchthingstohisfather?\" \"Idon\'tknow；butIsuspectthatinhismeekwayConradwouldsaywhathebelievedtoanybody。Isupposewemustregardhimasakindofcrank。\" \"Pooryoungfellow!Healwaysmakesmefeelsad，somehow。Hehassuchapatheticface。Idon\'tbelieveIeversawhimlookquitehappy，exceptthatnightatMrs。Horn\'s，whenhewastalkingwithMissVance；andthenhemademefeelsadderthanever。\" \"Idon\'tenvyhimthelifeheleadsathome，withthoseconvictionsofhis。Idon\'tseewhyitwouldn\'tbeastolerablethereforoldLindauhimself。\" \"Well，now，\"saidMrs。March，\"letusputthemalloutofourmindsandseewhatwearegoingtodoourselves。\" Theybegantoconsidertheirwaysandmeans，andhowandwheretheyshouldlive，inviewofMarch\'sseveranceofhisrelationswith\'EveryOtherWeek。\'Theyhadnotsavedanythingfromthefirstyear\'ssalary； theyhadonlypreparedtosave；andtheyhadnothingsolidbuttheirtwothousandtocountupon。ButtheybuiltafutureinwhichtheyeasilylivedonthatandonwhatMarchearnedwithhispen。Hebecameafreelance，andfoughtinwhatevercausehethoughtjust；hehadnoties，nochains。TheywentbacktoBostonwiththeheroicwilltodowhatwasmostdistasteful；theywouldhavereturnedtotheirownhouseiftheyhadnotrenteditagain；but，anyrate，Mrs。Marchhelpedoutbytakingboarders，orperhapsonlylettingroomstolodgers。Theyhadsomehardstruggles，buttheysucceeded。 \"Thegreatthing，\"shesaid，\"istoberight。I\'mtentimesashappyasifyouhadcomehomeandtoldmethatyouhadconsentedtodowhatDryfoosaskedandhehaddoubledyoursalary。\" \"Idon\'tthinkthatwouldhavehappenedinanyevent，\"saidMarch，dryly。 \"Well，nomatter。Ijustuseditforanexample。\" Theybothexperiencedabuoyantrelief，suchasseemstocometopeoplewhobeginlifeanewonwhateverterms。\"Ihopeweareyoungenoughyet，Basil，\"shesaid，andshewouldnothaveitwhenhesaidtheyhadoncebeenyounger。 Theyheardthechildren\'sknockonthedoor；theyknockedwhentheycamehomefromschoolsothattheirmothermightletthemin。\"Shallwetellthematonce?\"sheasked，andrantoopenforthembeforeMarchcouldanswer。 Theywerenotalone。Fulkerson，smilingfromeartoear，waswiththem。 \"IsMarchin?\"heasked。 \"Mr。Marchisathome，yes，\"shesaidveryhaughtily。\"He\'sinhisstudy，\"andsheledthewaythere，whilethechildrenwenttotheirrooms。 \"Well，March，\"Fulkersoncalledoutatsightofhim，\"it\'sallright! Theoldmanhascomedown。\" \"Isupposeifyougentlemenaregoingtotalkbusiness——\"Mrs。Marchbegan。 \"Oh，wedon\'twantyoutogoaway，\"saidFulkerson。\"IreckonMarchhastoldyou，anyway。\" \"Yes，I\'vetoldher，\"saidMarch。\"Don\'tgo，Isabel。Whatdoyoumean，Fulkerson?\" \"He\'sjustgoneonuphome，andhesentmeroundwithhisapologies。 Heseesnowthathehadnobusinesstospeaktoyouashedid，andhewithdrawseverything。He\'d\'a\'comeroundhimselfifI\'dsaidso，butI toldhimIcouldmakeitallright。\" Fulkersonlookedsohappyinhavingthewholeaffairputright，andtheMarchesknewhimtobesokindlyaffectedtowardthem，thattheycouldnotrefuseforthemomenttosharehismood。Theyfeltthemselvesslippingdownfromthemoralheightwhichtheyhadgained，andMarchmadeaclutchtostayhimselfwiththequestion，\"AndLindau?\" \"Well，\"saidFulkerson，\"he\'sgoingtoleaveLindautome。Youwon\'thaveanythingtodowithit。I\'lllettheoldfellowdowneasy。\" \"Doyoumean，\"askedMarch，\"thatMr。Dryfoosinsistsonhisbeingdismissed?\" \"Why，thereisn\'tanydismissingaboutit，\"Fulkersonargued。\"Ifyoudon\'tsendhimanymorework，hewon\'tdoanymore，that\'sall。Orifhecomesround，youcan——He\'stobereferredtome。\" Marchshookhishead，andhiswife，withasigh，feltherselfpluckedupfromthesoftcircumstanceoftheirlives，whichshehadsunkbackintosoquickly，andsetbesidehimonthatcoldpeakofprincipleagain。 \"Itwon\'tdo，Fulkerson。It\'sverygoodofyou，andallthat，butitcomestothesamethingintheend。IcouldhavegoneonwithoutanyapologyfromMr。Dryfoos；hetranscendedhisauthority，butthat\'saminormatter。Icouldhaveexcusedittohisignoranceoflifeamonggentlemen；butIcan\'tconsenttoLindau\'sdismissal——itcomestothat，whetheryoudoitorIdoit，andwhetherit\'sapositiveoranegativething——becauseheholdsthisopinionorthat。\" \"Butdon\'tyousee，\"saidFulkerson，\"thatit\'sjustLindau\'sopinionstheoldmancan\'tstand?Hehasn\'tgotanythingagainsthimpersonally。 Idon\'tsupposethere\'sanybodythatappreciatesLindauinsomewaysmorethantheoldmandoes。\" \"Iunderstand。Hewantstopunishhimforhisopinions。Well，Ican\'tconsenttothat，directlyorindirectly。Wedon\'tprinthisopinions，andhehasaperfectrighttoholdthem，whetherMr。Dryfoosagreeswiththemornot。\" Mrs。Marchhadjudgeditdecorousforhertosaynothing，butshenowwentandsatdowninthechairnextherhusband。 \"Ah，dogonit!\"criedFulkerson，rumplinghishairwithbothhishands。 \"WhatamItodo?Theoldmansayshe\'sgottogo。\" \"AndIdon\'tconsenttohisgoing，\"saidMarch。 \"Andyouwon\'tstayifhegoes。\" Fulkersonrose。\"Well，well!I\'vegottoseeaboutit。I\'mafraidtheoldmanwon\'tstandit，March；Iam，indeed。Iwishyou\'dreconsider。 I——I\'dtakeitasapersonalfavorifyouwould。Itleavesmeinafix。 YouseeI\'vegottosidewithoneortheother。\" Marchmadenoreplytothis，excepttosay，\"Yes，youmuststandbyhim，oryoumuststandbyme。\" \"Well，well!Holdonawhile!I\'llseeyouinthemorning。Don\'ttakeanysteps——\" \"Oh，therearenostepstotake，\"saidMarch，withamelancholysmile。 \"Thestepsarestopped；that\'sall。\"HesankbackintohischairwhenFulkersonwasgoneanddrewalongbreath。\"Thisisprettyrough。I thoughtwehadgotthroughit。\" \"No，\"saidhiswife。\"ItseemsasifIhadtomakethefightalloveragain。\" \"Well，it\'sagoodthingit\'saholywar。\" \"Ican\'tbearthesuspense。Whydidn\'tyoutellhimoutrightyouwouldn\'tgobackonanyterms?\" \"Imightaswell，andgottheglory。He\'llnevermoveDryfoos。I supposewebothwouldliketogoback，ifwecould。\" \"Oh，Isupposeso。\" Theycouldnotregaintheirlostexaltation，theirlostdignity。AtdinnerMrs。MarchaskedthechildrenhowtheywouldliketogobacktoBostontolive。 \"Why，we\'renotgoing，arewe?\"askedTom，withoutenthusiasm。 \"Iwasjustwonderinghowyoufeltaboutit，now，\"shesaid，withanunderlookatherhusband。 \"Well，ifwegoback，\"saidBella，\"IwanttoliveontheBackBay。It\'sawfullyMickyattheSouthEnd。\" \"IsupposeIshouldgotoHarvard，\"saidTom，\"andI\'droomoutatCambridge。ItwouldbeeasiertogetatyouontheBackBay。\" Theparentssmiledruefullyateachother，and，inviewofthesegrandexpectationsofhischildren，MarchresolvedtogoasfarashecouldinmeetingDryfoos\'swishes。Heproposedthetheatreasadistractionfromtheanxietiesthatheknewwerepressingequallyonhiswife。\"Wemightgotothe\'OldHomestead，\'\"hesuggested，withasadirony，whichonlyhiswifefelt。 \"Ohyes，let\'s!\"criedBella。 Whiletheyweregettingready，someonerang，andBellawenttothedoor，andthencametotellherfatherthatitwasMr。Lindau。\"Hesayshewantstoseeyoujustamoment。He\'sintheparlor，andhewon\'tsitdown，oranything。\" \"Whatcanhewant?\"groanedMrs。March，fromtheircommondismay。 Marchapprehendedastormintheoldman\'sface。Butheonlystoodinthemiddleoftheroom，lookingverysadandgrave。\"YouareGoingoudt，\"hesaid。\"Iwon\'tgeepyoulong。Ihafgometopringpackdosemacassinesanddismawney。Ican\'tdoanymorevoarkforyou；andI can\'tgeepthemawneyyouhafbaidmea\'ready。Itissnothawnestmawney——thathassbeenoarnedpyvoark；itissmawneythathasspeenmatepysbeculation，andtheobbressionofflapor，andthenecessityoftheboor，pyaman——Hereitis，eferytollar，eferyzent。Dakeit；Ifeelasifderevasploodtonit。\" \"Why，Lindau，\"Marchbegan，buttheoldmaninterruptedhim。 \"Ton\'tdalktome，Passil!Icouldnothafbelievedtitofyou。WhenyouknowhowIfeelaboutdosetings，whytidn\'tyoudellmewhosemawneyyoubayoudttome?Ach，Iton\'tplameyou——Iton\'trebroachyou。Youhafneferthoughtofit；boatIhavethought，andIshouldbeGuilty，Imustsharethatman\'sGuilt，ifIgepthissmawney。Ifyouhattoldtmeatthepeginning——ifyouhatpeenfrankwithmeboatitissallrighdt； youcangoon；youton\'tseedesetingsasIseethem；andyouhafcotafamily，andIamafreeman。Ivoarktomyself，andwhenIton\'tvoark，Isdarfetomyself。But。Igeepmyhandtsglean，voarkorsdarfe。Gifhimhissmawneypack!Iamsawryforhim；Iwouldnothoarthissfeelings，boatIcouldnotpeartodouchhim，andhissmawneyisslikeboison!\" MarchtriedtoreasonwithLindau，toshowhimthefolly，theinjustice，theabsurdityofhiscourse；itendedintheirbothgettingangry，andinLindau\'sgoingawayinawhirlofGermanthatincludedBasilintheguiltofthemanwhomLindaucalledhismaster。 \"Well，\"saidMrs。March。\"Heisacrank，andIthinkyou\'rewellridofhim。NowyouhavenoquarrelwiththathorridoldDryfoos，andyoucankeeprighton。\" \"Yes，\"saidMarch，\"Iwishitdidn\'tmakemefeelsosneaking。Whatalongdayit\'sbeen!ItseemslikeacenturysinceIgotup。\" \"Yes，athousandyears。Isthereanythingelselefttohappen?\" \"Ihopenot。I\'dliketogotobed。\" \"Why，aren\'tyougoingtothetheatre?\"wailedBella，cominginuponherfather\'sdesperateexpression。 \"Thetheatre?Ohyes，certainly!Imeantafterwegothome，\"andMarchamusedhimselfatthepuzzledcountenanceofthechild。\"Comeon! IsTomready?\" IX。 FulkersonpartedwiththeMarchesinsuchtroubleofmindthathedidnotfeelabletomeetthatnightthepeoplewhomheusuallykeptsogayatMrs。Leighton\'stable。HewenttoMaroni\'sforhisdinner，forthisreasonandforothersmoreobscure。HecouldnotexpecttodoanythingmorewithDryfoosatonce；heknewthatDryfoosmustfeelthathehadalreadymadeanextremeconcessiontoMarch，andhebelievedthatifhewastogetanythingmorefromhimitmustbeafterDryfooshaddined。 Buthewasnotwithoutthehope，vagueandindefiniteasitmightbe，thatheshouldfindLindauatMaroni\'s，andperhapsshouldgetsomeconcessionfromhim，somewordofregretorapologywhichhecouldreporttoDryfoos，andatlestmakethemeansofreopeningtheaffairwithhim； perhapsLindau，whenheknewhowmattersstood，wouldbackdownaltogether，andforMarch\'ssakewouldwithdrawfromallconnectionwith\'EveryOtherWeek\'himself，andsoleaveeverythingserene。Fulkersonfeltcapable，inhisdesperation，ofdelicatelysuggestingsuchacoursetoLindau，orevenofplainlyadvisingit:hedidnotcareforLindauagreatdeal，andhedidcareagreatdealforthemagazine。 ButhedidnotfindLindauatMaroni\'s；heonlyfoundBeaton。HesatlookingatthedoorwayasFulkersonentered，andFulkersonnaturallycameandtookaplaceathistable。SomethinginBeaton\'slarge-eyedsolemnityofaspectinvitedFulkersontoconfidence，andhesaid，ashepulledhisnapkinopenandstrungit，stillalittledamp(asthescanty，often-washedlinenatMaroni\'swasapttobe)，acrosshisknees，\"Iwaslookingforyouthismorning，totalkwithyouabouttheChristmasnumber，andIwasagooddealworkedupbecauseIcouldn\'tfindyou；butIguessImightaswellhavesparedmyselfmyemotions。\" \"Why?\"askedBeaton，briefly。 \"Well，Idon\'tknowasthere\'sgoingtobeanyChristmasnumber。\" \"Why?\"Beatonaskedagain。 \"Rowbetweenthefinancialangelandtheliteraryeditoraboutthechieftranslatorandpolyglotsmeller。\" \"Lindau?\" \"Lindauishisname。\" \"WhatdoestheliteraryeditorexpectafterLindau\'sexpressionofhisviewslastnight?\" \"Idon\'tknowwhatheexpected，butthegroundhetookwiththeoldmanwasthat，asLindau\'sopinionsdidn\'tcharacterizehisworkonthemagazine，hewouldnotbemadetheinstrumentofpunishinghimforthemtheoldmanwantedhimturnedoff，ashecallsit。\" \"Seemstobeprettygoodground，\"saidBeaton，impartially，whilehespeculated，withadulltroubleatheart，ontheeffecttherowwouldhaveonhisownfortunes。Hislatevisithomehadmadehimfeelthattheclaimofhisfamilyuponhimforsomerepaymentofhelpgivencouldnotbemuchlongerdelayed；withhismothersickandhisfathergrowingold，hemustbegintodosomethingforthem，butuptothistimehehadspenthissalaryevenfasterthanhehadearnedit。WhenFulkersoncameinhewaswonderingwhetherhecouldgethimtoincreaseit，ifhethreatenedtogiveuphiswork，andhewishedthathewasenoughinlovewithMargaretVance，orevenChristineDryfoos，tomarryher，onlytoendinthesorrowfulconvictionthathewasreallyinlovewithAlmaLeighton，whohadnomoney，andwhohadapparentlynowishtobemarriedforlove，even。\"Andwhatareyougoingtodoaboutit?\"heasked，listlessly。 \"BedoggedifIknowwhatI\'mgoingtodoaboutit，\"saidFulkerson。 \"I\'vebeenroundallday，tryingtopickupthepieces——rowbeganrightafterbreakfastthismorning——andonetimeIthoughtI\'dgotthethingallputtogetheragain。IgottheoldmantosaythathehadspokentoMarchalittletooauthoritativelyaboutLindau；that，infact，heoughttohavecommunicatedhiswishesthroughme；andthathewaswillingtohavemegetridofLindau，andMarchneedn\'thaveanythingtodowithit。 Ithoughtthatwasprettywhite，butMarchsaystheapologiesandregretsareallwellenoughintheirway，buttheyleavethemainquestionwheretheyfoundit。\" \"Whatisthemainquestion?\"Beatonasked，pouringhimselfoutsomeChianti。AshesettheflaskdownhemadethereflectionthatifhewoulddrinkwaterinsteadofChiantihecouldsendhisfatherthreedollarsaweek，onhisbackdebts，andheresolvedtodoit。 \"Themainquestion，asMarchlooksatit，isthequestionofpunishingLindauforhisprivateopinions；hesaysthatifheconsentstomybouncingtheoldfellowit\'sthesameasifhebouncedhim。\" \"Itmighthavethatcomplexioninsomelights，\"saidBeaton。HedrankoffhisChianti，andthoughthewouldhaveittwiceaweek，ormakeMaronikeepthehalf-bottlesoverforhim，andsendhisfathertwodollars。\"Andwhatareyougoingtodonow?\" \"That\'swhatIdon\'tknow，\"saidFulkerson，ruefully。Afteramomenthesaid，desperately，\"Beaton，you\'vegotaprettygoodhead；whydon\'tyousuggestsomething?\" \"Whydon\'tyouletMarchgo?\"Beatonsuggested。 \"Ah，Icouldn\'t，\"saidFulkerson。\"IgothimtobreakupinBostonandcomehere；Ilikehim；nobodyelsecouldgetthehangofthethinglikehehas；he\'s——afriend。\"Fulkersonsaidthiswiththenearestapproachhecouldmaketoseriousness，whichwasakindofunhappiness。 Beatonshrugged。\"Oh，ifyoucanaffordtohaveideals，Icongratulateyou。They\'retooexpensiveforme。Then，supposeyougetridofDryfoos?\" Fulkersonlaughedforlornly。\"Goon，Bildad。Liketosprinkleafewashesovermyboils?Don\'tmindme!\" Theybothsatsilentalittlewhile，andthenBeatonsaid，\"Isupposeyouhaven\'tseenDryfoosthesecondtime?\" \"No。IcameinheretogirdupmyloinswithalittledinnerbeforeI tackledhim。ButsomethingseemstobethematterwithMaroni\'scook。 Idon\'twantanythingtoeat。\" \"Thecooking\'saboutasbadasusual，\"saidBeaton。Afteramomentheadded，ironically，forhefoundFulkerson\'smiseryakindofrelieffromhisown，andwaswillingtoprotractitaslongasitwasamusing，\"Whynottryanenvoyextraordinaryandministerplenipotentiary?\" \"Whatdoyoumean?\" \"GetthatotheroldfooltogotoDryfoosforyou!\" \"Whichotheroldfool?Theoldfoolsseemtobeasthickasflies。\" \"ThatSouthernone。\" \"ColonelWoodburn?\" \"Mmmmm。\" \"Hedidseemtorathertaketothecolonel!\"Fulkersonmusedaloud。 \"Ofcoursehedid。Woodburn，withhisidiotictalkaboutpatriarchalslavery，isthemanonhorsebacktoDryfoos\'smuddyimagination。He\'dlistentohimabjectly，andhe\'ddowhateverWoodburntoldhimtodo。\" Beatonsmiledcynically。 Fulkersongotupandreachedforhiscoatandhat。\"You\'vestruckit，oldman。\"Thewaitercameuptohelphimonwithhiscoat；Fulkersonslippedadollarinhishand。\"Nevermindthecoat；youcangivetherestofmydinnertothepoor，Paolo。Beaton，shake!You\'vesavedmylife，littleboy，thoughIdon\'tthinkyoumeantit。\"HetookBeaton\'shandandsolemnlypressedit，andthenalmostranoutofthedoor。 TheyhadjustreachedcoffeeatMrs。Leighton\'swhenhearrivedandsatdownwiththemandbegantoputsomeofthelifeofhisnewhopeintothem。Hisappetiterevived，and，afterprotestingthathewouldnottakeanythingbutcoffee，hewentbackandatesomeoftheearliercourses。 Butwiththepressureofhispurposedrivinghimforward，hedidnotconcealfromMissWoodburn，atleast，thathewaseagertogetherapartfromtherestforsomereason。Whenheaccomplishedthis，itseemedasifhehadcontriveditallhimself，butperhapshehadnotwhollycontrivedit。 \"I\'msogladtogetachancetospeaktoyoualone，\"hesaidatonce；andwhileshewaitedforthenextwordhemadeapause，andthensaid，desperately，\"Iwantyoutohelpme；andifyoucan\'thelpme，there\'snohelpforme。\" \"Mahgoodness，\"shesaid，\"isthecasesobadasthat?Whatinthewoaldisthetrouble?\" \"Yes，it\'sabadcase，\"saidFulkerson。\"Iwantyourfathertohelpme。\" \"Oh，Ithoatyousaidme!\" \"Yes；Iwantyoutohelpmewithyourfather。IsupposeIoughttogotohimatonce，butI\'malittleafraidofhim。\" \"Andyouawenotafraidofme?Idon\'tthinkthat\'sveryflattering，Mr。 Fulkerson。YououghttothinkAh\'mtwahceasawfulaspapa。\" \"Oh，Ido!Yousee，I\'mquiteparalyzedbeforeyou，andsoIdon\'tfeelanything。\" \"Well，it\'saprettylahvelykyandofparalysis。But——goon。\" \"Iwill——Iwill。IfIcanonlybegin。\" \"PohapsAhmaghtbeginfo\'you。\" \"No，youcan\'t。Lordknows，I\'dliketoletyou。Well，it\'slikethis。\" Fulkersonmadeaclutchathishair，andthen，afteranotherhesitation，heabruptlylaidthewholeaffairbeforeher。HedidnotthinkitnecessarytostatetheexactnatureoftheoffenceLindauhadgivenDryfoos，forhedoubtedifshecouldgraspit，andhewasprofuseofhisexcusesfortroublingherwiththematter，andofwonderathimselfforhavingdoneso。Intheraptureofhisconcernathavingperhapsmadeafoolofhimself，heforgotwhyhehadtoldher；butsheseemedtolikehavingbeenconfidedin，andshesaid，\"Well，Ahdon\'tseewhatyoucandowithyou\'ahdealsoffriendshipexceptstandbahMr。Mawch。\" \"Myidealsoffriendship?Whatdoyoumean?\" \"Oh，don\'tyousupposeweknow?Mr。Beatonsaidyouwe\'apofectBahyardinfriendship，andyouwouldsacrificeanythingtoit。\" \"Isthatso?\"saidFulkerson，thinkinghoweasilyhecouldsacrificeLindauinthiscase。Hehadneversupposedbeforethathewaschivalrousinsuchmatters，buthenowbegantoseeitinthatlight，andhewonderedthathecouldeverhaveentertainedforamomenttheideaofthrowingMarchover。 \"ButAhmostsay，\"MissWoodburnwenton，\"Ahdon\'tenvyyouyou\'nextinterviewwithMr。Dryfoos。Ahsupposeyou\'llhavetoseehimatonceaboatit。\" TheconjecturerecalledFulkersontotheobjectofhisconfidences。 \"Ah，there\'swhereyourhelpcomesin。I\'veexhaustedalltheinfluenceIhavewithDryfoos——\" \"Goodgracious，youdon\'texpectAhcouldhaveany!\" Theybothlaughedatthecomicdismaywithwhichsheconveyedthepreposterousnotion；andFulkersonsaid，\"IfIjudgedfrommyself，Ishouldexpectyoutobringhimroundinstantly。\" \"Oh，thankyou，Mr。Fulkerson，\"shesaid，withmockmeekness。 \"Notatall。Butitisn\'tDryfoosIwantyoutohelpmewith；it\'syourfather。IwantyourfathertointerviewDryfoosforme，andI-I\'mafraidtoaskhim。\" \"Poo\'Mr。Fulkerson!\"shesaid，andsheinsinuatedsomethingthroughherburlesquecompassionthatliftedhimtotheskies。Hesworeinhisheartthatthewomanneverlivedwhowassowitty，sowise，sobeautiful，andsogood。\"Comeraghtwithmethisminute，ifthecyoast\'sclea\'。\"Shewenttothedoorofthediningroomandlookedinacrossitsgloomtothelittlegallerywhereherfathersatbesidealampreadinghiseveningpaper；Mrs。Leightoncouldbeheardincolloquywiththecookbelow，andAlmahadgonetoherroom。ShebeckonedFulkersonwiththehandoutstretchedbehindher，andsaid，\"Goandaskhim。\" \"Alone!\"hepalpitated。 \"Oh，whatacyowahd!\"shecried，andwentwithhim。\"Ahsupposeyou\'llwantmetotellhimaboatit。\" \"Well，Iwishyou\'dbegin，MissWoodburn，\"hesaid。\"Thefactis，youknow，I\'vebeenoveritsomuchI\'mkindofsickofthething。\" MissWoodburnadvancedandputherhandonherfather\'sshoulder。\"Lookheah，papa!Mr。Fulkersonwantstoaskyousomething，andhewantsmetodoitfo\'him。\" Thecolonellookedupthroughhisglasseswiththesortofferocityelderlymensometimeshavetoputoninordertokeeptheirglassesfromfallingoff。Hisdaughtercontinued:\"He\'sgotintoanawfuldifficultywithhisedito\'andhisproprieto\'，andhewantsyoutopacifythem。\" \"IdonotknowwhethahIunderstandthecaseexactly，\"saidthecolonel，\"butMr。Fulkersonmaycommandmetotheextentofmyability。\" \"Youdon\'tunderstanditaftahwhatAh\'vesaid?\"criedthegirl。\"ThenAhdon\'tseebutwhatyou\'llhavetoexplainityou\'self，Mr。Fulkerson。\" \"Well，MissWoodburnhasbeensoluminousaboutit，colonel，\"saidFulkerson，gladofthejokingshapeshehadgiventheaffair，\"thatIcanonlythrowinalittleside-lighthereandthere。\" ThecolonellistenedasFulkersonwenton，withagravediplomaticsatisfaction。Hefeltgratified，honored，even，hesaid，byMr。 Fulkerson\'sappealtohim；andprobablyitgavehimsomethingofthehighjoythatanaffairofhonorwouldhavebroughthiminthedayswhenhehadarrangedformeetingsbetweengentlemen。Nexttobearingachallenge，thisworkofcomposingadifficultymusthavebeengrateful。 Buthegavenooutwardsignofhissatisfactioninmakingaresumeofthecasesoastogetthepointsclearlyinhismind。 \"Iwasafraid，sir，\"hesaid，withthestateduetotheseriousnatureofthefacts，\"thatMr。LindauhadgivenMr。Dryfoosoffencebysomeofhisquestionsatthedinner-tablelastnight。\" \"Perfectredragtoabull，\"Fulkersonputin；andthenhewantedtowithdrawhiswordsatthecolonel\'slookofdispleasure。 \"IhavenoreflectionstomakeuponMr。Landau，\"ColonelWoodburncontinued，andFulkersonfeltgratefultohimforgoingon；\"IdonotagreewithMr。Lindau；Itotallydisagreewithhimonsociologicalpoints；butthecourseoftheconversationhadinvitedhimtotheexpressionofhisconvictions，andhehadarighttoexpressthem，sofarastheyhadnopersonalbearing。\" \"Ofcourse，\"saidFulkerson，whileMissWoodburnperchedonthearmofherfather\'schair。 \"Atthesametime，sir，IthinkthatifMr。DryfoosfeltapersonalcensureinMr。Lindau\'squestionsconcerninghissuppressionofthestrikeamonghisworkmen，hehadarighttoresentit。\" \"Exactly，\"Fulkersonassented。 \"Butitmustbeevidenttoyou，sir，thatahigh-spiritedgentlemanlikeMr。March——Iconfessthatmyfeelingsarewithhimverywarmlyinthematter——couldnotsubmittodictationofthenatureyoudescribe。\" \"Yes，Isee，\"saidFulkerson；and，withthatstrangeduplexactionofthehumanmind，hewishedthatitwashishair，andnotherfather\'s，thatMissWoodburnwaspokingapartwiththecornerofherfan。 \"Mr。Lindau，\"thecolonelconcluded，\"wasrightfromhispointofview，andMr。Dryfooswasequallyright。ThepositionofMr。Marchisperfectlycorrect——\" Hisdaughterdroppedtoherfeetfromhischair-arm。\"Mahgoodness! Ifnobody\'sinthewrong，ho\'aweyouevahgoingtogetthemattahstraight?\"