第21章

It\'ssickening。\" \"Why，certainly，Alma。It\'sonlybecauseIknowyoudidcareforhimonce——\" \"AndnowIdon\'t。Andhedidn\'tcareformeonce，andnowhedoes。Andsowe\'requits。\" \"IfIcouldbelieve——\" \"Youhadbetterbraceupandtry，mamma；forasMr。Fulkersonsays，it\'sassureasguns。Fromthecrownofhisheadtothesoleofhisfoot，he\'sloathsometome；andhekeepsgettingloathsomer。Ugh!Goodnight!\" XVI。 \"Well，Iguessshe\'sgivenhimthegrandbounceatlast，\"saidFulkersontoMarchinoneoftheirmomentsofconfidenceattheoffice。\"That\'sMad\'sinferencefromappearances——anddisappearances；andsomelittlehintsfromAlmaLeighton。\" \"Well，Idon\'tknowthatIhaveanycriticismstooffer，\"saidMarch。 \"ItmaybebadforBeaton，butit\'saverygoodthingforMissLeighton。 Uponthewhole，IbelieveIcongratulateher。\" \"Well，Idon\'tknow。Ialwayskindofhopeditwouldturnouttheotherway。YouknowIalwayshadasneakingfondnessforthefellow。\" \"MissLeightonseemsnottohavehad。\" \"It\'sapityshehadn\'t。Itellyou，March，itain\'tsoeasyforagirltogetmarried，hereintheEast，thatshecanaffordtodespiseanychance。\" \"Isn\'tthatratheralowviewofit?\" \"It\'sacommon-senseview。Beatonhasthemakingofafirst-ratefellowinhim。He\'stherawmaterialofagreatartistandagoodcitizen。Allhewantsissomebodytotakehiminhandandkeephimfrommakin\'anassofhimselfandkickin\'overthetracesgenerally，andridin\'twoorthreehorsesbarebackatonce。\" \"Itseemsasimpleproblem，thoughthemetaphorisrathercomplicated，\" saidMarch。\"ButtalktoMissLeightonaboutit。Ihaven\'tgivenBeatonthegrandbounce。\" Hebegantoturnoverthemanuscriptsonhistable，andFulkersonwentaway。ButMarchfoundhimselfthinkingofthematterfromtimetotimeduringtheday，andhespoketohiswifeaboutitwhenhewenthome。ShesurprisedhimbytakingFulkerson\'sviewofit。 \"Yes，it\'sapityshecouldn\'thavemadeuphermindtohavehim。It\'sbetterforawomantobemarried。\" \"IthoughtPaulonlywentsofarastosayitwaswell。ButwhatwouldbecomeofMissLeighton\'sartisticcareerifshemarried?\" \"Oh，herartisticcareer!\"saidMrs。March，withmatronlycontemptofit。 \"Butlookhere!\"criedherhusband。\"Supposeshedoesn\'tlikehim?\" \"Howcanagirlofthatagetellwhethershelikesanyoneornot?\" \"Itseemstomeyouwereabletotellat。thatage，Isabel。Butlet\'sexaminethisthing。(Thisthing!IbelieveFulkersonischaracterizingmywholeparlance，aswellasyourmorals。)Whyshouldn\'twerejoiceasmuchatanon-marriageasamarriage?Whenweconsidertheenormousriskspeopletakeinlinkingtheirlivestogether，afternothalfsomuchthoughtasgoestoanordinaryhorsetrade，Ithinkweoughttobegladwhenevertheydon\'tdoit。Ibelievethatthispopulardemandforthematrimonyofotherscomesfromournovel-reading。Wegettothinkingthatthereisnootherhappinessorgood-fortuneinlifeexceptmarriage； andit\'sofferedinfictionasthehighestpremiumforvirtue，courage，beauty，learning，andsavinghumanlife。Weallknowitisn\'t。Weknowthatinrealitymarriageisdogcheap，andanybodycanhaveitfortheasking——ifhekeepsaskingenoughpeople。By-and-bysomefellowwillwakeupandseethatafirst-classstorycanbewrittenfromtheanti- marriagepointofview；andhe\'llbeginwithanengagedcouple，anddevotehisnoveltodisengagingthemandrenderingthemseparatelyhappyeverafterinthedenouement。Itwillmakehiseverlastingfortune。\" \"Whydon\'tyouwriteit，Basil?\"sheasked。\"It\'sadelightfulidea。 Youcoulddoitsplendidly。\" Hebecamefascinatedwiththenotion。Hedevelopeditindetail；butattheendhesighedandsaid:\"Withthis\'EveryOtherWeek\'workonmyhands，ofcourseIcan\'tattemptanovel。ButperhapsIsha\'n\'thaveitlong。\" Shewasinstantlyanxioustoknowwhathemeant，andthenovelandMissLeighton\'saffairwerebothdroppedoutoftheirthoughts。\"Whatdoyoumean?HasMr。Fulkersonsaidanythingyet?\" \"Notaword。HeknowsnomoreaboutitthanIdo。Dryfooshasn\'tspoken，andwe\'rebothafraidtoaskhim。Ofcourse，Icouldn\'taskhim。\" \"No。\" \"Butit\'sprettyuncomfortable，tobekepthangingbythegillsso，asFulkersonsays。\" \"Yes，wedon\'tknowwhattodo。\" MarchandFulkersonsaidthesametoeachother；andFulkersonsaidthatiftheoldmanpulledout，hedidnotknowwhatwouldhappen。Hehadnocapitaltocarrythethingon，andtheveryfactthattheoldmanhadpulledoutwoulddamageitsothatitwouldbehardtogetanybodyelsetoputit。InthemeantimeFulkersonwasrunningConrad\'soffice-work，whenheoughttobelookingaftertheoutsideinterestsofthething；andhecouldnotseethedaywhenhecouldgetmarried。 \"Idon\'tknowwhichit\'sworsefor，March:youorme。Idon\'tknow，underthecircumstances，whetherit\'sworsetohaveafamilyortowanttohaveone。Ofcourse——ofcourse!Wecan\'thurrytheoldmanup。Itwouldn\'tbedecent，anditwouldbedangerous。Wegottowait。\" HealmostdecidedtodrawuponDryfoosforsomemoney；hedidnotneedany，but，hesaidmaybethedemandwouldactasahintuponhim。Oneday，aboutaweekafterAlma\'sfinalrejectionofBeaton，DryfooscameintoMarch\'soffice。Fulkersonwasout，buttheoldmanseemednottohavetriedtoseehim。 Heputhishatonthefloorbyhischair，afterhesatdown，andlookedatMarchawhilewithhisoldeyes，whichhadthevitreousglitterofold。 eyesstimulatedtosleeplessness。Thenhesaid，abruptly，\"Mr。March，howwouldyouliketotakethisthingoffmyhands?\" \"Idon\'tunderstand，exactly，\"Marchbegan；butofcourseheunderstoodthatDryfooswasofferingtolethimhave\'EveryOtherWeek\'onsometermsorother，andhisheartleapedwithhope。 Theoldmanknewheunderstood，andsohedidnotexplain。Hesaid: \"IamgoingtoEurope，totakemyfamilythere。Thedoctorthinksitmightdomywifesomegood；andIain\'tverywellmyself，andmygirlsbothwanttogo；andsowe\'regoin\'。Ifyouwanttotakethisthingoffmyhands，IreckonIcanletyouhaveitin\'mostanyshapeyousay。 You\'reallsettledhereinNewYork，andIdon\'tsupposeyouwanttobreakup，much，atyourtimeoflife，andI\'vebeenthinkin\'whetheryouwouldn\'tliketotakethething。\" Theword，whichDryfooshadnowusedthreetimes，madeMarchatlastthinkofFulkerson；hehadbeenfilledtoofullofhimselftothinkofanyoneelsetillhehadmasteredthenotionofsuchwonderfulgoodfortuneasseemedaboutfallingtohim。ButnowhedidthinkofFulkerson，andwithsomeshameandconfusion；forherememberedhow，whenDryfooshadlastapproachedhimthereonthebusinessofhisconnectionwith\'EveryOtherWeek，\'hehadbeenveryhaughtywithhim，andtoldhimthathedidnotknowhiminthisconnection。Heblushedtofindhowfarhisthoughtshadnowrunwithoutencounteringthisobstacleofetiquette。 \"HaveyouspokentoMr。Fulkerson?\"heasked。 \"No，Ihain\'t。Itain\'taquestionofmanagement。It\'saquestionofbuyingandselling。Iofferthethingtoyoufirst。IreckonFulkersoncouldn\'tgetonverywellwithoutyou。\" Marchsawtherealdifferenceinthetwocases，andhewasgladtoseeit，becausehecouldactmoredecisivelyifnothamperedbyanobligationtoconsistency。\"Iamgratified，ofcourse，Mr。Dryfoos；extremelygratified；andit\'snousepretendingthatIshouldn\'tbehappybeyondboundstogetpossessionof\'EveryOtherWeek。\'ButIdon\'tfeelquitefreetotalkaboutitapartfromMr。Fulkerson。\" \"Oh，allright!\"saidtheoldman，withquickoffence。 Marchhastenedtosay:\"IfeelboundtoMr。Fulkersonineveryway。Hegotmetocomehere，andIcouldn\'tevenseemtoactwithouthim。\" Heputitquestioningly，andtheoldmananswered: \"Yes，Icanseethat。When\'llhebein?Icanwait。\"Buthelookedimpatient。 \"Verysoon，now，\"saidMarch，lookingathiswatch。\"Hewasonlytobegoneamoment，\"andwhilehewentontotalkwithDryfoos，hewonderedwhytheoldmanshouldhavecomefirsttospeakwithhim，andwhetheritwasfromsomeobscurewishtomakehimreparationfordispleasuresinthepast，orfromadistrustordislikeofFulkerson。Whicheverlighthelookedatitin，itwasflattering。 \"Doyouthinkofgoingabroadsoon?\"heasked。 \"What?Yes——Idon\'tknow——Ireckon。Wegotourpassageengaged。It\'sononeofthemFrenchboats。We\'regoin\'toParis。\" \"Oh!Thatwillbeinterestingtotheyoungladies。\" \"Yes。Ireckonwe\'regoin\'forthem。\'Tain\'tlikelymywifeandmewouldwanttopullupstakesatourage，\"saidtheoldman，sorrowfully。 \"Butyoumayfinditdoyougood，Mr。Dryfoos，\"saidMarch，withakindnessthatwasreal，mixedasitwaswiththeselfishinteresthenowhadintheintendedvoyage。 \"Well，maybe，maybe，\"sighedtheoldman；andhedroppedhisheadforward。\"Itdon\'tmakeagreatdealofdifferencewhatwedoorwedon\'tdo，forthefewyearsleft。\" \"IhopeMrs。Dryfoosisaswellasusual，\"saidMarch，findingthegrounddelicateanddifficult。 \"Middlin\'，middlin\'，\"saidtheoldman。\"MydaughterChristine，sheain\'tverywell。\" \"Oh，\"saidMarch。Itwasquiteimpossibleforhimtoaffectamoreexplicitinterestinthefact。HeandDryfoossatsilentforafewmoments，andhewasvainlycastingaboutinhisthoughtforsomethingelsewhichwouldtidethemovertheintervaltillFulkersoncame，whenheheardhissteponthestairs。 \"Hello，hello!\"hesaid。\"Meetingoftheclans!\"Itwasalwaysameetingoftheclans，withFulkerson，orafieldday，oranextrasession，oraregularconclave，wheneverhesawpeopleofanycommoninteresttogether。\"Hain\'tseenyouhereforagoodwhile，Mr。Dryfoos。 Didthinksomeofrunningawaywith\'EveryOtherWeek\'onewhile，butcouldn\'tseemtoworkMarchuptothepoint。\" HegaveDryfooshishand，andpushedasidethepapersonthecornerofMarch\'sdesk，andsatdownthere，andwentonbrisklywiththenonsensehecouldalwaystalkwhilehewaswaitingforanothertodevelopanymatterofbusiness；hetoldMarchafterwardthathescentedbusinessintheairassoonashecameintotheroomwhereheandDryfoosweresitting。 DryfoosseemeddeterminedtoleavethewordtoMarch，whosaid，afteraninquiringlookathim，\"Mr。Dryfooshasbeenproposingtoletushave\'EveryOtherWeek，\'Fulkerson。\" \"Well，that\'sgood；thatsuitsyourstruly；March&Fulkerson，publishersandproprietors，won\'tpretenditdon\'t，ifthetermsareallright。\" \"Theterms，\"saidtheoldman，\"arewhateveryouwant\'em。Ihaven\'tgotanymoreusefortheconcern——\"Hegulped，andstopped；theyknewwhathewasthinkingof，andtheylookeddowninpity。Hewenton:\"Iwon\'tputanymoremoneyinit；butwhatI\'veputina\'readycanstay；andyoucanpaymefourpercent。\" Hegotuponhisfeet；andMarchandFulkersonstood，too。 \"Well，Icallthatprettywhite，\"saidFulkerson。\"It\'sabargainasfarasI\'mconcerned。Isupposeyou\'llwanttotalkitoverwithyourwife，March?\" \"Yes；Ishall，\"saidMarch。\"Icanseethatit\'sagreatchance；butI wanttotalkitoverwithmywife。\" \"Well，that\'sright，\"saidtheoldman。\"Letmehearfromyoutomorrow。\" Hewentout，andFulkersonbegantodanceroundtheroom。HecaughtMarchabouthisstalwartgirthandtriedtomakehimwaltz；theoffice- boycametothedoorandlookedonwithapproval。 \"Come，come，youidiot!\"saidMarch，rootinghimselftothecarpet。 \"It\'sjustthrowingthethingintoourmouths，\"saidFulkerson。\"Theweddingwillbethisdayweek。Nocards!Teedle-lumpty-diddle!Teedle- lumpty-dee!Whatdoyousupposehemeansbyit，March?\"heasked，bringinghimselfsoberlyup，ofasudden。\"Whatishislittlegame?Orishecrazy?Itdon\'tseemliketheDryfoosofmypreviousacquaintance。\" \"Isuppose，\"Marchsuggested，\"thathe\'sgotmoneyenough，sothathedon\'tcareforthis——\" \"Pshaw!You\'reapoet!Don\'tyouknowthatthemoremoneythatkindofmanhasgot，themorehecaresformoney?It\'ssomefancyofhis——likehavingLindau\'sfuneralathishouse——ByJings，March，Ibelieveyou\'rehisfancy!\" \"Oh，now!Don\'tyoubeapoet，Fulkerson!\" \"Ido!Heseemedtotakeakindofshinetoyoufromthedayyouwouldn\'tturnoffoldLindau；hedid，indeed。Itkindofshookhimup。 Itmadehimthinkyouhadsomethinginyou。Hewasdeceivedbyappearances。Lookhere!I\'mgoingroundtoseeMrs。Marchwithyou，andexplainthethingtoher。IknowMrs。March!Shewouldn\'tbelieveyouknewwhatyouweregoinginfor。Shehasagreatrespectforyourmind，butshedon\'tthinkyou\'vegotanysense。Heigh?\" \"Allright，\"saidMarch，gladofthenotion；anditwasreallyacomforttohaveFulkersonwithhimtodevelopallthepoints；anditwasdelightfultoseehowclearlyandquicklysheseizedthem；itmadeMarchproudofher。Shewasonlyangrythattheyhadlostanytimeincomingtosubmitsoplainacasetoher。 Mr。Dryfoosmightchangehismindinthenight，andtheneverythingwouldbelost。Theymustgotohiminstantly，andtellhimthattheyaccepted； theymusttelegraphhim。 \"Mightaswellsendadistrictmessenger；he\'dgettherenextweek，\"saidFulkerson。\"No，no!It\'llallkeeptillto-morrow，andbethebetterforit。Ifhe\'sgotthisfancyforMarch，asIsay，heain\'tagoingtochangeitinasinglenight。Peopledon\'tchangetheirfanciesforMarchinalifetime。Heigh?\" WhenFulkersonturnedupveryearlyattheofficenextmorning，asMarchdid，hewaslessstrenuousaboutDryfoos\'sfancyforMarch。ItwasasifMissWoodburnmighthaveblowncolduponthattheory，assomethingunjusttohisownmerit，forwhichshewouldnaturallybemorejealousthanhe。 Marchtoldhimwhathehadforgottentotellhimthedaybefore，thoughhehadbeentrying，allthroughtheirexcitedtalk，togetitin，thattheDryfoosesweregoingabroad。 \"Oh，ho!\"criedFulkerson。\"That\'sthemilkinthecocoanut，isit? Well，Ithoughttheremustbesomething。\" ButthisfacthadnotchangedMrs。MarchatallinherconvictionthatitwasMr。Dryfoos\'sfancyforherhusbandwhichhadmovedhimtomakehimthisextraordinaryoffer，andsheremindedhimthatithadfirstbeenmadetohim，withoutregardtoFulkerson。\"Andperhaps，\"shewenton，\"Mr。Dryfooshasbeenchanged——softened；anddoesn\'tfindmoneyallinallanymore。He\'shadenoughtochangehim，pooroldman!\" \"Doesanythingfromwithoutchangeus?\"herhusbandmusedaloud。\"We\'rebroughtuptothinksobythenovelists，whoreallyhavethechargeofpeople\'sthinking，nowadays。ButIdoubtit，especiallyifthethingoutsideissomegreatevent，somethingcataclysmal，likethistremendoussorrowofDryfoos\'s。\" \"Thenwhatisitthatchangesus?\"demandedhiswife，almostangrywithhimforhisheresy。 \"Well，itwon\'tdotosay，theHolySpiritindwelling。Thatwouldsoundlikecantatthisday。Buttheoldfellowsthatusedtosaythathadsomeglimpsesofthetruth。Theyknewthatitisthestill，smallvoicethatthesoulheeds，notthedeafeningblastsofdoom。IsupposeI shouldhavetosaythatwedidn\'tchangeatall。Wedevelop。There\'sthemakingofseveralcharactersineachofus；weareeachseveralcharacters，andsometimesthischaracterhastheleadinus，andsometimesthat。FromwhatFulkersonhastoldmeofDryfoos，Ishouldsayhehadalwayshadthepotentialityofbetterthingsinhimthanhehaseverbeenyet；andperhapsthetimehascomeforthegoodtohaveitschance。Thegrowthinonedirectionhasstopped；it\'sbeguninanother； that\'sall。Themanhasn\'tbeenchangedbyhisson\'sdeath；itstunned，itbenumbedhim；butitcouldn\'tchangehim。Itwasanevent，likeanyother，andithadtohappenasmuchashisbeingborn。Itwasforecastfromthebeginningoftime，andwasasentirelyaneffectofhiscomingintotheworld——\" \"Basil!Basil!\"criedhiswife。\"Thisisfatalism!\" \"Thenyouthink，\"hesaid，\"thatasparrowfallstothegroundwithoutthewillofGod?\"andhelaughedprovokingly。Buthewentonmoresoberly:\"Idon\'tknowwhatitallmeansIsabelthoughIbelieveitmeansgood。WhatdidChristhimselfsay?Thatifonerosefromthedeaditwouldnotavail。Andyetwearealwayslookingforthemiraculous! Ibelievethatunhappyoldmantrulygrievesforhisson，whomhetreatedcruellywithoutthefinalintentionofcruelty，forhelovedhimandwishedtobeproudofhim；butIdon\'tthinkhisdeathhaschangedhim，anymorethanthesmallesteventinthechainofeventsremotelyworkingthroughhisnaturefromthebeginning。Butwhydoyouthinkhe\'schangedatall?BecauseheofferstosellmeEveryOtherWeekoneasyterms? Hesayshimselfthathehasnofurtheruseforthething；andheknowsperfectlywellthathecouldn\'tgethismoneyoutofitnow，withoutanenormousshrinkage。Hecouldn\'tappearatthislatedayastheowner，andsellittoanybodybutFulkersonandmeforafifthofwhatit\'scosthim。Hecansellittousforallit\'scosthim；andfourpercent。isnobadinterestonhismoneytillwecanpayitback。It\'sagoodthingforus；butwehavetoaskwhetherDryfooshasdoneusthegood，orwhetherit\'stheblessingofHeaven。Ifit\'smerelytheblessingofHeaven，Idon\'tproposebeinggratefulforit。\" Marchlaughedagain，andhiswifesaid，\"It\'sdisgusting。\" \"It\'sbusiness，\"heassented。\"Businessisbusiness；butIdon\'tsayitisn\'tdisgusting。Lindauhadalowopinionofit。\" \"IthinkthatwithallhisfaultsMr。DryfoosisabettermanthanLindau，\"sheproclaimed。 \"Well，he\'scertainlyabletoofferusabetterthingin\'EveryOtherWeek，\'\"saidMarch。 Sheknewhewasenamouredoftheliteraryfinishofhiscynicism，andthatathearthewasashumblyandtrulygratefulasshewasforthegood-fortuneopeningtothem。 XVII。 BeatonwasathisbestwhenhepartedforthelasttimewithAlmaLeighton，forhesawthenthatwhathadhappenedtohimwasthenecessaryconsequenceofwhathehadbeen，ifnotwhathehaddone。Afterwardhelostthisclearvision；hebegantodenythefact；hedrewuponhisknowledgeoflife，andinarguinghimselfintoadifferentframeofmindheallegedthecaseofdifferentpeoplewhohaddoneandbeenmuchworsethingsthanhe，andyetnosuchdisagreeableconsequencehadbefallenthem。Thenhesawthatitwasalltheworkofblindchance，andhesaidtohimselfthatitwasthisthatmadehimdesperate，andwillingtocallevilhisgood，andtotakehisownwhereverhecouldfindit。TherewasagreatdealthatwasliteraryandfactitiousandtawdryinthemoodinwhichhewenttoseeChristineDryfoos，thenightwhentheMarchessattalkingtheirprospectsover；andnothingthatwasdecidedinhispurpose。Heknewwhatthedriftofhismindwas，buthehadalwayspreferredtoletchancedeterminehisevents，andnowsincechancehadplayedhimsuchanillturnwithAlma，heleftitthewholeresponsibility。Notinterms，butineffect，thiswashisthoughtashewalkedonup-towntopaythefirstofthevisitswhichDryfooshadpracticallyinvitedhimtoresume。Hehadaninsolentsatisfactioninhavingdelayeditsolong；ifhewasgoingbackhewasgoingbackonhisownconditions，andtheseweretobeashardandhumiliatingashecouldmakethem。Butthisintentionagainwasinchoate，floating，thestuffofanintention，ratherthanintention；anexpressionoftemperamentchiefly。 Hehadbeenexpectedbeforethat。ChristinehadgotoutofMelathatherfatherhadbeenatBeaton\'sstudio；andthenshehadgoneattheoldmanandgotfromhimeverysmallestfactoftheinterviewthere。Shehadflungbackinhisteeththegood-willtowardherselfwithwhichhehadgonetoBeaton。Shewasfuriouswithshameandresentment； shetoldhimhehadmadebadworse，thathehadmadeafoolofhimselftonoend；shesparedneitherhisagenorhisgrief-brokenspirit，inwhichhiswillcouldnotriseagainsthers。Shefilledthehousewithherrage，screamingitoutuponhim；butwhenherfurywasoncespent，shebegantohavesomehopesfromwhatherfatherhaddone。Shenolongerkeptherbed；everyeveningshedressedherselfinthedressBeatonadmiredthemost，andsatuptillacertainhourtoreceivehim。Shehadfixedadayinherownmindbeforewhich，ifhecame，shewouldforgivehimallhehadmadehersuffer:themortification，thesuspense，thedespair。 Beyondthis，shehadthepurposeofmakingherfathergotoEurope；shefeltthatshecouldnolongerliveinAmerica，withthedoubledisgracethathadbeenputuponher。 Beatonrang，andwhiletheservantwascomingtheinsolentcapriceseizedhimtoaskfortheyoungladiesinsteadoftheoldman，ashehadsupposedofcourseheshoulddo。Themaidwhoansweredthebell，intheplaceofthereluctantIrishmanofotherdays，hadallhishesitationinadmittingthattheyoungladieswereathome。 HefoundMelainthedrawing-room。Atsightofhimshelookedscared； butsheseemedtobereassuredbyhiscalm。HeaskedifhewasnottohavethepleasureofseeingMissDryfoos，too；andMelasaidshereckonedthegirlhadgoneup-stairstotellher。Melawasinblack，andBeatonnotedhowwellthesolidsablebecameherrichred-blondebeauty；hewonderedwhattheeffectwouldbewithChristine。 Butshe，whensheappeared，wasnotinmourning。Hefanciedthatsheworethelustrousblacksilk，withthebreadthsofwhiteVenetianlaceabouttheneckwhichhehadpraised，becausehepraisedit。HercheeksburnedwithaJacqueminotcrimson；whatshouldbewhiteinherfacewaschalkywhite。Shecarriedaplumedostrichfan，blackandsoft，andaftergivinghimherhand，satdownandwavedittoandfroslowly，asherememberedherdoingthenighttheyfirstmet。Shehadnoideas，exceptsuchasrelatedintimatelytoherself，andshehadnogabble，likeMela； andshelethimtalk。Itwaspastthedaywhenshepromisedherselfshewouldforgivehim；butashetalkedonshefeltallherpassionforhimrevive，andtheconflictofdesires，thedesiretohate，thedesiretolove，madeadizzyingwhirlinherbrain。Shelookedathim，halfdoubtingwhetherhewasreallythereornot。Hehadneverlookedsohandsome，withhisdreamyeyesfloatingunderhisheavyoverhanginghair，andhispointedbrownbearddefinedagainsthislustrousshirtfront。Hismellowlymodulated，mysteriousvoicelulledher；whenMelamadeanerrandoutoftheroom，andBeatoncrossedtoherandsatdownbyher，sheshivered。 \"Areyoucold?\"heasked，andshefeltthecruelmockeryandexultantconsciousnessofpowerinhistone，asperhapsawildthingfeelscaptivityinthevoiceofitskeeper。Butnow，shesaidshewouldstillforgivehimifheaskedher。 Melacameback，andthetalkfellagaintotheformerlevel；butBeatonhadnotsaidanythingthatreallymeantwhatshewished，andshesawthatheintendedtosaynothing。Herheartbegantoburnlikeafireinherbreast。 \"Youbeentellun\'himaboutourgoun\'toEurope?\"Melaasked。 \"No，\"saidChristine，briefly，andlookingatthefanspreadoutonherlap。 Beatonaskedwhen；andthenherose，andsaidifitwassosoon，hesupposedheshouldnotseethemagain，unlesshesawtheminParis；hemightverylikelyrunoverduringthesummer。HesaidtohimselfthathehadgivenitafairtrialwithChristine，andhecouldnotmakeitgo。 Christinerose，withakindofgasp；andmechanicallyfollowedhimtothedoorofthedrawing-room；Melacame，too；andwhilehewasputtingonhisovercoat，shegurgledandbubbledingood-humorwithalltheworld。 Christinestoodlookingathim，andthinkinghowstillhandsomerhewasinhisovercoat；andthatfireburnedfiercerinher。Shefelthimmorethanlifetoherandknewhimlost，andthefrenzy，thatmakesawomankillthemansheloves，orflingvitrioltodestroythebeautyshecannothaveforallhers，possessedherlawlesssoul。HegavehishandtoMela，andsaid，inhiswind-harpstop，\"Good-bye。\" AsheputouthishandtoChristine，shepusheditasidewithascreamofrage；sheflashedathim，andwithbothhandsmadeafelinepassatthefacehebenttowardher。Hesprangback，andafteraninstantofstupefactionhepulledopenthedoorbehindhimandranoutintothestreet。 \"Well，ChristineDryfoos!\"saidMela，\"Sprangathimlikeawild-cat!\" \"I，don\'tcare，\"Christineshrieked。\"I\'lltearhiseyesout!\"Sheflewup-stairstoherownroom，andlefttheburdenoftheexplanationtoMela，whodiditjustice。 Beatonfoundhimself，hedidnotknowhow，inhisstudio，reekingwithperspirationandbreathless。Hemustalmosthaverun。Hestruckamatchwithashakinghand，andlookedathisfaceintheglass。Heexpectedtoseethebleedingmarksofhernailsonhischeeks，buthecouldseenothing。Hegrovelledinwardly；itwasallsolowandcoarseandvulgar； itwasallsojustandapttohisdeserts。 Therewasapistolamongthedustybric-a-braconthemantelwhichhehadkeptloadedtofireatacatinthearea。Hetookitandsatlookingintothemuzzle，wishingitmightgooffbyaccidentandkillhim。 Itslippedthroughhishandandstruckthefloor，andtherewasareport； hesprangintotheair，feelingthathehadbeenshot。Buthefoundhimselfstillalive，withonlyaburninglinealonghischeek，suchasoneofChristine\'sfinger-nailsmighthaveleft。 Helaughedwithcynicalrecognitionofthefactthathehadgothispunishmentintherightway，andthathiscasewasnottobedignifiedintotragedy。 XVIII。 TheMarches，withFulkerson，wenttoseetheDryfoosesoffontheFrenchsteamer。Therewasnolongeranybusinessobligationonthemtobecivil，andtherewasgreaterkindnessforthatreasonintheattentiontheyoffered。\'EveryOtherWeek\'hadbeenmadeovertothejointownershipofMarchandFulkerson，andthedetailsarrangedwithahardnessonDryfoos\'ssidewhichcertainlyleftMrs。Marchwithasenseofhisincompleteregeneration。Yetwhenshesawhimthereonthesteamer，shepitiedhim；helookedweariedandbewildered；evenhiswife，withhertwitchinghead，andherpropheciesofevil，croakedhoarselyout，whilesheclungtoMrs。 March\'shandwheretheysattogethertilltheleave-takerswereorderedashore，waslesspathetic。Melawaslookingafterbothofthem，andtryingtocheertheminajoyfulexcitement。\"Itell\'emit\'sgoun\'toaddtenyearstoboththeirlives，\"shesaid。\"Thevoyage\'lldotheirhealthsgood；andthen，we\'regittun\'awayfromthatmiser\'blepacko\'servantsthatwaseatun\'usup，thereinNewYork。Ihatetheplace!\"shesaid，asiftheyhadalreadyleftit。\"Yes，Mrs。Mandel\'sgoun\'，too，\"sheadded，followingthedirectionofMrs。March\'seyeswheretheynotedMrs。Mandel，speakingtoChristineontheothersideofthecabin。\"HerandChristinehadakindofaspat，andshewasgoun\'toleave，buthereonlytheotherday，Christineofferedtomakeitupwithher，andnowthey\'reasthickasthieves。Well，Ireckonwecouldn\'tverywell\'a\'gotalongwithouther。 She\'sabouttheonlyonethatspeaksFrenchinthisfamily。\" Mrs。March\'seyesstilldweltuponChristine\'sface；itwasfullofafurtivewildness。Sheseemedtobekeepingawatchtopreventherselffromlookingasifshewerelookingforsomeone。\"Doyouknow，\"Mrs。 MarchsaidtoherhusbandastheyjingledalonghomewardintheChristopherStreetbob-tailcar，\"IthoughtshewasinlovewiththatdetestableMr。Beatonofyoursatonetime；andthathewasamusinghimselfwithher。\" \"Icanbearagooddeal，Isabel，\"saidMarch，\"butIwishyouwouldn\'tattributeBeatontome。He\'stheinventionofthatMr。Fulkersonofyours。\" \"Well，atanyrate，Ihope，now，you\'llbothgetridofhim，inthereformsyou\'regoingtocarryout。\" Thesereformswereforagreatereconomyinthemanagementof\'EveryOtherWeek；\'butintheirverynaturetheycouldnotincludethesuppressionofBeaton。Hehadalwaysshownhimselfcapableandloyaltotheinterestsofthemagazine，andboththenewownersweregladtokeephim。Hewasgladtostay，thoughhemadeagruffpretenceofindifference，whentheycametolookoverthenewarrangementwithhim。 Inhisheartheknewthathewasafraud；butatleasthecouldsaytohimselfwithtruththathehadnotnowtheshameoftakingDryfoos\'smoney。 MarchandFulkersonretrenchedatseveralpointswhereithadseemedindispensabletospend，aslongastheywerenotspendingtheirown: thatwasonlyhuman。FulkersonabsorbedConrad\'sdepartmentintohis，andMarchfoundthathecoulddispensewithKendricksintheplaceofassistantwhichhehadlatelyfilledsinceFulkersonhaddecidedthatMarchwasoverworked。Theyreducedthenumberofillustratedarticles，andtheysystematizedthepaymentofcontributorsstrictlyaccordingtothesalesofeachnumber，ontheiroriginalplanofco-operation:theyhadgottopayingratherlavishlyformaterialwithoutreferencetothesales。 Fulkersontookalittletimetogetmarried，andwentonhisweddingjourneyouttoNiagara，anddowntheSt。LawrencetoQuebecoverthelineoftravelthattheMarcheshadtakenontheirweddingjourney。HehadthepleasureofgoingfromMontrealtoQuebeconthesameboatonwhichhefirstmetMarch。 Theyhavecontinuedverygoodfriends，andtheirwivesarealmostwithouttherivalrythatusuallyembittersthewivesofpartners。AtfirstMrs。 MarchdidnotlikeMrs。Fulkerson\'sspeakingofherhusbandastheOwnah，andMarchastheEdito\'；butitappearedthatthiswasonlyaconvenientmethodofrecognizingthepredominantqualityineach，andwasmeantneithertoaffirmnortodenyanything。ColonelWoodburnofferedashiscontributiontothecelebrationofthecopartnership，whichFulkersoncouldnotbepreventedfromdedicatingwithalittledinner，thestoryofFulkerson\'smagnanimousbehaviorinregardtoDryfoosatthatcrucialmomentwhenitwasaquestionwhetherheshouldgiveupDryfoosorgiveupMarch。Fulkersonwincedatit；butMrs。Marchtoldherhusbandthatnow，whateverhappened，sheshouldneverhaveanymisgivingsofFulkersonagain；andsheaskedhimifhedidnotthinkheoughttoapologizetohimforthedoubtswithwhichhehadonceinspiredher。Marchsaidthathedidnotthinkso。 TheFulkersonsspentthesummerataseasidehotelineasyreachofthecity；buttheyreturnedearlytoMrs。Leighton\'s，withwhomtheyaretoboardtillspring，whentheyaregoingtofitupFulkerson\'sbachelorapartmentforhousekeeping。Mrs。March，withherBostonscruple，thinksitwillbeodd，livingoverthe\'EveryOtherWeek\'offices；buttherewillbeaseparatestreetentrancetotheapartment；andbesides，inNewYorkyoumaydoanything。 ThefutureoftheLeightonspromisesnoimmediatechange。KendricksgoesthereagooddealtoseetheFulkersons，andMrs。FulkersonsayshecomestoseeAlma。HehasseemedtakenwithhereversincehefirstmetheratDryfoos\'s，thedayofLindau\'sfuneral，andthoughFulkersonobjectstodatingafancyofthatkindfromanoccasionofthatkind，hejustlyargueswithMarchthattherecanbenoharminit，andthatweareliabletobestruckbylightninganytime。InthemeanwhilethereisnoproofthatAlmareturnsKendricks\'sinterest，ifhefeelsany。Shehasgotalittlebitofcolorintothefallexhibition；butthefallexhibitionisneversogoodasthespringexhibition。Wetmoreisrathersorryshehassucceededinthis，thoughhepromotedhersuccess。Hesaysherrealhopeisinblackandwhite，anditisapityforhertolosesightofheroriginalaimofdrawingforillustration。 NewshascomefromParisoftheengagementofChristineDryfoos。TheretheDryfoosesmetwiththesuccessdeniedtheminNewYork；manyAmericanplutocratsmustawaittheirapotheosisinEurope，wheresocietyhasthem，asitwere，inatranslation。ShortlyaftertheirarrivaltheywerecelebratedinthenewspapersasthefirstmillionaireAmericanfamilyofnatural-gasextractionwhohadarrivedinthecapitalofcivilization； andataFrenchwatering-placeChristineencounteredherfate——anoblemanfullofpresentdebtsandofduelsinthepast。Fulkersonsaystheoldmancanmanagethedebtor，andChristinecanlookoutfortheduellist。 \"Theysaythosefellowsgenerallywhiptheirwives。He\'dbetternottryitwithChristine，Ireckon，unlesshe\'spractisedwithapanther。\" Oneday，shortlyaftertheirreturntotownintheautumnfromthebriefsummeroutingtheypermittedthemselves，theMarchesmetMargaretVance。 Atfirsttheydidnotknowherinthedressofthesisterhoodwhichshewore；butshesmiledjoyfully，almostgayly，onseeingthem，andthoughshehurriedbywiththesisterwhoaccompaniedher，anddidnotstaytospeak，theyfeltthatthepeacethatpassethunderstandinghadlookedatthemfromhereyes。 \"Well，sheisatrest，therecan\'tbeanydoubtofthat，\"hesaid，asheglancedroundatthedriftingblackrobewhichfollowedherfree，nun- likewalk。 \"Yes，nowshecandoallthegoodshelikes，\"sighedhiswife。 \"Iwonder——IwonderifsheevertoldhisfatherabouthertalkwithpoorConradthatdayhewasshot?\" \"Idon\'tknow。Idon\'tcare。Inanyevent，itwouldberight。Shedidnothingwrong。Ifsheunwittinglysenthimtohisdeath，shesenthimtodieforGod\'ssake，forman\'ssake。\" \"Yes——yes。Butstill——\" \"Well，wemusttrustthatlookofhers。\"