\"Ah!\"saidJack，withthoughtfulgravity。\"Well，kindlygivemylovetoyoursister，willyou?\"
\"GeorgeWashingtondidn\'thavenosister，\"saidtheboy，cunningly。
\"CanIhavebeenmistaken?\"saidHamlin，liftinghishandtohisforeheadwithgrievedaccents。\"ThenitseemsYOUhave。Kindlygivehermylove。\"
\"Whichone?\"askedtheboy，withaswiftglanceofmischief。\"I\'vegotfour。\"
\"Theonethat\'slikeyou，\"returnedHamlin，withpromptexactitude。
\"Now，where\'sthe\'bresh\'youspokeof?\"
\"Keepalongtheedgeuntilyoucometothelog-slide。Follerthat，andit\'llleadyouintothewoods。Butyewon\'tgofar，Itellye。
Whenyouhavetoturnback，insteado\'comin\'backhere，youkintakethetrailthatgoesroundthewoods，andthat\'llbringyeoutintothestageroadag\'innearthepost-officeattheGreenSpringscrossin\'andthenewhotel。That\'llbewarye\'llturnup，I
reckon，\"headded，reflectively。\"Fellersthatcomeyergunnin\'
andfishin\'gin\'rallydo，\"heconcluded，withahalf-inquisitiveair。
\"Ah?\"saidMr。Hamlin，quietlysheddingtheinquiry。\"GreenSpringsHoteliswherethestagestops，eh?\"
\"Yes，andatthepost-office，\"saidtheboy。\"She\'llbealongheresoon，\"headded。
\"IfyoumeantheSantaCruzstage，\"saidHamlin，\"she\'sherealready。Ipassedherontheridgehalfanhourago。\"
Theboygaveasuddenstart，andaquickuneasyexpressionpassedoverhisface。\"Go\'longwithye!\"hesaid，withaforcedsmile:
\"itain\'thertimeyet。\"
\"ButISAWher，\"repeatedHamlin，muchamused。\"Areyouexpectingcompany?Hullo!Whereareyouoffto?Comeback。\"
Buthiscompanionhadalreadyvanishedinthethicketwiththeundeliberateandimpulsiveactofananimal。Therewasamomentaryrustleinthealdersfiftyfeetaway，andthenallwassilent。Thehiddenbrooktookupitsmonotonousmurmur，thetappingofadistantwoodpeckerbecamesuddenlyaudible，andMr。Hamlinwasagainalone。
\"Wonderwhetherhe\'sgotparentsinthestage，andhasbeenplayingtruanthere，\"hemused，lazily。\"Lookedasifhe\'dbeenuptosomedevilment，ormorelikeasifhewasprimedforit。Ifhe\'dbeenalittleolder，I\'dhavebethewasinleaguewithsomeroad-agentstowatchthecoach。JustmylucktohavehimlightoutasIwasbeginningtogetsometalkoutofhim。\"Hepaused，lookedathiswatch，andstraightenedhimselfinhisstirrups。\"Fouro\'clock。I
reckonImightaswelltrythewoodsandwhatthatimpcallsthe\'bresh；\'Imaystrikeashantyoranativebytheway。\"
Withthisdetermination，Mr。Hamlinurgedhishorsealongthefainttrailbythebrinkofthewatercoursewhichtheboyhadjustindicated。Hehadnodefiniteendinviewbeyondtheonethathadbroughthimthedaybeforetothatlocality——hisquestoftheunknownpoetess。Hiscluewouldhaveseemedtoordinaryhumanitythefaintest。Hehadmerelynotedtheprovincialnameofacertainplantmentionedinthepoem，andlearnedthatitshabitatwaslimitedtothesouthernlocalrange；whileitspeculiarnomenclaturewasclearlyofFrenchCreoleorGulfStateorigin。Thisgavehimalargethoughsparsely-populatedareaforlocality，whileitsuggestedasettlementofLouisianiansorMississippiansneartheSummit，ofwhom，throughtheirnativegamblingproclivities，hewasprofessionallycognizant。ButhemainlytrustedFortune。Secureinhisfaithinthefemininecharacterofthatgoddess，hereliedagreatdealonherwell-knownweaknessforscampsofhisquality。
Itwasnotlongbeforehecametothe\"slide\"——alightly-cutorshallowditch。Itdescendedslightlyinacoursethatwasfarfromstraight，attimesdivergingtoavoidtheobstaclesoftreesorboulders，attimesshavingthemsocloselyastoleavesmoothabrasionsalongtheirsidesmadebythegrindingpassageoflonglogsdowntheincline。Thetrackitselfwasslipperyfromthis，andpreoccupiedallHamlin\'sskillasahorseman，eventothepointofstoppinghisusualcarelesswhistle。Attheendofhalfanhourthetrackbecamelevelagain，andhewasconfrontedwithasingularphenomenon。
Hehadenteredthewood，andthetrailseemedtocleavethroughafar-stretching，motionlessseaoffernsthatflowedoneithersidetotheheightofhishorse\'sflanks。Thestraightshaftsofthetreesroselikecolumnsfromtheirhiddenbasesandwerelostagaininaroofofimpenetrableleafage，leavingaclearspaceoffiftyfeetbetween，throughwhichthesurroundinghorizonofskywasperfectlyvisible。Allthelightthatenteredthisvastsylvanhallcamefromthesides；nothingpermeatedfromabove；nothingradiatedfrombelow；theheightofthecrestonwhichthewoodwasplacedgaveitthislateralillumination，butgaveitalsotheprofoundisolationofsometempleraisedbylong-forgottenhands。
Inspiteoftheheightoftheseclearshafts，theyseemeddwarfedbytheexpanseofthewood，andinthefarthestperspectivethebaseoffernsandthecapitaloffoliageappearedalmosttomeet。
Astheboyhadwarnedhim，theslidehadturnedaside，skirtingthewoodtofollowtheincline，andpresentlythelittletrailhenowfollowedvanishedutterly，leavinghimandhishorseadriftbreast-
highinthisgreenandyellowseaoffronds。ButMr。Hamlin，imperiousofobstacles，andtouchedbysomecuriosity，continuedtoadvancelazily，takingthebearingsofalargerred-woodinthecentreofthegroveforhisobjectivepoint。Theelasticmassgavewaybeforehim，brushinghiskneesorcombinghishorse\'sflankswithwide-spreadelfinfingers，andclosingupbehindhimashepassed，asiftoobliterateanytrackbywhichhemightreturn。
Yethisusualluckdidnotdeserthimhere。Beingonhorseback，hefoundthathecoulddetectwhathadbeeninvisibletotheboyandprobablytoallpedestrians，namely，thatthegrowthwasnotequallydense，thattherewerecertainthinnerandmoreopenspacesthathecouldtakeadvantageofbymorecircuitousprogression，always，however，keepingthebearingsofthecentraltree。Thisheatlastreached，andhaltedhispantinghorse。Hereanewideawhichhadbeenhauntinghimsinceheenteredthewoodtookfullerpossessionofhim。Hehadseenorknownallthisbefore!Therewasastrangefamiliarityeitherintheseobjectsorintheimpressionorspelltheyleftuponhim。Herememberedtheverses!
Yes，thiswasthe\"underbrush\"whichthepoetesshaddescribed:thegloomaboveandbelow，thelightthatseemedblownthroughitlikethewind，thesuggestionofhiddenlifebeneaththistangledluxuriance，whichshealonehadpenetrated，——allthiswashere。
But，morethanthat，herewastheatmospherethatshehadbreathedintotheplaintivemelodyofherverse。ItdidnotnecessarilyfollowthatMr。Hamlin\'stranslationofhersentimentwasthecorrectone，orthattheideasherverseshadprovokedinhismindwereatallwhathadbeenhers:inhiseasysusceptibilityhewassimplythrownintoacorrespondingmoodofemotionandrelievedhimselfwithsong。Oneoftheverseshehadalreadyassociatedinhismindwiththerhythmofanoldplantationmelody，anditstruckhisfancytotakeadvantageofthesolitudetotryitseffect。
Hummingtohimself，atfirstsoftly，heatlastgrewbolder，andlethisvoicedriftawaythroughthestarkpillarsofthesylvancolonnadetillitseemedtosuffuseandfillitwithnomoreeffortthanthelightwhichstrayedinoneitherside。Sittingthus，hishatthrownalittlebackfromhisclusteringcurls，thewhiteneckandshouldersofhishorseupliftinghimabovethecrestedmassoffern，hisredsashtheonefleckofcolorintheirolivedepths，I
amafraidhelookedmuchmoreliketherealminstrelofthegrovethantheunknownpoetesswhotransfiguredit。Butthis，ashasbeenalreadyindicated，wasJackHamlin\'speculiargift。Evenashehadpreviouslyoutshonethevaqueroinhisborroweddress，henowsilencedandsupplantedafewflutteringblue-jays——rightfultenantsofthewood——withamoregracefulandairypresenceandafarsweetervoice。
TheopenhorizontowardsthewesthadtakenawarmercolorfromthealreadyslantingsunwhenMr。Hamlin，havingrestedhishorse，turnedtothatdirection。Hehadnoticedthatthewoodwasthinnerthere，and，pushingforward，hewaspresentlyrewardedbythesoundoffar-offwheels，andknewhemustbenearthehigh-roadthattheboyhadspokenof。Havinggivenuphispreviousintentionofcrossingthestream，thereseemednothingbetterforhimtodothantofollowthetruant\'sadviceandtaketheroadbacktoGreenSprings。Yethewasloathtoleavethewood，haltingonitsverge，andturningtolookbackintoitscharmedrecesses。Onceortwice——
perhapsbecauseherecalledthewordsofthepoem——thatyellowishseaoffernshadseemedinstinctwithhiddenlife，andhehadevenfancied，hereandthere，aswayingofitsplumedcrests。Howbeit，hestilllingeredlongenoughfortheopensunlightintowhichhehadobtrudedtopointoutthebraveryofhishandsomefigure。Thenhewheeledhishorse，thelightglancedfrompolisheddoublebitandbridle-fripperies，caughthisredsashandbullionbuttons，struckapartingflashfromhissilverspurs，andhewasgone!
Foramomentthelightstreamedunbrokenlythroughthewood。AndthenitcouldbeseenthattheyellowmassofundergrowthHADmovedwiththepassageofanotherfigurethanhisown。Foreversincehehadenteredtheshade，awoman，shawledinavague，shapelessfashion，hadwatchedhimwonderingly，eagerly，excitedly，glidingfromtreetotreeasheadvanced，orelsedroppingbreathlesslybelowthefrondsoffernwhenceshegazedathimasbetweenpartedfingers。Whenhewheeledshehadrunopenlytothewest，albeitwithhiddenfaceandstillclingingshawl，andtakenalastlookathisretreatingfigure。Andthen，withafaintbutlingeringsigh，shedrewbackintotheshadowofthewoodagainandvanishedalso。
CHAPTERIII
AttheendoftwentyminutesMr。Hamlinreinedinhismare。Hehadjustobservedinthedistantshadowsofaby-lanethatintersectedhisroadthevanishingflutteroftwolightprintdresses。Withoutamoment\'shesitationhelightlyswervedoutofthehigh-roadandfollowedtheretreatingfigures。
Ashenearedthem，theyseemedtobetwoslimyounggirls，evidentlysopreoccupiedwiththerusticamusementofedgingeachotheroffthegrassyborderintothedustofthetrackthattheydidnotperceivehisapproach。Littleshrieks，slightscufflings，andinterjectionsof\"Cynthy!youlimb!\"\"Quitthat，Eunice，now!\"
and\"Ijustcallthatrealmean!\"apparentlydrownedthesoundofhiscanterinthesoftdust。Checkinghisspeedtoagentletrot，andpressinghishorseclosebesidetheoppositefence，hepassedthemwithgravelyupliftedhatandaserious，preoccupiedair。Butinthatsingle，seeminglyconventionalglance，Mr。Hamlinhadseenthattheywerebothpretty，andthatonehadtheshortupperlipofhiserrantlittleguide。Ahundredyardsfartheronhehalted，asifirresolutely，gazeddoubtfullyaheadofhim，andthenturnedback。Anexpressionofinnocent——almost
childlike——concernwascloudingtherascal\'sface。Itwaswell，asthetwogirlshaddrawncloselytogether，havingbeenapparentlysurprisedinthemidstofaglowingeulogiumofthisgloriouspassingvisionbyitssuddenreturn。Athisnearerapproach，theonewiththeshortupperliphidthatpiquantfeatureandtherestofherrosyfacebehindtheother\'sshoulder，whichwassuddenlyandsignificantlyopposedtotheadvanceofthishandsomeintruder，withacertaindignity，halfreal，halfaffected，butwhollycharming。Theprotectressappeared——possiblyfromherdefensiveattitude——thesuperiorofhercompanion。
AudaciousasJackwastohisownsex，hehadearlylearnedthatsuchrarebutdiscomposinggracesashepossessedrequiredacertainapologeticattitudewhenpresentedtowomen，andthatitwasonlyaplainmanwhocouldbealwayscomplacentlyself-
confidentintheirpresence。Therewas，consequently，ahesitatingloweringofthishypocrite\'sbrowneyelashesashesaid，inalmostpainedaccents，——
\"Excuseme，butIfearI\'vetakenthewrongroad。I\'mgoingtoGreenSprings。\"
\"Ireckonyou\'vetakenthewrongroad，whereveryou\'regoing，\"
returnedtheyounglady，havingapparentlymadeuphermindtoresenteachofJack\'sperfectionsasaseparateimpertinence:\"thisisaPRIVATEroad。\"Shedrewherselffairlyuphere，althoughgurgledatintheearandpinchedinthearmbyhercompanion。
\"Ibegyourpardon，\"saidJack，meekly。\"IseeI\'mtrespassingonyourgrounds。I\'mverysorry。Thankyoufortellingme。Ishouldhavegoneonamileortwofarther，Isuppose，untilIcametoyourhouse，\"headded，innocently。
\"Amileortwo!You\'dhaverunchockag\'in\'ourgateinanotherminit，\"saidtheshort-lippedone，eagerly。Butasharpnudgefromhercompanionsentherbackagainintocover，whereshewaitedexpectantlyforanothercrushingretortfromherprotector。
But，alas!itdidnotcome。Onecannotbealwayswitty，andJacklookeddistressed。Nevertheless，hetookadvantageofthepause。
\"Itwassostupidinme，asIthinkyourbrother\"——lookingatShort-lip——\"verycarefullytoldmetheroad。\"
Thetwogirlsdartedquickglancesateachother。\"Oh，Bawb!\"saidthefirstspeaker，inweariedaccents，——\"THATlimb!Hedon\'tkeer。\"
\"ButheDIDcare，\"saidHamlin，quietly，\"andgavemeagooddealofinformation。Thankstohim，Iwasabletoseethatfernywoodthat\'ssofamous——abouttwomilesuptheroad。Youknow——theonethatthere\'sapoemwrittenabout!\"
Theshottold!Short-lipburstintoadisplayofdazzlinglittleteethandcaughttheothergirlconvulsivelybytheshoulders。Thesuperiorgirlbentherprettybrows，andsaid，\"Eunice，what\'sgoneofye?Quitthat!\"but，asHamlinthought，paledslightly。
\"Ofcourse，\"saidHamlin，quickly，\"youknow——thepoemeverybody\'stalkingabout。Dearme!letmesee!howdoesitgo?\"Therascalknithisbrows，said，\"Ah，yes，\"andthenmurmuredtheversehehadlatelysungquiteasmusically。
Short-lipwasshamelesslyexaltedandexcited。Reallyshecouldscarcelybelieveit!Shealreadyheardherselfrelatingthewholeoccurrence。Herewasthemostbeautifulyoungmanshehadeverseen——anentirestranger——talkingtotheminthemostbeautifulandnaturalway，rightinthelane，andrecitingpoetrytohersister!
Itwaslikeanovel——onlymoreso。ShethoughtthatCynthia，ontheotherhand，lookeddistressed，and——shemustsayit——\"silly。\"
AllofwhichJacknoted，andwaswise。Hehadgotallhewanted——
atpresent。Hegathereduphisreins。
\"Thankyousomuch，andyourbrother，too，MissCynthia，\"hesaid，withoutlookingup。Then，adding，withapartingglanceandsmile，\"Butdon\'ttellBobhowstupidIwas，\"heswiftlydeparted。
InhalfanhourhewasattheGreenSpringsHotel。Asherodeintothestableyard，henoticedthatthecoachhadonlyjustarrived，havingbeendetainedbyaland-slipontheSummitroad。WiththerecollectionofBobfreshinhismind，heglancedattheloungersatthestageoffice。Theboywasnotthere，butamomentlaterJackdetectedhimamongthewaitingcrowdatthepost-officeopposite。Withaviewoffollowinguphisinquiries，hecrossedtheroadastheboyenteredthevestibuleofthepost-office。Hearrivedintimetoseehimunlockoneofarowofnumberedletter-
boxesrentedbysubscribers，whichoccupiedapartitionbythewindow，andtakeoutasmallpackageandaletter。ButinthatbriefglanceMr。Hamlindetectedtheprintedaddressofthe\"ExcelsiorMagazine\"onthewrapper。Itwasenough。Luckwascertainlywithhim。
Hehadtimetogetridofthewickedsparklethathadlithisdarkeyes，andtoloungecarelesslytowardstheboyasthelatterbrokeopenthepackage，andthenhurriedlyconcealeditinhisjacket-
pocket，andstartedforthedoor。Mr。Hamlinquicklyfollowedhim，unperceived，and，ashesteppedintothestreet，gentlytappedhimontheshoulder。Theboyturnedandfacedhimquickly。ButMr。
Hamlin\'seyesshowednothingbutlazygood-humor。
\"Hullo，Bob。Whereareyougoing?\"
Theboyagainlookedupsuspiciouslyatthisrevelationofhisname。
\"Home，\"hesaid，briefly。
\"Oh，overyonder，\"saidHamlin，calmly。\"Idon\'tmindwalkingwithyouasfarasthelane。\"
Hesawtheboy\'seyesglancefurtivelytowardsanalleythatranbesidetheblacksmith\'sshopafewrodsahead，andwasconvincedthatheintendedtoevadehimthere。Slippinghisarmcarelesslyintheyouth\'s，heconcludedtoopenfireatonce。
\"Bob，\"hesaid，withirresistiblegravity，\"IdidnotknowwhenI
metyouthismorningthatIhadthehonorofaddressingapoet——
noneotherthanthefamousauthorof\'Underbrush。\'\"
Theboystartedback，andendeavoredtowithdrawhisarm，butMr。
Hamlintightenedhishold，without，however，changinghiscarelessexpression。
\"Yousee，\"hecontinued，\"theeditorisafriendofmine，and，beingafraidthispackagemightnotgetintotherighthands——asyoudidn\'tgiveyourname——hedeputizedmetocomehereandseethatitwasallsquare。Asyou\'reratheryoung，forallyou\'resogifted，IreckonI\'dbettergohomewithyou，andtakeareceiptfromyourparents。That\'saboutsquare，Ithink?\"
TheconsternationoftheboywassoevidentandsofarbeyondMr。
Hamlin\'sexpectationthatheinstantlyhaltedhim，gazedintohisshiftingeyes，andgavealongwhistle。
\"WhosaiditwasforME?Wotyoutalkin\'about?Lemmego!\"gaspedtheboy，withtheshortintermittentbreathofmingledfearandpassion。
\"Bob，\"saidMr。Hamlin，inasingularlycolorlessvoicewhichwasveryrarewithhim，andanexpressionquiteunlikehisown，\"whatisyourlittlegame?\"
Theboylookeddownindoggedsilence。
\"Outwithit!Whoareyouplayingthison?\"
\"It\'sallamongmyownfolks；it\'snothin\'toYOU，\"saidtheboy，suddenlybeginningtostruggleviolently，asifinspiredbythisextenuatingfact。
\"Amongyourownfolks，eh?WhiteVioletandtherest，eh?ButSHE\'Snotinit?\"
Noreply。
\"Handmeoverthatpackage。I\'llgiveitbacktoyouagain。\"
TheboyhandedittoMr。Hamlin。Hereadtheletter，andfoundtheinclosurecontainedatwenty-dollargold-piece。Ahalf-
supercilioussmilepassedoverhisfaceatthisrevelationoftheinadequateemolumentsofliteratureandthetriflinginducementstocrime。Indeed，Ifeartheaffairbegantotakealessseriousmoralcomplexioninhiseyes。
\"ThenWhiteViolet——yoursisterCynthia，youknow，\"continuedMr。
Hamlin，ineasyparenthesis——\"wroteforthis?\"holdingthecoincontemplativelyinhisfingers，\"andyoucalculatedtonabityourself?\"
ThequicksearchingglancewithwhichBobreceivedthenameofhissister，Mr。Hamlinattributedonlytohisnaturalsurprisethatthisstrangershouldbeonsuchfamiliartermswithher；buttheboyrespondedimmediatelyandbluntly:——
\"No!SHEdidn\'twriteforit。Shedidn\'twantnobodytoknowwhoshewas。Nobodywroteforitbutme。NobodyKNEWFOLKSWASPAID
FORPO\'TRYBUTME。Ifounditoutfromafeller。Iwroteforit。
Iwasn\'tgoin\'toletthatskunkofaneditorhaveithimself!\"
\"AndyouthoughtYOUwouldtakeit，\"saidHamlin，hisvoiceresumingitsoldtone。\"Well，George——ImeanBob，yourconductwaspraiseworthy，althoughyourintentionswerebad。Still，twentydollarsisrathertoomuchforyourtrouble。Supposewesayfiveandcallitsquare?\"Hehandedtheastonishedboyfivedollars。
\"Now，GeorgeWashington，\"hecontinued，takingfourothertwenty-
dollarpiecesfromhispocket，andaddingthemtotheinclosure，whichhecarefullyrefolded，\"I\'mgoingtogiveyouanotherchancetoliveuptoyourreputation。You\'lltakethatpackage，andhandittoWhiteViolet，andsayyoufoundit，justasitis，inthelock-box。I\'llkeeptheletter，foritwouldknockyouendwaysifitwasseen，andI\'llmakeitallrightwiththeeditor。But，asI\'vegottotellhimthatI\'veseenWhiteVioletmyself，andknowshe\'sgotit，IexpectYOUtomanageinsomewaytohavemeseeher。I\'llmanagetherestofit；andIwon\'tblowonyou，either。
You\'llcomebacktothehotel，andtellmewhatyou\'vedone。Andnow，George\"concludedMr。Hamlin，succeedingatlastinfixingtheboy\'sevasiveeyewithapeculiarlook，\"itmaybejustaswellforyoutounderstandthatIknoweverynookandcornerofthisplace，thatI\'vealreadybeenthroughthatunderbrushyouspokeofoncethismorning，andthatI\'vegotamarethatcangowhereverYOUcan，andad——dsightquicker!\"
\"I\'llgivethepackagetoWhiteViolet，\"saidtheboy，doggedly。
\"Andyou\'llcomebacktothehotel?\"
Theboyhesitated，andthensaid，\"I\'llcomeback。\"
\"Allright，then。Adios，general。\"
Bobdisappearedaroundthecornerofacross-roadatarapidtrot，andMr。Hamlinturnedintothehotel。
\"Smartlittlechapthat!\"hesaidtothebarkeeper。
\"Youbet!\"returnedtheman，who，havingrecognizedMr。Hamlin，wasdelightedattheprospectofconversingwithagentlemanofsuchdecidedlydangerousreputation。\"Buthe\'sbeenallowedtorunalittlewildsinceoldmanDelatourdied，andthewidder\'sgotenoughtodo，Ireckon，lookin\'arterherfourgals，andtakin\'
keerofoldDelatour\'sranchoveryonder。Iguessit\'sprettyhardsleddin\'forhersometimestogetclo\'esandgrubforthefamerly，withoutfollerin\'Bobaround。\"
\"Sharpgirls，too，Ireckon；oneofthemwritesthingsforthemagazines，doesn\'tshe?——Cynthia，eh?\"saidMr。Hamlin，carelessly。
Evidentlythisfactwasnotanotoriousonetothebarkeeper。He，however，said，\"Dunno；mabbee；herfatherwaseddicated，andthewidderDelatour，too，thoughshe\'ssorterqueer，I\'veheardtell。
Lord!Mr。Hamlin，YOUoughterrememberoldmanDelatour!FromOpelousas，Louisiany，youknow!HigholdsportFrenchstyle，frilledbosom——open-handed，andus\'terbuckag\'in\'faroawful!
Why，hedroppedaheapo\'moneytoYOUoverinSanJosetwoyearsagoatpoker!Youmustrememberhim!\"
TheslightestpossibleflushpassedoverMr。Hamlin\'sbrowundertheshadowofhishat，butdidnotgetlowerthanhiseyes。HesuddenlyHADrecalledthespendthriftDelatourperfectly，andasquicklyregrettednowthathehadnotdoubledthehonorariumhehadjustsenttohisportionlessdaughter。Butheonlysaid，coolly，\"No，\"andthen，raisinghispalefaceandaudaciouseyes，continuedinhislaziestandmostinsultingmanner，\"no:thefactis，mymindisjustnowpreoccupiedinwonderingifthegasisleakinganywhere，andifanythingiseverservedoverthisbarexceptelegantconversation。Whenthegentlemanwhomixesdrinkscomesback，perhapsyou\'llbegoodenoughtotellhimtosendawhiskysourtoMr。JackHamlinintheparlor。Meantime，youcanturnoffyoursodafountain:Idon\'twantanyfizzinmine。\"
Havingthusquiterecoveredhimself，Mr。Hamlinloungedgracefullyacrossthehallintotheparlor。Ashedidso，adarkishyoungman，withaslimboyishfigure，athinface，andadiscontentedexpression，rosefromanarmchair，heldouthishand，and，withasaturninesmile，said:——
\"Jack!\"
\"Fred!\"
Thetwomenremainedgazingateachotherwithahalf-amused，half-
guardedexpression。Mr。Hamlinwasfirsttobegin。\"Ididn\'tthinkYOU\'Dbesuchafoolastotryonthiskindofthing，Fred，\"
hesaid，halfseriously。
\"Yes，butitwastokeepyoufrombeingamuchbiggeronethatI
huntedyouup，\"saidtheeditor，mischievously。\"Readthat。Igotitanhourafteryouleft。\"AndheplacedalittletriumphantlyinJack\'shandtheletterhehadreceivedfromWhiteViolet。
Mr。Hamlinreaditwithanunmovedface，andthenlaidhistwohandsontheeditor\'sshoulders。\"Yes，myyoungfriend，andyousatdownandwroteheraprettyletterandsenthertwentydollars——
which，permitmetosay，wasd——dpoorpay!Butthatisn\'tyourfault，Ireckon:it\'sthemeannessofyourproprietors。\"
\"Butitisn\'tthequestion，either，justnow，Jack，howeveryouhavebeenabletoanswerit。Doyoumeantosayseriouslythatyouwanttoknowanythingmoreofawomanwhocouldwritesuchaletter?\"
\"Idon\'tknow，\"saidJack，cheerfully。\"Shemightbeadevilishsightfunnierthanifshehadn\'twrittenit——whichisthefact。\"
\"YoumeantosaySHEdidn\'twriteit?\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Whodid，then?\"
\"HerbrotherBob。\"
Afteramoment\'sscrutinyofhisfriend\'sbewilderedface，Mr。
Hamlinbrieflyrelatedhisadventures，fromthemomentofhismeetingBobatthemountain-streamtothebarkeeper\'sgossipingcommentandsequel。\"Therefore，\"heconcluded，\"theauthorof\'Underbrush\'isMissCynthiaDelatour，oneoffourdaughtersofawidowwholivestwomilesfromhereatthecrossing。Ishallseeherthiseveningandmakesure；butto-morrowmorningyouwillpaymethebreakfastyouoweme。She\'sgood-looking，butIcan\'tsayI
fancythepoeticstyle:it\'salittletoohigh-tonedforme。
However，IlovemylovewithaC，becausesheisyourContributor；
IhateherwithaC，becauseofherConnections；ImetherbyChanceandtreatedherwithCivility；hernameisCynthia，andshelivesonaCross-road。\"
\"Butyousurelydon\'texpectyouwilleverseeBob，again!\"saidtheeditor，impatiently。\"YouhavetrustedhimwithenoughtostarthimfortheSandwichIslands，tosaynothingoftheruinousprecedentyouhaveestablishedinhismindofthevalueofpoetry。
Iamsurprisedthatamanofyourknowledgeoftheworldwouldhavefaithinthatimpthesecondtime。\"
\"Myknowledgeoftheworld，\"returnedMr。Hamlin，sententiously，\"tellsmethat\'stheonlywayyoucantrustanybody。ONCEdoesn\'tmakeahabit，norshowacharacter。Icouldseebyhisbunglingthathehadnevertriedthisonbefore。Justnowthetemptationtowipeouthispunishmentbydoingthesquarething，andcomingbackasortofhero，isstrongerthananyother。\'Tisn\'teverybodythatgetsthatchance，\"headded，withanoddlaugh。
Nevertheless，threehourspassedwithoutbringingBob。Thetwomenhadgonetothebilliard-room，whenawaiterbroughtanote，whichhehandedtoMr。Hamlinwithsomeapologetichesitation。Itborenosuperscription，buthadbeenbroughtbyaboywhodescribedMr。
Hamlinperfectly，andrequestedthatthenoteshouldbehandedtohimwiththeremarkthat\"Bobhadcomeback。\"
\"Andishetherenow?\"askedMr。Hamlin，holdingtheletterunopenedinhishand。
\"No，sir；herunrightoff。\"
Theeditorlaughed，butMr。Hamlin，havingperusedthenote，putawayhiscue。\"Comeintomyroom，\"hesaid。
Theeditorfollowed，andMr。Hamlinlaidthenotebeforehimonthetable。\"Bob\'sallright，\"hesaid，\"forI\'llbetathousanddollarsthatnoteisgenuine。\"
Itwasdelicatelywritten，inacultivatedfemininehand，utterlyunlikethescrawlthathadfirstexcitedtheeditor\'scuriosity，andranasfollows:——
Hewhobroughtmethebountyofyourfriend——forIcannotcallarecompensesofarabovemydesertsbyanyothername——givesmealsotounderstandthatyouwishedforaninterview。Icannotbelievethatthisismereidlecuriosity，orthatyouhaveanymotivethatisnotkindlyandhonorable，butIfeelthatImustbegandprayyounottoseektoremovetheveilbehindwhichIhavechosentohidemyselfandmypooreffortsfromidentification。ITHINKI
knowyou——IKNOWIknowmyself——wellenoughtobelieveitwouldgiveneitherofusanyhappiness。YouwillsaytoyourgenerousfriendthathehasalreadygiventheUnknownmorecomfortandhopethancouldcomefromanypersonalcomplimentorpublicity，andyouwillyourselfbelievethatyouhaveallunconsciouslybrightenedasadwoman\'sfancywithaDreamandaVisionthatbeforetodayhadbeenunknowntoWHITEVIOLET。
\"Haveyoureadit?\"askedMr。Hamlin。
\"Yes。\"
\"Thenyoudon\'twanttoseeitanymore，orevenrememberyoueversawit，\"saidMr。Hamlin，carefullytearingthenoteintosmallpiecesandlettingthemdriftfromthewindowslikeblownblossoms。
\"But，Isay，Jack!lookhere；Idon\'tunderstand!Yousayyouhavealreadyseenthiswoman，andyet\"——
\"IHAVEN\'Tseenher，\"saidJack，composedly，turningfromthewindow。
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"ImeanthatyouandI，Fred，aregoingtodropthisfoolingrighthereandleavethisplaceforFriscobyfirststageto-morrow，and——
thatIoweyouthatdinner。\"
CHAPTERIV
