第6章

Hewasactuallycompelledtogotoherandoffercongratulationsuponherescape，ashehadcongratulatedtheprofessor。 Ifhismannertoherparentshadbeenfilial，hismannertoherwasparental。\"Well，Marjory，\"hesaidkindly，\"youhavebeeninconsiderabledanger。Isupposeyou\'regladtobethroughwithit。\"Sheatthattimemadenoreply，butbyhercasualturnheknewthathewasexpectedtowalkalongbyherside。Theothersknewit，too，andtherestofthepartyleftthemfreetowalksidebysideintherear。 \"Thisisabeautifulcountryhere-aboutsifonegetsagoodchancetoseeit，\"heremarked。Thenheadded:\"ButIsupposeyouhadaviewofitwhenyouweregoingouttoNikopolis？\" Sheansweredinmuffledtones。\"Yes，wethoughtitverybeautiful。\" Didyounotethosestreamsfromthemountains\"ThatseemedtomethepurestwaterI\'deverseen，butIbetitwouldmakeoneilltodrinkit。Thereis，youknow，aprominentGermanchemistwhohasalmostproventhatreallypurewaterispracticalpoisontothehumanstomach。\" \"Yes？\"shesaid。 Therewasaperiodofsilence，duringwhichhewasperfectlycomfortablebecauseheknewthatshewasillatease。Ifthesilencewasawkward，shewassufferingfromit。Asforhimself，hehadnoinclinationtobreakit。Hispositionwas，asfarastheentireWainwrightpartywasconcerned，aplacewherehecouldaffordtowait。Sheturnedtohimatlast。\"Ofcourse，Iknowhowmuchyouhavedoneforus，andIwantyoutofeelthatweallappreciateitdeeply-deeply。\"Therewasdiscernibletotheearacertainnoteofdesperation。 \"Oh，notatall，\"hesaidgenerously。\"Notatall。Ididn\'tdoanything。Itwasquiteanaccident。Don\'tletthattroubleyouforamoment。\" \"Well，ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，\"shesaidmoresteadily。\"ButI-we-weknowhowgoodandhow-braveitwasinyoutocomeforus，andI——wemustneverforgetit。\" Asamatteroffact，\"repliedColeman，withanappearanceofingenuouscandor，\"IwassentoutherebytheEclipsetofindyoupeople，andofcourseIworkedratherhardtoreachyou，butthefinalmeetingwaspurelyaccidentalanddoesnotredoundtomycreditintheleast。\" Ashehadanticipated，Marjoryshothimalittleglanceofdisbelief。\"Ofcourseyouwouldsaythat，\"sherepeatedwithgloomybutflatteringconviction。 \"Oh，ifIhadbeenagreathero，\"hesaidsmiling，\"nodoubtIwouldhavekeptupthissamemannerwhichnowsetssowelluponme，butIamtellingyouthetruthwhenIsaythatIhadnopartinyourrescueatall。\" Shebecameslightlyindignant。\"Oh，ifyoucaretotellusconstantlythatyouwereofnoservicetous，Idon\'tseewhatwecandobutcontinuetodeclarethatyouwere。\" Suddenlyhefeltvulgar。Hespoketoherthistimewithrealmeaning。\"Ibegof\'younevertomentionitagain。Thatwillbethebestway。\" Buttothisshewouldnotaccede。\"No，wewilloftenwanttospeakofit。\" Hereplied\"HowdoyoulikeGreece？Don\'tyouthinkthatsomeoftheseruinsareratheroutofshapeinthepopularmind？Now，formypart，IwouldratherlookatagoodstrongfinishatahorseracethantoseetenthousandParthenonsinabunch。\" Shewasimmediatelyinthepositionofdefendinghimfromhimself。\"Youwouldratherseenosuchthing。Youshouldn\'ttalkinthatutterlytrivialway。IliketheParthenon，ofcourse，butIcan\'tthinkofitnowbecausemyhead。istoofullofmyescapefromwhereIwasso-sofrightened。\" Colemangrinned。\"Wereyoureallyfrightened？\" \"Naturally，\"sheanswered。\"IsupposeIwasmorefrightenedformotherandfather，butIwasfrightenedenoughformyself。Itwasnot-notanicething。\" \"No，itwasn\'t，\"saidColeman。\"Icouldhardlybelievemysenses，whentheministeratAthenstoldmethat，youallhadventuredintosuchatrap，andthereisnodoubtbutwhatyoucanbegladthatyouarewelloutofit。\" Sheseemedtohavesomestrugglewithherselfandthenshedeliberatelysaid:\"Thankstoyou。\" Colemanembarkedonwhatheintendedtomakeaseriesofhigh-mindedprotests。\"Notatall-\"butatthatmomentthedragomanwhirledbackfromthevan-guardwithagreatcollectionofthedifficultieswhichhadbeengatheringuponhim。ColemanwasobligedtoresignMarjoryandagaintakeuptheactiveleadership。Hedisposedofthedragoman\'sdifficultiesmainlybydeclaringthattheywerenotdifficultiesatall。Hehadlearnedthatthiswasthewaytodealwithdragomen。 Thefoghadalreadyliftedfromthevalleyand，astheypassedalongthewoodedmountain-sidethefragranceofleavesandearthcametothem。Ahead，alongthehoodedroad，theycouldseethebluecladfiguresofGreekinfantrymen。 Finallytheypassedanencampmentofabattalionwhoselinewasatarightangletothehighway。AhundredyardsinadvancewasthebridgeacrosstheLourosriver。Andthereabatteryofartillerywasencamped。ThedragomanbecameinvolvedinallsortsofdiscussionswithotherGreeks，butColemanstucktohiselbowandstifledallaimlessoration。TheWainwrightpartywaitedforthemintherearinanobservantbutpatientgroup。 Acrossaplain，thehillsdirectlybehindArtaloomedupshowingthestraightyellowscarofamodernentrenchment。TothenorthofArtaweresomegreymountainswithadimlymarkedroadwindingtothesummit。Ononesideofthisroadweretwoshadows。Ittookamomentfortheeyetofindtheseshadows，butwhenthiswasaccomplisheditwasplainthattheyweremen。ThecaptainofthebatteryexplainedtothedragomanthathedidnotknowthattheywerenotalsoTurks。 InwhichcasetheroadtoArtawasadangerouspath。ItwasnogoodnewstoColeman。HewaitedamomentinordertogaincomposureandthenwalkedbacktotheWainwrightparty。 Theymusthaveknownatoncefromhispeculiargravitythatallwasnotwell。Fiveofthestudentsandtheprofessorimmediatelyasked:\"Whatisit？\" Hehadatfirstsomeold-fashionedideaofconcealingtheilltidingsfromtheladies，butheperceivedwhatflagrantnonsensethiswouldbeincircumstancesinwhichallwerefairlylikelytoincurequaldangers，andatanyratehedidnotseehiswaycleartoallowtheirimaginationtorunriotoverasituationwhichmightnotturnouttobetoobad。Hesaidslowly:\"Youseethosemountainsoverthere？Well，troopshavebeenseenthereandthecaptainofthisbatterythinkstheyareTurks。IftheyareTurkstheroadtoArtaisdistinctly-er-unsafe。\" ThisnewblowfirstaffectedtheWainwrightpartyasbeingtoomuchtoendure。\"Theythoughttheyhadgonethroughenough。Thiswasageneralsentiment。Afterwardtheemotiontookcolouraccordingtotheindividualcharacter。Onestudentlaughedandsaid:\"Well，Iseeourfinish。\" Anotherstudentpipedout:\"HowdotheyknowtheyareTurks？WhatmakesthemthinktheyareTurks\" Anotherstudentexpressedhimselfwithasigh。\"ThisisalongwayfromtheBowery。\" Theprofessorsaidnothingbutlookedannihilated；Mrs。 Wainwrightweptprofoundly；MarjorylookedexpectantlytowardColeman。 Asforthecorrespondenthewasadamantineandreliableandstern，forhehadnottheslightestideathatthosemenonthedistanthillwereTurksatall。 CHAPTERXIV。 \"OH，\"saidastudent，\"thisgameoughttoquit。Ifeellikethirtycents。Wedidn\'tcomeoutheretobepursuedaboutthecountrybytheseTurks。Whydon\'ttheystopit？\" Colemanwasremarking:\"Really，theonlysensiblethingtodonowistohavebreakfast。Thereisnouseinworryingourselvessillyoverthisthinguntilwe\'vegotto。\" Theyspreadtheblanketsonthegroundandsataboutafeastofbread，watercressandtinnedbeef。Colemanwastherealhost，buthecontrivedtomaketheprofessorappearasthathonourableperson。Theyate，castingtheireyesfromtimetotimeatthedistantmountainwithitstwoshadows。PeoplebegantoflydowntheroadfromJannina，peasantshurriedlydrivinglittleflocks，womenandchildrenondonkeysandlittlehorseswhichtheyclubbedunceasingly。Onemanrodeatagallop，shriekingandflailinghisarmsintheair。TheywereallChristianpeasantsofTurkey，buttheywereinflightnowbecausetheydidnotwishtobeathomeiftheTurkwasgoingtoreturnandreaprevengeforhismortification。TheWainwrightpartylookedatColemaninabruptquestioning。 \"Oh，it\'sallright，\"hesaid，easily。\"Theyarealwaystakingonthatway。\" SuddenlythedragomangaveashoutanddasheduptheroadtothesceneofameleewherealittleratfacedgroomwasvociferouslydefendingthreehorsesfromsomeGreekofficers，whoasvociferouslywerestatingtheirrighttorequisitionthem。 Colemanranafterhisdragoman。Therewasasickeningpow-wow，butintheendColeman，straightandeasyinthesaddle，camecanteringbackonasuperbopen-mouthedsnortingbayhorse。Hedidnotmindifthehalf-wildanimalplungedcrazily。Itwaspartofhisrole。\"Theyweretryingtostealmyhorses，\"heexplained。Heleapedtotheground，andholdingthehorsebythebridle，headdressedhisadmiringcompanions。\"Thegroom- themanwhohaschargeofthehorses-saysthathethinksthatthepeopleonthemountain-sideareTurks，butIdon\'tseehowthatispossible。Yousee-\"hepointedwisely-\"thatroadleadsdirectlysouthtoArta，anditishardlypossiblethattheGreekarmywouldcomeoverhereandleavethatapproachtoArtautterlyunguarded。Itwouldbetoofoolish。Theymusthaveleftsomementocoverit，andthatiscertainlywhatthosetroopsare。Ifyouareallreadyandwilling，Idon\'tseeanythingtodobutmakeagood，stout-hearteddashforArta。Itwouldbenomoredangerousthantosithere。\" Theprofessorwasatlastabletomakehisformalspeech。\"Mr。Coleman，\"hesaiddistinctly，\"weplaceourselvesentirelyinyourhands。\"Itwassome。howpitiful。Thismanwho，foryearsandyearshadreignedinalittlecollegetownalmostasamonarch，passingjudgmentwiththeairofonewhowordsthelaw，dealingcriticismupontheuniverseasonetowhomallthingsareplain，publiclydisdainingdefeatasonetowhomallthingsareeasy-thismanwasnowveritablyappealingtoColemantosavehiswife，hisdaughterandhimself，andreallydeclaredhimselfde。pendentforsafetyupontheingenuityandcourageofthecorrespondent。 Theattitudeofthestudentswasutterlyindifferent。Theydidnotconsiderthemselveshelplessatall。theywereevidentlyquitereadytowithstandanythingbuttheylookedfranklyuptoColemanastheirintelligentleader。Iftheysufferedany，theironlyexpressionofitwasinthesimplegrimslangoftheirperiod。 \"IwishIwasatConeyIsland。\" \"Thisisnotsobadastrigonometry，butit\'sworsethanplayingbilliardsforthebeers。\" AndCokesaidprivatelytoColeman:\"Say，whatinhellarethesetwodamnpeoplesfightingfor，anyhow？\" Whenhesawthatallopinionswereinfavouroffollowinghimloyally，Colemanwasimpelledtofeelaresponsibility。Hewasnownoerrantrescuer，butaproperlyelectedleaderoffellowbeingsindistress。Whileoneofthestudentsheldhishorse，hetookthedragomanforanotherconsultationwiththecaptainofthebattery。Theofficerwassittingonalargestone，withhiseyesfixedintohisfieldglasses。Whenagainquestionedhecouldgivenosatisfactionastotheidentityofthetroopsonthedistantmountain。HemerelyshruggedhisshouldersandsaidthatiftheywereGreeksitwasverygood，butiftheywereTurksitwasverybad。Heseemedmoreoccupiedintryingtoimpressthecorrespondentthatitwasamatterofsoldierlyindifferencetohimself。 Coleman，afterloathinghimsufficientlyinsilence，returnedtotheothersandsaid:\"Well，we\'llchanceit。\" Theylookedtohimtoarrangethecaravan。Speakingtothemenofthepartyhesaid:\"Ofcourse，anyoneofyouiswelcometomyhorseifyoucanrideit，but-ifyou\'renottootired-IthinkIhadmyselfbetterride，sothatIcangoaheadattimes。\" Hismannerwassofineashesaidthisthatthestudentsseemedfairlytoworshiphim。Ofcourseithadbeenmostimprobablethatanyofthemcouldhaveriddenthatvolcanicanimalevenifoneofthemhadtriedit。 HesawMrs。WainwrightandMarjoryuponthebacksoftheirtwolittlenatives，andhoistedtheprofessorintothesaddleofthegroom\'shorse，leavinginstructionswiththeservanttoleadtheanimalalwaysandcarefully。Heandthedragomanthenmountedattheheadoftheprocession，andamidcuriousquestioningsfromthesoldierytheycrossedthebridgeandstartedonthetrailtoArta。Therearwasbroughtupbythelittlegreyhorsewiththeluggage，ledbyonestudentandfloggedbyanother。 Coleman，checkingwithdifficultythebattlingdispositionofhishorse，wasveryuneasyinhismindbecausethelastwordsofthecaptainofthebatteryhadmadehimfeelthatperhapsonthisridehewouldbeplacedinapositionwhereonlythebestcouragewouldcount，andhedidnotseehiswaycleartofeelingveryconfidentabouthisconductinsuchacase。 Lookingbackuponthecaravan，hesawitasamostunwieldything，notevencapableofrunningaway。Hehurrieditwithsudden，sharpcontemptuousphrases。 Onthe。marchthereincidentallyflasheduponhimanewtruth。MorethanhalfofthatstudentbandweredeeplyinlovewithMarjory。Ofcourse，whenhehadbeendistantfromherhehadhadaneternaljealousreflectiontothateffect。ItwasnaturalthatheshouldhavethoughtoftheintimatecampingrelationsbetweenMarjoryandtheseyoungstudentswithagreatdealofbitterness，grindinghisteethwhenpicturingtheiropportunitiestomakeMarjoryfallinlovewithsomeoneofthem。HehadragedparticularlyaboutCoke，whosefatherhadmillionsofdollars。Buthehadforgottenallthesejealousiesinthegeneralsplendourofhisexploits。Now，whenhesawthetruth，itseemed。tobringhimbacktohiscommonlifeandhesawhimselfsuddenlyasnotbeingfranticallysuperiorinanywaytothoseotheryoungmen。Themorecloselyhelookedatthislastfact，themoreconvincedhewasofitstruth。HeseemedtoseethathehadbeenimpropererlyelatedoverhisservicestotheWainwrights，andthat，intheend，thegirlmightfancyamanbecausethemanhaddonehernoserviceatall。Hesawhisproudpositionloweritselftobeapawninthegame。Lookingbackoverthestudents，hewonderedwhichoneMarjorymightlove。ThishideousNikopolishadgiveneightmenchancetowinher。HisscornandhismalicequitecentereduponCoke，forhecouldneverforgetthattheman\'sfatherhadmillionsofdollars。TheunfortunateCokechosethatmomenttoaddresshimquerulously:\"Lookhere，Coleman，can\'tyoutellushowfaritistoArta？\" \"Coke，\"saidColeman，\"Idon\'tsupposeyoutakemeforatouristagency，butifyoucanonlytrytodistinguishbetweenmeandamapwiththescaleofmilesprintedinthelowerleft- handcorner，youwillnotcontributesomuchtothesufferingsofthepartywhichyounowadorn。\" ThestudentswithinhearingguffawedandCokeretired，inconfusion。 Themarchwasnotrapid。Colemanalmostworeouthisarmsholdingincheckhisimpetuoushorse。Oftenthecaravanflounderedthroughmud，whileatthesametimeahot，yellowdustcamefromthenorth。 TheywereperhapshalfwaytoArtawhenColemandecidedthatarestandluncheonwerethethingstobeconsidered。Hehaltedhistroopthenintheshadeofsomegreattrees，andprivatelyhebadehisdragomanpreparethebestfeastwhichcouldcomeoutofthosesaddle-bagsfreshfromAthens。Theresultwasrathergorgeousintheeyesofthepoorwanderers。 Firstofalltherewerethreeknives，threeforks，threespoons，threetincupsandthreetinplaies，whichtheentirepartyoftwelveusedonamostamiablesocialisticprinciple。Therewerecrisp，saltybiscuitsandolives，forwhichtheyspearedinthebottle。Therewaspottedturkey，andpottedham，andpottedtongue，alltastingpreciselyalike。Thereweresardinesand TherewasanagitationontheroadtowardArta。Somepeoplewerecomingonhorses。Hepaidsmallheeduntilheheardathumpofpausinghoofsnearhim，andamusicalvoicesay:\"Rufus!\" Helookedupquickly，andthenallpresentsawhiseyesreallybulge。ThereonafatandglossyhorsesatNoraBlack，dressedinprobablyoneofthemostcorrectridinghabitswhichhadeverbeenseenintheEast。Shewassmilingaradiantsmile，whichheldtheeightstudentssimptyspell-bound。TheywouldhaverecognisedherifithadnotbeenforthisapparitionalcominginthewildsofsoutheasternEurope。Behindherwereherpeople-someservantsandanoldladyonaverylittlepony。 \"Well，Rufus？\"shesaid。 Colemanmadethemistakeofhesitating。Forafractionofamomenthehadactedasifhewereembarrassed，andwasonlygoingtonodandsay:\"Howd\'do？\" Hearoseandcameforwardtoolate。Shewaslookingathimwithamenacingglancewhichmeantdifficultiesforhimifhewasnotskilful。Keenasaneagle，shesweptherglanceoverthefaceandfigureofMarjory。Without。furtherintroduction，thegirlsseemedtounderstandthattheywereenemies。 Despitehisfeelingofawkwardness，Coleman\'smindwasmainlyoccupiedbypureastonishment。\"NoraBlack？\"hesaid，asifeventhenhecouldnotbelievehissenses。\"Howintheworlddidyougetdownhere？ Shewasnottooamiable，evidently，overhisreception，andsheseemedtoknowperfectlythatitwasinherpowertomakehimfeelextremelyunpleasant。\"Oh，it\'snotsofar，\"sheanswered。\"Idon\'tseewhereyoucomeintoaskmewhatI\'mdoinghere。Whatareyoudoinghere？\"SheliftedhereyesandshotthehalfofaglanceatMarjory。Intoherlastquestionshehadinterjectedaspiritofownershipinwhichhesawfuturewoe。Itturnedhimcowardly。\"Why，youknowIwassentupherebythepapertorescuetheWainwrightparty，andI\'vegotthem。I\'mtakingthemtoArta。Butwhyareyouhere？\" \"Iamhere，\"shesaid，givinghimthemostdefiantofglances，\"principallytolookforyou。\" Eventhehorsesherodebetrayedanintentionofabidinguponthatspotforever。ShehadmadehercommunicationwithColemanappeartotheWainwrightpartyasasortoftenderreunion。 Colemanlookedatherwithasteelyeye。\"Nora，youcancertainlybeadevilwhenyouchoose。\" \"Whydon\'tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？Mis，；NoraBlack，specialcorrespondentoftheNewYorkDaylighi，ifyouplease。Ibelongtoyouropposition。Iamyourrival，Rufus，andIdrawabiggersalary-see？Funnylookinggang，that。 WhoistheoldJohnnieinthewhitewig？\" \"Er-whereyougoin\'-youcan\'t\"-blunderedColemanmiserably\"Aw-thearmyisinretreatandyoumustgobackto- don\'tyousee？\" \"Isit？\"sheagked。Afterapausesheaddedcoolly:\"ThenI shallgobacktoArtawithyouandyourpreciousWainwrights。\" CHAPTERXV。 GIVINGColemananotherglanceofsubtlemenaceNorarepeated:\"Whydon\'tyoupresentmetoyourfriends？\" Colemanhadbeenswiftlysearchingthewholeworldforawayclearofthisunhappiness，butheknewatlastthathecouldonlydieathisguns。\"Why，certainly，\"hesaidquickly，\"ifyouwishit。\"Hesaunteredeasilybacktotheluncheonblanket。 \"ThisisMissBlackoftheNewYorkDaylightandshesaysthatthosepeopleonthemountainareGreeks。\"Thestudentsweregapingathim，andMarjoryandherfathersatinthesamesilence。ButtothereliefofColemanandtothehighedificationofthestudents，Mrs。Wainwrightcriedout:\"Why，issheanAmericanwoman？\"AndseeingColeman\'snodofassentsherustledtoherfeetandadvancedhastilyuponthecomplacenthorsewoman。\"I\'mdelightedtoseeyou。WhowouldthinkofseeinganAmericanwomanwayoverhere。Haveyoubeenherelong？Areyougoingonfurther？Oh，we\'vehadsuchadreadfultime。\"ColemanremainedlongenoughtohearNorasay:\" Thankyouverymuch，butIshan\'tdismount。IamgoingtoridebacktoArtapresently。\" ThenheheardMrs。Wainwrightcry:\"Oh，areyouindeed？ Whywe，too，aregoingatoncetoArta。Wecanallgotogether。\"Colemanfledthentothebosomofthestudents，whoalllookedathimwitheyesofcynicalpenetration。HecastaglanceatMarjorymorethanfearingaglarewhichdenotedanimplacableresolutionnevertoforgivethisthing。Onthecontraryhehadneverseenhersocontentandserene。\"Youhaveallowedyourcoffeetogetchilled，\"shesaidconsiderately。\"Won\'tyouhavethemanwarmyousomemore？\" \"Thanks，no，\"heansweredwithgratitude。 Nora，changinghermind，haddismountedandwascomingwithMrs。Wainwright。Thatworthyladyhadlonghadafundofinformationandanecdotethesoundofwhichneitherherhusbandnorherdaughterwouldendureforamoment。Ofcoursetherascallystudentswereoutofthequestion。Here，then，wasreallythefirstearamiablyandcheerfullyopen，andshewastalkingatwhatthestudentscalledher\"thirtyknotgait。\" \"Losteverything。Absolutelyeverything。Neitherofushaveevenabrushandcomb，oracakeofsoap，orenoughhairpinstoholdupourhair。I\'mgoingtotakeMarjory\'sawayfromherandletherbraidherhairdownherback。Youcanimaginehowdreadfulitis——\" FromtimetotimethecoolvoiceofNorasoundedwithouteffortthroughthisclamour。\"Oh，itwillbenotroubleatall。Ihavemorethanenoughofeverything。Wecandivideverynicely。\" Colemanbrokesomewhatimperiouslyintothisfemininechat。 \"Well，wemustbemoving，youknow，\"andhisvoicestartedthemenintoactivity。WhenthetrapswereallpackedagainonthehorseColemanlookedbacksurprisedtoseethethreewomenengagedinthemostfriendlydiscussion。Thecombinedpartiesnowmadeaveryrespectablesquadron。Colemanrodeoffatitsheadwithoutglancingbehindatall。Heknewthattheywerefollowingfromthesoftpoundingofthehorseshoofsonthesodandfromthemellowhumofhumanvoices。 Foralongtimehedidnotthinktolookuponhimselfasanythingbutamanmuchinjuredbycircumstances。Amonghisfriendshecouldcountnumberswhohadlivedlongliveswithouthavingthispeculiarclassofmisfortunecometothem。 Infactitwassounusualamisfortunethatmenoftheworldhadnotfounditnecessarytopassfrommindtomindaperfectformulafordealingwithit。ButhesoonbegantoconsiderhimselfanextraordinarilyluckypersoninasmuchasNoraBlackhadcomeuponhimwithhersaddlebagspackedwithinflammablesubstances，sotospeak，andtherehadbeenasyetonlyenoughfiretoboilcoffeeforluncheon。HelaughedtenderlywhenhethoughtoftheinnocenceofMrs。 Wainwright，buthisfaceandbackflushedwithheatwhenliethoughtofthecanninessoftheeightAmericancollegestudents。 HeheardahorsecanteringuponhisleftsideandlookinghesawNoraBlack。Shewasbeamingwithsatisfactionandgoodnature。\"Well，Rufus，\"shecriedflippantly，\"howgoesitwiththegallantrescuer？You\'vemadeahit，myboy。Youarethesuccessoftheseason。\" ColemanreflectedupontheprobableresultofadirectappealtoNora。Heknewofcoursethatsuchappealswereusuallyidle，buthedidnotconsiderNoraanordinaryperson。Hisdecisionwastoventureit。Hedrewhishorseclosetohers。\"Nora，\"hesaid，\"doyouknowthatyouareraisingtheverydevil？\" Sheliftedherfinelypenciledeyebrowsandlookedathimwiththebaby-stare。\"How？\"sheenquired。 \"Youknowwellenough，\"hegrittedoutwrathfully。 \"Raisingtheverydevil？\"sheasked。\"Howdoyoumean？\" Shewaspalpablyinterestedforhisanswer。Shewaitedforhisreplyforaninterval，andthensheaskedhimoutright。\"RufusColemandoyoumeanthatIamnotarespectablewoman？\" Inrealityhehadmeantnothingofthekind，butthisdirectthrottlingofagreatquestionstupefiedhimutterly，forhesawnowthatshe\'wouldprobablyneverunderstandhimintheleastandthatshewouldatanyratealwayspretendnottounderstandhimandthatthemorehesaidthemoreharmhemanufactured。Shestudiedhimovercarefullyandthenwheeledherhorsetowardstherearwithsomepartingremarks。\"Isupposeyoushouldattendmorestrictlytoyourownaffairs，Rufus。InsteadofraisingthedevilI amlendinghairpins。Ihaveseenyouinsultpeople，butIhaveneverseenyouinsultanyonequiteforthewhimofthething。 Gosoakyourhead。\" NotconsideringitadvisabletothenindulgeinsuchimmersionColemanrodemoodilyonward。Thehotdustcontinuedtostingthecheeksofthetravellersandinsomeplacesgreatcloudsofdeadleavesroaredincirclesaboutthem。 AlloftheWainwrightpartywereutterlyfagged。Colemanfelthisskincrackleandhisthroatseemedtobecoatedwiththewhitedust。HeworriedhisdragomanastothedistancetoArtauntilthedragomanliedtothepointwherehealwaysdeclaredthatArtawasonlyoffsomehundredsofyards。 AttheirplacesintheprocessionMrs。WainwrightandMarjorywereanimatedlytalkingtoNoraandtheoldladyonthelittlepony。Theyhadatfirstsufferedgreatamazementatthevoluntarypresenceoftheoldlady，butshewastherereallybecausesheknewnobetter。Hercolossalignorancetooktheform，mainly，ofamostobstreperouspatriotism，andindeedshealwaysactedinaforeigncountryasifshewerethespecialcommissionerofthePresident，orperhapsasaspecialcommissionercouldnotactatall。Shewasveryaggressive，andwhenanyofthetravellingarrangementsinEuropedidnotsuitherideasshewaswon\'ttoshrillyexclaim:\"Well!NewYorkisgoodenoughforme。\"Nora，morbidlyafraidthatherex- pensebilltotheDaylightwouldnotbelargeenough，haddraggedherbodilyofftoGreeceashercompanion，friendandprotection。AtArtatheyhadheardofthegrandsuccessoftheGreekarmy。TheTurkshadnotstoodforamomentbeforethatgallantandterribleadvance；no；theyhadscamperedhowlingwithfearintothenorth。Janninawouldfall-well，JanninawouldfallassoonastheGreeksarrived。Therewasnodoubtofit。Thecorrespondentandherfriend，deludedandhurriedbythelight-heartedconfidenceoftheGreeksinArta，hadhastenedoutthenonaregulartourist\'sexcursiontoseeJanninaafteritscapture。NoraconcealedfromherfriendthefactthattheeditoroftheDaylightparticularlywishedhertoseeabattlesothatshemightwriteanarticleonactualwarfarefromawoman\'spointofview。 Withhernameasaqueenofcomicopera，suchanarticlefromherpenwouldbeaburning，sensation。 ColemanhadbeenthefirsttopointouttoNorathatinsteadofgoingonapicnictoJannina，shehadbetterrunbacktoArta。Whentheoldladyheardthattheyhadnotbeenentirelysafe，shewasfuriouswithNora。\"Theidea!\"sheexclaimedtoMrs。Wainwright。\"Theymighthavecaughtus!Theymighthavecaughtus!\" \"Well，\"saidMrs。Wainwright。\"IverilybelievetheywouldhavecaughtusifithadnotbeenforMr。Coleman。\" \"Ishethegentlemanonthefinehorse？\" \"Yes；that\'shim。Oh，hehasbeensim-pleesplendid。I confessIwasalittlebit-er-surprised。Hewasincollegeundermyhusband。Idon\'tknowthatwethoughtverygreatthingsofhim，butifeveramanwongoldenopinionshehasdonesofromus。\" \"Oh，thatmustbetheColemanwhoissuchagreatfriendofNora\'s。\" \"Yes？\"saidMrs。Wainwrightinsidiously。\"Ishe？Ididn\'tknow。Ofcourseheknowssomanypeople。\"HermindhadbeensuddenlyilluminedbytheoldladyandshethoughtextravagantlyofthearrivalofNorauponthescene。Sheremainedallsweetnesstotheoldlady。\"Didyouknowhewashere？Didyouexpecttomeethim？Iseemedsuchadelightfulcoincidence。\"Intruthshewasbeingsubterraneouslyclever。 \"Oh，no；Idon\'tthinkso。Ididn\'thearNoramentionit。Ofcourseshewouldhavetoldme。Youknow，ourcomingtoGreecewassuchasurprise。NorahadanengagementinLondonattheFollyTheatreinFlybyNight，butthemanagerwasinsufferable，oh，insufferable。So，ofcourse，Norawouldn\'tstanditaminute，andthenthesenewspaperpeoplecamealongandaskedhertogotoGreeceforthemandsheaccepted。IamsureI neverexpectedtofindus-aw-fleeingfromtheTurksorI shouldn\'thaveCome。\" \"Mrs。Wainwrightwasgasping。\"Youdon\'tmeanthatsheis—— sheisNoraBlack，theactress。\" \"Ofcoursesheis，\"saidtheoldladyjubilantly。 \"Why，howstrange，\"chokedMrs。Wainwrignt。NothingsheknewofNoracouldaccountforherstupefactionandgrief。 Whathappenedglaringlytoherwastheduplicityofman。 Colemanwasaribalddeceiver。HemusthaveknownandyethehadpretendedthroughoutthatthemeetingwasapureaccidentSheturnedwithanervousimpulsetosympathistwithherdaughter，butdespitethelovelytranquillityofthegirl\'sfacetherewassomethingaboutherwhichforbadethemothertomeddle。AnyhowMrs。WainwrightwassorrythatshehadtoldnicethingsofColeman\'sbehaviour，soshesaidtotheoldlady: \"Youngmenofthesetimesgetafalseagesoquickly。Wehavealwaysthoughtitagreatpity，aboutMr。Coleman。\" \"Why，howso？\"askedtheoldlady。 \"Oh，reallynothing。Only，tousheseemedrather——er- prematurelyexperiencedorsomethingofthatkind。 Theoldladydidnotcatchthemeaningofthephrase。 Sheseemedsurprised。\"Why，I\'veneverseenanyfull-grownpersoninthisworldwhogotexperienceanytooquickforhisowngood。\" Atthetailoftheprocessiontherewastalkbetweenthetwostudentswhohadinchargethelittlegreyhorse-onetoleadandonetoflog。\"Billie，\"saidone，\"itnowbecomesnecessarytolosethishobbyintothehandsofsomeoftheotherfellows。WherebywewillgainopportunitytopayhomagetothegreatNora。Why，youegregiousthick-head，thisisthechanceofalife-time。I\'mdamnedifI\'mgoingtotowthisbeastofburdenmuchfurther。\" \"Youwouldn\'tstandashow，\"saidBilliepessimistically。\"LookatColeman。\" \"That\'sallright。DoyoumeantosaythatyouprefertocontinuetowingpackhorsesinthepresenceofthisqueenofsongandthedancejustbecauseyouthinkColemancanthrowouthischestalittlemorethanyou。Notso。Thinkofyourbrightandsparklingyouth。There\'sCokeandPeteTounleynearMarjory。We\'llcall\'em。\"Whereuponhesetupacry。\"Say，youpeople，we\'renotgettinga，salaryforthis。Supposin\'youtryforatime。It\'lldoyougood。\"Whenthetwoaddressedbadhaltedtoawaitthearrivalofthelittlegreyhorse，theytookonglumexpressions。\"Youlooklikepoisonedpups，\"saidthestudentwholedthehorse。\"Toostrongforlightwork。Grabontothehalter，now，Peter，andtow。 WearegoingaheadtotalktoNoraBlack。\" \"Goodtimeyou\'llhave，\"answeredPeterTounley。 \"Colemaniscuttin\'upscandalous。Youwon\'tstandashow。\" \"Whatdoyouthinkofhim？\"saidCoke。\"Seemscurious，all\'round。Doyousupposeheknewshewouldshowup？Itwasnervyto——\" \"Nervytowhat？\"askedBillie。 \"Well，\"saidCoke，\"seemstomeheisplayingbothendsagainstthemiddle。Idon\'tknowanythingaboutNoraBlack，but-\" Thethreeotherstudentsexpressedthemselveswithconvictionandinchorus。\"Coleman\'sallright。\" \"Well，anyhow，\"continuedCoke，\"Idon\'tseemywayfreetoadmiringhimintroducingNoraBlacktotheWainwrights。\" \"Hedidn\'t，\"saidtheothers，stillinchorus。 \"Queergame，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Heseemstoknowherprettywell。\" \"Prettydamnwell，\"saidBillie。 \"Anyhowhe\'sabrick，\"saidPeterTounley。\"Wemustn\'tforgetthat。Lo，IbegintofeelthatourRufusisaflyguyofmanydifferentkinds。Anyplaythatheisincommandsmyrespect。Hewon\'tbehitbyachimneyinthedaytime，foruntohimhascomemuchwisdom，I don\'tthinkI\'llworry。\"