第7章

\"IshestuckonNoraBlack，doyouknow？\"askedBillie。 \"Onethingisplain，\"repliedCoke。\"Shehasgothimsomehowbytheshorthairandsheintendshimtohollermurder。Anybodycanseethat。\" \"Well，hewon\'thollermurder，\"saidoneofthemwithconviction。\"I\'llbetyouhewon\'t。He\'llhammerthewar-postandbeatthetom-tomuntilhedrops，buthewon\'thollermurder。\" \"OldMotherWainwrightwillbeinhiswoolpresently，\" quothPeterTounleymusingly，\"Icouldseeitcominginhereye。Somebodyhasgivenhissnapaway，orsomething。\" \"Aw，hehadnosnap，\"saidBillie。\"Couldn\'tyouseehowrattledhewas？HewouldhavegivenalacifdearNorahadn\'tturnedup。\" \"Ofcourse，\"theothersassented。\"Hewasrattled。\" \"Looksqueer。Andnasty，\"saidCoke。 \"Noraherselfhadanaxereadyforhim。\" Theybegantolaugh。\"Ifshehadhadanumbrellashewouldhavebastedhimovertheheadwithit。Oh，my!Hewasgreen。\" \"Nevertheless，\"saidPeterTounley，\"IrefusetoworryoverourRufus。Whenhecan\'ttakecareofhimselftherestofuswanttohuntcover。Heisaflyguy-\" ColemaninthemeantimehadbecomeawarethatthelightofMrs。Wainwright\'scountenancewasturnedfromhim。Thepartystoppedatawell，andwhenheofferedheradrinkfromhiscuphethoughtsheaccepteditwithscantthanks。Marjorywasstillgracious，alwaysgracious，butthisdidnotreassurehim，becausehefelttherewasmuchunfathomabledeceptioninit。Whenheturnedtoseekconsolationinthemanneroftheprofessorhefoundhimasbefore，stunnedwithsurprise，andtheonlyideahehadwastobeastractableasachild。 Whenhereturnedtotheheadofthecolumn，Noraagaincanteredforwardtojoinhim。\"Well，megayLochinvar，\"shecried，\"andhasyourdispositionimproved？\" \"Youareveryfresh，\"hesaid。 Shelaughedloudenoughtobeheardthefulllengthofthecaravan。Itwasabeautifullaugh，butfullofinsolenceandconfidence。Heflashedhiseyesmalignantlyuponher，butthensheonlylaughedmore。Shecouldseethathewishedtostrangleher。\"Whatadisposition!\"shesaid。\"Whatadisposition!Youarenot。nearlysoniceasyourfriends。Now，theyarecharming，butyou-Rufus，Iwishyouwouldgetthattempermended。DearRufus，doittopleaseme。Youknowyouliketopleaseme。Don\'tyounow，dear？\" Hefinallylaughed。\"Confoundyou，Nora。Iwouldliketokillyou。\" Butathislaughshewasallsunshine。Itwasasifshe。 hadbeentryingtotaunthimintogoodhumourwithher。 \"Aw，now，Rufus，don\'tbeangry。I\'llbegood，Rufus。 Really，Iwill。Listen。Iwanttotellyousomething。DoyouknowwhatIdid？Well，youknow，Ineverwascutoutforthisbusiness，and，backthere，whenyoutoldmeabouttheTurksbeingnearandallthatsortofthing，Iwasfrightenedalmosttodeath。Really，Iwas。So，whennobodywaslooking，Isneakedtwoorthreelittledrinksoutofmyflask。Twoorthreelittledrinks-\" CHAPTERXVI。 \"GOODGod!\"saidColeman。\"Youdon\'tMean-\" Norasmiledrosilyathim。\"Oh，I\'mallright，\"sheanswered。\"Don\'tworryaboutyourAuntNora，mypreciousboy。Notforaminute。\" Colemanwashorrified。\"Butyouarenotgoingto-youarenotgoingto-\" \"Notatall，meson。Notatall，\"sheanswered。 I\'mnotgoingtoprance。I\'mgoingtobeasniceaspie，andjustridequietlyalongherewithdearlittleRufus。 Only**youknowwhatIcandowhenIgetstarted，soyouhadbetterbeaverygoodboy。Imighttakeitintomyheadtosaysomethings，youknow。\" Boundhandandfootathisstake，hecouldnotevenchanthisdefianttorturesong。Itmightprecipitate——infact，hewassureitwouldprecipitatethegrandsmash。Buttotheverycoreofhissoul，heforthetimehatedNoraBlack。Hedidnotdaretoremindherthathewouldrevengehimself；hedaredonlytodreamofthisrevenge，butitfairlymadehisthoughtsflame，anddeepinhisthroathewasswearinganinflexiblepersecutionofNoraBlack。Theoldexpressionofhissexcametohim，\"Oh，ifshewereonlyaman!\"shehadbeenaman，hewouldhavefallenuponhertoothandnail。Hermotivesforallthisimpressedhimnotatall；shewassimplyawitchwhoboundhimhelplesswiththepwerofherfemininity，andmadehimeatcinders。Hewassosurethathisfacebetrayedhimthathedidnotdareletherseeit。\"Well，whatareyougoingtodoaboutit？\"heasked，overhisshoulder。 \"0-o-oh，\"shedrawled，impudently。\"Nothing。\"Hecouldseethatshewasdeterminednottobeconfessed。\"ImaydothisorImaydothat。Italldependsuponyourbehaviour，mydearRufus。\" Astheyrodeon，hedeliberatedastothebestmeansofdealingwiththiscondition。SuddenlyheresolvedtogowiththewholetaledirecttoMarjory，andtothisendhehalfwheeledhishorse。Hewouldreiteratethathelovedherandthenexplain- explain!Hegroanedwhenhecametotheword，andceasedformulation。 ThecavalcadereachedatlastthebankoftheAracthusriver，withitslemongrovesandlushgrass。Abatterywheeledbeforethemovertheancientbridge-aflightofshort，broadcobbledstepsupasfarasthecentreofthestreamandasimilarflightdowntotheotherbank。Thereturningaplombofthetravellerswaswellillustratedbytheprofessor，who，uponsightingthisbridge，murmured:\"Byzantine。\" Thiswasthefirstindicationthathehadstillwithinhimapowertoresumethenormal。 Thesteepandnarrowstreetwascrowdedwithsoldiers；thesmokylittlecoffeeshopswerea-babblewithpeoplediscussingthenewsfromthefront。Noneseemedtoheedtheremarkableprocessionthatwendeditswaytothecableoffice。HereColemanresolutelytookprecedence。Heknewthattherewasnogoodinexpectingintelligenceoutofthechaoticclerks，buthemanagedtogetuponthewiresthismessage: \"Eclipse，NewYork:GotWainwrightparty；allwell。Coleman。\" ThestudentshadstruggledtosendmessagestotheirpeopleinAmerica，buttheyhadonlysucceededindeepeningthetragicboredomoftheclerks。 WhenColemanreturnedtothestreethethoughtthathehadseldomlookeduponamoremovingspectaclethantheWainwrightpartypresentedatthatmoment。Mostofthestudentswereseatedinarow，dejectedly，uponthekerb。TheprofessorandMrs。Wainwrightlookedliketwooldpictures，which，afteranexistenceinaconsiderategloom，hadbeenbroughtoutintheirtawdrinesstotheclearlight。Hotwhitedustcoveredeverybody，andfromoutthegrimyfacestheeyesblinked，red-fringedwithsleeplessness。Desolationsatuponall，saveMarjory。Shepossessedsomemarvellouspoweroflookingalwaysfresh。ThisqualityhadindeedimpressedtheoldladyonthelittleponyuntilshehadsaidtoNoraBlack:\"Thatgirlwouldlookwellanywhere。\"NoraBlackhadnotbeenamiableinherreply。 Colemancalledtheprofessorandthedragomanforadurbar。 Thedragomansaid:\"Well，Icangetonecarriage，andwecangoimmediate-lee。\" \"Carriagebeblowed!\"saidColeman。\"Whatthesepeopleneedisrest，sleep。Youmustfindaplaceatonce。Thesepeoplecan\'tremaininthestreet。\"Hespokeinanger，asifhehadpreviouslytoldthedragomanandthelatterhadbeeninattentive。Themanimmediatelydeparted。 Colemanremarkedthattherewasnocoursebuttoremaininthestreetuntilhisdragomanhadfoundthemahabitation。Itwasamournfulwaiting。Thestudentssatonthekerb。OncetheywhisperedtoColeman，suggestingadrink，buthetoldthemthatheknewonlyonecafe，theentranceofwhichwouldbeinplainsightoftherestoftheparty。Theladiestalkedtogetherinagroupoffour。NoraBlackwasburstingwiththefactthatherservanthadhiredroomsinArtaontheiroutcomingjourney，andshewishedMrs。WainwrightandMarjorytocometothem，atleastforatime，butshedarednotriskarefusal，andshefeltsomethinginMrs。Wainwright\'smannerwhichledhertobecertainthatsuchwouldbetheanswertoherinvitation。 Colemanandtheprofessorstrolledslowlyupanddownthewalk。 \"Well，myworkisover，sir，\"saidColeman。\"Mypapertoldmetofindyou，and，throughnovirtueofmyown，Ifoundyou。 Iamverygladofit。Idon\'tknowofanythinginmylifethathasgivenmegreaterpleasure。\" Theprofessorwashimselfagaininsofarashehadlostallmannerofdependence。Butstillhecouldnotyetbebumptious。 \"Mr。Coleman，\"hesaid，\"Iamplacedunderlife-longobligationtoyou。***Iamnotthinkingofmyselfsomuch。***Mywifeanddaughter——\"Hisgratitudewassogenuinethathecouldnotfinishitsexpression。 \"Oh，don\'tspeakofit，\"saidColeman。\"Ireallydidn\'tdoanythingatall。\" Thedragomanfinallyreturnedandledthemalltoahousewhichhehadrentedforgold。Inthegreat，bare，upperchamberthestudentsdroppedwearilytothefloor，whilethewomanofthehousetooktheWainwrightstoamoresecludedapartment。，Asthedoorclosedonthem，Colemanturnedlikeaflash。 \"Haveadrink，\"hesaid。Thestudentsarosearoundhimlikethewaveofaflood。\"Youbet。\"Intheabsenceofchangesofclothing，ordinaryfood，thepossibilityofabath，andinthepresenceofgreatwearinessanddust，Coleman\'swhiskyseemedtothemaglisteningluxury。Afterwardtheylaiddownasiftosleep，butinrealitytheyweretoodirtyandtoofaggedtosleep。TheysimplylaymurmuringPeterTounleyevendevelopedasmallfever。 ItwasatthistimethatColeman。suddenlydiscoveredhisacuteinterestintheprogressivetroublesofhisaffairofthehearthadplacedthebusinessofhisnewspaperintherearofhismind。ThegreaterpartofthenexthourhespentingettingofftoNewYorkthatdispatchwhichcreatedsomuchexcitementforhimlater。AfterwardhewasfreetoreflectmoodilyupontheabilityofNoraBlacktodistresshim。She，withherretinue，haddisappearedtowardherownrooms。Atduskhewentintothestreet，andwasedifiedtoseeNora\'sdragomandodgingalonginhiswake。HethoughtthatthiswassimplyanothermanifestationofNora\'sinterestinhismovements，andsoheturnedacorner，andtherepausing，waiteduntilthedragomanspunarounddirectlyintohisarms。Butitseemedthatthemanhadanotetodeliver，andthiswasonlyhisOrientalwayofdoingit。 Thenoteread:\"Comeanddinewithmeto-night。\"Itwas，notarequest。Itwasperemptory。\"Allright，\"hesaid，scowlingattheman。 Hedidnotgoatonce，forhewishedtoreflectforatimeandfindifhecouldnotevolvesomeweaponsofhisown。Itseemedtohimthatalltheotherswereliberallysuppliedwithweapons。 Aclear，coldnighthadcomeupontheearthwhenhesignifiedtothelurkingdragomanthathewasinreadinesstodepartwithhimtoNora\'sabode。Theypassedfinallyintoadarkcourt-yard，upawindingstaircase，acrossanemboweredbalcony，andColemanenteredalonearoomwheretherewerelights。 His，feetwerescarcelyoverthethresholdbeforehehadconcludedthatthetigresswasnowgoingtotrysomevelvetpurring。Henotedthattheartsofthestagehadnotbeenthoughttoocheaplyobviousforuse。Norasatfacingthedoor。Abitofyellowsilkhadbeentwistedaboutthecrudeshapeofthelamp，anditmadetheplayoflight，amber-like，shadowyandyetperfectlyclear，thelightwhichwomenlove。ShewasarrayedinapuzzlinggownofthatkindofGre- ciansilkwhichissodocilethatonecanpullyardsofitthrougharing。Itwasofthecolourofnewstraw。 Herchinwasleanedpensivelyuponherpalmandthelightfellonapearlyroundedforearm。Shewaslookingathimwithapairoffamouseyes，azure，per- haps-certainlypurpleattimes-anditmaybe，blackatoddmoments-apairofeyesthathadmademanyanhonestman\'sheartjumpifhethoughttheywerelookingathim。Itwasavision，yes，butColeman\'scynicalknowledgeofdramaoverpoweredhissenseofitsbeauty。Hebrokeoutbrutally，inthephrasesoftheAmericanstreet。\"Yourdragomanisarubber-neck。 IfhekeepsdarkingmeIwillsimplyhavetokickthestuffingoutofhim。\" Shewasaloneintheroom。Heroldladyhadbeeninstructedtohaveaheadacheandsendapologies。ShewasnotdisturbedbyColeman\'swords。\"Sitdown，Rufus，andhaveacigarette，anddon\'tbecross，becauseIwon\'tstandit。\" Heobeyedherglumly。Shehadplacedhischairwherenotacharmofhercouldbelostuponanobservantman。Evidentlyshedidnotpurposetoallowhimtoirritateherawayfromheroriginalplan。Purringwasnowhermethod，andnoneofhisinsolencecouldachieveagrowlfromthetigress。Shearose，sayingsoftly:\"Youlooktired，almostill，poorboy。Iwillgiveyousomebrandy。IhavealmosteverythingthatIcouldthinktomakethoseDaylightpeoplebuy。\"Withasweepofherhandsheindicatedtheastonishingopulenceofthepossessionsindifferentpartsoftheroom。 Asshestoodoverhimwiththebrandytherecamethroughthesmokeofhiscigarettetheperfumeoforris-rootandviolet。 Aservantbegantoarrangethelittlecolddinneronacamptable，andColemansawwithanenthusiasmwhichhecouldnotfullymaster，fourquartbottlesofanotablebrandofchampagneplacedinarankonthefloor。 AtdinnerNorawassisterly。Shewatchedhim，waiteduponhim，treatedhimtoanaffectionateinti。macyforwhichheknewathousandmenwhowouldhavehatedhim。Thechampagnewascold。 Slowlyhemelted。BythetimethattheboycamewithlittlecupsofTurkishcoffeehewasatleastamiable。Noratalkeddreamily。\"Thedragomansaysthisroomusedtobepartoftheharemlongago。\"Sheshothimawatchfulglance，asifshehadexpectedthefacttoaffecthim。\"Seemscurious，doesn\'tit？A harem。Fancythat。\"Hesmokedonecigarandthendiscardedtobacco，fortheperfumeoforris-rootandvioletwasmakinghimmeditate。Noratalkedoninalowvoice。Sheknewthat，throughhalf-closedlids，hewaslookingatherinsteadyspeculation。Sheknewthatshewasconquering，butnomovementofhersbetrayedanelation。Withthemostexquisiteartsheaidedhiscontemplation，baringtohim，forinstance，thegloriesofastatuesqueneck，doingitallwiththemannerofasplendidandfabulousvirginwhoknewnotthattherewassuchathingasshame。Herstockingswereofblacksilk。 Colemanpresentlyansweredheronlyinmonosyllable，makingsmalldistinctionbetweenyesandno。Hesimplysatwatchingherwitheyesinwhichthereweretwolittlecovetoussteel-colouredflames。 Hewasthinking，\"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate-notabadfate。\" CHAPTERXVII。 \"Comeoutonthebalcony，\"cooedNora。\"Therearesomefunnyoldstorksontopofsomechimneysnearhereandtheyclatterlikemadalldayandnight。\" Theymovedtogetherouttothebalcony，butNoraretreatedwithalittlecrywhenshefeltthecoldnessofthenight。Shesaidthatshewouldgetacloak。Colemanwasnotunlikeamaninadream。Hewalkedtotherailofthebalconywhereagreatvineclimbedtowardtheroof。Henotedthatitwasdottedwith。blossoms，whichinthedeeppurpleoftheOrientalnightwerecolouredinstrangeshadesofmaroon。ThistruthpenetratedhisabstractionuntilwhenNoracameshefoundhimstaringatthemasiftheircolourwasarevelationwhichaffectedhimvitally。 Shemovedtohissidewithoutsoundandhefirstknewofherpresencefromthedamningfragrance。Shespokejustaboveherbreath。\"It\'sabeautifulevening。\" \"Yes，\"heanswered。Shewasathisshoulder。Ifhemovedtwoincheshemustcomeincontact。Theyremainedinsilenceleaningupontherail。 Finallyhebegantomuttersomecommonplaceswhichmeantnothingparticularly，butintohistoneashemouthedthemwasthenoteofaforlornandpassionatelover。ThenasifbyaccidenthetraversedthetwoinchesandhisshoulderwasagainstthesoftandyetfirmshoulderofNoraBlack。Therewassomethinginhisthroatatthistimewhichchangedhisvoiceintoamerechokingnoise。 Shedidnotmove。Hecouldseehereyesglowinginnocentlyoutofthepallourwhichthedarknessgavetoherface。Ifhewastouchingher，shedidnotseemtoknowit。 \"Iamawfullytired，\"saidColeman，thickly。\"IthinkI willgohomeandturnin。\" \"Youmustbe，poorboy，\"saidNoratenderly。 \"Wouldn\'tyoulikealittlemoreofthatchampagne？\" \"Well，Idon\'tmindanotherglass。\" Shelefthimagainandhisgallopingthoughtpoundedtotheoldrefrain。\"Togotothedevil-togotothedevil-togotothedevilwiththisgirlisnotabadfate-notabadfate- notabadfate。\"Whenshereturnedhedrankhisglassofchampagne。Thenhemumbled:\"Youmustbecold。Letmeputyourcapearoundyoubetter。Itwon\'tdotocatchcoldhere，youknow。\" Shemadeasweetpretenceofrenderingherselftohiscare。\"Oh，thanks***Iamnotreallycold***Therethat\'sbetter。\" Ofcourseallhismanipulationofthecloakhadbeenafervidcaress，andalthoughheractinguptothispointhadremainedintheroleofthesplendidandfabulousvirginshenowturnedherliquideyestohiswithalookthatexpressedknowledge，triumphanddelight。Shewassureofhervictory。Andshesaid: \"Sweetheart***don\'tyouthinkIamasniceasMarjory？\"Theimpulsehadbeenairilyconfident。 Itwasasifthesilkencordshadbeenpartedbythesweepofasword。Coleman\'sfacehadinstantlystiffenedandhelookedlikeamansuddenlyrecalledtothewaysoflight。Itmayeasilyhavebeenthatinamomenthewouldhavelapsedagaintohisluxuriousdreaming。Butinhisfacethegirlhadreadafatalcharactertoherblunderandherresentmentagainsthimtookprecedenceofanyotheremotion。Shewheeledabruptlyfromhimandsaidwithgreatcontempt:\"Rufus，youhadbettergohome。You\'retiredandsleepy，andmoreorlessdrunk。\" Heknewthatthegrandtumbleofalltheirlittleemboweredincidentcouldbeneitherstayedormended。\"Yes，\"heanswered，sulkily，\"Ithinksotoo。\"Theyshookhandshuffilyandhewentaway。 Whenhearrivedamongthestudentshefoundthattheyhadappropriatedeverythingofhiswhichwouldconducetotheircomfort。Hewasfuriousoverit。Buttohisbitterspeechestheyrepliedinjibes。 \"Rufusishimselfagain。Admirehisangelicdisposition。Seehimsmile。Gentlesoul。\" Asleepyvoicesaidfromacomer:\"Iknowwhatpincheshim。\" \"What？\"askedseveral。 \"He\'sbeentoseeNoraandsheflunghimoutbodily。\" \"Yes？\"sneeredColeman。\"AttimesIseemtoseeinyou，Coke，thefermentationofsomeprimevalformofsensation，asifitwerepossibleforyoutode- velopamindintwoorthreethousandyears，andthenatothertimesyouappear***muchasyouarenow。\" AssoonastheyhadwellmeasuredColeman\'stemperallofthestudentssaveCokekepttheirmouthstightlyclosed。Cokeeitherdidnotunderstandorhismoodwastoovindictiveforsilence。\"Well，Iknowyougotathrow-downallright，\"hemuttered。 \"AndhowwouldyouknowwhenIgotathrowdown？Youpimply，milk-fedsophomore。\" Theothersperkeduptheirearsinmirthfulappreciationofthislanguage。 \"Ofcourse，\"continuedColeman，\"noonewouldprotestagainstyourcontinuedexistence，Coke，unlessyouinsistonrecallingyourselfviolentlytopeople\'sattentioninthisway。 Themerefactofyourlivingwouldnotusuallybeoffensivetopeopleifyouweren\'teternallyturningasortofcalciumlightonyourprehensileattributes。\" Cokewassuddenlyangry，angrymuchlikeapeasant，andhisangerfirstevinceditselfinameresputteringandspluttering。 Finallyhegotoutaratherlongspeech，fullofgrumblingnoises，buthewasunderstoodbyalltodeclarethathisprehensileattributeshadnotledhimtocartanotoriouswomanabouttheworldwithhim。WhentheyquicklylookedatColemantheysawthathewaslivid。\"You-\" But，ofcourse，thereimmediatelyaroseallsortsofprotestingcriesfromthesevennon-combatants。Coleman，ashetooktwostridestowardCoke\'scorner，lookedfullyabletobreakhimacrosshisknee，butforthisCokedidnotseemtocareatall。Hewasonhisfeetwithachallengeinhiseye。Uponeachcheekburnedasuddenhecticspot。Theotherswereclamouring，\"Oh，say，thiswon\'tdo。Quitit。Oh，wemustn\'thaveafight。Hedidn\'tmeanit，Coleman。\"PeterTounleypressedCoketothewallsaying:\"Youdamnedyoungjackass，bequiet。\" Theywereinthemidstofthese。festivitieswhenadooropenedanddisclosedtheprofessor。Hemight。havebeencomingintothemiddleofarowinoneofthecorridorsofthecollegeathomeonlythistimehecarriedacandle。Hisspeech，however，wasaWashurstspeech:\"Gentlemen，gentlemen，whatdoesthismean？\"AllseemedtoexpectColemantomaketheanswer。Hewassuddenlyverycool。\"Nothing，professor，\"hesaid，\"onlythatthis-onlythatCokehasinsultedme。Isupposethatitwasonlytheirresponsibilityofaboy，andIbegthatyouwillnottroubleoverit。\" \"Mr。Coke，\"saidtheprofessor，indignantly，\"whathaveyoutosaytothis？\"EvidentlyhecouldnotclearlyseeCoke，andhepeeredaroundhiscandleatwherethevirtuousPeterTounleywasexpostulatingwiththeyoungman。Thefiguresofalltheexcitedgroupmovinginthecandlelightcausedvastanduncouthshadowstohaveconflictsintheendoftheroom。 PeterTounley\'staskwasnotlight，andbeyondthathehadtheconvictionthathisstrugglewithCokewasmakinghimalsotoappearasarowdy。Thisconvictionwasproventobetruebyasuddenthunderfromtheoldprofessor，\"Mr。Tounley，desist!\" InwrathhedesistedandCokeflunghimselfforward。Hepaidlessattentiontotheprofessorthanifthelatterhadbeenajack-rabbit。\"YousayIinsultedyou？heshoutedcrazilyinColeman\'sface。 \"Well***Imeantto，doyousee？\" Colemanwasglacialandloftybeyondeverything。 \"IamgladtohaveyouadmitthetruthofwhatIhavesaid。\" Cokewas，stillsuffocatingwithhispeasantrage，whichwouldnotallowhimtomeettheclear，calmexpressionsofColeman。\"Yes***Iinsultedyou***IinsultedyoubecausewhatIsaidwascorrect**myprehensileattributes**yesbutIhavenever——\" Hewasinterruptedbyachorusfromtheotherstudents。 \"Oh，no，thatwon\'tdo。Don\'tsaythat。Don\'trepeatthat，Coke。\" Colemanrememberedtheweakbewildermentofthelittleprofessorinhoursthathadnotlongpassed，anditwaswithsomethingofanimpersonalsatisfac- tionthathesaidtohimself:\"Theoldboy\'sgothiswar-paintonagain。\"TheprofessorhadsteppedsharplyuptoCokeandlookedathimwitheyesthatseemedtothrowoutflameandheat。Therewasamoment\'spause，andthentheoldscholarspoke，bit- inghiswordsasiftheywereeachashortsectionofsteelwire。\"Mr。Coke，yourbehaviourwillendyourcollegecareerabruptlyandingloom，Ipromiseyou。 Youhavebeendrinking。\" Coke，hisheadsimplyfloatinginaseaofuniversaldefiance，atonceblurtedout:\"Yes，sir。\" \"Youhavebeendrinking？\"criedtheprofessor，ferociously。 \"Retiretoyour-retiretoyour——retire——\"Andtheninavoiceofthunderheshouted:\"Retire。\" Whereuponsevenhoodlumstudentswaitedadecentmoment，thenshriekedwithlaughter。Buttheoldprofessorwouldhavenoneoftheirnonsense。Hequelledthemallwithforceandfinish。 Colemannowspokeafewwords。\"Professor，I can\'ttellyouhowsorryIamthatIshouldbeconcernedinanysuchriotasthis，andsincewearedoomedtobeboundsocloselyintoeachother\'ssocietyIoffermyselfwithoutreservationasbeingwillingtorepairthedamageaswellasmaybe，done。I dontseehowIcanforgetatoncethatCoke\'sconductwasinsolentlyunwarranted，but***ifhehasanythingtosayofanaturethatmighthealthebreachIwouldbewillingtotomeethimintheopenestmanner。\"Ashemadethesere- marksColeman\'sdignitywassomethinggrand，and，Morever，therewasnowuponhisfacethatcuriouslookoftemperanceandpuritywhichhadbeennotedinNewYorkasasingularphysicalcharacteristic。Ifhe。wasguiltyofanythinginthisaffairatall-infact，ifhehadeveratanytimebeenguiltyofanything- nomarkhadcometostainthatbloomofinnocence。 Theprofessornoddedinthefullestappreciationandsympathy。\"Ofcourse***reallythereisnoothersleepingplaceIsupposeitwouldbebetter-\" ThenheagainattackedCoke。\"Youngman，youhavechosenanunfortunatemomenttofilluswithasuspicionthatyoumaynotbeagentleman。Forthetimethereisnothingtobedonewithyou。\"Headdressedtheotherstudents。\"Thereisnothingformetodo，younggentleman，buttoleaveMr。Cokeinyourcare。 Good-night，sirs。Good-night，Coleman。\"Helefttheroomwithhiscandle。 WhenCokewasbadeto\"Retire\"hehad，ofcourse，simplyretreatedfumingtoacorneroftheroomwhereheremainedlookingwithyelloweyeslikeananimalfromacave。WhentheotherswereabletoseethroughthehazeofmentalconfusiontheyfoundthatColemanwaswithdeliberationtakingoffhisboots。\"Afterward，whenheremovedhiswaist-coat，hetookgreatcaretowindhislargegoldwatch。 Thestudents，muchsubdued，layagainintheirplaces，andwhentherewasanytalkingitwasofanextremelylocalnature，referringprincipallytothefloorAsbeingunsuitableforbedsandalsoreferringfromtimetotimetoarealoranallegedselfishnessonthepartofsomeoneoftherecumbentmen。Soontherewasonlythesoundofheavybreathing。 WhentheprofessorhadreturnedtowhathecalledtheWainwrightpartofthehousehewasgreetedinstantlywiththequestion:\"Whatwasit？\"Hiswifeanddaughterwereupinalarm。\"Whatwasit\"theyrepeated，wildly。 Hewaspeevish。\"Oh，nothing，nothing。ButthatyoungCokeisaregularruffian。Hehadgottenhim。selfintosometremendousuproarwithColeman。WhenIarrivedheseemedactuallytryingtoassaulthim。Revolting!Hehadbeendrinking。 Coleman\'sbehaviour，Imustsay，wassplendid。Recognisedatoncethedelicacyofmyposition-henotbeingastudent。IfIhadfoundhiminthewrongitwouldhavebeensimplerthanfindinghimintheright。ConfoundthatrascalofaCoke。\"Then，ashebeganapartialdisrobing，hetreatedthemtogruntedscrapofinformation。 \"Cokewasquiteinsane***IfearedthatIcouldn\'tcontrolhim***Colemanwaslikeice***andasmuchasI haveseentoadmireinhimduringthelastfewdays，thisquietbeatitall。Ifhehadnotrecognisedmyhelplessnessasfarashewasconcernedthewholethingmighthavebeenamostmiserablebusiness。Heisaveryfineyoungman。\"ThedissentingvoicetothislasttributewasthevoiceofMrs。 Wainwright。Shesaid:\"Well，Colemandrinks，too-everybodyknowsthat。\" \"Iknow，\"respondedtheprofessor，ratherbashfully，butI amconfidentthathehadnottouchedadrop。\"Marjorysaidnothing。 TheearlierartillerybattleshadfrightenedmostofthefurnitureoutofthehousesofArta，andtherewasleftinthisroomonlyafewoldredcushions，andtheWainwrightswerecampinguponthefloor。MarjorywasenwrappedinColeman\'smacintosh，andwhiletheprofessorandhiswifemaintainedsomelowtalkoftherecentincidentsheinsilencehadturnedhercheekintotheyellowvelvetcollarofthecoat。Shefeltsomethingagainstherbosom，andputtingherhandcarefullyintothetoppocketofthecoatshefoundthreecigars。 Theseshetookinthedarknessandlaidaside，tellingherselftoremembertheirpositioninthemorning。ShehadnodoubtthatColeman:wouldrejoiceoverthem，beforehecouldgetbackto，Athenswheretherewereothergoodcigars。 CHAPTERXVIII。 THEladiesoftheWainwrightpartyhadnotcomplainedatallwhendeprivedofevensuchcivilisedadvantagesasashelterandaknifeandforkandsoapandwater，butMrs。 Wainwrightcomplainedbitterlyamidthehalf-civilisationofArta。Shecouldseeherenoexcusefortheabsenceofseveralhundredthingswhichshehadalwaysregardedasessentialtolife。Shebeganat8。30A。M。tomakeboththeprofessorandMarjorywoefulwithanendlessdissertationuponthebedsinthehotelatAthens。Ofcourseshehadnotregardedthematthetimeasbeingexceptionalbeds***thatwasquitetrue，* **butthenonereallyneverknewwhatonewasreallymissinguntilonereallymissedit***ShewouldneverhavethoughtthatshewouldcometoconsiderthoseAthenianbedsasexcellent***butexperienceisagreatteacher***makes- onereflectuponthepeoplewhoyearinandyearouthavenobedsatall，poorthings。***Well，itmadeonegladifonedidhaveagoodbed，evenifitwasatthetimeontheothersideoftheworld。Ifsheeverreacheditshedidnotknowwhatcouldeverinducehertoleaveitagain。***Shewouldneverbeinduced—— \"\'Induced!\'\"snarledtheprofessor。Thewordrepresentedtohimapracticedfemininemisusageoftruth，andatsuchhiswhitewarlockalwaysarose。\"\"Induced!\'OutoffourAmericanwomenIhaveseenlately，youseemtobetheonlyonewhowouldsaythatyouhadenduredthisthingbecauseyouhadbeen\'induced\'byotherstocomeoverhere。Howabsurd!\" Mrs。Wainwrightfixedherhusbandwithasteelyeye。Shesawopportunityforashatteringretort。\"Youdon\'tmean，Harrison，toincludeMarjoryandIinthesamebreathwiththosetwowomen？\" Theprofessorsawnodangeraheadforhimself。Hemerelyanswered:\"Ihadnothoughteitherway。Itdidnotseemimportant。\" \"Well，itisimportant，\"snappedMrs。Wainwright。 \"DoyouknowthatyouarespeakinginthesamebreathofMarjoryandNoraBlack，theactress？\" \"No，\"saidtheprofessor。\"Isthatso？\"Hewasastonished，buthewasnotaghastatall。\"DoyoumeantosaythatisNoraBlack，thecomicoperastar？\" \"That\'sexactlywhosheis，\"saidMrs。Wainwright，dramatically。\"AndIconsiderthat-IconsiderthatRufusColemanhasdonenolessthan-misledus。\" Thislastdeclarationseemedtohavenoeffectupontheprofessor\'spureastonishment，butMarjorylookedathermothersuddenly。However，shesaidnoword，exhibitingagainthatstrangeand，inscrutablecountenancewhichmaskedeventhetiniestofhermaidenlyemotions。 Mrs。Wainwrightwastriumphant，andsheimmediatelysetaboutcelebratinghervictory。\"Menneverseethosethings，\" shesaidtoherhusband。\"Menneverseethosethings。Youwouldhavegoneonforeverwithoutfindingoutthatyour-your- hospitalitywas，beingabusedbythatRufusColeman。\" Theprofessorwokeup。\"Hospitality？\"hesaid，indignantly。\"Hospitality？Ihavenothadanyhospitalitytobeabused。Whydon\'tyoutalksense？ Itisnotthat，but-itmight-\"Hehesitatedandthenspokeslowly。\"Itmightbeveryawkward。Ofcourseoneneverknowsanythingdefiniteaboutsuchpeople，butIsuppose***Anyhow，itwasstrangeinColemantoallowhertomeetus。\" \"ItWasallapre-arrangedplan，\"announcedthetriumphantMrs。Wainwright。\"ShecamehereonputposetomeetRufusColeman，andheknewit，andIshouldnotwonderiftheyhadnottheexactspotpickedoutwheretheyweregoingtomeet。\" \"Icanhardlybelievethat，\"saidtheprofessor，indistress。 \"Ican，hardlybelievethat。Itdoes，notseemtomethatColeman——\" \"Ohyes。YourdearRufusColeman，\"criedMrs。 Wainwright。\"Youthinkheisveryfinenow。ButIcanrememberwhenyoudidn\'tthink——\" Andtheparentsturnedtogetheranabashedlookattheirdaughter。Theprofessoractuallyflushedwithshame。Itseemedtohimthathehadjustcommittedanatrocityupontheheartofhischild。Theinstinctofeachofthemwastogotoherandconsoleherintheirarms。Shenoteditimmediately，andseemedtofearit。Shespokeinaclearandevenvoice。\"Idon\'tthink，father，thatyoushoulddistressmebysupposingthatIamconcernedatallifMr。ColemancarestogetNoraBlackoverhere。\" \"Notatall，\"stutteredtheprofessor。\"I——\" Mrs。Wainwright\'sconsternationturnedsuddenlyto，anger。 \"Heisascapegrace。Arascal。A——a——\" \"Oh，\"saidMarjory，coolly，\"Idon\'tseewhyitisn\'thisownaffair。Hedidn\'treallypresenthertoyou，mother，youremember？Sheseemedquitetoforceherwayatfirst，andthenyou-youdidtherest。Itshouldbeveryeasytoavoidher，nowthatweareoutofthewilderness。AndthenitbecomesaprivatematterofMr。Coleman\'s。Formypart，Iratherlikedher。Idon\'tseesuchadreadfulcalamity。\" \"Marjory!\"screamedhermother。\"Howdreadful。Likedher! Don\'tletmehearyousaysuchshockingthings。\" \"Ifailtoseeanythingshocking，\"answeredMarjory，stolidly。 Theprofessorwaslookinghelplesslyfromhisdaughtertohiswife，andfromhiswifetohisdaughter，likeamanwhowasconvincedthathistroubleswouldneverend。Thisnewcatastrophecreatedadifferentkindofdifficulty，butheconsideredthatthedifficultieswereasrobustashadbeentheprecedingones。Heputonhishatandwentoutoftheroom。 HefeltanimpossibilityofsayinganythingtoColeman，buthefeltthathemustlookuponhim。Hemustlookuponthismanandtrytoknowfromhismannerthemeasureofguilt。Andincidentallyhelongedforthemachineryofafinishedsocietywhichpreventsitspartsfromclashing，preventsitwithitsgreatseriesofIlawuponlaw，easilyoperativebutrelentless。Herehefeltasamanflungintothejunglewithhiswifeanddaughter，wheretheycouldbecomethevictimsofanysortofsavagery。 HisthoughtreferredoncemoretowhatheconsideredtheinvaluableservicesofColeman，andasheobservedtheminconjunctionwiththepresentaccusation，hewassimplydazed。Itwasthenpossiblethatonemancouldplaytwosuchdivergentparts。HehadnotlearnedthisatWashurst。Butno；theworldwasnotsuchabedofputrefaction。Hewouldnotbelieveit；hewouldnotbelieveit。 Afteradventureswhichrequiregreatnervousen。durance，itisonlyuponthesecondorthirdnightthatthecommonmansleepshard。Thestudentshadexpectedtoslumberlikedogsonthefirstnightaftertheirtrials。butnonesleptlong，Andfewslept。 Colemanwasthefirstmantoarise。Whenhelefttheroomthestudentswerejustbeginningtoblink。HetookhisdragomanamongtheshopsandheboughtthereallthelittleoddsandendswhichmightgotomakeupthebestbreakfastinArta。Ifhehadhadnewsofcertaintalkheprobablywouldnothavebeenbuyingbreakfastforelevenpeople。Instead，hewouldhavebeenbuyingbreakfastforone。Duringhisabsencethestudentsaroseandperformedtheirfrugaltoilets。