Butasthemantelclockstruckwheezilysixtherewastherattleofanouterdoor,andarichandbeautifulpealoflaughterwentringingthroughthehouse。ThuscheerfullydidMaryVertreesheraldherreturnwithhermotherfromtheirexpeditionamongthebarbarians。
Shecamerushingintothelibraryandthrewherselfintoadeepchairbythehearth,laughingsouncontrollablythattearswereinhereyes。Mrs。Vertreesfolloweddecorously,nomirthabouther;onthecontrary,shelookedvaguelydisturbed,asifshehadeatensomethingnotquitecertaintoagreewithher,andregrettedit。
\"Papa！Oh,oh！\"AndMissVertreeswasfaintoapplyahandkerchiefuponhereyes。\"I\'mSOgladyoumadeusgo！Iwouldn\'thavemissedit——\"
Mrs。Vertreesshookherhead。\"IsupposeI\'mverydull,\"shesaid,gently。\"I
didn\'tseeanythingamusing。They\'remostordinary,andthehouseisaltogetherinbadtaste,butweanticipatedthat,and——\"
\"Papa！\"Marycried,breakingin。\"TheyaskedustoDINNER！\"
\"What！\"
\"AndI\'mGOING！\"sheshouted,andwasseizedwithfreshparoxysms。\"Thinkofit！Neverintheirhousebefore;nevermetanyofthembutthedaughter——andjustBARELYmether——\"
\"Whataboutyou？\"interrruptedMr。Vertrees,turningsharplyuponhiswife。
Shemadealittlefaceasifpositivenowthatwhatshehadeatenwouldnotagreewithher。\"Icouldn\'t！\"shesaid。\"I——\"
\"Yes,that\'sjust——justthewayshe——shelookedwhentheyaskedher！\"criedMary,choking。\"Andthenshe——sherealizedit,andtriedtoturnitintoacough,andshedidn\'tknowhow,anditsoundedlike——likeasqueal！\"
\"Isuppose,\"saidMrs。Vertrees,muchinjured,\"thatMarywillhaveanuproarioustimeatmyfuneral。Shemakesfunof——\"
Maryjumpedupinstantlyandkissedher;thenshewenttothemanteland,leaninganelbowuponit,gazedthoughtfullyatthebuckleofhershoe,twinklinginthefirelight。
\"THEYdidn\'tnoticeanything,\"shesaid。\"Sofarastheywereconcerned,mamma,itwasoneofthefinestcoughsyouevercoughed。\"
\"Whowere\'they\'？\"askedherfather。\"Whomdidyousee？\"
\"Onlythemotheranddaughter,\"Maryanswered。\"Mrs。Sheridanisdumpyandrustly;andMissSheridanisprettyandpushing——dressesbythefashionmagazinesandtalksaboutNewYorkpeoplethathavetheirpicturesin\'em。Shetutorsthemother,butnotverysuccessfully——partlybecauseherownfoundationistooflimsyandpartlybecauseshebegantoolate。They\'vegotanenormousMoorofpaintedplasterorsomethinginthehall,andthegirlevidentlythoughtitwastohercreditthatsheselectedit！\"
\"Theyhaveoil—paintings,too,\"addedMrs。Vertrees,withaglanceofgentlepriceattheLandseers。\"I\'vealwaysthoughtoil—paintingsinaprivatehousetheworstoftaste。\"
\"Oh,ifoneownedaRaphaeloraTitian！\"saidMr。Vertrees,finishingtheimplication,notinwords,butwithawaveofhishand。\"Goon,Mary。Noneoftherestofthemcamein？Youdidn\'tmeetMr。Sheridanor——\"Hepausedandadjustedalumpofcoalinthefiredelicatelywiththepoker。\"Oroneofthesons？\"
Mary\'sglancecrossedhis,atthat,withaflashofuttercomprehension。Heturnedinstantlyaway,butshehadbeguntolaughagain。
\"No,\"shesaid,\"nooneexceptthewomen,butmammainquiredaboutthesonsthoroughly！\"
\"Mary！\"Mrs。Vertreesprotested。
\"Oh,mostadroitly,too！\"laughedthegirl。\"Onlyshecouldn\'thelpunconsciouslyturningtolookatme——whenshedidit！\"
\"MaryVertrees！\"
\"Nevermind,mamma！Mrs。SheridanandMissSheridanneitherofTHEMcouldhelpunconsiouslyturningtolookatme——speculatively——atthesametime！Theyallthreekeptlookingatmeandtalkingabouttheoldestson,Mr。JamesSheridan,Junior。Mrs。Sheridansaidhisfatherisveryanxious\'togetJimtomarryandsettledown,\'andsheassuredmethat\'Jimisrightcultivated。\'
Anotherofthesons,theyoungestone,caughtmelookinginthewindowthisafternoon;buttheydidn\'tseemtoconsiderhimquiteoneofthemselves,somehow,thoughMrs。Sheridanmentionedthatacoupleofyearsorsoagohehadbeen\'rightsick,\'andhadbeentosomecureorother。Theyseemedrelievedtobringthesubjectbackto\'Jim\'andhisvirtues——andtolookatme！Theotherbrotheristhemiddleone,Roscoe;he\'stheonethatownsthenewhouseacrossthestreet,wherethatyoungblack—sheepoftheLamhorns,Robert,goessooften。Isawashort,darkyoungmanstandingontheporchwithRobertLamhorntheretheotherday,soIsupposethatwasRoscoe。\'Jim\'
stilllurksinthemists,butIshallmeethimto—night。Papa——\"Shesteppednearertohimsothathehadtofaceher,andhiseyesweretroubledashedid。Theremayhavebeenatroubledeepwithinherown,butshekepttheirsurfacemerrywithlaughter。\"Papa,Bibbsistheyoungestone\'sname,andBibbs——tothebestofourinformation——isalunatic。Roscoeismarried。
Papa,doesithavetobeJim？\"
\"Mary！\"Mrs。Vertreescried,sharply。\"You\'reoutrageous！That\'saperfectlyhorriblewayoftalking！\"
\"Well,I\'mclosetotwenty—four,\"saidMary,turningtoher。\"Ihaven\'tbeenabletolikeanybodyyetthat\'saskedmetomarryhim,andmaybeInevershall。UntilayearorsoagoI\'vehadeverythingIeverwantedinmylife——youandpapagaveitalltome——andit\'sabouttimeIbegantopayback。
Unfortunately,Idon\'tkowhowtodoanything——butsomething\'sgottobedone。\"
\"Butyouneedn\'ttalkofitlikeTHAT！\"insistedthemother,plaintively。
\"It\'snot——it\'snot——\"
\"No,it\'snot,\"saidMary。\"Iknowthat！\"
\"Howdidtheyhappentoaskyoutodinner？\"Mr。Vertreesinquired,uneasily。
\"\'Stextrawdn\'rything！\"
\"Climbers\'hospitality,\"Marydefinedit。\"Weweresoverycordialandeasy！
IthinkMrs。Sheridanherselfmighthavedoneitjustasanykindoldwomanonafarmmightaskaneighbor,butitwasMissSheridanwhodidit。Sheplayedarounditawhile;youcouldseeshewantedto——she\'sinadreadfulhurrytogetintothings——andIfanciedshehadanideaitmightimpressthatLamhornboytofindusthereto—night。It\'sasortofhouse—warmingdinner,andtheytalkedaboutitandtalkedaboutit——andthenthegirlgothercourageupandblurtedouttheinvitation。Andmamma——\"HereMarywasoncemoreavictimtoincorrigiblemerriment。\"Mammatriedtosayyes,andCOULDN\'T！Sheswallowedandsquealed——Imeanyoucoughed,dear！Andthen,papa,shesaidthatyouandshehadpromisedtogotoalectureattheEmersonClubto—night,butthatherdaughterwouldbedelightedtocometotheBigShow！SothereIam,andthere\'sMr。JimSheridan——andthere\'stheclock。Dinner\'satseven—thirty！\"
Andsheranoutoftheroom,scoopingupherfallenfurswithagestureofflyinggraceasshesped。
Whenshecamedown,attwentymunutesafterseven,herfatherstoodinthehall,atthefootofthestairs,waitingtobeherescortthroughthedark。Helookedupandwatchedherasshedescended,andhisgazewasfondandproud——andprofoundlydisturbed。Butshesmiledandnoddedgaily,and,whenshereachedthefloor,putahandonhisshoulder。
\"Atleastnoonecouldsuspectmeto—night,\"shesaid。\"ILOOKrich,don\'tI,papa？\"
Shedid。Shehadalookthatworshipfulgirlfriendsbravelycalled\"regal。\"
Aheadtallerthanherfather,shewasasstraightandjauntilypoisedasaboyathlete;andherbrownhairandherbrowneyeswerelikehermother\'s,butfortherestshewentbacktosomestrongerandlivelierancestorthaneitherofherparents。
\"Don\'tIlooktoorichtobesuspected？\"sheinsisted。
\"Youlookeverythingbeautiful,Mary,\"hesaid,huskily。
\"Andmydress？\"Shethrewopenherdarkvelvetcloak,showingasplendorofwhiteandsilver。\"AnythingbetteratNicenextwinter,doyouthink？\"Shelaughed,shroudingherglitteringfigureinthecloakagain。\"Twoyearsold,andnoonewoulddreamit！Ididitover。\"
\"Youcandoanything,Mary。\"
Therewasacurioushumilityinhistone,andsomethingmore——asignificancenotveiledandyetabysmallyapologetic。Itwasasifhesuggestedsomethingtoherandbeggedherforgivenessinthesamebreath。
Anduponthat,forthemoment,shebecameasseriousashe。Sheliftedherhandfromhisshoulderandthensetitbackmorefirmly,sothatheshouldfeelthereassuranceofitspressure。
\"Don\'tworry,\"shesaid,inalowvoiceandgravely。\"Iknowexactlywhatyouwantmetodo。\"
Itwasabraveandlustrousbanquet;andanoisyone,too,becausetherewasanorchestraamongsomeplantsatoneendofthelongdining—room,andafterapreliminarystiffnesstheguestswereimpelledtoconverse——necessarilyatthetopsoftheirvoices。Thewholecompanyoffiftysatatagreatoblongtable,improvisedfortheoccasionbycarpenters;but,notbetrayingitselfasanimprovisation,itseemedapermanentcontinentofdamaskandlace,withshoresofcrystalandsilverrunninguptospreadinggrovesoforchidsandliliesandwhiteroses——aninhabitedcontinent,evidently,fortherewerethreemarvelous,gleamingbuildings:oneinthecenterandoneateachend,whitemiracleswroughtbysomeinspiredcraftsmaninsculpturalicing。Theyweremodelsinminiature,andtheyrepresentedtheSheridanBuilding,theSheridanApartments,andthePumpWorks。Nearlyalltheguestsrecognizedthemwithouthavingtobetoldwhattheywere,andpronouncedthelikenessessuperb。
Thearrangementofthetablewasvisablybaronial。AttheheadsatthegreatThane,withtheflowerofhisfamilyandoftheguestsabouthim;thenoneachsidecametheneighborsofthe\"old\"house,gradingdowntovassalsandretainers——superintendents,cashiers,headsofdepartments,andthelike——atthefoot,wheretheThane\'sladytookherplaceasaconsolationforthelessimportant。Here,too,amongthethrallsandbondmen,satBibbsSheridan,ameekBanquo,wonderinghowanybodycouldlookathimandeat。
Nevertheless,therewasavast,continuouseating,forthesewerewholesomefolkwhounderstoodthatdinnermeantsomethingintendedforintroductionintothesystembymeansofanapertureintheface,devisedbynatureforthatexpresspurpose。Andbesides,nobodylookedatBibbs。
Hewasbettercontenttobelefttohimself;hisvoicewasnotstrongenoughtomakeitselfheardoverthehubbubwithoutanexhaustingeffort,andthetalkthatwentonabouthimwastoofastandtoofragmentaryforhisdrawltokeeppacewithit。Sohefeltrelievedwheneachofhisneighborsinturn,afterapoliteinquiryabouthishealth,turnedtoseeklivelierreponsesinotherdirections。Forthetalkwentonwiththeeating,incessantly。Itroseoverthethrobbingoftheorchestraandtheclatterandclinkingofsilverandchinaandglass,andtherewasamightybabble。
\"Yes,sir！Startedwithoutadollar。\"……\"Yellowflouncesontheoverskirt——\"……\"Isays,\'Wilkie,yourdepartment\'sgottogobiggerthisyear,\'Isays。\"……\"Fifteenpercent。turnoverinthirty—oneweeks。\"……
\"Oneofthebigestmeninthebigest——\"……\"Thewifesaysshe\'llhavetoletoutmypantsifmyappetite——\"……\"Say,didyouseethatstatueofaTurkinthehall？OneofthefinestthingsIever——\"……\"Notadollar,notanickel,notoneredcentdoyougetouto\'me,\'Isays,andsoheupsand——\"……\"Yes,thebabymakesfour,they\'velostnow。\"……\"Well,theygottheirraise,andtheywentinbig。\"……\"Yes,sir！Notadollartohisname,andlookatwhat——\"……\"Youwait！Thepopulationofthistown\'sgoin\'tohitthemillionmarkbeforeshestops。\"……\"Well,ifyoucanshowmeabiggerdealthan——\"
AndthroughtheintersticesofthisclamoringBibbscouldhearthecontinualboomingofhisfather\'sheavyvoice,andoncehecaughtthesentence,\"Yes,younglady,that\'sjustwhatdiditforme,andthat\'sjustwhat\'lldoitformyboys——theygottomaketwobladeso\'grassgrowwhereonegrewbefore！\"Itwashisfamiliarflourish,anoldstorytoBibbs,andnowjoviallydeclaimedfortheedificationofMaryVertrees。
ItwasagreatnightforSheridan——theverycrestofhiswave。HesatthereknowinghimselfThaneandmasterbyhisownendeavor;andhisbig,smooth,redfacegrewmoreandmoreradiantwithgoodwillandwiththesimplest,happiest,mostboy—likevanity。Hewasthepictureofhealth,ofgoodcheer,andofpoweronaholiday。Hehadthirtyteeth,nonebought,andshowedmostofthemwhenhelaughed;hisgrizzledhairwasthick,andasunrulyasafarmlaborer\'s;hischestwasdeepandbigbeneathitsvastfacadeofstarchedwhitelinen,wherelittlediamondstwinkled,circlingthreelargepearls;hishandswerestubbyandstrong,andheusedthemfreelyingesturesofmarkedpicturesqueness;and,thoughhehadgrownfatatchinandwaistandwrist,hehadnotlostthelookofreadinessandactivity。
Hedominatedthetable,shoutingjocularquestionsandrailleriesateveryone。Hisideawasthatwhenpeoplewerehavingagoodtimetheywerenoisy;
andhisownadditionstothehubbubincreasedhispleasure,and,ofcourse,metthewarmestencouragementfromhisguests。Edithhaddiscoveredthathehadveryfoggynotionsofthedifferencebetweenabandandanorchestra,andwhenitwasmadecleartohimhehadheldoutforabanduntilEdiththreatenedtears;butthesizeoftheorchestratheyhiredconsoledhim,andhehadnownoregretsinthematter。
Hekepttimetothemusiccontinually——withhisfeet,orpoundingonthetablewithhisfist,andsometimeswithspoonorknifeuponhisplateoraglass,withoutpermittingtheseside—productstointerferewiththerealbusinessofeatingandshouting。
\"Tell\'emtoplay\'NancyLee\'！\"hewouldbellowdownthelengthofthetabletohiswife,whilethemusicianswereinthemidstofthe\"Toreador\"song,perhaps。\"Askthatfellowiftheydon\'tknow\'NancyLee\'！\"AndwhentheleaderwouldshakehisheadapologeticallyinanswertoanobedientshriekfromMrs。Sheridan,the\"Toreador\"continuingvehemently,Sheridanwouldroarhalf—rememberedfragmentsof\"NancyLee,\"naturallyminglingsomeBizetwiththeairofthatuxorioustribute。
\"Oh,thereshestandsandwavesherhandswhileI\'maway！\"Asail—er\'swifeasail—er\'sstarshouldbe！Yoho,oh,oh！\"Oh,Nancy,Nancy,NancyLee！Oh,Na—hancyLee！\"
\"HAY,there,oldlady！\"hewouldbellow。\"Tell\'emtoplay\'IntheGloaming。\'
Inthegloaming,oh,mydarling,la—la—lum—tee——Well,iftheydon\'tknowthat,what\'sthematterwith\'LarboardWatch,Ahoy\'？THAT\'Sgoodmusic！That\'sthekindo\'musicIlike！Comeon,now！Mrs。Callin,get\'emsingin\'downinyourparto\'thetable。What\'sthematteryoufolksdownthere,anyway？
Larboardwatch,ahoy！\"
\"Whatjoyhefeels,as——ta—tum—dum—tee—dee—dumsteals。La—a—r—boardwatch,ahoy！\"
Noexternalbubblingcontributedtothiseffervescence;theSheridans\'tablehadneverbornewine,and,morebecauseoftimidityaboutitthanconviction,itborenonenow;though\"mineralwaters\"werecopiouslypouredfrombottleswrapped,forsomereason,innapkins,andprovedwhollysatisfactorytoalmostalloftheguests。Andcertainlynowinecouldhaveinspiredmoreturbulentgoodspiritsinthehost。NotevenBibbswasanalloyinthisnight\'shappiness,for,asMrs。Sheridanhadsaid,hehad\"plansforBibbs\"——planswhichweregoingtostraightenoutsomethingsthathadgonewrong。
Sohepoundedthetableandboomedhisechoesofoldsongs,andthen,forgettingthese,wouldrenewhisfriendlyrailleries,orperhaps,turningtoMaryVertrees,whosatnearhim,roundthecornerofthetableathisright,hewouldbecomeautobiographical。Gentlemenlessnaivethanhehadpaidherthattribute,forshewasagirlwhoinspiredtheautobiographicalimpulseineverymanwhomether——itneededbutthesightofher。
Thedinnerseemed,somehow,tocenteraboutMaryVertreesandthejocundhostasaplaycentersaboutitsheroandheroine;theyweretherubicundkingandthestarryprincessofthisspectacle——theypaidcourttoeachother,andeverybodypaidcourttothem。DownnearthesugarPumpWorks,whereBibbssat,therewasaudiblespeculationandadmiration。\"Wonderwhothatladyis——makin\'suchahitwiththeoldman。\"\"Mustbesomeheiress。\"\"Heiress？
Golly,IguessIcouldstandittomarryrich,then！\"
EdithandSibylwereradiant:atfirsttheyhadwatchedMissVertreeswithanalmosthaggardanxiety,wonderingwhatdisasterouseffectSheridan\'spastoralgaieties——andotherthings——wouldhaveuponher,butsheseemeddelightedwitheverything,andwithhimmostofall。Shetreatedhimasifheweresomedelicious,foolisholdjokethatsheunderstoodperfectly,laughingathimalmostviolentlywhenhebragged——probablyhisfirstexperienceofthatkindinhislife。Itenchantedhim。
Asheproclaimedtothetable,shehad\"awaywithher。\"Shehad,indeed,asRoscoeSheridan,uponherright,discoveredjustafterthefeastbegan。Sincehismarriagethreeyearsbefore,noladyhadbestoweduponhimsoprotractedafullviewofbrillianteyes;and,withthelook,hislovelyneighborsaid——anditwasherfirstspeechtohim——
\"Ihopeyou\'reverysusceptible,Mr。Sheridan！\"
HonestRoscoewastakenaback,and\"Why？\"wasallhemanagedtosay。
Sherepeatedthelookdeliberately,whichwasnoted,withamystificationequaltohisown,byhissisteracrossthetable。Noone,reflectedEdith,couldimageMaryVertreesthesortofgirlwhowould\"reallyflirt\"withmarriedmen——shewasobviouslythe\"oppositeofallthat。\"Edithdefinedherasa\"thoroughbred,\"a\"nicegirl\";andthelookgiventoRoscoewasastounding。Roscoe\'swifesawit,too,andshewasanotherwhomitpuzzled——thoughnotbecauseitsrecipientwasmarried。
\"Because！\"saidMaryVertrees,replyingtoRoscoe\'smonosyllable。\"Andalsobecausewe\'renext—doorneighborsattable,andit\'sdulltimesaheadforbothofusifwedon\'tgetalong。\"
Roscoewasaliteralyoungman,allstocksandbonds,andhehadbeenbroughtuptobelievethatwhenamanmarriedhe\"marriedandsettleddown。\"Itwas\"allright,\"hefelt,foramanasoldashisfathertopayfloridcomplimentstoasprettyagirlasthisMissVertrees,butforhimself——\"ayoungmarriedman\"——itwouldn\'tdo;anditwouldn\'tevenbequitemoral。Heknewthatyoungmarriedpeoplemighthavefriendships,likehiswife\'sforLamhorn;butSibylandLamhornnever\"flirted\"——theywerealwaysverymatter—of—factwitheachother。RoscoewouldhavebeentroubledifSibylhadevertoldLamhornshehopedhewassusceptible。
\"Yes——we\'reneighbors,\"hesaid,awkwardly。
\"Next—doorneighborsinhouses,too,\"sheadded。
\"No,notexactly。Iliveacrossthestreet。\"
\"Why,no！\"sheexclaimed,andseemedstartled。\"Yourmothertoldmethisafternoonthatyoulivedathome。\"
\"Yes,ofcourseIliveathome。Ibuiltthatnewhouseacrossthestreet。\"
\"Butyou——\"shepaused,confused,andthenslowlyadeepcolorcameintohercheek。\"ButIunderstood——\"
\"No,\"hesaid;\"mywifeandIlivedwiththeoldfolksthefirstyear,butthat\'sall。EdithandJimlivewiththem,ofcourse。\"
\"I——Isee,\"shesaid,thedeepcolorstilldeepeningassheturnedfromhimandsaw,writtenuponacardbeforethegentlemanatherleftthename,\"Mr。
JamesSheridan,Jr。\"AndfromthatmomentRoscoehadlittleenoughcauseforwonderingwhatheoughttoreplytoherdisturbingcoquetries。
Mr。JamesSheridanhadbeenanxiouslywaitingforthedazzlingvisitorto\"getthroughwitholdRoscoe,\"ashethoughtofit,andgiveabachelorachance。
\"OldRoscoe\"wastheyounger,buthehadalwaysbeenthesteadywheel—horseofthefamily。Jimwas\"steady\"enough,butwasconsideredlivelierthanRoscoe,whichintruthisnotsayingmuchforJim\'sliveliness。Astheirfatherhabituallyboasted,bothbrotherswere\"capable,hard—workingyoungbusinessmen,\"andtheprincipaldifferencebetweenthemwasmerelythatwhichresultedfromJim\'sbeingstillabachelor。Physicallytheywereofthesametype:
darkofeyesandofhair,fresh—coloredandthick—set,andthoughRoscoewasseveralinchestallerthanJim,neitherwasoftheheight,breadth,ordepthofthefather。Bothworeyoungbusinessmen\'smustaches,andeithercouldhavesatforthetailor—shoplithographsofyoungbusinessmenwearing\"richsuitingsindarkmixtures。\"
Jim,approvingwarmlyofhisneighbor\'sprofile,perceivedheraccessofcolor,whichincreasedhisapprobation。\"What\'sthatoldRoscoesayingtoyou,MissVertrees？\"heasked。\"Theseyoungmarriedmenaremightyforwardnowadays,butyoumustn\'tlet\'emmakeyoublush。\"
\"AmIblushing？\"shesaid。\"Areyousure？\"Andwiththatshegavehimampleopportunitytomakesure,repeatingwithinterestthelookwasteduponRoscoe。
\"Ithinkyoumustbemistaken,\"shecontinued。\"Ithinkit\'syourbrotherwhoisblushing。I\'vethrownhimintoconfusion。\"
\"How？\"
Shelaughed,andthen,leaningtohimalittle,saidinatoneasconfidentialasshecouldmakeit,undercoveroftheuproar。\"BytryingtobeginwithhimacourtshipImeantforYOU！\"
ThismightwellbeastylenewtoJim;anditwas。Hesupposeditanonsensicalformofbadinage,andyetittookhisbreath。Herealizedthathewishedwhatshesaidtobetheliteraltruth,andhewasinstantlysnaredbythatrealization。
\"ByGeorge！\"hesaid。\"Iguessyou\'rethekindofgirlthatcansayanything——yes,andgetawaywithit,too！\"
Shelaughedagain——inherway,sothathecouldnottellwhethershewaslaughingathimoratherselforatthenonsenseshewastalking;andshesaid:\"ButyouseeIdon\'tcarewhetherIgetawaywithitornot。Iwishyou\'dtellmefranklyifyouthinkI\'vegotachangetogetawaywithYOU？\"
\"Morelikeifyou\'vegotachancetogetawayFROMme！\"Jimwasinspiredtoreply。\"Notoneintheworld,especiallyafterbeginningbymakingfunofmelikethat。\"
\"Imightn\'tbesomuchinfunasyouthink,\"shesaid,regardinghimwithsuddengravity。
\"Well,\"saidJim,insimplehonesty,\"you\'reafunnygirl！\"
Hergravitycontinuedaninstantlonger。\"ImaynotturnouttobefunnyforYOU。\"
\"Solongasyouturnouttobeanythingatallforme,IexpectIcanmanagetobesatisfied。\"Andwiththat,tohisownsurprise,itwashisturntoblush,whereuponshelaughedagain。
\"Yes,\"hesaid,plaintively,notwhollylackingintuition,\"Icanseeyou\'rethesortofgirlthatwouldlaughtheminuteyouseeamanreallymeansanything！\"
\"\'Laugh\'！\"shecried,gaily。\"Why,itmightbeamatteroflifeanddeath！
Butifyouwanttragedy,I\'dbetterputthequestionatonce,consideringthemistakeImadewithyourbrother。\"
Jimwasdazed。Sheseemedtobeplayingalittlegameofmockeryandnonsensewithhim,buthehadglimpsesofaflashingdangerinit;hewasbuttoosensibleofbeingoutclassed,andhadsomewhereaconsciousnessthathecouldneverquiteknowthisgiddyandalluringlady,nomatterhowlongitpleasedhertoplaywithhim。Buthemightilywantedhertokeeponplayingwithhim。
\"Putwhatquestion？\"hesaid,breathlessly。
\"Asyouareanewneighborofmineandofmyfamily,\"shereturned,speakingslowlyandwithacross—examiner\'sseverity,\"Ithinkitwouldbewellformetoknowatoncewhetheryouarealreadywalkingoutwithanyyoungladyornot。Mr。Sheridan,thinkwell！Areyouspokenfor？\"
\"Notyet,\"hegasped。\"Areyou？\"
\"NO！\"shecried,andwiththattheybothlaughedagain;andthepastimeproceeded,increasingbothinitsgaietyandinitsgravity。
Observingitscontinuance,Mr。RobertLamhorn,opposite,turnedfromalivelyconversationwithEdithandremarkedcovertlytoSibylthatMissVertreeswas\"startingratherpicturesquelywithJim。\"Andheadded,languidly,\"DoyousupposesheWOULD？\"
ForthemomentSibylgavenosignofhavingheardhim,butseemedinterestedintheclaspofalong\"rope\"ofpearls,aloopofwhichshewasallowingtoswingfromherfingers,restingherelbowuponthetableandfollowingwithhereyesthetwinkleofdiamondsandplatinumintheclaspattheendoftheloop。Sheworemanyjewels。Shewaspretty,butherswasnotthekindofprettinesstobeloadedwithtoosumptuousaccessories,andjeweledhead—dressesaredangerous——theymayemphasizethewrongnessofthewearer。
\"IsaidMissVertreesseemstobestartingprettystrongwithJim,\"repeatedMr。Lamhorn。
\"Iheardyou。\"Therewasalatentdiscontentalwayssomewhereinhereyes,nomatterwhatshethrewuponthesurfaceofcoverit,andjustnowshedidnotcaretocoverit;shelookedsullen。\"StartinganystrongerthanyoudidwithEdith？\"sheinquired。
\"Oh,keepthepeace！\"hesaid,crossly。\"That\'soff,ofcourse。\"
\"Youhaven\'tbeenmakingherseeitthisevening——precisely,\"saidSibyl,lookingathimsteadily。\"You\'vetalkedtoherfor——\"
\"ForHeaven\'ssake,\"hebegged,\"keepthepeace！\"
\"Well,whathaveyoujustbeendoing？！\"
\"SH！\"hesaid。\"Listentoyourfather—in—law。\"
Sheridanwasboomingandbrayinglouderthanever,theorchestrahavingbeguntoplay\"TheRosary,\"tohisvastcontent。
\"ICOUNTTHEMOVER,LA—LA—TUM—TEE—DUM,\"heroared,beatingthemeasureswithhisfork。\"EACHHOURAPEARL,EACHPEARLTEE—DUM—TUM—DUM——What\'sthematterwithallyoufolks？Why\'n\'tyouSING？MissVertrees,IbetathousanddollarsYOUsing！Why\'n\'t——\"
\"Mr。Sheridan,\"shesaid,turningcheerfullyfromtheardentJim,\"youdon\'tknowwhatyouinterrupted！Yoursonisn\'tusedtomyroughways,andmysoldier\'swooingfrightenshim,butIthinkhewasabouttosaysomethingimportant。\"
\"I\'llsaysomethingimportanttohimifhedoesn\'t！\"thefatherthreatened,moredelightedwithherthanever。\"Bygosh！ifIwashisage——orawidowerrightNOW——\"
\"Oh,wait！\"criedMary。\"Ifthey\'donlymakelessnoice！IwantMrs。
Sheridantohear。\"
\"She\'dsaythesame,\"heshouted。\"She\'dtellmeIwasmightyslowifI
couldn\'tgetaheado\'Jim。Why,whenIwashisage——\"
\"Youmustlistentoyourfather,\"Maryinterrupted,turningtoJim,whohadgrownreadagain。\"He\'sgoingtotellushow,whenhewasyourage,hemadethosetwobladesofgrassgrowoutofateacup——andyoucouldseeforyourselfhedidn\'tgetthemoutofhissleeve！\"
AtthatSheridanpoundedthetabletillitjumped。\"Lookhere,younglady！\"
heroared。\"Someo\'thesedaysI\'meithergoin\'toslapyou——orI\'mgoin\'tokissyou！\"
Edithlookedaghast;shewasafraidthiswasindeed\"tooawful,\"butMaryVertreesburstintoringinglaughter。
\"Both！\"shecried。\"Both！Theonetomakemeforgettheother！\"
\"Butwhich——\"hebegan,andthensuddenlygaveforthsuchstentoriantrumpetingsofmirththatforoncethewholetablestoppedtolisten。\"Jim,\"
heroared,\"ifyoudon\'tproposetothatgirlto—nightI\'llsendyoubacktothemachine—shopwithBibbs！\"
AndBibbs——downamongtheretainersbythesugarPumpWorks,andwatchingMaryVertreesasaraggedboyinthestreetmightwatcharichlittlegirlinagarden——Bibbsheard。Heheard——andheknewwhathisfather\'splanswerenow。
