\"Yes,\"hesaid,andsteppedoutupontheporch,\"thatwasit。Goodnight,Sibyl。\"
\"Wait！\"shesaid,followinghimacrossthethreshold。\"Howdidthathappen？
Ithoughtyouweregoingtowaitwhilethosemenfilledthe——the——\"Shepaused,butmovednearerhiminsistently。
\"Ididwait。MissVertreeswasthere,\"hesaid,reluctantly。\"Shehadwalkedawayforawhileanddidn\'tnoticethatthecarriageswereleaving。
Whenshecamebackthecoupewaitingformewastheonlyoneleft。\"
Sheregardedhimwithdilatingeyes。Shespokewithaslowbreathlessness。
\"AndshedrovehomefromJim\'sfuneral——withyou！\"
Withoutwarningsheburstintolaughter,clappedherhandineffectuallyoverhermouth,andranbackuproariouslyintothehouse,hurlingthedoorshutbehindher。
Bibbswenthomepondering。HedidnotunderstandwhySibylhadlaughed。Thelaughteritselfhadbeenspontaneousandbeyondsuspicion,butitseemedtohimthatshehadonlyaffectedtoefforttosuppressitandthatshewishedittobesignificant。Significantofwhat？Andwhyhadshewishedtoimpressuponhimthefactofheroverwhelmingamusement？Hefoundnoanswer,butshehadsucceededindisturbinghim,andhewishedthathehadnotencounteredher。
Athome,uncles,aunts,andcousinsfromoutoftownwerewanderingaboutthehouse,severalmournfullyadmiringthe\"BayofNaples,\"andothersoccupiedwiththeMoorandtheplumbing,whiletheywaitedfortrains。Edithandhermotherhadretiredtosomeupperfastness,butBibbsinterviewedJacksonandhadthevariousgroupsofrelativessummonedtothedining—roomforfood。
Onegreat—uncle,oldGideonSheridanfromBoonville,couldnotbefound,andBibbswentinsearchofhim。Heransackedthehouse,discoveringthemissingantiqueatlastbyaccident。Passinghisfather\'scloseddoorontiptoe,Bibbsheardamurmuroussound,andpausedtolisten。Thesoundprovedtobeaquaveringandricketyvoice,monotonouslybleating:
\"TheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！Wegottorememberthat;wegottorememberthat！I\'ma—gittin\'along,James;I\'ma—gittin\'along,andI\'veseena—manyof\'emgo——twodaughtersandasontheLordgiveme,andHehastakenallaway。FortheLo—ordgivuthandtheLo—ordtakuthaway！
RememberthewordsofBildadtheShuhite,James。BildadtheShuhitesays,\'Heshallhaveneithersonnornephewamonghispeople,noranyremaininginhisdwellings。\'BildadtheShuhite——\"
Bibbsopenedthedoorsoftly。Hisfatherwaslyinguponthebed,inhisunderclothes,facedownward,andUncleGideonsatnearby,swingingbackwardandforwardinarocking—chair,strokinghislongwhitebeardandgazingattheceilingashetalked。Bibbsbeckonedhimurgently,butUncleGideonpaidnoattention。
\"BibdadtheShuhitespakeandhissays,\'IfthychildrenhavesinnedagainstHimandHehavecastthemaway——\"
Therewasamuffledexplosionbeneaththefloor,andthewindowsrattled。
Thefigurelyingfacedownwardonthebeddidnotmove,butUncleGideonleapedfromhischair。\"MyGod！\"hecried。\"What\'sthat？\"
Therecameasecondexplosion,andUncleGideonranoutintothehall。Bibbswenttotheheadofthegreatstaircase,and,lookingdown,discoveredthesourceofthedistubance。Gideon\'sgrandson,aboyoffourteen,hadbroughthiscameratothefuneralandwastaking\"flash—lights\"oftheMoor。UncleGideon,reassuredbyBibbs\'sexplanation,wouldhavereturnedtofinishhisquotationfromBildadtheShuhite,butBibbsdetainedhim,andafteralittleargumentpersuadedhimtodescendtothedining—roomwhitherBibbsfollowed,afterclosingthedoorofhisfather\'sroom。
HekepthiseyeonGideonafterdinner,diplomaticallypreventingseveralattemptsonthepartofthatcomfortertoreascendthestairs;anditwasarelieftoBibbswhenGeorgeannouncedthatanautomobilewaswaitingtoconveytheancientmanandhisgrandsontotheirtrain。Theywerethelasttoleave,andwhentheyhadgoneBibbswentsighingtohisownroom。
Hestretchedhimselfwearilyuponthebed,butpresentlyrose,wenttothewindow,andlookedforalongtimeatthedarkenedhousewhereMaryVertreeslived。Thenheopenhistrunk,tooktherefromasmallnote—bookhalffilledwithfragmentaryscribblings,andbegantowrite:
Laughterafterafuneral。Inthisreactionpeoplewilllaughatanythingandatnothing。Thebandplaysadirgeonthewaytothecemetery,butwhenitturnsback,andthemourningcarriagesareoutofhearing,itstrikesup,\"DarktownisOutTo—night。\"Thatisnatural——buttherearewomenwhoselaughterislikethewhirringofwhips。Whyisitthatcertainkindsoflaughterseemtospoilsomethinghiddenawayfromthelaughers？Iftheydonotknowofit,andhaveneverseenit,howcantheirlaughterhurtit？
Yetitdoes。Beautyisnotoutofplaceamonggrave—stones。Itisnotoutofplaceanywhere。Butawomanwhohasbeenbetrothedtoamanwouldnotlookbeautifulathisfuneral。Awomanmightlookbeautiful,though,atthefuneralofamanwhomshehadknownandliked。Andinthatcase,too,shewouldprobablynotwanttotalkifshedrovehomefromthecemeterywithhisbrother:norwouldshewantthebrothertotalk。Silenceisusuallyeitherstupidortimid。Butforamanwhostammersifhetriestotalkfast,anddrawlssoslowly,whenhedoesn\'tstammer,thatnobodyhastimetolistentohim,silenceisadvisable。Nevertheless,toomuchsilenceisopentosuspicion。Itmaybereticence,oritmaybeavacuum。Itmaybedignity,oritmaybefalseteeth。Sometimesanimperceptibleodorwillbecomeperceptibleinasmallinclosure,suchasaclosedcarriage。Theghostofgasolinerisingfromalady\'sglovemightbesweetertothemanridingbesideherthanallthescentsofArcadyinspring。Itdependsonthelady——butthereARE！Threemilesmaybethreehundredmiles,oritmaybethreefeet。Whenitisthreefeetyouhavenottimetosayagreatdealbeforeyoureachtheendofit。Still,itmaybethatoneshouldbegintospeak。Noonecouldhelpwishingtostayinaworldthatholdssomeofthepeoplethatareinthisworld。TherearesomesowonderfulyoudonotunderstandhowthedeadCOULDdie。Howcouldtheyletthemselves？Afallingbuildingdoesnotcarewhofallswithit。Itdoesnotchoosewhoshallbeuponitsroofandwhoshallnot。SilenceCANbegolden？Yes。Butperhapsifawomanoftheworldshouldfindherselfbyaccidentsittingbesideamanforthelengthoftimeitmustnecessarilytaketwoslowoldhorsestojogthreemiles,shemightexpectthatmantosaysomethingofsomesort！Evenifshethoughthimafeeblehypochondriac,evenifshehadheardfromothersthathewasadisappointmenttohisownpeople,evenifshehadseenforherselfthathewasauselessandirritatingencumbranceeverywhere,shemightexpecthimatleasttospeak——shemightexpecthimtoopenhismouthandtrytomakesounds,ifheonlybarked。Ifhedidnoteventry,butsateverystepofthewayasdumbasafrozenfish,shemightTHINKhimafrozenfish。Andshemightberight。Shemightberightifshethoughthimaboutaspleasantacompanionas——asBildadtheShuhite！
Bibbsclosedhisnote—book,replacingitinhistrunk。Then,afteraperiodofmelancholycontemplation,heundressed,putonadressing—gownandslippers,andwentsoftlyoutintothehall——tohisfather\'sdoor。UponthefloorwasatraywhichBibbshadsentGeorge,earlierintheevening,toplaceuponatableinSheridan\'sroom——butthefoodwasuntouched。Bibbsstoodlisteningoutsidethedoorforseveralminutes。Therecamenosoundfromwithin,andhewentbacktohisownroomandtobed。
Inthemorninghewoketoastateofbeinghithertounknowninhisexperience。Sometimesintheprocessofwakingthereisalittlepause——sleephasgone,butcoherentthoughthasnotbegun。Itisacurioushalf—void,aglimpseofaphasia;andalthoughthepersonexperiencingitmaynotknowforthatinstanthisownnameorageorsex,hemaybeacutelyconsciousofdepressionorelation。Itisthemoment,aswesay,beforewe\"remember\";andforthefirsttimeinBibbs\'slifeitcametohimbringingavaguehappiness。Hewoketoasenseofnewriches;hehadthefeelingofaboywakingtoabirthday。Butwhenthenextmomentbroughthimhismemory,hefoundnothingthatcouldexplainhisexhilaration。Onthecontrary,underthecircumstancesitseemedgrotesquelyunwarranted。However,itwasabriefvisitationandwasgonebeforehehadfinisheddressing。Itleftalittletrail,thepleasedrecollectionofitandthepuzzleofit,whichremainedunsolved。And,infact,wakinghappilyinthemorningisnotusuallytheresultofadrivehomefromafuneral。NowonderthesequenceevadedBibbsSheridan！
Hisfatherhadgonewhenhecamedown—stairs。\"Wentondownto\'soffice,jes\'same,\"Jacksoninformedhim。\"Camesatbreakfas\'—table,allby\'mself;
eatnothin\'。Georgebringnicebreakfas\',buthedi\'n\'eatathing。Yessuh,wentondown—town,jes\'sameheyoostado。Yessuh,Ireckonputtymuchev\'y—thinggoin\'goonsameasityoostado。\"
ItstruckBibbsthatJacksonwasright。Thedaypassedasotherdayshadpassed。Mrs。SheridanandEdithwereinblack,andMrs。Sheridancriedalittle,nowandthen,butnootherexternaldifferencewastobeseen。Edithwasquiet,butnotnoticeablydepressed,andatlunchprovedherselfabletoarguewithhermotherupontheproprietyofreceivingcallsintheearlieststagesof\"mourning。\"Lunchwasasusual——forJimandhisfatherhadalwaysluncheddown—town——andtheafternoonwasasusual。Bibbswentforhisdrive,andhismotherwentwithhim,asshesometimesdidwhentheweatherwaspleasant。Altogether,theusualnessofthingswasratherstartlingtoBibbs。
DuringthedriveMrs。SheridantalkedfragmentarilyofJim\'schildhood。\"Butyouwouldn\'trememberaboutthat,\"shesaid,afternarratinganepisode。
\"Youweretoolittle。Hewasalwaysagoodboy,justlikethat。Andhe\'dsavewhateverpapagavehim,andputitinthebank。Ireckonit\'lljustaboutkillyourfathertoputsomebodyinhisplaceaspresidentoftheRealtyCompany,Bibbs。Iknowhecan\'tmoveRoscoeover;hetoldmelastweekhe\'dalreadyputasmuchonRoscoeasanyonemancouldhandleandnotgocrazy。Oh,it\'sapity——\"Shestoppedtowipehereyes。\"It\'sapityyoudidn\'trunmorewithJim,Bibbs,andkindo\'pickuphisways。Thinkwhatit\'dmeanttopapanow！YouneverdidrunwitheitherRoscoeorJimany,evenbeforeyougotsick。Ofcourse,youwereyounger;butitalwaysDID
seemqueer——andyouthreebein\'brotherslikethat。Idon\'tbelieveIeversawyouandJimsitdowntogetherforagoodtalkinmylife。\"
\"Mother,I\'vebeenawaysolong,\"Bibbsreturned,gently。\"AndsinceIcamehomeI——\"
\"Oh,Iain\'treproachin\'you,Bibbs,\"shesaid。\"Jimain\'tbeenhomemuchofaneveningsinceyougotback——whatwithhisworkandcallin\'andgoin\'tothetheaterandplaces,andoftennotevenatthehousefordinner。Righttheeveningbeforehegothurthehadhisdinneratsomemiser\'blerest\'rantdownbythePumpWorks,hewassosetonoverseein\'thenightworkandgettin\'everythingfinisheduprighttotheminutehetoldpapahewould。I
reckonyoumight\'a\'putinmoretimewithJimifthere\'dbeenmoreopportunity,Bibbs。Iexpectyoufeelalmostasifyouscarcelyreallyknewhimrightwell。\"
\"IsupposeIreallydidn\'t,mother。Hewasbusy,yousee,andIhadn\'tmuchtosayaboutthethingsthatinterestedhim,becauseIdon\'tknowmuchaboutthem。\"
\"It\'sapity！Oh,it\'sapity！\"shemoaned。\"Andyou\'llhavetolearntoknowabout\'emNOW,Bibbs！Ihaven\'tsaidmuchtoyou,becauseIfeltitwasallbetweenyourfatherandyou,butIhonestlydobelieveitwilljustkillhimifhehastohaveanymoretroubleontopofallthis！Youmustn\'tLET
him,Bibbs——youmustn\'t！Youdon\'tknowhowhe\'sgrievedoveryou,andnowhecan\'tstandanymore——hejustcan\'t！Whateverhesaysforyoutodo,youDOit,Bibbs,youDOit！Iwantyoutopromisemeyouwill。\"
\"IwouldifIcould,\"hesaid,sorrowfully。
\"No,no！Whycan\'tyou？\"shecried,clutchinghisarm。\"Hewantsyoutogobacktothemachine—shopand——\"
\"And——\'likeit！\"saidBibbs。
\"Yes,that\'sit——togoinacheerfulspirit。Dr。Gurneysaiditwouldn\'thurtyouifyouwentinacheerfulspirit——thedoctorsaidthathimself,Bibbs。Sowhycan\'tyoudoit？Can\'tyoudothatmuchforyourfather？Yououghttothinkwhathe\'sdoneforYOU。Yougotabeautifulhousetolivein;
yougotautomobilestoridein;yougotfurcoatsandwarmclothes;youbeentakencareofallyourlife。Andyoudon\'tKNOWhowheworkedforthemoneytogiveallthesethingstoyou！Youdon\'tDREAMwhathehadtogothroughandwhatheriskedwhenwewerestartin\'outinlife;andyouneverWILL
know！Andnowthisblowhasfallenonhimoutofaclearsky,andyoumakeitouttobeahardshiptodolikehewantsyouto！Andallonearthheasksisforyoutogobacktotheworkinacheerfulspirit,soitwon\'thurtyou！
That\'sallheasks。Look,Bibbs,we\'regettin\'backnearhome,butbeforewegetthereIwantyoutopromisemethatyou\'lldowhatheasksyouto。
Promiseme！\"
Inherearnestnesssheclearedawayherblackveilthatshemightseehimbetter,anditblewoutonthesmokywind。Hereadjusteditforherbeforehespoke。
\"I\'llgobackinascheerfulaspiritasIcan,mother,\"hesaid。
\"There！\"sheexclaimed,satisfied。\"That\'sagoodboy！That\'sallIwantedyoutosay。\"
\"Don\'tgivemeanycredit,\"hesaid,ruefully。\"Thereisn\'tanythingelseformetodo。\"
\"Now,don\'tbegintalkin\'THATway！\"
\"No,no,\"hesoothedher。\"We\'llhavetobegintomakethespiritacheerfulone。Wemay——\"Theywereturningintotheirowndrivewayashespoke,andheglancedattheoldhousenextdoor。MaryVertreeswasvisibleinthetwilight,standinguponthefrontsteps,bareheaded,thedooropenbehindher。Shebowedgravely。
\"\'Wemay\'——what？\"askedMrs。Sheridan,withaslightimpatience。
\"Whatisit,mother？\"
\"Yousaid,\'Wemay,\'anddidn\'tfinishwhatyouweresayin\'。\"
\"DidI？\"saidBibbs,blankly。\"Well,whatWEREwesaying？\"
\"Ofallthequeerboys！\"shecried。\"Youalwayswere。Always！Youhaven\'tforgotwhatyoujustpromisedme,haveyou？\"
\"No,\"heanswered,asthecarstopped。\"No,thespiritwillbeascheerfulasthefleshwillletit,mother。Itwon\'tdotobehavelike——\"
Hisvoicewaslow,andinhermovementtodescendfromthecarshefailedtoherehisfinalwords。
\"Behavelikewho,Bibbs？\"
\"Nothing。\"
Butshewasfretfulinhergrief。\"Yousaiditwouldn\'tdotobehavelikeSOMEBODY。BehavelikeWHO？\"
\"Itwasjustnonsense,\"heexplained,turningtogoin。\"AnobscurepersonI
don\'tthinkmuchoflately。\"
\"BehavelikeWHO？\"sherepeated,anduponhisyieldingtoherpetulantinsistence,shemadeuphermindthattheonlythingtodowastotellDr。
Gurneyaboutit。
\"LikeBildadtheShuhite！\"waswhatBibbssaid。
Theoutwardusualnessofthingscontinuedafterdinner。ItwasSheridan\'scustomtoreadtheeveningpaperbesidethefireinthelibrary,whilehiswife,sittingnearby,eithersewed（fromoldhabit）orallowedherselftoberepeatedlybaffledbyoneofthesimplerformsofsolitaire。To—nightshedidneither,butsatinhercustomarychair,gazingatthefire,whileSheridanlettheunfoldedpaperrestuponhislap,thoughnowandthenheliftedit,asiftoread,andletitfallbackuponhiskneesagain。Bibbscameinnoiselesslyandsatinacorner,doingnothing;andfroma\"reception—room\"acrossthehallanindistinctvocalmurmurbecamejustaudibleatintervals。Once,whenthismurmurgrewlouder,understressofsomeirrepressiblemerriment,Edith\'svoicecouldbeheard——\"Bobby,aren\'tyouawful！\"andSheridanglancedacrossathiswifeappealingly。
Sheroseatonceandwentintothe\"reception—room\";therewasaflurryofwhispering,andthesoundoftiptoeinginthehall——Edithandhersuitorchangingquarterstoamoredistantroom。Mrs。Sheridanreturnedtoherchairinthelibrary。
\"Theywon\'tbotheryouanymore,papa,\"shesaid,inacomfortingvoice。
\"Shetoldmeatlunchhe\'d\'phonedhewantedtocomeupthisevening,andI
saidIthoughthe\'dbetterwaitafewdays,butshesaidshe\'dalreadytoldhimhecould。\"Shepaused,thenadded,ratherguiltily:\"IgotkindofanotionmaybeRoscoedon\'tlikehimasmuchasheusedto。Maybe——maybeyoubetteraskRoscoe,papa。\"AndasSheridannoddedsolemnly,sheconcluded,inhaste:\"Don\'tsayIsaidto。Imightbewrongaboutit,anyway。\"
Henoddedagain,andtheysatforsometimeinasilencewhichMrs。Sheridanbrokewithalittlesniff,havingfallenintoareveriethatbroughttears。
\"ThatMissVertreeswasagoodgirl,\"shesaid。\"SHEwasallright。\"
Herhusbandevidentlyhadnodifficultyinfollowinghertrainofthought,forhenoddedoncemore,affirmatively。
\"Didyou——Howdidyoufixitaboutthe——theRealtyCompany？\"shefaltered。
\"Didyou——
Heroseheavily,helpinghimselftohisfeetbythearmsofhischair。\"I
fixedit,\"hesaid,inahuskyvoice。\"ImovedCantwellup,andputJohnstoninCantwell\'splace,andsplitupJohnston\'sworkamongthefourmenwithsalarieshighenoughtotakeit。\"Hewenttoher,puthishanduponhershoulder,anddrewalong,audible,tremulousbreath。\"It\'smybedtime,mamma;I\'mgoin\'up。\"Hedroppedthehandfromhershoulderandmovedslowlyaway,butwhenhereachedthedoorhestoppedandspokeagain,withoutturningtolookather。\"TheRealtyCompany\'llgorightonjustthesame,\"
hesaid。\"It\'slike——it\'slikesand,mamma。Itputsmeinmindofchuldernplayin\'inasand—pile。Oneof\'emstickshisfingerinthesandandmakesahole,andanotherof\'em\'llpattheplacewithhishand,andallthelittlegrainsofsandruninandfillitupandsettleagainstoneanother;andthen,rightawayit\'sflatontopagain,andyoucan\'ttellthereeverwasaholethere。TheRealtyCompany\'llgoonallright,mamma。Thereain\'tanythinganywhere,Ireckon,thatwouldn\'tgorighton——justthesame。\"
Andhepassedoutslowlyintothehall;thentheyheardhisheavytreaduponthestairs。
Mrs。Sheridan,risingtofollowhim,turnedapiteousfacetoherson。\"It\'ssoforlong,\"shesaid,chokingly。\"That\'sthefirsttimehespokesincehecameinthehousethisevening。Iknowitmust\'a\'hurthimtohearEdithlaughin\'withthatLamhorn。She\'doughtn\'ttolethimcome,righttheveryfirsteveningthisway;she\'doughtn\'ttodoneit！Shejustseemstoloseherheadoverhim,anditscaresme。YouheardwhatSibylsaidtheotherday,and——andyouheardwhat——what——\"
\"WhatEdithsaidtoSibyl？\"Bibbsfinishedthesentenceforher。
\"WeCAN\'Thaveanytroubleo\'THATkind！\"shewailed。\"Oh,itlooksasifmovin\'uptothisNewHousehadbroughtusawfulbadluck！Itscaresme！\"
Sheputbothherhandsoverherface。\"Oh,Bibbs,Bibbs！ifyouonlywasn\'tsoQUEER！Ifyoucouldonlybeenakindofdependableson！Idon\'tknowwhatwe\'reallcomin\'to！\"And,weeping,shefollowedherhusband。
Bibbsgazedforawhileatthefire;thenheroseabruptly,likeamanwhohascometoadecision,andbrisklysoughttheroom——itwascalled\"thesmoking—room\"——whereEdithsatwithMr。Lamhorn。Theylookedupinnowelcomingmanner,atBibbs\'sentrance,andmovedtheirchairstoalessconspicuousadjacency。
\"Goodevening,\"saidBibbs,pleasantly;andheseatedhimselfinaleathereasy—chairnearthem。
\"Whatisit？\"askedEdith,plainlyastonished。
\"Nothing,\"hereturned,smiling。
Shefrowned。\"Didyouwantsomething？\"sheasked。
\"Nothingintheworld。Fatherandmotherhavegoneup—stairs;Isha\'n\'tbegoingupforseveralhours,andtheredidn\'tseemtobeanybodyleftformetochatwithexceptyouandMr。Lamhorn。\"
\"\'CHATwith\'！\"sheechoed,incredulously。
\"Icantalkaboutalmostanything,\"saidBibbswithanairofgenialpoliteness。\"Itdoesn\'tmattertoME。Idon\'tknowmuchaboutbusiness——ifthat\'swhatyouhappenedtobetalkingabout。Butyouaren\'tinbusiness,areyou,Mr。Lamhorn。
\"Notnow,\"returnedLamhorn,shortly。
\"I\'mnot,either,\"saidBibbs。\"Itwasgettingcloudierthanusual,I
noticed,justbeforedark,andtherewaswindfromthesouthwest。Rainto—morrow,Ishouldn\'tbesurprised。\"
Heseemedtofeelthathehadbegunaconversationthesupportofwhichhadnowbecomethepleasurabledutyofotherparties;andhesatexpectantly,lookingfirstathissister,thenatLamhorn,asifimplyingthatitwastheirturntospeak。Edithreturnedhisgazewithamixtureofastonishmentandincreasinganger,whileMr。Lamhornwasobviouslydisturbed,thoughBibbshadbeenasconsiderateaspossibleinpresentingtheweatherasatopic。
BibbshadperceivedthatLamhornhadnothinginhismindatanytimeexcept\"personalities\"——hecouldtalkaboutpeopleandhecouldmakelove。Bibbs,wishingtobecourteous,offeredtheweather。
Lamhornrefusedit,andconcludedfromBibbs\'sluxuriousattitudeintheleatherchairthatthishalf—crazybrotherwasapermanentfixturefortherestoftheevening。Therewasnotreasontohopethathewouldmove,andLamhornfoundhimselfindangeroflookingsilly。
\"Iwasjustgoing,\"hesaid,rising。
\"OhNO！\"Edithcried,sharply。
\"Yes。Goodnight！IthinkI——\"
\"Toobad,\"saidBibbs,genially,walkingtothedoorwiththevisitor,whileEdithstoodstaringasthetwodisappearedinthehall。SheheardBibbsofferingto\"help\"Lamhornwithhisovercoatandthelatterrathercurtlydecliningassistance,theseepisodesofdeparturebeingfollowedbytheclosingoftheouterdoor。Sheranintothehall。
\"What\'sthematterwithyou？\"shecried,furiously。\"WhatdoyouMEAN？Howdidyoudarecomeintherewhenyouknew——\"
Hervoicebroke;shemadeagestureofrageanddespair,andranupthestairs,sobbing。Shefledtohermother\'sroom,andwhenBibbscameup,afewminuteslater,Mrs。Sheridanmethimathisdoor。
\"Oh,Bibbs,\"shesaid,shakingherheadwoefully,\"you\'doughtn\'ttodistressyoursister！Shesaysyoudrovethatyoungmanrightoutofthehouse。
You\'doughttobeenmoreconsiderate。\"
Bibbssmiledfaintly,notingthatEdith\'sdoorwasopen,withEdith\'snaiveshadowmotionlessacrossitsthreshold。\"Yes,\"hesaid。\"Hedoesn\'tappeartomuchofa\'man\'sman。\'Heranatjustaglimpseofone。\"
Edith\'sshadowmoved;hervoicecamequavering:\"Youcallyourselfone？\"
\"No,no,\"heanswered。\"Isaid,\'justaglimpseofone。\'Ididn\'tclaim——\"
Butherdoorslammedangrily;andheturnedtohismother。
\"There,\"hesaid,sighing。\"That\'salmostthefirsttimeinmylifeIevertriedtobeamanofaction,mother,andIsucceededperfectlyinwhatI
triedtodo。AsaconsequenceIfeellikeahorse—thief！\"
\"Youhurtherfeelin\'s,\"shegroaned。\"Youmust\'a\'goneatittoorough,Bibbs。\"
Helookeduponherwanly。\"That\'smytrouble,mother,\"hemurmured。\"I\'maplain,bluntfellow。Ihaveroughways,andI\'maroughman。\"
Foroncesheperceivedsomemeaninginhisqueerness。\"Hushyournonsense！\"
shesaid,good—naturedly,theastralofatroubledsmileappearing。\"Yougotobed。\"
Hekissedherandobeyed。
Edithgavehimacoldgreetingthenextmorningatthebreakfast—table。
\"Youmustn\'tdothatunderamisapprehension,\"hewarnedher,whentheywerealoneinthedining—room。
\"Dowhatunderawhat？\"sheasked。
\"Speaktome。Icameintothesmoking—roomlastnight\'onpurpose,\'\"hetoldher,gravely。\"Ihaveaprejudiceagainstthatyoungman。\"
Shelaughed。\"Iguessyouthinkitmeansagreatdealwhoyouhaveprejudicesagainst！\"Inmockerysheadoptedthemannerofonewhoimplores。
\"Bibbs,forpity\'ssakePROMISEme,DON\'TuseYOURinfluencewithpapaagainsthim！\"Andshelaughedlouder。
\"Listen,\"hesaid,withpeculiarearnestness。\"I\'lltellyounow,because——becauseI\'vedecidedI\'moneofthefamily。\"Andthen,asiftheearnestnessweretooheavyforhimtocarryitfurther,hecontinued,inhisusualtone,\"I\'mdrunkwithpower,Edith。\"
\"Whatdoyouwanttotellme？\"shedamanded,brusquely。
\"LamhornmadelovetoSibyl,\"hesaid。
Edithhooted。\"SHEdidtoHIM！AndbecauseyouoverheardthatspatbetweenustheotherdaywhenIthesameofaccusedherofit,andsaidsomethinglikethattoyouafterward——\"
\"No,\"hesaid,gravely。\"IKNOW。\"
\"How？\"
\"Iwasthere,onedayaweekago,withRoscoe,andIheardSibylandLamhorn——\"
Edithscreamedwithlaughter。\"YouwerewithROSCOE——andyouheardLamhornmakinglovetoSibyl！\"
\"No。Iheardthemquarreling。\"
\"You\'refunnierthanever,Bibbs！\"shecried。\"Yousayhemadelovetoherbecauseyouheardthemquarreling！\"
\"That\'sit。Ifyouwanttoknowwhat\'s\'between\'people,youcan——bythewaytheyquarrel。\"
\"You\'llkillme,Bibbs！Whatweretheyquarrelingabout？\"
\"Nothing。That\'showIknew。Peoplewhoquarrelovernothing！——it\'salwayscertain——\"
Edithstoppedlaughingabruptly,butcontinuedhermockery。\"Yououghttoknow。You\'vehadsomuchexperience,yourself！\"
\"Ihaven\'tany,Edith,\"hesaid。\"Mylifehasbeenaboutasexcitingasanincubatorchicken\'s。ButIlookoutthroughtheglassatthings。\"
\"Well,then,\"shesaid,\"ifyoulookoutthroughtheglassyoumustknowwhateffectsuchstuffwouldhaveuponME！\"Sherose,visiblyagitated。\"WhatifitWAStrue？\"shedmanded,bitterly。\"Whatifitwastrueahundredtimesover？Yousittherewithyoursillyfacehalfreadytogiggleandhalfreadytosniffle,andtellmestorieslikethat,aboutSibylpickingonBobbyLamhornandworryinghimtodeath,andyouthinkitmatterstoME？WhatifI
alreadyKNEWallabouttheir\'quarreling\'？WhatifIunderstoodWHYshe——\"
Shebrokeoffwithaviolentgesture,asweepofherarmextendedatfulllength,asifshehurledsomethingtotheground。\"DoyouthinkagirlthatreallycaredforamanwouldpayanyattentiontoTHAT？OrtoYOU,BibbsSheridan！\"
Helookedathersteadily,andhisgazewasaskeenasitwassteady。Shemetitwithunwaveringpride。Finallyhenoddedslowly,asifshehadspokenandhemeanttoagreewithwhatshesaid。
\"Ah,yes,\"hesaid。\"Iwon\'tcomeintothesmoking—roomagain。I\'msorry,Edith。Nobodycanmakeyouseeanythingnow。You\'llneverseeuntilyouseeforyourself。Therestofuswilldobettertokeepoutofit——especiallyme！\"
