\"That\'ssensible,\"sheresponded,curtly。\"You\'remostsurprisingofallwhenyou\'resensible,Bibbs。\"
\"Yes,\"hesighed。\"I\'madulldog。Shakehandsandforgiveme,Edith。\"
Thawingsofarastosmile,sheunderwentthisbriefceremony,andGeorgeappeared,summoningBibbstothelibrary;Dr。Gurneywaswaitingthere,heannounced。AndBibbsgavehissisterashybutfriendlytouchupontheshoulderasacomplementtothehandshaking,andlefther。
Dr。Gurneywassittingbythelogfire,aloneintheroom,andhemerelyglancedoverhisshoulderwhenhispatientcamein。Hewasnotoverfifty,inspiteofSheridan\'shabitual\"oleDocGurney。\"Hewasgray,however,almostasthinasBibbs,andnearlyalwayshelookeddrowsy。
\"Yourfathertelephonedmeyesterdayafternoon,Bibbs,\"hesaid,notrising。
\"Wantsmeto\'lookyouover\'again。Comearoundhereinfrontofme——betweenmeandthefire。IwanttoseeifIcanseethroughyou。\"
\"Youmeanyou\'retoosleepytomove,\"returnedBibbs,complying。\"Ithinkyou\'llnoticethatI\'mgettingworse。\"
\"Takenonabouttwelvepounds,\"saidGurney。\"Thirteen,maybe。\"
\"Twelve。\"
\"Well,itwon\'tdo。\"Thedoctorrubbedhiseyelids。\"You\'resomuchbetterI\'llhavetousesomemachineryonyoubeforewecanknowjustwhereyouare。
Youcomedowntomyplacethisafternoon。Walkdown——alltheway。Isupposeyouknowwhyyourfatherwantstoknow。\"
Bibbsnodded。\"Machine—shop。\"
\"Stillhateit？\"
Bibbsnoddedagain。
\"Don\'tblameyou！\"thedoctorgrunted。\"Yes,Iexpectit\'llmakealumpinyourgizzardagain。Well,whatdoyousay？ShallItellhimyou\'vegottheoldlumpthereyet？Youstillwanttowrite,doyou？\"
\"What\'stheuse？\"Bibbssaid,smilingruefully。\"Mykindofwriting！\"
\"Yes,\"thedoctoragreed。\"Isupposeityoubrokeawayandlivedonrootsandberriesuntilyoubeganto\'attractthefavorableattentionofeditors\'
youmightbeabletohopeforanincomeoffourorfivehundreddollarsayearbythetimeyou\'refifty。\"
\"That\'saboutit,\"Bibbsmurmured。
\"OfcourseIknowwhatyouwanttodo,\"saidGurney,drowsily。\"Youdon\'thatethemachine—shoponly;youhatethewholeshow——thenoiceandjaranddirt,thescramble——thewholebloomin\'crazeto\'geton。\'You\'dliketogosomewhereinAlgiers,ortoTaormina,perhaps,andbaskonabalcony,smellingflowersandwritingsonnets。You\'dgrowfatonitandhaveadelicatelittlelifealltoyourself。Well,whatdoyousay？Icanlielikesixty,Bibbs！ShallItellyourfatherhe\'llloseanotherofhisboysifyoudon\'tgotoSicily？\"
\"Idon\'twanttogotoSicily,\"saidBibbs。\"Iwanttostayrighthere。\"
Thedoctor\'sdrowsinessdisappearedforamoment,andhegavehispatientasharpglance。\"It\'sarisk,\"hesaid。\"Ithinkwe\'llfindyou\'resomuchbetterhe\'llsendyoubacktotheshopprettyquick。Something\'sgotholdofyoulately;you\'renotquitesolackadaisicalasyouusedtobe。ButIwarnyou:Ithinktheshopwillknockyoujustasitdidbefore,andperhapsevenharder,Bibbs。\"
Herose,shookhimself,andrubbedhiseyelids。\"Well,whenwegooveryouthisafternoonwhatarewegoingtosayaboutit？\"
\"TellhimI\'mready,\"saidBibbs,lookingatthefloor。
\"Ohno,\"Gurneylaughed。\"Notquiteyet;butyoumaybealmost。We\'llsee。
Don\'tforgetIsaidtowalkdown。\"
Andwhentheexaminationwasconcluded,thatafternoon,thedoctorinformedBibbsthattheresultwasmuchtoosatisfactorytobepleasing。\"Here\'sanew\'situation\'foraone—actfarce,\"hesaid,gloomily,tohisnextpatientwhenBibbshadgone。\"Doctortellsamanhe\'swell,andthat\'shisdeathsentence,likely。Dam\'funnyworld！\"
Bibbsdecidedtowalkhome,thoughGurneyhadnotinstructedhimuponthispoint。Infact,Gurneyseemedtohavenomoreinstructionsonanypoint,sodiscouragingwastheyoungman\'simprovement。Itwasadingyafternoon,andthesmokewasevidentnotonlytoBibbs\'ssight,buttohisnostrils,thoughmostofthepedestriansweresosaturatedwiththesmelltheycouldnolongerdetectit。Nearlyallofthemwalkedhurriedly,toointentupontheirdestinationstobemorethanhalfawareofthewayside;theyworetheexpressionsofpeopleunderavagueyetconstantstrain。Theywerealllightlypowdered,insideandout,withfinedustandgritfromthehard—pavedstreets,andtheywereunawareofthatalso。Theydidnotevennoticethattheysawthesmoke,thoughthethickenedairwaslikeashroudingmist。AndwhenBibbspassedthenew\"SheridanApartments,\"nowalmostcompleted,heobservedthatthemarbleofthevestibulewasalreadystreakywithsoot,likehisgloves,whichwerenew。
Thatrecalledtohimthefaintodorofgasoleneinthecoupeonthewayfromhisbrother\'sfuneral,andthisincitedatrainofthoughtwhichcontinuedtillhereachedthevicinityofhishome。HisroutewasbyastreetparalleltothatonwhichtheNewHousefronted,andinhispreoccupationhewalkedablockfartherthanheintended,sothat,havingcrossedtohisownstreet,heapproachedtheNewHousefromthenorth,andashecametothecornerofMr。
Vertrees\'slotMr。Vertrees\'sdaughteremergedfromthefrontdoorandwalkedthoughtfullydownthepathtotheoldpicketgate。Shewasunconsciousoftheapproachofthepedestrianfromthenorth,anddidnotseehimuntilshehadopenedthegateandhewasalmostbesideher。Thenshelookedup,andasshesawhimshestartedvisibly。AndifthisthinghadhappenedtoRobertLamhorn,hewouldhavehadathoughtfarbeyondthehorizonoffaint—heartedBibbs\'sthoughts。Lamhorn,indeed,wouldhavespokenhisthought。Hewouldhavesaid:
\"Youjumpedbecauseyouwerethinkingofme！\"
Marywasthepictureofaladyflustered。Shestoodwithonehandclosingthegatebehindher,andshehadturnedtogointhedirectionBibbswaswalking。Thereappearedtobenothingforitbutthattheyshouldwalktogether,atleastasfarastheNewHouse。ButBibbshadpausedinhisslowstride,andthereelapsedaninstantbeforeeitherspokeormoved——itwasnolongerthanthat,andyetitsufficedforeachtoseemtosay,bylookandattitude,\"Why,it\'sYOU！\"
Thentheybothspokeatonce,eachhurriedlypronouncingtheother\'snameasifabouttodeliveramessageofimportance。Thenbothcametoastopsimultaneously,butBibbsmadeaheroiceffort,andastheybegantowalkontogetherhecontrivedtofindhisvoice。
\"I——I——hateafrozenfishmyself,\"hesaid。\"Ithinkthreemileswastoolongforyoutoputupwithone。\"
\"Goodgracious！\"shecried,turningtohimaglowingfacefromwhichrestraintandembarrassmenthadsuddenlyfled。\"Mr。Sheridan,you\'relovelytoputitthatway。Butit\'salwaysthegirl\'splacetosayit\'sturningcooler！Ioughttohavebeentheonetoshowthatwedidn\'tknoweachotherwellenoughnottosaySOMETHING！Itwasanimpositionformetohavemadeyoubringmehome,andafterIwentintothehouseIdecidedIshouldhavewalked。Besides,itwasn\'tthreemilestothecar—line。Ineverthoughtofit！\"
\"No,\"saidBibbs,earnestly。\"Ididn\'t,either。ImighthavesaidsomethingifI\'dthoughtofanything。I\'mtalkingnow,though;Imustrememberthat,andnotworryaboutitlater。IthinkI\'mtalking,thoughitdoesn\'tsoundintelligenteventome。ImadeupmymindthatifIevermetyouagainI\'dturnonmyvoiceandkeepitgoing,nomaterwhatitsaid。I——\"
Sheinterruptedhimwithlaughter,andMaryVertrees\'slaughwasonewhichBibbs\'sfatherhaddeclared,afterthehouse—warming,\"acripplewouldcrawlfivemilestohear。\"AndatthemerryliltingofitBibbs\'sfather\'ssontookhearttoforgetsomeofhistrepidation。\"I\'llbeanykindofidiot,\"
hesaid,\"ifyou\'lllaughatmesomemore。Itwon\'tbedifficultforme。\"
Shedid;andBibbs\'scheeksshowedalittleactualcolor,whichMaryperceived。Itrecalledtoher,bycontrast,hercarelessandirritateddescriptionofhimtohermotherjustaftershehadseenhimforthefirsttime。\"Rathertragicandaltogetherimpossible。\"Itseemedtohernowthatshemusthavebeenblind。
TheyhadpassedtheNewHousewithouteitherofthemshowing——orpossessing——anyconsciousnessthatithadbeenthedestinationofoneofthem。
\"I\'llkeepontalking,\"Bibbscontinued,cheerfully,\"andyoukeeponlaughing。I\'mamountingtosomethingintheworldthisafternoon。I\'mmakinganoise,andthatmakesyoumakemusic。Don\'tbebotheredbymybleatingoutsuchthingsasthat。I\'mreallyfrightened,andthatmakesmebleatanything。I\'mfrightenedabouttwothings:I\'mafraidofwhatI\'llthinkofmyselflaterifIdon\'tkeeptalking——talkingnow,Imean——andI\'mafraidofwhatI\'llthinkofmyselfifIdo。Andbesidesthesetwothings,I\'mfrightened,anyhow。Idon\'tremembertalkingasmuchasthismorethanonceortwiceinmylife。Isupposeitwasalwaysinmetodoit,though,thefirsttimeImetanyonewhodidn\'tknowmewellenoughnottolisten。\"
\"Butyou\'renotreallytalkingtome,\"saidMary。\"You\'rejustthinkingaloud。\"
\"No,\"hereturned,gravely。\"I\'mnotthinkingatall;I\'monlymakingvocalsoundsbecauseIbelieveit\'smoremannerly。Iseemtobethesubjectofwhatlittlemeaningtheypossess,andI\'dliketochangeit,butIdon\'tknowhow。Ihaven\'tanyexperienceintalking,andIdon\'tknowhowtomanageit。\"
\"Youneedn\'tchangethesubjectonmyaccount,Mr。Sheridan,\"shesaid。\"Notevenifyoureallytalkedaboutyourself。\"Sheturnedherfacetowardhimasshespoke,andBibbscaughthisbreath;hewaspatheticallyamazedbythelookshegavehim。Itwasaglowinglook,warmlyfriendlyandunderstanding,and,whatalmostshockedhim,itwasaneagerlyinterestedlook。Bibbswasnotaccustomedtoanythinglikethat。
\"I——you——I——I\'m——\"hestammered,andthefaintcolorinhischeeksgrewalmostvivid。
Shewasstilllookingathim,andshesawthestrangeradiancethatcameintohisface。Therewassomethingabouthim,too,thatexplainedhow\"queer\"
manypeoplemightthinkhim;buthedidnotseem\"queer\"toMaryVertrees;heseemedthemostquaintlynaturalpersonshehadevermet。
Hewaited,andbecamecoherent。\"YOUsaysomethingnow,\"hesaid。\"Idon\'tevenbelonginthechorus,andhereIam,tryingtosingthefunnyman\'ssolo！You——\"
\"No,\"sheinterrupted。\"I\'dratherplayyouraccompaniment。\"
\"I\'llstopandlistentoit,then。\"
\"Perhaps——\"shebegan,butafterpausingthoughtfullyshemadeagesturewithhermuff,indicatingalargebrickchurchwhichtheywereapproaching。\"Doyouseethatchurch,Mr。Sheridan？\"
\"IsupposeIcould,\"heansweredinsimpletruthfulness,lookingather。
\"ButIdon\'twantto。Once,whenIwasill,thenursetoldmeI\'dbettersayanythingthatwasonmymind,andIgotthehabit。TheotherreasonIdon\'twanttoseethechurchisthatIhaveafeelingit\'swhereyou\'regoing,andwhereI\'llbesentback。\"
Sheshookherheadincheerynegation。\"Notunlessyouwanttobe。Wouldyouliketocomewithme？\"
\"Why——why——yes,\"hesaid。\"Anywhere！\"Andagainitwasapparentthathespokeinsimpletruthfulness。
\"Thencome——ifyoucarefororganmusic。Theorganistisanoldfriendofmine,andsometimesheplaysforme。He\'sadearoldman。HehadadegreefromBonn,andwasaprofessorafterward,buthegaveupeverythingformusic。That\'she,waitinginthedoorway。HelookslikeBeethoven,doesn\'the？Ithinkheknowsthat,perhaps,andenjoysitalittle。Ihopeso。\"
\"Yes,\"saidBibbs,astheyreachedthechurchsteps。\"IthinkBeethovenwouldlikeit,too。Itmustbepleasanttolooklikeotherpeople。\"
\"Ihaven\'tkeptyou？\"Marysaidtotheorganist。
\"No,no,\"heanswered,heartily。\"Iwouldnotmindsoonlyyoushouldshooercome！\"
\"ThisisMr。Sheridan,Dr。Kraft。Hehascometolistenwithme。\"
Theorganistlookedbluntlysurprised。\"IssthatSO？\"heexclaimed。\"Well,Iamgladifyouwishhim,andifhecanstantmyliddleplayink。Heissmusicianhimself,then,ofcourse。\"
\"No,\"saidBibbs,asthethreeenteredthechurchtogether。\"I——Iplayedthe——Itriedtoplay——\"Fortunatelyhecheckedhimself;hehadbeenabouttooffertheinformationthathehadfailedtomasterthejews\'—harpinhisboyhood。\"No,I\'mnotamusician,\"hecontentedhimselfwithsaying。
\"What？\"Dr。Kraft\'ssurpriseincreased。\"Youngman,youarefortunate！I
playforMissVertrees;shecomesalwaysalone。Youarethefirst。YouarethefirstoneEVER！\"
Theyhadreachedtheheadofthecentralaisle,andastheorganistfinishedspeakingBibbsstoppedshort,turningtolookatMaryVertreesinadazedwaythatwasnotofherpreceiving;for,thoughshestoppedashedid,hergazefollowedtheorganist,whowaswalkingawayfromthemtowardthefrontofthechurch,shakinghiswhiteBeethovianmaneroguishly。
\"It\'sfalsepretensesonmypart,\"Bibbssaid。\"Youmeantobekindtothesick,butI\'mnotaninvalidanymore。I\'msowellI\'mgoingbacktoworkinafewdays。I\'dbetterleavebeforehebeginstoplay,hadn\'tI？\"
\"No,\"saidMary,beginningtowalkforward。\"Notunlessyoudon\'tlikegreatmusic。\"
Hefollowedhertoaseatabouthalf—wayuptheaislewhileDr。Kraftascendedtotheorgan。Itwasanenormousone,theprocessionofpipesrangingfromlong,starvelingwhistlestothunderingfatguns;theycoveredalltherearwallofthechurch,andtheorganist\'sfigure,reachingitshighperch,lookedlikethatofsomeLilliputianmagicianludicrouslydaringtheattempttoconrolamonstercertaintooverwhelmhim。
\"ThisafternoonsomeHandel！\"heturnedtoshout。
Marynodded。\"Willyoulikethat？\"sheaskedBibbs。
\"Idon\'tknow。Ineverheardanyexcept\'Largo。\'Idon\'tknowanythingaboutmusic。Idon\'tevenknowhowtopretendIdo。IfIknewenoughtopretend,Iwould。\"
\"No,\"saidMary,lookingathimandsmilingfaintly,\"youwouldn\'t。\"
Sheturnedawayasagreatsoundbegantoswimandtrembleintheair;thehughemptyspaceofthechurchfilledwithit,andthetwopeoplelisteningfilledwithit;theuniverseseemedtofillandthrillwithit。Thetwosatintenselystill,thegreatsoundallroundaboutthem,whilethechurchgrewdusky,andonlytheorganist\'slampmadeatinystaroflight。Hiswhiteheadmovedfromsidetosidebeneathitrhythmically,orlungedandrecoveredwiththefiercenessofaduelistthrusting,buthewasmagnificentlythemasterofhisgiant,anditsangtohismagicashebadeit。
Bibbswassweptawayuponthatmightysinging。Suchathingwaswhollyunknowntohim;therehadbeennomusicinhismeagerlife。Unlikethetale,itwasthePrincessBedrulbudourwhohadbroughthimtotheenchantedcave,andthat——forBibbs——waswhatmadeitsmagicdazing。Itseemedtohimalong,longtimesincehehadbeenwalkinghomedrearilyfromDr。Gurney\'soffice;itseemedtohimthathehadsetoutuponahappyjourneysincethen,andthathehadreachedanotherplanet,whereMaryVertreesandhesatalonetogetherlisteningtoavastchoiringofinvisiblesoldiersandholyangels。
Therewerearmiesofvoicesaboutthemsingingpraiseandthanksgiving;andyettheywerealone。Itwasincrediblethatthewallsofthechurchwerenottheboundariesoftheuniverse,toremainsoforever;incrediblethattherewasasmokystreetjustyonder,wherehousemaidswerebringingineveningpapersfromfrontstepsandwherechildrenweretakingtheirlastspinsonroller—skatesbeforebeinghaledindoorsfordinner。
Hehadacurioussenseofcommunicationwithhisnewfriend。Heknewitcouldnotbeso,andyethefeltasifallthetimehespoketoher,saying:
\"Youhearthisstrain？Youhearthatstrain？Youknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtome？\"Anditseemedtohimasthoughsheansweredcontinually:\"Ihear！Ihearthatstrain,andIhearthenewonethatyouarehearingnow。Iknowthedreamthatthesesoundsbringtoyou。Yes,yes,Ihearitall！Wehear——together！\"
Andthoughthechurchgrewsodimthatallwasmysteriousshadowexceptthevagueplanesofthewindowsandtheorganist\'slight,withthewhiteheadmovingbeneathit,Bibbshadnoconsciousnessthatthegirlsittingbesidehimhadgrownshadowy;heseemedtoseeherasplainlyaseverinthedarkness,thoughhedidnotlookather。Andallthemightychantingoftheorgan\'smultitudinousvoicesthatafternoonseemedtoBibbstobechorusingofherandinterpretingher,singingherthoughtsandsingingforhimtheworldofhumblegratitudethatwasinhisheartbecauseshewassokindtohim。ItallmeantMary。
Butwhensheaskedhimwhatitmeant,ontheirhomewardway,hewassilent。
Theyhadcomeafewpacesfromthechurchwithoutspeaking,walkingslowly。
\"I\'lltellyouwhatitmeanttome,\"shesaid,ashedidnotimmediatelyreply。\"AlmostanymusicofHandel\'salwaysmeansonethingaboveallotherstome:courage！That\'sit。Itmakescowardiceofwhiningseemsoinfinitesimal——itmakesMOSTthingsinourhustlinglittlelivesseeminfinitesimal。\"
\"Yes,\"hesaid。\"Itseemsodd,doesn\'tit,thatpeopledown—townarehurryingtotrainsandhangingtostrapsintrolley—cars,welteringeverywaytogethomeandfeedandsleepsotheycangetdown—townto—morrow。Andyetthereisn\'tanythingdownthereworthgettingto。They\'relikeservantsdrudgingtokeepthehousegoing,andbelievingthedrudgeryitselfisthegreatthing。Theymakesomuchnoiseandfussanddirttheyforgetthatthehousewasmeanttolivein。Thehouseworkhastobedone,butthepeoplewhodoithavebeensooverpaidthatthey\'reconfusedandworshipthehousework。
They\'reoverpaid,andyet,poorthings！theyhaven\'tanythingthatachickencan\'thave。Ofcourse,whentheworldgetstopayingitswagessensiblythatwillbedifferent。\"
\"Doyoumean\'communism\'？\"sheasked,andshemadetheirslowpacealittleslower——theyhadonlythreeblockstogo。
\"Whateverthewordis,Ionlymeanthatthingsdon\'tlookverysensiblenow——especiallytoamanthatwantstokeepoutof\'emandcan\'t！
\'Communism\'？Well,atleastany\'decentsport\'wouldsayit\'sfairforallthestrongrunnerstostartfromthesamemarkandgivetheweakonesafairdistanceahead,sothatallcanrunsomethinglikeevenonthestretch。Andwouldn\'titbepleasant,really,iftheycouldallcrossthewinning—linetogether？Whoreallyenjoysbeatinganybody——ifheseesthebeatenman\'sface？Theonlywaywecanenjoygettingaheadofotherpeoplenowadaysisbyforgettingwhattheotherpeoplefeel。Andthat,\"headded,\"isnothingofwhatthemusicmeanttome。Yousee,ifIkeeptalkingaboutwhatitdidn\'tmeanIcankeepfromtellingyouwhatitdidmean。\"
\"Didn\'titmeancouragetoyou,too——alittle？\"sheasked。\"Triumphandpraisewereinit,andsomehowthosethingsmeancouragetome。\"
\"Yes,theywereallthere,\"Bibbssaid。\"Idon\'tknowthenameofwhatheplayed,butIshouldn\'tthinkitwouldmattermuch。Themanthatmakesthemusicmustleaveittoyouwhatitcanmeantoyou,andthenameheputstoitcan\'tmakemuchdifference——excepttohimselfandpeopleverymuchlikehim,Isuppose。\"
\"Isupposethat\'strue,thoughI\'dneverthoughtofitlikethat。\"
\"Iimagemusicmustmakefeelingsandpaintpicturesinthemindsofthepeoplewhohearit,\"Bibbswenton,musingly,\"accordingtotheirownnaturesasmuchasaccordingtothemusicitself。Themusicianmightcomposesomethingandplayit,wantingyoutothinkoftheHolyGrail,andsomepeoplewhohearditwouldthinkofaprayer—meeting,andsomewouldthinkofhowgoodtheywerethemselves,andaboymightthinkofhimselfattheheadofasolemnprocession,carryingabannerandridingawhitehorse。Andthen,ifthereweresomejubilantpassagesinthemusic,he\'dthinkofacircus。\"
Theyhadreachedhergate,andshesetherhanduponit,butdidnotopenit。
Bibbsfeltthatthiswasalmostthekindestofherkindnesses——nottobepromptinleavinghim。
\"Afterall,\"shesaid,\"youdidn\'ttellmewhetheryoulikedit。\"
\"No。Ididn\'tneedto。\"
\"No,that\'strue,andIdidn\'tneedtoask。Iknew。Butyousaidyouweretryingtokeepfromtellingmewhatitdidmean。\"
\"Ican\'tkeepfromtellingitanylonger,\"hesaid。\"Themusicmeanttome——itmeantthekindnessof——ofyou。\"
\"Kindness？How？\"
\"YouthoughtIwasasortoflonelytramp——andsick——\"
\"No,\"shesaid,decidedly。\"Ithoughtperhapsyou\'dliketohearDr。Kraftplay。Andyoudid。\"
\"It\'scurious;sometimesitseemedtomethatitwasyouwhowereplaying。\"
Marylaughed。\"I？Istrum！Piano。AlittleChopin——Grieg——Chaminade。Youwouldn\'tlisten！\"
Bibbsdrewadeepbreath。\"I\'mfrightenedagain,\"hesaid,inanunsteadyvoice。\"I\'mafraidyou\'llthinkI\'mpushing,but——\"Hepaused,andthewordssanktoamurmur。
\"Oh,ifyouwantMEtoplayforyou！\"shesaid。\"Yes,gladly。Itwillbemerelyabsurdafterwhatyouheardthisafternoon。Iplaylikeahundredthousandothergirls,andIlikeit。I\'mgladwhenanyone\'swillingtolisten,andifyou——\"Shestopped,checkedbyasuddenrecollection,andlaughedruefully。\"Butmypianowon\'tbehereafterto—night。I——I\'msendingitawayto—morrow。I\'mafraidthatifyou\'dlikemetoplaytoyouyou\'dhavetocomethisevening。\"
\"You\'llletme？\"hecried。
\"Certainly,ifyoucareto。\"
\"IfIcouldplay——\"hesaid,wistfully,\"ifIcouldplaylikethatoldmaninthechurchIcouldthankyou。\"
\"Ah,butyouhaven\'theardmeplay。IKNOWyoulikedthisafternoon,but——\"
\"Yes,\"saidBibbs。\"ItwasthegreatesthappinessI\'veeverknown。\"
Itwastoodarktoseehisface,buthisvoiceheldsuchplainhonesty,andhespokewithsuchcompleteunconsciousnessofsayinganythingespeciallysignificant,thatsheknewitwasthetruth。Foramomentshewasnonplussed,thensheopenedthegateandwentin。\"You\'llcomeafterdinner,then？\"
\"Yes,\"hesaid,notmoving。\"WouldyoumindifIstoodhereuntiltimetocomein？\"
Shehadreachedthesteps,andatthatsheturned,offeringhimtheresponseoflaughterandagaygestureofhermufftowardthelightedwindowsoftheNewHouse,asthoughbiddinghimtorunhometohisdinner。
Thatnight,Bibbssatwritinginhisnote—book。
Musiccancomeintoablanklife,andfillit。Everythingthatisbeautifulismusic,ifyoucanlisten。
Thereisnogracefulnesslikethatofagracefulwomanatagrandpiano。
Thereisaswimminglovelinessoflinethatseemstomergewiththerunningofthesound,andyouseem,asyouwatchher,toseewhatyouarehearingandtohearwhatyouareseeing。
Therearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofpinewoodscomingdowntoasparklingsea。Theairaboutsuchawomanisbracing,andwhensheisnearyou,youfeelstrongandambitious;youforgetthattheworlddoesn\'tlikeyou。Youthinkthatperhapsyouareagreatfellow,afterall。ThenyoucomeawayandfeellikeaboywhohasfalleninlovewithhisSunday—schoolteacher。
You\'llbewhippedforit——andoughttobe。
TherearewomenwhomakeyouthinkofDiana,crownedwiththemoon。Buttheydonothavethe\"Greekprofile。\"IdonotbelieveHelenofTroyhada\"Greekprofile\";theywouldnothavefoughtaboutherifhernosehadbeenquitethatlong。TheGreeknoseisnottheadorablenose。Theadorablenoseisaboutaneighthofaninchshorter。
MuchofthemusicofWagner,itappears,isnotsuitabletothepiano。
Wagnerwasacomposerwhocouldinterpretintomusicsuchthingsastheprimitiveimpulsesofhumanity——hecouldhavemadeamachine—shopintomusic。
Butnotifhehadtoworkinit。Wagnerwasalwaysdealinginimmensities——amachine—shopwouldhaveputamajesticlumpinsograndagizzardasthat。
Thereisamysteryaboutpianos,itseems。Sometimestheyhavetobe\"sentaway。\"Thatishowsomepeoplespeakofthepenitentiary。\"Sentaway\"isaeuphuismfor\"senttoprison。\"Butpianosarenotsenttoprison,andtheyarenotsenttothetuner——thetunerissenttothem。Whyarepianos\"sentaway\"——andwhere？
Sometimesagloriousdayshinesintothemostordinaryanduselesslife。
Happinessandbeautycomecarolingoutoftheairintothegloomyhouseofthatlifeasifsomestrayangeljusthappenedtoperchontheroof—tree,restingandsinging。Andthenightaftersuchadayislustrousandsplendidwiththememoryofit。Musicandbeautyandkindness——thosearethethreegreatestthingsGodcangiveus。Tobringthemallinonedaytoonewhoexpectednothing——ah！theheartthatreceivedthemshouldbeashumbleasitisthankful。Butitishardtobehumblewhenoneissorichwithnewmemories。Itisimpossibletobehumbleafteradayofglory。
Yes——theadorablenoseismorethananeighthofaninchshorterthantheGreeknose。Itisafullquarterofaninchshorter。
Therearewomenwhowillbekindertoasicktrampthantoaconqueringhero。
Butthesicktramphadbetterrememberthat\'swhatheis。Takecare,takecare！Humble\'stheword！
That\"mysteryaboutpianos\"whichtroubledBibbshadbeenamysterytoMr。
Vertrees,anditwasbeingexplainedtohimataboutthetimeBibbsscribbledthereferencetoitinhisnotes。Maryhadgoneup—stairsuponBibbs\'sdepartureatteno\'clock,andMr。andMrs。Vertreessatuntilaftermidnightinthelibrary,talking。Andinallthattimetheyfoundnotonecheerfultopic,butbecamemoredepressedwitheverythingandwitheveryphaseofeverythingthattheydiscussed——noextraordinarystateofaffairsinafamilywhichhasalways\"heldupitshead,\"onlytoarriveintheendatapointwhereallitcandoistolookonhelplesslyattheprocessesofitsownfinancialdissolution。Forthatwasthepointwhichthisdespairingcouplehadreached——theycoulddonothingexceptlookonandtalkaboutit。Theywereonlyvaporing,andtheyknewit。
\"Sheneedn\'ttohavedonethataboutherpiano,\"vaporedMr。Vertrees。\"Wecouldhavemanagedsomehowwithoutit。Atleastsheoughttohaveconsultedme,andifsheinsistedIcouldhavearrangedthedetailswiththe——thedealer。\"
\"Shethoughtthatitmightbe——annoyingforyou,\"Mrs。Vertreesexplained。
\"Really,sheplannedforyounottoknowaboutituntiltheyhadremoved——untilafterto—morrow,thatis,butIdecidedto——tomentionit。
Yousee,shedidn\'teventellmeaboutituntilthismorning。Shehasanotherides,too,I\'mafraid。It\'s——it\'s——\"
\"Well？\"heurged,asshefounditdifficulttogoon。
\"Herotherideais——thatis,itwas——Ithinkitcanbeavoided,ofcourse——itwasaboutherfurs。\"
\"No！\"heexclaimed,quickly。\"Iwon\'thaveit！Youmustseetothat。I\'drathernottalktoheraboutit,butyoumustn\'tlether。\"
\"I\'lltrynot,\"hiswifepromised。\"Ofcourse,they\'reveryhandsome。\"
\"Allthemorereasonforhertokeepthem！\"hereturned,irritably。\"We\'renotTHATfargone,Ithink！\"
\"Perhapsnotyet,\"Mrs。Vertreessaid。\"Sheseemstobetroubledaboutthe——thecoalmatterand——aboutTilly。Ofcoursethepianowilltakecareofsomethingslikethoseforawhileand——\"
\"Idon\'tlikeit。Igaveherthepianotoplayon,notto——\"
\"Youmustn\'tbedistressedaboutitinONEway,\"shesaid,comfortingly。
