Sheputherfingersoverhereyes。\"It’shorribletocomplain！Onlyit’ssobad！ButIwon’tagain——promise。
Shetookthesleepingdraughtgratefully，makingaface，likeachildafterapowder。
\"Howlongdoyouthinkit’llbebeforeIcanplayagain？Oh！I
forgot——thereareotherthingstothinkabout。\"Sheheldoutherhandtome。\"Lookatmyring。Married——isn’titfunny？Ha，ha！
Nobodywilleverunderstand——that’sfunnytoo！PoorGran！Yousee，therewasn’tanyreason——onlyme。That’stheonlyreasonI’mtellingyounow;Mumsisthere——butshedoesn’tcount;whydon’tyoucount，Mums？\"
Thefeverwasfightingagainstthedraught;shehadtossedtheclothesbackfromherthroat，andnowandthenraisedonethinarmalittle，asifiteasedher;hereyeshadgrownlarge，andinnocentlikeachild’s;thecandle，too，hadflared，andwasburningclearly。
\"Nobodyistotellhim——nobodyatall;promise……！IfIhadn’tslipped，itwouldhavebeendifferent。Whatwouldhavehappenedthen？Youcan’ttell;andIcan’t——that’sfunny！DoyouthinkI
lovedhim？Nobodymarrieswithoutlove，dothey？Notquitewithoutlove，Imean。ButyouseeIwantedtobefree，hesaidhe’dtakeme;
andnowhe’sleftmeafterall！Iwon’tbeleft，Ican’t！WhenI
cametothecliff——thatbitwheretheivygrowsrightdown——therewasjusttheseathere，underneath;soIthoughtIwouldthrowmyselfoveranditwouldbeallquiet;andIclimbedonaledge，itlookedeasierfromthere，butitwassohigh，Iwantedtogetback;andthenmyfootslipped;andnowit’sallpain。Youcan’tthinkmuch，whenyou’reinpain。\"
>FromhereyesIsawthatshewasdroppingoff。
\"Nobodycantakeyouawayfrom—yourself。He’snottobetold——noteven——Idon’t——wantyou——togoaway，because——\"Buthereyesclosed，andshedroppedofftosleep。
Theydon’tseemtoknowthismorningwhethersheisbetterorworse……
VI
\"Tuesday，9thAugust。
ItseemsmorelikethreeweeksthanthreedayssinceIwrote。Thetimepassesslowlyinasickhouse……！Thedoctorswereherethismorning，theygiveherfortyhours。Notawordofcomplainthaspassedherlipssincesheknew。Toseeheryouwouldhardlythinkherill;hercheekshavenothadtimetowasteorlosetheircolour。
Thereisnotmuchpain，butaslow，creepingnumbness……ItwasJohnFord’swishthatsheshouldbetold。Shejustturnedherheadtothewallandsighed;thentopooroldMrs。Hopgood，whowascryingherheartout:\"Don’tcry，Mums，Idon’tcare。\"
Whentheyhadgone，sheaskedforherviolin。Shemadethemholditforher，anddrewthebowacrossthestrings;butthenotesthatcameoutweresotremblinganduncertainthatshedroppedthebowandbrokeintoapassionofsobbing。Sincethen，nocomplaintormoanofanykind……
Buttogoback。OnSunday，thedayafterIwrote，asIwascomingfromawalk，Imetalittleboymakingmournfulsoundsonatinwhistle。
\"Coomahn！\"hesaid，\"theMisswahntst’zeeyu。\"
Iwenttoherroom。Inthemorningshehadseemedbetter，butnowlookedutterlyexhausted。Shehadaletterinherhand。
\"It’sthis，\"shesaid。\"Idon’tseemtounderstandit。Hewantsmetodosomething——butIcan’tthink，andmyeyesfeelfunny。Readittome，please。\"
TheletterwasfromZachary。Ireadittoherinalowvoice，forMrs。Hopgoodwasintheroom，hereyesalwaysfixedonPasianceaboveherknitting。WhenI’dfinished，shemademereaditagain，andyetagain。Atfirstsheseemedpleased，almostexcited，thencameaweary，scornfullook，andbeforeI’dfinishedthethirdtimeshewasasleep。Itwasaremarkableletter，thatseemedtobringthemanrightbeforeone’seyes。Islippeditunderherfingersonthebed—
clothes，andwentout。Fancytookmetothecliffwhereshehadfallen。Ifoundthepointofrockwherethecascadeofivyflowsdownthecliff;theledgeonwhichshehadclimbedwasalittletomyright——amadplace。Itshowedplainlywhatwildemotionsmusthavebeendrivingher！Behindwasahalf—cutcornfieldwithafringeofpoppies，andswarmsofharvestinsectscreepingandflying;intheuncutcornalandrailkeptupacontinualcharring。Theskywasbluetotheveryhorizon，andtheseawonderful，underthatblackwildcliffstainedhereandtherewithred。Overthedipsandhollowsofthefieldsgreatwhitecloudshunglowdownabovetheland。Therearenobrassy，east—coastskieshere;butalwayssleepy，soft—shapedclouds，fullofsubtlestirandchange。PassagesofZachary’sPearse’sletterkeptrisingtomylips。Afterallhe’sthemanthathisnativeplace，andlife，andbloodhavemadehim。Itisuselesstoexpectidealistswheretheairissoftandthingsgoodtolookon（theidealistgrowswherehemustcreatebeautyorcomfortforhimself）;uselesstoexpectamanoflawandorder，inonewhosefathershavestaredattheseadayandnightforathousandyears——
thesea，fullofitspromisesofunknownthings，neverquitethesame，aslavetoitsownimpulses。Manisanimitativeanimal……
\"Life’shardenough，\"hewrote，\"withouttyingyourselfdown。Don’tthinktoohardlyofme！ShallImakeyouhappierbytakingyouintodanger？IfIsucceedyou’llbearichwoman;butIshallfailifyou’rewithme。Tolookatyoumakesmesoft。Atseaamandreamsofallthegoodthingsonland，he’lldreamoftheheather，andhoney——you’relikethat;andhe’lldreamoftheapple—trees，andthegrassoftheorchards——you’relikethat;sometimesheonlyliesonhisbackandwishes——andyou’relikethat，mostofalllikethat……\"
WhenIwasreadingthosewordsIrememberastrange，soft，half—
scornfullookcameoverPasiance’sface;andonceshesaid，\"Butthat’sallnonsense，isn’tit……？\"
Thenfollowedalongpassageaboutwhathewouldgainifhesucceeded，aboutallthathewasrisking，theimpossibilityoffailure，ifhekepthiswitsabouthim。\"It’sonlyamatteroftwomonthsorso，\"hewenton;\"staywhereyouare，dear，orgotomyDad。He’llbegladtohaveyou。There’smymother’sroom。There’snoonetosay’No’toyourfiddlethere;youcanplayitbythesea;
andondarknightsyou’llhavethestarsdancingtoyouoverthewaterasthickasbees。I’velookedatthemoften，thinkingofyou……\"
Pasiancehadwhisperedtome，\"Don’treadthatbit，\"andafterwardsI
leftitout……Thenthesensuoussideofhimshowsup:\"WhenI’vebroughtthisoff，there’sthewholeworldbeforeus。ThereareplacesIcantakeyouto。There’soneIknow，nottoowarmandnottoocold，whereyoucansitalldayintheshadeandwatchthecreepers，andthecocoa—palms，stillasstill;nothingtodoorcareabout;allthefruitsyoucanthinkof;nonoisebuttheparrotsandthestreams，andasplashwhenaniggerdivesintoawater—hole。
Pasiance，we’llgothere！Withaneighty—toncraftthere’snoseawecouldn’tknow。Theworld’safineplaceforthosewhogoouttotakeit;there’slotsofunknownstuff’inityet。I’llfillyourlap，mypretty，sofulloftreasuresthatyoushan’tknowyourself。Amanwasn’tmeanttositathome……\"
Throughoutthisletter——forallitsrealpassion——onecouldfeelhowthemanwasholdingtohispurpose——therathersordidpurposeofthisventure。He’sunconsciousofit;forheisinlovewithher;buthemustbefurtheringhisownends。Heisvital——horriblyvital！I
wonderlessnowthatsheshouldhaveyielded。
Whatvisionshasn’thedangledbeforeher。Therewasphysicalattraction，too——Ihaven’tforgottenthelookIsawonherfaceatBlackMill。Butwhenall’ssaidanddone，shemarriedhim，becauseshe’sPasianceVoisey，whodoesthingsandwants\"togetback。\"Andsheliestheredying;nothenoranyothermanwillevertakeheraway。It’spitifultothinkofhimtinglingwithpassion，writingthatlettertothisdoomedgirlinthatdarkholeofasaloon。\"I’vewantedmoney，\"hewrote，\"eversinceIwasalittlechapsittinginthefieldsamongthecows……Iwantitforyounow，andImeantohaveit。I’vestudiedthethingtwoyears;IknowwhatIknow……
ThemomentthisisinthepostIleaveforLondon。Thereareahundredthingstolookafterstill;Ican’ttrustmyselfwithinreachofyouagaintilltheanchor’sweighed。WhenIre—christenedherthePiedWitch，Ithoughtofyou——youwitchtome……\"
Therefollowedasolemnentreatytohertobeonthepathleadingtothecoveatseveno’clockonWednesdayevening（thatis，to—morrow）
whenhewouldcomeashoreandbidhergood—bye。Itwassigned，\"Yourlovinghusband，ZacharyPearse……\"
Ilayattheedgeofthatcornfieldalongtime;itwasverypeaceful。Thechurchbellshadbeguntoring。Thelongshadowscamestealingoutfromthesheaves;woodpigeonsroseonebyone，andflappedofftoroost;thewesternskywasstreakedwithred，andallthedownsandcombebathedinthelastsunlight。Perfectharvestweather;butoppressivelystill，thestillnessofsuspense……
Lifeatthefarmgoesonasusual。Wehavemorningandeveningprayers。JohnFordreadsthemfiercely，asthoughhewereontheeveofarevoltagainsthisGod。Morningandeveninghevisitsher，comesoutwheezingheavily，andgoestohisownroom;Ibelieve，topray。SincethismorningIhaven’tdaredmeethim。Heisastrongoldman——butthiswillbreakhimup……
VII
\"KINGSWEAR，Saturday，i3tbAugust。
It’sover——Ileavehereto—morrow，andgoabroad。
Aquietafternoon——notabreathupinthechurchyard！Iwastherequitehalfanhourbeforetheycame。Someredcowshadstrayedintotheadjoiningorchard，andwererubbingtheirheadsagainsttherailing。WhileIstoodthereanoldwomancameanddrovethemaway;
afterwards，shestoopedandpickeduptheapplesthathadfallenbeforetheirtime。
\"Theapplesareripeandreadytofall，Oh！heigh—ho！andreadytofall;
Therecameanoldwomanandgatheredthemall，Oh！heigh—ho！andgatheredthemall。\"……TheybroughtPasianceverysimply——nohideousfuneraltrappings，thankGod——thefarmhandscarriedher，andtherewasnoonetherebutJohnFord，theHopgoods，myself，andthatyoungdoctor。
Theyreadtheserviceoverhergrave。IcanhearJohnFord’s\"Amen！\"
now。Whenitwasoverhewalkedawaybareheadedinthesun，withoutaword。Iwentupthereagainthisevening，andwanderedamongstthetombstones。\"RichardVoisey，\"\"John，thesonofRichardandConstanceVoisey，\"\"MargeryVoisey，\"somanygenerationsoftheminthatcorner;then\"RichardVoiseyandAgneshiswife，\"andnexttoitthatnewmoundonwhichasparrowwasstruttingandtheshadowsoftheapple—treesalreadyhovering。
Iwilltellyouthelittlelefttotell……
OnWednesdayafternoonsheaskedformeagain。
\"It’sonlytillseven，\"shewhispered。\"He’scertaintocomethen。
ButifI——weretodiefirst——thentellhim——I’msorryforhim。Theykeepsaying:’Don’ttalk——don’ttalk！’Isn’titstupid？AsifI
shouldhaveanyotherchance！There’llbenomoretalkingafterto—
night！Makeeverybodycome，please——Iwanttoseethemall。Whenyou’redyingyou’refreerthananyothertime——nobodywantsyoutodothings，nobodycareswhatyousay……HepromisedmeIshoulddowhatIlikedifImarriedhim——Ineverbelievedthatreally——butnowIcandowhatIlike;andsayallthethingsIwantto。\"Shelaybacksilent;shecouldnotafterallspeaktheinmostthoughtsthatareineachofus，sosacredthattheymeltawayattheapproachofwords。
Ishallrememberherlikethat——withthegleamofasmileinherhalf—closedeyes，herredlipsparted——suchaquaintlookofmockery，pleasure，regret，onherlittleround，upturnedface;theroomwhite，andfreshwithflowers，thebreezegutteringtheapple—leavesagainstthewindow。Inthenighttheyhadunhookedtheviolinandtakenitaway;shehadnotmissedit……WhenDancame，Igaveupmyplacetohim。Hetookherhandgentlyinhisgreatpaw，withoutspeaking。
\"Howsmallmyhandlooksthere，\"shesaid，\"toosmall。\"Danputitsoftlybackonthebedclothesandwipedhisforehead。Pasiancecriedinasharpwhisper:\"Isitsohotinhere？Ididn’tknow。\"Danbentdown，puthislipstoherfingersandlefttheroom。
Theafternoonwaslong，thelongestI’veeverspent。Sometimessheseemedtosleep，sometimeswhisperedtoherselfabouthermother，hergrandfather，thegarden，orhercats——allsortsofinconsequent，trivial，evenludicrousmemoriesseemedtothronghermind——neveronce，Ithink，didshespeakofZachary，but，nowandthen，sheaskedthetime……Eachhourshegrewvisiblyweaker。JohnFordsatbyherwithoutmoving，hisheavybreathingwasoftentheonlysound;
sometimessherubbedherfingersonhishand，withoutspeaking。Itwasasummaryoftheirlivestogether。Onceheprayedaloudforherinahoarsevoice;thenherpitiful，impatienteyessignedtome。
\"Quick，\"shewhispered，\"Iwanthim;it’sallso——cold。\"
Iwentoutandrandownthepathtowardsthecove。
LeaningonagatestoodZachary，anhourbeforehistime;dressedinthesameoldblueclothesandleather—peakedcapasonthedaywhenI
sawhimfirst。Heknewnothingofwhathadhappened。Butataquarterofthetruth，I’msurehedivinedthewhole，thoughhewouldnotadmitittohimself。Hekeptsaying，\"Itcan’tbe。She’llbewellinafewdays——asprain！D’youthinkthesea—voyage……Isshestrongenoughtobemovednowatonce？\"
Itwaspainfultoseehisface，sotwistedbythestrugglebetweenhisinstinctandhisvitality。Thesweatpoureddownhisforehead。
Heturnedroundaswewalkedupthepath，andpointedouttosea。
Therewashissteamer。\"Icouldgetheronboardinnotime。
Impossible！Whatisit，then？Spine？GoodGod！Thedoctors……
Sometimesthey’lldowonders！\"Itwaspitifultoseehiseffortstoblindhimselftothereality。
\"Itcan’tbe，she’stooyoung。We’rewalkingveryslow。\"Itoldhimshewasdying。
ForasecondIthoughthewasgoingtorunaway。Thenhejerkeduphishead，andrushedontowardsthehouse。Atthefootofthestaircasehegrippedmebytheshoulder。
\"It’snottrue！\"hesaid;\"she’llgetbetternowI’mhere。I’llstay。Leteverythinggo。I’llstay。\"
\"Now’sthetime，\"Isaid，\"toshowyoulovedher。Pullyourselftogether，man！\"Heshookallover。
\"Yes！\"wasallheanswered。Wewentintoherroom。Itseemedimpossibleshewasgoingtodie;thecolourwasbrightinhercheeks，herlipstremblingandpoutedasifshehadjustbeenkissed，hereyesgleaming，herhairsodarkandcrisp，herfacesoyoung……
HalfanhourlaterIstoletotheopendoorofherroom。Shewasstillandwhiteasthesheetsofherbed。JohnFordstoodatthefoot;and，bowedtothelevelofthepillows，hisheadonhisclenchedfists，satZachary。Itwasutterlyquiet。Thegutteringoftheleaveshadceased。Whenthingshavecometoacrisis，howlittleonefeels——nofear，nopity，nosorrow，ratherthesense，aswhenaplayisover，ofanxietytogetaway！
SuddenlyZacharyrose，brushedpastmewithoutseeing，andrandownstairs。
SomehourslaterIwentoutonthepathleadingtothecove。Itwaspitch—black;theridinglightofthePiedWitchwasstillthere，lookingnobiggerthanafirefly。ThenfrominfrontIheardsobbing——aman’ssobs;nosoundisquitesodreadful。ZacharyPearsegotupoutofthebanknottenpacesoff。
Ihadnohearttogoafterhim，andsatdowninthehedge。Therewassomethingsubtlyakintoherinthefreshdarknessoftheyoungnight;thesoftbank，thescentofhoneysuckle，thetouchofthefernsandbrambles。Deathcomestoallofus，andwhenit’soverit’sover;butthisblindbusiness——ofthoseleftbehindAlittlelatertheshipwhistledtwice;herstarboardlightgleamedfaintly——andthatwasall……
VIII
\"TORQUAY，30thOctober……DoyourememberthelettersIwroteyoufromMoorFarmnearlythreeyearsago？To—dayIrodeoverthere。IstoppedatBrixhamonthewayforlunch，andwalkeddowntothequay。Therehadbeenashower——butthesunwasoutagain，shiningonthesea，thebrown—redsails，andtherampartofslateroofs。
Atrawlerwaslyingthere，whichhadevidentlybeeninacollision。
Thespiky—bearded，thin—lippedfellowintornbluejerseyandsea—
bootswhowassuperintendingtherepairs，saidtomealittleproudly:
\"Baneincollision，zurr;liketozeeoverher？\"Thensuddenlyscrewinguphislittleblueeyes，headded:
\"Why，Iremembersyu。Steeredyualongo’theyoungladyinthisyerverycraft。\"
ItwasPrawle，ZacharyPearse’shenchman。
\"Yes，\"hewenton，\"that’sthecutter。\"
\"AndCaptainPearse？\"
Heleanthisbackagainstthequay，andspat。\"Hewasapra—aperman;Ineverzanenonelike’en。\"
\"Didyoudoanygoodoutthere？\"
Prawlegavemeasharpglance。
\"Gude？No，t’wasarrmwedone，vromztarttofinish——hadtroubleallthetime。Whatamancudedu，theskipperdid。Whenyucaan’tduright，zomecallsit’Providence’！’Tisallmyeyean’BettyMartin！
WhatIzayes，’tisthesetimes，there’ssuchadaleo’folk，adaleofpuzzivantin’fellers;theworld’stosmall。\"
WiththesewordsthereflashedacrossmeavisionofDrakecrushedintoourmodernlifebytheshrinkageoftheworld;Drakecaughtinthemeshesofredtape，electricwires，andalltheloftyappliancesofourcivilization。Doesatypesurviveitsage;liveonintotimesthathavenoroomforit？Thebloodisthere——andsometimesthere’sathrow—back……Allfancy！Eh？
\"So，\"Isaid，\"youfailed？\"
Prawlewriggled。
\"Iwudden’goofortozaythat，zurr——’tisanuglyword。Da—am！\"headded，staringathisboots，\"’twasthrumetu。Wewerealongamongthehaythen，andImus’nadesgoofortobreakmeleg。Thecapt’nhewudden’laveme。’OneDevonman，’hesaystome，’don’laveanotherr。’Wewerrsixdayswhereweshuldha’beentu;whenwegotbacktotheshipacruiserhadgotherforgun—runnin’。\"
\"AndwhathasbecomeofCaptainPearse？\"
Prawleanswered，\"Zurr，Ibelave’ewenttoChina，’tisonsartin。\"
\"He’snotdead？\"
Prawlelookedatmewithakindofuneasyanger。
\"Yucudden’kell’en！’Tistrue，mun’lldiezomeday。Buttherr’snotaonethat’llshowbetterzportthanCapt’nZach’ryPearse。\"
Ibelievethat;hewillbehardtokill。Thevisionofhimcomesup，withhisperfectbalance，defianteyes，andsweetishsmile;thewaythehairofhisbeardcrispedalittle，andgotblackeronthecheeks;thesortofdesperatefeelinghegave，thatonewouldnevergetthebetterofhim，thathewouldnevergetthebetterofhimself。
ItookleaveofPrawleandhalfacrown。BeforeIwasoffthequayI
heardhimsayingtoalady，\"Baneincollision，marm！Liketozeeoverher？\"
AfterlunchIrodeontoMoor。Theoldplacelookedmuchthesame;
buttheapple—treeswerestrippedoffruit，andtheirleavesbeginningtogoyellowandfall。OneofPasiance’scatspassedmeintheorchardhuntingabird，stillwitharibbonrounditsneck。JohnFordshowedmeallhislatestimprovements，butneverbywordorsignalludedtothepast。HeinquiredafterDan，backinNewZealandnow，withoutmuchinterest;hisstubblybeardandhairhavewhitened;hehasgrownverystout，andInoticedthathislegsarenotwellundercontrol;heoftenstopstoleanonhisstick。Hewasveryilllastwinter;andsometimes，theysay，willgostraightofftosleepinthemiddleofasentence。
ImanagedtogetafewminuteswiththeHopgoods。WetalkedofPasiancesittinginthekitchenunderarowofplates，withthatclingingsmellofwood—smoke，bacon，andagebringingupmemories，asnothingbutscentscan。Thedearoldlady’shair，drawnsonicelydownherforeheadoneachsidefromthecentreofhercap，hasafewthinsilverlines;andherfaceisathoughtmorewrinkled。Thetearsstillcomeintohereyeswhenshetalksofher\"lamb。\"
OfZacharyIheardnothing，butshetoldmeofoldPearse’sdeath。
\"Therrtheyfound’en，zotospake，dead——inth’sun;butHa—apgoodcantellyu，\"andHopgood，everrollinghispipe，mutteredsomething，andsmiledhiswoodensmile。
Hecametoseemeofffromthestraw—yard。\"’Tislikedeathtothevarrm，zurr，\"hesaid，puttingalltheplayofhisvastshouldersintothebucklingofmygirths。\"MisterFord——well！Andnotoneofth’oldstocktotakeitwhen’e’sgarn……Ah！itwerrcruel;myoldwoman’sneverbeenhersel’since。Tell’eewhat’tis——don’tdut’thinktomuch。\"
Iwentoutofmywaytopassthechurchyard。Therewereflowers，quitefresh，chrysanthemums，andasters;abovethemthewhitestone，alreadystained:
\"PASIANCE
WIFEOFZACHARYPEARSE
’TheLordhatbgiven，andtheLordhatbtakenaway。\"’
Theredcowsweretheretoo;theskyfullofgreatwhiteclouds，somebirdswhistlingalittlemournfully，andintheairthescentoffallenleaves……
May，1900。
AKNIGHT
TO
MYMOTHER
AKNIGHT
I
AtMonteCarlo，inthespringoftheyear189—，Iusedtonoticeanoldfellowinagreysuitandsunburntstrawhatwithablackribbon。
Everymorningateleveno’clock，hewouldcomedowntothePlace，followedbyabrindledGermanboarhound，walkonceortwiceroundit，andseathimselfonabenchfacingthecasino。Therehewouldremaininthesun，withhisstrawhattiltedforward，histhinlegsapart，hisbrownhandscrossedbetweenthem，andthedog’snoserestingonhisknee。Afteranhourormorehewouldgetup，and，stoopingalittlefromthewaist，walkslowlyroundthePlaceandreturnuphill。Justbeforethree，hewouldcomedownagaininthesameclothesandgointothecasino，leavingthedogoutside。
Oneafternoon，movedbycuriosity，Ifollowedhim。Hepassedthroughthehallwithoutlookingatthegambling—rooms，andwentintotheconcert。Itbecamemyhabitafterthattowatchforhim。WhenhesatinthePlaceIcouldseehimfromthewindowofmyroom。Thechiefpuzzletomewasthematterofhisnationality。
Hislean，shortfacehadaskinsoburntthatitlookedlikeleather;
hisjawwaslongandprominent，hischinpointed，andhehadhollowsinhischeeks。Therewerewrinklesacrosshisforehead;hiseyeswerebrown;andlittlewhitemoustacheswerebrushedupfromthecornersofhislips。Thebackofhisheadbulgedoutabovethelinesofhisleanneckandhigh，sharpshoulders;hisgreyhairwascroppedquiteclose。IntheMarseillesbuffet，onthejourneyout，IhadmetanEnglishman，almosthiscounterpartinfeatures——butsomehowverydifferent！Thisoldfellowhadnothingoftheother’salert，autocraticself—sufficiency。Hewasquietandundemonstrative，withoutlooking，asitwere，insulatedagainstshocksandforeignsubstances。HewascertainlynoFrenchman。Hiseyes，indeed，werebrown，buthazel—brown，andgentle——notthered—brownsensualeyeoftheFrenchman。AnAmerican？ButwaseveranAmericansopassive？A
German？Hismoustachewascertainlybrushedup，butinamodest，almostpatheticway，notintheleastTeutonic。Nothingseemedtofithim。Igavehimup，andnamedhim\"theCosmopolitan。\"
LeavingattheendofApril，Iforgothimaltogether。Inthesamemonth，however，ofthefollowingyearIwasagainatMonteCarlo，andgoingonedaytotheconcertfoundmyselfseatednextthissameoldfellow。TheorchestrawasplayingMeyerbeer’s\"Prophete，\"andmyneighbourwasasleep，snoringsoftly。Hewasdressedinthesamegreysuit，withthesamestrawhat（oroneexactlylikeit）onhisknees，andhishandscrossedaboveit。Sleephadnotdisfiguredhim—hislittlewhitemoustachewasstillbrushedup，hislipsclosed;averygoodandgentleexpressionhoveredonhisface。A
curvedmarkshowedonhisrighttemple，thescarofacutonthesideofhisneck，andhislefthandwascoveredbyanoldglove，thelittleforgerofwhichwasempty。Hewokeupwhenthemarchwasoverandbriskeduphismoustache。
ThenextthingontheprogrammewasalittlethingbyPoisefromLejoliGilles，playedbyMons。Corsanegoontheviolin。Happeningtoglanceatmyoldneighbour，Isawatearcaughtinthehollowofhischeek，andanotherjustleavingthecornerofhiseye;therewasafaintsmileonhislips。Thencameaninterval;andwhileorchestraandaudiencewereresting，Iaskedhimifhewerefondofmusic。Helookedupwithoutdistrust，bowed，andansweredinathin，gentlevoice:\"Certainly。Iknownothingaboutit，playnoinstrument，couldneversinganote;butfondofit！Whowouldnotbe？\"HisEnglishwascorrectenough，butwithanemphasisnotquiteAmericannorquiteforeign。IventuredtoremarkthathedidnotcareforMeyerbeer。Hesmiled。
\"Ah！\"hesaid，\"Iwasasleep？Toobadofme。Heisalittlenoisy——
Iknowsolittleaboutmusic。ThereisBach，forinstance。Wouldyoubelieveit，hegivesmenopleasure？Agreatmisfortunetobenomusician！\"Heshookhishead。
Imurmured，\"Bachistooelevatingforyouperhaps。\"
\"Tome，\"heanswered，\"anymusicIlikeiselevating。Peoplesaysomemusichasabadeffectonthem。Ineverfoundanymusicthatgavemeabadthought——no——no——quitetheopposite;onlysometimes，asyousee，Igotosleep。Butwhatalovelyinstrumenttheviolin！\"
Afaintflushcameonhisparchedcheeks。\"Thehumansoulthathasleftthebody。Acuriousthing，distantbuglesatnighthavegivenmethesamefeeling。\"Theorchestrawasnowcomingback，and，foldinghishands，myneighbourturnedhiseyestowardsthem。Whentheconcertwasoverwecameouttogether。Waitingattheentrancewashisdog。
\"Youhaveabeautifuldog！\"
\"Ah！yes。Freda。miacara，dasumano！\"Thedogsquattedonherhaunches，andliftedherpawinthevague，boredwayofbigdogswhenrequestedtoperformcivilities。Shewasalovelycreature——thepurestbrindle，withoutaspeckofwhite，andfreefromtheunbalancedlookofmostdogsofherbreed。
\"Basta！basta！\"Heturnedtomeapologetically。\"WehaveagreedtospeakItalian;inthatwayIkeepupthelanguage;astonishingthenumberofthingsthatdogwillunderstand！\"Iwasabouttotakemyleave，whenheaskedifIwouldwalkalittlewaywithhim——\"Ifyouarefree，thatis。\"WewentupthestreetwithFredaonthefarsideofhermaster。
\"Doyounever’play’here？\"Iaskedhim。
\"Play？No。Itmustbeveryinteresting;mostexciting，butasamatteroffact，Ican’taffordit。Ifonehasverylittle，oneistoonervous。\"
Hehadstoppedinfrontofasmallhairdresser’sshop。\"Ilivehere，\"hesaid，raisinghishatagain。\"Aurevoir！——unlessIcanofferyouaglassoftea。It’sallready。Come！I’vebroughtyououtofyourway;givemethepleasure！\"
Ihavenevermetamansofreefromallself—consciousness，andyetsodelicateanddiffidentthecombinationisarareone。Wewentupasteepstaircasetoaroomonthesecondfloor。Mycompanionthrewtheshuttersopen，settingallthefliesbuzzing。Thetopofaplane—treewasonalevelwiththewindow，andallitslittlebrownballsweredancing，quiteclose，inthewind。Ashehadpromised，anurnwashissingonatable;therewasalsoasmallbrownteapot，somesugar，slicesoflemon，andglasses。Abed，washstand，cupboard，tintrunk，twochairs，andasmallrugwereallthefurniture。Abovethebedaswordinaleathersheathwassuspendedfromtwonails。Thephotographofagirlstoodontheclosedstove。Myhostwenttothecupboardandproducedabottle，aglass，andasecondspoon。Whenthecorkwasdrawn，thescentofrumescapedintotheair。Hesniffedatitanddroppedateaspoonfulintobothglasses。
