GRINNIDGE，smokingpeacefullythroughthesilencewhichhisfriendhasabsent—mindedlyletfollowuponhislastwords:\"Well，youseemdisposedtotakeyourtimeaboutit。\"
RANSOM:\"Aboutwhat？Oh，yes！Well\"—
MISSREED:\"’Sh！Listen。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Iwon’tlisten！It’sshameful:it’swicked！I
don’tseehowyoucandoit，Ethel！\"Sheremains，however，kneelingneartheregister，andsheinvoluntarilyinclinesalittlemoretowardit。
RANSOM:\"——Itisn’tathingthatIcaretoshoutfromthehouse—
tops。\"Hereturnsfromthewindowtothechimney—piece。\"Iwrotetherudestkindofnote，andsentbackherletterandhermoneyinit。Shehadsaidthatshehopedouracquaintancewasnottoendwiththesummer，butthatwemightsometimesmeetinBoston；andI
answeredthatouracquaintancehadendedalready，andthatIshouldbesorrytomeetheranywhereagain。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well，ifyouwantedtomakeanassofyourself，youdiditprettycompletely。\"
MISSREED，whispering:\"Howwittyheis！Thosemenarealwayssohumorouswitheachother。\"
RANSOM:\"Yes；Ididn’tdoitbyhalves。\"
MISSREED，whispering:\"Oh，THAT’Sfunny，too！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Itdidn’toccurtoyouthatshemightfeelboundtopayyouforthefirsthalf—dozen，andwasembarrassedhowtooffertopayforthemalone？\"
MISSREED:\"HowheDOESgototheheartofthematter！\"ShepressesMissSpaulding’shandinanecstasyofapproval。
RANSOM:\"Yes，itdid——afterward。\"
MISSREED，inatendermurmur:\"Oh，POOROliver！\"
RANSOM:\"Anditoccurredtomethatshewasperfectlyrightinthewholeaffair。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，howgenerous！hownoble！\"
RANSOM:\"Ihadhadathousandopportunities，andIhadn’tbeenmanenoughtotellherthatIwasinlovewithher。\"
MISSREED:\"Howcanhesayitrightoutsobluntly？Butifit’strue\"—
RANSOM:\"ICOULDN’Tspeak。Iwasafraidofputtinganendtotheaffair——offrighteningher——disgustingher。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，howlittletheyknowus，Nettie！\"
RANSOM:\"Sheseemedsomuchabovemeineveryway——sosensitive，sorefined，sogentle，sogood，soangelic！\"
MISSREED:\"There！NOWdoyoucalliteavesdropping？Iflistenersneverhearanygoodofthemselves，whatdoyousaytothat？ItprovesthatIhaven’tbeenlistening。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh！They’resayingsomethingelse。\"
RANSOM:\"Butallthat’sneitherherenorthere。Icanseenowthatunderthecircumstancesshecouldn’tasaladyhaveactedotherwisethanshedid。Shewasforcedtotreatourwholeacquaintanceasabusinessmatter，andIhadforcedhertodoit。\"
MISSREED:\"YouHAD，youpoorthing！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well，whatdoyouintendtodoaboutit？\"
RANSOM:\"Well\"—
MISSREED:\"’Sh！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh！\"
RANSOM:\"——that’swhatIwanttosubmittoyou，Grinnidge。Imustseeher。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yes。I’mglad_I_mustn’t。\"
MISSREED，stiflingalaughonMissSpaulding’sshoulder:\"They’reactuallyAFRAIDofus，Nettie！\"
RANSOM:\"Seeher，andgodowninthedust。\"
MISSREED:\"Myverywords！\"
RANSOM:\"IhavebeentryingtothinkwhatwastheveryhumblestpieIcouldeat，bywayofpenance；anditappearstomethatIhadbetterbeginbysayingthatIhavecometoaskherforthemoneyI
refused。\"
MISSREED，enraptured:\"Oh！doesn’titseemjustlike——like——
inspiration，Nettie？\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh！Bequiet，do！You’llfrightenthemaway！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Andthenwhat？\"
RANSOM:\"Whatthen？Idon’tknowwhatthen。Butitappearstomethat，asagentleman，I’vegotnothingtodowiththeresult。AllthatI’vegottodoistosubmittomyfate，whateveritis。\"
MISSREED，breathlessly:\"Whatprincelycourage！Whatdelicatemagnanimity！Oh，heneedn’thavetheLEASTfear！IfIcouldonlytellhimthat！\"
GRINNIDGE，afteranintervalofmeditativesmoking:\"Yes，Iguessthat’sthebestthingyoucando。Itwillstrikeherfancy，ifshe’sanimaginativegirl，andshe’llthinkyouafinefellow。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，thehorridthing！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Ifyouhumbleyourselftoawomanatall，doitthoroughly。Ifyougohalfwaydownshe’llbetemptedtopushyoutherestoftheway。Ifyouflattenoutatherfeettobeginwith，tentoonebutshewillpickyouup。\"
RANSOM:\"Yes，thatwasmyidea。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，wasit，indeed！Well！\"
RANSOM:\"ButI’venothingtodowithherpickingmeuporpushingmedown。AllthatI’vegottodoistogoandsurrendermyself。\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yes。Well；Iguessyoucan’tgotoosoon。Ilikeyourcompany；butIadviseyouasafriendnottolosetime。Wheredoesshelive？\"
RANSOM:\"That’stheremarkablepartofit:shelivesinthishouse。\"
MISSREEDandMissSpaulding，insubduedchorus:\"Oh！\"
GRINNIDGE，takinghispipeoutofhismouthinastonishment:\"No！\"
RANSOM:\"IjustcameinheretogivemygoodresolutionsarestwhileIwasscrewingmycourageuptoaskforher。\"
MISSREED:\"Don’tyouthinkhe’sVERYhumorous？Givehisgoodresolutionsarest！That’sthewayheALWAYStalks。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"’Sh！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Yousaidyoucameformyadvice。\"
RANSOM:\"SoIdid。ButIdidn’tpromisetoactuponit。Well！\"Hegoestowardthedoor。
GRINNIDGE，withouttroublinghimselftorise:\"Well，goodlucktoyou！\"
MISSREED:\"Howdrolltheyarewitheachother！Don’tyouLIKEtohearthemtalk？Oh，Icouldlistenallday。\"
GRINNIDGE，callingafterRansom:\"Youhaven’ttoldmeyourduck’sname。\"
MISSREED:\"IsTHATwhattheycallus？Duck！Doyouthinkit’sveryrespectful，Nettie？Idon’tbelieveIlikeit。Or，yes，whynot？It’snoharm——ifIAMhisduck！\"
RANSOM，comingback:\"Well，Idon’tproposetogoshoutingitround。
HernameisMissReed——EthelReed。\"
MISSREED:\"HowCANhe？\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Slender，willowyparty，withalotofblondhairthatlooksasifitmightbeindigenous？Ratherpensive—looking？\"
MISSREED:\"Indigenous！Ishouldhopeso！\"
RANSOM:\"Yes。Butsheisn’tpensive。She’sawfullydeep。Itmakesmeshuddertothinkhowdeepthatgirlis。AndwhenIthinkofmycourageindaringtobeinlovewithher——astupid，straightforwardidiotlikeme——Ibegintorespectmyselfinspiteofbeingsuchanass。Well，I’moff。IfIstayanylongerIshallnevergo。\"Heclosesthedoorafterhim，andMissReedinstantlyspringstoherfeet。
MISSREED:\"Nowhe’llhavetogodowntotheparlorandsenduphisname，andthatjustgivesmetimetodothenecessaryprinking。Youstayhereandreceivehim，Nettie。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Never！Afterwhat’shappenedIcanneverlookhiminthefaceagain。Oh，howlow，andmean，andguiltyIfeel！\"
MISSREED，withsurprise:\"Why，howdroll！Now_I_don’tfeeltheleastso。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，it’sverydifferentwithYOU。YOU’REinlovewithhim。\"
MISSREED:\"Forshame，Nettie！I’mNOTinlovewithhim。\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Andyoucanexplainandjustifyit。ButInevercanjustifyittomyself，muchlesstohim。Letmego，Ethel！I
shalltellMrs。McKnightthatwemustchangethisroominstantly。
AndjustafterI’dgotitsonearlyinorder！Godownandreceivehimintheparlor，Ethel。ICAN’Tseehim。\"
MISSREED:\"Receivehimintheparlor！Why，Nettie，dear，you’recrazy！I’mgoingtoACCEPThim:andhowcanIaccepthim——withalltheconsequences——inapublicparlor？No，indeed！Ifyouwon’tmeethimhereforamoment，justtoobligeme，youcangointotheotherroom。Or，no——you’dbelisteningtoeverywordthroughthekey—hole，you’resodemoralized！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Yes，yes，Ideserveyourcontempt，Ethel。\"
MISSREED，laughing:\"Youwillhavetogooutforawalk，youpoorthing；andI’mnotgoingtohaveyoucomingbackinfiveortenminutes。Youhavegottostayoutagoodhour。\"
MISSSPAULDING，runningtogetherthingsfromthenextroom:\"Oh，I’llstayouttillmidnight！\"
MISSREED，respondingtoatapatthedoor:\"Ye—e—s！Comein！——
You’recaught，Nettie。\"
AMAID—SERVANT，appearingwithacard:\"Thisgentlemanisaskingforyouintheparlor，MissReed。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh！Askhimtocomeuphere，please。——Nettie！Nettie！\"
Shecallstoherfriendinthenextroom。\"He’scomingrightup，andifyoudon’trunyou’retrapped。\"
MISSSPAULDING，re—appearing，cloakedandbonneted:\"Idon’tblameYOU，Ethel，comparativelyspeaking。Youcansaythateverythingisfairinlove。Hewilllikeit，andlaughatitinyou，becausehe’lllikeeverythingyou’vedone。Besides，you’venoprinciples，andI
HAVE。\"
MISSREED:\"Oh，I’velotsofprinciples，Nettie，butI’venopractice！\"
MISSSPAULDING:\"Nomatter。There’snoexcuseforme。IlistenedsimplybecauseIwasawoman，andcouldn’thelpit；and，oh，whatwillhethinkofme？\"
MISSREED:\"Iwon’tgiveyouaway；ifyoureallyfeelsobadly\"—
MISSSPAULDING:\"Oh，DOyouthinkyoucankeepfromtellinghim，Etheldear？Try！AndIwillbeyourslaveforever！\"Stepsareheardonthestairsoutside。\"Oh，therehecomes！\"Shedashesoutofthedoor，andclosesitafterher，amomentbeforethemaid—
servant，followedbyMr。Ransom，tapsatit。
III。
SCENE:MissReedopensthedoor，andreceivesMr。Ransomwithwell—
affectedsurpriseandstate，sufferinghimtostandawkwardlyonthethresholdforamoment。
SHE，coldly:\"Oh！——Mr。Ransom！\"
HE，abruptly:\"I’vecome\"—
SHE:\"Won’tyoucomein？\"
HE，advancingafewpacesintotheroom:\"I’vecome\"—
SHE，indicatingachair:\"Willyousitdown？\"
HE:\"Imuststandforthepresent。I’vecometoaskyouforthatmoney，MissReed，whichIrefusedyesterday，intermsthatIblushtothinkof。Iwasaltogetherandwhollyinthewrong，andI’mreadytoofferanyimaginableapologyorreparation。I’mreadytotakethemoneyandtosignareceipt，andthentobedismissedwithwhateverignominyyouplease。Ideserveanything——everything！\"
SHE:\"Themoney？Excuseme；Idon’tknow——I’mafraidthatI’mnotpreparedtopayyouthewholesumto—day。\"
HE，hastily:\"Oh，nomatter！nomatter！Idon’tcareforthemoneynow。Imerelywishto——toassureyouthatIthoughtyouwereperfectlyrightinofferingit，andto——to\"—
SHE:\"What？\"
HE:\"Nothing。Thatis——ah——ah\"—
SHE:\"It’sextremelyembarrassingtohavepeoplerefusetheirmoneywhenit’sofferedthem，andthencomethenextdayforit，whenperhapsitisn’tsoconvenienttopayit——VERYembarrassing。\"
HE，hotly:\"ButItellyouIdon’twanttheMONEY！Ineverwantedit，andwouldn’ttakeitonanyaccount。\"
SHE:\"Oh！Ithoughtyousaidyoucametogetit？\"
HE:\"Isaid——Ididn’tsay——Imeant——thatis——ah——I\"——Hestops，open—
mouthed。
SHE，quietly:\"Icouldgiveyoupartofthemoneynow。\"
HE:\"Oh，whateveryoulike；it’sindifferent\"—
SHE:\"PleasesitdownwhileIwriteareceipt。\"Sheplacesherselfdeliberatelyatthetable，andopensherportfolio。\"Iwillpayyounow，Mr。Ransom，forthefirstsixlessonsyougaveme——theonesbeforeyoutoldmethatIcouldneverlearntodoanything。\"
HE，sinkingmechanicallyintothechairsheindicates:\"Oh，justasyoulike！\"Helooksupattheceilinginhopelessbewilderment，whileshewrites。
SHE，blottingthepaper:\"There！Andnowletmeofferyoualittlepieceofadvice，Mr。Ransom，whichmaybeusefultoyouintakingpupilshereafter。\"
HE，burstingout:\"Inevertakepupils！\"
SHE:\"Nevertakepupils！Idon’tunderstand。YoutookME。\"
HE，confusedly:\"Itookyou——yes。Youseemedtowish——youseemed——
thecasewaspeculiar——peculiarcircumstances。\"
SHE，withseverity:\"MayIaskWHYthecircumstanceswerepeculiar？
Isawnothingpeculiaraboutthecircumstances。Itseemedtomeitwasaverysimplematter。ItoldyouthatIhadalwayshadagreatcuriositytoseewhetherIcoulduseoilpaints，andIaskedyouaveryplainquestion，whetheryouwouldletmestudywithyou。Didn’tI？\"
HE:\"Yes。\"
SHE:\"Wasthereanythingwrong——anythingqueeraboutmyaskingyou？\"
HE:\"No，no！Notatall——notintheleast。\"
SHE:\"Didn’tyouwishmetotakethelessonsofyou？Ifyoudidn’t，itwasn’tkindofyoutoletme。\"
HE:\"Oh，Iwasperfectlywilling——verygladindeed，verymuchso——
certainly！\"
SHE:\"Ifitwasn’tyourCUSTOMtotakepupils，yououghttohavetoldme，andIwouldn’thaveforcedmyselfuponyou。\"
HE，desperately:\"Itwasn’tforcingyourselfuponme。TheLordknowshowhumblygratefulIwas。Itwaslikeahopeofheaven！\"
SHE:\"Really，Mr。Ransom，thisisverystrangetalk。WhatamItounderstandbyit？Whyshouldyoubegratefultoteachme？Whyshouldgivingmelessonsbelikeahopeofheaven？\"
HE:\"Oh，Iwilltellyou！\"
SHE:\"Well？\"
HE，afteramomentofagony:\"Becausetobewithyou\"—
SHE:\"Yes？\"
HE:\"BecauseIwishedtobewithyou。Because——thosedaysinthewoods，whenyouread，andI\"—
SHE:\"Paintedonmypictures\"—
HE:\"Werethehappiestofmylife。Because——Ilovedyou！\"
SHE:\"Mr。Ransom！\"
HE:\"Yes，Imusttellyouso。Ilovedyou；Iloveyoustill。I
shallalwaysloveyou，nomatterwhat\"—
SHE:\"Youforgetyourself，Mr。Ransom。Hastherebeenanythinginmymanner——conduct——tojustifyyouinusingsuchlanguagetome？\"
HE:\"No——no\"—
SHE:\"DidyousupposethatbecauseIfirsttooklessonsofyoufrom—
—from——anenthusiasmforart，andthencontinuedthemfor——for——
amusement，thatIwishedyoutomakelovetome？\"
HE:\"No，Ineversupposedsuchathing。I’mincapableofit。I
beseechyoutobelievethatnoonecouldhavemorerespect——
reverence\"——Hetwirlshishatbetweenhishands，andcastsanimploringglanceather。
SHE:\"Oh，respect——reverence！Iknowwhattheymeaninthemouthsofmen。Ifyourespected，ifyoureverencedme，couldyoudaretotellme，aftermyunguardedtrustofyouduringthepastmonths，thatyouhadbeenallthetimesecretlyinlovewithme？\"
HE，pluckingupalittlecourage:\"Idon’tseethatthethreethingsareincompatible。\"
SHE:\"Oh，thenyouacknowledgethatyoudidpresumeuponsomethingyouthoughtyousawinmetotellmethatyoulovedme，andthatyouwereinlovewithmeallthetime？\"
HE，contritely:\"Ihavenorighttosupposethatyouencouragedme；
andyet——Ican’tdenyitnow——Iwasinlovewithyouallthetime。\"
SHE:\"Andyouneversaidawordtoletmebelievethatyouhadanysuchfeelingtowardme！\"
HE:\"I——I\"—
SHE:\"Youwouldhavepartedfrommewithoutasyllabletosuggestit——perhapspartedfrommeforever？\"Afterapauseofsilenthumiliationforhim:\"Doyoucallthatbraveorgenerous？Doyoucallitmanly——supposing，asyouhoped，that_I_hadanysuchfeeling？\"
HE:\"No；itwascowardly，itwasmean，itwasunmanly。Iseeitnow，butIwillspendmylifeinrepairingthewrong，ifyouwillonlyletme。\"Heimpetuouslyadvancessomepacestowardher，andthenstops，arrestedbyherirresponsiveattitude。
SHE，withalightsigh，andlookingdownatthepaper，whichshehascontinuedtoholdbetweenherhands:\"Therewasatime——amoment——
whenImighthaveansweredasyouwish。\"
HE:\"Oh！thentherewillbeagain。Ifyouhavechangedonce，youmaychangeoncemore。Letmehopethatsometime——anytime，dearest\"
—
SHE，quenchinghimwithalook:\"Mr。Ransom，IshallNEVERchangetowardyou！Youconfessthatyouhadyouropportunity，andthatyoudespisedit。\"
HE:\"Oh！NOTdespisedit！\"
SHE:\"Neglectedit。\"
HE:\"Notwilfully——no。IconfessthatIwasstupidly，vilely，pusillan——pusillan——illani\"—
SHE:\"’Monsly\"—
HE:\"Thanks——’mouslyunworthyofit；butIdidn’tdespiseit；I
didn’tneglectit；andifyouwillonlyletmeshowbyalifetimeofdevotionhowdearlyandtrulyIhavelovedyoufromthefirstmomentIdrovethatcowaway\"—
SHE:\"Mr。Ransom，IhavetoldyouthatIshouldneverchangetowardyou。Thatcowwasnothingwhenweighedinthebalanceagainstyourbeingwillingtoleaveapoorgirl，whomyousupposedinterestedinyou，andtowhomyouhadpaidthemostmarkedattention，withoutawordtoshowherthatyoucaredforher。Whatisacow，orawholeherdofcows，ascomparedwithobligingayoungladytoofferyoumoneythatyouhadn’tearned，andthensavagelyflingingitbackinherface？Ayokeofoxenwouldbenothing——oramadbull。\"
HE:\"Oh，Iacknowledgeit！Iconfessit。\"
SHE:\"AndyouownthatIamrightinrefusingtolistentoyounow？\"
HE，desolately:\"Yes，yes。\"
SHE:\"Itseemsthatyougavemelessonsinordertobewithme，andifpossibletointerestmeinyou；andthenyouweregoingawaywithoutaword。\"
HE，withagroan:\"ItwasonlybecauseIwasafraidtospeak。\"
SHE:\"Oh，isTHATanyexcuse？\"
HE:\"No；none。\"
SHE:\"Amanoughtalwaystohavecourage。\"Afterapause，inwhichhestandsbeforeherwithbowedhead:\"Thenthere’snothingformebuttogiveyouthismoney。\"
HE，withsuddenenergy:\"Thisistoomuch！I\"—
SHE，offeringhimthebank—notes:\"No；itistheexactsum。I
counteditverycarefully。\"
HE:\"Iwon’ttakeit；Ican’t！I’llnevertakeit！\"
SHE，standingwiththemoneyinheroutstretchedhand:\"Ihaveyourwordasagentlemanthatyouwilltakeit。\"
HE，gasping:\"Oh，well——Iwilltakeit——Iwill\"——Heclutchesthemoney，andrushestowardthedoor。\"Good—evening；ah——good—by\"—
SHE，callingafterhim:\"Thereceipt，Mr。Ransom！Pleasesignthisreceipt！\"Shewavesthepaperintheair。
HE:\"Oh，yes，certainly！Whereisit——what——which\"——Herushesbacktoher，andseizingthereceipt，feelsblindlyaboutforthepenandink。\"WhereshallIsign？\"
SHE:\"Readitfirst。\"
HE:\"Oh，it’sall——allright\"—
SHE:\"Iinsistuponyourreadingit。It’sabusinesstransaction。
Readitaloud。\"
HE，desperately:\"Well，well！\"Hereads。\"’ReceivedfromMissEthelReed，infull，fortwenty—fivelessonsinoil—painting，onehundredandtwenty—fivedollars，andherhand，heart，anddearestloveforever。’\"Helooksupather。\"Ethel！\"
SHE，smiling:\"Signit，signit！\"
HE，catchingherinhisarmsandkissingher:\"Oh，yes——HERE！\"
SHE，pullingalittleawayfromhim，andlaughing:\"Oh，oh！IonlywantedONEsignature！Twentyautographsaretoomany，unlessyou’llletmetradethemoff，asthecollectorsdo。\"
HE:\"No；keepthemall！Icouldn’tthinkoflettinganyoneelsehavethem。Onemore！\"
SHE:\"No；it’squiteenough！\"
SHEfreesherself，andretiresbeyondthetable。\"Thisunexpectedaffection\"—
HE:\"ISitunexpected——seriously？\"
SHE:\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
HE:\"Oh，nothing！\"
SHE:\"Yes，tellme！\"
HE:\"Ihoped——Ithought——perhaps——thatyoumighthavebeenpreparedforsomesuchdemonstrationonmypart。\"
SHE:\"Andwhydidyouthink——hope——perhaps——THAT，Mr。Ransom，mayI
ask？\"
HE:\"IfIhadn’t，howshouldIhavedaredtospeak？\"
SHE:\"Dared？Youwereobligedtospeak！Well，sinceit’sallover，Idon’tmindsayingthatIDIDhavesomeslightapprehensionsthatsomethinginthewayofadeclarationmightbeextortedfromyou。\"
HE:\"Extorted？Oh！\"Hemakesanimpassionedrushtowardher。
SHE，keepingthetablebetweenthem:\"No，no。\"
HE:\"Oh，Imerelywishedtoaskwhyyouchosetomakemesufferso，afterIhadcometothepoint。\"
SHE:\"Askitacrossthetable，then。\"Afteramoment’sreflection，\"Imadeyousuffer——Imadeyousuffer——sothatyoumighthavearealizingsenseofwhatyouhadmadeMEsuffer。\"
HE，enrapturedbythisconfession:\"Oh，youangel！\"
SHE，withtendermagnanimity:\"No；onlyawoman——apoor，trusting，foolishwoman！\"Shepermitshimtosurroundthetable，withimaginableresults。Then，withherheadonhisshoulder:\"You’llNEVERletmeregretit，willyou，darling？You’llneverobligemetopunishyouagain，dearest，willyou？Oh，ithurtMEfarworsetoSEE
yourpainthanitdidyouto——to——feelit！\"Ontheothersideofthepartition，Mr。Grinnidge’spipefallsfromhislips，partedinslumber，andshiverstoatomsontheregister。\"Oh！\"Shefliesattheregisterwithashriekofdismay，andisabouttocloseit。
\"Thatwretchhasbeenlistening，andhasheardeveryword！\"
HE，preventingher:\"Whatwretch？Where？\"
SHE:\"Don’tyouhearhim，mumblingandgrumblingthere？\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Well，Iswear！Cashvalueoftwenty—fivedollars，anduntoldtoilincoloringit！\"
RANSOM，listeningwithanairofmystification:\"Who’sthat？\"
SHE:\"Gummidge，Grimmidge——whateveryoucalledhim。Oh！\"Shearrestsherselfinconsternation。\"NowIHAVEdoneit！\"
HE:\"Donewhat？\"
SHE:\"Oh——nothing！\"
HE:\"Idon’tunderstand。DoyoumeantosaythatmyfriendGrinnidge’sroomisontheotheraideofthewall，andthatyoucanhearhimtalkthroughtheregister？\"
SHEpreservesthesilenceofabjectterror。Hestoopsovertheregister，andcallsdownit。\"Grinnidge！Hallo！\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Hallo，yourself！\"
RANSOM，toMissReed:\"Soundsliketheghostlysqueakofthephonograph。\"ToGrinnidge:\"What’sthetrouble？\"
GRINNIDGE:\"Smashedmypipe。Dozedoffandletitdroponthisinfernalregister。\"
RANSOM，turningfromtheregisterwithimpressivedeliberation:
\"MissReed，mayIaskHOWyoucametoknowthathisnamewasGummidge，orGrimmidge，orwhateverIcalledhim？\"
SHE:Oh，dearest，ICAN’Ttellyou！Or——yes，Ihadbetter。\"
Impulsively:\"Iwilljudgeyoubymyself。_I_couldforgiveYOU
anything！\"
HE，doubtfully:\"Oh，couldyou？\"
SHE:\"Everything！Ihad——Ihadbettermakeacleanbreastofit。
Yes，Ihad。ThoughIdon’tliketo。I——Ilistened！\"
HE:\"Listened？\"
SHE:\"Throughtheregisterto——to——what——you——weresayingbeforeyou——cameinhere。\"Herheaddroops。
HE:\"Thenyouheardeverything？\"
SHE:\"Killme，butdon’tlookSOatme！Itwasaccidentalatfirst—
—indeeditwas；andthenIrecognizedyourvoice；andthenIknewyouweretalkingaboutme；andIhadsomuchatstake；andIdidloveyousodearly！YouWILLforgiveme，darling？Itwasn’tasifIwerelisteningwithanybadmotive。\"
HE，takingherinhisarms:\"Forgiveyou？OfcourseIdo。Butyoumustchangethisroomatonce，Ethel；youseeyouheareverythingontheotherside，too。\"
SHE:\"Oh，notifyouwhisperonthis。Youcouldn’thearUS？\"Atadubiousexpressionofhis:\"YouDIDN’Thearus？Ifyoudid，Icanneverforgiveyou！\"
HE:\"Itwasaccidentalatfirst——indeeditwas；andthenI
recognizedyourvoice；andthenIknewyouweretalkingaboutme；andIhadsomuchatstake；andIdidloveyousodearly！\"
SHE:\"Allthathasnothingwhatevertodowithit。Howmuchdidyouhear？\"
HE，withexemplarymeekness:\"OnlywhatyouweresayingbeforeGrinnidgecamein。Youdidn’twhisperthen。Ihadtowaitthereforhimwhile\"—
SHE:\"Whileyouweregivingyourgoodresolutionsarest？\"
HE:\"WhileIwasgivingmygoodresolutionsarest。\"
SHE:\"Andthataccountsforyourdeterminationtohumbleyourselfso？\"
HE:\"ItseemedperfectlyprovidentialthatIshouldhaveknownjustwhatconditionsyouweregoingtoexactofme。\"
SHE:\"Oh，don’tmakelightofit！Icantellyouit’saveryseriousmatter。\"
HE:\"Itwasveryseriousformewhenyoudidn’tmeetmyself—
abasementasyouhadledmetoexpectyouwould。\"
SHE:\"Don’tmakefun！I’mtryingtothinkwhetherIcanforgiveyou。\"
HE，withinsinuation:\"Don’tyoubelieveyoucouldthinkbetterifyouputyourheadonmyshoulder？\"
SHE:\"Nonsense！ThenIshouldforgiveyouwithoutthinking。\"Afteraseasonofreflection:\"No，ICAN’Tforgiveyou。Inevercouldforgiveeavesdropping。It’sTOOlow。\"
HE，inastonishment:\"Why，youdidityourself！\"
SHE:\"Butyoubeganit。Besides，it’sverydifferentforaman。
Womenareweak，poor，helplesscreatures。Theyhavetousefinesse。
Butamanshouldbeaboveit。\"
HE:\"Yousaidyoucouldforgivemeanything。\"
SHE:\"Ah，butIdidn’tknowwhatyou’dbeendoing！\"
HE，withpensiveresignation，andafeintofgoing:\"ThenIsupposeit’salloverbetweenus。\"
SHE，relenting:\"IfyoucouldthinkofanyreasonWHYIshouldforgiveyou\"—
HE:\"Ican’t。\"
SHE，afterconsideration:\"DoyousupposeMr。Grumage，orGrimidge，heardtoo？\"
HE:\"No；Grinnidgeisaveryhigh—principledfellow，andwouldn’tlisten；besides，hewasn’tthere，youknow。\"
SHE:\"Well，then，Iwillforgiveyouonthesegrounds。\"Heinstantlycatcheshertohisheart。\"Butthesealone，remember。\"
HE，rapturously:\"Oh，onany！\"
SHE，tenderly:\"Andyou’llalwaysbedevoted？Andnice？Andnottrytoprovokeme？Orneglectme？Oranything？\"
HE:\"Always！Never！\"
SHE:\"Oh，youdear，sweet，simpleoldthing——howIDOloveyou！\"
GRINNIDGE，whohasbeenlisteningattentivelytoeverywordattheregisterathisside:\"Ransom，ifyoudon’twantmetogostarkmad，SHUTTHEREGISTER！\"
RANSOM，abouttocomply:\"Oh，pooroldman！Iforgotitwasopen！\"
MISSREED，preventinghim:\"No！Ifhehasbeenvileenoughtolistenataregister，lethimsuffer。Come，sitdownhere，andI’lltellyoujustwhenIbegantocareforyou。Itwaslongbeforethecow。Doyourememberthatfirstmorningafteryouarrived\"——Shedragshimclosetotheregister，sothateverywordmaytellupontheenviousGrinnidge，onwhosemanifestationsofacutedespair，arapidcurtaindescends。
