第3章

\"Openas’loon，\"saidthecabby，promptlyandhuskily。\"IknowaplaceIcouldtakemoneyinwithbothhands。It’safour—storybrickonacorner。 I’vegotitfiguredout。Secondstory—Chinksandchopsuey;thirdfloor—manicuresandforeignmis— sions;fourthfloor—poolroom。Ifyouwasthink— ofputtingupthecapital。 \"Oh，no，\"saidGillian，Imerelyaskedfromcu— riosity。Itakeyoubythehour。Drive’tilItellyoutostop。\" EightblocksdownBroadwayGillianpokedupthetrapwithhiscaneandgotout。Ablindmansatuponastoolonthesidewalksellingpencils。Gillianwentoutandstoodbeforehim。 \"Excuseme，\"hesaid，\"butwouldyoumindtell— ingmewhatyouwoulddoifyoubadathousanddollars？\" \"Yougotoutofthatcabthatjustdroveup，didn’tyou？\"askedtheblindman。 \"Idid，\"saidGillian。 \"guessyouareallright，\"saidthepencildealer，\"torideinacabbydaylight。Takealookatthat，ifyoulike。\" Hedrewasmallbookfromhiscoatpocketandhelditout。Gillianopeneditandsawthatitwasabankdepositbook。Itshowedabalanceof$1，785totheblindman’scredit。 Gillianreturnedthebookandgotintothecab。 \"Iforgotsomething，\"besaid。\"YoumaydrivetothelawofficesofTolman&Sharp，at—Broad— way。\" LawyerTolmanlookedathimhostilelyandin— quiringlythroughhisgold—rimmedglasses。 \"Ibegyourpardon，\"saidGillian，cheerfully，\"butmayIaskyouaquestion？Itisnotanim— pertinentone，Ihope。WasMissHaydenleftany— thingbymyuncle’swillbesidestheringandthe$10？\" \"Nothing，\"saidMr。Tolman。 \"Ithankyouverymuch，sir，\"saidGillian，andonhewenttohiscab。Hegavethedriverthead— dressofhislateuncle’shome。 MissHaydenwaswritinglettersinthelibrary。 Shewassmallandslenderandclothedinblack。Butyouwouldhavenoticedhereyes。Gilliandriftedinwithhisairofregardingtheworldasinconse— quent。 I’vejustcomefromoldTolman’s，\"heexplained。 They’vebeengoingoverthepapersdownthere。 Theyfounda—Gilliansearchedhismemoryforalegalterm—theyfoundanamendmentorapost— scriptorsomethingtothewill。Itseemedthattheoldboyloosenedupalittleonsecondthoughtsandwilledyouathousanddollars。IwasdrivingupthiswayandTolmanaskedmetobringyouthemoney。 Hereitis。You’dbettercountittoseeifit’sright。\" Gillianlaidthemoneybesideherhandonthedesk。 MissHaydenturnedwhite。\"Oh！\"shesaid，andagain\"Oh！\" Gillianhalfturnedandlookedoutthewindow。 \"Isuppose，ofcourse，\"besaid，inalowvoice，thatyouknowIloveyou。\" \"Iamsorry，\"saidMissHayden，takinguphermoney。 \"Thereisnouse？\"askedGillian，almostlight— heartedly。 \"Iamsorry，\"shesaidagain。 \"MayIwriteanote？\"askedGillian，withasmile，I—reseatedhimselfatthebiglibrarytable。Shesup— pliedhimwithpaperandpen，andthenwentbacktohersecretaire。 Gillianmadeouthisaccountofhisexpenditureofthethousanddollarsi;ithesewords： Paidbytheblacksheep，RobertGillian，$1，000 onaccountoftheeternalhappiness，owedbyHeaventothebestanddearestwomanonearth。\" Gillianslippedhiswritingintoanenvelope，bowedandwenthisway。 HiscabstoppedagainattheofficesofTolman& Sharp。 \"Ihaveexpendedthethousanddollars，\"hesaidcheerily，toTolmanofthegoldglasses，\"andIhavecometorenderaccountofit，asIagreed。Thereisquiteafeelingofsummerintheair—doyounotthinkso，Mr。Tolman？\"Hetossedawhiteenvelopeonthelawyer’stable。Youwillfindthereamemo— randum，sir，ofthemodusoperandiofthevanishingofthedollars。\" Withouttouchingtheenvelope，Mr。Tolmanwenttoadoorandcalledhispartner，Sharp。Togethertheyexploredthecavernsofanimmensesafe。Forththeydragged，astrophyoftheirsearchabigenvelopesealedwithwax。Thistheyforciblyinvaded，andwaggedtheirvenerableheadstogetheroveritscon— tents。ThenTolmanbecamespokesman。 \"Mr。Gillian，\"hesaid，formally，\"therewasacodiciltoyouruncle’swill。Itwasintrustedtousprivately，withinstructionsthatitbenotopeneduntilyouhadfurnisheduswithafullaccountofyourhandlingofthe$1，000bequestinthewill。Asyouhavefulfilledtheconditions，mypartnerandIhavereadthecodicil。Idonotwishtoencumberyourunderstandingwithitslegalphraseology，butIwillacquaintyouwiththespiritofitscontents。 Intheeventthatyourdispositionofthe$1，000 demonstratesthatyoupossessanyofthequalifica— tionsthatdeservereward，muchbenefitwillaccruetoyou。Mr。SharpandIarenamedasthejudges，andIassureyouthatwewilldoourdutystrictlyaccordingtojustice—withliberality。 Wearenotatallunfavorablydisposedtowardyou，Mr。Gillian。Butletusreturntotheletterofthecodicil。Ifyourdisposalofthemoneyinquestionhasbeenprudent，wise，orunselflish，itisinourpowertohandyouoverbondstothevalueof$50，000，whichhavebeenplacedinourhandsforthatpurpose。Butif—asourclient，thelateMr。Gillian，explicitlyprovides—youhaveusedthismoneyasyouhavemoneyinthepast，IquotethelateMr。Gillian—inreprehensibledissipationamongdisreputableassociates—the$50，000istobepaidtoMiriamHayden，wardofthelateMr。Gillian，withoutdelay。 Now，Mr。Gillian，Mr。SharpandIwillexamineyouraccountinregardtothe$1，000。Yousubmititinwriting，Ibelieve。Ihopeyouwillreposeconfidenceinourdecision。\" Mr。Tolmanreachedfortheenvelope。Gillianwasalittlethequickerintakingitup。Hetoretheaccountanditscoverleisurelyintostripsanddroppedthemintohispocket。 \"It’sallright，\"hesaid，smilingly。\"Thereisn’tabitofneedtobotheryouwiththis。Idon’tsupposeyou’dunderstandtheseitemizedbets，anyway。I lostthethousanddollarsontheraces。Good—daytoyou，gentlemen。\" Tolman&SharpshooktheirbeadsmournfullyateachotherwhenGillianleft，fortheyheardhimwhis— tlinggaylyinthehallwayashewaitedfortheele— vator。 THEDEFEATOFTHECITY RobertWalmsley’sdescentuponthecityresultedinaKilkennystruggle。Hecameoutofthefightvictorbyafortuneandareputation。Ontheotherband，hewasswallowedupbythecity。Thecitygavehimwhathedemandedandthenbrandedhimwithitsbrand。Itremodelled，cut，trimmedandstampedhimtothepatternitapproves。Itopeneditssocialgatestohimandshuthiminonaclose— cropped，formallawnwiththeselectherdofrumi— nants。Indress，habits，manners，provincialism，routineandnarrownessheacquiredthatcharmingin— solence，thatirritatingcompleteness，thatsophisti— catedcrassness，thatoverbalancedpoisethatmakestheManhattangentlemansodelightfullysmallinhisgreatness。 Oneoftheup—stateruralcountiespointedwithpridetothesuccessfulyoungmetropolitanlawyerasaproductofitssoil。Sixyearsearlierthiscountyhadremovedthewheatstrawfrombetweenitshuckle— berry—stainedteethandemittedaderisiveandbucoliclaughasoldmanWalmsley’sfreckle—faced\"Bobabandonedthecertainthree—per—diemmealsoftheone—horsefarmforthediscontinuousquicklunchcountersofthethree—ringedmetropolis。Attheendofthesixyearsnomurdertrial，coachingparty，au— tomobileaccidentorcotillionwascompleteinwhichthenameofRobertWalmsleydidnotfigure。Tailorswaylaidhiminthestreettogetanewwrinklefromthecutofhisunwrinkledtrousers。Hyphenatedfel— lowsintheclubsandmembersoftheoldestsubpoenaedfamiliesweregladtoclaphimonthebackandallowhimthreelettersofhisname。 ButtheMatterhornofRobertWalmsley’ssuccesswasnotscaleduntilbemarriedAliciaVanDerPool。 IcitetheMatterhorn，forjustsohighandcoolandwhiteandinaccessiblewasthisdaughteroftheoldburghers。ThesocialAlpsthatrangedaboutheroverwhosebleakpassesathousandclimbersstruggled——reachedonlytoherknees。Shetoweredinherownatmosphere，serene，chaste，prideful，wadinginnofountains，diningnomonkeys，breedingnodogsforbenchshows。ShewasaVanDerPool。Fountainsweremadetoplayforher;monkeysweremadeforotherpeople’sancestors;dogs，sheunderstood，werecreatedtobecompanionsofblindpersonsandobjec— tionablecharacterswhosmokedpipes。 ThiswastheMatterhornthatRobertWalmsleyaccomplished。Ifhefound，withthegoodpoetwiththegamefootandartificiallycurledhair，thathewhoascendstomountaintopswillfindtheloftiestpeaksmostwrappedincloudsandsnow，heconcealedhischilblainsbeneathabraveandsmilingexterior。Hewasaluckymanandknewit，eventhoughhewereimitatingtheSpartanboywithanice—creamfreezerbeneathhisdoubletfrappeeingtheregionofhisheart。 Afterabriefweddingtourabroad，thecouplere— turnedtocreateadecidedrippleinthecalmcistern（soplacidandcoolandsunlessitis）ofthebestso— ciety。Theyentertainedattheirredbrickmausoleumofancientgreatnessinanoldsquarethatisaceme— teryofcrumbledglory。AndRobertWalmsleywasproudofhiswife;althoughwhileoneofhishandsshookhisguests’theotherheldtightlytohisalpen— stockandthermometer。 OnedayAliciafoundaletterwrittentoRobertbyhismother。Itwasanuneruditeletter，fullofcropsandmotherlyloveandfarmnotes。Itchronicledthehealthofthepigandtherecentredcalf，andaskedconcerningRobert’sinreturn。Itwasaletterdirectfromthesoil，straightfromhome，fullofbiographiesofbees，talesofturnips，peaansofnew—laideggs，neg— lectedparentsandtheslumpindriedapples。 \"WhyhaveInotbeenshownyourmother’slet— ters？\"askedAlicia。Therewasalwayssomethinginhervoicethatmadeyouthinkoflorgnettes，ofac— countsatTiffany’s，ofsledgessmoothlyglidingonthetrailfromDawsontoFortyMile，ofthetinklingofpendantprismsonyourgrandmothers’chandeliers，ofsnowlyingonaconventroof;ofapolicesergeantrefusingbail。\"Yourmother，\"continuedAlicia，\"invitesustomakeavisittothefarm。Ihaveneverseenafarm。Wewillgothereforaweekortwo，Robert。\" \"Wewill，\"saidRobert，withthegrandairofanassociateSupremeJusticeconcurringinanopinion。 \"IdidnotlaytheinvitationbeforeyoubecauseI thoughtyouwouldnotcaretogo。Iammuchpleasedatyourdecision。\" \"Iwillwritetohermyself，\"answeredAlicia，withafaintforeshadowingofenthusiasm。\"Feliceshallpackmytrunksatonce。Seven，Ithink，willbeenough。Idonotsupposethatyourmotherentertainsagreatdeal。Doesshegivemanyhouseparties？\" Robertarose，andasattorneyforruralplacesfiledademurreragainstsixoftheseventrunks。Heen— deavoredtodefine，picture，elucidate，setforthanddescribeafarm。Hisownwordssoundedstrangeinhisears。Hehadnotrealizedhowthoroughlyurbsi— dizedhehadbecome。 Aweekpassedandfoundthemlandedatthelittlecountrystationfivehoursoutfromthecity。Agrin— ning，stentorian，sarcasticyouthdrivingamuletoaspringwagonhailedRobertsavagely。 \"Hallo，Mr。Walmsley。Foundyourwaybackatlast，haveyou？SorryIcouldn’tbringintheauto— mobileforyou，butdad’sbull—tonguingtheten—acrecloverpatchwithitto—day。Guessyou’llexcusemy，notwearingadresssuitovertomeetyou——itain’tsixo’clockyet，youknow。\" \"I’mgladtoseeyou，Tom，\"saidRobert，grasp— inghisbrother’sband。\"Yes，I’vefoundmywayatlast。You’vearighttosay’atlast。’It’sbeenovertwoyearssincethelasttime。Butitwillbeoftenerafterthis，myboy。\" Alicia，coolinthesummerbeatasanArcticwraith，whiteasaNorsesnowmaideninherflimsymuslinandflutteringlaceparasol，cameroundthecornerofthestation;andTomwasstrippedofhisassurance。Hebecamechieflyeyesightclothedinbluejeans，andonthehomewarddrivetothemulealonedidheconfideinlanguagetheinwardnessofhisthoughts。 Theydrovehomeward。Thelowsundroppedaspendthriftfloodofgolduponthefortunatefieldsofwheat。Thecitieswerefaraway。Theroadlaycurl— ingaroundwoodanddaleandbilllikearibbonlostfromtherobeofcarelesssummer。ThewindfollowedlikeawhinnyingcoltinthetrackofPhoebus’ssteeds。 Byandbythefarmhousepeepedgrayoutofitsfaithfulgrove;theysawthelonglanewithitsconvoyofwalnuttreesrunningfromtheroadtothehouse; theysmelledthewildroseandthebreathofcool，dampwillowsinthecreek’sbed。AndtheninunisonallthevoicesofthesoilbeganachantaddressedtothesoulofRobertWalmsley。Outofthetiltedaislesofthedimwoodtheycamehollowly;theychirpedandbuzzedfromtheparchedgrass;theytrilledfromtheripplesofthecreekford;theyfloatedupinclearPan’spipenotesfromthedimmingmeadows;thewhippoorwillsjoinedinastheypursuedmidgesintheupperair;slow—goingcow—bellsstruckoutahomelyaccompaniment——andthiswaswhateachonesaid： \"You’vefoundyourwaybackatlast，haveyou？\" Theoldvoicesofthesoilspoketohim。Leafandbudandblossomconversedwithhimintheoldvocabu— laryofhiscarelessyouth—theinanimatethings，thefamiliarstonesandrails，thegatesandfurrowsandroofsandturnsoftheroadhadaneloquence，too，andapowerinthetransformation。Thecountryhadsmiledandhehadfeltthebreathofit，andhisheartwasdrawnasifinamomentbacktohisoldlove。 Thecitywasfaraway。 Thisruralatavism，then，seizedRobertWalmsleyandpossessedhim。Aqueerthinghenoticedincon— nectionwithitwasthatAlicia，sittingathisside，suddenlyseemedtohimastranger。Shedidnotbe— longtothisrecurrentphase。Neverbeforehadsheseemedsoremote，socolorlessandhigh—sointan— gibleandunreal。Andyethehadneveradmiredhermorethanwhenshesattherebyhiminthericketyspringwagon，chimingnomorewithhismoodandwithherenvironmentthantheMatterhornchimeswithapeasant’scabbagegarden。 Thatnightwhenthegreetingsandthesupperwereover，theentirefamily，includingBuff，theyellowdog，bestreweditselfuponthefrontporch。Alicia，nothaughtybutsilent，satintheshadowdressedinanexquisitepale—grayteagown。Robert’smotherdis— coursedtoherhappilyconcerningmarmaladeandlumbago。Tomsatonthetopstep;SistersMillieandPamontheloweststeptocatchthelightningbugs。Motherhadthewillowrocker。Fathersatinthebigarmchairwithoneofitsarmsgone。Buffsprawledinthemiddleoftheporchineverybody’sway。Thetwilightpixiesandpucksstoleforthun— seenandplungedotherpoignantshaftsofmemoryintotheheartofRobert。Aruralmadnessenteredhissoul。Thecitywasfaraway。 Fathersatwithouthispipe，writhinginhisheavyboots，asacrificetorigidcourtesy。Robertshouted： \"No，youdon’t！\"Hefetchedthepipeandlitit;beseizedtheoldgentleman’sbootsandtorethemoff。 Thelastoneslippedsuddenly，andMr。RobertWalmsley，ofWashingtonSquare，tumbledofftheporchbackwardwithBuffontopofhim，bowlingfearfully。Tomlaughedsarcastically。 Roberttoreoffhiscoatandvestandhurledthemintoalilacbush。 \"Comeouthere，youlandlubber，\"becriedtoTom，andI’llputgrassseedonyourback。IthinkyouCalledmea’dude’awhileago。Comealongandcutyourcapers。\" Tomunderstoodtheinvitationandaccepteditwithdelight。Threetimestheywrestledonthegrass，\"sideholds，\"evenasthegiantsofthemat。AndtwicewasTomforcedtobitegrassatthehandsofthedistinguishedlawyer。Dishevelled，panting，eachstillboastingofhisownprowess，theystumbledbacktotheporch。Milliecastapertreflectionuponthequalitiesofacitybrother。InaninstantRoberthadsecuredahorridkatydidinhisfingersandboredownuponher。Screamingwildly，shefledupthelane，pursuedbytheavengingglassofform。Aquarterofamileandtheyreturned，shefullofapologytothevictorious\"dude。\"Therusticmaniapossessedhimunabatedly。 Icandoupacowpenfulofyouslowhayseeds，\" heproclaimed，vaingloriously。\"Bringonyourbull— dogs，yourhiredmenandyourlog—rollers。\" HeturnedhandspringsonthegrassthatproddedTomtoenvioussarcasm。Andthen，withawhoop，heclatteredtotherearandbroughtbackUnclelike，abatteredcoloredretainerofthefamily，withhisbanjo，andstrewedsandontheporchanddanced\"ChickenintheBreadTray\"anddidbuck—and— wingwondersforhalfanhourlonger。Incredibly，wildandboisterousthingshedid。Hesang，hetoldstoriesthatsetallbutoneshrieking，heplayedtheyokel，thehumorousclodhopper;hewasmad，andwiththerevivaloftheoldlifeinhisblood。 Hebecamesoextravagantthatoncehismothersoughtgentlytoreprovehim。ThenAliciamovedasthoughshewereabouttospeak，butshedidnot。 Throughitallshesatimmovable，aslim，whitespiritintheduskthatnomanmightquestionorread。 Byandbysheaskedpermissiontoascendtoherroom，sayingthatshewastired。OnherwayshepassedRobert。Hewasstandinginthedoor，thefigureofvulgarcomedy，withruffledhair，reddenedfaceandunpardonableconfusionofattire——notracethereoftheimmaculateRobertWalmsley，thecourtedclubmanandornamentofselectcircles。Hewasdo— ingaconjuringtrickwithsomehouseholdutensils，andthefamily，nowwonovertohimwithoutexcep— tion，wasbeholdinghimwithworshipfuladmiration。 AsAliciapassedinRobertstartedsuddenly。Hehadforgottenforthemomentthatshewaspresent。 Withoutaglanceathimshewentonupstairs。 Afterthatthefungrewquiet。Anhourpassedintalk，andthenRobertwentuphimself。 Shewasstandingbythewindowwhenheenteredtheirroom。Shewasstillclothedaswhentheywereontheporch。Outsideandcrowdingagainstthewindowwasagiantappletree，fullblossomed。 Robertsighedandwentnearthewindow。Hewasreadytomeethisfate。Aconfessedvulgarian，heforesawtheverdictofjusticeintheshapeofthatwhitecladform。HeknewtherigidlinesthataVanDerPoolwoulddraw。Hewasapeasantgam— bollingindecorouslyinthevalley，andthepure，cold，white，unthawedsummitoftheMatterhorncouldnotbutfrownonhim。Hehadbeenunmaskedbyhisownactions。Allthepolish，thepoise，theformthatthecityhadgivenhimhadfallenfromhimlikeanill—fittingmantleatthefirstbreathofacountrybreeze。Dullybeawaitedtheapproachingcondemna— tion。 \"Robert，\"saidthecalm，coolvoiceofhisjudge，\"IthoughtImarriedagentleman。\" Yes，itwascoming。Andyet，inthefaceofit，RobertWalmsleywaseagerlyregardingacertainbranchoftheappletreeuponwhichbeusedtoclimboutofthatverywindow。Hebelievedhecoulddoitnow。Hewonderedbowmanyblossomstherewereonthetree——tenmillions？Butherewassomeonespeakingagain： \"IthoughtImarriedagentleman，\"thevoicewenton，\"but——\" Whyhadshecomeandwasstandingsoclosebyhisside？ \"ButIfindthatIhavemarried\"——wasthisAliciatalking？——\"somethingbetter——aman—— Bob，dear，kissme，won’tyou？\" Thecitywasfaraway。 THESHOCKSOFDOOM Hereisanaristocracyofthepublicparksandevenofthevagabondswhousethemfortheirprivateapartments。Vallancefeltratherthanknewthis，butwhenhesteppeddownoutofhisworldintochaoshisfeetbroughthimdirectlytoMadisonSquare。 Rawandastringentasaschoolgirl——oftheoldorder——youngMaybreathedausterelyamongthebuddingtrees。Vallancebuttonedhiscoat，lightedhislastcigaretteandtookhisseatuponabench。 Forthreeminutesbemildlyregrettedthelasthundredofhislastthousandthatithadcosthimwhenthebicyclecopputanendtohislastautomobileride。 Thenhefeltineverypocketandfoundnotasinglepenny。Hehadgivenuphisapartmentthatmorning。Hisfurniturehadgonetowardcertaindebts。Hisclothes，savewhatwereuponhim，haddescendedtohisman—servantforbackwages。Ashesattherewasnotinthewholecityforhimabedorabroiledlobsterorastreet—carfareoracarnationforbuttonholeunlessbeshouldobtainthembyspong— onhisfriendsorbyfalsepretenses。Thereforeliehadchosenthepark。 Andallthiswasbecauseanunclehaddisinheritedhim，andcutdownhisallowancefromliberalitytonothing。Andallthatwasbecausehisnephewhaddisobeyedhimconcerningacertaingirl，whocomesnotintothisstory——therefore，allreaderswhobrushtheirhairtowarditsrootsmaybewarnedtoreadnofurther。Therewasanothernephew，ofadifferentbranch，whohadoncebeentheprospectiveheirandfavorite。Beingwithoutgraceorhope，hehadlongagodisappearedinthemire。Nowdrag— netswereoutforhim;hewastoberehabilitatedandrestored。AndsoVallancefellgrandlyasLucifertothelowestpit，joiningthetatteredghostsinthelittlepark。 Sittingthere，heleanedfarbackonthehardbenchandlaughedajetofcigarettesmokeuptothelowesttreebranches。Thesuddenseveringofallhislife’stieshadbroughthimafree，thrilling，almostjoyouselation。Hefeltpreciselythesensationoftheaero— nautwhenhecutsloosehisparachuteandletshisballoondriftaway。 Thehourwasnearlyten。Notmanyloungerswereonthebenches。Thepark—dweller，thoughastubbornfighteragainstautumnalcoolness，isslowtoattacktheadvancelineofspring’schillycohorts。 Thenaroseonefromaseatneartheleapingfoun— tain，andcameandsathimselfatVallance’sside。 Hewaseitheryoungorold;cheaplodging—houseshadflavoredhimmustily;razorsandcombshadpassedhimby;inhimdrinkhadbeenbottledandsealedinthedevil’sbond。Hebeggedamatch，whichistheformofintroductionamongparkbenchers，andthenhebegantotalk。 \"You’renotoneoftheregulars，\"hesaidtoVal— lance。\"IknowtailoredclotheswhenIsee’em。 Youjuststoppedforamomentonyourwaythroughthepark。Don’tmindmytalkingtoyouforawhile？ I’vegottobewithsomebody。I’mafraid——I’mafraid。I’vetoldtwoorthreeofthosebummersoveraboutit。TheythinkI’mcrazy。Say——lettellyou——allI’vehadtoeatto—daywasacouplepretzelsandanapple。To—morrowI’llstandintoinheritthreemillions;andthatrestaurantyoueeovertherewiththeautosarounditwillbetooformetoeatin。Don’tbelieveit，doyou？ \"Withouttheslightesttrouble，\"saidVallance，withalaugh。\"Ilunchedthereyesterday。To— nightIcouldn’tbuyafive—centcupofcoffee。\" \"Youdon’tlooklikeoneofus。Well，Iguessthosethingshappen。Iusedtobeahigh—flyermyselfyearsago。Whatknockedyououtofthegame？\" \"I——oh，Ilostmyjob，\"saidVallance。 \"It’sundilutedHades，thiscity，\"wentontheother。\"Onedayyou’reeatingfromchina;thenextyouareeatinginChina——achop—sueyjoint。 I’vehadmorethanmyshareofhardluck。ForfiveyearsI’vebeenlittlebetterthanapanhandler。I wasraiseduptoliveexpensivelyanddonothing。 Say——Idon’tmindtellingyou——I’vegottotalktosomebody，yousee，becauseI’mafraid——I’mafraid。Myname’sIde。Youwouldn’tthinkthatoldPaulding，oneofthemillionairesonRiversideDrive，wasmyuncle，wouldyou？Well，heis。I livedinhishouseonce，andhadallthemoneyI wanted。Say，haven’tyougotthepriceofacoupleofdrinksaboutyou——er——what’syourname\" \"Dawson，\"saidVallance。\"No;I’msorrytosaythatI’mallin，financially。\" \"I’vebeenlivingforaweekinacoalcellaronDivisionStreet，\"wentonIde，\"withacrooktheycalled’Blinky’Morris。Ididn’thaveanywhereelsetogo。WhileIwasoutto—dayachapwithsomepa— persinhispocketwasthere，askingforme。Ididn’tknowbutwhathewasaflycop，soIdidn’tgoaroundagaintillafterdark。Therewasalettertherebehadleftforme。Say——Dawson，itwasfromabigdowntownlawyer，Mead。I’veseenhissignonAnnStreet。Pauldingwantsmetoplaytheprodigalnephew——wantsmetocomebackandbehisheiragainandblowinhismoney。I’mtocallatthelawyer’sofficeattento—morrowandstepintomyoldshoesagain——heirtothreemillion，Dawson，and$10，000ayearpocketmoney。And——I’mafraid——I’mafraid\" Thevagrantleapedtohisfeetandraisedbothtremblingarmsabovehisbead。Hecaughthisbreathandmoanedhysterically。 Vallanceseizedhisarmandforcedhimbacktothebench。 \"Bequiet！\"hecommanded，withsomethinglikedisgustinhistones。\"Onewouldthinkyouhadlostafortune，insteadofbeingabouttoacquireone。Ofwhatareyouafraid？\" Idecoweredandshiveredonthebench。HeclungtoVallance’ssleeve，andeveninthedimglowoftheBroadwaylightsthelatestdisinheritedonecouldseedropsontheother’sbrowwrungoutbysomestrangeterror。 \"Why，I’mafraidsomethingwillhappentomebe— foremorning。Idon’tknowwhat——somethingtokeepmefromcomingintothatmoney。I’mafraidatreewillfallonme——I’mafraidacabwillrunoverme，orastonedroponmefromahousetop，orsome— thing。Ineverwasafraidbefore。I’vesatinthisparkahundrednightsascalmasagravenimagewithoutknowingwheremybreakfastwastocomefrom。Butnowit’sdifferent。Ilovemoney，Daw— son—I’mhappyasagodwhenit’stricklingthroughmyfingers，andpeoplearebowingtome，withthemusicandtheflowersandfineclothesallaround。AslongasIknewIwasoutofthegameIdidn’tmind。 Iwasevenhappysittinghereraggedandhungry，listeningtothefountainjumpandwatchingthecarriagesgouptheavenue。Butit’sinreachofmyhandagainnow——almost——andIcan’tstandittowaittwelvehours，Dawson——Ican’tstandit。 Therearefiftythingsthatcouldhappentome——I couldgoblind——Imightbeattackedwithheartdisease——theworldmightcometoanendbeforeI could——\" Idesprangtohisfeetagain，withashriek。Peo— plestirredonthebenchesandbegantolook。Val— lancetookhisarm。 \"Comeandwalk，\"hesaid，soothingly。\"Andtrytocalmyourself。Thereisnoneedtobecomeex— citedoralarmed。Nothingisgoingtohappentoyou。Onenightislikeanother。\" \"That’sright，\"saidIde。\"Staywithme，Daw— son——that’sagoodfellow。Walkaroundwithmeawhile。Ineverwenttopieceslikethisbefore，andI’vehadagoodmanyhardknocks。Doyouthinkyoucouldhustlesomethinginthewayofalittlelunch，oldman？I’mafraidmynerve’stoofargonetotryanypanhandling\" VallanceledhiscompanionupalmostdesertedFifthAvenue，andthenwestwardalongtheThirtiestowardBroadway。\"Waithereafewminutes，\"hesaid，leavingIdeinaquietandshadowedspot。Heenteredafamiliarhotel，andstrolledtowardthebarquiteinhisoldassuredway。 \"There’sapoordeviloutside，Jimmy，\"hesaidtothebartender，\"whosayshe’shungryandlooksit。 Youknowwhattheydowhenyougivethemmoney。 Fixupasandwichortwoforhim;andI’llseethathedoesn’tthrowitaway。\" \"Certainly，Mr。Vallance，\"saidthebartender。 \"Theyain’tallfakes。Don’tliketoseeanybodygohungry。\" Idefoldedaliberalsupplyofthefreelunchintoanapkin。Vallancewentwithitandjoinedhiscom— panion。Idepounceduponthefoodravenously。\"I haven’thadanyfreelunchasgoodasthisinayear，\"besaid。\"Aren’tyougoingtoeatany，Dawson？ \"I’mnothungry—thanks，\"saidVallance。 \"We’llgobacktotheSquare，\"saidIde。\"Thecopswon’tbotherusthere。I’llrolluptherestofthishamandstuffforourbreakfast。Iwon’teatanymore;I’mafraidI’llgetsick。SupposeI’ddieofcrampsorsomethingto—night，andnevergettotouchthatmoneyagain！It’selevenhoursyettilltimetoseethatlawyer。Youwon’tleaveme，willyou，Dawson？I’mafraidsomethingmighthappen。 Youhaven’tanyplacetogo，haveyou？\" \"No，\"saidVallance，\"nowhereto—night。I’llhaveabenchwithyou。\" \"Youtakeitcool，\"saidIde，\"ifyou’vetoldittomestraight。Ishouldthinkamanputonthebumfromagoodjobjustinonedaywouldbetearinghishair。\" \"IbelieveI’vealreadyremarked，\"saidVallance，laughing，\"thatIwouldhavethoughtthatamanwhowasexpectingtocomeintoafortuneonthenextdaywouldbefeelingprettyeasyandquiet。\" \"It’sfunnybusiness，\"philosophizedIde，\"aboutthewaypeopletakethings，anyhow。Here’syourbench，Dawson，rightnexttomine。Thelightdon’tshineinyoureyeshere。Say，Dawson，I’llgettheoldmantogiveyoualettertosomebodyaboutajobwhenIgetbackhome。You’vehelpedmealotto— night。Idon’tbelieveIcouldhavegonethroughthenightifIhadn’tstruckyou。\" \"Thankyou，\"saidVallance。\"Doyouliedownorsituponthesewhenyousleep？ ForhoursVallancegazedalmostwithoutwinkingatthestarsthroughthebranchesofthetreesandlistenedtothesharpslappingofhorses’hoofsontheseaofasphalttothesouthHismindwasactive，buthisfeelingsweredormant。Everyemotionseemedtohavebeeneradicated。Idefeltnoregrets，nofears，nopainordiscomfort。Evenwhenbethoughtofthegirl，itwasasofaninhabitantofoneofthoseremotestarsatwhichbegazed。Here— memberedtheabsurdanticsofhiscompanionandlaughedsoftly，yetwithoutafeelingofmirth。Soonthedailyarmyofmilkwagonsmadeofthecityaroaringdrumtowhichtheymarched。Vallancefellasleeponhiscomfortlessbench。 Atteno’clockonthenextdaythetwostoodatthedoorofLawyerMead’sofficeinAnnStreet。 Ide’snervesflutteredworsethaneverwhenthehourapproached;andVallancecouldnotdecidetoleavehimapossiblepreytothedangershedreaded。 Whentheyenteredtheoffice，LawyerMeadlookedatthemwonderingly。HeandVallancewereoldfriends。Afterhisgreeting，heturnedtoIde，whostoodwithwhitefaceandtremblinglimbsbeforetheexpectedcrisis。 \"Isentasecondlettertoyouraddresslastnight，Mr。Ide，\"hesaid。\"Ilearnedthismorningthatyouwerenottheretoreceiveit。ItwillinformyouthatMr。Pauldinghasreconsideredhisoffertotakeyoubackintofavor。Hehasdecidednottodoso，anddesiresyoutounderstandthatnochangewillbemadeintherelationsexistingbetweenyouandhim。\" Ide’stremblingsuddenlyceased。Thecolorcamebacktohisface，andbestraightenedhisback。Hisjawwentforwardhalfaninch，andagleamcameintohiseye。Hepushedbackhisbatteredbatwithonehand，andextendedtheother，withlevelledfin— gers，towardthelawyer。Hetookalongbreathandthenlaughedsardonically。 \"TelloldPauldinghemaygotothedevil，\"hesaid，loudlyandclearly，andturnedandwalkedoutoftheofficewithafirmandlivelystep。 LawyerMeadturnedonhisheeltoVallanceandsmiled。 \"Iamgladyoucamein，\"hesaid，genially。 \"Yourunclewantsyoutoreturnhomeatonce。Heisreconciledtothesituationthatledtohishastyaction，anddesirestosaythatallwillbeas——\" \"Hey，Adams！\"criedLawyerMead，breakinghissentence，andcallingtohisclerk。\"BringaglassofwaterMr。Vallancehasfainted。\" THEPLUTONIANFIRE ThereareafeweditormenwithwhomIamprivi— legedtocomeincontact。Ithasnotbeenlongsinceitwastheirhabittocomeincontactwithme。Thereisadifference。 Theytellmethatwithalargenumberofthemanuscriptsthataresubmittedtothemcomeadvices（inthewayofaboost）fromtheauthorasseveratingthattheincidentsinthestoryaretrue。Thedes— tinationofsuchcontributionsdependswhollyuponthequestionoftheenclosureofstamps。Somearereturned，therestarethrownonthefloorinacornerontopofapairofgumshoes，anoverturnedstatu— etteoftheWingedVictory，andapileofoldmaga— zinescontainingapictureoftheeditorintheactofreadingthelatestcopyofLePetitJournal，rightsideup—youcantellbytheillustrations。Itisonlyalegendthattherearewastebasketsineditors’ offices。 Thusistruthheldindisrepute。Butintimetruthandscienceandnaturewilladaptthemselvestoart。 Thingswillhappenlogically，andthevillainbedis— comfitedinsteadofbeingelectedtotheboardofdirectors。Butinthemeantimefictionmustnotonlybedivorcedfromfact，butmustpayalimonyandbeawardedcustodyofthepressdespatches。 Thispreambleistowarnyouoffthegradecross— ingofatruestory。Beingthat，itshallbetoldsim— ply，withconjunctionssubstitutedforadjectiveswhereverpossible，andwhateverevidencesofstylemayappearinitshallbeduetothelinotypeman。 Itisastoryoftheliterarylifeinagreatcity，anditshouldbeofinteresttoeveryauthorwithina20— mileradiusofGosport，Ind。，whosedeskholdsaMS。 storybeginningthus：\"Whilethecheersfollowinghisnominationwerestillringingthroughtheoldcourthouse，Harwoodbrokeawayfromthecongrat— ulatinghandclaspsofhishenchmenandhurriedtoJudgeCreswell’shousetofindIda。\" PettitcameupoutofAlabamatowritefiction。 TheSouthernpapershadprintedeightofhisstoriesunderaneditorialcaptionidentifyingtheauthorasthesonof\"thegallantMajorPettingillPettit，ourformerCountyAttorneyandheroofthebattleofLookoutMountain。\" Pettitwasaruggedfellow，withakindofshame— facedculture，andmygoodfriend。HisfatherkeptageneralstoreinalittletowncalledHosea。Pettithadbeenraisedinthepine—woodsandbroom—sedgefieldsadjacentthereto。HehadinhisgripsacktwomanuscriptnovelsoftheadventuresinPicardyofoneGastonLaboulaye，VicomptedeMontrepos，intheyear1329。That’snothing。Wealldothat。 Andsomedaywhenwemakeahitwiththelittlesketchaboutanewsyandhislamedog，theeditorprintstheotheroneforus——or\"onus，\"asthesay— ingis——andthen——andthenwehavetogetabigvaliseandpeddlethosepatentair—draftgasburners。 At$1。25everybodyshouldhave’em。 ItookPettittothered—brickhousewhichwastoappearinanarticleentitled\"LiteraryLandmarksofOldNewYork，\"somedaywhenwegotthroughwithit。Heengagedaroomthere，drawingonthegeneralstoreforhisexpenses。IshowedNewYorktohim，andhedidnotmentionhowmuchnarrowerBroadwayisthanLeeAvenueinHosea。Thisseemedagoodsign，soIputthefinaltest。 \"Supposeyoutryyourbandatadescriptivearti— cle，\"Isuggested，\"givingyourimpressionsofNewYorkasseenfromtheBrooklynBridge。Thefreshpointofview，the——\" \"Don’tbeafool，\"saidPettit。\"Let’sgohavesomebeer。OnthewholeIratherlikethecity。\" WediscoveredandenjoyedtheonlytrueBohemia。 Everydayandnightwerepairedtooneofthosepalacesofmarbleandglassandtilework，wheregoesonatremendousandsoundingepicoflife。Valhallaitselfcouldnotbemoregloriousandsonorous。Theclassicmarbleonwhichweate，thegreat，light— flooded，vitreousfront，adornedwithsnow—whitescrolls;thegrandWagneriandinofclankingcupsandbowlstheflashingstaccatoofbrandishingcut— lery，thepiercingrecitativeofthewhite—apronedgrub—maidensatthemorgue—likebanquettables;therecurrentlied—motifofthecash—register——itwasagigantic，triumphantweldingofartandsound，adeafening，soul—upliftingpageantofheroicandem— blematiclife。Andthebeanswereonlytencents。 Wewonderedwhyourfellow—artistscaredtodineatsadlittletablesintheirso—calledBohemianrestau— rants;andweshudderedlesttheyshouldseekoutourresortsandmakethemconspicuouswiththeirpres— ence。 Pettitwrotemanystories，whichtheeditorsre— turnedtohim。Hewrotelovestories，athingIhavealwayskeptfreefrom，holdingthebeliefthatthewell—knownandpopularsentimentisnotproperlyamatterforpublication，butsomethingtobeprivatelyhandledbythealienistsandflorists。Buttheeditorshadtoldhimthattheywantedlovestories，becausetheysaidthewomenreadthem。 Now，theeditorsarewrongaboutthat，ofcourse。 Womendonotreadthelovestoriesinthemagazines。 Theyreadthepoker—gamestoriesandtherecipesforcucumberlotion。Thelovestoriesarereadbyfatcigardrummersandlittleten—year—oldgirls。I amnotcriticisingthejudgmentofeditors。Theyaremostlyveryfinemen，butamancanbebutoneman，withindividualopinionsandtastes。Iknewtwoassociateeditorsofamagazinewhowerewon— derfullyalikeinalmosteverything。AndyetoneofthemwasveryfondofFlaubert，whiletheotherpreferredgin。 Pettitbroughtmehisreturnedmanuscripts，andwelookedthemovertogethertofindoutwhytheywerenotaccepted。Theyseemedtomeprettyfairstories，writteninagoodstyle，andended，astheyshould，atthebottomofthelastpage。 Theywerewellconstructedandtheeventsweremarshalledinorderlyandlogicalsequence。ButI thoughtIdetectedalackoflivingsubstance——itwasmuchasifIgazedatasymmetricalarrayofpresentableclamshellsfromwhichthesucculentandvitalinhabitantshadbeenremoved。Iintimatedthattheauthormightdowelltogetbetteracquaintedwithhistheme。 \"Yousoldastorylastweek，\"saidPettit，\"aboutagunfightinanArizonaminingtowninwhichtheherodrewhisColt’s。45andshotsevenbanditsasfastastheycameinthedoor。Now，ifasix—shootercould——\" \"Oh，well，\"saidI，\"that’sdifferent。ArizonaisalongwayfromNewYork。Icouldhaveamanstabbedwithalariatorchasedbyapairofchap— arrerasifIwantedto，anditwouldn’tbenoticeduntiltheusualerror—sharpfromaroundMcAdamsJunctionisolatestheerratumandwritesintothepa— persaboutit。Butyouareupagainstanotherproposition。ThisthingtheycallloveisascommonaroundNewYorkasitisinSheboyganduringtheyoungonionseason。Itmaybemixedherewithalittlecommercialism——theyreadByron，buttheylookupBradstreet’s，too，whilethey’reamongtheB’s，andBrighamalsoiftheyhavetime——butit’sprettymuchthesameoldinternaldisturbanceevery— where。Youcanfoolaneditorwithafakepictureofacowboymountingaponywithhislefthandonthesaddlehorn，butyoucan’tputhimupatreewithalovestory。So，you’vegottofallinloveandthenwritetherealthing。\" Pettitdid。Ineverknewwhetherhewastakingmyadviceorwhetherbefellanaccidentalvictim。 Therewasagirlbehadmetatoneofthesestudiocontrivances—aglorious，impudent，lucid，open— mindedgirlwithhairthecolorofCulmbacher，andagood—naturedwayofdespisingyou。ShewasaNewYorkgirl。 Well（asthenarrativestylepermitsustosayin— frequently），Pettitwenttopieces。Allthosepains，thoselover’sdoubts，thoseheart—burningsandtremorsofwhichbehadwrittensounconvincinglywerehis。TalkaboutShylock’spoundofflesh！ Twenty—fivepoundsCupidgotfromPettit。Whichistheusurer？ OnenightPettitcametomyroomexalted。Paleandhaggardbutexalted。Shehadgivenhimajonquil。 \"OldHoss，\"saidhe，withanewsmileflickeringaroundhismouth，\"IbelieveIcouldwritethatstoryto—night——theone，youknow，thatistowinout。 \"Icanfeelit。Idon’tknowwhetheritwillcomeoutornot，butIcanfeelit。\" Ipushedhimoutofmydoor。\"Gotoyourroomandwriteit，\"Iordered。\"ElseIcanseeyourfin— ish。Itoldyouthismustcomefirst。Writeitto— nightandputitundermydoorwhenitisdone。Putitundermydoorto—nightwhenitisfinished—— don’tkeepituntilto—morrow。\" IwasreadingmybullyoldpalMontaigneattwoo’clockwhenIbeardthesheetsrustleundermydoor。 Igatheredthemupandreadthestory。 Thehissingofgeese，thelanguishingcooingofdoves，thebrayingofdonkeys，thechatterofirre— sponsiblesparrows—thesewereinmymind’searasIread。\"SufferingSappho！\"Iexclaimedtomyself。 \"Isthisthedivinefirethatissupposedtoignitegeniusandmakeitpracticableandwage—earning？\" Thestorywassentimentaldrivel，fullofwhim— peringsoftheartednessandgushingegoism。AlltheartthatPettithadacquiredwasgone。Ape— rusalofitsbutteryphraseswouldhavemadeacynicofasighingchambermaid。 InthemorningPettitcametomyroom。Ireadhimhisdoommercilessly。Helaughedidiotically。 \"Allright，OldHoss，\"hesaid，cheerily，\"makecigar—lightersofit。What’sthedifference？I’mgoingtotakehertolunchatClaremontto—day。\" Therewasaboutamonthofit。AndthenPettitcametomebearinganinvisiblemitten，withtheforti— tudeofadish—rag。HetalkedofthegraveandSouthAmericaandprussicacid;andIlostanafter— noongettinghimstraight。Itookhimoutandsawthatlargeandcurativedosesofwhiskeyweread— ministeredtohim。Iwarnedyouthiswasatruestory——’wareyourwhiteribbonsifonlyfollowthistale。FortwoweeksIfedhimwhiskeyandOmar，andreadtohimregularlyeveryeveningthecolumnintheeveningpaperthatrevealsthesecretsoffe— malebeauty。Irecommendthetreatment。 AfterPettitwascuredbewrotemorestories。Herecoveredhisold—timefacilityanddidworkjustshortofgoodenough。Thenthecurtainroseonthethirdact。 Alittle，dark—eyed，silentgirlfromNewHamp— shire，whowasstudyingapplieddesign，felldeeplyinlovewithhim。Shewastheintensesort，butex— ternallyglace，suchasNewEnglandsometimesfoolsuswith。Pettitlikedhermildly，andtookheraboutagooddeal。Sheworshippedhim，andnowandthenignoredhim。 Therecameaclimaxwhenshetriedtojumpoutofawindow，andhehadtosaveherbysomeperfunc— tary，unmeantwooing。EvenIwasshakenbythedepthsoftheabsorbingaffectionsheshowed。Home，friends，traditions，creedswentuplikethistle—downinthescaleagainstherlove。Itwasreallydiscom— posing。 OnenightagainPettitsaunteredin，yawning。Ashehadtoldmebefore，hesaidhefeltthathecoulddoagreatstory，andasbeforeIhuntedhimtohisroomandsawhimopenhisinkstand。Atoneo’clockthesheetsofpaperslidundermydoor。 Ireadthatstory，andIjumpedup，lateasitwas，withawhoopofjoy。OldPettithaddoneit。Justasthoughitlaythere，redandbleeding，awoman’sheartwaswrittenintothelines。Youcouldn’tseethejoining，butart，exquisiteart，andpulsingna— turehadbeencombinedintoalovestorythattookyoubythethroatlikethequinsy。IbrokeintoPettit’sroomandbeathimonthebackandcalledhimname——nameshighupinthegalaxyoftheim— mortalsthatweadmired。AndPettityawnedandbeggedtobeallowedtosleep。 Onthemorrow，Idraggedhimtoaneditor。Thegreatmanread，and，rising，gavePettithishand。 Thatwasadecoration，awreathofbay，andaguar— anteeofrent。 AndthenoldPettitsmiledslowly。IcallhimGen— tlemanPettitnowtomyself。It’samiserablenametogiveaman，butitsoundsbetterthanitlooksinprint。 \"Isee，\"saidoldPettit，ashetookuphisstoryandbegantearingitintosmallstrips。\"Iseethegamenow。Youcan’twritewithink，andyoucan’twritewithyourownheart’sblood，butyoucanwritewiththeheart’sbloodofsomeoneelse。Youhavetobeacadbeforeyoucanbeanartist。Well，IamforoldAlabamandtheMajor’sstore。Haveyougotalight，OldHoss？\" IwentwithPettittothedepotanddiedhard。 \"Shakespeare’ssonnets？\"Iblurted，makingalaststand。\"Howabouthim？\" \"Acad，\"saidPettit。\"Theygiveittoyou，andyousellit——love，youknow。I’drathersellploughsforfather。\" \"But，\"Iprotested，\"youarereversingthede— cisionoftheworld’sgreatest——\" \"Good—by，OldHoss，\"saidPettit。 \"Critics，\"Icontinued。\"But——say——iftheMajorcanuseafairlygoodsalesmanandbook— keeperdownthereinthestore，letmeknow，willyou？\" NEMESISANDTHECANDYMAN \"WesailateightinthemorningontheCeltic，\"saidHonoria，pluckingaloosethreadfromherlacesleeve。 \"Iheardso，\"saidyoungIves，droppinghishat，andmuffingitashetriedtocatchit，\"andIcamearoundtowishyouapleasantvoyage。\" \"Ofcourseyouheardit，\"saidHonoria，coldlysweet，\"sincewehavehadnoopportunityofinform— ingyouourselves。\" Iveslookedatherpleadingly，butwithlittlehope。 Outsideinthestreetahigh—pitchedvoicechanted，notunmusically，acommercialgamutof\"Cand—de—ee—ee—s！Nice，freshcand—ee—ee—ee—ees！d\"It’souroldcandyman，\"saidHonoria，leaningoutthewindowandbeckoning。\"Iwantsomeofhismottokisses。There’snothingintheBroadwayshopshalfsogood。\" ThecandymanstoppedhispushcartinfrontoftheoldMadisonAvenuehome。Hehadaholidayandfestivalairunusualtostreetpeddlers。Histiewasnewandbrightred，andahorseshoepin，almostlife—size，glitteredspeciouslyfromitsfolds。Hisbrown，thinfacewascrinkledintoasemi—foolishsmile。Stripedcuffswithdog—headbuttonscoveredthetanonhiswrists。 \"Idobelievehe’sgoingtogetmarried，\"saidHonoria，pityingly。\"Ineversawhimtakenthatwaybefore。Andto—dayisthefirsttimeinmonthsthathehascriedhiswares，Iamsure。\" Ivesthrewacointothesidewalk。Thecandymanknowshiscustomers。Hefilledapaperbag，climbedtheold—fashionedstoopandbandeditin。 \"Iremember——\"saidIves。 \"Wait，\"saidHonoria。 Shetookasmallportfoliofromthedrawerofawritingdeskandfromtheportfolioaslipofflimsypaperone—quarterofaninchbytwoinchesinsize。 \"This，\"saidHonoria，inflexibly，\"waswrappedaboutthefirstoneweopened。\" \"Itwasayearago，\"apologizedIves，asheheldouthishandforit，\"AslongasskiesaboveareblueToyou，mylove，Iwillbetrue。\" Thishereadfromtheslipofflimsypaper。 \"Weweretohavesailedafortnightago，\"saidHonoria，gossipingly。\"Ithasbeensuchawarmsummer。Thetownisquitedeserted。Thereisno— wheretogo。YetIamtoldthatoneortwooftheroofgardensareamusing。The，singing——andthedancing——ononeortwoseemtohavemetwithap— proval。\" Ivesdidnotwince。Whenyouareintheringyouarenotsurprisedwhenyouradversarytapsyouontheribs。 \"Ifollowedthecandymanthattime，\"saidIves，irrelevantly，\"andgavehimfivedollarsatthecornerofBroadway。\" HereachedforthepaperbaginHonoria’slap，tookoutoneofthesquare，wrappedconfectionsandslowlyunrolledit。 SaraChillingworth’sfather，\"saidHonoria，\"hasgivenheranautomobile。\" \"Readthat，\"saidIves，handingovertheslipthathadbeenwrappedaroundthesquareofcandy。 \"Lifeteachesus——howtolive，Loveteachesus——toforgive。\" Honoria’schecksturnedpink。 \"Honoria！\"criedIves，startingupfromhischair。 \"MissClinton，\"correctedHonoria，risinglikeVenusfromtheheadonthesurf。\"Iwarnedyounottospeakthatnameagain。\"’ \"Honoria，\"repeatedIves，\"youmustbearme。I knowIdonotdeserveyourforgiveness，butImusthaveit。Thereisamadnessthatpossessesonesome— timesforwhichhisbetternatureisnotresponsible。 Ithroweverythingelsebutyoutothewinds。I strikeoffthechainsthathaveboundme。Ire— nouncethesirenthatluredmefromyou。Lettheboughtverseofthatstreetpeddlerpleadforme。ItisyouonlywhomIcanlove。Letyourloveforgive，andIsweartoyouthatminewillbetrue’aslongasskiesaboveareblue。’ Onthewestside，betweenSixthandSeventhAve— nues，analleycutstheblockinthemiddle。Itper— ishesinalittlecourtinthecentreoftheblock。Thedistrictistheatrical;theinhabitants，thebubblingfrothofhalfadozennations。TheatmosphereisBohemian，thelanguagepolyglot，thelocalitypre— carious。 Inthecourtattherearofthealleylivedthecandyman。Atseveno’clockbepushedhiscartintothenarrowentrance，resteditupontheirregularstoneslatsandsatupononeofthehandlestocoolhimself。 Therewasagreatdraughtofcoolwindthroughthealley。 Therewasawindowabovethespotwherebeal— waysstoppedhispushcart。Inthecooloftheafter— noon，Mlle。Adele，drawingcardoftheAerialRoofGarden，satatthewindowandtooktheair。Gen— erallyherponderousmassofdarkauburnhairwasdown，thatthebreezemighthavethefelicityofaid— ingSidonie，themaid，indryingandairingit。 Abouthershoulders——thepointofherthatthepho— tographersalwaysmadethemostof——waslooselydrapedaheliotropescarf。Herarmstotheelbowwerebare——therewerenosculptorstheretoraveoverthem——buteventhestolidbricksinthewallsofthealleyshouldnothavebeensoinsensateastodisapprove。WhileshesatthusFe1ice，anothermaid，anointedandbathedthesmallfeetthattwinkledandsocharmedthenightlyAerialaudiences。 GraduallyMademoisellebegantonoticethecandymanstoppingtomophisbrowandcoolhimselfbe— neathherwindow。Inthehandsofhermaidsshewasdeprivedforthetimeofhervocation——thecharmingandbindingtoherchariotofman。TolosetimewasdispleasingtoMademoiselle。Herewasthecandyman—nofitgameforherdarts，truly——butofthesexuponwhichshehadbeenborntomakewar。